The Logos Speaks: I AM

https://michaeltheanon.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-logos-speaks-i-am.html

#Logos #Speaks #Spirit #Christ #IAM #Philosophy #Psychology #Activism #Freedom #MindControl #ChainBreaker #SunoftheMorning #DawnBringer #DayBreaker #Michael

The Invisible Chains: How Narcissism Steals Your Soul and How to Break Free

https://michaeltheanon.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-invisible-chains-how-narcissism.html

#Chains #ChainBreaker #DawnBringer #Archangel #Michael #Philosophy #Narcissism #Kronos #Manipulation #MentalHealth

Nite – Cult of the Serpent Sun Review

By Steel Druhm

The wise and worldly Don Dokken taught me long ago that one should never unchain the night. Growing up, I’ve done my best to live this crucial truth. Unfortunately, no one ever told me what to do about Nite, the odd heavy metal project birthed by members of Dawnbringer, High Spirits, and Satan’s Wrath. Their 2020 Darkness Silence Mirror Flame debut was an intriguing mash-up of classic 80s and trve metal with a decidedly blackened edge courtesy of vocalist Van Labrakis (Satan’s Wrath). Their enthusiastically retro sound borrowed heavily from Mercyful Fate, Iron Maiden, and of course, Dawnbringer, but sometimes the fit between the music and the vocals didn’t work. They smoothed things out somewhat for 2022s Voices of the Kronian Moon, but nagging issues still held them back. Now third platter Cult of the Serpent Sun is upon us, and they haven’t tweaked their sound so much as honed it into a more imposing weapon. Does that portend good things for those who dwell in the Niteside eclipse?

I’ll say this for Nite: they’re determined to stick to their original concept and find ways to make you love it. While I’ve always enjoyed the core of what they do, the extraordinarily one-note black metal rasps by Van Labrakis were a huge drag on the material. The vocals haven’t changed on Cult of the Serpent Sun, but Nite’s ability to write compelling song with a fuck ton of excellent guitar parts has finally allowed them to overcome the vocal shortcomings. The album plays out like a collaborative jam session between Mercyful Fate, The Night Eternal, Grand Magus, and Dawnbringer, and the guitar work is lusty, mighty, and glorious from start to finish. Cuts like “Skull” throw so much Grand Magus-esque guitar splendor at the wall that you can’t resist gobbling up everything that sticks, and Labrakis’ rasps now add character instead of sounding out of place. “Crow (Fear the Night)” is an impossible song to dislike. The stellar guitar work from Scott Hoffman (Dawnbringer) and Labrakis is out of this world and exactly what makes metal so damn intoxicating. Just listen to all the cool, badass shit they do throughout the song and feel your back hair grow in appreciation.

Elsewhere, “The Last Blade” manages to blend the hard rocking energy of early 80s act like Keel and Y&T with trve vintages like Dawnbringer and Grand Magus for a wild ride into nostalgia. “Carry On” sounds like The Night Flight Orchestra showed up to help In Solitude and/or The Night Eternal add 80s radio rock energy to their typically Mercyful Fate-worshipping material. It’s just an uber-cool tune that gets you fist-pumping and air-guitaring in equal doses as Manowar look down upon you approvingly from their Airbnb at Crom’s Mountain of Steel. The high point is the ginormously epic closer “Winds of Sokar,” where all the honor and valor of Bathory’s Viking era bleeds forth over you in a red geyser of grandeur. You WILL love this song or be judged harshly at the gates of Valhalla by me or some other ape-like security goon. So what are the downsides? A few songs go for mood over hard rocking, and though nothing is skippable, “The Mystic” plays out like a lost piece to the soundtrack to Conan the Barbarian, and it’s too restrained despite its ample machismo. “Tarmut” suffers a similar handicap, with atmosphere superceding badasserey. At a very lean 36 minutes, Cult is a quick, vital listen, though it may take 2-3 spins to fully implant its hooks. Once it does, though, there’s no going back.

Cult is a guitar-lovers wet dream. Hoffman and Labrakis hold nothing back and go deep into the heart of classic metal for an endless series of cutting riffs and shining harmonies. The riffage ranges from edgy, to melodic to heroic, and you will hunger for more, no matter how high they stack the fretboard buffet. Nearly every song features exceptional guitar work and memorable pieces, and the spirit of metal’s golden age lives loudly in the writing. Oh, the sweet, sweet jammage! Van Labrakis’ vocals are the same monotone snarl as before, but somehow, he seems less of an impediment and injects the right amount of oomph to the songs. Would Nite be better with an actual singer? Yes, but three albums in, this is the Nite show, and it’s improving with every release. An additional hats off to the slick drumming by Patrick Crawford, who drives the songs right through your fucking head with propulsive kit thumps.

