My Ruin - A Southern Revelation (Cd Review)

01.Tennessee Elegy
02.Highly Explosive
03.Walk of Shame
04.Deconsecrated
05.Middle Finger
06.Vultures
07.Seventh Sacrament
08.Reckoning
09.The Soulless Beast
10.Mean Street

Tairrie B Murphy (Vocals)
Mick Murphy (Guitar/Bass/Drums)

Produced by Mick Murphy & Joel Stooksbury ‘A SouthernRevelation’ was recorded at
Soundtrack Black Studio deep in the snow covered hills just outside of Knoxville,
Tennessee during the bone chilling month of January 2011. Unrepentant, unrestrained and unforgiving, this is without a doubt, My Ruin’s meanest and most pointed album to date.
A highly focused, intensely passionate and cleansing record that invites it’s listener on a personal journey of retribution. Staying true to their sound and confrontational lyrical delivery ‘A Southern Revelation’ stands alone in My Ruin’s catalog with renewed razor sharp, violent scream vocals and spoken word over stone cold crisp yet doomy metallic rock guitar riffs. While friendship is a fashion and honesty is the holiest disease, this is their seven daggers of Megiddo; this is their slaying of the beast.

The new album opens with a requiem; a visceral funeral for the sins of a friend as
‘Tennessee Elegy’ comes in with a thunderous roar of sound on top of white and snowy
ground. The harsh cold reality of the language hits after the intro explodes into
chugging riffs that are reminiscent of a large engine turning over in the dead of winter which sets the temperature for the record. As hot as a shot of Old No. 7 Whiskey, ‘Highly Explosive’ is a vitriolic and volatile Molotov cocktail of calmly spoken, contemplative anger fueled words that reach their boiling point, bursting into fiery spit choruses charged with big rock guitar chords and bashing drums. With its catchy 70’s style gritty riffs offset by abrupt changes of time signature musically kicking things up in the middle and then dragging the doom at the end, ‘Walk of Shame’ takes lyrical aim at those self important personalities so desperate for fame and rock stardom in a City of Angels.

Multi-instrumentalist Mick Murphy is a one man band who remains as solid as he is
unrelenting with each album recording. Like an old school pro, never missing a beat, he moves fluidly from instrument to instrument with his amped up head bang inducing song structures and bone crushing guitar, drum and bass lines as exquisite as ever. A master of heaviosity whose roots are still firmly planted in the Sabbath influenced swagger of the seventies complimenting his no nonsense thick riffs and huge solos.
Mick’s understanding of each instrument he is playing packs a power far beyond the strength of one musician. Mick has been called one of rocks ‘best kept secrets and most electrifying guitar players’ according to Michael Molenda, Editor in Chief of Guitar Player Magazine.

‘Deconsecrated’ is a fast and furious fateful liturgy to self preservation with the
innate desire to keep it sacred amongst the secular society of false friendships and
family values. The song burns its way true to form, from verse to chorus ushering in the stomping head banging mid section that pays homage to the albums title taking the listener on a journey of religiously inspired lyrical retrospect. Detailed with intense imaginative hatred and poetically cruel intentions, ‘Middle Finger’ is a snarling and sinister catchy mid tempo rocker that builds and grows like a grudge getting more aggressive musically enhancing the murderous violent fantasy theme. This is a cathartic and long overdue fuck you that conjures up images of brutality while vilifying and bitterly mocking the arrogance of a deceitful man devoid of conscience and destined to be punished for his lies and betrayal of trust. Setting the mood with it tripped out arrangement and haunting aesthetic as painful as it is personal, the Devil is in the details of ‘Vultures’ which is an honest, heartfelt lament reflected in a lyrical palette of remembrance for a complicated friendship set in the digital era of ego verses the analogue age of artistic integrity. With its slinky feel, ‘Seventh Sacrament’ is a dissonant and dirty memoriam to ‘Ghosts and Good Stories’ that faithfully speaks to the soul of the album and defines it as My Ruin’s 7th juggernaut of rock and roll atonement.

As the metal world’s patron saint of blasphemy and one of its most harrowing performers, Tairrie B has been a trailblazer for women in underground rock and one of the pioneers of ferocious-style female vocals with her trademark scream firmly in place since 1993. Often imitated but never duplicated with her distinct brand of stylish violence and storytelling, it’s her unique throat and unapologetic language that sets her apart from the many women who have followed in her footsteps over the years.
With My Ruin’s latest pièce de résistance ‘A Southern Revelation’, Tairrie remains true to self and form, once again reborn with a new fire inside her but as outspoken and confrontational as ever delving into the dichotomy of her dark places where God and the Devil play muse while continuing to perfect the craft she originated with her fine art of screaming.

Revenge is sweet and ‘Reckoning’ is a relentless steamroller of a track that pulls no punches delivering a well deserved raucous attack of reprisal. This is a merciless riff raging barn burner that rips apart a self-righteous reputation and reduces it to ashes.

The dark spoken word narrative tells the cryptic parable like tale of ‘The Soulless
Beast’ which is a metaphor to depict a man possessed, a malevolent monster of a track exposing the pure evil in a person that manifested itself into the Biblical
interpretation of the Anti Christ in the Book of Revelation. This is the albums slow and low grinder revealing rumbling verse parts which expand into loud choruses culminating in the doom heavy sound of classic stoner metal.

Album closer ‘Mean Street’ is My Ruin’s sexy red lipstick kissed version (tapping intro and all) of the opening track from Van Halen’s slightly underrated Fair Warning album.

My Ruins 7th album "A Southern Revelation" is available for free Download, information at
www.myruin.net

www.myruin.bandcamp.com

Rating 8/10
For fans of: Gasoline Thrill, Nashville Pussy, Lydia Lunch, Arch Enemy

Final Gig Flyers for the year

BEST OF 2011

So its that time to pick the best of 2011, not so easy this year as it was'nt the greatest year for outstanding releases, and we did have to suffer the biggest piece of shit ever commited to disc: Metallica & Lou Reed (art apparently, yeh with a capital "F").

But there are some diamonds in the rust and here they are....

ALBUMS

01.Donkerkarnuffel - Zombie Clown Apocalypse
02.Axis Of Perdition - Tenements (Of The Anointed Flesh)
03.Vallenfyre - A Fragile King
04.Turisas - Stand Up And Fight
05.Anaal Nathrakh - Passion
06.Hamerex - Rites Of Passage
07.Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions
08.Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust
09.Venom - Fallen Angels

SINGLES/EP's


01.Amulet - Cut The Crap EP
02.Nemhain - Murder Mile EP
03.Mortad - Pandemic Paranoia EP
04.Phyrexia - Children Of The Dawn

VIDEOS'S

01.Rammstein - Mein Land



02.Devin Townsend Project - Juular

The Mangled Mind Speaks - Xmas & Other Storys

As the song says "Marys boy child Jesus Christ was born on christmas day", which was
handy for him i suppose!Of course its all crap, we all know that it was Santa who was born on Christmas day to spread joy and happiness wherever he went and being Satan in disguise helped all those who were oppressed by the followers of that "Child", and bringing true peace and goodwill to all men as opposed to war and hatred!

Most celebrate with the Victorian standard of decorations and food, though many now
choose the American standard of over the top lights and displays.

But what of fact??

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ,
celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of
people around the world.A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide.

Yet the precise day of Jesus’ birth, which historians place between 7 and 2 BC, is
unknown.In the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church first placed
Christmas on December 25, Theories advanced to explain that choice include that it falls
exactly nine months after the Christian celebration of the conception of Jesus, but more
likley is that it was selected to coincide with either the date of the Roman winter
solstice or of some ancient winter pagan festival.

In other words it is yet another example of Christians putting their crap on Pagan
festivals to force their views on normal people!
To complicate things further and to be "correct" there is a difference of 13 days between
the Julian calendar and the more generally used Gregorian calendar. Therefore those who use the Julian calendar or its equivalents should celebrate December 25 and January 6 on January 7 and January 19, but then lets not get facts and logic into the conversation when dealing with religion.

About AD 730, the English historian Bede wrote that the Anglo-Saxon calendar included the
months geola or giuli corresponding with either modern December or December and
January.He gave December 25 as the first day of the heathen year and wrote that the
Anglo-Saxons celebrated all night long to honor the Germanic Divine Mothers:
They began the year with December 25, the day some now celebrate as Christmas; and the
very night to which we attach special sanctity they designated by the heathen term
Modraniht, that is, the mothers' night — a name bestowed, I suspect, on account of the
ceremonies they performed while watching this night throughIn Latin, decem means "ten". December was also the tenth month in the Roman calendar
until a monthless winter period was divided between January and February.

Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical
Germanic people as a pagan religious festival.Yule is attested early in the history of the Germanic peoples; from the 4th century
Gothic language it appears in the month name fruma jiuleis.The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar calendar.

Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are used in the Nordic countries for the
Christian Christmas (with its religious rites), but also for other holidays of the
season. Yule is also used to a lesser extent in English-speaking countries to refer to
Christmas. Customs such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others
stem from Yule. The fact that Yule is not etymologically tied to Christianity means Yule
in the Nordic countries is also celebrated by many non-Christians and even by the non-
religious. The non-religious treat Yule as an entirely secular tradition.To complicate things further a number of Neopagans have introduced their own rites.

So have fun people but remember keep Religion in its place and out of the seasons fun!!

STU

EMILIE AUTUMN Book & Tour

Beautiful, bizarre, and brazen sonic seductress and violinist extraordinaire, EMILIE AUTUMN wants you to fight alongside her on next year’s "Fight Like A Girl" tour. Known for her eccentric style and prodigious musical talent (she began reading notes before learning the alphabet and was already playing violin at four years old), Emilie spent her youth playing concert halls throughout the U.S. and Europe as a classical violinist before going mad, landing herself in an insane asylum and emerging as a rock singer with a murderous streak.

Taking its name from the title track and first single of her forthcoming album due out this ? the follow-up to her groundbreaking debut, "Opheliac", the Emilie starts her European tour in Scotland on the 9th March, ending in Manchester on April 14th.

Each show promises to be an experience. With a theatrical thread, a little classical flare, and the right dose of dirty rock 'n' roll attitude, the "Fight Like A Girl" tour will undoubtedly be EMILIE's most memorable run yet. If you're one of her affectionately dubbed "Plague Rats" or among the uninitiated, this is a sexy spectacle that's not to be missed. Beyond her violin virtuosity on stage, she elegantly strikes that effervescent balance between sex, violence, and English literature. Part Broadway, part burlesque, part rock concert, part history lesson, there's nothing quite like it anywhere…

"It's more brutal and bloody," affirms the ringleader with a playful grin. "There's more girl-on-girl action and glitter. The corsets are even tighter. It's become Victorian Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It's a rollercoaster. You're going to feel like you’ve stepped into a dark Disneyland."

That experience is propelled by the autobiographical drama at the heart of EMILIE's intriguing new literary tome, “THE ASYLUM FOR WAYWARD VICTORIAN GIRLS”. Released last year to widespread adoration, elements of the novel's wickedly dark narrative will be brought to life on stage, and they're also encapsulated in her new single and battle cry, "Fight Like A Girl".

MARCH

FRI 09 GLASGOW, GARAGE

SAT 10 NOTTINGHAM ROCK CITY

SUN 11 BRISTOL O2 ACADEMY

APRIL

FRI 13 LONDON ELECTRIC BALLROOM

SAT 14 MANCHESTER RITZ



“THE ASYLUM FOR WAYWARD VICTORIAN GIRLS” is available now

www.emilieautumn.com

GWAR European Tour 2012 Cancelled

The European leg of GWAR's "Return Of The World Maggot" tour, scheduled to kick off in January 2012 has been cancelled after several promoters pulled the plug on shows, citing poor ticket sales.

GWAR spokesman Dave Brockie commented on the tour's cancellation:
"Several of the promoters were alarmed by the low ticket sales, and they decided to start pulling the plug on shows. It got to the point where we had lost so many shows that we simply could not afford to do the tour."

Brockie continued:
"We are super disappointed that this happened, and we apologize to all of our European fans for cancelling the tour. We did everything we could possibly do to save it, but it just didn't work out. The tickets are fully refundable so make sure you get your money back!"

NIGHTWISH - IMAGINAERIUM (CD Review)

01.Taikatalvi
02.Storytime
03.Ghost River
04.Slow, Love, Slow
05.I Want My Tears Back
06.Scaretale
07.Arabesque
08.Turn Loose The Mermaids
09.Rest Calm
10.The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
11.Last Ride Of The Day
12.Song of Myself
13.Imaginaerum

Anette Olzon (vocals)
Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards/Piano)
Emppu Vuorinen (Guitars)
Marco Hietala (Bass/Vocals)
Jukka Nevalainen (Drums)

Additional Musicians/Guests:
Troy Donockley (Uillean Pipes/Tin Whistle/Vocals/Bodhran/Bouzouki)
Dermot Crehan (Hardanger Fiddle)
Dirk Campbell (Sorna)
Guy Barker (Trumpet)
Paul Clarvis (Ethnic Percussion)
Etephen Henderson (Ethnic Percussion)
Pekka Kuusisto (Violin)
Jenny O'Grady & Metro Voice Choir
Lynda Richardson & Young Musicians London Choir
Pip Williams & London Philharmonic Orchestra


Imaginaerum is the seventh studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish and is also their most ambitious to date.The album is a concept album as said by Tuomas in an interview telling the story of an old composer on his deathbed, reminiscing of his youth and is a sister piece to the movie of the same name directed by Stobe Harju.

