Album Review - Jeff Loomis - Zero Order Phase

Firstly I apologise for not posting in a long time.. this was long overdue.. and I'm not going to bore you with reasons. Metal Militia is back after a LONG hiatus with a review of the new solo album by Nevermore songwriter and axe-man, Jeff Loomis.

The album has been long awaited by Nevermore fans since the success of Godless Endeavour (ranked on Guitar World's 100 Greatest metal albums of all time in 2006), since the band said that they were on a break to work on other projects. Loomis has been the driving force behind Nevermore's unique sound, and I for one was very eager to see how this album sounded (Downloaded it at 5 am today, heard it by 6 and again just now)

Ok a few things to note first of all. This is an instrumental album, which means that the common excuse that people have for not listening to rock and metal doesnt work here. And to say it is a benchmark in modern day shredding as well a tribute to prog metal shred legends like Marty Freidman, Jason Becker and Yngwe Malmsteen, is to aptly describe this album. Whoever said shredding in metal is dead hasnt heard this album. It combines the usual intensity of Jeff's riffage and shred style with a Malmsteen-esque song structure and scale, not to mention senseless speed and technical skill on display. And no it is not noise; if you call this noise, then you're in the wrong genre and someone made a mistake in giving you directions in listening to this album.

Unlike most solo shred albums, which get repetitive over time, each track on Zero Order Phase is unique in terms of the style of music; in fact it sounds like an album in which one could actually add lyrics and vocals, such is the nature of the song structure. The riffs are evolutions of Nevermore's previous work, while borrowing heavily from death metal (You could say its death metal minus the extra distortion). Also, I noticed that while trying to compare this solo album to others that I've heard, it is unique in and of it self. No existing album that I know of sounds similar to this; and therein lies its charm. Its a very well composed progressive metal solo album, which is as good to listen to as Liquid Tension Experiment. Be warned however: it is progressive metal, and this means you should be a bit wary about turning up the volume, or if you are a newbie to this type of music, not listen to it at all... Otherwise enjoy

Overall rating : 5/5. An outstanding piece of work deserves all the accolades yet to be heaped upon it.

Tracks worth listening to: to be honest the entire album is worth listening to, but here are the critic's favourites

Miles of Machines
Jato Unit
Sacrisity (slower than the rest, but no less impressive)
Shouting Fire at a Funeral

(Now available on insti LAN : search for Jeff Loomis on DC++)

Slipknot - All hope is gone

They have returned! The nine piece band from Des Moines Iowa are back with their fourth (and unfortunately, final) installment. But what a swansong! This album blows away all their previous work, while setting new standards in the heavy metal genre. Heres the full review

The album starts off on the right note, with a slow calm-before-the-storm instrumental Execute, followed by the intense politically charged Gematria, which actually blew my brains out.. Just listen to it to understand what I am talking about. If you are a slipknot fan, then the rest of the album takes whatever you originally liked about slipknot, amplifies it and throws it back. The entire album is full of pulsating energy, and is certainly not for the faint of heart, which is evident from tracks like Sulfur, Psychosocial, and the title track All Hope is Gone. Some tracks have a definite Stone Sour influence on them, like Dead Memories and Snuff which are definitely listenable.

The album's musical style is most definitely slipknot, however shades of thrash metal bands like Slayer are visible in some tracks, with lyrics being politically charged in more than one instance. The Stone Sour influence also filters through in some songs, but overall the album does retain core Slipknot attributes: hard hitting downtuned guitar riffs, dual base drums, combined with both clean and guttural vocals. A point Slipknot fans are going to like: Mick and Jim have started playing solos, and after hearing them, you really cant understand why they didnt play solos in previous albums, spellbinding stuff.

