| MUSIC REVIEWS (October 2006) |
| ABIGAIL'S MERCY - TO HELL WITH ANGELS (10 track CD) CROOKED HOUSE PRODUCTIONS This band hails from England & play some very cool Gothic Metal styled music. The music has a Goth, some Thrash Metal & some Black Metal elements all with in. There is a very cool rocking groove that flows in all the songs too. I can hear some world music influences at time too. The vocals are mix of both male & female vocals. The mail vocals are done in a Metal/Goth mixed style, while the female are done in a Goth & atmospheric Black Metal style. This is a great band & I wish I really got to see them perform when I was over in England a month earlier. Watch out for this band, because they are making a big name for themselves!!! www.ABIGAILSMERCY.co.uk |
| (11 track CD) FACEDOWN RECORDS Wow! I was blown away by this band. These guys & girl from Michigan destroy the boundaries between Metal & hardcore music. They have a more Hardcore sound then Metal, but the elements of both are clearly present. The music has some really thick chunky bass & guitar grooves, which I loved a lot. There are some influences of old BIOHAZARD in their sound, which I also loved. I loved the fast paced pounding in your face aggression this band possesses. The vocals are done in a strong harsh Hardcore/Metal crossover style. Ally's vocals are more intense than most men in the same vocal range & style. This is a great piece of music history here & everyone in both Metal & hardcore should own this amazing second release from BLOODLINED CALLIGRAPHY!!! www.BLCmosh.com |
| DISGRACE AND TERROR - SHADOWS OF VIOLENCE (12 track CD) Self Released Rearing it's ugly head out of Brazil comes this highly intense & very good Death/Thrash Metal band. These guys play a very cool style of old school Thrash Metal mixed with modern Death Metal music. I loved the fast paced speedy guitar riffing in their sound. It just keeps driving the music right at you. There are some stop & start parts, breakdowns & fast to slow areas too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Thrash/Death crossover scream/growl style & some lower end Death growls added here & there also. This is one for old school & new school Thrash & Death Metal fans. Would fit perfectly in any Metal collection!!! www.DISGRACEANDTERROR.com |
| EYES OF LEGEIA - A FEVER WHICH WOULD CLING TO THEE FOREVER (7 track CD) PARAGON RECORDS These guys have been spreading their evil dark seed of music through out the underground since 1998. Their music is in the Black Metal style, but has very strong Doom Metal influences through out. The music is kind of slower more gloomy sounding Black Metal & has some faster parts at times. There is a dirty dark sludgy feel to the music as well. The vocals are done in a low harsh throaty Black Metal style. There is some atmospheric parts that poke out at times too. Fans of bands like XASTHUR, BURZUM & SKEPTICISM will enjoy these guys a lot!!! www.EYESOFLEGEIA.org |
| GUTTURAL SECRET - REEK OF PUBESCENT DESPOILMENT (11 track CD) UNMATCHED BRUTALITY RECORDS This three piece out of Nevada is back with a more blistering, gore soaked album than their debut. These guys play some super intense Gore Grind music, that just mutilated your ears all through out. The music plays very fast with blast galore & just repeatedly beats the crap out of you. I liked the thick chugging guitar sound they have in their music a lot. The vocals are done in a low end guttural Death/Grind crossover style. If you have never heard these guys before, be prepared to be pummeled with some of the best Grind Gore out there. Fans of other bands on UNMATCHED BRUTALITY RECORDS will definitely want this in their collection!!! |
| HAMARTIGENIA - THE DESTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE (6 track CD) Self Released These guys are based in Venice, Italy & play a great mixture of Thrash Metal & Black Metal music. I loved the fact that they pull influences from both old & new school of both these styles. The music is very tight, solid & very fast paced all the way. I loved the dominate Thrash Metal sound that engulfs all the Black Metal elements. There are some darker & more Black metal parts at times, but the Thrash is more dominate. The vocals are done in a mid ranged throaty Thrash/Black Metal crossover style. If you took the sounds of Bay Area Thrash, mixed with German Speed Metal, tossed on some Swedish Black metal & other European Metal roots, then you'd get a great idea of what this amazing band sounds like! Check them out for yourself! You'll be glad you did!!! www.HAMARTIGENIA.cjb.net |
| HEINOUS KILLINGS - HUNG WITH BARBWIRE (10 track CD) UNMATCHED BRUTALITY RECORDS This is the newest release from Joe Wolfe of CLEAN FLESH fame, with his newest band HEINOUS KILLINGS. This some of the heaviest, brutalizing Death Grind music I have ever The music is super fast, intense & insane. The vocals are done in a very, very low frequency style with some of the strangest vocals I have ever heard. These guys are setting up new lines for this style of music that I'm sure a lot of people will follow! If you like to have your ears pounding until bleeding this band will surely do the job! You've been warned!!! |
