MetalAct.com

This is not an album review.  Another review for the latest Metallica album would be useless, it is offered for streaming freely and completely on http://www.metallica.com, it’s on all the torrents in the world, your buddies have it and they can make a cool gesture and give it to you. And it’s in the stores too. Really, no shit!

Those lines of mine are actually 2 conclusions I jumped into regarding the human nature and applicable to the latest Metallica album, Death Magnetic. It won’t sound nice, won’t enchant the eye, or the mind. Good or bad, they’re my conclusions and it really doesn’t matter whether they’re true or the people agree on them.  But there’s also an incentive in the ending lines, I hope at least it would make the lecture worth reading.

Do not learn from your own mistakes

As a big band or a huge band releases an album, all publications, printed or online, feed up the world with reviews. On the grounds of “hey, it’s the band X, they’re genius, they’re heavy as shit, we just can’t leave them aside”, grounds applicable even to glossy magazines. It’d be shitty for Metallica to come out with a release and not be mentioned in every fucking publication.

OK, we write. But what shall we write? It’s big band, with a large fanbase. But… the number of fans seems to be decreasing. But… the rock music seems to be back in charts. But... they don’t have the guts they used to have. But… the latest album is okay. But... the last decade they were faint.  What if I give it a bad rank and the fans will come and pee on my magazine? Let’s give it a satisfactory rank, ‘cause it’s not they way it used to be, but it’s not that bad either, this way we’ll satisfy the fans as well. What the hell, it’s Metallica, how bad can it be? Everyone’s playing it safe. Except Metallica in 2003, when they released St. Anger. So that a shitload of reviewers were screwed after describing  the disk as “energetic, raw, a true fist in the face of the metal albums, a comeback to heavy metal after the failures called Load/Reload etc”. Because most of the people listening to Metallica hated that album. I have started saying I won’t make album reviews, so I don’t intend saying a thing about those albums. But I’m happy and satisfied thinking of what it happened to those who played safe with the last but one Metallica album.

Now the first conclusion comes. 2008, new Metallica album, Death Magnetic . People hate Metallica after 17 years of shitty music (20 years in others opinions). Fuck you, Metallica! Washed-up has-beens! Lars can’t beat the drums! James is singing yoddles instead of thrashy vocals. Bob Rock turned them in a pussy band! St Anger is nu-metal and nu-metal sucks by default! The sound is shitty! Lars’ snare drum is a trash can! The sound is shitty! The disk is mastered too much and has no balls! Metallica are sell-outs, corporate whores! AAAAAAAHHHH!!! How coolwe are! We fucked Metallica’s asses! How can we write positive stuff about Metallica when they betrayed us years ago? So everyone is playing safe again, watching the fight in the ring from a comfortable distance. The internet is full of stuff like: “the latest Metallica isn’t as bad as Load/Reload/St Anger, but it ain’t too good either. How could they come out with something good after three failures? Or... it’s quite all right, I actually liked two or three tracks, but the sound sucks. Mix it again, master it again and then give it to me for another try!”

So look how it can’t be written entirely positive about a very good album. It is a very good album, but the band disappointed us and now we must punish it, to make it realize what it’s done and never do it again! Guess what, motherfuckers! The new Metallica album is fabulous and all who can make the difference between the ring bell and the toilet flushing water realized that.  That’s the reason of the lack of credibility of those who’ll fuck this album and put it to the ground only because it’s Metallica signature.  Some never bring themselves back to reason. Do I ask too much if I want to read honest opinions, correct characterizations, lacking prejudices and justified negative opinions? I don’t think so!

2.  Hate your fellow!

Envy him, covet his goods, wish him to have uglier wife than yours, older often breaking car, smaller house, smaller cock, older cell, larger baldness and less money. If the fellow happens to be in a higher position than yours, even better when he’s on his knees. If he’s your boss, it’s dream. If he’s your model or your idol, it’s just perfect. We are living in a world where we enjoy seeing the big ones break their necks when falling. This is human nature, even though “the big ones” mean Metallica.

