Tower Reviews Week 190! (2017)

Crystal Viper – Queen Of The Witches (2017) – Due to an unforeseen health scare in 2013, the future of this Polish heavy metal act was in question for quite a while. Marta Gabriel, the band’s founder and frontwoman faced a condition so literally grim that the entire band was forced to stop activity and play it’s last few concerts before going into complete hiatus. Fortunately, the band were able to rise again with their founder and queen witch renewed and ready to rock! It’s no secret that these guys pay their respects at the altar of eighties metal, and they’ve even brought Ross The Boss along as well as Mantas of Venom and Steve Bettney of Saracen! So there’s quite a bit of classic metal love here. The band also covered two classics, Grim Reaper’s “See You In Hell” and Exciter’s “Long Live The Loud” (which is only available on the vinyl version of the record). For those of you who don’t know about Marta, she designs clothes for bands that I know you’ve heard of, like Sabaton and Wolf under her clothing brand, Thunderball. She also sessions for Manilla Road, Vader, Sabaton and Majesty as well as Jack Starr’s Burning Star, where she plays with former and current members of acts like the almighty Manowar and the equally almighty Virgin Steele. When we first begin the album, a soaring vocal presence opens into immense bits of crunchy thrash and groove, where Marta comes in with a fierce vocal edge. She utilizes a mixture of rough and glassy vocals to make for an interesting enough performance. Overly, it’s quite heavy and feels a bit thick in the downtuned bass riffs of recent addition Bŀażej Grygiel. “The Witch Is Back” feels like a wonderfully fiery way to open up the record and gets my head banging almost immediately, which is definitely a good sign. With “I Fear No Evil” we have more of a Priestly vibe, which isn’t a problem for me as it shows a necessary sense of diversity from the pummel factor of the last cut. A strong chorus rounds it out, as some slight Maiden melodies come into decorate here and there. Very nice work from guitarists Marta and Andy Wave on this one, especially during the break section which almost feels a bit alien to the common metal construct and seems almost a little psychedelic and somewhat classy. “When The Sun Goes Down” slows things down to a bit of an anthemic level, not unlike classic Manowar. This cut really stood out to me, as not only does Marta perform very memorably, with a great deal of force and passion (and give it a listen if you don’t believe me) but the entire band more or less shreds through the piece. Not only that, but a heavily notable chorus number pops in to delicately ice this heavy metal cake. Switching gears completely, we have the delicate “Trapped Behind” which is certainly a different kind of style for the band. It’s almost a pop ballad, but with a sober level of serenity quite common in the music of Adelle  and Lana Del Rey. Yes, it’s not what you would call metal – but it does standout and make itself known amongst the heat and fire that comprises most of this album. It’s a cold and icy number that shows a much different side of Crystal Viper and I quite welcomed it. It was tough to listen to the first time, admittedly. Ross The Boss throws his axe into the mix for the chugging “Do Or Die” which in all actuality isn’t my favorite cut on the disc, it’s also quite short. But it makes for a good single and features a rather strong solo section during the break. Many of the pieces so far have offered the same, which is certainly no detriment in my book. “Burn My Fire Burn” is decent enough, rolling quickly into the chorus as it sifts through more Maiden territory, with an added bit of crunch. There has definitely been a crunchier Maiden feel to this disc, making it sound a bit brainier than you’d expect. It’s nearly proggy Maiden, which as you might expect, sounds a bit odd here on paper. But fortunately, this comes out rather potently on the disc and certainly offers more than some might expect. I think that fans will be pleasantly surprised with the level of craftsmanship that has gone into the very structure of these pieces, outside of the verse/chorus structure. It’s nice to hear a song that jumps quickly to the singalong, but is even more appreciated when a band decides to tack on a little bit of cranial muscle to the performance. This kind of intelligence reminds of the classical influenced structures of the eighties, which gives us a sound that isn’t personally simplified or dumbed down. The very same formula that made Maiden so rubnesque in the eighties is what Crystal Viper have experimented with here and I’m quite pleased with it. “Flames and Blood” only continues that, which brings us another dose of intellectual adrenaline. Saracen’s Steve Bettney joins on the album’s second ballad, “We Will Make It Last Forever.” This ballad literally comes screaming right out of the eighties, reminding me heavily of Lita Ford. Added to that, comes one of those downright romantic solo bits that only helps to further accentuate the amount of passion embraced here. There is a vocal layering effect at the very end of the cut that I feel is a bit overkill though, they should have used one or the other instead of both. This dual effect seems a bit muddy with Marta’s first vocal track bursting right out the gate and sounding slightly off-key when overlapping the choral refrain of the other. I’m not sure why they decided to keep that, as it doesn’t sound nearly as powerful as it could have and perhaps if Bettney had been the one to duet on the refrain instead of two Marta tracks, it might have been even stronger. The last cut on the disc, “Rise Of The Witch Queen” ends the album with punchy thrasher replete with a heavily-laced chorus number that more or less shows the band’s sense of purpose. It’s not a major standout, but it’s definitely catchy. Since I have the CD version, I also have the bonus cover of Grim Reaper’s “See You In Hell.” As the song already comes with a strong chorus, Marta sort of latched onto this and made for a very respectable performance. It reminds of that period in time where heavy metal was “of the devil” and some bands were more or less embracing the whole “satanic panic” religious scare. It also reminds me a bit of Twisted Sister’s “Burn In Hell.” In any case, it’s a great way to end the disc and Marta nearly ruptures a vocal chord right near the end of it. That falsetto is nothing short of amazing, and I can’t believe that she pulled it off for as long as she did. I was actually beginning to get a bit worried when I heard the note continue to carry out, because it’s usually that sort of behavior that sends singers to the hospital. But you suffer for your art, and Crystal Viper are a testament to the endurance of not only the human body and Marta overcoming her health crisis; but of heavy metal in general. From my observation here, I can assure you that Queen Of The Witches is no mere drop in the bucket for this band, and they’ve definitely made their mark with it. Be sure you pick it up.

