1. CRYPTOPSY "The Unspoken King"

Label: Century Media Tracklist: Worship Your Demons The Headsmen Silence The Tyrants Bemoan The Martyr Leach The Plagued Resurgence Of An Empire Anoint The Dead Contemplate Regicide Bound Dead (Exit) The Few Cryptosy comes back in the front of the scene with their sixth studio album “The Unspoken King”. The style of the Canadians is extreme metal and more precisely brutal death metal. A new vocalist, Matt Mc Gachy comes from metalcore and replaces Lord Worm. We also have a new member in the group, Maggie Durand at keyboards. I have to admit that this album is much more a metalcore than a death metal album. The death metal is particularly present in the technique and the rhythmics. There is a mix in vocals, melodic clear vocals, core vocals and screamin… very little death vocals. The clear vocals are rather well done; you’ll just have to listen among others to «The Plagued» and «Bound Dead». The drums are powerful, very active like for example in the first track «Worship Your Demons». The tracks are not original in themselves, neither even the changing in rhythmic, the breaks,… they cannot be taken out from the “mass” of what can be release in the style. The keyboards bring a little “prog” side to some tracks especially in the intros like the one of “Resurgence Of An Empire”. The musicians have an undeniable technique but it is not enough to make a good album… especially when you go in a style which is not particularly yours… The usual fans of the group will maybe be deceived. � Line up : Matt McGachy (vocals) Alex Auburn (guitars/vocals) Chris Donaldson (guitars) Eric Langlois (bass) Maggie Durand (keyboards/samples) Flo Mounier (drums/vocals) Contact: www.cryptopsy.net/ www.myspace.com/cryptopsy

Monday, 28 April 2008 | 1254 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

2. SILVER DIRT "Sonic Live 2006"

Distribution : Brennus Music Tracklist: Intro She’s Got To Be Wasted Dream The Last Time Dressing Room And Shit Angel With Silver Wings About Rock’n’Roll Drum Solo Last Exit/Voodoo Land Raw Power Down And Dirty At The Rock City Go ! She Said Mean Machine Guitar Solo Freedom Haven In The Magic Bus City Prowler Pre Show, Baby! Credits � Silver Dirt, a sleaze/hard rock group has just released a DVD « Sonic Live 2006 ». I have to admit that before looking this DVD I did not know the Swiss group who has released a demo and a first auto produce album « Sonic Boom ». This DVD is what I call a good surprise. First of all the quality of sound and image is excellent … and all that is happening on stage is worth it!!! We can feel that the group is at ease on stage, with more than 60 gigs since 2005. Silver Steff has a certain presence on stage and he is a good front man who reveals also to be a good singer who knows to call and to “win over” the public. The musicians are also at ease on stage and control perfectly their instruments. The songs are energetic with good soli. The tracks are classical compositions for the genre and well done ones. The DVD is spice of off stage parts, little interviews of the members of the group and of a video. It is rather a good idea to have release this DVD because it shows us Silver Dirt as being a group with a huge potential with who will have to count in the years to come. To discover. Line up : Silver Steff (vocals) Dirty Lyo (guitars/vocals) Dirty Seb (drums/vocals) Silver Gregg (drums/vocals) Contacts: www.silverdirt.com www.myspace.com/silverdirt

Thursday, 01 November 2007 | 1065 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

3. BLACK FLAME "III Imperium"

Label : Regain Records Tracklist : - Reqviem - Imperivm - Ad Infera - Lvdvs Dianae - The Other Face Ov Hell - Black Svn Theory - Apocalyptic Zero - The Secret Ov Lapis Manalis The Italians from Black Flame have just released their last album “Imperium”. The style of the group is black/death metal with dark tracks with sometimes heavy and slow rhythmic like the one of «Black Sun Theory» nearly doomlike at some moment as the track begins in a very fast manner, other times much more faster like «Imperium», self named title. «Requiem» is used as an intro to the other tracks, dark and atmospheric intro. Typically black passages are following frankly death metal ones, is mixing from that aggressiveness, fastness and heaviness of black metal to furious but as fast death one. The musicians control their instruments and have a certain technique. It is an album to listen carefully because it has a certain musical wealth with its different changing in rhythms which can become very furious… the best tracks of this album are for me «The Other Face Ov Hell» which is not without reminding us Vader, but also «Black Sun Theory» brutal, heavy and powerful at the same time, it is the longer track of this «Imperium» as well as «The Secret Ov Lapis Manalis» for its well done little passage at guitars. «Imperium» is an extreme metal album which should very certainly please the fans of the genre. Line up : Cardinale Italo Martire (vocals/guitars) Serpentrax (bass) m:A Fog (drums) Contact : www.black-flame.net/ www.myspace.com/obf �

