| Band/Artist | Title | Style | Label | Year |
Grade |
| Amos | Lost Essence | Gothic Hard Rock | Independent | 2007 | 70% |
| Mike Botello | A Timeless State | Acoustic Rock | Mijaces | 2006 | 55% |
| Faith Factor | 07/07/07 | Power Metal | Metal Archangel | 2007 | 90% |
| Harmony | End Of My Road | Melodic Power Metal | Ulterium | 2008 |
85% |
| Jon Hooper | Doorways To Other Worlds | Instrumental Hard Rock | Unforsaken Productions | 2008 | 80% |
| Mad Max | In White | Acoustic Rock | AOR Heaven | 2006 | 75% |
| Miracle | Soldiers Of Light | Power Metal | Independent | 2007 | 70% |
| Orphan Project | II | Progressive Hard Rock | Independent | 2008 |
85% |
| Promise Land | Demo | Power/Progressive Metal | Independent | 2005 | 80% |
| Strangeland | Strangeland | Melodic Metal | Indepedent | 2005 | 80% |
| True Wisdom | True Wisdom | Instrumental Gothic Rock | Independent | 2007 | 75% |
| Mike Visaggio | Starship Universe | Progressive Rock | Independent | 2006 | 75% |
| Voice Of Glass | Song Of Songs | Hard Rock | Independent | 2006 | No Quote |
| V-Rats | EPic | Hard Rock/Metal | Independent | 2007 | 80% |
Amos, a three piece unit from Brazil best known for its gothic influenced progressive metal releases Gothic Soul (1999) and A Matter Of Time (2005), recently put together a three song EP entitled Lost Essence. Recorded by Amos as a gift for its fans, the EP is an internet exclusive offering that can be downloaded for free at the bands website. What we have in Lost Essence is a step by Amos away from the progressive leanings of its past efforts and a move in a heavier and more guitar based metal direction- all the while maintaining the same dark and gothic sensibilities. The outcome is a work that might lack some of the catchy melodies that made A Matter Of Time such a fine effort; that being said, it must be noted the material here is well constructed and easily holds up under repeated play.
“Stranger Love” is a plodder that almost comes across doom-like in capacity with its driving impetus and towering low end. “Lost Essence” is another slower track, reflecting an atmospheric feel as a result of the highlighting trace of piano underlining a forward mix of rhythm guitar. My favorite has to “Waiting For The Night”. Ominous and portent, this one stands out with its catchy chorus and showy run of lead guitar work.
Production values are a step up when compared to A Matter Of Time in that the band has captured a near perfect rhythm guitar sound. Nevertheless, lead vocals remain an area in need of improvement in that vocalist Rodgrigo Shimabukuro continues to exhibit some shaky elements to his delivery. Still, Lost Essence comes with a solid recommendation. Please note that the download is no longer available at the time of this writing.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/theamosband
Grade: 70%
MIKE BOTELLO – A Timeless State
A Timeless State, the debut solo release from former Awake vocalist Mike Botello, moves mostly in an acoustic based rock direction. No, nothing groundbreaking or worth writing home about, but the album is not without its share of quality moments either. “Crossroad”, for example, is a solid hard rocking piece, while “Long Over Due” stands out with its atmospheric progressive rock feel. The folk rock of the albums Dylan-esque title track must also be mentioned along with the U2 vibe reflected in the ethereal guitar sounds of “Follow Me”.
