ABSENTIA LUNAE
HISTORIA NOBIS ASSENTIEVER
2009 ATMF
After listening to and absorbing this album, I can say that you'r either going to "get" what ABSENTIA LUNAE are all about,
or you're going to utterly hate them. This is one of the new generation of black metal bands, with a strong philosophical
standpoint that has next to nothing to do with Satan. The first track is harsly spoken... Italian(?) with lots of
echo and a little bit of music/noise in the background. Disturbing to say the least. Sadly, that's about as
interesting as it gets here. For the most part, ABSENTIA LUNAE play standard, average black metal. But every so often
they go into another one of these spoken words over music parts and their true potential shines through in all it's negative
glory. This is one of those albums that the mainstream fans who are only into DIMMU BORGIR or EMPEROR will shun, while
the underground will at least attempt to embrace it.
ABSU
ABSU
2008 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
There's no easy way to put this... my feelings are conflicted when I listen to this album. ABSU just isn't the same any more. While the songs here took five years to write
and four months to record, and the lyrical content is as wonderfully complex as ever, much of this album just doesn't sound like the ABSU I used to know. The reason for this is
simple. While Proscriptor is the only original member left (and even that is semi-debatable, as he joined after a couple of demos had been released), it
is the current new (and formerly new) members who are/were responsible for the songwriting. The loss of Shaftiel some years ago was bad enough, but with
Equitant gone as well (except for a few songs on this album), this might as well be a whole new band. Neither former member Vastator nor current member Aethyris manage to recapture
what ABSU sounded like on past albums. This is to be expected, as every songwriter has their own theory for writing music. I did hope that they would have done
a better job than this, however. The first half of this album has a more "standard" black metal sound, and very little of the crossover death and thrash metal elements
that ABSU is so known for. Fortunately, the second half sees a lot of improvement, including some semi-progressive parts especially in regards to the guitar solos. This isn't
a bad album by any means, but compared to what ABSU has done in the past, it is a disappointment. Hopefully with time, they'll manage to recapture the occult magick of the
previous works.
AGE OF AGONY
FOLLOW THE WAY OF HATE
2009 NO COLOURS RECORDS
This Hungarian band is right on the line between old-school death metal and modernized brutality. Lots of elements to appeal to fans of either style. Their raw
sound helps a lot too. Can't say that they slow down very much though. Blasting through each song is their chosen way to play music.
ARISE
THE RECKONING
2009 REGAIN RECORDS
I've heard at least one of the previous albums from ARISE, and I must say that The Reckoning sounds like a whole new band. The old stuff had too many lame parts for
my taste, and with this album they've realized what didn't work so well and dropped those parts. Yet they still managed to keep a catchy sound in their style of melodic Swedish death
metal. This is maybe what we would have gotten if DARK TRANQUILLITY had stuck with their original sound (you remember... the one they dropped after The Mind's I). Regardless,
it's safe to say that this album destroys anything that a band like SCAR SYMMETRY has done.
ASSAULTER
SALVATION LIKE DESTRUCTION
2009 PULVERISED RECORDS
It's been a long time since this Australian duo released the Omnipotence mini-CD. They finally managed to put together a full length album, but with
mixed results. The production here is very rough... almost like what you'd expect on a demo. There is a distinction between that and having a naturally raw sound.
ASSAULTER have that too, of course, but some of their impact ends up blunted. The guitar tone is a little odd as well. It reminds me sort of CELTIC FROST's, but minus
the bass to help back it up. Still, the songs all rage away with your normal Aussie anger and fury just as you'd expect. Judging by the bands that come from that country, you'd
think that everyone who lives there is ready to tear anyone they meet a new asshole.
AXIS POWERS
MARCHING TOWARDS DESTRUCTION
2009 PULVERISED RECORDS
Whenever a great band like AXIS POWERS puts out their first album, I always get a little worried that maybe they'll end up only doing the one. Just as I was starting to get this
kind of concern with AXIS POWERS, here's Marching Towards Destruction. Still with the war focused lyrics and the blackened death/thrash sound, this new album does not disappoint. If anything,
they've gone above and beyond the call of duty and really went for that old Swedish death metal sound. Salute!
BLADE OF THE RIPPER
TASTE THE BLADE
2008 FUTURESTORM MUSIC / SCAREY RECORDS
Look, everyone and their younger brother is hot to get into this whole thrash revival thing that's going on. BLADE OF THE RIPPER is one of the latest bands to pop up,
and thankfully they have a different take on things. Within these ten tracks of savage mutilation, disfigurement and rape you'll hear a very strong 80s style punk influence.
This stuff goes back to the very roots of it all, but without the idea of picking out some NWOBHM bands and trying to emulate them. Also, if you're expecting to hear
some serious guitar acrobatics, look elsewhere. This band may be thrash metal, but they don't play it in an insane way. Slowing down does have its benefits you know... like
being able to play a song (or even a single riff) the same way twice.
BLUT AUS NORD
MEMORIA VETUSTA II / DIALOGUE WITH THE STARS
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
That's an ambitious song title if I ever saw one. But that's to be expected from BLUT AUS NORD. They've always
been very ambitious, and very well thought out. This is one band that took black metal and ran with the idea, doing
everything they can to push the genre to the very limits of philosophy. Only DEATHSPELL OMEGA can match (and possibly
surpass) them in that regard. The music is not very standard black metal either. Those looking for something raw
and full of hatred can look elsewhere. If you want lots of symphonic parts, backing female vocals and ... well, everything
that has more or less ruined black metal in this writer's opinion, then BLUT AUS NORD is not for you. But if you want
"standard" sounding black metal (that is, harsh vocals and lots of double bass drums) mixed with guitarst that will
transport you to elsewhere, then you're in the right place. Of all the albums from this band that I have heard,
this is the one that brings all of their ideas together the best. Memoria... isn't at all in the same vein
as Odinist or Mort. Instead of sounding "fucked up in a good way," they've gone fully in the other direction,
choosing sanity over insanity. For once, making a significant change like that has worked out the right way.
