HeXeN - Being and Nothingness [2012]

The musicianship here is uncanny! 

It is always incredible to hear an album where you can clearly hear each members love for their musical instrument. If it takes these gents a little bit longer than the fans wanted to get this one out then so be it. If you find yourself thinking, "Man, I have been waiting forever for this bad mother to come out! It better be good!"; then fear not! Because these songs are VERY thought out and much time was spent with each and every one. 

What really sticks out about this undoubtedly the astounding musicianship. Things keep moving here and well, progressing into something more. A lot of the time whenever the word "progressive" is uttered, people shun and think "BOOOORING!", and that could not be further from the truth. It is as if the band has to move forward each time they play a riff. The evidence is clear in every song, but for example with the first song "Macrocosm", which starts out with a piano playing a minor chord progression (total prog move), you can take every phrase and find a little something different each time. And that applies to every song on this glorious bastard. 

There is one thing that must be noted. This album is very melodic. This is one thing that I actually tend to stay away from because to be frank, it isn't my thing; nothing against it. It is just not my thing. But for those who cannot get enough of melody in metal this is the perfect album for you! These guys did not skip a day of music class and clearly know what they are doing. 

This really is a great album and to be honest, this one will probably be the one that takes them to the top. They really deserve it for the time and effort that was put into this bad boy. This is album appeals to everyone but if you happen to be a guitar player... prepare to crap yourself, and then start touching yourself... in that order. Legends could take a lesson for these guitarists. For a band that spent this much time trying to make themselves as well as you happy with killer tunes; you should return the favor and pick this up. Well worth your money and more importantly it is worth your time. 

83%

Favorite Tracks: Defcon Rising, Stream Of Unconsciousness, Nocturne

Obliveon - From This Day Forward - 1990

Obliveon! Underrated Techy Thrash!

The problem with Vektor is that they don't release a new album every weekend for the music nerds to worship. So, we have to reach into the all giving internet and find incredible underrated bands like Obliveon to become obsessed with! Montreal is the luckiest city on earth to have such good bands come from their area! Obliveon alone is enough to make anyone want to make a trek there, and tell these talented bastards to get back together and start jamming this album again! It mixes Sci-fi with technical elements while still maintaining a thrashy sound!


Diving straight in, these riffs will melt your mind and keep your interest all the way through the whole album! It starts out with a short clean intro in the first track, and title track, "From This Day Forward". And if that intro doesn't just scream Vektor at you, rewind it, and listen again! The riffs in this just don't let up! There is nothing worse than when a band gets overly techy and can't write a riff to save their life. There is none of that overrated wank in here. They can still keep the fast paced thrash riffs and kick it into moshing mode with the hard ass mid tempo's that will have you circle pitting in your living room! One of my favorites is at 1:52 of the second track, "Fiction of Veracity" turn that shit up! That track also starts out with a mind numbingly awesome guitar lead that will play in your head all day! Seriously, every single track is worth mentioning for the awesome riffs and drumming.

The bass and drums kill it on this CD. DAT FUGGIN' BASS! Right in the first track he dishes out some leads at around 2:05 and in the second he keeps up with the guitar at 3:50. And really he steps it up all over the album. Same with the drums, the way they bring in the second track is astounding. He really shows off his double kick work in every track. Not just in how long he is able to maintain it but the way he switches it up and really highlights every note and picking pattern in the riffs.

This is seriously an album that is worthy of a ten page, long, boring, track by track review. But to spare you the theatrics you should just listen to it on YouTube and kill yourself for not being worthy. Everything on this Album is amazing, the vox, guitar, bass, drums, you name it. Now stop reading this kiss ass review and LISTEN!!

97%


Favorite Tracks: ALL OF THEM!! They all rule equally.

Testimony - Interview with Derek Lambacher!

Q: When did Testimony get started? Was it you and your brother? Have any of you dudes had any formal music training? It’s hard to believe you all got that good on your own!

