Having released an extraordinary debut album called “Hellstone” in 2007, which took a lot of folks into heavy and rock music by surprise with its vital and high-octane stoner-post-rock combination, the Portugal-based four piece known as Men Eater have done it again and are back with a sophomore work called “Vendaval” that proves to be even more potent, dynamic and refined than the first one.
The pungent rage and irreverence of their previous release is still present, though there’s a developed maturity and a new dynamism in their song writing that reveals a deeper focus on verse-chorus-verse structures and confers a sense of immediacy to their songs. Men Eater have fined-tuned their skills to near excellence and their music roars like the engine of a muscular Mustang V8 running at 6000rpm, it’s gritty, high-powered and full of killer riffs, and you can almost feel that energy popping out of the speakers. Just listen to opener “First Season”, a nasty theme brimming with groove and swagger, revolving around gargantuan and fuzz-laced riffs that reminded me of Corrosion of Conformity at their highly corrosive and infectious period, that’s around “Deliverance” for me. Following themes, “Heartbeating Locomotiva” and “Man Hates Space” aren’t as ear-grabbing as the opener but come out with a similar impetus, both laden with a sludgy-southern-rock vibe, largely thanks to the ultra-heavy, contagious and Sabbath-style riffs provided by guitarists Miguel Correia and Carlos Azeitona. Miguel Correia also handles the band’s vocalisations and it’s admirable to see how far he has progressed with his voice, which could be described as a cross between Fu Manchu’s Scott Hill and COC’s Pepper Keenan.
After a two minute doom-flavoured instrumental called “Quatero” surges “Drunk Flies Drugged Souls” my favourite song from the whole album, a driving theme wonderfully balanced between hard and thick guitar riffs and gentler melodies meandering into progressive rock. The Hammond keyboards nicely inserted at the end coupled with some bluesy guitar leads gives the song a very psychedelic and progressive edge that’s extremely invigorating.
The denser and Isis-inspired ambiences that permeated the atmosphere of some songs from their debut like “Lisboa” and “Redsky” are still audible here, but while those influences would surface as isolated exercises of strummed chords and calmer atmospheres in their past effort, nowadays they’re masterfully integrated in small bits throughout most of the songs featured here.
Bottom line, “Vendaval” is a great album that confirms Men Eater as one of the best and most talented acts the Portuguese scene has to offer. (8/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/meneaterdoom
Label info: www.myspace.com/ragingplanetrecordsportugal

With dark ambiences, tribal percussion, psychedelic sounds, hypnotic rhythms and a crushing heaviness, “With Echoes in the Movement of Stone” is an engaging and rare musical experience.
On their third full-length work, Chicago’s Minsk have created a sound that could be described as all of their own, clearly distinguishing themselves from the overcrowded post-metal movement that have become quite popular in the last few years. Their songs still evoke a fervent and raw edge similar to Neurosis, yet they seem to go a step further with Minsk adding more variety to them by meshing diversified layers and textures. As a consequence “With Echoes in the Movement of Stone” is a demanding and intricate record, containing plenty of details and distinct emotions, but without ever falling into the let's-fuck-up-some-heads approach that some bands opt just for the sake of puzzling the listeners. The fluidity of the songs is vital to Minsk and on “With Echoes in the Movement of Stone” they ebb and flow as if they were alive, with bursts of primal savagery deftly intertwined with moments of atmospheric subtlety. On opener “Three Moons” such pendulous trait is heavily accentuated with the band oscillating between harsh, heavy riffs and bleak melodies, and the voice of Tim Mead come into a combination of enraged shouts and mournful cries that sound almost like shamanistic chants.
Following song, “The Shore of Transcendence” has a heavy 70’s psychedelic vibe to it, not too dissimilar to acts like Iron Butterfly or The Doors’ “The End”. The drummer Tony Wyioming does an excellent work by playing idiosyncratic and tribal drum patterns to build a drowsy and slow rhythm that meshes incredibly with slow-burning and down-tuned riffs, Arabic scales, wind synth effects and Hammond-generated psychedelia. “Almilra's Premonition” surges next in a similar dreamy and sluggish pace, emanating a soothing atmosphere that would not be out of place on the most depressive doom album you know.
Musically, the band is definitely tighter than ever as the songs are perfectly crafted, clearly the consolidation of everything Minsk has been aiming for all along.
(8/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/minsk
Label info: www.relapse.com
Distributed in Portugal by www.majorlabelindustries.com

