Tulsadoom - "Barbarian Steel"

 Hailing from the Vienna wastelands, Tulsadoom are a brutal 5 piece band who drink lots of beer and worship all things Conan the barbarian. "Barbarian Steel" is the title of their current full length album, 11 tracks of fast, heavy melodic thrashing death, with a heaping helping of old school and traditional power metal as well. One glance at the album cover and you know you are in for an epic journey of barbarian themed heavy metal. Album opener "The Glory Of Thulsa Doom" sets the tone for the rest of the tracks that follow, with it's melodious riffing, thunderous bass, pounding drums, fire-throated vocals and scorching lead guitars. The gang vocals in the chorus "For the glory of thulsa doom!" evokes images of marching into battle, weapons held high, and taking no prisoners! The band does an excellent job of re-telling our favorite barbarian's classic tales of bravery and battle, set to an excellent heavy metal soundtrack as evident in such cuts as "Attack the god of the four winds", "The hammer of thorgrim", "Tulsaride" and "Enter the snake cult". 3 songs into the album Tulsadoom plays a bit with a more black metal sound on "Fuck the god of the four winds", mixing some traditional metal influences with the likes of Celtic Frost and a hint of Dissection, this track also calls out to the Goatwhore fans with it's blazing riffs melting seemlessly into catchy, thrash/punk driven bridges. "Doomrider madness" has a very classic rock n' roll vibe, with its main riffs that remind this reviewer of classic Motorhead and a thrashy style that recalls early Megadeth especially with it's piercing guitar solo's. "Barbarian Beer attack" is a standout cut here. It has a great feel-good vibe and old school metal style that will have the listener banging their heads and raising a cold one in the air along to the lyrics "C'mon get drunk, life is short!". This will be a theme song for metalheads who love their beer cold, their metal classic and their parties to last all night long. Clocking in at just over 7 minutes long, "The hammer of thorgrim" is a viking metal styled tune, with a heavy stomping verse that will have Amon Amarth fans hitting the repeat buttons on their CD players and cranking the volume to the max, re-living this brutal slab of metal over and over again. "Barbarian bitchfuck" is a mid-paced anthem, full of grinding guitar pieces and beastly, clanking Steve Harris-like bass lines and solid double bass drumming rounded out by gravelly, hellish vocals provided by King Totolva. "Tulsaride" is another anthemic track, filled to the brim with catchy old school riffing and gang vocals that bring to mind the scene of a mead hall full of leather clad metal warriors swilling beer, banging their heads and roaring in approval of the mighty Tulsadoom's epic songwriting. This is yet another track that stands out on the disk and warrants many repeated listens at high volume. "Enter the snake cult" brings this raging slab of barbarian metal to a close, showcasing more of the bands affinity for melodic, guitar driven black metal vibes and classic thrash breakdowns. "Barbarian Steel" is in fact the answer to the proverbial "riddle of steel", it is a well rounded album full of everything a metalhead could want or need in a band. This Austrian outfit combines the best of all the extreme styles of every subgenre all while holding their swords high and flying the flag for epic barbarian heavy metal. If you've had enough of cookie cutter, deathcore, scenester bands, if you want your metal brutal and melodic and full of blazing guitar wizardry, then BY CROM look no further than Tulsadoom and add your very own copy of "Barbarian Steel" to your music collection! You can find the band online at www.facebook.com/tulsadoom and you can find videos for "Barbarian beer attack" and "Barbarian bitchfuck" on youtube. You can grab your very own CD copy of this album along with great t-shirts and patches at www.skullmerch.com and you can hear cuts from this band and many other underground artists every Thursday evening from 7pm to 10pm EST at www.brutalexistenceradio.com.

