Obsidian Kingdom: Mantiis

    It has to be said that when reading the introductory email from Spanish band Obsidian Kingdom and seeing them describe their debut album Mantiis as ‘a conceptual rock opera’ a keen shudder went from shoulder to shoulder and head to toe, though the following  ‘that flows through different genres’ certainly intrigued. So after admittedly putting it off longer than we would have wished a plunge into its depths was made followed by a good kicking of oneself for not doing it sooner. Mantiis is exceptional, its sounds and formation far exceeding and different to expectations, and a release which has yet to escape a daily investigation.

The album is certainly a concept album though the rock opera tag does diminish its lure and misguide. Consisting of one piece of song split into fourteen seamlessly connecting pieces, Mantiis is magnetic to thoughts and compelling to the senses, its construction impressive and innovative. The tracks do work strongly as individual encounters but to reap the biggest rewards from the release and own thoughts, absorbing it in one fluid listen is essential. The album also as mentioned evolves through multiple styles and genres but with coherent and seamless transitions which swoop upon the ear with unannounced mastery and imagination. Obsidian Kingdom is described as a post-metal band with rich veins of progressive rock and experimental invention but as the album reveals even that expansive description is limiting to the stunning creativity going on. Consisting of Rider G Omega (guitars and vocals), Prozoid Zeta JSI (guitars), Zer0 Æmeour Íggdrasil (keys and vocals), Fleast Race O’Uden (bass), and Ojete Mordaza II (drums), the Barcelona based band has built on and evolved from their previous EPs, Matter of 2007and 3:11 of 2010, to create their most ambitious project yet with the Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia) mastered Mantiis.

The release opens with the chilled ambience of Not Yet Five, its singular breath alone within a brewing rasping intensity. As the bass carves its melancholic presence within the haunting keys and cold ambience the guitars sculpt an indistinct yet mesmeric image in thoughts, their sound and emotive intent reminding of The Cure around their second album. As a tempestuous shadow looms nearer well into the track a sense of foreboding is thick enough to taste yet is held back to seemingly dissipate as Oncoming Dark takes over the narrative. Driven by a wonderfully acoustic guitar core and similarly persuasive clean Peter Gabriel like vocals, the track has a Latin embrace to its rock stroll and melodic flames. It is a sensational piece and only the first of so many. Igniting its urgency for a rousing climax it evolves into the crystalline entrance of Through the Glass where again melodic enterprise and sonic endeavour make the warmest wrap. Richly infectious and equally incendiary to mental imagery, something which evolves itself during each companionship with the album, the piece of music offers a classic metal fire with King Diamond like lining. Three tracks in and already the release has drawn on the essences of a varied seed base, with the following blackened Cinnamon Balls with rasping serpentine black metal vocals framing the emerging tale and its technical metal coaxing, just another thrilling shift in stance, flavour, and imagination.

The temptation to go through every track is irresistible but with restraint in place as we go on, further expressive highlights in nothing but stunning invention throughout the album, come in firstly Last of the Light. It is a carefully forged merger of harshly driven erosion vocally and seductive enthralment melodically which shifts from a grasping toxic rough caress through a piano framed emotive elegance with guitar heat burning wonderfully, to a jazz hearted exploration of the heart. Haunts of the Underworld is another charmer which ignites intense ardour, its compelling beauty and peaceful yet energetic beckoning paced by shadows which open their arms into a fiery intensity which captivates rather than approaching as a violent transgressor.

The closing moment of the album is arguably its greatest success, though choice of best track shifts from listen to listen. Starting with a rhythmic military ‘two-step’, Ball-Room entices with folk metal fingertips before releasing more black metal toxins into its deliciously expressive breast. Blending in melodic rock hooks and power metal like energy, as well as great clean vocals alongside the insidious caustic graze, it is an outstanding and irresistible dance which moves into the equally stunning closing piece, And Then it Was, which continues in the same formidable and diverse vein whilst offering its own individual nuances and imagination.

   Mantiis is nothing like you are imagining, even now, but an album which will elevate you to a satisfaction and bliss only a few releases each year is capable of. Obsidian Kingdom has just become a lustful favourite here.

Get Mantiis free from http://obsidiankingdom.bandcamp.com/album/mantiis

http://obsidiankingdom.com/

9.5/10

RingMaster 29/03/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Charun: De Ortu Solis

Combining instrumental post rock with doom tendencies and exhausting and evocative metal driven ambiences, De Ortu Solis the debut EP from Italian band Charun, is at times an overwhelming and but continually an invigorating release which evokes thoughts and emotions which themselves enhance the experience and pleasure. It will not be a release for everyone but rich in expressive and impacting sound, the EP certainly has much to offer melodically soaked extreme and progressive metal fans.

Charun was originally the solo project of Curse This Ocean guitarist Nicola Olla but has since grown to a full line-up of Olla (guitar, keyboards, sounds), Valerio Marras (guitar, effects), Simone Lo Nardo (bass), and Daniele Moi (drums). Cagliari based, the quartet take influences from the likes of Immanu El, This Will Destroy You, and Godspeed You!  Black Emperor, adding them to their own expansive imaginative sound. Raw and intensive yet seductive and elegant, the EP is abrasive and equally mesmeric, and all the while a testing and captivating encounter.

