Tracii Guns’ League of Gentlemen - The First Record 2013

There is always first time for everyone. League of Gentlemen is Tracii Guns latest moniker he needed after he also split from his long life attached band, L.A. Guns. From the rock news, Tracii disbanded his version of L.A.Guns in mid of 2012 and move on. Quietly released in June 2013, the First Record positively their debut album. The album has a majority modern hard rock styles, so this can be differ to our last year L.A. Guns released (Hollywood Forever).

For listener to hard rock that not familiar with Tracii Guns, tunes like Everything Everything, is generic hard rock song easy to grab by everyone. Those who like to hear Tracii Guns with his L.A.Guns style may find The Sound sounds close to L.A.Guns classic the Ballad of Jane. For the singer, Tracii Guns invited Scott Foster Harris, he is not too close character to L.A Guns' Phil Lewis, which is a good sign that this league of gentlemen not trying to live under the shadow of L.A. Guns. There are also modern psychedelic hard rocking tunes, song like The Witch and Sugar Mama are in this category. Find more sentimental ballads in Jealous of the Rain, Painted Lady and Feathers in a Hurricane. More post-alternative era feel in Taste Your Fear.  If you insist to heard some old blues rock tunes, Long Way to Heaven, Backside of the Moon and Saginaw Blues were there. Inducted also a surprise cover of Air Supply's Without You. Then the album close with another psychedelic new age track in Space & Time Collide.

Enough of variety of styles in The First Record, but little room for those expecting Tracii back to glamorous hair metal as in L.A.Guns in the late '80 era. They were less guitar riffs orientated track to be found, if you expected from Tracii Guns. Instead Tracii leads the band having more fun in trying up to date music. Enjoyable album to say the least!

Metal Harem class: ******* seven stars out of ten

Tracii Guns’ League of Gentlemen - The First Record 2013
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01. Everything Everything
02. The Witch
03. Sugar Mama
04. The Sound
05. Jealous of the Rain
06. Painted Lady
07. Taste Your Fear
08. Feathers in a Hurricane
09. Long Way to Heaven
10. One
11. Saginaw Blues
12. Backside of the Moon
13. Without You
14. Space & Time Collide

Tracii Guns - Guitars
Scott Foster Harris - Vocals
Doni Gray - Drums
Craig McCloskey - Bass
John Bird - Organ

Tracii Guns' League of Gentlemen - The First Record album review

Sirenia - Perils Of The Deep Blue 2013

Norwegian cum Spaniard Symphonic Gothic act is what Sirenia stands for. Historically, the band was born as a rival project of ejected Morten Veland from another gothic band, Tristania. Five albums they are in, with the release like The 13th Floor impressed me a lot. In this new 2013 album, Perils of the Deep Blue, Sirenia comes with deeper Symphonic metal and their gothic elements are still pure as blue ocean. A good standing position, to not followed other gothic band turns heavy or progressive trend lately.

The sign of serious symphonic stuff can be derived from their 3 minutes long instrumental intro Ducere Me in Lucem that lengthy in atmospheric chanting and howling. Then Seven Widows Weep is bombastic first opener, full scale in choirs and buzzing guitar distortion. As in many death metal wannabe, the first vocal we met is Morten Veland himself in harsh growling voice. The female singer is by Ailyn Garcia, not in the same room of operatic voices ala Tarja, but Ailyn sing in higher clean voice territory. The effect of her voice is good to fit into mermaids and ocean blue theme, kind of atmosphere and new age feel. She again sing perfectly in My Destiny Coming to Pass, a gothic metal best formula of having bombastic music but the singing is slow and charming. Alas, Ditt Endelikt is something awkward with a vocal do less justice to its music, which is a nice one. Luckily that is the only 'clean male voices' track on the album, we back on the track of symphonic attack in Cold Caress. For a notice, Perils Of The Deep Blue come with little to none guitar solos, Morten put more energy to invent catchy keyboard arrangements, one of the good sample is in Decadence. More serious composition comes in Stille Kom Døden, where Ailyn's sing in slow motion mode for over 12 minutes long. The escalation of mourning come to climax in The Funeral March. Profound Scars is angry and fast track, now with a bit of guitar works along with a popular flute voices. The other lengthy guitar solos only found in the later track, A Blizzard Is Coming.

Surely a theatrical synthesizer cover up can never replaced a guitar solo. Listening to over seventy minutes of choirs and orchestration, as good as it is, hardly can avoid to fall into boredom borderline. So, Sirenia need to hire additional shredder to lighten up situation, I beg. The other thing, the popular yin yang attack, female vs (death metal) male voices is not as tight as in other similar band. I feel Morten Veland's harsh vocal is not the best part I enjoy. Ailyn's innocence voice is enough, so left her alone is also my pledge. As for the bombastic symphonic part, this is where Sirenia able to capture attention in almost every song's opening. When Morten's ex-friends in the Tristan camp trying to further away from their Symphonic root, he leads friends in Siren camp to venture further in this overpower Symphonic attack. Perils Of The Deep Blue is best energy drink for your sleepy summer days.

Metal Harem class: ******* seven stars out of ten

Sirenia — Perils Of The Deep Blue 2013
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1. Ducere Me in Lucem
2. Seven Widows Weep
3. My Destiny Coming to Pass
4. Ditt Endelikt
5. Cold Caress
6. Darkling
7. Decadence
8. Stille Kom Døden
9. The Funeral March
10. Profound Scars
11. A Blizzard is Storming
Bonustracks
12. Chains
13. Blue Colleen

Morten Veland — Vocals (harsh, clean), Guitars, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Programming
Jonathan A. Perez — Drums
Pilar "Ailyn" Giménez García — Vocals
Jan Erik Soltvedt — Guitars

Produced- Morten Veland
Mastering and Mixing- Endre Kirkesola
Cover Artwork- Anne Stokes
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Sirenia Perils of the Deep Blue album review

George Bellas - Astral Projection 2013

Sorcerer George Bellas give us a new wizardry craft this month with an creation called Astral Projection. Once again he put in some celestial finger flying musical transformation into this creation. In our Earthling terms, George Bellas played a six string instrument, electrical powered, which is known as a guitar (well, Fender-fraction one). In his more than twenty years in living on planet Earth, George already given us about six similar creation, which we called music album, so this Astral Projection should be his seventh. This unsure cataloging is because George Bellas is a heavily session guitar player, involved in many bands and music projects. In short, this new album is his latest compilation of own work with guitar instrumental as main menu. On this project, he only need to summon one more wizard partner, an ultra smiling drummer named Marco Minnemann.

Astral Projection is mostly progressive music in majority. It is also has a neo classical licks in its. So there is a thing like Yngwie Malmsteen + Dream Theater combo, or if you prefer, Impellitteri + Symphony X call. The song titled is very conceptual, so we got the intro called Into The Unknown, which is a good description on the music itself, giving you real 'what going on next...' feel. Dimensional Portal also same. With all the flying harmonic minor licks, here come the first progressive moment. We can also hear the 'dimensional portal' choir and synth. The only weird situation is , in this song there is a lot 'waiting time' where we listen Marco's lead cymbal as foreground in a lengthy time. We then Out of Body, follow where the lick leading us next. This is heavily harmonic minor scale neo classical tune. The destination is none other than Fabric of Space and Time, right in the Hyperspace. Both compositions give us a feel of space and time travel. A light lydian sweep. Things complicated again in RIP In The Continuum. A bit of power metal feel can heard in the intro to Apparition. More diminished licks in progressive feel composition of Magnetic Anomaly. The last part of album concept in Visiting An Alien World with Interdimensional Travel, landed On The Other Side and got Transcendental. These are a string of outer space feel composition, lots of synth going on, flute accentuation (in Visiting An Alien World). The lengthiest part is in Interdimensional Travel where we deep through an eleven minutes long composition.

Compare to George Bellas previous album, The Dawn of Time, this is comes heavier in progressive, not many variation of style we can get as in The Dawn of Time. But actually it is a linear upgrade from The Dawn of Time to Astral Projection. We need to appreciated how creative George Bellas handling all other melodic instruments, the orchestration etc, and still come with interesting playing. Marco Minnemann is also perfect partner to give the song a decent drum playing. Taking Marco's busy schedule, we can salute Marco for his versatility. Marco just finished with other two guitarists, Julia Kosterova, Joe Satriani (as live drummer in June 2013) and still waiting for next Guthrie Govan collaboration project. Astral Projection is a decent instrumental work from guitar wizard George Bellas, played in astral time and space concept.

Metal Harem class: ******** eight stars out of ten

George Bellas - Astral Projection (2013)
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01. Into The Unknown
02. Dimensional Portal
03. Out of Body
04. Fabric of Space and Time
05. Hyperspace
06. Rip In The Continuum
07. Curiosity
08. Apparition
09. Magnetic Anomaly
10. Tipler’s Cylinder
11. Visiting An Alien World
12. Interdimensional Travel
13. Heightened Awareness
14. On The Other Side
15. Transcendental

George Bellas - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
Marco Minnemann - Drums

George Bellas Astral Projection album review

Bret Michaels - Jammin' With Friends 2013

And it's good to see Bret Michaels jamming with his friends again. Poison and Bret Michaels were my best memories from the glam metal in late '80. Shame we won't get that classic atmosphere again. So, when an old song, sung again and recorded with a touchy title "Jammin' With Friends", now that will be hardly to refuse. More information on this record can be read in Wikipedia's article. Majority of them are Poison's classic hits, such as Nothin' But A Good Time, Talk Dirty to Me, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, and Unskinny Bop. These song proves that Poison indeed crafted for us a classic tunes, that easily rendered into different feel and styles. Bret Michaels voices are the pacifying force on this hordes of musicians. As soon as we listen his vocals it will bring back the memories. Bret Michaels did not done many 'bad boy' screaming anymore, Talk Dirty to Me is the further he go. Instead this album resembling the later Poison era, the Native Tongue era.

The list of musician involved show how good Bret Michael's circle of friends. From Phil Collen (Def Leppard) , Ace Frehley to Frank Hannon, Joe Perry and old buddy C.C.DeVille. The record also sampling Bret Michaels later works, such as in Go That Far and Party Rock Band, all sounds in updated hard rock post the grunge era. For a classic piano ballad we can listen to Fallen. Then we have the best track saved for last, Something to Believe In in acoustic guitar mode is one tune we will sing along for the sake of '80 memories. Come and join Bret Michael's friend in jamming session.

Metal Harem class: ******** eight stars out of ten

Bret Michaels - Jammin' With Friends 2013
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01. Nothin' but a Good Time (feat. Michaels Anthony, Lil Jon & Ace Frehley)
02. Sweet Home Alabama (feat. Rickey Medlocke, Gary Rossington, Bobby Capps & Peter Keys)
03. Talk Dirty to Me (feat. Mark McGrath & Scot Coogan)
04. Get Your Rock On (feat. Phil Collen & Sal Costa)
05. Unskinny Bop (feat. The Shields Brothers!, Bobby Capps, Frank Hannon & Robert Mason)
06. The App Song (feat. Brian Nutter, Jimmy Buffett & Bobby Capps)
07. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (feat. Loretta Lynn, Bobby Capps, Joe Perry & Hugh McDonald)
08. Raine (feat. Edwin McCain - from album Freedom of Sound)
09. Driven (feat. Leslie West, Jeffrey Steele & Eric Brittingham)
10. Nothing to Lose (feat. Miley Cyrus - from album Custom Built)
11. What I Got (feat. Jaret Reddick)
12. Go That Far (feat. Jason Miller)
13. Fallen (feat. Jimmy McGorman)
14. Party Rock Band (feat. C.C. DeVille & Randy Castillo - from album A Letter From Death Row)
15. You Know You Want It (feat. Peter Keys)
16. Margaritaville (feat. Jimmy Buffett - Live in Detroit)
17. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (feat. Mark Wills, Chris Cagle & Brad Arnold - Freedom of Sounds)
18. Something to Believe In - solo version from album Freedom of Sounds
19. Nothin' but a Good Time (feat. Ace Frehley, Michael Anthony & The Shields Brothers!)
20. Get Your Ride On (feat. Phil Collen & Sal Costa)

Bret Michaels Jammin' With Friends album review

Sacred Mother Tongue - Out Of The Darkness (2013)

It's good to see a metal band arising from ashes and then signed by major label such as EMI. Sacred Mother Tongue is a band mainly known as outlet for guitarist Andy James to play a vocal metal song. Andy James simply a super talent guitarist made his name worldwide just by playing loud in internet, and of course on the stage. Sacred Mother Tongue then, one other way got their guarantee popularity and they handled the opportunity quite well. Out Of the Darkness is their second album. This band from UK gives a lot of 'friendly' metal tune that equipped with jaw dropping guitar solos as their most awaited parts.

