Long Time no Post

Cpt. is still alive and well...! Don't worry!
Just so busy lately that I had hardly any time for blogging or going through new music - believe it or not! And that's too bad, if you consider that our new port buddy Osiris has been refilling our warehouse with containers of fine pieces (will have to share some thoughts about that too).

One of the few things I went through lately (in a rainy day... closed in Cpt. cabin, while patrolling the waters) and thought it was worth mentioning is the following. By the way, check out CLAIRVOYANTS absolutely... too cool!

AMENTY-An Angel Dies in My Eyes (2008)

These young guys are from Bielorussia (don't stop reading for that!) and are kind of new-kids-on-the-blocks, i.e. this is their first album. Playing a kind of progressive/melodic MDM (COB, Beyond the Enbrace, ...) with a not-very-screammy but harsh voice (Amon Amarth-like, which I love), I kind of liked them on first listening (rather surprising and scary things for me). Crystal clear instruments; sustained, but not overpushed speed; constant rhythm changes and melodic metal-like guitar work are the highlights. Yes, OK... they still need to polish some corners here and there: you get some fall from grace in the form of accordion inserts (I really don't like), angelic female voice breakouts, etc., but on the whole it is a very enjoyable album, with great potential. A kind of slowed down power metal, with death singing.

ITALIAN BOOTY

Dudes!
After listening to Chakal for a couple of times today, I kept on shuffling unrelentlessly my iPod looking for something I couldn't find... Nothing seemed to suits Ctp. mood, until...
Until I got stuck with them! Wow!
I already noticed them on a fast-forward listening weeks ago, when somebody dumped it on the Port's dock. Awesome production & sound, profound and intriguing voice, fantastic guitar grooves and arpeggios. Plus, they're Italian... I immediately rushed on homeworking!

TRINAKRIUS-The Black Hole Mind (2008)

Named after the ancient appelation of their island, Sicily, Trinakrius play an incredibly enjoyable breed between Heavy/Doom/Epic/Power. With 1 demo, 2 mini, and 1 full lengh album at their back, they presents themselves here with their second serious work (9 shells in it) and the re-release of their 2004 EP. Former singer (I don't happen to know) has been replaced by the young but incredibly talented Flavio Rezza. Indeed his voice full of pathos and never simply yelling, seems to move with absolute confidence along the whole range required and it is a real pleasure to get the ass sliced by the quick acute screaming he shove inside his constant low and profound gargling. He's got something of Dio... YEah, not the timbric... It's the way of "singing" and not screaming. Sound is said to have changed a bit from their first Metal Church's wannabe stuff. Well, let me tell you: the guitarwork now is awesome! It stays influenced by a traditional Epic-Doom approach, but down-to-earth Heavy Metal riffing rules. And it's a classic, slow and heavy riffing! Sometimes you get some Sabbath... but also some Metallica reminiscence in it. Forget doom gloomy moods. There is plenty of light, fantasy and energy in their track. Just it is delivered slowly... the old style...having you crawling after them! Psychedelic a bit, but very groovy! They have something of Rosae Crucis, another very talented Italian band, but I wouldn't be able to say what.
Track absolutely to try: "Mad", "Killertomia"!

Check the sound! Two vids: one live ("Killertomia"), the second from the album ("Mad"). Fantastic!

BRASILIAN BOOTY

Now, you have to tell me why Brasilians are so good at thrashing!
Check out these CHAKAL, recently introduced to the Cpt. by buddy Junior.

Countless of proficient acts originates from over there (I already introduced Torture Squad in the past, one of my favorites), but differently from many European or North American thrash bands, which walk more on a line close to technical-death, when not even progressive - with clean sounds, laser-guided technique, etc. (for example of Artillery, Annihilator, ADX... ) - most of these Brasilians hava a very peculiar ability of mixing old school patterns & sound with a subtle & persistent melody. And that produce a very nice & nasty power metal/MDM-like stuff. I love it!

CHAKAL-Demon King (2005)

Brazilian metal band formed in 1985 and inspired by George Romero's undead dead trilogy. The band is a quartet, with lead vocalist Korg, from the classic album Abominable Anno Domini, back at the mic after many different musical experiences (including being the founder of Brazil's most important Thrash Metal bands, The Mist... we'll talk about it someday). Five album on their curriculum, this Demon King being their last.
At the beginning Chakal's equipment wasn't properly state of the art and that influenced their musical pruduction a bit. But despite they started more as a black metal core sounding act - appearing live aside similar artists - after passing through some changes the band finally established itself with former Megathrash lead singer Korg and guitarist Necromancer, as a relatively old-sounding thrash band.
The album in question, I wouldn't call it their most representative. But it is a freaky awesome piece of music, with a mountain of energy and melody! You can't avoid loving Korg suffocated scream voice (the real thrash voice!) and their alternation of heavy grinding and fast flesh-ripping arpeggios is fantasitc. If you can't bang on this, youd better get a medical check, believe me!

Check them out in this tough live performance:

ITALIAN BOOTY

CLAIRVOYANTS-Word to the Wise (2009)

Giving a break to the Japanese metal thread, I'll introduce you this one, the first full-lenght album from Italian Clairvoyants. Those of you familiar with Maiden would not have missed the connection, I am sure ("Clairvoyant" is indeed one of the new classics of Maiden, from Seventh Son... album).
The band originated in 2001 around Como explicitly as a Maiden tribute band and quickly imposed itself through a qualitative job as well as the participation to the several Maiden tribute conventions around Italy and Europe also with big-ass guests such as Timo Kotipelto, Blaze Bayley, Doro Pesch, Jorn Lande, David De Feis, Edward Pursino, Andre Matos, Dennis Stratton.
Yet this is their first orignal work (and to distinguish it from the previous activity they used the same moniker but with a different logo). Despite not offering a Maiden copy-cat work, you will not miss a bit of that atmosphear in this album. It is indeed a pack of well arranged melodic-metal tunes (some rockish influences here and there), where singing and guitar work play the lion's share. No synth or keyboards. All the background color is painted on this canvas by their simple guitar work. NWOBHM fan will also find bread for their teeth here: influences are evident.
It is a lovely album, well-mixed & produced, with a slick sounding rack of tracks and very obvious talent. It may not carve deep scars into the metal scene, but it is by no means to be ignored.
Absolutely to try: "The pain of sight", "Hallowed be thy name"!

Check out what a great cover of "Brave New World"!

EXCITE SATAN vol. 2

Club Goodman (Akihabara, Tokyo) was promising a night of music not very appreciated by the Cpt. yesterday. But we had no dances of death, sabbatical rituals or satanic fires, nor any black metal assault... (you now, I hate that)! Indeed the expectations for SURVIVE were superbly met and the venue turned out very exciting, with a party delivering a flood of freaky good metal.

BASSAIUM opened for all (they were the promoters of the night). Death M. band from Tokyo that lately released their 2nd full lenght after a leap of 6 year. I'll tell you: death metal has never been on my list and probably it never will (except a few acts pending toward technical death/thrash), but I found their live performance great: great presence on stage, great technique and a lot of energy. I wouldn't be able to tag them by resemblance to other bands... death m. sounds pretty much all the same to me... But it was cool!

SHADY GLIMPSE followed on, opening the way to the thrash session. Young band from Shizuoka, with two albums at their back. Very enjoyable. A modern thrash with a very rich rythmic session, slow-downs and speed-ups, melodic inserts and a serious singing! I really regret I finished by messing up the camera settings during their show, ending distracted by that and missing the chance to shot them a bit more and to listen to them as I should.

KINGS EVIL carried on the duty kicking everybody's ass! Awesome thrash metal act. Founder members are from Sapporo, but the band is Tokyo based now. Reminiscenses from Destructions, Slayer, Kreator; former Metallica fast grinding technique; imposing and powerfull presence on stage. Not one single step, note, sillable out of place or redundant. Pretty much Slayer-like in their attitude... of which they also offered us a cover. Check out their site (one of the few with an English version!) and learn something about doing metal around here. Liked them very much! Guess I'll keep following them.

SURVIVE... Hell yeah! I went for them, you know! What an Aawesome show! As I mentioned on the blog's posting, they play a very modern thrash/MDM, influenced by many more styles. One single thread unify them all: power! I believe this was their first appearance on stage after the end of the tour in support of their new CD, the fifth full lenght. A flawless performance: ramming percussions, ripping singing, nuclear shredding... And great energy and spirit.