(10 Tracks, 43:00)

8/10

Seven Sins – Due Diaboli Et Apocalypse (2016) – Hailing all of the way from Kazakhstan, we have the independent symphonic black/death act Seven Sins with their sophomore and a much different sound than tech/death influenced debut. Obviously, one can compare the sound and style here to that of SepticFlesh or Fleshgod Apocalypse, but it seems to hinge more towards the middle-eastern side of things ala Melechesh and brings with it a unique feel that you won’t get from many acts of this type – or at least, not often. Thick, clear synths work entwined with powerful leads and potent vocal rasps to make what comes off as a very listenable and equally enjoyable disc in it’s own right. Seven Sins are a band that hasn’t forgotten about the greatness of a good guitar solo mixed within the pomp, and it’s unfortunately not an approach that we receive very often in this genre. The band also worked to create a record where each song seems to have it’s own identity, as pieces will come off a bit more blistering or crunchy depending on the circumstances. A female vocal backing also joins the act here and there, to provide just a bit more depth to what is an incredibly intriguing formula. I’ve heard more than enough discs like this in my time to realize that we’ve got an undiscovered gem. Problem is, fans might have been turned off by the deathcore grab and probably won’t be apt to check this record out expecting it to be a retread. Fortunately, that is not the case and I feel that Due Diaboli Et Apocalypse is a great addition to the genre. Pushing further to the black metal side of things, albeit with an added thump of death metal might, this is definitely a step in the right direction for the act. I hope that they’ll only evolve further from this, as I really feel that they’ve cemented their take on this genre almost perfectly. Definitely check this disc out, as you may have skipped it and I would not recommend that.