BURIAL HORDES
DEVOTION TO UNHOLY CREED
2009 PULVERISED RECORDS
If Greece has a band that's their answer to BLASPHEMY, then BURIAL HORDES is it. This is some high-speed black metal that's cut from the same cloth as those Canadian maniacs.
No frills, nothing outside of your basic metal instruments... basically your no-bullshit black metal band here. ... and dare I say that it doesn't sound like it was recorded
in a bathroom either?
CANDLEMASS
DEATH MAGIC DOOM
2009 NUCLEAR BLAST
With the opening song, "If I Ever Die," Death Magic Doom was sounding like it was going to be another un-CANDLEMASS-like album for the quintet, sort of like how
the self-titled album was. Fortunately, that sound goes away very quickly, and Death Magic Doom turns into everything we had hoped for and expected. Robert Lowe has
completely settled in as their vocalist... and frankly, nothing here would have been suited for Messiah anyway. This is already one of my favorite releases of 2009, and I daresay
that it's even better than what we got from HEAVEN & HELL.
COFFIN
COFFIN
2008 CARRION CRAWLER RECORDS
COFFIN is an American power death/thrash band that plays music that's 100% built for the pit. Period. They don't fit the mold of the current thrash trend, and that works
both for them and against them. For them in that they're not some clone of an old German or American group. Against them in that they really don't manage to capitalize
on that and come up with anything truly distinctive. Having been around since only 2007, they're still very early in their development and this release may have been
a little premature. I've seen this before, and with far worse bands. Work on the songwriting for a good two years before putting anything down and it can make a world
of difference.
www.myspace.com/coffinnj
coffinnj@gmail.com
CONSPIRACY
CONCORDAT
2009 PULVERISED RECORDS
This is the second release of the one-man project, CONSPIRACY. Things sound a lot more defined here than on the debut, as far as style goes. The black/death metal combination
works very well here, with a strong melodic side and an epic flair at times. The production does have an oddly muffled tone to it though, and it seems like something that
could have been easily avoided. As before though, there's nothing really new or overly exciting here to be heard. It's getting close though.
CREATED TO KILL
WORSHIP OR DIE
2008 RUPTURED RECORDS
Here's a death metal duo who currently rely on programmed drums (and who have since found a real live drummer). Armed with a logo that looks like something my cat puked up, they're out to create some
heavy goddamn death metal. While there are both high and low vocals, they're both handled by one guy. That's a really nice change of pace. If there's
one thing I've learned to hate over the years, it's that a lot of bands seem to rely on two guys to sign. Fucking annoying. Anyway, Abe Simmerman must have
had an extra side of gutteral sauce while recording this album. Now if only he had figured out that someone turned his bass off for most of it. Seriously. It's
almost like he and guitarist Steve Forbes got into a fight about who was contributing more. "Look man, you've got both your bass and vocals on this CD while
I've only got my guitar. You have to pick one or the other to make it fair." OK, in all likelihood that exchange never happened, but there's still the fact that
the low end only occasionally pops up and is heard. Anyway, CREATED TO KILL isn't setting the underground on fire, but they're definitely having a good time, and this is probably
the first band from Kentucky that I've ever heard.
www.createdtokill.com
DARKANE
DEMONIC ART
2009 NUCLEAR BLAST
DARKANE has been kicking around for quite a few years now, having released several albums and toured the world a few times. Up until now though, I never thought that
they put out anything better than their debut album. With Demonic Art, that opinion just changed. They're on their third vocalist (well, fourth if you count
Speed Strid on their demos) and when that happens most bands just throw in the towel. In Darkane's case, this new guy (Jens Broman, also of CONSTRUCTDEAD and THE DEFACED) is
probably the best vocalist they've had ever. He's of course still got that hardcore influenced sound, but his clean vocals never get too clean or wimpy at all. That's
a big plus. Riff-wise, be prepared for a lot of their trademark start/stop stuff combined with tons of melodic parts. If anything, DARKANE is a modern thrash metal band with
a tech edge going for them. This just has to be their breakthrough album. If this doesn't catapult them almost to the very top of the mainstream metal scene (whatever that may be),
then nothing will.
DEATHCHAIN
DEATH ETERNAL
2008 DYNAMIC ARTS RECORDS
For those unfamiliar with DEATHCHAIN, they're another band that plays metal in the modern death/thrash style. Vocally,
they're heavily influenced by AT THE GATES. Musically, they're not all that far removed from the likes of CARNAL FORGE
or HATESPHERE. Overall, if you're new to the genre DEATHCHAIN will probably become one of your favorite bands. But
if you've heard a lot of others in the same style, they're more or less just also-rans.
DEATHSPELL OMEGA
CHAINING THE KATECHON
2009 THE AJNA OFFENSIVE / SOUTHERN LORD RECORDINGS
DEATHSPELL OMEGA have come a long way from where they began. These days, they have a strong philosophical tie-in to their music, moreso than virtually any other
band out there. This latest release, a mini-CD is being hailed as a mini-masterwork of sorts. I'm not sure that it rates high praise such as that, but I can say
with certainty that this can best be called an experiment in dissonance. DEATHSPELL OMEGA have written a song in which everything works against everything else,
rather than together. If their goal was to capture the struggle between chaos and order, life and death, the real and the unreal, then they have succeeded.
Chaining the Katechon could easily have ended up as an unlistenable cacophonous mess, but DO managed to pull it all together and make the conflict reach
a goal rather than falling apart. Not an easy listen by any means, and I expect this will be misunderstood by many. Possibly even by me too.
DECEIVER
THRASHING HEAVY METAL
2008 PULVERISED RECORDS
The story is that this will be the final DECEIVER album. Well, they had called it quits before and yet here we are. So maybe this won't be the end. If it
is though, I'm glad to say that they went out on a high note. I think Pete Flesh and company slowed down their thrash metal sound here a little bit, but the
amount of power they got in the tradeoff was more than worth it. Definitely a slightly different flavor than what we've been treated to in the past, but one that blows
away a lot of these new thrash bands that are around now.