I expected to be whelmed by Cult of the Serpent Sun and report that I loved the music but not the vocals. I do love the music, and now the vocals don’t bother me as much. This is a very entertaining slab of retro metal that spans multiple genres, and it has truly great moments that I’ll be spinning for a long time. It also exudes a level of coolness that’s hard to resist. Maybe it’s okay to unchain the Nite? I better ask Donny first, though.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: nitemetal.com | nitemetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/nitemetal
Releases Worldwide: March 14th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AmericanMetal #CultOfTheSerpentSun #DarknessSilenceMirrorFlame #Dawnbringer #GrandMagus #HeavyMetal #HighSpirits #Mar25 #MercyfulFate #Nite #Review #Reviews #SatanSWrath #SeasonOfMistRecords #TheNightEternal #TheNightFlightOrchestra #VoicesOfTheKronianMoon

Legions Of Metal Festival took place a few months ago in #Chicago with bands like #Watchtower, #Hirax, #Dawnbringer and others all sharing the stage. Check out my write-up on the festival's second day, with full photo galleries and videos of the bands:

https://timbowmanmedia.com/2024/08/09/concert-review-legions-of-metal-festival-2024-watchtower-hirax-dawnbringer-stress-angel-and-more-bands/

#LegionsOfMetal #metal #metalmusic #heavymetal #thrashmetal #metalconcert #concertphotography #timbowmanmedia

Hands of Goro – Hands of Goro – Review

By Steel Druhm

On a day when a NASCAR-themed album hits the mean streets, why shouldn’t we cover a kinda-sorta Mortal Kombat-themed throwback metal opus by members of Slough Feg, Spirit Adrift, and Angel Witch. Hands of Goro is a project playing a style that the members refer to as the “Third Wave of British Heavy Metal.” That’s a fancy-pantsy name for what is essentially the classic NWoBHM sound being unearthed anew in 2024, and that basic NWoBHM sound composes the core of what the band delivers on Hands of Goro. It’s a charmingly retro blend of hard rock, punk, and early-days metal combining for some energetic, exuberant fare with a whole lot of old school flair. Will that be enough to earn a flawless victory? Will Lord Goro reign supreme? FIGHT!

As opener “Prince of Shoka” kicks into life, you get flavors of early Diamond Head, Thin Lizzy and even Foghat. It’s that classic template of hard rock taken up a notch or 3 to transmogrify it into heavy metal and it works well thanks to the major guitar acumen of Tom Draper (Sprit Adrift, ex-Angel Witch, ex-Carcass) and the stellar bass-work of Adrian Maestas (Slough Feg) which feels very vintage, wrapping a punky, rowdy Mötörhead-friendly vibe into the beef salad. This pays rough, slapdash approach pays big dividends on the hyperactive charge of “Dwmonizer” which bears a bit of a Nucleus-era Dawnbringer feel. The frantic riffing and solos make this one tough to resist and Maestas outdoes himself with some wild vocals and wails. “Uncanny” is like a shotgun marriage between Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy and Focus with Lemmy on vocals, so you know that’s an easy win you need to play at 12.

Elsewhere, “21st Century Plague” injects more Motörhead mania with slight but effective touches of black metal, and the pièce de résistance comes with 6-plus minute closer “Archduke of Fear,” which channels all the rowdy, riffy charm of vintage Raven crossed with the stadium rock sensibilities of Scorpions for a hard-charging good time. At a shockingly fast-moving 36 minutes, there’s not much chaff to sift out and every song has its own charm and moments of “FUCK YEAH!” guitar heroics. I love the charmingly retro production which often sounds warm and organic like the old Black Sabbath or Thin Lizzy albums.

This is a highly talented trio, with tons of road experience under their bullet belts. Tom Draper puts on a crazed clinic on 70s and 80s rock, punk, and metal riffology, crafting many fist-raising, headbanging moments along the way. He has a keen ear for riffs that stick and there are many moments when his playing elicited a smile and unstoppable air guitar noodling. His infectious fretboard romps alone are worth the investment in this thing. Maestas is right there with Draper the whole time, sitting in the bass pocket rumbling and clanging along in fine fashion, giving everything a deep, funky edge. His particular style of playing does make the material sound a bit like Slough Feg, but that’s a bonus. Maestas also hands lead vocals and if there is a weak point, it’s here. His delivery is fine for the rough, rocking style the band plays, but no one will consider him a vocal powerhouse. He reminds me of a less proficient Chris Black (Dawnbringer, High Spirits) and though he certainly hits the mark on the faster tracks, he can seem a bit rough around the edges on the slower cuts. Behind it all we have Avinash Mittur (Nite, Wretched Stench) tearing it up on the kit like a raving maniac. There’s no way to listen to this guy’s gonzo percussive assault and not feel yourself getting amped up and edgy. The trio plays in a loose, punky style which gives everything a live feel and that suits the hard rocking material to its bones. Anything more polished would do this stuff an injustice.

Much like the High Spirits output, Hands of Goro is so damn throwback that you might bust a shoulder joint listening to it, but boy is their style good fun. It’s simple in design but big in entertainment factor and it has an endearingly sincere feeling that comes from how much those involved love this style of music. It may not be the kind of album that people will be talking about come end-of-year lists, but I suspect it will get a nice little following by those who were born after 1960. Regardless of age, take a flyer on it and get your elder rock on. Hail our new many-fisted overlord. WAR GORO.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: BSP Records
Websites: handsofgoro.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/thehandsofgoro
Releases Worldwide: March 1st, 2024

#2024 #35 #AngelWitch #BSPRecords #Dawnbringer #HandsOfGoro #HeavyMetal #InternationalMetal #Mar24 #Motörhead #NeoNWOBHM #Raven #Review #Reviews #SloughFeg #SpiritAdrift

Daydreaming about Dragons, ep 68 S2

Table Techniques: Consequences, Context and Cool Shit at all times.

Inspiration Goat: Into the Lair of the Sun God by Dawnbringer

https://anchor.fm/daydreaming-about-dragons/episodes/E68S2-Table-Techniques-Consequences--Context-and-Cool-Shit-Inspiration-Goat-Into-the-Lair-of-the-Sun-God-ekmi7g

#TTRPG #dawnbringer