Royal Thunder- "Crooked Doors"

   
    Now, a review for one Relapse Record’s finest up and coming rock groups, Royal Thunder. The Atlanta, GA based band return with their sophomore album, “Crooked Doors.” As if people can’t stop listening to their debut release, “CVI,” the band has found another way to keep fans glued to their speakers.
    “Crooked Doors,” demonstrates Royal Thunder’s great song writing abilities and amazing musicianship. The production value along with the different guitar sounds captured throughout this album, have an unbelievably unique and distinct sound. Also, singer/bassist Miny Parsonz, has a voice that can captivate listeners while drawing them into this pleasant dark world that delivers such great raw emotion.
    The first song, “Time Machine,” is a perfect introduction for anyone who may have not heard of this band before. At first the band constructs this mellow psychedelic atmosphere and becomes heavier when Miny’s deliver becomes more aggressive. The song is a journey through a whole diverse canyon of sounds and the quality of the recording does the track so much justice.
    Track number two, “Forget You,” begins with a short burst of feedback and then explodes into a hard hitting doom rock riff. The guitar tone is bold and unapologetic just like the lyrics of the song. The follow up song, “Wake Up,” starts off a lot different and takes on this psychedelic vibe. Each note rings out over Miny’s voice with perfect pitch and mind numbing tone.
    Songs like “Floor” and “The Line” have a classic hard hitting sound. I really like the song, “The Line.” The lyrics are constructed in this extremely powerful manner. One verse that stood out is, “Throw your best friend into the fire and then spit them into the grave.” The way that she says those lines with such furious emotion is utterly amazing.
    “Forgive Me, Karma,” is a bit slower, but progresses with a variety of different compositions. I really liked how the guitars were recorded and the guitar effect used for the introduction riff is very calming. Track number seven, “Glow,” has this mix of blues and psychedelic rock, and is an overall decent sounding track. “Ear of the Fool,” is another well written piece of music. From the drums to the guitar chords used, there is a sense of unity and every sound works to form one strong musical entity.
    The track, “One Day,” continues the more solemn sounding hard rock approach. For me the guitar solo on, “One Day,” is full of great emotion when the notes ring out as guitarist Josh Weaver glides through the scale. The final two tracks, “Bear I” and “Bear II,” were a bit of a surprise, however, they were a creative way to end this album. The tempo is drastically slowed down and the band seems to fade away. “Bear II” features a piano piece that gives the song a pleasant sound and helps wrap up the diverse psychedelic doom rock journey.
    This album was definitely an enjoyable listen and full of many different great hard rock songwriting writing examples. The music has raw emotion, a quality that you do not get most often these days. I think this band as a whole has great chemistry and the album’s overall sound speaks for itself. “Crooked Doors,” is a must listen for fans of creative rock music that does not fail to capture your imagination.

Interview with the Band: Blackened

 Here is an interview with the Brazilian Thrash band, "Blackened." Check out their EP, "Underground Attack." It will thrash your face off!!! \m/

Q: Hello guys! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview.

Blackened: Hello! We do appreciate for the opportunity to doing this interview.

Q: So, I might as well begin with a question about your 2014 release, “Underground Attack,” which I reviewed not too long ago (a release that I must say sounds kick ass from start to finish). How pleased are you with the songs on that album? Could you talk about how you recorded the album? How long it took to record?

Blackened: We are very pleased with the outcome of the EP and with all the attention it has received after launch. The recording of the album was great, because we weren’t under pressure to record this. So, it was fine and in 12 hours we recorded the album.

Q: All the songs on “Underground Attack” are solid sounding crossover thrashing tracks in my opinion. However, if you were to pick one, what song is your favorite? Also, what song on the album does think was the most challenging to come up with?

Blackened: I guess our favorite song from “Underground Attack” is Extreme Violence, it still sounding so great when we play. The most challenging song was TxNxDx (Thrash Never Dies) mainly in the recording of the drums, guitars and vocals.

Q: I thought the lyrics on “Underground Attack” really had substance and vividly came alive during certain songs such as, “Third World.” What inspirations do you take from the world around you to write such powerful lyrics? Who usually writes the lyrics, or do you all contribute?

