ALBUM REVIEW: Mitchell Mantell - This Is Your Opportunity EP

 

MITCHELL MANTELL (Australia)
"This Is Your Opportunity EP"
(Independent)
Release date: August 15th 2019
Genre: Progressive metal, nu-metal, djent
Links:
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Spotify
BandCamp
YouTube

From New South Wales, far east in Australia, comes another interesting solo project. The man behind it is MITCHELL MANTELL, a multiinstrumentalist and producer who has been making music and developing his own style since 2014. Originally into hip hop and rap music, his musical preferences changed drastically when he got his first guitar in the early years of his teens, and became very much inspired by giants such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.

After a couple of spins, there is no doubt that MITCHELL MANTELL's music is influenced by a lot of different types of music. His guitar work is apparently inspired by the likes of Vai and Satriani, but the guitars are really just a small part of a much bigger picture.

The "This Is Your Opportunity EP" consists of an intro and three tracks that I would like to describe as progressive nu-metal with hints of djent and metalcore. Not exactly an unintriguing combination of styles, and MITCHELL MANTELL indeed makes it work very well.

He does all the instrumentation on his EP, apart from a couple guests spots on lead guitars. The vocal duties are being done by Tre Pruitt (The Amplitude Endeavour) doing screams and growls, and Joshua Ratcliff (Resurgence) performing the clean vocals.

The EP will be released digitally on August 15th, and if you're into nu-metal, djent or modern metal in general I am sure you'll find something that appeals to your taste on "This Is Your Opportunity EP".

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Tracklist
1. Intro
2. In The Wind (featuring Rhyse Aquilina)
3. Reflections (featuring Jared Johnson)
4. This Is Your Opportunity

MITCHELL MANTELL:
- Mitchell Mantell, composition, guitars, bass and programming
- Tilly the dog, assistant

Guest performers:
- Tre Pruitt, screams and growls
- Joshua Ratcliff, clean vocals, lyrics
- Rhyse Aquilina, lead guitars
- Jared Johnson, lead guitars

SINGLE REVIEW: Arshenic - Dear Remorse

ARSHENIC (Poland)
"Dear Remorse"
(Sliptrick Records)
Release date: May 15th 2019
Genre: Alternative metal, gothic rock, doom metal
Links:
Youtube
Facebook
Instagram
Spotify

Poland is perhaps not the country in the world that is most recognized in the metal community, with the exception of Decapitated, Behemoth and Vader, just to name a few.

ARSHENIC is located in Gdańsk in northern Poland, and were formed by singer, lyricist and composer Ofilia in 2007. The band released their eponymous debut album in 2009, and during the next three years they continued playing live, including an appearance on Polish TV on the "Must Be The Music" show, where they did a metal cover version of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi". Five years into its existence the band went on hiatus between 2012-2014, and after a few personell changes they started working on a new music in 2015. The three track EP "Erased" came out the year after. The last addition to their discography was 2017's "Monster" single, which was their way of showing their support to animal welfare activities, and the music video was partially filmed at an animal shelter.

ARSHENIC is inpired by the darker side of the rock scene. Alternative rock/metal, art rock, gothic and melodic rock and metal. Quite the mixture if you start blending all these influences together, right?

Their first album was a bit more straight hard rock/metal oriented, at times with ever so slight hints of punk, as well as being entirely sung in the Polish language. At times there are the more melancholic passages that showed a different side of the band, and over the years the band seems to have developed quite a lot more towards their inspirational references.

ARSHENIC are due with their second full length album "Final Collision" on August 20th, with Sliptrick Records being the supporting label. The single "Dear Remorse" was released as single in mid-May this year, and the video has already reached over 28000 views on YouTube. The link to the video can be found in the details section on top of this review.

So, how does it sound? ARSHENIC anno 2019 has a more melancholic sound and expression than what was the case ten years ago. "Dear Remorse" is more doomy, and I'm hearing a lot of Candlemass during the opening bars. Singer Ofilia has a voice that is very typical to the more modern female fronted bands, and she brings the emotion that for example Amy Lee also does in Evanescence's music.

