Arashi - Achilla (2010)

SINGLE REVIEW

Arashi by Achilla is the new single of the band coming from their album, due to be released this year: Timeless. This single gives us a nice preview of Timeless and after a few listens really makes the ear to demand for more. First song on the single is Arashi which is an amazing combination of heaviness and melody all together mixed up with a touch of darkness. Arashi is the Japanese word for storm, and this song will definitely lift you up like a 12 beaufort hurricane. The amazing thing about this song is that, although it is shorter that your usual songs (2:56), Achilla has managed to include so many material into it and avoided the feeling that you get when you try to squash in too many elements in a song. Second track on the single is Volcano which is a track that brings out a good power and energy to the listener. It includes some very nice and technical parts from Daniele Panza(Guitar) and some nice bass lines from Gus Macricostas(Bass) that locks in perfectly with the drums of Vincenzo Infusino(Drums). The physical version of the single also includes an acoustic version of the song Wild Flower which produces some sort of Hispanic feel mostly due to the guitars and the way Daniele is performing this song. The melodies of Martamaria(Vocals) really fit in with the ambience and her amazing range really gives the band its unique sound. In general the guitar work by guitarist Daniele Panza is amazing with acoustic guitars sounding amazingly clean and the harmonies on the melodic parts of the guitar matching very well with the whole ambience of the songs. The lyrics of Martamaria are also very interesting and just as legendary author/journalist Malcolm Dome correctly said Martamaria's “ lyrics are melancholically inciteful and introspectively articulate.”

You can get a copy of this single on the majority of digital stores such as iTunes, Amazon, Play or Spotify. Hard copies which include the acoustic cover of Wild Flower can be purchased at http://shop.achillamusic.com/ with worldwide delivery.

Alternatively you can visit these links for more info:
MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/achillamusic

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Achilla/115545018463364

Website:

http://achillamusic.com/

Arashi: 3,75/5

Posted by Nick

Crowbar - 20 Jan 2011 (Underworld)

So once again back to, perhaps my favourite venue in London: the Underworld, but this time to witness the heaviness and “amaz-ness” of Crowbar. However before I talk about Crowbar there is an other band that was on the bill that needs to be mention. Opening up for Crowbar tonight were Hammer of the Gods and Shaped by Fate. I, unfortunately, didn’t catch the whole Hammer of the Gods set so I'm not able to give you a full review of that. However I have to admit that the uniforms were very nice and like Paul Fortescue (Vocals) from Shaped by Fate said: ”Anyone who can dress up like this and get away with it earns my respect”. So Hammer of the Gods: definitely a band to check again in the future. Now, as for Shaped by Fate, these guys came on stage with a huge energy and lots of attitude. Everyone in the band really gave 110% of their capabilities and they delivered a very satisfying set that definitely warmed up everyone for Crowbar. The sound of the band was not bad for a supporting act and the stage presence, as I said, was just enormous. If you are into the metal-core scene and you are looking for something new then give these guys a listen and I'm sure you wont be disappointed. And then was the time that we were all awaiting: Crowbar! The New Orleans sludge metalers really did it for everyone tonight. They delivered a great, heavy set and really satisfied everyone in the Underworld which was packed since this show was sold out. The crowd was very energetic and participated in every song while the pit on All I Had (I Gave) went absolutely mental and the crowd at the front of the stage really felt what heavy means! Crowbar is definitely one of the heaviest bands out there and they proved it with Planets Collide which was just HUGE! Crowbar also gave us a little taste from the new album that is coming out on Valentines day (14^th of February for those of you who don't take showers) with Cemetery Angels which you can check out on Crowbar's website here. Overall: a great gig with a hell lot of noise, beer and metal!

Crowbar: 20/20

Shaped by Fate: 16/20

Big thank you to Adam Sagir!

Posted by Nick

 

Malefice - 14 Jan 2011 (Underworld)

