Heavy Metal Reviews

Opeth has all but given into being just a progressive band and in their wake, some fans are left scratching their heads.  Their recent contribution to the ‘God of War’ soundtrack--one where most bands involved are releasing some of their heavier material (see Trivium)--was lacking... to say the least.

So when the dust gets swept off and artists and fans have gone their ways, where will Opeth lay?  And who will fill the void they left?  In my humble opinion I believe most people who are fans of Opeth (especially the die-hards) will follow that band to the grave, even if it is with less intensity as before.  I think fans looking for early Opeth-ish metal material can find it in Gwynbleidd, a New York band that stormed onto the scene in 2009 with the release of their debut album 'Nostalgia'.  Gwynbleidd has been compared to Opeth up and down.  Truth be told, the reason for this is because.....they really do sound like Opeth.  That is not such a bad thing, especially right now with some fans feeling alienated from them and searching for something new. 

So, If you like Opeth, give Gwynbleidd a try.  To say they sound ‘exactly like Opeth’ or that they are ‘rip-offs’ would be a grave injustice to both of the extremely talented groups of musicians.  Similar as they may be, both have their merits. 

Metallica is a metal icon.  No duh, so why spotlight them?  First off, because the majority of readers we have are young, we need to clear the air about Metallica (or in recent years, Rocktallica).  You might be too young to have been exposed to 'Ride The Lightening' or 'Master Of Puppets' recorded in their heyday.  I was, but it doesn't stop me from from enjoying their old stuff (and wondering what the hell has happened to them since then). 

Around the time the Black album was released, Metallica took a ride down the slippery slope into a place we call "Mainstreamvilleton".  Mainstreamvilleton is not the kind of place a metal kid wants to find himself after dark--or in broad daylight for that matter. So why the sudden and drastic change in style if the old stuff was so great?  Perhaps Metallica did it for the money, maybe they really were being true to themselves (what's more metal than that?), we really can only speculate.  One fact remains though, their presence from the early days is still felt, influencing bands from all across the world to make that "sweet drug" you and I consume without reservation. Metallica perhaps embodies the true spirt of metal, that is, sometimes silly, sometimes thought provoking, always moving and ever so often... disappointing.

I just cannot stop gushing about my recently found musical crush on the latest While Heaven Wept album, ‘Vast Ocean Lachrymose’ and will continue to do so until someone intervenes. Today however, I want to talk not so much about the beauty found within, but the ‘book's cover’ so to speak.

The album cover is taken from a painting done by the late and great John Martin, who was acclaimed in the 1800’s for his depictions of Biblical scenes of destruction, titled ‘Christ Stilleth the Tempest’.  Martin’s highly stylized painting complements perfectly the sorrowful and nautical themed lyrics and crushing melodies that span the disc's six tracks. 

John Martin has also posthumously contributed artwork for Angel Witch and Lustmord.

Overall: 7.5/10

Strong Points: “The Fatalist”, “At The Point Of Ignition”, Production
 
Weak Points: “Shadow In Our Blood”, “Arkhangelsk”
 
I wanted to take a moment and do a quick review of Dark Tranquillity’s 9th studio album, ‘’We Are The Void’’, released today(!) on Century Media. I should mention in the interest of full disclosure and fairness, that I am a huge DT fan so any discrepancies seen you can chalk up to bias....
(Read The Full Review Here)

If you can't see why the cover of Danzig's 1993 EP 'Thrall: Demonseatlive' was chosen this week for our Album Art Spotlight, you have no business being on this site. Seemingly encompassing all things metal, the cover for 'Thrall: Demonseatlive' housed some pretty prolific Danzig recordings including a studio re-mix of their most popular song 'Mother', titled 'Mother '93'.

I like the idea of it, but I have never really been able to get behind Epica. I am not much of a clean vocals fan, except when used as accents or in doom. So, when Czech symphonic-metal band, Arch of Hell came recommended to me from a good friend, it was a heaven (or hell) sent. You see, Arch of Hell takes all the epic-y goodness of Epica, strong female vocals and symphonic keys then adds a healthy dash of harsh vocals, tones down the pop-production and leaves the rest of the commercial crap behind them. I couldn't ask for more. They are not shy, however, about their affinity for drawing influence from Epica, stating them as one on their myspace page.

 I have been listening to a lot of Arch Of Hell lately and believe me when I say they will silence all the gothic/symphonic (whatever you want to call it) doubters. They certainty worked their magic on me. Arch of Hell's 2009 album, 'One Day' is available here.

The good folks over at Peaceville Records were kind enough to send us an advanced copy of Abscess upcoming album 'Dawn Of Inhumanity' the other day. I couldn't have been happier. First off the rumors are true, the Darkthrone duo, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz do have a special 'cameo' appearance on this album--and it is good. Secondly, with a stacked cast and ex-members of the like of Autopsy and Death, this album did not disappoint.

For all you video game fans out there you know that God of War III comes out on March 16 2010. And we at Metal Call-Out are very excited for it. But let’s get down to why this has anything to do with metal. The soundtrack to God of War will be released by Roadrunner records. This is going to feature bands like Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Dream Theater, Opeth, Taking Dawn and Mutiny Within. Find out the details after the jump.

Be'lakor's sophomore release 'Stone's Reach' was an absolutely colossal record, one of my favorites of the year and one I played over and over. So why shouldn't the entire package be as distinctive and as well though out as the music within? Simply put, it is. The cover art is a stark, bare-boned photograph of a statue created by Benvenuto Cellini, 'Perseus Beheading Medusa'. Standing 18ft tall, and residing in Florence, the statue tells the story Perseus' slaying of the famous witch and his eventual fall from grace into tragedy. See a picture of the entire statue after the jump. 

A friend of mine recently gave me a copy of Falling Down, a sort of indie- metal/drone compilation highlighting some heavy-hitters and alternately some obscure gems. Three CDs, covering the work of 40 bands and limited to 1000 copies, The Falling Down Compilation is an absolutely mammoth labor of love for the small team that releases them. In March 2010, Falling Down will release their second compilation chock full of unpublished tracks from bands spanning seven countries. Pre-order a copy here. After the jump see the official track listing of the first Falling Down Compilation and more on the upcoming second installment.