The song is quite downbeat, but it never lacks the strength, and it has a nice modern touch even though the band manages to deliver music that has a bit of a timeless and epic feel. It's never anywhere close to being technically challenging, but what they bring in terms of atmosphere and dark, melodic melancholy makes ARSHENIC a fine addition to Poland's rock and metal repertoire.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Ofilia - vocals
Włuczykij - drums
Marek - bass
Vlad - guitar

SINGLE REVIEW: Walking Rumor - Do Or Die

WALKING RUMOR (Denmark)
"Do Or Die"
(Walking Rumor Records)
Release date: June 1st 2019
Genre: Nu metal, alternative metal, melodic metal
Links:
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Instagram
Twitter
SoundCloud
Spotify

To be completely honest, nu metal has never really appealed to this writer. It is a well known fact that this is the branch of the metal genre that is most frowned upon, arguably because of the most prominent acts in the genre, namely Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit. Aggression and frustration seems to be the main ingredient, and very often the music seems to play a less significant role.

On the other hand, every now and then a new band comes along and puts an end to all these stigmatizations, and proves that there is room for new thinking within the genre.

WALKING RUMOR is one such band, which seemingly (after having a look at their press photos) consists of a handful of very young lads. This Danish sextet was formed in 2015, and their discography counts an EP and multiple singles. The track we are reviewing today is not even their most recent one, but well worth a mention nonetheless.

"Do Or Die" was the first single off their upcoming full length album "Symbiosis", which is due for release later this year. After it was released, WALKING RUMOR has put out an additional two singles, the latter having been out for just a few days.

Just to be clear, there is nothing here that lives up to the standard that the aforementioned bands have put the genre within, and as early on as during the opening riff you hear that WALKING RUMOR is more than just a nu metal band. The aggression and intensivity is highly present, but they turn it around a bit by throwing in a few rhythm changes that gives it all a more playful touch. Electronics are usually a given within the nu metal genre, but these Danes use it only moderately, and it serves as an enticing curiosity rather than just a boring layer of noise. Throw in a catchy chorus with great melodies, and you very soon have a single that displays the band's collective strength in terms of both instrumentation and songwriting.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

WALKING RUMOR:
- Alexander Larsson - Drums
- Jacob Nielsen - Bass
- Emil Hansen - Guitar
- Andreas Løvenhorst - Guitar
- Kenio Gustavsson - Vocals
- Anders Mørch - Vocals

SINGLE REVIEW: JP2 - Walk Alone

JP2 (USA)
"Walk Alone"
(Indian River Music Company)
Release date: June 7th 2019
Genre: Alternative metal, progressive metal
Links:
BandCamp
Facebook
ReverbNation
Spotify

Javier Perez is a fine guitarist born and raised in Puerto Rico, but relocated to Orlando, Florida in 2001 to find musicians with whom he could bring life to his music. According to the information in the promo I received, Javier was a founding member of Runnin' Blind, Over The Radar and took part in an early adaptation of Alphæus. All names are unbeknownst to me, but they are of course all significant when it comes to the development of Perez's music.

JP2 is the moniker under which Mr. Perez has released his debut single, which is his first ever solo effort after over 20 years as a musician. "Walk Alone" is a fitting title on what the artist himself describes as "testament to his extensive musical journey".

The track starts of with a dirty riff, seemingly inspired by Rammstein and their "Mein Teil" song, with no further comparison. The verse has a calm feel to it, and Perez has a nice, clean voice that helps put emotion and even more of his personality into the song. Alice In Chains is the immediate reference that comes to mind, and the feeling gets stronger when the vocal harmonies come in.

In my ears at least, the chorus sends my thoughts in the more progressive direction that The Neal Morse Band, Spock's Beard and maybe even Threshold are in. There's an orchestra added to the mix, and even a sitar, just to give it that little extra spike. Brilliant.

