This week we celebrated the women of rock and metal. Here is the podcast. Enjoy! \m/

https://www.mixcloud.com/themetalpriestess/the-metal-asylum-maidens-of-metal/

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio on Sunday 12th September 2021

Here is the playlist for the show aired on Sunday 4th September 2021

• Seven Witches – Metal Asylum
• Trouble – Pictures Of Life – for singer Eric Wagner who passed away on 22/08/2021
• The Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar – for drummer Charlie Watts who passed away on 24/08/2021
• W.A.S.P – Maneater – for singer Blackie Lawless who turned 65 on 4th September
• Overkill – Batshitcrazy
• Overkill – Mean, Green, Killing Machine – both Overkill songs were for our DJ Thunderess, Grace, who was 50 on 1st September
• Sole Syndicate – Wake Up (Last Days Of Eden – 2020)
• Nightmare – Prisoner Of The System (Silent Room – 2003)
• Act Of Defiance – Dead Stare (Birth And The Burial – 2015)
• Without Mercy – Left Alone (Seismic – 2020)
• The Offspring – Original Prankster (Conspiracy Of One – 2000)
• Kiss – Back To The Stone Age (Monster – 2012)
• Ravage – Spectral Rider (Spectral Rider – 2005)
• Girlschool – Play Around (Believe – 2004)
• Hellbringer – Deceiver’s Chamber (Dominion Of Darkness – 2012)
• Exodus – And Then There Were None (Bonded By Blood – 1985)
• White Zombie – More Human Than Human (Astro Creep: 2000 – 2000)
• Project Pain – False prophet (I Have Sinned – 2015)
• Torture Killer – Devil’s reject (Phobia – 2013)
• Gorefest – A Question Of Terror (Rise To Ruin – 2007)
• Death – Out Of Touch (Individual Thought Patterns – 1993)
• Fear Factory – Self Bias Resistor (Demanufacture – 1995)
• Abandoned Souls – Best Of Me (Make It Last – 2017)
• Cage – White Magic (Darker Than Black – 2003)
• Slayer – Skeletons Of Society (Seasons In The Abyss – 1990)
• Nazareth – Shot Me Down (Expect No Mercy – 1977)
• Mason – Burn (Impervious – 2017)
• Iron Maiden – Stratego (Senjustsu – 2021)
• Dawn Of Destiny – In Another Time (Praying To The World – 2012)
• Steelwings – Back On The Road (Back – 2019)
• Amon Amarth – As Loki Falls (Deceiver Of The Gods – 2013)
• Icarus Witch – Queen Of Lies (Songs For The Lost – 2007)
• Rage – My Way (The Devil Strikes Again – 2016)
• Vikram – Behind The Mask (Behind The Mask – 2019)
• Hollywood Undead – Day Of The Dead (Day Of The Dead – 2015)
• Marilyn Manson – The Dope Show (Mechanical Animals – 1998)
• Savatage – Holocaust (Sirens – 1983)

Aired On Metal Devastation Radio on Sunday 4th September 2021

Here is the podcast for the show aired on Sunday 4th September 2021. Enjoy!

https://www.mixcloud.com/themetalpriestess/the-metal-asylum-05092021/

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio on Sunday 4th September 2021

Apocalypse Orchestra are a folk/doom crossover band from Sweden formed in 2013. I have never really been a fan of folk metal, it being a genre I tended to shy away from, but I love the whole concept of doom, and thought the mix of the two would be interesting, if not unusual. When their debut album “The End is Nigh” landed in the Ever Metal inbox I was lucky enough to not only be able to review it but also to do an email interview with the band. I hope you enjoy learning a bit more about the band that is Apocalypse Orchestra!

“Hi, I’m Dawn King from Ever Metal! I would like to thank you for taking the time to talk to us and I hope you are all well? For those who haven’t heard of Apocalypse Orchestra before can you give us some history about the band?

[Erik] Well, Mikael, Andreas and I have played in various bands prior to AO, and when our most recent, a folk rock band, went belly up, Mikael came up with the idea of trying something different. Building on our love for medieval music and culture, he asked me if I would like to try to mix actual medieval tunes, alongside our own contemporary melodies, and fuse them with metal. Slow metal, since most folk metal acts tend to go in the other direction. Given that we like quite a few doom bands this felt natural. And when we tried some combinations of medieval melodies with this kind of metal, we knew we were on to something!

Where did the name ‘Apocalypse Orchestra’ come from?

