Good but not great modern metal. Callenish Circle more or
less belongs to the melodic thrash subgenre and if that’s your bag this is some
decent stuff. But there are so many bands out now doing this exact same thing
with only subtle variations that ‘My Passion/Your Pain’ comes across as pretty
generic, at least to my ears. Lets face it, competition is pretty stiff with In
Flames, Children of Bodom, and Witchery (and I would add Cleveland’s own
Soulless) all having pretty much staked out the upper tier of this style.
Callenish Circle get all the moves right, but there’s nothing to separate them
from the rest of the pack. It’s not that these guys are bad, they’re just
unnecessary. As one would expect, musicianship is solid but the songwriting is
pretty typical. Unless this band does something unexpected and unique next time
out I expect they’ll fade from the memory of most metalheads fairly quick. (Bob
Ignizio)
Chinchilla? Why not just call yourself Cute Fluffy Bunny?
There, got that out of my system. On to the matter at hand – how does it
sound? Well, it sounds pretty good without really offering anything new or
exceptional. The style is power metal with progressive elements and lots of
keyboards. The vocalist doesn’t sound like a castrato, which is always a plus
when dealing with this genre of music, and the musicianship is superb. Of
course a high level of playing ability is pretty standard for any band playing
this style and I've never been one to be all that impressed solely by
musicianship. Nothing outstanding in the lyric department, either. Most of
‘Madtropolis’ appears to be a concept album about the end of the world as
described in ‘Revelations’. The band seems sincere, but it’s not a very
original subject nor does it offer any interesting twist on the concept.
Die-hard Motorhead fans may want to be aware that Fast Eddie Clarke does a guest
solo on one track (“When the Sand Darkens the Sun”), but other than that little
footnote I don’t have much else to say about this album. ‘Madtropolis’ is just
a thoroughly typical power metal album and 10 years from now I think most fans
of the genre will be far more likely to pull out their old Blind Guardian,
Falconer, or Gamma Ray CD’s than this one. (Bob Ignizio)
This is a 2 disc set of cinematic sounding instrumental
rock. It recalls the best soundtracks of the sixties and seventies while still
adding enough uniqueness to avoid pastiche. Disc one would probably work great
with a western or a film with a dessert setting. It starts off with “Overload”,
a fuzzed out slab of sludge that could almost qualify as stoner rock.
“Alternate Theme” sounds like it should have Nick Cave singing over it, but is
just fine as an instrumental. “Through the Whine” reminded me of Pink Floyd
circa ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ with its Gilmour-like guitar phrasings. “Main
Theme” is pure spaghetti western and “Tennessee Waltz” sounds like the sort of
mournful lament that should play over a gunfighter’s death scene. The disc
(and the movie in your mind) closes with an alternate, eerie sounding version of
“Main Theme”. Disc two has a somewhat darker vibe. It starts off with the
experimental and atmospheric “H-Hour Minus Five’. “And Love to be the Master of
Hate” sounds like good suspense music for an Italian “giallo” film. “Time’s Not
Your Friend” is a melancholy march with some tasty slide guitar work and “Omaha”
reminds me of ‘Profundo Rosso’ era Goblin with its ominous repetitive bassline.
This is probably my favorite instrumental release since Air’s soundtrack for
‘The Virgin Suicides’ a few years back. Good stuff. (Bob Ignizio)
God Dethroned – ‘Into the Lungs
of Hell’ (Metal Blade)
‘Into the Lungs of Hell’ is a solid melodic death metal
album that’s brutal yet catchy, full of crushing riffs and blistering leads.
Despite the band’s name, God Dethroned seem more concerned lyrically with social
and political ideas than giving praise to the goat head. Some of their harshest
words are reserved for those who manipulate religion to their own ends (“Soul
Sweeper”, “Gods of Terror”), but the lyrics make a clear distinction between
those who believe in god and those who hide behind his name. Other songs deal
with vegetarianism (“Slaughtering the Faithful”), big brother (“Enemy of the
State”), and the stupidity of war (“Warcult”). While God Dethroned isn’t
exactly blazing new musical territory here, they’re good enough to demand notice
in a relatively crowded scene. Highlights for me were the title track, “Warcult”,
and “Soul Sweeper”. While there are no weak tracks the album does get a bit
samey sounding after a while. Bottom line, if you like this style of music
you’ll probably like ‘Into the Lungs of Hell’. While the actual album is only 8
tracks long, there’s also a second disc included here with a re-recorded version
of the band’s signature tune, a cover of Possessed’s “Satan’s Curse”, and 6 live
tracks as well as two videos you can play on your computer. Pretty good bang
for the buck. (Bob Ignizio)
Good but not great modern metal. Callenish Circle more or
less belongs to the melodic thrash subgenre and if that’s your bag this is some
decent stuff. But there are so many bands out now doing this exact same thing
with only subtle variations that ‘My Passion/Your Pain’ comes across as pretty
generic, at least to my ears. Lets face it, competition is pretty stiff with In
Flames, Children of Bodom, and Witchery (and I would add Cleveland’s own
Soulless) all having pretty much staked out the upper tier of this style.
