Tag Archives: metal

Bearfist – Smile You Son Of A Bitch (2019)

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Here is the second of my older reviews originally posted on Ever Metal

As I was also preparing an interview for Essex based band, Bearfist, I had already done a bit of research before listening to the EP, something which I never do! But even then, I wasn’t prepared for the sonic onslaught that my ears were about to suffer, and I do not mean that in a bad way!

Screaming vocals have never really been my bag, but one thing that reviewing has taught me is to never judge a band or their music based on one aspect of them alone!

Bearfist are a four-piece band hailing from Chelmsford, Essex (so essentially a local band for me!) and were formed in late 2014. The band’s heavy groove laden songs and intense live shows earnt them a reputation that saw them grace the stage at some of the UK’s favourite festivals. To note, they have played at Bloodstock in 2016, after winning the London region of Metal to the Masses, HRH Metal in 2017 and Hammerfest in 2018.

The band, itself, was an idea that started off as a chat over a few beers between mates (let’s face it, we have all been there after a few alcoholic beverages, just most of us never actually bring it to fruition) and ended up as the “groove laden wall of noise that you hear today.”

Says the band, “we originally just jumped in a rehearsal room with a bucket load of riff ideas to see what sort of animal we had on our hands.”

They didn’t just produce an animal, they produced a monster and they have press quotes to back that up!

Says Metal Hammer, “combining weighty riffs with throat-shredding vocals, Bearfist are just metal AF.” “One of the most complete acts to play the New Blood Stage,” said Virtual Festivals, regarding Bloodstock, 2016 and Overdrive also stated of the Bloodstock performance, “Bearfist just destroy it. If we were to gauge the future of metal on today’s performance from Bearfist, it is safe to say we have nothing to worry about.”

So, what is it about the band that has produced this level of praise?

“Smile You Son Of A Bitch EP” is the third EP from the beast that is Bearfist, after the releases of “The Fifteenth Day” in 2015 and “Foundations” in 2016, and was produced, mixed and mastered by Justin Hill (ex-Sikth vocalist). The cover photographs were taken by Loki Films and the final layout of the cd had been designed and edited by band member Jon Holland.

The one thing that stands out to me about this four track EP is the sheer amount of energy that emits from it. Even with it playing through the earphones on my laptop (and the earphones not actually being in my ears!) the power is there to be heard.

The guitars are heavy, with riffs that hit you right in the stomach, and in my mind, there is nothing better than heavy guitars. The drumming is tight and frantic, with double kicks popping up all over the place and in a live setting this guy must work up a real sweat! Musically, these guys are top notch and even the vocals, which as I said are not my cup of tea, are first class, performed with a raw intensity that you just cannot but admire.

This is a raw and brutal EP that will have you banging your head from start to finish and I would love to the see the mosh pit at a Bearfist gig as I think it would be mental (I wouldn’t, however, want to be IN it though!!)

If you like your metal fierce and right there in your face, then this is an EP for you. And even if you don’t, give it a try. It will blow away some cobwebs and you might just find yourself moshing along with the rest of us!

TRACK LISTING:

Death’s Emissary

Destroy The Magnet

I’m Your God

Bleed The Wrong Way

LINKS:

https://bearfistuk.bandcamp.com

http://www.instagram.com/bearfistband/

http://www.twitter.com/Bearfist_UK

www.youtube.com/channel/UChDY68CgeuE6zCOzC1AY78Q

https://www.facebook.com/bearfistuk/

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Alphastate – The Grind (2018)

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As most of you know I used to write for Ever Metal and have the kind permission from them to reproduce the reviews I wrote for them here.

We will start with this one from Alphastate

Alphastate are a Greek metal band, formed in 2013 as a personal project of Pete Breaker (guitars). Vocalist Manos Xanthakis joined in in 2015 and the line up was complete in 2016 with the additions of Dimitris Tsounakis on bass and Fivos Andriopoulos on the drums. They released their first album “Out of the Black” in 2015 and received excellent and positive press globally.

