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May 2008 ~ July 2008
Abomination
Tragedy Strikes
Metal Mind
Fronted by Master frontman and extreme metal pioneer Paul Speckmann, Abomination released these two discs in 1990 and 1991, respectively, before disbanding a short time later (only to re-form years later, a pattern of a lot of Speckmann's projects). Anyway, Abomination is a thrash band with some punk and death elements, whereas Master was one of the bands at the forefront of the death metal scene. Metal Mind has seen fit to release theses two discs in their limited to 2000 golden disc format, complete with bonus tracks on each disc and pretty thou rough liner notes about the history of the band.
The self-titled debut features 11 tracks (with 3 extra bonus tracks bringing this discs total to 14) of raw, punky thrash with slight hints of death metal. To say the production here is lo-fi is an understatement, but the under produced rawness actually enhances this music for me - reminding me of some of the great demo tapes (yes, tapes) that I would get back in the early 90's to play on my radio show and review in the print version of GASP. One need only listen to "Murder, Rape, Pillage And Burn" to get a sense of what you have for the 55 minutes here - fast, powerful, raw, pure in your face metal. No beating around the bush with melody and hooks and crap like that - Abomination just slaps you with metal ferocity from the beginning to the end.
Tragedy Strikes is a bit more polished, at least in terms of the production. The guitars have much more attack and crispness to them, while the drums are a bit less clunky. The music, however, is still the same raw thrash attack as we got on the debut. My pick on this one is "Industrial Sickness" - a quick paced bit with some great gang vocals during the chorus, and some great guitar work by Dean Chioles.
These two releases by abomination are good, but not necessarily mandatory (as I would consider the first two Master releases). If you are a fan of thrash, or a fan of Speckmann's other work, then these should be in your collection.
B- (for both) -Goz
Acariya
Hold True
Acariya as a band has very family oriented prespective, and an overall message of self empowerment. These messages, alongside their outstanding musicianship, and live performances, helped clinch them their nomination by one of New England's largest news papers for "Best Loud Act".
This self titled debut features 7 tracks of metal ranging from Power Metal to Grind to Prog. Some of the album reminded me of bands like Shadows Fall or Unearth. It seems to be a very popular style of metal for kids who enjoy both hardcore and metal.
That said, it seems like these guys know how to play and they recorded a fairly solid album. Give it a listen if this is a style of metal that you know you like.
B -Eric
Corrupt Minds
Metal Mind
Here we have the now defunct 80s Thrash band Acrophet. They came out with Corrupt Minds, their debut album, far back in 1988. Now it’s been rereleased for the 20 year anniversary. This is straightforward thrash for the day. Lightspeed power chord riffing accompanied by hardcore, shouted vocals being spat out a mile a minute make up the entire 34 minute duration. This stuff is raw, unfocused, and unrelenting. Sadly, the band seems more intent on emulating Among the Living-era Anthrax than they do actually sitting down and writing some catchy riffs, or even structuring their music in any cohesive way. This is just Vio-Lence without the anxious, tense atmosphere.
While Acrophet sometimes capture to angst-ridden hormone fueled feelings of classic thrash, most of the time, the emotion is lost in flurry of unnecessary hardcore influence. Thrash can always blur the line between metal and hardcore, and in the case of Corrupt Minds, the sound gets taken to edge of metal. One can even question whether or not this is even a metal album, as the hardcore sound perseveres through so much of the record.
Even so, for a hardcore thrash album, this is just plain mediocre.
C- -Adam
Faded Glory
Metal Mind
Faded Glory was the second and final full length release from Wisconsin thrashers Acrophet, now with new drummer Jason Mooney. Right off the bat, it’s clear that the boys in the band were intent on picking up the pace and not simply rehashing Corrupt Minds. The production is crisper; the vocals are quicker, harsher and even spittier than before. Most importantly, the band had clearly matured. Their songs are more cohesive. Each song is more distinct, and they are uniquely structured, all retaining their own quality unto their own.
Not all is well on Faded Glory, however. The extensive hardcore influences continue to muddle the thrashy qualities of the band, which is where they excel (albeit only slightly). Dave Baumann’s vocals are at times a stressful enhancer to the music, but also detract from the songs’ aggressiveness, becoming an overbearing force. Making out the guitar parts and bass lines underneath his frantic shouts can become an impossible task. All in all, despite the clearer riffs and more mature songwriting, the assault of hardcore influences simply doesn’t balance well with Acrophet’s natural Thrash sound. Like Corrupt Minds¸ Faded Glory is not at all a glorious album. It plunges into mediocrity, much like its predecessor.
Some bands reach their creative acme right off the bat (Mercyful Fate, Morbid Angel). Others take one or two albums to get going and then release an utterly brilliant album (Behemoth, Death). Acrophet were maturing and gradually improving with Faded Glory. After that, they simply stopped. Maybe they lost their inspiration, but there was certainly potential within them. Who knows what would have become of the band. They certainly still had some kinks to work out, but they could’ve worked on them too.
C+ -Adam
Live (DVD)
Razor & Tie
The fan-base of All That Remains seems to be growing uncontrollably.
They definitely have the sound and stamina to shake the rafters and energize masses of metalcore fans. Their guitar melodies, ultra-fast percussion, and Phil Labonte's stand-out vocals are finally getting a lot of long-awaited attention since their release of The Fall of Ideals.
Live is their first DVD and features over 90 minutes of live stage footage during one of their sold-out shows at the Recher Theatre in Baltimore, MD and a second show at the Theatre of the Living Arts at the heart of South Street in Philadelphia, PA. It was nice to get to really see a show for once. Lately every time I see them live, I'm usually in the pit and can't see much from there while I'm busy rockin'
out or fighting to stay on my feet.
Between both shows, they played many of my favorite tracks; "The Weak Willed", "Focus Shall Not Fail", "Become the Catalyst", "Indictment", "Tattered On My Sleeve", "For Salvation", "Six" and instrumental "Regret Not". I know they only got 2/3 of the Pennsylvania gig on video but I hope they played their best song, "The Weak Willed", for the enthusiastic Philly crowd. They did have guest singer Ray Mazzola of Full Blown Chaos come out and growl out the climactic ending of "This Darkened Heart".
The best part about live concert video is always the solos. Oli Herbert is one kickass melody-maker. Apparent long before their song "Six" made it onto Guitar Hero II (which happens to go on tour with them so Mike and Oli can battle it out on the bus between gigz). No shortage of memorable solos on this DVD. Mike Martin is also much better than he gives himself credit for.
Other extras on Live include their six videos, with a "Making of'"
segment for their video "The Air That I Breathe", two song-length photo galleries, interviews of the current band members, and some clips of backstage, the bus, their "history" and lots of new fans. There are three 'hidden' extras. If you scroll to the bottom of the chapter selections and hit left or right, the "Live" or "Extra" will light up.
There you will find more clips of Phil and Oli at the mixing of the Live DVD at Audiohammer Studios in Florida.
Well it certainly has been a long wait for this DVD. I can remember one show in Springfield way back in May of 2005 (The Fall of Ideals wasn't released until over a year later). They ended up headlining because Downset canceled. ATR had been telling us they were shooting for a DVD and promising it would be out "in the fall or maybe January". That was their first gig after replacing Michael Bartlett on the drums with Shannon Lucas and, possibly unknown to them, the last gig before Matt Deis left ATR for CKY. This was well before Jeanne Sagan and Jason Costa joined the band. Now the back of the DVD states "Extensive interviews with the band members, past and current, shot over the past
4 years". I don't know how many clips Mike, Oli and Phil did back in
2003 that made it onto Live but I do know Jeanne and Jason, and the tour bus hadn't been with them much more than two years [if that] when the DVD released October 2007. From everything I saw on Live, keeping in mind This Darkened Heart was released March 2004, that statement sounds like a crock. Live should have been titled "The Fall Of Ideals:
The DVD".
The "History" clip in the bonus footage was essentially how the current members of ATR joined the band and what turned them onto music in their youth. I was happy to learn more about them and their new members.
Jason Costa is quickly becoming one of my top drummers. There was no mention of their first album Behind Silence and Solitude. No mention or even photos of any ex-members of ATR on the Live DVD except on the videos from This Darkened Heart. No mention of the brief replacement bass player, Josh Ven, who quit just after the Sounds of the Underground Tour started. Nor of the numerous fill-ins like Colin Conway in the "This Calling" video. No mention of all the nice fellas on tour with them who took turns filling in for the non-existent bass player for a big chunk of the Sounds tour. Nothing pre- Jeanne Sagan or Jason Costa.