DEVIL'S WHOREHOUSE
BLOOD & ASHES
2009 REGAIN RECORDS
If compared to the discography of one Glenn Danzig, Blood & Ashes would be something that would fit in the mid-SAMHAIN
period. Maybe. The songs might be more of a MISFITS kind of thing, but the voice of new singer Maelstrom is comparable to
those of a more mature Danzig. If I were him, I don't know if I'd be flattered or pissed off. Flattered because
someone was doing their best to imitate me. Pissed off because what they're doing is far better than anything I've
done in recent years. That's got to be upsetting for him, I'm sure. Bottom line, this is fun music. Because let's
face it... you can only take "serious" music for a certain amount of time. This one keeps the darkness, but is about
having a good time... if the things described by the lyrics are your idea of a good time, of course.
DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
KI
2009 INSIDEOUT MUSIC
STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, this is not. If that's what you're expecting, then this might not be the album for you.
The DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT could be described as a mirror of his personality. Calm and relaxed one moment, manic
and extremely pissed off the next. I wouldn't call it progressive, although the music does have those kinds of elements.
Does this even qualify as metal? At times, I'm not all that sure. The explosive parts sure as hell are, but the mellow
songs tend to barely qualify. To be honest, I'm not even sure what to make of the music on KI. The best I can
say is that it's Devin doing his thing, the same as he always has. Either you get it or you don't. I for one, never
have.
DIMENSION ZERO
HE WHO SHALL NOT BLEED
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
Way back in 1997, Jesper Stromblad and Glenn Ljunstrom of IN FLAMES founded this little side-project called
DIMENSION ZERO. They did a mini-CD that quickly sold out and became a semi-cult favorite. Since then, they've released
three more albums (this being the third). It's probably due to Jesper being tied up with IN FLAMES, but this is the
first new output since 2003. As a matter of fact, this album has been out since 2007 but has only just now been licensed
from Regain Records. Listening to the songs here, two things are immediately obvious: AT THE GATES is a huge influence
(as tends to be the case), and DIMENSION ZERO is Jesper's metal outlet as his main band seems to have lost their
cojones. Unfortunately, I think a lot of their credibility is going to be lost with He Who Shall Not Bleed,
thanks to their cover of "Stayin' Alive." Can't say I see the point of it, and TEN MASKED MEN already did a much
better version. Other than that, this takes me back to the late 90s/early 2000s when Swedish melodic death metal was
all over the place and metalcore hadn't taken over yet.
LEIF EDLING
SONGS OF TORMENT, SONGS OF JOY
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
Despite the fact that this was released in Europe last year, when I first heard about this solo project, I had some
reservations. Could Leif Edling have enough ideas at the moment to fuel both a solo work and a new CANDLEMASS album?
As it turns out, I think he does. Songs of Torment, Songs of Joy resembles CANDLEMASS only so far as both
are doom metal. What Leif came up with here is something different, and consists of songs and ideas he had that would
not work in his main band. Not that I'm saying that this is some kind of sonic scrapheap. Far from it. A songwriter
as prolific as Leif will of course come up with some excellent riffs and ideas that don't fit in the context of his
regular project (or KRUX, for that matter). Indeed, Songs of Torment, Songs of Joy is at the same time less melodic but more symphonic
than CANDLEMASS. Dare I say that it is darker as well? Leif might as well have released this with a reflective black
cover. It's like, how much more dark could this be? And the answer is none. None more dark. Seriously though,
this album is a lot more about torment than it is about joy. But that's the point of doom metal, isn't it? The old
joke about what happens when you play a country music song backwards applies here too, more or less. Oh yes, besides
the fact that he wrote everything and plays bass (of course) on this album, he also handles some of the guitar duties
and the vocals as well. As I'm writing this review, I'm listening to the old NEMESIS recordings, and it's safe to
say that Leif has definitely worked on his vocals since those days. Now that I've rambled on here, the short story
is that this is a good album so long as it's not approached with any preconceived notions. This is not CANDLEMASS,
nor is it KRUX. Hopefully he does a few more of these, and not necessarily in the same style. I think the man
has a lot of untapped creativity in him that extends past the realm of doom and gloom.
ENDSTILLE
VERFUHRER
2009 REGAIN RECORDS
Germany's un-political yet war focused black metal slaughterers are back with a new one.Verfuhrer continues what they've done on their past releases,
as they assault the senses with their brand of harsh, raging aggressive black metal. With a drawing of German Emperor Wilhelm II on the cover, it looks like
World War I is the focus this time, and not the Big One. I only have a minimal amount of information to work from here (no lyrics, no album synopsis), but I believe
this album examines the life of Wihelm II, especially in regard to World War I and his later abdication and exile. If I'm wrong, then so be it.
FARSCAPE
FOR THOSE WHO LOVE TO KILL
2008 NO COLOURS RECORDS
For those (like me) waiting for a new album from Brazil's FARSCAPE, we're going to have to wait a litle longer. For now though, they've opted to release this
compilation of some new material combined with their 2001 demo, some live songs and a few other goodies to tide us over. Think of it as a nice little present
for us rabid fans who are dying to hear more of FARSCAPE's brand of KREATOR meets SACRIFICE sound.
FISCHEL'S BEAST
COMMENCEMENT
2008 CERBERUS RECORDS
Recently, underground cult favorites SENTINEL BEAST reformed. For one reason or another though (probably because he's on the other side of the country these
days), guitarist Barry Fischel did not join in. That's ok, because he's got his own thing going with FISCHEL'S BEAST. With the blessing of the members of
SENTINEL BEAST, his band has recorded these five songs which would have been most of SENTINEL BEAST's second album if they had stuck around a little longer.
The amazing thing to me is that while these songs are a good twenty or so years old, they don't sound like it at all. This stuff could have been written just the other
day... it's not dated sounding in any way whatsoever. This serves to show us two things 1) great music transcends time, and 2) we were robbed when SENTINEL BEAST
broke up. Fortunately, Barry never abandoned the idea of recording this material and we should all thank him for it. At this time, FISCHEL'S BEAST is busy working
on their true debut album, and they supposedly will have their own distinct sound. Me, I hope it doesn't stray too far from what I heard here, because this band
is... well... a beast! By the way, by the time you read this, Stormspell Records will have officially re-released this on CD (an upgrade from the current CDR) with all
new artwork.
www.myspace.com/fischelsbeast
GOLLUM
THE CORE
2009 ROTTEN RECORDS
To reiterate what I said back when I reviewed their self-released Lesser Traveled Waters album, somewhere there is a solitary bedroom black metaller sharpening his knife
in hate, as the name he coveted has already been taken. GOLLUM have fuck-all to do with black metal, and instead are in the mixed-up-crossover-to-the-max-good-luck-trying-to-pigeonhole-them vein.
