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In this page |
Sadist
Shadow Gallery Soul Grind Virgin Steele |
In this page |
| Sadist "Crust" (Displeased) | |
1.Perversion Lust Or |
Third album, third different line-up, third new sound. Certainly this band from Genova, leader of Italy's extreeme scene, can't be blamed on being a static group, on the contrary it's entire career has been characterized by an excessive dynamism. Throughout all Sadist's existence, it's only common denominator has been it's leader and songwriter Tommy Talamanca. I was very sorry for Peso's departure, great drummer of the never-forgotten Necrodeath and that I had interviewed time ago. The first two records of the band were really good stuff, with neo-classic disgressions in "Above the light" and surprising blend of death metal, progressive and ethnic music in "Tribe". With Andy e Trevor new band members, Sadist take a clear cut with their history, putting aside their great skill in combining energy and melody.This CD, on Displaced instead of Nosferatu, is made of pure corrupted tunes and incredible brutality. No more melodies,no more sweet keyboard harmonies, the band is completely devoted to destruction. Trevor is fantasctic, maybe the best screamer that Sadist ever had, but to tell you the truth I think he's even a little TOO much. Sometimes his lyrics risk to end up being misogyny like and misunderstood by most of the non concentrated listeners. I also find TOO much his introducing the band's songs in live acts with a "growly" voice, things that not even Dave Vincent does anymore. Don't misunderstand me, the album is a good album, completely over the top of Italian standards and potentially competitive with foreign acts, but I Find this sort of brutality comeback a little backhanded. Not many groups were competitive with what Sadist used to do a few years ago, meanwhile now, they've ended up in the mishmasht of thousands of death metal bands that don't have an "own" sound to rely on. I hope they don't drown. |
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| Defenders | Shadow Gallery "Tyranny" (Metal Blade) |
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Damn it! This is one of those albums that could have been a Masterpiece, but isn't, for a reason that many times is underestimated but that in the end, in my opinion, is the base for an overall positive record; I'm talking about the production, probably the only weak spot in this Shadow Gallery album. To tell you the truth I was really sure it was going to be one of those unforgetable ones: technique (listen to the tri intro basso\chitarra\tastiera and you'll set aside your instrument playing sure of you helplessness!), melody (the many refrains wil stayed glued into your minds and won't get rid of 'em soon !), album length (74 minuts of musica, without "ghost tracks" or other filler shit like that), Immense guest stars (anybody ever heard of James LaBrie and D.C. Cooper?), …but one little disattention probably ruined this Magnificent cd; want the proof ? 1) There are two guitar recordings on the album, but throughout the tracks you'll barely hear one of them clearly (besides the solos that is); 2) the drum sounds (not the drummer or the drumming !) seems a bit smuthered and "depressed", with no verve and impact. But on the other hand we've seen the light: this is a great album, and it's a great follower after the 1995 "Carved in stone" that launched this band as one of the most promising realities in the entire worldwide prog-metal scene. Shadow Gallery is a guaranty and, with other bands as Symphony X and Royal Hunt, is ready to steal all you Dream Theater and "REAL" Music lovers. Last negative spot: the horrifying band pic on the back sleeve where the band members are in an american "macho" pose, get outta here! |
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| Shade of Black | Soul Grind "The Darkest Dawn" (Elegy) |
1.Prelude to
the brightest dawn (Stormblast's over) |
I was hoping to review this debut silver disk of the Tuscan band Soul Grind since a bit. The combo is slowly gaining a fairly well notority in the Italian underground scene thank to this "The Darkest Dawn", excellent debut that sums typical north European brutal death-black sounds, following a Dark Tranquillity trace, and glances somewhat romatic, sad and baroque moments; an explosive mix that spreads their sound open wide and even if it gets the listener down in a "gloomy" mood, it is rich of very interesting and articulated solutions that are almost progressive. In some phases their melodic taste (and not only ....check out the album cover) reminds me the last Opeth album, but Soulg Grind are surely mediterranian sounding. All tracks are over 6 minutes long, but they are very fluid and never boring thanks to particular technics used in the arrangements, violent tempo changes and the excellent job done by Marco Ruggeri on keyboards. A whole different story when you listen to the 4 acts of the tragedy "Of stars and burning skies", over 20 minuti of music where the band rolls out all it's virtues: guncotton riffs, tragic and introspective melodies, medieval keyboard lacework; the ending is in crescendo with the devatating IV Act: Mother Moon, where neo-classicism and black metal meet for real. Anyway, I think the band expresses the best ideas in the melodic scores (as in the intro and outro) because they have a very prolific fantasia and great taste, meanwhile they shouldn't let them selves go in too many steretyped black tempos. A very good album overall that could be followed by an excellent one, if characterized by a bit of increased composing maturity. This is a must album if you love technical black tecnico with heavy death shades and melody. |
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| Virgin Steele "Invictus" | |
1.The Blood Of Vengeance |
Pure-Heavy-Metal Revival of the very last years enabled Virgin Steele to resuscitate from the catacombs of anonymity in which they were hurtled. This values for bands like Savatage and Iced Earth too: Virgin Steele stay on their own road since 1982, a tenaciously metal journey, excluding whatever happens in the rest of the musical world, overall in America. Instead here's the European audience, headed by Germany's and Italy's, accepting the Marriage of Heaven and Hell, a double album produced in 1995 and 1996. We have to admit that, even though a heavy pseudophilosophycal climate created by media around David De Feis figure, some tracks were pretty valuable; cues were not missing, particularly in the first Marriage. Today the 'Steele keeps cloning themselves, and this Invictus really doesn't convince me, even after many listenings. De Feis' voice has patheticly droped, and there surely isn't a well working "together" band. It often feels like listening to some guests supporting De Feis and the poor intuition of him. You can already feel dullness within the horrible chivalrous intro: "Invictus" and the speed-metal oriented tracks don't add anything, really anything, to the 'Steele repertory; when eventually they try to test themselves in complications that would like to be progressive, it feels like non-stop patchwork during the production, without a real development, longing to get out quickly from the instrumental gap: so people will understand how amazing "Through blood and fire" or "Swords of the Gods" marches really are. Pathetic is the Marriage melody reprise, pathetic the whole work . |
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