| MUSIC REVIEWS (April 2008) |
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| GUTTED WITH BROKEN GLASS - BEATEN TO A BLODDY PULP (14 track CD) GRINDHEAD RECORDS Originally formed as a side project in 2006 for members of the band ROTTING STIFFS, these guys have unleashed one sick as shit Grindcore band. These guys may have many of the necessary elements to make up a good Grindcore band, but these guys take it a step further & add in lots of originality too. There are tons of fast grinding blasts mixed with some stop & starts parts & even some crusty chugging parts too. The vocals are very low ended thick & gutteral Grindcore growls. These guys are one of the heavier & better Grindcore bands I've heard in awhile. Check them out! GUTTEDWITHBROKENGLASS@yahoo.com / www.GUTTEDWITHBROKENGLASS.com |
| BEYOND TERROR BEYOND GRACE - EXTINCTION SALVATION (19 track CD) GRINDHEAD RECORDS BEYOND TERROR BEYOND GRACE is a 4 piece Grindcore band out of Australia. These guys play some straight forward Grindcore music but add in some flavoring of Crust, Punk, Death & Black Metal music. The music has that Punk Rock adittude, with some really crusty sounding guitar parts. The fastness & heaviness is where some of the Death Metal comes into play. The vocals are a mix of low ended Grindcore growls, mid ranged Death Metal growls & some long drawn out Black Metal growls & screams! If your a huge fan of Grindcore & like it topped off with some of your other favorite Metal styles than this is where you need to look. BEYONDTERRORBEYONDGRACE@hotmail.com www.BEYONDTERRORBEYONDGRACE.com |
| BURY YOUR DEAD - SELF TITLED (11 track CD) VICTORY RECORDS This is the third full length release from New England's BURY YOUR DEAD. The guys have gone in a different direction this time around. This could be cause of new members in the band including former CASIUS singer Myke Terry. The guys this time made a straight forward Metal album that is more of a serious tone. The music still has that modern Metal sound, but they have added some more elements this time around. The music still has that Hardcore vibe blended in with the Metal aspects. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Metal/Hardcore crossover styled scream. This is by far the best & diverse album they have put out so far! If you liked their last releases a lot, then your gonna love this one! |
| CUM SOCK / EGO DEATH - FIGHT TILL YOU DIE (SPLIT) (36 track CD) SEWER RECORDS This is a split CD release from CUM SOCK & EGO DEATH. The first 30 untitled tracks come from the Cnadaian band CUM SOCK. These guys play a spastic style of Grindcore mixed with a lot of Noise & Experimental elements. The music is very raw, aggressive & out of control sounding. There are some slight touches of old school 80's Hardcore influences at times too. The vocals are done in a Noisy Crust screaming style. The last 6 tracks are by the band EGO DEATH out of Greece. I didn't get to hear them, because when I got to the middle of the CD none of the tracks would play. You can check both bands out on their sites! CUMSOCK@hotmail.com / www.myspace.com/CUMSOCK manoscure@yahoo.gr / www.myspace.com/EGODEATHnoise |
| CUM SOCK / PAGAN FIRE -SPLIT (23 track CD) SEWER RECORDS Here we have another split CD release with CUM SOCK & this time around PAGAN FIRE. The first 4 tracks come to us from the band PAGAN FIRE out of the Philippines. These guys play some old school Blackened Thrash Metal music. There is a strong old school style with tons of Black Metal influences all through out. The vocals are done in a harsh Thrash/Black metal crossover style. The last 19 tracks come from Canada's CUM SOCK.Once again these guys are spewing forth some spastic & crazy sound Crust/Grindcore with a lot of Noise elements all mixed within. The songs are much better on this rekease than the last one! PAGANFIRE13@yahoo.com CUMSOCK@hotmail.com / www.myspace.com/CUMSOCK |
| DARK SUNS - GRAVE HUMAN GENUINE (8 track CD) SENSORY RECORDS Over two years since their last release DARK SUNS has unveiled their third release to date. This album is a bit different from their past releases, but still has that same vibe. The music is more dynamic in range & depth. There are strong Doom Metal elements present with lots of Progressive Rock injected inside. They round out their sound with lots of Atmospheric Soundscapes & Avatngarde music. The vocals are done ina melodic clean vocal style with lots of higher pitched parts. These guys definately have a unique & original sound, cause I couldn't find anyone to even compare them to. These guys must be heard to fully understand & appreciate the greatness of thier sound! www.DARKSUNS.de |
