Louisville, Kentucky’s Coliseum have grown exponentially over the course of three full length efforts, with the band’s latest EP, Parasites, showcasing a marked wealth of progression and maturity; an intriguing taste of what’s to come from this talented trio. Indeed, the sound of Parasites is surprisingly full, considering Coliseum utilize the old school power trio formula of guitar/vocals, bass and drums, with frontman/axeman Ryan Patterson coming up with tons of interesting guitar effects and tones to create this thick, almost psychedelic atmosphere.
“The Fiery Eye” showcases this in spades, expertly melding far-out guitar textures and subtle percussive elements to lead right into the barreling track “Ghost of God.” While Parasites may not possess the excess aggression of the Relapse released No Salvation-apart from the blistering jam “The Big Baby”-the direction in which Coliseum is heading towards provides plenty of stylistic twists and turns along the way.
If anything, Parasites evokes specifically heavy memories of 90s indie and post-hardcore, with the overall feel achieving something akin to Big Black’s Songs About Fucking…although perhaps not as sleazy. Regardless, the attack here on Parasites is heavy and engaging; a satisfying turn of events for a band clearly onto great and powerful things. Respect.
In our continuing coverage of Halloween horror in the metal world, Speedwolf bassist Jake Kauffman took some time out from his band’s Maiden ‘n Motorhead worshiping duties to contact Metal Army HQ with his top five fright flicks! Enjoy!
5- The Monster Squad: “The Goonies…but with monsters.”
4- Maniac: “Mommy problems solved with a knife to the throat!!!”
3- Punishment Park: “P.O.V. hunt of the human kind!!!!”
2- A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors: “Laurence Fishburne was born to play Max, not Morpheus.”
1- Basket Case 2: “Best horror sequel of all time.”
Special thanks to Nathan Birk, Jake and Speedwolf. Ride With Deathwill be released November 22nd on Hell’s Headbangers!
Arriving equipped with some seriously heavy riffage and the devouring, ravenous vokills of frontman Jeff Fahl, Ohio’s sludge overlords Rue are ready to kill here on Thorns, their sophomore effort for Shifty Records.
Having only released the Heart Held By Demons EP in 2008 and a split with Aldebaran four years prior, Thorns is actually the band’s first full length release of new material since their self titled debut way back in 2003. While eight years is a mighty long time to follow up an inaugural effort, Rue has taken their time and made the wait worth fans’ while, however, vomiting forth thirteen tracks of rusty razor riffs and possessed, growling diatribes courtesy of Fahl.
The band’s imaginative arrangements and the varied tempos of skinsman Greg Cook hold this beast back from bursting at the seams, simultaneously cooking up dastardly ideas for a sludge genre which all too often is content with rehashing the past. Instead, Rue kicks out jams which sound just at home on a stage next to Eyehategod or Iron Monkey (R.I.P.) as it would performing at Gilman St. to a bunch of crusties.
In other words, Rue kick ass and take names, not letting anything get in the way between them and total sonic destruction. Recommended.
To paraphrase King Diamond and Glenn Danzig…”It’s Halloween!” Blood Horror and Metal and Metal Army HQ decided to track down a number of extreme metal artists to get their take on some of their absolute favorite fright flicks. Our first victim…er, ‘guest’ is Fyrnd of German black metal act Fyrnask. Enjoy! \m/G.
1. El Topo (dir: Alejandro Jodorowski)
“This is not a ‘horror’ movie, but nevertheless a disturbing one, which I really recommend. The Holy Mountain, also made by Jodorowsky, is splendid. If you like experimental stuff, these two are highly recommended, in my point of view.”
“Raw and disturbing in its pictures and very sophisticated. It deals with existentialism and is built up after a neardeath experience by the author.”
3. Eraserhead (Dir: David Lynch)
“Lynch at its best. This movie is quite known for a good reason. It’s nightmare-ish atmosphere, but also the experimental touch of the movie is unique.”
4. Salo: Or the 120 Days of Sodom (Dir: Pier Pasolini)
“Based on De Sades infamous work and working with disturbing imagery and brutal violence. Also a good one in this genre, I would say.”
