| MUSIC REVIEWS (December 2007) |
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| ADASTRA - THE LAST SUNSET (9 track CD) VIOLENT JOURNEY RECORDS This is my first time hearing these guys & I'm glad I have gotten the chance. ADASTRA play some very tight & technical sounding Power Metal music. The music has a little bit of a Progressive Metal sound as well & reminds me of a lot of the 80's bands of this style. The guitar work is done more in a Speed Metal & Thrash Metal style with Power Metal blanketing it. The vocals are done in a mid ranged melodic Power Metal style with some higher pitched clean Power & Traditional Heavy Metal styles! These guys had me hooked right from the first song & keep me hooked all through out the album! www.ADASTRAcave.com |
| ANNIHILATOR - METAL (10 track CD) SPV / STEAMHAMMER It was very cool to find this CD in my hands. I have been a big fan of ANNIHILATOR for years now & it's good to see such a great & legendary Metal band going strong after all these years. This new album is pure Metal all the way. There are a ton of great guitar shredding parts that is reminescent of early 80's Thrash & Speed Metal bands. They also toss in some cool Heavy Metal influences along with some almost Death Metal ones at times. The vocals are done in a very cool Power Metal style. There are tons of guests from bands like CHILDREN OF BODOM, ARCH ENEMY, TRIVIUM, LAMB OF GOD, IN FLAMES & more! www.ANNIHILATORmetal.com |
| BELAY MY LAST - THE DOWNFALL (13 track CD) MEDIASKARE This is the debut CD release from this California based band. This guys come at you very feirce & highly intense. They play a very fast paced & angry sounding style of Death Metal music. I like this new style of Death Metal that a lot of neweer bands have been playing lately. They have a very thick & crusty Death groove in their music a lot, which I really dig. The music just barrells you over & keep kicking the crap out of you. The vocals are done in a combined style of low thick Death growls with some very scratchy Death screams. If your into bands like THE RED CHORD, THE FACELESS, BENEATH THE MASSACRE & DESPISED ICON then your going to love these guys!!! www.myspace.com/BELAYMYLAST |
| CONFUSION GODS - AT THE GATES OF CONFUSION (6 track CD) NECROTORTURE This is the newest release from this Italian Metal band. These guys blend in many styles of Metal music to create their sound. There are some old school Thrash metal riffs, some lower harder edged Death Metal beats & then a dark dirty Black Metal overtone all through out. These guys can mix it up very well & do a great job at it. The vocals are a mix of mid ranged Death growls with some groggy & scratchy Black Metal screams. If your a Metal head looking for someone to deliver more than just one style & deliver it well, look no further! CONFUSIONGODS@CONFUSIONGODS.it / www.CONFUSIONGODS.it |
| DARK END - DAMNED WOMAN AND A CARCASS (12 track CD) NECROTORTURE This is the debut CD release from this Italian Black Metal band. These guys have a very full & symphonic Black Metal sound. The music has touches of old school & new school Black metal influences. The music is very tight, technical & well composed. They have some all out fast paced & aggressive parts & then some more melodic & atmospheric parts. The vocals are done in a mid ranged throaty Black Metal growl style. These guys are one of the better Black Metal bands I have heard in awhile to emerge from Italy! If your heart is black then check these guys out! You'll get sucked in & love it! valentz@DARKEND.it / www.DARKEND.it |
| DELYRIA - TALES FROM MY ABYSS (5 track CD) Self Released Here we have yet another great band to come out of Italy. These guys play a very strong & aggressive style of Death Metal music. You can hear tinges of other Metal styles in their sound at times. The guitars have a strong Thrash Metal sound to them. The music has a modern Death Metal vibe, but you can hear some old school brutalness in there as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh throaty Death Metal growl style. These guys are extremely good, tight, fast & very much well deserving of some more attention!!! Pick this up & show them some support! They deserve it! Keep your ears open, cause these guys are going to be big! www.DELYRIA.net |