| DEATHGASM - DESTRUCTION OF THE HEAVENLY REALMS VOL. 2 (14 track CD) DEATHGASM RECORDS This is the second volume in this compilation series. There are 14 tracks & 12 bands featured. All bands play in the Death, Black, Thrash, Grind & Doom Metal styles. All the bands CDs are available through DEATHGASM RECORDS. The bands featured include: NEX, LOSS, CRIMSON MOON, QUINTA ESSENTIA, SEMARGL, NOMINON, DARK FAITH, ABOMINANT, MANTICORE, PROFANATICA, OCCIDENS & THERONEUM! This is one of the best underground Metal labels out there now, so you can't go wrong with any band from these guys! Check out this disc & start buying their releases! info@DEATHGASM.com / www.DEATHGASM.com |
| DEMIANS - BUILDING AN EMPIRE (8 track CD) SPV / INSIDE OUT MUSIC These guys play a very melodic & Progressive style of Metal music. They do add in lots of Atmospheric Rock sounds all through out. The music has a huge full encompassing feel to it in every song, that just pulls you in. There is a very deep & layered sound as well. The songs have great structure & take you on a mystical far off fantasy like journey. I could see anyone of these songs being on a movie soundtrack. The vocals are done in a melodic clean & very powerful style. There are lots of World sounds mixed within the music too. If your into the softer, more melodic side of Rock Metal then these guys are for you! www.myspace.com/DEMIANSmusic |
| DIABOLIC - CHAOS IN HELL / POSSESSED BY DEATH (9 track CD) DEATHGASM RECORDS This amazing Florida based Death Metal band has been wreaking havoc through out the underground for over a decade now & don't seem to be stopping anytime soon. This is their newest EP "CHAOS IN HELL" which is being released along side their 2006 release "POSSESSED BY DEATH". These guys play ultra tight blistering fast demonic Death Metal in an old school style. The vocals are done in a mid ranged thick Death Metal growl style with some even thicker lower end growls! These guys have had many releases, but this is by far their best. I never understood why these guys weren't much bigger in the Death metal scene then they are. These guys are way better than most of the bigger bands out there now! Get this release & all their other stuff to hear what a highly talented & extremely good Death Metal band sounds like! |
| DOMINICI - A TRILOGY PART 3 (8 track CD) SPV / INSIDE OUT MUSIC Former DREAM THEATER frontman Charlie Dominici has unleashed the 3rd part of his trilogy. The music is done in a Progressive Metal style with some Pop Rock elements prersent. The music is very technical sounding with lots of very cool old school Metal vibes all through out! There are some slight Thrash or Speed Metal sounds in the guitar work at times too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged melodic Heavy Metal style with some higher pitched Prog Rock styles mixed in. These guys remind me of a Prog Rock version of DRAGONFORCE a lot mix with some old school DIO. Check this one out cause your gonna love it, especially if you dig the above two mentioned bands! www.DOMINICI.com |
| DORO - ALL WE ARE -THE FIGHT- (10 track CD) LOCOMOTIVE RECORDS This is the new release from the great legendary WARLOCK front woman DORO. This is actually a collection of songs & videos that is really done as a tribute to Regina Halmich. DORO & WARLOCK were very huge in the 80's Metal scene & I'm sure was a major influence on most of the women in Metal music today & even a lot of the men. She has an extremely well ranged vocal style & is an amazing singer. The music has a strong Heavy Metal style with lots of Thrash & Arena Rock mixed in. If you never heard this band before than you must pick up any of their albums as they are all great! DORO has been, still is & always will be a major part of the Metal scene! I love this band! There are 5 audio tracks & 5 video tracks on this disc! |
| ENGEL - ABSOLUTE DESIGN (12 track CD) SPV USA / STEAMHAMMER Damn! I was blown away big time when this album kicked into high gear, which was right from the start. These guys take many elements from many styles of Metal & some how mutated them into one amazingly killer sound that they can call all their own. They mix a lot of melodicness, fast balsts, down tempo Grind, atmospheric & symphonic parts with some straight forward blasting Death Metal. If you were to put together old school Death Metal, Nu-Metal, new school Hardcore, newer Black Metal & come up with one sound then you would have a great idea of what ENGEL would sound like. The vocals follow the same path as the music. These guys are definately going to be the next big band to come from Sweden! www.ENGELpropaganda.com |
