Hey guys, here it is, the final record-review-post for 2017 and this time I thought why not finally do it on the pretty much very first 2017 release that I bought in 2017 (if I do remember it now correctly) and so now here finally comes my review on the current new album of the almightyDROPKICK MURPHYS that carries the title "11 SHORT STORIES OF PAIN & GLORY" and that was released at the pretty much early beginning of 2017 via "BORN & BRED RECORDS". So, yes, if you know me personally or if you know about me through being a reader of this very blog here now for already a little bit longer than you know that the DROPKICK MURPHYS are since the glory days of their "DO OR DIE" debut an absolute favourite of mine and of highest importance for me, hell yeahr, and so when "11 SHORT STORIES OF PAIN & GLORY" finally was released at the beginning of this now already almost gone'n'over year I was damn fucking excited and curious and I stormed the record store and took it with me - and it totally conquered me one more time again, yes, and I mean itTOTALLY CONQUERED. For sure the DROPKICK MURPHYS aren't doing anything revolutionary new on here but why should they and also their delivery is absolutely top notch again and it's so fresh and alive/lively with the typical unique DROPKICK MURPHYS identity and character and still with exciting twists'n'turns all along the ride and much or better highly grapping arrangements (like for example theCountryimpressions in the arrangements and the delivery of the verses of "FIRST CLASS LOSER") and an even stronger than before BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN inspired Rock and Rock & Roll influence while still staying true to their Punkrock/Streetpunk and also even to their Oi! roots, yes, and that "11 SHORT STORIES OF PAIN & GLORY" is completly filled with Celtic/Irish Folk elements should be clear and should also need no further explanations anyhow anyway here and now. The songwritiung is one more time again highest skilled and nicely diverse while strongly vayring and offering as one central focus point anthemic arranged verses and even more outstanding hymnal sing-a-long refrains that always deliver an incredible amount of exploding energy, honest passion, and heartfelt power and that never get stale or lame. All is delivered by hard rocking and yet very melodic and play- as well as soulful delivered guitars and a rich Irish Folk instrumentation and both elements mark the music and songs heavily, yes, and the same is to say about the fantastic and incredible charismatic shared lead vocals that are also massively enriched and backed up by loud'n'proud crew chants. Then there's the tight and to the point played rhythm section that only adds up to the massive quality of the songs and the music. Great, strong, and outspoken lyrics, a pretty cool artwork, and a fantastic warm and organic production sound finally round it all up. To give you any personal favorites would make no real sense, after all the songs are of the same highest quality grade, yes, and so I spare me any more words. This is one of the very, very best releases that this year came out and this now from january 2017 on, and still going strong. And like the lyrics so's the music, one of the most powerful albums I've heard this year and also in years (and probably also for years). So, yes, I think that's it all, and so if you really should still not have it then by any means change this as soon as possible. Yes, and then that's it for 2017 and we'll read us next year again. I wish you all a great 'year-change' and then untill 2018. Cheers & Oi!
(10 of 10 points)
http://www.dropkickmurphys.com/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)
DROPKICK MURPHYS - "BLOOD" (2017, "11 SHORT STORIES OF PAIN & GLORY")
Okay, next round is already coming up, yes, a late night post and surely pretty much one of the final posts for/of this very year that's about to pass us finally by in a couple of days or sort of so, yes, and so, definitely, be prepared for at least ten to twelve (new) record-reviews on 2017 releases to still come up in january of 2018, for sure, and so now straight onward into this very record-review here (and now) that will be all about the brandnew full-length-album of/by the veteranFrenchHeavy MetalpowerhouseLONEWOLF that carries the name of "RAISED ON METAL" and was released at the 22nd of september of 2017 via the german veteran label of "MASSACRE RECORDS". So, okay, tell me what do the bandname and the recordtitle say to you? Or better: Scream at you? Right:Metal! Heavy Metal! And an incredible powerful and smashing, rousing and hymnal Heavy MetalLONEWOLF hammer into our ears with strong teutonic influences and there I simply must (...have to...) name the almighty and larger than lifeRUNNING WILD and the ever-strong-and-great-goingGRAVE DIGGER as strong influences (or so it seems) of LONEWOLF and so the impression is maybe right'n'correct that they have taken their bandname from the old gloriousRUNNING WILDhymn of the same name. Anyhow... it's late and with all the record-reviews I've done so far this very month... I'm sort of overworked record-reviews-wise currently... damn it... and so I'll try to keep this very one here and now pretty short (at least for my standards), yes, and so enough of the introducing smalltalk and finally straight into the action one more time again up here: This is sheer fantastic and overwhelming forceful and just totally realHeavy Metal of the highest quality-grade that's marching unbowed and proud and strong to war and into battle filled with no prisoners taking energy and outbursting power, conquering with stomping and nicely varying rhythms and smart arrangements of the verses as well as the refrains and also with a strong and diverse pace work and no matter if in fast raging pace or smashing up tempo songs or devastating marching loud'n'proud mid pace anthems LONEWOLF deliver it all and they conquer with it all and this also even more because, yes, the whole album is interwoven by/with a tight and strong atmosphere and the intensity is all the time very, very high. The biggest marking element is without a doubt the outstanding guitar work that delivers killerriffs without end and shines with a full force rhythm work as well as and especially with the singing and shining leads and the amazing solos, yes, this is pure platinum and also damn high skilled. Then there are the harsh and still melodic sung slightly throaty and very 'full' vocals that in their delivery only add up to the immense hymnal character and potential of the songs on "RAISED ON METAL". The thundering rhythm section then backs it all finally up with adding tons of beefy and bulky quality meat to the bones of LONEWOLF's "RAISED ON METAL", yes, and this for all the damn right reasons. And also, only to point this out a bit more precise, all is very hymnal and anthemic and catchy without being 'poppy' and without becoming lame or stale, yes, so just that you know that. Absolutely first class and very rousing songwriting we get as well and all is delivered by high skilled musicians that exactly know what they do and have to do. Great battle-scarredMetal lyrics, a gorgeous artwork, and a loud and heavy production sound then round it all up in the way of a perfect match. Surely here's nothing anyhow 'invented new' but who cares as long as it is all delivered in such an absoultely first class way like here by LONEWOLF on their "RAISED ON METAL" titled greatness set toHeavy Metalmusic and due to the sheer heavyness and highly sinister-atmospeheric intensity while still all the time being incredible strongly rousing and hymnal and also due to the very rough vocals LONEWOLF own also a lot of an own strong and very charismatic identity, yes, and this also for all the right reasons (so to say). My personal favorites are "UNLEASH THE WOLF", "SOULS OF BLACK", "THROUGH FIRE, ICE AND BLOOD", "RAISED ON METAL", "FLIGHT 19", "NO GOD, NO MASTER", "DARK WORLD ORDER", and the two bonus songs (I have the limited version that's offering two bonus songs) "SWANSONG" and "DEMON'S CALL", yes, but don't make the mistake of thinking the (anyhow only few) not mentioned songs would be anyhow 'weak shitty stuff' or so because hell no definitely not. This is a through and through great album and maybe just cut "EVIL" (but just maybe...) and give the bass a little bit more room in the production sound and it would get an even better rating up here by me but also so this is an damn impressive and amazing and just totally great album that you simply need to have when you're a Heavy Metal fan, point and fact.
