REVIEW: JON ROSE & VERYAN WESTON - TEMPERAMENT

 

JON ROSE & VERYAN WESTON - TEMPERAMENT (Emanem Disc, 2002)

Produced by Martin Davidson

Cover Art by Varyan Weston and Martin Davidson

Tracks: CD 1: 1- Just tunning, 2- The tuning wheel, 3- Forks 1, 4- The tuning wheel 2, 5- Forks 2, 6- The tuning wheel 3, 7- 3 part Invention 1, 8- Forks 3, 9- Mendel´s Library, 10- The New Guinean Dentist, 11- The Harmonious Anvil 1, 12- The Harmonious Anvil 2, 13- The Harmonious Anvil 3.

CD 2: 1- IN Search of the Pythagoran Comma 1, 2- the Tone ladder 1, 3- In Search of the Boethian Schisma, 4- The tone Ladder 2, 5- The Harmonious Anvil 4, 6- The Tone Ladder 3, 7- Melodic Fragment, Variations 1 to 3, 8- 3 part Invention 2, 9- The Tone Ladder 4, 10- In Search of the Pythagorian Comma 2

Here we have a strange and great double CD set of music done by two great musicians whose goal is to reach new frontiers in experimentation. Here we have Jon Rose (who plays different types of violins including the Double Violin) and Veryan Weston (who plays pianos and keybaords, including the Double Piano ...to see this you have to check the pictures inside the booklet). Here this two masters explore all the sonic possibilities of their instrument using a lot of differrent tunings and temperaments. Here we have such weird thing as Pythagoran temperaments, Meantone 1/4 comma temperament, Rosenberg Aumented temperament, etc. It is amazing how well this two superb musicians use this tunings and temperaments achieving new sounds and making interesting and strange sounding melodies. I will strongly recommend this two CD set to people who want to open their minds and let their imagination flow. I would specially recommend it to musicians who can learn a lot how to experiment with this elements that are used on this amazing recording.

Favorite tracks: Both CDs are wonderful pieces of artsitic experimantation

Contact: www.emanemdisc.com

INTERVIEW WITH ASTRAY

 

Is "Project Earth - Deathcult Ritual" ready? How is the music on it?

VESA: Yes, the lyrical and compositional wholeness have been very clearly in our possession for some time. But until the final mixing, the opus "Project Earth - DeathCult Ritual" can't be reached in it's ultimate physical essence which will be incarnated in form of a full length album. And the final embodiment of this work also needs someone to release it, which we still don't have.

MARKKU: The music on the album is a mix between extreme chaotic hate and gloomy depressive melodies. The album consist of nine songs and has duration little over 50 minutes. We released a couple of months ago "Promo 2002" with three rough mix songs as a sample of what the album is about. The promo can be downloaded for free from our website, so check it out!

How would you compare your new music with the one in the "Alone" MCD?

VESA: The hate has grown deeper. The depression has grown heavier. The agony has grown more painful.

MARKKU: Referring to the reviews that we've received from "Promo 2002" so far, our new material is much more original compared to "Alone". And besides the things that Vesa just mentioned above, the whole production (songs itself, playing skills, sounds, etc.) is more mature compared to earlier material.

How was the process of composition of the songs in "Project..."?

VESA: It was very painful, mentally and physically. Markku got literally sick with the pressure of the burden of making this album. We have travelled through really thick fog with this. At the beginning of the recordings Astray had full line up as a band and now there are only me and Markku left, just like when we started this band. But what can you say, only the strongest survive. Our songwriting process has always followed the same pattern. Markku composes all the material all alone. He makes some kind of demo version of it and gives it to me so that I can start planning the lyrics and vocals for it. And that goes also for every track at "Project Earth - DeathCult Ritual".

MARKKU: Well, in fact the composition process of the songs was easy, I composed all the material in a few months, but everything else since then (I mean the recordings) has been very difficult (I guess that's the thing that Vesa meant)... You know, it's not very easy to record everything just by yourself in studio, so that's the reason why the recordings has took so long time.

