INFOS : webzine@femmemetalwebzine.net
Webzine dedicated to the metal band fronted by girls. We also like ambient,darkwave,rock & electronic music.
INFOS : webzine@femmemetalwebzine.net
Webzine dedicated to the metal band fronted by girls. We also like ambient,darkwave,rock & electronic music.
Label : Darknagar Records
Review by Vard Aman
NeverDie formed in 2005 in Oktyabrsky, Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia. You’d better look that up on Wikipedia – Oktyabrsky that is, you should already know where Russia is by now: it’s the place that Sarah Palin can see from her house. Or perhaps I should rather say “allegedly see” – we are talking about Sarah Palin here. It is possible that she has simply named her vegetable garden “Russia” – and that might be another reason she’s so determined to shoot all the wolves in the area: perhaps “they might not have lost the vegetarian instincts that they picked up on Noah’s Ark yet”. Anyway, I digress; on with the review. “The Source of Black Water” is NeverDie’s second full length album (the first being “Forgotten World” in 2008). There are things that I like about this album, things that I don’t and things that I think are OK. I’ve actually made one of those brainstorming mind map things that I used to make in high school, complete with a drawing of mind mapping superhero, Captain Brainstorm: with a flowing cape; a tight-fitting top with the letters “BS” written on it; and an enormous har… *ahem*… REVIEW!!! Let’s start off with the “OK” category: after an impressive intro and an equally impressive opening of the first song, we get our first taste of the vocalist, Regina. Regina uses two different vocal styles: an operatic style (more on that later) and growls. She is a good growler, but not great; she certainly does not have the growling capacity of singers like Angela Gossow, Elvira Alchemida or Masha Scream. When you hear Angela for the first time, you take another look at the CD booklet: maybe it was a misprint, maybe it was meant to be “Angelo”. When you hear Elvira for the first time you start backing away from the speakers expecting a demon to emerge from their depths to rip your heart out with steel-like claws. When you hear Masha for the first time you suddenly realize that the shield you brought to this particular battle isn’t going to be nearly strong enough. But when you hear Regina for the first time, all you think is “Ahh, she’s growling. Cool!”. She is no Cadaveria either.
OK, she’s a young Cadaveria – I do get the impression that growling is a fairly recently acquired talent for Regina and that she will get much better at it. Still, her growling is decent; and is most certainly the more listenable of her two vocal styles on this album. The production is quite good, although the distorted guitars are a little muddy in places. They sound as if they’ve been downtuned quite a lot which is not an uncommon practice by bands playing this kind of music. Now for “what I don’t like”: What kills NeverDie for me (pun intended) are Regina’s operatic vocals on this album. She is certainly not a bad operatic singer technically and she hits all the notes perfectly, but it is the way that she uses her voice that is the problem. There is no feeling or emotion in her voice at all, she just sings. The vocal melodies are all over the place, in some places it even sounds as if she is just singing random notes over a particular part of the song. The result is that her operatic vocals do not compliment the music at all, but instead clashes and fights with it. There seems to be such a conscious effort, even desperation to write vocal melodies that are different to the rest of the music (or maybe just to show off) that considerations as to what would best suit the music are an afterthought at best. “Because I can” beats “because I should”; and the result is that both the music and the vocals suffer. NeverDie suffers. Occasionally she does come good: for example in certain parts between 2:00 and 2:30 in “Red Marble”, then it sounds great; but it doesn’t last, Regina soon returns to her wailing battle with the music again. Sorry, but no! And finally “what I do like”: Instrumentally, the band is great. They conjure up some powerful riffs, driving rhythms and intricate melodies; and when they slow it down they sound adequately doomy. The songwriting is good and well thought out, although it does lack a bit of variation from song to song despite the tempo changes. NeverDie has their sound, and although it is molded around a tried-and-tested formula, it is still something that they can honestly enough call their own. In conclusion: I’ve seen NeverDie described as “Gothic Doom Metal”, and “Extreme Gothic Metal”, but on “The Source of Black Water” they are neither. I would describe them as Melodic Death elements of Thrash and Doom Metal. I fail to find any Gothic influences anywhere. I cannot really pick any highlights off the album, I’d have to choose the songs where the operatic vocals annoy me the least or the instrumentation is good enough to make up for it: if pressed, I’d choose “Water Shine” as my favourite. After listening to “The Source of Black Water” I was interested to hear some material off their previous album “Forgotten World”, and discovered 4 tracks off that album available for download from their official website.