Demons as their first opener is actually very Metallica sounding. The song just like a combo between Death Magnetic (hear the Ulrich-ism drumming there) and Ride the Lightning era (the guitar riff and even some of the vocal singing style). Something thrash come in a track like Seven. Now this time it leaning to Megadeth feel. And if you really like to find out, next song Pawn is also sounds like '80s Anthrax era. The other tracks that interesting to mention are: A Light Will Shine, this is where Andy James put more fill in solos outside the given time slot.  The City Is Crying, a song with metalcore-like drum groove and some lower pitch vocal line.

First, Darrin South's vocal is unique into the style. He is making most of Metallica-Megadeth-Anthrax-like song not anymore sounds like Hetfield-Mustaine or Belladonna, instead his rather clean voice make this sounds modern. As band with heavy weight virtuoso guitarist on the board, I found Sacred Mother Tongue a bit less 'wild'. I actually expected to hear a Van Halen version of metal band with lots of harmonics scream scattered everywhere possible. Instead Andy James applied a strong discipline to not ruined the mood of his band mate by overplaying. Which is I actually prefer the other way round though. Out Of The Darkness can go well with mainstream with this blending of popular headbanging riffs and radio friendly singing style. And thanks to the guitar parts, wider listener can appreciate the level of musicianship required to play in this genre.

Metal Harem class: ******* seven stars out of ten

Sacred Mother Tongue - Out Of The Darkness (2013)
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1. Demons
2. Bird In Hand
3. Seven
4. Pawn
5. Bleeding Out
6. A Light Will Shine
7. The City Is Crying
8. Just A Ride
9. Evolve / Become
10. Believe

Lineup:
Lee Newell – Drums
Josh Gurner – Bass Guitar
Darrin South – Vocals
Andy James – Lead Guitar
Record Label: Transcend Music / The End Records / EMI

British heavy metal Sacred Mother Tongue new 2013 album, Out Of The Darkness , album review

Orphaned Land - All Is One (2013)

The oriental, Middle Eastern region is enriched with thousand years of music culture. It's only come to a time when the music of Oud (perl shape Lute or guitar) or Saz (stringed instrument from Persia, similar to guitar), come along with distorted guitar and metal drum set. The combination of such folk music with metal then give birth to a genre called Oriental Metal. On surface of Oriental Metal population is a band from Israel, Orphaned Land. They were quite long running already, the trace of the band can be back far to 1991's. Staying in exotic places that so damn destroyed by human incapability of tolerances to different faiths, the band get much inspiration from all three Abrahamic religions. So long being existed, the band only equipped with five studio albums, including our 2013 releases All Is One. Full of sad stories and inspirational message to the land, All Is One is beautiful creation that put metal under serious tone of folk metal and act as ambassador of cultural differences in the area.

We open with tasty folk stringed instrument lick, that followed with grander choruses, and landed into a Middle Eastern scale metal song. All Is One is a metal song played under exotic time signature and layer of oriental instrumentation, this opening song is quickly become my favorite tune. Still same structure followed in The Simple Man. If you like Indiana Jones or the Mummy soundtrack, this song will capture your attention. Odd time guitar riff with bass lick fill in, an desert chanting all combined in this great composition. Brother is then a straightforward easy to grab slower tempo song with complex orchestration. Let The Truce Be Known again hold the water cold with a song that preferred to be go rather slow. Not enough with that, Through Fire and Water return us to desert camp fire feel, lengthy introduction with percussion and folk guitar. The present of female voices is only natural to encountered here. Fail, bring us back to modern day. This is Dave Mustaine-like speech thrash metal. Freedom is folk dance beat metal song that can really bring you jumping around in the light of Arab Spring victories over the region. All the rest followed strickly Orphaned Land formula of getting one oriental lick followed with heavy guitar riffs.