| FALLEN YGGDRASIL - TEN YEARS... (6 track CD) Self Released This is a very rare CD release from this great Death Metal band out of Germany. These guys have been tearing up the underground scene for over 10 years now. This CD was a little release to celebrate these years of "dead Metal for living corpses". There were only 50 of these made & Christoph was nice enough to send me the 50th copy. These guys are an amazing Death Metal band with lots of originality. There are touches of old school as well as new school Death Metal all through out their songs. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl style. The tracks are taken from demos, splits, CD, promos & live recrodings! Buy this bands stuff!!! christoph@FALLEN-YGGDRASIL.de / www.FALLEN-YGGDRASIL.de |
| FOUL STENCH - THE BONE (9 track CD) UKRAGH PRODUCTIONS This was a CD I was anxiously awaiting to get. My buds from Ohio, FOUL STENCH are back again & have unleashed what i would consider their best release ever. These guys play a very cool old school style of Death Metal music. The music reminds me of a lot of the bands from the old Florida & Ohio Death Metal scene. Their music is fast past, crusty & has a lot of pissed off aggression pouring through it. There is a very cool rawness to their music too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged groggy Death growl with some hoarse sounding Death screams at times. These guys were one of my favorite bands back in the day & still are today! Buy this! www.myspace.com/FOULSTENCH (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| GALLHAMMER - ILL INNOCENCE (10 track CD) PEACEVILLE RECORDS GALLHAMMER was formed in early 2003 & have quickly built a strong name & following for themselves. This 3 piece plays some darkend old school styled Black Metal music. The music is done in a kind of raw cold & harsh Black Metal vein. There are many elements of Thrash Metal present through out their sound, especially in the guitar work. They have a very different sound to them than most Black metal bands. The vocals are done in a low ended harsh Black Metal growl/scream style with some other vocals mixed in at times. You can also hear Crust & Noise influences in parts of the songs too. Very different path for a band playing this style! www.GALLHAMMER.com |
| IMPALED NAZARENE - MANIFEST (16 track CD) RED STREAM / OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS Most of you out there should already know of this highly intense Black Death Metal band. These guys play at super fast speeds & have a very cool gritty old school style to their sound. These guys have been a huge impact on the underground scene & have influenced many, many bands.over the years. The vocals are done in a mid ranged scruffy Death/Black Metal growl stykle. Much of their past releases were amazing, but this one blows those all away! If you have never heard these guys before, first off, what's wrong with you & second go pick up this album. You won't be disappointed! www.campNAZARENE.com |
| PASTOR BRAD AND FRIENDS - SHREDDED SWEET (14 track CD) PB MUSIC This is the 3rd instrumental Metal release from PASTOR BRAD. And yes, he told me he is a real Pastor. Brad & his friends play all instrumental music that is extremely tight, diverse & extremely good through & through. The music has a very strong Metal sound that takes elements from Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Power Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal & Traditional Heavy Metal & combines them all together to create one sweet sound. Each song sounds much different from the previous, but it all has that same vibe that would like them all back to being done by the same band! This is definately worth checking out! www.guitarjams.net |
| PHARAOH - BE GONE (9 track CD) CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC This is the 3rd CD release from this highly talented Power/Thrash Metal band. These guys take both elements of old & new school Power & Thrash Metal create their sound. There is a strong modern Thrash Metal feel to them, but they have an old school Power Metal vibe. There is some complex structures with lots of layering & depth. The drum work & guitar work is where most of the Thrash elements are heard. In the vocals lyrical arrangements is where the Power Metal is more dominant. The vocals hit a mid to high ranged Power Metal style. If you were to mix IRON MAIDEN, DRAGONFORCE, DIO, BLIND GAURDIAN & some HELLOWEEN together you'd get a great idea of what these guys are all about! |