There are no growls on these 4 tracks, the sound is clearer (although the drum sound is not as good) and they are more Doom orientated. The vocals are better; some of the problems are still present (or “starting to develop” I should rather say) but much less so, and I found all 4 of these songs better than anything from “The Source of Black Water”. I do not know what the rest of “Forgotten World” sounds like, but based on the strength of the 4 songs available from their website, NeverDie seem to have taken a step backwards. If Regina can rein herself in and cut out her needless vocal antics and if she can vary her vocal styles so that they better suit the music she is singing over, and if she can learn to sing with a bit of feeling and emotion, NeverDie would be much better (and “The Source of Black Water” would have been a much better album). Her growls are fine; they just need a little more time to develop into something that could be described as awesome… like a hungry leopard that does not approve of the fence between itself and that delicious McDonalds burger you keep bouncing on the ground in front of it. So that’s that; the thingymajigs on my mind map are now all crossed out; and all that remains is the drawing of mind mapping superhero, Captain Brainstorm: with his flowing cape; his tight-fitting top; and his enormous hard hat.
Rating - 65/100
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Label : Season of Mist
Review by Stina
“Bleeding the New Apocalypse” sounds quite like an appropriate album title to frame this relentless Swedish entity at this point of its history: supported by a new deal with one of the leading labels in the metal world (namely French Season of Mist) secured in the latter half of 2010, recorded with a new and functional line-up aided by a string of renowned guests and crafted with an amount of ambition that drips from every single sulphurous note, the result of The Project Hate MCMXCIX’s latest foray into the studio represents more than just their eight album. Described by mastermind Lord K. Philipson (guitars, bass, programmings, keyboards and backing vocals) as the band’s ‘monumental masterpiece’, it condenses all the determination of an act that’s thirteen years into its career and finally ready to garner the attention and clamour it deems to deserve. Looking at things from this perspective, even the entrance of vocalist Ruby Roque (Witchbreed, Extreme attitude) seemed to happen by design: the newly recruited singer and lyricist storms through the six spiralling and intricate tracks of “Bleeding the new Apocalypse (Cum Vitrictiis in Manibus Armis)” with a belligerent and incendiary performance that seems meant to herald the spirit with whom this release has been assembled. Within the demoniac musical constructions of The Project Hate MCMXCIX, aiming for a dark and aggressive contamination of punishing Death Metal blasphemy (modern in its core, though loosely influenced by the widely known trademark sound of the country of origin, as one would expect by an act with a former Grave/Entombed vocalist and a touring bassist/guitarist for Dark Funeral in their ranks) and industrial/electronic temptations, the female presence always retained a defining role, first incarnated by Mia Ståhl, who joined the fold in the eve of the release of the band’s debut “Cybersonic Superchrist” in February 2000, and then passed on to Jo Enckell, who entered the line-up in late 2002 and adorned the band’s sound with her crystalline, velvety voice until last year, when she handed the baton to Ruby. With the Portuguese’s arrival, female vocals come close to take the lead with their even more prominent presence, though still sharing stage with Jörgen Sandström’s deep register growls. Alongside Ruby – and the other new insertion in the person of Torture Division’s Tobben Gustafsson on drums – the guest contributions that helped shaping this effort include Leif Edling of Doom legends Candlemass, Mike Wead of King Diamond and Bibleblack, Jocke Widfeldt of Vicious Art, and Christian Älvestam of Scar Symmetry, while the mixing and mastering work by metal guru Dan Swanö accounts for the excellent sound of the whole work. However, the biggest problem with “Bleeding the New Apocalypse (Cum Vitrictiis in Manibus Armis)” comes from the attitude of the album rather than from its construction and structure per se: there’s a looseness and self-indulgence at play, that seems to stem from the same ambition that fuelled the band to this point. The musicianship throughout is as precise and tight as one would expect, the band is playing to its full-force – yet, oddly enough, that becomes kind of the main issue: there’s a sort of tendency to overdo it and often feels overstuffed with the weight of too much impetous. Having steered the musical direction to more complex and intricated structures, here The Project Hate MCMXCIX showcase an even more marked tendency to meander, either insisting on non-linear structures and framing them into lengthy compositions (most of the tracks exceed the 10-minute mark) that inflate the total running time and do not encourage long-term listening beyond the initial minutes. Clocking in at no less than 65 minutes, “Bleeding the new Apocalypse (Cum Vitrictiis in Manibus Armis)” isn’t the type of album that holds up over a hour, its most arresting moments coming across as too sparse and in-between for its own good. It’s good for musicians to grant the priority to their own satisfaction rather than striving to please the audience – but in the case of The Project Hate MCMXCIX, an excess under this regard makes it harder for the listener to connect with the material. Fans of the band might want to inquire into this new chapter of their discography and discover Ruby’s contribution to the overall sound – having said that, “Bleeding the new Apocalypse (Cum Vitrictiis in Manibus Armis)” still feels like a record to be tried beforehand rather than one to blindly invest in. Handle with care!
