MERCY HOUSE - REBORN (Cd Review)

01.Reborn

Drew (Vocals)
Dany (Guitar)
Kiran (Guitar)
Nick (Drums)
Anthony (Bass)

So here we are another one track promo given away at one of their gigs.
First of all it should be noted that the Mercy House guys have the right idea here by giving these away, after all you see them live and like them its great to come home with a free gift!

This time the band have gone for an almost power metal feel thanks to a great riff holding the song together, plenty of harmony parts as well just to remind you who you are listening too.

It has a catchy and infectious little chorus, but the star with this song is the guitarwork and the overall structure of the song, there is a lot going on in this four minutes and it all fits together very well indeed.

Rating 10/10

For fans of : Cavalar, Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, Roxville

MERCY HOUSE, '77, XENOCHORD Live At The Gaff 17.09.09 (Gig Review)

THE MERCY HOUSE
'77
XENOCHORD

The Gaff, Holloway Road 17.09.09

XENOCHORD
There is now something very infectious about the Hungarian absinthe drinking rockers, they are utterley entertaining and totally commited to producing the finest prog tinged death metal you will hear in london.

Each time they seem to improve, now with the new drummer they seem more solid, faster and very confident.

The songs have now become like great friends they bring a smile to your face and are always welcome.

'77
Spain's answer to old school Ac/Dc make their second visit to the Gaff even more exciting than their first.
It is pure rock n roll fun, delivered with total conviction and despite the very obvious Ac/Dc sound and influence they make their own statement with a degree of originality that shines through.

THE MERCY HOUSE
The rock just dont stop!
That the Mercy House are an awesome sight to behold goes without saying, the songs are brilliant and the musicianship of all band members is top notch.

I have said it before and i will keep saying it... Their vocalist Drew has "THE" voice of classic rock, but his ability to perform is just as electric and he has no trouble with jumping into the audience to "give it some", i just wish he'd look a bit happier on stage, i think he takes it too seriously.

There is nothing to worry about, any band who can perform and entertain this well should be grinning from ear to ear.

STU

XENOCHORD

'77

THE MERCY HOUSE

CATFIGHT - CATFIGHT EP (Cd Review)

01.The Pill

02.Amia

03.The Picture

04.Kill Me Again

Samara Kain (Guitar/Vocals)

Marcella Crivellaro (Vocals)

Martin Drees (Drums)
Dave Silver (Lead Guitar)

Sasha Cron (Bass)

Formed at the beginning of the year by former Nemhain guitarist Samara, Catfight are rapidly emerging as not only a great live act but a band who produce outstanding songs.
This EP features guest appearences from british melodic thrashers Savage Messiah's Dave and Sasha whose contribution is simply stunning.

We start with 'The Pill' a full on Motorhead influenced rocker driven by drums and Marcella's superb vocal delivery, its fast and furious!

'Amia' kicks of with a 60's sounding guitar riff which has a Hendrix/Beck feel that just ripps through the whole song.Its a catchy muthafucker of a song with, crazy vocals, drums and pounding bass join to create an awesome tune that will have you singing "aiyeeah, ama ama ama" wheather you like it or not.

Next up is the first song the band wrote, 'The Picture'.

This is a grungy/fuzzy piece with some great lyrics, its what i call a "head nodder" cause you cant stay still when this is on.

Finally we arrive at 'Kill Me Again', a song that i must have played a 100 times already, i cant get over this song its just brilliant.It starts with an emotive bass line that punctuates the entire song, im not even sure how a bass line can carry such feeling but it does, its awesome and is a credit to Sasha that he can take a couple of chords and produce this quality.

The guitarwork has it all from some lovely slide on the opening to the little riffs and a neat solo.

Martin's rhythmic drums go from strength to strength driving the whole song to its crescendo.

Now to the vocals of Marcella and Samara who duet throughout, the best female vocal performance i have heard for a very long time, again the emotion that comes through is stunning and the harmony is perfect.

The whole song is moody and put over in such a way when the girls sing "i cant believe you're gone and its all my fault" that you actually believe it.The production on this track by Andy Brook is electrifying his abilty to allow the feeling to come through on this is genius.

A perfect EP, a release date has yet to be set, but when it is announced order yourself a copy you will not regret it.

Rating 10/10

For Fans Of : L7, Hole, Nemhain, Mudhoney, Motorhead, Mallory Knox.

MURDER MILE, FINISH HIM, CATFIGHT, SWAZI HOOKERS, D.MONIC Live At The Gaff 11.09.09 (Gig Review)

MURDER MILE
FINISH HIM
CATFIGHT
SWAZI HOOKERS
D.MONIC

THe Gaff, Holloway Road 11.09.09

D.MONIC
The enfield rockers always put on a good show and tonight was no exception, however thhe make up was gone and the band seemed a little subdued.I found out later that the band are about to split up, which is a real shame.Tyheir infectious take on post grunge metal was always delivered with style and originality.Stand out song was a cover of Dead Or Alive's you spin me round.

SWAZI HOOKERS
London debut for an outstanding band who have already sealed their reputation up north bu supporting the likes of Hanoi Rocks and L.A.Guns.With a vocalist who looks like Phil Anselmo i was expecting agressive metaal but he sounds like Tamie Downe from faster Pussycat!The lead guitarist could have been in some goth band from the way he dressed but its pure Slash that rings out from his six strings.In between song banter was as entertaining as their highly professional set.

