MangoWave

Photo Credit: Accidental President Accidental President - Accidental President Release: July 01, 2020 Label: selfrelease Format: Digital Length: 46:33 Genre: Hard Rock / Alternative Origin: Seaforth , Australia I think we accidentally a president. Accidentally what? A president! Yes, these are weird times and besides the funny or comic parts about it, social injustice and inequality can be found wherever you look. Accidental President from New South Wales are fed up with the world in which everyone only works for their own profit. Thus, the band's mission is to spread social awareness and to proclaim empathy. The style of music Accidental President use to spread their content is a unique mix of what can for the most part be called Alternative Metal and Hard Rock. Despite the rough atmosphere the trio creates the songs are catchy and easy to digest. Vocalist Bethany Neville  especially adds a lot of the Gothic Rock of the millenium with her impressive and wide-ranged voice. The che...

Photo Credit: Sin Savage Sin Savage - Blinded by Lies Release: June 26, 2020 Label: seflrelease Format: Digital Length: 03:35 Genre: Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Origin: Lier , Belgium Apparently, Sin Savage are the first Belgian band to appear on MangoWave. Well, about time. The quartet from Lier has released their debut EP " Lost in the Dark " in May 2019 and is now striking back with their new single "Blinded by Lies". Straightforward Hard Rock goes along with rough Heavy Metal and creates an enormous atmosphere. Goosebumps are to be expected. The lead guitar adds to the air especially via playing epic licks that shoot for the sky. Those leads show some similarity to Baroque music. You may hear references to Vivaldi . Close to the song's end, Sin Savage make a tough break merge into an amazing bridge. The last chorus then, lets the real stadium atmosphere kick in. This is awesome, butt-kicking Heavy Metal! Sin Savage Online: Homepage Facebook Instagram Bandcamp G...

Photo Credit: Quaich Artwork: Taisuke Koyama and Takashi Kawashima Quaich - and now that we are here Release: May 29, 2020 Label: Polyscope Format: CD / Digital Length: 26:24 Genre: Experimental / Noise / Alternative Origin: Athens , Greece / The Hague , Netherlands The cover artwork by Taisuke Koyama  and Takashi Kawashima  gives the first hints that Quaich are presenting a both artistic and minimalistic approach to contemporary Rock music here. Their first album "and now that we are here" can be seen as some kind of status report. The three band members James McEwan  (guitar, vocals), Alex Andropulos  (drums) and Giannis Moschos  (bass, vocals, radio) collected ways to describe their current situation in this crazy world we live in. But this is not a cry for help. It is an honest summary of what is going on that creates a safe space where you can breathe freely. Minimalist patterns of Noise, Shoegaze and Independent Rock float back and forth between on- an...

Photo Credit: Rithiya Henry Khiev Rithiya Henry Khiev - Travesties from Closure Release: June 26, 2020 Label: RHK Studios Format: Digital Length: 04:26 Genre: Progressive Metal / Symphonic Metal Origin: Boston , USA It is time for some serious Zeitgeist. Rithiya Henry Khiev  started writing this composition some time ago. But he did not quite move forward at some point and temporarily abandoned the song in favour of other projects. The continuation commenced in early days of the lockdown as you might have assumed. But "Travesties from Closure" is way more than just a COVID-19 product. Rithiya Henry Khiev  processes the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests around the world in his new composition. Imposant Symphonic Metal leads into powerful Progressive Metal. While the background is defined by raw and distorted Heavy Metal riffing, Rithyia Henry Khiev  foregrounds a loungy, somewhat jazzy but still intense set of motifs. The intensity of "Travesties from Cl...

