Traditional Heavy Metal

Night Demon – Outsider

Night Demon – Outsider
Century Media Records
Release Date: 17/03/2023
Running Time: 37:11
Review by Richard Oliver
8/10

Traditional heavy metal is in a very healthy place in 2023. Metal will always continue to evolve and expand in different sounds and directions but the origins of the genre are never forgotten or overlooked. As well as a good chunk of the old school bands still kicking out great albums and putting on fantastic live shows, there has been a newer generation of bands disregarding anything beyond the 80’s and performing traditional heavy metal like it is still 1983. The NWOTHM (New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal) movement has countless bands in it and one of the best out there are California’s Night Demon who are releasing their third full length album “Outsider”.

Much like the previous two Night Demon albums, “Outsider” is some straight up heavy fucking metal taking influence from the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) scene as well as the US power metal scene of the 80’s with a sound that is rough and ready as well as very melodic. You have songs which are driven by the driving riffs and pounding rhythm such as ‘Obsidian’ and ‘Escape From Beyond’ as well as songs where melody and atmosphere take centre stage such as ‘Beyond The Grave’ and ‘A Wake’ though one of the clear highlights of the album is one where all these elements are combined in ‘The Wrath’ with a melodic first half giving way to a riotous second half where the sound verges on speed metal. Despite only being a three piece, the guys in Night Demon make up for it in a beefy sound and intensive performances with a fantastic vocal and thunderous bass performance from Jarvis Leatherby whilst Dusty Squires pounds his drums into dust and Armand John Anthony rips out killer riffs and sweet solos aplenty.

Night Demon have taken on the difficult third album challenge with relish and released an absolute belter of an album in “Outsider”. Is it original sounding? Fuck no. Does it sound good? Fuck yes! Like nearly all of the bands in the NWOTHM movement this is an old school sounding record with the sole intention of playing classic sounding heavy metal. Having got into metal music at a time when it was deemed tragically uncool to like old school heavy metal with the fashion being rapping, baggy jeans and chains but heavy metal doesn’t need to be cool and whilst fashions and trends may come along they will always die off. WIth bands like Night Demon still flying the flag for traditional heavy metal and sounding this damn good, it is safe to say that true metal will never die.

‘Escape From Beyond’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Prelude
02. Outsider
03. Obsidian
04. Beyond The Grave
05. Rebirth
06. Escape From Beyond
07. A Wake
08. The Wrath
09. The Last Day (Bonus Track)

LINE-UP:
Dusty Squires – Drums
Armand John Anthony – Guitars & Keyboards
Jarvis Leatherby – Vocals & Bass

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Richard Oliver and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s With CATEGORY VI

EMQ’s With CATEGORY VI

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Canadian Traditional/ Power Metal band, Category VI. Huge thanks to their Vocalist/ Songwriter, Amanda Marie Jackman, for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

My name is Amanda Marie Jackman, I am the lead Vox and Songwriter in our band, Category VI.

A little on our history: Back around the year 2010, I was the lead vocalist of another metal band, whereby members were kind of misogynistic to me (telling me how to dress and other less than colourful behaviour). One night, we played with a band Called Category VI.

I recall distinctly watching their set, and being particularly blown away by the lead guitarist, Geoff Waye. I truly never heard anyone as talented as him! I was already feeling like crap in the current band, and was planning on leaving. That night, I remember standing in front of the stage thinking “I am going to be in this band.”

It turned out that their very brief lead singer quit the band the same night as their show! A few weeks later, things truly got gnarly with my band. They kicked me out for speaking up about my mistreatment. I can’t recall who messaged who first, but Geoff and I very quickly got to chatting over social media, pretending that neither one of us were *looking* to work together (even though we were! Ha ha). Anyway, the rest is heavy metal history, and I have been the lead vocalist now for nearly 13 years!

How did you come up with your band name?

The National Weather Service uses the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which only measures a hurricane’s sustained wind speeds using a 1 to 5 rating system. The idea of the name Category VI comes from the idea of the worst possible heavy metal storm ever, destroying everyone and everything in its path!

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

We Come from the Province of Newfoundland, which is a weirdly shaped island in Atlantic Canada. There is no doubt that there is a lot of talent here locally. Music here is kind of our thing, but genres vary vastly. Our rock and metal scene is ok, but it mostly consists of a lot of Black and/or death metal, or music that isn’t overtly melodic. We definitely have had a history of some really cool bands that were in the vein of melodic and thrash metal (which we love) such as After Forever and Sheavy to name a few. We are definitely proud of the fact that we are pretty much the only serious melodic metal band in the province that writes our own tunes and is signed to a label!

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

Our third album, Firecry (coming out on March 24^th) is our latest release and one we are super stoked about! We also have some music videos that will be released later this year!

Who have been your greatest influences?

My absolute greatest influences are Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford and Freddie Mercury. You know, “The Big 4” 😉

What first got you into music?

Being poor and having a crappy childhood! I couldn’t afford singing or music lessons, so I was fully self-taught. My mom had a lot of Black Sabbath and Queen Albums.

