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United in a Scream

Posted in CDs on April 11, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

Today has been a really, really good day. Like, honestly. Firstly, I got a propers night sleep which is absolutely awesome for once. Secondly, I signed the contract for my new apartment! Woo! It’s going to be pretty great – it’s a nice place, my dreamplace, in fact.

And to top it off even more, I got a job I applied for which will make things sooo much easier to deal with, everything is really just going my way today, huh?

And to make it even better – I finally, after a long time of searching, found an album I had been looking for for the longest of time. I was originally down at Knastret in order to kill some time before the meeting, and when I stumbled upon the album I even got so shocked to see it that I stared at it for a good while before realizing what it was.

“Straight Down The Line” with Return. I’ve had this on vinyl for the longest of time, and now finally I have it on CD. FINALLY. While browsing about the CD’s, I came across another one from Return’s catalouge, and I figured, they, why the hell not? And this is the story on how “Attitudes” also came about my recordcollection.

I guess it is pretty safe that say that, good comes to those who waits. Couldn’t be more true in this case. If you excuse me, I’m just gonna go and add in these precious new albums!

// Sara

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Battle Beast – Bringer of Pain

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags , on March 10, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

So! Finally I’m getting around to write about Battle Beast’s newest album, “Bringer of Pain” which was released quite some time ago by now, almost a month actually. Time really, really flies, doesn’t it? But as you guys know, I have been a bit occupied but now it’s time!

So, “Bringer of Pain” is the fourth album in line for Finnish band Battle Beast, and they are coming back stronger than ever, at least if you ask me. And not to mention, very versatile.

It starts off with a melodic, yet pretty heavy song in “Straight to the Heart”, very classic Battle Beast I’d say, and then launching into a pure heavy metal song in the titletrack. And this is exactly how the album moves about – it goes from being more melodic and synth based in songs as “King for a Day”, which is a bit like an anthem, “Familiar Hell” and “Bastard Son of Odin”, and then heavier songs such as “Lost in Wars”, “The Eclipse” and “God of War”. Of course, a ballad can be found in “Far From Heaven”.

The order the song has been put on the albums are great – I don’t know if it’s coincidence, or if it’s well planned, but they mixed it up perfectly with having pretty much every second song, making the album go up and down all through it.

Then we have the odd song out. “Dancing with the Beast”. Brings your thoughts back to “Unholy Saviours” “Touch in the Night”, but even more in the pop spectra than the aforementioned. It’s lacking any sort of metal element to it, which I find interesting. I love it. I love the dreamy kind of intro to it, and the beat all in all. The songwriting on this album is superb, and it’s fun to see the others contribute to the writing as well.

The album as a whole is very solid – I’m really liking the diversity. How you have songs literally from pure pop to heavy power metal stuff, keeping the album interesting all through the album in my opinion.It’s a bit hard for me to find the words to describe exactly how much I love this album, but let’s just say it makes me want do dance with the beast. I haven’t been able to stop listen to this album since it came out, well done Battle Beast!

Favorite song: Bastard Son of Odin
Least Favorite song: Rock Trash (I don’t dislike it, but I have to choose)
Dance-friendliness: 7 /13
Headbang-friendliness: 8 / 13
Crowd-friendliness: 9/13

// Sara

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REVIEW: Bloodbound – War of Dragons

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags , , , on February 23, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

It’s been two years since swedish metalband Bloodbound released their last success “Stormborn”, and this album is said to be somewhat of a continuation of that album, just a bigger, bolder and better.

My first impression of this album is that it’s not really as simple as a continuation of the previous albums, it feels a bit like a concept album, about well, the war of Dragons. The instant feeling I get when listening through it, is like reading a fantasy book.

It starts off with a massive and epic intro of the first song, taking us out on the quest with determination and perhaps a little bit of fear – the fear of what is yet to come and to be expected. The music and the battles, if I may so say, continues on in this kind of manner – epic, big anthem like songs that shifts between being either a bit more calmer and melodic (“Tears of a Dragon Heart”, “Stand and Fight”), or as I call it – dance friendly, to get fast, aggressive and more headbangfriendly (“King of Swords”, “War of Dragons”).

Then of course, we have te odd one out – “Silver Wings”. It’s got more of a folk touch to it with the flute and the way it’s written, you know, as if you were sitting at the taverna on your road to glory pondering out your next step, that’s what the music is like. With an intro of a pouring lake it really PAINTS a picture before your eyes, and the fact that the whole melody line is nothing but playful, mysterious and enjoyable, making this one of the best tracks off the album.

