List of the Year 2012

Where did 2012 go?It sure doesn’t feel like over a year ago I applied for the job I got just before Christmas 2011 and I hardly remember the summer. Well, that can depend on that it hardly was summer at all of course but anyway, I remember two weeks, one before and one after Headbangers Open Air. But it sure as hell has been a very eventful year.

I think it was in March when I and Peter decided to try to find a place in Skåne rather than in the Borås/Gothenburg area. We listed the criteria’s and since both of us had issues with our neighbors making a hell lot of sound we both dreamt of a quiet place far away from everyone. Driving around in the villages around Malmö (Bökarp, Bösetorp, Tittente, Skivarp, Börste, Trä… to mention a few) we realized that civilization isn’t so bad after all. At least when it comes to commuting to work, even just 10km outside of Malmö could be a 4 hour bus ride one way… So, in the end, fulfilling all requirements apart from being the last house on the street we found the Void Mansion. For us it seemed like a very well preserved (perhaps not top modern but who cares, I even start to like the pink flower wallpapers un the upstairs bathroom) and solid house, big and perfect for what we wanted. I must say, me as well as Peter was really surprised when no one else was interested in it at all. When we were there looking at it several other couples and families were there looking. Good for us of course and in mid-July we closed the deal. Then everything turned out so perfect we had 2 weeks overlap with our flats when we got the house in mid-October. Crazy weeks it became, to move and clean everything in that short time was really hard but so good when it was over. We are still working on getting the house in order, the rehearse-room/studio need more gear. My office needs more bookshelves, Peter’s library to. But it is ok that it takes time. I’m not moving in the next 50 years now!

Then of course the Void Moon album “On The Blackest of Nights” was released in November. Of course, Cult Of The Fox’s debut was released in 2011 but since I got into the band when everything (almost) was already written and set I wasn’t as involved in that record as in the Void Moon one and of course the coming Cult Of The Fox record. But the Void Moon record was almost finalized when it was time to start to record the next and now, since I’m the sole guitarist in COTF I had a hell of a job to do. Of course I’ve been recording earlier but not this way. I learnt a lot and had a blast doing it but it was also very frustrating when things didn’t turn out the way I expected them to. But ok, some things turned out even better. So it will be exciting to see how that one is received once it is released. And the Void Moon album has been received very well, a lot of good reviews and that feels great.

And then of course my new Job! Or, I’m actually doing about the same as I did before but with a bigger area and more responsibility (of course a better paycheck as well). I actually didn’t expect to get it, I applied for it to push myself and prepare to move on some day. But I did get the job and it has been a mix of free fall and control this last year. But to be able to set a plan on what to work with for the future, put a budget for it and then make it happen has been very rewarding. I really enjoy what I’m doing and I have great people around me to work with. But it has been A LOT of work and with the recording of albums and buying the Void Mansion and of course moving in, there has not been time for anything else for the last 5 months. I’ve hardly been to any concerts at all during the fall and that too feels strange.
But after a long Christmas vacation I’m back and really have the urge to get a doze of loud music again!!! So my calendar is filling up. The only really annoying thing is that it feels like all concerts in Gothenburg are on Friday’s and Saturday’s these days and the ones in Malmö mid-weeks, SHOULD BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!!


But again it has been a good Metal year, and a lot of great releases.
Here’s my list; 

1. MASTERS HAMMER - Vracejte Konve na Místo

 
It was Brutal but when the Hammer finally hit, it hit really hard. I got hold of this one just in time for Skogsröjet Festival and was supposed to dig into Testament’s “Dark Roots…” and as anyone can agree on, that is one hell of an album. Nothing else was good enough around this time but Master’s Hammer. And with this one hitting as hard as it did, the rest of the catalogue went down well too with the exception of “Salgary”. As weird it might appear, with the Czech language and odd harmonies, but that’s what I like.

