| MUSIC REVIEWS April 2006 |
| AZURE - KING OF STARS BEARER OF DARK (8 track CD) DEATH GASM RECORDS These guys play some very well put together Death Metal music. These guys blend brutality & technicality together with old school & new school Death Metal influences. The music is very tight, intense & heavy as hell. There are some nice breaks in the heavines at times to let you catch up & then your hit with more aggression & power. There are some more atmospheric & moody like parts too. These guys are amazingly good. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death Metal growl & scream. The band features former drummer of NAGLFAR, Mattias Holmgren. P.O. BOX 4044 / S-59104 MOTALA / SWEDEN AZURE@midark.net / www.midark.net |
| CHAINSAW DISSECTION - PUTRESCENT CORPUS DELICTI (10 track CD) Self Released Once again Bob Macabre has released another great disc containg some great Grind/Death Metal music. The music is done in a fast paced, harsh Death Metal style, but there is lots of Grindcore elements present all through out. Bob does all the instruments, lyrics & vocals on this CD. He is a very talented musician. There are blast galore, some stop & start parts & crazy as hell guitar shredding. The vocals are done in a mid to low ranged harsh Death growl style with some screams at times. This is a must for fans of old school brutal Death Metal music!!! Check this out, cause Bob is one hell of a musician & deserves much attention!!! CHAINSAWDISSECTION@yahoo.com / www.CHAINSAWDISSECTION.com |
| DAWN OF AZAZEL -SEDITION (9 track CD) IBEX MOON RECORDS / EXTREME IMPRINT PRODUCTIONS My boys from New Zealand are back with an amazing new release. This disc is so much better than their last disc & the last disc was great! These guys play some hyper intense Death Metal music. They have tons of intense brutalness mixed with grooving Death beats. The music is played at high speed & is full of aggression. I like the way they toss in a little groov amongst the midst of all the Death Metal mayhem. There are some slight touches of Thrash & Hardcore elements present at times too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl that has some harsh screams attatched to it. These guys are one of the best newer Death Metal bands out there. That means you must get this!!! P.O. BOX 34-939 / AUCKLAND / NEW ZEALAND DAWNOFAZAZEL@hotmail.com / www.DAWNOFAZAZEL.com |
| HELL TERRORIST - PROMO 2005 (3 track CD) Self Released These guys are a Thrash / Black Metal band from Italy. They have been around since 2004! These 3 tracks are just a promo offer to show what the band is all about & to help them get a record contract for their full length album. The songs here have an old school Thrash style mixed with old school Black Metal as well. There is a lot of fast paced shredding & aggression pouring out of this band. I liked the Thrash styled guitar sound a lot. I grew up listening to that stuff, so of course I really enjoyed these guys a lot. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Black metal type style. This is a great look into what this very talented band is going to unleash onto the underground scene!!! aleterrorist@HELLTERRORIST.com / zartnatnik@hotmail.com www.HELLTERRORIST.com |
| HYPERION - THROUGH CENTURIES (6 track CD) DEATH GASM RECORDS This is the debut CD release from this technical Death Metal act. These guys have a great brutal Death Metal style that is also heavy, technical & melodic sounding as well. The music sounds like it has some elements of Thrash & Black Metal in it as well. This is where the more melodic & moody sounds come into play. There are a lot of very cool arrangements in the music, like stop & starts, breakdowns, fast to slow paced beats & intricate guitar work. The vocals are done in a low end gutteral Death Metal style. These guys have created one hell of a debut CD which I am sure is going to draw them much deserved attention. For fans of AT THE GATES & DEPRESY!!! HYPERION_mail@mail.ru / wwwHYPERION.zp.ua |
| LEVIATHAN / SAPTHURAN - SPLIT (8 track CD) BATTLE KOMMAND RECORDS This is a split release between two American Black Metal projects. The first 3 tracks comes from a one man project called SAPTHURAN. The music here is extreme old school Black Metal music in the vein of early 90's raw Balck Metal styles. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death growl & scream style. The last 5 tracks comes from the one man project LEVIATHAN. The music played by this band is super fast & extremely intense old school Black Metal with a lot of War Metal tossed in the mix. The vocals are done in a harsh mid ranged Black Metal scream style. These two acts have released a great split that will surely please the hunger of any old school Black Metal fan out there! |
