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| MUSIC REVIEWS (January 2012) |
| CHTHONIC - TAKASAGO ARMY (10 track CD) SPINEFARM RECORDS "TAKASAGO ARMY" is the sixth album release from the Taiwanese Black Metal band CHTHONIC. These guys and girl have been churning out some of the best Black Metal music in the last ten years. This new release also completes the bands trilogy with their albums "SEEDIQ BALE" and "MIRROR OF RETRIBUTION". The band combines elements of old school Black Metal with more modern Black Metal passages. There is a rough harsh rawness in the faster more aggressive parts that takes you back to the early days of Black Metal's start. Then they mix in more orchestrated and atmospheric modern Black Metal arrangements to create a dark brooding vibe. They have plenty for every type of Black Metal fan to enjoy. CHTHONIC is a mixture of old DARKTHRONE, CRADLE OF FILTH & BELPHEGOR with touches of newer DIMMU BORGIR, BEHEMOTH & CRADLE OF FILTH. After one listen there is now question why this band keeps getting bigger and better with each new release. One of the best Black Metal releases to come out in the past few years! Highly recommended! www.CHTHONIC.tw |
| CYKO MYKO - THE MAD MAD MUIR MUSICAL TOUR (14 track CD) SUICIDAL RECORDS The original mad man Mike "CYKO MYKO" Muir is back with another new release. This time around Mike takes us on "THE MAD MAD MUIR MUSICAL TOUR". This showcases what he has been up to and what has been brewing inside his head. This is a 63 minute journey that features 14 tracks that include new tracks from CYKO MYKO and some unreleased tracks from INFECTIOUS GROOVES. I have always been a huge SUICIDAL TENDENCIES fan and love everything Mike has put out. On this release it's like SUICIDAL TENDENCIES has merged with INFECTIOUS GROOVES and created a new offspring. There is some of that raw aggression of old SUICIDAL with touches of the newer Crossover sound Suicidal has today, then they blend in some of the groove and funk that INFECTIOUS GROOVES is known for. Robert Trujillo , whose now in METALLICA appears on the album as well. This is a must if your a fan of both Mike's other bands cause this combines the greatest parts of both those bands together. SUICIDAL for life!!! www.SUICIDALTENDENCIES.com |
| ENDLESS VOID - APPARITIONS (4 track CD) AIF RECORDS ENDLESS VOID is a one man music project by James Owen. I don't have much information on him or the release, but I think he has created all the music and performed all the instruments himself. The music is done in a late 70's and early 80's style of Heavy Metal music. It does have a bit of a dark droning Doom Metal type vibe at times as well. The music is done in a basic 80's style of Heavy Metal which takes me back to when I first got into Metal music. It has a bit of a feel like the bands DOKKEN, STRYPER & RATT mixed with some earlier stuff like DEEP PURPLE, JUDAS PRIEST and BLACK SABBATH. Not that this sounds like any of the above bands, but it is done in a similar style. The vocals are done in a mid ranged clean Heavy Metal style that almost sits in the background to the music. The highlight of the band was the guitar work. It just felt more thought out and better arranged. This is a decent release, that will surely draw in a lot of people who dig the Metal music that was coming out in the early eighties. |
| UNTIMELY DEMISE - CITY OF STEEL (7 track CD) SONIC UNYON METAL Hailing from Canada comes the Thrash Metal assault known as UNTIMELY DEMISE. These guys have been building a huge following for themselves since the bands birth in 2007. With their new multi album deal with SONIC UNYON METAL they are bringing their music to the masses. They have a killer old school meets new school Thrash Metal vibe. I love these new bands playing old school Thrash because I grew up on the first wave of Thrash Metal music. These guys maybe a newer band, but they definitely sound like they come from the original Thrash Metal movement. There is lightning fast Thrash riffs, with Speed Metal shredding and a very cool groove that could get any crowd going in a circle pit. The heavy drum and bass really set the pace for the bands hard hitting sound. Rounding off the band is the harsh groggy vocals that remind me of CARCASS meets DESTRUCTION. If your an old school Thrash Metal fan of bands like EXODUS, TESTAMENT, DESTRUCTION, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, SODOM, KREATOR & ANVIL then you'll love to meet your UNTIMELY DEMISE over and over again!!! www.myspace.com/UNTIMELYDEMISEmusic |
| I DECLINE - TIME TO SHINE (12 track CD) HORNS RAISED RECORDS "TIME TO SHINE" is the third full length release from Chicago, Illinois based I DECLINE. These guys come out with a massive wall of sound that blasts you over and over again. These guys combine many styles of Hard Rock and Metal together to create an amazing sound. They take elements from Hard Rock, Modern Rock and melt it together with Sludge, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal & Traditional Heavy Metal to create their style and sound. I really dig the thick bass and drum sound that drives the band. There is also a thick slow dirty groove that runs through out the music as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged clean Modern Doom and old school Sludge with Modern Rock aggression. There are elements of everything from FOO FIGHTERS, MASTADON, NASHVILLE PUSSY, DOWN, CROWBAR, BUCKCHERRY & GODSMACK all present within the bands sound. These guys have a very impressive sound that is sure to win over a lot of music lovers out there. www.I-DECLINE.com |