Overall rating : 5/5. I am a Slipknot fan, and this album does deliver on the bands promise of being their most heavy album to date, but also their best composed. It is complete, pure Slipknot and there is no chink in its armour. The only thing I do regret is that it will be the last time we see this band together after they stated that this is their last album. But they have given us something to remember for a long time to come.

band of the month - Symphony X

Metal Militia returns with the band of the month for July, and featured this month are American Progressive Metal Band Symphony X. They are classified as progressive metal; however they include a lot of neo classical elements in their work.

CURRENT LINEUP:
Russell Allen – Vocalist
Michael Romeo – Guitarist
Michael Pinnella – Keyboards
Michael Lepond – Bass Guitar
Jason Rullo – Drums

MUSICAL STYLE AND INFLUENCE:
Symphony X’s music is comparable to Dream Theater, with strong neo-classical elements resembling the works of Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen. The band plays in complex timings and odd meters, while the leads include tapped sweep picking and fused arpeggios (notes of a broken guitar chord) and scales (the set of notes from which the song is composed). Many songs have a mythological theme attached to them, have alternating guitar and keyboard solos (they out pace dragonforce, which is saying something), and fuse symphonic metal seamlessly with traditional heavy metal. The end result is a music which is fast paced, melodic but heavy in a progressive metal way, perfectly complemented by vocalist Russel Allen who accentuates the music’s classical influences.

TRIVIA:
Symphony X’s recording studio is called “The Dungeon”, which is located at the home of guitarist Michael Romeo, in New Jersey, which is incidentally also the place where the band was formed.
Their 2007 album, Paradise Lost, peaked at #123 on the Billboard top 200 in the US, selling 6300 copies in the first week.

RECOMMENDED SONGS:
Orion – The Hunter - Twilight in Olympus
Domination – Paradise Lost
The Serpent’s Kiss – Paradise Lost
Inferno – The Odyssey
Of Sins and Shadows – The Divine Wings of Tragedy

HISTORY
1994 – Band formed by guitarist Michael Romeo after the success of his solo album the Dark Chapter. He recruits drummer Jason Rullo, bassist Thomas Miller, vocalist Rod Tyler and keyboardist Michael Pinnella. They release their self titled album.

1995 – Six months after the release of Symphony X, the second studio album The Damnation Game is released. After the release, vocalist Rod Tyler leaves the band, and is replaced by Russell Allen, who becomes a major influence on the style of the band.

1997 – Their third studio album, The Divine Wings of Tragedy, earns them attention on the mainstream metal press, and establishes them firmly in Europe.

1998 – Jason Rullo takes a hiatus from the band owing to personal reasons, and is replaced by drummer Thomas Walling. Inspite of having a temporary drummer, Symphony X records Twilight in Olympus. The album takes relatively little time to record, as compared to their previous release, which took two years to complete. The band begins touring, with a worldwide fan following. At the end of the tour, bassist Thomas Miller leaves the band, and is replaced by Michael Lepond. The band also releases a compilation album at the end of the year, Prelude to the Millenium.

1999- Jason Rullo returns to the band, which proceeds to record V: The New Mythology Suite, which is an album based entirely on the myth of Atlantis, and includes a lot of classical music.

2000- 2002 – The band begins another European tour, during which they record their first live album; Live on the Edge of Forever. In 2002, they release The Odyssey, the title track of which is a musical interpretation of the Greek tale, The Odyssey.

2003- 2007 – The band goes on a break, with the members working on solo albums. They regroup in 2006 to commence work on their latest album, Paradise Lost. The album is inspired by John Milton’s epic poem by the same name. The bands first music videos come from this album.

Artist of the Month - John Petrucci

Many bands captivate rock lovers across the globe... Notably Black Sabbath,Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Deep Purple, Nirvana... the list is too long to mention.. Great guitarists exist in the world to entertain and enthrall.. whether it be Slipknot or previously mentioned Dragonforce and heck lets throw in the Black Metal crazed loonies notably Dimmu Borgir.. each to his own... One band however struck my fancy.. not because of the NOISE factor every non rock lover quotes as a serious problem(well i disagree completely..) this band makes you sit up and enjoy with their progressive metal style songs... long and melodious... i am talking about Dream Theater and one of the main founders of this under-rated and very much upcoming band... JOHN PETER PETRUCCI

Lets not get into the history of the band which was formerly Majestic which then became Dream Theater... For the newbies, here are the current members...

