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.
I’m sure that this news will please all the metalcore fans that weren’t able to get hold of Eths’s first releases “Autopsie” and “Samantha” due to its difficult distribution and stocks. Well now, thanks to Season of Mist, this two first EPs will be reissued with the addition of five previously unreleased bonus track. Click the link below to know more details about the tracklist. (via ETHS: First Two EPs To Be Reissued With Bonus Tracks « Femme Metal Webzine)
Label : Napalm Records
Review by Tony Cannella
With 2011 just underway, one of the most highly anticipated Femme Metal albums is “Doombound” by Finland’s Battlelore. This epic, fantasy metal band set the bar incredibly high on their previous releases, so with “Doombound” there is a lot to live up to. On “Doombound”, Battlelore has returned to their main source of inspiration, that being J.R.R. Tolkein. “Doombound” is Battlelore’s first full fledged concept album and is based on the story “The Children of Húrin” by Mr.Tolkien. The pounding, melodicism of the opener, “Bloodstained” begins this epic journey as the unmistakable duel male/female vocals provided by Kaisa Jouhki and Tomi Mykkänen are present to enhance this strong opening number. “Iron of Death” is next and picks up the tempo a bit. “Bow and Helm” is a powerful piece that showcases Battlelore at their best. “Enchanted” is a beautifully, melodic mid-tempo piece which sees Kaisa handling the bulk of the vocals while Tomi joins in at various points to Inject his forceful style. This was my favorite song.The aggression gets picked up a notch on the next track “Kärmessurma”. Other highlights include: “Olden Gods”, “Men as Wolves” and the 8-minute “Doombound”. “Doombound” continues Battlelore’s metal journey through Middle-Earth and it is a worthy edition to this great bands catalog of music. This CD is also available in a limited edition Digi-Pack which also comes with a bonus DVD featuring some live footage, video clips and behind the scenes stuff. “Doombound” is vintage Battlelore, which should please their growing fan base.
Rating - 90/100
Tracklist
Line Up
Links
MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Site
Interview by Claudio Grippi
After a two-year break from their album “Altitude”, the first lead by the new singer, Autumn are back with their 5th album called “Cold Comfort”. Marjan Welman, the current singer of the band, took the time for an interview here at Femme Metal where she talks about the album, its concept and the future plans of the band.Hi Marjan, how are you?
I”m fine, thank you!
Let’s start immediately with our interview. “Cold Comfort” is your second album that features your voice fronting the band. Are you satisfied with the outcome?
I”m very happy about the outcome. I”ve always felt like a part of the band but I’ve never felt so at ease with all of the guys, like right now.
I think the title really suits the overall feel of the album. It’s a personal, moody album which can get quite dark at times. All of us went through a turbulent time. The album is about rising above this, or not
Well, let me tell you, this record is incredibly beautiful and more progressive-oriented. It seems more accurate, emotional and detail-oriented than “Altitude”. A step forward indeed. Do you think it is intentional or does it reflect the natural evolution of the band’s sound?
I think it’s a little bit of both. We always want to do something extra and try new things but for this album we really tried to be more diverse and experiment with different moods. I”m just glad it came across.Can you tell us how the band went through the writing process for this album?
For the most part, we write the songs individually, then we send them to the rest of the band. Whoever has an additional idea, he adds it and then sends it to the rest of the band and so on. This goes for the music as well as the lyrics. We do sometimes get together to work on stuff as well.I read the band is extremely grateful to you as a band member because you brought a breath of fresh air. What was your personal contribution to the songwriting process?By nature, I”m not much of a composer. I’m always full of ideas, but when it comes to processing them I get stuck easily. I’m too much of a chaotic, haha! For this album I did get inspired a bit and I worked on “Black Stars in a Blue Sky” and “Truth Be Told” with Mats. He has the ability to understand what I”m rambling on about and put it into actual lyrics.I think this album is a masterpiece and your voice is extremely soulful, elegant, refined with an amazing magnitude. What are the main singing influences that have inspired you the most in these years? Thank you very much! Well since my taste in music is very mood driven, I listen to a lot of different music and therefore have a lot of influences. As long as there’s something ‘real’ (to me) in there, I dig it. I love emotional music. Right now I listen to a lot of Fink. I also listen to a lot of blues, stoner and Motown! Choices, choices!
