REVIEW: IMPELLITERI, Venom

 

IMPELLITERI, Venom (2015)

Rock Of Angels Records

Από τα καταχθόνια κατάστιχα των βιρτουόζων

Ο Chris Impellitteri βρίσκεται σε κιθαριστικό οργασμό, παραδίδοντας ένα ακόμη άλμπουμ στα όρια του υπερβολικού, αλλά δοσμένο με ιδιαίτερα όμορφο τρόπο. Σίγουρα, υπάρχουν άπειρα riffs, στην πλειονότητά τους ταχύτατα, με τα χαρακτηριστικά solo του Chris να κυριαρχούν σε κάθε σχεδόν κομμάτι. Αν και κρύβουν μια πολυμορφία, είναι πιο «στο καρφί» από εκείνα άλλων, ίσως πιο γνωστών εραστών της εξάχορδης κυρίας (Malmsteen, για παράδειγμα). Παράλληλα, τα χαρακτηριστικά ρεφρέν συμπληρώνουν το μουσικό τοπίο, με ελάχιστα έως καθόλου νεωτεριστικά στοιχεία σε συνθετικό επίπεδο. Έτσι, κινούμαστε σε κλασικές U.S. Power Metal φόρμες, από έναν άνθρωπο που ειδικεύεται στα ευχάριστα καψόνια.

Η παρουσία του Rob Rock στο μικρόφωνο ανεβάζει αναμφίβολα το επίπεδο των κομματιών, χάρη στην πολύ καλή αλλά και ιδιαίτερη φωνή του. Στιγμές όπως τα Venom, Empire Of Lies, We Own The Night, Nightmare, Jehovah, Time Machine και Domino Theory ξεχωρίζουν μέσα στο άλμπουμ.

Ακόμη και σήμερα, έντεκα χρόνια μετά, εξακολουθώ να πιστεύω ότι πρόκειται για ένα αρκετά καλό album.

English:

From the Infernal Archives of Virtuosos

Chris Impellitteri is in a state of guitar-playing ecstasy, delivering yet another album that borders on excess, yet is executed in a truly beautiful way. There are certainly riffs galore, most of them blisteringly fast, with Chris’s trademark solos dominating almost every track. Although varied in their approach, his solos are more straight-to-the-point than those of other, perhaps better-known lovers of the six-string lady (Malmsteen, for instance). The trademark choruses round out the musical picture, with little to no innovation on the compositional front. In other words, we are dealing with classic U.S. Power Metal formulas, delivered by a man who specializes in pleasantly punishing his listeners.

Rob Rock’s presence behind the microphone undoubtedly elevates the material, thanks to his excellent yet distinctive voice. Tracks such as “Venom,” “Empire Of Lies,” “We Own The Night,” “Nightmare,” “Jehovah,” “Time Machine” and “Domino Theory” stand out among the album’s highlights.

Even today, eleven years later, I still believe this is a pretty good album.

Τάκης "Ε-Μortal One" Γιώτης!

REVIEW: CYPERUS - Blow It Out Your Ass

 

CYPERUS - Blow It Out Your Ass (2011)

Arkeyn Steel Records

Arkeyn Steel Records continues to dig into the underground metal archives with this re-release of CYPERUS, an American metal band from Olympia, Washington. The CD brings together the band's 1986 demo and their previously unreleased 1998 LP tape, offering a welcome opportunity to discover more of their material. CYPERUS also released the album Sanity Management in 1992. That record took a rather different musical direction and did not particularly impress me, so let's focus on the material featured here.

I first listened to the 1986 demo four or five years ago, and I remember being genuinely impressed by it. Now, remastered and accompanied by the 1998 recordings, it sounds just as good as I remembered. The LP material follows a similar musical direction, making this collection a coherent release rather than a simple gathering of unrelated recordings. Kostas Scandalis has done an excellent job with the remastering, bringing this material back to life while preserving the character of the original recordings.

Musically, CYPERUS deliver U.S. power metal with high-pitched, distinctive vocals and the kind of approach that will appeal to fans of the more traditional American underground metal scene. The songs have plenty of character, and the combination of powerful metal riffs, melodic passages and the band's unmistakable vocal style makes the material particularly enjoyable. There is a certain charm to these recordings that should appeal to listeners who appreciate discovering overlooked bands and releases from the past.

