Inga Scharf – Van Canto

Interview by Andy Axworthy

After releasing four successful albums in almost five years, the band Van Canto does not really need an introduction. Their ‘A Capella’ metal has drawn the attention of thousands of fans worldwide over these years. This interview is with Inga Scharf, one of the singers of the band, who talks about the brand-new album “Break the Silence”, her music inspirations and the future plans of the band.

Great, thank you! Continue reading »

Issa

Interview by Andy Axworthy

Our dear readers I think that they already know the AOR/arena rock singer Issa (AKA Isabell Øversveen) and this time, Andy took some time for investigate about her latest release “Can’t Stop”, where the Norwegian singer collected and recorded some hidden gems/cover of the AOR scene. Just read this exciting interview for know more.

Hi there, thanks for having me back. Well I’ve recorded 3 albums in 3 years which has been the main priority of my time really and with each album you have an aftermath of radio and written interviews which also take up a bit of time. I also write songs with my husband James as we have a publishing deal and we have a lot of fun writing in all different styles. I’ve also recently added my vocals on another Frontiers Records release which is yet to have a press release so I have to keep hush hush unfortunatly on that one. But aside from the music i’m very happy in my life also. Continue reading »

HALESTORM @ Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 31/12/2012

Photos and report by Jesse StClair

New Years Eve has long been a day of celebration and parties. Everybody knows about the massive countdown in Times Square, New York, but the true party was 3 hours south in a small club in Baltimore, Maryland. Halestorm headlined the Baltimore Soundstage on New Year’s Eve to a sold out crowd of 1000 people.

The show was no ordinary concert, but rather a celebration of Halestorm’s past, present and future. The night was divided up into two sections: Light and Acoustic as well as Dark and Electric. The first part of the show was the acoustic set. There was no intro music, the lights simply turns on and Lzzy Hale (vocalist, guitarist) walked onstage followed closely behind by the rest of the band. Everybody was dressed in white, and Lzzy even had on a long white gown. Almost right away, the band started playing “I’m Not an Angel” off their first album. Lzzy’s powerhouse voice easy soared in the acoustic arrangements, with not a crack or flaw to be heard. Most bands soften their songs for acoustic sets, but not Halestorm. The band left after a few songs, leaving Lzzy alone onstage. Halestorm Rocked harder than most bands out there. Arjay (Lzzy’s younger brother and the band’s drummer) furiously pounded away on the Cajon drum box while his sister belted and screamed to a cover of Heart’s “All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You”. The band cleared the stage aside from Lzzy and Joe (the other guitarist). They talked about the old days of Halestorm where they would perform for hours in small bars. They launched into a favourite of theirs back then, a beautiful cover of The Bee Gee’s “To Love Somebody” with just the two of them. Joe then left the stage leaving Lzzy alone. She told a humorous story about drinking an entire bottle of wine by herself and recording a song on her record label’s voicemail which turned out to be “Hate It When You See Me Cry”, which she performed on her own in a beautiful, stripped down arrangement. She then went over to the metal plated piano and played “A Rose in December” which is a song she wrote when she was 16 years old, and Halestorm was in its early days. That wasn’t the only rarity in the acoustic set, in fact, most of this section was comprised of older songs, beautiful covers, and newer ballads which typically don’t fit into Halestorm’s rocking shows.

When Halestorm returned to the stage for the second segment, the Dark and Electric portion of the show, gone were the white gowns and attire and were replaced with black leather jackets, sunglasses and an overall sleek rockstar look. Once again, without any intro music, they dived straight into “Mz Hyde”, which possibly is their heaviest song to date. It was quite a contrast from the acoustic set. Despite playing both guitar and singing, Lzzy found the time to run around the stage in her massive stilettos, a task no male rockstar could ever accomplish. Behind her on drums, her Brother Arjay was putting on quite the show. He kept making funny faces and sticking his tongue out at his sister. At one point, he was twirling his drumstick up in the air while using only 1 drumstick to do the part that typically both sticks were needed for. Continue reading »

Kylesa – “From the Vaults Vol 1.” (2012)

