Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-King Zebra, FM, Gothminister, About Us, & The Treatment

Index

While this band is relatively new to me, I was definitely familiar with the band China. Vocalist Eric St. Michaels fronted that band for a bit and is the lead singer for King Zebra. The music they play is fashioned after the 80's era. A few of the tracks reminded me of Scorpions when looking at the structure of the songs. The music kind of falls into the sleaze genre, but not totally in my opinion. There is plenty of flash, especially in the guitar work and their is a little depth scattered here and there. Most of these songs tend to be catchy. I also felt that this album grew on me more with each listen. Songs that were good became even better with more familiarity. Switzerland has churned out some of my favorite bands and I feel these guys are living up to the hard rock reputation of the market. Very good mid 80's styled hard rock record!

Release Date: April 12, 2024

2024 marks 40 years as a band for melodic rockers FM. The band have put together another great album full of melodic rocking tracks and the results are once again superb. The band dealt with some adversity while putting this one together with the passing of vocalist Steve Overland's brother Chris who had some history with the band. Staying focused on writing and production, the band put together another really smooth listen with this record. Overland sounds as good as always and I felt the songs were well crafted. I ended up taking a journey into the last few albums to familiarize myself with the music again as it had been some time since I listened to them. There is a lot of consistency in FM. They write their music in a way that it sounds fresh with each new album, but at the same time, they continue to utilize the things that make them great. Excellent!

Release Date: May 3, 2024

One of the more modern genre's that I like is the Gothic metal style. Gothminister is not new to us as we have looked at other albums previously. This latest album is fantastic in my opinion. A Gothic Industrial sounding mix. There is quite a bit going on with this album subject-wise as well. The band has a good reputation in markets around the world. I feel the band keep getting better with each release. This latest release feels very cinematic. If you really absorb yourself into the lyrics, the characters, etc. you will realize that there is a lot to dig into here. It is definitely tied into the previous 'Pandemonium' album and adds some new twists here and there. While this album stands very well on it's own, I think it's a good idea to take both 'Pandemonium' albums in together. Listen back to back for maximum enjoyment. On it's own, this is a very good record!

Release Date: May 3, 2024

India's About Us are back with their sophomore album and once again they have done a great job. This new album has some diversity in terms of style and elements. The band have once again brought some very good melody, but they are not afraid to turn things up a bit and go heavier. Also added is some more harsh vocals that may bring some appeal to younger audiences as well. Also mixed in were some minor progressive elements as well. With all of that being mentioned, it is obvious there is quite a bit going on here, but the music manages to maintain a very accessible feel. At times it feels mainstream and other times quite a bit more to the heavy side. The songs really do carry the day and I felt the performances by the band were really good. I remember not knowing what to expect from a band from India, and the results are excellent!

Release Date: April 12, 2024

You just have to love The Treatment. They are raw at their core and go for a very catchy yet simplistic sound. Think bands like AC/DC or Rhino Bucket. Making more with less always worked for some of these types of bands and it does once again with The Treatment. The band is from Cambridge, England and have released 5 prior albums. More recently they have been releasing via the Frontiers Records label. The album starts off really good and in my opinion starts getting even better when you get to the third track 'When Thunder And Lightning Strikes'. In ways that track reminded me a bit of Gotthard. The album overall has a very good vibe to it and while I have liked the previous albums I have heard, this new album is a new favorite of mine. The good rock tracks keep rolling along and the musical journey ends up being a fun ride. Great release!

Release Date: May 10, 2024