| MUSIC REVIEWS page #2 |
| EREBUS - TRANSENDENTAL (8 Song CD) ETERNAL NIGHT PRODUCTIONS This is a one man project of very dark atmospheric music put by Keith barnard of FINAL PRAYER, BLOOD VOMIT & AKHKHARU. This side project is much different from all the other stuff Keith has done in his other bands. The music has a very well constructed orchestra type sound to it, but very dark & dreary sounding. There is an eerie evilness & unsettling creepiness to the music as well. This could definately be the soundtrack for some of the better Italian horror films I've seen. Keith has written & arranged all the music here. He in no way sounds like MORTIIS, but this would be a must of all those fans. This is one talented musician that deserves much attention!!! - 3302 ELAND DOWNE / PHOENIXVILLE, PA. 19460 / KEITH666@EARTHLINK.NET FUCK THE FACTS - FOUR 0 NINE (5 Song CD) Here is one band that I truly loved every release from! This band hails from Canada & plays some very good Death/Grindcore music better known as "Canadian Blast". This release is slightly different than their previous releases. The guys still build off the Grindcore base, but add a little more to their sound. This release has a little more Death Metal type sounds & I think I heard some stuff that was almost Jazz! Their music is great, fast paced Grind in your face & very dirty! The vocals range from a more even ranged Death growl to a higher sounding Grindcore scream. there are a lot of cool samples intwind into their music as well. They do a cool cover of a BEACH BOYS song, which has got to be heard! - INFO@FUCKTHEFACTS.COM / www.FUCKTHEFACTS.com GOTHIC - DEATHCOGRAPHY (24 Song CD) LE COMMANDO/MAFIA UNDERGROUND GOTHIC is a great Death Metal band out of France. The band has been tearing up the scene for over 10 years now & this disc is the proof of that. This is a collection of songs taken from their releases from 1991-2001. Their music is a very strong solid style of Death Metal with some slight touches of Grindcore, Black Metal & maybe some Thrash too. The vocals are done in a lower Death Metal growl style & mixed with a higher groggy like Death growl. This is a good disc for anyone who hasn't experienced this great band before. - P.O. BOX 60 / 9 RUE ADE LAIDE LAHAYE 93170 / BAGNOLET / FRANCE / http://GOTHICmafia.free.fr HARAKIRI - VIRTUOUS SYMPTOMS (6 Song CD) CYBERDING243 AUDIO PRODUCTIONS This is my 2nd experience hearing this band & let me tell you, they have gotten much better. The band plays a very good Death Metal style that sometimes sways towards Hardcore. The vocals are done in a nice mid ranged Death growl style, which I really dug. It reminded me of a lot of the early 90's Death Metal acts. The music also reminded me of a lot of the bands from that era too. Some times I hear some Grindcore influences in the guitars with the real crunchiness sounds. the rhythm & breakdowns in areas has the feel of Hardcore music, but still stays in the Death Metal realm. This band has a lot of variety & really keeps you hooked in while not stretching to far out of one style to achieve it! This is a great band for all die hard Death Metal fans! - 3130 N. MEDFORD AVE. / INDIANAPOLIS, IN. 46222 / HARAKIRI666@HOTMAIL.COM / www.HARAKIRI666.com HYPNOS - THE REVENGE RIDE (10 Song CD) MORBID RECORDS HYPNOS are the Metal kings of the Czech Republic music scene. One listen to this disc will be all the evidence you will need. This band contains 2 ex-members of the band KRABATHOR. Their music is played in an ultra fast paced & is brutal as all hell. There is a thunderous pounding in the drums that just leaves your eardrums throbbing. The ghuitars have an almost Thrash Metal sound to them at times. The music goes from the hyper fast Death Grind attack into a rhythmic heavy groove, but not for long, as they move back into the blasts. The vocals are a deep Death growl with a sometimes higher pitched Death scream added. This is old school & new school Death Metal colliding head on! These guys are one of the reasons I love the Czech Republic Metal scene so much!!! - KOPANKY 1726 / 686 03 STARE MESTO / CZECH REPUBLIC / BRUNO.HYPNOS@POST.CZ / www.HYPNOS.cz ICED EARTH - HORROR SHOW (11 Song CD) CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS I know this has been out for awhile (like the rest of these disc), but I finally got to it. The great ICED EARTH are back with their best release to date. "Horror Show" is a great musical tribute to some of the timeless legends of evil, like