The album closes with two songs where one if more aggressive – the final battle kind of song, and closes off with a song that brings the thoughts back to movies like “Mio min Mio” after they defeated Cato and all was well again in the world far, far away. It’s rarely I hear the kind of music that so strongly paints a picture before your eyes. I literally sat and envisioned everything. That speaks loudly about this album I’d say.

The only issue that I do have with this album is that I at many times got my thoughts drawn to other bands. “Battles in the Sky” has resemblances to “Lejonet från Norden” by Sabaton, “Fallen Heroes” which is one of my favorites of the album, but I cannot deny the resemblances to “Winged Hussars”, “Hearts of Iron” with a bit “I will Rule the Universe”. Probably, hopefully, just a coincidence, but it does weigh in a bit.

With all of that being said, this is probably one of Bloodbounds best album to date. Epic song after epic song, making me jump around the room as I was writing down my notes, and if a band manages to do that to me, then you damn well know it’s good. Extremely good.

Well done, Bloodbound!

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(Label: AFM Records)

CDON I Amazon I Ginza

// Sara

 

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REVIEW: Crystal Viper – Queen of the Witches

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags , , , on February 1, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

Polish heavy metal heroes Crystal Viper is finally back after their long hiatus following health issues of singer and founder Marta. Before the hiatus they released five albums under a six years period of time, making them recognized as one of the most hard working bands in the industry. Ready for the comeback, they are now releasing “Queen of the Witches”, an album that deals with the concept of witches and true evil.

The album starts off with a classic heavy metal scream as an intro for the first song, launching us into what I feel is just SCREAMING the vibes of what classic heavy metal is to me. Fast riffs, good melodies and a strong voice. The album continues that way – strong melodies, fast riffs and crowdfriendly choruses. There are small differencies here and there, such as the more bass-based, groovier song “When The Sun Goes Down”, which also gets calmed as the song goes by, making it a perfect transition into the first of two ballads on the album – “Trapped Behind”, where I really discover the core of the voice of Marta. I really just love her voice. That kind of power, you know?

The second ballad of the album is “We Will Make it Last Forever”, which features Steve Bettney as the co-singer. It’s a beautiful song and the vocals work together in fantastic harmony, which doesn’t stay for long as the most aggressive song on the album – “Rise of the Queen Witch” is the one who follows. A direct contrast that wakes up anyone who fell into dreaming in the previous song.

Over all, the album is solid, but a little plain, if I can put it that way. Aside a song here or there, all the songs sort of melt together as one long song, which is on the one hand the point of concept albums, but it also makes the album fall a bit short, perhaps not an album you’d bring out the first thing you do. BUT – it does have all the elements we are all looking for in a good album – crowdfriendly, headbangfriendly songs with great riffs for an epic celebration to all heavy metal.

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(Label: AFM Records)

CDON I Amazon I Ginza

// Sara

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REVIEW: Mors Principium Est – Embers of a Dying World

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags , , , on January 30, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

Finnish melodic death metallers Mors Principium Est are back with the 6th album in their already pretty strong catalouge – having their older albums being praised all over the world and seen to be on the same level as the pioneers in the genre. Since the past album, there has been a line up change – guitarist Kevin deciding to leave the band, entering Andy Gillion who has already been writing some material, and now, after some time, the album is here.

The album opens with a rather dramatic intro – it starts off with a doomsday kind of vibe too it, before pouring into a more dreamy kind of setting. The whole thing is very cinematic, and before you know it it launches you right into the opening track “Reclaim the Sun” which shows off a bit more aggression stylewise than what the intro would perhaps suggest. I find the song being rather pleasant – not supergood, but not bad either. Decent opener! It has some magical arrangements in the middle that I’m pretty much living for. “Masquerade” is the second song of the album, and I fell in love with the rhythm of the verses on an instant. I have a thing for funky rhythms, most specially when added to a metal song.

“Into the Dark” delivers the epicness an album like this needs, with it’s fairly bombastic arrangements, followed by the more melancholic “The Drowning” which I found to be a very very pleasant song actually, growing rather fond of it the more I hear it! “Death is the Beginnig” continues on in the melancholic vibe, being a duet with a unnamed female vocalist. Perhaps some of you will kill me for not recognizing the voice, but I really don’t! I do love the arrangements though.

Another thing that caught my interest a whole lot more with this song in particular is the fact that the heartbroken feelings that the lyrics is writing about, translates extremely well into the music as well. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like this before, that kind of translation. It’s incredible. Now that is what I call writing with feelings!

