| MUSIC REVIEWS May 2005 |
| ABUSED MAJESTY - SERPENTHRONE ADIPOCERE RECORDS (10 song CD) Hailing from Poland comes this very aggressive fierce force of Death Metal. These guys are more of a Death Merged with Black Metal band. They have a good balance of the two styles in their sound. There is a lot of raw pure aggression spewing forth from these guys as well as some more symphonic Black Metal type elements. The vocals are a mix of harsh Death growls with low throaty Black Metal growls. This is a very impressive debut release from these guys!!! LUKASZ SARNACKI / ZIELONGORSKA 4/20 / 15-674 BIALYSTOK / POLAND ABUSEDMAJESTY@wp.pl / http://ABUSEDMAJESTY.rockmetal.art.pl |
| AGLAROND - ACROSS THE DARK NIGHT AMERICAN LINE PRODUCTIONS (9 song CD) I don't know anything about this band, except one thing, they are very good. This band plays in a melodic Metal style of music that really can't fit into one vatagory. There are many elements of Doom, Black Metal, Thrash, Traditional & more are all present in their sound. They have a lot of atmospheric & symphonic sounds in their music surrounded by lots of heavy aggressive parts. There is a mix of angelic female vocals with low dark almost Black Metal male vocals. This is a must for fans of THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, THE GATHERING, SINERGY & THERION!!! The CD also contains a bonus video track!!! |
| ANGELFIRE - ALTERED PERCEPTION Self Release (5 song CD) ANGELFIRE is a Thrash Metal band from the land of Illinoize. These guys have a very classic Thrash Metal sound, that reminds me of bands I was into from the late 80's. The music is very technical & highly involved as well. They mix in dual vocal styles, one is a harsh Thrash vocal, while the other is a clean melodic Thrash vocal. This is a very impressive demo, especially for a band who's average age is 15. This is one for all fans of TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN, CARCASS, ENTOMBED & old ANTHRAX, MEGADETH & EXODUS!!! 940 KENT AVE / ELMHURST, IL. 60126 nperrino90@comcast.net / ishboo4949@aol.com / www.ANGELFIRErocks.tk |
| BLIND MYSELF - WORST CASE SCENARIO TWO FAT MEN / HARDEBARAN (12 song CD) This Hungarian band has been spitting out thier brand of Metal since 1995. These guys base their style in Metal, but toss in many other elements for flavoring. They toss in influences of Hardcore, Noise & Rock to add to their style. The music is really aggressive in a Hardcore way. They go from all out crazy stampeding beats into slow, grooving & melodic beats. The vocals are done in a Metal/Hardcore crossover style with some Noise type screams tossed in. These guys would fit in great with a lot of the VICTORY RECORDS bands, especially ATREYU!!! |
| BLOODWORK - INSUFFICIENT FLESH TARANTULA PROMOTIONS (5 song CD) Straight out of the U.K. comes BLOODWORK with their first CD. These guys are definately in the Death Metal style, but these guys add lots of influences from Thrash & Black Metal as well to further expand their sound. The music has really good crunchy riffs, throbbing bass & heavy pounding drums. The vocals are done in a harsh aggressive Death scream style & low end Death growls. These guys remind me of the mutated sons of GORGUTS, SIX FEET UNDER, TESTAMENT & CARCASS. This is a very good thing if you ask me. Check this great band out! P.O. BOX 21700 / LONDON E14 3YR / U.K. BLOODWORK_uk@yahoo.co.uk |
| BLUE HOLOCAUST - TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE MURDER THE WORLD PRODUCTIONS (32 song CD) This is a one man drum machine Gore Grind attack. This music is super sick & ultra gorey sounding. The music is fully inspired by Italian Slasher movies. The music is very raw, aggressive & fast as hell Grind Gore music all the way. At times there are a few break downs & stop & starts too. The vocals are done in a low end harsh Death vomit type Grind growl. All Grind Gore whores will want to have this in their collection!!! pierre@goregrind.net / www.goregrind.net/BLUEHOLOCAUST |
