Reviews

OMEGA LITHIUM..'DREAMS IN FORMALINE'

(Drakkar Entertainment&Sony/BMG) Reviewed 8th October 2009

"The Great Hope of European Gothic" it says on the sticker that is attached to this cd. After already picking up a good review in a UK rock/metal publication, now it is Ravenheart Music's turn to review this little opus from this Croatian band. To be frank, this is the kinda music that got me into this genre in the first place. With a huge production by Victor Love (of Dopestars Inc fame), 'Dreams In Formaline' hits the spot from the start, offering 40 mins of Industrial flavoured Gothic Metal to get your juices flowing, and not a filler in sight. And the vocals of the young Mya Mortenssen (did someone tell me she is only 19?) suit this kinda music admirably well. A flippin' good album, melodic and heavy...awesome stuff! Buy!! 9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)

ONE WITHOUT..'THOUGHTS OF A SECLUDED MIND'

(Lifeforce Records) Reviewed 7th January 2010

Sweden's One Without takes “The Gothenburg Metal Sound” and implements it into a fusion of metal, rock and pop. As a consequence, 'Thoughts Of A Secluded Mind' offers a mix of diversity & depth, with powerful brutality, catchy grooves and advanced pop sensibilities, that quietly catches the listener with distinctive hook lines, plus offering us the captivating voice of Catrin Feymark. Great stuff from beginning to end here, with the pace never really letting up throughout. Check out 'Farewell' and 'Separation' as two examples from an album that offers 12 tracks of high octane rock&roll;heaven. Comparisons to In This Moment and fellow Swedes All Ends spring to mind here. Great stuff 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)

OPERATIKA..'THE CALLING'

(Scarlet Records) Reviewed 18th December 2008

Some of us yearn for the Nightwish of old. Ok, I like the current Nightwish. However, the stories of Anette walking of stage in Brazil in tears because of the smokey atmosphere do not quite cut it with me. I am sure Tarja would not have stormed of stage complaining of cigarette smoke in the venue. However, I digress, New Jersey's Operatika are a symphonic metal band in the Nightwish (of old) mold, and I enjoy this offering immensely. And so will any fans of the Tarja era Nightwish. 'The Calling' although taking influences from Nightwish, possibly has more in common with good old power metal a la Stratovarius or Symphony X. Some real cool guitars and keys on this release, with the stunning Slova Popova hitting the nail right on the head regards the vocals. And mentioning the keys, we have a female in charge of the keyboard dept here (Anna Dok), while all bass parts have been handled by Michael LePond from Symphony X. I am not listing any faves here as this record in general is a power/operatic metal lover's sexy dream. Cool! 8.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)

ORIANTHI..'BELIEVE'

(19 Entertainment/Geffen Records) Reviewed 28th November 2009

At 24 years old, the stunningly attractive Australian born Orianthi has already experienced what most aspiring musicians only dream of. She's opened for her hero (Steve Vai), backed an Idol (Carrie Underwood), traded solos with a legend (Carlos Santana) and shared the stage with the King of Pop (Michael Jackson). She was even going to be Michael Jackson's guitarist on his dates at London's 02 Arena before sadly Michael passed away. Anyway, what's left to conquer for this lass? The world stage, for one, and this guitar wunderkind (and she sure can play her guitar) has her sights clearly set on the road ahead. And she has offered us an amazing debut album of 11 corking tunes spanning 40 + mins. Imagine Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, Kelly Clarkson, then throw in some Paramore, ramp it up 200%, and you have Orianthi. This is super high octane stuff with anthemic rock tracks that leave you gasping for breath. This is a thunderous, hook and riff driven debut that sounds larger than life, so let me introduce you to Orianthi. Get it! 9/10 (Reviewed by Dave)

ORPHEUS..S/T

(Sidehorn Records) Reviewed 30th January 2010

Hard rock from Norway. Makes a change from the country reknown for it's Black Metal acts. Orpheus is fronted by Ingrid Galadriel and this is an interesting release from this lass and her band. The lead off track 'F**k Me Over' gets proceedings under way. A kinda progressive hard rocker. As for the title, not so sure! 'Constructing' is a catchy rocker and possibly one of the better tracks on offer to my ears. The album as a whole may take a few listens to get into, but another track that may well grab ya is the slower and quite heavy 7+ minute 'Peepin' Tom' . Interesting lyrics here too, "I want you to be my peeping Tom" sings Ingrid. I am on my way over :) And another decent track to my ears is 'The Plan' that gallops along quite nicely. Anyway, not a bad effort from these Norwegians. Check them out at www.myspace.com/orphmo. 7/10 (Reviewed by Dave)

DOLORES O'RIORDAN..'ARE YOU LISTENING?'


(Sanctuary Records) Reviewed 11th October 2007

This cd by the former Cranberries singer is a tasty morsal of pop rock. Just listen to opener 'Ordinary Day', and then 'When We Were Young' and 'Human Spirit' for the simple proof. 'Stay With Me' is a slow accoustic based song that builds into a guitar based heavy sorta chorus, while 'Apple Of My Eye' is a tasty ballad. This girl can rock too, 'October' being a fave track of mine, this song bearing similarities to my ears musically to U2. Although there was no disputing they was good, The Cranberries never quite hit the spot with me. Tell you what though...this cd does. Great stuff! 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave).

OTEP..'THE ASCENSION'

(Koch Intl) Reviewed 22nd June 2008

Kicking off with 'Eet The Children', this track sets the standard to what is to follow. OTEP fronted by Otep Shamaya, is genuinely an extreme metal band, but functions on a slightly different level simply because the band is led by a woman. Otep seriously kicks ass and produces strong, harsh vocals that rival any male-fronted metal band in this genre. 'The Ascension' is a great album of extreme but generally melodic metal, and yep, she can slow it down too, just check out 'Perfectly Flawed' that shows Otep's softer side - great stuff. The lyrics on this record are a little hard to get into, but this girl was put on planet Earth to rock and kick ass big time. And that is exactly what she does. This album, that includes a cover of Nirvana's 'Breed' is one for the metal heads out there. But what is wrong with the occasional headbang? I love it! 7.5/10 (Reviewed by Dave)

OXZIDE..'REALLY NOT INSANE'

(Independent Release) Reviewed 13th November 2009

The Femme Metal Fest on Saturday 7th Nov unveiled a goldmine of bands. I had heard of all the bands that were on the line up, but I admit to not owning music by one or two of the bands that were there that afternoon/evening. Local band Oxzide were one such band, so I found Beth, their singer after their slot, paid her some hard earnt cash and got a copy of their album. Oxzide play hard rock, and although Beth seems a sweet lass (and I am sure she is), boy has she got a powerful voice. The band blast through some hard rocking numbers on this record, including the opener, 'Get This Party Started', 'Make Me Feel Alive' and 'God's Gift'. They can slow it down a bit too with songs like 'So Sick Of Love'. My younger days were enjoyed through the hard rockin' 70's, with bands like Free, Bad Company, Sabbath, Zep, Deep Purple etc etc always on my 'playlist'. Oxzide rock like the best of them - some cool guitar solos too. Check them out at www.myspace.com/oxzide 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave)