Well folks, let’s begin with the basics. The music of our old heroes there never was what we call ”easy”. It also wouldn’t get into straight definitions as none could really interpretate their unbelievable rhythm changes combined with extreme technique, but always full of point, without tiring the listener. From their very early days as R.A.V.A.G.E (Raging Atheists Vow A Gory End) and their very first efforts with the ”On They Slay” demo to the jazzy parts of the ”Elements” album, Atheist remained unique, pioneers, honest and in many terms, too good to be true. Fate played with them and gave them hard hits under the belt, which caused their split-up. Still, the constant recognition of their status, made cards turn upside down, and this is the zero point from where we begin today to talk about the new album called ”Jupiter”.

I could easily sum up the whole 32 minutes and just say it’s the logical continuation to their previous three masterpieces. But it would be so low for its worth that I must give you some hints why you MUST buy this album. At first, it’s the most mature release they have ever done, and not because they grew up, but because they managed to gather the best parts from their parts and finally they gave us the most raging album since ”Piece Of Time”, the most progressive album since ”Unquestionable Presence” and the most gifted with a bright look in the future since ”Elements”. The best in all these is the fact that they face their music as something coming simply from their hearts and all they want to do is play what they like. Not what the fans like (despite the fact that we are all insanely obsessive about the album).

Also, noone can deny the unbelievable structure the songs have. The guitars sound like they weave the apocalypse, creating a maelstrom in which we all eventually will be driven, just to find ourselves unable to do anything but become ultimate followers to them. The rhythm section spits at the terms ”progressive” or ”technical”, as they go much further than this. Drummer Steve Flynn was always ahead with his playing, but reaching the ends of 2010, it’s dead sure he will make a lot of men catch drumsticks in their hands and try to immitate him. All eight songs grow constantly as the duration runs, with Kelly Shaefer unleashed and in perfect shape, sounding like he is still 20 years old. What can anybody say to find dispute that this album is already larger than life?

Last but not least, I must make a statement so things will be clear. None of us knowing the band should wonder ”What the fuck are they doing” or ”How can they be so perfect once again?”. Atheist have been playing the music of 2010 since the mid ’80s. And this is enough. The only thing that their absence created was an unreachable gap that only they could feel. Entering bands like Obscura in our lives, they came to show how important Atheist were, are and will always be. But there are some parts that the student can’t reach the professor. Atheist will forever be the first and last to pull the strings in the diverse side of extreme music and we, as fans, have to make as much more people as we can discover their new favourite band. Thank goodness, these atheists are still raging. On they slay through clouds of death…No mercy or no fear…

I was already very pleased by the first hearing but after a while I realised they managed to refresh themselfes and modernize their style a bit without changing their attitude. So we find next to the classy Helloween speedy verses and catchy choruses a more violent and agressive metal than usual. The guitars work is huge with more powerful riffs, and solos coming from nowhere but very tight to the songs. Sascha Gerstner take a very important place and his association with Michael Weikath is very balanced as you can specialy hear in “My Sacrifice” instrumental song. Same good stuff in the rythm section with heavy loader Dani Löble and discrete but efficient Markus on the drums and bass. But the true reveletion is the amazing colouring of Andi Deris voice, who preferes not to raise it but make it more aggresive and varient realy close to his personal titles. That’s what gives a new Helloween image.

As a whole Helloween seem more organised and compact. With heavy powerful songs since the beggining with “Where The Sinners Go” but with melodic pauses, speedy choruses and classy stuff like in “World Of Fantasy”. Songs like “The Sage, The Fool, The Sinner” and “If A Mountain Could Talk” bring an amazing turn-around and have a colourful vocal surrounding. “Long Live The King” is a tribute song for Dio as you can guess, with lyrics from Andi and as stong as Dio himself! Of course there is also the power ballad called “The Smile Of The Sun” with an emotional melody which makes you very nostalgic! The whole pack is very moderated, with melodic up and downs and heavy accelerations. In general talk a musical orgy!

So “7 Sinners” is totally a new fresh Helloween aspect wich I think will make a lot of fans happy and proves that sometimes it’s good to move with the wave and bring new stuff in your music style as a band! Happy Ha(e)lloween!

