HEXA - HÄNDE AUS GLAS

I listen to a lot of music.  Occasionally something comes along, slaps me in the face, and screams LISTEN TO ME!  You may be curious on what that was so I am here to tell you all about the German band HEXA and their debut EP "HÄNDE AUS GLAS." 

I remember it so vividly.  I got this email about a German band and thought to myself I was going to get a synth filled death metal band with some leads and a rip off of something I've avoided for years.  But then there was a very captivating and melodic intro that immediately told me to turn that shit up to eleven.  Then the bass slide comes in and the metal rips through the veil of my expectations.  Song after song you will find yourself more impressed with the entire band.  This is not just a band, but a family of musicians working together to write some of the best melodic metal core I have ever heard, and I'm a musician in a very talented pool of metal core bands.  

The complexity of this album will remind you of bands such as All that Remains and August Burns Red.  The canorous leads are very enjoyable and well placed within their music, while the rhythm is well balanced between catchy chugs, progressive beats and very tight harmonies.  I had to use a translation application because I am so enthralled with this band and needed to know what I was attempting to sing along with.  The lyrics are well written and contain a lot of what you expect from a metal core band (struggles within ones self, love loss, etc.) but the vocalist really drives the meaning home with his low and high screams.  The only thing that I would want to hear is a little clean vocals once in a while to add an extra element to some of the songs. 

There was a lot of thought and time put into these songs and you can really hear and feel the emotions of them.  Every measure will command your attention and pull you deeper in the world of blast beats and break downs that this band offers to the masses.  HEXA only gives you a four track taste of their music with their debut EP "HÄNDE AUS GLAS" but I hope there is much more to come.  This band will be a force to be reckoned with and I hope to see them when they come to the states.   

Find them of Facebook!

www.facebook.com/hexa.germany

Arroganz - Tod & Teufel

Stop whatever you are doing right now and grab your calendar. Set aside about and two hours of your free day: one to listen to Arroganz's magnificent third studio release, Tod & Teufel, and another one to get your head back in place. Although this German horde takes pride in the brutality of its Death Metal, it is the Atmospheric Black Metal feel that hover above the entire work that ties this album together.

In fact, the tracks pieces so well together that I would not be surprised if this were a conceptual album. Most tracks follow a theme-variation structure, which not keeps the the riff-heavy pieces (which are few, for modern standards) coherent , but also reinforces the somber atmosphere.

The album opens with i.d.t.m, which introduces the crunchy timbres and half-step bends that permeate the following tracks. One Death then creates momentum by speeding up, finally exploding in the following Arisen From Failure, Perished As King. Ironically, Tod & Teufel - chaotic and with many blast beats - strikes me as the most atypical work in the album. Demons Heart, characterized by marked down beats, and strong riffs, pulls you back to a dark descending path, to the dragging, agonizing Intoxication.

All Light Is a Lie becomes the apex of the album by cleverly playing around the added sharp fourth in a Gm blues pentatonic scale. At this point, the album had captured me to the point that I had to replay the track and try to play over it, just to relieve some of my anxiety. The next two tracks, Black Aura, and Guilty, keep the momentum towards the Burzum-esque closing piece, Alles.

Tod & Teufel was the perfect soundtrack for a cloudy Philadelphia day. It is a heavy, emotional, and raw album that is sure to keep dropping jaws for decades to come.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/hellishhordes

Obsessör - Assassins Of The Pentagram

Ever since  first got into Thrash Metal, I have thought of the German scene as a gold mine that keeps popping some of the most brutal bands on the planet. Thankfully, I have never had any reasons to think otherwise, and Obsessör  is no exception. Assassins Of The Pentagram, their second full length studio release, presents a well-balanced mixture of the typical “punch-in-the-gut” German sound with denser Black Metal moments.

The first track, Return Of The Usurper, put me back in my place in a blast beat (ha!). After an interesting opening guitar riff, the drums shortly spice up the textures with simple unconventional (for Thrash) rhythms, a pattern that would be repeated throughout the album. At no point however, do the pieces devolve into a disjointed collections of riffs.

Although most of the album sounds like 80’s Thrash (I rejoiced every time I heard a high-pitched scream) with hints of Black Metal, mostly in the intros, some tracks show heavy NWOBHM influence. Fullmoon Procession, Necromancer, and , Black Speed Thunder, in particular, sound like the possessed offspring of the Tygers of Pan-Tang.

As a fellow guitar player (or Speed metal Scythist, if you will) I feel compelled to congratulate Genözider for his interesting riffs and well-put together solos. One of my biggest pet peeves regarding to Thrash is the excessive presence of aimless shredding (my bad, Kerry King), which does not occur in this album.