| HELL BORN - CURSED INFERNAL STEEL (12 track CD) IBEX MOON RECORDS Poland's HELL BORN are back with a new release & their best one yet. These guys possess everything that makes Death metal music great. They have some very evil, dark & brutal parts all through out. This band was formed by members of BEHEMOTH & DAMNATAION. The music is ultra tight, well structured & heavy as hell! They plant themselves in the Death Metal range, but I can hear some classic Thrash metal influences as well as some Black Metal ones present in their sound. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Harsh Death growl style that is a bit haunting. I liked the bands past releases, but this is by far the best stuff they have thrown at us so far! This is a must!!! |
| HELMET - MONOCHROME (11 track CD) WAR CON RECORDS I was very happy to find this CD in my review pile. I have always been a huge fan of HELMET & was glad when they got back together. Here we have their sixth release to date & is their most mature & advanced sounding one so far. They sound a little different & a bit more technical on this album, but they still have a lot of the elements of their first two releases. I love their solid drum sound they have. The vocals are done in a harsh Hardcore/Punk style. These guys ares one of the originators of the post Hardcore/Punk genre & this album is proof that they still can do it & better than most of the bands that are following their style today!!! www.HELMETmusic.com |
| INCANTATION - PRIMORDIAL DOMINATION (8 track CD) IBEX MOON RECORDS This is the seventh full length album form the great INCANTATION. These should be well known to anyone in the Death Metal scene. This band play some very good old school Death metal music has influenced a lot of bands in the scene today. Their music is very well constructed, very intelligent sounding & some of the best Death metal your ears will have the honor of hearing. The vocals are done in a mid ranged to low Death growl that sometimes gets a bit more guttural sounding. If you have never heard these guys before than you should not call yourself a Death metal fan. This is the best we have heard from them & that is saying a lot, as their past efforts were extremely good as well!!! |
| MODERN LIFE IS WAR - WITNESS (9 track CD) DEATHWISH RECORDS This is the newest release from this young Hardcore band. These guys have built a huge following for themselves if their short life as a band. This album show a lot of the reasons why. These guys play some really strong, smart Hardcore music, with some Punk Rock influences mixed in. I liked all the cool stop & start parts, with the breakdowns & change ups combined in also. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Hardcore scream style again & accompany the music itself perfectly. This is another great release from these guys. They will be huge in the Hardcore community if they keep going this way. A must for any Hardcore fan!!! www.MODERNLIFEISWAR.net |
| PURE DEATH PRODUCTIONS - SEPTEMBER 30TH SHOW SAMPLER (14 track CD) PURE DEATH PRODUCTIONS This is a sampler CD for a show in Filthadelphia, Pa on September 30th that the guys from PURE DEATH PRODUCTIONS put together. There are four bands on the sampler all playing in the extreme brutal Death Metal range. There are 4 songs by DIGESTED FLESH, 3 songs by PUTRID PILE, 5 songs by MORTAL DECAY & 2 songs by NEUROPRAXIA. These guys are all great Death metal acts & I can't wait to check them out live. I hope these guys put on more shows like this & make up more compilation CDs like this as well! Support the underground!!! |
| SOLACE OF REQUIEM - UTOPIA REBORN (9 track CD) RUPTURED SILENCE These guys formed in Virgina & play a brutalizing style of old school Death Metal music. They have a very raw & aggressive old school sound with some touches of tight technical sounds mixed in. There is a darkness that engulfs the bands sound all through out. I really enjoyed the change ups & deepness of the bands music a lot. The vocals are done in a mid ranged deep Death Metal growl & some harsher more throaty Death growls. The bands lyrics are all about philosophy & mysticism & the music reflects that feeling. This is one of the better bands in the underground scene today!!! www.SOLREQ.com (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| XASTHUR - SUBLIMINAL GENOCIDE (11 track CD) HYDRA HEAD RECORDS XASTHUR is one of the most well know & innovative bands in Black Metal music today. This band plays some very cold, dark & dirty sounding Black Metal out there. The music is done in a low ended sound with some static like guitar noises. The harshness of the music is piercing to the ears & forces it's way into your brain. The vocals reflect upon the music as well. They are done in a mid ranged harsh Black Metal growl/scream style. Fans of the bands on BATTLE KOMMAND RECORDS will enjoy this band a lot. Delve into the sick mental vortex of the bands sole creator Malefic, you will enjoy the journey!!! |
