Metal Assault: Album Reviews

By Aniruddh ‘Andrew’ Bansal

Hailing from Bangalore, India, Bevar Sea announced their arrival in the world of stoner doom with the 2012 release of their self-titled debut full-length album, a righteous slab of heavy psychedelia that not only placed them at the top of what is still a fledgling metal scene in India, but also established them as a world-class entity amongst underground metal enthusiasts elsewhere. Stoner doom has reached unprecedented levels of popularity both in the underground and mainstream communities over the past few years, but Bevar Sea were one step ahead and ventured into this territory before most others did, going about one simple task: playing the kind of music they love. Now, three years since the debut, in times far more welcoming to their musical style, the band has unveiled the follow-up effort ‘Invoke The Bizarre’. Continue reading “Bevar Sea – Invoke The Bizarre”

By Andrew Bansal

Los Angeles progressive metal stalwarts Intronaut have come a long way since their 2006 debut EP ‘Null’, orchestrating an undeniable evolution of themselves as musicians from one album to the next and in the process also inspiring the next generation of prog lovers. A little over two years since their stellar, spellbinding 2013 effort ‘Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)’, Intronaut are about to release their fifth full-length studio album ‘The Direction Of Last Things’ via Century Media Records on November 13th, and as it could already be predicted, this new set of tunes presents a more developed and incisive Intronaut, but does so with a very recognizable sonic stamp and revisits some of the band’s older tendencies. Continue reading “Intronaut – The Direction Of Last Things”

By Lisa Burke

The dramedy is a punk-infused hard rock band consisting of only two members, vocalist/guitarist Dave Davids and drummer Abby Vester. Davids masterminds all guitar, vocals and lyrics in a very unique yet classic way. In explanation of the lower-case ‘d’ in the band’s name, Davids has stated the subjects he writes about are usually based on experiences an average person goes through at a very young age, experiences that contribute to one’s coming of age. The lower-case ‘d’ is his way of signifying youthful innocence.

Any time you can create a complete sound without your traditional abundance of instrumentation, the creativity shines through, as is the case with this duo. Abby Vester has a very strong approach to the drums with a dynamic old-school garage punk sound that mixes well with the vocal stylings. After viewing them live and listening to their recently released double A-side cassette single featuring two songs ‘Not The Only One’ and ‘Ring For Two’ complete with three live downloads ‘Dead Cool’, ‘Rejection Piece’, and ‘Lights (where do you go)’, it is clear these two are full of talent, and headed in the right direction. I particularly enjoy the lighthearted spirit of the vocals mixed with the dramatically meaningful and at times comical lyrics. My favorites are ‘Lights (Where Did You Go)’ for its funny lyrics and catchy sound, and ‘Not The Only One’ for its creative guitar-playing and flawless transitions.

When watching The dramedy as a live band, you can be sure there is never a dull moment as the dynamic stage presence of these two is sure to draw new fans with every performance. They can command a large stage as well as a small one and the old-school punk rock/alternative vibes flow smoothly. On that note, I will leave you with the incentive to grab a copy of the cassette while it lasts as they are only issuing out 200 copies at the moment, and it comes with digital download codes, so those that threw away their cassette players years ago need not worry. The dramedy will be performing in the Los Angeles area and beyond in the near future, so in addition to grabbing this double A-side single you are also encouraged to catch them live.

The dramedy links: facebook | twitter | instagram | bandcamp

By Andrew Bansal

Norwegian atmospheric rock group viseMenn, in existence since the mid-2000s, have released a new single called ‘Begging You Please’. When it comes to the progressive and atmospheric variants of rock music, European bands have carried a rich history and undeniable reputation of taking it to unmatchable extremes, so a band like viseMenn immediately compels Metal Assault to take notice, and share with readers thoughts on the band’s new single. Continue reading “viseMenn – Begging You Please (Single)”

By Andrew Bansal

Metal giants Slayer have been largely active on the worldwide touring circuit over the past few years, and even the split with drummer Dave Lombardo and the death of guitarist Jeff Hanneman did not stop them. But, when it came to writing and recording new material, that aspect of Slayer seemed to have been put on the backburner for quite a while. Finally in 2014 and 2015, the band completed work on a brand new set of tunes, and the result is their eleventh studio album ‘Repentless’, releasing via Nuclear Blast on September 11 2015. Continue reading “Slayer – Repentless”

By Andrew Bansal

For Swedish old-school heavy metal group Black Trip, the debut full-length album Goin’ Under (released in 2013 in Europe, 2014 in North America) was a long time in the making but was worth the wait as it turned out to be one of the finest debut efforts to have surfaced in the genre in the recent past, and put them on the global map. Goin’ Under, primarily composed by vocalist Joseph Tholl and guitarist Peter Stjärnvind, is filled to the brim with their interpretation of all things classic Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy. Two years later, Black Trip has a solidifed lineup, and with active touring in Europe under their belts, they set out to write the follow-up album, this time as a band. The result is ‘Shadowline’, released worldwide August 28 via SPV/Steamhammer. Continue reading “Black Trip – Shadowline”