There's elements of WEEDEATER, TODAY IS THE DAY, maybe NEUROSIS, LAMB OF GOD, and more or less any modernized-sounding metal band you can think of. Which is not to say that they're
derivative of any of those other bands. Far from it. They've managed to do the impossible (or at least so it seems these days), and take their influences and create something that's just about
completely original without going over the deep end. What I mean is... well, take CEPHALIC CARNAGE as an example. They're original as all hell, but anyone can just take every musical
thought they have and do the equivalent of throwing shit at a wall and seeing what sticks. GOLLUM don't write songs like that, but if they did, they'd at least try to get a decent grouping rather than
going as scattershot as possible. This isn't going to appeal to most metal fans out there, but to the open-minded, this is something to check out.
HATEFUL AGONY
IN THE NAME OF GOD
2008 SELF RELEASE
Years ago, I picked up HATEFUL AGONY's debut album, Existence is Punishment through a distro and thoroughly enjoyed it. But it wasn't until recently that I found out
that they're still around. Their latest release is In the Name of God, and they're still plowing on ahead with their straightforward thrash metal style. Their songs deal with
man's greed, inhumanity to man, destruction of the planet... and of course serial killers. Son of Sam and Richard Ramirez get the thrash metal treatment here. Nothing overly stupendous here,
but HATEFUL AGONY don't fall into the usual thrash traps of the "Bay Area sound" or the "German sound." They've always had their own style that sounds nothing like either one of those. Best of
all, they're not a party or gimmick band. So support the real deal!
www.hatefulagony.de
www.myspace.com/hatefulagonythrashmunich
HAVOK
BURN
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
What year is it? Are you sure it's 2009? Because this sure as hell sounds like what might have been if Chuck Billy had joined EXODUS instead of TESTAMENT.
Fast, frantic, and practically a piranha attack. The old Bay Area sound is present throughout. At first, that seems like a good thing, but then I remember that
by the time thrash had played itself out the first time around, everyone was about as sick as they could be of that sound. It just never seemes as "dangerous" as
what the Germans were doing, and was always just a bit too clean. But Burn does hold a lot of promise, and maybe this time things will turn out different.
HIGH SPIRITS
HIGH SPIRITS
2009 SELF-RELEASED
I have no real idea who is in this band, but I have a suspicion that HIGH SPIRITS is a side-project of the members of
SUPERCHRIST. As advertised underneath the track list, HIGH SPIRITS play 100% high-energy rock music. Comparing them
to anyone is a little difficult for me, but U.F.O. and some of the more obscure NWOBHM acts might not be all that far
off. The spirit of the late 70's and early 80's definitely runs through the four tracks here. While HIGH SPIRITS are
on to something good, it does sound like they're in the very early stages of writing music in this style. But over
time, they're virtually guaranteed to get better (and already do, starting on the third song, "Wanted Dead").
www.myspace.com/highspiritsrock
IMPIETY
TERROREIGN - APOCALYPTIC ARMAGEDDON COMMAND
2009 AGONIA RECORDS
Chances are that the Dominator mini-CD left you hungry for more IMPIETY. Well, here it is at last. Still the same IMPIETY, really. Still blasting
black/death metal. Still fast. But with a much better flow than their last full-length. Throw in a spectacular MORBID cover song too, and this album just can't
be beat.
INTESTINE BAALISM
ULTIMATE INSTINCT
2008 NO COLOURS RECORDS
Quality over quantity. That must be this band's motto. They've only got three albums total, and all three just destroy so many other bands who have two or even three times
as many releases out. There's a lesson in there for sure. About the best way to describe INTESTINE BAALISM is what you might get if AUTOPSY had been from Sweden
and were more melodic, yet still fast and brutal (in the old way). Simple as that. One thing I would like to point out though is the track "Dark Surface." Is it me, or does
the main riff from this song sound like something from DISSECTION? Maybe it was borrowed? If not, then this fine Japanese band wrote something that came extremely close
to capturing that same atmosphere. Awesome. Simply awesome death metal.
IXXI
ELECT DARKNESS
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
For starters, the band's name is not pronounced "ick-see," nor is it "eye-eks-eks-eye." "IXXI" is meant to be "9 11" in
Roman numerals, and not "911," which would actually be CMXI. In reading a couple of interviews I learned that
supposedly the name refers to the Eleven Blades and Level Nine, both of which have some form of significance in
satanic circles. The events of September 11th, 2001 in the USA are just coincidental. I'm not sure how much I
believe that or not, but I'll let it go for now and won't form a band with a tasteless name like "GOTHENBURG DISCO
INFERNO," or "TSUNAMI GENOCIDAL EXTERMINATION." Go and Google a little Swedish news over the last several years and you'll
get what I'm saying with those names. (I'll be expecting plenty of hate mail, but hey, I'm allowed to be controversial
and potentially offensive too, aren't I?) Not surprisingly, the music on Elect Darkness has a very nihilistic
tone to it, with a vocalist who at times does his best to imitate Attila Csihar's performance on De Mysteriis Dom
Sathanas. The honest truth is that IXXI really do get to the heart of what black metal is supposed to be all about:
cold, dark music with little or no regard for human values or life. Some parts get a little too "black and roll," but
this is still far better than listening to the latest clone of a clone band.
KRATORNAS
THE CORRODING AGE OF WOUNDS
2009 KNEEL BEFORE THE MASTER'S THRONE RECORDS
The time of KRATORNAS has arrived. Look at the world today. Global warming. A crushed economy. Conflicts scattered across the globe. Is there any doubt that
mankind is on the brink? The time is ripe for more unholiness and filth from KRATORNAS. If you thought Over the Fourth Part of the Earth was intense,
The Corroding Age of Wounds is even moreso. Perhaps a little too intense, even. Fortunately, this never turns into a mess like MYRKSKOG's Superior Massacre did.