Rating - 65/100
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Label : Century Media Records
Review by Si Smith
Apparently Iwrestledabearonce don’t play by the rules. Except their own. What comes out the other end is a mixed up hash of electronics, screaming and breakdowns. But not as you would expect. The album begins with “Next Visible Delicious”, by stating its purpose clearly and precisely. It is as in your face as your own nose. Starting with computer age electronics it soon breaks into deathcore shrieks and then mellows into a nicely lilted sung portion by vocalist Krysta. Guitars remain with an industrial sound before the inevitable breakdowns kick in and there is a return to the electronics from the intro. If the first track is anything to go by, we are in for anything but a smooth ride! After this the album shifts into more recognisable metalcore territory with “You Know That Ain’t Them Dog’s Real Voice”, but again interspersed with melodic sung passages. Musically the riffs are busy and still involve breakdowns and electronics. But there is enough of a sense of humour injected here and there to suggest that there is more to Iwrestledabearonce than simple metalcore. Lyrically things are a little more confusing. The song never comes to a real climax or conclusion. “Deodorant Can’t Fix Ugly” is as fun as the title suggests, the humour definitely helping to lift the band from the average. Musically this track is refreshing at this point, just when the shrieks become a little jarring, a different group vocal comes in. “The Head Music Makes My Eyes Rain” is the nearest thing to a ballad on the album and once again serves up something different. Metalcore terrain slams us in the face with the next track “It Is Bro Isn’t It”, although the slower clean vocals sound much better than the male equivalent in songs such as this one. “Gold Jacket, Green Jacket” presents us with a melodic yet extremely heavy chorus and gang vocals add a new touch to this song. “Break It Down Comancho” allows for some balladic singing parts where Krysta can really show off her melodic vocal lines. “Stay to the Right” contains some remarkably dissonant riffs for people who like that sort of thing. “I’m Gonna Shoot” once again breaks the mold, starting slow and building up to a roving riff then the breakdowns and electronics return. The album’s first single “Karate Nipples” is as schizoid as the rest, taking what you know of genres and mashing them into metalcore madness. “Button It Up” does what it says on the tin, and effectively closes the album with more of the same, complete with growling riffs and swirling electronics. Iwrestledabearonce have stated that they want to offer “a release and reprieve from all of the world’s madness.” Granted this kind of guttural core music can offer a release of pent up emotion, expressing as it does a variety of moods along the way. But for this reviewer it seems very much a reflection of the world’s madness rather than a reprieve from it. If you go with the band’s mission statement and keep an open mind, then this will be a greatly liberating album. If you have more of an idea of how you would like your music to sound then you may be disappointed. But maybe that’s just what Iwrestledabearonce want. To break your rules.
