Unbroken: An Interview With Rene Thomsen

Several months ago I discovered the band Thomsen through their October 2014 released Unbroken CD. Not being familiar with them before I was pleasantly surprised upon spinning the CD when the lead track, "Draw The Curtain", drew me in right away with its meaty power metal ingredients. You can read my full album review here: A Power Metal Delight: A Review Of Thomsen's Unbroken. Fast forward to February 2015, when the opportunity arose for me to have a brief Skype chat with Rene Thomsen himself, I jumped at the chance to talk with this multi-talented musician.

Seated at the helm of the good ship Meister (also known as my computer desk) I made the Skype call and after we rectified and disposed of a minor technical difficulty we were off.  The minute we said hello to each other Rene was excited to let me know right away that just before we started our Skype chat he had released a new video for "Break That Spell". Literally posted live just before I placed the call, "Break That Spell" is the fourth track on the Unbroken album and the third to receive the video treatment. I could tell through his voice even though I'd never spoken to the fabulously talented German musician previously that he was on the edge of his seat and brimming with excitement about the new video. "It's been released just since three minutes ago" he exclaimed. "New guitars, new bass, new drums, new vocals. It's out of the rehearsal room with the current line-up."  Rene went on to say that it was shot one day in November when drummer Andre Hilgers (Rage/Silent Force) had the time to meet with them. Rene, who recorded and mixed the song himself, says "It's much more aggressive than on the CD" and "for a video directly out of the rehearsal room it's OK, but it has HiFi sound so you can listen to it no problem". I disagree Mr. Thomsen! I watched the video after our little talk and I'd say it's more than just OK! The video for "Break That Spell" appears below so you take a look and a listen and judge for yourselves.

The compositions of Unbroken have been crafted musically by Thomsen himself with the lyric portions being supplied by writing partner Helge Engelke. "I can't write lyrics," Thomsen laughs "even though I did for the first album." For the lyrics of the album's title track, "Unbroken", Helge Engelke took inspiration from the trials and tribulations that Rene Thomsen went through in making this album, Thomsen says.

Rene has assembled a band of hard working and talented musicians for the live show that include himself as the guitarist, Andre Hilgers behind the drum kit, bassist Ingo Luhring, guitarist Michael Pesin and Russian vocalist Denis Brosowski (pronounced Dennis even though there's only one "n" and Brozoffski). In fact, Rene says: "When Denis was cast as the singer for Thomsen during his auditions at The Hannover Musikzentrum in his very first appearance with the band I decided to record it right away". That recording, "Tears Of The Sun", serves as the last song featured on the 2014 Thomsen Unbroken album. The accented, but well-spoken German guitarist also had nothing but good words to say about the musicians that went into the making of the Unbroken album. He spoke very highly of each of the drummers that contributed, Andres Hilgers, Bobby Jarzombek (Halford/Riot/Sebastian Bach) and Vinny Appice (Dio/Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell) and the different styles that each one brought to the recording. Also held in high regard were other guest musicians including guitarist Mathias Dieth (Sinner/U.D.O.) and guest vocalist the German legend himself, Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O./Accept)! Udo's gravelly vocals appear on the track "We Made It" which Rene wrote musically about the late great Ronnie James Dio the night after the legend's death.

Throughout our conversation, Rene Thomsen is extremely good humored, laughing and joking during the whole chat. At one stage, he was quite comical when discussing his temporary fake tattoos, "I need to make money with customers, so I can't have my name on my lower arm. People will go: What's wrong with this guy?" After explaining where he has them made he continued with (voicing both himself and the imagined person he's talking to), "You make it two or three days before you want to show it and then people go: Oh Rene is it a fresh tattoo? And then: Why do you put your own name on your arm, what's wrong with you? Well, it's my band name, I'm a rocker! Umm hmm OK....wanna have a beer?" He laughs as we agree that not everyone understands being a rocker. "My parents go like: Rene? Ya? What have you done to your arm? Well, I put my name on it in case I get old like you people. And if they're in a good mood they laugh and if not they hang up." he jokes. A complete pleasure to talk with and a professional dedicated to his craft.

Rene himself is a hard worker, a perfectionist, wanting to deliver the best that he can to his fans as evidenced by phrases he said such as "technically the album was done correctly, but it wasn't metal enough for me, so it's been mixed twice." Rene also spoke of how hard it was for a small band like his to get found or discovered, "It's a local thing here". Determined to give only a "safe, clear" performance, it's hard for Rene and his band to play gigs unless they are nearby his hometown of Hannover, Germany, with the expenses of travel, gear and the personnel required to give the best show that he can to the audience. "I don't want to gain any money playing live," he says, "but I need to cover my costs." There will be some shows in promotion for the album, "March 20th we make a kick off for live here in Hannover and it's good sold already. People remember my last show because I bring extra lights. I bring extra staging so I make the stage deeper so we can set up the full nine yards." This is good news for The Meister as I hope to catch a live Thomsen event during my three week Europe vacation in June 2015.

We also spent a moment on the evils and positives of the age of the internet. "I-Tunes is cool for me 'cause I have all the rights on digital and it worked well. The I-Tunes sales are great, and the people buy the full album," he informed me. And with those high I-Tunes sales I was surprised when he let me know that people are buying the full album, something that I didn't think was taking place in today's marketplace.

