Wintersun – Time I


It’s about time…or 10 steps to “overhype” a record. This could be the title for Wintersun‘s latest (sounds a little excessive if you take a closer look at their discography) record, if it was a book. But the fact that I don’t read books shows us…well nothing.

Back to the facts: I totally love Wintersun‘s self-titled masterpiece from Anno 2004. It was epic, majestic, a perfect fusion of Symphony and Destruction. If you are a faithful reader of the yearly calendar, created by our Lord Jesus Christ, you will have noticed that Wintersun (the record) is now 8 years old and maybe you ask yourself: what happened? Well dear reader, in 90% of the cases I would tell you now that there were lots of lineup changes or the singer got pregnant or died because of Babushkaphobia…but no: the lineup is still the same, men can’t get pregnant and everything is fine with dear little grand ma. The stumbling stone was technology: Jari Mäenpää’s personal computer was simply too weak to handle the sheer epicness of the arrangements, choirs, riffs and other stuff you need to create a Wintersun-thing.

So after gathering some money for a new PC by playing gigs (true story bro), a massive but tiresome hypestorm on Facebook, and…oh yeah: 8 years, Wintersun had raised my expectations in Time I on “over9000”…and fail. The record goes hand in hand with Diablo 3, Chinese Democracy and Duke Nukem Forever. Usually I would admit now, that it’s my proper mistake cause I had too high expectations in Time I, but it was Jari himself who put the bar onto a height he could never reach, by posting dozens of outtakes from reviews written by euphoric journalists, which had the luck to pre-listen the record before release date.

All right, to be fair, until now, this review is more like a speech against overdone self-advertising, so let’s try to write some objective criticism. First of all, the length of the tracks is the worst choice the band could make. There are just too few climaxes and highlights on Land of Snow and Sorrow and Time (the song) to justify a length of about 10 Minutes. None of those two songs really finds a way to entertain me over the whole time.

So what about the other 3 Songs? Yes, Sons of Winter and Stars kicks asses; it is interesting and ambitious songwriting at its best, but it also ensures that I don’t give a fart about the rest of the record. At last, When Time fades away and Darkness and Frost are two instrumental interludes which try to hide the sobering fact that Time I only has 3 real songs, and two of them are too weak in comparison with the amazing predecessor-record. Sorry Jari, but I didn’t wait 8 years to get only 35 minutes of metal…

Funny Fact 1: The production (arrangements, sound-mix…) is so complex, that most of the listener will never hear all the details, Jari invested to create this audible heavyweight.

Funny Fact 2: Yes I know there will be a Time II in early 2013…but why? It just makes no sense to me…Only time can tell.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alo7A0NLmxU]

This review was written by our freelancer Sven.

Upon This Dawning – To Keep Us Safe


This week it’s time to review a “new” band: Upon This Dawning! The quotation marks are there because the Italian band has been active since 2006 but To Keep Us Safe is their major label debut. The record, which was released in October 2012, sounds like a mix between Asking Alexandria‘s Stand Up And Scream and Motionless In White‘s Creatures. Obviously this means that it doesn’t re-invent the wheel but I’m confident in saying that people who liked these two CDs will not be disappointed by this one. For the others: sit back and give it a chance.

The twelve songs are well-written and feature quite a few memorable break-downs aswell as entertaining riffs. And even though there are no major musical surprises, boredom is not a factor that comes into play. On the drumming level you can find some tasty double-bass work but other than that it’s nothing you’ve never heard before. One thing to note is that the drum sound is very modern and might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Personally, I don’t mind very much…so I’m not put off by it.

The whole ensemble is underlaid by electronic parts and a couple of orchestral parts featuring violins and various other string instruments. Even though this is, again, nothing revolutionary it spices things up quite nicely and adds a certain dynamic to the songs.

Lyrically the songs venture into well-known themes but luckily a handful of passages will stand out immediately which also adds a recognizable factor to most songs. The vocals are provided by two people: the main singer taking care of the screams and the guitarist singing the clean passages. Probably the highlight to most newcomers to this record is the guest appearance of Chris Motionless of the earlier-mentioned band Motionless In White on the song A New Beginning.

