Ram & Portrat - Under Command

Two NWOTHM bands - Ram and Portrait - have just released a split EP called Under Command and it's a pretty cool idea.  The EP was just released on 12/5 on Metal Blade in various formats.  Unfortunately, it's only available in North America digitally, but you can order physical media from here:

http://www.black-path.com/?post_type=product

Here's the tracklisting:

1. RAM - Savage Machine
2. RAM - Welcome to My Funeral (Portrait cover)
3. RAM - Creatures of the Night (KISS cover)
4. Portrait - Martial Lead
5. Portrait - Blessed to Be Cursed (RAM cover)
6. Portrait - Aggressor (Exciter cover)

So each band does one new original track, a cover of one of the other band's songs and a cover of a classic metal track.  I think that's a very cool setup and I will definitely order this.  

Here's Ram doing Portrait's "Welcome To My Funeral."

Interesting that this came up.

I just received my very first RAM disc, Death, earlier this week. Got lucky on ebay. Good stuff, but I want to let that album sink in a little before I go whole-hog into their other material. But since we're on the subject...

How is the rest of their discography? Awesome? Consistent? Spotty? Any clunkers in there I should avoid?

I like them. Solid stuff. They only have two other albums besides Death - Forced Entry (2005) and Lightbringer (2009). If you like Death you'll like those two as well.

Portrait is also very good and I recommend all their albums. They have a very heavy Mercyful Fate influence.

Witchfinder wrote:

I like them.  Solid stuff.  They only have two other albums besides Death - Forced Entry (2005) and Lightbringer (2009).  If you like Death you'll like those two as well.

Portrait is also very good and I recommend all their albums.  They have a very heavy Mercyful Fate influence.

I've checked out Portrait after some folks posted them here. Not bad either. I'm a little on the fence with them though as I'm not a huge MF fan.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

I like them.  Solid stuff.  They only have two other albums besides Death - Forced Entry (2005) and Lightbringer (2009).  If you like Death you'll like those two as well.

Portrait is also very good and I recommend all their albums.  They have a very heavy Mercyful Fate influence.

I've checked out Portrait after some folks posted them here. Not bad either. I'm a little on the fence with them though as I'm not a huge MF fan.

Makes sense. Ram is just straight up heavy metal. If you can tolerate their vocalist, you will like all their albums.

This is a good example of Portrait:



Nearly 8 minutes of insane guitar awesomeness.

Love Portrait. I like em better than RAM personally way more darker and heavier.

Death is a good album but Lightbringer is stronger IMO.

Witchfinder wrote:

This is a good example of Portrait:



Nearly 8 minutes of insane guitar awesomeness.  

That wasn't bad at all.

That's cool. Wish I had some money. Haha! I like both bands from what I've heard.

I enjoyed that first RAM release but haven't heard them since then.

I got the first Portrait album and it's quite good. I got the newest one crossroads and its a beast. Crossroads has the same darkness that Melissa has or it even reminds me of the darkness of early Dissection.

I got my first Portrait disc over the weekend, Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae (a title that just rolls off the tongue), and listening to it now. I will without question be getting more Portrait discs. Yea, there is a definite King Diamond influence, but the vocals aren't as over-the-top and less grating.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I got my first Portrait disc over the weekend, Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae (a title that just rolls off the tongue), and listening to it now. I will without question be getting more Portrait discs. Yea, there is a definite King Diamond influence, but the vocals aren't as over-the-top and less grating.

Nice! That's a great album.

Witchfinder wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I got my first Portrait disc over the weekend, Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae (a title that just rolls off the tongue), and listening to it now. I will without question be getting more Portrait discs. Yea, there is a definite King Diamond influence, but the vocals aren't as over-the-top and less grating.

Nice!  That's a great album.

Another lucky score on ebay. $6.99 shipped. Worth every penny!!

Both are awesome bands!!!