Week 4 (Oct 4th, 2010)

Powerglove - Saturday Morning Apocalypse (2010) If you don’t know who Powerglove is, they are a now widely recognized group that plays Dragonforce style instrumental themes from video games and television shows. While many of us were waiting for another disc of game tunes, (Metal Kombat For The Mortal Man (2007) this release showcases a collection of both popular, and some not-so-popular - themes from Saturday morning cartoon shows. (Back when they still existed.)

Anyway, I felt it best to do this one song by song, since every song is from a different show, and because there hasn’t been a band in the history of man who has done something like this. (An entire album of metal cartoon themes.)

1. X-Men - This one I think is one the best songs on the collection, and it’s the one I was most looking forward to. What we have here is an ultra heavy version of a heavy theme. The guitar work is great, but over the top (like all of the tracks on here), and it includes a little acoustic break as well.

2. Gotta Catch Em’ All (Pokemon Theme) - I shit you not…they recorded this, and I have no fucking clue why. It sounds like a very poppy Dragonforce, and it’s so fucking corny…but just wait, you’ve heard nothing yet.

3. The Real Adventures Of Johnny Quest - I’ve never heard this theme before, because I never watched the show as a kid, but I thought that this was pretty solid. That’s about all I have to say.

4. This Is Halloween (Nightmare Before Christmas) - Not really a Saturday morning cartoon theme, but decent nonetheless. I personally thought that Manson’s version of this was the best rendition I’ve heard, but this isn’t bad.

5. Batman - This is based on the Danny Elfman Batman theme which was carried over into the cartoon series, which some say was one of the best cartoons of the 90s. (I have them and all, and agree.) Regardless, this is a great theme, that goes beyond the call of duty, and is worth more than a listen.

6. Transformers - I heard few resemblances to the original theme here, but they repeat this one riff that was so great, that I was almost brought to tears. Hell, it might have been me, but I knew that that riff had nothing to do with 80’s original transformers theme. I’ll also add that I can’t tell that this is a cover. There’s so much original shit in here, that only the familiar dun-duh-dun-dun of the transformers theme was the only thing that I recognized.

7. Inspector Gadget - Not what you’d think, this one seems to deal more with the classical piece that the theme was based upon, and has so much other shit thrown in that the only original thing is the chorus piece.

8. Heffalumps and Woozles (Winne The Pooh) - Is this a joke? If it is, it’s a good one. This song is as heavy as hell, and probably shouldn’t be. You’d have to imagine Winnie The Pooh in that worshipping Satan thing that some guy made on you tube. It’s like that.

9. The Simpsons (Feat. Tony Kako) - This is by far one of the best themes on the disc, it’s true to the original and has a lot of interesting stuff going on, to say the least. I couldn’t hear Tony Kako’s voice anywhere in it, and I was thankful for it.

10. The Flintstones - If you never thought that the Flintstones theme could ever be heavy, well…here’s a heavy version of the Flintstones theme. It is what it is.

11. Gotta Catch Em’ All (Feat. Tony Kako) - Anyone who has ever had respect for Tony Kako, or power metal, or metal in general will vomit, possibly slit their throat, overdose on pills, shit their intestines out, stab out their eyes in the fashion of Oedipus…

It’s that bad. This is the worst metal song that I have ever heard, in 25 years of living. By far, this will remain as a great brain fart from God; and will serve as a reminder to atheists, as to why God…just might not exist at all.

I will not explain the ridiculousness of this, because I will let you all d/load this one track to hear yourself. It is on a very easy to use site, and for those that wish to not have a copy for themselves, I will also provide a myspace link to where this song can be heard.

I offer caution though, this is by far worse than the Bodom Brittney cover, which is a joke, but I am assuming that this is not. I have never heard the whole thing to be honest - I couldn’t make it through it. An uproarious amount of laughter echoed through my body and threatened to rip open my stomach, and bleed into my stools, which would’ve caused my anus to explode like an Iranian nuclear reactor that had gone critical due to stux.net!

Here is the horror for yourself: (Too lazy to upload....sorry.)

OVERALL: THIS IS A GREAT ALBUM, IF YOU REMOVE THE POKEMON FROM IT, AND FILE THEM AWAY FROM YOUR MIND, AS IF THEY NEVER EXISTED. SHAME ON YOU POWERGLOVE, YOU GAVE US POKE’MON, WHEN YOU COULD’VE GIVEN US AN UPDATE OF THE POWER RANGERS THEME.

Now to something you all might care about more…



These Are They - Disposing Of Betrayers (2010) (By Request) - This one caught me off guard. I had no idea that Paul Kuhr’s side project was a death metal project sans doom, and I’d have to say that I’m very impressed by it. I think that this album showcases the man’s tremendous vocal skills, and while the band isn’t as good as November’s Doom, they certainly are working their way to standing out in the metal scene. This debut is an absolute must have for many reasons. There’s no core bullshit, there’s some very good melodies, and the solo work is top-notch. This is an album that can be listened to again and again, and none of the songs suffer from the “every song sounds the same” factor which plagues many metal bands these days. Kuhr is no stranger to the death metal scene, and while I don’t feel that the heaviness of these songs was as good as the heaviness of some of the tracks on ND’s last album (Into Night’s Reqiuem Infernal) - I’d be an absolute idiot not to recommend it. If you don’t have this album, get online, or to your record store, and pick this up. You will not fucking regret it.

OVERALL: MUST HAVE DEATH METAL FOR 2010. TIRED OF DEATHCORE BS? LOOK HERE. THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

ALSO TRY: NOVEMBER’S DOOM - INTO NIGHT’S REQUIEM INFERNAL (2009)



Anthill - Leaving The Anthill (2010) - This is the debut (free?) album from a Technical / Progressive Death Metal band. I’m not sure if it’s actually a free release or not, because it contains lyrics and the whole nine yards. What we’ve basically got here appears to be run of the mill progressive death. It doesn’t sound that special, and it’s only going to appeal to the fans who are into it. As far as progressive death metal goes, I’d have to say that bands like Sculptured are myriads better. I’m just hearing a lot of the same guitar style, and it’s got the swiss cheese feel that a lot of these over-technical albums have. There’s a break in the monotony with the 4th track, (“Chapter IV: Dying Dream”, which is instrumental) and I was pleased with that one. The Orgone cover “Vomiting Hyacinths” is also good, but not great.

OVERALL: FOR TECH DEATH HEADS, IT’S GOT ALL THOSE THINGS YOU LIKE. (GO GET IT!) BUT, FOR ANYONE ELSE, IT MAY NOT BE YOUR THING.

ALSO TRY: SCULPTURED - EMBODIMENT (2008)



Clagg - Lord Of The Deep (2009) - This Aussie sludge metal band’s debut consists of 5 extremely long songs based on Lovecraft’s mighty Cthulu mythos. It sounds a little early Mastodon in the beginning, but I’ll forgive them, because it doesn‘t stay that way for long; and the vocal styles are both black and death metal (sometimes at the same time). If you don’t mind some black and death metal vocals in your sludge soup, you’re going to fucking love this one. The solos are also pretty good on this one. Great shit going on, all around on this album. Can’t wait to hear the next one.

OVERALL: IF YOU LIKE SLUDGE WITH BLACK / DEATH VOCALS, THIS IS A MUST. IF YOU AIN’T GOT THIS, FIND A WAY TO GET IT. WORTH A LISTEN.

ALSO TRY: THROWN



Stygian - Fury Rising (2010) - I saw that these guys were touring with Mushroomhead, so I decided that I’d give their album a try. What we’ve got here is a band with a very load/reload era Metallica sound, and the vocals sort of remind me of Hetfield in parts. I’m going to say this though, it’s not bad - and the guitars are definitely where they need to be, even though the vocals are the main show. This is probably going to remind you of load, whether you like it or not. But still, it ain’t bad. These guys have a future, and from the sounds of the vocals, they ain’t that old of guys either. Plenty of time to mature into an even better sound. There’s some fooling around a little too, it’s not as basic as you think. Might also remind you of a lighter Trivium (sans heavy vocals - this is all clean vocals). The hard rocker in me likes it, but the metal head in me thinks it’s a little basic in some areas. It’s got more balls than A7X and Stone Sour, I’ll say that. I’m also wondering which WWE wrestler is going to be coming out to something from these guys. it’s very marketable shit.

OVERALL: ACTUALLY… WORTH A LISTEN. 8/10 SONGS ARE GOOD.
BUT YOU STILL MIGHT NOT LIKE IT, JUST DEPENDS ON YOUR TASTE.

ALSO TRY: TRIVIUM - SHOGUN (2008)



THE CROWN - DOOMSDAY KING (2010) - First of all, I bet you’re wondering why the title of this is in caps. This is because this album marks the first album in six years from a legendary death / thrash band who had supposedly broken up for good in 2004.

Well, it would seem that the devil himself brought them back together, because he’s all over the album. From the title to the tracks, it’s not hard to see that The Crown haven’t become a Christian band, and don’t plan on being one anytime soon. For a band whose debut “Hell Is Here” still remains one of my favorite albums of all fucking time, it would be an understatement to say that I expected nothing less than the fury of hell itself, and ten times more with this release.

Well…THIS ALBUM IS GOING TO MELT YOUR FUCKING FACE OFF!

It’s got everything that metal should be. The vocalist is still full of anger, and he sounds like he’s in some kind of murderous rage in this one. The guitars are flying all over the fucking place, the solos are wild, and the whole goddamn thing is just…PERFECT. This album reminds me why I listen to metal so much, and it’s not just because of the music itself - but I get pissed at a lot of shit, and a lot of people, and listening to metal keeps me from ending their existence. The Crown has always been therapeutic in helping me to deal with that shit. Be a janitor for Wal-Mart, and clean fucking toilets all day long, and you’ll know what I mean. (I’ll never do that shit again, I swear.) Of course, with some people, metal this heavy will make them want to fight. I know someone like that, too.

If you thought Exodus’s new album might be one of the best thrash metal albums of the decade, well…It’s good and all, but this one wipes the floor with it. As for the new Anthrax…Well, there’s no fucking way. They should’ve released “Worship Music” sooner.

OVERALL: SOLID DEATH/THRASH FROM LEGENDS. YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO HEAR THIS ONE. BEST THRASH OF THE YEAR!



Adult Swim’s Metal Swim FREE ALBUM (2010) - First of all, it’s free, so I’ll give you the link for it. Get it while you can! Also, there’s no Dethklok on it, even though it’s Adult Swim.

Link: http://www.adultswim.com/promos/201009_scion/index.html

The review will be another song by song, since it’s a compilation. I’ll also mention that all of these songs are “rare or unreleased” from some really great bands.

1. Death Angel - Truce - Death Angel’s been around forever, but even this one can’t quite get me into them. It sounds like teenager metal, or something. But, they have top notch solo and guitar work, and that’s promising. The production quality is good as well.

2. Skeletonwitch - Bringers Of Death - I’ve always liked Skeletonwitch, and it’s because they mix the black metal and the thrash just fucking right. This song showcases more of a black metal side, with a few grunts here and there. One of the highlights for me. But I’m a biased bastard towards these guys.

3.Torche - Arrowhead - I’m really digging these guys. Never heard them before, and really digging their metal gaze sound. Song’s too fucking short though.

4. Ludicra - Path Of Ash - If you don’t know who Ludicra is, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS! I’m surprised to see these guys here, and they fucking deserve it. This black metal / doom outfit from California has once again shown me why they are one of those bands that you absolutely need to fucking hear! This was actually named wrong, and is called “Walk The Path of Ash”, from their Self-Titled EP back in 2006. (It’s also 9:19 seconds long!)

5. Kylesa - Forsaken - I’ve never heard Kylesa before, and I’ll probably grab a disco after hearing this. What we’ve got is a doomy / gloomy sort of metal with some haunting female vocals. I could do without her screams, though.

6. Black Tusk - Fatal Kiss - Mastodon, anyone? I’m sorry, but this sounds like a rip-off of Mastodon’s much heavier, old style. It’s not as good either.

7. Red Fang - Hank is Dead - More rock than metal, this stoner band is pretty run of the mill, nothing spectacular, but the vocals aren’t bad. …Probably be better if I had some weed.

8. Black Cobra - Frozen Night - Zakk Wylde? Sure sounds like some of his heavier stuff…no, wait - this is a little more progressive than that. What in the fuck’s with the vocals? It’s like southern thrash. Not my thing, but it’s digg-able to some folks, I‘m sure. Kinda sounds like High On Fire - solid southern doom metal style, drunk guy on vocals.

9. Saviours - Dixie Away - What we’ve got here sounds like a southern punk / metal band. The music is southern metal, maybe a little Judas Priest in areas, but the vocals are clearly punk. The song is good, solid, drinkin’ music. This is the kind of stuff that you get fucked up to. Riffs ain’t too bad either.