Iron Kingdom - Gates Of Eternity

 Hailing from Surrey, B.C. these Canadians serve up their own brand of traditional power metal on their newest full length release "Gates Of Eternity". This 9 track platter harkens back to the glory days of such trailblazing bands as Angelwitch, Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest and of course, Iron Maiden. The twin guitar attack of Chris Osterman and Kenny Kroecher mixes gritty riffing with tons of melody and more duelling harmonies and guitar solo's than Maiden fans can wave a union jack at! Album opener "At The Gates" sets the pace for an epic guitar driven ride of pure power metal bliss with it's twisting and turning changes, from it's anthemic chorus to it's clean, melodious bridge. "Chains Of Solitude" clocking in at over 7 minutes long, showcases an abundance of catchy riffs and top quality song crafting. These guitarists know how to play their instruments well and have the knowledge to piece together multiple riffs while keeping the listener completely engaged and not being overly flashy when it comes time to lay down a solo. "Demon Of Deception" slows the pace up just a bit with it's sludgy intro and chorus riffs. Iron Kingdom definitely let's their early
Mercyful Fate influence fly on this track, I could easily hear this song played in the same company as "Curse Of The Pharoahs" and "A Dangerous Meeting" not only for the songwriting but also for the unbelievable vocal highs that frontman Chris Osterman is able to obtain (and while he is playing guitar mind you!). Chris definitely has a unique voice all his own, while you can hear bits of Halford and King Diamond in his screams, he seems to have found his own vocal identity which isnt often heard from a singer on what is
only his sophomore release. Let's not overlook the fabulous rythmn section here also. The deep, clanking bass lines of Leighton Holmes and the tight, stomping drumming provided by Amanda Osterman are what give the muscle and backbone to songs like "Guardian Angel" and "Crowned In Iron". If forced to pick a favorite track from this album, I'd have to go with "At Home In The Dark". This track goes straight for the kill, jumping the gun at full speed with an excellent galloping riff and twin guitar pyrotechnics that get my
head banging and my fist pumping in the air even as I write this review. The absolutely epic 15 minute journey called "Egypt-The End Is Near" rounds this full length out. There's something in this track for everyone, thundering drums, blazing vocals, ground shaking bass and riffs-a-plenty with lots of tempo and timing changes. If you crossed Maiden's "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" with "Genghis Khan" you'd get something very close to what Iron Kingdom serve up with this track. Once again, the band seemlessly melts
together a mountain of musical pieces, making them all fit together and keeping the listener on it's toes and excited for what changes will come next, there's even a beautiful acoustic piece towards the end that comes out of nowhere! This is fun heavy metal. Iron Kingdom makes you want to crank the speakers up, chug a few cold brews and play air guitar along with every song until your hands cramp up. I can only imagine how excellent this band must be in a live setting, whipping the crowd into a frenzy with the amazing songs showcased on "Gates Of Eternity". Fans of old school power metal and NWOBHM absolutely need to add Iron Kingdom's "Gates Of Eternity" to your collection. You can purchase physical CD copies of the album (and limited cassette versions as well) by visiting www.iron-kingdom.com and clicking on the "merch" tab, you can also purchase their debut album and t-shirts as well! Dont forget to visit the band at www.facebook.com/ironkingdom and click the "like" button too! You can hear cuts from this disk by tuning in to www.brutalexistenceradio.com every Thursday evening from 7pm to 10pm EST and checking out Up From The Underground.

Driven Mad - "Committed"

 "Committed" is Driven Mad's 5 song 2013 release. The band consists of vocalist Sam Walters, guitarist Dmitri Kalmar (both having previously spent time together in the NYC Funk/Metal band King Hell!) drummer Angel Cotte (also of the bands Alekhine's Gun, Dehumanized, Chesty Malone & The Slice 'Em Ups and just about every other awesome band NYC has to offer) and bassist Jon Feirman. "Gripping The Third Rail" kicks off this 5 song set with technical riffing and blazing metal attitude. Mammoth rythms, frantic vocals and frequent tempo changes push and pull this song for over 4 solid minutes of pure controlled chaos. Driven Mad showcase traditional thrash metal leanings, mixed with dirty Sabbath-fueled riffing and sludgy stoner metal. "Dead Slow" is another perfect example of this with it's ham-fisted riffs and face melting guitar runs. Picture Down and Megadeth in a Sons Of Anarchy styled bar fight and you'd have something eerily close to the musical pandemonium that Driven Mad serve up by the keg full. Sam's vocals range from the verge of power metal highs to guttural death metal lows, perfectly accentuating the musical madness created by Dmitri, Angel and Jon. "I Am The Mountain" is the most laid back cut here, with it's slow, greasy riffs oozing from the speakers and melting with Sams laid back approach that recalls Clutch's bearded frontman Neil Fallon. "Vertigo" is chock full of twisted, winding riffs that bring to mind Mastodon's "Blood Mountain" era. A non-stop barrage of metal compounded by Angel's precise drumming and Sam's maniacal vocal delivery make this my personal favorite of the 5 tracks on this disk. "Crosses of Bone" comes across almost Viking-metalish with it's huge riffs, gang vocals and epic vibe. Driven Mad raid and pillage with their swords and metal flags held high for sure. In a scene where cookie cutter bands are accepted, meat-headed fist-flailing breakdowns are the norm and hipsters try to call themselves "Black Metal", Driven Mad stand head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, setting a standard for originality, technicality and just plain old fashioned catchy and well written heavy metal music. If you are in search of something with substance, something different, something smooth and consistent but heavier than Thor's mighty hammer, than you need to give this band a listen and share the madness with your "Buds" over a few cold ones and make Driven Mad your new favorite band. You can find the band online at www.drivenmadmetal.com where you can purchase cd's and merch and keep up with where and when they are destroying a venue near you. You can give them at "Like" at www.facebook.com/drivenmadmetal and you can email the band at drivenmadmetal@gmail.com as well.