(9 of 10 points)
http://www.wolfdivision.com/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)
LONEWOLF - "THROUGH FIRE, ICE AND BLOOD" (2017, "RAISED ON METAL")
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - "NIGHTBRINGERS"
(Running time: 49:18 minutes; 14 songs)
("Metal Blade Records"; 2017; CD):
Hey guys, okay, time to give you some new stuff to read up here again and so here now comes the next dose for you which means the next record-review by me for you and this time it will be all about the (brand)new THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER full-length-album "NIGHTBRINGERS" released at the 6th of october of this very year of 2017 via the mighty "METAL BLADE RECORDS" label. THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER were always pretty to very much under my radar-screen because somehow they never really (sort of...) 'spoke to me' so far and so their newest release "NIGHTBRINGERS", which is their 'all-in-all' already 8th studio-full-length-album, is my real first 'meeting' with them. I have the limited edition that comes in an absoultely amazing artwork and that features five bonus tracks of which two are live recordings of (I would guess...) older songs of/by/from them ("ABYSMAL" and "WHEN THE LAST GRAVE HAS EMPTIED") and two cover versions, one of AT THE GATES' "THE SWARM" and one of CARCASS' "THIS MORTAL COIL" and these two cover-tunes point pretty much in the right direction of what THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER give us music-wise: MelodicDeath Metal, hyper-aggressive and 'technically' truly high-skilled, and with a modern touch to it all that will surely make them more than only a little bit like-able for all you Metalcore and Deathcore fans outta there. (Btw, the 'normal' version crosses the finishing line in about 33 minutes or so.) This never was and still isn't that much 'my thing' and so... hm... so where or how to start... maybe here and so: Like already said this is truly and through and through hyper-aggressive and filled on and on with a forceful guitar work that delivers so damn sharp cutting, precise slaying, and mercylessly slashing, damn heavy guitar riffing and such headcracking rhythm work that you mostly instantly start to bang your head, yes, and where the guitars really shine is when it comes to the delivered highly melodic leads and the absoultely amazing solos, oh hell yeahr, and there's no need of any further mentioning of how strong and also of how heavily marking the guitars are for the songs and the music of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. Pretty much the same (when it comes to being heavily marking for the songs of the music of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER) is to say when we talk about the high pitched, hysterical, diabolical, and just also hyper-aggressive screamed lead vocals that sometimes change to deep and dark guttural grunts but mostly settle in the mentioned territory of the very harsh delivered screams and that are by any means also pure aggression set to music and that deliver an nearly if not sheer incredible amount of lyrics in/with/through the all-in-all anyhow anyway not that long songs; and that also mark the songs heavily. All is then backed up by a very tight and precise and stunningly heavy rhythm section. The songwriting is also pretty to very strong and definitely far above average and delivers truckloads of energetic rhythm work, dynamic pace changings, and a pretty intense atmosphere pretty much all the time; and that the guys in/of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER are really high skilled musicians should need no further explanation here and now anyhow anyway. All in all THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's "NIGHTBRINGERS" I would locate on a pretty self-contained position somewhere between AT THE GATES (think of their larger than life masterpiece "SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL"), CARCASS (think of their groundbreaking "HEARTWORK" masterpiece), some modernMetalcore and Deathcore somewhere between acts like HEAVEN SHALL BURN and ABHORRENT DECIMATION, as well as some up-to-datepseudoDeath Metal like ARCH ENEMY, yes, I think somewhere between this bands and styles and influences you should find THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and their "NIGHTBRINGERS" and you should find them pretty quick (and also surely pretty strong). The only problem that I have with this album or maybe sort of with this band and album and that certain style of music, hm, I miss a special flavour and really exciting moments because at the end it is all pretty equal to one another (song- and also band-wise in general) and that's also here the case; but maybe that's just me and it's anyhow surely a matter of personal preferences but just that you know mine and don't wonder why my final rating on it is or will be how it is/will be. But this a more general problem I have with this Modern Melodic Death Metal'n'Metalcore'n'Deathcore stuff and this out of the way a particular problem with "NIGHTBRINGERS" is definitely that the songs are too short and offer in that short space'n'time simply (but definitely) far too much lyrics so that the songs are far too damn often simply too 'overloaded' and the music itself is put too often in the background and sort of 'sinks down under/beneath the words' and also so-this-way it turns out to be that the songs simply again'n'again are a overly hectic and stressful affair (and not the good way of being 'hectic'n'stressy' which means demanding and challenging... but instead of this from time to time quite annoying)... damn it, I mean:longer songs or less words - one of it would have been the golden way, definitely. Also I would wish, like already mentioned a few passages above, that the songs as single songs would have a stronger own identity because (also, at least if you ask me, due to being 'overflooded by the lyrics') for my personal taste the songs sound too often too equal... but maybe that's just and nothing but a matter of my personal taste, who knows. But anyhow, more or less, despite all thisTHE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's "NIGHTBRINGERS" definitely is still a good to damn good album and if you are into the named style(s) of music and/or the named bands then you should definitely risk an ear and give it a fair try. A big bunch of sick, sinister, and pretty 'evil' lyrics, a (like already mentioned) absoultely beautiful artwork, and a heavy bombing (but maybe a little bit too 'trigger-happy') production sound finally round it all up. So, yes, I think now you know all what there's from my point of view to know about the "NIGHTBRINGERS" of/by THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, yes, and so why not give it a good round and a fair try and this best right now.
