Turbowolf - 'Two Hands' (Album Review)

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 26/05/2015

Label: Spinefarm Records

‘Two Hands’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Invisible Hand
2). Rabbits Foot
3). Solid Gold
4). American Mirrors
5). Toy Memaha
6). Nine Lives
7). Good Hand
8). MK Ultra
9). Twelve Houses
10). Rich Gift
11). Pale Horse

Turbowolf is:

Chris Georgiadis
Andy Ghosh
Blake Davies
Lianna Lee Davies

Review

When a band combines elements of different genres in their music I’m instantly intrigued and I’m even more impressed when they can do it successfully. I love a good genre cocktail because it keeps me engaged and interested in what I am listening too; the skill it takes to cohesively combine different elements shows the talent of the musicians. Staying pure to a genre is great, but honestly, I prefer the former. That being said, it is also a double edged sword. Too much at once can ruin a band’s sound and come off as cluttered. I’m very pleased to say that Turbowolf’s ‘Two Hands’ is a remarkable mixture of punk-rock and alternative metal.

Turbowolf has crafted quite an experience, the guitar riffs have a great fuzz effect and the drum rhythms are always upbeat and kicking ass. The vocals on this album have a unique rock feel and are always driving the music forward. The band also experiments with more electronic sounds this time around, mostly felt on tracks “Solid Gold” and “Nine Lives,” more so than their previous albums. My favorite track is “American Mirrors.” It has a great punk rock vibe to it and ends with some psychedelic progressive riffs. Overall this album jams really hard; it’s a great album to rock out too with your buddies or even at a party. I had a blast listening to this album and I’m excited to hear more from this band. Notable Tracks: “American Mirrors” “Solid Gold” “Nine Lives” “Good Hand”

Words by: Jihad Nasser

‘Two Hand’ is available here

For more information:

Official: http://www.turbowolf.co.uk/ | Like: https://www.facebook.com/turbowolf

Follow: https://twitter.com/turbowolfband

Taken By The Sun - 'Taken By The Sun' (Album Review)

            

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 24/02/2015

Label: Self Released

‘Taken By The Sun’ CD//DD track listing:

1). Scars

2). Demons Tempt The Dying Man With Crowns

3). Fuse

4). Red

5). Detached

6). Volatile

7). Confessions Of An Opium Eater

8). Ornaflux

Taken By The Sun is:

William Arroyo | bass
Patrick Auclair | guitars, vocals
Justin Cape | drums
Mark Cichra | guitars, vocals
Kris Ziemlo | vocals 

Review:

Chicago-based post-metal band, Taken by the Sun, has truly made a record that pushes the genre forward; this self-titled album is dense with different styles and experimentation. It is 8 tracks of pure originality and it is rare to find this level of innovation. I heard different opinions about what this album was like, mostly what was said is that it contains “a bit of everything."

Now, whenever I hear a statement like that, I am skeptical but in this case it is absolutely true. This album pushes and tempers what doom and stoner metal is. The opener “Scars” starts with some crowd chants which cut in and out between the fury that is Kris Zielmlo’s vocals. Later on these quick cuts turn to silence which builds an immense amount of tension and moves the track into some great aggressive moments. I really enjoy the backup vocals on this track and how they keep the music together, it’s a nice touch. The second track “Demons Tempt the Dying Man with Crowns” has a grindy nature to it but leaves an impact with an end of the world doom section that brings the track to its end. My favorite track on the album is “Fuse”; it has the most to offer on this record. It clocks in around seven minutes and I’d like to think it showcases what this band can do. The leads are amazing and it has such a great stoner metal feel to it. There’s a lot of experimenting during this track, they eventually jump into a blue grassy type of riff and from then on the band introduces some great softer vocal work. The track ends with a great build up from some spacey guitar riffs.

