| MUSIC REVIEWS (February 2008) |
| APE - SELF TITLED (8 track CD) Self Released APE is a straight up Metal band. They do add in elements of different styles of Metal, but they are a Metal band through & through. They have touches of Classic 70's Metal with Traditional 80's Heavy Metal & then some 90's Power & Thrash Metal mixed all with in. There is some cool a Traditional Heavy Metal sound the most though. The vocals are done in a clean mid ranged Heavy Metal/Classic Metal style. This is definitely one for all old school Classic Metalheads! www.APEband.com |
| CEREBRAL TURBULANCY - KRES TEST (13 track CD) KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS The CEREBRAL TURBULANCY guys have changed a little with their sound. They have less These guys have changed a little with their sound. They have less Grindcore elements & more straight forward Death Metal dominance. There are some crunchy Grindcore parts, but just not as much. I like the thick grooves they have with all the different tempo changes & down beats. There are some slight old school Metal sounding guitar parts at times to that remind me of a lot of the 80's Thrash bands. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death growl style that is a bit groggy at times! This is a bit different from past releases, but still a great addition to their amazing releases! http://CEREBRAL-TURBULENCY.wz.cz |
| DISMEMBER - SELF TITLED (11 track CD) REGAIN RECORDS DISMEMBER have been pouring out some of the best old school styled Death Metal music for many years now. They have a thick full old school Death Metal style with some touches of Speed Metal, especially in the guitar parts. The music is done a very fast past, non stop hyper & in your face. You can feel your eardrums start to bleed as soon as the music kicks in! The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death Metal growl style! If you want to see where most of these newer bands got their influences, then pick up this album!!! www.DISMEMBER.se |
| EKOTREN - LIGHT THE FIRE (11 track CD) Self Released EKOTREN mix in a lot of different styles of Metal music that help make up their sound. They have a Modern Metal sound the modern sound of Heavy music. I dig the whole vibe of these guys in each song they fill it with atmosphere, groove, brutality, melody & pure aggression. These guys could be one of the leaders of the new wave of Metal music as we know it. Check 'em out!!! www.EKOTREN.com |
| FACE BREAKER - DEAD ROTTEN AND HUNGRY (11 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS I knew I was going to like these guys, just from their cool band name! These guys play a very brutal & intense style of old school Death Metal music. It's a blend of American & European Death metal influences. The music is a high speed adrenaline rush that just slams you face first vocals are a mid to low ranged Death growl style. These guys remind me of a lot of the old school American bands out of Florida & the ones from the Swedish Death Metal scene! That there alone tells you enough that this is one of the best Death Metal CDs releases you must have! |
| GRIEF OF WAR - A MOUNTING CRISIS (10 track CD) PROSTHETIC RECORDS This is the debut CD release from this Japan based band on PROSTHETIC RECORDS. These tight with a fast technical sound. The vocals are done in a mid ranged rough Thrash metal style. If you were to take some of the German Thrash Metal bands of the 80's & mix them with bands like NUCLEAR ASSAULT, TESTAMENT FORBIDDEN & EXODUS you'd have a good idea of what these guys sound like!!! This means you must pick up this amazing release!!! www.GRIEFOFWAR.x0.com |
| IN AETERNUM - CURSE OF DEVASTATION (4 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS These guys have been destroying the Death Metal scene for years. With this new release they have brought some more crushing weapons to the battle. They play a very full sounding style of some tempo changes & utter aggression. They do add in some Black Metal flavoring as well to style. This is by far the best release from these guys yet, unfortunately it's such a short disc! If you never heard these guys before, 1st off, why not? & 2nd start with this album! |
| MARDUK - INFERNAL ETERNAL (18 track 2 CD set) REGAIN RECORDS best Black Metal bands ever. MARDUK has been spreading their satanic plague for over 10 years now & this is one dedicated to their loyal worshipers. The recording was done on the World evil, aggression & hatred for Christianity pouring out everywhere. There is no fluff or atmospheric Black metal anywhere to be found. Old school all the way. The vocals are done in a This is a live 2 disc CD set of some of the most hellish Black Metal ever played by one of the mid ranged groggy Death/Black Metal growl/scream style! Hera them at their best right here!!! www.MARDUK.nu |
| MARDUK - LA GRANDE DANSE MACABRE (10 track CD) REGAIN RECORDS This is a remastered version of this album that comes with a bonus DVD. First of the CD sounds Metal influences mixed within than some others. They have an aggressive cold dark old school sound with some more modern Death Metal influences mixed in. The vocals are done in a mid on December 12th, 200. If you are a fan of this band it is essential that you have this release in your collection! www.MARDUK.nu |