The title track opens its arms first, a lone guitar sitting in reflective isolation beckoning the emotions with its singular aural narrative. Plain beats join it soon after whilst a bass resonates with melancholic voice and mournful resonance. It is a compelling start even if the electronic drum beats deflate its strength such their weak and unattractive presence. The doomy stance of the bass is enthralling and keeps the presence a shadowed haunting despite the licking of emerging sonic flames of the keys and guitars. Erupting into a full weave of muscular and emotive sounds with thankfully the drums lost for the main, the song takes an even stronger grip and opens up the way for visions and emotional endeavours to play within its engaging soundscape. Remove the electronic drums and the track is a masterful instigator to picturesque ambience and heart touching drone fuelled atmospheres, but even with its flaw is a great start to the EP.

The following De Profundis offers a lively and potent start soon displaced by a stark but enchanting ambience which consumes the air with finesses and gentles textures. The transition between the start and the inciting following presence is not as seamless as one would wish but soon forgotten as the soft embrace evolves into a fire of caustic sonic intensity, golden melodic coaxing, and merciless vocal scowling and abrasive muscular energy. The drums thankfully raise no real issue here and with a production which accentuates the rawness of the voice of the song but allows the emotive keys to express their heart, the track is a pleasing and satisfying companion.

De Brevitate Vitae riles the senses with its thick abrasive and almost distressing touch but beneath the surface its melodic elegance is warm and captivating. The piece of music offers a journey through a myriad of images and experiences instigated and framed by the well-crafted and imaginative composing and touches. It does not live up to the first couple of songs but still holds a sway and lure over ear and emotions for a fully enjoyable walk through it’s a striking realm.

The release closes with De Tranquillitate Animi, a less intimidating but equally as accomplished piece of ambient invention as its predecessor. It completes an EP which firstly is enriched in promise for the band and their future creatively and secondly makes for a pleasing and tempting engagement right now. For a challenging and inspiring ambient driven experience Charun and their De Ortu Solis EP are an enterprising proposition.

Get The EP as a free download at http://charun.bandcamp.com/album/de-ortu-solis

https://www.facebook.com/charunproject

7/10

RingMaster 27/03/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Breaching the aggressive beauty: an interview with Johnar Haaland and Kristian Wikstøl from In Vain

Photo by Jørn Veberg

We may only be three months into the year but Norwegian progressive extreme metal band In Vain has made a startling claim for album of the year with the stunning Ænigma. The third album from the band is a compelling and inciting tempest of towering imaginative and inventive ingenuity evolving the rich already brewed essences of the band into a new exhilarating inspirational of fresh and sharpened ideas. Beautiful and destructive the release sets new heights and templates for themselves and for others to aspire to. To learn more about the band, their expansive music, and Ænigma itself, we had the distinct pleasure of talking with songwriter/guitarist Johnar Haaland and bassist/hardcore vocalist Kristian Wikstøl.

Hi Guys, welcome to The RingMaster Review and many thanks for taking time to talk with us.

In Vain is back with a vengeance with your new album Ænigma, a release which has taken a fair while to arrive since your last album. Was there any deliberate intent to take your time over this one or was it just how life imposed upon and dictated the journey for the album to its existence?

Kristian: First of all, thanks for a nice review and for taking your time! In Vain have always been about quality before quantity and to use your words, we are back with a vengeance with Ænigma, in my own opinion, our strongest album so far. From the fact that we are 6 members in the band with jobs and different projects in our lives it’s sometimes difficult to make things happen as productive and smooth as our fans would prefer. Kjetil became a father last year, Stig travels a lot in his job and I’m studying aviation in Florida. So yeah, it’s the result of many factors that lead to this.

Johnar: The main reason for the delay was that the songwriting process was interrupted. I am the only songwriter in the band and I had some personal business issues that I had to solve in 2011. This stole all my time and I had to put the songwriting on a halt for almost a year.

Obviously as a band you are confident and proud of the album, and rightly so, but has how it immediately ignited passions in fans and the media in any way surprised you?

Kristian: To be honest, I’m not surprised at all that people are excited about this album. I can say this because before I joined the band 6 years ago, I was a big fan of In Vain. Johnar and Andreas are my good friends and I remember being blown away by the sheer quality of the songs on “Wounds” and “The Latter Rain”. I’m still a fan though it’s always difficult to be objective to your own art and creations. We are thrilled to see that our fans are embracing this album.

Johnar: With the risk of sounding cocky, In Vain has always been blessed with great reviews. But we never take it for granted, and we also know that it has its side effects; people raise the bars for every release. It’s of course much easier to catch people off guard and surprise.

One of the triumphs of Ænigma, of so many , is that though it has the ‘typical’ In Vain sound and imagination which tells us its source without the band name being needed, it is still a distinctly different  character and encounter compared to your previous albums. Where so many other bands struggle to achieve this is it something you intently work on or just something which arises organically as you explore your new ideas?

Johnar: I think you are touching on something very important. Personally, I only listen to bands I find somewhat original, and by that I mean that I am able to know exactly what band I am hearing on the stereo, because they have their own unique voice. Thus far, I have been the only songwriter in the band and I think that has given us a consistent sound.

