COMP SWAP XII Reviews Thread

chewie wrote:

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

CITANUL TIME (CD 1)


3. Stiltskin - Inside...... This must have come out during that particular era of alternative rock in the early 90's. There is a lot worse than this that came out at that time though. I wouldn't put this on repeat, but I can deal with it.

Is this the band that Ray Wilson was in before he sang with Genesis on Calling All Stations?

That's the one.

This is the comp that Phoenix Reign Drummer sent me.

Big Talk - Katzenjammer
OK rock song.  Not terrible but didn't really do much for me.

Crashdiet - Generation Wild
Glam metal's not something I listen to a lot, but this was a fun song (which I suppose is the point of the genre  ), and I like this.

Pagan's Mind - Entrance Stargate
I've seen a lot of people raving about this band but I've never been able to get into them.  There's nothing wrong with the song, I just don't feel particularly compelled to investigate them any further.

Paragon - Traitor
Typical German power metal (i.e. Grave Digger/Running Wild style).  I like this song and this is a band I'd like to hear some more of.

Pentagram - Wartime
Heavy/doom metal.  I didn't find this song particularly interesting.

Hell - Darkhangel
Epic heavy metal.  I definitely like this one.

Ghost - Crucified
A band I've heard quite a bit about.  I'm not completely sold on them, but I am interested enough to want to hear more.

Roky Erickson - Night of the Vampire
Roky Erickson - I Think of Demons
Two pretty cool songs about, well, vampires and demons.

Andi Deris & Bad Bankers - Don't Listen to the Radio
Don't know much about Andi Deris other than his involvement in Helloween, but I like this song.

Pink Cream 69 - Wasted Years
As has already been established on this thread, I've heard David Readman singing, but I hadn't ever heard anything by this band, but I like.  Another band I want to hear more of.

Bejelit - Don't Know What You Want
Bejelit - Triskelion
Odd name, so I had no clue what to expect.  It turned out to be Italian power metal, although less symphonic than your typical Italian band.  I really liked the first song, but wasn't so keen on the second one.  

Candlemass - Black Stone Wielder
I don't know a lot about doom metal, but I do know that Candlemass are one of the more highly regarded bands.  After listening to this, I can hear why and that's another band I'd like to hear more of.

Tankard - Octane Warriors
Thrash isn't my favourite genre, but this song isn't too bad.

Polkadot Cadaver - Impure Thoughts
I'm a bit on the fence with this song.  It has promise and might be a song that grows on me after a few more listens, but I haven't made up my mind about it just yet.

Volbeat - Dead But Rising
Another band I've heard quite a bit about but never actually heard.  One of my favourites on the comp.  

The 69 Eyes - Love Runs Away
Hard rock with a gothic touch.  An OK song, but I'm not particularly interested in hearing more from the band.

The Mission - Sometimes The Brightest Light Comes From The Darkest Places
I didn't realise these guys were still a going concern.  A good song, even if Wayne Hussey's voice seems to be showing a bit of wear and tear (which it wasn't on the covers album he did with Julianne Regan a couple of years ago).

Steel Train - Bullet
Similarly to the Big Talk song, OK but didn't do much for me.

Shiny Toy Guns - Somewhere To Hide
Shiny Toy Guns - Carrie
But these songs did.  I have a soft spot for 80s synthpop and this band sounds like a modern take on that, so was just up my street.

Dommin - The Quiet Man
I've seen a number of people compare Dommin with Danzig.  I haven't ever heard anything by Danzig, so I don't know how apt a comparison that is, but I like this.

Tad Morose - Beneath A Veil Of Crying Souls
I tend to stay away from progressive/power metal bands as I find the melding of the two genres tends not to work for me (even though I like both prog and power metal).  As a result I haven't paid much attention to Tad Morose, but based on this song I think it's something I need to rectify.

Helloween - Straight Out Of Hell
I have a Helloween compilation, but I've never bothered to check them out any further.  I don't think there was any particular reason for that, they just seem to never make it onto my radar.  I do like this song, so maybe I'll change that.

Ravage - Reign Fall
Heavy/power metal.  Not a bad song, but I'm not too bothered about hearing more from this band.

Lizzy Borden - Abnormal
And again with this song.  I like the song, but not enough to be further interested in the band.

Lanfear - Another Golden Rage
As I've already mentioned, I've tend not to go for progressive/power metal bands, but I think I might give this one a try.

