| MUSIC REVIEWS (March 2008) |
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| CELESTIA - FRIGIDIIS APOTHEOSIA (8 track CD) PARAGON RECORDS Back after the band was placed on hold for awhile is the second reclease for this European Black Metal band. These guys play a slightly different style of Black Metal music than most. They play cold etheral Black Metal which draws influences from old school & melts them together with new school elements. They also take on a more dark romantic & melancholic Black Metal style. The music is very cold feeling & has a dreary vibe all through out. The vocals are done in a thick groggy Black Metal singing style. These guys will definately pull in fans of both old school & new school Black Metal. I know I have been hooked! www.apparitia.net |
| DEFILE / BLACK MASS - DEFILING THE MASSES (SPLIT) (8 track CD) GRIM NOCTURNAL RECORDS This is a split CD release from two really good Metal bands. The first 4 tracks come from the Death Metal band DEFILE. These guys play a very cool old school styled Death Metal that adds in some crunchy Thrash Metal influences all through out. There are touches of Black Metal present at times too. The vocals are done in a rought & throaty Death Metal type scream! The last 4 tracks come from the band BLACK MASS. These guys also play in an old school Death Metal style. These guys have a more low end sound that is done a bit gritty & dirty. They add in some touches of both Black & Thrash Metal too. The vocals are done in a low ended thick Death growl style. This split releaseis a definate must to pick up! irconrad33@yahoo.com / myspace.com/DEFILE / www.BLACKMASS.us |
| DOMINATION BLACK - HAUNTING (5 track CD) VIOLENT JOURNEY RECORDS DOMINATION BLACK take a different direction on the Power Metal path. These guys have a very cool, well structured Power Metal style, but they add in a lot of dark, cold & "haunting" touches that really make them stand out from a lot of other bands in this genre. There is a Classic Power Metal vibe all through out, but you can also hear many Traditional Metal, Heavy Metal & even some Thrash Metal influences. The vocals are done in a clean melodic Power Metal style with lots of range & depth. These guys remind me of a blend of QUEENSRYCHE & BLACKMOORE'S NIGHT, but better, which is saying a lot, cause both of those bands are amazing in themselves. In other words, you must get this disc & crank it! DOMINATIONBLACK@gmail.com / www.DOMINATIONBLACK.com |
| ETERNAL LORD - BLESSED BE THIS NIGHTMARE (11 track CD) FERRET MUSIC ETERNAL LORD hail from a small town in the U.K. & bring forth a huge debut album. These guys just hammer away with hyper aggressive Metal meets Hardcore styled music. The music has tons of fast pace Metal riffs, that are accompanied by chugging & blasting Hardcore beats. These guys definately fit the wave of new Metal & Hardcore bands that have been emerging all over, but these guys will not drown in that wave, but ride it high, cause they are better than most out there. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death/Hardcore growl/scream crossover style. This is definately a band that will explode in the year 2008 & they deserve to, big time. One of the most highly recommended album to get this year! |
| EVIL HEART - STORM OF ANNIHILATION (8 track CD) IRON, BLOOD & DEATH CORP. Damn! These guys blew me away right from the get go. They come at you full blast with a huge wall of Death Metal that keeps crusing over & over again. They have a strong old school influence with much new school Death Metal elements mixed with in. The music is highly well written & structured that just adds to the pure intensity of their sound. The music is really fast paced & just keeps pummeling you. They add in lots of blasts, they head right into some relentless grinding & grooving guitar parts. The voclas are done in a thick hallowed Death growl with some slightly higher Death screams. Here is yet another high quality, very professional sounding & highly talented Death Metal band that should not be over looked! Amazing! EVILHEART@EVILHEART.com / www.EVILHEART.com |
| FEAST OF CORPSES - SICKNESS OF MANKIND (9 track CD) Self Released This is the second CD release from this sick Death Grind band. These guys come out with all guns blazing & never let up along the way. The music is done in a some what spastic style of Grindcore with heavy Death Metal overtones puring out everywhere. They are going so fast it's hard to keep up sometimes. The music does let up a bit in places, but not for long. They toss in some solid guitars work with some classic Thrash vibes, then back to the madness. There are a lot of tempo changes & a few stop & start parts through out. The vocals are done in a low heavy thick & drawn out Death growl style with some faster more Grindcore like ones mixed in! These guys were pissed off when they formed this band & it shows through out their songs! If you think you can handle it, then join the "feast"! www.myspace.com/FEASTOFCORPSES |
