Metal Bulletin Zine #36

Everett, WA theoutcastzine@juno.com

INTERVIEWS: Project Armageddon Aphelium REVIEWS: adult contemporary metal Infinita Symphonia, Queensryche black metal ancient: Grave Desecrator traditional: Stonehaven transitional: Cnoc An Tursa, Negator, Windfaerer death metal archaic: Vorum technical/blastattack: Defeated Sanity doom metal doom (traditional): Black Sabbath grind Full of Hell, Mumakil heavy/power metal traditional: Attic power: Dark Moor melodic/growl metal Amon Amarth, Darkane, Trail of Tears prog Scale the Summit weird experimental Shining

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history of Metal Bulletin Zine Issue 1 to 20: (2006-2009): Wisconsin Issue 21 to 26: (2009-2010): Texas Issue 27 (2010) - present; Washington State -- metal on the radio/internet (Pacific Time) Metal Shop (Seattle, WA): Saturday 11pm-3am KISW 99.9fm www.kisw.com FOUR ridiculous hours of the heavy stuff! Sweet Nightmares (Houston, TX): Thursday night 9pm-midnight KPFT 90.1 fm www.kpft.org Bill The Master and his pirates take over Texas! **** — Due to space limitations, interviews/reviews are shorter than on www.metalbulletin.blogspot.com ****

Project Armageddon (U.S.) With the album “Tides of Doom,” these Texans called Project Armageddon found the heavy metal time machine. Project Armageddon did not travel back in time to the 1980s, but rather to 1969-70 England, and they took to Texas the guitar used by Tony Iommi, and all his studio equipment, which is why this guitar sound will recall classic Black Sabbath and big-riff doom-stoner sounds.

You wanted the doom, you’ve got the doom! Here are the answers by Raymond Matthews (the cannons) and Alexis Hollada (the grit and the thunder) to a set of questions sent to them in Morse code. The lineup is completed by Brandon Johnson (the crunch). www.projectarmageddon.com -- Hello, Project Armageddon! I have been listening to the "Tides of Doom" album. I didn't realize that Houston, Texas had such doomsters. Is it true that you put out the album by yourselves? What does that mean? You have put up your own money to record the album? Raymond-We own the production company, Shattered Man Records. So we did record the album ourselves, and we paid for the CD production from money we saved playing shows. We try hard to reinvest everything we make back into the band so we can continually improve our sound and quality of production. We also hired out the mixing and mastering to Tomasz Scull, of supernaturalsoundltd/Venomin James & I'd say he did a killer job for us. Are you all homeless now from having spent all your money on the album?! Are you living in a van, down by the river? Project Armageddon must be one tough bunch to go at it alone? Raymond-I've played drums for over 20 years and have always been motivated by the excitement of creating something new, original, and entertaining, and then having the joy of sharing that with fans in a live performance. I also thrive on the technical challenges of capturing that original work in its best possible form

by recording. Though I don't have formal training in recording, after spending countless hours and dollars over the years I've managed to pick up enough to make it work.

Doomstress Alexis-Really when it comes down to it, if you have a drive and passion about something that you are creating, then you strive to overcome any obstacles in order to achieve that goal. There are things that will either obstruct that objective or perpetuate it. If it means enough to you, you will find a way to make it happen regardless of the consequences, and this is true in many things in life. So how exactly does Project Armageddon achieve its sound? Do you use special equipment? Do you use equipment that is old, in order to achieve the classic 70s doom sound? How much autotune did you use?!! Raymond-We use a rack mounted 24 track recorder, the Alesis HD24. It captured the sound exactly as we play it. I use the same Tama drums set that I bought in new back in 1991, the Rockstar DX series, with some good mikes and as few punches as possible. It's important for the feel or the song to try to get in in as few takes as possible.

We typically play the song and record the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar all at once. This helps capture the live feel, then we go back and add or replace bass & guitar lines including solos and harmony tracks. Last we lay down the vocal tracks. Doomstress Alexis does a great job of capturing the feel in just one or two takes most of the time.

The sound has to be attributed to the gear and the mikes we use. Like to make sure we can capture the same or better sound live and we have on the album so we don't rely on any triggers or computer generated synthesizers. We use a couple samples that we made ourselves, too, like the marching crunch in “Fallow Fields,” which is the same sample we used on the first album. We do have an assortment of effects pedals and love to experiment with them to create original sounds as well. One example is running the bass through a POG (Keyboard synth pedal) as heard in the intro to “Sanctimonious.”