As a former guitar tech Rene Thomsen has "been handed through from one major guitar player to the next one". Working as a guitar tech for Mathias Dieth, the former guitarist for U.D.O., Rene has been on tour with bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, U.D.O., Helloween, and Guns 'n' Roses. "Mathias and I we got to know Zakk Wylde and then I did the sound checks for U.D.O. and Ozzy when he wasn't there. I played every afternoon on tour and then I did the sound checks for the guitar players, I always learned one song to be able to do a guitar song that was of the band so that if they had a promo or an in-store I was prepared well if they weren't there." Rene admits that "Zakk 
Wylde is my absolute guitar hero" and you can tell that he's beaming as the words roll off his tongue. Rene had the opportunity to meet and learn from Maestro Wylde during that tour. "Zakk, I only have one question: Ya, what is it? What's the correct official riff, how do you play it for "I Don't Know"? And he teach me. It needed a week 'cause it's not so easy as people say. I have very small fingers and then I have my fingers on the fretboard and he say: no, no, no Rene, a bit more, a bit more and then he took my fingers and spread them over the fretboard and I say ahh, ahh. Yeah well, you have longer fingers you have no ahh, so now you have ahh. So this was very, very funny. A very fine guy, it was very nice getting to know him these days and we had a good time."

A third record is planned with a mixture of live recordings, re-recordings with Denis on vocals and two or three new songs. Rene hopes that it may even be featuring Zakk Wylde as a guest guitarist! "Zakk Wylde is the next musician I do my record with. He can only say no! I ask him and I try to convince him. I'm a riff player same as he is, so maybe I have something he likes." I'm hopeful for ya Rene!

When asked if there's anything else he wanted to mention he paused for a fair length and responded amidst a raucous bout of laughter with "Buy my fuckin' record!" a sentiment that The Meister agrees with all the way. Support the artists and keep the music coming. I highly recommend Thomsen's Unbroken for metal fans across the world!

Both Rene Thomsen and Decibel Geek would like to extend special thanks to Dustin Hardman of Hardman Press Promotions or the opportunity for this interview.

BUY: Thomsen - Unbroken

Cheers,
The Meister

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Interview With a Storyteller!

The Lionsheart teamed up with founding member, lead vocalist and former bass player L-G Persson to get some insight into the new album "Sacred fire" as well as some info on the bands history and why they are back stronger than ever.  

For a start, tell us a little about the band's humble beginnings and how The Storyteller came to be.

~ The Storyteller was founded in 1995 by myself and Fredrik Groth. we knew each other since many years and shared the same taste in music. I had an idea for a concept to a metal band. It would be Power metal combined with medieval melodies and with Fantasy lyrics. I had written the foundations for a couple of songs and I introduced them to Fredrik who thought it sounded great, and it was in that moment that I believe The Storyteller was born. Why we chose the name The Storyteller was also no coincidence. The whole arrangement was that we would take on the role of a storyteller who sat by the campfire and told our stories to anyone who would listen. Even the music was written with the intention that they would be able to perform the songs both acoustic and as Power Metal style, and on the debut album, we followed that concept 100%.

L-G Persson in action.
Picture courtesy of Storyteller Facebook page.

And after four records the band came to a stop. Tell us a little about why the band was put on a hiatus in the fall of 2006?

~ There were several reasons why we chose to take a break, but some members of the band became parents recently and had a little difficulty to combine family life, work, and the band. Then we had made some bad choices in terms of partners and to get loose from these partnerships we chose to freeze the band indefinitely. It took so much unnecessary energy trying to get everything to work and music became afflicted and I think that the decision to take a break was justified.

What made the band start up again in spring of 2011?

~ In the years that the band was at rest so we got quite a lot of offers to do a gig together. It came from different clubs who had been asked if they could try to book us, but we refused every time. But then came a time when a club in our hometown asked if we didn't thought it was time to do a reunion gig if not permanently then just for one night, so I talked to Jake first and he was interested and it turned out that everyone else was interested, too, and therefore said yes to a gig. Even during the time that we practiced before the gig we all felt that it was fun again and we could play the songs as if we had never had a break, and the reception we received when we got up on stage was enormous. A full venue with fans who gave their all - that was the turning point! After the gig, all agreed that we would continue.

Founding member and guitarist Fredrik Groth left after just one gig in 2012. Tell us a little about why Fredrik is no longer with the band?

~ When Frederick decided it was time to move on, it did not come as a surprise, but it became a very dark moment in the band's history. We noticed more and more that Frederik was not his old self, and that he contributed less and less with ideas for song material and did not practice with the band that he liked before. Then came the day when we all got an email from him in which he explained that he had taken a decision that was really tough and he hesitated many times before he pressed the send button. He felt he was not as "hungry" as we were and that he did not share the future as the rest wanted and that's why he took the decision that it was time to move on and leave his place in the band. It took very hard on me and it took some time before I could reconcile myself to the fact that Frederik that I started the band with was no longer in the band, but Fredrik and I have very good contact still and have talked a lot about his decision. Main reason was that he felt that the music had changed from the concept we decided from the start, and he felt that the direction the band was developed for was not something he wanted to do, and in retrospect I understand his position completely.

Picture courtesy of The Storyteller Facebook page.

When talking about ex-members, why did bass player Johan Sohlberg not take part in the reunion?

~ I do not really know how to explain it but we all felt that John did not have the same interest in the musical style of The Storyteller and that's why we chose to bring in a replacement that would be able to step into the role in an honest way. But he is a nice guy and a talented musician and we all wish him well in what he chose to do.

What's the funniest thing you´ve ever seen on tour?

~ I remember one occasion when we were out with another band that I do not mention for their own sake :) but there was so little room for the drum kit and no wall behind so at one point the second band's drummer actually fell behind the scene and disappeared behind the backdrop. Thankfully it was not a long way down and he quickly came up again without the audience noticed anything.

