Looks like 3rd time`s the charm for Iron Mask, the band led by Belgian axe slinger Dushan Petrossi."Shadow Of The Red Baron" is hands down the best release from the band yey. Stylisticly, Iron Mask have always reminded me of "Odyessy"-era Yngwie, not a bad thing considering that was Yngwie`s best album. And it`s no secret that Petrossi is an obvious Malmsteen admirer; unlike the hordes of Yngwie clones however, Dushan knows how to write actual SONGS, not mere platforms for guitar breaks. And he has penned some great stuff here. The title track is straight out of the Iron Maiden handbook, the sort of things IM used to do well. Iron Mask aren`t trying to re-invent the wheel on this album, they`re doing what they do best and what their audience wants. Second track is "Forever In The Dark", easily the most memorable tune on the CD, and one of the most catchy songs I`ve heard in years. In a just world, this track would be tearing up the charts, and may yet do so! "Black Devil Ship" is another winner with it`s mixture of pirate themes and Celtic melodies that will have you singing along in no time. The current lineup is doubtless the finest version of Iron Mask yet, featuring Vassili Moltchanov on Bass, Val Halla Jr on Vocals, Andreas Lindahl on Keyboards and Erik Stout on Drums. And while Dushan unleashes pure 6-string Hellfire on every cut, he does so with restraint and always within the context of the song. The ballad "My Angel Is Gone" gets my vote for best ballad of the year, this or any other. It is one of the best on the album and features an amazing performance by vocalist Val Halla Jr. In addition, the CD has a very cool cover and if you get the LTD Edition [like I did] you get a bonus DVD with interviews, the video of "Forever In The Dark" and Dushan demonstrating various licks from some of the tunes. All in all a great package, featuring killer tunes by an equally killer band. Horns waaaayyyyyyyy up for this one!!
To say the last few years have not exactly been smoothe sailing for Blaze Bayley is an understatement. After hitting a low spot for a few years, Blaze regained his footing with the help of his wife/manager Debbie Hartland, as well as his new bandmates. Shortly after the release of 2008`s "The Man Who Would Not Die", Debbie suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died 2 months later. But life did go on for Blaze; he toured sucessfully and later on released a live CD and DVD from the tour. And now he is back with his latest studio offering [on his own label]. "Promise And Terror" pretty much picks up where the last one left off. Things kick off with "Watching The Night Sky" , a tracks that ranks with Blaze` best, as does the next cut, "Madness And Sorrow". "City Of Bones" is one of the heaviest tunes on the album and Blaze offers some of his finest vocals yet, as he does later on in "Surrounded By Sadness". This tracks then leads into what appears to be a trilogy; "The Trace Of Things That Have No Words", "Letting Go Of The World" and "Comfortable In Darkness". Obviously, themes of a somewhat somber and introspective nature loom in the lyrics, though not exactly for new for Blaze. He`s always had a knack for writing lyrics that, while appearing bleak at first, are obviously personal but not so much that the listener can`t identify with them if they so wish. Nor are they really depressive in the sense that you wanna slit yer wrists after listening them. I`ve a hunch that Blaze, like many songwriters, uses this as a means to take these darker thoughts and crank them into something creative, releasing them in the process. It also helps that he has a band [Nick Bermudez - guitar, Jay Walsh - guitar, David Bermudez - bass, Lawrence "Larry" Paterson - drums] who can craft the sort of high power riffs and rhythms to match his vision, and these guys have those qualities ten fold! "Promise And Terror" is yet another notch in Blaze Bayley`s [the man AND the band] belt, and certainly an early contender for Top 10 Metal Albums of 2010.!!
