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REVIEW: Magic Kingdom – Savage Requiem

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags afm records, magic kingdom, metal, savage requiem on March 25, 2015 by Sara Hammerzmith

Magic Kingdom is a Belgium based four-piece band, consisting of no less than Christian Palin on vocals, Vassili Moltchanov on bass, Michael Brush on drums and Dushan Petrossi on guitars. The band was launched in 1998 and just a year later did they release their debut, ”The Arrival” followed by two more albums – ”Metallic Tragedy” and ”Symphony of War”. They are now, in 2015, back with their fourth album – ”Savage Requiem”.

It opens up with the epical and big “Umbra Mea” preparing us for the quest we are about to join. We are thrown into the galopping opening song that is “Guardian Angel”, which sets the mood for the entire album.

Brought into the battle ground that is “Savage Reqiuem” we face aggressive and fast guitar riffs combined with epic keyboards and classic drums with sweet voices – pretty much the perfect recepie for a power metal album of this age. It has got it all: the triggering, battle-preparing-kind-of-songs such as “Guardian Angel”, “Savage Requiem”, “With Fire and Sword” and “Battlefield Magic”, more calm, fullmoon-witchcraft-kind-of-songs such as “Full Moon Sacrifice”, and sweet songs as “Dragon Princess”.

However, my personal favorite of the whole album is “Ship of Ghosts”, which so happens to include a piece of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, it’s a trotting melodic song with one of the best melodylines I have heard this year, and epic as hell. The pre-chorus, the chorus, the verses… I could go on and on about how much I love this song, just as with “High and Low” from Serious Black.

However, despite this song, and despite the album being close to previous material, yet new and pretty solid, I must admit it’s only so so. Possibly, I had too high expectations, but it doesn’t meet up just right. It’s decent, solid, but not what I thought it would be.

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Label: AFM Records

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// Sara

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REVIEW: Wolfpakk – Rise of the Animal

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags afm records, metal, rise of the animal, wolfpakk on March 9, 2015 by Sara Hammerzmith

WOLFPAKK is a metal-allstar project like no other. Started by Mark Sweeny and Michael Voss a few years back, they have managed to collect some of the finest names in metal to make contribution to the Wofpakk Legacy, and “Rise of the Animal”, which is the third album in line, is no exception. Featuring guest appearances by people as Michael Kiske, Ted Poley, Joe Lynn Turner, Don Dokken, Barend Curbois, Ryan Roxie, John Norum, Chris Slade and Mark Terrana, even you can figure out this was going to be something special.

And well…The firs thing I’m going to say is that this album is a little all over the place. It’s starts pretty heavy with the opening track, “Riders of the Storm” followed by “Sock it to Me” only to later transcend into what I’d describe as almost nibbing on the sleaze/80’s kind of genre in songs like “Monkey on Your Back” only to then go back to fast power-metal kind of music, similar to HammerFall almost (“Rise of the Animal”) to AGAIN go back to the more “soft” things. And in the middle of it, there’s a bagpipe solo (“Highlands”). All of this is wrapped out by the calm and powerful “Universe”. Basically, you could call it a musical roller-coaster.

Is it good? Well… yeah. This isn’t the best I’ve heard, but it’s decent, you know? However, there aren’t too many memorable songs for me – the only ones I keep hearing in my head after turning off the record are “Monkey On Your Back” and “Running Out of Time”, and that, for me personally, says a lot. However, the music is done well, and the arrangements are good. You can tell it’s pro’s behind the instruments in this one, and that’s always a big plus. But aside that, it just doesn’t cut it for me. I’m sorry. A few good songs, but that’s about it.

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Label: AFM Records

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// Sara

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REVIEW: Orden Ogan – Ravenhead

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags afm records, german, Germany, metal, orden ogan, ravenhead on January 15, 2015 by Sara Hammerzmith

People! Orden Ogan is back, three years has passed since their latest release, “To The End” which gained them international success. “More metal, more chorusses, more Orden Ogan” is how vocalist Seeb describes the album and while Seeb is the main contributor to the album, it has had all of the band members involved. Teamwork, if you like.

The album starts off pretty aggressively with the title track, but to my surprise it turned out to be very melodic. I’m going to be honest with you – I was fairly unfamiliar with this band prior to hearing this album, so I excepted it to be a lot heavier than it was. This isn’t anything bad though, as you know, I love power metal more than pretty much anything.

I think the album is pretty good – or perhaps decent. There’s a few tracks that stands out quite a lot for me – the bombastic “F.E.V.E.R” and “Sorrow Is Your Tale” where our ever so loved Joacim Cans happen to guest sing on. Aside them two tracks, I think the album is pretty even. Not bad, not at all, but also… nothing amazing, you know? Nothing new. What I do like a lot with this band, as a band, is the vocals. Seeb has one of the more interesting voice I’ve heard in the genre, which I’d say defines the band a little extra.

Production-wise, however, it’s pretty solid. Mixed by Seeb himself and mastered by Dennis Köhne it’s a polished product that is given to us, the only thing I can remark on would the vocals which I find a tad bit low, but it’s just me.

While this is a good album, it still leaves me wanting just a little bit more, despite it being very promising. It’s like, ALMOST there.

3,5 / 5

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Label: AFM Records

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// Sara

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REVIEW: Serious Black – As Daylight Breaks

Posted in CDs, Music, Uncategorized with tags afm records, as daylight breaks, metal, reviews, serious black on January 14, 2015 by Sara Hammerzmith

You may ask me, Sara, what is Serious Black? Well, I’ll tell you. Serious Black is the result of musicians from various successful metal bands coming together as one – but unlike most all-star bands, this is an actual band rather than a project. The idea for the band formed during a backstage talk in Spain during 2013, and after if’s and but’s they got together in the studio in Munich in January 2014 and started working on material, which ran real smooth and already after seven days together they had the foundation of what would become “As Daylight Breaks”.

The album is 11 tracks long and… how do I describe it. Imagine you taking your favorite songs from various different bands, and put them together as on a “Best of” album, and you get this album. Aside this isn’t a best of album by various bands.

We are talking about 11 powerful, melodic and at times EPIC songs. Like, first of all, we have the pretty raw and intense opener that is “I Seek No Other Life” – I can’t help but somehow think of the formation of this band when I hear “The time and place must be now”. The intensity and, how do I say it, seriousness in “Sealing My Fate”, the epicness that is the title track – sweet, serene and later on bombastic power-ballad. And this is only mentioning a few of the amazing songs on this album – if I was to go through each and every song, this would be a very long review.

A song I NEED to bring a little extra attention to though, is “High And Low”. This is the single, but it’s also the best song on the album, for a change. Normally I don’t fall for the singles, but this one… I can’t even. I’m literally sitting here, listening to it right now and swearing over the fact I won’t be seeing them any time soon.

This is a good production – solid material, fantastic production technicality wise and just a damn good start. I don’t know what else to say, but let me just say this: This album is so good, I was pulled over by the cops while driving. Headbanging deluxe!

4.5/5

Label: AFM Records

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// Sara

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