Looking Ahead to 2013

2013

AMULET

London NWOBHM band have already made a huge impact on the metal scene in uk, europe and even usa, 

The band will no doubt be playing numerous festivals here and in europe and notch up even more major support slots.

Lets hope for some new recordings!!!!

                                    

CATHEDRAL
Currently putting the finishing touches to what will be the last ever album from these British Doom legends. Produced by Lee Dorrian and Garry Jennings, with assistance from Jaime Gomez Arellano, The Last Spire is scheduled for an April 20013 release via Rise Above Records. Tracklisting is as follows;

01. Entrance to Hell
02. Pallbearer
03. Cathedral of the Damned
04. Tower of Silence
05. Infestation of Grey Death
06. An Observation
07. This Body, Thy Tomb.

Non-album track Vengeance of the Blind Dead will appear as a flexi disc on the front cover of Decibel magazine in their March issue (on sale February 7th).

The band also recently shot a fantastic promo for new track Tower of Silence,which will be available to view some time in January.

The track will appear on an exclusive Rise Above Records CD sampler to be given away with Classic Rock Magazine towards the end of the same month.

In related news, Septic Tank, a band featuring Cathedral members Scott Carlson, Garry Jennings and Lee Dorrian will make their debut live appearance at The Garage, Highbury & Islington on Friday 3rd May.

Septic Tank will release a very limited vinyl only EP titled The Slaughter via MCR Records, Japan, to coincide with the show. They will have a limited number of colour copies on sale exclusively at the event.

Tracklisting as follows;
Side A
01. Fatal Eclipse
02. Forest of Bones
Side B
01. Gotesque Cavalry of Mankind
02. The Slaughter

CHAOSANCT
Hopefully 2013 will finally see the release of their debut album, its been a long time coming, with James having to concentrate with Cradle Of Filth, drummer Matt playing with Monument and Paul and Dave forming a new band Bad Son.
In december they announced that Dan Abela was working on the recordings, so definatley some progress being made.

DIMMU BORGIR
Return with a 20th anniversary album, expect awesomeness!!!!!!

GENERATION GRAVEYARD
Well the band are currentley recording some new songs to add to the EP which didnt see the light of day this year due to various reasons.
Its is definatley coming out (so i have been told) and when it does go buy it, coz GG are a fucking brilliant band!

OPERA DIABOLICUS - 1614 (CD Review)

01.Overture
02.The Gates
03.Blood Countess Bathory
04.The 13th Guest
05.In Memoriam
06.Mythos Lamia
07.Forbidden
08.Stone By Stone

David Grimoire (Guitar/Keyboards)
Eric Rauti (Guitar)
Adrian De Crow (Bass)
Snowy Shaw (Vocals/Drums)
Elias Holmlid (Keyboards)
Mats Leven (Vocals)
Camilla Alisander-Ason (Vocals)
Jake E (Vocals)
Nick Night (Vocals)
Jonas Heidgert (Choral Arrangements)




The history of this ingenious project goes back to a chance meeting between multi-instrumentalist and composer David Grimoire and bass player Adrian De Crow at a stage presentation of Umberto Eco's book “The Name Of The Rose” at a theatre in Gothenburg, Sweden in the year 2006.

So impressed were the two musicians by the story that the two there and then decided that a theatrical and dark metal musical based on a kind of story in the same genre could be a really profitable hunting ground. Further conversations took place in Gothenburg that bleak December and during 2007, and in 2008 the two musicians finally assembled the line up that could grow the seed of the concept - Opera Diabolicus / “1614” – a combination of dark musical elements, theatre and musical excellence, with the ideas for the ensuing album first introduced to the world via the band’s Facebook page.

Hired to produce was King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque; all the music was brought to the table by Grimoire and Adrian would arrive with the lyrics; but who to use to turn this fantastic concept into a reality?

Enter the imposing shadow of non other than multi talented musician, Therion, King Diamond and Dimmu Borgir member Snowy Shaw, who not only introduced an added vocal element and set the guys off in search of vocalists such as Mats Leven (Krux, Yngwie Malmsteen), Niklas Isfeldt (Dream Evil) and Jake E. (Amaranthe) to blend with his immense talents, but also brought interest from choral arrangers such as Jonas Heidgert and the talent of Dragonland keyboard player and founder Elias Holmlid, to combine with his infamous ‘drums of doom’. The pack was complete.