Is Metallica to blame? We stated anyway at pct 1 that they were shitty. Are the times we’re living to blame? Or our society teaching us to pay attention only to scandals, to watch murder news all day long, to enjoy someone else’s misfortune and wish for other’s misfortune. Is the lacking of accomplishment in some lives to blame, lack of accomplishment caressed within their minds only by the illusion that they are able to virtually minimize someone bigger than they are? Metallica gave no reason for being hated with this new album, however I think this album must have had been named Hate Magnetic, ‘cause it seem s that this bands attracts all the hate in the world like a fucking magnet. Would someone have cared, would have the band been put against the wall and fired at will? Definitely not, but we love seeing the big ones on the ground. We don’t need logical arguments for that, it’s just human nature.

This kind of hate is often met on the Internet, where I have found all those statements. It’s naturally for free, so everybody crowds to post something about it. Including me. From the most talented ones to those who have no idea how to spell, from the smartest to the most idiots, official voices or simple forum users, all came to write down at least a “Metallica rules /sucks!”  I read Blabbermouth.net daily and I am astonished by the echoes over there. It seems like people don’t want to be good and can’t be thanked whatsoever. When logical arguments can not be found, aberrations fill in.  Here there are few examples making me want to do what Vlad Tepes did with the mentally deranged ones:  “Metallica ceased existing when Cliff Burton passed away”, “The latest disk sucks”. “The latest disk doesn’t suck but anyway, they won’t make Master of Puppets or … And Justice for all ever again. “I can’t hear the bass”. “Lars is bald and he looks like a freaking vegetable”, “AC/DC will come out with a record that will blow this one” or the afore-mentioned “It is mastered too much”. I say it again: guess what? It’s 2008 news-fucking-flash – they won’t write another MoP or AJFA, that’s impossible, 20 years have passed! Cliff is dead, RIP, he’d been a great bass player, James wears one of his rings on his finger, yes, the mastering is heavier in 2008, yes, Lars got old. Metallica won’t make another Master of Puppets, wood floats, Earth revolves around the Sun. So fucking what?!

Gentle men with good soul and good mind; listen to this record for yourselves, don’t listen to what one or another have to say (that goes for any record). The latest Metallica effort has its chance to be appreciated by anyone who had enjoyed the first four or five releases, as long as the listener is able to keep himself away from my conclusions.

Balaurul - Trooper

I heard Prison of Death from the street, the sole Altar old song that won the battle of time, to be found in the 2008- setlist. Whether between 1992 and 1995 I attended ALL shows in Bucharest of this band, culminating with that superb Rock 95 (first chance for Altar to open up for Kreator), I've been completely detached for the last few years, due to that Atitudine album that I can't say I like too much. They overflew with energy, at least Pika, the frontman who has remained as I knew him years before. Respect and Atitudine, La noi, Nascut invingator and Stop the Silence set on fire the rarefied audience. On the other hand, what made me hope were the new tracks, they sound more powerful and announce a  good album. The only one I heard before was American Justice. I am glad that I saw them and I start accommodating with Nimrod's absence and, implicitly, with Damian's presence on guitar.

At 20:50 I went to backstage for a Kreator press-conference. Its delay fragmented for me a show Testament of great excellence, as the schedule at stage was strictly respected.  Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson, Alex Skolnick, Greg Christian and Paul Bostaph  walked the stage to prove the 1000-1500 people in the audience that they are one of the tops of Bay Area thrash with a reason. Of course, I knew his performance from the discs, but nothing compares to the pleasure of seeing Alex Skolnick executing live his solos. Eric Peterson was also at his best, therefore my ad-hoc award for best guitar performance in the “thrash feast” I mentioned in the Slayer report, goes straight to Testament. Bostaph didn't impress me as much as Lombardo had done it few days ago. Chuck Billy was phenomenal, especially under the circumstances of a serious family problem. Unfortunately, not even the best instrumentalists, not even one of the greatest metal bands, can't fight a defective sound. The PA caused trouble alongside the entire show, the left side going down inexplicably a couple of times. Out of all the headliners, Testament's recital was the most affected by technical issues.

The setlist was a surprise, I read some report from a recent show that left me under the impression that they would play only The Gathering and The Formation of Damnation songs. But being in Romania for the first time, they adjusted the setlist and honored us with songs from The Legacy  ( Apocalyptic City, Over the Wall, Alone in the Dark), The New Order (Into the Pit, The New Order, Disciples of the Watch) and Practice What You Preach – the title song, as well as for Souls of Black and Low. The crowd was in ecstasy at the old songs, exploded at DNR and warm at Henchmen Ride and More Than Meets the Eye, from The Formation of Damnation, undoubtedly the thrash album of the year. A HUGE band. An excellent show. Four buckets of balls poured on stage by Chuck Billy and co. Once again hails to Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson. Must see again. Compulsory. With a better sound. Compulsory as well.

Memento

1995 – After the release of a renegaded and annoying (at that time) Renewal, Kreator makes the counter-performance of releasing an even more wearisome album, Cause for Conflict. The star of the German thrashers had started to fade, yet Bucharest greets the presence of the first extreme band live in Romania, with an audience over 5000 people. A show Petrozza & band, not even Ventor Reil being at that time's lineup. A show with many Cause For Conflict tracks and many, too many noticeable absences in the playlist.
2003 – A huge promo tour for Violent Revolution album ends up with a new show in Bucharest's Polivalent Hall. This time the audience is less than half, the lineup is improved a lot, while the setlist is unforgettable. Ventor is back with Kreator and offers us an unique moment, doing the vocals on Riot of Violence. One of the very few “concerts of my life”.

2008. Same team as 5 years ago - Mille Petrozza - guitar/vocals, Sami Yli-Sirniö - guitar, Christian Giesler- bass, Ventor Reil – drums. Only one album released between the two shows, Enemy of God, but also an excellent DVD re-edit of the incredible show at the Berlin Wall in 1990. I was secretly hoping for a live re-edit as well, for a playlist resembling with the one on the DVD. But it wasn't meant to be so, the show starting, as in 2003, with The Patriarch / Violent Revolution. But here's where the resemblance ends, Petrozza's voice sounds disappointing, while the sound goes on with its course from inconstant to very bad, as Testament's show got us used to. Bittered and almost crying, I prepared myself for a huge disappointment, but fortunately everything adjusted and at Pleasure to Kill everything sounded as it should have from the beginning.  People of the Lie and Extreme Aggression “help” me losing my voice for the third time at a Kreator concert. Mille is in speech mode – anti-politicians at Betrayer, anti-racism, anti-this, anti-that. He keeps asking to see the famous Romanian moshpit, but the crowd doesn't seem to satisfy him fully. Excellent feedback on Phobia, Reconquering the Throne and Impossible Brutality. I long for Love Us or Hate Us and, with Mille's impulse - “show me your hate for Kreator” [????] I start hoping. For nothing. It's also with “hate”, but it's The Flag of Hate. And there were also Europe after the Rain, Suicide Terrorist, Enemy of God, Voices of the Dead. And there was- surprisingly – Tormentor. And there was a great show, with video projections, with stage decorations, with Petrozza in the mood, with Ventor at his best. I'd say he was better than Bostaph tonight. The Kreator has returned. Will the Kreator return next year as well?

Hello, Gary! How are you? With fans everywhere roaring with excitement, how does Exodus feel on European grounds?

Totally awesome! Festival season is always a lot of fun and the shows have been amazing.

Could this year's tour still be considered as a promo-tour for ?Exhibit A?, or is it more like a preliminary for the next exhibit?

