| MUSIC REVIEWS (February 2006) |
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| ARSEBREED - MUNCHING THE ROTTEN (11 track CD) NEUROTIC RECORDS ARSEBREED play some highly intense & sick sounding Death Metal music. They have a style that is similar to the Florida Death Metal scene in the early 90's. The music is hyper fast & brutal as hell sounding. Mixed within all the brutalness is lots of grooves & change ups too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged to low end Death growl style. These guys would be great addition to the music collection for any fan into bands like DEICIDE & DEEDS OF FLESH!!! |
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| BLACK BLEEDING - THE AWAKENING (promo) (5 track CD) Self Released BLACK BLEEDING emerges from the darkness of France & play some very good intense Death Metal music. The music has a really strong old school Death Metal feel to it. I can hear some Black Metal & Thrash Metal influences peaking through at times. The music is very fast paced & hyper all through out. There is a coldness about the music too. The vocals are done in a low end Death growl style mixed with some low end Death screams. This is definately one old school Death heads will take a liking to, as well as grab some new school Death fans too. Check it!!! BLACKBLEEDING@hotmail.com / www.listen.toBLACKBLEEDING |
| CANVAS SOLARIS - PENUMBRA DIFFUSE (7 track CD) SENSORY RECORDS This is my first time hearing this three man brutal Jazz group. That's right I said brutal Jazz! These guys play instrumental technical Metal music with lots of Jazz tossed in & the music is based all on outer space. This is the second full legnth album form these guys. There are tons of time changes all through out the music. The band used to have a singer & played Metal/Mathcore styled music. This album takes them in a whole new direction. The music is very soothing at times then turns into hyper intensity. These guys are like an instrumental version of VOIVOD, MR. BUNGLE & DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN all rolled into one!!! Now that should be enough to let you know to get this CD!!! |
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| DARK FUNERAL - ATTERO TOTUS SANCTUS (promo) (8 track CD) CANDLELIGHT RECORDS Does DARK FUNERAL really need an introduction to anyone out there in the Death Metal community? If so, you should be ashamed. These guys have been ripping apart the Death Metal world for many years now & doing it better than most. They have a bit more of a technical Death Metal sound now, but they mix it up still with their old school Death Metal roots. The music is hyper fast, super tight & very, very intense sounding. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl/scream mixture style. Ocassionaly there are some lower end Death growls & some higher end Death screams! Every Death Metal collection should include DARK FUNERAL!!! |
| DAWN OF CORRECTION - SWINGIN THE CHAIN (5 track CD) Self Released DAWN OF CORRECTION hail from my area of Philadelphia, Pa. & play a big mixture of Metal styles. They don't like to be thrown into one Metal style, so they have pulled from their influences & combined them into one sound. You can hear a lot of old school Thrash metal influences the most, but they do toss in Speed, Death, Nu-Metal, Traditional & even some Hardcore type influences. They have a good rythm & groove happening all through out the CD. The vocals also follow in this style by adding Thrash, Death & Traditional Metal vocal styles. I really dug these guys a lot & they reminded me of another Philly band called ORCUS!!! DOCinurface@comcast.net / www.rockinDOCstyle.com |
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| DEATHSPELL OMEGA - KENOSE (promo) (3 track CD) SOUTHERN LORD DEATHSPELL OMEGA play some very, very good sounding Black Metal music. These guys are not your everyday run of the mill Black Metal band though. These guys let you witness true emotions, meanings & images through sound all in the mind of the creator. There is nothing but pure dark energy flowing through this music. There is a really atmospheric & enchanting opening, but then you get kicked in the teeth, when they unleash their hellish fury onto the listener. There is a cold old school Black metal feel with new school technicality. The vocals are done ina mid ranged harsh Black Metal growl/scream style. This is a must for all die hard Black Metal hordes!!! |
