Finland – Metal Express Radio

OCEANHOARSE – Dead Reckoning

August 26, 2021 George Dionne

The Backstory Oceanhoarse hails from Helsinki, Finland and are considered by some to be a part of the New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal. Although a new incarnation, members of the band previously played with or are still current members of Amoral, For The Imperium, Warmen, and Nightwish. The Album Oceanhoarse goes straight for the jugular on “Locks.” Intense vocals and riffs ensue, but there’s a measure of melody in the chorus. Pounding drum beats and driving guitars run roughshod over “Betrayed By Light.” Vocalist Marko Hietala flexes abilities here, by switching from clean to roaring inflections. “Reaching Skywards” is full of piss and vinegar, while “Fields of Severed Dreams” runs a gamut of emotions. “The Intruder” has a bit of a Pantera squeal to its guitar work. It is sure to bring the masses into the pit. “Fight For Tomorrow” will insure blood and bruises in said pit as well. The long intro could go on forever and the track would never get boring. Eleven tracks in and Oceanhoarse shows not signs of slowing down on “<<Rew.” It seems a little strange that the album’s title track “Dead Reckoning” is a 55 second instrumental. The Verdict Oceanhoarse delivers the “Heavy fucking Metal” they promise on Dead Reckoning. The album is full of unrelenting energy and authoritative yet melodic vocals. Tracklist Headfirst Locks Betrayed By Light One With The Gun Reaching Skywards Fields of Severed Dreams Submersed The Intruder Fight For Tomorrow From Hell to Oblivion REW Dead Reckoning The Damage Fading Neons Oceanhoarse is Marko Hietala – Vocals Ben Varon – Guitar Jyri Helko – Bass Oskari Niemi – Drums

BLOODY HELL – The Bloodening

April 5, 2021 Miłosz Mikołaj Nizioł

There sure are many ways to make time pass by faster during the hard times of the pandemic. Those who are lucky enough to be able to work from home carry on with their jobs while others struggle 24/7. Some others resort to just letting the booze solve their problems. In many cases that option turns out to be a destructive one, but it looks like the right amount of booze combined with plenty of love and passion for Metal may result with an album the listening to may add some entertainment to the bleak days of lockdown. Here are the Finnish Rockers Bloody Hell with their new album The Bloodening – yes, the very band name should sound intriguing enough for everyone to want to take a closer look at these fellas. Described as grumpy and unapologetic Metal, Bloody Hell certainly does live up to its name. These guys do not sound as if they cared what anyone might have to say about them. They just go ahead with their work and it sounds like they’re very much take it or leave it about it. An attitude someone like Lemmy himself would have approved of, no doubt about that. The Bloodening starts off with a song titled “Hangover Rider”. The intro might remind of those in such songs as “Last in Line” (Dio) or “Fight Fire with Fire” (Metallica). But the second part – played exclusively by the drums – comes in straight afterwards. It’s probably not quite as ass-kicking as the one in “Painkiller” by Judas Priest, but again: the guys at Bloody Hell are highly unlikely to care about that. Their music is a decent mixture of Heavy Metal with bits of Punk and no small amounts of alcoholic beverages. The singer definitely does sound like someone …READ MORE

SHADOW TRIBE – Reality Unveiled

November 28, 2020 Alex Reis

German-influenced Finnish Power Metal Shadow Tribe is a new Finnish Power Metal band, presenting the world with their debut album Reality Unveiled. The brainchild of bass player Markoi Pukklla (Altaria, Stargazery) and singer Kimmo Perämäki (Celesty, Spiritus Mortis, Masquerage), Shadow Tribe offers a variety of Power Metal very close to recent Melodic Rock releases without letting down on the Metal elements, yet avoiding the sameness of the genre’s high-bpm double bass ridden clichés. The seasoned duo is complemented by guitarist Simo Prittimaa and King Satan drummer Petri Heinonen. Pukklla is a well known name in the European Power Metal scene and manages many bands, including Shadow Tribe themselves. Kimmo handles mixing and mastering duties of the self-produced Reality Unveiled, and is also the mastermind behind the interesting album cover art. In Reality Unveiled, Shadow Tribe delivers interesting melodies, dueling vocal lines in the style of Edguy’s Tobias Sammet, great guitar riffs that edge more on classic Hard Rock than modern Heavy Metal, and the genre’s staple of harmonized lead guitar melodies and soaring guitar solos. One could say they are closer to Masterplan and Edguy in their sound than to the usual Finnish Power Metal sound as practiced by the likes of Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius. Production and Performance Kimmo Perämäki’s vocals sound like a cross between Helloween’s Michael Kiske and Stratovarius’ Timo Kotipelto while adding his own flavor. Drums and bass are competent and lay down a good foundation for the tracks without standing out. Production could be better, and the whole album has a bit of a rough mix feel to it. It could really benefit from being mixed by someone who maybe wasn’t involved in the recording process and mastered by another pair of fresh ears. It is still competent, being able to convey every instrument in …READ MORE