According to Holopainen, Imaginaerum is the first Nightwish album to have a real intro song 'Taikatalvi', which is also one of few Nightwish songs performed entirely in Finnish, this song also introduces the snow flake theme of the album and movie, as the Finnish word "taikatalvi" means "magic winter". It is also the Finnish title of the book Moominland Midwinter.

'Storytime' has punchy riffs and a melodic chorus and still sounds poppy.

Described as a duel between the Devil and Mother Gaia, 'Ghost River' is more theatrical and weirder than the rest of the album.

'Slow Love Slow' is a jazz-like song inspired by American 1930's nightclub music, inspired by David Lynch's Twin Peaks.

'I Want My Tears Back' Has some nice pipes on it, but not that amazing.

'Scaretale' has been described as the bands take on Metallica's "Enter Sandman".

The instrumental 'Arabesque' was created soley for the movie soundtrack.

'Turn Loose the Mermaids' is a "celtic, ballad, sad, melancholic" song, with a sort of spaghetti western inspired section.

Finally a heavy (ish) song appears,'Rest Calm' and was inspired by 'Paradise Lost' and 'My Dying Bride'.

'The Crow, the Owl and the Dove' is the only one written by bassist-vocalist Marco Hietala, who has written several songs for the band in the past. Holopainen has pointed out that it's "kind of funny that the most poppy song on the album is composed by the most metalhead dude in the band".

'Last Ride of the Day' is a song about a roller coaster.

Coming in at an epic fourteen minutes is 'Song Of Myself' It is inspired by Holopainen's favorite poet Walt Whitman, and his famous poem of the same name, and the song includes a six-minute recitation of the poem.

The title track 'Imaginaerum' is the outro track of the album, conceived as what could run in the credits of the movie. Holopainen came up with the idea of making a medley of the album's main musical themes, and gave orchestral arranger Pip Williams free hands to make what he wanted of it, making it one of two songs off the album not composed entirely by Holopainen.

Rating:8/10
For fans of: Within Temptation, Epica.

REVCO/KORN/RAMMSTEIN (CD Mini Reviews)

REVCO - GOT MIXXX?

Comprising of fifty minutes of non-stop continuous dancefloor ditties,'Got MiXXX?'is a
raunchy remix of the Cock’s Spring 2010 release 'Got Cock?'.Produced by RevCo founder, Al Jourgensen, and re-mixed by Blownload frontman Erie Loch.Has to be said that these 10 tracks are far superior to the original album whilst it juxtaposes trashy subjects with classy high-end production values making this RevCo’s most powerful sound to date!

Rating: 7/10
For fans Of: Ministry, KMFDM, Front 242

KORN - THE PATH OF TOTALITY
So Korn's traditional sound mixed with dubstep/drum and bass and electro house music,
collaborating with a number of producers for the album with each guest their own
individual tracks.
Realising the potential controversay Roadrunner released the following statement:
“ The Path of Totality is unlike any previous Korn release; it's an experimental record
which finds the band shifting gears and exploring new territory. For the record, Korn
collaborated with some of the leading dubstep and electronic music producers in the
world, including Skrillex, Excision, Datsik, Noisia, Kill the Noise, and 12th Planet.The
result is something completely new, yet utterly and definitively Korn.”
Singer Jonathan Davis describes the new album as "very well-rounded, with a mix of
mellow, upbeat tracks; possibly the most well-proportioned Korn album of all time."He also went on to talk a load of bollocks declaring The Path of Totality as "future
metal." "We're mixing metal and electro music, and you're not supposed to do that. Since
day one, Korn has always been all about going against the grain, experimenting, and
trying to take music different places."
In fact they are playing catch up big time as the likes of Linkin Park/Limp Bizkit have
been doing this for years now, if Korn want to go against the grain then perhaps that
should release a symphonic black metal album.
But for all the talk the album is not quite the trainwreck i expected with some of the
songs sounding much better than on their previous "Normal" album.

Rating: 6/10

For fans Of:Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Eminem, Skrillex.