All in all, I’ll say that the band shows a lot of potential and I’m sure that in due time they will end up finding their own style and refine it like many bands have done before them. For a debut album these thirty-eight minutes are definitely not a result to be ashamed of! Check out their Facebook page if you want to keep up to date with news and listen to their debut single below! Forza!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrE1YQV8sG0]

Tweak Bird – Undercover Crops


Teachers, especially English teachers, often tell their students to follow a rule called “KISS” considering their output, meaning “Keep It Short And Simple”. Tweak Bird are taking this attitude to heart, releasing a short and tight, bluesy and stony EP called Undercover Crops, on which songs with more than 3 minutes playtime already constitute rock operas by their standards.

However, electronics also have entered the Illinois duet’s repertory, even if it’s only for the intro track, telling us that indeed “everyone is paranoid”. What follows is the well known Tweak Bird sound; maybe a bit less dirty than on the self-titled predecessor. The second track People could and will easily be taken for one of the songs on the 2010 release.

For the rest, the two brothers just did a solid “KISS”-EP, recording things just the way they’ve been used to record their view of rock’n’roll, mixed with maybe a bit more melodic parts compared to the early releases, but still maintaining the good old head bang moments.

Undercover Crops is a 15 minute KISS, with nothing new to discover, but absolutely suitable for a rock’n’roll appetiser. If you want to know more about the typical Tweak Bird sound in detail, just have a listen, or have a look at an earlier review here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs43WaE21Zw]

TERRIFIER


First things first. I do absolutely not recommend this movie to any people suffering from Coulrophobia, because TERRIFIER (2011) makes Stephen King‘s IT look like a pussy clown from your local hillbilly circus. When I stopped by this movie, I didn’t expect anything because I think that killer clowns are some kind of old-fashioned and not scary at all but as so often, I was completely wrong. Director Damien Leone (congratz on the last name) created a fantastic, horrifying and at the same moment brutal short film with a fresh story and a surprising twist at the end.

When it comes to modern grindhouse aesthetics I think that they are overused nowadays. Just because old-school, vintage stuff is quite popular right now, it doesn’t mean that they fit in every movie. With TERRIFIER it is quite different as the grain and washed out colours are not the key element of the movie but simply help to maintain the tense atmosphere. Also the quite decent actors, with especially Mike Giannelli delivering a fantastic job and the music, ranging from psycho circus to atmospheric to jack hammer drone music, help to complete Leone‘s idea of creating fear and simple gruesomeness.

To go even further, director Damien Leone has ingeniously combined elements of mainly 2 horror genres without drifting into standard cheesiness or exaggerated incredibleness. You immediately recognize that the slasher genre had a big influence on the director but he doesn’t stuck on stereotypes. There are no people running upstairs in order to escape and all the cars start up at first time. You may think that these are small and unimportant aspects but for me, it shows that Leone had a clear and modern vision without only using standardized elements.

Furthermore the combination of slasher and the use of gore is really well done. While I sometimes miss the blood and simple brutality in movies like Scream or Halloween, I think that torture porn flicks overuse it from time to time in order to compensate the lack of plot. With TERRIFIER everything is perfect and well preconceived. Not to forget that the gore scenes are incredibly well done, disgusting as shit and deliberately deployed.

TERRIFIER is close to perfection but there is this scene with the psychopathic clown driving a car and shooting a gun. At first I had my problems with the clown being too fast in chasing people (or in teleporting himself?) But when I look back I think that with the car chase scene and the use of a gun, the clown moves from a supernatural and mystic phenomenon to a „simple“ sicko with abnormal human behavior. This at the one hand makes the ending more logical and explicable but also less surprising.

In the end this doesn’t really matter and Leone shows us that short movies can work a lot better that over-length horror movies. TERRIFIER is an absolute must see for every horror fan. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.

Watch the movie right now:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARNeTMFJ2us]

Stone Sour – House Of Gold And Bones Part 1


Stone Sour are back! Their new record House Of Gold And Bones Part 1 was recently released and since they’re among my favorite bands of all time I decided to review it, even though they hardly need any special attention since they have a solid fan base already. As you guys might have noticed from past reviews, I’m a pretty big fanboy when it comes to anything Corey Taylor related so I’ll warn you: I might not be super objective from here on out, but I’ll try.