It almost seems like they tried to cover up their rough past. Hey, don't deny your struggle ever happened. History builds character. What doesn't break you makes you stronger and all that zazz. Be truthful to yourselves and your fans, then thank the musicians who kept you afloat however briefly. Leaving out a ton of footage shot over the last 4 years left your DVD lacking and was a low blow to your fans back home.
Not to mention those who spent a long time IN your band. There was an All That Remains before The Fall Of Ideals. What'd you do? Shoot this in two weekends? Don't scrap all your footage because the video quality wasn't "up to snuff". Fans aren't that picky. Shit, we waited this long. We want to see what's "real" not something you threw together after recent success. Maybe all your new-bee fans didn't notice but your long-time ones did. And no footage from any of your crazy home shows? Man, that's harsh.
C -Alesha
Red Revolution
Metal Mind
Originally released in 2004 by Empire Records and now re-relesed by Metal Mind, Red Revolution is the second release from Poland's Anal Stench. The band plays a pretty straight ahead death metal with some technical bits thrown in to keep it interesting.
After a brief intro "Hammer And Sickle" opens things up with a slow, grinding section that morphs into a riff that has a marching feel to it. Pretty good stuff here, especially the drumming - it really keeps things moving well and changes up a good bit. "The 666th Party Congress" lights things up the best here, with a bunch of superb riffs, intense drumming (including some damn good blast beats) and pretty intense dual vocals. Aside from the pummeling music here, the lyrics are also quite interesting. They deal with communism and it's effect on not only the people in the communist country, but how it effects everyone else around them.
Production here is quite good - the guitars are good and heavy, the drums are stellar, and the vocals are mixed right where you want them to be. A good mix of standard death metal with intelligent lyrics.
B- -Goz
Hornets of the Pogrom
Drakkar Productions
It has been a long wait for Arghoslent's full-length follow-up their brilliant 2002 release, Incorrigible Bigotry, but we finally have it in Hornets of the Pogrom. Was the wait worth it, and were they able to top Incorrigible Bigorty?
Hornets of the Pogrom is 8-songs and 42 minutes of rifftastic, powerful death metal. "In Coffles They were Led" leads us off with a galloping riff that sounds as if it could be the soundtrack to a stampede. The riffs flow free here, each one as catchy as the prior one was, yet still full of heaviness. "Manacled Freightage" has another batch of these memorable riffs (hell, all the songs here do). How they pack so many killer riffs into these songs and make them work is just freakin' brilliant. I guess what I am trying to say is that the songwriting here is just flat out great, if not perfect. The back to back attack of "Oracle of the Malefic Rhizome" and the instrumental title track are the most impressive tracks here, if I need to narrow it down at all. Both are a bit longer than average, offering up a whole host of great musical bits to digest and bang your head to.
Production on this disc is great - guitars are nicely distorted and stand out strongly, the drums sound fine, and the vocals are right there in your face. If you don't already have this disc, find it somewhere and buy it. This one should be all over top 10 lists at the end of the year.
A -Goz
Ample Fire Within
Southern Lord
Ascend is an experimental doom project that consists of Gentry Densley (Iceburn, Eagle Twin) and Greg Anderson (SUNN Goatsnake, Engine Kid) with some guest stars ranging from Andy Patterson on drums, Steve Moore (SUNN, Earth) on trombone and organ, Bubba Dupree (Void) and Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) doing some smoking leads on a few tracks. All that aside, this disc is a dark trip down some pretty noisy doomy nightmares that I wouldn't recommend listening to while on acid, although, it would make for an insanely grotesque trip nevertheless! Layered echo and feedback filled noise guitar notes float throughout most tracks amidst the heavy doom laden riffs that are accented by pounding drums. The vocals are hauntingly silly sounding (picture Fozzy Bear trying to sound evil) on "Ample Fire Within" and "Divine" but on other tracks like "V O G" and "Dark Matter", they're drone laced vocals from the otherworld.
Some tracks even have a bit if freeform jazz feel to them, but you'll never find this disc in the jazz section of iTunes. In my opinion it is experimental doom. Most of the tracks are lengthy (the shortest is 4 minutes) and drag on a bit, but if you're listening for a quick fix then this is not going to satisfy you, but if you're like me and don't mind listening to repetitive riffs that drone on for a bit then this is for you. The promo disc I received for this review is missing one track, so it sounds like you'll be getting a bonus if you buy the full version.
This CD is not for the casual listener, it will twist your perceptions of what heaviness can be, and haunt your subconscious mind upon repeated listening.
B -Matt Smith
Total Brutal
Metal Blade
Since I'm the most dedicated Schwarzenegger fan in the GASP ranks, Goz asked me if I'd review Austrian Death Machine's debut Total Brutal. ADM is a project band created by As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis, who enlists the help of some of his friends for the recording.
The results are mixed.
Total Brutal contains by-the-book, fast, metallic hardcore tunes, each written by Tim in under an hour. To his credit, the music is actually better than what a lot of "real" bands bring to market. In the ADM bio, it states truthfully that the music has "a continuously fast paced tempo you can always circle pit to; the obvious build up to a breakdown you'll know how to mosh to; classic sing alongs to pile up and sing along with; (and) a guitar solo in every song." Remember, however, that the music is secondary to Tim's laudable effort to pay a full album's tribute to Arnold. The lyrics are sometimes pretty hilarious, with great choruses like "Here is Subzero...Now plain zero!" "It's not a tumor!" and "Screw you...screw you...screw you, Benny!"
On the other hand, 90% of the vocals are delivered in Tim's standard style, when it might have worked better if an Austrian accent had been incorporated into the material. Most of the time we hear an Austrian accent, it's "Ahhnold" talking during between-song skits which, for the most part, are over-acted, fall pretty flat, and make me want to skip ahead. Pity.
If you love Arnold as much as I do, I wholeheartedly recommend the ballsy and heroic original Arnold tribute band Arnocorps before you pick up Austrian Death Machine.
Having said that, I do plan on keeping my copy of Total Brutal.
C+ -Mark Fields
To Death And Beyond...
Cruz del Sur
Sometimes an album cover speaks volumes about the impending auditory imagery ahead. A middle ages war scene complete with knights, swords and heavy hammers alerts the listener that epic metal is at hand. Greece reveres bands like Omen, Manilla Road, Brocas Helm, and others in the genre that focus on longer arrangements, odes to the early history and an overall atmosphere that screams for audience chant participation. Battleroar hail from Greece, releasing To Death And Beyond…, their third album in an eight year career as well as their third record label as their former domestic contract with Black Lotus went bankrupt in 2007. Hopefully slow and steady improvement wins the race, as Battleroar release their most focused, potent and complete album to date, favoring an urgent full production and playing with marching, lengthy solos as well as larger than life melodies.
Four of the nine songs move beyond the 8 minute scope, allowing for a variety of highs and lows within a song. “Finis Mundi” for instance is a mid-tempo track at heart which traverses into a slower, acoustic and violin laden middle section where vocalist Marco Concoreggi gains the chance to hit some higher notes with longer emotional intimacy. Drummer Nick Papadopoulos has that steady double bass and fill work down to a science, reverberating with older charm in tracks like “Metal From Hellas” and “Born Into The 70’s”. The dual guitar tandem of Kostas Tzortzis and Manolis Karazeris revel in their role of speedy licks, cultural anthemic lifting riffs and heroic solo maneuvers. You’ll even hear homage to the galloping breaks that Iron Maiden made so famous in the bridge/ solo passage of favorite track “Hyrkanian Blades” - probably Marco’s finest melody coupled with a moving arrangement on “To Death and Beyond…”.
Some may find Battleroar too cheesy in their approach, or too backwards thinking in their approach- I say bollocks to them all. To Death and Beyond… waves the spirit of universal metal and doesn’t apologize for its stance, and those who crave mead hall, beer swilling odes to glory, history, and majesty need Battleroar for a mandatory fix.
A -Matt Coe
Anthology of the Undead
Bombworks
Bealiah was a one-man Indonesian black metal project undertaken in 1996. By the time mastermind Dozhaiatlach D put the project to rest in 1999 (when he commenced work on Armageddon Holocaust), Bealiah had put out several cassette-only releases on tiny Indonesian independent THT Productions. However, most of the original copies never left the Asian continent; and apart from one song that appeared on a compilation, none of these songs has ever appeared on CD before. It would be a shame to lose quality metal to obscurity, so it's fortunate that Bombworks Records acquired the rights to 13 Bealiah tracks for release on CD.