RAMMSTEIN - MADE IN GERMANY 1995-2011
Rammstein formed in Berlin in 1994 by former european swimming champion and punk drummer Till Lindemann (vocals) and Richard Z. Kruspe (lead guitar), Paul H. Landers (rhythm guitar), Oliver "Ollie" Riedel (bass), Christoph "Doom" Schneider (drums) and Christian
"Flake" Lorenz (keyboards).

They are part of the 'Neue Deutsche Härte' scene (alongside others such as Oomph!, Eisbrecher, Die Krupps).Achieving worldwide fame with outrageous videos, amazing live theatrical shows with world class pyrotechnic effects, movie appearences and endless hit singles and albums (sales in excess of 16 million), all this whilst not compromising their sound or the fact that they sing in German.

This is a 2 cd set, disc one covers mainly singles and includes all the classics like 'Du
Hast','Sonne' and 'Keine Lust' and a new song 'Mein Land' (Reviewed eleswhere on this
blog).
Disc two is a compilation of remixes from acts as diverse as Pet shop Boys and Scooter to
Clawfinger and Devin Townsend (which is mental with banjos, fart noise and an annoying
meow meow refrain).

Rating: 10/10

For fans of: Laibach, Die Krupps, Static X, Fear Factory, Deathstars

CATHEDRAL/DEVIL'S BLOOD/UNKLE MATT & VIKING SKULL (CD Mini Reviews)

CATHEDRAL - ANNIVERSARY
First official live album from Doom legends, and a fantastic package to boot!Comprised of two Cd's, the first is 'Back To The Forest' which is a live rendition of the entire 'Forest Of Equilibrium' album.The second disc is 'Fresh Winter' a general concert that has great versions of 'Vampire Sun', 'Hopkins Witchfinder General' to name but 2, but unfortunatley not a version of my all time fave track 'Skullflower'.
Definatley one for fans only but worth the wait.
Rating: 9/10

CATHEDRAL - A New Ice Age EP
Two brand new studio tracks to tie in with their farewell gig and available on good old fashioned vinyl.The A Side is 'Open Mind Surgery' a skuzzy doom rocker with Lee seemingly emulating Johnny Rotten on vocals, its heavy with a simplistic production giving it a great raw feel.The B Side is 'Sabbadaius Sabbatum', a typical Black sabbath copy sounding very much like 'Lord Of This World' with a few new bits thrown in, to be honest its Cathedral and therefore faultless in my opinion!

Rating 10/10
For fans Of: Black Sabbath, Pagan Alter, Pentagram, Blood Island Raiders.

DEVILS BLOOD - THE THOUSANDFOLD EPICENTRE
Dutch occult rockers latest album has been described by the bands guitarist/founder Selim Lemouchi as “The Devil’s Blood are pleased to announce the conception of a new Litter to be cast upon the sacrificial flames of the bull-headed God that resides on the plane of Gehenna. Eleven new children shall pass through His flames to become reborn in Chaos when the eleventh of November comes to pass in this foul year of their lord, two thousand and e...leven. We have taken 11 months to write and two months to record these monsters and to prepare, attach and inscribe the appropriate sigils, ornaments, chimes and bells upon these young-lings before releasing their serpentine malignity upon the world...”

Well what you get is 11 tracks of sixties inspired psychedelic/satanic rock with stunning female vocals blending Jinx dawson with Grace Slick and music as diverse as the pagan folk styles of 'Shocking Blue' to the space rock of 'Hawkwind'.
Frankly a brilliant album, superb production and real care taken with the composition of the music.

Rating 10/10For Fans Of: Coven, Jefferson Airplane, Black Widow, Witchcraft, Ghost, Electric Wizard.

UNKLE MATT WITH VIKING SKULL - HOLD MY PINT
Download only single from the Northampton rock group and featuring Unkle matt from CKY related band Shitbirdz.Its typical Skull stuff with lyrics about booze, birds n metal.Good sing a long chorus with "Hold my pint while i take a big shit honey, if your still there when i get back, then im on to a sure thing", yep another Roddy Stone classic!Cracking guitar solo thrown in for good measure as well.
Rating 10/10For Fans Of: CKY, Blood Island Raiders, Motorhead.