| TERRODROWN - RUINED NATION (6 track CD) Self Release These guys play some ultra sick sounding Black Metal music. I can hear touches of old school & new school Black Metal sounds in their songs. There is a hallowed & sometimes haunting sound in the music. There are some different sounding change ups at times & a dark atmospheric sound that covers the music all through out. The guitars have elements of Thrash Metal music them every so often. The vocals are done in a mid ranged groggy Black Metal growl/screams with some more melodic & clean sounding Black metal vocals. These guys sound a bit different than the average Black Metal band of this style. Well worth checking out for Black metal fans!!! http://TERRODROWN.over-blog.com |
| THE HOPE CONSPIRACY - DEATH KNOWS YOUR NAME This is the bands first album in four years & what an amazing album it is. These guys blast your ears off with some hyper intense & intelligent Hardcore music. The music is full of aggression, power &adrenaline all through out. I loved the some what feedback sounding guitars they have. The music has fast to slow beats, sludge like riffs & grooving breakdown beats. These guys have every element for the perfect Hardcore band. I liked the spastic harsh Punk/Hardcore crossover style the vocals have. These guys pull from old & new school Hardcore & Punk influences & meshes them all together for a great sound! A must for any Hardcore fan old & young!!! www.THEHOPECON.com |
| UZIEL - LONG PERISHED REBELS (5 track CD) Self Release This is the second release from this Death Metal band out of Poland. These guys are not your typical Death metal band known from this area though. They do have some old school Brutalness, but there is some really intricate & involved sounding Progressive & Black Metal type elements present too. I really dug the combination of these two styles. There is a mystical feeling that blankets their sound too. There are fast to slow parts, time changes & some thrashing grooves too. The vocals are done in a mid ranged scratchy Death growl style. These guys have it all! If your a Metal fan then you need to have these guys in your collection!!! www.UZIEL.metal.pl |
| (10 track CD) FACEDOWN RECORDS Wow! I was highly impressed by these guys when I popped this disc in. These guys combine my two favorite styles of music together, Metal & Hardcore. There is a lot of heavy chugging & shredding from old school Metal mixed with some fierce & brutal pounding of todays Hardcore sound. The music has a lot of solid tight change ups with cool grooves & hooks all through out. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Hardcore scream style. This is by far one of my favorite releases this month! They remind me when of the time when the walls finally came crumbling down & Hardcore & metal met head on & emerged as a strong musical beast. These guys can lead the way for the new era of this style of music. I loved this disc & it will surely get a lot of play! |
| ABOMINANT - TRIUMPH OF THE KILL (9 track CD) DEATHGASM RECORDS This is the seventh album from this great American Death Metal band. These guys should be well known in the Death Metal underground scene by now because they have been attacking us for over 10 years now. They have a classic Florida Death scene sound but with more technical stuff mixed with in. There is a some melodic parts mixed in with lots of brutality. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Death growl style along with some mid ranged Death screams. One listen to this album & you will hear why these guys have lasted for so long. No Death Metal collection would be complete without this disc in it! Get it now!!! www.ABOMINANT.da.ru |
| ABSURDIST - THE FIRST DEMO 2006 (2 track CD) Self Release These guys play some really spastic sounding music. The music has a strong Grindcore style to it, but I can hear elements of Hardcore & metal mixed within. The music goes from crazy spastic stuff into fast paced driving grooves & beats then in to a slow more melodic sound. These guys hit all aspect of the music they are playing. The vocals are done in the same fashion. There are spastic Grindcore screams, Hardcore yells & some slower more melodic Metal type vocals. This is just a 2 song promo demo, but I'd like to hear more from this band in the future!!! |
| AMOEBIC DYSENTERY - HOSPICE ORGY (29 track CD) DEATHGASM RECORDS These crazy bastards are back with their second full length release. The music here is very chaotic & out of control sounding. They play very fast paced Gore Grind music with some Death Metal elements mixed in at times. There are some crazy ass change ups with lots of different beats, rhythms & more. This is some insane Grindcore with a drum machine. The vocals are done in very low guttural Grind growls, some ferocious Grind screams & some other styles here & there. I loved all the samples & clips they used in between songs! If you can handle this sick fest then dive right in!!! www.myspace.com/AMOEBICDYSENTERY |
