Been 14 years since the Swedish power metallers' last release, even longer, going back to their best material (Sunrise In Riverland, from '01, strongly recommended!). OK, it wasn't very original, but it WAS the best Helloween album of that era, as the Germans struggled with their legacy, trying to pull rabbits out of a hat, with a darker ride. Once Deris and Weiki righted the ship, Insania attempted to alter course (slightly), precipitated by line-up changes and musical winds of change.
Now, on album number five, the years away have given Insania new focus and allowed fans to re-embrace the speedy, non-Teutonic derivative power metal. A dual vocalist sextet, with two guitars, neo-classical flourishes are inserted throughout the eleven cuts. Fleet fingered "Praeparatus Supervivet" opens, digits bouncing off strings and ivories alike. Orchestral strings kickoff the traditional, high vocal Euro power metal of "Solur". Kick drum pedals get a workout, big time! Retelling the mythological tale, "Prometheus Rise" opts for a slower, mid-tempo stomp, punctuated by some (restrained) histrionics.
The sawing of symphonic strings commences the otherwise full-on, fist pumping metal of "Moonlight Shadows". Downplaying the synth, a bouncy "My Revelation" is up next and comes closest to the band's prior Weenie infatuation. "We Will Rise Again" is meant to be an autobiographical mantra. After the keyboard intro it speeds off, probably the fastest passage on the entire disc. Unfortunately, "Like A Rising Star" is the brand of rapidly played, but heartless metal that's all too common these days (especially overseas). Nice twin leads though.
Timing is everything and the galloping hard rocking "Blood, Tears & Agony" recalls the concurrently issued Alcatrazz platter (ironically also entitled V). Nothing wrong with "Entering paradise", checking off the requisite boxes, but feels more like filler, rather than sporting any distinguishing characteristics. The subject matter might be hackneyed, but "Power Of The Dragonborn" is a mead flagon rising anthem of the first degree, while there's more prominent use of keyboards in the grittier toned finale, "The Last Hymn To Life".
Could have used more material like the standouts found in the middle of the running order, but welcome back nevertheless.
While certainly a stand-alone concept album, the Swedish musical historians' latest eleven stories should be viewed as a companion piece to The Great War (2019), fleshing out the history with more tales from what is considered, in the USA, a forgotten conflict. Late to enter the war, American deaths (horrific as 117,000 is) were "light" compared to those who had been fighting for years. Some totals, regardless of Allied or Central Powers were 10, even 25 times higher. Canada lost about half the US number, but a greater number, overall, than in WWII. After the Second World War, much of Europe had to be rebuilt, but the remains of WWI: statues, major military cemeteries and uninhabited tracks of Belgium and France still off-limits due to stockpiles of deadly gas and/or unexploded munitions, survive, to the present day.
Throughout their discography, the Swedes have recounted "The Price Of A Mile" or "Cliffs Of Gallipoli", realistic anecdotes from the (not so) Great War. This time around, while not arranged chronologically, the album DOES open (courtesy of some female narration) with the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which quickly spiraled out of control, into a continental conflict. The table setter is a riffing, (Russian goose-step of a) slow march, complete with orchestral strings and group chorus (a recurrent motif): "From a shot that would change the world. Tensions rise and a war is unfurled. Nothing like what had come before. It's the war that will end all war." Two-thirds of the way through, the guitars buzz, before falling back to the belabored pace. Conversely, the disc ends with "Versailles", site of the treaty that not only brought the whole affair to a close, but (unfortunately) set the stage for the global conflagration that would unfold two decades later: a fact eluded to in the final voiceover. In between, the sadly incompetent military "minds" on both sides, fed soldiers to the meat grinder of technological advances (machine guns, bombs, tanks, gas/fire, even bi-planes) using inferior/out-dated, Old World tactics. As a visual compendium, would suggest movies like 1917 and the old Mel Gibson vehicle, Gallipoli.
So, this is not some mindless, throw-away, "Sex, drugs & rock n roll" platter. Nor is it a sterile, dusty museum piece. While a few of the songs will undoubtedly survive to become setlist favorites, it should be listened to/viewed as a collective. It's a work of art, destined for the largest concert stages of Europe, littered with barb wire, period era costumes, fire cannons and pyro galore, plus military accouterments. Sabaton always attempt to imbue the historical accuracy with an emotional component. Witness "Lady Of The Dark", regarding Milunka Savic, a Serbian who initially took her brother's place in the army (disguised as a man), then, over the course of three separate conflicts, became one of the war's most decorated soldiers, ultimately receiving medals from France, Russia and Britain, as well as her own country. Drummer Hannes Van Dahl punctuates this staccato mid-tempo number.
