Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood

Over the course of their career, Children of Bodom has had some pretty great moments, but they’ve also sunk to unfathomable depths. It’s hard to believe that the band who released tracks like “Needled 24/7” and “Hate Me” could put out something like “Blooddrunk”. Nonetheless, their last record, “Relentless Reckless Forever” really wasn’t that bad. It didn’t manage to recapture their former glory, but it was a step in the right direction. With “Halo of Blood”, Children of Bodom has injected some life back into their sound and should regain a lot of old fans.

All throughout “Halo of Blood” you’ll come across prominent guitar and keyboard melodies. That’s right, the keyboards are a huge focus again. While they don’t solo as often as in the past, there are plenty of harmonized sections with both keyboards and guitars to tide old fans over. Speaking of guitar melodies, that is one area where area where Alexi has completely returned to form. The lead under the chorus of “Transference” is a prime example of how ridiculous his playing is (when combined with the fact that he’s singing over top of it). The solos are certainly less extravagant than on “Follow The Reaper”, but they should still suffice. Alexi’s vocals are a definite highlight. He sounds hungry again; it’s like his voice is 10 years younger and his growl is stronger than ever. There are two major surprises on this record: black metal, and a ballad. Firstly, the title track has one of the coldest riffs written by somebody who isn’t Norwegian. Combined with the blast beats, and it’s like listening to a totally different band. Unfortunately this style is abandoned by the verse of the song, but it’s still a refreshing change. The other point of interest is the semi-ballad “Dead Man’s Hand On You”. Granted, I haven’t heard every Children of Bodom album, but I’ve never heard the band like this. It opens with a soft clean guitar and piano passage and Alexi singing, before jumping into a heavier, pounding, almost doom-like track. It’s unlike any other Children of Bodom track I’ve heard, and while not a true highlight of “Halo of Blood”, it’s just another way the band has mixed things up.

“Halo of Blood” is a major surprise for 2013. It’s been 10 years since their last great record, and while this album does not beat the old classics, it is sure to bring back some great memories. Don’t miss out on this record!

Be sure to check out and like Children of Bodom on Facebook!

Highlights

"Waste of Skin"

"Halo of Blood"

"Transference"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott 

Havok - Unnatural Selection

In the last couple of years, Havok are one of the bands that have catapulted to the top of the thrash scene. Though they are not as commercially successful as bands like Evile, Warbringer, or even Vektor, they are making music that is just as strong. It was really their second record, “Time Is Up” that was a brilliant thrashing force that obliterated nearly every other thrash record of 2011. The recent EP was a disappointment for me, and many other fans, but it’s safe to say that the band is back on track with their third full-length album, “Unnatural Selection”.

From the opening track, “I Am The State”, the riffs begin, and from that point on, they never really stop. There’s little originality to the riffing style, but it doesn’t matter, as they are furious headbang-inducing riffs. The second track “Give Me Liberty…Or Give Me Death” keeps up the pace with it’s seemingly government hating lyrics. This track really emphasizes the brilliance of the drum sound and how pummeling the bass drums are. The band displays a tight rhythm attack, between the buzzing guitars and bass that is consistently heard throughout the track. Gang vocals are in full effect on this song, as well as on many others, and Havok does them as well as any other band out there. Lead singer David Sanchez seems to have settled into an even better vocal performance than before. His singing feels like less of an attacking shout, and more of a controlled singing approach. The guitars have a classic tone that is best appreciated when they are chugging; many parts of “It Is True” display this Exodus-like tone. In terms of the songwriting, there are definite highs. The aforementioned first two tracks, along with the closing title track are the most interesting. Most of the others tend to be enjoyable, but not up there with Havok classics like “D.O.A.” or “Fatal Intervention”. "Under the Gun" is really experimental for Havok. There are clear breaks in the verses for the vocals to shine, and one part of the chorus is pulled straight from Sebastian Bach's (Skid Row) style of singing. Nonetheless, the only true weak song on this record is the slower, plodding “Waste of Life”. Coming from a band like Havok that is all about intensity, it just doesn’t work as well as it would for a band like Evile. Likewise, the cover of “Children of the Grave” is somewhat out of place. It’s a great song in its own right, and Havok doesn’t do a bad job of covering, but it doesn’t really fit on this record. In general, you can never really go wrong with adding speedier songs to a thrash record, and I think that is an issue some fans may have with this album.

