TMR

Crushing The Deceiver – “Self-titled”

 Posted by on April 13, 2018 at 01:08  No Responses »
Apr 132018
 

“Listen close. There’s a war going on for your soul right now.” My response: “Dude, I’m all ears.” I soak up the sounds of war issuing from my headphones and prepare for the impending confrontation. Johnny’s opening riff takes centre stage, and it’s a goodie. A shell explodes and the drums carry me into the fray. Pretty exciting, huh? And that’s only the beginning!

Crushing The Deceiver are a thrash metal band from Clovis, California. They launch their debut on 4 May, and will join heavyweight metallers Deliverance at the Sacrivox Music Festival in July. If the album is anything to go by, it’s going to be a blistering show! I mean, check out “The Light Inside Me”. It’s like someone’s pulling back on a slingshot and letting go, the momentum carrying Grant ever forward: “You are the passion inside me, The motivation that drives me…” Grant’s growl compliments the overall sound, and on this track the band varies its pace between soulful unblack lament and soaring stomp.

The link to the battlefield is reestablished in “Guide the way to You”. Ryan’s bass pushes forward, while the guitar and vocal rhythms echo one another. While they are adept at delivering riffs and beats at speed, Crushing The Deceiver also experiments with tempo to great effect. The changing intensity keeps me focused on the message. Continue reading »

Death Therapy – “The Storm Before the Calm”

 Posted by on April 6, 2018 at 17:02  No Responses »
Apr 062018
 

This industrial groove metal band from Atlanta, Georgia released their first full-length album last year. The most interesting thing of this band is that there are just two dudes in this band and there is no guitar player in it. Jason Wisdom, the vocalist and bass player is not an unknown name in the metal. He was the vocalist and bass player of Becoming The Archetype for twelve years. After a break of four years to care for his family he’s back with this band. And honestly, this shows that even with just a bass, drums and some vocals you can make amazing music.

It starts off with the calm song Until Then. It has clean vocals in the begin but it builds up to become something with a combination of calm and rough. Then when the next song plays, it’s a whole lot different. It has a groovy and deep bass-line. The most fascinating thing it the fact that the bass really sounds a lot like a guitar and makes up for the fact of mot having a guitar. Continue reading »

Red – “Gone” (Deluxe Edition)

 Posted by on April 5, 2018 at 19:07  No Responses »
Apr 052018
 

This is the sixth full-length studio album from the band from Nashville, Tennessee. It has been released on the 27th of October last year. They started back in 2002 when they were friends with a passion for music. Barry Blair, the drummer from Audio Adrenaline heard their music and invited them to record. The sound of the band is inspired by Linkin Park, Sevendust and Chevelle because they liked the emotional-driven music.

This album really follows in the footsteps of their album Of Beauty and Rage. The sound is still a bit of the sound of their first few albums, but is more infused with electronic music. The song Step Inside, the Violence starts off with a heavy riff. Than it gets slower but keeps the feeling of the song. The main sound at the couplets are drums and electronics. That makes a great contrast when the guitar part comes in. Also Still Alive is one of the heavier songs on the album. It starts off with a sound that reminds me of Throne from Bring Me The Horizon. It is kind of heavy sounding but it feels softer with the kind of pop sound. Though the bridge makes it sound kind of creepy. This song still keeps the heavy sound by the grunting of Barnes. Continue reading »

Sleeping Giant – “I Am”

 Posted by on April 1, 2018 at 18:09  No Responses »
Apr 012018
 

If I were to describe the album in one word, I’d say “precision”. Words like “driven”, “dedicated” and “purposeful” also come to mind. Sleeping Giant live their mission; to build out His legacy of praise. It is clear from the onset that they take their task seriously. The following refrain in “Preachcore Lives!” gives me goosebumps: “I will worship for an audience of one…”, a sentiment echoed like a warcry when first Tom, and then the other band members repeat, “One!”. If my description confuses you, listen to the opening track, and you’ll know exactly what I
mean.

The second track, “Second Chance Kids” states: “No truce, No compromise, Someone gave their life for me….” Sleeping Giant is a tight unit, and I enjoy how each player – from drums through guitars, bass and vocals – contributes to the whole of the sound. You won’t find any guitar solos here. Everyone drives to a single, focused point; like an arrowhead of sound. There is a good balance between spoken word and singing, and I enjoy how these two vocal styles compliment one another throughout the album. The melodic voice reminds me of Burton C. Bell, of Fear Factory, the “Digimortal” album specifically. Continue reading »

Enzo & The Glory Ensemble – “In the name of the Son”

 Posted by on March 16, 2018 at 18:39  No Responses »
Mar 162018
 

Play the first few seconds of the opening track “Waiting for the Son” and you might come to the same conclusion I did – EPIC! I enjoy the symphonic stylings in the power metal genre, and if you’re a fan of Aldaria you may just like this release too. “In the name of the Son” is the second album in a series by Enzo & The Glory Ensemble, its precursor being “In the name of the Father” released in 2015. This album took Scripture and prayers and set it to metal music. “In the name of the Son” continues in a similar vein, and traces first Israel’s desire for a Messiah – the Suffering Servant whom we recognise as Jesus Christ prophesied in Isaiah 53, before continuing with Jesus’ invitation to take up His yoke in Matthew 11:25-30.

Listen out for the messages contained in the songs that reference specific passages of scripture in their titles, like “Luke 1:28”. These songs link Old Testament prophecies with their fulfilment in the New Testament. I love how the instrumentation in each track paints a picture of a distant time, yet remains current by wrapping everything in a heavy metal cloak. Enzo Donnarumma and his collaborators amalgamate past and present effortlessly, and this is a testament to the calibre of the musicians involved in the project. Here they are, pictured below. Continue reading »

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