http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com Extreme music webzine http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/images/gargoyle.jpg http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com 145 61 Even though the music is still slow and reflective, it has adopted different colours altogether; colours of sludge and post (atmospheric) hardcore, something akin to the process labelmates Reido have undergone. (7 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6669 Chaim Drishner Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. What is so unorthodox in the band's sophomore effort, _Sviata_, is the heavy usage of synthesizers that lends the album the characteristics of folk music and at the same time makes it sound like the cinematic score for a horror movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6665 Chaim Drishner Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. For an ultra underground act such as Funeralium, this release screams professionalism; no effort has been spared in producing this fine product. The only thing missing from the recording is the band's identity; a singular sonic fingerprint. (6.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6667 Chaim Drishner Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Sometimes black metal is only an excuse for a band to be playing an altogether different musical style. But then again, Pensées Nocturnes's music is different than most styles and genres out there -- so polarized and wonderful, strange and estranged, sweet and sour, beautiful and decadent -- that it really overshadows anything within its perimeter. (9 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6668 Chaim Drishner Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Have you ever imagined metal as a mildly epic backdrop for prettily crooned fantastical meanderings? Phavian have. (5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6662 Dan Lake Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. "This work is about madness, darkness, cruelty and beauty of apocaliptic [sic] prophecies, and about insanity of man's minds creating them." So states the minimalist monochrome cover art that accompanies the brutally raw five-movement statement called _Prorok_ by Polish solo project Primal. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6663 Dan Lake Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Another fine band from Belarus, showcasing another altered state of musicianship charged with lunacy and bleak sonic vistas; however, the band's debut _Surrounded by Pain_ is not a musical product that will easily be swallowed, and that's an understatement. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6666 Chaim Drishner Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. _Various Shades of Black_ is a product of dissonance and adventurous musical maneuvers, where unorthodox structures collide and crash into more conventional, familiar songwriting approaches, overall providing an alien, intricate, schizophrenic, mildly morose musical piece (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6670 Chaim Drishner Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. What strikes the listener is the allegedly chaotic nature of the music, but after a while, when the ears have become accustomed to the eerie chaos, the compositions start to emerge and take a coherent form, and they vary from the very beautiful and emotional, to the absolutely despairing. (7 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6664 Chaim Drishner Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Welcome to the Egyptian metal underground, where our hospitality is plentiful and our national output leaves questionable spaces on our record shelves. (7 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6660 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Norway's eclectic metalheads In Vain are back with a third full-length, under the name of _Ænigma_, that faces the challenge of matching the whirlwind caused by its predecessor, 2010's _Mantra_. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6661 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The doom/death that comes out of Mourning Beloveth remains consistently interesting, cohesive and recognizable throughout, even as they explore new paths within their compositions. (9 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6659 Pedro Azevedo Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This hour long beast comes five years after the highly regarded _Given to the Rising_, and that really tells you how much time and effort these gentlemen have dedicated to _Honor Found in Decay_. (9 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6658 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Alpthraum started off in 2009 in Canada's eastern city of Montreal as a black metal band with lots of ambiance. After a couple of demos, a couple of years and line-up changes that left Mr. Gustave G alone at the helm, the band changed into a symphonic metal band. (3 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6655 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On many occasions, the riffs sound very thick and plodding while the drums behind them are methodically pounded for maximum heaviness. On various other instances, the tempos race viciously while the drums churn away with machine-like precision. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6657 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This is a very ambitious debut from a talented duo that showcases their various influences from the extreme metal world while adding a bit of character to the mix. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6654 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After a lengthy period of nearly five years that followed 2008's _Eternal Kingdom_, Sweden's ambassadors to the world of post-metal Cult of Luna have finally released their sixth album _Vertikal_. (9 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6652 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Nails' second quarter-hour brick-to-the-chin rearranges the features of death-soaked hardcore in satisfyingly unpleasant ways. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6656 Dan Lake Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This EP really does suffer from a few fatal flaws that will grow into massive obstacles for Zephyra if they are not resolved early on. (2 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6653 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Exercising a singular sound that's somewhere between Danish one-man band Sol's _Let There Be a Massacre_ era and Celtic Frost's highly acclaimed _Monotheist_, _Nil_ is a wonderful concoction of bleakness and accessibility. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6641 Chaim Drishner Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Alas, his hyper-productivity is dwindling his sources of inspiration, his releases becoming derivative echoes of other musical entities, and _De Masticatione Mortuorum in Tumulis_ mirrors this fact. It is, despite its positive sides, a homage to the Australian band Portal, who are, in turn, among the worst "metal" bands in existence. (7 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6642 Chaim Drishner Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. _Aura Damage_ is a highly addictive, ferocious and contagious slab of ultra-fast, beautiful, dark, mephitic death metal heavy on doom-like maneuvers. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6647 Chaim Drishner Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An eighteen year hiatus between debut and this, the sophomore effort by the Uruguayan veteran Inner Sanctvm, and -this- is what we get? Middle of the road, pedestrian, thrash-ish melodic metal? (5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6643 Chaim Drishner Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Khaos Aeon is the best black metal band around you probably don't even know. These German wunderkinder write and play black metal in the Secrets of the Moon vein, that is to say slow-paced, sombre, riff-oriented, guitar-driven, occult-ish, sensual and sinister metal. (9 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6639 Chaim Drishner Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This album comes five years after its predecessor and some turbulence in the band's line-up. But given how it came out, I think Mors Principium Est made some good decisions. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6640 Aly Hassab El Naby Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Underneath the staggering artwork adorning the album, which immediately sets the right mood, lies a beast of muddy, corpulent death metal worshiping Incantation's and Autopsy's creepy, crude sound. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6644 Chaim Drishner Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This is a four track, twenty two minute EP on which Jason Newsted finally, after all these years, gets to be the centre of attention. (4 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6651 Aly Hassab El Naby Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Thirteen years and numerous releases later, and nothing has changed: Nominon still offer a fast-paced, ancient-sounding metal of death, cliché-ridden yet tight. (4.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6635 Chaim Drishner Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. If zeuhl-mongering Brits Guapo and black tempered Marduk double-booked a venue for an evening and neither band was willing to relinquish their time slot, and then Mick Barr and John Zorn inexplicably showed up with the unquenchable desire to play Jesu / Final covers, would anybody stay for the show? (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6646 Dan Lake Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Not unlike Darkness Eternal's 2005 monumental release _Misanthropic Annihilation_, the American one-man band The Wakedead Gathering draws parallels in sound and atmosphere to the aforementioned Canadian death metal beast, who is also a single-person outfit. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6645 Chaim Drishner Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The best albums of 2012 have been elected. Now it's time to go back in time for a look at the very best 1992 had to offer, and their present day relevance. http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=6-1168 Aly Hassab El Naby Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. There is discord amongst the CoC staff. No semblance of consensus was even approached when the scribes were asked to submit their choices for the finest ear candy (or harshest ear shredder) they had happened upon in 2012. http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=6-1169 Pedro Azevedo Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On _Vessel_, Abriosis present the kind of death metal that sounds like a mess to go through, but maybe there's a prize to be claimed at the end. (4.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6637 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Behold the rise of Arabia! Or at least its growing influence on extreme metal. Aeternam is a band from Canada that has reached a stride through writing death metal with copious Middle Eastern influences; in terms of lyrics, scales, melodies and themes. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6636 Aly Hassab El Naby Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Now re-mastered, in addition to the album cover having undergone somewhat of a facelift, it has been re-released by the diligent Russian label Solitude Productions, who must have realized the not-so-hidden potential of such an unheralded musical gem and have thus decided to grace us with this truly excellent musical work. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6617 Chaim Drishner Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Middle of the road death metal that's bland and unremarkable yet bearing occasional alright moments is even worse, because these bright moments are the only obstacle between you and tossing the album into the garbage bin, hence you're left hanging in limbo. (4 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6634 Chaim Drishner Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. If someone ever asks me to list 100 of the easiest metal bands to get into, Anaal Nathrakh would be nowhere in sight. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6621 Aly Hassab El Naby Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Not that I expected another brilliant Carcass clone of sorts, but for rather lower expectations as this reviewer had, Antigama sure delivered a rather sweet death-grind meets melody combo. (5.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6626 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Innerspace quark jockeys rejoice: _Cosmosophy_ is every bit the tragedy-stained coda to Blut Aus Nord's transcendental masterpiece _777_ that the earlier installments promised. Lay to (chilly, infinite) rest any worries that an album devoted to endings and loose-thread tying would fail to enthrall an audience. (9.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6618 Dan Lake Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Using bass guitar, vocals and electronica, this duo drifts from martial rhythms and spoken verse to jazz-oriented moments and mechanical, industrial musical movements, to black metal screeches and synthesized guitar-like walls of sound. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6620 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ironically, a label called Death to Music has released an album that is anything but the precursor for the demise of music. If anything, _Menthell_ marks the contrary: a new dawn for extreme music, an evolution of the stagnant metal movement, if you will. (9 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6627 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. _Of Alpha and Omega_ will throw countless blasts, trills and very thickly distorted riffs at you over its forty-nine minute duration, but that wasn't the strongest highlight for me. Of course I enjoy a tight and vicious metal assault as much as the next guy in a black shirt with an involuntary metal horns twitch, but this album is really all about the lyrics. (7 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6623 Aly Hassab El Naby Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Amidst doom metal circles this album is pretty much one of the best things that 2012 has spawned. I had to understand why; had to explore the album further and articulate my disdain; face the challenge of explaining why I do not like this album. (5.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6614 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Obsidian Sea put the -epic- in epic doom metal; they glorify traditional doom metal, heighten it to spiritual altitudes, simplify and beautify it. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6619 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The style is a hybrid between black and death metal with some doom/death thrown in, but _Misanthropy_ is really none of the aforementioned; it should belong therefore to the unclassified sub-genre dubbed as 'dark metal', similarly to bands such as Swiss Alastis and such. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6628 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. _Sentinel_ is a stargazing black metal record full of color and drama, infused with heightened melodies and inspired instrumental choices. I should love it. I don't. (6 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6631 Dan Lake Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The music here doesn't ever scream "Look at me!" like a clamorous 7-year-old or, say, Periphery, but the convolutions revealed and unfolding after multiple listens make this split a definite high point in the Greek metal landscape. (8 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6630 Dan Lake Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Boasting a guitar-bass-drums arrangement that puts one in mind of Russian Circles, these fellows know how to fill up an album with an assortment of effect pedals, over-dubs and some crafty cymbal use. (7 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6622 Aly Hassab El Naby Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Black Tears of Death celebrates its non-consecutive 16th year of existence with this fine split, comprising two unheralded Italian bands playing an unorthodox brand of black metal. (7.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6632 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Any forbearance I had earlier this year for Usurpress' _In Permanent Twilight_ EP has been soundly squashed by their _Trenches of the Netherworld_ full-length. I mean, old school has its place and all, but enough is enough. (4 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6616 Dan Lake Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Italian band Vowels play black metal and shoegaze admixture; even though that in itself is by no means a novelty, _Hooves, Leaves & the Death / As December Nightingales_ is unique due to its theatrical essence. (8.5 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6629 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. _Terranean Wake_ takes a step back in relation to the extreme unfriendliness of _Dooom_. It displays a higher sense of melody and complexity; it is however as fragmented and disjointed as its predecessor. (9 out of 10) http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-6615 Chaim Drishner Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Even with all the incredible doom committed to tape this year, Paris space doom collective Monolithe's hour-long crusher _III_ is some of the most colorful and consistently engaging. Head lithographer Sylvain Bégot took some time out to respond to CoC's questions. http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=1-1167 Dan Lake Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT en-us All contents copyright 1995-2004 their individual creators. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.