Aside from those two criticisms, this really is a worthwhile album. The thrash revival is all about riffs, and Havok brings them better than the vast majority of bands out there. There’s a bit of straying off the path at times (the unnecessarily long drum solo in the opener, for example), but “Unnatural Selection” shows there’s still quite a bit of life left from the new thrash bands.

Be sure to check out and like Havok on Facebook!

Highlights

"I Am The State"

"Give Me Liberty... Or Give Me Death"

"Unnatural Selection"

Final Rating

4.1/5 or 82%. 

Written by Scott 

Huntress - Starbound Beast

It’s only been about a year since the release of “Spell Eater”, but Huntress is back with their second record “Starbound Beast”. If the imagery and album title don’t give it away, this record is really meant to be quite similar to the debut; however, in many ways, I found it to be an evolution of the first album, rather than simply a copy of it.

The biggest draw (or deterrent, depending on your point of view) to this band is still Jill Janus’ vocals. There’s no doubt that she is a skilled vocalist, but on the debut record, she was a bit ambitious with her vocal work. On “Starbound Beast” she tends to have a better understanding of her range, and she avoids making big changes in pitch in her vocal lines. The end result is a more focused, better sounding performance than before. She still makes use of her black metalish screams on occasion, but primarily sings cleanly throughout the record. Speaking of black metal, that influence has been dropped from the riffing. While it was mainly prevalent on the title track of “Spell Eater”, it is rarely found on “Starbound Beast”. Instead, the band opts for the more straightforward traditional heavy metal sound. There is plenty of galloping, rhythmic chugging, and even some faster alternate-picked sections. Strangely, the faster songs are placed on the second half of the record. Both “Zenith” and “Oracle” bring the speed like no other tracks on the album. The former is a definite highlight, both for its thrashy riffing and memorable chorus.

The most contentious song on “Starbound Beast” is likely to be “I Want To Fuck You To Death”, which was co-written by Lemmy. This is my favourite song on the album, mainly because of the chorus. The guitars perfectly synchronize a harmony that allows Jill Janus’ melodic, calming vocals to take over. The rest of the song is a standard Huntress tune, but the chorus is too catchy to be denied. Another popular choice is likely to be the title track, “Starbound Beast”. The vocal line in the verse of this song sounds very familiar (almost Iron Maidenish), but I can’t quite put my finger on what it sounds like. It’s possible that it’s just so well written that I imagine Maiden writing it themselves.

With “Starbound Beast”, Huntress has greatly improved on their debut record. There are more standout songs, and the band seems to have a better handle on how to blend their unique sound. What I think really made the difference between “Starbound Beast” and “Spell Eater” is that this new record sounds a bit more restrained and refined. It seems like the band put a bit more time into writing quality songs, even if it meant that they weren’t all blistering fast. The more I listen to this album, the more I enjoy it! If you wrote off the band after their first record, you are missing out on some quality metal!

Be sure to check out and like Huntress on Facebook!

Highlights

"I Want To Fuck You To Death"

"Zenith"

"Spectra Spectral"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott 

Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the Gods

Swedish melodic death metallers Amon Amarth have returned in 2013 with their 9^th studio album, “Deceiver of the Gods”. That’s pretty much all you need to know to get an understanding of exactly what this record sounds like. Based on the two singles for the album, the title track and “Shape Shifter”, this record sounded like it was shaping up to be slightly darker (certainly more evil than “War of the Gods” from the previous album). Even though they were really no different from Amon Amarth’s typical sound, they were more riff-based and overall slightly less melodic. It quickly became clear, however, that “Deceiver of the Gods” would be the logical continuation of the sound the band has crafted over their career, and, in particular, over the last three albums.

