American Progressive Heavy Metal project Shade Of
Memories has released a new video for “The Anvil”, a track taken from its debut
album, Glaciers of Tomorrow (2021). The album was recorded, mixed and mastered
at Delbox Audio Studios.
Founded in 2013 by Jay Pratt, Shade Of Memories is a
one-man project based in Seattle/Tacoma, Washington. Combining powerful metal
arrangements with cinematic storytelling and symbolic themes of perseverance
and transformation, the project has developed a distinctive, concept-driven
musical identity. Glaciers of Tomorrow introduced Pratt's approach to an
international audience, receiving attention from both fans and music media.
New name, same band. Death Wolf started out as Devils
Whorehouse, and under that banner they put out two EPs and two full-length
albums. Why they changed the name, I can’t say. Maybe someone with more
patience than me will go digging. Black metal fans might like to know the band
was founded by Morgan of Marduk, and that alone says something about where
these guys come from. The new name comes with a self-titled album on Regain
Records, so that’s enough of the background. Let’s get to the music.
What you get here is old-school, and I mean really old-school.
Put this on and you’re back in the first wave of extreme metal, with that dirty
N.W.O.B.H.M. sound that Venom and Atomkraft made famous, plus a bit of
Motörhead and some punk attitude thrown in. If you love Hellhammer and early
Celtic Frost, you’ll catch a few familiar echoes too, and the rough, unpolished
production fits the whole thing nicely.
It all sounds great on paper, but the album can’t keep
it up. The first few songs are good. Then the riffs start repeating, the song
structures blur together, and the same ideas keep coming back. Somewhere along
the way I realized I’d stopped listening, and the last tracks went by without
leaving a mark. A shorter tracklist, or more variety in tempo and mood, would
have helped a lot.
So who is this for? Mostly the die-hard fans of 80’s
extreme metal, the ones who need every release the genre has to offer. Everyone
else should hear it before buying.
Μοναδικά
riffs και μελωδίες, με υπόβαθρο έναν στιβαρό, πραγματικά μπετονένιο ρυθμικό
τομέα, αλλά και μια εμπορική λογική που διατρέχει τις συνθέσεις του δίσκου. Και
ναι, το μεγαλύτερο hit εδώ μέσα, το «More Than A Feeling», σχεδόν το έχουμε
βαρεθεί! Έχει παίξει ακόμη και σε διαφήμιση (οι παλιοί θυμόμαστε το κλασικό,
φιλοσοφικό και διχαστικό ερώτημα: «Ή μπύρα ή Kaiser;», υπό τους ήχους του
τραγουδιού!).
Το
«Peace Of Mind» που ακολουθεί, πάντως, είναι μια πρώτης τάξεως Metal κομματάρα!
Τα «Let Me Take You Home Tonight», «Rock & Roll Band», «Smokin'» και «Hitch
A Ride» συνεχίζουν αυτό το ποιοτικό μουσικό ταξίδι, με τον ιπτάμενο δίσκο να
αποτελεί το σήμα κατατεθέν σχεδόν κάθε εξωφύλλου τους.
Οι
Αμερικανοί (προφανώς) Hard Rockers ξεκίνησαν με αυτόν τον δίσκο, για να
εξελιχθούν στη συνέχεια σε μία από τις ναυαρχίδες του A.O.R. (Adult Oriented
Rock), με το επόμενο άλμπουμ τους. Εδώ, πάντως, έχουμε ένα ντεμπούτο που
διαθέτει όλα τα εχέγγυα για να θεωρηθεί σπουδαίο. Από εμπορικής πλευράς, έκανε
πραγματικά αίσθηση, με τις πωλήσεις του να το επιβεβαιώνουν. Ειλικρινά, ποτέ
δεν κατάλαβα γιατί το συγκρότημα έμεινε στη σκιά άλλων σχημάτων, είτε της
εποχής του είτε μεταγενέστερων.
Η
ιστορία της επιτυχίας τους, βέβαια, δεν είχε μεγάλη διάρκεια, καθώς εξωγενείς
παράγοντες τούς έθεσαν ουσιαστικά στον πάγο από τις αρχές της επόμενης
δεκαετίας.
English:
A Greatly Underrated Band.
Unique riffs and melodies, backed by an exceptionally
solid, rock-solid rhythm section, combined with a commercial sensibility that
runs throughout the album's compositions. And yes, we have almost grown tired
of hearing its biggest hit, “More Than A Feeling”! It has even been used in a
commercial (those of us old enough will remember the classic, philosophical and
divisive question: “Beer or Kaiser?”, accompanied by the song!).
“Peace Of Mind”, which follows, is a first-rate Metal
gem! “Let Me Take You Home Tonight”, “Rock & Roll Band”, “Smokin'” and
“Hitch A Ride” continue this high-quality musical journey, with the flying disc
becoming an almost permanent trademark of their album covers.
The American Hard Rockers (obviously) made their debut
with this album, eventually going on to become one of the leading names in
A.O.R. (Adult Oriented Rock) with their next release. This debut, however,
already has everything it takes to be considered a truly great record.
Commercially, it made a considerable impact, as its sales figures clearly
demonstrate. I have honestly never understood why the band remained in the
shadow of other acts, both from their own era and from subsequent generations.
Their success, admittedly, did not last particularly
long, as external circumstances effectively put the band on ice from the
beginning of the following decade.
International atmospheric black/post-metal project MIK
have released their debut album, Ajmaq. The album was recorded, mixed and
mastered by Elmer González at Rite Studios.