[Mikael] We sought long and hard for a name that suited us. Finally we found one that worked. In medieval times the thought of the apocalypse was ever present, be it through famine, pestilence or of a more divine nature. Also, the word apocalypse means “to reveal” which we interpret as, even if it’s the end of the world as we know it, it might also be the beginning of something new. 

Your debut album “The End Is Nigh” was released in May of this year. How is it being received so far?

[Erik] We have been dumbfounded by the amount of positive receptions! Even though we are very proud at what we have accomplished and created, we couldn’t believe that our album, especially being a debut, could spread as far and wide so fast. It has also been really humbling to read all the good natured reviews.

[Mikael] I find it very satisfying that people seem to have really listened to and understood what we wanted to achieve, that we’re not doing “traditional” folk metal but something different.

Before that you released a demo, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” back in 2015. What made you decide to use tracks from that on the album and not write completely new material?

[Erik] We started out composing songs to make an entire album. Along the way, there was suddenly a demand for some sort of release. People wanted to buy CD’s at gigs and whatnot, so we were about halfway through composing for the album, and thus we released what we had at the time.

There is an obvious medieval theme to your music! Is history something you are all interested in or is it the influence of just one person?

[Mikael] We all have some kind of historical interest. Several of us like medieval faires and medieval/folk music. We even have a black smith in the band who knows a lot about medieval smithing.

[Erik] Yes, and we have a great love of medieval art and other cultural expressions as well. Many of our influences can be found in the actual era.

Likewise, your lyrics deal with some very dark themes. Who comes up with these ideas and do you collaborate as a band when writing material?

[Erik] Usually one of us spawns the idea, the better part of a song’s lyrics, and then we throw it back and forth among us. It can be a bit tricky of course, especially when Mikael writes the most part of any song, and it is I who will have to sing it and make it work melodically, haha.

[Mikael] Yes, sometimes the first drafts of any lyrics would require a rapper for it to work.

I watched the video to your track “The Garden Of Earthly Delights” and it was set in a stunning location! Where was it filmed and whose idea was it to shoot the video there?

[Mikael] We looked at several locations to find the perfect one. We even checked an old copper mine but when we found Vasaborgen (The Vasa Castle) in Uppsala, only 100km from our home town, we instantly knew it was the one. The contact at Vasaborgen immediately loved the idea and was very helpful in making it happen.

[Erik] The location is a part of the greater castle area, an unrenovated part of the castle grounds with its original 16th century interior and is now used as a museum. It was monumental to be given the chance to film there, and it left us in awe of being in a place where so many have gone before us. It was also cold as hell that day, which you can clearly see in the video when we exhale!

You all play a vast array of instruments on the album, such as Hurdy Gurdy, Lute, Bagpipes and Rauschpfeife! How important was it to include those authentic sounds when recording and does it present any issues when playing the material live?

[Erik] It is key to have them on any recording. They are a part of our sound, our soul. Live we try to incorporate as much as we can, but depending on the venue and gear, we also have parts of the music playing from the computer. But it’s more fun when can go all out live, like recently when we had our release party, guest musicians, all kinds of weird instruments, and our friend in the choir performing live with us!

[Mikael] Wooden instruments, and traditional strings, always pose a challenge when playing this kind of music but it has worked out well so far.

As much as I don’t like to pigeon hole bands, your music has been classed as Folk Metal meets Doom Metal. Do you think that is an accurate description and if not how would you describe your music?

[Mikael] Someone said we sounded like Contemporary Medieval Metal and we think that fits rather well, but we don’t mind being called folk metal either since we share several elements with that genre.

[Erik] I also get the doom element, since you can most likely hear that we like and listen to a lot of doom bands. But on the other hand, you can as easily find other elements as well…

Which bands and artists have influenced you as individuals and collectively and are there any current bands that you admire?

[Mikael] The bands that started my interest in medieval music were Garmarna and Falso Bordone. Bands and artists that influence me now are Amorphis, Myrkur, Anna von Hausswolf and Obsequiae to name just a few.

[Erik] I agree with Mikael with most of his name dropping. Add Paradise Lost (which all of the band love) and other folk metal acts like Lumsk, Myrkgrav, Otyg combined with different kind of bands like Type O Negative, and you can imagine that we get our inspirations from a wide variety of ‘genres’.

Most of us have musical guilty pleasures, perhaps a band or genre of music that doesn’t fall into what people might expect you to listen to. Who or what are your musical guilty pleasures?