10. Witch Mountain - Veil Of The Forgotten - What we’ve got here is doom with a bit of black and death metal vocal, but the main lyrics are sung by a female that has a very “normal female” voice. Nothing special with her vocals. Chicks will dig it, though. I like the fact that there’s the black and death vocals in it though, so it’s not just her. The band sounds really fucking dreary by the way. It’ dreary raw doom. Shit, it’s catchy. Looks like I’ll be reviewing the album next week…

11. Isis - Pliable Foe - What do you want me to say here? It’s Isis, and it’s exactly in their style. The vocals are mostly clean in this song, and it’s a pretty mellow track which builds up, and then slows down. It doesn’t disappoint - has all the great proggy, trippy expectedness of Isis, with some heavy parts sprinkled in, and a vocal change in the middle of the song. I dug it.

12. Jesu - Dethroned - For those who don’t know, I used to sleep to Jesu. I don’t have anything against them, I just got to sleep easy from their music. While this track is a lot heavier, it’s probably also pretty good to sleep to. Jesu fans have reason to rejoice, because this is a great track. I wouldn’t put the fate of my dreams in the hands of any other band.

13. Pelican - Inch Above Sand - Let’s see… Soft instrumental? Check. No vocals? Check. Does it sound like every other song that Pelican has written? Check.

14. Zoroaster - Witch’s Hammer - This is blackened southern doom, and I thought it was solid. Not great, but worth a listen. Not Cobalt…but good. Then again…there can only be one Cobalt.

15. Withered - Extinguished With The Weary - Wow, something that ain’t doom. It’s refreshing to see some blackened death metal here. It’s good stuff, really thrashy blackened death metal. Have to check out some more from these guys, digging this. Move over, Behemoth.

16. Boris - Luna - Wow. I’m wondering if this is a preview of the new album. What I’m hearing from this legendary Japanese prog/doom/drone band is something different, double bass with both male and female vocals, and beautiful melodies. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, and only the Japanese choose to experiment like this. This is worth the whole album. (Sorry America, but the best experimental stuff always seems to come from Japan.) Damn, the new Boris is going to FUCKING RULE!

OVERALL: THIS IS A FREE ALBUM. IF SOMEONE GAVE YOU A FREE PIZZA, YOU’D EAT IT, RIGHT? WE’VE ALL HAD OUR SHARE OF BAD FREE STUFF BEFORE, FREE PENS, FREE STICKERS, FREE REFRIGERATOR MAGNETS, FREE LANYARDS…THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY WORTH MONEY, AND IT IS BEING GIVEN OUT FOR FREE! I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE, IF YOU LIKE METAL, D/LOAD THIS ALBUM, EVEN IF YOU DON’T DOWNLOAD MUSIC, “BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT COOL”, AS I’VE SEEN IT TYPED.

BESIDES, THERE’S NO WAY TO GET THIS IN ANY OTHER FORMAT, BECAUSE IT WON’T FIT ON ONE DISC. (82:00 LONG) IF YOU WANT TO GIVE THE BANDS THEIR SUPPORT, THEN BUY THEIR FULL ALBUMS, OR GO TO THEIR SHOWS.
PLUS, THERE’S BORIS…AND THAT’S HOW I’M CERTAIN THAT THERE MIGHT JUST BE A G.O.D.…AFTER ALL. (OR, SOME KIND OF SOURCE.)



Mushroomhead - Beautiful Stories For Ugly Children (2010) - What in the hell happened here? It seems that they spent more money on their fucking masks and costumes, then they did on the production of the album. When I grabbed the single, I thought that it was just a low-quality web rip. What a fool I was, when I found out that this poor quality comprised THE ENTIRE FUCKING ALBUM. Ladies and gentlemen, this is demo quality production that is being packaged and sold to you, in the hopes that you’ll buy it.

So with that I have to say, “Fuck you, Mushroomhead! I will not buy an album from a well known band, that has shitty production. I will not fucking do it.” Shame on them for even trying to sell this shit. I could understand if it was meant to be raw, but here you can clearly tell that they’re just fucking broke. Savior Sorrow bombed, and for good reason. It was horseshit. J. Mann left to form a pretty solid band (Pitch Black Forecast) with Gene Hogland on drums, and then Mushroomhead puts out a shitty mainstream almost pop album, after a great work like XIII.

So, how does it sound? Well, if you can forgive the shitty quality, (and it is shitty) then the album sounds pretty damned good actually. This is arguable the best I’ve heard Mushroomhead since the early days, and while there are still hits and misses, there are a lot of hits, and only a few misses. I really wish it was recorded a little better, because it’s so damned raw, but there’s a lot to like on this one, and a hell of a lot of reliability. The symphonics are there, and the only clean vocals I care about in the band (the original front man, not the new guy they hired) are as dreary as they need to be. Sure, the new guy gets a few nickel back croons in now and then, but mostly he lets loose with his metal core-esque but not really bad version of heavy vocals. There’s a lot of epic songs in this album, and the symphonics bring that out nicely. Also, there’s a lot of just plain good rock picking and some classic sounding rock and roll style solos. This is a rock/metal album with a good bit of symphonics that will suffer and go unnoticed due to shit quality.

OVERALL: DEFINITELY WORTH A LISTEN. THE STRONGEST THEY’VE BEEN IN YEARS, BUT DON’T BUY IT, UNLESS YOU CAN GET OVER THE QUALITY.



Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time (2010) - I should’ve reviewed this a while ago, and I apologize for that. What we have here is a solid power metal album from power metal legends. For any of you that had the misfortune of hearing “A Twist In The Myth”, this is that great redeemer that you were waiting for. Yes, it’s a good album, and a step in the right direction for the band. Some of the songs actually hearken back to the band’s thrash era, and you can still see that they still have that potential in them. All in all, there’s a lot to like on this album, whether it be the epic opener “Sacred Worlds”, or the thrash hey-day of “A Voice In The Dark” (Also check the demo of that one), you’re not going to be disappointed in this release. For me, I only thought that “War Of The Thrones” fell a bit short, because it lacked the flow of the rest of the album. I must also mention that this album contains a few tracks showcasing the band’s mid-era style, (Imaginations From The Other Side - A Night At The Opera) so there’s something here for everyone. If this is their last album, it’s a good way to go out.

OVERALL: SOLID, LEGENDARY POWER METAL, THAT IS WORTH A LISTEN. THE BONUS DISC ISN’T BAD EITHER.



Alcest - Ecailles De Lune (2010) - Alcest has been called by many “happy black metal”, and this is because they mix beautiful melodies and blast beats together with the usual French clean vocal. Yet on this release, the vocalist has ventured further into the territory of true black metal, with the addition of scowls to still accompany his beautiful melodies and blast beats. While not for everyone, it’s definitely refreshing, even though I can’t understand a word of it.

OVERALL: SOLID “HAPPY BLACK METAL” THAT IS WORTH A LISTEN.



Acrassicuada - Only The Dead See The End Of War EP (2010) - What we have here is an inspiring piece of music from a band who I’m told used to sound like an Iraqi Judas Priest. Here we see them venturing in to Metallica territory, but still adding touches which would be native to their land. The EP is very short, but it shows that good things are happening with this band who survived a damn near apocalypse just to be able to play metal music.

OVERALL: IRAQI THRASH METAL THAT IS DEFINITELY WORTH A LISTEN.



Anathema - We’re Here Because We’re Here (2010) - Anathema has moved far from metal territory, and only one of the songs “Summer Night Horizon” showcases the fact that they were ever a metal band. Here, they do what various mainstream groups like Coldplay for example are doing, except that they 1 up these bands by quite a lot. This album is by far one of the most beautiful and relaxing albums that I have ever heard in the last 10 years. “Thin Air”, “Everything”, and “Angels Among Us” are all great songs with a lot of hope in an album that is trying to plainly state that there may just be a lot more to our lives than monotony and permanent death. Perhaps, we are not destined to rot in the grave after all…

OVERALL: NOT VERY METAL, BUT INSTEAD REALLY BEAUTIFUL. WORTH A LISTEN FOR THAT REASON ALONE.



Antares Predator - Twilight Of The Apocalypse (2010) - I’ve heard this album was ten years in the making, and it sounds like it could’ve used ten years more. What we’ve got is a very bland black metal album, and even the parts that are interesting aren’t interesting for long. This is nothing more, than boring.

OVERALL: SKIP IT.



As I Lay Dying - The Powerless Rise (2010) - Melodic Christian Life (?) Metal band (but don’t want to push their beliefs on you) As I lay Dying have come out with some pretty solid stuff, and this one’s no different. What you’re going to hear is pretty much another day at the office for these guys, as they do everything that you’ve already heard from them already. If you liked their last album, you’ll like this one. It’s not bad, it’s just that it’s really nothing new.

OVERALL: NOTHING SPECIAL, BUT THE FANS WILL LOVE IT.





Avantasia - The Wicked Symphony and Child of Babylon (2010) - Two fucking albums were released by Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia project in one year, and after hearing them both, even though they are doused with guest vocalists from various bands, (even though I thought Tim Owen’s performance was best) I still couldn’t get into this very much. I really liked “The Scarecrow (2008)” and especially the song with Alice Cooper “Master Of Toys”, but this just seems to be too damn much; and even if you do get “more bang for your buck”, it’s mostly filler. New Edguy should be out next year though.

OVERALL: WHILE THERE IS AN AWFUL LOT OF CONTENT HERE, ONLY IF YOU’RE A BIG FAN OF TOBIAS SAMMET, WILL YOU ACTUALLY LIKE THIS. THERE ARE HITS AND MISSES AND SOME GOOD PERFORMANCES FROM GUESTS, BUT IT’S NOT AS GOOD AS THE SCARECROW.

ALSO TRY: EDGUY - TINNITUS SANCTUS (2009)



Bleeding Through - Bleeding Through (2010) - This Deathcore act has done everything under the fucking sun. Their last album was the first Blackcore album I’ve ever heard, and it was more Blackcore than that new Dawn of Ashes. Here we see them using everything they’ve got, and throwing every style that they can manage. It’s a good effort, and I’m sure some people liked it, but it got buried under the weight of far better albums.

OVERALL: SOLID BLACK/DEATH/METALCORE, BUT THERE’S BETTER ALBUMS OUT THERE.



Christopher Lee’s Charlemagne - By The Sword And Cross (2010) - For those of you who didn’t know, this is real. It’s a metal band with Christopher Lee “You Shall Not Pass!” on vocals. (He was also quite good in the original “Wicker Man” (1973) One of my personal favorites) But anyhow, what we’ve got here is a very operatic album with some guitars. I said “some” guitars. It’s barely metal at all, except for “The Bloody Act of Verden” which is actually quite catchy and a little comical. “I shed the blood of a Saxon man, I shed the blood of a Saxon man, I shed the blood of four thousand Saxon men!” is about the only thing I remember from the album.

OVERALL: METAL FANS SHOULD SKIP IT, OPERA FANS SHOULD GET IT.



Sig Ar Tyr - God saga (2010) - Sig Ar Tyr’s last album was amazing. But this one is not. Their brand of what I would call “slightly more experimental Viking metal” just seems to sound like “regular old Viking metal” on this album, and I just didn’t get it. Perhaps I should listen to it again, but after a monumental release like their last release, I don’t really care if they come out with another album, since that one was fucking perfect.

OVERALL: GET THE OLD ONE…GOOGLE IT.



Cynic - Retraced EP (2010) - Fans of the new Cynic will love this, but fans of the death metal era of Cynic will probably throw this in the garbage. It’s just acoustic versions of some of their songs. There’s not a lot here to go on, and it’s best to just save your money, unless you really like some Cynic.

OVERALL: ONLY FOR THE FANS, THERE’S NO METAL HERE!



Deftones - Diamond Eyes (2010) - I was surprised by this album. The music has gotten heavier, but the vocals are still light. There’s a lot of melody here, and the single is by far the best track on the album, but for fans of the Deftones, this will be an automatic purchase anyway. I worked with a guy once who was a big fan, and he had it all, so I’m sure there’s many like him. (The guy also had the entire Cannibal Corpse Discography (even the singles) in their physical forms. I wonder how much all that will go for on Ebay?)

OVERALL: FANS AND NEWCOMERS ALIKE WILL ENJOY THIS.



Cult Of Luna - Eviga Riket (2010) - This is a definite first in metal. If you know something else that is similar to this, please let me know - because I’ve never heard anything like this. What this is, is both an audio book, with light atmospheric passages, a little metal intro, and a full blown metal song as an epilogue. Basically, the reader reads the story, and the band produces some of the effects, besides the intro and the epilogue which is a full length song, although it’s not their best song either, IMHO. This concept, as you would expect; fits better on a DVD. Although I do not have the actual DVD, so I have no earthly idea if there is any visual complement to the book. I would assume so, and it would be interesting to see at least the artwork inspired by this epic tale which is on par with “Through The Looking Glass”, “The Lord Of The Rings”, and “The Chronicles Of Narnia”. You get what I’m talking about then, right? This is a very fantastical tale, but is strictly for adults, due to it’s graphic nature and realism in some areas. It might scare kids to see something like this on the big screen.

When you buy it, you get the physical book form, and the DVD which also contains the music and possible visual stimulus. The novel, obviously doesn’t contain music, and I’d like to see how the band would convey that, other than a few pages being full of musical notes that I guess you would have to hum (joking)…I’m going far off the subject here, but this novel is also quite scholarly, and makes even an author such as myself, appear uneducated with it’s use of words and prose.

