AMBIVALENCE are here to deliver brutal Death/Grind
Metal loaded with technical prowess, intensity, and genuine quality. Silicone
Magic is an album that combines sheer aggression with a surprisingly varied
musical approach, introducing psychotronic keyboard parts and unexpected
melodic elements throughout its course—some of them carrying an almost humorous
character that adds an unusual twist to the band's otherwise relentlessly
savage sound.
The production is excellent: professional, powerful,
and free of flaws. It possesses the necessary dynamics and sheer might to allow
every aspect of the band's music to come through with clarity, without
sacrificing the rawness and viciousness that this kind of music demands.
The riffs have volume, speed, and a distinctly
depraved, psychotic scent, while the rhythms are predominantly high-tempo,
driven by storming and highly aggressive drum work. The countless rhythm
changes further enhance the technical character of the music, constantly
shifting its momentum and keeping the listener on their toes. AMBIVALENCE
clearly have the musicianship to handle these complex arrangements without
allowing the technical side of their music to overshadow its brutality.
Lyrically, Silicone Magic is equally uncompromising.
The album stands as a clamor against the corruption, emptiness, artificiality,
and rottenness of the star system, giving the music an additional layer of
attitude and purpose.
Silicone Magic is a superb piece of work that
successfully combines brutality, technicality, eccentricity, and a twisted
sense of melody. A must-have for devotees of extreme Death/Grind Metal who
appreciate their music both savage and technically adventurous.
Released on November 26, 1977,
The Best of ZZ Top is much more than a convenient collection of
previously released material. Bringing together ten tracks from the band’s
first five studio albums, it offers an exceptionally concise portrait of ZZ Top
before the MTV era transformed them into international superstars.
This is ZZ Top stripped down
to their essential ingredients: Texas blues, hard-rock muscle, boogie grooves,
dirty guitar tones and an almost telepathic rhythmic chemistry between Billy
Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. There are no synthesizers, no drum
machines, no glossy 1980s production tricks and none of the elaborate visual
mythology that would later surround the band. What remains is the raw, earthy
power of a three-piece that had already developed a sound entirely its own.
And that is precisely why this
compilation remains so enjoyable. It documents the band at the point where
their blues foundations and hard-rock instincts had fused into something
unmistakably ZZ Top.
Album Review
Long before Eliminator
made them MTV royalty, ZZ Top were one of America's great working bands:
relentlessly touring, deeply rooted in Texas blues and already capable of
turning a three-piece arrangement into something considerably bigger than the
sum of its parts.
The magic lies in the balance.
Billy Gibbons' guitar is filthy without becoming uncontrolled, Dusty Hill
provides a bass foundation that is heavier and more melodic than it initially
appears, while Frank Beard's drumming supplies the subtle swing that keeps the
whole machine moving. Beard in particular deserves more credit than the band's
mythology sometimes allows: his playing is economical, but never stiff, and his
feel is fundamental to the band's groove.
The Best of ZZ Top captures all of this beautifully.
Side One
The compilation gets straight
to the point with “Tush”, a compact, explosive piece of Texas boogie
that remains one of the band's signature recordings. At barely over two
minutes, it wastes absolutely no time. Dusty Hill's lead vocal, Gibbons'
razor-sharp guitar work and Beard's relentless groove make it the perfect
opening statement.
The pairing of “Waitin' for
the Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago” is arguably the centerpiece
of the entire collection. Originally appearing consecutively on Tres Hombres
(1973), the two tracks almost function as a single composition: the former
establishes a hypnotic, slow-burning groove before giving way to the heavier,
blues-soaked swagger of the latter.
That transition is one of
those small pieces of sequencing genius that makes a compilation feel like an
album rather than a playlist.
“Francine” introduces a lighter, more melodic side of the band without abandoning
their blues-rock character, while “Just Got Paid” brings the emphasis
firmly back to Gibbons' guitar. The latter is particularly impressive because
of the way its riffing combines blues phrasing with the sheer physical weight
of hard rock.
Side Two
If Side One establishes the
band's groove, Side Two begins with their calling card.
“La Grange” is built around one of the most recognizable guitar shuffles in rock
history, but its effectiveness comes from how little the band actually needs to
do with it. The riff, the rhythm section and Gibbons' vocal attitude are
enough. Inspired by the notorious Chicken Ranch brothel in La Grange, Texas,
the song became one of ZZ Top's defining recordings and an enduring piece of
Texas rock mythology.
Then comes “Blue Jean
Blues”, arguably the compilation's most revealing track. Instead of relying
on the band's trademark boogie attack, Gibbons stretches out into a slow,
deeply atmospheric blues performance. His guitar playing here is all about
touch, sustain and phrasing rather than speed. It is a useful reminder that
beneath ZZ Top's humour and swagger was a genuinely accomplished blues
guitarist.