Blackened: “Third World” is especially based in all the corruption that controls Brazil, is in historic trouble and we are not pleased with it, we want changes, we want to live in a country that the politicians respect the people, here, they don’t give a fuck for the people, they just think in more money by the corruption. Is a sad thing.

Q: Okay, this question came to me when I first received the EP, did you guys decide to name the band Blackened after the Metallica song? Also, what are some of your favorite bands? Here is another one relating to the last question in a way, what is your favorite heavy metal album if you could only pick one?

Blackened: Yeah! When we were choosing the name we were thinking in a name that remembers the old school spirit, so we thought, “Blackened” can be pretty good. We like very much bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Violator, Municipal Waste, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Mastodon, Sepultura, Kreator, Descendents, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag and Bad Brains. For J„o (Bass/Vocals) is Master of Puppets, from Metallica , for Jo„o Vitor (Guitars) is Crack the Skye, from Mastodon, for Marcelo (Drums) is Surf Nicaragua, from Sacred Reich and for Ulisses (Guitars) is Rust in Peace, from Megadeth.

Q: I was wondering if you could talk about the music scene in your area. How often do you have the opportunity to play shows?

Blackened: Actually, the music scene is growing a lot here, mainly the thrash scene. We have been playing with bands that influenced us, like Poison Beer, and bands that appeared when we had already started playing, like Evil Exorcist, Murdeath, Rot Remains, and we are very close with them. About the shows, we have one almost every month. People here in the scene try to do everything as possible to make shows, including doing them in their own houses.

Q: Now, touring globally for metal bands is difficult these days unless you are a band like Metallica. However, if you were to tour the world, what are some of the places that you would like to play?

Blackened: I think we would play anywhere people called us haha, that’s pretty much how we have been doing things here in Brazil. We have plans to tour Europe and South America after the release of the full length, but we are really curious to know how Europe is like, since most of the bands get on really well there.

Q: I read in your press kit that you have a new album on the horizon that will be released through the Witches Brew. Is there by chance an exact date as to when the album will be finished and available for ravenous thrash maniacs to own? Also, what formats will you have album available on? CD? Vinyl? 8-Track...probably not.

Blackened: We are going to record it on July probably and we are planning to launch it on mid-October, with 700 copies from Witches Brew, and, for now, only on CD.

Q: Alright guys, thanks again for taking the time to do this interview and keep on thrashing! \m/

Blackened: We thank you very much for doing this interview with us. We’ll keep on playing, because thrash never dies!!!

Band Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/blackenedbrazil?fref=ts

Salythia "Death D’core EP"

    Sometimes I honestly can’t decide how to describe a metal band. Are they thrash, hardcore, death metal, melodic death metal or blackened thrash crust punk? I feel bands that allow listeners a chance to hear multiple influences in a clever way when listening to an album, really offer those listeners a unique experience.
    Coming from Sacramento, CA, Salythia is an up and coming band that does not place themselves into on sub-genre, or claim to be some ridiculous blend of sub-genres like blackened thrash crust peace punk d-beat (A band actually described themselves to me in that way!). With their EP, “Death D’core,” Salythia presents eight musical compositions that display great variety. Also, I like how the band has these transitional tracks that set up certain songs such as track number two, “Interlude I: Of Great Disdain.” It reminded me of my favorite Pestilence album, “Testimony of the Ancients,” were there are short instrumental transitional tracks that give the album a certain flow.
    Now, Salythia kicks off the EP with a slamming track called, “Bloodlust.” The song has a brutal tone and an unapologetic death metal nature. The guitar riffs hit hard as the vocals come in growling at full force. There is a solid level of technicality and the music always seems to shift in a different direction compared to what I expect.
    Track number three in my opinion is Salythia’s best representation of what this band is all about. I hear thrash influence to melodic death metal, but the music maintains this level of great creativity. On this track the band really hammers out a great piece of music. The mix of clean and growl vocals works really well. Usually, I am extremely critical of the clean and growl vocal mix and tend to let my metal elitist alter ego takeover, but for some reason I thought the music sounded great with the contrasting vocal style. Best song on the EP in my opinion.
    I thought track four, “Shattered (A New Beginning),” was another solid composition, especially the introduction instrumental part. The quick thrash like guitar bursts instantly captured my attention. However, I did not feel the vocal contrast came across as strong as it did on, “Affliction.” Though for the most part this song’s instrumental structure was very impressive and full of unexpected moments. Same goes of the song, “Dementia.” The music is powerful and is played at a solid extreme sounding level. Big shout out to the rhythm section of this band too for creating a heavy sounding backbone that adds to the band’s aggressive and creative sound.
    The last full track on this album, “Chaos By Design,” captures the band going off into a heavier more progressive metal like area. Insane instrumental pieces and vocal parts just seem to explode through my speakers. The song is very abrasive sounding at times, yet there is this part during the song where the one of the vocalists references line from Shakespeare. Metal and Shakespeare...who would have thought?
    My final thoughts on this EP are that Salythia is a band with plenty to offer the metal world. I think if people really listen carefully, there are so many different areas of metal music that you can hear when listening to this EP. I honestly think for a young band, Salythia has plenty of potential and the opportunity to attract a wide range of followers. I think metal music right now needs passion and variety, so bands like Salythia will hopefully keep pushing forward and trying to find new ways to be creative in the metal world.

