Chaos - Violent Redemption - 11 Track Album - Released 2013

Chaos

Violent Redemption

11 Track Album

Released 2013

Written for www.Brutalism.com

Chaos – Trivandrum, Bangalore - India

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/chaosindia

Genre: Thrash Metal

In the bands own words:

“Chaos, as the name suggests, is a band which believes in music in its purest and most aggressive form - metal. From the humble beginnings of 2004, when we played at small local fests to the present, when we are headlining prestigious rock fests, it’s been a long and arduous journey. With the emergence of various sub-genres, Old school thrash has almost disappeared from our gig circuits. Our endeavour is to remain true to our roots and put this great genre firmly back on the national gig map”

I must say I love this cover it just sums it all up nicely. Has the look of Eddie (From a Maiden Cover) in a hoodie and just the right amount of creepiness to make it stand out!

Ungodly Hour

Well so far no thrash but some ominous eerie noises can be heard, this is just a filler track no doubt preparing us like lambs to the slaughter!

Torn

This unleashes some pent up aggression that in turn and surprisingly enough houses some very unpredictable buzzing rhythms, as well as ferocious thrash ones, but that guitar literally sizzles under the colossal weight of the pummelling beats with a typical thrash chanting vocal – the seeds have been sown!

Game

Nice opening frenzy for this track that again blisters into life with a scathing ferocity that are this time, more predictable and most definitely thrash laden! The intrusive riffs are just simply stunning along with a hard edged bass line that creates astonishing results.

War Crime

This is euphoric, hypnotic, and infectious it just explodes with keen ferocity and could not be anything other than pure unadulterated thrash in its purest form. Chaos have indeed stuck to their comfort zone with driven manipulative beats and strong compelling riffage, only venturing outside it, so far on one occasion. (Torn) But this track deserves to be repeated again – in fact several times just to make sure what you heard was right and of course to savour its intensity to the fullest degree.

Saint

A sampled voice begins and then a strong vocal kicks in, to a formidable beat along with some cool thrash rhythms. The harmonies from the band members add to its full on sound and gives depth to an already maxed to the brim track. The guitar literally screeches to a climax, be it until the sampled voice kicks in again, however it is a rather weak ending to finish on and would have given this track more of a wow factor if it had struck with a more raw intensity.

Heaven’s Gate

This track is likely to rip the skin from the bone at 30 paces, as it tears through the aural and leaves a trail of smoke behind it. It harbours a more mellow rhythmic sway a bit further on, but the vocals never lose their impact.  Not too keen on the fade out at the end though and once again Chaos miss out on the chance to really shine and go out with a bang.

Blacklash

This is a good little chugger, plenty of swaying rhythms rapturously carved and produced plus a good contrasting beat, upon it, sits a superb vocal. Emotively forceful with a devious bass hook running through it that ignites that extra spark.

Merchant of Death

I am simply loving this rhythm, it’s nice and smooth with a constant pummelling brute force drum beat. A very interesting sound is emanating from the guitar that is indeed quite compulsive as the rhythms are impulsive and will certainly warrant a good move of the head as being part of the listen.

Self-Deliverance

This buzzes like an angry bee with a swollen sting poised and ready to attack. It winds and shifts along a gnarly path of sparse but solid drumming and a flurry of commanding riffs – vocally damming, it will literally turn your ears inside out.

Cyanide Salvation

Great drumming here, that stands out as imposing and dominant in stature, along with a climbing attack in tumultuous riffage, not forgetting that good ripping bass hook, to top it off, and with an overwhelming vocal - this is the finished result – one track strewn with a combination of aggression and melodic sway.

Violent Redemption

The title track: No getting away from the superb thrashy sound but it does ring slightly similar to the previous track, although the rhythms are somewhat mutated, however the guitar is the redeeming feature and reaches brute force be it briefly and sadly not as much punch to finish the track so again another opportunity missed.

To Sum up:

On the whole a good strong album with plenty of drive, taunting riffs, and superb vocal but just falling shy of going out with a bang and making the tracks more memorable.  However, plenty of scope to work with here.  The ingredients are all there but it just needs to have slightly more chili pepper adding to the mix in order for the tracks to contain that overwhelming explosion and wow factor – and I have a feeling it will not be too long before it happens!