So, dumb old “Joe Metal” is gonna chunk this in the garbage, and the “Where are my riffs?” guy is going to have to sit through which may be 97 minutes of mindless babble to him, (107 mins total on the disc) just to get to the guitars. There is however, about 20 minutes or so worth of music; but this is not meant to be a musical album. It’s a book…and a damn good one at that.

OVERALL: A BRILLIANT STORY, WITH AN INTERESTING AND EPIC CLIMAX, WHICH IS SUITABLE FOR ONLY THOSE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND THE PROSE, BUT I THINK THAT CULT OF LUNA FANS WILL REALLY LIKE IT.

AS AN AUTHOR MYSELF, I WAS IMPRESSED… TO SAY THE VERY LEAST!

Week 5 (Oct 18, 2010)

Melechesh - The Epigenesis (2010) - Melechesh has been known for doing their own type of middle eastern black metal. The only problem with this formula is that it is slightly overused. While the album showcases two great instrumentals, and has an “epic” vibe all of the way through it, I feel that the middle eastern riffs are repeated over and over to the point of insanity. Djinn still triumphs this one, and Melechesh has now left me with an impression that they are trying too hard. Some of you may enjoy it, but it wears off after a while…an all too short while.

OVERALL: IT WON’T CONVERT NEW FANS, AND IT WON’T CHANGE OLD ONES. IT’S PRETTY MUCH CUT AND PASTE, FOR THESE GUYS. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED.

ALSO TRY: MELECHESH - DJINN (2001)



Halford - Made Of Metal (2010) - From the start of this album, I thought it was really good. Many of the tracks brought up Judas Priest’s “Painkiller” era. No shit. But then, as I got further down, I heard some “Hell Bent For Leather” style stuff, and then some country influence “Till The Day I Die” , and some Spanish influence “Matador”. There’s even what I’d like to call “A shorter version of Loch Ness” which is called “25 Years”. Trust me, with the chorus constantly repeating “I’ve had the devil on my back for 25 years”, it felt like this song lasted that fucking long. I’ve been around for 25 years, and that song was about as long and drawn out as they’ve been. This damn thing is full of filler, and even though there are some really great songs, classic playing and good solos….
We’ve heard it all before. At least the thing ends with a heavy track. “The Mower”.

OVERALL: HALFORD FANS ONLY. THIS IS NOTHING NEW. THE FEW GOOD TRACKS AREN’T WORTH THE REST OF THIS DISC.



Intronaut - Valley Of Smoke (2010) - Intronaut do not dissapoint with this album, even though they have shed much of the heaviness from “Prehistoricisms”, and have moved to a much more progressive and experimental state. Like the ice to complement the fire of the previous album, this is a refreshing listen. It could be argued that the band has made themselves a little lighter in order to obtain possible radio play, (lots of clean vocals on this one) but I think it’s just a natural step in their evolution. Are there heavy songs on this album? Yes. But very few, and I’ll mention that most of the album is instrumental, and it contains few vocals. Surely that’s not a bad thing. It’s a good trip, that you’ll want to take again and again.

OVERALL: NOT A HEAVY ALBUM, BUT A GREAT ONE NONETHELESS. YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO PICK THIS ONE UP. IT’S AS REFRESHING AS A COOL GLASS OF WATER ON A PARCHED THROAT.



Gallowbraid - Ashen Eidolon EP (2010) - You may have noticed that my mind was slightly blown by this album’s opening track “Ashen Eidolon“. Then, it was set back into motion by “Autumn”. which was pretty boring. The next track “Oak and Aspen” was decent, and then a bit of filler “Autumn II” (which is about 1:28) closed the album out. More or less, it’s just a sampler of this band, and I think that they have some major potential. Can’t wait to hear more.

OVERALL: JUST CHECK OUT THE ONE TRACK ON THEIR MYSPACE PAGE. THE REST OF THIS EP IS FODDER.



James Labrie - Static Impulse (2010) - This is a first for La Brie, since the album sounds like a much more proggier version of “Clayman” era In Flames. It’s considered to be both Progressive Metal, and Melodic Death Metal”. Yes, I said “Death Metal”, due to the vocal additions of Matt Guillory, who produces a Trivium like death growl. Which is weak, but works in some songs. It is a very heavy album, but is formulaic. Thankfully, there is a lot of good playing and impressive solo and keyboard work. It is easily much better than his last album, which I bought a while ago, and physically own. It’s very catchy, but it’s very good. People are shitting themselves over this, and it’s worth it. The only passable track is the final one, even though it may not be for those who are overseas in this war, or for those who have loved ones who are overseas fighting this war. It’s a ballad about a soldier who won’t be making it back home. I can count on my fingers and toes how many of this have been done by “insert artist here”, and this one is not my favorite. It starts off with a bang, and ends with a whimper.

By the way…For those of you rushing for the “Limited Edition”, unless you are only looking for the collectors value of such a copy, you are going to be sorely disappointed. What you receive on this disc (unless there’s a DVD, like with every limited these days), is two weak tracks: A demo version of “Jekyll Or Hyde” which only has the difference of untouched growls from Guillory, which sound like absolute shit. The next track is another version of “Coming Home”, that horrible album closer - and this one has more acoustic feel. It’s quite radio friendly. So save yourself the trouble (unless the DVD is good, assuming you get one…I’m not sure) and just get the cheap regular version. What an absolute rip-off Labrie! You must think that if you shit in a sandwich, someone’s going to eat it.

OVERALL: THE REGULAR EDITION OF THIS ALBUM IS A WORTHWHILE PIECE OF MUSIC, WHILE FORMULAIC AT TIMES, THIS IS EASILY BETTER THAN HIS LAST SOLO EFFORT. IT ALSO HAS THOSE “DEATHCORE GROWLS”. STILL…NOT BAD. NOT BAD AT ALL.

WORTH A LISTEN.



Jaldaboath - The Rise Of The Heraldic Beasts (2010) - This is very interesting album, which begins to be a mix of Monty Python’s Holy Grail, and metal. From song titles like “Bash The Bishop” and “Axe Wielding Nuns”, and with lyrics clearly based in British humor, this was an absolute must for me. I’d like to buy it, but I’ll be the import costs are high. L But, later on in the album, there are the songs “Jacque De Molay” and “Da Vinci’s Code”, which are a complete 360 degree turn from the rest of the album. It’s almost like two different bands recorded on this release, which might be true since this is the debut release, and the songs were written from 2007 - 2010. Apparently, they weren’t sure which approach to use, so they put them both on here.

Meads Of Asphodel comes to mind when I hear some of these songs, and I can’t help but think that there was either a MOA worship or collaboration thing going on. (Is this somebody’s side project? They’re both English bands!) Regardless, Grand Master Jaldaboath’s vocal touches are great. The man can sing, he can pull a Walkyier holler, and he can even scowl with the best of them…and I mean the best of them. I wish I had vocals like that. Simply amazing black metal vocals (when they are used), and I hope that “Da Vinci’s Code” is a sign of things to come. For me personally, I would love to support this fucking band and buy their album, because it’s so damn amazing to me.

But to you…and this is where the review aspect comes in - you got thrash and sometimes punkish metal with low grade keyboards but good skills in those places. The lyrics in the beginning are funny, and very “Holy Grail”. Later on though, the band shows potential, but if you’re looking for seriousness, these songs are few. If you’re looking for a laugh, then it’s a good one. Hell, it might be dubbed “Python Metal” or “Holy Grail Metal”, if they keep their first style. Doesn’t matter to me. This has to be my favorite release of the year. It doesn’t have to be yours.

OVERALL: WORTH A LISTEN, WORTH A LAUGH, AND THE SERIOUS SONGS ARE PRETTY SOLID. NOT ENOUGH OF THEM, SO IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SERIOUS FOLK METAL WITH BLACK METAL INFLUENCE HERE AND THERE…WELL, THERE’S THOUSANDS OF BANDS THAT DO THAT.

OF COURSE, THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH A GOOD PARODY. J

ALSO TRY: MEADS OF ASPHODEL - WELCOME TO PLANET GENOCIDE, DAMASCUS STEEL



Demilich - Nespithe (1993) (Request) - When I first put in Demilich, I had no idea what to expect. I thought it was black metal, but the genre said “Technical Death Metal”. I’m not crazy about Tech Death, but figured I’d give it a whirl anyway. Well, the verdict is in, and it’s quite clear. Demilich had something, they just fucked up really bad when they chose their vocalist. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone too badly, but I’m going to be blunt and to the point. In my Technical Death Metal, or even my Death Metal in general, I prefer what are death metal grunts or rasps. I do not want it to sound like a certain individual is belching all over what is an excellent musical piece.

It actually reminded me of a childhood show that I used to watch called Animaniacs. One of them, I believe his name was “Wacko” - well, he used to get on stage and belch classical pieces. Vocally, this album reminded me of that character. It’s as if they had one of the Animaniacs on vocals. There is such beauty flowing throughout each and every song, and if not for that man filling up on high carbonated drinks, I would have loved this album greatly. Why in the bloody hell would they say “Hey, we don’t want you to growl, we’d like you to belch?” It makes as much sense as Chris Barnes’s idea to quack like a fucking duck in his albums, and don’t even let me get into the grind core piggy stuff. Just because I’m in the south doesn’t mean that hogs should be on vocals. What makes people come up with these things?

Regardless, if you can tolerate the vocals ( and I’m sure some that people can) you will find a rare and unappreciated musical gem. As for the rest of the band, I know not what they are doing now, but hopefully it does not have to do with that gassy fellow. Such great music, and such terrible vocals make this whole thing hard to call.

OVERALL: WELL WORTH A LISTEN, IF YOU CAN OVERCOME THE FELLOW THAT DECIDED TO BELCH THROUGH THE ENTIRE ALBUM. MUSICALLY, THERE IS A MYRIAD OF GOOD THINGS GOING ON. I JUST WISH IT WERE INSTRUMENTAL.



Unearthly Trance - V (2010) - How about “Unearthly Bore?” Don’t get me wrong. I like drone music a lot. I especially like Boris’s old drone music, and several other musicians who I probably don’t even know are doing drone. Jesu? Minsk? (It’s hard to tell sometimes.)

The whole thing feels like a depressant. Song after song drudged on with no real form other than to bring about the sensation of an old man taking his time walking across the street. I am positively sure on the right type of drugs I would find this album invigorating, but with nothing but a little weed in my system, I felt that the whole thing was still too damned slow for my tastes. I will say that the final song, (and it couldn’t come soon enough) was trippy enough for me to feel like I was floating. It also could’ve been the pot, but furthermore - I felt that this album needed more of that feel. The band’s lyrics trudged on and on about the dark lord, which is a concept that I am growing tired of hearing, and the music was so bland that it almost put me to sleep. I felt my eyes actually becoming heavier. Perhaps that’s why I felt like I was flying. I might have even been asleep. This one was all haze…

…Or maybe, it was just the pot.

OVERALL: RECOMMENDED ONLY FOR FANS OF THIS DRONE/SLUDGE STUFF. YOU’LL LOVE IT. FOR EVERYONE ELSE OUT THERE…YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT HIGH ENOUGH. I DON’T THINK THAT I WAS, EITHER.

ALSO TRY BORIS - DRONEVIL



Black Anvil - Triumvirate (2010) - What we have here, is some promising progressive blackened thrash metal. It’s actually quite good, even though a tad formulaic. Still, it’s a good formula. This band is trying to form their own sound…and it’s a good one. There’s two instrumental lackluster tracks, weighing in at about a minute each, (waste of fucking space and time) and the whole thing eventually lets you know that “Hey, this is it. This is all we are going to do. If you don’t like it, play something else - this is our sound, and we like it.” There’s a lot of bands who say the same, and those bands are just as good. As far as I’m concerned it’s pretty solid, and I think they can hold their own. Check it out and give me your opinion.

OVERALL: WORTH A LISTEN. SOLID PROGRESSIVE BLACKENED THRASH METAL FROM RIGHT HERE IN THE USA. IT WILL KICK YOUR ASS. EVEN THOUGH IT WILL KICK YOUR ASS THE SAME WAY ON EVERY TRACK, SAVE TWO MINUTES BREATHING TIME, AND ONE FINAL INSTRUMENTAL TRACK AT ABOUT 4 MINUTES.



Mortiis - Perfectly Defect (2010) - First of all, this album is free, so go get your copy from http://www.mortiis.com/, and give them a few bucks if you like it. I gave them two dollars, and hey it’s not much, but I’m sure it helps.

For those of you who do not know, this is the bridge between “Some Kind Of Heroin” and the not yet released new album “The Great Deceiver” which Mortiis explains to be a “much darker record” (fingers crossed). Anyway, what we’ve got here sounds a little like their last album, and then goes into completely non-metal territory. So if you’re wanting industrial metal, this isn’t really for you, even though there are good tracks in this almost all instrumental album. “Thieving Bastards” was fucking great from an electronic metal standpoint…

You get the idea. It’s more electronic than metal. My cup of tea, and probably not yours. But if you do like it, it’s free, so download it. You can even choose which format, and you get a whole mess of crap in the folder, including the materials to make your own CD and booklet. The artwork is also good. Plus, he got rid of that awful fucking mask. We can all be thankful for that.