5. Irreversible (Dir: Gaspar Noe)
“A provocative, experimental and certainly no ‘easy watching’ movie. I think this movie works also on different levels and last but not least the narration of the story is well made and unusual.”
Special thanks to Nathan Birk, Fyrnd and Temple of Torturous Records!
Does anyone out there remember the delicate art of the made-for-T.V.-movie?
Back in the 70s and 80s, the tube was full of these weird ‘n wonderful special events, starring everyone from major, A-list Hollywood types to the no-name obscurities you’re likely to find starring in any number of low budget indie flicks.
One of the main differences between these old school teleplays and today’s B-movie scripts were the amount of psychedelic drugs going ’round, and how they were used to concoct some of the craziest, silliest, most over the top, I-can’t-believe-they-got-away-with-that-on-T.V. moments. Let us not forget that Stephen King’s classic Salem’s Lot was also a made for T.V. movie, far before cable and the networks began shooting their own epic miniseries of his work, such as the awesome version of The Stand which aired back in the 90s.
One of the more reserved and old school made-for-T.V. flicks to come out of the early 80s was 1981′s Dark Night of the Scarecrow, directed by Frank De Felitta with a teleplay by J.D. Feigelsen. Long considered a cult classic by astute horror fans the world over, Dark Night of the Scarecrow deals with a mentally handicapped but gentle soul named Bubba, who is tormented by the local, ignorant small townsfolk over his relationship with little MaryLee Williams.
When Bubba saves Williams from certain doom at the jaws of a violent dog attack, the kind giant is chased by an unruly mob of men-led by the delightfully mean Charles Durning-who mistakenly believe the little girl has been killed, holding Bubba to blame. The mob track down Bubba with dogs to an isolated field, where Bubba has taken refuge inside a scarecrow. Seizing a bloodthirsty opportunity, the men gun Bubba down inside the scarecrow, execution style, pumping him with over twenty rounds.
Having escape persecution due to small town politics and their community positions, Bubba’s mother vows vengeance, and it isn’t too long before the men responsible for Bubba’s death begin seeing mysterious scarecrows appear on their land, as they all begin to fall victim to mysterious accidents, one by murderous one. Despite this gruesome sounding scenario, Dark Night of the Scarecrow is notable for containing little to no gore, apart from a small handful of scenes. When these set pieces do appear, however, the effect is tremendous; a true example of the ‘less is more’ effect, with any dramatic bloodshed coming across as legitimately shocking and effective, while the rest of the film revels in sincere scares which are far above much made-for-T.V. fare, even during this heyday.
The acting here is also top notch, with genuine emotional availability from everyone involved. We feel genuinely sympathetic to Bubba’s plight, and actively grieve with his loved ones after his demise. The film’s mystery of exactly who is doing the killings is also suitably suspenseful, with no one really understanding what’s going on until the film’s final frame…and even then, we’re left to wonder.
The excellent musical score of Glenn Paxton assists this film with a beautiful, frightening and tension filled aura which, again, sounds easily suited for a feature film. All of these elements combine to make Dark Night of the Scarecrow a true Halloween classic which deserves to be rediscovered by horror fans young and old. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow is available now, reissued by VCI Entertainment!
I have a lot of respect for what Heavy Artillery is doing for the old school, traditional and heritage metal scenes, releasing such stellar power/thrash gems as Sign of the Jackal whilst remaining unerringly true to their metallic cause. All too often, however, I see new releases from bands like Midnight Chaser and just shake my head. Arriving with faux ironic 80s cover art-which is bright, ironic and laughably terrible-Rough and Tough claims 70s inspired hard rock roots, but the depth of execution really leaves a bit to be desired, despite the points earned for taking their name from a White Spirit song.
Yikes.