Donkerkarnuffel - Zombie Clown Apocalypse (CD Review)

01.Blood For Donko
02.Funland
03.Givin' It The Big Un
04.The Greatest Show On Earth
05.Gypsy
06.Mourn For The Newborn
07.Divinus Infernus
08.Fire walk With Me
09.My Psychosis
10.Zombie Clown Apocalypse

Mr Bloody (Guitars)
Haggis (Vocals)
Pervo (Bass)
Skeats (Drums)

Formed in Jan 2010 by Jamie Blood (Spitting Blood) along with ex members of 'Unredempt' and 'Cycle VI'.
Creating a fusion of various influences from the hardcore style of 'Unredempt' adding the brutal and crushing 7 String Drop-Tuned riffs from 'Spitting Blood' and epic Blackened Death Metal passages from 'Cycle VI'.

Take it from me that Spitting Blood were nothing short of awesome, easily one of the best shredding death metal bands to ever grace the stage in London and it was quite a shock when Jamie announced that the band was finished, however Jamie was far from giving up and that somewhere inside his heart was a drive to up the steaks and create something even more devistating, and he and his cohorts have delivered with their self styled "Clowncore"!

The album was recorded by Tilman Wolf-Moore (Spitting Blood/Chaosanct/Xenochord) who also did the keyboards and samples.

So to the music that Jamie described to me as "Kinda like Spitting Blood but fine tuned with blackened metal endings & occasional keys...and a Zombie Circus theme running through it...enjoy!".


No sooner did i hit play on 'Blood For Donko' and was met with an instant blast of drums and guitars, no messing around this is straight in for the throat!
Not only is it brutal but the keyboard that runs through it with an almost ska beat gives it an almost un-nerving quality then about 2 minutes in a clowns horn goes off! crazy but it works, not many songs can make you bang your head and smile at the same time.

'Funland' keeps up the pressure with hyper speed drumming, non stop riffing, pounding bass, outstanding death grunt and clean vocals and some more madcap circus style organ.

Angry as hell song 'Givin' It The Big Un' packs a real punch with some fist in the air(face?) lyrics "my time is coming and i will destroy them all" kinda sums this one up!
Nice little gothy passage towards the end of the song adds another element to the sound.

'The Greatest Show On Earth' has the line "never before have you seen so much chaos" and also proclaims "Im the leader of the satanic circus", it makes me smile (in a good way)this music just fucking kicks on every level!

This track 'Gypsy' reminds me of 'Static X' at their heaviest, kind of has that
techno/death rhythm pattern and vocal style.

Absolutley love the keyboards and chorus sounds on this slab of metal 'Mourn For The
Newborn'.

A slow brooding, evil and dark riff and furious double pedal work introduce 'Divinus
Infernus', this one has a great shout it out backing vocal and again the brutality is tempered with some nice keyboard work.

'Fire walk With Me' manages to create a kind of death/groove hybrid, the drums seem to bounce through it whilst that riffing cuts through leaving the vocal to bludgeon the sences.

Another drum driven onslaught 'My Psychosis' continues to deliver the music at 100 miles per hour, nice little touches lurking in this one as well with goth tinges and symphonic keyboard mixed in.

Finally we come to the title track 'Zombie Clown Apocalypse', another song that makes me smile with its circus keyboard sound, laughing clown and clown horn mixed in with the pure power of guitar and drum and that huge screaming vocal.

Anyone who says that Britian cannot produce world class Death Metal needs to wake up and smell the plastic squirting flower, this is the best metal album of the year, it delivers on every level.

Rating 10/10
For fans Of : Decapitated, Strapping Young Lad, Send More Paramedics, Anaal Nathrakh




The copy i am reviewing is slightly different to what will later be available to buy on cd (an intro and two interludes will be added) and the artwork for said official release has yet to be finalised.

A dowload only version will be launched on 20th December at the Nambucca digital album release party and will be available for FREE download from
www.bandcamp.com/donkerkarnuffel


It will also be available through iTunes, Napster and Amazon MP3.
You can also get it via Spotify through
www.reverbnation.com/donkerkarnuffel

FACEBOOK:
www.facebook.com/pages/Donkerkarnuffel-Official/202791479803125

MOLOTOV SOLUTION/IRON SAVIOR/SAVAGE MESSIAH (CD Mini Reviews)

MOLOTOV SOLUTION - INSURRECTION

Robbie Pina, guitarist of American band 'Molotov Solution' speaks on the inspiration behind their fourth full-length album “An insurrection is basically the taking down of a top figure like a king. If there is a main message to the album, it’s that people should educate themselves and take control of the problems we have as a society rather than waiting on a government to do what’s right.”
Produced by Will Putney at The Machine Shop (Suicide Silence, Four Year Strong) in New Jersey.
The album takes the band’s signature death metal foundation, peppered by elements of hardcore and grind but marries it with a groove and swagger previous releases from the band didn’t possess.
Also in full display is technical guitar leads and parts that shred as well as deliver full body breakdowns.