| DEATH FROST - 1+2+3+35+36=666 Self Release (6 song CD) DEATH FROST play some really different sounding form of Death Metal. The music is some what mechanical sounding & cold feeling. There are some elements of Black Metal as well as Industrial music in their sound. There is a harsh rawness to the music too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl, but it has a echo on it or something. A pretty decent release from these guys!!! DEATHFROST@c4.org / hethidden@yahoo.com / http://nau.to/DEATHFROST |
| DROWNED IN BLOOD - THE WARFARE CONTINUES AMERICAN LINE PRODUCTIONS (7 song CD) Hailing from the pits of Mexico comes this highly intense Death Metal band called DROWNED IN BLOOD. These guys play old school brutal Death Metal with tons of new school Grindcore tossed in. The music is very tight, aggressive & pounding away. There is a ton of raw intensity pouring out of this band. The vocals are done in a low end Death growl mixed with a mid ranged groggy & throaty Death growl. These guys are very good & are highly recommended to anyone who enjoys extremely good Death grind!!! APARTADO POSTAL 19-091 / AV. REVOLUCION #1128 / C.P. 03901 / MEXICO D.F. DROWNED_IN_BLOOD@hotmail.com / www.DROWNEDINBLOOD.com |
| EMINENCE - HUMANOLOGY TIMELESS PRODUCTIONS / TWO FAT MEN / HARDEBARAN (17 song CD) EMINENCE play very good, intense Death Metal music. These guys have a strong, powerful & technical Death Metal sound. Their music is very fierce & aggressive & is also very very driving. I loved it! The music has some really tight grooves & beats as well. I enjoyed everything about these guys! The vocals are done in a harsh graspy almost Death Metal type growl. The band features ex-members of OVERDOSE & SEPULTURA. If your into bands like SEPULTURA, HATEBREED, ATREYU & OVERDOSE your gonna love these guys!!! www.EMINENCE.com.br |
| ENAMORED - BLACK OCEANS E.P. Self Release (5 song CD) Here we have a new CD release from Pennsylvania's own ENAMORED. These guys play a very tight technical style of Death Thrash music. The music is highly energized at times & others it's some what atmospheric & melodic sounding. Three of the songs are instrumentals on this release. The vocals are done in two styles as well. There are clean melodic Thrash vocals mixed with deep throaty Death growls. ENAMORED is another Metal band that makes the Pennsylvania scene look good! Check this talented band out!!! 45 HILLMOND ST. / BETHLEHEM, PA. 18018 bigjohn1122@hotmail.com / www.ENAMORED.tk |
| EVIL E - SELF TITLED Self Release (4 song CD) This is a three piece Metal act out of Spain. These guys combine a few different Metal styles to create their sound. There are major elements of Traditional, Heavy, Thrash & Power Metal all present in the music. I liked the really aggressive Thrash sounding guitars mixed with the grooving bass & drums sounds. They have an almost old PANTERA meets old EXODUS meets old METALLICA vibe going on. The vocals are done in a mid ranged clean Thrash vocal style. Fans of any of the above three bands will most likely dig these guys!!! E_VIL_E2004@yahoo.es |
| EVISCERATE - SHADOWS OUT OF TIME ALKEMIST FANATIX (4 song CD) Coming from dark regions of Italy is this very good Thrash Metal band known as EVISCERATE. These guys base their sound in Thrash Metal, but they also add in elements of Death Metal as well. They have a very tight & impressive technical sound. There are good grooves, fast paced beats & melodic atmospheric starts all mixed in with brutal in your face aggression. The vocals are done in harsh throaty Thrash/Death crossover style. This is a very good CD & I look forward to hearing more from this band in the future. VIA DEL FRANZONE 108 / BRESCIA / ITALY EVISCERATE2@virgilio.it / www.EVISCERATE.it |
| EXOTHERM - PROJECT 47 LIMITED ACCESS RECORDS / HARDEBARAN / TWO FAT MEN (8 song CD) EXOTHERM play a very good strong style of Traditional Metal & Power Metal mixed. Their music is very tight & technical sounding all through out. There are lots of slow melodic parts intertwind with fast heavy shredding Thrash parts. They toss in some change ups too, to give some variety. Thye vocals are done in a solid clean higher pitched Power Metal style along with some darker more traditional clean vocal styles. Watch out for this band, because they will become big in the underground Metal scene. www.EXOTHERM.net |
