DYNAMIC ARTS RECORDS- CD Reviews.

[metal evilution]

Dynamic Arts Records in Finland are a good high quality independent Metal label with a lot of great up and coming bands on their roster.
This thread will contain some reviews and info on their releases and artists.
Do yourself a favour and pay attention to a great label that deserves the undergrounds support.

http://www.myspace.com/dynamicartsrecords
http://www.dynamicartsrecords.com/

 

[metal evilution]

Many bands stick with a tried and true,perhaps safe flavour in the Metal realm and others attempt to mix things up as much as possible with often varied (for lack of a better term) results.Finland's SHADE EMPIRE take a solid Black/Death Metal mould to start with and add dashings of everything from electronics to spoken word to female vocals for starters, as well as an extremely well balanced blend of melody, atmosphere and brutality.Think DIMMU BORGIR, HYPOCRISY, AT THE GATES and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD drunk and pissed as hell in a room together and your halfway there!

"9 in 1" opens up the album in blazing style with luscious keys leading into blasts and speed galore buidling into a chorus that could proudly be lifted from SOILWORK's "Natural Born Chaos" monster. "Adam and Eve" injects some classy melodic female vocals and a meoldy that will stick in your brain after a listen or two and will remain for quite some time.

"Bleeding Colors the White" is a heavy as fuck stomping headbanger and by now as a listener i really started to enjoy the twists and turns of every song. SHADE EMPIRE do not just stick 10 songs together that all sound as one like so many other extreme acts tend to do these days.

"Flesh Relinquished", "Harvesters of Death" and Serpent Angel" all deliver with class and blinding intensity and then "Whisper From the Depths" arrives with a massive riff to loosen up some of those sorry spinal nerves.This track also displays some great changes vocally from clean vocals to haunting whispers and of course the by now trademark face ripping Death vocals all nicely interwoven in this track for maximum effect. "Ecstasy of Black Light" provides a strong melodic groove with a hefty later day DIMMU influence then "Victory" closes the CD with what starts out as a relatively straight ahead thrasher before half way through incorporating a surprising saxophone solo and then a spiralling move into a lengthy atmospheric almost post rock outro.

SHADE EMPIRE are yet another top quality Metal act out of Finland but unlike a lot of the others they truly have a different sound and appeal to their competing countrymen.In fact SHADE EMPIRE could be the best Finnish Metal band you've NEVER heard of. But i predict that will all change soon enough.

Dave Balfour.

http://www.myspace.com/shadeempireband
http://www.shadeempire.com/

 

[AD-Dan]

Dude y'kno how that Oprah bitch has a book of the month or something? mabye you should do the with lesser known metal bands?.......and then paint yourself black, dress like a women and gain a lot of weight.

 

[metal evilution]

Featuring ex THE CROWN members Marko Tervonen & Janne Saarenpaa, Sweden's ANGEL BLAKE deliver a classy slab of dark melodic metal/rock in the form of "The Descended" the follow up to the bands 2006 self titled debut. Bringing to mind at times shades of SENTENCED, AMORPHIS and HIM with added grunt there is something distinctly Finnish sounding about the album despite hailing from neighbouring Sweden.
There is not much of the Death/Thrash influence of previous outfit THE CROWN to be heard instead you get multi layers of atmospheric Metal with tons of melodic hooks and strong memorable choruses. "Again" and "When The Lights Are Out" are incredibly infectious tunes that will have their dark melodies stuck in your head long after the album has ended. ANGEL BLAKE'S strength is definately the ability to accent the heaviness through very subtle and moody song structures that build towards melodic and catchy climaxes. They are definately not reinventing the musical wheel here but they do what they do very well!

"Anywhere But Here", "Alone" & "Wasn't Mean't to Last" all rock hard with classy arrangements and killer riffs and are probably the standout tracks on the album,at least to these ears.If ANGEL BLAKE can get their music widely heard amidst a very crowded Scandianvian Melodic Metal scene they could be very well headed for big things.
Again if later era AMORPHIS, SENTENCED, PARADISE LOST and Australia's own THE ETERNAL are your thing then i definately recommend "The Descended". It's been getting regular spins in my CD deck and is destined to remainc there for a while. Good work guys!

http://www.angelblake.com/
http://www.myspace.com/angelblakeonline

 

[metal evilution]

Been a while since any new Dynamic Arts releases have been brought up on here but i recently have recieved a few promos so i will endevour to share some more reviews on a productive small Metal labels impressive roster.
Next up should be the new Dead Shape Figure album “The Disease Of St. Vitus”.
Stay tuned.