Built differently than their previous releases, this new material sounds rather bizarre and complex. Dimmu Borgir really moved forward on this one as far as their compositions are concerned. These new songs are of course full of their trademark sound, such as high-speed guitar riffs, Shagrath’s brutal vocals, weird, dark and epic passages, extreme rhythmic patterns and drumming and a whole orchestra of 100 musicians brought in the front, to create a unique sounding album! But although this reads appealing there’s something missing…

After many releases and having a unique music profile established with their own sound, there seems to be at least one element missing and that’s Vortex’s paranoid performance. Although, Snowy Shaw’s vocal lines are as well intriguing and of high intelligence, they have nothing to do with the final result Vortex’s lines had on previous releases. Another element that has completely changed the sound on this one, is the heavily used orchestral parts, that almost cover the music itself in many parts of the record. I guess that was on purpose, but it sounds really awkward to hear growls and black metal at its finest, covered by big fat orchestral strings and brass. Surely this release proves, to themselves and anyone that would doubt their musicianship, that Dimmu Borgir are not here by chance but they are grown up intelligent musicians, that know who to write music and not just metal riffs…

Compared to their past, this release is certainly sounding more as the soundtrack for the apocalypse, rather than the album that came next to “Puritanical…” or “In Sorte Diaboli”…If you can handle with an orchestra next to heavy dark Dimmu Borgir atmosphere, then probably “Abrahadabra” will bring you shivers down your spine! For me though, the orchestra became somehow too much!!! You should all take the chance to filter this one from your own prisma, because this is truly music creativity without boundaries!

Although it’s been a long absence, and a difficult one, with the melodic death band tasting the ultimate success but also decline, the greeks came back with fresh mood, intelligent virtuosity and ideas so weird and arousing, that music has no choice but float unstrained through your ears,heart,mind and consciousness until you call it yours. Although “Astron Black And The Thirty Tyrants” shares the characteristic “Nightfall essence” in common with the 7 preceded releases of the band, this album presents the mastermind’s (Efthimis Karadimas) innovative intentions. The listener is left surprised numerous times as the music path leads him in unexpected lands through blind unpredictable routes.Recognizable techniques, intimate technologies, familiar melodies and sounds. Their blending and order , though, create something uniquely beautiful. Exceptional guitar riffing, rhythm section that kills, dark and glorious keyboards and the vocalist’s apathetic pride, compose the 45-minute circle that never closes and you don’t even want it to.

Thematically, the band has produced a full metal declaration of their hellenic roots,starting from the album’s cover (probably the legendary Argo) to the lyrics and song titles, as well as the album’s name itself.And it doesn’t stop there; you will come across with archaistic musical patterns several times in “Astron Black And The Thirty Tyrants”, especially through vocals.The significance of the new Nightfall, though, lies in the blend of times, memories and music in a non-exaggerating result, not at all plastically sophisticated, a trap that several bands have found themselves caught in.It comes naturally,yet dashingly, as if proud past and devious future unite in the tempest of present’s agony.

The hardest part was to choose the outstanding tracks of the album.Simply because there exist no such. “Astron Black And The Thirty Tyrants” is a living entity, with its components forming a complete work of art and each one playing substantial role. You will listen to it over and over again, never missing one track. Enjoy!

This time, the band focuses in one certain goal: Slaughter! Sounding more ready than ever, they managed to make ”Invidious Dominion” sound so tough as a sum, that it will sure grab each listener from the very beginning with ”United Hate” and Conflict Finalized”. The band is in top form. Bret Hoffman spits acid in every lyric, followed by insane guitar work by the leader Phil Fasciana, accompanied by Gio Geraca. They build mountains of rolling riffs, just to create massacre. Tracks like ”Slaughterhouse” and ”Compulsive Facebreaker” help in this, with the album flowing more easily than expected and making the middle fan want even more. The fact that while reaching the end, the result gets even better, happens one in fifty times (maybe more).

The rhythm section of the ”old” guy Jason Blachowicz on bass (he had also done the vocals on ”Eternal” and ”In Cold Blood” albums) and the ”new” guy Gus Rios, follows the guitars in every riff from very close distance. Especially Rios proves his worth and that he’s the right man behind the drum kit. Malevolent Creation were always a band having great drummers and his playing stuck very well with the rest. That’s why the album sound both old school, but also modern and ready to adapt to the likes of the year 2010. ”Lead Spitter” and ”Target Rich Environment” prove that the aggression of the album is not only in the music, but also the song titles. To make matters worse, follows the destructive two-piece of ”Antagonized” and ”Born Again Hard”.