Despite the fact that Malefice performed in London only 2 months ago, with Arch Enemy, they were back for more and I'm glad they did. Malefice is a band that has the ability to make the back of your neck sore for a week after their gig and tonight wasn't any different. With some really enjoyable pits tonight, we had the privilege to hear some of the tracks coming from the new album, due to be released sometime before the summer of 2011, and honestly they were GOOD! The crowd seem to enjoy the tracks and like Dale Butler(Vocals) said: “People killed themselves to our new stuff tonight” so definitely keep an eye open for this album because it looks like it is going to be a killer one. Of course songs from Dawn of Reprisal and Entities couldn't be absent and songs such as An Architect of your Demise really made it for everybody in the venue. An other great thing about this gig was definitely the choice of venue. The Underworld is just the perfect venue for bands like that to get close to the public and deliver some kick ass shows. The way the Underworld is built just makes it a great underground venue and with bands such as Malefice you can only be sure it will be a great night! The guitars of Ben Symons(Guitar) and Alex Vuskans(Guitar) blended really well together and were delivering that hammer-feel blow to the crowd. Chris Allan-Whyte(Drums) and Tom Hynes(Bass) really brought the groove to the gig and really displayed some high-level technique on their instruments. In general Malefice: great band! Very tight, heavy riffs, great vocals and really cool guys. I think we have a winner here and their future definitely looks very bright so good luck to them and I know that I will be eagerly awaiting for that new album and so are the other 300 persons that were down at the Underworld tonight!

For more info on the new album and Malefice check out the interview with Dale Butler below!

Malefice: 19/20

Posted by Nick

Firewind - 7 Jan 2011 (Relentless Garage)

Last year (2010) has undoubtedly been the greatest year for Gus G and Firewind. From Ozzy to the world wide recognition of the band, 2010 has just been a dream year. And to celebrate all that London had the amazing chance to welcome this headline gig from this Greek band. Together with them was the Gibraltar band Breed 77. Breed 77 came on stage with a little bit of hesitation. Being somehow tortured by the lack of space on stage the band seemed to have a hard time to get the public on their side. However it soon changed when the band got familiar with the situation and started to enjoy their selves on stage. The band in general gave out a very strong and warm energy and it really made them perfect for the night. I have to say that I thought that they really were a great support band and warmed up the crowd for Firewind really well. Their cover of Zombie by The Cranberries was the one that really caught the crowd's attention and made it jump up and down. Then on stage was Firewind. This Greek metal band has everything it needs to make it into the big boys. All the members are amazing musicians with a very good technical ability. The one that impressed me the most was definitely Bob Katsionis(Keys&Guitar) with his dexterity. Playing guitar and keyboards at the same time like he does is definitely something that you don't see everyday. Gus G(Guitar) once again showcased his amazing guitar skills and really showed why Ozzy picked him to be his axe-man. This guy is a shredding machine!! Now if anybody of you never actually heard Firewind or any other Greek power metal band well let me tell you that it is damn good! The crowd seemed to love it and everybody got his disco moves out when the cover of Maniac by Michael Sembello was played. For the encore Firewind kept Into the Fire, I am the Anger and of course Falling to Pieces which concluded the evening.Overall a very nice gig with a good atmosphere and a very pleasant show.

Firewind: 18/20
Breed 77: 16/20

Posted by Nick

SoulSteal - 29 Dec 2010 (Tepee - Limassol, CY)

UNSIGNED BAND

It's funny how sometimes other bands introduce you to other bands in the most unusual ways. Well this time thanks to Amorphis I got introduced to this Doom/Death Metal band from Cyprus. I am aware that Cyprus is not really famous for its metal bands but bear with me for a second. Having an important experience on everything that has to do with Cypriot culture and its people I can tell you that, when one of them decides to do something, he will do it in the best possible way. This is the case for Socrates Ioannou(Guitar&Vocals) who drove this band from its creation in 2001 to being one of the most respected bands in the Cypriot Metal scene. With one album in their catalogue Soulsteal got on stage at what is, to me at least, one of the best metal venues in Cyprus. The set-list included a mixture of covers and originals which honestly blended really well between them. The compositions of the band really manage to give out a dark and gloomy feeling that every doom metal fan will enjoy while the influences from bands such as Katatonia, Anathema and My Dying Bride are quite strong, but still there is this little touch by these guys that makes it different and unique. The vocals of Socrates are amazingly powerful on the dark parts and really stand out with their clarity on the clean parts. Despite the line up troubles that the band went through during this past week the gig was well executed and the crowd seemed to enjoy the totality of the set. The crowd here in Cyprus is quite different that the crowd in the UK but the intensity and the love for metal is still well felt in the atmosphere. To sum it up: a very good gig from Soulsteal and a very good atmosphere in general. The ball-grabbing factor was lacking a little bit but I'm sure it will come with bigger crowds and more on-stage confidence. If you are a fan of Katatonia and such bands you should definitely check out Soulsteal's myspace page and judge for yourself and who knows maybe one day we will have them over in the UK. 

