LICK - No Love

LICK - No Love

Written by Branimir Lokner
Monday, 29 June 2009

LICK " No Love "
( Self - released ) 2009.
CD - USA
Alter metal/rock/crossover

San Francisco band Lick have been performed around the national underground circuit almost 4 years.They are female-fronted act, but a key person in formation is guitarist and author Paul Allen . He was composer of complete album materials except two songs, lirically penned by singer Keri Campbell. Lick has offered an interesting amalgam of several performing and releasing options. Their music is a mixture of alter metal, Portished arrangments views, jazzy transformations, and many other things in-between. All of 7 tracks are different among them, but its structures comphrises a variety of untipical realizations. Some of songs were done in mid to mid-up tempo, others are pretty faster, but in general, a group sustain one authentic performing level. Productionally, "No Love" also satisfies, and we can say that finally a band has offered one modern product.

Rating : 7,5/10
C / o : www.myspace.com/lick

DEMOLISHED - Defleshing The Innocent

DEMOLISHED - Defleshing The Innocent

Written by Branimir Lokner
Saturday, 27 June 2009

DEMOLISHED " Defleshing The Innocent "
( Self - released ) 2009.
CD
Death metal - BELGIUM

Out of Limburg, Belgium comes a newer, very promising underground act, named Demolished. They were formed in 2005, and during the period of existence, they suffered from often personal changes. But, it seems that after a consolidation of line -up, a group has found a wanted formula.
Their actuelle debut "Defleshing The Innocent" introduced them as a death metal act, faithful to older schol and nearer to 90's variants.They have offered enough brutality, but also a few exsisting interesting ideas, we can find in its performing realizations. A band has sounded as a
coherent team, and specially some interesting performing ideas passed through its arrangments works. "Deflashing The Innocent" are consists of mainly equalizing materials with quite convinceble additionals of other releasing details too. "Deflashing The Innocent" is a good start for band, and recomandable issue for the followers of brutal and underground metal tendencies.

Rating :8,5/10
C / o : www.demolished.be
www.myspace.com/demolishedbe

THE UNDERSCORE ORKESTRA - No Money No Honey All We Got is Us

THE UNDERSCORE ORKESTRA - No Money No Honey All We Got is Us

Written by Branimir Lokner
Tuesday, 23 June 2009

THE UNDERSCORE ORKESTRA " No Money No Honey All We Got is Us "
( Self - released ) 2009.
CD - USA
Balkan music/klezmer/gypsy jazz/swing

Out of Portland, Oregon comes a band The Underscore Orkestra. Their activities are constantly in expansion, and practically they are 3 + year on stage, touring around a globe.A members from band comes from various backgrounds, but musically they are faithfull to one common view.
Their choice is balkan music, gypsy jazz, swing, klezmer, and some other ethno and traditional variants. A band has in line-up a skillful performers, and it's also important to say that psychologically, they accepts standardizations and normativities of ethno forms which belongs
to heritages of different national ( especially balkan ) musical roots. Even that present materials on its actuelle album "No Money No Honey..." communicate with various elements, which generally band includes in its repertoire, the members from group judging by performing realizations, mostly uses one "certain" option without exsistence of "unimportant" improvizations . They also didn' t experimentize, but that was their choice.
On the other hand " No Money No Honey... " also offers enough pleasent moments for potential listeners ear, and performing knowledge of members from band surelly helped them to put right thing on right place.

Rating : 7 /10
C /o : www.TheUnderscoreOrkestra.com
www.myspace.com/UnderscoreOrkestra

FISCHEL' S BEAST - Commencement

FISCHEL' S BEAST - Commencement

Written by Branimir Lokner
Tuesday, 23 June 2009

FISCHEL' S BEAST "Commencement"
( Cerberus Records ) 2008.
EP CD - USA
Heavy/power/thrash metal

Fischel' s Beast is another band with roots in the glory 80's. A group is fronted by guitar axeman Barry Fischel, who was a leader of a Sentinel Beast band, whose carrear briefly established in mentioned 80's. Sentinel Beast was recorded an LP, entitled "Depths Of Death", and mentioned issue soonly became a wanted collector's product. After the period of silence, with strong enthusiasm and energy, Barry Fischel finds a new inspiration, and with his actuelle band turns a new chapter."Commencement" is a newer edition, and this is an EP with 5 tracks in.
Musically, a band has offered one pretty 80's spiced heavy/power metal with some not so "loud" thrash includings. A songs looks as a materials whose orientations and conceptations reaches past periods, and more psychologically, as same as productionally, a group has sounded as a 80'a act. But, on the other hand, offering approach realistically introduces a band's capabilities. "Commencement" posses maybe a more 80's associations, than nowadays includings, and as a band Fischel's Beast is rather acceptable for the followers of older school variants.

Rating : 7 / 10
C / o : www.myspace.com/fischelsbeast

ETERNAL - Start Of A New Era

ETERNAL - Start Of A New Era

Written by Branimir Lokner
Tuesday, 16 June 2009

ETERNAL
" Start Of A New Era"
( Self - released ) 2009.
EP CD
Melodic metal/hard rock - SWEDEN

Eternal is a newer name on national melodic metal/hard rock circuit. A group was formed in 2007 year, but members in formation had a previous experience behind. As a title of its debut EP announced, "Start Of A New Era" reflects their actuelle stages . A band has introduced with 4 tracks in : "The Thing", "Cross The Line", "Stay The Night" and "Face The Truth". A present songs posses a modern productional threathenings, and good job is done by Peter Taggren, who succesfully finds a formula for group's offering materials. Musically, Eternal knows to remind on Graham Bonnet's Rainbow era, and its songs posses something of mentioned pastiche. But arrangments works are modernly threathed, and complete EP materials has sounded as a modern product too. "Start Of A New Era" is certainly a good start for the Swedish band, and their EP is a recomandable issue for the followers of newer/older melodic metal/hard rock tendencies.

Rating : 8 / 10
C / o : www.myspace.com/eternalsweden

HANSEL - Mission To Rock

HANSEL - Mission To Rock

Written by Branimir Lokner
Monday, 15 June 2009

HANSEL " Mission To Rock "
( Pussycat Records ) 2008.
EP CD - AUSTRALIA
Rock/glam/hard rock

Hansel are newer, but promising act in the world of sleaze/glam/hair metal world. They comes out from Newcastle, New South West, Australia, and works in quintet formation. During the previous year, a band has recorded an EP with 4 tracks in, entitled :Mission To Rock".
Musically, Hansel combines elements of glam/rock and hard rock, and its conception is faithful equally to 70's and 80's legacies. All positive elements from mentioned era, a group has taken in its approach. A songs are pretty melodic, but at the same time a full of positive energy and fine realizations. A production is rather modern, and I have to say, the members from band in skillful way knows how to connect influences from older period with newer psychology. "Mission To Rock" is recomandable EP from band who surely knows how to introduce its valuabilities.

Rating : 8,5/10
C / o : www.hanselsohotrightnow.com
www.myspace.com/hanselmusic

SOS - Adult Situations

SOS - Adult Situations

Written by Branimir Lokner
Sunday, 14 June 2009

SOS " Adult Situations"
( 3 : 16 Productions ) 2008.
CD
Metal/hardcore - USA

SOS are NYC band, active on underground scene from 1995 year. They have suffered from some personal changes during the period of exsistence, but their activities secured them a respectable status, not only in local circuit.A band has also released a 5 albums till now. "Adult Situations" is a actuelle one, where band has introduced themselves with 12 tracks in. Musically, SOS has accepted influences from 90's period, and mentioned era is their main inspiration. But. its views also touches some different fields, as a metal, hardcore, and also punk. They are also a melodic act, and present melodicity oftenly is in oposite with their agressivity and brutal performing realizations. Production is also nearer to one general 90's vision, than to nowadays options. " Adult Situations" mainly delivers equalizing materials, potentially interesting to 90's followers.

Rating : 7 / 10
C / o : www.sosnyc.com

TANTRUM TO BLIND - Tantrum To Blind

TANTRUM TO BLIND - Tantrum To Blind

Written by Branimir Lokner
Saturday, 13 June 2009

TANTRUM TO BLIND " Tantrum To Blind "
( Self - released ) 2009.
EP CD - SWEDEN
Melodic rock/pop

Out of Sweden comes a very young band, named Tantrum To Blind. They seriously started out in 2008 year, and soonly, a band has recorded a debut issue. This is an EP with 4 tracks in : "Rise And Fall", "Glory", "It All" and "Everdeny". Tantrum To Blind is female-fronted group, and its songs posses evident elements of melodic rock and pop idioms. Some influences and traces also comes out from 80's and 90's period, and I would add that hidden associations also leads to melodic punk rock groups established in the 90's, as a Off Spring or Blink - 182. But, melodic elements certainly dominates through its materials, and all of present songs has a potential radio friendly usings. Listening their materials, a one thing comes to mind, and that's a fact that band has accepted one positive energy/attitude from the 80's period ( even of mentioned other comparabilities ). " Tantrum To Blind" is a fresh and optimistic discographical start for the band, and that's a quite enough for now.

Rating : 8/10
C / o : www.myspace.com/tantrumtoblind
e-mail : tantrumtoblind@gmail.com

THE RATTLEBONES - Ready To Bite

THE RATTLEBONES - Ready To Bite

Written by Branimir Lokner
Tuesday, 09 June 2009

THE RATTLEBONES " Ready To Bite"
( Self - released ) 2008.
CD - SWITZERLAND
Rock/glam/classic rock/boogie/hard rock

Out of Switzerland, comes a newer, not only domestic hope, a band The Rattlebones. They work as a quartet, and in previous 2008 year, they have released a full- length ,entitled "Ready To Bite". A group has received some recognitions from " sleazy/glam" press, and judging also by their cover artwork, its clear from the start, what the Swiss fellows can offers to audience. The Rattlebones are faithful to one strictly rather raw then "polished" option of 70's/ 80's rock/sleazy/glam variants. They have quite positive attitude with own offering conception, they are also less melodic band, but enough convinceble in its performing realizations. A band have offered a 12 mainly equalizing tracks, where productional work also had a taste of 70's and 80's
period.
In some aspects, they are comparabile with Aussie legends Rose Tatto, but mentioned opinion doesn' t change my general positive attitude about its works.
" Ready To Bite" realistically cover a group's performing views, and fans of mentioned genres options will not regret facing with Rattlebones music.

Rating : 7,5/10
C / o : www.rattlebones.ch
www.myspace.com/thefuckingrattlebones

DAME FORTUNE - The Secret Art

DAME FORTUNE - The Secret Art

Written by Branimir Lokner
Tuesday, 09 June 2009

DAME FORTUNE " The Secret Art "
( Raido Records ) 2009.
CD
Hard rock - USA

Dame Fortune are L.A based quartet, active some period continiously. "The Secret Art" are their third album to date, and as the rumours said, most prominent and probably most valuable too. A group is on the field of 70's/80's hard rock, with clear melodic level and same approaches.
Psychologicaly, as same as productionally, a group also cited a mentioned period, and its songs posses a strong touch of previous decades. There are 14 tracks on " The Secret Art" album, and all of them posses a similiar radio friendly acceptables. Even of evident retro feel and strong 70's/80's background, their album materials deserves recomandations and positive reactions.

Rating : 8/10
C / o : www.damefortune.net
www.myspace.com/damefortune