Releases :

Les exploits de Keith Kaputo au sein de Life of Agony le mènent aujourd'hui à prendre un chemin plus introspectif avec ce premier effort solo. Tournant le dos au petit monde du métal, Keith explore désormais des contrées rock. Amateurs de mélodies sombres, cet album s'écoute avec beaucoup d'attention. La voix se veut envoûtante, profonde sans pour autant sombrer dans un trip gothic. Comme quoi, on peut exprimer des émotions fortes de la tristesse sans passer pour un clone de Type O. Cet album est une petite merveille d'ambiances, de l'intimiste Razzbery Mockery" au surprenant jazzy "Cobain", à la musique légère et "soft", en passant par le poppy "Just be" aux parties de piano évidentes, cet album part dans de nombreuses directions musicales. "Died Laughing" pourrait peut être symboliser le renouveau du grunge ("Honeycomb", "Upsy Daisy"), si les guitares étaient plus présentes et si l'ensemble montrait moins de soin quand aux arrangements.

11th issue for the sampler Onde de Choc. In it can be heard new tracks from Annihilator, Dog Eat Dog, Kemuri, Slipknot, Soulfly (remix songs) & unreleased tracks form the forthcoming Machine Head’s album. You can check all reviews of these band in my Raodrunner page. For Machine Head,  you can expected some surprised as now Robb Flynn sings ! It makes us think about Chuck Billy, James Hetffield & vocals like that. Music is a bit more melodic but there’s really heavy parts. The blend of melody with aggressivity gives more impact to Machine Head’songs. A last word, the band seems to have been also influenced by neo metal wave. So, Machine Head started a new evolution.

Strange release for Roadrunner ! Kemuri comes from Japan. So, nothing really special except tahn Japonese bands are not among the most famous ones except Loudness !Kemuri has been toured USA for 77 days. That’s why they called their album 77 days. Musically speaking, it’s punk rock in a modern way. It remains Green Day. But the most interesting in Kemuri’s music is that the musicians added new influences & new instruments to their punk Rock. : trombon, saxophon, ...Kemuri also blends some ska parts to punk songs. It gives an original music, definitly entertaining. Mike Muir will hate them, but if you like good fun punlk muisc, Kemuri features amon the best ! Good rythms, speed tempos, happy melodies, originailty, this is a good menu !

2d album for the US stoner band,, Karma To Burn. This first one was instrumental ut Raodrunner forced the band ot add a singer. But Karma to Burn definitly prefers instrumental music, that’s why for this second album, there’s definitly no singer, no vocals line. It’s just 100 % instrumental music. Karma To burn has been influenced by the 70’s music & especially by Black Sabbath. So, the sound is really heavy & intense. This kind of album could be boring because of the lack of a singer, but Karma To Burn achieves to make very good music that definitly doesn’t need a singer. But it’s also real songs with a god structure. This album can also be taken as a »Karaoke » album, ‘cos if you want, you can add your own vocals line too . So, if you like loud heavy metal, Karma to Burn is a good choice.

One year after its first release, Soulfly’s album is released again. It’s not a newor remastered version. It can just be compared to « the roots of Sepultura » ! So, if you know the band & its first album, you just have to know that the second Cd contains demo tracks, live tracks, remixed tracks. It’s sometimes jungle version, sometimes dub or ambiant ones. It definitly sounds like World metal music because of the ethnic influences delivered in Soulfly’s music. Live tracks are definitly amazing but the remixes are very good ‘cos it gives a new vision or soul to songs. « umbabarauma » sounds 100 times better like this !. So, if you have appreciated the first album, you must get this new one, if you want to discover it, this version is the good one & if you hate Soulfly, I think you haven’t take time to read this !

 

Album :  Slipknot -  Style : Modern metal

Ross Robinson, the famous guy that recorded Sepultura, Machine Head & Soulfly’s album & gave an international stature to these bands,  has finally createed his own company « I am records » & signed his first band : Slipknot. Roadrunner dsitributed this album. So, this album contains some specific stuffs. At first a powerful production, with a huge walls of guitars & a high drums sound. But facing other Robinson’s recordings, Slipknot sounds differently. Of course, some riffs or some ideas of rythms could have featured on a Sepultura’s album but Slipknot has enriched it with a neo metal attitude. Vocals line are both melodic & extreme. Be it Hardcore like « Liberate » or atmospheric like « Tattered & torn », the band adds too som erap or hip hop influences. So, despite obvious influences, Slipknot shows a good potential & with experience this band will certainly become a référence.

