Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genre: Power A Cappella
Label: Napalm Records

I was a little more than excited when I saw that there was a download link waiting in my Inbox from Napalm Records. Why? Because I had heard earlier that day that I should be receiving the (then) upcoming album from the world’s greatest a capella  metal group, Van fucking Canto!

My initial thoughts on the album based entirely on the promo info, before I actually listened to it (past the deafening “SQEEEEEEE” sight reaction) were as follows:

- Did I accidentally download a Dragonforce album? The cover says “yes”.
-  Could they of chosen a more generic album title?
-  A cover of Sabaton’s Primo Victoria featuring guest vocals by wildman Joakim Broden? Too much!!!

And now, after listening to it for a couple of weeks straight:

After getting over a bit of a sour patch with this album (since I wasn’t instantly enthralled with Break The Silence like I was with Tribe Of Force, fear that all of those “poser metal/gimmick metal insults were true) I had come to find that it is in fact a robust album, full of catchy melodies and a metric ton of fun! Album opener If I Die In Battle sounds like it could be yet another tribute to Manowar… which it isn’t… at least I don’t think it is. Either way, it’s a great way to start things off.

I mentioned a Sabaton cover of Primo Victoria earlier. Yeah. This cover fucking kills! I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it dwarfs the original in terms of awwwwwwesome (no disrespect to Sabaton at all since the song wouldn’t exist without them). After that, Black Wings Of Hate is a beautifully track where Inga takes the lead and just owns it all.

I noticed that in a lot of the reviews about Van Canto feature either no mention of the rakkatakka or they bash the guys who belt this shit out. I think these guys rule! How many of us can honestly do what they do? Honestly, I think they have a much harder job than anybody else in the band (especially Ingo! Up to about five minutes of DOOMDOOMDOOM would destroy a lesser man!) Also mysteriously missing from the spotlight in other reviews, drummer Bastian Emig. The man is a machine and nobody seems to care! Well, I for one salute this (probably) mechanized percussionist for his energy throughout the album and albums past!

Overall: I wasn’t nearly as initially impressed as I was with Tribe Of Force. But after a couple of listens, I found that they are equal in quality. Break The Silence is an excellent album from a band that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves in the metal community. Hopefully this review will change a few minds and bring a few more fans their way. They deserve it all.

8.5/10

Van Canto On Facebook

Genre: Groove Metal, Southern Rock

Label: AFM Records

Ah… it’s been a while since I’ve heard metal that dared to toss out some real groove. Let’s see if, um, The New Black (seriously?) can tread through dangerous territory without falling victim to pretty-much-sounds-like-Pantera-itis.

Well, Pitfall #1 successfully dodged. The New Black’s sound is, in fact full of groove and completely devoid of tough guy rhetoric, laughable lyrics and guitar licks that sound great the first few times but then start to bleed into one another as time wades on.

What is Pitfall #2, you ask? It’s actually more of a caldera that’s miles across and twelve time as deep, yet many a groove oriented bands never see it coming: Not sounding like shit like every other groove metal band that isn’t Pantera. As predicted, The New Black takes a swan dive right over the edge and hurdles straight down.

This whole album is nothing but safe, radio rock. Everything from the less appealing Scott Weiland vocals to the Black Label Society looking cover art, it’s all pointing to the sixteen dollar mark at Fred Meyer’s. And while that’s not necessarily a terrible thing for some, it is for me when the lead guitarist and bassist are in Abandoned (Goddly thrash!) and they produce this shit!

Since the bassist and lead guitarist are in Abandoned, these are obviously my favorite parts of this album. Well, that and the incorporation of the harmonica. I’m a sucker for harmonicas. My least favorite part? The drumming! It’s so lackluster they could of replaced him with a drum machine and I wouldn’t of cared! But then I found out that he is in Paradox (more awesome thrash) and was pissed to hell and back!

Overall: While I can see the appeal to general or radio audiences,  I’m left scratching my head over II: Better In Black. Was any of this really necessary? Not at all. Is Happy Zombies the most awkwardly misplaced and lamest songs I’ve heard in a great long while? You betcha.

5/10

The New Black On MySpace

German Industrial legends DIE KRUPPS have confirmed that they will be hitting the road in North America with fellow Industrial giants Front Line Assembly.  This tour is in support of DIE KRUPPS’ recent EP “Als Wären Wir Für Immer” and their forthcoming release “The Final Option + The Final Remixes” which will be rele

ased May 3^rd.  Both releases are available on SPV/Synthetic Symphony.

