Suburban

Not contenting themselves with the re-release of ‘The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell Part One & Part Two", Steamhammer are also at the same time re-releasing Virgin Steele’s 1998 album ‘Invictus’.

The original release of these two albums, was in 1994 respectively in 1995, so it’s a good initiative by SteamHammer to reissue them together, including not only the original songs in the original running order, but also adding two live tracks and an alternative version of ‘The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell’. Nothing has to be said about the albums themselves, they were very good when they were originally released, and of course still are very good.  That is if you like Virgin Steele, of course.

If I have to go by what certain English “specialized “ press had to say about this album then the THE HELL are the future of hardcore…….well  I don’t think so. What is on display here is a bunch of second rate hardcore mixed with blunt English humor. Now personally I am a fan of English humor of all kinds, but in this format spread over 13 tracks and a secret track… and pretty one dimensional (how many times can we say fuck shit dick kill on one album) than it becomes very quickly very boring…..

Third full length release by this eclectic duo,  who mix up some heavy riffs backed up by a lot of prorgamming , clean vocals (by the bunny) and screams by surprise surprise ‘the bear”.  Musically The bunny the bear present us bubblegum pop spiced up with some heavy guitars, on some of the songs thisworks rater well like on the title track “ food chain” or “ so smooth so appealing” but just as often it goes teeibly wrong like on “Pale green eyes”…..

This Heavy/ Thrash Metal act from Santiago, Chile was founded back in 2002 by singer/ guitarist Esteban Peñaililo, second guitarist Misael Cabello, bassist Francisco Menares and a drummer of whose identity I am uncertain (it being either Nicolás Duarte, or a fellow known just as Luis).

To be honest I thought this was yet another rerelease of an obscure NWOBHM band, something HRR has somewhat built up a reputation with…. But no as it turns out High Spirits is the project of a certain Chris Black… it seems Mr.Black  must have a deep love for the early 80’s hardrock and metal scene as “You are here”, is 9 tracks of pure  nostalgia, at least if lIke me you’re well over forty, closer to 50…..

Before getting to the band at hand, let's make it clear from the go, that this is NOT about the US Heavy/ Thrash Metal act founded in Buffalo during the year 2000, which up to day delivered a 2001 demo, a first full-length entitled Execution Protocol on Too Damn Hype Records in 2002, two ensuing full-lengths (2004's For Whom The Gods Would Destroy and 2006's Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight) on Lifeforce Records, and whose last “sign of life” came with the 2009 5-track EP The Curse Of The King, issued th

There was a time that Victory Records was at the fore front of the hardcore and punkrock scene…. Since a while now the label is also home to a vast number “modern –nu- metal “ bands,  Emmure being one of the bigger names in the genre…. Eternal nightmare is the 4 full length of this NY Queens based band. So what’s on offer…. Not a lot I dare say, just as many other bands in the same niche, there  is the stop and go riffing, the samples, the obligatory distorted vocals and a solid production.

Crystal Eyes  were formed in 1992 in Sweden, and despite already having released six albums before this one, have gone by pretty unnoticed I guess.  It has taken them six years since their previous album ‘Chained’ to bring out new work, on the Massacre label this time. Not only are they on another label, but former guitarist: vocalist  Mikael Dahl has also rejoined the band, to replace Søren Nico Adamsen.

Ooh...as it turns out, we at ConcreteWeb last came across this American “Rock” band on the occasion of the release of their 2007 album Lies For The Liars (for which a review by yours was posted on July 10 of that same year – look it up in our “Archive” section for details on the band's career up to that point)!