| MUSIC REVIEWS (June 2003) |
| ALIENATION MENTAL - BALL SPOUTER (10 song CD) KHAARANUS PRODUCTIONS Most of you out there that have been in the underground should know of this great band out of Czech Republic already. These guys play some amazingly good & very impressive Grindcore music. They have added more twists, turns, breakdowns & all out chaotic mayhem to their sound. I liked how they mixed it up a bit more on this release then on previous albums. This disc proves that these guys are still on top as one of the best bands in the Czech Republic Grindcore scene!!! - JARDA HAZ / OLSTYNSKA 607/1 (SOL 1307) / 181 00 PRAHA 8 TROJA / CZECH REPUBLIC / ALIENATION.MENTAL@centrum.cz ALKONOST - SELF TITLED (9 song CD) KETZER RECORDS This is a CDR promo of the bands self titled release on KETZER RECORDS. These guys hail from Russia & plays some really dark Black Metal music. They have a raw old school Black Metal mixed with atmospheric new school Black Metal sound. There is lots of worldly majestic & medieval type sounds blended in with lots of raw aggression. Most of the aggression comes out in the harsh Black Metal growls! When listening to these guys you will find your self becoming engulfed in their sound.falling into another realm. I would love to hear more from this band in the future!!! - ALKONOST_dp@mail.ru AMERICAN DOG - RED, WHITE, BLACK AND BLUE (12 song CD) OUTLAW ENTERTAINMENT These guys play some good dirty sounding Rock N Roll music! They add in lots of elements from Metal & Punk music as well. Their sound reminds me of the fast paced adrenalized Rock music of the 80's that had touches of 70's styled Rock mixed in. These guys are great! There are Metal guitars & drums sounds that hit head on into a Punk Rock type attitude. The band features Michael Hannon of the bands SALTY DOG & DANGEROUS TOYS! This band is along way from those bands & much, much better! - P.O. BOX 14381 / COLUMBUS, OH. 43214 / www.AMERICANDOG.net BLOODLINE / NECROPLASMA - SPLIT (17 song CD) KETZER RECORDS This is a split promo release from BLOODLINE out of Sweden & NECROPLASMA also out of Sweden. Both of these bands play some very good aggressive & raw Black Metal music. They do toss in some elements of Death Metal music as well. If your already a fan of the Swedish Metal scene you probably have this already. If you don't, then go get it!!! - NECROhellgoat@hotmail.com BRAVE - SEARCHING FOR THE SUN (11 song CD) DARK SYMPHONIES BRAVE is the new incarnation of the band ARISE FROM THORNS. The band has taken a slight change musically on this release. They have lots of elements present from Progressive Metal, Contempary Rock, Metal & even some Pop music. Their new sound has encorporated some of the older sounds such as lots of passion & atmosphere. I liked this new disc a lot, but still prefer their older ARISE FROM THORNS material. It might just be because I'm more familiar with it! This is a must for all fans of dramatic, technical & emotional Metal music!!! - P.O. BOX 1077 / DALE CITY, VA. 22195-1077 / info@BRAVEmusic.com / www.BRAVEmusic.com CASUS BELLI - KALOS KAI AGATHOS (12 song CD) METAL MIND PRODUCTIONS Hailing from Poland these guys play some extremely well Black Metal music. They have merged both atmospheric & brtality better than most in this style. I loved how involved & technical their music is with tons of changes in the speed & melody. There are lots of dark majestic sounds tossed in the mix as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Black Metal Death scream. This is the best band to come out of Poland since the great VADER!!! - P.O. BOX 112 70 / 358 SZCZECIN 3 / POLAND / ingvar@alpha.net.pl CISAFAT - SELF TITLED PROMO (6 song CD) CISAFAT play a unique mixture of Death Metal music. They toss in some elements from Goth, Death Metal, Thrash & evene a little Nu-Metal sounds as well. They have a good groove going on through out the whole disc. This is hwere I hear most of the Nu-Metal influences. The vocals are a blend of Death Metal, Thrash Metal & Goth vocals. This helped