MANSLAUGHTER's TREASURE BOX 2014.

Hey folks, finally, finally, yes, finally and really here it comes, my review on or retrospection of 2014. Three to four weeks (or so) later than I primarly planned to finally come up with it, hm, but still pretty good in time - compared with the fact the reviews on 2011 and 2012 came up back then by far later and it's even anyhow anyway better compared with the fact the I've never done a review on 2013, so you see, still a pretty good job anyhow, righty right. If you ask yourself why the delay came to happen, hm, okay, for sure work is very busy, beside this I have a girfriend, I have a family, I have my dogs, I have my sports, I have my friends, I have a social and an active life and bla-bla-bla... because for sure I could come up with all that, pfff, but fuck it, I'm currently just not in the mood for blogging, don't feel the lust for doing it, don't find the motivation to do new posts up here currently, and I also even can't bring up the motivation just to search for the motivation for blogging, yes that's it. After the last pretty active months up here, especially the December of 2014, I'm currently a little bit empty and so for now I'm taking sort of a time-off from blogging. Okay, after this words for the introduction it's time to finally do for what I am now online and do some blogging finally again, and this means now here it comes my review on or retrospection of 2014 and this year I will solely focuss on giving you my favorite releases of this very year of 2014 and due to the fact that 2014 was music-wise a really fantastic year I extended my more or less traditional top ten list to a top fifteen list, hm, and as usual after I've already done reviews on all of the records and albums you will find in this list I won't waste anymore time here and now and just name you the albums. Okay, that's it, so here it comes, let us open and have a look inside "MANSLAUGHTER's TREASURE BOX 2014", yes, so here we go...

MANSLAUGHTER's TOP 2014 ALBUMS*

(*Eternia approved)

The top three:

If you read this blog only a little bit regular and/or frequently than to you my top three albums will be no strangers and no surprises anymore, but this takes nothing away from this pure platinum albums.

No. # 1 - My ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!

CRUCIAL CHANGE - "SO IT BEGINS" & "MOURNING IN AMERICA"

Tracklist "SO IT BEGINS":

(01.) "SO IT BEGINS"

(02.) "LAND OF MY FATHERS"

(03.) "INTO THE FIRE"

(04.) "AMERICAN HEART"

(05.) "OUR STAKE"

(06.) "THE WANDERER"

(07.) "PUNISHMENT"

(08.) "LEGION 33"

(09.) "YOUTH"

(10.) "RIGHTEOUS HAND"

Tracklist "MOURNING IN AMERICA":

(01.) "MOURNING IN AMERICA"

(02.) "THIS FORCE"

(03.) "WHO LAUGHS LAST?"

A totally unique and outstanding album, total supreme and dominant American Oi! majesty leading, conquering, and dominating totally unrivaled. A fantastic album, simply an album that you need to have, period.

And after the "MOURNING IN AMERICA" EP release is featured as a bonus on the CD release version of "SO IT BEGINS" you find here both albums ranked on the very first place.
Yes. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

No. # 2 - The legend's statement!!!

SICK OF IT ALL - "LAST ACT OF DEFIANCE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "SOUND THE ALARM"

(02.) "2061"

(03.) "ROAD LESS TRAVELLED"

(04.) "GET BRONX"

(05.) "PART OF HISTORY"

(06.) "LOSING WAR"

(07.) "NEVER BACK DOWN"

(08.) "FACING THE ABYSS"

(09.) "ACT YOUR RAGE"

(10.) "DISCONNECT YOUR FLESH"

(11.) "BELTWAY GETAWAY"

(12.) "SIDELINED"

(13.) "OUTGUNNED"

(14.) "DNC"

(15.) "STAND DOWN" (Bonus track limited edition.)

(16.) "WITH ALL DISRESPECT" (Bonus track limited edition.)

I love this band, they and their albums and music are a very important part of my life for now over twenty years, longer lasting than relations and friendships, yes, and as far as this says a lot about the importance of this band and their music it's also very simple: This album is a pure groundshaking larger than life might. That's it, short and precise. And it's, again, very simple: You need to have this album. Point and fact.
HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

No. # 3 - The BOSS returns, in all his glory, with all his might!!!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "HIGH HOPES"

Tracklist:

(01.) "HIGH HOPES"

(02.) "HARRY'S PLACE"

(03.) "AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS)"

(04.) "JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD"

(05.) "DOWN IN THE HOLE"

(06.) "HEAVEN'S WALL"

(07.) "FRANKIE FELL IN LOVE"

(08.) "THIS IS YOUR SWORD"

(09.) "HUNTER OF INVISIBLE GAME"

(10.) "THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD"

(11.) "THE WALL"

(12.) "DREAM BABY DREAM"

The BOSS returned in 2014 and delivered again some of the most unique and very best and most intense and most passionate music on a as close to perfect level of quality as only somehow possible. No more words needed, everyone into honest, authentic, spirited, and real rockin' music with heart, soul, and mind simply needs to have it.

The runner-ups, the ranks four to six:

Here are the three bands that conquered the next three ranks, and now three incredible strong albums waiting for you, also big surprises or maybe better not really expected deliveries as well.

No. # 4 - A big disturbing and ripping, sick and pissed off surprise.

SLIPKNOT - ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER"

Tracklist:

(01.) "XIX"

(02.) "SARCASTROPHE"

(03.) "AOV"

(04.) "THE DEVIL IN I"

(05.) "KILLPOP"

(06.) "SKEPTIC"

(07.) "LECH"

(08.) "GOODBYE"

(09.) "NOMADIC"

(10.) "THE ONE THAT KILLS THE LEAST"

(11.) "CUSTER"

(12.) "BE PREPARED FOR HELL"

(13.) "THE NEGATIVE ONE"

(14.) "IF RAIN IS WAHT YOU WANT"

I would have never expected such a through and through mass destructive bomb being delivered by SLIPKNOT, but I am damn happy and glad that they did and this, to say it short, one hell of an unique stand-alone album I can only recommend to you and in the case of SLIPKNOT you better believe the ongoing hype. I fuckin' love this album, it's one hell of an intense ride.

