Lamb of God | Resolution

by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer –

The creative method Lamb of God have been meticulously perfecting since 1999, has now reached its apex. The band has finally managed to distil all of its influences into one laconic formula, and tighten and tweak to exactness the way they present it. The end result is a vehement, roiling concoction of power groove, stoner rock, death metal and punk on the album with is both their personal benchmark and a new touchstone for metal. Resolution is a work of huge energy of conviction, and although the band – as ever – doesn’t invent anything radically new, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more persuasive and concise exponent of metal as a genre on today’s scene.

It would be interesting to see where Lamb of God go from here, now that they have seemingly reached the peak of the mountain they were climbing for 7 albums straight. It’s hard to imagine what could beat this release in intensity and aplomb, but it would also be just as hard to imagine them going in a different direction. The three available options seem to be carrying on in the same vein trying to match what they have done on this album, putting their feet up, or taking a cardinally different stylistic path.

The band is tentatively tapping into ways to escape the monolith formula they have cemented on this release by introducing some darkly unsettling symphonic passages on some of the tracks, but don’t show enough interest (or stamina) to explore this direction to the full. Although with guitarist Mark Morton being a blues enthusiast, there are many other interesting detours they could take outside of the genre of metal. The real question is whether they’d be willing to take a risk on their next album or will stick to the blueprint which lays golden eggs. A solid guitarist – as dynamic and convincing as the rest of the band – Morton could certainly develop further as a lead player by bringing in other influences into the band’s format. As well as expand their stylistic terrain to make sure they avoid becoming frozen into a formula which from now on is in danger of becoming too familiar, if not predictable.

Genre: Metal

Line-up:
John Campbell – bass
Mark Morton – guitar
Chris Adler – drums
Randy Blythe – vocals
Willie Adler – guitar

Track Listing:
1. Straight for the Sun
2. Desolation
3. Ghost Walking
4. Guilty
5. The Undertow
6. The Number Six
7. Barbarosa
8. Invictus
9. Cheated
10. Insurrection
11. Terminally Unique
12. To the End
13. Visitation
14. King Me

Label: Epic, Roadrunner

Online: http://www.lamb-of-god.com/

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

Iron Fire | Voyage of the Damned

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer –

Voyage of the Damned is the seventh studio from Danish power metal band Iron Fire. Good old Iron Fire. You know, with the cheesy name and the cheesy album covers and the cheesy songs about battles and metal warriors. Shove ‘em off to the side with Metalium and Sacred Steel and the rest of the Hammerfall knockoffs, right? Not this time. The band has always been good at what they do, but what they did was pretty formulaic and predictable. With Voyage of the Damned Iron Fire made a concerted effort to change things and take their sound to a new level, and it paid off…big time.

As soon as you clear the obligatory instrumental opener (seriously, who really enjoys these things?), you start to hear a very different Iron Fire emerge. Some things remain the same, particularly Martin Steene’s strong, steady vocals and Kirk Backarach’s melodic guitar work and intricate solos, but there’s a noticeably darker vibe on Voyage of the Damned. The easy, sing-song melodies that have come to define the power metal genre are nowhere to be found. It’s still a power metal album, and it’s still melodic, but the melodies are more subtle and are accompanied by heavier rhythms and darker atmospheric elements worthy of Evergrey or Symphony X. There’s also a complexity that puts the album in progressive metal territory on more than a few occasions. To hammer the darker focus home, Steene even adds some surprisingly well-done aggressive screams/growls. And yes, that could come across as gimmicky, but here it works quite well and perfectly suits the nature of the songs and the album as a whole. His clean vocals seem a bit deeper too. The band treads new ground lyrically as well, opting for a focus on sci-fi themes instead of tales of battles and warriors, and while that is still in the fantasy realm it reinforces that this is not the same old Iron Fire album.