Says the band: “we wanted to combine modern metal with 80’s and 90’s influences such as Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera and Nevermore to create a very personal and extreme style with no boundaries.”

So, what genre of metal are Alphastate? To pigeonhole them into one category would be wrong and do them a severe injustice. They play heavy metal that is heavier than normal, but they have thrown in a bit of power too, with just a hint of doom (think Sabbath, Candlemass and Trouble), and this gives them an almost unique sound.

I always think the vocals make any band and am always on the lookout for bands that have distinctive and different singers. If I am totally honest, on the first run through of the album, I didn’t actually like Manos’s vocals but after listening a few times, I realised I really didn’t give him much credit. His vocals are deep, and unmistakably Greek, which is by no means a bad thing. He could quite easily fit into a band such as Firewind if they were ever on the lookout.

I must admit that I hadn’t listened to the band’s first album before listening to this one, but the promo notes that came with the album stated that they wanted to take a more modern and aggressive approach musically with this new album. They wanted “very loud and distinctive guitars, a more modern production that had the vocals pushed up front and drums that punched through the sound.”  

I think they were successful on all three counts. Take the guitars out of this album and they would slot straight into a Pantera album, the drums are strong and tight, and I have already mentioned the vocals above.

This album includes a lot more of the band’s own thoughts and experiences making it the most personal release so far, and sonically it is their best. They have made an album that is “pure aggression with the best songs they have ever written.”

One thing that I wasn’t overly keen on with this album, was the lack of variation. Each song seemed to sound much like the last, and I am not sure if this is due to unfamiliarity with the tracks. Maybe with a few more listens through, the songs may start to separate a bit.

But this doesn’t take away from the fact, that this is a solid album, and for a band that has only really been together properly since 2016, it’s a good sign of things to come.

Give these guys a go……and they may just surprise you!

TRACK LIST

01. Trapped

02. Phantom Desires

03. Speak Your Mind

04. Theater Of Lies

05. The Grind

06. Forevermore

07. Behind The Dark

08. Heaven’s World

09. Man Made God

SOCIAL MEDIA

https://www.facebook.com/AlphastateMetal/

https://www.instagram.com/alphastate_official/

https://twitter.com/AlphastateMetal

Reproduced with kind permission from Ever Metal

The Metal Asylum – Lockdown Request Show – 08/11/2020

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Here is the playlist for the Lockdown Request Show aired on Sunday 8th November 2020. Three hours of awesome tunes as chosen by YOU, our listeners and boy did you pick some crackers!

  • Seven Witches – Metal Asylum
  • Uriah Heep – Gyspy (in memory of Ken Hensley, keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist who died on 4/11/2020 aged 75)
  • Saxon – Sea Of Life (Metalhead – 1999)
  • Warrant – Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Cherry Pie – 1990)
  • Pantera – Like Fire (Projects In The Jungle – 1984)
  • Mystic Prophecy – Killhammer (Killhammer – 2013)
  • Clawfinger – The Truth (Deaf Dumb Blind – 1993)
  • Incinery – Ellison (Hollow Earth Theory – 2020)
  • Sammy Hagar – This Planet’s On Fire (Street Machine – 1979)
  • Judas Priest – Dreamer Deceiver (Sad Wings of Destiny – 1976)
  • Styx – Crystal Ball (Crystal Ball – 1976)
  • Dream Evil – Save Us (Dragonslayer – 2002)
  • Pegazus – Metal Forever (Breaking The Chains – 1999)
  • Sacrilege – In Hell
  • The Deep – Premonition (Demo – 2013)
  • Accept – Pandemic (Blood Of The Nations – 2010)
  • Benediction – Stormcrow (Scriptures – 2020)
  • The Poodles – Night of Passion (Metal Will Stand Tall – 2006)
  • Five Finger Death Punch – Burn MF (The Wrong Side of Heaven, The Righteous Side of Hell – 2013)
  • Morbid Angel – Maze Of Torment (Altars of Madness – 1989)
  • Counting The Killers – Head Above Water
  • Armored Saint – Mutiny On The World (March of The Saint – 1984)
  • Usurper – Warriors of Iron and Rust (Necronemesis – 2000)
  • Riot – Sign of The Crimson Storm (Thundersteel – 1988)
  • Gravehuffer – Ghostdance (Ghostdance – 2020)
  • Angel Dust – Come Into Resistance (Enlighten The Darkness – 2000)
  • Anvil – Blood On The Ice (Pound For Pound – 1988)
  • Gravehill – Ravager (Rites of The Pentagram/Metal of Death – 2009)
  • Autopsy – Charred Remains (Severed Survival – 1989)
  • Death Dealer – Triumph and Victory (Warmaster – 2013)
  • Volbeat – The Hangman’s Body Count (Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies – 2013)
  • Facebreaker – Zombie Flesh Cult (Dedicated To The Flesh – 2013)
  • Magnum – Soldier of The Line (Chase The Dragon – 1982)
  • Def Leppard – Gods of War (Hysteria – 1987)
  • ToJa – Take Me Home (Sad Songs of Hope – 2013)
  • Scar The Martyr – Mind’s Eye (Scar The Marttyr – 2013)