(7,5 of 10 points)
http://www.tbdmofficial.com/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - "NIGHTBRINGERS" (2017, "NIGHTBRINGERS")
ÜBERGANG - "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT"
(Running time: 33:20 minutes; 13 songs)
("Demons Run Amok Entertainment"; 2017; CD):
Hey guys, yes, already back on track again and here's now already coming the next record-review-post by me for you. Yesterday was pretty busy up here but today I don't think that that much more beside this very post here and now will be coming up here (due to real life, you know), hm, and after I still have sort of around 12 to 15 releases of 2017 waiting to be reviewed up here by me for you and to be honest, yes, then I don't think I will get it all done before 2018 will be here, even I'll try my best... more or less, and so expect the first days of 2018 still to be filled with record-reviews on 2017 releases, just that you know it. So, okay, enough of the 'introducing smalltalk' right now right here and so now finally into the proper action and this time it is all about the debut full-length-album of/by the new Thrash Metal/Hardcore-Crossover (Metal) band ÜBERGANG from the german city of Göttingen that features Sebi/STOMPER 98 at the mic (here carrying the name ofCliff Nastii - why the bloody hell ever) but music-wise ÜBERGANG and STOMPER 98 have nothing in common, definitely not, and so enough 'bout this. ÜBERGANG pretty much appeared from out of nowhere over the course of the last years from sort of 2014 on I guess and they knew how to (a)rouse a lot of curious tension surrounding them and also they managed that me, myself, and I had them right from the get-go on the radar screen, for sure, and not at least because I am a huge STOMPER 98 fan and also a huge Hardcore and Metal fan and I still can remember the "ROCK HARZ" festival back then in 2002 when I talked there a bit with Sebi about Metaland all and so I was really curious. Yes, and so with saying all this it should be clear that I simply needed to get my hands on ÜBERGANG's "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT" when it was finally (and still pretty recently) released via "DEMONS RUN AMOK ENTERTAINMENT", yes, and so I finally did; and it was a wise move to do so. It's amazing what a blasting and raging intense blizzard of incredible harsh and heavy forward raging and massively onwards rolling and 'moshingly' into battle stomping Thrash/Hardcore Metalbomb this is, oh yes, it's so damn 'stunningly' intense, breathing a twisted atmosphere out of every onwards raging second and still it's filled with eyes'n'ears-wide-opening melody lines, symphonic leads, and bright (yes, maybe sick and sinister but anyhow all the time very bright) shining solos to bring much flavour and colour into the harsh sawing thrashingCrossover Metal that's surely marked by bonesmashing heavyness and truckloads of sheer intensity and aggression and an un-bowed and battle-scarred 'militant' attitude set first class into musick, definitely, but that's at the same time due to the much skilled musicians and the first class songwriting that offers a lot of surprising rhythm and pace changes and 'tricky' twists'n'turns of and in the arrangements all the time a surprising and exciting, grapping highly intense ride over all the complete distance and that they managed to work out the sort of very often 'ever-changing' verses as strong as the very 'hooky'n'catchy' refrains also speaks only for ÜBERGANG and their "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT". This is a very unique and charismatic album and also surely an album not for everyone (and I would bet thatÜBERGANGare all more than fine with this/that) and also for sure an album that's pretty demanding and that you won't just listen to 'in the background', no, it demands and needs some time to really work and dig in it and trust me when I say that it will be all worth your time and effort because it really offers that much - and especially whenÜBERGANGwork ice cold blastingBlack Metalaggression into their musick you will be left banging and moshing yourself straight intoHadeswith a twisted satisfied grin on your face. The lead vokillz are hysteric and high pitched and pissed off and highly aggressive as well as nicely diverse with spoken word passages and surely a big trademark of the musick of ÜBERGANG and if you ask me then for all the right reasons. Same is to say for/about the incredible heavy and intense and yet pretty diverse and very melodic guitars that are absoultely first class stuff. The rhythm section then backs it all up with adding a lot of really beefy and truly bulky meat to the backbone of ÜBERGANG's "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT". Rousing and pretty (sort of) 'poetical' completly in german done lyrics (that are surely personal but also surely outspoken, socially aware and critical), a pretty cool artwork, and a hammering heavy production sound then round it all finally up. A lot of other reviews name you CRO-MAGS, AGNOSTIC FRONT, CARNIVORE, DRI, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, EXODUS, GBH, RAWSIDE, and VORKRIEGSJUGEND and all this named bands would be or are more or less all maybe pretty correct but with comparing ÜBERGANG to them you would do ÜBERGANG (and the named legends, too) no justice because 'here' it's all a very self-conatined affair and so maybe just take this names as loose starting points from where to go on and start your discovery of ÜBERGANG and their "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT". My personal highlights are first and foremost "KÄMPFERHERZ" as well as "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT", "NICHT ALLEIN" and "VAKUUM", "LEIDENSCHAFT (IM DUNKLEN GEWAND)", "LUCY FAR" and "VERÄNDERUNG" and so maybe start your discovery of ÜBERGANG's "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT" with this bestial slashers first. A few of the other songs aren't that strong or maybe simply just don't speak to me, myself, and I (who knows and who am I to judge), like for example "NICHTS ZU VERLIEREN" and "VON INNEN NACH AUßEN", and so (sort of...) 'block-out' an even higher rating here and now by/from me (but that's 'maybe-but-surely' isn't saying that much after all at the end of the day) but also so ÜBERGANG's "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT" is one hell of a damn strong to great album that I can only clearly and calmly recommend highly to fans of blackened metallicHardcore, clichee-freeMetalcore, and very self-contained and harsh sawing and shredding Thrash Metala-like. So if you still don't have it but your anyhow into the named target-audience-group then make sure to finally change this and get your hands on a copy of ÜBERGANG's "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT" and make damn sure to support this strong going young Thrash Metal/Hardcore - Crossover MetalRoughnecks from Germany, point and fact.