| INTERROGATE - SILENCE THE FALLEN (5 track CD) Self Released One Ireland's best Metal bands is back with their third release to date entitled "SILENCE THE FALLEN". This is the bands first release as a three piece after the loss of their original singer. Bassist Darren Brown has taken over the vocal duties as well this time around. The band plays a very aggressive Modern Metal style. It has a lot of the heaviness and aggression found in Metalcore, with a more melodic spin that is present in a lot of Modern Metal bands today. Some of the guitar work has an old school Thrash Metal vibe to it. They also take a lot of the harder aggressiveness of Hardcore and blend it into the middle of their sound. To round out the bands sound they add in a little of the groove found in Hard Rock. The vocals are done in a mixture of the above styles with the Metalcore, rough throaty growls dominating that majority. This is definitely the best that the band has sounded and it's great to watch the progression of this amazing band over the years. After hearing this release I can't wait to see what they deliver us next! Check out this very talented band. www.INTERROGATE13.com |
| NOTHING - THE NEW PSYCHODALIA (13 track CD) SUBURBAN NOIZE RECORDS This is the debut solo album from Jeffrey Nothing, lead singer from MUSHROOMHEAD. If your looking for a copy of MUSHROOMHEAD then your in for a surprise. This is "nothing" like MUSHROOMHEAD. Jeffrey has described this release as SEPULTURA meets ALICE IN CHAINS meets ACID BATH. I would say that is a pretty accurate description. There is a lot of heavy fast aggressive parts found in Death / Thrash Metal like old SEPULTURA, more melodic Alternative Metal like ALICE IN CHAINS and fast dirty Death / Industrial Metal like ACID BATH. This is a very cool project that melts the above styles together with ease. I prefer the more spastic and angry parts over the melodic more mellow parts, but appreciate them all as a whole. The vocals also follow the path of the music described above, which really showcase the vocal talents possessed by Jeffrey Nothing. All MUSHROOMHEAD fans should check this out, but keep an open mind going in, cause it's pure Jeffrey, but it's a whole different monster he exposes us to. www.JEFFREYNOTHING.com |
| OLD PAGAN - BATTLECRUISER OLD PAGAN (12 track CD) Self Released OLD PAGAN was formed back in 1996 by Machosias formerly of PAGAN WINTER. The band is basically a one man project with session musicians for studio purposes. They hail from Germany and play unpolitical Satanic Black Metal music. These guys have put out a lot of releases over the years and have improved & progressed with each new release. This time around they stick to what they are known for, cold harsh Black Metal music. The music has an old school Black Metal feel, that is dirty raw and aggressive. It has some haunting dark parts, but not slow and melodic. This is fast angry Black Metal at it's finest. The vocals are done in a mid ranged to higher pitched harsh Black Metal screech and growl style. Most Black Metal fans out there should already know of these guys and already know what a great band this is. Just go pick up this release and their back catalog as well and support this great Black Metal band! www.OLDPAGAN.de |
| OLD PAGAN - THIS IS SAARLAND BLACK METAL (4 track CD) Self Released OLD PAGAN has released another CD, this time around a four track Demo CD entitled "THIS IS SAARLAND BLACK METAL". Once again the band has showcased what a great old school Black Metal band they are. This is the first release with a full line up of musicians and probably one of the better releases they have put out, even though this is a rough mix. They stick to what they are good at, old school Black metal. The music has a dark cold and evil Satanic sound with harsh aggressive song structures. There is a bit more static and tinge to the guitar sound this time around. There is also a more industrial type vibe that comes through with the harshness and coldness of their sound. The vocals are a bit more groggy Death / Black Metal growls with less higher pitched screams and screeches. I would have to say the addition of a full line up has really helped improve on the bands already great sound. Horns up! Hail Satan! www.OLDPAGAN.de |
| SICKTRUST - SELF TITLED (9 track CD) Self Release I was very happy to find this release in my hands. It comes from two old friends of mine back in the Philadelphia music scene. The band features two members, John & Mike from CRYPTIC WARNING that my old band FAMILY OF FREAKS used to play shows with a lot. These guys have started a new band in 2010 called SICKTRUST and this is their self titled debut. The band has a really killer sound combining elements of Thrash / Doom & Southern Metal together. They at times lean more towards one style, but for the most part they keep a balance of the styles. The slow drag and dirty groove they have is where a lot of the Doom & Southern Metal come into play. In the faster more aggressive parts, especially in the guitars, is where a lot of the Thrash Metal can be heard. The vocals are done in a gritty mid ranged Southern Metal style. If you were to mix together the best parts of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, CROWBAR, DOWN, KINGDOM OF SORROW, CLUTCH, TESTAMENT, KYUSS & MASTADON together you'd have a great idea of what this killer band sounds like. I wish I would have gotten to see them when I was back in Philly before I moved out to Colorado. I'm sure they put on an amazing live show. Support this band, they are one of Philadelphia's best Metal bands!!! www.SICKTRUST.com |
