Floating Worlds - Below The Sea Of Light ~ Album review

After their first album, "Only A Dream, Can Kill A Dream," the Greek band Floating Worlds is back with a second album titled "Below The Sea Light," which contains 8 tracks.

After listening to the album a couple of times, I noticed that it combines different styles. Some songs tend toward progressive metal, while others are very close to power metal. A touch of melody in every song defines the band's style.

Each member showed their skills on this album. The beauty of the riffs and solos manifests in their simplicity, and the drums and bass are well-executed. Christine Kolliopoulou not only excelled on the keyboards but also in backing vocals alongside the awesome voice of Jon Soti! The album opens and closes with 2 instrumental tracks composed by guitarist Andreas V (Garden of Souls & Revenge), which give you an idea of the members and their talents; it represents the band, I would say! We can notice progress and improvement in the music and lyrics compared to the first album! So, if you want to chill out after a long day of work or relax on a Sunday evening to get ready for a new week, I suggest "Below the Sea Light," an album that will be appreciated by power, progressive, and melodic metal fans! Just give it a listen; YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

Check out the band here.

                               Rating:7/10

                            

Interview with Cristiano Trionfera from "Fleshgod Apocalypse".

A band that straddles the brutality of technical death metal and the epicness of symphony! Their new album is one of the most successful of the year, and they still have so much more to offer! Ladies and gentlemen, I had the great honor of interviewing the Vocalist/Guitarist of the Italian band FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE about their latest release, "Labyrinth."

1-First of all, I would like to thank you for your time and for the chance you gave to Metalitty webzine to talk more about your path. Let's start with "Labyrinth," the first concept album based on the labyrinth of Knossos. Can you tell me more about it? And how did you get the idea to write about this part of Greek mythology?

We're always searching for topics that interest us and that can give us the chance to develop a fitting atmosphere and description of what we think our music should create in an album. We usually start talking about the next album's lyric concept quite a few months before working properly on the music. It is very important for us to make sure the music and the lyrics fit well to create the picture we have in mind. Greek mythology has always been a part of our heritage, since we studied ancient Greek culture at school. Also, we're all fascinated by it, and it came out perfectly to design the metaphor, as most ancient myths do, of the modern and actual human condition.

2-What makes "Labyrinth" different from the other albums?

The first thing I can tell you is that this time we worked with more time to spend on the details. The writing process was long and stressful, but we managed to put many more things inside the album than in the past, since we wanted to take a step forward. The harmonies and melodies of "Labyrinth" are much more complex and yet more direct than what we have been doing in "Agony," and it all came out like a very twisted musical maze, along with the lyrics, which are much more detailed and developed into the storyline. "Labyrinth" is different from the previous albums because with this one, you'll hear Fleshgod Apocalypse at their highest level so far.

3-We haven’t heard Paolo's voice in "Labyrinth" as we did in "Agony"; many fans are wondering why!

In "Labyrinth," we found ourselves in the need of having the characters of the story interacting, and the different voices in this album are thought of as the different people acting in the concept and shaping the story as it has to. We approach the vocals like everything else in the composition, as an instrument meant to be structured into the whole thing and interacting with the music and, more importantly, with the concept.

4- Are you satisfied with the reaction of your fans towards "Labyrinth" so far?

We're not only satisfied but really amazed by the reaction. We can see the fan base growing every day, and we feel really proud when we receive the fans' comments and feedback on our work.

5- Are you planning to make a new video?

Yes, we are. Actually, we will be working on that soon, so hopefully, you'll see something really cool in the near future.

6- Your music is a mix between the epicness of symphony and the brutality of technical death! If you had to give a name to your kind, what would you name it?

We like to call our music symphonic extreme metal. I think it fits well.

7-Who inspires you to write such music? And is there any particular process in writing it?

Well, the inspiration comes from a lot of things. Obviously, the musical inspiration comes from our years of listening to music and enjoying making it, along with all the music that comes out nowadays that we like and respect artistically. The writing process starts with Francesco Paoli and Francesco Ferrini sitting together to write the music, after we all discuss the concept and how we want it to develop. Then, once the structure of the songs is done (even roughly), we work on the lyrics of the specific songs. On "Labyrinth," the lyrics were mainly developed by Tommaso and Paolo.

