| MUSIC REVIEWS February 2005 |
| AINA - DAYS OF RISING DOOM: THE METAL OPERA (15 song CD) THE END RECORDS / TRANSMISSION RECORDS This release is originally a 2 disc CD & a bonus DVD, but I only have disc one for review. The music is done in a very Progressive Power Metal style. I liked this a lot, cause they tossed in a lot of Operatic musical influences as well. This definately was like an Opera put to Metal music. The music is very aggressive at times & other times is is more soothing & melodic sounding. The vocals are done in a mid to high ranged melodic Power Metal style. There are also some Operatic type male & female vocals too. The music is very technical & tight sounding. I could see people into bands like DEMONS & WIZARDS, STRATAVAROUS, ICED EARTH & RONNIE JAMES DIO all getting into this!!! |
| BEEF CONSPIRACY - HUNG, DRAWN AND QUARTER POUNDERED (9 song CD) GRIND ETHIC RECORDS Spewing forth some intense Grindcore is BEEF CONSPIRACY out of the U.K. These guys are extremely brutal & extremely sick. The music is hyper fast with blast beats galore. There are a ton of non stop grinding breakdowns, stop & starts all through out. The vocals are a combination of higher pitched Grindcore growls/screams along with some low end gutteral Death growls. If you like to have your ears repeatedly abused, then these sicko's are for you!!! - 26 RECTORY LANE / NORTH RUNCTON / KINGS LYNN / NORFOLK / PE33 0QS / U.K. / theBEEF@BEEFCONSPIRACY.com / www.BEEFCONSPIRACY.com (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| BLOODY SIGN - VANA VIGAL LOITS (8 song CD) IBEX MOON RECORDS France has spewed out another highly intense Black Metal band in the vein of BLOODY SIGN. These guys have been tearing up the scene since 1995. They play a good mixture of old school Black Metal mixed with new school Death Metal. They are highly talented & aggressive as hell. I liked the different change ups they toss into their songs the best. You never know what way they are going to hit you, but their all brutal. The vocals are done in a harsh Black Metal growl/scream & a low end Death Metal growl. This is a must for all true die hard Death/Black Metal heads!!! - 47, RUE BASSE / 68420 GUEBERSCHWIHR / FRANCE / ulbokalevi@hotmail.com / www.BLOODYSIGN.fr.st |
| COMEBACK KID - WAKE THE DEAD (11 song CD) VICTORY RECORDS This is the debut VICTORY RECORDS release for Canada's COMEBACK KID. These guys are great! They blend together many elements from Punk & Hardcore to create their sound. They also have lots of influencial sounds taken from the New York, California & Canadian Hardcore & Punk scenes. There are hyper beats, grooves, breakdowns, hooks & lots more all present in their sound. The vocals are a mix of Punk & Hardcore styles as well. If you took elements of H20, THE MISFITS, SUM 41, SICK OF IT ALL, MADBALL & rolled them into one you'd be pretty damn close to what these guys sound like!!! - 79 BALDRY BAY / WINNIPEG MB / CANADA / R37 3C5 / COMEBACKKID@COMEBACK-KID.com / www.COMEBACK-KID.com |
| DARK DISCIPLE - UNHOLY HATE GORE (10 song CD) MORBID RECORDS DARK DISCIPLE hail from Maryland & play extremely tight & sick Death Metal music. These guys are fucking heavy & insane. The music is brutal Death Metal music pulling an even amount of elements from both old school & new school Death Metal. There is a real thickness to their music that makes you want to go nuts!!! I love these guys! The vocals are done in a low end Death haunt & growl with some almost screaming Death growls tossed in as well. It's bands like DARK DISCIPLE that make love Death Metal music!!! - DARKDISCIPLE666@yahoo.com / www.DARKDISCIPLE.com (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| DEADFOOD / IRRITATE - SPLIT (7" Record) VOMITCORE MUSIC Well, well, well, split 7" time. We start things off here with DEADFOOD. DEADFOOD hail from Burbank California. They play a weird type of Experimental Grind Metal, or what ever you wanna call it. All I can tell you was that I wasn't sure what speed the record was supposed to be played at, if that gives you any indication of what DEADFOOD is all about. As for the other side we have IRRITATE. They are from Finland. I used to have another split by them a while back, now I remember why I probably don't have it anymore. IRRITATE is all in the band name, this band irritated the shit out of me with their style of slow sick Death Grind. The dude in the sleeve has a 25 TA LIFE shirt on, so these guys are Hardcore. Not the stuff for me, sounds like it was recorded in an outhouse full of shit. "Keep it sick & extreme" words from the band themselves. (Review by Jeremey of Spunk Zine.) |