“Deceiver of the Gods” starts out with its best material. The title track features a pummeling riff before launching into the standard Amon Amarth fanfare. Johan Hegg’s inhumanly deep growls sound better than ever. His vocals have always been on the easier side to understand, but the lyrics are even more obvious now. Underneath the screams of Viking tales are the two main musical sounds of Amon Amarth: melodic leads with glorious double bass and tremolo picking rhythm guitars, or heavy chugging with every second or third note accented. The second song, “As Loke Falls”, offers a slight deviation in terms of the style of melodic lead; it sounds more like a tapping lick than the typical down-picked affair. Nevertheless, the rhythm section follows the standard bludgeoning assault. “Hel” is the only song that has any experimentation; it features some clean vocals from former Candlemass singer Messiah Marcolin. While he’s a great singer in his own right, this combination doesn’t seem to work entirely as planned. This song is really more proof that Amon Amarth should stick to what they do well. The final track, “Warriors of the North” is long by Amon Amarth’s standards, but it feels like a normal length track. It has an outstanding (albeit predictable) riff that drives the vast majority of the song, and is a solid closer to a great album.

When 6 out of the 10 songs stand out easily after the first couple of listens (and there have been plenty more listens since then!), a band as predictable as Amon Amarth has done something right. I wouldn’t say this is their best work, but it’s by far the easiest to get into of the albums I’m familiar with. It’s difficult to imagine any fan of the band being disappointed with “Deceiver of the Gods”.  

Be sure to check out and like Amon Amarth on Facebook!

Highlights

"Deceiver of the Gods"

"As Loke Falls"

"Father of the Wolf"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott 

Fire Strike - Lion and Tiger

Despite being around for over a decade in some form or another, Fire Strike is only just releasing their first EP, “Lion and Tiger”. The Brazilian band plays fairly safe traditional heavy metal, but with a female vocalist. One strange fact I’ve picked up from Brazilian heavy metal bands is that they all love Canada’s Skull Fist. Fire Strike is really no different, as they have a somewhat similar sound. There are numerous virtuosic guitar solos throughout the EP, along with simple, old-school riffs. The vocalist is certainly quite talented; however, I think she tends to wail a bit too much. Sometimes it sounds like she goes out of her range, uses too much vibrato, or tries to really vary the notes she is singing, when a more simple approach would be more effective. In the end, it becomes difficult to understand what she is saying without really focusing on the lyrics. This is not inherently a flaw of the EP, but a more laid-back approach might benefit the band.

As with many bands in the style, Fire Strike is primarily driven by the quality of their shredders and singer. The rhythm section doesn’t play a prominent role. There are some parts where the bass shines on its own (there is a bass break in “Night Fever Nova”), and it is certainly not buried in the mix. Likewise, the drums are not overly dominant on this release. The five songs themselves are pretty consistent. Both the title track and “Night Fever Nova” have instantly memorable moments. The other three songs are perhaps a bit weaker, but nonetheless still worth hearing. "Master of the Seas", for example, has stunning dueling Iron Maiden-esque guitar leads. What I enjoy most about this release is its sheer enthusiasm. All of the songs have plenty of energy, and Fire Strike sounds like a band that wants to play traditional heavy metal. Sure, it’s derivative, but quality is always more important than originality. Ultimately, “Lion and Tiger” is a very endearing release. It has all of the trademarks of classic heavy metal, and is sure to be a fun listen.

Be sure to check out and like Fire Strike on Facebook!

Highlights

"Night Fever Nova"

"Lion and Tiger"

Final Rating

3.75/5 or 75%. 

Written by Scott