In your opinion, are there any differences between the way you sing in “Altitude” and “Cold Comfort”?
Oh yes, I can hear I”m more relaxed and confident to step out of my comfort zone. I wanted to explore more sides of my voice. I think it worked but I always want more
“Alloy” is one of the best songs I have ever heard together with “End of Sorrow” and “Black Stars in a Blue Sky”. They are so deep and intimate. Can you tell us something about the concept, the lyrics and the ideas behind these songs?The songs and lyrics do have a specific meaning to us but the power lies within the fact that listeners can have their own interpretation of it. For example take “End of Sorrow”. On the first spin it may look like a romantic song. But you can also ask yourself if the storyteller might be a little obsessive about a happy ending. Maybe he or she can’t let go/accept the fact that something is over.What are the band’s future plans after the release concerts in the Netherlands?Well, we really enjoyed the shows we did so far. It feels good to be on stage together again. We had so much fun! Furthermore, we’re working on a few shows in Germany and are hoping for a tour or maybe some festivals over the summer. Last year you toured with The Gathering and it appears that you are great friends. Are both bands planning to tour and play together once again?Oh yes, it was so much fun. They’re a bunch of sweeties! About touring with them, I would love to but there are no plans that I know of right now.Epica is currently looking for a band to tour with in Europe when the new album is to be released in March 2012. Would you like to go on tour with them?Of course we would love to! If we were their support, people would be in for an evening of various musical styles. Just the way we like it!I think it”s a bit difficult to write about the songs individually, since “Cold Comfort” was written as one complete concept. I’d rather read honest listener reviews than to reveal the secrets up front.
The songs we could not listen to were the bonus tracks. What can you tell us about them?The songs are called “Changes for the Bitter” and “The Mute (Inhale)” and they fit the rest of the album seamlessly. “Changes for the Bitter” is a sturdy rock song around an odd-time signature. “The Mute (Inhale)” is part 1 of a mini concept with “Truth Be Told (Exhale)”. I would recommend listening to them together for the full experience of the concept. We thought about these songs for a long time but feel they stand better on their own.Marjan, thank you so much for your precious time! Is there anything left you would like to say to our readers?You”re very welcome and oh yeah! Buy the album, love it and come to our shows, haha!Links
Autumn : MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site
Marjan Welman : MySpace * TwitterLatest Multimedia
Label : Metal Mind Productions
Review by Tony Cannella
Germany’s Angelzoom is a non-metal project led by Claudia Uhle. In 2004, Claudia released her self-titled debut album under the Angelzoom banner and now that album has been re-issued via Metal Mind Productions out of Poland. Not only is the original album presented here but there is also some cool bonus material included on the re-issue. So fans of the band will have an added incentive to include this CD in their collection. First off, Claudia Uhle has got such an expressive voice and vocal style. The debut from Angelzoom is an albums worth of dreamy, soundscapes. This re-issue is filled to capacity with great music. Songs like “Turn the Sky”, “Back in the Moment” (which I believe she made a video out of), “Guardian Angel” and “Fairyland” all highlight the strong material contained within. Instead of playing Metal, Angelzoom offers a unique mixture of Classical, New Wave, Dark Wave, Gothic and Electro Pop. Whatever Genre, Angelzoom lies in; there is no denying that Claudia packs plenty of atmosphere into the songs on her debut.