That being said, I end up hitting the skip button a few too many times here in that many acoustically driven numbers such as “Narrow”, “Humanity”, “The Path” and others can border on the non-descript. (Although the use of a saxophone on the laid back “Change” brings to mind the old Rez Band song “The Return".) A few more hard rockers along the lines of “Crossroad” would have gone a long way towards the more well rounded effort. Still, I can see fans of Guardian, Shout, Stryper and perhaps even U2 getting into this. If you are looking for something mellow then Mike Botella might be your cup of tea.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/botellomusic
Grade: 55%
Fans of old school power metal along the lines of Sacred Warrior, Recon, Jacobs Dream and Septer need look no further than New Jersey based Faith Factor. Formed in the fall of 2005 but not releasing its debut 3 song EP until the summer of 2007, Faith Factor combines high end, melodic based vocals with a triple guitar attack to create a work that can best be described as heavy and energetic but catchy at the same time. Former Deadly Blessing vocalist Ski fronts the group. Bringing a commanding – almost operatic – vocal presence that hints at Johnny Bomma (River Bomma), Ski displays near unlimited range when he cuts loose and goes for a high note (think Lance King, Vett Robers of Recon or former Jacobs Dream vocalist David Taylor). The lead work here is very adeptly performed as well, reminiscent to the aptly named Bruce Swift of Sacred Warrior fame.
The bands EP, released on July 7, 2007 and appropriately entitled 07/07/07, features two hard rocking tracks in “Prayer Warriors” and “Deceiver” and a first class power ballad entitled “The Angel And The Butterfly”. All three come in at around six minutes each. Lyrics are openly Christian.
“Prayer Warriors”, the most up-tempo of the three, brings a high energy vibe that would not sound out of place on Recon’s Behind Enemy Lines or any of Sacred Warrior’s four albums. Introduced by a stretch of tight as a nail riffing, the song charges ahead in vibrant fashion until acquiring a sublime chorus driven by heavy duty backing vocals. A fast paced stretch of lead guitar stands in perfect complement to the ardent scene.
“The Angel And The Butterfly” is as fine a power ballad as I have heard. A piano slowly compels the song forward, gracefully underlining its verse portions until the rhythm guitar crashes into the mix to shore up its emotionally charged chorus. Ski does a good job exhibiting the abundant range to his voice throughout this one.
A dark and weighty slab of classic metal, the apocalyptic “Deceiver” brings to mind some of the material on Saint’s 1986 offering Time’s End. Technical is the overall feeling I get here, reflected in the numerous time changes made by the song and the bands frequent excursion into instrumental territory. Very catchy chorus hook as well.
Give Faith Factor a great deal of credit for the potential it displays on its recently released 3 song demo/EP. But if you are like me, however, and are left with the feeling of wanting more, it is good to know the band is currently at work on material for a full length follow up to be entitled Against A Darkened Sky.
Ordering information: www.faithfactorband.com Samples: www.myspace.com/faithfactorrocks
Grade: 90%
The year was 2003 and a talented melodic metal band by the name of Harmony came out of Sweden with its well received Massacre Records debut Dreaming Awake. Fast forward five years and Harmony, the benefactors of a new deal with Ulterium Records, returns in 2008 with its recently completed sophomore album, Chapter II: Aftermath. As a precursor to the release of the album, Ulterium put out a five song EP, End Of My Road, made up of three songs from Chapter II: Aftermath (“End Of My Road”, “Prevail” and “Rain”) and two others, “Alone” and “Enter The Sacred”, exclusive to the project.
End Of My Road finds Harmony continuing to head in melodic metal territory but with a heavier and more guitar driven edge. And nowhere is this more evident than on “Prevail”, an up-tempo number standing out with its forward mix of rhythm guitar and weighty but hook driven chorus. “End Of My Road”, a classy mid-tempo piece, also delivers a notable chorus hook along with a stretch of riveting lead guitar from Markus Sigfridsson. “Alone” features some hard hitting work on drums (courtesy of Tobias Enbert) and plenty of well placed keyboards, while “Enter The Sacred” smoothly flows its distance with occasional traces of acoustic guitar highlighting the backdrop. Closing things out is “Rain”, an emotionally tinged piece allowing Henrik Bath to exhibit his melodic based vocal abilities.
End Of My Road does a solid job showcasing Harmony’s new material and heavier – but still melodic – musical direction. The bands performance, particularly vocals, lead guitar and keyboards, and production remain strong points. All in all, the quality of the two exclusive tracks makes the EP a recommended purchase. MySpace: www.myspace.com/harmonyofficial
Grade: 85%
JON HOOPER – Doorways To Other Worlds
Guitarist Jon Hooper is best known for his involvement in Unforsaken, an Ontario, Canada based eighties influenced hard rock project that put out its full length debut, Not Alone, in 2005. What many metal fans do not know, however, is that a year earlier Hooper independently released an eight track (at the time) instrumental hard rock EP entitled Doorways To Other Worlds.