[Mikael] I think we’re too old to be embarrassed anymore ha ha. I listen to a lot of electronic music. My favourites right now are Christian Gabel and the soundtrack to Stranger Things.

[Erik] Haha, probably many that others would label ‘guilty pleasures’, but I am not ashamed of any of them! We can go all the way from 70’s and 80’s AOR to nu-metal to the most horrible kind of eclectic folk music… I like way to much music for my own good. But, for the sake of it, one band that I listen to a lot right now is one of my childhood heroes, Def Leppard!

What was it like to have Per Nilsson, of Scar Symmetry and Kaipa fame, mix your debut album ‘The End Is Nigh’?

[Erik] Like a breeze! He had a really good grasp of our sound to begin with, being a friend of the band. So he simply took our recording and refined it, made it grow, and transformed it into something so much more than we would ever have been able to do ourselves. Still it’s fun that we also could give him a challenge, since we use all these bizarre instruments, and also due to the fact that sometimes our arrangements are well over 100 channels… Still, he is a champ, and as he himself listens to and plays many different kinds of music, we were never even worried.

Are there any plans for a tour? Are you likely to hit British soil?

[Mikael] We would love to, playing live is a reward in itself to us. Meeting listeners and spreading our plague! We feel confident that we will visit your shores in the future as more and more discover our music. We have no shows booked this summer since the album was released a bit too late to play the festivals but hopefully we’ll get to do some concerts this fall.

There are some hugely diverse and major music festivals around the world! If you could play one of them which would it be and why?

[Erik] It is impossible to pick just one, since so many are so good, and between them the diversity in itself makes the choice impossible. We have played both in the “natural metal scene” as well as other non-metal events, both with positive feedback, so we are not necessarily bound to either one. We could just as easily show up on a renaissance fair as well as on a big metal festival, or maybe one day we will just throw a theatrical medieval metal epos in a setting like Alhambra in Spain, Dalhalla in Sweden, or why not the above concept as a traveling show in medieval castles through Europe?

[Mikael] I agree with all of the above. It’s not so much about the festival as it is with a location that magnifies the music and the show.

Is there anything you would like to add before we finish?

[Both] Thank you very much for taking your time and interest with us, it is much appreciated, and we also thank you for helping us spreading the plague. Stay folk!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the guys at Apocalypse Orchestra for their time and also for their rapid response. I hope to see more of this great band, both on record and on the stage, in the near future and if you haven’t checked them out…..Go and do so!!

Thank You so much

Dawn

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Dawn King, Ever Metal and The Metal Asylum. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Immortal Machinery are a three-piece from London, England that have made ME, for one, sit up and take notice. With vocalist Steph K’s very distinctive voice, bassist Matt G’s jazz sensibilities and drummer Tom S’s hard hitting grooves they have found themselves making their own brand of metal, dark and melodic with gothic influences. I reviewed their second album “An Imperfect Storm” back in March of this year and jumped at the chance to get the guys to answer some questions for us.

Hi, I’m Dawn King from Ever Metal. I would like to thank you for taking the time to talk to us and I hope you are all well?

We’re doing pretty great, glad we could have a chat!

For those who haven’t heard of Immortal Machinery, can you give us some history about the band?

We started in the latter half of 2013 – we had met at a jam night in central London a couple of years prior, and once I put a few songs together we finally started pushing ahead with the band as a more serious entity.

It became apparent quite quickly that we’d have to do things the DIY way – both our albums have been recorded in a shed with no running water. No shiny studios for us! We also very early on started booking our own self-promoted shows; there’s something quite satisfying about taking control and having the chance to be a curator of other good bands.

Where did the name Immortal Machinery, which I think is great by the way, come from?

If I want to impress people, I tell them that the name sums up what I believe is the human condition – an immortal soul in a bodily machine. Then I realise how pretentious that sounds and admit the truth: I wanted to call the band “Mortal Engines” after a rather good sci fi book. But of course, in the age of Google (and lawsuits) you probably want a more unique name.

Your second album “An Imperfect Storm” was released in april of this year. How is it beng received (obviously other than by me because I thought it was fab!)

It’s a big step up from our first recordings, and I think people are really responding to that. The cliché is for bands to struggle to top the impression they made with their debut – I feel like we’ve grown significantly since then so showing everyone what we’re made of now has been really satisfying. Also, it’s nice to surprise people with such a big string-led sound.