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Dreamcell11/Aural Music
Review by Andrea Disgraced
Theatres des Vampires are back and this time with full force! Ok, let’s start from the beginning: being an old, huge fan of the band and having followed them since the beginning, loving almost every change in directions they had made, since most times they did it with both “brain & heart”, maintaining a very high profile, musically speaking. Until that infamous “Anima Noir”, which dates back to 2008 and that brought a lot of doubts to my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I own it and enjoyed A LOT one gig of the promo tour here in Italy but after that period I didn’t listen to it anymore; when I decided to have another go at it some months ago I suddenly realized all the flaws that back in 2008 the excitement of a die-hard fan didn’t allow me to see. But this isn’t a review of “Anima Noir” so I’ll be brief, although it’s a necessary prologue to understand my following statements. In few words, that was a bad album, with half of the songs that really didn’t do any justice to such a band. There was a wonderful song, the ballad “From The Deep” and generally talking the first half of the album was more than decent, with some shivers then and there (no, that wasn’t meant in a positive way! ;)). second half of the album was shamefully bad, bad songwriting, ridiculous keyboards-laden songs with that electro flavour that can appeal only to German goth dance clubs (no offense of any kind to anyone attached, be it clear). Only other wonderful song, the magnificent closing title-track couldn’t save the album from drowning, in my personal and most humble opinion. So I admit I feared not that TdV took a direction I wouldn’t like or became even less metal or bullshit like that, but simply that they would’ve come back with a - in my personal and most humble opinion - bad written album. God! Satan! Whoever you want! I was So wrong! I’m consuming this promo, I think. :) The band decided somehow to dare, without losing its trademarks since countess Sonya Scarlet is the singer, and wrote a bunch of kickass songs that I refuse to call vampiric as if this review or the album where aimed at a teenie goth who thinks Stephenie Meyer invented gothic/vampiric literature. The album starts with “Keeper of Secrets”, a good, heavy gothic metal song that perfectly opens to you the doors to what Theatres are today (and, I hope for several years to come). Aggressive guitars but never wannabe-aggressive, if you get my point: they don’t try to be harder than they actually are and it’s perfect this way. A catchy opener that will bring massacres during gigs! Last but not least, it introduces the first guest of the album, Mr. Snowy Shaw of Merciful Fate and Therion fame (let’s not chat about the latest happenings around him I’m sure you all know of and that don’t get him in the light so much hehe ;)). Let me tell you something that I’m sure you all crave to know about. Sonya’s performance is here probably her best EVER. It must be said that that is also due to a finally perfect production, able to give Sonya’s different vocal nuances the right tone to be well expressed and recorded. Actually I think that her rockish vocals are quite interesting in the scene: unusual, sensual, with a lot of “recitato” (I take this word from the opera terminology to say that she really means what she sings, so to say). Not to mention that her opera-like singing, being it in the background or the leading vocal line, has improved so much and sounds now so incredibly good! Ok, not as powerful as the queens of “opera metal”, but at least so clear, pure, crystalline you can’t but love it. I dare to say even better than in those days in which she was merely a back-up singer and all (or nearly all) she had to do was to sing that way. Of course, throughout the whole opus we meet the usual male vocals - same speech here, sometimes they’re just in the background, sometimes they duet with Sonya and sometimes they sing alone. Shame on me because I can’t tell you who and when is doing them, since Fabian, Zimon and Gabriel, respectively keys, bass and drums are used to do those deep, male vocals, live too, so I guess you’ll all have to attend a show! “Fly Away” and title-track “Moonlight Waltz” will make you feel like you wanna throw away half of your (modern at least) gothic metal collection, since these two passionate songs are surely above an average rating and mark other two songs I’m craving to hear live as soon as possible! Let’s arrive to the cover song of this album: beloved Hijo de la Luna by Mecano, here in an Italian version called “Figlio Della Luna”. Now, I usually hate covers identical or almost identical to the original, I wonder what’s the point in doing that… This is NOT identical to the original, but not even totally different, that must be said. You’d recognize it