NECROVOROUS - Funeral For The Sane

Those good fellas here exist since 2005 and are coming from Greece. With a name like that only Brutal Death Metal would be the most fitting style. So, they are brutal enough, and they are good at it. There are no weak points here, only aggression and distorted music. With an oldfashioned feeling in their sound, a strong and solid rhythm section, and the appropriate growling vocals, this band shows that it has all it takes to create music that would bring memories to the old school fans. The song structures are rather complex, with an equal dose of fast and mid tempo moments, but also with some slow parts here and there. What makes this band quite unique is that they have a Doom touch into their music, mostly created by the suffocating feeling that the slower part put into their music, something that makes things a little catchier and diverse. The production is good enough, preserving the feeling of the music. With the album being the first full length of the band, and with all songs moving on a quite good quality level, I am sure that more would come from these guys in the future. If you like early Death stuff, do check them out.

7/10

DEF LEPPARD - Live&More

I have started to worry very much with these guys. How can happen a band like Def Leppard hasn’t released a live album all these years? We are talking about a group most of their life performances are sold out(or all of them?!). So they have to give to the millions of their fans around the world, the chance to feel a little bit of the pulse and energy that comes out at the live shows of the band. And here it is. After 34 years of existence, the first live album of Def Leppard is true event. I don’t have a lot of things to say about the quality of their shows. I think that those that have seen them alive, are very lucky. Don’t get deceived of the band members age. These old wolfs know very well the way of rocking alive and they prove it jubilantly in this release. All the songs are been played perfectly! They sound pretty stiff and solid. All the instruments cooperate ideally including the voice of Elliot and they give a beautiful musical result. The production also is very clear, although I would prefer to listen more the vibes of the audience. The choice of the songs is very good and I think that covers all the second period of the band, when they left the NWOBHM sound and they became one of the biggest hard rock bands worldwide. The album can operate very well as a best of album especially for those that haven’t had any contact with the group. For those that know them, memories will take us a trip back in time when we were young and wild. Invest to a reliable value.

9/10

AMORPHIS - The Beginning Of Times

Amorphis exist for over 20 years, and this new album is their tenth so far. Although started from a much more aggressive style of music, later they explored more melodic and complex paths, and here we are with their latest release. What the listener will hear on this album is melodic music, with lots of aggressive moments, full of a dark atmosphere, blended in a very wise way, creating an album which is diverse and interesting. There are more brutal moments, with growl vocals and double bass drums, but also moments with clear vocals and complex song structures, but all fitting perfectly into the album atmosphere. While all the musicians are doing an excellent job, one can't help but mention the exceptional work that has been done in the vocals, which is a big plus of the album. The use of female vocals on two tracks is also interesting enough. Not an easy album, although it has melodies and parts that stick into your mind, it definitely needs time and attention to explore it's full potential. An album that needs time and concentration, but it will not disappoint you, either you are a fan of the band or not.

9/10

TORNADO - Amsterdamn Hellsinki

They come from different countries, bands and styles and this is their first attempt in discography... but let's get straight to the point... What we have here is what we used to call (million years ago) as techno-thrash! Nothing more nothing less. Clever riffs, fast tempos and a rather unusual songrwriting reminds us the Thrash Metal sound of the late 80s / early 90s, when the genre was trying to reinvent itself. Ι'm not sure yet if they have the best singer they can get but all the other musicians belong to the metal elite. To familiarize with this album needs some more spins than usual but I think the listener will be rewarded.

9/10

WARFARE - The New Age For Total Warfare

Warfare is a band that existed back in the early 80's, and this is a best of consisting on tracks mostly from their first two albums. The band is playing a very speedy Punkish style of music, aggressive, groovy and very catchy. The melodies are simple, sometimes even slightly repetitive, but that's exactly what the band wanted to sound like. The majority of the songs are in your face music, plain and simple. Don't expect virtuoso moments here, or complexity to the songs. To some, this might sound weird, specially fans not familiar with the sound of this era, might find it primitive, raw, or even complete out of talent. But with a more cautious listening, you will hear enough elements that would later be heard on many bands. It was not a coincidence that their first three albums were produced by Lemmy and Cronos of Venom, and had guest appearances of Wurzel, Mantas and Algy Ward. For a new fan, this is a good place to start, if you want to have a crash course of the music of the band. But if you like what you hear, check out their regular releases as well.

7/10

HAMMERFALL - Infected

To be honest with you, I listened to this album at least five times, very carefully, before I made up my opinion to write down these words. Hammerfall are for sure, one of the best Power Metal bands all over the world. When a new release of the band is coming out you are absolutely sure of the result. Wrong! From the first look at the cover, you understand that something different has come out. No knights, swords and battles. Just a desperate hand behind a broken window. So what is going on? The whole effort has two parts. The first part has the well known sound of the band with power riffs and beautiful solos and the other present us an experimental side of the band. Before you doom them, listen to their work. Maybe you’ll find difficulties to get used to this but it worth to pay attention. Hammerfall prove that they have innovative ideas and they can make more complex songs without loosing their power metal character. The only objection that I have is that rotation from Power to experiment confused me a little bit. Thank God the voice of Can is still in very high level. Strange album, I have to say, but beautiful.

8/10