Voyage of the Damned is a remarkably strong album on all levels; the musicianship, vocals, songwriting and production are all first rate. As such it’s hard to single out the best songs the album has to offer. The 10-minute title track is an obvious choice, but if you’re looking to sample the album “With Different Eyes,” “Slaughter of Souls” and “The Final Odyssey” ought to be more than enough to make you a believer.

If you think you know all there is to know about what Iron Fire has to offer, Voyage of the Damned will be a real eye-opener. It’s a major step forward from the band, and is an early contender for power metal album of the year. Beyond the core power metal audience, Voyage of the Damned has the potential to make Iron Fire converts out of fans of progressive metal bands like Evergrey and Symphony X as well as those into more aggressive bands like Mercenary, Into Eternity and Raintime. Give Iron Fire a second chance and get ready to be blown away!

Edition Notes: The limited edition version of Voyage of the Damned comes in a digipack and includes the (very good) bonus track “Warmaster of Chaos.”

Genre: Power Metal

Band:
Martin Steene (v)
Fritz Wagner (d)
Kirk Backarach (g)
Martin Lund (b)

Track Listing:
1. The Dark Beyond
2. Enter Oblivion OJ-666
3. Taken
4. Slaughter of Souls
5. Leviathan
6. The Final Odyssey
7. Ten Years in Space
8. Voyage of the Damned
9. With Different Eyes
10. Dreams of the Dead Moon
11. Verge to Collide
12. Realm of Madness
13. Warmaster of Chaos (bonus track)

Label: Napalm

Website: www.ironfire.dk

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.25/10

Orange Goblin | A Eulogy for the Damned

by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer –

After a series of announcements that they might, wouldn’t, may never, and ultimately would be releasing a new album, Brit stoner kings Orange Goblin are finally delivering their seventh opus, A Eulogy for the Damned.

Picking up where Healing Through Fire left off, A Eulogy… continues Orange Goblin’s surreal journey through time and space, yet manages to do so in a very accessible way. While the band is still appropriately deemed stoner rock, they tend to avoid long, drawn-out space jams and psychedelic head-spins. Instead, A Eulogy… is melodic hard rock played through a stoner rock filter. A bit more fuzz and de-tuning, sure, but it’s still solidly uptempo hard rock.

Standout tracks here include “Stand for Something,” with a very melodic and catchy chorus that’s somewhat reminiscent of early Stone Temple Pilots, “Save Me From Myself,” which features slide guitar and wouldn’t have been out of place on the Black Crowes’ Southern Harmony… record, and “Acid Trial,” with a riff that wouldn’t seem out of place on a power metal album. But while influences (admitted or not) can be found throughout the album, Orange Goblin successfully doses them with enough sludge and heaviness to make every song their own.

A Eulogy for the Damned is not only a great Orange Goblin record, but also a great jumping-on point for potential fans of the band and stoner scene in general. While they may not dissolve too far into the tripped-out ether that some of their contemporaries often do, they, along with Fu Manchu, Electric Wizard and numerous others, help to fill the void that the original Kyuss left when they split over 15 years ago. It seems the heir to the desert rock kingdom may In fact be from rainy ol’ England.

Genre: Stoner / Desert / Fuzz Rock

Band:
Ben Ward (v,g)
Joe Hoare (g)
Martyn Millard (b)
Chris Turner (d)

Track Listing:
1. Red Tide Rising
2. Stand for Something
3. Acid Trial
4. The Filthy and the Few
5. Save Me From Myself
6. The Fog
7. Return to Mars
8. Death of Aquarius
9. Bishop’s Wolf
10. A Eulogy to the Damned

Label: Candlelight Records

Website: www.myspace.com/theorangegoblin

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.1/10

Iron Savior | The Landing

by Erik Tweedy
Staff Writer –

When you crack open the CD case from Iron Savior’s seventh studio release, The Landing, don’t be surprised when you find the record label has included your very own seat belt and crash helmet. The intro track “Descending” with its slow building symphonic momentum gives the listener about 30 seconds to sit down, strap in and prepare for a bone crushing ride through one of the best power metal releases to come out of Germany in a decade. With a gritty guitar intro, “The Savior” slowly introduces you to one of the best kept secrets in the metal world. Forming in 1996, Iron Savior has been flying under the metal radar and cranking out some seriously great metal and they are about to take the world by storm with The Landing.

