| MUSIC REVIEWS January 2008 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| ANTHENORA - SOULGRINDER (12 track CD) MY GRAVEYARD PRODUCTIONS ANTHENORA is a very tight & technical sounding Power Metal band out of Italy. These guys have a very old school meets modern Power Metal sound. I really dig the way they inject lots of Thrash Metal & Speed Metal influences into their sound. These influences show up mainly in the guitar work a lot. The music is crystal clear, tight & very progressive sounding as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged clean Power Metal style with a few harsher Thrash Metal type vocals here & there. These guys are definately a band that everyone into this style of music should check out! These guys deliver in every way!!! info@ANTHENORA.com / www.ANTHENORA.com |
| ARSON ANTHEM - SELF TITLED (8 track CD) HOUSECORE RECORDS This is the debut release for ARSON ANTHEM & HOUSECORE RECORDS. The band is a powerhouse of major members from the bands PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT RITUAL, EYEHATEGOD, ASSJACK & OUTLAW ORDER. These guys play some stripped down, raw, aggressive & abrasive sounding old school Hardcore music. They have a very very brutal 80's Hardcore tuned down & brutal style. The music is super fast, noisy & in your face, just the way this style is supposed to be. The vocals are done in a harsh, throaty screaming Hardcore style. Fans of old favorites like POISON IDEA, DISCHARGE, BLACK FLAG, NEGATIVE APPROACH & HELLHAMMER will love these guys!!! www.myspace.com/ARSONANTHEM |
| DEFORMATION GUARANTEED - NO GHOST AT DAYLIGHT (9 track CD) Self Released DEFORMATION GUARANTEED plays some really cold & dark sounding Black Metal music. They have a combined style of old school & new school elements. The music is done kind of raw, harsh & really old school style, but then they throw in some very atmospheric & symphonic sounding new school parts. The music has a slow dirge dragging sound at times that is kind of like a creeping up on you vibe. The vocals are done in a mid ranged really throaty & groggy Black Metal growling style, that mixes in some clean mid ranged & then some harsh higher pitched Black Metal screams. Black Metal hordes from past & now will find something they can really enjoy with these guys!!! |
| DUST IS EVERYWHERE - ATTICS AND CATACOMBS (8 track CD) CREEPING VINE PRODUCTIONS DUST IS EVERYWHERE plays a very cool vintage old school Black Metal style of music. They have a very very harsh & aggressive old school sound that pulls influences from GORGOROTH, old MAYHEM, old DARK FUNERAL & BEHEMOTH. They blanket their sound with a very friged cold vibe all through out. There are fast paced non stop blast beats along with some down tempo eiffs too. They melt in some very atmospheric & haunting parts to balance things out a bit. The vocals are done in a mid ranged throaty & groggy Black Metal style with lots of faster paced Black Metal screams mixed in. I would say these guys are going to be one of the bigger & better Black Metal bands to keep watching!!! |
| ENDGAME - DISTRACTED (5 track CD) GET OUTTA TOWN RECORDS This is the new EP release from this New Jersey based band. These guys play a great mix of Modern Punk & Hardcore. They have a sound that is in the vein of DAG NASTY. The music is very fast paced, up beat & driving all through out. There is a cool fast paced groove that could get any pit moving. The music also has a bit of old school Hardcore flare to it as well. The vocals are done ina more new school style of Hardcore/Punk crossover style of singing. It's like a controled screaming style that has a lot more melodic parts to it. The band also features members of BETWEEN THE WARS & WORDS AWAY! If your into bands like SENSES FAIL, DAG NASTY & TURNING POINT then you'll dig these guys a lot! ENDGAMEmusic@gmail.com / www.ENDGAMEmusic.net |
| EYES SET TO KILL - REACH (PLAYING) (12 track CD) BREAK SILENCE RECORDINGS Damn! I was really happy when I popped this disc in. This is a very fresh sound to the music scene today. EYES SET TO KILL take their music to new levels. They are not your typical Screamo band. They have a lot of elements of Death Metal, Thrash, Hardcore & even Black metal mixed within. The music is well structured & flows nicely from one style to the next. I really dig the way Alexia's female vocals compliment Brandon's screaming style of vocals & vice versa. They go from all out violent aggression into melodic & atmospheric styles. I loved every aspect of this band & will be really shock if they don't become very huge this year! The closest band I can think of to compare them to would have to be LACUNA COIL! www.myspace.com/EYESSETTOKILL |
