ZOMBIE INC: Homo Gusticus: CD

Since getting together back in 2009, this Austrian death metal band has mined the theme of zombies and mined it well. You get ten brand new morbid, but humorous songs on this sophomore collection.

The added sound bites from horror movies add to the atmosphere of being in a zombie movie, add in the talking / guttural vocals and you have a creepy and evil bunch of songs. The humor in the lyrics keeps things grounded in the more fun aspect of their schitk and keeps this from being another cookie-cutter death metal album. The vocals are actually mostly intelligible which is rare for this genre and I applaud them for it, the deep bass and the pummeling drums work in tandem to give a nice groove to the tracks and the riffs and solos add a lot to the power of these songs. The songs are well done with the band giving their all and playing tightly and with passion. I really liked “The Rocking Dead”, “Cum Undone”, “Bust The Food Chain”, “E=MCarnage2”, and “All Corpses Are Bastards”.

If you want death metal that you can understand and has a sense of humor, then this is your album. If you just want the cookie monster vocals and songs about how gross the lyrics can be, please move on and find the generic crap, I’ll stick with these guys.

https://www.facebook.com/zombieinc666  https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope

http://www.massacre-records.com/

GLORYFUL: The Warriors Code: CD

This heavy / power metal band from Gelsenkirchen, Germany was formed in 2010 and have released one E.P. before this debut album. These eleven songs are produced by legendary Swedish sound alchemist Dan Swanö.

You can hear the influences on this band as you listen to the album, IRON MAIDEN, ACCEPT, DIO, and MANOWAR, but they don’t just emulate those bands, they take those pieces and put them together in a familiar, but exciting way. This is an album with fast, solid riffs, great solos, catchy, melodic interludes and choruses that will have you raising the horns and shouting along with the band. The album has a real ’80s feel to it, but the great production keeps things from getting bogged down in the overproduced sound of that time. Johnny la Bomba‘s vocals aren’t super high-pitched or too low, instead they strike a nice balance that is a welcome change. The standouts for me were “Gloryful’s Tale”, my favorite song “Heavy Metal – More Than Meets The Eye”, “The Warrior’s Code”, “Breaking Destiny”, “Evil Oath”, and “Death of the First Earth”.

This is an album that keeps the classic heavy metal sound relevant in these days of “whatever metal” genres and makes me glad to hear bands doing this with power and skill. These guys should be proud of the excellent debut that they’ve put out and I can’t wait to hear what they will come out with next.

https://www.facebook.com/gloryful  http://www.gloryful.net/

https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope  http://www.massacre-records.com/

L.A. GUNS: Tango On Sunset Strip (Hollywood Forever): CD

The first new studio album from Hollywood legends L.A. GUNS in seven years finds the band paying tribute to the city of their collective birth with a heavy slab of classic Guns-style metal! Originally released in 2012, L.A. GUNS’ Hollywood Forever has received a makeover courtesy of Collectors Dream Records, and renamed Tango On Sunset Strip (Hollywood Forever). The same fourteen songs have been cloaked in new artwork, although guitarist Stacey Blades appears on the album, he is no longer in the band, having been replaced by Michael Grant.

The opening track “Hollywood Forever” shows that Phil Lewis still has the chops and can deliver in spades, and this band shows you that they are still capable of playing great rock and roll after all these years. The song is a down and dirty, sleazy rock groove that’s made for women to get sweaty and men to drink beer and air guitar along to. What a great return to the sound that made them a staple of the metal scene of the 80s with every song the band sounds great and Lewis’ voice is still strong. Stacey Blades fits in perfectly, singer Phil Lewis sounds good for a man in his mid-fifties, bassist Scotty Griffin and drummer Steve Riley provide a tight and muscular rhythm section. Veteran producer Andy Johns’ (LED ZEPPELIN, VAN HALEN) excellent production helps these songs not sound stuck in the 80s, but meaty and catchy.  L.A GUNS deliver a record that fires on all cylinders with catchy power ballads, mid tempo songs, and all out rockers. Some of the highlights were “You Better Not Love Me”, “Eel Pie”, “Vine St. Shimmy”, “Dirty Black Night”, “Queenie”, “Venus Bomb, and “I Won’t Play”.