It is really so good to listen how much some veterans tend to deliver lessons to younger ones. There is no doubt that many newcomers would die to have such an album in their discography. But if you want to create something like that, first of all you must have the knowledge, then the feeling, and in the end, the right people holding and torturing the instruments. The quintet not only has the knowledge and the feeling, but also proves that experience may be the best ally in such cases. Formed in 1987 and releasing albums since 1991, they could do nothing less than leave us with jaws open once again. It’s a little naive to try and express how I love the fact that they bring out their thrashy roots every time, making the result even more brutal.

And as the record ends with ”Corruptor” and the title track, there is nothing you can do. At first I guess some of you may try and relax or wonder what happened the previous 36 minutes. Little is the importance, as we live in seasons that the outcome matters the most. So, instead of trying to make your brain cells work properly, push the play button and you will forget the problems, the hard day’s course and all that make your mind busy in the wrong way. Malevolent Creation are not back because they never left. They just found right this time to make a statement. A statement declaring that whatever comes in their way, will have the luck of the skulls of the cover, being pushed down by this demonic presence. Masters for one more time, one of the three best albums this year.

That doesn’t mean that Zakk was releasing crappy stuff. Not at all, it just didn’t feel like pure Black Label Society. ”Mafia” was the album that brought much recognition to the band, with extensive touring and maybe the best shape of the band ever, but as an album it had many fillers. ”Hangover Music Vol. VI” was a special release, 100% acoustic, and despite having many personal moments of Zakk, it’s not what BLS fans would like to listen at that moment of time. Things got a little better with ”Shot To Hell” but again, there were songs that Zakk could write in just 5 minutes. ”Order Of The Black” came to set things right, to bring back this southern feeling, and to show that the new line – up could stand as equal to the previous one.

This time Zakk did what he knows best. The album is full of energy and the first three songs win the game from the very beginning, without even the referee give the start. ”Crazy Horse” is a great initial song that puts you straight to the climate of what follows, being one of the first two singles of the album. The other one is ”Parade Of The Dead” which was the first sample of the album, and when we heard it we all started smiling and believing we’re going to have something really good. There was no mistake about that, some things show from the beginning after all. The trademark riffs with the familiar guitar whistle are here again, more than the last seven years. The solos are straight from the chest of Zakk’s treasure and all seems bright.

Of course, there couldn’t be an unbalanced release with only riffmachine tunes, but we also have some great ballads such as ”Darkest Days”, ”Time Waits For No One” and ”Shallow Grave”. Zakk’s voice may stink booze and American South from one kilometre range, but that can’t just distract us from the feeling that when he gets more emotional and sounding more personal, he does miracles. On the other hand, the reason we love Black Label Society was that feeling from the beginning that they were an uncompromising act that just came to deliver some heavy music, full of quality and identity. And with great joy we see the band performing some great tunes such as ”Godspeed Hell Bound” or ”War Of Heaven”, with a groove that raises hell.

The best in this is the feeling I have that this album might be the ressurection of Black Label Society. It brings to my mind the time when ”1919 Eternal” came out, with the band, showing they could do better. And that’s what they did with ”The Blessed Hellride”. So, there’s an aura that he’s going to stand on his feet again, overcoming health problems and his departure from Ozzy’s headquarters, revealing the ”true” and more ”free” Zakk Wylde. The album closes with ”January”, a ballad dedicated to Zakk’s father, who stood as a great inspiration to him in his life and the result is simply amazing. The South rises again and this American feeling is active and here to give more. Strength, Determination, Merciless, Forever. Zakk Wylde rules supreme. Period!

So, as HE knows everything, HE takes form of four selective human beings that have been more than heroes to generations that lived the last two or three decades. God comes in forms of Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich (Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, The Hidden Hand, Spirit Caravan etc) and Scott Kelly (Neurosis) on the guitars, Al Cisneros of OM on bass and the mighty Dale Crover of The Melvins on drums. This is Apocalypse itself, imagine the divinity of these individual bands on their own, then compare the result of this combination. Luckily, the nightmare last only 39 minutes, divided into five units of pure heaviness, honesty, non-commerciality and will to show that less is always more.

The album begins with ”Solar Benediction” and Wino’s voice comes straight after the first riff to bring smiles on our faces. You just can’t help but diving deep into this album from the start, great changes in vocals between Wino, Kelly and Cisneros throughout the whole duration of the album. Next comes one of the best tracks for 2009: ”Pyramid To The Moon”, you just have to listen to this. An amazing opus that grips you from below to a sea of sounds, colors, visions and multiple erections. Only for this, they will be named gods to the future. ”Blind For All To See” contains excellent bass play from Cisneros and is the crawling piece of this puzzle, everything seems to go slower but you dyon’t mind at all.

