_______ __ __ __ ___ | _ | |--.----.-----.-----|__.----| .-----.-----. .-----.' _| |. 1___| | _| _ | | | __| | -__|__ --| | _ | _| |. |___|__|__|__| |_____|__|__|__|____|__|_____|_____| |_____|__| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' _______ __ | _ | |--.---.-.-----.-----. |. 1___| | _ | _ |__ --| |. |___|__|__|___._|_____|_____| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, January 1, 2011, Issue #143 http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com Gino Filicetti [Co-Editor / Founder] Pedro Azevedo [Co-Editor / Programmer / Contributor] Chris Flaaten [Web Guru] Aaron McKay [Contributor] Nikola Shahpazov [Contributor] Kostas Sarampalis [Contributor] Chaim Drishner [Contributor] Alexandra Erickson [Contributor] Colleen Burton [Contributor] Aly Hassab El Naby [Contributor] Mark Dolson [Contributor] Jonathan A. Carbon [Neophyte] St. John Satansson [Neophyte] The individual writers can be reached by e-mail at firstletter.lastname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com. (e.g. G.Filicetti@ChroniclesOfChaos.com). <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Issue #143 Contents, 1/1/2011 ----------------------------- * Editorial * Albums -- 11 as in Adversaries - _The Full Intrepid Experience of Light_ -- Adrift for Days - _The Lunar Maria_ -- Agalloch - _Marrow of the Spirit_ -- Alcest - _Écailles de Lune_ -- Algaion - _Exthros_ -- Amestigon - _Sun of All Suns_ -- Anathema - _We're Here Because We're Here_ -- Anihilated - _Scorched Earth Policy_ -- Astrophobos - _Arcane Secrets_ -- Atrium Noctis - _Home_ -- Barren Earth - _Curse of the Red River_ -- Black Anima - _Satanist? Satanist!_ -- Black Breath - _Heavy Breathing_ -- Cephalic Carnage - _Misled by Certainty_ -- Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire - _Songs of Ill Hope and Desperation_ -- Cough - _Ritual Abuse_ -- Damned Creed - _Enslaved Thoughts_ -- Dark Moor - _Ancestral Romance_ -- Dead at the Scene - _Sharktopus_ -- Decrepit Birth - _Polarity_ -- Dementia Ad Vitam - _De Gaia, le Poison..._ -- Desultory - _Counting Our Scars_ -- Dew-Scented - _Invocation_ -- Drudkh - _Handful of Stars_ -- Elitaria - _NGC666 (New Galaxies Catalogue 666)_ -- Enochian Crescent - _NEF.VI.LIM_ -- Exodus - _Exhibit B: The Human Condition_ -- Fear Factory - _Mechanize_ -- Feu Gregeois - _Mortis Regnum - 2nd Circle_ -- Fistula - _Goat_ -- Ghost - _Opus Eponymous_ -- Grave - _Burial Ground_ -- Grave Digger - _The Clans Will Rise Again_ -- Helloween - _7 Sinners_ -- House of Thumbs - _Crossing the Rubicon_ -- Hypnos - _Halfway to Hell_ -- Impious - _Death Domination_ -- In Silentio Noctis - _Through Fragments of Christianity_ -- In Vain - _Mantra_ -- Intronaut - _Valley of Smoke_ -- Ives / Amort - _Split_ -- King Conquer - _America's Most Haunted_ -- Klabautamann - _Merkur_ -- Lantlôs - _Neon_ -- Les Discrets - _Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées_ -- Lifeless - _Beyond the Threshold of Death_ -- Lustre - _A Glimpse of Glory_ -- Malevolent Creation - _Invidious Dominion_ -- Manowar - _Battle Hymns MMXI_ -- Mar de Grises - _Streams Inwards_ -- Mekong Delta - _Wanderer on the Edge of Time_ -- Milking the Goatmachine - _Seven... Dinner for One_ -- Monster Magnet - _Mastermind_ -- Nàttsòl - _Stemning_ -- Near - _The Opening of the Primordial Whirl_ -- Nevermore - _The Obsidian Conspiracy_ -- Nightfall - _Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants_ -- October Tide - _A Thin Shell_ -- Ov Hollowness - _Diminished_ -- Painted Black - _Cold Comfort_ -- Persefone - _Shin-Ken_ -- Phantom Glue - _Phantom Glue_ -- Pyramido - _Sand_ -- Quarter the Villain - _Regicide_ -- Reactor - _The Real World_ -- Rosetta - _A Determinism of Morality_ -- Sammath - _Triumph in Hatred_ -- Sawthis - _Egod_ -- Scythia - _Of War..._ -- Serotonal - _Monumental - Songs of Misery and Hope_ -- Severe Torture - _Slaughtered_ -- Shadowgarden - _Ashen_ -- Sinister Realm - _Sinister Realm_ -- Sodom - _In War and Pieces_ -- Solefald - _Norrøn Livskunst_ -- Solution .45 - _For Aeons Past_ -- Strings of Ares - _Temple to Mars_ -- Svart Crown - _Witnessing the Fall _ -- The Absence - _Enemy Unbound_ -- The Dead - _Ritual Executions_ -- The Eternal Suffering - _Miasma_ -- The Source - _The Source_ -- The Vision Bleak - _Set Sail to Mistery_ -- Theme - _Valentine (Lost) Forever_ -- Trees - _Freed of This Flesh_ -- Twilight - _Monument to Time End_ -- Ufomammut - _Eve_ -- Urna - _VII_ -- Valborg - _Crown of Sorrow_ -- Various - _Tribute to H.P. Lovecraft - Gate 1: Yogsothery - Chaosmogonic Rituals of Fear _ -- Various - _Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings_ -- We Lost the Sea - _Crimea_ -- Year of No Light - _Ausserwelt_ * Demos -- Aratron - _Horrifying Visions_ -- M Inc. - _M Inc._ * Gigs -- Relativity * Rants -- Quality Not Quantity =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, _ ___ _, __, _ _, _, |_ | \ | | / \ |_) | /_\ | | |_/ | | \ / | \ | | | | , ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ W E A T H E R I N G T H E W I C K E D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Getting back to business after a summer of epic failure by: Gino Filicetti Greetings! It has been altogether too long since I last wrote to update everyone on the latest news from the Chronicles of Chaos camp. It feels like only the blink of an eye, but it has been a full four months since the 12th of August and CoC's 15th anniversary. I want to apologize for not writing a more timely editorial thanking our loyal readership. I know that there are still a great many of our original readers that remain with us after these 15 years. I can say this with confidence since I've heard from quite a few of you lately. During the summer months, we experienced one of the first and most severe service interruptions in our history. For almost a month our database was stuck at its May 2010 state and new articles were not being published. After a lengthy battle with our ISP, we managed to recover the lost data (with much pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth, mind you). Coinciding with this interruption in service we had a major lull in terms of output from our staff. It seemed as if this summer was the perfect storm of disincentive: broken site, busy lives and lack of motivation made for some hard times here at CoC, culminating in the recent departure of two of our most prolific writers in all of our 15 years: Jackie Smit and Quentin Kalis. Clearly, a reorganizing and regrouping of effort was in order and over the past few weeks Pedro and I have taken it upon ourselves to re- energize our staff and ensure that our technical difficulties are a thing of the past. We have now completed the migration of our site to a new ISP that promises to be much more solid, robust and responsive to any issues that arise. On the staff front, I had a private discussion with everyone about their future with the magazine. It was time for us to be honest with ourselves and to either commit to Chronicles of Chaos or bid it adieu. This resulted in the inevitable departure some of the less active staff members, but also the surprise retirement of Jeremy Ulrey whose prolific pen will be missed. The bulk of the staff, however, is fully on board and they've all recommitted themselves to the cause of quality metal journalism that CoC has been the standard bearer of for all these years; not for the promise of remuneration, not for the fame and glory and chance at a Pulitzer, but simply for the love of the music and a penchant for ink and quill. In the midst of all this change, I'm also proud to announce the arrival of a couple of Neophytes to the staff: Jonathan Carbon and St. John Satansson. Jonathan joins us after having written for a few indie rock websites at which he was tired of constantly having to explain what the difference was between death and black metal -- in each and every review! Suffice it to say that he is chuffed to be joining an outfit such as ours and he'll be striving to not only maintain but constantly improve the level of discourse on our site. Satansson is a more enigmatic figure whose history is less clear, but whose penchant for demo review will clearly fill a need here. If you also think you have what it takes to join our ranks, feel free to fill out an audition form on our contact page. Be prepared with samples of your best work and for a serious level of interrogation; pulling teeth sans anesthesia has been said to be more enjoyable than applying for a job at CoC. So here we are, having weathered the perfect storm, we're coming out no worse for wear. At the end of the day, we keep on with this little zine of ours for all of you (but mostly for ourselves, 'cause we're vain like that). Cheers to you all. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _, __, _,_ _, _ _, / \ | |_) | | |\/| (_ |~| | , |_) | | | | , ) ~ ~ ~~~ ~ `~' ~ ~ ~ Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed 9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended 7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities 5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters 3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into 0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs! 11 as in Adversaries - _The Full Intrepid Experience of Light_ by: Chaim Drishner (5 out of 10) (ATMF, 2010) A great concept and an unusual moniker, plus heaps of good intentions to offer something unique, are probably not always enough. There's nothing really avantgarde in this debut album, despite the enthusiasm this band surely possesses. In no way is this album challenging or engaging. It all boils down, when you come to think about it, to a grunge band trying to play hard and heavy music, but eventually sounding like nothing more than an alternative rock band, and not very good one at that. An utterly annoying vocalist, too happy for his own good, is presiding over these post-thrash groovy guitars that in turn try to prove they are worthy at playing intricately, but ultimately fail to grip the listener's attention or infuse an ominous ingredient like every good non-commercial album should. The recording is heavy on electronica, super-polished and loud, and the assorted styles and influences on display simply don't stick together, which ultimately results in alienating the listener. The music relies greatly on the production and the redundant additives rather than on the songwriting as a standalone value. A couple of darker, more extreme metal oriented tracks, charged with gritty and mysterious vocals and these semi-tragic, theatrical riffs are what saves this album from being completely ridiculed upon. If you want to listen to something a tad different -- not necessarily good, just different -- pick this album up and proceed with caution. Contact: http://www.atmf.net/ Adrift for Days - _The Lunar Maria_ (Independent, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (5 out of 10) Sydney quintet Adrift for Days has all the comfort of a band that seems to believe that their album's duration is not more than a result of a simple mathematical procedure. Their debut album _The Lunar Maria_ goes well beyond the hour mark, seventy-one minutes to be exact, with an amalgamation of stoner rock, psychedelia, post-rock and doom. At one point, I was reminded of that pleasant feeling one gets when listening to Clutch, while at another point, the dark and twisted refrains of Neurosis came over me. This is a band that obviously enjoys taking its time building up its songs, like the opener "Bury All That's Chosen", which takes four minutes to go from first to second gear. Another thing that proves their disregard towards time is the album's eleven minute closer "Waveform Collapse", which is just a continuous sound-wave that's stuck on infinite feedback. Yet as complex as this mixture may sound, the album's construction comes off as its most questionable aspect. Calling it a hastily put together record would be far from the truth, but there are a few things that awkwardly stand out. The sound of the drums, particularly the toms, might have needed some extra work before the mixing phase. The bass guitar is another thing that could have really benefited from extra production time. Having it lost, for the most part, amidst the clutter and the distorted guitars is a drawback. Epic works like "Messages Through Sleep" and "Along the Moon River" won't really have the listener nitpicking thanks to their coherent ambiance, but the rest of their counterparts didn't really live up to that standard. The production of _The Lunar Maria_ is what could make or break the deal for the casual listener. This definitely isn't for anyone who enjoys a few crisp riffs and clearly sung lyrics. It is in fact an acquired taste; a taste that slowly reveals more of its beauty the longer it stays with the listener. All in all, Adrift for Days is a promising act that pays enough attention to its music but may benefit from increasing the attention devoted to how they produce more of it in the future. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/adriftfordays Agalloch - _Marrow of the Spirit_ (Profound Lore Records, 2010) by: Jonathan A. Carbon (8.5 out of 10) The fact Agalloch comes from Portland, Oregon means little to many but a lot to some. The North American black metal scene has recently been growing in prominence, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the Pacific Northwest or Cascadian region of the United States and Canada. (I understand that the inclusion of Canada would probably make the future acronym for this scene tediously long.) The Pacific Northwest, along with the whole of the States, has been praised for its ability to innovate black metal as well as adhere to the deep traditions which defined the style's historic second wave. Wolves in the Throne Room are probably the most recognizable name in the Cascadian scene, with Skagos, Aldrag, Agalloch and a legion of other bands following en tow. The Pacific Northwest appears to be the idyllic place for a black metal renaissance, if nothing else, for its undisturbed forestry and less than warm climate. Agalloch is not as conservationist as some of the other, more publicized, Cascadian bands, but shares the same philosophy on experimentation and tradition. Agalloch's 2006 _Ashes Against the Grain_ was a triumph in the cohesion between contemporary post rock and second wave black metal. Each song was an odyssey across a harsh landscape riddled with melting snow and freezing rivers. The harsh vocals and shrill dissonance of each verse only intensified each of the building song structures. _Ashes Against the Grain_ was complemented two years later with _The White_; an EP of dark neofolk songs. _The White_, together with the previous releases, defined Agalloch's versatility as well as some flattering comparisons to Norwegian black metal folk titans, Ulver. _Marrow of the Spirit_ returns to the black metal landscape, seeing the post rock style almost completely integrated and inseparable from its surroundings. Long crescendos have always been the highlight of Agalloch's songs, as well as their ability to stretch a six minute song into a thirty minute multi-faceted epic. Like previous records, _Marrow of the Spirit_ runs continuously as one long 65 minute song with six sections. Each track exposes a certain melancholy rooted in distant optimism. The highlights are scattered through the record, but become unmistakable near the middle with the seventeen minute peak "Black Lake Nidstang". The pagan spirituality is apparent on this record, as any Internet search will lead you to Norse legends and stories involving band members healed by ancient stones. Agalloch's spiritual nature has never been the centerpiece of their records, but the fact that it is so solid never works against it. The experimentation on Agalloch's records has always been reverent to the sonic textures of Emperor, Bathory and Burzum's pre-incarceration releases. But unlike their Scandinavian uncles, Agalloch's songs display more of a transcendental spirit; even if that spirit sounds like an encroaching banshee. Some of the most interesting aspects of Cascadian black metal, as well as the rest of the country, is its choice to use black metal as a tool rather than a destination. Whatever lays beyond the veil of shrieks and cries can only be reached through more shrieks and cries. Agalloch makes another solid entry into their already strong portfolio of work. _Marrow of the Spirit_ also strengthens the chance that the region will be bestowed with historic importance. The "New Wave of Pacific North West Black Metal" and subsequent acronym (NWOPNWBM) have already been claimed with MySpace and Last.FM pages. In fact, the snowclone "green is the new black" has already been thrown around in various Internet articles. It may be later rather than sooner, but Agalloch as well as the Cascadian region will soon be recognized as an important monument in the history of North American black metal. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/agalloch Alcest - _Écailles de Lune_ (Prophecy Productions, 2010) by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10) _Écailles de Lune_ is the second album created by Neige (Peste Noire, Mortifera) under the Alcest banner, following the debut _Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde_. Despite the different lyrical theme, the fundamental musical concept has stayed the same: instrumentation that would scarcely seem out of place on a somewhat depressive black metal album, but topped with softly sung male vocals instead of standard black metal screams. While I have nothing against black metal vocals, I am quite partial to this mix when well executed: Wolves in the Throne Room did it brilliantly with female vocals on their _Malevolent Grain_ EP. This is different, but an intriguing idea nonetheless. Those who heard _Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde_ will know what to expect, but the intensity of the black metal instrumentation is occasionally higher and some throat-ripping black vox are introduced as early as the second track. Partially as a result of that, the album seems significantly more dynamic and therefore inspired than its predecessor. The clean vocals remain a very important part of the Alcest sound, however; they are no mere gimmick to differentiate this project, but rather an integral part of its musical purpose. Said vocals will likely make or break this album for a lot of listeners, despite the unusually high quality of everything black metal on the album; still, I doubt they will be an issue unless you are entirely opposed to the idea of using soft clean vocals in what is essentially a black metal album underneath. _Écailles de Lune_ turns out to be a greater step up from _Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde_ than I had thought reasonable to expect, leaving behind some of the accessibility of its predecessor but not sacrificing its principles. As a result, Alcest has produced one of the best albums I've heard all year. Contact: http://www.prophecyproductions.de Algaion - _Exthros_ (Pulverised Records, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (9 out of 10) Singapore's mighty Pulverised Records have done it again, proffering the metal masses yet another classic and high-quality Swedish metal release. Algaion's third full-length release, _Exthros_ (meaning "enemy" in Greek), is the follow-up to last their long-player, _General Enmity_ from 1997; however, we shouldn't forget their debut, _Oimai Algeiou, the _Herostratic Legacy_ EP from 2001, and the _On the Reach of Zaphonia_ demo from 2002. Now, before I begin my review of _Exthros_, let me provide -- if you will -- a brief historic and sentimental prelude regarding my relationship with Algaion. During the summer of 1995 (June, to be more specific) I had asked my friend to purchase a few CDs at the legendary HMV in downtown Toronto. The list I had given him included the following 1995 releases: Dan Swanö's Nightingale _The Breathing Shadow_, Vinterland's _Welcome My Last Chapter_, Ghostorm's _Frozen in Fire_, and Algaion's _Omai Algeiou_. Upon his return, I was surprised to find that he was able to get everything on my list, save the Vinterland CD (dang). Over the course of the next few days I had listened to all of the CDs, and had quite a favourable opinion of them all. I remember telling my friend on the phone one night that I liked the Algaion CD quite a bid, but the only problem was that the band used a drum-machine; which I couldn't stand at the time, with the notable exception of Summoning's _Minas Morgul_ and Rotting Christ's _Thy Might Contract_ and _Non Serviam_ albums. What I liked about Algaion's debut was its frenetic and furious demeanour. Each song featured waves and waves of tremolo picking and hysteric vocals; and with each melody came the dark and shifting picture of Algaion's vision (or what I thought was their vision at the time): portraying the darkness of nature and humankind. Although I didn't get into it too much at the time, Algaion's second full-length, _General Enmity_, saw the band really slowing things down a lot. Most of the songs, to my ears, sounded like mid-paced melodic Swedish death metal, save for the vocals, which sounded quite unique, albeit still screechy in a black metal sort of way. Now, on to the present situation. You're probably thinking: "come on already, what does the new Algaion sound like, dude"? Well, OK, to put it simply, _Exthros_sounds like a combination of the band's first and second full-lengths, with a healthy dose of Rotting Christ (especially in terms of Sakis' trademark riffing of the fast staccato, palm-muting variety) circa _Thy Mighty Contract_ and _Non Serviam_. And you know what? It works perfectly, as this album is simply amazing, and never boring over the course of its eleven tracks. I have to say that _Exthros_ is indeed refreshing in a very nostalgic '90s sort of sense -- which is definitely my cup of tea (or blood?). Algaion aren't setting out to re-construct the foundations of black / death metal at all here; they're just playing some tight, extreme metal with an excellent melodic and slightly melancholic sensibility. On to some specifics: session drummer Robert Eng of Constructdead fame re-introduces the art of the blast-beat, yet balances out his percussive repertoire with some quick-footed double-bass lines, and some nice grooves and fills to keep things interesting (I'm so glad they didn't use a drum machine on this one). Mattias Kamijo's guitar tone is thick, heavy and sharp; which is brought to the fore nicely with the tasteful additions of tremolo picking scattered throughout the album. And every so often, we get a taste for Mattias' ability to deliver some excellent and poignant solos. In terms of vocals, Mårten Björkman's voice sounds similar to Grutle's from Enslaved (latter era), those being high-pitched growls, but with a slightly softened approach. There aren't too many keyboards used on this album, much like the previous efforts by the band; however, you will find minimal use of piano on the song "Nature our Slave". To bring this review to an appropriate close, I would say that if you're interested in early '90s black metal, especially Rotting Christ, make sure to pick this up and give it a try. _Exthros_ is a pretty varied affair: switching from blast-beats to slowed down atmospheric parts which, as stated above, never get boring, and never give the listener the urge to skip to the next track. Just on the topic of Rotting Christ: if you're a huge fan of their earlier releases, you'll be glad to know that track nine of _Exthros_ is a cover of Rotting Christ's amazing "Sign of Evil Existence" from _Thy Mighty Contract_. And, no offence to RC, but I find Algaion's interpretation of the song to be almost better than the original (probably because we can hear it they way it's supposed to sound: with real drums). Contact: http://www.myspace.com/algaionofficial Amestigon - _Sun of All Suns_ (Hau Ruck! Records, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (6 out of 10) Admittedly, I'm not all that familiar with the Austrian outfit Amestigon. I recall clearly, though, back in 1996 a good friend of my bought the Amestigon _Mysterious Realms_ / Angizia _Heidebilder_ split released by Napalm Records. I remember being somewhat intrigued by the Amestigon portion of the disc, and eagerly awaited a full-length release. What grabbed my attention most, I think, was the fact that Silenius from Abigor and Summoning was featured on vocals; and since I absolutely loved the aforementioned bands (especially their early work), I was hoping that Amestigon would be yet another impressive member of the notorious "Austrian Black Metal Syndicate". Unfortunately, Amestigon haven't been too productive over the years. Aside from releasing just two EPs, _Hollentanz_ in 1998 and _Remembering Ancient Origins_ in 2000, and a split (Amestigon _Fatal Illumination_ / Hellbound _Nebelung, 1384_) in 2002, _Sun of All Suns_ is the band's only full-length release. So, after all of these years of sporadic activity, what can we expected with _Sun of All Suns_? The answer to this isn't easy. I really wanted to like the material here; however, after a few listens it just kept coming up short. Strewn across the six songs totaling just over 43 minutes, there's quite a bit of variation, but the problem is that I've heard all of this before. After the rather boring three plus minute intro, the track "Autophobia" kicks in with a slower-paced vibe, not unlike the slower material on Arthemesia's _A.o.A._album. Everything is in order here: slower, daze-inducing and circular riffs; typical and dry black-metal rasps with a croupy tonality; slower, plodding drums; and, finally, the atmospheric synth accompaniment. The next song, "Daymares, Ketamine & Misanthropy" follows a very different path - albeit one already established years ago. Rushing into focus with a lethargic but measured blast-beat and traditional black- metal riff, I'm reminded of Darkthrone's "En Vind Av Sorg" ("A Wind of Sorrow") from their _Panzerfaust_ album. The riff and blast-beat interplay amuse nostalgically for a few minutes, but then give way to a stranger beast: shoe-gazy, dreamy and whimsical clean guitars with some interesting spoken monologue in the lingering in the background. I don't know, but my first thought was that this is something that wouldn't sound out of place on an Alcest or Allgaloch album. However, they change tack quickly and unleash the same blast-beast-cum- Darkthrone-inspired riff that got us here in the first place. All of the other tracks seem to follow this slow song, then fast song with strange, dreamy parts (just listen to "That Which is Falling...), then another slow song formula. I remember Hypocrisy used to do this quite a bit back in the day, especially on _The Fourth Dimension_, _Abducted_, and their self-titled album from 1999. Another issue I had with _Sun of All Suns_ is that there are sections that sound very similar to Secrets of the Moon's latest album, _Privilegivm_ and Odem Arcarum's latest offering, _Outrageous Reverie Above the Erosion of Barren Earth_ (read: clean guitars with those characteristic crooked and disorienting string-bendings). This last approach is great when juxtaposed with some controlled aggression and speed; and it definitely does paint a convincing uncomfortably oneiric (dream-like) landscape; but it's just not enough to hold my attention for very long. My final diagnosis is that _Sun of All Suns_ is just "okay" and nothing more. Sure, it's "avant-garde" black-metal, but so what? We've heard this approach dozens of times; and, quite frankly, the other times I've heard this approach (such as Arthemesia, Allgaloch, and Secrets of the Moon), I liked it much better. Still, if you're into some of the last-mentioned bands, why not give _Sun of All Suns_ a try? You won't find anything you haven't heard before, though -- trust me on that. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/amestigon Anathema - _We're Here Because We're Here_ (Kscope, 2010) by: Pedro Azevedo (9.5 out of 10) Twenty years have passed since a demo by the name _An Illiad of Woes_ was recorded; eighteen winters since _The Crestfallen_ EP, and seventeen since a certain album titled _Serenades_. I still recall how shocking the changes seemed to be when _The Silent Enigma_ and especially _Eternity_ came out a couple of years later, in the mid-90s. At the time and in the context of Anathema's career, those changes were unusually radical in their shedding of the band's early doom/death skin, but they led to a sequence of classic albums that continued with _Alternative 4_ and _Judgement_. After the turn of the century, the overall less remarkable _A Fine Day to Exit_ and _A Natural Disaster_ veered further away from both doom and metal. For anyone who has followed this band since their early years, _We're Here Because We're Here_ is likely to cause a similar feeling to the changes that took place in Anathema's career in the mid-90s. It seems relevant that the band has gone seven years without any truly new output, as _We're Here Because We're Here_ is a substantially different affair from past Anathema albums (the rather sublime _Hindsight_ did come out in 2008, but it wasn't really a collection of new songs). Nevertheless, a thread back to _Eternity_ can still be found; and indeed, the significance of these two albums in the band's discography may well end up looking quite similar if you take a step back. Love, life and energy. Not quite the kind of keywords usually associated with Anathema. Yet looking back at _We're Here Because We're Here_, those are the words that come to my mind. This is not an attempt at some kind of philosophical or psychological analysis of their music or lyrics: the album actually opens with the line "love is free", soon has the singer proclaim that "I love you", and emphasises that "life is eternal" and that "everything is energy and energy is you and me". The last sentence spoken on the album says that "if you can love enough, you will be the happiest and most powerful person in the world". Enough examples yet? Rather than anecdotal evidence, these are recurring themes throughout the album, reflecting a kind of intellectual triumph of hope over despair. The people in Anathema seem to have reached a great measure of contentment and balance in this stage of their lives, and that shows in their music just like other circumstances and states of mind have shown before. Apparently they wanted to share that with their fans, and you know that? They happened to make a great album along the way. For longtime Anathema fans, I am sorry to say that Vincent Cavanagh has changed his singing style enough to almost sound like someone else entirely for much of the album, and that the heartbreaking melodies that used to be at the core of Anathema's music have been, for the most part, greatly reduced. For longtime Anathema fans and everyone else too, I am pleased to say that despite all this, _We're Here Because We're Here_ is still one of the best and most affecting albums of recent years. Apart from "Angels Walk Among Us", which not only has one of those characteristic Anathema melodies but also ends up strongly reminiscent of "Angelica" from _Eternity_, the album is generally a lot more straightforward in its songwriting and layering of elements. It may actually have required more effort to strip the songs down to this level, but ultimately the result is, for lack of a better word, more accessible. Even though that doesn't represent the entire album, on "Everything" I cannot help but think "Go away, Coldplay" at the same time as I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Its three superb predecessors "Thin Air", "Summernight Horizon" and "Dreaming Light" tend to be remarkably fast paced, with some nimble drumming right on the foreground, and an increased role by keyboardist Les Smith. Drummer John Douglas' sister Lee is also added to the band's line-up, and deservedly so, as her vocals are a fine addition to the music. _We're Here Because We're Here_ clearly is the next step for Anathema, and different though it may be, it is not an illogical one. The only really off key track in my estimation is "Get Off, Get Out", especially when compared to the three exceptional tracks at the beginning. Half or more of this record is a 10 out of 10 album, simple as that. Well worth the wait. Contact: http://www.anathema.ws Anihilated - _Scorched Earth Policy_ (Marquee Records / Killer Metal Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (3 out of 10) You wouldn't be able to find a lot of information about Anihilated when you search online. Their MySpace page is full of praise from fans and press alike, but honestly, whose isn't? The band started out in London in 1981 as a punk act under a different moniker, but they gradually evolved into a thrash band by the mid '80s. Of course like the majority of the bands of this ilk, the '90s was a dry period. Now we have the latest produce of theirs, their 2010 album _Scorched Earth Policy_; an album with twenty one years between it and its predecessor _The Ultimate Desecration_. The band's sound is self-described as '100% Original British Thrash Metal'. _Scorched Earth Policy_ is undeniably a thrash metal record, of course the British part I can't argue with, and the 100% part can't be measured anyway. 