Fast forward to 2008 and Doorways To Other Worlds has been re-issued by Unforsaken Productions but with one less track (though the same amount of music). The original version of the CD included an additional track, “Radio Intro”, that on the re-issue has been joined with the albums third song, “The Final Battle”, in order to help things flow better overall. It also must be noted that the re-issue comes with improved artwork on the CD itself.
Fans of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, David Chastain, James Byrd, Pastor Brad, Jeff Scheetz and Fourth Estate are in for a real treat here. Delivering a brand of instrumental hard rock that is heavy but catchy at the same time, Hooper excels on crunch-laden album opener “Grind” (the lead work he cuts loose with at the minute and a half mark is jaw dropping), “The Journey” (unrelenting impetus on this one) and driving “War Machine” (a track featuring a literal sledgehammer of a guitar riff). I find “The Final Battle”, with its tempered but melodic flavorings, to be the albums choice piece while aptly entitled up-tempo numbers “Industrial Groove” and “Radial Boogie” stand out as well. “Frozen In Time” moves its brief (1:15) distance to a joining of open air guitar and keyboards.
Production values are quite sound. The lead guitar stands out crystal clear while the rhythm guitar, thick and crunchy, is right up front in the mix.
Rounding out the project is guitarist Jeff Lewis (Mortification) and bassist Sheldon D’Costa, who lend their abilities to two and five tracks respectively.
Doorways To Other Worlds, all around, proves a quality instrumental guitar release from a talented musician I hope to hear more from in the future. Give credit to Unforsaken Productions for making this available again.
Official: www.unforsaken.ca/Jon/main.html Samples: www.unforsaken.ca/Jon/samples/door/door.html Order: www.unforsaken.ca/UPOS/main.html
Grade: 80%
Germany’s Mad Max, a melodic metal outfit with a history dating back to the early eighties, has gained renown in recent years for its two very fine hard rock releases Night Of White Rock (2006) and White Sands (2007). What many people do not know, however, is that in late 2006 the group recorded a six song acoustic EP entitled In White. The EP finds Mad Max covering three of its classic tracks of the past in addition to delivering two new compositions and an instrumental reprise.
Some of the better moments to In White revolve around the remakes in question: “To Hell And Back Again” and “Bad Day In Heaven” (both off Night Of White Rock) and “Lonely Is The Hunter” (from the 1985 release Stormchild). “To Hell And Back Again”, originally a guitar driven hard rocker, is now a crisp sounding piece accompanied by a Spanish guitar while “Bad Day In Heaven” receives the ballad treatment with a piano highlighting its length. Very well done in both cases. Needless to say, my favorite has to be “Lonely Is The Hunter”. A particularly aesthetic number, “Lonely Is The Hunter” stands out with its gracefully done chorus and instrumental section shored up by an acoustic guitar solo.
The two new songs, “Open The Eyes Of My Heart” and “Hello Father”, both give rise to a worshipful feel that complements the instrumental reprise of “Bad Day In Heaven”.
All in all, if you need a break from metal – and our looking for something mellow in the process – then In White comes with a strong recommendation. I wish more bands would do this for their fans.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/madmaxmusic
Grade: 75%
Last month I reported on a new band out of Brazil by the name of Miracle and its three song demo entitled Soldiers Of Light. What Miracle brings to the table is a double bass driven brand of power metal that fans of other Brazilian acts such as Eterna, Dynasty, Adiastasia and Destra will be certain to enjoy. As a matter of fact, vocalist Allyson Oliveira, with his smooth sounding and high end vocal delivery, brings to mind Jeff Winner (Adiastasia) at times.
