Neverworld (review by The Man of Much Metal)

review by The Man of Much Metal

Artist: Neverworld

Album Title: Dreamsnatcher

Label: Dream Demon Recordings

Date of Release: 4 March 2016

It is fair to say that the name Neverworld has been on my radar for some time but I’d never taken the plunge for one reason or another until now, upon the release of their second album, ‘Dreamsnatcher’. Over the past year or so, I have seen a number of snippets of music over social media and it has been these little tasters that convinced me that I had to listen to Neverworld this time around. And overall, I’m really glad I did.

But before I go on, let’s get the slight niggle out of the way first and it has to do with the production. It isn’t bad, far from it. Each instrument can be heard within the mix at most times. It’s just not to my personal taste and I can’t help but think that it could have been a little stronger, particularly in the guitar department. As it is, some of the six-string work is rendered a little fuzzy and buzzy, reminiscent of the 70s and 80s at times. This may be entirely deliberate but from my own subjective point of view, I would have liked a slightly different production approach overall.

However, let’s move onto the positive stuff and, on that score, there’s plenty to talk about.

Imagine, if you will, a mash-up of classic NWOBHM, Bay Area thrash metal and the melodic progressive stylings of the likes of the aforementioned Vanishing Point. This description sounds good to me and happily, the reality is equally as palatable. In fact, the more I listen, the more I’m convinced that ‘Dreamsnatcher’ is very much the distilled sound of five guys with a love of heavy metal getting together, wearing their hearts on their sleeves and giving it 100%, leaving nothing behind except a trail of blood, sweat and the smell of burning denim and leather.

Neverworld 2016 is comprised of vocalist/guitarist Ben Colton, guitarist Jack Foster, drummer Mike Vaughan, keyboardist Daniel Potter and bassist Gary Payne. And ‘Dreamsnatcher’ contains everything that you’d expect from a ‘proper’ heavy metal album. You want heavy riffs? You’ve got them. You want an uncompromising and powerful rhythm section? You’ve got it. You want up-tempo music that you can bang our head and sing along to? You’ve got it. And you want dual guitar harmonies and blazing lead guitar solos? Yup, you’ve got them too and you’ve got them in spades. As someone who has a huge weakness for such frivolities, it’s a joy to hear.

And if all that wasn’t enough, you have the lead vocals of Ben Colton. When he nails it, the guy sounds great and I’m frequently reminded of the mighty Silvio Massaro of Vanishing Point, such is Colton’s rich timbre and powerful, passionate delivery. Very occasionally, when he is required to hit the higher end of his register, it sounds a bit of a struggle but otherwise, Colton is really impressive behind the mic.

It all adds up to an album that’s both serious rocking and a hell of a lot of fun. Every time I listen, I begin to smile, my head starts to nod and invariably, I break out the air guitar regardless of whether I’m behind closed doors or taking the dog out for a walk. The exuberance of Neverworld is infectious and I can’t help getting swept up in it.

Aside from the obvious vocals and lead guitar frivolities, the most ear-catching aspect of Neverworld is the keyboards of Daniel Potter. ‘Dreamsnatcher’ is awash with keys, both to enhance and create melodic lead lines but also to add depth, atmosphere and to soften the edges of an in-your-face metal assault. Some listeners bemoan and deride albums that utilise keyboards and synths but in my opinion, they are a very welcome addition to the overall Neverworld sound.

For once, I will refrain from picking out any particular songs for further scrutiny because the entire record is remarkably consistent. There’s something to like within each of the ten compositions, be it an uncompromising double pedal drum beat, a melodic and soulful lead guitar solo or a passionate vocal line.

Overall, and most importantly, Neverworld remind us all of what heavy metal is all about. At a time when we seem fixated on the next big subgenre or the ‘scene’, here is a band that have metaphorically stuck two fingers up and said, ‘we just want to rock’. And for that, Neverworld should be applauded.

