Age of Evil – Get Dead

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The new self-released EP from Arizona’s Age of Evil presents two brand new original songs, two classic metal covers and two exclusive live versions of tracks from their debut album Living A Sick Dream, released in 2007. Age of Evil’s sound on their original songs is very similar to David Ellefson’s F5 with a 50/50 mix of modern metal and classic ’80s thrash, and although it’s easy to tell from Jeremy Goldberg’s vocals that this is a young band, his voice avoids all of those tell-tale signs of whining angst most bands with over-groomed fringes have. He has a voice of a genuine metal singer, in short. The stand-out thing about the two new tracks, besides the excellent Anthrax groove and crushing heaviness, are Jordan Ziff’s blistering guitar solos at the beginning and end of both opener Cruel Intentions and the title track. These are followed by two excellent covers in the shape of Skid Row‘s Slave To The Grind and Judas Priest‘s The Hellion/Electric Eye, then the two live tracks, where the Pantera-esque Southern riffs of Eye For An Eye hint at the content of their full-length album, for anyone unfamiliar. A superb release, and only $5 plus shipping from their website too.

Written by Andy Lye
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All Pigs Must Die – God Is War

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There aren’t many band names that suggest anti-authoritarian hardcore punk better than All Pigs Must Die. The band might claim it is a clever wink to George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, and it might even be a reference to the Death In June album of the same name, but most will look at such a name and think of punk bands such as Millions of Dead Cops… and why not? All Pigs Must Die, from a musical perspective, harbour all the vile aggression one has come to expect from the angrier and more political side of the punk movement, packaged in fast and dirty sounding crust. There’s no real surprises in God Is War – this is what you should really expect from a bunch of US hardcore kids getting down to basics. It’s fast, loud, very heavy and is the kind of music that makes you want to flail your fists in disgust at the current world climate. There’re a few fancy riffs and bass-lines that suggest a more matured musicianship, but that seems hardly important on a record like this. As far as this genre of music is concerned, it ticks all the boxes and does everything you want such a record to do. At times it does feel a bit obvious though – it is a very sincere album granted, but when put up against other records in the same genre (including new entries by Sarabante and Unkind, reviewed recently), it suddenly sounds rather plain. It succeeds at what it is trying to do though, and whilst bad timing doesn’t let the album shine, it is still a respectable effort.

Written by James Donovan
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Amaranthe – Amaranthe

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You have to congratulate Amaranthe on completely dividing metal listeners. The Swedish six-piece have been lauded by a good proportion of the community, perhaps overly so, whilst derided by just about everyone else, leaving barely anyone expressing neutrality. That’s pretty much what happens when you have a sound like Amaranthe. Taking cues from the likes of Deadlock, All Ends and Sonic Syndicate, with more than a passing nod to the more mainstream works of Soilwork, Amaranthe have taken melodeath and infused it with so much mainstream pop appeal that it starts questioning their credibility. Oh sure, they have a good dose of melodeath in their sound… but then a good chunk of their sound is borrowed from ’80s Madonna and Lady Gaga. Big pop melodies? Check. Dance keyboards? Check. Singers who could pass for boy band members and pop princesses? Check and check. Hence, the big divide in the metal community. Taken for what it is, Amaranthe’s debut has plenty of sing along choruses and pop hooks, coupled with a strong, heavy guitar sound, and to be honest it does actually work quite well. All three singers fill their roles decently too – perhaps clean male singer Jake feels a little weedy compared to Speed sound-alike Andy and female singer Elize, but otherwise vocally the trio work really well together. There are times where some of their pop melodies sound strangely familiar – surely Automatic was a hit for some ’80s pop star, and the same can be said for Call Out My Name and Enter The Maze. In the end, Amaranthe are a band who you’ll either immediately take to or loathe passionately, there seems very little midway. As it stands, their debut is undeniably entertaining and whilst perhaps a bit too perky, it’ll at least bring a smile or two.

