Monthly Archives: December 2013

A Metalsouth Year – Dark and Light!

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The past year 2013 has music wise and with a metalsouth perspective been a very strong and positive year. Really good albums have been released by bands from the region and many fantastic and forever memorable live acts have taken place in towns locally and on reasonble distance. The festival Metaltown in Gothenburg in July was a prime fiesta! Bad news can now be read that 2014 will be skipped and full planning is instead in process for 2015. The main reason is that the coming summer will be pretty strong on hard rock and heavy metal events in southern Sweden and Metaltown has for that reason without real success found strong headline acts. Still it’s great to read that the planning is set for 2015 and all the best luck to all working with the festival. A recommendation is hereby given to all interested metalheads to propose bands on the Metaltown website. My own immediate idea would, naturally, be Soilwork (again), Darkane, Black Temple and Free Fall.

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The darkest moment of the year was when my Aunt passed away during Spring. She has now joined my father-in-law, my cousins and many more dearly missed friends and relatives. My strong belief is that they all have a really good time together…wherever their souls are…celebrating a real New Year’s Party!!

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As previously described, my Aunt’s funeral was very inspirational in the sense that her way of planning for the music during service made me think about the appropriate music for my own. In her memory should the lyrics from the fabulous Soilwork ‘The Living Infinite II’ be quoted, and let’s say that a few lines would here be perfectly placed:

Music & Lyrics: Strid

“…the feelings you carry won’t ever die, they’re one with eternity, the tears you’ve shed, the words you’ve said, are all a part of a constant realm, wuthering emotions, turn into mindful dust, the reality you’ve known, has always fed your trust…”

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Please, find below some words on the most recommended Album releases from a metalsouth perspective. It’s been a great year with great albums, songs and live acts, which have lifted my life to wuthering heights!

A Happy New 2014 Year from Metalsouth in Helsingborg, Sweden!! Get ready for the PARTY!!

The Albums of the Year!

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Soilwork (Helsingborg, Sweden)

The Living Infinite, 2013, Nuclear Blast Records

Readers may understand the strong feelings for Soilwork. The band with its roots in the soil of the region just closely south from here. Many critics doubted the success of releasing a double CD, all in all, with 20 songs. The album was welcomed by the fans and the critics gave  highest marks in many of the reviews.

Recommended tracks: This Momentary Bliss, The Living Infinite I and II, Antidotes In Passing, Parasite Blues (as here earlier indicated…don’t forget to read the lyrics, which are very influenced by the metalsouth nature and surroundings).

Darkane (Helsingborg, Sweden)

The Sinister Supremacy, 2013, Massacre Records

How great it was to meet Darkane live again at the Metalbar, Tivoli, and to see them again at KB, Malmö, recently was just great!! The sixth album release is from many said to be their best. Also like Soilwork is Darkane with roots from the next door village south from here.

Recommended tracks: The Decline, The Sinister Supremacy, Hate Repentant State

Odyssey / Black Temple (Helsingborg, Sweden)

Abysmal Despair, 2012, Transubstans Records

The album is from 2012, but qualifies here due to its high quality as a debut album. Also this album was welcomed with high scoring reviews by local culture critics. This is a hard noise rock band and, not to forget, hard working live band. The energy experienced and described in an earlier post qualify these guys as the most promising band seen here in many years. We can only hope that their mission is now spread over a wider landscape in the aftermath of their recent European touring together with Bombus. When can we get more songs, Black Temple??

Recommended tracks: Wicked With, Abysmal despair, Keloma, No Fucking Way, Darkred

Free Fall (Karlstad/Stockholm, Sweden)

Power & Volume, 2013, Nuclear Blast records

Freedom Rockers, they have been classified as. I would say that with an musical upbringing in the 1970’s with bands like Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC and Frank Zappa streams of happiness and nostalgia flow from listening to Free Fall. Mattias Bärjed who formed the band has heavy experience from The Soundtrack Of Our Lives has manged to put together a classical line up with drums, guitars, bass and vocals. The voice of Kim Fransson made a bunch load of us older guys (read: older AC/DC fans) happy when Free Fall kicked off the Metalsouth idea during Christmas Rock at the Tivoli late December 2012. Fabulous stuff!! Fantastic debut and just waiting for more!!

Recommended tracks: Power & Volume, Free Fall, World Domination

Darkane and Dark Tranquillity – Guides to the light through darkness!

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When having confirmed by all the television weather men and women that the storm ‘Sven’ left our southern region to continue up north a feeling of great relief filled us all. Living in a weather stable area with four concrete seasons we now also face the strength of an affected nature and devastating storms arriving on a more frequent basis. ‘Sven’ was nasty and all the sympathy is hereby directed to all effected property owners.

The feeling of great relief promoted the possibility to still go to Kulturbolaget (KB) in Malmö on Sunday December 8, to listen to and support first of all Darkane and have a personally new live experience with Dark Tranquillity from Gothenburg, Sweden.

‘A picture is worth a thousands words’ and I will hereby try to forward the greatness of firstly Darkane, band members previously presented here in an earlier post, and the very experienced Dark Tranquillity. Band members to be presented below. Massive darkness may be the impression, but the feeling of happiness was concrete leaving Malmö close to midnight after Harkla (start),  Darkane (support) and Dark Tranquillity (headline). Darkness in music gives light in life!!