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| DEATHWORK - EVOLVE TO EXTINGUISH (6 track CD) Self Released DEATHWORK hails from Italy & play a good mixture of Death Metal & Thrash metal music. The music has an old school Metal vibe of the two combined styles. There are some new Metal influences that appear through out their songs as well as some Grindcore type parts too. There are some cool all out shredding & blasting parts along with some quick change ups. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Thrash/Death crossover style. This is the bands second CD release to date. These guys reminded me of some of the great bands like EXODUS, KREATOR, SODOM & even a litlle DESTRUCTION at times! Fans of these bands will most likely enjoy DEATHWORK!!! infoDEATHW@yahoo.it / g.malaponte@libero.it / www.DEATHWORK.com |
| DEGREE ABSOLUTE - SELF TITLED (9 track CD) SENSORY / THE LASER'S EDGE This is the debut release from this U.S. Progressive Metal band. The music is very intricate & quite involved sounding. There is a lot of tempo changes, stops & starts, breakdowns & all out shredding all mixed within the songs. They do toss in some elements of Jazz, Ambient, Doom, Thrash & other technical music styles. Sometimes the music blasts an all out Thrash Metal style & others it has a Traditional Metal style. The vocals are done in a strong melodic Power/ Traditional Metal style. This is a good release for fans of FATES WARNING, DREAM THEATER & even HAMMERFALL!!! |
| EBOLIE - ELEVATION INTO DISINTEGRATION (9 track CD) GRINDHEAD RECORDS Blasting out of Australia comes this intense band called EBOLIE. These guys play a mixture of Death Metal, Grindcore & some touches of Hardcore all in one. The music is spastically fast & aggressive as hell. I like the way they go into a grinding blast then stop instantly & drudge their way back up into a slow to fast Grind blast again. They even toss in some grooves, funky bass parts & some scratching as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged angry in your face Death/Grind growl/scream crossover style. This is one for fans of DEADFOOD, FETUS EATERS, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, ANAL CUNT & even old SLIPKNOT!!! 69 MELROSE AVE / SYLVANIA 2224 / SYNDNEY / AUSTRALIA EBOLIE_metal@lycos.com / catonastiff@hotmail.com / www.EBOLIE.com |
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| EVER WE FALL - WE ARE BUT HUMAN (12 track CD) HOPLESS / SUB CITY RECORDS This is the debut full legnth album from Portland, Oregon's EVER WE FALL. This three piece play Pop Punk music with lots of Indie Rock & Emo influences all tossed in the mix. The music has lots of Pop hooks, burst of emotion & some adrenaline rushes all mashed together. The music sometimes leans more towards one style than another & other times it blends them all together. The vocals are done in a powerful Emo style with the occassional Punk vocal accompanying it. There are some good grooves & beats all through out as well. This should appeal to fans of FALL OUT BOY & HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS!!! www.EVERWEFALL.com |
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| FCKN'BSTRDS - SYLVESTER IM KNIESCHUSSCLUB (1 track CD) Self Released This is a live CD release from FCKN' BSTRDS out of the Netherlands. This was recorded live in Knieschussclub Bremen. They strated playing On December 31st, 2005 & ended their set on January 1st, 2006. These guys play some really crazy, psychotic & insane PowerTrash music. The music is very chaotic & spastic sounding Experimental,/Noise music. There is tons of feedback, samples & all kinds of weird sounds pouring from this band. The vocals are really aggressive & crazy screaming sounds too. This was one heel of a way to spend the new year, if you were at this show!!! www.FCKNBSTRDS.com |
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| FOLLY - RESIST CONVIENCE (12 track CD) TRIPLE CROWN RECORDS FOLLY is based in Sussex County NJ & has released it's 2nd album onto the public. These guys play a very abrasive & harsh sounding style of Hardcore music. There is so much intensity in their songs that last all the way through. There are some flavors of Ska tossed into the mix as well as some really hokking grooves. The vocals are mostly done in a higher pitched Hardcore scream, but then there are some mid ranged catchy Ska styled vocals as well. These guys mix it up & do a good job at it. They will most likely sit at the top of the pile of some of the best bands to emerge out of NJ!!! www.FOLLYnj.com |
