| CD REVIEW Ogen – Rusty Pacemaker – The Crawdaddy – To Cast A Shadow - VTT |
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TSM/ SLW Promotions special July, part 5 : Ogen – Rusty Pacemaker – The Crawdaddy – To Cast A Shadow - VTT Busted my ass to get this special done on time, as I still have one more to do before I can leave on my holidays with a tranquilled heart (only one day left to go, I'm afraid, and some trip preparations to do at the same time, so let's hope I can make it). Anyway, some real nice stuff in this special, with The Crawdaddy returning with a new album, and To Cast A Shadow... Nah, find that out for yourselves! Happy reading! ----------------------------------------------------- Not a lot of info on his Italian Atmospheric Black Metal project, because there's not a lot to tell (so let's by all means use as much as possible from the info sheet we got along with our promo copy of the album). Following a lifetime of practicing his guitar and bass play (oh, don't worry, he's young enough, like only in his twenties, I would say) Hartagga, whom had the desire to explore the field of Extreme Metal, started this project during 2010 in order to push his musical quest further and finally write and record some of his own music. Within the artist's mind, the songwriting started to flow easily, revealing Ogen's ability to forge tunes made of both Black Metal edges and episodes of not-so-obvious harmonic tapestry. He couldn't play the drums, so he hired the services of drummer Mjöllnir (real name Daniele Valseriati, known from Industrial Death/ Thrash act 49 Hydrogen Device and Gothic Metal act Tragodia). He also invited Be'Lakor lead singer George Kosmas for a guest appearance on the EP's opening track “Shattered Earth Volcano”. Under productional guidance of Daniele Mandelli (whom in the past produced work of Retarded, Tragodia, and most recently Forgotten Tomb, but also sat in as engineer on a shitload of other recordings) 5 songs were recorded which all share the character of incorporating the bleakness of Nordic Black Metal, at the same time as sounding very atmospheric thanks to some very nice lead guitar play. Average track length is just above 4 minutes, the album closing “A Steep Slope To Desolation” clocking in at a misleading 7:23. Misleading, because the actual song ends at 4:30, after which comes a very calm instrumental outro in which two intertwining calmer guitars are backed by some icy wind keyboards. Nice stuff, and deservant of my fullest appreciation and rating (I've always had a thing for Atmospheric Black Metal). For a perfect sampling of what Ogen sounds like, check the track “Crest of The Forgotten”, posted at (www.) myspace.com/ogenblackmetal. For possible samples of the other 4 tracks, you'll have to wait until Amazon.com provides 'em. 98/100 ----------------------------------------------------- Lanzenkirchen based Austrian Rusty Pacemaker (stage name) has been into heavy music since his childhood days. Around the new millennium he started to create his own music when, without ever having enjoyed a musical education, he started to play the guitar. Then, in order to complete the songs for his first 2003 demos, he grabbed a bass and did the vocals, using programmed drums. His main influence of being an artist was Bathory, whose mastermind Quorton died of cardiac arrest on June 7, 2004. Well, that was okay for rough demos, but Rusty (actually a nickname he went by) felt his music could come out much better, so he dreamt of being able to give his music a proper production in his own studio. Of course, that meant getting himself the apparatus to perform that little feat, and this took some time...quite some time in fact! However, in the meantime he hàd this 5-track demo, and met up with professional drummer Franz Löchinger whom, after having heard Rusty's music, agreed to play the drums on the album which his now friend was to write. So, with getting the studio equipment taking its toll from time, Rusty composed 5 more songs, and kinda reworked his older stuff to his growing standards. But eventually his recording facility (by then dubbed White Studio) was finished, and recordings started [with guest appearances by Lady K (duet vocals on the tracks “Amok” and the album closing “Mother”), Hell-Ga (keyboards on “Blackness And White Light” - which she arranged herself, by the way), and Darth Love (classical guitar on the aforementioned album closer)]...ending in 2009. Mixing and mastering was then done by Rusty in his own studio, and this took the rest of 2009 and a fair part of 2010. Meanwhile Rusty fulfilled his dream of having complete artistic freedom (having already