Cleverly put the metal in the container of religion-theme lyric and finished with awesome oriental - Hellenistic - Central Asia music, Orphaned Land had one more time succeed combining these world. I enjoy much this album. Something beyond our regular listening and it's not cheekily done. All Is One show the creative musicianship with high skill support. Yossi Sassi the guitarist come with arsenal of Israeli licks that kick nicely before the metal part begin. If you like to met him, Yossi also offer his solo album The Melting Clock. Credit to the singer, whose accent is clear for most Asian listener, the story telling lyric is easy to follow. Young drummer Matan Shmuely and rest of band the guitarist Chen Balbus and Uri Zelcha are supportive forces. This album not really gone heavy, neither too instrumental solos as in most progressive band. It's help us to see peaceful side on the Israel hills and valleys. It is a hope to destroy terrorism that bring religion as their weapon. All Is One, is heavy oriental scale based metal album. If you like creative music in metal here is a great album to listen.

Metal Harem class: ******** eight stars out of ten

Orphaned Land - All Is One (2013)
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1. All Is One
2. The Simple Man
3. Brother
4. Let the Truce Be Known
5. Through Fire and Water
6. Fail
7. Freedom
8. Shama'im
9. Ya Benaye
10. Our Own Messiah
11. Children

Lineup:
Kobi Farhi - Vocals
Yossi Sassi - Guitars & Middle East Folk instruments: Oud, Saz, Chumbush
Chen Balbus - Guitars
Uri Zelcha - Bass
Matan Shmuely - Drums
Record Label: Century Media

Israel Folk Metal band, Orphaned Land All is One album review

Darkane - The Sinister Supremacy (2013)

Darkane was a melodic death band actively pushing out albums yearly since 1999 to 2008. With five albums up to that years, Darkane success in getting attention from the crowd of death fans. It's only takes five more years before the band from Helsinborg Sweden, managed to recorded a new material, that is our June 2013 new Darkane album called The Sinister Supremacy. A quick summary, the album did not differed much from the rest. The vibes from past album such as Expending Senses and song as Violence from Within still dominated the styles in The Sinister Supremacy.

We have a death metal styles of orchestral intro there in Sounds Of Pre-Existence, sounds cold, with some dissonances to make this intro not sound power metal alike. The Sinister Supremacy seems to be the album's highlight and it is. Dynamic structures, catchy chorus and fast double pedal drumming on that. Well, actually a blasting tempo is the album's default template. Mechanically Divine continued what left in the first opener. In my descriptions, I think Darkane is somewhat like a Sweden / Europe version of metalcore, they are best listened while skate boarding, rather than as horror movie soundtrack, as in case of death metal mood. As another interesting track out of about 12 tracks here are: The Decline, which comes with short orchestration intro. Insurrection Is Imminent which is in a second just sounds like a doom metal song. Humanity Defiled with drum solo intro and a good guitar riffing. Hate Repentance State is obviously the most contrast song here, it's a piano composition with dark aura in its. Existence Is Just A State Of Mind offered a rather different drum beat compared to the rest. If you get the limited edition, two more tunes as a bonus.

As now, Darkane most popular personnel can be the drummer Peter Wildoer. He is of the fame of Seven Dream Theater Auditioners. Well, the truth is he also actively sold his drum beat to soloist such as James LaBrie (as the time of writing, James LaBrie is about to released his 2013 solo album) and CJ Grimmark. His drumming of course defined Darkane a lot. Lawrence Mackrory sounds more like an US metalcore style, which as I mentioned make Darkane somewhat a line between death metal and metalcore. Chugging guitars from duo Malmstrom and Ideberg bring enough aggressiveness for the style. Not much differences from Darkane's past portfolio, The Sinister Supremacy has nothing to avoid being keep by Darkane fans or wider death metaller.

Metal Harem class: ******** eight stars out of ten (8/10)

Darkane - The Sinister Supremacy (2013) 
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1. Sounds Of Pre-Existence
2. The Sinister Supremacy
3. Mechanically Divine
4. Ostracized
5. The Decline
6. Insurrection Is Imminent
7. In The Absence Of Pain
8. Humanity Defiled
9. Hate Repentance State
10. Collapse Of Illusions
11. By Darkness Designed
12. Existence Is Just A State Of Mind
13. I, Author Of Despair (Digipak Bonus Track)
14. Malicious Strain (Digipak Bonus Track)

Jörgen Löfberg - Bass
Peter Wildoer - Drums
Klas Ideberg - Guitars
Christofer Malmström - Guitars
Lawrence Mackrory - Vocals
Carlos Holmberg (ex-Soilwork) , cover art
Label: Prosthetic Records
Europe Release via Massacre Records on June 28, 2013
Release date: July 2nd, 2013

Darkane The Sinister Supremacy album review