Dragon Mythos ~ by: KeyDragon

Swirling synthesizers spar with grinding guitars and dashing drums to form the 13 dragon-themed tracks on KeyDragon's latest release, Dragon Mythos. The project is helmed by a keyboard master from Northern California named Ron Langford, who is also known as the KeyDragon -- which is likewise the name of his band. Like all KeyDragon albums, Dragon Mythos consists of goth-metal explorations of the extensive dragon-related legends and lore found around the world. All Access Magazine last visited KeyDragon in March 2008 to hear Legends of the Dragon, which included guitarist Bobby Blackmon and singer Tamara Venus Star. All three soar out again from Grass Valley for this outing, joined by guitarist-bassist Andrew Grant, along with another lady in the lineup: jazzy-handed drummer Holly Rains. Also appearing is DJ-programmer Dan Marshall, who helps with production and supplementary keys. These elements combine to forge an electric, keyboard-intensive sound that is distinguished by the contrast between Tamara's silvery voice and Ron's fearsome, roaring fulminations. Like last time, "Dragon Mythos" is adorned by the reptilian visions of some of Ron's students, plus the cover concept of the KeyDragon himself. Along with theh distinctive vocal duality heard from Tamara and Ron, the instrumentation also takes some surprising turns -- as observed, for instance, in the subdued yet entrancing introduction to "MOO-Inanea (The Self-Reliant Dragon)," which promptly breaks to a loud and busy verse structure, and then heads back to the the thoughtful slowdown. And at the outset of "The Prince and the Dragon," Tamara ventures into the realm of spooky vocal effects, while Ron pensively tickes the ivories. While "MOO-Inanea" is a re-telling of a Hawaiian dragon tale, fiery beasts from other disparate locales such as Egypt, China, and Greece are featured as well. And oh yes, the disk had to include a biblical taste of John the Apostle's apocalyptic revelations, in "The Red Dragon"-- and how aptly Ron and Tamara embody the millennial conflict between maid and monster! And in the closing track, "Marduck and Tiamat," Ron and company explore, as they did with the previous album's "Rainbow Serpent," a creation myth that considers a reptilian role in the very foundation and fabric of the universe itself. If you've heard the dragon roar before and now you want some more, or if you're new to the concept of "Dragon Metal" and find yourself intrigued, a fascinating flight is found on the wings of the KeyDragon, with the new CD, Dragon Mythos. www.keydragon.com

Freakhouse ~ self-titled CD

This band is powered on drums by an old friend of the magazine, Sean Topham, who's also known for his work with The Chimpz. Fans who "go ape" for The Chimpz rap-metal madness will also find theatrical good rockin' with Freakhouse -- but ina somewhat different musical direction. There's not much rap to speak of here, but major metal indeed, in this14-song, self-named selection from Freakhouse. Tracks such as "No Way Down" and "Dead on the Inside" have already gained good reaction and fan attraction, because they just plain satisfy. The opening cut, "Living the Lie," gives you an loud idea of where these guys are coming from, which is confirmed by the inside photo of the band, with the singer flashing a double-middle-digit salute to the world. Now, it's true that the opening riff to "Dead on the Inside" sounds like a twist on "Man On the Silver Mountain," but by lifting themselves in a different tuneful direction, Freakhouse retains relevance and appeal. And a cut such as "Dream Another Day" piques interest in another way, by going quickly from melodic to punchy to earnest. Rob Escher has a suitably rough voice that can bring the feeling, and he's ably backed by bassist Scott Freak and guitarist Matt Clark, in addition to drummer Sean Topham, for a musical mix that owes much to many current acts, but which keeps Freakhouse's chunky personal vibe intact. That vibe is given depth with the track entitled "Tommy's Revenge," which is actually just a short, soulful piano piece, accented by strings, a little like "Home Sweet Home" revisited -- but actually, it's just a lead-in to the raucous head-knocker called "Answer." And further on, many might agree that the disk really accrues value from Freakhouse's cover of the Radiohead hit, "Creep" -- because while Radiohead's version only hints at the possibility of actually rocking, Freakhouse totally delivers on the promise, right on! Check out the interesting percussion, both from Sean's kit and special studio enhancement. And that killer cover of "Creep" is followed by a punkish interpretation of Sponge's 1994 hit, "Plowed" -- partly faithful, partly amped-up, no slouching at all. On the CD package, this spunky L.A. quartet includes the word "Obey" in two prominent places, which pairs quite nicely with a titles such as "Submit" and "Listen to the Voice." But while "Obey" is not the disk's title, one way the listener could interpret the command is to follow suit with Freakhouse by obeying the urge to rock. www.freakhouse.com

