KORAX Korax Korax is a new band formed less than two years ago and this is their debut demo CD that makes an attempt to familiarize us with the band's musical direction. So, this demo CD contains three tracks plus a very beautiful and melancholic acoustic intro. After this calm opening, all hell breaks loose with the death/thrash metal that Korax deliver to us. Korax reveal a very passionate side and aspect of their music and it's obvious that they try to achieve the best possible result. So, their music is catchy with some nice and suitable black metal tinges and a gloomy atmosphere. They walk on the right path and they are "hungry" for creating great songs! They surely have potential, but they should pay more attention to their production. However, we should never be strict with the bands' debut releases... The future lies ahead and awaits them. Site: http://www.sadixmo.com/korax Email: Korax_metal@hotmail.com Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHOES OF ETERNITY Demo CD I think this month is dedicated to the bands that come from the United States. Echoes Of Eternity, is one more band that hails us from this country and recently they sent us their latest demo CD. The band has included three tracks, so we can have a small picture of their music direction. This demo begins with a very powerful track and a very beautiful and full of energy female voice. If you listen to the sound of this band, you will see that they have achieved a combination of progressive metal with some heavy metal elements plus a lot of melodies and a few atmospheric tinges, especially with the help of their female singer. One thing, besides the music, that impressed me, were the very clear and powerful production and sound. It’s been quite some time since the last time I listened to such a good production from a band that is in its “demo days”. All the songs that Echoes Of Eternity has included in their latest demo are really good, with some really interesting ideas and I am sure that we will hear again from this band really soon. They have the abilities to make some really good albums in the future, if they continue to work hard and be unique. Official Site: www.echoesofeternity.net E-mail Band: EOE_Metal@yahoo.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- GORYPTIC Demo CD Goryptic comes from France and last year they released a two track promo CD. This is the record that they sent us and from the almost seven minutes of its duration we get a clear idea that the band is dedicated to the extreme side of metal and more specifically they are in the brutal death metal genre. To get a picture of the music from Goryptic, imagine a combination of DEEDS OF FLESH, SUFFOCATION and SEVERE TORTURE with their personal touch of course and finally you have the final result. Personally I am a huge fan of this kind of music and I prefer the progressive or technical death metal, so I think you should go to their webpage and download their songs to listen to and judge for yourselves. Goryptic deserves something more than the things they already have... Official Site: www.goryptic.com E-mail Band: Goryptic@wanadoo.fr Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- CRYSTALIC Carnival Of Flesh - Demo CD Before two years I received the debut demo release from them with the title "Redemption". Now it was the time for Crystalic to strike back with their newest work. This time the title is "Carnival Of Flesh" and the band has included four tracks and almost twenty minutes of a pure technical death metal assault. So from the first track the band gives to the listener the impression that they have worked really hard the past two years in order to make as perfect as they can their newest compositions which contain some well worked and very interesting ideas. Definitely the fans of technical death metal will find some really good tunes in this demo. The production is massive and aggressive as it should be for a death metal release. Last but not least, you are able to listen to their whole demo on their web site and this way you can have the chance to find out why this band will have a great future! Official Site: www.crystalic.net E-mail Band: crystalic@crystalic.net Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- FORD T Promo 2005 Ford T formed back in 2003 and this is their latest promo CD which has five tracks full of dirty rock ‘n’ roll music. The band comes from Denmark and from the first song they give the listener a clear idea of what they are about to listen to in the next minutes. Musically the band had influences from THIN LIZZY, MOTORHEAD and AC/DC. With these influences and with the band having added their personal sound and a more rock ‘n’ roll attitude, we get the musical direction of Ford T. Songs like “Devil In Disguise” and “Steve McQueen” stick to your mind from the first time and of course the whole promo has some really good moments. The compositions are also well worked with a very good work being made in the guitars which give us some really impressive riffs and remarkable solos! This promo CD is the third release for Ford T and we can see that the band knows how to compose music and they know what they want. Official Site: www.fordt.dk E-mail Band: mail@fordt.dk Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SADISTIC RITE Demo CD I think this is one of the few death metal bands from England whose work I receive. Sadistic Rite created recently their latest demo CD and they offer to everyone a brutal mixture of death metal with some elements from thrash metal as well. The first thing that you will notice is the poor production and the below average sound that this demo CD has. Even if the band has some really interesting ideas on how death metal should be played, everything goes below average from the production and the sound. I shouldn’t forget to inform you that they have a very good live appearance and that they have supported acts like: NAPALM DEATH, MISTRESS and THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT to name a few. I believe they should work harder on their next step. Official Site:www.myspace.com/sadisticrite E-mail Band: Cerberus_138@hotmail.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SOUND STORM The Storm Is Coming - Demo CD Sound Storm is the name of the band and “The Storm Is Coming” is the title of this demo and song titles like “We Are Vikings”, “Sacred Storm” and “Queen Of Ice” is what you can find in this release. I think with this information you can understand what you should expect to listen to. Sound Storm comes from Italy and last year they released their debut demo CD which consists of seven tracks. Musically the band walks on the symphonic epic metal paths, with a lot of keyboards and a very special atmosphere. Their compositions are well worked with some interesting moments which actually are quite typical for the epic metal bands but the main disadvantage of this work is the production that is weak and the sound which is poor. I am sure that if the band had a better sound and a better production the whole result would be a blast. Official Site: www.powerofsoundstorm.com E-mail Band: powerofsoundstorm@gmail.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- MYSTIC MOON Doom...Forever...Dreaming I suppose that those of you who read Behind The Veil on a regular basis are already aware of Mystic Moon since we reviewed their previous demo CD only a few months ago. However, if this name doesn't ring a bell to you, then let me tell you that it's a Greek doom metal band from Athens that was formed a few years ago and their reason for existence is to deliver great music to those ears that are thirsty for good old doom metal! Now, like I said in my previous review Mystic Moon is heavily influenced by colossal bands of the genre such as SOLITUDE AETURNUS and CANDLEMASS and so you can have a pretty clear view of their sound. Now, what I've realized by listening to this demo CD numerous times is the fact that the guys have improved their songwriting skills and they've created some really nice and heavy riffs wrapped up in a dark and melancholic atmosphere. How would you feel if you were headed to the firing squad and you were only a few metres away from your execution? Well, this is the essence, the feelings and the picture I had in my mind throughout this release. I think that if you are doom metallers, you should check this band out, cause they really have something to offer you. The only drawback I'd like to point out is that their singer should improve his English accent and pronunciation a bit. Apart from that, nothing else. Doom on!!! Email: mystic_moon_04@yahoo.gr Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- LOST DETOUR Painted Veil Lost Detour is a newcoming act from