Throne of Chaos - The Window
Started off sounded like standard progressive/power metal, but had a more interesting instrumental section that I had expected, going a bit jazzy.  So I'm definitely interested in the band after that.

Black Star Riders - Bound For Glory
When I first heard this, I though it sounded a lot like Thin Lizzy.  Then I discovered that it's basically the current incarnation of Thin Lizzy, which explains it.  I'm not much of a Thin Lizzy fan, but this song's not bad.

The Killers - Miss Atomic Bomb
This is a band I've definitely heard of, but would be hard-pressed to identify any of their songs.  You can basically take what I said about Big Talk and Steel Train (who play a similar style) and apply it to this one.  It's something that I don't mind hearing, but wouldn't go out of my way to listen to.

The Format - The First Single (Cause A Scene)
My least favourite song on the comp.  I found this song a little bland and not particularly interesting.

The Church - Almost With You
I have one album by The Church, but haven't been particularly inspired to get up anything else.  This song hasn't quite changed my mind, but it might be worth hearing a bit more from them.

Lake Of Tears - Raistlin And The Rose
I'm not sure how to classify this.  The keyboards are more what you'd expect from a power/symphonic metal band, but this is a sort of doom/goth mixture with maybe a bit of folk thrown in as well.  But no matter what it actually is, what I do know is that I like it.

Mob Rules - Soldiers Of Fortune
From the name, I was expected more of Sabbath influence.  What I got was power metal (which I actually prefer).  Good song, and I'd like to hear more of this band as well.

Crows - The Frantic Factor
Early German power metal.  Another song which, while not bad didn't do too much for me.

Scanner - Wizard Force
A solid metal song, and another band who I wouldn't bother with further even though I like the song.

Overall, I enjoyed this comp.  There was nothing on it that I would say that I actively disliked, as even the songs I wasn't so keen on weren't too bad.

well bruh, I actually supplied you with two more Lanfear tracks, so you won't even have to try!  

Citanul wrote:

Andi Deris & Bad Bankers - Don't Listen to the Radio
Don't know much about Andi Deris other than his involvement in Helloween, but I like this song.

Pink Cream 69 - Wasted Years
As has already been established on this thread, I've heard David Readman singing, but I hadn't ever heard anything by this band, but I like. Another band I want to hear more of.

You can get the best of both worlds as Andi Deris sings on the first three Pink Cream 69 albums! I'd link a video, but I don't want to clog the thread up.

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

well bruh, I actually supplied you with two more Lanfear tracks, so you won't even have to try!  

I know. The problem is that now I have three songs from three different albums, so I have to decide which one I like best.  

Here's my review of part 2 of Cruedevil's comp:

Boy or a Girl- Imperial Drag. This song was fun as hell. Never heard of these dudes before but I will be checking them out.

People Who Died- Jim Carroll Band. An excellent track that I am already very familiar with.

Circles- JJ Grey & Mofro. I didn’t care for this one at all. It was just too slow for me.

Bruane Brenn- Kvelertak. This was pretty fun and unique. A friend mentioned this band to me in the past but I didn’t get to checking them out. I do remember liking their album artwork a lot.

Country Girl- Primal Scream. This one was pretty fun. I’ve heard of PS before, but never heard them I don’ think. This track has a less sugary Matthew Sweet quality to my ears. If the rest of their stuff sounds like this, I’m sold.

Two Headed Dog- Roky Erickson & the Aliens. I actually almost included this same song on the comp I made Cruedevil, so yeah, I quite like it. Ha.

If There Is Something- Roxy Music. Like Eno in the first half of the comp, RM is really a band I should’ve checked out way earlier. This is really good.

Swampsnake- The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. I don’t know why but this track sounds a little like some Illusion-era GNR. Like maybe one of Izzy’s songs. I like it.

Run Rabbit Run- Smack. This is another band I’m quite familiar with. Good Hanoi Rocks/Stooges/glammy sleazy punky trash rock.

Solitude- Ulver. Ulver is a band I’ve always heard of. I know some of their stuff is considered black metal. This song is not…but then BM is such a fluid genre when it wants to be. I didn’t really dig on this song though.


All around, really good comp Cruedevil!

BearOnUnicycle and I did a mp3-swap, and here is my review of the first folder.

