Seventh Year Of The Broken Mirror

The landscape of progressive rock continues to evolve. As the dinosaur bands fade away a new breed of thought provoking artistry has emerged. Bands like Porcupine Tree, Tool, Riverside, and Anathema are not about complexity or grandiose arrangements. These are bands that aim for your heart as well as your head. CloverSeeds is a new band following this course. The Opening is their second release. Their debut was released on a small French label and gave the band some national attention including a television appearance on "Ça part en live". The Laser’s Edge is committed to expand CloverSeeds fanbase to a worldwide level.Cloverseeds music is a rollercoaster ride of pure emotion filled with melancholy and dark atmospheres augmented with guitar driven heaviness. The album was recorded in Germany at Spacelab Studios under the direction of Everon’s Christian Moschus. The resulting album is an audiophile spectacular polished to perfection by Grammy winning mastering engineer Bob Katz.

"Riot has always been ahead of the curve, be it their powerful riff machine, or their unapologetic status as pioneers in the speed metal genre. I would like to take an opportunity to differ once again with the common viewpoint here, this is not “almost” Painkiller 2 years before; it is its doppelganger, at least in terms of kick ass aggressiveness and image. It is a more musical and complex answer to the thrash genre that it fathered; its spirit is that of a triumphant warrior cutting down its foes. While the heroic Painkiller soared through the sky putting fear into the hearts of his enemies, Thundersteel’s half-cyborg/half-tank body stood tall to face them on the ground.In 1988 metal was mostly known by its image, and if you judge these guys by that alone, they look like the bastard sons of Motley Crue and Judas Priest. But when Tony Moore blasts his high banshee voice into the microphone, he sounds like a crazed Viking Berserker ready to behead an army of frightened Romans. Mark Reale, the only remaining originator of this outfit, wields his guitar like a battle axe and challenges the likes of K.K. Downing, Dave Murray and Ross the Boss. Bobby Jarzombek, who is well known for his work with Rob Halford’s solo project, as well as several other bands, gives the performance of his life on here. Don Van Stavern keeps the bottom end solid and has a wicked bass intro in “Johnny’s Back”.There is never a dull moment on this album, from start to finish it grabs you by the throat and commands you to praise the Gods of Metal. Be it the fast as hell title track, which rivals anything Judas Priest has ever put out, or the more moderated Deep Purple riff monster “Sign of the Crimson Storm”, it screams metal. You’ve got an anthem of rebellion and non-conformity at warp speed like “Johnny’s Back” in the running, or the Manowar inspired heavy ballad “Bloodstreets”, which gives Heart of Steel a run for its money. “Fight or Fall” and “Flight of the Warrior” have memorable choruses and plenty of amazing lead work, all done by the original speed metal riff man Mark Reale, while “On Wings of Eagles” is a better produced version of something you might find on Kill Em’ All.We’ve got two highlights on this album, both of which are a good bit different than the lion’s share of speed driven songs on here. “Run for your life” is an upper mid-tempo crusher with tons of great lead guitar work, but it’s true charm is the chorus, which reminds me a bit of the high/low vocal interchanges that you hear on Dio’s early material. “Buried Alive (The Tell Tale Heart)” is actually a bit reminiscent of Crimson Glory’s work on Transcendence, which came out the same year that this did. You’ve got a rather odd spoken intro with a clean and somber guitar line, followed by some brilliant twin guitar soloing (all done by one guy, just the same way Tony Iommi did it). After 3 minutes of mind-blowing, we get a slow and evil sounding groove that grows into a brilliant homage to the NWOBHM, names like Iron Maiden and Angel Witch come to mind.In conclusion, this is a piece of metal history that demands to be listened to. If you are a power metal fan who lives for speed and melody, get your tight jeans wearing ass to the store right now. If you’re a holdover from the glory days of traditional metal and you don’t have it, get it now or risk having your credentials as a metal head questioned. If you love thrash with attitude, this gives the bands that carry that label a run for their money. Fans of Judas Priest, Manowar, Helloween, Running Wild, and Iron Maiden in particular will love this. There is a new power alive in the distance, carrying a fully charged plasma cannon, followed by an army of true metal warriors, and his name is “Thundersteel”." - Metal Archives