| EXSECRATUS - TAINTED DREAMS (10 track CD) VIOLENT JOURNEY RECORDS I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get when I popped this CD in. But I was digging what I heard. These guys a mixture of Black Metal & Death Metal with touches of Thrash Metal mixed in. There are a lot of well constructed songs with lots od depth & orginality. They have a lot of symphonic Black Metal sounds mixed with all out fast paced Death & Black Metal parts. The vocals are done in a higher pitched more angelic like female vocal style with lower more aggressive & Death Metal male vocals. There is a great combination of styles here that would please most fans of Death Metal or Black Metal. |
| GAMMA RAY - LAND OF THE FREE 2 (12 track CD) SPV / STEAMHAMMER A new album & a new label is what we see this time from GAMMA RAY. These guys have set out on a new journey, but kind of paying a reference to their 1995 album "LAND OF THE FREE". They have basically written part to of that great album. This could follow the same path as a great classic GAMMA RAY album. The music they play is well structured, tight & clean sounding Power Metal music. They do toss in their influences of Thrash, Heavy Metal & Progressive Metal all through out though. The vocals are done in a mid to high pitched clean & melodic Power Metal style! This could be their best album to date! www.GAMMA-RAY.com |
| GENOCIDE - APOCALYPTIC VISIONS (11 track CD) VAN RECORDS This German 3 piece plays some very cold & dark sounding old school Black Metal music. They have a very low end & gritty Black Metal sound. The music is kind of raw & aggressive in a war like Metal style. The guitars are a bit of that static old school Black metal style, while the drums sound like machine guns going off. The vocals are done in a mid ranged hallowed & dirty thick & harsh Black Metal growl & scream crossover style. If your part of the old school Black Horde Alliance then your may want to inlist these guys into your collection! Hoens raised! TRUBSCHE STR. 11 / 47533 RLEVE / GERMANY |
| GOAT BLEEDER - LEGIONS OF PERDITION (8 track CD) Self Released Here we have yet another great side project from the one & only Bob Macabre from the great band CHAINSAW DISSECTION. With this side project Bob has delivered some more sickness with some ultra low end & brutal old school Death Metal. There are some slight touches of Gore Grind elements present all through out the music too. The vocals are done in a mid to low ranged thick & heavy Death Metal growl style. Once again Bob has done all the instruments, lyrics & production on this release too. This guys has lots of talent, so pick up his releases! CHAINSAWDISSECTION@yahoo.com / myspace.com/GOATBLEEDER666 |
| GOD OR JULIE - THE ROAD BEFORE (13 track CD) TRASH BOX RECORDS These guys have really been making a name for themselves with a touring slot opening up for BUCKCHERRY & EVERCLEAR. They have a very British Rock style to their sound. They do add in some elements of Pop Punk & Pop Rock mixed within. The music is kind of upbeat sounding, but has some slower more dragging parts too. I didn't expect to be like this band for some reason, but I actually found myself really getting into it. The vocals are done in a mid ranged melodic Pop Punk style that reminded me a bit of slower GREENDAY songs. They also had a strong MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE vibe to them too! www.GODORJULIE.com |
| GROTESQUE - MUSEUM OF HUMAN DISEASE (11 track CD) PRIME CUTS MUSIC This is the debut release from this Australian Death Metal band. These guys have been at it since 2004 in the Australian Metal scene & are ready to spread thier disease to the rest of the world. They play a very fast paced & ferocious style od Death Grind music. The music has a lot of very thick & catchy rhythmic parts & some high velocity double bass kicks. It burns you out just from listening. These guys are sick, sick, sick! The vocals are very low end gutteral Death Grind growls. If your into such greats as NECROPHAGIST, SUFFOCATION & MORTAL DECAY then you'll definately dig these guys!!! www.myspace.com/GROTESQUEaustralia |