The blazing speed of “Starlight” puts drummer, Thomas Nack, in the spotlight with a neck-breaking, double bass, beat down that is certain to get your heart pounding and your fist pumping. Be careful not to snap an ankle as you try and keep up with this one.

There are several tracks on The Landing that stick to a formula of speed metal drumming, crunchy guitar work interlaced with keyboards and a bruising bass line that compliments the gritty, heavy vocals of singer, Piet Sielck. Tracks like “March of Doom,” “Moment in Time” and “Faster Than All” break out at full speed and never let up until you have smashed your balls flat against the wall.

By the time you make it through the first four tracks, you should have the volume cranked way past 11 and pissing off your neighbors. A solid bass line and crunchy riff slowly rolls into a kick-ass metal anthem that will have you shouting out the chorus to “Heavy Metal Never Dies.” This is one of the best tracks on The Landing and it needs to be played at maximum volume over and over again.

Mid way through the release, the mid-tempo rocker, “Hall of Heroes,” slows the pace down, but never derails this brilliant release. Many songs on The Landing showcase the soldier marching harmonies of this quartet and will remind some of fellow German band mates Accept, but that is where the similarities end. Iron Savior, successfully blends a progressive keyboard mix with full on power speed metal drumming and some pretty stellar guitar playing that lays the foundation for the baritone vocals of Piet Sielck.

Picking up the pace with “R.U. Ready,” this massive arena rocker will have you busting out the devil horns. Paying homage to everyone from Hendrix, Zeppelin and Steppenwolf to Deep Purple, Judas Priest and Saxon, this track totally kicks ass. This will be the one to play as you head out for a solid night of partying. This is one of the best tracks of the year in the metal world and anyone into heavy metal needs to listen to this. Ronnie James Dio would have loved this track. Are you ready to rock?

Even kick ass metal bands have a soft spot and the lads from Iron Savior put their hearts on their sleeves with the enjoyable “Before The Pain”. Nothing new lyrics wise as we’ve heard it all before, boy meets girl, shit happens, the girl bails and the boy laments over it. A solid way to wind down this release as you head into the final track of “No Guts, No Glory.” “NGNG” is the most commercial sounding track with its driving beat, great backing vocals and superb guitar work. This should have you pushing the play button to start this ride over again from the top.

Clocking in at 47 minutes, The Landing is a progressive-power-speed-metal feast and Iron Savior has put together the best release in their 15 year career. There is nothing negative to say about The Landing and it will easily rise to the top of the pile in this genre in 2012. Not very often do you come across a release that is about as perfect as it gets. Fans of Pretty Maids, Hammerfall, Symphony X and Dragonforce will really enjoy this release. The production and mastering by Piet Sielck is great and give this release a huge sound. The guitars are right out front but never take away from the vocals or the rest of the band. If you are looking for a new release to get your blood pumping at a rapid pace, order this now, you won’t be disappointed.

Genre: Progressive, Power, Speed Metal

Band:
Piet Sielck – Lead Vocals/Guitar
Joachim Kustner – Guitar
Jan-Soren Eckert – Bass
Thomas Nack – Drums

Track Listing:
1. Descending
2. The Savior
3. Starlight
4. March of Doom
5. Heavy Metal Never Dies
6. Moment In Time
7. Hall Of The Heroes
8. R.U. Ready
9. Faster Than All
10. Before The Pain
11. No Guts, No Glory

Label: AFM Records

Website: http://www.iron-savior.com/

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.4/110

Tommy Johansson | Swedish Hitz Goes Metal

by Nikiforos Skoumas
Staff Writer –

The original album cover does not do this release any justice… What looks like a compilation of Swedish pop/AOR songs turned metal by various artists, is actually the brainchild of one man alone. We are looking at no other than young guitar prodigy Tommy Johansson recognized by most as the leader of the progressive metal band Reinxeed, also lead guitarist of the Swedish all-star Christian-neoclassical group Golden Resurrection.