"Walk Alone" was written, composed, performed and recorded in its entirety by Perez himself, and it is a very interesting first effort from an equally interesting new aquaintance. Looking forward to hear more!

★★★★★★★★☆☆

JP2:
Javier Perez - all instrumentation, vocals, programming

ALBUM REVIEW: Tatius Wolff - The Relapse

TATIUS WOLFF (Australia)
"The Relapse" (Digital album)
(Independent)
Release date: June 8th 2019
Links:
BandCamp
Facebook

TATIUS WOLFF is the brainchild of Sydney based multi instrumentalist Stephan "Wolff" Borg, who was first introduced to the metal genre when he joined the Maltese doom/death metal band Oblique Visions as a lead guitarist back in the early nineties. They released the "The Fallen" demo in 1994, and then their self financed full length CD "Seas of Serenity" the following year. Borg stayed with the band until he moved back to Australia in 1998.
After his departure from Oblique Visions, Borg had little luck finding a band that lived up to his musical ideologies, and went into a musical hiatus, one that would go on for 17 years.

He formed TATIUS WOLFF in March 2017, and released "Thumbscrews", a three track single which clearly indicated influences by acts like Type O Negative, Deftones and Tool, but with a more 90's type of sound and production.

"The Relapse" is TATIUS WOLFF's first full length, due for release on June 8th, and is a concept album that tells the story of being suddenly stuck by a debilitating illness, and the journey through the trials, tribulations, hope and despair.

"Auxilium" is the instrumental opening track, and already during the first few seconds is becomes apparent that Mr. Borg has dared to explore more djent and progressive oriented realms after "Thumbscrews". And quite successfully so, might I add. The bass and guitars are perfectly mixed, and form a deliciously massive wall of sound, but still leaving room for all the other elements that appear in the soundscapes that make TATIUS WOLFF sound as unique as it does, as well as adding that extra layer to the atmosphere that depicts the story throughout the eight tracks featured on "The Relapse".

"The Shock" is with its seven minutes the longest track on the album, and continues where the opener left off, though I am tempted to draw parallells back to 2017's single release. Whereas said opener functioned splendidly as a dramatic overture, "The Shock" is initially more melody based. There are tasty sections with piano, and even some odd time signatures. Borg's vocals are not at all polished, but they bring an authentic intensity and honest emotion that leaves no doubt that he is putting his heart into telling his story.

The third track "Recovery", as well as the title track, has themes and melodies that wouldn't sound misplaced on a Paradise Lost or a Tiamat record; thus again confirming the composer's fascination for music from the time when said bands were at the top of their game. "False Hope" was released as a single prior to the album's release, and "Proelium" is a nice little instrumental that incorporates what seems to be a late 80's Running Wild inspired melody line. "Trauma" is delightfully brutal, before progressing into a clean section with a dark, yet soothing atmosphere. However, I feel these tracks suffer a bit from the drum patterns that make them appear somewhat less consistent.

"The Tormentor" on the other hand is a really strong track that leads no way out of the darkness, but also makes it colder. A bone chilling, almost disturbing introduction grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go until it completely crushes you in what is sure to be one of the most fierce and intense sections to appear during the album's 41 short minutes. The track as a whole has a lot of different variations in textures and intensity; shifting between gloomy and dark moods to fast, infernal passages that punch the air out of your lungs if you try to keep up. With such contrasts within one track you would think it would be difficult to make the song flow naturally, but Borg does it really well on this one.

"Despair" is the last track on the album, and judging from the title it doesn't mark much of a bright ending to the story, but musically it is a worthy conclusion to the album. Concept albums like "The Relapse" are often very personal, and I sincerely hope Mr. Borg has a great feel of accomplishment after creating and releasing his debut. He sure is entitled to.

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Tracklist:
1. Auxilium
2. The Shock
3. Recovery
4. False Hope
5. The Relapse
6. Proelium
7. Trauma
8. The Tormentor
9. Despair

TATIUS WOLFF:
- Stephan "Wolff" Borg: all instruments, recording, mixing, mastering