| DEFEATED SANITY - PRELUDE TO THE TRAGEDY (8 song CD) GRIND ETHIC RECORDS These guys play a very good style of Death Metal music. They fall right on that line between old school & new school Death Metal music. There is a lot of heaviness & brutality taken from the old school, with technical tightness along with change ups of new school! The vocals are done in a crossover style of both the above & are mid ranged Death growls. These guys are extremely good & well worth checking out! Keep your eye on this band!!! - WOLFGANG TESKE / ARNSHOCHSTAOT 14 / 91462 DACHSBACH / GERMANY / surrender-SANITY@gmx.de / www.DEFEATED-SANITY.com (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| DRAGFOOT - PATAAS (11 song CD) TOXIC METAL RECORDS These guys are a bit different from most of the Metal music I get. They blend together many elements of Thrash, Power & Death Metal together. There is a lot of guitar domination in the music. They do speed it up a bit & get heavy with some Death Metal type elements. The vocals also blended together the three above styles. There are melodic Power Metal vocals, a bit faster & harsher clean Thrash vocals & some low Death growls as well. All open minded Metal fans, who like a bit of different flavors of Metal in their music should check these guys out!!! - www.DRAGFOOT.com |
| FALL OF THE BASTARDS - DUSK OF AN ANCIENT AGE (12 song CD) INTOLERANT MESSIAH RECORDS Hailing from the area of Portland, Oregan comes this sick Death/Black Metal band. These guys play some hyper intense styled music. There is an equal amount of both Death & Black Metal elements through out their music. There are major blasts, insane shredding riffs & violent vocals. The vocals are done in a mix of low end Death growls with throaty Black Metal growls. These guys would definately please fans of both Black & Death Metal music. Ultimately one of the best bands to emerge out of Oregan!!! - P.O. BOX 375 / PORTLAND, OR. 97207 / FALLOFTHEBASTARDS@hotmail.com |
| HAITIAN HATE GODS - PROMO (3 song CD) Self Released I had a feeling I was really going to enjoy this band! They play a big mixture of Industrial, Gothic, Punk, Rock & Metal all blended together. I really dig the fact that they are mostly Industrial sounding & flavored with all the other styles above. They have a real energetic & cold sound to their music too. I liked the female vocals as well. There arent enough female fronted Industrial bands out there. They have a good groove that really hooks you in. I wish there were more than three songs here, cause I really dig this band. Fans of THE GENITORTURERS & HANZEL UND GRETYL will love this band! I know I did!!! - 221 N 1ST STREET / ALBEMARLE, NC. 28001 / chad@HAITIANHATEGODS.com / HATEGODS@HAITIANHATEGODS.com / www.HAITIANHATEGODS.com |
| HUMAN MASTICATION - PROMO 2005 (# song CD) Self Released HUMAN MASTICATION is yet another new band I have been happy to come across. These guys play ultra sick Death Metal music that is right on the edge of being Black metal music. These guys have a dark gritty cold old school Death Metal feel to their music. They are very heavy, fast & blasphemous sounding. The vocals are harsh screaming & growling Death vocals. These sickos would be a perfect fir into any 90's Death Metal fans CD collection. Check these guys out!!! - HUMAN_MASTICATION@Yahoo.com / www.HUMANMASTICATION.cjb.net |
