MetalGospel.com
http://www.metalgospel.com/Reviews/vadefenders.html

Sifting through the underground for quality Heavy Metal bands can sometimes be a pain in the ass but thanks to US label Man In Black Music we get a disc chock full of True Heavy Metal bands from around the world delivered to our doorstep. Even the most avid of discoverers won´t mind a rest from the unending search for good Metal, right ? The disc contains in total 18 tracks and for the most part every band is of a similar style: Traditional Heavy Metal with some bands leaning more towards Power / Melodic Metal than others (like female fronted MERCURY RAIN for instance). I´ve found this compilation to be a great introduction to many bands I did not know and also obtaining some cool tracks from bands I am already familier with like DR. MASTERMIND (aka Matt McCourt - WILD DOGS), SABATAN or JESTERS MOON. There was only one band that I did not like at all from Italy called METHARIA but hey, the 17 other tracks are true Metal anthems and I would not object to sitting in my local Metal pub and having this playing in the background ! Rather than having gone through each track and written a novel of a review (as you know I NEVER write novels) I recommend checking out the Man In Black Music website where you can get detailed information about this great compilation, the bands on it and also hear them yourself.

-Cheryl

http://www.mtwog.com

First, I want to thank man in black music for this great album.
Track list:

* Jesters Moon: forbidden
* Moonlight Agony: moonlit horizon
* The Prowlers: incubus
* Element: pressure
* Madog: Heart of dragonsteel
* Hell candidates: dead keep dying
* Antares: Shutting the door
* Dr. Mastermind aka Matt Mccourt: haunted
* Metharia: riflesso
* Victim: bedlam
* Art of fear: pride of creation
* Still life: illusions
* Rapid Fire: Liegia
* Stairway: under the gun
* Rain: only for the rain crew
* Mercury Rain: bride of the dark
* Sabaton: terror mind
* Babylon: the sleeper

A very good title for a first album, if you are asking me. ‘ The seduction’. So, man in black music wants to seduce us with pure metal music. And they have succeeded in their job, indeed, they have seduced me.

The first song from Jester Moon begins rather mysterious. After these mysterious sounds, the music begins very loud and my first impression is that this band seems to make metal like nobody can. When the blasting guitar sounds begins, you can hear the power in the music. This band plays heavy metal in the pure traditional way.

Another very good song is the song from the Austrian band ‘Madog’. I have already reviewed an album from this great band and this song stood on that album. This band reminds me of famous metal bands like ‘Edguy’ ‘gamma ray’…

There are 18 great songs on this album, so it is hard for me to review all of them. Therefore, the songs that I review are picked arbitrary. The next song that I am going to review is the song from an American band ‘ Victim’. This song begins with a tune for the piano mixed with sounds for a Keyboard. Sounds like from a violin. And then after a few second the blasting heavy metal guitars. This song deals about a guy who hears voices in his head, he is becoming mad.
An excellent compilation album. This is only the first volume, but I’m sure that this album will sell a lot and that there will be a volume 2 later.

http://www.beyondwebzine.com

DEFENDERS OF METAL "Vol.1-The Seduction" CD
75/100
True Metal Underground Compilation
USA/Poland/Italy/Austria/UK/Spain/Sweden

Reviewing a compilation album is never easy, especially when there's no less than 18 bands featured as is the case here. So where to start? Well, the good news is that the overall quality is quite high and even the lesser bands are still of high enough quality to guarantee a pleasant listening experience. Some of the absolute highlights are Jesters Moon, Hell Candidates, Dr.Mastermind (yes Matt McCourt's band who some of you might remember from their debut album on Roadrunner/Shrapnel records), Still Life (all from the USA), The Prowlers, Rain and Metharia from Italy and Stairway and Mercury Rain from the UK.
Although this album is being labelled as a True Metal compilation, there's still plenty of diversity as the band's direction ranges from truly old school to a more modern happy Metal sound. The only let down is the absence of a few bands which are obvious to be destined for greater things. The only one I can see getting signed up by a bigger label is Austria's Madog who will go down a storm with Blind Guardian and Hammerfall fans. But old school fans could do a lot worse than this. You might want to do yourselves a favor and give this one a try; I don't think you'll regret doing so. All the lyrics and the bands bios can be accessed at the label's website...

MJ

http://www.veilgr.com
Let me do my final check, before I begin my quest. Well, I got my armour, it is polished, my helmet shins bright, my blood-thirsty sword is waiting anxiously for its time to arrive and claim its trophies on the battlefield and finally my shield...I think I am ready to push the play button and take part to the true metal crusade with Defenders Of Metal...