Rating - 65/100
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Label : Black Sand Records
Review by Stina & Mark Hateley
In their more than fifteen years of existence, Mostly Autumn have gained a reputation as one of the most influential British prog bands of the new era – partly because of their spellbinding soundscapes, and partly because of the figure of frontwoman Heather Findlay, who parted ways with the band in 2011. “The Phoenix Suite”, the debut solo recording of Heather, is the first 5 track EP in a series of 4, and, alongside Heather herself and guitarist Chris Johnson, it features performances from Dave Kilminster on guitars, Steve Vantsis on bass and Alex Cromarty on drums. Much as the title seems to imply, it marks a new beginning in her career – which means that, of course, those expecting something reminiscent of what Mostly Autumn became known for, would be disappointed. As it’s normal for an artist deciding to embark on a solo career, Heather is clearly striving for colouring outside the lines required by her work in Mostly Autumn, and trying to sail through uncharted seas – or better still, fly towards new horizons. Much of the EP sheds her prog roots in favor of a more up-to-date and probably more mundane palette described as ‘dark’, ‘quirky’, ‘rocky’ and ‘bohemienne’: what Heather is doing at this time of her career on “The Phoenix Suite” is laying down an elegant, but accessible brand of Rock that is sure to please fans of her as a singer but will probably leave fans of Mostly Autumn quite perplexed. That’s not to say that she doesn’t have potential as a solo performer – but it’s rarely realized here, rendering this small collection of songs, for the most part, inert if easily listenable. “The Phoenix Suite” seems to find Heather pursuing a personal vernacular she’d yet to define: here’s hope the next episodes in the EP serie will see her closer to her musical personality.
Rating - 65/100
For those of you who don’t know Heather Findlay spent 10 years as the lead vocalist of York band Mostly Autumn. Towards the end of 2009 Heather announced her intention to leave the band to pursue a solo career. This was a major surprise to the band and the fans alike. Mostly Autumn decided to give Heather a send off they performed a farewell concert at Leamington Spa’s Assembly Rooms this was a very emotional concert for all who attended and performed. Fans were wondering what to expect from Heather, asking question what she will do perhaps carrying on where she left Mostly Autumn. Well here are the all the answers with Heather’s first release this being a 5 track EP “The Phoenix Suite” with former Mostly Autumn member Chris Johnson co-producing later in the year another EP will be released as a follow up. “The Phoenix Suite” open with the track “Red Dust”, Heather’s vocals on this remind me not dissimilar of 90’s rock band Garbage’s lead singer Shirley Manson, being very edgy and very dissimilar to what we are used to with Mostly Autumn the song has a very catchy chorus and descriptive lyrics of coming to the end of something be it the world or asking a lover to rescue her from the pain of losing him. This carried along by the backing of guitarist Dave Kilminster riff (who is currently on tour with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters). This is followed by “Phoenix” which is a slower track not far removed from Mostly Autumn but again with the added edge to her vocals. Next is “Cellophane” a more up- tempo track than the former, again the catchy tune continues throughout again with a excellent Kilminster guitar riff, and nice harmony vocals provided by Heather, culminating in the near metal vocals assume to being provided by her co-producer Chris Johnson. “Seven” the next track is ballad with Chris Johnson providing a guide vocal underneath Heather lead vocals to e this track seems a fantasy story relating to the modern days troubles with word like every king is armed and draw the line and cure life . The final track the epic “Mona Lisa” opening line being how did she come to hate you? How did you fall? Tells you this is not a soft ballad back with Heather’s eventual best Shirley Manson vocal. The screaming guitar solo and Steve Vantis bass and drums by Alex Cromarty keep the pace of the song gaining speed throughout. I think Heather’s voice on this track is her highlight of the album full of confidence. Judging by what she has recorded here I think she will have not disappointed her legions of fans and will leave them wanting to hear more of Heather Findlay’s solo work. Listening to the EP you can feel how much she enjoyed recording the songs starting with a blank piece of paper moving away from the sound she brought with Mostly Autumn and the enjoyment of working with different musicians. I for one will look forward to hearing her when she performs live. I recommend you buying this EP you won’t be disappointed.
