ENFORCER - NOSTALGIA

 

Very early on, it's evident Enforcer learned from the experimental misstep of Zenith and returned to the no frill, hyper aggression, OTT speed metal that initially ingratiated them to the world. Not a piano in sight. That said, sort of surprising the disc doesn't open with one of the blistering pace setters. Following the 37 second, mood setting instrumental opener, "Armageddon", the ‘80s pseudo-electric drum sounds of "Unshackle Me" kicks in. The first of a few relationship based lyrics (pining for the girl, unshackle my heart), Olof Wikstrand (guitar/voice) still possess a stratospheric (falsetto) register, but at least, for this one, the tempo and vocal highs are kept (relatively) in check.

The gloves (and acceleration governor) come off for pre-release single "Coming Alive". Wikstrand unleashes the sustained piercing wail too! Only "Heartbeats" cracks the four minute barrier, most barely surpassing 3:00. Speaking of the subtle, Dio-esque, acoustic begun "Heartbeats", which is essentially a power ballad, it retains a legit metallic quotient, courtesy of the spirited guitar break in the final third. The singer adds octaves as the rapidity increases. A few foreboding notes, during taxiing, but "Demon" quickly takes flight down the runway, An infectious groove, fleet fingers pick up speed as it proceeds. Can hear the shouted word "demon" in the chorus being an audience call & response moment, live. Shifting from fourth to fifth gear, "Kiss Of Death" is in overdrive, from the onset.



The title cut (for which there's a video of the singer traipsing through snowy landscapes) is the lone, full blown ballad. Opening strings recall a harpsichord, as the melody meanders along, like a non-Christmas Trans-Siberian Orchestra track, followed by the equally TSO-inspired guitar workout. The big production is the final nod to more erudite/refined structures, as the remaining half dozen are, essentially, a more traditional race to the end. Mid-tempo "No Tomorrow" sees Wikstrand's voice soaring on what is essential a brief respite in the aural onslaught. Same can't be said of the pacing in riff happy "At The End Of The Rainbow". While not a full bore speedsters, it shuffles along with high altitude punctuation from the frontman

LIKÅAR: CONFIRA O MAIS NOVO SINGLE “MÖRKRETS TID”

 

A one-man band sueca Likåar, capitaneada pelo multi-instrumentista Eko, lançou no último dia 21 de maio o seu mais novo single, intitulado “Mörkrets Tid”. A canção entrega um Progressive Black metal de respeito, que equilibra bem ótimas melodias com passagens mais pesadas e agressivas. Destaques maiores ficam por conta dos ótimos arranjos, que dão um ar mais épico a canção, ao ótimo trabalho vocal e ao instrumental, que mostra grande coesão. Sem dúvida, uma ótima pedida para fãs do estilo.




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ROGER WATERS: MÚSICO RESPONDE ÀS ACUSAÇÕES SOBRE FANTASIAS NAZISTAS EM SHOW

 

O veterano músico britânico Roger Waters se defendeu das críticas sobre seus shows na semana passada em Berlim, durante os quais o ex-líder do Pink Floyd exibiu um simbolismo nazista e fez o que algumas pessoas descreveram como comentários ofensivos sobre a vítima do Holocausto, Anne Frank. Durante os shows na Mercedes Benz Arena, Waters apareceu no palco como o personagem Pink, da ópera rock The Wall, durante uma apresentação da música “In The Flesh”, vestindo um sobretudo de couro preto com uma braçadeira vermelha com dois martelos cruzados em vez de uma suástica. Posteriormente, foi relatado que Waters estava sob investigação por possível incitamento pela polícia alemã, além de possivelmente ter cometido abuso de marca registrada pelo uso do nome de Frank sem o consentimento da Fundação Anne Frank, que registrou o nome. Waters projetou o nome de Frank em uma tela gigante durante os shows, junto com vários outros nomes de figuras contemporâneas, incluindo George Floyd e Shireen Abu Akleh. Em um comunicado postado por Waters, nesta sexta-feira, 26 de maio, ele disse:
"Minha atuação recente em Berlim atraiu ataques de má-fé daqueles que querem me difamar e me silenciar porque discordam de minhas opiniões políticas e princípios morais. Os elementos de minha performance que foram questionados são claramente uma declaração em oposição ao fascismo, injustiça e fanatismo em todas as suas formas. As tentativas de retratar esses elementos como algo mais são dissimuladas e politicamente motivadas. Tem sido uma característica dos meus shows desde 'The Wall' do Pink Floyd, em 1980. Passei minha vida inteira falando contra o autoritarismo e a opressão onde quer que os veja. Quando eu era criança depois da guerra, o nome de Anne Frank era frequentemente falado em nossa casa, ela se tornou um lembrete permanente do que acontece quando o fascismo é deixado desmarcado. Meus pais lutaram contra os nazistas na Segunda Guerra Mundial, com meu pai pagando o preço final. Independentemente das consequências dos ataques contra mim, continuarei a condenar a injustiça e todos aqueles que a cometem."