1.JESTERS MOON: They have the difficult role to open this compilation and they do a fine job. "Frobidden" is a mid-paced metal song filled with screaming guitars and great vocals. Nothing can stand in its way. Simply great!

2.MOONLIGHT AGONY: These guys from Sweden definitely appreciate a lot the Italian hollywood metallers. Yes, I mean RHAPSODY. Their music is based on the keyboards, but they also have intensive guitars. A positive thing is that they don't copy RHAPSODY, but they try to create something more personal. Very interesting atmosphere, though I would also like to listen to their singer, so I can have a complete picture of the band's music.

3.THE PROWLERS: They started as a tribute band to IRON MAIDEN, but now they play their own songs. The first time I listened to "Incubus" I can't say I liked it, but after one-two more listenings the song revealed to me its magic. The singer is very good and in some parts will remind you of Mr. Bruce Dickinson. As for Prowler's sound I think that it is related to Jackal's, the band from Denmark.

4.ELEMENT: With the song "Pressure" present us a good sample of hard 'n' heavy metal with a singer that sometimes sings in a very "pissed off" way. Grab a bottle of beer and enjoy their music.

5.MADOG: Austria hasn't got us used to power metal bands. Madog play European power metal influenced by bands like HELLOWEEN of the "Walls Of Jericho" and "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" era and BLIND GUARDIAN. They brought great memories to my mind and of course I enjoyed the song.

6.HELL CANDIDATES: This band became my sister's, Christine, favorite. I remember when I got in the house that her first words were "Hey check them out! They are really good!!!". Well, I don't disagree! Raw heavy metal with some thrashy touches. Somehow they brought to my mind of SAVATAGE (their first period). A good song, though the production, especially in the way the drums sound, could be better.

7.ANTARES: I know these guys. A year ago they sent me their E.P. They play classic metal with many references to N.W.O.B.H.M. A tight band that knows how to compose heavy metal songs. "Shutting The Door" stands as a proof of the band's abilities.

8.DR. MASTERMIND: After releasing an album with Roadrunner and a long time of silence Dr. Mastermind are back. The song "Haunted" is a very raw track with some MOTORHEAD influences. They somehow still manage to keep the spirit of the 80s alive, despite the fact that they have a modern production. Fans of the band won't be disappointed.

9.METHARIA: The song "Riflesso" became one of my favorite songs included here, cause it's original and filled with inspiration. One other thing is the grat vocals that manage to create a very emotional atmosphere. They sing in Italian. Bravo!!! Try to listen to them...

10.VICTIM: They mix in the song "Bedlam" the U.S. heavy/power with many thrash metal elements. They have personality, something that reflects to their composition. I would like to listen to more songs of theirs.

11.ART OF FEAR: The second power metal band from Austria. Contrary to Madog, they try to combine the U.S. school with the European one. The singer has very strang vocals that some might not like, although I think that they fit well to their music.

12.STILL LIFE: "Illusions" is another one of my favorite songs included here. Melodic heavy metal with some great vocal lines are the trademarks of this band. Well done!!!

13.RAPID FIRE: "Liegia" is simply a heavy metal hymn. Music from headbanging and influences from IRON MAIDEN are the influences that make Rapid Fire to distinguish.

14.STAIRWAY: Classic heavy metal from UK? Well, lately it's very strange to listen to something like that from this country. Stairway do a great job and remind us that the U.K. gave birth to heavy metal. "Under The Gun" is just another amazing song included in this release.

15.RAIN: They started back in the 80s from Italy. Their first releases were closer to hard rock, but their new album from Deadsun Records is a pure jewel of classic heavy metal. "Only For The Rain Crew" is taken from their last album. Listen to them and of course buy the album!

16.MERCURY RAIN: "Bride Of The Dark" is a song with many gothic metal elements and yet it has an intense epic feeling. Those who like the more classic 80s metal stuff, might not like them, but I think that Mercury Train is a quality metal band! They reminded me a bit of EVANESCENCE.

17.SABATAN: Definitely one of the best Spanish metal bands. The bizarre thing with them is that they are still unsigned..."Terror Mind" comes from their latest demo and it's simply a great metal song. Bang your head with no mercy!!!

18.BABYLON: The song "The Sleeper" is the perfect choice to close successfully this compilation. Classic heavy metal from the U.S. with great vocals, will make you wish this cd never ends...
My conclusion is that all the bands included in this release are more than interesting and if you are interested in compilations, then this one shouldn't be missing from your collection. It is a cd that I have listened to for many times and not only because I had to write this review...

