HOLY BLOOD - SHINING SUN

Holy Blood are back with what I perceive is their best offering to date. Shining Sun is chock full of engaging folk inspired metal. The songs are catchy and melodic with both male and female vocals. It should be mentioned that this is almost a completely different Holy Blood lineup then the one who recorded their previous releases. Only vocalist Fedor Buzilevich remains and he has assembled a wonderful collection of musicians.

On previous releases I noticed some folk influences but at times I felt they were obscured by the more extreme elements brought to bear. That is not the case on Shining Sun. A much more polished and accessible sound is evident here. There are still elements of extreme metal, primarily the vocals which still carry a hint of black metal stylings. However that element is NOT the dominant genre here.

The strong element of non ‘metal’ instruments is fantastic. The block fluta, valinca and buzka are mixed in with lofty vocal harmonies and chants. At times operatic vocals used and bagpipes as well. However the metal is still there, but this album should appeal to anyone who enjoys folk metal, symphonic and operatic styles of metal. The melodies are wonderful. This is the type of music that creates a vision in one’s imagination that you want to revisit again and again.

On the production front the instruments are mixed well and some fantastic tones are recorded here. The melodic guitar parts add that crunch and drive but do take a bit of back seat to the vocal and the folk instruments. However that just makes this album more appealing, Holy Blood have really created a special album here.

I wasn’t 100% sure if this album would appeal to me, because Waves are Dancing really didn’t do it for me. However after listening to Shining Sun my interest is peaked to go revisit their previous albums, but I have a feeling they won’t do justice to this particular release.

Shining Sun is a masterpiece in the folk metal genre. What else can I say? The vocals are still in Ukrainian/Russian but they aren’t the distraction I thought they would be. The album has a great booklet with a complete English translation of all the lyrics. Holy Blood even included photos of the lineup that started the album and the one who finished it. If that wasn’t enough the video for the song Shining Sun is included on the CD as well.

A fantastic album of heavy metal goodness awaits anyone who wants a little variety with their metal. Not a mellowing but a different atmosphere. Holy Blood’s Shining Sun is an amazing release that deserves your attention. Enjoy!

9 axes

TEMPORARY INSANITY A SALUTE TO DELIVERANCE

Temporary Insanity a salute to Deliverance is the latest release from Roxx Records. This particular album is, as the title suggests, a tribute release to the legendary metal act Deliverance. Produced in association with the Christian Metal Realm, Bill Bafford and Arttie Parker have brought together an assemblage of talent this is not often seen.

This particular release features such artists as Oil, Coriolis, Grave Robber, Grave Forsaken, The Sacrificed, Faith Factor, Stricken, Krig, Leper, Fasedown, Applehead, Ultimatum, Glenn Rogers, Roy Z, Josh Kramer and many more. All of the bands represented are participants in the online forum, The Christian Metal Realm. Each group was allowed to choose a song that meant something to them. Temporary Insanity has 27 such songs of inspiration.

The tracks come from throughout Jimmy Brown’s catalog of Deliverance material. No Time, Weapons of Our Warfare, Awake, Belltown, The Call, Words to the, River Disturbance, Learn is just some of the songs that are covered here. Stirring renditions all, powerful guitar driven, drum pounding versions that’ll please just about any metal head.

Jimmy Brown and Company has even given us three new recordings. Two of the new recordings are of older songs Flesh and Blood and In U; both songs have a new sheen and are worth their weight. The third recording is of an unreleased song entitled Hunger and Thirst. Hunger is a straight ahead metal tune along the lines of what was on their last studio album As Above So Below.

Some of the immediate stand out performances include, Krigs full death version of Weapons of Our Warfare, Grave Robbers swing version of Awake, Coriolis gave a stunning industrial version of What a Joke. Grave Forsaken showed why they’re a force to be reckoned with playing Bought by Blood. Strickens version of No Time and the combination of Fasedown and Ultimatum gave us screaming rendition of What a Joke. Not every performance is note worthy, but for one or two suspect tracks that leaves what??? 27-28 tracks which just shine like the sun.

The production at times is a little uneven due to the fact the tracks were recorded in various studios across the globe. Yet that doesn’t really deter the enjoyment of this disc at all, in a strange way it adds to community vibe. A nicely produced booklet is included with liner notes not just from Jimmy Brown, but members past and present as well as reminiscences by fellow musicians. An extremely classy insert that again just adds to quality of the project.

Jimmy Brown I’m sure had no idea 25 years ago that the art he would create would develop into a legacy that few artists can claim to have. Those who have been inspired by it are still coming out of the woodwork and those who’ve enjoyed his work through the years are proud to say that they’re old timers.