The Score Of Much Metal: 8.0

Read more writings by The Man of Much Metal: www.manofmuchmetal.wordpress.com

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Wormed (review by Akerblogger)

Wormed - Krighsu

Brutal Super-Sonic Cataclysm: Wormed - Krighsu (2016)

Krighsu is the album I expected, and I expected a hugely brutal super-sonic cataclysmic cacophony or barely distinguishable vocals, inhuman drumming, irregular rhythms and weird deep-space ambiance. This album ticks all these boxes. Compared with their last album Exodromos, Krighsu feels more atmospheric and imaginative; the typically unforgiving instrumental sections are bookended by eerie ambiance and industrial sounding electronics. Occasionally these more eccentric moments breakthrough mid-song.

Most importantly, the crushing technicality is just as engrossing and powerful as expected - riffs chug along with the force of planets smashing together, the bass throngs and creaks with almost maniacal aggression and the drums are machine-like and incessant; most interesting is the moments between complete annihilation where unorthodox tenderness creeps in through int he form textured guitar lines and moments of respite. There are odd moments of harmony and softness, barely audible beneath the sonic maelstrom, that really gives the album an interesting dynamic. I personally love the vocals, they are tuneless, certainly inhuman - the sound of metal colliding with metal, a low grating whirl lacking any harmony; they're perfect for the album.

Wormed combine the ultra sterility of tech-death with the putrid barbarity of 90's brutal death and contemporary atmospheric death; Wormed manage to merge these seemingly opposing approaches with ease and the bands incredible musicianship allows for this. Krighsu is a heavy and intelligent album that satisfies my need for completely hopeless, crushing and challenging music.

Read more of Akerblogger's writings: www.akerblogger.blogspot.co.uk

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April 1 Decibel Magazinel Tour

April 1 Decibel Magazinel Tour Abbath, High On Fire, Tribulation, Skeletonwitch at El Corazón - Seattle, WA

**NEW** METAL BULLETIN #82

Read online and free download the new issue of Metal Bulletin Zine. Number 82.

**NEW** METAL BULLETIN #82

Artillery (Denmark)

Necronomicon (Canada)

Ashen Pyre (Seattle, U.S.)

Thunderstone(Finland)

Vocífera (free album; Brazil)

Altarage (Spain)

Gloria Morti (Finland)

Dead River Runs Dry (Australia)

www.fuglymaniacs.com

interview: Anger As Art

Anger As Art

The long-running California thrash bandidos Anger As Art have a new 2016 album titled “Ad Mortem Festinamus,” which, after doing some research at the local library I found out, means “Welcome to the thrash zone: step aside, posers and hipsters!” Apparently, I have been living in a cave because I had not caught on to the music of this band. It is time to rectify this error. Come to think of it, this interview does a good job of laying down the law, according to the gospel of these sons of chaos. Why don’t we find out together now about the message of rock that this thrash battering ram brings? Read on and clear some space in your living room for some moshing.

Greetings! What can you reveal about the life of your metal band in your city?

Hey guys, and thanks for the interview. I'm Eric Bryan, bass player and vocalist for Anger As Art. We're a thrash band from all around Southern California, specializing in the more brutality-oriented aspects of the genre. In our ranks are Steve Gaines (Abattoir, Bloodlust, Tactics, Dreams of Damnation, Pagan War Machine), Dan Oliverio (Abattoir, Stealth), and Rob Alaniz (Abattoir, Evil Dead, Rise, Winterthrall, Feaost, and about a million other bands). I'm the newest member, but cut my teeth in Inland Empire thrash bands Necroscope and Abstract Prayer. We've been around for over 10 years and are currently promoting and touring around in support of our fifth album, Ad Mortem Festinamus, through Old School Metal Records.

What is the history of your band?