Comp I:

1. Titan Force – Chase Your Dream
Titan Force is a band I’ve heard about for years, but never bothered to check out. BIG mistake!! This is excellent power metal, ala early Queensrÿche or Lethal! What a start on these comp!! I definitely will be investing in this band soon!

2. STS 8 Mission – Lost Command
I had never heard about this band before, so I had to check with Metal Archives to learn a little more. Turns out that this weirdly named band used to be Forced Entry, a thrash metal band I know a little more about. STS 8 Mission is not thrash though, but more pure power metal. They’re not too far removed from the previous band, albeit a tad more speed metal oriented. Think Recon with Kai Hansen singing? Another awesome track, and another band I will be adding to the wantlist!

3. Dreamlore – Chasing Tomorrow
The ‘90’s was a dark time for metalheads worldwide, as the music we love was forced to go underground again. Then again, the ‘90’s produces some of the best metal ever released, and certainly some of the best “unknown” acts. Dreamlore was yet another band I was previously unfamiliar with. They were a progressive metal band from the US, with only 1 album ever released. “Chasing Tomorrow” is pure Dream Theater worship, yet not a carbon copy. I liked this track also, but have to admit that it drowns a bit in the crowd.

4. Oliver Magnum – Old World Nites
Another previously unknown band for me, but the name obviously brings connotations to the English progrock stahlwarts. This band, however, is another power metal outfit! And it’s another killer track! The song starts soft even adding some piano and Spanish guitars. Gradually it builds in speed and intensity, only to return to the softer side again. It's called dynamic songwriting, a somewhat lost art with so many modern acts. I liked this song very much as well, and the name of the band is duly noted.

5. Oracle – As Darkness Reigns
I know about several bands names Oracle. But beside the band Shawn Pelata used to sing for, I don’t think I own any releases from anyone of them. This particular band I could not even find on Metal Archives?!! And that is strange, considering that this is more breathtaking power metal! They sound like a blend between Helstar and Sacred Warrior. Check out the guitar solo in this one! Absolutely phenomenal!
While writing this I discovered that the band was actually called Prodigy when they released the cassette demo this song is from. They later changed the name to Oracle, and Brent Smedley and James MacDonough (both ex-Iced Earth) were in this band.

6. Damien Steele – Life After Life
Man, this comp continues to deliver! Yet another obscure band that actually started life in 1982, released a demo in 1991, but didn’t release an album until 2005! And, according to Metal Archives, they are still at it! To me they sound very much like many of the underground Christian metal bands from around the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, like Haven and Valor. It’s slightly progressive power metal, done right.

7. Defyance – From The Sky
I actually own the album this song is from, but it has been resting in a cardboard box since I got it some 8-10 years ago!! Time to remedy that, as this is one of the most memorable song off of this comp. This is another progressive metal band, but a band that has emphasis on memorable songs, rather than showing off instrumental wankery. Thanks for reminding me about this band, BearOnUnicycle!

8. Talisphere – Prevention
Another obscure power/speed metal band, as this band only released a 3 song demo back in 1996! And all I wanna hear is more! This is one of my favorite tracks here. The vocals are insane! Think John Cyriis (Agent Steel) or Rick Mythiasin (Steel Prophet). And the melody sticks to my brain instantly. Great, GREAT song!

9. House of Spirits – Close To The Edge
I used to own this bands second CD, discovering them after having discovered Jester’s March (HoS is the band JM evolved into). After hearing this track from their first album, I regret getting rid of both the HoS and JM CD’s! This is labeled progressive metal, but the progressive elements are not more prominent here than in bands like Balance of Power or Elegy. But it is a solid track, for sure!

10. Majesty – Desperate Hours
Not to be confused with the more known Majesty from Germany, or the umpteen other bands using the same moniker. This band is….. yes, you guessed it, an obscure, 1-album-only, progressive power metal act, from the US. This is one of the few songs on this comp that doesn’t really grab me.

11. Wicked Maraya – The Legacy
Another album I actually own, the CD resides I the same box as the Defynace CD  Wicked Maraya came to my attention as someone on a discussion board said they sounded like early Queensrÿche. I can’t say that this particular song reminds me much of Seattle’s finest, but it’s still a cool progressive metal tune.

