March Or Die

US prog band's classic third album remastered. Comes with two bonus tracks - demos of "Child Of Innocence" and "It's You".

New edition of the band's second album features a remix by Rob Reed and remastered sound courtesy of Bob Katz (who called me to proclaim this "reference recording material"). There is a bonus DVD (NTSC - region 0) which features a 5.1 remix and video footage of Rob and Steve Reed in the studio as well as some Magenta official bootleg clips of Seven material.Wonderful followup to their 2001 debut. "Seven" is a concept album based on the 7 deadly sins. So you get 7 tracks crammed into a 76 minute disc filled with stunning female vocals and a musical melange that recalls the salad days of prog bands. Genesis fans will trip out on this one! Highly recommended.

One of the great hard rock albums of the 70s.  After Uli Jon Roth left the band he was replaced by Matthias Jabs.  His guitar technique was far removed from the neoclassical stylings of Roth, taking a more traditional hard rock/melodic metal approach.  Returning to the fold is Rudi's brother Michael Schenker.  With streamlined songwriting it all comes together.  A non-stop killer.

"When one thinks of countries that are a hotbed of prog metal bands, places such as Norway, Sweden, and Finland come to mind. However the Land Down Undah’ otherwise known as Australia has been churning out amazing prog metal bands for the past decade. Bands such as Hemina, Voyager, Lord, Carnivool, Caligula’s Horse, Teramaze and Melbourne’s Vanishing Point have been wowing the prog metal scene for the past decade. It’s been seven long years since the release of Vanishing Point’s The Fourth Season, but the melodic metal quintet consisting of Silvio Massaro (Vocals), Chris Porcianko and James Maier (Guitars), Simon Best (Bass), and Christian Nativo (Drums) have finally returned with their fifth studio album Distant Is The Sun on AFM Records. The band has stayed true to their unique blend of progressive, power, AOR metal and have secured the talents of Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann of Ordan Ogen for mixing duites on Distant Is The Sun. Picking up right where The Fourth Season left off, the musicianship and songwriting on Distant Is The Sun is exceptional.The album kicks off with the short instrumental track Beyond Redemption and powers right into the first song King of Empty Promises. The double bass drum attack from Nativo and melodic keyboards lead the way and the harmonious soaring vocals during the chorus are a perfect way to officially start the album.The title track is next and begins with a heavy groove and transforms into a light piano tinged verses with Massaro’s impressive vocals leading to a catchy and melodic chorus. The twin guitar harmony lead attack from Porcianko and Maier is a thing of beauty during the solo section.Symphonic keys signify the start of When Truth Lies, an epic slab of energetic melodic progressive metal with a driving headbanging beat. Sonata Arctica frontman Tony Kaako lends his melodic pipes to the fast and furious power metal of Circle of Fire. Kaako and Massaro’s vocals compliment each other extremely well and create an amazing metal duet.The keyboard prominence on Denied Deliverance is pronounced in the mix but never overshadows the heaviness of the track, it just adds to the overall melody of the song. A blazing guitar solo section highlights the middle portion of another stellar song. Let the River Run has an impeccable acappella vocal harmony section that begins this mid tempo metal gem. The beautiful vocals during the chorus will be stuck in your head for days after listening.The album slows down for the piano based Story of Misery but don’t be fooled into thinking this is a traditional power ballad. The emphasis is on POWER with a emotive vocal performance from Massaro. Era Zero speeds things right back up with a frenzied double kick attack with plenty of soaring melodic vocals throughout and a shredding guitar solo from the tandem of Porcianko/Maier and culminates in a symphonic ending and bursts right into Pillars of Sand which keeps the hard and fast metal flowing.The eerie keyboard intro of As December Fades melds into a Maiden-esque guitar harmony and a glorious AOR sounding chorus with a symphonic element that is reminiscent of Within Temptation. A bright piano melody signals the beginning of Handful of Hope. Once again Massaro gets his chance to shine with an impressive vocal performance filled with passion and emotion. The bands penchant for writing catchy power metal is on display on Walls of Silence. The brilliant symphonic melodies and heavy guitar compliment each other perfectly. The album closes with the acoustic guitar tinged instrument titled April, an understated yet effective piece of music with a keyboard accompaniment underneath in the mix. It is a curious choice to end the album, but well done nonetheless.After a seven-year absence, the world of melodic prog welcomes back Vanishing Point with open arms and hopefully Distant Is The Sun will shoot the band to the next level of popularity outside their native Australia. This goes to show that like a fine wine, Vanishing Point only improves with age!" - Lady Obscure

