Friday 17 February 2012

Heavy Metal New Blood Profile : Trauma Theatre

Trauma Theatre

Jari Ylostalo - Guitar
Joni Tuuri - Guitar
Jani Niemelainen - Vocals
Markku Tuuri - Drums
Ilja Salakka - Bass

Finnish Metallers Trauma Theatre have literally just released their new promo the aptly named "Promo 2012" and to check out what Heavy Metal Bullet thought about it you can read the review right.... here!

So now it's time to find out a little more about the band behind the music. Jari and Joni had known each other since they were teenagers and after hanging around together in the same band projects in 2009 they started a new project Trauma Theatre.

"A new project where we'd play simple metal music with good rockin' attitude" Jari Ylostalo

With influences such as Killswitch Engage, Soilwork, Slipknot and Raised Fist the band got to work and their demo "Songs of Broken Relationships" was released in 2010 followed by the afore mentioned "Promo 2012" in yes you guessed it 2012! They are currently writing songs at full speed so we can await the next instalment...

So onto the interview questions:

Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB): What was the first Heavy Metal Album you bought?
Jari Ylostalo (JY): Vulgar Display of Power
Joni Tuuri (JT): Slipknot

HMB: What was the last Heavy Metal Album you bought?
JY: Soilwork - Panic Broadcast
HMB: An excellent choice, still on heavy rotation for me!
JT: Rage My Bitch - Fell on Black Season

HMB: Do you own any albums you would be embarrassed to tell a metal head you own?
JY: I don't own any albums like that any more
JT: Backstreet Boys - Millennium is probably the most embarrassing thing to have :D
HMB: Ok... and moving swiftly on ;)

HMB: What's the strangest thing you've seen at a gig your own or someone elses?
JT: This Finnish band Stamlna's singer/guitarist Hyrde stopped playing in the middle of a gig and went mud wrestling with girls wearing bikinis in front of the stage. This happened a couple of years ago.

So where can you go to check these guys out? Well conveniently I am just about to let you know!

Trauma Theatre Website
Facebook
Twitter

So don't be shy, go check them out say hello!

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Heavy Metal New Blood Album Review - Turbyne - Destroyer Creator

Turbyne - Destroyer Creator
Rating:  7/10

After the slow, atmospheric instrumental "The Inevitable", in kicks the heavy and strong guitars and drums of "The Void". The music gradually builds up layers adding some more complicated guitar sections and the rough vocals of the verse gradually give way to the bordering on clean vocals of the chorus. With a solid guitar solo thrown in for good measure this is a good start to the Album

"The Successor" then kicks in with a sound much heavier on percussion backed up with an intricate layer of guitar playing. The vocals are more death metal on the verses than the previous track but again brings in clean vocals for the chorus. The combination works pretty well creating a contrast in the track while the music behind remains consistently heavy and again the guitar solo really kicks it.

So far so good and onto "Cheap Death" while maintaining the heaviness the tempo of the track is slower than "The Successor" and the verse goes straight into the clean vocals in contrast to the previous two tracks. This fits better than the death metal style vocals would have and creates a quite atmospheric start to the track before the heavier vocals kick in for a couple of lines. I would probably class this as the weakest track on the album, it feels like it needs a little bit more energy as I keep expecting something a little more from it, if more of the track had matched the ending then I think it would have been a stronger song on the album.

And so the closer "Dedicated Warlord" this kicks in heavier than "Cheap Death" and the fast guitars over the simple but fast and effective drum beat line up perfectly for the rough vocals to enter with more brutality than earlier tracks particularly while growling "Warlord!". Once again the clean vocals come in for the chorus and while there is enough in the music to sustain the heaviness I think this track could maybe have benefited from the harsher vocals all the way through.

While a little formulaic at times with the rigid verse chorus structure the music has enough diversity across the album to prevent this becoming too repetitive and the guitar solos are outstanding in all the tracks. The contrast between clean and heavy vocals works well but again could be mixed up a little more.

This is a solid album and definitely puts Turbyne in my bands to watch out for list!