Callenish Circle get all the moves right, but there’s nothing to separate them
from the rest of the pack. It’s not that these guys are bad, they’re just
unnecessary. As one would expect, musicianship is solid but the songwriting is
pretty typical. Unless this band does something unexpected and unique next time
out I expect they’ll fade from the memory of most metalheads fairly quick. (Bob
Ignizio)
Chinchilla? Why not just call yourself Cute Fluffy Bunny?
There, got that out of my system. On to the matter at hand – how does it
sound? Well, it sounds pretty good without really offering anything new or
exceptional. The style is power metal with progressive elements and lots of
keyboards. The vocalist doesn’t sound like a castrato, which is always a plus
when dealing with this genre of music, and the musicianship is superb. Of
course a high level of playing ability is pretty standard for any band playing
this style and I've never been one to be all that impressed solely by
musicianship. Nothing outstanding in the lyric department, either. Most of
‘Madtropolis’ appears to be a concept album about the end of the world as
described in ‘Revelations’. The band seems sincere, but it’s not a very
original subject nor does it offer any interesting twist on the concept.
Die-hard Motorhead fans may want to be aware that Fast Eddie Clarke does a guest
solo on one track (“When the Sand Darkens the Sun”), but other than that little
footnote I don’t have much else to say about this album. ‘Madtropolis’ is just
a thoroughly typical power metal album and 10 years from now I think most fans
of the genre will be far more likely to pull out their old Blind Guardian,
Falconer, or Gamma Ray CD’s than this one. (Bob Ignizio)
This is a 2 disc set of cinematic sounding instrumental
rock. It recalls the best soundtracks of the sixties and seventies while still
adding enough uniqueness to avoid pastiche. Disc one would probably work great
with a western or a film with a dessert setting. It starts off with “Overload”,
a fuzzed out slab of sludge that could almost qualify as stoner rock.
“Alternate Theme” sounds like it should have Nick Cave singing over it, but is
just fine as an instrumental. “Through the Whine” reminded me of Pink Floyd
circa ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ with its Gilmour-like guitar phrasings. “Main
Theme” is pure spaghetti western and “Tennessee Waltz” sounds like the sort of
mournful lament that should play over a gunfighter’s death scene. The disc
(and the movie in your mind) closes with an alternate, eerie sounding version of
“Main Theme”. Disc two has a somewhat darker vibe. It starts off with the
experimental and atmospheric “H-Hour Minus Five’. “And Love to be the Master of
Hate” sounds like good suspense music for an Italian “giallo” film. “Time’s Not
Your Friend” is a melancholy march with some tasty slide guitar work and “Omaha”
reminds me of ‘Profundo Rosso’ era Goblin with its ominous repetitive bassline.
This is probably my favorite instrumental release since Air’s soundtrack for
‘The Virgin Suicides’ a few years back. Good stuff. (Bob Ignizio)
‘Into the Lungs of Hell’ is a solid melodic death metal
album that’s brutal yet catchy, full of crushing riffs and blistering leads.
Despite the band’s name, God Dethroned seem more concerned lyrically with social
and political ideas than giving praise to the goat head. Some of their harshest
words are reserved for those who manipulate religion to their own ends (“Soul
Sweeper”, “Gods of Terror”), but the lyrics make a clear distinction between
those who believe in god and those who hide behind his name. Other songs deal
with vegetarianism (“Slaughtering the Faithful”), big brother (“Enemy of the
State”), and the stupidity of war (“Warcult”). While God Dethroned isn’t
exactly blazing new musical territory here, they’re good enough to demand notice
in a relatively crowded scene. Highlights for me were the title track, “Warcult”,
and “Soul Sweeper”. While there are no weak tracks the album does get a bit
samey sounding after a while. Bottom line, if you like this style of music
you’ll probably like ‘Into the Lungs of Hell’. While the actual album is only 8
tracks long, there’s also a second disc included here with a re-recorded version
of the band’s signature tune, a cover of Possessed’s “Satan’s Curse”, and 6 live
tracks as well as two videos you can play on your computer. Pretty good bang
for the buck. (Bob Ignizio)