'Original', however, is the bone I can pick. "Blood of the Martyr" kick starts the album with a nuts-and-bolts thrash metal approach and you begin to feel the illusion of originality sneaking up behind you until the vocals start. I found myself double checking that I wasn't listening to a Slayer album. This isn't for just the first track; it goes on throughout the whole album. This is an experienced band, and I thought they would be above the cheap tricks that young retro bands do to grab some extra attention -- but they aren't. They shamelessly ripped off the whole package, the Tom Araya voice, the Kerry King solo style, the Dave Lombardo (albeit much less competent) drumming, and to make matters even worse, the transitional riffs are predictable and not refreshing. As I sip my cup of coffee and clean my music receptors by listening to Mogwai's whimsically titled masterpiece _Happy Songs for Happy People_, I wonder how long will thrash metal have such corner-cutting bands that keep bringing bad reputation to the genre. Copy-pasting riffs and drumming patterns just doesn't work these days and the more we have bands that keep doing that, the more saturated the genre will be. This will eventually make us more eager for the next Sodom or Exodus album and just give up on the new blood entirely. Anihilated sounded like a promising group on _The Ultimate Desecration_ twenty one years ago, but it seems that time has taken its toll on their creative ability. This _Scorched Earth Policy_ hardly establishes itself as an appreciable listen. Contact: http://www.anihilatedthrashuk.com Astrophobos - _Arcane Secrets_ (Independent, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (8 out of 10) Before I start this review, let me contextualise Astrophobos by providing a list of smiliar-sounding bands who are part of a long- established sub-genre -- Swedish melodic black/death metal. If you're familiar with any of the bands on this list (and it's not an exhaustive list by any means; I'm just listing what I know by heart), then you'll know what's in store for you when you spin Astrophobos' latest independent release, _Arcane Secrets_. OK, so here we go: The Abyss, Vargavinter, Gates of Ishtar (early), Setherial, The Moaning, Dark Funeral (early), A Mind Confused, Ophthalamia (especially _Dominion_), Mörk Gryning, Excretion, Dissection, Unanimated (early), Vinterland, Naglfar, Sacrilege, Cardinal Sin, A Canorous Quintet (early), Midvinter, Dawn, Scheitan (early), Moaning Wind, Lord Belial (early), and Sacramentum. Alright, there you go. So, what does Astrophobos have to offer that the bands mentioned above don't? Well, the simple answer is: nothing. But this is a good thing inasmuch as Astrophobos' modus operandi is to play impassioned Swedish black/death metal from the 1990s, and not to be purveyors of any form of absolute originality. Rather than base my assessment on originality, then, I'll go for authenticity. As such, the question becomes: is Astrophobos successful in re-creating the atmosphere, melody and aggression that each one of the bands above were able to create so long ago? After a few spins of _Arcane Secrets_, I must say yes, Astrophobos is definitely very successful in re-creating that distinctive Swedish sound, with its dark, melodic and aggressive overtones. The strong points of _Arcane Secrets_ are as follows: a very darkened atmosphere, characterised by catchy and depressively melodic passages; lots of tremolo-picking (what did you expect?); fast-paced drumming, with quite a bit of blasting; and harsh black metal vocals that one might place somewhere between Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection and Johan Ljung of Mörk Gryning. The lyrical content is interesting too, in that it touches on suitably dark and mystical topics; and it's nice to see this conveyed with a particular flair for the philosophical -- something that many bands lack. The production is adequate, and leaves room to hear most of the instruments (save the bass, but that's not really a bad thing in black metal); however, the drum sound comes through as a little on the noisy side -- especially the snare. Actually, the production sort of reminds me of Sacrilege's _The Fifth Season_. In terms of weak points, all I can say is that there could have been a little more variation in terms of the drumming. Sure, we get a lot of blast-beats (some of which are actually pretty fast); however, I can only take so much blasting before my mind starts to wander a little into that "well, they could have used this beat here, and maybe used a few more time changes there" kind of territory. Now, having said that, the drumming is quite solid, and it's anything but sloppy. It's just that maybe with more experience, the drummer could add in a few more fills here and there, and change up the pacing a little for that added bit of dynamism -- just to keep the listener's attention. By way of closing, if you're a fan of Swedish melodic black/death metal from the 1990s, then try and seek this out, as I'm sure it'll light the fires of nostalgia for you. If you're looking for something truly path-breaking or, say, a novel interpretation of black/death metal, then you might want to look elsewhere, as this is not what Astrophobos has set out to do. Now, since _Arcane Secrets_ is only a three song EP (lasting a very short sixteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds), I really can't wait to see what this band's full-length release will sound like. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/astrophobosband Atrium Noctis - _Home_ (Naturmacht Productions, 2010) by: Chaim Drishner (5 out of 10) The main problem with these ultra melodic bands, of any given sub- genre of metal, is their ability to conclude one's fascination with their music in very few listening sessions; they are easily digestible, offer no musical or intellectual challenge for the listener and they don't make you passionately crave listening to their musical creations numerous times. They are what they are: decent time killers if you don't have anything else to do. Enjoy them once and totally forget about them. Artium Noctis' _Home_ is such an album: an easy listening experience in lightweight, straightforward, ultra melodic gothic-oriented black metal of sorts, which offers a linear, uninspired and pale version of Cradle of Filth for the poor, so to speak, sans the theatricals and the intricate song writing skills of Dani Filth et al. With a half-comical vocalist who offers his thin, almost ridiculous interpretation for a black metal vocalist (there is another, way cooler, deeper kind of vocals here which is much more appropriate) and a half-decent keyboardist who offers a lot of cheese all over the place instead of adding minimal eeriness to the musical plot like it should, the good parts on _Home_ are rare and far between, and even those are summed up by the dominating keyboards, playing these short and sweet neoclassical to medieval tunes, whereas the metal factors of the recording often fall into banalities and give the listener the feeling of been-there-done-that more than anything else. "Black metal" for beginners, anyone? Contact: http://www.atrium-noctis.com/ Barren Earth - _Curse of the Red River_ (Peaceville, 2010) by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10) _Curse of the Red River_ is the first full-length from Finnish collective Barren Earth, which includes current members of Swallow the Sun, Moonsorrow and Kreator, as well as former members of Amorphis. After a promising debut EP in the shape of _Our Twilight_ (whose title track also makes an appearance here), Barren Earth managed to generate a considerable level of expectation for _Curse of the Red River_. Imagine a mix of Amorphis and some Opeth, plus an extra helping of death metal and folk touches, and you would be on the right path here -- crude and incomplete as that comparison may be. Barren Earth use a multitude of melodic, progressive and folk elements layered upon a solid mid-paced death metal foundation, all working towards a powerful sonic blend. The song structures do have their choruses, but for the most part they are neither too linear nor prone to wandering aimlessly around. _Curse of the Red River_ achieves a remarkably fine balance between all of its elements, which is also helped by Barren Earth confidently pulling them all off in style. They can go all out death metal, really melodic and atmospheric, or very progressive at different stages without making it seem like a bag of jumbled ideas. _Curse of the Red River_ is neither a genre-confined exercise, nor a wild exploration of musical boundaries: Barren Earth seem content, and justifiably so, to simply produce some of the most enjoyable metal you are likely to hear all year. Contact: http://www.peaceville.co.uk Black Anima - _Satanist? Satanist!_ (Independent, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (8.5 out of 10) Well, this is an interesting and original release, to put it mildly. I had never heard of Black Anima before, so after a little research I came across the following: coming from the south of Sweden, Black Anima are a two-man black/heavy metal act (bordering what I would call "avantgarde") who started out in 2007, and consist of Astaroth on lead and backing vocals, and Savopipo on all guitars, programming (yes, it's a drum machine, unfortunately), as well as lead and backing vocals. Over the past three years, Black Anima has put out three independently released full-length albums: _Dark by Design_ (2008), _What Noise_ (2008), and _Undecim_ (2009); along with two EPs, _Hammer of the North_ (2009) and _Satanist? Satanist!_ (reviewed below). As soon as the fist song of _Satanist? Satanist!_ started, I knew I liked this very much. It's not very often, really, that I come across a black metal band that I find interesting and refreshing (especially in this day and age), so I'm glad to be reviewing this EP. A quick perusal of the song titles might give the impression that this is fairly generic and sophomoric black metal. So, in terms of song titles, this is what you'll find on _Satanist! Satanist?_: "Intro", "Sea of Vomit", "I Hate You (Motherfuckers)", "Kneel Only Unto Yourself", "Putting the Severed Heads of the Followers of Jesus on Small Wooden Stakes While the Sun Sets Behind the Snow Covered Rooftops of Trånghalla (Instrumental)", and, lastly, "People Make Me Sick". Well, track number five takes the cake-- this even beats the pants off of early Immortal for long song titles. So, what is Black Anima all about, anyways? Well, I'm quite hard- pressed to draw any immediate comparisons, but if I'm forced to I'll say that the songs on _Satanist? Satanist!_ sound like a mix of 80s American thrash, black metal and good old rock and roll (especially the guitar solos). In terms of concrete specifics, though, _Satanist? Satanist!_ reminded me of the following: Metallica's _Master of Puppets_, particularly with respect to some of the thrash-oriented riffs (see the last track, "People Make Me Sick"); Mayhem, especially _De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas_ and the cold, chilly feel of some of the black-metal riffs; Solefald, with particular reference to the clean guitar passages along with the quirky and unpredictable guitar solos; and the mysterious and underground Traumatic Voyage's _Traumatic Voyage_ from 1992 -- I'm not sure what it is, but _Satanist? Satanist!_ has somewhat of a similar feel to this album. There's a lot of variation in terms of pace on this record, ranging from slower sections, to all out blast-beasts and furious sounding black metal riffage, so it holds up really well in terms of keeping the listener captivated. Considering some of the length of the songs (eight minutes on average), though, there is some repetition here and there. This just makes me think that some of the songs could have been shorted or edited somewhat -- only by a minute or two in places. What I want to draw particular attention to, though, is the novel approach to the vocals. Instead of your typical harsh and grim style of shrieking, Black Anima takes a very different tack: the main vocals are a form of loudly spoken narration; and, when coupled with the lyrics, they sound like a series of socio-politically inspired aphoristic bursts -- almost of Nietzschean proportions. As well, there are some really bizarre samples from movies that are definitely unknown to me, which serve as intros and outros to some of the songs. I like this, as it adds to the strange and mysterious atmosphere which inheres in the songs. The sound on this EP is pretty good, although I would have liked to have heard some real drums instead of programming. Mind you, the drum machine does sound pretty good, and I've heard much worse (particularly on Parnassus' _In Doloriam Gloria_ album from 1995). The guitars sound pretty good, and the vocals are clear in the mix. The keyboards, which are present only to add a little bit of assistance in terms of atmosphere, are nestled nicely in the background, and don't take any form of prominent position anywhere on the album. As far as originality goes, Black Anima is in great standing. I like the coupling of that American thrash sound with black metal and, as I stated above, I really liked the approach to the vocals. Other bands use narration here and there, but never as the main approach -- and this works perfectly with Black Anima. I think if the band can hire themselves a real drummer, this could only improve their sound. So, if you're looking for a fresh take on avantgard-ish black metal, look no further as Black Anima are writing music that you want to hear. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/blackanima Black Breath - _Heavy Breathing_ (Southern Lord, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (7.5 out of 10) After establishing themselves a high gravity brew of retro-thrash infused with crust punk and modern hardcore with 2008's _Razor to Oblivion_ EP, Seattle's Black Breath found themselves gaining in renown and "next big thing" stature while opening for Converge on a Spring tour this year. The retro vibe is intact for the band's first full length, _Heavy Breathing_, but in an unexpected development the nostalgic side of their aesthetic allegiance has shifted to old-school Swedish death metal, specifically early Earache acts like Entombed (whose _Wolverine Blues_ / _To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth_ era gets a pretty thorough retreading here). To be honest, it's only intermittently successful: "Children of the Horn" is a pretty convincing / catchy Motorhead knock off (that also would have been at home on _Kill Em All_) and "Escape From Death" kicks the velocity up a notch with primitive blast beats and a crunchy guitar sound, but mid-tempo rockers such as "Unholy Virgin" and "Virus" fall flat, the reduced tempo and resultant energy ebb serving only to underscore the hit and miss songwriting. In a way, it recalls the aforementioned late '90s Entombed, where you dig the vox and guitar sound so much you really, really want to give the band the benefit of the doubt, but repeat listens just don't warrant the apologism. _Heavy Breathing_'s stronger moments elevate the overall product to above average status, but even at just over 40 minutes there is still a fair amount of filler present. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/blackbreath Cephalic Carnage - _Misled by Certainty_ (Relapse Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7.5 out of 10) How many times do you have to listen to an album for it to grow on you? And when does it feel like you're wasting your time with an album that you don't like but you're still trying to be as fair as possible with it? I think the longer you have to listen to an album for it to grow on you, the more affected you will be when it actually happens, but there are of course limits. Cephalic Carnage's latest aural carnage _Misled by Certainty_ didn't leave an initial pleasant reaction on me, but seeing that I have a signed poster from Lenzig Leal in my bedroom saying "to Aly, kill for weed", I didn't let that initial reaction stand alone. After the maximum power backhand grind-slap that was _Xenosapien_ (if such description were ever viable), I was expecting another Rocky Mountain-tinged grindfest from 2010's _Misled by Certainty_. I guess now I see the point of misleading the listener by the certainty that Cephalic Carnage will hit in the same manner, which gives us a perfect name for album number six. _Misled by Certainty_ indeed isn't _Xenosapien_, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have an ugly, eclectic and disorienting charm of its own. Another highlight worth mentioning is that this is the first album to feature Brian Hopp, who replaces Zac Joe in the guitarist position. Cephalic Carnage has always been a band that would quite easily have you mixed up trying to count the correct time signature for their riffs, take the opener "The Incorrigible Flame" for example. The band's continuously increasing level of musicianship is quite deftly highlighted on tracks like "When I Arrive", with its relentless pace and rather catchy vocal arrangements, and "Abraxas of Filth", with its brisk shifts from crazy fast tempos with bass licks to crushing slow tempos with machine-gun double bass drumming and a brilliant guitar solo. "Cordyceps Humanis" lies on the slower side of the tempo meter and has the voice of Sir David Attenborough in the background talking about the type of fungi which fit perfectly with the slow arrangements accompanying it. Of course no Cephalic Carnage album would be complete without a couple of typical grind tracks with up-tempo standard grinding chords, epileptic drum blasting and utterly incomprehensible vocals; "Pure Horses" and "P.G.A.D" come to mind. "Ohrwurm" and the outstanding twelve minute long "Repangaea" introduce Mr. Bruce Lamont's saxophone to this grinding affair, and his work complements them quite masterfully. The saxophone parts sound splendid among the thick guitars and they are used in the most fitting sections in both tracks. While _Xenosapien_ and _Anomalies_ were instant frag grenades that blew up in the listener's face as soon as they started, _Misled by Certainty_ is more like a ticking bomb with a gradual release of experimental grinding awesomeness. It is yet another successful chapter in the Cephalic Carnage grind experiment that proved to be an enticing listen after a few spins. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/cephaliccarnage Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire - _Songs of Ill Hope and Desperation_ (Prosthetic, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (7.5 out of 10) I must say I like a band who realize that brevity never got us anywhere. Denver's Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire title their albums like they're getting paid by the word, as both this year's _Songs of Ill Hope and Desperation_ and 2008's debut, _Omega Drunk on the Blood of Alpha_ demonstrate. Strangely, the music itself tends to drift in the opposite direction, succinct nuggets of what the band self-describe as "funeral grind", i.e. too slow for grind, too fast for doom. That's not entirely accurate: the doom and grind elements aren't so much integrated into a mid-paced hybrid as they are slammed into each other like a car crash. Now, it's not unusual for bands to throw doom breakdowns into death / grind songs in order to give the audience a breather, but what separates CTFF from the herd is that they give more or less equal time to both elements. At times this imbues the album with a disorienting quality, as if the band is torn between two identities of dubious compatibility, but if you don't second guess it too much the concept actually holds up pretty well. There are in fact a handful of tracks that are sans doom altogether (hint: the song lengths pretty much give it away), so if you're putting together a traditional grind mixtape don't feel like you have to pass these guys over altogether. And regardless of what velocity they're playing at, brutality trumps ambiance every single time. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/clingingtothetreesofaforestfire Cough - _Ritual Abuse_ (Relapse, 2010) by: Jonathan A. Carbon (8 out of 10) Press surrounding this Richmond based band has been very straightforward with its comparisons. Electric Wizard, Sleep and Black Sabbath have all been cited as influences or reasons for this band's existence. This and a lax position on recreational drugs all make Cough easy to understand in the world of metal. The band's promotional pictures have four long haired car mechanics bathed in a black magic diagrams from a low grade projector. I already know this album back and forth before opening the wrapper. However, Cough's second release _Ritual Abuse_, while hitting all the right notes for a spectacular stoner doom record, offers listeners something more complicated; something more horrible. The finer points of _Ritual Abuse_ could be missed if not fully attentive. It was not until subsequent listens that I became aware of the more intriguing aspects of this record. The six song double LP has tracks stretching into the double digits with multiple sections in its construction. One of the more interesting aspects about Cough lies in the two personalities cultivated by dueling vocals. The one is a slow clean stoner metal voice which wails and surfs on Floydian waves; the other is more sinister and infinitely more grim. The black rasp makes its appearance on varying sections, sinking this expected doom record into uncomfortable and exciting spaces. The character and style is similar to the mirror shattering voice of Peste Noire frontman, La Sale Famine de Valfunde. It is this voice which takes the album into wild directions, making "Mind Collapse" and the devastating closer "Ritual Abuse" unforgettable. If you were looking for a record to trip out to, you may want to try elsewhere. _Ritual Abuse_ doesn't make the majestic voyage like _Master of Reality_ or _Tumuli Shroomaroom_. It does, however, space out in its own unique way. The more psychedelic moments of this record are lighter than what is expected of stoner doom. "Crooked Spine" acts as one of the album's closers and uses the same blues ballad which drove the majority of 70s psychedelic music. "Crooked Spine" is at least a ton heavier than Led Zeppelin and stretches itself near the ten minute mark. The band seems infatuated with the sound of their guitars when they drone. At various spots in the album the chords become elongated before snapping back into the song. I can imagine these long haired musicians caught in a self-induced trance before fighting desperately for consciousness. The doom aspect of this record celebrates the style in a traditional sense. The sound of the guitar is not the most important role in a great doom record. It is the decelerated passage of time. The appreciation for things at a crawl. Where a three chord progression becomes a monumental journey into harsh landscapes. It is easier to think of this record as another blacklit Sabbath worship concerned only with weed and astronomy. The fact it isn't makes it interesting, yet harder to classify and process. _Ritual Abuse_ is already being followed by a split called _Introduction to the Black Arts_ with English doom band Wounded Kings. Cough is making fine friends in all the right low places. There is something vile happening in Virginia, and Cough is making impressive towers in the land of doom. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/cough666 Damned Creed - _Enslaved Thoughts_ (Independent, 2009) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7 out of 10) With the global re-uprising of thrash metal sadly well beyond its prime, one should expect two things. The first is a foray of copycats trying to milk what's left of the genre to the bones under banners like ‘true thrash' and ‘the real sound'. This of course doesn't mean that there are no good new thrash bands; London's Savage Messiah is a prime example of young promising thrash acts. The other thing is finding a small group of good bands that really know how to thrash and come from a country that you don't hear much about in the international metal scene. Case in point: Athenians Damned Creed. Their debut full length _Enslaved Thoughts_ is an outright thirty-six minute thrash assault packed with sharp riffing and intense drumming. Opening track "Curse Me I'm Dead" comes with blistering pace out of nowhere and sets a high tempo bar for the rest of the album. The rest follow the same thrashing manner, and they're all kept interestingly fast and engaging without overstaying their welcome. The title track is the only one that exceeds the five minute milestone, but it doesn't feel any longer than its peers, thanks to its complicated chorus riff and two guitar solos. "Blasting Vengeance" or "Blood for Blood" may be your pick of the album, but if you pay some extra attention to the final track "NAP", you might reconsider your choice. The vocals throughout the album bear a subtle similarity to those of Dew-Scented's Leif Jensen, but on the aforementioned "NAP", they stray a little towards an outlandish Thomas Such / Randy Blythe hybrid that is determined to get you screaming along. The general production of these _Enslaved Thoughts_ is quite crisp, but not overly polished to the extent that makes it sound electronically processed, thanks to Mr. Andy Classen at the helm. Granted it's not the album that's going to re-pump my faith in retro-thrash, but that's not its fault; the fault is partially mine and partially Bonded by Blood's. _Enslaved Thoughts_ is a solid thrash album that definitely pulls through, and Damned Creed will be bigger in Europe if they keep churning out this high octane produce. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/damnedcreed Dark Moor - _Ancestral Romance_ (Scarlet Records, 2010) by: Jonathan A. Carbon (7 out of 10) Power metal has always been as fun as it is ridiculous. I may be overstepping my bounds, but if any bands care to disagree, let their dragons smite me where I stand. Dark Moor has been around since, what feels like, the beginning of time. Actually, it was closer to the late '90s when _Shadowland_ was released. Since their glorious debut into the golden halls of classical influenced power metal, the band has gone through serious line-up changes, including the 2003 departure of vocalist Elisa Martin. I would say that Dark Moor has changed drastically since 1999, but then again I would be overstepping my bounds. Fans have been divided over Martin led Dark Moor versus the new line-up with rich tenor Alfred Romero taking vocal duties. _Ancestral Romance_ is the band's eighth album, continuing the tradition of making music which sounds like battle themes for "Final Fantasy" games. _Ancestral Romance_ travels down well worn paths dug and paved by Blind Guardian, Helloween and Stratovarius. In fact, Dark Moor does nothing which breaks tradition with European power metal as well as previous releases. Despite its conceptual shortcomings, _Ancestral Romance_ does everything it should, at the right time and with the level of energy which soars straight through a vaulted roof. Stark realism hasn't always been a popular subject for power metal, as most albums are dedicated to high fantasy and various forms of speculative fiction. _Ancestral Romance_ deviates slightly with its pastoral paintings dedicated to Spanish folklore. If I could describe a song as framed and gilded in ornate gold, I would. While there is some historic truth to many songs, the level of fiction present is enough to make Rhapsody of Fire blush. Everything is inspired by actual events, and those events have been dramatized, exaggerated and heavy diffused. There are some obvious Spanish songs, such as the Don Quixote ballad " Tilt at Windmills", while others are more specific, like the Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar centered "Mio Cid". The Spanish Golden Age is usually not a popular period of inspiration, however, "Ah, Wretched Me" and its tribute to Pedro Calderón de la Barca says otherwise. _Ancestral Romance_ reads like the syllabus to a grad level Spanish literature class. It's exclusivity and somewhat obscure subject matter makes this portion of the record a highlight and selling point. There are, however, downfalls such as the middle selection entitled "Just Rock". I would try to brush this song off as a poor translation, but anything named "Just Rock" has one unfortunate conclusion. The congratulatory nature of "Just Rock" and masculine celebration of music in general feels silly as a midpoint pep rally which no one asked for. I am not pointing any fingers, but "Just Rock" may or may not have the lyrics "You feel the beat, you get a shock / when your soul harmonized with rock". This song completely disrupts a perfect afternoon with a coerced battle hymn. Dark Moor interrupts your picnic by dragging their muddy feet on the blanket. Luckily, after this shipwreck, the album moves along swimmingly until the end. _Ancestral Romance_ could also be praised for its position on tempo. Speed, for Dark Moor, isn't necessarily the end goal as with most power metal. While the ferocity of DragonForce and Sonata Artica is fun, it is sometimes treated as a technical checkmate. Dark Moor coasts at midspeed while still showing off technical prowess and unnecessary bass solos. The cruising speed of Manowar's _In Glory Ride_ and Iced Earth's _Night of the Stormrider_ worked fine in the past and works again for _Ancestral Romance_. It is hard to fault a band for doing everything with textbook style and predictable grace. Dark Moor has made it apparent they intend on skipping forward with little to no change. There is some admiration granted to an artist working through a style over the course of eight albums. Each album is another step in becoming folk heroes or possibility having their faces engraved on coins. _Ancestral Romance_ , for better or worse, is everything you expect it to be and nothing more. Contact: http://www.dark-moor.com/ Dead at the Scene - _Sharktopus_ (Independent , 2010) by: Chaim Drishner (7.5 out of 10) This reviewer has always, intentionally or otherwise, stayed clear from metalcore. After a couple of unpleasant encounters with that subgenre of metal, a mindset had been established: this is not a cup of tea he would enjoy. The obvious lack of any musical challenge whatsoever, both in execution and the absence of a truly challenging listening experience (one gulp, one pissing session and you never want to hear about said album ever again) have made this style a pariah for certain people, company included. Then came Dead at the Scene. Their short, five-song self-released EP is a beast of melodic metalcore that has made this reviewer re-think his whole attitude towards this scene (well, actually not really, but what a nice thing this would have been, ha?). Seriously now, _Sharktopus_ is a good album, genres and styles aside. The melodic, instrumental parts are pretty amazing, very reflective and emotional (check out track number three, "Fireworks", crank the volume up and be blown away), while the metallic parts are progressive in essence, full of time changes and erratic riffs all over the place; the overall music screams class and thoughtful heaviness to the hilt. The production is super and the artwork beautiful. Oh, they've also got cool shirts. Doesn't matter whether you like post-rock a la Junius, whether you're a metal tight-ass purist or a metalcore aficionado who thinks he has seen and heard it all: give this band a chance and it will reward you tenfold. Mark my words! Contact: http://www.myspace.com/dats Decrepit Birth - _Polarity_ (Nuclear Blast / Massacre Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7 out of 10) The increasing abundance of bands that are playing their death metal technically may be watering down its significance, but that really shouldn't be the case. Technical death metal is one of the most challenging and skill demanding kinds of music to play. Getting it right has become less of a feat now because of that abundance, but that shouldn't make it any less of a gargantuan effort, and being good at it can be considered a feat on its own; just listen to how bands like Psycroptic and Decapitated evolved. Decrepit Birth established tech-death as 'what they do' with 2008's _Diminishing Between Worlds_, and _Polarity_ is their step towards becoming good at it. Of course you're going to have to spin _Polarity_ a few times to make sense of all the blasting, the shredding, the trilling, the solos, the growling and the all-so killer riffing. Sifting through that is a little like sinking your feet in the sand on the shores of a raging sea. The acquired stability will enable you to absorb and appreciate the music that those guys have put into this tech-death fury. Surprisingly enough, the album starts with a prelude that sounds like a tune from the Vienna State Opera in the late 1800s; "(A Departure of the Sun) Ignite the Tesla Coil" is quite the explosive album opener. "The Resonance" starts with a rather impressive melody, but the changing patterns of the double-bass drumming may make it a bit confusing. The riffing on this piece, however, is top notch; but if I had to single out the riff champion, it would be "Mirroring Dimensions". But if it's sweeps you're looking for, then look no further than "Polarity". It's built on a strong discipline of dizzying guitar sweeps and soaring melodies. Despite seeing only two guitarists in the credits, one can definitely hear three guitars on many occasions; the Cynic-like "Solar Impulse" and the instrumental "Sea of Memories" come to mind. This clarity of sound and crisp production is the work of the prolific producer Zack Ohren. Guitar solos on _Polarity_ are as abundant as fjords are in Norway, yet they don't cross the 'guitar wankery' threshold. You wouldn't stumble upon that awe inspiring Gavin Harrison-esque drum break or that spine-chilling Steve Von Till-ish lyric line that could make you think twice, and if that's what you came looking for then let me tell you that you've made some wrong turns quite a few kilometers back. _Polarity_ is a well greased tech-death machine that stands firmly under the forty minute safety threshold. Decrepit Birth remains without compromise in terms of brutality and creative abilities with _Polarity_, and they're challenging themselves with a record like this because it raises their stakes quite a few notches. It's comforting to hear proof that Florida, the proverbial birthplace of death metal, is still a fruitful land. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/decrepitbirth Dementia Ad Vitam - _De Gaia, le Poison..._ by: Chaim Drishner (8.5 out of 10) (Naturmacht Productions, 2010) Dementia Ad Vitam, "madness for life" or "eternal lunacy" in Latin, is a French unheralded dark neoclassical band that plays a deeply spiritual and overall beautiful music; easily the closest thing to the mighty Elend's creation this reviewer remembers hearing. Not as unsettling and nerve-wracking as Elend's early recordings (especially referring to the phenomenal _The Umbersun_), but nonetheless esoteric, ethereal and brooding. Not as bombastic, theatrical or larger-than- life as Elend's passionate, somber and tragic circus, Dementia Ad Vitam's music is much more personal, subdued and intimate: it leans heavily on piano interludes, violins and acoustic guitars; the vocalist's shrieks are kept to a minimum, but when he wakes up from his dormant half-whispered vocal treatment, his voice transforms into something not quite human, a creature from the pits of hell itself. But these moments are rare on this recording. Most of the time the drama is minimal, insidiously tranquil and malevolently quiet. The musical plot juggles between chamber music, quasi-classical minimalism and martial grandeur, pushed forward by militaristic rhythms: it lulls you, it disturbs you, it fascinates you; it does all these simultaneously. Anyone into quality neoclassical, martial-industrial or neofolk music, tinged with a bit of metal and a touch of electronica, would be a fool not to pick this modern masterpiece up. Remember, _De Gaia, le Poison..._! Indeed, a poison you'd want to inject into your rotten blood vessels again and yet again... Contact: http://www.myspace.com/dementiaadvitamband Desultory - _Counting Our Scars_ (Pulverised Records, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (9.5 out of 10) When I found out that Desultory was getting back together after almost 14 years of silence, I was pretty excited. I remember vividly taking a chance buying _Into Eternity_ on cassette way back at the end of February 1993. After listening to said album over and over again throughout the course of a few months, my final diagnosis was that Desultory was super unique (definitely up there with At the Gates), yet sadly underrated -- well, in Canada at least. Although the band recorded _Into Eternity_ at the legendary Sunlight Studios with Thomas Skogsberg, their sound was unlike Dismember, Entombed, Cemetary or Grave. Instead of utilising heavy, crunchy guitars, low guttural vocals, and setting the pace with a plodding, chugging stomp, Desultory opted for a faster, less heavy, and more depressive approach. Klas Morberg's vocals were more of a strained, raspy shout compared to your typical low-level growl that was conventional at the time. In terms of specifics, there were a few other things that made _Into Eternity_ stand out to me, not the least of which was the fact that the bass guitar was really loud and audible in the mix; this made for a really different sound compared to, say, Entombed or Grave, where the bass was quietly set in the background of most of their songs. The drumming, too, was amazing and tight as hell. Thomas Johnson added an extra level of technicality to Desultory's songs; something that was lacking in most of the Swedish bands in the early 1990s. Lastly, Stefan Pöge's lead guitar style was unmistakable: I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something depressively haunting about his leads -- they were the kind that would just get stuck in your head for days. When 1994 rolled around, Desultory released perhaps their most well- known album, _Bitterness_. I remember I didn't actually buy this right when it came out, but I borrowed it from a friend. Admittedly, I didn't like _Bitterness_ at first, as the band had started experimenting with a few slower, groovier songs; however, alongside this newer direction, you could still hear Desultory's trademark depressive sound. Another thing that I didn't like at the time was the production: it sounded a bit muffled and muddy (especially the drums), even though it was another Sunlight Studios production by Thomas Skogsberg. Incidentally, I ended up buying _Bitterness_ a few years later (1998 to be exact), and it grew on me tremendously. In fact, I would rank _Bitterness_ as one of my top 10 favourite albums of all time. Two years after the release of _Bitterness_, the band released the infamous _Swallow the Snake_. I wont' say much about this album, because it's definitely not my thing. After Stefan Pöge left the band following the release of _Bitterness_, the rest of the band members decided to effect a drastic change in their musical approach. Turning their backs on their death metal roots, and embracing groove metal -- kind of like what happened to Lake of Tears -- it seemed that Desultory had changed into a different kind of band entirely. As soon as I heard the tambourines on the first song, "Mushroom Smile", I knew this band wandered off on a path that I wasn't very interested in following. The only redeeming aspect of this album was found in the last two songs: "Nothing Dies" and "Silent Suffering" -- both of which retain a slight injection of depressive atmosphere. And, admittedly, I still listen to them on occasion. O.K., O.K., enough with this long windedness -- what about the new album, _Counting Our Scars_? Well, I am really pleased to say that 14 years after the lacklustre _Swallow the Snake_, Desultory are back in full force, playing a version of Swedish death metal situated somewhere between their _Into Eternity_ and _Bitterness_ albums. Before I describe what you'll find on _Counting Our Scars_, I have to say that Stefan Pöge, sadly, didn't rejoin the band; however, their former bass player, Håkan Morberg, switched to lead guitar (the band recruited Jojje Bholin from Unanimated as their bass player), and has a remarkable ability to mimic Pöge's distinctive lead style (listen to the first song, "In a Cage", to see what I'm talking about -- it's amazing, actually). So, what exactly does _Counting Our Scars_ have in store for us? As I said before, this album sees the mighty Desultory going back to playing death metal the original Swedish way (I'm actually getting sick of using the term "old-school"). There are no keyboards, no acoustic guitars, and no frills. The vocals are harsh, strained and gruff, just as they used to be; the guitars maintain that typical Swedish heaviness without being too heavy; the bass is audible in the mix; and the drumming is back on track with Johnson's fantastic style, featuring the same level of technicality, precision and power displayed way back on _Into Eternity_ (recorded a little more than 18 years ago). In terms of the recording and production (done at the Necromorbus Studio), all instruments and the vocals are crystal clear, yet not in an overly-synthetic and overly-produced way. Now, despite the fact that Desultory have embraced death metal again, it's not to say that they haven't done so without adding a few changes here and there. While there are some really fast songs on this album (heck, Johnson even blasts here and there throughout the album), there are some slower, almost contemplative songs sans any trace of the groove the band started to experiment with on _Bitterness_. The faster songs feature a bit of semi-melodic tremolo-picking -- something that really surprised me (see "Dead Ends" or "A Crippling Heritage"). Actually, there are some songs which remind me a little of Gates of Ishtar from the _Blood Red Path_ and _Dawn of Flames_ era, oddly enough. Regardless of this slight change in style, though, each song is infused with that typical Desultory depressive atmosphere. Even dudes from Desultory's generation (myself included) can still wallow in self-indulgent and depressive moods every now and then! Well, in terms of comebacks, this is just about as good as it gets. The ideas are fresh, the musicianship is incredibly tight, and the feeling this band instills in the listener is as hopeless and depressive as it was way back in '93 and '94. When I heard the few bits and pieces of news that came through the pipeline about Desultory reuniting, I was a bit apprehensive at first, only inasmuch as I thought they might pick up where they left off with _Swallow the Snake_; but as soon as I heard the track "In a Cage", I knew I wouldn't be disappointed -- this song in particular sounds like it could have been written during the _Bitterness_ days. Guaranteed, _Counting Our Scars_ will appeal to old and new fans alike. If you want to support this rejuvenated scene, then by all means go to the Pulverised Records website and order this album right away. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/desultoryofficial Dew-Scented - _Invocation_ (Metal Blade / Prosthetic, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (8 out of 10) Having witnessed the full extent of the fury of this German band for myself in the summer of 2007, I had some relatively high expectations for their eighth studio album _Invocation_. I remember running into the band's vocalist Leif Jensen in Essen a year later and I asked him about a new album, but he said that it was going to take a while because of the changes in band members. Only two members from the quintet that brought us 2007's furious _Incinerate_ remain in the credits on 2010's _Invocation_; the aforementioned Jensen and bassist Alexander Pahl. This record, as do all Dew-Scented records, follows the same pattern of having its name starting with the letter 'I' and after listening, screaming that letter in agreement would seem like an appropriate response to this brutal treat of Teutonic thrash. "Downfall"; the introduction to this _Invocation_ sounds the alarms and one can almost see Leif Jensen standing on a plate that's rising up from a scene of war debris when his vocals are masterfully introduced in "Arise From Decay". The two new axmen Michael Borchers and Martin Walczak have more than a handful of good ideas up their sleeves and their guitars sound exactly the way guitars should sound on a Dew-Scented record. The one minute "Totem" provides a short break in the middle of the album, but deceivingly creates a whiplash effect when coupled with its successor "Torn to Shreds"; another flesh tearing, back aching headbanger. New drummer Marc-Andree Dieken had Uwe Werning's big shoes to fill, but his work on this record definitely speaks for itself. His drumming on the closer "Slaves of Consent" is very impressive and presents lots of clever chops and segments. "A Critical Mass" is another devastating piece with fantastic drumming that exquisitely complements its riffs and soaring solos; undoubtedly the album's prime cut. Looking back on Dew-Scented's work that leads up to 2010's _Invocation_, one can't help but notice that they are always pushing themselves forward. There haven't been any drops in creativity or a decrease in passion in their work throughout the years. Their outright aggressive, all-guns-blazing rendition of Germanic thrash metal is looking more and more like something that's not going to grow out of style. And if you happen to live in a big crowded city like I do, do yourselves a favor and don't listen to this while driving or while waiting in line at a government building. You can't use "I was angry and the music made me act upon it" as an excuse if you get in a fight with someone. Contact: http://www.dew-scented.net/ Drudkh - _Handful of Stars_ (Season of Mist, 2010) by: Kostas Sarampalis (8 out of 10) Never having been a huge fan of Drudkh's early work, I stumbled upon _Estrangement_ a while back and, having enjoyed their pleasantly meandering take on black metal, I have my eye (or is it ear?) out for their new releases. Last year's _Microcosmos_ was a bit bland for my taste, but the more _Handful of Stars_ stays in my audio periphery, the more I appreciate it. There is a slight but noticeable change of direction, with the guitars being much cleaner this time round and with more slow paced passages than the band has gotten us used to. If anything, it reminds me a lot of late '90s output from the German Prophecy Productions label, with a pinch of Norwegian and Germanic black metal to spice things, all tossed nicely in Drudkh's Ukrainian pot. The band stays with the four song format (plus intro and outro -- which is so early '90s, I am sure these extra two minutes can fit nicely in the proper songs), each extending to the almost ten minute mark. One or two main riffs make up each song, but Drudkh still haven't lost the knack of making these riffs interesting enough that the songs never outstay their welcome. "Downfall of the Epoch" kicks off the album without much fanfare, but it is the fast paced and very emotional "Towards the Light" that is hands down the best track in the album. In its almost Wolves in the Throne Room fury-infused melody, it manages to express everything this band seems to be about. "Twilight Aureole" is as interesting, though not as heart pounding fast. Some will object to the changes in the musical approach, but for people who like to see some semblance of evolution, _Handful of Stars_ is just fine. It would have been nice if the band had paid more attention to the bass lines (which are very boring) and the drum sound (which is a tad flat). Overall though, _Handful of Stars_ is a very good album, and if you are a fan of the genre, it must be in your collection already. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/drudkhofficial Elitaria - _NGC666 (New Galaxies Catalogue 666)_ (Independent, 2010) by: Chaim Drishner (7.5 out of 10) Global domination; absolute power dictatorship on a galactic scale; nuclear total annihilation; genetic alteration and dehumanization of the entire human race: Elitaria have got it all! Packed into eight authentic tracks (and a Ministry cover to conclude this affair), Elitaria's vision is loud and clear: their industrially tinged, cold, precise and vile type of black metal is here to harm. This duo's music mirrors their conceptual and lyrical agenda rather well; they convey their mechanized, frigid, sampled frequencies right into your face with relentless, razor-sharp, highly dynamic music. When Elitaria's precise and monstrous riffs collide against the blasting beats of the drum machine, pushed forward by genuinely hate- filled searing vocals, you actually get what they're saying; you begin to fathom what their aim is with recording this album: to transfer the human existence into the realms of cold, robotic darkness. Enveloped by airtight, uncompromising and devilish production, _NGC666_ is then being quantum-leaped into the future where no human exists anymore, where only barren darkness prevails. _NGC666_ is a black metal product done by cynical, disillusioned sons of man, dedicated in turn to all other cynical, spoiled, soulless and lost human beings of the era, an era where nothing is forbidden but on the same breath everything has lost its taste. Like fellow thunderstorms Diabolicum, the nuclear prophets or their Italian latter day counterparts Aborym, the humanoid clairvoyants -- Elitaria bridge the gap between human and machine, between here and now and the hereafter... Contact: http://www.myspace.com/elitaria Enochian Crescent - _NEF.VI.LIM_ (Woodcut Records, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (6.5 out of 10) Mysterious Finnish act Enochian Crescent have finally released the follow up EP to their last release, _Black Church_ back in 2006. Sadly, I'm not familiar with any of Enochian Crescent's releases prior to 2000 -- leaving a void of opinion when it comes to their debut, _Telocvovim_ (1997), and the follow up EP, entitled _Babalon Patralx De Telecvovim_ (1998). Before I proceed, though, here's a brief aside: the word "enochian" is supposedly a language created by two 16th century British occultists, Sir Edward Kelly and his partner, John Dee. I won't spend too much time on it here, but apparently, Kelley and Dee claimed that the "enochian" language was the language of angels, first brought to their attention through Kelley's crystal ball. As such, the common word in Enochian Crescent album titles, telocvovim apparently translates to "he who has fallen". This is actually pretty interesting, and I have to hand it to the band for seeking literary inspiration outside the all too hackneyed confines of the works of Tolkien and Sturluson's Norse Eddas. Musically, _NEF.VI.LIM_ follows a similar pathway the band followed with _Black Church_: somewhat varied black metal (sans keyboards), with catchy rock-inspired chords here and there, and few solos to infuse the songs with a bit of dynamism. Some tracks are leavened with occasional blast-beats, and double-bass tirades as well. In places, you'll also find some really nice sounding clean guitar interludes, such as on the first track, "Lyijysiipi"; however, the most interesting use of clean guitar is on the third track, "Muisto Sorkcasta". The song is punctuated in places with this almost 1950s sounding wavering plucking -- it sounds like it's right out of something like "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". This isn't melodic black metal, even though the band tend to rely heavily on tremolo picking as their main method of conveyance. I think what makes Enochian Crescent stand out compared to many black metal bands is Janne Kuru's vocals. They sound like a very laboured, desperate and strangulated version of a black metal rasp; typically high-pitched for the most part, though sometimes falling into softer passages, gurgled sotto voce. The male choir accompaniments (sometimes sounding as if Janne is singing along side a room full of crooners) add some interesting texture to the songs, and gives them a kind of sing-songy feel to them in places, even if it borders the somewhat comical at points -- listen to the song "Omega Nefilim" to see what I mean. _NEF.VI.LIM_ clocks in at 30 minutes over six tracks, which is pretty short for a full-length. With the notable exception of the aforementioned track, "Muisto Sorkcasta" there really aren't many memorable tracks to comment on here. Still, I have to admit that I'm not really fond of track "Golgotha" in that it's beginning and ending give way to a really industrialised, mechanical beat, sounding reminiscent of later-era ...And Oceans. I think there is some interesting material on this album, but I really do like their previous effort _Black Church_ much better. There was something really creepy, melancholic and unique about that album; and I think I was just expecting more of a continuation of that approach. Don't get me wrong, there are creepy segments on _NEF.VI.LEM_; it's just that something -- maybe that dark, frenetic energy -- seems to be missing, and makes it seem as though the songs were rushed and not as carefully written and arranged as they should have been in the four years it has been since the release of _Black Church_. If you enjoyed the previous releases by this long-running Finnish band, do check out this latest release. Let's just hope that Enochian Crescent's next album doesn't take another four years to materialise. Contact: http://www.enochian-crescent.com/ Exodus - _Exhibit B: The Human Condition_ (Nuclear Blast, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (8.5 out of 10) Thank Ra I came across Exodus when I did. I was initially appalled they were not considered one of the "Big Four", but that's obviously a worthless notion anyway. They have always sounded like the working class kind of band that never really gave in to fame. More to the point, the hard-worker's quality of their sound didn't submit to the erosive forces of time like some bands their age; listen to the latest Death Angel album if you don't get my point. Therefore the combination of having a multitude of generic new bands and having old bands waning makes us anticipate a new Exodus album with even more eagerness in our eyes. In his review of the first of this two part exhibit, Jackie Smit said that the second part can't come soon enough. Ironically, as if being intentional about it, Exodus didn't unleash the second part soon at all; it came out three years later. _Exhibit B: The Human Condition_, the follow-up to 2007's _The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A_, completes the saga that exhibits the assorted atrocities we hear Rob Dukes barking in the most vein-bursting manner about. _Exhibit B_ boasts twelve tracks, eight of which are upwards of six minutes, and the whole album clocks in at a whopping 74 minutes; a tally that could encompass the entire discography of young bands lugging the 'true thrash' moniker. A colorful selection of atrocities is addressed through Dukes' rabid snarls. The alarming matter of reject weird kids who show up on campus with murderous intent is the topic of "Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)" while the continuous absurdities of Hollywood are the subject of "Burn, Hollywood, Burn" and "Nanking" condemns the deplorable Japanese massacre committed in the former Chinese capital Nanjing in 1937. In addition to the punishing combination of Dukes' voice with the guitars of Gary Holt and Lee Altus, Tom Hunting's pummeling of the drums all over the album demands a great deal of respect from everyone who thought that he was never on par with the giants of his age. Even after any thrash fan who's worth the ragged Slayer shirt hanging from his shoulders has feasted his ears upon the individual skill on this record, its most formidable virtue will remain Gary Holt's supreme command of song structure. _Exhibit B: The Human Condition_ is an effort that focuses mostly on the lyrics, which explains the extended total play time, but that's not the only way to enjoy it if you're a music-oriented listener like I am. Creative drum beats and searing riffs are the veritable building blocks of this exhibit; a thrashing mad behemoth that I find myself trying to find a place for in my best of the year list. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/exodus Fear Factory - _Mechanize_ (AFM / Candlelight, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (9 out of 10) Strangeness abounds in the Fear Factory camp over the past year, a veritable soap opera of WWE-style allegiance shifts and back stabbing. To recap: in March 2002, singer Burton C. Bell announced his departure from the band, which led to the entire group calling it a day... temporarily, at least; it later came out that Bell left because he couldn't get along with guitarist Dino Cazares, and -- as it turned out -- neither could anyone else. Mutual dissatisfaction agreed upon, the other members decided it would be more prudent to just jettison Cazares rather than scrap the entire Fear Factory brand altogether. 2004 witnessed a successful reunion album, that year's _Archetype_ being almost unanimously considered a return to form after the lukewarm _Digimortal_ which preceded the breakup. However, the group would later claim that their next album, _Transgression_, was severely compromised by their label rushing them to get an album out to promote on their upcoming Gigantour dates. _Transgression_ came out, no one cared, and once again it appeared Fear Factory was on ice. In April of 2009 -- completely out of nowhere -- Bell announced that he'd made amends with Dino Cazares and that they would once again be collaborating on what was initially promoted as a new, untitled project. Roping in then current FF bassist Byron Stroud and Stroud's Strapping Young Lad bandmate Gene Hoglan on drums, it was quickly revealed that this was not to be a separate project at all, but rather a new incarnation of Fear Factory. Existing guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera were left out in the cold and, in interviews, seemed openly mystified about their fate. Promising to cockblock the Bell / Cazares appropriation of the FF name with every legal roadblock possible, Wolde Olbers / Herrera succeeded in stalling their efforts long enough to get a few early festival appearances canceled, but in the end Bell and Cazares seemed to win out... at least they were able to get a new record on the shelves with no serious opposition. And so here in 2010 we have yet another Fear Factory "comeback" record with the fewest original members yet. And you know what? It's the best, most relevant thing they've done since 1998's _Obsolete_. Get past the superficial "wtf?" reaction to the backstage drama and none of this should come as a huge surprise. Stroud has been playing bass for the band since they kicked Cazares out and moved Wolde Olbers to guitar, so he's had several years to absorb and contribute to the FF legacy. Hoglan is not only a musical chameleon but has been holding down a rhythm section alongside Stroud for years, and to top it all off he's probably the second best drummer in metal history behind only Dave Lombardo (anyone who wants to flip flop those rankings would get no particularly indignant outrage from me). So in spite of these lineup changes, you'd never know anything had changed just by listening to the record. Hoglan in particular adopts the Herrera blueprint so completely and enthusiastically it's almost eerie. Regardless of the personal issues that got him booted from the band to begin with, Cazares has always been a superior guitarist and riff writer than Olde Wolbers, and Stroud is the equal of Olde Wolbers on bass as well, so if anything this incarnation of FF is at least mildly superior to any previous lineup. But the musicianship is not the whole story, nor even the primary draw. What makes this a legitimate "comeback" (the band would probably hate that term but by any objective yardstick it's apt) is the fact that this is the best batch of songs FF have written in twelve years. Lyrically, rather than diving back into their old "Terminator" fantasies of man being taken over by their own machines, the band resurrect _Archetype_'s themes of using mechanization as a metaphor for modern human life. The title track is the most obvious / least subtle example of that, and sports one of the heaviest, most detuned guitar riffs heard on a FF song in years. Longtime keyboardist Rhys Fulber is back on board, adding color and atmosphere behind the grinding death metal rave up and giving the guitars a chance to breathe. Fulber's contributions are most felt on the synth-heavy "Christploitation" and in the lengthy closing outro of "Final Exit", both of which are right up there amongst the best songs on the album. The biggest comparison between _Mechanize_ and _Obsolete_ is the abandoning of nu metal flourishes and getting back to the band's bread and butter, which is brutal, industrial death metal riffing with cathartic, epic choruses, as epitomized on "Controlled Demolition" and "Fear Campaign". Burton Bell sounds completely reinvigorated (not that the rest of the band doesn't), and like an extreme metal version of Ronnie James Dio or Rob Halford, his voice hasn't diminished a lick over the last twenty years. In the end, my gut instinct is to feel like Ray Herrera and Christian Olde Wolbers got the shaft, but the truth is only the band members really know what went down behind the scenes, who drove what wedge where, etc; if we had to vet the character of every artist before we could allow ourselves to enjoy their work we'd never truly give ourselves over to anything. So enjoy a band reestablishing their identity and relevancy and leave the drama to those who get paid to give a fuck. Contact: http://www.fearfactorymusic.com Feu Gregeois - _Mortis Regnum - 2nd Circle_ by: Chaim Drishner (7.5 out of 10) (Heaume Productions, 2010) All keyboard-driven metal bands should take a lesson or two from Feu Gregeois (Greek Fire, in French), before even thinking of incorporating this tool into their music. After all, not everyone is Xytras from Samael -- or Wuthan, Feu Gregeois' keyboard master, for that matter. The main difference between, let's say, Samael's _Passage_ and _Mortis Regnum_ in terms of keyboards usage lies within the fact Samael used them interlaced into the music, inseparable from the main musical theme of each song, while Feu Gregeois uses keyboards as a different entity altogether, somewhat removed from the metal ingredient and mainly being utilized as long, bombastic, neoclassical introductions, sometimes as standalone tracks and sometimes as preludes or track finales. Sure, you may hear a key here and there while the guitars roar, but these bits and pieces are easily overshadowed by the sheer noble magnificence of the longer, medieval- flavored, dark tunes. Basically, you can neglect the metallic part of the band's latest effort _Mortis Regnum - 2nd Circle_ (short version of the title is known as being just _2nd Circle_), and although the heavy, dark, black metal oriented doom-ish death metal on display isn't half bad (and echoes older, early death metal bands), it isn't spectacular either, especially in comparison to the above mentioned keyboard parts. You cannot escape the notion this could have been a bad-ass neoclassical effort, had these damn distorted guitars not interfered! This is a good, enjoyable album, intelligently composed and craftily executed, on all accounts. When listening, don't forget it's actually a metal album; these mesmerizing keys tend to make you oblivious to that fact. Contact: http://www.feu-gregeois.com/ Fistula - _Goat_ (Crucial Blast, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (6.5 out of 10) An apoplectic if somewhat undistinguished sludge feast from Ohio's Fistula, _Goat_ churns up a healthy froth of diseased filth but struggles to add anything new to the blackened stoner template. Ostensibly a concept EP about Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell, who -- like John Wayne Gacy -- was found to have a bevy of corpses stashed away in his crib after neighbors complained of a foul stench emanating from his abode (Febreze can only do so much, y'all), _Goat_ is really just an excuse to get all feral-spastic while filling space with newscast voiceovers when the band run out of lyrics. Oh, it's not as bad as all that, but neither is it likely to be the rage of the blogosphere over the next several months. You know that warm up band you had fun moshing to while waiting for Eyehategod to come on stage, but then quickly forgot about afterward? That's essentially the limits of Fistula's appeal right there, and after a slew of releases spanning an entire decade, it's probably safe to say we've seen the band at its peak. But hey... -someone- has to anchor the third tier, after all. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/fistula666 Ghost - _Opus Eponymous_ (Rise Above, 2010) by: Jonathan A. Carbon (8 out of 10) Who said Satan can't be radio friendly? Ghost's debut album _Opus Eponymous_ begins with the lines "Lucifer / We Are Here / For Your Praise / Evil One". From there, it continues into a 40 minute long exposition into topics concerning human sacrifice, dark magic and servitude for the devil. Satan has never been that far from the arena of heavy metal, but Ghost's debut teaches us that a penchant for evil can be melodic and downright catchy. _Opus Eponymous_ culls the highlights of heavy metal, classic rock and Satanic pop into a mysterious darkhorse vying for a spot in this year's top 10. It is difficult to grasp Ghost. Their recent and loud entrance into the metal world has been met with as many questions as praises. Part of the fact is that there seems to be little information attached to this merry band of ghouls. The style of blending harmony and dark lyrics is nothing new, as Ghost has been compared to previous artists such as Mercyful Fate and Arthur Brown. Furthermore, some people are under the impression that behind Ghost 's cloak of mystery lies one or all of the members of the Dutch band, The Devils Blood. This mystery is exacerbated with the outlandish costumes worn by the members and the fact they feel no need to break character. Despite reservations surrounding the band, Ghost's music is nothing less than a spectacular debut. Each song has a memorable chorus and set of lyrics professing undying service to darkness. One of the highlights of the album is "Ritual", which boasts the chorus "This chapel of ritual / it smells like dead human sacrifice / from the altar...". It is a chorus which could possibly be a forgotten Hall and Oates single if left in a coffin to rot. This disconnect between the commercial nature of the music and the hilariously dark lyrics is one of Ghost's strongest attributes. The nature of dark music has progressed to the point that the torture of the voice is no longer effective. In its place lies consonance, melody and infectious pop sensibilities. _Opus Eponymous_ shares, in many respects, similarities to Coven's 1969 _Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls_. Both debut records presented dark evil wrapped in unmistakable commercial pop. _Opus Eponymous_, however, feels more devoted to Robert E Howard than Anton LaVey. Witches, demons and sacrifice are presented with more horror shock than sincere devotion. The idea and image of worshiping Satan feels more important. I could be wrong however, and Ghost could be hiding in my closet, waiting to do malicious harm for my insolence. It is odd to put so much support into a new band. A spectacular debut could lead to a disastrous or unmemorable follow up. I also write this review with trepidation, as one of my first reviews on this site comes with a glowing recommendation. I fear less for my professional credibility and more for the fact that Ghost will reach a smaller audience. For now, I will trust in the power of red robes, an undead pope and the haunting melodies of arena rock; played from the ninth circle of Hell. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/thebandghost Grave - _Burial Ground_ (Regain Records, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (5.5 out of 10) After having been an avid collector of cassette tapes from the mid '80s through the early '90s, I was definitely a latecomer to the world of CDs. On the topic of cassettes (if you'll permit me this brief aside), I had this really bad looking beige and brown cassette carrying case -- something that looked like it was right out of 1983 -- that held a maximum of something like 30 tapes. Inside you'd find everything from Paradise Lost's _Lost Paradise_, Loudblast's _Disincarnate_, Voivod's _Nothingface_, Nuclear Assault's _Survive_, and Desultory's _Into Eternity_, among other metal gems. So, where on earth am I going with this? It was during the last week of July 1993 that I turned my back on tapes and bought my very first CD ever. And what, pray tell, was this CD? Well, it was none other than Grave's mighty _Into the Grave_. A few of my friends had been into Grave's debut for quite some time (remember, this album was released in 1991), so I was pretty slow to discover them for myself. I liked this album to a certain extent; however, a major sticking point with me was the fact that there was little variation in structures other than a steady thrash beat accompanied by scads of the then standard tremolo picking. As well, there seemed to be a paucity of memorable riffs -- especially when compared to their country mates Dismember and Entombed. With each consecutive release after _Into the Grave_, though, whether it be _You'll Never See_ (1992), _Soulless_ (1994), _Hating Life (1996)_, or any of the albums after their 2002 comeback, I have to admit that I've had trouble getting into Grave's approach to death metal. Well, to be honest, I really liked the _And Here I Die Satisfied_ EP from 1993, but that's pretty much it, unfortunately. And so, bringing us into the present now, what do we have in store for us with Grave's latest offering, _Burial Ground_? Well, to be honest, in terms of changes, there aren't a whole lot on display here. This is still Grave through and through. You can still expect heavy, chugging down-tuned guitars, complete with waves of tremolo picking pitching and yawing all over the place. Things do slow down quite a bit in some songs, which adds a very doomy feel to them (check out the last quarter of "Dismembered Mind" and "Burial Ground" to see what I mean). Ronnie Bergerstål's drumming is pretty standard for the field -- it's solid, definitely, but there's nothing really outstanding going on here. Fredda Isaksson's bass playing, much like the four previous albums he's been featured on, is low in the mix, and therefore fairly inaudible. And then we have Ola Lindgren's vocals, which are pretty much exactly the same, in terms of register and delivery, as they were on the last album, _Dominion VIII_. Also, the production to me is quite similar to the aforementioned album: it's dry, flat, and pretty lifeless, actually. I think this approach to the production aesthetic and mix definitely works for black metal, but in death metal (and this is just my opinion), you need a full and dynamic production, enough to cover the breadth and tone of every instrument in all of their intended heaviness. Now, there are a few surprises offered here, though they're sadly not in the songwriting / structure / arrangement department. On track eight, the second last track on the album, Karl Sanders of Nile fame has contributed a brief but interesting guitar solo. And, as with _Dominion VIII_, Matti Kärki, the long-running vocalist of Dismember, has written the lyrics for one song (aptly titled "Dismembered Mind"). Other than these minimal incentives, there's really not a whole lot for me to praise here. In fact, three songs in I found myself getting a little bored. I just feel that there is really very little variation between the last three albums Grave has released. Sure _As Rapture Comes_ might sound a little heavier than the rest, but that's because of its beefier production. I think what really gets me is that Ola Lindgren has done nothing to change up his vocal delivery since _Hating Life_; and because of this, I'm just left thinking that the last three albums sort of blend into one another in terms of really memorable songs. Despite these critiques, though, _Burial Ground_ most definitely features some very well played "old-school" style death metal; and, if this is your thing, make sure to check it out. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/gravespace Grave Digger - _The Clans Will Rise Again_ (Napalm Records, 2010) by: Aaron McKay (9 out of 10) Few bands can boast the width and depth in metal music as prolific as the mighty Grave Digger. Since the 1980s this hard-hitting, riff- tastic German outfit celebrates a back catalog longer than your arm. Guess what power pummeling theme this effort showcases? Anyone see "Braveheart"? Well, then you have some idea... You got it: Scotland! Thirteen pure and intense tracks of upfront, catchy guitar melody soaked in Highland-steeped musicianship that is absolutely stereotypical Grave Digger. Toe to toe with any album from their impressive previous releases, _The Clans Will Rise Again_ stands as proud as William Wallace on the blood-soaked battlefields of Alba. This German outfit has always been masterful at putting out quality material and _The Clans Will Rise Again_ is absolutely no exception. Starting off with orchestrated bagpipes on "Days of Revenge", the effort moves mightily in to infectious riffing tracks like "Paid in Blood", "Hammer of the Scots" and "Highland Farewell". Select cuts from the effort showcase driving, catchy tracks predominately guitar driven, but each overall has a clearly communicated premise that easily propels this worthwhile Grave Digger album to the top pile in an impressive 30 year career. While Scotland is ultimately the umbrella under which the theme of this newest Grave Digger disc dwells, and not the film "Braveheart", a quote seems more than apropos: "I -am- William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men... and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?" The bottom line is _The Clans Will Rise Again_ is more than worth your time. If nothing else, Grave Digger proves this: you cannot go wrong with bagpipes in metal. Contact: http://www.grave-digger-clan.com/ Helloween - _7 Sinners_ (Sony Music / The End Records, 2010) by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10) It is certainly refreshing to bear witness in these times whereby the old metal guard is stepping up and displaying for all to see -- they still have what it takes. Take Exodus for example. The titan that is Slayer, of course. Lizzy Borden's brilliant _Appointment With Death_ awhile back. The killer new Overkill, for shit's sake, and the awesomely resurrected, mightier than before, Forbidden! Now Helloween have added themselves stalwartly to that impressive list. For more than a quarter of a century, these German metalers have offered some of the finest, most influential and trend-setting efforts known to humankind. _Walls of Jericho_ and _Keeper of the Seven Keys_, parts I and II, set a very provoking and interesting tone for the time. Taking this poignant extravaganza on the Pumpkin Fly Free tour in 1989, Helloween cemented themselves as a significant metal force with their showmanship, infectious riffs and creativity. After dragging themselves back from the precipice of musical precariousness with 1993's _Chameleon_, the band must have come to the realization that they were casting their nets too far in searching for the illusive notion of success. Vocal duties fell to new member, Andi Deris of Pink Cream 69 notoriety, replacing Michael Kiske during 1994's _Master of the Rings_, in addition to new drummer, Uli Kusch. _The Time of the Oath_ and _Better Than Raw_ followed in 1996 and 1998, respectively. The brilliant Faith No More cover "From Out of Nowhere" surfaced then Helloween's tribute album _Metal Jukebox_ in 1999. In 2000, _The Dark Ride_ was unveiled to an under-appreciative and mostly unreceptive fan base. Albeit a lighter direction from the downer that _TDR_ was perceived as being, _Rabbit Don't Come Easy_ fell short in the recognition of distinction category, as well. _Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy_ in 2005, _Gambling With the Devil_ in 2007 and Best Of 25th Anniversary _Unarmed_ bring Helloween to their newest and awe-inspiring release, _7 Sinners_! Helloween has earned their stripes and scars along the way. _7 Sinners_ may well provide the vehicle to move the band from simply noteworthy to impossible to ignore. This album showcases all the time tested talents of Helloween with incredible sound, power and delivery. _7 Sinners_ unquestionably incorporates thirteen tracks of hard- hitting, powerfully metal riffage. A possible footnote being the first single, "Are You Metal?", while not a paint-by-numbers song, just maybe not the first choice release straight outta the gate. This is not to say "Are You Metal?" is overly formulaic, but it would qualify as the more orthodox initial semi radio-friendly track from the new effort. With that said, Halloween has at least a half dozen songs on _7 Sinners_ that would arguably have been a healthier selection to reintroduce fans worldwide to Helloween's richer more enticing sound, for example the first cut on the effort, the stellar punchy 'n' chunky "Where the Sinners Go", for example. "Who Is Mr. Madman" flows with nice guitar texture and solid drumming. The fourth tack, "Raise the Noise", serves best as the conduit for the impressive material to follow. "World of Fantasy" layers nice guitar chops with interesting passages, throbbing bass and delicately utilized keyboards. "Long Live the King" takes fans on a faster paced wild ride underscoring Helloween's prowess and ability to take things to that next level. Midway through, "The Smile of the Sun" simmers things down with subtle keyboards and provoking lyrics all woven through a tapestry of a well developed, richly played soundscape. The galloping drums and choppy guitars of "You Stupid Mankind" take center stage, easily enrapturing the listener in its infectious catchiness. "If a Mountain Could Talk" pounds forth a saga set to Helloween's sonic, scenic intensity, serving up probably one of the more developed tracks on the album, "The Sage, the Fool, the Sinner". Enticing guitar passages worked into a raucously memorable lyrical chorus with a solo hard to beat on any of this band's back catalog. The open vastness of "My Sacrifice" creates a immense audible sensation while coaxing the listener with imaginative guitar work. The cautionary spoken-word "Not Yet Today" sets the prospect of Helloween's final track on _7 Sinners_, the driving "Far in the Future". The longest song on the album, clocking in at over seven and half minutes, it is easily the most opulent and richly cultivated track brandishing absolutely every facet of Helloween's undeniable aptitude -- musically, lyrically and vocally; a quintessential closer. Andi Deris, Michael Weikath, Sascha Gerstner, Markus Grosskopf and Dani Loble along with producer Charlie Bauerfeind at the engineering / mixing switch, Helloween may well have set forth a real blessing with their divinely devious new album _7 Sinners_. It'd be well-worth the crime if _7 Sinners_ is the punishment. Contact: http://www.helloween.org House of Thumbs - _Crossing the Rubicon_ (Independent, 2009) by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) Following their independent EP -- the real thing and not a puffed up demo -- Aussie quintet House of Thumbs have crossed the proverbial Rubicon to record a full-length, without waiting for the time- consuming formality of label backing. The production is as good as any independent (and better than some with label backing, and I'm not talking about "lo-fi az fukk" kiddies in korpsepaint). The artwork is a bit too cluttered, but it's all done in-house and I can hardly hold it against them for not being jacks-of-all-trades. The guitarists lord over the six-string, providing the unusual time signatures and polyrhythms beloved of brainiac metallers that hint at a variety and multitude of influences. Chief among those must surely be Mike Patton (Faith No More, Fantomas and a whole lot more), judging from the varied vocals which run the gamut from growls to high-pitched screams and (if somewhat mediocre) clean vox. Sure, it sounds very modern, but they didn't learn those chops from listening to droning drop-D nu- metal (with the possible exception of System of a Down) or vein- popping metalcore. Someone sign up these guys -- I'm sure if you ask nicely they'll seriously consider a name change... Contact: http://www.houseofthumbs.au Hypnos - _Halfway to Hell_ (Crystal Productions, 2010) by: Chaim Drishner (7 out of 10) Hypnos is back, after a long hiatus and a brilliant legacy in the form of the band's phenomenal debut and sophomore albums, _In Blood We Trust_ and _The Revenge Ride_ respectively. Hypnos version 2010 is more stripped-down a musical entity, delivering quality, meat-and- potatoes, basic Euro death metal in a very straightforward manner; the music is still ominous, still it flows slowly and thickly, like black and poisonous magma, and still it is very much contagious, infecting the listener with basic, yet skillful, classic death metal riffs. Hypnos 2010 also throws into its blackened musical cauldron some minor death 'n' roll innuendos here and there, but not once does the music go astray nor does it lose its firm grip on the attention. In general, the band is much more into focusing on melody (without succumbing to cheesiness or saccharine tunes) and atmosphere (but never at the expense of the heaviness factor) than anything else; neither does Hypnos aim at playing super fast, nor does it lose itself to the false god of senseless, mindless brutality. _Halfway to Hell_ is the perfect death metal album for anyone who wishes to witness firsthand death metal's appeal; when death metal is done right, one realizes the whole of the metal genre had been created just to produce this kind of albums: macho, brute, intelligent, gut- wrenching, Earth-shattering, soul-searing. Equipped with inhuman vocals, Stygian guitars and otherworldly quasi-melodic landscapes painted gray and pitch-black, Hypnos knows all too well the art of death. It's time you will know it too! Contact: http://www.myspace.com/hypnoscz Impious - _Death Domination_ (Metal Blade, 2009) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7.5 out of 10) Many bands, young and old, find themselves falling into patterns; putting out album after album with little to tell them apart. Sticking to your guns is something that I'll always applaud, but I usually prefer engaging albums that signify the maturity of a group of musicians over time. A band like Arsis comes to mind when mentioning similar albums, and on the other hand you have Lamb of God. Impious may give the impression of a band that's repeating itself, especially after 2007's _Holy Murder Masquerade_. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant listen, but it just lacked the energy that was so prevalent on its predecessor _Hellucinate_. But fear not fellow thrash addicts, _Death Domination_, the latest album from this Swedish group, is a welcome improvement over the previous release. It is another sample of the band's blend of thrash and death metal. It is a mix that's produced potently and efficiently by the likes of Dew-Scented and Hatesphere, and they seem to have very little competition. But give _Death Domination_ a listen before you go repeating that sentence to your friends, will you? None of the ten tracks deviate from the formula, but the total time is kept under the forty minute mark, which doesn't give you a chance to feel any redundancy. This is a band that knows when and how to end an album, and they did it on a quite brutal note this time around. I would be astonished to find a non-metal fan who took a shine to this record, because there's nothing about it that doesn't reek of sweat drenched, beer soaked raw metallic fury. None of the album's thirty- six minutes are wasted on pleasantries. Track one, "Abomination Glorified", is the perfect slap in the face that will get your anger at the appropriate level for such a death-thrashing opus. The riffing throughout the entire record is absolutely relentless, but some tracks do have some filler riffing. Fortunately, the riffs on tracks like "I Am the King", "Rostov Ripper" and "Hate Killing Project" are there to counteract the filler. You'd imagine that at such high speeds, a five minute track would drag on, but "And the Empire Shall Fall" proves that to be completely false. The lyrics on this album certainly exemplify the band's impiety as obvious on tracks like the previously praised "Abomination Glorified" and the album's door slammer "Irreligious State of War". You may not be able to identify Martin Åkesson's vocabulary too easily though, and that's probably the only problem with this record's production. The drums sound great, and considering the amount of blasting and drum rolls featured here, that's no easy task. The bass is a little low in the mix, but it does its supporting role quite deftly. I find it impossible to stay put while listening to this album and quite honestly, the quality of this thrashy offering is to be applauded now that the dust from the retro-thrash movement is unfortunately starting to settle. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/impiousofficial In Silentio Noctis - _Through Fragments of Christianity_ by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) (My Kingdom Music, 2010) This is symphonic black metal that is not like Dimmu Borgir. No wait, I lie, but unlike most of their peers _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ has served as the primary well of inspiration, albeit with a more melancholic air. The most obvious point of departure are the beautiful and stirring female vocals. This is somewhat disconcerting, as this, not some Cradle-esque pseudo-gothic shriek, is the dominant style and really far more apt for Leaves' Eyes or Sirenia. Such incongruency lends itself to predictability, as blastbeats tend to alternate between verses, which are much slower. On the few occasions she sings with a speedier tempo, her nightingale voice can feel disconnected, as if she is singing over, rather than with the music. On the plus side, it is well produced but without being put through a rock-tumbler production, and the orchestral arrangements nicely complement the guitars. If there is anyone out there who sincerely believes Dimmu Borgir should replace Shagrath with Liv Kristine, this may be exactly what you're looking for. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/insilentionoctis In Vain - _Mantra_ (Indie Recordings, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (8 out of 10) Are you as tired as I am of all these made up prefixes that pop up everywhere online to specifically describe and categorize every other band that's trying to make it in this world? Well, I spared myself the horror and just avoided any critique of In Vain prior to listening, and I'm glad to say that it was the better decision to make. You see, a band like In Vain could impact every person differently. Versatility is the nucleus of this band, and the ability to combine all styles of metal and some other non-metallic influences is what holds the cell together. However, if I were to come up with a genre-defining prefix, I would deem this record 'composite metal'. This Norwegian bunch has put together an album that will definitely fulfill all the insatiable appetites for weird metal combinations. The nine tracks comprising _Mantra_ are rides of sheer exploration and variety. In the beginning, the black metal shrieks and prog-rock keyboard solo of "Captivating Solitude" sport a beautiful contrast that doesn't even begin to prepare you for what's coming ahead. Chugging death metal riffage and deeply growled vocals highlight "Mannefall", then that metallic adrenaline running through you is instantly diluted by a very American-sounding country song called "Ain't No Lovin'". With the creative juices flowing and the listener's attention falling into the band's captivity, "Dark Prophets, Black Hearts" explodes with extreme metallic sensation that will get the fists in the air with its intense chorus, relentless drumming and shredded guitar melodies. The oddest element in this rather peculiar combination of musical elements is the vocal technique used on "Wayakin (The Guardian Spirit of the Nez Perce)"; the tribal sounding and most engrossing track for my money. The vocals incorporated here are sung with a yodeling technique that is delivered with such drama, marvelously fitting with the heavily distorted guitar chords behind it. This highly agile and expansive _Mantra_ should be on your 'best of 2010' list if you are a metal fan with a shred of openness to a few things non-metallic. It's perfectly natural not to have a clear opinion about it after the first listen because, like most great records, _Mantra_ takes time to grow on you. Its rebellious approach towards die casting bands in particular genres is quite refreshing. In times when impressive bands from the past are taking some rather unpleasant detour with their 'experimentation', one should relish this meticulously structured _Mantra_. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/invainno Intronaut - _Valley of Smoke_ (Century Media, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (8.5 out of 10) Many a listener with minimal patience and attention to detail could deem a band like Los Angeles' Intronaut 'confusing' or even the blasphemous 'boring'. Their works require multiple preliminary listens just to be comprehended, let alone fully enjoyed. Two years after the release of the fantastic work of art that is _Prehistoricisms_, Intronaut are back with _Valley of Smoke_, and they are once again making me want to ignore the ridiculous shipping and customs costs to Egypt and order it anyway. Intronaut's music is a mix of sludgy guitars with gritty nuances, a combination of vein-bursting and spaced out vocals and one of the sturdiest, most astounding rhythm sections ever to come my way. Fretless five string guru Joe Lester and drummer Danny Walker put their heads together ever so brilliantly all over this _Valley of Smoke_. The metallic up-tempo of "Sunderance" and the mellow section of "Miasma" are fine examples of how much input these two guys put into the songs and elevate them to higher levels. If you thought Walker's terrific drumming on "Any Port" from _Prehistoricisms_ was awe-inspiring, then be prepared for a similar facial expression that "Valley of Smoke" will invoke. It seems like Intronaut are developing a habit of fascinating us with a single track that's overloaded with drumming brilliance, and that's something I could get used to. After doing such a great job with _Prehistoricisms_, Josh Newell was once again recruited to produce _Valley of Smoke_ -- and make no mistake about it, he did yet another great job. Nothing on _Valley of Smoke_ sounds overtly polished, and the down-tuned notes don't sound muddy at all. The drums have a warm sound and the voices of guitarists Sasha Dunable and Dave Timnick mix very well with each other; a new idea that proved successful and could become an integral element in future Intronaut works. All these elements give the album a natural sound that complements the music quite masterfully. Another interesting little anecdote about this _Valley of Smoke_ is the fact that it's loosely based on the city of Los Angeles, which obviously has an impact on the lives of those who live there. In the language of the Native American Chumash tribe, the area that is now Los Angeles was called "the valley of smoke" because of the accumulated camp fire smog above it, caused by being surrounded by mountains. The surroundings of course haven't changed much in 2010, but what's inside is completely different. The concept still holds though, with the automotive and industrial smog substituting that of the camp fires. So this time around, the inspiration was more modern than prehistoric, but the result is again an awesome Intronaut record. Contact: http://blogronaut.blogspot.com/ Ives / Amort - _Split_ (Boue Records, 2010) by: Jonathan A. Carbon (7.5 and 6 out of 10) Do you know what I have been missing this holiday season? Blackened sludge punk. Boue Records, from somewhere in Europe, specializes in sludge doom punk with first wave black metal sympathies. In Boue's world, Burzum, Buzzov*en and Black Flag would all eat dinner from the same table. Boue's newest release is the split from American bands Ives and Amort. If you were ever unsure of this split's intentions, in terms of style, then let the cover photograph of a sickly nude woman forcing a suggestive smile speak for itself. The slight nausea and harrowing sadness which comes from viewing this album art is the perfect place to start for the complete collapse of morality, hope and order. The Ives side is a re-release of their demo _Burial of the Modernized Soulless_. Blackened crust punk is not as far fetched as others would lead you to believe. The first wave of black metal shares, in many respects, allegiances to hardcore punk with '80s crust punk acting as a translator. Ives hits every note perfectly with its lo-fi guitar creating atmosphere in the same way nerve gas fills an enclosed room. The guitar tone is similar to Nocturno Culto's work on Darkthrone's _A Blaze in the Northern Sky_, and once the mood is adequately established, the vocals are exuded forth with the ferocity of hornets from the mouth of hellbeasts. Ives accomplishes what some black metal bands try to do with a ten minute song in under two. Before you are aware the song is over, your stomach is bleeding profusely. "Sweet Fields of Ecstasy" is perhaps the most realized song, with its combination of looming riffs, castle shrieking and early Discharge intensity. While Ives' side only thirteen minutes long, it is a sneering blackened experience which is unrelenting, cruel and completely badass. To counteract the blackened carpet bombing of the first side, Amort chooses to make itself known by a one track, fourteen minute funeral doom opus. The song "Bed of Decay" dredges up memories of the album art, something I'm sure everyone is trying to forget. The first five minutes of the song show a decision to create atmosphere with dissonant strings and echoed chanting. The vocals make an appearances as the distant cry of a strangulation victim. This, combined with a harsh piano melody, makes the meat of the song as haunting as it is beautiful. "Bed of Decay" makes its point in disturbing bullet points before regressing to more atmospheric meandering. It is not pleasing, rather intriguing to other releases not associated with traumatizing album art. Amort comes in second on this split only due to the handicap associated with their song lengths. Funeral doom surprisingly works better in album format, as the listener can experience the many dimensions of slow suffocation. This is an odd split. The difference between Ives and Amort is such that it may lead some to dismissing either half. However, their intentions are very clear. Both bands have been put on this earth to do one thing: destroy the very souls of all who choose to listen and gaze upon confined women in the midst of starvation. Sweet Lord. Contact: http://bouerecords.yolasite.com/ King Conquer - _America's Most Haunted_ (Mediaskare Records, 2010) by: Jonathan A. Carbon (5 out of 10) A writing comrade once commented in a review: "If black metal is the sickle, death metal is the hammer." This analogy was not only to illuminate the aural qualities of each style, but add some imagery with their relations to instruments of destruction. I have thought of this analogy for awhile and tried to come up with more for each established style of metal. I did fairly well until I came across deathcore. I tried to think of a weapon which would encapsulate both sound, imagery and style. And then it dawned on me; the bazooka. This anti-tank weapon captures the essence of sound and the goofy imagery of its implementation. If faced with two people, one carrying a hammer and the other a bazooka, I would be more frightened by the hammer option. This choice not only due to the versatility of the hammer, but the fact a bazooka looks like a clown prop. However, when used effectively, the bazooka can cause severe damage, leaving the victim a bloody mess, not unlike the intentions of many deathcore acts. Deathcore has always gotten a terrible rep. This is either due to poor press, misunderstandings, or the fact the band members don't look like grave diggers. The fusion of death metal to the already fused style of metalcore did little to sway the death metal elitists. Additionally, the young fanbase and popularity through social networking sites did even less to lend the style credibility. An entire term paper could be written on deathcore's alienation from the metal world. A shortlist of these qualities could include trite imagery, perplexing band names and lazy attention to logo (barbwire font). What many people fail to recognize, however, is deathcore's quality to be immensely heavy and shockingly technical at the drop of a hat. King Conquer is signed to Mediaskare records, which also represents As Blood Runs Black, Silent Civilian and the rap-punk-core outfit Deez Nuts. At the moment, King Conquer is on tour with Winds of a Plague, In the Midst of Lions, Burning the Masses and I the Breather. By all evidence, this new Floridian band has sidled their way into the scene without much trouble. King Conquer comes in at the low end of heaviness but is still rivaled by at least a dozen other bands; all with the same means and intentions. King Conquer's chameleon aspect is also their biggest downfall. Job for a Cowboy's _Doom_ EP is the obvious starting point for King Conquer, as they split the vocals from a balanced center to a current of indecipherable cries. The vocals on _America's Most Haunted_ toggle between growling and shrieking, while the tempo shifts from fifth gear to a low cruise during breakdowns. While this is expected, the vocals do possess a wide scope, ranging from scattered and shallow to concentrated and looming. The majority of songs coast on an inevitable track while constructing a platform for the inevitable drop. Because the breakdown is dovetailed into the style, its presence feels less intrusive when the song is created around it. _America's Most Haunted_ continues deathcore's tradition by diametrically dividing its younger fanbase against the older. Spoken war cries can either make you scream in allegiance or send you groaning with your hands in your face. If you are still confused, let me reiterate the lines before the breakdown of "6 Gallon Gasoline Stomach": "Now who the fuck is going to take you in / Mother fucker / Everyone has left you / Where the fuck are they now?" I'm almost positive that this is a rhetorical question posed by King Conquer on the subject of abandonment. What I dislike the most about _America's Most Haunted_ are the same qualities which make it another's favorite record. King Conquer has a way of making their songs extremely likable in an exploitative fashion. Everything is over-saturated and put out in front. Their lyrics about personal conflict and political intrusion are a perfect bait and switch for a particular audience. Deathcore is not without its highlights, as death metal not without its low points. King Conqueror does a great job of imitation, but seldom downs anything memorable (outside of that hypothetical query posed above). This style will have another landmark album to define its intention and manifesto. _America's Most Haunted_ isn't it. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/kingconquer Klabautamann - _Merkur_ (Zeitgeister Music, 2009) by: Mark Dolson (8.5 out of 10) I'm not really too familiar with Klabautamann's previous works, but I can say that _Merkur_ (English, "Mercury"), the band's newest release, came as a genuine surprise. First off, I find the band's name to be very interesting. Apparently, a klabautamann, a variant of the word klabauterman, is a water-sprite whose purpose was to assist sailors on their sea-faring journeys. Apparently, though, the personality of this kind of water-sprite can be quite "mercurial" as it can shift from a kind and benevolent disposition, to one marked by mischief and general mayhem. So as not to digress any further, I'll just say that I think this is a great name for a band, especially when so many black / death metal bands these days are coping the either the most cliché or hackneyed monikers. Hailing from Germany, Klabautamann consists of two core members: Tim Steffens, (vocals, guitars, voice) and Florian Toyka on guitars and bass (also of Valborg, Woburn House and Island); both of whom are supported by a session member (Patrick Schröder) providing drum duties. So, what we've got here is a band playing a very progressive, well thought out and atmospheric version of black-metal. The first thing that struck me about _Merkur_ , though, was the really unusual guitar tone. Right away, the first thing that jumped into my mind was Enslaved. If you remember that amazing guitar tone on _Below the Lights_ (with that almost inimitable sort of after ring to it), then you know what to find on _Merkur_. It hits you right away as the opener, Unter Bäuman ("Under Trees"), reels into focus. Along with the guitar tone, perhaps the first thing the listener will find when listening to _Merkur_ in its entirety is that it is markedly different -- as a black metal album -- when compared to other German black metal bands. As such, unlike outfits like Geist, Lunar Aurora, Odem Arcarum, or Brocken Moon, Klabautamann have structured and arranged their songs such that they sound almost akin to what Opeth would sound like playing black metal -- not in terms of specific aesthetics (vocals, thematics, production, etc.) or anything like that, but just in terms of song structure and arrangement. To be more specific, here's what I mean: each song might be characterised as fairly harsh, progressive black-metal with furious double-bass pummeling, blast-beasts, black metal riffing patterns, dryish, medium- register rasps (complete with ethereal whispers here and there), punctuated with calm breaks featuring the wanderings of both clean and acoustic guitar. One of the highlights of the album is the title track, "Merkur", which opens with almost schizophrenic-sounding high-pitched vocals (that sound female to me, although no female is credited) accompanied by a riff that sounds remarkably like Voivod circa _Nothingface_ -- which works really nicely at creating a destabilising effect. The song gives way to a whimsical and quirky prog-rockish groove, then comes to a close quietly with lightly bouncing and shimmering clean guitar. If any of you remember the band Carbonized (the now defunct side project of Therion's Christofer Johnsson), you'll be able to draw some similarities here with the use of groovy, quirky interludes to offset the blasting brutality. Now, I understand that this might not be everyone's cup of tea. It definitely makes the song sound a little mercurial and unorthodox (that's for sure); and, because of this, people will either "love it or hate it". Perhaps the most diverse song on the album, though, is the closer, "Noatun" (which means "ship enclosure" in Old Norse; more specifically the ship enclosure of the Norse god of the sea, wind and crops, Njord). This is a calm song; and it features a polyphony of acoustic and clean guitars, grand piano, a moody-sounding mellotron, and deep, meandering croons that sound reminiscent of Herbrand Larsen of Enslaved (especially _Vertebrae_). The way the aforesaid elements combine, along with the overall tone of the song, make it an effective closer, and a taste of more things to come from this surprising act. All in all, this is definitely an experimental album that will appeal to people who like progressive, unorthodox black metal; however, for those who like their black metal a little more traditional -- without unexpected twists and turns -- you might want to look elsewhere. I have to say that I loved the artwork and layout; and the lyrics (those written in English, anyway) were great as they touch on fairly dark and philosophical approaches to nature and human existence. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/klabautamann Lantlôs - _Neon_ (Prophecy Productions, 2010) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) Touted as comparable to Amesoeurs and Alcest as post-black metal pioneers, Lantlôs also happen to feature the voice behind the aforementioned projects, courtesy of Neige. His black metal screams are very effective here, albeit hardly a distinctive choice by Lantlôs. Be that as it may, _Neon_ is the band's second full-length; not having heard their first, I am unable to comment on their evolution. Whatever path brought them here however, _Neon_ is an undeniably well crafted record. While remaining firmly rooted in black metal and eschewing pompous symphonic adornments, Lantlôs nonetheless strive to push the boundaries of black metal. They attempt to do so by deploying different kinds of deviations throughout their songwriting, including various sprawling instrumental segues (often arguably reminiscent of post-rock), as well as clean vocals. The pace and overall feel is mostly melancholic and reflective, with sudden bursts of aggression and other atmospheric sections -- which has already been shown by the aforementioned projects to potentially suit this type of black metal instrumentation well. As a result, _Neon_ is one of those really good albums that will be welcomed by dedicated fans, but most likely remain in the shadow of higher profile releases -- such as Alcest's recent _Écailles de Lune_ -- for those with no more than a passing interest in the subgenre. Contact: http://www.prophecyproductions.de Les Discrets - _Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées_ by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10) (Prophecy Productions, 2009) Described as another French project along the lines of Alcest and Amesoeurs, Les Discrets aim to take their version of post-black(?) metal in a somewhat different direction. You still get the fuzzy guitars and occasionally speedy passages somewhat reminiscent of black metal, and clean sung French vocals on top. However, on _Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées_ there is a strong folk element layered into the metallic components. Rather than simply alternate between metal and folk, the two are also combined in a manner that reinforces their sound and increases its vibrancy. This album may have some really soft passages and display plenty of melodic sensibility, but instrumentally it is anything but feeble, with solid guitars and drums. Much like Alcest, the clean vocals may not be to everyone's taste, but there is no faulting their execution, and they do lend some more individuality to an album that already showed plenty of personality regardless. (The only exception for me would be some backing vocals on "Chanson d'Automne".) _Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées_ ("September and Its Final Thoughts") is presented in what seems a very carefully assembled and rather elaborate package, with motifs inspired by nature and mysticism. While all this may very well appeal to those who enjoy the likes of Empyrium, the sound of Les Discrets is quite different from the Germans' pre-acoustic days -- no harsh vocals, for a start, and the songwriting itself is significantly different. With some really striking musical moments in a very well rounded unit that remains a good couple of steps away from the pack, there is a broad audience out there that would be well advised to give this album a try. Contact: http://www.prophecyproductions.de Lifeless - _Beyond the Threshold of Death_ (Ibex Moon Records, 2010) by: Aaron McKay (7 out of 10) One of the more difficult aspects for traditional death metal outfits is an adherence to one's deeply felt influential roots, yet separating your signature sound from the immeasurable crowd. Germany's stalwarts Lifeless walk this very complex and unforgiving line. _Beyond the Threshold of Death_ is a re-issue of the band's 2008 pressing, but now added to Ibex Moon's most notable roster. Since 2004, Lifeless has taken up the tried and true, in-your-face, no holds barred death metal approach. This solid four-piece group hold the line on some of the more punishing beats of unyielding power, as any fan of the scene might expect. This album re-pressing offers seven cuts, as well as a bonus track, of fundamental choppy guitar riffs, heavy beats and gruff vocals, yet understandable and clear in their delivery. Starting off strong with "Entombed in Unknown Graves", _BtToD_ again resurges around track four, "The Final Sacrifice" and the subsequent pummeling title track, "_Beyond the Threshold of Death_". The true power of this release can be found in its very apex finishing _BtToD_ off like ol' Dismember / Grave-esque crusaders. On "Under the Sign of the Iron Cross", Lifeless unleashes a wonderfully constructed metal onslaught ostensibly absent on most of the effort as a whole. This track, and the one that follows, "In the End... (Of Life)", Lifeless showcase their combine ability with catchy, infectious chops peppered with tangibly palpable tempo-shifts, well-timed solos and general raw infectiousness. Tie the whole _BtToD_ effort off with the absolutely stellar cover of Dismember's "Casket Garden" and you have a record finishing stronger than the sum of its initial parts. Other than covering Sodom's "Remember the Fallen" from _Agent Orange_, Lifeless selected the strongest finale "cover" imaginable for this re-issue. While not groundbreaking or about to change the course of traditional death metal forever, Lifeless is anything -but- comatose; their particular kind of rhythmic pulse can even be felt well _Beyond the Threshold of Death_. Contact: http://www.ibexmoonrecords.com/ Lustre - _A Glimpse of Glory_ (De Tenebrarum Principio, 2010) by: Aaron McKay (9 out of 10) Sheer abysmal expanses exploring what can only be referred to as negative minimalism, the Swedish elemental project nearly defies the notion that this could, and indeed is, a one man black metal conceptualization. As a previous member of fellow countrymen Hypothermia, Nachtzeit (instrumentation and vocals) seemingly thrives in relative ambient obscurity combining key elements of barren, pure hopelessness and unadulterated dense naturalistic soundscapes. Tracks "I, "II" and "III" embody _A Glimpse of Glory_'s inner sanctum. Each clocking in at more than ten minutes, with "I" comprising the longest piece at slightly more than sixteen minutes of organic objective emotionalism and quiet despair. Heavy-laden woe and brilliantly subtle discordant guitar mixed harmoniously with mood-inducing subterranean atmosphere engulf the album from beginning to end. Also, carefully injected tormented vocals surface ever-so-sparingly throughout the album. Some comparisons of Lustre to early Burzum, Summoning (Hail!!), Mortiis and Skepticism are certainly justified, yet in some way categorically confine the base nature of the primeval raw creation that dwells within _A Glimpse of Glory_. No question, this select style would be characterized as an acquired taste, but those disposed to drinking deeply from the inconsolable despondency flowing forth from Lustre's impenetrable depths, you will find precious few more quenching than _A Glimpse of Glory_. Contact: http://www.detenebrarumprincipio.eu/ Malevolent Creation - _Invidious Dominion_ (Nuclear Blast, 2010) by: Aaron McKay (10 out of 10) There is no substitute for experience in metal, except for talent. Put these two high octane qualities together and you wind up with Malevolent Creation's newest molten slab, _Invidious Dominion_. Delivering a punishing combination second blow after the intensely powerful effort, _Doomsday X_ in 2007, it seems like Malevolent Creation were just sharpening their teeth to rip into their latest piece of raw punishment, _Invidious Dominion_. Most metalheads the world over know Malevolent Creation hail from the "Sunshine State" largely for their much celebrated and acclaimed groundbreaking debut in 1990, _The Ten Commandments_. What fans may not realize at this point in MC's career is their accumulated skill, proficiency and unrefined creativity so evident on _Invidious Dominion_. _Retribution_ in 1992, _The Fine Art of Murder_ in 1998, _Envenomed_ in 2000 with 2004's _Warkult_ exemplify simply a few highpoints underscoring these ol' guard flag-bearers of metal going down along their chosen path, building to a frenzy that begun with _Doomsday X_ and culminating with the extraordinarily potent experience to be found on _Invidious Dominion_. Despite line-up changes over the course of this band's incredible history, _ID_ reunites the incredible proficiency of Phil Fasciana on guitar, Jason Blachowicz's unbelievable bass ability and the distinctive vocal delivery of one Mr. Bret Hoffman. Rounding out the group, Gus Rios on drums and Gio Geraca, picking up MC's additional guitar responsibilities, far exceed just "more than their part" to solidify this sure-to-be top 10 pick of the year. Admittedly, track four, or song three if you are not counting the intro, "Slaughter House" may not have been the top vote-getter for worldwide release on satellite radio, no real complaints can be heard. With absolutely stellar cuts from _ID_ like "Target Rich Environment", "Antagonized" and the title track -- "Invidious Dominion" wrapping _ID_ up solidly -- one can more than see why picking just one initial offering for public consumption might have been a sincere challenge. All this stellar musicianship was brilliantly accentuated by another master of his craft, Erik Rutan, who was pulling the recording, engineering, mixing and producing duties. With this unmatched ability and aptitude all wrapped up for you in a Malevolent Creation lesson in brutality leaves just one question: if you are not actually spinning this disc right now, -why-?! This is the second coming of _The Ten Commandments_! Contact: http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/ Manowar - _Battle Hymns MMXI_ (Magic Circle Music, 2010) by: Jonathan A. Carbon (Too mythical for review) It is almost impossible for me to introduce this album. In 1982, upstate New York heavy metal band Manowar released _Battle Hymns_. _Battle Hymns 1982_ would be followed by nearly 30 years of albums, DVDs, festivals and general laughter. On the eve of 2011, Manowar has descended the fabled mountain to offer us _Battle Hymns MMXI_: a re- recording of their debut album. Re-recordings are not common unless you're Dimmu Borgir or a grindcore band making a compilation. The general practice of rebooting or remaking your debut is popular in Hollywood, but very rare in the musical landscape. To release a re- recording of a 30 year old album is pompous, arrogant and slightly insane. This is why it makes sense for Manowar to do so. This is also the reason why it is so amazing. It is almost impossible for me to review this album because of my mixed feeling regarding Manowar. Manowar was my first exposure into heavy metal and, for a period of time, -was- heavy metal. I thought every band was a walking cartoon; concerning themselves with dragons, women and motorcycles. The slightly ironic position of enjoying a band's ridiculous nature diminishes slightly when they refuse to break character. Manowar's unrelenting dedication to their craft in the face of harsh criticism only strengthened my enjoyment for their albums. Manowar's music became a beacon for unwavering optimism in the face of doubt, cynicism and hardship. This, coupled with their heavy fantasy themes, made me more of a believer in "The Kingdom of Steel". The Kingdom of Steel, for any unfamiliar, is a mythical segment of the afterlife dedicated to Manowar fans. This place, which most likely resembles a cross between Asgard and a leather bar, is referenced constantly by the band and fans alike. The absurd nature of a spiritual haven for metalheads is ridiculous, but somehow works in favor of Manowar. This is a band who, in all likelihood, believes they will be playing on top of a flaming mountain upon their departure. Manowar, for me, has transcended traditional aesthetics and resides in a place beyond the conventional realms of logic and taste. Manowar's albums have been met with fairly consistent negative reviews. The majority of criticism revolves around their lack of versatility, macho showmanship and over-abundance of lunacy. For the most part, they are right. _Battle Hymns 1982_ began the career of the battle metaphors mixed with sermons warning against the dangers of false metal. To this day, I have no idea what is involved with false metal or who would be guilty of heavy metal charlatanism. _Battle Hymns 1982_ was rooted in heavy metal's history with fantasy based celebrations of masculinity and longevity. _Battle Hymns 1982_ could be considered the peak (or death throes) of heavy metal. _Battle Hymns MMXI_ is as much reactionary as it is celebratory. For the past couple of years, original drummer Donnie Hamzik has been reappearing while veteran drummer Scott Colombus has been on his way out. This year it was made known that Columbus silently left the band with Hamzik as his replacement. _Battle Hymns 1982_ was the only album to feature Hamzik and seems to be the catalyst for this re-recording. _Battle Hymns MMXI_ is faithful to the original, as Manowar's intention was to bring their debut through the proverbial carwash of high fidelity. What is presented sounds like an in-studio concert or an alternate reel of mixes. The one noticeable change in the album comes from the dialogue for "Dark Avenger", originally read by Orson Wells. Since Wells' passing, Manowar has hired the voice talent of Christopher Lee. This choice is obvious to any Manowar fan, as Lee has been featured on multiple Rhapsody (of Fire) albums and the fact that Lee adores power metal (his own symphonic metal album based on the life of Charlemagne was released in 2010). The highlights of _Battle Hymns 1982_ are retained in the re- recording, with the second half of the album stronger than the first. The fantastic worlds of Dark Avenger and Battle Hymns would later become the standard for subsequent releases, most notably _In Glory Ride_ and _Hail to England_. _Battle Hymns MMXI_ comes packaged in redesigned liner notes and photographs taken during the band's formative years. Those associated with Manowar's music cannot help but feel a part of the celebration. I can imagine coming into this album with no preliminary Manowar experience is much like walking in on the laughter of a well told joke. It is almost impossible for me to give this album a rating. In the Kingdom of Steel, _Battle Hymns MMXI_ is a landmark achievement and only strengthens the roots of Manowar folklore. In fact, _Battle Hymns MMXI_ could be considered a presage to a future discography of re- recorded albums. In the mortal world, however, _Battle Hymns_ hardly exists and to most people is just a re-recording of another album. It would be like reviewing aether or the speed at which a unicorn runs. There is a disconnect which bars any sense of convention. To fully review a Manowar record, I would need the trusty steed of a dragon and an ancient rune sword at my side. If anything can be said about Manowar, it is their ability to be constantly surprising after 30 years. _Battle Hymns_ to many is another way to stave off witting a new record, but to some it is a battle call signaling another 30 years under Manowar's reign. Contact: http://www.manowar.com Mar de Grises - _Streams Inwards_ (Season of Mist, 2010) by: Kostas Sarampalis (9 out of 10) While the Chileans' debut impressed me out of my socks, their sophomore release, though imaginative and strong in its own accord, left me a bit wanting. Perhaps it was the change in vocalist-cum- keyboard-player, perhaps the reduction in speed and heaviness. Something that they step on once again in their third album _Streams Inwards_, where they are once again dissolving and rebuilding their sound as a band. Sounding much more confident and finding their inspiration, well, inwards, Mar de Grises spend the first half of this album in a decisively heavy manner. In fact, one can hardly remember them being as pummeling and bone shattering heavy in the past as they are in the first three songs of _Streams Inwards_. "Starmaker" and "Shinning Human Skin" alternate constantly between complex guitar and drum patterns and melancholy themes. "The Bell and the Solar Gust" is the highlight of the album though. It is damn heavy yet melodic and atmospheric, at least on par with the debut's phenomenal "Storm", in both atmosphere and sheer musical indulgence. The drumming is especially worthy of mention, with its intricate contrasts and juxtaposition against the guitars half way through the song. After that, the direction switches to the more dream-like and softer side of the band's multifaceted approach to doom metal. However, it never fails in being interesting and involving. Perhaps personally I would have cheered more wholeheartedly if the band had kept the album fast paced throughout, but maybe in that case they would have lost an important element of their sound. Furthermore, Mar de Grises choose to explore further on their take of experimental ambient they started in _Draining the Waterheart_'s bonus material, with yet another bonus track in this album offered in the limited digipak release. An interesting track, if a bit disjointed with the rest of the album. It is important to note that Mar de Grises have not veered far away from their roots just yet, but merely honed in more precisely on their selected soundscape. All the ambient elements from the previous two releases are still here, expanded in depth even if contracted in overall scope. There is a massive improvement in the vocals department though, with Juan Escobar sounding a lot more confident this time in both his growled and clean singing. Fans of the band's more straightforward facet will love the first half of the album, whereas sensitive and hurt souls will drift closer to the second half's meandering yet absorbing musical escapades this album has to offer. Contact: http://www.mardegrises.com Mekong Delta - _Wanderer on the Edge of Time_ (AAARRG Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (6.5 out of 10) Thrash metal has always been an intriguing highway with two major lanes: an American lane and a German lane. They both started around the same time, but the amount of bands coming from both countries wasn't always equal. German bands were not as numerous as Americans, but some of them had the quality that could eclipse that of ten of their American counterparts. Case in point: Mekong Delta. They've always outsmarted the rest of the pack and they are on par with Anacrusis in integrating elements of classical composition and contriving progressive thrash metal. It's a definition that may be a little wordy and it might have you asking 'why did you say thrash?' after listening to the band's ninth album _Wanderer on the Edge of Time_. You see, it's a fifteen track effort spread out over forty-nine minutes and consisting of seven movements. Seems pretty outlandish compared to your average 10-track, 40-minute retro-thrash album, doesn't it? Well that is because it's not a retro-thrash album and in some respects it doesn't reside close to the thrash metal bone either. Martin LeMar's vocals aren't the screamed hoarse ones you'd normally expect on a German thrash record; they actually lean more towards a Daniel Gilendlöw style of singing. Bassist and mastermind Ralf Hubert seems quite comfortable with dividing his desired sound over so many tracks without them being a distraction to the listener. Proceedings are started with an introductory acoustic guitar track and its foundation is built upon by "Ouverture", pushing things a little towards the heavier side. Yet in spite of having some decent melodies, "A Certain Fool" doesn't capitalize on the momentum laid out for it as one would expect. The first individually distinguishable riff on the album makes its appearance on "The 5th Element"; a track on which drummer Alex Landenburg adds some rather tactful chops to raise the level of intrigue. There are five dispersed interludes around the album that all use the same riffing blue print to provide swift transitions from song to song. You'll reach track number seven and the album isn't even halfway through, but this particular cut, "The Apocalypt", is a fast paced aural apocalypse with extensive input from all members. The action continues with "Intermezzo"; a track with quite a few tricks but may sound a little all over the place at times. "Mistaken Truth" keeps rising and falling without any apparent structure but like the relay runners, the last piece "Finale", picks up right where "Mistaken Truth" leaves off and closes off the album in coherent fashion. _Wanderer on the Edge of Time_ also marks the fourth appearance of that violin-playing skeleton on a Mekong Delta album cover. This time it appears to be performing in the middle of a bisected concert hall. The right side is classical European architecture with arched marble gates, painted ceilings and statues of angels. The left side is futuristic as it contains steel rods between windows, reflective ceiling and the skeleton's electronically enhanced left arm. This record certainly combines old and new qualities and I'd like to believe that this cover depicts the band's intention on keeping their thrash roots while maintaining a forward thinking mentality regarding their sound. Having said that, I think _Wanderer on the Edge of Time_ is one of those records that you'll have to get into to really enjoy. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/mekongdeltaband Milking the Goatmachine - _Seven... Dinner for One_ by: Jonathan A. Carbon (7.5 out of 10) (NoiseArt Records, 2010) It is perhaps unquestionably appropriate this German band chose the name they did. If nothing else, it at least addresses the elephant in in the room. I will answer two questions before we begin: yes, this is a goat themed deathgrind; and no, this is not the first animal-centric metal band. Baltimore based death metal band Hatebeak boasts a parrot as a singer. Conversely, Caninus combines the intensity of grindcore with the power of barking pitbulls. Milking the Goatmachine writes music about goats, with goat song titles, and plays them wearing goat masks. The symbolism of the goat runs deep in western folklore. Each instance is very different, ranging from Christian traditions to Pagan symbolism. Pan, Baphomet and the practice of scapegoating are entwined around these lovable yet mysterious creatures. The goat is, perhaps, the barnyard animal with the darkest and most complicated backstory -- followed by the pig and the enigmatic sheep. The use of animal themes for Milking the Goatmachine shares none of the deep symbolic text, but appears to be irreverent, silly and slightly stupid. This is, of course, fine with me. _Seven... Dinner for One_ is Goatmachine's second release, following 2008's _Back From the Goats_; If you enjoyed _Back From the Goats_ but craved a concrete story arc, then _Seven... Dinner for One_ has been tailored to your needs. The first ten songs on _Seven_ re-enact the major plot points of "The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids". This Germanic fairytale involves a devious wolf attempting to trick a family of goats' children while their mother is away. After disguising himself with flour and chalk, the wolf gains access to the house and proceeds to devour all but one goat. The mother and youngest child rescue the rest by cutting open the wolf's stomach, replacing goat children with rocks. The wolf wakes up unknowing that anything has transpired, and upon attempting to drink from the well, he meets an early demise. This Grimm collected fairytale follows in the tradition of being shockingly graphic for a children, and showcases a latent cautionary tale behind the text. The tale is also perfect for Goatmachine due to its propensity for violence, moral punishment and eventual goat triumph. Had I known that a Germanic folktale and blistering metal could be so easily fused, I would have been pushing this long ago. While the band advertise themselves as goat themed grind, Goatmachine marries the style of grindcore, death metal, deathcore and thrash metal into one silly package. _Back From the Goats_ had a surprising amount of thrash influence, including a Sacred Reich and Nailbomb cover. _Seven.. Dinner for One_ continues along that road by adding high end chaos to the low end madness. If the storyline and costumes were not enough, Goatmachine drops unexpected Easter eggs of lunacy into certain songs. Classical harmonies, upright bass solos and cartoon voices all make appearances confusing the listener to the Nth degree. Milking the Goatmachine may seem like an obvious choice for a write off, but their attention to graphic design, album structure and song choices makes it far more complicated. While the first half of the album is far from serious, it does possess more of a sober air than the second half, which parodies popular song titles. I would be lying if I said I didn't laugh a little during "Goat on the Water", "Goat Horn Sun" and "Cemetery Goats". I am unaware how much, if any, of the original song made it into these selections, but am sure that it does not matter either way. The ending half of this record pays tribute to grindcore's sneering humor with a balls out encore which stretches for six songs. I usually never have to use the word "bouncy", but the second half of _Seven_ screams for that very descriptor. Goatmachine's seemingly inaccessible vocals are just a veil to a very likable and catchy instrumental side. Milking the Goatmachine forces people to choose the level of seriousness attached to their metal. While Goatmachine is a bombastic party, it is rarely something you want to take home to meet your parents. _Seven_ is not an album one would sit reaching deep contemplative conclusions. For some this is a problem, for others it is just right. It is bizarre, humorous and technically proficient. I would be hard pressed to find the negative qualities with being entertained throughout an album. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/milkingthegoatmachine Monster Magnet - _Mastermind_ (Napalm Records, 2010) by: Aaron McKay (9 out of 10) It has been too long that fans have gone without Monster Magnet's brand of irreverent, iconoclastic sauciness. What's it been? Three plus years since the mostly under-celebrated _ 4-Way Diablo_ came out? Even Chronicles of Chaos missed the opportunity to take a crack at reviewing this offering from New Jersey's mind-benders extraordinaire, the might Monster Magnet. Now, in late 2010, _Mastermind_ is unleashed with twelve brand new tracks of haziness-infused pulsing cuts on this, the eighth release, from these cosmological hard rockers. In typical stellar, clear, riffy, opulent Monster Magnet style, _Mastermind_ delivers on all fronts -- from non-sequitur lyrics, flowing, catchy riffs and heavy, never subdued bass lines. If ever Monster Magnet was described as "mind expanding", _Mastermind_ is that much more steeped in unfathomable imagination exploration. "Hallucination Bomb", "Bored With Sorcery", "Dig That Hole" and the initial media release track "Gods and Punks" fire off _Mastermind_ in all the lavishness MM disciples have come to expect. Tony Iommi would be proud. The fifth cut from _Mastermind_, "The Titan Who Cried Like a Baby_", blends a Nine Inch Nails feel with an Olympian themed Amon Amarth sonic discovery -- trippy. Following that, the bassy, groovy title track serves up one of the most quintessential MM songs on the release. On "Mastermind"'s coattails, "100 Million Miles" and "Perish in Fire" rock a grittier sound with an impeccable guitar solo winding- out "Perish in Fire"'s lead in to the more pleasant flowing nature of "Time Machine". The scratchy and rich "When Planes Fall From the Sky" and sensory easy glide of "Ghost Story" slip seamlessly, and perhaps revealing, into "All Outta Nothin", the last track from Monster Magnet's _Mastermind_. Monster Magnet has once again returned in all of their lavishness and grandeur proclaiming this slap-tastic lesson in a fun-loving masculinity-infused album -- a triumph for their legions of followers worldwide; now let's see if we can coax another Atomic Bitchwax release outta Ed Mundell! Until then, "Well, I am a punked-out freak on a Big Wheel and I am crossing the frontier of lies." ("Bored With Sorcery") Contact: http://www.zodiaclung.com/ Nàttsòl - _Stemning_ (Lupus Lounge / Prophecy Productions, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (8 out of 10) Why am I so nostalgic these days? I have no idea. Is it because my early 30s are going / have gone so fast that each attempt to slow down time with forced pulses of reflection and introspection only leads to the pushing away of the past further and further away? Well, luckily, every so often I stumble across an album or two that serve as the ultimate aides de memoir -- that is, temporarily bringing back those amazing feelings, when (in this instance) black metal was something fresh and new, and not cliché, hackneyed. Anyways, here we go with a brief aside in terms of a nostalgic prelude to start this review of _Stemning_, the debut album from western Norway's Nàttsòl. If you don't like it, though, just skip over it. When I bought my copy of Ulver's mighty _Bergtatt: Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler_ back in October of 1995 (the release was really delayed in reaching Canada, I know), I was absolutely floored. This album, to me, managed to exude such a distinctive "Norwegian" atmosphere -- both in terms of the album's artwork, layout and, of course, the songs -- that I couldn't stop listening to it everyday for months on end. Still, to this day, that album ranks as one of my top 10 all-time favourites. The interplay between harsh, frenetic black metal riffs, Garm's melodic and soaring vocal lines, and the highly distinctive acoustic guitar work and flute was unparalleled at that time. Well, maybe there were a couple of exceptions: the first Borknagar album for one; and, maybe the second Abigor EP, _Orkblut_ (although this didn't feature any clean vocals of any sort as we all know). Anyways, from the very first note on _Stemning_ (which means "mood" in Norwegian) I was brought right back to fall of 1995. Why, you might ask? Well, this album absolutely smacks of the first and best releases from bands such as Ulver, Borknagar, and Taake -- from the artwork and packaging to the long songs punctuated with acoustic breaks, and, perhaps most obviously, the use of clean vocals (which sound almost like _Bergtatt_-era Garm, complete with the audible inhalations, exhalations and whispers). Some people might actually have a problem with this, and thus their reaction could be characterised by a statement like "yeah, yeah, I've heard this a thousand times before; and, by the way, hasn't black metal changed since the early to mid 1990s?" Well, my rejoinder to a statement like this would be: "Yes, it's changed, and yes, this specific approach to black metal has indeed been done a thousand times; but has it been done this good, and this 'true' to the old way of doing things". Based on my subjective experience and assessment, I can only answer with a cool, "no". So, on to the music then. We've got a top-notch production here that enables all of the instruments to be heard as they should. The drumming is good, with quite a lot of blasts and splashes of double- bass, and some really fast cymbal work -- you'll see what I mean. There's nothing here in terms of new techniques in extreme metal drumming or anything, but it's solid nonetheless. The guitar playing is solid, too; and there's some memorable and not-so-memorable black metal riffage on display here. The acoustic interludes -- of which there are many -- are really what makes this album amazing for me, though. The playing ability of the guitar players may not be as adept as Haavard or Aismal from Ulver, but it's still effective in creating a distinctive Norwegian atmosphere. Listening to these acoustic interludes makes me think of being up on Mt. Fløyen in Bergen. Now, the dead give away here in terms of the fact that _Stemning_ is an ode to the first Ulver album -- in particular -- is the flute playing. Wow, sure, this might be seen as a blatant rip off, and I wouldn't entirely disagree, but it just works so well that I can't be too harsh here. Plus, the flute makes an appearance in only one song -- the last song, "Ved Hav I Avdagsleitet" -- and it's accompanied by female vocals, unlike _Bergtatt_. Now, for all the nostalgia this album brought me, there are some downsides. 1) There's something irritating about the "harsh" vocals. I don't know what it is, but perhaps its because their a little screechy in spots. They are pretty varied, and this is a good thing, but there are some areas here and there throughout the album that just make me wonder if a different approach may have been better. It's not a huge downside, but once this becomes apparent, it's hard to not let it distract you. 2) I really didn't like the way the album ends. The last song is great and all, but, just seems to sort of terminate out of nowhere. And after it ended, I was expecting more -- like either a conclusive part, or either song. I had to look down at my iPod twice to make sure the album was actually done. And when it was, I just sort of muttered, "huh... that's weird", to myself. 3) Some of the more black metal sounding riffs sound like filler to me. Yes, there are some fantastic displays of black aggression here; but some of the riffs could have been better crafted, I think. By way of conclusion, then, I think _Stemning_ is a solid effort in terms of paying homage to the old greats of the early to mid 1990s; and I think the album was indeed successful in creating a "mood" -- and a nostalgic one at that. However, there are some hang-ups (mentioned above), which sort of drag it down just a little bit for me. I just read that one of their guitar players has decided to leave the band, but luckily they will be continuing as a two-piece from now on. All I can say is that the talent is there, as well as the passion and skill to re-create those old seemingly long-forgotten atmospheres; but let's just hope the next Nàttsòl album will be a little more concentrated in terms of potent riffs and better vocals. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/nattsolnorway Near - _The Opening of the Primordial Whirl_ (ATMF, 2010) by: Chaim Drishner (3 out of 10) There's nothing more frustrating than wasted potential; the right label, the aesthetic aspects, the promotion and the time and money that surely had been invested -- it's all here. What this album lacks is talent and a slice of originality. It's like these guys went to sleep in 1985 or something, and woke up only to pick up where they had left -- that is to play this thin, insubstantial, god-awful, totally uninspired and watered-down primordial black metal of sorts. Endless one-dimensional blasting accompanies a clueless and hardly discernible couple of riffs which fail at generating atmosphere or aggression. The whole recording lacks dynamics; it sounds weary, tediously and clumsily maneuvering in the most amateurish of ways towards the final conclusion after more than forty minutes of torture: this band does not know what good music is all about. Condolences go to the label which wasted resources on this garbage. Avoid! Contact: http://www.atmf.net/ Nevermore - _The Obsidian Conspiracy_ (Century Media, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (8 out of 10) I remember reading an interview with Mastodon's drummer Brann Dailor where he said that making music is like baking a cake. First you have to make sure you have the correct ingredients, then you leave it in the oven to bake, and then you apply the topping. I find myself remembering that wise bit from Mr. Dailor after listening to Nevermore's much awaited 2010 album _The Obsidian Conspiracy_. Nevermore's last studio album was 2005's masterpiece _This Godless Endeavor_; an album that had me banging my head in a fit of metallic joy from the moment I heard that chorus riff in the opening track. Now after five years, they're back with another spot hitter that will raise dizzying lines of horns at any concert. _The Obsidian Conspiracy_ boasts ten tracks that are laden with Warrel Dane's trade mark voice and Jeff Loomis' top-notch riffing. The structuring of the tracks is actually quite simple and predictable, but their content is what keeps you hooked. A ballad like "Emptiness Unobstructed" will definitely stick with you, thanks to Dane's melodic singing and intelligent lyrics. "The Blue Marble and the New Soul" is another track that comes close in terms of catchiness and lyrical content, but it has a much gloomier feel to it. Of course Jeff Loomis wouldn't let tracks like these pass by without stamping his name on them with marvelous guitar solos that send waves of goose bumps through your body. But if heavy riffing, fast tempo and relentless drumming is what you came for, then rest assured that your demands are duly met. Tracks like "The Termination Proclamation" and "Moonrise (Through Mirrors of Death)" are two very good examples of how well these guys can stir a raging mosh-pit, but they probably won't get the crowd as ecstatic as "The Obsidian Conspiracy" would. The title track on this effort is the best manifestation of ending on a high note. It's an approach that I welcome, because I rarely find good albums that don't have either the longest track or a two minute outro as the last track. This finisher is outstanding and has Nevermore written all over it; authentic Warrel Dane vocals, astounding Loomis / Williams coordination, and an overall aura of excitement that will hit you right in the kisser. The charming city of Seattle may be famous because of Frasier and the grunge movement, but it certainly should be proud of this group. Their metal keeps its originality and doesn't conform to the standards of American metal that are being so sadly affected by the growing population of mediocre metalcore and deathcore bands. Nevermore was never an easy band to categorize, and that's why you'll find lots of online genre wars, but that makes the experience of a Nevermore album all the more enticing as they continuously succeed in keeping you at the edge of your seat from start to finish. Raised them horns yet? Contact: http://www.nevermore.tv Nightfall - _Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants_ by: Mark Dolson (9 out of 10) (Metal Blade Records, 2010) I first got acquainted with Nightfall in the early summer of 1994. It seems as if it were yesterday when I went to the local record store, "In Yer Ear" (sadly long since out of business) when I bought Nightfall's _Parade Into Centuries_ (1992), Septic Flesh's _Mystic Places of Dawn_ (1994), and Marduk's _Those of the Unlight_ (1993). After a few weeks, I declared that _Those of the Unlight_ was boring, _Parade Into Centuries_ was just okay, and, save the use of the typical Greek-sounding drum-machine, _Mystic Places of Dawn_ was plain awesome. But this review is about Nightfall, and not Septic Flesh (a.k.a. Septicflesh). A year or so later, a good friend of mine lent me the second Nightfall album, _Macabre Sunsets_, which to me employed the use of a really crappy drum-machine -- or at least it sounded like one to me. I thought the album was pretty good, though I could not get past the really, really bad drum sound (still to this day it sounds like a drum machine, but I guess you never can tell). Regarding the song composition, there was something disjointed about the arrangements and the use of those bombastic, orchestra-style keyboards that later became a hallmark of France's Misanthrope. It wasn't until October 1995, when I picked up Nightfall's _Athenian Echoes_, that I became a bona fide Nightfall fan. This album, to me, was progressive, avant- garde (but not bordering too artsy), and really innovative for the time. I loved the use of Mediterranean-sounding melodies, interesting clean vocals, and those super-fast blast beats (and, again, I still can't tell whether they used a drum-machine on this album -- even though they claim not to have) juxtaposed with slow atmospheric guitar passages. Unfortunately, though, everything Nightfall put out after _Athenian Echoes_ was terrible. _Lesbian Show_ (1997) was a horrible attempt to follow Sentenced in their newfound love for gothic metal. Much in line with _Lesbian Show_, the EPs_Anthems of the Night_ , _Electronegative_, and the full-length _Diva Futura_ (all from 1999) were more examples of how the band further distanced themselves from their death metal roots, and turned more toward a strange, uninspired gothic metal approach. _I Am Jesus_ from 2003 had a few interesting moments here and there, but not enough to sustain my interest in the band. For some reason I decided to pick up a copy of _Lyssa: Rural Gods and Astonishing Punishments_ when it came out in 2004, but this, too, ended up being a really bad album. That they recruited the technical wizardry and dynamism of George Kollias on the aforesaid album still couldn't sway my decision that it was a really boring, lacklustre attempt at avant-garde, progressive metal. Well, six years into the future Nightfall are back again with an new album entitled _Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants_. At first I thought, "bah, forget it; that album's going to be crap -- guaranteed"; however, when I saw that they recently signed with Metal Blade Records, I decided to give it a try. And, seriously, I wasn't disappointed. This album is great. Honestly, I thought it would never happen, but this album picks up right where _Athenian Echoes_ left off -- no kidding. As a result of recruiting new blood, namely a new guitar player and drummer, this band is back on track. From start to finish, _Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants_ is an excellent example of progressive, catchy and melodic death metal. If I have to draw a comparison, I would say that this is _Athenian Echoes_ part 2, infused with the melodic flare of _Colony_ era In Flames. In terms of vocals, Mr. Karadimas has reverted to his tried and true mid-range growl -- almost exactly as it was on _Athenian Echoes_. There are some songs which feature a more gothic oriented clean vocal approach; and while some may find this style a little annoying, I think it works -- only in small doses, though. Just listen to the song "Astra Planeta: We Chose the Sun" to see what I mean. Inasmuch as this is progressive, melodic death metal, there's quite a bit of good old-fashioned tremolo picking throughout _Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants_. There aren't too many solos on this record, but the few that you'll find are inspired by melodic heavy metal; and, coupled with the melodic rhythm work, this infuses some of the songs with some excellent and catchy melodies (this is evidenced especially on the first song, "Astron Black"). The drumming is solid and measured, and not overly complicated or fast in terms of timing or style; however, the last song "Epsilon Lyrae", actually incorporates a nice and steady blastbeast at the beginning. While this song is good, I really disliked the "carnival style" (cf. Dimmu Borgir or _Nexus Polaris_ era The Covenant) synth orchestration that accompanies the blastbeat. As such, I think the song would have been that much stronger without it, but that's just my personal opinion. The synths definitely are not upfront on this release, as they are for bands such as Kalmah, but they do appear in every song (for the most part they add that extra edge of atmosphere and drama). What I wanted to bring particular attention to is the over production and mix of this album -- which is flawless. Each instrument shines through the mix, leaving no competition between vocals, bass, guitar, drums or synths. What I like most, though, is the drum sound. The toms, bass-drums and cymbals are perfect; they don't sound digitally processed or enhanced at all (certainly no triggers), and actually have a nice analogue feel to them. Since this review is getting a little on the long side, I'll bring it to a close here. If you liked Nightfall's earlier releases, particularly _Athenian Echoes_, then you'll absolutely love this -- guaranteed. For those of you who aren't familiar with Nightfall's work, all I can say is that if you like progressive, melodic death metal with hints of atmospheric synths and clean vocals, then you'll probably enjoy _Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants_. Lastly, make sure to check out the cover artwork by Travis Smith, it's interesting, unique and really well done. This is one of the better covers I've seen this year, actually. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/nightfallgr October Tide - _A Thin Shell_ (Candlelight Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7.5 out of 10) Before Katatonia were the epitome of modern gloominess, they were an outright doom band in the most original of senses; just listen to 1993's _Dance of December Souls_. But a few years after that album, the band went into a temporary hiatus where vocalist Jonas Renkse and then guitarist Fredrik Norrman formed a band called October Tide. They released a couple of albums in '97 and '99 and stopped it to focus back on Katatonia. Now 11 years later, with Norrman no longer in the Katatonia line-up and Renkse just too busy with everything he's been doing, October Tide has a new line-up and a new album called _A Thin Shell_. It's a doom metal album with no questions about it, but it's the selection of members and what they've put together is what makes this album stand out. For the vocals, Norrman called upon the brilliant Tobias Netzell of In Mourning fame. Jonas Kjellgren (who was featured in the works of Carnal Forge and Scar Symmetry) laid down the bass, and the drums were handled by Robin Bergh from Amaran. Call it a super group if you want, or maybe call it a new skin for October Tide. No matter what you call it, for as long as the album runs, Netzell will have you lodged in your seat with his spectacularly powerful voice. Norrman's guitar lines are mostly thick and multi-dimensional, but when the songs transcend into calmer sections, an extra layer of gloom is added to the sound to hit the perfect spot. From the moment the first chords of "A Custodian of Science" are hit, the grip of doom is commanding and dominant. Netzell utilizes his vocal range quite diligently on "Deplorable Request", especially to re-usher the song into its heavier section, which also includes a subtle guitar solo. And exactly like the normal distribution curve, this album hits its peak in the middle: "Blackness Devours". This is to further insinuate the quality of this particular track, yet it doesn't make light of its peers by any means. "Scorned" finishes off the album as it goes through its six minutes very slowly in a drone like manner. I'd like to believe that when a collection of such high caliber musicians gets together, one can only expect an impressive outcome. The only negative aspect that abounds is the fact that each one of the members is otherwise engaged and is not fully devoted to October Tide. This usually forces the band to be inactive for extended periods between albums. Nevertheless, when they actually do put their heads together, they come up with something to marvel upon like _A Thin Shell_. Top notch Swedish heaviness; as usual. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/octobertideband Ov Hollowness - _Diminished_ (Independent , 2010) by: Chaim Drishner (7.5 out of 10) Ov Hollowness brings forth nostalgia; it conjures times in metal where melody reigned over brutality, emotions reigned over speed and substance over hype. This one-man band brings to mind the very best of melodic black metal of the mid-'90s, the Swedish type (despite hailing from Canada), where simple song structures and emotional execution were enough to do the trick of conveying engaging and beautiful music, sans the trickery, the hyper-blasting and the technical aspects and such. Good music does not need all the charade; it can be kept on the most simple, basic levels and still deliver. _Diminished_ is a no-frills beautiful album, just because of these aspects: heartfelt guitar riffs, eerie and minimal usage of keyboards, and good vocal delivery alternating between hissing rasps and clear vocals, as well as an organic, tight and very dynamic production. The listener is rewarded with a somewhat enigmatic, spiritual, well- crafted melodic black metal album which does not aim at breaking any records, but whose message is: keep it simple and effective. The complementary packaging, high quality artwork and lyrics, as well as the aforementioned classy production make this album a treat. With acknowledgment to early Katatonia, Scheitan, Non Serviam, Opeth and Kvist, this album should be on every melodic black metal purveyor's check out list. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/ovhollowness Painted Black - _Cold Comfort_ (Ethereal Sound Works, 2010) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) With the satisfyingly engaging and hard-hitting "Via Dolorosa", Painted Black open their debut full-length _Cold Comfort_ in a rather promising manner. The song mixes a strong rhythmic approach with well integrated quieter passages, vocals alternating between harsh and spoken, before some solid guitar lead work and brief but effective female vocals take the composition into an atmospheric interlude. A good guitar solo and another harsher passage then wrap up the song. The remainder of the album is not a mere repetition of the elements shown on the opening track, however. Things soon take a markedly more melodic and melancholic turn, complete with clean singing, although Painted Black remain happy to crank up the aggression frequently enough. At times the music moves a little further into melodic doom, with more of a dark romantic slant, but always keeps a penchant for memorable guitar sequences and interesting songwriting. "Absent Heart" is where Painted Black go farthest into non-metallic mode, but the quieter sections become one of the album's rare missteps. I am loath to write this about any Portuguese band, but I do feel Painted Black may well appeal to those who enjoy Moonspell's heavier moments -- though not because Painted Black borrow from their style or even sound like them. Their songwriting is considerably different, and _Cold Comfort_ may just as well appeal to anyone into melodic doom or My Dying Bride. It really is hard to pigeonhole them and reduce their target audience to a specific subset, because Painted Black do not adhere too stringently to a standard set of genre rules, instead mixing whatever they find appropriate at each point in a song. For a debut album, _Cold Comfort_ provides proof that Painted Black possess solid songwriting skills, and that they are able to deliver a nice metallic crunch just as effectively as they can glide through more melodic or atmospheric elements. The album is well written, performed and produced, and rarely betrays a lack of experience, all of which indicates significant potential for future growth. Contact: http://www.painted-black.org Persefone - _Shin-Ken_ (Soundholic Records, 2009) by: Mark Dolson (9 out of 10) Persefone comes from a rather curious little country called Andorra, which is small principality in the Pyrenees Mountains, situated between France and Spain. The two things I know about Andorra are: 1) the people living there have the second highest life expectancy in the world (those living in Macao have the highest); and 2) it's in the general vicinity where the famous German / Jewish philosopher and literary critic Walter Benjamin spent his last few days before committing suicide (which was actually in Portbou, Spain; but it's fairly close to Andorra, sort of). Other than the aforementioned things, though, I really don't know very much about this country. I first discovered Persefone back in 2004, and really enjoyed their debut album, _Truth Inside the Shades_, on the once great Adipocere Records. I liked their second album _Core_ even more, and was very curious to hear _Shin-Ken_ when I found out about its release. Well, all I can say is that for their third album, Persefone really hit it, adding in some insanely progressive touches all over the place for ballast. To be honest, this is progressive melodic death metal at its best. Actually, this is one of the most progressive albums I've heard in a long, long time; however, the question is: does it work? For the most part, yes, it does. There were only a few spots on this monster of an album -- clocking in at over 60 minutes -- that I found to be in need of slight improvement. First off, let's cover the band's general aesthetic with this album, and then move on to the music. _Shin-Ken_ is a concept album based on a movie called "Miyamoto Musashi" (1954), which, unfortunately, I've never seen; and, as such, I'm loath to comment on the lyrical content. The packaging, though, is excellent, with a beautiful cover of what looks to be a shogun warrior, complete with _Shin-Ken_ written in Kanji. I like the cover a lot, actually, as it is really atypical for a death metal band to use a colour palate consisting of whites, pinks and blues -- it's a nice change. Musically, the band orient themselves toward a version of very dramatic melodic death metal which sounds somewhat akin to early Kalmah and maybe Mors Principium Est -- only, in my opinion, Persefone are much, much more progressive. In fact, _Shin-Ken_ is so progressive that I got a little lost sometimes in the process of the dynamic patterning of the songs. I think it works for the most part, but sometimes there are just so many riffs in one song that it makes for a dizzying experience. Much like the aforesaid bands, you'll find that the keyboards take a dominant position, so much so that this album is replete with really interesting keyboard solos and tasteful accents in the appropriate places. I understand that this could actually be somewhat of a turn off to those anti-keyboard metal purists out there, but I think it works in Persefone's favour. What really sets _Shin-Ken_ aside from other albums in the melodic death metal genre are the flourishes of Japanese-style instrumentation found throughout the album. To see what I mean, just listen to the first song (after the intro): part way through the song, the band make use of what I think is a koto, which is the Japanese version of a zither. There are some shorter pieces, like "The Fire Book", which make use of traditional sounding Japanese female vocals and flute. Along side these ethnic flares, and another aspect that really makes _Shin-Ken_ stand out to me are the absolutely amazing and lengthy guitar solos. I've got to say that Carlos Lozano and Jordi Gorgues can really shred. Their solos are long, complicated, and are featured in almost every song -- which is fantastic if you're into soloing. Accompanying the great solos and the myriad riffs are some nice clean guitar sections that sound a lot like Opeth. No kidding. In terms of the vocals, there's quite the range showcased on _Shin- Ken_. We've got lower register growls -- which are the band's default approach -- along with higher register rasps which, unfortunately, I have a hard time accepting as they are a little too raspy and high- pitched for my tastes. Offsetting the growls and the rasps are some really excellent clean vocals, which, to these ears, sound redolent of Dan Swanö, though perhaps not as low register. For those of you into the genre of melodic death metal who are looking for something a little different, I would definitely recommend _Shin- Ken_. It's a long, complicated and highly diverse album; and, as such, it may take several listens for it to fully sink in. Persefone know how to play their instruments very well, and also know how to craft beautiful arrangements, save the overly progressive edge to some of the songs. Aside from this, though, _Shin-Ken_ is a monster of a record, and ranks -- retroactively, of course -- as one of 2009's better albums. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/persefoneband Phantom Glue - _Phantom Glue_ (Teenage Disco Bloodbath, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (5 out of 10) This Allston, Massachusetts quartet lists Electric Wizard, High on Fire and Pentagram as influences, but to this listener that's giving themselves way too much credit: you can pretty much narrow it down to just High on Fire. From the copycat vocals to the rumbling, often tribal beat of the drums and the epic guitar crunch, there is precious little this crew -doesn't- rip off from Matt Pike & co. In fact, I'd love to write Phantom Glue off entirely, except that as a HoF tribute act they pull it off pretty well. It doesn't hurt that they have producer extraordinaire Kurt Ballou (Converge, Torche) in their corner. But fuck it, I can't go any higher than a 5.0 rating just on principle. I also refuse to analyze specific songs since there is nary an original thought to be found on any of them. Pass. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/phantomglue Pyramido - _Sand_ (Totalrust Music, 2009) by: Quentin Kalis (6.5 out of 10) Sludge riffs are not known for their clean and polished tone, but the debut from Pyramido make EyeHateGod sound glossy and overproduced by comparison. Seriously, nothing this filthy could be found outside an abandoned crack den. The vocalist's thirst-parched shouts add to this sloppy feel, as do ceaselessly clashing cymbals. But it's one thing to sound messy, quite another to actually be messy, and their compositions have an unfortunate tendency to bleed into each other and be hard to separate. This is not helped by the vocals, as the initially effective whiskey-lubricated and larynx-searing vocals become boring through overuse and a lack of variety. Their label obviously spotted potential in this -- as do I -- and perhaps experience is what is needed to develop their compositions and introduce some vocal variety, and can be cleaned up on subsequent recordings. As long as it is the only thing to be cleaned up, Pyramido may be on to a good thing. Contact: http://www.pyramido.org Quarter the Villain - _Regicide_ (Independent, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (4 out of 10) Quarter the Villain integrate numerous elements in their music, but each one of these elements sounds like something you've heard from someone else. Also, the "Rocky Mountain Hydro-grind" sound that was stapled by Cephalic Carnage tends to pop up quite a few times while listening to the _Regicide_ EP. There are some cool ideas though, like the waltz melody at the end of "Sock Puppet Vendetta" and the riffs of "Choking a Sloth", but altogether, the tracks are just all over the place. There really isn't much to say about this fifteen minute EP. Every band member obviously knows his instrument and handles it quite proficiently, but that doesn't instantly make them a good band. Case in point: Dream Theater; but I digress. Quarter the Villain need some extra work to impress, and I wouldn't expect much progress from them if I find a full-length album ready next year. That being said, I think "Choking a Sloth" should make it through to that album. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/quarterthevillain Reactor - _The Real World_ (Shadow Kingdom Records, 2009) by: Quentin Kalis (5.5 out of 10) Recorded in 1987 and apparently never released to the public, it is unclear why this has now been unleashed on the world over two decades later, especially as _The Real World_ appears to be the sum total of Reactor's output. Perhaps the involvement of several members in the earliest years of the legendary Pentagram was a deciding factor, although their label hasn't hyped up this connection. It's more probable than this being considered good, especially as their label has no shortage of quality acts that take their cue from metal's golden era. Performing a mix of thrash and heavy metal with a preference for melodious NWOBHM over thrashy aggression with a lo-fi analogue production akin to Venom, albeit with a greater mastery of their instruments. The vocalist sings in a monotone. It has not aged well; lyrics about the Evil Empire and nuclear war sound incredibly dated and readers will have no reason to consider this over established old-timers or talented retro revivalists. The album lasts for only 30 minutes and is fleshed out with a live performance from 1985. The tinny sound matches the quality of any bootleg and has obviously been dragged out of the vault for filler material. I wouldn't have been this harsh if this were a demo by 80s throwbacks, but when an album is released for the first time 21 years later, there better be a compelling reason for doing so, and there simply isn't one. Contact: http://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com Rosetta - _A Determinism of Morality_ (Translation Loss Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (6.5 out of 10) Rosetta seems to have a problem with the term "post-metal", which is usually associated with the likes of Neurosis, Isis and Cult of Luna. Since I happen to revel in their brilliance, I don't care much about calling them post-metal bands or whatever Wikipedia calls them, but apparently Rosetta cares. In a blog post on their MySpace page, Rosetta revolted against the "post-metal" moniker and gave us a few hints as to how their new album will sound like. These hints include raising the tempo from 105 to 150 bpm; something that "Blue Day for Croatoa" hardly achieves. Now if you're unfamiliar with Rosetta's work then you definitely need to do your homework. I'm not a listener who believes that absolute values should be used in criticizing music, but those guys were included in the "Top 50 most influential artists of the decade" on The Silent Ballet, and seeing how un-metallic this website is, that has to be something of some value. Anyway, studio album number three goes by the name _A Determinism of Morality_, and as opposed to what one might expect from the aforementioned blog post, it doesn't deter much from previous efforts in any surprising way. The vocals sound almost the same as they did on 2007's _Wake / Lift_. The drumming is expansive and versatile and the bass guitar aptly supports it, creating a very solid rhythm section. One very good example of that is opening piece "Ayil" which fires off with a very memorable riff and just keeps evolving as long as it runs. Another engrossing listen is "Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin" (French for "I don't know the end of this"). The bass acts for the most part as the sturdy support, while the drums are on an adventure that sounds like something you really wouldn't know the end of, but the dazzling moments don't happen again on the album until it's too late. The most mature track for me has to be the ending piece "A Determinism of Morality", for it is the track that flows with most grace by comparison to its six peers. Now if you're a little attentive to this album, you'll realize another three part composition: "Release", "Revolve" and "Renew" -- but unfortunately they're not biting at the heels of the three parts of "Lift" from the previous effort. They tend to blend into each other and form a dragging piece with pale aesthetics. The clean vocals introduced on "Release" were a bit of a surprise that reminds us that post-hardcore is an obvious influence for Rosetta. How they're going to retaliate in a blog post to my use of such a term is of course a different issue. _A Determinism of Morality_ sees Rosetta pressing on the accelerator pedal while still maintaining their original sound. Yet somewhere amidst that speed, something feels missing. It could be the fact that the entire album -- which spans 47 minutes -- was written in an hour, or it could be the five hours it was recorded in. Of course no one can judge a band like Tool when they take up to five years to put out a new album, while seeing on the other side of the ocean a band like Rosetta take the microwave approach to their album, because that's just how life goes. Different people operate differently, but inasmuch as I know about music production, finishing up an album by a group that once gave us _The Galilean Satellites_ must take longer than that. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/rosetta Sammath - _Triumph in Hatred_ (Folter Records, 2009) by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) Dutch unit Sammath find inspiration in a combination of war metal and Marduk velocity, only slightly tempered by a dose of melody. Bass is just a four letter word, and combined with a castrati croak, imparts an extremely high screech factor, exceeded only by Macedonia fetishists Baltak. The "blazing storm of steel" approach is not without merit, and the trebly and inexorable blitzkrieg blasting masks what can be fairly complex rhythms; but as with many others pursuing sonic war, it is tolerable only in limited quantities before dissolving into a morass of indistinguishable and interchangeable blastbeats. Even pace-shifting stalwarts such as acoustic passages and pseudo-atmospheric interludes are wholly absent, making it abundantly clear that the Sammath panzer division have a single minded focus. Such a focus is not to be derided, but just needs to be channeled into smaller packages. After all, _Reign in Blood_ is a mere 29 minutes. Contact: http://www.sammath.nl Sawthis - _Egod_ (Scarlet Records, 2009) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (5 out of 10) Almost a year ago, I was doing an internship at a small company here in Cairo. The whole staff was under ten people, with half of them looking for a better job. One of the guys, who's been there for five years now, told me something that I'll probably never forget. He said: "The longer you stay at a place, the deeper you sink in it." This quotation, on the face of it, doesn't seem relevant to an album review, but stay with me for a while. The album of which I speak is _Egod_ by the Italian group Sawthis; a band that sounds like it has done some sinking, but not quite enough. The good qualities of their musical elements are there and are detectable, but they sound far apart. Let's take the second track "Act of Sorrow" as an example. If you extract that first riff and listen to it on its own, it may not sound very impressive. But when you give it the correct distortion tone and add that meticulously punctuated drum line to it, it sounds great. Unfortunately, they didn't leave it at that. They had to add these generic clean vocals over them, which in my opinion were a poor choice. The following track "Barabba" is another example of taking a good bunch of screams and riffs with a rather pronounced Mediterranean influence and figuratively pissing all over them with an utterly cheesy clean vocals chorus. I could go on with the same approach with "A. B. Senses" and "Twonity", but you get the point. Sawthis have a collection of ideas from both sides of the equator. In the future, putting more effort into riff selection and taking more time during the composition phase could have the band putting out a stronger follow-up to _Egod_. In summarizing, if the third album by Sawthis has less "Barabba", better or no clean vocals and more moments like "Stain" and the first riff in "Act of Sorrow", then we could be in for a pretty interesting ride. But as far as _Egod_ goes, it would strongly depend on your tolerance regarding the clean vocals and the metalcore-ish production. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/sawthismusic Scythia - _Of War..._ (Independent, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (4 out of 10) I really couldn't get into whatever wares Scythia were trying to ply here. I think they're trying to pull of some strange version of "Canadian medieval battle metal", but it isn't really working -- for me at least. _Of War..._ comes across as a little sophomoric in its attempts at being original, and doesn't really convince me that this band has much to offer that other, more established bands, don't. This is an eclectic release, featuring quite varied instrumentation -- I'll give it that much. Accompanying the semi-heavy riffs, we've got piano, violin, acoustic guitar, harpsichord, and some synths. It's great that Scythia can incorporate these instruments into their music, but to me, it comes across as rather low grade, folkish, battle metal. Sure, they can play their instruments to an extent, but the catchiness and commanding compositions just aren't there. The songs come across as a little schizophrenic, and lack that needed cohesion to capture the listener's attention. The closest comparison I can make with Scythia is with Finnish titans Turisas, or maybe even the British folk-metal masters Skyclad; however, Scythia, unfortunately, come nowhere close to these aforementioned masters of their folkish and high-flown craft. The production is sufficient, but the drums are way too weak in the mix, and therefore weaken the overall effort. The guitars, in my opinion, could have been much heavier and cleaner in the mix, too -- just so that their juxtaposition with the acoustic, folkish parts could have been that much more pronounced. There are a few things that really make it difficult for me to accept this album. First, the acoustic guitar solos aren't really working here. There are a few amazing acoustic guitar solos on Tiamat's _Clouds_ and _Wildhoney_ albums that are fantastic, so I use these as my gold standard; but the few acoustic solos on _Of War..._ just aren't really working -- they sound weak and disjointed. Second, the drumming is very lacklustre. For this kind of metal -- which, to me, needs to be very charismatic and bombastic -- you need a very powerful drummer; or, at the very least, a very powerful drum production. Neither of which is to be found anywhere on _Of War..._, unfortunately. Third, I find the vocals very upsetting. With respect to the clean vocals, the singer's fake English accent and overly dramatic approach are just too much for me to take; and the King Diamondesque squeals need to rest with King Diamond (with the notable exception of Ihsahn, who can pull them off beautifully). There are a few gruff-sounding growls in some places, but they're not convincing in any way; and therefore, I'm glad they're only used sparingly throughout the album. By way of conclusion, if you're into over-the-top folkish metal à la Storm, Finntroll, Turisas, Korpiklaani, Lumsk, Suidakra, Folkearth, Battlelore, Falkenbach, or Arkona, you might want to give _Of War..._ a try; and, you never know, you might find this release interesting. Inasmuch as this is Scythia's first release, all I can say is that I hope their next effort contains some stronger, more convincing song writing, musicianship and production. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/scythiafolkmetal Serotonal - _Monumental - Songs of Misery and Hope_ by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) (Union Black Records, 2010) Well, this is a bit of a surprise, consdering Serotonal's debut EP _The Futility of Trying to Avoid the Unavoidable_. The level of intensity has been noticeably increased on this full-length debut _Monumental_, and the result is better than expected. Serotonal's main calling card is the presence of ex-Anathema frontman Darren White as their vocalist. A great many years have passed since his time with Anathema, and indeed since his subsequent involvement with The Blood Divine. In fact, I'm not sure whether there is some double entendre when Darren bellows "Do you remember me?" during "Wasteland"; I'm probably reading too much into the lyrics, but yes Darren, we do remember you -- those of us who were into doom metal in the '90s, at least -- and your return in such vibrant form is very welcome indeed. I was surprised by Darren's relatively low-key return on _The Futility of Trying to Avoid the Unavoidable_, but based on _Monumental_ it seems unlikely that things will stay that way much longer. Despite a couple of less remarkable, standard metallic numbers (e.g. "Chaosmind" and "Hinge"), _Monumental_ often justifies its subtitle "Songs of Misery and Hope" in considerable style, with a good mix of aggression and emotion in some very accomplished tracks (e.g. "Unseen", "Wasteland", "Monumental"). Only a tendency to be a little hit and miss prevents a higher rating here, but things get really good frequently enough that this is not too much of a problem. Full of energy and feeling, _Monumental_ is a solid album as far as the instrumental side goes; but with the at times spine-tingling vocals Darren White has provided, it becomes one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable albums I've heard in recent times. Contact: http://www.serotonal.co.uk Severe Torture - _Slaughtered_ (Season of Mist, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7 out of 10) If we trace death metal back to its origins, and by origins I mean the late '80s, we wouldn't find the level of complexity we encounter on a daily basis on a Necrophagist or a Psycroptic record. These bands, and many others from all around the globe, are pushing the limits of technicality in their death metal, which continues to raise the bar of 'being impressive'. Of course myriad bands cave under the pressure of wanting to sound more complex and technical than the one that's jamming right after them in the same room, but some others don't afford this any attention. Take the Dutch group Severe Torture as an example. Their death metal sticks to the original design of death metal like there's no tomorrow. The vocals are immensely guttural and deep, the guitars are heavy and razor-sharp and the drums blast away like machine guns hoping to achieve a new high-score in a mass murder simulation. Severe Torture's sixth studio album _Slaughtered_ does not deter from the previously explained philosophy one iota. The solo on the first punch "Grave Condition" is quite skillfully executed, as it has its own delay panned on the other side of the speakers. It is then followed by a significantly slower segment that could be reminiscent of Nile's epic track "Ruins". "Defective Fornication" and the title track "Slaughtered" are two examples of superb lead guitar work. They don't boast the most outstanding combination of riffs on the album, but their objectives are appropriately met: to slap the listener with their thick brutality and get their heads banging until the lead guitar comes in and finish the job in formidable fashion. Non-distorted, albeit massively down-tuned guitars make a rather humble and brief appearance on "Inferior Divinity", but the rest of the track doesn't deteriorate from the trilling-blasting-growling norm. The most memorable set of riffs however are on "Feeding on Cadavers". It's a forceful and sharply dynamic track that also includes some brilliant lead guitar lines. In keeping with the theme of praising the two fret-board masters Thijis van Laarhoven and Marvin Vriesde, I have to emphasize the crafty combination of guitar licks and melodic chords they've used to end "Swallowing Decay" and consequently the whole album. Digging up the earlier efforts of Severe Torture doesn't put you in the path of any surprises. Their formula of brutality is simple yet effective, and they have become more than capable of executing it efficiently. Consistency is obviously what this band is about, and that's a vision to respect. Because if everyone started to 'revolutionize' death metal with every album, in a few years we would only have the memories of Morbid Angel and Immolation to remind us how this stream of molten metal sounded like in its halcyon days. In _Slaughtered_, Severe Torture has presented another solid rendition of what the proverbial flesh and bones of death ought to sound like. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/severetorture Shadowgarden - _Ashen_ (Napalm, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (7.5 out of 10) A new ensemble in the classic Napalm tradition -- forlorn, melodic vocals; keyboard drenched, gothic song structures; heavy yet clean guitars, spacious production, etc. -- Shadowgarden is a side project for members of Swedish goth band Draconian plus session musicians. Available biographical info is pretty much slim pickings at this point, so it's unclear how seriously the band members are taking it, but the finished product is a legitimate creative effort. The primary difference between Shadowgarden and Draconian is that, whereas the latter takes the goth influence in more of a doom direction, Shadowgarden is catchy -- almost poppy -- by comparison. Shadowgarden's Myspace page lists The Mission and Sisters of Mercy as influences alongside Katatonia, Cemetary and Sentenced's _Frozen_ album, and that should give you a pretty good cross section of what to expect. There's not much here that hasn't been done before, but then that's usually not what side projects are all about. Sometimes when you're a musician in the songwriting vein you find yourself listening to a certain style of music often enough that you feel compelled to try your hand at it, and that's more or less what _Ashen_ feels like... not to take anything away from the songwriting, which is of consistently high quality. Again, though heavy (but not crunchy) guitars underscore each of the album's ten tracks, the primary emphasis is on catchy, almost radio-friendly melodies ("Last Summer" in particular definitely belongs in regular rotation on Hard Radio, or maybe one of the satellite metal stations). Expectations are key here: if you go into this record expecting something brutal or innovative, it's bound to leave you cold (and not in the emotionally chilly sense the band is going for); on the other hand, if you find yourself lamenting the fact that hooks have been largely absent from metal since the '80s, _Ashen_ is right up your alley. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/shadowgardenmusic Sinister Realm - _Sinister Realm_ (Shadow Kingdom Records, 2009) by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10) Determined to keep the spirit of true heavy metal burning stateside, Shadow Kingdom have unleashed another fine example of NWOBHM, 21st century style. Sinister Realm boasts two members from traditionally minded outfit Pale Divine, dropping the doom to evoke a simpler era where the only metal was heavy metal. Their inspiration is as obvious as their adoration for classic metal, as rhythms and melodies that can be traced back to legends such as Dio (RIP), Manowar, Black Sabbath and Celtic Frost can be discerned with minimal effort. If none of those bands appeals to you -- or indeed the entire NWOBHM movement -- then read no further. (And if those names don't sound familiar, you really should be elsewhere.) If you're yearning for a time when metal vocalists actually sung, a time when sing-along choruses and not cleverer-then-thou polyrhythmic dissonance dominates, then this is for you. Sure, you've heard all this before in some form or another, but it rarely sounded this good this side of hair metal. I've entered the sinister realm; you should too. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/enterthesinisterrealm Sodom - _In War and Pieces_ (Steamhammer / SPV, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7 out of 10) In all honesty, Thomas Such, a.k.a Tom Angelripper, was never brilliant with naming his albums. His fellow Ruhrgebiet thrashers Kreator are a few notches better than him at that. What he's been brilliant at for upwards of twenty years now, is thrashing like a persecuted maniac with a law enforcing saw. The harsh and repulsive hoarseness of his voice is something that's been standing the tests of time and German beer quite formidably, and it is all over Sodom's studio album number thirteen _In War and Pieces_. It's an album that's clad with the confidence of a classic thrash trio that hasn't changed its line-up for the past thirteen years. The timbre of Angelripper's voice is one of utter disgust at and repulsion by the modern world; a view that fits perfectly with the sound of his over-driven bass and Bernemann's abrasive distortion tone. Screaming "I'm ready to set this world on fire" on "Storm Raging Up" and the go-to-hell message the title track sends are obvious manifestations of this man's underlying rage. The album's excellent production presents a delicate balance of thrashing ugliness and aural clarity. The double bass triplets on "Through Toxic Veins" sound like the rumblings of an internal combustion engine using said toxics for fuel, while the sharp and incisive chords coupled with Angelripper's snarls on "Feigned Death Throes" create a solid hound-like attack. Other engaging moments reside throughout the album, like the chorus of "God Bless You", the fast pace of "Styptic Parasite" or the catchiness of "The Art of Killing Poetry". Such is the caliber of metal we've become accustomed to hearing from Sodom, yet the impact caused is not one of great severity. Granted, the days of _Agent Orange_ and _Tapping the Vein_ are long gone, but that doesn't mean that the blokes from Germany's industrial west have no more tricks up their sleeves. They do, and _In War and Pieces_ proves it, but I can't shake off the feeling that they have it in them to put out another astounding album, an album that would make every group of kids looking through _Obsessed by Cruelty_ for a band name acknowledge this band's enormous contribution to thrash metal. Only time can tell, but until that happens, here's to _In War and Pieces_. Contact: http://www.sodomized.info/ Solefald - _Norrøn Livskunst_ (Indie Recordings, 2010) by: Kostas Sarampalis (9.5 out of 10) Take a neon pill and filter it linearly and harmoniously through fire and death on a red scaffold, and what you get is _Norrøn Livskunst_. Now swallow it whole with a shot of fire lit vodka and enjoy the best trip Solefald have ever taken you on. Because this, my sophisticated ladies and gentlemen, is the culmination of fifteen years of wild and crazy dips into the cold unknown waters of musical and thematic experimentation. This, my philosophical freaks, is one hell of an album. You would think that Solefald would have mellowed down by now; not in terms of musical heaviness, but in terms of their need to push things further. Then again, _Norrøn Livskunst_ is perhaps both head and tail in the band's uroboric development. If you never liked this Norwegian duo, do not expect a sudden shift in your opinion (but do check your taste buds, for something is certainly amiss). If, however, you always had a thing for Cornelius' and Lars' output, then you are in for a treat. "Song Til Stormen" draws the listener in with its slow paced guitars and the first example of the vocal melodies that this album excels in. "Norrøn Livskunst" is harsh and very fast, where the fantastically playful "Tittentattenteksti" allows guest female vocalist Agnete Kjolsrud (the same singer that did the guest vocals in "Gateways" from the latest Dimmu Borgir) to go apeshit (in conjunction with Cornelius' equally batshit lyrics). This song is so deliciously crazy and infectious that it is almost the highlight of the album. Song after song, Solefald never falter this time round. Present again are all the quirks and intricacies the band has gotten us used to, yet none of the pitfalls. And I mean none, assuming of course you like highly intelligent experimental black metal. The album simply never loses momentum and there is nary a dull moment to be found. Even in rehashing their Icelandic Saga in "Waves Over Vallhalla (An Icelandic Odyssey Part 3)", they do it with flair and gusto that was mostly missing from the previous two albums. Where "Eukalyptustreet" offers a mellow and introspective side, "Raudedauden" gets more black metal heavy than you can throw a Swede at. And "Vitets Vidd I Verdi", with another contribution from Agnete and some sax and cymbals thrown in for good measure, is just a step before the anthemic "Hugferdi". If it is not clear by now, _Norrøn Livskunst_ is an album that takes everything that is great about Solefald, all the previous ideas and experience, every single step taken in seemingly scattershot directions in the past (a false statement if one ever was), and brings them back home. Cohesive and surprising, exploding and exploring, violent and sensitive, all in equal measure, make for Solefald's best album to date. If, like me, it took you exactly thirty nine minutes and eighteen seconds to close your mouth while listening _The Linear Scaffold_ for the first time thirteen years ago, then do yourself a favour and surprise and delight yourself once again with _Norrøn Livskunst_. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/solefaldofficial Solution .45 - _For Aeons Past_ (AFM, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (8 out of 10) Since you're reading this on CoC, I'm going to preface this review with the following caveat: if you don't have a high tolerance for radio friendly, sing song emo choruses in your melodic deathcore, you'll want absolutely nothing to do with Solution .45, who -- despite being on a micro-indie -- are clearly making a bid for mainstream hard rock acceptance (think Decibel cover story) with their debut, _For Aeons Past_. On the other hand, if your palette is inclusive enough to tolerate the likes of Atreyu or Avenged Sevenfold, there is much to like about this Swedish quintet, which comprises former / current members of Scar Symmetry, The Few Against Many, Miseration and Hateform, amongst others. Both the album's production and the musicianship throughout is top notch, with a variety of vocal styles ranging from clean and melodic to classic death metal, and guitar solos / double bass drumming galore. No offense to AFM, but if _For Aeons Past_ had been released on Roadrunner (where it would fit like a glove), this band would probably be the talk of the tubes right now. Every song is a keeper, but what really sets Solution. 45 apart from the average Headbangers Ball band du jour is the absolutely mammoth "Clandestiny Now", at sixteen minutes and change a non-stop barnstormer of continuously shifting grooves and vocal melodies, with what seems like another vintage, melodic death metal solo done in the classic Swedish style every dozen bars or so. Take away the squeaky clean parts of the vocals and the band resemble countrymen Arch Enemy as much as anything else. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/solution45 Strings of Ares - _Temple to Mars_ by: Mark Dolson (9 out of 10) (Archaic North Entertainment , 2010) Strings of Ares, hailing from Oshawa, Ontairo, Canada is a rather new band, emerging confidently from the ashes of the legendary but sadly defunct Blood of Christ. Taking their overall aesthetic and lyrical inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome (a marked shift compared to the more poetic and existential themes found on previous Blood of Christ albums), Strings of Ares have declared war on the existing genre of brutal, progressive death metal. And by war, I mean total war: these guys have completely leveled the battlefield in terms of originality, both thematically and musically. Plain and simple, _Temple to Mars_ is how modern progressive death metal should be played. This is tight, technical, and highly progressive (but not overly so, to the point of getting lost) metal with touches of atmosphere here and there. Let's take a closer look at what can be found on _Temple to Mars_. First off, the musicianship is excellent. The rhythm guitars are tight, fast, and sharp, and buzz their way through riff after riff with the greatest of precision. The drumming is tight as well, with plenty of dynamism -- in terms of a barrage of kick drums, unpredictable fills, and measured blast-beasts -- to keep the listener interested and on track. Filling out the rhythm section, the bass playing is on point, too, with a production and mix generous enough to actually hear the instrument with its pulse-like twists and turns through the pills of riffs showcased on each of the seven tracks on the album. The guitar solos are atmospheric, intricate, and set a space-like mood, and thus add extra diversity to the lengthy tracks. With respect to the vocal delivery on _Temple to Mars_, there's quite a bit of variation. We've got black metal rasps and snarls; croupous yells that sound not unlike good old Phil Anselmo; and then there's Strings of Ares' best kept secret: unique-sounding clean vocals. Though a little under-utilised (sadly), they sound similar in timbre to Jonas Renkse from Katatonia (particularly from the _Discouraged Ones_ era) -- which is a great contrast between the more aggressive deliveries across the album. Perhaps what I find most unusual about _Temple to Mars_, though, are the infusions of black metal throughout the songs. This is something on its own: as stated at the start of this review, it's progressive death metal ("war metal"?) with hints of black metal interwoven into the brutal sonic tapestry Strings of Ares are so adept at creating. The last track, "Far From the Sun" (my personal favourite), is a case in point: it starts off with an amazingly fast black metal riff -- that sounds like something the mighty Istapp from Sweden would have written -- which then gives way effortlessly to some more heavy, progressive metal with fantastic clean vocal passages, and then returns to the same black metal riff the song started with. It's actually pretty refreshing to hear a pretty traditional black metal riff incorporated into heavier music like this. If you're a fan of heavier, progressive death metal, but want something perhaps a little more sophisticated, original and atmospheric, you definitely need to give Strings of Ares a try. I have to say that I love the aesthetic based on ancient Greece and Rome (the samples used as intros to some songs which follow this approach create a fantastic atmosphere). It's nice to see that along side bands like Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh, and Nightfall, Strings of Ares aren't afraid of breaking with the usual hackneyed formula of writing about the processes of dying, Satanism, northern paganism, or Vikings. So as to conclude, I quote from the intro to the fifth track on _Temple to Mars_, taken form the television series, "Rome": "Our beloved republic is in the hands of madmen. This is indeed a dark day, and I stand at a fork in the road. I can surrender my arms, in accordance with the law, and watch Rome fall to tyranny and chaos. Or, I can return home with my sword in my hand and run these maniacs to the Tarpeian rock!" And this is indeed what Strings of Ares have done; and I can't wait to see what they'll do with the next album. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/stringsofares Svart Crown - _Witnessing the Fall _ (Listenable Records, 2010) by: Jonathan A. Carbon (7.5 out of 10) "Svart" in Norwegian means dark or black. The term is most common when in reference to the Svartálfar or dark elves popular in Norse mythology. It is not to my knowledge why the name pairs a Norwegian and English word, or why a French band would use Norwegian in the first place. French black metal has been prominent in the last decade, yet never achieving as much success as its American or Scandinavian counterparts. Outstanding acts Peste Noire, Alcest, Blut Aus Nord and Deathspell Omega have enjoyed mild critical fame, but nowhere near the level they deserve. French death metal, on the other hand, has yet to reach any sort of collective agreement on style and direction. Somewhere in the middle is a meeting point. Svart Crown is here to help. _Witnessing the Fall_ either sounds like a metalcore album or a deathcore band name. What it doesn't sound like is 45 minutes of bile, grime and dizzy hatred. Blackened death is a frontier with little rules regarding themes, style and even sound. The theory of blackened death combines the strongest punches from both genres into a frontal assault on the senses. The shrill dissonance of black metal married with death metal's guttural low end is as striking as it is chaotic. The black / death marches is open and vast, allowing bands to choose settlements without boundaries or neighbors. It is surprising that in 2010, this genre hasn't expanded or been populated by more high profile acts. Blackened death, deadened black or "The Black Death" exists with sparse civilization and dense wilderness . It could be compared to the wild west if the cowboys carried morningstars and rode demon spawn instead of horses. _Witnessing the Fall _ continues the high relief style of pummeling eardrums in a given amount of time. The amplified fidelity puts the listener under the cascade of shrieks and screams. The disorientating nature continues as the guitar work from Clement Flandrois and JB Le Bail as it mimics a drunken sailor caught in a typhoon. While this analogy is slightly humorous, the guitars are the most sober portion of each song as it plays bouncer to the death bred rhythm section. Le Bail's vocals continue in the French tradition of subjecting the voice to unthinkable medieval tortures. Shrieks and gurgles all vie for dominance in a proverbial orgy of pain and suffering. With all that said, _Witnessing the Fall_ is a pretty damn decent record. Once the primary wall of inaccessibility is broken, the listener can attach themselves to the many components which construct the record. Whether or not it is the fluid drumming or the bloodcurdling scream which opens "Dogs of Gods", _Witnessing the Fall_ is as memorable as it is exciting. Additionally, Svart Crown has made various leaps in terms of visual maturation from their 2008 release _Ages of Decay_. The chunky death metal logo has been replaced with an elegant serifed font. The meaty black and red demon paintings disappeared, leaving images reminiscent of Northern Renaissance printmaking. By all evidence, Svart Crown has either grown ten years in age or decided to embrace their black metal heritage with open arms. The visual aspect, as well as Svart Crown's love for abstract song titles, makes _Witnessing the Fall_ a developed record full of shade and hellish nuance. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/svartcrown The Absence - _Enemy Unbound_ (Metal Blade, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7.5 out of 10) Melodic death metal is an expression that's being wrongfully misused on various online locations. Many a raging teenager uses it as a derogatory term to distinguish any band he'd like to accuse of being 'melodeath' or even the more infuriating 'MDM' from his beloved Triviums and Avenged Sevenfolds. What the little brats don't know is that their heroes who might have a hard time ordering a scotch are actually copying many of the basic ideas that were rooted in the original melodic death movement that started in the south west of Sweden in the '90s. But this is not an anti whatever-core tirade, my friends; it's about The Absence's new album _Enemy Unbound_. As I mentioned in my review of their amazing _Riders of the Plague_, they do sound more Scandinavian than American at first listen, and that still holds with _Enemy Unbound_. The fundamental elements used by those guys are in fact mainly rooted in the Scandinavian lessons from the good old times. Crafty melodies, explosive drumming and intricate riffing has always been their standard operating procedure, and they are only getting better at it. The album's production is another point worth mentioning. It's not excessively polished like some albums are, which helps it retain its edge. It also isn't the poor quality of the ancient mid-'80s demos that came out of the same part of the world with unprecedented hunger. The guys from sunny Florida seem to have a pretty potent formula and they are sticking to it. Now that doesn't downplay their creativity one iota. Their melodies are always catchy and will definitely stick with you. That being said, you wouldn't feel the need to have previous experience with the band's sound, because the introductory track "Vertigo" represents the band's sound quite masterfully. "Deepest Wound" is a glaring example of the band's clever interplay with melodic riffing and powerful drumming. Skillful writing is evident all over the album really with "Enemy Unbound", "The Bridge" and "Vengeance and Victory" coming to mind as quick references. If you happen to follow the American metal scene, you must have realized how much of a mess deathcore bands are making with their label pleasing formulaic dross. Yet The Absence has remained defiant and continuously impressive; a welcome counterweight in the country output balance. Of course the US of A does have a large set of impressive bands, and you needn't look further than Lamb of God and Between the Buried and Me for a quick reference. But when the numbers grow, the impact of the overall quality is weakened. Fortunately, album number three from The Absence has successfully kept their heads high above the herd. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/theabsence The Dead - _Ritual Executions_ (Diabolical Conquest, 2010) by: Chaim Drishner (7 out of 10) Remembering The Dead's self-titled 2007 album as well as their 2006 7" single, this reviewer had little expectations with _Ritual Executions_, frankly speaking. Not that this recording has totally revolutionized the opinion about this Australian death metal act, but it did manage to spark interest, for The Dead have managed to slow down and assemble a bad-ass sounding album of a unique style: sludge death metal. Neglecting speed and focusing more on the guitar factor, The Dead deliver a dissonant, almost stoner sounding death metal with riffs you actually can hear. The sound is huge, very dirty and underground, but surprisingly hard hitting and clear, while the vocalist (the only true, "classic" sounding death metal element on the recording) is either a fucking inhuman beast or uses some kind of voice processing effect -- otherwise it's not clear how the hell he manages to deliver the vocals he does. There is, however, a second, more high-pitched but no less evil sounding throat treatment here and there, as well as very sporadic bursts of blastbeats done right, therefore they are short and sweet. These alien additions to the overall sound do not deter the music nor the listener from the filthy, sludgy and very clear message these guys deliver: a slow doom-like, tragic, dissonant metal of death with both a unique sound and style and a coherent vision to their musical agenda, which can be at times a bit childish (judging only by their lyrics). Never the less, The Dead has recorded an apt and unique an album, which is also one of the heaviest around but also quite melodic at times, as strange as it may seem. Think Black Sabbath playing death metal and you won't miss by much. Contact: http://www.diabolicalconquest.com/label.htm The Eternal Suffering - _Miasma_ (I for an I Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (6.5 out of 10) Since I'm not an expert on all things black metal, I can't really place this chunk of Greco-deathy blackness in the grand scheme of things. But perhaps this is a welcome change from the usual black metal expert who stares at the poster of Immortal's _Pure Holocaust_ he has in his room for twenty minutes for inspiration before even going to the bathroom. On more than a few occasions, I have assumed the role of the thrash metal elitist who makes fun of black metal by referencing the over-referenced list of "Top 10 most ridiculous black metal pictures", but here things will go a little differently. This will go in favor of Piraeus' The Eternal Suffering and their second album _Miasma_. The Eternal Suffering is a group of black metal enthusiasts with a rather crafty inclination towards death metal. Naming names that are obvious influences is not easy and won't really prove much. The death metal influences are quite prominent in their riffing arrangements and drumming patterns though. Standard black metal drumming, which is mostly blasting and double bass beats, is used extensively, but it's coupled with some clever chops. The band's level of technicality and quality of production are akin to those of Emperor's _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ at some points. I could be subconsciously crediting their death metal influences for this astute level of musicianship, but that doesn't mean that all black metal bands lack a similar collective skill. Tracks like "Assail the Creation" or "Nocturnal Delight" are prime examples of the mix of black and death metal. I do feel a nagging need though to point out that the aforementioned mix is not a 50-50 mix; the ratios are similar to those you would use to make a Jack and Coke. The use of trebly tremolo riffs is not exclusive, the drumming provides more variety to the standard blast-and-roll pattern and Ypsailon isn't shy in trying his hand with some guitar soloing. "In Silence They March", however, could very well be my favorite track of the ten comprising this _Miasma_. Maybe this album could have done away with the Dark Fortress "Iconoclasm Omega" cover, and some extra tweaking with the production could have helped get a seven or more, but this certainly isn't a disappointing listen by any means. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/theeternalsufferingband The Source - _The Source_ (I for an I Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (6.5 out of 10) Allow me to present you a group of five guys from Athens who have put together a most fitting soundtrack of anger on their self-titled album _The Source_. This thirty-six minute effort is a concentrated shot of aggressive thrash that is bound to send the pulsating beats to your necks as you exorcise your anger through it. The album sounds true to the original thrash doctrine of the '80s, yet it also has a modern twist to its production and vocal ability. This could confuse listeners twenty years from now as something that combined the best qualities of both eras. The Source is obviously a band that doesn't waste any time. Their entire self-titled album is executed at breakneck speed, with edges rough enough to leave permanent marks on the surface of your skin. It's an album that gets right to the beef, and about which it is safe to say that The Source have hit the source with _The Source_. There is some seriously good riffing on this album with the finisher "Vision of Rejects" and the ferocious "Bringing out the Dead" coming very close as the album best cut. "X-Enemy" has some memorable melodic riffing along with its rather brief guitar solo while "CoreShot" has that momentary segment where the vocals sound a little like those of Chuck Billy's. Yes, thrash metal is well beyond its saturation point thanks to the likes of Bonded by Blood, Fueled by Fire or any other band that uses the ‘Verbed by Object' naming formula, but this record proves that there may be some hope after all. _The Source_ doesn't sound like a revolution in thrash, but that shouldn't be the benchmark for everyone, especially for a young band. It's a solid album with minimal spacing that could compromise its integrity. These guys have the potential to capitalize on this work and make a bigger name for themselves on the European metal scene. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/becomingthesource The Vision Bleak - _Set Sail to Mistery_ (Prophecy Productions, 2010) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) Reciting Lord Byron for about four minutes as an album opener may not necessarily be a bad thing, but unfortunately for The Vision Bleak, Solefald used this very text to far better effect many years ago when closing their superlative debut _The Linear Scaffold_. Still, Schwadorf and Konstanz's The Vision Bleak have intermittently proven entertaining in the past, so surely their fourth album should not be immediately discarded on account of this minor incident. On _Set Sail to Mistery_, The Vision Bleak may seem to have adpoted a somewhat scattershot approach to selecting elements from their previous albums, along with a novelty or two. Whether or not that was the case, the album still avoids feeling disjointed despite its considerable variety. While no less metallic at its core than ever before in the band's discography, there is still a lot of gothic elements (including gothic rock), mixed just as easily with symphonic blackened touches on several occasions as with Lovecraft inspired doom on its longest track. With operatic male (and occasionally female) vocals prominent among the multitude of vocal approaches used throughout the album, reaching all the way to occasional blackened snarls, _Set Sail to Mistery_ is not what one might call common -- nor was that to be expected. It is, however, a dynamic, well built and confidently performed record, with enough gothic drama to keep you entertained, all enthusiastically delivered with plenty of catchy melodies, grandiose arrangements and metallic punch. Contact: http://www.prophecyproductions.de Theme - _Valentine (Lost) Forever_ (Heart & Crossbone, 2009) by: Quentin Kalis (6.5 out of 10) Theme apparently do not wish to be placed within or constrained by the "industrial" label and reject any such association. This is an argument oft repeated by bands who wish to see themselves as unique and too experimental or avant-garde to be placed within any genre. Theme do have a point, as their cornucopia of tortured metal sounds, menacing drones and guitar strums all contained within an ominous cocoon does not sound like your typical industrial project, but not so far removed as to fall outside its boundaries. This is also described as more "song-based" than previous albums, and given that this displays the typical genre irreverence towards typical song structures, one can only imagine how chaotic their previous two albums must have been. Each song features the same basic elements of snarled or whispered vocals overlaying a droning underbed of looped samples accompanied by occasional percussion or reverbed effects, avoiding the sense of randomness that ails many of their ilk, yet it still sounds inchoate in parts. There's no reason to reject this out of hand, nor is there a reason to select this over many others within or at the fringes of post-industrial. Contact: http://www.HCBrecords.com Trees - _Freed of This Flesh_ (Crucial Blast, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (8.5 out of 10) When you come from the US Pacific Northwest and play any combination of black metal, sludge or drone, you'd better be able to bring your shit, that area being pretty much Ground Zero for a certain vanguard of extreme metal equally informed by Earth, The Melvins and Wolves of the Throne Room. Trees are hip to this fact. Lumbering, elephantine riffs echo atop cavernous cymbal crashes on both of _Freed of This Flesh_'s generously epic tracks. At close to fifteen minutes apiece, it's apparent that Trees are a "stop and smell the black roses" type of band. An aural rot meltdown of no bullshit sagacity, _Freed_ seethes with the foreboding implications of an arctic ice shelf slowly crumbling apart. There's really little point in a song-by-song (both? really?) description since -- at less than a half hour total -- both "Hollow" and "Ashes" could have been blended seamlessly into one track with no ill effect, but suffice to say there is an ominous consistency in the nose-to-tail drone of yawning riffs, tortured black metal vocals and extremely deliberate percussion. Don't look now, but I think Trees done brought their shit. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/trees00 Twilight - _Monument to Time End_ (Southern Lord, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (9 out of 10) It's probably time to retire this "supergroup" appellation. Not only have cross-discipline collaborations become commonplace -- de rigueur, even -- in the extreme metal genre, but since people are already used to describing new music as "a cross between [band x] + [band y] with a splash of [band z] for good measure", it's tempting to want to literalize those comparisons when members of two or more recognizable bands actually -do- get together and jam. Case in point: Twilight is a fairly robust meeting of the minds spearheaded by Black Judd (Nachtmystium) and featuring Aaron Turner (Isis), Stavros Giannopolous (Atlas Moth), N. Imperial (Judas Iscariot, too many others to count), Sanford Parker (Minsk) and Robert Lowe (Lichens, Om). Now, you would rightfully assume that if you cherry picked the defining elements of those bands and tossed them into a blender, you'd end up with an unlistenable mess on your hands. _Monument to Time End_ is nothing like that at all. With rotating vocals and no fewer than four guitarists juggling lead and rhythm duties, there is actually very little eminently recognizable in the Twilight oeuvre, individual efforts subsumed in a coordinated cacophony of avant black metal. There's something here for any fan of experimental metal: "The Cryptic Ascension" cultivates a forlorn blackened doom vibe for several minutes before turning loose the blast beats like a pack of wild dogs; "Decaying Observer" is bookended by frenzied sheets of discordant black metal, with pulsating distant feeds of droning electronics sandwiched between; and, closing things out, "Negative Signal Omega" is largely comprised of a lingering, industrial chant. In fact, if there's a common thread between these eight tracks, it's that the brutality is always offset by ambient, reflective interludes. By all accounts a riveting testament to the strength of Chicago's contemporary metal scene. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/twilightusbm Ufomammut - _Eve_ (Supernatural Cat, 2010) by: Jeremy Ulrey (9.5 out of 10) Almost two years to the day after releasing their previous masterpiece, _Idolum_, Ufomammut return to one up themselves with this year's _Eve_, a mostly instrumental five piece suite totaling about 45 minutes of psychedelic, progressive doom. With far less emphasis on detuned grooves and space rock effects this time out, _Eve_ is instead a simmering build up of kinetic energy. The first movement opens with swelling, arpeggiated chords and dimly announced background chants which gradually evolve into volcanic cymbal crashes and heavily reverbed, wordless voices. Percussion is the primary vehicle of evolution on this track, the guitar riffs mostly restating the theme over and over in hypnotic, drone-like fashion up until near the end, when the floodgates open and the drums break into an almost tribal sense of brutality a la High on Fire. By the time the second movement begins, this furious energy has been spent and we're tossed back into a void occupied only by disembodied whispers, threatening alarmist chord plinks and vaguely identifiable, sinister organ drone. The dread continues to mount as the volume rises, and the rolling, tribal percussion re-emerges to act as prime mover, stirring up the slumbering, full bodied riffs once more. It all peaks with the busy racket opening the third movement, a din which only partially subsides into a bass heavy groove for movement four, and then only momentarily. For the remainder of _Eve_, the complexity and fever pitch intensity fracture off into numerous complementary directions. By the finale we've been dragged through a series of ponderous, recursive interludes which cyclically turn back on themselves after a period of heightened action. Structurally, this is Ufomammut's greatest achievement, and even from a sheerly visceral perspective _Eve_ lays down a pretty heady quaff of cerebral doom. Contact: http://www.ufomammut.com Urna - _VII_ (Independent, 2010) by: Chaim Drishner (no rating - potential primitivism) Urna's music resembles embryonic stem cells; it's empty in itself, yet full of possibilities, and even though it is comprised of many building blocks, many instruments and sounds, it is still very embryonic and unripe. Like these wondrous stem cells, that have the potential to fully become many other specialized cells with a specific function; even though the possibilities in that sense are virtually endless, Urna choses to stay in the embryonic state and never develop. Belonging to the dark ambient category (which in most cases isn't dark nor atmospheric by any means), the soundscapes on this recording refuse to develop, to progress and show any kind of attachment to the human soul, like an endless humming, or a field recording of random sounds of a distant thunder storm (oh, and an occasional tambourine and some undecipherable chants). The self-proclaimed ritual, religious, psychedelic or esoteric qualities are absent most of the time; most of the musical instruments claimed to have been used on the recording are not heard at all. The only quality present is primitivism. The music is as primitive as a stem cell, in the sense it is primal, waiting for a sign to develop and fully acknowledge the wonders it holds in store: add an instrument, add a voice, become part of creation and its beauty instead of reveling in its own earthbound grime. It's time to swim out of the primordial sea and become a swan this primitive music is certainly capable of. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/urna1998 Valborg - _Crown of Sorrow_ (Zeitgeister Music, 2010) by: Mark Dolson (9 out of 10) Mercurial, claustrophobic, and at the same time expansive, airy and dark. These are just some of the adjectives that come to mind when listening to the newest effort by the highly unorthodox and creative German act, Valborg. It may sound strange, but each time I listen to _Crown of Sorrow_, I have somewhat of a synesthetic experience: each song creates such an atmosphere of oppressive heaviness, interspersed with pulses of almost meditative calmness that the first set of images and smells that come to my mind are rain -- from wickedly powerful torrents to light and almost non-existent mists -- falling against heavy and immovable concrete slabs. Yes, it's a very strange way to describe Valborg's beautifully austere music, but to me it's accurate. With _Crown of Sorrow_ Valborg push the limits of progressive extreme metal even further than on their previous effort, 2009's _Glorification of Pain_. I'm hard-pressed, really, to furnish the reader with comparisons, but if I have to I would say that Valborg are an even more progressive and heavier version of Enslaved in their latest incarnation (i.e., _Vertebrae_) crossed with _Written in Waters_ era Ved Buens Ende and some modern day Celtic Frost / Triptykon for good measure. Each of the eight tracks on _Crown of Sorrow_, spanning just over thirty-five minutes, surrounds the listener with an extreme and oftentimes unpredictable sonic purview: from occasional heavy barrages of thrash beats, to slow, monolithic, and almost hypnotising riffs and chords, exuding harshness with every down-stroke, to open and breathless passages featuring "Blade Runner" (Vangelis) type synth accents coupled with clean and lightly distorted string contemplations. Vocally, this band spans an impressive gamut: the duo of Christian Kolf (guitars and vocals) and Jan Buckard (bass and vocals) cover deep spoken passages to death bellows which sound similar to a combination of Martin Schirenc (Pungent Stentch and Hollenthon) and Pasi Äljö from Unholy (the avantgarde doom/death band from Finland); to grunts and shouts that border the mighty Tom Warrior's gruff bawl. And then, when you'd least expect it, there are even some David Bowie-type trills on the monstrously epic, heavy metal themed "I Am Space" (perhaps the best kept secret of _Crown of Sorrow_). The overall production is clear and heavy; and each instrument is able to breathe individually through the mix -- nothing is drowned out here, and there is no competition between instruments. Another aspect I really enjoy about _Crown of Sorrow_is the layout and cover artwork by Peter Böhme; he did an excellent job here. Much like the cover he made for _Glorification of Pain_, the style, colours and content -- which are reminiscent of Rodney Matthews' approach with those classic "Lord of the Rings" posters like "Tree Beard" -- evoke the same sense of steely foreboding atmosphere as their music; which meld perfectly to create a total musical and visual package. To close, if you enjoy highly original, varied and genre-defying extreme metal bordering the likes of newer Enslaved, later-era Celtic Frost, Triptykon, and later-era Unholy (such as _Rapture_ and _Gracefallen_), then make sure to head on over to the brand new Zeitgeister Music site to order yourself a copy of _Crown of Sorrow_. It seems that the band are following a very interesting trajectory with their last two releases, so I can't wait to hear what the follow up album will be like. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/siebengebirge Various - _Tribute to H.P. Lovecraft - Gate 1: Yogsothery - Chaosmogonic Rituals of Fear _ by: Chaim Drishner (8 out of 10) (I, Voidhanger Records, 2010) I, Voidhanger is a relatively new label, a sub-label of ATMF Records, dedicated to releasing the more obscure doom-oriented music out there, metal-related or otherwise. This ambitious project, sort of a homage to H.P. Lovecraft, is one of their very first releases. This is impressive in more than one way: the packaging, cover art and booklet are outstanding and the recording is top-notch. What's more interesting is taking upon themselves a project such as this, which gathers under one roof four interesting musical entities (Jääportit, Umbra Nihil, Aarni and Caput LVIIIm), each one offering their interpretation of what they understand as Lovecraftian music. Now, the idea of tributing the works of H.P. Lovecraft is in itself completely unoriginal and was pretty much thought of and realized a million times in music. But this four-way split is all about the outcome; music which will actually embody the spirit and atmosphere of the mystery writer and personify his legendary twisted worlds and dark ancient gods. And dark the music is. Four lengthy tracks, by four different bands, whose common factor is lunacy in a sonic form. From the thick layers of mysterious dark ambient of Jaaportit, through the bleak landscapes of Umbra Nihil and Caput LVIIIm, to the deranged and chaotic avant- garde of Aarni, this recording epitomizes the flavors, sounds and horrors of Lovecraft's unique literature. In no way is this tribute an easy listening experience, and sometimes it is too out there to be enjoyable, however its uniqueness lies with the fact it captures the Lovecraftian essence in a way no one before has succeeded. Put this album in your stereo system, grab Lovecraft's _The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath_ and see what happens... Contact: http://www.i-voidhanger.com/ Various - _Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings_ by: Nikola Shahpazov (8.5 out of 10) (Prophecy Productions, 2010) Compilations are often a drag -- hastily assembled together, with tracks that vary so much both in style and in sound quality that you find yourself skipping entire sections of the CD. The catch is usually that one unreleased song or the occasional cover version would get the completists all worked up. _Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings_, on the other hand, is just the opposite -- a surprisingly coherent collection of 21 tracks that fit together so well they almost sound like the work of a single neofolk collective (with a bunch of friends dropping by during the studio recordings). Some might argue that the similarity of the tracks would make it a dreadfully boring listen, but fact is _Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings_ is by far the most intriguing compilation album put out by Prophecy. Presenting the crème de la crème of the neofolk scene, this two disc collection is both the ideal starter for anyone that's new to the genre and a tasty treat for the connoisseur. It is also a throwback to the roots of the genre (including Ulver's melancholy ridden "Synen", clearly a leftover from the _Kveldssanger_ sessions, and a demo version of Orplid's "Stille" dating some ten years back), an overview of Prophecy's own roaster (with inclusions from postrock / shoegazers Les Discrets, multifaceted Nucleus Torn, Neun Welten and Dornenreich, established neofolk acts Tenhi, Nebelung and Vàli) and the obligatory inclusion of those fine, bleak and typically Nordic black metal acts flirting with acoustic music (Swedish duo Lönndom and Finnish one-man project October Falls). The obvious highlight is "The Days Before the Fall", marking the much- anticipated return of Marcus Stock and his Empyrium. Working its way slowly from sombre, semi-acoustic sound and deep, operatic vocals to a keyboard-laden splash of melodic doom metal, the song is more akin to the band's earlier masterpiece _Songs of Moors & Misty Fields_ than to later, entirely acoustic outputs _Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays_ and _Weiland_. With its befitting wintry atmosphere, superb sound quality and exquisite packaging, _Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings_ should get more than a spin or two by anyone into neofolk. Contact: http://www.prophecy.cd We Lost the Sea - _Crimea_ (Independent, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (7.5 out of 10) Stare with me at these mountains, will you? Observe how static and grand they are. Maybe it's the sleep deprivation or the extra blood sugar, or a combination of both, but I just can't look past the gloominess in We Lost the Sea's cover for their 2010 album _Crimea_. The album takes its name from a Ukrainian peninsula that was the scene of a bloody war in the mid 19th century between the former Russian Empire and a European alliance. The area was grossly devastated and its population plummeted as a result of the military struggle. It's a region that has seen a lot of suffering, and these lads from Sydney were successful in rendering this suffering through _Crimea_. Track one "The Vessel" is the perfect introduction to this journey back in history. It's a journey in a maritime vessel that leads to the Crimean Mountains you see on the album cover. "Hail! The Star of the Sea" fires the long range barrage that brings forth the mass devastation of the land. The fury of the mountains is evoked and they fire back as "Balaklava Cold" rolls in with a faster pace and a set of more frequently twitching nerves. "Siege of Sevastopol" follows Leo Tolstoy's pattern of describing the inane siege of the city over three stages as the song builds up in intensity with each stage to further insinuate the horrors of war. The fury of the mountains has reached its limit after the siege and they have had enough. Their response is now final. They force everyone to "March to Scutari" and end the suffering of this once safe haven. Scutari is where a British heroin by the name of Florence Nightingale and her colleagues made it their sole purpose to attend to the soldiers wounded in the Crimean war. On the other side of the black sea, the ever present mountains attend to the wounded lands of the Crimean peninsula as they take their time to heal from the greed of war. The lads muster up a splendid aural depiction of this healing as the song reaches an uplifting mood in its second half, signifying a sun rising on more peaceful days. And being the simple and breathtaking scene it is; the album cover just says it all. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/welostthesea Year of No Light - _Ausserwelt_ (Conspiracy Records, 2010) by: Aly Hassab El Naby (9 out of 10) A most abstract physical definition of a wave is calling it "a rearrangement of the surfaces of a fluid". The sound waves we can normally hear rearrange the surfaces of the air through which they travel as they change its density and pressure. I remember briefly thinking about this during that Neurosis concert I attended a couple of years back, because the intensity of their performance was moving -- and I mean that in an absolutely physical way. The sound waves were that strong, I actually felt them moving me. Yet I find myself rethinking my whole opinion regarding "sounds that can move people" as I drown into Year of No Light's sublimely created masterpiece _Ausserwelt_. The French song titles are closer to the band's origin than the German album title. You see, Year of No Light is a six-piece group from Bordeaux containing three guitarists, two drummers and a bassist with common keyboard skills between almost all of them. Having three guitarists in a band is no longer something uncommon, but having two drummers has always been an alluring endeavor. A rough translation of _Ausserwelt_ would give "Outside World" in English, and it indeed sounds like something from an outside world; a world so meticulous in its compaction and so depressingly beautiful in ways we ordinary earthlings haven't reached yet. This otherworldly experience is spread out over just four tracks that seamlessly blend into each other, superimposing if you will, to form what is arguably the most cohesive sound structure to be put to disc in 2010. The absence of vocals throughout _Ausserwelt_ is something entirely insignificant, because any vocals could have weakened this sedative musical experience. It's an experience that transcends beyond the regular experience of absorbing any post-metal album with average depth and perspicacity to it. _Ausserwelt_'s brilliance emanates for forty-eight minutes with an air-tight grasp on the listener's attention, rendering said listener fully under its incapacitating spell. You might think I didn't mention any song titles as an attempt at subliminal messaging to convince you to dive into this album as a complete body of work, but it isn't. The explosive incandescence of this magnum opus is so damn overpowering to the point where it's futile to remember any individual names. The thick and dense sounds of this French sextet are a prime example of how immensely moving sound waves can be. They did it without uncountable time signatures, without euphemisms, without a complicated concept with archaic references, and without native instruments with unpronounceable names. Take that however you see fit. This sounds just perfect now that temperatures in Cairo have dropped down to the one digit range. Contact: http://yearofnolight.free.fr/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, _, _ _, _, | \ |_ |\/| / \ (_ |_/ | | | \ / , ) ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Scoring: 5 out of 5 -- A flawless demo 4 out of 5 -- Great piece of work 3 out of 5 -- Good effort 2 out of 5 -- A major overhaul is in order 1 out of 5 -- A career change is advisable Aratron - _Horrifying Visions_ by: St. John Satansson (4 out of 5) Aratron's _Horrifying Visions_ demo EP is black and grey, and glancing at this cheerless miasma, the bones of some dead beast and the rotting body of some humanoid are nestled beneath Aratron's murky logo. So, this looks like a primitive black metal album. Next stop, the press release. Aratron are apparently a death metal band with black metal influences. OK, that just about fits, into the computer it goes. I am braced for chilly, tremolo picking, thundering blasts and atonal buzz saws going hell bent for leather. Seconds in, and it is apparent that I've been misled. The guitars have that warm _South of Heaven_ chug, only with more guts and bite, and they dominate the mix in a suitable and effective way. The solos are bright and cut through nicely to showcase some strong playing. The bass and drums sound more low-fi, but are powerful and tonally rich. The sound is beefy, engaging and riff-tastic. Vocals gurgle and groan in a strange but effectively low-mid monotone, and while it doesn't sound as if vocalist Ronald van Baren is passing a gallstone mid-take, what we get instead is a commanding and atmospheric delivery. After a few listens it feels like the album gets better as it progresses, and the final two tracks stand out nicely as ones to keep. What this is, ladies and gentlemen, is a prime example of judging an album by its cover on my part. There is nary a whiff of Norwegian forestry about this once one has braved the artwork. As soon as "Brutality Reigns Supreme" launches out at us, we know immediately that it's beer drinking, head banging time. _Horrifying Visions_ is a meaty, mighty excercise in good, solid, thrashing death metal; perhaps deathened-thrash (or thrashened-death -- whatever). The last track, the wonderfully titled "The Revolting Stench of Death", leans down the left hand path more than the rest of the material, but even this breaks down into a Testament-y groove in the mid section. This is what Aratron do well: great, big, groovin', kick- ass, thrash-bastard riffage. Just to underscore the Slayer vibes, the drums even have that Lombardo-esque, ahead of the beat, trainwreck feel in the faster sections. So then, perhaps next time some Ed Repka stylings and a less bleak photograph; there's a positivity and a gutsy, metal spirit to Aratron's music which isn't being conveyed at first glance on _Horrifying Visions_. Besides, they could certainly give the "thrash is back" mob a kick up the arse. Right now, I'm gonna grab another beer and listen to this again. Contact: http://www.aratron.net M Inc. - _M Inc._ by: Aaron McKay (5 out of 5) Short for Massacre Inc, evidently, the prominent Florida guitarist, Rick "Rozz" DeLillo, again pushes ahead of the ever increasing ferocious metal pack with M Inc. Four tracks can be found on the band's MySpace page. "Bone Dust", M Inc.'s first foray into the video arena, was the song selected for release on the Scottish label Fall of Eden's fifteen track compilation, _Fallen Souls_, featuring bands like Mordeth, Nuclear and the inexcusably underrated yet forever courageous Australian outfit, Mortification. Coupled with the drumming talents of another Florida power-broker, Mike Mazzonetto (ex-Pain Principle), M Inc. folds under its wings the layered, understandably aggressive vocal style of Chris Jack (Devolve) along with Timmy Vazquez, owner of CGM Studios, on bass. "Condemed" (sic), even in its rough version, showcases that Rick's guitar ability and aptitude has undeniably been refined without losing any of the signature style highlighted best on Massacre's renowned classic _From Beyond_. This track is truly solid and absolutely infectious in style and composition; phenomenal. "Form the Line" is much choppier, grittier and chalked full of blow-by-blow assaults to your auditory cortex, whereas two minute and forty-seven second "Here I Am" drives a direct, yet blazing riff-filled pummeling straight at you that's enough to make you question your own reality. According to M Inc's webpage, they are scheduled to perform on Friday December 3, 2010 at the Florida Winter Metal Bash in Winter Park at the Haven. There is little doubt that M Inc. is as good or better in a live setting, so seek them out at all costs. Categorically and without reservation, this is definitely a band to watch. Four more songs like these and M Inc. will be -the- force to be reckoned with in this or any other planetary system. Damn fine effort, gentlemen! Cannot wait to hear more. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/rozz1967 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _ _, _, / _ | / _ (_ \ / | \ / , ) ~ ~ ~ ~ R E L A T I V I T Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Katatonia and Before the Rain at the new Hard Club, Porto, Portugal, on November 27, 2010 by: Pedro Azevedo The new Hard Club occupies a prominent spot in one of Porto's busiest nightlife areas. In place of what was once a marketplace / exhibition room, it clearly possesses everything required to make it a very likely success in such a favourable location. What it no longer has, however, is quite the same personality it derived from the old stone walls and view across the river to Porto that it enjoyed in its previous location. With a different name it could have just been a brand new start, and there would be no looking back. With the old name comes a degree of recognition that must be useful for the owners, but also a constant reminder of what was left behind. In addition, having already seen both of tonight's bands a couple of times before, there seemed to be no end to all the inevitable comparisons to the past. Opening act Before the Rain are for the most part longtime acquaintances of mine, including an old friend who once designed a certain logo -- not that it matters here, in context with everything else. More importantly, they knew they had a great chance to impress in front of a large audience that might be receptive to their style of what is essentially an evolution of doom/death. With one date in Lisbon and another in Porto supporting Katatonia, Before the Rain wanted to showcase their new material and generate as much interest as possible for their forthcoming second album. Based on their live performance tonight, I can't imagine why that shouldn't happen. While most in the audience were probably oblivious to this, Before the Rain recently changed vocalists. The Portuguese doom act has just finished recording their new album with Gary Griffith (of Morgion fame) on vocal duties, and he was also able to make the trip from the US to Portugal for these two gigs. While he is possibly more renowned for his clean vocals, Griffith proved that not only has his singing remained at least as good as it was before, but that he also retains a fearsome growl that should work brilliantly with their music in the studio. Furthermore, new additions Carlos Monteiro (ex-Sculpture guitarist) and Joaquim Aires (ex-Disaffected drummer) were also looking to continue their integration. Including only one previously published song in your set is a risk that few would have been willing to take in front of such a large crowd. You do get to showcase your latest material and generate interest for your next release, but the audience will have little or no familiarity with your music, which may cause them to lose interest. Taking this risk proved Before the Rain's confidence in their new material, and with good reason: it sounds like they are about to comfortably surpass their already impressive debut, and as a result they were able to keep the audience interested. BtR were visibly enthusiastic, and delivered a powerful and heartfelt performance that showed significant progression in their sound and onstage confidence. I would have traded a bit of the triple guitar wall of sound for just a little more volume in the vocal department, but that's nitpicking. The overall sound was very good, the more rhythmic sections particularly crushing, driven by strong drumming and a remarkable bass guitar sound that was used to its fullest. Apart from a couple of missteps on the penultimate track, they were highly competent in their delivery of material that promises to shape up as one of the best doom/death releases in quite a while. If by now you're thinking along the lines of "enough already, what about Katatonia?", there's a reason for that. Simply put, I enjoyed Before the Rain's songs more intensely than the whole of Katatonia's set. That isn't to say the Swedes didn't put in a good performance; they were highly professional, the sound was good, the crowd absolutely enthusiastic. However, two things contributed to my somewhat diminished enjoyment of their set, and they both go back to that relativity thing again. First -- and this comes from someone who really likes Katatonia -- they sounded too mainstream compared to the powerful doom/death Before the Rain had left lingering in the air. I understand this is by design, but it made me lose part of my interest because their emotional side was not as effective. Second, and without wanting to seem overly negative, virtually everything they played from previous albums sounded much better to me than what they played from their latest record -- the only possible exception being "Forsaker". This was especially evident on most of the mellower tracks, including the more-Opeth-than-Opeth "Idle Blood", with others suffering from excessively softly sung backing vocals and increasingly frequent electronic touches. The likes of "Teargas", "July" or "Evidence" were still an absolute pleasure to hear -- even if we can hardly expect "Murder" as the closing song anymore. Ultimately I was not as impressed as I would like by _Night Is the New Day_, so it was hardly a surprise that I didn't enjoy this set nearly as much as the one based on the superior _The Great Cold Distance_. For all their impeccable musicianship and professionalism, I was simply not as moved by the music as I should have been, and that does not bode well. This was surely a more enjoyable Katatonia gig for all the teenagers with their _Night Is the New Day_ shirts than old-timers like myself. A good show by the Swedes... but everything is relative. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, _, _, _ ___ _, |_) /_\ |\ | | (_ | \ | | | \| | , ) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Q U A L I T Y N O T Q U A N T I T Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Or why I mostly review albums that I like by: Kostas Sarampalis A long time ago, in a land far far away, a friend gave me a cassette tape with a collection of metal songs. Some Metallica, some Y&T, plenty of Iron Maiden, a bit of Skyclad and a tad of Crimson Glory, a pinch of Judas Priest. The stuff that you would well know of if you were a fan of the genre in the early Nineties. Slowly I went from traditional heavy metal to doom and black metal. And when I got bored, I started expanding, reaching out to artists that could offer me something more interesting, more challenging and, ultimately, more rewarding. Bands like early Beyond Dawn(*), Emperor and Ulver appealed very much to me, because they were offering something new and outside the norm at the time of release. Of course, it is all relative, since it depends on personal experience and exposure. Note that I am sticking to the music paradigm and not generalising. When I first listened to _Turn Loose the Swans_, it was a totally new aural experience for me (though I didn't understand the album until way too many listens later). A fan of Swans though, would have found the bleakness and darkness of that My Dying Bride's album very familiar indeed, if not a bit pedestrian. Back to rewards. Being easily bored can be both a negative and a positive trait. Though it limits the length of enjoyment due to quick familiarisation, it urges exploration. For every _Linear Scaffold_ though, there are hundreds of generic black metal albums. Somehow, I am not interested in boring anyone with ten reasons why I find the new Virgin Steele bland and irrelevant. Nor going into detail as to why Blind Guardian's _At the Edge of Time_ is a boring rehash of what the band has done much better in the past. However, I have no problem spending time analysing why Nachtmystium didn't quite succeed living up to the incredible expectations they created with _Assassins_ in their new album _Addicts_. Because the band made an effort, they had a vision that was inspirational, and for that, success or failure notwithstanding, they deserve attention. With my admittedly limited available time, I want to expand upon albums that try to say or achieve something. I want to show others a potentially new gem that they may have missed. I want to share my excitement. I try not to forget though, that everyone's opinion is simply that: their opinion. True, it is filtered through experience (or lack of) and breadth and depth of knowledge, but it is only one person's opinion, at that particular moment in time. And personally, I am much more interested in and get a better kick from writing about albums that make me -feel- something, rather than ones that pass me by unscathed. [(*) If you heard _Longing for Scarlet Days_ in 1994 you should have a feeling of what I am on about. As a second side note, that band lost the plot a bit when they thought that mixing Atari music with doom-lite was smart and progressive -- it was neither.] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, ___ _, _ _, _, | \ |_ | /_\ | | (_ |_/ | | | | | | , , ) ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ Web Site: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos --> Interested in being reviewed or joining the CoC staff? Visit: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Contact.aspx =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~ Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically distributed worldwide via the Internet. Seemingly endless interviews, album reviews and concert reviews encompass the pages of Chronicles of Chaos. Chronicles of Chaos stringently emphasizes all varieties of chaotic music ranging from black and death metal to electronic/noise to dark, doom and ambient forms. Chronicles of Chaos is dedicated to the underground and as such we feature demo reviews from all indie bands who send us material, as well as interviews with a select number of independent acts. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending an e-mail to with a blank subject and a body of: "Subscribe coc-ezine". This will subscribe the e-mail address from which you send the e-mail. You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending an e-mail to with a blank subject and a body of: "Unsubscribe coc-ezine". This e-mail MUST be sent from the e-mail address you wish to remove from the list. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #143 All contents copyright (c) 1995-2011 by individual creators of included work. All rights reserved. All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.