We are still touring for Atrocity, and will continue to do so, there are still a lot of markets in Europe we haven't hit yet.

Almost three decades since the pinnacle of Bay Area Thrash metal, Exodus still has its sails up and you seem to be the one that kept the ship afloat. How did you manage to remain in this position?

We still love doing this, we still love the style of metal we play, and quite frankly, it's all I know how to do anyway!

But with one tumultuous background, the band's line-up has experienced a lot of changes. Have the die-hard fans ever complain?

Maybe at first, but I think they realize this isn't an instance of kicking guys out and not caring. It's the opposite. Caring so much that I won't let adversity stop this band from what we are trying to accomplish.

Numerous skillful musicians took their turn in Exodus, but probably the greatest controversy was when Kirk Hammet left to join Metallica. Did you feel that you suffered a loss then?

No way, we had a party for him! It put me in control of the band and its direction, and that's when the Exodus we know now came into being.

Back in the day, when tape-trading was popular and people everywhere were banging their heads to fresh thrash, Exodus had already taken shape, and it still stands today among the reigning kings. Do you think your music influenced the metal scene's evolution?

Sure. It's an honor for anyone to say we have influenced what they are doing now, and we still try to influence what is going on in thrash, but many great bands have given that influence right back to us as well.

After releasing Force of Habit in 1992, you put on hold many of your projects until 2004, when you released Tempo of Damned, what happened during this gap?

Just spent time at home as a stay home dad, getting to know my daughter, watch her grow.

Although many important metal zines acclaim your music and rate you among the top five best thrash metal bands out there, some fans think that Exodus is still underrated. What do you think is that due to?

Who knows? Maybe all the delays and hardships over the years. But it's what my peers say that mean the most. And they seem to think we are still kicking major ass!

With all the fuss with the upcoming elections in November, have you thought about incorporating this aspect into your lyrics? What do you think about the impact these political changes will have on the United States??

Exodus is unique band in that we have every aspect of the political spectrum in this band, Republicans and Democrats. But as I tell Jack and Lee, the right wingers, when they start writing lyrics they can make their own points! Haha!
But our country has been run into the ground the last 8 years, I for one am ready for a change.

Thank you for this interview, and we're still waiting for you to play in Romania one day. Until then, good luck with the tour!

Thank you, and hope to see you soon!

Sandra, Andreea, Cristina

It's been a long time since we rock and rolled', Nachtmystium seem to have said, and left the Black metal realms for a more approachable territory, less metal, but just as aggressive when it comes to the message conveyed. For those of you who don't know the band, they stood out in their USBM era, as well, but since they changed stle, they have become more of a cult band than ever.

I don't know how, but some bands with a history of anti-christian, spiteful and violent attitude seem to abandon it and take on a more detached approach. There is such a great difference (in quality) between "Instinct:Decay" and the former albums and the gap widens even more with "Worldfall" EP and "Assassins" (in style). It's not often that a BM band covers a stoner band - Goatsnake ("IV" on "Worldfall"), and it sounds so powerful and stoner-like, indeed.

Having said this, let's cover the basis of this album. Released by Century Media, acclaimed by supporters of their change in style, highly criticized by BM fans who preferred their raw, primitive early sound, "Assassins" is a step even further from the EP, as well. For "Assassins" is a bit more repetitive, more punkish, it brings on clean vocals and, most important, it's absolutely psychedelic.

The drumming is done by Tony Laureano (Acheron/Angelcorpse/1349/Belphegor/Nile/Dimmu Borgir), and it constitutes the backbone of the album. Repetitive guitar riffs sustain the rhythm, while, in the background, keyboards are employed to create atmosphere. Generally, the tempo is fast-paced, almost galloping ("Assassins", "Ghosts of Grace"). Vocals are half rasp, half clean, yelled; lyrics also repetitive; this album relies on attitude to gain listeners, much like groove metal. Some tracks maintain black metal reminiscences ("Your True Enemy", the Shining-esque "Omnivore"); while others simply experiment with styles (first two parts of "Seasick" are instrumental; parts II - employing saxophone - and III are also very very stoner, resembling the new Baroness. "Code Negative" is simply trippy and obviously guitar-oriented, as opposed to the first part of the album.