And how was the launch party? I was gutted I missed it.

Aside from your absence, it was everything we could have hoped for! For those who don’t know, we took over an abandoned attic in Camden – we played a set, cracked a few bottles open and then people got into jamming and doing a bit of metal karaoke. People were only given the address after buying a ticket, so there was quite an air of mystery about the event. It felt more like a house party with live music; with so many venues closing, I’d love to see more bands do stuff like this. There’s a video of the party here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-3jL2OHUbw&t=67s

I stated in my review that your album “An Imperfect Storm” had an individuality and a uniqueness about it. Did you purposefully set out to record something that was different?

I feel as if there’s a fine line between doing your best to be original, and just making gratuitously weird music (prog..ahem…). Yes, we wanted to make something unique, but I’d like to think that we did so in a way that played to our strengths. I’ve been playing the violin since before the age of 4, so to orchestrate string parts felt like the most natural thing to do; Mat the bassist had the freedom to throw as much jazz virtuosity as he felt like into the mix – and Peter the drummer had full license to show off in his own way too.

So, Steph, you not only provide the guitars and the vocals but also the stringed instruments. How does that work at a live show?

A rather nice chap called Mr Samsung Tablet helps us out; it’s perhaps not in the spirit of rock’n’roll, but until we can afford to bring out a string quartet on the road, we have no choice but to play the string parts on a backing track. Though it’s a recording, I would dare to argue that from a sonic perspective it’s still more “real” than having a keyboardist play synthetic orchestra sounds – it’s still me playing, after all!

And your voice!! That was one of the highlights of the album for me. How do other people view the vocals?

Thankfully, it does get a fair bit of good feedback although I’m well aware that it’s just not some people’s cup of tea. I think the general expectation is for a raspy classic rock voice or a power metal-style belter, and what I do jars with that somewhat. If I could sing like Bruce Dickinson, you’d better believe that I would. But I’m stuck being a midget with a deep voice…

My favourite track on the album is “Nail Me Upside Down” What is yours and why?

For me, it’s got to be “I Did it for You”. I’m very happy with the album as a whole, but I feel like if I had to sum up what we were trying to achieve in one track, it would be this one. Close second is “Tongues of Fire”, as personally I think Mat and Peter’s abilities on bass and drums really got showcased there.

Its hard to pick out your influences as you have such a distinctive sound. What bands and artists have influenced you as individuals and collectively?

Collectively, what we seem to value the most is top notch musicianship. Though they’re not what you might typically think of as virtuosos, bands like Sting and the Police, Toto and Steely Dan stand out to us as a real gold standard of tightness and proficiency.

For me – I love anything dark and miserable. Type O Negative and Danzig are up there, but I also love the work of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and I’m also an insufferable Springsteen fanboy (his lyrics are far more bleak than they’re given credit for).

Mat’s first love is Pink Floyd; but he also loves weird and obnoxious jazz fusion from the 70s and 80s, like Allan Holdsworth or Frank Gambale. He’s also introduced me to an obscenely talented young trio from London called Preston Glasgow Lowe. It’s a world away from rock and metal, but I think that’s a very healthy thing for the band.

Peter is a huge fan of drumming icon Dave Weckl, and consequently any of the many projects he’s been in. He’s also the one who got us listening to bands like Toto and actually appreciate their ability rather than just belt along to the chorus of “Africa”.

Most of us have a musical guilty pleasure, perhaps a band or genre of music that doesn’t fall into what people expect us to listen to. Who or what are your musical guilty pleasures?

There’s a Swedish band called Dirty Loops who became a bit of a YouTube sensation by doing outrageously intricate jazz/funk re-workings of current pop songs. We are in awe of their ability, but no matter which way you dress it up we are still bouncing along to songs from Justin Bieber and Adele.

We are now in the middle of festival season. If you could play one festival anywhere in the world, which would it be and why?

It seems that when it comes to heavy music, the East Europeans and South Americans both seem to go nuts in a way that other countries just aren’t at the moment. So, anything from either of those two parts of the world.

So what’s next on the horizon for Immortal Machinery? Any plans for a tour?

We’re hatching some plans… We’ve already played 6 shows in Europe and Scandinavia, so we’d like to do more of that!

Well, thank you for your time. Is there anything else you would like to add?

We’re just happy you enjoyed the album so much, it really means a lot.