No. # 5 - The Silverbacks are back on the map.

SLAPSHOT - "SLAPSHOT"

Tracklist:

(01.) "INTRO"

(02.) "I TOLD YOU SO"

(03.) "GO HARD"

(04.) "KILL IT WITH FIRE"

(05.) "UNTIL IT'S GONE"

(06.) "FUCK IT"

(07.) "SOFT"

(08.) "NOTHING AT ALL"

(09.) "LOW LIFE"

(10.) "FREEZER BURN"

(11.) "YOU'RE ON MY LIST"

(12.) "ONE AND DONE"

(13.) "BLOOD ON THE FLOOR"

(14.) "NEVER TRUST A JUNKIE"

(15.) "PERSONAL JESUS" (DEPECHE MODE - cover)

(16.) "OUTRO"

Short and simple in just three words: 1.) SLAPSHOT. 2.) Unique. 3.) Groundbreaking. 

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

No. # 6 - The Brothers are back.

KRAWALLBRÜDER - "SCHMERZFREI"

Tracklist:

(01.) "I.IV. R.I.P. XXXIII"

(02.) "WAS LANGE WÄHRT"

(03.) "BLUT UND TINTE"

(04.) "AUF EIN WORT"

(05.) "NUR FÜR DICH"

(06.) "WEG VON EUCH"

(07.) "SCHMERZFREI"

(08.) "6 FUSS BREIT"

(09.) "WIE DIE TIERE"

(10.) "NIE EIN ENDE SEHN"

I definitely would never ever have expected the KRAWALLBRÜDER to come up with such a fantastic and incredible strong album, it's by far their best material to date and they totally made themselves to one of the strongest german bands somewhere between Oi!, Metal, and (Hard) Rock and I can simply only recommend this great gem again and again. It's fantastic. Cheers & Oi!

The next battle line of champions, the places seven to nine:

The next three piece of amazing bands and albums that totally conquered in 2014 are already waiting in the pipeline for you and be prepeared for some really big stuff aimed at ya.

No. # 7 - The return of the Metal Gods.

JUDAS PRIEST - "REDEEMER OF SOULS"

Tracklist:

(01.) "DRAGONAUT"

(02.) "REDEEMER OF SOULS"

(03.) "HALLS OF VALHALLA"

(04.) "SWORD OF DAMOCLES"

(05.) "MARCH OF THE DAMNED"

(06.) "DOWN IN FLAMES"

(07.) "HELL & BACK"

(08.) "COLD BLOODED"

(09.) "METALIZER"

(10.) "CROSSFIRE"

(11.) "SECRETS OF THE DEAD"

(12.) "BATTLE CRY"

(13.) "BEGINNING OF THE END"

Tracklist Bonus Disc Limited Edition:

(01.) "SNAKEBITE"

(02.) "TEARS OF BLOOD"

(03.) "CREATURES"

(04.) "BRING IT ON"

(05.) "NEVER FORGET"

A pretty controversial album discussed heavily by "true" Metalheads, so it seems, but thank the goods that I am not a "true" Metalhead or anything like this and so I care about anything but not what any sort of scene taste police thinks have to say and so I can simply and calmly enjoy enthusiastically a damn fantastic album delivered by a lifechanging band that I would have never ever expected to come, and if this should be really the farewell album of JUDAS PRIEST than they go with class and walk away with their honour intact. A fantastic album that you need to call your own.

No. # 8 - For those about to ROCK!!!

AC/DC - "ROCK OR BUST"

Tracklist:

(01.) "ROCK OR BUST"

(02.) "PLAY BALL"

(03.) "ROCK THE BLUES AWAY"

(04.) "MISS ADVENTURE"

(05.) "DOGS OF WAR"

(06.) "GOT SOME ROCK AND ROLL THUNDER"

(07.) "HARD TIMES"

(08.) "BAPTISM BY FIRE"

(09.) "ROCK THE HOUSE"

(10.) "SWEET CANDY"

(11.) "EMISSION CONTROL"

Already a real classic, and the by far strongest material since (over) two decades, since "THE RAZOR'S EDGE" and a real statement of this veterans.

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK, I SALUTE YOU!!!

No. # 9 - My Oxblood Stell Toes will get it right.

MURDERER'S ROW - "LIBERTY DENIED WORKING CLASS CRUCIFIED"

Tracklist:

(01.) "LIBERTY DENIED"

(02.) "LOOKIN' FOR AGGRO"

(03.) "WHITE COLLAR CRIME"

(04.) "OUR STRUGGLE"

(05.) "ALLEYWAY"

(06.) "SLUM NATION"

(07.) "FACTS OF LIFE"

(08.) "OXBLOOD STEEL TOES"

(09.) "WHEN THE DAY COMES"

(10.) "GIVE THE PAIN"

Incredible strong and mighty pure mayhem American Oi! Oi! Oi! Rock & Roll that rules supreme, and the definite best material delivered by this band so far - and this after they already also in the past never dissapointed me. This shit rules.

Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

Killers everywhere, the ranks ten to twelve:

Here it comes, the next three-piece of albums that I consider to be nothing but must-have releases that saw the light of day first in 2014.

No. # 10 - The Reaper's Return.