| LOSS - LIFE WITHOUT HOPE...DEATH WITHOUT REASON (5 track CD) DEATH GASM RECORDS These guys hail from Tennesse & play some very gloomy Doom Metal music. The music has a really slow dark funeral music sound to it all through out. The music slowly marches forward as in a funeral persession. There are some really cold vibes all through out the music as well. The vocals follow the same path as the music & are done in a slow low end Death gurggle style. These guys would fit in perfectly for any Black Metal funeral. This CD is a re-release of the bands demo of the same name originally put out by WEIRD TRUTH PRODUCTIONS in Japan, but this contains two live tracks as a bonus. Any suicidal or depressed person will surely love this CD It could be their soundtrack of death!!! P.O. BOX 681924 / FRANKLIN, TN. 37068-1924 LOSSdoom@hotmail.com |
| NEFARIUM - PRAESIDIUM (9 track CD) DOWNFALL RECORDS Emerging out of the darkness in Italy comes this amazing Black Metal band. These guys have a really strong old school Black Metal feel about their music. They have a very fast paced, aggressive & some what noisy Black Metal style. There is a bit of a War like vibe going on through out the music too. There are some slightly new school Black Metal elements present at times along with some Thrash Metal ones too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Black Metal growl & scream style. All fans of old school blasphemous Black Metal will want to sink their teeth into this disc. These guys will definately be one of the bigger Black Metal bands in the underground scene!!! FRAZ. FONTANALIE, 26 / 111020 SAINT CHRISTOPHER / AOSTA / ITALY NEFARIUM@NEFARIUM.org / www.NEFARIUM.org |
| NETTLETHRONE - BLUEPRINT (5 track CD) Self Release These guys play some really good thick Death Metal music. I really liked the heaviness of this bands sound. It had nice thick bass & drum sounds all through out. The guitars were done in a low end chugging style & not really flashy & over bearing. They had some really cool grooves & breakdowns in the music as well. They change things up a bit & add some more melodic parts to break up all the heavy brutality. There are some slight Thrash Metal influences present in their sound too. The vocals are done in a low end Death growl style. I liked this band a lot & could really see them getting signed very soon, if they haven't already. They deserve to be!!! Watch out for these guys!!! info@NETTLETHRONE.com / wwwNETTLETHRONE.com |
| SCUM OF THE EARTH - GET YOUR DEAD ON (2 track CD) ECLIPSE RECORDS This is a single release for the song "Get Your Dead On" taken from the bands full legnth CD. This CD contains the radio edit version & the full album version. This band sounds a little like WHITE ZOMBIE & ROB ZOMBIE, this is because the main man behind this band is Riggs, who was ROB ZOMBIE's guitarist. The music has a good grooving style all through out the music & has a thick bass & drum sound to it. You would think it was Rob Zombie singing as well, but it's not. There are guest from ZOMBIE, HELEMT & POWERMAN 5000 all on this song as well. If your a fan of any of these bands then you will love these guys! I know I did!!! www.SCUMOFTHEEARTH.com |
| SEMARGL - ATTACK ON GOD (9 track CD) DEATH GASM RECORDS SEMARGL is a Satanic Black Death Metal band hailing from Ukraine. These guys are not a typical sounding band of this style. They take everything that is great about these two styles & blend them together better than most people out there. They add in lots of sinister & haunting melodies, sick brutality, evil atmospher & intense blasting that is all shoved right up in your face. This is a good thing, trust me. The vocals are done in a mid to higher ranged Black Metal type scream with some lower end Death Metal growls.. This some of the best music I have ever heard spawned from the Ukraine. These guys will surely obliterate you with their music, & you will keep wanting more. All Black Metal demons must have this in their collection!!! rutarp@mail.ru / www.SEMARGLE.com.ua |
| STREETCULT STREET TEAM - LOUD MUSIC SAMPLER VOLUME 5 (9 track CD) STREETCULT This is a CD sampler for bands who are affiliated with the STREETCULT STREET TEAMS, who help promote new bands with their new releases. This CD contains 9 different songs & bands. Some of the bands are on ECLIPSE RECORDS & I'm not sure where the others come from. Some of the bands include SCUM OF THE EARTH, MEGAHERZ, BOBAFLEX, DISARRAY, FIVE FOOT THICK & 4 others. The music played here by these bands are done in all differnt forms of Metal styles. If you go to the website & join up you can get free swag & help promote cool new bands in your area! Check it out! It's free!!! www.STREETTEAM.com |
| ATREYU - A DEATH GRIP ON TOMORROW (9 track CD) VICTORY RECORDS These guys have been blowing up big time, with each new release. This album once agina shows you why. These guys play a highly intense style of Metal & Hardcore mixed together. They balance their music out with high powered aggression & melodic slower parts. They have a really tight & strong sound. The music takes you on different journeys with each song. They toss in lots of time changes, breakdowns, stop & starts, grooves & high speed shredding. The vocals are done in a mixed style of melodic Metal & harsh screaming Hardcore styles. These guys are at the top of their game & will stay there if they keep going this way. This album is all the proof you need to know why ATREYU is one of the bigger bands on the VICTORY RECORDS roster. Get this one, it's a must!!! |