A: Testimony started in the winter of 2009 with just my brother Taylor on drums and the original guitar player Martin Bowman. Soon Mike Gawel was recruited as another guitar player, but they had trouble finding a bassist. After practicing for a while they eventually asked me to join. When it comes to formal music training I’m the only one who’s had some. I currently attend Columbia College Chicago as a music major with a concentration in Jazz Studies.

Q: How did you go about writing the songs for Transcending Reality? Do you all sit down and come up with riffs or use guitar pro and send them to each other?

A: All of the songs on Transcending Reality were composed by an individual and then presented to the rest of the band. Sometimes we used guitar pro, for example Society’s End. That song was written by Mike and it was never rehearsed before going into the studio. Basically we learned the tune from guitar pro then went into the studio and tracked it, which was pretty difficult to do. I wouldn’t recommend it haha.

Q: Do you guys have any plans to tour or any thoughts on it?

A: I personally would love to go on tour, but we’ll have to see what’s in the cards for the band. We definitely plan on playing in some new areas this summer, but I don’t think we’ll be able to full on tour.

Q: When did you start playing bass?! How long have you being playing seriously?

A: Well I picked up my dad’s old bass out of a basement closet when I was about 12. A buddy of mine was starting to play guitar and we formed a little band, mostly playing Black Sabbath covers. Then when I was 16 I moved out to Northwest Indiana were I began taking private lessons. From there on I started practicing a lot, and I was introduced to some bass players that are now huge influences on me.

Q: Just out of curiosity; who are some of your favorite bass players? Is there anyone who specifically inspired you on some of your bass solos in Test of Sanity, or any of the leads in the acoustic parts?

A: There’s quite a list, but I owe everything to Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath. He was my inspiration to pick up the bass; I even played his solo ‘Bassically’ every night before bed for four years straight! But after Geezer there’s Cliff Burton, Jaco Pastorius, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Steve DiGiorgio, Steve Bailey, etc.. The list goes on. When it comes to Test of Sanity I owe a lot to Victor Wooten and Marcus Miller, their approach to thumb technique on the bass definitely played a huge role in my approach to those fills. For my fingerstyle approach I took a lot of stuff from players like Steve Digiorgio and Steve Bailey.

Q: Do you have any plans to record a solo album of the sorts or do a YouTube channel?"

A: I would love to record a solo album in the future, but for now just a YouTube channel is in the works. I plan to put up a couple videos of me playing some of the tunes from the EP 

soon, so stay tuned to our Facebook page for more info!

This is a pretty raw video but it really captures a lot! I wanted this to be my first interview because of both my love for thrash and the instrument I play. I had another idea for formatting this originally but when Derek sent the questions back to me I ended up liking this a lot better. 

Please check out the bassage at 1:55 here and Testimony of Facebook!

Testimony on Facebook!

Fierce Band! Demo 2011

Fierce Band!  (Denton TX) - Progressive Metal Masterminds!

The first encounter I ever had with these gents, I was walking into a bar for my friends birthday and the guitar player/vocalist was standing out front passing out this demo...

...Now THAT is dedication.

The best thing about progressive music is how undeniably devoted the musicians are to their instrument. Fierce Band is a three piece progressive metal outfit from Denton TX, or north DFW. This is a demo however just a few simple tweaks in the mixing and mastering and this could have sounded like a hundred thousand dollar recording; point being this could have easily been released as a LP. This could be easily compared to a lot of the greats but the more it goes on it sounds like Jesu or Isis mixed in with Scale the Summit.

A lot of the time when easily distracted music listeners see a five part song they instantly think, "boring progressive snoozefest" and write it off. That thought could not be more wrong. Having a five part song divided into different tracks is MUCH more preferable than having a 40 minute track. But yes the first five tracks off of this is a five part, that doesn't move slow, but it does move very gradual, or dreamy. However, the first track comes in with a guitar break and grabs your attention right away. The instruments are able to keep the interest here with the constant movement and ability to change things up without moving to far away from the initial riff. The last track on here is much faster moving and definitely more "headbangable". Very involved musically, more Scale the Summit and less Jesu or Neurosis on the last track. 