| FORTY BIRDS - SHOTGUN THERAPY (11 track CD) ASHER MEDIA "SHOTGUN THERAPY" is the debut CD release from this Montreal 5 piece. These guys bring all their different influences to the band & have created a good blend that just about every Metal fan can find something to like about these guys. They have a combined style of Hardcore aggressiveness, Metal riffing & power with some more melodic almost mainstream styled Metal sounds. The vocals follow the same structure as the music. There are lots of harsh Hardcore screaming, mid ranged Metal growling & some melodic clean vocals. FORTY BIRDS is able to take all of these elements, roll them together & make it work! These guys will succeed where most have failed! band@FORTYBIRDS.com / www.FORTYBIRDS.com |
| HEMLOCK - NO TIME FOR SORROW (12 track CD) BLIND PROPHECY RECORDS HEMLOCK is based out of Las Vegas & play a mixture of Metal styles. They have some slow drudgy almost Doom, Sludge & Stoner Metal sounds that run through out their songs. They then take it up a notch witrh some more aggressive & fast paced Death Metal parts. The music has a really thick chugging forward type sound to it. There are even some harsher more intense parts that have a Hardcore type vibe to them. The vocals also imitate the music with low end slow Sludge vocals, Hardcore mid ranged angry vocals & then lower ended Death Metal growls. These guys remind me of PRO-PAIN, CROWBAR, HATEBREED & MALEVOLENT CREATION all mixed together! This is an amazing combination if you ask me! www.HEMLOCKworld.com |
| KNIVES EXCHANGING HANDS - HIATUS (12 track CD) TRAGIC HERO RECORDS KNIVES EXCHANGING HANDS plays a new school style of Hardcore music. These guys have that very intense, technical sounding Hardcore style that is getting big right now. There are a lot of mixtures of melodey, atmosphere & emotion mixed within all the intensity. They have a very cool grooved out aggression that flows through out all their songs. The tempo changes & mood changes really add to the dinamics of the bands musicianship. The vocals range from low end Hardcore/Death growls, Hardcore screams & some clean melodic singing!There are so many good bands out there now, it's almost a shame, because bands like these guys will not get the much deserved attention they deserve. This is one to hunt down, because you will wear out your CD from the multiple times you will want to blast this disc over & over again! For fans of BORN OF OSIRIS, THE FACELESS, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN & BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME! Get This! Get This! get This! www.myspace.com/KNIVESEXCHANGINGHANDS |
| NATION BEYOND - THE AFTERMATH ODYSSEY (13 track CD) SENSORY This is the debut release from this band that features members of DEBASE & FACE DOWN. This is quite a different direction than both of those bands Industrial & Death Metal sounds. These guys have created an epic concept album of pure Power/Progressive Metal music. The music is structured very technical & professionally. They have an atmospheric almost space like trance vibe that is all through out their sound. There is a well balanced mix of male & female vocals as well. These guys will be placed up there with some greats like QUEENSRYCHE, SAVATAGE & DREAM THEATER. If your into these bands you don't want to pass on this disc! It is amazing! www.NATIONBEYOND.com |
| RIGOR SARDONICOUS - VALLIS EX UMBRA DE MORTUUS (8 track CD) PARAGON RECORDS RIGOR SARDONICOUS has been in the scene for many years now & with each new album they put out they get heavier & darker. These guys pour on the Doom Metal thicker than any other band I have ever heard before. The music delves in the deepest depth of Death as possible. The music has a really dragged out sludgy sound all through out. It almost feels as the dead are creeping out of the depths of hell. There is a really thick groggy vocal style as well. If you want to feel the effects of slowly rotten into a decomposed corpse, this would definately add that feel. This is some of the lowest down tuned & best Doom ever played! RIGOR@smilingdeath.com / www.smilingdeath.com |
| SAHG - II (9 track CD) REGAIN RECORDS This is the second coming of SAHG. SAHG is one of Norway's newest Doom Metal band. These guys don't play what you would typically expect from a Doom Metal band. These guys add in a little bit Power Metal into their sound as well. They have a bit of a trippy retro sound to their heavy style. They also throw in a lot of really catchy & memorable riffs. They do mix ina few Thrash Metal elements at times in some songs. The vocals are done in a more melodic clean & powerful style. These guys would be a good combination of trippy 70's Stoner Metal mixed with elements of BLACK SABBATH & DEEP PURPLE. www.SAHGweb.com |
| SCAPEGOAT - ZOMBIE DOG (13 track CD) TRAGIC HERO RECORDS SCAPEGOAT reminds me of a lot of the newer Screamo bands that are very popular right now. These guys are a lot better than most of these bands though. They do have the Screamo formular, but they are better musically than most of those bands. They do have a lot of the Emo melodic influences in their sound a lot, but it is balanced out with some heavier, more aggressive Hardcore parts. The music tends to go back & forth between these styles all through out their songs. The vocals also follow the same path. They use a lot of the mid ranged melodic Emo vocals mixed with fast harsher Hardcore type screams. I dig the heavier parts a lot more than the slower ones, but since they balance it well, these guys were quit enjoyable to listen to! |
