Single Review: Skin For A Canvas - Autumn fireflies (Ambient Acoustic, 2018)

The atmospheric time of change has arrived. We turn from summer to winter. Skin For A Canvas provide the proper soundtrack to this time of the year.

This summer has been long and heated. Slowly we go to the colder days so it's time for some softer stuff. The cover alone already speaks out what the music inside is all about. It's a catchy tune full of touching moments. Close your eyes and let it fully sink in. Time to relax for a while...

The beautiful cover gives a hint of what to expect of the music

One of the creators behind this single is Ian Mortimer. Readers of this blog may remember his name for his work on his other project Drop Oblivion, a much heavier Death 'n' thrash metal offering. But this man also has a tatste for softer tunes. This reviews looks into what is about to come out soon.

"Autumn fireflies" fades in slowly a classic acoutic way but some percussive elements add in every here and there already. It combines the soft glimpse of fine guitars and harmonic vocals along with surprisingly rougher notes coming later in. The first section is based on clearer parts with some tasteful rhythm. "Autumn fireflies" builds up with more keyboards and dual vocals further to rush up towards a outgoing point marking the end of the track with a climax.  

You can pre-order this release through the Distrokid service. It will be added automatically on 2nd of November 2018 to your Spotify library. There's also a link on the page to pre-save the track on Apple music. Below is a little sneak peak of the single.

The artist Ian Mortimer already works on more stuff together with Dani Burnett. It's a limited album that's in the works based on music written in different time periods.

Some of the songs of this album are brand new songs, some written before Dani was planned to be on this album and some songs Ian Mortimer and Dani wrote back in 2006 but were not recorded or released but now this album will finally see the day of light. Be sure to follow the both further through the Facebook account of the Skin For A Canvas to know how the story goes on.

Single Review: Zarthas - 4 Letter Word (Alternative Metal, 2018)

Are electronics to be tolerated in our music ? I think we should be to open to going new ways. I am glad I did check the new single of Zarthas out. It gave so much so I felt the need to share the word.

The cover of Zarthas new single "4 Letter Word"

This single proves why this can have advantages. While the overall sounding is sharp and going in straight it's those little electronical effects that have been cleverly placed all over the durartion that makes the track stand out a bit. It gives it a exciting kick and prevents the music from becoming monotone.

Don't worry anyway Zarthas make sure the music remains kicking in forward with
lot's of heavyness so the music never loses itself in all the effects. Besides that there are also clear parts to be found which bring in a calming note to the overall riffhacked tonality of the single. The vocals change all the while which also adds to the fun of listening and discovering.

I hope this will be the beginning of something new in the release circle of the band. No one know's for sure yet so it's safe to keep a eye on the homepage or socials of Zarthas to stay up to date.

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You can check the video below or listen to the track on Spotify. The song has been released through Inverse Records so I think it should also be available for streaming and purchase through most of the other common plattforms.

Amoriello (feat. Vinny Appice) honour Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio passed away already eight years ago. So far I've not heard a tribute track honoring his work and passion for music properly. Until these days I learned that Amoriello put out one that fits with it's bold performance, finetuned melody and strong lyrics. This band features former members of Black Sabbath, Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, TNT, Loudness, Dokken, Impellitteri and Cacophony.

Besides the impressive list of band's those musicians have played in it comes with one member I'd like to point out. I'm speaking of longtime Dio drummer Vinny Appice who also contributed something special to this song. He performs a thunderous drum solo for 16 bars and provides his typical grooves to this track which alone remind me a lot of the time he used to play in Dio. He always puts out a signature with his playing technique and that can be heard on "Battle Song" very well.

"Battle Song" is part of the second AMORIELLO release from H42 Records on 12inch vinyl. The album is announced to be released on December 2018 (vinyl / digital). You can find more details on the release formats on the website of the label. (pre-order starts on 29th October 2018). Or connect with Facebook to be notified further.

The cover of the upcoming Amoriello album.

The exact member list for the album goes like this:

Guitar – Thomas Amoriello
Vocals – Nick Z Marino (Yngwie Malmsteen), Mark Boals (Ex Yngwie Malmsteen), Mike Vescera (Ex-Yngwie Malmsteen)
Bass - James Amelio Pulli (Impellitteri), Neil Murray (Ex Whitesnake), Phil Soussan (Ex-Ozzy Osbourne), Bjorn Englen (Ex Quiet Riot)
Drums – Vinny Appice (Ex-Dio), Kenny Stavropoulos (Ex-Le Mans), Shane Gaalaas (Ex-MSG), John Macaluso (Yngwie Malmsteen), Atma Anur (Ex-Cacophony)
Keys – Michael Troy (Ex Yngwie Malmsteen)

Black JuJu Inc. offer new album on green vinyl

There are still wonders happening in this digital age... The coldwave metal band Black JuJu Inc. is currently taking pre-orders for a limited run of their album "Crosses and Crossroads" on green vinyl!

This fits perfectly to the optic of the album cover. The vinyl on demand service Diggers Factory gives the band the chance to release this edition. You can order here. Only if 100 pre-orders are reached the vinyl can be produced, otherwise you will be re-funded. There's a time frame ending in 29 days for the chance of placing your pre-order.

A look on the pre-order website for the green vinyl edition of "Crosses and Crossroads"

The vinyl will be numbered. Compared to the tracklist of the album, there is a song that changes on the vinyl. The song "Don’t Fear" will be in the tracklist of the vinyl and will replace the song "Rude Awakening". So you'll get a song that's not to be heard on the standard edition of the record if you decide to pick this rare item up!

If you've not heard the band before here's a track to check out. It has a cool riff and rhythm with it also the atmosphere remains tight with the ongoing guitarwork. The vocals give it a roasty note rounding out the package perfectly. It's for fans of Alice in Chains & Prong.


You can listen to more songs of the album on the vinyl pre-order campaign page.
Also check out the Facebook page of the band.

CD Review: Reternity - Demo 2018 (Metal, 2018)

Big refrains that invite to scream along to at the first listen already. Direct riffs and extended solos - all this can be found on Reternity's first two track offer.

The coverartwork was created by T. Bernhardt

It's not so often that demos come to knock on my door. In fact this one was created by people that readers of this blog may have heard of already. The vocals were done by Stefan Zoerner who left SpiteFuel earlier this year. On his side his longtime companion bass guitar player Finn Janetzky who was also active in Strangelet and SpiteFuel. Plus the addition of Carsten Sauter on guitars and Carmine Jaucci on the drums round out the new band.

So what's on the disc? "Down.Not.Broken" comes out straight as a compact riffrocker with it's bold opening section and the bass going all on it. I can already see the hands going up in the concerts to this. The refrain is formed as a fighting outcall pushing through a longer set of text lines saying that rumors may see you all at the end while in fact you're just a bit tired and going through a time of rebuilding. That's at least how it feels for me without having read the lyrics.

The second tune "Suicide Butterflies" goes in a similar way with a short intro. Afterwards it explodes into a even more direct and uptempo song. It feels like a rush of feelings was in need of finding redemption. This time the refrain is bigger and sung of a huge chorus. It sticks in my mind. I'm sure readers of this blog will love this number, too. The guitars take a bigger and rougher place in here with it's extended solo sections. The overall structure is slightly complexer and outworked compared to Down.Not.Broken.

The two track disc will be up for purchase via MDD Records soon. Back in the day demos were also sold so I think it's allright to ask for a somthing in return. The sound is solid. Just listen to the snippets in the trailer.

Finally taking a look at Reternity's Facebook page and Instagram account work perfect to keep a eye on future updates and to be notified when the demo single is up for purchase.