very easily. Nonetheless, it’s a fucking masterpiece! Perhaps because Italian is after all my mother tongue and so it has a particular taste - the exotic one for non-italian speakers. Perhaps because the orchestration and the band’s skills turned it into a perfect symphonic cover - lately the only similar example I’ve heard, of something not having anything to do with symphonic metal that became an awesome pièce of it is “Still of the Night” by the goddess Tarja. Anyway this cover has it all: a heartfelt interpretation by Sonya, soaring orchestra and choirs and the right, fitting hitting of the band on the respective instruments. And if I can add, Sonya’s performance has a nice feeling reminiscent of some classic (not classical) italian singers like Patty Pravo which is simply a point more in the whole thing. Ninth track “Le Grand Guignol” displays the talent of one of the first and best extreme metal women of all times: Cadaveria. The production gives a good hint, when she growls, of how she sounded back in the past with her previous bands, always on the edge of symphonic black metal and thrash; besides, we can hear also how perfect and angelic her clean vocals can be. “Obsession” is a good example of how you can make a song with electronic elements with an orchestra and choirs (thanks to the Classical Music Academy of Rome directed by Luca Bellanova) that would make many symphonic metal bands quite envious. Of course that isn’t something related to just this track, as beautiful violins act as a perfect side part in “Carmilla”, chosen as first single and which you can see the video to here. When I first listened to “Medousa” and “Carmilla”, the songs made available on myspace, I admit I prefrred the former, though now also the latter, after nine or ten listenings before writing this review, has started to grow on me. “Medousa” is the closing track of this album, which features the classy participation of Eva Breznicar from neofolk-industrial band Laibach. Unfortunately although I like the song in itself, I don’t find it a good ending, too anonymous perhaps. And I expected something more in the veins of Laibach, with their singer collaborating but maybe it was just me thinking wrong, maybe she was just invited to sing and stop. I still think it would’ve been an interesting experiment. On a negative note I can’t help but pointing out that once again the English pronunciation isn’t at its top at all; partly I think that’s because of Sonya’s particulasr style of singing: I mean, also when she sings in Italian I have problems in understanding the lyrics! :D And if it can be of any consolation that’s a problem shared by 99,9% of Italian bands in any genre, apart from those so commercially big that I think are forced by their labels to sing as clear as possible. Pity, otherwise my final vote (even though it’s a number that doesn’t count anything without reading the whole review) would have been higher. So, welcome back, TdV! p.s.The limited edition includes a bonus DVD with the video to “Carmilla”, a “making of” of the album and other exclusive stuff.
Rating - 82/100
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MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Site
Label : Steamhammer Records/SPV
Review by Tony Cannella
To commemorate their milestone of reaching 30 years, German thrash legends Holy Moses recently went into the studio to re-record 20 classic songs from their history, as well as two brand new tracks. The whole collection is titled “30th Anniversary: In the Power of Now” and not only is it a reminder how long this band has been in existence but also the strength that their material has maintained over the years. Sabina Classen is the mainstay in Holy Moses and I believe she is one of the first females to utilize the extreme vocals technique and 30 years later, she’s still got it. This compilation includes 20-songs re-recorded with the current Holy Moses line-up, spread out over two discs and features over an hour’s worth of unrelenting, uncompromising music. In addition, two new songs were recorded, “Borderland” and “Entering the Now” which fit right In with the rest of the intensity of the material. Some of the songs that have been re-recorded are “Clash My Soul”, “Jungle of Lies”, “Finished With the Dogs”, “Reborn Dogs”. “Defcon II” and even more recent songs like “Disorder of the Order” and “Master of Disaster”. It all makes for a thrashing good time. A lot of times when a band re-records older songs, it means they have run out of ideas or it is a cash grab. I don’t believe that to be the case with this Holy Moses compilation. It is good to hear some of these songs get updated with the proper production. Besides, with all of these different sub-genres: opera metal, symphonic metal, etc. (which are all great), it is good to hear good old thrash music again and Holy Moses are one of the best ever at their craft.