How important is the dark and melancholic atmosphere in Astray´s music?

VESA: The words "dark" and "melancholy" are the keywords along "hate" and "agony".

Do you have still ties with Beyond Prods.?

VESA: Astray has nothing in do with Beyond Productions anymore. We have nothing against them neither.

What are Astray´s lyrics about?

VESA: Human kind is very destructive unit which seems to have one common goal. In spite of it's attempts to give some value for life and hope, nothing can't help me seeing things from the point of view that gives me a good look to the whole race as a one big crawling suicidal animal, which' destination is nothing but death. In this cult of the mortals (we're all in) is one thing we are apparently trying to avoid but what we actually do is that we are unconsciously trying to reach it. It's not really hard to see the mankind with it's drive of death as a great cult of death, is it? That's what the lyrics of the "Project Earth - DeathCult Ritual" are all about. 

What do you think of the progress the band has done since the "Until I´m Cold Enough" MCD?

VESA: I said it once and I will say it again: The hate has grown deeper. The depression has grown hevier. The agony has grown more painful. We know better how to express these things and we are more skillfull to fullfill ourselves.

Which is your equipment live and in studio?

MARKKU: Well, as we are not able to play live at the moment, so here's the gear that I used in studio (and I use at home): Jackson Soloist guitar, Jackson bass guitar, Zoom multieffects for guitar, Korg N5 synthesizer, Tama drums with Paiste and Sabian symbals, Laney and Marshall amps.

Which are the feelings that you want to transmit with Astray´s music?

VESA: Hate ...and the inner smile of the sick mind when all hope is lost. The Devil is doing his deeds and we paint the picture -where we're all in.

Any final words?

VESA: Just serve the Cult for we're all in. All hail Death!

MARKKU: Thanx a lot for the interview and support! Visit everyone in our website at www.astrayband.com and download our "Promo 2002" for free! Stay cold!

REVIEW: JERRY CANTRELL - DEGRADATION TRIP

 

JERRY CANTRELL - DEGRADATION TRIP (Roadrunner Records, 2002)

Produced by Jerry Cantrell and Jeff Tomei

Recorded at A&M Studios

Cover Art by Team Switzerland

Tracks: 1- Psychotic Break, 2- Bargain Basement Howard Hughes, 3- Anger Rising, 4- Angel Eyes, 5- Solitude, 6- Mother´s Spinning in Her Grave (Glass Dick Jones), 7- Hellbound, 8- Give it a Name, 9- Castaway, 10- She Was My Girl, 11- Chemical tribe, 12- Spiderbite, 13- Loced On, 14- Gone

Here we have Jerry´s first post Alice In Chains solo recording. And this is the first one after Layne Staley´s death. And here you can see that the spirit of Alice In Chains is alive and living in Jerry´s music. Here we have the twisted melodies and vocal harmonies of records like "Facelift" or "Dirt", here we have the vocal harmonies that made Alice In Chains music so original. But here we have also some new explorations of Jerry´s music personality. Here he has teamed with Mike Bordin on drums and Robert Trujillo on bass to create this good heavy recording. Here Jerry shows us that he can sing really well fitting the heavy riffs that he has accustomed us to. This is a good follow up to Alice In Chains music.

Favorite tracks: "Anger Rising", "Solitude" and "Castaway"

Contact: www.jerrycantrell.com

REVIEW: INFESTUM - INFESTUM

 

INFESTUM - INFESTUM (Battle Hymn Records, 2001)

Produced by Infestum

Recorded at Out of Records Studios

Engineered by Eugene Tsilikov

Tracks: 1- Secha (Slasing), 2- Wolfish Nocturne, 3- Victim of Hate, 4- Instrumental, 5- Night is Waiting for the Heroes

Infestum are a band from Belarus whose music can be described as something similar as vikin or pagan metal. But they have some old school death and black metal influences too. The music here is very raw with a lot of interesting melodies that give a lot of identity to the songs. The guitar sound is loud and distorted as hell (maybe they should mix it a little bit lower, not too much, to let more space for the keyboards). There are a lot of extremely fast parts, but the more interesting moments are when this guys slow down a little bit as in "Wolfish Nocturna" where the guitars arrangements and keyboards shine more. The drums have a weird sound in some places , sounding as a war drum !!! (also in "Wolfish...", and that fits really well the music). The vocals are typical from black metal bands (and are the ones that are more appropriated for the band music. If you like black metal, pagan metal or viking metal then you will surely like Infestum.