(8,5 of 10 points)
https://www.facebook.com/uebergang.de/?fref=ts (- the link to the facebook site of the band)
ÜBERGANG - "VERÄNDERUNG" (2017, "ZEICHEN DER ZEIT")
CANNIBAL CORPSE - "RED BEFORE BLACK"
(Running time: 46:28 minutes; 12 songs)
("Metal Blade Records"; 2017; CD):
Damn it, I can't tell you how long it is now since I have listened to any new CANNIBAL CORPSE album, nah... really not, the last two albums that I am aware of that I have listened to constantly and regulary when they were released were the first two albums with Corpsegrinder on the mic: "VILE" and "GALLERY OF SUICIDE". Since then sort of nearly two decades and a big bunch of 'much newer' CANNIBAL CORPSE albums passed us by but of all this many albums I only took more or less 'slightly notice' and so since sort of the days of my youth now "RED BEFORE BLACK" is my first real proper new experience with this almighty legends of Death Metal carrying the name of CANNIBAL CORPSE; and before you ask, hell yeahr, I loved (and like I know now again still love) CANNIBAL CORPSE and so I can't really tell you why I was this long 'abstinent'... but who cares, fuck it, now it's (still) 2017 and pretty recently via the mighty "METAL BLADE RECORDS" the new CANNIBAL CORPSE album "RED BEFORE BLACK" saw the light of day and also finally made its way into my collection, yes, and so now here we are and now you're reading my review on it, yes, and so now let's go: To be honest I don't really know where to start because... fuck it, this is behind, but only very close behind, IMMOLATION's "ATONEMENT" the Death Metal album of the/this year of 2017 or, if you want so, the second best Death Metalalbum of 2017 (but very, very close to the first rank) and I'm massively impressed and this again and again or all the time, choose what might seem to you the more proper match. I have it now since two weeks and it is constantly on heavy rotation since then and I am again and again totally blasted away, hell yeahr, CANNIBAL CORPSE and their "RED BEFORE BLACK" masterpiece absolutely conquered me and this in a more than just supreme way. This is a bloody, devastating, brutal, atomizing, harsh raging, and mercyless shredding and thrashing massacre of pure, honest, real, and unbelievable heavy and brutal Death Metal with its very own very unique identity and over and over and again and again filled with a lot of catchy hooks that really also have a fist-in-the-air-and-sing-a-long potential and all on one hell of an outstanding level of tecnical skills, songwriting skills, and in general musicianship, oh bloody hell yeahr, it's nothing but totally overwhelming and absolutely mindblowing in a more than just supreme way, point and fact. "RED BEFORE BLACK" is filled with highest skilled very complex songstructures that offer incredible much to discover and again and again surprise with a massive amount of exciting and grapping changes in the pace, the arrangements, and the rhythm structures as well as the general dynamics of the songs while still yet flow and melt absolutely perfectly 'into one' at the end and will only and nothing but leave your mouth and eyes wide open because of the rousing and overwhelming excitement it offers from start to finish and again and again while your head will bang constantly in a nearly deadly intensity, ah, and yes, and if CANNIBAL CORPSE's "RED BEFORE BLACK" is anything/something before anything/somethingelse than it is intense, hell yeahr, this is purest and absolute intensity set to musick, period. Corpsegrinder delivers one of the most charismatic and skilled, most brutal and intense vocal performances I've heard/listened to in quite a long, long while and that's really and truly leading the no prisoners taking and every resistance annihilating assault in a massive and simply bonesmashing way that it is just absoultely outstanding amazing. Then there are the phenomenal heavy and brutal, intense and diverse thrashing, shredding, sawing, slashing guitars that unleash one bloodthirsty and fiery inferno and will shed'n'shred easily skin from bone, it's like a thunderous storm of steel unleashed ripping right through you. The everything down into the ground harsh and heavy bass work and the nothing but devastating drumming then really give the songs their blood-dripping crown, enriching and cultivating it all to the highest levels of quality. And all is above all else so totally 'masterly' stunning intense and also so rich and diverse and multi-layered, hell yeahr, beneath the surface of this hellish massacre, this bloody inferno there's waiting such a high skilled musicianship creating such outstanding songs and musick that you really again and again all the time discover new surprises and exciting, grapping, overwhelming gems'n'treasures, yes, it's absolutely amazing, yes, and this all makes or turns CANNIBAL CORPSE's "RED BEFORE BLACK" really into one outstanding larger than life masterpiece that's one of the very, very, very best to find out there... definitely in years - and surely for years to come. Great slasher lyrics, a bloody zombie artwork, and one massive heavy and yet dirty and 'earthy' production sound then finally round it all up. So I guess that's it... and maybe you also get how massively euphoric I still am because of CANNIBAL CORPSE's "RED BEFORE BLACK"... and I will now close this review with clearly stating that if you are into Death Metal or anyhow brutal and extreme musick in general then by any means you need to call this outshining larger than life masterpiece definitely your own and this best right now, period. Amazing!!!