| GRIMFIST - 10 STEPS TO HELL (10 track CD) CANDLELIGHT RECORDS Here we have the 2nd album release from GRIMFIST. These guys play some hyper intense & powerful sounding Death Metal hitting head on with Thrash Metal music. There is a lot of thunderous & heavy drumming all through out. They toss in lots of insane guitar shredding as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death/Thrash crossover style. Some times the vocals will lean a little more towards one style though. They remind me of when a lot of bands were making that merge in the early 90's. This is a like a high speed bullet shot right into your ears & I love it!!! www.GRIMFIST.com |
| HELEVORN - FRAGMENTS (8 track CD) Self Released HELEVORN comes to us from Spain & play a different sounding style of Metal music. Their music is not typical sounding Metal I usuaully hear from Spain. These guys play a Gothic style of Metal that takes influences from Death, Black, Doom & Thrash Metal music. There is a dark vibe that blankets their music all through out. They have some errie & atmospheric keyboard sounds that sets the mood for their songs. The vocals are done in a mid ranged deep melodic & clean Goth style, that reminded me of TYPE O NEGATIVE a lot. Ocassionaly they toss in some lower Death Metal type growls into the vocals. These guys are very interesting & worth checking out!!! P.O. BOX 5056 / 07011 PALMA DE MALLORCA / SPAIN info@HELEVORN.com / www.HELEVORN.com |
| INFLICTION - THE SILENCER (11 track CD) CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC INFLICTION play a combination a few Metal styles of music. They mostly set their foundation in Thrash Metal type music, but add elements of Power, Progressive, Death, Speed & Traditional Metal styles. Tere is some really cool crunchy guitar shredding & cool grooving rhythms in all of their songs. I liked this about their their music the most. They also add in some more atmospheric parts as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged clean Traditional Metal style, blending in some Power Metal, Thrash Metal & Death Metal vocals here & there. This band surely mixes it up in their music & they seem to do it with ease!!! They reminded me a lot of the great TESTAMENT!!! |
| NACHTMYSTIUM - SELF TITLED (6 track CD) BATTLE KOMMAND RECORDS This is a re-release of the bands "SELF TITLED" EP which came out in 2002 originally on REGIMENTAL RECORDS. This band plays some really hasrh & cold sounding old school Black Metal music. The music is very fast paced, a little noisy & highly aggressive sound & full of hatred. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh & throaty Black Metal style, with some screams & growls tossed in. They do a cover of the JUDAS ISCARIOT song "Gaze Upon Heaven In Flames" too. These guys sometimes reminded me of MOTORHEAD if they played old school Black Metal! www.battlekommand.com |
| PHILOSPHER - THOUGHTS (11 track CD) RUPTURED SILENCE RECORDS PHILOSPHER play some really good sounding Death Metal music. I like that they have an old school Death Metal feel that incorporates some Thrash metal elements into their sound. The music does have old school Death Metal brutality, mixed with some new school Death Metal technical-ness. The music is quite involved sounding & takes you on a lot of twists & turns. They toss in some slower more sludgy parts to mix things up a bit. The vocals are done in a mid to low ranged Death growl style like early 90's Death bands! Old Death heads will surely enjoy these guys!!! www.PHILOSPHER-music.de (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT - LEFT IN GRISLY FASHION (10 track CD) NEUROTIC RECORDS PROSTITUTE DISFIGURMENT has once agian smashed us in the face with their 3rd CD release. These guys continue down the path htye already obliterated, by playing some intense & heavy as fuck Death Vomit music. They play old school Death Metal mixed with Grindgore & they do it better than most. The music is hyper fast paced all through out, with some grooves tossed in evry once in awhile. The vocals are done in a very low end Death gurggles style & is vomited right in your face. These guys need to be heard, to be believed, but take note, you have been warned that this guys will shred the shit out of you!!! |
