Constantine – ‘Aftermath’ (Rockshots)

By Jonny Bakes

Most, if not all, of the albums I’ve reviewed to date have been from bands but today is something a little different… in front of me I have the second solo album from Constantine. The Athenian has been shredding away at his guitar since he was a mere 12 years old, and has played in bands such as Mystic Prophecy, Nightfall and Primal Fear among others. In 2010 he dropped his first solo album, ‘Shredcore’, which received positive reviews and showed off his skills as a guitar player. Now he’s back with his follow up ‘Aftermath’ which promises to be another absolute shred fest.

This album has a bit of a star-studded cast, with guest appearances from members of the likes of Primal Fear, Soilwork and Destruction which was definitely a draw of this album. Each track on this album features a different guest artist taking the reins on vocals to accompany Constantine’s shredding which leads to a variety of styles with each song.

When I picked this up, I was concerned that this might turn into another Yngwie Malmsteen wannabe non-stop shredathon, but I was pleasantly surprised. The guitar work has definitely matured since his previous solo album and shows a real depth to his playing. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a good amount of shredding in there but there’s a decent mix of melodic solos to go with it.

Just so you don’t forget that this is a Constantine solo album, it kicks off with the instrumental track ‘Bushido’. Now this one does starts to smell suspiciously of Malmsteen (like a mature Cheddar), but opens out into a really catchy main riff so I’ll let that pass. The keyboards really enhance the guitar sound in this leading to a really rich sound that works as a great set up to the rest of the album.

First to step up to the mic is Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid of Soilwork fame, so naturally this is one of the heavier numbers! ‘Hellfire Club’ could possibly fit into your standard metal club playlist, somewhere around the Lamb Of God and Soil would do nicely I’d say.

For ‘Press on Regardless’ it’s the turn of Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) to provide some vocals. This track takes the form of a melodic metal ballad with a strangely melancholic yet motivational to it. It has that classic slow emotional breakdown that Staind pushed way too far in the early 2000s but fortunately it’s not overused here!

Swedish-Greek descendant Apollo Papathanios (Spiritual Beggars, ex-Firewind) joins Constantine for ‘Another Day’. This another one of those metal motivational tunes, which is fine by me because that’s totally my bag and features a very Slash sounding solo (more Velvet Revolver than GNR). Apollo pops up again later in the album for ‘Deliver us’ which is a bit of an epic synth heavy piece that wouldn’t be out of place on a Nightwish album! ‘Elegy’ features Bill Manthos providing the vocals this time, and sounds similar to more modern mainstream metal. With clean melodic vocals and electronics-style synth usage interspersed with the odd smattering of harsh vocals, I reckon this would appeal to the younger metal fans (don’t worry, you old gits are allowed to like this too). And it even ends with a nice strings solo, just to give you a brief reprise before the best track…

The bonus track ‘War and Pain’ had me very excited as it features the vocal talent of Schmeir (Destruction). As I’m already a fan of Destruction, I may be a little biased when I say this is my favourite track on the album… However, I felt that this track stands up well to much of the stuff that Destruction have bought out in the past, hell I’d put it up there with ‘Riot Squad’. This just goes to show how versatile Constantine is, to go from the melodic harmonies of the earlier tracks to this all-out thrashy belter just to round things off.

Despite my initial trepidation about this album, I must say that Constantine has won me over here. If you’re not familiar with his previous bands, which I admit I’m not all that familiar, it is something worth checking out. And if you are familiar, then I’m sure you’re already aware and don’t need to be told to check it out! Maybe this album could even lead you to discover the bands represented by their vocalists too (big shout to Destruction) who knows?

‘Aftermath’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.

www.facebook.com/constantineofficialpage/