| MUSIC REVIEWS (May 2009) |
| 4 WAY TO SCREAM YOUR HATE - SPLIT (12 track CD) Self Released This is a 4 way split CD release from LAND OF HATE, SMASHEDHEAD, DEATHCRUSH & ZORA. This is a very cool split release that showcases some very cool bands in the scene today. LAND OF HATE plays a cool raw Death Thrash style in an old school vein. SMASHEDHEAD play a grooved oriented Death Metal style with Grindcore mixed in. DEATHCRUSH play old school Death Thrash with touches of Grindcore blended in. ZORA is a brutal Death Metal band with old school groove & new school technicality. This is an extremely good split with four amazingly great bands! Get your Death fill here! www.LANDOFHATE.it myspace.com/SMASHEDHEAD myspace.com/DEATHCRUSHband myspace.com/ZORAxperiment |
| A DEATH CINEMATIC - A PARABLE ON THE APORIA OF VENGEANCE... (11 track 2 CD set) Self Released A DEATH CINEMATIC is a one man project. All the songs are improvised using only a guitar, amp & some pedal effects. The music is a bit creepy & spacey feeling through out most of the release. There are some kind of acid tripping sounds as well. The release is broken up into two parts, one on each CD. Some of the music is a little heavier & more aggressive, but most is in the above vein. There are now vocals in the songs, but there is no need for them. The packaging of this release is amazing. I have never seen any other CD released with such well thought out, original & amazingly done packaging. The CD is cased in a cedar type digi pack with a cool fold over card box & hand printed artwork on the front & back! myspace.com/ADEATHCINEMATIC |
| APE - SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST (10 track CD) BARRED RECORDS This is the second CD release from APE that I reviewed & these guys have really improved a lot. They play a very cool groove oriented style of Hard Rock music that blends in some Modern Rock & Metal elements into their sound. There is a bit of a crusty Alternative vibe at times in some of the songs at times too. The mix of older Rock with newer Rock is what really hooked me in, since I am a fan of both. The vocals have a bit of a harder edged melodic feel & are done in a clean style. If you were to take parts of LED ZEPPLIN, RUSH, MOTLEY CRUE, DANGEROUS TOYS, ALICE IN CHAINS, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS & STAIND & mixed them all together you get something similar to APE. www.APEband.com |
| ARGENTUM - LUCHA Y MEMORIA (6 track CD) LABEL 56 ARGENTUM hail from Argentina & play a new style of music for me which is Ambient/Martial. I have never really heard music like this before. It is a great experience hearing something new, fresh & original like these guys. They take some elements from Classical music, Neofolk, Neoclassical, Traditional marches & more. The music over all has a dark cold & chilling Ambient vibe with some Industrial parts mixed in. There is a kind of Black Metal feel to most of it as well. These songs definitely could fit as the soundtrack for some really old Vampire, Zombie or old war & middle ages type movies. It was very refreshing to hear something very cool like this. Don't pass this band over. Get this disc & feel the darkness. www.eliteARGENTUM.com.ar |
| ASSAULTER - SALVATION LIKE DESTRUCTION (7 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS This Australian band comes full force with the release of their debut CD. These guys play a fast paced, gritty style of Speed Metal that incorporates some aspects of Death metal music. They take some classic elements from old school Thrash & Speed Metal & ram them full on into modern Death Metal music. Their sound is crushing & raw all through out. I dig the cool grooved out guitar riffs the take me back to the early days of Thrash Metal. This is all accompanied by thick throaty & groggy crossover styled Death Thrash vocals. There has been a huge resurgence of this style lately & these guys are one of the few doing it right. If you want a Thrash attack, you need this CD for your daily fix! Thrash till Death! myspace.com/burningfront |
| BLASPHEMER - ON THE INEXISTENCE OF GOD (10 track CD) COMATOSE MUSIC These Italian Death demons have unleashed their long awaited full length CD with new drummer. These sickos play extremely complex technical & chaotic Death Metal music which forges itself with Grindcore. The intensity on this release is insane, brutal & repeatedly beats the hell out of you. Just the way I like it! There is an unique four way guttural vocal assault as well. They mix it up with some lower thick, higher screeching & mid ranged growls. This is definitely a band that is going to force itself upon the Death Metal scene & make people remember them. If your into sick, spastic Death Grind this band will surely please your needs. There's a bonus video clip included too! www.BLASPHEMER.it |