A lot of that is in the previous question, guess I went a bit overboard! Angerasart.com has a pretty thorough bio available, but the short version is Steve was left with no active bands after decades on tour and in studio. He recorded the first album completely on his own and on its success, began to gather band mates. Line-ups have come and gone, but at this point we're solid and ready to bring the AAA thrash all across the country and world.

In metal music there are many genres. How would you describe your metal music?

I'd put us squarely in the thrash genre, though vacillating between the more aggressive ends and the more experimental. On Ad Mortem Festinamus in particular, we're taking some tonal risks in defining how we move from our base of pure thrash. We are at our core an LA thrash band, rooted in the speedier take more than a lot of the Bay Area chunk or New York punk, but Dan's bluesy take on soloing and Rob's wide breadth of technique and influence (from prog to grind, thrash to black), along with a little black metal on my end creates what I believe is a pretty unique take on thrash.

How many recordings do you have and where can people hear your music?

We have five records out: Anger As Art, Callous and Furor, Disfigure, Hubris Inc., and Ad Mortem Festinamus, all on Old School Metal Records. We have stuff up on YouTube, Soundcloud, and Angerasart.com, but for physical copies, our Facebook and Amazon are best for picking material up.

What inspired you in the first place to pick up instruments?

I can't speak for the rest of the band, but for me personally, it was a combination of things. Metallica and Black Sabbath came to me at an early age, but getting into metal was a wholly independent thing, as I didn't grow up with heavy metal in your family. Geezer Butler and Jason Newstead made me want to pick up a bass, and I began to dig into metal as a genre. I began with thrash, and started playing it, but as I went, there were milestone discoveries ranging from Candlemass' "Nightfall" and Fates Warning's "The Spectre Within, to Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill," Overkill's "The Years of Decay," Voivod's "Killing Technology," and Anacrusis' "Screams and Whispers." From there it got more and more obscure, until I was digging through used cd racks trying to complete my Akerococke and Virgin Steele collections. I'm still looking for more great bands, and likely always will be. I loved the options that heavy metal presented, and wanted to be a part of that world. I was featured in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey when I was about 17, and that opened up a world of options, from there it's been all about learning to be more fully a part of the metal world, an with Anger As Art, I've been able to see bands from all around the country, and even be witness to the Puerto Rican scene, which will eventually be a monster in metal. So many fantastic bands from there.

What can people do to support your music?

Buy the record and come to a show! Things are tight for a lot of people, and I completely understand that, but check out our Facebook and take a listen, a kind word is always nice too.

Do you plan to tour?

Absolutely. We've got immediate dates in San Diego, Las Vegas and Chicago, all of which can be found at Facebook.com/angerasart.

People say that there is no money in metal music. Why do you have such dedication to your metal music?

There isn't. Unless you hit that mid-upper tier of bands (for our purposes, think Overkill, Kreator's, Exodus and the like) or higher, you'll be struggling. We make music because we like making music. We're interested in the crafting of it, and bringing that to the stage, and the money comes last. If you don't want to lose your ass, read your contracts, play smart shows, and play well. Metalheads can smell a fake from ten miles away, come prepared, open, and able. And don't be an egotist, it looks small and sad. There's a lot of metal to love, show up ready to love it.

Some bands like lyrics about zombies, demons or politics. Are lyrics important to your band and what type of lyrics do you think work well with your music?

I believe lyrics are very important. I was able to write quite a bit lyrically for Ad Mortem Festinmus, and put quite a bit of work into it because I think they are essential. This doesn't mean purple prose or technical terminology or whatever, but knowing how to write well for your own band. I could never write a song about zombies well, but King Fowley does it masterfully for Deceased. Likewise, I'm not much for songs about sex and relationships, but Skyclad, Riot, and WASP did a good job with that stuff. There's nothing more annoying to me than a shit lyric over a great riff.

What other news do you have?

We'll be playing our record release show at Malone's in Santa Ana this Saturday, April 2nd, and after that, gearing up for more shows! Shoot us a message or comment at Facebook.com/angerasart for more details. Thanks again for the interview, and hope to see you when we get up in the Washington area!