Rating - 84/100
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Label : Massacre Records
Review by Si Smith
“Furor Gallico is the description that the ancient Romans gave of the Celt warriors, who prepared for battle and were ready to die to defend their people and land…” - and the band Furor Gallico from Italy intend to bring the ancient legends to life with their folk metal on this, their first full-length release. It was self-released in 2010 but is now released in 2011 on Massacre records. The album begins with a jolly acoustic folk introduction, after which the electric guitars sound out for “Venti di Imboli”, a traditional folk melody accompanied by low male growls. These are quickly accompanied by a clean male vocal after which a rasping vocal takes over. The music gathers pace as the track progresses, interspersed with tinkly folk flourishes. The quick changes between one style and another does lead to a slightly disjointed experience, but the music is good so the band can be forgiven here. “Ancient Rites” is a cunning mix of acoustic picking and heavier guitar moments, and once again Pagan’s versatile vocals alternate between growls, rasps and clean melodies. The noises of battle lead deftly into “Cathubodva”, a rousing anthem with tremolo picking and a galloping rythmic soundtrack. Pretty soon the song also branches into an acoustic interlude with clean vocal accompaniment, before returning to the gallop. The flute and whistles provide the main melodies for “The Gods Have Returned”, and the voices continue to ring out with conviction. It is clear that the band believe in what they are doing. “Curmisagios” is another romp through typical folk metal territory. The album continues in the same vein until ending with a male/female duet on the last song “The Glorious Dawn”. In short, no major boundaries are crossed here, there are a few short musical pure folk tracks, but most songs follow more or less the same song structure and alternation between electric and acoustic moments. The result is a bit disjointed as already mentioned, although the conviction of the band is clear from the start. Becky’s female vocals are hidden quite well and may not be apparent on a first listen, and this is a let down, as more of this would have redeemed the album. The band are at their best when galloping along in full folk mode, but there is just not enough of this to make a consistently good album.
Rating - 65/100
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Label : Lunatic Asylum Records/Massacre Records
Reviews By Tony Cannella and Danny Robertson
Italy’s Mandragora Scream have been playing their dark and sinister brand of gothic metal since as far back as 1997. In 2001 the band issued their sadly underrated debut “Fairy Tales from Hell’s Caves”. Now eight years later the band have released their 4th full-length titled “Volturna” via Massacre Records.The atmospheric opening intro “Lui”, sets things up with a dark and evil vibe, before “I’m Goin’ Alone” comes in with it’s eerie keyboard parts and the vocals of Morgan Lacroix come in. This is a pretty cool track that sets a definite atmosphere and a great guitar riff, that runs pretty much through the course of the song. “The Circus” begins with some piano before quickly evolving into an infectious 4-minute track that is undoubtedly one of the highlights on “Volturna”.The consistency of this release continues on other standout cuts, such as: “Deceiver”, “Blindness”, “Killin’ Game” and “A Chance from Him”. The CD also includes a goth-ed out cover of the Cher song “Bang Bang” which was a huge surprise and you have to give the band credit for choosing to cover a song that is not an obvious choice. “Volturna” features 15-songs and about 60-minutes of dark and brooding Gothic metal of the highest caliber. The songs that Mandragora Scream present are quite varied and a worthy addition to the ever expanding catalog of this excellent Italian band.
Rating - 80/100
Mandragora Scream present “Volturna”, their fourth album and the first to feature the new line-up, with Max River and Furyo joining on bass and drums respectively. If you can imagine what Within Temptation might sound like had they been inspired more by horror literature, and featured Spanish and more classical influences, you’d have something very similar to this. Stand-out tracks include “A Chance for Him”, and potential club dancefloor-filler, “The Seagull’s Creed”. The two covers featured on this album, Cher’s “Bang Bang” and Visage’s pop classic “Fade to Grey”, are almost unrecognisible, especially the former, as the band have opted to re-work both songs in their own unique style rather than copy what’s already been done before. The production on this album offers little to complain about, with a crystal-clear sound - often a rarity in an age where too many bands are offering little more than distorted chuggy riffs. If you’re into gothic rock acts but prefer bands who like to experiment, this album may just be for you. This might appeal to fans of Lordi, Dommin, Ram-Zet, and vampiric themes/literature.
Rating - 65/100
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Label : Czar of Crickets
Review by Tony Cannella
Rating - 65/100
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