| BLOODSOAKED - SADISTIC DEEDS...GROTESQUE MEMORIES (10 track CD) COMATOSE MUSIC The one man killing machine is back with another dose of brutal Death Metal. This is a straight forward no bullshit Death Metal slaughterfest. The music is done in an old school style with lots of technical parts mixed in. There very intricate drum programming style that you couldn't even tell wasn't a live drummer. The vocals are spewed forth in a mid ranged harsh throaty Death growl style. There is a cool cover of OBITUARY's "Gates Of Hell" & a bonus video clip for the song "Rotting In Filth". This is a must for fans of greats like OBITUARY, DEICIDE, SUFFOCATION, PESTILENCE, CARCASS & MALEVOLENT CREATION! Buy this disc now, it's a must & you'll love it! |
| BURIAL HORDES - DEVOTION TO UNHOLY CREED (8 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS After three years BURIAL HORDES from Greece are back with their newest onslaught. These guys play un relentless raw as hell old school Black Metal music. The music has a cold spastic fast paced grittiness War like Black Metal vibe. They play at high speeds with some time changes & filled with blast beats galore. There is a strong hatred that blankets their sound as well. The vocals are a harsh mid ranged scratchy Black Metal growl style that just adds to the intensity & aggression of this band. All true old school Black Metal hordes will want this in their collection! This isn't one for fans of modern Black Metal. |
| CALIBRE ZERO - JUGANDO CON FUEGO (12 track CD) STF RECORDS From Madrid comes this new Rock Metal band CALIBRE ZERO with their debut CD release. There is an old school late 70's early 80's styled Rock Metal sound in their music. They have a some kick ass cool grooves & riffs within all their songs. The music is direct mid paced rockin' with some harder edged parts mixed within. The vocals are done mid ranged clean vocals with some melodic parts & are all done in Spanish. You can find elements of early MOTORHEAD & METALLICA present as well as some heavier BLACK SABBATH influenced sections. They throw in some Modern Metal influences as well to round out their sound. These guys are a great throw back to the early days of great Hard Rock & Metal! www.CALIBREZEROrock.com |
| CONSPIRACY - CONCORDAT (8 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS CONSPIRACY is currently a one man project. The original line up disbanded in 1995. The music has an old school Metal vibe all through out. There are definite Thrash & Death Metal mixed with some hints to Black Metal. The productions is done in a raw harsh Black Metal war like style. The Thrash riffs is what really pulls you in & then the Death aggression keeps you there. Carpathian Wolf is the main man doing all the composing, performing & recording of this release. His vocals are done in a mid to low ranged harsh Death growl style with some screechier slightly higher one in the mix. This is the bands fourth release to date & by far the best effort so far! myspace.com/metalCONSPIRACY |
| CORRUPTED MELODY - INNER I (10 track CD) STF RECORDS Atmospheric Mystic Metal brought to you by this seven piece Death Metal band known as CORRUPTED MELODY. The band places it's foundation in Death Metal but there are definite Black Metal elements present all through out. There is a strong harshness in their music that is balanced out by atmospheric melodic parts. This is helped achieved by the combined vocals of the thick male Death growls & the angelic melodic female vocals. The music also follows the same path with slower more atmospheric mixed with faster aggressive & brutal Death Metal. This was a really amazing release. If you combined the likes of DIMMU BORGIR with LACUNA COIL then you'd have a close idea! www.CORRUPTEDMELODY.sk |
| CRESCENT SHIELD - THE STARS OF NEVER SEEN (9 track CD) CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC CRESCENT SHIELD has returned with heir second outing. The band has followed the same tradition as their first release, but this time have taken the band in newer directions. The musicianship as before is superb & completely amazing. They play Traditional Heavy Metal in the spirit of late 70's & early 80's in the vein of bands like MANOWAR, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN & HELLOWEEN. There is a lot of Thrash & Power Progressive Metal through out their music as well. The vocal styling is a mid ranged to high Power / Heavy Metal style. I really dig a lot of bands playing this style cause this is the Metal that I grew up listening to. These newer bands have just taken this form & molded it into something new & fresh. If you like the above bands & DRAGONFORCE or JAG PANZER then get this one! www.CRESCENTSHIELD.com |