SoulSteal: 8/10

Posted by Nick

101% Pantera - 5 Dec 2010 (Purple Turtle)

COVER BAND

I was, unfortunately, born in this world too late. Too late to witness the amazing band that Pantera has been, live. Growing up as a teenager Pantera and Dimebag Darrell were a huge inspiration for me and I soon came to realise that this was the case for so many others within the metal community and not only. Generally cover bands don’t really get me excited and I have to admit that I’m guilty of not really attending any of these shows. However last night was different. I can openly say that 101% Pantera is the closest thing to Pantera you can get at the moment within the UK. This band is made up by an impressive selection of musicians including Chris Jones from Voodoo Six, which was absent last night due to the Voodoo Six tour and replaced by Aaron Waddingham from Man of Kin, Boris Le Gal, current drummer for London’s power metallers NeonFly, Dylan Cooper on bass and Patrick Reily on vocals.  Quite impressive don’t you think? Of course with a line up like this the result can only be extremely good. Well, it was unbelievably good. The band came up on stage and delivered a set, that lasted for a bit more than an hour, including a vast majority of songs from all of the Pantera albums. The band kicked in with an aggressive 5 Minutes Alone and despite the sound issues that came up, especially with Patrick’s microphone, the band kept the crowd and the venue in general, under their control. This cover band is really bringing out all the energy and raw power that any Pantera song carries within it and that energy is directly transmitted to the crowd which was just ecstatic during the totality of the set. In general the band is really giving out everything they have and trust me they have a lot to give so if you are wondering on what to do during the next few days you might want to check out the tour dates of the band since they are actually touring the UK in commemoration of Dimebag’s death.

Also don’t forget that tomorrow (Wednesday 8th of December) is the 6^th year anniversary of Dimebag’s death so make sure to wear your Pantera t-shirt and to start your day with Cowboys from Hell!

101% Pantera: 10/10 

Posted by Nick 

Soilwork - All that Remains - 30 Nov 2010 (Electric Ballroom)

I haven’t attended a gig at the Electric Ballroom in about 3 years now and the memory that I had of that venue wasn’t the best, so I was kind of worried about tonight’s gig. I stepped in the venue as soon as Caliban started their set and my fears were instantly gone. The sound wasn’t as bad as I remembered and the venue looked much bigger as well. As for Caliban: last time I saw this band was in 2006 and I have to say that, back then, I left the gig very impressed by the atmosphere and the energy of the band. Well all I have to say is: it got even better! The band was dominating the stage tonight and was very confident during the whole set. They even performed a cover of Sonne by Rammstein, that is due to be released on a compilation album very soon as Andreas Dörner(Vocals) explained. Caliban also performed various tracks from their older albums as well as tracks from their latest album Say Hello to Tragedy, such as 24 Years which concluded the set for this German band. Next on stage were Soilwork. The band started off with the opening track on their latest album The Panic Broadcast, Late for the Kill, Early for the Slaughter, and just took the whole venue with them. The public responded very positively to the energy that the band was giving out and the pit got aggressive at certain points, and especially when Nerve came on. The relatively new "recruit" of Soilwork Sylvain Coudret(Guitar) blew me away since he was amazing during his lead parts showcasing a huge technical ability and an amazing sound and tone. On the other end of the stage Peter Wichers(Guitar), who re-joined the band some time between 2008 and 2009, really brought in some very melodic and perfectly executed solos. The tracks from the new album really seemed to drive the public into some sort of "mayhem constructed by people running in a formation that took a somehow cylindrical shape" commonly known as Circle Pits. Songs such as Two Lives Worth of Reckoning or Stabbing the Drama, which also concluded the set, really made the crowd go crazy. Stabbing the Drama was also the perfect occasion for a sing along between Bjorn “Speed” Strid(Vocals) and the crowd! Last on stage, but not least, the all mighty American metallers All That Remains. This band has a very unique energy that is present every time they play live. The band is in Europe to promote their new album For We Are Many and a few songs were performed tonight from this album such as Hold On and Some of the People, All of the Time. Classic songs such as The Air That I Breath and This Calling where also included in the set list with This Calling creating a big wave of excitement among the crowd and a very loud sing along. Oli Herbert(Guitar) really impressed me too since by seeing him live I realised that he is an amazing shredder and the solos he delivered during the gig were just mind-blowing. It is very clear to me that All that Remains is a very tight band and that they have worked very hard to get where they are and I think that this time they are on their way to the top.

All that Remains: 18/20

Soilwork: 18/20

Caliban: 17/20

Posted by Nick