Doomstress Alexis-1st off-NO AUTOTUNE! We record through a mix of different gear both analog and digital, and then we sent it off to SupernaturalSoundLtd for mixing (although the 1st record we did mix ourselves via an analog mixing board). Aside from that we just use great gear that gives us the sound we like, and we capture it well thru trial and error, and advice from those with the know-how. How can people stay in touch? I live in Washington State, have you ever played here? Raymond-We keep up with our Facebook, ReverbNation, Youtube and MySpace pages. We are on Itunes, CD Baby, hellridemusic, shadowkingdomrecords.com, brainticket.com, and several other locations on the web. We have also

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recently created our own official band website: www.projectarmageddon.com.

There are links to listen to and buy our music, shirts, and other band merchandise, as well as info about our upcoming shows and events. We also have a blog with info about past events and a fairly extensive photo gallery. From our site you can sign up to become a "Fan" & receive notifications of upcoming events.

We have not yet played Washington State, but we do plan to do more touring this year and the next, so check back with us at the website to stay informed. Thanks, Raymond Matthews. THE END. --

Aphelium (Venezuela) The previous issue of this zine had a positive review of these traditional, melodic power metallers’ demo. Now, here they are again, explaining their musical journey in metal.

Aphelium is Marcos (bassss), Yohan (drmrrrr), Ismael (grrrrr), Joan (waaah!), and Christhian (keybrrr). www.facebook/com/ApheliumBand -- Greetings, Aphelium! How is life for a power metal band in Caracas, Venezuela in 2013? Are metalheads in Venezuela becoming fans of Aphelium? What do fans and zines, and webzines say about you? Joan: First of all, we'd like to thank Mauricio for this interview and say hello to all the Metal Bulletin followers.

Ismael: Greetings from Venezuela! Life for any Metal band is not easy in the beginning, but when you love Metal, you go on, no matter how hard it is. Even though Caracas has one of the most important Metal scenes in Venezuela, it is difficult for Metal bands to endure throughout the years, since there's hardly any support from producers. There are some producers who make great efforts in order to help maintain the local scene, but it is not enough. This could be explained by the fact that Metal culture is not fully developed in our country.

Marcos: About the fans issue. Well, we are really beginning our road as a band, we don't like to talk about "fans", we prefer the term "followers", people who like our music and support us. And we are thankful with all those people who have been to our shows and who have downloaded or bought our Demo.

Joan: So far, our Demo has had excellent reviews, which makes us really happy, since we've put a huge effort in our music. Local pages like "La Movida Metal", "Hermanos del Rock" and international pages like "Sorrow Eternal" and "Metal Storm" have talked about how they enjoyed it, and have encouraged us to keep on working on our music. Of course, we'd love

to have more songs in it, but that's all we've been able to record until now.

What are your earliest memories of metal music in Venezuela? A show, a video or a metalhead friend? Ismael: The first time I listened to Metal, I was like 14 years old and I was at my cousin's house. We were watching the MTV's top ten and I saw a music video of Rata Blanca's "La leyenda del hada y el mago". I loved the song but I didn't know what it was all about. The other moment that made me love metal even more was the Stratovarius show at "La concha acústica", a venue in Caracas. I really enjoyed that show because Stratovarius is one of my favorite bands, and also, "Metempsicosis", a Metal band from Caracas which is currently inactive (and one of my favorites), was going to perform as the support band for Stratovarius.

Marcos: Undoubtedly, the Motorhead concert. Lemmy Kilmister is a badass motherfucker! Watching him was priceless!!

Joan: When I was around 8 years old, I remember I saw an Iron Maiden video on TV. I had no idea what it was, but I really liked it. Several years later, I started listening to Rock music thanks to a friend in high school and I got the chance to discover the song from the video (which was Man on the edge!). I also remember my first Power Metal album. I saw the Cover and, at first, I thought it was a game or something. I decided to buy the CD because the guy who was selling it told me I might like it, if I liked fantasy and Classical music. When I got home and pushed play, I discovered music I had never imagined, Epic and wonderful; it was Rhapsody’s Dawn of Victory!

Yohan: If you're talking about Venezuelan Metal, my earliest memories are related to Metempsicosis. My brother showed me that band and I've always regretted not being able to see them live, since I was too young to go to their shows. I had their first record, "Alpha", which was a huge inspiration to me and made me realize I could have a band, a record and fill venues! Another memory I have, is the first concert I went to. My brother took me to an Iron Maiden concert! I was very young, and that was the moment he taught me what Metal was and I started to love it!