GRAVE DIGGER - "RETURN OF THE REAPER"

Tracklist:
(01.) "RETURN OF THE REAPER"

(02.) "HELL FUNERAL"

(03.) "WAR GOD"

(04.) "TATTOOED RIDER"

(05.) "RESURRECTION DAY"

(06.) "SEASON OF THE WITCH"

(07.) "ROAD RAGE KILLER"

(08.) "GRAVE DESECRATOR"

(09.) "SATAN'S HOST"

(10.) "DIA DE LOS MUERTOS"

(11.) "DEATH SMILES AT ALL OF US"

(12.) "NOTHING TO BELIEVE"

Tracklist Bonus Disc Limited Edition:

(01.) "THE EMPERORS DEATH" (New Bonus Song)

(02.) "REBEL OF DAMNATION" (New Bonus Song)

+ Live acoustic set:

(03.) "THE ROUND TABLE"

(04.) "THE DARK OF THE SUN"

(05.) "THE CURSE OF JAQUES"

(06.) "THE BALLAD OF MARY"

(07.) "THE LAST SUPPER"

(08.) "YESTERDAY"

(09.) "REBELLION"

(10.) "HEAVY METAL BREAKDOWN"

I'll make it short this time: Incredible strong Teutonic Heavy Metal, and also a really huge surprise, the best GRAVE DIGGER album since sort of two decades or so and just one hell of a ride.

No. # 11 - HARDCORE (still) lives!!!

MADBALL - "HARDCORE LIVES"

Tracklist:

(01.) "INTRO"

(02.) "HARDCORE LIVES"

(03.) "THE BALANCE"

(04.) "DOC. MARTEN STOMP"

(05.) "DNA"

(06.) "TRUE SCHOOL"

(07.) "THE HERE AND NOW"

(08.) "NOTHING TO ME"

(09.) "MY ARMOR"

(10.) "BEACON OF LIGHT"

(11.) "BORN STRONG"

(12.) "SPIRIT"

(13.) "MI PALABRA"

(14.) "NBNC"

(15.) "FOR THE JUDGED"

Bonus tracks limited edition:

(16.) "THE BEAST"

(17.) "SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2014"

Born strong right from the start, still delivering Doc. Marten stomps, it's in my DNA, this is the true school, you mean nothing to me and I belong to the here and now, I am the beast - and I will always spit on your grave.  

Hardcore still lives.

No. # 12 - London raised Holy Terror Hardcore V2.0.

DEAD MAN'S CHEST - "NEGATIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "HATELINE"

(02.) "KISS THE GROUND"

(03.) "WEIGHT OF DISRESPECT"

(04.) "LEFT ALONE"

(05.) "BRINGING IT BACK" (INTEGRITY-cover)

A breath-taking development, and we all should have an eye on with what this London Maniacs will come up next. Impressive statement of an album. You need to have it.

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

The final round, the ranks thirteen to fifteen:

The three final albums of 2014 that I consider to be must have releases, and so here we go for the final round of the best of the best of 2014.

No. # 13 - A journey through the empire of ghosts...

CALIBAN - "GHOST EMPIRE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "KING"

(02.) "CHAOS - CREATION"

(03.) "WOLVES AND RATS"

(04.) "NEBEL"

(05.) "I AM GHOST"

(06.) "DEVIL'S NIGHT"

(07.) "YOUR SONG"

(08.) "CRIES AND WHISPERS"

(09.) "GOOD MAN"

(10.) "I AM REBELLION"

(11.) "WHO WE ARE"

(12.) "MY VERTIGO"

Total killer and personally for me one of the biggest surprises in/for 2014. Awesome stuff!!!

No.# 14 - Now that's how I want "my" comebacks...!!!

RYKER'S - "HARD TO THE CORE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "THE WORLD AS I SEE IT TODAY"

(02.) "HARD TO THE CORE"

(03.) "CAN'T KILL A DREAM"

(04.) "TIME HEALS..."

(05.) "DIVIDED BY COLOURS"

(06.) "BORN TO FLY"

(07.) "SLAVE CRUEL WORLD"

(08.) "WORLD WIDE TRAP"

(09.) "..."

The RYKERS, the German and in general European Hardcore Silverbacks finally made their return after fourteen years of (more or less) silence, and from my point of view they did it right. A fucking damn great (and greater) album that you should call your own as a Hardcore Roughneck, and, of course, welcome back guys.

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

No. # 15 - The closing chapter.

UNEARTH - "WATCHERS OF RULE"

Tracklist:

(01.) "INTRO"

(02.) "THE SWARM"

(03.) "LIFETIME IN RUINS"

(04.) "FROM THE TOMBS OF FIVE BELOW"

(05.) "NEVER CEASE"

(06.) "TRAIL TO FIRE"

(07.) "TO THE GROUND"

(08.) "BURIAL LINES"

(09.) "BIRTH OF A LEGION"

(10.) "WATCHERS OF RULE"

A true masterpiece of an album, and this is the pure platinum essence of what Metalcore or Deathcore or maybe modern, progressive/technical challenging Metal in 2014/2015 and beyond should be all about: pure musical greatness (cultivated with first class premium lyrics). Highly recommended, UNEARTH are definitely back. Definitely!!!

Now that was 2014... more or less...

Okay folks, now that's it, that was my top ten, nah, my top fifteen list 2014 a.k.a. "MANSLAUGHTER's TREASURE BOX 2014", and all the fifteen chosen pearls you find in this list are high recommendations, so much should be clear, and now, before this post will finally coming to its closing lines I just give you a very short overview of other 2014 highlights that maybe didn't make it into my top fifteen list but that you should at least check out if not better get promptly also anyhow anyway soon, and so here's my very short overview of (only some/few) other high class 2014 releases, so check them out.

Maybe the best of the rest...

This albums now I will just name you in the form of a alphabetical organized list, without giving you the tracklist or writing (short) comments about them, just name them so that you know about them - and you know already that I really recommend this albums to you. 