"Accept's creative breakthrough, 1983's Restless and Wild, begins with one of the most unexpected, surprising, and hilarious mock intros ever recorded. Untold thousands no doubt furrowed their brows in confusion at the perky German folk song emanating from their speakers, only to be rudely interrupted by a scratching needle and Udo Dirkschneider's incomparable shriek, as the band launch themselves into the stunning violence of "Fast as a Shark." Not just a thrilling, light-speed juggernaut, the song was probably the last thrash metal prototype waxed in the pre-thrash era (officially inaugurated by Metallica's Kill 'Em All a few months later). Though nowhere near as frenetic, the title track and "Ahead of the Pack" are just as fierce, and despite a sudden stumble with the mediocre "Shake Your Heads" (an overtly cheesy, Judas Priest-style metal anthem, and the album's only stinker), the dramatic "Neon Nights" ends side one on the upswing once again. As for the album's second half, it's pretty much beyond reproach. Introduced by the solid "Get Ready" (another nod to Priest with its "Living After Midnight"-inspired drum intro), it builds from strength to strength with increasingly mature and melodic (though lyrically obscure) tracks such as "Flash Rockin' Man," "Don't Go Stealing My Soul Away," and the colossal "Princess of the Dawn." The latter closes the album as it began, in unexpected fashion, when its extended outro is abruptly interrupted mid-verse. The bottom line here is that this, like its successor Balls to the Wall, is an essential heavy metal album, and any fan worth his salt should own them both. But for the sake of first-time visitors, Restless and Wild is the slightly grittier, less melodic of the two. Whichever you chose, you can only win." - All Music Guide

"The news of Angela Gossow stepping down as the front of ARCH ENEMY is still fresh as the band launches their latest album, "War Eternal". The new record features THE AGONIST's Alissa White-Gluz on the mike and former ARSIS guitarist Nick Cordle, who gets his first album representation following the 2012 departure of Christopher Amott.Change often sucks, but hardly in this case. The new blood in ARCH ENEMY has propagated a tremendous creative spark in Michael Amott. Simply put, "War Eternal" is the best ARCH ENEMY album in years. Though Angela Gossow held her post with honor, the songwriting under her tenure fell into a script that's observed on occasion here, but stepped well beyond."War Eternal" captures immediate attention with an overture opening featuring harpsichord and choral lines, "Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude in F Minor)" before ripping straight into "Never Forgive, Never Forget". The latter yields the same structuring as most ARCH ENEMY songs during the Gossow years with bombastic thrash-grind lines melded with modified slowdowns. Overall, the song is a scorcher and it comes with guitar solos that are dealt at a zillion notes they're worth backing up.Afterwards, the title track jumps in with an excellent shredded intro and retains a harmonious curve all the way through its mid-tempo stamp. This and the gloriously anthemic "You Will Know My Name" are the closest "War Eternal" get to accessible and the strident focus of the band puts these songs at peaks of near-perfection, once again bringing active, detailed solo sections full of jerked strings and fret dances. The solo on "War Eternal" needs to be shaved by about ten seconds, but otherwise, that track is one of the most affecting tunes ARCH ENEMY's written in some time."As the Pages Burn" is completely savage on the verses, but the stepped-back choruses that make an attempt at neoclassical-based melody does the headstrong thrash a slight disservice. Still, the song's a cooker. Speaking of neoclassical, Michael Amott and Nick Cordle lead and fill the steady crusher "No More Regrets" with scales galore and the fret garnishments assume a stately flair beyond the song's gruesome double hammer and fierce breakdown. By this point, it's evident Michael Amott and ARCH ENEMY mean to outdo themselves on this album.The brief guitar interlude, "Graveyard of Dreams", is a nice set-up for the heavy thrust of "Stolen Life", which the shredding lines and Alissa White-Gluz's spit-flung delivery keep the energy level of the album from faltering. The lullaby opening to the massive "Time is Black" is the perfect opener as the song rolls through a symbiosis of classical lines and progression that jack up in both intensity and elegance.Suffice it to say, the concentration upon Bach and Mozart behind Michael Amott, Nick Cordle and Sharlee D'Angelo's intricate lines becomes a theme on "War Eternal" and the method elevates the band beyond their powers. Once more incorporating harpsichord and symphonic strings for the intro and the fills of the headbanging groove on "Avalanche", the opportunity for auxiliary grace is capitalized intuitively.The band's tireless performance on "War Eternal" is comparable to a veteran baseball team with a powerful batting lineup giving a new pitcher a seven run lead to break in with. Blue-coiffed Alissa White-Gluz can rip esophagi with them best of them and she's a natural fit for ARCH ENEMY. She possesses excellent pentameter even in ralphing mode and she sounds like a demoniac on "As the Pages Burn". It doesn't hurt to have her predecessor looming in the background as the band's new manager. Gossow must be feeling proud, if bittersweet that ARCH ENEMY hits a higher level of craft on "War Eternal" than they have in a long time. There are transitional moments in a band, but this is a veritable catharsis." - Blabbermouth.net