CD Review: Animae Silentes - Suffocated (Gothic Rock, 2017)

Fine gothic rock tracks that are playing with the heavyness of the music on the one side and laying it down softer on the vocal side.

The cover of Animae Silentes debut record "Suffocated", (c) by Animae Silentes, used with kind permission

Summary
The start is dark and strange with a classic intro. The first full song "Burning in silence" kicks in straight and I love the way it does. It lifts the mood and gives room to for the ears to find into the band's sound. The next track "Purgatorium" pushed me straight in. It's such a riff hacker it gave me no chance to stop listening to this silver disc anymore.

It's a album full of straight rocking gothic numbers. It's this mixture of the silk voice dancing on the rough riffs and the more melodic parts giving it a slightly mysterious touch. The band gives the listener a explosive experience with the dry heavvness of the album's sound. Happily it never feels cold or mechanical because of the warmth of the voice and it's melodic variations in them.

"Eville" track number four manages to show a uptempo number that fit's to the band's sound but you won't expect on such a album. "Nothing else to remind" stands out of the pack having a creeping slowness in it. It stays in my mind. A sign that the band has the power to make a lasting impression to the listener.

The only negative point to me was the end of the album. The last two track feel a bit lengthy to me at times but maybe it's only my attention being limited at this point.

CD-Packing and Booklet
The packing is great. It's kept all in black with the bird being the point of attention. He's boldly sitting there at the front cover, missing in the insert of the jewel case and flying majestically a the backside of the record. A cool optical gimmick in my eyes. The booklet features the lyrics and fine band member pictures at various locations. You'll get a feeling of the people behind the music this way.

Purchase-Link, Conatct and Preview-Stream
Pick up the record of the webshop of Sliptrick Records. The band has a webpresence
at Instagram and Facebook so you can contact them easily for show offers etc.

The Kreoles preview new abum with a outstanding vocal performance

The Kreoles preview the upcoming new abum with the release of a song that is a combination of a straight forward rock / metal track that incorporates a outstanding complex vocal performance

The Kreoles mix up powerful riffs with much rhythm drive and tempo all along with unusual vocal performance structures and much variations. I've seldomely heard something going in so directly while also being so complex in the musical depths. It takes some moments to come to he full picture but it pay's off in the end. Give it a chance and you'll know what I mean.

I'm glad to be given the chance to share one track of the new record in advance here on my blog.



One year after the release of their debut ‘Touch The Sun’ (Valery Records, 2014), The Kreoles recently went back into the recording studio to give shape to what will be their second effort called "Psycho". It will be released via Sliptrick Records on September 20th 2016.

The idea behind The Kreoles took form throughout 2011: the purpose is giving life to a new musical path, in order to cause an almost-new style. The word Kreoles means new creation indeed.

The Kreoles is a musical project created and founded by Ivan McSimon who has already had some experience in the field of music in his previous works. McSimon’s olden collaboration included high-famed artists as Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius), Andre Matos (Viper, Angra, Shamaan), Doro Pesch and Blaze Bayley (Wolfsbane, Iron Maiden).

The band The Kreoles, (c) by The Kreoles, used with kind permission

The outstanding voice that can be heard in this combo is named Valentina Merlo. Futhermore McSimon is backed up by Marco Francesco D’Elia on bass and Davide Piccolo on drums: these two guys bring the perfect rhythm section to all McSimon’s pieces.

Make sure to keep in touch with them via Facebook or check their homepage from time to time.

Reveries End takes a journey through a ocean of emotions

The vocals on this one speak so much about the contrast between good and bad. The feelings first keep you in a melancholic feel with thoughts spinning through time. Some darkness comes rushing in with blacked styled vocals.

The songs structure changes to a more moving feeling that seems to be feed from the dark voice. Finally the softer tonality comes back before a final dark parts let's the song come to a end. A haunting musical experience, a journey through emotions and feelings as they come and go through the human mind...


Reveries End is a female fronted melancholic metal band founded in the spring of 2011 in Tampere, Finland.
The song "A Thousand Facets" is taken of the current album "Edge Of Dark Waters" which is going to be released on 28th February 2016 via Sliptrick Records.