| CUM SOCK - RESINSTINKS (13 track CD) PISSART RECORDS Canada's CUMSOCK has hit us with another load right in the face. This time around they seem even more pissed off sounding spastic slab of Noisecore. The music is all over the place, just like it's supposed to be. There are experimental elements of Grind, Noise & Death Metal all mixed within. The songs are pretty short for the most part, but they hit you right in the gut. Songs include "Punch To The Face", "Pissing Out My Ass", "Drunk As Fuck" & "Don't Jerk Off In My Shower". What did you expect, it's CUMSOCK for crying out loud. If you think you can handle the load then pick up your copy of "RESINSTINKS". myspace.com/CUMSOCK |
| DEAD CHRETIENS / THE MINDLESS SHOW - SPLIT (16 track CD) PISS ART RECORDS DEAD CHRETIENS is a old school Punk band out of Canada that features members of CUMSOCK. These guys play very raw spastic Punk that reminds me of a lot of the Punk bands from the late 70's & early 80's. THE MINDLESS SHOW also play Punk Rock music, but theirs has touches of new & old school Punk styles. There is even some slight Ska influences that shine through at times. I think these guys are from Malaysia where the labels is from that put this out. They are singing in a different language on some songs too. I dug this a lot, cause I'm a fan of old & new school punk bands. If you like both styles then search this one out through the label or the bands! |
| DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - KI (13 track CD) INSIDE OUT / SPV Devin Townsend is very well known in the music scene as a solo artist, producer & of course his band STRAPPING YOUNG LAD. "KI" is the first in a four part album series under the name DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT. Devin has written a bunch of new music & chosen to use different musicians for each album playing his music. They are chosen by the theme of the albums. This new "project" has taken him down a new path. Given up all his bad habits he has taken a different approach to music. The music isn't too aggressive & has a bit of Hard Rock Modern Metal style to it with an almost dark Jazz vibe. This is quite different & I can't wait to see what the next three albums bring! www.DEVINTOWNSEND.com |
| INN TRANCE - THE BASIS OF TRANCETHERAPY (12 track CD) STF RECORDS This is the debut full length release from this Italian Metal band. These guys have a Modern Metal sound that is a mix between Thrash, Death & Nu-Metal. I can hear them all meshing together through out all the songs. The music has a fast paced good grooved sound that is mid tempo & then changes up to a faster paced driven sound. The Thrash riffs keep the music rolling & keeps making you want to hear more. The vocals are also a blend of the above styles. They blend lower Death growls. mid range Thrash growls & screams & grooved out Nu-Metal vocals. If you were to combine LAMB OF GOD, METALLICA, KORN, GODSMACK & TRIVIUM you get a close idea of what these guys sound like! www.INNTRANCE.net |
| NIHILITIA - NIHILIST MILTIA (7 track CD) KEYA RECORDS NIHILITIA are a power trio out of Washington D.C. The band has been kicking around the scene for a little while now & are finally starting to get some recognition. The band has different sound that's quite hard to explain. There are elements of Noise Rock, Doom Metal, Punk, Death Metal & even some Jazz. The band has a kind of Stoner Rock vibe that engulfs their sound all through out. Sometimes the songs may lean more towards one of the styles. There are female vocals which as a little bit originality to it cause most bands playing in this vein have male leads. This band will be making a name for themselves & after opening for THE SWORD & SKELETON WITCH their fan base is sure to keep growing! myspace.com/NIHILITIA |
| PENSEES NOCTURNES - VACUUM (6 track CD) LES ACTEURS DEL'OMBRE PRODUCTIONS Vaerhon, a French composer is the man behind this sixty minute journey into a dark world. The music has great arrangements of melancholy tortured Black metal blended together with Classical music. This debut album is a result of a more complex form of Black Metal. Classical, Blues, Folk & World music are all mixed within the Black Metal to create a unique sound. This is also achieved by using clarinets, piano, horns, glockenspiel, violins, violoncello & more. Vaerhon best describes his music as an ode to melancholy drowning the listener into an imaginary world where Danny Elfman wears spikes & leather. myspace.com/PENSEESNOCTURNES |
| AXIS POWERS - MARCHING TOWARDS DESTRUCTION (9 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS AXIS POWERS hail from Sweden & play old school Swedish Death Metal music that centers around World Wars. The music has a very cool old Swedish Death sound with some newer brutality thrown in the mix. The music is fast paced, aggressive & heavy as hell There is a crunchy Death groove that runs through out a lot of their songs. The vocals have a thick throaty Death growl style to them with some lower groggy ones blended in. I loved this style of Death Metal music & am not surprised this was a huge scene. So many great bands came out of this scene & these guys are paying tribute to those bands. These guys are great & should not be over looked by any Death Metal fan out there! myspace.com/AXISPOWERSdeathmetal |