Check it out for yourselves...

Facebook
Turbyne Website
My Space

Saturday 11 February 2012

Heavy Metal New Blood EP Review: Trauma Theatre - Promo 2012

Trauma Theatre - Promo 2012
Rating: 6.5/10

The three track EP from Finnish metallers Trauma Theatre with its interesting title was release in January 2012 and is a follow up from their demo EP in 2010.

The first track "Don't Let Me Down" is very reminiscent of Soilwork to me, but being a fan of Soilwork that is not a problem for me! The distorted guitars with the drums behind start the track simply but well and then the rough, aggressive vocals kick in. The pace picks up with some hard percussion becoming fairly dominant leading up to the chorus with its mixture of clean and rough vocals. A good start so far..

Track two "Dream" starts with a more electronica sound before the guitars and percussion kick in. The guitar riff and vocals seem a little at odds with each other at times less so with the clean vocal parts though. This is probably a weaker track than the first, it has some good instrumental parts but I think the mixing of guitars and vocals probably needs a little work.

So the third and final track "Last Time" starts off a lot better than the third track and the riff definitely compliments the vocals on this. The vocals are probably the most aggressive on this track than the others and short bass and drum section about half way through is a nice change of tempo. This would be my favourite of the three tracks.

So if you're a fan of melodic death, metalcore, and probably a hundred other sub genre names that could be used to describe this, then this is one for you to check out!

Track Listing:
1. Dont' Let Me Down
2. Dream
3. Last Time

Website
Facebook
Twitter

Friday 10 February 2012

Heavy Metal Band Profile : Krankenstein

Krankenstein

Matt Roth - Vocals
Josef Sunderhaus - Guitar
Joe Morris - Guitar
Steve Hamons - Bass
Michael Scott - Drums

Ohio Thrash Metallers Krankenstein formed in the mid 1980s. Following on from some cover bands and a blues recording projectm Josef Sunderhaus began writing his own songs.

After being introduced to Matt Roth the pair teamed up as writing partners and once enough materal had been written the remaining band members were recruited and with a name thought up by Josef (although he is no longer sure how he came up with it!) Krankenstein was born.

Since then the band have released 4 Albums "One Foot In the Grave" 1989, "Krush Kill Destroy" 1992, "Theozoology" 1996 and "Dirt Nap" which although written in 2000 was not officially released until 2011. You can check out my review of "Dirt Nap" here and the band are currently working on a new album for release late 2012.

Josef Sunderhaus took the time to give Heavy Metal Bullet an insight...
"The Fans proceeded to try and flip over their tour bus, and yes I have it on film"
Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB): Who would you say your influences are?
Josef Saunderhaus (JS): Exodus, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Testament, UFO, Scorpions, Ritchie Blackmore, Urich Roth, Michael Schenker, Saxon, Motorhead and others

HMB: What was the first Heavy Metal Album you bought?
JS: Black Sabbath Vol. 4

HMB: What was the last Heavy Metal Album you bought?
JS: Death Angel

HMB: Do you own any albums you would be embarrassed to tell a metal head you own?
JS: Grass Roots

HMB: What's the strangest thing you have seen at a gig?
JS: We were opening for Shotgun Messiah at an outdoor show. After our set was over they refused to play due to a breach of contract by the promoter. The fans proceeded to try and flip over their tour bus, and yes I have it on film.

HMB: Any funny band related stories you would like to share?
JS: At a few shows on the first song, Matt would come running out on stage and fall off into the crowd, great way to start a show.

So check out the review and head over to the various sites and get yourself aquainted with Krankenstein,

Facebook
Reverbnation
You Tube

Thursday 9 February 2012

Heavy Metal New Blood Profile : Sparzanza

Sparzanza

Calle Johannesson - Guitar
Johan Carlsson - Bass
Fredrik Weileby - Vocals
Anders Aberg - Drums
Magnus Eronen - Guitar

Swedish metallers Sparzanza formed in 1996 with a slightly different line up to now but by 2009 the band was in its current incarnation.