John Petrucci - guitarist(featured)
Mike Portnoy - drums(arguably one of the best ... note ONE..)
John Myung - bass(one of the founding members along with the other two)
Jordan Ruedess - keyboards(amazing and the latest member in terms of joining.)
James LeBrie - vocals(opera style singer... loved by many hardcore fans)

Hit the spotlight on John Petrucci... currently the most featured artist on G3 with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai(another article for them i fear..) and the latest album of Dream Theater being Systematic Chaos.... backed by Roadrunner Records.. Petrucci is the instrumental type.. not the loud and violent riffs Eddie Van Halen nor the deep and moving Jimmy Page of Led Zepp fame nor can we compare him to Black Sabbaths Iommi who gave us some all time great riffs... this is a person with a more technical approach to music contrary to the majority of whats heard these days.. From the Berkeley School Of Music, Petrucci proves his worth in well not gold, but in the riffs and the co-ordination with other band members during songs.. the chemistry is just right and what's more the music produced is heavenly.. guaranteed not to disappoint and knock you off your feet each time you hear it... happy or sad.. no distinctions because this is the real deal and you could not get more technically sound gifted music other than Dream Theater

Petrucci is also one of the main lyricist' for the band.. aside from being a founding member along with Myung and Portnoy in Berkeley.. A project called the Liquid Tension Experiment along with Tony Levin on bass and with the rest of the folks in Dream Theater.. the product was a heavenly album which is a must hear for die-hard progressive fans, the continuity and the flow of riffs and solos along with the artistic keyboard notes and Portnoy's drumming.... All in all.. one amazing band to hear and mind you, their instruction videos are an amazing treat for budding musicians.. No nonsense and hit you hard with their sound... that's their style

John Petrucci is Dream Theater's life force.. it would be unfair to other members to say that.. but greatness attracts criticism.. he isnt a machine gun guitarist nor does he show interest in performing shred solos... the beauty of his music is that he can do most of what the deepest and darkest bands can do.. but his preference for that "Petrucci" style of music singles him out immediately and that in itself generates respect for a man who doesnt want to follow the same groove... rather... he creates his own one for others to notice and appreciate!

Starting from the 1989 When Dream and Day Unite.. Petrucci's work has been without a doubt a treat to hear...

Some albums to hear for the people reading...
Liquid Tension Experiment
Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Octavarium
Images and Words.

Whatever said and done.. even if Rolling Stones or any other magazine don't consider him a top 100 guitarist... well he doesn't care nor do i because frankly, i feel he doesnt do for the acclaim.. he does it for the heart and the soul... and that's what makes fans across the world, appreciate John Petrucci and his energetic performances.

DragonForce

DESCRIPTION:

DragonForce are a power metal band from London, England. They were formed in 1999, from the ashes of the black metal band Demoniac.

MUSICAL STYLE:
DragonForce fall into the genre of power metal, however the bands lead guitarist Herman Li states that they are more of extreme power metal. It’s hard to dispute the fact, considering their high tempo songs, lightning fast dual leads, completed with keyboards solos and uplifting choruses and riffs. On an Ozzfest tour, Ozzy lead guitarist Zakk Wylde said the band was “remarkable”, while an astounded Kirk Hammett (Metallica lead guitarist for the uninitiated) said that “Those guys from DragonForce are the fastest guitar players I think I’ve ever seen. They’re like Yngwie Malmsteen on steroids.” So that speaks volumes for their playing. As for my opinion, these guys are the carriers of the British Heavy Metal legacy, which has seen immortal legends like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. And yes, I do concur with Kirk Hammett; these guys are just crazy fast, its insane to watch them go.

