NO ONE CARES – Dirty review

NO ONE CARES – Dirty

Qua Rock Records

https://www.facebook.com/noonecarespt

I am the only one that writes for BEHIND THE VEIL WEBZINE at this time and I have to say that I am oriented into traditional metal. NO ONE CARES play the kind of metal music that I don’t know much about, but since their label sent me the album I will try to do my best to give you an accurate presentation of it. Also I would like to ask you to excuse me if I write something inaccurate here.

THE COVER: It depicts an image that is both harsh and poetic, but above all passes a very clear message. It shows a devastated environment on the background and a human with a gas mask and coat holding a daisy. As for the message, in my opinion it is very clear; A warning about the destruction that humans bring to the environment, but also there is a fragile hope that we can change.

MUSICAL STYLE: NO ONE CARES can be easily tagged under the genre modern/groove metal, but their sound has more depth than the usual bands of this genre. If you listen to them carefully you can also find some hardcore/punk rock elements and in comparison with other bands that move on the same musical genre, these guys also have leads and solos in a more extended way. Generally speaking I think that NO ONE CARES are moving between the old school sound and the modern groove/nu metal genre.

COMPOSITIONS: In this album you can find 8 compositions whose main characteristics are the down tuned guitars and the grooves. The interesting thing with this band is that they combine different influences that come from known groups like RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, MACHINE HEAD, EKTOMORF and PANTERA. In my opinion though, they have managed to create their own musical identity.

CONCLUSION: As I said I am not an expert to the kind of music that NO ONE CARES play, but I think that the people who love this sound will like them too and as I said they also use more extensively solos and leads for their sound and this makes them somehow original.

Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis

PAOLA PELLEGRINI LEXROCK – Dreams Come True review

 PAOLA PELLEGRINI LEXROCK – Dreams Come True

Qua Rock Records

http://www.lexrock.it/

I have the chance to present to you here the full length album of my Italian colleague Paola Pellegrini. She is a lawyer and it seems that some lawyers also hide a revolutionary inner self that they want to express through the music. This is quite original but not unique since, If I am not wrong; one member of the German thrashers PARADOX is a lawyer too. Enough though with that and let me tell you about the new album of Paola who seems to be living her dream and supports the notion that dreams come true.

THE COVER: The cover is straight to the point and beautiful since you can see the good looking Paola with her guitar staring at you. So, I don’t know about you but a good looking rock woman that plays the guitar works fine for me as a cover.

MUSICAL STYLE: The essence of LEXROCK’s music is of course good old rock n roll which though is expressed through different musical styles in this album. Actually, Paola seems to be a fan of the punk rock sound, but there are also lots of hard rock and even some blues elements in her sound.

COMPOSITIONS: The album which has the title “Dreams Come True” consists of 11 compositions that have a variety of sounds. As I said the main element of LEXROCK is punk rock music, but you can also find rock ‘n’ roll elements and some hard rock and blues too (check out the song “All Right”). Without being an expert to the sound, I think that LEXROCK sound like a combination between THE OFFSPRING and GIRLSCHOOL.  

CONCLUSION: I think that things here are quite simple. This is a party punk rock album with a strong rock ‘n’ roll attitude. In a few words it is made to be played loud and offer you some good times while listening to it. I think that you will enjoy this even more if you listen to it with friends.

Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis

ISOLERT – Isolated Soul review

 ISOLERT – Isolated Soul

Demo

https://isolert.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/Isolert

Nowadays the Greek metal scene has an abundance of bands, of quality bands I may add, which belong to all sorts of styles and genres. However, those of you who have done your homework I’m sure you know that where the Greek scene mainly specializes in is the extreme sound. We have a good tradition and throughout the years we’ve given birth to some of the best bands that exist out there. This is both positive and negative for a new coming band because it gives it a solid foundation but on the other hand it raises the bar and the expectations. I guess from my introduction I’ve made things pretty clear as to the direction ISOLERT, this duo from Volos, Greece, choose to follow. The band is very young, in fact it was only formed this year and a couple of months later they were ready to offer us this three track demo, “Isolated Soul”, in order to allow us to get a glimpse of what they want to achieve and where they are headed. So, my observations are quite clear since the band belongs to the black metal genre and more particularly it follows the teachings and principles of the Scandinavian black metal scene. Be careful, I didn’t say Norwegian, I said Scandinavian and there’s a very good reason for this… You see the Norwegian black metal scene is mainly one dimensional, repetitive and monolithic. It’s rough and raw and keeps things minimal. All these are elements that can be found in “Isolated Soul” too, but if I stopped here I’d have done half the job since the guys use this foundation and upon it they build and expand their horizons by adding dark melodies, depressive moments, some clean recitations and they even have an epic feeling and atmosphere. This means that their songs have diversity and depth, it’s like listening to a different band with each song which I find very appealing and shows an inspired band. Add to this the fact that the production is very good and the artwork beautiful and I think we have a work that the black metallers shouldn’t miss. Keep an eye on ISOLERT!