L.A. GUNS have put out an album that brings back memories of the ’80s and the fun, good time music that seems to be lost on the charts and with a lot of fans nowadays, but if you give it a shot, you will be smiling, head banging and having the time of your life while listening to this album. Stop the angst, grab this and let the party begin!

https://www.facebook.com/officialLAGuns  http://www.laguns.net/

https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope  http://www.massacre-records.com/

MOLLY HATCHET: Paying Tribute: CD

MOLLY HATCHET recorded this album back in 2008 to pay tribute to their old favorites and is a mix of songs by ZZ TOP, MOUNTAIN, THIN LIZZY, THE ROLLING STONES and THE EAGLES, GEORGE THOROGOOD, ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, as well as three live bonus tracks from MOLLY HATCHET’s back catalog. The band was at the time; Bobby Ingram and Dave Hlubeck (sole original member), guitars, vocalist Phil McCormack, bassist Tim Lindsey, drummer Shawn Beamer and keyboard player John Galvin.

The band gives us songs from bands that both influenced them and they loved and did them up the HATCHET way. Lots of muscular playing on the songs with them playing them fairly straight forward and with true affection for what they are doing. The guitars shine, Phil McCormack’s voice is in top-notch form, and Beamer’s drumming really shines as well. They really do a great job going from style to style, giving every song the care that they deserve from a band that never fails to deliver. The live songs are top-notch as well, great sound and performance made them a treat and I was glad that they added them as a bonus.

If you are a fan of either MOLLY HATCHET or of the original songs, this is a great collection and shows just how versatile the band is by choosing obvious, but a great selection of tracks. This is one release that rocks from start to finish and is recommended.

Track List
Sharp Dressed Man (ZZ TOP)
The Boys Are Back in Town (THIN LIZZY)
Desperado (THE EAGLES)
Bad to the Bone (GEORGE THOROGOOD)
Dreams I´ll Never See (ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND)
Melissa (ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND)
Mississippi Queen (MOUNTAIN)
Tequila Sunrise (THE EAGLES)
Tumbling Dice (THE ROLLING STONES)
Wild Horses (THE ROLLING STONES)

Live Bonus racks
Whiskey Man
Beatin´ the Odds
Flirtin´ with Disaster

https://www.facebook.com/mollyhatchetband  http://www.mollyhatchet.com/

https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope  http://www.massacre-records.com/index.asp

NACHTGESCHREI: Aus Schwaerzester Nacht: CD

NACHTGESCHREI are a medieval metal band hailing from Frankfurt, Germany. The band consists of seven members, who pour their blood, sweat and tears into their fourth full length album of original music, and are signed by Massacre Records.

Opening up the album is the track “Sirene” has a pumping riff, great clean vocals and steady drumming that is also quite powerful making this a solid opener that’s very catchy as well. “Die Geister Die Uns Riefen” has a great driving beat, and sounds like it would be one of those songs that when they play it live, the crowd would be up on their feet shouting along with the band. “Flamme” comes in with an a capella vocal track, which then is met by a driving guitar riff and has a prog rock feel to it with the organ and the space given to the players, but still had a lot of power. “Spieler” sounds like DEEP PURPLE’s older songs a bit with the organ playing and the hard rock sound, but still has enough of their own sound to make it a fist in the air song. “In Meinen Liedern” is a mid-paced song that would get the lighters out live and has a fantastic bit of organ playing and smoking guitar playing. “In Die Schwaerze Der Nacht” has nice accordion in the background, powerful drumming, and crunchy guitar playing. “Der Ruf” offers up a nice pace changer with its slower speed, strong guitar work, and emotion filled vocals that really add to the songs overall appeal. “Am Ende Der Zeit” offers up the heaviest song for the band on this record so far with the strong vocal delivery that is very emotional and gritty with the band playing potently behind him. “Unter Deinem Licht” is a mellow, laid back song with haunting flute and an acoustic guitar playing together along with the longing vocals that stays that away until a little over half of the song is over, then the rest of the band come crashing through, adding a nice bit of heaviness to the song. “Na Sdorowje” is a heavy metal instrumental jig that will get you dancing and even raise a pint or two up for it. “Am Rand Der Welt” is a laid back acoustic rock song in the beginning that turns into a harder and more rocking song close to the end, and the singer’s vocals convey a sense of energy and passion that really makes the song. “Fuer Alle Zeit” comes charging in with crushing guitars, a nice accordion melody, heavy-hitting drums and strong vocals to make this a punchy and catchy song. “Als in Der Nur Leere War” is a heavy song with thick bass, great riffs, crushing drums and powerful vocals. “Ungebrochen” is a lighters in the air, shout along with the band and close your eyes and float away song that varies between hard and heavy and softer and is a standout. Next is the acoustic version of “Herbst”, which is driven by acoustic guitar and the vocalist’s passionate singing and raw energy. “In die Schwärze der Nacht (Orchester edit)” which adds a bit more depth to the song with addition of the orchestra. 