Rating - 85/100
Tracklist
Disc 1
Disc 2
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MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Site
Label : AFM Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Germany’s Folk Celtic Metal band has been in existence since 2003. Their debut album “Prisonworld” was released in 2005 followed by a DVD in that same year and then their sophomore effort “Autumntales” in 2006. Their 3rd album “Paranoid Circus” originally saw the light-of-day in 2009, but since Lyriel signed with the prestigious German label AFM it has been re-issued with bonus tracks via their new label. The first track “Opening” starts us off with a narrative intro in German and segues into the proper first song “Welcome” that really gets the ball rolling. “Like a Feather in the Wind” and “The Regret” keeps this Folk Metal juggernaut on course. “Elderberry and Lavender” is a bombastic track that quickly became a favorite. “Lullaby” is a pretty ballad that brings the tempo and pacing of “Paranoid Circus” down a few notches, before picking up once again with the powerful “Foeman’s Bride” and violin heavy, dramatic track “The Wolf”. Other highlights include: “So Long, My Love” (another killer ballad), “The Wheel of Fortuna” and “The Way To Nowhere”. In addition to new cover art, this re-issued version also comes with two bonus tracks: and orchestral version of “Paranoid Circus” and a re-mix of “The Regret”. Throughout the course of this 55-minute CD Lyriel weaves a magical tale that is enhanced by their use of such non-metal instruments as violins and cellos (which they employ full-time). “Paranoid Circus” is one of those special albums that one can only hope is the start of something exceptional for Lyriel. Since this album is two years old, I would suspect that it is only a matter of time until this promising outfit releases album number four.
Rating - 93/100
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Label : AFM Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Is this 2012 or 1985? I absolutely, positively DO NOT mean that in a negative way either. The Polish band Crystal Viper has made a history out channeling some classic style, true heavy metal of the past, and I don’t know, maybe it’s just me but damn does it sound fresh and revitalized. The 4th and latest piece of true heavy metal nirvana provided by Crystal Viper is perhaps their most ambitious to date: “Crimen Excepta”. “Crimen Excepta” is a concept album about the Holy Inquisition, black magic and witchcraft. You don’t get much more metal than that. “Crimen Excepta” is listed to have 15 tracks (17 on the limited edition) because each song is separated by a brief interlude that segues into the next song. The opening track “Witch’s Mark” heralds Crystal Viper’s return and this is just a flat-out head banging metal tune and what a way to kick start “Crimen Excepta”. For the next song “Child of the Flame” the band dials back the speed a bit and deliver a heavy track that features some classic guitar harmonies and guitar work that recalls vintage Iron Maiden, Running Wild and Accept, and some gang style background shouts. “Crimen Excepta” is probably the darkest and most relentless Crystal Viper album to date, a fact that is heard on the fantastic “It’s Your Omen”. This song features some keyboard/organ work that is somewhat reminiscent of late 80s/early 90s King Diamond, particularly the KD album “The Eye”. This song is accentuated with a great solo courtesy of Andy Wave. For the next track vocalist Marta Gabriel is joined by David Bower of the NWOBHM band Hell who adds additional vocals to the song. Maybe technically Marta is not the best singer you will ever hear, but her voice just has so much power and emotion and it is pure metal reminiscent of the legendary Leather Leone. Some of Marta’s screams would sure give Leather a run for her money. The limited edition features two bonus tracks. The first one is a cover of “Tyrani Piekel” from fellow Polish band Vader. As you can imagine, this is a heavy cover and the band is joined by none other than Peter from Vader as he lends his vocals to the track. The second bonus track is the title song from the upcoming movie, “Ghosts of Sherwood”. Those two songs make the limited edition essential for fans of Crystal Viper. When you buy a Crystal Viper album, you know what you are going to get. That is not to say that they are boring or predictable, they are not afraid to add a new wrinkle here and there, but at the end of the day Crystal Viper is a heavy metal band and they are proud of that fact. With “Crimen Excepta”, Crystal Viper continues to pay homage to a bygone era in heavy metal whilst still remaining relevant in 2012 and leading the way for bands that play classic heavy metal.