| SEPTRION - NOCTURNAL GRIMNESS (4 track CD) IRON, BLOOD & DEATH CORP. SEPTRION is a Black metal band that has been unleashing there evilness unto the masses since 2002. These guys take the majority of their influences from old school Black Metal bands & merge them together with some old school Thrash Metal & new school Death Metal elements. The music has an overall dark & grim feeling to it. It's cold dark & dreary all through out. The vocals are done in a cold harsh throaty Black Metal growl style. Fans of old school Black Metal bands like IMMORTAL, MAYHEM, BEHEMOTH & OLD MAN'S CHILD will dig these guys! Sink your teeth into this Black Metal album! www.SEPTRION.net |
| SPYDER BABY - LET US PREY (14 track CD) BLIND PROPHECY RECORDS I knew I was gonna really dig this band! They blend together tons of elements from Metal, Punk & Electronica. The music is very powerful & has a lot of energy in it all through. I love when bands melt together Punk & Metal, being as they are my favorite styles. The music has a very cool crunchy Industrial overtone to it & just makes it that much cooler. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Metal & Punk crossover style. If you were to take bands like MINISTRY, MARILYN MANSON, DOPE, HELL ON EARTH & TWENTY RIPPED ANGELS, mixed them all together & poured them out you'd get SPYDER BABY! www.SPYDERBABY.net |
| THE MORNING OF - THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (13 track CD) TRAGIC HERO RECORDS THE MORNING OF play a mixture of Pop, Punk & Emo music. They have a really fun up beat Pop Punk vibe, but they add in lots of elements of melodic Emo sounds. The music is definately radio friendly & sometimes has a fun 80's Pop vibe to it. The music also adds in 90's styled Punk influences. The main vocals are done in female vocals, but they add in a mixture of melodic male vocals as well. I didn't get into this band a lot, because of the slower Emo parts, but I did really like the faster more up beat Pop Punk stuff. I could see these guys getting big with their radio friendly sound though! www.THEMORNINGOF.com |
| TYPE O NEGATIVE - DEAD AGAIN BONUS DVD (DVD) SPV USA This is a special edition DVD release. This DVD will be included with the re-release deluxe CD version of the bands "DEAD AGAIN" CD. The deluxe edition will be in red instead of green & contain the DVD as well as the CD. The DVD contains exclusive live performances from Wacken Open Air 2007 festival, plus exclusive interviews & studio videos. There are 4 live tracks & 2 music videos. This DVD showcases TYPE O NEGATIVE doing waht they do best in a live situation. If your a fan of TYPE O & have never seen them live before than you must check out this DVD! www.TYPEONEGATIVE.net |
| VORGUS - VORGUSIZED (11 track CD) IRON, BLOOD & DEATH CORP. I don't know anything about this band, but the fact that they shred, big time! These guys play some very cool old school styled Thrash / Death Metal crossover music. The music is more dominate in the Thrash Metal style, but the heavier lower ended parts is where the Death Metal comes in. They have a gritty raw sound to their music as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Thrash metal style that reminds me of a mix between EXODUS, CARCASS EXHORDER. They also add some lower ended Death growls into the mix too. These guys are fucking awesome & everyone should get this disc & support this band! www.VORGUS.com |
| VUOHIVASARA / WARPATH - SPLIT (8 track CD) IRON, BLOOD & DEATH CORP. This is a split CD release from to extremely intense Black Metal bands. The first 4 tracks come from VUOHIVASARA. These guys play some very heavily influenced old school Black Metal music. They have a cold war like sound to their music. The vocals are done in a groggy throaty Black Metal growl style. The last 4 tracks are from WARPATH. These guys also play a heavily influenced old school Black Metal style. They have a cold, grimness to their sound that is present all through out. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Black Metal growl style! A very cool release from two great Black metal bands! VUOHIVASARA@gmail.com / www.VUOHIVASARA.cjb.net WARPATH@vituttaa.net / www.myspace.com/WARPATH |
| VUOHIVASARA - THE SIGIL (11 track CD) IRON, BLOOD & DEATH CORP. This is the first full length CD release from VUOHIVASARA. These guys still played some extremely good old school Black Metal music. This one is not as harsh or cold as the split release, but still has that raw intensity like the last release. This release also has a bit more Thrash Metal type influences mixed all with in. The vocals are done in a cold raw & groggy Black metal type scream on this one as well. These guys are really good & one of the best old school Black Metal bands out there now! VUOHIVASARA@gmail.com / www.VOUHIVASARA.cjb.net |