keep the bands sound fresh & original. if you took SEPULTURA & MACHINE HEAD together & add more Death Metal you'd get a good idea of what these guys sound like!!! - CISAFAT420@aol.com / hometown.aol.com/mccormicksrule/CISAFAT.html DARK DAMNATION - BLASPHEMY (11 song CD) KETZER RECORDS DARK DOMINATION emerge from the depths of latvia & play some very dark Death Metal music. These guys add in lots of touches of Black Metal music into their sound! There is some haunting & dark atmosphere in the background of their music. The rest of the music is kind of a dingy raw Black/Death Metal style. The vocals remind me of a Dracula type Death Metal growl & screams combined! This is one for all dark hordes to devour!!! - messir@lines.lv DECIEVERS - THIRD MACHINE (14 song CD) 53HC RECORDS Coming out of Brasil, these guys deliver us some great Hardcore music. Although they build their foundation on Hardcore music they do toss in some Death Metal, Punk, Thrash & Hip Hop influences into their sound. I love their style because it has a strong New York Hardcore feel to it. The vocals also cross over through Hardcore, Death Metal & Hip Hop music. This is a must for any fan of the bands BIOHAZARD, MADBALL, E-TOWN CONCRETE & HATEBREED! These guys are awesome!!! - DECEIVERS@bol.com.br / www.geocities.com/DECEIVERS DEEDS OF FLESH - PATH OF THE WEAKENING (9 song CD) EREBOS PRODUCTIONS DEEDS OF FLESH is a band that has been tearing up the underground scene for a long time! Take one listen & you will hear why they have lasted so long & are a great band! These guys play some in your face straight forward Death Metal music. They are very heavy, aggressive & down right brutal all the way! They have a strong old school Death Metal feel along with some new school influences. Fans of early 90's Death Metal bands CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL & SUFFOCATION will eat this up! This is the bands best release by far!!! - P.O. BOX 6544 / LOS OSOS, CA. 93412 / DEEDS@aol.com / www.DEEDSOFFLESH.com DELIGHT - THE FADING TALE (9 song CD) METAL MIND PRODUCTIONS DELIGHT play some very good & very powerful Goth Metal music. they have a really strong solid Metal sound with lots of Goth elements tossed in the mix as well. There is lots of beautiful atmospheric parts with lots of emotion, passion & depth! I feel that a lot of this comes out in Paulina's vocals. She has such a wide range & can hit many levels with her enchanting & haunting vocal style. This is some of the best technical & well structured Goth Metal I have heard in a long time! This is one that's well worth picking up!!! - DELIGHT.333@interia.pl / www.DELIGHT.imagination.art.pl DEVISER - RUNNING SORE (9 song CD) THE LSP COMPANY Here we have the third vicious assault from this Black Metal band out of Greece. Many of you should be familiar with this band by now. They have been tearing up the scene since 1989. They have more atmospheric parts on this release along with some female vocals. Although there is atmospher it's more of a violent type atmospheric sound mixed with some roamantic type sounds. These guys collied these two styles very well. The vocals are a hallowed Black Metal type male vocal & a haunting female type vocal. Here's another one for all you Black Metal heads out there!!! - P.O. BOX 91295 / 187 02 KERATSINI 2 / PIRAEUS / GREECE / DEVISER@otenet.gr / www.DEVISER.org DOMINIUM - STIGMATA (9 song CD) METAL MIND PRODUCTIONS Damn! METAL MIND just keeps pouring out great Death/Black Metal band after another. These guys lean a little more towards the Death Metal side, but contain lots of Black Metal influences in their sound. The Death Metal parts have an old school type feel to them. The Black Metal parts are very atmospheric, but they have a worldly atmospheric vibe to them. I really liked how they go from all out driving blast sounds into a more majestic & melodic sound. The vocals are done in a Thrash/Death Metal crossover style. This is another disc that's a must pick up from this label!!! - http://DOMINIUM.metal.pl |