Finland only formed a couple of years ago and "Painted Veil" is already their second demo CD. What have we got here? Hmmm... interesting question and in fact I keep asking myself the same question, cause although I've listened to this CD way too many times and in fact I'm still listening to it whilst writing this review, it's really hard for me to express what I think and describe Lost Detour's sound with music terms... The sure thing is that they've managed to create an original and personal sound right from the beginning, so I suppose they've accomplished one of the most improtant goals of each and every band out there... So, the 2 compositions that comprise this demo CD, "Painted" and "Veil" are mainly mid tempo with beautiful and melancholic melodies. Well, their music is mainly calm, but there is a hidden energy and power that hold you tight and don't let go of you. Toward this direction also contribute some death growls and heavier riffs that match perfectly with the rest themes and form a really homogeneous result that will leave you breathless! This band surely has potential and I'd recommend to all of you to check them out. You will definitely not regret it. Ending, I have to say that responsible for the production is only Lost Detour and although they haven't got much experience, they've created a very good sound indeed! Moreover, they are so skillful musicians and composers that although "Painted" is more than 6 minutes long and "Veil" has a duration of 9 minutes, you won't get bored, but on the contrary you'll be craving for more!!! All the songs are downloadable at their website and you can also order "Painted Veil" from over there if you want. Site: http://www.lostdetour.com Email: mail@lostdetour.com Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- WITCHCURSE Rehearsal 18/12/2005 I had the chance to see them live two weeks ago and I have to say that the young of their age and the passion for the heavy metal music, makes them overeact sometimes. Theri live appearance didn't impress me a lot, but it was one of their first, so I can udnerstand the axiety they had and I am sure that in the future if they continue with their hard effort, they might show us something interesting! Now, let's come to the rehearsal tape and as you can udnerstand the sound is not great, but it has a "filth" that fits perfectly to their music. Witchcurse play N.W.O.B.H.M. influenced metal with some influences from the almighty BLACK SABBATH. From what I listen to this tape, I can say that their compositions have some very good ideas and I think that a certain part of metalheads that search and dig the obscure side of heavy metal, will surely like them! The others I don't think will find something interesting for them here. I believe that if they continue the hard work, they will reach to very good standards for the kind of music they play!!! However, the band has to improve a bit the lead parts if their guitars. The truth is that the rehearsal tape gave me a better and clearer view of the band than the live one. Oh, by the way there are moments that the band brought to my mind METALUCIFER from Japan! The rehearsal tape is limited to 100 copies and you can contact them at the followinf snail mail addresses: POSSESSED, GOURA 9, 54352, THESSALONIKI, GREECE OR NECROMARTYR, PAPADIAMANTI 1, 55133, THESSALONIKI, GREECE. Nick "William_Kidd" Parastatidis -------------------------------------------------------------------- BALERO Demo 2005 Sometimes you can’t judge a release from the cover. When I received the latest demo CD from Balero, I saw the simplest cover I have ever seen. This was just only the beginning because when I started to listen to the music from this crazy Americans, I got lost in their world which is really beautiful but at the same time they have built a stone(r) wall of rock music and through the four compositions that the band has included on this demo you will feel like a king in your own world. Having influences from KYUSS, DOZER but also adding their personal sound and a bit heavier and rawer touches, Balero creates a music with well worked compositions and some interesting ideas but above all simple stoner rock and believe me you will be surprised by the music that you will hear on this demo! Just do a favor to yourselves and download the songs from the band's site. Official Site: www.balero.net E-mail Band: balero@balero.net Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPLOSION Demo 2006 It's really unfair to put such a release in the demo section, cause it's characterised by professionalism, maturity and I can't find anything special that this band has to improve. First of all, their demo includes 4 tracks out of which the first one is an intro. But let me make a track by track presentation... 1) "Intro": As the name of the song indicates, this is a composition that welcomes us to the listening pleasures of this release. You can listen only to the keyboards, here, however the result is very atmospheric. 2) "Temptation": This songs starts with keyboards as well and the result is pure magic! As it unfolds it will remind you of SAVATAGE's atmosphere and then it evolves into a progressive metal/fusion "storm". Yeap! Band likes DREAM THEATER and SHADOW GALLERY helped them in a way toward the creation of this song... 3) "Mind Control": This one is the heavier and darker song of the demo. Imagine the paranoia of NEVERMORE and the dark peotry of EVERGREY and you pretty much got the picture. Plenty of headbanging here!!! 4) "The Pledge": The atmosphere of this song is closer to the track "Temptation" and I think that it's the most emotional and lyrical composition of them all. The interpretation of Chris Fotiadis, the band's vocalist, fits perfectly here!!! To sum it all up, Implosion is a talented band and has the gift of writing compositions that don't tire the listener, but on the contrary they invite him/her to travel with their sound as the vehicle. Yes, my friends they play progressive metal with substance and I am sure that the labels will show their interest for them very, very soon! The demo is for free, but you only have to pay for the postal expenses... For more information you can contact the guitarist of the band Alex The Papoulidis at the following email: alexpapoulidis@gmail.com. Nick "William_Kidd" Parastatidis -------------------------------------------------------------------- SILENT WINTER The Lost Whisper - Demo CD Really active proves to be this band from the United Kingdom, since Silent Winter released three demo CDs last year! "The Lost Whisper" is their latest one and it was released last December. On this CD you will find four songs and almost forty minutes of pure epic doom metal. The opening track is a melancholic piano intro which is almost one minute and thirty seconds long and after this Silent Winter begins to give us their almost perfect vision of doom Metal. All the songs are above ten minutes and you can see that the band has worked really hard in order to write these compositions without tiring or boring you with the songs’ duration. The vocals are sometimes clean but also sometimes harsher in order to give a theatrical touch to the whole result by Kevin, who is the main man behind this band too. Comparing the two demos you can see the progress that Silent Winter have done, but at the same time they remain loyal to the overall concept of doom metal music. You can always find some "weak" points, so I believe in the next step they will have a little bit better production so that the final result will be clearer. Official Site: www.silentwinter.org E-mail band: silentwinter@blueyonder.co.uk Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SOUTHERN BLACK SAND Promo 2005 Southern Black Sand is a new Italian band that aspires to conquer the modern hardcore metal scene. Actually the band consists of 3 members and comes from the ashes of WASTE, their previous band, whose moniker changed because Max and Pat have decided to take a different and more modern direction with their music. So, Southern Black Sand create an interesting mixture of modern hardcore with some 80s thrash elements and a really heavy rocking mood! Their compositions are interesting with some catchy riffs and the tempos aren't ultrafast, but they are mainly mid tempo with some faster parts. It's obvious that the guys try to create their own sound and find their personal hue as a band. Their vocals help them towards that direction, since they have something unique and characteristic. They are too hoarse and deep and yet suitable for the kind of music that Southern Black Sand play. To conclude with, this promo CD has a good sound and production and a nice artwork! Band Email: postmaster@southernblacksand.com Band Site: