Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Heavy Metal
Label: Independent

Metal Warriors Part 2, eh? So… what’s it going to be then? It’s not a split since there is only the one group credited. Is it a tribute album? Kinda. Though, I’d call it more of a compilation of cover songs. And Y.O.C. (as in Yalin Ongun Cosgun, after the vocalist) covers quite a bit in this here cover comp! From 80′s thrash (Metallica) to the super shreddy type stuff (Malmsteen) to Paul Dianno era Iron Maiden.

But the question still remains: Is it any good? Read on…

First up on this seven track disc is Flotsam & Jetsam’s Monster… ok, so we’re off to a bad start. But I can’t rightfully blame the guys in Y.O.C. for this craptastic song. Although, they did choose to put it on this compilation… It’s a great cover of a bad song. Walk away taking that one however you want to.

Up next, we’ve got Iron Maiden’s Remember Tomorrow… Now. We’re. Talking! Not only is this a great cover of a great song, it’s a perfect choice to throw listeners into the mood that Y.O.C. was undoubtedly shooting for! I personally would of scrapped Monster and started off with this one.

And now, onto my my favorite song choice on Metal Warriors Part 2: Blitzkrieg! The best part of this cover is the fact that you can tell that they were listening to A Time Of Changes and not Garage Inc. when they decided to cover this.  A cover, well done.

Regrettably, Y.O.C. cover Metallica’s Battery next. I’m fucking tired of hearing this song! The original and all of the other covers (even Van Canto’s cover of this song kills me on some level) will soon be stricken from my iTunes library if this shit keeps up! To be fair, it’s a decent enough cover instrumentally, though the vocalist’s style just doesn’t seem to sync up through most of the song.

Yngwie Malmsteen’s I Am A Viking? InstaWin! Next track!

Yay! I can bitch again thanks to this cover of Axel Rudi Pell’s Eyes Of The Lost! Look, if this is just a vocal cover compilation, then just do songs that feature the vocalist like this. But thus far, we’ve had track after track that require some skill on the guitarist/bassist and drummer’s parts as well. But again, it’s a good cover so… you know?

Finally, we come to a cover of TORANAGA’s Sword Of Damocles. Gotta be honest, I never heard the original before and by the sound of this cover, I won’t be checking it out. It’s thrashy/heavy metal-y, but it still manages to not be near my cup-o-tea. Sorry guys, ya lost me here.

And that’s that! I HATE cover compilations. Even more, I HATE reviewing them. But as far as these things go, this one wasn’t really bad at all. I got bored listening to songs that I already knew and in most cases, heard much better covers of already. But I didn’t roll my eyes or impatiently wait for the track to finish nearly as often as I normally do.

Overall: If you can’t get enough cover songs, you’ll probably dig this seven track compilation. But if you’re like the rest of us, it’ll wear you down pretty damned quick.

7.5/10

Y.O.C. On MySpace

Genres: Deathcore, Death Metal
Label: Rotten Corpse Records

Turkey’s Heretic Soul are a brand new band to me, never even hearing of them until last night. And have I been missing out or what?
Born Into This Plague is a good example of new school thinking melded to an old school genre. The riffs are chunky, chuggy, and of a somewhat technical nature, but there’s still a fair amount of melody going on. It’s like listening to a Swedish band that moved to Florida for a year before writing their album.
The drumming on the album is fast, with some seriously awesome grinds and fills, while the bass and guitar work nicely together to bring not only stuff you can bang your head to, but also stuff that will crush your face if you’re not careful. It’s really heavy sounding stuff. But, the vocalist/guitarist Sarp Keski is definitely the star here. He has a couple different voices that he uses, ranging from a deep gutteral to a deathcore scream, and he’s great at choosing what technique to use to gain maximum impact.
Throw in the fact that these four dudes are barely in their 20′s, and their signed to a small but good American label, I think they’ll soon be in a position where you won’t be able to miss their name.
Favorite songs are “Beyond Hatred”, “Suffering From Existence”, and “Mental Decay”.
8 out of 10.

Heretic Soul on MySpace.

Genre: Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Power Metal
Label: AFM Records

Oh my, oh my. What to call this? Good, for one, that’s obvious. But really, genre wise, what should I say? It’s got a ton of Power Metal, some Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal, and Progressive Metal. And I think there’s even some thrash elements smacking my eardrum here.
How about this: Neverland bring a Progressive Symphogoth Power Metal to the listener that hearkens to Judas Priest-meets-Lacuna Coil-through-Metallica-covering-Iced Earth. Sound fucked up enough for you? I assure you, skeptic, that it works. Wonderfully. I’m genuinely liking Neverland a lot, and their awesome sound on Ophidia. It’s got Metalgasmic solos, a stunning rhythm section, and some seriously awesome traditional metal vocals.
If you call yourself a metalhead, you’ll like this. If you worship at the Temple of Trad, you’ll love it.
7.5 out of 10.

Neverland on MySpace.

Genres: Dark Ambient, Industrial, Noise
Label: Shadowgraph Records

Another disc full of odd stuff from Shadowgraph. This time it’s the band ManiFest, a Turkish ambient project whose aim is to dig deep inside the mind and soul.
And dig this lady does.
This is a very creepy disc, full of depressing music that is also thought provoking and beautiful. I don’t recommend it for everyone, unless you’re willing to sit and listen to something that could very well unnerve you, and it’s not something for all times either. It’s not a “hey, let’s play some cards and listen to some tunes” album. It’s a “hey, let’s grab a bottle of white and a cigar and just be quiet and listen to this” album.
In fact, I think I’m going to try just that when I have the opportunity to get a cigar and a bottle of white (it’s not really red wine music).
7 out of 10.

Manifest on MySpace.

Genre: Metalcore
Label: Independent

Since Yesterday are from Ankara, Turkey, which itself throws some interest in my face. Turkish. Metalcore. Hm.
So I gave The Artificial Truth a trip through my headphones and wow. I’m very surprised, because in general I don’t like metalcore. I think I’ve stated this before in another review, and probably I’ll state it again. But I’m really liking Since Yesterday’s brand of metalcore.
It’s got some really aggressive rhythms, with really nice leads and harmonies, and some really killer screams. Basically, it’s metalcore, done straight up and pure, with a perfect balance. I think hardcore and punk fans will like this, as will metalheads.
8 out of 10.

Since Yesterday on MySpace.