HEAVEN IN HER ARMS closed the night with three very long and intriguing tracks. Atmosphearic dark stage, without lights and just a couple of white neon scatered on the floor.
Astonishing quality of sound. Those guys must be sound fanatic (we waited a good half an hour for their appearance), because the result was really impressive. The tunes were not properly bread for the Cpt. theets (metal core/stoner with doom influences... Circle Takes The Square may be an appropriate comparison) and the singer voice sounded absolutely unhearable from the pit (I mean it... no voice!). Nonetheless they left me with the curiosity and the wish to give them and their music one more try, because they have great... huge technique and talent.

No throphys or goodies this time. Actually I badly wanted to meet Survive after the show and greet them, but had to give up and rush out. Indeed you smoky suckers have this damn habit of filling your fu*king lungs with smoke at gigs in lve houses... But you have to learn there is people like the Cpt. who terribly hate THAT smoke of yours... actually can't really stand it)! Well, I don't know what happened... low conditioning or what, but I ended by breathing in so much of it that toward the end of the show I really felt bad. Thought I was about to fainth there! Somehow I resisted until the end, but as music went off, I packed my rags and run out! I'm still blowing shit, now while typing!

But be sure i'll get them next time!

Japanese booty

While in Italy, I got several requests concerning it, so let be it so: Jappish thread as long as it goes. Incidentally port's waves left on the shore a nice box of treasures this morning. Probably dropped by some oriental ship...

SURVIVE-Nothing left on my Path (2008)

Absolutely unknown to me 'till this morning. The band apparently was formed in 1998 in Kashiwa (Chiba Prefecture) and at present can boast 1 EP and 5 full enght albums (including this one) on its list of accolades. It is labelled as Thrash/Death Metal/Metalcore and you can really find a little bit of all those styles inside. Yet, the blend turns out in a quite original product, very modern and enjoyable to anybody. Good production, excellent sound and well-balanced turnover between harsh/clean vocals, slow/fast tempos, melodic/thrash-death grindings are the highlights you can find through all the 10 tracks of this album. Singing is kept a bit in the back (things I like very much) leaving to schizofrenic drummings and arpeggios the hammering down of the bulk of the tunes. Melody does exist within the lines (otherwise you wouldn't find it here!), but it is pierced inside this metallic slab with much parsimony and - most importantly- very carefully. Not too much, not too little, not where you would expect... I use "groovy" very much, but if there was a sound to be chosen to express it, this bands music would probably be one of my suggestions. Rip away a good deal of melody from DISTURBED, inject some acid in his singer voice, filter the American sound a bit and you get a nice approximation of it. "15 minutes Fall" and "What matter is waiting" are tracks to try absolutely! (For dumb people: hit the cover!)

And you know what? Dudes are playing just this week-end at GOODMAN Club (Akihabara, Tokyo) with Bassianum, Kings Evil, Shaddy Glimpse, Heaven in her arms and I really think I'll go checking them out!

Riding the waves again...

Hell yeah, dudes! Back on deck!
Best wishes to all!
While warming up the cannons for new boarding activities on the tunes of the new HIBRIA's awesome Skulls Collector, here for you a piece of schedule to stay tuned on:

17/ 1 CRESCENDO Live House (Kutchijouji, Tokyo): LOUD&PROUD 新年会 〜HEAVY METAL SESSION〜
[Mastermind / HELLHOUND / Balflare / BLASDEAD / LONGINUS / DUEL / BRUNET BULL / KNIGHTS OF ROUND / Faint in Pain / UNTRAD / INSPIRE / UNCHAIN / ARCADIA / Bleed Out / KARMA SCORE / Virus Garage / GUILTYS LAW / BREED OF DARKNESS / Dark Legacy / Original Sin / DRAGONLANCE / Team Kinya / ex-RocketQueen / ASSERTION / ANCIENT MYTH / ASTRAL FORCE / KILLING FROST / HERITAGE / ex-BRIGADE / Over Ride]

Guess the there won't be public: since the house will be filled up only with players!