Favorite Track: “Námořnická”

2. ACCEPT – Stalingrad

 
I guess this one could have been in top as “Blood of the Nations” was two years ago. The reason why it’s not is not because it’s weaker in any way, still as fantastic but no surprise this time. “Blood of the Nation” was overwhelming, this one expected. But one thing’s for sure, Accept is back and really has the capacity to write awesome music.

Favorite Track: “Shadow Soldier”

3. SLEEPY HOLLOW - Skull 13

 
I thought this one was ok initially when I started to listen to it, I got it for review and couldn’t really find anything to say about it. I let it roll, over and over again which was well worth the effort. The first four songs are really good, they set a really nice tune to the album. But what comes after is something else. From “Bleed Steel” to “Midnight” this album is full perfection, the first three songs are really good also. So this is what I’m really looking forward to see live later this year.

Favorite Track: “Inquisition”

4. ANGEL WITCH - As Above, So Below

 
Oh my… I didn’t expect Angel Witch to release an album as good as this one. The best thing with it is that it sounds like the 80’s from a song perspective but the sound is neither retro nor modern. It is just an organic sounding Heavy Metal album with some fantastic songs.

Favorite Track: “Into the Dark”

5. RAM - Death

 
One of the best bands in Sweden these days! Ram is an awesome live machine that keeps releasing great records. I can easily say they’ve taken one step up for each record. 

Favorite Track: “Under the Scythe”

6. GRAND MAGUS - The Hunt

 
Well, Grand Magus isn’t far behind Ram of course. Even if “The Hunt” didn’t strike as hard as “Hammer of the North” this one still holds extremely high class. Perhaps it is more the style that bugs me rather than the songs. I liked the raw sound Grand Magus used to have, this is more polished but of course still really good.

Favorite Track: “Storm King”

7. JESS AND THE ANCIENT ONES - Jess and the Ancient Ones

 
This I really didn’t expect. Since I have a personal shopper when it comes to record I tend to buy more than I should have. But hey, it’s served and a few weeks later it shows up in my mailbox. So this was more impulse buy from my side but I’m SO glad I bought it. I love it! It’s mellow, melodic and just very cozy.

Favorite Track: “Twilight Witchcraft”

8. WITCHCRAFT – Legend

 
Then another one I didn’t expect. Frankly, I haven’t listened much to Witchcraft at all, which is rather strange since I really liked it the times I’ve seen them live.  But I gave this one a chance and then, a little as it was with Master’s Hammer, I couldn’t change the record at all for a few days.

Favorite Track: “It’s not Because of You”

9. TESTAMENT - Dark Roots Of The Earth

 
My expectations on this album were really high, this since Testament has been one of my favorite bands almost since the start of my Metal career, which mean I’ve followed them since their first album “The Legacy”. So I’m glad they could push out an album like this one. It’s very dark and powerful.

For me the production could have been a bit more primitive, which I think could have given a more dynamic sound. But it sure is a good record. Also, me and Peter ran into Eric Petersen at Skogsröjet and got starstruck, even the local radio station had to wait a while to interview us!

Favorite Track:  “True American Hate”

10. DEMON – Unbroken

 
I was browsing the web just taking a break at work and found out that Demon had released a new album. Strange perhaps since they’ve mentioned that they should quit altogether on occasion, then play a few gigs if the deal was right and now this… But this is how Demon should sound. This record has the same feeling as Demon live, just joyful and a good rocking band.

Favorite Track: "Fill Your Head With Rock"

Then Peter's top 10 list looks like this;

1. Manowar - "The Lord of Steel Hammer Edition"

2. Overkill - "The Electric Age"

3. Manowar - "The Lord of Steel Retail Edition"

4. Candlemass - "Psalms for the Dead"

5. Accept – "Stalingrad"

6. Testament - "Dark Roots of Earth"

7. Wino - "Heavy Kingdom"

8. Hellwell - "Beyond the Boundaries of Sin"

9. Grand Magus - "The Hunt"

10. Grave Digger - "Clash of the Gods"

And the ones that almost made it (alphabetically);

Bedemon – "Symphony of Shadows"

Candlemass – "Psalms of the Dead"

Huntrss – "Spell Eater"

Kamelot – "Silverthorn"

Kreator – "Pantom Antichrist"

Manowar - "The Lord of Steel"

Overkill – "The Electric Age"

Paradise Lost – "Tragic Idol"

Pharaoh – "Bury the Light"

Ufo – "Seven Deadly"

Also, I have to mention two more records that I really wanted to have on the top list but since only Studio Full Length albums count they were excluded due to that!
Colossus - ...and the Sepulcher of the Mirror Warlock
Sledge Leather - Imagine me Alive
I know the Sledge Leather album is listed as a full length one but out of the 11 tracks, 5 is just around a minute long and total playtime is just over 31 minutes. And that is the same as Colossus, which 6-tracker is listed as an EP.

And the ones that could have made it if I’d found it/got the thumb out earlier (alphabetically);

Bloody Hammers – "Bloody Hammers"

Gojira - "L'Enfant Sauvage"

Grave - "Endless Procession of Soul"

Grave Digger – "Clash of the Gods"

Magnum – "On the 13th Day"

Nightmare – "The Burden of God"

Obsession – "Order of Chaos"

Tank – "War Nation"

Thy Majestie - "ShiHuangDi"

Wildestarr – "Tell Tale Heart"

A few I missed completely that I need to check;

Banshee – "Mindslave"

Cloudscape – "New Era"

Mekong Delta – "Intersections"

Mob Rules – "Cannibal Nation"

Pallbearer – "Sorrow and Extinction"

And then the Concerts I enjoyed the most;

1. Arch / Matheos @ Keep It True Festival

It sure was a dream come true to get to see John Arch sing! And damn he sung. Sounded amazing, both for the Arch/Matheos tracks as well as the Fates Warning classics. http://www.metalkaoz.com/live-reports/8711-kit-xv-day-2-lauda-koenigshofen-de.html

2. Jon Oliva’s Pain @ Turock, Essen

The Mountain King will always do great shows! This was no exception, the sound was great, the band charged. Jon had his grand Piano but also, he was up running on stage for a few songs. And of course, the place was packed and the whole crowd was on 100% all through the show.
http://www.metalkaoz.com/live-reports/8567-jon-olivas-pain-turock-essen-de.html

3. Hammers Of Misfortune @ Roadburn

Peter worked hard to get us tickets to Roadburn just so we would get to see Hammers Of Misfortune. Sure, I was a bit nervous that I boosted my expectations too high for this but Peter was almost breaking into pieces the day of the concert. Sure, we missed a few bands because we couldn’t get into the stage area (013 has 3-4 different stages and the rooms varies from 200-2000 people). Bt everything worked out fine and we took our spots in the front. And yes, it was as good as we expected.

4. Hobbs Angel of Death @ Headbangers Open Air

I can’t remember being this “smacked” by a band before. It actually felt being hit by a steamroller, complete fury and so much fun to watch.

5. Anthrax @ Copenhell

Anthrax has always been really good when I’ve seen them live. But this was even high over their standard. Joey Belladonna was absolutely fantastic, damn his voice is good… And the energy!!!

6. Y&T @ KB Malmö

Seeing Y&T is like going to a party hanging out with your friends. The atmosphere is very friendly all the time and it’s so charming when Dave Meniketti is just chatting with the crowd between the songs, taking requests and such. Then of course, Y&T has always delivered high quality music as well.

7. Judas Priest @ Cloetta Center Linköping

Yes, Richie Faulkner sure got the guys moving. Judas Priest has always sounded good but now they seemed to have a lot of fun too. Awesome set, awesome performance.
http://www.metalkaoz.com/live-reports/5880-judas-priest-cloetta-center-linkoeping-swe.html

8. Griffin Device @ Malta Doom Metal Festival

They sure know how to play Doom at Malta. This was the second time for Griffin Device and even if it was good the first time it felt like everything has come together now. And yes, when Drone becomes intensive, then it really is special!

9. Argus @ Dublin Doom Days

This sure was something I was looking forward to see. And Argus sounded just live as on record. I’d boosted my expectations high here as well, wondering if they would play “Pieces of your Smile” since it is a rather long song. Sure, it was a bit of an anticlimax when they opened with it but still an amazing show.

10. Paradise Lost @ Sticky Fingers Gothenburg

Paradise Lost has found their old form again when producing records and playing live. They blew me away 20 years ago and even if they don’t have the exact same drive today it still is awesome.
http://www.metalkaoz.com/live-reports/6464-paradise-lost-gothenburg-malmoe-swe.html

Cheers

E

NP: HELLOWEEN - "Straight out of Hell"

Where the hell's the SNOW???

So, again there's been a lot to do, both at work and home... The concert season really went out with a bang! Saxon & Anvil x2, Lizzy Borden & Martyr, Iced Earth, Pentagram, Thrash Fest Classics and Motörhead in about a week and a half... That's ALMOST even overdoze for me! So now again, I have a lot to write for Metal Kaoz so it's really nice with a weekend with nothing planned. Ok, I did plan to see Lizzy Borden in Trollhättan today as well but I really don't want to go anywhere today and I really need the rest. Looking forward to another rough week with long days and tons of things to do.
Motörhead did a really good concert last night, Lemmy's soar voice was long gone and the place was packed... I waited the longest I could before leaving for the concert, not hearing anything about a photopass from Livenation. In the end they granted me one but that was too late, I didn't have access to my email at that time. A bummer for sure.

 

One of the reason this week (too) became as tough as it was, was because of the weather. Monday morning driving from Malmö took about double the time as usual. Apparently everyone was going to work at the same time, very early because of the weather so the freeway was packed with cars driving very slow. I had to try and see if it really was slippry. I didn't feel any of that... But the traffic info on the radio said other things. I guess I'm still used to the way of the north when it comes to driving during winter...

Anyway, I had to make a stop halfway between Varberg and Borås getting some air, THEN I realized it actually was rather slippry on the roads but I couldn't feel any of that in the new blue car with brand new winter tyres on it.



After this short break the road was closed... A lorry with a trailer had slipped off the road and was blocking it comepletely. So I had to take a detour from Björketorp via Fotskäl, Asstorp, Hajom and Skene before getting back out on the main road again. Nice drive but NOT when all I can thinnk of is how to ccatch up for lost time without having to stay in the office all night. Arrived at the office about three hours later than planned.

 And then the snow came... At least for a day! Driving home from the Thrashfest Classics it was sowing heavily, the worst time I could  hardly see 10m infront of the car on the freeway. It's a bit exciting to hope you'll see the fence in the middle or that you're on the right side of the hard shoulder when the next indication shows up.

   

But everything went alright in the end, just took a little more time than planned. That seems to be the case for me these days, doesn't really matter if I fly, drive, take the train, especially on monday's, it ALWAYS takes more time, are delayed or breaks down or whatever. The snow didn't stay long though, the morning after Thrash Fest Classics it was raining and in the afternoon everything was gone again, back to dark and gloomy.

So this weekend will be spent listening to music. I have to make up my mind about album of the year list for Metal Kaoz... It's going to be a tough one this year.... That's for sure. Ok, top three was rather simple, Arch/Matheos - "Sympathetic Resonance", Vicious Rumors - "Razorback Killers" and Hammers Of Misfortune - "17th Street" settled rather fast when I started to think about it... It still migth change, who knows. I have to list 5 for Metal Kaoz and now it starts to get hard. Next three, at this point is Hell, Anvil and Saxon... Then Jack Starr's Burning Starr, Blood Ceremony, Krux, Beehler, Cage and a few more climbed fast when I started to get into them. Still need to listen more. Then I know I've mentioned Argus, Slingblade, Megadeth, Uriah Heep, Ken Hensley too. The Riot album is really nice, Anthrax sounds really good, Martyr, Iced Earth... Gonna be hard to choose, that's for sure!!!

Cheers

E



NP: Jack Starr's Burning Starr - Land Of The Dead

Recordshoppers Anonyous #5

So, again there has been a lot going on! Busy days at work, busy days at home… Despite the stress at work on occasion it has actually been quite good days. A last minute trip to Brazil to participte in a Workshop took some time off from everything else I’ve planned to do. But I don’t complain, even if it was just WORK, it’s still more fun to sit in an office in Brazil (where spring is coming in) rather than in Sweden as we are approaching grey and dark times very quickly now. At least I had the opportunity to re-fill the Cachaca stash a little and this time I got all the exotic juices (and jello) with me home also. Last time someone opened my checked in suitcase and snatched all snacks and some other things as well.


Then I’ve been trying to focus on playing guitar, writing for Metal Kaoz, playing guitar and trying to get my ass off the couch and workout some. Most things have actually progressed rather well but of course I’m not as structured in the writing so I finish one thing first. Now I have 6 almost finished live reports so it will be kind of a ketchup effect in a week or so.
The guitar playing has been really ok as well. It is fun to play and my Transplanted Marshall sounds amazing. I even plugged in the wha-wha and Delay effect the other day in an attempt to start using them again too. I’m not sure about the Delay though, when it comes to the functionality of it… It might have seen its best days. I bought it second hand too but I’ll try to clean it a little and then decide if I need a new one or not.


Now too, since Malta Doom Metal Festival is coming closer it is important to play to stay in shape. And it turned out so good we actually have a gig just a few days before we travel to Malta. Void Moon, Cult Of The Fox and Lights Our are going to play Café Barbro in Malmö on October 23rd.

The Cult Of The Fox album ”A Vow Of Vengeance” has been received very well. Most reviews has been very positive, stating it is Heavy Metal as it is supposed to sound. That is very cool, and then, to get 7 of 10 in Rockhard Magazine is really big. Even if it’s not the highest (8,5 of 10 is the best at this point) that grade weighs a lot more than most other reviews.
The only thing missing now is some gigs. At this point we have some loose plans for January. Even if it’s not 100% confirmed yet it looks promising for one gig in France and one in Holland. I certainly wouldn’t mind one or two in Germany/Holland/Belgium at the same time.


And then of course! The new car is 3 weeks+ old now! It’s VERY different to drive and not have to focus on parts falling off or listening after some new things about to break! The only problem is that I’m not used to it yet so driving this new one to a level until it feels like the Passat I’m not within speed limit anymore. I really need to think about that because it would be very bad to loose my drivers license now when I (we) have a flash new car.

It has been quite some record shopping lately too! Ok, the package from TPL has built up over some months but it turned out quite massive in the end. Then, after the Uriah Heep concert the fanatic struck again and realized it is a must to have all the re-mastered versions to get all the bonus material. Luckily CDON had a very nice bargain deal on those! That I like.

Also High Roller Records had some nice price vinyl. Gonna be some busy days to listen to it all. Ok, I’ve done some listening to a few already, that’s a privilege when reviewing records… One though that I should have checked out long ago is the Arch/Matheos "Sympathetic Resonance". First because Fates Warning is one of my favorite bands and I really enjoy John Arch's voice. A little freaky but damn interesting. the record is FANTASTIC!!! Absolutely one for the top 10 of the year!

But it sure is a lot coming during the fall. Hammers Of Misfortune, Riot, Saracen, Martyr… To mention a few. And then of course all concerts. That first week of December going to be tough. Iced Earth, Thrash Fest Classics (with Sepultura, Destruction, Heathen, Mortal Sin and one more..), Pentagram, Motörhead and Lizzy Borden. Then of course a few Saxon and Anvil gigs the week prior to this!!! Gonna be a hard but FUN winter!


NP: Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance