Week 3 (Sept 27,2010)

In Lingua Mortua - Salon Des Refuses (2010) The sophomore album from this experimental black metal super group is a must own. However you get your music, make sure not to pass this one up. This has to be one of the most interesting and cohesive black metals albums that I’ve heard in a very long time. There’s a little bit of everything in it. You might hear some sax on one track, weird claps in another, some keyboards on another, violins, piano, etcetera…but let’s not forget that this is still a black metal album at it’s core, and it doesn’t let you forget that. This riffs are interesting, and in some parts there’s a lot of prog, but it all works together. Black metal is getting stale, and it’s bands like this that are trying to freshen it back up. I’d like to hear more like this. It re-instills my faith in music.

OVERALL: ONE OF THE BEST OF 2010. GET IT!

ALSO TRY: IN LINGUA MORTUA (2007)

Klabautamann - Merkur (2009) - A rare little gem sees this black metal band actually balancing well between beauty and brutality. Many of the songs are very heavy, but they also have parts that are very light, and these parts are done remarkably well. There is so much life in this album, and it must be heard to be fully appreciated. There are some albums I come across that a simple review cannot justify, and I truly mean that this album is a must for anyone that likes black metal in general, but also doesn’t mind when the music can drop (via Opeth) into a nice melodic splendor, which is good for relaxing. In fact, I’m waiting for the Klabautamann relaxation album. Been having trouble getting to sleep lately.

OVERALL: BLACK METAL, AND RELAXATION MUSIC

ALSO TRY: AGALLOCH - THE MANTLE

Mechina - The Assembly Of Tyrants (2005) - Another Fear Factory knock off. This was made in 2005, but it sounds like is was made in 1995. There’s a few things going for this band, but not a whole lot - and they practically rip off Fear factory’s formula, sans a few songs. Not worth the time.

OVERALL: SKIP IT

Nox Aurea - Ascending In Triumph (2010) - Much more epic than the last doom/death band I reviewed. Other than that, the formula is still the same. The album is very long and boring, and there’s really not enough of a difference that would make people who don’t like this kind of metal, change their tune. On the other hand, if you like this kind of stuff, you can’t go wrong with it. It’s just straight-forward death / doom with female vocals here and there. It’s still not as good as the last November’s Doom album, though. I must also mention that the Swallow The Sun formula is being greatly ripped off by this band (and probably countless others.)

OVERALL: NOTHING SPECTACULAR, UNLESS YOU LIKE THE SAME RIFFS AND VOCALS USED BY SWALLOW THE SUN. BIG DEAL ABOUT THE FEMALE VOCALS BY THE WAY, IT’S AN OVERUSED TREND NOW.

INSTEAD OF THIS: SWALLOW THE SUN - THE MOURNING NEVER CAME (2003), HOPE (2007), NOVEMBER’S DOOM - THE PALE HAUNT DEPARTURE (2004), THE NOVELLA RESERVOIR (2006), INTO NIGHT’S REQUIEM INFERNAL (2009)

Return To Earth - Automata (2010) - Here’s a band to keep an eye on. What we’ve got here is a band that mixes hard rock, heavy metal, industrial, and experimental elements together, to create a what I would call “the bastard child of Queens Of The Stone Age, and Dillinger Escape Plan”. While this album is marketed for fans of Mike Patton, I see little influence from him, and much more from the following two bands that I have just named. In this day and age, where bands like to repeat themselves, it’s good to find something fresh like this. Even though their myspace has a rock/metal/screamo title, I would not consider them screamo. Any sort of aggravated vocal in this band would be more towards punk than anything else.

OVERALL: A GREAT BAND THAT GOT MARKETED WRONG. MAYBE NOT HEAVY AS HELL, BUT SOLID AND DIFFERENT.