*8.5/10
Nick "William_Kidd" Parastatidis
Behind the Veil

http://www.swedenrockmagazine.com

A collection featuring the entire metal world apart from Germany, that’s the feeling of this album. The USA, Poland, Italy and, of course, Sweden, are represented here. The record companys´ major bet JESTERS MOON starts the proceedings with “Forbidden”, a piece of real American heavy metal of older date. As by coincidence this album also features DR. MASTERMIND aka Matt McCourt and the track ”Haunted”. In between that they offer both HALLOWÉEN-clones (youch) and traditional hard rock. Fellow Swedes MOONLIGHT AGONY are probably the most odd contribution with their instrumental tune. HELL CANDIDATES hit rock bottom with their crude and uninspiring ”Dead Keep Dying”. In my world both STAIRWAY and RAIN sound very capable with their 80-ies excesses but they are all left behind by Polish RAPID FIRE. The band sound incredibly close to BLITZKRIEG in their “Absolute Power-era”. Poland is moving places in the metal world! A cosy little album, it can almost be used as a thermometer to measure the various parts in the world of metal.

http://www.harderbeat.com

Man, it’s so pleasing to see that there are bands out there all over the world that still care about quality. Portland. Oregon’s Man In Black Music has compiled 18 tracks by bands from locales such as the UK, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Spain and of course the good old USA. You know what? Although a few of the tracks may be a mite too progressive and under-produced for some, there’s really not a bad song on this disc. Of all the bands represented, Dr. Mastermind’s “Haunted” (aka Wild Dogs singer Matt McCourt) and Rain’s “Only for the Rain Crew” are undoubtedly the strongest contenders. Man In Black Music, while being an upstart metal label, clearly has a knack for unearthing some real gems. Go to www.maninblackmusic.com to get it. They deserve the support. KKKK. (Dale Lammers)

http://www.metalexpress.no
by: DERRIC MILLER

There is something to be said about heavy metal compilations. The worst ones are the “tributes,” CDs that record bands who aren’t going to sell anything anymore or never will and allow them to put their own “spin” on classic rock or metal. For the most part, they suck. New labels tend to put out compilations as well, trying to get their name out there just as much as they are promoting their bands. Man In Black Music falls into the latter category with Defenders of Metal: Volume 1—The Seduction, and release something well worth listening to. With 18 different bands and 78 minutes, how could they fail?

The CD starts off with the frustratingly named band Jesters Moon, no apostrophe. (You see, without the apostrophe showing ownership, it makes it plural. Confusing to say the least.) Guitarist/vocalist Bryce Van Patten has his name all over this CD. Album concept and design is all his, and he plays in Jesters Moon, Still Life and Victim here. Jesters Moon has one CD under their belt, and are a talented group. They blend atmospheric nuances with heavy guitar-laden metal on “Forbidden,” and shine at almost every aspect of what they do. The aforementioned Van Patten, while adept at guitar, needs some work on his vocals. He sounds a bit like Udo at times, and makes a great song good. But, he IS an excellent songwriter, and when he leaves vocals to someone else (Still Life), you’ll see impressive results.

One curious and ambitious move by Defenders of Metal: Volume 1—The Seduction is to have the song “Moonlight Horizon” by Moonlight Agony second. It is an instrumental, full of keyboards, double-bass and is mostly enjoyable. They took a chance here, and it worked.

With an 18-song CD, it’s tough and probably cruel to hit on all of the songs that weren’t very good — and there are some. So, this review is sticking to what’s good.

The U.S. band Element offers an intense song that for some reason, copies Metallica’s horrific snare drum sound. Maybe it’s a glitch in the production. The song itself, barring the snare, is awesome. The chorus of, “What do you want from me! Why can’t you let it be?” is very addictive, and you’ll be singing along after one listen.

There are two songs back to back, number 11 and 12, that will amaze you. This is the reason why compilations such as this need to be released — to give fans the chance to hear what they should be hearing.

At number 11, Still Life comes to you with “Illusions,” one of the cleanest tracks on Defenders … , and has the aforementioned Van Patten on drums, bass and keyboards. Multi-faceted is a good word for that guy. When he gives the vocals over here, you will be greeted by Cameron Barry, the owner of a smooth and emotional delivery that lends to the overall dark “wanting” of the track. The insightful lyrics of “I don’t know what’s gonna happen now, all I know, all I know is everything bends …” may just cause a shiver.