The vocals are clean sounding, the production has a strong, heavy and professional sound where you can hear all of the instruments that are on this album, and the lyrics are written in German and cover paganism and medieval themes, so if you can understand them, you can sing along easily with them. This was varied and kept my interest from start to finish of the album and was a definite pleasure to listen to and is highly recommended.

https://www.facebook.com/nachtgeschrei  http://www.nachtgeschrei.de/news.php?lang=en

https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope  http://www.massacre-records.com/

LUNA AD NOCTUM: Hypnotic Inferno: CD

This is the fourth album by the Polish symphonic black metal quartet LUNA AD NOCTUM that was founded in 1998. This is a concept album about abnormal human behavior, hallucinations and madness caused by psychoactive medication, which is used to reduce or eliminate the suffering caused by psychological conditions, such as insomnia, and is a heavy album.

Opening track “In Hypnosis” has creepy, evil sounding vocals that add to the heaviness of the song, the pummeling drumming has some blast beats thrown in, while the bass is bringing a thick bottom end to the song and the tough guitar riffs are not overdone, but suit the harsh song perfectly. “Fear Technique” has blast beats that hit you like a ton of bricks and the guitar playing is exemplary, “You Are What You Are” is a blisteringly fast track that would tear up a pit, and “Abnormal Pain” has intense drumming and the evil vocals are so pissed off sounding that the bitterness is palpable. These four guys, AN6 on bass and vocals, T.Infamous and Blasphemo on guitars, and Dragor on drums play with abandon and power that makes for a ride that you don’t want to stop. “Fleshless,” “Martyrium,” and my favorite song “Total Sleep Disorder” were others that stood out of the pack.

For fans of symphonic black metal, this is one to pick up as soon as you can, and play the hell out of it. A great album with no tracks that were filler, just a great listen all of the way through.

https://www.facebook.com/lan.official  http://www.lunaadnoctum.com/

https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope  http://www.massacre-records.de/index_e.asp

DEADLANDS: Evilution: CD

Sacramento, California’s DEADLANDS was formed in the summer of 2010 by lead vocalist Brian O’Connor (CONSFEARACY, ex-VICIOUS RUMORS), lead guitarist Michael J. Gardner (THE COUNCIL), lead guitarist Kevin Rohr (SPECTRE), bassist Steve “Dedbass” Northam and drummer Danny Sablan (HATEFX, THE COUNCIL). They have just released their ten song debut full length CD on Massacre Records after playing festivals and opening for numerous bands.

Just playing this one time through, I was impressed by the aggressive guitar playing, the heavy riffs, the shredding and the aggressive singing by this band. There is some blazing guitar on the opening track “Pandemic Genocide.” Some songs that stood out were “Final  Solution,” “Shes On Fire” and “Legions Of The Damned”. The drums range from mid-paced to fast with some blast beats being used at times, but not too much, while the bass has a very strong and powerful sound with heaviness that you can feel and hear throughout the recording, the guitars range from mid-paced to speedy riffs that combine  thrash, groove and power metal together and are very melodic sounding at the same time. The vocals range from thrash style screams and growls, to clean singing vocals, the lyrics cover politics, patriotism and war, and the production has strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound where you can hear all of the band playing their hearts out.

A great debut album with their powerful mix of power metal and thrash that will get you to throw the horns and bang your head along with the blistering tracks on here. They also do a great cover of DIO’s “The Last In Line” as the last song on the album…go get it!

https://www.facebook.com/DeadlandsMusic  http://www.deadlandsmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope  http://www.massacre-records.de/index_e.asp

NIGHT RANGER: Big In Japan: CD

Having been together since 1982, you know that a live album will be packed to the gills with popular songs and some album tracks as well, but having the big money days of the ’80s behind you , you know have to play your heart out or the fans won’t believe in your ability to keep on rocking with feeling, luckily these guys play with love for their music and put everything into entertaining their fans. In 1997 the original five members reunited for the studio album Neverland and the requisite tour that followed and now after all these years, the live document of that tour is finally released.

