Venom - From The Very Depths

We all know Venom, the band that spawned a lot of what would become the extreme metal genres. They were thrash before there was thrash. They coined the term black metal. They influenced many of metal's heaviest bands all the while being part of the NWOBHM that sprung up in the UK during the late 70s. Although Conrad (Cronos) Lant is the only original member left, he has decided to carry on the Venom torch an astounding thirty-six years after their formation even though the band has disbanded and reformed several times over the years. Their most recent releases have been hit or miss and even though it seems that some have written them off....I haven't quite yet.

So 2015 brings us Venom's fourteenth full length album, From The Very Depths and it is this album that gave me some hope that this legendary band still has some life left in them. Now, granted, I have not heard anything since Metal Black, which was not a bad album, just not as strong as I would like. That said, I saw them in September of 2006 and they slayed, although the set was extremely short, so they have yet to put a bad taste in my mouth. Sometimes it's that bad taste that will prevent listener from even giving a band's new releases a chance. But when you have a song open an album (there's an intro that seems useless) like the title track to this album, it might be time to give the band another chance. This song just kicks your teeth in from the start. This is the Venom we all know and love, pummeling riffs, screaming solos, and Cronos's gruff vocals screaming about worshiping Satan. "The Death of Rock N Roll" shows the band's punk/metal hybrid roots with much more emphasis on the metal but maintaining the punky vibe. To round out the opening trio of crushers is "Smoke." This is a slow pounding song that just pummels you with a doomy heaviness. This is Venom doing doom rather well.

There's more to this album than that trio, though. "Stigmata Satanas" is another evil sounding crusher of a song. The riffs are just pounding on this song and it is just sheer heaviness. Cronos is sounding as evil as ever. "Crucified" is another song that just slays with pounding rhythms and evil riffs. These might not be the most innovative songs that the band has done but that does not take away from the sheer enjoyment of the songs. These are headbangers, through and through. "Grinding Teeth" is a Venom speed metal song that has that punk vibe just hanging there but it's mostly crushing metal that only Venom can produce. It;s after that song that the album seems to run out of steam a bit. The useless "Overture" that leads into "Mephistopheles," a song that starts off strong but falls away as it goes. This isn't a horrible song, but with the intro build up this should have been better. It just doesn't seem to go anywhere but leaves you hanging like there should have been more. "Wings of Valkyrie" plods along and is a skip worthy song. Sad because with a name like that it should have been better. "Rise" finishes the album and lifts it up just a bit after the plodding before it.

So what this album shows is that Venom is capable of writing really good songs. They should have cut their losses and released the album without the last four tracks. This album is far from perfect, but it's no turd either. Listen to songs two through ten, skip the rest.

7.0/10

ElvenStorm - Blood Leads to Glory

It seems that in this day and age, the thought of a female fronted metal band brings to mind bands like Nightwish or Epica...symphonic metal with opera type vocals. However, back in the day a female fronted metal band brought to mind bands like Warlock, Hellion, Chastain, etc. ElvenStorm is a band that nods to the old school of female fronted heavy metal. I found this band while looking at the Facebook page of a similar band, Crystal Viper. Formed in 2008 this French quartet's second full length, Blood Leads to Glory, is an all out heavy metal assault that can stand up to any of the more established metal bands, female fronted or not. They also pay homage to the real female fronted metal from days gone by.

Now one would be amiss if they did a review of this album and not mentioned the obvious German power metal influence that seems to be all over this album. And the reasons for this comparison could be that the album was produced by Lars Ramcke of Stormwarrior and mastered by none other than the great Piet Sielck of Iron Savior fame. The appearance of these two help give this album a sound that just reeks of fist pumping, horns high heavy metal. After the intro, the first proper song, "Reign in Glory," lets you know that this band means business. Even though they are from France, this band plays German style speed/power metal and this song is a prime example of their ability to kick your ass with speed and aggression but still have those infectious melodies that the genre is known for. Imagine Stormwarrior with Doro Pesch or Marta Gabriel (Crystal Viper) singing. But they are much more than that as their own ideas show brightly on this album. Vocalist Laura Ferreux has the perfect metal voice. It seems that in places she is holding back but all in all she can hold her head high because she can stand side by side with the aforementioned ladies any day.

"Werewolves of the East" is another song that is loaded with speed, melody, and speed metal riffs galore. The soloing on this song, as well as the rest of the album, is just amazing. The dual leads and the lead riffing just add that touch that makes this type of metal so enjoying. The melodies that are produced by this style of playing are, as I said, infectious. "Temple of the Sun" is more of a mid paced rocker that slows the tempo down a bit but makes it no less metal. This song has some excellent riffs and melodies. Ms. Ferreux shines a bit more here and gives a powerful performance. This may be the "weak" song on the album but only because it relies too much on the melodies. It's not a weak track, it's just not as strong as some of the others, that in no way makes it a skipper or a throwaway. I also previously mentioned Marta Gabriel and her band Crystal Viper. Well she guests on the album lending her powerful voice to "Mistress From Hell." The title of that song says it all. This song will make you get out your metal studded wrist bands and throw horns high!