| HUMONIC - BORN EVIL (6 track CD) PRIME CUTS MUSIC Yet another great band emerging from the pits of darkness in Western Australia. These guys have a very cool blend of Thrash & Death Metal music. The music is more based on the Death Metal side, but there are definately lots of Thrash elements present, especially in the guitar work & some of the songs arrangements. Themusic has a lot of high speed adrenaline flowing all through out it. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Thrash/Death Metal grwol crossover style. The closest thing I could say about this band is if they were a more Death Metal version of LAMB OF GOD! If that isn't enough to get you to pick this up, I don't know what is! www.myspace.com/HUMONIC007 |
| HURT - VOL. 2 (12 track CD) CAPITOL RECORDS HURT is a new band on the scene that is really picking up steam & has been chugging to the top of everyones list of great new artist or artists to watch. These guys play a post Grunga Alt-Metal style of music. They have some really crunchy guitar riffs that are also very catchy too. The music has a strong style of a lot of the Emo, Grunge & Nu-Metal type bands all meshed into one. The vocals are done in a mid ranged melodic clean with rough edges style with some higher ones mixed in. If your into bands like DISTURBED, GODSMACK, NICKELBACK & maybe a little POPA ROACH, then your really gonna enjoy these guys a lot! www.HURTband.com |
| IBOGAINE - SELF TITLED (5 track CD) Self Released I don't have any information on this band & don't know anything about them except the fact that they are extremely talented & an amazing band. I loved how the music just kicks down the door right from the beginning & just continues to come at you full force. The music is a combination of Death Metal & Hardcore music. The music mostly leans towards Death Metal, especially in the more aggressive & faster parts. Once you hit some of the grooves & some of the song arrangements then you can hear some Hardcore coming into play. The vocals are done in a low end Death growl mixed with a harsher Hardcore type scream! These guys are going to dominate the scene soon if they keep releasing amazing music like this! IBOGAINE13@yahoo.fr / myspace.com/IBOGAINEweedmetal |
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| KADAVER MODERN VISIONS OF HUMAN MADNESS (4 track CD) NECROTORTURE KADAVER is a new band that was started in February of 2007. These guys have played together before in a band called BLEEDING EYES. These guys hail from Italy & have an old school styled Death Metal sound. They have a great brutal aggressive Death Metal sound. There are some elements of new school Death Metal elements that pop up from time to time. They also add in a little Death groove at times. The vocals are done in a mid ranged kind of groggy Death growl style. Mostly old school Deathheads will dig these guys, but some new school will want to join in as well!!! KADAVER-official@tiscali.it / myspace.com/smelltheKADAVER |
| KETTLE CADAVER - AMONG THE DAMNED (12 video DVD) HORROR ROCK RECORDS Well, well, well...this sickos known as KETTLE CADAVER are back again. This time they have releasesd a DVD featuring 12 of thier songs in video format. The band plays some sick & twisted sounding Industrial Metal styled music. The music is very harsh & aggressive Industrial at times, while others they have more of a Thrash/Death Metal crossover style to them. The videos are very intense with lots of self mutilation, piercing of private areas, cutting ones self & lots of other sick deranged stuff. It's all done for pure enjoyment purposes, but it's a matter of who's enjoyment! These sickos definately need to been seen live for the real experience! www.HORRORROCKRECORDS.com |