Guitarist Chris Rörland received five co-writing credits, for the music. Rest of the lyrics/music was done by the long-running masterminds Pär Sundström & Joakim Brodén, either in unison,or solo. Experts in the use of dynamics, the all-out speedster of the batch is "Stormtroopers", #2 in the running order, about the pre-blitzkrieg German infantry, charging out of the trenches. Can't have a slow mover for the subject matter! Come the chorus, Brodén announces, "A glimpse of the future, new tactics in war. New doctrine in combat explored. As fast as lightning, no time to mourn. A glimpse of the future, a blitzkrieg is born." Hope this one's featured in the live set.
The sound of lapping waves greets "Dreadnought", a paean to the early 1900s UK's big gun battleship HMS Dreadnought. Such an imposing vessel, eventually all similar ships were simply referred to as "dreadnoughts." Get your "sea legs," as the tune rolls, like a slightly unsettled (but not violently pitching) sea. Add Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart to the list of incredible fighting men immortalized by a Sabaton song. "The Unkillable Soldier" is a rousing, gallop-shuffle (can almost hear the melody running) as it imparts the laundry list of wounds the British officer endured. Initially shot twice, in the face, losing his left eye and part of an ear, he would be hit seven more times, including through the skull and ankle in the Battle Of The Somme, in the hip, at Passchendaele, stomach, then ear, before losing his left hand in 1915. If that weren't enough (and it should have been!), he pulled off his fingers, when doctors refused to amputate them. In WWII, he survived two plane crashes and escaped from a POW camp, by tunneling out (one-handed?). Wow. Some called him the toughest SOB who ever lived. This guy doesn't deserve a song, he should get a full album (if not a movie). After that, rock/metal seems tame!
I’m just glad it’s coming out. I’m really happy that it’s finally time,” says vocalist Lauren Hart, who along with guitarist Logan Mader (Machine Head / Soulfly) spearhead modern metal band Once Human. The group will release their explosive third album, Scar Weaver, on February 11 via earMusic. Described by the label as, “a versatile and sinewy new strain of brutal but accessible metal,” Scar Weaver is comprised of ten musical compositions that are both captivating and dynamic.
“It was done a year or two ago, pre-Covid,” reveals Hart, referring to Scar Weaver. “But then when we were given more time; I’m a perfectionist! So, I’m going to take it and re-write and re-write and re-write. I work best under deadlines, and I write best under pressure. But if I’m given too much time, I’m just going to try and make everything better. Max (Karon, guitarist) did some re-writes, I did some re-writes; we scrapped some songs and put some new ones into the mix. But the good news is, it really helped us through that first year of being in lockdown. We were all in a studio together, cause at the time we all lived together in Vegas. Logan (Mader, guitarist) had a studio in the house, so it was very productive. We were all really lucky that we had that access.”
Scar Weaver is super aggressive and energetic, while simultaneously being cathartic, making the frustrations of everyday life due to pandemic-related restrictions easier to deal with. Logan commented, “The first two albums, we were still finding our way.” Lauren shares what sets Scar Weaver apart from its predecessors – The Life I Remember (2015) and Evolution (2017): “The biggest change was the introduction of (guitarist) Max Karon. We met during the tour for the first album with Fear Factory; he was their guitar tech. Max showed us his music, and the riffs that he wrote. We immediately asked if he would be interested in joining the band or writing with us. He said yes, and soon after he began writing, he did join the band officially. So, Evolution was the introduction of Max; yet Logan and I still played a big role in the writing of everything. But Scar Weaver is 100% Max Karon! Logan didn’t write on this album. Max wrote all the music; I wrote all the lyrics and the top lines (vocal melodies). Maybe the next album won’t be like that, but we wanted Max to feel like he could be 100% himself on this album. He wanted to express himself as a musician, and we wanted to give him that. Plus, Logan was on tour with Machine Head (celebrating the 25th anniversary of Burn My Eyes). When he came home, Max had already done ten songs! And Logan felt they didn’t need any re-arranging or changing, so that’s how the music came about. Then I took my time with the lyrics and the top lines, simply because I had a lot of extra time.”
Novo disco será lançado no Brasil em Março e no Japão em 18 de Maio
O Shaman acaba de divulgar a tracklist de seu novo álbum de estúdio, “Rescue”. Com 11 faixas em sua versão regular, o álbum foi gravado em São Paulo e na Alemanha. Produzido por Sascha Paeth, o disco é o primeiro trabalho do Shaman com o vocalista Alírio Netto ao lado de Hugo Mariutti (guitarra), Luís Mariutti (baixo), Ricardo Confessori (bateria) e Fábio Ribeiro (teclado).
“Rescue” será lançado no Brasil em Março e no Japão dia 18 de Maio pela gravadora King Records. A capa foi desenhada pelo artista Carlos Fides e o álbum conta com a participação especial do violinista Marcus Viana. “Este novo álbum foi feito com muito amor e carinho por todos nós da banda”, disse Alirio Netto. “Estamos muito orgulhosos de todo o trabalho realizado”, completou.
