Tag Archive for 'dark empire'

METAL MONDAY: REVIEW OF DARK EMPIRE’S HUMANITY DETHRONED

Published by Munson the Destroyer on October 12, 2009 in Rock. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Dark Empire, a Jersey band signed to Killzone Records, recently won July’s Metal contest here on OurStage. Humanity Dethroned is the follow-up to Dark Empire’s very solid debut release, Distant Tides. For those who have yet to listen to Dark Empire, their sound is right in line with bands like Symphony X and Blind Guardian (Jens Carlsson, the lead vocalist, bears a striking vocal resemblance to Hansi Kürsch). Simply put, the band boasts a heavy, thrashy, power-filled sound that refuses to simply plod along.

Cover for Dark Empire's Humanity Dethoned

Cover for Dark Empire's Humanity Dethoned

When asked to pick my favorite part of the album, it is undeniably Jens Carlsson’s voice. With every line, Jens sends chills down your spine with his sinister vocals. Unlike many heavy/power singers, Jens always keeps the listener’s attention, and never ceases to be interesting. Of course, what helps Jens’ vocals stay interesting is the mixing of the record, and the presence of the rest of the band. Though the vocals are the best part, the album does not ride on them —another folly that many heavy/power metal bands commit.

While the vocals stand out, making them the focus would sell Humanity Dethroned short. The second best part of this album is the songwriting. Unlike many power metal bands, Dark Empire does not write songs that follow a standard song structure (ie. intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus-outro). All of the songs on the album have a familiar-feeling structure, but they are not predictable or stale—a difficult feat to achieve. Matt Moliti deserves the credit here, as all of the music and lyrics on the album is attributed to him. And speaking of Moliti, it is also worth mentioning the guitar riffs on the album. Before listening to the entire album, and having only heard  “Possessed (We Are One),” I was curious how the band claimed they were “progressive thrash metal.” Upon hearing the guitar work on Humanity Dethroned, it is safe to say that Dark Empire can be associated with a large variety of metal sub genres—heavy/power/thrash metal being the most obvious. The sixth track on the album, “Salvation Denied,” is almost exclusively a thrash metal song, while others on the album (like the previously mentioned “Possessed (We Are One)”) are clearly heavy power metal songs. This mix of sub sub genres means Matt Moliti varies his styles of guitar playing throughout the album.

With few weak spots to critique, the only noticeable area for improvement lies in the mixing department. There is just too much sound everywhere, and it takes away from each of the individual pieces. A better mix that actually allows the listener to hear each individual piece with enhanced panning would help the album immensely. Aside from this, the album is stellar and worthy of a listen by all heavy music lovers (it really can appeal to just about everyone).

Overall score: 9/10

As an aside, the band recently parted ways with their vocalist and drummer, and are now seeking to replace these members. Are you a metaller in the New Jersey area? If so, give them a shout!

METAL MONDAYS: ICONIC METAL VOCALISTS

Published by Munson the Destroyer on September 14, 2009 in Playlists. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Metal Monday OurStage Blog

“Run to the hills, run for your lives.”

Imagine that lyric sang by say, the singer of Coldplay instead of Bruce Dickinson (of Iron Maiden fame). Not quite the same “oomph” huh? In some styles of metal, it is all about the power and gusto in which a singer delivers their lines. Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Matt Barlow, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio, Hansi Kürsch, — these are some of the singers who have mastered the art of true heavy metal delivery. Whether it is wailing falsettos or sinister cries, a metal vocalist must keep in mind his voice has to reach to the farthest corners of whatever venue the band is playing at, as well as make a connection to each and every audience member. More so than any metal styles, heavy metal is about emotion. Standing up and fighting for rights, feeling the pain of oppressed people (albeit real or fictional), the woe of a lost lover, epic battles – these are the types of things heavy metal bands sing about, things that cannot be aptly expressed without an apt enforcer on the microphone.

Here at OurStage, we have some talented heavy metal bands, many of which are strongly influenced by greats such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc. (some even were around back then). After scoring through the ranks of metal here at OurStage, I’ve compiled a list of eight powerful songs featuring vocals that best exemplify the spirit and energy captured in true heavy metal.

METAL MONDAYS: KRIS NORRIS AND OTHER FACE-MELTERS

Published by Munson the Destroyer on July 20, 2009 in Artist Feature, Interviews, Playlists and Rock. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

osblog_metalmondays_01New to OurStage this year, Kris Norris is a fifteen-year veteran in the metal community. He floated around from obscure metal band to obscure metal band until he landed with Darkest Hour in 2001—his first successful gig. Recently he parted ways with the band to pursue a solo project (The Kris Norris Projekt) and production ventures as well as make instructional videos for JamPlay. Back in May he landed among the Top 10 in the OurStage metal channel. We recently caught up with Kris to ask him a few questions. Here’s what we got:

Kris Norris shredding

Kris Norris, master of shred

JM: You have worked on a few different projects in your career as a guitarist, which was your favorite?
KN: Probably the Undoing Ruin CD with Darkest Hour. Having Devin Townsend as producer really expanded my guitar playing and brought me to a new level.

JM: How about at an engineer/producer?
KN: I really haven’t done too many at this point, but so far doing the Kris Norris Projekt getting to produce myself was an interesting and fun experience.

JM: Are you working on anything big in the studio these days, either as a producer or a musician?
KN: Not really. Doing my full time job and doing side work for James Murphy at his studio doing drum editing work. Not many bands have come to ask me to produce their stuff yet, but I think that’s because  I have yet to prove myself as a producer.

JM: If you could have a solo face-off with any guitarist— alive or dead—who would it be?
KN: John Petrucci definitely. I know he’d kill me but it would be such an honor to lose to my idol.

JM: Who is your favorite artist/band these days?
KN: My favorite band these days is still and always will be Dream Theater— they never cease to excite me in their records.

JM: What’s the strangest fan interaction you have ever had?
KN: People getting the same tattoos that I have then showing them off to me. Always strange.

JM: If you were forced to work under a pseudonym, what would you choose for a name?
KN: I actually have one and it’s Kaiser Rune [laughs].

JM: What was the most influential album for you while your music taste blossomed?
KN: Probably Lunar Strain by In Flames.

JM: Any good, young, bands you think we should keep an eye on?
KN: There’s a band from [New] Jersey called Mutiny Within. Just awesome melodic power-metal-ish stuff.

JM: How about some advice for young, aspiring guitarists?
KN: It’s so cliché but never give up. In my teens I worked at Wendy’s with the drummer from Darkest Hour in our early teens. Who would have ever thought that we would tour all over the entire world later on playing music together?

JM: If you could only eat and drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
KN: Hmmm… Well porterhouse steak to be exact for food and I know I couldn’t live on it- but Vanilla Coke. Always stocked in my refrigerator!

As the perfect accompaniment to this feature, check out the playlist of Kris’ best songs here on OurStage, as well as a few other face-melters from similar artists.