| NEEDFUL THINGS - DEAD POINTS (15 track CD) KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS God Damn! NEEDFUL THINGS just starts beating the shit out of you from the first second on. They play a very heavy in your face Death Metal style with lots of Grindcore influences mixed up. There are a few moments where there are breaks, but they are very short ones. There are mid ranged Death/Grind crossover growl/scream style. These guys will make you very exhausted from listening! If you can handle it, then take a listen! You've been warned!!! |
| NYCTOPHOBIC - BLAST FROM THE PAST (27 track CD) KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS I was very happy to find this slab of chaotic madness in my hands. I have been a fan of theses NYCTOPHOBIC play some spastic sounding Death Grind music. They guys for awhile now. with old school Death Metal music. The vocals are done in a low end Death growl with some higher pitched Grindcore vocals. This CD compiles many tracks taken from 7" releases, split with joy then you must get one or all of this bands releases!!! You won't be disappointed!!! www.NYCTOPHOBIC.de |
| ONCE NOTHING - FIRST CAME THE LAW (12 track CD) SOLID STATE RECORDS This the bands first release on SOLID STATE RECORDS. These guys are definitely a Metal band by heart but they do blend in many elements of Hardcore & even some Southern Rock sounds too. They have a very technical, precise & polished Metal sound that is very tight & clean. I really liked how they have taken the sounds of todays Metal scene & twisted & molded it into something that is their own. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Hardcore/Metal crossover scream style. Watch out for these guys, because I'm sure that you will be hearing a lot from them in the near future! |
| POLKA DOT CADAVER - PURGATORY DANCE PARTY (12 track CD) ROTTEN RECORDS I was very anxious to check this band out. POLKA DOT CADAVER is Todd & Jason from DOG FASHION DISCO (who I interviewed). This new incarnation picks up right where styles. They have a weird mix of Hardcore, Metal, Pop, Punk & more all rolled into their bizarre The vocals are also done in a wide range of styles. These guys may sound like a joke type band, but they are very skilled musicians & very talented. The closest comparison I can give is that they are like the twin brothers of MR. BUNGLE that nobody ever knew about until now!!! www.myspace.com/POLKADOTCADAVER |
| POPPY SEED GRINDER - OPPRESSED REALITY (8 track CD) KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS What else would you expect from a band called POPPY SEED GRINDER other than pure sick super fast, very spastic with some controlled chaos. They have an old school vibe happening through out their sound as well.The vocals are done in a combine style of low end guttural Death vomits & mid ranged screechy Grindcore vocals.I really dig these guys a lot & have always enjoyed just about every band I've heard come out of Czech Republic. These guys have gone right to the top of that list! If there ever was a band to best represent the Czech Grindcore scene these guys would be it! www.POPPYSEEDGRINDER.cz |
| 21 LUCIFERS - IN THE NAME OF (18 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS These guys have a hyper intense Death Metal style. They do add in some ultra fast shreds in the guitar work that is heavily Thrash influenced. They are not stop high speed adrenaline all through out the whole disc. The vocals are done in a mid ranged thick Death growl with some groggy almost screaming growls accompanying them. I was totally hooked on these guys by the end of the first Another band that should be a lot bigger than they are because they deserve to be!!! |
| SATERIEL - CHIFRA (5 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS I was kind of surprised when I popped this disc in. I was expecting a straight out pure evil Black Metal band. They have a Black Metal sound for sure, but they also blend in many elements of Thrash Metal & Power Metal. The lower end growling Black Metal vocals are accompanied by mid ranged clean Power Metal vocals. The music is more on the Black/Thrash Metal side with some well orchestrated structures. There is a fullness & crispness to their sound. I actually liked the combination of the above styles a lot. It gave them a bit of a fresh sound & they are doing it better than most of the bands attempting this style! |
| STRUGGLE WITHIN - ANGEL'S FACE (? track CD) ARCTIC PRESS Straight from the heart of Texas comes the debut release from STRUGGLE WITHIN. These guys unleash a unique style of Metal by blending together their Progressive Metalcore with some Southern Metal vibes. The music has a very thick grooving style to it. They go from a more melodic grooved based sound into a fast Speed Metal shredding style. The music definitely has a good flow to it & really pulls you in. The vocals are also done in a mid ranged clean melodic Metal style with some throaty Metal screams backing them at times. If your a fan of GODSMACK, DISTURBED & PAPA ROACH, then you'll dig these guys!!! |
