Ankit Sood

Kalidia– “The Frozen Throne”

 Posted by on December 11, 2018 at 18:10  No Responses »
Dec 112018
 

Power metal stands synonymous with fast guitar riffs, cinematic soundscapes, married with upbeat and anthem like singing style. The Italian band Kalidia, formed in 2010, stands true to this definition, released their first demo-EP in 2012 and their debut album “Lies’ Device” in 2014, and are out with their latest album ‘The Frozen Throne’, released on Nov 23rd 2018 under the record label of Inner Wound Recordings. The album was recorded and mixed by Lars Rettkowitz [Freedom Call], mastered by Achim Köhler [Primal Fear, Amon Amarth, Brainstorm] and the artwork was created by Stan W Decker [Vanden Plas, Primal Fear]. Kalidia toured around the major centres of Europe namely Italy, Germany and the UK and list Rhapsody of Fire, Hammerfall and Stratovarius and Beast In Black as some of their influences.

The album opens up with “Frozen Throne”, the name reminds of the Warcraft’s game of the same name, and as it builds up and gathers momentum it outleashes fast paced guitar riffs meddling well with keys. Nicoletta Rosellini’s impressive voice keeps the song upbeat and full of energy. “Circle’s Spell” opens up with middle-eastern styled riff and brings forth a catchy and uplifting rhythm. Nicolletta showcases her tremendous vocal range and Federico churns out an impressive palm muted riff right after the chorus and doesn’t shy away in making the guitar bleed with a melodic solo. Continue reading »

Perpetual Paranoia – “The Reapers”

 Posted by on November 14, 2018 at 00:43  No Responses »
Nov 142018
 

When two veteran musicians, separated by the Pacific ocean, Dale Thompson (of the Bride and The world will burn fame) and Tiago James de Souza (Sole axe-wielder of the Hand of Fire) decide to collaborate, they come out with a brutal debut record “The Reapers” and are calling themselves Perpetual Paranoia – which stems out of a constant fear one evades through the passage of time.

With the advent of the internet and technology, a lot of people have come together from different spheres of lives and aligned thoughts and ideated on work that baffles and captivates the intended audience. Leveraging the benefits of the above, Perpetual Paranoia came to existence and composed an amalgamation of Thrash, doom and hard rock in this album. The lyrical duties were fulfilled by Thomson and the song writing and arrangements were managed by Souza. The band had signed up with Rottweiler Records and N.O.G. and released this album in August 2018.

Without much ado, I queue up the record and as it opens with “Intro” it immediately paints a scary yet ambient soundscape with ghastly shrills lingering at the backdrop. “The Reaper” starts off as a monologue and before you know it speeds up with a doom styled guitar riff accentuated with blast beats. The vocal delivery modulates and swings between different styles that of doom and thrash metal. There’s a subdued guitar soloing which is not very evident but needs to be picked up to laud the fine craftsmanship of the guitarist. Continue reading »

The Skull – “The Endless Road Turns Dark”

 Posted by on October 7, 2018 at 21:19  No Responses »
Oct 072018
 

The Skull, which derives its name from Trouble’s second album, have released their own sophomore record “The Endless Road turns Dark” on 7th September, 2018; under the record label of Tee Pee Records. Hailing from Illinois USA, Trouble was considered as the pioneers of Doom Metal alongside bands like Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The Skull spun off from Trouble in early 2012 with its three former members Ron Holzner , Jeff “Oly” Olson and Eric Wagner and saw a lot of line-up changes before releasing their first album, “For those which are Asleep”.

With this record, The Skull creates a classic Sabbathian doom with a psych-tinged metal vision which benefits greatly from the pedigree and experience of the band’s members and pushes authentic, old-school metal to heavier and more foreboding places, fuelled by burly riffing, metallic groove and a crushing punch. Ethereal and wonderfully moody with a heart of heavy metal beating at its centre, the record delivers definitive doom metal full of powerful builds and mesmerizing dynamic range. Continue reading »

Dark Sarah – “The Golden Moth”

 Posted by on September 20, 2018 at 19:36  No Responses »
Sep 202018
 

Scintillating, enigmatic Dark Sarah, a Finnish cinematic metal band led by classically trained singer/songwriter Heidi Parviainen, is back with the Final leg of her chronicles, with “The Golden Moth”. The album is going to be released on the 21st of September 2018 in Europe and North America under the label of Inner Wound recording, and is the brainchild of Heidi Parviainen, former Amberian Dawn’s vocalist. Dark Sarah ́s music combines metal, film music and theatrical elements. I reviewed “The Puzzle” back in 2016, I have been waiting for the final leg of the journey, without a doubt with tremendous curiosity.

The concept albums tells the story of a young woman called Sarah and her evil half – Dark Sarah and a mystical journey through three worlds. Dark Sarah’s first album “Behind the Black Veil” introduces the listener to the main character Sarah, a young woman left at the altar by her husband. When she is on the verge of breaking down, something wakes up inside and changes her into her meaner half, Dark Sarah. While her Second album “The Puzzle” we embark on a journey where she’s sent to Underworld, an island where the banished souls live, and solve a puzzle to come out it.

With “The Golden Moth”, she takes us on a journey from the netherworld to the Upper world, a deserted waste land where the gods rule. The Dragon sneaks into the new world following Dark Sarah. And as they team up together they try to find their way to the gods that live on an island floating upon the desert. All the three albums have been crowdfunded by the fans on Indiegogo. Continue reading »

R.A.I.D. – “The Strong Survive”

 Posted by on September 2, 2018 at 22:59  No Responses »
Sep 022018
 

It gives me immense pleasure to introduce you to the newest old school hardcore band reigning in from Hyderabad, India – R.A.I.D (Rueban and The Imperium Division). Formed in June 2016, the debut band has signed up with Rottweiler Records, and have released their debut album “The Strong Survive” early July this year. Having seen a few line-up changes over the years, the band (the brain child of vocalist Rueban Issac) describes themselves as “When one thinks of a raid, the word generally conjures thoughts of a sudden attack or assault on an enemy as in warfare. The implication is that a counter threat or forceful action is being levied against a previous assailant.”

The band lists out a number of influences which includes Madball, Suicidal Tendencies, Agnostic Front, Terror, Snapcase and Hatebreed. Lyrically, R.A.I.D focuses on the classic ethos of hardcore, PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) with the added message of Hope, Strength and Salvation through the teachings of Jesus Christ. R.A.I.D strives to further breathe fresh music into a generic scene, pushing both music and lyrics to the fullest potential.

Without much ado, I plug in my earphones and with the flick of a matchstick delve into this debut record. The first track, “Detonate” literally true to its name, explodes with hammering riffs and sets the groove on. The guitar tone is rugged and riffs are progressive, accentuated equally with raw growls and makes one groove to the beats. Next up we have, “Soul of a Lion” which takes no time to grab your attention with a catchy riff and continues with the same energy as that of its predecessor. What was peculiar about this song was the interlude that introduces us to the odd time breaks and builds up intensity to outleash brutal madness, the guitar solo did its magic too. Continue reading »

 Older Entries