That one was a wall of sound that collapsed under it's own lack of song structure. Not so here. Perhaps you're familiar with the shitty American "metal" band called DISTURBED,
and their "Using Music as a Weapon" tour. Fuck them and every band on that tour, they have no idea of what using music as a weapon truly means. KRATORNAS does. KRATORNAS
does not hit with surgical strikes. KRATORNAS carpetbombs the living bejesus out of every single person who hears them. If I am destined to die screaming in fire, then I want
KRATORNAS to be the soundtrack of my demise. Black death metal that does not ask for your respect, it demands it. Fucking mandatory.
LETHARGY
PURIFICATION
2008 POWERAGE RECORDS
Basically, this is heavy riff oriented rock music that more or less wants to be the second coming of ALICE IN CHAINS. Nothing more needs to be said.
THE LURKING CORPSES
LUST FOR BLOOD
2006 DARK HORIZON RECORDS
THE LURKING CORPSES is a quartet of sick fucks who play a kind of death metal that draws a lot of influence from THE MISFITS and thrash metal. In a lot of
ways, they remind me of some of the bands on the Razorback Records roster (like FRIGHTMARE and GHOUL) only a lot more fun and definitely less serious. This
album has a whopping twenty tales of terror, and they're all of a good length. You're not getting twenty songs in twenty minutes here. Nope, these guys
like to take their time with their victims, and you'll be begging for even more when they're done with you.
MANTIC RITUAL
EXECUTIONER
2009 NUCLEAR BLAST
I don't dig the name. I like "MELTDOWN" a whole lot better. "MANTIC RITUAL" just doesn't scream thrash at me. That aside, this album just about ripped my face off.
They actually went and re-recorded all of the songs they originally released as MELTDOWN. I actually just had the chance to pick up that version of Executioner, and
I'm kicking myself for not doing so. I'd be very interested to hear what changes they made to the material and what kind of influence Andy Classen had on them.
Stupid fucking me. I do have to question the fact that this is a fifty minute thrash metal album. In this, the age of the iPod and soundbites, you'd have to be damn
impressive to hold someone's attention for that entire time. MANTIC RITUAL didn't quite manage to do that with me, but they came close. Between the number of solos
on here and them being so Bay Area influenced it hurts I can't help but think that this is the album METALLICA was supposed to do instead of the black album.
MANZANA
BABIES OF REVOLUTION
2008 DYNAMIC ARTS RECORDS
Ugh. Finnish pop-rock that's too fluffy for any self-respecting metalhead yet too rough for radio to pick up.
THE MIKE ALBERT PROJECT
AFTERLIFE
2009 BIG DEAL RECORDS
Can't say that I've ever heard of Mike Albert. Apparently his big claim to fame was that he was in MEGADETH for all of five minutes. Dave Mustaine picked him
to replace Chris Poland on some of the touring for Killing is My Business... and Business is Good album. Mike apparently then began to butt heads with Dave,
and to no one's surprise, got the boot from the band. Since then he's been a session player in a variety of bands, performing all kinds of music. And now he's got
his own little thing going on, in the form of THE MIKE ALBERT PROJECT. This is one of those bands that really make one wonder as to exactly who the audience for this sound
would be. The band has a heavy rock sound with "tough" vocals that get heavier with each track. The music is too heavy and not commercial enough for your average rock radio
station... yet it's not heavy enough and too commerical for your average metal fan. Even the trendy scenesters wouldn't be into this. The thing is, Mike Albert reportedly
wrote around eighty songs in the MEGADETH vein after he was let go. OK, so where are these songs? With the latest trend of thrash metal, one would think that he could have picked
the best ten or twelve of those, recorded them and shown all these new bands just what the real thing is. I can respect the fact that he's doing what he wants to do and
not what the vibe of the current scene thinks he should be doing, and I get the idea of making music for yourself first and others second... but come on... if you're going
to put it out on an album, at least make sure it's something that people are going to want to hear. ... one other little thing... I got a good laugh out of the logo, as it was lifted
directly off of METALLICA's Kill 'Em All. Considering Mike Albert was in a band with "the enemy," that's a really funny thing to do.
MURK
ALL IS LOST
2008 NO COLOURS RECORDS
Yet another black metal band from Italy, previously known in the past as ABRACADABRA. "Band" is a misnomer though, as
MURK is a one man project by Lore, and he utilizes session members for live gigs. I did happen to look MURK up on
www.metal-archives.com and got a kick out of the photo
that was posted. Lore doesn't appear to give much of a shit for what is "true" in black metal, or how you are
supposed to act or look. He seems to be more into sitting on a lawn chair and watching the ocean during the day while
drinking a beer or three. I like it. As far as his music goes, Lore seems to have abandoned the INQUISITION/JUDAS ISCARIOT
influences that he supposedly had on the Unholy Presences debut. All is Lost instead seems to favor a more
rock and roll approach. This allows for more dynamic music, and goes well beyond the usual shrieked vocals, electric shaver
guitars and water-sprinkler drums. Lore's vocals are more like what you'd get if Lemmy was hoarse and hadn't gotten laid in
a week. In a lot of ways, All is Lost resembles what DARKTHRONE are doing these days. Maybe that's "untrue," but
I don't think Lore really cares about your opinion on the matter.
NASHVILLE PUSSY
FROM HELL TO TEXAS
2009 SPV
Simply put, this is one of those booze soaked bands that play rock music. Period. Nothing fancy, nothing too over the top. What you see is what you get,
warts and all. I think in the past they've been somewhat lumped in with the stoner genre, but this album at least has a lot more "rock" vibe than
"stoner" vibe. Guess they're more into Jack Daniels than Mary Jane.
NATASSIEVILA
ITER LETHALIS
2006 DARK HORIZON RECORDS
Second go-round for this one, as I reviewed it a few issues ago. Has my opinion changed? Not really. This band hails from Italy and play black metal
in a mid-period DARK THRONE-like vein. I think I hear a few elements of ANCIENT's first full length too, but with more power behind it. Every track here
has lyrics that focus on a longing for death, and I suppose it's a small miracle that none of these guys have offed themselves yet. Overall, this is
run-of-the-mill and you've probably already heard a bunch of other bands that could be mistaken for them and vice versa.