To his credit, Tommy delivers what the title promises; only what king of metal versions is one getting with Swedish Hitz Goes Metal? Is it power metal, neoclassical metal, progressive metal? The spelling of the word ‘Hitz’ actually gives it away, experienced fans got it right, this is indeed glam metal or melodic hard rock if you prefer. So you can expect thick yet melodic guitar lines, all the original keyboard harmonies recreated while the up-tempo rhythm section adds tons of attack to these compositions without undermining the instrumental melodic lines and vocal harmonies which is what this album is all about.

As in Reinxeed, Tommy handles all lead vocals and guitars and does a surprisingly good job considering that it is fairly difficult to cover classic hit songs convincingly. Guitar-wise the young man is overqualified for the job, he is however challenged on the vocal department where he has to utilize his full range-from the lowest to the highest note- and for the biggest part he succeeds.

Another key factor for the artistic success of this project/venture is actually choosing the performing line up. Instead of current band-mates, Tommy teams up with bassist-vocalist Sebastian Roos and keyboardist Anders Berlin, both from the Swedish AOR, melodic hard rock band Miss Behaviour. The line up is sealed by veteran drummer Andres Johansson.

There is no denying that the album features some rather predictable inclusions such as “Mamma Mia,” “Money Money Money,” “The Winner Takes it All” and “Lay All Your Love On Me.” But the fact remains that they do sound great in their hard rocking versions. And the reason they work so well is not really the distortion and heavy drumming, but because the electric instruments reinforce the melodies of each song, and arguably great melodies are what made these tunes global hits in the first place.

Genre: Arena Rock, Melodic Hard Rock, Melodic Metal

Line Up:
Tommy ReinXeed — Guitars & vocals
Nic Steel – Bass
Sebastian Roos — Guitars & backing vocals
Anders Berlin — Keyboards & backing vocals
Andreas “HABO” Johansson – Drums

Track Listing:
1. Mamma Mia (ABBA Cover)
2. The Look (ROXETTE Cover)
3. Lay All Your Love On Me (ABBA Cover)
4. The Sign (ACE OF BASE Cover)
5. Summer Night City (ABBA Cover)
6. Sleeping In My Car (ROXETTE Cover)
7. Super Trouper (ABBA Cover)
8. Money Money Money (ABBA Cover)
9. Beautiful Life (ACE OF BASE Cover)
10. Intermezzo nº1 (ABBA Cover)
11. The winner Takes It All (ABBA Cover)
12. All That She Wants (ACE OF BASE Cover)
13. Joyride (ROXETTE Cover)

Band website: http://www.facebook.com/swedishhitzgoesmetal

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

Mad Max | Another Night of Passion

by Mark Allen
Staff Writer –

It is a travesty of ‘80s rock justice that this German band was never given their crack at the U.S. market. As the disheartening tale is told, Mad Max recorded their career-defining Night of Passion album in ‘87 and were on the cusp of getting that crack when record company shenanigans shot their chances all to hell. Opportunity sabotaged, the band has been relegated to cult status ever since, adored by the discerning melodic rock underground but never able to expand their parameters of acceptance.

Twenty-five years later, the present looks to the past for inspiration. Mad Max’s original lineup has reunited for Another Night of Passion, seeking with singular focus to recapture the sonic sorcery and create a companion to the album that should have made them a household name. This is a hearty meal of red-blooded, meat-and-potatoes commercial hard rock served straight up, no frilly garnishments, with nary a ballad in sight to interfere with the band’s goal of nonstop rocking.

