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XFACTORX - (SELF TITLED)

Metal mania in a big way straight out of the U.S., XFactorX have a very cool debut (I guess) album of 11 songs that are truly excellent, showing the product of a band that sound like they've been playing for quite some years rather than just releasing their first album.

The four piece don't go for the obvious immediately, the introduction "Amducias" sounding like the opening music sounding more like you're about to hear a circus sideshow soundtrack. Come the first proper track "The Scream" though, & you'll be more than impressed by the heavy bass & drums that go rolling into the raw vocals.

The intial four tracks get stuck into the juggernaut style metal immediately, with the pick of the album turning up in these on "Lie", which has a killer bassline to keep you interested & some amazing riffs, though it's the bass that makes this track stand out.

"Shadow" turns the pace down somewhat, with the majority of the song pulling in the reigns until the climax unleashes the power once again. Somewhat less restrained is "Kingdom", though which while still a little quieter than some of the other songs here has it's own powerful qualities without the use of brute force.

Although closer "Devil's Lobotomy" is pretty cool, the other honourable mention has to be the machine gun riffing behind "Playing With Fire", which is the fastest of all the tracks here, without making it to the thrash stage. All in all, this is a pretty cool offering & is up there with the best bands such as Metallica & Soundgarden have to offer.

Contact XFactorX at P.O. Box 5021, Milford, CT 06460, USA or john.bruno@snet.net

BRETHREN - DREAMS OF TOMORROW

A debut e.p. from Sydney based Brethren is a breath of fresh air in the metal scene, the band's music sounding more than a little influenced by the early sounds of Metallica, though a the production & general sound quality of this 4 track sounds a lot more polished than some of the early Metallica singles.

Although the opening track "The Flame" is a little tentative, the band are truly in the groove by the second in "A Free World", where they rail against the world's ills as far as the media & propagandists are concerned.

The last 2 tracks, "Testify" & "Thought Control" are truly impressive slabs of metal excellence, as with the first couple of songs, they're fairly bass-heavy. Metal fans who are into well performed & written metal that's got new style with old school sounds will be impressed by Brethren.

Contact Brethren at P.O. Box W31, Warringah Mall, Brookvale, NSW, 2100, Australia or brethren@one.net.au

HEATHER RUSSELL - JUST IN TIME

A totally fabulous singing voice is the focus for this 7 track e.p. from singer/songwriter Heather Russell. Despite being compared to Kate Bush, I'd rather let Heather's music sit on it's own merits.

There's some extremely different music here, starting off with the opening track "Just In Time", which is a simple melody & driven mostly by Heather's remarkable voice, while "When I Wish", starts off with a celtic sort of influence, still using that voice as the driving force.

The picks here for me come on two different tracks, "Mirror", which is apparently a remix called Anime, plus "Sonnet 29" in a 40oz Crew remix, some very savvy jungle, along with drum & bass the lure into Heather's world of remixes. I wish all music had the inspiration that's been put into this e.p.

Contact Heather Russell at PO Box 16124, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA or hrussell@bellsouth.net

DALE SUMNER - STATE OF THE UNION

Coming out of Canada, Dale Sumner has compiled a well-rounded collection of his own songs into a massive 72 minute long album that travels some new ground as well as some traditional pop sounds.

The album comprises some reasonably political leanings, particularly on the opener "Can't Get There From Here" & the closing track, an epic 7 minute plus track called "City Of Sin", which accurately reflects where today's society seems to be heading.

While "Train Of Thought" & a couple of other songs sound a little like your regular Bon Jovi songs, others like "Dear John", have a great low key acoustic guitar touch that draw you in with no effort.

Pick of the album for me is "Going Going", another politically (or rather environmentally) motivated piece of music that has a wicked groove to carry it's message. Thankfully, like all the political-type songs here, the message is offered rather than preached, which shows a talent for songwriting that many bands could learn from.

Contact Dale Sumner via Savage Breast Music, Micmac R.P.O. 24024, Dartmouth, N.S. B3A 4T4, Canada or dcsumner@hotmail.com

ROBERT LURIE - YOU SPEAK IN TOO MANY VOICES

A more than surprising album comprising 15 tracks which run many ranges of musical styles. Guitar melodies that shouldn't work simply do & vocals are worked into the songs so easily that you're almost unaware of their presence for a short while.