The tour kicks off May 19^th in Montreal, Quebec at the Kinetik Festival and wraps up June 13^thin V

ancouver, British Columbia.  A complete list of dates and venues can be found below:

5/19: Montreal, QUE @ Kinetik Festival

5/20: Springfield, VA @ Jaxx

5/21: New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom

5/22: Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom

5/23: Toronto, ONT @ Mod Club

5/25: Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel

5/26: Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s

5/27: Chicago, IL @ The Abbey

5:28: Milwaukee, WI @ Miramar Theater

5/29: Minneapolis, MN @ Ground Zero

5/30: Detroit, Mi @ Shelter

6/1: New Orleans, LA @ Howlin’ Wolf

6/2: Dallas, TX @ Trees

6/3: Austin, TX @ Elysium

6/4: Houston, TX @ Numbers

6/6: Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall

6/7: Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater

6/8: San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick

6/9: Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theater

6/10: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater

6/11: San Francisco, CA @ Red Devil

6/12: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

6/13: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater

“Als Wären Wir Für Immer” is a 2011 mini-album from the German Industrial outfit, their first release with exclusively new material since 1997. With this mini-album, DIE KRUPPS are breaking new ground, without denying their roots or moving away from their own unique sound. Dance floor killers meet groove monsters, moving through the room like a steamroller… catchy melodies, massive hooks and lyrics with a message are DIE KRUPPS trademarks, and this album proves it again: body and mind are in perfe

ct synchronicity.

Their forthcoming release “The Final Option + The Final Remixes” is being presented as a deluxe re-issue 2 CD set in a high-quality premium digipak.  This album was one of the most influential albums of the early 90s, many say that this album actually invented the genre “Electro Metal”!!! Included is a full length bonus CD featuring many remixes of the most famous acts from the fields of Electro, Gothic und Metal!  Also included are extensive liner notes containing rarely known background information and pictures of this revolutionary era of DIE KRUPPS!

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT

http://www.myspace.com/diekrupps

http://www.myspace.com/spvmusic

Genre: Gothic Metal
Label: Napalm Records

Midnattsol is another band I’ve never listened to before, but after giving The Metamorphosis Melody a listen, I wish I had gotten to hear them earlier.
A mournful, slower gothic metal seems to be The Metamorphosis Melody, a haunting album full of strong guitar riffs, great leads, and a woman who can sing a great tenor. There are faster songs on the disc (“A Poet’s Prayer” is one of them), but for the most part the album doesn’t move much faster than a walk. It’s perfect for the Discman and a forest on a spring day. The keys are more of a background element, supporting the guitar and voice. Drums and bass are even further in behind, holding everything up, occasionally coming closer to the fore during choruses.
Favorites are “Spellbound”, “A Poet’s Prayer”, and “Goodbye”.
7 out of 10.

Midnattsol on Facebook.
Midnattsol on MySpace.

Genres: Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal
Label: Napalm Records

Truthfully, I’ve never checked out Leaves’ Eyes before, but with this album I was quite excited to. They are legends in their musical realm with a huge following, but it was the album artwork that really caught my eye at first, as it’s a gorgeous piece of art. Naturally, it seems to follow the symphonic/gothic metal conventions that some bands have taken with having a hot chick on the cover, but this hot chick is surfacing from underwater amid Celtic cross gravestones. Really cool looking.
The music is just as good as the cover art, with a wonderful singer backed up by a killer band. Heavy riffs put a strong backbone to the music with some really deadly leads overlaid. The keys aren’t just boring drones or background noise, or being used as an annoying weapon against the listener, but actually taking a major role inside of the music, working in concert with everything else. One of the biggest bonuses for me is songs that aren’t sung in English. I don’t know if that’s a usual thing for Leaves’ Eyes, but some of the songs on Meredead are in Liv Kristine’s native Norwegian. The use of traditional instruments (violins and the like) is a bonus too.
My favorite songs are “Kråkevisa”, “Meredead” (great guitar solo and keyboards in this song), and “Sigrlinn” (there’s some serious death growls in this song with the most vicious riffing on the album).
7.5 out of 10.

Leaves’ Eyes on Facebook.
Leaves’ Eyes on MySpace.