Imperial Age - Promo Sampler (MP3 Download Review)

Alexander Osipov (Vocals)
Jane Odintsova (Vocals)
Anna Moiiseeva (Vocals)
Pavel Maryashin (Guitar)
Max Talion (Drums)
Dmitry Safronov (Bass/Vocals)

Guest Musicians on Legacy of Atlantis tracks:
Thomas Vikström From Therion (Tenor Vocal)
Nalle Påhlsson From Therion (Bass/Guitar/Acoustic Guitar)
Andrey Ishenko From Arkona (Drums)
Christian Vidal From Therion (Solo Guitar)
Sergey Lazar From Arkona (Rhythm Guitar on 'And I Shall Find My Home')
Chamber Choir of the P.I. Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory

01. The Legacy of Atlantis (from the album The Legacy of Atlantis, 2018)
02. And I Shall Find My Home (from the album The Legacy of Atlantis, 2018)
03. Anthem of Valour (from the album Turn the Sun Off!, 2012)
04. Aryavarta (from the EP Warrior Race, 2016)
05. The Monastery (from the album The Legacy of Atlantis, 2018)
06. Death Guard (from the album Turn the Sun Off!, 2012)
07. To Mega Therion (from the EP Warrior Race, 2016)

Russian symphonic rock group founded in 2012 by Jane Odintsova and Alexander Osipov. They recorded Turn The Sun Off!, filmed 2 video clips and released the record with their own money in November of the same year.

In 2013-2014 they played as support acts for international bands visiting Russia: Epica, Paradise Lost, Finntroll, OOMH!, The 69 Eyes, Tarja and Therion. They also played a few headliner shows in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan. Two of them with an 8-person choir and an 8-person orchestra.

In 2014 the breaking moment came. In September, they went on a month-long expedition to Tibet. Having visited many magical places, to some of which westerners have never been admitted before. And in the end they did a Cora around Mt. Kailash. It is said that it helps to realise one’s inner dreams and most sacred goals… A month after that they were opening for Therion in St. Petersburg.

In 2016 they released the EP Warrior Race via Adulruna. It had only 3 new songs, the rest were from Turn the Sun Off!, recorded with Alexandra Sidorova, and To Mega Therion, a Therion cover which was as a tribute to the legendary Celtic Frost.

They went in search to find a new soprano, held auditions and found Anna KiaRa.
Then came another tour with Orphaned Land! After that tour they lost almost all of the band members due to inner disputes within the band.

In 2017 they were offered a huge tour, 57 shows in 25 countries. This brought its fair share of problems, needing to finish composing and recording the new album and find new musicians capable of sustaining such a huge tour.

They asked Nalle Påhlsson to record bass and rhythm guitars, Christian Vidal to record the solos, Ischenko Andrey to record the drums and completed the recording.

2019 sees the band pushing forward including some live shows here in the UK, to help promote their latest album and shows they have been offering a sampler of their music for free download. I found this by chance as a friend (GASP Radio presenter Steven C Davis) had been tagged in a post linking to the download via Facebook.

I will start with the two songs from 2012's 'Turn the Sun Off!'..
Anthem of Valour
Death Guard

It would seem that from the moody intro right on into the complex symphonic majesty that this band from the very start had the ability to create atmospheric and anthemic songs. Well crafted pieces that pay equal attention to the sumptuous vocals, furious guitar playing and the pure adrenaline rush of high speed drumming.

Four years later and we have the 'Warrior Race EP..
Aryavarta
To Mega Therion

The first song is acoustic based and has quite an old school folk rock feel to it, full of passion and once again with
that precision of musicianship and production in perfect harmony.
The Therion cover does the original justice, for me though the overall vibe i get is one of power metal, the guitar playing just a tad too technical for my own personal taste.


Finally three tracks from 2018's 'The Legacy of Atlantis'..
The Legacy of Atlantis
And I Shall Find My Home
The Monastery

Absolute killer bass playing on this title track, really drives this mid paced choral heavy song.
The next song picks up the pace and is a full on symphonic onslaught, huge variety in vocal styles blended together to accentuate each changing section of the song.
The final song has this wonderful almost Celtic instrumentation that once again borders into folk rock territory.

What these 2018 songs really show however, is that the band kept pushing forward, did not become complacent with their sound they adapted each personal and musical setback with a determination to create as near perfect an example of how symphonic rock can and should be approached.