8-Who was behind the amazing idea of performing in grimy makeup and dusty costumes from the 17th century?

We've always wanted to go further on our path of building up a proper show, and the basic idea of the band has driven us to this, since the visual part of the project has always been important to us. Francesco Paoli came up with the idea years ago now, and we have worked to develop it as our attitude regarding what we felt the band would have sounded and looked like has grown in us.

9-Tell me more about your news and upcoming events!

Well, we're currently working on several things and planning the live work for 2014 to promote our music in different areas than the ones we have been working on so far. We're now playing some festivals here in Europe, then in January and February, we'll be on a big tour all around Europe along with Kataklysm and Krisiun. Afterwards, you'll see us playing in places that are new for us, so stay tuned if you live where we have never played before, because you might have good news.

10-Do you have any message for your Moroccan fans and Metalitty readers in general?

You guys keep it up with the great work and keep on listening to good music. We would love to come visit your country at one point. For now, enjoy metal music and support your favorite bands! Cheers to all of you.

Interview with Avulsed.

The death metal band Avulsed just released their new album "Ritual Zombi" and their new video clip. I took advantage of this occasion to interview the band about their news and path!

• Let's start with a history of the band

AVULSED was formed back in 1991. The idea was some friends playing the music they love, Death Metal, beginning with the demo era ("Embalmed in Blood"-'92, "Deformed Beyond Belief"-'93 and "Promo'95") a 7"EP ("Carnivoracity"-'94) which was later re-released as a mini CD ("Carnivoracity") until AVULSED recorded the debut album ("Eminence in Putrescence"-'96). After some changes in the lineup, comes the second album ("Stabwound Orgasm"-'99), "Bloodcovered"-'01, "Yearning for the Grotesque"-03, "Gorespattered Suicide" -'05, "Reanimations"-'06. September '07 sees the first official DVD release by AVULSED with the "Reanimating Russia 2007", recorded in Moscow in June '07 during the band's second Russian tour. Later came "Nullo (The Pleasure of Self-Mutilation)"-'09 and now “Ritual Zombi”-'13, AVULSED last release some days ago Worldwide!!

AVULSED has always been a non-stop playing band during all these last 22 years!! Several European and American tours came with the years, Japan, Russia, plus many festivals, including some of the biggest for our style, like Maryland Deathfest, Killtown Deathfest, Hellfest… AVULSED keeps doing shows as intense as many years ago after more than 400 gigs!!

• How did you come up with the band name?

The idea came from Dave Rotten. The term “avulsion” means “the forcible tearing away of a body part by trauma or surgery”. Explicit enough, right?. So AVULSED became a great name for the band, haha!!

• Talk to us more about the new album "Ritual Zombi"!

“Ritual Zombi” came a couple of years ago with the idea of doing a “back to the roots” album, more focused on our first releases musically. Apart from that, AVULSED has always written about the dark side of life, morbid, gore matters, but we noticed we never talked about zombies, so we decided to dedicate a complete album to them!! And “Ritual Zombi” (yes, in Spanish) was a big title for the new album. Something that is very easy for the English speakers to understand, no matter the language.

Unfortunately, we had a change in the lineup last year. Riky (thanks for 8 years!!), so we had to get a new drummer, Osckar, and that situation delayed the new album. But now it's at last released!!

“Ritual Zombi” without any doubt is the most detailed record AVULSED has done. We took care of everything, from the composition, to the global idea about the zombies, to the awesome art by Juanjo Castellano... Not to mention the sound. We have recorded it with Daniel Blanco at La Casa del Ruido, mixed it at Moontower Studios by Javi Félez, and mastered by the great Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios!! It’s fierce, it’s straight, it’s catchy, it’s aggressive… It’s AVULSED!!

• What do the lyrics deal with?

As I told you, we never did anything about zombies in the past, even being something we all like, from all the movies, literature and so during the years, and now it was time for it. It’s not a conceptual album as the term itself, it’s more a conceptual idea about the vast zombie World. AVULSED always write about the dark side of the human being, and there’s nothing darker than coming back from death zombie-style!!