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio

The Metal Asylum – Lockdown Request Show – 08/11/2020

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Here is the podcast from the show aired on Sunday 8th November 2020. 3 hours of awesome tunes as chosen by YOU, The Metal Asylum listeners, with a few thrown in from us for good measure! Enjoy!

https://www.mixcloud.com/themetalpriestess/the-metal-asylum-lockdown-request-special-08112020/

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio

Until The Sky Dies – Forgotten Pact – (Death Doom Metal)

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For Fans of Melvins, Swans, Bolt Thrower, Faith No More, Devin Townsend

Crushing Post Doom Meets Avant Death Metal from this Adventurous Duo. Until The Sky Dies loves to add odd synths and electronics through out as well as Post Hardcore movements. The Year Zero Blueprint (2017) on Cimmerian Shade Records, PR was done by Earsplit.

Clint Listing- Vocals , Guitar, Bass

Ryan Michalski- Lead Guitar, Synth, Drums


Out November 13th 2020

Track List:
1.Chose to Die 2.Destructive Voice 3.Hope, Sorrow, Release 4.Never Wanting, Never Lost 5.I the Victor 6.Dear Mother, Not Forgotten 7.Zeppelins are not made for Flying 8.Experimental Vision
http://www.deadgamesrecords.com/

Originally posted on Metal Devastation Radio

Stormchild – Lightning Never Strikes Twice (2020)

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Here is The Metal Asylum’s review of Stormchild’s latest album “Lightning Never Strikes Twice”

Chris Mitchell, from Bolton band Stormchild, first approached me after I had made a Facebook page about links to band’s merchandise and kindly sent me one of the band’s t-shirts, which I promised I would take a photo of me wearing which I have, as yet, still not done. Chris, that’s next on my list!!!

The conversation got round to the band’s new album and I promised them a review, which, after a bit of time (again, sorry Chris!) is finally here.

But let us start at the beginning!

Stormchild was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1979 when a group of talented teenagers decided to form a hard rock band and after winning a national rock talent competition against 1800 other competitors, they should have been well on their way. The prize was a record deal with Kilo Records, managed by Paradise Promotions, an all-paid for flat in the West End, musical equipment, a press launch and a support slot in America with Bob Seger!! However, the night before they were due to leave for London, the promotion company went into liquidation!

Kilo Records released a demo single ‘Rockin Steady’ and the late, great Chris Tsangarides (Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Yngwie Malmsteen) agreed to produce them but the band split up in 1982 before they had the chance to work with him.

Fast forward to 2015 and, after discovering the band actually had quite a large following despite splitting up so early, the original members of the band met up again in Bolton and plans were made to record a new album with songs from 1979 – 1981, with Chris Tsangarides as producer!

