WHITECHAPEL - This Is Exile

HELL-O Headbangers,

It looks like our friends at METAL BLADE records have done it again! Their recent acquisition, WHITECHAPEL, has just released a brutal new CD entitled This Is Exile. Combining the best elements of death metal, grind, and hardcore, this 6 piece from Tennessee (yeah, they have 3 guitarists!) writes some of the most neck-snapping songs that are guaranteed to give you whiplash.

This Is Exile centers around a strong sense of hatred against those in control. Blasphemous misanthropic lyrics are dominant on most tracks, with a slight deviance on the last few instrumental tracks which lean toward a dark atmospheric and almost psychedelic realm. The vocals range from the extremely gutteral to psychotic screams, often layered together to create a demonic sound which compliments the heavy guitar riffs, and thundering drum beats.

 Track Listing:

1 - Father Of Lies

2 - This Is Exile

3 - Possession

4 - To All That Are Dead

5 - Exalt

6 - Somatically Incorrect

7 - Death Becomes Him

8 - Daemon (The Procreated  

9 - Eternal Refuge

10 - Of Legions          

11 - Messiahbolical

sources:

http://www.metalblade.com/english/artists/whitechapel/bio.php

http://www.myspace.com/whitechapel

DETHKLOK live at the Nokia Theatre, NYC

Greetings Gorehounds,

It was my pleasure to have witnessed one of the most anticipated tours to enter NYC this year, on Wednesday June 25th, 2008. The DETHTOUR, featuring Soilent Green, Chimaira, and headliners Dethklok, has been crushing clubs all over America and now it was New York City's turn to behold the madness brought about by these 3 powerful metal acts.

Since the premiere of the Metalocalypse cartoon on Adult Swim back in 2006, many fans of metal music and adult cartoons alike have been eagerly awaiting this tour. In February of 2007, The Dethalbum CD exploded onto the Billboard 200 chart at #21, proving that there was a not only a huge fan base for Dethklok, but a demand for this music to be heard live. 

1st up was Soilent Green getting the crowd pumped with their unique blend of Death, Doom, Hardcore, and Blues. With 20 years of rocking experience, Soilent Green tore through their set list, exciting the crowd into an early frenzy with their mosh pit geared music.

Next up was Chimaira, who rocked the crowd with their old school death metal style that's coupled with a new school electronic sound. Their keyboardist added to the band's already heavy sound, setting them apart from the from the show openers, and foreshadowing the sonic bombardment that was yet to come.

After a long intermission, and plenty of equipment checking, Dethklok hit the stage. The band was comprised of Metalocalypse creator and master musician Brendon Small on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Keneally on backing vocals and guitar, Bryan Beller on backing vocals and bass, and the mighty Gene Hoglan on drums.

Dethklok performed for over an hour, playing in sync with the huge projection screen which showed the Metalocalypse cartoon charatcers singing and playing the songs we were listening to. Their sound was massive, and their light show was impressive. They played almost all the songs off the DethAlbum, stringing together 2 to 3 songs together at a time, then taking a short break while the projection screen showed more raw Metalocalypse footage. The entire experience was like watching 2 bands perform at once. On the stage were the real musicians who make the Dethklok music, and on the screen overhead, were the cartoon versions of Dethklok, performing as they do on the Metalocalypse show. This tour is a multimedia event that should not be missed. If they come to your town, do yourself a favor and get a ticket before they sell out. You won't be disappointed.

Now go forth and die!

Le' rue Delashay - THE CYCLE OF FIFTHS

“The Cycle of Fifths” is the 5th CD from the modern horror composer Le’rue Delashay. His most powerful solo release to date, "The Cycle of Fifths" transports the listener into a majestic amphitheater filled the most colorful symphonic sounds and most emotionally evocative orchestrations. Delashay delivers 12 tracks of classical compositions that surpasses any of the recent works of the top names in the industry today. Having honed his skills doing commercial work for Haunted House attractions, multi-media applications, television, and of course horror films, He demonstrates an uncanny ability to create such menacing music that will surely send chills down your spine and terrify your imagination. 