| FOR THE FALLING DREAMS - CHANGES (10 track CD) RISE RECORDS Hailing from Michigan comes this aggressivly heavy band called FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS. These guys play a very well balanced mixture of Metal & Hardcore that would definately grab any fan of both styles! The music is highly energetic that has tons of fast paced riffage along with some more melodic guitar passages too. There is a lot of chugging grooves in their sound too. I love music like this! The vocals are done in a mid ranged thick growling Hardcore/Metal crossover style. This is a definate must for bands of the new way of extreme music that is very popular today! These guys will be another band I see getting much bigger this year! Get this now, so you can tell everyone about them before they start telling you! www.myspace.com/FORTHEFALLENDREAMS |
| GLAUKON SYNOD - OGRE (14 track CD) Self Released I wasn't sure what to expect with this band, but I know I was digging it a lot. GLAUKON SYNOD is a weird Experimental band that mixes in many elements of Techno, Industrial, Grindcore & Metal to create it's bizarre sound. The music sometimes is all over the place & is very chaotic, but that's how it's supposed to be. I liked when they tossed in some of the sound clips, effects & samples into the music. There are some vocal, but they are detorted & chaotic, just like the music. These guys are very out there & strange & that is exactly why I was loving it. They are a more experimental style in the likes of BILE, CIRCUS OF DEAD SQUIRRELS, HELL ON EARTH & HANZEL UND GRETYL! scumflesh@wanadoo.fr / http://GLAUKOMSYNOD.site.voila.fr |
| HERE I COME FALLING - OH GRAVE, WHERE IS THY VICTORY (10 track CD) RISE RECORDS RISE RECORDS has released another great debut release from another great band, this time in the form of HERE I COME FALLING out of Springfield, Mo. These guys take their Screamo style to another level. The bands foundation does lie heavily in the Screamo style, but add in touches of Metal, Hardcore & Death Metal into the mix. The music has a really thick crushing Technical Metal style with heavy grooved oriented Hardcore. The Death Metal influences come from the brutal fast paced hard hitting rythym the music has. The vocals cross over into all these styles as well, with low end Death growls, mid ranged melodic Metal vocals & then some mid to high ranged Hardcore screams added in! Another band for the new generation! www.myspace.com/HICF |
| HERMANO - INTO THE EXAM ROOM (12 track CD) SUBURBAN RECORDS / REGAIN RECORDS HERMANO formed back in 1998 as a side project which features members of the bands KYUSS, UNIDA, BLACK CAT BONE, SUPAFUZZ, DISENGAGE, EARSHOT & more. These guys play a Heavy Rock style of music. They have a bit of a Southern Rock sound that has a dirty tinge to it. The music is pretty rocking all through out & even has a bit of Stoner & Doom Metal type elements presnet all through out. The vocals are done in a mid ranged sometimes melodic Rock style. These guys blend together the best elements of 70's, 80's & 90's stlyed Heavy Rock together & create a very cool sound! Get your Rock on!!! www.HERMANOrocks.com |
| MUSTASCH - LATEST VERSION OF THE TRUTH (11 track CD) REGAIN RECORDS Here we have the newest record release from this Heavy Metal band. These guys have been around since 1998 & have been crushing in Europe. They have been nominated for a few Germany Grammy awards for best Heavy Metal Album a few times now. This new album sees them on a new label & will be the one to take them to the rest of the world. These guys play some Rock infused Heavy Metal style music & it's some of the best being played today. There are riffs galore all through out the music. They really remind me of old THE CULT music, especially in the vocals. This could be the start of another new wave of old school Heavy Metal. Check these guys out, cause you'll enjoy what you hear!!! www.MUSTASCH.net |