The guitarist will take a solo or simply there might be a break in the drum and bass and he will shred his ass off, this happens everywhere and it couldn't be more appropriate. But most specifically at 5:35 of part 5; he takes a moment to blow your minds with epic shredding skills, that aren't just mindless sweeping. The drums in this magnificent beast are  well above par from beginning to end. There are not moments where the drums sound dull or don't add much. There is always something special about each and every section that not only stands out, but has an ability to make the other instruments shine as well! And vice versa! They are everywhere, just listen to the first track at about 2:50 when it picks up. That would have been lame without the percussion section backing it up! 

Alas! Let us not forget my most favorite.. DAT BASS! It wont be long before you figure out how involved this guy is throughout the whole CD. There is many acoustic sections that he  drives, the rhythm is kept up during the solos. And he has his own track with just bass guitar awesomeness! The track isn't just overly rhythmic slapping or showing off either, it is very smooth, really highlighting the chord progression. This is very reminecent of the likes of Anthony Crawford, and maybe some of Victor Wooten's slower jams, but mostly Anthony Crawford. 

This is a very promising up and coming act out of Denton Texas. They are very active and very nice group of dudes. You can preview their whole Demo/Album on their Facebook or Bandcamp. I do plan to see them live and plan to record a few videos! Don't miss this and give them a like!

90%

Favorite Tracks: Bag of Cows, Mom, The Bananas Were Green, Blue Liquid Lips (ALL OF THEM!! But if I had to choose I would say part 5)

DAT BASS!

Asmodeus! Prosincová noc blíže neurčeného roku! [1992]

Asmodeus! Underrated Progressive Thrash!

A band that speaks their native tongue! In their lyrics... Of course the speak their native tongue. Asmodeus is a great example of a progressive thrash act that isn't technical. Or that isn't overly technical rather. It seems to be extremely easy for most people to get those two things confused; technicality does not equal prog!!! We all know that. Let's just say these fine gents are able to flow between riffs very smoothly using abstract progressions instead of just stop and go riffing.

It kicks off in a way you normally wouldn't expect anything proggy to do. The first song has more of a rock and roll type of upbeat riff that gets the blood flowing pretty quickly. Anyone could name a progressive band that has some epic sample that leads into a long drawn out, overly dramatic, well thought out, piece of music that starts the CD. Which is awesome! But it is very interesting to hear something different; and isn't that what progressive is all about?! It doesn't hang on the rock and roll for too long though; it gets very very thrashy.

The guitar work is the first thing everyone will notice about this album. The choice of notes, and chords they use are very unique. There is nothing better than hearing a riff that goes beyond the power chord. And the acoustic work in the instrumental track, Svetlo, just screams Megadeth. However, it is not a ripoff; it is as if Dave Mustaine recorded a solo for a Symphony X or a Dream Theater record. And, don't expect every song to sound like that; they are so much more versatile.

Guitar players will surely eat this up! On top of the guitar playing the vocals are incredible as well. There is also a flute in some tracks! How cool is that?If this guy were to sing in English he could easily pass for Chuck Billy. No joke, it will really catch you off guard. He does sing in Czech though, which gives things such a cool vibe.

Then all of the sudden there is a 3 second song thrown in there. Straight up grindcore style; no blasts, just a 3 second song. Weird huh? And, even later they throw what , NO JOKE, sounds like a Czech polka folk song tossed in as well. And, then just a straight up folk song. Then a Christmas song. What the fuck just happened. The only logical explanation for this is that,  they were jamming on these for fun, started getting drunk and playing them live, and then said why not. Let's give the fans a bang for their buck and put it all on the record! What a great listen!

92%

Favorite Tracks: Svetlo, Heroes, Stvoritel

Аспид - Кровоизлияние [1992]

Impressive is an Understatement for Aspid!