http://www.southernblacksand.com Management Email:emanuelegentile@sicilyonline.it Management Site:http://www.egagency.com Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- WIDESCREEN MODE Another Day (Promo EP) Widescreen Mode started back in the early 90s and after more than a decade they are still active and this year they released their latest promo EP. On this EP the band has included an audio CD with four songs and a DVD with the video clip from the title track "Another Day". I shouldn’t forget to tell you that the band comes from Finland so perhaps this is why they are so professional with their promo release. Anyway back to the music now and from the opening track Widescreen Mode gives us immediately the picture of the way they want to follow. So musically the band walks on the classic heavy metal paths but they have also got a modern atmosphere in the final result they share with us. Of course you can see that the band is professional and they adore what they do. In addition they have written some really interesting songs and their compositions are well worked with very good ideas inside them. It is needless to say that the sound is massive and the production is satisfactory. Definitely this band is ready to hit the road and of course to release a full length album. Well done to the guys from Widescreen Mode and we will surely hear from them in the near future! Official Site: www.widescreenmode.com E-mail Band: info@widescreenmode.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SOVEREIGN Winds Of The Old Nowadays more and more people form bands, play live or even write their own music, so with such a plethora of music expressions and without having any cencorship obstacles, one can have the chance to listen to all kinds of music, various musicians and numerous songs from the whole spectrum of music, be it divided into genres or not. So, what occurs to me from time to time is the fact that you have to have some really "strong" and full of inspiration songs to help you stand out from the rest. Well, some other bands of course tend to stand out because of the guest appearances they have on their albums or because of the studio where the mixing and mastering took place, but luckily this is not our story here... Sovereign is a new band from a part of Greece that hasn't given birth to many metal acts and in spite of their one year only of existence and the countless problems they were confronted with, they've managed to release this astounding demo CD! I was truly amazed with the power and the potential that these 2 songs reveal and in fact I'm still "thirsty" for some more songs from these great newcomers! Their epic and old fashioned black metal spoke to my heart with its bitter and heavy atmosphere and it's aggressivess. If I had to describe their music as a picture, I'd say that it's like a castle being under siege taking place under a pale sun with the noise of the battering ram and of the people fighting being mixed and entangled with the drops of rain falling on the ground and on the warriors' armours... Cool huh? Well, I was really impressed and I can't deny that! If you feel nostalgic of the good old ROTTING CHRIST sound, then you must support Sovereign. I don't imply of course that they are copy cats, but rather that they have their own style imbued in an intense ROTTING CHRIST aura. They deserve your attention and of course a record deal! You can order this demo CD for €3 from the following snal mail address: SOVEREIGN, SPATAS NIKOS, 8 DODEKANISOU STR., 321 00, LIVADIA, GREECE. Email:sovereign_theband@yahoo.gr Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- REPRISAL SCARS Evidence - Demo CD I don’t know what is going on this month but we have received some really quality releases from Finland and one more band that comes from this country sent us their second demo with the title “Evidence”. On this demo Reprisal Scars includes four tracks of a very good and quality Swedish death metal. The band has done a very good movement and they have taken all the catchy elements from the death metal scene and have put their personal sound in it. They have achieved to have four very strong compositions which are well worked and finally they give us a very promising demo. So, as you can understand we are dealing with a very promising band of course! The only thing is to keep working hard and I am sure sooner or later they will find their way to the discography. Official Site: www.reprisalscars.cjb.net E-mail Band: reprisalscars@yahoo.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- FLIPTOP BOX Promo 2006 Seriously, you have to pay attention to this band since they are something out of the ordinary. They have the ability to mix in one song all the kinds of heavy metal music and create something new or for those that don't accept the term "new", they've managed to create a sound with a personal touch! How can we explain the way that they combine hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock and yet the final result is so original, solid and sounds so "natural to your ears? I also feel I have to comment on the clever way they use tje baroque flute, an element that gives a psychedelic 70s "colour" to Fliptop Box's music. I think they are one of the most original bands that Greece has ever given birth to and in a way I consider them as the successors of the mighty "SOCRATES (drunk the conium)". They are extremely heavy, but you also have to keep an open mind in order to conceive what exactly Fliptop Box want to do with their sound. The sure thing is that their music can bring together rockers and metallers. I am telling you, these guys here have to find a very good contract! They blew my head off! Brao!!! Oh finally I have to say that the promo package is extremely good and catches your eye from the first moment you see it. Fliptop Box work on high standards and hope other bands from Greece follow their bright example... Email: pomon@otenet.grORfliptopbox@mail.com Site: http://www.fliptopbox.tk Nick "William_Kidd" Parastatidis -------------------------------------------------------------------- THE MYTH OF AUTUMN Sinner / Saint - Demo CD These crazy Finnish are really active and from 2002 until this month they have released five demos CDs. Personally I had the pleasure to hear their previous demo and now The Myth Of Autumn sent me their newest demo with the title “Sinner / Saint”. On this release the band includes three tracks and almost thirteen minutes of pure melodic heavy metal with some elements form atmospheric metal too. Actually we can say that the music is definitely melodic metal with a touch of atmosphere and the vocals are melodic and in a gothic path. I like the way that The Myth Of Autumn have combined all their influences and this thing makes them unique. Support this promising band; I hope one day they will release their debut official studio effort! Official Site:www.themythofautumn.com E-mail Band: themythofautumn@hotmail.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN OF PERCEPTION Fragments - Demo CD This time we will go on a small trip to Germany and hear a new band, Dawn Of Perception, who formed before one year and “Fragments” is their debut demo CD which includes six tracks and more than thirty minutes of death metal. This time Dawn Of Perception don’t play death metal only but they have included many elements from other kinds of music as well. For example they have spotted some melodies and some clean vocals too. Their compositions and generally their song structures are very interesting and have a progressive touch. The thing that I want to say, is that Dawn Of Perception isn’t just a narrow minded death metal band, they have expanded their music and I think they have made some experiments with their music in order to be as unique as they can. For the first attempt in the demography Dawn Of Perception has released a very good work. Now the only thing that remains to be seen is their future and how they will continue in this difficult road. Official Site: www.dawnofperception.de E-mail Band: contact@dawnofperception.de Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- HELLCITY 13 Demo CD Hellcity 13 is the new sensation from Finland, a new band that has recently released their debut demo CD which features three tracks and about more than eleven minutes of pure hard rock music. From the opening track "In Your Eyes" you can easily understand that Hellcity 13 is a band that writes very impressive and catchy melodic rock tracks. Mainly they have male vocals, but they also have some female backing vocals. If you listen to their demo many times you will hear that they have some touches from other very good bands like: HIM and THE RASMUS. Last but not least the band has worked hard in their compositions and they have put some interesting ideas inside their songs. Of course I recommend this band to all the melodic rock fans and especially to the fans of bands like HIM and THE RASMUS. Hellcity 13 begins very well their career in the demography and I will be waiting for their next step. Official Site: www.hellcity13.com E-mail band: mika@hellcity13.