“Red” sticks out on this album but it’s still a very jammy track. It starts off with some chugging on the guitar and opens into a more marching feel but it turns into a very satisfying doom riff. This track is extremely diverse. “Detached” pushes their experimenting further with crazy guitar work; good headphones really show off what’s going on during these sections. “Volatile” is more of a forward moving track and has a post metal feel to it. There are some big sections and a very nice guitar solo. “Confessions of an Opium Eater” is an instrumental track that ties in with the final track “Ornaflux”. I love how these tracks work together, at first it feels like you’re getting a break from all the heaviness but you’re just blasted with a wall of sound. The vocals really shine on this track and you get to really hear Kris Zielmlo’s range. Overall it’s a great closer for the album.

​Taken by the Sun’s self-titled album is eight tracks of greatness. You will not be disappointed with a single second of this record. I recommend it to anyone who loves metal because of how diverse this album is but if you want to get a feel for how the band sounds give “Fuse” a listen. This album will take you by surprise and will become an instant favorite.

Words by: Jihad Nasser

‘Taken By The Sun’ is available here

For more information:

Listen: https://takenbythesunchicago.bandcamp.com/ | Official: http://www.takenbythesun.com/ | Like: https://www.facebook.com/takenbythesun

Beyond Creation - ‘Earthborn Evolution’ (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/10/2014

Label: Season of Mist

‘Earthborn Evolution’ CD//DD//CS//LP track listing:

1. Elusive Reverence
2. Sous La Lueur De L'empereur
3. Earthborn Evolution
4. The Great Revelation
5. Neurotical Transmissions
6. Abstrait Dialog
7. The Axiom
8. L'exorde
9. Theatrical Delirium
10. Fundamental Process

Beyond Creation is

Simon Girard | Vocals / Guitars
Kevin Chartré | Guitars
Dominic 'Forest' Lapointe | Fretless Bass
Philippe Boucher | Drums

Review:

Beyond Creation is a progressive/technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, and has some extremely talented musicians creating sounds for the future. Released on October 24^th 2014, 2014, Earthborn Evolution’ is a ten track album full of everything a metal lover needs to satisfy that tech death addiction. Fans of Obsucra, Nerophagist, and The Faceless will easily love this album and the bands work in general. I feel like every member is a perfect fit for this band and contributes to every measure for the end result of a masterfully created prog/tech number.

Simon Girard lays down vocals that are fearsome and fit well into the bands overall sound. Kevin Chartré and Simon Girard create amazing guitar solos and noodling riffs that leave listeners with melted faces and thousands in medical bills for reconstructive surgery. Dominic “Forest” Lapointe is the bass player born to play tech death and is heard clearly throughout this album. Philippe Boucher is the Drum Machine Extraordinaire, hammering out daring fills and incredibly time warping blast beats that can get anybody’s head banging. Beyond Creation’s ‘Earthborn Evolution’ is a magnificently written technical onslaught.

​The album opens with ‘Elusive Reverence’, which I feel was a great starting track because it gives you an idea of what the whole album will be like. It’s in full gear and has a short but vicious solo by Kevin. The second track, and by far my favorite, is ‘Sous La Lueur De L’empereur’; its lyrics are in French so I had no clue what he was saying until I used a search engine to translate, but it has a poetic flow and strong lyrical themes. There’s this riff after Simon’s solo that I absolutely love, and it’s the main reason why this track is my favorite. It’s so evil and dark, and I feel like the band uses the theme from this riff in future tracks on the album. In the title track ‘Earthborn Evolution’, the bass really shines through; it’s very involved and constantly evolving. The guitars for some reason remind me of Scale the Summit, but after Kévin’s solo you hear remains of the riff from the second track being reprised. The track ends with a powerful bass solo. The fifth track ‘Neurotical Transmissions’ has an Opeth-esque sounding intro and I like how the backup vocals were mixed on this track. This track has the best solos on the album and some of the more mathy riffs. ‘Abstrait Dialog’ is the instrumental track and I’m so happy that there is one because I usually prefer instrumental tracks.  It’s epic and the band shows-off all their musical abilities without the distraction of vocals. ‘The Axiom’ has some riffs that are really chaotic but constantly changing so a lot of it is short lived. ‘Theatrical Delirium’ is terrifying from start to finish, the guitars are so chunky and will catch you by surprise. The song goes though some major changes and really picks up towards the end. This track has unfathomable bits that leave you questioning reality.