Italy’s Allhelluja are back with their third full length work in three years and even though the band have lost two key pieces since the release of their last album “Pain is the Game,” the new piece doesn’t deviate too significantly from the style and themes prevalent on their previous releases. I confess was a bit dubious of how this album would sound without guitarist Massimo Gajer and vocalist Jacob Bredahl, but following a few spins I must concur that “Breath your Soul” is a very enjoyable work that encompasses some improvements to their writing style. Perhaps the most notable change resides in the vocal department. Jacob Bredahl was unquestionably a great and eclectic vocalist that would be hard to match, and I guess remaining members bassist Roberto Gelli and drummer Stefano Longhi knew exactly that, that’s why they have decided to replace him with two new vocalists, namely Trevor from Sadist and Gianluca Perotti from Extrema, who have injected a renewed sense of enthusiasm and energy into Allelluja’s music. The dual vocal delivery between Trevor who provides furious and enraged growls and Perotti who hands over a more laid-back and whiskey-soaked performance, is rather striking for most of the time and gels pretty well with the groovy, thrashy and rocking instrumentals supplied by the rest of the band. The overall mood of “Breath your Soul” is slightly more relaxed and sludgy when compared to its predecessor with new guitarist Tommy Massara also from Extrema churning out killer and catchy riffs, harnessing the furious power of Pantera, the chugging groove of Clutch and the monolithic vibe of Tony Iommi into a cohesive and infectious whole. Indeed this new album packs a handful of hefty and grove-filled themes like “Face to Face with the Devil,” “My Medicine,” and “I Will Rise Again” that fans of COC, Crowbar and Pantera will most likely enjoy.
I know it might seem a bit odd to see an Italian act peddling a style of music so deeply entrenched in North-American standards, but don’t forget that the Italians were responsible for some of the best western movies ever made. (7/10)

Band info: www.allhelluja.com
Label info: www.scarletrecords.it

It’s not easy to tie Long Distance Calling down to one particular genre or style of music. While it might be tempting to place the German act right along post-rock groups like Mogway and Explosions in the Sky due to the absence of vocals, a closer and deeper inspection to “Avoid the Light” reveals that Long Distance Calling has a great deal more to offer. Their songs explore a vast array of different patterns and sounds like dark-ambient, post-rock, progressive rock and metal, all masterfully merged in equal measures as there’s no single genre overly standing out from the others. Their sophomore work is intelligent and deliberately calibrated affair from start to finish, they know how to rock hard like in a good portion of “Sundown Highway”, but also know how to create sonic ambiences of a rare beauty like for instance in “I Know You, Stanley Milgram!” The remaining 4 themes featured here also have their own flair and texture, the opening song “Apparitions” spanning over 12 minutes is a superb amalgamation of dark ambiences, melodic guitar picking, slightly dissonant riffs, psychedelic passages and potent and progressive drumming.
The second track, “Black Paper Planes,” is shorter in length than its predecessor, but is equally diverse with plenty of crescendos leaning towards post-rock with a progressive edge. “The Nearing Grave” is a song that stands out for having vocalisations, courtesy of Jonas Renske from Swedish act Katatonia. It’s a superb song with a dark atmosphere and memorable vocal harmonies, though I’m tempted to believe that Long Distance Calling wrote this song specifically for Jonas Renske fragile and comatose voice ‘cause it actually sounds like a Katatonia theme.
Although “Avoid the Light” isn’t overly groundbreaking, it is a rather good and enjoyable record from a group that reveal a surprising affinity for dynamism which makes it difficult to determinate their exact origins. (7/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/longdistancecalling
Label info: www.superballmusic.com