O Simon Wiesenthal Center criticou os shows em Berlim e pediu que as autoridades alemãs processassem Waters por invocar e distorcer imagens do Holocausto. Um tweet do SWC declarou:"Que vergonha para as autoridades de Frankfurt e a Mercedes Benz Arena em Berlim - um lugar de onde os judeus foram deportados pelos nazistas - por fornecer ao anti-semita #RogerWaters este local para seu show sem preocupação/cuidado com a comunidade judaica".


O porta-voz da polícia de Berlim, Martin Halweg, disse mais tarde ao The Guardian que a polícia na Alemanha iniciou uma investigação criminal sobre Waters por causa do uniforme de estilo nazista que ele usava nos shows de Berlim. Enquanto uniformes nazistas, bandeiras e outros símbolos são proibidos na Alemanha, Waters está sendo investigado sob uma lei separada de “incitação do povo”.

DUFF MCKAGAN:BAIXISTA LANÇA UM EP COM TRÊS FAIXAS

 

O lendário baixista do Guns N’ Roses, Duff McKagan, lançou o EP solo autointitulado em todas as plataformas digitais, no início deste mês.


Conhecido por ter vários projetos – além do Guns N’ Roses – como o Duff Mckagan’s Loaded, o musico lançou o EP após quatro anos do disco, “Tenderness”, lançado no ano de 2019.

O single do EP, “This Is The Song”, foi composto em meio a um ataque de pânico. McKagan, comentou: “‘This Is The Song’ foi escrita no meio de um ataque de pânico. Eu não conseguia respirar, não conseguia enxergar direito e felizmente encontrei meu violão como um refúgio. Se eu conseguisse segurar aquele violão, tocar acordes e cantarolar melodias, poderia começar a sair daquele buraco. Para aqueles de vocês que nunca experimentaram algo assim, considerem-se abençoados. Para aqueles de vocês que reconhecem o que estou falando: vocês não estão sozinhos”

PAUL GILBERT – THE ROAD TO HEAVEN AND HELL

 

It's a foregone conclusion that anyone who dares to cover Ronnie James Dio is putting themselves on the chopping block. Sure, any effort to do so is meant to honour one of the greatest voices in metal - ever - but there are always going to be a faction of keyboard warriors with a proverbial axe at the ready. Guitarist Paul Gilbert never gave said trolls a second thought as he embarked on his latest musical journey, however, which so happens to be a tribute to the legendary vocalist, entitled The Dio Album.

The record falls in line with Gilbert's previous works released over the last several years in that it's completely instrumental, showcasing classic Ronnie James Dio songs in a brand-new light by "singing" the vocals lines with his guitar. It certainly isn't for everybody, but Gilbert has survived the first few weeks since The Dio Album's release unscathed. In fact, the feedback has been remarkably positive.



Gilbert: "If you become a recording artist, well, I've been on the chopping block since I was 18 (laughs). For me, this is just the start. I made a list of about 40 singers, and I want to cover all of them because as a musician you learn so much from copying singers. Singers do things that instrumentalists often don't even try to do. If an instrumentalist wants to be tricky or sophisticated, often we take the route of 'Okay, I'll play something fast.' Do some exotic scales and that's one way to be sophisticated, but the way singers are sophisticated is deceptively simple. If you write the melody down on paper it doesn't look like there's a lot there, but to bring it to life, all the elements of expression are needed to keep the thing alive. So when I made my list, Ronnie was at the top

KATAKLYSM: CONFIRA O NOVO SINGLE “BRINGER OF VENGEANCE

 

Na última sexta-feira (19), o Kataklysm lançou o single “Bringer of Vengeance”, em todas as plataformas digitais. A faixa rendeu um videoclipe, sob a direção de Ivan Colic.


O single fará parte do décimo quinto disco de estúdio da banda canadense, “Goliath”, cuja previsão de lançamento está para o dia 11 de agosto, via Nuclear Blast Records. Sobre a temática do álbum, o vocalista Maurizio Iacono, comentou:

“Nosso novo álbum ‘Goliath’ chega em um momento em nossa sociedade onde a divisão e o ódio estão crescendo e se espalhando. Ideologias sobre como o futuro deveria ser para a humanidade estão colidindo. Estruturas de poder sem precedentes estão lutando contra pelo controle de nossas vidas. A história de Davi contra Golias nunca foi tão importante quanto nos tempos modernos. O metal sempre foi uma voz de rebelião contra a opressão e pela proteção de nossas liberdades. O álbum também aborda o conflito interior e faz o que precisa ser feito para confrontar seus demônios interiores.”

