Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genre: Folk Metal, Power Metal
Label: Independent

Hailing from Minnesota, the Minos have their work cut out for them with their debut album, MMXI. Why does their state of origin extra pressure from the metal community at large? Easy: Minnesota is a state that really loves what it loves. Football? That’s uber serious shit there. Food? The more German or Scandinavian, the better. I can only imagine that Minnesotan metalheads take their music pretty damned seriously too. Also, with the ever growing popularity of Alestorm, Swashbuckled and even a resurgence of attention being paid to Running Wild, I’ve already had people tell me that, “that shit is gay” after I played a track or two from them off of MMXI. How bothersome, right?

Listen, I love Alestorm though, not as much as I love Running Wild mind you. The point is, Minos stand on their own without being a carbon copy of other bands that may or may not be trying to cash in on the (hopefully dying soon) pirate fad.

Vocalist Jason Hickman has the perfect voice for this kinda of thing. His clean vocals are more gruff than melodic and even manages to belt out a healthy/bluesy yell or roar every few songs. A perfect example of using something in moderation that EVERYONE else overuses. Another example to show you how hard these guys rock: guitarist Joe Waller (of Dawn Of Valor) cuts loose in a completely different fashion that I was used to being the Dawn Of Valor fan that I am. Excellent hooks, memorable riffs and the like are to be heard all over this gem of an album.

Moving away from the instrumentation for a minute, I’d like to draw attention to the lyrics. Minos essentially drops you into a high fantasy world with vengeful forest spirits, treason and of course, pirates. These are easily some of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard in metal.

Yes, there are a few songs on MMXI that are completely about being a pirate. But only a couple and the fucking kill! Case in point: Pirate Soul. I caught myself getting too into this song when I shouted, “become on of them, OR DIE AT THE MAST!!!” in what I thought to be an empty parking lot. Turns out a few homeless dudes heard me make an ass outta myself since I sound nothing like Hickman.

Overall: Minos is a band to watch out for in the coming years. They may seem like a bunch of scene hoppers at first glace, but I assure you that if you slow down, take a deep breath and pull that stick out of your ass, I can say that you’ll love this album as much as I do.

9.5/10

Minos On Facebook 

Genre: Power Metal
Label: Independent

Few things put a wider smile on my face than receiving a package in the mail that contains pure, unadulterated power metal! I guess that the guys in Dawn Of Valor knew that I was feeling a little down a few days ago since they sent me an EP containing three solid track of just that! And guess what? I’m all fucking smiles once again!

I dug Dawn Of Valor’s self titled 2010 demo enough to give it an 8/10 rating. Upon listening to it again after listening to Immortal Flame, I’ve noticed that all of the improvement that the band made where due in part to a line-up change. Now, this is kind of shocking to me since I’m a guy who doesn’t like changes being applied to things I enjoy (which is one of the reasons why it took me so long to watch David Tennant’s run on Doctor Who after Christopher Eccleston was the lead. I’m so glad I did though! Same with Matt Smith… this tangent went on longer than it should of…).

When I heard that they switched out vocalists, I was more than bummed since I really liked Sean Iredale’s vocal style… but that lasted all of two seconds after Jaden Adair kicked in with some pretty badass power vocals! Similar cheers can be made for Joe Waller’s frantic drumming and Andrew Johnson’s axemanship. And after all was said and done, I consider the roster update a resounding success!

I don”t normally single out songs and praise/bitch about them in my reviews (I’ve been told that I should do it more often), but Immortal Flame makes it hard not to with Valkyrie Sky. This track is pure power metal perfection! Heavy, melodic, mid-tempo to start and then cuts loose into a bitchin’ solo that, if you’re not ready for it could send you straight to Valhalla! Also, this genre is riddled with shitty lyricism, so mad props to John Leibel for stitching this masterpiece together.

Oh, and the icing on this already scrumptiously fattening cake of powah? The closing track, There Can Be Only One is about… shit, do I really have to tell you? …although, maybe I should since that series is plagued with towering mountains of bullshit that might throw some people off. The song based on the first Highlander flick and it does this particular sacred cow more justice than ANY of the sequels!

Gripe Time (Don’t worry, the list is short.): Ugh! Again with precious time being eaten up by a spoken word intro track! PEEVE! And as much as I enjoy the new stylistic changes to the guitar scheme, I’m a little off put by the solo in Lutetium. It comes off sloppy and maybe a little forced.

Overall: Other than those little ol’ complaints, I can say with my head held high that this EP fucking owns! Here’s to this Immortal Flame burning forever! Cheers!

9/10

Dawn Of Valor Official 
Dawn Of Valor  On Facebook

Genre: Technical, Hardcore, Progressive, Melodic Death Metal

Label: Sumerian Records

Ah ha! Now here’s a band that doesn’t seem to polarize people nearly as much as my last two review subjects. In fact, I can’t seem to throw a stone without hitting someone who is completely indifferent about Born Of Osiris. That actually bugs me. Born Of Osiris tends to get lumped in with either the shitty end of metalcore or the even shittier end of deathcore. But honestly, I don’t think that you can categorize them as simply as that. Nobody ever seems to remember the progression or the clear as day hardcore influences. Ugh…

Right from the start, Born Of Osiris brings their A-Game with The Discovery. A more than hearty, “FOLLOW THE SIGNS!!!” greets you at second number one followed by a torrent of intricate keys, chords and ka-drums that coalesce into the best opening to an album that I’ve heard all year. And in case you’re new to the Born Of Osiris game: Good lord, there’s a lot going on in these songs! If the tracks within The Discovery were a posh socialite shindig, the hall would be packed to the rafters with beautiful people, hobnobbing about cutting edge technology while beating the shit out of each other… to the music of Born Of Osiris! They’re complex, intelligent, pretty as shit to the ears and tend to swing fists violently!