Album : Freakcontrol - Style : Electro rock

Band : kongtact@kong.nl - http://www.kong.nl

This new Kong album will certainly represents a new step in the evolution of this so particular band. Starting as a metal band blending "modern" influences, Kong never meets the success it should have had. On "Freakcontrol", Kong totally left its last metal influences. There's less & less loud guitars & more & more samples. It ends with an album that will suits more to techno fans than for metal ones. But for those that have followed the carreer of this band, "Freakcontrol" will feature amongst their best album ever released to date. Songs are hypnotic with some drums loop, some strange keys sound & guitars. More, always affiliated with a modern approach, Kong released too a CD R album with a great screenviewer & some ghost tracks that are again more techno oriented. Tired of the ignorance of the metal fans, Kong evolves more & more to the dance audience .

Album : Criteria for a black Widow - Style : thrash

E mail Jeff : jfwaters@home.com

Here it comes ! After a few years of strong promises, Jeff Waters is back with the perfect suite to Alice's adventures. Annihilator is back to its roots ! Jeff Waters reunites the original members of the beginning with Randy Rampage as singer, Ray Hartmann as drummer. & more, he finds again the spirit that was the one when he composed the 2 first Annihilator's classics ( Alice in Hell & Never Neverland) . Even if none of his previous album was deceiving, everybody was looking for the following of the 2 first albums. SO, it's now done & very well done ! Some 'd say that this kind of album might sound obsolete, butthey're absolutly wrong; It has never sound as refreshing as now & certianly because Jeff has renewed his first influences & the musical basis he created 10 years ago. The result is strongly genuine. There was a long time that thrash metal never sounds like that. Then, it's sure that this kindof music has still a lot to "say", provided the musicians ship & the work of composition is so good. It's really the kind of album all fans of Jeff & Annihilator was awaited.

Album : Amped - Style : Hardcore / Hip hop

Web : http://www.dogeatdog.com

At first, I wasn't very convinced about this kind of band. This style of music is not my cup of tea. But in the USA, Dog Eat Dog has already sold more 650 000 copies of their first albums. So, I give this album a chance. The first track is a hardcore discharge, quite primary like Suidcidal tendencies but with a more melodic background. Well, it's quite intense but it's not really anger. But there's only 2 or 3 track like that, because the whole album is really 100 times better than that. Adter this first track, Dog Eat Dog let its fury speaking. Hip hopinfluences appear & instead of being bad, as I thought before listening to this album, it appears to me like a revolution. Melodies are awesome & It's really refreshing; There's some hit tittles in this album like "Always the same", "Expect the unexpected", "Get up", "Big Wheel", ...It's explosive metal with hip hop influences. As I've said, songs that seems weaker are the most hardcore songs. Even if the other songs are more melodic, it's more powerful too ! Using various instruments percussions, trombone, trumpet, saxophone, flute, scratches, ... has given to this album a larger dimension. It's like Living Color meets Suicidal Tendencies. For me Dog Eat Dog is a real awesome bands. So, if like me you were septic, give "Amped" a chance.

Contact band :  http ://www.sepultura.com.br -  http://wwwsepultribe.com
 
 

It’s been now 12 years that Sepultura raised regularly with each time more convincing albums where its now unique style were built, step by step. But the split in 1996 with Max could have destroyed all of this. Despite this split, Sepultura works more & find in Derrick Green the goo done to lead Sepultura in another step. 'Against 'is the result of this new collaboration. It’s been recorded by Howard Benson . If Soulfly with Max released last year 'Roots 'part 2 , Sepultura has found a new inspiration in another country , Japan. & the result is so surprising & convincing that this album is really condemned to be a new success for the band.