Obsessör is definitely going to become a regular on my playlists. With cutting vocals, aggressive guitar and bass, and surprising drums, Assassins Of The Pentagram is a welcome blast of creativity in a genre that has been struggling to find originality without abandoning its roots. It is a great album, but most importantly, it is brutal as hell.

Find them on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/blitzkriegbattalion

Witching Hour - Where Pale Winds Take Them High

• Where Pale Winds Take Them High, is the third full-length by the German band Witching Hour. This Black/Thrash metal album primes for fast-paced catchy riffs. There is a certain hint of Power Metal in the epic construction of the songs; the melodies sound almost folkish, and the guitar duets would not be out of place in an Angra album. In contrast, the blasting drums and loud, rough, highly-reverbed vocals spill mad Thrash all over the place. Nevertheless, the parts work very well together in a chaotic yet melodious album.
  
  From the choice of tones to the guitar duets, everything indicates that Witching Hour was looking for the elusive “Old School” sound. They succeeded. Although the album presents very original works, it brings me back memories of being in High School and listening to the bands my heroes listened to.
  
  The Album seems to alternate between faster and more atmospheric tracks, as to keep the momentum of the pale winds. Where Pale Winds Take Them High/ About A Curse Of, the first piece, states the overall idea of the album with strong dragging riffs and explosive drums. So I’ve Chosen Death is fast, aggressive, and full of guitar duets. From The Black Crypts Of Fullmoon, and Long Way Off...In Silent Nights, in their turns, expand some of the ideas introduced in the opening track.  Finally Von Unaussprechlichen, the closing track, is a hypnotizing Viking-style instrumental piece that carries some of the band’s best Black Metal moments.
  
  Witching Hour has definitely come out with a mature and interesting work. Its pieces lead you to an epic journey through dark places, to the dramatic closure. I hope to review more of their works in the future.
  
  

  Find them on Facebook!

  https://www.facebook.com/WitchingHourThrash

Miseo - Lunatic Confessions

There are some of those days that just start better than you expect them to, this day is exactly one of those days. Today I am reviewing the first full long play of Miseo called Lunatic Confessions. Miseo might not ring a bell at first, but when I say Milking The Goatmachine and Lay Down Rotten, an alarm should trigger that this is going to be killer.

The three-headed abyssal Miseo comes from Marburg in Germany and it is exactly what you would expect from a German metal band. It is strong, powerful and tight. After the first couple of songs I hear no surprises, just pure death metal filled with hatred, which is exactly what the band is aiming to do. This continues throughout the album, it is a strong and a straight into your face piece of art. The exception however is Five Star Doc that not only sounds dark but is also completely psychotic, this horror movie intro is straight-up insane.

If you are familiar with Milking The Goatmachine and enjoy it, you will definitely enjoy this album. It has the package of death metal you need. Just give your neighbors a head start before you start playing this, or not..

Give them a like on facebook; https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMiseo

Running Death-The Call of Extinction

It's Saturday morning, I wake up, feeling barely hung over from the night before, excited for the gig tonight. What better way to fill the time than to listen to some triumphant Teutonic thrash metal? These German thrashers have recently put out The Call of Extinction.  A tight little EP containing five top notch thrash metal epics, showcasing the power and the glory of a band sent to Earth with the purpose of crushing posers, and starting mosh pits across the globe. There is no other way to put it, Running Death are true thrash metal, and by Wodin, are they good!

One of my favorite aspects of the Running Death sound is the riffs. They clearly are from the old school of German thrash metal reminding me of groups like Sodom. Furthermore, there are some wonderful solos on hand here. They are often tightly controlled and add an incredible precision to a band who seem to be so dedicated to brutality. My one complaint is that the lead singers German accent stands out a bit too much. But even then, this only adds flavor and helps to give the music a bit more of a local touch. The delivery is excellent too, showcasing a man who understands how to rip out some top notch thrash vocals, the icing on the metaphorical cake.

In closing, The Call of Extinction is a fun and mind bending thrash record. Not a lot of bands get at this level of brutality and fatality. With a huge bottom end courtesy of a gloriously thudding bass line, The Call of Extinction charges out of the speakers into the hearts of the fans, showing a new way forward and hope for a new generation of thrash metal. Combining the best of the old with the magic of the new, Running Death are an ejoyable listen if nothing else. I am excited to hear what they come out with next, a full length should be most triumphant indeed!