For “Ænigma” the idea was to continue to explore the same field, but to try also to make some shorter songs, in order to have a more balanced album. I find “Ænigma” as a solid representation of everything In Vain has done so far.

Of course the core and heart of your music is extreme metal seeded with many diverse flames of styles burning within the progressive breath of the album. One can only assume across the band there is an eclectic passion for different music which filters into your music and imagination, again is it something with naturally brews its own spices as you write or at times do you deliberately follow a certain flavour to include in a song?

Johnar: All the members of In Vain have a very broad musical taste. Personally, I listen to everything from very quiet and mellow music, all the way to extreme metal. I am also a big fan of rap music. When I make music I try to combine what I consider as the strengths in the various genres that I enjoy. For instance, I blend in the feelings in the blues, the aggression in Black Metal, the heaviness in Doom, etc. When we started In Vain I had a vision of trying to combine all these elements, without making the songs chaotic and non-cohesive.

How does the songwriting process work and once together in the studio is it a somewhat flexible stance for ideas from all leading up to the recording?

Johnar: I write all the songs alone and I prefer to present finished songs to the other band members. Consequently, I make demos where I record/program all instruments. I have a strong opinion about everything, from how the vocals should be, what rhythms the drums should play and so forth. Then I incorporate whatever feedback I receive and the songs enters a phase where I listen to them a lot and try to find areas for improvements. When we record I give each members strong guidelines, but everyone is still free to add their personal touch to the music.

Lyrically like musically, the songs on Ænigma have their equally individual themes and presences but is there any underlying connection across the album between songs, apart from being written by the same author of course.

Johnar: There is no connection between the songs on “Ænigma” or between the various albums. As with the music, we have no limits for what our lyrics can involve, except that we stay clear of direct religious or political messages. On Ænigma the lyrics deal with personal experiences, nature, philosophical reflections and our view on which direction the world is heading.

Photo by Jørn Veberg

Johnar: I believe I have a strong personal integrity in my songwriting. I have a profound view on how our songs should be, and what makes a song good or not. For instance, I am very concerned about contrasts. Variation is key because if you use the same tricks/riffs too many times people will notice and get bored. I am also a dedicated believer of the fact that arrangements are way more important than the individual guitar riffs you use. In my opinion, you end up with a bad song, even though it only has good riffs, if you arrange it in the wrong way.

How did the recording of Ænigma differ from your previous albums?

Kristian: The recording of “Ænigma” was more effective than any previous IV album. We are more experienced in the recording process now than ever and we know what to expect at this point. Another huge difference is that all previous IV recordings has taken place in our hometown Kristiansand during summer holidays where there’s been more people in the studio at the same time and, yeah, more slacking off. We recorded “Ænigma” in Oslo and tracked all instrumentations separately. Each member spent only a couple of days in the studio with their respective instruments, except Johnar who was supervising the whole process. A lot of bands, especially young inexperienced bands don’t realize the art and value of being an effective and focused band during the recording process. I’m all about having a good time, but when I enter the studio I wanna bring my A-game and be able to say I did my best for the years to come. I still enjoy hanging out in the studio, crack open a beer and try out all kinds of different stuff, but In Vain is complex music and you have to be focused and prepared when you enter the studio.

Johnar: As Kristian said, we are focused on being effective in the studio. But still, we always leave some time for experimentation and improvisation

How as a songwriter and as musicians have you grown and your approach to making music changed since your first release?

Johnar: For many of the songs on our previous albums I have things I would like to have changed. I think I have gotten more experience and become more “tactical” by age. By that I mean that I know what is necessary and what is not necessary to make a song good or not. Also, I have learned that the arrangement of a song is way more important than the riffs you use. I believe you can make a good song even though there are several less good riffs, as long as you balance everything and get the arrangement right. The most important for me is variation and that everything progresses fluently.

Are there any elements of the early days as a band and in making your records which have changed but maybe you in hindsight miss?

Johnar: I really enjoyed when we recorded our two EPs “Will the Sun Ever Rise” and “Wounds” back in the days. We were younger, things were less serious and we had more fun. For both those albums we just rented a studio for the whole summer and had a lot of fun.

Ænigma was produced by the mighty Jens Bogren (Opeth, Soilwork, Borknagar, etc.), what was it apart from the obvious about his style which you felt would exploit the riches of the album to bring it even more vibrantly to life?

Johnar: We chose to work with Jens because he had impressed us with his previous work. Additionally, we were looking for a crystal clear sound which would allow all the elements in our music to be heard.

Did his input and ideas change anything beyond your initial ideas upon the album?

Johnar: Jens only mixed the album after everything was recorded when he received the files from us. So the answer is no to this

Photo by Jørn Veberg

question.

In our review we felt the album was seeded in your earlier albums expanding them into a new exhilarating and inspiring canvas of fresh and sharp invention, and as we said earlier stands as something uniquely separate at the same time. Is that how you see it too from the inside of the band?

