The Swiss band Crystal Ball is a power/heavy metal band that once again surfaces. Following a 6 year hiatus, a new album "Dawnbreaker" was finally released this year. Their sound can best be described as a blend of classic Heavy Metal, euro-Rock and melodic Power Metal. But this album reminds me the most of bands like Firewind, if that helps to compare them to something you know.
“Aeon Zen” are a UK progressive rock/metal band formed in 2008 with Rich Hinks original from start 2008 (guitar/vocals/bass/keyboards), other members from 2012; Andi Kravljaca (Vocals), Matt Shepherd (Guitar) and Steve Burton (Drums).
Ready, Set , Fall, an Italian band playing Swedish melodic death with American metalcore and a strong preference for agile variability. Five members: Marco Pochettino (drums), Giovanni Santolla (Bass/vocals), Christopher Volpi (vocals), Francesco Scaravelli (guitar) and Frank Mossa (guitar).
As the title of this US band implies, Strangelight are more than a little familiar with Ian McKaye’s Fugazi, I guess they spin at home quite some discs by Lungfish, Angst, Killdozer, Butthole Surfers, Naked Raygun, Jawbox, …as that's what they most closely resemble. The result is sometimes pretty interesting but here is one thing that bothers me. There are the vocals which annoy me, I wish they were more expressive, but this clear nasal tone has bored me to death.
Silent Voices is a Finnish progressive metal band formed in 1995. Current members: Timo Kauppinen (guitar), Pasi Kauppinen (bass), Jukka-Pekka Koivisto (drums), Hendrik Klingenberg (keyboards) and Teemu Koskela (vocals).
Seether is a South African post-grunge/alternative metal band founded in 1999. The band was originally formed under the name "Saron Gas" until renaming it to "Seether" in 2002. The first disc on Seether’s collection is comprised of all fifteen singles the band has released throughout the past eleven years. Tracks like ‘Gasoline,’ ‘Broken,’ ‘Remedy,’ ‘Fake It,’ ‘Rise Above This,’ ‘Country Song’ and ‘Tonight’ all turn up on the collection.
Satanic Malfunctions formed in the mid of the 80’s returning of the 22 years with a new album “Them”. With vocalist Kai, guitarist Yaga, bassist Ryan and drummer Ade they still plays aggressive and ultra-fast hardcore/punk mixed with grind/thrash frenzy, fueled by political lyrics.
I think it’s time fans of sludge and noise core discover the Beringen, Belgian outfit 30 000 Monkies. Their second EP contains four pieces, each one containing its fair share of noise, disoriented and frightened passages. However, the songs “Czarring”, “Imperial Staches”, “Amazones” and the longest 13-min “Battering” don’t go through a variety of tempo and style changes, 30 000 Monkies does an excellent job of building and maintaining a suffocating atmosphere ending on the darkest possible note.
Dutch band Vengeance have been around since 1983 already, but if you don’t count the album that was only released in Japan, and the live album, this is only their eleventh album. Line-up changes have been countless over the years, but with one or two constants always returning, that being singer Leon Goewie – he’s been replaced one some occasions, and guitarist Jan Somers. Sadly enough Jan Somers died in 2011 from a heart attack, but his son Timo who had already played in the band together with his fathe
Silent Voices is a Finnish band that I’d never heard of before. Yet so far they have already released 3 albums since 2002, but since their 2006 album ‘Building Up the Apathy’ it had become quite silent, as if they went in wintersleep. On top of that they lost their vocalist Michael Henneken (Sentiment, Adamantia).