Photo Credit: Wazmo Wazmo - Insight Release: June 26, 2020 Label: selfrelease Format: CD / Digital Length: 33:16 Genre: Metalcore / Djent Origin: Nova Scotia , Canada Wazmo's debut begins with a pompous intro. After that the band directly jumps into action. Break-laden Metalcore riffs define the raw sound which is backed by intense Djent and an omnipresent Heavy Metal atmosphere. In some songs, like 'Knot' for example Wazmo also reproduce the dark air of 2000s Alternative Metal. Music-wise the Nova Scotian band covers a huge spectrum of different influences. Take the song 'Cursed' which sounds like early Bloodhound Gang in the beginning and then shifts to powerful but melodic Metalcore. It is a wild mix of emotional Alternative Metal, savage Metalcore, melodic Hardcore, some Death Metal, and Heavy Metal and Djent always existing in the background. Obviously, the band is having a lot of fun performing those songs. And I must say, this fun is contagious. But as much ...

Photo Credit: Moving Oos Moving Oos - Made from Sin Release: March 13, 2020 (digital), June 26, 2020 (Vinyl and CD) Label: Crispin Clover Records Format: LP / CD / Digital Length: 35:49 Genre: Hard Rock / Blues Rock / Soul Origin: Trondheim / Oslo / Halden , Norway First of, what a band! I sometimes feel like minimalism is increasingly taking over in Rock music when looking at plenty of trios, duos or even one-person bands. And then I receive a promo CD by Norway's octett Moving Oos. Therefore, let me introduce you to the line-up of their third album "Made from Sin": Vegard Bjerkan  - Keyboards, Haakon-Marius Pettersen  - Keyboards, Eirik Øien  - Bass, Stian Lundberg  - drums, Mildrid Seljemark - Choir, Ranveig Seljemark  - Choir, Per Borten  - Guitar, and Frank Reppen  - Vocals. But not only the line-up on "Made from Sin" is exceptional. Moving Oos present a powerful and strong mixture of Blues-driven Hard Rock and warm Soul. The timeless music e...

Photo Credit: Oh Henry Oh Henry aus Düsseldorf spielen seit nunmehr 16 Jahren melodischen Indie und Punk Rock. Am 19. Juni war es soweit, dass zum ersten Mal ein Studio Album des sympathischen Quartetts veröffentlicht wurde. Zu diesem Anlass durfte ich mich ein wenig mit der Band unterhalten. Es ging um das Album "Wo mein Herz schlägt", um Musik, um Düsseldorf und noch mehr. Aber lest selbst! Hallo, Oh Henry und vielen Dank, dass ihr euch Zeit nehmt. Möchtet ihr euch zunächst kurz vorstellen, damit die Lesenden wissen, mit wem sie es zu tun haben? Hey, wir sind   „Oh Henry“ mit Casi an Mikrofon und Gitarre, Olli an den Trommeln, Marc an der Gitarre und Jens am Bass. Wir sind eine Düsseldorfer Band und haben gerade ein Album veröffentlicht. Ihr habt euch im Jahr 2004 gegründet und bringt dieses Jahr euer erstes Album auf den Markt. Was ist in diesen 16 Jahren so passiert? Ihr scheint ja nicht ganz untätig gewesen zu sein. Wir waren ganz nach dem Motto "Auf die Bühn...

Photo Credit: Headsplit Design Carcariass - Planet Chaos Release: December 06, 2019 Label: Great Dane Records Format: CD/Digital Length: 73:37 Genre: Melodic / Progressive Death Metal Origin: France The term longplayer was taken very serious by French band Carcariass. Their newest album "Planet Chaos" features over 70 minutes of heavy, melodic and progressive music. Thirteen track of which six are instrumentals are an intense output using almost all space available on a CD. Carcariass create multi-layer soundscapes that merge impact from mainly three styles. Technical Death Metal riffs and rhythms form the heavy backbone of "Planet Chaos". Above that, classic features of Melodic Death Metal float through the spheres. And like a butterfly dancing from flower to flower, Progressive Metal leads complete the impressive atmosphere. Photo Credit: Carcariass With almost half of the tracks being instrumentals, it is obvious that Carcariass foreground their versatile compos...

