ARAFEL, AEONS OF ECLIPSE and WITNESS THE RECKONING

Hello all and welcome back to another installment of The Hard Place. I trust all of you had a rockin' Thanksgiving full of tasty treats and, of course, a healthy dose of local metal? I thought so, and I am happy to report that this month is going to be no exception for me either. The magazine is expanding this month toward the western region of the state with stands in Bowling Green and Glasgow, and with that in mind, I decided to grab up a band from that part of town and give you a glimpse into the metal scene that's happening out west. I haven't forgotten the rest of the state, and so I also have bands from Somerset and Louisville to help quench your metal thirst.

First up this month is Arafel from Louisville. I'm not sure how long these guys have been around, but they sound like they've been playing together for years. Their songs are well thought out and are full of catchy but still heavy riffs. The band has a "big" sound that lends itself well to the almost grandiose riffs and sections that slam in and out of the tracks as you make your way thru the CD. When listening the Arafel, I am reminded of bands in the vein of Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall with their use of harmony guitar licks in almost every song. The parts are well played and really bring the sections to life. The band also allows other styles besides Metal show through as well. The song "Trailerpark" has almost a good time Hard Rock riff that reminded me of some of the early/mid 1990's metal bands that were still standing after the Hair Metal era bit the dust. One thing I noticed about this song in particular was how the band was able to take the afore mentioned riff and make it twice as heavy just by a little change up in the drum work . which is great throughout the disc. The band drifts into Thrash territory with songs like "White Mistress" where they pull out all the stops, and along with a mean death growl, hit you with every trick in the Arafel book. This one to me really defines the band.

Arafel are a very tight unit that writes some very heavy riffs. I think their use of harmony really makes them stand out, and their songs are pretty catchy and tend to stay with you after listening. They released their latest project "Selective Amnesia" this year and you can hear some cuts from it at myspace.com/arafelmusic. If you like what you hear and want to see Arafel live, get down to Cahoots in Louisville on December 12th and check out the show.

Next up is Aeons Of Eclipse from Glasgow. This band has been around in one form or another playing and recording since 2004, and in the Spring of 2008 they released their first full length project "The Hour Of Desolation". Some (ok, most) of you may not remember the old Memorex ad with the guy sitting in his chair getting blown away by the music coming out of the stereo, but when I listened to these guys, that's exactly what it felt like! Aeons Of Eclipse are a full on Death Metal band that pummels you with every riff from start to finish. They think nothing of jumping straight into a 200bpm song where even a quick stop for breath catching not an option. The band also blends the styles of Grindcore and Speed Metal with the guttural heaviness of Death easily and everyone in the band is a great player on their chosen instrument. In bands like this, you have to have a great drummer, and AOE are no exception. The double kicks are blazing (check out "Inhuman Abhorrence") and the snare blast beats are dead on and played as strong as on the slower parts (I use that word very liberally - almost nothing they do is slow!). The guitarists are equally insane with some of the riffs they throw around ((listen to the verse riffing in "Forever Enslaved") and the vocals run from the extreme guttural sound of Dying Fetus to blistering screams instantly. I also like the use of keyboards in sections to bring in a little different atmosphere that brings the mood of the songs out perfectly.

Aeons of Eclipse hit you so hard that, as a fan of metal, you can't help but step back and be impressed. They remind me of bands like Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel but with a more technical side that those bands don't possess. I didn't find any show dates for the band, but you can check out these songs and a couple more online at myspace.com/aeonsofeclipse.

My last band this month hails from Somerset, KY and goes by the name Witness The Reckoning. Although equally heavy, Witness doesn't shove the metal down your unsuspecting throat like the previous bands. Playing more mid tempo metal, these guys are able to bring more groove and melody into the riffs than the more extreme bands. A good example of this is "To Beckon The Despair Of Ages" that start off slammin' and then halfway thru break down and does a complete 180 with a very laid back clean section with chorused guitars before cutting into a well thought out solo section that plays with the background music instead of just on top of it. I hear some late 90's thrash influence a'la bands like Testament, especially in the riff of the song "Tariff On Flesh" with the pedal tone plus single note riffs and heavy, but not blazing tempo.

Witness The Reckoning bring some metal to the party that is accessible enough to not turn off the non-Thrash/Death listener, but at the same time is heavy and fast enough to make fans of even the most extreme metalhead. The band lists Slayer, Lamb Of God and Malevolent Creation as some of their influences and I hear bits of each of these bands in their overall sound. Although I didn't find any show dates in December for Witness The Reckoning, I can tell from their online demo that they would be an excellent band to go see live. To hear the tracks I've talked about here as well as the rest of the songs on the demo, you can go online to myspace.com/witnessthereckoning.

Well, we've come to an end for another month. If you are in a band and would like to be reviewed in The Hard Place, just send your CD and picture to The Hard Place c/o ME Magazine, 2566 Palumbo Drive, Lexington, KY 40509 or email your EPK or site address to sn@memusicnews.com with the subject THE HARD PLACE. In addition, The Hard Place ONLINE (myspace.com/thp_online) is going great, and I am officially inviting all you hard rock and metal lovers across Kentucky to be my friend and to hit me up with a message about your band (or even a friends' band!) and I'll get you in as soon as I can. You can also check out past columns there or if your band has already been reviewed, to get a net ready copy of your review for your site or EPK. Remember, it's important to us that all band pictures are properly credited, so send that information along with everything else. So until we meet next month, keep supporting local music and remember, your new favorite band could only be an issue away...