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SEDUCED BY SUICIDE Gothic Dream - Demo CD Seduced By Suicide comes from Brazil and "Gothic Dream" is their debut demo CD which was released before some weeks. In this release the band has included five tracks but Earth, who is actually the man behind Seduced By Suicide, has included in addition some other MP3s from other projects he has. With Seduced By Suicide, Earth, delivers to our ears a gothic rock mixture of various influences from SISTERS OF MERCY, HIM, TYPE O NEGATIVE and POISONBLACK. Generally, I believe that Earth, has a perfect voice for this kind of music and he has written some really good tracks in this release. I like gothic rock and generally the gothic/atmospheric metal and Seduced By Suicide made me love them from their opening track. They have the ability to transpire onto you the sensation of this gothic world and the atmosphere is almost excellent. If you believe that you like this kind of music, don't lose the opportunity to hear the stuff from Seduced By Suicide. Official Site:www.seducedbysuicide.com E-mail Band: contact@seducedbysuicide.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- IDIOVERSE The Mammoth - Demo Cd Straight from London, United Kingdom comes Idioverse and they sent us their third demo with the title "The Mammoth". On this demo the band includes four tracks and twenty minutes of pure rock music. Ben Var der Poorten and Jeeshan Patwari are the two main songwriters for Idioverse. So you can understand from the first song that this band isn't a usual rock band. The way they build their compositions and the way that Ben interprets the songs have a lot of theatrical elements and if you pay attention to this demo you will see that it is like a movie in front of your eyes. Definitely the description art rock fits perfectly to the music of Idioverse and I am sure that the band will have a bright future if they continue to work and to make progress. Official Site:www.idioverse.net E-mail Band: info@idioverse.net Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- KAKAPHONIA Demo CD Kakaphonia (this is a really strange name for a band) comes from Sweden and recently they released their latest demo CD which includes four tracks and about thirteen minutes of pure sleazy rock music. So when you push the play button on your CD player you will listen to very good stuff from hard rock music, with some melodies and some rock 'n roll elements in the way HANOI ROCKS sounds, for example. The songs are well worked with interesting ideas for a rock band and as it’s usual almost all the songs make an easy listening and you can listen to them again and again without being tired. The band seems to know what they want from their music and they did their best work in order to show us their very good music. A very interesting work for the fans of hard rock! Official Site: www.kakaphonia.com E-mail Band: info@kakaphonia.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- COCKPIT Demo CD Straight from California comes the female band Cockpit with their latest demo CD which has two tracks and seven minutes of duration. Well at least we can have a small taste of their musical direction. The only thing I can say after the first time that I’ve listened to this CD, is that these young ladies know how to rock the world. Imagine if AC/DC, KISS, MOTLEY CRUE and MOTORHEAD were female bands, how would they sound? Like Cockpit of course! So in these two tracks you will listen to pure rock music, with a very good production and sound too. It is needless to say that if you are a rock fan, you will adore the stuff from Cockpit. I hope the band will soon record more songs in order to allow us to have a better picture of their music but I am sure these ladies will again ROCK us like a hurricane. Official Site: www.ilovecockpit.com E-mail Band: info@ilovecockpit.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- BALDER Demo 2005 Balder comes from Lebanon, a country that metal music if forbidden, but the musical spirit can't be stopped by laws. So with a cover that reminds me a lot of the covers from BATHORY (R.I.P.), Balder introduce us their music with their latest demo CD. The first track is an acoustic instrumental song, not very interesting but just a mediocre one to open this demo. Then we have the second track which is another acoustic song but this time we have some harsh vocals from the singer of Balder. So actually the main song is the last one "Moon", which is a five minutes melodic track, again with harsh vocals. Generally the music of Balder is acoustic based with a few extreme vocals. Actually you can only listen to guitar and vocals. I think that the artists try to pass to the listener a dark atmosphere with this demo, but I think they need more work and more practice to achieve that. I want to hear their next step to see how they will sound on their next work. Official Site: www.breidablik.cjb.net E-mail Band: Balder@breidablik.cjb.net Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE SICK JOKE 3 Track Promo CD If I didn’t know that One Sick Joke comes from Greece, I would surely believe that they are from another country and this is because they have a great production and sound in their latest promo CD! The band now records their debut album and they sent us a small taste of three songs in order to hear their very good way of working. From the first note One Sick Joke, prove to us that they adore the modern sound and especially the hardcore/nu metal movement. Their compositions are well worked with interesting ideas; the changes between the melodies and the more extreme parts of their music are also remarkable. Also the vocals have a big variety from the more melodic to more aggressive and raw. Generally the stuff from One Sick Joke is impressing. I didn’t expect to listen to something so good from my country and I am really proud of them! I hope we will soon listen to the full length album from this promising band. Official Site: www.onesickjoke.com E-mail Band: onesickjoke@yahoo.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- REEL FICTION Transfer - Demo CD Reel Fiction comes from our neighbour country Italy and “Transfer” is their latest demo CD, which has four tracks and thirteen minutes of very melodic music. We can say that the band plays a mixture of rock music, with a lot of keyboards, very interesting female vocals and a great guitar work. All the songs are almost three minutes long, so they definitely make an easy listening; we don’t have a grind release here... As far as the influences of Reel Fiction are concerned, we will find elements from FAITH NO MORE, H.I.M. and SYSTEM OF A DOWN. So definitely we can say that the band consists of open minded musicians who take a lot of different influences and they combine them in their sound along with their personal sound. So, finally this is how we have “Transfer” in our hands... Official Site:www.reelfiction.it E-mail Band: info@reelfiction.it Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SEVEN STITCHES While We Don't Take Over Death - Demo CD I don't receive so often releases from underground bands from Portugal and when I saw the latest demo from Seven Stitches who come from this country, I was really curious to hear their stuff. Their demo has the title "While We Don't Take Over Death" and they include four tracks. Musically the band walks on the death, thrash and modern metal paths. They have a lot of influences from all these metal kinds and with the addition of their personal touch they bring this musical direction to us. For the first time, it isn't so bad, for example they have clean and death metal vocals, their music is mainly into thrash metal, but it also has elements from death metal and to end this release has a modern atmosphere. Also we have fast parts, especially when their thrash metal influences have a front role, but they also have some mid tempo interchanges as well. All in all the stuff from Seven Stitches is an average demo, with the potentials to become something really interesting. Time will tell... Official Site: http://sevenstitches.no.sapo.pt/ E-mail Band: bruno_7stitches@hotmail.com E-mail Management: info@riotstarter.net Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- STARLET SUICIDE Out Of Your League - Demo CD They have only one year of existence and "Out Of Your League" is already their second demo CD so far. Starlet Suicide comes from Sweden and on this new release they have included four tracks. With their image you can understand their musical direction which is a combination of glam rock with punk music. Usually we receive only glam rock releases which sometimes are really good, but this is the first time I receive a work from a band that combines glam rock with punk music and believe me the result is really interesting! Their compositions are well worked and imagine a combination of HANOI ROCKS, GIRSCHOOL and MOTLEY CRUE and you will have a small taste of the music from Starlet Suicide. I hope the band will continue to work for their next release and if you like this kind of rock music you know what to do. Just send an e-mail to Starlet Suicide… Official Site: www.starletsuicide.com E-mail Band: info@starletsuicide.