(10 of 10 points)
http://cannibalcorpse.net/ (- the link to the band-homepage)
CANNIBAL CORPSE - "FIRESTORM VENGEANCE" (2017, "RED BEFORE BLACK")
BACKTRACK - "BAD TO MY WORLD"
(Running time: 20:01 minutes; 10 songs)
("Bridge Nine Records"; 2017; CD):
Yes, trust your eyes because this is really already the second post for this very day and this means the second record-review post of/for that/this day and also this one is on another (brand)new 2017 full-length-album and here and now it will be or is all about the (brand)new 2017BACKTRACK record "BAD TO MY WORLD" released pretty recently via the well-known "BRIDGE NINE RECORDS" label... even 20:01 minutes of a total running time sound to me like everything but not a full-length-album and, yes, this also not for a Hardcore release and even more not when we still have to pay the full price for it anyhow, point and fact. Okay, with that bitching of/by me right out of the way then this is already the third BACKTRACK release that I am doing a record-review on up here in all the years of the existence of that blog now and here we still or again get the full force load of pissed off and angry stomping and harsh ripping New York Hardcore somewhere between MADBALL and FURIOUS STYLES, with good doses of WARHOUND and with some big TERROR in it all, too. Powerful and highly energetic and with some forceful punshing and pushing dynamics forward storming, heavy raging and hard kicking with a high level of intensity and an incredible nasty'n'angry pissed off attitude that's how BACKTRACK assault with their ten new smashers that they compiled here on and to "BAD TO MY WORLD", all delivered with a metallic crunch to it all and here and their with slightly punky approach to it all, too. Hysteric and aggressive screamed and shouted, bitter and pissed off lead vocals through and through spitted into the mic and partially backed up by some strong gang vocals here and there, heavy and harsh thrashing guitars, a roaring bass, and thundering drums define the bonesmashing and rousing musick delivered by BACKTRACK here on "BAD TO MY WORLD" and highly energetic and intense songwriting melts it all together with a big focus on crushing grooves and slamming mosh parts as well as on harsh and fast shredding up tempo attacks and some cool guitar leads have also managed to sneak their path into this raging inferno, and again especially the very charismatic lead vocals give them a very strong own identity. I would just have wished for simply more 'weight' to it all and some more grapping hooks that make really big hits, like they had them on their precursor album, but that's all with what I am sort of not so satisfied with, hm, but anyhow and anyway BACKTRACK's "BAD TO MY WORLD" is one damn strong album that I can only clearly and calmly recommend to any (New York) Hardcore fan outta there and that also offers strong lyrics, one hell of an outstanding beautiful artwork, and a loud blasting production sound on top of it all, yes, so get it. And then that's it already, a short album makes (sometimes) for a short review, yes, but I think you now know all what you need to know for now about BACKTRACK's "BAD TO MY WORLD" and so, yes, like already said, yes, best go and get it. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(8,5 of 10 points)
https://www.backtracknyhc.com/ (- the link to the homepage of the band)
BACKTRACK - "COLD-BLOODED" (2017, "BAD TO MY WORLD")
Hey my dear readers, yes, it's me and I'm back @ work again, yes, and I hope you all had a great christmas time and also that you started good into the last few days of 2017, okay, and so now here I am again delivering you my newest post and this means (again) my newest record-review for you and this time we're right back in the Metal department with this record-review being on the new ANNIHILATOR full-length-album "FOR THE DEMENTED" released pretty recently this very year of 2017 via "NEVERLAND MUSIC" and "SILVER LINING MUSIC" (that guys that also released pretty recently the stunning newMORBID ANGELfull-length-album titled "KINGDOMS DISDAINED"), yes, and so now straight and direct and right into the action: ANNIHILATOR were one of the first 'more extreme' Metal bands that I had/have ever discovered back then and this was via their absolutely groundbreaking masterpiece "NEVER, NEVERLAND" a long time ago back in 1991 when I first listened to it when being ten years young and since then ANNIHILATOR always were and still are one of the most important bands to/for me and also one of the best out there, no matter what music-genre, period. And ANNIHILATOR also always were one of the Metal bands that I have ever and always listened to even in times when I haven't listened to Metal that much at all, to say it that way. Hm, and so I think it's really about time that finally a post features them up here, yes, really about time, definitely, and so here it finally is. "FOR THE DEMENTED" is the second brandnew ANNIHILATOR album