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/runningdeath

Austin Deathtrip

Austin Deathtrip is a German metal band formed in Oldenburg, Germany. Created in 2011, the band consists of members Buck Austin (all vocals), Matt D. Austin (electric guitar), Jim Austin (bass guitar) and Chuck Austin (drums, percussion). They are signed to the German record label, Suchend. They are influenced by other Metal bands such as Chimaira, Misery Index, Pantera and Sepultura. They have recently released an EP called Texas Bulldozer, which consists of four songs; A Hypocrite's Manifest, Cain, Butt Spanker and Terence Hills Have Ice. These are four extremely heavy songs, with a lot of effort put into them. It's easy to tell that this is the sort of band that works hard and treats their work with respect, taking their music very seriously. Now, I have to say that I enjoyed this EP. A LOT! This is by far some of the best metal work to come out of Germany since Rammstein's glory days, but not as industrial. The EP heavily focuses on fully distorted guitars, heavy basses, avalanche drumming and brutal vocals. Technically, the way metal should be! While it doesn't rely at all on electronics, the band is still quite unique. Rammstein have done it before, I know, but these guys do it on a more daily basis. They combine English and German lyrics into devastating songs of sheer brutality! And that, my friends, is how metal is done! By originality! But how do these guys do it? Well, I have to say that, like all metal bands, their songs are extremely repetitive. But that's the point of metal, isn't it? Music as a whole is very repetitive, some genres more than others. But that doesn't make things any worse, because at the end of the day it depends on HOW you play your instruments, not specifically on what you play. Now, first off we have the vocals. Well, they are impressive, brutal, strong, manly and terrifying to say the least. AKA, 10/10! The guitar playing is a mixed bag of fast and slow, dreamy and loud. Something that few guitarists can manage to pull off in one EP. Hats off to you, Matt. The bass? It's heavy and keeps everybody else in check, making sure that nobody is out of time. And finally the drums, by far having the most impressive features on the album. Chuck starts off the songs well and he finishes them off well, by drumming his heart out and making time an extremely important element in this band. Now, let's break down the songs. A Hypocrite's Manifest is a brilliant way to start off a good metal EP, and it delves you in. Cain and Butt Spanker are songs that you can really enjoy, and will get you in the mood for one-man moshing! And Terence Hills Have Eyes is a great way to finish off a short but incredibly sweet EP, with powerful lyrics and brutal instrumentals. So, is this band promising? Yes, it definitely is! Give it some credit and spread the word, because this is the best thing to come out of Germany since Rammstein! So, time for a little recap.

Band: Austin Deathtrip

Country: Oldenburg, Germany
Genre: Metal
EP: Texas Bulldozer
Songs: A Hypocrite's Manifest, Cain, Butt Spanker, Terence Hills Have Eyes
Label: Suchend
Rating: 5/5

Under Jolly Roger-Running Wild

 Now I am reviewing another pirate metal band, this time it is the Pirate pioneers Running Wild. Their album Under Jolly Roger pretty much kicked off the pirate metal album. This album has a cool raw and raunchy sound that makes the music seem dirty and scratchy and thus very piratey. The guitar is powerful and a main player in the music. The bass is solid and uninspired however it does a good job keeping time with the drums. The vocals are nice and growly, and there are extremely piratey lyrics. All together the different aspects of this album create a rather piratey feel, however it is not as piratey as Alestorm for example. Still this is a good album with some nice guitar solos.

The guitar on this album has a classic power metal feel. The majority of the riffs are textbook power metal. They are not overly amazing but they are still good enough to merit some honor. The solos are average at best they do not feature any amazing fills that would go on to define music. No, this album just has some solid power metal riffs with some mildly cool intro solos. The bass is solid but not overly inspiring it just comes off as kinda, meh. The drums are actually pretty good they have some good basic fills, however they do get repetitive. Overall the instrumentalists on this album are good but nothing to rave about.

The vocals are made up of light death growls. They are very reminiscent of the pirate days of the 1600's. There is something of a old man of the sea feel to them. Unfortunately they do not feel very realistic, possibly because the singer can not do a good accent that can mimic a true pirate. The quality of his growls is okay and the lyrics are easily intelligible. The lyrics are the true redeeming point of this album. They are pretty original and gave influence to many pirate metal bands. This band planted the idea that we should base metal off the coolest people ever, pirates. Asides from the lyrics this band is only an average metal band.

Overall this is an okay album with killer lyrics that make it awesome. The guitar is okay, it does not have any mind blowing solos or riffs but it does alright for itself. The bass is steady but uninspired and makes the music boring. The drums have some creativity but on this album its not uncommon to hear the same fill for a full minute. The vocals are okay but nothing to rave over, the best part about this album is the lyrics and without the lyrics this album would be like 4/10. All in all this album is okay at best however it is important for planting the seeds of an idea that would go on to create an awesome genre.

OVERALL 6/10