In conclusion, if you are looking for experiment, psychedelia, aggression (lyrical aggression still there; they're still Nachtmystium), although a bit shadowed by repetitiveness, all this with a black metal background, then "Assassins" is the album for you.

9/10

Samyaza

Tracklist:

One of These Nights
Assassins
Ghosts of Grace
Away from Light
Your True Enemy
Code Negative
Omnivore
Seasick, Part I: Drowned at Dusk
Seasick, Part II: Oceanborne
Seasick, Part III: Silent Sunrise

Line-up:
Blake Judd (Azentrius) - Guitars, Vocals
Jeff Wilson - Guitars
Tony Laureano - Drums
Zack Simmons - Live Drums
Jon Necromancer - Bass

Two years distance after downletting Now, Diabolical, Frost and Satyr, now disguised with a look of an american rebel teeneger which looks terrible on him considering his age, come back with The Age Of Nero.  A dry wording  for an album as dry. Norwegians simply released just another album to be added to their discography, another proof of recycling their own ideas. It seems that melodical theme on K.I.N.G., which is also a rerun  of a Mother North passage, caught them so much because it reappears obssessively on this album too. If for a song or two the slow heavy doomish rhythm completed by evil black metal vocals and interrupted by breaks may sound interesting, 3 albums following this idea is way too much, this idea is not THAT good.

Frost makes an excellent job behind drums unfortunately he doesn't possess compositional skills too in order to help Satyr to pass his inspirational hiatus. Obssessive rhythm which is a trademark of Satyricon  manages to become tiring after the third song stressing drastically  the monotony impression and  the sound which is a little bit oriented towards industrial it only makes things worse. Each song taken individually can get a passing mark  but  the general sensation given by the whole is of something dusty and recycled. Maybe only Black Crown on a Tombstone and Die Bie My Hand slightly get out of songs without any identity. Releasing this album as a double cd with remixes and radio edits is something that I don't even want to comment.

6/10

Peccatum

Label:  Roadrunner Records

Lineup
Satyr  -  vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards
Frost  - drums
Steinar "Azarak" Gundersen - guitar

1.Commando  
2.The Wolfpack    
3.Black Crow on a Tombstone  
4.Die by My Hand   
5.My Skin Is Cold    
6.The Sign of the Trident  
7.Last Man Standing  

bonus disc
01. My Skin is Cold (Ep Version)
02. Live Through Me (Live)
03. Existential Fear-Questions (Live)
04. Repined Bastard Nation (Live)
05. Mother North (Live)
06. The Pentagram Burns (Radio Edit)
07. Last Man Standing (Guitar Wall mix)
08. Den Siste (Analog mix)

The rolling thunder is growing louder and great events are foreshadowed again: Germany's most eminent thrash metal act, Kreator, are set to release their latest studio album on 16 January 2009 (Europe: 19 January, US: end of January). Hordes Of Chaos is a powerhouse featuring rigorous thrash attacks and Kreator's familiarly intelligent lyrics about self-determination and the dangers of contemporary war propaganda. Kreator are also scheduled to embark on another major European tour as early as January 2009.

Hordes Of Chaos was recorded at Berlin's Tritonus studios under the direction of producer Moses Schneider. Schneider is renowned for his fresh and exceptionally dynamic working methods with bands and artists such as Beatsteaks and Tocotronic. "We consciously decided on Moses as our producer for the live recording of the basic tracks at the studio," band mastermind Mille Petrozza explains. "This was the first time since Pleasure To Kill that we worked in this way. The new album is a 100% realistic reflection of Kreator's live qualities. Instead of exploring every little detail to sterile perfection with the help of computer technology, this time around we wanted to deliver as dynamic a production as possible. There can be no doubt that we've achieved our target in Hordes Of Chaos." The album was mixed in London by Colin Richardson (Slipknot, Bullet For My Valentine, Cradle Of Filth, etc.)

