What I've Been Listening To This Week
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Gamma Ray
In 1988, after four years with Helloween, guitarist and songwriter Kai Hansen decided, for reasons that are still the subject of much debate, to leave the band. Hansen claimed that Helloween had become too big for him to handle, although the group's troubles with financial issues and the record company most likely played a part as well. He proceeded to do some studio work with Blind Guardian. Eventually, Hansen decided to form his own project with long-time friend Ralf Scheepers from Tyran Pace. This two-man project grew into a four-man band with the addition of Uwe Wessel (bass) and Mathias Burchard (drums). Thus was Gamma Ray born, bearing a sound understandably close to that of Hansen's former band, Helloween.
Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a Heavy Metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone with musical ideals similar to his own. However, while on holiday in the Greek islands during the year of 1999, Nordström met the young guitarist Gus G. (from Firewind). The musicians got along quite well, despite an age difference of over a decade. Plans for a band commenced - Gus had already been planning to relocate to Gothenburg, and upon his arrival he looked up Fredrik at Studio Fredman to begin writing.
The first person asked to join the new band was Snowy Shaw (from King Diamond, Mercyful Fate and Notre Dame), but the drummer initially refused their invitation. He would later change his mind and agreed to play on the band's debut album in a session capacity.
Vocalist Niklas Isfeldt had done backing vocals for some of HammerFall's songs produced by Nordström, and since he was not involved in any major projects at the time, he agreed to take the position. He also brought along his longtime friend and Pure-X bandmate Peter Stålfors, who assumed bass duties.
DragonForce's musical style includes:
- Emphasis on fast, twin-guitar harmonies
- Generally optimistic and uplifting chorus sections
- Lyrics of a fantastical or epic nature
- Use of background choral singing throughout songs
- Use of keyboards throughout songs
- Video game influenced melodies and guitar noises
- Unorthodox guitar-playing methods and on-stage tricks
Although the band take their musicianship seriously, they do not embody the themes in their music. In an interview with Metal Hammer, guitarist Herman Li has stated "Oh no, it's completely serious, we just have fun doing it..." DragonForce's influences are drawn from all kinds of metal, melodic rock, and in particular video games such as "Wonder Boy in Monster World", with lyrics comparable to themes present in fantasy games.
The band have frequently referred to their style not just as power metal, but extreme power metal. Despite this, their style differs from extreme power metal in that it doesn't use harsh vocals nor the aggressive feel that is portrayed by other extreme power metal bands such as Children of Bodom. Herman Li commented on descriptions of the band's style in an interview with Guitar World: "'Nintendo Metal,' 'Iron Maiden on Crack,' 'Bon Jovi on Speed,' 'Journey Meets Slayer,' ...people are always coming up with weird labels for us."
1997 saw the formation of Reviver, a band composed of ex's. Each had their own influences and prior band histories. With such a discography behind them, success would come easy, one might think. It wasn't until nearly a decade later that their first album debuted.
Frans S Doodeman headed the vocals in 1998 in their debut promo release. Five tracks later, mixed and recorded in their own studio, they were receiving rave reviews, but a slow adoption into the metal world.
In 2000, a 2-song mini release gave them another bump towards stardom, the track "Cycles" being distrubted in a popular Heavy Metal magazine. 35,000 copies were sent out to fans to be.
2002 was the turning point, though. Reviver worked continuously on new material.The former Montany singer, Patrick van Maurik, replaced Frans S Doodeman and headed up the vocals, pushing Reviver towards the sound it truly desired. His distinct vocal style married the intensity and furosity of Reviver's guitars perfectly.
"Osiris Eyes", the band's fourth promotional disc is published using rehashed older material and new tracks. But this time, with Patrick on the vocals, reviews are overwhelmingly postive, and offers started to come in.
In the beginning of the 1990s, Putaansuu played in a small band from Rovaniemi. He left the band when the other members didn't agree with the introduction of theatrical elements and KISS-style rock. Putaansuu started producing demos under the name Lordi in 1991 and continued to do so for a few years. In 1995 he made a song "Inferno" and a music video for it as a school project. The video has not been released because Putaansuu is in the video without a mask, but he has promised to put the video in the upcoming Lordi DVD.
After "Inferno", Putaansuu had a dream. In the dream he was at a concert and there was a skeleton on stage playing. When he woke up, he knew that Lordi should be a band full of monsters. The monster in the dream would eventually become the bassist Kalma.
The rest of the band members met each other for the first time in 1995 in Stockholm, where they had gone to see KISS perform. From the very beginning, they wanted their band to perform with spectacular pyrotechnics, 'monster style'. This, together with their masked image made several recording companies turn the band down, some saying that they should play black metal if they wear masks and some saying that they should play hard rock but lose the masks. Lordi almost got a record deal in 1999 but shortly after the contract the company collapsed and lost all their money. Finally, the BMG Finland recording company accepted them and in 2002 their first single Would You Love A Monsterman? became a smash hit and not long after that, their first album, Get Heavy, sold 66,000 copies in Finland.
Dethklok is a virtual death metal band that stars in the television show Metalocalypse. Their debut album, released September 25, 2007, was entitled The Dethalbum. Creator Brendon Small wrote the lyrics and music and also performed the guitar, bass, and vocals; ex-Death/ex -Dark Angel/ex-Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad drummer Gene Hoglan performed drums on the album. The album debuted at #21 on the Billboard Top 200 list, making it the highest charting death metal album ever.
Wizard is a German power metal band, formed in 1989 by the drummer Sören van Heek.
The band is often called "Germany's answer to Manowar". Lyrically, the band sticks to themes of fantasy, but often strays into the egotistical self-promoting 'true metal' circle. Musically, Wizard pushes the boundaries of heavy metal with rolling kick drums and unending palm mutes. A full tribue to Odin, the Powergod, pushed the band into the headlines (in Europe), giving fans nothing but headbanging goodness. As thanks, Wizard dedicated their album, Magic Cirlc, to the fans, its name deriving from the circles of fans that would form before and after the shows. Goochan, in 2007, accompanied by a book, sharpened Wizard's sixth sense of rock, offering more melodies, harmonies, and neck-breaking rhythms.
Galloglass is a German melodic power metal band that was founded close to the end of the year 1999, from the remnants of former band Serpent Moves. What separates Galloglass from other power metal acts is the use of a lead violin, as well as the extremely powerful voice of Carsten Frank. With two successful releases under their belt, members have unfortunately split up, putting the band on hiatus until replacements are found.
With Heavenseeker, Galloglass present a more mature style: tougher, more direct and with even more intuition for hymn-like catchy tunes. Their fast, melodic Power Metal with a leaning to the epic is a perfect symbiosis of the early works of German Speed Metal, à la Blind Guardian or Kai Hansen and the effortless elegance of old Helstar or Fates Warning releases. Featuring Metal violinist Hartmut Richter and a female choir to provide the additional melodic spots and guest appearances by Curran Murphy (ex-Nevermore, Annihilator) and Jeff Waters (Annihilator), Heavenseeker works like an infusion of fresh blood into the fossilized veins of the German Power Metal scene.
MONTANY is that same Dutch Melodic Metal formation, who swore loyalty to a tempo-oriented, diversified style and who have counted amongst their country's top and most promising band for years. "New Born Day" sees the five musicians celebrating the entire spectrum spanning epic orchestration, grooving mid-tempo tracks and dizzying speed numbers in eleven great compositions. The album was produced in the Black Solaris Studios by Uwe Lulis. The former Grave Digger guitarist and primary songwriter helped "New Born Day" to its impressive, transparent and yet well-balanced sound.
Their style changed almost imperceptibly yet again when guitarists Dirk Hoek and Albert Houwaart joined their ranks. Their Thrash Metal influences, coming from Detonator as they did, suited MONTANY very well. December 1999 saw the quintett producing its first demo CD, recorded in The Bax Studios in Katwijk. The demo was released in May 2000 and received a great review in the Dutch metal magazine, Aardschok. The Dutch fanclub The Heavy-Metal Maniacs promptly contacted the band and promised them active support. The club suggested sending the demo to various magazines. Eight copies were sent out and the reactions were beyond the band's wildest dreams. The German mag, Heavy oder was!?, for example, showered the band with praise and one result of the euphoric reactions were communications from several record companies offering the musicians a collaboration. MONTANY's decision fell on the German company, Limb Music Products, which already had a tremendous reputation in this field thanks to their work with bands such as Rhapsody, Mob Rules and Human Fortress and which is considered to be a promising address for upcoming, hopeful new bands.
And now the first product of this hopefully long-term partnership is at the starting gate. "New Born Day" shows MONTANY in their most brilliant playing mood and one which has been captured on the album thanks to Uwe Lulis's great production.
After an initial break-up in 1989, Screeching Weasel broke up for a second time in 1994. Following the second breakup, Weasel formed a new band, The Riverdales, with Dan Vapid, and Dan Panic.
Weasel reunited with Screeching Weasel again in 1996. The band lasted until 2001 before breaking up again. Screeching Weasel would reunite again for a few shows in 2004, but have no plans to reunite again. The Riverdales also reformed in 2003, but are also now defunct again.
In 2002 Weasel released his first solo album Fidatevi. His second album, These Ones Are Bitter, was released in June 2007.
Weasel also ran his own Chicago-based record label called Panic Button Records, which he also started in 1997 with Jughead and sold to Lookout Records in 2001. In recent years he has released one solo album and is currently working on a follow up to it. He is currently starting a new label called, "Mendota Recording Company", which is set to be a digital download only record label.
He has also played briefly with The Vindictives and Sweet Black And Blue.