A banda também explica que quem comprou o box de “Rescue” na pré-venda terá acesso a uma audição do álbum exclusiva, com opção de perguntar o que quiser para banda, além de antecipação na compra de ingressos para a turnê.
Shaman – Rescue: 01 – Tribute (Intro) 02 – Time Is Running Out 03 – The “I” Inside 04 – Don’t Let It Rain 05 – Where Are You Now? 06 – The Spirit 07 – Gone Too Soon 08 – The Boundaries Of Heaven 09 – Brand New Me 10 – What If? 11 – The Final Rescue 12 – Resilience (Bônus para o Japão)
A vocalista interpreta duas canções referentes ao filme Virando a Mesa
Um dos filmes mais vistos da Netflix nas últimas semanas, Virando a Mesa é uma trama policial sobre jogatina que traz muita ação e momentos de tensão. Além da qualidade do longa, há a trilha sonora do filme, que reúne trabalhos diversificados, incluindo duas músicas guiadas pela voz de Mizuho Lin, a vocalista da Semblant, um dos maiores nomes do metal nacional da atualidade.
O diretor e roteirista do filme, Caio Cobra, comenta como chegou à participação de Mizuho Lin, vocalista da Semblant, para cantar nas faixas “Good Girl No More” e “Bad Girl” na trilha sonora de Virando a Mesa: “Sempre fui fã de metal e tenho a intenção de divulgar bandas e músicos que admiro. Amo Amaranthe, Sepultura e Semblant e quando estava discutindo a trilha com os compositores Luis Macedo e Thiago Chasseraux, manifestei meu desejo de ter músicos de metal. Tivemos a ajuda inestimável de Stefanie Chasseraux, irmã de Thiago e muito ativa no meio metal, que fez os contatos para nós”. Além de Mizuho Lin, há participações de Derrick Green (Sepultura) e Elize Ryd (Amaranthe), que interpretam juntos “Why Cant You See”.
Sobre a conexão da trilha sonora com o longa, o diretor afirma: “A trilha é uma parte tão importante da narrativa que eu a discuti quando ainda estava escrevendo o roteiro. Quando comecei a filmar, muitas já estavam escritas e eu até cheguei a mostrar as demos para os atores entrarem no clima. Se prestar atenção, cada personagem tem seu tema e nós queríamos que a trilha fosse um elemento narrativo tão presente quanto os diálogos e imagens”.
Sobre a obra da Semblant, Cobra complementa: “Sou suspeito pra falar pois a Semblant é uma das minhas bandas favoritas. Antes mesmo de estabelecer contato com eles já era um fã. Nem consigo precisar quantas vezes ouvi Lunar Manifesto. Eu os acho, de longe, a melhor banda de metal no país hoje e torço para que sua música se espalhe pelo planeta. A mistura de agressividade e melodia que fazem é uma coisa única”.
O conceitual e atemporal álbum Rebirth, do Angra, marcou época e traz inúmeras características que fizeram com que o som da banda se tornasse único, completou duas décadas. Então surgiu a ideia de uma turnê comemorativa de 20 anos do disco, que contará com um grandioso show em São Paulo em 02 de julho de 2022 (sábado), no Tom Brasil.
Os músicos estão muito felizes em realizar a turnê do Rebirth, pois acreditam que será emblemático retornar e reviver uma época em que eles estavam renascendo (em função de uma troca de formação) e nesse momento o mundo inteiro está renascendo. Estamos em meio à uma pandemia, não se sabe ainda quanto tempo as coisas irão demorar para retornar como eram, e muito possivelmente nunca seremos os mesmos. Mas, isso também será um resgate de um trabalho que representou muito na vida dos músicos. Trabalho esse que revelou o que eles estavam sentindo na época do lançamento. Ouça abaixo o álbum Rebirth:
Em relação à história do álbum, Rebirth é uma civilização reconstruindo o mundo, que é um pouco do que estamos vivendo nesses momentos, e também será importante, pois logo a banda deverá se reunir para a composição de um novo registro, e eles garantem que revisitar o Rebirth trará inspiração para escrever um álbum belíssimo, não só sobre o drama de renascimento, mas sobre o renascimento de toda a sociedade mundial. O quinteto garante que fará apresentações vigorosas, enérgicas e cheias de paixão durante esta turnê.
Encontre aqui no Acesso Music entrevistas e resenhas de shows do Angra.
A Renomada banda de thrash metal Kreator acaba de lançar a faixa HATE UBER ALLES,uma sequencia do que a banda já vinha fazendo em em seus albuns anteriores ,uma brutalidade sonora do começo ao fim .podemos esperar um grande album para 2022..