What is the best concert you´ve ever been to?

~ The best concert I've been to was without a doubt when I went and saw Iron Maiden when Bruce Dickinson came back to the band. They played fantastically well and they had this energy on stage and really looked to thrive together again. It was an incredible experience.

Ok, on to the new album called "Sacred Fire". Can you tell us a little about the lyrical side of the new album. Some lyrics were inspired by Greek mythology I guess?

~ Yes, I actually chose to take a lot of inspiration from Greek mythology. The basic idea was that the album would be about Gods and battles and then I found that very exciting legends existed from the Greek mythology so I read a lot of their legends trying to get as much input as possible. But we have some songs that deviate from the Greek mythology tales but still focus on battles and heroic deeds.

Picture courtesy of The Storyteller Facebook page

Was it an easy record to write and record?

~ The album was completed written long before we would enter the real studio. We recorded all the songs demo in Steeltown Studio (Marcus home studio) so we knew the songs were good class and would be really good when we recorded them for the album. But the time in the real studio was not quite as we had planned. Once again, it shows that all need to do their "homework" before going into the studio, so there was some lost time due to downright carelessness. But finally it became done and the result is amazing. I see this production as the strongest since the debut album (The Storyteller) and the sequel (Crossroad)

So, what are your plans now when the new album has been released?

~ We have no plans right now, but we will wait and see what response we get on the album, but the reviews we have received so far is very good so right now it looks promising. If the album picks up and sells well so maybe we begin to plan for a possible tour.

Picture courtesy of The Storyteller
Facebook page.

Where can your North American fans find the new album "Sacred Fire"? Is it being released outside of Europe?

~ I have been told that the album will be distributed to buy in the US, but I do not know through which distributors. If you are interested in ordering Sacred Fire, you can do so via our distribution company Sound Pollution Distribution: www.soundpollutiondistribution.se

Finally - Is there any plans for releasing the demo you recorded with Crystal Light officially?

~ Crystal Light album Dreams Never Die, was released on digital platforms such as Spotify and iTunes, but will unfortunately not be pressed up in physical edition

I would like to thank L-G Persson for taking his time to answer my questions and updating us on the status of The Storyteller. Personally I think "Sacred Fire" is a really strong effort and would like to wish the guys luck in the future. Read also my review of "Sacred Fire" by clicking the link below. The CD will be released on 27th of February and will be available at amazon.com on March the 3rd both as hard copy CD and digital download. 

The Storyteller Unleashes The Sacred Fire: A Review of The Album

BUY Sacred Fire here!

The Judgement Of The New Scanner Album

Science-fiction images run abound with Scanner, a band hailing from Germany. The speed/thrash/power metal outfit began back in 1985 under the name of Lion's Breed and the album Damn The Night. The moniker changed to Scanner in 1986 and since then there have been several line-up adjustments with guitarist and band leader Axel A.J. Julius seeming to be the sole constant and original member. For this, the sixth effort from Scanner titled The Judgement, we see a roster consisting of Julius and Andreas Zeidler handling guitars, Jonathan Stell delivering the bass, Patrick Klose seated behind the kit and Efthimios Ioannidis providing the vocals. Also listed as in studio help are Dirk Biesgen (additional keys) and Franz Eicberger (drums). Over the years, Scanner have released six full-length albums and the back catalogue reads as Hypertrace in 1988 (and featuring Ralf Scheepers of Primal Fear providing some backing vocals), Terminal Earth in 1991, Mental Reservation in 1995, Ball Of The Damned in 1997 (again seeing Scheepers assisting with lead vocals for one track) and Scantropolis in 2002 (showcasing the female vocals of Lisa Croft). Now they return to the musical landscape with The Judgement approximately thirteen years after the last outing.

It's a little hard to shake the Iron Maiden Somewhere In Time album cover from my mind when considering The Judgement's cover artwork, but it is nice to see good artwork such as this adorn an album in this day and age. We begin with the inventively titled 50 second long "Intro" which, as most intros, does not overly endorse anything to me. After that, we erupt in fine speed metal fashion with "F.T.B." which as the chorus surfaces you realise actually stands for "Fuck The Bastards". The soft sound of falling rain behind the haunting spoken word beginnings of "Nevermore" fall away to the opening guitar riff of another thrash paced offering. The thunderous out of the gates assault of "Warlord" develops into a catchy chorus and is loaded with interesting tempo changes for so far the best on The Judgement. "Eutopia" clocks in at 6:13 and starts off a little more melodic than anything heard so far, for a great power metal submission. New best of the lot right here! The title track, "The Judgement" starts off with a great riff and melodic verse before changing gears, but overall passes by quite quickly, melding into the background and paling in comparison to the former offering. The album's longest cut at over seven minutes, "Battle Of Poseidon", seems more fare incredibly similar to the opening two tracks, not offering anything overly new to The Judgement. "Pirates" follows the same vein including some background chanting and "Known Better" charges off the starting line with a catchy pounding riff, a great workout playlist song. "The Race" and the album's closer of "The Legionary" are back to delivering the speed metal assault, also great in your ears as you pound the belt of the treadmill!

Each composition is near or over 5 min long providing a lengthy excursion of speed/thrash metal on The Judgement. Overall the album is better than average I'd say but for me it's the power metal-ish feel of "Eutopia" that made the graduation to the 'ole MP3 player and unfortunately I don't see myself spinning the rest of The Judgement on a regular basis.