“The Cycle of Fifths” marks the next step in musical composition for Le 'rue Delashay as he  unleashes a new element to his music, a digital female voice whom he refers to as Donna. Delashay has masterfully manipulated Vocaloid's Prima program to create some of the most realistic vocal arrangements I’ve ever heard, adding yet another layer of realism to his orchestrations. His synthetic soprano can be heard soloing on the track entitled "Dreaming of You" (which you can listen to on his MySpace page). Also featured on this CD is the score for end credits to the horror film THE HOMECOMING, which is brilliantly arranged to move the listener through several tension building moods within a short time span, then finally resolving into a melancholic end.

I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys Classical Music or Orchestral Soundtracks. It's a fantastic journey through the vast spectrum of symphonic sounds and emotions. 

Rating: 4 Skulls

Track Listing:

1 - Exordium Eram Sententa (MP3 teaser)

2 - The Exodus of Duality (MP3 teaser)

3 - Through the Valley of Death (MP3 teaser)

4 - Augustus (MP3 teaser)

5 - Her Ladies Roses

6 - She's Resting in Pieces

7 - The Homecoming

8 - Walpurgisnacht

9 - An Evening Eclipse

10- Death and Rebirth

11- Dreaming of You

12- The Age of Legends

sources:

http://www.leruedelashay.com/

http://www.myspace.com/leruedelashay

SPECTRUM X – Darkest Night Ever

What do you get when you mix the ferocity of BILE, the deadly delicacy of KMFDM, and the dark aura of MARILYN MANSON?  You get the Italian psycho industrial band SPECTRUM-X. Consisting of Nullifier X and Candy Bones, SPECTRUM-X has earned a cult like status since the release of their 2007 CD “Tea Party With Zombies” (released by the Japanese Record label DARKEST LABYRINTH). Their latest full length release entitled “Darkest Night Ever” features 14 tracks of hard hitting, industrial chaos that leaves the listener with a feeling of tension and fear. The new heavier guitar sound can be attributed to Kiwamu of the band BLOOD, who lends his musical talents on this CD, creating a distinctly heavier sound than their previous release.

 The CD starts off aggressively but looses some of it's punch half way through. The drum programs become a bit too repetitive for me, and the song structures are just too simplistic. All and all, "Darkest Night Ever" is a good follow up for this up-and-coming Italian Industrial band. I give them 3 out of 5 skulls.

Track listing:

1. Darkest Night Ever

2. Unsane

3. Trick Or Treat(We're Coming To Your Town)

4. Tragic Toll

5. Gnomes Bones

6. Aloisa(Slumber Of Death)

7. Passage Into The Future

8. ElectroZombie

9. Can't Return Home

10 .Holograms Of Sorrow

11. Plasmic Snow

12. Electrostatic Forms

13. Spacial Grave Town

14. Refuge To An Eternal World

Sources:

http://www.spectrum-x.it/

http://www.myspace.com/spectrumx

http://www.vampirefreaks.com/spectrumx

THE YOUNG WEREWOLVES – Cheat The Devil

Philadelphia’s horror rockers THE YOUNG WEREWOLVES, have returned with their second full length release entitled “Cheat The Devil”. The trio have written thirteen tracks of new music blending the styles of rockabilly, psychobilly, surf, punk, garage and pop into their unique style of serpentine swing.

“Cheat The Devil” covers such horrific topics as Lycanthropy, The Devil, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, the Hammer Movie Monsters, and Aliens. There's a special appearance by none other than horror icon Sid Haig, (who is also the executive producer) narrating on the track entitled “Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde”. Mr. Haig also sports horns and dons the role of The Devil for the CDs cover photo. Scheduled for an April 15th release date, this will be distributed by Cargo Music. Look for it in a music store near you soon.

