All customer reviews by Tan M.
Posted on: November 20, 2017
MUST HAVE
Dawn is a melodic blackened death metal band from Sweden that shares a lot in common with the now defunct Dissection. They sound almost like a carbon copy of the legendary band, but with a few notable differences. If you've ever listened to black metal before, you know that most of the albums are based around creating atmosphere and not impressing you with their technical riffs or beats. This band goes out for just that. Their rather long tracks that are all at least over eight minutes in length are a minefield of atmospheric licks and blast beats that just suck you in and create somewhat of a droning effect. For the overall feel of the album, it's great. Some people may feel that some of the songs drag on for a bit too long, and I can agree with them in some instances. The length is also going back to the droning effect. I don't know what to think of it, so I'll let you as the listeners decide. Secondly, if it's evil music you want, this album will give you just that. While the lyrics are damn near impossible to understand, you can tell from the way that they're delivered with ferocity and pure hatred from within. Henke is just what you would imagine a black metal vocalist would sound like. His voice is very raw and unpolished, and occasionally even very gritty. While some artists in this genre load up their singer's voice with echoes and reverb, Dawn decides to just keep Henke's voice the way it would sound if you heard him normally. While it's not true to black metal's roots, it still sounds pretty cool.There a special sort of apocalyptic beauty to Dawn's music that Dissection lacks. It's a sprawling and immense experience in music. Yes, it's a bit trying in the length department at times, but the payoff is really rewarding. Highly recommended.
Posted on: October 14, 2017
Stil thrashing
The band is in top form starting with Bobby Blitz Ellsworth - his shrieking voice is a trademark and nobody sounds like him. D.D. Vernis bass is audible and very much present in every song. Sid Falcks drums are also insane, not so much for his speed or technicality but because he knows how to carry a song and not overpower it. But special mention has to go to Bobby Gustafson; he is in my mind the best guitarist Overkill ever had. His playing on The Years of Decay is marvelous to say the least. He constantly pulls ripping riffs and solos that have nothing to envy to other musicians. For a sample of this, just listen to Playing with Spiders/Skullrusher - the guy is amazing. Unfortunately this was his last performance with the band, but at least he left with a bang!
Posted on: September 5, 2017
Speed Metal!!!
Gates to Purgatory from 1984 is Running Wild’s very first album. I love taking a look at debuts because you often find an artist or band in a very natural, informal state on their first release. Debuts hold a certain magic or atmosphere that is never truly recreated on that artist’s future albums (just take a look at the debuts from Iron Maiden, Bathory, Metal Church, or Entombed). That being said, many artists do happen to improve their sound later on throughout their career, like Running Wild for example. These guys got massively popular off their pirate metal sound, and became one of the most recognizable German power metal bands of all time. Taking a look at their two releases before Under Jolly Roger is extremely interesting because Gates to Purgatory and the follow-up in 1985, Branded and Exiled, are such drastically different releases. Running Wild progressed their sound massively from Branded and Exiled to Under Jolly Roger.
This does not mean that "Gates to Purgatory" made the world a better place to be. Yet it held some interesting pieces, for example "Diabolic Force". It came as no surprise that this tune represented the group on another Noise compilation ("Metal Attack Vol. I"). It was one of the faster pieces of the debut and it showed the band's fine sense for straight verses (they seemed to be stolen from the vaults of Judas Priest) and a simple yet apposite chorus. Some solo guitar excursions made the picture complete. By the way, did I say Judas Priest? Of course, the British champions had been an inspiration for the band; the name says it all. Nevertheless, Running Wild were also able to deliver the first signs of an own identity. The mixture of quickly racing and heavily stomping tunes generated a coherent impression. Not least exactly because of the fact that they did not join the ranks of the thrashers, Running Wild separated themselves from the crowd and the few combos with a similar style could not hold a candle to the dudes from Hamburg.