Thank You

Dawn”

So, there you have it. Not only are this band great at what they do, they are also cool to talk to (albeit via email) Thank you to the guys for giving up their time to talk to me and if you haven’t checked out this fantastic band I highly recommend you do.

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Dawn King, Ever Metal and The Metal Asylum. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Originally posted on Ever Metal

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the name Tyketto? Well, if you are anything like me, it would be their smash hit song “Forever Young” which is a shame, as there is far more to this band than the one track they are mostly known for.

Hailing from New York City, this hard rock band was put together by former Waysted singer Danny Vaughn and Brooke St James (guitar), Jimi Kennedy (bass) and Michael Clayton (drums) completed the original line up.

By 1990, they had signed to the famous Geffen Records and released their debut album “Don’t Come Easy” (featuring the aforementioned Forever Young) but the rise of the grunge sound in 1991 saw Tyketto’s hopes of a big breakthrough begin to fade. The band eventually split in 1996.

However, they reformed in 2004 for a reunion tour with the full original line-up but this was to be the last time they all performed together. Personnel changes, especially in a long-running band such as Tyketto, are inevitable but they continued to fight and 2014 brought the 25th anniversary of the band forming and, with it, major touring plans and bookings.

2016 saw the release of their latest album, along with some fantastic new members. Brooke St James has been replaced by riff master Chris Green (Rubicon Cross, Furyon) and the unstoppable 2016 line up also includes full time keyboardist Ged Rylands (Tygers of Pan Tang, Ten, Rage of Angels) and bassist Chris Childs (Thunder, Shadowman)

Recorded at the famous Rockfield Studios in Wales (also used by the likes of Rush, Queen and Oasis) lead vocalist Danny Vaughn says of the new album “we unanimously decided on Reach as the title of the album as it defines who this band is in 2016. We have a new energy, some incredible new members, and a fresh outlook to the future.”

Drummer Michael Clayton adds: “We have decided to expand our musical boundaries and introduce our friends around the world to Tyketto 2016. But rest assured that all the songs on Reach still carry the trademark melodies and choruses our fans have grown to love over the decades.”

At which point I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I only have the album “Don’t Come Easy” in my cd collection, stumbling across it years after it had been released, but I loved the whole sound, production and ambience of the album. It was one of those albums you could dance around the living room to while, at the same time, enjoying the riffs and heaviness of a hard rock band.

Suffice to say, Reach is very much the same. While there is an argument that a band needs to evolve their sound to attract new and younger fans, there would also be a counter argument that says they also need to keep, even just a little bit, of what their older fans have come to know and love. Classic examples of a band completely changing their sound to “evolve” would be Queen’s Hot Space and The Scorpion’s “Eye to Eye” neither of which, in my opinion, really worked.

But with Reach, the trademarks are still there and the production and level of musicianship is outstanding.

The album opens with the over the top title track that is just pure magic and is reminiscent of Tyketto of a by-gone age. “Kick Like a Mule” sounds a lot like Aerosmith and the drums and bass on “Big Money” make it my favourite on the album.

Danny Vaughn, considered one of the finest vocalists in the business, sings his lungs out, Chris Green literally shines on “The Run” and for lovers of the power ballad there is “Letting Go”, the acoustic intro and harmonising backing vocals making it one of the most haunting tracks on the album.

I absolutely love this album and could play it time and time again without getting bored with it. This is a band who really don’t know when to give up and why should they? They have fought tooth and nail to get to where they are, and it’s a position they thoroughly deserve. They are one of those bands who should be bigger than they are but I think coming onto the scene a few years before the grunge epidemic happened was their biggest downfall. Kids wanted something different to listen to at the time and, despite the talents and musicianship of Tyketto, they weren’t what the kids wanted.

Hopefully, those kids have now grown up and can appreciate just exactly what is was they were missing out on! Tyketto are a fantastic band and this album shows that. Contrary to a few other reviews I have read that say there are a few fillers on here, I think this is a great album from start to finish. All killer, no filler as the saying goes.

As far as melodic hard rock goes, Tyketto are one of THE best and nearly 30 years in the business proves it!