Photo Credit: Electric Feat / Artwork: Kwstas Red Hood Electric Feat - Electric Feat Release: February 24, 2020 Label: Inner Ear Records Format: LP/Digital Length: 36:19 Genre: Heavy Blues Rock / Hard Rock Origin: Athens , Greece So, you say Rock'n'Roll is dead, huh? Well maybe it is. And if it was there were several ways to deal with that. Mourning, celebrating, staganating, ... or! Do it like Athen's Electric Feat who basically say "screw it!", hit the gas, raise the glasses and dance on the warm ashes. The selftitled debut album by Electric Feat is a timeless Heavy Blues and Hard Rock release. Tough sounds, moving rhythms and a straughtforward movement immediately make your body move and your throat go dry. Electric Feat go full throttle with their warm but heavy Blues motifs. Bass player Themos "Madam Manthos" Ragousis  and guitar player Dionysis "Dr." Nanos  find the golden ratio between gain, distortion and sustain that makes their music...

Photo Credit: Robin Scheibner  / Sleeping Village Sleeping Village - Holy Water Release: April 03, 2020 Label: selfrelease Format: Digital Length: 26:26 Genre: Stoner Doom / Doom Metal Origin: New Jersey, USA The band name Sleeping Village rings two bells. First, and probably less expected, I associated them with Sleeping Village Reviews , a great review page I can recommend you to view from time to time. Second, and most obviously, 'Sleeping Village' was the sixth track of Black Sabbath's debut album. And the music by New Jeryes-based band Sleeping Village can actually categorized as a Sabbath-like. On their Bandcamp page they claim to be unashamedly worshipping Sabbath. And before you judge the book by its cover, wait until you listen to the final track 'The Matter of Time'. Just sayin'. Jumping in the second album "Holy Water", I came up with another association. The powerful opener 'Holy Water' contains a bridge that very much reminds of S...

Photo Credit: Rito Verdugo Rito Verdugo - Post-Primatus Release: June 14, 2020 Label: selfrelease Format: Digital Length: 14:44 Genre: Psychedelic Rock / Fuzz Rock Origin: Lima , Peru As it got obvious that Luis Rodrúguez  (drums), Alvaro Gonzalez Del Valle  (guitar), Carlos Del Castillo  (bass), and Rodrigo Chávez (guitar and vocals) were approaching a time without concerts or much outside activity, they came up with an idea. The started writing and recording four new tracks which by the way are a little teaser for their upcoming second album. The outcome is the EP "Post-Primatus". Rito Verdugo (Spanish: Executioner Rite) from Lima are musicking their own experience with isolation, distance and human interaction during the times of the lockdown. A COVID-19 concept album , you might ask? Actually not. The members of Rito Verduge watched plenty of videos and documentaries on wild animals living in captivity. Gorillas and other apes especially caught their attention as th...

Photo Credit: Chaosaint Chaosaint - In the Name of Release: June 19, 2020 Label: selfrelease Format: Digital Length: 19:22 Genre: Groove Metal / Alternative Metal Origin: Newcastle , Australia "In the Name of" is the first release by Australian band Chaosaint. Drummer Chris Neilson , bass player Steve Baker , guitar player Jon Cribb,  and guitar player and vocalist Shay Burgess  have actually played together for almost two decades. But from 2001 until 2015 the quartet was called Exhale and predominantly played Nu Metal. A change was made five years ago, when concept and name were abandoned and Chaosaint was born. Photo Credit: Chaosaint Still cannot properly search for videos since the update of Blogger... I am beginning to consider changing to another platform for my reviews. Click here to get to the video of the song 'Darkness Following' On five powerful tracks the band presents their new style. Honest, powerful and merciless Groove Metal with an undeniable impact ...

Photo Credit: MangoWave Artwork: Peggy Berger Layout:  Burkhard Naumann Orange Utan - katastrophil Release: November 24, 2018 Label: selfrelease Format: LP/Digital Length: 42:30 Genre: Progressive Rock / Stoner Punk / Post-Punk Origin: Dresden, Germany Introducing, I might have to explain band name and title to everyone who does not speak German. Orange Utan is not the German word for orang-utan, but the first lexem actually refers to either the fruit or the colour orange. The title of the album "katastrophil" is another play on words. It combines the German word "katastrophal" ("catastrophic") with the Greek suffix "-phil" ("loving"). Thus, "katastrophil" means having an affection towards catastrophies or catastrophic instances. Orange Utan's second album "katastrophil" is structured like a stage play. The LP begins with the track 'Eintritt / Gevatter' (German: 'entree / godfather'). Following,...