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- BLACK TRINITY The Blackstorm Is Unfold - Demo CD Black Trinity is a new band from Greece and of course a new “power” in the black metal scene. “The Blackstorm Is Unfold” is their second demo CD, they have also one more, but I haven’t heard it, in order to see the musical progress of Black Trinity. The band has included four songs and one cover track to the might “Deathcrush” from MAYHEM. The demo begins with a five minute song, “Thy Conquest” which is my personal favourite track. This song begins with a great small intro and then we have from fast black metal elements to more mid tempo and a cold atmosphere. Generally the band isn’t the fastest black metal band in the world but personally I like the stuff that I had the chance to listen to from them. They have some good compositions with interesting ideas and I hope they will continue to work hard in order to have an even better result in the future. Check them out if you are a fan of black metal. E-mail Band: theblacktrinity@yahoo.gr Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- HEAVY LORD From Cosmos To Chaos - Demo CD Usually when I receive a demo from a doom metal band, it has a few tracks but a long duration. So same goes with these guys from Holland. Their name is Heavy Lord, their newest work has the title "From Cosmos To Chaos" and it is their second demo CD. On this release they have included five tracks and more than forty minutes of pure heavy / doom metal. I had the chance before two years to hear their debut work and now the band continues to support doom metal with their newest work and simply they begin this demo with an eleven minute long epic track. Heavy Lord has all the classic things that we want to hear from a heavy / doom metal band. Mid tempo tracks, heavy drum parts and a very good guitar work. Of course it is needless to say that their compositions are well worked with interesting ideas which perhaps aren't so modern but at least they are honest to their doom metal roots. Do you like ELECTRIC WIZARD? CATHEDRAL? CROWBAR? If you answer yes to these questions then go and buy this demo from Heavy Lord, maybe you will find your next favorite doom metal band. Official Site: www.heavylord.nl E-mail Band: parasite@planet.nl Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- BILLION DOLLAR BABIES Ladies First - Demo CD "Billion Dollar Babies" is a title of an ALICE COOPER album but it also is a new band from Sweden, which sent us their debut demo CD with the title "Ladies First". If you had the chance to see the cover I am sure you will understand from the first time what Billion Dollar Babies delivers through their work. Imagine a combination of AEROSMITH, ALICE COOPER and MOTLEY CRUE, then put the personal sound of Billion Dollar Babies and you will have a picture of their music and sound. Definitely from the first song the band has a lot of energy and even if you had a bad mood, when you listen to the stuff from Billion Dollar Babies you will surely bang your head, a little. Here we have well worked compositions, with interesting ideas and rock played straight from their hearts. Official Site: www.billiondollarbabies.nu E-mail Band: info@billiondollarbabies.nu Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- ENUMA ELISH Second Enuma Elish is a Spanish band that has recently created and released their new sophomore demo that has been simply titled "Second". Musically now it's a hard to describe this band since they incorporate in their sound various musical elements from a wide spectrum of the metal music. However, their main influences are drawn from the classic heavy metal scene with some slight hard rock elements and a subtle gothic hue. Enuma Elish has managed to give birth to some lovely compositions with great multi-vocal choruses. Their riffs are catchy, their refrains stick to your mind, they have a really nice rhythm section and above all they have an amazing singer! Sara's voice is emotive and passionate and has obvious potential and ability to sing in lower and more high pitched climaxes. Her vocals are ethereal, but at the same time they have power and life of their own! I honestly think that these Spaniards deserve our attention, so you know what you have to do, after you finish reading this review... Email: enuma_elish_band@hotmail.com Site: http://www.enumaelishband.com Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- IKINAE Alfons And Co. - Single Wow! I must have pushed the play button at last five times in a row and that's because I can't and actually don't want to escape from Ikinae's atmosphere... These Finnish guys have managed to create such an enchanting atmosphere with a slightly old fashioned and reminiscent aura that will definitely magnetize you!! The difficult task for me lies just ahead and it's no other than to try and describe their sound and give you a clue of the band's musical direction... Well, I'm sorry to inform you that I'm incapable of laying down my thoughts and emotions and making rational comments on "Alfons And Co.". Their music is not only amazing, but it's also complex, multi-layered and multi-dimensional. So, first and foremost I'd say that Ikinae is a heavy metal band with a lot of classic elements, but at the same time they have an intense dose of progressive rhythms and structures within these 2 songs, a doomy atmosphere, since both songs are mid tempo and an astounding interpretation from their vocalist, who seems to really sympathise with what he sings about... The vocals are mainly clean, but some extreme and aggressive enrichments in the songs "Pseudologica Fantastica" are fantastic and offer more depth to the compositions. Needless to say that the band's performance and skills are excellent and that they've managed to create a solid and clean sound. The only actual drawback of this release is the fact that it only contains two songs and I'd really love to listen to some more... So, if we want this to happen, the only thing we have to do is support this incredible band and if you have a record label, make sure to check them out!!! Ending, I have to mention that this single has a great cover artwork and it will be available in two different versions, one that will only contain the two tracks and the other version, which will have a video clip for "Alfons The Man" and a making of document! Site: http://www.ikinae.com Email: info@ikinae.com Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- SIPHER Words Of Repentant - Demo CD I am always curious whenever I receive a demo from Finland to hear it because usually the bands from this country don’t disappoint me with their musicianship and the quality of their stuff. Sipher has already released two more demos and “Words Of Repentant” is their third attempt to demography. In this work the band has included three tracks and almost fifteen minutes of pure heavy metal music. Sipher is a studio project and musically besides the heavy metal elements, they have influences from the Swedish death metal and also they have a gothic atmosphere sometimes spotted in their whole work. The vocals have some kind of distortion and this thing adds a feeling of “distance” for the whole project. Perhpas if this project becomes a full band, then they will have more ideas and a better approach of music. But I still adore the first song of this demo and the way that Sipher “treats” their stuff. Official Site: www.thesipher.tk E-mail Band: sipherweb@lycos.