On September 29 I’ll finally get the chance to hear the long awaited new album from Alice in Chains, “Black Gives Way to Blue,” their first recording with new singer William DuVall, who has the difficult task of taking over the band’s vocals following the death of original vocalist Layne Staley in 2002. Vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell along with drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez are trying to bring the band back to life following a successful tour in 2006 and hopefully get a second chance with DuVall as lead singer.
“Black Gives Way to Blue” was recorded with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) at Studio 606 in Northridge, California and Henson Studios in Hollywood, and features 11 themes, including the lead single "A Looking In View," which is a classic Alice in Chains song to this scribe. The riffs are massive and incredible memorable, the trademark vocal harmonies have the strength to linger in consciousness for who knows how long and the voice of DuVall is awesome and mighty powerful. I must confess I was slightly sceptical about the validity of an Alice in Chains without the charismatic voice of Staley, but after hearing the first themes already made public, the aforementioned “A Looking In View" and “Check my Brain,” I have the felling that “Black Gives Way to Blue” won’t disappoint me and neither will disappoint other Alice in Chains fans out there. Yes! I’m a massive Alice in Chains fan and I’m anxiously waiting for September 29 to get my hands on their new work.

Alice in Chains - A Looking In View

With an extremely exciting third album entitled “With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone” receiving worldwide critical appraisal, Chicago’s psychedelic metal experimentalists Minsk are poised to break into the big league and become one of the most creative and interesting acts extreme music has ever spawned. Their music has the power to stir up the senses of many levels: the cerebral, the emotional, the psychological, etc… as demonstrated on the follow-up to “The Ritual Fires of Abandonment”. We’ve approached the group by e-mail to understand more about “With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone” and vocalist Timothy Mead agreed to be the interlocutor.

With a new album recently issued to promote on the road entitled “With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone”, Chicago’s Minsk have completed their first-ever European tour last May with Poland’s Ketha as supporting act. How did that go?

“The tour was great. It was our first trip to Europe, and we were overwhelmed in every sense. It was an absolute thrill for us to meet people across the ocean who were interested in what Minsk is doing. Ketha was great, really great guys and a great young band. The tour was thrown together very quickly and at the last minute, and still there were good crowds, lots of interest, amazing hospitality. If we had tried that in the States, it would have been a totally different experience. We can't wait to come back to Europe in the fall with A Storm of Light.”

The tour started with a performance at the Roadburn festival in Holland. Did you enjoy the experience at Roadburn? It seems that Minsk’s performance had caused a strong impact on the audience, Steve Von Till from Neurosis for example has posted the following message at Beyond the Pale at Roadburn blog: “Arrived this morning... who needs sleep? It is so good to be here. Just watched Minsk. They were awesome!”

“The whole festival was unreal. I cannot imagine a more perfect setting for this type of festival. Great bands, relaxed atmosphere, great sound, IN HOLLAND! Walter and his army of hard working staff make the whole thing run so smoothly. I can't say enough about that. There are no attitudes or other things that ruin other festivals. It was great. We were surprised at the impact our performance had as well. The room was full of enthusiastic supporters, and we met so many people there who were happy that we'd come. It was humbling to be among such great bands from all over the world. And any time you can get a complement from SVT, well, that's just plain awesome.”

Long time collaborator and Yakuza’s vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Bruce Lamont have accompanied Minsk on this recent European jaunt playing saxophone and other instruments live. What was like having Lamont on board to play with the band? Did you have to re-think some of the songs to play them live and incorporate his musical input?

“Playing with Bruce is always a joy for us. As you mentioned, he's played on a lot of our recorded material, and he's played live with us several times in the States as well. But this was the first time he did an entire tour with us. It went very very well, and it's something we hope to be able to do again, especially in Europe. But to answer your question, no we don't ever really have to rethink too much when Bruce plays with us. He knows our music, and he understands what we are doing artistically. He always finds a way to be a part of that when he performs with us. But as the tour went along, it was really exciting for us to begin to gel as a unit more and more. Once everyone was comfortable playing with each other night after night, Bruce was able to step forward more and add other elements. I hope we get to do it again soon.”