| MYSTIC PROPHECY - SATANIC CURSES (12 track CD) LOCO MOTIVE RECORDS This is the second offering from this German/Greek Rock Metal band. These guys have such a strong powerful sound that just amazes from the first song all through till the last one. The music is very well structured & has many levels. They are based in Metal & Rock, but have a strong Power / Progressive Metal sound that is done so perfectly. The music is very tight, crystal clear & well written. There is not a thing you could complain about these guys. The vocals are done in a solid Power Metal style that is very melodic & high pitched at times. There are some Traditional Metal & Thrash Metal styled vocals at times too. This could be one of the best Heavy metal albums of the year already!!! www.MYSTICPROPHECY.com |
| SAGNTID / VORNOFF - LIFE ECLIPSE (SPLIT) (13 track CD) MISANTHROPIC PROPAGANDA SAGNTID is a one man project that is the creation of Svest. He does all the instruments & everything else here. The music has very errie soundscape style to it & is done in a Darkwave Black Metal style with lots of Gothic overtones. It's very creepy & dreary sounding. This was very cool & would fit a lot of Horror movie soundtracks. The last 6 tracks are done by a two man project consisting of Svest & Ull called VORNOFF. This project is also done in a dark dreary somber kind of style that has lots of elements of Black Metal & Gothic music mixed within. There is also a very strong cold vibe that encompasses the music all through out! soulwail@yahoo.com |
| SICK ROOM 7 - HAIL INTOLERANCE (13 track CD) SOUNDSPHERIC SICK ROOM 7 is a dark Gothic Metal type band. The music has a really slow dreary & somber sound all through out. There is some Doom Metal elements present as well, but not as thick or thunderous. It's done in a kind of slow creeping style. There are a lot of dark & errie sounds in the music that have strong Gothic overtones. The vocals are done in a mid ranged, haunting Gothic spoken word style. It's really creepy sounding & reminds me of a lot of stuff you'd hear in Vampire movies. If you like your music low end, dark, cold & somber sounding then your going to love these guys! The band features Svest of SAGNTID & VORNOFF. soulwail@yahoo.com / www.forlis.cjb.net |
| THE STEAL - SELF TITLED (14 track CD) GET OUTTA TOWN RECORDS These guys hail from the U.K. & play a very cool style of old school Punk Rock. They have a strong 80's style Punk Rock sound that is very aggressive & in your face, but is also very upbeat sounding to. There are a lot of sing along choruses too. There is a alot of adrenaline pouring out of these guys. They toss in some breakdowns, stop & starts, tempo changes & even a little groove riffage at times. The vocals are done in a mid ranged screaming style of Punk Rock with some dual screaming action here & there. This is a definate must for fans of bands like GORILLA BISCUTS, CIV, DESCENDENTS, ALL & THE VANDALS. www.THESTEAL.co.uk |
| TRIGGERED IMPULSE - WHEN OBSESSION MEETS OPPORTUNITY (9 track CD) Self Released TRIGGERED IMPULSE is a very young band as they formed in early 2007, but from their demo CD release they sound very experienced. These guys play a mixture of Metal styles to create their sound. The music has many elements taken from Thrash, Power, Progressive, Traditional & Death Metal music. There is a really thick heavy vibe to their music that is more of a Thrash Meets Death sound. The guitar work has many of the Power/Progressive influences. The vocals are done in a few styles as well. There are melodic clean Power Metal vocasl, mid ranged harsh Thrash metal screams & then lower end Death growls all mixed within. These guys maybe young, but if they keep going this way they will be around for a long time! www.myspace.com/TRIGGEREDIMPULSE |
| XASTHUR - A GATE THROUGH BLOODSTAINED MIRRORS (21 track 2 CD set) HYDRA HEAD RECORDS This is a final remastered version of the initially issued 150 CD-R's released in 2000/ 2001. This was the first release that thrusted mastermind Malefic into taking the band into a one man project direction. This si some really cold, dark & misanthropic Black metal music done in an old school style. The music is very fast paced, noisy & raw sounding all through out. There is nothing but pure evil & madness pouring out of this release. The vocals are done ina harsh & muffled Black Metal style as well. This is one for all old school Black Metal hordes. If you have his other releases, you know you want to get your hands on this one as well. |