My 1^st record was this cool, Holographic Queen record titled, “The Game”. By the age of four, I was belting Bohemian Rhapsody out to anyone who would listen. I learned how to harmonize by putting my little toddler ear on the floor next to the record player and would listen to the vibrations of the music. Pain and adversity has always been a driving force that is catapulting me forward.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

Most of my heroes are dead ☹ but I would have to say Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford!

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Wacken has always been a personal dream of mine! I always wanted to play a bigger stage, and hope that with this record this may be possible.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

I would not consider this a gift (LOL) however, one night we were playing a Halloween show and some dude decided to spit up fake blood on me while I was singing (let’s hope that was fake ha ha)!

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

If you are a women wanted to go into metal, know that there are gonna be a lot of assholes that will try to pull you down and mistreat you (look under any comments for any female fronted bands and you will catch what I am talking about) but know that these people are merely intimidated by you, stand tall and proud, you are just as capable as any man in this genre!

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Oh my, do not do this to me LOL! It’s a tie between DIO and Freddie Mercury, hands down!

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

I love entertaining people, I love how powerful I feel on stage, I feel like nobody can stop me, it’s intoxicating and better than any drug!

What I hate is the bullying, sexual harassment and the inappropriate behaviours I’ve experienced by men in this industry.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

I could say so much here, but I guess I’ll narrow it down to this: women deserve a place in heavy metal and we are not objects. We are trailblazers and awesome at what we do. We deserve more respect.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Black Sabbath- “The Mob Rules”.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?

Vinyls FTW!

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

We played a show with another awesome Canadian metal band MANACLE back in 2018 here locally. We sounded awesome that night! This was sadly one of the last shows we played due to the pandemic that came up shortly after.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Haha! Sadly my music career is not lucrative. I am a mermaid that does spa parties for little kids when I am not head banging (I sometimes feel like JEM from JEM and the Holograms – two lives, one person! Haha)!

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Definitely my band mates, Geoff and Keith. Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, and Joey Belladonna too if they aren’t too busy LOL.

What’s next for the band?

Right now, lots of PROMO for our third record, FIRECRY! I am also currently writing a script for an upcoming live action music video. I also hope that with all of the promo, we can hook a mini tour or get to play a festival somewhere!

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CategoryVI
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/categoryviofficial/
Bandcamp: https://categoryvi.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ZKUlLFSyioGcGMwS7EBeM
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CategoryVImetal
Record Label (Moribund Records): http://www.moribundcult.com/main.html

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?

LOL I love this question! Thank you kind sir *tips hat*. We have quite the British influence here in Newfoundland, so I will go with a bun or a cob?

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?Thanks so much for chatting with me! Everyone should come follow Category VI on our socials for updates of our latest record, FIRECRY, which will be released under MORIBUND RECORDS on March 24^th, 2023! Support the UNDERGROUND and keep the heavy metal flag flying high!

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Vision of Choice – Second Sight

Vision of Choice – Second Sight
Fencesound Music / ZOUNDR
Release Date: 17/02/23
Running Time: 45:40
Review by Laura Barnes
7.5/10

Everybody knows it’s a mistake to judge a book by its cover, and the same advice applies to albums.

It’s not that the cover of “Second Sight” is bad, cuz it’s not – it’s badass as hell. It’s just that, looking at those navy blue skulls and extremely long fingernails, a part of me expected something super heavy, and more significantly, something very sorrow-laden. Vision of Choice certainly bring the heaviness, but their brand of melodic metal is anything but sorrowful. “Second Sight” is 45 minutes worth of upbeat, fist-pumping classic metal with glossy production. It’s a sound that is reminiscent of Judas Priest’s “Firepower”, as it takes all the raw components of NWOBHM and sprinkles in a tiny bit of the bombast and drama that we see in modern day power metal. Vision of Choice’s sound also owes a lot to vocalist Lukas Remus, whose low baritone voice lends their sound a hefty weight and distinctiveness.

“Second Sight” gets off to a decent start with ‘She Is Danger’, a song which, as you can guess from the title, could have easily fit in on a 1980s compilation. Like I said, it’s a decent start, but I feel it’s a little predictable and it isn’t until a little later in the album that Vision of Choice really find their feet and start to sprint. ‘High Roller’ really kicks things into gear with some infectious guitar work on the chorus and solo, but ‘Until The Night’ and ‘Ghost Chance’ are the clear standouts. ‘Until The Night’ demonstrates some epic songwriting and performance skills. Remus’ vocals on the chorus are cathartic and fucking glorious, and the guitars provide pure shreddage throughout. ‘Ghost Chance’ continues Vision of Choice’s winning streak, but wears completely different clothes. This track splashes about in pure hard rock joy and delivers lyrics that will definitely get stuck in your head after the first time round. ‘Heroes Home’ rounds the album out, providing a middle ground between Vision of Choice’s two different styles, a meaty chugger with lyrics that detail the exploits of a wandering hero.

“Second Sight” delivers a sound that, while not wholly original in content, stands proudly among its influences, unafraid to show off its glossy songwriting and gleeful solos. If you like your metal fast and melodic, or even just need a bit of an energy boost, then “Second Sight” will see you right.