Oliveira is at his best on the seven minute “Something To Say”, a semi ballad trading off between passages of a quieter, piano laced variety and others in which the rhythm guitar plays a prominent role. The albums title track, another seven minute piece, stands out with its extended instrumental section allowing guitarist Felipe Vieria and keyboardist Alexandre Keiji to shine. Finally, “From The Beginning” is an up-tempo number in which drummer Mike Vieria furnishes an abundance of double bass.
Production values, it is worth pointing out, come across crisp and clean. All in all, this is a fine debut from a band I hope to hear more from in the future.
Note: The Soldier Of Light demo cannot be downloaded in that the band no longer has a presence online.
Grade: 70%
Orphan Project got its start in 2001 when vocalist Shane Lankford approached guitarist John Wenger (Mars Hill) with the idea of creating a concept album based around the themes of physical and spiritual adoption. The end result was the hard rock meets progressive rock of Orphan Project’s full length self-titled debut from 2003. Orphan Project proceeded to go on extended hiatus until the summer of 2007, returning with a new single, “Angels Desire”, prior to releasing a four song EP entitled II the spring of the following year. II finds Orphan Project heading in a heavier musical direction while showcasing two new songs (in addition to “Angels Desire”) in “My Goodness” and “Empty Me” along with a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2”.
Opening track “Angels Desire” does a perfect job showcasing the rich and warm sounding voice of Shane Lankford, particularly during its lushly delivered chorus. Otherwise, the track stands out with its time changes – from the guitar driven to the symphonic – in addition to an instrumental section carried by a fiery guitar solo.
“My Goodness” slows the pace down to mid-tempo territory in backing a hard rocking rhythm guitar with a trace of piano. Otherwise, this one allows the quality production of II to stand out in highlighting the textured – and at times classically flavored – instrumentation.
“Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2” showcases some of the better moments on II. What stands out is how Orphan Project adds its unique progressive flavorings while mixing in a variety of diverse elements in the process, including jazz fusion, heavy groove bass guitar, hard rocking rhythm guitar, crisp acoustic guitar, eerie synthesizers and a 70’s style organ. Yes, a bit of variety but in the end it works to play up the group’s musicianship and creativity.
“Empty Me” closes things out as a classic Orphan Project hard rocker. A Kansas-like piano opens the song, leading the way through its first verse before the rhythm guitar steps forward to shore up the anthem-like chorus that follows. Rob Tahan (Ashes Remain) tops things off with a riveting run of lead guitar.
All in all, II proves a sound follow up to the group’s debut from 2003. With its solid production, professional packaging and tasteful selection of material, I hope it proves a precursor of things to come from Orphan Project. Ordering information: www.myspace.com/orphanproject
Grade: 85%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is home to Promise Land and the symphonic power/progressive based sounds of its four song debut EP/demo from 2005. Effectively combining elements of orchestration with metal, the band has created a work that, unfortunately, strays towards the flat and disjointed side of things. One of the problems with the project is the watered down production in which a forward mix of keyboards drowns out a thin sounding rhythm guitar. Another is the low key and gritty lead vocal abilities of David Ralston. Lacking in range, Ralston fails to complement the progressive based sounds Promise Land brings to the table. Often, for example, I am left with the feeling the music and vocals are going in two different directions at the same time. Which is too bad because Ralston is not a bad vocalist; rather, he is miscast if not out of his element performing music of this type (put him in a gritty hard rock band such as F.O.G. and he would de just fine). All in all, a Lance King-type is desperately needed here.
The demo actually gets off to a strong start with “Shock & Awe”, a symphonic instrumental allowing Ralston to showcase his neo-classical abilities on lead guitar. Quite the talented musician, this track proves in no uncertain terms guitar is the area he should be focusing his efforts in the future. The three remaining tracks here I might describe as above-average to good at best. “Life?” is not bad musically but suffers from a way too overriding keyboard sound. The ethereal flavored “Christ In Us” begins to a nice two minute instrumental opening and features some of the albums most progressive moments. “Secret Of Tears”, a track focusing on child abuse, finds the band backing off on the keyboards to create the demo’s heaviest piece. Official: www.angelfire.com/theforce/trm/pland.html
Grade: 50%
Peoria, Illinois based Strangeland came together in 2000 prior to recording the eighties influenced metal and hard rock of its three song self-titled demo from 2005. With a sound that is a throwback to an era when soaring vocals, searing leads, big hooks and even bigger hair dominated FM radio and MTV, Strangeland reflects the influence of Stryper, Whitecross, Bloodgood, Holy Soldier, Joshua and a host of others within the same genre.