First things first: HOGAB Part 1 is the first of two concept albums, with the second one being released in early 2013 along with a tie-in comic published by Dark Horse. Secondly, I think it’s important to note that the band has moved away quite a bit from the way they sounded on their self-titled record, which is a reason why many of the previous listeners might have a rude awakening in they case they haven’t followed the evolution that Stone Sour has undergone with Come What(ever) May and Audio Secrecy. Even though I have followed everything they’ve done since first discovering them I was still a bit surprised on my first listening session…but I can safely say that this album is a grower if you give it a chance to unfold.

To be more concrete: I’d say it’s a rockier sound, similar to the previous record, but with a lot of heavy parts thrown in there. Some of the riffs are so genius with the way they creep up on you, especially after re-listening to the eleven tracks a second or third time. The same goes for the drumming, which has a lot more rock’n’roll beats than before but way cooler drum fills than what you’re used to.

The vocals are, as you probably guessed, exactly what you expect from the Great Big Mouth: powerful and flawlessly executed. The same goes for the lyrics, which tell the story of The Human, who is constantly questioning himself and his surroundings. So far that’s all I can get from the songs, and I hope to explore them further after Part 2 has been released. And to everyone who was not really into the softer side of Audio Secrecy: rest at ease; there’s only two ballads this time.

I’m confident to say that even a non-fanboy, unlike myself, will spend forty-three minutes with this record that they won’t easily forget…especially if it’s their first contact with Stone Sour. To returning listeners I can only strongly recommend giving this album a chance even if at first you might be put off. I for one am really looking forward to House Of Gold & Bones Part 2 next year. Check out the band’s Facebook page and listen to the song below if I got you interested.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm-yNBwhC3o]

Razor – Shotgun Justice


Easily one of the best thrash metal albums ever unleashed upon mankind. The sheer speed and hatred gives Reign in Blood a run for its money, but first things first….

When it comes to Razor you can do no wrong, pick whatever album you can find and your butt will be handed to you. Sadly half of their discography is impossible to find and cost me a fortune on eBay. Shotgun Justice was my introduction to the band and is my favorite. This is easily one of the most aggressive records ever, the lyrics might be tongue-in-cheek, but the band actually has the balls to address certain issues other bands would be scared to acknowledge. Stabbed in the Back instantly comes to mind, a song where the band calls out on all the sellouts and posers changing their sound to appeal to mainstream audiences.

Listen to Violence Condoned to get an idea on how the band was dealt with by promoters or how about American Luck showcasing how being Canadian penalized the band in more than one way?

Razor releasing an aggressive album did not come as a surprise, after all, all their albums are aggressive and fast, but the band was in turmoil. Label problems and the vocalist leaving along with the scene changing, not to mention the problems that being an underground band brings along, didn’t help matters. At a time when every band (minus Slayer) either broke up or changed its sound Razor come along with their fastest record ever.

So you have Razor more pissed off than ever dealing out, and that is a perfect starting point for a thrash metal record. Each riff sounds like a…well a razor shredding its way in one ear, out the other.

Bob Reid spits out the lyrics in a fitting manner while Rob Mills closes every gap with his drums.

Much like Slayer, Razor are punk gone metal, meaning they have the chops to actually sound menacing unlike most sloppy punk bands out there doing their bubblegum pop, but I digress…

Heck, even the linernotes are pissed off and full of warnings and threats. Every time I listen to the album I can’t help but grin like an undertaker, it just has all those elements that aggressive music needs to have and so many great moments, every song is awesome or just so freaking fast.

Brass Knuckles deserves a mention for the awesome break, before all hell breaks loose.

The Pugilist has just one of those riffs (that can be found allover the album) before the song ends in total chaos.

Miami has a weird title and even weirder lyrics. Totally hilarious and it just hands out riff after riff, at high velocity I might add.

The album is impossible to get on Cd, unless you wanna pay as much as I did, or you happen to come across one of the Russian bootlegs. However it has been re-released on vinyl, twice, in the last couple years. It seems as though the first vinyl re-release is hard to find (guess I was lucky) but the Highroller Records re-release is allover eBay, albeit with an ugly modified cover.

Let me finish this review with my favorite lyric

“All the bands I used to like are going down the drain
What the hell has happened here, have they gone insane?
I used to think that heavy bands ignored the current trends
But once you’ve been in Rolling Stone you learn about your friends”

and a quick fix
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdUPozwAaa4]