Album Review: Neocracy - Pure Organic (Emotional Rock, 2022)

The songs on the debut album of Neocracy speak of intensive feelings experienced in life.

The cover already says that something with feelings waits inside.

Besides the rough sound shell shines a face twisted in two parts. The female voice talks in a finetuned and fragile way about life while the growls may picture the darker depths and sides of our existence. 

The same duality can be found in the instrumental colors. There are soft guitars to be heard all put at the proper moments. But the heavyness kicks always in at moments things may get to monotone. Sometimes percussion elements like on "Shallow Hearts" bring some change. 

There are always moments when a surprise comes in. Listen to "Fate" and the clear part towards the end will surely raise your attention bar.

The guitars loop on the last moments - not to be heard that often. If you check out "Respect" closer the keyboards towards the end jumping through the music also add some extra taste to the already great meal.

My favorite is still "Sleep Awake" for it's very catchy way of building up and breaking down and the feelings shining so pure inside of the vocals. But the whole spectrum of feelings comes out throughout the duration of the album so please don't judge them for only this particular track.

The sound on the disc is very self produced. This comes with a good and a bad side. It holds the magic of the moment and prevents the rough and direct emotions from being taken away. But sometimes a bit more flat sounds would have made it a bit more comfortable to enjoy.

Anyway, it's still well worth to listen and purchase especially if you look for something going under your skin.

Contact the band on Bandcamp and Facebook if you want buy a copy of the album.

Album Review: Tony Martin - Thorns (Heavy Doom, 2022)

The new Tony Martin album holds several surprises. That was the first impression that I learned quickly as I streamed the new record.

Tony Martin offers a modern album with traditional undertones. Lots of surprises to be found on "Thorns".

It all already kicks off with the opener "As the world burns". It's a ultra-heavy track ripping it hard. Would you expect such a track after 15 years of silence ? Neither did I. Such a full yet fine and good listenable tune this particular one is. Expect power to the max.

"Black widow angel" holds the next bag of unexpected sounds. A midtempo and doomy grooving number. But in full contrast to this a very high vocal performance. Tony Martin still reaches high regions with his voice. Anyway this one is not easy to enjoy. It may feel a bit stressy to some people but sure it opens ears. I think it's not to be heard too often these days that such a mixture of sounds comes our way. A daring selection to be included on "Thorns".

And the next one will also keep listeners of unusual tunes heavily at the stereo. Once again the tempo is held low but it's more to give room for atmosphere. It's dark toned and coming in a more middle layered voice region. "Crying Wolf" starts out a bit balladesque way but few moments later progressive heavy moments come along.

The vocals are kept high and underline the extraordinary way, Tony Martin is able to perform in these days. The atmosphere goes up and down on this one and I think the fans will appreciate this track.

"Damned by You" continues in a more modern way with the band riffing and grooving in the background while the vocalist shares the vocals with his high notes - happily not all the time and more at the proper moments.

It's a great treat that a bit easier track follows. "No Shame At All" is far more light in every way. It's shorter, has a good riff anyway but can be enjoyed on the go also it's fine Rock music as well.

A ballad follows and shows that Tony Martin and his followers are able to perform to softer notes as well. A welcomed moment on the album to take a breathe and dream for some moments.

This is not the end, as already the eight track speeds and riffs up. The fun here comes from the various arrangements constantly changing groove, riffs, clear vocals and even growl passages. Three more songs are to be found on the disc and they are no fillers, too.

All in all it's a modern album providing heavy minds with great new content. Tony Martin has still a lot to offer in his voice and his songwriting abilities are great, too. The eleven tracks shown on "Thorns" are well worth a purchase.

The only downside are the high pitched vocals. They are great but can sometimes get a bit too much. Just check out "Run Like The Devil" and I think you'll agree.

The album is available digitally on all bigger streaming services and in a limited edition Digipak from Battlegod productions. 

Movie Review: Date From Hell (Horror Short, 2019)

Some dates are horrible. That's the way it looks like with the pair that can be seen in the beginning of the horror short movie "Date From Hell". The two have a little controversity going on (like so many have) and finally the man stands up. He had enough and leaves. She follows him and he disappears in a sideway.

The excellent cover for the horror short "Date From Hell"

Afterwards the movie starts a life of it's own. I won't spoiler anything here just saying that it will keep you shocked, laughing and wondering behind once you finish the full movie. I never thought it would be possible to do such a strong film in such a limited duration.

But this is in fact way better than many movies I've seen that last for the standard 90 minute format. This is even more surprising for me as I'm not the strongest horror movie fan at all - please take this as a sign for a strong recommendation to check "Date From Hell" out. For a first teaser I can give you a small look inside with the official trailer. You'll get a idea of what it is all about.

"Date From Hell" Horror Short Teaser Trailer from Amadon-Shannon Media Group on Vimeo.

I could even imagine this to be a new trend since time is always limited but sometimes you have a few spare minutes on your hands. That's the moment people may seek something like this. Anyway, make sure to visit a screening near you or stream it of the official sources.

The first screening will be September 13th 2019 at GAS MONKEY Bar & Grill in Dallas, TX, as part of their CORPSEPAINT SHOW PARTY benefiting FOUNDATION 45 Powered by FANGORIA, where the film can be viewed alongside "Satanic Panic" and "Road Trash".