“Backdoor Love Affair” restores the band's heavier groove before “Beer Drinkers and Hell
Raisers” kicks the doors wide open again. The latter is especially notable
for the shared vocal approach of Gibbons and Hill, reinforcing the sense that
ZZ Top's sound was not simply built around one frontman but around the
chemistry of the entire trio.
Finally, “Heard It on the
X” closes the record in suitably rebellious fashion. The song pays tribute
to the powerful Mexican “border blaster” radio stations that could be heard
across Texas, stations that played blues, rock 'n' roll and other music that
American broadcasters often ignored. The reference is more than a bit of local
colour: those stations were part of the musical environment that helped shape
the young Gibbons and the broader Texas rock culture.
Production & Sound
Produced by the band's
legendary manager Bill Ham, the compilation benefits from the sonic
character of the original early-1970s recordings rather than attempting to
modernize them. The material originated from sessions associated with Robin
Hood Studios in Tyler, Texas, and Ardent Studios in Memphis, two important
locations in the development of ZZ Top's early sound.
What makes these recordings
work so well is their physicality. The guitars have weight without excessive
studio polish, the bass is present without swallowing the guitar, and Beard's
drums retain a natural sense of movement.
There is a genuine three
people in a room quality to much of this material. That doesn't mean the
production is primitive—it is actually remarkably controlled—but the
performances retain enough grit and space to breathe.
The Cover: Ten Legendary Texas Tales
The sleeve is another reason
this particular compilation has become so memorable among collectors. The album
is presented under the subtitle “10 Legendary Texas Tales,” with artwork
credited to illustrator Phil Garner and design by John Kosh,
whose résumé includes some of the most recognizable album artwork of the rock
era.
The pulp-magazine aesthetic
fits ZZ Top perfectly: humorous, exaggerated, slightly sleazy and unmistakably
Texan. It feels less like a conventional greatest-hits package and more like a
visual extension of the band's emerging mythology.
An Interesting Omission
One of the more curious
aspects of the compilation is what it leaves out.
Although Tejas had been
released in 1976, none of its material appears here. Instead, the album
concentrates entirely on recordings from 1971 through 1975—the band's first
five studio albums.
In retrospect, this gives the
compilation an unexpected advantage. Rather than trying to represent every
phase of ZZ Top's career up to 1977, it unintentionally creates a remarkably
coherent portrait of their formative period.
Interestingly, contemporary
trade coverage acknowledged that not all of the band's recent singles had made
the cut, but still regarded the selection as difficult to fault.
And that is probably the best
way to approach The Best of ZZ Top: not as an absolutely comprehensive
greatest-hits collection, but as a carefully concentrated introduction to the
band's first and arguably rawest chapter.
Commercial Legacy
The album initially reached No.
94 on the Billboard 200, and later returned to the chart in 1984 at No.
182. In the United States, it was eventually certified double Platinum,
reflecting the enormous longevity of ZZ Top's catalogue.
Its staying power is hardly
surprising. By the time Eliminator arrived in 1983, ZZ Top had already
spent more than a decade developing the musical language that would make their
1980s transformation so successful. Listening back to this compilation makes
that evolution much easier to understand.
The famous beards, hot rods,
sunglasses and MTV videos did not create ZZ Top. They merely placed an already
fully developed musical identity inside a new visual context.
Why This Compilation Still Matters
The Best of ZZ Top remains one of the most effective ways to experience the band's pre-MTV
identity in a single sitting. It contains the essential ingredients: “Tush,”
“Waitin' for the Bus,” “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” “Just Got Paid,” “La Grange,”
“Blue Jean Blues” and “Heard It on the X”—and, importantly, presents them
without the distractions that would later accompany the ZZ Top phenomenon.
For anyone who discovered the
band through Eliminator, Afterburner or their MTV videos, this
record is almost a time machine. It takes you back to when ZZ Top were simply
three Texans making extraordinarily infectious, dirty, blues-drenched hard
rock.
And there is something
refreshing about hearing them in this form.
No gimmicks. No drum machines.
No sequencers. No neon.
Just Gibbons, Hill and
Beard, locked into a groove and sounding like nobody else.
That is the real value of The
Best of ZZ Top: it doesn't merely collect some of the band's best early
songs—it preserves the moment when the legend was still being built.
There are countless bands in the pagan and folk metal
genres, and most of them tend to sound far too similar to my ears—or simply
fail to hold my interest, mainly because of the sheer overabundance of such
acts in today’s worldwide metal scene. However, there are always some bright
exceptions, or at least bands that come closer to our personal tastes and
manage to touch us in a more genuine way. One such band is the German
WOLFCHANT.
