The demo
CD I received from "The Aerium" sounds like the first recording by a young band,
and when I dialed up their website, I found that that's just what it is. Their
sound smacks of progressive metal with operatic female vocals, much along the
lines popularized by bands like Nightwish and Aina. If I compare the CD with
those established artists, The Aerium falls short. Of course, those other bands
have been refining their sound through recording and constant touring for years,
so such a comparison seems unfair. If, however, I compare the CD to other demos
I've heard lately, then it seems a polished and professional effort. I guess
the only standard I should use is: is the CD enjoyable to listen to? The answer
to this is definitely yes! The songwriting shows promise...yes, they need to
have better vocal melodies and more variation between songs, but these are
things that can easily be fixed through time and hard work. Lead singer
Veronika is a strong and confident vocalist, and can become a real player in the
realm of female metal vocalists once she displays a wider range and doesn't just
float in the stratosphere. The music is driving and melodic if a bit
repetitious...definitely a good listen while friends are over and some groovy
prog-metal is needed for soundtrack. The Heathen Hippy gives it two & 3/4
Viking axe heads. (Taliesin A. Govannon)
Aledo – “Hole in the Ground”/”Let Me
Off this Train” (self released)
Some good
stuff here from Aledo, whose previous ‘Just Keep Walking‘ CD took a while to
grow on me. Having already become accustomed to this band’s lo-fi sound, I was
able to get into these two EPs without any trouble. A couple songs on the “Hole
in the Ground” EP (“Hole in the Ground”, “Eating 1994”) appeared on that
previous release, but the versions here feature cleaner, though still pretty
basic, production. I personally like these new versions better as they put more
emphasis on the songwriting and vocals. The new songs on here are just as
good. “Let Me Off this Train” has more of a bluesy feel to it overall than
“Hole”. It begins and ends with untitled instrumentals that give
guitarist/vocalist Steve Rader a chance to show off his lead playing.
Sandwiched between the instrumentals are a couple of slow, bluesy numbers. “Now
With Added Sugar” feels a little too typical, but “Let Me Off of this Train” is
a definite keeper, blending traditional blues with Rader’s distinctive
songwriting style. Rader’s voice still reminds me somewhat of Roky Erikson, but
that’s hardly a bad thing. His guitar playing is good as well. The weak point
for me is the drumming which is very simplistic and occasionally a bit sloppy
sounding. There’s also a few places where having a bass player would have made
the songs more appealing to my ears, but I know some folks would disagree. The
strength of the material and Rader’s vocals still make this worth checking out,
though. For more info, go to
http://www.odela.net. (Bob Ignizio)
I thought Amon
Amarth’s last album, ‘Versus the World’, suffered from the fact that too many of
the songs seemed to blend together. They had some great riffs, and even some
good hooks, but everything pretty much sounded the same. This time around, the
songwriting has been stepped up a notch, resulting in one of my favorite metal
releases of the year. None of the heaviness the band is known for has been
sacrificed. As on their previous release, Amon Amarth prefers to keep their
tempos mid-paced, but thanks to better use of dynamics it doesn’t grow
tiresome. These guys are usually labeled death metal, but I’d say their sound
draws as much influence from classic metal bands. The only aspect that really
sounds like typical death metal is the vocals, and even those are more
enunciated than the typical death growls and barks one expects of the genre.