written, performed, recorded, produced, mixed and mastered the album) by designing also his own cover artwork, and founding is own label Solamum Records. Okay, time to talk about Rusty's music...which is an overall mid-paced, reasonably subdued Metal with a eerie darkness around it and a touch of Progressive thanks to a certain degree of repetition. Carefully composed breaks and twists keep the listener sitting at the edge of his seat (or alternatively, sitting back in that same chair, eyes closed in full concentration, as to not miss any details. Rusty is not gifted with the best of singing voices, and he also has a slight accent, but he does the best with what he has, in the range he can manage (well, actually he occasionally goes out of it, and fails to deliver satisfactorily – I'm sure he will be critical enough of himself to agree to that assessment), and being most comfortable in the calmer moments. Words, words, words...but you can check each and every song on the album in the “Music” section of (www.) rustypacemaker.com. Meantime, having been frustrated with working conditions at White Studio, Rusty improved his working conditions by rebuilding his studio to higher standards. At this very moment the man is writing and recording new songs for an upcoming album under the working title Ruins. To be released in the year 20??... 83/100 ----------------------------------------------------- Yeah...a new Crawdaddy! Anyone having read my review of the man's former two albums Resurrected! and Luxury Muscle (posted 13/06/2010) may remember my positive appreciation for what this guy does, both in his original songs, and in the twisted versions he brings of other people's staple songs. For his new album Richard Dance again only wrote 5 originals, and smeared his typical style onto a total of 9 covers. These being Rufus Thomas' “The Breakdown”, ZZ Top's early '70s “Just Got Paid”, Aretha Franklin's “Baby I Love You” (with a great guest vocal appearance by one Diane Lee), The Allman Brothers' “Dreams”, Fats Domino's “Blue Monday” (included here because it was of Richard's birth year, and featuring one Bill Tarsha as guest harmonica player), Little Feat's “All That You Dream” (nice female backing vocals courtesy of one Katherine Reckling), Willie Dixon's “I Just Wanna Make Love To You” (Jerry Donato guesting on saxophone), and Ray Charles' “I Got A Woman” (as a point of interest, ZZ Top, Aretha, Allman Bros. And Charles are artists Dance covered on his last two albums as well). “Oh wait,“ you'll say, “that's only eight!”...and correct you are! 9th cover song is Dance's own version of a song written by hi long-time running partner Chuck Hall at Fender Musical Instruments, whom wrote the track back in the '80s as a shuffle. When Dance asked for permission to “crawdify” the track, he got permission rightaway, on the condition that he could play guitar along on it. Regretfully, none of the new material was posted on either (www.) mycrawdaddy.com or (www.) myspace.com/mycrawdaddy, but what's posted there already gives you an infectious idea of what it all sounds like! Personally, after having heard his last two albums, I was sure I would like anything new by this guy...and I feel gratified in having been proven right. Meanwhile, this guy is creeping himself under my skin something incredible. As mentioned in both the info sheet we got along with the album ànd mentioned on the back cover of the album, legendary Blues guitarist Albert Collins once said, “Mr. Crawdaddy, I dig your style. It's like Memphis, New Orleans, and Muscle Shoals all livin' in the same man!”...and that's no understatement. In my eyes and heart, Richard Dance is swiftly growing as the perfect Blues/Funk/ Rock substitute for the sadly missed Frank Zappa! Hell...and with such a statement belongs a top rating, right? Correct! 98/100 ----------------------------------------------------- No, not a new album by this great Norwegian Goth Metal band (we already reviewed it in a TSM/ SLW Promotions special posted on March 13 of this year), but a means to announce to the world that, due to the fact that lead singer Gunnhild Huser (who's fronted the band for two years now) and TCAS have grown in different directions musically, they have decided to part ways following the band's performance in Gjerdrum, Norway, on September 24. With Huser oin' her own way, TCAS will nevertheless continue with an as yet undisclosed new singer. Well, I...I guess I wonder where they're gonna find a replacement of Huser's quallity. As the singer, she gave the band a specific face, and I wonder which way the band is gonna go next. Will they try to get a singer similar to Huser (maybe they even already have someone in mind?), or will they risk the chance for a new vocal fitting while playing the same type of music? Only time will tell, I guess! Meanwhile, in case you hadn't checked on this great Goth Metal act yet, check out the songs posted at (www.) myspace.com/tocastashadow, keeping in mind that only “Tormented” is from this album (and, by the way, on the “BandPage” of the band's Facebook account you'll find an additional older song). And just to remind you, I nominated In Memory Of for my “Best Albums Of 2011”-lists! 98/100 ----------------------------------------------------- An Istanbul, Turkey native, guitarist Emir Erkal started out in music when he was about 12 or 13, his father giving him the friendly push to pick up playing violin. Some 3 years later, he heard WASP and Manowar for the first time, and this got him into Rock and Metal, basically changing him into the person he is today. While still in Istanbul, he formed a couple of bands and did 3 albums with the last one, touring Turkey between 1994 and 1998. He then moved to the US in order to take his musical career to the next level, striving to become a full-time professional musician. He joined a couple of bands, met up with drummer T-Bone with whom he already had friendship bonds, and founded Voodoo Terror Tribe in 2005, first recruiting bassist Primer. No idea whom performed vocal duties until the joining of new singer Gil Pz. At any rate, the band soon enough found itself in the Netcong, NJ based Audio Garden Studio with sound engineer Tom DeKorte to record the 6 tracks for their debut mini-album Mandala, which they self-released in July 2005 before throwing themselves upon the NJ club circuit. Two years later the guys recorded 10 new tracks (again with DeKorte, and at the same studio) for their September 2007 released full-length Alone In Pain. Somewhere in 2008 the band was joined by Gil Pz, a Texas native whom had most recently been active with the likes of Phonetica and Deviltry, and whom relocated to NJ in order to be part of the band. Around Christmas of that year the band started intense periods of song-writing, jumping into Audio Garden with DeKorte in January 2009 to record the first two songs, in between a busy gigging schedule with shows up and down the North East Coast. In May and June, they spent time at producer Billy Graziadei's Underground Studios (he's worked with the likes of Biohazard and Suicide City) to record another 6 songs, had a radio edit done for the track “Wake Of The White Devil” (funnily, its 3 seconds lónger than the original, the difference being some silence at the end...so what's thàt about, eh? Well, I'll tell ya: the album was too short, that's what it was!), culled one song (“World Of Lies”) from a March live performance (the two “bonus” tracks making for a total album length of exactly 36 minutes), and recorded a video for album opening track “The Victim” (with Shottie of Shotwell Productions, who'd already worked with the band for the video clip of “World Of Lies”, off the band's 2007 album)...which they unleashed upon the Internet in September. One month later, the new album was a fact. Meantime, the band had decided to go by with the acronym of their name (VTT) from now on, since none of them were actual practitioners of voodoo, and the band had nothing to do with any terror or terrorism. Stylistically, it's perhaps best to handle the term Alt-Metal when speaking about this band's music (it what they use themselves). One particular song (“Never Died Before”) sees the guys employ synths in order to create an Industrial Metal/ Dance track, but much to my regret the band is rather into more into the straight-forward type of Alternative Metal, of which you can find 5 examples (all of which off the new album, ànd including “Never...”, by the way) at (www.) myspace.com/vttrocks. That's also where you'll find the aforementioned video to “The Victim”. Somehow, it seems easier for me to direct you, dear reader, to the webspace where you can listen to the music yourself, rather than me having to search for comparison points or trying to describe this band's music. For more material on the band, check the “Media” section on the band's own website (www.) vttrocks.com. The audio player didn't work when I checked, but that may have had to do with the fact that I employ a network pc. Also available there is a recording of one of the the band's acoustic performances. The quality ain't too high though (audience members keep talking throughout the recordings, and one cannot hear the music thàt well, but hey...it's anice gesture from the band, right?). 82/100 ----------------------------------------------------- Tony. |