• Let's talk about the cover! Who's behind the idea of this artwork?

First of all, this is the best cover we´ve had ever!! Juanjo Castellano has done a great work (thank you!!). The idea came from us, like a post-apocalyptic zombie armageddon, plus some details like the buildings that come right from our hometown, Madrid.

• After 18 years, you released a new video-clip! Tell me more about it!

It’s already done and released!! Yes, we did some live videos, and a complete DVD in Russia, but never did a music video since “Powdered Flesh”, a long, long time ago, so it was time to record a new one!! “Dead Flesh Awakened” is the chosen one, so we contacted Mario Ruiz from Krea Film and Sound and everything was just perfect!! Thanks bro!! You can check it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVG_D8j1Hzw&feature=youtu.be

We are really happy about the results, and it´s working really well!!

• The band was founded in 1991, after 22 years of activity do you think you achieved many of your goals?

The main goal was and still is to do what we want, to play Death Metal, to work on our own terms, to play worldwide, and enjoy as much as possible, so our goals are achieved, we Could firm right now for another 22 years, haha!!

• And if we compare "Carnivoracity" to "Ritual Zombi", do you think the band has developed or rather has passed to another step or you have stayed on the same "level"?

Well, obviously, during all these years we have improved many things, and we are lucky to play in some places that were impossible in the past, but we continue being underground, nothing to do with the mainstream. Now we can play Worldwide and people call us from many great places, so that could be a new “level”, but we continue doing this because we love it, and continue with our side jobs, so…

• Are you thinking about Making an international tour?

AVULSED is booking shows always!! And even more now with “Ritual Zombi” hot from the oven!! We have already some dates confirmed in Spain, Romania, Italy… We´ll do a complete tour in 2014, so be aware!!

• And finally, What would you like to say to your fans over here?

First of all, thanks for the interview!!

I´d tell them to hear “Ritual Zombi”, AVULSED, we all, are really proud. of it!! Enjoy with our video and if you can/want, try to catch us alive, you´ll not regret it!!

Order Ritual Zombi now :

COMPACT DISC here.

12"LP here.

T-SHIRT here.

COMBOS CD+TS & CD+LP here or here.

and DIGITAL here.

Noumena - Death Walks With Me ~ Album review

NOUMENA is a Finnish melodic death metal band founded in 1998, consisting of Suvi Uura and Antti Haapanen on vocals, Ville Lamminaho and Tuukka Tuomela on guitars, Hannu Savolainen on bass, and Ilkka Unnbom on drums. They have returned with a new album called “Death Walks with Me” after 7 years of absence (since the release of "Anatomy of Life" in 2006).

The album contains 11 tracks with some noticeable changes; we can clearly notice that they added a clean female doom voice. Many of their fans were against that, since they think that only the growling/grunting (and maybe a male clean voice) in a melodeath album are able to satisfy their desire, and Antti's growling is really awesome. I actually tend to agree; I wouldn't say that Suvi’s clean voice isn't good; she has a really nice voice, it just doesn't connect with Antti's growling; a clean male voice would have been preferable.

In terms of music, I would say there’s a "development". It’s a bit “heavier” and “stronger” compared to their three previous albums. The addition of some atmospheric instruments like cello (in "Sundown"), French horn (in "Season of Suffocation"), mandolin (in "Mysteries of Motion"), piano (in "Sundown"), tambourine (in "Handful of Dust")... gave the album an epic atmosphere full of emotions mixing with the guitars, which surprised me with their melodic riffs and awesome solos by Ville Lamminaho & Tuukka Tuomela, in which we can taste some progressive. As for Hannu Savolainen and Ilkka Unnbom, they both played an important role in making the whole album melodic and atmospheric; there’s a marked touch of the old In Flames. That's what I actually liked in the album. And regardless of Suvi's clean voice, she also participated in the additional growling in "Handful Of Dust", "Play Dead" and "Mysteries Of Motion".

The lyrics are perfectly written; every song is full of emotions and deals with an interesting topic. Even the titles were well chosen; they are so deep, I would say! They make you wonder about the songs.

I also would like to throw a glance at the artwork cover! It's actually the first thing that attracted me once I took the CD! It's so dark and mysterious, there's a secret in it, which makes you feel excited to listen to the album!

And despite the disagreement in the vocals, the album was good in general; I especially appreciated the fact that they are back with a change in the music to show more of their capacities and to avoid becoming “typical” and… "boring" maybe? Anyway, "Death Walks With Me" couldn't only be listened to by Melodic Death Metal fans but it can be recommended also to the listeners of Progressive and Doom.

Noumena just showed us more of the Finnish power!

Check out the band here.

                                    Rating : 7/10

Catuvolcus - Gergovia ~ Album review

Differently from most black metal bands that delve into the history of the Middle Ages with their lyrics, the Canadian band Catuvolcus chose another theme and focused on the Gauls. The band was formed in 2007 in Quebec and includes 4 members: Pierre-Alexandre Plessix on vocals, Maxime Côté on guitars, Etienne Gallo on drums, and Dominic Forest Lapointe on bass guitar.

Just like their other releases, Catuvolcus is going to take us through the pages of history with their second album, "Gergovia," released in 2012. This concept album is about one of the most important battles in the Gallic Wars, between the Gauls and the Roman legions guided by Julius Caesar, that took place in the Gergovie oppidum in Arverne and ended with the victory of the Gauls. It features nine tracks, starting with an acoustic prologue with the sounds of rain, wind, and mystery, and ending with an epic epilogue. Every track contains some interesting events. I would say every track is a chapter of the story because the writing process is full of narration, and it feels like you're reading a book while reading the lyrics. What makes them more epic is that they're in French, and we all know how amazing the pronunciation of this language is. Adding to that, the very atmospheric music automatically transports you to 52 BC; you totally feel like you’re in the middle of that battle, seeing all that blood and hearing all the strikes of the swords. And while Maxime Côté and Matrak Tveskaeg (former bass player) entertain us with their epic riffs and solos, and the powerful drums excite us, Pierre-Alexandre Plessix also plays an important role with his mighty grunt and some clean vocals.

This album is melodic and brutal at the same time; you can taste the victory as well as the defeat. It ends with a calm acoustic epilogue expressing the end of the battle and connecting with the prologue. That's what makes you not feel that “break” when you replay the album; it automatically makes you want to replay it without taking you out of the atmosphere of the battle.

If you really want to try a new black metal theme and explore different history, if you want to live some moments from antiquity, you should check out Catuvolcus, a band with so much power and many stories to narrate to us.

Check out the band here.


                                    Rating : 8/10

Interview with Alex Nesterov from "Wine From Tears".

"Wine from Tears" is a Doom Metal band from Russia. After their 2 releases, they're planning to record another album soon! I asked the guitarist/vocalist and founder of the band a few questions about their music, releases, and news!

1. Let's start with a brief history of the band.

Well, the band was founded in 2002. I was a schoolboy, and my schoolmate told me there's a guy who loves doom metal as much as I do and wants to play it in a band. We met, and that was the beginning. My schoolmate took bass, and his friend took drums. Then we found a keyboard player who was a girl. Over the years, people were replaced. Nowadays, we are what we are.

2. Tell me more about the new album and where did the recording take place?

The new CD is all about death, the feelings and thoughts about it. It was recorded at "Nosorog rec" in our city by our friend Michael.

3. What do the lyrics deal with?

The lyrics deal with my inner feelings about "what is death for us?"

4. Who made the artwork and does it connect with the lyrics?

The same author as the first album. And yes, it is strongly connected with our lyrics.

5. What makes "Glad To Be Dead" different from "Through The Eyes Of A Mad"?

The first CD consists of the songs that were made from 2000 till 2009. The second album consists of new songs except "the light at the end of the world"; it was made in 2001.

6. Is there any place the band hasn't toured yet that you would personally love to go to?

We'd love to play everywhere in the USA and Europe. Maybe some European festivals like OzzFest, Tuska, Rock'am'ring. We're open for everyone.

7. Tell me more about your upcoming events and your plans for the future!

We're going to record the third CD soon. 21 September we're playing with "Saturnus" in Moscow.

8. What do you think about illegal music downloads?

It's not good.

9. Anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for attention to us. If you want to see us somewhere just invite us by emails.

Check out the band here.