While playing live, since the music is so demanding, how hard is it to replicate in a live setting? Do you think the songs from the new record are more challenging to play live?

“The songs are always challenging to replicate, to an extent. These are songs we've written, and so they feel natural to us in a way. But they are also demanding, as you say, with lots of elements happening simultaneously, etc. To get that mixture perfect does take some time for us. But we also don't view what we do live in exactly the same way as the recorded material. I think it would be extremely neurotic and unfulfilling for us to try to put forth exactly what you hear on the album night after night. Sometimes the live material resembles the recorded material, and sometimes it strays. When it strays, those are sometimes the most thrilling experiences for us performing. For me, the new songs are a bit more challenging still, because they are new still. In the long run, I think these songs present the same sorts of challenges and possibilities that the older songs do.”

“With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone” seems heavily accentuated on dynamics, constantly contrasting between passages of psychedelic and melodic subtlety and violent bursts of primal aggression. I'm curious to know if the band starts the writing of a new record with some conversation and conceptualization between all of you or if one of you basically starts showing up at rehearsals with new ideas. In your opinion what was done differently this time around?

“I think our writing process is a little bit of everything that you mention. Sometimes there are conversations, sometimes there are simply musical ideas. But every song comes together in its own way. It seems like we definitely have ideas in mind about the concepts and dynamics of each album as we're working on it, but ultimately it just comes out the way it does, and we follow that path for a while. I think our subconscious motivations, fears, and head spaces determine these as much, if not more, than our intentions... in terms of the larger dynamics and moods of each album. As for "With Echoes...", we prepared as much as possible before the sessions, and then began the second aspect of the writing which takes place in the studio. This time around, we did the album in fewer longer sessions, rather than several shorter ones, and I feel that we were better prepared before entering the studio in some way. The entire process felt shorter to me, though I'm sure it was equally as gruelling as the last one for Sanford as a producer.”

With each new album, do you find the process of writing and composing songs to be easier and more natural, or do you find it increasingly more difficult to keep a fresh approach, without rehashing ideas from the past?

“I'm not sure if I can give a clear answer to that question. To me, writing seems both as natural and difficult as it did in the beginning. I'd like to think that we've matured as individuals and song writers since then, but I think we get just as wrapped up in that challenge as we used to. We have always just enjoyed the music that happens when we get together, and that is still the case. It still feels natural, without too much worry about what it sounds like or if ideas are reused. It is always challenging to try to put forth something better than the last thing you did, but that's also the joy. For me, I feel that we have managed to do that thus far. That matters more than the subjective and varied ways that people are going to receive it.”

“With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone” was once again produced by bassist and rising producer Sanford Parker at Volume studios. There’s an obvious advantage of having someone in band that has a vast experience as producer and owns his own recordings studios like Sanford, it means that you can record new songs whenever you feel like it. Is that the case or do you still like to commit new songs to tape only after they’re fully developed at rehearsals?

“Yes, it is a great luxury to have a producer in the band. Sanford is amazing at what he does, and he completely understands and is invested in what Minsk does. Bands dream of having that kind of relationship with the person that is going to produce their album. But so far for Minsk, we typically only record when we're working on an entire project, like a new album, or a vinyl release. The studio is a business, with bills to pay, and lots of bands coming and going. We always have enough time to do what we need, and unlimited access to Sanford, but studio time still costs the studio, and the band, some money.”

The enigmatic title of the record “With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone” seems to underlie a some kind of elaborated lyrical concept. Do you care to explain the themes behind the album’s lyrical work?

“I hesitate to say too much, because I honestly believe that the entire experience of the album paints a picture. My hope is that these words and this music are full of meaning, in many different ways at different times. Themes of loss and regret are certainly strong. Simultaneous opposites like fear and joy, suffering and triumph, are present. If we talk about what these lyrics "mean" and isolate them from the songs of which they are a part, then we're setting them aside as having value and significance on their own. They, we are trying to read them like a text, rather than a poem, a song. On this album, perhaps more than the previous ones, they present a continuum of emotion, hopefully something larger than isolated meaning, something richer that can continue to speak to us and to people who wish to dig deeper. It seems a ridiculous thing to hope for, I suppose.”