Beautiful, haunting experimental metal from this Icelandic band.  Like some other extreme metal bands (think Ulver and Opeth) they have evolved into something very different.  If Sigur Ros recorded a black metal album it might sound like this.  If you like to be challenged by metal outside the norm this is highly recommended."I’m a prime example of being caught in a rat race, a cog too much a part of the corporate clockwork and maybe that’s why on some basic level I identify so strongly with the timeless concept behind Sólstafir‘s fifth and much anticipated release. Ótta comes three years after the release of Svartir Sandar, with the concept of the album staying close and personal to their Icelandic roots. So much so that that the album flows according to an old Icelandic form of time-keeping similar to the monastic hours or Eykt (one eighth of a solar day), And so, Ótta consists of eight tracks, beginning with a representation of midnight, moving through each Eyktir in the day, coming to a close in the period between 9 pm and midnight. Hardly a riveting concept on paper, but thought provoking nonetheless.Much like the post-metal genre being built on rising crescendos, so “Lágnætti,” “Ótta,” “Rismál” and “Dagmál” are the slow and steady climb before you reach the boiling point of “Middegi” and “Nón,” only to have their power stripped away quite dramatically with “Midaftann” and “Náttmál.” Now stop for a moment, close your eyes and feel “Lágnætti” (low night) wash over you. The intro rises up, uncoiling with slow deliberation, pure atmosphere at first, culminating in an isolated and memorable piano melody that along with frontman Aðalbjörn Tryggvason’s vocals, would fit right in on Coldplay‘s Viva La Vida. “Lágnætti” quickly settles in and gives you that familiar feeling that Ótta is indeed the next logical progression from Svartir Sandar. The album grabs hold of and builds on the very same subtleties and charm, the same enveloping moodiness and even the same delicate eccentricities of the earlier release, rather than following on with the bolder adolescence like Köld and Í Blóði og Anda (In Blood and Spirit).Aðalbjörn Tryggvason’s vocals have been perfectly matched to each track and at times it’s tough to imagine it’s the same vocalist. For much of the front-end of Ótta and then again towards the back-end, our intrepid frontman dabbles in the same instrumental, minimalistic style he used on Svartir Sandar. In “Lágnætti” and the title track, he could take the place of Chris Martin fronting Coldplay, and then in “Rismál” and “Midaftann” he creates a new and fantastical beast seemingly from leftover parts of Shining and Katatonia. Giving the release more time to soak in, you’ll find hints to the glory of the past, like his screamy shouts leftover from Köld‘s “Love is the Devil (and I am in Love)” and then in “Middegi” and “Nón” there are hints of the glory locked and loaded in Svartir Sandar‘s “Þín Orð.”Instrumentally Ótta feels like a swirling melting pot of flavours, colours and textures. The title track stands out, surely competing with Ulver‘s “Not Saved” as one of the most addictive pieces of music I’ve come across, all thanks to its bluegrass-like banjo frivolity playing with the violins. And while I have no idea whom to credit for the piano arrangements on “Lágnætti” and “Midaftann” and they don’t don’t hold quite the same dizzying quirk of Svartir Sandar‘s “Æra,” they’re beautiful, melodic, well played and hold just the right amount of tragedy and atmosphere. Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, Sæþór Maríus Sæþórsson and Guðmundur Óli Pálmason go minimalist on the guitars and drum lines, only playing what’s absolutely necessary. The guitars are delivered with a tasty distorted fuzz that takes away from the cleanliness of the album, and while solos are used sparingly, stand-out moments do filter through on “Nón” and “Miðdegi.”The production used on Ótta sounds largely like what worked so well on Svartir Sandar, and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. There’s enough fuzzy warmth and focus of dynamics to keep the album an interesting and comfortable listen. What more can I say here, I’m unable to find fault with this album. It’s not one you’re going to skip around and listen to in bits and bites and needs to be experienced as a whole. Ótta is a serious piece of art and yes, it does indeed stop time!" - Angry Metal Guy 

My Soliloquy is a British band formed in 2002 by multi-instrumentalist Pete Morten.  Since then the band has released a number of demos, gaining traction in the metal underground. The band had a number of notable support shows with Pagans Mind, Power Quest, Oliver and Rick Wakeman, and Threshold, as well as a second-to-headline set at Bloodstock 05 and a showcase at 2007’s ProgPower UK II.Since 2007, Morten has been an active member of British prog metal legends Threshold.  His membership has raised awareness (and created anticipation) for My Soliloquy’s long awaited debut.The essence of My Soliloquy is pure forward thinking metal – symphonic keyboards, shredding guitar leads, soaring vocals – all finely woven together with a blend of intricacy and melody.  The Interpreter was mixed and mastered by Rob Aubrey who has been a mainstay of Marillion’s camp for many years.

“You can expect a beefy rock album, freak style. I think that Cooking with Pagans finally has the sound and energy of Freak Kitchen live; the energy and rawness. It is anything but overproduced, stripped down, drums, bass and guitar. To the point.” – Mattias “IA” EklundhIt has been 5 years since Freak Kitchen graced us with a new album.  Since the release of 2009’s Land Of The Freaks, the band has toured the world – making stops in Europe, USA, and Asia along the way.  Finally the band was able to settle down in their home base of Sweden to record the long awaited follow up Cooking With Pagans.The album finds the band collaborating with Blacksad comic book creator and former Disney animator Juanjo Guarnido.  In addition to creating the amazing packaging for the album, Mr. Guarnido has created an incredible animated video to support the album release.Freak Kitchen consists of world renowned guitarist Mattias “IA” Eklundh, bassist Christer Ortefors and drummer Bjorn Fryklund, The trio offers an intense blend of progressive metal and rock, often served up with a wicked dose of humor.  RIYL Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, and Bumblefoot. 

""It is a rare thing these days for a post-metal band to break the mold. So many bands play sludgy, lurching, epic metal that it can be hard to tell what band is trying to sound like Isis this time. This brings me to the breath of fresh air that is Secrets of the Sky.The Oakland based sextet takes what is a great but tired genre and adds a dash of black metal and a bit of prog. Imagine if you tossed Neurosis, more recent Immortal, and Porcupine Tree into a blender. Sounds like a fucked up mix, right? It's an awesome fucked up mix though.The Sail Black Waters consists of 4 tracks that are rooted in sludge, that manage to take twists and turns throughout it's all-too-short forty-one minute run-time. There are moments of dreamy soundscapes, harmonized clean vocals, and crescendos aplenty.A band they bring to mind is the Australian black-metal-with-a-violin band Ne Obliviscaris. They don't necessarily sound alike, especially because Secrets of the Skysimple aren't playing as fast, but their progressions are quite similar. Also, Secrets happen to employ a violin as one of the several talents of vocalist Garett Gazay. Their use of it is much more subtle than Ne Obliviscaris to the point where it becomes a game listening for it.In short, a phenomenal debut." - Metal Injection