Favorite tracks: The five tracks are powerful and fast!!

Contact: http://come.to/battlehymnrec

REVIEW: INFEKTOR - AHUAR MAIEK

 

INFEKTOR - AHUAR MAIEK (War is Imminent Prods., 2001)

Produced by Infektor and José Bilbao

Recorded at Estudios G&S de San Fernando

Cover Art by Pedro Quevedo

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- Pesadilla, 3- Se Impondrá la Razón, 4- Miradas, 5- Ahuar Maiek, 6- Promesas/Mentiras, 7- Nunca Más, 8- Silencio

Here we have this band that comes directly from Spain. They are really powerful and they have devastating guitar riffs. They have some elements of thrash metal in their music but they have a really modern sound. I love two special things from this guys: the first one is the percussion that adds a different feeling to this band´s music, and the second one the use of the flute. I think this guys have to use more this two elements (they use it heavily in the intro and in some of the tracks but we want more !!!!). The vocals are really thrashy and add a lot of strength to the songs along with the heavier than hell guitars. The sound is really good and let us aprreciate all the music and makes Infektor even a more powerful band. If you like this style of music with original elements you will surely like Infektor (alsoi the songs are in Spanish).

Favorite tracks: "Se impondrá la Razón", "Ahuar Maiek" and "Silencio"

Contact: www.unholycross.com

REVIEW: HUMBUCKER - MONDO ELECTRO

 

HUMBUCKER - MONDO ELECTRO (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Humbucker and Chris Kozlowski

Recorded at Polar Bear Lair

Cover Art by Humbucker

Tracks: 1- Melancholy Kaleidoscope, 2- Saintly Addiction, 3- Fallen Away, 4- Nowhere Dreams, 5- Cold World Scene, 6- Searchin, 7- Pushin´Too Hard, 8- Life Echoes, 9- New Year´s Song, 10- Bottle of Sin, 11- My World´s Insane, 12- Sound Around Me, 13- Earthtone Blues

Here we have this rocking band with a lot of power in their riffs. Here we have great songs in a stoner rock fashion but with a lot of mid tempos which I think are great because add a lot of heaviness to the band´s music. This guys have a great feeling and attitude through all the CD playing their songs with a lot of conviction and having a lot of power on them. The songs are really well constructed and they have a lot of hooks that are great for the listener (I found myself singing the songs while listening to them). Humbucker´s music has a lot of energy and I really like the singer who has a lot of identity on his voice and sings really well the songs contained on this CD. The guitarist is really well adding acoustic touches when the song needs it (like on "Saintly Addiction"). This is a really rocking release!!!!!!

Favorite tracks: "Melancholy Kaleidoscope", Searchin" and "My World´s Insane"

Contact: daveroman@alltel.net

REVIEW: HUMAN ABSTRAKT - PSYCHOLOGICAL BLINDNESS

HUMAN ABSTRAKT - PSYCHOLOGICAL BLINDNESS (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Human Abstrakt

Cover Art by Human Abstrakt

Tracks: 1- Dissention, 2- Blind Disciples, 3- Disillusionment, 4- Form My Need, 5- Grit, 6- Numb, 7- Prosperous Fool, 8- Inspiration, 9- Psychological Blindness

Here we have nine powerful tracks from this brutal trio. The music has elements of bands from death metal style as well as from modern bands like Machine Head. The main thing here are the bestial guitar riffs around which the songs are constructed. There are many dissonant melodies and licks that give an eerie feeling to some of the tracks (check for example the solo in "Inspiration" to see what I am talking about). The drums are crushing and at the same time give a lot of room to the other instruments prefering to do a good rhythm instead of a fast part that maybe could ruin the song. The sound of this release is specially good on the guitars (I would mix a little bit louder the bass drums which are a little bit low here). There are many mid tempos here that are extremely hevy (I think that the heaviest parts of this albums are some of this mid paced parts). Heaviness guaranteed.