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SOUTHWEST SUNRISE Taken By The Devil - 2track Promo CD From the land of Finland comes Southwest Sunrise and with this 2-track promo CD they promote their debut album which will be released some time in 2006. In these two songs the band plays melodic rock with their main influences to be from the 70s and the 80s. First we have the track “Taken By The Devil” which is the title track and the “hit” on this promo CD. A song with catchy refrain only three minutes long, so it is the best for the rock radio shows. Now as far as the second track “Judgement Day” it is more complicated and about five minutes long. In this track the band gives us a more progressive approach of their music and we can hear how they transform their music easily from the mainstream rock to more rough roads. I will wait for their debut album in order to have the whole picture of the music from Southwest Sunrise. Official Site: www.southwest-sunrise.com E-mail Band: info@southwest-sunrise.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- TARA’S SECRET Promotional CD More and more quality bands come from the United Kingdom and they are in the rock genre of music. The past couple of years we’ve listened to the very good SACRED HEART and now Tara's Secret sent us their promotional CD with two tracks. In these two songs you will have the opportunity to listen to a very good musicianship and of course very good rock music. So imagine influences from BON JOVI, WHITESNAKE and VAN HALEN and you will have a clue of Tara's Secret’s music with the band’s personal touch of course. Definitely their music fits perfectly to the radio shows all over the world and I think this is the “power” of Tara's Secret. I hope the band will soon record more songs, because from what I know they have more than thirty songs ready. Rock On!!!! Official Site:www.taras-secret.com E-mail Band: john@taras-secret.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- RATTLESNAKE Always In The Mood - Demo CD It is one of the few times that I receive a rock release from Norway and I really like it. Rattlesnake recently released their demo CD with three tracks and ten minutes of pure rock music. Imagine a combination of elements from L.A. GUNS, THE CULT and AEROSMITH and you will have the music from Rattlesnake. Of course the band in these well worked compositions has included their personal sound and this of course leads to this very good piece of melodic rock stuff and I am sure that a lot of rock fans will adore the stuff from Rattlesnake. Believe me these will be the fastest ten minutes and you won’t understand how fast the time will pass after the listening of Rattlesnake’s demo CD. Support the good and quality rock music! Official Site:www.rattlesnake.nu E-mail Band: info@rattlesnake.nu Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- WINTERPATH The Blackhearted - Demo CD I already know a band from Greece with the same name and they play black metal. These Winterpath come from Italy and they walk in the brutal death metal paths with a progressive approach. The band has include seven tracks in their latest demo CD with the title “The Blackhearted” and more than forty three minutes of pure aggressive and raw death metal. But even though they have so raw stuff, they still have well worked compositions and some interesting changes in their music. For example they have included some melodies both in their music and in the vocal lines. The main advantage of Winterpath is that they have a lot of changes inside their songs and you don’t know what to expect to listen to in the next minutes. I think Winterpath is a very promising band if they continue to work hard and to progress in every release. Official Site:www.winterpath.net E-mail band:contacts@winterpath.net Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- ELCTRIKCHAIR Eternity Into Darkness - Demo CD Elctrikchair comes from Colorado, United States and before two years they released this demo with four tracks and the title “Eternity Into Darkness” and about fifteen minutes of furious black metal with some death metal elements. Generally when you listen to their stuff you will surely realize that Elctrikchair are definitely in the extreme side of metal. Now as far as their compositions the guitar player of the band has put some thrash metal elements in the riffs. The thing that I didn’t like was the production which I believe could be better but we will see how they’ll do in their next step. Anyway to conclude with all the fans of extreme metal may find some interest in the stuff of Elctrikchair. Official Site: www.elctrikchair.com E-mail Band: elctrikchair@elctrikchair.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- NOVEMBERS FALL Mythaeon - Demo CD I think these guys are really fast! Before some months I reviewed their previous work and now we have the second demo CD in the same year. Novembers Fall comes from Germany and they walk in the melodic death metal paths. In their previous work the band included six tracks but now they choose to have only three with the last one being a twelve minute long opus. So even though we have three songs the band has included more than twenty minutes of pure melodic death metal on their new release. As I remember I had found some really interesting things in their previous work and now the band has made a few steps forward. Definitely we can't see too many differences but surely Novembers Fall have worked hard especially for the twelve minutes long song. Generally the band has some interesting compositions and the way they built each song is remarkable! So I wish them to continue the hard work and to keep us informed with their musical progress. Official Site: www.novembersfall.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- NIGHTBORN Nightborn - Demo CD Nightborn is the personal project of Alessandor Jacobi. I had seen his name as a session bassist for the heavy metal band BURNING BLACK, whose demo CD I reviewed some time ago. Now I have the chance to hear his second demo CD with Nightborn. Musically the band walks in more rock paths, imagine a heavier version of a pop/rock band. Also another interesting thing is that Alessandro has chosen two languages for the lyrics, English and Italian. Anyway as I said above basically the band has a rock base but also they have made a lot of experimentations with influences from various musical genres. For the first time it was really interesting to hear it, but somewhere in the middle I realized that I lost my interest. Of course you are always free to check the samples that you can find on the band’s home page. Hear and judge for yourselves his musical direction. Official Site:www.alessandrojacobi.com E-mail Band: ale@alessandrojacobi.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- RIDDLE OF MEANDER Ancient Apocalypse - Demo 2005 To play balck metal and be influenced by the great ROTTING CHRIST isn't something rare here in Greece. I also believe that Riddle Of Meander won't deny their influence by the early days of this colossal Greek band. However, Riddle Of Meander are not just ROTTING CHRIST clones, since if you listen to their msuic carefully you will discover the depth it has. In these 2 demo compositions you will also discover influences from BATHORY and the Norwegian black metal scene in general along with some classic heavy metal touches. "Ancient Apocalypse" has something from the "frozen" feeling of IMMORTAL with an intense dark epic scent. The production of the demo moves on professional standards and it also has the "necesary dirty" sound that makes the final result even more devastating. If you are tired from all those black metal groups that use keyboards and have a gothic atmosphere, then check these guys out! They play balck metal untouched by any modern trends. I hope that this review gave you a clear image of what exactly you will listen to on this demo. For more information or if you want to order this 2-track demo contact the band at the following email: RiddleOfMeander@hotmail.comor by snail mail: Riddle Of Meander, Nick Kiskiras, P.O. Box 70818, 16610, Voula, Athens, Greece. Nick "William_Kidd" Parastatidis -------------------------------------------------------------------- JACKVIPER Another Dirty Threesome - Demo CD JackViper comes from the United Kingdom and recently they sent us their latest three track demo CD with the title “Another Dirty Threesome”. From the first minute you listen to this CD, will fully understand that the band adores moving within the sleazy rock paths with a lot of rock ‘n roll elements in their music. All the songs are three minutes long, having the perfect duration in order to get air play in the rock radio shows. Surely their compositions are we worked with interesting guitar works! Another interesting thing that I read in JackViper’s biography is that they have supported L.A. GUNS in their German tour. Anyway, besides that, in JackViper’s music you will find what you want to hear from a sleazy rock release! Official Site: www.jackviper.com E-mail Band: theviper@jackviper.