THE END.

www.facebook.com/angerasart

Amon Amarth (review by MMB)

Amon Amarth

Jomsviking

release date: March 25th, 2016

label: Metal Blade Records

Amon Amarth handles its business. When you do things the way you do these things you must be doing something right. You must know something. You must have confidence in what you do. You must have skills. Keep up the quality and keep the consistency. Show up. Show up every time, and they have. What do they get? They successfully make a new album every time and they tour the world.

This new one sounds like Amon Amarth. What’s wrong with that? Is it all the headbanging? Is it the hooks and memorable riffs up the wazoo? Is it the catchy songs? Is it the heavy metal pride? The band has studied the history of metal music, has learned the lessons and has avoided the errors that so many great bands have made. For instance, commercial pressures, trends, fashions and bad advice have led iconic metal bands into making albums that are glam, party rock, synthesizer albums, punk, garage, grunge, techno, industrial, rap, hip hop, mainstream, no-guitar-solo albums, hipster, emo and other stylistic changes that respond to the particular times. Amon Amarth knows of this problem very well. So far, with this band, it’s going to be a cold day in hell before they fall into that trap.

A win is a win. Success is success. Stick to what you do. That’s what works for this band, and that’s why they keep coming back and why the people keep coming back. Unlike so many legendary metal bands that have gotten confused, that have stumbled and fallen in futile efforts to “take it to the next level” by going punk or rap or industrial or techno or whatever, Amon Amarth has found its own way to do things. Like Immolation, Moonsorrow and Nile, Amon Amarth guards its unblemished discography as a lioness protects her cubs. Furious pride. No one can accuse this band of all those big mistakes and blunders of other bands. Small changes? Yes. Amon Amarth started out as death metal and along way has incorporated the songwriting of traditional heavy metal. As you gain more experience, you learn to write better songs.

The Vikings return and they will tour the world as they always do. No worries, everything is as it should be with Amon Amarth. There’s only bittersweet issue: Fredrik Andersson is no longer drumming for Amon Amarth. For the album they enlisted the guest services of Tobias Gustafsson, drummer for the now defunct death metal band Vomitory (1989-2013).

To conclude. Some bands may be known for being “consistent,” but they also sound like they are going through the motions, making another product in order to have an official reason to tour. I don’t put Amon Amarth in that category. I find that the songs are memorable and they sound like a band that has lots of creativity, not just business sense.

www.amonamarth.com

Seattle region concert calendar

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Seattle region concert calendar by Metal Bulletin Zine (Washington state). If you know of other metal concerts in the area, please get in contact with Metal Bulletin Zine, here, on Facebook or on Twitter. *

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March 28 Satan, Skelator, Substratum, Gatekeeper, Nox Velum at Highline, Seattle, WA *

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April 1 Decibel Magazinel Tour ABBATH, High On Fire, Tribulation, Skeletonwitch at El Corazon - Seattle, WA

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April 5 Primordial Atrocity, Bloodgeon, Defenestrator, Hereticon at The Highline, Seattle, WA

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April 7 Steve Grimmet's GRIM REAPER, Skelator at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA

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April 7 Blasphemous Creation, Vultra, Dilapidation at Funhouse, Seattle, WA

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April 8 Power Trip, Gag, Lower Species at The Highline, Seattle, WA

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April 8 Dokken at Malibu's, Vancouver, WA

April 9 Dokken at Tony V's Garage, Everett, WA

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April 10 Voltanic, Vesuvian, A Moment Alive at Funhouse, Seattle, WA

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April 11 Absu, Witchaven, UADA, Imperial Triumphant at The Highline, Seattle, WA

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April 11 Iron Maiden at Tacoma Dome

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April 11 Perpetual Dementia at Funhouse, Seattle, WA

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April 12 The Desolate, Pile of Priests, Dilapidation, Oxygen Destroyer at The Highline, Seattle, WA