Sadly female vocalist Sariina who was a vital part of Reveries End has decided to leave the band. The band is currently looking for a new voice so if you feel you have what it takes please don't hesitate and contact them through the band's website or use Facebook to get in touch.

The band "Reveries End", (c) by Reveries End - used with kind permission

GC Project Album shows drummers part in music

How much a drummer contributes to the music of a band? A lot I think. But I would agree to say it with Mike Portnoy's words that the stuff the drummer adds to a bands sound has to come at the decent time. He or she should know when to play more in the front row or better to stay in the back.

Here's one recording I came along that reminded me of what Portnoy said. It features Giacomo Calabria who's vita is quite impressive. But before going into the details just let the music speak and listen to one of the tracks of his recent progressive and diverse output "Face the odds" that covers many genres of music.It's this mixture of so many playing techniques in Calabria's drumming that make this music so exciting. It feels as if it is changing all the way through the song.

Giacomo Calabria has been on the scene since 1992. Once graduated at University of Music in Rome, he played live and recorded demos with several bands from the Naples rock/metal scene. He played on the album "A New Day" from Silent Field, for Nocturnal Music label, followed by a live tour. After moving to Ferrara, he recorded "Rock, Groove, Sexy & Funky" (2004) with Alias, "Misteriosevoci" (2005) and "Rebus" (2008) with Barock Project, for the french Musea Records label. He recorded two songs with GOS (Ivano Zanotti, Vince Pastano, Giorgio Santis) in 2006. Official drummer for Rain from 2011 to 2014, he played in "XXX" tour, "Mexican Way" album and the following 9-months tour. Member of Ypnos (actually in studio recording their first album) and Coda (Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin tribute).

Giacomo Calabria, (c) by Giacomo Calabria, used with kind permission

On September 2014 he started writing songs for his solo project, the GC Project, the Giacomo Calabria's solo project. After three years on tour in Italy and Europe, studio recording and many sessions, his desire is to play music that includes many genres, progressive, hard rock, heavy metal, blues, latin, and play with several artists who are friends too, to create an album with different kind of sounds, attitudes and interplay, All songs and lyrics are written by Giacomo Calabria.

The album is titled Face the Odds, released on december 7th 2015 by Sliptrick Records, and contains 11 original tracks and one ghost track, The Black Page #1, tribute to Frank Zappa, and it's available in stores, on Itunes, Deezer, Amazon music, Google play, Musimania, KKBox and others platforms.

Make sure to stay in connection with him via Facebook or follow him on YouTube.

Prog Doom band Awake the Sun streams full first album

So the year is winding down quickly. Time to make plans for 2016. What shall happen in the upcoming time? One thing I'll keep doing is looking forward to new releases.

One of these records that I'll keep a eye upon is the one of the Progressive Doom metallers Awake the Sun. The band from Venice, Italy has just announced the release a new album in Europe on February 2016 through Sliptrick records.

(c) by Awake The Sun, used with kind permission

The band is a project created by the founders of the Italian avant-garde metal band Ensoph (active for more than 13 years with 4 albums released and many gigs played around Europe) and members from Alkemic Generator, Cube and Howl of Minerva.

The project blends together dark progressive metal and electronic/ambient influences with the aim to create unique misty melancholic atmospheres and to obtain a personal interpretation of the classic European Dark/Doom metal sounds. In some ways they remind me of a mixture of the heavier musical side of Paradise Lost with the unconventional arrangements of bands like Vanden Plas.

Gloomy and technical riffs, dismal scores, unconventional rhythmic patterns enhanced by a range of melodic vocal arrangements are the trademark of the band.

The debut album of the band is titled The Barren Sleep, 8 tracks of sad emotional landscapes, a journey through broken hopes and inquietudes, heavy and sharp riffs on polish rhythmical structures entwined with bittersweet melodies and haunting feels. Make sure to have a listen to the band's debut record while we wait for the new album to arrive.

Make sure to see the band's web-presence on Facebook or the record company's website to stay up to date about the impending album release.