JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C
SLIPKNOT / ALL HOPE IS GONE
They say that first impressions count, so for a major band
like Slipknot with an army of maggots eagerly waiting to devour new material, I
thought it would be good to capture my first impressions of their new
album.
The CD opens in fine style with a short enigmatic piece
called “Execute” which sets the stage for the opening salvo of “Gematria (The Killing Name)” which is Slipknot of old, raw,
aggressive and totally uncompromising, packed full of twists and turns just how
we like them and clocking in at just over 6 minutes its good value. The next track “Sulfut” is shorter but just as caustic and has a more
melodic chorus but still rocks like a bitch and has some nice extra percussion
courtesy of the clown,
“Psychosocial” follows swift on its heal with a similar feel and as this
is the first single we know and love it already.
The pace is slowed down a bit with “Dead Memories” that has
all the usual trademarks of the band with a strong commercial feel to it,
“Vendetta” is pure, ruthless and unrelenting with a strong riff and neck
breaking thunderous beats and as catchy as hell. The next track is “Butcher’s Hook” which
has a great staccato, off beat riff to it and really is full of great hooks,
just beware some are very sharp, “Gehenna” is a
slower, haunting, lumbering giant of a song, strong and menacing, the
aggressiveness of “The Cold Black” is awesome and is Slipknot at their best,
start, stop offbeat riffs, samples and tons of percussion. The mayhem continues with “Wherein Lies
Continue”, which is slightly slower pieced and a higher
melodic content and sirens blazing, “Snuff” is the slow power ballad full of
surprises, acoustically driven with some nice organ touches and more akin to
Stone Sour but very good, the final track is the title track that we all know
and love.
So there you have it, another Slipknot album to get to know
and cherish, there is a limited edition with 3 extra tracks and a DVD that no
self respecting maggot can be without, album of the week? What do
think!
WEBSITE http://www.slipknot.com/ & http://www.roadrunnerecords.co.uk/
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 58 mins + 12
TRACKS
FALCONER / AMONG BEGGERS &
THEIVES
Falconer are a Swedish Power Metal band with a big
difference, their music and lyrical themes are hugely influenced by Folklore and
folk music and this makes the guys sound very
different.
Musically because of their influences, they stand out from
the competition and the nearest comparison is Italian band Rhapsody Of Fire and that puts them in very good company indeed, one
listen to the opening track “Field Of Sorrow” will show you exactly what I
mean. The band are not adverse to
singing in their native tongue, which to my mind only adds credence to their
musical prowess and gives the band a medieval, baroque feel, listen to “Vargaskall” for proof, “Vargaskall” was a hunting technique used in Sweden to hunt
and kill Wolves, so successfully that they become extinct and involved a V
shaped wooden coral to force the Wolves through the narrow gap where the hunters
would easily pick them off. The
track “Mountain Men” has a strong baroque content to it as does “Boiling
Led”.
This is for me the best Falconer CD so far and shows just
how good the band can be and like Finnish band Korpiklanni the Folk influences give the band a strong
identity, a well deserved album of the week and well worth any self respecting
Metal fan buying, THERE IS A Digipak that has extra
tracks and a video. Also listen out
for “Pale Light Of Silver Moon”, “Man Of The Hour”,
“Carnival Of Disgust” and “Dreams And Pyres”, all well deserving of your
attention.
WEBSITE http://www.falconermusic.com/ & http://www.metalblade.co.uk/
DOWNLOAD
“Man Of The
Hour”
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 49 mins + 11
TRACKS