Cloaked in Doctrine ~ by: Ground Of Ruin (EP)

Five lads from Ireland bring a hard-hitting boogie that is hella-far from the bluesy moods of either Van Morrison and U2, or the classic-rock rhythms of Thin Lizzy ~ these guys play straight-ahead speed metal that fits right in with a boatload of current thrashers. (Promo notes instruct us to file under "Blackened Death Thrash"!) Ground Of Ruin starts with a key ingredient: a singer, Dave Hynes, who yells like a devil from the pit, and screams like a tormented soul being forked over. Now, just to show their sensitive side, the first track is a sweet acoustic piece called "Upon the 13th Hour," and then they cut to the title track, which is partly speedy, as expected, but then has slower, Sabbath-style heavy breaks that are more suitable for bobbing rather than moshing. Yep, these fellows know how to change tempo, and guitarists Rob Chanders and Dom Brennan, bassist Derek Gibson, and drummer Francis Moran are crisp and precise when they do so, as can be observed during the title track. During that song, which could be taken for an anti-religion diatribe, listen closely for Dave's Irish accent amid his howling and growling, and you'll detect it, and it's kind of cool. (But oh, a peek at CID's MySpace page reveals that the band is "looking for a new singer," hope that goes okay.) Also cool, in a thought-provoking way, is "Burning the Olive Branch," with an opening hook that really sinks its barb into the brain. It's definitely an apt concept in today's troubled world, and doubly so when delivered by those fighting Irish -- ever-ready with fists of fury for clenching and pumping in the air, to the tune of metal-edged musical axes. www.myspace.com/groundofruin

Executioner ~ by: Mantic Ritual

Out from the industrial hardlands of Pennsylvania, relocated to Hollywood to follow stardom's yellow brick road, Mantic Ritual is thrash, well-executed thrash, one might say. It's a full disk, 11 songs that a pretty much free of frills such as keyboards, strings, and production overlays. It's worth noting that Mantic Ritual has a drummer, Adam Haritan, who also writes lyrics, just like Neal Peart of Rush. And since Adam looks a little like a young Tommy Shaw, it's wild to reconcile his elfin visage with his hellish visions -- which are pretty consistent with the grim theme of the album's title: long on gore and gloom and doom, short on love and light. What would you expect, with titles such as :"Murdered to Death" and "Double the Blood"?!? -- But the musicianship is great! Guitarist/vocalist Dan Wetmore yells pretty well, and yet generally refrains from full-on hell-pit screaming, remaining content to intone with urgent intensity. And whether it's Dan playing lead, or Mantic Ritual's other guitarist, Jeff Potts, there's much mastery of scales and riffs going on here, with precision support from bassist Ben Mottsman as well as drummer Adam. The song "Souls" illustrates Mantic Ritual's strong points: on the one hand the power to lay down a driving, marching beat -- and then the skill to shake things up with multiple expert shifts in tempo chords and tempo -- while keeping the listener engaged all the while. Executioner just came out in March on Nuclear Blast Records, and it sounds like the kind of effort that should make a suitable impact on the eardrums and disk drives of metalheads everywhere. www.myspace.com/manticritual