Over the course of the several sessions represented on Anthology of the Undead, Dozhaiatlach D explored a number of black metal styles, from primitive black metal (a la Bathory or Hellhammer [especially on "Become One," a dead ringer for HH's "Horus/Aggressor"]), to its more symphonic and ambient forms. There is no shortage of bleakness, rage, or brutality herein; and the production is plenty heavy and full, all things considered. Moreover, the fact that there aren't any drastic changes in sonic quality from one session to the next helps the songs flow better as a collection, as though they were originally intended to be presented together as they are here.
It's just a hunch that in 1996 there were not a large number of adequately skilled drummers available to Dozhaiatlach D, so I also won't knock any points off for the fact that a drum machine was used. Nary a dull moment in 50+ minutes...just quality, cult black metal.
B+ -Mark Fields
Smile
Southern Lord
"Flower Sun Rain" starts off Boris's eighteenth album, Smile on a mellow note while "Buzz-In" kicks you in the nuts before you have a chance to wake up from the trance you were put in by the opening track. Backward guitars soar throughout the song's frenetic punk-metal influenced sound. "Laser Beam" sounds like an atomic Stooges or Ramones song funneled through prog-meisters Can ending on a mellow note. Another slam of noisy punk fueled fury is unleashed with "Statement", a song with melodic vocals provided by members Takeshi (bass/guitar) and drummer Atsuo that could easily come from a long lost prog-punk archive. Atsuo pounds the skins with reckless abandon while guitarists Wata and Michio Kurihara lay down some smoking noisy fret work that would make any so-called punk guitarist blush with embarrassment.
"My Neighbour Satan" starts off like a space rock TV commercial complete with echo filled harmony vocals and noise guitar over a programmed industrial-like beat. The song then breaks into a phased out guitar rock anthem section that only Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins could begin to muster up. "Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki--No One's Grieve" starts off with some droning guitar riffs that turns into another noise-filled and soaring lead guitar and drum-bashing frenzy with floating vocals that sounds like they were lifted off a shoe-gaze band record and some spoken word lines that disorient the listener accent the end of the tune. "You Were Holding An Umbrella" starts off with a Casio-like programmed beat and mellow guitar lines with equally mellow Japanese sung vocals that sound like they were recorded for Can's brilliant Tago Mago album. The song breaks into an "Echoes"-like section with a driving bass line and melodic guitar licks, this is probably my favorite track on the disc.
The last track, a hidden Untitled track continues the mellow vibe of "Umbrella" for about fifteen and a half minutes with some noisey guitar that blends in and out and into the mellow vibe again with more floating vocals to make you drift off to sleep before the droney, doomy heavy guitar riffs come in with more ripping lead guitar solos and the song drifts on and ends abruptly. If you're a Boris fan at all you know this album is a must, if you're new to them, this is a perfect introduction!
A -Matt Smith
Crippled Lucifer
Southern Lord
Crippled Lucifer collects all of Burning Witch's complete source recordings of 1996's Towers and 1997's Rift.Canyon.Dreams with a nice two disc package complete with a sweet forty page booklet for the price of one disc. Members later went on to form SUNN, Goatsnake, Asva, and Khanate so it's cool to see where they cut their teeth.
Now to the music, which is raw aggressive doom metal kind of like Winter, with some tortured vocals by Edgy59 that venture into more normal classic doom sounding vocals not unlike Black Sabbath or Pentagram. The production is raw and perfect for this music, and it almost sounds like some of it was recorded live. Each 45 minute plus disc is filled with epic doom songs like "Sacred Predictions" and "The Bleeder" and follow the same formula throughout the discs. Guitars are feedback filled and very noisy at times like on "Country Doctor" and the drums are pummeling and crashing and the bass adds an even heavier vibe to the mix. "Sea Hag" starts off with some cool bass line and effects before it crashes into a sea of brutal doom, and at fourteen plus minutes it truly IS brutal for it's unrelenting bleak rawness! "Stillborn" is easily my favorite track off this compilation and "History Of Hell (Crippled Lucifer)" is the song on the SL sampler that got me to buy this comp!
If you call yourself a doom fan and you don't have or buy this CD set, you're missing out! A true treasure for anyone interested in some grinding tortured doom!
B+ -Matt Smith
Mist Through Your Consciousness
Radar Swarm
Caldera is one of those bands that defies definition but will probably get pigeonholed into the metal category because of their heavy sounding guitars. Not unlike Boston's own 5ive, they weave intricate instrumental songs with ease and allow your brain to wrap around some interesting compositions. Nice harmonies between the bass lines and twin guitar playing with the drums carrying their sound along nicely. This disc would make a 45 minute highway drive a breeze to listen to.
B -Matt Smith
The Atomized Dream
Sensory
Expanding to a five piece, Georgia’s progressive instrumental metal masters Canvas Solaris continue to throw curve balls into the mix with their fourth recording The Atomized Dream. Longtime bassist Ben Simpkins left prior to this album, allowing guitarist Nathan Sapp and drummer Hunter Ginn an opportunity to blossom with new creativity, especially for fresh additions on bass with Gael Pirlot, second guitarist Chris Rushing and synthesizer virtuoso Donnie Smith. Whereas many of their earlier releases would have put them in the technical death realm, The Atomized Dream aurally delivers a potent technical/ jazz/ fusion metal offering, mapping out a complex maze of riffs, tempo changes and brilliant arrangements.
“Solar Droid” moves from slower, drawn out chaos to drop on a dime time changes that Hunter Ginn must salivate over as he gets to showcase his percussive theory and expert time signature fluidity. “The Unknowable and Defeating Glow” should get the 70’s progressive rock mavens jumping for joy, as Donnie Smith lays down layers of Mini Moog that ELP and Kansas followers love. Where Canvas Solaris succeed over other musician oriented acts is the ability to address dynamics- as not everything on this album goes for full bore insanity. Opener “The Binaural Beat” rings with such a quiet meditative trance guitar motif that I feel like I could close my eyes, take a deep breath and be transformed into another lifetime- the echoing refrain a testament to the power of repetition in musical language.
I’d love to see Canvas Solaris gain some more buzz outside of the journalist and schooled college musician crowd- and I believe The Atomized Dream could be their ticket to a more broad base appeal (especially with a catchy rock radio cut like "Chromatic Dusk"). Delve headlong and you’ll never be the same, I assure you.
A -Matt Coe
Blooddrunk
Spinefarm
Helsinki, Finland success story, Children of Bodom, have yet another album under their belt. Blooddrunk is their latest release consisting of powerful, slightly technical, speed metal. It has no clean vocals, lots of melodic shredding from guitar hero Alexi Laiho and a profusion of noodling keyboards. Select imports are available for Blooddrunk and their other albums featuring bonus DVD video footage and classic cover songs.
Blooddrunk is consistently catchy, stimulating metal throughout. A couple of standout tracks were "Smile Pretty for the Devil" for the terrific guitar and keyboard solos after the two and half minute mark and "Banned From Heaven" for its memorable melodies. Both songs being the most motivating on this album. I also favored "Lobodomy" as more symphonic than the other tracks. By the sixth track, "Tie My Rope", I began to notice how overwhelming the keyboards are. The techno-sounding intro on "Tie My Rope" wasn't appealing. The remainder of the keyboards on that track were also less than favorable.
After several more listens of Blooddrunk, it becomes harder to hear the keyboards as a background instrument. Seeing a pattern of guitar, then keyboard solos, back and forth seems to emphasize the keyboard as a major instrument. Sometimes it sounds a bit too synthetic and it ends up shadowing the music.
Even though Blooddrunk is a good metal album, I didn't hear anything that was as memorable as the tracks I favored on Hate Crew Deathroll.
This was probably because I couldn't outwardly notice any heavy, meaty breakdowns or riffage. The overbearing keyboards took away some of the artistry. Not that playing the keyboard is easy or anything, but shredding on the guitar is definitely more difficult and much more heroic. Therefore I'm more apt to become awestruck by guitar licks than speedy solos on a synthesizer. I feel keyboards can be a fitting complement to metal generally, but shouldn't have been the focus on Blooddrunk. It's much different live when you can actually feel the affects of every instrument. And possibly tone down some things so you can hear the drums or guitars or something.