CATFIGHT
Rapidly becoming "The" band to catch live with their riot grrrl/grunge punk sound taking London by storm at the moment.Essentially still a three piece band they were joined by Martin from Feral on lead guitar and Dave from Savage Messiah on bass and considering they had only a couple of rehersals together you would think this was the permanent line up, such was the professionalisim of the set.

Covers of Blitzkrieg Bop and Shit List join some credible originals such as 'The Pill' the very catchy 'Aimia' and show stopper 'Kill Me Again' a song that will take them far when released.
A solid set without fault, amazing vocals from Marcella who is clearly possessed as she stalks and screams her way on and off stage, great guitar and backing vocalds from Samara and very powerfull drumming from Martin.

FINISH HIM
Kerrang in a recent review stated that their debut album may be the British rock album of 2009, and live they could grab an award for most entertaining as well!
This is in your face, on the bar, in the audience and through the entrance into the street rock as vocalist Mitchel uses the entire venue as his stalking ground, often armed with a water pistol.
Its a strong set with plenty of humour, great metal tunes, and even some disco samples, the whole thing ends with a mass audience participation to 'Viva La Discotech'.

MURDER MILE
The thrid act tonight with an in your face front person, this was their first gig with a new bassist and he'd only had a couple of rehersals but played like he'd been with them for years.Its a strong performance fuelled by punk agression and catchy songs.

D.MONIC

SWAZI HOOKERS

CATFIGHT

FINISH HIM

MURDER MILE

ACHILLA ACOUSTIC SHOW - ACOUSTIC EP (Cd Review)

01.Arashi
02.The Devil's Eyes
03.Wild Flower
04.Hunted


Martamaria (Vocals)
Daniele Panza (Acoustic Guitar/Vocals)


Most of you should know the first track in its symphonic rock version as it was on a free cd given away with metal hammer a few moths back, somehow this version brings a new element to it and that is real emotion.

This same emotion is in 'Devils Eyes' along with some amazing high notes from Marta and brilliant guitar work from Dan with a definate classical influence showing through.

This is a highly chraged and very dark song summed up by the line "i dont want your body, its only dust".

There is no question in my mind that this is nothing short of perfection, it rates along side Kristen Hershes 'Your Ghost', All About Eve's 'Marthas Harbour' and Led Zeppelin's 'Battle Of Evermore'.

Next up is the rockiest track, its a guitar driven piece and again showcases Dans superb playing.

Finally we come to 'Hunted', this falls into the classic folk rock field, its a tale of a hunter a cold hearted man and is reminiscent of those old Sandy Denny/Jacqui McShee songs from the late sixties.

What can i say ?
Great guitar and very subtle backing vocals from Dan and the most amazing vocal performance from Marta go to make this the best acoustic ep i have ever heard.

Rating 10/10


For Fans Of : Achilla, Nightwish, Fairport Convention, Pentangle, The Trees

STU

CAVALAR - RECOIL (Cd Review)

01.All Your Rage

02.The One To Be Pleased

03.The Score Of All Time

04.Up In The Air

05.Grand Northern Evil

06.Through The Demons Door

07.Cant Deny You

08.Genocidal Minds

09.Higher

10.In Fear

11.Hell Is Blue

12.No Second Plan

13.The Outsiders

14.No Mans Land

Luca Ravasio (Vocals)

Daniele Panza (Guitar)

Max Torres (Bass)

Arnaldo Rogano (Drums)

Having formed in 2004 they have worked hard on the live circuit building up a solid fanbase and of course released the best selling album 'As A Metal Of Fact' in 2006 (Re-issued in 2008), it drew comparisons with black sabbath and a host of classic rock bands.

But last year it was apparent that the band wanted to evolve musically and take a much heavier approach and lyrically a darker edge.

This is a different beast altogether, Cavalar means in Portuguese 'super charged' and 'excessive' and believe me with this album they are highly charged and have gone way beyond normal limits to create 'Recoil'.

Everything about this album screams modern heavy metal with a power metal influence, this becomes clear right from the start with the Helloween'ish "All Your Rage" an incredibly powerful song with full on guitar work, pounding bass and drums and Luca's amazing vocal abilities.
Track 2 hits like you wouldnt believe, could be a Zakk Wylde song, Dan's guitarwork is really heavy and the vocal is again powerful with some great harmony in the mix.
"Up In The Air" is a powerful piece and really stands out with a modern Zepp feeling and a great guitar solo.
The next few songs just keep moving in the same feel, let seems to be no let up in the force that comes through the speakers!
From the acoustic intro of "Cant Deny You" we are treated to the longest track on the album, this is followed by the shortest track and possibley the heaviest track on the album "Genocidal Winds" a song derstined to be a classic, as the song "The Outsiders".
The final track "No Mans Land" is a real drum driven track and once again is packed full of great guitar and vocal delivery.

I should point out that this album is not available yet, you should check their myspace page for updates.

Rating 10/10

For Fans Of : Helloween, Black Label Society, Blood Island Raiders, Viking Skull

STU

www.myspace.com/cavalarrock

SEPTEMBER GIG FLYERS

Right straight after this gig go to the scala and you will catch mallory knox,nemhain,generation graveyard and feral.