Recorded at Rock Sound Studios by George Pringos and OUT OF THE LAIR.
The guitars recorded at Dual Studios by Dim and Spyros.
Mixed at Rock Sound Studios by George Pringos and OUT OF THE LAIR.
Mastered at Mix Studios by Fotis Demertzis and OUT OF THE LAIR.

review  by Dimitris "Heartcollector83" Theodoropoulos____   

Out Of The Lair are from Thessaloniki , Greece . The band has been around for many years and late last year they released their first full length album which is self financed. Many bands nowadays face huge difficulties finding the proper label to distribute their cds and promote their bands. Out Of The Lair decided to make everything on their own and the result is extremely good! From the packaging and the cover to the music and the production, this cd has nothing to be jealous of from other ‘normal’ cd releases from record companies. The band has done a great job and they deserve my congratulations for their achievement making such a professional release by their own.

So you might say ok, everything looks professional and these guys have managed to make a good self financed cd with good packaging etc but what about the music? Good point but the music is as good as the whole work. The production is good enough for the songs to be heard clear and no problem comparing it with other releases. Out Of The Lair play classic heavy metal with many elements from power and epic and a few brutal vocal parts when needed. Sakis from Rotting Christ does a guest appearance on vocals on two songs.

The first track is Intronoise-X, the intro of the cd which is just noise and effects from the guitar. Although it sounds pointless on it’s own it works really well as an intro to the next song which is Flying Surf. Great opener and an incredible song! Excellent riff and awesome guitar parts during the verses and the chorus. G.O.D. is next and here we have another amazing song with a cool intro and the melodies are just great. The great solo by Dim and Spyros must also be mentioned! Until now the first 2 songs of the album leave me very excited and I wait for the next song called Nosferatu. Without doubt the best song of the whole album. An incredible composition with killer guitars and a chorus at the end of the song that will stick in your head for ever! I’ve seen this band many times live and all seem to know this song and keep asking it every time! Wolverine’s Knights comes next after 3 excellent songs in a row and can it hold the standards at such a high point ? It surely isn’t as good as these first songs but it still is an interesting song. Vampire Lady comes to add another excellent song in the album’s track list. A rocking riff opens the song and the cool guitar melodies make this song another hit of the album. Last Time Of Fire Child starts with a doomy guitar melody and then kicks in with a heavy riff making the song then a really fast tune. The title track of the album Psychotears is next and this one is a masterpiece. Just listen to the bridge where Spyros with Sakis of Rotting Christ perform a great duet and then the chorus kicks in. The album closes with the band’s title song called Out Of The Lair. Nice guitar intro and an epic chorus make this song another very good addition to the band’s debut album. Sakis is doing his guest appearance at the ending of the song shouting ‘out of the lair’ and thus ends the album. 

A multimedia section is also available in the cd and when you insert the cd in your pc the application starts with a very well done presentation of the band which includes band information, biography, many nice pictures, live videos, lyrics and contact information.

In conclusion, here we have a very good debut album from a very promising band. Out of the 9 songs of the cd at least the 5 are amazing with the one being an intro and the other 3 tracks still being good but not as great as the others. Support such artists that struggle in the underground and despite the unfair label conditions they manage to create an exceptional release. Out Of The Lair are here to stay and I am sure we will hear much more from them in the future hopefully with a decent recording deal and why not with a European tour. Visit their site at www.outofthelair.com

rating:   9/10

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