B- -Alesha
Dose
Pacific Recordings
Dose is Chingalera's second release, a follow-up to last years In The Shadow Of The Black Palm Tree. Loosely packing 5 songs into almost an hours time, you know you're in for some tripped out, psychadelic, or at least progressive music here.
"The Endless Bummer" is the 10 minute long opener. After a slow opening, the songs comes to life with some heavy guitar work, and is joined near the end by some pained vocal screams. "You Were Happy When You Came In Here" follows, and it is 16+ minutes of spaced out feedback, with minimal percussion and not much else. "Eveler" starts off as a seemingly basic rock song, then in the middle drops out into a spaced out jam session with some cool wah-wah guitar stuff going on, and more or less fades to a slow end after that. The final two songs follow along in a similar manner, with rock parts giving way to slower, trippier, spaced out parts.
If you want some trippy spaced out rock, Dose yourself up and listen to this latest disc from Chingalera.
B -Goz
We Are Above You
Hydra Head
Boston's Cloud's unleashes their second album and by the sounds of it are progressing with the sound they created on their last one Legendary Demo. Not quite stoner rock yet not quite pop, they combine a perfect blend of both into a unique sound. "Empires in Basements" could easily be mistaken for a Melvins song with a bit more technicality thrown in and "Feed the Horse" has a similar sound but with a quicker tempo and some dual layered guitars that sound pretty sweet with the melodic harmony vocals. "The Bad Seat" absolutely changes the pace with some piano in the mix and a much poppier angle that works perfectly for them. "Heisenberg Says" sounds almost like a hardcore song with a White Stripes vibe but with a more metal guitar solo. "Motion of the Ocean" continues the same type of heaviness with a slower multi-layered vocal chorus that breaks into a nice heavy solo part that slows down even more before ending. "Slow Day" slows the pace down with a trippy vocal performance and Voivod-esque guitars flowing through the song with overlayed acoustic accents and makes it one of the most psychedelic sounding tunes on the disc.
"Horrification" has more hardcore influenced sound with some cool metal riffs and "Year Zero" carries the same vibe except a bit more melodic and with a slower mid-section. "Glass House Rocks" is another psychedelic sounding heavy pop song with a great harmonic chorus and "Playing Dark" picks up the heavy pace again. "Garbage In, Garbage Out" starts off really slowly with a guitar riff that breaks into a slow dirge-like song that could almost be a Tom Waits song with some tinkling piano in the mix. This song also leads into a hidden track after about 9 minutes that sounds like an impromptu acoustic song recorded on a hand held cassette recorder. The hidden song itself is only like a minute or two long and breaks into a howling bongo jam for about fifteen to twenty seconds.
Smoking guitars, rotating turns on lead vocals by all members and kick-ass drumming and bass playing makes this disc a unique listen for almost any fan of heavy music with some interesting ideas to keep it from getting stale.
B+ -Matt Smith
Buried Death
20 Buck Spin
Japan three-piece Coffins burst forth with their third release, Buried Death. Combining bludgeoningly heavy, fuzzed out riffs, with punishing drums and super-distorted bass, Coffins blur the line between death, sludge, and doom metal.
Opening with "Under The Stench", the heaviness comes right straight at you and never lets up. Uchino's guitar sound is super heavy and totally fuzzed out, and his vocals are brutal as heck (even throwing in some good Celtic Frost style death grunts). Bassist Koreeda gets his own little solo midway through the song, then he and Uchino hook up for a massively heavy riff. Fantastic stuff here. Drummer You gets to shine on the next song, which is also the title track. Pummeling the drums as if they were his worst enemy, he paces of the song nicely, while also changing speed a couple times.
"Mortification To Ruin" brings back good memories of Autopsy, with it's slow, plodding pace and a great guitar solo near the end of the song. It is my pick for best song on here. "Deadly Sinners" picks the pace up a little bit, and also adds in some backing vocals (more like tortured screams) by Koreeda. "The Frozen Styx" closes things out, and brings the heaviness in a big way. Slow, massively heavy riffs and drums dominate the sound here, and Koreeda adds some Wah-effect to his bass at times as well. A brutally heavy way to end the disc.
Production here is as close to perfect as you'd want for music like this. Everything sounds great and is mixed nicely producing a heavy wall of layered sound that will cause pictured to rattle off the walls if played loud enough. If you like Autopsy, Winter, Celtic Frost, or just about any other crushingly heavy music, then Buried Death by Coffins should appeal to you.
B+ -Goz
Rotting Paradise
Relapse
Coldworker's debut, The Contaminated Void, blew me away when it came out in late 2006. It combined brutal death metal with a good bit of grind elements in a combination that I thought worked very well. Their follow-up is Rotting Paradise - let's see if it can blow me away like tCV did.
Coldworker follow in much the same pattern here as they did on their previous release - fast, technical riffing, pounding drums (with impressive blast beats showing themselves frequently), and brutal vocals. Pretty much what you'd expect from a grinding death metal band. They do add some more groove style riffs here than they had in the past, which may make the disc a bit more accessible to more listeners.
"Reversing the Order" is the opener, and contains pretty much everything that I mentioned in the previous paragraph - killer technical riffs, super blast beats, and a nice little catchy/groovy segment in the middle. "Citizens of the Cyclopean Maze" slows things down a bit (at least for much of the track), setting a bit more of a groovy feeling. Here they also add the dual vocal attack that I love so damn much. For that, along with the fact that it's just an overall kickass song, this is my pick for standout track here. "The Machine" deserves mention as well, with it's superb opening riff played at almost doom speed (at least compared to the quick pace of the previous songs). Of course, the pace picks up at the end, culminating with a quick bit of blasting at the end.
To answer the question as to whether or not this blew me away like their debut - yes it did...well, maybe not quite as much, but this is still a blistering slab of grinding death with a wealth of great riffs and grooves - just they way music should be.
B -Goz
Sign Here, Here and Here
Venture Capital Records
If you are unaware of the growing anticipation of The Company Band's first full-length, I'd like to take this time to tell you about this here preview of what's to come. The Company Band is everything our classic rock should have been. What a different world would we be standing in now.
The Company Band's theme is like an industry parody. The band is made up of some the most anti-mainstream musicians. Thus explaining The Company Band's clever irony. It is the latest side project of Neil Fallon (Clutch), James Rota (Fireball Ministry), Jess Margera (CKY), Jason Diamond (Puny Human), and Dave Bone. The music seems purposely commercial rock but I don't foresee the industry vultures ever getting a hold of this EP. It is ultimately too good for them. But it's not too good for you! If money is tight, try to hold off for the full-length (I'll be reporting on that after it's release). If you just can't wait, you can Sign Here, Here and Here.
From the snippets I heard before purchase, I thought I would like "Fortune's A Mistress" the most. Then when the EP arrived, I was immediately drawn to "Spellbinder" for it's driving, feel-good melody.
Now that I know Sign Here, Here and Here thoroughly, bluesy "Heartache & Misery" leaves me speechless. The vibe of The Company Band's sound feels like a mixture of legendary classic and southern rock influences, interpreted through well traveled musicans to deliver a purer form of rock. Partner this with the lyrical genius that is Neil Fallon and his husky vocals and I am almost too satisfied. If you are a fan of classic rock, you will love this EP. If you are a Clutch fan already and don't like it sounding commercial, deal with it. This is naked rock n' roll and what legends are made of. Take notes.
A+ -Alesha
Muay Thai Ladyboys
Paragon
The debut full-length album from New York City's omnisexual death/grind titans COPREMESIS, entitled Muay Thai Ladyboys, is set to be released mid-May on Paragon Records. According to a press release, fan should "expect nothing short of the most uncompromising brutality."
Muay Thai Ladyboys track listing:
01. Muay Thai Ladyboys
02. Bestial Castration
03. Push
04. Zombies
05. In Silence...Revel In Madness
06. Mad
07. Mustache
08. A Poem
09. I Am Envy
10. Tetsuo
It's fast, it's loud it's tighter than the tranny's ass on the cd itself... Pretty much what you would expect to hear from such a band.
I included the track names above... several of them are pretty amusing. Also the entire inner design of the cd booklet is full of naked ladyboys. If you like Death/Grind and or Ladyboys... i'm pretty sure this album is for you.
