In episode 42 we discover the meaning of…. life, the universe and maybe not everything but at least you’ve got something to listen to while pondering the possibilities!

In this edition of Ragnarok we talk to Simon from York metallers Pantheon about their latest collaboration on the heavy metal charity record ‘One Voice’ for the NSPCC and also what it’s like to be an unsigned band in the UK.

Also Gordy talks to Tommy Concrete from Man Of The Hour at Studio 24 in Edinburgh about their upcoming album to be released on No Face Records

And of course the show also features the following tracks -
Echos Of Eternity - Ten Of Swords
Excellent Cadaver - Bear Blasting
Pantheon - New Shadow
Legion Of The Dying - March On
Nanna Satanen - Legojuna
Man Of The Hour - Whirlpools Of Hades
Seregon - Band Of Brothers
Painting In Negative - Inertia
Danny Tanner - Kill Me Yeti

 

 Episode 42 - Simon from Pantheon and Man Of The Hour [76:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Overcoming an initially dodgy reputation among festival-goers, Hellfest in Clisson, France has become the prime contender to usurp Wacken Open Air as Europe’s premier metal weekender. Germany’s much beloved metal Mecca might have the prestigious reputation but a glance at Hellfest’s incredibly varied line-up tells you who has the bands this year.

Hellfest has wisely imitated Wacken’s dual-main stage approach to ensure maximum musical saturation but also boasts logistical advantages over WOA with a huge supermarket only 10 minutes’ walk away, allowing festival-goers to stock up on fresh supplies and well-priced booze every day. This is just as well as on the other hand, the Clisson-fest’s on-site food prices are rather high and the less said about that awful, Download-blighting beer token system, the better. Oh, security could probably do with tightening in future as our party have fully pitched up before tickets are checked and wristbands issued.

These are of course, only minor quibbles when there’s such an incredible array of bands to enjoy over three days; so many in fact that watching half-sets is often begrudgingly necessary in order for this writer to sample as many bands as possible.
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01. Prelude for Vendetta 1:26 02. Euphoric Dream 5:02 03. Greed & Vanity 4:16 04. Like Warriors 4:44 05. Autumn Leaves 4:06 06. Feared by Dawn 4:53 07. Lord (of This Kingdom) 5:00 08. New Sin 5:27 09. Dark Emotions 5:16 10. Fading Away 3:59 11. Legacy of Hate Pt.3 14:06 12. Gates of Tomorrow 5:16

It’s a tough life being the power metal guy at Ragnarok: being forced to listen to cheesy songs about dragons and waving your sword in the wind. [Glares at Manowar before feeling intimidated and running away] Fortunately, every so often I come across something which puts a big cheesy grin on my face.

Vendetta is the fourth studio album from Finnish six-piece Celesty. It kicks off with the power metal staple: the orchestral intro. This is a wonderfully dark and powerful introduction which gives me the same tingling feeling as The Ecstasy Of Gold at the beginning of Metallica’s S&M. It leads seamlessly into Euphoric Dream: a blasting track which is a statement of intent as well as a stonkingly fast tune with a crushing rhythm section, slick lead guitar and keyboard work harmonising with the orchestra and choir as well as the excellent singing of frontman and vocalist Antti Railio.
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01. Devilizer 3:20 02. Rise Of The Undead 3:53 03. Never Say My Name 2:03 04. Blast 1:51 05. The Seal 2:11 06. Dark Heart 3:00 07. Impure 3:41 08. Summoning The Futura 1:06 09. Anger 2:14 10. We Are The Horde 3:11 11. When The Sun Drowns In Dark 4:33

Vader are back. It’s been three long years since we last heard any new material from the Polish masters of death, and during that period the band has undergone some changes. While everything as always revolves around guitarist/vocalist Piotr Wiwczarek, he’s brought in new faces on drums, rhythm guitar and bass, with Vader’s casualty list of previous members now well into double figures. Perhaps that’s why all we’ve heard from the band lately has been re-issues and compilations; last year alone saw a 25th-anniversary compilation album and the Lead Us!!! EP, which really whet the appetite for new material by revisiting the timeless Art Of War EP. Well, this month, at long last, Vader are sending some brand-new tunes our way.
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Check out the latest videos on Ragnarok Tube of Amon Amarth and Europe.