Forced Entry, who later evolved into STS 8 Mission, released only one album you might like as well, since the sound doesn't change that much - same old speed metal excellence, only with some obvious production issues here and there. Their thrash colleagues are a different band. As far as STS goes, they recorded two more albums leaning towards a mellower, hard rock apporach. The vocalist later sang for Gun Barrel and evntually died in 2010. Get them (well, try to ) only if you like the debut a lot, since "The Mystery of Time" is possibly the best thing after Terminal Earth/Hypertrace.

Dreamlore is a silky smooth, laid back prog only to be heard in 90's. Nothing like DT though. The album is in my personal BESTMUSICEVERMADEBYANYONE list, so you might wanna check out more songs, as they areavaliable on youtube. Composed and executed by one man. Mostly instrumental. Escpaist's brilliance. The CD is almost impossible to find I guess though.

Talisphere later become Fiarro, released an album that contains all three demo tracks, in inferior quality, mostly due to a poor production, but also since the lineup is different (no more mighty Chris Cronk). Than they remasterd an album improving the sound quality. So look for 1998 reissue if I recall correct. I got the demo from one of band members some years ago, just by emaling him (the bassist I think). You can simply steal download the demo since it is a god damn tape only demo with 10 copies printed worldwide you're unable to get in any other way, shape or form. Go for it.

Gonna do a quick run through of Exact's first comp. I may stop before the full 2 hours are over, haha.

First impressions (warning, I'm shit at putting my opinions into words):

1. Blazon Stone - High Treason
I've heard of these guys, but never heard them. Really dug this one, Running Wild-esque traditional/power metal. I'll have to check these guys out further.

2. Bullet - Mister Death
Yuck. AC/DC clone, and I've always had an aversion to AC/DC.

3. Crows - The Frantic Factor
I enjoyed this one a lot too. Reminds me a bit of Accept, mainly in the riffing.

4. Darxon - On the Run
Enjoyable, almost "party" sounding traditional metal. Not something I'd usually listen to, but I like it for what it is.

5. Deathwish - Carrion
I'm not huge on thrash, but I sorta like this. Maybe repeated listens will warm me up to these guys. Cool leadwork in the song.

6. Dexter Ward - Ghost Rider
Pretty standard traditional metal. Aside from the production, it sounds like it coulda been released in the early 80s. I'm not huge into it, but it's not horrible either. Dude's got a nice voice, but the songwriting seems a little generic to me.

7. Hatchet - Welcome to the Plague
One of my friends has been hounding me to check these guys out for a long time. I guess now's a better time then never. Like I said earlier, i'm not huge into thrash, but these dudes are pretty sick. Really tight riffwork. Cool vocals.

8. Innersiege - Dragon Rider
Cheesy, heavy, melodic power metal about dragon riding? f*ckin' right. Singer sounds a bit like Geoff Tate in his prime. I could see myself listening to this when I'm in the mood for whimsical metal.

9. Korpiklaani - Kunnia
Power-Folk metal, I guess? I feel like the novelty of having accordion in a metal song would wear thin pretty soon, myself. Not totally bad, but I feel like I couldn't enjoy a full album of it. Pretty catchy, though, I'll give them that.

10. Lechery - Rise With Me
This is more my speed. Aggressive, melodic, heavy power metal. Hooky chorus. I can dig it.
 

11. Manta Ray - Lords of Atlantis
Neo-classical, proggy sounding stuff. I could tell I'd like it when it first started. Sounds a bit like early Yngwie, actually. Pretty solid vocals too; his higher register reminds me of somebody I've heard before, but I can't place who at the moment. I'll definitely be looking into these guys further.


I'll finish the second half of the reviews later... Pretty good shit here for the most part, Alex.

Citanul must hate my comp as he hasn't gotten to it yet. unfortunately I cannot do his second disc until he does my stuff.   

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Citanul must hate my comp as he hasn't gotten to it yet.

It's not that - I've just been really busy this past week. But I should have the review done some time this weekend.

And here are Orion Crystal Ice's comps.

Metal

Skyliner - The Human Residue
Skyliner - Aria Of The Waters
I find that progressive/power metal can be a bit hit and miss for me, but these songs are on the hit side of things.  I didn't like the second song quite as much, partly because it featured growls, something I'm not really a fan of, but it was only briefly and I can live with that.

Ephel Duath - The Passage (Pearl Grey)
Ephel Duath - Imploding
Musically I thought these were pretty cool, with lots of changes and interesting parts, but the vocals ruined it for me.  Mostly screamed and nothing resembling a chorus/hook meant that I ultimately didn't like these.

Labyrinth - New Horizons
Labyrinth - Freeman
Power metal.  Initially I wasn't too taken by this band, but they've grown on me after repeated listens.  Still not a band I'd rush out to buy though.

Maudlin of the Well - The Ferryman
Maudlin of the Well - Monstrously Low Tide
The first song was another case of me finding the music interesting but hating the vocals.  Growls rather than screams this time, but the result was the same.  The vocals were all clean in the second, but this is a band I'm not interested in hearing more of.

Lanfear - Zero Poems
Lanfear - Idiopathic Discreation
More Lanfear, which reinforces my opinion of them.  Of three songs I received, Zero Poems is my favourite, so would its album be a good starting point?

Power Of Omens - Test Of Wills
Did somebody clone Geoff Tate?  This singer sounds so much like him.  I felt this song could have maybe done with a bit of editing - it's close to 20 minutes and I found my attention waning as it went on.  But on the whole, I liked this.

Non-Metal

Egg - Enneagram
Classic British prog.  Decent enough instrumental track, but not a band I'm too interested in hearing more of.

Clearlight - Way
A second instrumental.  This one gets a bit frenetic towards the end which I enjoyed, but it's another band I wouldn't be interested in hearing further.

Pulsar - Puzzle/Omen
Spacey track that's technically not an instrumental as it has a spoken part, but I did find three non-vocal tracks over eight minutes a little heavy going.

Island - Pictures
Finally a song with vocals.  Complex prog in the Gentle Giant/King Crimson vein, this probably isn't something I would ultimately end up going for, but my interest has been piqued a bit.  Bizarrely features the phrase "gastric juices" repeated multiple times!

Ozric Tentacles - Coily
A band I've heard before, although I don't have anything by them.  I like this, but don't think I could sit through an entire album.

Boris (with Michio Kurihara) - Rainbow
I'm generally not a big fan of songs not in English, but this was pleasant enough until the guitar came in, which I found it too loud and jarring, and it just didn't work in the song for me.

Koenjihyakkei - Rattims Friezz
From a song not in English to a song that might not have been in any language.  Some parts were definitely scat, and the rest of the time I found the vocals a little too screechy to make anything.  Didn't like this.

Wadada Leo Smith - Lake Biwa (A Fullmoon Purewater Gold)
An instrumental that started off pleasantly enough, although it didn't seem to be going anywhere for a while.  Then it got way too dissonant, and 11 minutes of it?  Not my cup of tea.

Pat Metheny & Brad Mehldau - Towards The Light
While I can appreciate the abilities of the musicians, fusion isn't something I listen to, and this hasn't convinced me otherwise.

Foldzan - King Planet
An industrially-tinged rock song.  I enjoyed this, but I don't know how much that had to do with it being a contrast to all the instrumentals.

Apart from the Ephel Duath and Maudlin of the Well, I like the Metal comp.  The Non-Metal, not so much.  While it was certainly an interesting listen, but not something I see myself returning to.

Oh man, so brutal hahahahahaha. But ULTIMATE VICTORY you liked my band better than almost anything bwahahahaha. However, if you don't buy the record when it comes out... I will come to you in the early hours and make the growling sounds by your bedside.


You can't really blame me for a lot of the stuff on here since your collection is so progtastic.   Perhaps you're 'close to the edge', and I went far off of the edge.   No biggie in any case. Maybe some of it will grow on ya. I'll have the review for your second disc up soon.

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

However, if you don't buy the record when it comes out... I will come to you in the early hours and make the growling sounds by your bedside.

Noooo!! I don't want that to happen. I'd better start making a plan.   

Quote :

Perhaps you're 'close to the edge', and I went far off of the edge.

Yeah, while I like prog, your choices were perhaps not quite as accessible as the stuff I go for. But the whole point of the Comp Swap is to be exposed to new and sometimes different music and you certainly did that.

Here we go. Kmorg's first comp "Norway Rocks"

1. Ark - Heal the Waters.
Heard lots of praise for Ark, reviewers mentioning their material among the best in progressive metal realm. Now, Kmorg might already noticed that I love prog metal, and most improtantly what kind of sound I gravitate towards. Prefer Lethal, Fates Warning, Heir Apparent in my music than Dream Theater. Hate Dream Theater. That said, I'm on the fence about this track. Some parts of the song are great, on some I'm in euphoria, then it changes to trademark songwriting I can't describe but you instaly know you listen to a prog band when that exact tempo/arrangement kicks in. The one that never grabs me, most of the time even grates on my nerves.
All in all, while still enjoying the song as a whole, doubt I will look further into getting more of Ark's material.