OVERALL: MUST FOR FANS OF ELECTRONIC/METAL. IT’S ALSO FREE.
FOR EVERYONE ELSE…IT’S A PASS.



Bishop Of Hexen - The Nightmarish Compositions (2006) - This Iranian band combines symphonics and black metal in such a way, that it actually sounds quite good. Track after track of solid symphonic black metal. This album was raised in response to some guy’s statement that: “THERE IS NO GOOD SYMPHONIC BLACK METAL”. So I thought I would try it, and I must say, it’s certainly better than the pile of poo that Dimmu left us with. Other than that, not much else to say.

OVERALL: SOLID SYMPHONIC BLACK METAL. BUT, THIS IS ALL IT IS.
DON’T EXPECT ANYTHING MORE.



Deathchain - Death Gods (2010) - Impressive. Very Impressive… I’m not just saying that because of another great Lovecraftian concept, (and awesome album artwork) these guys have taken back Death / Thrash metal. I’d even go as far as to calling them “This Generation’s “The Crown”. There‘s still some core influence here and there, but other than that, this is the future of Death / Thrash. The guitar work is good, the solos don‘t disappoint, and the drummer’s fucking great.

Impious put out regurgitated garbage last year, and my hope for them has faded. So I’m glad that Deathchain came around and changed my mind about one of my favorite genres of metal. (My old band was modern black/death thrash as well, and I wish that we sounded this fucking good.) I’m going to say to grab this one up. It’s gonna play a good couple times. I promise. This is a very solid release, and I’d like to see these guys do it live.

OVERALL: WORTH A SPIN. YOU MIGHT EVEN GIVE IT MORE THAN A COUPLE SPINS. GOOD STUFF TO BLAST DOWN THE ROAD AT 100 MILES AN HOUR. A CONTENDER TO “THE CROWN”.



Facebreaker - Infected (2010) - Let’s backup a good release with another good release, shall we? I’m going to make this simple. This reminded me of that kind of great classic death metal I heard on Bloodbath’s “Nightmares Made Flesh”, and Grave‘s “Soulless” . The guitars breathe death metal, the vocals sound like they are coming from a rotting corpse, and this is just some all around great, very solid, skull ripping death metal. Fuck, this is good. I haven’t heard death metal this good in a long time. Someone’s gotta teach these deathcore kids their fucking roots, and these guys are doing it.

I’d be an idiot to tell you not to get this album. These guys are up there with Grave and fucking Cannibal Corpse. In a world so filled with core, it feels great to hear some of that death metal that really soaked into me when I was just a teenager.

OVERALL: GOOD SHIT. GREAT SOLID DEATH METAL, THAT YOU’D BE AN IDIOT TO PASS UP. REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF EARLY GRAVE. FUCKNG GET IT. UNLESS YOU…DON’T LIKE… DEATH METAL?



Fleurty - Department Of Apocalyptic Affairs (2000) - I was told that this was Avant Garde Black Metal. Problem was…I didn’t hear much black metal. There was one song on the whole album that made use of black metal, and that was “Face In A Fever” which they did two versions of. Other than that, you’ve got a woman doing most of the vocal work, and guitars with some electronics and other weirdness. It’s more like an average avant garde release, which is still saying something because it’s different, and the album cover showcases a teddy bear sitting next to a grenade, so that’s weird, but it’s also very fitting for the album.

It’s like a teddy bear sitting next to a grenade. One’s soft, the other will blow your body apart - put them next to each other, and nothing really happens. That’s the same thing here. There’s even an electro pop song right before the second version of “Face In A Fever” (which is the final track), for all those people out there that like electro pop…

Just kidding on that one.

OVERALL: NOT MUCH HERE TO AMAZE YOU. NOT MUCH HERE TO AMAZE ME. MAY NOT BE MUCH HERE TO AMAZE ANYBODY. IT’S ALRIGHT, I GUESS. NOT REALLY BAD, BUT NOT REALLY GOOD EITHER.



Urizen - Autocratopolis (2005) - Whoa. This is different. It’s different, but nice. Imagine if you will for a second, black metal with clean vocals, but in that same sense, there’s a sense of happiness, and even some light hearted tracks.

That’s what you’ve got here. Urizen, who are American, are basically a melodic blackened thrash metal band in which the vocalist sings through all of the tracks, rarely going into a harsh vocal, even though the double bass is flying, but not all the time; and unlike one of the first albums I reviewed here, Nemtheanga’s side project Blood Revolt, this doesn’t go to doom. It instead goes into light hearted pieces, a few of which are devoid of metal heaviness, such as “Street Light”, “Or 3 Steps”. But don’t let this shy you away from this album, because when they play, they play. This is really top notch shit, and while I haven’t heard any of their other albums, I’d have to say that this one is fucking great. So give it a shot…If you can find it, that is. It maybe something of a rarity now.

OVERALL: MELODIC THRASH METAL WITH TOUCHES OF ADVANTGARDE AND THE BLASTS OF BLACK METAL. IT’S AS INTERESTING AS IT SOUNDS. BUT MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE. MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION ON THIS AWKWARD ALBUM.

IF YOU CAN FIND IT…



Jamie Saft - Black Shabbis (2009) - Here’s something interesting. This is black metal coming from a jazz musician. So you can expect things to be very jazzy, and sometimes bluesy. Of course, that’s only on a few of the songs. Most of this album relies much on the heavy tuning of the guitar, and the weird demon voice that he uses, but it mostly gibberish.

There is a one 13:55 minute drone track called “Kielce”, which is very dark and brooding, like the rest of the album; even though there are some more light hearted songs like “Serpent Seed” and “Army Girl”. Some of the album is thrashy like “Blood” and “King Of King Of Kings” , and the album intro kind of sounds like the beginning to some Tarantino film. Also, there’s an organ keyboard effect used throughout this album.

Another oddity, among many here - is the addition of a black metal song with female vocals all of the way through it, “Remember”. She sings really well, and at some points almost angelic - but I have no idea who she is. I actually really like this track, and she continues her soft tones; despite the fact that the band begins to power through the song, which drowns out her vocals a bit during the chorus. Of course, when drums and guitar began to blaze, it’s hard to heard vocals like that. But, if this was pop music, I would start listening to the radio much more.

The album ends on a very brooding note, like something that came out of a horror film. This is black metal, or heavily inspired by black metal - so it’s not so out of place. All in all, this is a really dark album with hints of light, even though it lets you know in the end that it was always meant to be a dark trip through one man’s subconscious. Highly recommended.

OVERALL: EXPERIMENTAL BLACK METAL WHICH IS MOSTLY INSTRUMENTAL, MOSTLY DARK, AND COMPLETELY ODD. IT’S VERY SPORADIC, AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’LL HEAR. BUT THAT’S A GOOD THING. WORTH A LISTEN, IF YOU CAN FIND IT.

Vulture Industries - The Dystopia Journals (2007), The Malefactor’s Bloody Register (2010)

With Arcturus’s sad demise in 2005, I thought I had heard the last of their unique and flagship brand of avant garde black metal. To my surprise, this album surfaced, and people were losing their minds about the sheer greatness of it (2010 release), and then the older album also surfaced, which is just as good (if not better) than the new one, of course - this could be highly debated.

Well, what can you expect? Arcturus with a different name and an evolved sound. I’ve referred to this band as “The Arcturus Evolution” and I think even Garm got back on vocals, which was the best thing the man could have ever done, sort of like slapping Vortex in the face and saying, “You screwed up, can I have my old job back?” After all, all of the best Arcturus albums were fronted by Garm, and let’s never forget that.



The Dystopia Journals (2007) - This album is simply magnificent. The words “mind-blowing” come to mind, and I could not find one single fault with this release, which I’d wished I’d known about years earlier. When Arcturus fell in 2005, the ashes formed this amazing band, which left the old project in the dust. It’s clearly heavier, but just as experimental and original as Arcturus have ever been. This album is simply a 44 minute goldmine. I’ll bet you can’t just listen to it once. With Garm sounding the best he ever has, and the band playing the best I’ve heard since the fucking “Sham Mirrors” album, and this time not being afraid to add the “black metal heaviness” in some areas, I would have to say that this is one of the single best avant garde albums I’ve heard in the last ten years.



The Malefactor’s Bloody Register (2010) - These guys have a formula. Whether or not they changed their name to Goatshit, they would have still remained in this formula for years. Another Dystopia Journals could not be made, and I believe that this new direction was a step in the right direction. On this album, I am not entirely sure if it is Garm, but possibly a sound-alike, or perhaps his voice has changed with age. Whatever the case, this album is slightly different, and in a way that I cannot explain. I could try to break it down, but it would be best said that this is a different style of their avant garde, which is almost a bit more “mainstream” with more catchy songs in some areas, while still keeping the originality that they’ve had for years. It’s a major hit at large with the metal community, and is still competition with this years avant garde black metal classic “In Lingua Mortua - Salon Des Refuses”. (Only difference being that that release is more geared to “pure balck metal, as this one is more geared to pure avant garde with splashes of black metal)

This album was a bit much for me to explain, being that every track up to “I hung My Heart On Harrow Square” has a life of it’s own. Yes, that means that while there are nice things thrown in on several of the later tracks, they seem to follow a formula that is good, but not amazing. They aren’t bad songs at all - just not as great and unique as what can be found in the older album. The album’s closer is truly epic, being the longest song that this particular band has recorded “7:20”, and they use that time well, at least I believe so.

The best way to explain these two releases is to find them, or get them from the internet, but I highly recommend old fans of Arcturus to get this new incarnation. Garm is once again where he should be, and that is back on the vocals for Arctu…I mean, Vulture Industries, which in closing I will still consider: “The Arcturus Evolution”.

UPDATE: GARM IS NOT ON THE VOCALS, NOR DOES THIS BAND HAVE ANY TIES IN TO ARCTURUS. STILL, IT IS VERY HARD TO TELL!

http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=36666

OVERALL: RECOMMENDED MORE THAN ANY OTHER AVANT GARDE ALBUM THAT’S OUT THERE, FOR ARCTURUS FANS LIKE MYSELF THAT STILL THINK “THE VOID OF CHAOS” IS ONE OF THE BEST AVANT GARDE SONGS EVER WRITTEN. JUST EXPECT A LITTLE MORE HEAVINESS HERE.
IF YOU LIKE AVANT GARDE, THESE ALBUMS (44 minutes each, oddly enough!) WILL MAKE YOUR DAY.



Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent / Absolute Respect 2 CD (2010) - First, before any of you ask any questions, I have the special version of Absolute Dissent, which includes a second album (52:00) of tributes from other bands, some very well known (Metallica, Fear Factory, Helmet) and some I have never heard of (The Mad Capsule Markets, Kotiteollisuus, Nouvelle Vague). It also contains one remix from NIN, or probably just Trent under the NIN moniker. The remix is of “Democracy”, which was my favorite track on the second disc. (Perhaps I should get their old releases, being that I am a big electronic metal guy.) I’ll go into more detail about this disc in a minute.

As for the first disc, I expected electronic metal as per what I’ve heard from them - but instead I got hard rock / post metal with vocals that sometimes reminded me of U2’s early era. (When they were listenable.) This is not a bad thing, and all in all I thought this album was great. It was a nice dose of originality, with a little metal in there as well. Killing Joke has been around for many years, and why I’ve just now got around to them, I’ll never know. There is a surefire formula to this one, but it is a great album, and I feel that this formula is so unique and interesting that they MIGHT get wide recognition for it. It’s a very listenable record, and probably a good thing to listen to when you’re working, or driving down the road.

It’s not unforgiving, and it’s not brutal - but it doesn’t have to be. It’s catchier than the fucking plague, and it’s probably still going to be underrated like all of the rest of their albums. As for “hits”, there are many. I can just about say there’s something good in every song, but I personally didn’t like the final track.

The bottom line is, a few people were discussing this one, and I’d thought I’d try it for myself. I was pleased with it, and it’s good rock. It’s catchy, it’s actually radio friendly a bit (but it’ll probably never make it on the radio), and well fuck…it’s not bad at all. I’ll add that one of my favorite tracks is “European Super State”.

As for the bonus disc - There’s hits and misses. I don’t recommend the cover of “Love Like Blood” by Dead By April, who I think is some fucking emo band. I have no idea why the cover of this song by Sybreed wasn’t included. It’s myriads better. Metallica’s “The Wait” is on there, but I didn’t even know it was one of their songs. I’ve heard it so many times before so it doesn’t matter. Most of these covers are pretty old to begin with, and some of the newer once aren’t so great, although I prefer the Nouvelle Vogue version of “Pssyche” to Econoline Crush’s. Fear Factory does “Millenium”, which I’ve heard before as well, so nothing special there. I already explained about the NIN remix, and to finish this review off, I’ll say that Kotiteollisuus’s version of “Pandemonium”, has made me want to grab their album/s. Rammstein look out, these guys incorporate a little death metal into their German Industrial sound. (Not to mention the riffs are good.)

