| REVIEWS
FOR CRADLE TO GRAVE 'Cradle to Grave' (PPRCD-1969006): |
| DATE:
4.21.05 |
REVIEWED
BY: lesacteursdelombre.com http://www.lesacteursdelombre.com/Ombres/chronique/detail.asp?rsRubrique=Groupe&rnChronique=1546 |
(in
French)
Si nos fidèles lecteurs se souviennent bien, nous avions chroniqué
à l’époque Lifespan Sessions 2003 de ce groupe à la tendance
très prometteuse…. Il s’agissait de Cradle To Grave, groupe
Canadien aux relents de Thrash / Death assez bien foutu. Ils
nous reviennent avec leur premier opus de 13 titres CTG et l’attente
de découvrir ce genre d’album fut satisfaite haut la main !!
Ce groupe allie avec brio les passages aux riffs Thrash en rythmiques
plus dures et barrées aux consonances Death Metal. Ce qui ne
nous échappera pas non plus, ce sont les influences Heavy Metal,
dans le style Manowar ou Pegazus que sais-je d’autre ? La production
de cet album est assez monstrueuse, les compositions assez recherchées
et complexes, d’où les riffs plus lourds s’allient parfaitement
avec une ambiance plus malsaine par certains moment ou dans
les parties plus rapides ce qui constituent une preuve du travail
et des progrès sans cesse accrus de Cradle To Grave. La voix
sonne toujours autant Phil Anselmo et les mélodies en tout genre
sont également présentes, notamment exécutées par les guitares
en tierce ou quinte dans le style Iron Maiden, un régal de richesse
et de construction !! Vous trouverez d’ailleurs sur CTG des
titres revisités de Lifespan Sessions 2003, comme « Nuclear
Flowers » pour le lus représentatif et coup de cœur !! Je conseille
CTG aux fans purs et durs de musique Thrashy, aux amateurs de
son bien lourds, aux friands de rythmiques folles et complexes,
aux adorateurs de Metal tout simplement, je trouve personnellement
que cet album représente le style haut la main, une formation
des plus prometteuse et des meilleures en ce qui constitue une
musique de qualité et recherchées.
Note Générale : 8,5 / 10 | Production : 4 / 6 | Cover : 4 /
6 | Composition : 5 / 6
(English translation)
If our faithful readers remember well, we had commented on to
the era Lifespan Sessions 2003 of this group to the very promising
tendency.. It was a matter of Cradle To Grave, Canadian group
to the relents of Thrash / enough Death well screwed-up. They
return us with their first opus of 13 titles CTG and the expectation
to discover this album kind was satisfied high the hand!! This
group allies with brio the passages to the riffs Thrash in rhythmic
harder and blocked to consonances Death Metal. This that will
not escape us no more, this are the influences Heavy Metal,
in the trains Manowar or Pegazus than do I know other? The production
of this album rather monstrous, the compositions enough looked
for and complex, from which the HEAVIER riffs perfectly ally
themselves with a more unhealthy mood by certain moments or
in the quicker parties this that constitute a proof of the work
and continually increased progresses of Cradle To Grave. Voice
always rings as much Phil Anselmo and the melodies in all kind
are equally present, notably executed by the guitars in third
or fit in the trains Iron Maiden, a wealth régal and of construction!!
You will find besides on CTG of the revisited titles of Lifespan
Sessions 2003, as « Nuclear Flowers » for the representative
beds and blow of cour!! I counsel CTG to the pure and hard fans
of music Thrashy, to the amateurs of his heavy goods, to the
puffs of crazy rhythmic ones and complex, to the worshippers
of Metal all simply, I personal find that this album represents
trains it high the hand, a formation of the most promising one
and better in this that constitutes a quality music and in demands.
|
| DATE:
March.05 |
REVIEWED
BY: Antonis @ The Temple of Metal http://www.thetempleofmetal.gr/group_properties/cradle_to_grave/album_cradle_to_grave.htm |
| It
is always a pleasure to see bands progress and the pleasure
is bigger when you have follow these bands from their early
days. An example is Cradle to Grave who comes from Canada. I
had the opportunity to follow the band from their first demo
until now and I hope I will follow them in their future releases.