since Jeff Waters himself overtook the vocal duties again, yes, the second after ANNIHILATOR's 2015 output "SUICIDE SOCIETY" (maybe I will do a record-review on it as well some day in the future); and the compilation-album "TRIPLE THREAT" from some time of the late end of 2016 to the early beginning of 2017 we won't count here as a proper new album for/due to obvious 'compilation-reasons'. "SUICIDE SOCIETY" was and is an album that I very much liked and that I still like very much even it sort of missed some punch in the long(er) run of now already two years since it was released but it's still a damn good one and so I was pretty curious when I noticed that "FOR THE DEMENTED" was released not that long ago and it didn't take me long to grab a copy of it - and it pretty much instantly started to conquer me. First of all I have to say that I am a big fan of Jeff Waters as a singer/vocalist and the two 1990's album "KING OF THE KILL" and "REFRESH THE DEMON" on which he took over lead vocal duties for the first time are way up high in my all time favorite list and when we talk solely about ANNIHILATOR full-length-albums they hold the third ("KING OF THE KILL") and the fourth ("REFRESH THE DEMON") rank and stand their ground in my personalANNIHILATOR top five list up to this day only beaten by "SET THE WORLD ON FIRE" (second rank) and "NEVER, NEVERLAND" (first rank) and even before "CARNIVAL DIABLOS" (fifth rank), yes, so you see, yes, I am a big fan of Jeff Waters singing - and so I am still or again today with "SUICIDE SOCIETY" (2015) and even more with "FOR THE DEMENTED" (2017). I simply like his style of singing and his pretty unique and very charismatic voice, rough and tough and still very melodical and offering a great hymnal and catchy potential pretty much all the time. Yes, it's pure gold in my book respectively my ears, yes, and so also one more time again here on and with ANNIHILATOR's "FOR THE DEMENTED". Beside this, yes, ANNIHILATOR's musick always was highly to highest skilled and very, very unique, pretty much in all ways, Thrash Metal somewhere between harsh shredding and highly energetic'n'dynamic full force all time yet all the time phenomenally melodic, catchy, filled with hymnal hooks, and incredible vayring and diverse and really multi-layered and also filled with big emotions, yes, and so really full of treasures and gems only waiting to be discovered by us - and so it's still today and with "FOR THE DEMENTED" even again quite a bit more than before. Hm, and if the world would be an anyhow 'just-place' then ANNIHILATOR would be at least so big like MEGADETH or SLAYER, period. Anyhow... so yes, one of the biggest and to be honest (and for all the right reasons) not only one but the biggest trademark of ANNIHILATOR had always been, still is and probably as well as hopefully will always be Jeff Waters' absolutely unique and outstanding larger-than-life guitar playing with its very own unique and characteristic tone and approach and so it is also today and no matter if we look at the mindblowing riffing and the highly dynamic and diverse rhythm work or (and maybe even especially) the everything outshining leads and solos, yes, it's just absolutely amazing and sort of 'being on a level of its very own' and this all the time; and it's marking the songs massively - and this for all the damn right reasons. Then there's still the amazing tight and precise and well-versed and also nicely diverse rhythm section that's backing it all up with stunning and massive amounts of energy, yes, and this 'for all good'. The songwirting, that's highly diverse and very dynamic and full of energy and strongly varying while all flowing and melting nearly perfectly together as one in the end, is then cultivating and enriching it all and is full of/with exciting and grapping moments and elements and also still today again and again offering great fresh ideas like the through and throughmodernHard Rock tune "THE WAY" or the soul- and playful 'funky' parts of "NOT ALL THERE" to name just a few examples here and now for you. ANNIHILATOR is still today with "FOR THE DEMENTED" all about highly skilled and unique multi-layered Thrash Metal with huge doses of Speed Metal in it and that's embracing a lot of traditional to modernPower Metal impressions with open arms while still standing proud to its hymnal and anthemic Heavy Metal roots and this on a very high level of quality; and this will hopefully never change as long asANNIHILATORwill be around. My personal highlights are "ONE TO KILL", "FOR THE DEMENTED", "PIECES OF YOU", "THE DEMON YOU KNOW", "THE WAY", and "NOT ALL THERE", yes, so if you need maybe some starting points for your discovery of ANNIHILATOR's "FOR THE DEMENTED" then why not start with this monsters... and great 'psycho' lyrics, interesting liner notes to each song, a beautiful artwork, and a heavy slashing production sound we finally get on top of it all. My final words for you: Get it, now!!!