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- MYSTIC MOON Promo 2005 Mystic Moon is an Athenean band that delivers its own interpretation of what doom metal music is and stands for. So, on this "Promo 2005" you will have the chance to listen to three compositions that dwell in the doom metal genre of course, but at the same time they have an intense epic hue. If I could translate their music into a feeling, I'd say that for me it's the feeling soldiers have when they march to war. It's the feeling of sadness and desperation, of acceptance of the fate that lies ahead of you. Musically these guys brought to my mind bands such as CANDLEMASS, SOLITUDE AETURNUS and DOOMSWORD. They seem to be well focused on what they want to do and pretty determined to give it a hard try to make their dreams come true. So, they undoubtedly have potential, but there is also space for further improvement and evolution, especially on the production and the way the vocals are linked with the music. Check them out and get in touch with them at the following email address. Email: mystic_moon_04@yahoo.gr Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- ZION Drakula - Promo CD Zion is the project of the CROSSOVER mainman, Zion, formed back in 1995 and after some years of dormancy they are back again with a renewed and powerful line up and with big dreams and expectations. Zion deliver absolute and pure magnifence with their compositions and prove that nothing happens without a reason or by mere luck. Talent is the deal here and there's plenty of it actually! First things first, however, so let me tell you that Zion play dark, atmospheric and imposing black metal with an intense classic heavy metal essence and some really nice ethereal female vocals. The guitars weave a dark and demonic canvas supported by a stable and concrete rhythm section and upon which the keyboards step to create a gloomy and demonically appealing aura. This album deals with the true story and factual events of Transylvania and its notorious ruler Vlad Tepes Dracula. Everything is simply perfect and imposing, taking you along a morbid journey with no return. Zion has achieved to create a very nice production despite the fact that everything was recorded in the band members' home studios. Moreover, the last thing I want to mention is that Zion consists of well known (in Greece) people, like for example, Zion of course from CROSSOVER, Aphazel (ANCIENT, DREAMLIKE HORROR), Mike G. from SNOWBLIND, Ifigeneia and Zoltan from CROSSOVER, Nick (DEVISER), Polydeukis and Faethon from SACRED BLOOD and Bob Katsionis from NIGHTFALL, FIREWIND and IMAGINERY. I left this for the end because I think that the names that appear here have no importance, meaning that we often see well known people releasing crappy albums. So, what counts on "Drakula" is not the names, but the compositions themselves! The band is currently in search of a label, so I advice you to check them out and if you have a record label, then support and sign a band that can offer you plenty of success!!!! Email: zioncrossover@gmail.com Site: http://www.zioncrossover.tk Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PEOPLE Kross, Singel, Grus & Makadam - Demo 2005 Recntly, I received an email from The People telling me to check out their new demo that was online on their official site. To make a long story short, I didn't lose much time and I started downloading the demo. The band has warned me that they have changed their style a bit. Well, the only change I found is that they have become more bluesy/rock, however they didn't forget to add some hard rock and punk rock touches to their sound. Especially, the song "Back In Duluth" is a 100% Punk Rock song!!! Ah, not to forget that this time The People has also added some country music elements in their sound. Just check out the amazing "Turn My Lead Into Gold" and you'll see what I'm talking about! To make it clear, once again this band from Sweden released an amazing demo of high quality that smells burbon from thousand miles away. If you like to listen to some "dirty" blues/rock then start DOWNLOADING "Kross, Singel, Grus & Makadam". God damn it, this band must find a label... YOU MUST CHECK THEM OUT!!!! Email: thegrandmfs@yahoo.se Site: http://www.thepeople.se Nikos "William_Kidd" Parastatidis -------------------------------------------------------------------- HELLFUELED Demo The first demo of Hellfueled includes five tracks, four of which were included on the first album of the band that was simply called "Volume I". The 5th track is a cover version to BLACK SABBATH's "Children Of The Grave". So, this might be an old release, but I review it because I wanted to underline here that Hellfueled have always tried and achieved to show us their great abilities, inspiration and flawless performance! This was a fantastic start and hopefully their contribution will be aknowlodges and become a worldwide legendary band... Dimitris Pantsiopoulos -------------------------------------------------------------------- RAIN OF ASHES Suicide Dream - Demo CD Official SitThe band has so far six years of existence and Rain Of Ashes comes from Germany. “Suicide Dream” is their fourth demo CD and it consists of eight tracks. First of all I want to inform you that the sound is poor and not professional but this is how they wanted it to be and the recordings were made all at their homes. Of course I don’t agree with this, but this was the statement of the band. Musically Rain Of Ashes walks in the thrash metal paths and with this production the final result is a lot more raw than the usual. For sure you can expect all the good things of a European thrash metal act, with fast and aggressive songs and very good guitar work. So I suggest before you order it, you should get to hear some samples and if you like what you listen to, then proceed in buying Site:www.rain-of-ashes.de E-mail Band: rain.of.ashes@gmx.de Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SAD The Future Of Hate - Demo CD Last year SAD released their latest demo CD with the title “The Future Of Hate” and I wish that SAD won’t be the future of hate after all... Their music can be described as a mixture of death and thrash metal but I think they haven’t worked so hard in order to make this combination as better as they can and improve their sound. I can say that I have heard better works than this and I hope if they want to make something in the metal music scene, they work harder and I think this way they will have more chances. In these five songs you will find something interesting but the whole result is just average. Official Site: www.sad.de.nr E-mail Band:sadarise@gmx.de Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- SUNDIAL The Silence - Demo CD Recently I received a package from Russia and I was excited to find out which band would be. When I opened the package I saw a demo CD from Sundial which contains five songs. As I know this is the second demo from them and musically they walk in the atmospheric metal scene with elements from gothic, doom and death metal. For example they have a lot of death metal elements in the male vocals and with the addition of the keyboards and the female vocals, they also have atmospheric and gothic elements. Moreover their music has some mid tempo moments dispersed in their compositions. Generally they have made some interesting combinations but I think they need to be more unique. They have chosen a root that is difficult to “allow” you to be unique but if you achieve it then you will have the future in your feet. For sure the fans of atmospheric/doom metal will adore the stuff from Sundial. Official Site: http://the-sundial.com/indexENG.htm E-mail Band: remedios@the-sundial.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- VALKYRIE’S CRY Demo 2005 Canada is a well known country for having some well known bands, but it also has a strong underground scene. Valkyrie’s Cry comes from this country and before some weeks they released their debut demo CD which has five songs. Musically the band walks in the traditional heavy metal paths, with powerful vocals and very interesting guitar work with very nice guitar riffs and solos. Definitely their production isn’t their best part but if you pay attention only to their music you will see that these guys have worked hard and they play music from their heart and they truly believe in their music. Many of you will tell that this is the music of the 80s, but there are still fans that support these bands. So I hope with a little more work in the production section they will have a better result in their next step. Official Site:www.dragonight.de/valkyriescry/ E-mail Band: steelrider@gmail.