Photo Credit: Рудольф Рудольф - Прелюдия Release: April 10, 2020 Label: [addicted label] Format: Digital Length: 20:16 Genre: Experimental / Hardcore / Avantgarde / Rap Origin: Moscow , Russia Insanity and genius can be very close to each other. I am pretty sure that Moscow-based band Рудольф (in Latin letters: Rudolf) are trying to explore the very line between those two states. Their newest work Прелюдия (Russian: Prelude) is a freaky mix of powerful Hardcore, freaky Jazz and rough Rap. The six tracks are defined by breathtaking breaks in rhythm and tempo. These are accompanied by raw and powerful riffs that interchange with heavy scratching on the turntables and tough rap lyrics. In the opening track 'Нападая на акулу' (Russian: to attack a shark) Рудольф announce their "Crazy Hardcore". "Прелюдия" is an artistic, funny, crazy and loud freakshow. I am highly entertained by this musical presentation without any boundaries. To describe it with one word: ...

Photo Credit: Heruka Heruka - No Sun dared pass our Windows Release: June 15, 2020 Label: Rude Awakening Records Format: CD/Digital Length: 40:30 Genre: Black Metal Origin: Rome, Italy The music play by Italian Oniric Black Metal band Heruka is influenced by the atmosphere in Sicilian village Erice . My family is Sicilian and I have visited Erice twice. Once, it was extremely foggy and super gloomy. If you like classic Horror movies, I can highly recommend you having a look at this magical place. "No Sun dared pass our Windows" is the second longplayer by Heruka. On ten tracks the Roman quartet presents their unique approach to Black Metal and dark arts. The sound is raw and prickly. Highspeed riffs dash across the heavy gunfire by drummer Nemuri Shi . The soundscape contains a lot from classic Black Metal à la Bathory combined epic melodic chants and leads. Further impact is given by a medieval horror air and a certain doomy atmosphere. Also, the hoarse but deep vocals by Ne...

Photo Credit: Circus Caravan / Artwork: Vassilis Kyritsis Circus Caravan - Scattered Sketches Release: May 14, 2020 Label: selfrelease Format: CD/Digital Length: 41:23 Genre: Post Rock / Alternative / Indie Origin: Athens , Greece Circus Caravan are very likely one of the bands whose members dislike the question on what kind of music they play. The three terms Alternative, Post Rock and Indie were chosen because they are the best attempt to describe what the band does. And by Alternative and Indie Rock, I do not stringently mean the genres, but the fact that Circus Caravan are truly independent and alternative in how they compose and play their songs. Well-fitting quite from the song 'Drawing': "No one needs to be, the kind of normal that Ι hate so much to see". On "Scattered Sketches" Circus Caravan merge warm and easily floating motifs with powerful Post Rock features, the intensity of Heavy Stoner Rock and the soul of Shoegaze. Sweet melodies slide into...

Photo Credit: Wake the Blind Wake the Blind - Broken Casket Release: June 12, 2020 Label: selfrelease / The Venom Collective Format: CD/Digital Length: 17:03 Genre: Nu Metalcore Origin: Melbourne , Australia Melbourne's Nu Metalcore quintet first appeared on my Facebook page when their single " X2 " was released. That single was the precursor for the EP "Broken Casket", Wake the Blind's debut. On five tracks, including the singles 'X2' and 'Patient' the band presents their interpretation of Nu Metalcore. The genre should be pretty selfexplanatory. Rough and melodic Nu Metal riffing with certain Modern Metal influences is being merged wih heavy Metalcore breaks. Photo Credit: Wake the Blind New blogger ist still having issues with finding YouTube videos, so click here for the music video of the opening track 'Patient' feat. guest singer David de la Hoz . Some readers might remember this name, as de la Hoz  was featured on Without...