All the songs are worth listening to, but "Judgement Day", "Black as Night", "Local 517", "Blizzard Crusade" and "Ode to Omen" are probably the highlights. They capture the band's strengths and give a good idea of what makes this collection so appealing.

In conclusion, Blow It Out Your Ass is a really good release that brings together two worthwhile chapters of CYPERUS' history in a carefully remastered package. Fans of U.S. power metal and collectors of obscure underground metal releases should definitely check it out. Personally, I consider it a must-buy!

Ioannis Kaskamanidis

Στους δρόμους της Μικρασίας: Οδοιπορικό, 1890

 

Στους δρόμους της Μικρασίας: Οδοιπορικό, 1890 by Gaston Deschamps

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Υπάρχουν ταξιδιωτικά βιβλία που απλώς καταγράφουν διαδρομές και άλλα που καταγράφουν έναν κόσμο. Το οδοιπορικό του Gaston Deschamps ανήκει στη δεύτερη κατηγορία. Ο Γάλλος αρχαιολόγος, περιηγητής και δημοσιογράφος διασχίζει το 1890 τη Μικρά Ασία, από τη Χίο και τη Σμύρνη ώς το Αϊδίνι, την Έφεσο, την Καρία και την Πισιδία, και αφήνει ένα έργο που είναι ταυτόχρονα ιστορικό τεκμήριο και λογοτεχνικό κείμενο.

Ένας συγγραφέας ανάμεσα σε δύο κόσμους

Ο Deschamps (1861–1931), μέλος της Γαλλικής Αρχαιολογικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ταξίδεψε εκτεταμένα στην Ελλάδα και την Ανατολή. Συνδυάζει την παρατηρητικότητα του επιστήμονα με τη γλαφυρότητα του λογοτέχνη και τη «γαλλική κομψότητα» της γραφής του. Οι περιγραφές του ανασύρουν εικόνες, χρώματα και αρώματα μιας εποχής που δεν υπάρχει πια, και ο αναγνώστης έχει την αίσθηση ότι ταξιδεύει μαζί του.

Η Οθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία πριν από το τέλος

Η μεγαλύτερη αξία του βιβλίου είναι ίσως η ματιά του στην Οθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία των τελευταίων της δεκαετιών. Με αξιοσημείωτη αντικειμενικότητα και από τη δυτική, ορθολογική του σκοπιά, ο Deschamps αποτυπώνει τη δομή και την καθημερινότητά της. Βλέπει τις κοινωνικές αντιθέσεις και την παρακμή της οθωμανικής διοίκησης, αλλά βλέπει και την οικονομική και πολιτισμική ζωντάνια των τοπικών πληθυσμών. Έτσι το κείμενο γίνεται πρωτογενής μαρτυρία για έναν κόσμο που λίγες δεκαετίες αργότερα θα διαλυθεί ολοσχερώς.

Ο νόστος για την ελληνική αρχαιότητα

Σε όλο το έργο διαπερνά ένας βαθύς ρομαντισμός και ο θαυμασμός για τον αρχαίο ελληνικό πολιτισμό. Για τον Deschamps η αρχαιότητα είναι ιδεώδες, ένας κόσμος όπου κυριαρχούσαν η λογική, η φιλοσοφική αναζήτηση και η αρμονία. Αυτός ο πνευματικός νόστος χρωματίζει το βλέμμα του καθώς περιπλανιέται ανάμεσα στα ερείπια των πόλεων, και κάθε αρχαίος λίθος γίνεται αφορμή για στοχασμό.

Τοπία και ανθρώπινη παρουσία

Οι εικόνες της υπαίθρου, της ντόπιας ζωής και των τοπίων που φιλοτεχνεί ο συγγραφέας έχουν βαθιά συναισθηματική συγγένεια με τη λογοτεχνική ατμόσφαιρα της «Αιολικής Γης» του Ηλία Βενέζη. Και στα δύο έργα η φύση, η νοσταλγία και η ανθρώπινη παρουσία πλέκονται αρμονικά, και ο μικρασιατικός χώρος ζωντανεύει ως τόπος μνήμης και συναισθήματος.