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- NEVERLIGHT HORIZON Dehumanized - Demo CD Neverlight Horizon comes from Belgium and “Dehumanized” is their second self financed release. The band includes eight tracks on this CD and they have achieved to make a really brutal and raw album. Musically Neverlight Horizon walks in death metal paths with a lot of aggression and some really guttural vocals. We can describe the band’s music as a perfect mixture of elements from CANNIBAL CORPSE and SIX FEET UNDER along with their personal sound and finally we have the chance to listen to the vision of Neverlight Horizon which is really good if you are a fan of this kind of death metal. Official Site: http://membres.lycos.fr/neverlighthorizon/ E-mail Band: neverlighthorizon@hotmail.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- BLOODCRAVING As Their Wrath Awoke - Demo CD This band has almost one year of existence and they started last year as a MORTICIAN cover band. Bloodcraving comes from Germany and before some days they released their debut demo CD which has four tracks and the title “As Their Wrath Awoke”. So as you can imagine the band walks in the fast death metal paths, with brutal and guttural vocals. I won’t say that Bloodcraving isn’t a good band, but as I listened to their stuff a lot of times, I always kept finding something that I didn’t like. Of course the band has some good moments in this demo, but I think they should work more in order to have a better result. Official Site: www.bloodcraving.com E-mail Band: info@bloodcraving.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- NYX Demo CD NYX is a band coming from England and this is their debut work. On this demo the band has included four songs and you can understand that this is their first work right form the beginning. Except for their music, their production and sound is poor and you barely listen clearly to all the instruments. But if we focus only on their music, we can see that we deal with a death metal band that includes a lot of thrash metal elements. I think that the music from NYX is really good and technical with elements from MORBID ANGEL and ENTOMBED from the death metal side and SLAYER and MEGADETH from the thrash metal side. If these guys had a better production then their demo would be really good. If you purchase this demo, pay a lot of your attention to hear the details and you will see that they have future if they will continue to work hard. Official Site: http://rock.to/nyx/ E-mail Band: moratorium_music@hotmail.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- LYKAION Behind...A Whisper - Demo 2006 Well, the maturity I observed in Lykaion's second demo is very rare even for the high standards of the modern heavy metal scene. By listening to "Behind...A Whisper", you don't think, not even for a split second, that you are dealing with a demo, but with an official release of a band that works on professional standards. The main characteristic of their sound is that all the compositions that are included here are characterized by the perfect balance between the heavy parts and the melodies. There is something "abstract" in their music that makes you forget the reality you are in and takes you to a journey in the vast terittories of your mind and soul. Lykaion's music balances between logic and emotions or if I want to be more accurate, their music is logical only to the point that it creates to the listeners emotions and thoughts. Sincere music that could be described as intellectual. Bands like PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, LETHAL and NEVERMORE seem to be amongst their influences, though influences that don't "imprison" them in a typical repetition, but they ingite their imagination in order to allow them to create something original. A must have for those who search for quality power/porgressive metal bands. You can contact the band at the following emails: postmaster@lykaion.it OR band@lykaion.it Nick "William_Kidd" Parastatidis -------------------------------------------------------------------- MAJESTE SIMPHONIA Tragenda Dranatica - Demo CD Three members from the black metal act from Greece, BLACK WINTER, formed Majeste Simphonia, a dark/atmospheric black metal project(?). On this demo CD the band includes one track and the other one is a narration of a poem. So in this one track the band has created a great atmosphere and Majeste Simphonia has created a very good track, with fast guitars and a very good rhythm section. The production is really good and the sound is above average. I can say that I like a lot the stuff from Majeste Simphonia and I will wait to hear more songs from them and not just this one song. I hope the band will continue to work hard and I am sure that they will have very good results. Official Site: www.majeste-simphonia.cjb.net E-mail Band:simphonical_death@hotmail.com Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let me start my presentation in an unorthodox way... Mark my words: You will be taken aback by the 2 songs included in "Tragenda Dramatica"! Majeste Simphonia is a new band that has derived from the ashes of BLACK WINTER, a black metal combo from Larisa that started as a primitive and old school black metal band and developed their music into a fierce and enchanting amalgam of melody, anger, atrocity and despair. Actually, I knew right from the beginning that I could only expect to listen to high quality melodic and atmospheric black metal, but I was actually stunned by the end result that came to my ears, penetrating and burning my brain with its dark beauty and attractive melancholy. So, I bet that all the blacksters around the world are going to be riveted and are going to relish these two tracks that reveal the band's true knack and potential. Majeste Simphonia's natural inclanation can lead them to a one way direction which can only be success, absolute success and worldwide recognition!!! I'll level with you and tell you that if you don't obtain this CD and don't support this band, you will definitely make a grave mistake... Things are simple, inspiration, catchy riffs, atmosphere, murky feelings, imaginative themes and skillful performance are hard to get in one release nowadays. If you are fans of bands like ANCIENT RITES, NAGLFAR and DARK TRANQUILLITY, then do yourselves a favour and find your next inspiration and company in your darkest and most claustrophobic hours. Majeste Simphonia are here only to sovereign the black metal scene. Just listen to the anger of "Love Craft" and the beautiful and vast atmosphere of "Hymn". The first one -if I am not mistaken as the name implies- is a hymn to one of the greatest horror authors ever, Lovecraft and the second song is an atmospheric narration with a beautiful musical carpet of an Edgar Alan Poe's famous poems. Christine Parastatidou -------------------------------------------------------------------- MISTUR Skoddefjellet - Demo CD If I am not mistaken Mistur comes from the great land of Norway and “Skoddefjellet” is their debut demo CD. The demo begins with a great intro and I must admit that most of the black metal bands write almost excellent melodic intros. Mistur plays black metal with a lot of melodies and responsible for this are the keyboards which as always offer the whole atmosphere. The thing that gives me the motive to dig in this demo was that everything is written in the mother tongue of these guys. Maybe you won’t understand a single word but I don’t care I like the fact that they choose to have lyrics in their mother tongue even though I can say that they could put the translation inside the CD but I hope they will do it in their next step. The production isn’t the best that you can hear in a demo release but I think it has captured the whole atmosphere pretty well! Official Site: www.raunehaug.net/mistur E-Mail Band: andre@raunehaug.net Antonis Maglaras -------------------------------------------------------------------- OLD HOUSE PLAYGROUND Demo CD I don't know if you remember a Greek band with the name Plaything… I had reviewed their debut demo before two years and I had also seen them live in a festival and they were very good on the stage with their modern metal music. So forget Plaything and what they played; now we have a new band with the name Old House Playground and here is their debut demo CD which has five tracks. The band seems to be more mature and their compositions are well worked with interesting additions but they have changed their musical direction with more jazz and alternative elements now, so we can say that we have new/modern rock music here. I have followed the band from their start so I want more time to feel their new direction and I will give you my full opinion when I will hear their debut album. Official Site:www.oldhouseplayground.com E-mail Band: plaything@freemail.gr Antonis Maglaras [Image]