Showing posts with label AFM Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AFM Records. Show all posts
Monday, December 1, 2014
Mors Principium Est - Dawn Of The 5th Era
Band:Mors Principium Est
Album:Dawn Of The 5th Era
Date Released:Dec 2 2014
Tracks:
Enter The Asylum
God Has Fallen
Leader Of The Titans
We Are The Sleep
Innocence Lost
I Am War
Monster In Me
Apricity
Wrath Of Indra
The Journey
The Forsaken
Band Members:
Ville Viljanen
Mikko Sipola
Teemu Heinola
Andy Gillion
Keven Verlay
Formed:1999
From:Finland
Genre:Melodic Death Metal
Label:AFM Records
Quality & Originality:Mors Principium Est is back with a brutally haunting powerful melodic release that is spine tingling. I love how this band has mastered the melodic death metal genre better then just about anyone. This album has high end production with amazing clarity on the entire release. I can hear how the music and style has changed with the several line up changes over the years but it is brutally sweet!! The amazing guitars are explosive and heavy but they are tight and clear. The singing is heavy enough to be death but they still have balance to them and not sloppy our a feeling of no breath to them.
My Opinion:Finland's metal giants fifth release is a real treat for me cause I have followed this band for a long time and have always known they had this album in them that is extreme but so very melodic. The band is locked and loaded with new guitar players that really hit that sweet spot and play amazing together on this release. This album is the bridge between Prog Metal/Death Metal (For you prog metal fans you get use to the heavier style of singing really fast and get to really enjoy it)but a very brutal version. I would not recommend driving and listening to this album cause a speeding ticket is going to happen!!!
Overall & Favorites:I Am War, God Has Fallen, Monster In Me. I give this melodic brutal heavy explosive expression of a grand album a solid 8/10
Contact:www.morsprincipiumest.com
www.facebook.com/MPEofficial
Bloodbound - Stormborn
Band:Bloodbound
Album:Stormborn
Date Released:Dec 2 2014
Tracks:
Bloodtale
Satanic Panic
Iron Throne
Nightmares From The Grave
Stormborn
We Raise The Dead
Made Of Steel
Blood Of My Blood
When The Kingdom Will Fall
Seven Hells
When All Lights Fail
Band Members:
Patrik Johansson
Tomas Olsson
Henrik Olsson
Anders Broman
Fredrik Bergh
Pelle Akerlind
From:Bollnas Sweden
Formed:2004
Genre:Melodic Power Metal
Label:AFM Records
Quality & Originality:Bloodbound has really taken the formula for what they do and pushed it to a whole new dimension. Patrik is hands down the best front man with crushing powerful vocals that really are original from the well balanced almost Halford style screams to his amazing harmony. The music backing Patrik is powerful, full, balanced, explosive and just simply kick ass. The production is beyond amazing from the mix, master the entire album from start to finish the band is at the top of there metal game!!!
My Opinion:Bloodbound is a band that never does a bad album they always seem to pull off a well produced/written album but this time they have really come out swinging with a amazing album. This will please everyone from the prog/power but even old school metal heads from the Judas Priest fans clear up to modern day rockers are going to love this evil rocking masterpiece. I love how the band really has grown with the normal Bloodbound power but then they do songs like ''Nightmares From The Grave'' that have this really rich and different style and almost a celtic feel. I cannot find a bad song or anything really that I would change about this album but that when it is over I want to hear more!!!
Overall & Favorites:Nightmares From The Grave, Stormborn, Bloodtale, Iron Throne, Made Of Steel. I give this Stormborn a 9.5/10 for giving me a headache from headbanging!!!!
Contact:www.bloodbound.se
www.facebook.com/bloodboundmetal
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Lyriel - Skin And Bones
Band:Lyriel
Album:Skin And Bones
Date Released:Nov 4 2014
Tracks:
Numbers
Falling Skies
Skin And Bones
Black And White
Days Had Just Begun
Your Eyes
Dust To Dust
Der Weg
Astray
Worth The Fight
Running In Our Blood
Dream Within A Dream
Black And White (Second Skin Version)
Band Members:
Jessica Thierjung
Oliver Thierjung
Linda Laukamp
Tim Sonnenstuhl
Markus Fidorra
Joon Laukamp
Genre:Rock/Metal/Gothic/Folk
Location:Gummersbach / Köln
Label:AFM Records
Quality & Originality:Lyriel have really hit the stars on this over the top album. From the massive amount and massive sound of instruments like the cello and violin that are extremely tight and well focused to the bright and strong vocals of Jessica Thierjung. The production on this album is simply flawless mixing and mastering was done by Thomas Johannsen. It is albums like this that really excite me cause the amount of styles is endless and the song writing is superb. The song Black And White is really something different with a duet with Jessica and Christian Alvestam (Ex-Scar Symmetry, Solution .45) showing how this band has matured and focused on really recording there strong sides to really push Lyriel into new dimensions.
