Tag Archives: friday morning metal

Friday Morning Metal – Century – Breakthrough

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Now this is some good classic metal. Century is from Stockholm Sweden, and are not the Century band from Marseille in 1979. That’s a different Century. They’ve got a new album out, Sign of the Storm, but I struggled finding a good video for it, so instead you’ll get Breakthrough, from their debut album. Sign of the Storm clocks in at 10 songs for 37 minutes, which is a fantastic play length, be tee dubs.

The video seems interspersed between them rocking out at the studio and fartin around town. Oh and skateboarding in a church. Also I think tour footage from last time they were in the US. Looks like they had a good time, lotta staring at creeks and drinking beer in the forest, seems like. Can’t go wrong with drinking a beer and staring at a creek, it settles the humors.

The song is pretty rollicking, kinda reminds me of NWOBHM acts like Angel Witch or Saxon. It’s got a solid chugga rhythm throughout, and the vocal harmonies are pretty cool. Oh dip they have a lefthanded bassist! The guitar solo is sufficiently noodly without getting too soaring. At 2:49, the song doesn’t waste time and gets out before one can get bored. I like that, also it’s pretty close to the perfect song length, according to this paywalled Wired article from 2008.

Friday Morning Metal – Blackslash – Heroes, Saints & Fools

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Oooh throwback metal from Germany. Heroes, Saints & Fools from Blackslash! I bet when they first started, Google really wanted to offer up “Did you mean Backslash?” Hell, even Youtube did it when I was trying to find the video. Encyclopaedia Metallum also wants to make sure you don’t get them confused with Backlash the heavy/power metal band from Bamberg, Bavaria, or Backslash from Freiburg, which is hard rock. Or also Back Slash which was a heavy rock band in 1991. Also don’t get them confused with Blackstreet, the R&B group known for No Diggity.

The song kicks off with a growly vocal intro, like an orc is trying to send you on the right path, before kicking into some dueling guitarmonies and driving drums. Clemens Haas’s vocals are interesting, not quite what you hear from other throwback bands, like a bit of a growl but not going falsetto or anything. He also kinda looks like Nick Wiger with the same haircut as Boo Boo from Bob’s Burgers. It’s fun to see the guitarist air guitar during the pre-solo breakdown, and then also during the soaring sweeps picky solo. Man that’s a good solo. All in all it’s a rollicking good time of a song.

The video itself is of the “rockin out at night in the forest” variety. That sounds oddly specific, but the woods seem to be a staple of heavy metal videos. I bet it’s because it’s spooky. Seems like there’s a new trend to use filters to give the video an aged look. It’s probably not a new trend, but I’ve noticed it a few times lately and it looks pretty solid. There isn’t a side story, just watching the band shred and have a good time. Hopefully they didn’t encounter the Teutonic-equivalent of the Blair Witch, that’d be a bummer.

Friday Morning Metal – Kilmara – Journey To the Sun

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Well look at this, a power metal band incorporating video games into their video/vibe, it’s like they’re dialing right into my interests! Kilmara’s coming straight from Barcelona to show off some soaring vocals, shreddy guitars, and kinda chip-tuney backing tracks.

Right off the bat I thought the singer looks like James Roday from Psych. Perhaps he’s pretending to be a metal singer to privately investigate something. I’d know for certain if Burton Guster showed up. The song is pretty straightforward power metal, with a lot of bombast and solid vocals. The guitar solo two thirds in is sufficiently noodly and sweepsie, plus a chuggy interlude for some solid guitar poses. Not enough bands do the guitar poses, they should work to bring that back. Something about the lyrics give off a christian rock vibe. Especially the chorus singing about the gates of gold and eternal we will fly.

The video’s pretty fun, like two kids on a date at a super 80’s coded arcade, except the gf is totally phnubbing the fella. He gets sucked into the game, Tron style, and it’s up to his gf to save him. The cabinets all look cool and authentic, especially when the band’s rocking out among them.

So give Kilmara a shot, they’re a hoot and also a holler.

Friday Morning Metal – I am the Intimidator – Gasoline

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Bjørn sought to share some more metal with me, and now I want to share it with you! This time it is Gasoline, from Portland-based band I AM THE INTIMIDATOR. Before I looked into the band, the video gave real PNW vibes. Especially seeing the Fred Meyer while the guy was gassing up his scooter. I did not expect dudes from Portland would make a Dale Earnhardt metal tribute band.

The video feels like something I would’ve seen on public access in high school. Like after the Bong Hit Semifinals and before Kurt Cobain was Murdered. Those were shows, not points in time. Public access was rad. I miss all the nutbaggery that went on on public access. The video splits between the singer riding a vespa to a gas station in between what looks like some solid green screen performing. Just completely silly.

And despite the silliness, the song is pretty shreddy. There’s even a mild vocal nod to Deep Purple’s Highway Star I think? They even clone the guitarist for some great layered riffs on the solo! This song is a hoot, definitely one of those ones if you listened to it while driving you might end up going like 90 mph without paying attention. Now I must listen to the whole album.

Friday Morning Metal – Avantasia – Against the Wind

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Big bombastic music from Avantasia inbound! Operatic Metal Super Group Avantasia, including Kenny Leckremo from H.E.A.T., released a new song off their upcoming album “Here Be Dragons,” which is a great name for an album. I guess these guys were formed by the former singer of Edguy, which is pretty cool. I used to dig on Edguy a ton, and the vocalist was a big part of it. Unless the vocals in this track is Kenny Leckremo, which it could be. Never heard of the guy, but he’s a vocalist so there’s that.