BUY: Scanner-The Judgement

Cheers,
The Meister

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U.D.O. Gets Decadent: A Review of The Forthcoming U.D.O. Album

German gravelly vocal-ed power metal superstar Udo Dirkschneider is still going strong, celebrating his 40th year in the business.  In the past couple of years, the staturally challenged front man has issued two double CD live albums, a double CD of rare recordings and his 14th top rated studio effort, Steelhammer.  The latest U.D.O. creation is entitled Decadent and set for a North American release date of February 3, 2015.

62-year-old, Udo Dirkschneider, departed German metal legends Accept back in 1987 beginning a successful solo career and has issued an immense catalog of music under the U.D.O. banner.  The 15th such effort, the forthcoming Decadent, features Andrey Smirnov (guitar), Fitty Weinhold
 (bass and sharing production with Udo), Kasperi Heikkinen (guitar) and Francesco Jovino (drums).  It was announced, however, on December 23, 2014 via the U.D.O. Website and Facebook page that Jovino would be departing the band for personal reasons.  Perhaps Udo's son, Sven Dirkschneider, currently assisting Saxon on tour while drummer Nigel Glockler recuperates from surgery, will be chosen to fill the void?  Or perhaps even you could be the new U.D.O. drummer with this post on the official website: "Drummer Francesco Jovino left U.D.O. due to a personal reason.  The band is searching for a new drummer now since a complete world tour is scheduled for 2015 starting early March 2015.  If you feel ready to become the new U.D.O. drummer feel free to mail your application to fsuepfle@itm-agency.com (please NO big attachments with soundfiles or similar, if we're interested we gonna contact you and ask for further information)."  Only time will tell, but no matter who it is U.D.O. is high on my list to see live again and I hope Decadent affords me the opportunities to do so!

With the main theme of his fifteenth solo studio album, Decadent, being that of social criticism, the album deals mostly with the decadent behavior of the rich upper classes according to the press release.  The release also states that during his time performing all over the world, Udo has experienced and witnessed a lot of things, including the devastating gap between rich and poor and the ruthless behavior of those in power.  “Decadent behavior by privileged society exists in the whole world in completely different shades,” says Udo. “Decadence is almost like a universal language. What bothers me the most is the ego-centrism that goes along with that. People who have everything seem not to really care about the world around them anymore; it’s like they use their own privileged status as an absolution for that. Also they do not seem to see that there’s a correlation between their own luxury and the poverty of others.”  Decadent is produced by the same successful team that delivered Steelhammer in 2012, Udo Dirkschneider, Mattes and Fitty Weinhold with Jacob Hansen (Volbeat) mastering.

Decadent hits the ears with "Speeder", a track that exhibits a little difference in sound to Steelhammer's fare but nothing overly experimental...not a bad thing by any means. The cat scratched, gravel-raked trademark vocals of Mr. Dirkschneider are once again in the forefront.  The title track and lead single, "Decadent", has a hook that will quickly implant itself in your brain and remain there for some time to come, not to mention the message of the composition.  A song that immediately made The Meister's MP3 playlist, perhaps even one of U.D.O.'s finest, has also been given the video treatment.  "House of Fake" appears next, loaded with trademark chords, guitar solos and gruff vocals showing that Udo has no intentions of slowing down, awesome!  "Mystery" chugs along in this slower paced composition that features some different vocals and a catchy chorus.  "Pain" is another blatant standout with an incredibly memorable hook to the chorus and again makes a statement about the rich that is said to be the theme of Decadent as shown by the lyric "Try eating some of your own shit for once".  I'm not a fan of the power ballad "Secrets in Paradise" finding it slow, boring and generally painful so it gets skipped in every listen, but it's just not a style that I particularly enjoy in general, so no reflection on U.D.O.  "Meaning of Life" rebounds in the fine U.D.O. power metal formula that I've come to expect and the crushing riffs of "Breathless" beg to have the volume level raised.  "Under Your Skin" has a thrash/speed feel to it at times as it crashes through the speakers at a breakneck pace, but "Untouchable" raises the bar again with it's chanting group vocal chorus guaranteed to have your fist in the air and the volume inching up yet again.  The assault of "Rebels of the Night" attacks instantly with a pounding riff quickly beating you into submission and the softer beginnings of the longest track "Words in Flame" give way to a plodding composition to draw Decadent to a close.

Overall, consistency is a strong part of what U.D.O. does, but still manages to keep it fresh and once again the hard working German has outdone himself here.  Twelve blistering songs from one of Metal's biggest legends and unmistakable voices.  With a Meister score of 9/10, Decadent is one absolute "must have" album and an early contender for the top of 2015!  Well done U.D.O., see you on tour in Toronto in 2015?

BUY: U.D.O. - Decadent

Cheers,
The Meister

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PHOTO CREDIT: AFM RECORDS Promo Kit

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No Remorse Uncovers Long Lost Hammeron albums!

American power metal outfit Hammeron, based in Chicago, started out in the early 1980's with a different lineup than the one that would come to release the cult album Nothin´ To Do Again But Rock in 1986. Vocalist Brian Troch joined the band early on and soon after talented guitarist Jack Lazor also joined in. By the mid-1980's, these two were complemented by guitarist Mick Vega, bass player Danny Vega and the only original member, drummer Pete Pagonis. Just before recording their debut album Pagonis left the fold to join Damien Thorn, leaving the band without any remaining original members. Enter Jeff Ward, a powerhouse drummer with a great timing and feel and also the brother of Flotsam & Jetsam bassist Jason Ward.