NECHOCHWEN
ALGONKIAN MYTHOS
2007 DARK HORIZON RECORDS
This one is something different. For starters, it's definitely not metal as you know it. Calling it "metal" would be an absolute disservice. This is more
or less the solo project of one Nechochwen, who is on a quest to find his ancestral roots among the tribes of Eastern Woodland Indians. The name means "he who
walks alone," and as you listen to these very atmospheric tracks, you're sure to agree that both the individual and his project are well named. The songs
are mostly instrumentals, and were inspired by various events in the history of North America. This is probably the most personal music I've ever heard, and it's
so personal that one might wonder if it even was meant to be released to the public. While each song evokes a particular feeling or vision for its creator, I for one
did not experience anything of the sort while listening to this album. That might be due to the lack of Native American blood flowing in my system (although I have
heard that I have at least one tribal ancestor from long ago). It's not like the vision I get of barbarians herding along massive war mammoths on the way to a battle when
I listen to "Innocence and Wrath" by CELTIC FROST.
NECROPHOBIC
DEATH TO ALL
2009 REGAIN RECORDS
I'm glad to see that NECROPHOBIC are still going strong. They're even blacker sounding than before, and even more melodic as well. With all the "big name" releases
and "up and coming new hopefuls" that you're constantly barraged with, chances are this one might get overlooked. Don't let it happen. Death to All could well be
the sleeper hit of 2009.
OBITUARY
DARKEST DAY
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
Man... ever since they got back together, OBITUARY have simply torn the underground a new one. Darkest Day continues right where they left off. Still heavy as all hell,
and John Tardy's vocals are still as impossible to understand as ever. This is exactly what I've come to expect from the band, and so long as they don't go back to their
post The End Complete days, we'll all be very, very happy.
TIM RIPPER OWENS
PLAY MY GAME
2009 SPV
Much has been made of Ripper. Everyone knows the story... he went from a JUDAS PRIEST cover band to fronting the originals. Then he joined ICED EARTH, put together his own band BEYOND
FEAR, and now fronts Yngwie J. Malmsteen's act. Based on all of that, he now has the chance to put together an album that's entirely his own, and play with as varied a lineup
as Tony Iommi did on his first solo release. The list of names goes on and on.. Bob Kulick, Bobby Jarzombek, Dave Ellefson, Rudy Sarzo, Simon Wright, Vinny Appice, Jeff Loomis, Chris Cafferty...
see what I mean? Overall, I think I was hoping for something a little more from Ripper though. For the most part, all of the songs here are slow (albeit with some fast parts), brooding and
of course, heavy. But something critical is missing. I really don't hear the energy that I expected here. These songs come across as just a sort of average rock/metal style, and there's a lot
more emphasis on the rock part than the metal part. Dude, couldn't you have just given us another BEYOND FEAR album instead of this?
PAGANFIRE
DEMO MANIA
2009 SELF RELEASE
Despite the fact that Filipino thrashers PAGANFIRE have been around for a long time, I've never heard of them until now despite the fact that they have a ton of releases out there.
This latest release contains their 2006 and 2004 demos. Without a doubt, these guys are more or less their nation's answer to KREATOR. Lots of thrashing, slashing, smashing music
to be found here, and if we're lucky they'll soon get to the point where they are much better known.
paganfire13@yahoo.com
SAMAEL
ABOVE
2009 NUCLEAR BLAST
So the word is that SAMAEL decided to return to their roots and "de-technoify" their sound for this album. For the most part, they've done that. But beyond that, I really
wouldn't call this a return to Blood Ritual or Ceremony of Opposites, and of course going back to the primitive sound of Worship Him would have
been too much to ask for (although they do included a reworked version of "Dark Side" here... these guys never stop tinkering with the old stuff). Above has
a "wall of sound" style that was never found on those early albums. Drum programmer Xy seems to have forgotten that speed was not really part of SAMAEL's early sound, and
he's left the drum machine on the hyperblastbeat setting. So instead of focusing on what this album is not, let's look at what it is instead. Above is more in the
direction I would have liked to have seen them go after Passage, at least in terms that it is far, far preferable to that failed abortion they titled Eternity.
Few, if any, keyboards are here, and those that are are kept very quiet. Maybe, just maybe, SAMAEL are starting to redeem themselves in the eyes of us old-schoolers. Will it come
at the cost of losing some of their fans of the newer stuff? Probably. Too bad for them.
SEANCE
AWAKENING OF THE GODS
2009 PULVERISED RECORDS
SEANCE never quite got the acclaim they deserved back when they released their original two albums. For my money, Fornever Laid to Rest could stand toe to toe
with practically every other Swedish death metal band from the early 90s and not give an inch. These days, they're probably best known as "that band the guy in
THE HAUNTED used to be in." Jensen is still in that band, but SEANCE has gotten back together without him. Even though he was the main (only?) songwriter in the original line-up,
the other members came up with one hell of an album without him. The hallmarks of the SEANCE sound are very much alive on this third album, but the bad news is that they
went with the production style they had on Saltrubbed Eyes. The mix on that one just wasn't right, and Awakening of the Gods follows in those footsteps.
The songs don't bite as hard as they should in a lot of parts, and the overall tone isn't as nasty as it should have been. I don't know what possessed the band to go with
the production and mix they have here, but if they had gone with what they had on their debut, this thing would have destroyed just about every other death metal album released
so far in 2009... and almost everything from 2008 for good measure. It's good, but it just misses what it could have been.
SEIZURE CRYPT
UNDER THE GUN
2008 BAD ELEPHANT PRODUCTIONS / 3:16 PRODUCTIONS
Who the hell listens to this? Seriously. SEIZURE CRYPT is all over the place with their brand of malt liquor fueled
hardcore meets thrash insanity. That is soooooo not a good thing. I'm not even sure you can mosh to this mess. Too
many people on vocals here. BIOHAZARD made that work, but SEIZURE CRYPT haven't figured out the trick of it yet.