Rating - 93/100
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Label : Metal Blade Records
Review by Tony Cannella
The band Bitch, led by Betsy (Weiss) Bitch were one of the few female fronted metal bands that existed in the early 80s, they were also one of the more polarizing. Some people loved their straight-forward, in-your-face approach, while others were turned off by their overt references to s & m and sexual innuendo, never mind the fact that the band manage to deliver much of the material with tongue firmly planted in cheek – that went over a lot of people’s heads (Tipper Gore for example). But almost 30 years later there is no denying that Bitch were pioneers to the Femme Metal genre, okay maybe there is some deniability since it didn’t really catch on until much, much, much later, but still Bitch were one of the first to feature a dominant female vocalist and along the way they developed a devout cult following that exists to this day. Now the bands label Metal Blade has re-re-issued their 1982 EP “Damnation Alley” together on one disc with their 1983 debut full-length “Be My Slave” , remastered by Bill Metoyer and a bonus DVD featuring some live footage and other cool stuff for a new generation of Femme Metal fans to discover and enjoy. The first 10-songs are from 1983’s “Be My Slave”. By this time Bitch had a demo and an EP under their belt so the songs are more confident and the sound is more focused. “Right from the Start” gets the party started and is followed by what was to become a Bitch classic, “Be My Slave”. There is no lack of abrasiveness here in both music and lyrical subject matter as the band tears through songs like “Leatherbound”, “Heavy Metal Breakdown”, “In Heat” and “Make It Real (Make It Rock)”, which is a bitch repetitive but still a monster of a track. The majority of the material is very raw and tough – Betsy definitely had the tough girl, ‘I am in control’ attitude going. The last 5-songs are taken from the “Damnation Alley” EP, which spawned another Bitch classic “Live for the Whip” which still gets the audiences going to this day. “Let’s Go” concludes over one hour of music, this was never released before to my knowledge, so it is a cool way to end things. Bitch went on to release two more full-lengths and one EP before fading into obscurity for many years. In recent years however, Betsy has returned once again with Bitch as the band continues to deliver kick ass shows in both the U.S. and on the European festival circuit. Listening to these albums is like being revisited by an old friend. It’s been so long since I’ve heard them, and maybe the sound is a little dated (okay a lot dated), but the heart and spirit behind the music remains to same. It remains to be seen if Bitch will ever record again, even if they don’t at least they have left an enduring legacy – much to Tipper Gore’s chagrin.
Rating - 83/100
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Label : Century Media Records
Review by Tony Cannella
It is hard to believe it has been over a decade since Angela Gossow joined the Swedish melodic death metal outfit Arch Enemy, in that time the band has continuously produced strong albums one after the other, even winning over a lot of fans who were loyal to their previous singer Johan Liiva. Arch Enemy returns with their first new work in four years, titled “Khaos Legions”. The hour long ferocious metal assault begins with the instrumental “Khaos Overture” and leads us into the brutal “Yesterday Is Dead and Gone”. Angela Gossow is at her venomous best as she spits out the lyrics with rapid fire precision and aggression. The Amott brothers continue to add a lot of melody and intricacies to the music. “Bloodstained Cross” begins with a pounding energetic riff and has a definite Thrash Metal vibe to it, and some cool tempo changes. Other highlights include: “Under Black Flags We March”, “No Gods, No Masters”, “Cruelty Without Beauty” and “Vengeance Is Mine”. The Japanese edition features two bonus tracks, one is an Arch Enemy style cover of the Scorpions classic “The Zoo” and an acoustic track called “Snow Bound”. Arch Enemy continues to forge a solid and legendary path In the Death Metal genre, and their new album “Khaos Legions” may be their best yet.
Rating - 90/100
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