While Mad Max take advantage of advances in production technology, there is nothing modern about this album; it is slick, polished, retro ‘80s hard rock. Don’t be fooled by the 2012 release date; Another Night of Passion will slot very nicely, from both a sonic and stylistic standpoint, between your well-used (at least, they should be well-used) copies of Bonfire’s Fireworks and Dokken’s Under Lock and Key.

The band sounds like they’re having a blast, each member giving it their all. Voss turns in one of the best vocal performances of his life, capable of golden smoothness one moment and snarled attitude the next. Jurgen Breforth cuts loose on the six-string with sizzling solos and snappy licks and all the whammy bar abuse you would expect on an album that resurrects the spirit of 1988. Meanwhile, Axel Kruse hammers the drums as if driving nails into the coffins of the record company execs that screwed them over all those years ago.

But enough about the sins of the past. Mad Max have had a quarter-century to bury their bitterness but they have never relinquished their love of ‘80s style hard rock. Showing no interest in reinventing the wheel, they resolutely stick to the accepted formula: melodic vocals, loud guitars, big hooks, catchy choruses, and gang vocal harmonies. Sometimes calling a band formulaic is a criticism, but this is not one of those times, because this formula is exactly what fans want to hear when they grab a Mad Max album. For those fans, listening to Another Night of Passion will be like getting reacquainted with an old friend that still looks, sounds, and acts the same as they did two decades ago.

There is a little filler scattered about, but for the most the album is loaded with strong tracks. “Metal Edge” should come with a label that says “Warning: Spontaneous Head-Banging May Occur.” It opens with a massive sonic boom drumbeat and stomps its way to a sing-along chorus with gang vocals shouting “Whoa!” and really, an ‘80s hard rock album without a gang vocal “Whoa!” or two would be like a strip club with no nudity. “You Decide” is a badass barn burner that cranks along like a cheetah with its tail ablaze and sports a hook big enough to snag a locomotive and stop it dead in its tracks. And so it goes, one solid song after another, resulting in a very consistent effort.

The band has released several other albums with revolving personnel since 1987, but this is the true and worthy successor to Night of Passion. Fans should not even try to resist the temptation to spend another Night with Mad Max and don’t worry, you’ll definitely still respect yourself—and the band—in the morning.

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock

Band:
Michael Voss (vocals)
Jurgen Breforth (guitars)
Roland Bergmann (bass)
Axel Kruse (drums)

Track Listing
1. Rocklahoma
2. 40 Rock
3. Metal Edge
4. You Decide
5. Welcome to Rock Bottom
6. Fallen From Grace
7. Black Swan
8. Back and Alive
9. The Chant
10. Fever of Love
11. True Blue

Webpage: www.madmaxofficial.de

Label: SPV Records

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

Stéphan Forté | The Shadows Compendium

by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer –

Dismissing the stereotypical presumptions about instrumental rock guitar albums as myopic self-indulgences, the Adagio guitarist’s first full-length solo release is anything but an exercise in fretboard solipsism. It’s all about spectacular splashes of tonal color, dynamic, racy melodies, cascades of high voltage neck-break runs, unexpected changes in time signature, and sudden harmonic detours that genuinely take you by surprise.

Forté’s chops are highly commendable, but not to the point where they obscure the compositional purpose. The standout “The Prophecy of Loki” is a quintessence of his approach where A-grade technique helps realize the compositional plan. Here the songwriting is what it’s all about, with dramatic juxtapositions of moods and almost theatrical sweeps of emotion.

And when it comes to technique, the 33 year-old Frenchman is a smooth operator, at times dizzyfyingly fast and extremely accomplished. But where other players like to show muscle, grit and versatility in articulation, Forté likes to give an impression of an effortless flow, with a light technique and a propensity to rely on effects to diversify his tonal palette.