| GODS - I SEE YOU THROUGH GLASS HAND OF HOPE RECORDS (10 song CD) This is the debut CD release from this Rock/Metal band with members of the band ZAO. These guys are a Rock assault with lots of elements of Metal mixed in with tinges of Hardcore & Emo thrown in. The music is aggressive & powerful at times, while at others it is really melodic sounding. There is a strong bass & drum dominance in the music, which I liked a lot. The vocals are very emotional & balady & also have tons of screams & low end deep clean vocals. These guys really like to mix things up a lot. If you took a hybrid of KORN, ZAO, FAITH NO MORE, STAIND & ALICE IN CHAINS, you most likely would get these guys!!! www.cultofGODS.com |
| GRIMNESS - INCREASE HUMANITY DISGUST HARDEBARAN (9 song CD) GRIMNESS plays a very intense & powerful style of Death Metal music. These guys are a lot more than your average Death Metal band though. They have a good balance of old school & new school Death Metal elements. They even toss in some Thrash Metal as well as Black Metal influences into their sound. The music is hyper fast & very aggressive. The vocals are done in a mid ranged throaty Death growl. These guys reminded me of bands like HYPOCRISY, DEATH & ENTOMBED all mixed together! Good combination, huh? JONAH G. PADELLA / CORSO TRIESTE 51 / 00047 MARINO (ROMA) / ITALY GRIMNESS@excite.it / wwwGRIMNESS.net |
| HIMINBJORG - EUROPA ADIPOCERE RECORDS (14 song CD) Coming out of France is HIMINBJORG play some really good Pagan Metal music. The music is a mixture of Black Metal & Death Metal. The music is very heavy & intense like Death Metal, but has a well balanced mix of symphonic & atmospheric Black Metal too. There is a strong dark haunting feel to their music. The vocals are done in a few styles. There are melodic Black Metal vocals, harsh strong Death growls & Black Metal growling haunts. This is the bands 5th album release & their most impressive as well. A must for all fans of Pagan Metal!!! http://HIMINBJORG.fr.st |
| LOW TWELVE - 12 WAYS TO MAKE YOU DIE (SAMPLER) HEAVYCORE RECORDS (3 song CD) This is just a three song sampler promo for the bands full length release of the same name. These guys play Death groove Metal. They are on the edge of almost being a Death Metal band, but not quite. There is a thick, thick bass sound all through out their music, which I loved a lot. There are lots of cool grooves & breakdowns within their music too. The vocals are low end harsh Metal vocals that almost have a Hardcore vibe to them. This is a must for fans of DISARRAY, DISGRACE, PANTERA & even a little STUCK MOJO! contact@LOWTWELVE.com / www.LOWTWELVE.com |
| MADE OUT OF BABIES - TROPHY NEUROT RECORDINGS (12 song CD) MADE OUT OF BABIES is a very unique New York four piece band. They combine elements of Doom, Rock, Stoner Metal & Noise Rock to create their original sound. The music has a really thick aggressive & churning sound to it. The music also has a really good groove with lots of change ups & breakdowns. The vocals are harsh screams of front women Julie who is a powerful force. This is the best release NEUROT has put out so far. Fans of DAISY CHAINSAW, L7, SKUNK ANASIE & old HELMET will love this band!!! |
| MALEDICTIVE PIGS - SOUL SURGERY CUDGEL AGENCY (10 song CD) Here is the newest offering from Germany's own MALEDICTIVE PIGS. These guys play a great mix of Death Metal & Grindcore. The music is extremely brutal & heavy as hell. There is a really cool old school CARCASS vibe in their music. They have aggressive grooves with some cool break downs & stop & start parts tossed in too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death/Grind crossover style growl. This is a must for anyone into intense, good Death Grind music!!! CARLSTR. 35 / D-14943 LUCKENWALDE / GERMANY henri.killzone.freenet.de |