4/5

Track List:

Ungodly Hour

Torn

Game

War Crime

Saint

Heaven’s Gate

Blacklash

Merchant of Death

Self-Deliverance

Cyanide Salvation

Violent Redemption

Members:

JK- Vocals

Nikhil- Leads

Vishnu - Bass

Rohit - Drums

Erdh - Resilient - 7 Track E.P - Altered End/Season of Mist Distribution - Released 29th March 2013

Erdh

Resilient

7 Track E.P

Altered End/Season of Mist Distribution

Released 29th March 2013

 Plenty to think about here - Check out Erdh!

Written for www.Brutalism.com

Erdh – Paris, France

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/project.erdh

Genre: Cinematic Metal

In the bands own words:

“Erdh's debut album "Resilient" is a series of seven tracks which read as so many mazes, structure shifts, meandering paths, ebbing and flowing. Those expressive, straightforward metallic core grids are suffused with experimental electro abstraction. The final scene mingles digital effects, overdrive and a sepulchral voice. The oil is cold, it spreads methodically and its borders are unpredictable. Forget about uni-vocality: in a dark introspective space, the sound is robot-like and mouths a threat, the origin and outcome of which remain mysterious”

Science Affliction

The unparalleled, dramatic and impacting effect this track has on you when you listen will leave you scraping your jaw off the floor! The constantly shifting patterns of powerful digital effects are paramount to the bands cinematic sound and as they themselves say, the borders are unpredictable and they were not joking! It holds an addictive teasing and delivers big on satisfaction.  

Pink Circuit

Rich in copious amounts of pumping rhythms that twist themselves around a distorted robotic vocal.  It’s repetitive up to a certain point, but the stabbing jangles of rhythmic pulses give it a good balance, so it does not become too monotonous and has enough spark to keep the attention ignited.

Oxidized

Again dramatic but this time explosive as the madness builds to such a degree of magnitude it just smacks you around the head and sets itself up to be a monumental track of textures and tones that fuse together in such a way you cannot fail to be impressed. It has imagination and aggression which holds no bounds.

Erdh

(O.D) Dity in Neverland

Impacting atmospheric sound that contains a chanting type of vocal to a hard pumping rhythm and a female sampled voice. The incidental waves of buzzing and ice cold notes feed into the track and pumps it up so adding a perfect balance of atmospherics and dark intrigue.

Resilient

The title track to the album springs to life with a striking tonal guitar and constant pummelling whilst the vocal holds a certain angst to it. Although the damming laughs show confidence and power as they gnarl impressively around a swaggering rhythm that on reaching its peak, then plummets suddenly and dips into a cinematic sound which is then interrupted by a harmonic effect vocal, all of this gives the track plenty of edge and scope.

Codex Atrox

This track has some obvious black metal attached to it. The fast crescendo of pummelling beats, sway of electric guitar, demonic vocal with a wind tunnelling echo are the perfect diversion. The fast hypnotic rhythms are impressive and flow seamlessly, whilst the sound that simulates a humming is so haunting, you would swear you were watching a deeply disturbing horror movie and the setting is reminiscent of a lunatic asylum with lots of twisted minds at work.

Sinking

Again a hypnotic rhythm with a robotic monotone vocal feeds the track, but do not take anything for granted with Erdh. They love messing with the mind and conjuring up beastly concepts within their fiery brand of cinematic metal, so much so that the fluctuations of energy packed within their vibrant cores, will evoke certain reactions that can sometimes be distracting as there is a lot contained within them, but keep your wits about you, there is never a dull moment!

To Sum up:

I am seeing a lot more bands using the term ‘Cinematic’ in their genres and this is not a bad thing, adding to the already bulging bag of multi genres that are already out there, which is good news for the listener as there is now more to get your aural around, but the journey may be hard for some people to follow as it is quite unusual, so you need to get your ‘broad horizon’ head on.  Some of the cinematic sequences are subdued whilst other parts, the magnitude unleashed is monumental, so for me it’s a good balanced listen. The clever vocal additions and the wild drumming offers plenty of intrigue and will definitely appeal to many who like something varied to get their head around.

