| MUSIC REVIEWS (January 2009) |
| BEN KUZAY - IN THE HALLS OF THE PUNISHER (12 track CD) EVIL INK RECORDS Ben Kuzay is an extremely talented bass player who has spread his talent through the underground scene for many years. He is a session bassist for many bands & a well accomplished solo artist too. Check out this amazing musician & the other bands he's performed with. www.BENKUZAY.com |
| DARK VISION - BESTIAL REMEDY (5 track CD) SELF RELEASED DARK VISION is an extreme Death Black Metal band that has been spreading it's darkness since 1996. After going through several line up changes the band has released "BESTIAL REMEDY" with it's solid 4 piece line up. These guys delve into the old school Death & Black Metal style with some really harsh in your face non stop mayhem. The music is very fast, gritty & dark all through out. combined. If that isn't enough to get you interested i don't know what will. Get this one now! www.DARKVISION.info |
| DAWN OF CORRECTION - DEAD HAND CONTROL (9 track CD) SELF RELEASED This is the second CD offering from one of Philadelphia's more known local bands. These guys kick foundation with some Death Metal elements thrown in the mix. There are some very cool grooves & all out shredding parts through out. This is the first release with Chris Nat (FINAL PRAYER, CIRCLE OF FEAR) on vocals. This is a more advanced & better written album than their last release. If you get a chance to check these guys out live, do so, cause it's a very entertaining show! www.rockinDOCstyle.com |
| DECEMBER'S COLD WINTER - ABLAZE ALL SHRINES (7 track CD) ENVENOMED RECORDS This is the second CD release from this very intense Death Metal band. These guys smash together Death. At times you can hear some Grindcore influences surfacing too. The vocals are a low ended definitely one of the better bands in the Death Metal underground today! www.DECEMBERSCOLDWINTER.com |
| DREAMING DEAD - WITHIN ONE (8 track CD) IBEX MOON RECORDS DREAMING DEAD play a very cool mixture of Thrash & Black Metal music that has an old school vibe to it. Their music mixture of cold & harsh Black Metal influences all through out. The vocals are a real throaty Blackened Thrash type growl. They reminded me of the great band ANGELKILL a lot. www.DREAMINGDEAD.com |
| EMBRYONIC CELLS - BLACK SEAS (11 track CD) SELF RELEASED Hailing from France & playing a Black Metal style with Thrash Metal elements present all through out. They take an old school Black Metal rawness & blend it together with some crunchy Thrash Metal parts. There are also some orchestrated & atmospheric Black Metal parts that blanket the bands sound as well. The vocals are mid ranged Black Metal growls. I really loved the first CD from these guys, but this album really is many levels above! These guys have been release great material & I find it hard to believe no one has snagged them up yet! What's wrong with you people! Sign them! www.EMBRYONIC-CELLS.com |
| EX DEMENTIA - IN THE CHAPTERS OF HORROR (7 track CD) HORROR PAIN GORE DEATH PRODUCTIONS This slab of gore splattered goodness is the newest release from the great EX DEMENTIA. These guys cover their Death Metal in as much filth & gore as possible. They blend in many elements of Grindcore along with some Thrash into their sound. The music is fast paced as hell & just vomits right in your face. The vocals are a mid & low ranged Death growl style. This is some of the best Death Gore you will ever hear! The CD contains 4 brand new tracks, 2 live tracks & a cover of as you can & destroy everything in your way! www.EXDEMENTIA.net |
| GLAUKOM SYNOD - MACABRE REMIXES (7 track CD) UNDER THE AVERAGE RECORDS Techno band. The music has a very strong Industrial & Techno foundation, but the music is very heavy, dark & Death Metal like. The music is kind of cold, harsh & crusty sounding as well. There kind of feel to it too. This is like a more static version of old MINISTRY mixed with old is a little different than most of the stuff I usually get. These guys are a Death GLAUKOM , but BILE without any vocals. Fans of this style will eat this up! |
| INFRAVISION - THE EPILEPTIC SERENITY (10 track CD) SECRET PORT RECORDS This is the debut CD release from this Metal band out of Greece. These guys take all their Metal influences & combine them like I have never heard before. There are elements of Death Metal, Thrash Metal, New Wave, Industrial & Electronica all molded together to create one amazing sound. The best way, I guess to describe them would be Progressive Death Metal. There is a very technical sound that is present all through out. The vocals are mostly in a mid ranged Thrash/Death crossover www.myspace.com/INFRAVISION |
| MENTAL FUNERAL - SELF TITLED (5 track CD) HORROR PAIN GORE DEATH This is the long awaited debut CD release from MENTAL FUNERAL. The album features 4 original tracks of sick, aggressive & repulsive Death Metal filled with lots of gore. The music has a definite old school Death Metal style with a rawness & brutalness of such greats as ABSCESS, AUTOPSY, CIANIDE & IMPETIGO! The vocals are done in a low ended dark thick Death growl style. There is a cover of AUTOPSY's "Twisted Mass Of Burnt Decay"! If your a fan of any of the above mentioned bands, than this is a must to have in your music collection! Get the gore! |