The second screening, coinciding with the film's official release on ALTER, will be September 16th 2019 at Independence Brewing Company in Austin, TX. This will be coupled with the official INDIGNANT DOG FILMS formation party, celebrating the creation of IDF whose founders (Ven Scott, Brandon Torres, and Tracee Beebe) were thrown together for the production of Date From Hell.

Imonolith give a catchy first impression of their music

Some bands come out of nowhere just to slam you down to the ground with their sound. Imonolith did just that with the first single "Hollow".

The cover of Imonolith - Hollow (single release 2019)

The music combines two sides that normally are a contrast to each other. It's a mixture of heavyness in the hooks on the one side and melody and compact riffs in the verses on the other. "Hollow" can be called groovy, infectious. It offers the art of putting together music that is hard in it's core but sounds melodic and is highly enjoyable 'caus of it's overall softer sound package.

Many well known musicians can be heard on this one. Vocalist Jon Howard (Threat Signal, Arkaea), drummer Ryan ‘RVP’ Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Project), guitarist Brian Waddell (Devin Townsend Project), bassist Byron Stroud (Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory), and second guitarist Kai Huppunen (Methods of Mayhem, Noise Therapy).

They have some shows coming up in Canada.

February 23 - Vancouver, BC @ The Red Room
March 1 - Calgary, AB @ Dickens
March 2 - Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room (Temple)

More music is in the works. Drummer Ryan ‘RVP’ Van Poederooyen already gives a little glimpse about what to expect of further material: “As for 'Hollow', musically it represents the catchier side of IMONOLITH’s music. We have varying influences spread throughout the band and we don’t like to play just one style of music.

We have a more metal crushing side, a catchier radio side and then music that fits in-between our heavy and catchier vibes. We always aim to make IMONOLITH’s overall sound diverse and interesting. Most of all, we’re always focused on trying to write a great song, no matter if it’s heavy or catchy."

You can purchase and or stream the song "Hollow" over here.
The band's Facebook page will keep you up to date about the further progress.

CD Review: Drop Oblivion - Narcissistic Counselor (Death 'n' Thrash, 2019)

The previous singles were a blast. Now a dual EP release. Something new to me. So how has the first one turned out?

The cover of Drop Oblivion's upcoming EP "Narcissistic Counselor", (c) by Drop Oblivion

The introduction "Into The Dark" opens the curtain like opening up to a classic concert. It's darker toned for sure but helps to get into the mood. Happily not too long in duration to stress the listener.

"Damaged Goods" sounds good providing a boost of heavy hitting grunts and dirty riffs.
Enjoy the full details the track has to offer with it's many highs and lows on the guitar and drumming kicking it out to the door. It's a full duration endless runner talking how riffing should be in Thrash Metal. It's explodes into a blast of energy towards the end. The devil's mask, the mascot of Drop Oblivion comes to life this way.

"Detached" brought in the riff-fun with going up and down making the ride nearly endlessley. It's showing how to work a compact song keeping the energy inside without using the fast double bass formula. The biggest strength is it's constant changing all the while. It never becomes boring also having heard it numerous times. The end came as a surprise offering more relaxed notes. 

The title track is the center of this release. "Narcissistic Counselor" mixes the strengths of the previous tracks but takes it down even heavier. It has this finetuned mixture of catchy riffs and rhythm mixed up with rawness and abrasive vocals. A unusual use of high notes comes in as a surprise. Those high pitched moments knock into your head from the first listen. They dominate the last third of the track. A wicked tune from start to finish speaks out a darker language but I think the slower part leaves room for hope...

"Dreams are made broken" is the most dirty track of the pack throwing you in without further ado. It's a fast thrasher changing to midtempo parts on and on. Yet there's always this slice of melody and moreover fun on playing with the riffs that set the music apart from other bands. Don't turn off the player too fast at the end. Maybe a hint to the second EP coming in 1st February 2019 ? 

Pre-Order Link
This EP is a good christmas present. Just make sure to pre-order it right now on Bandcamp. It'll be up for download on the very first day of 2019. You can use the "Send as a gif" option on the linked Bandcamp website to do so. All you need is the Email of the lucky one.

Mark the Facebook page of Drop Oblivion with a like for more info on the upcoming second EP "The War Within" that is about to come up February 2019.

Preview-Track
Have a listen to "Detached" for a good insight into this release.

Senate of Prevail show off different side of the band sound

In the past months I've often written here about the progress the recordings for the new Senate of Prevail album. The guys are still busy with doing the finishing touches to that album but happily kept up the fine tradition of giving some insight into the recording process as well as into the songs itself.

So to make things short there's a new preview online since some time. This one has surprised me at many points. It doesn't sound so much like the previews we had before, so it seems like this one shows a different side of the band's sound. What do you think about this snippet?

To me this keeps me more than ever having a close eye on what's going on in the Senate of Prevail camp. Sounds to me as if a very heavy but also very diverse album with a highly quality approach on songs as well as on the technical side is coming our way. Just think of the traditionell Bollnäs metal sound combined with modern elements. To hear two full songs of the upcoming longplayer head over to my post about the freely downloadable "Abandon all hope" single.

If you want to stay up to date about the band don't forget to like them on Facebook. The instagram page also offers some fine insights into the time the band spends in the studio as well as on the concerts they plays from time to time.