This is easily a perfect album. From start to finish these guys blend a flavor of old school thrash aggression with technical elements in ways that create the perfect CD! Down to the very basics of it; the riffs, the transitions, the vocals, and really everything of the CD itself is what an old or new school thrasher wants to hear. Or anybody who is into metal music for that matter. Some people who are not into thrash like to get off by saying the riffs all sound the same, or even the BANDS all sound the same. The first thing I would do is show those misinformed losers some Aspid!

Starting with the best feature on any thrash album, the riffs! They have a very nice blend of riffage in this CD. It can get pretty lame when bands get stuck up with how technical they are, or how "tr00 frash" they can possibly get. With Aspid it just comes natural! They have the aggressive Exodus esque riffs to the dark Slayer tone. And, that can easily be represented in every song. On that note, they have techy elements it more parts than others when progressing through a song! There is just so many points on this album where I have to stop and click on my player to remember which part of the song that particular riff is located. There is just so many of them!

Another thing that stands out, is having the right connection between verses, and verse to chorus, and so on. But, above that! However, they go beyond and don't do quite the same thing every time. Granted they do in some songs, but this is the easiest way to show one how creative and just how much time you spent on these songs; it's incredible. One song in particular is "It Came (Aspid)" in the end where the vocalist holds out that scream.

And, speaking of the vocals, these are amazing! It is just TOO COOL when bands keep the lyrics in their own language! But, the tone and the structuring of the vocals is out of this world too. When vocals throw a different pattern into the mix that the guitars may not be playing; and to hear that match up just really catches my eye. That’s a good way to have things in a style of music that doesn't depend on the vocals to carry the song.

There is not one thing I disliked about this album. There is so much more that needs to be said, but in all fairness this could go on and on forever. Everything is just stunning; the riffs, transitions and structure, the vocals, and even down to the basic mix and mastering. Certainly a classic in any thrashers book, and if you haven’t heard of them; YouTube them immediately!

100%

Favorite tracks: It Came (Aspid), Where the Night, and Extravasation

Testimony - Trancending Reality [2012]

Testimony does nothing less than impress!

Here is a release that is easily going to be considered a landmark in the NWOTM. This one goes to show everybody that thrash isn't about just being "retro", "evil" or "old school". None of the aforementioned labels are a bad thing! But, Testimony is a band full of VERY accomplished musicians that will make your hairs stand on end!

The highlight of this album is the musicianship on every members end. The guitar work is beyond incredible starting with an acoustic movement into some bona fide dark leads with what sounds like strings over the top. It's really cool to listen to that and stare at the picture of Earth being destroyed. The riffs presented here are both thrashy and progy! You'll notice the thrashiness at the beginning of Test of Sanity, and very much so in the title track. Not to mention the solos and leads are genuinely impressive throughout the record!

You will quickly notice how talented the drummer and bassist are when the next track gets going! The drums are able to keep wondering, "How the hell did he just do that?". The transition between clean and heavy in the title track really stands out drum wise. One can easily tell that he doesn't mind doing something a bit more complicated.

And, DAT BASS, will grab you by the collar and SLAP YOU SILLY! Not only does this guy know how to slap, but he can really get down when it comes to a solo! Whenever those clean guitars come back in or start the song the bass really moves around and keeps the brain thinking. There is a monster bass fill in 3:04 of Test of Sanity. Don't miss it!

But, what is missing? The one thing almost ALL prog bands have? Clean vocals... Here is an interesting choice of spice. THERE ARE NONE! Cool huh? The vocalist spoke with me once and said, "I feel that if we had clean we would be too easily labeled as a prog band." Pretty spot on if you ask me. They re-enforce how well the band brings thrash and prog together Some choice vocals in the title track at 3:42 and 6:35.

You'll notice a A great representation of all the instruments would be about 3 minutes into Test of Sanity; and seriously... Prepare  to feel unworthy. It's great to have your brain melted after listening to an album. It is very evident that these men not only have a deep appreciation of thrash, but don't mind spending time working with music.