Musically speaking, the guitar abilities of Stephen Lauck are workmanlike and effective-if a bit simplistic-evoking positive memories of Saxon, Thin Lizzy and Diamond Head at times, while the vocals of Scott Attwood are a bit nasal, but succeed in a manner which is half Bob Mayo (Wargasm) and half Kevin Heybourne (Angel Witch). In more recent news, it seems as if ex-Mordred/Laaz Rockit axeman Sven Soderlund has joined the band’s ranks on second guitar, so perhaps the sophomore effort will pack a bit stronger punch.
For as it stands now, it’s the silly songs like “Cougar’d” which really bring Midnight Chaser down, sounding more like Steel Panther/Darkness styled cheese than anything forged in fire or baptized in steel. Missteps like this-combined with the one-dimensional, unimaginative direction of the songwriting-make Rough and Tough a difficult album to recommend to anyone other than those with low standards for their 70s/80s retro rock.
By far one of Germany’s more unsung traditional metal exports over here in North America-lagging unfairly far behind fellow Teutonic titans Helloween, Accept and The Scorpions-the story of Rage nonetheless chronicles a band whose unwavering dedication to the iron cause is nothing if not inspirational for those faithful whose souls still bleed denim and leather with pride.
Kicking things off way back in 1983 under the name Avenger, this early lineup of Rage was, as always anchored by fearless leader, singer, bassist and songwriter Peter ‘Peavy’ Wagner, releasing the Prayers of Steel full length and Depraved In Black EP in ’84 and ’85, respectively, before finally morphing into the Rage we all know and love sometime in 1986.
The sound shift from Avenger to Rage wasn’t terribly drastic. Although Avenger favored the dark, leather ‘n spikes image fixation of the time, the music Wagner was writing always tended to dwell somewhere in that nebulous realm between power metal and thrash, often dubbed ‘speed metal’ by those seeking a firm differentiation. Still, however, both Prayers of Steel and Depraved In Black showcased a far speedier and more aggressive side of Peavy’s songwriting, a tendency which would be further focused on early Rage efforts such as Reign of Fear and Execution Guaranteed, both of which would find a quick and appreciative audience in Germany, as well as those American metal fans who had the foresight and presence of mind to peruse the ‘import’ racks of their cool, local record store.
It was after these two efforts where the wheels began to spin a bit more quickly for Rage, however, specifically with the release of their next efforts, Perfect Man in ’88 and Secrets In a Weird World the following year. Both of these records featured what could be considered the first proper ‘hit’ singles for the bands, including live favorites “Don’t Fear the Winter,” “Invisible Horizons,” “Supersonic Hydromatic” and “Time Waits For No One.” Musically, this early-to-mid period of Rage could be quite easily compared to the creative arc of their countrymen in Blind Guardian, not only due to their shared love of double bass runs and melodic, slick guitar work, but also the orchestral, symphonic fetishes which would eventually encompass their (invisible) horizons.
While Rage would roughly continue this melodic metal streak for a bit longer than The Guardian-releasing LPs which would include Reflections of a Shadow, Trapped! and The Missing Link throughout the 80s and early 90s-the band would eventually collaborate with Prague’s Lingua Mortis orchestra on a trilogy of releases during the late 90s, with 1998′s XIII serving as a memorable high point for the musical marriage, resulting in the poignant and epic sounding single “From the Cradle to the Grave.”
Although Peavy has remained a constant throughout the existence of Rage, the band’s lineup has shifted multiple times over the years. With 2001′s Welcome to the Other Side, however, a new solidified lineup of Rage emerged: that of Peavy, guitarist Victor Smolski and drum machine maven Mike Terrana. This revitalized version of Rage would compose a number of efforts which nicely combined the traditional metal sounds of old-centered, as always, by Wagner’s pleasantly melodic vocals-with a modern day production and sense of heaviness.
These ambitions would best be serviced on 2002′s Unity LP; a prime LP of Rage tunes performed by a tight, charismatic unit. While Terrana would jump ship after 2006′s Speak of the Dead, both Smolski and Wagner remain to this day-alongside new skinsman Andre Hilgers-still holding true to their ideal of true, unabashed heavy metal…their way. The band is still an adored draw over in Europe, as well, particularly in their German homeland, despite the fact that true crossover success never really crossed their path.