My Opinion:When it comes to a project like this it can be really tricky cause if it is not pieced together the right way it can be almost to much to the ears but Lyriel have worked up a total masterpiece. The orchestra end is bright and bold with goth and symphonic but then the almost folk at times really take you to another place. The heavier end of things are very dark, heavy and tight.This is a album that fans of everything from thrash, prog, rock, metal, symphonic and goth can really enjoy. I do have to admit that Jessica's vocals is what really does it for me cause she has one of them seductive voices that take you by the soul and just rip it out!!!!!
Overall & Favorites:Skin And Bones, Black And White, Dust To Dust. I give this album a 9.5/10 cause of the sheer amount of volume and epicness this album brings and pulls at the metal heart strings of this metalhead!!
Contact:Facebook Link
www.lyriel.net
Onslaught - VI
Band: Onslaught
Album:VI
Date Released:Sept 24 2014
Tracks:
A New World Order
Chaos Is King
Fuel For My Fire
Children Of The Sand
Slaughterize
66 Fuckin 6
Cruci Fiction
Dead Man Walking
Enemy Of My Enemy
Band Members:
Sy Keeler
Nige Rockett
Jeff Williams
Andy Rosser
Mic Hourihan
Leigh Chambers
Formed:1983
Label:AFM Records
Genre: Thrash/Metal
Quality & Originality:VI is a brilliant bold heavy sign that thrash and the genre are still very much alive and heavier then ever. Onslaught put everything but the kitchen sink into this album but while keeping the essence of the band they really broke the mold of what to expect from a ''Thrash'' album. The album has everything you want from massive palm muted guitars and bold fast drums but they add other instruments you normally do not see in thrash and to not over inflate my thoughts but even time signatures and feel. The production is great normally thrash has a very almost dull tinge or analog feel to it and this is production on a massive scale that really raises the bar. I love it when bands show they are not just a one trick pony and they try bold different arrangements for there songs and even almost prog sounding at times and then wrench it back up and almost kick you in the teeth.
My Opinion:Onslaught is a veteran band and have had legion of underground fans for many many years. They have had many line up changes over the years that usually will destroy the essence of a band but Onslaught shows they are bigger and badder then ever. I have been a huge fan of this band for many years and this album is by far my favorite cause of how they have really thrown out the book on what a thrash album should be and done it there way. This is a extreme riff saturated brilliantly metal that everyone from metal and thrash lovers to new age metal fans and even some prog fans should really take a interest in. Get ready to be metalized by the amazing Onslaught!!!!!!
Overall & Favorites:Enemy Of My Enemy, Children Of The Sand. I give this album a solid 8.5/10 for the brutal but tasteful way that the veterans come out swinging with the best of the best!!!!
Contact: Facebook Link
Website Link
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Emil Bulls - Sacrifice To Venus
Band:Emil Bulls
Album:Sacrifice To Venus
Date Released:Sept 30th 2014
Tracks:
The Grave
Hearteater
Pants Down
I Wanna Feel You
Rainbows And Butterflies
The Way Of The Warrior
The Reckoning
The Age Of Revolution
Sacrifice To Venus
Gone Baby Gone
Man Or Mouse
Keep On Dreaming
Behind The Sun
Band Members:
Christoph v. Freydorf
Stephan ''Moik'' Karl
James Richardson
Andy Bock
Genre: Alternative Metal
Label:AFM Records
Quality & Originality:Sacrifice To Venus is a bit of a change then the band has done in its long 19 year run. The music on this album is very original and being called alternative metal is really a miss cause this band is all over the place but in such a kick ass way. They are heavy almost hardcore then split into a great symphonic sound then back into a great hard rock then back over to the land of prog. The song writing is some of the best to date this band has done. The production is amazing the album was produced by Dan Weller (Enter Shikari, Young Guns, Bury Tomorrow) Mixed by Florian Nowak (DailyHero Studios Berlin) Mastered by Alex Kloss (Time Tools Mastering Studios Hannover).