The classic line up was now in place and would last until the band broke up in 1990. In 1985 the band managed to get two songs published on two sampler collections; ”Marching Off to War” (Chicago Class of 1985) and ”The Only One” (Chicago Metal Works Battalion 2). Why these two were omitted from these reissues I do not know.

Nothin´ To Do Again But Rock!
In 1986, Hammeron entered Tanglewood Studios in Brookfield, Illinois to record their debut and, until now, sole album. Nothin´ To Do Again But Rock may seem, judging by the title, as some kind of banal and simple hard rock album. You cannot be more wrong! What you get here is classic American power metal in the vein of Queensryche (Rage for Order era), Lethal or Heir Apparent! Nice guitar duels by Vega/Lazor and fantastic guitar harmonies spiced up by crystal clear vocals from Brian Troch. Slighlty progressive in the song textures and great vocal and guitar harmonies build up these songs with memorable hooks and choruses. The production is of course, judging by today's standards a bit dated. This album should have been far more successful than it was in the mid 80´s. Being a self-financed release such issues as lack of distribution and marketing made the album doomed from the start commercially. Thanks to Greek label No Remorse Records (Great job guys!!) everybody gets the chance to discover this lost gem and pay tribute to what could have been.

Wired For Sound!
No Remorse Records has also issued the 1987 demo and the later Sponges demo, all on one CD aptly renamed Wired For Sound. For the first time, these are now available to the public. This Wired For Sound album offers varied material in terms of quality. The 1987 demo portion continues on in the vein of the first album with heavy but melodic songs building on strong hooks with lots of melodies and harmonies but the sound quality is a bit on and off being a demo. The last three songs are taken from the Sponges demo and they really lower the grade on this album. To me it only sounds like a wall of sound with no memorable hooks or riffs. Troch screams and shouts like hell but nothing good comes out of it. I´m sorry to say, but it´s pure crap to me. Trying to sound like Pantera was obviously not the right choice. You could call it evolving but in my opinion it was a nosedive into obscurity.

Music style changed for the band and they started to grow apart, not being in agreement on where to go, Hammeron parted ways in 1990. Jeff Ward would then move on to play with Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, however, he struggled with a heroin addiction and tragically took his own life in 1993 (RIP). Guitarist Jack Lazor went on to sing for Widows Rose in Arizona with Jeff´s brother Jason (also in Flotsam & Jetsam). Mick Vega moved on to play with Syndrome, Mad Dog, The Plague and Rising Up Angry. Dan Vega also played with Widows Rose and Mind Bomb. Lead vocalist Brian Troch took the job as frontman with Znowhite and later on Cyclone Temple. Later on, he teamed up with Joe Stump, Jeff Tortora and Jimmy Pma to form Shootinghemlock and released two albums with them. Currently, Brian is playing with the band Flywater.

Track By Track Comments (Nothin' To Do Again But Rock)

Picture courtesy of Underground-Empire.com

The album starts off with the fast paced rocker ”Silent Victim” with a simple but nice chorus. The song has some interesting tempo changes with a slow mid-section and it keeps me interested throughout the song. A good way to start off the album! This is then followed by the title track, ”Nothin´To Do But Rock”, with it's midtempo during the verses and some intricate beats. It steps up a gear for the chorus, but it is a really strong effort! Troch shines on this one providing a great vocal effort and this song has a nice melodic guitar solo. The album then picks up with the song ”So True” which is one of the strongest tracks on the album. Nice guitar licks by Vega/Lazor and heavy riffing during the verses with Troch's melodic vocals on top. Again the song is slightly progressive but in a very positive way making Hammeron stand out from other bands. Keeping up on the high end another strong effort is to follow in ”Jealousy” which is a semi-ballad type of thing. The verses are sung in a ballad context, but the song evolves into a heavy and faster song for the really strong chorus. Another slower song follows suit in ”Endless Nights” and it's also a very strong song with it becoming heavier again for the chorus. Yet again, it is a really strong one with a nice vocal from Troch. ”Why Lie” starts off with a weird beat which then introduces Queensryche-like guitar licks and then turning into a strange but interesting chorus with a faster pace. Probably the oddest song on the album and it demands listening to a couple of times. Not the instant hit but that goes for the whole album I think. The next song, "Sleepwalker", is a faster-paced rocker with a more direct approach. ”Sands Of Pyre” offers a heavier and grooving sound than the previous songs with the tasteful use of keyboards. The song adds nicely a new element to the mix with the album then rounding off with a nice and melodic rocker in ”To The Top”. This should have been a first single in my opinion having the melody and commercial feel the radio was looking for in the 80´s with a direct and simple hook line and a great chorus!

Track By Track Comments (Wired for sound)

Picture courtesy of Metal-Archives.com

The album starts off in great style with a really strong song, the fast paced rocker ”One More Time”. Just as strong as "Silent Victim” which started off the debut album. It is continued with album highlight ”Hold You” which features some really nice guitar licks from Vega/Lazor once more and a great melodic chorus! In the next song, ”Hungry For a Fight”, you can clearly hear the band going for a heavier sound with a straight ahead rocker based on heavy riffing and Troch stretching his vocals to the limit on the chorus. The album then continues on with another fast paced heavy rocker called "Journey's End". With the faster songs, the progressive beats also fade away which is too bad. ”Journey´s End” is still a really nice song with a melodic chorus and the song features a nice guitar solo duel. With the next song, ”The Way”, we´re back in ”Queensryche-land"! The song could easily have been an extra track on The Warning or Rage For Order albums with Troch reaching a really high pitch and both beat and riffs taking me back to the early Queensryche years. Together with ”Hold You”, these are definitely the album's highlights! Next song is ”Living On The Edge” and the last song from the 1987 demo included here. It´s a good straight ahead rocker but nothing that stands out. The last three songs ”Full Force”, ”Sponges” and ”Hammer and Sickle” are nothing short of an attempt at the Pantera sound and they fail miserably. Only gives me earache and a bad way to round off an otherwise interesting album.