| PORCUPINE TREE - NIL RECURRING (4 track CD) PEACEVILLE RECORDS This is a 4 song EP release from these guys out of Sweden, which were songs left over from their last release. PORCUPINE TREE has been around since the early 90's & never seem to entrigue & amaze fans & new listerners with each new release. This album does the same thing. They range their music from Progressive Rock induced with Trip-Hop & Psychedelica styles then throw in some Alternative Grunge & Doom Metal stylings. These guys just seem to not want to fit into any category of music & they do it quite well. This is the most involved, intense & whole heart driven stuff I've heard from these guys so far! www.PORCUPINETREE.com |
| RED I FLIGHT - THE YEARS ( track CD) VICTORY RECORDS This si the debut CD release on VICTORY RECORDS for this Michigan based band. these guys have been around for years now & have unvailed their best album to date. These guys play a very cool style of Metal/Hardcore that is very popular these days. they don't sound like a carbon copy of most of the bands out there though. They bring a little something different. The music has lots of great guitar shredding mixed with some heavy chugging grooves & Hardcore breakdwons. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Hardcore scream with the lower ended Death metal growls accompanying them. These guys are going to get much bigger than they are now if they stick with VICTORY & keep putting out albums like this one! |
| SEEKING OBSCURE - SELF TITLED (12 track CD) METALBOLIC RECORDS This is the debut CD release by the one man Death Metal project & is all done by Rob Luckie. Rob has done all the instrument work, vocals & lyrics on this entire relase. The music has avery cool old school Death Metal vibe happening with some cold & crusty over tones. The music has a bit of a rawness to it, cause it's not crystal clear & polished sounding. The guitars are very thick & crunchy with lots of shredding through out. The vocals are done in a mid ranged thick & dark Death Metal growl style. All I can say is I wish I had a small amount of the talent that this great msucian has. Support this guy! SEEKINGOBSCURE@hotmail.com / www.myspace.com/SEEKINGOBSCURE |
| SKULL DEFILER - SELF TITLED (8 track CD) Self Released SKULL DEFILER is yet another new side project from Bob Macabre of the great CHAINSAW DISSECTION. In this new project of his he is playing an old school style of Death Metal music. There are some new shcool elements of Grindcore present at times through out the songs. There is a really gritty & dirty raw sound to the music. The vocals are done ina low ended groggaly Death gurggle. Bob has so manny projects going on it's hard to keep track a lot of the times. This is yet another good release, but I still like his main project CHAINSAW DISSECTION the best! CHAINSAWDISSECTION@yahoo.com |
| TEMPLAR - PREACHING TO THE PERVERTED (10 track CD) BLACK POPE MUSIC This is the newest & limited edition release of this very cool & highly talented band out of Australia. TEMPLAR plays an old school Metal style that has a lot of elements of Traditional Heavy Metal, Power Metal & Goth Metal mixed all within. The music has a lot of old school Thrash Metal parts that are done in a more technical & modern way. All of their sound has a dark wave vibe to it that kind of makes the feel a bit grittier. The vocals are done in a mid ranged rough Metal style with some cleaner more melodic Power Metal like vocals. These guys are one of the newer, fresher & more original sounding bands I've had the pleasure of hearing & working with in a long time. This album is officially ditributed in the USA by my label! TEMPLARguild@bigpond.com / www.TEMPLAR.net.au (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| THE METHOD TO MY MEDIUM - THE SINCERITIES EP (10 track CD) THRIVING RECORDS / EAST WEST These guys hail from Bloomington, Indiana & play an upbeat form of Pop Punk music. The music has a strong Punk feel to it, but is kind of polished which gives it that radio friendly Pop feel to it. They do toss in some heavier, more Hardcore like parts at times with the cool grooves & breakdowns. I was really digging this band, but I couldn't get into the vocals too much. They are done in one of those Emo / Screamo styles. I'm not a big fan of Emo at all, so this was the only thing I couldn't really get into. The band is good in all aspect, but it's not my favorite style, so it was hard for me to really enjoy this. Any fan of the many popular bands playing this style would love these guys, cause they remind me a lot of bands like FALL OUT BOY, A.F.I. & a little like MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE! www.myspace.com/THEMETHODTOMYMEDIUM |