The band draws influence from various forms of melodic rock, as well as video games like the Final Fantasy series. Their lyrics are also inspired from the same. Bands have commented on their unique style, labeling them as “Nintendo Metal”, “Journey meets Slayer”, “Bon Jovi on Speed”. The style is melodic, yet has the auditory punch that one has associates with heavy metal. Whoever said heavy metal was just noise has just not heard this band… and if you maintain your views after listening to them, get your ears cleaned out, dear. You just don’t know how to appreciate intricately beautiful music.

TRIVIA:

Guitarist Herman Li has won the “Best Shredder” Award at the 2005 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. Along with Sam Totman, He has won Guitar World’s Reader’s Poll in the “Best New Talent”, “Best Metal”,” Best Riff” and “Best Shredders” categories, by whopping margins.

Herman Li and Sam Totman are self taught guitarists. (Hard to believe, once you hear them play, and even harder, once you watch their videos. Trust me on this.)

Their music is inspired by video game sounds, and the song Through the Fire and Flames is the most challenging song on the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

CURRENT LINEUP:

Herman Li – Lead and Rhythm guitars, backing vocals

Sam Totman – Lead and Rhythm guitars, backing vocals

ZP Theart – Lead Vocalist

Vadim Pruzhanov – Keyboardist

Dave Mackintosh – Drums & Percussion, backing vocals

Frederic Leclercq - Bass Guitar, backing vocals

HISTORY:

1999 – The band is formed from the remnants of Demoniac, when guitarists Herman Li, Sam Totman decide to get together to form a power metal band. After recruiting Steve Williams on the keyboard, Steve Scott as bassist, and Didier Almounzi as drummer, they name themselves DragonHeart

2000 – DragonHeart releases their Demo tape, Valley of the Damned, with Clive Nolan (keyboard) and Peter Hunt (drums) as guest performers. The title track tops MP3.com’s heavy metal list. Following this release, bassist Steve Scott and keyboardist Steve Williams leave the band to form the power metal band, Power Quest. DragonHeart also faces possible legal issues over its name being similar to a Brazilian band, and changes to DragonForce.

2001 – Demoniac bassist Diccon Harper and Keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov are recruited into the stable lineup of DragonForce, as work commences on their first full-length album.

2003 - DragonForce releases their first album, Valley of the Damned, on February 20^th 2003. The Song Starfire receives critical acclaim, because of its progressive metal nature. They tour extensively, opening for other metal outfits like Helloween, W.A.S.P, and Iron Maiden. At the end of 2003, bassist Diccon Harper leaves the band.

2004-05 – Adrian Lambert joins DragonForce as bassist, as the band releases their second album, Sonic Firestorm, on May 11^th 2004. They follow it up with tours all over UK, the US and Europe. On October 28^th, 2005, Lambert announces his departure from the band owing to musical differences with Herman Li.

2006 – DragonForce signed with Roadrunner Records on 23^rd November 2005, and on January 9^th 2006, they release their third studio album, Inhuman Rampage. The album goes on to become their biggest commercial hit, as videos of Through the Fire and Flames and Operation Ground and Pound receive heavy airplay. This led to wider viewership and extended tours. Frederic Leclercq was recruited as permanent bassist after his performance on tour with the band in 2006.

2008 – DragonForce is to release their fourth studio album, Ultra Beatdown, on 26^th August. Watch this space for updates.

Metal Militia - Pilot

Ok here goes, Metal Militia, a section dedicated to heavy metal gets set to launch (after numerous delays and a whole lot of procrastination). Watch this space for bands that you didn't know about, reviews of newly released albums, and artist of the month.

Metal Militia

This section will be handled by the axe man who is simply well... mad about metal.. a genre of music not for the normally sane or faint-hearted...

The axeman will address one and all shortly