Summary
No Remorse marketed this re-release as a long lost US metal masterpiece. I have to say it´s pretty damn close to that. For being a mid 80´s release these guys deserved so much better. They recorded a very consistent debut album (Nothin' To Do Again But Rock) – which had the songs and the musicianship to compete with the best. Yet, they faded into obscurity and I certainly did not catch them in the day. It's only thanks to the enthusiasts at No Remorse that I (and maybe you too) get to hear it! Back in those days there were no internet, no facebook, no twitter. I must say this is a great release that deserves a 7/10 points. When it comes to ”Wired For Sound the sound is not as great and the band are going for a heavier sound. The song quality is very varied with the end of the album being absolutely below par and pure nonsense. I would give the album a 4/10, the last three songs lowering the grade by at least two points and the sound quality deducting the last one in comparison with the debut album. It would have been better to include the two early songs and leaving the Sponges demo off the album in my opinion. My advice is to start off with Nothin´ To Do Again But Rock if you are not familiar with the band. I hope you all will give it a listen because it will be worth it. If your into melodic metal with pinch of progressiveness then this one is for you!

The Lionsheart

No Remorse Records Website     No Remorse Records Facebook

Will You Join the Cult of Steel?: A Review of Lonewolf's Cult of Steel album

Now I'm not saying that I know everything or every band out there in the land of rock and metal but what I am saying is that if a band has beginnings tracing back to 1992 and has issued seven albums to date, yet I've not ever heard of them until now may not a winning endorsement.  Behold Lonewolf hailing from Grenoble, France.  They began playing heavy metal back in 1992, developed a following and put out several demo recordings.  They also recorded a full length album that never
saw the light of day, therefore being referred to as "The Lost Album".  But after four years of playing together a bad deal with a French record label left a sour taste and they disbanded in 1996.  Another four years later and they were once again reunited and playing together.  The demo recording March Into the Arena served as their debut album in 2002, with 2004's Unholy Paradise, 2008's Made in Hell, 2009's The Dark Crusade, 2012's Army Of the Damned and 2013's The Fourth and Final Horseman all following suit.  Lonewolf has the distinction of being the first French band ever to play in Greece and have toured Europe with bands such as Dragonsfire, Iron Fate, Powerwolf, Stormwarrior and Mystic Prophecy as well as playing several festivals.  Now they serve up their seventh effort, Cult of Steel, set for release January 20, 2015 in North America (already issued to European markets in October 2014).

One thing that I, personally, love is album cover artwork, it's an integral part of the album experience for me, and Lonewolf's Cult of Steel sure has that in its corner!  A muscular, devilish looking kind of werewolf is depicted on a pedestal of stone crouched or hunched down over a sword presumably formed from the molten "Fires of Hell" raging in the background.

The title track, "Cult of Steel", begins softly, building up to the explosion that erupts for more than five and a half minutes of some blistering power metal.  Next up is "Hordes of the Night" ripping off at breakneck speed with the gruff gravelly vocals of Jens Borner (vocals/rhythm guitar) and a full helping of some delicious and plentiful guitar soloing help this cut to shine.  Some opening chants lead off "Werewolf Rebellion" which follows right along in sync with the first two, probably a step down and a just little less catchy.  The double bass runs rampant on "Blood of the Heretic" peppered with solos, but not much different from what we've already heard from Cult of Steel.  "Hell's Legacy" offers a bit more with a more melodic chorus for a definite standout composition but basically by the time we get through "Funerals Pyre" I'm starting to get a little bored.  "Force to Fight" and "Open Fire" follow the same formula and by the time "Mysterium Fedei" comes along I've basically had enough.  "Grey Wolves" served as the end of my listening tenure in pretty much every spin so far, never hearing the digipak bonus tracks of "Made In Hell '14" and "Children of the Unlight '14", the last two inclusions.

For me this album started out strong but quickly lost momentum, maybe it just needs a longer gestation period for me to digest?  I'm not ready to give up on Lonewolf's Cult of Steel just yet.

Cheers,
The Meister

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PHOTO CREDIT: MASSACRE RECORDS Promo Kit

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Shadowbane-Facing The Fallout

Since forming between 2007-2009, Germany's Shadowbane have been rocking stages in their homeland and are now set to introduce themselves to the world with the full length debut, Facing the Fallout  available January 16, 2015.  The quintet from Hamburg is compiled of Stefan providing vocals, guitarists Lukas and Markus, Mortiz on bass and drummer Rene. Shadowbane
 issued a demo EP, Dystopia, in 2010 and have progressed in their sound for this effort.  Their music is described as "post apocalyptic power metal" that is positioned between melodic US power metal and raw Teutonic steel with dystopic lyrics.  Facing the Fallout promises mostly fast songs and contemporary production without leaving any doubt of their musical roots in 80's & 90's power metal, featuring melodic vocals and the thrashy riffs and melodic harmonies of the dual guitarists.