| BRICK BY BRICK - WINGS OF ANGELS (10 track CD) SPARE CHANGE RECORDS Damn! These guys blew me away as soon as the music kicked in. They are a Hardcore based band, but I can hear lots of influences from Death Metal mixed within their sound. There is a strong Metal sound in their guitars. I liked the thick groove bass sound they have a well. The music just keeps pounding & pounding the crap out of you. It's relentless & I loved it. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Hardcore/Death Metal crossover style. These guys are destined to become huge & deserve to be. This will appeal to fans of both Hardcore & Metal. There are guest vocals by Jorge Rosado on MERAUDER too. Highly Recommended!!! www.BRICKBYBRICKhardcore.com |
| EXITIUM - OUTSOURCING MORALITY (12 track CD) DEEPSEND RECORDS This is some really sick Swedish Grindcore music. These guys blast the hell out of the listener & when you finally recover, they blast you again. The music is super fast paced highly explosive & is overflowing with aggression! There are some stop & start parts, but they are very quick. The music just keeps attacking & attacking. The vocals are done in amid ranged harsh Grindcore scream with some lower Grindcore growls. This is one of the best Grindcore albums I have heard in awhile. Fans of the great bands ROTTEN SOUND & NASUM will love these guys!!! |
| HELLS HEADBANGERS / DEATHGASM - SPLIT SAMPLER (22 track CD) HELLS HEADBANGERS / DEATHGASM This is a promotional sampler put out by HELLS HEADBANGERS & DEATHGASM RECORDS. There are bands from both labels featured on this disc. There are 22 songs & 21 bands featured here. All the bands play within the Death, Black Metal & Grindcore styles. Some of the bands include: MANTICORE, DESTRUKTOR, NUNSLAUGHTER, AZURE, SPAWN OF SATAN, EVIL INCARNATE, ATOMIZER, KURU, TOXIC HOLOCAUST & 12 others! This is a very cool sampler with lots of great bands featured! Check it out! www.HELLSHEADBANGERS.com www.DEATHGASM.com |
| LECHEROUS NOCTURNE - ADORATION OF THE BLADE (8 track CD) DEEP SEND RECORDS This five piece extreme Death metal band is plowing it's way to the top of the Death Metal heap. They have a very technical sound to their music, but at the same time are also playing crushing brutal Death Metal, reminiscent of the Florida Death scene. They add in some touches of Black Metal into their sound as well. The vocals are done in a mid ranged & harsh Death growl with the occasional scream here & there. The band also features members of NILE & MONSTROSITY. Watch out Death Metal world,, because these guys are on the verge of taking over!!! You have been warned!!! www.LECHEROUSNOCTURNE.com |
| NOMINON - RECREMATION (9 track CD) DEATHGASM RECORDS It's been a long time since I've heard someone playing this style & playing it good. These guys play classic Swedish Death metal music that is dark & evil sounding. The music is very hard hitting old school Death Metal. I loved the thick guitar riffing all through out. These guys took me back to when I first got into Death Metal music & wanted to do this whole crazy label & zine thing. The vocals are done in amid ranged Death growl/scream style that reminds me of old ENTOMBED. Fans of ENTOMBED & DISMEMBER will surely love these guys!!! www.NOMINON.com |
| THRONEUM - DECADE OF NECROSTUPRUMICAL MADNESS (23 track CD) DEATHGASM RECORDS This CD is a celebration of the bands ten years of existence. The CD highlights the bands music over the years & includes some rare & unreleased stuff as well. The music these guys play is pure cold Death Metal music. There are some Thrash metal elements present in their sound, especially in the guitars. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh raw Death growl/scream style. These guys don't seem like they will ever let up, which is a good thing, because this disc just makes you want to hear more & more new music from these guys! Check this disc out to see how the band has progressed over the years!!! www.geocities.com/THRONEUM |
| URNA - SEPULCRUM (9 track CD) AETERNITAS TENEBARUM MUSIC FOUNDATION This is a two man project playing some well structured & thought out Black Doom Metal music. The music has a really strong funeral Black Metal style to it. The vibe is really dark, macabre & somber feeling. There are some haunting sounds in their music as well. The vocals are done in a very low Black Metal haunt, that is a bit chilling at times. These guys really know how to creep people out with their dark atmospheric Black Metal sound. This is not for all Black Metal fans, but most who like the more disturbing side of dark Black metal will love it!!! |
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