| SCREAMING ANGEL - THE INNER WAR EP (4 track CD) Self Released Emerging from New York comes SCREAMING ANGEL. This band is a bit different from most bands out there. The music is based in the Hard Rock genre, but they pull in aspects of a lot of other styles. The music has an old school Punk Rock vibe from the early 80's mixed with some Synth & almost Industrial Rock styles of the early 80's. There are few areas where the music gets more aggressive & heavier like Thrash Metal. The vocals are where I get a little thrown. Most of them are done in a melodic almost New Wave 80's style with some 70's Glam Rock then they mix in some Punk screams & Death Metal growls. It's a weird combination, but some how they pull it off & make it work. Give them a listen! www.SCREAMINGANGEL.com |
| SLOUGH FEG - APE UPRISING! SLOUGH FEG has been in the music scene for 20 years now & don't show any signs of stopping. They used to go under the name THE LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG, but shortened it when they signed to CRUZ DEL SUR in 2005. Their music is played in a Traditional Heavy Metal style. They have an ironic view on life & it shows in the bands lyrics. They don't follow any trends or any other bands lead when creating their music. The music some what reminded me of TENACIOUS D, but much better & a little more serious. It seems to have that triumphant epic vibe through out the whole album. I remember these guys in the early 90's & always thought they didn' t get enough attention. www.SLOUGHFEG.com |
| ST. MADNESS - SAINTANIC (16 track CD) NASTY PRICK RECORDS Yes! My Carnimetal boys from Arizona are back with another new release. ST. MADNESS play a very cool old school style of Hard Rock Power Metal. They do mix in a lot of other great elements from Speed, Thrash, Traditional, Progressive & Heavy Metal to help round out their sound. They add in some Blues & Classic Rock at times too. The lyrics are a lot of times done in a comical way, same as their stage show, which is why they have dubbed their music as Carnimetal. ST. MADNESS is actually a very talented group of musicians with a lot of great releases & this is definitely one of their best to date. Give these guys a lot of attention cause they are well worth it.! www.STMADNESS.com |
| THY FINAL PAIN - OF LIFE AND DEATH (11 track CD) STF RECORDS THY FINAL PAIN play respect to the roots of Death Metal by playing in an old school style. These guys bring it all & they do it right. There are crushing guitar riffs, heavy fast pounding drums & thick ass Death growls. They smash together technical intricate parts with down right brutal parts. There is a cool groove & driving sound through their music as well. If your a fan of the early Florida & Sweden Death Metal scenes then your gonna love these guys. They have the perfect combination of those two scene mixed together! This is a great release that would make any Death Metal collection proud! www.THY-FINAL-PAIN.com |
| VANMAKT - AV LUCIFERI REGNUM (9 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS VANMAKT hails from Sweden & plays a very Satanic hate filled form of Black Metal music. The music is done in an old school meets new school Black metal style. There is a raw spastic & cold War like older style mixed with some technical & atmospheric newer styles. The vocals spew forth even more hatred as the vocals are done in a mid ranged Black Metal growl and some faster higher screaming Black Metal vocals. These guys are quickly establishing their place in the Black metal scene as one of the better bands out there! Old & new Black Metal hordes will find something to enjoy about this great band! www.VANMAKT.com |
| ZORA - GORE (10 track CD) BLOODRED HORIZON RECORDS Out of the darkness in Southern Italy comes the Death Metal band ZORA with their newest offering. These guys play a newer form of technical Death Metal. There are some touches of Thrash Metal in some of the guitar work as well as some Grindcore elements spread through out their songs They blend in some change ups, tempo changes, stop & starts as well as some blasts & breakdowns. The vocals are a mid ranged throaty Death growl style with some slightly higher almost Grindcore type vocals. These guys are one of the better Death Metal bands to ever emerge from Italy. Each release just gets better in all aspects then the previous release! Get this & blast it! www.ZORA-experiment.tk |
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