TRACKLISTING:
01. She Is Danger
02. Eyes of Freedom
03. High Roller
04. Demonize
05. Until The Night
06. Ghost Chance
07. Fatal Delusion
08. To Zero
09. Hero’s Home
10. Forever the Heroes

LINE-UP:
Lukas Remus – Vocals
Steve Brockmann – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Ponch Satrio – Guitars

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Laura Barnes and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s With Odinfist

EMQ’s With Odinfist

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Canadian Traditional Heavy Metal band, Odinfist. Huge thanks to their guitarist/ lead vocalist, Tyler Anderson, for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

My name is Tyler Anderson. I am the lead vocalist and guitarist of Odinfist. The band started in 2006, when we were all in high school, by Justin Ketterer and Bretton Melanson (our original drummer). Shortly after, they recruited Jessie Valstar and myself. The band was originally intended to be Death / Thrash Metal but quickly turned to more Traditional Heavy Metal. Shortly after the band formed, due to musical differences, Bretton and the band parted ways and Brad joined as our new drummer. We’ve maintained that line-up since 2009, other than a few years from 2011 to 2014 when Justin had to bow out and we rocked it as a three-piece.

How did you come up with your band name?

We had a friend of ours (who was also our singer for a very brief time) try to come up with the two most “metal” sounding words he could. He blurted out “Odin” and “fist” and it was just meant to be.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

We are based out of Armstrong, a small city in Western Canada. I think it probably helps make our music unique, since we’re somewhat isolated from the bigger scenes in bigger cities. Armstrong is really just a part of the whole Okanagan Valley scene, which consists of multiple cities. Populations are small, and spread out, but the scene is surprisingly vibrant and thriving. It’s a pretty tight-knit community, with a lot of great people and bands, and lots of variety for a fairly “small” scene.

What is your latest release?

We just released our new single, ‘Riffmaster’ from our upcoming full-length album “Remade in Steel!” The single premiered on bravewords.com and is also now available on all major streaming services. The album will be released on March 10th, 2023 and we have two more singles from the album coming out between now and then.

Who have been your greatest influences?

I think as a band we are influenced by a lot of classics, NWOBM bands, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest being the obvious two. We also have some Thrash influence in our sound, so add Metallica and Megadeth to the list. We definitely have some of the epic, anthemic US Power Metal sound from bands like Manowar and Savatage. And we were influenced by bands like 3 Inches of Blood from Vancouver that helped kick off the NWOTHM sound in Canada when we first started.

What first got you into music?

What got me into music was my family’s love of music. My parents probably would have preferred if I stuck to country music and classic rock, ha ha. But they bought me my first guitar when I was twelve years old, and I haven’t looked back since.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

Miley Cyrus.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

There are so many that I’d like to play, but if I can pick anyone, why not pick the big daddy of them all? WACKEN!

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

We’ve received some manga-style fan art before, as well as a hand-made flag / banner. Not totally weird, but really cool, and I believe we still have them kicking around somewhere.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thank you so much for supporting and sticking with your little hometown band. And for any fans abroad, we’re so happy that you found us!

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

That’s a tough question. It’s a toss-up between Bon Scott and Dio. I’ll go with Bon, so he could have another chance to live his life to the fullest.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

The best thing about being a musician is playing music with my best friends and just being in the moment. Whether it’s on stage, in the rehearsal space, or in the studio, when the music is happening, I’m happy. The worst part is hauling gear around and trying to stay organized as a group of man-children in their 30’s. We always manage though!

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

Make streaming revenue more viable for artists.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Just one!? Crimson Glory’s self-titled.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

I’m a big vinyl collector, and I’d have to say that right now that’s my favourite. I’ve always loved all kinds of physical media. I still have all my CD’s too, but now I try to buy vinyl when I can. It’s not easy, considering the skyrocketing prices. Cassettes are fun too, but I recently sold my collection to buy more vinyl, ha ha! All this being said, streaming and downloads are so convenient, and a great way to get your music out in the world.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

One of my personal favourites was a show at a tattoo shop after hours that was most likely illegal and got way out of hand. But our best show to date? I’ll go with our set at Armstrong Metalfest 2022. The fest is always amazing, but this time it felt really special. We were added to the bill at the last minute and had to scramble a bit to get a set together, but we had a big crowd that gave us a lot of energy back. I really felt the love at that one.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

If I weren’t a musician, I would probably have some other creative outlet. I’m an English teacher and I read quite a bit, so maybe I’d be an author. Or maybe I’d be more into recording and production. It’s hard to say for sure.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Honestly, the guys in the band and a couple other friends. Ha ha.

What’s next for the band?

We have our new album, Remade in Steel dropping on March 10th! We hope to have as many people as we can check out and enjoy the new album, and then start playing the new material live when we have some more shows lined up.

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

https://www.facebook.com/Odinfist
https://odinfist.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1dVPzEaO5yevCnQfl5k7WW
https://www.youtube.com/user/odinfistofficial
https://Instagram.com/odinfist.official
Apple Music
Deezer
Song Stream – Riffmaster – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJyYAEJxxvY
Song Stream – Metalmancer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-xZCqGH_VI

Tempted to Google this, but I will resist! I’m gonna go with Bap, because I like the sound of it, ha ha.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you for the interview, it was a blast! And thank you for featuring Odinfist on your site, it is so appreciated!

Screamer – Kingmaker

Screamer – Kingmaker
Steamhammer / SPV
Release Date: 13/01/2023
Running Time: 39:18
Review by Victor Augusto
8/10

As I’m getting old with my almost 40 years of existence, I push myself hard to not repeat the same things that I used to complain about people of this age, when I was younger. One of the constant complaints I hear is about old famous mainstream bands and their retirement coming close as they reached decades on road. It looks like people love to bother these bands. If Iron Maiden (for example) releases a new album, people won’t like the new songs, but if they don’t record a new stuff, people claim that these bands are only living by the old hits.

Instead of always acting the negative person about music, why people don’t try to find new bands to enjoy? And here is something that I can recommend for you in this case, from a classic traditional Heavy Metal album “Kingmaker”, which is the fourth full album from the Swedish band Screamer. By the way, I felt that I had discovered them in a good moment of their career, because they sound very professional after more than 10 years on the road together with the three releases during this period.

My first general impression is how good the guitar arrangements sound. Jon Morheim and Dejan Rosić have a great synergy to share good riffs, melodies and solos. They bring a mix of Judas Priest and Accept for the band. The bass of Fredrik Svensson Carlström is pretty strong to complement the quality of the music, and also very present. Another highlighted aspect is how clear and organic the instruments sound. Nothing plastic or digitalized; neither too raw.

I’ve mentioned two great Heavy Metal bands as reference that are very heavy bands when we think in this specific style, Screamer has chosen a simple drums and vocals lines approach and for me, it is a good fit, offering a good and relaxing sensation for the listener. Even faster tracks like ‘Chasing the Rainbow’ keep this spirit of a blend of Heavy Music with a source of peace to recharge your mind whilst you are listening to it. This song even carries a good keyboard addition in a very Jon Lord (Deep Purple) style, also few double bass from Henrik Petersson. Probably it is my favourite song from the album.

The melodies become more present in ‘Ashes and Fire’ and the cadenced guitars open space to an incredible vocal interpretation from Andreas Wikström. Personally, I think here is when Andreas put all his capability that shows how great he does his job.

Well, I could spend lots of word to describe the entire album, but I truly recommend that you do it by yourself. If you love a great Heavy Metal band from the eighties, which have a music full of power, also full of professional arrangements on their compositions, I have no doubts that you will love them.

Nevertheless, it worth a mention that the best quality of “Kingmaker” (for me) is exactly the amazing equation among all elements of a band from this genre. Nothing here is over-exacerbated or massive. It’s quite the opposite and you will have a good entertainment with this album, so stop to be a grumpy old man and go to listen to them.

‘Kingmaker’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Kingmaker
02. Rise Above
03. The Traveler
04. Hellfire
05. Chasing the Rainbow
06. Ashes and Fire
07. Burn It Down
08. Fall of a Common Man
09. Sounds of the Night
10. Renegade

LINE-UP:
Andreas Wikström – Vocals
Jon Morheim – Guitars
Dejan Rosić – Guitars
Fredrik Svensson Carlström – Bass
Henrik Petersson – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Iron Kingdom – The Blood of Creation

Iron Kingdom – The Blood of Creation
Self-released
Release Date: 04/11/22
Running Time: 43:29
Review by Paul Hutchings
7/10

Describing their music as “if Iron Maiden and Judas Priest had a child and raised it on Hammerfall, Helloween, Rush, and Blind Guardian” may seem like a bold claim in the extreme. One listen to the opening song ‘Sheathe the Sword’ and I was certainly wondering where the Rush connection was although I could certainly see the influences of the German power metal legends.

Formed in 2011, “The Blood of Creation” is Iron Kingdom’s fifth full-length release, and it plays to a specific audience. The cross section of traditional metal and the most exuberant power metal traits demands leather, studs, posturing and every other metal cliché you can drag kicking and screaming into the pot. And there’s nothing much to quibble about if that is your thing, for Iron Kingdom do what they do well.

The musicianship is solid, the lead work sharp and Osterman’s high-pitched vocals can certainly hit the heights. His soaring shrill delivery on ‘Queen of the Crystal Throne’ demonstrates that perfectly. New drummer Max Friesen makes his recording debut for the band and puts in a sterling effort with some robust and powerful performances.

Ultimately, whether you like this will depend on your view of sword, sorcery, fantasy, and history inspired metal songs that flow with almost ludicrous pace. If your bag is screaming lead solos, relentless double kicks and driving bass lines and a pitch in the vocals which sometimes presents more as the outcome of a mangled Vince Neil and Rob Halford creation, then this is going to have you punching the air.