| MALICIOUS DAMAGE - SCORCHED EARTH POLICY Self Release (5 song CD) MALICIOUS DAMAGE is a very good heavy & angry sounding Death Metal band. These guys are mostly balanced on the Death side, but also add in touches of Thrash & straight out Metal. The music is very intense & pounding all the way through. The music has good grooves, breakdowns, stop & starts & lots more. I really dig the heavy bass grooving domination the most. The vocals are done in a straight forward clean Metal style mixed with Death growls. If you took PANTERA, blended them with DISARRAY & ORCUS tossed in some TESTAMENT & DISINCARNATE & CARNIVORE you'd get a great sound that is MALICIOUS DAMAGE!!! www.MALICIOUSDAMAGE.net |
| MUTILATION - CONFLICT INSIDE ADIPOCERE RECORDS (10 song CD) MUTILATION is a very good old school Death Metal band coming from the depths of Poland. These guys are super tight & heavy as hell sounding. They are intense & very brutal, just pounding their brand of old school Death metal into your ears. There are at times some elements of Thrash present in the guitars. The vocals are done in a groggy Death growl that pierces into you. They do a very cool cover of DEATH's "Mutilation" off of "SCREAM BLOODY GORE". Old school Death heads will wet themselves over this album!!! TOMASZ CHWASTEK / UL. SZEWSKA 37 / 32-200 MIECHOW / POLAND band@MUTILATION.info / www.MUTILATION.info |
| NAUMACHIA - WRATHORN ADIPOCERE RECORDS (9 song CD) Here is yet another great band out of Poland as well as another quality release from ADIPOCERE RECORDS. I love this label!!!These guys play melodic technical Death Metal music & they play it amazingly well. These guys are one of the best bands I've heard emerge from Poland. Their music is very aggressive sounding & was almost like a marching band playing Death Metal at times. There are some really chunky grooving Death parts mixed in with some symphonic Death Metal as well. The vocals are done in amid ranged Death growl style. I think these guys are one of my newest favorite Death metal bands. This is highly recommended!!! TOMASZ KILINSKI / 07-200 WYSZKOW / KILINSKIEGO 30/21 / POLAND NAUMACHIA@wp.pl / www.NAUMACHIA.pl |
| OVERLOADED - HAIL THE KINGDOM Self Release (7 song CD) This is the debut CD release from Detroit's infamous Hard Rock & Metal band OVERLOADED. These guys play Hard Rock music with tons of Heavy Metal elements mixed within. The music is raw, sexually charged & grooving all through out. They have some really aggressive driving beats at times & at others they are more melodic sounding. The vocals also follow the above style of fast aggressive sounding & then at others is more melodic sounding. They are a mix of L.A. GUNS, SAIGON KICK, FORBIDDEN & JACKYL all rolled into one. I wouldn't be surprised if these guys were signed really soon!!! michele@OVERLOADEDmusic.com / www.OVERLOADEDmusic.com |
| PREJUDICE - DOMINION OF CHAOS Self Release (8 song CD) PREJUDICE has been shredding apart the underground scene since 1993. These guys have changed a bit over the years, but it's all been for good. The band plays extremely good & extremely tight Death Metal music. The music is pounding in your head & mile a minute. The music is very brutal & very heavy. These guys don't let up one bit. There are a few Thrash Metal influences in the guitar sounds at times. The vocals are done in a low end Death growl style. These guys remind me of old MORBID ANGEL mixed with SIX FEET UNDER. www.PREJUDICE.be |
| SELF TORTURE - MISLEAD ZOO SOUND (7 song CD) I believe I reviewed this disc already, a few months back. These guys are very intense & highly aggressive sounding. They play a crossover style of Death/Thrash & Hardcore type music. The music has a dominate Death & Thrash Metal sound, but has an over all Hardcore type feel to it. It's almost like old D.R.I. if they were to add some Death Metal into their sound. There are some tight grooves & change ups in the music too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death/Hardcore type of vocal styling. If you took some TESTAMENT, D.R.I., SEPULTURA & blended it together you'd get SELF TORTURE!!! www.SELFTORTURE.org |