Forté occasionally misfires in the good taste department, and at times manages to sound profoundly meditative and shallowly superficial both within one track (see his rendition of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”), but any such slip-ups are made up for by his fierce temperament, the dramatic audacity of his vision as a composer and his refreshingly unselfconscious approach to neo-classically-inspired rock guitar which for decades has remained a mainstream taboo. So kudos the young virtuoso both for his courage and for his contribution to maintaining the public’s interest in high-tech guitar in such an imaginative way.

Genre: Instrumental Guitar Rock

Track Listing:
1. The Shadows Compendium (Guest: Jeff Loomis / Nevermore)
2. De Praestigiis Daemonum (Guest: Matthias IA Eklundh / Freak Kitchen)
3. Spiritual Bliss
4. Duat (Guest: Glenn Dover / Megadeth)
5. Sorrowful Centruriode (Guest: Derek Taylor / solo artist)
6. Prophecies of Loki XXI
7. I Think There’s Someone in the Kitchen (Guest: Daniele Gottardo / solo artist)
8. Improvisation on Sonata no. 14, C# minor – Op. 27 no 2

Online: http://stephanforte.org/

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10

Nightwish | Imaginaerum

by Nikiforos Skoumas
Staff Writer –

Back in 2007, when Nightwish introduced Anette Olzon as their new lead singer, a major part of the press came to label the move as the ‘greatest risk in the band’s career.’ One feels that their new album Imaginaerum sets higher and harsher odds for Nightwish than ever before.

In a day and age where physical album sales decrease semester after semester, Nightwish put out an album that cost altogether no less than 400,000 Euros (that’s well over half a million dollars). So the stakes are once again up for the Finnish symphonic band.

And being a band of that kind it is only natural that they should be investing on orchestral arrangements. For the task in hand, the quintet hired the London Symphony Orchestra, complemented by the ‘London Metro Voices’ choir (heard on such blockbusters as Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Pirates of the Caribbean).

These high profile collaborations not only reinforce the creative boundaries of the band but also set very strict rules as of how Holopainen’s songs should be composed. Nightwish was built on intense, often up-tempo, rhythm section, thick guitars and extra melodic keyboard arrangements. In contrast to a classic Nightwish song where Tuomas would induce a multitude of keyboard harmonies through a variety of tempos, the new album features merely a couple of very simple core melodies per songs, dressed in the best way possible, leaving a lot to be desired.

One finds that the songs on Imaginaerum roughly fall in two categories: the ‘soundtrack rockers’ and the ‘tales.’ On the first category one lists the heavier songs like, “I Want My Tears Back,” which lacks the drive of a powerful guitar melody or any instrumental improvisations or leads whatsoever (hence the term ‘soundtrack’) and the ‘tales’ are acoustic-symphonic songs for the biggest part which would no doubt tie nicely with a theatrical play.

Soundtracks and theatrical plays … well there is no secret that Nightwish intend to release a movie based on the album’s concept later in the year; still that does not alter the fact that these high profile collaborations have actually compromised their songwriting as opposed to liberating their musical style.

The limited edition of the album is thick two-CD digipack featuring the original album and its instrumental counterpart along with a double poster.

Genre: Female Fronted Symphonic Metal

Line up:
Anette Olzon – vocals
Tuomas Holopainen – keyboards, piano
Emppu Vuorinen – guitars
Marco Hietala – bass, vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 )
Jukka Nevalainen – drums, percussion

Track Listing:
1. Taikatalvi
2. Storytime
3. Ghost River
4. Slow, Love, Slow
5. I Want My Tears Back
6. Scaretale
7. Arabesque
8. Turn Loose The Mermaids
9. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
11. Last Ride Of The Day
12. Song Of Myself
13. Imaginaerum

Band website: http://www.nightwish.com/en/

Hardrockhaven rating: 6/10

Draekon | Prelude to Tragedy

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer –

Prelude to Tragedy is the debut EP from Indiana-based progressive/power metal band Draekon. Indiana is hardly the first place you think of when it comes to progressive and power metal bands, let alone one this good, but they have produced a real gem in this band. Draekon may be new on the scene, but they have a sound and energy that can put several veteran bands to shame.