Formed in 2026, MIK brings together Salvadoran
guitarist and vocalist Elmer González and Galician rhythm guitarist Hilda
Fernández, alongside bassist Elka Pérez and drummer Oscar Freites.
Drawing inspiration from acts such as Burzum, Enslaved
and Silencer, the project combines hypnotic repetition, atmospheric tension and
elements inspired by Mayan and Nahuat symbolism. Lyrically and thematically,
Ajmaq explores eternal recurrence, existential dread and psychological
fragmentation, presenting a bleak perspective on the human condition.
Through its melancholic intensity and immersive soundscapes,
MIK seeks to capture emotional turmoil and the psychological weight of human
consciousness, avoiding conventional themes of redemption or resolution.
Canadian thrash metal pioneers SOOTHSAYER have
released a new music video for “Work ’n’ Roll,” taken from their album Chapter
IV.
Formed in Quebec in 1985, Soothsayer earned
international recognition within the underground metal scene through their cult
demo To Be a Real Terrorist (1986) and debut album Have a Good Time (1989). The
band subsequently established a lasting presence in the history of Canadian
extreme music.
After a 16-year hiatus, the group reunited in 2007 and
continues to perform with its original five-member lineup. Remaining faithful
to their roots, Soothsayer maintain their distinctive blend of raw crossover
thrash energy.
Οι
Αμερικανοί, προφανώς εκ Βοστώνης, δεσπόζουν στο δεύτερο άλμπουμ τους μετά το
ομότιτλο ντεμπούτο, που μας τους έμαθε από την καλή. Μελωδικό rock, ξανά με
ιδιαίτερα κιθαριστικά riffs και πολυφωνικά φωνητικά στα ρεφρέν (Queen κι Uriah
Heep οι δάσκαλοι): γενικά ένα μουσικό ταξίδι… αλλού, πάνω στον τεράστιο
ιπτάμενο δίσκο τους, με ολόκληρη την πόλη τους επάνω, όπως και στο εξώφυλλο του
άλμπουμ. Μουσική γραμμένη για τα ερτζιανά κύματα των ραδιοφωνικών σταθμών
FM/AM, αλλά πολύ καλά γραμμένη. Ίσως λίγο πιο πίσω από το πρώτο τους άλμπουμ
(αυτό είναι υποκειμενικό), πάντως το ομώνυμο του δίσκου, που ξεκινά μαζί με τα
«The Journey», «It’s Easy», «A Man I’ll Never Be» (του οποίου το δεύτερο riff
θυμίζει κάτι από το «More Than a Feeling» του πρώτου δίσκου), «Feelin’
Satisfied», «Party» και «Don’t Be Afraid», σου μένουν στο υποσυνείδητο. Ένα
ακόμη πρωτόλειο A.O.R. διαμάντι το δεύτερό τους, κάτι που δυστυχώς δεν
επαναλήφθηκε ξανά. Ο χρόνος μετράει ήδη αντίστροφα για τη μπάντα, καθώς η
εταιρεία τους σύντομα θα απαιτήσει πολλά περισσότερα από όσα θα μπορούσαν να
πετύχουν, βάζοντάς τους σε μια ατραπό δικαστικών περιπετειών που ολοκληρώθηκε
το 1985!
English:
They Come, They Sweep You Away, and They’re Gone
The Americans, from Boston as one might expect,
dominate their second album, which follows the self-titled debut that
introduced them to us in the best possible way. Melodic rock once again, with
distinctive guitar riffs and layered vocal harmonies in the choruses (Queen and
Uriah Heep are the masters here): all in all, a musical journey… to somewhere
else, aboard their enormous flying saucer with their entire city on board, just
as on the album cover. This is music written for the airwaves of FM/AM radio, but
very well written. It is perhaps a little behind their first album (a
subjective call), yet the title track, which opens the record, along with “The
Journey,” “It’s Easy,” “A Man I’ll Never Be” (whose second riff recalls “More
Than a Feeling” from the debut), “Feelin’ Satisfied,” “Party,” and “Don’t Be
Afraid,” all stay with you in the back of your mind. Another early A.O.R. gem,
this second album is something that, sadly, was never repeated. The clock is
already ticking for the band, as the label would soon demand far more than they
could deliver, pushing them down a path of legal battles that did not end until
1985!
U.D.O. is a singer and a personality of the heavy
metal scene who needs no introduction. If the name says nothing to you, you are
probably not much into the genre. As the original voice of ACCEPT, he is for
me, along with the guitars, the one who gave that band its personal touch, and
he is also the one who kept its legacy and sound alive through his own
releases. So nobody should expect big surprises from Mr. UDO and his band. His
albums all walk the same musical path, and the only real choice is which ones
you like more or less.
“Rev-Raptor” gives you what you would expect: fast
songs, mid-tempo ones, and a few slow, ballad-type tracks. With 13 tracks on
the album, there is something for every taste, and the band sounds as tight and
confident as ever. Nothing here feels forced or out of place for a U.D.O.
record.
Personally, though, it did not move me the way his
previous releases did. It has everything I want to hear from one of his albums,
but I found it a bit short on inspiration and melodies, and I rarely caught
myself waiting for the next chorus. It is not bad and it is not boring. It is
just a decent album from a decent artist, and it does its job of marking his
presence in 2011. I also hope it means we will get to see him live here in
Greece at some point. A simple good album, then, from an artist who has got us
used to exceptional ones. Longtime fans will probably be happy with it, but it
is not the place I would send someone to start.
My favourite songs are “True Born Winners”, “Rock ’n’
Roll Soldiers”, “Days of Hope and Glory” (my favourite of the album), “Dr.
Death” and “Fairy Tales of Victory”.
