| MUSIC REVIEWS Page #2 |
| FACIOUS KHAN - SNOWBUSH FIGHT (11 song CD) ONION MIND GAMES/WHEELCHAIR This is some wierd Experimental Punk/ Metal music. The music has a strong Metal feel to it, in the guitars especially, but the music is played in a simple Punk like way. The vocals remind me of Henry Rollins when he was in BLACK FLAG. The song styles also remind me of BLACK FLAG. Some songs include "Violence And LSD", "Sit On The Toilet", "France Is Boring" & more! For a good listen & for some simple old school Punk Rock, check these guys out!!! - P.O. BOX 5418 / SAGINAW, MI. 48603 GRIEF SOCIETY - WATERFALL (5 song CD) GENTLEMEN IN EXILE RECORDS This is a re-issue of the bands "WATERFALL" EP release. The song "Waterfall" is taken from their debut CD & contains 4 new tracks. The music is in the Alternative Rock style of music. I could definately see this getting lots of air time here in the states. There is sometimes a Classic Rock or Folk sound in their music as well. The vocalist reminds me of the singer from LIVING COLOUR mixed with Flea from the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. This is not my favorite style of music, but these guys do play very well!!! - P.O. BOX 140 / BEDFORD / MK40 32U ENGLAND / GRIEFSOCIETY@HOTMAIL.COM / http://funkrock.andmuchmore.com GROINCHURN - WHOAMI (13 song CD) MORBID RECORDS I love this band!!! These guys are just down right amazing. I have their last 2 CD's & they are both great. This one just blew me away!!! These guys play Grindcore better than most bands out there now. The music from these South African's slams you in the face & repeatedly continues to pund you. These guys are a combination of BRUJERIA & EXTREME NOISE TERROR, but only better!!! There isn't anything I can say, that would fully explain how good these guys are!!! You must get this disc!!! - P.O. BOX 4478 / VEREENIGING / 1930 / SOUTH AFRICA / INFO@GROINCHURN.COM / www.GROINCHURN.com HAGALAZ RUNEDANCE - VOLVEN (10 song CD) HAMMER HEART MUSIC This is great!!! I loved this album. This is the 1st time I've heard them. They play some really, really good fantasy, medieval, other world like music. it reminds me of the music from THE LORD OF THE RINGS movie. there are all kinds of bagpipes, flutes, chants, etc...in the music with a consistent war like drumming sound throughout the album. The vocals are beautiful enchanting & engulfing female vocals. They remind me of the band IN EXTREMO a lot!!! This band is amazing, i wish i had more info, so I could interview them!!! Buy this disc!!! HAVAYOTH - HIS CREATION REVERSED (9 song CD) HAMMER HEART RECORDS This is the 1st time I've heard this band! They play a majestic & technical style of Goth Metal. There are some influences of Progressive & Black Metal as well. The music itself is where I hear most of the Progressive & Black metal influences with a thick coating of Goth Metal. The vocals are done in a Goth style, but with a classical feel. They remind me a bit of Pet Steele of TYPE-O-NEGATIVE, just not as deep sounding!!! HYPNOSIA - EXTREME HATRED (9 song CD) This is another great band to emerge out of Sweden, but these guys are different. These guys play straight forward aggressive Thrash/Death Metal. The music is played at high speeds & never lets up! Pure adrenalized hatred is pouring from this band in every area. The guitars are really noisy & the vocals are really groggy screaming Thrash vocals. They almost remind me of old SLAYER, but with different vocals. There are some slower breakdowns & grooves here & there too. Old Thrash Metal fans should get their grubby little hands on this album!!! - SKOLGATAN IA / S-352 33 VAXJO / SWEDEN / HYPNOSIA_@HOTMAIL.COM / http://hem.passaggen.se/HYPNO/ INSISION - PROMO 2000 (4 song Demo) This is a 4 song promo release of what I think is songs on their next CD release. These guys hail from Sweden & play some old school brutal Death Metal. The music is very heavy & driving. It has some really good grooves from time to time, which I liked a lot! The vocals are very deep throaty Death growls with an occassional high pitched one tossed in. This band is very good & extremely tight! This band should be signed, cause they can hang with the best of them!!! - BIRGER JARLSG. 75 / 11356 STOCKHOLM / SWEDEN / INSISION@HOTMAIL.COM / www.INSISION.com LONG WINTER'S STARE - THE TEARS OF ODIN'S FALLEN (7 song CD) DARK SYMPHONIES This is their 3rd release. Labeled as "Symphonic Dark Metal". I have heard of this band before, but never sampled their stuff. When I first put the CD into my player, I was very impressed with what i heard. A dark Metal opera of multiple voices & instruments revealing a dark play of misery, anguish & anger. It was foreboding yet with a deep rooted unseen beauty as female vocals overlapped with male vocals. At times male vocals getting quite harsh & throaty in a Death Metal style. That being said, the album began to lose it after a few songs & I was finding myself not really interested in the songs not containing the female voice. If only the 1st couple of songs carried the rest of the way through. (JENN) LYKATHEA AFLAME - ELVENEFRIS (11 song CD) OBSCENE PRODUCTIONS Wow! here is yet another great band to emerge from the Czech Republic. These guys are amazing! They play some very fast & involved Death Metal mixed with Grindcore. I hear most of the Death Metal in the vocals & in some of the guitars. Most of the Grindcore comes into play in the drums & some of the guitars. There is mid ranged Death growls mixed with higher Death screams at times there is some spoken word type vocals as well. They have a strong mystical Egyptian type feel through out the CD as well! Some really good & different sounding Grindcore. - BECHORSKA 272 / CZ-193 00 PRAHA 9 / CZECH REPUBLIC MOB RULES - TEMPLE OF TWO SUNS (11 song CD) LIMB MUSIC PRODUCTIONS/SPV This is some melodic Power Metal. I can't really get into it though. This is their second album they have out. These guys are pretty big overseas. They have been out on tour with IVORY TOWER & played all the big festivals over there. The guys vocals tend to be a little annoying at times. The guitar work is real involved & technical sounding though! (JENN) MONTESI - SELF-TITLED (2 song Demo) This is a one man project done by Jason Stalleto. This is just a sample that contains two songs. The 2 songs are "Divided Into Cycles" & "Chakras". The music is some what dark sounding & very repetative. it was just the same sounds over & over again. once the vocals came in, they were almost robotic & computerized sounding with a lot of effects on them. Not really what I'm into, but not bad for an Experimental project!!! - 3727 N. ROUTE 42 / WAYNESVILLE, OH. 45068 NOVEMBER'S DOOM - THE KNOWING (12 song CD) DARK SYMPHONIES The music is in the Doom/Gothic style Metal. Interesting guitar work. At times, the music is heavy with strong Death Metal vocals. Other times, acoustic work is accompanied by plain vanilla clean vocals. From what i remeber, female vocals dominate one of the songs. Enjoying female vocals as I do, I would have liked them to have been a bit more prevalent. Over all, an interesting listen, but with so many bands of this genre, the album tends to wade through a mire of thick mud, going nowhere fast & dragging on. - NOVDOOM@AOL.COM / www.NOVEMBERSDOOM.com (JENN) |