| SUICIDAL WINDS - CHAOS RISING (11 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS Here's a surprise, another great release from a band on PULVERISED RECORDS. This label releases nothing but top quality Metal bands. SUICIDAL WINDS play some very tight fast Death Metal music with tons of Thrash Metal type influences. These guys have gotten better with each new release & have created another amazing album. The music has touches of old school German Thrash Metal mixed with some old school Norwegian Black Metal. How could you go wrong with a combination like this. You can't! The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death/Thrash Metal crossover style! This is another highly recommended album to buy!!! www.myspace.com/SUICIDALWINDS |
| VANMAKT - VREDSKAPTA MORKERSAGOR (11 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS And yet, another great band being released on PULVERISED RECORDS. This time around it comes in the form of a fierce & powerful Black metal band. These guys have a hyper fast & harsh sounding old school influenced Black metal style. The music has a lot of depth & technicality to it. They blast the hell out of you & never let up. The vocals are done in a mid to high range soar throat sounding growl style. There is a bit of an atmospheric new school Black Metal feel to their music too. These guys have put out one hell of a good album that deserves to be played often & as loud as possible!!! New & Old School Black Metal hordes can find a happy middle ground with these guys!!! |
| TEMPLE OF WRATH - UNLEASHED (4 track CD) DEATH SYNDICATE This is the newest project from the guys in PRIMEVAL. The music here is done in a new school Death Metal style. It has a more technical sound with lots of crushing grooves, riffs & beat downs. The music does have some Thrash Metal influences present, especially in some of the guitar arrangements. The vocals are done in a mid ranged coarse Death growl style. They actually remind me of PANTERA a lot from the "FAR BEYOND DRIVEN" era, but with a little bit more Death Metal elements. A very cool preview of what is to come from these guys! I look forward to their next release already!!! |
| THIEVES & LIARS - WHEN DREAMS BECOME REALITY (12 track CD) FACEDOWN RECORDS THIEVES & LIARS are giving Rock & Roll the kick in the ass it needs to produce some great gritty style of Rock & Roll music with some elements of Metal, Classic Rock & Southern Rock all mixed together. They have a strong 70's Rock style that blankets the sound of their music. The vocals are done in a dirty Southern Metal style with some higher & lower ended vocals styles. This is a must for all fans of classic LED ZEPPELIN, THE WHO & PINK FLOYD. www.myspace.com/weareallTHIEVESANDLIARS |
| THIS IS HELL - MISFORTUNE (13 track CD) TRUSTKILL RECORDS This is a promo copy of the bands up coming release entitled "MISFORTUNE". These guys play a very crushing style of Hardcore music. They do take elements of old school Hardcore & mash them together with new school Hardcore elements. There are a lot of up beat & aggressive sounding riffs, grooves & choruses mixed with tempo changes, breakdowns & stop & starts. There is a mid ranged harsh screaming Hardcore style to their vocals too. I saw these guys on last years SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND tour & dug them, this new releases blows away anything they did then!!! I'm looking forward to getting the actual release!!! |
| Y.O.C. - METAL WARRIORS PART 1 (3 track CD) self Released Y.O.C. is a talented singer & song writer who has been writing & producing CDs since 2000. He takes elements from Classical music & Metal music & meshes them together to create a style all his own. On this new Ep CD release he is paying tribute to some of his favorite bands. These songs are all covers from ICED EARTH, IRON MAIDEN & SAXON. The songs are done really well & are not much different from the originals. They do a good job with the covers, but I'd like to hear some of their original work to really judge them!!! www.myspace.com/YOConline |
| ZOMBIE BATTLE AXE - ...NOW YOU ARE DEAD (? track CD) Self Released This CD release is a primitive & raw recording of some very eerie sounding music. The music is comprised of horror noise & improvised organs that is inspired by the cursed souls of the undead. The music is supposed to be a soundtrack to a fictitious B-movie zombie attack. It's a creepy strange feeling you get from listening to this. There is a cold dark haunted woods type vibe that passes through you when hearing it. They say in the bio that it's time to decide if you would rather end your life or take your chances with the undead. I guess that sums it all up. I would like to see an actual B-movie Horror zombie film with this as the soundtrack though! www.myspace.com/ZOMBIEBATTLEAXE |
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