Christine  Parastatidou

HELLRAISER – Revenge of the Phoenix review

 

HELLRAISER – Revenge of the Phoenix

Independent

http://www.reverbnation.com/hellraiserheavymetal

HELLRAISER released their debut album which I will present to you here in 2014, but the story of the band goes years back. They were created back in 2000 and then they were a cover band and they were covering classic metal bands like BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, DIO and many more. After some line – up changes through the years the band felt confident and created their own compositions which they offer us with this release.

THE COVER: It shows a humanoid phoenix rising and I think that you can’t get a more accurate cover for this release. It fits perfectly both to the title of the album but also to the sound and the lyrics of the band. I like it.

MUSICAL STYLE: As I have mentioned above, the band started as a cover band to many great groups and this somehow has affected their musical style. The experience though that they have earned through the years gave them the ability to add their own personal aspect to their influences. In a few words these guys are playing traditional heavy metal with a few power metal touches and they definitely draw inspiration from bands like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and DIO.

COMPOSITIONS: The album includes 9 compositions that move on the path of 80’s traditional heavy metal. The songs without bringing something new to the sound are well composed and played with passion. I think these 2 are the elements that we seek in a heavy metal band and of course inspiration which in most of the songs here HELLRAISER seem to have. Most of the songs are good and will satisfy the fans of traditional heavy metal, but the one that stands out in my opinion is the track under the title “Way of the Brave”. 

CONCLUSION: In their first official release HELLRAISER give us a positive image. They are a band that loves heavy metal and has passion for it. They want to create songs that will entertain the heavy metal fan and most of the time they succeed it here. The album will be enjoyed by the fans of the traditional metal sound and I am sure that in the future they can give us even better releases since they have the imagination and the talent.

Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis 

WOLFPAKK – Rise of the Animal review

 

WOLFPAKK – Rise of the Animal

AFM Records

http://www.wolfpakk.net/index.php/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=1&lang=en

WOLFPAKK is the project band that the singers Mark Sweeney (ex-CRYSTAL BALL) and Michael Voss (MICHAEL SCHENKER, CASANOVA, MAD MAX) formed back in 2010 and this is their third release. The singers once again have invited in their new release many guest musicians like Michael Kiske , Andi Deris (HELLOWEEN), Ted Poley, Joe Lynn Turner, Rick Altzi, David Reece, Charlie Huhn, Don Dokken, Marc Storace, Michaela Schober, Jean-Marc Viller on vocals. On the bass you can find musicians like: Bob Daisley, Al Barrow, Barend Courbois. The guitars were played by Jeff Watson, Ryan Roxie, Bernie Torme, John Norum, Doug Aldrich, Axel Rudi Pell, Martin Rauber. Finally on the drums you can find Mike Terrana, Mark Schulman, Simon Philips, Chris Slade, Gereon Homann. Ah there are other 2 musicians that participate here and these are Chris Ivo, Pablo Allen. As you can see all these seem extremely interesting and create great expectations.

THE COVER: The cover is quite simple and straight to the point. It is completely white and you can distinguish the characteristics of a white wolf. This is the kind of cover that I expect to see from a band like WOLFPAKK and for the kind of sound they have chosen to play.

MUSICAL STYLE: Actually we can talk about musical styles, since you will have the chance here to listen to a variety of different musical styles which all move between hard rock, melodic heavy metal and even power metal. The interesting thing with WOLFPAKK is that they manage to keep their identity no matter what the style of the song is. So, if you are into bands like SAXON, PRETTY MAIDS, DEEP PURPLE, DIO, WHITESNAKE and even HELLOWEEN, then you will find here something interesting.

COMPOSITIONS: The album includes 11 compositions and as I have already mentioned above they move between hard rock and melodic metal, but there are a few times that the band flirts with euro power metal like in the songs “Somewhere Beyond” and “Rise of the Animal”. The characteristic elements of the compositions are of course the great melodies and the great interpretation from all the musicians that participate. My personal favorite songs from the album are: “Rider of the Storm”, “Highlands”, “Black Wolf” and “Rise of the Animal”.

CONCLUSION: Without me being in the mind of the creators, I can guess that they wanted to create an album that is rooted in the 70’s and 80’s sound of hard rock and heavy metal and also bring to these sounds a fresh and contemporary breath. I think that they have done a very good job and “Rise of the Animal” can offer a lot of quality listening time to anyone that will decide to purchase it.

Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis