Coltre : "Under the Influence"

Following the tire tracks left by bands like Thin Lizzy and Rainbow, this British band has a rawer and more aggressive spirit to them. Perhaps not as dark as In Solitude who has more of a Mercyful Fate going, these guys are in the same sonic realm. The boldly belted vocals are more Diamond Head than King Diamond. There is also more of a gallop coming from these guys . They also employ the New Wave of British Heavy Metal sense of guitar harmonies without coming across as frolicking power metal. The vocals are boldy belted. "Crimson Killer" has more of a rock n roll swagger to it. They go more hell bent for leather in fist pumping granduer of "Fight". The guitars are the focus of the spot light most of the time here. The vocals are solid, but sit on the riffs rather than the riffs being fashioned to accomodate them. The first time the vocals get more thought put into them production wise is going into the second verse of this song.

The riffs might not be the most original things ever written in their devoation to the era of inspiration, they are however preformed with convincing attitude. I have not seen what these guys look like but I am expected their hair to be feathered. Things get heavier with the more intense proto thrash gallop of "Plague Doctor" which is lyrically timele. The way the vocals fall is more along the lines of early Metallica, which also falls back to the Diamond Head comparison I made earlier. He is not as angry and Hetfield. At over 9 minutes it is a rather ambitous piece guitar solo and all. Things stay very uptempo aside from the more melodic break down in the middle of the song.

They are splitting the difference between metal in the more traditional sense and rock n roll on the last song. Kids these days might not think this is metal at all as it takes you back to the late 70s early 80s when the definition was different. I did listen to lots of old Judas Priest as a kid and the riffs here owe a great deal to those days. Guitar solos take up the space where the vocals would fall in this one. It is more about a sound than being a song. I am not sure flashiness is the best justifacation for an instrumental, then there is Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein'. This is less about groove and thrashes along on cruise control. I am sure this is fun live. I will give this one an 8 and keep my ears open for where these guys go from here. This is being released on Dying Victim Productions July 31st.

Aggressive Perfector : " Havoc At the Midnight Hour"

This is the British trio's second album. Named after a Slayer song it's easy to see where they would draw from early 80s thrash. They are more Venom than not. I can hear traces of Mercyful Fate, but the vocalist can not really sing and instead employs more of a snarl. There is a casual attempt at screams and he tries to sing a little more "Turbo Evil" which benefits from a more classic metal riff. They do a really good job at recapturing the feel of the era. I know I was a kid listening to this kind of metal during this time. The vocals however are their weak spot.  The drummer is no Lombardo or even Mikkey Dee. He gets the job done , but not above and beyond the call of duty.

The chorus to "Land of No Return"  reminded me so much of Metallica's "Phantom Lord" that I had to stop and go listen to the Metallica song to see if I was just imagining this. It also allowed me to hear how the production on this album is a lot like that of  "Kill'em All".   There is a more Slayer like groove to the riff of "Into the Nightmare".  This is more effective than when they pour on a more punk tinged thrash speed for " Vengeful One". There is a touch of Motorhead to it. I like Motorhead , but this doesn't feel like it has the same amount of heart put into the song writing process and feels more like filler. They lock into more of a thrashing speed for the last three songs. Sometimes this is more effective than others' "Devil's Basatrd" is smoother than the previous song but still feels a little rushed and a few bpm's slower might have provided more nuance.

"Seven Gates" is more of a gallop and while it is not that hooky of a song , at least not enough for me to look up from my writing and take notice , after repeat listens I can hear how it's construction is more sound than the two songs before it. However it is almost a tribute to Venom. Venom doesn't sound like Venom today so if you are looking for a replacement then this might work. Still I will give this album, a 7.5. If you are a Venom fan it is recomended, If you heard Venom the first time they came out and were already head banging in the 8-0s then this might be less impressive. The album is being released on November 22nd on Dying Victim Productions.