OVERALL: SOLID ROCK RECORD WITH A LOT MORE TALENT THAN WHAT THE KIDS ARE BEING TOLD TO LISTEN TO THESE DAYS. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, AND GET THIS MUSIC OUT TO THOSE KIDS THAT THINK “SICK PUPPIES”, “LORDI”, AND THE NEW “DISTURBED” ARE REALLY GOOD ALBUMS. THE WORLD NEEDS TO HEAR THIS… AND SO DO YOU.

(Alright, so I’ll admit that a few tracks on the new Disturbed, Lordi, and debut Sick Puppies were decent. But only a few. Too much filler on those releases, and NONE to be found on this Killing Joke album.)



Kylesa - Spiral Shadow (2010) - What did I tell you? I said that I was going to get their album, after I heard that track on Metal Swim, and here’s my verdict:

To you the honest truth, it felt like a marketing scheme by a fast food corporation to goad me into getting one of their new sandwiches. The bun looks fresh, the patty looks plump and juicy, the vegetables look crisp and clean…but when I go to order said sandwich at the local restaurant, I get something that’s much less than what the hell I dreamt about on the way there. This is because advertising sucks nowadays, and that includes metal.

What I heard was mainly an Isis style sound which had some good riffs and interesting play styles, but the lead singer that they used for six of these tracks is some awful guy who I was waiting to holler “I got caught stealin once, when I was five, once!” I always hated that guy’s vocals (the name of the band escapes me at the moment) and this guy’s vocals reminded me so much of that fucking band that I almost wanted to stab my ears out, and convulse.

The female singer is fully featured (that means no breaks where the guy sings) on five songs, one of which that great single “Forsaken”. She is also featured on the title track, which is the longest on the album, and a couple more after that in which the performance is great. I think she definitely has talent, and we need more bands like Kylesa and Black Math Horseman, which are post metal bands that use the female vocal touch. I mean, let’s be honest - Neurosis came, they saw, they conquered, when it comes to male brutality in post metal. I’m not a feminist or anything, I just think that I’ve heard too many dudes hollering to sludgy post metal. I will be honest and say that the album’s closer “Dust”, was the only performance that I liked from the male vocalist. This is because he kept his vocals much more deep and less like that other guy, who I can’t stand.

If you like post metal, it’s a good release. It’s not as good as the new Intronaut, but nothing has been so far. I also got a hold of the debut album from “Sailors With Wax Wings”, a project that features some other well known musicians from several genres, so that may or may not take the cake. Continue reading to find out.

OVERALL: HATED THE MALE VOCALS, BUT THE RIFFS ARE INTERESTING IN PLACES. THE FEMALE VOCALS CAME IN AND WORKED MUCH BETTER WITH THIS BAND, WHO IN ALL ACTUALITY COULD MAKE A GREAT INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM, IMHO. NOT AMAZING, BUT SOLID.



La Rumeur Des Chaines - Self Titled (2005) - An older release, but I’ve never heard it. (Not sure if there’s any new material, or ever will be) This obviously French, experimental black metal band released a three track album which holds much promise.

In the beginning I heard the trumpets and horns of the 50’s, and it made me feel like I was in an old gangster film. Then the black metal came in, and to my surprise it worked well with the sounds of the 50’s. Nice.

The next track is more dominated by the orchestra, and while not an actual orchestra (at least it doesn’t sound like one), it’s certainly a well written effort which has far more going for it than the new Dimmu. It’s just as good as the first track, and thankfully, follows a different formula, letting bands know that you can have more than one formula in an album. It’s called “differentiation.”

The third track is more of a continuation of the second one, but adds some environment from the first as well. It’s the shortest track here, “5:46” and about half the size of the other two, but it’s certainly good.
The main thing about this band is that even though the riffs are nothing special, and the vocals are straight forward, they excel in their usage of other elements, like the jazzy 50’s and the interesting orchestrations…and yes, I might add that the band sounds rather solid, and there is a good lead here and there. Of course, it’s only 3 tracks - so it’s hard to judge from that.

OVERALL: SOLID, BUT STILL DIFFERENT, FRENCH BLACK METAL. WORTH A LISTEN, BUT DON’T EXPECT AN AWFUL LOT.



Llyr - Two Years Of Emptiness (2010) - Say it with me… IT’S DOOM IN SPACE!!!
No, but seriously folks… it’s a Doom/ Death album with short songs, (I thought I was going to faint. For some reason everyone thinks that doom is supposed to drone on and on and on these days…Isn’t that right, Nox Aurea? ) that seem to reflect a space concept in the beginning, and then just go to the common feelings of loneliness expressed in every doom album.

Anyway, what I’m hearing here is slightly upbeat death / doom, with some really good riffs, but the whole thing sounds like it was written a long time ago. Perhaps it’s the production. It really feels like a 90’s recording that was recently mastered. But, don’t let this be a stake in the heart for the thing. It’s a refreshing album, and it excels in doing what it was made to do, which is to provide fans of death and doom metal with the kind of music that they crave. Even reminiscent of Rapture in places, this isn’t one to skip over. It may not sound as pristine as we’d expect records to sound in the 2010 space odyssey that we don’t live in, (and probably never will) but it’s going to appeal to true fans of this metal style, like myself. I will also add that the formula does get pretentious at times, but the riffs change up a lot, and that makes things more interesting.

OVERALL: SOLID DOOM/DEATH WITH SOME GOOD MELODIES AND VOCALS. IT’S A GOOD EFFORT, CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR MORE. WORTH A LISTEN, DON’T PASS IT BY ON ACCOUNT OF QUALITY.



Neo Inferno 262 - Hacking The Holy Code (2008) - This electronic black metal band, which is in the same vein as my own albums - seems to tend to leads toward a more pure black metal sound, sort of like early Aborym, except with a bit better production. In the beginning, this album is quite cold and dry, but from the fifth track to the eighth, a little symphonics kick in, and it sounds a little more full. The eighth track and the closer are both very dry, and the eighth track itself is kind of filler, since it’s a not very good electronic track. The closer isn’t worth talking about, it sounds like an afterthought. There are a few good voice clips put in as well, some work, but some I’ve heard before in the albums from various other bands, and well…you see what I’m getting at here.

OVERALL: DECENT ELECTRONIC BLACK METAL, LEANS TO PURE BLACK, BUT SOUNDS DRY. WORTH IT FOR FANS, BUT EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD SKIP IT, NOT ENOUGH TO LIKE HERE.



Putrefied Beauty - 2010 Demo (2010) - Yes, I am reviewing a freaking demo. Why am I reviewing a demo? Because I can, and if you want to link me to yours, I’ll review it as well. I am no stranger to demos. I’ve made some, and I’ve listened to plenty.

So who is Putrefied Beauty? Well, they are a female brutal death metal band. Notice that I said “female brutal death metal” as opposed to “female deathcore”, which I’m sure exists. So, can women just as well step into the shoes of Karl Sanders, George Fisher, and Glenn Benton?

Well, no. It sounds like a heavier Arch Enemy with more emphasis on speed and brutality and less on riffs. Anyone could have written the riffs, but the drumming is pretty solid. The vocalist sounds just like Angela Gossow, and that’s awful. We all know what Gossow did for Arch Enemy, and I think she ran Amott through the wall, and he’s probably glad that she’s gone back to nursing. But that’s all over now, and I don’t expect to hear another AE for some time at least. But, back to the demo.

This demo showcases a good bit of double bass, very uninteresting riffs, and too much Gossow worship. I understand she helped females to get into death metal, and I’m cool with that, but it just doesn’t sound as good as the greats. Perhaps I’m getting old, and no longer understand the style. I’ve just heard better, and this sounds like regurgitated garbage.

OVERALL: TRASH (I’VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE!)



Sailors With Wax Wings - Self Titled (2010) - I am not sure of all of the members in this experimental / atmospheric super group. I know for certain that the guitarist from Krallice is here, because I can hear his style in the riffing. What you’ve got here seems to be very soft, very melodic, very easy going, almost more rock than metal - this is a tough one to call - album. There is metal here, but it’s not brutal, it’s not thrashy, and it’s dominated by two vocalists, one male and one female who both have soft, light voices and duet through the whole thing. The first track is instrumental, but one the second one starts, you’ll find out what you’re getting into. Good for meditation, I’m sure. Good for sleep, I’m sure. Those last two sentences have already narrowed the field for people who are going to check this one out, I’m sure.

Nonetheless, it’s pretty beautiful stuff. Definitely better if you are high. Last track makes for good romance, I’d imagine. At least it’s something they’d play in the movies during a sex scene. Might even work in an adult film…but… here’s my overall for this one!

OVERALL: RECOMMENDED TO PEOPLE WHO ARE INTO WHAT I’VE JUST DESCRIBED. IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR ANGER, OR THRASH, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT…SKIP IT. UNLESS YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING.



Sebkha Chott - Nagah Mahdi ¹ Opuscrits En 48 Rouleaux (2006) - Yes, that’s the full name of the album. The reason why I thought I’d review this metal and everything (including the kitchen sink) else album, is because it’s so damned interesting. There is more going on this album than the law would allow. It is a metal album, there are progressive pieces, death metal vocals and screams, there’s clean vocals, female vocals, acoustic pieces, horns, flamenco, reggae influence, weird sound effects, marching drums, pop, Egyptian, Arabian, (and more) with 48 fucking tracks total! (one of which is 12:00 long)

Fans of weird shit would be advised to grab this infinitely rare release. I don’t even know if you can buy it in this country. I’d actually have to say with all truthfulness, that you’d better download this one from the internet. I only found one link, and that’s because it was just recently uploaded. If you want to buy it…EBAY or HALF would work.

You could also buy it here:

http://www.hicom.net/~dlarson/?src=progarchives&band=SEBKHA%20CHOTT

Quite possibly one of the most original albums I’ve ever heard, the thing actually works as a whole. I have no idea what the album is about, because I don’t speak the language. Some of it though, is in English, but not enough to be able to understand. I think it is mostly jokes though, since there is some obvious fucking around by the band in certain tracks. On Prog Archives, this album got a 4.5 / 5.0, and many consider it a masterpiece. If you haven’t heard it, you should.

OVERALL: GRAB THIS ONE, ANYWAY THAT YOU CAN. I’VE ONLY LISTED HALF OF THE MUSIC GENRES THAT WERE MIXED WITH METAL ON THIS ALBUM. YOU CAN ALSO BUY IT, VIA THE LINK.

Week 6 (Oct 29, 2010)

Black Veil Brides - We Stitch These Wounds (2010) - What we have here is an American band that loves HIM and metal core so much that they decided to mix them together. The end product is nothing special, it’s just a very heavy band which the radio will still play. Make no mistake about it, this is next generations “guitar hero age” metal. School kids will jam to this and think it’s fucking Slayer. It’s basically a bunch of guys in “goth-glam” and I don’t get it anymore.

Is it good though? Only if you can handle the mainstreamy-ness of the whole thing. There’s not enough here for me to care, but I will say that the guitarist has some good licks, too bad I’ve heard them before. At least the clean vocals aren’t emo. Still, very corporate.

OVERALL: UNLESS YOU’RE A HIGH SCHOOL KID, SKIP IT. CERTAINLY NOT MUSIC FOR A 2010 SPACE AGE…(I’M KIDDING.) I’LL GIVE THEM AN “E” FOR EFFORT, AND A “F” FOR ORIGINALITY. (ANYONE COULD’VE DONE THIS.)

SCORE: 2 HIGH SCHOOL HEADBANGERS, OUT OF 5



Blutmond - Thirteen Urban Ways 4 Groovy Bohemian Days (2010) - This black metal band…Yes, I said BLACK METAL, obviously is plum tired of the devil stereotypes and the icy cold Nordic Lands. There have been plenty of bands to do them, and I’m sure Odin himself is proud, but let’s be serious for a minute. Change is good.

I’ll be honest, I think that this is some very solid black metal with good production, and I like that the band isn’t afraid to experiment with other things. The strengths of Blutmond is that they can experiment with things but not get lost in those things, like can happen to other bands. At some points in the album, there is atmosphere, and it sort of seems like filler, unless you’re an atmosphere junkie; although I will say that the sound of the pissing on “The Party’s Over”, was something I’ve never heard on an album. My favorite track would have to be “Suburbs - A Lamentation Or Social Frustration!?” which is a quite flawless track, and a sort of somber look at society. I’d also recommend “You Vs. The Modern Lifestyle Obsession.” as the band is very strong in both of these tracks.

Some of the tracks have a jazzy feel, and other are very dreary. I must admit, it’s an odd fucking mix. Also, the instrumental track “Martini Midnight Madness” was a great sounding track with a good chorus part that makes me contemplate using it for the project.

Regardless, I would say that this is a solid experiment in black metal, being that there is more metal here than anything else, and a lot of ferocity amidst the gloom and jazz. The band has real skill, the guitar riffs are mildly interesting, the vocals are performed well in their respective atmospheres, and the drums are blasting as is normal for black metal - but not all of the time. It’s a well rounded deal.

