Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Full Marks – Soul Sanctuary’s Afterlife REVIEWED
Review Of Soul Sanctuary’s Debut Album “Afterlife”
Soul Sanctuary is a six piece alternative metal band from England and we’ve been keeping our eyes on them since the initial interview that they had with HeadbangToday.com! Afterlife is Soul Sanctuary’s debut album and was produced, engineered, written, sung (screamed), mixed and mastered by one of their lead vocalists Luke Gibson. Heavily talented to bring us quality heavy metal!
Their demo tracks grew onto me like a parasite, tapping into the host’s brain, convincing me that this will be an album worthy of purchase. So there I had it. I bought “Afterlife” and waited in great inticipation for its arrival. Upon receiving it, I popped it in and the only thing that kept coming to mind while listening to the entire album twice in a row was “REVIEW” – This album deserves and demands a review that will contain my thoughts and feelings that streams throughout my mind as the tracks play along.
The album explodes with the very first track after which the album is named (or vice versa) “Afterlife“. The intro of “Afterlife” itself already gave me a sense of what I can expect from the rest of the tracks with it’s brain-vibrating screaming, fast paced drumming and ground-breaking riffs. The song well put together with very nice polish that will ensure you the overall quality of the album. It has a beautiful guitar solo backed up with heavy riffing and contains two very apocolyptic-sounding breakdowns near the end which eventually leads to a nice steady decline of solid screaming which halts after the song’s trademark drumbeat.
Game Of Conviction is the second track on their album which reminds me very much of Sevendust with it’s coarse backing vocals and short-bursts of combined musical excellence. It contains yet another beautiful solo which is carried by fast metal drumbeats and kick-ass riffing. The melodic vocals and screaming compliments eachother well in this song which is something not many bands in my experience can get the hang of with two vocalists.
Afterlife’s third track is called Destiny. A new song that I haven’t heard from Soul Sanctuary before while I was enjoying all their demo tracks prior to the album’s release. It’s chorusses finnish themselves off with decent fast and well composed riffs. Another outstanding solo has managed to embed itself into this song. Their guitarists Ed Stevens and Anthony Montague have really done amazing work with their talents and have put it to a good use. The melodic bass notes serves as a perfect backbone to the song.
Killing Time, the album’s fourth track kicks off with heavy growling and excells towards slow heavy riffs with the drummer crashing his symbols timeously with the heavy riffing. A song that also proves that whispers and screams can be equally powerful. A brilliant guitar solo electrifies you towards heavy growling followed by a very fast and funky, funk, drum & bass-like bass slapping solo. This song is the shit.
Track no. 5 is Packaged To Sell. It’s been a personal all-time favourite since I heard the demo version. Some have said that the screaming vocals sound a lot like that of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor… I’ll have to disagree slightly, but I have to give it to Soul Sanctuary. Their screams/growls are indeed pretty awesome! Luke Gibson does an excellent job in his vocal work. I like the way the two vocalists have come up with using melodic singing combined with screaming and packaged it into a pretty heavy album – to sell.
The sixth track called Reflections starts off with a chilled accoustic riff and decent melodic singing from both vocalists. The song then eventually progresses into nice heavy alternative rock and rocks on until it declines back into its accoustic state. A perfect blend. I can see this type of song being played on national radio here in South Africa. It’s probably one of Soul Sanctuary’s ’safest’ songs to be commercialised and released for local radio airtime.
Number 7 – Scars Of You, was added to the album for probably no other reason but to show off each band members’ talent in their own respective department! Eardrum-tampering screams, decent melodic singing, another amazing solo, cool bass tunes with solid riffs and tight drumming is rarely heard of in one song!
REVIEW CONTINUES HERE: http://www.headbangtoday.com/articles/?p=75
Hatebreed (2009) The Review
Hatebreed 2009After the album landed on my desk a week ago, the amount of attention I’ve given it was purely minimal up until today. There is probably no better review that can be done on a band and their latest release than a review done by someone who was never really a fan of the band in general. So today I have decided to dissect it, give it a more intense listen and compare it to the personal symptoms that I have been suffering from lately. Symptoms that has recently plagued me with that very metal craving which sent me in pursuit of a remedy… CouldHatebreed be that remedy?