Johnar: I think “Ænigma” is a very good representation of everything we have done so far. You have more epic and slow songs (‘Floating on The Murmuring Tide’) which could be compared to ‘Captivating Solitude’ from the “Mantra” album, and you have more aggressive and fast songs (‘Times of Yore’) which is reminiscent of our earlier work. Finally, you also have tracks like ‘Image of Time’ and ‘Rise Against’ which has a more fresh and new sound.

Again you have brought in guest musicians for the album including Lazare and Cornelius from Solefald. Though it is an on-going idea across your releases to date have you not had the urge to master many of the instruments these fine artists bring and provide them yourselves?

Kristian: Having guest musicians on the album is good fun for both us and the fans but also a way to ensure that you have the best man for the job. It would have been too time consuming to learn how to play the violin, cello, sax or whatnot only to play on a couple of songs. These musicians are amazing and have spent years mastering their crafts. It would have been like using a plumber to operate on your legs or a surgeon to fix your plumbing. When it comes to Lazare and Cornelius it just felt natural to work with them since In Vain and Solefald will be teaming up this year on the stage. They are two great musicians and artists with a unique style and pitch to things and it would be plain wrong to try to imitate them instead of inviting on the album.

 The vocals on your releases and especially Ænigma just blow us away, the mix of extremes and their fluid union is always so impressive and another major aspect for us alongside the startling sounds. I have to ask though is there any rivalry over parts in songs as they are written?

Kristian: Since we all have very different vocal styles it becomes natural who’s doing what. I know my strengths and limitations when it comes to vocals and I’m not even gonna try to do Andreas shivering BM vocals or Sindre’s clean vocals. As with the former question; the most important thing is that you have the best man for the job. With varied songs, you also need variations in the vocals.

Since forming in 2003 has it become easier or harder as a band over the years, and has your gained experience along the way made it easier to deal with obstacles and arising problems within the music business?

Kristian: I think it becomes easier the older and more confident you get. As a band we are tighter, better and more comfortable with each other than ever and I think that comes as a natural consequence of us having matured and gotten more experienced. I haven’t seen the ugly side of the industry yet, but I know it exists. There are shady people in just about any business though. A lot boils down to how you let these people treat you.

April sees In Vain touring with Indie Recordings label-mates Vreid and also Solefald. Will you include the whole of Ænigma within your shows and what else is ahead live wise for the year?

Johnar: Since we don’t tour that often we will also play some old songs. Also, a big number of our fans really love the “The Latter Rain” album, so we will play a couple of songs from that disc. But the majority will be from “Ænigma”. Since our songs are quite long there is a limit on how many we can play unfortunately.

Again many thanks for sparing time to tell us about In Vain and Ænigma. Any last words you would like to share?

Thanks again! Big thanks and respect to all the supporters of real music out there! Keep buying albums and go see a good ol’ rock show every now and then. Hope to see you all soon on a stage near you!

And finally for the tour what are the sounds you most likely will take to help ease all the traveling between venues?

Kristian: I listen to just about anything within music, I don’t really care about norms or scenes anymore, only quality and passion. If you want name droppings: Neurosis, Deadmau5, Converge, Shai Hulud, Kendrick Lamar, the Roots, Radical Face, the last Deftones album is nice, Totalt Jävla Mörker, Hans Zimmer, Thrice+ a thousand more!

Read the review of Ænigma @ http://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/in-vain-aenigma/

The RingMaster Review 23/03/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Radiance: Undying Diabolyca

    Every release deserves and needs more than one encounter to fully absorb and understand its triumphs and flaws but there are those which need far more patience and time to make their persuasion than others. Undying Diabolyca from Italian metallers Radiance is one such release, an album which probably needs more time than most to unveil all its vices and glories but one which in turn rewards with something quite unique and unforgettable. The emotional dialogue between band, album, and thoughts is still an on-going discussion to be honest but for all its distractions and uncertainties one cannot help having a keen attachment already for what it offers.

Formed in 2004 by guitarist Federica Viola, the Palermo band began with an all-female line-up playing hard rock and heavy metal covers. The band soon was writing their own compositions alongside a continually energetic live schedule which incorporated festivals and music contests. Debut EP …And The Night Comes Down in 2008 drew critical acclaim and success which encouraged the band to push their imagination further. Eventually the band found its current line-up of Viola and vocalist Karin Baldanza as well as a male bassist and drummer in Fabio Accardo and Elio Lao respectively. From this point the music further evolved to find a distinct blend of progressive, power, and heavy metal coated in the evocative operatic tones of Baldanza. Last year saw the band record Undying Diabolyca as well as the approach of My Kingdom Music which saw the band sign with the label who now release their debut album.

Opening instrumental Towards Doom makes a decent introduction to the release without revealing any of its uniqueness but still awakens attention with its accomplished presence. The following Another Way though is a different matter, its start marked with eager riffs and a velvety dark bass sound alongside crisp rhythms. It is instantly compelling and has senses and feet ready to jump on board. Then the beginning of the challenging intrigue emerges with the vocals of Baldanza. She pierces the air with startling operatic flames which stretch notes to their limits and makes an uneasy companion to the sinewy sounds beneath her. It is a union which takes time to acclimatise to but is tempered by the vocalist switching to a heavier forceful delivery which in turn is interspersed with her fine but unexpected soaring and scorching tones. Musically the song continually manipulates the ear with sharp and inventive enterprise to bring extra pleasing intrigue but certainly for the first encounter to song and album the vocals to distract and shield the impressive things going on, why the need for many confrontations.