If you want any further or deeper informations about them, like also in case of the top fifteen albums introduced or presented to you above, then just browse through the record reviews of 2014 or through the band name labels of the bands and albums you're interested in up here on this blog and read my original review articles on them that I did back then in 2014 over the distance of the whole year. 

And so now here we go, the closing lines of this post and finally also of 2014...

Make sure to check this gems out as well...

ACCEPT - "BLIND RAGE"

BORN FROM PAIN - "DANCE WITH THE DEVIL"

METAL INQUISITOR - "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS"

PLATZVERWEIS - "BIS DER VORHANG FÄLLT..."

SAVAGE MESSIAH - "THE FATEFUL DARK"

TRIBÜNAL - "HELPLESS"

Thanks for your time and interest.

And a very big THX in general to you the readers of this blog for keeping this going with your support, and also a veryTHX to all the bands, artists, and labels who send me their stuff for reviewing and promoting it. THX a lot guys.

And now that was 2014... really.

AGNOSTIC FRONT striking back in 2015.

Great news, one of the new records coming in 2015 to definitely look out for,

the brandnew AGNOSTIC FRONT album titled

"THE AMERICAN DREAM DIED", again brought to us via

the german "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS" label.

Release date North America: April, the 7th.

Release date Europe: April, the 4th.

Stay tuned for it, and I'm already damn excited!!!

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

Why...?!?

To all my friends and readers in France on this dark day...

KOMINTERN SECT - "TOUJOURS LE PREMIER"

On this day marked by coward murders in the name of a sick and fascist religion "of peace and humanity" and plotted by a fascist terrorist homicide attack in the heart of Paris my thoughts go out to the upright French people: Keep your head up, defend freedom of thoughts and expression, stand tall, stand proud, wave your flag high, remember the fallen, and never bow down and give in to the islamo-fascist pest. My thoughts go out to You!!!

This song's for you.

Stand tall, stand proud. Oi! /// Andy

Henry Rollins: ''I think about the meaning of pain. Pain is personal. It really belongs to the one feeling it. Probably the only thing that is your own. I like mine.''

Happy Birthday Malcom Young.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALCOM YOUNG, ALL THE BEST FROM GERMANY!!!

METAL INQUISITOR - "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS" ("An epic story of war and peace, we want the bastards on their bloody knees. Soldiers of fortune, the swords to feel, we give command now their skins to peel!'')

METAL INQUISITOR - "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS"
("MASSACRE RECORDS"; LP)
(Note 1: I have the limited edition on white vinyl in a great Gatefold-package - and this rules, oh yes!!!)
(Note 2: This album is also released on CD as well as on black vinyl - also as a Gatefold-LP.)

This album was in any way a very nice surprise that happened at the very end of 2014, and it happened really totally surprising. METAL INQUISITOR had so far always been a band that I always just knew by their name but I had never heard or listened to a record or even just a single song alone of them so far, and so I had not a single little clue that this very album here, their newest strike titled "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS", even exists - untill the changing of the years 2014/2015 happened and my girlfriend and I together with a bunch of our very good friends celebrated this happening in the city of Braunschweig and our first destination was the Metal'n'Punk'n'Rock & Roll bar of the name of "KLAUE" (a damn cool and very sympathic through and through Rock & Roll Hellhole that you should stop by when you're on a trip to Braunschweig, great guys and a cool location and first class musick non stopp - and also very fair and low prices and this combined with strong drinks) and there we participated just for fun (and because one of our group aimed at winning as many alcohol-shots as only possible, hehehehe...;-)............) in a raffle/tombola and we've all won really a damn lot of different cool stuff, and my main-price, if you want so, was this album on white vinyl coming in a drop-dead gorgeous Gatefold-package/artwork, and what shall I say, the next day after my girfriend and I finally enjoyed the more than well-deserved sleep of the righteous ones at home I used to put this LP on rotation and it should very soon been set on heavy rotation by me - and so and there it remained so far untill now: on heavy rotation. This is really just a total ruling surprise, and this like already written in pretty much every way, and I start to think more and more that it maybe was a huge mistake that METAL INQUISITOR had always never been on my radar so far which means untill now... anyhow... finally this changed, yes, oh hell yeahr. Just by looking at the bandname and the (damn great Gatefold) artwork I think there's no need to discuss what we have here, because: Heavy fuckin' Metal is the order here and now!!! This is damn great NWOBHM of very, very high quality, of damn great quality, and when you listen to the album and the LP spins its rounds you right from the start realize that this is through and through honest, authentic, and heartfelt music full of passion, heart, and soul and it's all also damn fresh and exciting done, so don't ever come up with any retro or vintage or any bullshit like this, because this simply misses the point, it misses this band and album. This is strong, powerful, fresh and high classed, old school kept but totally up-to-date played and done Heavy Metal with a strong british stamp on it with some few teutonic Heavy Metal marks in it as well, to be located somewhere between IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST on the one side, and some RUNNING WILD and maybe ACCEPT on the other side with here and there some great BLACK SABBATH (to there DIO days) and (of course also) DIO notes thrown in the mix for pure excitment as well, and the outcome is one hell of a great grapping and forceful, exciting and glorious and damn stand-alone Heavy Metal Hellride with a very own character and that's just incredible strong chaining-you-up while listening to it, hell yeah', and trust me, this songs will make your fists raise to the air, your throat shout out loud, and your head bang fuckin' hard right from the start in sort of an automatic way, it's just great. Expect fiery guitars, furious galloping drums, rumbling bass work, and fantastic and also damn charismatic vocals, thundering rhythms, great song architectures, strong arranged verses and mighty refrains and truckloads full of great ideas and nice surprises, especially the guitar department delivers one goody after another and offers a very inspirated as well as also inspirating riffing and also especially lead and solo playing without end. It seems that a lot of guys outta there miss straight-up hymns on this album, hm, but this is a problem that I simply can't see or hear, so forget about it. If Side B would not be a little bit weaker than its counterpart this album would be just fantastic, but also so it's a incredible great album and one of the most sympathic, authentic, and just straight-up great (traditional) Metal albums of our days. We also get cool and strong lyrics, a true bomb of a production sound, and a drop-dead gorgeous and ruling artwork. My favorites are nearly all five songs on Side A, "CONFESSION SAVES BLOOD", "BURN THEM ALL", "CALL THE BANNERS" (the absolute über-hymn!!!), and "BOUNDED SURFACE", as well as "DEATH ON DEMAND", "SERVANT OF STATE", and the true bright shining and high rising star of an epic Heavy Metal song titled "SECOND PEACE OF THORN" on the B Side, so maybe start your discovery of "ULTIMA RATIO REGIS" with this gems, even the few not mentioned songs come in close behind. Ah, and just for the record, here are really skilled musicians at work that also know how to write damn fucking great songs, just to point that out clearly one last time more. So, okay, I think I've wrote it all down for you, so now it's up to you, I can only recommend this album to you and this very high and very strong, so just go out and buy it if you ask me what you now should do, period. And never forget and so always do so: Bang that head that doesn't bang, go!!! /// Andy