I'd listen to any technical death metal band over this, any day of the week.
SERPENT SAINTS
LEATHER LUCIFER
2008 STORMSPELL RECORDS
This mini-CD was a nice little surprise. SERPENT SAINTS is a Danish five-piece that continues the tradition of
early DEATH SS, but with a leather and chains look rather than takes on classic horror monsters. Originally, this
was a self-released demo, but the band has seen fit to license it to a couple of labels for CD and LP versions.
Comparisons to the likes of KING DIAMOND and possibly ALICE COOPER can be drawn as well, and not just because of
the painted face of frontman Therapist. SERPENT SAINTS is a very theatrical band, having played at least one gig
(and probably more) with a caged "nun". Fortunately, they don't let the image override the music. Don't expect
cute LORDI-like tunes here. This is some very macabre stuff, with killer guitar solos, riffs to bang your head to,
and vocals that convey every emotion perfectly. These guys have all kinds of potential, and are only just starting
to show us what they can do. Without a doubt, SERPENT SAINTS is a band that, with the right amount of financial
backing, will put on a SHOW and not just play metal music for an audience. This is exactly what we need at this time,
as proven by IRON MAIDEN's spectacular tour of the past year.
THE SEVEN GATES
ANGEL OF SUFFERING
2009 HEAVY ARTILLERY RECORDS
I'll be honest... this really wasn't what I was expecting. When I heard that the main guy behind DAEMONIUM and AKHENATON was in this band, thoughts of
insane concept-laden death metal filled my head. DAEMONIUM's Dark Opera of the Ancient War Spirit has long been a favorite of mine, and I really
highly recommend that you check it out. But THE SEVEN GATES has fuck-all to do with that. This band takes its main inspiration from MORBID ANGEL's slower
stuff, especially from Domination or Gateways to Annihilation. There's nothing wrong with that, but the result is a little more "modern sounding"
than I'd have liked. The dark and morbid feeling isn't there like I hope it would be. But on the other hand, this is some heavy brutally intense stuff that
will appeal to death metal fans across the spectrum.
SILENTIUM
AMORTEAN
2008 DYNAMIC ARTS RECORDS
Anyone up for some Finnish gothic metal? I don't believe I've heard any of their previous albums, but they've had
a very hard time keeping a vocalist. I can't say if Riina Rinkinen is better than her predecessors, but she does
have one of the best voices for the genre that I've heard to date. More or less your standard symphonic female-fronted
band. Not bad, but not my first choice of albums to pop in the disc player.
SINNERS BURN
PRE-MORTAL AUTOPSY
2008 NO COLOURS RECORDS
I'll just keep this short, because I have very few words to express how awesome this album is. SINNERS BURN is the original lineup of PAGANIZER. Yes,
riff-wizard Rogga Johansson has yet another project going, and this might be his best one yet (although he now has left the band). SINNERS BURN totally captures the hallowed sound of Swedish death metal
circa 1990 to 1992, and they might as well have titled this thing Clandestine II. Just shut up and bow down in worship. This is the sound of fucking death metal
as it was, and as it should continue to be. ALL HAIL!!!!
SPIRITUAL DECAY
CLOSER TO THE GRAVE
2006 DARK HORIZON RECORDS
This one has been out for a long time now, and chances are that it was overlooked. That's really too bad, because I can name a lot of bands on bigger labels who
are a lot less talented than this one. Talented, you ask? But there's no technical aspect to their songs, you say. There's no insane fretwork or complicated drumming, you protest.
That's my point exactly. These days, it takes a lot of talent to not go off on musical tangents, where each band member sounds like they're playing a different piece of music.
Where the drummer doesn't have to hit every damn drum sixteen dozen different ways in every song. Instead, SPIRITUAL DECAY have given us some very, very heavy death metal... the kind
that can only be achieved when the group works as a unit and aren't concerned with their individuality. This stuff is slow, with a whole ton of power behind it. Vocalist/bassist Shawna
continues the path blazed by Dana Duffey and DEMONIC CHRIST/MYTHIC. She's brutal as all get-out, with low vocals that put a lot of her male counterparts to shame. I did find that the drums
were a little high in the mix, and that served to bury the really dark melodies they had going. About the only other negative thing I could say here is that Closer to the Grave
has enough material for two albums, so at the hour or so running length, it does lose some of it's momentum.
SUIDAKRA
CROGACHT
2009 SPV MUSIC
I learned something about SUIDAKRA this time... apparently, they're a German band that plays Irish influenced music. Go figure. At least they're a whole lot more
creative than France's HIMINBJORG, who used to (and I suppose still do) play Scandinavian style black metal, Viking themes and all. What gets even more interesting with
this album from SUIDAKRA is that the lyrics were done by artist Kris Verwimp, who happens to be Belgian. Go figure. This is really as pagan sounding as pagan metal can get,
and frankly I'm amazed that the three core members are able to pull off a sound this intricate and huge.
SUPERCHRIST
DEFENDERS OF THE FILTH
2009 SELF-RELEASE
I have no doubts that sometime in the 1970s that Lemmy of MOTORHEAD fucked three chicks in Chicago, and fathered three bastards on them. Those three kids grew up, somehow
met, and formed a band that has become a sort of MOTORHEAD junior. This is rock and roll to the core. Sporting a cover that will leave you feeling dirty, Defenders of the Filth
is an album that can be summed up as just plain rude. You could call this stuff "party metal," if your idea of a party is getting blitzed out of your mind and breaking beer bottles
over the head of anyone who even says, "Hello," to you. MOTORHEAD may have been the band where if they moved in next door to you, your lawn would die... but SUPERCHRIST is the
band where if they moved in next door, you'd have a lawn covered in fresh puke and headbangers trying to sleep off their hangovers.
SUSPERIA
ATTITUDE
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
Let the TESTAMENT comparisons continue. The formula is working for SUSPERIA, and they're not about to change it. This time though, they've gone and brought back some of their
original more black metal sound and combined it in some places. It works fairly well, but the times when vocalist Athera insists on semi-clean singing, the songs just lose me. It's
too close to an ALICE IN CHAINS kind of thing, and not a thrash/death kind of thing. Still, this isn't as "safe" as Cut From Stone was... even if it's not
as over the top as Unlimited. That one was their benchmark, no doubt about it.