Number 12 is from Polish band Rapid Fire. Their song, “Liegia,” has a European power metal vibe to it, and vocals that are in the lower range. This is where you’ll find the catchiest chorus and gloomiest lyrics: “Haze of opium in my head, Lady's body on the bed, She is moving, she's not dead.” OK, it’s not Shakespeare, but coupled with the rhythm of the bass and drums, this is just a dead-on great song. Trust in Metal Express … you are going to want to hear this one.

If there is a consistent pattern to the bands on this CD, it’s the fact that you won’t get any shriekers. There are no Halford-like screams, no falsetto vibrato (yahooooey!). Most of the voices are controlled and purposeful without wailing, and that’s the best thing a guy could ask for.

Spanish band Sabatan have the strangest song on Defenders … with the awkwardly titled, “Terror Mind.”
Singer Jesus Fernandez has a strong accent and a deep voice … until he doesn’t. Somehow,
Fernandez turns his deep, “Bruce Dickinson singing as low as he can” vocals into
Helloween-era Michael Kiske wailing. Hearing is believing.
Not the best song on the CD, but definitely unique.

There ya have it. 18 songs, almost 80 minutes of bands you might never have a chance to hear.
You can get this CD here if you are so inclined, and you can check out samples of the songs at that
Web site as well.

Copyright © 2001-2003 Metal Express

www.metalsoldiers.org

Under this title ManInBlack Music, which is said to be promoting true metal from around the world, offers us a compilation with a total of 18 bands, each one playing one song.
In this selection we can found groups of the United States, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Polonia and Spain. A beautiful travel around the geography in which we will be able to listen some bands you probably haven’t listened before and other groups that sound familiar.
The nearest to us, Sabatan, a Spanish group that created this band in the middle ninety’s, with Elisa (ex-Dark Moor) as a singer until 1997. “Terror mind” is the name of the song of Sabatan, with a sound of the 80’s, very interesting guitars and choirs, in which we can appreciate influences of the big heavy metal bands of that time.
Also, I have to do a special mention for the north-americans Jesters Moon, who opens the Cd on a great way with “Forbidden”, a song full of riff’s in which the guitars are the main attraction. That is because the voice is recorded in a secondary plane. We can deduce listening to this song that Jesters Moon is a band we have to take into account, because their powerful sound, their classical guitars, the rythm changes and the composition of this song shows that they have a lot to offer to all the metal fans.
But if we want something surprising, listen to “Moonlight horizon” of the group Moonlight Agony. In this song the keyboard will send us to a travel while there is a potent discharge with good guitars and a drummer who seems not to be able to be tired. It’s a very fast song and there is all the time an optimist keyboard over it, and I will also say that there is a bit of progressive, but the force is kept during all the song.
From Italy, the group The Prowlers, offer us their song “Incubus”, which seems to be power because of the double bass drum, and the rest is easy to define, a lot of classical and characteristics riffs of a recognizeable type of music: heavy metal.
And the pure metal continues with some great bands as the Italians Rain, Rapid Fire, Victim, Element, Hell Candidates, Madog, Antares, Metharia, Dr. Mastermind, Art Of Fear, Still Life, Stairway, Mercury Rain and Babylon.
A very interesting and enjoyable compilation where you will find good and entertaining songs. The subtitle says that it’s the first volume, so we can suppose that soon we will be able to complete a very interesting collection of true metal, a collection who all the metal fans have been looking for.

http://www.metalprovider.com/lunarhypnosis/

Defenders of Metal is a compilation from the new metal label ‘Man in Black Music.’ As they say the label specializes in ‘true’ heavy metal. So what we find on this compilation are eighteen artists whose musical styles ranges from classic metal like Iron Maiden to power metal like Helloween. And of course to make the old school heavy metal fans feel even more at home the album has some very Manowar-ish artwork present. As usually with compilations I’ll give you a nice little description for each artist on this album.

The first band ‘Jesters Moon’ plays a fairly basic style of classic/power metal, and they do it rather well. ‘Moonlight Agony’ offer up a really great instrumental song with some excellent guitar work and symphonic sounding keyboards. ‘The Prowlers’ sound is very 80s-ish with a slight thrash influence. ‘Element’ is a fairly normal heavy metal band. Now ‘Madog’ is one of those power metal bands that mostly use high vocals that come off as being totally annoying, but some how there song here keeps getting stuck in my head. ‘Hell Candidates’ sounds is somewhere between classic & thrash metal, and they deliver a nice song with a catchy chorus. ‘Antares’ from Poland is a typical power metal band. You certainly don’t see very many power metal bands from this country now do we? ‘Dr. Mastermind aka Matt McCourt’ plays some heavy hitting heavy metal with some aggressive vocals and catchy guitar playing that will definitely leave you banging your head. ‘Metharia’ is your basic heavy metal band with lyrics wrote in Italian. ‘Victim’ put forward a heavy song with a nice haunting atmosphere created via keyboards.