So heavy as hell, fast, some of the craziest drumming i have heard for a long time and screaming vocals.

Rating: 7/10
For fans Of : Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Meshugga.

IRON SAVIOR - THE LANDING

The history of IRON SAVIOR began in 1996 when the band was founded by Piet Sielck, Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray) and Thomen Stauch (Blind Guardian), at first only to be a studio project. But the musical direction was clear right from the start: traditional (and influenced by like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden) power metal with science fiction
concepts linked lyrics.
The rough, expressive voice of Sielck set additional accents that gave the band its own profile.
In 1997 they released their debut album "Iron Savior" which was received in the scene with lots of praise and quickly established the new band. With the second album "Unification” the savior made it to the top 100 of the German chart. It was followed by further studio albums in "Dark Assault" (2001), "Condition Red" (2003), "Battering Ram" (2004) and 2007´s "Megatropolis". Meanwhile, the line-up had changed. Since 2001, after the exit of Hansen, Piet Sielck remained the last of the three founding members, and he is still holding the band and their vision steadily on route.

Problem (or perhaps the positive) with this album is that it is typical european power metal, in other words its priest and maiden rehashed, sure its well done but so unoriginal.
Have to pick out some awesome bass work on 'Moment In Time' and a song that sounds so like WASP that i had to double check what i was listning to!!!

Rating: 6/10
For fans of: Gamma Ray, Helloween, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest.

SAVAGE MESSIAH - PLAGUE OF CONSCIENCE

British melodic thrashers Savage Messiah were formed in 2007 in London.The band consists of lead guitarist/singer Dave Silver, lead guitarist Joff Bailey, bassist Stefano Selvatico and drummer Mauricio Chamucero.
Savage Messiah have been around for a few years now and never seemed to have really cracked the big time, despite a ot of attention and critical acclaim and some high profile tour supports.
This latest offering doesnt excatly blow you away but then again its not crap either.

There is a marked progression musically and the song writing is very good, cant fault the guitarwork and overall the music is well put together, ultimatly its just a little uninspiring.

Rating: 7/10
For fans of: Megadeth, Primal Fear, Testament.

Iron Mask - Black As Death (CD Review)

01.From Light Into The Dark
02.Black As Death
03.Broken Hero
04.Feel The Fire
05.Genghis Khan
06.God Punishes, I Kill
07.Rebel Kid
08.Blizzard Of Doom
09.The Absence
10.Magic Sky Requiem
11.Nosferatu
12.When All Braves Fall

Mark Boals (Vocals)
Dushan Petrossi (Guitars)
Vassili Moltchanov (Bass)
Roma Siadletski (Vocals/Shouts)
Mats Olausson (Keyboards)
Ramy Ali (Drums)


From the beginning passion always was the driving force for Belgian guitar master Dushan Petrossi. In the slipstream of his symphonic metal band Magic Kingdom, Petrossi followed his neo-classical influences with IRON MASK for 10 years now. All the dedication he put into the band finally resulted in the band becoming the more successful of the two.
Especially in Japan they are is hailed as one of the best neo-classical power metal band for years now, but also the following in Europe is steadily increasing.

This development surely will continue with the new (fourth) album "Black As Death“. Even more: the perspective for IRON MASK is very promising and it´s likely that the band will advance to the next level of popularity.
Their new vocalist ex-Yngwie Malmsteen frontman Mark Boals was chosen by Petrossi.

'From Light Into The dark' quickly sets the tone with great acoustic guitar and melodic electric guitar, leading in to powerhouse drumming for 'Black as Death'.
It continues in this vein till we hit 'Feel The Fire' which has more high pitched vocals, agressive drumming and screaming guitar work.
All goes well till we get the awful power ballad 'Magic Sky Requiem', but fortunatley the rest of the album returns to generic power metal with that symphonic touch that helps lift this album (slightly) above the average.