There’s an interesting mix of sounds on Prelude to Tragedy. Above all, this is a progressive metal album, owing a great deal to the classic Fates Warning sound. It has a strong power metal vibe though, bringing to mind the darker tones and epic nature of bands like Evergrey, Kamelot and Symphony X. This helps keep the technicality – and there’s a fair amount of that – in check and provides an emotional resonance that helps connect the listener with the songs. Draekon delivers a nice mix of heaviness and melody, atmosphere and progression. The guitar work is impressive, as are the rhythms (there’s some really killer drumming here), and the keyboards help create an atmosphere that really matches the lyrical focus of the songs. The vocals are a key element as well. Chad Barnes has a very strong, very distinct, and very emotive voice that’s just perfect for this kind of music.

With just five songs, Prelude to Tragedy only gives us a brief taste of what Draekon has to offer, but those five songs are more than enough to showcase a band with a lot of potential. If you’re a fan of bands that walk the line between progressive and power metal, especially bands like Evergrey, Kamelot, Redemption, Suspyre and Symphony X, and are looking for something new, Draekon is a band that’s well worth checking out.

Genre: Progressive Metal, Power Metal

Band:
Erik Sturgell (b)
Stanford Stivers (d)
Joshua Simpson (g)
Alec Biccum (k)
Chad Barnes (v)

Track Listing:
1. The Value of All
2. Darkness Falls
3. The Division
4. Wails of Anguish
5. Where Silence Stills the Soul

Label: None

Website: www.reverbnation.com/draekon

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.75/10

Zodiac n Black | The Aftermyth

by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer –

There are glimpses of earnest striving on this collection of demos, jams and half-baked ideas, which is, curiously, packaged and presented as a finished album. But a finished album it is not, with both material and production at their tadpole stages, and with the band dropping a heavy hint about how proud they are of the end result by withholding their surnames from the credits.

Speaking of pride, there is, however, plenty of it on this record – mostly in the late Sixties / early Seventies British rock heritage, with special reverence toward Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath: the ostinato riffs, the quasi-mystical protracted instrumental extrapolations, and the deadpan seriousness with which the band is imitating the epic aspirations of the legendary visionaries.

Visionaries themselves they are not, and going for unsmiling mimicry of the British rock’s glorious past ends up in predictable, heard-it-all-before, desperately retro renditions of the classic touchstones that are impossible to copy these days – even by the very people who created them, never mind the fans and the devotees. This is perhaps the greatest lesson of this release, proving the sad truism that you can’t enter the same river twice.

What makes the axiom even more poignant is that the band has a knack for no-nonsense songwriting, and knows how to come up with propulsive grooves, tasteful guitar leads and inspired melodies. This could all come in handy when (and if) they decide to abandon the imitations and concentrate on becoming themselves. Which would hopefully result in another record of finished – this time – tunes with real professionals involved in the recording and mixing process. But prior to that a giant leap of faith is in order – faith that the band’s own inner realities and their own experiences could be as valid as those of their mythical heroes who have roared 40 years ago about things this album is mumbling about.

Genre: Rock

Line-up:
Hank – bass
Luca – drums
Jim – guitars
Jad – vocals

Track Listing:
1. Bastinado
2. Necessary Evil
3. Only the Lonely
4. The Joke is on Us
5. Better off Dead
6. Seems Like Better Times
7. Who’s the Fool (Part One)
8. Bad Pills
9. Making an Enemy
10. Lights on Blues

Label: STM Records

Online: http://www.myspace.com/zodiacnblack

Hardrock Haven rating: 5.5/10

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