Cristhian: In my case, it was when I was14 years old. One day my neighbor showed me "BYOB" by SOAD and I was amazed by the melodies in the verse. The next day I bought the Mezmerize album. What do you think about Arkangel and "Represión latinoamericana"? Is that band interesting to you? Joan: Arkangel is one of the most influential Heavy Metal bands here in Venezuela. We think the way they expose our reality in "Represión Latinoamericana" is

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remarkable. And it is interesting how some things they describe in their songs haven't changed much. Did Joan sing Venezuelan pop music when he was a child? Since you are from Venezuela, did you rebel against the music of José Luis Rodríguez "el puma"? I suppose that it is almost impossible to avoid his music in Venezuela? He was very famous in the 80s, but now only old people like his music? Joan: I used to sing jingles and stuff like that, but besides that, and Choir music, I've never liked Pop music. The music of "El Puma" is not something one can't avoid in our country, as you might think (Thank God!). He was, and still is, very famous indeed, but, just like you said, mostly older people like his music. A Venezuelan singer who is definitely one of my influences is Torre de Marfil's first vocalist (Torre de Marfil is a Power Metal band from Caracas). Lastly, how do you imagine Aphelium in ten years? And what are your objectives in the next couple of years, after the demo? Is Reverbnation or Facebook good for knowing what is happening with Aphelium? Ismael: Right now, we are trying to keep the same active rhythm we've had over the last years. Ten years from now, we hope to have increased significantly the reach of our music. Our dream is that, in the near future, a lot of people throughout the world feel inspired by our music. We have some planned objectives; for example, we are currently working on our first album material and we hope to get more gigs, in our country and internationally.

Regarding Facebook and Reverbnation, we consider that both are essential tools nowadays. Facebook is ideal for connecting with your followers and know firsthand about their opinion on the band and their expectations. On the other hand, Reverbnation is more focused on the music and lets musicians keep statistics of their musical activity in social networks, so it's extremely useful to know how good we're doing with the band. We think these are the best tools for new bands like us, so we'll keep on using them in the future. THE END. --

REVIEWS by MMB

adult contemporary metal Infinita Symphonia (Italy): “Infinita Symphonia” Queensryche (U.S.): “Queensryche”

Infinita Symphonia. This is where the good singing takes place, where melody predominates, and sing-along choruses await the listener.

Very quickly, here’s the deal. Huge, direct rocking metal riffs, catchy hooks and solos, song/rhythm-based no-nonsense drumming, and a

good singer with a bit of grit (not thin-high singing), but still smooth and talented. Rocking metal songs, proggy tracks, midtempo numbers, and ballads. A ballad?! Yes, a love song, perfect for your wedding. That’s right, a love song. “In Your Eyes,” is called. Quality stuff. Ear-friendly. Recommended for those into “metal that the whole family can enjoy, even the kids.”

Confession: I hated this album the first time I heard it several weeks ago! Nevertheless, I decided to return to it yesterday and today. Something changed! The music is still the same, but my understanding of it became better, and in return, I totally see what Infinita Symphonia is doing. Fun, upbeat, rocking.

Look up the video on YouTube “If I Could Go Back” for a taste of the upbeat, melodic metal rocking! It’s not a high-budget video, but just listen to the music.

www.facebook.com/InfinitaSymphonia Queensryche. Excellent singing, strong choruses, an abundance of guitar melodies, and overall semi-prog feel, in the sense of adult contemporary metal or light metal. The previous Queensryche album with which this meshes the best is probably "Empire."

It is also very good, and well done at all levels. The bands sounds confident, experienced and professional, and the sound quality is full and bouncy. It's very easy on the ears and it's a very welcoming and friendly vibe.

The band has worked extremely hard at repairing the reputation, at redeeming the name, and at making a serious effort to compose a well-balanced album with great midtempo songs, and with a couple of uptempo rockers.

Very, very recommended for Queensryche listeners that enjoy the more midtempo, mature, catchy and lighter metal side of the band's history.