There are few surprises. ‘Hunter and Prey’ and ‘Witching Hour’, for example, thunder along with high tempo, plenty of riffs and dutifully following a standard template that fits this genre like a comfy old boot. You won’t find anything too complex, but it is perfectly played. Dual guitars scream out, delivering some classic metal melodies which warm the soul. It’s nothing new but you need to add it to the list of Accept, Helloween, Queensryche etc.

And it wouldn’t sit in the traditional metal genre without the inevitable classic to finish. In this case, we have a stellar piece that pulls in every piece of metal influence the band can muster. Yes, the title track runs at over 13 minutes long and features some epic guitar work. It’s a song that propels the album higher in the scoring stakes, for not only is it hugely ambitious, but it also works on every level. You can’t help but tap along to it, immerse yourself in the metal workout that’s unfolding before your eyes and ears, and enjoy every minute of it. A fine ending to a solid album.

‘Queen Of The Crystal Throne’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Tides Of Desolation
02. Sheathe The Sword
03. Queen Of the Crystal Throne
04. Hunter And Prey
05. Witching Hour
06. In The Grip of Nightmares
07. Primordial
08. The Blood of Creation

LINE-UP:
Chris Osterman – Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar
Leighton Holmes – Bass Guitar
Max Friesen – Drums
Megan Merrick – Lead Guitar

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Paul Hutchings and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Splintered Throne – The Greater Good Of Man

Splintered Throne – The Greater Good Of Man
Self-Released
Release Date: 19.08.22
Running Time: 39:38
Review by Dark Juan
9/10

It is the evening at Dark Juan Terrace, and I am slightly squiffy. I am replete with a chili I have made that was absolutely crammed with chipotle chillies in adobo sauce and I have been cheerfully mixing my drinks so I am feeling somewhat warmed by chillies and alcohol (oh, alcohol, how I love you and how you free my imagination and allow it to roam over uncharted and frequently perverse territories in my mind that really should remain unexplored. However, I don’t like the way that after a major sesh, you drip feed my transgressions back to me over the course of several deathly hours. I could be peaceably having a hangover and minding my own sore-headed business when suddenly I will sit bolt upright because I have remembered that I might have stuffed a person of restricted growth in the boot of my car, “to save for later”. And that that person of restricted growth is called Pete and he will probably want feeding at some point, and that Pete’s rather attractive girlfriend had sold him to me for a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale and a dance the night before) and have seated myself upon my chaise–longue to run a discerning ear over the latest release from Portland, Oregon’s trad metal warriors Splintered Throne and their latest release “The Greater Good Of Man”, fronted by longtime friend of Ever-Metal.com, legendary blues bassist, supreme alto and all round super lovely good egg Lisa Mann, of whom Dark Juan is a rabid and enthusiastic fan. Lisa made the mistake of being nice to Dark Juan once and now Dark Juan is like a particularly recalcitrant and sticky dog turd on her shoe that can’t be easily removed. Tough luck, Lisa. Still, at least you have a very enthused cheerleader and friend in the UK… I just nauseated myself with the thought of Dark Juan in a cheerleading uniform. Let us instead discuss the music rather than dwelling upon that appalling, yet curiously powerful image!

Splintered Throne are not ever going to be recognized as a ground-breaking band, but this is not the point of them. Splintered Throne are a band who proudly wear their influences and hearts on their sleeves. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Helloween and Queensryche are the order of the day with a little bit of White Crone (being Lisa’s solo metal project) slung in there for good measure. Opening track “The Reaper Is Calling” immediately brings back great memories of twin guitar lead lines, melody and a welcome focus on songwriting and polish. The sound is punchy as fuck and the musicians tighter than a gnat’s chuff throughout and Lisa more than adequately cements her reputation (in Dark Juan’s head anyway) as a new Queen of metal, her powerful, barrel-lunged alto soaring magnificently over super-crunchy trad metal done right. There’s no messing about done on the first song – it just hammers straight into the psyche with little to no pretense of subtlety – Splintered Throne are keen to make you aware that this is a fucking heavy metal album and you need to be headbanging like fuck, thank you please.

This record proves that traditional metal still has teeth as well – “Night Of The Heathens” is a speedy, dangerous metal song that references Judas Priest quite strongly, with a strong power metal bent, although I’m not thrilled about the lyrics having the Vikings dealing us sturdy and stubborn Brits an arse kicking! That will be a spanking for the lot of you, my ungrateful colonial cousins…

There’s nothing to fault on this album and that’s really annoying. There are riffs for days, massive, huge, colossal, MEGALITHIC riffs of glorious majesty all over the fucking place. Splintered Throne are chucking megariffs into middle eights because they are riffmeisters and have riffs to spare. I fucking love the rich, warm production of the album as well – it’s well honed, polished and very easy to listen to, with a snare sound that pleases the discerning ear of Dark Juan mightily, mainly because it doesn’t sound like a bin lid being twatted with a dead pigeon. All the instruments are very easy to hear, even through faster passages, and the percussion is clearly discernible at all times. And over it all rises the voice of Lisa Mann, a woman absolutely wasted on the blues, as her pipes are admirably suited for the rigours of metal. She effortlessly soars over the music, set quite far forward in the mix, but that is just because her unique voice is just such a fucking ASSET to whatever the fuck she’s singing on, yet her full on delivery never overpowers the rest of the band. All in all, the production is a masterful achievement, being clean yet still full of vibrancy and power and showcasing the talents of the entire band, who, and let’s be honest here, are a fucking cracking bunch of musos. Every single song is clearly finely crafted and the performances of every member of the band shine with enthusiasm and a clear sense of fun, which provides the album with that je ne sais quoi that quite a lot of modern releases miss – traditional in style and execution this record may be, but it is vibrant and fresh and quite capable of kicking the arses of a number of recent releases with one metaphorical arm tied behind its back.