Γιατί αξίζει να διαβαστεί

Το «Στους δρόμους της Μικρασίας» είναι ένα παράθυρο στον χρόνο. Απευθύνεται στους φίλους της ιστορίας και σε όσους αγαπούν τη λογοτεχνία της περιήγησης, και προσφέρει μια σπάνια, πρωτογενή ματιά στη Μικρά Ασία του τέλους του 19ου αιώνα, πριν από τις μεγάλες ανατροπές που ακολούθησαν.

VÛLOM Release New Video for “Longing”

 

Croatian doom metal band Vûlom have released a new music video for “Longing”, a track from their latest album, Love’s Lament, released on 13 September 2026.

The album follows A Step Closer to the Grave (2023) and explores deeply personal themes of love, guilt, sorrow and loss, focusing on the emotional scars left by past experiences and the difficult process of accepting inevitable endings.

Drawing inspiration from bands such as Saturnus, October Tide, Dawn of Solace, Hamferð, Paradise Lost and Swallow the Sun, Vûlom combine melodic passages with crushing heaviness and melancholic atmospheres. Their lyrics explore mortality, human insignificance and personal struggles, shaping a sound rooted in the darker, more introspective side of doom metal.

Vûlom’s current lineup consists of Domagoj Zrinski (vocals), Sandro Radan (guitar, backing vocals), Marko Katavić (guitar), Andrej Andonov (bass) and Bruno Biloglav (drums).

With Love’s Lament, the band continues to develop its emotionally driven approach to doom metal, with “Longing” offering another glimpse into the album’s sombre and reflective world.

REVIEW: ACCEPT, Eat The Heat

 

ACCEPT, Eat The Heat (1989)

RCA

Πολλοί το δοκίμασαν, ελάχιστοι επέζησαν

Με τον κύριο Dirkschneider να έχει ήδη δώσει δείγματα γραφής με τους U.D.O., κυκλοφορώντας το Animal House (με τα περισσότερα κομμάτια του άλμπουμ να φέρουν την υπογραφή των Accept) και, την ίδια χρονιά, το Mean Machine, η παλιά του ομάδα στρατολογεί τον David Reece (πρώην Bonfire), ο οποίος έχει αξιοπρεπέστατη απόδοση στο μικρόφωνο, καθώς και τον Jim Stacey στις δεύτερες κιθάρες, και παρουσιάζει το Eat the Heat.

Πρόκειται για μια προσπάθεια να ακουστούν σαν μια μπάντα με βασική επιδίωξη να υιοθετήσει τον ήχο του Glam/Hair Metal, με απώτερο σκοπό την αμερικανική αγορά! Σε λιγότερο από έναν χρόνο, διαλύονται ξανά και τα πράγματα αρχίζουν σιγά σιγά να οδηγούνται προς ένα reunion.

Από το άλμπουμ, ας πούμε ότι τα «X-T-C», «Generation Clash», «D-Train» και «Chain Reaction» τρώγονται. Μάλιστα, το δεύτερο επανηχογραφήθηκε αργότερα από την ίδια την μπάντα, με τον Udo και πάλι στα φωνητικά, ενώ το πρώτο το έχει «διασκευάσει» ξανά ο Udo με το προσωπικό του σχήμα, τους U.D.O., καθώς παραμένει κάπως μπερδεμένο το πότε γράφτηκαν τα κομμάτια και από ποια πρώην ή τότε νυν μέλη των Accept.

Αν δεν έφερε το λογότυπό τους, θα ήταν ένα πολύ καλό άλμπουμ για μια πρωτοεμφανιζόμενη μπάντα. Εφόσον, όμως, γράφει Accept πάνω στη γωνία, το αποτέλεσμα δεν είναι το αναμενόμενο.

English:

Many Tried, Few Survived

With Mr. Dirkschneider having already made his intentions clear with U.D.O., releasing Animal House (most of whose tracks were penned by Accept) and, in the same year, Mean Machine, his former band recruits David Reece (ex-Bonfire), who delivers a respectable performance on vocals, as well as Jim Stacey on second guitar, and comes up with Eat the Heat.

The idea is to sound like a band whose main ambition is to embrace the Glam/Hair Metal sound, with the American market as the ultimate target! Less than a year later, Accept split up again, and the wheels gradually begin turning towards a reunion.

As for the album itself, let's just say that "X-T-C," "Generation Clash," "D-Train" and "Chain Reaction" are reasonably palatable. In fact, the second track was re-recorded by the band years later, with Udo back on vocals, while the first has also been "covered" by Udo with his own band, U.D.O. The whole matter remains somewhat confusing, though, as it is not entirely clear when the songs were written or which former or then-current members of Accept were responsible for them.

