| MUSIC REVIEWS (May 2004) |
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| ABIGAIL - FOREVER STREET METAL BITCH (11 song CD) DRAKKAR PRODUCTIONS This three piece Metal band hails from Tokyo Japan. These guys are a bunch of Metal maniacs. Their music is very chaotic & crazy sounding Death Metal. They do toss in some flavors of Black Metal & Thrash Metal at times. They have a very cool old school meets new school Metal vibe through out the disc. The music is super fast & highly intense. I liked when they toss in a slow part or a break down to mix it up. The vocals are done in a high pitched Death Metal & Black Metal scream. This is one band that's not for the weak at heart. Definately one of the best Metal acts to come out of Japan!!! - 59-7, SAIWIA-CHO / ITABASHI-KU / TOKYO 173-0034 / JAPAN / suzuyasu@js8.so.net.ne.jp |
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| AGONY DIVINE - DEFILED BY FEAR (4 song CD) CONCEALMENT RECORDS Straight out of North Carolina comes this very powerful & intense Metal act. These guys have a strong Death Metal sound mixed with old school Thrash Metal. They possess a lot of aggressiveness blended with some grooves & full on Metal attacks. At times you can hear some Doom Metal elements popping through. I liked the shredding Thrash sound they have mixed with Death Metal. It reminded me of ANTHRAX if they were a Death Metal band. The vocals are done in a harsh punishing Death growls. This is one band everyone should keep a watch on. They will start to make a name for themselves in the underground scene. I look forward to their next release!!! - 1317 ROCK DRIVE / RALEIGH, NC. 27604 / www.AGONYDIVINE.com |
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| ATOMIZER - THE ONLY WEAPON OF CHOICE (13 song CD) AGONIA RECORDS This is the third studio album from this Australian Metal band. These guys are a combined hybrid of Death Metal, Black Metal & Thrash Metal music. These guys are great. They have all the great elements of all the above styles. It's bands like these guys that make me love Metal so much. I loved the rawness & intensity through out the whole disc. Some songs are a combination of the above styles, while some are more dominated by one of the styles. They also combine an even amount of old school & new school flavors. This is a must for any true Metal fan looking for a Metal music masterpiece!!! - P.O. BOX 136 / KEW, VICTORIA / AUSTRALIA 3101 / ATOMIZER@connexus.net.au / www.ATOMIZER.net |
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| CARNAL REDEMPTION - PROMO 2004 (2 song CD) SELF RELEASE This is just a two song promo sampler from this Death Metal band out of Greece. The songs are taken from their upcoming MCD "CEREBRAL CHAOS". It's nice to see these guys back with new material after a three year period because of military duties. The guys have improved upon their very cool old school Death Metal style. The guys have a really good brutal & crunchy Death Metal sound. There is a lot of involved guitar work & heavy as hell drum sounds. The vocals are done in a mid ranged thick Death Metal growl style. This is a must for fans of old DEATH, ATHIEST, MALEVOLENT CREATION & INCANTATION! - 3 KESKINIOU ST. / VYRONAS 162 31 / ATHENS / GREECE / CARNAL_k99@hotmail.com / http://CARNALREDEMPTION.cjb.net |
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| CASUS LUCIFERI - SELF TITLED (8 song CD) DRAKKAR PRODUCTIONS I didn't get any information on these guys with the CD & I don't know anything about them. The only thing I do know is that they are a really good Black Metal band. These guys play some very powerful & war like Black Metal styled music. From the second the CD pooped on I was repeatedly pummeled by a wall of chaos. The music is very fast paced, raw & highly intense Black Metal. The vocals are done in a mid to low range harsh Black Metal growl. I was exhausted after listening to this disc. They have a strong technical sound as well. Most Black Metal hordes will raise their horns in praise!!! |
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| CRYSTALIUM - DIKTAT OMEGA (8 song CD) OKEN SHEILD / ADIPOCERE RECORDS This band has been tearing apart the underground scene since 1996 playing their brand of Black Metal music. These Metal heads out of France have a strong & solid war Black Metal sound. There is a very dominate cold & chaotic vibe through out their music. They have a very fast paced & atmospheric sound as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Black Metal growing style. I have some of the bands previous releases & this is by far their best work so far!!! - ereperton@free.fr / www.CRYSTALIUM.tk |
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| DEVIL TO PAY - THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER (11 song CD) LAX WAX / BENCHMARK RECORDS This is my first time hearing this fairly new band in the underground scene. They formed in early 2002 in Indianapolis, In. DEVIL TO PAY play some really good Doom Metal / Stoner Rock type music. I'm not a huge fan of this style, but I do like a few bands & these guys are now one of them. I love the heavy chugging from the bass & drum sounds. There is a pretty cool grooving going on through out their whole disc as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Doom Metal style. These guys are a combination of WHITE ZOMBIE, CROWBAR, C.O.C., DANZIG & DOWN! These guys are gonna become very high on the Stoner Rock music pile!!! Check what the buzz is about!!! - info@DEVILTOPAY.net / www.DEVILTOPAY.net |
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| EQUILIBRIUM / MALEVOLENT SNEAKER TOOTH - SPLIT (5 song CD) DISHRAG RECORDS (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) The first two songs on this split are by the one man project EQUILIBRIUM, which is the brain child of Filthy Dave. He has done everything on these songs himself. The music is a cross between Death Metal, Industrial & Experimental Noise. The music has a slow sludgy Doom Metal feel to it as well. The last three tracks come from MALEVOLENT SNEAKER TOOTH, which is Mark Golde. He has written, recorded & performed all these tracks himself. The music has a 70's vibe going on, with lots of Doom Metal mixed in. There is also some Traditional Metal & Death Metal influences mixed in too. This is a decent split, by two very talented guys!!! - paradisenoise@aol.com / MALEVOLENTSNEAKERTOOTH@yahoo.com |