Forte - "Unholy War"

Beginning with an ominous intro called "Vae Solis" this album goes right in for the kill with the title track "Unholy War". This tune is a pure rager in every sense and sets the mood for the audio assault that is to come through the rest of the album. Machine gunning double bass drums, buzzsaw riffing, face melting guitar solo pyrotechnics, thick, smooth bass lines and epic vocals that toe the line between an angry/raspy Ronnie James Dio and classic Dee Snider are abundant through this release. While this band is obviously well schooled in their respective instruments and do show some flash and flare, these songs are 100% hooky and catchy and 0% pretentious wankery which is refreshing when certain power metal bands nowadays are guilty of shredding for the sake of shredding while their songs lack any real substance. These are well crafted tunes that keep you coming back for repeated spins. Straight up rippers like "Dead To Me", "Take The Mark", "Stronger Than Death" and "Rain Of Fire" are all 3 minute and 30 second speed-fests that absolutely blaze from the speakers and incite much headbanging, air guitaring and fist pumping. This is pure, driving, intense old school heavy metal with a classic sound and vibe, but also with a modern flare for speed and technicality. "Absolute Power" is a melodic ball of intense thrash metal fury which showcases some nods to the seminal Megadeth album "Rust In Peace" with it's intricate riffing and timing changes and a furious lead section that would knock Marty Friedman back on his heels. I'm a real sucker for a ballad, so "Undying" really tugs at my heart strings. But dont get me wrong this is no Poison love song. This arrangement screams more "Fade To Black" meets "Beyond The Realms Of Death" than "Every Rose..." or "Home Sweet Home". Beautiful clean guitars and sorrow filled vocals give way to heavy choruses, piercing lead guitars and epic vocal lines.(I still cant believe the frontman here is Enfuneration's David Thompson, talk about 2 completely different ends of the metal spectrum. Mind = blown. Incredible show of musicianship and diversity on his part!) "Light To The Blind" rounds the disk out and brings us to the end of this audio assault. This one starts just a bit more mid-tempo, but while the speed in this track isnt up to the tempo of the disks previous tracks, this album ender is chock full of melody courtesy of both the vocals and guitars. 5 and a half minutes of riffs, and changes galore. When all is said and done from beginning to end, every track on Forte's "Unholy War" is just as glorious, dark and amazing as it's cover art. If classic thrash and power metal are what fuels your metal fire, if you are a fan of Iced Earth, Megadeth, Iron Maiden and the like, than you owe it to yourself to add "Unholy War" by Forte to your music library. You can purchase copies of the disk by visiting the band's label at www.divebombrecords.com and following the link to Forte. You can also download the album via itunes. You can keep up with Forte by visiting www.facebook.com/gregscottforte.

