http://www.lethalconflict.com 10.12.2011
Alternative 4 – The Brink Digipack 2011 €12.00
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Duncan … 721?ref=mf
When I heard that Patterson was starting up a new rock-oriented band, I wasn’t sure how to react. With eight years passed since his last rock-related album, Antimatter‘s Lights Out, it was difficult to fathom just what to expect from this new band, whose name is derived from Patterson’s final album with Anathema before leaving to pursue other artistic horizons. What would a rock band sound like if the chief songwriter spent the greater part of a decade in folk and world music-based projects?
Well, at the risk of sounding corny and unimaginative, it would sound like Alternative 4. This international trio, hailing from Liverpool, La Plata, and Melbourne, is a melding of the creative minds who brought us not only Anathema, Antimatter, and Ion, but also Australia’s brilliant gothic metal giants The Eternal. Cinematic both in scope and performance, Alternative 4′s debut album The Brink brings together sweeping ambiance, contemplative, atmospheric rock, and a deep understanding of world folk and classical musics. Throughout The Brink reside thrilling, hair-raising bouts of Pink Floyd-ian progressive rock, velvety smooth strings, eerie, standalone piano, and the passion present throughout Duncan Patterson‘s discography. It is unmistakable that the brilliant mind that brought the world Alternative 4 and Eternity is the man behind The Brink, and it is evident in every element of this album.
Andromeda – Manifest Tyranny CD 2011 €13.00
http://www.last.fm/music/Andromeda
Sweden’s Andromeda with severals albums and tours under their belt is definitely one of the most successful progressive metal bands in Scandinavia and Europe. Albums like “Extension of the Wish”, “II=I” and “Chimera” are considered classics in the scene, and the DVD “Playing off the Board” shows how talented this Swedish guys really are. Stronger than ever Andromeda is here to show you something you have not heard before. Dark, brutal, energic and intelligent. This fall they’ve got festival appearances like Generation Prog, Denmark Rock Festival and Slottsskogen goes progressive lined up, and when the new album hits the shelves many more shows will be announced. Open your ears and you too will trancend into the multifaceted galaxy of Andromeda!
Cage – Supremacy of Steel CD 2011 €12.00
http://www.facebook.com/cageofficial
If you’re foolish enough to try and headbang along to the damaging dozen, you’re likely end up in the ER, suffering from self-imposed whiplash. Where’s that neck brace METAL CHURCH offered for sale in their eponymous debut? Think JUDAS PRIEST‘s “Painkiller”, twelve different ways. While some might complain about lacking variation in tempo (there is within each track), as it’s always on 10, not me! Even more so than the last two records, Peck stretches his vocal chords, adding layers to his Lon Chaney (Man Of A Thousand Faces) delivery: Black Metal growls (“King Of The Wasteland”), a newer / neutral tone and the eerie aping of that infamous corpse-painted Dane (“Annaliese Michel”). All would be for naught, if the music wasn’t as infectious as their previous five albums. In fact, parts of “Supremacy Of Steel” harkens back to “Unveiled” (the allegorical “Braindead Woman”), not bad for a band who will celebrate two decades of existence in 2012.
Massacre From Beyond Digipack reissue 2011 €13.00
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Massacre- … 5868519782
Originally released in 1991, From Beyond is a masterclass in death metal, regularly featuring in polls worldwide listing the best death metal albums of all time. The long-out-of-print album has been reissued on CD with four bonus EP tracks and comes housed in a limited edition digipak with extended artwork and a fold-out poster.
Theocracy – As the World Bleeds CD 2011 €13.00
http://www.facebook.com/theocracyband
Theocracy is a metal band from Athens, Ga., whose melodic style has more in common with their European contemporaries than with most of their U.S.counterparts. Characterized by huge choruses, epic arrangements and progressive elements, Theocracy‘s music is both immediate and deep, managing to be instantly catchy and memorable, yet revealing new levels of intricacy and depth with each subsequent listen.
Taas varastossa
Be’lakor – Stone’s Reach CD €9.00
Chain Reaction - Cutthroat Melodies CD €9.00
Persefone – Shin-Ken CD €9.00