All in all, this is a damned fine listen and a bit of a triumph, especially if you’re like Dark Juan and you’re a… teenager with nearly four decades worth of experience. Not since Warlock’s “Triumph And Agony” have we had a proper heavy metal band with a female singer of such power, range and ability.

Splintered Throne and Lisa Mann did not pay anything to Dark Juan for this frothingly positive review, and frankly Dark Juan finds it actionable and libellous that you might think that. See you in court!

Splintered Throne – I’ll be seeing you down the front when you hit UK shores!

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System awards Splintered Throne a studded-wristband clad 9/10 for a virtually perfect traditional heavy metal album. Bear in mind that Dark Juan tends to not listen to too much trad metal nowadays, being rather more musically intrepid, but does still adore metal in all its forms. One mark was lost because the last song, “Immortal 2020”, came perilously close to being a power ballad. You all know what power ballads and ballads in general make Dark Juan think and do. Yes, that thing that involves cannons and just how far out to sea we can make the perpetrators of ballads fly, without the aid of a helmet. Yes, even Lisa, who remains one of Dark Juan’s favourite people in metal because she’s just so goddamned nice. But it was JUST the right side of balladry, so Splintered Throne don’t have to deal with trousers filled with 5 kilos of cordite and an unpleasantly soggy walk back to their hotel.

TRACKLISTING:
01. The Reaper is Calling
02. The Crossing
03. Morning Star Rising
04. The Greater Good of Man
05. Let it Rain
06. Underdogs
07. Night of the Heathens
08. Time Stands Still
09. Immortal 2020 (Remastered)

LINE-UP:
Brian Bailey – bass
Matt Dorado – guitar
Kris Holboke – drums
Lisa Mann – vocals
Jason “JMo” Moser – guitar

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

ChrysalïD – Back On The Streets

ChrysalïD – Back On The Streets
Self – Released
Release Date: 01/04/22
Running Time: 48:57
Review by Victor Augusto
9/10

The passion for Heavy Metal! Maybe It is the most dated cliche to start a review with, but there are still people who truly believe in it, and I think that it totally represents the album to be reviewed here. To explain this, I need to start by mentioning the name Emannuel Thorsen. This guy is a Brazilian musician that keeps his dream alive and works so hard to make it become possible. Even when he started his musical career in the Brazilian band Hell Bound, he never stopped working on this project ChrysaliD. Now he lives in England and has become the singer of a band called A Fool’s Mockery, (you can also check the review of them here at Ever Metal.) Now, the first work from ChrysaliD has finally seen the light of the day and has hit the world full of incredible musicians from all around the globe.

Ralf Scheepers, Timo Tolkki, Tim Owens and Steve Grimmett. How’s that to start? Is it enough for you to enjoy this album? Well, they are just four names that are part of this album. Every track has a guest musician putting their own identity there. To make this hard work possible, Emannuel had his long-time partners in crime Fabricio Rocha on guitars and Guilherme Peixoto on bass, both from Hell Bound. He also has his new partner in crime Jase Tyler who plays drum in A Fool’s Mockery.

The first track after the intro narrated by Rich Daigle is ‘Words To The Wind’, with the powerful voice of Tim Ripper Owens to give even more heaviness to the band. Then we have a masterclass song called ‘Running Against The Time’ with Ralf Scheepers doing a killer job. He also joined the band for a video for this track. Steve Grimmett comes right after on ‘The Passage’ which has an amazing cadence. So far, we’ve had enough name dropping to make any Metal Head lose their breath and we are just on the 4^th track of the album.

The versatility of the guest musicians goes further. There is a kind of tribute to the local legends of Emannuel’s hometown (Brasília, the capital of Brazil, also my hometown) having people like Fellipe CDC (maybe the most important person that support our local music) Itazil Júnior (Flashover), Adan Hessen (Nightwölf) and many others take part. The difference now is how they make a space for something more aggressive, as you hear on ‘Back on the Streets’, with a mix of guttural and melodic voices provided by musician who play in bands with a different style from ChrysaliD.

It is hard to talk about all the great musicians and songs here. My favorite song is ‘Running Against The Time’, but if I could mention a highlight moment, it is the closing track ‘Hell Bound’ for sure. This song was originally recorded by the Hell Bound band on their debut album. Alongside Emannuel, Fabrício and Guilherme in this version is Tim Owens aggressively singing on it. This would have been a dream coming true for those who have music as a passion, which I’m sure these guys do.