The following Behind the Light tempts and teases with a progressive shuffling of its inventive stances with the guitars bringing essences of Karnivool to their melodic flames whilst into its full stride the power metal breath of the song is a seamless co-conspirator to a progressive enticement. Vocally the Baldanza takes a more rock orientated approach but still makes each syllable and note from her body work to find its fullest limits for strong rewards to song and ear.

Tracks like the excellent Storm, a song with a tempest of grand melodic and passionate energy doing justice to the title, and the unpredictable Whirl’s Criterion with its mesmeric classical dazzle and creative fervour, move to impress, if again they take time to reveal and persuade their vibrancy and majesty whilst between them the instrumental Resonance is a delightful and evocative piece of music.

Whether it is due to so much going on musically and the drama of the vocals it is hard to tell, but the album does not trigger the ardour maybe it deserves though the itch to return to its body to hear and discover more is a worthy equivalent.  With the title track emerging late in the album to steal top honours with magnetic and breath-taking  robust and skilled adventure, Undying Diabolyca is a compelling and at times irresistible experience which you can feast on numerous times and find a new taste to enjoy with each bite. Though we would not say Radiance has totally converted us to their rampage of startling sound and experimentation the willingness to be convinced further by the band is eager.

https://www.facebook.com/Radiancemetalband

7/10

RingMaster 18/03/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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In Vain: Ænigma

    It has always been known or certainly suggested through their previous albums that Norwegians In Vain were masters at merging conflicting extremes, the release of third album Ænigma is the undisputed truth of that thought and declaration. The album is a compelling and invigorating tempest of opposites, beauty and destruction, peace and overwhelming sonic consumption, simplicity and inciting creative ingenuity. The release is arguably not stretching new boundaries but instead honing the already explored and distinct reaches of the band into their most impressive and intrusive piece of grandeur yet.

From their debut album The Latter Rain in 2007 which saw a rich and expansive blend of guest musicians and vocalists adding to the creative shock to the system for progressive metal, the band has reaped strong critical acclaim. Its successor Mantra three years later made an equal impact though for some was a mixed bag of tracks within what was still an ultimately thrilling and provocative release. The album confirmed the creativity and sound of the band as something apart from most other bands with similar musical intent and placed In Vain amongst the most respected melodic extreme metal conjurors. The Jens Bogren (Opeth, Soilwork, Borknagar, etc) produced Ænigma focuses all the already impressive elements and invention of the band into a towering and imaginative maelstrom of uncompromising pleasure, the album in many ways summing up of all that came before and was seeded in the earlier albums and expanding it into a new exhilarating and inspiring canvas of fresh and sharpened ideas.

As their previous albums, Ænigma is released via Indie Recordings and takes mere moments to awaken and perk up thoughts and senses. Against the Grain emerges from a sonic provocation with instinctively pervading intensity from the rampaging riffs and ravenous rhythms soon consuming the ear whilst the individual vocals squalls of Andreas Frigstad and bassist K. Wikstøl, the first venomously serpentine and the latter a hardcore bruising, ignite further primal pleasure through their impressive union. Once the clean vocals of Sindre Nedland join the now magnetic lure of the song, submission to its invitation is complete, the beauty and the beast persona of the track irresistible and incendiary for the passions. The expressive voice of the guitars of Johnar Haaland and Kjetil D. Pedersen soak the senses in courting and intimidating mastery, evoking and provoking reactions from emotions and thoughts throughout the continual senses searching imagination of the song.

The track as soon to be the whole album, has precise intentions with its  thought leading sounds and songwriting, which holds an inviting lyrical poise, but allows and invites the listener to spark their own unique feelings and visions to feel fully involved and part of the whole process of Ænigma. As progressive winds swarm through and around the ear within the often predatory extremes within tracks such as Image of Time and Culmination of the Enigma the band secures an addiction from offering inspiring and unpredictable variations within the also impossible to predict harsh torrents of annihilatory storms. Individually songs like the sublime instrumental Southern Shores or the elegantly malicious Rise Against offer an inspiring and emotionally inflammatory experience unique to themselves but part of the full album become another beast and encounter to devour and thoughtfully respond to, something which arguably may have been missing on previous releases, a consistency which brings a different fulfilment to taking songs as singular pleasures.

The pinnacles of the album come through Times of Yore and To the Core, the first an almost rabid yet reserved prowl of the listeners psyche with drummer Stig Reinhardtsen opening the gates to his most vicious rhythms and energy and vocals preying on the damage with spite and greed. With contagious acidic grooves and almost questioning melodies the track is immense, a furnace of passion and craft employing the richest essences of the band and their invention from its deepest most intrusive shadows whilst employing an infectiousness of melodic temptation. The second just gnaws on bone, senses, and emotions with yet untapped vehemence and an unrelenting savagery of riffs, rhythms, and vocals. Bestial and primitively violent, the track is a mighty lasting sonic pyre with glorious melodic flames of vocals and guitar enterprise.