Hatebreed’s self-titled album explodes with “Become The Fuse”. A song with energetic rhythm and tight drumming that blends in well with the song. These are elements that I was actually looking for and the album actually starts off well, giving me that required dosage. The third track “Between Hell And A Heartbeat starts off pretty chilled with a seductive and somewhat mesmerizing intro. It then leads itself into a fast paced and well-constructed song with a decent break that will get any headbanger banging the snot and shit out of his own head at anyHatebreed concert. I can imagine it being a pretty crazy song to see them play live.
“In Ashes They Shall Reap” consists out of one of those sing-along chants that are bound to get the entire crowd to … well … sing along! I can see now whyHatebreed’s live shows are so energetic. In Ashes They Shall Reap got the adrenaline pumping throughout the veins embedded beneath my skin as I could feel my muscles tingling with the desire to break out and start a mosh in this confined office space with colleagues. There WILL be injuries.
Although I am truly satisfied with what’s been drilled into my ears and my being from the tracks I’ve given a proper listen. I knew that I am yet to find a track that wouldn’t apply to my craving as stated earlier. “Hands Of A Dying Man” seems to be that very track with it’s extremely fast drum-tapping and guitar strumming (don’t get me wrong, it’s a song written for headbangers andmoshpit kings in mind, without a doubt.) But the track was over before I even knew it. Jamey Jasta maintains the heaviness of Hatebreed. With his growlish screams and the lyrical content, it would not be statements made any clearer if it was done by any other vocalist.
There is something about “No Halos For The Heartless” that grabbed me. Its heaviness and well-written guitar riffs made this very song stand out among the rest on this album. It consists out of that pureHatebreed anthems that is bound recruit any passing headbanger into the Hatebreed army. “Through The Thorns” with its death-metal like riffing is a good song up until the break-down. But then Hatebreed proved me wrong in my previous sentence and the song swiftly recovers back into it’s metalcore awesomeness.
The album ends with “Escape.” The song that gave me the final missing dosage of Hatebreed’s latest self-titled album. The vocal work in “Escape” varies from death to melodic metal to which I rest my case. The album overall reflects the hard work and dedication thatHatebreed as a band put together for their die-hard fans. As a newcomer, I enjoyed the album, even though I would’ve liked to hear a little bit more of JameyJasta’s talented melodic metal-like vocal work.
I give the new Hatebreed Album 9 out of 10 metal horns. -
In short: Hatebreed proved me wrong on many different levels and they are the exact dosage I needed. Hatebreed personally instructed me yesterday to help the scene grow in South Africa so that we can have the live Hatebreed experience right here in our very own country.
Now that Headbang Today has Hatebreed’s attention, we hope that South Africa will be placed on their next world tour map and I am confident that Hatebreed will be reading this review. Not many reviewers can say that!
- Scream
www.headbangtoday.com
Day Turns Night Review BY WRAITH
Day Turns Night
Day Turns Night – a melodic death metal band situated at the southernmost tip of Africa – are currently finding increased interest and appreciation for their music amongst heavy music listeners across the globe.
Their story starts off with three of their current members Ferdi, Roland and Tian, and one of their former members, Izan Visser. Together these four, provided the instrumentation behind Helderberg-based punk bank Fozim.
Meanwhile two of the other current band members were also working on their skills. The first time they met Sarge, which also lead to his new name, came from Fozim’s initial demo recordings. During these early days for new wave metal concerts in the area, they saw performances of one of the very few metal bands in the area, Decay of Angels. Striking up a solid relationship with vocalist Karel would turn out to be well worth the effort in their upcoming journey. Sarge was also part of the EP recording for Decay Of Angels.
When the time came for the Fozim boys to look for a new vocalist they didn’t realize that they were coming to what appeared to be the end of a chapter, but instead were laying the foundations for a new one.Sarge recorded another three tracks for them which they’d use for audition purposes. After initially declining a try-out in their recruitment campaign, Karel pitched for an audition.
