Euroblast Video Review - 21/22 Oct 2011 (Cologne, GE)

Until Fear No Longer Defines Us - Ghost Brigade (2011)

 ALBUM REVIEW

While listening to Ghost Brigade for the first time, at the Amorphis gig in November 2010 in Islington, it was quite clear that this band had something very special about it. And indeed it really does! With their second album Isolation Songs being an amazing album, the band is now back with a brand new album entitled Until Fear No Longer Defines Us out now via Season of Mist. This album, is a more mature and constructed work than any previous releases from the band, but still lacks some elements from Isolation Songs, which made that album so good. In general, the album gives a gloomy and dark atmosphere, as expected, but it seems as if the sonic explosions which made Ghost Brigade so good in the first place, are not sustained enough and this seems to block the energy of the band from coming out. The songs on this album are almost certainly songs that will sound amazing live and honestly I can’t wait to hear this band again with the arsenal of songs that they now have. Lyrically the band really did a great job with some great lines and very nice passages which fit extremely well with the melodic composure of Ghost Brigade. Production wise, Until Fear No Longer Defines Us is not at the top level! Definitely not a bad production, but it feels as if many sonic elements are lacking the power and amplitude they really need to become impressive! To sum up, Ghost Brigade’s latest effort is a good album which didn’t disappoint, despite the fact that I still consider Isolation Songs to be a better album on the over-all. However, this album only makes me really eager to hear the songs live and see what Ghost Brigade can provide with the next album!

Favourite song out of the album is Clawmaster, which is also the first track that we got to hear from the album. This song is an amazing combination of everything that is good in Ghost Brigade! There is atmosphere, feeling, energy and some really great lyrics which all together, combined with the talent of Ghost Brigade, make this an excellent song!

Until Fear No Longer Defines Us: 8/10    

Posted by Nick 

Wasted Sinners - 5 Oct 2011 (The Monarch)

The Monarch has always been known, as a place for good, underground metal. From the opening acts of Metalworks, to the gigs just like the one that happened last Wednesday, you know you will definitely get quality! So on Wednesday first band I got to witness for the night was Roxville, which unfortunately, failed to impress. With a sound which was very much like a mixture of AC/DC, Guns n’ Roses and Aerosmith it was really hard to distinguish anything that really sounded unique and original. Generally, the lack of a good sound and the lack of uniqueness is what took away the interest from the band’s set. Roxville didn’t deliver a great set and failed to create the nice atmosphere that this style of music generally gives out! On the other hand however, the headliners for the night Wasted Sinners, managed to do exactly this. With a slightly sloppy start on the first two songs, mainly due to sound-man issues, the band really picked up afterwards and delivered a very good set filled with original compositions, as well as two covers;  Chuck Berry’s Johnny be Good and Black Crowes’s Hard to Handle(Original by Otis Redding). The original material of the band had a very nice feel and a very energetic rock n’ roll vibe which picked up everyone in the room! Wasted Sinners are definitely a well-rehearsed and tight band and really understand the concept of putting up a good show! Composed by a technically accomplished crew, these boys only need to find and include the uniqueness in their sound and show, to accomplish greater things. Now that’s where the hard part begins!

Wasted Sinners: 8/10 

Roxville: 5/10

Posted by Nick

Euroblast Festival 21-22 Oct 2011 (Cologne - GE)

From the beginning of September we have been very excited here at Peek from the Pit, since in a bit more than two weeks this year’s edition of the Euroblast Festival is about to kick off! This year, the organisers really went for the best line up possible with an amazing accumulation of djent metal bands including Tesseract, Chimp Spanner and Monuments along with two Nuclear Blast djent(arguable) acts, Danish metalers Mnemic and Dutch Textures as headliners! Also on the line up are Sybreed, Vildhjarta, Aliases and London’s very own Subversion. Many things to look out for this year’s edition, but definitely one of the main things we will surely be paying attention to is to hear some new Textures tracks live, out of their new album Dualism, which is out now via Nuclear Blast. And while we’re talking about new songs, there is also a big possibility for some new Chimp Spanner to be heard on Friday night on the Yellow stage (2^nd stage) right after Mnemic’s set, so be prepared! Another very nice addition to this year’s edition are the workshops that will be held by members of Monuments, David Maxim Micic, Jakub Zytecki and Devastating Enemy just before the gigs blast off on the Yellow stage on both days! This means that if you have any question regarding music, genre, composition, gear etc. then you will be very well served. So everything is set up for what looks like it is going to be an epic 2 days of intense guitars, blasting drums, atmospheric mayhem and a hell lot of headbanging! And if you want to be a part of it well you might want to head to www.euroblast.net for tickets! Hurry up, they are starting to run low! See you all in Cologne! 

Posted by Nick