It's probably a bit disappointing for those listeners hoping for something heavier and faster, but if you listen to the complete album, I would predict that it will grow on you, as long as you listen to this, for what it is now, and you do like "adult contemporary metal," easy-listening music. High quality, regardless.

black metal (ancient) Grave Desecrator (Brazil): “Deathspells Rising”

I unknowingly lost this album and I should have reviewed it a long time. Like I’m telling you, though, I had not found it until last week. This is actually a 2011 compilation of demo, unreleased songs and live tracks. Not being familiar with Grave Desecrator, I have enjoyed this collection immensely. Grave Desecrator sounds exactly like the typical South American black/death/thrash bands have historically sounded.

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They live up to their vicious name and I recommend it only to anyone who particularly loves the first releases by Sepultura, Sodom, Sarcofago, Blasphemy and others like that. They do a cover of “Sacrifice” by Bathory, taking that early black metal track through the meat grinder and making that horrible song sound even more horrid and atrocious. Due to the variety of recording sources, the sound quality ranges from tremendously awful to unbelievably bad, all done to exquisite perfection. Grave Desecrator is great stuff! www.facebook.com/gravedesecrator666 black metal (traditional) Stonehaven(U.S.):“Concerning Old-Strife and Man-Banes”

Old, necro, archaic black metal, recorded in a cave. Stories of wars, feuds, conspiracies and treachery, all written in a special language for you. Stonehaven is a necro black metal band’s band.

Check it out, “Of the White Fall and Frozen Walls”! How good is your Viking English? Well, I don’t think that this story has a happy ending, nor does the piece called “Cutting the Necks of the Upstarts.”

Tremolo riffs summon shrieks and snarls with the appropriate drumming, Stonehaven has reached deep into the history of black metal and barbarian Europe, with such enthusiasm that it must be welcomed by the total-black-metal audience. There’s a time and place, a perspective, embodied in Stonehaven, and you will know as soon as you hear it.

In places all over the world, in metal, there are a few grumpy metalhead musicians who frown at the state of metal where they live. I get the feeling that Stonehaven is one such band.

Recommended for those into regional and local black metal bands that are not international rock stars, but that you know are actually pretty good at what they do, and just as important, they know what they are doing, and are not moved by the fickle-minded trends in metal. www.facebook.com/pages/Stonehaven/274695922642 black metal (transitional) Cnoc An Tursa (Scotland): “The Giants of Auld” Negator (Germany): “Gates to the Pantheon” Windfaerer (U.S.): “Solar” The clean production of Cnoc An Tursa‘s fast, tight melodic black metal enhances the listening experience by allowing the symphonic and guitar elements to stand out. In this instance, the songwriting itself goes beyond any genre. Case in point, “Ettrick Forest in November” shows tremolo picking, heavy metal

catchiness, and symphonic components in effective unity. The mellower tracks like “Culloden Moor” or the faster ones such as “The Lion of Scotland” all reveal the commonality of emphasis on songwriting. The audience into “Viking/folk/black”-ish metal will find Cnoc An Tursa to be a fun, strong experience. Plus, you are sure to enjoy learning about Scotland, its history, nature and mythical heroes. Very competent recording! www.facebook.com/cnocantursa Negator plays a well-balanced style that is part black metal, part death metal, and executed tightly, efficiently, and in a compact format, with up-to-date studio techniques, as found on current death metal (non-old school death metal). Speaking of style, Negator uses at least four recurring guitar fundamentals: tremolo/black metal riffing; thick death metal riffs; dissonant notes; and chunky thrashing hooks. Vocally, the vocals are both black and death, although the black metal style is more prevalent. Overall, Negator’s music goes to toe to toe with the most popular bands playing blasting/brutal death metal. Negator may not be the most famous of names, but I recommend this to fans of Belphegor and Behemoth, as well as Hate Eternal, and modern blasting metal in general. The difference is that Negator sounds newer to the game, so to the listener they will sound fresh, since this band comes from a black metal approach. Warning: knowledgeable listeners will know that Negator used to be a lot more of traditional black metal, with their 2004 debut “Old Black.” You should know that they have changed a lot, and have made a push from that style towards Behemoth-style intensity. Leaving aside that touchy issue of style change, if you just listen, you hear that Negator has taken a jump to running with the big dogs, and it’s the type of energy goes that over well with fans of “extreme metal” in the U.S. www.negator666.de Fans of modern, melodic, fast black/death metal, here is Windfaerer. They will win you over with one listen.

First things first, they play generally fast/uptempo, tight, professional-sounding black metal, with songs that make an impression quickly, so the listener doesn’t have to listen 27 times to understand.