Favorite tracks: "Dissention", "Form My Need" and "Inspiration"

Contact: http://human-abstrakt.8m.net

REVIEW: HANGAR - INDIAN SUMMER

 

HANGAR - INDIAN SUMMER (Phoenix Music, 2001)

Produced by Hangar and Tim

Recorded at Old Smitty Studios

Cover Art by Destroyer

Tracks: 1- Deeper, 2- Sunshine, 3- She´s Gone, 4- Always, 5- Breathe, 6- Ghost of My Love, 7- Devotion, 8- Hands off the Gun, 9- Shallow Love, 10- Holy Mother

Pure rock´n´roll is what we have here. Yes, we have the rocking guitar riffs (with a lot of bluesy influences, specially in the solos). The vocals reminded me in some places to the great Glenn Hughes with that blues and soul tonality. The songs are well constructed and they are designed to rock and be singed by the audience. Most of the songs here have an easy chorus to sing along. It is weird that I did not know this band before listening to this CD. Maybe they are not so popular as they could have been if they had released this album in the late eighties or early nighties. This is pure rock ´n´roll, nothing more and nothing less than that.

Favorite tracks: "Deeper", "Always" and "Shallow Love"

REVIEW: HAMMERWHORE - DEVOTION TO VIOLENCE 2002

 

HAMMERWHORE - DEVOTION TO VIOLENCE 2002 (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Hammerwhore

Cover Art by Hammerwhore

Tracks: 1- Curse of the Living Dead, 2- Devotion to Violence, 3- Merciless Brutality

This is an extremely brutal release.and the first thing that got my attention was the extremely distorted (full overdrive distortion) sound that the guitars sound. The guitar riffs are bestial and fast with some thrash influences that give an interesting twist to this guys music (sort of a Venom - Black Metal / Welcome to Hell era). Hammerwhore have also a lot of hyper fast guitar solos played with some bendings and a lot of cool licks that make some manic impression to the music. The sound of this three song recording is really raw and I would mix a little bit lower the vocals and a little bit louder the bass to give some more bottom end to the riffs of this guys that are extremely heavy and this could add some more heaviness (that I think this guys would love). For lovers of extremely brutal music.

Favorite tracks: The three contained here

Contact: pwrdrive@hotmail.com

REVIEW: GAURITHOTH - HUORAVASARA 2002

 

GAURITHOTH - HUORAVASARA 2002 (Breath of Pestilence Recs, 2002)

Produced by Gaurithoth

Recorded at Studio Livsfara

Cover Art by Breath of Pestilence Prods

Tracks: 1- Orgies of Hell, 2- Second Coming of Satan´s Bitch, 3- Huoravasara

Directly from Finland comes this Raw black metal band with some thrash feeling in some of the rhythms. The songs are fast and furious and through all of them we can listen the fast guitars playing hyper speed riffs (I liked a lot the riff in the break at 1:44 in "Second Coming of Satan´s Bitch"). Here are the blasphemic lyrics that are screamed by V.W.Hellboozer and there are also some screamed choruses which give a certain classical feeling to the music of this band. I like the way this guys change riffs within the same song because that gives a lot of variations to each of the tracks here. The sound of the recording is good but I would like them to mix a little bit louder the guitars that give a lot of identity to Gaurithoth. Beware everybody, here comes the blackest band from Finland!!!!

Favorite tracks: The three contained here

Contact: http://gaurithoth.cjb.net