The final track, ‘Fundamental Process’, is a strong closer and really leaves you wanting more from the band. It has an eerie beginning and the whole band explodes on this track. It’s as if the whole album is rounded up and being blasted back at you for seven minutes. In short then, ‘Earthborn Evolution’ is a must listen for any fans of Prog/tech death metal. It will get you on all levels and definitely catch you by surprise. The guitar, bass, and drums are all pulled off extremely well. I can’t wait to hear more from Beyond Creation after my many play throughs and many more to come. I highly recommend this album. (Side note: The album artwork is fantastic, it’s clearly inspired by the late H.R. Giger which makes this album even more stunning and memorable.)

Words by: Jihad Nasser

You can pick up a copy here

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondCreationOfficial | https://www.youtube.com/user/BeyondCreationMetal | https://twitter.com/beyondcreation1 | https://beyondcreation.bandcamp.com/

Astral Blood - 'Astral Blood' EP (Review)

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 24/2/2015

Label: Tridroid Records

‘Astral Blood’ track listing:

1). Secluded & Forbidden

2). Interlude

3). Our Almighty Gaze

Astral Blood is:

Andrew Rasmussen - Vocals, Lyrics
Tommy Curry - Guitar
Joe Waller - Keys, Bass, Drums, Guitar, Vocals

Review:

Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a terrifyingly good symphonic black metal band called Astral blood, creating a new feel for the genre that captures evil and darkness and then regurgitates it into your ears.

​

The EP opens with Secluded and Forbidden, immediately the track is in full gear. This is by far my favorite track from the EP because of the layering. It’s dark, terrifying, and beautiful all at once because of the depth created by the keyboard. Andrew Rasmussen creates authentic vocals that are easy to follow and complement the music. His lyrics for this track speak of death and evil shadows; they are well written and work with the theme the instruments are creating. The drums are blasting away, as any black metal drummer should, but with enough breaks so it doesn’t get too repetitive. This song is a must listen and you should try your best not to stage dive from your keyboard.

​

The second track is an eerie interlude of spoken word by Holly Axelrod. This poetic addition to the EP starts off with light piano work that is gloomy and at first misleading. Holly sounds like a witch casting a dark spell of revenge. This track works great with the theme of the EP and I thought that its placement was wise. After a while the song opens up and the guitars are playing some special doom riffage that makes the words darker and filled with rage. Even though the track is different in tone, the EP would probably feel empty without this track. A note to any listener, try and follow the violins in the background, there’s a lot transpiring if you listen for it.

​

The final track is great but I have to say it is very similar to Secluded and Forbidden. It opens with a wall of sound and the most impressive drum work on the EP. This track is a little grindier but after a repeated listens, you can really appreciate what’s going on. My favorite section is around 2:30, the guitar sounds so dark and almost droning. The guitars get light towards the end of the song but keyboards once again really shine throughout the entire song. The vocals end with a great dual approach, making the lyrics even more powerful and permeate. The lyrics speak of what we miss in life and I really think there’s a strong message behind it.

​

Astral blood’s self-titled work isn’t something that needs to grow on you. During my first listen I was completely taken aback and it quickly became a favorite. I’ve shown it to friends who appreciate this genre but I feel like any metal enthusiast can enjoy this. Yes it’s a very short EP to some standards, but that’s what’s so great about it. It’s a quick treatment for your metal needs. I consider this EP a must listen and deserves to be heard on different levels and lyrics to be read and interpreted.  I am truly impressed by this bands work and look forward to their next project.

Words by: Jihad Nasser

You can pick up copy from 24/2/2015

For more information:

Facebook | Bandcamp