They may play folk/pagan metal, but they do so in an
exquisite and highly individual manner that, personally, I believe sets them
apart from the vast majority of their contemporaries. Call of the Black Winds
is an impressive opus—a state-of-the-art example of expertly performed and perfectly
executed pagan death/black metal, enriched with all sorts of additional
elements that make the final result both highly addictive and immensely
appealing.
One of the album’s strongest assets is its vocal
diversity. We get three distinct vocal approaches: deep, clean vocals, death
metal growls, and high-pitched black metal screams. Each one brings a different
character to the songs, providing exactly the variety needed while reinforcing
the album’s epic atmosphere. And then there are those moments when certain
tracks adopt an almost tavern-like character, bringing to mind pirates
feasting, drinking, and celebrating in the most glorious fashion!
The melodic lines are beautiful and genuinely
enchanting, but the harsh and aggressive passages are equally effective. They
make your blood pump hard through your veins, filling you with energy,
excitement, and a certain sense of pride. Underneath it all, the rhythm section
provides the ideal foundation upon which every other element is built and
firmly supported.
Call of the Black Winds, to put it simply, is an album
that anyone with a taste for pagan, folk, death, and black metal cannot afford
to miss!
Η
ανατριχιαστική φωνή του MarkShelton (RIP) των ManillaRoad, που ακούγεται στην έναρξη του άλμπουμ,
στο TheWanderer,
οδηγεί σε ένα μακελειό EpicPowerMetal στον δίσκο αυτόν εδώ, τον δεύτερο για
ένα απ’ τα σημαντικότερα σχήματα της Ελλάδας.
Η
αναγέννηση του κλασικού ήχου, που είχε ήδη αρχίσει στην Ευρώπη σχεδόν δέκα χρόνια
πριν, κορυφώθηκε και στη Metal
σκηνή της χώρας μας με άλμπουμ σαν κι αυτό, ανάμεσα σε άλλα. Η φωνή του
αγαπητού Ιταλού ερμηνευτή MarcoConcoreggi
(θυμίζω, νυν φωνή των DexterWard)
ταιριάζει γάντι στο επικολυρικό περιεχόμενο των στίχων αλλά και της μουσικής.
Είναι ακριβώς αυτό που έχουμε στο μυαλό μας όταν συνδυάζουμε αντίστοιχα
«λαρύγγια» των κλασικών του είδους.
Οι
Μανώλης Καραζέρης και Κώστας Τζώρτζης στις κιθάρες, ο Νίκος Παπαδόπουλος στα
ντραμς και ο μπασίστας Κώστας Μακρυκώστας αποτελούν την κλασική σύνθεση του
σχήματος και σε αυτό το άλμπουμ.
Στις
συμμετοχές των καλεσμένων, πέρα απ’ τον MarkShelton που προαναφέραμε, συναντάμε
τον MarkCross στα
κρουστά, τον Bob
Κατσιώνη στα πλήκτρα, τον Δημήτρη Δελλή στην ακουστική κιθάρα και τον Αλέξη
Παπαδιαμάντη στο βιολί.
Δεν
θα γράψω άλλα. Απλώς είναι το πρώτο άλμπουμ τους που άκουσα κι έτσι
αντικειμενικός δεν θα μπορέσω να είμαι.
Ένα
απ’ τα καλύτερα δημιουργήματα της εγχώριας παραγωγής. Αμήν!
Vampire Killer, Tower of the Elephant, Deep Buried
Faith, Dyvim Tvar, Siegecraft, Sword of Crom, Calm Before the Storm, Dreams on
Steel είναι, κατά τη γνώμη μου, τα κορυφαία των κορυφαίων τραγούδια εδώ.
English:
They Had Reached an Unbeatable Level.
The spine-chilling voice of Mark Shelton (RIP) of
Manilla Road, heard at the very beginning of the album on The Wanderer, leads
us into an absolute Epic Power Metal massacre on this record—the second album
by one of the most important bands in the Greek Metal scene.
The revival of the classic sound, which had already
begun taking shape in Europe almost ten years earlier, reached its peak in our
country's Metal scene as well, with albums like this one among many others. The
voice of the much-loved Italian vocalist Marco Concoreggi (currently the singer
of Dexter Ward, as a reminder) fits like a glove with the epic, lyrical
character of both the lyrics and the music. It is exactly the kind of voice we
have in mind when we think of the legendary throats of the genre's classic
singers.
Manolis Karazeris and Kostas Tzortzis on guitars,
Nikos Papadopoulos on drums, and bassist Kostas Makrykostas make up the band's
classic line-up on this album as well.
