Heaven the Axe – “Sex, Chugs & Rock’n'Roll” (2011)

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

Holy crap! I had no idea what to expect from the Australian band Heaven the Axe. Heaven the Axe is a strange name for a band, but the title of their debut album “Sex, Chugs & Rock’n’ Roll” is just flat out weird. So based on those few things I wasn’t expecting a lot – shallow, I know – but man was I ever caught with my guard down and was treated to 38-minutes worth of ferocious hard rock with a punk rock intensity and attitude.

From the very first song, “Enemy” any doubts I had about Heaven the Axe were quickly laid to waste under a barrage monstrous guitar riffs and a confident swagger. The album simply does not let up for the duration and there are very few quiet moments until the obligatory ballad “Unconditional Love”. This song actually starts of as a sensitive ballad but as the song progresses it gets heavier and heavier, before ending on a sensitive note once again. Lead vocalist Phoebe Pinnock has a voice that is brimming with attitude and is a perfect complement to the hard driving music performed by the band – which is balls out, straight-ahead hard rock and roll. Highlights include: the aforementioned “Enemy”, “Electric Wire” and “So Nirvana”. The final song is the dreaded hidden track that starts at about five minutes in. I thought this practice was long gone? Anyway, the hidden bonus track is probably the weakest song on here; it is a slower song but is nowhere near the quality of the songs that came before it. With “Sex, Chugs & Rock’n'Roll”, Heaven the Axe has released a pure Rock and Roll with more than a little bite. Continue reading »

Antalgia – “Perception of Reality” (2012)

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

A lot of great female fronted metal bands are coming from Spain these days. With their debut full-length “Perception of Reality”, the melodic hard rock/metal band Antalgia is out to take their place among Spain’s best femme metal bands.

The 8-song, 47-minute disc opens with the fantastic “The Invisible Mechanism”. Antalgia’s use of keyboards (played by Xavi Sanchez) gives them a progressive metal influence at times. Lead vocalist Bella Dianez has got a high vocal range but is not operatic, she does have a strong voice and is definitely the focal point of the band. The next song “Realm of Pain” begins with a monstrous guitar riff and is a fast tempo song. This is one of the heavier songs, but like all of the others, Antalgia’s songs are all pretty melodic and therefore can be accessible. Other highlights include: “Embrace of Death”(which begins with another huge riff), “Line of Life” and the 8-minute closing song “Memories”. Guitarist Igna Jover does a great job throughout the CD and the interplay between guitars and keyboards is one the highlights of “Perception of Reality”. The songs are all pretty much in the same up-tempo direction, but they all maintain a strong melodic base. Overall, I have to say that I was impressed with “Perception of Reality”. Antalgia has released a strong and consistent full-length debut and proves to be a promising new voice in the realm of melodic hard rock and metal. Continue reading »

Doro – “Raise Your Fist in the Air” EP (2012)

Label : Nuclear Blast Records

Review by Tony Cannella

The long awaited new song from the German metal queen Doro Pesch is finally here. The new album “Raise Your Fist” will be unleashed sometime in the fall, until then we have the title song (all most) to tide us over. In addition to the song “Raise Your Fist…” this EP also includes the songs: “Victory”, “Engel” and the French version of the title song. In short, “Raise Your Fist in the Air” is classic Doro! “Raise Your Fist…” has already been performed live and went down well, which is no surprise because it sounds as if this song was meant to be performed live. It has that anthemic “All We Are” feel to it and has tons of energy and power behind it. “Victory” is next and it has its moments. The song is dominated by a grinding guitar riff and a fantastic, memorable chorus. “Engel” is next and is a haunting ballad sung in German that picks up steam as the song progresses. The EP is completed by the aforementioned version of the title song which Doro sings in French, something she has done quite a bit in the last few years. Let’s face it. With a career spanning almost 30-years, Doro is not trying to re-invent the wheel or herself for that matter. She knows what her wildly loyal fan base wants and is more than happy to give it to them. With the new album on the horizon, this EP serves as a precursor and an appetizer for what should be another solid outing.