And “Lightning Never Strikes Twice” which is title of one of the band’s early tracks, was born.

So, what sort of sound do Stormchild have? Originating in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era, they don’t really have the typical NWOBHM sound. As many of you might remember from previous reviews from me, I am not the biggest fan of NWOBHM, but Stormchild has a totally unique sound that could fit well in a number of different genres. The band’s promo material states, “these songs are over 30 years old, but still sound so fresh and different” and I couldn’t agree more!

This album has a bit of everything, rocky little numbers that make you bop away in your chair (or around the living room if you are feeling a little bit more energetic!) and slower tracks that almost border on ballads (and who doesn’t love a good rock ballad?), all brought together with great musicianship.

They got together in 1979 as talented teenagers and they have brought that talent together in this album, with fantastic guitar solos, a tight rhythm section and vocals which are ideally suited to the type of music being played.

Maybe if this band had carried on in the 80’s I might have been a bigger fan of NWOBHM (although retrospectively as I am FAR too young to have lived through the original NWOBHM era!!) The more I listen to this album the more I like it and coming from a thrash girl that really is a good thing!

I hope when the world gets back to normal, or as close to it as we can, I will catch these guys at a gig somewhere. I want to see that great live show with all the pyrotechnics that they have a gained a reputation for.

Great job Stormchild, keep up the good work and looking forward to the next offering!

Track Listing

No Chances

Riders On The Rain

Lights, Camera, Action

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

When The Lights Go Down

Dreamer

Rockin Steady

Can’t Stand The Heat

Stay With Me

Sands Of Time

What To Try

Halloween

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/stormchilduk/

The Metal Asylum – Halloween Special – 01/11/2020

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Here is the podcast for our spoooooooky Halloween special that aired on Sunday 1st November 2020!

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

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio

The Metal Asylum – Halloween Special – 01/11/2020

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This week we had three hours of the spookiest metal tunes from over the years, with even a surprise few thrown in. Did we play your favourite one?

  • John Carpenter – Theme from Hallween
  • Bobby “Boris” Pickett – The Monster Mash
  • Alice Cooper – Feed My Frankenstein (Hey Stoopid! – 1991)
  • Rob Zombie – Dragula (Hellbilly Deluxe – 1998)
  • Acid Witch – Sabbath of The Undead (Stoned – 2010)
  • Dokken – Dream Warriors (Back For The Attack – 1987)
  • Fastway – Trick or Treat (Trick or Treat – 1986)
  • Stormchild – Halloween (Lightning Never Strikes Twice – 2020)
  • Angel Witch – White Witch (Give It Some Tickle – 1981)
  • Arch Enemy – Tears of The Dead (Stigmata – 1998)
  • Mercyful Fate – Into The Coven (Melissa – 1983)
  • Motley Crue – Shout At The Devil (Shout At The Devil – 1983)
  • Iced Earth – Dracula (Horror Show – 2001)
  • Cradle Of Filth – Her Ghost In The Fog (Midian – 2000)
  • Blue Oyster Cult – Nosferatu (Spectres – 1977)
  • Avantasia – Ghostlights (Ghostlights – 2016)
  • Bronx Casket Company – Little Dead Girl (Hellectric – 2016)
  • Iron Maiden – The Number of The Beast (The Number of The Beast – 1982)
  • Metallica – Of Wolf And Man (Metallica – 1991)
  • Sonata Artica – Full Moon (Ecliptica – 1999)
  • Candlemass – Witches (Essential Doom – 2004)
  • Hot Blood – Soul Dracula
  • Savatage – Ghost In The Ruins (Streets – A Rock Opera – 1991)
  • Lordi – Night of The Loving Dead (Arockalypse – 2006)
  • Demon – Night of The Demon (Night of The Demon – 1981)
  • St Madness – Vampire In The Church (Vampires In The Church – 2006)
  • Entombed – Night of The Vampire (Entombed – 1997)
  • Ghost – Ritual (Opus Eponymous – 2010)
  • Kiss – Unholy (Revenge – 1992)
  • Slayer – Dead Skin Mask (Seasons In The Abyss – 1990)
  • AC/DC – Nightprowler (Highway To Hell – 1979)
  • Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath – 1970)
  • Avenged Sevenfold – Bat County (City of Evil – 2005)
  • Dimmu Borgir – Spellbound (By The Devil) (All For Tid – 1994)
  • Xentrix – Ghostbusters