As for the guest appearances, besides the
aforementioned Mark Shelton, we also have Mark Cross on percussion, Bob
Katsionis on keyboards, Dimitris Dellis on acoustic guitar, and Alexis
Papadiamantis on violin.
I won't write anything more. This is simply the first
album of theirs I ever heard, so there's no way I can pretend to be objective.
One of the finest creations to come out of the Greek
Metal scene. Amen!
Vampire Killer, Tower of the Elephant, Deep Buried
Faith, Dyvim Tvar, Siegecraft, Sword of Crom, Calm Before the Storm, and Dreams
on Steel are, in my opinion, the cream of the crop here.
I have to confess a small sin:
I originally bought this Vinyl record purely because of its eye-catching, wild
artwork and the unbeatable bargain price I found it for back in the day—just
1,000 Greek Drachmas (somewhere around the early 2000s). At the time, my music
taste was strictly dominated by heavy metal, so upon first listen, I can’t say
it particularly thrilled me. It was promptly shelved and left untouched for
years.
Fast forward to recently:
while digging through my physical collection, I decided to give it another
shot—and I can honestly say it was well worth the second chance.
Is this record going to
fundamentally alter your worldview? For most listeners, probably not. But that
doesn't stop it from being a remarkably well-crafted piece of work. Maverick
seamlessly blends classic rock, hard rock, and driving boogie rock aesthetics
with subtle touches of blues and country elements.
What makes this album
particularly interesting is just how convincing and authentic they sound. If I
hadn't checked the liner notes to see that they were from Belgium, I would have
put my hand in the fire betting they were Americans.
Released in 1991, Maverick
stands as their debut album. Further details about the group remain shrouded in
obscurity, making this release an intriguing forgotten relic of early '90s
European rock.
Rising Japanese heavy metal outfit FireFlame have
officially released their brand-new lyric video for "Something Is
Wrong," a standout track taken from their acclaimed album “Force Against
The End”.
Formed in Osaka from a university music circle by
guitarists FireRay and Fire.J, the band eventually expanded to feature Connie
Flames (Bass) and Mr Big Fire (Vocals). FireFlame solidified their final
line-up on February 27, 2022, with the addition of drummer Show.G. Flame.
Driven by a mission to dominate the global stage and revitalize the metal scene
in Osaka, the group also co-founded the NWOJHM (New Wave of Japanese Heavy
Metal) event alongside allies kitsunevi.
Defining their sound as "Modern Heavy
Metal," FireFlame deliver a high-energy fusion of traditional heavy metal
mastery, aggressive metalcore intensity, melodic death metal anthems, and
explosive ballads. At the core of their sonic engine is the twin-lead guitar
assault of FireRay and Fire.J, bridging classical technique with modern
precision.
The release follows a monumental step in the band's
career: signing a worldwide licensing deal with Italian record label Wormholedeath
Records in March 2026. Armed with a international push starting with a
three-day tour in Taiwan, FireFlame are set to bring their core philosophy—the
"inner fire" of relentless spirit—to a global audience.
The lyric video for "Something Is Wrong" is
out now across official streaming channels.
Athens-based Power Metal band InPhaze have announced
the release of their new album “Back Again”, marking a powerful return after
years of personal challenges and transformation.
Formed in Athens in 2011, InPhaze established their
presence in the underground metal scene with their 2018 debut album “World of
Lies”, blending the raw energy of hard rock with the intensity of heavy metal.
Their journey since then, however, has been shaped by a series of profound life
experiences that ultimately became the driving force behind their music.
Returning in 2026, InPhaze are more than just a Power
Metal band—they are a testament to resilience and human endurance. Built upon
the aftermath of devastating personal battles, including a severe fight against
cancer, demanding medical treatments, the emotional impact of divorce, and a
tragic family loss, “Back Again” transforms real-life struggles into
high-speed, melodic metal filled with passion and determination.
Musically, the album combines the technical precision,
powerful hooks, and speed of traditional Power Metal with a sharp, modern
production approach. Lyrically, InPhaze move away from the genre’s typical
fantasy themes, offering instead a raw and honest reflection of contemporary
reality.
The album features the co-production of industry
veteran Bob Katsionis (ex-Firewind), the captivating vocal performances of
André Boutos, and meticulous mixing and mastering by InPhaze founder and
guitarist Ilias Gogakis at Vowlume Productions. “Back Again” stands as a
statement of a soul finally aligned with its own truth.
Each track represents a milestone in a survivor’s
journey, proving that even through the harshest storms, we do not simply
endure—we emerge reborn, stronger, and redefined.
“Back Again” is Power Metal with a heartbeat, a soul,
and a message: true strength is forged in the fire of reality.
