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 : Tigermoth Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Christina Booth is the lead singer for the UK prog rock outfit Magenta. On her new solo album “Broken Lives & Bleeding Hearts”, Christina’s Magenta band mate Rob Reed co-wrote, produced, mixed, engineered and also plays piano, bass, keyboards and guitars. So with Rob Reed’s large input, you would think that Christina’s solo album would sound like Magenta. While there are some bits and pieces that may remind fans of Magenta, there is also enough to differentiate the two. “Broken Lives…” features a more organic sound than Magenta and eschews the progressive direction of that band, for the most part. Instead, you will hear influences that range from pop, rock to jazz. Despite all of the fine guests who appear on this album, it is also unmistakably Christina’s album. Christina Booth has got an excellent and expressive voice – that goes without saying, and on “Broken Lives…” she gets to show off a different side to her musically. “Free” is the first indication that this is something a little bit different than her current band. This is a strong almost jazz-y opener with a Gospel choir near the end of the song. “Way Back to My Heart” has a smooth vibe to it. The production provided by Rob Reed is crystal clear with extra emphasis being placed on the vocals of course. Songs like “Deep Oceans”, the acoustically driven, up-tempo “Hanging by a Thread” (an excellent song and my favorite – great lyrics, too!) and the bass heavy “Down to the River” are all special songs and highlights. Fans of Magenta may love this album, then again they may not. Sure, “Broken Lives & Bleeding Hearts” is different from Magenta, but what would be the point of doing a solo album if it sounds like her current band?
Rating - 75/100
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Label : Metal Blade Records
Review by Tony Cannella
The fourth and final of the Hammers of Misfortune re-issues by Metal Blade is “Fields/Church of Broken Glass”, originally released in 2008. This San Francisco based band has really perfected their Avant-Garde/Progressive Metal sound, and with this album their progression continues. The organ heavy opening track, “Agriculture” gets things off to an excellent start. Right away, the organ on this track reminds me a bit of Ken Hensley’s work in early Uriah Heep. This track is a great opener and a good way to begin things. Next is “Fields”, this track features only the female lead vocals. The third track, “Motorcade” quickly became my favorite. This song features an infectious melody, a cool riff and excellent vocals. Other highlights include: the 8-minute, “Almost (Left Without You)”, the 11-minute “Butchertown” and “The Gulls”. The end result of “Fields/Church of Broken Glass” is quite a monumental opus. It has been cool to see how Hammers of Misfortune has progressed from album-to-album. The band is currently working on their debut for Metal Blade which should be out in 2011. Until then, these four re-issues will have to hold us over.
Rating - 91/100
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Label : Siore Immelstorn Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Mortalium are a Gothic Doom Metal band from the Ukraine. With their debut 4-song, 17-minute output the band show a style that includes many great and heavy riffs and the crystal clear vocals of Maria at the front. The CD kicks-off with the slow, deliberate pacing of the title song. A heavy riff and Maria’s likeable vocals are the driving force behind this song. The band speeds things up just a bit for the next track, “Wake Up”. Yaroslav contributes some interesting keyboard work on this one. Another excellent track that features some more solid riffing. “In Sadness and Fear” is next and as you might gather by the title, has a melancholic tone to it; still this is one of my favorites. The use of violin definitely helps accentuate the despair that the song conveys. “Worms Are Waiting” brings this all-too-short EP to a close on a positively doom-y note. This song features quite a few tempo changes and was another highlight. After listening to these 4-songs on “On the Broken Wings” it is apparent that Mortalium have something cool going on. After just 17-minutes, I was ready for more.
Rating – 83/100
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Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
From Finland, Liquid Society plays melodic metal with some definite outbursts of aggression. They have previously released one demo (“The Burning”) and now return with great sounding EP, “Broken Words”. “Broken Words” features 5-songs and 19-minutes worth of some heavy, crunching guitar riffs and some melodic, instantly like-able songs. The band is fronted by Tiina Savela whose vocal style is more of a mid-range delivery and her style only enhances the music. From the opening of “Second Life” the band blast ahead at full speed. Among the highlights, my two favorite songs would have to be “Broken Words” and the final track “Angel”. Throughout the course of “Broken Words”, there is simply no let up to the power as the riffs keeps coming at a furious pace, while not sacrificing any of the melody. Overall, I enjoyed my first exposure to Liquid Society and I look forward to hearing more in the future. Hopefully, a full-length from this talented Finnish band is forthcoming.
Rating - 87/100
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Independent Release
Review By Tony Cannella
From Belgium, Ethernity play progressive power metal. Their latest output is the 2-song demo “Broken Memories”. Even though there are only 2-songs and 13-minutes worth of music contained here, it gives a perfect indication where this awesome band is headed musically. Ethernity’s last demo, “Quest of Forgiveness” was released in 2008. Sadly, this one only features 2-songs in comparison to the 8 that were represented on “Quest of Forgiveness”. Still, the band absolutely tear through the two songs, beginning with the opening title track and then ending with “Quest of Forgiveness” originally heard on their last one. The track “Broken Memories” is the more mid-tempo and symphonic of the two, while “Quest of Forgiveness” is a fast paced closer. Both tracks features some great guitar work and vocalist Julie Colin continues to be a solid voice for this band. The songs on “Broken Memories” continue in the vein set forth by Ethernity’s previous works. That’s alright by me. It would be nice to see some label step up to the plate and sign this excellent band.
Rating - 86/100
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Rating - 90/100
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