"Where Angels Dare to Die" is the band gong into epic territory for this one...and they do it well. The song is just over six minutes but there is never a dull moment in the song. It begins with slight intro section that just screams epic. After that it's mid paced with some kick ass riffing and some lead riffs adding melody. There is a riff that kinda reminds me of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in there but all in all this just rocks. It slows down a bit in the middle only to lead up to the solo part that just gives me the chills. This shows that this band is capable of melding speed metal with traditional and epic metal without it sounding forced. Then a song like "Fallen one" just slay with an all out speed metal assault with massive riffs and screaming solos. "Sirens of Death" is another of those kick ass speed metal songs that has all the ingredients, including the gang shouted background vocals. The song slows down a bit in the middle with some cool riffing on the bridge leading to a massive solo. As I said, Ms. Ferreux sounds like she is holding back in places but not on the bonus track, Into The Fire", which is a Savage Grace cover. Here she lets loose and shows her range. It's a great cover and the band shows where their influences lie.

So the next time you think of female fronted metal, maybe you should remember that there is much more out there than the goth metal fronted opera singers. This is proof that there are still female metal singers that actually sing metal. This is an album that took me by surprise because I was not expecting it to be this good. I'm looking forward to what the future might bring this talented band. Horns up, this is essential.

9/10

Grave Digger - Return of the Reaper

Grave Digger. The name, in and of itself, just screams heavy metal. Forming in 1980 the band is still going stronger than ever. I'm not a huge fan of their 80s material as I think they hadn't found their own identity yet. At that time, I thought they were a second rate Accept worship band. Yeah, their 80s albums were fast and heavy but lacked direction. We all know how Chris Boltendahl and company tried to break through commercially with Digger...an epic fail to say the least. The band returned with 1993s The Reaper and it was pretty much a success with fans and critics alike. As the 90s progressed it seems the band was finally finding their own identity and sound.

So here we are in 2014 and it seems there is no stopping this band. Their sixteenth full length album, Return of the Reaper, is just that, a return of some seriously bad ass heavy metal as only Grave Digger can release. What can we expect, you ask? What they have always good at, massive riffs, killer hooks, and Mr. Boltendahl's gargle with glass vocals that just add to the awesomeness of this album. After a short intro, which is the title track, we get the ball rolling with "Hell Funeral." This is a classic Grave Digger speed metal song with some serious riffing. As a matter of fact these are some of the best riffs this band has ever produced, and that's saying something. The guitar tone is crunchy as fuck and fits the riffing well. The chorus is catchy which is nothing new for Grave Digger. There is such an aggressive overtone here and that is another thing that adds to the beauty of this album. "Wargod" comes immediately after and just crushes you with the riffs, speed, and aggression of the opener.

And it doesn't stop. All through this album you have crusher after crusher. "Road Rage Killer" is a speed metal number with pummeling riffs, crushing speed, and a chorus that will stick with you. These songs are seriously catchy and it all has to do with the riffing. The guitar work on here, as far as the riffing goes, is just incredible. As I said earlier, the riffing on this album is some of the heaviest and best that this band has ever written and I'm sure the credit can go to Axel Ritt. "Satan's Host" is another one of those speed metal numbers that just slay, and does so in under three minutes as does "Resurrection Day" The riffing and the hooks are undeniable on both of these songs. Then you have "Tattooed Rider" that starts off with a synth part that almost makes you think you're listening to "Turbo" by Judas Priest for the first few seconds. But then you realize that the riffing is so much heavier and the chorus on this song is probably the best they've done in a long time.

Which leads me to "Season of the Witch." This is a song that was hit or miss with a lot of people but it was truly a hit with me. That slower tempo with the crushing riffs just reeks of "Avalon" and no one does this kind of song better than Grave Digger. The chorus is absolutely killer and has become one of my all time favorite Grave Digger tracks. Another bone of contention has to do with Axel Ritt. His riffing is just incredible, no one can deny that, but sometimes his solos just don't cut it for me. My biggest fear when hearing the samples of this album would be that Ritt's solos would turn me from this album. Some of his solos are good and catchy and some just leave me wanting something....not sure how to put it. Schmidt and Lulis played such good solos, I was afraid that Ritts solos would cause the songs to suffer. Thankfully they didn't suffer and, although there is not as much wankery as I would like, the solos are classy and well done.

This band has been around for over 30 years and it seems there is no stopping them. The riffing is some of the heaviest they've ever done and Boltendahl sounds incredible. This album is heavy fucking metal defined. The energy here is just amazing for a band that's been around as long as they have. I have a feeling that this band will keep delivering quality metal for many more years to come.