Something I’ll point out that makes the most impact here: the keys. Theres a lot of the little synthesized effects that sound like they could of been ripped out of Metroid or some other piece of 8-bit awesome! The keys put subtle accents on the melodies and mix well with the vocals (especially the backing cleans) and they appear in every track, yet they never over stay their welcome. That last one is most impressive since most bands that use synths either over use them or make them the focal point, which is incredibly annoying.

And now, the negs. The vocals are on par with everything you’ve heard from The New Reign and A Higher Place, which is why once again I’m forced to bitch about the whining shout that backs up the more hardcore growl. Seriously, ditch that concept! The main vocals are strong enough to not need secondary ‘core shouting. Next, I wish that there were more clean vocals. They really work well in the background, but I feel like having them higher in the mix or having them appear more often would really help break up some of the vocal monotony… which is complaint number three. In every song, the main vocalist doesn’t change it up at all. I don’t know if he can’t or doesn’t want to, but I’m telling you that if he changed his pitch (lower in most points, to a growl, would be best) I’d be happier.

Overall: The Discovery is aptly titled since this is the album I would suggest to people that haven’t listened to them before. It’s a feels like a natural progression for Born Of Osiris since I thought that A Higher Place was the best thing these guys had put out up until then too! Highly recommended.

9/10

Born Of Osiris On Facebook

Genre: Heavy Metal, Speed Metal

Label: Heavy Artillery Records

NONE of you have any idea how badly I have been wanting for this day to come! I’ve been following these lads since they were Final Awakening (sort of) then Leatherwitch and then finally, Spellcaster. “I can’t wait until the demo comes out.” It did. I reviewed it. “Can’t wait for the EP to launch!” It did. I reviewed it. “Hey guys, when’s the album gonna get here?”

Oh, it’s here…

Under The Spell features re-recordings of all of the songs from the EP Spells Of Speed (minus the live tracks) so there’s an instant metal boner for anyone who missed out on all the glory of Locked-On or Chainsaw Champion. In addition to old favorites, the soon-to-be new crowd favorite, Nite Of The Hellbeast and insta-pit-stigator, Molten Steel and more join the ever grown ranks of completely off the wall classics that Spellcast farts out like three alarm chili!

Thomas Adams still sounds as powerful as ever, especially since they went back and did retakes of when he faltered a wee bit back on the EP. The track, Sands Of Fear is where he gets to kick you in the ass the hardest with his unique brand of vocals. He even dips into some growls from time to time!

Cory and Tyler still have it in spades when it comes to whipping up neck-wreckin’ riffs! I dare you to listen to Molten Steel and NOT try to bang your head and play air-guitar! And let’s talk about the human beer can that is Shad Covert and his ability to expand on a gallop beat until it’s a living, fire breathing entity… shit! Shad actually conjured the goddamned Hellbeast!

Holy fuck! I can hear Gabe playing the shit outta his bass this time around! It sounds glorious and all, but in Power Rising, there’s a few spots were it kind of fluctuates from the background to the foreground in a odd bit of a mixing snafu. No real harm done though. You just REALLY get to hear what he’s made of for a few seconds!

There is one thing I should bring up though. As far as “new” material goes (they’re all technically new since they were all re-recorded) there’s three totally new tracks and an minute, forty-one intro on an eight track album. Some may find this bullshitty, but most of us won’t care to terribly much.

Overall: The spells have been cast, the posers slain and your life has been given meaning! Under The Spell is every bit as mind blowing as you thought it’d be and maybe even a little more! Recommenced for fans of… well, METAL!

9/10

Spellcaster On Reverbnation

Spellcaster On Facebook

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Label: Independent

You might recognize this band from reviews past (re: Paradigm Shift and their 2009 Demo) and remember that the compare greatly to the likes of In Flames and maybe even a little to Scar Symmetry and Soilwork. Well, not a lot has change since then in terms of melodic metaliciousness, so if you aren’t a fan of awe-inspiring melo-riffs and the usage of clean vocals in a genre that REALLY loves it’s brutal growls, then scroll down to a different review.

Vocalist Josh Brewer has cleaned up his clean vocals quite a bit since the demo days and his death-y screams are just as ferocious as ever. His guitar work, coupled with fellow axeman Joey Westerlund is a sonic storm of immeasurable awesome! The riffing here is just as tight and inventive as any of the big boys that I mentioned earlier. Now, the drum work is another story. It’s always been the one part of this band that hasn’t been nearly as… melodic as the rest. It is here that you realize that I’m being a douche and that I have nothing but great things to say about the just right use of blast beats and erratic beating the crash gets without missing a beat (heh). Pacing, it’s what’s for dinner.

It always amazes me just how much melodic metal the guys in Dusks Embrace manage to cram into their releases. If the Melodobytes capacity is 5k, they say fuck it and stuff twice that in. The addition of the superbly melodic female vocals in Desecrated Labyrinth proves my made up fact and was greatly appreciated. This is something that I would like to hear incorporated more often. The contrast in vocal quality and style was just too damn cool to use infrequently.

It should also be said that three of the four songs from their 2009 Demo were re-recorded and slapped on here with varying degrees of success. Imagination’s Cruelty and Oracle’s Song Of Unceasing Wrath were done up right purdy and polished to a shine. Meanwhile, the grittier version of  Oblivion At Hand hit the target closer to center on the demo.

Overall: You’d be hard pressed to find a more melodic, versatile and under appreciated band that absolutely NEEDS to be signed. The world has been deprived of Dusks Embrace for too fucking long! SIGN THESE FUCKERS ALREADY!!!

9/10

Dusks Embrace Official

Dusks Embrace On MySpace