97%


Favorite Tracks: Release from Life (Free), Test of Sanity, Transcending Reality

Latvala Bros. Plays Wooden Eye [1994]

Latvala Bros.  Instrumental Prog. Thrash!

If the title alone doesn't make you want to check this out, then get this... Let's say, ohh, Lich King and Vektor were to have a baby; this is what it would sound like. And, I'm not even joking. This band is like the thrash metal father of Scale the Summit. What is the first thing one thinks of when those two band names, Lich and Vek, come to mind? THE RIFFS!! And, with a band that is strictly instrumental, the riffs HAVE to be very prominent. For example, it's if they were listening to Exodus and Watchtower, or Realm while writing their stuff, very cool.

But, enough with the stupid name dropping; lets dive in! Normally anything happy (gross over-simplification, I know) is pretty lame in thrash metal. Of course referring to riffs that would be considered boring; like those riffs that stay on the 3rd, 5th, and 7th frets. Riffs that any jack off with three weeks of practice could write without thinking. What makes Latvala Bros. stand out is their ability to write really heavy Exodus-esque riffs and TRANSITION (I can't stress that enough) into something that sounds very major. Instead of using the word happy; you could call these riffs "Uplifting". If you are going to have an instrumental album, you HAVE to make it interesting. In the first song, and title track, you hear things go from a very aggressive face smashing riff, and then almost instantly morphs into a uplifting riff with very bright leads. Those are all over this bad mother.

However, they are not all uplifting. There are plenty of riffs in hear that are very minor. Listen to the part in Night of the Lizard at 1:47. There is definitely something interesting here; like not just minor, but it sounds like a Byzantine minor, or the Egyptian scale. And, before it begins to slow down with an acoustic guitar, they bring you back with what sounds like strings or a synth; that then ends on a HALF CADENCE?! Yeah... They just played that card. And slows down, not with an acoustic guitar, but one of the most out there leads I have ever heard. Yes, Night of the Lizard is a masterpiece.

But, oh wait, EVERY FREAKING SONG IS LIKE THAT! If the words, "Instrumental progressive thrash metal with classical and jazz influences", aren't enough to make you hit the "Download" button; then you may just have to kill yourself. I would recommend this to everyone, especially music majors or aspiring guitar players. This one is a masterpiece.

95%


Favorite Tracks: The Wooden Eye, Brutal Solution to Sexual Megaproblems (Oh yes they did!), Night of the Lizard

Vektor - Outer Isolation [2011]

Vektor's Standard is Excellence!

Vektor is the type of band that I feel no matter how far they go in their career, all the success in the world wouldn’t be enough to match that of such prodigious talent. They simply give me everything I want to hear in a thrash album; or any genre of album at that. There isn’t one thing I would change about Outer Isolation or any of their previous albums.


1. Cosmic Cortex
                I love that they start the record with this song! It begins with, without asking them, what seems to sound like radio emissions from the planet Saturn (Don’t ask me how I know that; Nerd Alert!) then moves into a heartbeat that slows down into a clean intro. You have got to hand it to them; that is some pretty nifty stuff! The intro in this song to me is a shining monument to everything that is Vektor! Then Dave may just make you spill your coffee with his high falsetto! Thus bringing the song to maximum head-bangage! What really makes this track shine to me is the remarkable guitar work! They really out did themselves with the different harmonies and transitions! Specifically I would like to point out a few quick riffs and transitions: Besides the intro, 3:03, 6:00, and the very last riff! On that last riff, having one guitarist chug while, the other strums, what sounds like an F minor chord, is just genius.

Haha I just wanted to say that the beginning of this song reminds me of fighting the "Brain" of Andross in Star Fox 64. Anyone? 