The band are currently in the studio working on a new album set for release in September 2012 and have a few gigs coming up in Finland as well as a summer festival and plan on embarking on a major tour at the end of this year to promote the new album.

Sparzanza's influences are "hard and heavy music that also has very good melodies" ranging from bands like W.A.S.P. to Slipknot.

While not new blood, having released 5 albums to date, the band were still new to me but after taking a listen at their offerings I felt compelled to share. You can be sure a review will be coming up soon but for now let me introduce you to the band via some interview questions!

Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB): How did the name Sparzanza come about?
Sparzanza (S): The name is taken from a character in an old movie. The character is a pimp but no-one in the band can actually remember what movie it was taken from.

HMB: What was the first Heavy Metal Album you bought?
S: It was something with KISS. Can't actually remember if it was "Destroyer" or "Creatures of the Night"


HMB: What was the last Heavy Metal Album you bought?
S: Vulkan "Mask of Air" not really Heavy Metal, but still!!!

HMB: Do you own any albums you would be embarrased to tell a metal head you own?
S: Not Really, I think I may have some old singles that I bought as a kid and some vinyl album by Boney M. But nothing that I'm really embarrassed to tell about.

HMB: What's the strangest thing you have seen at a gig?
S: A lot of things! Once there was a midget that was hanging in the ceiling at a small rock club and no one helped him down so he was holding on like crazy not to fall down. Otherwise there is always weird things happening in the audience; people fighting and doing other weird shit ‘cause of too many beers. On one of our early tours in Finland, in a very small club, all of a sudden two girls was making out just I front of me. I mean not just kissing, really making out! I kinda lost it then and had a hard time focus on my performance.


HMB: Any Funny band related stories you would like to share?
S: On tour funny things happen all the time. But some things you never forget. Like when we accidently bomb threatened the Eiffel Tower in Paris. We forgot a small case, which carried our drummers kick pedal, under the tower. And when we noticed and went back to look for it, there was cops everywhere, and the area around the case was cleared. Well, I can’t really blame them. Think about it, you’re on vacation in Paris, about to go up in the tower to get a good view and you notice a black, plastic case, with a snake printed on it and it says “Iron Cobra” on it. And no one is around. Well, if I did not know I would be nervous too


So while waiting on the new album release later this year you can check out any of the previous five albums:

“Angels Of Vengeance” 2001
“Into The Sewers” 2003
“Banisher Of The Light” 2007
“In Voodoo Veritas” 2009
“Folie รก Cinq” 2011

and be sure to head over to their sites to check them out!



Tuesday 7 February 2012

Heavy Metal New Blood Band Profile : Enthrall

Enthrall

Hailing from Bangalore Enthrall came together as 5 high school kids who shared a bond... Rock n' Roll and Heavy Metal. The band embarked on a journey to perform progressive heavy metal locally in India.

The band went onto release their debut album "Infernal Horizon" in 2005 while still being unsigned, things were looking up when Enthrall received an offer from an independent label in Greece, Metalfighters but changes were coming...

Due to various circumstances including relocation and family responsibilities the band members with the exception of Neil Rego could not commit to the complete album and Enthrall for all intents and purposes became a solo project. Neil, however, is at great pains to stress there is still a place in the band for the former members
"Enthrall was a brotherhood and if by a quirk of fate, the remaining members do decide to reunite Enthrall will be a band again" Neil Rego
Nevertheless Neil continued with the new album "Throes of Fire" while the composition, concept and bass came from Neil he was aided in the recording by Suraj Dutt, Varun Sood, Max Warnby and Pranav Murthy. The end result was a quite individual sounding progressive album and you can check out my review of it here...

Catching up with Neil other than my regular Heavy Metal Bullet interview questions I was also intrigued by the experience of metal bands in India in comparison to Europe and the US.

Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB): Do you think it is harder for metal music outside of Europe and the US?
Neil Rego (NR): It is quite tough for Metal Music outside of Europe and the USA to make an impact in my own country and in other countries. More than quality, it is the strength of promotion and visibility that a band from Europe or the USA garners. In India, metal is totally underground, hence, bands are relagated to performing at only a few venues, money is a trickle and hardly enough to support touring. The internet has been beneficial in helping bands in India.
"That T-Shirt probably saved me that Day"
HMB: What was the first Heavy Metal Album you bought?
NR: Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast

HMB: What was the last Heavy Metal album you bought?
NR: Dream Theatre - A Dramatic Turn of Events

HMB: What's the strangest thing you have seen at a gig?
NR: In 2002, I attended a Static-X gig in NY and I was wearing a Pantera t-shirt. I am unsure if I was the only guy wearing a Pantera shirt that day, but during a moshpit there was a huge hulk of a guy who was mowing down several guys. I was standing there and instead of getting beaten black and blue he just slapped me accross the chest and yelled "PANTERA". That T-shirt probably saved me that day.

HMB: Any funny band related stories you would like to share?
The year was 1996. Entrall were headlining a High School event. At that point it was unheard of that a bunch of teenagers, studying in a highly disciplined institution, would be performing Heavy Metal in a school hall. As we rolled on to our set, playing Enter Sandman (Metallica), We Will Rock You (Blitz Version) and Policia (Sepultura). We saw crowd surfing and the entrance door literally became a see saw. All of a sudden we see police barge in, jumping onto our stage and charging with ther batons. That day we felt like rousing rebel rockstars... It was the first time in school history, a show by teenage kids was broken up by the police while we were playing 'Policia'!!!

So go ahead and check the band out and help this Indian metal band get heard!

Enthrall Website
Facebook
Twitter

Monday 6 February 2012

Heavy Metal Gig Review: Want For Destruction, L Sol Tace, Romeo Must Die, One Fell Down, Generation Graveyard - Nambucca London 04.02.12

One Fell Down
Braving the elements I headed down to Nambucca in London to check out a gig containing artists on Possessive Managements roster.

Starting the show was Want For Destruction (8/10) and a brutal start to the night it was. With a solid well executed set and an excellent front man bringing an energy to the performance that carried through to the audience, the scene was set. Want For Destruction are definitely a recommendation to watch out for and look out for them gracing the pages of Heavy Metal Bullet pretty soon!

So the next band up to follow on from the great start were L Sol Tace (6/10) having previously listened to some of their music I was looking forward to the chance of seeing these guys live. While the performance maintained the energy and I know the music is good the set at times lacked cohesion and felt a bit disjointed between the different instruments and vocals.

Next up was my personal highlight for the night Romeo Must Die (9/10) with the biggest crowd of the night (although I am attributing smaller crowds at later performances to the blanket of snow slowly threatening to close off all routes home!) the energy from the whole band, but the front man and bassist in particular, was off the charts from start to finish. With mosh pits forming both at the request of the band and independently the band produced a decent set of music combined with an atmosphere that to me personifies metal this is without a doubt a band I will be checking out more and looking to give more space to on this site!

One Fell Down
One Fell Down (8/10) were the next band up and having completed a profile on them I was really looking forward to seeing these guys live and they did not disappoint. It was a real shame for the band that the crowd had dropped off quite a bit by then (still maintaining because of the weather!) as those who missed this missed out on a great performance of some great tracks!

Closing the night were Generation Graveyard. While the band clearly have some great tracks and a brutal image to go with it, I get the feeling this wasn't one of their best nights especially following on from some amazing acts. So in the interest of fairness I'm reserving judgement on this one and will get myself down to another gig to check them out properly... To be Continued!

Overall Possesive have some great bands on their roster and the gig was a night of good metal and a hell of a lot of fun. Links to the bands are below and I throughly recommend you check them out and get yourself out to see them the next time they play near you!

Photos courtesy of Michelle Murphy : Mootography

Want For Destruction Facebook Page
L Sol Tace Facebook Page
Romeo Must Die Facebook Page
One Fell Down Facebook Page
Generation Graveyard Facebook Page