Nothing short of pure dramatic and dark doom metal with atmospheric, epic, progressive and symphonic elements, with enough twists and turns throwing up Death and Black Metal riffs.

It is without a doubt another awesome showcase for the never ending talents of Snowy Shaw who must now rate as one of metal's all time vocalists.

The composition of each track is perfectly structured to create ambience and melody balanced with traditional metal riffs and symphonic rhythms.


Rating 10/10
For Fans Of : Therion, Dimmu Borgir, Candlemass, Dream Evil, Devin Townsend, Cradle Of Filth, Nightwish



STU

Even More November Gig's

Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra (Cd Review)

01.Xibir
02.Born Treacherous
03.Gateways
04.Chess With The Abyss
05.Dimmu Borgir
06.Ritualist
07.The Demiurge Molecule
08.A Jewel Traced Through Coal
09.Renewal
10.Endings And Continuations


Shagrath (vocals/keyboards/Effects)
Silenoz (Rhythm Guitar)
Galder(Lead Guitar)

Guests :
Snowy Shaw (Bass/Vocals)
Dariusz Brzozowski (Drums)
Agnete Kjølsrud (Vocals Track 3 & 10)
Garm from ULVER (Vocals On Track 10)
Gerlioz (keyboards)
Andy Sneap (Guitar On Track 3 & 9)
Ricky Black (Slide Guitar on track 10)
Orchestration and choir arranged by Gaute Storås and conducted by Rune Halvorsen
Recorded with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Schola Cantorum Choir


"Abrahadabra", loosely translated as "I will create as I speak", was created by author Aleister Crowley in his work, The Book of the Law.
For those who are intrested the five letters in the word are: A, the Crown; B, the Wand; D, the Cup; H, the Sword; R, the Rosy Cross; and refer further to Amoun the Father, Thoth His messenger, and Isis, Horus, Osiris, the divine-human triad.
To the band it represents an album title consisting of one word that goes hand-in-hand with the new material and the changes in musical and lyrical content.


So eleven months in production to create haunting, epic, atmospheric and ambient masterpiece with an array of musicians and a full ensemble orchestra, the Kringkastingsorkestret (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra), and the Schola Cantorum choir, totaling more than 100 musicians and singers.

The intro 'Xibir' is a pure orchestral piece and gives some clue to the maturity of the bands overall concept and the direction in which they wish to take "Symphonic Black metal" forward.

'Born Treacherous' is the perfect mix of "Traditional" Dimmu but it is the orchestration that creates a quite stunning song.

Powerful double peddling and vocal chorus introduces 'Gateways' a full blown mini epic with layered vocals and guest female vocals, awesome riffing and varied timing changes throughout.

At times 'Chess With The Abyss' bares some comparisons with Kamelot's March Of Mephisto, which featured a guest vocal from Shagrath some years back.
It also has that rare quality of being "Catchy"!

A self title song 'Dimmu Borgir', which translates as Dark Cities, also has a very catchy and infectious choral backing and gives us yet another outstanding song.

A ghostly howl, backward vocals and beautiful acoustic guitar lead into a hyper drumbeat and the song 'Ritualist', weird that the speed of the guitar and drums work so well against the slowness of the acoustic instruments.
Stunning vocal delivery from Snowy works well with Shagraths unique style.

A very different feel to 'The Demiurge Molecule' thanks to an out of charachter almost funky drum rhythm, but the song soon settles down into a pounding, slow and doomy song that has Shagrath screaming "I crave perfection", im thinking job done!!!

Creepy horror movie ambience, massive riffs, drums on speed, a middle section of vocal chorus like the Omen soundtrack, yep 'A Jewel Traced Through Coal' has it all amd more.
Have to say the bass really kicks through this one as well.

'Renewal' mixes the extremes of Black Metal with slower breakdowns that seem to "bounce" along.
The vocal presence of Snowy echoes throughout the slightly unusual tempo of the music.

'Endings And Continuations' features a guest vocal from Garm from Ulver, for this final song Dimmu have quite clearly made sure that every element they created for all the other songs appear together just to nail the point home that along with superb mixing and production that they have come of age and redifined a genre forever.


Stu

Rating 10/10

For Fans Of: Therion, Cradle Of Filth, Devil Doll, Apocalyptica