SWASHBUCKLE
BACK TO THE NOOSE
2009 NUCLEAR BLAST
The concept sounded good... take thrash metal and pirates and mix the two. Why not? RUNNING WILD have had all kinds of success with the theme, and now ALESTORM are doing
the same. Sadly, it doesn't work quite as well here. Pirates are a dodgy theme at best, and SWASHBUCKLE play it like a joke all the way to the hilt. Like MUNICIPAL WASTE, there's
too much "party" element present. With twenty one tracks in under forty five minutes, they pour as much cheese into their songs as they can. The semi-death metal vocals don't
come across well at all and actually get really annoying. If this is what the current thrash trend has descended to, then this trend is about over. There's plenty of other
thrash metal bands around right now that you'd be much better off listening to... PHANTOM WITCH, PYROTOXIC, IMMACULATE, SAURON, and DEATHHAMMER are just a few examples.
TARDY BROTHERS
BLOODLINE
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
I've heard about this project of John and Donald Tardy, both of OBITUARY, but I wasn't really sure what to expect. The decrepit Mack (or maybe Peterbilt)
truck on the cover had me a little puzzled too. Had the boys gone southern rock? Turns out they most certainly did not. It's a little hard to describe, but
Bloodline is kind of like OBITUARY but with a more rock-oriented sound. They're still as rhythm-based as their main band, and John's vocals are as
distinctive as ever. They claim the two bands sound nothing like each other, but with the same guitar tone, you'll probably disagree. Whatever. It's good stuff.
THRASH CLASH VOLUME 4
INFANTRY VS PYROTOXIC
2008 STORMSPELL RECORDS
If you haven't been picking up these two-band compilations by Stormspell Records, you've been missing out. This is
a really nice idea, and it's already being imitated by a few other labels. Take two demo level bands, put them on
one CD with killer 80s style artwork and you've got something really cool on your hands. Previous volumes have
included the likes of DIAMOND PLATE, PHANTOM WITCH, SACRILEGIO, TAKING OVER, OPPRESSION and BLOOD EXILE. This is
probably the best of the four, and if this really is a competition, then PYROTOXIC just demolish every other band
that's been featured. Period. These Finns just crush. The vocals might be a little too high for some (think Darren Travis
of SADUS). But that's not to say that INFANTRY are bad. Far from it. They have more of an unpolished, manic sound
that's 100% American sounding (which is good, as they hail from the far off land of California). They're more or less
what you might have gotten if Tom Angelripper had lived in Los Angeles instead of Germany. Slower-paced thrash with
early SODOM-style vocals is what we're talking about here. Let's put it like this... The Thrash Clash series is limited
to 1000 copies of each volume, never to be repressed. Buy now or cry later.
THRONE OF KATARSIS
HELVETE - DET ISKALDE MORKET
2009 CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
If I remember right, the last album from THRONE OF KATARSIS was an exercise in DARKTHRONE worship. This time around, they've found more of their own sound. The five extra long tracks
here are grim and cold, but not quite to the point of being freezing. Fairly standard raw sounding black metal, but with a decent production (and yes, I know that's an oxymoron).
TRIBULATION
THE HORROR
2009 PULVERISED RECORDS
This album is nine tracks of pure death metal terror, plain and simple. The Horror continues the fine tradition of Swedish death thrash, and is highly influenced
by the almighty MERCILESS. I have nothing bad to say about this album. It's the perfect length, captures the necro feeling perfectly, and kicked my ass up and down the street.
Me wants more already.
UNANIMATED
IN THE LIGHT OF DARKNESS
2009 REGAIN RECORDS
I've been waiting for this a long time. When UNANIMATED broke up after their second album, not only was I pissed that one of my favorite bands of the era was no more,
I also felt that they hadn't even come close to finishing what they started. Now they have returned, and I am pleased to say that this is one reunion that truly does work.
In the Light of Darkness contains music that sounds like they never broke up. A few things may have changed with the line-up (they're a four piece now, not five), but
this album might as well have been released right after Ancient God of Evil. When a band breaks up and reforms many years later, it's a next to impossible task to recreate
what they were. But listening to the morbid melodies present here, it's plain to these ears that UNANIMATED have done just that. Amazing. Simply amazing. Welcome back.
URNA
ITER AD LUCEM
2009 ATMF
It should come as little or no surprise that the genres of black metal and funeral doom managed to find each other.
The nihilistic tendencies of the one combined with the total depression of the other is a match that was just meant to
be. URNA is yet another project of MZ (LOCUS MORTIS, ARCANA COELESTIA). The songs are mostly very long, but with a total
running time of just under 45 minutes, it's not like URNA overstays their welcome by cramming as much on here as they can.
The black (and sometimes death) metal vocals do take a backseat to the music being played. At times, the songs are very quiet, and at others they
roar with all the fury that can be mustered from them. Obviously, atmosphere is the name of the game here, and URNA delivers
the goods. Forget about all of that supposed "suicidal" black metal. Iter Ad Lucem will, if anything, make you
cut your wrists in the bathtub and drift off forever.
VANMAKT
AD LUCIFERI REGNUM
2009 PULVERISED RECORDS
VANMAKT have a lot going for them, but just don't manage to ever really click. They have a bold, strong sound and haunting melodic riffs that sometimes border
on the hypnotic. But all I ever seem to hear is just another average black metal album.
WINO
PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM
2009 SOUTHERN LORD RECORDINGS
If Lemmy is God, then Wino is the one who sits at His right hand. I'm not completely sure why this is referred to as Wino's first solo album. Other than
SAINT VITUS and PLACE OF SKULLS, his previous bands all kind of were solo things to begin with. Unless he didn't collaborate with anyone while writing the music
here? Regardless, Punctuated Equilibrium is exactly what you'd have expected to hear from Wino. While one or two "funkier" sounding parts show up (and you'll
know them as soon as you hear them), there's nothing out of the ordinary here, and that's how we like it. Like Lemmy, Wino is just as dependable as ever, and we
love him for it. Let's hope he does more of these in the near future.
