Buckler & Fury take us to a Fuck show

This track suprises with it's soft acoustic start. No one would expect something like this with such a song title.

The video of Buckler&Fury is a unexpected surprise to me.

But it all fits so well together. The verses and words start to come and go and so the music slowly crawls into my mind.

It's just a blink of the eye before the crushing heavyness starts to come in and shows it's raw power. It all falls back to the silk state and the game begins again. 

Finally it all comes to it's eruption with the refrain having lots of repeats but this feels not boring but great. Make sure to check the guys out on Facebook. I hope there'll be more of this also. 

I like the way the track builds up. Starting with slight sound it explodes at the proper moments. The refrain sinks in quickly. I was singing along to it. The video is also a bit different in the optics which is great to see. 

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.

CD Review: Chemical Wedding - Don't Look Back (2015)

A massive hardrock metal album showing that good and clear riffs are not of out of date these days. The wonderfull production comes with much heavyness but it never misses out warmth and a little smile.

Introduction

A lonely man stands at the end of a road. The path is small and some vegetation can be seen at the right side. Where does he go? Well, I think you need to take a look for yourselves to find out. Just one thing is clear: he doesn't look back, all of his action takes place in front of him. So, let's follow the story on how we came here told by the french band Chemical Wedding...

The album cover of Chemical Weddings "Don't Look Back", (c) by Chemical Wedding, used with kind permission

Summary

This is a beautiful example of what a band is able to accomplish if they put all of their strenghth into one album. They are making it clear from the beginning that this band knows what they want. Massive, powerfull yet catchy riffs burst into your ears when you start the CD player. The constant pushing rhythm comes all along and it comes to the burst when the vocals come pushing in.

The song structures are kept clear on forward and heavy on most of the tracks. It's the driving power that brings on the fun when listening to the twelve tracks of the record. On some points you'll witness intermissions that bring in a fresh breeze. The track "Dead Man Walkin'" is a good example for that. It contrasts the other songs with a more complex build structure and a bit unusual drum pattern towards the end of the song.

But it's not all just guitar riffs. "Don't Look Back" also lives off the beauty of the slow and silent tracks. It's as strange as it is but many records that roar it out heavy are the most intensive in their slowest and soft moments. It's like this with songs such as "A poor toy in your hands" and "Bereaved Soul" that you realise how much deep emotions this band breathes. It's these breathtaking moments that make you aware how much the musicians give you that you realize the worth of all the work they spent on this album.

All in all this album made me feel good. It comes around with a smile and also doesn't miss some fun every here and there when the tracks begin or end in a unusual way with just screaming the song name.

Purchase-Link and Player

The album comes around as a digipack. It is wrapped in a case of outstanding artwork. This goes for the front as well as for the back cover and also inlay and CD have their own artwork with them. The band sells the album for twelve euro online in their online shop. This is a bit more than you may pay for other albums but keep in mind that you'll also get twelve instead of eight or ten tracks that are up on most records of today. You won't regret purchasing this one.

As a example here's the track "Dead Man Walkin'" of the album.


Contact Link and Tourdates

Chemical Wedding have a own Facebook page where you can get in touch with them.
Also make sure to see them live this summer/fall:

24/09/2016 Brin de Zinc (tribute Lemmy et Camille Marquet)
04/09/2016 Leyment Fest (01)
07/10/2016 Décines Warmaudio

CD Review: Lyra's Legacy - Lyra's Legacy EP (2014)

A great first EP combining sharp guitars with a lot of fine melodies, a excellent rhythm section and many vocal variations. It's the tension between the heavyness of the guitars and rhythm patterns on the one hand and the harmony of the voice on the other that makes this band so special.

Short Introduction

Lyra’s Legacy was founded in 2008 and consists of five musicians from North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Every band member brought in their individual musical experience from previous bands like Heavenfall and Frozen Fire.

Since 2011 Lyra’s Legacy is playing gigs and festivals e.g. “Metal for Mercy On Stage”, “Realms of Metal” or “Brotherhood of Metal” and shares the stage with bands like The Name, Gloryful and Ivory Tower.

Lyra’s Legacy represents sophisticated and melodious metal and inspires the audience with their melodies, musicality and power. They've put out a three track EP under the title "Lyra's Legacy".

The cover of the Lyra's Legacy EP, (c) by Lyra's Legacy, used with kind permission

Summary

A compact and razorsharp three track EP is what we have here. All songs go straight into your ears and will make you headbang to them all the way. On the contrary there's lot's of room for emotions and slower sections with keyboards giving it a silker touch. The vocalist uses a wide range of variations for his performance which makes the tracks even more enjoyable. There are surely not only some high pitched notes in the vocals but also a lot of midtone as well as some sing-along choruses to be found.

Player and Purchase Link

The whole release is up for a free listening session on the Soundcloud service so there's no need to buy the stuff without testing. If you like what you hear you can purchase a copy on a silver disc for 5 Euro plus shipping and handling. A band shirt is available for 10 Euro plus shipping and handling.

You can order these goodies through the band's Facebook page, through the band's contact Email form or contact Andreas Denz at his Facebook account to order your copy.