Salythia Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/salythia

Cvinger Interview

Here is an interview with the Slovenian Black Metal band Cvinger! Make sure to check out their debut full-length album, "The Enthronement ov Diabolical Souls," extreme music worthy enough to scare a group of old church going ladies!

Q: Hello member or members of Cvinger, first off I need to say great job on the new album, "The Enthronement ov Diabolical Souls." The album really offers up some unbelievable extreme musicianship.

A: Thank you and we are very happy that you enjoyed the album.

Q: How long did it take for you to write the album (Come up with the instrumental compositions and write the lyrics)? Did the band have most of these songs written up before you guys went into the studio to record? Also, who does most of the song writing or is it an equally effort?

A: We wrote and record The Enthronement of Diabolical Souls in little more then 6 months. First our guitarist Bagot wrote all the guitar parts, then we arranged and practiced the songs together as a band in our practice room, so that we could record the album with confidence.

Q: Now, what I really enjoyed about this album compared to other black metal albums I have heard, is that the songs flow together as if they are telling a story. Also, the album is divided into three chapter which I thought was interesting. What influenced the lyrical ideas for this album and did you write the album as a concept album?

A: When our singer Lucerus was writing the lyrics he was highly influenced with dark and occult rituals and mythology of the ancient nations and middle ages. With chapters the songs definitely feel connected with one another and we like that, but we didn't have the plan to write it as a concept album.

Q: Some of the compositions on this album are pretty damn extreme. What song would you say was the most difficult to record, or the most challenging if played live?

A: The recording went very smooth so there wasn't any particular song that we had trouble recording. For me personally the hardest one to play live is Eikmus Manifestaton, but for the band I would say Reclaim the Crown, because of the rhythmical difficulty of the song.

Q: Being a black metal band, I am sure you are aware of the stereotypes that are associated with the sub-genre such as, the music sounds like it was recorded in a basement with a 1990’s answering machine. However, the production on this album was really well done and I think the songs were strengthened by the production value. I want to know what are your thoughts on the album's production? Where did you record this album?

A: We wanted a more modern sound because we feel that with the clear sounding music listeners could understand our album and embrace the evil and dark atmosphere. So we are very pleased with the way we produced the album. All of the recording was done in our home studio - Truga Studio.

Q: I read in your bio that you are from Slovenia. Is there a strong metal scene in your area? Also, what music did you listen to growing up that may have influenced your musical identity?

A: I think that Slovenia has a very strong and diverse metal scene with a lot of great bands. I started listening to metal with Iron Maiden and then I eventually progressed towards more extreme genres, so now I mostly listen to progressive, death and black metal. As a band we are influenced with bands such as Mayhem, Marduk, 1349 and so on, with death metal bands like Immolation and also with classical music and movie soundtracks, for example the main riff in the song Reclaim the Crown was written like a homage to Imperial March from Star Wars.

Q: With the album out I was wondering if you guys will do any touring? Do you plan on playing any shows or festivals in the future?

A: In December we did a short East European tour and we will announce some more European dates soon. We would love to play some festivals but we haven't booked any yet. Currently we are playing in our home country Slovenia.