ALSO TRY: DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN

Shining - Black Jazz (2010) - Some have said that music is a form of art. So, as art has it’s abstract pieces, then so must music. Some pieces, which I would hardly classify as art or music, like “Diapsiquir” for example; are so abstract that they run into the realms of ridiculousness, as if a little one decided to draw all over the walls of your living room. This album almost classifies along the same level. Many who have heard it, have said that “it must be heard to be believed” with it’s absolutely irregular take on black…can we even use the term metal here? It is true that guitar riffs are used, but so is everything else. One of the songs actually got me laughing with it’s “You fucked each other, you fucked with your brother, you killed your mother!” being screamed for no apparent reason. This album does have a really “unique” cover of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” which also must be heard to be believed. And yes…There’s jazz. Saxophones are used, but yet again…so is everything else! (especially electronics)

OVERALL: FOR THE TRULY ADVENTUROUS, OR THE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY FUCKED UP.

ALSO TRY: SIGH- SCENARIO IV: DEAD DREAMS (1999), IMAGINARY SONISCAPE (2001), DHG - SUPERVILLIAN OUTCAST (2007)

Solstafir - Kold (2009) - If you’re in the mood to sit back and chill, this album will work for you. It’s supposed to be psychedelic black metal, but it seems to just be sorrowful psychedelic / stoner metal. (Think Primordial meets The Sword) It is interesting in some parts, and very long and droning in others. Some of it I think I could understand better if I was high. “World Void Of Souls” sounds like the soundtrack to a wild LSD trip, and I guess if you just turn off the lights and “zone out”, you’d probably trip out to it, regardless. I must admit that I always have liked the kind of music that makes you take a trip without leaving your house.

OVERALL: WELL CRAFTED, BLEAK PSYCHEDELIC METAL. A MUST FOR FANS OF THE GENRE.

ALSO TRY: PRIMORDIAL - THE GATHERING WILDERNESS (2005), TO THE NAMELESS DEAD (2007)

StarGazer - A Great Work Of Ages (2010) - When you leave one Cynic’s prog era albums, and one of Entombed’s classic albums out in the sun too long, you might come back and realize that you’ve got this album. It’s not a bad album really, it just seems a bit muddy and outdated by today‘s standards (which isn‘t necessarily a bad thing). A lot of people said that they enjoyed this one, and I’m not saying that you won’t, I just thought the production could be a little better. Be that as it may, you’re still left with a good album, and it’ll warrant quite a few plays, if not endless spins! The guitar playing is sharp, and the riffs are interesting, the vocals sound like classic death metal vocals, and the whole thing sounds like it could’ve been made quite some years ago, in the heyday of death metal. If you’re looking for “classic death metal” with real majesty, this is a must. For those who feel like metal has been drowned in core, this is for you. Yes, I am talking to you older metal heads out there. For you, this could be worth it’s weight in gold.

OVERALL: NOT TO BE MISSED. LIKE MANY THINGS, THEY JUST DON’T MAKE THEM LIKE THIS ANYMORE!

Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy (2010) - It is immediately apparent now that Stone Sour is trying to be the more vulgar version of Nickelback. The only thing which sets them apart from their right wing radio counterparts, is the fact that Corey believes that the word “fuck” can be happily inserted into love songs as well as hate songs. Personally, I thought there were too many ballads and sing along choruses in this for my taste, despite the progressive playing style on a few tracks and a few good solos on the album. What really is kind of interesting about this one though, is that the band seemingly gets heavy for no apparent reason in a few of these mellow tracks, and Corey resorts to screaming and hollering, and then it goes back into the same mellow tune. It’s almost like if the Backstreet Boys were singing and all the sudden one of them starts screaming “fuck you, mother fuckers” as if he had turrets syndrome. Nonetheless, it’s catchy while being controversial, and that translates to album sales. Still, there’s not much here that we haven’t already heard. Save your money, unless your significant other or your kid wants it.

OVERALL: SKIP IT, EVEN THOUGH (INSERT NAME OF CO-WORKER / FRIEND / EXC.) IS GOING TO TELL YOU THAT IT’S GREAT.