Recentemente (no penúltimo final de semana) a banda passou pelo Brasil, em turnê conjunta com o Decide, nas cidades de Limeira e São Paulo.

Interview with VOMITHEIST

Hi! Your music draws from classic death metal bands, but also has a unique twist of its own. Can you tell us more about the musical influences that inspired Vomitheist’s sound?

We have various influences. Obviously, it’s the Swedish bands like Entombed and Dismember. But also Autopsy, Obituary, Discharge, Morgoth, Disfear and Nirvana 2002. We had the idea for the Stockholm sound at a Grave concert and were very influenced by their and Bloodbath’s sound in the beginning.

Your debut full-length album is a complete package of excellent songwriting, sound, and aesthetics. What was the creative process like in putting together this release?
After our first release “Graveyard Flesh Orgy” we started to write new songs without knowing where this would lead us to in the end. After about two years we had enough material go aim for our first full – length so we also started to think about artworks and recording options.
A friend of ours (the guy behind Aesthetisk Art) had already offered us earlier to draw something so we asked him if he would do an artwork for our full–length. Because he already knew us and our music, we just gave him free rein to draw whatever his twisted mind could come up with. And he delivered big time!
The studio we found through the mighty warriors of Niraleth in Megaton Sword. Back then they just had released their first EP and we liked the sound a lot even though it’s quite different to ours. We checked where they recorded it and wrote to the studio. Yvo, the owner, understood very well what we wanted and did one hell of a job to make the sound as nasty as possible.

NekroFvneral artwork by Aesthetisk Art is equally sickening and perfectly complements the music. Can you discuss the importance of visual aesthetics in death metal and how it relates to your music?
Do you remember the first time you had a death metal release in your hands and before even listening to it you feasted your eyes upon the artwork and were like… fuck this is going to be good! That’s what we wanted to achieve. We all love that old, rotten, hand-drawn artwork style which is oozing filth out of every pore of his nasty existence and Aesthetisk Art delivered that just perfectly.
So even if you run by our album by accident, you just look at the artwork and you know, that this thing probably won’t caress your eardrums. This will hurt on a bone-crushing level! And we believe, that’s just what this album does.

“Strangled by Entrails” is the first track on your album and sets the tone for the rest of the release. Can you talk about the inspiration behind this song and how it fits into the overall theme of the album?
“Strangled by Entrails” was one of the first songs we wrote for the album after our EP. We don’t remember exactly, but we wanted to write a punky song that had a good flow. I think we managed to do that. Lyrically we just had the title of the song and wrote lyrics around it. Normally when a brutal title comes to mind, we write it down so we can use it at some point.

Your lyrics and song titles contain themes of gore and horror. What draws you to these topics and how do they relate to your music and creative vision?
Some themes surely come from the horror movies our guitarist used to watch a lot. The rest of the themes come from our sick thoughts about everything that exists or could exist.
Our music should be horrible, disturbing, puking and disgusting and so should the lyrics. That’s why we always come up with title ideas and write lyrics that pick up exactly on that.

In what ways can the exploration of dark and morbid themes through art and music provide a cathartic release for individuals, and how can this relate to broader societal and cultural issues?
This is a difficult question to answer. In case of our music, we can imagine it to be cathartic to the point where you can just turn it up loud and forget about everything around you. From the lyrical side, we hope of course that this is not taken too seriously, which is why it can also have a humorous approach.
We think, through our music not much will change socially or culturally. However, you can see the social aspects in the scene and the people who are in it. We think this has a positive impact.

Can torture ever be justified in any circumstances, or is it always morally wrong?
That depends on the purpose. In our opinion, if torture is used to harm people, it is always morally wrong.
But there are also certain sexual practices that are based on it. These people should be allowed to have fun, as long as it is consensual, and no one is harmed.

The HM-2 driven Swedish death metal sound is a prominent influence in your music. Can you tell us more about your love for this particular subgenre and how it informs your songwriting?
The idea to make this sound came as mentioned at a Grave concert. We then discovered and listened to more and more Swedish Death and found the Hm-2 sound just great! That’s why we decided to use this sound. It stayed that way until today and we still love it. Songwriting-wise we are of course influenced by these bands. The HM-2 sound is chaotic and very distorted so not all riffs work well with it. We pay a lot of attention to that in our songwriting.