ANGUS McSIX has released a new song titled
"6666," aiming to elevate their power metal success, building on the
achievements of their debut album, which peaked at number 10 on the Official
German Album Charts in 2023. The narrative centers around Prince Angus McSix,
played by Thomas Winkler (formerly of Gloryhammer), who gets captured by the
dark Seebulon and calls for help from his brother Adam, who seeks to rescue
him.
As Winkler transitions to focus on family, he hands
over the lead role to Sam Nyman of Manimal, introducing a new character, Prince
Adam McSix. Winkler emphasizes the difficulty of replacing him, but highlights
that Nyman brings a unique style to the project. The new lineup has already
created a hit single from their upcoming untitled album, preserving the essence
of ANGUS McSIX while welcoming fresh talent.
Ο
τίτλος μπορεί να εκληφθεί σαν απειλή αφού όντως δεν αφήνουν τίποτα στη θέση
τους με αυτό, διαλύουν μέχρι και υποατομικά σωματίδια οι Εγγλέζοι αυτοί που
έχουν όπως ξέρουμε αναγεννηθεί για τα καλά. Το δεύτερο (τρίτο και με το ζωντανά
ηχογραφημένο άλμπουμ του 2014) μετά την επανένωση τους και πραγματικά δεν
χρειάζεται να πεις πολλά. Ατόφιο Heavy Metal, σκοτεινό αλλά πάντα με νεύρο κι
όρεξη.Με τα Fallen Saviour, Ruination
(αυτοί οι σύνθετοι νεολογισμοί τους με πεθαίνουν!), The Devil's Infantry, Atom
By Atom, My Own God, In Contempt, Ahriman, The Fall Of Persephone να είναι
απ'αυτόν το δίσκο οι κορυφαίες συνθέσεις κι ακόμα δεν είχαμε δεί τίποτα!
English
Text:
It was not meant to be the (new) beginning.
The title can be interpreted as a threat since,
indeed, they leave nothing in its place; these Englishmen, who, as we know,
have truly been reborn, even dismantle subatomic particles. This is their
second (third, if we count the live recorded album from 2014) after their
reunion, and honestly, there’s not much more to say. Pure Heavy Metal, dark but
always with energy and enthusiasm. With tracks like "Fallen Saviour,"
"Ruination" (these complex neologisms are killing me!), "The
Devil's Infantry," "Atom By Atom," "My Own God,"
"In Contempt," "Ahriman," and "The Fall of
Persephone," this album has top-notch compositions, and we still haven’t
seen anything yet!
The truth is that I acquired this CD due to its good
price and the information I read about the band's musical style, which is
described as NWOBHM and speed metal.
After I attempted to research SEDUCER, I found that
there isn’t much information available about them. From what little I could
learn, the most important point is that the band was formed in 1981 and
remained active at least until 1990. They participated in the compilation “A
Bolt From The Black” (LP, Thunderbolt, 1984) and gained a reputation for their
very dynamic live performances. Lastly, vocalist and guitarist Chris Hunt is an
experienced guitar teacher.
This particular release is the band's last work and
essentially is the demo they released between January 24 and 30, 1990, titled “The
Mental Helicopters Demo,” to which I have added some bonus tracks.
Upon the first listen to this work, I was both
impressed and intrigued. The band balances between heavy metal and punk rock,
with the latter genre being more prominent. Despite the influences, I enjoyed
it quite a bit and listened to their work over and over again. Their music
feels like a mix of MOTORHEAD, RAVEN (especially in the track titled “Too
Fucked to Notice”), RAMONES, and SEX PISTOLS. Additionally, their lyrics are
very interesting and infused with sharp British humor.
This release has motivated me to further explore the
band and to become interested in their earlier works. Therefore, if you don't
mind a mix of heavy metal and punk rock, it's worth giving them a chance.
Swiss Black Metal band Helslakt has released a new
single titled "Helsloth's Viscid Elixir." The track was recorded in
their rehearsal space by Nitverk Skoggath and Alex Straubhaar, with mixing and
mastering also by Skoggath, and produced by Forges Productions. Founded in 2006
in the Swiss Jura, Helslakt gained recognition in the underground scene with
several demos and two albums before disbanding in 2010. After a decade of
inactivity, founding members Drevsroth Ninhvarth (vocals) and Nitverk Skoggath
(instruments) revived the band, signaling a new chapter. They are set to
release their third album, "Corruption 2.0," on February 28, 2025,
marking their return to the Black Metal scene with renewed intensity.
Αυτό
το άλμπουμ, το τρίτο της τετράδας των Αμερικανών Epic & Doom Metalers,
δείχνει το φωτεινό μονοπάτι που θα ακολουθήσουν απ' εδώ και πέρα οι κύριοι Tim
Baker με τη κολασμένα υψίφωνη χροιά του, Jerry Foggle (RIP) κιθάρα, Flint μπασο
και Roger Carven ντραμς θα μπουν σε βαριές μεταλλικές ατραπούς αφήνοντας πίσω
τις επιρροές της δεκαετίας του '70 που είχαν στο Frost and Fire θρυλικό κατά τα
άλλα πολύ ωραίο ντεμπούτο τους,ήδη
απ'το δεύτερο τους άλμπουμ το επίσης πολύ αγαπητό King Of The Dead (1984) . Στο
εξώφυλλο για τρίτη φορά ο αλμπίνος πρίγκηπας Elric στο φόντο αυτή σε αυτήτην απεικόνιση του Wellan, κραδαίνοντας το
Stormbringer, μαύρο σπαθί πουτον εξουσιάζει
και μέσα στο CD οχτώ κομμάτια με τα Blood & Iron, Chaos Descends, The Fire,
100 MPH, War Eternal, Doomed Planet και τελευταίο το ομώνυμο One Foot In Hell
να εξουσιάζουν το στερεοφωνικό μας όταν παίζει.