Monday, 30 June 2008 | 1254 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

4. FEAR MY THOUGHTS "Isolation"

Century Media Released on july 21th 2008 Tracklist “Isolation”: Isolation The Blind Walk Over The Edge The Hunted Numbered By The Beast Bound And Weakened Through The Eyes Of God Death Chamber Pitch Black Creeping Lord Burning the lamb/The Sacrifice � This is the very last album from Fear My Thoughts “Isolation”. The style of the group was before metalcore but the arrival of the new vocalist makes rather lean the balance to melodic death metal. The new vocalist, Martin Fischer has a powerful and melodic voice and its style rather goes pretty well with the songs of the album. The tracks are very melodic with a heavy rhythmic and influences which are coming from different horizons, coming from modern metal to progressive rock and 70s hard rock… influences which are Soilwork, Meshuggah… The group has evolved on the musical level as well as on the vocals one and this changing is interesting and rather well done. Reviewed and translated by Béa. Line up: Martin Fischer (chant/orgue/piano) (vocals/organ/piano) Markys Ruf (guitare/backing vocals) (guitars/backing vocals) Patrick Hagmann (guitare/backing vocals) (guitars/backing vocals) Bartosz Wojciechowski (basse) (bass) Norman Lonhard (batterie) (drums) Contact: http://www.fearmythoughs.com/ http://www.myspace.com/fearmythoughts

Saturday, 05 July 2008 | 835 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

5. NORTHERN KINGS "Reborn"

Warner released on october 31th 2007 Tracklist : Don't Stop Believin' We Don't Need Another Hero Broken Wings Rebel Yell Ashes To Ashes Fallen On Hard Times I Just Died In Your Arms Sledgehammer Don't Bring Me Down In The Air Tonight Creep Hello Brothers In Arms Northern Kings is a Finnish group created by four Finnish vocalist who are all coming from heavy metal groups:Marco Hietala (Nightwish/Tarot), Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto (Charon/Amorphis) and J. Ahola (Teräsbetoni, yes; yes you know him, it is the group which has represented Finland in the Eurovision Contest this year, the only metal group!). The group has wanted to create something special and their idea was to rearranged 80s “classic” tracks in metal version, symphonic metal to be more precise… it is how is born the album « Reborn ». It is how we’ll find tracks such as « We Don’t Need Another Hero » from Tina Turner, « In The Air Tonight » from Phil Collins, « Brothers In Arms » from Dire Straits, « I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight » from Cutting Crew, « Ashes To Ashes » from David Bowie or « Sledgehammer » from Peter Gabriel. It is sure that we are facing four vocalists who have great vocals capacities and who interpret in their way each of the tracks. The symphonic arrangements are of course much present and give another dimension to the tracks, some are better than other especially « Don’t Stop Believin’ » from Journey which is certainly not the best of the album even if it is well done musically and vocally speaking by Marco but it stays very different from the original. The tracks have very worked orchestrations with guitars passages as well as very well done soli. If each of the vocalists sings alone on some songs, other times they share the vocals like in « We Don’t Need another Hero » and the mixes are very well done, each of the singers having a different tone. Musically and vocally speaking “Reborn” is an excellent album but a huge work has been done on the compositions arrangements level. My favourite tracks are « We Don’t Need Another Hero », « Rebel yell », « Brothers In Arms », « I Just Died In Your Arms », « Fallen On Hard Times » but the others are not bad neither… I discover “by chance” this album because I saw that Marco Hietala sung within and frankly no regret, “Reborn” is an album to discover!!! Line up : Marco Hietala (chant) (vocals) Tony Kakko (chant) (vocals) Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto (chant) (vocals) J. Ahola (chant) (vocals) Contact: www.myspace.com/northernkings �

Saturday, 05 July 2008 | 899 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

