Andrew Danso

Hello friends!

We've spent over a year writing & recording our debut, and now, it's finally online and ready to be heard. Tera are a prog metal outfit, consisting of four members.

Taken from MySpace.com/teraonline (you should go there!):

Tera formed in early 2008, are an ambitious outfit, lapsing into progressive and uncharted territory. They elegantly blend the charms of their influences into a single innovative and cohesive package. With the release of Forerunner, Tera mix the intensity of progressive metal with their own modern agenda that refuses to play ball with the conventional acceptance of modern song writing. (Tera 09, Press Release)


Get to http://www.myspace.com/teraonline, to listen to the projects works, and get further information.

Many thanks,

Andy

With a focus being very much instrumental along with guitars and drums at the fore of the experience, you might be forgiven to judge this book by its cover. However, National Sunday Law are remarkably fresh in their approach and song writing. Completing there entries in a progressive and doom fashion, they also create atmospherics that are rich and help add a real sense of depth to the production. NSL are also a 2-piece.

The song writing itself is broadly influenced with many other genres and stylistic approaches added into the equation. It’s repeatedly refreshing to hear production techniques tarnished by the mainstream, rejuvenated in such vibrant, energetic and uncharacterised ways. Think a meandering soft guitar riff, then clapping, and therein begins another section. NSL feature a memorable recording as the production quality is fine; the music itself feels spontaneous, live and within the moment. The vocal doesn’t enter the crosshairs as a centrepiece, but is used as an atmospheric tool. Disappointments may lay with the testosterone fuelled “To Hell With You,” but all is easily forgiven, as the track counter changes. We can’t wait to see what’s next for Donley and Tambascio.

8.5/10 Metal-Mayhem.co.uk

The Yellow Signs “Ancient” showcases a band with a leaning toward the DM extremities of Oceano. What’s different in comparison are the more progressive, melodic and doom sections that unfortunately don’t quite make the focus of the record. The tracks themselves having the above in their undercurrent are excellently put together that tether the drum and riff work subliminally. The vocal is not acumen to The Yellow Signs work, but does shift into the crosshairs from time to time. It’s a disappointment mixed into the depths of the EP, that marginally hinder the experience and this is due to the performance on the mic not being quite as cemented as the other instrumentation. Think, Decapitated’s “Covan” with a minor throat infection, which makes his vocal even drier. The assisted high-pitch yelps are tasteful in liking but certainly work better when layered on top of the main vocal (it’s almost as if both are two halves of the same walnut).

The Yellow Signs biggest hurdle lays in their ability to produce material that’s more definitive than mashing their favourite influences together. The tracks on display through the EP are no-frills, hands-down worth departing every penny for; they just lack that memorabilia which help define the likes of Oceano and Decapitated. Even if “Ancient” isn’t that accomplished, it certainly reveals a band very much worth their salt.

7/10 Metal-Mayhem.co.uk

Heavily focused on the influences of Mike Oldfield, Shackleton’s Voyage is a record echoing the theme of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s journey to the Antarctic. Treated to an arsenal of instrumentation with narration thrown in for good measure, lend a hand at creating a powerful atmosphere to encapsulate the Voyage. Whilst being rooted to a more prog rock template, Eureka do mix symphonic, synthesised, and Celtic themes into the affair, that help give their concept an interpretation so clear it can be visualised. This is were the concept becomes alive, as picturing such events before your eyes are at the very least moving and pay tribute to the quality of the atmospherics present.

However, on closer inspection, the albums compositions would be dead without the concept. The tracks themselves are very lean without their storyline and to truly absorb the albums fruitful atmosphere, a brush up of knowledge on the expedition wouldn’t go a miss. That’s not to say Shackleton’s Voyage isn’t accessible through casual listen (in fact it’s quite the opposite) but understanding the concept will guarantee an increased hit whilst listening. The records pacing is dynamically excellent, as the album drives and cascades through rocky progressions, and atmospheric hazes. If all else fails, Eureka may raise awareness of the historic event amongst the unfamiliar.

Archaic-Magazine