System Divide - The Conscious Sedation (2010) - Here is a band that is trying to one-up Lacuna Coil. Imagine if Whitechapel and Lacuna Coil got together, and you’d have something like this. It’s brutal deathcore with female vocals. (even though it‘s labeled “melodic death metal”) If the female singer was not in the band, these guys would not be anything special at all. Of course, we’ve heard this kind of thing already from a band called Deadlock, and they do it just as well…probably better, since the screamer in this band seems to be all over the fucking place. It’s actually quite brainless, except for the parts when she sings. But then, what’s the fucking point?

OVERALL: BRAINLESS DEATHCORE WITH FEMALE VOCALS (AND LIGHTER MELODIES MADE ESPECIALLY FOR HER VOCALS) I’VE HEARD IT BEFORE, AND SO HAVE YOU.

INSTEAD OF THIS: DEADLOCK - WOLVES (2005), MANIFESTO (2007)

Aphyxion - Obliteration Of The Weak EP (2010) - This death metal band didn’t do a thing for me. I thought it was quite basic, and the only thing that was good about them was the melody change in every song, and the solo in a few of them. Other than that, it’s run of the mill death metal. Of course, it’s just a EP - so you can’t say much. But I’m not sure I would listen to a full album of this, even if it was free.

INSTEAD OF THIS: BLOODBATH - NIGHTMARES MADE FLESH, CRYPTIC VOICE - ACCESS DENIED, IMPIOUS - HELLUCINATE, THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT - TRIUMVIRATE

Atrocity - After The Storm (2010) - Don’t go thinking that this one is going to be heavy, because it’s not. If you like Dead Can Dance, you’ll like it. It’s a very neo-pagan-esque album. If you have no idea who Dead Can Dance is, it’s new age music/gothic music. But, we actually still have some metal songs thrown in here. Atrocity has been trying to figure out who the hell they are for years now. This doesn’t suit them well either, because only a few of it works, and it will turn metal fans off, unless they actually have that guilty pleasure of liking groups like Dead Can Dance, and other ethereal / goth artists. So, if you’re just trying to find good metal - skip it. There’s only one really interesting riff - solo thing in there, on a song called “Black Mountain”. You’re best off just d/loading that track. Anyone who expected heavy Atrocity, is sorely mistaken…even though I know that they still have that heaviness in them. (The song “Reich Of Phenomenon” from 2005 “Atlantis” album is a great example.)

OVERALL: A METAL BAND PUTS OUT AN ALBUM THAT IS SO DIFFERENT, THAT IT IS BARELY METAL AT ALL! THIS IS BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVE NO CLUE WHO IN THE HELL THEY ARE! RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE DEAD CAN DANCE OR OTHER CHANT GROUPS…SERIOUSLY! WTF?

INSTEAD OF THIS: ATROCITY - ATLANTIS (2005) Not everything is great, but it’s heavier than this.

Therion - Sitra Ahra (2010) - For those of you who have no idea who this band is, I will enlighten you. Therion is a band that used to play death metal, but now they play gothic metal and all kinds of other shit, with choirs, and vocalists that range all gamuts. If you look on Amazon.com, most of their albums have gotten five stars, and they are also a worldwide phenomenon. Their music is largely based in paganism, and in the occult order of the dragon rouge, which is based upon the works of Swedish occult practitioner (and master magician) Tomas Karlsson. (they have a website, google “dragon rouge” if you’re interested)

Being that I am a big fan of this band, I will try very hard not to take a bias. Actually, some of the songs don’t seem to be as good this time around as compared to their older album, but this album sees a return to form for the band, with the return of the choirs that made them what they were from Vovin (Dragon). I’ll also add that this album isn’t as catchy as Gothic Kabbalah, but is instead a plethora of musical ideas, which are vibrant and refreshing in a world of “same-sounding crap” . The 8:51 “Kings Of Edom” jumps all over the place, but stays together. It’s worth it just to listen to this track. The same with 10:51 “Land Of Canaan” which is a masterpiece. All of the vocalists seem to do well, except for one of them who has a very high voice, and completely slaughters “2012”. The music which followed after his lines barely saved the song. Also, “Kali Yuga III” which I had been waiting on greatly, was not quite as good as the 2nd part, and it ended abruptly.