Q: For my last question I want to give you a chance to briefly explain to people reading this interview as to why they should check out the album. What is the one aspect of this album that you think stands out compared to the other extreme metal recordings that have come out this year?

A: I would say that our album is a great mixture of everything we love about black metal and is very direct. You will hear evil and darkness and nothing else.

Q: Well, thanks for doing this interview and keep writing solid sounding extreme black metal music! The world needs more good black metal bands and less black metal bands like the one Nicolas Cage's son is in. Cheers! \m/

A: Thank you and keep supporting metal \m/

Blackened "Underground Attack"

    The global thrash metal scene is alive and kicking! There are bands from all around the world creating heavy thrashing riffs that stir up mosh pits and get the people in the front row head banging.
    Coming from Brazil, Blackened, adds themselves to the worldwide thrash ranks with their six song EP, “Underground Attack.” The band draws influence from the classic eighties thrash scene and adds in a modern crossover kick to the face. Just imagine the chaotic frenzy of DRI mixed with the unapologetic attitude of Exodus. For a young band these guys know how to play their instruments well and write some wicked sounding lyrics. The music sounds really tight and the songs contain great levels of pure thrash energy.
    The opening instrumental track, “Starting the Chaos,” begins with a thunderous guitar and drum attack. After some crazy drum fills, the band launches into the mosh forming madness. The second track, “Underground Attack,” is a triumphant sounding piece of crossover thrash that has the speed of punk and attitude of metal. Following the relentless thrashing second track, the band begins song number three, “Extreme Violence,” with an Iron Maiden like bass introduction. Soon the bass fades and the heavy guitar riff assault starts tearing away. The singer provides a fierce energetic vocal delivery that perfectly compliments the explosive sounding music.
    Just as the first three songs celebrated the legacy of thrash with a ferocious edge, the last three do not let up or become repetitious. The fourth song, “Psychopath,” sounds like something out of the Bay Area thrash scene. Track number five, “Third World,” demonstrates how thrash musicians can write thoughtful songs that comment of societal issues. Unlike some artists who can only write songs about screwing around in the back of a car on a Friday night, thrash bands like Blackened show a level of musical maturity and intelligence. The final song, “TxNxDx (Thrash Never Dies),” is a bold and confident statement to the rest of the music world. From the passionate vocal delivery, to the insane double bass drum attack and to the distorted screaming old school sounding guitar solo, this song is proof that thrash is alive and kicking.
    Some metal critics might argue that there are too many revival crossover thrash type bands around, but I would say that some of those young bands are worth hearing, because they play just as good as some of those eighties metal bands do now. Also, the young thrashers tend to not have inflated egos like certain older metal artists who I will not name. Overall, Blackened did not disappoint on this release and they sounded solid. Once they release a full-length album, I would not hesitate in getting a copy. If you are a fan of old school thrash played by young musicians who offer that modern shot in the arm, you should definitely check out Blackened. The band’s last song is very true, thrash never dies, because the young bands shall continue the great legacy that was set forth by groups such as Metallica, Exodus, Slayer, Overkill, DRI, Whiplash, Testament, Megadeth, Anthrax, Powerlord, Nuclear Assault, Toxik...I can go on and on...

Band's Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/blackenedbrazil

Frosthelm "The Endless Winter"