6. AIRBOURNE "Runnin' Wild"

Roadrunner Records released on june 09th 2008 � Tracklist « Runnin’ Wild »: Stand Up For Rock N' Roll Runnin' Wild Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast Diamond In The Round Fat City Blackjack What's Eatin' You Girls In Black Cheap Wine Heartbreaker Let's Ride � Airbourne has just released “Runnin’ Wild”. The style is hard rock in an AC/DC manner. Like them, Airbourne’s members are coming from Australia and …. Are doing the same music as AC/DC. So if you like AC/DC and before the release of their album, you can still listen to Airbourne!!! All is here: the AC/DC typical riffs, the rhythmic, the melodies … to be mistaken especially if you are listening (among others) « Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast ». The rhythms are well rock’n’roll, well balanced, without any dead time, all in energy. The rhythmic section is efficient, simple and well at place and the soli well done. Of course no originality in this album but we’ll have to recognize that the tracks are well done and very pleasant to listen… and it could have been one of the AC/DC’s albums. Moreover Joel O’Keeffe’s voice is very near from Bon Scott’s one. We can say that by signing this group Roadrunner has not take many risks… there are so many AC/DC fans around the world. Reviewed and translated by Béa. � Line up : Joel O’Keeffe (chant/guitar) (vocals/guitars) David Roads (guitare) (guitars) Justin Street (basse) (bass) Ryan O’Keeffe (batterie) (drums) � Contact: http://www.airbournerock.com

Saturday, 05 July 2008 | 871 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

7. ZEBARGES "Too Big For Love"

Autoproduction released : 2007 Tracklist « Too Big For Love”: Fait divers en été: 3 lignes en page 9 de l’Est-Éclair sous l’article du carambolage de la RN19 Un vrai métier La véritable histoire de Jésus Cultosaure Bucolique valse (la revanche de la vache folle) Rédemption JP2 P’tite pluis dorée (slove version) Fafanarcho vs anarfacho (même combat) Les vacances à la mer : non merci L’toubib m’a dit Une dernière quoi ? The splendour of betrayer’s death La chanson qui ne devait pas aller vite Vivement novembre Misanthrope ultime Transit intestinal blues La police des rêves Autoportrait Macho disco (fucking version) Fils de pub Too big for love Clip video: spectateur télécommandé Two crazy ones are forming the French group Zebarges, the name is well find and “Too Big For Love” is their last misdemeanour in date! The style of the group is metal (at least if suppose…) with strong punk influences. Here no guitars, in any of the tracks and I admit that I miss that. There is just a bass guitar, which besides gives good playing and is rather efficient. There is also a rhythmic box, I won’t say anything on it as I do not like rhythmic boxes, and it will never replace a real drummer… Musically the tracks are really short, only one of them is more than 4 minute. The lyrics are direct, even much direct and everybody get for its money, the society ahead. I think that all that is to be taken at least in the second degree. Vocally I do not like it too much, not much musicality neither melody in the voice, but sufficiently aggressive to go with the style of the group. Personally I’m not catch with the style but the group has its fans so why not you? Reviewed and translated by Béa. Line up : AC/JC (chant/basse) (vocals/bass) Paskiss (chant) (vocals) Boite à rythmes/rhythm box � contact: http://www.myspace.com/zebargestoobigforlove � �

Saturday, 05 July 2008 | 913 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

8. Y & C "Gimme the Sound"

Why Note/Nocturne Released on june 16th 2008 � Tracklist : Gimme the sound

Monday, 07 July 2008 | 808 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

9. PATRICK RONDAT & HERVE N'KAOUA

XIII BIS Records Released on march 24th 2008 � Tracklist :

Sunday, 06 July 2008 | 823 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

10. PSALM "Manifest"

Genet Records Release : 2008 � � Tracklist : Through the Maze (intro) Ecce Homo Layers of Impiety Exhortation Paradox Renewal (Deconstruction. Reconstruction.) � � � � Psalm is a Belgian extreme group which has released « Manifest ». The style of the group is a mix of black and death metal. The tracks are cold but well done. Mastema’s vocals are well at place with black/death parts but also clear vocals, much varied, sometimes screaming, other times more guttural, also other times in a Dimmu Borgir style… without being exceptional, the tracks are well done, well put. The album has the benefit of a good production with a clean sound. The intro « Through The Maze » is well done, rather atmospheric, rather dark with lyrics in German but we enter really into the subject with « Ecce Homo », with its heavy and powerful riffs. The guitars are heavy and powerful and the changing in rhythmic are very often and well put. The rhythmic section is powerful, at least the drums, but I find that the bass guitar is not sufficiently present except in « Paradox » because there it is alone at certain moments!!! … Track that I find excellent, very certainly the best one of this mini album, at least for me. They are musicians who control their instruments and are showing a certain technique. «Psalm » is a group to be discovered and « Manifest » lets shows good future for the group. Reviewed and translated by Béa. � � Line up : Mastema (chant) (vocals) Algol (guitare) (guitars) Baron (guitare) (guitars) Corvus (basse) (bass) Baal (batterie/percussion) (drums/percussion) � http://www.psalm-music.com/ http://www.myspace.com/psalm �

Monday, 07 July 2008 | 742 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report