This is best demonstrated on opening cut “The Enemy Has Fallen”, a first rate piece standing out with its huge chorus line – you will be challenged to keep this one out of your head – and burst of skillful lead guitar work. At this point it must be mentioned the very capable guitar team of Kevin Grose and Kevin Schmitt. One track finding the two at their best is “Savior Jesus Christ” (check out the blazing Oz Fox-like guitar solo), an energetic number combining a melodic based chorus with some guitar riffs that bring to mind Eternal Ryte. On “Jesus Walk” the band moves in blues based hard rock territory. By far the heaviest song here, this one is a driving number in which Karl Mustand adds some grit and gravel to his normally smooth sounding vocal delivery.
As one can tell from the song titles, lyrics are openly Christian. Production values are solid as well. Finally, it is worth noting that Strangeland, a band whose main mission is to use music as a tool to tell the world about Christ, has changed its sound over the past couple of years to move in a power metal direction (think Iron Maiden, Dream Evil, Kamelot, etc).
Official: http://strangeland.us
Grade: 80%
What we have in True Wisdom is an ambient instrumental side project of My Darkest Time found Zarko Atanasov. The music here, mostly of the keyboard driven variety, puts in place a near Goth-like setting that comes across dark, haunting and doom tinged in its capacity. Featuring just four songs but 35 minutes of music, True Wisdom represents a nice change of pace if you need a break from metal but still need something that maintains the same panache of the genre.
This is something best upheld in the albums ten minute title track, an orchestral piece that slowly moves forward until the rhythm guitar crashes into the mix. “Ecclesiastes” is a moody plodder highlighted by a touch of piano, while the powerful “Vexation Of Spirit” combines a militant drum sound with a hard hitting rhythm guitar. “In Memoriam”, the shortest track here at just over four minutes, almost gives rise to a classical feel with its lush use of keyboards and piano.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/thruwisdom
Grade: 75%
MIKE VISAGGIO – Starship Universe
Mike Visaggio is a talented keyboardist who can trace his roots back to the progressive rock scene of the early seventies, having performed with the likes of Randori and Billy Falcon’s Burning Rose (a group which featured Foreigner bassist Ed Gagliardi). After spending the better part of the eighties playing with several New York based Christian rock groups, most notably InnerVision and The Ambassadors, Visaggio returns in 2006 with his debut solo release Starship Universe. The album finds the artist taking a foundation of progressive rock and joining it with occasional hints of classic rock, blues and even jazz fusion- all the while mixing in subtle Christian lyrics. The end result is a keyboard driven outing – Visaggio plays a five-keyboard setup and specializes in the Hammond B-3 sound – that reflects the influence of seventies progressive rock giants such as Yes, Genesis and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
The keyboards holding sway over album opener “In The Nazarene Church”, for example, would not sound out of place on any early album by Kansas. That being said, the song serves to showcase several of the problems I find with Starship Universe. The first being Visaggio’s low key vocal delivery, which can come across a bit uneven and on the flat side of things. The second is the near complete lack of guitar found throughout the project. Visaggio literally buries this track and others in layer upon layer of keyboards; while that is not necessarily a detracting factor, I cannot help but think an occasional rhythm guitar track would help break up what at times can border on a predictable environment. To understand my point, please consider the emotionally charged ballad “My Elder’s Son”. One of the albums few songs to be highlighted by a trace of guitar, it is also one of its finest. Another quality number is “The Synchronized Life”, a technical piece standing out with its sweeping instrumental section and catchy hook in its chorus.