Vocally, Rolf has a very live-like wail and howl with grainy angst. His voice is clear and proud, with only certain points reaching Halford-high-notes. What I love is how demanding they are (that “proud† factor); you can tell he’s damn well serious and ready to put up a fight. They’re not operatic, so no real sing-a-long moments; the vocals eclipse the album with another layer of blasphemous hatred. The drums I’m still a bit mixed over; for the tone it isn’t anything to really berate, but they’re so bombastic and rough, especially the snares. They’re typical for the decade (with that echo and all), and for that I love them, but they’re too loud compared to the guitars and vocals. The patterns employed are fantastic and work well with keeping a consistent pace, so nothing overdone or technical; the toning down the drum mix is all I wish.
A great debut and definitely not a typical Running Wild album. No other RW album sounds close to this and maybe it's a good thing, because it makes this album stand out as the only true old school speed metal album from their discography.
Posted on: August 18, 2017
Headbang!
If beauty lives in the eye of the observer then power metal is 100% at the listener’s ear. Power metal is for sure a very solid and unique genre of music. In an attempt of separation from the rest of the pack, each band aims for a unique sound, mainly by adjusting the proportion of melody to heaviness in the end result. Besides, it is not a strange fact that we have the euro power, the progressive power, the american power, the technical power, the teutonic power metal and many other subgenres, making the homogenization of the genre an impossible job. Bands like Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian or Rage are so different, yet still creative and entertaining in their own way. Speaking of which, Running Wild could not be an exception.
First of all, that new drummer Lian Finlay kicks ass, there's no way around it, the man adds a new dimension while making his work oh so enjoyable. The production is better than any stuff I have heard in an 80s traditional metal album, allowing for an in depth sound and great energy felt present. I can not go without mentioning Jens Becker's bass work which adds to the music in loads. The sounds are balanced so each member gives a nice contribution without standing out too much. The riffs are thick and bass heavy with a lot of catchy hooks and melodies. Rolf's vocals are at the peak of enjoyment here as well as some pretty fun lyrics.
Overall, great album, must buy. Pirate Metal at its best......wait isn't it the only pirate metal? lol
Posted on: July 31, 2017
OK for an IM release
The beginning of the new decade marks a new era for the band. The leader Steve Harris, after a colossal “Seventh son of the Seventh Son†, resets Iron Maiden, having lost an essential member and composer named Adrian Smith. “No Prayer for the Dying† signaled the change of direction Maiden decided to make, a change of style that was met with negative reviews. It would be pointless to argue that No Prayer wasn’t a letdown or that it is somehow equal to Maiden’s best albums. It is just that this record is so underrated, that it pains me. So here it goes.
No Prayer is the best thing Maiden could do at the moment, a great album for the time that has aged considerably well and a pivotal turn in their career. Don’t forget that in NPFTD exist: a) at least 4 songs that could be played in every Maiden concert, b) the only no.1 song at UK charts in their whole career and is the last time Maiden went gold. More importantly, it is a down to earth heavy metal/hard rock offering that maintains the band’s status as leaders of the pack, in a decade that traditional heavy metal suffered greatly.
If the half-assed song writing wasn't bad enough, Bruce Dickinson takes a leaf out of Brian Johnson's vocal technique. Gone, for the most part, is the operatic singing style which soared through the likes of "Aces High" and "The Trooper". Instead his voice sounds scratchy and raspy, void of the qualities which made him one such a force to begin with. That isn't to say that Dickinson has abandoned his former style completely; in the chorus of "The Assassin" he lets loose a few wails, and in "Mother Russia" and the title track he actually sings. That those three songs are No Prayer for the Dying's highlights is hardly coincidental; Dickinson's voice is grating enough to singlehandedly ruin halfway decent compositions, which he happens to do in Dave Murray's "Fates Warning" and Steve Harris' "Run Silent Run Deep".
Ultimately, though, it's a joint failure on Iron Maiden's part. Like the zombie Eddie that adorns the album's cover - stripped of the additions that came on previous covers – No Prayer for the Dying is a plain, listless record that never really gets itself going. Though the album's worst tracks aren't as bad as the stinkers on Fear of the Dark, at the same time, its best songs don't hold a candle to the likes of "Judas Be My Guide", "Wasting Love", or "Fear of the Dark" either. As such, No Prayer for the Dying is Iron Maiden's most forgettable release overall; unless you're a completist with money to spend, it's best just to avoid this.