Week 2 (Sept 20,2010)

Agrypnie - 16[485] (2010) - If you’ve never heard of Agrypnie, then I highly suggest that you check them out. This latest offering of their German melodic black metal, might just be one of the best albums that I’ve heard all year. While “industrial” came up in their genre description, it must have been featured only on their debut album, because there is little, if no electronics on this entire album. What you get is both really interesting, and really solid black metal. There’s also some nice solos on the album. The first real track (after the intro) wasn’t anything special, but as the songs went on, they seemed to get better and better. If you like black metal at all, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this band.

OVERALL: REQUIRED LISTENING FOR THOSE WHO BREATHE BLACK METAL. THIS BAND NEEDS MORE RECOGNITION.

The Absence - Enemy Unbound (2010) - There are two things that are going to be said about this one. The first is that it’s mind-blowing, and the second is that it’s far too over the top. Even though I really like riffing and the vocal style that reminds me of Peter from Hypocrisy, I feel that the guitarist may be trying to convince everyone that he is going to be some sort of legend. Regardless, it’s a solid melodic death metal album that may be reminiscent of early In Flames.

OVERALL: YOU’LL EITHER LOVE IT, OR PROFUSELY HATE IT… BUT IT’LL STILL KICK YOUR ASS.

ALSO TRY: IN FLAMES - COLONY

Carach Angren - Death Came Through A Phantom Ship (2010) - This symphonic black metal band came out of nowhere, with a very solid symphonic black metal album. The orchestral pieces flow beautifully with the metal, and nothing seems like it is too much, or too out of place, yet it could still be too bombastic and well produced for those who have “kvlt” tastes in this sort of music.(Everything is extremely clear.)I might also add that each song has it’s own style in accordance with the story, and I find that refreshing. If you are looking for a contender to Dimmu Borgir, these guys would definitely be at the top of that list.

OVERALL: FOR FANS OF WELL PRODUCED BLACK METAL, SYMPHONICS, AND DIMMU.

ALSO TRY: DIMMU BORGIR - PURITANICAL EUPHORIC MISANTHROPIA

Cebren-Khal - A Mass Of Despair (2010) - What we’ve got here is a gothic doom/death band with a good bit of melody (Rapture) and some black metal tinges. It gets a little odd in places, and maintains the feeling of helplessness that one would expect from this style of metal. The guitar work is also quite good, and it even gets a bit proggy at times. The few solos on the album are also interesting. Doom diehards will love this stuff, regardless of the fact that it is short. (37:00)

OVERALL: IF YOU WANT TO BE DEPRESSED FOR A LITTLE WHILE, THEN THIS IS FOR YOU.
(I THINK THE VOCALIST STARTS CRYING A BIT ON THE LAST TRACK, AS WELL)

ALSO TRY: RAPTURE - FUTILE (1999)

Chasse Galerie - Ars Moriendi (2010) - This French black metal band isn’t anything spectacular. I was told that they sound like Satyricon, and I guess that he meant older Satyricon; because all that this album is a 1996 black metal album with slightly better production. Black metal kvltists may think of France as “The New Norway”, but I think that the whole 90’s black metal scene was over about 20 years ago. This kind of thing reminds me of a franchise reboot, like the new A-Team film. The reruns of the show are still good, and they even had Hulk Hogan on them at one time, but now it seems that Hulk Hogan is now selling TV’s and computers for Rent-A-Center because he‘s broke, and Mr.T is now just a spokesman for World of Warcraft, because he’s trying to get a generation who doesn’t give a shit to think he’s still “cool”.

The good old days are gone. This whole thing feels like disco. NEXT!

OVERALL: FOR PEOPLE WHO STILL WANT TO PARTY LIKE IT’S 1990...666!

Christopher Amott - Follow Your Heart (2010) - Christopher Amott has been known for years for his groundbreaking work in Arch Enemy, and I believe that after years and years of the same old metal, the man has gotten tired of the genre altogether. This album is NOT metal by any means, but is instead, light progressive rock. It’s very relaxing, and there’s some good playing here and there…definitely not something you can play to get you pumped for something, or to blast down the road at a hundred miles per hour. But, I’ll lighten the mood.

OVERALL: SOLID PROGRESSIVE ROCK

Consumed - Manipulation (2008) - A bunch of guys from Houston, Texas decided “Opeth? Yeah, we can do that here too.” and this came out of it. The debut album from these guys is what you would expect: Solid progressive death metal that can be compared to mid-era Opeth, with a southern drawl on the clean vocals. At times, this formula works - but it’s also like Opeth with a country singing Akerfeldt. It’s a good attempt, and I’m curious at to what their next release will be…assuming there will be a next release.

OVERALL: OPETH FROM TEXAS - MAKE OF THAT, WHAT YOU WILL.

