Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Hardcore, Metal, Punk, Fucking Fun!
Label: Independent

It’s been a while, but hitting play on Seizure Crypt’s latest testament to the D.I.Y. lifestyle, You’ve Been Had, is like reconnecting with an old friend. That may seem weird to anyone who knows about my older reviews (back at E-Metal Reviews/E-MetalSpace) of their albums, Hello My Name Is… MADNESS and Under The Gun since I barely gave the first one a chance and said that the second, “only kind of sucks”. But here, wherever I am and in whatever year this is, I’ve grown older and wiser. And guess what? I think I’ve spent enough time in the Crypt to understand what these motherfuckers are all about!

Where to start…

Well, I guess I can address the fact that this album does, in fact, sound like it was recorded using Do It Yourself methods, but by guys who’ve been doing this sort of thing for a while. Yeah, the sound can be a little rough and grainy at times, but Seizure Crypt seems to know how to tweak it to their advantage. That or their music is so full of “FUCK YOU!” that even sound itself bent the laws of physics to accommodate their hardcore lifestyles! I’m going to go with that last one.

Normally, you don’t go into a Seizure Crypt album thinking that it’s going to be a mindblowingly awesome experience with complex riffs and off-time drumming… and this album is no exception. It’s just simple but entertainingly aggressive punk/hardcore tunes that will be the perfect soundtrack to a wild and drunken night of slamming people through bar furniture! Also note that both vocalists give there all to shout, bark and psychotically rant their message at you in the scuzziest, most street level way possible! It has become a matter of charm at this point, believe it or not.

I’ll probably be cutting this review short since my hard-on for these guys keeps growing and I can’t bring myself to understand why exactly… The guys in Seizure Crypt do what they do because they love to do it. If more bands were like this, then there would be better music all around for everybody!

Overall: I’ve since gone back and listened to my other two Seizure Crypt albums and I can safely say that You’ve Been Had is the best offering to date. If you’re a fan of the D.I.Y. spirit, pick up this album (and maybe the others later) and bang your skull until that gray mush come out! And remember, “Life is not a fad you fucking poser!” Throw yourself into the Crypt!

8/10

-  Typhon

Seizure Crypt Official
Seizure Crypt On Facebook

Heavy music innovators Prong have signed a worldwide recording contact with Long Branch Records/SPV. Founded in 1986 Prong are considered to be pioneers of the American post-hardcore and post-metal scenes whose influence is still being felt today. The as yet untitled album will be released in Spring 2012.

Prong frontman Tommy Victor commented on signing with Long Branch/SPV:

“I feel like Prong has come full circle. We have the same energy and excitement about our music that we did at the beginning of our career. With Long Branch/SPV we’ve found people to work with who are very supportive of us and what Prong has accomplished so far in our career.”

SPV A&R representative Maria Ouellette spoke about signing Prong:

“We’re extremely excited to welcome Prong into the SPV/Long Branch Records fold! Tommy Victor’s musical innovation and influence is far-reaching and inspirational, and exactly what we’re about. We’re proud that we can be part of their next musical milestone!”

Last week Evergrey released their newest album Glorious Collision on SPV/Steamhammer. The band’s latest masterpiece has been met with extremely positive fan reaction and critical acclaim. Glorious Collision entered the North American Independent Charts at #125, the North American “Heat Seeker” Chart at #50, #36 in Finland and # 8 in their native land of Sweden. Additional European tour dates as well as a North American tour announcement are expected soon.

Occasionally a musician has to take a step back into the past to develop artistically. Tom Englund, guitarist and vocalist of Swedish rock group Evergrey, took this risk and reorganised his artistic environment. “The most recent Evergrey line-up had reached a point where we no longer had fun as a group,” he confesses, adding: “So we went our separate ways to save our friendship. There were no angry words, and we’re still friends privately.”

Naturally, the decision to break up wasn’t easy for these long-standing friends, especially for Englund and his remaining keyboardist, Rikard Zander, for whom a continuation of Evergrey was never called into question. Yet they both had to face a new challenge: “In the beginning, we weren’t sure whether we’d be able to write a new album without the wealth of experience that the previous line-up brought in. But after Rikard and I had composed a full three numbers during the first week, we felt that was a real coup.”

Listeners will feel this positive energy throughout Glorious Collision, the band’s eighth studio album, which is due for release on February 22nd in North America, February 25th in Germany, and the rest of Europe February 28th in Europe on SPV/Steamhammer. The album will be released in a dynamic goody bag featuring the most diverse material ever released on an Evergrey album. “This may sound like a contradiction in view of our personnel situation, but Rikard and I have allowed more influences on Glorious Collision than ever before. Some elements on Glorious Collision are classic rock, based on a metal format; sometimes the tracks are quiet and haunting, sometimes wild, demanding and gripping.”