    From the endless cold barren lands of North Dakota, comes a band with plenty of pent up aggression that probably comes out of living in a harsh cold environment.
    Frosthelm covers listeners in a thick layer of chilling distorted chaos with their debut full-length release, “The Endless Winter.” This blackened thrash group never offers listeners a dull moment. The compositions are vicious and yet, the incorporation of acoustic guitar riffs gives this album a creative and unpredictable sound. When listening to the album one might find themselves lost in a blizzard of relentless black/thrash guitar riffs with echoes of intense blast beats covering the landscape. The band’s singer strengthens their extreme sound by laying down unapologetic abrasive vocals that demand your attention. Overall, this album keeps listeners on the edge of their music playing devices.
    The beginning of this album really hooked me in, and it instantly peaked my interest. For their first song, “Glacial Eon,” the band’s guitarist presents a soothing sounding acoustic piece. This calm acoustic atmosphere soon fades away and sets up the second song, “Storm of Teeth.” Compared to the first song’s calm effect, a massive heavily distorted guitar riff assault instantly begins to take form. The music pauses for a moment and an audio clip from the movie Hellraiser can be heard, adding a sinister touch to the song. As the cold sounding black metal instrumental arrangement is ferociously tearing away, the singer expresses harsh sounding lyrics with a forceful growl. Track number three, “Forlorn Tides,” continues the extreme frost themed sounding music of despair. Frosthelm’s overall sound is amplified to another level by the drummer’s insane blast beats.
    Now, the band does alter their sound on this album to give listeners a variety of intense compositions. During song number four, “Tomb of Sordid Ruin,” the band decreases the tempo for a bit to create a slow crushing main rhythm that maintains this level of unpredictability. The following tracks continue the black/thrash metal attack and even offer up some heavy grooving rhythms.
    Frosthelm makes sure to effectively demonstrate their musical talents and the band always finds different ways of introducing their style of extreme metal. Track number eight, “The Dragon,” begins with an ominous sounding guitar arrangement. Again, the band does not hesitate and feverishly jumps into a wicked sounding extreme instrumental jam. The final song on this album, “Silent and Dark, the Everlasting,” is one of my favorites on the album. I like how the band develops the music throughout the song and the track fades out with a solemn sounding acoustic guitar riff.
    From how this album was recorded to the musical arrangements, I can’t find a weak moment. Frosthelm really put passion and great work into making this album. “The Endless Winter,” is highly recommend for fans of extreme black/thrash who are looking for a release to keep them engaged until the final song. Just like a unforgiving winter storm, Frosthelm will blanket the world around you with cold chaotic winds and leave listeners in a state of shock, as if they are standing alone on a frozen tundra of black/thrash mayhem.

Sweet and Lynch "Only to Rise"

    To be honest, I have never been the biggest Stryper or Dokken fan, especially Dokken. Go watch one of those Dokken videos from the 80s. They are all prime examples of ridiculously cheesy hair metal videos. However, Michael Sweet from Stryper and George Lynch who used to play in Dokken and has been involved countless other projects, are both very talented musicians. 
    I may not particularly enjoy some of their past work with certain bands, but I will say that these men have had long careers and worked hard to get to where they are now musically. Both guys are rock veterans with many years of experience, and getting them together to work on an album is not a bad idea.
    Sweet and Lynch offer listeners a well rounded rock and roll release. Also, accompanying them on this album are two other very talented musicians with impressive backgrounds. On bass you have James Lamenzo who used to play in White Lion and Megadeth. Behind the drum kit you have Brian Tichy who has worked with numerous rock and metal acts such as Whitesnake, Ozzy and Billy Idol. All around the band is full of talent and the songs definitely capture this group’s solid musical chemistry.
    I was particularly impressed with the songwriting on this album. You hear very straight forward classic rock songs with bit of an eighties classic metal touch. George’s guitar can created some graceful sounding riffs while Michael’s voice provides the perfect melodic touch. There are also times when George can crank out a ripping guitar solo. In the eighties George may have looked like a cave troll that over did it with the hair spray, however, the guy always knows how to lay down a decent sounding solo.
    The songs on this album are solid to the core and the opening track, “The Wish,” sets the tone for want is to be heard on the rest of the album. Sometimes the songs take on this heavenly and rather soothing sound classic rock vibe. Now mind you, there are some crushing hard rock moments like on the songs, “Time Will Tell,” “Divine” and “Hero-Zero.” George can create these bluesy sounding rock riffs that make way for Michael's powerful sounding vocals. Say what you want about Stryper’s old yellow and black outfits, Michael can still sing and he injects so much emotion into each song. The song, “September,” is extremely moving and overall just a well constructed piece of rock music.
    In the end, I think that every song on this album is written with complete musical consideration. If you are looking for a good sounding hard rock release, this album is well worth your attention. All the musicians in this group dig deep to find their best inner musical talents. I recommend listeners forget their past opinions about some of the musicians’ former bands (Dokken), because this release is something that really took me by surprise. I am glad that their are still musicians who are writing music with substance, and they can also play their instruments pretty darn well too. Unfortunately, they can’t erase those outrageous photos from the 80s.