Unfortunately ‘Art of Fear’ is another basic straightforward power metal band that just comes off as sounding completely corny to me. ‘Still Life’ presents another great song that’s very 80s-ish sounding with a memorable chorus. ‘Rapid Fire’ sounds veeeerry Iron Maiden-ish, but hey they do it well. ‘Stairway’ plays basic heavy metal and their song ‘Under the Gun’ is truly great. ‘Rain’ hit the listener with a metal great anthem that has a very catchy chorus. Next up ‘Mercury Rains’ song features lots of keyboards with the usual power metal feeling to it. ‘Sabatan’ are another typical heavy/power metal band with some very talented musicians working for them and together they create one really great song here. Finally we come to ‘Babylon’ who is the final band on this compilation. Their sound is part classic metal with a nice thrashy touch to it.

Overall I’m quite impressed with this compilation. It has a few low points, but for the most part is enjoyable. While I really don’t listen to all that much classic or power metal these days I can still safely say this compilation is worth adding to your collection. If you’re a fan of the old days of heavy metal this one is a must own!

October 2, 2003
By Blackwinged
8 of 10

www.Metafa.de

Directly from the USA right to our CD tray, here's a fine compilation gathering some acts from worldwide. This sampler contains 18 bands from USA to Italy, showing their talent to the metalhead mob. The CD opens with the heavy-height from the house, JESTER'S MOON and their JUDAS PRIEST style, followed by an instrumental 'Moonlight Horizon' by Swedish MOONLIGHT AGONY, the Italians THE PROWLERS (former IRON MAIDEN cover band) and their progressive/heavy style in 'Incubus', next are ELEMENT also from USA with a thrashy approach, Austrian MADOG with the power metal 'Heart Of the Dragonsteel', following HELL CANDIDATES also from USA with a heavy-thrash incision, Polish ANTARES with the progressive 'Shutting The Door', DR. MASTERMIND from USA with a heavy, thrashy and groovy 'Haunted' song, Italian METHARIA with the Italian-lyric song 'Riflesso', American VICTIM with their 'Bedlam' - one of the darkest songs in the compilation (very into the KING DIAMOND scenario), next are Austrian ART OF FEAR and their personification of Power Metal, progressive 'Illusions' from USA's STILL LIFE, following Polish RAPID FIRE with a progressive demonstration in 'Liegia', British STAIRWAY with a groovy 'Under The Gun' NWOBHM alike, next Italian RAIN with a classic heavy incursion, 'Bride Of The Dark' by the British MERCURY RAIN with a more melancholic feeling, Spanish SABATAN with the power/heavy 'Terror Mind' and finally the American BABYLON who gave musical life to a poem of Edgar Allan Poe. Overall a quite good selection of Metal in the Heavy/Power/Progressive styles, this compilation serves it purpose of presenting the acts from several parts of the world.
(7/10)
M.A. (added October 2003)

http://www.grande-rock.tk

This CD is a collection of metal bands that are not really famous now. The groups are coming from around the world (Sweden, Italy, U.S.A, Poland, Austria and other countries) and their major priority, through this album, is to become more known to the metal community. All the groups that are participating in this compilation play heavy, epic, power metal and this is a chance for us to listen their aspect about our favorite music. Most of the songs are really nice and the only weak moments are the vocals in some trucks (for example: Hell Candidates- “Dead Keep Dyin’”) and the very visible influences of some bands (for example: Antares- “Shutting The Door”, which reminds me of Metallica very much…). The best tracks of this album, which, by the way, contains eighteen tracks and almost 78 minutes of pure metal music are: Moonlight Agony - “Moonlit Horizon”, The Prowlers- “Incubus”, Madog- “Heart Of Dragonsteel”, Still Life “Illusions” and Stairway- “Under The Gun”. In general, if you want to listen to true heavy metal from bands around the world or you want to listen to groups that in the years to come will become more popular, this is the right CD for you all. Do not also forget that metal compilations like this one, in the past gave the opportunity to many people to listen for the first time bands that afterwards became truly famous. For all the rest this is simply a nice buy…

G.K. 7,5/10