| KALMEX & THE RIFFMERCHANTS - ELECTRIC BUKKAKE (8 song CD) INTOLERANT MESSIAH RECORDS Just from the name of the band & album title I knew I was in for something quite different. These guys are from the West bay Area of California & play some really weird music I've never heard before. They blend together elements of Grindcore, Death Metal, Hardcore & Psychadelica to create their unique sound. The music is very chaotic & all over the place sounding. There are some more melodic & trippy parts, but then you get smashed in the face with some ultra violent mayhem! The vocals crossover between Grind, Death & Hardcore veins all done in a scream/growl style. This may not be for everyone, but everyone should check it out!!! - P.O. BOX 937 / REDWOOD CITY, CA. 94064 / RIFFMERCH@yahoo.com |
| LEASH LAW - DOGFACE (9 song CD) BLACK LOTUS RECORDS This disc came out a few months back, but I just got it now for review. This band plays Heavy metal styled music with some other styles of Metal tossed in. They add in flavors of Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, Power & even some Progressive Metal too. The music is very fast paced & heavy sounding. The vocals are done in a mix of higher pitched Power metal, mid ranged Thrash vocals & even some melodic Traditional Metal vocals too. These guys are a great all around Metal act!!! - www.LEASH-LAW.com |
| MITHAS - FOREVER ADVANCING...LEGIONS (12 song CD) CANDLELIGHT / PLASTICHEAD MITHAS is a very heavy & aggressive Death Metal band out of the U.K. These guys play old school brutal Death Metal mixed with new school technical Death Metal. The msuic has some really crunchy grooves, intense blasts & even some breakdowns & change ups. The vocals are done in a low end Death growl style, but were a little low in the mix. The music seemed to over power them some what. I think these guys will appeal to fans more into old school Death Metal!!! - www.MITHRAS.org.uk |
| MORIFADE - DOMI-NATION (15 song CD) KARMAGEDDON MEDIA / CANDLELIGHT USA MORIFADE is yet another new band I am hearing for the first time coming out of Sweden. These guys are highly talented & extremely good. What a surprise, huh? A great Metal band from Sweden. This band plays high paced & aggressive Power Metal music. It sounds very orchestrated & well thought out. The music is mostly fast paced, but there are some slow more melodic parts. They have a great vibe all through out the disc. The vocals are done in a mid ranged melodic style with higher pitched Power Metal ones mixed in. This is a highly recommended band to check out!!! - P.O. BOX 54 / SE-590 50 VIKINGSTAD / SWEDEN info@MORIFADE.com / www.MORIFADE.com |
| REQUIEM AETERNAM - PHILOSOPHER (8 song CD) ICORP REQUEM ATERNAM used to be based in South America, but now call New York City home. The band features x-IMMOLATION member Alex hernandez on drums. These guys play technical Death Metal music that is very tight & highly aggressive. There are a bunch of really cool change ups in their songs. They do have a lot of Thrash metal elements present in their music as well. The vocals are done in a Death/Thrash/Hardcore crossover style. The drums were my favorite part because they had an almost tribal Death metal sound at times. Give this band a listen!!! - info@REQUIEM-ATERNAM.com / www.REQUIEM-ATERNAM.com |
| REST IN PAIN - HIGHER GEOMETRY (5 song CD) Self Released REST IN PAIN is a three piece Death Metal act. These guys are very tight & technical sounding. I loved the adrenaline taht is pouring from this band. They have some really good grooves in the music, which I also dug a lot. There is some heavy guitar shredding, which was like a Death Metal version of MEGADETH. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl that reminded me of early 90's Death Metal bands. Fans of bands like SUFFOCATION, EXHORDER, CARCASS & OBITUARY will love these guys!!! - mail@RESTINPAIN.com / www.RESTINPAIN.com |