It seems as if you know a wild card is going to come out next. And it is ”The Architect” that comes to prove you right, the most straightforward of the five pieces, also the shortest, less than six minutes. Again Wino and Kelly do excellent job, building mountainsides of riffs and fill the journey to oblivion with their voices. The ground is prepared and the last stop is called ”Science Of Anger”, the epic of the album, the long one lasting nine and a half minutes. The perfect closure in a perfect album. The cornerstone to a greatly built shrine, where we shall worship these four gentlemen in the near future.

I don’t know if all this is going to last, does it really matter anyway? All I know is that Shrinebuilder is something fresh, something that came to show us that there is no need for blastbeats or growls in the year of 2009. The ’00s end triumphantly with such releases and i have no fear for the next decade. Did I tell you I have found God recently? HE came and told me a story about some guys in a shrine. And we all know that God is always perfect, right?

They may never surpass the fact that their old friend is not with them anymore, but on the other hand, they stand before us just like true and honest professionals and they deliver us a great album called ”Digital Ghosts”. Consisting of seven songs in the usually known and beloved Shadow Gallery style, the quintet from Pensylvania delivers the goods for the sixth time in their history. Despite the heavy atmosphere and guitars, the album sounds poetic and like fresh water pouring from the clearest waterfall that comes to your mind. Baker’s successor named Brian Ashland, has a totally different voice but works quite well and fits suitably to the whole concept.

His help is tremendous if we imagine the skills of the other four members, don’t forget that we are talking about instrumental mastery individually and as a team work also. I liked this album very much, I also enjoyed it despite the songs’ long durations, it is easy to listen to (as far as an album of SG can sound easy) and I should give praise to the sound and production.

Albums like ”Carved In Stone” or ”Tyranny” happen only once but this one has maybe the best sound and it really suits them fine, after all, we like our music as heavier as it gets. I don’t know if the members of the band are haunted by the ghost of Mike Baker, but I surely know that up in heavens, there is a soul smiling and closing an eye on them, satisfied with what they achieved. Once you get the digipack edition, you will find some demos with Baker on vocals and some alternative versions of other songs. A must have for any prog fan.

In some songs synths act a little different in comparison with Rammstein latest albums, riffing may be familiar but for sure you will anticipate new ideas and melodies. Vocals are more flexible, Till Lindemann voice is in a very good shape. ”Rammlied” will make you remember very old works of Rammstein, “Frühling in Paris” (Springtime in Paris) maybe surprise you,  ”Pussy” was the first single and the video clip make a world premier in an adult site…cause it contains  adult images. Rammstein wanted to shock society and they did it very well. I think that the best songs in my opinion are ”Wiener Blut” and ”B********” which are maybe some of the heavier songs in the album. The omonymous song is fast and full of energy.  The album close with ”Roter Sand” which is a ballad.

The truth is that Rammstein could make  better and they have proved it in the past. Personally as  a fan of this band I have more expectations.

”Liebe ist fur alle da” it’s not a bad album neither a great one, its somewhere between. So if you have never listened to Rammstein music before, i suggest to do it with older albums.

The artwork and the lyrics of All Shall Fall remain powerful, cold and dark as never before!Once more the signature of Demonaz is delightful showing us his dark talent and his cold heart in the lyrics part of the album. The typical guitar playing appears in the album with the only one Abbath proves his technique and black spirit. Unfortunately, the songs lack of inspiration.

The All Shall Fall sounds more like a progress of I, Abbath’s project. The influence from this great album, The Between Two Worlds, seems to be a personal achievement of the members. The epic atmosphere of I’s masterpiece is embodied in Immortal black metal form. Horgh let himself to play simplest than even before giving us the essence of pure black metal returns!

The truth is that the fans expected more from the band’s new release. After these years they wanted something more mighty from the lords of Norwegian winter! The all shall fall remain a fresh interesting album.

The band has chosen to continue their request through and dark paths! Far from Immortal’s masterpiece, Sons Of Northern Darkness, but through a foggy journey of the band you’ll find an epic way to the frozen mountains of black metal! Enjoy it at wintertime. Immortal are back!