| LEFT ABLAZE - DIE FOR ME (6 track CD) PRIME CUTS MUSIC LEFT ABLAZE comes to us from Western Australia and they come with all guns blazing. They have a very strong new school Death Metal style that I have been really digging a lot lately. The music is a fast paced adrenaline rush all through out. The music does have lots of Speed/Thrash Metal influences in the guitar sound a lot. They even blend in some really catchy Death grooves along the way to help suck you in. The vocals are done in a lower ended Death growl mixed with some mid ranged Deathcore typew growl/screams. I am not suprised at all that these guys are becoming huge in their own country & it won't be long before it spreads to the rest of the world! This is one for fans of THE FACELESS, BORN OF OSIRIS & BELAY MY LAST! LEFTABLAZE@hotmail.com / myspace.com/LEFTABLAZE |
| LOUD LIFE - SELF TITLED (10 track CD) ISL PR LOUD LIFE is a two person band consisting of Lorraine Ferro & Geoff Sobel. Lorraine based out of NYC & Geoff based out of China. These two collaborate across the globe & combine a 70's Classic Rock sound with a 90's Grunge Alternative sound. The music has a strong even balance of the above two styles all the way through. It's as if a famale version of SOUNDGARDEN collided with LED ZEPPELIN. This is a unique & original sound that i can't really recall hearing before. The two bring such powerful dynamics together & do a great job of blending their sounds well together! www.LOUDLIFEband.com |
| MOLOCH - AETHESIS (9 track CD) Self Released MOLOCH is yet another band to be born out of Italy. Italy seems to really be a hot bed for new Metal bands lately. These guys definately fall in the Metal catagory, but they have a lot of diferent Metal styles mixed with in. I can hear many elements of Nu-Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal & more. There are some really cool thick & chunky bass lines that I really dig a lot. The vocals also blend across a lot of the same Metal styles as the music. These guys reminded me of a mixture of KORN, DEFTONES, HATEBREED, PANTERA, POWERMAN 5000 & DISTURBED all together. That's a lot of good bands to be compared to & these guys could hold their own with them all! info@MOLOCH1.com / www.MOLOCH1.com |
| NEVERISE - FAILED (6 track CD) NECROTORTURE And yet NEVERISE is another extremely good Metal band shooting out of Italy. These guys have a more old school Metal feel to their music. This is achieved by their combination of Death Metal mixed with Thrash Metal. The music has a really strong & powerful Thrash driven sound, especially in the guitar work. There is a lot of melodic structures mixed within their music to off set the fast paced adrenaline rush. The vocals are done ina mid ranged groggy Thrash/Death Metal crossover style. These guys are another Italian Metal band that we could be hearing a lot of, because they are already at the top of their game! NEVERISE@hotmail.it / www/NEVERISE.com |
| PAIN PRINCIPLE - WAITING FOR THE FLIES (10 track CD) BLIND PROPHECY RECORDS I don't know anything about this band, but that's cool with me, because the one thing I found out is how much these guys shred after popping in the CD. These guys play ultra tight, clean & technical sounding Thrash/Death Metal music. This seems to be a resurgance of Thrash metal bands these days. This is cool with me, because Thrash bands like these guys are bands I grew up listening to. PAIN PRINCIPLE do have a very cool blend of both Death & Thrash though. I dig all the cool grooved oriented stuff they add into their sound. The Vocals are a mix between CROWBAR & LAMB OF GOD. Now if that ain't a cool combo, then was is! The only thing I have left to say is buy this disc & play it loud & often!!! www.PAINPRINCIPLE.org |
| PREDATOR - HOMO INFIMUS (8 track CD) Self Released For 11 years now these 3 Brazilian Metal heads have been spewing forth some violent, brutal & hate filled Death Metal in the name of PREDATOR. Thier music has a strong old school Death Metal sound to it & is really harsh sounding. The music has some crusty grooves mixed within all the chaos & madness. They really pull no punches when they unleash on you with each new song. The vocals are done in a mid ranged rough Death Metal growl style. These guys play a style that a lot of bands do, but they play it better than most & with a lot more originality too. If you mixed early SEPULTURA "MORBID VISION" & "ARISE" era with any BRUJERIA release you'd get a pretty decent idea of what these guys are about! PREDATORhoffmann@hotmail.com / myspace.com/PREDATORdeath |