OVERALL: RECOMMENDED FOR BLACK METAL FANS WHO ARE TIRED OF THE SAME OLD BLACK METAL SOUND. TEN TIMES BETTER THAN THE NEW DIMMU. (OF COURSE, I CAN THINK OF A MILLION OTHER THINGS BETTER THAN THAT TRASH.)

SCORE: 5 PISSED OFF BLACK METAL BAND MEMBERS ON LSD, OUT OF 5



Der Wanderer Uber Dem Nebelmeer (2 Disc Compilation Of Black Metal and Neo-Folk Metal) (2010) - Since this is a two disc compilation, I will be doing it song by song.

DISC 1

October Falls - Usva - This is a relaxing instrumental track. It’s very folky and there’s no metal to it. I could imagine it playing in a Swedish or Norwegian waiting room.

Nechochwen - Winter strife - This song is a nice folky piece with clean vocals that remind me of Michael Akerfeldt. It gets heavier towards the end, but it still remains the mood. This band seems to have a lot of promise. There’s a few harsh vocals in it, but not many.

Musk Ox - The Face Of Patience - This very violin laden piece is quite sorrowful and beautiful, but it’s hardly metal. Soft vocals creep up in, and then a woman duets with the male vocalist, who are mainly singing la la la, da da da. Then it goes back to just the instruments.

Agalloch and Mathias Grassow - Nebelmeer - Agalloch isn’t doing metal here either. It’s just a soothing atmospheric piece. Sounds good, but not metal. It’s about 9 mins long.

Gallowbraid - Earthen Throne - Finally, some metal. This is from Gallowbraid’s earlier work, which reminds me more of current Enslaved. Obviously the quality isn’t so great, but it’s still a good song. It’s also the second longest song on the album (9:20)

Oskoreien - Ode To Arinbjorn - Another soft instrumental. It’s very folky, like everything on here. No metal to be found.

Thayer Cabin - The Painting Moves - Very weird sounding folk instrumental. It’s not like anything I’ve ever heard. There’s a tambourine in there somewhere. Good production, just different. Are they using a taser in this? I heard one go off.

Dammerfarben - Oktoberstrum - Decent sounding atmospheric black metal with a drum machine. I’m sure I’ve heard this song done by some other band a long time ago, and they didn’t have a drum machine. It’s so hard to tell. Atmospheric black metal, huh? Like that’s something new. Well…it does a thrash a bit, and feature some death metal vocals. The riffs are solid also. Just solid though, not great. It’s a good effort.

Kauan - Vmesto Slez - Light song, light vocals - not sure of the language. No metal, but drums start up a little later, and then the violin starts, and then…the song ends.

Wandar - Waldganger - Here we have a long (9:14) piece, which probably didn’t need to be that long. This sounds like pure raw black metal with low production, but they wanted it to sound that way. Ugh…How many times have I heard this before?

Schwarze Heimat - Verlorener Glanz - A very good folk piece, but there’s no metal in it. The piece is quite soothing.

Underjordiska - Ej Hit Kommen - This is a guitar driven atmospheric piece which is only done by guitars. It seems to work well, and it’s worth hearing.

A Death Cinematic - In the Tumbeling Dawn Light, Their Eyes Fall Frozen Through the Mist and Rain - This is one of those weird Ulver style atmospheres. It, like most of the tracks on these two discs - is not metal either, but is still an interesting piece to sit an absorb for a while.

DISC 2

Fen - The Wind Whispers Of Loss - Not metal, but a very beautiful folk piece. The male singer’s vocals are almost ethereal.

Aldresjal - Through Fire the Serpent Uncoils - This interesting black metal band begins with an interesting Arabian instrumental, and then goes into a very solid black metal style, the kind that I really enjoy, actually. The vocals sound utterly demonic, and are more of a cross between black and death metal, and the band itself has some definite promise. I will be looking for their album to review next week. I believe that Melechesh may now have some competition in their Arabian black metal style. This feels like only a sample of a good meal.

Nachtreich - In Gedanken - Did someone die? I hear very sorrowful violins throughout this whole thing, and I feel like I’m at a funeral. This has to be the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard in my life, and just in case you were wondering…It’s not metal either.

Vindensang - The Reaper and The Seed - This starts out like something I’d expect from Unto Ashes. They’re definitely not a metal band, so you can expect what’s going on here. It’s a good song, and has guitar (which is played well), which Unto Ashes rarely had. The song is quite good actually, and later harsh vocals accentuate the male clean vocals which are heard in the beginning. It’s an impressive piece. Not metal, but still rough. I could play this one about ten more times, I think. This is another band I’d like to track down.

Nebelung - Graue Nacht - A very sorrowful song. The male vocals are in German, and I’ve heard better sorrowful German pieces by Rammstein (“Ohne Dich”), except they were just a bit heavier. Female vocals join in for the da da da. Not impressed.

Enmerkar - Of Mist and Memories - This a cover of the same song by Agalloch. It doesn’t sound as good though. I mean, why do you want a second rate Agalloch with lower production quality?

Stroszek - Land des Schweigens und Dunkelheit - It’s just an alright light musical piece. The vocals are good, but other than that, it’s alright.

Kehra - Valo - What we’ve got here is a black folk metal piece with typical vocals for the genre. But it’s a good piece, and I think that everything was executed correctly. It’s worth hearing, especially for fans of Agalloch. (who seems to be the big basis of this album, even though the song they made isn’t even metal) I’ll actually say that this track is one of the best folk metal songs I’ve heard on this set, as of this typing.

Quellenthal - Winterreise - The second shortest song on this album contains light music and German vocals. It’s devoid of metal, and still…quite fucking sad. Don’t forget that like many other tracks here, a woman joins - but this time to just go “ahhhhh, ahhhhh ahhhh”. (the technical term is “vocalizing”) When she’s done, the song ends with what sounds like a horrible ringing in my ears.

Spectral Lore - Pilgrimage - Ah, Spectral Lore - grabbed a discography of these guys a few years ago. They’re better at their atmospheres than their metal, but this is from an album that I did not have, and the production is MUCH better this time. It starts out devoid of guitar, but then one joins in to add some interesting atmospheres to the already intriguing atmospheres presented. I will tell you this - if you enjoy atmospheres and a little metal guitar, Spectral Lore is a great band to check out. Highly Recommended.

Carved in Stone - Night - The shortest song on the album (2:33) sounds like a ballad by Blackmore’s Night, but with two female vocalists that duet perfectly. This is the kind of music that used to soothe me to sleep.

Velnias - Sovereign Nocturnal - This song is meant to end the set, and it is a whopping (13:01) track. Thankfully, it’s metal - and it’s quite fucking heavy. Probably the heaviest song on the album, it recalls Opeth’s glory days. Yeah, hearing a lot of Opeth here on the guitars, but the vocals sound a little more demonic than Opeth. I think these guys are also worth hunting down. I hear definite promise here, and I cannot fully describe the greatness of this one. This band and Aldresjal are definite musts for any metal fan looking for something good for their ears. Plenty of bad shit out there, so it’s good to know that there are bands out there - maybe not with great production, who are kicking ass.

OVERALL: Not really for metal fans actually, so I’d have to pass it - however, the bands who are metal and are presented here for the most part - are worth listening, possibly buying, and I’d go see their shows too. These “NEED TO KNOW BANDS” are:

Velnias (Best Thing I’ve heard Since Opeth, except a little slower)
Aldresjal (Best Thing I’ve heard Since Melechesh)
Gallowbraid and Kehra (Best Thing I’ve Heard Since Agalloch)
Vindensang (A Little Bit Metal) and Spectral Lore (These Guys Are Just Good)

I have to second Velnias, and I’ll post the myspace pages for these bands in another topic. New metal is always a good thing, and these guys need the support, hence why they’re on this 2 disc set.

SCORE: NOT APPLICABLE AS A FULL METAL ALBUM



Headkase -The Worm County Circus (2008) - Here we have an interesting act, who mixes hardcore with avant-garde music. Normally I would hate this sort of thing, but it’s not bad actually. I used to listen to a lot of hardcore bands back in the day, like Pissing Razors and Vision Of Disorder, and I still like a little Hatebreed every now and then.

You wouldn’t think it works, but it does. Well…sort of. It still has the “in your face” feel of hardcore, like my old guitarist used to say: “I want music so heavy that it’s like a fist came out of the speakers and punched me in the face.” But let’s not forget about the oddities that are thrown into the mix, which make what would be a boring hardcore album, just a little more interesting. Is it amazing? Not really. There’s not much originality in the general hardcore sound of the album, and the avant-garde touches don’t really spell out “game changer” in any sense of the word. It’s still too bland for my taste.

OVERALL: IF YOU WANT TO HEAR SOME SLIGHTLY “DIFFERENT” HARDCORE, THEN GIVE A SHOT. IT’S NOT REALLY AS AMAZING AS IT TRIES TO APPEAR AT FIRST. THERE’S JUST NOT ENOUGH EXPERIMENTATION.

SCORE: 2 SWEATY SHIRTLESS GUYS PUNCHING AND KICKING, OUT OF 5



Sacred Oath - Sacred Oath (2009) - I’m going to start this review off by saying, I haven’t gotten the 2010 album yet, but will review it next week. As for this one, it is my first incursion into the band, and I am quite impressed. Though not very original, their take on classic power and thrash metal (though not as thrashy as Iced Earth’s old material) is a very good thing in my book. It may sound dated, but it’s got some good melodies, some great solos, and all around nostalgia factor. There’s quite a few standout tracks here, and “Voodoo Dolls” was the only track which I found a bit lacking. As far as personal favorites, the album closer “Hunt For The Fallen Angel” features some great riffs and a nice solo. It also sort of ended the album on a cliffhanger, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Don’t judge these guys on that video they made for “Counting Zeroes” , there’s far better tracks on here than that.

I will offer one warning though, and that is the vocalist’s use of a classic power metal wail. Some people do not like this, so I will let you know that it is very present here.

OVERALL: CLASSIC POWER / THRASH METAL. LOTS OF PROMISE HERE, SO CHECK IT OUT.

SCORE: 5 CLASSIC RIFFS AND WAILS, OUT OF 5



Sebkha Chott - Nigla(h) - Tapisseries Fines En XXX Strips Et LXXX Trompettes (2008)

So they had another one. I’m guessing it’s their newest. Look at that name…My God. Ever wanted to know how far you could stretch an album? There’s 72 fucking tracks on this disc, and it’s not grind. There might be one song of grind here, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they even had a country moment. These Frenchies went insane this time around. I’m waiting to hear hip hop/r&b on this one, I truly am. What else have they not already done? Polka? Chip Music? I have not listened to it just yet, but I am posting my hypothesis, and I will post my conclusion, once I’ve heard the whole thing. (If I survive the task.)

To review this album properly, I would have to ask you the question:

Do you want to take a 73 minute trip?

Think about that for a minute before you decide to hear this one. There is so much going on here, it’s like going around the world in 80 days. This is not recommended to people who cannot keep up, because I myself am having problems trying to figure out what is going on in each of these 72 tracks. I will say that it’s very original and very creative, and the tracks work together in each section, so each section flows as a whole. I wish they could’ve just made it 7 tracks encompassing each part rather than 72. That’s a bit foolish.

Here’s how everything is split up:

Tapisseries I~XI: Your Soul

1 Didier Mozart's Latest Score 0:06
2 The Crou Is Back 1:52
3 What Will They Give To Me... 2:17
4 Screw You Back 0:27
5 ... Your Soul? 2:20
6 Little Boy Round the Corner 0:31
7 Enteracte [Quete] 0:57
8 Dead Boy Round the Corner 1:37
9 Gone Save the Quid 0:20
10 Solo in Fol Flart Harmolic Mijor 0:45
11 Nevermind the Macedoine [Greek Sandwich with Oignons Proverb] 1:16

Tapisseries XII~XXI: Sabra y Shatila

12 La Grande Braderie des Manhirs Kusturica 4:36
13 Sabra y Shatila 0:39
14 Territorial Talion Pissings 0:43
15 Wooden Legs Race 0:13
16 Chittor 0:38
17 Forgotten Graves 1:12
18 St Barthelemy 0:39
19 Voix sans Issue 1:11
20 Blessed Are the Deafs 0:41
21 Hama 0:39

Tapisseries XXII~XXXII: Factory [of Dreams]

22 Darius & Danette [Feat. M-P Jarroussin & A. Mupontel] 2:52
23 Factory [of Dreams] 0:43
24 Free Gibbet 0:48
25 Reves Partis 0:37
26 Last Fantasy 0:24
27 Free Gidaire 0:24
28 Marcel & Bretzel Sont dans un Four a Pain 1:36
29 Ice Dreams 0:29
30 Cirque Kinder 1:12
31 Wake Up, Make Up, Before Your Dildo 0:48
32 Free China 0:28

Tapisseries XXXIII~XLIII: Phial Shapes

33 La Grande Epoque 1:22
34 Ethanol Motorcycle Hearse 0:47
35 Phial Shapes 0:33
36 Ulysse aux Pays des Merdouilles 0:16
37 Marylou Grand Death [W/O Marylou] 0:11
38 ''Pas Plus de 6°?!?'' 0:40
39 Ulysse in Chains 0:20
40 Lewis Caroll Meets Roy Lewis 0:20
41 1000 xp 0:14
42 Papillon de Lumiere 1:10
43 Pompes a Bascule 3:33

Tapisseries XLIV~LII: History [Alea Diktat Was]

44 Alea Diktat Was 1:06
45 Empire of Fools 0:51
46 History 0:40
47 Centuries Contemplation 0:51
48 Like a Broken Record 0:29
49 You See! 0:14
50 Destruktiv Skouad 1:51
51 Me and You, Your Anthem 0:29
52 This Story Never Ends, As It Begins Right Now and Will Not End Til It Begins Once More and Then It's Gonna Be All The Same.. 0:22

Tapisseries LIII~LXII: Nigla[H] / Part 1

53 Nigla[H] Part I 0:51
54 Her Majesty Glory Hole [Explicit Content with Talc] 0:35
55 Malicouille 0:34
56 Great Master 2:07
57 Mdo Part I: Le Silence 0:54
58 Mdo Part II: Le Vent 1:07
59 Strangle in the Night 1:03
60 Moteur Jivaro 0:29
61 Tonnerre de Merde 1:22
62 Kakaram 0:36

Tapisseries LXIII~LXXII: Nigla[H] / Part 2

63 Nigla[H] Part II 0:18
64 Enlarge Your Little Big Horn 0:25
65 Wonder an Escape Plan? 0:36
66 Spank Doggy God [Style] 1:16
67 Get the Muzzle! 1:06
68 No Exit, Sorry... 0:14
69 Take This Cold Train 0:21
70 Railway to Hell 0:34
71 Lawrence D' Arabishnu Orchestra 0:33
72 Truel a la Lucier 8:33

Either way, it’s a good album, just like the last one, and there’s definitely metal on here as well. I just hope you can keep up.

OVERALL: AN INTERESTING 72 MINUTE TRIP THROUGH MANY GENRES IN ADDITION TO METAL. NOT FOR EVERYONE, BUT NEITHER IS LSD.

SCORE: 5 PEOPLE THAT HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS, OUT OF 5



Slough Feg - The Animal Spirits (2010) - First off, if you do not know who Slough Feg is, they are a progressive thrash band from California. They are not new to the scene, and have put out several albums since the early nineties. In those days though, they were known as “The Lord Weird Slough Feg”, which was shortened upon their 2005 “Atavism”.

Slough Feg have been known to use folk in their music, as well as many rock styled solos, riffs and other things. In the early days the band’s lyrics took a more Celtic/Pagan tone, but they have branched off into space epics. As for their singer, you might know his vocals from another progressive group, Hammers Of Misfortune. They have gotten slightly more popular in past years, most notably for releasing their double EP which recalled a lot of Floyd-ish feelings. As for his vocals in either band, you’ll either love em or hate em, but they’re definitely a standout from others. The man has a deep Irish background and you can tell it from every line that he sings.

As for this album, it’s a return to form for the band - The last album was more rock than it was metal. The solos were great, and the album was really jazzy in parts, but it didn’t feel like Slough Feg. This one however, does.

I would recommend all newcomers to the band to check this one out. It’s got another vocalist singing on the final track “Tactical Air War”, which is a first for the band, but other than that, this is the band at what they do best. The recording is all raw, it’s going to sound like it was done in the early 90’s or 80’s but that’s how they all sound. It’s the music that truly counts, and as a big fan of this band, and Hammers, I would highly recommend you to get all of their albums, even down to the debut “Down With The Deadmen”. This band is so wrongly underrated, and I can’t figure out for the life of me why.

OVERALL: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL METAL FANS. IF YOU DON’T LIKE THIS ONE, TRY SOME OF THE OLDER ONES.

ALSO TRY: SLOUGH FEG - ATAVISM (2005), HARDWORLDER (2007), APE UPRISING (2009) (AND OLDER ALBUMS)

HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE - THE AUGUST ENGINE (2003), DOUBLE EP (2008)

SCORE: 5 UNDERRATED BAND MEMBERS, OUT OF 5



Dagoba - Face The Colossus (2008) - There’s not much here that you’ll find very interesting. Not for long, anyway. It’s just the same tired roads which have already been paved upon by bands like Evergrey, Soilwork, and Mercenary. There are very few guitar theatrics on this album, and there are very few signs of originality. Mostly the music takes a very Evergrey-ish approach of heavy music with light vocals, except on the opener and near the end of the album where deathcore vocals come into the mix, and in one song “The Night and It’s Mist”, we get the privilege of hearing actual death metal vocals, due to a guest vocalist who just says a line or two during the chorus of the song.

Big deal.

Most of the time, the clean vocals sound like the lead singer of Evergrey if he couldn’t sing, or had fucking rocks in his mouth. Also, there’s one instrumental called “Transylvania” that sounds like Egyptian music. Does someone not know their geography? Clearly, Transylvania is more the home to goth and pipe organs, then it would be to music that suitably fits the desert. Could this be a play on words? Is it supposed to be that the government here is a bunch of vampires, and that the real terror is their conquest of the middle east?

Probably not. I’m over thinking things, once again.

The bottom line is, it’s a big fat pass. I’ve heard so much better, and even thought they have a 2010 album now, I don’t even know if I should hear it, since the fans (there are some?) say it’s not as strong as this one. In my book, that must mean that there isn’t even one song on the new album that would be listenable. I only liked 5 of 11 songs here, and even though that’s almost half - I’ve heard albums that I’ve liked far more, and there are many things that I rather even listen to, than this. Surely, the next band can’t be worse.

OVERALL: PASS ON IT. JUST NOT ENOUGH HERE TO LIKE.

ALSO TRY: MERCENARY, IN FLAMES, SOILWORK, SCAR SYMMETRY, EVERGREY…AND HUNDREDS MORE.

SCORE: 1 BUNCH OF SHITTY WANNABES, OUT OF 5



Black Country Communion - Black Country (2010) - Not metal at all, but interesting if not rather mainstream prog rockers “Black Country Communion”, remind me a hell of a lot of Soundgarden and Audioslave. Oddly enough, Derek Sherenian of Dream theater fame gives this band the proggy push that sets them apart in a world of bands of this nature. It’s very catchy, but sometimes very corporate. They will play it on the radio, your co workers will be talking about it, and it’s really not that bad.

Good solos abound the album, and Derek Serenian does not disappoint with his progressive tones. The guitar work is amazing in some areas, and it sometimes makes me think of the older Dio albums. There is one “problem” track in the album, and that would be on “Sweet Sista Jane”. ACDC rip-off much? Yeah. Big ACDC riff rip-off. Another big problem I have with this is that the lead vocalist could easily be mistaken for the front man on Soundgarden and Audioslave, Chris Cornell. Do not let him fool you, because he is not Chris Cornell, but obviously worships the man’s vocal styles to the point where it must’ve felt “okay to rip him off”. All in all, while this is a solid release, it seems like an attempt to “bring back the old Soundgarden style”. I suppose it’s not enough that the band has since reunited in the hopes to release another album.

Some folks just can’t wait, and take it upon themselves to do it.

The album ends with an exciting progressive “jam-out”, and it’s one of the many high points here. Metal fans, look elsewhere. This is a pure rock and roll/blues and prog album, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. I’ve just heard it before.

OVERALL: RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE WHO JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF ROCK/BLUES AND PROG MIXES, AND FOR THOSE THAT LIKE CHRIS CORNELL WANNABES. EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD JUST DRIVE RIGHT PAST THIS BLACK COUNTRY.

SCORE: 3 AND A HALF WANNABE CHRIS CORNELL’S, OUT OF 5



Dirty Granny Tales - Didi’s Son (2009) - I’m not sure if this is a joke or what, but the vocals are horrendous. I mean, they’re so fucking horrendous that it’s ridiculous. This has got to be a joke. This isn’t metal, even though it claims to be “acoustic black metal”. It’s the worst operatic music I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s un-listenable. I dare you to make through the whole album. I don’t think that anyone can.

OVERALL: NEVER LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM IN YOUR LIFETIME…EVEN AFTER REINCARNATION, IT IS NOT SUGGESTED. IT MAY CAUSE MADNESS, INSANITY, OR THE URGE TO STAB OUT YOUR FUCKING EARS WITH ICEPICKS.

SCORE: 0 PEOPLE THAT CAN TOLERATE THIS ALBUM, OUT OF 5



Serj Tankian - Imperfect Harmonies (2010) - Alright, so not really metal - and not really a full metal release, there’s some interesting avant-garde and metal here. Sis you know that Serj Tankian actually listens to black metal? Blew my mind too. Course I don’t know what he considers black metal. Apparently the man listens to one and only one genre of music a month for very long periods of time. One month it’s hip hop, and then thrash, and then black metal, then power metal, then country, then rock, then…well, you get the idea.

Listening to all of that music gave us this - an album which was created using all disposable earth friendly materials. Does that mean that it’s a disposable album?

Well…To tell you the honest truth, it’s not even close to metal, or even hard rock this time, and is more of an electronic sort of deal than anything else, so I’m going to pull out the NULL CARD on this one, and call it not applicable. Plus, it’s not exactly my kind of thing, all the romance and such.

OVERALL: NULL

SCORE: NOT APPLICABLE



Sturmgeist - Mister Mephisto (2005) - What do you get when you combine Solefald, and Rammstein, and then throw a scowling black metal vocalist into the mix?

Answer: Sturmgeist

For those of you who don’t know who Solefald is, go grab “In Harmonia Universali” right now. It’s possibly one of the greatest avant-garde metal albums in history. (I’m sure we all know who Rammstein is, and what they are famous for, German Industrial Metal.)

This sounds like an odd mix from the beginning, and while it is not the two Solefald brothers, it sounds an awful lot like them, except that it is much heavier than their recent releases, and Rammstein’s to boot. You have your electronics, your industrial drum hits and guitar grooves, along with vocals that scowl, sing, and chant through the album. I have some complaints here, and I felt that the album was a little “bland” in some instances, as they weren’t doing much else other than this formula - but then again, that’s probably what they set out to do from the beginning.

It’s very hard to recommend this to people, other than the fans of Solefald, Rammstein, and other industrial bands. This is not by any means fast industrial black metal, and has more of a “beat” than you would expect. I personally enjoyed it, but couldn’t see myself playing it everyday. It seemed to drone on after a good while into it, making an hour long album seem much longer.

OVERALL: FOR FANS OF RAMMSTEIN, SOLEFALD, AND INDUSTRIAL METAL. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE UNFAMILIAR WITH THESE GROUPS.

SCORE: 3 DRUNKEN ELECTRONIC VIKINGS, OUT OF 5



The Eternal Suffering - Miasma (2010 - This is the Dimmu Borgir album that wasn’t, but should’ve been. It’s that simple. Before the actual leak of “Abrahadabra”, this was the album that was considered to be the “fake Dimmu leak”. Upon hearing the album, people really couldn’t tell the difference. Later, when “Abrahadabra” finally leaked, many people were extremely angry that it wasn’t better than the fake.

The fake; which released around the same time, was from a practically unknown band who has followed in the footsteps of Dimmu Borgir, and has the strengths to become the next Dimmu Borgir, when Shagrath, Silenoz, and Galder finally decide that they’ve hade enough. The Eternal Suffering capture everything that I’ve liked about Dimmu, and don’t need to use clean vocals nor keyboard or extensive choirs to make these points known. This is well produced, extremely solid and highly recommended black metal that will probably not get the respect that it deserves this year. The band is still a bit green in some areas, which the solos being “not amazing”, but the overall effort of this release is staggering. For those of you who liked the “thrashy 2007” side of Dimmu Borgir, and are extremely irritated toward the 360 degree turn they went with “Abrahadabra” - PICK THIS ALBUM UP.

OVERALL: RECOMMENDED BLACK METAL FOR FANS OF DIMMU BORGIR AND OTHER WELL PRODUCED BLACK METAL BANDS.

SCORE: 5 INVERTED CROSSES, OUT OF 5



These Are They - Who Linger (2008) - Since I erroneously referred to These Are They’s sophomore album as their debut, I have decided to review their debut album in order to correct my mistake.

To tell you the truth, I found this debut to be much stronger than the sophomore in many ways. The band seemed to incorporate more melody in this release, there was a little bit of progressive touches in place, and the whole thing just seemed to be a tad more stout. I know this isn’t really a musical factor, but I also found the album art just a little more creative, and fitting of the band’s dark tones, than on the new album. I know you’re not supposed to judge an album by it’s cover, but I know people who do - and even on electronic releases. They say the same thing about books (that’s why I’m having a little bit of trouble with my publisher’s design department regarding my forthcoming novel’s cover, but…)

Getting back to the music, while I noticed that the sophomore album was merely death metal, this album seemed to incorporate elements of doom which Kuhr is known for. All around, it’s just a better album. Every track is listenable, and I have no qualms with it. If you haven’t gotten a chance to hear this one - check it out, because it’s worth it for fans of Paul Kuhr and November’s Doom as a whole.

Oh…I have just one gripe. The album closer “4th Of July” was not interesting to me at all. I thought it was a very weak track, even though Kuhr sang through the entire song without even a hint of death metal vocals. He’s sung before in November’s Doom and in Subterranean Masquerade (which I‘m eagerly waiting on), and this one just didn’t cut it in comparison. So, there’s that.

OVERALL: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED OVER THE SOPHOMORE ALBUM, FOR MANY REASONS. IF I COULD GO BACK AND REVIEW THE SOPHOMORE, I WOULD SAY THAT IT LACKS THE MELODY, THE DOOM, AND THE EFFORT OF THIS RELEASE. A BRILLIANT DEBUT, IF YOU COULD OVERLOOK THE CLOSER.

SCORE: 5/5 (COULDN’T THINK OF ANYTHING FOR THIS ONE.)



Time’s Forgotten - Dandelion (2009) - This Latin progressive metal/rock band is supposed to be for fans of Steve Wilson’s masterwork, Porcupine Tree - and various other prog metal bands. (Dream Theater and such)

The band has a good sound, but the vocals tend to take a classic wail, which isn’t my thing for this kind of metal - but for others, (Fate’s Warning fans) you may really find a gem here. Don’t get me wrong, Queensryche and Fate’s Warning have great songs, I’m just not crazy about the vocal approach. The band plays each and every track with a finesse that matches only the greats of this genre, and if this is their debut, then it is a great effort. You should already know what to expect here, so there’s really no use in telling you what to expect. (which is prog metal and rock with Fate’s Warning style high vocal changes more than anything else)

There are nine tracks here, and all of them but one, “Silent Waters” is over the 6:00 mark. The longest track is “The Tale Of The Sun and The Moon (Dandelion)” which clocks in at 11:51. It takes full advantage of that time, and of experimentation, and is worth listening to as a standalone track. As for the album as a whole, you’ll find electronics, flutes, and other things strewn about, and it’s a great recording, musically.

This isn’t going to suit everyone’s palette. I know that. It’s a good prog record, but I’ve heard some that I’ve personally liked a bit better. Furthermore, please be aware that I am not saying that this is a bad album. IT IS NOT, BY ANY MEANS.

OVERALL: GOOD PROGRESSIVE METAL, EXPERIMENTS SOMETIMES, AND VOCALS ARE VERY (EARLY FATE’S WARNING) LEVEL HIGH. SOME OF YOU WILL DIG THIS, AND THAT’S GREAT. I JUST COULDN’T GET INTO THE VOCALS PERSONALLY.

SCORE: 3.5 / 5

ALSO TRY: Devin Townsend’s Accelerated Evolution, Synchestra, Terria,
Pagan’s Mind - God’s Equation,
Guilt Machine - On This Perfect Day,
Ayreon - 0101001, Into The Electric Castle, The Human Equation
Porcupine Tree (Later Albums)



Unearthed - Imposition Of Faith (2007) - Well, it turns out that some members of Iced Earth left to form…Iced Earth. Yeah, pretty much. It’s a proggier version, but the vocalist is clearly going for the same vocal tones and effects that Matthew Barlow uses. I’m not sure if this is a demo or not, because it’s short (29:00) and it’s quite depressing actually. Especially, if you’re a big Iced Earth fan. This is like the poor man’s Iced Earth, with a little more prog. This came out in 07, so who knows if they actually made another release that can stand the test of time or not. I’ll get back to you on that next week. For now, there’s not much here to talk about. You might like it, but I heard it all from Iced Earth - not too long ago.

I will admit, that later on in the album, the band goes into a heavier sound more akin to death metal, and incorporates some blasts in interesting stuff, but you have to kick through the knockoff songs first. Is the album had more tracks like the later tracks, it would have a higher score.

OVERALL: REGURGITATED ICED EARTH WITH MORE PROG AND BAD PRODUCTION. IT’S ALSO VERY SHORT. LATER, THE SOUND CHANGES INTO SOMETHING MORE INTERESTING, BUT ONLY FOR 15 MORE MINS.

SCORE: 2.5 BARLOW WANNABE’S, OUT OF 5



Warbeast - Krush The Enemy (2010) - Thrash metal from Texas, is what we’ve got here. It’s very brutal stuff, with the balls of Pantera, and the thrash of Exodus. The solos are wild, and the vocals are in your face. As for originality…heh. There’s none, but who fucking cares? It’s just balls out thrash metal, and I think it’s pretty fucking good. So sit down, pour yourself a tall glass of Jack - throw some hot sauce and horseradish in there, mix it up - and drink that shit down while you jam this one out. It’s pure 180% proof southern brutality. Just like pouring some hot sauce in your beer. (Which I don’t recommend, unless you like dry heaving.)

…But for some odd reason, the vocals kind of sound like Dave Brockie from GWAR. (Heard their next album is supposed to be heavy as fuck, so waiting to hear it next month.)

OVERALL: A HEAVY AS FUCK THRASH ALBUM, WITH A LOT OF PROMISE. CHECK THIS ONE OUT. HOT SAUCE, HORSERADISH, AND BOTTLE OF JACK DANIELS NOT INCLUDED. (BUT THEY SHOULD BE.)

SCORE: 5 HOT SAUCE AND HORSERADISH MIXES, OUT OF 5



Boris and Ian Astbury - BXI (2010) - This is an odd collaboration with Japanese prog masters Boris, and the front man of legendary goth rockers (Before There Was “Goth”, And So Many Damned Vampires In The Media) The Cult, Ian Astbury. Having only heard one The Cult album that I actually bought, 2001’s “Beyond Good and Evil”, (and I really liked that one) I thought that it was going to be interesting to hear Ian Astbury’s legendary vocals paired up with such a legendary band as Boris. Then came the verdict…

There’s only four real tracks on here, and I’m guessing the live version of “The End” is just a bonus track, (it’s not even the whole damned song) so unless you really, really like The Cult, then don’t grab this one. There is a great cover of Boris favorite “Rain”, where the female singer of Boris takes the reins, and her ethereal vocals blew me away (not to mention the guitar work…amazing) but as for the very occult influenced (as we all know The Cult are no stranger to the occult) songs “Teeth And Claws”, “We Are Witches”, and “Magickal Child”, (No, I did not add that extra Crowleyian “K”. It was there from the start, fully asserting further the occult beliefs of Mr. Astbury.) these songs are hits and misses at best.

The first track “Teeth And Claws” sort of bored me, while “We Are Witches” I found more intriguing, and probably his best work on the album. The fourth track (“Rain” is third) “Magickal Child” is a decent track, there’s some interesting fuzz work going on in it, and as for the bonus track, the quality is crude but listenable, and I feel that it would have been a great closer to this album (or should we say EP?) had it been recorded in a studio at it’s full length.

This just goes to show that even the most avid occult romanticizer (and sometimes, but here lately not often, studier and practitioner) such as myself, still can’t get into these tracks. I just couldn’t find the album interesting enough to be as moving as it should’ve or could’ve been. Even though some of the tracks are heavy, and all of them are trippy - I’ve heard better from standalone efforts from both of these groups.

It’s like an old commercial used to tout… “Where’s The Beef?”

OVERALL: IF YOU’RE A BIG FAN OF THE CULT OR BORIS, AND HAVE EXTRA MONEY, CHECK IT OUT, OR D/LOAD IT. THERE’S ONLY 4 SONGS (AND ONE EXTRA DEPENDING ON WHICH VERSION YOU GET), SO THERE’S NOT MUCH HERE TO GO ON. IT’S ONLY 28 MINS (WITH THE BONUS TRACK!)

SCORE: 2 GOOD EFFORTS, OUT OF 5



Votum - Metafiction (2010) - This is progressive metal / rock in the same vein as Porcupine Tree, Anathema, and Opeth also, but unlike that other album I reviewed,(Time’s Forgotten - Dandelion) this one’s a simply must hear for prog fans. If the opener “Falling Dream” doesn’t hit you, then I really don’t know what to tell you. The amount of emotion in this album is raw, and from the heart - and you just don’t hear that anymore. The vocal work is absolutely tremendous, and I’d like to see if these guys can convey the same feelings as on this recording, in front of a live audience.

There’s actually quite a somber mood on this album, and it almost classifies into Progressive Doom, but that’s alright in my book. The band itself does everything that you’d expect from a progressive band, and quality of the production is “crystal clear”. I have to stress that this album is VERY melodic and some of the members duet each other in some of the chorus lines, but along with the prog, the electronics, the atmospheres, and such an amazing front man as this guy, (Don’t know his name as of this typing) I’d be an idiot not to recommend this to any prog fans who don’t mind a bit of somber beauty. (good doom)

I can already assure you that the solos and guitar work is top notch, but there are mistakes here and there, and some songs aren’t as good as they could be, and some things seem to be drowned out by the vocals.

While still not as good as the latest Anathema “We’re Here, Because We’re Here” (2010) album, I would say that this one is very close to being one of the best of the year (in terms of progressive doom). Check it out and do something good for yourself. Thankfully, in this country (for the time being, at least - before we all become controlled by HAARP) we have the right to listen to good music.

OVERALL: PROG FANS WOULD BE IDIOTS TO PASS THIS ONE UP. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, BUT THERE’S A FEW MISSES IN ADDITION TO THE HITS ON THIS ALBUM.

SCORE: 4 AMAZING VOCAL LINES, OUT OF 5



Woe - Quietly, Undrammatically (2010) - Sporadic, much? The first song was pretty somber and slow death / doom…lame. Heard it before. Then, the next track kicked in, and it’s like I’m hearing a different band. It might as well be black metal now. (fast black metal, actually) Yet, in my genre description I still see the words “death/doom”.

As for their black metal, I found it was pretty straightforward, but there’s a hell of a lot of fire in the vocals. Damn, I guess this is for people that want to hear both death / doom and black metal without having to switch the cd’s or the mp3s.

Hey, don’t get me wrong here - the black metal side of these guys is very solid, and I’ll bet that some people who have read this review are probably myspace-ing or d/load-ing these guys to check them out. It’s worth it. Sometimes they mix the styles together to form like a blackened doom sound with death metal and black metal vocals, and it works.

The sound quality isn’t great, but it’s listenable. I guess it’s one up from demo - but they wanted the raw sound. It certainly helps their cause, and I doubt this would have as much raw force from a high quality production.

Bottom line is, this one’s worth checking out. It’s different. Starts out with doom / death metal, goes into black metal, goes into black metal with dual genre vocals, and great clean vocals - then it stays as blackened doom metal until the end. I’ll also mention that the guitar work is good, fitting the music well. I’d like to see these guys live.

OVERALL: GOOD, IF YOU LIKE BLACK METAL WITH A DOOM EDGE. IF YOU DON’T, THEN IT’S SIMPLE - YOU WON’T LIKE THIS. IT STARTS OUT LIKE DOOM / DEATH, BUT MUTATES INTO SOLID BLACKENED DOOM METAL.

ALSO TRY - EARLY WOODS OF YPRES (DEBUT ALBUM)

SCORE: 4 FROSTY TRANSFORMATIONS OUT OF 5



December Wolves - Completely Dehumanized (1998) - At 30 minutes, don’t expect a whole lot from this “strange” black metal band. There’s some interesting riffs about, and some oddities which make the thing a little more listenable. The opener comes out with a straight bludgeon, but things start to get a tad more “almost electronic and somewhat avant-garde”. The only thing I find disheartening is the addition of “hardcore hollers”. Sometimes the band will have a bunch of guys holler something or other in the background. Why? I don’t know.

Is it good black metal though? Yes. Especially for the time. This was 1998, and even though they had a 1996 album which sounded like what everyone else was doing in 1996, (and some still get by with in 2010) it’s good to see that they got tired early on with the “kvlt stlye” of black metal. Whoever came up with that term needs a swift kick in the balls. Musical evolution is what keeps music fresh, after all.

While still being very thrash influenced, the subtle differences are what make this album unique and worth mentioning. When you dust off old relics like this, (Can you believe it’s over 10 years old?) you’d better have a damned good reason for it. Check this out, if you can find it. Better d/load it, unless you want to pay a fortune. It’s only a 30 minute album, so you’d be badly ripped off.



December Wolves - Blasterpiece Theater (2002) - There’s not much to say here. While the album is blasting brutality from every orifice, the only thing I thought that was interesting was some of the voice clips. Honestly, it’s straight forward black metal with very vague industrial touches. In fact, they’re so vague that you barely even notice. While the 1998 album was something different, this is something bland. Unless you’re just looking for run of the mill heaviness with some interesting voice clips, pass this one and save yourself the 43:00 of life that you can’t get back. I’ve already wasted it.

OVERALL: BLAND, BUT SOLID BLACK METAL WITH FEW INDUSTRIAL TOUCHES, AND INTERESTING VOICE CLIPS. BRUTAL, BUT BLAND.

SCORE: 1.5 / 5 (.5 For the voice clips)