(Rating: 9 of 10 points)

(Band-Homepage: http://www.metalinquisitor.de/ - Just copy this link into the headline of a new browser-tab and then just go there promptly.)

BORN FROM PAIN - "WARFARE" ("This is the sound of survival. This is the sound of the truth. This is your world coming down on you.'')

BORN FROM PAIN - "WARFARE"
("REAPER RECORDS"; 7'')
(Running time: Five songs in sort of around ten minutes - or so...)
(Note: Released already back then in 2008 and on black vinyl under license to "METAL BLADE RECORDS".)

Review: Here and now comes a review on an already a little bit older release, the five song(s) 7'' EP "WARFARE" by the Hardcore Roughnecks of BORN FROM PAIN - released on black vinyl via "REAPER RECORDS" (under license to "METAL BLADE RECORDS") already back then in 2008, but after I just got my hands on it a few short weeks ago at the BORN FROM PAIN show that I attended back then my review on it is now coming up anyhow. Their current and more or less pretty much still brandnew album is a pure bomb and was reviewed by me up here just sort of a few days ago or so, and here's an older release of them that should, if I am now not totally in the wrong, date back to their "WAR" album days and should feature songs you can otherwise (maybe?) more or less find on this album, so I think, and like I wrote in the review on their current release "DANCE WITH THE DEVIL" I was never that much of a big fan of them - something that they've changed drastically with their new smasher - so excuse me when I am not all that correct with all the "WAR" dingle-dangle. Anyhow, here we get five songs at all that run on 33rpm and this for around ten to twelve minutes at all or something like this, the songs carry the titles of "SOUND OF SURVIVAL", "STATE OF MIND" (both on Side A), "SONS OF A DYING WORLD", "THE WOLVES ARE LOOSE", and "ZEITGEIST" (all on Side B), and this is or better was all done with their different singer that did his duties so far before with "DANCE WITH THE DEVIL" their original singer returned to BORN FORM PAIN, if I am now not (maybe again?) totally wrong, and the difference is pretty significant, because the higher pitched more screamed lead vocal shoutings on this very one here vary pretty much and give this songs a pretty different and own character in comparision with their newest offspring - and to be honest: The new BORN FROM PAIN material is simply so much stronger and more supreme compared to/with what they've done before like for example back then in 2008 here on their "WARFARE" 7'', and this not only because of the change at the microphone (but also because of it, at least a bit, as well). The style of the music is not so really different one, it was and is metallic and moshy no holds barred Hardcore for fans of bands like HATEBREED and FINAL PRAYER, to just name this two ones, and it is respectively was anyhow a decent deliverey by them also back then, no doubt about it, but miles away from their newest bomb and simply all in all not demanding and just not sharp and heavy, not stunning and not smashing enough - and also too much sort of just a stereotype of this certain style of up-to-date Hardcore music that lacked too much of an own identity and was just too exchangable (especially compared with what they delievered today) and also it lacked too much fresh ideas and interesting arrangements, the songwriting was just too much average and also pretty much similiar within each song. Beside this the guitars were also back then crushing and slashing, the drums marched and rolled like tanks over the fields, the bass roared mean and grim in the back, the vocals shouted and spitted rage and hate and disgust into the face of this plutocratic world, and the widescreen gang shoutings anyhow raised hell, all without a doubt. But it was simply, like already said, all too much stereotype and with this a little bit too lame and stale - and this also back then, that's why I never was such a big fan before - to be in the end more than just a solid good delivery. Same counts for the ambitious but pretty much cliché more or less political lyrics, while the artwork and the production sound had anyhow been pretty good and really strong works anyway. So, with all this said, if you are a vinyl collector and a BORN FROM PAIN die-hard fan and a through and through fan of above mentioned Hardcore style and you should still don't have this 7'' and you see it somewhere for a good price then grab and buy one - or risk an ear anyhow on it - but in the end you better save your money anyway and make sure to get a copy of their newest one "DANCE WITH THE DEVIL" - that's by far more important and miles ahead of what they've done before like for example on this 7'' EP vinyl disc. Best song and this means by far the best song on this one is without a doubt the mighty "SONS OF A DYING WORLD", the song on this little album that really sticks out, especially due to its grapping lead work and its overwhelming rhythm structure. The rest is solid and good stuff, but nothing you anyhow should or would desperately need as a part of your collection - even it's anyhow a really nice completion of your collection I guess. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!! /// Andy

(Rating: 7 of 10 points)

(Band Homepage: http://www.bornfrompain.com/ - Just copy the link into the headline of a new browser-tab and then just go there.)