"Requiem Of Time" is Astral Doors` long awaited follow up to 2007`s "New Revelation", and definitely worth waiting for, believe me! The band is still sticking to their Dio-era Rainbow/Sabbath style; they aren`t concerned so much with trying to create anything completely original as they are crafting great songs within their established framework. Many have said that these are the best songs that Dio never wrote, and that`s not a bad thing, especially if you listen to some of Dio`s 1990-2000 solo work. This CD has more of an in-your-face feel to than the previous one, as the opener "Testament Of Rock" makes loud and clear! The vocal performance of Nils Patrik Johansson at the beginning of this track, and though out, only serves to cement his reputation as one of THE finest voices in the genre. And even with 14 tracks there isn`t a dull moment to be found, whether it`s "Rainbow Warrior", "Greenfield Of Life", "Anthem Of The Dark" or "Metal DJ" [a tongue-in-cheek ode to Metal`s history; check out the lyrics carefully for all the cool references!], you get the sense that the band used only the very best material for the album. The old reviewer`s cliche "All killer, no filler" certainly applies to "Requiem Of Time"; the band has never sounded better and are now in position to assume the mantle as one of Europe`s finest Metal acts. Of course, we who have followed Astral Doors since their debut, "Of The Son And Father", already KNEW that! Best Metal disc of 2010 so far!!!!
Have to admit, I was one of those who dismissed Dream Evil after the departure of drummer Snowy Shaw and guitarist Gus G. I never even bothered to check out "United", the 2006 effort with the new line-up; big mistake. The clips I`ve hear convinced me that there was more to this band than just 2 members, and I will be buying that CD very soon. But we`re here to talk about "In The Night", the brand new DE CD. Though they`ve always taken the music seriously, the lyrics and themes have been another matter entirely, and things haven`t changed. Want proof? Vocalist Niklas Isfeldt is now called Nick Night, lead guitarist Daniel Varghamne has become Dannee Demon, Producer/Rhythm Guitarist/Keyboardist Fredrik Nordström goes by Ritchie Rainbow these days, Bassist Peter Stålfors is Pete Pain and Drummer Patrik Jerksten is really Pat Power! And now let`s get the lyrics out of the way; some of them are just plain STUPID, I mean really, really idiotic, especially those found in "The Ballad" [original title, huh?]. It`s common knowledge that Dream Evil are not looking to become Aristotle anytime soon, and they`ve always approached things with a nudge and a wink, taking the piss out of those oh-so-serious Metal acts littering the landscape. Fair enough. But there IS a difference between "funny" and "silly", guys! Having said all that, we now come to the music. "In The Night" is probably the most potent, most LETHAL chunk of Metal that Dream Evil has unleashed, clear, clean and heavy as Hell! I would realy suggest you warn the neighbors before cranking up this one. The disc starts off with three songs rife with cheese-ball odes to Metal glory, "Immortal", the title track and "Bang Your Head" [another original title]. And the fun just doesn`t stop. "See The Light" is a bit more subtle and melodic.. The album looses a little steam for the next few tracks but things pick up again with "Mean Machine" and "Kill, Burn, Be Evil". The standard version of the album has "The Unchose One" as its` closer, and it`s a rather weak finale; the LTD Edition has 2 extra tracks, "Good Nightmare" and "The Return", which would have made a better ending for the disc. [you also get a cool patch, as well]. In spite of it`s shortcomings, I still rate "In The Night" pretty damn high, a definite turn-it-up, rattle-the-windows and piss-off-yer-neighbors album if I ever heard one. Just don`t think about it TOO much, enjoy it for what it is!
Scottsdale, Arizona thrashers Age Of Evil`s second EP, "Get Dead", features 2 new studio tracks, 2 cover tunes and 2 lve tracks from their previous release "Living a Sick Dream". The 4-piece are fairly young; 2 sets of brothers to boot; Garrett and Jordan Ziff on drums and lead guitar respectively, Jacob Goldberg on drums and his brother Jeremy on vocals and rhythm guitar. Reminding me at times of "Killing Is My Business..."/"Peace Sells..."-era Megadeth, AOE are amazing musicians who have racked up some inpressive credentials in their brief career, including several tours of the US and Europe. The new tracks featured here are "Cruel Intentions", featuring some high-powered riffage and incendiary guitar work from Jordan Ziff. The title track is similar to the best of the Bay Area Thrash in all the best ways. The cover songs here, Skid Row`s "Slave To The Grind" and Judas Priest`s "The Hellion/Electric Eye" are well done and faithful to the originals, but really I would have preferred to hear more originals. The live cuts, "Eye For An Eye" and "Glimpse Of Light" are even more impressive than their studio counterparts and show that this band thrives in a live setting! I can sense that we can expect big things from these guys in the future; one can imagine what they can do on a full-length CD, but I don`t think we`ll have to wait long. Highly recommended!!