Now that you know that, to the point. Here are two things about Windfaerer that I think are identity makers for them.

The guitar work. Above all else, the talent heard on the guitar makes the album. For example, “The Morning Star” displays such a quick-hitting, big riff at the beginning, so that this song closes the album with a bang.

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Besides the good riffs, the soloing is worthy of your attention. Some of those notes are, in fact, ear candy. It has occurred to me that maybe those fluid notes are not even guitar, but I do not have enough information or knowledge to tell you. Maybe you, dear reader, should listen to the soloing in “A Glimpse of Light” and see what you think?!!

Secondly, Windfaerer has a violin player and this adds an ear-friendly, different dimension to their metal. It’s a distinguishing mark of Windfaerer, and one that makes the music even more listenable and enjoyable. www.facebook.com/windfaerer death metal (obscurantist) Vorum (Finland): “Poisoned Void”

It is one thing to play chugging guitar and to growl and call that death metal. It’s a complete other perspective-craftsmanship involved in the creation of the type of obscurantist death metal played by Vorum. Archaic or ancient death metal functions at a whole other level. For one thing, Vorum’s music cuts across three genres: dark thrash, blasphemous death metal and black metal. The key thing is how Vorum puts it all together. There’s lots of tremolo segments, but the guitar tone is heavy, so it sounds like a massive black metal guitar, and the solos are about the shredding. The vocals are semi-intelligible, but it is a growl-snarl that takes the sound into the realms of “dark and evil death metal.” Vorum is so good that the music is a perfect illustration of why death and black metal have the same origin, were once one thing, and are, in Vorum, one again. Just as a side note, I’ll tell you about some “little” things that I find excellent. I find the guitar solos to be very enjoyable and are, for me, a highlight of the band’s overall sound. They really add personality to these songs. The drumming. I like the sounds of the cymbal work, and the hard-hitting (non-plasticky) sound. The way the double bass, cymbals and snare join together, it’s a pleasure to listen to, over and over again. Quite a creative style of drumming, that will have your ears entertained. It’s true in my case, anyway. Very good. Recommended for the selective listeners into obscurantist/ancient death metal. www.facebook.com/Vorumdeath death metal (technical/blastattack) Defeated Sanity (Germany): “Passages into Deformity” “Brooooootality,” slamming technicality is how Defeated Sanity rolls. If you love, love the super-over-the-top karate-chop-moshpit beatdown and throwing

your elbows in good, friendly violent fun, I have to tell you that Defeated Sanity has just entered their album “Passages into Deformity” into the my wildly famous Most Brutal Album of the Year contest, which takes place in my van, down by the river.

Every person who is physically fit should form a pit now. Do it. Do it now for Defeated Sanity!

I am not physically fit because I am 83 years old, but I can sure lift up my hand and do the Frank Mullen hand quake like nobody’s business! It’s easy for me to do it because my hands already shake all the time, anyway. What I like the most about Defeated Sanity is that they do well the multiple things that they do, meaning that they cook their songs just right, at the right temperature, and the result is a great success. The superlow indecipherable grunting, the blasting, slamming, shredding, riffs, pinch harmonics, solos, and all these things are placed and measured well. For example, the chugga-chugga knuckle-dragging low-string plucking, if not handled correctly, bores me to tears because it can sound like uncreative, unskilled stuff played by good-for-nothing, weekend warriors of death metal. That’s certainly not the case with Defeated Sanity! Step aside, make way for the professionals. If you want to hear a superbrutal band this year, and you insist that you have the patience for one album only, make it this one.

It’s that good. About the only thing that is missing here is pig squeals and more screaming, but this is so good that I will forgive them for that. Nobody is perfect, but Defeated Sanity is 97.33% perfect. www.facebook.com/DefeatedSanity doom (traditional)

Black Sabbath (U.K.): “13” Rolling Stone magazine’s Will Hermes says that

this album “kicks ***” and Metal Hammer UK’s Geoff Barton gives it “9 out of 10.” Personally, I was so bored by the third track that I was not looking forward to hearing the album again. There is no rocking, no headbanging and there’s a lack of energy. It sounds tired. It is a flawed, preposterous premise to think that they could go back in time and recapture a sound. Isn’t it delusional to think that they could channel the music of the late 1960s, when they were 19 or 20 years old?