(Label Homepage: http://www.reaper-records.com/ - Just copy the link into the headline of a new browser-tab and then just go there.)
Update: Okay, did some researches, more or less by accident because "Prometheus" turned out to be a pretty crappy movie and so I found myself reading in the current "FUZE" magazine issues a current BORN FROM PAIN interview while the movie more and more just played in the background, so let me correct the passages where I was wrong: First their "new" and still current singer isn't their original singer or what-ever but "just" their "new" singer and their former bass player, so it seems, and he's on board as their singer since their album "SURVIVAL" and it seems that this EP, "WARFARE", was sort of a single of or for their "SURVIVAL" album - and I'm glad to see or better: hear how strong the vocals had developed since then, and the same is to say about the lyrics... and in general about the songwriting!!! Like I've said, before "DANCE WITH THE DEVIL" was released I never was sort of a fan or just really interested in BORN FROM PAIN, and so I'm sorry and I hope you excuse my mistakes that should be now all corrected. Okay, and I think this had been all mistakes that needed to be corrected and so I did, and so now I can finally go to bed and sleep well and calm. Good night and sleep well, more up here soon.

CADILLAC TRAMPS - "HOODOO GURU"

CADILLAC TRAMPS - "HOODOO GURU"

Just a little bit of Horror-Party Rock & Roll late at night and then that's it already again for now.

Cheers & rock'n'shock fuckin' hard ;-) ...!!! /// Andy

Trooper honour, when duty is calling... always stand your ground.

I simply love this picture, period. 

Obey the order of the Empire.

METHOD OF PROOF - "TRUTHSEEKER" ("When it's time to throw the masks away you are all gone. You are nothing. Nothing but an empty shell. You mean nothing to me. You're more worse than a real enemy.'')

METHOD OF PROOF - "TRUTHSEEKER"
("MIND CONTROL RECORDS"; 7'')
(Running time: 4 songs in around 10 minutes.)
(Note: It comes on black vinyl, don't ask me if there are or were maybe also any limited editions on colored vinyl out, I would say no, but who am I... but also I don't really care for it.)

Review: I bought this little 7'' sort of two or three weeks ago at the BORN FROM PAIN show I was at by the end of 2014, METHOD OF PROOF played there as one of three support acts - and they had been the only support band that convinced me with their music (more) and live performance (less), and so I bought their current 7'' EP titled "TRUTHSEEKER" (and it was also for just 5,00 Euros pretty cheap, so I couldn't make that much of a mistake with buying it), released via the to me so far new label "MIND CONTROL RECORDS" and I think it was released maybe some time in 2014 (but after the band and the label were unknown to me before and the artwork gives no year date I am not 100% sure, but I really think so - even I also don't feel the need to google for this here and now, sorry... not really... - , anyhow). So, okay, enough of the introducing dingle-dangle small talk stuff, now right and straight into the action, yes, so here we go: METHOD OF PROOF are a german Hardcore band from Saxonia that play sort of a New Old School Hardcore with some Metal ingredients in it that is maybe best to be located somewhere between BACKTRACK (also especially due to the pretty similiar lead vocals) as well as older TERROR and some very few MERAUDER impressions as well, even METHOD OF PROOF really don't come even just close to the named ones, not at least because they so far still simply lack the skills, the ideas, and just the quality as well as the attitude, and this is to say about their studio delivery here as well as about their live performance - and why everyone is talking about a what-so-ever BIOHAZARD influence is something I'll probably never ever understand because like BIOHAZARD or inspired or influenced by BIOHAZARD sounds here not a single little bit. But before this all now sounds too harsh, this is all at the end of the day a pretty good and a real solid release of metallic thrashing New Old School Hardcore especially for the fans of current bands like BACKTRACK and/or TERROR (even METHOD OF PROOF seem to have always the grip brake in use) full of harsh sawing heavy guitars, dry throated hard lead vocal shoutings, loud crew back up chants, powerful punching drumming, buzzing bass work, and heavy grooves here and there loosen up by some down paced parts as well as some up tempo moments and all the time the direction is straight "Mosh!!! Mosh!!! Mosh!!!" - METHOD OF PROOF showcase a lot of potential and pretty good and strong basic approaches but so far they don't take it further on the next needed steps and also I miss basically every own identity, so okay, let us see with what they will come up next time around. The stereotyped boring up-to-date artwork looks totally like Hipster "Hardcore", and the lyrics also go in this direction with their ''truth-seeking'' (uhm...) childish desolate and naive negative direction... I'm too old for this stuff and so I'll spare me and you here and now every word more about it... while the production sound is pretty heavy and smashing, so thumbs up for it. So all in all here we do have a young band with surely a lot of potential, let's hope they showcase and especially proof more of this the next time around - if you have the chance and can see them live somewhere near you then give them the chance and go there, even their singer/frontman acts too shy up on stage they deliver a decent performance, at least as long as not half of the band (if not even more) stand and play their songs with their backs to the audience... A solid release - and nothing more; and so is the outcome up here, like their output, yes - and nothing more... HARDCORE!!! FIST!!! /// Andy
(Rating: 7 of 10 points)
(Bandsite: http://methodofproofinc.bandcamp.com/album/truthseeker - Just copy the link into the headline of a new browser-tab and then just go there.)
(Labelsite: http://epdmc.com/Mind-Control-Records - Again: just copy the link into the headline of a new browser-tab and then just go there.)

SLIPKNOT - ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" ("I can't believe I'm saying this: I'll live with my regrets. I'll die by my decisions. I'm not your fucking superstar. Keep it close - you're going way too far. NO ONE IS BULLETPROOF!")