4½/5

Track List:

Science Affliction

Pink Circuit

Oxidized

O.D Dity in Neverland

Resilient

Codex Atrox

Sinking

Members:

Nicolas Pingnelain (Obsküre) Composition, Programming, all Instruments

Emmanuel Lévy (Wormfood, Carnival in Coal, the Lovotics) - Vocals & Lyrics

Ten Cent Toy - Off the Grid - 10 Track Album - Released June 2012

Ten Cent Toy

Off the Grid

10 Track Debut Album

Released June 2012

Off the Grid! - More like off the scale!

Ten Cent Toy – Newport/Cardiff

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/tencenttoy

Buy the album and Merch here:

http://www.tencenttoy.bigcartel.com/

Genre: Punishing New School Metal

The debut album ‘Off the Grid’ was released in June 2012 from metaller’s Ten Cent Toy who are now geared up and ready to play the Southport Festival on the 25^th May 2013. From the Newport/Cardiff area, Ten Cent Toy bring you their latest offering since releasing their E.P Manipulate in 2008.

The Welsh quintet consists of the voice – Kev Davies, Fingers – Drums, Pit Worker – Bass, Curz, - Guitar and Tom Damsell – Guitar and have been gaining recognition since 2006, playing their highly crafted, unrelenting metal and growing their fan base through energetic and lively performances across the board from Newport their hometown, to the Klagenfurt Metal Festival in Austria.

Ten Cent Toy are out again on the attack and with their passion for gut busting sheer aggression conveyed in their tracks they are sure to pick up many more recruits along the way.

The Works

Contains a lot of fuelled aggression that carries you along on a caustic acid bath of rhythms, as tempestuous as they are, the listener will immediately be hooked on continuing the ride. Coaxing you into highly infectious, pumping temptation this track delivers on all accounts with plenty of emotive ferocity and inflamed guitar riffs.

Jayu

Mutated beats interlock with a constant passion of rhythmic flurries and a scornful vocal offers a strong satisfaction for getting rid of pent up anger as it breathes its unusual flavour of metal with a corrosive aggression straight to the ailing brain of the listener, with an intense derision of power.

Drone

A gnarly beat and fearsome rhythm comes pounding at a rate of knots showing an invigorating malevolence that is as catchy as it is inspiring. It erodes the senses like a good drug that is fed intravenously and will have you hooked and wanting more.

Ten Cent Toy

Baptised

A very creative track with powerful drumming and scathing guitar riffs that simply, but ferociously lacerate the ears and has a good pulsating sway attached to it. Housing a compelling melody that sucks you into it like a black hole. Beckoning you with a bony finger and commanding with fiery intensity. – Compelling listen!

One above all

More bombastic energy here that should have every metal head excited with a ruse of rampant enthusiasm, as wave after wave of caustic energy sizzles past the ears in an attempt to dent the armour – this does more than dent, it simply melts everything in its path!

Contemptible

Another highly charged creation from Ten Cent Toy totally badass! Virulent and infectious, it carves an evocative path to the aural and literally steals the breath away with its top of the range assault – this is deliciously intense and delivers with no mercy!

Last Word

A good strong bass bubbles under the weight of an unusual pumping rhythmic guitar – that has more catch than a fisherman’s net! Its delivery is savage and compellingly potent. This band does not hide behind their music they live and breathe through it! Scintillating and thrilling track!

Time in Memorial

The massacre is not over yet! This track simply explodes into a ferocious array of menacing rhythms, monumental vocal and strong bass lines.  It is not just warm it’s blisteringly hot with an addictive metal groove that not only runs but chews through its core, creating a dark intensity that is rich in texture and resoundingly delivers once again!

Sold into a Lie

With an infectious swagger this track pushes everything out of its way with utter aggression that is contained within its ferocious rhythms. The jagged riffs will rip you apart! Impacting vocals and a sneaky bass hook helped along by fuelled up riffs, create an intense pattern of imagination that is simply drenched in driven aggression.

Off the Grid

A melodic swathe of rhythms intensifies as the track continues, the tremendous blast beats resonate through the gut via the speakers and you can feel the pulsing in your ears as the metal hits with each strike of the guitar. Vocally antagonistic with lashings of urgency. Another superb track that wages war on the listener's senses.

To Sum up:

This is one epic adventure from start to finish.  It takes you on a never ending journey of pure brutality and if you are lucky enough to return from the adventure be it battered and bruised, will have gotten to know Ten Cent Toy a whole lot better!

This album awakens the senses and is a remarkable and expressive piece of writing. The catchy ‘Last Word’ justs highlights the band’s extreme diversity whilst ‘Sold into a Lie’ is bone crushingly superb, in fact there is nothing on this album that’s doesn’t contain something brutal! It is solid and monumental in offering the listener a nice savage dose of metal!

A highly pleasurable listen that leaves one saddened that the journey has ended, with the ringing intensity in your ears as the musical exploits stop, is just unbearable... only one thing for it – Repeat!

10/10

Track List:

The Works

Jayu

Drone

Baptised

One above all

Contemptible

Last Word

Time in Memorial

Sold into a Lie

Off the Grid

Members:

Kev Davies - Vocals

Paul ‘Curz’ Curzon - Guitars

Tom Damsell - Guitars

Pit Worker - Bass

Wayne ‘Fingers’ Jones - Drums

*With special thanks to Andy at Nazgul Management/PR

Matt Goodall featuring James Bowman - John Doe - 10 Track Album - Released 17th May 2013

Matt Goodall

Featuring James Bowman

John Doe

10 Track Album

Released 17th May 2013

The superb new album - John Doe!

Matt Goodall – Widnes

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/matthewjgoodall

Listen here:

https://soundcloud.com/matt_goodall

Genre: Ambient/Electronica

More about Matt Goodall:

Matt Goodall was born the 23rd of August 1984 in a town called Widnes, and has studied music all of his life in all forms so far. He joined numerous bands throughout these years, being mainly heavy metal and death-core and his influences for his current ventures include Depeche mode, David Bowie's outside album and N.I.N.

More about James Bowman

James has always been very much into rock, Avenged Sevenfold, Black Stone Cherry and Slipknot, it was only until he was learning how to score orchestral music that he really had an appreciation for what he could do with the two together.  Since then he has always tried mixing electric guitars with full orchestral pieces.  As for places he has lived: He was born in London but only stayed there a year before moving to Eastbourne, then Maidenhead, Cornwall and finally West Sussex.  Always following his dad for work, the family are now happy where they are and hopefully won't be moving anytime soon!

Exodus of Reason

A deep ambient and majestic rhythm plays and is then interrupted by a combination of powerful and emotive beats and layered rhythms that flow energetically creating a full on blend of magic as it weaves its path of consistent and innovative sounds.  It is highly compelling and multi-faceted as well as distinctive.  There are no vocals but this track does not need them as it more than whets the appetite allowing the listener to immerse themselves in some hard to resist passages of balanced forward thinking melodies and almost immediately as the track finishes you find yourself repeating the track only to be thrown into its deep and intriguing realms once again – superb track!

Machines of Regret

Shrill and haunting with distortion in abundance this track forcibly makes itself heard.  It is thought provoking and really conjures up some wild images leaving their mark on the mind. Embellished with remarkable ambiance and a subdued beat it still possesses a dark and creative side with varying strengths of imagination all contained within its notes of passion played to perfection.

Segway

This track brings to mind a two wheeled battery powered invention made for once person to get around on and is thought to be a ‘green’ invention, created by Dean Kamen – one must have an extremely good sense of balance to work one though! Or so I am led to believe!  However, this track holds its balance of deep resonating notes and is just 1 minute and 16 seconds long – about the same time it takes for someone to fall off a Segway!

Machines of Fire

Not a fiery track at all as its title would suggest. It plods on a regimented beat until the synth kicks in and then a smouldering begins unleashing a rhythmic emotion but never reaches full fire mode, which I feel would have really given this track a good bite, however what it lacks in fire it makes up for with a beautiful innocence and is a reflective piece of music.

No! this is not Ozzy! It is the amazing genius Matt Goodall

Bright Light

This track reminds me of a drill - its harsher textures burrowing deep into fertile ground amid a startling jangle of mournful strings that build at a reasonable pace allowing the listener to fully appreciate its grandeur. The keys really lay the foundations to this melodic passage. Its highly dramatic stance is obvious within its strong emotional beats that pound constantly gaining the track more intensity – highly powerful and jarring to the subconscious. A beautiful piece of music that has to be savoured at all costs.