Ænigma also impressively finds extra irresistible persuasion with each visit, from being impressively invigorating it reaches a higher stature over every encounter to become one of the essential hungers for the passions. In Vain have left a bench mark for all progressive extreme metallers to aspire to, we wish them luck.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/In-Vain/65782594989

9/10

RingMaster 13/03/2013

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Ticks Talk: Drug Dimension

    Hailing from Guwahati, India, progressive metal band Ticks Talk has been earning some strong attention and responses in their neck of the world and with the release of their debut single Drug Dimension now make the first impressive step in widening that enthused awareness.

Formed in mid-2012, the quintet of vocalist Bhargav Talukdar, guitarist Yoon Narzary, bassist Sun Sin Singha, drummer Tanfiz Hussain, and Pretom Boro on keys, soon made their mark by winning Techxetra Metanoia 2012,an annual beat contest at Tezpur University, and performing at the 2nd Guwahati International Music Festival 2012. The members of the band have featured in many local bands before Ticks Talk, and their experience and developed craft is an open vein within the first single from the band.

Drug Dimension is the tale of a scientist who in frustration at the evils in the world around him steps into the future in search of peace and happiness. There he finds a much darker place, a brutal punishing dimension where you have to kill to live. It opens with lone piano drama underscored by sawing niggly coarse riffs but soon expands into a bedlamic almost psychotic weave of progressive dysfunction surrounding abrasive riffs and firm rhythms. Into its restrained stride the track continues chugging its way through the ear with strong vocals adding the narrative whilst a dazzle of sonic and synth bewilderment distracts and intrigues. It is a startling brew which teases chaos but instead is an irresistible captivation. As it pushes its boundaries the song pulls in many directions whilst leading to the same point and across its imaginative visual soundscape brings essences of seventies psychedelia/classic metal, groove, and progressive metal for a Motherjane meets Dream Theater meets Faith No More encounter.

Initially the track lights up the ear and senses easily encouraging more returns but with each encounter evolves into something magnificent which has the tightest hold on the passions. Seductive and abrasive, gentle and aggressive, Drug Dimension is irrepressibly magnetic and innovative, a fresh wind of diverse styles and invention fused into a release which will set the band in the spotlight of acclaim and attention from here on in.

https://www.facebook.com/TicksTalk

8.5/10

RingMaster 07/03/2013

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Everthrone: Gilded Throat

    Once there was a band called Merzah, a group of musicians from York County, South Carolina who from forming in 2005 earned a fine reputation for their muscular and aggressive form of progressive metal sculpted with a magnetic melodic imagination. Two EPs, In the Trenches of 2006 and especially Existence Denied released in 2009, as well as impressive live performances marked the band as having one of the more inventive enterprising sounds to be inspired by. Now the musicians who made up a very promising band have stepped forward as Everthrone, an evolution of the former guise which has emerged as something even more impressive and creatively intriguing, and even more thrilling.

The now McConnells, SC based band consisting of vocalist Russell Plyler, guitarist Nevin McKeown, bassist Chris Carland, drummer Jeremy McKeown, and Dustin McDaniel on keys, has just released their first official track as Everthrone, a song which stands tall as a striking piece of invention.

Gilded Throat is a dramatic blaze of progressive and melodic metal fused with loud whispers of symphonic metal, the malevolence of black metal, and an infectious energy reaped from power metal brewed together for a startling and forceful encounter. The earlier sound of the band in hindsight hinted and was working towards this new flavoursome confrontation but as Everthrone, the band has reaped those seeds for the finest bloom. The track opens with dramatic and emotive piano evocation to brew up a sense of something epic on the near horizon. After its opening breath the song draws in sharp dangerous rhythms and sturdily chopping riffs to add menace to the still brewing symphonic grandeur and once the excellent melodic tones of Plyler bring their persuasion into play, the song has attention firmly within its tender grasp. Like all great metal songs though that grip tightens and becomes more intensive, following coarse growls disrupting the clear air with spite and insidious venom as the sounds unveil further muscle. Thoughts are left further intrigued by an electro additive to the vocals and keys stepping forward to bring another compelling twist in the enthralling journey of the song. To be honest this constant shift and twisting of style and gait within a song should not work and for many does not, but they are not Everthrone who achieve glorious results through thoughtful songwriting and skilled realisation of their imaginative and innovative ideas.

Continuing its immense stroll of invention, Gilded Throat continues to reward with greater melodic caresses, symphonic kisses, and powerful enterprise and intensity, with only the fact the track drifts away rather than finds a real ending a niggle, but just a personal dislike hard to shake off in regard to any song. The track is openly impressive and a thoroughly exciting introduction to this new stage of a rising force in melodic metal. The wait for their next release and song is going to be impatient for a great many.

https://www.facebook.com/Everthrone

8/10

RingMaster 02/03/2013

 

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Trillion Red: Echo Road EP

    If Trillion Red impacted on you with the impressive album Metaphere and its evocative expanses of dark progressive sound and intense atmospheres, then new EP Echo Road will bring you extra riveting pleasure. The four track release comprises of what multi-instrumentalist and creator of the one man project Patrick Brown calls “4 Dark Asymmetries” which did not quite fit on the album stylistically or time-wise. The new release is despite its contents failure to secure a spot within the album as creative and inspiring as those tracks which make it and sets up another compelling experience for thought, emotions, and senses.

