CD Review: Metalsteel - Beyond The Stars (Clasic Heavy Metal, 2017)

A concept record taking things back to basics. No heavyweight production, no special effects overload. Just pure music crafted directly of the instruments of those loving Heavy Metal music

The wonderful frontcover artwork for Metalsteel's "Beyond the Stars" album, (c) by Metalsteel, used with kind permission

Summary
This album has set a view on the power of the songs alone. You can feel that the composers of the slowenian band Metalsteel prefer their art to be pure and to be delivered this way to the listener.

Thus said the songs need to stand stronger than ever to reach the audience and they do with much ideas, variations and sing-along choruses. The last element like all the music stems from the musicians themselves. There are no choirs pushed up to sound big on this record but the backing vocals introduce the message with such emotion that they will adress you instantly and invite to sing along. Think of being at a show and you just can't help but need to add the choir all around you.

The songs span a wide sort of feelings, from softer half-ballads (End of the World) to straight midtempo tracks but most of the duration the double bass power set's the motor for the music and keeps it coming fast. The lead vocals change on some parts to the more rough direction, something warmly welcomed because it brings in a fresh touch.

My favorites are the title song making me imagine being on a journey beyond the stars myselves and the track "Materialist No More" with it's more edgy guitars and hard riffing mixed up with variations ranging from fast to midtempo and even soft parts.

Purchase-Link & Preview-Track
Fans that love the pure but also modern sound will welcome this silver disc the same way I do. Let's have some good feelings and rock out to this straight. The hardcopy in a beautiful digipack package comes around for ten Euros directly out of the band's hands at www.metalsteel.net

Listen to one track with the video below to get a idea of Metalsteel's sound.

Contact and Tour Dates
Make sure to see them live starting end of February 2018 in their homecountry Slowenia. All dates are up on their homepage or tune in to the social world of Facebook to be notified of a show near you.

Album preview: Vortex - The Asylum

Ok, let's sneak a bit into a upcoming record. We haven't done this in a whle here on the blog but this new album trailer of the canadian metal band Vortex somehow got me.

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

Besides the growls there's something in the compact and pure sounding recordings that found my attention.

I think it's the coolness of how the band performs the different song segments. It's also the many changes in the song structures that made me like them. It doesn't get montone so quickly and most of all with the lighter overall feeling the sound remains enjoyable while still staying in a heavy tonality.


The brand new record "The Asylum" will be shipped out on Friday the 13 via their label PRC music. You can pre-order the silver disc on the website of the label. So it looks as if that day will hopefully not be a black friday. :-)

Check out Vortex's Facebook page to see a video for a first full song of the album.