| HELLFIRE - REQUIEM FOR MY BRIDE (Sonic Age Records) |
| Formed in Warsaw, Poland in 1999 Hellfire is here to introduce their brand of Speed/Epic Power metal with this interesting concept CD titled "Requiem For My Bride", strongly influenced by a few King Diamond albums and has a few more good things to mention that out weigh the bad. First off, the longer you listen to this CD, the more you'll like it. It may take a few spins depending on what genre of metal you enjoy best. Hellfire throwdown some nice riffs which remind you of Iced Earth crossed with Judas Priest and of course King Diamond/Mercyful Fate but nowhere near as satanic as the King himself. This is quite a good album as I do like concepts like this but some may or may not enjoy the screaching vocals of Tomasz Twardowski even though I do understand that this is a concept album made to sound like that of previous King Diamond releases. From time to time Tomasz resembles Tim "Ripper" Owens with his voice just as much as he does King Diamond. The drum sound and performance was not always to my liking yet one thing I can tell you is that I was very very impressed with the final four tracks on "Requiem For my Bride", the longest half of the CD as they made this quite worth waiting for and gives this a great finish. Overall not too bad. Look for these guys to get better in the future under the watchful eye of Sonic Age Records. Another good young addition to the heavy metal's army worldwide. Metal Mike.........................................................7/10 |
| IVORY KNIGHT - UNCONSCIENCE (Indie) |
| From Ottawa, Ontario Ivory Knight belts out this brand of classic era Heavy Metal which was mixed by legendary guitarist Jeff Waters of Annihilator yet this album known as Unconscience had more hype to it (So it seems) than it did much else. Ivory Knight pounds out many Iron Maiden like tones and power riffs all over the album but as creative as they try to be I find it weak and out of tune as well. The band does have some pretty impressive moments on tracks such as "Holy Martyr" and "In Fog I Walk" but the rest of it does not appeal to me enough as the vocals shriek a hole right through me. The blend of Classic Metal and technical fusion gets a thumbs up for what it's worth, but the overall product still ranks below what I expected. Maybe future releases by Ivory Knight will change my mind, but not this one. Not now. Metal Mike...........................................................4/10 |
| SHAMELADY - THE WINTER DAYS WERE NIGHTS (Rotten Records) |
| Not all Hardcore/Metal bands have a lot to offer these days as some city's around the world, the Underground Metal/hardcore scene becomes an after thought in today's death/black metal driven world. Here comes Shamelady from Portland, Oregon giving us an aggressive look at how they do things in their world on their debut album "The Winter Days Were Nights". Shamelady blends different influences onto one CD as they show us why they tackle the Underground Metal/hardcore scene with serious authority. With a taste of Punk and a full throttle on the Hardcore sound these three musicians pound you around with moshable riffs which will get any fans of most all genres of Heavy Metal slam dancing with no problem. Great lead vocals truly make this quite a good reason to pick this up. To sum it up, Shamelady has a lot of positives and less negative about what they have done here. Least favourite track on the disk would be "I know what it's like" compared to "Man Vs." "Blood of our tears" and the title track which are enjoyed again and again. Could be a true leader for their label Rotten records in the near future and something to look forward to. Metal Mike.........................................................7.5/10 |
| JOHN PETRUCCI - SUSPENDED ANIMATION (Sound Mind Music) |
| Just when you've thought you've heard it all ever since the first sounds of Eddie Van Halen on "Eruption", here comes Dream Theater's John Petrucci and his first solo release titled "Suspended Animation". What an incredible solo album this is as it burns fire from the very begining with the track "Jaws Of Life" as John shows the world that Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen aren't the only ones who are acrobatic stars on the guitar. John's fluid motions and speed on the fret board is something you must hear for yourself on this CD to really get the full effect of what I'm talking about. Production on Suspended Animation is by far the best I've heard in many years thanks to engineer Doug Oberkircher and Kevin Shirley's awesome mix. It doesn't get any better than this. John's penetrating solo's and groove oriented riffs are remarkable making him the fret burning icon of the solo guitar clinic. John proves why he should be talked about in the same breath as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Vinnie Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen and of course the man who made them all famous Eddie Van Halen as he creates a style only John himself can duplicate. This is a must have for all fans of serious guitar work. Dream Theater's gem among progressive metal just made things even more interesting. Let's hope he continues to release these five star efforts and hope the rest of the world will take notice. Metal Mike.............................................................9/10 |