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio

The Metal Asylum – 90’s Special – 25/10/2020

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Deciding to put together a 90’s special show meant we had a TON of music to choose from. Here is what we put together!

  • Seven Witches – Metal Asylum
  • Pantera – I’m Broken (For Beyond Driven – 1994)
  • Guns n Roses – Civil War (Use Your Illusion II – 1991)
  • Strapping Young Lad – Detox (City – 1997)
  • Monster Magnet – Space Lord (Powertrip – 1998)
  • Slayer – Dittohead (Seasons In The Abyss – 1990)
  • Metallica – Sad But True (Metallica – 1991)
  • Soundgarden – Jesus Christ Pose (Bad Motor Finger – 1991)
  • Mr Bungle – Carousel (Mr Bungle – 1991)
  • Pearl Jam – Jeremy (Ten – 1991)
  • Faith No More – Midlife Crisis (Angel Dust – 1992)
  • The Offspring – Self Esteem (S.M.A.S.H – 1994)
  • Queensryche – Empire (Empire – 1990)
  • Type O Negative – Be My Druidess (October Rust – 1996)
  • Megadeth – Symphony Of Destruction (Countdown To Extinction – 1992)
  • Paradise Lost – Embers Fire (Ocon – 1993)
  • Mountain – Mississippi Queen (NOT 1990’s but for Leslie West who was 75 on 22/10/20)
  • Judas Priest – Metal Meltdown (Painkiller – 1990) Glenn Tipton’s birthday was 25/10/20
  • Cannibal Corpse – Stripped, Raped and Strangled (The Bleeding – 1994) Alex Webster was 51 on 25/10/20
  • Skid Row – Slave To The Grind (Slave To The Grind – 1991)
  • Annihilator – Phantasmogoria (Never, Never Land – 1990)
  • Carcass – Carnal Forge (Heartwork – 1993)
  • Machine Head – Davidian (Burn My Eyes – 1994)
  • Nevermore – Beyond Within (Dreaming Neon Black – 1990)
  • Rush – Stick It Out (Counterparts – 1993)
  • Testament – Riding The Snake (The Gathering – 1999)
  • Vicious Rumors – On The Edge (Vicious Rumors – 1990)
  • Black Sabbath – Immaculate Deception (Cross Purposes – 1994)
  • Helloween – We Burn (Time Of The Oath – 1996)
  • Death – Trapped In A Corner (Individual Thought Patterns – 1993)
  • Ministry – Jesus Built My Hotrod (Psalm 69 – The Way To Succeed and The Way To Suck Eggs – 1992)
  • Korn – Blind (Korn – 1994)
  • Entombed – Wolverine Blues (Wolverine Blues – 1993)
  • Iron Maiden – Fear Of The Dark (Fear Of The Dark – 1992)
  • Sepultura – Arise (Arise – 1991)
  • The Prodigy – Firestarter (something a bit different for us but we feel The Prodigy were a great contributor to 90’s music!)

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio on 18/10/2020

The Metal Asylum – 90’s Special – 25/10/2020

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For this week we decided to do a 90’s special. Many people think the 90’s was a rubbish decade for metal music but we found, while compiling the playlist for this show, that this is NOT the case. There was so much music and such diversity too, there was literally something for everyone. Hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed doing it

https://www.mixcloud.com/themetalpriestess/the-metal-asylum-90s-special/

Aired on Metal Devastation radio on Sunday 25th October 2020