| MYNDSNARE - CONDITIONED: HUMAN (9 track CD) DEMON STEALER RECORDS MYNDSNARE play a style of music that's really becoming popular in the Metal genre & that's Progressive Death Metal. These guys play it at top speed & play it better than most trying to do it. The music has a very cool Progressive melodic vibe that is melted together with fast paced harsh Death Metal blasting. The music has some killer grooves at times that have Thrash elements to them. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death Thrash growl style. These guys remind me of DRAGONFORCE if they were a Death Metal band! That means you should buy this album! www.myspace.com/MYNDSNARE (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| NERVO CHAOS - QUARREL IN HELL (10 track CD) IBEX MOON RECORDS NERVO CHAOS play an old school gritty Death Metal style of music that brings back memories of the early days of the Death Metal scene. They combine many elements of Thrash Metal into their Death sound. The music is raw, unrelenting Death that just gives you a beating, but to a groove. There are mid ranged harsh throaty Death growls that accompany the madness. They toss in some war like Black Metal influences at times also. There are guests appearances from members of KRISIUN, INCANTATION, DARK FUNERAL, NAPALM DEATH & AVERSE SEFIRA. Death & Black Metal fiends will love this album! |
| OBDUKTION - II (9 track CD) SECRET PORT RECORDS This is the second CD release from this cult Death Metal band out of Greece. These guys have been creating their Death Metal music since 1995 & play in an old school style. The music has a bit of a paced blasts, crushing riffs & thick deep Death growls. They have a strong old school vibe, but there are some more technical sounding new school parts as well. These guys have been at it for over 10 years now, so give them some attention they deserve! http://OBDUKTION.tripod.com (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| PSYCHOMANTHIUM - BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER (14 track CD) NO JOKE RECORDS "BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER" is the debut CD release from this New York based Metal band. These guys have a very cool old school Metal vibe that just kicks you in the nuts & never stops. They have a strong Thrash Metal sound that combines elements of Hardcore to create that Crossover style that i love so much. There are some fast paced grooves & shredding guitar parts all through out. The vocals are also done in a Crossover style as well. This is a must for any fan that grew up listening to Crossover music when Metal & Hardcore collided to create one of the best styles of music ever! www.myspace.com/PSYCHOMANTHIUM |
| SCRIBE - CONFECT (11 track CD) DEMON STEALER RECORDS SCRIBE is not your typical Metal band, but they are a very killer Metal. They combine lots of different elements to create their Metal sound. The music is definitely heavy, grooved oriented, melodic, crushing & fast paced. They add in elements of Thrash, Death, Punk, Hardcore & Nu-Metal into their sound. The music takes influences from old & new school of the above genres. The vocals are a mix of clean melodic, fast paced Hardcore screams & low ended Death growls. These guys blend it all together to create a killer sound. For fans of FAITH NO MORE, KORN, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, PRO-PAIN, DOG FASHION DISCO & GOD SMACK. |
| SEPULTURA - A-LEX (18 track CD) SPV USA The Brazilian boys are back with another great album to be unleashed to the masses. This isn't the same SEPULTURA I grew up loving, but it's still a great band. These guys have always been once to break the boundaries of what you can do in Metal music & they have once again. This album is a concept album based off the book & movie A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. They take you through the different chapters of the movie & the one left out that's in the book. There are elements of early SEPULTURA "MORBID VISIONS" mid SEPULTURA "ROOTS" & newer material like "DANTE XXI". SEPULTURA never disappoints & once again they have delivered the goods. I know a lot of people don't like them since Max left & now Iggor as well. I don't like to think of this band now as SEPULTURA, but SEPULTURA's twin. Where they look & sound identical, but you know there are still some differences. These guys were & always will be one of my favorite bands! |
| SUICIDAL VORTEX - MY EXISTENCE (8 track CD) AFFLICTEDPHONICA ARTS SUICIDAL VORTEX play a very dark cold & raw sounding style of Black Metal music. The music has a strong old school vibe to it & is done in a War Metal like way. The music is very harsh, aggressive & gritty sounding. There is an almost cold Industrial feel to the music at times. They add in some crusty parts as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Black Metal growl & scream crossover style. These guys send chills through you & just keep digging until you bleed. This is one for all old school Black Metal fans who like it raw & dirty! |
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