| SELF TORTURE - PERSON-A ZOO SOUND (13 song CD) This is the newest disc release from SELF TORTURE. On this disc the guys still go witht he same style as on the previous disc, but they add a bit more to this one. There is a tighter more technical & a more aggressive style to this release. This time they add in some elements of FEAR FACTORY into their D.R.I., TESTAMENT & SEPULTURA formula. I loved the grooving tight drums on this disc a lot. The vocals have more Death Thrash sounds this time around & sound a lot like Burton C. Bell of FEAR FACTORY, when he's doing the screaming style. This is a more mature & impressive release. Much better than the last one & the last disc was great!!! www.SELF TORTURE.org |
| SPIRIT DISEASE - REDEMPTION DENIED VORTEX MOTIONS RECORDS (7 song CD) SPIRIT DISEASE comes at you full throttle blasting you with their brand of Death Thrash music. They have a strong Death Metal sound, but the Thrash Metal elements are clearly present through out. They have a really cool crunchy almost Grindcore vibe shooting straight through their sound. At times there are some good grooving riffs that pull you in. The vocals are a harsh throaty Black Metal & Thrash Metal crossover style. These guys are very good & I'd really like to hear more from them in the future!!! |
| THURISAZ - SCENT OF A DREAM HARDEBARAN / TWO FAT MEN (6 song CD) THURISAZ play a highly intense style of Black Metal with a few other styles tossed into the mix. The music is dominated by Black Metal music, but there are elements of Death Metal & Goth Metal all present in their sound. The music goes from hyper fast Black Metal into a slower more Goth like part. The transitions are very smooth & flow perfectly into one another. The vocals are also a combination of both Black Metal & Goth. The Black Metal ones are harsh screaming while the Goth are clean melodic like. These guys are well worth checking out for fans of both styles!!! www.THURISAZ.be |
| TORCHE - SELF TITLED ROBOTIC EMPIRE (10 song CD) TORCHE is one of Miami Florida's best new comers in the Metal scene. These guys play a unique style of Stoner Metal. There are some really bizarre & trip beats along with some really catchy & groovy ones. The music has an extremely heavy thunder sound all the way through. The vocals are done in a powerful & melodic Doom/Stoner style. The band features former members of FLOOR, CAVITY & TYRANNY OF SHAW. These guys would be perfect for fans of old HELMET, CLUTCH, BLACK SABBATH & QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. All Stoner Rock fans should pick this one up!!! www.TORCHE.tk |
| TOURETTE SYNDROM - GABBERGRIND APATHIC VIEW PRODUCTIONS (19 song CD) These guys really live up to their name. These guys are insanely crazy sounding & sound like they could have tourettes. The music is hyper active cyber Grind. It's got elements of Industrial, Cyber & Grindcore all mixed together. Sometimes one style dominates the song more than others, but most times it's a blend of the above styles. The vocals are chaotic screams all through out. I liked everything about this band except I couldn't get into the vocals much. If you think you can handle their onslaught of music, check these crazies out!!! www.TOURETTESYNDROM.de |
| VON SIRIUS - THE MYSTICAL DOKTRYN OF SPIRITUAL ACCOMPLISHMENT NIHILVOCES (8 song CD) VON SIRIUS is a very unique Metal act with lots of touches coming from other styles. The main style is Metal, but there are other musical elements weaved into the sound. There is Electronica, Industrial & Gothic influences all inside. The music is kind of dark feeling all through out & very cold. The vocals are done in a low Gothic type clean vocal & then an Industrial almost Death Metal growl one. This band would be a combination of DEAD CAN DANCE, RAMSTEIN, TYPE-O-NEGATIVE & KMFDM with a dark edge!!! |