There is however, many layers to this album, and it may require a few listens to soak in. But, I don’t recommend this to fans of extreme metal, because they won’t get it. Except there is one extreme song called “Din” which reminded me a bit of black metal. Plus, you get choirs singing over blast beats in it. (Who else does that?) Also, since it’s a first - they got a children’s choir to sing in the final song, 7:22 “Children Of The Stone: After The Inquisition” but this song is far from metal; and I myself, don’t get it. Guess I’ll have to wait on the lyrics.

All in all, this album sounds bombastic as hell, and there is so much going on that you might think that it begins to lose it’s core. However, I think that’s the point. It’s more of a full-on listening experience, than just another metal album. Therion have indeed bridged the gap very well between metal and non-metal in this album, and while I’d recommend it to everyone…

It’s not for everyone.

Enough of that…NEXT REVIEW!

OVERALL: ONLY FOR THERION FANS, AND FANS OF GOTHIC METAL, EVEN THOUGH IT’S NOT FULLY A METAL ALBUM. (90% of it is actually metal.)

Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini (2010) - Enslaved is becoming more and more the Pink Floyd of black metal. And that’s certainly not a bad thing. Yet this album sees them becoming much heavier than on Vertebrae, but still keeping that same progressive essence which made Vertebrae the kind of album that it was. There is much more catchiness on this album, and more clean vocals as well. The riffs and solos are what you would expect from Enslaved’s newer era, and they don’t disappoint. But, as interesting as this album is, it can get a little monotonous in the middle. Some songs just don’t work at all, and the instrumental in the center of that album is really not needed. It’s more of an atmospheric piece, and I think it’s overkill. The last song “Lightening” seems to go a bit overboard, and I really think that some of these songs are much longer than they needed to be. Nevertheless, there’s not another band out there quite like them, and I am thankful to have not heard any knock-offs. At least, not yet…

OVERALL: SOLID PROGRESSIVE BLACK METAL, JUST A TAD TOO MUCH IN PLACES, AND SOMEWHAT(?) MONOTONOUS. THE ENSLAVED WORSHIPPERS OUT THERE WILL DISAGREE WITH ME THOUGH.

Abigail Williams - In The Absence Of Light (2010) - If you like black metal at all, and you’re not too uptight about it, I can’t see why you wouldn’t like this. What used to sound like core, now sounds like traditional black metal through and through. I have a feeling that many black metal fans who have stayed away from this band because of their core roots, will embrace this album. The melodies are scarce, but interesting, and the solo work is top notch. The rest of the album is business as usual. Eerie riffs and soundscapes and lots of double bass bashing. There are some interesting parts here and there to break up the almost monotonous sound, and the longest song on the album goes out with a great solo. The production value is great, and the vocals are what you’d expect. If you’ve heard their last album, be ready for a big change. This sounds like it could’ve been made a long time ago, and I’m wondering why it wasn’t.

OVERALL: SOLID AMERICAN BLACK METAL WITH GOOD PRODUCTION, TRADITIONAL SOUND, AND GREAT GUITAR WORK IN AREAS. WORTH A LISTEN.

Altar Of Plagues - White Tomb (2009) and Tides EP (2010) - First I’m going to talk about Altar of Plagues a little. They are a black metal band from Ireland, with some doom and acoustic passages, sort of like Agalloch. Everything they’ve put out is awfully short, but it’s also awfully good. The production isn’t great on some of the earlier releases, but what you are getting in the long run is melodic and beautiful riffing, vocals with strong emotion, and brilliant, almost ethereal passages.

When I talk about White Tomb, I’m going to mention that it’s one of my favorite albums of the gamut. Why? Because the production is solid, the melodies are perfect, and the vocals - even though reminiscent of bands like Wolves Of The Throne Room (Who are also very good) work well with the whole mix. Black metal enthusiasts may not pick this up automatically, because it is much more influenced by the slowness of doom than it is black metal. But, black metal fans who appreciate doom metal (and drone) will really love this stuff. The instrumental passages of the tracks are absolutely mesmerizing, and without them, this album would be just another black metal album. What makes this band so great is it’s ability to mesh two great genres together so flawlessly. If you don’t like fast to slow, to drone, (and there‘s a lot of drone in this particular album) you won’t like this very much. Yet, it can be very relaxing at times, and that’s not a bad thing in my book. The only gripe I have with this, is that the vocals are a little too “goblin” for me in parts. You’ll hear what I’m talking about.