| BAYSIDE - ACOUSTIC (10 track CD) VICTORY RECORDS This album came about after the death of their drummer John Holohan while on their last tour. The band continued on with the tour as an acoustic teo piece. The fans loved it & thus this record was born. The band plays really emotional sounding Rock, Emo, Punk, Pop music. The vocals also follow the same route as the music. The album contains one new song, acoustic studio versions of older songs, a SMOKING POPES cover, an Elliot Smith cover,live tracks & an unreleased track as well. This release also contains a DVD that features the live acoustic set from the bands sold out Chicago date on "The Never Sleep Again Tour". This is a decent release, especially for fans of BAYSIDE & anyone who attended one of these shows!!! |
| CELESTIIAL - DESOLATE NORTH (8 track CD) BINDRUNE RECORDINGS This is a one man Doom Metal project. This is not your typical sounding Doom Metal though. The music here is Funeral Doom, but is not slow Doom. The music is more creeping Doom Metal, with some really haunting & mystical sounds mixed in. There is some really dark & cold vibes all through out. There are some slight vocals that are enchanting, but also suffocating. The music also mixes in natural sounds of wilderness into this errie darkness. This is some really cool Doom Metal & better than most I've heard of this style in a long time. If you like your Doom a little different & with a cold atmospher then check this out!!! http://CELESTIIAL.rathagorra.com |
| DEAD TO FALL - THE PHOENIX THRONE (10 track CD) VICTORY RECORDS Back with their third release is Chicago's own DEAD TO FALL. These guys have honed in on their Swedish influenced style of Metal & perfected it on this new CD. The music has improved in every way. There are better song arrangements, tighter & more technical sounding too. The music is fast paced Metal music that mixes influences of Death & Hardcore together to create an amazing sound. There tons of ferocious riffs, fast paced drum blasts, Swedish influenced melodies & intense harsh Death growls & screams. This CD is definately going to be one of the best releases for VICTORY RECORDS as well as one of the best releases of 2006! I high suggest this disc along with their past release too! DEAD TO FALL is one of the best bands to emerge in a long time!!! DEADTOFALLica@yahoo.com / www.DEADTOFALL.com |
| HELL PROMISE - AIM FOR HELL (10 track CD) ROCKET STAR RECORDS This is the debut CD release from Seattle's own HELL PROMISE. These guys play a very good style of Metalcore hybrid music. The music takes many influences from Hardcore & Metal music to create a very tight sound. They do toss in some straight forward Metal riffs & shredding with some really cool grooving Hardcore beats. There are some catchy choruses & harmonies as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Metal vocal style that reminded me of a lot of the bands from the early 90's playing this style. If you like when you Metal collides with your Hardcore than your gonna love HELL PROMISE, because they deliver the goods!!! www.HELLPROMISE.com |
| ISOLATED - DEMONSS CONCLAVE (5 track CD) Self Release ISOLATED hail from Poland & play some extremely heavy Death Metal music. The music is very fast paced & very aggressive & brutal sounding. They have an old school Death Metal feel to their music, with some slight touches of new school Death Metal tossed in. The music is very fast paced with lots of heavy riffing & hyper fast drum beats. I like how they go from fast to mid to fast again in the music. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl style that has a slight harshness to it. These guys are very tight & extremely good. I wouldn't be surprised if they got signed very quickly. Check them out before they become huge!!! UL. ROZYCKIEGO 9/21 / 43-100 TYCHY / POLAND harlander@netblok.pl / thanay@wp.pl / www.ISOLATED.pl |
| PLAN B - SUBDIVISION ZERO (16 track CD) Self Release This band comes from behind the walls of a prison & features a member of the prison Metal band RETALLIATION. This is a bit different from that band. The music here is done in an old school Metal style. There are some influences of Traditional Heavy Metal, Thrash, Speed & maybe some Death Metal as well. The music lean mostly to the Speed/Thrash Metal are though. The music is tight & well writen too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Heavy Metal style with some Power & Thrash Metal ones mixed in. This is a pretty decent recording, being that it was done in prison & ona two track recording. If you'd like a taste of the inside then check this band out! PLANB_466@sbcglobal.net |
| QUINTA ESSENTIA - NEUTRALITY FOR DEFINED CHAOS (8 track CD) DEATHGASM RECORDS These guys play some really good sounding technical blackened Death Metal music. The music itself pulls influences from Death, Thrash, Doom & Black Metal styles. There is a ton of great brutal & heavy parts all through out the mystical & magical sounds within this band. They also combine some atmospheric & symphonic parts into the madness too. The vocals range from Black Metal screams, Death Metal growls, Goth melodic & low end Doom haunts. This band has a lot going on in it & everything melts together perfectly. This is yet another highly impressive band to emerge from DEATH GASM RECORDS. This is a must for any fan of Black Metal music!!! www.QUINTAESSENTIA.net |
| SMOKING POPES - AT METRO (23 track CD) VICTORY RECORDS This is the bands first album in over seven years. These guys broke up back in 1998 & did a reunion show in 2005. This is the recording of that show, which includes a CD & DVD of the live performance. These guys play Punk & Indie Rock music. Most people have heard of these guys, who have influenced many of the popular bands of this style today. The music has an upbeat Pop Punk sound with a little bit of Indie Rock sprinkled on top. The vocals are done in a melodic Punk Rock style that is a little whinny at times. Fans of bands like ALKILINE TRIO & FALL OUT BOY will really enjoy these guys. Look out for their new album coming soon!!! www.SMOKINGPOPES.net |
| STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO - KEASBEY NIGHTS (14 track CD) VICTORY RECORDS This is a re-release & a re-recording of CATCH 22's album of the same name. The reason being is that Tomas Kalonky is the founding member of both bands. CATCH 22 has folded & STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO is his new band, so he took his old stuff & redid it. These guys play a combination upbeat Ska, Reggae & add in lots of harder edge Punk Rock music. The music is fast paced & really grooving upbeat sounds. They toss in some rougher, gritier sounding Punk to shake things up a bit. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Punk/Ska style with lots of catchy grooving choruses. I liked CATCH 22 a lot & like STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO even better. If you think Ska music is dead, then you haven't heard these guys yet, cause they are a live & kicking!!! www.STREETLIGHTMANIFESTO.com |
| THE FINALS - PLAN YOUR GETAWAY (12 track CD) IMMORTAL RECORDS These guys hail from New Jersey & play a very diverse style of music. I can hear them pulling elements from Thrash, Metal, Pop, Punk, Emo, & Hardcore all together to create their own sound. The music is pretty much upbeat sounding with some really rocking parts. They are hard to catagorize, which I guess is a good thing, because they stand out from most bands out there. The vocals are done in a mid ranged melodic & sometimes aggressive style. It reminds me of some of the bands on the airwaves today like FALL OUT BOY, JIMMY EAT WORLD, ALKILINE TRIO & more. If your a fan of these bands than you will more than likley enjoy THE FINALS!!! www.THEFINALSband.com |
| THE FUROR - ADVANCE AUSTRALIAN WARFARE (10 track CD) PRIME CUTS MUSIC The Black Metal hordes are back. These guys play some very dark & intense sounding Black Metal that is filled with tons of evil. The music is very heavy sounding Black Metal, that is extremely brutal & aggressive. They do toss in some strong Death Metal influences as well. There are lots of fast blast all through out. I liked the stop & start parts a lot. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death / Black Metal crossover type growl. The music is coated with a strong balsphemous war like sound, which I loved. Their last album was amazing & this one surpasses that one by a lot. If your a warhead Black Metal fan you can't let this one slip through your fingers!!! westernterror@hotmail.com / www.THEFUROR.com (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| THE RUINS OF BEVERAST - UNLOCK THE SHRINE (12 track CD) BATTLE KOMMAND RECORDS These guys hail from Germany & play a different style of Black Metal music. This band features ex-members of the great German band NAGELFAR. The music here is very unique, progressive & is in no way typical Black Metal. They toss in fuzzy guitars, droning synths & hypnotic drum beats. The music is very cold, dreary & harsh sounding Black Metal. The songs are long drawn out & take you to places you never thought music could take you. It feels like a unmentionable evil dream, put to music. This is a band that delves into the darkness & pulls you in with them. The vocals are done in low harsh Black Metal growls & screams. This is a must for fans of LEVIATHAN & XASTHUR! Get this if you dare!!! |
