The undisputed Queen Of Metal commemorates her 25th year in "The Biz" with her latest studio effort, "Fear No Evil". One of the most remarkable aspects of Doro`s storied career is her total dedication and conviction, a rare trait in a world where the likes of Def Leppard and Robert Plant decide to play Country music rather than stick with what put them where they are in the first place. Anyway! After a nifty little intro titled "The Night Of The Warlock" [an obvious historical reference], Doro and crew start blazin` away with "Running From The Devil", a track that has "Open Air Festival" written all over it! Next up is "Celebrate", definitely one of the highlights on the CD, as it features a veritable Metal Mastermind group; Floor Janssen (After Forever), Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy), Kim McAuliffe, Jackie Chambers, Enid Williams and Denise Dufort [Girlschool], Biff Byford (Saxon), Liv Kristine (Leaves' Eyes), Veronica Freeman [Benedictum]. That so many illustrious names came together in her honor is a testament to Doro`s standing in the Metal world! "Caught In A Battle" is a straight-up Metallic onslaught that is doubtless one of the heaviest cuts Doro has ever done. As has been a recent tradition on Doro albums, "Herzblut" is a beautiful ballad sung entirely in German, and then the band fires things up again with "On The Run", yet another killer that`s sure to induce mass headbanging and fist pumping. "Walking With The Angels" is a absolutely heart rending duet with Doro and Tarja Turunen featuring one of the best vocal performances by both. The rest of the songs are just as high caliber, as are Doro`s musical partners; Nick Douglas (Bass), Johnny Dee (Drums), Joe Taylor (Guitar), Oliver Palotai (Guitar/Keyboards) and Luca Princiotta (Guitar/Keyboards). And of course Doro`s timeless voice is what makes it all work. Get the limited edition of the CD, as it features two bonus tracks; "Wildfire" and "You Won My Love". What`s also cool is the packaging; great cover art, photos, booklet, the whole album exudes class. And THAT particular quality is what separates Doro from the pack of Hot Topic-clad wannabe`s who think that having multiple tattoos and piercings and saying the "F" word 10 times in a single sentence makes them "Metal". Please. They REALLY need to crank up "Fear No Evil" to see how it`s done, not that that will help as there is only ONE Doro. One of 2009`s very best! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!!!
No doubt one of the most anticipated Metal releases, "Dare To Dream" is Brazil-based Shadowside`s follow-up to their brilliant debut disc "Theater of Shadows". So how does the new CD stack up to its` predecessor? In my not-so-humble opinion, it surpasses it! "Theater of Shadows" was definitely in the Power Metal end of the spectrum, where "Dare To Dream" is steeped in more traditional Heavy Metal; it`s basically a question of refinement. And with several tours under their belts, Shadowside [Dani Nolden on Vocals, Fabio Buitvidas on Drums, Raphael Mattos on Guitar, Edu Simoes on Bass] have grown into major Metal contenders. The band tears right into it with "Nation Hollow Mind" and it only gets better from there! Up next is "In The Night" and like every other track on the CD, it is an excellent showcase for the powerhouse vocals of Dani Nolden; she is already on her way to becoming one of THE premier vocalists in Metal, mark my words! "Last Thoughts" continues the aural assault, as do other tracks like "Hideaway", "Baby In The Dark" [the first single from the album] the ballad "Time To Say Goodbye" and the title track. Really, the whole album is a keeper back to front. One of the most striking aspects of Shadowside is their uncanny knack for composing rhythms that are both complex AND heavy, then crafting onto them catchy melodies and memorable riffs. All told, "Dare To Dream" is the best release of the bands young career, a career that is destined to have MORE great releases in the future. My pick for one of THE top albums of 2009!!!!
Hydrogyn were somewhat dogged by controversy early on in their career, as some felt that the band didn`t live up to the initial hype surrounding the release of their debut, "Bombshell". Unfairly or not, maybe that was the reason I didn`t really check into the band. Well, after catching the band live at the Flight Of The Valkyries festival, all I can say is "What the HELL was I thinking??"! After that, performance, I ran to the back of the venue, snapped up a copy of "Deadly Passions" and proceeded to do some much-needed catching up. The nucleus of Hydrogyn is vocalist Julie Westlake and guitarist/producer Jeff Westlake. The band sound straddles the fence between Blues-inflected [always wanted to use that term in a review!;)] Heavy Rock and the Hellbent-for-leather stylings of their more Metallic contemporaries. It`s a formula that has worked in their favor, especially on "Deadly Passions". Unlike "Bombshell", which was produced by the legendary Michael Wagener, Jeff Westlake assumed knob-turning duties this time out, and he obviously took notes. The sound here is not TOO polished but very in-your-face, with just the right amount of crunch, punch and clarity. Guitars are big and loud, choruses are HUGE, and of course there`s the iron lunged vocals of Julie Westlake. With a name like Hydrogyn, what ELSE would you expect, a squaredance? Among my personal favorites are "Rejection", the title track, "Over U", "Candles Light Your Face", "Silent Animation" and the closing ballad "Shadow". The surprise here is a cover of "You Oughta Know", yep, the very same "You Oughta Know" originally recorded by The Angst Queen Of 1995, Alanis Morissette! And while I never had the right time of day for the original, I definitely like the Hydrogyn-fuelled version much better! All in all, Hydrogyn managed to avoid the "Sophomore Jinx",crafting an album that provides another stepping stone to the massive success that is surely on it`s way!
The latest release from Visideon, simply titled "Visideon" is the follow-up the their previous outing "Dark Angel"; sadly, it is also their last, as the band is moving on towards separate projects. [and the band has only printed up 300 copies, so get `em while you can!] But if this IS their last album, they definitely went out on a high note! "Classical piano meets Heavy Metal" is how Visideon [Katrina Litz-keyboards/vocals, Aaron Hahn-guitars, Andy Bosscher-bass, Justy Kastanos-drums/vocals] generally classify their sound; elements of Melodic Death Metal mingled with Classical as well as Tori Amos-like arrangements. But Visideon always managed to avoid the sort of musical train wreck that certainly would occur in less capable hands; they accomplish this by anchoring these seemingly incompatible styles to more down-to-earth tunes, thus ensuring the widest possible audience. Kat`s ability to come up with clever lyrical twists, along with her stellar keyboard work and vocals were of course the main selling points for the band, and the self-titled farewell is no exception. The songs are: "Ghost", "Labyrinth", "Gray", "Alice", "Falling Rain", "Mahogany" and "Nightmare". Each is distinct from the other and much care was obviously taken to make certain of this. And while band is no more, we can look forward to the individual members future musical endeavors. A huge THANK YOU to Kat for giving me the CD!!!
In existence for only a couple of years, Eau Claire, Wisconsin`s very own Kaptivating Kate are an all-Female Heavy Rock band that draw from a variety influences, mostly from the Modern end of things. Neither wimpy Goth girls nor tantrum-throwing "Riot Grrls", What enables Kaptivating Kate [there`s no one in the band actually NAMED "Kate", by the way] to stand out from the pack is the fact that they are not only great performers and musicians, but they are equally adept songwriters, as well. Though self-produced, the CD is a quality release, boasting strong performances and tunes that are well thought out and delivered with passion and conviction AND stick in your head like an ice pick! The tracks featured here are "Let Go", "Pride", "Checkmate", "Heaven Collides", "Dirty", "Fuck You" [how`s THAT for subtle?], and "Fallen November". Kaptivating Kate definitely falls under the "Band To Watch" category, so check `em out NOW; your band just MIGHT be opening for them someday!