The first time I saw Deliverance was at the first H.I.S. Festival in Riverside California, June 1987. Glenn Rogers had just left the fold and Larry Farkas filled in that day on the lead guitar. It was 105 degrees outside this old movie theater where the show took place. I was there as part of the Soldier road crew, but also as a writer for White Throne. Hearing No Time was a treat then as it is now.

This collection is a fine tribute, even with the odd duplication of tracks. Artists both old and new who participated should hold their heads and chops high. Deliverance has earned its place in music history, or Divine Providence has placed them in a place of influence that shows no sign of waning anytime soon. Blessings to ya Jimmy.

8 axes

MESSIAH - THE FINAL WARNING

Matt Hunt at Retroactive Records continues to find and put out rare and quality out of print hard rock and heavy metal with a Christian point of view. One of those bands is Messiah. You never heard of Messiah you say? Well you wouldn’t be alone in that, they were virtually unknown outside of a few isolated pockets in the Midwest in the early 80’s.

Yet over the years the few copies of their vinyl albums that made it out into circulation have continued to escalate in value, with some collectors paying up to $1000 for a copy! Simply amazing if you ask me, well Messiah’s debut album entitled The Final Warning is now available for the first time on CD. Retroactive will also be making a limited run of vinyl available as well.

The band also released an EP called Going Insane that will also be available from Retroactive. The Final Warning however is a solid slab of American Hard Rock/Metal taking a large slice from the Blue Oyster Cult (Buck Dharma inspired) playbook, with that slightly more mysterious and moody atmosphere aka Don’t Fear the Reaper, Astronomy or Shooting Shark.

With that in mind The Final Warning is surprising with some solid hooks and above average song writing. Who’s to Blame, Outta Control and despite its lackluster title, Heavenly Metal, all deliver the above average metal goods. The musical whimsy is strong and heavy (late 70’s early 80’s heavy) with a nice polish to it.

Over the years I had heard less then complimentary evaluations of this album. Yet I’ve found this a pretty enjoyable listen. The production is a bit dated but compared to many other releases from the same time era it’s very comparable.

Messiah’s The Final Warning has shown itself to be a surprise. It is even more surprising that this release wasn’t made more available back in the day. With that said this album is one to grab and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

7 axe

ELGIBBOR - SOTERION APOLLUMI HAMARTIA

Black Metal is truly an acquired taste, that’s not a negative but just to say that not everyone who hears it is enamored with it. Usually floating at the extreme end of the musical spectrum Black Metal indulges itself in extreme subject matter often involving the less savory aspects of human nature and spirituality.

However as we examine this release by Elgibbor entitled Soterion Apollumi Hamartia, we find this brutal style of metal used for the elevation of the One True and Living God. Themes of God’s power, strength and pre-ordained victory over Lucifer are throughout this nine song affair. Hardly your standard Black Metal fair, but the power and intensity of the performance match the lyrical subject matter.

This one man project put together by Fire is the full monte. Solid production and vocalizations, not for the squeamish, drive the intense musical assault. The atmospherics provided on Soterion Apollumi Hamartia are executed extremely well, as with many black metal records the vocals are layered in a wall of reverb, but that doesn’t take away from the performance.

Fans of this genre should be grabbing this disc in droves. Melodies appear on the instrumental side from time to time, but one should not expect them on the vocal side. The part of this that did impress me was that this sounded like a well thought thru production; time was spent in achieving the finished result which should bode well amongst its contemporaries.

7 axes.

MASS - FIGHTER

Mass is one of those bands that have kicked around for years putting out some really outstanding melodic hard rock with a decidedly metal edge. Most fans of the band got their first taste with the Michael Sweet (Stryper) produced Voices in the Night, circa 1988 that was released on Enigma Records.

What most fans of Mass don’t realize is that they had actually recorded a full length album in 1982 for A&M Records that was NEVER released! That is until now, courtesy of Retroactive Records and the band themselves the first ever release of Fighter.

Produced by Tom Allom of Judas Priest fame, this album has a bit more live feel to it. The fact that it doesn’t feel ‘perfect’ only adds to the appeal for me, as many of the later 80’s artists continued to shoot for ‘perfect’(almost to a sterile quality devoid of feel) here is a glimpse of what Mass undoubtedly sounded like in a live setting.

Four of the songs ended up on Mass’s 1985 album for RCA entitled New Birth. The tracks of note are Too Far Gone, Voyager, Do You Love Me, and Watch Her Walk. I’m sure many fans will want to compare the differences between the two versions.

All the Mass trademarks are here, from their razor sharp guitar tones, strong melodic chorus’s, vocal harmonies, and their penchant for writing stellar hooks.