SLIPKNOT - ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER"
("ROADRUNNER RECORDS"; CD)
(Release year: 2014 - by the end of the year.)
(Running time: 17 songs in 73:47 minutes.)
(Note: The album is also released in a limited extra-fat digi-packaged CD version, I just have the normal CD release version - and so my review is based on this "normal edition", just that you know it.)

Review: Hey folks, happy 2015 finally to everyone. I hope you enjoyed the changing of the years and I hope even more that 2015 will be for all of us a good year; let's work on it. - Okay, now back to business up here. I am still a little bit behind my schedule, but this time really only a lit bit. If we count this album and this very review it's all about here and now still with then it's just three or four albums that I still need to review up here to, if you want so, really finish 2014 also up here. I originally planned to get it all still done last month which would have meant still in 2014 but time simply went through my hands too fast and it was also maybe still sort of too much to do up here and so now, if you want so, we'll work up here through the rest of 2014 so far before then maybe today or tomorrow or Sunday or sort of this finally also my review or retrospection on it which means 2014 will also come up here. You know that I simply need to get worked through my planned working schedule first before I do this retrospection thing, the old "Monk" story up here, but this time I am still pretty good in time, at least I think so, and so now here we go: 

Starting with the work-through of the remaining records on the field we will here and now do, and starting we are with the current new SLIPKNOT album ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" released again via "ROADRUNNER RECORDS" by the end of 2014, so you see: all in all really not so long ago, and what shall I say: SLIPKNOT are or better were - and I mean always were- a band I usually was never that much into, their self-titled album "SLIPKNOT" was, in my book, always heavily overrated, surely it never was and definitely is a really bad album or a weak album or anything like this and it surely had some biggies on it that also mostly still conquer today but all in all it was nothing less than a solid release and not really so much more, at least in my book, okay, beside the very smart promo-marketing-image concept with all the masks, the overalls, the psycho stuff, and all this Maggot Corps thing back then going on. Then "IOWA" happened and bombed just right through every walls or resistance and especially "LEFT BEHIND" was and still is a larger than life anthem of a song and so far it definitely was their strongest work, followed by "VOL. 3: THE SUBLIMINAL VERSES" that was anyhow a damn good album with some major league hits on it but also a little bit too much just sort of average stuff, hm, and after this album I lost SLIPKNOT more and more and then totally out of sight, also because their so far last studio album "ALL HOPE IS GONE" failed to anyhow really convince me (and it fails on still so far), and all the bad luck and member-changing I only got aware of a little bit because of the Internet and so on, hm, and so I won't go into it, instead of this I will just focuss on ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER", because - to be honest - that's all what's important to me.

Okay, the passage right above should have made clear that even I always sort of liked SLIPKNOT and never ever understood all the dumbass haters outta there I never was that much of a big fan of them or so, but still I was heavily curious to finally listen to their new album and get my hands on it, don't ask me how this came to happen, but it was right from the start like ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" sort of talked to me - and my impression or feeling didn't lead me wrong with it, hell no. It lead me to the exact opposite, and in this case this means: to one hell of an album of one of a kind. SLIPKNOT had always been a band to which the cataloging as New Metal or Nu Metal never fitted, with all the KORN's, COAL CHAMBER's, LIMP BIZKIT's, P.O.D.'s, LINKIN' PARKS's, CRAZY TOWN's, ORGY's, ILL NINO's, and so on and on they never really had that much in common - beside the fact that they also played a sort of a (very) modern interpretation of Metal (but a pretty different one to the mentioned bands and their styles'n'sounds, and also a pretty different one than the whole Nu Metal genre in general) and that they got big pretty much at the same time back then at the end of the 1990's and the beginning of the 2000's, hm, but then that're more or less pretty much all similarities after all so far. Anyhow, in 2014 with ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" they released what is, at least or better: especially in my book, their by far very best album to date and also an album that is simply nothing else than incredible close to being perfect, yes, and that's it: one incredible hell of an album. It happens so much on it, in the songs, in each single song, and still we talk about real and flowing and also even more through and through amazing and awesome songs and not about any self-proclaimed ''proggy'' dingle-dangle tired bullshit crap, yes, it's just nothing-else or -less than phenomenal. And it's also straight and easy to say that SLIPKNOT also in 2014 play(ed) a style totally of their very, very own, so don't expect me to come up with any bandnames to compare them or ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" with. In the whole own cosmos or context of SLIPKNOT as a band of its own and placed or positioned to their precursor works then ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" can best be found somewhere between their from my point of view so far best albums "IOWA" and "VOL. 3: THE SUBLIMINAL VERSES", it's to be located somewhere between the bonecracking, headsmashing, and bloodthirsty brutality and harsh heavyness of the "IOWA" slasher and the twisted great melodic and sinister symphonic approach of the "VOL. 3: THE SUBLIMINAL VERSES" album, and it works also a lot of shredding and ripping parts into it all that have a strong traditional (Thrash and Death) Metal approach, just listen well and with attention to the album and you will get more than just one. Beside this it offers a strong own identity and a really unique character that makes it an album totally of its own. It's also great to see or better: hear SLIPKNOT going on an all out attack and offering and delivering one hell of an inspirational as well as inspirated ride through extreme modern (Metal) music with a stand-alone own character and of absolutely stand-alone quality and an album that's packed up full with so many masterly or majestic riffs, grooves, rhythms, varying paces, energy and totally breath-taking dynamics, twists-and-turns in the songwriting, demanding and challenging and also surprising moments and happenings in every song, fuckin' larger than life song architectures, and so many ideas of which other bands would make sort of ten albums out of - if they should ever had just anyhow only slightly so many ideas and inspiration - and this alone maybe wouldn't be that amazing after all but they create out of all this one brilliant album that's totally in the flow, I mean you won't find any hurting breaks, no blank spaces, no negative disruptive pieces, none of that or what the hell else ever, hell no, definitely not, this gyus are master-musicians as well as master-songwriters, all with brain and smart- and cleverness, but at the same time with at least exactly the same amount of nothing but heart, soul, and passion - and love, love for what they do and create. The album is definitely marked by it's incredible multi-layered and diverse character, every song alone is so full of fantastic together and into one flowing stream of just genius-like creativity accumulating brilliant music, driven forward and fired up by just mouth-opening high skilled competencies, the just phenomenal playing with different emotions/moods and also especially dynamics - loud/silent, raging/suffering, harming/self-mutilating, hard/soft, brutal /bitter-sweet, aggressive eruptive and offending/secluded withdrawn in desperation, bellicose/violative, harsh/subtle, etc. pp. - as well as tricky, proggy, and thoughtful rhythm structuring and bursting eruptive as well as sweet flowing song architectures, and it's all just nothing else or less than some of the purest and most precious musical platinun you can only get (from) where-ever - you find it all here on ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" delivered by the phenomenon known as SLIPKNOT. And the energy level is all the time just sheer full force while also the atmosphere is over all the distance completly intense, tight, thick, and just sheer overmastering everyone and everything, taking aboslutely no prisoners. And simply totally unique stuff'n'ideas like for example the PINK FLOYD citation at the very beginning of "SARCASTROPHE" then are just the crowning elements of it all. To what I also only can bow down is how outstanding the attitude or maybe better the spirit of this album is, I mean a more sinister and dark, brutal and aggressive, heavy and really sick and psychotic twisted, in short: extreme album you won't find so soon, no matter where you look and search for it, but still somehow SLIPKNOT get it done that this whole album, every single song but also the entireness of ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER", has a positive core buried deep down inside, shining dirty and dark, but it's there, don't ask me how they did it and don't plead me to describe it more precise, just trust me when I say that it is there, just go and listen and search for it - it's a long and intense hard ride but it will definitely and totally be worth every second it takes so go and listen and search and feel for it, it's one of the greatest happenings in music in and I am pretty sure also for years to come, so go and take some time and then play it loud and allow yourself to sink into it all, and grant yourself the pleasure to sink really, really deep into it all, really deep.