C -Eric
Crimson Glory
Metal Mind
Down in Florida, before death metal took over the state in the late 80’s, there was a buzz brewing with traditional power bands. Savatage would rise to the top of the class thanks to Hall Of The Mountain King and Nasty Savage took the underground fanzine/ tape trading market by storm enough to release a series of albums- yet Sarasota’s Crimson Glory seemed to be the group that captured my metal attention. Their out of this world image (remember the masks to disguise their faces, a la Kiss?) coupled with a sound that borrowed liberally from Queensryche and Fates Warning managed to register with fans and critics alike, attaining high marks the world over and still remain benchmarks for audiophiles. I’m unsure if Metal Mind stepped in to take over these re-issues from Greek label Black Lotus, who originally retained the rights to release this album and Transcendence before going bankrupt last year, but there’s nothing wrong with these Floridians making another return to the scene.
Dan Johnson twisted the knobs at Morrissound for this 1986 debut, and with four years of creation and refinement you can tell they really went for the gusto in terms of the dark, overwhelming force on these 9 songs. “Mayday”
and “Angel Of War” represent the seedlings of future Painkiller–era Judas Priest, especially with drummer Dana Burnell’s fiery feet work.
“Dragon Lady” and “Queen Of The Masquerade” catch you immediately with progressive guitar riffs and harmonies from the captivating Jon Drenning/ Ben Jackon axe tandem. Crimson Glory also had in their stable the finest power voice of his time, as Midnight could emulate Geoff Tate, Rob Halford and Jon Oliva with a vibrato and five octave range the world had yet to
hear- shining best on “Valhalla” and “Heart Of Steel”. A rare complaint rears up in the bonus track department- as you’ll only get “Dream Dancer”
and no live renditions or video supplements which I think would have rounded out the package adequately.
Younger viewers who love Kamelot should pick this up as a blind purchase, as it will help you understand the development of their style. Power maniacs from all sides of the globe need Crimson Glory as this bleeds leather, bullet belts and mystical imagery better than the most inventive role playing, Dungeons and Dragons game ever could.
A
Transcendence
Metal Mind
Two years beyond their debut album, Florida’s Crimson Glory released at the time an album that may have once again slipped through the cracks of the metal populace. Thrash was the genre in full swing at the time, with death bands rearing their heads in terms of the underground. While a number of power/ progressive bands churned out fine efforts (Riot, Fifth Angel, Fates Warning, Queensryche) none in my mind touch the masterpiece Transcendence. This 1988 album contains everything one could want in such a record- vocals that grace outer space, convincing and sustaining with layers of super human lung capacity (Midnight really outdid himself on songs like “Red Sharks”, “Masque Of The Red Death” and ballads like “Painted Skies” and “Lonely”), guitar playing that continued to be forward thinking, progressive and dark all the same as well as a rhythm section in bassist Jeff Lords and drummer Dana Burnell that rivaled the best improvisational / schooled musicians straight out of a seasoned college setting.
I think on Transcendence the songwriting took more of an expansive outlook, turning the page much like fellow Florida act Savatage did from Hall Of The Mountain King to Gutter Ballet in terms of a theatrical presentation. “Masque Of The Red Death”- their homage to the fine story teller Edgar Allan Poe- features some Middle Eastern guitar lines and lead embellishments that could be distant relatives to the title track from Iron Maiden’s 1984 effort Powerslave, while “Where Dragons Rule” contains some drum passages straight out of an ancient tribal march. Skimpy on bonuses once again (just a re-mix of their single “Lonely”), the main album remains a top ten all time favorite for many journalists old and new (this one included) and I’m glad even in a limited edition basis everyone who wants to hear just what the majestic mystery behind Crimson Glory was about can now hear it in full sonic CD glory.
Midnight delivers one of the best vocal attacks for the ages on Transcendence. Adept at chameleon harmonies much like a Geoff Tate, yet with the leather lung potency of the greats in the business such as Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford or even independent rivals like Deadly Blessing’s Ski, singers such as Midnight come down the street once in a multi-million. The style of song made no matter, as Midnight could turn on the soft charm for the slow tracks just as much as the mid tempo or faster arrangements.
The singing slot has been a virtual turnstile since Midnight’s original departure in the early 90’s- as Wade Black currently handles the duties while the band work on their fifth studio album. I hope that Midnight can get his personal demons under control enough to reunite with the classic lineup, as all parts of the world deserve to hear Transcendence in its entirety for jaw dropping power metal perfection.
A -Matt Coe
Cuatro
Cruz del Sur
Epic metal. Mercyful Fate, Manilla Road, and Candlemass come to mind when you think of the genre- characterized by longer arrangements and soaring vocals. Puerto Rico’s Dantesco play in this genre as well- sticking to lyrics sung in their native Spanish tongue. You’ll hear guitar playing that evokes the ability of Helstar during their Nosferatu period along with music that many times can go toe to toe with Manilla Road or Candlemass.
For everything that in the instrumental department appears to be headed in the right direction, one quick glance at the vocals from Erico La Bestia and you’ll have to endure a painful exercise in operatic shrieking.
Imagine if you will Chris Boltendahl (Grave Digger) attempting to sing over Confessor’s Condemned record when Scott Jeffreys lived in his high register and you’ll get some idea of the train wreck that comes through these 11 songs. Erico bruised the inside of my brain with his warbling on “Sante Croce Titulus” and had me on the verge of breaking this disc into a million pieces by the third song “Por Tu Santo Amor”. He’s pushed very high in the mix- so prepare yourself for an arduous, up hill climb if you expect equal quality in the melody versus music department with Pagano.
Let’s see the law of averages:
Music: B+
Vocals: F (rather in the 10% range)
F+ -Matt Coe
Lost To The Living
Candlelight
Raleigh, North Carolina doomsters Daylight Dies rattle the earth with their third full-length studio release, Lost To The Living. Picking up where 2006's Dismantling Devotion left off, Lost To The Living delivers nine songs and over 50 minutes of melodic, melancholic, and depressive doom.
"Cathedral" kicks things off with a quiet acoustic guitar opening back by a nice little melody, and once the rhythm section joins in, things get considerably heavier. While the acoustic/clean guitar keeps around for much of the song, it's the layers of heavy guitars and melody lines that carry the feeling of this song. The vocals add to the depth and power - gruff enough to retain the heaviness that is needed here, while still being clear enough to easily understand the lyrics. "A Portrait In White" is up next, and the pace quickens a bit for parts of this one. Still massively heavy, yet dripping with melody at every twist and turn. "Woke Up Lost" and "Last Alone" show a slightly softer side of Daylight Dies, with clean singing and a less distorted aural attack (for the most part). "The Morning Light" closes things out with a flourish of just about everything the band has shows us so far. Plenty of heaviness, plenty of melody, and more doomy depressiveness than you can shake a couple of drumsticks at.
Having just finished a tour with Candlemass (see Adam's review of the show here), Daylight Dies should be on the brink of something big with this amazing release. If you are a fan of Amorphis, Anathema, Katatonia and similar melodic doom, then Daylight Dies is a must have. Hell, even if you aren't a fan of those bands, you should check Daylight Dies as this is a top notch release.
B+ -Goz
Twilight Ritual
At A Loss
Before I even heard Deadbird I knew they would rock, because I started talking to lead vocalist/guitarist Chuck Schaaf because he had a Celtic Frost shirt on and we started talking about how Tom had left the band etc and next thing I knew he was telling me he was from Deadbird, the next band up opening for night two of the Only Living Witness show at the Middle East on June 21st. Needless to say when they played I was completely blown away by their devastatingly heavy set and bought this disc I'm about to review.
"Into The Clearing" starts off the disc with a slow heavy riff and a heavy scream that draws you right into the song. The song breaks down into a mellower clean guitar section that only makes the heavy stuff heavier when it kicks back in. Heavy as shit guitars by Chuck and Jay Minish with Reid Raley on bass and drummer Phillip Schaaf giving them a solid concrete backbone. "Death Of The Self" has a cool rhythmic riff that totally kicks into total heaviness with a pile driving doom riff that rides this nine minute song into trippy oblivion. "Rule Discordia" continues in the style of the other tracks while "Feral Flame" totally kicks into high speed with a crushing faster pace with plenty more screaming before it slows down to finish on a noisier doom section. "The Riverbed" is very mellow and if you heard this track separately from the rest of the disc you would think these guys were from the Red House Painters school of music with a mellow acoustic guitar overlayed with some nice mellow electric and pretty soft melodic vocals. The song eventually gets heavy and loses it's mellow vibe for the rest of the song. "Twilight Ritual" ends the disc with almost the same formula as the previous song just a little longer and less mellow.