(11 Tracks, 47:00)

8/10

The Extinct Dreams – Fragments Of Eternity (2016) – This is the third opus from Russian funeral death doomers The Extinct Dreams, and also their first full-length recording in six years. For fans, it seems to be definitely worth the wait as it recalls acts like Saturnus and Swallowed By The Sun among many others. I will say that the music here is a bit slower, but it’s also a bit more melodic, which is what really caught my attention here. More work is thrown into the general compositions of these pieces than basically anything else on the disc and it is all heavily appreciated. An expected amount of vocal coarseness can be observed mixing in with those slow-paced rhythms, but due to the amount of work put into making the disc sparkle, it doesn’t come off as overly brooding or even very depressive. Sure, one might call such an approach that of a hispterism, but I do not feel that such a sparkly touch is offered here and rather feel that the album is dominated wholly by listenable, even hummable melodic riffs. These four songs are quite lengthy with opener Karma being nearly twenty minutes, seeming to chop down a few as each track rolls on. What begins with eighteen minutes ends at a seven, which is still quite expected for an album of this nature. “Damodara Stotra” adds a bit more energy to the piece, almost scaling the realms of full-on death metal while “In Search Of Itself” explores gothic keyboards, another dose of death and some tinges of beautifully performed clean vocal backed atmosphere. The clean vocal work was so great on this piece, that it made my eyes light up. Fragments Of Eternity isn’t completely slow-paced, nor is it ultimately brooding as sparks of melody and pulverizing death metal manage to showcase quite a bit from the band as a whole. The album’s closer and title track even ends the experience on a very light hearted, if not slightly melancholy note – which I found absolutely gorgeous. I would rarely use such a term when describing a record, but this fits. I don’t believe that it is even further necessary to mention anything more about this brilliant recording, which is even more awe-inspiring than I’ve described.

(4 Tracks, 47:00)

9/10

Metal Hammer Greece: VA – A Tribute To Iron Maiden’s Somewhere In Time (2016) – As you might expect, this fantastic tribute record released for free as an exclusive in Metal Hammer Greece, while we received a slightly less interesting kind of cover album in which new Nu-Metal acts mostly butchered well known cuts from old Nu-Metal acts. It’s even a wonder as to why I’m reviewing this, but I felt this compilation far superior to the crap that we got in the rest of the world. All of the bands featured here are of course; Greek heavy and power metal based acts, which do nothing more than to show that Greece has one hell of a classic heavy and power metal scene that could rival that of Germany. Of the many compilations I’ve heard, there wasn’t one cut on the disc that I did not approve of and that in itself is something of a miracle. Psycrence killed it with the opening title cut, as they added a more modern sense of downtuned groove to the composition without sacrificing the classic nature of the original. It’s definitely a bit thrashier, but I don’t seem to mind that. “Wasted Years” is a song I’m quite fond of, so I would’ve been very upset if Null ‘o’ Zero hadn’t delivered on it, which they did. The frontman has a bit of a scratchy voice, but he hits the chorus just perfectly, with a memorable falsetto that makes the slightly harder hitting cut manageable. Endomain take on “Sea Of Madness” which left me very pleased, as the frontman here has an incredibly well-honed vocal tone that comes off very clear and purposeful, especially during the chorus section. Fortress Under Siege decided to take it nearly note for note, with their vocalist opting to nearly emulate Bruce Dickinson’s vocal approach at that era, as well as the production style of the record itself. It’s a bit bizarre for a band to cover 1/1 but I won’t knock it. “The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner” was covered by Diviner, which punched it up a little more in the drumming, making for a heavier and sharper cut overall. It definitely feels like Maiden thrash, which has happened once before on this disc, and I’ll not complain. Especially since there’s such a fine attention to detail in lieu of melodies and solo sections. Arrayan Path cover the classic “Stranger In A Strange Land” perfectly, once again showing the heavy metal might of Greece. The production value here is a bit more of a classic one, with a band once again attempting at a near-Maiden emulation. It’s done well, which means there’s nothing else to say. “Deja-Vu” is taken on by Monument, which is yet again a Maiden emulation replete with an attempt to hit Dickinson’s tone. It’s certainly a bit punchier in the drumming as well, but retains that classic feel of the original, especially within it’s melodic leads and progressive notions. Finally we have the very song that introduced me to the greatness of Maiden back when I was a boy, “Alexander The Great.” Here, it’s been covered by Innerwish, who perform an incredible cover of the piece. The solo section near the very end of it I’ve always thought to be brilliant as I found myself listening to the original directly afterwards to see if Innerwish were able to match it. Unfortunately, those licks are not played with as much speed, but still come off quite potent nonetheless. It’s a wonderful note to close out such a strong tribute as has been featured here, which I would highly recommend checking out for yourself even if those means would be less than legal. Because, it is simply a rare recording only delivered to those in Greece who subscribed to the magazine and is virtually non-existent anywhere else. If I can find a YouTube stream, I’ll link it at the bottom as well as places where you may be able to find a used or new condition copy.