We later on get picked up by “The Ghost” which at first starts of pretty nice and sweet, but soon gets more aggressive as the song goes on. “In Torment” is the first of the musclepacks of the album with it’s aggressiveness, and I get impressed by the vocals here. Some of the songs have felt a bit sloppy, as where here he’s really screaming. We get a churchinspired instrumental breakdown in “Agnus Dei” before being launched into the two last songs, as well as two more musclepacks of the album – “The Color of the Cosmos” and “Apprentice of Death”. Nice ending of the album!

So, I think overall it’s a pretty good album, most certainly moving forward – however, it feels a bit flat. While every song has it’s moments, while every song has something, just something that differs them from one another, it still feels bland. Like I’m listening to the same song. I would probably not notice if it wasn’t for the fact I didn’t really listen, you know?

But aside that, it IS a good album – I love all the little accessories and arrangements that has been done, and it is absolutely worth to check out, maybe only for the sake of that.

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(Label: AFM Records)

CDON I Amazon I Ginza

// Sara

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REVIEW: Vanishing Point – Tangled in a Dream (Re-release)

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags , , , on January 28, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

Yet another re-release are seeing the light from AFM Records, and this time it’s Vanishing Point, the Australian progressive metal band. This album went out of press many, many years ago and isn’t available on any digital streaming services – making this a way to re-discover the band, and yours truly is one of them. So, despite of this being a re-release, I’ll treat it as a normal album.

The album opens with a pretty epic intro and opening song – very cinematic, lures you in only to leave the listeners a little… well, I don’t know how to say this in a not too harsh way – but I wasn’t too impressed with the first couple of songs. I literally dozed off a bit at the start, even though it did get interesting at certain parts, it never got to me, but gladly – the album picked up it’s pace starting with the fifth song on the album “Never Walk Away” which is a bit of a heavier than the others.

But, I’m not entirely convinced until “Two Minds One Soul”. Good works with keyboard accessories combined with dance-able melodies makes this my favorite track of the album all in all. The now aquired heaviness continues in “When I awake” before launching us into a very beautiful ballad – “Dancing with the Devil”. The album is wrapped up in a very dreamy and trippy good night lullaby in “Tangled in a Dream”.

It’s an okay album, if you ask me. It could be a lot better – could also be a lot worse, I reckon. I’m not to big of a fan, but on the same time it is good to have this little gem in my collection, after all.

This edition comes with 10 bonus track – A “Samsara II” which in my opinion is a lot better than the first, despite being a re-recording. It features two coversongs by Journey and Pink Floyd, two Japanese edition bonus tracks and five live versions of their songs, making the edition, aside the material, a bit interesting.

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(Label: AFM Records)

CDON I Ginza

// Sara

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Music Monday I Vixen

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags on January 23, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

I’ve had a great AOR kick lately. I think this might be something that Art Nation brought with the territory, but I’ve found myself listen to barely anything but AOR these past couple of weeks, and I got this serious craze with Vixen for the past week. Out of nowhere I just dashed for the albums I own and crank them loud.

Or, to be more specific, the selftitled release, for now.

I’m pretty sure I’ve written about this album before, but it’s just because it’s so darn good! Starting off with their big hit “Edge of a Broken Heart” the albums just keeps on delivering good tunes, solid playing and just amazing melodies to either sing your heart out to, dance the night away or just indulge in. Sure, it doesn’t exactly outdo it’s succedor “Rev it Up” which is a close to flawless album, but it still got some really good gems – like the more… edgy? “I Want You to Rock Me” or the sweet “Cryin'”.

And not to mention, probably my favorite part about Vixen – Janet’s voice. Janet’s raspy, sexy but yet feminine voice that turns on that extra edge on the tunes, giving them some, excuse my choice of words “balls” to the music, outdoing a lot of other bands of their era.

Putting on this album sends me back many years in my life, but to good years. Good times, happy times. What I don’t exactly understand is why I abandoned this music in the first place, but it’s coming back very fast. It’s good to be back.

vixenvixen

// Sara

 

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REVIEW: Borealis – World of Silence MMXVII

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags , , , on January 22, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

In 2008, a Canadian prog-powermetal band called Borealis self-released their debut album “World of Silence”. Nine years later, on a real label, they have decided to re-release the album that started it all. But, to make it even better, they also re-recorded it, to show off the growth of them as a band, as well as individuals.