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April 14 Iron Kingdom, Skelator, Substratum at The Kraken Bar and lounge - Seattle, WA

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April 16 Sarcalogos at Cryptotropa - Olympia, WA

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April 18 Malevolent Creation, Pyrexia, Abiotic at Studio Seven - Seattle, WA *

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April 22 Ghost Ship Octavius at Studio Seven, Seattle

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April 23 Ghostblood, Kommand, Hexengeist, Dilapidation at Funhouse, Seattle, WA

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April 23 D.R.I., Wolfpack at El Corazón, Seattle, WA *

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April 25 Sarcalogos TBA - Seattle, WA

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April 28 Rhine, Deathblow, Xoth, Hexengeist at The Highline - Seattle, WA

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April 29 The Devils Of Loudun,Oxygen Destroyer, Ghostblood, Rhine at The Kraken, Seattle, WA

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April 30 Fear Factory, Soilwork, American Wrecking Company at El Corazón - Seattle, WA

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April 30 Napalm Death, Earth Control, Rot Monger, Narrow Minded, The Drip at Mainstreet Studios, Walla Walla, WA

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April 30 Holy Grail, DevilDriver, Incite, Hemlock at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA

May 1 Holy Grail, DevilDriver, Incite, Hemlock at Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA

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May 1 Napalm Death at The Showbox - Seattle, WA

May 08 Primal Fear, Luca Turilli's Rhapsody at El Corazon - Seattle, WA

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May 10 Dying Fetus/The Acacia Strain/Jungle Rot/Black Crown Initiate/Reaping Asmodeia/Nylithia/System House 33/Twisted Heroes /Into The Flood at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA

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May 13 Pallbearer, Norska,Wounded Giant, Scriptures, Nox Velum at The Highline, Seattle, WA

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May 14 Pallbearer at Obsidian, Olympia, WA

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May 14 Dropdead, Magrudergrind, Yautja, The Drip at The Highline, Seattle, WA

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May 15 Soulfly, Suffocation, Battlecross, Abnormality at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA

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May 16 Night Demon, Visigoth in Seattle, WA

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May 17 Amon Amarth, Entombed AD, Exmortus at Showbox Market - Seattle, WA

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May 17 Pentagram at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA

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May 27 Anvil, Unleash the Archers, Graveshadow at El Corazón, Seattle WA

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May 31 Corrosion of Conformity, Lamb of God at WAMU Theater, Seattle, WA

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June 2 Discharge, Eyehategod, Toxic Holocaust, Ringworm at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA

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June 05 Iron Kingdom at Tony V's Garage - Everett, WA

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June 11 Voivod at El Corazón - Seattle, WA

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June 14 American Wrecking Company at Studio Seven - Seattle, WA *

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June 17 Perdition Temple, Sempiternal Dusk, Ascended Dead at Highline, Seattle, WA

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June 17 Queensryche at Silver Reef Casino, Ferndale,WA

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June 18 Obsidian, Rhine at Funhouse, Seattle, WA

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June 19 Unaussprechlichen Kulten, Dire Omen at The Highline, Seattle, WA

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August 12, 13, 14 MIGRATION FESTIVAL at the Capitol Theater in downtown Olympia, WA: AUROCH, THE BODY & KRIEG collaborative performance, CHRISTIAN MISTRESS, DEAD TO A DYING WORLD, FALSE, FÓRN, FULL OF HELL, KHEMMIS, KOWLOON WALLED CITY, KRALLICE, MUTILATION RITES, NIGHTFELL, OBSEQUIAE, PALE CHALICE, THOU, VASTUM, VHOL, and YELLOW EYES.

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October 1 Def Leppard at Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington

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November 26 Dark Tranquillity, Swallow the Sun, Enforcer, Star Kill at El Corazón, Seattle, WA

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January 28 Blue Öyster Cult at Historic Everett Theatre, Everett, WA