Had it not carried the Accept logo, this would have been a very good album for a band making its debut. However, when the Accept name is stamped on the cover, the result falls short of expectations.

Τάκης "Ε-Μortal One" Γιώτης!

REVIEW: IN LEGEND - Ballads ‘n’ Bullets

 

IN LEGEND - Ballads ‘n’ Bullets (2011)

SPV Records

Metal never stops creating new genres, and IN LEGEND is another example of musicians trying to explore a different approach to the familiar sounds of the genre. Following VAN CANTO, the a cappella power metal band whose music is both fun and genuinely enjoyable to listen to, we now have IN LEGEND, a band that could be described as playing piano metal. This is certainly an interesting idea, as it proves that there are still musicians out there willing to experiment and use their imagination, even if the commercial potential of such an unusual approach cannot be entirely ignored.

On their debut album, Ballads ‘n’ Bullets, IN LEGEND retain the drums and bass but replace the traditional metal guitars with the piano, which becomes the main instrument responsible for carrying the melodies and providing the musical power. The result is an album with a predominantly melancholic atmosphere, built around melodic compositions and a more sensitive approach to heavy music. The piano is not simply an occasional addition to the arrangements; it takes the central role normally occupied by the guitars, giving the songs their own distinctive character.

Naturally, this is not the kind of release you should choose if you are looking for aggressive riffs, relentless speed or music that will make you bang your head from beginning to end. IN LEGEND follow a different path, focusing on atmosphere, melody and emotional expression rather than the more straightforward elements of heavy metal. If you can imagine the more sensitive moments of SAVATAGE without the guitars, you will have a fairly good idea of what to expect. The comparison is not exact, of course, but it provides a useful reference point for understanding the musical direction of the album.

Personally, I found the whole work very pleasant to listen to (this is the third time I have written this), and its melodic approach makes it an interesting alternative to more conventional metal releases. However, pleasant listening does not necessarily translate into a lasting emotional connection. Although I appreciated the musicians' effort and the unusual concept behind the music, the album did not create the kind of intense emotions that would make me want to return to it anytime soon. There is enough here to justify giving IN LEGEND a chance, but whether their piano-based approach will appeal to you is another matter.

So, if you are curious about this rather unusual combination of piano and metal, give Ballads ‘n’ Bullets a listen before deciding what to do with your money. After all, originality deserves attention, but personal taste remains the final judge.

Nick Parastatidis

REVIEW: REQUIEM - Within Darkened Disorder

 

REQUIEM - Within Darkened Disorder (2011)

Twilight Records

Swiss death metallers REQUIEM make a strong comeback with Within Darkened Disorder, arriving approximately two years after the release of their fifth studio album, Infiltrate... Obliterate... Dominate. The band once again delivers clear, pure and in-your-face death metal, without unnecessary frills, experimental detours or embellishments that might distract from its primary objective: sheer brutality.

Within Darkened Disorder is the real deal for fans of brutal death metal. Although its sound draws influences from the European scene, REQUIEM are arguably closer to the American school of death metal, with deep, guttural vocals, extremely heavy and fast rhythms, and a relentless combination of intricate riffs and solos. The music balances sheer aggression with enough technical detail to keep things interesting, avoiding the impression that speed and heaviness are its only defining characteristics.

The production deserves special mention, as it allows all the instruments to stand out while preserving the weight and intensity of the band's sound. The guitars retain their crushing impact, the rhythm section provides a solid foundation for the relentless assault, and the vocals complement the music's uncompromising character. Everything serves the same purpose, resulting in an album that delivers its brutality with clarity and precision rather than sacrificing definition for sheer sonic force.

REQUIEM are not here to reinvent death metal or offer something particularly original. They are here because they love the genre, and Within Darkened Disorder reflects that straightforward approach without compromises or unnecessary alterations. The band knows exactly what it wants to achieve and stays firmly focused on that goal from beginning to end.

So, if you appreciate traditional death metal with a brutal edge, deep guttural vocals and an uncompromising approach to songwriting, REQUIEM's Within Darkened Disorder is certainly an experience worth having. No frills, no unnecessary distractions, just death metal delivered straight to the point!

Christine  Parastatidou