12/13/2022

CD Review: Emissary: The Wretched Masquerade (Power Metal, 2022)

This band combines it's very strengths to bring on something like I've not heard in a longer time.

The cover already gives you food for thought about it's meaning.

The instruments of the US band feel like hey hold a talk to each other. It's all centered around the crunching riffs and the other musicians add, follow but sometimes also contrast to this. But it's far more than this. 

It all stems of a power and passion for music that cannot be heard on every Compact Disc. Just take "In Solitude". It goes far deeper than the usual release. It fires a bunch of feelings towards the listener with it's rawness and power of riffs on the one hand while the other spreads emotions through the vocals and the ever changing drums. 

It's great to hear the songs aren't set in long duration. They follow a compact route keeping the pressure and pureness intact. The album lives of it's ideas. Emissary often have a own way to write the material and that's what keeps me on the stereo. 

The stuctures on songs like "Ruler Of Defiance" follow a unusual pattern and are filled with little snippets (means melodies of the guitar) and textures (raw riffs) not to be heard otherwise. It feels like the band created something on their very own.

The sound is loud and clear. I recommend not to hear the songs on a high level. You'll be able to enjoy all the efforts the band put in more with less volume. This record lives of it's contrasts of heavy music and the fine melodic vocals and melodies on the guitar.

"The Wretched Masquerade" is a all killer no filler release so it's well worth the purchase.

Grab a copy on CD or cassette directly out of the bands hands and have a teaser with the player below.   

The band kindly still let's you download a second disc with old band demo's if you buy a CD copy.

Vinyl copies should be available at a later date.

12/06/2022

Factory Of Art restart activities after 20 years

It's great to hear a band is coming back you didn't even knew before. This is what happened to me as I was introduced to the progressive Power Metal music of the german band Factory Of Art.

Factory Of Art bandshot taken at a liveshow.

Having sent me a Email with two linked YouTube videos I was blown away by "No tears" taken of the 2002 output "The Tempter".

It's music performed and composed like I had wished for in my mind. The riffs go a straight way and some keyboards in a lighter way set the basic for the mood of the song.

The drums powerfull and hard keep it straight forward so the progressive style never becomes too complicated and unstructured also this is surely not a easy pattern to perform. The drum sound is also great - it's held in a more dry tonality so it's good to follow.  

But most of all the vocals left a lasting impression on me. They haunt you with it's spoken und darker tone and totally leave a emotional expression left behind in me. it's going under the skin as we are here in Germany going to say.

Happily it's not all past as the band is going to perform the next show in 2022 on the 10. December 2022 at Tonelli's in Leipzig (Germany).

In addition to that the guys are working on new material and the first four songs are said to be already finished with some guests who aren't revealed any closer yet. 

In the meantime they are occasionally going to publish live videos of Factory of Art concerts from the past year to bridge the waiting time in an interesting way. 

Make sure to keep a eye further on this great band. I can't believe I should have missed them in all the years before.

Factory Of Art website

Factory Of Art Facebook