So, to make a quick summary of the album as an album, I think it’s a decent album. On the one hand, it is very well written and arranged – it has good melody build-ups, I love all the accessories and string parties that they have applied on the appropriate parts to lift a song or a section to the top. The solos are very technical, showing a lot of skill, but at times they don’t blend too well with the songs, leaving it a bit un-personal for my taste. But, for a debut album it is really good. While I found “Purgatory” to be more bland, this is a stronger album, for sure.

So, how does the re-recorded sound? Well, the material is obviously the same, but it’s elevated! It’s more technical, it’s an overall better production, but what caught my eye the most was the improved vocals. It was better sung, better planned – over all a better performance than previously. And of course, the production over all is much better – which is to be expected from a growing band.

The song that caught my heart the most was “Eyes of a Dream”. It’s been lifted to new heights, and I’m enjoying it more than ever.

With all of this being said, it’s a good release and something you should get your hands on if you are into this kind of music. And mostly, I’m looking forward to their new album, to see what they can do.

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(Label: AFM Records)

CDON I Amazon I Ginza

// Sara

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Art Nation – Revolution

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags , on January 16, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

So, there’s an album that I’ve found myself listening to non stop these past weeks, or perhaps I should say even months. I’ve tried so many times to change the album, or to tell myself that “I need to listen to something else”, but I always find myself going back to this one album. It’s the album I picked up from one of the “smaller” bands playing Skogsröjet; Art Nation’s “Revolution”.

I discovered the band through Skogsröjet really – I was listening through some of their stuff before going to the festival, in order to determine if I wanted to see them or not, and by that I decided to go see them. I enjoyed the show very so much, and picked up on their album. What I did know, is how utterly obsessed I’d become with the album.

To put it very shortly and simply, this album is nothing but pure perfection. It opens up with a strong, yet subtle song that grows in intensity as the song goes on, with the perfect break down – “Need You To Understand”, and the album continues in the vein of this album – pure 80’s inspired kind of hardrock music, and not a single one of the songs are bad, like, upbeat yet heavy lyrically “3000 Beats”, “Moving on” and “Here I am” for the melodic and intense parts, party tunes like “All The Way” and not to mention acoustic ballad “Look To the Sky”.

Alexander’s voice. He has an enchanting and powerful voice, and he performs his parts with such an intensity – raw energy in the more upbeat songs, emotion-filled parts with a hint of almost crying in some parts, creating a more intense listening experience, allowing you really FEEL something rather than just listening to someone perform a piece of lyric written infront of him.

Most of you probably know that I don’t actually listen to this kind of music a lot anymore – sure, the bands I started listening to are still there, but I rarely get into new bands in this genre, but I’ve found that these kind of bands – Art Nation and H.E.A.T, they have a tendency to always make flawless and perfect albums. No transportation tracks, no weaker tracks, just pure magic all through.

I just had to get this out of my system. I am beyond excited about their second album coming this year, and not to mention, seeing them at Sweden Rock. I got so excited seeing they got announced I completely missed out on ARTCH being announced. That says something, huh?

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I cannot wait for more material from these boys.

// Sara

 

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Of Rage and War

Posted in CDs, Uncategorized on January 3, 2017 by Sara Hammerzmith

Today I’ve finalized all the bookings for the upcoming US trip. It it so exciting to know that all of the pieces are now together, that this is really fucking happening. And very soon too – in exactly a month, I will be in London watching Powerwolf and Epica perform, and the next day, we’re off to California. It’s absolutely crazy to think. But it is finally happening.

These past couple of days, amongst all of the bookings and planning, I’ve also taken the time to properly clean up at home, and I’ve had company by Kobra and the Lotus’s “High Priestess” and Delain’s “April Rain”. Both albums are really good, I really love the old school kind of power in Kobra’s voice, combined with that kind of metal. The first time I heard the album I wasn’t exactly convinced, but it got better the more I heard it.

I think “April Rain” is a really good album, although “Moonbathers” still hold my number one positions as far as favorite albums goes. Speaking of albums, the two remaining Christmas gifts from my brother arrived today!

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First one is Edguy’s “Space Police (Defenders of the Crown)”. Despite the huge astronaut absolutely scaring me during the tour, I fell in love with their opening track “Love Tyger” and thus had to get the album. I’m eager to dig into this.

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Second one is Sister’s new album “Stand Up! Forward! March!”. It’s the third in their discography, and in all fairness, I do not have “Disguised Vultures” just yet, but despite so, I’m very eager to get into this. “Hated” alone was a masterpieces – not a single “dead” song on the album, and those albums… I basically live for those kind of albums, you know?

With that said, I’m now going to get myself ready for bed and snuggle up with Anders Johansson again.

// Sara

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