Not being a particular fan of intros I usually find them to be basically a waste of time, but I suppose the windswept waves that lead to the clanging of a bell and air raid siren of Facing the Fallout's :50 opener "Red Alert" do fit in quite well with the motif of the band and album.  From there we explode into "Beyond the Winds of War" for nearly five minutes of blissful headbanging riffages
 and some solid vocals delivered by Stefan.  "Traitor" keeps things charging forward in the same vein with some excellent melodies, guitar solos and a chorus guaranteed to have you chanting along!  The album's lead single and video, "Under Bleeding Skies", is the longest running track of Facing the Fallout at just over the six minute mark.  The video itself was directed by Peter Gerulat, features actress Sandra Quadflieg and was previewed at the Great Lakes International Film Festival in Erie, Pennsylvania in September 2014.  "After the Fallout" rips through the speakers next as my hand goes to increase the volume controls while "Dystopia" keeps up the headbanging and finds me chanting right along with the chorus, fist raised!  "Tear Down the Wall" is no change from the formula established so far and that's a good thing, but "Badlands Law" could be the crowning glory of Facing the Fallout.  "Last Division" and "Source of Grief" both uphold the themes (and your fist) to bring the album to a close in strong fashion.

Bottom line:  This is a solid debut effort for these guys from Hamburg, Germany and I enjoyed listening to the album but sadly it will probably not become a "go to" choice for me and may get lost in my massive collection as there's just not enough hooks or distinction to warrant one track over another or this album over some of the bigger names.  There is however great promise for the future of Shadowbane, the groundwork having been solidly laid down.

Cheers,
The Meister

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PHOTO CREDIT: Pure Steel Promotions

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The Storyteller Unleashes the Sacred Fire in February

The Storyteller unleashes the Sacred fire in February 2015

Power metal outfit The Storyteller formed in the Swedish town of Gävle in 1995 when, two friends L-G Persson and Fredrik Groth, decided to start playing acoustic songs with medieval influences together. This project soon evolved into more electric stuff in the form of a band known for its melodic power metal with medieval and folk music spices mixed in.

After a couple of line-up changes the band was discovered by the small Swedish label No Fashion Records and they released their self-titled debut album in the year 2000. The band now consisting of main men L-G Persson (lead vocals and bass) and Fredrik Groth (guitar) and joining them were Martin Hjärpe on drums and Lars Martinsen on guitar.

From the very beginning the band cut out its own niche in the overcrowded power metal genre with adding medieval instruments and inspiration along with very strong choruses and huge choirs to back them up. The bands reputation as a live act grew and the amount of fans increased exponentially in the next few years. They released a string of very strong efforts including 2003 highlight ”Tales of a Holy Quest”. Joining the band for that release was Jacob Wennerqvist on lead guitar replacing Martinsen. Being a concept album based on the shameful persecutions of innocent victims by the church in Sweden branding them as Witches in the 18^th and 19^th century.

The Storyteller opened up for bands like Helloween, Gammaray, Stratovarius and Hammerfall. They played two times at the famous and prestigious Sweden Rock Festival in the early 00's but being on a small record label meant limited marketing and financial backing. By 2005 the band was on the verge of a larger breakthrough being offered the support slot for a major band and a tour of Europe. Disagreements arose with the record company over the cost of the tour and disappointed in not getting this chance to prove themselves the band went on hiatus indefinitely. Band leader L-G Persson then formed a new band called Crystal Light with long time Storyteller guitarist Jacob Wennerqvist, guitarist Marcus Backlund and bass player Marco Lehto. A demo was released in 2008.

In 2011 L-G Persson and Fredrik Groth decided it was time to take The Storyteller out of its hibernation and blow some life into the band once again. Just before the recording of the comeback album ”Dark Legacy” (2013) Groth left the band and was replaced by Crystal Light guitarist Marcus Backlund. Bass player Johan Sohlberg was not part of the reunion and the bass duties were filled by Henke Brannerydh after ”Dark Legacy” had been recorded, Wennerqvist and Backlund handling the bass on the album.

The Storyteller now unleashes their 6^th album showing they´re back for good and they mean business! ”Sacred Fire” comes with all the usual trademarks you expect from The Storyteller, pounding double bass drum, massive hooks supported by big choirs, medieval inspired and thoughtful lyrics and the superb raw vocals of main man L-G Persson. This time the band has drawn a lot of inspiration from ancient Greek mythology. For example the song ”The Ferryman” is about the Greek God Charon transporting dead souls across the river Styx. With this being said The Storyteller is not your regular power metal band that you can find down the street!

Track by track

The album opens up in a strong fashion with ”As I Die” which is a typical uptempo power metal song with a strong chorus. Lyrically it´s based around a warriors plea to the Gods to sit by their side as they die in battle. A worthy way to start off with. It is then followed by the first single and first video ”One Last Stand” which starts off with Priest-esque fast and heavy riffing driving the verses just if they had been written by Mr Tipton himself. The song then changes tempo into a very melodic and great chorus. The song seems to tell us all about what is going to happen on the very last day (Armageddon). A very strong effort indeed.

Then it´s time for the title track which starts out with galloping drums in true power metal fashion that quickly slows down into an almost acoustical start of the first verse. The song again changes tempo back to the fast drums for the chorus. The lyrics tell the story of a blacksmith creating the ”Sacred Fire”. Then follows the epic ”The Ferryman” based on the mythology of Charon and the river Styx. This is an epic masterpiece with a massive chorus backed by huge choirs and a song easy to sing along to. Easily the strongest effort so far.

