CIPHER SYSTEM - Communicate The Storms

The new release of the Swedish Death Metal act, comes almost seven years after their previous one, and finds the band progressed in every possible way. One might thing what more has the Swedish Death Metal scene has to offer, but this is a question put in the wrong direction. This album shows that innovation and fresh ideas do exist, and shows that a band with the skills to write good music, and realize their ideas, has a chance to create something truly amazing. Cipher System are no newcomers, and this is obvious from the first minute. Managing to create an album that dwells between brutality and melodies, with both being a vital part but not dominating each other, the listening of each song is pure fun. The combination of clear and brutal vocals, the excellent music carpet that the keyboards create, the drums that also great and the guitar melodies and riffs, all blend together in a wise way, creating songs that are not repetitive or boring. The production is perfect, shinny and clear enough, and the cover art was done by Seth Siro Anton. With parts to bang along with the rhythm, enough complexity into each song, no weak points or things that could have been done better, things seem promising for the band. And the fact that took them so long to release an album, shows that every aspect of it is worked to the slightest detail. Enjoy it loud!    

9/10

LIVARKAHIL - Signs Of Decay

This is the second full length album from the French Death Metal quintet that exists since 2007. The band is playing Death Metal, brutal and in your face, with enough twists though, something that gives an extra potential to their music. The first thing we noticed is that their music combines various other influences, and this leaves a good feeling in the end. Being skilled musicians, they manage to incorporate influences from Black Metal, enough industrial elements here and there, enough melodies and a groovy feeling that creates catchy rhythms from the first to the last minute. The vocals are brutal and powerful enough, with a distinguished sound, the guitars are very good, and the rhythm section is simply perfect. The album is a concept talking about religion autocracy. The songs are well written, with enough interesting ideas, enough variety in their forms, and enough surprises to make this album very interesting. Not an average Death Metal release, it's well arranged from every aspect, carefully prepared from the band, doesn't follow any specific rules or paths, and will make all their fans happy. So, if you want to hear something brutal, aggressive and technical, complex but well performed and innovative enough, then give this a spin and you won't regret.

9/10   

SINNER - One Bullet Left

With every Sinner album you know exactly what to expect, and this is nothing less that top class Metal. Starting from the first minute, the band shows that this album will become another milestone in their long career. With a distinguished sound, the listener knows what lies ahead, but the band still holds a couple of surprises carefully spread here and there. The music is a mixture of Power Metal with enough Classic stuff, and the addition of a third guitarist makes their sound more solid than before. The songs have enough melodies, parts to sing along, catchy choruses and are well worked and perfectly arranged. What's more enjoyable is the fact that there's some variety in the songs, some being closer to the Teutonic school, and others closer to more classic forms, but everything is well written, with nice ideas and even better musicianship. Add to all these, the clear and powerful production that was done by Mat Sinner, and you get the whole picture. The album smells fun from the beginning, shows that the band really enjoyed every minute of it, and this is also the feeling you get while listening to it. No matter how big or well known the band is, this album is honest, as much as their previous releases were, and this the big plus. So, sit back, get a couple of cold beers, some friends, and enjoy it really loud.

9/10  

HOUSE OF LORDS - Big Money

The band was formed back in the late 80's and is active since then, except a hiatus taken the mid 90's to the dawn of the new century. The band, for those unfamiliar with their sound plays a mixture of Hard Rock enriched with tons of AOR elements, the kind of music meant to be played to big stadiums and venues. From the first listening the album shows that the band wants to create a sound back to their roots, and this attempt can be described as successful. Huge songs, full of the trademarks of the band, from the first to the last minute. Well written songs, full of nice melodies, excellent musicianship, parts to sing along, and memorable choruses. The vocals of James Christian are better than ever, the rhythm section is solid and tight, and the keyboards are simply excellent. The atmosphere of the album is pure 80's, and the help of long time friend Mark Baker helped in the creation of such a retro feeling. The production is great, crystal clear, and is a big plus for releases such as this. For a fan of this kind of music, an album full of such excellent songs, with the addition of a couple of killer radio friendly ballads, this album is a must have. And if you add the perfect performance of each of the band members, you get the whole picture.

10/10

SEBASTIAN BACH - Kicking & Screaming

Mostly known as a frontman of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach turned out to be a multi talented artist, who also checked his capabilities in acting as well. Following his debut solo album, Angel Down, which was released back in 2007, and changed record label to Frontiers Records, Mr Bach strikes back, or should I say, kicks and screams, with an album that will bring enough memories to the older of you. The first thing to notice are melodies, which are plenty, well arranged and used in every possible way to enhance the result. Another strong point, which was expected though, is that the album has the killer catchy songs that radio stations love to play, with parts to sing along, crunchy guitars and memorable rhythms. There are also ballads, maybe one too many for my taste but still well composed and performed. What's the most important thing here, is that almost every minute of it it's well worked, and the music combines all the good moments of his career but with a more modern approach. The production is as heavy as it should be for such an album, clear and powerful enough, and leaves space for all instruments to evolve. Music is still interesting with each listening, and grows on you, and this also another big plus for this record. If you are a fan of Melodic Hard Rock, then this is an album that you should check.

8/10

NIGHTRAGE - Insidious

Nightrage is a band that plays Melodic Death Metal, and has it's influences deep into the Gothenburg sound. This is their latest release, and like the previous one, the listener will find only the best of what Melodic Death has to offer. The album is based on two pillars, one is the complexity of the songs, that make it sound very close to Progressive at times, and the other is aggression. Both these things are combined in a very wise way, and you have songs that are both straightforward and melodic, but also have enough changes and hidden secrets waiting to be revealed. The guitar works performed by Marios Iliopoulos are excellent, full of melodic moments but also huge riffs, but so great are the other musicians as well. The vocals are very good too, and the singer not only can growl in the usual Death Metal way, but also can deliver equally good, when things slow down on some clear parts. Elements from various aggressive styles can also be found here, specially Thrash, which makes their sound even more catchy. The production is very good, and preserves all the details of their music. The guest appearances from Gus G, Apollo Papathanasio, Tomas Lindberg and Tom Englund, just to name a few, can only enhance the whole release, and give it an extra credit. If you are seeking for an album full of nice songs, melodic moments and tons of aggression then you will like the sound of the band. Give it a try and it won't disappoint you.

9/10