The new studio album will be available in three different versions. The jewel case edition includes the ten regular album songs, and the deluxe version features an additional bonus DVD with an atmospheric making-of in super-8 quality courtesy of a Berlin film maker. As a third option, the ultra deluxe version, comes with a t-shirt, a worthwhile photo book and an extended version of the bonus DVD, as well as the CD.

As early as January, Kreator musicians Mille Petrozza (guitar, vocals), drummer Jürgen 'Ventor' Reil, bassist Christian Giesler and guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö will embark on their two-month European tour alongside Caliban and Eluveite. So you'd better fasten your seatbelts when the Hordes Of Chaos steamroll through the country!

The Demo-version of QUIZZ MY ASS is available now. You can download the game for free on its homepage http://www.metal-quiz.de „ QUIZZ MY ASS – The ultimate Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Quiz“ is a quiz game designed for PC. Everything that rocks hard, fast, loud, dirty, bad or morbid is dealt with in QUIZZ MY ASS. The QUIZZ MY ASS CD-Rom is a two-language-Edition (english/german) and contains 6.666 questions. The Demo version of QUIZZ MY ASS, which is available for free. It contains 180 questions instead of 6.666 in the regular edition. With this free version you can test all functions. Here are the URL’s for the free of charge download of Quizz My Ass Quizz My Ass-Homepage http://www.metal-quiz.de Quizz My Ass-Download subpage http://www.metal-quiz.de/sites/demo_e.html Quizz My Ass- Direct Download (file address) http://www.metal-quiz.de/px/qma-demo-setup.exe

The O2 Wireless Festival which takes place each year in Hyde Park during the summertime is becoming a trademark of London, people from all over the world gathering for four incendiary days to see their favorite bands. Since 2005 when the festival first opened its gates, many international acts have performed on Wireless festival’s stages and thousands of people from around the world got to see their dream come true.

This year’s edition, taking place from the 3rd of July until the 6th, features consecrated bands such as:
Beck, Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls, Fatboy Slim, Jay-Z, Morrissey, Ben Harper, Underworld, Hot Chip, The National, Bowling for Soup, Robyn, Red Snapper, Róisín MurphyWith more than 20 bands each day, performing on 5 stages, O2 Wireless Festival is one of the biggest musical events in Western Europe to satisfy a wide range of musical tastes.

Being a non camping festival, the schedule will be the following:
2 PM -10.30 PM on Thursday and Friday
Midday-10.30 PM on Saturday and Sunday

You can find tickets at the price of £45/day through Ticketmaster at http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/
For more information visit the official website www.O2wirelessfestival.co.uk
Good music, nice fresh air, a pint of beer... What more can you ask for, mate?

The House of Culture of Sibiu city in cooperation with the Local Conseil of Sibiu city and supported by Sibiu Mayor's House presents:

Saturday July 12 and Sunday July 13
the first edition of ROCKIN'TRANSILVANIA FESTIVAL, on Sibiu City Stadium.
The following bands have been confirmed so far:

HELLOWEEN, KREATOR, TESTAMENT, AXXIS

Info regarding tickets and other confirmations as well soon to follow.

At the same date with the release of the album XXV, Vader will also present a new video. The song chosen is the legendary Carnal, with the audio version re-recorded for XXV. As you know, the track is only 2 minutes long, so the video won't be longer either.

Carnal has been created in a moment of genius of Piotr, while he was in studio. It had been released as single in 1997, later on it was also part of the Black to the Blind album tracklist. This is one of the tracks constantly played in Vader live shows.

Soon a video interview with Piotr (Vader) for MetalAct.com!