2. Wild Willy's Gang - Goliath.
Judging by the name I expected some hair metal. In reality it appears to be somewhat of a supergroup formed by quite famous people in the scene. The song is a nice heavy hitting hard rock number. Liked this one.

3. Equinox - Stop!.
Generally thrash is something I avoid. A handful of bands I own albums from are either those who lean towards a melodic edge (Megadave, In Search... by Onslaught for instance) or those who decided to crush listeners' ears by intricate playing and twisted song structures: Toxik, Mekong Delta and beloved Coroner. Equinox falls into latter category I suppose, and that is what metal arcives tells. Enough information to pick my attention, but the song itself is kind of ok I guess. Such music works much better in an album format, so I have to check more of Equinox to decide.

4. Triosphere - Driven.
A winner of both comps, the second she started to sing I realized Triosphere is missing from my collection. Insanely good track, naturally, well, driving, much praise. Completely blown away by Triosphere.

5. Witchhammer - The Burning Court.
There is a number of Witchammers out there I heard about, but never dug any deeper for them being outside of my usual prefernces. Guess I missed this one. The song from Nordic Witchhammer band is from 1990, which was a good initial sign. Musically it is something you'd expect from Deutsch power/speed crews - a sinister, raw, full of energy, commanding output walking the line of thrash metal. I have a soft spot for this sort of metal. Really enjoyed, and will definitely track 1487 (the album).

6. Wig Wam - Still I'm Burning.
Wig Wam I've seen mentioned on HOM multiple times, so all of you already have an idea what they sound like. I did too, and it was the reason I didn't try them - hair metal is something I have to be in the mood for. This mood usually fades away pretty quick, since for some reason happiness, party atmosphere of any kind in pretty much every musical genre tend to literally irritate me. But oh, Lord, one does not simply reist the hooks, the catchiness and the overall feeling of anthemic tracks like "Still I'm Burning". Can't do anything but sing along, even though I don't really want to, money wise. Infectious song, damn it

7. Blood Tsunami - Torn Apart.
Inital reaction - hey, its an old In Flames demo. To my surprise, a well known website tags Bllod Tsunami as thrash, and which is even more shocking, the album "Torn Apart" belongs to is titled, guess how, Thrash Metal. Indeed there are some elements of said genre scattered over the track, but as a whole I'm getting "Lunar Strain" vibe more. Not In Flames's crowning achievement, but not a dud either. So the question arises, how does their other material sounds?

8. Scariot - Strange To Numbers.
I would've compare Scariot to Morgana Lefay, whom I haven't heard in ages, and probably Nevermore if I had any idea of their music, besides a couple of tracks when I've tried to get into said band. Basically Scariot do share a lot of common "angry" power metal elemnts with some nice prog inserts here and there of previously mentioned bands, I guess. Haven't heard Morgana Lefay in ages though, and still haven't heard a Nevermore song which clicked, and the reason to that is that their characteristic dark, pissed-off Savatage aesthetics is something I have to be in the mood for. So I'm taking a note about Scariot, will check more when time calls for it.

9. Highland Glory - Spirit Of Slavation.
Seen the tittle, already knew what to expect. Seems everyone burns out of power metal really rapidly, and I'm not the exception. On the other hand, OCI's previous comp literally guided me into territory of bands who had much more to offer, thus having a lot of staying power. Can I say that about Highland Glory? Most definitely yes, at least about this track, which incorporates an elgiac feeling widely present in progressive metal I simply adore, and as a whole the song just, don't know, fits me perfectly: every element, each turn is just how I like it. Reminded me of Labyrinth from Italy, their "No Limits" era, the one that slays.

10. Carnivora - The Master And Their Slaves.
A well executed mid tempo, unhurries song. The vocalist has a very pleasant voice he's not afraid to use, unleashing all his power without overdoing sky-high wails. His singing is probably my favorite part of the track. The band is more than capable of writing good old traditional metal of a high quality level. Overall a very pleasant, as I'm missing a better fitting description, song, the style of which vaguely reminds me of somebody else. Perhaps something I'd expect from Axel Rudi Pell: ultra melodic, crystal clear sounding metal that knows its limitations and has everything you wished for. Enjoying a lot.

