Year : 2016 (Japan Edition 2017)
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United States , Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 103 mb
Bio:
Originally formed in 2008 by vocalist Troy as a King Diamond tribute band, performing for three and a half years with over 20 shows including performances with Mike Wead and Hal Patino from King Diamond. After returning from several other projects, Troy started to create a concept idea in 2014 and moulded a story, band, album and show around it.
Album:
If you think that it's a coincidence that the this band's name is the one King Diamond has chose years and years ago for one of his masterpieces, than I can tell you that you're wrong. "Sweet Hallow", the name of Them's debut, is the best King Diamond album the King never did, at least for soem tracks.But lets' start from the beginning. Them was started in 2008 by singer Troy Norr who some of you might know from Coldsteel. In the beginning Them wasn't more than a King Diamond tribute band for many years, including Mike Wead and Hal Patino. In 2014 Troy started to make things more tangible by working on a storyline, a band and an album. The guy found some well-known allies for Them. Mike LePond from Symphony X is on bass, Kevin Talley (Suffocation) is playing drums on the album, Markus Ulrich (Lanfear) and Markus Johansson are responsible for the six string guitar while Richie Seibel from Lanfear is on keyboards.These guys recorded nine songs plus an intro that are in big parts inspired by King Diamond. The vocals, the guitar lines, the entire sound - all reminds more than once of the mighty Dane with the falsetto vocals.A cold breeze and some more creepy samples mark the beginning of the album. It's an intro called "Rebirth" that leads to the first real song named "Forever Burns". The furious guitars include some of the typical Kind Diamond harmonies and as soon as Norr joins you have to check the cover twice. Fortunately the album has more to offer than just being a kind of tribute disc.A tune that's a bit diefferent is called "Ghost of the Graveyard". This number has some more individuality since the vocals are more moderate and the track itself is kept slower and melodic. Still the vibe stays present and acts as a kind of link that keeps all the tracks together."The Quiet Room" acts as a kind of piano-based intermezzo before "Dead of Night", with its more than six minutes, takes over. The track is melodic and slower than some of the other stuff on the album. The fact that Norr goes without high pitches makes the track to a riff-based hardrocker that stands out from the rest."FestEvil" is a bit breathless before "The Crimson Corpse" brings back the good old "Them"-days that are merged with a true power metal riffing that reimnds of Iced Earth. It's an interesting track that shows the potential of Them. Or in case your looking for some Nevermore references you can listen to the closer "The Harrowing Path to Hollow".What to say as a sum up. For me, Them is neither a copycat nor a tribute. It is inspired by the King but it has enough own identity which makes it to an exciting longplayer that cherishs heavy metal and power metal, all embedded in a gloomy storyline. "Sweet Hallow" is entertaining and is done very well.
Line Up:
Kevin Talley Drums - See also: Castrofate, Feared, Grot, Nothnegal, Sylencer, The Art of Hate, Dååth, ex-Horror of Horrors, ex-Consumned, ex-Decrepit Birth, ex-Dying Fetus, ex-Implore, ex-Misery Index, ex-Six Feet Under, ex-Suffocation, ex-Throes, ex-WretchedPain, ex-Absence of the Sacred (live), ex-Battlecross (live), ex-Cattle Decapitation (live), ex-DevilDriver (live), ex-Hate Eternal (live), ex-M.O.D. (live), ex-The Black Dahlia Murder (live), ex-The Red Chord (live), ex-Chimaira, ex-Worlds Divide, ex-All the Way to the Bank, ex-Throes (live)
Richie Seibel Keyboards - See also: A Cosmic Trail, Ivanhoe, Lanfear, ex-Charisma, ex-Ivorie
Troy Norr Vocals (2008-2011, 2014-present) - See also: Coldsteel
Markus Ullrich Guitars (2014-present) - See also: A Cosmic Trail, Lanfear, Septagon
Mike LePond Bass (2015-present) - See also: Affector, Elegacy, Fatal Array, Heathen's Rage, Holy Force, Mike LePond's Silent Assassins, Rivera/Bomma, Stygia, Symphony X, Waken Eyes, Distant Thunder, ex-Brute Force, Ango Tasso's Air Force, Mike Bino Project, Universal Mind Project, ex-Ashenveil, ex-MindMaze, ex-Painmuseum, ex-Seven Witches, ex-Sleepy Hollow, ex-Helstar (live), ex-Operatika Element (live), ex-Malakis Reign, ex-Rattlebone
Markus Johansson Guitars (2015-present) - See also: 4Arm, Sylencer, Knapp / Johansson, ex-Malaki (live)
Tracklist:
01. Rebirth
02. Forever Burns
03. Down The Road To Misery
04. Ghost In The Graveyard
05. The Quiet Room
06. Dead Of Night
07. Festevil
08. The Crimson Corpse
09. Blood From Blood
10. The Harrowing Path To Hollow
11. Salve (Instrumental)
12. When The Clock Struck Twelve
13. Rebirth (Alternate Version) (Bonus Track)
14. Forever Burns (Demo Version) (Bonus Track)
15. Dead Of Night (Demo Version) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