The band sounds tight and happy to be together again playing not only their biggest hits, but new at the time songs that fit perfectly into the set and sounded like they were always a part of their repertoire. New songs on this tour “Neverland”, “My Elusive Mind”, “Someday I Will” and “Slap Like Being Born” are all classic sounding tracks performed with heart and soul. Of course all the classics are here “Sister Christian”, “You Can Still Rock In America”, “Sing Me Away”, “Touch Of Madness”, “Rumors In The Air” and more. It’s great to hear the sing-a-longs, stage raps, and extended arrangements that make a live experience like nothing else. There is also a stripped down acoustic section during the concert with “Sentimental Street” and “Forever All Over Again” getting mellowed out. At the end of the album there is a nearly fourteen minute interview with drummer and vocalist Kelly Keagy and guitarist Brad Gillis that goes into stories about the early times and memories of their breakthrough to headline status in the ’80s. With the great playing and impressive job of the live recording, these guys really give a performance that will get you moving and would have been a lot of fun to witness.

With seven domestic live albums and two released in Japan, this doesn’t seem like an album for the casual fan, but really, if you are a casual fan, you probably gave up on them years ago and only want the few songs that you liked when you were young, that is too bad because you’ve missed out on a band that has the passion for music that could turn you into a bigger fan if you would only pick this one up. Grab this album and witness a band in love with their music and their fans.

https://www.facebook.com/nightranger  http://www.nightranger.com/     https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope     http://www.massacre-records.com/

BRIAN CONNOLLY’s THE SWEET: Let’s Do It Again (All the Hits and More)

After the break up of SWEET in the early 80′s Brian Connoly started a band called THE NEW SWEET, and other than that, he has released a lot of greatest hits for SWEET, probably because he  does not own the rights to the original music and wants to put out newer versions that he does own the rights to and sell them.

There are all of the hit and more as the title says on this collection of remakes that is a shock to see since Connolly died back in February 1997. That being said, the versions on here are all played faithfully with no surprises and I really enjoyed the collection a lot. I never bothered to get a collection of THE SWEET and then I got this sent to me, so this was a very cool treat. I really liked the versions on here and found that the playing was energetic and that Connolly’s vocals were really strong and he still had te ability to hit all of the notes.

If you want to get a collection of songs of THE SWEET, this is a really good collection and all of the obvious songs are here, “Little Willie”, “Ballroom Blitz”, “Wig Wam Bam” and of course “Fox On The Run”. It’s nice that his estate will get some money from this since a lot of these guys from the 60s and 70s got screwed out of their royalties.

https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope  http://www.massacre-records.de/

ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW: Saivon Lapsi: CD

ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW was formed in 1994 and this is the new and seventh album by this Finnish melodic death metal band that incorporates symphonic metal into the mix.

The album starts with “Saivo”, an instrumental of synthesizers and it flows perfectly into “Dark Alliance”. The song starts off with heavy guitars and epic keyboards, heavy guitars, and clean and growled vocals. “Legion of Beast” raises the stakes in  tense melodic death metal and passionately rasped vocals from longtime growler and bassist Altti Veteläinen. “Kuura” is an acoustic instrumental that meshes well with “Dance of December”, a track with gothic overtones and plenty of dramatic vocals and fantastic guitar playing by both Jarmo Puolakanaho and Mika Lammassaar. On this album you also have clean vocalist Jarmo Kylmänen whose vocals are powerful when they are present either in the pre-chorus or the chorus itself, keyboardist Janne Tolsa brings out the epic nature of the music, and drummer Juho Raappana who does a great job being the backbone of this album with his intense drumming. “The Day”, “Sound of Silence” has great dual vocals by Kylmänen and Miriam Renvåg, “Swan Saivo”, and “Blood Stained Sea” were all songs that got repeat plays on this album.

Excellent musicianship, and the captivating solo/lead work will make this a great purchase for those into this genre of metal. The contrasting vocals also added a nice change of sound within the album and within the tracks themselves. This is a solid symphonic metal effort.

https://www.facebook.com/etosofficial  http://www.eternaltears.fi/  https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope  http://www.massacre-records.com/