Twilight Ritual is one of the most original doom-influenced discs I've heard this year and to say these guys are heavy is like saying ABBA is catchy, no shit!
A -Matt Smith
Till Death Do Us Part
Earache
Till Death Do Us Part is Deicide's follow-up to the great 2006 release, The Stench Of Redemption. Did they follow this album with something equally great, or did they slip back into the later Hoffman-era Deicide mediocrity? Read on and see what I think.
The opening instrumental "The Beginning Of The End" starts things off good enough, with plenty of fancy guitar shredding and impressive drumming to show off the bands skills. While a bit overly long at close to four minutes, it's a nice intro and sets expectations fairly high. The title track is next, and while it has some interesting lead work towards the end of the song, overall I find it to be greatly lacking. The riffs are boring and monotonous, the drums are pretty basic and uninteresting - Glenn's vocals are pretty damn good here, though. "In The Eyes Of God" starts off impressive enough, with some great fast and technical riffs backed by some mighty impressive drum work - this is the best stuff on the album aside from the intro. Once the vocals kick in, though, it becomes another exercise in monotony. The songs do get a bit better as the album moves along, with "Severed Ties" and "Not As Long As we Both Shall Live" both being fairly impressive efforts to recover from the onslaught of mediocrity that started the disc.
The production doesn't really help too much to spruce up the boring songwriting. The guitar sound is a bit murky and flat, which only seems to enhance the lack of interesting bits. The drums sound ok, but the constant double bass overpowers pretty much everything else. About the only thing that seems to sound really good are the guitar leads - they are pretty impressive for the most part and sound spectacular - but that isn't enough to save this disc.
In my opinion, this one is a big step back for Deicide, and it'll get added to their large stack of mediocre releases. Meanwhile, their debut, Legion, and Stench will be the discs I reach for if I need a Deicide fix.
C- -Goz
Breaking Ground
Metal Mind
The Delights sound like they will find a secure audience with Evanescence fans as their sound is almost identical to them. I'm not knocking them, because Paula Maslanka's vocals are actually less annoying than Amy Lee's and are just as powerful, if not more than Amy's. Electronic programming highlight the heavy overused guitar riffs and drumming that could easily be heard on commercial rock radio. Not interesting enough to have any real originality, but the kids will like it for it's accessibility.
D -Matt Smith
The Redlight Murder Case
Regain
Deranged is a 4 piece death metal group from Sweden that has made quite a name for themselves with their brutal depictions of murder, death, and other horror related subjects. The music is fantastic, a blend of old school hooks and straight out death metal. The vocals are your typical death metal growl and with a little more variety in the vocals, I think I would have loved this band. The writing is decent and a sure fire hit for horror fans.
It’s a shame that it looks that The Redlight Murder Case is their last album since they announced their break up at the end of March. If you want straight out brutality in your metal, then Deranged is for you. Maybe they’ll end their feud with their drummer or find someone new, but until then you’re left exploring their catalog and enjoying their last release for now.
B -Choppy
A World Of No Beauty (reissue)
Metal Mind
As a fan of Extreme Noise Terror, back in the day I didn't think too much of ENT side project Disgust's debut, Brutality Of War. The drumming was monotonous, the production flat, the songs only so-so...no reason not to listen simply to ENT instead! And so I didn't pay attention to anything Disgust did thereafter, including 1997's A World of No Beauty.
Apparently, by the time they got around to recording A World of No Beauty, Disgust really worked out the kinks and managed to deliver an all-out, rampaging crust-fest for the ages.
Catchy, fast, no-frills, and every bit as good as--if not better than--anything ENT did up to this point, A World of No Beauty's first 11 tracks land non-stop blows of memorable, politically charged, savage, metallic crust. Aside from the single vocalist, it's not unlike Unrest by Disrupt or Retro-bution by ENT. In fact, since ENT's Dean Jones *is* the vocalist here, just pretend that Phil Vane called in sick...you might as well be listening to vintage ENT, in this case nicely engineered by Andy Sneap some years before he became so in-demand.
Track 12, "Hymn for a Dying Planet," originally closed the album with its 1-note, 21-minute dirge; the Metal Mind reissue, if you pass this endurance test, tacks 8 live bonus tracks of decent quality onto the end. The digipak is pretty slick, too.
Disgust, on A World of No Beauty, featured 2 members of ENT, plus former members of Discharge and Motorhead; and they captured lightning in a bottle. The fact that I heretofore only gave the band one chance was a mistake on my part. Glad I finally get to enjoy this album after all.
B+ -Mark Fields
When The Storm Comes Down
Metal Mind
Third albums break metal bands. At least those who’ve created a buzz through the scene with incessant touring - take a look at The Number of the Beast, Reign In Blood, Master Of Puppets, and Operation: Mindcrime to name a few. Arizona’s Flotsam and Jetsam were on the cusp of international break through, especially with 1988’s No Place For Disgrace setting the bar for speed/ power/ thrash maniacs the world over. While most of my friends were going crazy over Slayer, Overkill and Megadeth, I worshipped that second album from beginning to end. By the time I reached my college years, major label MCA came into the picture and a lot of critics thought this band would join the big four of thrash to make a triumphant five.
But When The Storm Comes Down didn’t set the charts on fire, even with significant radio and video exposure through “Suffer The Masses”. New bassist Troy Gregory put his stamp on the proceedings, another stellar player in a wheel of great musicians. Singer Eric A.K. continued to explore the outer dimensions of his lung capacity, hitting the killer shrieks in “Deviation” and “October Thorns”, while the dual guitar tandem of Michael Gilbert and Ed Carlson fired on all cylinders with their technical prowess on a savage cut like “Scars”. With all the promotional muscle and talent, what stopped When The Storm Comes Down from being the blockbuster record of their career?
The liner notes tell the tale of production woes - something amiss in the normal steady hands of producer Alex Perialas. The overall tone and compression for the album had quite the muddy appearance - something which seems to be corrected a little bit in the re-release. The sole bonus track is an interview lifted from the “Suffer The Masses” single release- but in the grand scheme I think this album is the black sheep in the discography that deserves another chance.
Flotsam never seemed content to churn out the same material from album to
album - so expect an experimental thrash feel with this third effort. Still the progressive “6, Six, VI” and conventionally thrash-bash “Scars” make this a keeper. Caught between the cracks, Flotsam and Jetsam still bleed
metal- and that’s what matters most in the end.
B+ -Matt Coe
Cuatro
Metal Mind
Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, Arizona’s Flotsam and Jetsam have been the group that fly under the metal radar while never achieving that superstar smash record which should have taken them to the top.
Bassist Jason Newsted’s move to Metallica saw major labels peeking around at this thrash quintet, first signed to Metal Blade and by the point of their second album No Place For Disgrace riding on the co-promotional shoulders of the major MCA. Cuatro originally hit the streets in the fall of 1992, coming off the disappointing When The Storm Comes Down which wasn’t hampered in the experimental songwriting department (the band took the throttle down a notch) but more so by the flat production job of Alex Perialas.
I’m glad that Poland’s Metal Mind sees this re-release necessary for the metal public, as Cuatro first came out at a time that I think the genre would be in a state of flux (Seattle grunge acts and alternative music in, pure speed and solo abuse out). Extras on the album include “Date With Hate”, 2 different edits/mixes of “Wading Through The Darkness” as well as the video for this semi-hit single (MTV would actually spin in with medium rotation during the day for 6
weeks) and an edit of “Cradle Me Now”.
As for the album itself- I think it rates second in their long standing discography, as nothing in my opinion can top the monster thrash fest of No Place For Disgrace. Neil Kernon honed in on a cutting live production, improving immeasurably the guitar and bass tones while keying in on super human performance from drummer Kelly David Smith and vocalist Eric A.K. (proving the man could also sustain a chilling edge in his lower register). “Natural Enemies” comes out swinging from the start, a battle charge riff with Eric spitting out lyrics at equal pacing. Much like their brethren they grew up with, I do think “Cuatro” has a precarious tightrope walk musically as many songs focused on simplified steady grooves yet still had a lot of punch in the approach such as “Swatting At Flies” and the Pantera-like “Forget About Heaven”.