I must mention how incredible their composition work is on this album – to compose so much music that could perfectly receive all the guest musicians they use, crossing so many genres. Sometimes you will have something more Power Metal, with Timo Tolkki’s influence, like in ‘Screams’, but also something very introspective like the acoustic ‘Heart Breaks Free‘ with a beautiful solo by Bill Hudson.

I am used to be skeptical with projects that so many different people are part of, because I feel that most of these works just sound confusing and without space for every musician to really put their identity on. But here it is different. ChrysaliD is not a young band, despite “Back On The Streets” being their debut album. They have been working on it for more than a decade. As result, you have a mature and brilliant album for lovers of a good Traditional Heavy Metal.

It is brutal, fast and technical. Everything well balanced so it doesn’t sound too massive. For me, it is a memorable work. Please, take some time to listen to it.

‘Running Against The Time’ Official Video:

TRACKLISTING:
01. Welcome Back
02. Words to the Wind
03. Running Against The Time
04. The Passage
05. Your Voice Remains
06. Back on the Streets
07. Chrysalïd
08. Screams
09. Heart Breaks Free
10. Freedom Call
11. The End
12. A New Silence
13. Time to Live
14. El Wolf
15. Caprice N°1 In G Minor (For Mallu)
16. Hell Bound (Hell Bound cover)

LINE-UP:
Emannuel Thorsen – Vocals
Jase Tyler – Drums
Fabricio Rocha – Guitars
Guilherme Peixoto – Bass

GUEST MUSICIANS:
Narration on track 1 by Rich Daigle.
Additional vocals on track 2,10, 16 by Tim Ripper Owens.
Additional vocals on track 3 by Ralf Scheepers.
Additional vocals on track 4 by Steve Grimmett.
Lead vocals on track 5 by Eric Bruce.
Additional vocals on track 6 by Laura Guldemond, Fellipe CDC, Junior Nnv, Itazil
Junior.
Additional vocals on track 7 by Olöf Wikstrand.
Additional vocals on track 8 by Timo Tolkki and Aldeir Donovan.
Additional vocals on track 10 by Polibio Aguiar.
Additional vocals on track 11 by Marius Danielsen and Leandro Caçoilo.
Additional vocals on track 13 by Rick Janke.
Lead vocals on track 14 by Terence Holler.
Additional vocals on track 14 by Marius Danielsen.
Lead vocals on track 16 by Ronaldo Silva.
Guitar solo on track 4 by Timo Tolkki.
Guitar intro on track 4 by Gustavo Freitas.
Acoustic guitar solo on track 9 by Bill Hudson.
Acoustic guitar on track 12 by Waldson Farias.
Guitars on track 15 by Fabricio Rocha.
Guitars on track 16 by Adan Hessen.
Bass on track 2,6,8,10 by Thomas Hewson.
Bass on track 4 by Michel Brasil.
Bass on track 11 by Przemyslaw Przytulo.
Bass on track 13 by Ricardo Araujo.
Bass on track 16 by Jean Oliveira.
Drums on track 6,16 by Fabio Alessandrini.

LINKS:

Illucia – A New Reign

Illucia – A New Reign
Self-Released
Release Date: 11/06/2022
Running Time: 41:02
Review by Rory Bentley
5/10

As someone that’s just finished recording an album with a band not signed to a label and funded from our own pockets, I understand the challenges of producing the product that you’ve dreamed about in your head. Yet despite the painful process of trying to be Rush on a budget, I can only imagine how much more grit, determination and raw passion it takes for bands in less privileged countries to even form a band, let alone put out a full length.

Here at Ever Metal, we totally get that our Metal brethren who don’t live in the more traditionally Metal-friendly parts of the world aren’t going to be hiring Andy Sneap any time soon. As a result we’ve traditionally made a point of being more lenient on amateurish production jobs and bands that aren’t exactly Testament levels of tight.

I think this is a fair approach, and we want to encourage the music we love to be enjoyed and played all over the planet regardless of culture, financial status or geography. That being said, I also think that it would be a disservice to these bands not to hold them to broadly the same standard as anything else we cover, to do otherwise would be patronising and disingenuous. With that being said, I’m about to say some nice things and some more critical things about Indian Traditional Heavy Metal band Illucia’s debut album “A New Reign ”.

Let’s start with the positives. The band’s love and passion for Metal is undeniable. Every song is played with joyful conviction and boundless energy like their lives depend on it. The production limitations actually work in favour of the record, as all of these performances feel lively and raucous like you’re sharing their practice space, there’s a few bum notes here and there (actually quite a lot vocally but more on that later) but that’s what you want from a band throwing back to the 80’s heyday of old school Metal.

The guitar work is technically impressive with some top tier shredding and a fair few tasty riffs and their influences are worn proudly on their sleeves. Accept, Judas Priest and of course Iron Maiden are all present and correct in the fabric of songs like the breakneck ‘Clap of Thunder’ and the rousing ‘Trauma of the Sea’ which lends the record a comforting familiarity.