Hard Rock Zombie - "Monsterpiece Theater"

This brand new 10 song slab of scariness is just what the Dr.(Frankenstein) ordered for the fall/halloween season. Just 30 seconds into album opener "Scream Queen" and youre already hooked on the bands ghoulish blend of gritty guitar work, bottom heavy bass, tight drumming and smooth Danzig/Elvis like vocals which see frontman Gory George really coming into his own and finding his vocal identity with this creepy outfit. The 2013 re-'Vamp"-ing of "My Freezer" will have listeners air-guitaring and pumping their fists along to the "GO! GO!" gang vocals. "Top 40 Werewolf" is a standout track amongst this set of tunes. This is fun, energized 50's rock n' roll, just punkified and dragged through the cemetery. I dare you to not clap along and sing "Whoaaaa-aoooooaaaaa!" during the incredibly catchy break. "Wendigo" goes straight for the jugular, and is a straight up crusty barrage of classic, angry, up tempo punk rock that does not relent for 60 straight seconds. "Gravedance" is one of my faves here and is definitely the darkest and heaviest track served up on "Monsterpiece Theater". Slow, brooding bass lines and riffs build an evil aura reminiscent of early Black Sabbath and the 1st Danzig album. The fiery chorus with it's chunky guitar and Gory George screaming "Tonight we're gonna dance on your grave" create the perfect aura for any horror fan looking for their autumn soundtrack. People familiar with HRZ and who have been to their all too infamous halloween gigs at Popeyes Pub will get a nice chuckle from the :30 "Bob For Brains" invoking images of Chris Rush dressed up in full werewolf regalia getting us all to "Bob for brains and win a monster!". "Evil Dead 2" blazes through your speakers next and will have you banging your head faster than you can say "Klaatu Barada Nikto", another classic styled angst driven punk anthem about everyones favorite chainsaw wielding hero Ash! "My Name Is Ted" is another super fun catchy tune, with great rock N roll hooks that work their way into your brain and will have you cranking the volume and hitting the repeat button on your stereo. The extremely gloomy and somber "Inhuman Monster Ballad" may take most by surprise. It's melancholy chords, sorrow filled vocals and beautiful string arrangement are a complete 180 when compared to every other track on this album. But while this song isnt the quintessential definition of punk rock, this track fits and it feels right. Anyone who would down this gorgeous piece of music because it doesnt stick to the punk formula is just jealous that they couldnt come up with such an amazing opus. If there's one thing I love, it's when bands think outside the box, try something a little different and surprise the listener and thats exactly what Hard Rock Zombie does with "Inhuman Monster Ballad". A horror punk band evoking emotions and making me reflect?! You never saw it coming, and thats why it's awesome. Hard Rock Zombie close out this disk with "Dont Worry, It's Just A Rash", 2 minutes of rocking riffs, catchy hooks and more "Whoa's" than you could possibly sink your teeth into! All in all, Hard Rock Zombie have served up what is undeniably their best effort so far with "Monsterpiece Theater". There is something in the album for everyone, punks, metalheads, rock n' rollers, horror fanatics and even those of us who are (blood)suckers for a great ballad. Let's face it, your Misfits vinyl's are getting warped, you've listened to your Michale Graves albums a million times, you need something new in your collection and "Monsterpiece Theater" is exactly what your ears are craving in this fall season. You can find the band online at www.facebook.com/hardrockzombie and you can buy physical CD's or digital copies of "Monsterpiece Theater" as well as the HRZ back catalog and other merchandise at www.hardrockzombie.bandcamp.com

