Year : 2013
Style : Heavy Metal , Speed Metal
Country : Mexico
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 116 mb
Album:
From the land of sombreros, cactus and tequila, these five pistoleros will make you scream with blasting heavy metal! Created in 2005, with three albums released (Psycho Samurai, Street Law, The Devil’s Bandit), Split Heaven is one of the most solid bands in the actual heavy metal scene. They combine thundering speed, '80s metal riffs, battle solos and high-pitched vocals to create a vicious monster ready to bite, infect and spread the word of Heavy Metal.The band have performed several gigs around the world in tours and festivals such as Wacken Open Air 2009, A.O.S.M.A.T Brazilian Tour 2010, Swordbrothers Festival / European Tour 2012, Vive Latino 2013, BÄÄÄM Festival / European Tour 2014 and in Mexico with some of the most important bands in the worldwide metal scene, becoming one of the strongest heavy metal bands in their country.The release of the 4th album with new singer Jason Conde-Houston will be between 2015 & 2016 via Pure Steel Records.
Album:
As a rule, I approach heavy metal albums with Wild West cover art cautiously. Not because I dislike the Wild West, even if I don’t watch a great deal of films from that genre, but because I don’t expect anything more than traditional tunes and well-worn themes. Split Heaven in fact come from Mexico and thus manage to put a nice slant on a few of these tracks, kicking off with an introduction of Hispanic acoustic guitars that build a bit of drama when named ‘The Arrival of the Gunslinger’. Those evocative Spanish licks return for the bridge of ‘Waiting for the Angel of Death’ and perhaps have some bearing on the regular solos, which combine NWOBHM feel with the verve of more modern bands like Ram, Widow, and compatriot heavy metallers Voltax.Having listened to Split Heaven’s latest album, the very impressive Electric Spell, I feel that The Devil’s Bandit uses a safer recipe, more oriented towards typical heavy metal influences and a few speed/power bursts, as one can hear clearly from the belted chorus notes of ‘Sinner’ and its tangling melodic guitar work. I feel the Mercyful Fate or King Diamond element to their sound was lacking 8 years ago when the quintet recorded this, and that makes the 9 songs shoot a lot straighter in terms of structure, melodic feel, and vocal aspiration. The formula here still seems like melodic metal, though Split Heaven are more likely to use a strutting hard rock riff or a power metal chorus than spider off from the norm into detailed storytelling and adventurous leads. Actually, I get vibes of the commercial stuff from Striker on songs like ‘Right to Rule’ and the title track.Of course, a slightly simple approach can still work wonders in terms of producing catchy material, and The Devil’s Bandit certainly strives to be memorable. ‘Danger Zone’ packs in most of the attractive things about the album, mid-paced riffing getting a kick from energetic rhythms and Giancarlo Farjat’s impassioned vocal delivery, although this would be his last album with the group. The driving pace and melodic sparkle of ‘False Martyr’ mean the opening of The Devil’s Bandit packs the strongest punch, while ‘March of the Dead’ throws in a softer part that really calms the flow of the song before resurrecting with more force in the final chorus. All these are good cuts and nothing repeats the same tricks exactly, but the relatively predictable song trajectories and some plainer songwriting near the end of the release make 41 minutes enough by the time they conclude. I wouldn’t point fingers at the performances particularly, yet a vague lack of effect comes from a combination of the production and the pacing, which sometimes leaves sections unable to totally click.For relatively outgoing melodic metal, The Devil’s Bandit contains the right sort of ingredients and some really nice songs, though Split Heaven have continued to improve their formula since and thus leave me wanting a little bit more here. The first half of the Mexican group’s third album deserves a listen for any fan of traditional stuff done properly.
Line Up:
Giancarlo Farjat – Vocals
Carlo “Taii” Hernandez - Bass
Armand “Hank” Ramos – Guitar
Pedro Zelbohr – Guitar
Tomas Roitman - Drums
Tracklist:
01. The Arrival Of The Gunslinger (Intro) (01:35)
02. Danger Zone (04:11)
03. False Martyr (04:04)
04. March Of The Dead (04:44)
05. The Devil's Bandit (05:42)
06. Waiting For The Angel Of Death (04:48)
07. Runaway (03:33)
08. Diamond Gaze (05:11)
09. Sinner (03:36)
10. Right To Rule (03:56)
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