My Opinion:Emil Bulls is a band I have had so much respect for cause of how they sound like no one. The veteran rockers have been beating out the metal for 19 years now and have a massive following from there native land of Germany. This album is a must for you that love it heavy but also are in the mood for something you will never hear anywhere else. This emotion on this album is intense and bringing in the mix of so many styles of music wraps this band into a masterful bow that will please even the most critical heavy metal fan!!!
Overall & Favorites:The Way Of The Warrior, Hearteater, The Age Of Revolution. I give this album a solid 8 cause of the metal journey that really drags your heard and soul into so many directions!!!
Contact:www.facebook.com/EmilBullsOfficial
http://www.emilbulls.com/
Kissin' Dynamite - Megalomania
Band:Kissin' Dynamite
Album:Megalomania
Date Released:Sept 30th 2014
Tracks:
DNA
Maniac Ball
VIP In Hell
Fireflies
Deadly
God In You
Running Free
Legion Of The Legendary
The Final Dance
Ticket To Paradise
Band Members:
Hannes
Andi
Steffen
Ande
Jim
Genre:Hard Rock/80's Hairmetal
Influences:80's Hardrock, Melodicrock, Glamrock, Hairmetal
Label:AFM Records
Quality & Originality:This album has such a nostalgia from a era of the 80's rock and hair metal mixed with almost a prog/melodic style of modern day music. Kissing Dynamite really brings back a old school feel and sound with powerful writing and production that sets them apart from the rest of the pack. The mix on this album really lets all instruments blend extremely well and let Hannes vocals shine!!
My Opinion:Megalomania is the fourth installment from Kissin' Dynamite and this band has really pushed things a bit further crossing and blending the melodic sound they have clawed out explode. I really fell in love with this album from the first time I listened to it. I have been a fan of this band from the first album and have enjoyed seeing how the band has changed and grown over the years. Fans from 80's hair bands to hard rock and prog will all find this to be such a stellar album loaded with great riffs and hooks mixed in with some amazing rhythm and vocals. The Final Dance also shows how they are more then just a rocking band but they can ballad with the best of them. I also love how each song has such its own identity to it and really stands on its own.
Overall & Favorites:Running Free, Manic Ball, The Final Dance. I give this album a solid 9 cause of how original a drive to the past can rock so damn much!!!
Contact: http://www.kissindynamite.de
www.facebook.com/Kissindynamiterocks/timeline
Monday, August 25, 2014
Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken
Band:Evergrey
Album:Hymns For The Broken
Date Released:Sept 30 2014
Formed: 1998
Genre: Power/Prog Metal, Melodic
Tracks:
The Awakening
King Of Errors
A New Dawn
Wake A Change
Archaic Rage
Barricades
Black Undertow
The Fire
Hymns For The Broken
Missing You
The Great Collapse
The Aftermath
03. A New Dawn
04. Wake A Change
05. Archaic Rage
06. Barricades
07. Black Undertow
08.
The Fire
09.
Hymns For The Broken
10. Missing You
11. The Grand Collapse
12. The Aftermath
Band Members:
Tom S Englund
Rikard Zander
Joehan Neiman
Henrik Danhage
Jonas Ekdahl
Influences:Dark Melodic Metal, kiss, metallica, iron maiden, korn, deftones
Label:AFM Records
Quality & Originality:Evergrey is back with the most outrageous over the top dark melodic power metal album of there career. Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Primal Fear) did a superior job of mixing this album. I am totally blown away with the depth of the guitars, bass, drums, keys and the crisp sound of the vocals on this release. Production wise hands down the best I have heard this year!! The songs are very much Evergrey but they have really dug deep and grown since there last release. I am so blown away on the journey that is taken on this album that will blast you into realms of unknown I have never quite heard on any album to date.
,
,
My Opinion:The band was to the point of calling it quits not long ago what would have been a total shame. The veterans of melodic have always brought there A game but they went out and really dug deep into there souls to bring out this amazing album that has more ups and downs then anything they have released to date. It is hard, light, soft, harsh, and very emotional in a dynamic way that is perfection I am willing to go as far as saying a total masterpiece!!! If you like anything from metal, prog, power, melodic and even thrash you have to pick this very powerful album up it will really inspire you in a musical way!!