TRACKLISTING:
1. Reach
2. Big Money
3. Kick like A Mule
4. Circle The Wagon
5. I Need It Now
6. Tearing Down The Sky
7. Letting Go
8. The Fastest Man Alive
9. Remember My Name
10. Sparks Will Fly
11. Scream
12. The Run

LINE-UP:
Danny Vaughn – Vocals
Chris Green – Guitar
Jimi Kennedy – Bass
Micheal Clayton – Drums
Ged Rylands – Keyboards

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn King, Ever Metal and The Metal Asylum. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Before taking up reviewing I never really knew just how many albums were released in any given time. Only the ones from the big bands ever really made it to the headlines of Facebook and other social media that a lot of little gems were often overlooked. But one thing I have noticed through my reviewing work though is the amount of new releases that have been put out by bands of the bygone eras of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Not only are these bands recording new material, which is ALWAYS a good thing, to keep their older fans interested, but they are also gaining a legion of new fans who may never have heard of them before. I can include myself among the latter.

Of course, I had heard of Slaughter, but, being in my early teens and just getting into metal music when they were at their height of popularity, they were a band that didn’t fall onto my radar, the only song that really stuck in my head being “Up All Night.”

But let’s return to Mark!

Born on 4th July, 1964 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mark is a legendary hard rock singer, having fronted the band Xcursion before joining the Vinnie Vincent Invasion, and then forming Slaughter (who still use his name) with Dana Strum in the late 1980’s. The band had a lot of success, selling more than 5 million records during the 1990’s, four top 30 hits on the US Billboard and tours with bands such as Kiss, Poison, Ozzy Osborne and the Damn Yankees.

Mark released his first solo album “Reflections in a Rear View Mirror” on May 22, 2015 and “Halfway There”, his sophomore release, is a “stunning return to form, channelling the rock sensibility of classic Slaughter tracks.” Not only does this new album showcase his seemingly endless vocal abilities, but it is also a glowing testament to his abilities as both a songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist, handling all the production, engineering, songwriting, arrangements, guitar work and the bulk of the album’s instrumentation himself. Obviously, a very talented man!

The first thing that stands out about this album is not the music or the lyrics but the front cover artwork, which has been prepared by legendary horror/comic/music artist “Miser” Sam Shearon, who is known for his work with bands such as Kiss, Iron Maiden, Rob Zombie and many others.

So what of the music? Well, this album has a little bit of everything.

Opening with the fist in the air ‘Hey You’ the heavy driving riffs are evident from the offset. ‘Devoted’ is a heavier, slightly darker song that has a very balls to the wall approach, while ‘Conspiracy’ is heavier edged with a sing along chorus and ‘Supernatural’ is the token melodic catchy rock song. There are a few ballads thrown into the mix too with the emotive ‘Halfway There’ hovering somewhere between a stadium anthem and a classic rock ballad.

Described by EMP A&R director Thom Hazaert, himself, as a “a return to form of the classic Slaughter sound, but with some modern upgrades. From the first time I heard the working demos of these songs, I knew Mark was working on something very, very special. Growing up (and still) a huge Slaughter fan, I think these songs are going to not only resonate with the people who already love Mark and what he does, but carve a niche far beyond,” this is a rock album in every sense of the word, a true rock and roll album that I, too, am sure will gain Mark a whole new fan base.

Seemingly able to combine the sounds of the 1980’s glam metal with Alice Cooper’s “Brutal Planet” type riffs and hints of the 1990’s grunge era, along with some AOR thrown in for good measure this is an album that should appeal to a wide range of fans. Mark has a new fan in me and I am sure that, once you go out and buy this album, whether you are a Slaughter fan or not, you will be a Mark Slaughter fan too!

TRACKLISTING:
01. Hey You
02. Devoted
03. Supernatural
04. Halfway There
05. Forevermore
06. Conspiracy
07. Reckless
08. Disposable
09. Turn It
10. Not Here

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn “The Metal Priestess” King, Ever Metal and The Metal Asylum. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

First published on Metal Gods TV  – http://metalgodstv.com/mark-slaughter-album-review-halfway-there/ – reproduced here with kind permission from Metal Gods TV 

Posted on Ever Metal.

Legionnaire are a heavy metal band hailing from Finland and “Dawn of Genesis” is their debut full length recording.

Formed in 2012, they have previously recorded two demo tapes, “Legionnaire” in 2014 and “The Enigma of Time” in 2015, from which three tracks feature on the new release, and are typically a retro NWOBHM meets traditional / power metal band, although I personally hate stereotyping any band into a particular genre.

