Sometimes I got pleasant surprises. I had never heard of this band before I got their cd in my mailbox. And man, what a pleasant surprise I got! Uglystyk plays my favourite kind of metal, melodic metal that is. You know the tasty riffs and the hooks that grabs you and don't wanna let you go. The cd is full of excellent guitarplay and beautiful melodies that makes me happy. Oh yeah, I like it! On the negative side though there are some tunes especially at the end of the cd that lacks a bit in melody and hookfeel, and therefore don't do it for me. That's why this cd only gets a 3. Most tunes though are very enjoyable and I can't wait to hear more from this talented band.

Uglystyk is a ministryband and have very Christcentered lyrics. I really feel uplifted and glad when I hear lyrics like this. It truly gives me something from above.

Imagewise though I have some advices for them. First of all, don't have a cheesy pink cover on a metal album! They also need to change their image a bit and look more metal if they want to get the metalheads attention and respect.


References: Melodic metal fans should definately give this band a try.


Orderinfo: Check with their webpage below and the mailorder companys listed here


Webpage: http://www.goetc.net/uglystyk

Ultimatum has really improved over the years. Especially Scott Waters, the vocalist has improved his vocals a lot and it's much more varied now. Seems like his time in Once Dead did him well. Productionwise this is also a big step forward and it's by far their most professional production to this date. Something I also like is all the crunchy thrash rhythmes and the tasty guitar solos the band have included on this release. All these improvements together makes this album to a very memorable one. Thrash is also one of my favourite genres and bands like Vengeance Rising and Believer will always have a special place in my heart. Therefore I really enjoy the Vengeance influences that Ultimatum has in their sound. Favourite tracks are Blood Covenant, One For All, Deathwish, Heart of Metal, Wrathchild and Transgressor. Lyrically Ultimatum has always been one of my favourite bands with their Biblical and straightforward lyrics. One example can be found in the track Game Over that talks about the importance of making a decision to follow Christ (who is the only one that can cleanse us from our sins, so we can have it right with God) before it's too late: "Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life. He gave himself for your wretched soul. Stop this nonsense, life is too short, senseless waste of life. On judgement day your friends won't be there. You will stand alone in front of Him. Will you rejoice or bow your head in shame? Game over, time to die."

To sum it up this is a cool thrash album that I really can recommend.


References: Recommended to all Thrash Metal fans, especially fans of Vengeance Rising and Exodus will enjoy this.


Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed here


Webpage: http://www.ultimatum.net

Typical for this band is the singer's very special vocals. Either you like it or not. Sorry to say I'm in the last category but as always when it comes to music, it's all a matter of taste. Anyway, the closest comparison I can think of is Udo Dirkschneider.

The music is solid Heavy Metal / Thrash. First tune "Never" is really good and crunchy. If all the tunes were this good this would be an awesome album. Sorry to say, they are not. Some of the tunes are good but most of them gets repetitive and boring. That's too bad when the lyrics are this good and Christ - centered.

If the band continue to write tunes like "Never", varies the music more and the singer tries to sing in another way (sorry Scott but I have to be honest) they can go to the top, but for now they fall short, as least in my ears.


References: For fans of Overkill and Exodus.


Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed here


Webpage: http://www.ultimatum.net

Unchained is a new band from the US. Good to see that more and more metalbands are popping up from this country. Unchained plays pretty slow heavy metal and vocals are easy to hear. I prefer faster stuff, it would be good if they speed up more. Because the music is slow it easily becomes boring in my ears. The only tune I fully like is Meet Again. A wonderful tune about the great meeting in heaven where we will meet our dead brothers and sisters in Christ. More tunes like this would do good. Lyrics are both personal as pointing to Christ. If the music just wasn't so slow I might have liked this but now I don't. More speed and catchy hooks/harmonies is what this band is lacking. I hope they incorporate more of that in coming releases.


References: Don't know what to compare them with. If you love slow heavy metal this might be something for you.


For orderinfo send a mail to matthews@sheltonbbs.com