OVERALL: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF BLACK/DOOM METAL, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO LIKE AGALLOCH, AND OTHER BANDS OF THAT STYLE.

Tides is the band’s first EP, which spans longer than two of their albums. With two tracks at a total of 35:00, there’s a lot of slow instrumental passages. That’s not to say that there isn’t any heaviness here, it’s just more in tune with the doom sound that was heavy but scattered on the last album. Here, we see it almost completely influencing the band. This isn’t a bad thing, as it seems that the band’s sound has completely changed from Sol (2008). Some cleaner vocals make it in this time as well, even though they are yelled. (kind of in the vein of Primordial)

At times, I think that this band is trying to compete with Primordial - even though it’s hard to one up Nemtheanga. Ireland has always been famous for it’s doom metal, and it seems to come so natural to people there. While there isn’t so much black metal on this album, it’s still worth a listen, or a buy - if you like your doom and black together. Again, the instrumental passages are strong, and for many fans of post-metal even, this is going to be a worthwhile listen. If you like Isis, Minsk, Boris, Neurosis…You get the idea.

OVERALL: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF BLACK/DOOM METAL.

ALSO TRY: ALTAR OF PLAGUES - THROUGH THE CRACKS IN THE EARTH (2007), SOL (2008). YES, THEY’VE PUT OUT SOMETHING EVERY YEAR, SINCE 2007.

Volbeat - Beyond Hell, Above Heaven (2010) - I don’t know what to say here. I didn’t like these guys before, and I don’t like them now. This isn’t a bad album, and I’ll admit that there’s about 3 songs which I found tolerable, and one that I actually liked. This song in particular was the hearken back to the death metal era, “Evelyn”. I have to admit, the band sounds better as a death metal band, and I can tolerate the clean vocals better, when they’re backup vocals. The band is pretty solid, going through the genres of rock, metal, and punk, but this album is mostly dominated by punk music. There’s very little metal here, and compared to the last album, it kind of falls short. Of course, with a rare sort of act like Volbeat, there are the fans who are quite rabid, and they’ll buy it anyway. The best thing I can say about this album is, if you didn’t like the vocals before, you won’t like them here either. This album is just about a huge sellout for the band. Thank you, Metallica.

OVERALL: ONLY FOR VOLBEAT FANS, AND PUNK FANS, AND ROCK FANS. BARELY A METAL ALBUM.

October Tide - A Thin Shell (2010) - Well, I know that I dogged heavily on Nox Aurea’s style of doom/death, and that’s because it was bland and awful. But, let me clue you in some information regarding this band. It consists of ex-Katatonia members, and the vocalist for the band is also the same vocalist for In Mourning, who is an up and comer that up and came. If you haven’t heard that one yet…(I’ll review it later.) Anyway, what we’ve got here is beautiful melodies, passionate vocals, (“Blackness Devours” for example) and a hell of a lot more form and function than Nox Aurea had. If you like doom/death at all, you owe it to yourself to pick up this album. Even if you don’t like doom/death, you owe it to yourself to pick up this album. Even at a short 42:00, it can be played again and again. It’s pure and awesome blackness through and through. You’re an idiot not to get this one. Between this and the new In Mourning album, (which both released in 2010) I’m at an odds as to what the best doom/death album is this year.

OVERALL: GREAT MELODIC DEATH/DOOM. GO GET IT!

ALSO TRY: IN MOURNING - MONOLITH (2010)

Soul Cycle - Soul Cycle (2010) - What we have here is a solid “Instru-Metal” band. Yes, I said “Instru-Metal”. It pretty much tells you what you’re going to get… Great riffs, good solo work, virtuoso shit, solid drum work, and no vocals. If that sounds good to you, then here’s 10 more tracks to add to your list of “cool sounding shit”. The only difference here is that it’s no “Behold The Arctopus”, and more in the vein of an instru-metal early version of In Flames, or some other melodic death metal band. I hate to say it, but I really don’t get this kind of stuff. Being a vocalist, I always thought that the instrumental bands were always missing that integral part of music, which is the lyrics. On the other hand it’s good to practice vocals with. But, that’s not what it’s for.

OVERALL: TEN GREAT INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS THAT IN FLAMES OR (INSERT NAME HERE) SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN YEARS AGO. WOULD BE BETTER WITH VOCALS IMHO.

Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra (2010) Those of you who know what this word means, should be familiar with the words of Aleister Crowley. This is an album with lyrics steeped in high magic, and I’d like to read them - except that I doubt that I’d really learn anything that I couldn’t already learn from the works of Crowley, Spare, and Carroll. It seems to be telling a message of “practice magic” rebel, and such. Just what the youth of our already disenfranchised age fucking needs. Now, the album…

Many of you would think that after a tremendous release like their last album, that this one would be a step in the right direction…that it would be a Dimmu that we haven’t already heard before…

WRONG!

What we’ve got here, is quite simply…horse shit.

I say that with all politeness, but I am extremely disappointed in what I hope marks an end to the Dimmu Borgir project. It is time to hang it up, throw in the fucking towel, so to speak.

Why is it so bad? Well, the riffs are very simple, the orchestra pretty much takes over everything, and while I admit that there are good tracks, (“Dimmu Borgir” which is the only really good one) the whole album is clearly lacking something. Some of you may think that I am wrong, and I am okay with that - but when you add deathcore style vocals in one of the songs “The Demiurge Molecule” , not to mention what almost reminded me of “breakdowns”, and a clear lack of full black metal throughout the album, (it’s a 360 from the last album, trust me. Not much thrash here) it’s no good. Plus, I believe that Shagrath is singing - and this is a complete disservice to mankind. His vocals are dreadful, and I really wish that they had dropped the project after Vortex left. I’ve listened to this twice, just reviewing the tracks, and trying to find something on here decent, and the only thing that I find half-ass decent on this shit-storm is the beginning solo of a song called “Renewal”.

Nonetheless, you get an awful lot of bombastic music, and fans of orchestral pieces might consider this “their best orchestral work”…except for the fact that “Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia came out in 2001”, and it’s multitudes better than this. This is by far the worse release that I have ever heard from the band. It doesn’t grow on you, it’s just ridiculousness through and through! Are they even trying anymore?

I might as well add, that the female who is well known for “Gateways” is actually only featured on that song!

One more thing - The two bonus tracks consist of an orchestral version of “Gateways” sans the band and vocals, and the second is a cover song, of which I am unsure of the title. (Mine just says “Track 12”) I have to ammend this, it is an awful cover of "Perfect Strangers" By Deep Purple. Yeah, there's nothing more black metal than Deep Purple...

OVERALL: BARELY EVEN BLACK METAL…SO MANY OTHER GOOD RELEASES HAVE COME OUT SINCE THIS ONE…GET THOSE INSTEAD! (ENSLAVED, IN LINGUA MORTUA, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS (YES, EVEN THEM!) FOR EXAMPLE) I AM DISGUSTED, AND SO SHALL YOU ALSO BE…

Nokturnicon - Archetype Ov Darkness (2010) - Since this band has personally asked me to review and has sent me some pre-final master recordings, I will give them the honor of a track by track review. I also went through the trouble of naming, numbering and what-not, as well as mastering the thing in 320 kbps, even though I can barely hear a difference.

1. As The Windows Of The Soul Turn Black - I’m not much of an intro guy. Some intros I like, but very few. I thought this one was too short to leave an impression, but it opened the album up the way that they wanted. It’s just an intro, after all.

2. Consider This - I thought that the vocals strayed a bit from the melody, but this is normal with demo work, so I ignored it. I’ve been there before, so I know how things can sound when you start out.(Plus there’s my awful album, that you can d/load just to see.)
Still, I thought the song was solid.