some months ago the band released their debut self title album
through Power Play Records. If I am not mistaken the band has
gathered all their songs and they record it in this album. Also
they have made some changes in the songs structure (for example
the acoustic ballad "Bleeding Heaven" has some changes in this
release, i think it become more electric). The third track "Nuclear
Flower" if I am not mistaken has a very clever change, which
in my ears made me to love it more than the first version (in
their first demo). The band walks definitely in modern metal
paths but not close to NU metal. Sasquatch has made an excellent
work in the guitar section and has write some really nice guitar
riffs which stuck in your mind from the first listening of the
songs. I believe that this band is able to do greater things
and to write better albums than their debut one. For sure all
the fans of this kind of metal should check this release immediately
and you will not loose. Well done guys once more. |
| DATE:
2.13.05 |
REVIEWED
BY: MATTEO @ TRUE METAL http://www.truemetal.it/reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=3331 |
CRADLE
TO GRAVE REVIEW (Translation more or less word by word...) Cradle
To Grave is one of the many bands belonging to the North-American
underground that refuse to bend to the “nu” (metal) rules dictated
by MTV down there and this choice alone deserves appreciation.
CTG hail from Canada and their music can be considered a kind
of Thrash heavily influenced by Pantera, mainly vocally and
since the opener “As We Lay Dying” the similarities between
Phil Anselmo and Greg Cavanagh are impressive. Also their music
follows closely the style of the cowboys from hell, but with
a quite distinctive personality. The band generally prefers
groovy and obscure atmospheres, but sometimes tends to opt for
faster tempos like in “Projectile” really an aggressive tune
with a killer slowed down break in the middle. Always furious,
but never repeating themselves these songs present some unpredictable
solutions just like in “Just a Cause” whose beginning is clearly
inspired by Sabbath with an incredibly violent development,
but a kind of violence that sometimes is a bit too chaotic mainly
for what concerns their vocal lines or the contrast in “What
I Say” between an almost melodic rhythm section and the usual
vocals of Cavanagh.
Songs like "Sunrise Sunset", "The Manipulated Dead", "Across
the Sky", "Bleeding Heaven" or the final "Crown of Snakes" show
the ability of the band to create very personal and unusual
melodies, but never too intricate or far from the American tradition.
There are some tunes like “Southern Oak” and “Shut my Eyes”
that are more rock’n’roll oriented with the usual ultra-furious
vocals: perplexing at first, but definitely convincing on the
whole.
Then there’s “Wounded”, a strange ballad made of grim atmospheres
that reminded me some Pantera’s oldies and also in this case
the band has the ability to give a personal touch to this damn
interesting song. “Nuclear Flowers” is quite strange too with
a violent beginning and a disco dance section that, although
definitely original, just made me laugh, nothing else. The sounds
of this record are a not good enough to stress each single instrument
and, in my opinion, should have been more aggressive and thick
to achieve a better result. Technically this band is quite good,
mainly the rhythm section. There are just a few solos, but for
an album with such a straightforward and direct approach this
seems reasonable and acceptable. Finally I can say that Cradle
To Grave is a good example of how the underground scene overseas
is alive and kicking and, hoping in the future these guys may
be a bit more focused on expressing their musical aggressiveness
and less chaotic for what concerns some arrangements, they deserve
appreciation because it’s not simple to find a band with such
a distinctive identity these days. |
| DATE:
2.10.05 |
REVIEWED
BY: EC @ MAXIMUM METAL http://www.maximummetal.com/reviews/revresults.asp?ID=ctg_ctg&idBand=487 |
I've
never been a huge fan of jock rock. Sure, I jumped on the wagon
with those Texas thunderheads just like everyone else in the
early 90s. Dimebag and the rest of Pantera laid waste to a glam
rock era with one swift, power hungry haymaker, knocking out
everyone with their first official release "Cowboys From Hell".
Since then everybody and their mother's mother have laid down
those chops and belted out hate filled screams in the vein of
Phil Anselmo. But you have to ask yourself, when is enough really
enough? We've seen Exhorder (possibly the only other band to
lay claim to innovating this sound), Overdose, Pissing Razors,
Machine Head, Dearly Beheaded, Konkra, and a zillion other "original"
bands step through those saloon doors. Some were great, some
were mediocre, and others were just plain clones. The cream
of the crop remained Exhorder and Pantera. With this hardcore
sound remaining stronger than ever we've seen Headbanger's Ball,
MTV, and Roadrunner Records issue in a whole circus act of Pantera
styled hate rock. I've really had enough of it. None of those
bands seem to have the drive or intensity to create anything
really listenable. Power Play Records introduces us to an underground
act that may be doing this sound better than all of the rest,
finally creating something memorable and unique out of a stale
genre that has seen its better days.