This diversity is also expressed in the instrumentation of this extremely dynamic studio production which presents the new band members Marcus Jidell (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl(drums) and Johan Niemann (bass). “It’s great to hear what a breath of fresh air Marcus, Johan and Hannes have brought into the band,” Englund enthuses. “Although the entire material, except for two songs to which Marcus contributed on the compositional side, had already been decided when we started recording, they all left their own, very personal mark on this album.” The great experience of Jidell and Niemann, who have worked with acts such as Royal Hunt andTherion, among others, and have now contributed lots of positive energy together with the 20-year-old drummer, Van Dahl, can be felt throughout the album.

Check out Evergrey‘s video for their new single “Wrong”:

Genres: Hardcore, Metal, Punk, Rock
Labels: Indie Recordings, The End Records

As anyone who comes along these parts knows, we don’t get much punk reviewed. So when I was offered to review Kvelertak’s debut full length, I jumped at it immediately. Then when I saw it has John Baizley’s trademark style of art for the cover, I was immediately intrigued even further.
I mean, fuck man, it’s an OWL with TENTACLES and FLOWERS and WOMEN!
Anyway, the music. Kvelertak are a strange Norway band that mixes a couple genres together, but mostly it’s hardcore and punk at it’s… hard core. Bad joke. Screaming in their native tongue, which throws the listener off at first, Kvelertak’s self-titled is a gorgeous intro for those that haven’t heard them, and a refreshing change of pace from the standards in punk rock right now, where everything is English-spoken.
The album is full of rifftastic music that reminds me of everything from Black Flag to AC/DC, showing their influences off like it’s going out of style, with a vocalist that sounds like he should be in a nuthouse. In other words, pretty damn sweet. Throw in a couple instances of a blackening touch and some slightly death moments, and it’s a disc full of schizophrenic win; no wonder why Kvelertak has won two Spellmann Awards (Norway’s Grammy Award). It’s hitting North American shelves in eight days (with killer bonus tracks!), so go get it.
8.5 out of 10.

Kvelertak on MySpace.

Listening to My Inner Burning‘s powerful brand of metal, you can be certain that they have lots of triumphant victories ahead of them. My Inner Burning have the determination it takes, and they’re ready to present their second album, Eleven Scars which will see a March 22nd North American release via SPV/Steamhammer – a surprisingly mature offering which highlights an impressive development compared to their already exciting 2009 debut. Eleven Scars sounds groovier and a little darker than their first self-titled release. Guitarist Torsten Sauerbrey explains the reasoning behind their darker sound “Probably the many concerts we’ve played since, and the stronger influence of our vocalist Becky, who penned the occasionally rather sinister lyrics.”

The group’s musical direction shuns all clichés and half-baked trends. My Inner Burning consciously steer clear of that tried and tested ‘faster – harder – louder’ dictum, preferring to impress their audience with multi-faceted songs, deep-tuned guitars and great melodies which come across powerful yet gentle at the same time. “We play unmistakable metal,” says Sauerbrey, “but we like to include gothic, rock and pop music elements.” Their listeners realize after a few bars that this dynamic sonic experience centres mainly on Becky Gaber. The instruments are oriented to the vocalist; the songs owe their forcefulness to her voice.

Eleven Scars sees Becky Gaber deliver eleven incisive stories – a clear reference to the album title – about broken friendship, unhappy love and other relationship dramas. Eleven Scars is no concept album,” says Sauerbrey, “but the record’s lyrics definitely have a central theme.”

The dynamic sound of Eleven Scars, which was recorded at the Metal Sound studio in Osterode/Harz and mixed by Sauerbrey, adds further to the excellent impression. The guitarist is one of the group’s mainstays: he wrote the majority of the songs, and also took care of sound engineering and production. This extremely accomplished album is complemented by the excellent artwork courtesy of Hanover photographer Martin Huch, who has worked with stars such as the Scorpions, Heinz-Rudolf Kunze and BAP and with Eleven Scars he has created a particularly atmospheric cover motif which focuses on Becky Gaber.

Eleven Scars Tracklising:
1. Masquerade
2. Analize
3. Electrified
4. For The Last Time
5. When I´m Gone
6. Demons
7. Done With Denial
8. Gone Wrong
9. Enemy Of Mine
10. New Breed
11. Home-Sick