EP Overview

Mirror Of My Life
Powerfull compact starter, very riff packed, few keyboard inserts. The fine outworked vocals show much variations in them and the refrain invites to sing along,

Breath Of A Winter Night
A epic beginning but it changes quickly to faster riffing, free power riffing follows. It's a very direct number going all on it.

Utopia
The final song starts slow and then goes over straight into a pure powerfull riff rollercoaster providing the listener with sharp, straight, hard, powerfull and intense moments.

The band Lyra's Legacy, (c) by Lyra's Legacy, used with kind permission

Links

Check in to the band's website for all the latest tourdates and also tune in to Facebook for even more regular updates.

CD Review: Final Coil - Closed To The Light

Band Introduction

Final Coil are a metallic grunge band located at Leicester, England. They've put out various EPs / albums on Bandcamp which all represent a own style the band is capable to play so if you listen to the various stuff you'll be surprised to hear how different they can sound like.

The "Somnambulant" record they've put out in 2014 saw the band going into a acoustic direction offering very sensible and deeply-emotional songs. In the time between "Failed Lights", a brand new and in my ears excellent acoustic song saw the light of day on YouTube, it's a recording of a web-broadcast the band did a while ago.

Only few details on the next record were spread through Facebook in the meantime. But this will end today....

(c) by Final Coil, used with kind permission

Summary / Purchase-Link

Having heard the songs I've talked about above I was absolutely sure that the band would come around with another acoustic record. The new track sounded like a perfect fit, a bridge between the "Somnambulant" tunes and the beginning of a more progressive era of new longer acoustic tracks held in the typical Final Coil style.

The cool thing is: everything about this was totally wrong. :-) In fact what can be heard right here is the heaviest stuff the band has come up with today. I would call it the heaviest songs the band has put out up to this point. The guitars are absolutely sharp and ripping everything to pieces that stands in their way. Meanwhile the drums and bass guitar maintain a fine note of rhythm, giving in a hard, dry and deep punch into the sound. The vocals put a perfect layer over this, transporting much of the emotions of the tracks.

Everything is held in a very tight style, it's crushing heavyness coming from every corner of the sound. It doesn't even leave a single chance of easy sound on most of the tracks (the last song is a exception from that). If you like your music heavy and ultratight this EP will make you more than happy.

In fact I would call this a mixture of the first EP "Goodbye to all that" and their second effort "Live with doubt". Don't miss out this gem. The EP will be released on 2. November 2015. You'll be able to get a free listen / download for a first spin over at Bandcamp starting at that day. There will also be a limited edition CD available. Please buy one of the CDs so underground bands can keep making music and move on. It's worth listening to it numerous times, a EP mixing up all the various styles of the band and bringing them out in the most beautiful form. Progression and heavyness in all of it's beauty.

Player 

The fine thing as of today is that Heavy Metal Underdogs can give you exclusively a first listen of one of the tracks of the brand new EP. I'm very proud that the band picked my blog for this song premiere. It's a honour for me. So without further ado enjoy the track "Daylight Fades" right here.


Track-by-track review

A short intro called "Close to the light" gives in some atmospheric touches with guitar effects and some vocal extracts before a sharp guitar cut comes rushing in quickly leading over to the first full track.

While the first track "Daylight Fades" starts with a simple rhythm it becomes quickly clear that the band had a hard sound in mind when writing this track. The repeating of the text is a kicker in my ears. Especially the second "can't" repeated several times makes this harking back to your mind. Some of the guitar sounds even remind me of good old Jimi Hendrix and his special sound effects. The bridge between the first refrain and the second refrain could easily be described as a sonic guitar bomb. I love this effect! The end of this first song offers a compressed part that only slightly let's room for variations but those played kick the number up even higher. it's like a glimpse of light falling out of a dark mass shaping a form into the darkness for just a few moments but long enough to keep you longing for more.

"Goodybe to all that" picks up where "Daylight Fades" left off, showing what the band is able to do with re-writting a classic track. This incarnation of the track features a much more compressed and heavy guitar sound compared to the original track. Besides that it leaves away most of the playing effects of the 2010 release giving a sharper focus on the main-theme of the song. It shows impressively that reduction can be a fine way of giving a track a new and much heavier interpretation. Nevertheless it doesn't mean the song works only with cutting away things. Moreover these elements were added back again but in a different and harder format. It's now all distorted, yet you will need some fine playing skills to get to replay this I'm sure.

The final track "Closed to the light" is a surprise to the listener. It stands out of the other material giving some redemption after the brutal heavyness that stormed through your ears before. The song starts out softly with some drums and few vocals. The volume is rising all the while as the music slowly starts to build up more. The tonality is set softer, more dreamingly at this point. Much room for the more progressive site of the band on this one. This touches softly the "Somnabulant" era but with more punch and drums before some slightly heavy guitars keep coming in. The vocals are very intense with much drum fills performed to the last silent corners of the song. The last third brings in some heavyness in the guitar section giving some thoughts to the legendary Pink Floyd. A epic masterpiece in my ears. After all I'm listening to the whole record on repeat. It's a big pleasure to have the chance to listen to such a talented band.