Untaymed – On The Prowl (Independent)
I was lucky enough to discover Untaymed through Rock Stakk Records and thanks to the band who was kind enough to send me their material, I listened to the band's debut CD, which came out in 1998. The U.S. band is yet unsigned but they're really active, by giving many concerts and building all those years a stable fame in the U.S. Underground scene. Untaymed opened for many famous acts such as: Judas Priest, Quiet Riot, Angel, Stephen Pearcy, Sebastian Bach, Ratt, WASP, Joey Belladonna, Lillian Axe, Vicious Rumors and Dokken. Their musical style has definitely two directions: Powerful Hard Rock, with catchy and melodic choruses, but also strong Power Metal with might and decent musicianship. Judging the "Hard Rock" side of the band, I should say that I enjoyed tracks like "Key 2 Your Heart" (once again, the chorus forces the listener to sing-along) and the emotional ballad "I'm not afraid". Untaymed really make a difference to their sound when things are getting "heavier"! "On The Prowl", the songs that kicks-off the CD is a double bass attacker with a speedy chorus, but my picks form the album are "Animal", "Flirtin '99", "Tear Down The Walls" (with a high-pitched chorus from Chris Jacobson!) and my favourite "Lite In The Storm" (magnificent song, imagine that the band claims that this is their classy moment!). The band was definitely in their glory when they composed these storming Power Metal tracks! Chris Jacobson has a voice that fits the music, while the guitars from Michael Vaught add power and precision to the band's sound. I think that the band starves for success and I really wish them well since they can achieve many things! I'm sure that they can go of their new album! Untaymed have also a variety of 3 more releases (ncluding their latest release), so check their web-site http://www.untaymedmusic.com/ on how you can order their stuff. Band's mySpace profile: www.myspace.com/untaymedDimitris Starakis
White Witch – The Power CD (White Witch & Nightmare Records)
To be honest, when I listened to the song "The Game that I play" from the band's profile, I thought that I should be ready to deal with a Rock 'n' Roll band! But when the band was kind enough to send me their stuff, they gave me the chance to listen to their full-length work; there was 180 degree turn in my mind! White Witch is a band which delivers lessons of how vintage Hard Rock / Heavy Metal should be played! Without a polished sound on their marks and with songs FULL of energy passion and inspiration, they really managed to satisfy my needs! Their sound is a revival of the NWOBHM sound with great one-guitar leads but they have that secret to keep their sound fresh and always popular! "The Power" is their second CD and the opening title track of the album shows a decent sample from the band's potential. However, I love the mid-tempo melodic tracks of White Witch, so I keep listening to songs like the pompous "Cry Of The Bain Sidhe" (Great, great, great guys!), Marianne (a little faster than "Cry…" with the guitar intro that brought to my mind the main riff from "Stars"!) and the heaviest "25 Hours To Live" (This must be a storming song when is performed live, You'll love the energy that White Witch produces on this particular track!). I was really amazed from the opus of the band, the 7-minute-long "The Crutch". Once again, guitarist Doug Lehman manages to deliver some great melodic licks and haunting sounds at the same time, while Jeff Pittinger's voice makes the sound of the band truly unique! As a last note, I should add the cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" that the King Alice himself allowed the band to cover it! Overall, I strongly recommend to all fans of decent Hard Rock / Metal to check White Witch, since their efforts are true and honest! You definitely surprised me guys!!! White Witch is ready also to release their 3rd album this year, so watch out for alerts, concerning them: http://www.whitewitchrocks.com/ . Band's mySpace profile: http://www.myspace.com/whitewitchrocksDimitris Starakis
WiszdomStone – Demo EP (Independent)
When I first discovered WiszdomStone, I realised that heir name was well-spread over mySpace and they reputation was rising rapidly. When their first EP came out and I think that the Power/Progressive Metal has witnessed a sensational project! I'm using the word "project" because Ray and Brian (the drummer and the guitarist of the band), called 3 different singers to participate in this release, something that gives a multi-dimensional approach to the songs. "Eyes Open" and "Without Faith" featuring Mike Stone, the guitarist of Queensryche, on vocals and these two songs represent the harder side of the band. Mike has a voice close to Zachary Steven's and the style of WiszdomStone in the above mentioned tracks are really close to Savatage and Circle II Circle. "Without Faith" could be easily a Savatage classic, with pounding rhythm and pompous chorus. "Unforgiven" was the songs that spread the name of the band in mySpace and is quite catchy and melodic, while featuring Andre (The Raid) on vocals. The strongest part of the song is definitely the chorus, that you cannot stop singing it again and again! "The Blade" which is the last but not the east song on this EP is my favourite WiszdomStone tune! Jim Maher handles the vocals on this and from his first vocal lines I can trace a strong Claus Meine influence in his style! However, Jim is quite original and pretty intense while the song continues, while the piano makes the feelings flow. The song also has the most touching moment of the EP: It starts when the piano plays in the background and Jim starts to sing: "…I cast a lantern on the water, watched it sail out to sea…". If you haven't listened to that part, you are missing a rare magical moment! What I appreciate in this project is the fact that guys are keeping their noses to the grindstone and they want to achieve the maximum performance in their songs. They definitely are trying to reach for the sky, so I wish them good luck! Be sure that their music will not pass unnoticed and pretty soon a label will offer them much more convenient methods to work with! Check their profile: http://www.myspace.com/wiszdomstone and be sure to visit their workshop profile (http://www.myspace.com/wiszdomstoneworkshop)Dimitris Starakis
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