Reviews from Alpha Draconis

Some October Reviews 11.10.10 - Posted in Alpha Draconis reviews

Here are some new Reviews for 'ya:

METAL TO INFINITY:
http://users.telenet.be/metaltoinfinity/DistantpastcdreviewAlphadraconis.htm

SPEED OF LIGHT:
http://metal.w3.sk/?recenzie&news_id=1974

Stay tuned for more News.

Metal To Infinity

The Metal scène is without any doubts overcrowded. Yesterday for example I was reading some Metal magazines and I was astonished how many bands are releasing new albums, bands I have even never heard about.  Some of them are very popular or at least they're immensely pushed by the big labels. Anyway, even if you’re in one or two subgenres it is so God damn difficult to follow the scène and even specializing yourself in one specific country or continent became a mission impossible. So I realize that I still have a lot to learn and I’m quite sure I will discover bands in the future who already released several great albums, even gems, in the past.

Maybe Distant Past fits perfectly in that row because this is the first time they’re crossing my path and I am pretty impressed by them. Switzerland is not the ultimate Metal country but they’ve delivered us goodies before, think for example about Coroner and Krokus. Another Swiss formation I have a CD from in my racks is Emerald and no doubts it was more than a decent Heavy Metal band. I’ve read reviews about their latest silver disc and I will purchase it one day because the articles about it were very positive. Anyway Adriano Troiano left Emerald a few years ago to start Evil Eye with some school friend and to form Distant Past a bit later. Meanwhile the circle is closed again and this bass player joined the forces of Emerald again.

This is the third official release of Distant Past and as I’ve said before “Alpha Draconis” made a serious impact on me. Overall the arrangements aren’t renewing or whatever but the way this music is written deserves all of your attention. Distant Past hits every single instrument pretty hard and they contain some kind of mysterious charisma. This is Heavy Metal in the first place, melodic and foreseen with one after another good and emotional played guitar solo. In and between the tracks Distant Past adds progressive elements and they’re flirting more than once with either extreme either alternative or even darkened boundaries. Don’t stand back now because the way Distant Past performs it will strike you down and they’re not one or another ‘wannabee alternative’ band, this is pure Heavy Metal in the first place. Without any reasonable similarities bands like Deadsoul Tribe and Psychotic Waltz were crossing my mind, yet Distant Past is less ‘special’ but still remarkable enough to sound different . At least it is an impossible job to label Distant Past.

It’s not exactly clear to me if this is a private pressing but that doesn’t matter anyway. This band deserves everybody’s attention because it overgrows a style and there aren’t many negative points to mention. The production is good and every single instrument is played by skilled musicians. Singer Angelo Shafer has a great and variable voice with a personal touch. The way he uses different vocal sounds, from grunts to high vocals in the back ground, is astounding. Every single song contains its own attractive details and I am impressed by the guitars, performed by Alain Curty and Christof Shafer. Check them out at http://www.distant-past.ch/ or http:// www.myspace.com/atdistantpast. My Points: 88 / 100 (Review by Officer Nice

Neviem či je toto nejaké CD-R, alebo len promá sú v istom počte a prevedení. Obsahovo ide o album, ako kapela píše, ale či to aj vyjde a v akej podobe, to netuším. DISTANT PAST sú kapelou zo Švajčiarska, ktorú založil odídenec z EMERALD Adriano Troiano. On už mal kapelu EVIL EYE, ale nejak mu to neklaplo, takže teraz tu je DISTANT PAST. Hudobne ide o akýsi progresívny metal, občas rock a niekedy to je celkom „normálny“ epický heavy metal. Teda nie celkom, celé to je akoby od rocku po power/progres, ako - ktorá skladba. V letáku sa píše, že album má dosť čo ponúknuť a že je to nádej do budúcna. A je to vlastne pravda. Doska obsahuje dosť veľa muziky. Občas to moc nejde, ako napr. posledné IRON MAIDEN, je to ťažkopádne a rozvláčne. Občas to ide, kapela je ako vymenená. Nielen obsahovo, ale akoby aj technicky. Pár piesní sa mi zdá na úrovni lokálnej heavy bandy z 80.-tých rokov 20. storočia. Takej, čo bola jasné béčko a underground a nie a nie vyliezť „na svetlo“. Pár iných piesní je ale už na slušnej úrovni a možno by to ocenil aj pán Schaffer, lebo tempo je podobné, ako na posledných dvoch ICED EARTH. Spev je nižšie posadený, celkom v poriadku. Nie je to úchvatný pán spevák, ale ani žiaden lúzer. Hudobne sa kapele vydarili najmä piesne číslo 7 a 11. Posledná je vlastne dlhá epická songa, skladajúca sa zo štyroch častí. Tu jasne počuť „nádej a silu“ do budúcnosti! Že z kapely môže niečo byť, že to stojí za pozornosť, ak o také 2-3 roky vydajú niečo nové, treba to potom prepočuť. Ale nechajme zatiaľ budúcnosť, na stole mám „Alpha Draconis“. Ako celok sa mi to zdá ako nejaké demo. Čo kapela vymyslela za posledné roky...tu to máte v kolekcii. Nie je to síce až také pestré a rozhodne sa nenahrávalo na troch - štyroch miestach, ale sú tu isté rozdiely a rôzne podoby kapely. Jasné, že stredné tempá, epický hevík, či progresívny temný epický hevík asi bude ich prím. Ale občas ideme aj do hard rocku či rocku, samozrejme tiež v temnej nálade. Ako celok je toto dielo lepší priemer. Nudím sa, ale aj bavím. Obsahuje piesne o ničom, aké by sa ani na posledné ICED EARTH či IRON MAIDEN nevošli, ale aj skvosty ako „Trial & error“. Je to na polceste, taká zdravica pre labely a fans. „Aha, sme tu! Hráme toto a toto, len aby ste vedeli... Ešte nemusíte utekať zháňať CD, ani na naše show, ale môžete, ak máte chuť. Ale bacha, ak začneme hrať ako v poslednej songe, nabudúce to už bude bomba!“

Maťo Kimlička
hodnotenie: 6/10
























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