The critically acclaimed 2012 album was a haunting and powerful release with brooding and consuming avant-garde doomscapes which were as heavy as they were enthralling and imaginative. The new EP is no different and such its stature and intensity one suspects they must have been within a thick wash of challenging ambience of being included originally. In press statements it is said that Patrick wanted to release the tracks making up Echo Road so that he could truly start fresh in the writing process for a second full-length LP, for that we can only say thanks  as their dark beauty wraps its oppressive yet majestic breath around the senses for another thrilling encounter from Trillion Red.

The Badgod Music release steps forward through opener Metasphere and as its lumbering punchy rhythms, grilling riffs, and snarling breath takes over the ear thoughts and pleasures gained from the album rush back to re-take their place. The emerging persistent sonic grind and rhythmic insistence is a constant pleasing gnaw which ignites primal juices and emotive shadows for a thoroughly compelling encounter, though within this unrelenting persuasion the track slips into a harsh biting yet distant ambience which is chilling and dangerous. The sonic wash eventually drifts away with its vehemence in tow to allow the towering prowl of the song to return and recapture the passions. It is an immense and incendiary start to the release and its highest pinnacle though challenged closely throughout.

Trillivm Black spills its bludgeoning intensity and corrosive energy next, unleashing further demanding rhythms and shimmering acidic sonics which singe the senses with skill and destructive imagination. Like the first it brings a soundscape which is equally mesmeric and insidious whilst reaching into deep dark shadows to produce a grip and eroding breath upon the emotions which is rife with seductive malice and irresistible craft.

From its departure emerges the distressed sonic voice of Domptre le Monstre, a longing yet distrustful slow voice of sound and expression which could enhance any Asian horror movie or place of desolation whether physical or mental. It is a powerful piece of composing where less is more and overpoweringly merciless.

The closing Memoirs of the Future continues the emotive intensity in another diverse yet connected black souled realm. Opening with a singular acoustic embrace the song gently wraps its melodic arms around the body before the brewing wind of blistering ambience which marked the previous track returns to cloud the skies once more. Into the measure of its stride the track releases its full doom presence to crawl over and invade the listener whilst seducing them with falls of gold covered sonics and melodic teasing. The track also for the first time sees Brown add a vocal element on the release which pushes shadows deeper in to thoughts with a fine heavy predatory delivery. The track is as bleak and darkly elegant as the band has ever been and by its corrosive end has corrupted, calmed, provoked, and ignited both thoughts and emotions.

Echo Road EP maybe unfinished business as Brown suggests for him, but it is undoubtedly an outstanding piece of imagination and craft to compliment and succeed Metasphere and leave us all impatient for where he goes next with Trillion Red.

http://www.trillionred.com

8.5/10

RingMaster 11/02/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Cult Of Luna: Vertikal

     Cult Of Luna has always been a band which has challenged and stretched thoughts, senses, and rock music itself but with their new album Vertikal, the Swedish post metallers have explored and aurally sculpted their finest hour to date. The album is a colossal journey and an intense emotional narrative which transports the listener into a place of stark beauty and oppressive grandeur whilst wrapping its recipients in the dystopian canvas upon which the immense and riveting structures of the album are built.

The five years since previous album Eternal Kingdom has been a far too quiet a period for fans of the band especially with their absence from live performances until this new release was completed and ready. Their return though will make those years feel a distant memory such its staggering creativity and presence. Vertikal evokes thoughts and emotions upon a theme influenced by Fritz Lang’s classic film Metropolis, the direct and imposing use of machinery, repetition, and unrewarding oppression a shared realm. Telling us the source of the theme which openly guides the album merely gives it a name as the invention, passion, and craft of the album and songwriting portrays the intent and purpose of the release with skilled ease without any added help. With every note the album seduces, squalls, and evokes the power of its heart and intentions into a clear and towering realisation, its structures and layers acute, defined, and linear. It ignites imagery with the strength and guile of a hypnotist but there is nothing frivolous or misleading in this stunning piece of ingeniousness.

Opening track The One is initially a resonating heartbeat, the beats of the song soon an emerging ‘figure’ as dawning sonics and distressed chilled ambience adds flesh. Whether you imagine it as echoes of a soul lost in an imposing yet distant reality to him or of the cold uncaring place itself, or anything else conjured, the piece presents itself as a lonely mournful dirge like existence leading towards the following enveloping heights. I: The Weapon follows to lay out a solemn yet persuasive argument, its imposing breath and melodic dazzling a soundscape of harsh unremitting control and demands but an assurance all is right and rewarding within its tight embrace. There is also a sense of defiance, sinewy whispers which vein the piece without making a vociferous declaration. To be honest people will interpret as they feel; the band as much as revealing their intentions and creative thoughts providing a template and masterful aural paint box for each to envisage their own visions and that as much as the striking sounds is the triumph of the release. If you are not ‘seeing’ things, feeling the world suggested around your thoughts and emotive imagination, you arguably are not listening to this album.