It’s not a terrible album, but it is boring-slow, too slow for too long. What happened to the “rocking” part of the equation? Gone. Way too much blues. This is a snoozefest, just like that previous Black Sabbath album, “The Devil You Know,” another one that is extremely boring and tired, and with no rocking.

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grind Full of Hell (U.S.): “Rudiments of Mutilation” Mumakil (Switzerland): “Flies Will Starve” I have to tell you that Full of Hell’s music is for those into annoyingly brilliant noisy grind punk doom sludge whatever. The songs range from total grind blazing speed to very slow spacey sludge doom, with a strong tendency to make a lot of noise. A lot. If you don’t like bands that cross genre boundaries, then you won’t like this. If you genuinely love noisy stuff, and you don’t get frustrated that one song sounds like grind, and another is a crawling, snail’s pace number, then this is for you. Categories, limits and rules all mean exactly jack squat to Full of Hell. It’s crazy, bipolar, dichotomous music. www.facebook.com/fullofhell There is never, ever a bad day for all-out grind! Mumakil proves that the millions (and millions!), and millions (and millions!) of grind fans need blasting. Fast is headed your way right here! 24 songs in about 36 minutes, and only one song reaches the 2-minute mark. Yes! Mumakil is the type of music that you put on, and get your hearing wrecked in a whirlwind of blasting and growling, and then they are gone. Done. Yes! Great, that’s the efficient way. Don’t waste my time, just get to the grind, play the grind, play fast, really fast, scream, yell, growl and grunt and lose your mind. I love it. Never too much blasting. Can you smell what Mumakil is cooking?! It’s a spicy dish of no-nonsense grind, served on a hot plate of sarcasm and anger, with a tall glass of talk-smack lyrics. With a thick, modern production, not a garage-style sound. If you like to-the-point, old-style, drill-and-blast, nothing-but-grind grind, then invite Mumakil to your house. Not for schmucks. www.facebook.com/Mumakil heavy metal (traditional) Attic (Germany): “The Invocation”

Attic signed a contract with the evil powers, and it is a one-sentence contract, as follows (yes, I receive copies):

“Attic is hereby granted their wish to sound, as much as demonically possible, like Mercyful Fate 1981-1985, and in return they agree to surrender their soul to me [you know who] and to spend eternity in my lake of fire.” Anyway, yes, yes, the song titles, the singing (even down to the laugh), and everything is meant as a huge tribute to Mercyful Fate. How much do you love classic Mercyful Fate?! Well, that’s nothing. Attic loves Mercyful Fate more!

Everybody interested in all things MF/King Diamond, here’s a band to keep you entertained. www.facebook.com/atticfuneral heavy metal (power)

Dark Moor (Spain): “Ars Musica” This makes 9 albums, from their debut in 1999. It

is true that I have never heard a Dark Moor title that I did not like, and listening to this new one is just as much fun as their previous material. Featuring luxurious, symphonic power metal; and melodies that hit the mark big time, these veterans deliver like the true professionals that they are. Dark Moor does not emphasize upfront shredding guitars nor heaviness per se, rather it is melodies, hooks and notes coated in sugar. Speedy rockers, uptempo compositions, sing-along tunes, midtempo numbers (some more symphonic than others), ballads and others in between, Dark Moor covers all the bases in power metal, including acoustic and orchestral versions, and a song in Spanish. If you like power metal and you have not given them much of your time, this album is a very good place to start. Another fine, fine effort. Pleasing. www.dark-moor.com

melodic/growl metal Amon Amarth (Sweden): “Deceiver of the Gods” Darkane (Sweden): “The Sinister Supremacy” Trail of Tears (Norway): “Oscillation” Amon Amarth. This model of consistency, reliability and quality will once again satisfy the metalheads. Overall, the galloping riffs and the melodic hooks/solos illustrate why this band has never disappointed me. From the looks of it, those into them will also be pleased. The vocals are gruff, as always, but easy to growl along to. The drums sound perhaps a bit faster, with excellent segments of double-bass where it’s needed. Most importantly, you can bang your head like nobody’s business. The band has mastered the art of headbanging, memorable melodic/growl metal. Put it on your “to get” list because it has everything that Amon Amarth listeners like: quality songwriting, catchy melodies, uptempo/galloping riffs, and a great sense of how to get you moving. Throughout nine albums the band has gradually changed from a death metal band to uptempo and memorable growl metal, while adding some heavy metal catchiness. Formed in 1992, it’s like Amon Amarth has studied the history of legendary metal bands, has avoided those huge missteps that alienate their listeners, while getting bigger each time. www.amonamarth.com

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Quality. Experience. High Standard. Perseverance. Darkane.