| PRELUDE TO CHAOS - STR8 UP EVIL (6 track CD) Self Released I saw these guys open up for VADER & MALEVOLENT CREATION along with about 10 other bands. I was really impressed with these guys & they really stood out form all the other bands out there. These guys had a bit of a more original sound by mixing together Death Metal, Thrash, Hardcore, Punk & even a little Modern Rock. I thought this was kind of a weird combo during the first song they did, but was totally hooked by the 2nd song. That's why I picked up their CD & wanted to review it, to give them more exposure. The vocals also follow the same path as the music. If your an open minded Metal head & don't mind a little flavor, get this! www.myspace.com/PRELUDETOCHAOS |
| PSYCHOTIC HOMICIDAL DISMEMBERMENT - PULVERIZING PROSTITUTES FOR PIG FEED (16 track CD) RELICS RECORDS Wow! Another new project from the madman Bob Macabre & 2 in one month. I have been saying it for a few years now that this guys deserves to get a lot of attention for all of his projects. As usual he does all the instruments, vocals, lyrics & programming for his projects. On this new project he plays some ultra sick blasting guttural Goregrind music. The music is done & super fast intense speeds with lots of down tuned guitars & bass. The vocals are very low end muffled & gurggally GoreGrind vocals. Check this out & his other band CHAINSAW DISSECTION & his many other projects! CHAINSAWDISSECTION@yahoo.com / myspace.com/CHAINSAWDISSECTION |
| PYURIA - OUBLIETTE ONTOLOGY (8 track CD) VIOLENT JOURNEY RECORDS This is another new band I am being introduced to & glad that I have been. PYURIA play a very tight strong & intense style of Death Metal music. They do have a blend of Death & Thrash Metal thing happening in the guitar sounds a lot. The song just keep chugging along & forcing the listener to go along for the violent ride. I like how they mix it up with a groove, then hyper fast blasts & then a stop & start part. These guys have just about every element in their sound that makes up a great Death Metal band. The vocals are done in a mid ranged almost clogged throat Death Metal growl. If you were going to take chance & pick up a CD of band you never heard before this would be the one well worth doing so on, cause you will definately get your money's worth. While your at it pick one up for someone else as well!!! www.PYURIA.com |
| QUASAR - TALES OF ARCANA (14 track CD) PLAGUE PROMOTIONS This is the debut CD release from this Metal band out of Australia. These guys play Black metal music, but it is a bit different & not your typical Black metal sound. They have a very mystical & atmospheric style & sound. The music almost feels like an Epic journey of worldly natures mixed with slow & dreary Black Metal music. The music has almost a doom & gloom vibe that blankets it all. The vocals are done in a mid ranged thick throaty Black Metal growl style. These guys are right on that line that they can pull fans from Death or Black metal together & build a huge fan base! Give them a listen, you'll be glad you did void-of-QUASAR@hotmail.com / myspace.com/voidofQUASAR |
| SAOSIN - SELF TITLED (12 track CD) CAPITOL RECORDS I sure most people have heard of SAOSIN before, being that they have been around for a little bit now & are getting bigger & bigger. These guys play a cool mixture of Pop Punk Rock mixed with tinges of Hardcore & Emo. I'm not a really big fan of these styles being mixed together, especially the Emo stuff. I have heard a lot of bands out there playing this style & i will say that SAOSIN is definately one of the better ones out there. I really enjoy the music, because it's mostly high energy & up beat Punk/Hardcore with a little Pop thrown in. It's just that i can't stand the whinny Emo type vocals that they have. If there were a lot of faster or harsher vocals in this band I'm sure I would be a huge fan of their music. If this is your thing, then you'll dig it, that's for sure, but if not, then steer clear of these guys! www.SAOSIN.com |