11. Battered - Derelict.
Modern take on mid-tempo, rhythmic thrash. Has a serious groove, growl-like vocals, pissed-off attitude. The song is mostly mid-paced, with slight dynamics encapturing the feel of the track very well. I liked it well enough, despite Battered being outside of my usual prefernces.

12. Pagan's Mind - Through Osiris' Eyes.
Always had a difficult relationships with Pagan's Mind. I believe I've owned Celestial Entrance 3 times already. Prog Power of today offers too little power to grab you by the balls, and too little prog to change and set a person's mood. It sort of stuck in th emiddle of nowhere, not knowing which direction to take. This is my general problem with almost every prog power band outhere, and I absolutely love the genre. Kmorg already got a taste of it. Titan Force, Lethal, Heir Apparent, Amethyst - why bands of current century fail to deliver music of quality presented some 20 years ago is beyond me. Same story happened with Pagan's Mind - they meet every vague criterias I have for my musical prefernces, but in the end we simply couldn't get along. Hearing "Through Osiris' Eyes" I'm falling in love again, the music is captivating. Guess it will be 4th time when Celestial Entrance comes to my player. Hope now it will finally click.

13. Circus Maximus - Sin.
Get rid of characteristic tempo changes and talk to the keyboardist who thinks his instrument shouldn't work only at background, serving as an ambient, atmosphere creator. Doing this will make "Sin" a 9/10 song in my book. Parts of the song when they just play without adding those "nessesary" progressive metal features are absolutely phenomenal, especially the chrous. I obviously tried to like this band before, but perhaps taking a closer, the idea of compilations encourages, will pay off since this song settled down in my head.

As a whole this comp was a an interesting experience, every song had its place and each track had something to offer, especially in the context of a compilation. The winners would be Triosphere, Highland Glory, Witchhammer and Pagan's Mind ("sigh" ).

I'm halfway ready with your 2nd disc.

Wow, thanks! As is the case each time with these comp swaps, some of the most fun is to see what is hit and what is miss with these comps. Glad you seemed to enjoy most of it! And let me know if you have difficulties tracking some of this down. I might be able to help.

More reviews from me coming soon too

exact33 wrote:

Here are the links to the comps I sent Wurthless if anyone else is interested:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5laeb5a5dubyngk/Comp%201.zip

https://www.dropbox.com/s/oiyvaz1eqxevhxu/Comp%202.zip

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ywxam0wxwh7t77q/Comp%203.zip

Downloadad your comps exact...... Thanks great stuff!

[quote="BearOnUnicycle "Norway Rocks"

And no Communic......   

Olafsto wrote:

[quote="BearOnUnicycle "Norway Rocks"

And no Communic......   

Heard them anyway, guess Kmorg thought I don't need to be reminded about them.

Communic was on the first comp I made, but then my computer shut down in the middle of creating the list. Guess I forgot to add them to the final list.

Come to think of it. Looks like several more tracks are missing ok that comp. I swear I added tracks from In Vain and Cazaver as well. I must look into it to see if anything went wrong with the upload.

kmorg wrote:

Come to think of it. Looks like several more tracks are missing ok that comp. I swear I added tracks from In Vain and Cazaver as well. I must look into it to see if anything went wrong with the upload.

getting old is tough....   

Olafsto wrote:

exact33 wrote:

Here are the links to the comps I sent Wurthless if anyone else is interested:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5laeb5a5dubyngk/Comp%201.zip

https://www.dropbox.com/s/oiyvaz1eqxevhxu/Comp%202.zip

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ywxam0wxwh7t77q/Comp%203.zip

Downloadad your comps exact...... Thanks great stuff!

glad you liked them! I had a ton of fun making them.

I will have my reviews up this weekend. I am almost finshed with work for the year so then i will have more time.

exact33 wrote:

kmorg wrote:

Come to think of it. Looks like several more tracks are missing ok that comp. I swear I added tracks from In Vain and Cazaver as well. I must look into it to see if anything went wrong with the upload.

getting old is tough....   

Yeah, you should know. You're one year older than me

Just as I suspected. There should have been 10 more songs in the Norway Rocks folder. For some reason they were never uploaded to dropbox. I have added them now, and yes Olafsto, there is Communic in there