Dark Tranquillity at KB – Sunday December 8, 2013 – Images and Impressions

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Dark Tranquillity has massive experience and started 1989. For me a new meeting live, but I have had the band on my list to explore. The album from this year ‘Construct’  (Century Media Records Ltd) is great and they impressed on stage. It’s really great to have encountered another band of the Swedish tradition of melodic death metal. A quick introduction of the members means: Mikael Stanne (vocals), Martin Henriksson (drums), Niklas Sundin (guitars) Martin Brändström (keyboards, electronics) and Anders Jivarp (drums). The album I will wait to analyze until I gotten more familiar to it. BUT, I can tell that it sounds really great!! Images and impression from KB below.

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Darkane and Dark Tranquillity at KB, Malmö!

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The storm called ‘Sven’, which on the latest Friday December 6 suprised all of us southern Swedes with its strenght and terrible effects on the landside closest to the sea. It continued with its aftermath on the Saturday to ease off during the Sunday. To go south to Malmö on the Sunday December 8 was therefore possible and the goal was, of course, Kulturbolaget in Malmö to see Darkane firstly and then Dark Tranquillity from Gothenburg, Sweden. To be there was great and we thank ‘the leaving Sven’ for giving us the possibility to experience a still and really stormy and aggressive evening with these two bands also supported initially by Harkla. Due to to a business trip this week ‘metalsouth’ will postpone its posts from the gig until the coming weekend. BUT, it will be worthwhile waiting for. BECAUSE, if we can forward at least a small percentage of the great joy we felt at KB, it will be a success!! More to come!

The Album of the Day!

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Darkane (Helsingborg, Sweden)28516[1]

Rusted Angel, 1998, War Music

To prepare for a highly waited for visit and welcome at the Kulturbolaget (KB) in Malmö tomorrow Sunday December 8, a recommendation of Darkane listening must take place. The debut album in connection with the latest album will be the natural selections. The connecting link is, of course, Lawrence Mackrory on vocals, who returns on the fabulous album released this year. More on that below, but this is where it all started. The feeling of a strong and consistent path of Darkane from debut until today is great. You can trust these guys. Listen to Rusted Angel and feel that the quality delivered over the years is extremely high. Have a look at the comments from their comeback gig at the Tivoli earlier this  autumn on this blog.

Recommended tracks: Bound, Rape of Mankind, Rusted Angel, July 1999

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Darkane (Helsingborg, Sweden

The Sinister Supremacy, 2013, Massacre Records

At the Darkane comeback at the Tivoli in Helsingborg earlier this autumn most of the tracks on this Album were played. As described, from that gig the band did an excellent performance

in all aspects. Great to see and hear Lawrence Mackrory back on vocals. The link back to the debut album is clear an the consistency is just wonderful. No experiments on going more melodic or to try other routes for commercial purposes. It’s really rough and really authentic. You can trust these guys (as always) and the hope is that they will wake up all of their ‘older fans’ to see that the future of success lies ahead! At KB tomorrow we will be a bunch of guys welcoming them as support to Dark Tranquillity, but what a support it will be! The rumour of having Soilwork and Darkane on the stage at the same time seems to be true, but we will have to go to London into 2014 to make it happen. BUT, why not?? A one hour flight and this dream will come true!!

Recommended tracks: The Sinister Supremacy, Ostracized, Humanity Defined…and more or less all other tracks!!

The Album of the Day!

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Black Temple (Helsingborg, Sweden) imagesCA8DYFQG

Abysmal Despair, 2012, Transubstans Records

Black Temple, formerly called Odyssey, acts support for Bombus at the Beta in Copenhagen tonight Saturday December 7. Due to the annoying storm called ‘Sven’ in the southern Sweden public transports over the bridge to Copenhagen are negatively effected an my own prescence won’t sadly happen. The least to be done here is to strongly recommend Black Temple’s debut album Abysmal Despair (released in the name of Odyssey). Have a look at some formidable videos on Youtube and Wicked Witch is cruel!! Then a great good luck for a successful gig tonight!

Recommended tracks: Wicket Witch, Abysmal Despair, This Ship Is Sinking

Bombus (Gothenburg, Sweden)46312[1]

The Poet And The Parrot, 2013, Century Media Records Ltd

It becomes even harder to miss also Bombus this evening at the Beta in Copenhagen when reading the latest issue of the Close-Up magazine (#158) where this album is voted the second best album of the year 2013. Please, read the previous impressions on this blog and seeing them here in Helsingborg was a privilege. Then Bombus was support to Danko Jones in a sold out Tivoli! Please, Bombus, give us another chance and continue your Into The Fire Tour closer to us also in southern Sweden and, please, have Black Temple as support for total metalsouth happiness.

Recommended tracks: The Poet And The Parrot, Into The Fire, Cut Deep

Upcoming events

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Black Temple supports Bombus!

On Saturday December 7 at Beta on Öresundsvej 6 in Copenhagen Black Temple (former Odyssey) from Helsingborg ends their support of Bombus from Gothenburg on their Into The Fire European Tour 2013. On this tour it’s the last chance to see and listen to these two outstanding bands together. It’s been great to follow Black Temple via Facebook and great hopes now exists that their mission will be even further spread.

Darkane supports Dark Tranquillity!

Dark Tranquillity’s World Construct tour 2013/2014 lands at Kulturbolaget (KB) in Malmö on Sunday December 8, i.e. this coming weekend. An exellent opportunity to see Darkane again and this time supporting together with bands Harkla and Tristiania from Norway.

More information on these fantastic bands and their natural metalsouth connection can be found on this blog!!