| QUINCY SHANKS - SAMPLER #5 (12 track CD) QUINCY SHANKS This is a CD sampler for QUINCY SHANKS RECORDS. The CD contains songs from bands on their label. There is a total of 12 songs & 7 bands on this sampler CD. The bands include BLACK PRINT, FACTION OF THE FOX (my favorite) BISCAYNE, THE 4-SQUARES, TRICKY DICK, LITTLEMAN COMPLEX & THE BROKEDOWNS. Most of the bands here play in the style of Punk, Hardcore & Emo styles, except for FACTION OF THE FOX. These guys play a Hardcore version of Hip Hop & they reminded me of INSANE CLOWN POSSE, WOLFPAC & TWIZTID all mixed together. This is a free sampler so get in touch with the label for your copy!!! P.O. BOX 3035 / SAINT CHARLES, IL. 60174 www.QUINCYSHANKS.com |
| RAM-ZET - INTRA (promo) (9 track CD) CANDLELIGHT RECORDS This is my first time hearing this band. These guys play a mix of Death Metal & Black Metal music. The music is more in the Death Metal range, but is coated with tons of Black metal elements. There are some Thrash metal influences that poke out at times too. The music has a different sound for a band of this style. I like the keyboard sounds a lot, because they don't sound like most of the Black Metal bands out there. There are male thraosty Black metal vocals mixed with some angelic like female vocals. If your a fand of Black, Death or Thrash Metal music you shoudl check this out, cause there is a little bit for everyone here! A very original sounding Metal band I highly recommend!!! |
| SCARS - THE NETHER HELL (6 track CD) Self Released SCARS was born in Brazil back in 1991 & play some really great sounding Thrash metal music. The music is very energetic & powerful sounding. These guys take me back to when I was really getting into Metal & Thrash was big. The music is very crunchy & harsh Thrash sounding. They toss in some Speed & Heavy metal influences at times too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged dual vocal style with one being a little bit higher Thrash & one being a little lower Thrash sounding. The vocals are a blend of NUCLEAR ASSAULT & EXODUS, while the music is a combination of ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, EXODUS & a little bit of CARCASS sounding! Well worth getting! SCARS@SCARS.com.br / www.SCARS.com.br |
| SUN DESCENDS - INCINERATING THE MEEK (10 track CD) TWILIGHT - VERTRIEB SUN DESCENDS is a NYC Thrash Metal band that is fronted by Thrash Metal veteran Mem V. Stein of the 80's German Thrash Metal band EXUMER. These guys play some very extreme & intense sounding Thrash with a strong New York attitude. The music is high eneregy all through out & even has an old school New York hardcore vibe at times, in the vein of AGNOSTIC FRONT. There is tons of heavy shredding & emense pounding all through out their songs. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Thrash metal style that reminded me of a NUCLEAR ASSAULT a bit. This is a definate must for all Thrash Metal fanatics out there!!! www.SUNDESCENDS.com |
| TALLBOY SHOTGUN - SELF TITLED (4 track CD) Self Released Hailing from Vancouver, Washington, comes this four piece Thrash Metal band. These guys bring us some high energy sounding Thrash Metal music They do have an old school meets new school Thrash Metal sound to their music. You can hear some Death Metal influences that pop up now & then too. I like how the drum sound has an almost marching band sound to it, it's very thick & solid. The vocals are done in a low end Thrash Metal almost growl style with some more mid ranged melodic Thrash vocals mxied in. They are like a cross between old ANTHRAX meets CROWBAR! These guys will grab older Thrash Metal fans as well as some new younger Thrash Metal fans. |
| THE AUTUMN OFFERING - REVELATIONS OF THE UNSUNG (10 track CD) VICTORY RECORDS This is the debut CD releases from Daytona Beach's own THE AUTUMN OFFERING. These guys blend two of my favorite styles of music together (Hardcore & Metal & they do it with ease. The music has a strong Metal sound to it, with lots of Hardcore attitude & vibes all through out. They combine elements of IN FLAMES, SLAYER, PANTERA, SOILENT GREEN, HATEBREED & SHADOWS FALL together to crete their sound. There is a dark feel that blankets the music too. They add in some greta riffs, cool grooves, fast & slow change ups & some unexpected breakdowns in their songs. The vocals are done in a harsh Hardcore/Death Metal crossover growl/scream style. These guys are really intense & very good. This one will get much play in my CD collection!!! www.THEAUTUMNOFFERING.com |
