When I started listening to this CD, I felt as if some black hole had sucked me in, and I was taken back in time to the eighties, at the time when NWOBHM was rearing its head and becoming popular. At times you even think you’re listening to a copy of Iron Maiden.
Earlier this year we (the Concreteweb headquarters) did receive the latest full length by German Dark Metal act Eisregen, called Todestage (the album was initially released at the very end of last year, for your information).
It has no use to go to deep into the history of Sinister, one of The Netherlands’ best known and most influential bands ever. They were formed in 1989 and joined the Nuclear Blast-roster at the beginning of the nineties. This resulted in several albums: Cross The Styx (which I think is still a cult-record), Diabolical Summoning, Hate, Bastard Saints, Aggressive Measures, Creative Killings, and Savage Or Grace.
Although this band has been around for some 25 years, and having so far released six studio albums, I’d never heard of them. And after listening to this new album, my opinion is still unclear. Have I missed something by not having heard of them before or not.
Earlier this year we (the Concreteweb headquarters) did receive the latest full length by German Dark Metal act Eisregen, called Todestage (the album was initially released at the very end of last year, for your information).
French act Silent Opera was formed in 2007 by Olivier Sentenac (b), Romain Larregain (g) and Laure Laborde (v). They (and ‘they’ includes some new members) recorded a first album at the Laguna Records Studio, which got released as Act One in 2010.
I have no idea why this album gets re-issued, but it has been released about one year ago. Unfortunately I cannot find the review done back then (otherwise I could just copy etc…), but anyway, I will keep it short. The band hails from the Canary Island (a part of Spain in the Atlantic) and was formed fifteen years ago. There was one full length before, called Entrance, which got released in 2010 via STF, and the band performed on stage in support of bands like Swallow The Sun and Dark Tranquillity.
Stockholm-based outfit Circle Of Chaos return with their second full length, after 2010’s self-released Black Oblivion. The band also released the mini-album Twoheaded Serpent in 2012, by the way, and last year the band was joined by former Necrophobic-member Anders Strokirk on guitar, for your information.
Gun Barrel is a German heavy metal band formed in 1998 in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. Gun Barrel was founded by Guido Feldhausen and Rolf Tanzius and released their first EP Back To Suicide (2000) with the line-up consisting of Guido Feldhausen (vocals), Rolf Tanzius (guitar), Holger Schulz (bass) and Florens Neuheuser (drums).
It wasn’t quite the case during the early years of this band, but since about a decade, I find it quite an exciting experience to listen to new material by German act Eisregen. I couldn’t really enjoy the first albums they did, but as from half of the 2000’s, they do draw my attention, for the material became much more interesting. The band comes close, in mean time, to its twentieth anniversary, and with Todestage, they deliver their tenth album.