(8 Tracks, 52:00)

8/10

Disconnect – The Sum Of Our Parts (2016) – The third album from UK Industrial death metallers Disconnect sounds very much in the style of Pitch Shifter, and so much so that you’d swear some of these guys were former members. The only real difference is that of melancholic doom elements, which bring a tinge of sorrow to the project despite all of the buzzes and whirs from the electronic end of things, as well as the soft synths that sometimes take hold within a couple of pieces. It’s actually not too much out of character to call Disconnect an alternate evolution from a band like Pitch Shifter who undoubtedly sold out as they went on. If they hadn’t, we might have had an act very similar to this. It is true that there are a few jumpy parts on the album, like “Turn Against Them” which reminds me of a Europop Godflesh in areas when not evoking the spirit of nineties Swedish death. “Paths Of Transcendence” is another one that feels a bit fluffy and almost ethereal, which is a good thing I think – it’s nice to see a change of pace from the ripping and pounding that will feature prominently throughout most of the disc, which is why I’m talking about the outliers. What begins as a bit of a deadly and rather forlorn performance soon becomes quite airy and almost transcendant, marking new territory for the band and undoubtedly, it’s listeners. I much prefer the content of this disc to that of ’14s Subsistence as it comes off with a bit more bite and overall energy, which is something that I felt Disconnect needed as an act. The Sum Of Our Parts is definitely a step forward, there is no real argument there.

(8 Tracks, 60:00)

8/10

Principality Of Hell – Sulfur & Bane (2016) – Those looking for a raw dose of black/thrash will be pleasantly pleased with this sophomore from Grecian act Principality Of Hell. As you might expect, this is black/thrash in the same vein as Toxic Holocaust and Sarcofago with some slight nods to classic black metal, not so much in the vein of thrash. While “Blood Moon Rising” gives us what we want, “Sons Of The Desert” gives us something completely different, which is far more anthemic and far less thrashy. This to me shows diversity, because these guys really could have Toxic Holocausted their way home, rolling through ten songs in thirty minutes with very little change in tempo. But we get a voice-changer and a bit of atmosphere instead. Then “The Invincible Empire” throws away the anthemic atmosphere for thick chunks of bass, which almost feel like doom riffs but are a great deal shorter. These lightning blasts work extravagantly well with the vocals, making for a performance that truly embodies black metal. Maybe the act started as just another black/thrash outfit, but this album shows that they could be so much more. Don’t fret though, as these Greeks still thrash on more than a few of the songs featured in this performance, so you are still getting the kind of performance you might expect – just coupled with a bit more than that. There are ten songs in all and if that’s not enough for you, then the band have also covered Slayer, Venom, Celtic Frost, Razor, Bathory and Sodom all on the same disc. I enjoyed the whole damn thinga nd you will too. This is black metal at it’s most bare and classic, coupled with many of the influences that helped this band to be what they are. Keep in mind, this act contains three fifths of long-running Greek black metal titans Thou Art Lord and shows that they haven’t grown even a bit rusty after all these years. If you missed it, then you missed the very essence of this genre. What the fuck is wrong with you? Pick it up!