Just as if to compensate for this heavier and slower song ”Serpent Eyes” follows suit with its speed metal drive and the band just hits the pedal to the metal. The Greek mythology continues on. This song is a about the legendary horrible female creature, Gorgon, which had hair of living venomous snakes and could turn you to stone with their gaze. The song reminds me of early Helloween stuff minus the falsetto vocals. This ensures a varied album with lots of different styles being served up but never straying too far from the expected formula.

The Storyteller - photo by Mikael Svensson

Now follows what I would say is maybe the strongest song on the album called ”Sons of the North”. The song starts off in a very fast pace, very similar to Running Wild, but then again becomes heavy and epic in the build up for a melodic and enchanting chorus supported by a huge choir. I found myself toe tapping and singing along to this song without even noticing it at first. This song also has L-G Persson singing his heart out and delivering the vocal performance of the album.

Being ecstatic of what I just heard, the album continues on with the song with the longest name on the album: ”In Search of Treasures, Stones and Gold”. This is a regular power metal song with a great and majestic chorus but not the strongest effort in my opinion. The lyrics tell the tale of treasure hunters searching for gold. A song in the typical Storyteller fashion and ending with a short medieval inspired acoustic piece. Not bad at all just not the strongest hand in the deck.

”Sacred Fire” then continues with the only ballad of the album, "Coming Home", and this is a strong one. Not always a fan of ballads this song has me showing the white flag and surrendering to the great chorus and L-G's fantastic vocals on this one. It really adds value to the mix and gives the album a great variety!

The Storyteller - photo by Mikael Svensson

I am harshly being awakened by the thumping bass and pounding drums of ”The Army of Southerfell” which is an upbeat song with a huge chorus again. This song is about the English legend of a spectral army marching this ridge on midsummer's day 1745. The album continues with another upbeat song, ”Curse of the Seven Seas”. This song is about serving as a ghost on a ship, cursed for a 100 years. I guess the lyrics were inspired by the legend of the Flying Dutchman. A great song with a really strong lyrical content.

The album finishes off with two more typical power metal and upbeat songs called ”Let Your Spirit Fly” and ”God of War”. "God of War" deals with the battle of Troy and the struggle between the God Ares and his sister Athena. These songs are in no way groundbreaking but great songs very typical of the Storyteller.

To sum it all up this is the strongest effort since ”Underworld” was released in 2005. I would give this new album a rating of 8 out of 10. Not as prominent as 2003´s masterpiece ”Tales of a Holy Quest” but pretty damn close. The Storyteller are back and they mean business! They continue to tell us about legends and stories of the past as they easily could have done by the campfire. They just do it in a metallic setting. If your not familiar with the band before they are definitely worth checking out.

The Storyteller on the web:
www.storyteller.nu

The Storyteller on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellersweden?fref=ts

Bloodbound Serve a Hefty Chunk of Swedish Power Metal For Dinner

Discovering Bloodbound as a part of my searching/learning process for the bands listed at what was to be my first venture across the ocean for Sweden Rock Festival in 2013, I liked their power metal

Bloodbound - photo taken from AFM Records press kit

sound. In becoming an ever bigger fan of that category of metal/rock I quickly collected their catalog consisting of 2005's Nosferatu, 2007's The Book of the Dead, 2009's Tabula Rasa, 2011's Unholy Cross and 2012's In the Name of Metal.  Bloodbound began life in 2004 with Fedrik Bergh (keyboards) and Tomas Olsson (guitar) being the original creators.  The band started out with Urban Breed handling the vocal duties, but for the second release he was succeeded by Michael Bormann.  Breed returned to the fold for Tabula Rasa until he was replaced with Patrik Johansson for Unholy Cross and forward.  The rest of the band on Stormborn alongside Bergh, Olsson and Johansson are: Anders Broman (bass), Henrik Olsson (guitar) and Pelle Akerlind (drums).

Stormborn begins with a 1:43 intro, "Bloodtale", that I suppose is intended to be creepy or devilish, but serves to me as not much more than a waste of time.  "Satanic Panic" turns things around and rips out of the gates running rampant with piercingly tight vocals, riffs, thrash style pace and a huge chorus.  "Iron Throne" is a little high pitched and screechy at times for my particular likes but it has been chosen as the lead single/video, included below.  "Nightmares From the Grave" is more like my expectations from Bloodbound with a chanting chorus and a children's choir segment.  The title track "Stormborn" is a stomping power metal anthem beginning ominously with the clap of thunder and rain falling, to choir vocals, to the pounding beat driving the track forward.  "We Raise the Dead" begins with a charging riff, powering forward into the thumping track for one of the best of the compilation and probably my top pick.  Anthemic "Made of Steel" had my air drumming off to the races and is exactly what the title would suggest, hard driving, first pumping, chanting metal, perhaps this will be my top pick instead.  "Blood of My Blood" keeps things moving in the same vein as Stormborn just seems to get better and better as it moves forward.  A truly epic track with "When the Kingdom Will Fall" appears next and "Seven Hells" is a thundering delight.  Stormborn wraps up with the ripping "When All Lights Fail" to bring the album to a nice close on a high note.

An excellent entry into the year's album race, Bloodbound's Stormborn is a solid bet for all power metal fans.  Johansson's soaring, piercing vocals and Bergh's keyboards add to the orchestral and Gothic feel of the record backed up by lyrical themes of pirates, dragons and more.  This shall be loaded onto the MP3 player immediately!

BUY: Bloodbound - Stormborn

Cheers,
The Meister

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PHOTO CREDIT: AFM RECORDS PRESS KIT 2014

(Bloodbound Facebook)