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Written By Life |
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The
Metal Gospel [Cheryl] |
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This
is a band from Czechia who are heavily influenced in both the music
and the vocals by older to mid age MEGADETH. The riffing is very Bay
Area influenced with some more modern grooves interspersed throughout.
Overall this is a catchy, solid album and if you like the sort of driving,
riffing with great solo work thrown in and vocals in the vein of Dave
Mustaine then HYPNOTIC FACE will be a band you´ll want to keep an eye
on. One thing that does seperate these guys from your ordinary Thrash
band is that they have some sound effects thrown in the mix, include
some Rock N Roll elements and also some acoustic guitar work. Those
elements are not usually present in your typical Thrash recordings.
Since the recording of this album they have signed a deal with a German
label for, I believe, their next 2 albums. |
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Music
Extreme [Federico] |
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A
powerful metal band coming directly from the Czech Republic ! This
is a band with interesting thrash influences (eighties thrash bands
like Exodus, Anthrax and others) but with modern influences that give
Hypnotic Face´s music a lot of identity. There are amazingly beautiful
acoustic guitar passages in the end of "E-Power". The guitars are crushing
and are really well combined with the bass work and the drums making
a really tight band. Here there are some tempo changes of a type that
I have not heard in many time (since late eighties I think). The songs
have memorable lyrics and I think that this band can be one in the
new wave of thrash metal bands coming from Europe that I think will
inject new power and ideas in the metal world.
Favorite tracks: All
the CD |
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Vault´zine [Bosko
Radistic] |
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Very
surprising recording by this Czech band, indeed. First of all, I was
expecting to hear some sloppy, under-produced material, but no. You
can't hear a single minute of sloppy playing; every sound is tight
and well played. The production is more than good especially when you
see that this is a thrash metal band and thrash metal demands some
accurate production incisions to make it sound the way it's supposed
to sound.
You can't hear much of this anymore because Hypnotic Face
play some kind of cheerful, funny, yet powerful and on moments aggressive
thrash metal. The first association was Anthrax. This is not a sheer
carbon copy of Anthrax's sound, but it feels so good to hear the sound
that no one really produces anymore, not even Anthrax themselves. The
singer/guitarist Vilda sometimes pulls out such Joey Belladonna reminders
that I can't help of thinking he is his scholar. Sure, he doesn't have
Joey's range but the sounds and singing style are so familiar. I must
acknowledge the entire band for excellent playing on entire album,
especially the drummer Meyra whose drumming carries the sound of the
whole band all the way through the album and gives it power it possesses.
The production is more than good. I didn't think such good production
could be realized anywhere in Eastern Europe. Textually, this band
yet again comes near their American counterparts' idea. Almost all
of them are socially engaged. Take a look at the titles: "Written By
Life", "Destiny Song", or the AA song "Hangover" For the end they have
left a total prank titling the song by a phone number, I don't know
whose, but it is said in the booklet that it's a dedication to 'the
biggest asshole we've seen'. In conclusion, this is one good album
that you'll be listening to repeatedly because of its catchy riffs
and contagious rhythms. This album was recorded 3 years ago, so I can't
wait to hear what will they come up with next. |
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Beyond [Stef] |
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This
CD was already recorded back in 1998 but due to problems with some
record labels it’s only in 2000 that it came out as a demo CD!! Hypnotic
Face plays Thrash Metal and reminds me a lot of the early Thrash Metal
bands back in the eighties! A band that immediately comes to mind is
Anthrax, especially the voice reminds me a lot of Joey Belladonna!
(Not always the same power and sometimes a little bit too much on top
of the music!) Still this Czech Metal combo succeeds in bringing a
very powerful release combined with a lot of melody and the necessary
dose of originality! Strange are the many samples between the songs;
for example: you can understand why they put the sound of a train right
before the track called “Train” but what about the typewriter and the
barking of a dog?? Anyway, fact remains that a new release is very
welcome to see how this band has evolved… |
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Infest
Web Zine [Lalo] |
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From
the Czech Republic a band that cultivates kind of a direct and refreshing
speed/thrash, with excellent sticky rhythms (although certain " experiments " with
the guitar are not so pleasant) and with a sound that easily remembers
us to bands like Anthrax, Megadeth, Forbidden. The voice goes accompanied
by excellent choirs that it add " intensity " to the parts where they
intervene. The riffs is quick and it supplement the musical base created
by the rhythmic guitar very well. I should stand out the vocalist's
excellent work that gives the appropriate "humor" to each one of the
songs with a varied range of tonalities. A band that really becomes
a very good option in front of a lot of fashion's bands and lacks of
originality. |
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MetalWorld [OSI] |
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A
little behind shedule the demoCD of quartet Hypnotic Face was made
for us. In classic line-up: bass, drums, two guitars and vocals, dudes
demonstrate thrash metal like from beginnig of nineties. At the beginnig
an intro was found (ridden train in storm) and anon song Train pours
in. Unsure vocal cuts down good thrash riff. But it is heard naturally,
that dudes are good musicians and equitable composers. It is fully
shown in consequent compositions Destiny Song, E-Power, Written By
Life and HangOver. In these songs vocals are put in correct positions,
which is more suitable for Vilda (voc., gt.), thereby the music shifts
to higher class. I´d highlight the song E-Power, in which the influences
of Anthrax are listend, what absolutely never mind, rather vice versa.
The sound from studio Shaark is not bad, but I don´t like the whistling
guitar in title song and also louder sound of guitar ridges between
particular songs. These insertions are absolutely unnecessary and unambigouesly
I´d advise to abolish them. In the penult composition Life on the Wheels
the vocal gets to the unfavourable positions, which cuts down a little
this song. To be plain the vocal lines are great. Such melody in singing,
which is listenable from Hypnotic Face, is not common in our country
and for that the big appreciation belongs for dudes. But thera are
some vocals positions, which are not suitable for the singer and it
is necessary to avoid them or refine them. The last song 0603/478077
is warped, which is needless from my opinion, but dudes wished to have
it, so all richt. The big potential dozes in music of Hypnotic Face,
if dudes exploit it well, it will catapult them high in chart of czech
metal scene. Herein I´ll keep my fingers crossed. |
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Rock & Pop [Petr
Korál] |
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Written
By Life is the most convincing record of Hypnotic Face. They approached
to the music by the nearest way some american thrash metal formations
from Bay Area created (in fact still create). That´s thought as a compliment,
because it sounds wee bit like for example older Testament or Flotsam
ans Jatsam and at the same time hardly anybody thrives not to make
an impression of bad reek... |
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Bing
Bang! [Bohouš Němec] |
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A
new material of the Hypnotic Face was already recorded in November
1998. But the disc was released one year later, when the band uderstood,
that they get to fans' ears only through the burnt CD, because local
firms (neither small nor power) haven´t got an interest about thrash
metal. In the beginning of second part of 90s the four pertained to
relative big hope of inland scene. Till this time it hasn´t however
proved to enforce, though the potential is still present. We can admittedly
object, that the band didn´t make expressive progress, but the actual
collection is undisputably the strongest record, opposite the previous
records. For example almost all beginnings of songs have own untraditional
intro (for example - the inserting the paper into the typewriter and
following knocking), the ends of compositions are enriched with an
acoustic guitar many times, further it´s impossible not to notice the
often changes of vocals, chorus backing, sound legibility of single
instrument and total thought-out and with final small lark 0603/478077.
All of this speaks to profit of the Hypnotic Face these days. |
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