"Psychache" is the 6 track follow up to Curse The Son's highly acclaimed "Klonopain". Disk opener "Goodbye Henry Anslinger" sets the tempo for what is sure to be a slow smoke-filled ride. Each sticky riff slowly oozes from the mammoth hands of it's creator and drags the listener through a muddy trench of sonic fuzz. The mood is way darker and the tunes are even a bit slower here on "Psychache" than on the bands previous effort, citing less of a traditional "stoner metal" or uptempo vibe and showcasing more of an early Cathedral meets Melvins style and pace. Frontman Ron Vanacore's vocals are high and paranoid, giving each of these tracks the backbone of their eerie aura. Fans of the bands last release will hear Ron coming more into his own with his vocal styling and sounding way less Ozzy influenced than he had on "Klonopain", heck if I didnt look at the lineup on the inside of the disk cover, I might have even though Curse The Son had brought in a new singer! Catchy riffs, gloomy verses and memorable choruses are abundant on this recording, as evident in tracks like "Spider Stole The Weed". "Somatizator" and the disks title track "Psychache" which is an instrumental jam that begins with some primal drumming and a quirky bassline that reminds this reviewer of Down's "Lies, I dont know what they say but..." before kicking into full gear and busting out riffs that set your speakers on fire for almost 5 solid minutes. Being a fan of well-crafted doom epics that are a bit longer in the tooth, "The Negative Ion" is my personal favorite track here and closes out the disk running well over 7 minutes in total. The quietly played and soft spoken intro wets the appetite with an almost Pink Floyd-ian flavor, and even after the heaviness kicks in the band does well to keep this spacy groove prevalent throught the track. The hypnotizing guitar and thundering bass seem to rip open a huge black void, while Ron screams at us from another dimension and the timing of the drums keeps the stars perfectly aligned for the universe of doom metal that Curse The Son has collectively created here. Curse The Son hit a huge homerun with "Psychache", a meaty fistful of fuzzy, low and slow tracks that are an incredible follow up to their first album and see the band going in a different and even heavier direction. At a time where most current doom bands are more worried more about how much they sound like they stepped out of a time machine from the 1970's, than coming up with original ideas and crafting deep, swampy music, Curse The Son stands out and seperates themselves from all the usual  dime-a-dozen sound-alikes. Physical copies of "Psychache" are extremely limited so head over to facebook.com/cursetheson click the "Like" button and ask the band if there are any left, or you can go to cursetheson.bandcamp.com and buy the digital tracks to put in your mp3 player and blow out your computer speakers to! You can also visit the band at reverbnation.com/cursetheson as well. Hit these guys up, add these smokin' grooves to your music library and support the lowest and slowest band in Connecticut.

Neverwake - "Vitality"

This 12 song album kicks off with "A Beginning Of The Night", it's smooth acoustic intro busts into heavy melodic thrash metal and sets the tone for the rest of the disk. Technical and catchy with clean vocals and an unforgettable chorus. There's alot of evident Metallica influence here along with some classic swedish style playing ala In Flames and Soilwork. This band even boasts modern influences via Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine, just with a way better singer and no whining, no references to relationships gone awry, no "poor me" nonsense. The songs reference darkness, monsters, killers, cemeteries, death, the basic things you would want to hear in a solid heavy metal album. Songs like "Pulse", "Widowmaker", "Unjustified", "Twisted And Wicked" and "My Darkest Divide" showcase the bands knack to mix eerie chords, memorable lyrics and unbridled musicianship to make epic songs that are worthy or radio play, but still undeniably heavy enough to keep the metal purists head banging. "Fatal Remedy" is a fist pumping anthem with a singalong chorus that deserves to be heard from the biggest stage. The guitar work is stellar, the drums are tight and the melody is infectious. Almost every song here has "Hit single" written all over it. This is the perfect example of a band that can write a huge song without losing it's pure metal integrity. How this band is not signed to a label such as Roadrunner or even Metal Blade is beyond me. "Eye Of The Killer" has a modern Iron Maiden feel, with a heavy thrashing twist reminiscent of Testament. Catchy, mosh friendly and guitar pyrotechnics that will make you snap your neck if you headbang along. "Erased" is a dark ballad fueled by acoustic guitars and piano melodies, that stands up to the best of the best ballads you have ever heard, creepy, evil and moody. If there is one thing this band proves, it's that you dont need to growl and play a thousand miles an hour to be unrelentingly heavy. You can sing clean, use a ton of melody and write big, open choruses as long as you keep the integrity in your songs and have stellar musicians playing their respective instruments. Being a guitarist myself, I cant help but glorify the riffs and solo's the band serve up in every song on this release. Neverwake showcase alot of technicality and originality, ripping apart their six strings with a barrage of twisted, melancholic riffing and searing leads. This is a very tight band, intent on taking the metal world by storm with amazing songwriting. "Vitality" is an infectious release, full of unforgettable songs, that will stick with you long after the disk ends. If only more of the big boys in the industry made music like this, a disk where you dont want to skip a track, you NEED to hear the whole thing from beginning to end, thats become a rarity in music nowadays, but Neverwake have their finger on the "Pulse". Please go find this band atfacebook.com/neverwakemusictwitter.com/neverwakemusic andreverbnation.com/neverwakemusic and go see them live if they are in your area. I can only imagine how stellar these songs are in a live setting. You Can hear cuts from this disk every Thursday night from 7pm to 10pm EST atwww.brutalexistenceradio.com