Bloody hell, it’s August already.
Things will be quieter for my label over the next month
as I prepare for a flurry of physical releases in September. I’m going to do a
label update this Wednesday right here. So I’ll link up some of the latest
reviews and interviews from the Sixsixsix Music roster. I might even have a new band to
announce, if I’m lucky.
I’ll also have a few pre-order deals for both Baalberith
and HaatE. As well as details of the 1st batch of tapes due off of
the production line.
But now, it’s review time:
Seven Sisters
All fans of early Iron Maiden and the NWOBHM in general
are going to love this band. This is so old school you should only listen to it
whilst wearing a denim waistcoat covered in patches. And probably with bleached
jeans and white baseball boots too. Umm, that sounds very much like how I
dressed 30 years ago.
As I hurtle through my 40’s, this takes me back to my
teenage years, when the music scene, for me, was going through its most
exciting phase. The emergence of the likes of Maiden and Saxon and the
Scorpions becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet, and little Lars
still followed Diamond Head around like a lovestruck fanboy.
Seven Sisters are a band you need to check out asap.
Genuinely, I think they are one of the most exciting new Traditional Metal
bands I’ve heard since the 80s. The only other band to fly the flag this
authentically in recent years are Blackberry Smoke, who hold a flame for
classic Lynyrd Skynyrd.
And if Airbourne, who I love, can make a career out of
imitating AC/DC, I see no reason why these guys can’t be just as big.
This 4 track demo is available on tape, but that’ll be
sold out very soon and then you’ll just be left with just the download version
as the band don’t intend to re-issue this again at present. So try and grab a
slice of history while you can.
Twilight Hammer
Twilight Hammer (great name by the way) features members
of Demontage (CAN), Rammer (CAN), Midnight (US), and Harbinger (US). They’re a Blackened Thrash band and this is
their first release since 2007.
Production wise, it needs beefing up with more bass, but
I can have no complaints about the songwriting. Nicely in your face, it rips
through 4 songs at breakneck pace, culminating with a live rendition of
Destroyer 666’s, Satanic Speed Metal. And the title of the last track sums
these guys up nicely. This demo has a very old school feel to it and this could
easily have been a long lost gem from 20 odd years ago.
As much as I love it, this isn’t a perfect demo, but the
potential this band has is immense
Download the demo for free via Bandcamp at: https://twilighthammer666.bandcamp.com/
Severed Receptors
Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Severed Receptors are a
female fronted Black Metal band, who feature a female lead singer. Kyla’s
vocals switch between harsh and clean and this adds a nice layer of atmosphere
to their sound.
The originators of this blackened art, for me, were
Italian Occult band Opera IX, with Cadaveria at the helm. So me comparing them
to this great band, isn’t a problem for me. This is an eerie listen with Blood
Descendants sounding like the soundtrack to an old Roman war film, before Kyla’s
vocals steer this towards a more serene setting. I sense a little Lacuna Coil
influence as well, which actually works well with the more intense majority,
but I suspect that this direction won’t be appreciated by everyone.
This may not appeal to those seeking something a little
rawer, but Severed Receptors have a nice varied sound that should appeal to the
more broadminded listener.
Quick Links - A brief
round-up of what’s being played on the Sixsixsix Music Playlist this week
Secrati
These guys are very new on my radar, but they’re a band
I’ll be playing a lot of over the coming weeks. Hailing from Belgium, they mix
(extremely) melodic Black Metal, with a classical edge that reminds me of the
more accessible sounds of early My Dying Bride, mainly because of the piano. As
well as a feeling of complete and utter calmness, with their more mellow parts.
Check out The Hound From Hell from their 2nd
album, Tales of the Fallen (part II): The Rise of the Nightstalker
Bròn - Fògradh
I do love a bit of Ambience and this release is utterly
captivating. Very mellow keyboards with a subdued, yet still vicious, Black
Metal vocal style are the order of the day from Scottish project, Bròn.
As the music progresses, so does the intensity, before it
trails off with a serene finale.
This is supposedly a demo, but it’s good enough for an
album release, such is the quality. There’s only one track on offer, but it is
a huge 28 minute opus that enthrals from the first minute to the last
Terminal
This idea is a crazy and rather unique one. The man behind Terminal is Tobias Lindkvist,
from Swedish band Enforcer. And this release is a tribute to 80s Metal from
behind The Iron Curtain. And the lyrics are sung in Slovenian, just to be even
more different.
This is a fun release and I can understand why the 1st
tape run sold out in under 2 days.
Check out Heavy
Metal Lokomotiva via Bandcamp here:
Rotten Light –
Strings Of Lost Hope
This is a brand new song, from Spanish band, Rotten
Light, featuring Razakel, who plays in two bands on the Sixisixsix Music
roster, Skiddaw and Baalberith.
This is Black Metal, with an Industrial/EBM edge to it.
Unfortunately I can’t get the video to embed itself on
this page, so please hop on over to YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1djX3PU3KPs
And while we are on the subject of the lovely Razakel,
here’s a band he’s produced recently.
Corruptor Ignis
are from Gibraltar and A New Dawn is a brand new demo track
And let’s finish up this week with a Lithuanian band I
keep meaning to feature. Phrenetix
are a female fronted Thrash band, that remind, just a bit, of Doro, back in her
early days with Warlock
Do Or Die is great way to end this weeks blog
Next update is on Wednesday this week, with a Sixisixsix
Music label update
Sixsixsix Music Links:
E-mail: steve@sixsixsixmusic.com
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