There is also a clear ambition to experiment with dynamics such as the acoustic verses of ‘Slaves to the Land’ and closing call to arms ‘The Ritual…A New Reign’. Fair play for a band on their first album to attempt stylistic tricks that the bands they were influenced by took 2-3 records delve into. So that’s the good stuff and now onto the stuff that sees the score landing straight down the middle.

Metal vocals are hard. Specially sung vocals with a raging blur of distortion under you, or if you want to replicate your heroes but you’ve not been blessed with the natural gifts of a Rob Halford or even Ozzy. Despite attacking everything with an endearing energy, singer Vineesh Venugopal has his limitations seriously exposed at various points here. Over a more driving track like ‘Fortress of Gold’ he sounds scrappy, but commanding and suits the frantic pace of the band, but in the more soaring moments his grasp of his upper register is often inconsistent and occasionally his pitch wavers in a way that should really have either been corrected in post-production or remedied by doing another take.

Worse still he lacks the nuance to deliver melodic vocal lines during the acoustic passages to the extent that it really brings the songs down and I found myself waiting for things to speed up again to provide some kind of relief from hearing him flounder so badly. But as I said before, his buoyant enthusiasm does often circumvent his technical deficiencies to stop things from being a total disaster.

Bare bones production and singing aside, the main gripe I have here is one that I’ve constantly levelled at countless bands, which is a lack of originality. I’ve heard all of these different styles and permutations before and all have been done to a much higher standard, normally by the bands that invented them. As cool as it is to see a band thousands of miles from the birthplace of Heavy Metal make music that sounds like it could have been concocted in a dingy Birmingham jam room, the songs here are solid but unspectacular.

There’s enough fire and musical chops here to leave me with the hope that the band can raise their game and create something more inspiring in the future, but as things stand this is a flawed but promising debut and a tribute to the wide reach of Heavy Metal.

‘Clap Of Thunder’ Lyric Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Fateful Night
02. Clap of Thunder
03. Trauma of the Sea
04. Slaves to the Land
05. The Fortress of Gold
06. The Chosen One
07. Hellucination
08. Walls of Desire
09. The Ritual… A New Reign

LINE-UP:
Nitin Charles Martin – Guitars
Srivatsa Balaji – Drums
Vineesh Venugopal – Vocals
Imli Suneo Jamir – Bass

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Steel Rhino – Steel Rhino

Steel Rhino – Steel Rhino
GMR Music
Release Date: 20/08/2021
Running Time: 42:34
Review by Simon Black
8/10

Now this is an interesting project.

The name Steel Rhino evokes motes of New Wave of British Heavy Metal loudly and clearly and the music absolutely fits that mould, albeit with a good dollop of Melodic Hard Rock on top. Being the child of Swedish drummer Mikael Rosengren; hard, solid and heavy rhythms are the backbone of this three piece project. I say project as in ‘solo’ because the guitar and bass work is all the product of versatile session musician Filip Vilhemsson, with vocals supplied by the incredibly flexible Herbie Langhans. Flexible, in that every project this man contributes to, sounds like it may have been delivered by a completely different singer – such is his range. The only time I’ve seen him live, he was part of the Avantasia circus, where clean screams were more the order of the day, with the exception of his very Sisters of Mercy-esque solo spot on ‘Draconian Love’. This project sees him taking a totally different sounding rough and ready Rock ’n’ Roll turn on the mic which fits the tone of the project perfectly, being more akin to early Udo Dirkschneider in style, but whilst still giving him a few moments to scale up to the rafters and surprise you with the breadth of his vocal spectrum.

Opening with the anthemic and aptly titled ‘Rhino Attack’ this album fires high energy Traditional Metal with a rich and modern production sound. The songs could have been written in the early 1980’s, but the sound is very much of the moment. Not overtly technical in nature, but rich, fat and crisp with every contributor sounding clear in the mix and a cohesive overall band sound and feel to support it. I’m a great believer that a clear and distinct bass guitar in the mix is what truly gets heads nodding in the pit and bassist Vilhemsson clearly agrees and uses this to good effect, with that instrument tending to dominate over the guitar sound on many occasions. It works, as this album is all about the rhythms. Thundering, stampeding and unrelenting rhythms, straight out of the NWOBHM era, but not crazily speed obsessed as the sounds that followed it a few short years later. The song-writing focuses on catchiness with those solid rhythmic riffs laying the cornerstone of each song, but with good catch vocal and guitar melodies to keep an audience fist-pumping. I will be curious to see if this project ever gets the opportunity for a live outing, as these songs all feel like they would work really well in the flesh.

A cracking album, which deserves life beyond the confines of a studio project.

‘Boom Boom’ (Official Lyric Video)

TRACKLISTING:
01. Rhino Attack
02. Arrival
03. Lovin’ Easy
04. Steel Rhino
05. Bells Of Midnight
06. Fire & Ice
07. Ghost From The Past
08. Sands Of Time
09. Life We Choose
10. Boom Boom
11. New Tomorrow

LINE-UP:
Mikael Rosengren – Drums
Herbie Langhans – Vocals
Filip Vilhemsson – Guitar, Bass

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Simon Black and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.