Overall & Favorites:Black Undertow, King Of Errors, The Grand Collapse. I am doing something I have NEVER done in the entire time I have reviewed, radioed or talked about I give this powerful masterful album a 10/10
Contact: www.facebook.com/Evergrey/timeline
http://www.evergrey.net/
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Sinbreed-Shadows
Reviewed By: Jon Hernandez
Band:
Sinbreed
Album & Release Date:
Shadows-April 15, 2014
Label:
AFM Records
Year Established:
2008
Band Members:
Herbie Langhans-Vocals, Flo Laruin-Guitars, Marcus Siepen-Guitars, Alexander Schulz-Bass, Frederik Ehmke-Drums
Music Genre:
Melodic Power/Speed Metal
Year Established:
2008
Band Members:
Herbie Langhans-Vocals, Flo Laruin-Guitars, Marcus Siepen-Guitars, Alexander Schulz-Bass, Frederik Ehmke-Drums
Music Genre:
Melodic Power/Speed Metal
Promotion:
AFM Records
Artists/Bands album mission/message:
Since the release of our debut almost 4 years ago we’ve grown as a team and became a real band.
Track Listing
1.Bleed
2.Shadows
3.Call To Arms
4.Reborn
5.Leaving The Road
6.Far Too Long
7.Black Death
8.Standing Tall
9.London Moon
10.Broken Wings
Quality of original music including song writing and message:
The songs are almost in a genre of there own that drips originality. I love how the songs mix Thrash, Metal, Prog all in 10 songs that will open your mind to a different way of looking at Prog and Power Metal.
3.Call To Arms
4.Reborn
5.Leaving The Road
6.Far Too Long
7.Black Death
8.Standing Tall
9.London Moon
10.Broken Wings
Quality of original music including song writing and message:
The songs are almost in a genre of there own that drips originality. I love how the songs mix Thrash, Metal, Prog all in 10 songs that will open your mind to a different way of looking at Prog and Power Metal.
Production value:
The tracks are layered and mixed to give the album such a huge almost out of this world sound. Flo and Marcus's guitar playing is so tight with each other that they have built up such a massive sound that hit you from multiple directions. The mixing, mastering and over all recording is perfect from all angles.
My Opinion:
Shadows is a remarkable Prog/Power Metal album with over the top guitars, Powerful keys, thundering drums and bass. Herbie Langhans vocals are earth shattering on every song. If you are a Metal fan of any kind you will find something to love about this album. This is ten songs of pure sinfully sweet shadow. This band has come so far in the past four years that puts this album on top of the metal world!! Every song on this album is pure guitar fueled energetic metal!
The tracks are layered and mixed to give the album such a huge almost out of this world sound. Flo and Marcus's guitar playing is so tight with each other that they have built up such a massive sound that hit you from multiple directions. The mixing, mastering and over all recording is perfect from all angles.
My Opinion:
Shadows is a remarkable Prog/Power Metal album with over the top guitars, Powerful keys, thundering drums and bass. Herbie Langhans vocals are earth shattering on every song. If you are a Metal fan of any kind you will find something to love about this album. This is ten songs of pure sinfully sweet shadow. This band has come so far in the past four years that puts this album on top of the metal world!! Every song on this album is pure guitar fueled energetic metal!
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Nightmare-The Aftermath
Band: Nightmare
Album: The Aftermath
Genre: Prog Metal/Metal
Tracks:
The Aftermath
Bringer Of A No Man's Land
Forbidden Tribe
Necromancer
Invoking Demons
I Am Immortal
Digital DNA
Ghost In The Mirror
The Bridge Is Burning
Mission For God
Alone In The Distance
Band Members: Jo Amore, Yves Campion, David Amore, Franck Milleliri, Matt Asselberghs
Date Released: June 14, 2014
Label: AFM Records
Quality & Originality: The French metal band Nightmare is not new to the metal scene going back to 1979. The Aftermath is a superb album with a generous amount of energy crushing guitars and riffs. Technically genre of a Prog Metal band but the band always goes so far out with Thrash and Metal roots that crush the very soul with chunky rhythm and great booming double bass drums. This album has a great mix and layering of instruments and the vocals cut thru the mix but not drown it.
My Opinion:The Aftermath is a great return to what the fans of Nightmare want to hear after a bit of a slip with there last album ''Burden Of God''. This album is as good as anything they have put out but they have really pushed the riff limits to a whole new direction. Jo Amore is such a great singer and he really shines hard on this release (Hard to believe he was the bands drummer at one point). There is no fillers on this album every song will grab you and hold on with total metal excitement that this band is known for world wide. If you are looking for a really hard heavy prog metal album this will be the one you cannot stop listening to!!!
Overall & Favorites: I rarely give albums much over 8 cause I always feel there is a bit of room for improvement but on this release it is a solid 9/10 rating. Favorite tracks Bringer Of A No Man's Land, I Am Immortal, Alone In The Distance.
Contact Info:www.nightmare-metal.com, www.facebook.com/NIGHTMAREofficial
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)