Canada's Cradle To Grave play a consistent, sonic firestorm
of hardcore heavy metal. The band's sound is obviously deeply
rooted in Pantera's way of thinking, but I hear quite a bit
of Exhorder, Fall From Grace, and mid-era Corrosion Of Conformity
in their sound. Huge, sludgy slabs crawl out of nowhere, but
the group focus most of their attention on creating non-stop
lethal carnage in the form of violent chops and bone shaking
rhythm. These guys aren't afraid to take chances, mixing in
quite a bit of leads and solos as well as a number of good,
bottom heavy doom grooves. They really mix it up well, never
relying totally on the barbaric sound system they have put in
place. The band can sound as ferocious as any death-core band
alive, but I really don't see them on the same page as the mindless
acts popping up all over the place. As odd as it seems, Cradle
To Grave really seem like a 90s band. They certainly aren't
dated by any means, but they actually seem like a band that
could have emerged around the same time as Pantera and Exhorder.
They really have that 90s vibe that was found with Corrosion
Of Conformity, Life Of Agony, and even Fight. Call it hardcore,
call it Urban, call it the heaviest form of thrash, either way
this whole album works extremely well.
The band was formed in 2002 by Denis Barthe, who spent some
time with the band Aggression prior to founding Cradle To Grave.
By May of 2003 the band's lineup was complete and the group
went into the studio to record a five song demo. Now the Canadians
have released their debut album through New York's Power Play
Records, a solid first start to what could be a very successful
musical career. From street wise hardcore to tight-knit thrash,
Cradle To Grave put into place a system of intricate extreme
influences that shake the walls down. From mid-Eastern guitar
work on opener "As We Lay Dying" to the bluesy sounds of "Southern
Oak", fans will be in for quite a rip roar ride here. With so
many avenues explored, so many roads left open, the curves and
twists on this album are rather extraordinary to say the least.
Every track has its own unique signature, with each cut showing
off a new side of the band. Through all thirteen tracks the
band never strays from their primary goal, providing maximum
metal entertainment. Highlights for me is the punk fueled cut
"Projectile", the hard rock structured "Shut My Eyes", and the
southern fried Down styled "The Manipulated Dead".
Fans of everything from Pantera and Crowbar to Metallica and
Anthrax have to pick this one up. I think this album will appeal
to punk, doom, hard rock, thrash, and surely hardcore fans.
It really takes a swipe at metal across the board. It has been
a long time since I've heard an "extreme" metal band this damn
good. Cradle To Grave have pushed the limits of a genre that
painted itself into a corner years ago. These guys have widened
the corridor and allowed for much more breathing room in an
already crowded environment. In a room full of familiar faces,
Cradle To Grave stands out and stands tall.
This one comes highly recommended! |
| DATE:
2.8.05 |
REVIEWED
BY: STEFAN @ METAL TO INFINITY http://metaltoinfinity.00freehost.com/CradletograveCDreview.html |
| Nothing
but great words about the Canadian Metal scene through the years
with bands like Annihilator, Razor and Infernal Majesty (just
to name a few) but can i please have your attention for a new
upcoming raging Metal band from the western part of Canada!
Real pleasure for me to introduce you all to a band from the
city of Vancouver, named Cradle To Grave. This Canadian 4 piece
outfit emerges of two other groups named Aggression and Bottom
Feeder but actually CTG took form early 2002. Greg Cavanagh
(lead / backing vocals), Dennis Barthe (lead and rhythm guitars)
and Eric Green (bass) met each other after an ad placed by Dennis.
One led to another and you know how the story continues. One
missing pawn to go further as a full unity was a decent drummer,
later on founded by a guy named Matt Flower. Line up completed
and ready to go, full force ahead with no looking back! After
the release of a 2003 promo CD "Hibernation", they're back real
furious with a new 13 song album. If you the aggressive way
of Metal, both old school and nowadays minded, Cradle To Grave
is the band you're looking for. They're able to behold a perfect
balance between 80s Thrash / Hard Core Metal and the nowadays
(modern) way of extreme heavy stuff. I can hear some influences
of Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, older Crumsuckers and Nailbomb.
The guitars are so damn heavy, your speakers are ready to explode
after a while but also very typical and special are the using
of the vocals. This guy definitely screams his heart out no
matter what it takes, full aggression is coming to you. The
breaks / the riffs / the solo's are there, the production is
very well, even the artwork look awesome so i think we have
to deal with a furious Metal band who deserves a lot of support
and exposure from all those maniacs in for a dose of a heavy
and aggressive form of music. Band contact: www.cradle-to-grave.net
or www.powerplayrecords.com MY POINTS: 86 / 100 |
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