They weren’t just blown away and happy to welcome Karel to his new ‘home’, but also realised they were now heading in a new direction with their music. After two songs had been written, they renamed the band to one of those tracks, When Day Turns To Night.
With this line up they formed their sound, and also bit into the pie ( Yes I like pies okay 
) that is the growing Cape Town (and surrounding) metal scene and recorded their first EP entitled ‘Another Day In Hell.’
Recorded by Sarge in Roland’s house, and mixed by Izan, this album sold really well and attained high regard for the sound quality achieved in a make-shift recording environment.
Not too long after the release of this album, due to a freak accident the rest of the band had to bid farewell to Izan (86-07). With another gig lined up, that was set in the memory of Izan, they were in search of a new guitarist that could fill the role of Izan.
With prior discussions and also having worked with him, they approached Sarge, and he accepted their request. After the lined-up gigs he became a permanent member of Day Turns Night.
The first year with the new line up consisted of various small gigs, the forming of their song writing process, gaining some more experience with recording, and venturing out of the Western Cape region for the first time and performing at local festivals.
After a very successful national tour in June 2008, they realized that their own influence and stature within the local metal scene (and that they were now motivated to put more concentrated effort into the band) came in the form of being selected (by the public) to open for Devildriver in Cape Town, as part of a planned South African tour. Until the cancellation of the show, they were also in a rally to open the Johannesburg show.
The cancellation brought on a new goal for them, to produce a full length album in six months – six months later they released their debut album ‘Fallen Legacy’.
With this self-produced and self-recorded album (mixed by Zack Ohren of Castle Ultimate Studios) they showcase the range and variety of their musical prowess and establish their unique sound that their fans and friends have both enjoy and mosh to ( \m/ yes please! ).
They have also become one of the more sought after local bands. Due to popular demand they have played four of the six main events hosted by Metal4Africa in the last 3 years. After their first appearance on the Ramfest stage in 2008, they proceeded to headline the Black Parade Stage in 2009 and they were the main regional support act for the Haste The Day Tour early 2009 as well ( I was there in the Klein Libertas! \m/ ).
Review:
Before I listened to it I took a look at the cover art and thought to myself “Hell yeah, here we go”, I then started listening and the pure win that came out of my speakers told me the following:From the very first track with what sounds like, some kind of demonic screaming in the background, you already knew you were in for something out of this world.
And onto track 2 with ‘Forward The Demons March”, I got greeted by a really amazing intro and some brilliant drumming that left me wanting more. The guitars left me wanting more and more, and then after the amazing intro came to an end.
The vocals popped in and made me well aware that I was in for more than I expected, “RETRIBUTION!!! MY DECAY!!!” , was the part that really caught me in that song, pure metal.
Then there was the occasional blasting I heard from the drums, which I have only heard in a few bands as of late, which added an even more death metal feel to it.
Moving on with the album I definitely got a feel for their music, and how the live shows would be, the vocals have a very similar effect to, The Black Dahlia Murder, (which is probably my favourite international band at the moment), in the sense that Karel has a high pitched scream and then the lowish growls add some variation to it all, which I’m a really big fan of. The songs are constructed well, and the lyrics ring of true metalness, maybe a bit dark for some, but that’s what Death Metal is about after all.
With Ferdi’s metronomical precision and power at the drums, Karel’s bellowing low- and fear-striking high pitch vocals, the paired guitar onslaught of Roland and Sarge and the melody-enhancing low end courtesy of Tian, they are set to grow into a global representative for South African metal and a brilliant one at that.
I don’t have much more to say about Day Turns Night, since I had no problems with the band or their music, and I can honestly say that I can’t believe that they are from South Africa, it really is incredible and if you call yourself a metalhead, that you need to get your hands on the ‘Fallen Legacy’ album.
Now for the rating (I can already see the editor getting that red pen of his ready ), its a bit unfair to the other bands and their genres because I’m really into Melodic Death Metal, but anyhow. [No Edit Needed 
- Scream]
I give Day Turns Night 4.5 / 5 horns \m/.
Well done guys. Looking forward to seeing you live. \m/
Wraith
www.headbangtoday.com
Scream