As it delves further into the brooding landscape tracks like the vast and cavernous Vicarious Redemption mesmerise and intimidate. The piece is a scenic building up and undressing of the senses, its sonic travelogue as beautiful as it is at times emotionally distressing. It is an inspiring tale all on its own but within the album removes the listener from any last attachment to their real world, wrapping them wholly within this ‘fantasy’ spiced with real connections to all our lives. It is the central soul to the album in many ways and quite magnificent.

Through further experiences like the dark sapping wash of The Sweep, the mechanical consumption of the senses scarring Synchronicity, and the bleak Mute Departure, the exhausting but enthralling journey gains more depth and definition. It has a lure and beckoning as strong as the threatening and devouring weight also in place and a beauty to its erosive abrasion which is just irresistible.

As the discordant innocence of Disharmonia leads towards the wonderful In Awe Of You are almost at the end of your strength to continue the exploration such its power and deliciously demanding and rewarding brilliance, but continue you do to be brought within further delicious imagination and passion. The second of this pair of tracks is another expanse of passional craft and imagination, the piece at times reminding of the Seventeen Seconds/Faith era of The Cure.

Passing Through with its caustic caresses completes what will remain one of the albums of the year. Released via Indie Recordings, Vertikal is a sensational and deeply compelling album for the ear, heart, and imagination.

www.cultofluna.com

RingMaster 26/01/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Promethee: Nothing Happens. Nobody Comes, Nobody Goes

    Last year the single Sickness Unto Death from Swiss metallers Promethee whipped up a strong wind of excitement and expectation for their debut album, its intrusive and enveloping storm of imagination and destructive craft a formidable step on from their earlier impressive self-titled EP. The song also made a suggestion of something remarkable in the future mists of time. Now Nothing Happens. Nobody Comes, Nobody Goes has stepped forward to answer those hopeful and eager expectations.

      The album is a staggering brute of a release, an immense tower of venom, intensity, and creative imagination. It satisfies all wishes and expectant thoughts before exceeding their limits with further ingenuity. It is fair to say the album does not rip open new avenues for melodic and progressive metal/metalcore but brings a new and invigorating interpretation of prevalent sounds from within the existing inventive sphere. In fact the album ignites real passion for its ferocious might and inventive annihilation whilst its technical skill and unpredictability has the senses dizzy whilst within a numbed state from all the malevolent abuse.  Since forming in 2008, the band has earned and garnered a deserved wealth of acclaim of which an elevation due to this outstanding album will not be a surprise, in fact is expected.

Released through Bad Moon Records, Nothing Happens. Nobody Comes, Nobody Goes is a ten track leviathan of intrusive and towering sounds coated in an understanding and deeply rewarding craft. As soon as opener The Great Deception sidles up to the ear on an atmospheric raw breeze, the senses are engaged and then thrown into willing turmoil by the brawl of gnawing riffs and corrosive energy permeated by a sonic enterprise which leaves one drooling. Wanton grooves and teasing melodic shards of light shower from within the intense breath of the song to further the already brewing rapture erupting out for only the first track of the release. The guitar craft and imagination of Ludovic Lacroix and Elric Doswald is as mesmeric and captivating as it is intimidating whilst the squalling abrasion of vocalist Joshua Orsi trawls the emotions off of a spine of irresistible rhythms from bassist Mathieu Tappolet and drummer Nils Haldi to incite the primal and emotive heart.

It is a sensational combination and start continued as powerfully by the following Banner Of Lies and Buried. Both tracks rip the synapses asunder through djent spikes and merciless sonic violation, the first a malicious onslaught of devastating inventive chaos leading into the emotive tempest of the second. The latter of the pair smoulders and burns within the ear and though brief in stature lingers long after its departure though the hellacious presence of the excellent Of Loss And Disgust soon after dominates as if the only thing in the world. One of the biggest pinnacles on the album, the track throws the listener into a bedlamic fury of twisted grooves and sonic mania driven by a fierce energy and rhythmic hunger which resonates long after its last violent gasp. A perpetual wash of progressive ingenuity and melodic urgency the song also caresses and kisses the ear as tenderly if forcibly as it erodes and consumes fearsomely elsewhere.

The Geneva quintet continue the blistering confrontation through the equally immense Life/Less, a track with a depth and character dripped in turmoil and vengeance, the brief and masterful Genesis with its hybrid whispers of Korn, and The New Face Of Mankind, another varied assault of innovational expertise. All three send flames of thrilled emotion through the body only to be exceeded by the brilliant Thus Spoke and the previously mentioned single Sickness Unto Death. Thus Spoke is a muscular furnace of hypnotic sonic malice and rib cracking rhythmic tension. As with all the songs and especially the biggest triumphs on the album, the track is a continually evolving exploration of light and dark, passion and shadows which is reported through a magnitude of ingenuity and invention.

     Nothing Happens. Nobody Comes, Nobody Goes is a colossal album which offers a richer and deeper experience as well as a more impressive one the more time spent within its corruptive squall. Fusing essences marked in the likes of The Faceless, Cryptopsy, and Architects, Promethee has made the first towering statement of the year for extreme and metal in general.

www.facebook.com/prometheemusic

RingMaster 22/01/2013

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