Label : Season of Mist

Review by Davide Torresan

2012 sees the reappearance of Kylesa in the worldwide metal scene. After the album of 2010 “Spiral Shadow” and many live dates, the masters of stoner metal started to gather together their ideas to give birth to a new work. According to some rumors of the band, it will be out in 2013. In the meantime, between a concert and another, they found the time to pick up the material so far composed and propose it again in a new guise. Indeed there are many bands that lately try to do that. The first that comes in my mind is Anathema with “Hindsight” and the following “Falling Deeper”, or My Dying Bride with “Evinta”. Kylesa decided to travel a different path, redefining its original sound. They picked up some songs of their past giving them a fresher sound. The production has benefited of this restyling, so songs like “Between Silence And Sound” and “Bottom Line” live a second life. Hard and dry sounds, but sometimes they are enchanting and even soothing. The work on guitars of Phillip and Laura is accurate and well done. Psychedelic and progressive rock are fused in one soul, giving to the listener a sound experience to live at 360 grades. Their vocals are unique, as they switch from an aggressive style to another more melodic. In this album they have also included some previously unreleased songs, so you can pretty much say that this “From The Vaults Vol. I” is a new album. There is a new song too, “End Truth”, which has a quiet pace compared to what they’ve reproposed so far. Kylesa realized also a couple of cover songs. The first is “Drained” of the American sludge metal band Buzzov-en. This song, like the original, has a doom rhythm, really oppressive and heavy. The second is “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” of Pink Floyd. Kylesa proposed the pearl of the masters of English prog-rock in a overwhelming version thanks to the wall of sound of the guitars and the rhythm section. In conclusion, this album is really good for the neophytes of stoner/sludge metal like me, and the band fans. Today I can say to have discovered a new talented group. Give them a chance!

 Rating – 77/100

Tracklist

1. Intro
2. Inverse
3. 111 Degree Heat Index
4. Between Silence and Sound II
5. Paranoid Tempo
6. End Truth
7. Bottom Line II
8. Wavering
9. Bass Salts
10. Drained (Buzzov-en)
11. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
12. Drum Jam

Line Up

• Phillip Cope – Guitar & Vocals
• Laura Pleasants – Guitar & Vocals
• Eric Hernandez – Bass
• Carl McGinley – Drums
• Tyler Newberry – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site

Crystal Viper – “The Curse of the Crystal Viper” RE-ISSUE (2012)

Label : AFM Records

Review by Tony Cannella

Originally released in 2007, AFM Records have recently re-issued the debut album “The Curse of Crystal Viper” from Poland’s classic metal heroes Crystal Viper. In addition to the full album, this new version also features five rare bonus tracks that have appeared on tribute albums and hard to find material, so while these songs may not be un-released per-se they are still rare and thus valuable to any Crystal Viper fan. What can be said about “The Curse of Crystal Viper”? I remember the first time I heard it and being blown away by its sheer power and ferocity. It also gave me a feeling of when I got into metal in the first place in the early 80s. Crystal Viper really captures that vibe, but musically they go beyond that. Lead vocalist Marta Gabriel has got a great classic metal vocal style. The somewhat Running Wild like intro “…I See Him!” starts things and segues straight into the Iron Maiden style riffs and guitar harmonies of “Night Prowler”. Some of Crystal Vipers best songs appear on this album: “Shadows on the Horizon”, “Island of the Silver Skull” and “Sleeping Swords” is all considered Crystal Viper classics. Among the ‘bonus’ tracks, you get a covers of the Manilla Road track “Flaming Metal Systems” and Warlock’s “Mr. Gold” as well as alternate versions of “Demons’ Dagger”, “The Last Axeman” and “Sleeping Swords”. This is top-notch classic metal played Crystal Viper style. In Re-visiting their debut, it is easy to see why they have become one of best bands in their genre. Crystal Viper continues to churn out classic metal, but this is where it all began and thus a will always have a special place in my heart.

 Rating – 85/100

Tracklist

1. …I See Him! (Intro)
2. Night Prowler
3. Shadows on the Horizon
4. City of the Damned
5. The Last Axeman
6. Island of the Silver Skull
7. I Am Leather Witch
8. Demons’ Dagger
9. The Fury (Undead)
10. Sleeping Swords
11. Flaming Metal Systems (Manilla Road Cover)
12. Demon’s Dagger (2008 version)
13. The Last Axeman (Polish version)
14. Sleeping Swords (2008 version)
15. Mr. Gold (Warlock Cover)

Line Up

• Marta Gabriel – Vocals, Guitar
• Andy Wave – Guitars
• Tommy Roxx – Bass
• Golem – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site