Demo Review: Souldrown - Evil Of War (recorded 2000 / released 2016)

Sometimes things happen that seem to have been lost in time... A demo release in the style of early Helloween and Stratovarius but evolved further to a much more complex and diverse style.

Introduction

Souldrown has its origins back in 1993. They began as heavy-power band, mainly influenced by bands like Accept, Helloween, Stratovarius etc. As the years went on, they radically changed the style towars a darker, more complex and progressive direction, mainly influenced by Tool, Dream Theater etc.

Unfortunately, the band never gave themselves the chance to have an official release.

Souldrown recorded some stuff in the late 90's-early 00's, for a demo release, from which some rough mixes have survived. This is what can be heard on the "Evil Of War" demo right here which finally sees the light of day in 2016...

The cover of Souldrown's "Evil Of War" demo, (c) by Souldrown, used with kind permission

Summary

This is a demo with two sides of the story. The first two tracks are clear in the structure, high vocals and dominant bass guitars. Tracks 3-5 are a bit different. Those are much more complex in the structure and sound and it needs some time to get to the point of them. I see some potential in this band since they have not only sticked to the sound of their favorites but dared to evolve it further. I think this kind of music needs some fresh kick and this band could provide it. It would be great to know what this band has on their minds after all these years.

This goes especially for the vocals. The vocalist keep them in a high region but also makes sure to keep them a bit more in the middle peak which makes them enjoyable and keeps the voice authentic. This prevents the tracks from being destroyed by a too loud noise that would make the melodies not identifiable anymore.

In detail Evil of War is clear and round for me. A grooving rhythm pushes throughout the full track duration and makes it a lot of fun to listen to it. The vocals are high and the refrain comes with various layers something not many bands work with. The bass guitar sets apart in the sound straight from the start. Last Hours is my favorite on the tape. A double bass cracker with fine keyboard parts packed in a roundly sounded package. It's typical melodic power metal. It feels more as a story than a song but it's something I like.

Track 3 Talk Hard offers more variations in the rhythm section while the overall speed is set to midtempo. Melody is set on top again but it comes around differently when you look at the style of it. More keyboards to be found in this one. The fastest track on the digital tape is called Dragons Lair. It's the hardest to get by anyway. A complex song structure makes it hard to get a grip on the sound. The vocals form a guiding light through the whole song.

See The Signs closes the release. This one is more complex than the previous track and comes with a high-tempo format. We hear the typical high notes in the vocals that seem to be a trademark of Souldrown. Some vocal effects can be heard, too. Those give the vocal performance some more variation and will hark back. They sound unusual so you'll want to re-listen after a first round.

Player / Purchase Link

The whole tape can be streamed for free here in the player. You can download a digital copy for only one euro on Bandcamp so please give the artist a sign that they should continue.

Contact Data

You can keep in touch with Souldrown via Bandcamp.

CD Review: Slitherum - Godbox Suicide (2016)

A great gothic metal album with slightly industrial elements showing that compact riffing and straight rhythm can offer a fine mixture without sounding monotone. The harsh vocals add a good potion to the music that you don't want to miss anymore once heard.

Short Introduction

Slitherum formed in 2015 in the city of Athens, the trio comprised of Nick Marinos on vocals, Giannis Kalamatas on guitars, bass and synths, and Antonis Kanaras on drums. They instantly began to work on the first material that has been released under the title "Godbox Suicide" in the beginning of 2016.

The cover of Slitherums first album "Godbox suicide", (c) by Slitherum, used with kind permission

Summary

What's so great about this band is that they've taken this sort of direct and sharp guitar riffing back to the surface of today. I miss this a lot in the music scene of today. Combined with the straight rhythms the music comes together in a form of constant expression that's so intense through's it's constanty. Yet it always evolves a little bit with every step it takes on further. Just keep a ear on the little elements and how they add and change. It's intensive enjoyment for all the metal enthusiats out there that love to go in deep and fully concentrate on the message of the music.

The vocals are sharp and harsh but never sound to rough or not suiting to the material. Moreover I found out that they are a good way to widen the band's unique music. My favorite is "Vulnus" which plays around with the riffing and it's up and downs. It's a good first pick if you want to quickly check in to the band's sound.

While the first five tracks are more straight forward numbers the last two offerings show that the band is also able to create softer songs as well. "Child" surprises with a much more slowed rhythm mixed up with soft toned guitars and touching vocals. The music unfolds slowly as the track builds up with each moment passing until the end releases some pressure and closes finally back with the more silent way the track began.

"Cure" closes out the record in a more industrial way with it's constant, cold beat. Anyway this little piece of music adds to the atmosphere with it's unusual riff towards the song middle and the repeating song theme.

Purchase-Link

You can pick up a hardcopy of "Godbox Suicide" by getting in touch with the band through their Facebook page. The record has been released in a limited number of copies. You can choose between a vinyl version in a special package that is limited to only 8 copies or get your hand on one of the 100 CD's that have been manufactured of this great first release of Slitherum.

Player

Check out the band's sound through the Youtube player below. I've picked the track "Vulnus" which is one of my favorites of Godbox suicide. More tracks can be heard on the bands Youtube channel.


Contact-Data

The band can be reached through their Facebook page and also has a account on Youtube.

CD Review: Addiction - Addiction (2015)

Short Introduction

Addiction are a Classic Hardrock / Glam formation that is based in Athens, Greece. If you like 80's / 90's bands from that era you'll love them. They're one of the biggest surprises for me this year. They came out of nowhere and immediately struck me like heavy metal thunder with a lot of  positive power. :-)

(c) Addiction, used with kind permission

Summary

Let's have a party - let's have a good time! That's what the tunes on the Addiction album seemed to call at me when I turned on the music. While most of the metal music out there seems to talk about the darker aspects of life and seems to express all the hardships we face this album pushes you up. It's a good dose of positive power and wants to engage the listener to take his life up in a positive attempt.

It comes around with a lot of positive vibes and good feelings, sometimes more sometimes less heavy when it comes to the musical view but always with "Keep pushing forward" attitude. Most of the tracks are set in midtempo format so they can easily used to sing along to them. There also a ballad that made it's way on the album. That one is for the times when you think a lot or just need to relax a bit. It's a fitting difference on the record, a moment to stop from the pumping heavyness for a while. For a quick start and overview on the bands sound I'd suggest you to go with the video for "Bad Addiction". If you liked that make sure to check the samples in the Soundcloud player, "Saturday Night" and Paradise" are good picks.

If you dig Classic Hardrock and Glam Rock from the 80's or 90's you should definitely check this release out. This goes especially if you've been one of those individuals that used to see the german TV show "Hard 'n' Heavy" on Tele5 back in the 90's. I was one of them and I remember that a lot of these bands were shown off back in those days. There was a lot of good feelings hanging in the air which was often was caused by videos of bands like this. Hit the play button and enjoy being in those moments again - also if it's only for one videoclip. Enjoy it anyway - you can never know what comes next in life. 

Player 




 
Purchase Link and Contact Data

You can purchase the CD or a download in high quality wave format directly from the homepage of the band so you're going to support the artist directly if you decide to pick up a copy.

You can follow the band through Facebook or check in to their homepage from time to time to stay up to date about the band's activities.