Darkane is modern metal incarnate, in a positive way, that only experienced, tested veterans can be.

What doesn’t Darkane have expertise in?! There’s enough of everything for everyone here. Whether it’s huge thrashing guitar work, melodic hooks and solos, in-your-face heaviness, energetic/aggressive vocals, singing, and well-arranged songs, it doesn’t matter, they deliver a coherent, smooth impact. Clearly, the matter of coherence is key. Darkane finds ways to unite different components in one single, unified sound. Sometimes, Darkane goes into total thrash mode, where the pace dictates joining in, or getting out of the way. Just join in, as in “Humanity Defined,” where the thrashing, galloping tempo takes over, while allowing breathing room for a bit of melodic soloing. This same Darkane vibe and sound, somehow manages, in places, to sound more death metal-ish on “The Decline,” yet it sounds very much like Darkane. Mainly, it is because Darkane does not stay in a box, and just cuts across different genre lines.

They even manage to surprise with the unexpected “Hate Repentance State,” not a full-on thrash attack, but the opposite, a mellow, melodic ditty that seems to appear out of the blue.

Recommended for followers of bands that are concerned with good songs, and not so much the name of the genre. “Thrashing, melodic growl metal”? Here’s an interesting fact for the Darkane followers. Do you remember their debut 1999 album “Rusted Angel”? Or have you heard it? Lawrence Mackrory did vocals on that album and he disappeared from Darkane’s history as “that guy” from the first album. “That guy,” surprise, surprise is “Larry Lethal” from silly thrashers Freddy Krueger’s Ünderwear (FKÜ) and now is back in Darkane. Such is the cycle of life. www.darkane.com Many, many, many great news about “Oscilllation” by Trail of Tears. There is also some bad, bad news, but it’s not even bad news about this album. More on that in a second.

In terms of style, Trail of Tears represents the dichotomy of elegant, lush symphonic/melodic/melancholic/pop/catchy sensibilities with heavy/growl/headbanging metal. On this album, they master their craft impeccably and beautifully. It is certainly the one that I have enjoyed the most since their debut in 1998, “Disclosure in Red.” It would be easy to go into great detail, but for the sake of brevity, I will tell you about one thing that really, really, really steals the show here: the singing by

Catherine Paulsen. What can’t she do?! What a talent. She knocks it out of the park on this one. Excellent way to carry melodies, passionate singing, with a variety of voices, from intense high, air-raid siren acrobatics to soprano gymnastics, to midrange singing.

Anyway, I won’t bother you with more details. The songs by Trail of Tears = excellence in their style.

Ah, yes, the bad news, eh? Trail of Tears has disbanded! So, this is it. No more Trail of Tears. Reunion, anyone? www.facebook.com/trailoftearsofficial prog (traditional) Scale the Summit (U.S.): “The Migration” An instrumental prog band like Scale the Summit comprises a different listening experience from most metal because the listener can hear everything well, without the screaming/growling (and special effects) and without other things to distract from the music (sound compression, constant blasting, etc.). Instead of a barrage of noise, Scale the Summit endeavors in a fluidity of sound, flowing notes/solos that ease their way through the songs. Guitar, bass, drums, and good songs. Kind of rocking at times, but in a mellow-proggy way. The sound of music, just the instruments. Highly recommended if you want something musically accomplished, but that still has songs to get into. It’s not show-off stuff, but a good balance of music for musicians and music for intelligent listeners. Guitar enthusiasts, this could be for you! www.facebook.com/scalethesummit weird experimental Shining (Norway): “One One One”

Shining celebrates a carnival of clashing traditions of sounds with their “blackjazz”: industrial jazz saxophone mosh scream electronica paranormal postfreaky metal rock.

Shining hovers-un/covers their art with highly annoying, teeth gnashing, nails-on-chalkboard idiot savant majestic beauty brain snaps for the mentally rearranged puzzles in an epidemic maze of purposeful confusion mis/re/un/directed at mindcluster eccentricity.

This makes all orthodox/traditional/impatient listeners reach for a new pair of clean diapers.

That’s right, come and get it. Brain melt function mode on.

Grab a paper bag. Hyperventilate. www.facebook.com/shiningnorway --- July 10, 2013