All in all it’s pretty solid song, full of soaring riffs and frenetic drums. The chorus does give Edguy vibes, so now I can’t unhear that. Going against the wind has to be tough, gotta worry about your hat blowing off and all sorts of crap potentially flying into your face. The breakdown transitioning into one of the noodliest guitar solos I’ve heard in a while is fun, and kind of a kick restart into the song. Also the bit before the coda totally sounds like the part in the opera where the whole cast comes out and sings in unison about how they’re all going their way or something.

I do look forward to the whole album, maybe it’s a concept album about sailing into unknown dragon infested waters and having to go against the wind to reach Valhalla or something.

Friday Morning Metal – Elvenking – Luna

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Behold, an elvennew elvensong by Elvenking. It’s too bad they didn’t call it Elvenluna, as discussed the last time I covered one of their songs. They’re from Sacile, Italy, and have been shredding since 1997. Kinda power metally, kinda folk metally, they’re pretty fun.

I can’t tell if the video is about a pagan sacrifice or a baby gender reveal party, but it looks pretty fun and shiny. THERE’S A FLYING V ELECTRIC VIOLIN IN THIS BAND! Also the vocalist has a pretty big and bodacious mic stand. Looks like you’d need tetanus shots if you were to use it. The sacrifice scenes are pretty out there, like if the Kali Ma scene from Temple of Doom happened in a forest and the bad guy had antlers.

There’s a pretty solid noodly solo up in the song, with the guitarist using the “totally vertical” stance to increase the sqeuadlies by 30%. I’m a little bummed there wasn’t a big violin solo. It’s a flying v for violin for crying in the mud, let him shred! But otherwise this is a pretty good folky power metal track, and them playing in the elvenforest is a good elvenaddition.

Friday Morning Metal – Warbringer – A Better World

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Thrash metal! Flying Vs! A new track from Warbringer, this time it’s A Better World, which is apparently not possible. The song is off their upcoming album, Wrath and Ruin, coming out March 14th. Almost the ides!

I’ve covered them previously (Oh god in 2017. I’ve been writing these for a while.) and they’re a great fast thrash band. There’s not much pretense/lead in to the song, just a bit of frenetic drumming to set the tone for the rest of the song. The vocals are pretty growly but not overly so, and the drummer even gets in the mix! We get double solos, one from the guy on the Les Paul, and one from the Flying V. The Flying V is a vital part of metal, as necessary as riboflavin when traveling backwards through time.

The video is mostly in-warehouse shots, but there are a couple that appear to be rubble and/or Los Angeles traffic. The green & red lighting is pretty cool, like they’re recording inside the Grinch or something. There’s not a whole lot else to the video than that, but there’s some solid hair whipping from the 3/5 of the band what is hirsute. Gotta whip that hair if you have it. Flaunt it!

Friday Morning Metal – Haunt – Mind Freeze

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Thank you, Sportify, for letting me know about Haunt, who cite Thin Lizzy & Angel Witch as inspiration for their 80’s era throwback metal and are therefore right in my wheelhouse. These guys are such a throwback they used old film effects to make the song look like it was shot not in 2020 but in 1986.

I think the song is about drinking a slurpee too quickly, he keeps singing about how it’s freezing in his mind. It’s a solid chuggy song, plus a super finger tappy guitar solo. You don’t see finger tapping too much nowadays, usually solos are sweeps picks and super noodlings. There are a few guitar poses that are pretty solid, plus some layered vocals toward the end that add a haunting effect. Hey, just like the band’s name! It’s pretty cool to see a 40-plus year old subgenre of metal continue to get new songs, and in general this one’s right down the fairway.

I’m not sure what the plot of the video is, but I think the hoodie guy is on a magical journey in a dilapidated theme park, while the band is playing in a house they’re trying to renovate and flip. Maybe he’s looking for the place that’ll thaw his freezing mind. He does have an enchanted jug of something, it looks pretty important. But also the singer is trapped in a plastic room. I bet his mind would be less freezing if he had better insulation and maybe a sweatshirt. He does bump into an enchanted outhouse that leads him to a freeway. Maybe he’s in Fresno now, and it’s warmer there, to thaw his mind.

Friday Morning Metal – Barenaked Ladies – Christmas Pigs

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HAPPY POST CHRISTMAS MASHUP METAL DAY. Three time platinum BNL got to hang out with the guitarist from Rush and mashed Santa Claus is Coming to Town into War Pigs, and it’s pretty fun! Then they squish Rudolph and Deck the Halls into it. Works that War Pigs is such a long song, *slaps hood* you can fit so many Christmas songs up in here.

There’s a solid guitar solo up in there, which makes sense given how rad Alex Lifeson is. I bet this would’ve been a fun show to see.

And just because I love this scene here’s the study group from Community defending BNL, who are that fundamental to need a shorthand.

Friday Morning Metal – Revocation – The Grip Tightens

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Happy goofy metal video day, this time by way of Revocation out of Boston. According to the internet, these guys are a technical death metal band, but this sounds like solid thrash for nearly five minutes!

The song is frenetic and badass, with some super driving drums. Definitely one of those songs that could lead to you driving a little too fast on the highway, or biking 30 mph for no dang reason. TWO SOLOS! We’re blessed with super shreddy noodlefests in this one. All together the song is crazy fast and super fun.

This is a fun video premise. They’re dressed up like wicked old dudes and are shredding at a senior center. The guitarist looks like he’s about to pass out when an orderly turns his oxygen up, just in time for a shred fest of a solo. The folks in the crowd really get into it too, it’s a hoot. It is a little funny that they’re done up to look like old folks when there are legit old folks touring in huge bands and doing the same while not looking like decrepit monkey skeletons.