Mixing powerful twin guitar harmonies and epic, medieval style melodies, they have created an original, personal sound, although influences from many genres are apparent, from the old Scandinavian style of metal, to the galloping riffs of NWOBHM to the epic feel of bands such as Liege Lord and Brocus Helm. Their lyrics often have inspiration from ancient and medieval mythology, although fictional themes such as science fiction are also present.

So what of this album? To be honest, on the first listen through I wasn’t all that impressed. Musically there is nothing wrong with them. They play straight forward heavy metal, with no keyboards and no ballads. There is harmony in the twin guitar riffs and leads, and a sturdy and galloping rhythm section.

But the thing that struck me with this album were the vocals. Classed as “classic doom vocals” by some reviewers, for me they were a bit hit and miss. Personally, I didn’t feel that the singers voice fitted in with the rest of the band and thought they were somewhat weak compared to the other musicians. I don’t know if that’s because he is first and foremost a guitarist and is maybe a little shy of showing his vocal skills as well as those with the guitar, but I wouldn’t write the vocals off completely.

The guy can obviously sing, and just because it is not in a style that I would normally like, that does not mean that he would not appeal to other people.

I was, in fact, shocked at my initial reaction to the vocals as I pride myself on usually preferring singers who are different and stand out from all the others. So, with this in mind, I gave the album a couple more spins and, it actually started to grow on me. Being just eight tracks, and half hour long, it wasn’t long before I had listened to it three or four times, and although you know exactly what you are getting for the rest of the album from just the first song, it is a pretty good record.

They might not be at the top of their game with this album, but with a bit of work and a few tweaks here and there, this band definitely have potential.

So, if you are a fan of power metal, NWOBHM, classic Scandinavian metal or just a metalhead in general give this album a go. You may hate it but you may also find a little gem that you never knew existed!!

TRACKLISTING:
1. Clairvoyance
2. Enigma Of Time
3. Shadow Upon The Metropolis
4. Millennium
5. The Guardian
6. Dawn Of Genesis
7. Black Harbinger
8. Olympian Aegis

LINE-UP:
Frans Kivelä – Bass
Lord Peter Macleod – Guitars
Aku Tiensuu – Guitars, Vocals
Akseli Häärä – Drums

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn “The Metal Priestess” King, Ever Metal and The Metal Asylum. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities

Originally posted on Ever Metal

When I asked the good people at Ever Metal if I could return to the family as a reviewer, much to my relief, they welcomed me back with open arms. My first job was to look through the album list and pick an album that I wanted to review. One jumped out of the screen straight away!

I had never really given Opeth much thought in the past, only having a copy of “Blackwater Park”, which I had probably listened to three times (at most!) and nothing of the other stuff they had done. Progressive music didn’t really feature on my radar and the album sat at the bottom of the CD pile, gathering dust.

Now, twenty years later, my musical tastes having become a little more diverse, so I felt ready to give the album the attention it deserved and what better way than with the 20^th Anniversary Edition?

But first, a little history!

Opeth were formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1989, originally, as a death metal band, and over the years have changed their sound to consistently include elements of progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz as well as death metal and the death metal growls from the early years. Cleaner vocals have appeared on later albums to the point that their last album “In Cauda Venenum”, released in 2019, featured no growls at all.

The band has had several personnel changes over the years, including the replacement of every single original member and Mikael Akerfeldt, lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter has been the main driving force behind the band since the departure of original singer, David Isberg in 1992.

Speaking of the band’s changing sound Akerfeldt has been quoted as saying “I don’t see the point of playing in a band and going just one way when you can do everything. It would be impossible for us to play just death metal – that is our roots, but we are now a mishmash of everything, and not purists to any form of music. It’s impossible for us to do that, and quite frankly, I would think of it as boring to be in a band that plays just metal music. We’re not afraid to experiment, or to be caught with our pants down, so to speak. That’s what keeps us going.”

In 2001 the metal word was in a post-grunge state, but Opeth were forging a unique creative path and after four albums of imaginative and immersive heavy metal, the first being “Orchid” released in 1995, the band were ready for a career- defining statement and that came in the form of “Blackwater Park”.

Originally released on March 12^th, 2001, “Blackwater Park” was the band’s fifth album, and soon become their magnum opus, their flagship album. It became known as the “thinking metal fan’s album” and was something to challenge the listener. It opened the band up to a much wider audience, including the metal underground and the progressive rock world inclusive! To quote the band’s own notes to the album, it “saw the Swedish metallers kick open prog’s ornate doors, fed death metal through the cosmic kaleidoscope and introduced a generation of music nerds to a world of limitless musical possibilities.”