| SANCTIFIER - AWAKED BY IMPURITY RITES (10 song CD) WEIRD TRUTH PRODUCTIONS This is my first time hearing this band. These guys play extremely tight & extremely fast Death Metal music. This band is spewing out brutality from every place possible.The bass & drums are really thick & chunky sounding, while the guitars are shredding a mile a minute. The vocals are done in a solid mid ranged Death growl which sometimes goes a little deeper. These guys are insane & very good. This could not go wrong in any Death Metal collection!!! - (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| SCEPTIC - UNBELIEVER'S SCRIPT (9 song CD) CANDLELIGHT RECORDS SCEPTIC play new school Death Metal music, but have the tough brutalness of old school Death Metal tossed in. The music is also very technical sounding at times & has a lot of Thrash metal influences tossed in, especially within the guitars sound. They have a very heavy & hard hitting sound all through out as well. The vocals are done in a mid to low ranged Death growl with some harsh more throaty vocals tossed in, kind of lik older CARCASS. Fans of old Death Metal greats like CARCASS, CARNIVORE, DISINCARNATE & BENEDICTION will really enjoy these guys a lot!!! |
| STINKING LIZAVETA - CAUGHT BETWEEN WORLDS (16 song CD) AT A LOSS RECORDINGS I saw this band a few years back in Philly as an opening act for somebody. I was really impressed with them then & still am today. This is a three piece all instrumental act. They don't have any vocals in their songs, which is good. Vocals would just ruin the very cool music they produced. They have a strange mixture of Metal, Doom, Hardcore & Middle eastern type music. I love the hooks & grooves they have which really pulls you in. These guys also have a bit of an Acid Rock sound mixed in as well. If you ever get a chance to see this band live, do it!!! - www.STINKINGLIZAVETA.com |
| THE BLACK MARIA - LEAD US TO REASON (11 song CD) VICTORY RECORDS This is a new group to the VICTORY RECORDS family, but the members have been in the scene for awhile. The band consists of members of GRADE, ZYON & NEW DAY RISING. These guys are a Hardcore band, but in no way your typical hardcore band. They blend a lot of different styles together, like Emo, Punk, New Wave, Goth & more. The music goes from a melodic Emo sound into a heavy hitting burst of Hardcore. There is a darkness that blankets the bands whole sound. The vocals are also a blend of these styles. There is a strong Goth, New Wave influence in the vocals though. This was a little different then waht VICTORY puts out, but I enjoyed much! Fans of thier label mates HAWTHORN HEIGHTS will dig these guys!!! - www.THEBLACKMARIA.com |
| TIME KILLS EVERYTHING - SELF TITLED (8 song CD) CAPITAL KILL RECORDS This is the first release from this intense band out of Canada. These guys play sick Death Metal & Grindcore mixed! They toss in some really cool grooves & breakdowns along the way, then hit you with a full blast of aggression. There are some almost Industrial type elements in their sound as well. The vocals are done in a hyper fast paced intense Grindcore type scream with occassional Death growls tossed in. This two piece band features Topon Das of another great Canadian band called FUCK THE FACTS! This is some really great Grindcore! Get This one!!! - TIMEKILLSEVERYTHING@hotmail.com / www.angelfire.com/fang/TIMEKILLSEVERYTHING (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| WASTELAND - TORTURE TACTICS, MERCY KILLINGS (12 song CD) WRECKING CREW This is the newest disc from this Germany based Death Metal band. These guys are a very, very good Death Metal band & have improved a hell of a lot since their last disc. The music is old school styled Death Metal with lots of Thrash Metal influences rolled in. There is a killer grooving vibe all through out their sound as well. The vocals are done in a low Death growl mixed with a mid ranged Throaty Death growl. These guys reminded me a lot of CARCASS, DEATH & DEATH ANGEL all tossed together. These guys are a must for all old school Death heads!!! - contact@WASTELAND.info / www.WASTELAND.info (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| ZARACH' BAAL THARAGH - DUKE (4 song CD) Self Released Hailing out of the dark pits of France comes this Black Metal band. These guys play ultra sick Black metal in an old school style. The music is very fast paced & chaotic sounding. They have a lot of Noise Metal influences tossed into their sound! The vocals are done in a really harsh aggressive Black metal type scream. This is some really crazy sounding Black metal for true Balck Metal fiends!!! - 24 RUE DE BORDEAUX / 57 970 YUTZ / FRANCE |