English:
Third Edition.
This album, the third in the quartet of American Epic
& Doom Metallers, showcases the bright path that Tim Baker, with his
infernal high-pitched voice, Jerry Foggle (RIP) on guitar, Flint on bass, and
Roger Carven on drums will follow from now on. They dive into heavy metal
territories, leaving behind the influences of the 1970s that were present in
their otherwise legendary debut, "Frost and Fire". By their second album, the
also much-loved "King of the Dead" (1984), they had already started this
transition.
For the third time, the albino prince Elric graces the
cover, depicted in this illustration by Wellan, wielding the Stormbringer, the
black sword that dominates him. Inside the CD, eight tracks rule our stereo,
including "Blood & Iron," "Chaos Descends," "The
Fire," "100 MPH," "War Eternal," "Doomed
Planet," and the final title track, "One Foot In Hell."
The story of VERITAS begins back in the somewhat
distant year of 2012. Their first official work was released in 2019 and was
the EP bearing the name of the band. Then, in 2020, they released their debut
album titled "Threads of Fatality," and in 2023, they presented their
most recent work, titled "Silent Script."
Hailing from Kansas, USA, they musically honor the
American metal tradition of the 1980s. In short, they operate in a genre that
for convenience we call U.S. power metal. At the same time, they enrich their
sound with progressive metal and more technical elements, giving the 12
compositions of the album an adventurous aesthetic and variety.
In my personal opinion, based on my experience as a
listener of the genre, the band's sound can be compared to bands such as early
SAVATAGE, early FATES WARNING, TITAN FORCE, STEEL PROPHET, and at times, their
fellow countrymen CAGE during the "Unveiled" period. I believe the
influence from FATES WARNING is further strengthened by the involvement of the
great drummer Mark Zonder in the band's lineup.
Interpretively, the compositions stand out for their
theatricality and drama. This is attributed to the technically flawless and
passionate performance of the band's vocalist, Denny Anthony.
The impression this particular work left on me is that
VERITAS, leveraging the high technical ability of its members while avoiding
unnecessary excesses, has managed to create an album that, on one hand,
overflows with nostalgia for the traditional U.S. progressive power metal
sound, while on the other hand, sounds fresh and revitalizing for the genre.
When asked if I would recommend this work to fans of
U.S. progressive power metal, particularly to fans of the bands I mentioned
above, the answer can only be a simple and absolutely meaningful
"YES."
Μετά
από τρία συναπτά έτη το δεύτερο άλμπουμ των Αμερικανών βετεράνων ήδη τότε,
μοιάζει να άργησε πέρα απ'το συνηθισμένο, σε μία εποχή που αρκετοί
δισκογραφούσαν κάθε χρόνο. Καταρχάς εδώ πλέον οι οποίες επιρροές απ'τη Hard
Rock των 70s βρίσκονταν στο Frost And Fire του '81 έχουν ελαττωθεί αν όχι
εξαφανιστεί. Το NWOBHM κίνημα και τα συγκροτήματα που το απαρτίζουν έχει έρθει
στην αμερικανική σκηνή από τηv Ευρώπη κι έχει ανακατευτεί με το Doom ύφος στη
μουσική τους (στο ομώνυμο King of the Dead για παράδειγμα) σε βαθμό που να
μοιάζει σαν να έχουν περάσει όχι τέσσερα αλλά οχτώ χρόνια. Το επικό στοιχείο υπάρχει
και εδώ αλλά αν καιυπερτονισμένο σε
σημεία και αυτό δεν αφορά τον πίνακα του Wellan που υπάρχει σαν εξώφυλλο κι που
αναπαριστά άλλη μία περιπέτεια του πρίγκιπα Elric κατόχου αλλά και σκλάβου του
μαύρου ξίφους Stormbringer. Το επικό στοιχείο είναι κομμάτι του τρόπου που
είναι γραμμένα εδώ τραγούδια σαν τα Atom Smasher, Black Machine, Master of the
Pit, Death of the Sun, ή το ομώνυμο τους κομμάτι Cirith Ungol. Ένας κλασικός
δίσκος κι όχι μόνο με την ταμπέλα του cult όπως θεωρούντανκάποτε.
English:
Return to the Scene of the Crime
After three consecutive years, the second album from
the then American veterans seems to have arrived later than usual, in a time
when many artists were releasing albums every year. Firstly, the influences
from 70s Hard Rock that were present in "Frost and Fire" from '81
have diminished, if not completely disappeared. The NWOBHM (New Wave of British
Heavy Metal) movement and the bands that comprise it have made their way to the
American scene from Europe and have blended with the Doom style in their music
(as exemplified in the title track "King of the Dead") to such an
extent that it feels like eight years have passed instead of just four. The
epic element is present here as well, though it is at times overly emphasized;
this does not pertain to the Wellan artwork featured as the cover, which
depicts yet another adventure of Prince Elric, the wielder and also the slave
of the black sword Stormbringer. The epic aspect is part of the way songs such
as "Atom Smasher," "Black Machine," "Master of the
Pit," "Death of the Sun," and the title track "Cirith
Ungol" are written. It's a classic record, not merely tagged as cult, as
it was once considered.