| SCARPOINT - THE SILENCE WE DESERVE (10 track CD) BLIND PROPHECY RECORDS SCARPOINT plays a newer style of Death Metal music that fusses in some old Thrash & Power Metal influences into their sound. The music has a really cool crunchy grooved vibe through out that grabs hold of you & pulls you in. There are some touches of Thrash in the guitar work too. Some of the song arrangements remind me of a lot of Hardcore bands of present day. The vocals are done in a mid ranged rough Death/Hardcore crossover styled growl. These guys are really good & have a great sound that I could see fans of a lot of different genres getting into them. These guys have put out a hell of an amazing album! info@SCARPOINT.com / www.SCARPOINT.com |
| SILENT FATE - THE AUTUMN MACHINE (12 track CD) ISL PR I wasn't expecting to be blown away by this band, but they actually knocked me on my ass. I was suprised by all the styles of Metal that these guys have mixed together in their sound. They like to call it a "something for everyone" Metal band. They blend in Thrashy SLAYER type tunes with some Euro Black Metal, acoustic Metal & some Punk/Metal crossover with some straight up Rock. These guys melt these style seemlessly into one. The vocals also follow the same road. There are a lot of harsh Thrash/Hardcore type growl/screams, slower more melodic clean Metal vocals & then some really harsh Black Metal ones too. Any Metal fan can find something to like about this band! I know I found a lot! management@SILENT-FATE.com / www.SILENT-FATE.com |
| SOL - LET THERE BE A MASSACRE (7 track CD) Self Released SOL is a one man band consisting of Emil Brahe who did all the vocals, guitars, bass, drums, accordion, clarinet, banjo & samples. The music has a really slow sludgy dragging kind of Doom Metal vibe to it. There are even some old world music sounds all through out. The music is thunderous & dreary sounding a lot too. The vocals are done in a thick coated sounding style of a Doom/Death Metal crossover growl style. It's almost like music that would be used for soldiers marching into battle & then being slaughtered on the battlefield. Don't read that the wrong way, I meant it as a compliment! This is a good thing!!! brahe@wiredfly.dk |
| SUISSE PUNK & METAL - COMPILATION (19 track CD) FCMA / COULEUR 3 This is a promotional CD compilation to introduce the world to some of the great Metal & Punk bands from Switzerland. There is a really good mixture of bands from both styles of music here. I have heard of maybe 3 bands on this comp before, but was introduced to a lot of cool new ones. There are 19 tracks & 19 bands featured. Some of the bands include: CARDIAC, MYBAND, CATARACT, GRAND BASTARD DELUXE, HATEFUL MONDAY, HENCHMEN, SNITCH, KRUGER & 11 others. If your a fan of both these styles you definately want to get your hands on this compilation if possible! cma@FCMA.ch / www.FCMA.ch |
| THE LAST GOODNIGHT - POISON KISS (12 track CD) VIRGIN RECORDS This is the first time I have heard THE LAST GOODNIGHT & I couldn't really figure out if I liked them or not. They have a kind of British Pop Rock sound that is quite catchy, but sometimes gets a little repeadative that I seemed to get a little uninterested at times. The music is well played, it's just not really grabbing hold of me. It has a strong Pop radio friendly Rock sound to it. I'm not really a fan of Radio music. I often don't find much I like & would rather pop a CD in. These guys would fit perfectly on any Alternative Pop Rock radio station. They are a decent band, it's just for my tastes! www.THELASTGOODNIGHT.net |
| VERDUNKELN - EINBLICK IN DEN QUALENFALL (6 track CD) VAN RECORDS VERDUNKELN play some really cold & dreary Doom / Black Metal type music. The music has a very earthy & nature vibe, but on a dark cold side. The music is mostly dominated by Black Metal, but because it is kind of slow & sludgy it gives it a very Doom Metal like feel. The guitars are done in an old school Black Metal style where they are a bit static sounding & crusty like. The vocals are done in a slow drown out Black Metal groggy grolw style too. It made you feel like you were listening to the dramatic end of the world. Fans of Funeral Metal type acts will definately dig these guys a lot! VERDUNKELN@wod-van.de |