| MUSIC REVIEWS February 2008 |
| ABSURDITY - URBAN STRIFE (7 track CD) DIABOLUS IN MUSICA ABSURDITY hails from France & plays a very cool old school Thrash Metal meets new school Death Metal style. They have a different sounding style that also melts together some world sounds & technical ones together. I really dig the crunchy groove sound they have at times in their songs. The vocals are done in a gritty dirty Death growl style that is kind of throaty sounding at times. If you liked old school SEPULTURA from the "ARISE" era then you will love these guys! Keep a watch on these guys, cause they are going to spread like wild fire!!! These guys are highly recommended!!! eric@a-larm.net / www.ABSURDITY-music.com |
| (11 track CD) LONG ROAD RECORDS This New York based rocker is climbing to the top of the music scene with his blend of British Pop Rock & Roll music. This is the fifth album from Nackman & the first that he has self produced. The music has a very 60's British Pop sound that melts together with Modern British Pop influences. Most of the music is slow, melodic & ballady. The vocals are done in a clean mid range melodic style with lots of depth. This is not my style of music at all, but I can appriciate someone who has talent & Alex Nackman does! www.ALEXNACKMAN.com |
| ALIENATION MENTAL - PSYCHOPATHICOLORSPECTRUM (8 track CD) KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS I was very pleased to find this album in my hands. These guys play some crushing Grindcore smashed together with brutal Death Metal music. The music is a sonic of madness right from the start. They have a lower end sound that actually has a good Grindcore groove through out with tons of change ups, blasts & stop & start parts. They mix in some Crust influences in some areas as well. The vocals are done in a low ended groggy Grindcore pissed of scream style with mixtures of growls & clean vocals at times too. If you want to hear one of the best Grindcore bands ever to emerge from Czech Republic, then pick this disc up!!! ALIENATION-MENTAL@centrum.cz / http://ALIENATION-MENTAL.wz.cz |
| (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 catchy guitar riffs in their songs with clean clear Modern Metal sounds. They mostly dominate in a Traditional Heavy Metal sound the most though. The vocals are done in a clean mid ranged Heavy Metal/Classic Metal style. This is definately one for all old school Classic Metalheads! www.APEband.com |
| (13 track CD) KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS CEREBRAL TURBULANCY is yet another great band to come out of Czech Republic. These guys have changed a little with their sound. They have less Grindcore elements & more straight forward Death Metal dominace. 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 thier amazing releases! http://CEREBRAL-TURBULENCY.wz.cz |
| DEVOURED FLESH REGURGITATION - BONES, FLESH 'N PARTYSNACKS This is the first & last CD release from this Gore Grind band. These guys started out in 1999 as CANNIBALISM, but after many band memebers & style changes, decided to change their name as well. The music here is very low ended thick & chunky Gore Grind music. The music is very fast paced, spastic at times & very high adrenaline fueled. There are a fe stop & start parts with some changes up here & there. The vocals are done in a very low vomitous gutteral style with some mid ranged Grindcore screams mixed in. If your a Gore Grind freak then these guys are sure to fill you blood soaked appetite!!! ihatehumanity@live.nl / myspace.com/devouredfleshregurgitation |
| DISMEMBER - SELF TITLED (11 track CD) REGAIN RECORDS If you want to hear some of the best true Swedish Death Metal music being played, then look no further than DISMEMBER. These guys 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 newere bands got their influences, lthen pick up this album!!! www.DISMEMBER.se |
| EKOTREN - LIGHT THE FIRE (11 track CD) BLIND PROPHECY RECORDS This Florida based band has been creating their brand of Metal since 2000. These guys have a few different styles of Metal music that help make up their sound. They have a Modern Metal sound with elements of old school Thrash Metal, Speed Metal & Death Metal all mixed within. They melt all these sounds with some heavy influences of Hardcore & come up with a fresh twist on 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 into brick wall. There are some thick & crunchy Death grooves with ultra brutal beats bashing through & through. The guitars have an intense vibe that flows nicely through out each song. The 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!!! FACEBREAKER666@hotmail.com / www.FACEBREAKER.com |
| This is the debut CD release from this Japan based band on PROSTHETIC RECORDS. These guys are going back old school & bring a fresh twist on the great 80's Thrash Metal sound. These guys sound like they could have been right out of the first wave of Thrash Metal bands from that era. The music is very crunchy sounding Thrash with lots of hooks & grooves. They are ultra 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 Death Metal music, that just pounds the hell out of you from start to finish. They have an old school brutality meets new school technical sound. There are lots of really fast blasts mixed with some tempo changes & utter aggression. They do add in some Black Metal flavoring as well to round out their sound. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh throaty Death Metal growl 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! |
| INNER SURGE - AN OFFERING (13 track CD) CYCLONE RECORDS Wow! I was really impressed with these guys from the minute the CD started. They play a mixture of a few styles of Metal music. I can hear lots of Death Metal mixed with Thrash Metal all through out, but there are many elements of Hardcore bursting out all over the place too. They really melt these styles together with such ease. There are some all out Thrash riffs that burst into some chunky thick Hardcore grooves. The vocals are done in a mixture of harsh Hardcore/Metal crossover styles screams with some cleaner Metal vocals too. I liked how they bounced back & forth with these styles. The one band that kept coming to mind was SYSTEM OF A DOWN, just not as wacky sounding & no Nu-Metal! elements INNERSURGE@hotmail.com / www.INNERSURGE.com |
| (13 track CD) Self Released KEYDRAGON has been pumping out music for a few years now & get better & better with each new release. They combine many influences from Gothic, Power, Doom Metal with Darkwave & Death Metal. They add in lots of synth sounds & folk sounds to add more flavoring to their sound. The music sways back & forth through all of these styles of music. The vocals are a combination of Gothic female vocals with some low end male Death vocals & mid ranged Power Metal vocals. KEY DRAGON really likes to mix it up, so if your an open minded Metal head then you must check out this band! KEYDRAGON@juno.com / www.KEYDRAGON.com |