So what’s next for Minsk?

“Well, the album is out now, and we've just completed a tour of the western US with Wolves in the Throneroom and a trip to New York to play with Keelhaul and Unearthly Trance, two of our absolute favourite bands. We'll be home for a few weeks before heading back to Europe in October for Damnation Fest in England and a three week tour of the UK/Europe with A Storm of Light. We're very excited about that. Then, we'll probably tour the eastern half of the US in the spring and begin planning our next trip back to Europe as soon as possible!”

More info at: www.myspace.com/minsk

Formed in 1993, industrial act Bizarra Locomotiva have been gradually garnering a cult status in their homeland-Portugal, partly due to their eloquent and disconcerting live performances and partly due to the fact their music isn’t exactly tailored for the masses, which means only a few privileged ones will fully appreciate the clash of cold machinery with fervent and organic emotions revealed in their music. See, Bizarra Locomotiva’s approach to industrial music was always nonconformist and eccentric, perhaps not quite as experimental as say Whitehouse or Throbbing Gristle, but still broadly deviated from the beaten path. They inject large doses of riotous punk and roaring metal riffs into an electronic and mechanized framework and the end result places them sonically closer to someone like Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Godflesh and old Nine Inch Nails.
Their loyal fan base have patiently waited five long years for the release of the successor of their fourth full-length work “Odio” and one careful listen to their newest offering “Album Negro” proves that Bizarra Locomotiva’s most defining characteristics not only are intact they have also been grandly refined.
This new journey starts intensively with “Êxtases Doirados”, its militaristic beat serve as the vertebrae for guitarist Miguel Fonseca to expel vicious and fierce riffs and for vocalist Rui Sidonio to vociferate aggressively like a deranged freak. The following theme “Remorso” plods along at a similar pace and I guess that, now it’s appropriate to mention that Bizarra Locomotiva sing in Portuguese, an aspect that works remarkably well and expands their singularity. Sometimes growler, sometimes orator, singer Rui Sidonio is like a dark Moses leading the scum downwards into a dystopian underworld totally devoid of hope or redemption at the command of his distorted voice in the vein of Justin Boardrick and Jaz Coleman.
Another standout theme is “O Anjo Exilado”, which features Fernando Ribeiro from Moonspell as guest vocalist. It’s a blunt and straightforward song with a catchy refrain that will linger in consciousness for days.
“Album Negro” is an admirable effort from a group that have always managed to consistently improve with each successive release, without ever diluting the vitality and hunger of their early days and that is no mean feat considering they have been around for 15 years. (7.5/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com /bizarralocomotiva
Label info: www.myspace.com/ragingplanetrecordsportugal

One of the most positive aspects of writing for a music publication is definitely the chance to discover new groups and sounds from all over the world that most probably I’d ignore if it wasn’t for this humble little blog. Of course not everything that I come across is interesting and in numerous cases the works that drop by are plain average and some times even awfully amateurish. That’s not the case of Hate Fusion, a trio from Argentina that practises a melodic death-metal sonority with a strong Swedish influence. “Blinded by Hate”, their debut EP starts off with two engaging tunes, “Melted in the Darkness” and “The Kiss of the Vampire”, both of which invoke memories of Scar Symmetry essentially due to their massive and harmonically-driven riffs and the vocal dichotomy between harsh growls/rasps and crystalline melodies. The Argentinean act’s music definitely has a Swedish flair to it and throughout the remaining two songs we can also hear influences from other well known Swedish artists like Soilwork, At the Gates and In Flames. Although it’s a classic recipe that have been done to death before, the trio comprised of vocalist Fernando Nanni, guitarist Gustavo Kanazawa and drummer Federico Cano have nevertheless offered us a rather good blend of brutality and melody that should appeal to aficionados of the bands mentioned above. (6.5/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/hatefusion