| GROTESQUEUPHORIA - CONQUERED BY CORRUPTION (8 track CD) DESTRO RECORDS 'Hailing from NY comes this intense Death Metal act. These guys play low end Death Metal music with some touches of Thrash & Grindcore. They cover all this with some Gore flavored goodness. The music is very low deep & drudgy like Death Metal sounding. I liked the cool death groove they put in their sound a lot. There are some all out blast too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl style with some Death haunts tossed in as well. These guys are yet another great Death Metal band from New York & contains members of SANGUINARY CARNAGE, BUTCHERY & EXUVIATE. If you like this previous bands than you will love GROTESQUEUPHORIA!!! 20 LANGUTH ST. / SAYVILLE, NY. 11782 info@GROTESQUEUPHORIA.com / www.GROTESQUEUPHORIA.com |
| MOONSPELL - MEMORIAL (13 track CD) SPV USA MOONSPELL is one of those bands that everyone into this style of music should already know of. They have been playing there brand of Death Metal music for about 15 years now. They play Death Metal music, but add in lots of Gothic & Black Metal influences to round out their sound. These guys have influenced many of todays bands playing this style of music. They have lots of depth & atmosphere mixed in with their brutal & aggressivness. The vocals range from melodic & atmospheric Goth to heavy mid ranged Death growls & some Black Metal haunts. This is by far their best release since "UNDER THE MOONSPELL" All fans of these guys will be highly pleased with this new disc. This is a must for anyone into this style!!! www.MOONSPELL.com |
| OBLOMOV - MIGHTY COSMIC DANCES (9 track CD) DEEPSEND RECORDS This is the newest release from Czech Republic's OBLOMOV. These guys mix together Death & Black Metal music to create their avantgarde sound. They also melt together influences from Science & Metal in their lyrics. This is a rare form, giving the style of music played. The music is very fast, harsh & aggressive sound Death/Black Metal music, which has a strong old school feel to it. I liked the fast paced & non stop drumming a lot. The guitars have almost a Thrash/ Black Metal feel to them. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death/Black Metal type growl. These guys would surely pull in fans of both old school & new school Death & Black Metal. Check these guys out! OBLOMOV@seznam.cz / www.OBLOMOV.cz |
| PSYCROPTIC - SYMBOLS OF FAILURE (9 track CD) NEUROTIC RECORDS I was glad to see these guys got signed, being that I interviewed them a few years back on my site & liked what they had to offer a lot. This is the bands 3rd CD release & most likely their best. These guy blend elements from Thrash, Death, Grind & touches of Black Metal at times to come up with their unique sound. The music goes from high speed intensity, to more slowed down & grooved Death beats & back to some hard hitting in your face brutality. They have a different sounding guitar style that really fuses the music & pulls you in. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl with some slightly higher pitched Grindcore type growls & screams. Watch out for these guys, because they will be shredding apart the underground scene very quickly!!! www.PSYCROPTIC.com |
| SILENCIO - SELF TITLED (3 track CD) Self Released These guy hail from Boston & play straight forward Heavy Metal music. They do have some slight Power Metal & hard Rock influences in their sound as well. The music has a really cool grooving & funky feel to it with lots of 80's Power Metal influences mixed in. I liked the heavy almost Thrash sound of the guitars a lot. The vocals are done in a mid ranged clean Heavy Metal style with some higher pitched Power Metal vocals mixed in at times. These guys have a really good sound to their music & I could see them become very popular with older Metal fans. Well worth checking out!!! info@SILENCIO-theband.com / www.SILENCIO-theband.com |
| STAVESACRE - HOW TO LIVE WITH A CURSE (12 track CD) ABACUS RECORDINGS These guys hail from Orange County, California & play a different sounding style of music. They blend in elements of Punk, Doom, Metal, Alternative & more in to creating their sound. The music has a harder Punk edge to it, but is more of a slower drudgy Doom Metal drive to it. They toss in the Alternative elements more in the vocal style, but there are some slight touches in the music as well. The music has a cool chigging groove sound to it all through out. The vocals are mostly a blend of Alternative & Stoner Rock. Fans of bands like QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MONSTER MAGNET & FU MANCHU will really dig these guys a lot. www.STAVESACRE.com |
| TERROR OF THE TREES - DEVIL WORSHIP (5 track CD) DESTRO RECORDS This is the debut release from this New York one piece Black Metal band. The music is played in an old styled Black Metal music from. There are influences from the original Black metal legions all present through out the disc. The music is dark, cold, raw & harsh sounding Black Metal. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death growl/scream crossover style. The songs are done in old school tru Satanic Black Metal form. The band consist of His Eminence from prior bands PORPHYRIA & HEMLOCK. Fans of his early work will surely enjoy this new material alot. All true Black metal legions shoul pick this up. You won't be dissappointed!!! |