Track Listing:

1 – Hollywood

2 – Mischief Night

3 – Devil Dancer Girl

4 – Cheatin’ The Devil

5 – Run Away

6 – Fire

7 – Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

8 – Gala Monster Rally

9 – Satan’s Daughter

10 – Touched By A Demon

11 – Guns, Guns, Guns

12 – Shapeshifter

13 – Tattooed Aliens

Sources:

http://www.myspace.com/youngwerewolves

Le' rue Delashay - REVALATIONS OF WAVE & FORM

Greetings Ghouls,

Today I'd like to share with you all the magical music of the wonderfully wicked composer Le' rue Delashay. A truely gifted musician, Delashay writes some of the most haunting classical music I've ever heard. His 4th and most recent solo album "The Revelations of Wave & Form" is by far his most impressive release to date. Abandoning the electronic synthesizer sounds of his previous release, "Revelations" embraces the traditional ochestral voices, creating a more realistic symphonic sound and contriving many memorable themes akin to the works of Jerry Goldsmith (THE OMEN) or John Williams (STAR WARS).  

Le' rue Delashay's work has been featured on dozens of CDs, albums, and DVDs, as well Haunted Houses, Films, and commercial enterprises. Recently, Delashay has been composing music for films such as "33 Griffin Lane", "The Book of Lore", "The Deviants", and "Blood Deep" among others. Le' rue currently works as a technical advisor to some of Hollywood's elite composers, and also works as an Orchestrator in Los Angeles.

Rating: 4 skulls

Track List:

I.He Rides Through Hallows Eve

II. The Tower on the Hill

III.Once upon a Midnight Dreary.

IV. Sturm Und Drang

V. The Red Priest

VI. Piano Sonata in C#m, Op. 143

VII.The Revelations of Wave & Form

VIII. The Passage

IX. Coronation of the Wicked

X. The Russian Highlands

XI. In Mourning, Funereal

XII. Shadows Sphere

XIII. *Battle Hymn of the Apocalypse

XIV. Manifesting the Sorcerers Lore

XV. The Knight, Death, and the Devil

XVI. **Mv. from the Sonata "Pathetique"

VAN HELSING’S CURSE – Oculus Infernum

1-Patience (Intro)

2-Tubular Hell

3-All Fall Down

4-Let Me Prey

5-The Child

6-The Tortured Soul

7-Revenge

8-War

9-Let the Pain Begin

10-The Curse

11-Halloween

12-Cry Little Sister

VAN HELSING’S CURSE is a musical journey through a vast library of haunting compositions that transport the listener to the frightening world of the Van Helsings. Drawing inspiration from such familiar horror composers like Mike Oldfield (The Exorcist), Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen), John Carpenter (Halloween), VHC delivers a heavy, doom metal sound that when merged with their orchestral instruments creates the perfect balance between the genres of metal and classical, or as I like to call it Symphonic-Metal. The 18 piece VHC orchestra offers a wide range of music that will satisfy the young and old, and the classical and metal fans, alike.

Credited as being the mastermind behind VAN HELSING’S CURSE concept and story, Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER) has created a masterpiece with Oculus Infernum. Each track opens like a chapter to a story with a narrative from Snider. He tells the tale of the ongoing battle between the descendants of Van Helsing and the omnipotent Evil One.

The songs on Oculus Infernum are mostly instrumental, focusing largely on the featured soloists to determine the songs mood. In place of a vocalist, VHC utilizes choral arrangements sung in Latin by their druids to add another element of classical composition to their songwriting style. There is a creative rephrasing of song “Black Sabbath” which substitutes Ozzy Osbourne’s infamous lyrics with guitars, violins, and operatic vocals. There is also an excellent rendition of the song “Cry Little Sister” (a Goth fave made popular by the LOST BOYS soundtrack) where Dee Snider adds his vocal talents to the already massive sound of VHC, surpassing the original with their clever cover.