ALSO TRY: OPETH, WOLVERINE

Cubical Sphere - Demo (2008) - Since this is a demo, you can expect the quality to be raw, but there’s a good amount of effort presented in this debut offering from a technical progressive death metal from, well…you tell me. Grabbed this one on a whim, and was pleasantly surprised. If there ever is an actual album from these guys, it’ll be something. The music is comparable to death metal era Cynic and prog era Death. Of course, some things appear to be emulated. Still, this demo is more than likely fair game by now, so you can grab it for nothing, and hear it for yourself. The last song on the album sounds a bit like elevator music though.

OVERALL: SOLID CLASSIC PROGRESSIVE DEATH METAL.

ALSO TRY: DEATH, CYNIC

Dawn Of Ashes - Genocide Chapters (2010) - What do you get when you mix deathcore with black metal? Well, you get Dawn Of Ashes. (Who used to be an EBM band, check Wikipedia) So, what can you expect? It’s a literal blend of deathcore and black metal…

Some of you might think this is the worst thing to ever happen to either genre, but in all actuality, it’s done right. As a matter of fact, the thing sort of sounds like Septic Flesh’s last album “Communion” (2009), because it has so much of that horror influence. Many of the lyrics seem to be based on H.P. Lovecraft’s “Old Ones”. which I can never get enough of, and there’s even a nice little chant in the second track. (IA IA style) Regardless, this is something new, and it should be embraced - not hated. It’s not emo, after all - and I don’t mind a bit of deathcore, myself. (Heaven Shall Burn and Deadlock, for example) So I don’t think that it’s an upright blasphemy to mix these two genres of metal together.

It was bound to happen eventually.

OVERALL: WORTH A SHOT.

ALSO TRY: CRADLE OF FILTH, SEPTIC FLESH, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, DEADLOCK

Allegaeon - Fragments Of Form and Function (2010) - I was really saddened by this debut from Alegaeon. Their EP, which came out before they got signed to Metal Blade, was a great melodic death metal with more emphasis on the raspy vocals, and virtuoso style guitar playing. It reminded me a bit of my old band, (Unholy Sacrifice) actually. But here, we have an album which is just way too over the top, with way too much virtuoso guitar playing, and way too much technicality for me. I know that there a lot of people into technical stuff, but I felt that a lot of the melodies got lost in the technicality. It’s like taking a good song and cutting it up into so many pieces that it looks like Swiss cheese. That’s not to say that it’s awful, it’s just too fucking much.

OVERALL: HUMBLE DOWN A BIT, ALLEGAEON. RECOMMENDED ONLY FOR THOSE THAT LIKE THINGS WAY OVER THE TOP.

Lordi - Babez For Breakfast (2010) - If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s been Lordi’s motto since the day they began. Here we see, that nothing has changed, but they have decided to put more effort into what already has made them a sensation (?) I mean, I saw Dark Floors, and heard them for the first time via their videos on the disc, and then listened to Arockalypse, and then Deadache - each having their own good songs, but I think that this band is completely fine with making new versions of the same old songs…ACDC, anyone? I also noticed that the same style of chorus riffs is used on EVERY SINGLE SONG. On this particular release, I have noticed that there is more music, (14 tracks as compared to the others) and that almost always means more filler. Now, I can say that “This Is Heavy Metal”, “Call Of The Wedding”, Midnight Lover, and “Give Your Soul For Rock N’ Roll” are standout tracks, but the most interesting song is “Granny’s Gone Crazy”, which actually deals with the man behind the mask’s feelings about a society that has gone out of control. It is, what it is. If you liked the old record, you’ll like this one. If you liked the record before the old one, you’ll like this one…it’s the same thing.

OVERALL: FOR LORDI AND HAIR METAL FANS ACROSS THE WORLD. NOTHING SPECTACULAR.

Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned (2010) - Love them or hate them, Kamelot has released another offering, and this time it is less in the operatic vein, and more towards the heavy side of things. The opening track also features double bass and deathcore vocals, and the rest of the album seems to focus on appealing to a “new audience” as the band described. Some say that their vocalist is losing his range, and others say it’s just a fluke. I thought that it really wasn’t that bad, and it’s not like they could make another “insert album name here”. Also, the lyrics are much darker than on previous albums, and it’s a hell of a lot more progressive than they’ve ever been. The bonus track is “Thespian Drama”, which is just an instrumental.

OVERALL: THIS IS THE HEAVIER SIDE OF KAMELOT. IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, DON’T LISTEN TO IT.