| MARDUK - INFERNAL ETERNAL (18 track 2 CD set) REGAIN RECORDS This is a live 2 disc CD set of some of the most hellish Black Metal ever played by one of the best Black Metal bands ever. MARDUK has been spreading thier satanic plague for over 10 years now & this is one dedicated to their loyal worshipers. The recording was done on the World Panzer battle Tour in France. They have a very raw old school Black Metal sound. It's just pure 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 mid ranged groggy Death/Black Metal growl/scream style! Hera them at their best right here!!! www.MARDUK.nu |
| MARDUK - LA GRANDE DANSE MACABRE (11 track CD) REGAIN RECORDS This is a remastered version of this album that comes with a bonus DVD. First of the CD sounds amazing with MARDUK playing old school styled Black Metal. This release has more Death 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 ranged harsh Death/Black Metal growl/scream style. The DVD is a live recording from Germany 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 POINT (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 all through out. They have a hyper fast paced an aggressive sound that is relentless & never lets up. There are a few moments where there are breaks, but they are very short ones. There are blast beats galore that just plow you over & proceed to trample you. The vocals are done in a 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!!! www.NEEDFULTHINGS.wz.cz |
| (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 guys for awhile now. NYCTOPHOBIC play some spastic sounding Death Grind music. They get right in your face & destroy you. They have a crusty Grindcore sound that is bashed together 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 releases, compilations & some unreleased tracks. If you like Grindcore & having your ears bleed 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 CD0 SOLID STATE Hailing from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania comes this "blue collar Metal" outfit with their debut Cd release on SOLID STATE RECORDS. These guys are definately 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, percise & 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! |
| RUBUFASO MUKUFO / OPITZ - SPLIT (21 track CD) KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS Here is yet another great Death/Grind release from KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS. This one comes in the form of a split release from OPITZ & RUBUFASO MUKUFO. Both of these bands play some highly intense & hyper sounding Death Grind music. Sometimes they lean towards one style over the other, but most of the time it is a blend of both. The vocals for both bands are done in a Death/Grind crossover style as well with a mixture of Death growls & Grindcore screams. If you'd like anything else from this label, then you'll love this release as well! www.myspace.com/RUBUFASOMUKUFO OPITZ@atlas.cz / www.myspace.com/opitz1 |
| (12 track CD) ROTTEN RECORDS I was very anxious to check this band out. POLKADOT CADAVER is Todd & Jason from DOG FASHION DISCO (who I interviewed). This new incarnation picks up right where D.F.D. left off. The music is very quirky sounding & encompasses lots of different musical styles. They have a weird mix of Hardcore, Metal, Pop, Punk & more all rolled into their bizarre & unique sound. I prefer the heavier parts over the slower ones, but it breaks up the songs nicely. 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 Grindcore music. That is exactly what they deliver & they smash it in your face. The music is super fast, very spastic with some controled 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 gutteral 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 POPPY SEED GRINDER would be the band of all bands to do so!!! info@POPPYSEEDGRINDER.cz / www.POPPYSEEDGRINDER.cz |
| 21 LUCIFERS - IN THE NAME OF... (18 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS 21 LUCIFERS is another great band to be put out by 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 accompaning them. I was totally hooked on these guys by the end of the first track. The one band that comes to mind, not that they sound exactly like them is JOB FOR A COWBOY, which is a band I totally dig! These guys should be plastered everywhere very soon! Another band that should be a lot bigger than they are because they deserve to be!!! |
| SALT THE WOUND - CARNAL REPERCUSSIONS SALT THE WOUND hail from Cleveland & play a very popular style of Metal music right now. This is a high intensity blend of Hardcore & Metal. I love this style because these guys mix together my two favorite styles of music & do it better than most. They do add in some almost Grindcore type influences at times, mostly in the vocal stylings. There are a lot of technical & well constructed song structures. The music has break downs, tempo changes & some all out blasts. The vocals are done in mid ranged to higher pitched Death growl/scream style. This is a must for fans of JOB FOR A COWBOY, THE FACELESS, SUICIDE SILENCE & BORN OF OSIRIS! Get this! Get This! Get this! www.SALTTHEWOUND.com |
| 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! |
| SIN DEALER - DYING TO LIVE This Toronto Canada based band is trying to give the Metal scene a punch of pure Metal at it's finest. They have done a good job in the form of their new album "DYING TO LIVE" These guys play some really dirty sounding Metal. There are influences taken from Sludge, Doom, Traditional, Stoner & Heavy Metal music with some touches of Southern Rock mixed within. The music is very rocking & grooving all through out. The vocals are done in an alcohol soaked gritty back bar style. Blend together FIREBALL MINISTRY, DOWN, MOTORHEAD, WOLF www.myspace.com/SINDEALER |
| STRUGGLE WITHIN - ANGEL'S FACE (10 track CD) ARCTIC MUSIC GROUP 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 definately 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 fash 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 recomended album to buy!!! SUICIDALWINDS@myway.com / 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 alot 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 bands with some good music. These guys are leading the pack in that aspect. They play a very 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 intitled "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, brakdowns & stop & starts. There is a mid ranged harsh screaming Hardcore style to thier 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 WARRIOR 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!!! heavyalin@hotmail.com / 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 errie 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! ZOMBIEBATTLEAXE@yahoo.com / myspace.com/ZOMBIEBATTLEAXE |