(9 of 10 points)
https://www.annihilatormetal.com/ (- the link to the homepage of the band)
ANNIHILATOR - "ONE TO KILL" (2017, "FOR THE DEMENTED")
Hey guys, yes, it's christmas and so I wish you all a merry christmas and I hope that you do and will have some great days and a fantastic time, but anyhow, already a few (busy) days passed us all by that saw no new post coming up here for you by me and after I came back home today and do have some free time for my own to spend right now I thought why not give you finally a new post and in this case again a new record-review for you, yes, and so now here comes my record-review on the new/current KRAWALLBRÜDER album "MEHR HASS" released via "SOULFOOD" at the early beginnings of this year's january of 2017 and so, yes, it's sort of really about time that I finally come up with it up here. It was pretty much my first 2017 releases that I bought this year, yes, and this just a few short days after it was released and now it is pretty much one of my final record-reviews that I'll probably do up here still in 2017, hm, that's life or so, and anyhow, now straight one more time into the action, yes, and so now here we go again... but... I'll keep it short or at least I'll try to keep it short this time around, just that you know that, and so now here we go again - and this time for real: The KRAWALLBRÜDER... if you now read this blog already a little bit longer... than you probably know what this band means to me... from a solid to good and even very good GermanOi! band over an at first to/for me pretty unimportant metallic as well as 'punky' and definitely deeply in Oi! rooted German Rock band they grew on to one monster of a band with a very unique and characteristic music that's very well'n'high-skilled and still (more or less clearly) inOi! rooted German Rock with some and sometimes also definitely stronger metallic impressions and marks in it all, heavily enriching it, and that's all the time incredible hymnal, catchy, and anthemic and yet also all the time veryhard rockin' and filled with highly dynamic and rousing energyto the max and some slightly 'punky' notes are here and there partially also still to be recognized/noticed. Personally the KRAWLLBRÜDER really give me incredible much and are one of the bands that really helped me to keep carrying on over all the last years/nearly the last decade and they pushed me through all the shit that I had to work myself through and out of and today they keep pushing me on, lifting my head up, or just keep me going with a proud and positive attitude, no matter what ever may or will come to cross my way, and this they do with their music as well as with their lyrics, personally in my book they became simply to one of the very best and greatest bands we have today; and when we step away from the 'personal level' they are and remain also still exactly this, definitely, one of the very best and greatest and probably also in general still most important bands that we have these days around, point and fact. Great and heavy and yet also maybe 'massively-especially-today' very diverse guitars that shine with crushing riffing, forceful rhythm arrangements and fresh changes in the pace structures of the songs as well as and maybe especially with the fantastic solos and the first class lead work, yes, this guitars and this guitar work mark the songs heavily as well as the very charismatic and hard and yet still (sort of) melodic sung lead vocals, yes, backed up by loud'n'proud crew back ups. Behind all there's then the stunning and massive heavy rhythm section that's going with full force and absolutely tight and precise to work and that's really adding massive amounts of beefy and bulky meat to the backbone of the music on the KRAWALLBRÜDER's "MEHR HASS", yes, and this for all the right reasons and in all the right way and manner, period. Great intense atmosphere and strong sing-a-longs as well as in general a fulminant songwriting is then cultivating it all, hell yeahr, giving us even a lot of larger-than-life moments, yes, one more time again. Forget about all the copying ripp-offs outta there, fuck 'em, here we have and here we get the real deal. My absolute favorites are "DIE WELT ZUM FEIND", "UNBEUGSAM", "A.M.O.R.", especially "WO DAS HERZ SCHLÄGT", "MEHR HASS", and (also especially) "MANCHMAL". The direct precursor albums "SCHMERZFREI" (I reviewed it in 2014 up here and it got and still gets clearly10 of 10 points) and "VENGANZA" (I never reviewed it up here because of the 'as-good-as-dead-state-of-existence' of this very blog here in 2015 and 2016 but it would got and still would get 9 of 10 points) were/are just still both a little bit even-stronger than "MEHR HASS" but it is anyhow one hell of a strong album, yes, very good to great, without a single slightly doubt, and so just in case that you outta there reading this right here and right now really shouldn't have/own or even know it... why the bloody fuck of hell ever... then by any means make sure to change this finally and this as soon as possible and get it, oh yes, because it is clearly and highly and calmly recommend by me to/for you, definitely, and so just go out and get it. Ah, and by the way, very strong and powerful lyrics, a great artwork, and a first class production sound finally round it all up, yes, and this in a pretty supreme way, period. So, yes, I've said it all... go and get it!!! Cheers & Oi!Oi!Oi!
(8,5 of 10 points)
www.krawallbrueder.com/ (- the link to the homepage of the band)
Damn it, too much days passed by without allowing me to do some new stuff up here finally again, fuck, but so far currently I still haven't given up (...completly...) on my plan of delivering you all the record-reviews on 2017 releases up here for you before christmas... no, not yet given up (at least not completly)... but I'm preparing myself for the 'happening' that it maybe could take me longer... but at least I'll try everything to get it all done latest before the change of the years 2017-2018... and so without any further talking straight back finally into the action again, yes, and so now finally here comes my newest post for you which means my newest record-review for you, yes, and this time it's on the brandnewMORBID ANGEL full-length-album "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" that's released still very recently this very year of 2017 via (the to me so far sort of totally unknown) "SILVER LINING MUSIC" label. So, yes, MORBID ANGEL... the (so it seems to me) highly controversial precursor release never 'came to my ears' and so MORBID ANGEL sort of always were and still are absoluteDeath Metalkings to/for me... okay, even "HERETIC" never sort of speaked to me, hm, but maybe that's also just me and not 'something of general concern', who knows... aynway... you maybe get already sort of a good impression of how excited I was when I finally got to listen to MORBID ANGEL's "KINGDOMS DISDAINED", yes, and now to what used to hit me and what will hit you: Metal of Death!!! Steve Tucker is back in the camp of the morbid angels and Trey Azagthoth also recruited with Scotty Fuller a new drummer and this bestial three piece created "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" and for all what I got so far this seems to be a pretty often more or less heavily discussed album. A lot seem to see and judge MORBID ANGEL's "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" pretty to partly even very critical, and not only the so it seems anyhow only few fanboys of the precursor album (and if they are anyway more than only a few then they seem to be not very vocal at all) do so... to be