Musically speaking, 'Against 'shows less experiementations on the rythmic section, even if Igor is stil impressive & if som enew ideas are developped in his play. 'Against 'can be ranged into 'Chaos AD '& 'Roots ». The album starts with an aggressive song, kind of thrash - hardcore where Derrick Green proves that he ‘s not a clone of Max & that his past into several hardcore bands (Outface, Overfiend) is a solid background for Sepultura. The main surprise in thsi album is the ne surroundings developped by Sepultura. With the help of Derrick they really reach a new & higher step. Derrick has a more powerful voice & he can use of it very differently , from the most aggressive way to a softer one . Then, songs are more various & thus Sepultura explores multiple horizon. Some songs are really more atmospheric& Sepultura seems to have been influenced by th esurroundings developed by bands like Korn, Deftones, ...But the band haven’t resist to play a song with guests musicians : KODO & it gives a very special & typical Sepultura’s song : Kamaitchi. That can be taken for a new Kaiowas.Of course, Sepultura hasn’t changed all its personality, that’s why there’s still excellent percussions. Their sound hasn’t changed at all even, if it’s really deeper than for Roots. One of the great surprise of this album is the appearance of Jason Newsted from Metallica. He co-writes & plays for the song 'Hatred Aside ». & this song is maybe one of the best of Sepultura. It’s influenced by old Motorhead but with a typical thrash metal feeling.

To resume, a lot of people could have been afraid about the future of Sepultura, but i really think that with the talent showed by Derrick & with the same level of musical inspiration, Sepultura has left nothing more than a good singer & the band proves that Sepultura is still one of the most exciting & innovative thrash metal bands worldwide.

After a first album with Derrick Green on vocals & a succesful tour, Sepultura decides to give more enws about the band through this single. This single contains 4 trackas , all coming from the album; So, what 's the interest ? At first, there's only one album version  for the tittle tracvk "against". The 3 other tracks are completly different. "The Waster" is in fact the alternative version of "Kamaitchi". this is the most interesting tracks of this single. It's totally indsipensable for any Sepultura's fan. This version is the famous one made with Mike Patton as singer. It's totally unbelievable & amazing. Mike Patton is a genius singer that can sing in any kind of bands be it thrashcore, be it funk, be it disco or whatever else. "Tribus" is a demo version ; It shows how much the difference is between a final track & its first version. & "Common bonds" is delivered in an alternative mix which is 100 times more pwoerful than on studio. I bet the album could have sounded like that. It's so better! Finally, this 4 tracks CD is really better than anyone could thought or expected. .
 
 

OBITUARY :

Obituary is back. Creators/precursors of the death metal movement, Obituary had a bit left the front of the scene. It is true that their last album , while keeping characteristics and thesound that has made the glory of the group and its trademark, had not fascinated crowds. To make quite a musical health, Obituary has recorded concerts of their last tour to show and demonstrate that they 're always one of the most extreme band on the metal planet . for the sound of this album, there's nothing bad to note t ! It is very limpid and I confess to have been surprised by a such sound quality. Immediately, we recognize the trademark of the band with songs like 'Download '; riffs are simple, very heavy, crushing the audience & then, there's some brutal acceleration and the characteristic voice bursts in our mind . One of the forces of Obituary is surely this voice that is easily identifiable. In more, Obituary hasn't forgotten to play & propose its classic songs, 'Causes of death », "Back from the dead», "Dying'and the ultra classic & killer song 'Slowly we rot'are delivered in faithful version . Sustained by a public that completely support the band & that give it his total faithful, Obituary proves that pure death metal still sounds good. This music doen't sound old dated and when it is played with so much conviction, it is impossible to resist there. 16 titles for a more than 1 hour long ! total death metal that crush minds

Out is the new sign of the worldwide company Roadrunner & Out is from France! After a self produced album which was presenting another face from this band, Out makes its music more brutal & Colin Richarson himself was interested in producing & recording this album. This leads the band to sign with Roadrunner. E Positino has been recorded at Liile in France & mixed in England by Colin Richardson. SO, there's no doubt that the production is with no faults. Musicaly talling Out evolves in this modern style of metal developed by KoRn, Machine Head or Fear Factory, … a song like 'who's alive' perfectly defines what is & how sounds Out. The main riff remains Fear Factory while the sing remains Korn or Juice. In any way, the result is excellent. It's really brilliant. All people that have fear about metal albums coming from France can immediatly put one hear into this one, they'll definitly find there one of the most prodigious metal albums released this year. The cioming success of this album ahve already bing the band to play in the famous eindhoven festival for the 99 edition. With the departure of Loudblast, the north of France scene has found another headliner band. Who says the french scene was poor & weak?