Darkness Fear Solitude Hope

Intriguing build-up of strangely unusual sounds and sequences that turn into an echoing landscape of colourful dream like piano that is awash with startling yet at the same time, subdued passion. Its eerie creepiness portrayed within the playing ambiance of deeper sounding notes embellish the ears with a resounding emotional flavour of higher pitched piano keys and finishes with a monotone humming – this is truly spectacular!

Hypocrisy

Crisp and melodic strings melt timelessly into soft keys with a melancholic flavour of sadness.  It then turns wild and powerful building again but at a slow pace gathering a raw intensity, and blossoms into some strong and impacting rhythms that are compelling. The versatility is breath taking and infectious with the stabbing drum beats it propels itself into one rhythmic colourful sound scape of pure genius, finishing off with some simple piano keys. Again a superb listen.

Waken

Another crisp beginning of strings that flow effortlessly into a superb array of shrill keys. It holds a perfect pitch and balances out with a soft drum beat. It is again creepy and gives the feeling of a surreal and wistfully chilled ambient musicianship. Diverse and most definitely attention grabbing in the sense of opening up the mind to broaden its horizons. Offering a more psychedelic, classical feel of elegance that is truly rich in textures that slowly build into a rich musical tapestry of deftly played and produced notability.

Machines of Regret feat. James Bowman

This track is absolutely stunning with an added vocal. It really brings it to life and adds to the balance for a much richer sound content. It is already a moving track but now totally melts the heart of the listener, giving it a raw edge of even more striking quality.  Its sounds fluctuate into a sea of haunting melodies and constantly equals a high quality listen.

The remarkable voice of James Bowman

Sands feat. James Bowman

The violin is superb and the surrounding sound accompaniment and vocals add intrigue and balance to another highly compelling listen. Its classical orchestral components are resoundingly strong and intense. It weaves its magic throughout the track in all its symphonic beauty. Lavish with plenty of melodic rhythms and stirs up interest from the beginning to the very end.

To Sum up:

I get a lot of varied stuff to listen to it has to be said, but until now I have not been sent anything to match this. I cannot compare it to anything I have heard before. It is extremely new and exciting. Not that I will ever get bored of metal in any way, shape or form, but this is a most welcome change, receiving something that is so far removed from metal it is off the scale!

For a guy who has played raucous heavy metal and wild death-core all his life, it is hard to imagine this album was created by the very same person (or Persons) offering such a diverse range.  Powerfully mesmerising and clearly both Matt Goodall and James Bowman are superb musicians. This album will stir emotions you never thought existed inside you. It hits the spot like a cold beer on a summer’s day, or in my case a cold orange juice! Ten tracks of resounding quality, perfectly calibrated to sheer and utter perfection.

It makes me wish I had carried on with the piano for sure – to be able to sit down and create such wonderful work has to be a gift for sure. I can only imagine, that played live it would be a fantastic gig to attend and of course very diverse from heavy metal and death-core! – The opposite end in fact.

Well done Matt and James you have created a truly superb masterpiece that is not only very diverse and dramatic but innovative too! And keeps its interest throughout all ten tracks. This has to be rated at a perfect 10 to give any less would be a total sin. PERFECTION to the highest degree of quality from creation to production. It does not get any better than this!

10/10

Track List:

Exodus of Reason

Machines of Regret

Segway

Machines of Fire

Bright Light

Darkness Fear Solitude Hope

Hypocrisy

Waken

Machines of Regret feat. James Bowman

Sands feat. James Bowman

Members:

Matt Goodall - Keyboards, Piano, Guitar, Drum Programing

James Bowman - Keyboards, Vocals, Violin, Guitar, and orchestral arrangement on tracks 9 and 10

Additional Credits - Jim Free tracks 4 and 7 Mastering and post production. All other Tracks Mastered and Post Produced by Matt Goodall

Software and equipment used:

Cubase

Cinematic Guitars

M Audio

Kontakt

Vanguard

Z3ta

EZDrummer

Guitar Rig

Logic

Sibelius