| THE MASS - PERFECT PICTURE OF WISDOM AND BOLDNESS (8 track CD) CRUCIAL BLAST Oakland, California's THE MASS hits us with their second CD offering. These guys play a unique brand of Thrash Metal music that blends some other styles of music in as well. I can hear lots of influences from Doom, Stoner Rock, Indie Rock, Heavy Metal & Death metal all coming through in different places. There is a strong sludgy Stoner Rock vibe that covers a lot of the music. These guys reminded me of a heavier & more energetic version of MONSTER MAGNET. You can hear some Jazz elements present too. The vocals are done in a slow Doom style mixed with Harsh Thrash & even some Death metal screams all rolled into one!!! There is a lot happening in their sound, so I'm sure every Metal fan can find something to like about these guys!!! www.THEMASS.us |
| THYRFING - FARSOTSTIDER (promo) (8 track CD) CANDLELIGHT RECORDS THYRFING play a very dark & aggressive style of Black Metal music. They do blend in lots of elements of Death Metal music as well. There is a slow sludgy like chugging in their sound too. This is probably from the low end guitar sound. Then they will kick it up & have high speed blast & then go back into the slower paced sounds. There are some atmospheric keyboards that set some errie sounding moods in the music too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl style mixed with some Black Metal screams at times too. This one is calling all Death & Black Metal fans to come & get it! |
| V:28 - SOUL SAVIOR (9 track CD) VENDULUS RECORDS This is the second album from V:28 in a trilogy. These guys play Industrial Metal music, but crossover into a lot of other genres of music. There are lots of Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom, Thrash & some Progressive music as well. These songs are very well constructed &are very technical sounding. There is a cold dark feeling that covers their music all through out. There are some more symphonic & atmospheric sounds too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged hallowed Black Metal style. These guys are great & quite original sounding. If you took bands like MINISTRY, EMPEROR, VENOM, SLAYER & DIMMU BORGIR all mixed into one super group then you'd have a good idea of what these guys would sound like!!! V28@change.to / www.V28.com |
| VORE - MALEFICUS (8 track CD) FROZEN SOLID MUSIC I was glad to get this disc in my hands, because I have followed these guys in the scene for many years now. VORE play a great combination of Death, Doom, Thrash & Traditional Metal music. These guys have gotten beter & better with each new release. The music is very tight, aggressive & just tromps all over you. I like the cool chugging forward groove Death Metal sound they have a lot. This could be from the bands new rhythm section. The vocals are done in amid ranged Death growl style that has an old school Death Metal style to it. These guys should be bigger than they are in the Death Metal scene!!! They surely deserve to be!!! P.O. BOX 8425 / FAYETTEVILLE, AR. 72703-0008 VORE@VORE.org / www.VORE.org |
| WATERDOWN - ALL RIOT (11 track CD) VICTORY RECORDS These guys hail from Germany & play a very cool combination of Metal, Hardcore & Punk Rock music, which is now being called Screamo. They have some really powerful hitting Hardcore driving music that is filled with Metal guitar tinges & grooving Punk Rock elements. There is a mix of dark & up beat vibes all through out their music. The band has two vocalists, one doing the more melodic & Punk styles, while the other doing the harsh screaming Metal/Hardcore crossover vocals. These guys are really good & fit in quite well with a lot of the bands that VICTORY has on their label. I could see lots of fans of both Hardcore & Metal getting into these guys!!! moshpit@WATERDOWN.de / www.WATERDOWN.de |
| XASTHUR / LEVIATHAN - SPLIT (10 track CD) BATTLE KOMMAND RECORDS This is a re-release of the LP version that was released in 2004 by PROFOUND LORE RECORDS. This CD version contains bonus tracks from each artist. The first 7 tracks come from XASTHUR playing some really cold & dark sounding Black Metal music. The music is kind of atmospheric, but old world Black Metal sounding. The vocals are done in a harsh low end Black Metal style. The last 3 tracks come from LEVIATHAN also playing some old school Black Metal music. The music is very cold & war like Black Metal music. The vocals here are done in a low end Black Metal scream/growl style as well. This will appeal to all old school Black Metal fans, but new schoolers may not embrace it as much!!! |