Written by James Donovan
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Ancient VVisdom – A Godlike Inferno

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Texan quartet Ancient VVisdom, despite spelling their name strangely and using equally silly stage names, are just about one of the freshest sounds linked to the metal world to come out of America in the last few years, even if they aren’t strictly speaking a metal band. Their core sound, primarily driven by acoustic guitars, blends neo-folk with only-mildly-distorted electric guitars (think 1,000,000 Miles Away from Zakk Wylde‘s Book of Shadows) and drums when harder rhythms are needed and dark lyrics which have immediately drawn them to the attention of the doom rock/metal faithful. Every track is probably catchier than music which appeals to doom fans would probably tend to be, but the mood is certainly one of melancholy and even doom metal fans like a sombre sing-along from time to time. The more repetitive choruses are likely to stick in the head most readily (World of Flesh, Devil Brain, and Alter Reality), but more thoughtful songs like The Opposition and Necessary Evil demonstrate just as much staying power. At just over half an hour the record is perhaps a little short and certainly feels like it’s over too soon, but that’s just another mark of the quality of the music. They really do need more material though. It would perhaps be prudent to follow this release up quite quickly to build on the momentum support tours with Mastodon and Ghost have afforded them, but until then this short record is nearly perfect, and amongst one of the most exciting releases on 2011.

Written by Andy Lye
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Andre Matos – Mentalize

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While this may only be Andre Matos’ second solo release, he is of course a well known veteran of the metal scene, getting his start at the age of thirteen in Viper, then obtaining worldwide success in Angra and Shaman, as well as his countless guest appearances, side projects and collaborations with many artists across the globe. There is no doubt that Matos’ is a force to be reckoned with in music today as not only a phenomenal vocalist and front-man, but also a classically trained composer and pianist. For fans of Matos, Mentalize will not disappoint, and for those unfamiliar with his past work, it will serve as a great introduction to what Andre Matos is all about. There is a lot of variety here from both ends of the spectrum including blazing power metal tracks one would expect, such as Shift The Night Away, Leading On and Powerstream to heartfelt ballads, A Lapse In Time, and Back To You. Reminiscent of Matos’ later work with Angra are the tracks Violence and The Myriad, both of which easily could have been prominent songs on Angra’s Fireworks. Without a doubt the catchiest song on the album is the upbeat I Will Return, while the title track, Mentalize, is much heavier and a bit dark, with a distinct classic Savatage sound. Possibly the only downside here are the vocal effects on the verses of Someone Else as they seem out of place making an otherwise melodic and memorable song fall a bit flat. Oddly, the main riff in Mirror of Me is nearly identical to Black Sabbath‘s The Mob Rules, yet somehow still maintains its individuality and the end result is classic Andre Matos. When The Sun Cried Out is quite epic and will no doubt be a stand out track for many. There is surely something here for everyone. Mentalize is a solid album containing all Matos’ signature elements spanning his career to date, yet still manages to sound fresh.

Written by Heather Lee
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Angels of Babylon – Kingdom of Evil

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This new project achieved immediate notoriety due to the presence of David Ellefson on bass, but Angels of Babylon are genuinely strong in every area, and their debut album contains all of the elements of classic heavy metal. David Fefolt’s Jorn Lande-esque vocals are a real highlight and his performance is flawless throughout the disc, while former Manowar bassist “Rhino” and Ellefson form one of the most muscular rhythm sections that will probably be heard all year. The final piece is guitarist Ethan Brosh who spends most of the disc playing solid metal riffs, with occasional groove (stand-out track Tarot) with elements of the traditional and power genres, and when he delivers a solo they are either emotive and thoughtful (Apocalypse 2012 intro) or blistering (Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen). The main aim of the album is melodic metal without sacrificing heaviness, and that is achieved, but in addition there are more expansive moments like dark, brooding closer Second Coming, the Spanish guitar intro to the title track and piano/orchestral instrumental The Remnant. Although touring seems, at the moment, unlikely, Kingdom of Evil is a surefire traditional metal classic.

Written by Andy Lye
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