Regardless of this fact, Rage remains a well-worthy investigation for traditional metallers seeking to broaden their 80s (again, invisible) horizons.
Not to be confused with the bizarre Aussie black metal contingent with which this Washington band shares their album title, Infernal Legion go far out of their way to prove that American death metal can indeed provide plenty of original and, of course, brutal thrills for a discerning metal audience.
Bursting out through the starting gate with a bright and energetic production, the guitars here on The Spear of Longinus practically possess the listener with a frenetic fury; harboring a Bolt Thrower bluster while also nodding firmly in the direction of America’s own Immolation in term of complex, Satanically oriented arrangement. What separates Infernal Legion from many of their peers, however, is the inclusion of demonic melody in the mix.
The guitars of Doug Stern and Eric Armstrong are very much in psychic tune with each other, ripping out memorable melodies with as much ease as they do kill-riffs du jour. The effect overall is somewhat similar to the Southern death squadron of Arghoslent, in that these melodic sections campaign with a vicious sense of pride and epic glory. In other words: don’t think Gothenburg. Instead, Infernal Legion manage to sound just as well put together as their European countrymen, while also possessing the intense, berserk rage of America’s most lethal death metal tendencies.
The Netherlands’ own gothic metal outfit Autumn have made a series of smart moves over the course of their fairly lengthy existence (having formed as Stonehenge back in ’95), smoothly ushering in a mellower and more melodic rock sound to replace the harder edged yet conceptually lacking sound of old.
As a result, Cold Comfort sounds more like The Gathering than it does Lacuna Coil or Evanescence, and all the better for this fifth release displays a more confident and focused Autumn than we’ve heard thus far in their career. Although the guitar production is a bit muffled by the blown-out, bass-heavy sound, frontwoman Marjan Welman’s clear ‘n comforting voice more than makes up for this misstep by creating stirring choruses and driving verses for these nine songs.
While still possessing the Euro-goth/metal guitar work popularized by bands like Within Temptation crossed with a slight influence of Finnish love rock like H.I.M. or Negative, Cold Comfort simultaneously presents a spacy ‘n hazy psychedelic atmosphere at times, reminiscent of the aforementioned Gathering’s mid period work with former singer Anneke van Giersbergen, after their breakout releases Mandylion and Nighttime Birds.
As such, Cold Comfort is easily the most memorable and best arranged release of Autumn’s career, and a positive step forward for a band who was in clear in danger of being overshadowed by their more popular contemporaries. With Cold Comfort, however, Autumn prove that they, too, pose a challenge for the game.
Martyr’s Circle of 8 is a fine example of why some obscure bands are probably best left that way, to lounge in the shadows of collector’s lists and cut-out bins.
While the heritage of this Dutch act extends all the way back to the early 80s with a duo of full lengths back-to-back in ’84/’85, Martyr never really made much headway here in the States, with most American metal fans probably associating the moniker of ‘Martyr’ more with the Canadian tech-death outfit than anything remotely power or traditionally minded.
Regardless of this fact, however, this Martyr has returned with their Circle of 8 comeback album, ready to make the day of every early 80s obsessive and/or the encyclopedic amongst us, for sure. Although the end results here are by no means piss-poor or ear-grating-check the aggressive and catchy thrash disaster ‘Art of Deception’-the bulk of Circle of 8 tends to be extraneous to need, rehashing many power/speed cliches without any real identity or the spark required to stand out from the ever-growing heritage pack. The love ‘em or hate ‘em tone of frontman Robert Van Haren is also a sticking point, as the singer tends to flip flop in and out of tune half the time.
To their credit, Martyr has ably arrived with the times, melding their old school influences with a bevy of lower-tuned, heavier attacks-think old Pantera or even mid-era Nevermore at times-and Circle of 8 does pick up speed ’round the half way mark, preventing a total and utter loss from these old schoolers. However, the real selling point for this album still eludes the listener, with Circle of 8 not really doing much to kick up things from idling in first gear. This one’s only for die hards.