Rating – 89/100

Tracklist

1. Raise Your Fist in the Air
2. Victory
3. Engel
4. Raise Your Fist in the Air (French Version)

Line Up

• Doro Pesch – Lead Vocals
• Bas Maas – Lead Guitar
• Luca Princiotta – Guitar & Keyboards
• Nick Douglas – Bass
• Johnny Dee – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site

Infinity Overture – “The Infinite Overture Part 1″ (2011)

Label : Lion Music

Review by Tony Cannella

On their 2009 debut album, Denmark’s Infinity Overture released a solid debut album that set the template for their melodic, symphonic metal style. Now the band has returned with a cool follow up opus titled, “The Infinite Overture Pt. I”. The band has made some key line-up changes and musically has headed into more of a prog-metal direction with an extra emphasis being placed upon the guitar elements that Infinity Overture present. The biggest line-up change comes with the addition of new female vocalist Kimmie Tenna Nielsen. Her voice is perfect for the music that is being played and is a solid addition to Infinity Overture. The 9-song 47-minute disc also features numerous guest appearances, the most prominent being Amanda Somerville who contributes vocals on several different songs and Rhapsody of Fire front man Fabio Lione. The guitar harmonies of the opening track “The Hunger” gets things off to a great start and sets the bar very high. Fabio Lione performs on this track along with female vocalist Kimmie Tenna Nielsen and the duo has great chemistry together. Grunt vocals appear at various points throughout “The Infinite Overture pt. I” and are very well done and don’t overwhelm anything, they are placed perfectly. The album builds up plenty of momentum as it progresses and my three favorite songs turned out to be the last three, “Smoke and Mirrors”, the 7-minute “The Infinite Overture Part I” and the hauntingly beautiful closing ballad “Darkness of Mind”. In addition to those three, there are plenty of other standout performances to be found here, for instance the euphorically melodic “The Stand” featuring a stunning vocal performance courtesy of Kimmie Nielsen. “Angels” starts off as a ballad but quickly evolves into a beautiful mid-tempo number. “Evernight” is one of the heavier, more guitar-driven tracks here and is a perfect showcase for the diversity of the band. “The Infinite Overture Pt. I” is a different kind of animal than their debut album, but no less brilliant. The line-up changes and guest appearances have really helped to shape this album. Fans of the first album and melodic metal in general should really come to appreciate what Infinity Overture has to offer.

Rating – 89/100

Tracklist

1. The Hunger
2. The Stand
3. Angels
4. Evernight
5. Secrets
6. Back from the Past
7. Smoke and Mirrors
8. The Infinite Overture Part I
9. Darkness of Mind

Line Up

• Kimmie Tenna Nielsen – Vocals
• Niels Vejlyt – Guitar, orchestrations and growl
• Jakob Vand – Drums
• Bernardo Fesch – Bass

Links

MySpace * Site

Black Ink – “Reminiscence” DEMO (2011)

Independent Release

Review by Tony Cannella

Black Ink is a Progressive metal band from Italy. In 2011 the band released its debut (and only, thus far) demo called “Reminiscence”. So, let’s delve into what this Italian band has to offer. “Reminiscence” is longer than your average EP at 30-minutes, and it is made up of 5-songs, four of which are over 6-minutes long. The production on “Reminiscence” is really professional sounding and I would classify this more as an EP than a demo – the sound is crystal clear. Musically, the band reminded me a bit of Dream Theater – especially with the intricate jamming they do on some songs. The opening track “Cold Soul” gets things off to a good start. Lead vocalist Laura Lerti has a clean Amy Lee style vocal approach. The music is heavy and very much riff oriented, but also technical and melodic as hell. “New Day” starts off with a short drum intro before the heavy guitars come in. The next song “Black Ink” starts off with a 70s like prog rock piano that is soon joined by the guitars and keyboards. This is a mid-tempo song that slowly builds into another heavy one, but this is also the most prog-rock like song on “Reminiscence”. The next song is the ballad “Bitter Tears”, at almost 5-minutes is the shortest song featured here. Obviously this is the most accessible song in the Black Ink repertoire and sounds tailor made for the mainstream. The final song “Confused” starts off with just pure heaviness, the song features an orgy of guitar riffs as they come at you fast and furious. This is just a massive way to end things. “Reminiscence” has some pretty cool moments backed within the 30-minutes provided here. Black Ink is different from a lot of metal coming from the great country of Italy these days which should help them stand-out in the ever growing Italian metal scene.

Rating – 89/100

Tracklist

1. Cold Soul
2. New Day
3. Black Ink
4. Bitter Tears
5. Confused

Line Up

• Laura Lerti – Vocals
• Michele Podda – Guitars
• Andrea Botto – Bass
• Rocco Iacovino – Keyboards
• Giuseppe Ierace – Drums

Links

MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter