REVIEWS
Iron Maiden
Five Finger
Death Punch
The Book of Souls:
Live Chapter A Decade Of Destruction
Parlophone Eleven Seven Music
Review: Jens Nepper
Yet another live offering
by heavy metal stalwarts
Iron Maiden but a damn
fine one at that. This one
chronicles The Book of
Souls tour and illustrates
just how dramatic,
powerful, and mesmer-
izing the band’s latest
material sounds in a live
setting. Although not
essential unless you are
a Maiden devotee, this
is an impressive release
which proves that Harris
and his cohorts are still
firing on all cylinders.
Goya
Kathmandu
Self Release
Review: Nick Harkins
This promising debut EP
from Stoke-on-Trent’s
instrumental power trio
begins at a furious pace
with single, ‘Collider’
and continues through
four bruising, high
energy tracks. Crushing
distorted riffs abound,
yet still, there are mo-
ments of introspection
as sparse arpeggiated
riffs bring interludes of
calm amongst the raging
post-rock storm. Clock-
ing in at 35 minutes, this
EP is longer than some
full-length albums and
takes you on a powerful,
mesmerising journey.
Interstelar Dimebag Darrell COUNTERPOINT
Resin Dimevision, Vol.2 If Not Now, When ?
Kozmik Artifactz Metal Blade Records
Review: Sam Hayler
Review: Hywel Davies Drugs are bad, m’kay?
Drug-inspired music,
however, does absolute
wonders for your health.
Sinus-clearing riffs,
tension-relieving vocals,
and pulse-regulating
grooves are just a few
of the things you can
expect from Resin,
the latest studio effort
by LA doom quartet
Interstelar. Imagine if
Electric Wizard, Kyuss
and Tool all contributed
DNA for a test tube
baby. This is that baby.
Go out, buy the record,
then hire a spaceship.
You’ll need it.
Schwarzer
Engel Silenmara
FFDP are finally pre-
paring to unleash their
seventh studio album
next Spring. In the
meantime, A Decade Of
Destruction will certain-
ly suffice. A greatest hits
package that’s crammed
with wall-to-wall mam-
moth belters that does
a decent job of covering
fan favourites. A few
unexpected twists are
added for good measure
as well as opening with
new track ‘Trouble’, it’s
a decent warm-up for
what 2018 will bring.
Sinnflut
Massacre Records
Review: Jens Nepper
Four symphonic goth
metal tracks by the Ger-
man outfit Schwarzer
Engel that range from
the wonderfully pomp-
ous to the rather cheesy
and clichéd are what is
on offer here. The title
track is irresistible, but
the rest leave something
to be desired. ‘Sinn-
flut’ is charming and
interesting in places, but
the song material lacks
substance, depth, and
texture in the overall
perspective. Still, it does
have potential.
A Darkened Visionary
Self Release
Review: Sean Rafferty
A Darkened Visionary
is a triumph of an EP
from Silenmara. The
band make no qualms in
defining themselves as
melodic death metal and
this record shows they
are masters of the genre.
Opener ‘God Particle’
and ‘Visionary’ show-
case Silenmara’s ability
to squeeze multiple
awesome elements into a
single track. Expect mo-
ments of melodic bliss
contrasted with serious
metal. Is a bit busy?
Maybe. Is it still pretty
badass? Definitely!
Review: Tom Dixon
Is it really 13 years since
Darrell Lance Abbott
was assassinated? At
least we still have his
musical legacy to enjoy
under the better-known
moniker of Dimebag
Darrell – just released
is the latest 2DVD/CD
pack in the Dimevision
series, Roll With It Or
Get Rolled Over. There
are plenty of video clips
that reflect his humour
and depth of character
on the DVDs; More
importantly, there are 5
unreleased demos!
Bloodshot Dawn
Reanimation
Hostile Media
Review: Ash Crowson
Bloodshot Dawn return
in the new year with
their ten-track album,
Reanimation. Ten years
since their debut album
release, this four-piece
have made a stir but
are anything but done.
Reanimation throws you
into a storm unlike no
other with sheer insan-
ity, sweeping arpeggios,
brutal drum assaults,
punishing bass lines
and deathly vocals, they
take it to the next level.
Completely unforgiving,
and we haven’t even
mentioned the guest
appearances!
Self Release
Review: Laurence Todd
After listening to this
EP, it’s easy to hear why
Counterpoint are de-
scribed as ‘irrepressible
riff beasts.’ Manchester’s
Counterpoint are a
heavy, alt-rock combo
who are beginning to
turn heads with their
colossal, not to say in-
fectious, sound. Formed
in 2015, their intent
was to create something
pitched somewhere
between the sound of
the noughties but with a
modern vibe added, and
the results are here for
you to judge on this EP.
‘Leave It All Behind’
has been released as a
single. It’s a fast driving
riff which bulldozes ev-
erything in its wake and
recalls classic rock bands
like Saxon and Moto-
rhead at their eighties
peak. Though slightly
over two minutes long,
there’s a lot going on it
and, while its unlikely
Chris Evans will ever
play it on Radio Two, it’s
a candidate for the best
track on the EP. And
they’re all good tracks,
particularly one-sided
conversation, possibly
the most commercial
track. The band use
backing harmonies to
advantageous effect,
especially on ‘Between
You and Me’, which adds
to the overall sound.
This EP announces
Counterpoint’s arrival
on the scene, and if
any future album offers
songs of similar quality,
they’ll be making their
mark soon enough.
If Not Now, When? is
set for release Febuary
2019.
www.RAMzine.co.uk | 18