3. Intercede - This one has the blast beats and such that we get from black metal. I thought the vocals went much better here, except that there wasn’t anything really interesting. Although, it’s a solid piece overall.

4. I Cease and Wither - This one has a lot of potential. I really like the riffs, and even though the vocals sound lower, it has enough to interest my sporadic mind. So far, best of the album. Really feeling the emotion on the vocals.

5. Premonition Oblivion - I really feel that too much of the “scowl” is being used. The vocalist has great lows, but too much of the high vocal makes the thing seem laughable. In this song, it is being overused. I still think it’s good musically.

6. We Are Legion - The vocal mix is far too high in the beginning, but when the song warms up, it doesn’t sound too bad. Again, I have to stress that the scowl is too much, but I’m trying to figure out what in the mix is causing that scowl, because this could be much better if that scowl was lowered. The song as a whole could be good with a bit more mastering. I still think it’s a good song though.

7. Wickedness Of A Euphoric Nature - This song sounds pretty solid, and the vocals are much more in check. The whole thing sounds much stronger when the vocals are not as high in the mix, and you can hear that in here. There’s some promise in this song, and the piano I thought was well utilized.

8. Beyond The Mist - In this song, we have the opposite effect - the vocals are too low in the mix. Overall, this song sounds pretty solid as well. Nice use of the sound effects and voice clips.

9. Bleeding Effigy (These Are The Last Days) - The quote fits well with the title of the song, and when the band kicks in, I think things sound good, but the symphonics are a little loud, and it’s hard to hear the guitars. Overall, I still think it’s a good song. One of my favorites. The vocals also aren’t biting at me on this one, and that I like.

10. Frost - Wow. Good use of symphonics in this one. This song should introduce the album. Not to mention that the mix is good, and the whole thing sounds solid as hell. The vocals sound great here. This song could be great with the right production, I am really digging this. Best song on the album! This should be a single.

11. Aetheral Ascendance - Yet another great use of symphonics here. This instrumental piece could be an opener, or a closer, and yes - I’m right about this, it’s better than the one I heard from Enslaved, on their new album. This is what an instrumental piece should be, not just a slight sound effect.

12. To The Throne Room - The lyrics sound like they were being rapped at beginning, but the song itself sounds good. Again with the scowls, but the musicality of this piece is better than the opening pieces. Although, I hate to say it - unless they are trying to go for an urban audience, this one might need to be left off. I can kind of imagine some sort of black metal rap thing with this one. Definitely for the adventurous listener. But, I will say it’s unique.

13. SixSixSick - I was told this was a Dio tribute, and even though I am a big Dio fan, I’ve never heard this song. I’m opened by a movie quote from a film I have not seen, but then I am greeted with some interesting riffs. Still, the scowl was much higher here. I think it was the mix or the program, because parts of this album do not sound like that. Please fix this problem, it will help a multitude. As for the song, I think it’s a decent black metal rendition of a heavy metal song. I know that this is tribute, and it sounds fitting, so that should be all for that.

OVERALL: I think that Nokturnicon is a promising local black metal act, who I have respect for regardless. There’s not a lot of black metal in Arkansas, and to hear some is refreshing. Although I feel that the scowl was too high on the newer mixes, I’m sure they’ll fix and polish the whole thing a few more times before it goes out to the public. What I can say is that this is a solid black metal band, with a large underground following and a good vocalist. There’s no reason why they can’t ascend to higher rungs in the black metal ladder, so to speak. Yet I’ve heard several bands try, and it takes a hell of a lot to make it. I actually own plenty of demos from bands who went nowhere. Including my own previous band, “Unholy Sacrifice”.L (Still bitter about that.)

If you want your band reviewed, just send me a link to grab your album.(all songs should be numbered, put into a folder, and then zipped or rar-ed please) and mediafire is appreciated when you upload, though I will use any. (In case you’ve already uploaded your album to site X.)

Not seeing something up here? If you want it reviewed, just post it - and if I can find it, I’ll review it for you next week.

I must apologize for the length of some of these reviews. Some releases do need a few paragraphs, but not many.

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.