In my neck of the woods, Flotsam and Jetsam sold steady just like other misunderstood American power acts like Armored Saint or Metal Church, and I think you’ll enjoy the beefy liner notes from Edward Carlson, Eric and Jason Ward who provide their reflections on this fourth album. I didn’t get the chance to see Flotsam live until the follow up Drift
when they opened for Megadeth and the first go around for Korn in small theaters (at the Strand in Providence, RI, Fear Factory opened the show) but my two experiences with them on stage were equally vicious and entertaining. Rediscover the joy of this band, and I hope their future live DVD helps them regain a foothold on the live circuit.
A- -Matt Coe
Drift
Metal Mind
Hitting the record bins in April 1995, the fifth album Drift from Arizona’s Flotsam and Jetsam probably got lost in the shuffle of record label politics (as a beverage company Seagrams bought MCA, necessitating a personnel shuffle at the office). MTV really didn’t push this album in any way, as I never remember a video regularly appearing on the channel, but the band undertook an extensive tour with Megadeth, Korn and Fear Factory that saw them play small theaters in the summer. Bassist Jason Ward gained a more comfortable songwriting role in the group, and I believe this helped to make Drift one of the more special Flotsam albums through the years.
Songs like “Smoked Out”, “Empty Air” and “12 Year Old With A Gun” prove this quintet have playing chops, tenacity and a sense of tact that other metal bands wish they could have pulled off. They probably lost a lot of their thrash fan base as the material is much more experimental, emphasizing Eric A.K.’s commanding pipes and melodies and the wide open chords/ picking from guitarists Michael Gilbert and Ed Carlson. Outside of the fine inner perspective provided by the band members with their historical/ studio memories surrounding Drift, you’ll get three bonus
tracks- two edits of “Destructive Signs” and “Smoked Out” sandwiching a killer rendition of the Black Sabbath classic “Fairies Wear Boots”.
Thanks to these Metal Mind reissues, I’ve been able to sell my original discs to worthy metal heads at local shows (as they were quickly scooped up at the second anniversary Ralph’s Diner all Sunday metal show celebration).
Debate may reign as to who delivered the biggest impact on thrash from Arizona (Sacred Reich being the worthy competitor) but for my money, the versatility from album to album for Flotsam and Jetsam can not be denied. Scoop up this gem while you can.
A- -Matt Coe
Hated
MVD
See GG Allin eat his own shit, shove a banana up his ass, drink piss from a crack whore and vomit, beat the fuck out of his audience "guy's and girl's" and beat his own head in. That's just a few of the wonder's that you will witness in this amazingly done documentary by Todd Phillips. The man who brought you the comedy Old School.
There is a lot more to this documentary than just shocking scene's. It is full of the true meaning of Rock and Roll. When GG says "My mind's a machine gun, my body's the bullets and the audience is the target." He means it. He makes Marilyn Manson look like the pussy he is, and he was doing the JackAss stuff 20 years before those guy's stole his idea's. Fact is, there is nobody like GG Allin, and that might make you happy. But love Him or Hate Him, GG has a message and this documentary lets him talk about it and doe's not judge Him ether way.
When I saw the first vision of Hated years ago it made me into a GG Allin fan and I went out and bought his albums and enjoyed them. The new version of Hated is still amazing and is loaded with extra stuff like an interview with GG's mother and interviews with his band members now. Also included are a few GG music video's.
If you like GG or never heard of him, you will find this well made documentary about a dangerous musician fascinating. If you have a weak stomach you might want to skip it.
A- -Bruce Millet
Soulburner/Sindustries (re-issue)
Metal Mind
It’s a shame that most of today’s melodic death fans do not even know the name Gardenian. Granted, their three albums don’t match up to the landmark early works of In Flames (oh how the mighty have fallen) and Dark Tranquillity. Nevertheless, the band still played a pivotal role in establishing what is commonly referred to as “the Gothenburg sound.”
The second of their albums, Soulburner, is not only melodic death metal, but hyper melodic death metal. At times, the sound strays so far away from traditional melodeath and riff-oriented brutality that Gardenian’s place in the death metal camp is somewhat questionable. Subpar clean vocals permeate this entire album, bringing to mind the overly melodic choruses that Into Eternity have been indulging themselves in. The chorus of “If Tomorrow’s Gone” goes far enough to be a whiny precursor to Emo. Alternating clean and harsh vocals is a tall task for any band, and sometimes, like on the slow paced balladic “Small Electric Space,” they work. Like that song, many of these tracks are so melodic that they are not even melodeath. The “true” death metal crowd would certainly yearn for something heavier, but if they just sit back, and enjoy the melody, I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised. Gardenian really shine when they take out all the stops and just get heavy. When they rhythmically overlap harsh vocals, twisted riffs, and double bass drumming, the band clicks. Sadly, even thought they click, they don’t vary this sound enough. By the end of the album, even the twisting riffs have become undistinguished and redundant.
Soulburner is a straightforward, to the point, Gothenburg-styled death metal album with an onslaught of melodic touches. Occasionally, the melody works, but most of the time it is ridiculous and simply lame. The high quality, heavy, death metal parts become too samey, and by the end, are indistinguishable from one another. 
If you thought that Soulburner varied itself enough to escape the label of “melodic death metal,” then you’ll certainly feel that way about Sindustries. Starting off with spacey epic “Selfproclaimed Messiah,” Gardenian bust out the proggy chops. This really isn’t a melodic death album, although it retains many staples of the Gothenburg sound. Instead, this is much more of a progressive death album. They aren’t just worshipping at the throne of Mikael Akerfeldt, however. There’s still enough brutality. In addition, they don’t overwhelm their music with unnecessary jazzy time changes. The progressive tendencies on this record are tasteful, and don’t go over the top.
In comparison to Soulburner, this album shows maturation and a higher level of forethought in the songwriting department. The clean vocals not only have better range, but are more emotive. Unlike many bands that play this style, Gardenian actually seem to have a reason to use clean vocals, instead of simply implementing in a song for the sake of having them.
Sindustries is another album that was an underground sensation in Gothenburg, but never caught on elsewhere, despite its significance.
B -Adam
An Epiphanic Vomiting Of Blood
Crucial Blast
Gnaw Their Tongues is a one man noise machine from the Netherlands. An Epiphanic Vomiting Of Blood was originally released on limited vinyl a while back, and is now being released on CD by Crucial Blast with an extra track.
Musically, this is like being beat over the head with an out of tune grand piano for 45+ minutes - it is made up of purely stark, industrial sounding noise. Overdriven guitar, bass, plodding drums, and all manner of synth created noises. Shrieking "vocals" and the occasional serial killer confession make up the vocal portions of the music. At times reminding me a bit of MoRT era Blut Aus Nord, although even less musical, and far less listenable. Other times this reminds me of a horror soundtrack cassette being eaten by the tape player. Small doses of this are about all you can ask someone to take.
Where this disc stands out is the song titles. Check these bad boys out: "My Body is not a Vessel, Nor a Temple. It's a Repulsive Pile of Sickness", "Teeth that Leer like Open Graves", "And There will be more of your Children Dead Tomorrow" and the CD only bonus track "The Urge to Participate In Butchery". Brilliant stuff there. Too bad the music doesn't keep up with the killer titles.
D+ -Goz
Dominion VIII
Regain
Swedish death metal legends Grave pound out their 8th release with Dominion VIII. As you'd expect from Grave, you get an unrelenting attack of old school sounding death metal here, from beginning to end. The songs here are mostly mid-paced and heavy as hell, with Ola's guitar playing and vocals being the standout features of the band. I've always like his vocal style for some reason - it's growly and brutal, but you can easily make out what he is singing. Standout tracks for me are "Fallen (Angel Son)" and "Annihilated God", but every song on the disc is solid.
Grave isn't breaking any new ground here, but they are playing just as good now as they were in 1991 when they released their debut Into the Grave. This here is a raging slab of Swedish death metal that is sure to please.
B -Goz
This Grand Show
Vendlus Records
San Franciso trio Grayceon unleash their second full-length (sandwiched around a split with Austin, Texas based Giant Squid), This Grand Show. The band, consisting of Max Doyle on guitar and vocals, Zack Farwell on drums (with both also being in the thrash band Walken), and Jackie Perez Grant (also in Giant Squid) on electric cello and vocals. Yes, that says electric cello. This ain't your straight forward metal music being played here.
Consisting of five tracks and about 57 minutes of music, the songs blur the boundaries progressive rock, trash, doom, all with a little different edge that I attribute to the cello being there. Opener "It Begins, So It Ends" begins with a slow, quiet passage, then kicks into high gear with a great guitar riff that is backed by some smooth cello playing. Hard to believe there's only three people playing on this with all the different sounds they are creating. There is a killer section towards then end where the guitar and cello are playing together over a double bass attack on the drums. "Still the Desert" is the next track, and at 11+ minutes offers a whole lot of diversity, and also the first time we hear the tandem vocals of the band. While Jackie has a high, almost operatic voice here (it isn't like that on the whole disc, though), Max is way down the scale on the bottom end, providing a good contrast to go along with the contrast between the heavily distorted guitar and smooth cello. About midway through the song, it breaks down into a major league thrasher - with the cello and guitar dueling it out while Zack attempts to do major damage to his drums. Great stuff there.
The 21-minute epic "Sleep" is next, and it has several different mood changes throughout the song, with the standouts being the big metal bit about 5 minutes or so in. This is the most diverse song here, and probably my favorite at the moment (although that is likely to change). "This Grand Show Is Eternal" is the closer, and it's probably the most "metal" of them all, as it is pure power from the first note, and doesn't let up until the abrupt ending.
This was my first exposure to Grayceon, and I'm very impressed to say the least. The refuse to be burdened by categories, instead using their talent to take the best of everything, mash it all up and come out with great songs. They also incorporate the cello perfectly into the music - something I don't think I've ever heard done like this in a (mostly) metal style.
A- -Goz
Awaiting Evil
Metal Blade
Awaiting Evil is the debut of Bay Area thrashers Hatchet. Bay Area Thrash pretty much sums up their sound, but do these youngsters bring anything else to the party to make them stand out?
Opening with a rather lame intro that features clean guitar plucking away while some melodic noodling is plopped on top of it, the real stuff gets going with "Frailty Of The Flesh". If you know Bay Area Thrash, you know what to expect here - staccato riffs, wailing guitar leads, pounding drums, mosh-part breakdowns, and aggressively shouted vocals with the occasional scream. This is exactly what Hatchet delivers for the 40 minutes or so on this disc. The band delivers on all fronts, and the standout tracks here are "Sealed Fate" and "Storm the Gates", the latter featuring some great gang vocals during the chorus.
If you like Bay Area Thrash, you'll like Hatchet. If you don't, you won't. It's really as simple as that. Skip the intro, and you have a simple, straight forward thrash album that will please fans of the genre.
B- -Goz
Parasite Of Society
Candlelight
When Schmier was booted from Destruction back in the day, his release from agony so to speak was formulating Headhunter whose first release Parody of Life in 1990 was a well done, tongue-in-cheek power metal album with a touch of thrash for his established fanbase. The successive albums, 1992’s A Bizarre Gardening Accident and 1994’s Rebirth, were in the same vein, but the new Parasite of Society tries a bit too hard to appeal to too many. Songs such as “Doomsday For The Prayer” and the title track sound like scrapped Destruction tracks and, goddamn it, who in their right mind wants to hear a Skid Row cover by a German thrash metal icon?
Despite this atrocity, “Silverskull” is very catchy and easily the album’s standout track. There are other glimmers of hope in “Egomaniac” and the hidden Sesame Street “Manama” cover at the CDs conclusion will put a smile on your face no matter how hardcore your musical tastes.
A mixed bag here for sure, but still worth a listen.
C+ -Mike Baronas
Opus Magnum
Napalm
A lot has happened over the last seven years. Gas prices have reached astronomical highs, the threat of global warming has become a terrifying reality, and the job market has become dismal. All of those are harrowing problems that have seeped into our society. But most distressing was the fact that the brilliant Austrian duo Hollenthon (now a quartet) did not release an album, and seemed to be left for dead by the mad geniuses that make up the band. Those seven years have passed now. 2001’s With Vilest of Worms to Dwell, possibly the greatest symphonic metal album ever made, now has a follow up in the immodestly titled Opus Magnum.
Musically, not much has changed since With Vilest of Worms to Dwell. Hollenthon still play eclectic death metal with a full orchestral backing. Instead of the common driving guitar riffs of extreme metal, Hollenthon opt for a violin, cello, or even flute riff. The guitars normally play quite simple, background riffs accompanying the string instruments in the foreground. Like previous Hollenthon albums, the sound is one of a kind: a majestic, enchanting sound nonetheless retaining metal’s forceful tone.
The songs on Opus Magnum don’t immediately jump out at you, as they are not too distinct. This is only a slight nitpick however, since that redundant sound is simply one of the best sounds in metal. Songs like the introspective, solemn “Once We Were Kings” and the ethnic, progressive epic “Misterium Babel” remedy this, as they are the standout tracks of the album. Moreover, the album opens with Hollenthon’s trademarked energetic neo-classical sound, thumping along at a frenzied pace.
Along with Slough Feg, Hollenthon are the most criminally unknown band in metal. The fact is that they are one of the best, as well. Opus Magnum certainly doesn’t top the magnificent With Vilest of Worms to Dwell, but it certainly reclaims Hollenthon’s throne as the best symphonic metal band around.
A- -Adam
angL
Candlelight
Black metal’s resident maverick Ihsahn has always pushed the boundaries of traditional black metal, and with his latest album, angL, he seems to have completely distanced himself from the genre. The former Emperor frontman has opted for a more progressive black/death style defying any direct classification. Many of the fans on the anti-Opeth bandwagon will be sure to dismiss this album, as Mikael Åkerfeldt does guest on a few songs, but doing so would be ignorant and to some degree, unfounded. This album is so much more than an Opeth clone. While there are certainly Opeth influences to be heard on angL, the album is a portrait of a matured artist—one never afraid to write metal the way he sees fit.
Opening up with a rhythmic but quick paced riff, topped off with some pinch harmonics, aNGL is instantaneously a more structured and smoothly produced album than Ihashn has ever put out. While this will certainly turn off the “pure” black metal crowd, the more open-minded fans should find much to sink their teeth into. Each song on this album blends catchy riffs, Ihsahn’s distinctly fierce vocals, and unique progressive tendencies. Ihsahn is clearly crafting an idiosyncratic tone on angL, one that you get the feeling he has been yearning to unleash since the early days of Emperor. He is comfortable with this music, and this may have never been the case before. Complete with his personal take on Nietzschean philosophy, angL really is Ihsahn’s modern metal opus. He is in the elder’s chair now, looking down on all the younger bands, knowing that he has the power to make whatever music he sees fit.
This album marks Ihsahn’s rebirth. He has made a comeback as one of extreme metal’s most eccentric and powerful forces. Back in the days of In the Nightside Eclipse¸ he was the maverick bogged down within a minimalist movement. Now, he is forging his personal creative path with newer, exciting music. Other bands will certainly struggle to follow him, and fail at emulating him. Call this a comeback album if you will, I’d disagree. Ihsahn is playing what he feels, without any extraneous influences from other band members, and more mature than ever.
B+ -Adam
Nostradamus
Sony
Before I begin my review let me just say that I know this style of metal music is not for everyone. This is my perspective on this album, I have been a Judas Priest fan for over thirty years. I consider them one of the greatest metal bands ever. And I find it amazing that I can still go see a band that I have loved from the time I was in the seventh grade until now, and still be blown away by new music they are putting out forty years into their career. That being said, I do not like every Judas Priest album or every Judas Priest song.
I will say that Nostradamus is a monster of a metal album. It is epic metal on steroids times ten.
The album is so huge I will not go into detail about every song, that would take up to much space.
I will just say that I like every song on the two disc's, the first disc being my favorite. This is an amazing metal album that brings the listener on an epic journey through dark and light. At times I was moved to tears, or just had goose bumps from the metal glory of it all. I know I am a metal nerd.
But once again I find it amazing that such an iconic metal band still takes risks and changes their sound forty years into there career. When most older metal bands are putting out the same albums year after year, and have to resort to playing only older songs live to keep people from falling asleep.
I find this album a blast of fresh air, and applaud Judas Priest for putting out such a masterpiece. All hail the Metal Gods.
A- -Bruce Millet
Nostradamus must have been an insomniac, because this album puts me to sleep.
D- -Goz
The Passing
Regain
Back in the 80’s, I remember hearing about a CT power metal band with the same name Machinery, as their demo Divide And Conquer topped many charts the world over. Breaking up and resurrecting in the mid to late 90’s, they moved into a thrash direction… yet the act before me is quite different and from Sweden instead of the United States. Why the discussion? Well, my initial impression based on name alone may be a touch unfavorable, as I do think Machinery isn | 