(16 Tracks, 64:00)

8/10

Hereza – I Become Death (2016) – Some albums that I work with require a song by song exploration, but the same can’t be said for this sophomore effort by Croatian death metallers, Hereza. It’s quite straight-forward in both it’s fierce and timely delivery. The record already has an astonishing 90% over at Metal Archives, which means that someone was elated by it – and really, it’s quite crushing. There’s a little bit of everything crammed into this little disc, which features hefty grooves, hints of hardcore, classic thrash (with solos to boot) and even some hints of prog here and there to shake things up a bit. Sometimes frontman Ivan’s vocal approach will sound downright hardcore, but it doesn’t hurt the music and almost gives it an ancient sense, sort of like the Obituary and Unleashed albums that it borrows from. As far as Swedish death metal goes, these guys more or less painted by numbers there – but it sounds good enough that you’re not going to give too much of a shit about that and will instead be pleased by the relatively potent hammering that you’re going to receive in this half-hour of chaos. Did I mention that there are a few tremolos here and there too? Because, why not? With a band like Hereza, the listener is exposed to a great deal of pulse-pounding extremity in such a short amount of time that one could liken it to an adrenaline shot, which it could be definitely used for. Death metal and hard labor go together, never forget that. This kind of record is definitely a working man’s album, but it’s also the kind of disc that you can go home and jam if you’re pissed about everything and need to vent. Now I will criticize the disc for once again using that tired “Now I become death, the destroyer of worlds” quote that I’ve heard thousands of times. I even think Linkin Park used the damn quote on one of their albums now. It’s just truly tired out, so much so that I may purposely bastardize the quote on our new album just to poke fun at all the bands I have heard over the years that add this quote onto their album. Worse yet, it’s what the album’s title is more or less, even though it definitely fits with the amount of fury unleashed within this recording. It will smash you through the wall, and through the wall behind that one. There’s not doubt about that. The only real detriment on the entire album is the fact that spoken word pieces are even uttered. A band like this really doesn’t need that does of atmosphere. Hereza, let me be frank, but the last thing a metalhead wants is a moment where he has to pause his jamming out of the record. Another oddity I discovered with the disc is that there’s only one real song with a melodic chorus, called “Full Moon Slaughter.” It’s a great effort, definitely giving us melodic death metal (Oh, did I forget to mention that? Well, this one is a real hodgepodge, but only in the very best of ways) where we do not expect it, backed with a corpse grinding effort that comes just as we should expect it. So basically, listeners will need to expect the unexpected with the expected. I know, that’s a tongue-twister, but it works and shows the veritable versatility of this fine act. There are very few discs of it’s type where a listener will be exposed to so many different metallic realms in one listen, especially these days where bands enjoy writing the same song ten or twelve times for one album. I really feel like I must say something to the tune of; “I’ve heard that one already, could you play another?” Yet such is not so with the piledriving powerhouse that is Hereza. It’s a fine record and I’m quite glad that that they’ve sent it to me. I’ll be honest with you – the first time I sat down to listen to this one, I didn’t really get it. It didn’t feel all that special or unique. But as I’ve sat down and listened to it twice in a row after that inaugural listen on my earbuds, I’m definitely hearing a much more fulfilling band. I Become Death is no masterpiece and probably won’t be posted in the hallowed halls of  death metal with the greats, but it’ll definitely be placed fairly close to that section in this proverbial metal gallery. (I do wish that such a thing did exist, but it would probably be bastardized in a no less than a couple of years). Though it’s no doubt an insanely killer album that barely ever lets up and shows the might of Croatian metal, a realm that I have not gotten a chance to explore. If there is something to be said for Croatian death metal, then I can assuredly say that Hereza leads at the top of the pack.

(10 Tracks, 29:00)

8/10