I think my main question is why have I not heard this band before? Seven years since formation and yet not once can I recall a single mention of them, yet they have thousands of fans all over the world and appeared all over europe.
Go to their official website, download these songs, your ears will love you forever!

Rating 9/10
For fans of: Therion, Dimmu Borgir, Mr Doctor's Devil Doll, Kamelot, Opera IX, Leaves Eyes

http://www.imperial-age.com/

Negative Wall - Gammagelu (CD Review)

01. Imperii Exsules (Galacatic Viatores)
02. Hybrid Genus Serpentis
03. Mater Saeva Kp22
04. Torquemada 71

Don Cole (Guitar)
Dennis Reid (Drums)
Tommy Stewart (Vocals/Bass)

Negative Wall formed in 2018 as a trio from different bands. Don Cole (Blacklight Midnight), Dennis Reid (Bludy Gyres, Tommy Stewart’s Dyerwulf, Blacklight Midnight) and Tommy Stewart (Hallows Eve, Bludy Gyres, Tommy Stewart’s Dyerwulf). After only seven writing rehearsals Negative Wall enters the studio and records Gammagelu, latin for the frost of gamma, in only seven more days. 

Gammagelu is sci-fi themed so the three songs lyrics lean towards that description. Imperii Excules (Exiled Imperials) is inspired by an Outer Limits episode about The Zanti Misfits. The next track is a bizarre story called Hybrid Genus Serpentis about a reptilian being who forces sex with a space traveler who then gives birth to a being that encases him in a capsule that opens when he is the only living creature left in the universe. The third track is an old Irish folk song turned into a doom-blues snapshot called Et Mater Saeva (The Cruel Mother) and concerns matricide, planet KP22 as the setting. The last song is an Electric Wizard cover of Torquemada 71 (From 2007 Witchcult Today), while not sci-fi, it stylistically fits and simply a band favorite.

We begin with 'Imperii Exsules (Galacatic Viatores)', this is pure doom perfection! Solid slow pounding drums back the guitar and bass working in dark harmony. Talking of harmony the vocals are sublime.
Two thirds into the song and all goes quiet, then this descends into a slow almost psychedelic section held together with some great bass playing.

'Hybrid Genus Serpentis' sticks with that early proto doom meets psych feel and offers up a masterclass of how it should be done, if it had synthesizer and saxophone it could almost be an early Hawkwind track.

The blues influence really comes through on 'Mater Saeva Kp22' but then thanks to a raga like rhythm from the drum and percussion it bears the mark of late 1960's artists such as 'Clarke-Hutchinson'.
Some near demonic effects on the vocals evoke early occult rock and the Doom is boosted by some furious guitar work.

Finally they take on Electric Wizard's 'Torquemada 71' and make it fit perfectly to end this great record!

Rating 9/10
For Fans Of: Cathedral, Electric Wizard, Reverend Bizarre, Moss, Monster Magnet, Witchcraft

Obturate - The Bleeding Mask of Dread (CD review)

01. Blue Marks on Her Neck
02. Unknown Breed
03. Under the Ninth Moon Rain
04. On Your Corpse I Spit
05. Within Their Throat
06. Scarlett Stains Upon the Bodies
07. Underneath Your Skin
08. Bloodbringers
09. Obsidian Wraith
10. Wear That Flesh

Phobos (Guitars/Vocals/Programming)

A one-man band hailing from France, created by Phobos, a talented musician & songwriter who is/has been involved in various underground bands.
This is a limited edition Cd & Cassette crammed full of old school death metal.
The lyrics are influenced by Clive Barker & Edgar Allan Poe.

To be honest I usually avoid these one band death/black metal releases as they tend to be a shadow of what a full band can achieve, that said as far as I am concerned the magic words here were Clive Barker, so time, as they say, to hit play and turn up the volume.

We kick off with a brief sample from a movie and then launch into manic riffs, pounding drumming and death growls and from this point onwards it pretty much keeps up this break neck pace.
A relentless onslaught of power, each song bringing with it another sledgehammer blow to the skull.
However the lead guitar breaks seem slightly out of place, like Kerry King on a bad day they just don't quite fit, everything else is perfectly balanced and well produced.
As for the lyrical influence, such is the level of aggression they could be anything,no degree of clarity (or lyric sheet) available to find out if Poe & Barker are present.

Aside from my personal view, if you want just over half an hour of well executed death metal that does not compromise, then this is for you.

Rating 7/10
For fans of: Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Mortician