Where Starship Universe is at its best, however, is on its creative instrumental compositions. “Blues Variation”, a remake of an old Emerson, Lake & Palmer song, showcases a romping low end along with plenty of screaming work on keyboards. I might describe the ten minute “2001: Also Rocked Zarathustra” as a jazzed up version of the theme music to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey- plenty of spacey sound effects help give this one its science fiction feel. “Starship Universe”, on the other hand, is a low key composition accentuated its full distance by a church organ.
Starship Universe, without a doubt, proves an enjoyable listen with its over the top progressiveness and Visaggio’s skillful work on keyboards. On the other hand, I would like to encourage the artist on any project he records in the future to make it more of a “band outing” – Visaggio performs nearly all the instrumentation here using his keyboards (all the drums were programmed with the exception of three songs) – by bringing in both a full time vocalist and guitarist. I cannot help but think the end result would be the more balanced and well rounded effort from a musical standpoint. Still, you would do yourself a favor by checking this out.
Official: www.mikevisaggio.com/home.html
Grade: 75%
VOICE OF GLASS - Song Of Songs
Founded in 2002 by American guitarist David Meek while initially under the name 10 Seconds Of Silence, Bulgaria based Voice Of Glass plays a unique style of metal joining elements of hard rock, gothic and alternative. The band did not records its first single, a track based upon Psalm 23 entitled “Valley”, however, until 2005 (the same year it changed its name to Voice Of Glass). A second single, “Song Of Songs”, followed in late 2006, a creative piece more than achieving the bands goal of “creating music that (is) original and modern with a heavy groove mixed with melodic and powerful vocals”.
Based upon the book of the Bible of the same name, “Song Of Songs” opens quietly to a Middle Eastern flavored introduction before the rhythm guitar crashes into the mix. As the song moves forward, the scene evens out as a pronounced bass line underscores the smooth female lead vocal abilities of Olya Meek, momentum not picking back up until the rhythm guitar returns to its place of prominence in full fury.
My overall feeling? If this is any indicator of what Voice Of Glass is capable, then any follow up material it records should be outstanding. In a Christian metal scene characterized by a dearth of female fronted bands, I find the creative music of this talented four piece act to be a refreshing change of pace. Samples: www.myspace.com/voiceofglasss
Grade: No Quote
The hard rocking UK based outfit The Vaseline Rats was founded in 2004 by lead vocalist and bassist Pete MZ Emms. A three piece unit that frequently performs live, the V-Rats gained notoriety in recent years as the live “back bone” of a US tour celebrating 20 years of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. And all the hard rock paid off reflected in the tight sounding feel to the bands recently released 4 song EP entitled EPic. Actually, what we have in the V-Rats is traditional hard rock giving rise to the occasional metal or even blues based tendency. Think early nineties Bride, Love War, Die Happy or Gethsemane Rose (a little known hard rock act also from the UK that in the mid-nineties released an underrated CD entitled Poetranium).
“Et Al”, the opening track to the CD, is an up-tempo groover in which Emms showcases his strong mid-octave ranged vocal style. Good chorus hook here along with a red hot stretch of lead work from guitarist Mike Dejager. “So Over You” slows the pace down a bit but proves no less notable in combining a raw edged feel with a surplus of guitar driven momentum. A lengthy stretch of lead work at the end helps carry this one out past five minutes. A forwardly placed bass line proves instrumental in allowing “All The Ones” to stand out. Quite the attitude laden track, “All The Ones” would not sound out of place on Bride’s classic 1992 release Snakes In The Playground. “Licking My Wounds”, the shortest track here at just three minutes, can best be described as another up-tempo rocker with a driving guitar sound and a bountiful amount of bluesy soloing from Dejager.
While I would hesitate to call V-Rats a Christian band, Pete Emms is a believer (he helped form A.N.D. with guitarist Paul May). Lyrically, the V-Rats focus on life and relationships – with the occasional emphasis on lost love – from a positive standpoint (think AdrianGale or Line Of Fire).
My overall feeling is that I hope this proves a precursor of things to come from the band. Keeping that in mind, the V-Rats remain at work on new material for their follow up debut release (which will feature Paul May on guitar on a couple of tracks).
Further reading and samples: www.thevaselinerats.com
Grade: 80%