| BRUCE DICKINSON - TYRANNY OF SOULS (Sanctuary) |
| Ever since Bruce Dickinson released Accident Of Birth I have found myself offering a whole new respect for him when he's away from Iron Maiden, as Tyranny Of Souls continues where he left off on his last two releases (Scream for me Brazil not included). Bruce has to be the most important solo performer in Heavy Metal today. With his past work in one of the world's most popular bands of all time he has really never had to prove anything to anyone, yet he continues to simply amaze us all with albums like this one. Again with the help of production whiz Roy Z on guitars, Bruce has found his lifetime partner in heavy metal. These two master minds put together the most uncanny group of tyranny of soul riffs and melodic solo's and chorus' that will no doubt break 2005's top 5 heavy metal releases so far. It's amazing how Tyranny Of Souls can sound even better that Dance Of Death or sometimes Brave New World for that matter. Some of the jaw dropping tracks to remember include "Abduction" "Soul Intruders" "Kill Devil Hill" and the breathtaking "River Of No Return". There isn't a vocalist in Heavy Metal who has been able to do what Bruce has done the past ten years with or without Iron Maiden. And ever since the early 80's as some Heavy Metal bands from those days continue on with mediocre results, Bruce Dickinson has proven he's the number one man when it comes to keeping things true to yourself and tradtion in the Heavy Metal genre. It's what he loves to do and it shows on this album with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Just the way we like it. Metal Mike...........................................................9.5/10 |
| RICTUS GRIN - LIVING THE DREAM (Indie) |
| If you search hard enough for Independent thrash bands from the USA you could be lucky enough to find this 3 piece band called Rictus Grin who hail from Allenton, Wisconsin. Rictus Grin, from reading all about them in their bio has shared the stage with many of the juggernaut heavy metal acts and played enough clubs, pubs and bars showcasing their aggressive thrash onslaught to hundreds of Heavy Metal fans. Technically, Rictus Grin is one of the best at what they do as they produce a raw and powerful thrash sound led by guitarist/ vocalist Larry Weeks. Not a lot of bands today can brag about sounding like 80's or early 90's thrash acts like Sepultura, Megadeth, Metal Church or even Anvil. Living The Dream is a well produced Indie CD showing an impressive drum attack to go along with riffs that chug along with no letting up for a second. Some of the most creative tempo changes are heard track by track as well as the grunts belted out by Larry Weeks' deep vocals. The unfortunate part is that Living The Dream is only just over 28 minutes long. But even that doesn't stop this CD from being something well worth listening to, and often. Rictus Grin may have a cult of diehard fans under their wing but it may not be long before they get the exposure they are really looking for. Staying an underground cult icon in heavy metal isn't always best in the long run but Rictus Grin may just be able to break free from that and get the attention they seek. Things look very good for the future of Rictus Grin and in today's music world that says a lot. They do have a lot to offer and with time it will all pay off. Rictus Grin forever! Metal Mike...........................................................8.5/10 |
| HEAVEN ABLAZE - ENLIGHTENED BY DARKNESS (Indie) |
| The Heavy Metal scene in Ontario can't be all that crowded, and with all the different bands coming from all over the province, London, Ontario's Heaven Ablaze releases their debut CD "Enlightened By Darkness" which makes for an impressive listen from a group that seems just as dedicated about their work as any other band who hail from the Ontario region. Led by former vocalist for Blood Of Christ Conan Bulani, Heaven Ablaze punches out very creative styles of prog-like riffs bound by melodic and technical guitar solo's giving us an ear full of Death/Thrash metal which reminds you of Death crossed with Iron Maiden to go along with the dark/doom like style of Novembers Doom. Where Heaven Ablaze excels best is in their technicality as guitar solo's and melodic tones mix things up very well track by track even though the quality of this recording could be a little better they still make serious noise. Though Conan is known for his trademark Death growls as displayed on Blood Of Christ's "As The Rain Gently Falls" he changes his style for this type of an album with more of a melodic-death like rant in his delivery and he proves what an important member of the Heaven Ablaze team he is. If there would ever be some kind of an Ontario Metal movement you can expect Heaven Ablaze to be the leaders instead of followers one day, and as good as they are it shouldn't be too long either. This band is worth watching out for in the near future. Metal Mike............................................................8.5/10 |