Heaven and Hell Records sampler

[Cheiron]

I picked this up at ProgPower. Here's a mini review of the bands.

Praetorius - Didn't do much for me. Old school heavy metal that just felt lacking. Probably the iffy production (sounded like a home project). But if you enjoy old heavy metal you might like it.

Hellrazor - Iced Earth comes to mind immediately. It gallops, and the vocalist is fairly similar to Matt Barlow. If you don't like comparisons that can be made that direct you might want to avoid, but if you love early-Iced Earth and want more of that, this band does it very well.

The Reticent - A Riverside/Porcupine Tree comparison is fair I think. The singer isn't as strong as Duda or Wilson; however, he is very good. He also has a little bit of Åkerfeldt in him. The band incorporates a lot of acoustic (yet still feels metal), which gives it its uniqueness despite the clear nod to the above bands. I think they are quite good.

Sirens of Titan - Female fronted (another one for your Miss Valkyrie, but guessing you are familiar with them already) stoner rock/doom from Minneapolis. This band grooves. Cool shit for you true metal fans out there. the lead singer brings a level of intensity that is a mix of old school metal and alternative rockers.

 

[Justin G]

I got one of these samplers as well. Aside from the official sampler, it was the only freebie I received all weekend, which is a big change from previous years.

Production was an issue on the Praetorius tracks, but I like the Wolf/NWOBHM feel.

Hellrazor definitely brings to mind Iced Earth. If they can avoid multi-part epics about Satan and Stargate, I'm in!

I actually picked up the latest Reticent disc and absolutely love it. It's very similar to Opeth's Damnation, and is on my top ten list for 2008.

Sirens of Titan definitely grooves. You hear Soundgarden and COC in there.

 

[BlackRoseMetalHeart]

Sirens of Titan - Female fronted (another one for your Miss Valkyrie, but guessing you are familiar with them already) stoner rock/doom from Minneapolis. This band grooves. Cool shit for you true metal fans out there. the lead singer brings a level of intensity that is a mix of old school metal and alternative rockers.

I didn't get this sampler, but I do love me some Sirens of Titan.

They really kicked off the fest right when they opened at FotV I. I picked up their recent CD from Felicia (their signer) herself when Nick and I caught them at another show when we were out in MN for this past summer's FotV. Groove is right. Felicia's vocals really stand out in a genre where it seems like every time you turn around there's another Nightwish/Epica/Within Temptation clone. Her voice is soulful, bluesy, and soothing, with a bit of a kick. I enjoy the band's overall writing style as well - intelligent lyrics, some unusual twists and turns in the melodies, but written with a good amount of hooks.