The production is probably the only thing that ‘dates’ this release, not with poor sounding tones, but with the ‘large’ reverb type sound. However on the flip side that does add to the live feel. Bad Man’s Reputation is one of my favorite tracks here and it rocks! I can almost imagine the band playing right in front of me due to this albums sound.

If you’re a fan of the bands earlier work or Stryper, Liberty n Justice you will want to get this album. Just imagine if say Stryper had recorded a complete album for a major label and it was vaulted for over 20 years, well that is what you have here.

Fighter is a solid release that will leave fans old and new very pleased and wondering why this wasn’t released sooner.

7 axes

DARKWATER - WHERE STORIES END

Darkwaters latest release Where Stories End is a triumph. A progressive cavalcade of melodies and musical exploration Where Stories End soars with conviction and passion. The majority of material is delivered with authority and command while not neglecting subtly or nuances that endure the material to the listener.

One of the things I noticed immediately was the warmth of the sound. A fabulous sonic array of tones which hold true throughout, in comparison to their previous release on a production level Where Stories End is vastly superior. The drum sound is fuller and the guitars feel more rich and emotive, while the keyboards add the appropriate textures that define each song.

From the rich opening notes of Breathe to the epic feel of Into the Cold. Where Stories End is a natural progression from Darkwater’s previous material. Some may view ‘progression’ as a note of ‘change’ in a negative view that is not the case here. One of the things apparent to me here is that 90% of the album is comprised of songs in the 6-9 minute length, with the opener under 5 minutes. Whether or not that has any bearing on anything is left to the individual.

An audio meandering across the pallet of compositions will definitely provide you with a stellar feast of musical delight. In the Blink of an Eye, provides a driving rhythm that ventures into other musical territory as it weaves in and out the vocal melodies provided by Henrik Båth. Henriks vocal performance is wonderful as he delivers a mesmerising performance. The changing of time and rhythm occur throughout the song with a tasteful guitar solo. Dovetailing on this thought one must simply listen to Without a Sound, tremendous.

For me the highlight is the second song entitled Why I Bleed. Not just because it’s the longest song on the album, but the haunting melody and various changes just provide the musical punch to knock me out. Fields of Sorrow does the same which a slightly heavier vibe. In a live setting I’m sure DarkWater would be a knock out.

The only real aspect I cannot comment on is the lyrical content as the musical advances given by the promotion companies don’t include lyrics. This is too bad, because I’m aware that DarkWater has something good to say, but being unable to comment on it is a hindrance.

If you’ve listened to any of the online samples for this release and were happy with them you won’t be disappointed with this release. Stellar musicianship, but stellar songs make Where Stories End a must buy.

Emil at Ulterium has another great album on his hands. DarkWater will hopefully make some more headway in the scene with this release. They should because the high quality product given here is one of astonishingly smooth elegance. Prog fans should unite and make this album a top seller for 2010. A big thumbs up from here.


9 axes

BROKEN FLESH - FOREVER IN FLAMES

Somehow Broken Flesh’s 2009 debut album on Sullen Records, Forever in Flames, escaped my notice last year. However courtesy of James at Untombed this situation has changed. I was even more intrigued after hearing the members of Grave Robber rave via Facebook about Broken Flesh’s live show.

So after spinning this release several times it is clear that Forever in Flames is as heavy as a ten ton lead weight. Uncompromising Death Metal which is long on bombast and short on subtlety. Straight ahead and brutal with a lyrical conviction that is impossible to miss, Broken Flesh make it clear about their convictions. The delivery matches their intensity.

From the opening strands of Yeshua to the closing assault of Walls of Lies this intense barrage of sonic wonder takes no prisoners. Of course after such descriptions some might wonder, is this just a wall of noise?? To the uninitiated it may seem that way at first, but if you’re willing to dig right below the surface I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised, I know I was.

There are melodies here amongst the carnage that have a way of manifesting themselves in subtle ways (subtle???) that leave the listener hooked for sure. Not every song speeds continually by at the speed of light, there is plenty of blast beats and double kick action, but the arrangements are evident and deliberate. Is this melodic death metal, NO WAY, but even death metal can have a melody of sorts.

The production has a dirty overture, but it doesn’t detract from the music in any way. As a matter of fact the separation of instruments and vocals is done quite well. Nothing is completely lost, however the drums seem to get a tad overshadowed from time to time but not a distraction. Kevin Tubby’s vocals cut through the carnage and with the inclosed lyric sheet one can truly understand the vocalizations.

One can feel the heaviness of Krig, but the direct assault of A Hill to Die Upon. Forever in Flames is a powerful and solid debut from Broken Flesh. Tremendous riffs amongst a wall of sound that isn’t easily matched. Here’s to the next Broken Flesh release which many fans (including this one) are already clamoring for.

7 axes