Derelict Earth - Sins Of The Siblings (2010) When I listen to these guys, I can’t help but think that in some parts of the songs, these guys were influenced by 8 Bit Nintendo music. The whole thing to me sounds sort of like an updated soundtrack to a not yet made “Wizards & Warriors” game. That’s not a bad thing though, unless you don’t care much for video game music. As for vocals, don’t expect to hear any. It’s just some really progressive metal with Nintendo influence. I think this one is also fair game too. So, you can download it here, if you want:

OVERALL: FOR THE METALHEAD WHO LIKES WHEN HIS TUNES SOUND LIKE THEY CAME OUT OF A BIG SQUARE BOX THAT HAD TWO CONTROLLERS, AND ONE OF THE BEST GAMES IN HISTORY ON IT.

ALSO TRY: POWERGLOVE - METAL KOMBAT FOR THE MORTAL MAN (2007)
NESKIMOS (www.neskimos.com, all songs and albums are free and legal d/loads - check the forums)
VARIA SUITE - METROID METAL (2009)

Diapsiquir - Virus S.T.N. (2005) - In terms of weirdness, this French Industrial Black Metal band even gives Sigh a run for their money, due to their…music? Can you call it music? I could’ve made something like this…Oh wait, I did. My album almost sounds as awful as this! I have no idea what the vocalist is doing (he’s off-key more than on), and while there are good parts here and there, I have no earthly idea what exactly is going on in this recording. I recommend this for the extremely adventurous, because I feel that listening to this album might unlock “the door to all of the unanswered questions of the universe” if one is on a massive dose of LSD.

I’m just fucking with you. But seriously, I think that everyone should hear this - just so that they can say they have.

OVERALL: IF YOU LIKE TO SAY…WTF? THEN THIS IS FOR YOU.

ALSO TRY: SHINING - BLACK JAZZ (2010), ULVER - BLOOD INSIDE (2005) UNEXPECT - INSIDE A FLESH AQUARIUM (2008), AXIS OF PERDITION

Sons Of Liberty - Brush Fires Of The Mind (2009) I had no idea that there was anything new going on from the Iced Earth camp in 2009, besides vacation time after touring. Well, apparently, true vacation for a musician means getting to do something else. On this album, we actually not only get to hear Schaeffer playing arguably some of his best riffs in a long time, but we also have the slight misfortune of hearing him sing. I understand now why he didn’t choose to sing in either Iced Earth or Demons & Wizards, (who also has an album due out in October) and it’s mainly because the man needs some vocal training. Don’t get me wrong, some of the vocal work is good. He seems to hit those notes just right in some parts, but in others, you can tell the man has had little to no vocal training, and it sounds very amateurish. The album’s basis is something I can agree with though, and topped off with some of the best playing I’ve heard from the man in years, I’d still have to recommend this.

OVERALL: FOR THE HARDCORE SCHAEFFER FANS ONLY. OR, FOR THOSE THAT JUST WANT TO HEAR HEAVY RIFFS FROM THE MAN AGAIN.

ALSO TRY: ICED EARTH - BURNT OFFERINGS, THE DARK SAGA, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, HORROR SHOW

Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare (2010) - I was quite surprised by this release, actually. I’ll also make a note that I have not heard any other A7X albums, save for this one. What I can see is a lot of GNR worship, but what I’ve noticed is that their heavy roots are coming back into the mix, and there’s even some of their metal core era based songs coming in, with the vocalist screaming again in parts. The guitar work is excellent, and the vocals don’t sound so emo as on past singles that I’ve heard. “The Beast and The Harlot” made me want to go stab my ears out, but this isn’t so bad. Perhaps the lead singer’s voice is maturing, and deepening, so he can’t get into the emo octaves anymore. Regardless, I think that it can only get better from here, and I’d have to say that this is actually worth a listen.

OVERALL: SOLID HARD ROCK / METAL

Ungrace - Hostile Revival (2010) - What we have here is an industrial death metal band, which could be comparable to Fear Factory. The groove is definitely there, but they deriviate from the formula, and that changes things a bit. I would have to recommend this to Fear Factory fans who felt the new release was lacking. These guys show an awful lot of promise, and have a chance at becoming well known. I consider them the bastard children of Fear Factory.

OVERALL: IF YOU LIKE FF, YOU CAN’T GO WRONG HERE.

Yakuza - Of Seismic Consequence (2010) - I’ll have to start out by saying that this is one of those kind of albums that you just have turn off the lights, light a few candles, sit down in a chair, and absorb all of the way. It’s very trippy, it’s dreamy, and it’s out there. The vocalist reminds me of the male lead singer of Dead Can Dance, and there is a lot of influence from that band here. Yes, it is still a metal album, there are still heavy songs and vocals on it, but they aren’t as frequent. Again, this is one that you have to use whatever substance of your choice, and zone out to the thing. I’m not quite sure if you’d call this “Metalgaze” or “Post Metal”, but no matter what you want to call it - I’d just call it awesome.

OVERALL: SIT DOWN, AND ENJOY THIS ONE. THERE’S NOT MANY OUT THERE LIKE IT.

ALSO TRY: NEUROSIS, MINSK, ISIS, YOB