A selection of our best photos from Bloodstock festival 2009, all images taken by Gordy Jeans.

01. Infected Nation 5:33 02. Now Demolition 5:46 03. Nosphoros 5:30 04. Genocide 7:42 05. Plague To End All Plagues 5:55 06. Devoid of Thought 5:38 07. Time No More 4:00 08. Metamorphosis 7:41 09. Hundred Wrathful Deities 11:15

In this age of a rapidly accelerating music industry, the inevitable backlash to a burgeoning genre (or in this case, genre revival) seems to occur almost instantly. As soon as the ‘New Wave of Thrash’ grabbed metal press headlines in 2007, cynics and friendless naysayers were waiting to moan about bands “offering nothing new” or “cynically cashing-in on nostalgia”. Two years is a long time in the music world and it’s make or break time for many of this resurgence’s highly-publicised acts. Can they offer more than a mere throwback fix or is it all just another fad?
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The weather’s unpredictable, there’s no foreign exchange rate to distract from the high beer prices and wasps buzz around on their endless campaign of annoyance; it’s good to see nothing’s changed in my two year absence from a UK open air festival. In its five years of existence, Bloodstock Open Air has cemented its reputation as the UK’s equivalent to the mighty Wacken festival and given that the BOA site is roughly only 1/10 the size of said German ‘fest, there’s plenty of potential for growth. Such reduced surroundings are no disadvantage though: frequent spottings of participating musicians and regular re-encounters with newly made friends (you know: those cool people you drank with last night and never expected to see again all weekend) bring a greater feeling of intimacy and community. This reviewer certainly never anticipated such a sense of unity at a UK ‘fest (marred by one idiotic event – more on that later).
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01. The Games We Play in Hell 06:24 02. So I Can Not Lose My Way 07:56 03. Nancy Thompson Gravewatch 04:40 04. Just a Ride 07:20 05. Tonight, Houston, Texas 10:59 06. Prayer for the Crippled Ballerina 08:48

I have been a fan of Dundee based Stewart Griffin’s music for quite some time and having worked with him in two bands I was excited to hear of the launch of his new project; Bergen St.

Bergen St are a hard band to categorise as there are many wide and varied influences at work in their debut EP including the likes of Sigur Ros, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen and even the now disbanded Dundee based act Eye. Despite all of these different influences the band has a unique style which can be clearly heard throughout each track. For the readers out there who require a label for the band I would recommend progressive, experimental, metal.

Although only featuring six tracks this EP is over 45 minutes, surpassing some albums in length (looks at Alestorm). Despite the long track lengths the songs never become tedious or repetitive and instead draw the listener into the sometimes ambient, sometimes heavy soundscape.
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Episode 41 of the podcast features interviews with Blaze Bayley and Municipal Waste.

Blaze is of course is the former vocalist of both Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane. We caught up with him in Glasgow during ‘The Tour That Would Not Die’ series of gigs promoting the album ‘The Man Who Would Not Die’ - the fourth studio album released by the band in 2008.

US thrashers Municipal Waste also talked to us during their last UK tour. The Waste are of course set to release their new album ‘Massive Agressive’ on August 25th, you can hear a preview track entitled ‘Shredded Human’ in this show right before the interview!

Blaze Bayley - The Man Who Would Not Die
Celtic Legacy - Live By The Sword
Trail Of Tears - Dead End Gaze
Death In Blood - Hell Within A Hell
Municipal Waste - Shredded Human
Witchmaster - Total Annihilation
Tiamat - The Temple Of The Crescent Moon
Kivimetsan Druidi - Blacksmith
Alter Of Plagues - Earth As A Womb

 

 Ragnarok Radio - Episode 41 - Blaze Bayley and Municipal Waste [82:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download