Much of the album reminds me of Led Zeppelin's quieter moments tooling about with the acoustic guitar & this reference for me is vindicated by the instrumental of "Kashmiri Skies". There are many moments that you'll want to revisit along the course of this album, none moreso than "I'm Her Slave".

One dark spot on the album for me is the cover of Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover", which isn't a bad cover, but the sound production lets the performance down. This is mnore than offset by the album's brilliant original tracks & few instrumental tracks, the pick of which for me is "Branca Tonic".

Robert has given the listener something to think about in his exploration & innovation of so many different faces of music, which I guess is the inspiration for the title. I'd have to recommend this album for anyone that's not impressed by clone mainstream music.

For more information, contact Robert Lurie's Blackrider Records, P.O. Box 2905, Athens, GA 30612-0905, U.S.A. or davis@arches.uga.edu

BENDER - GET BENT

This is the fourth demo Bender have sent & again renews my faith in the band's extraordinary talent. This, like all the previous material Bender have sent me is original & very listenable.

The tape strangely opens with an instrumental called "The Doctor", Bender's interpretation of the famous Doctor Who theme.

The other 5 tracks differ quite a bit from the standard rock sounds of the opener, the band charting new ground with some very haunting vocals & some dreamy guitar work of the nature of English band Ride's best stuff.

This is by far the best Bender have done so far & the sound quality is also exceptional, indicating quite some time in the studio working on the songs. Some of the songs, in particular the closer "Cold Memory" use some fantastic guitar posturing to good effect.

Outstanding is the only way I can describe the 2 best tracks "Lead" & "Melt", the songs more than worthy of inclusion on a commercial release without further work. Simply put, you've gotta hear this demo for yourself.

Contact Bender at P.O. Box 60, Petersham Nth, NSW, 2049, Australia or jbender@zeta.org.au

THE GREAT KAT - GUITAR GODDESS

A totally innovative & original take on classical music with some of her own metal twists make this a CD to check out even if you're just a little curious about where modern music is headed.

The Great Kat has taken traditional classical music & transformed it into something else again, not a little attractive to metal freaks with it's nearly over the top guitar antics & staccato drum work.

Many people should recognise "The Barber Of Seville", which is turned inside out & made into a metal masterpiece while still retaining the integrity of the original music. The other piece of classical music here should also be recognisable, "Zigeunerweisen", although you'll probably only know the tune, not the name. It's also apparently known as The Gypsy Violin Waltz.

There are a couple of original compositions here also, "Feast Of The Dead", which is your more traditional thrash metal, whilst "Dominatrix" is familiar on the metal front, but takes a couple of listens at high volume to make sense, then it's all made clear.

If you're a bit adventurous & like exploring previously uncharted musical territory, then The Great Kat's music is definitely for you.

Contact The Great Kat through Karen Thomas Public Relations, The Huntington Atrium, 775 Park Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743, USA or kthomas@thomas-pr.com

BARENDT & KENDRICK - BUT DID YOU FEEL IT?

Quite simply put, Barendt & Kendrick are plain & simple, a duo. Comprising Micheal Barendt, guitarist & singer originally from Sweden & Wendy Kendrick, a songwriter from the U.S., along with guest musicians on this 10 song CD.

Although a little patchy in parts, the album presents some very special moments, Wendy Kendrik's voice is quite stunning & many times throughout the album it's brimming with emotion.

The opening 2 tracks "Oh What Can I Do" & "Linnie" immediately reminded me of some early Kate Bush songs, not merely because of that extraordinary voice, but also the general sound of the songs.

Other sounds come on "Blackout", reminiscent of mid-80s soft metal bands & then some harder sounds on "You Said It", which ought to appeal to the rock fans out there.

Almost certainly my favourite track comes late in the track order, a simple & beautifully written & performed piano ballad called "Of Her Soul". Perhaps it's the simplicity of the song itself, but this seems to be songwriting at it's peak.

Contact Barendt & Kendrick through Blue Studio Productions, c/o Kendrick - Barendt, 4925 Lakeside Drive, Atlanta, GA 30360-1718, USA or bluestudio@bellsouth.net