honest I don't really get what this whole bitching is all about... MORBID ANGEL are around since freaking fucking decades and they very much established what extremeDeath Metal is all about and set the standards again and again so when I now read that they would not 'newly-invent-the-wheel' (while at the same time- at best- still being critizes for the more experimental songs on the precursor release...) I can only wonder and not at least because from my point of view MORBID ANGEL created with "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" a very fresh and mostly from start-to-finish very rousing, alive-lively, and grapping album with a good to big bunch of really strong to excellent new songs, yes, and this is high skilled headcracking and bonesmashing, harsh and brutal and yet incredible technical and massively diverse blasphemousDeath Metal on a very high skilled level of quality and that's packed up full with exciting and grapping moments and elements that enrich it all massively and all is cultivated with one of the very best and most unique guitar work ever outta there, yes, and all is surely very demanding and no easy-listening-affair but that were MORBID ANGEL never and Death Metal in general should never be this. Surely not all songs are gold or even platinum and some few more fillers sort of songs are (surely sadly enough) to be found on "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" and the sort of the very 'muddy' and strangely powerless production sound comes close to being a farce but at the end of the day "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" is damn strong, fresh delivered extreme Death Metal from the get-go on. Guttural and very harsh grunted vokillz, an amazing rhythm section (and especially the drums shine phenomenal bright and wide above all), and all is massively marked and cultivated by the fantastic and brilliant, breath-taking and mindblowing guitar work, yes, it's all here; and all is mostly melted together by a very strong songwriting and the songs are marked by a very sinister and nihilstic, a through-and-through apocalyotic and very intense atmosphere that's very tight and that's nearly perfectly interwoven into the songs and the album, yes, and allow yourself to work yourself deep and deeper into MORBID ANGEL's "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" or respectively give it the good and fair chance to grow on you, yes, because this it will surely do. There's a mssive and highly energetic dynamic-work of/to the songs that's only waiting to be discovered by you, with massively high and surely very often 'hyper-blasting' high speed and high'n'fast pace of the songs, yes, and yet there are so incredible much varying passages and elements 'woven-into' the songs with a great and often more than great harmonies/disharmonies-work and still we find in all the 'at first sight' mostly up- to high- and blastspeed songs absolutely great changes of the rhythms and also the pace and especially one devastating assault armada of riffs on such a high skilled, massively and brutal, stunning and yet diverse level of arrangements and composition that for the very most parts MORBID ANGEL's "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" simply will leave your mouth wide open wondering what currently invades your head and your heart and your soul through your ears from out of your stereo-speakers, yes, and it only got or gets better all the time when you realize again and again how technically skilled and 'proggy' demanding the songs truly and really are and yet still they flow'n'float so perfectly gentle together that there are no songwriting holes or any blank holes in the songs, yes, the songs work on and on as songs and are no egotrippin'pseudo-'proggy' farce. Fresh and grapping song arrangements and a very to incredible forceful compositorial work that offers strong ideas, a very unique own identity, and sheer force are the key-elements to let "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" conquer you, hell yeahr, carried out by MORBID ANGELvia and through-out a phenomenal unique and highest skilled guitar work that totally will leave no bone unsmashed such stunningly heavy and massively brutal is it and yet it's so full of truly symphonic sinister, sick, apocalyptic, and just nihilistic leads and absoultely mind-opening solos, and also the guitars add a lot of the already somewhere above mentioned very intense atmosphere, yes, an evil buzzing and a lot of meat to the backbone of "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" adding heavy bass playing, incredible highest skilled drumming that totally stets the standards new in the department of technial and extreme musick, and not at least via and through-out the very charismatic very brutal vokillz that give the songs finally and really their dark shining crown. My personal favorites are the everything done smashing opening duo tracks "PILES OF LITTLE ARMS" and "D.E.A.D.", the sheer larger-than-life fantastic "GARDEN OF DISDAIN" that holds its very own ground with ist outstanding strong rhythm work and 'staccato-grooves' (in that particular way a totally uniqueMORBID ANGELtrademark) even in comparison with the still absolutely outstanding "DOMINATION" era of MORBID ANGEL, the totally evil and atomizing massive wall of sound that simply is "ARCHITECT AND ICONOCLAST", the overwhelming and very technical and (in all positive meaning) demanding "THE PILLARS CRUMBLING" with its very 'proggy' rhythimc structures, the catchy and just sort of hymnal "FOR NO MASTERS" (definitely the über-hit here of and onMORBID ANGEL's "KINGDOMS DISDAINED", yes, definitely), the sinister grinning and unstoppabel forward to war marching "DECLARING NEW LAW (SECRET HELL)", and also the final track "THE FALL OF IDOLS" that is simply nothing but pure hate set to musick and this in an overwhelming way. If only the (in my book) sort of much too (especially for a band like MORBID ANGEL) lame and stale stereotypical Death Metal tune "PARADIGMS WARPED" (it offers of course some great guitar solo work and some nice very 'doomy' marks but is just a too mid paced stereotypical boring Death Metalroll-on-track with no real own identity) and the sort of incredible shocking uninspired and to me sort of a HATE ETERNAL ripp-off seeming'n'sounding "FROM THE HAND OF KINGS" with its too boring superficial blasting mostly 'all the time' wouldn't be, two really, really weak songs especially for a band like MORBID ANGEL, than my final rating would be even better/higher than it already is anyhow. The only 'just' solid mid placed song on MORBID ANGEL's "KINGDOMS DISDAINED" (so far) is "THE RIGHTEOUS VOICE" and beside this track we only get true killer tunes and two (in my book) absoultely and sort of shocking crappy songs that especially a band like MORBID ANGEL should be able to do far better even while half-a-sleep... but anyhow this one here is a damn strong, a very strong album for that other bands would sell their soul(s) to the almighty Gods of Rock & Roll to get it done in that way only once in a lifetime. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, very strong lyrics and a first class 'diabolical' artwork then round it all up. A truly damn good album by one of the still very, very best (Death Metal) bands outta there and I can only recommend it to you if you are into Death Metal or extreme musick in general, yes, and so go out and get, period.
(8,5 of 10 points) www.morbidangel.com/ (- the link to the homepage of the band)
MORBID ANGEL - "FOR NO MASTERS" (2017, "KINGDOMS DISDAINED")
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