All the elements are in place on this release: a unique sound, good
songwriting, good musicianship, and good production. Even though the lyrics are
still all about Vikings and war and all that fun stuff, they’re about as well
written as one could hope for with such limited subject matter. The title track
even manages to elicit some genuine emotion with it’s tale of a Viking father
losing his six year old son. Pick this one up; you won’t be disappointed. (Bob
Ignizio)
People
of the world, get excited! Sex, drugs, and rock n roll are back. Their
resurrection comes to you via Amplified Heat. The brothers' Ortiz, after jamming
together for years and going through many different stylistic changes, finally
drop a masterpiece with "In For Sin". Imagine music comparable to ZZ Top with a
vocal assault reminiscent of Lemmy (Motorhead), topped off with the raw,
stripped-down production of a Ramones album. Chris Ortiz(drummer) sets up a
back-beat that sounds more like a tommygun than a drum kit. His snare heavy,
rapid fire approach will no doubt keep you punks happy. Jim Ortiz'
(guitar/vocals) guitar work makes this three piece band from Texas sound more
like a Skynyrd-esque three guitar symphony, all held together by Gian
Ortiz's(bass) low end bluesy bass riffing. The lyrical content of this album is
not for the bleeding heart, politically correct liberals of the world. Songs
like "The Gunny" paint a yellow stripe up the backs of draft dodging hippies,
while songs like "Roadrunner", devoted entirely to the joys of drag racing at
red lights, leave a very hetero-Texan taste in your mouth. There is no doubt
that "In For Sin" will be labeled as pro-drugs and alcohol, simplistic, and even
misogynistic. However, for those of us who love raw, uncompromised rock and
roll/blues, this album will be a favorite for a long time to come! (Dave Evans)
The demo
CD I received from "The Aerium" sounds like the first recording by a young band,
and when I dialed up their website, I found that that's just what it is. Their
sound smacks of progressive metal with operatic female vocals, much along the
lines popularized by bands like Nightwish and Aina. If I compare the CD with
those established artists, The Aerium falls short. Of course, those other bands
have been refining their sound through recording and constant touring for years,
so such a comparison seems unfair. If, however, I compare the CD to other demos
I've heard lately, then it seems a polished and professional effort. I guess
the only standard I should use is: is the CD enjoyable to listen to? The answer
to this is definitely yes! The songwriting shows promise...yes, they need to
have better vocal melodies and more variation between songs, but these are
things that can easily be fixed through time and hard work. Lead singer
Veronika is a strong and confident vocalist, and can become a real player in the
realm of female metal vocalists once she displays a wider range and doesn't just
float in the stratosphere. The music is driving and melodic if a bit
repetitious...definitely a good listen while friends are over and some groovy
prog-metal is needed for soundtrack. The Heathen Hippy gives it two & 3/4
Viking axe heads. (Taliesin A. Govannon)
I thought Amon
Amarth’s last album, ‘Versus the World’, suffered from the fact that too many of
the songs seemed to blend together. They had some great riffs, and even some
good hooks, but everything pretty much sounded the same. This time around, the
songwriting has been stepped up a notch, resulting in one of my favorite metal
releases of the year. None of the heaviness the band is known for has been
sacrificed. As on their previous release, Amon Amarth prefers to keep their
tempos mid-paced, but thanks to better use of dynamics it doesn’t grow
tiresome. These guys are usually labeled death metal, but I’d say their sound
draws as much influence from classic metal bands. The only aspect that really
sounds like typical death metal is the vocals, and even those are more
enunciated than the typical death growls and barks one expects of the genre.
All the elements are in place on this release: a unique sound, good
songwriting, good musicianship, and good production. Even though the lyrics are
still all about Vikings and war and all that fun stuff, they’re about as well
written as one could hope for with such limited subject matter. The title track
even manages to elicit some genuine emotion with it’s tale of a Viking father
losing his six year old son. Pick this one up; you won’t be disappointed. (Bob
Ignizio)
People
of the world, get excited! Sex, drugs, and rock n roll are back. Their
resurrection comes to you via Amplified Heat. The brothers' Ortiz, after jamming
together for years and going through many different stylistic changes, finally
drop a masterpiece with "In For Sin". Imagine music comparable to ZZ Top with a
vocal assault reminiscent of Lemmy (Motorhead), topped off with the raw,
stripped-down production of a Ramones album. Chris Ortiz(drummer) sets up a
back-beat that sounds more like a tommygun than a drum kit. His snare heavy,
rapid fire approach will no doubt keep you punks happy. Jim Ortiz'
(guitar/vocals) guitar work makes this three piece band from Texas sound more
like a Skynyrd-esque three guitar symphony, all held together by Gian
Ortiz's(bass) low end bluesy bass riffing. The lyrical content of this album is
not for the bleeding heart, politically correct liberals of the world. Songs
like "The Gunny" paint a yellow stripe up the backs of draft dodging hippies,
while songs like "Roadrunner", devoted entirely to the joys of drag racing at
red lights, leave a very hetero-Texan taste in your mouth. There is no doubt
that "In For Sin" will be labeled as pro-drugs and alcohol, simplistic, and even
misogynistic. However, for those of us who love raw, uncompromised rock and
roll/blues, this album will be a favorite for a long time to come! (Dave Evans)