Rating : 7/10

For fans of: Firewind, Dio, Iron Maiden, Yngwie Malmsteen, Rainbow

December gig flyers

Deathstars - The Greatest Hits On Earth (CD Review)

01.Death Is Wasted On The Dead
02.METAL
03.Death Dies Hard
04.Blitzkrieg
05.Motherzone
06.Synthetic Generation
07.Tongues
08.Blood Stains Blondes
09.Cyanide
10.New Dead Nation
11.The Mark Of The Gun
12.Chertograd
13.Semi-Automatic
14.Syndrome
15.Play God
16.Opium

Andreas "Whiplasher Bernadotte" Bergh (Vocals)
Jonas "Skinny Disco" Kangur (Bass)
Emil "Nightmare Industries" Nödtveidt (Guitar/Keyboards)
Ole "Bone W. Machine" Öhman (Drums)
Oscar "Vice" Leander (Drums)
Eric "Cat Casino" Bäckman (Guitar)

For those of you who dont know 'Deathstars' are a Swedish band from Stockholm that perform industrial and gothic metal. Formed in 2000, the group are noted for their dark horror-themed lyrics, pessimistic and misanthropic social commentary, distinctive trademark face paint, dark stage uniforms and physical appearances that correspond to gothic fashion. They have released three full-length studio albums; Synthetic Generation (2003), Termination Bliss (2006) and Night Electric Night (2009).

Supporting Korn on their European tour throughout January and February 2008 and fellow Swede Adrian Erlandsson (Nemhain/Paradise Lost/At The Gates) filled in on the drumming duties for the tour.

At the end of this year they were picked by 'Rammstein' to support them on their european tour.

In celebration of the whole thing, the Swedes have arranged a collection of their hottest hits from the past three records now, which will be released just in time for the tour opening.

They have also recorded two new tracks for the release.

So its got 'Cynaide' and 'Blitzkrieg' on it so thats a 10/10 rating already, but it pretty much has all my other favourite death/glam tracks as well.

To the two new songs, the first is 'Death Is Wasted On The Dead' which sounds like a Type O.Negative song title if ever i heard one, musically sounds a bit like HIM jamming with Depeche Mode until that distinctive vocal comes in, nice and catchy but definatley on the melodic side.

The second track 'METAL' is a lot punchier and more typical of their work, heavy drum beats and cool riffs!

RATING 10/10
For Fans Of : Rammstein, Sisters Of Mercy, Marilyn Manson.

Nightwish - Storytime (CD Single Review)

01.Storytime (Radio Edit)
02.Storytime (Album Version)
03.Storytime (Instrumental)


Anette Olzon (Vocals)
Tuomas Holopainen (Keyboards)
Emppu Vuorinen (Guitars)
Marco Hietala (Bass)
Jukka Nevalainen (Drums)


First single from the fourthcoming 'Imaginaerum' album.
The seventh album from the band and the second to feature vocalist Anette, this album is a concept album telling the story of an old composer on his deathbed, reminiscing of his youth. The album was produced alongside the movie of the same name, directed by Stobe Harju.

You can tell its Nightwish from the opening keyboard riff and that guitar sound never really changes, but its the vocal that still sounds odd, she still sounds like the AbbA girls (but then she did start off in an AbbA tribute band).

Its very commercial and not massivly inspiring though the choral and orchestral elements work well, but the album/movie project does sound very intresting.

RATING 6/10
For fans Of : Within Temptation, Epica, Achilla

Rammstein - Mein Land EP (CD Review)

01.Mein Land
02.Vergiss Uns Nicht
03.My Country (The Bosshoss)
04.Mein Land (Mogwai Mix)


Till Lindemann (Vocals)
Richard Z. Kruspe (Guitar)
Paul H. Landers (Guitar)
Oliver "Ollie" Riedel (Bass)
Christoph "Doom" Schneider (Drums)
Christian "Flake" Lorenz (Keyboards/Samples)


'Mein Land' is the first single from the upcoming retrospective 'Made in Germany 1995–2011' due out soon.

Well having been somewhat controversial with their videos in the past (Porn/Cannibalisim/Drugs/Murder etc etc) it seems that the german's have decided to really push their boundaries and opted for Beach Boys imagery and Frankie Avalon beach movies!!!!!
That said we do get leather, fire, lesbians and boobs towards the end!!

Offensive video aside, the new single is still typical of the band, dancable industrial metal that is full of melody, catchy chorus (that despite being in their native tongue you can still sing a long too), punchy guitars, powerfull drum rhythms and signature sampling and keyboards.

'Vergiss Uns Nicht' has an evil nursery rhyme feel to it, with added epic breaks.

'The Bosshoss' is a bloody country and western version sung in english : Fucking mental!!

Finally the 'Mogwai Mix' is a dark techno version with heavily distoted vocals.

RATING 8/10
For fans Of : Nine Inch Nails, Rob Zombie, Deathstars