The album was produced by Steve Wilson, a move that was to be the start of a lifelong friendship and Mikael Akerfeldt says that “Blackwater Park was the stepping stone in professionalism for us!”

The album can be summed up as a mix of melodic moments, spine-tingling atmospherics and crushing heaviness, or just simply musical perfection. With the bonus live version of ‘The Leper Affinity’ and several songs over ten minutes long, the album’s popularity has proved that music fans, and metalheads in particular, are more open-minded than they are given credit for, and that metal music can have depth, subtlety, sophistication, and imagination.

With thirteen studio albums under their belt, along with live albums and DVD’s, the band have proven they are now one of the most consistently extraordinary live bands on the planet, and one I need to see…soon!

TRACKLISTING:
01. The Leper Affinity
02. Bleak
03. Harvest
04. The Drapery Falls
05. Dirge For November
06. The Funeral Portrait
07. Patterns In The Ivy
08. Blackwater Park
09. The Leper Affinity (Live)

“BLACKWATER PARK” LINE-UP:
Mikael Åkerfeldt – Lead Vocals, Guitars
Peter Lindgren – Guitars
Martín Méndez – Bass
Martin Lopez – Drums
Steven Wilson – Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Mellotron, Guitars
Markus Lindberg – Percussion

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn King, Ever Metal and The Metal Asylum. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Here is the playlist for our Bloodstock Summer Slam Special \m/

• Seven Witches – Metal Asylum
• Queen – Need Your Loving Tonight – to celebrate bassist’s John Deacon’s 70th birthday on 19th August
• WASP – The Torture Never Stops – from the self-titled debut album released on 17/08/1984
• Type O Negative – Blood And Fire – celebrating the 28th anniversary of the album Bloody Kisses released on 17/08/1993
• Napalm Death – Scum (Scum – 1987)
• Evil Scarecrow – Crabulon (Galactic Hunt – 2014)
• Motorhead – The Game (Hammered – 2002) Triple H
• Gloryhammer – Universe On Fire (Space 1992 – Rise Of The Chaos Wizards – 2015)
• Wargasm – Spit (Spit – 2020)
• Alterbridge – Metalingus (One Day Remains – 2004) Edge
• Orange Goblin – Blue Snow (Time Travelling Blues – 1998)
• Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons – Born To Roam (We’re The Bastards – 2020)
• Killswitch Engage – This Fire Burns (As Daylight Dies – 2006) CM Punk
• Cradle Of Filth – Nymphetamine (Nymphetamine – 2004)
• South Of Salem – Cold Day In Hell (The Sinner Takes It All – 2020)
• Limp Bizkit – Rollin’ (Chocolate Starfish And The Hotdog Flavoured Water – 2000) The Undertaker
• Saxon – 747 (Strangers In The Night) (Saxon – 1979)
• Venom Prison – Self Inflicted Violence (Samsara – 2019)
• Mercy Drive – Burn In My Heart – Randy Orton
• The Wildhearts – Caffeine Bomb (Earth V’s The Wildhearts – 1993)
• Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol (Tragic Idol – 2012)
• Saliva – Click Click Boom (Every Six Seconds – 2001) No Mercy
• Acid Reign – The New Low (The Age Of Entitlement – 2019)
• Beholder – Splinter (The Order Of Chaos – 2013)
• Disturbed – Glass Splinters – Stone Cold Steve Austin
• Evile – Infected Nation (Infected Nations – 2009)
• Black Spiders – Stay Down (Sons Of The North – 2011)
• Jimio Hendrix – Voodoo Chile (Electric Ladyland – 1968) Hulk Hogan
• Conjurer – The Mire (Mire – 2018)
• Skindred – That’s My Jan (Big Tings – 2018)
• Therapy? – Die Laughing (Troublegum – 1994)
• Mercyful Fate – Into The Coven (Melissa – 1983)
• Lamb Of God – Redneck (As The Palaces Burn – 2006)
• Kid Rock – American Bad Ass (The History Of Rock – 2000) The Undertaker
• Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad) – All Hail The New Flesh (City – 1997)
• Kreator – Death To The World (Phantom Antichrist – 2012)
• Judas Priest – One Shot At Glory (Painkiller – 1990)
• Metallica – Sad But True
• Metallica – Enter Sandman – the last two celebrating 30 years of the Black album released on 12/08/1991

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio on 22/08/2021