The biggest marking elements of the album - beside the above mentioned just breath-taking awesome and amazing songwriting and the just phenomenal high skills of the guys in SLIPKNOT - are definitely the lead vocals, at least do they have to be named first, from my point of view. Just a total stand-alone and incredible bright shining effort and delivery, full of honest emotions and heart, soul, and passion and high, high skilled, adding whole complete levels to the multi-layered and diverse and just shining - dark, but bright - character of ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER", spanning over a wide distance of hard and aggressive, brutal and rough, deep throated and here and there in short and few moments also slightly guttural shoutings over sick and insane suffering more screamed vocals to fantastic clean sung strong and oratorical real singing and ending at great sort of more spoken than sung, suffocating and suffering whisperings, and all done just totally brilliant. Definitely one of the best and strongest and most intense singers around, no matter what music-genre we may look at, point and fact. Then we have the just eyes and ears opening diverse and simply completly majestic guitar work that's simply some of the best stuff delivered in the world of extreme (Metal) music, backed up by the massive and just totally awesome rhythm section and it's this very rhythm section that also add a very strong and truly damn cool Hardcore punch to the songs what's a true enrichment of the music of SLIPKNOT. But that's still not all, because we still have fantastic percussions, and "samplerings" and scratchings over all the time and this is all thankfully this time maybe for the first time ever really heavily present and that's just more than "only" great - and definitely (also) a merit of the strong transparent and clear, yet heavy and just simply stunning and crushing production sound that's maybe for the first time ever in the history of SLIPKNOT free and rid of any limitations, because on earlier releases I always thought or to me it always felt like especially the drumming, no matter how great it was and it was always just totally fantastic (and that's it also still today or again today, just btw, on the exact same level of quality but with a strong own note to it), were by far too present in the production sounds of the earlier albums, something that especially the percussions as well as the scratch'n'sample-work always had to suffer under by far the most, and this is something that for fuck's sake is here no more, yes, and I love it... period.  Beside the fantastic music and the great production sound SLIPKNOT offer us on ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" also just brilliant thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics that are nothing but a perfect match to the songs and the atmoshere and spirit of the album and so really benefit it all drastically, as well as also a just fantastic sinister shining dark beautiful artwork and so I just have to say that this album is not "just" the complete package or the real deal but that it's definitely as close to being perfect as music only can get. It's just brilliant and incredible phenomenal, I damn fucking love it!!! It's just a total statement...

... and, okay, honestly I think the review is no already by far long enough and I thank you for reading and keeping up (with) your attention, and so I will now coming to the closing lines of it and I will close it with just pointing out that SLIPKNOT's new offspring ".5: THE GRAY CHAPTER" is one of the top five albums of 2014 and will definitely be a everything over- or out-shining reference masterpiece of music and art for years to come, and if you are into extreme and intense (and also heavily emotional and atmospheric, but expect no cheap cliché crap garbage) music you simply just need to have it, otherwise you will or would miss one of the most perfected albums you ever can only get your hands on, one of the most musical-rich albums ever outta there. And so, by any means, if you still don't call it your own then go out, move your ass, hurry the fuck up, and buy it, buy it asap, period. /// Andy
(Rating: 10 of 10 points)
(Homepage: http://www.slipknot1.com/ - Just copy the link into the headline of a new browser-tab and then go there.)

SLIPKNOT - "THE DEVIL IN I" (Official Clip)

SLIPKNOT - "THE NEGATIVE ONE" (Official Clip)