2. Echoless Chamber     

                The beginning here is a HUGE catcher! I love how it moves from that semi clean intro to the verse riff so quickly. That is easily one of my favorite moments of the whole album, it’s executed perfectly! That verse riff it quickly moves intro is one MONSTER MOSH RIFF! The bridge in this song is out of this world as well! I say that because of the outstanding BASS at 3:09 and so on! It brings in the solo section so well!

3. Dying world

                Gotta love that bass! My favorite part of this beginning is the fill on the bell at 1:00 in! It’s those little things that bring out so much. The verse in here really makes me want to stand in front, grab the monitor, and head bang until I puke! But, most of all the whole song seems to be building towards the chorus, which has somewhat of an old-school flair with the lyric, “Welcome to a Dying World”!

4. Tetrastructural minds

I always seems to be mentioning intros. If you are wondering why; it is because of the “Curb appeal”. When someone first selects a track, if the intro doesn’t put them in a strangle hold right away, one may be inclined to skip the track all together. That being said, HOW COULD ONE PASS UP THIS GEM! Not with all that bass kicking your ass! I really enjoy all of the high notes in the riffs. The harmonies really stand out here. But, the real flavor is at 4:22 where the song almost gets kind of “poppy”. Like, if you heard this part alone you may not be able to tell this is Vektor. The clean part right before it is magical as well. There couldn’t have been a better part. Also, I remember Vektor mentioning a Pirate riff. I’m sure someone beat me too it, but it was in to Demolition version of this song.

5. Venus Project

                I actually discovered Vektor because of this song. I was doing a little research on Jacque Fresco, and I stumbled upon the greatest band ever. I’m not quite sure if the lyrics are speaking of the same thing though haha. But alas, there is a very interesting clean intro. Vektor’s standard is above awesome. Things really get interesting when the song slows down. The bass under the clean part is incredible; I think it carries the whole section. The background noises here are very other worldly, if you are listening to this stoned… prepare for a vision quest. That is all.

6. Dark Creations, Dead Creators

                This is the most “to the point” song on the whole album. A “Quicky” per say. That being said, I love how this song still has about a minute of intro. Happy face. Something that really shines in this song is the DRUMS! The highlights of which is the intro, obviously, and the part at 2:37; where at one part he throws some double bass in there and the next time around you hear some blasty snare! If you are a drummer, you better hit rewind! The solos afterward are… how do I say… Special because they are more “standard?” than their others. That may be a poor choice of words, but I am trying to say that they seem to stand out because I know Erik makes a point not to have boring solos or leads. And he does so by saying, mother fuck the major and minor Pentatonic (If I may), and tends to lean more modal with the things he writes; a man after my own heart. And, I am not saying that this solo is boring; I am saying I love it and it really stands out!

7. Fast Paced Society

                There is even more bass awesomeness here at the beginning! I really wish I knew how they went about writing this part. Because, I would find it hard to write a catchy and simple bass line to EITHER that beginning drum beat or the guitar that follows. Amirite, gentlemen amirite? But, moving on… THE TRANSITIONS… OH GOD THE TRANSITIONS! I could only imagine how long it would take me to write this glorious bastard! Just skip around to any part of the song, and think, what the hell how did they get here? Also, LOVE the mid tempo upbeat at 3:51. And, the chaos at the very end of the song is freaking genius. That moves beautifully into the last song.

8. Outer Isolation

                Alas! The final track! Vektor never fails to make the title track one of the best. This one has a different feel to it. And, I can’t quite put my finger on it. I really like that high note that jumps up and says high during the verse riff. And again! My favorite part in this song is the clean, slower part; and really the whole bridge. The classical influence really shines out to create the most beautiful lead. Prog nerds could really take a lesson from this section! It really moves from clean to heavy very well here. I always pay attention to things like that because if you don’t know… Those things are very hard to write!

Favorite Tracks - 1, 2, and 8

100%

Not all my reviews will be this long. Just seeing as this is the first one of my blog I wanted to do something special. And, I really needed to write all this out before my thoughts on this album drove me insane.

Stay thrashy my friends.