9/10

Ranger - Knights of Darkness (EP)

It seems that there are a huge amount of young bands coming out now that give a huge nod to the old school in the music they create. Some of it is not that great but the majority of it that I've heard is actually really good. They may not be re-inventing the genre with new and innovative ideas but they are giving a fresh young spin on an old school metal. Finland's Ranger is one of those bands and I just happen to find them mentioned on Fenriz' Band of the Week Facebook page. Upon further investigation, I found their 2013 EP entitled Knights of Darkness and was pleasantly surprised at the sheer aggressiveness of this speed metal band's music. They remind me of old Exciter in a way and this EP did not disappoint in the slightest.

This is a short five song EP but starts off in the right direction with the song "Ranger." What we have are crushing speed metal riffs and solos. The vocals sound more like thrash style rasps and screams. The riffs really do make this song as they pummel you into submission by forcing you to bang your fuckin' head unmercifully. The solos are fast and massive. There is some melody here and there some dual leads but mostly this is speed and more speed....and not flower metal speed but pure speed metal. The lyrics are a tad cheesy but they work with this kind of music. "Touch of Death" starts of with some inhuman screams over top of huge riffs. This song is lightening fast and the solos are so good. The drummer is a beast as he just pounds the fuck outta the drums. Two songs in and I need a fuckin' neck brace!

After a rest for my neck and a shot of oxygen, I prepare to get my ass kicked again as the rest of the EP does not let up at all. You have "Steel Dawn" and "Supreme Evil" that continue the beating with their monster riffs and lightening fast solos. The vocalist could break glass with his screams. But these guys are not a one trick pony because the last song on the album, which is the title track, isn't the pummeling speed fest that made up the earlier songs. This song actually starts off anthemic with less speed but more emphasis on a crushing main riff. The soloing on this song is just godly as the song picks up speed as it goes along finally getting to break neck (literally) speed. Once again the singer's screams are earth shattering. Towards the end it slows down in an epic way as you are left drenched in sweat and your neck broken.

That was one hell of a ride! This album left me in traction. I must also mention the production here since it sounds really old school. It's clean production but not over polished. I'm tempted to say this is an analog production with no tricks or triggers. These guys are a band to be reckoned with. If you like your metal fast and furious then this is the band for you. This is another band I've my eye on because I want to hear much more from these guys. I want to hear a proper album by these guys...even if it kills my old ass!!

9/10

Stormwarrior - Thunder & Steele

I discovered Stormwarrior back in 2002 with their self titled debut. I immediately became a fan of this band. They took me back with their obvious homage to Walls of Jericho era Helloween to include guest appearances from Kai Hansen, Dirk Schlachter and Markus Grosskopf. Yeah, their song titles are cheesy and they may not be innovators but goddamn are they good! So here we are in 2014 and they have released their fifth full length album Thunder & Steele. This album is more of the same from this band without sounding dated or stale. I don't know how they do it but they always seem to release quality albums time after time.

Lars Ramcke on the guitars and vocals is the only original member left but it shows that he is and always was the driving force behind this band. The songs on this album have the energy and speed of their past albums but still seem to sound fresh. He seems to have a slight Kai Hansen sound to his voice. The album kicks off with the title track and is just kick your teeth in speed metal. Blazing riffs, double bass madness and blistering solos...it's all there in it's true metal glory. The production has a Iron Savior sound to it because it was mixed and mastered by Piet Sielck. Songs like "Sacred Blade", "Ironborn", and "Die by the Hammer" are instant speed metal classics with huge hooks and melodies that border on epic.

There are some songs on the album like "Steelcrusader", Fyres in the Night", and "Child of Fyre" that are less speed metal and more straight up true metal. The riffs on these songs are catchy and the melodies and choruses are full of hooks. Of course no true metal song on the planet would be complete without killer guitar solos. The guitars on this album are outstanding...never overtly pretentious, just godly. Just listen to the solos on this album...especially on "Sacred Blade" and "Steelcrusader" and you will see what I mean.

Now some will probably give this album points off for their cheesy metal lyrics. I say fuck off! Yeah the lyrics are cheesy and the using "y" instead of "i" in the titles of "Fyres in the Night" and "Child of Fyre" may turn some people off as being more ridiculous than Manowar but for some reason these guys can get away with it.. These guys are the epitome of "True Metal" but it's not embarrassing like some band I know that starts with Man and ends with Owar!. As I said before, this has all been done before by numerous bands prior to these guys but Stormwarrior seem to pull it off with class. They pay homage to the early days of speed metal, not rip it off. I'm an older metal head and this just takes me back to the glory days of metal. This band and this album is essential for any metal head.

10/10