The Werewolf, Jack The Ripper, The Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein & more. This is the bands sixth full legnth release & sees 2 new members joining the band. Those guys are Steve Digiorgio (DEATH, TESTAMENT, SADUS) & Richard Christy (DEATH, CONTROL DENIED). This may add to the reason this would have to be their best release. They stick with their adrenaline induced Speed Power Metal sound, but have added much more variety & depth. There is a lot of hooks & twists on this album, which really grabs hold & takes you on an amazing ride through their music. The vocals range from higher pitched Power Metal vocals, to a lower more melodic vocal style with some Death & Spoken Word vocals as well. I never was a huge fan of ICED EARTH, but this album has secured me as a fan. If you've never heard these guys before (which I doubt there are many) make this album your 1st! - www.ICEDEARTH.com INFERNAL DOMINION - SALVATION THROUGH INFINITE SUFFERING (8 Song CD) CORPSE GRISTLE RECORDS This is the bands debut release on CORPSE GRISTLE RECORDS & it's a good one at that! The band hails from Houston, Texas & play a very cool old school style of Death Metal that reminds me of the early 90's Death Metal era. They mix it up with lots of fast & slow paced tempos & rhythms, this I liked a lot, cause it kept the music interesting. The guitar work reminded me a lot of SCATTERED REMNANTS & old INTERNAL BLEEDING. The vocals are a combined assault of lower & higher pitched Death growls. The music at times had that grindy chugging sound to it, which I also liked a lot. This is a great CD release that most Death metal fans will enjoy! - 11834 WILCREST #149 / HOUSTON, TX. 77031 / INFERNALDOMINION@HOTMAIL.COM INTERNAL BLEEDING - ALIEN BREED (1991-2001) (14 Song CD) OLYMPIC RECORDS This album is the band's debut release on OLYMPIC RECORDS & a collection of work the band has done in it's 10 year span in the underground music scene. INTERNAL BLEEDING has been one of the biggest names in the underground & in my opinion one of the best bands as well. This is a collection of material that is out of print or previously unavailable. Included are the "Invocation Of Evil" & "Perpetual Degradation" demos, the entire ever first ever recording "One Dollar Demo" & a new track called "Alien Breed". With one listen to this release you will hear why INTERNAL BLEEDING has lasted this long & has been a major influence & important part in the Death Metal scene today!!! - P.O. BOX 1402 / LAKE GROVE, NY. 11755 / www.INTERNALBLEEDINGmusic.com / CHRIS@INTERNALBLEEDINGMUSIC.COM LAUGHING COLORS - NOTHING BUT SKY (10 Song CD) FOWL RECORDS These guys are a little bit of a change from most of the stuff I get for review. These guys play Pop Rock music & play it well. They have a very strong rockin' sound which really kept the music pumping. The drum sound was my favorite part of the band. It just had a good old Rock N Roll style to it! The guitars are done in an almost Classic/Proggressive Rock style that reminded me of RUSH. The vocalist has a few styles he sings in which include Melodic Rock, Classic Rock, Heavy metal & Pop Rock. I could see these guys fitting in well with a lot of Rock music being played on VH1 & MTV, plus many Rock radio stations. Check out their site for more info. - www.LAUGHINGCOLORS.com / LCSTREETMEL@HOTMAIL.COM LEECHMILK/SOFA KING KILLER - GULITY OF SLOTH/CRUSTY MOTHER F*CKIN ROCK & ROLL (13 Song CD) TEE PEE RECORDS This is my 1st experinece hearing both of these bands & it's an experience I was happy to have. The label claims this is a Sludge/Doom release, but it's more than that! LEECHMILK out of Atlanta, Ga. takes the 1st 6 tracks. These guys play a very tuned down & sludgy style of Grindcore. I loved this band! The music dreades forward in a Doom style, but is dowesed in tons of Grindcore. The music is fast paced with high pitched screams to accompany the madness. The last 7 tracks are claimed by Ohio's SOFA KING KILLER. These guys aren't as crazy sounding as LEECHMILK, but still deliver the goods. They play a more southern sounding Crust/Doom style of Metal. They have a lot of the chugging & sludge found in Doom, but a little more aggression that's found in Crust. The vocals sounded like a crusty Death version of Phil from PANTERA. If you took PANTERA, SOILENT GREEN & CROWBAR & mixed them up you'd get SOFA KING KILLER. - 3226 HENDERSON MILL RD#2 / ATLANTA, GA. 30341 / EDMOND@MINDSPRING.COM / 3348 WOODS TRAIL / BRIMFEILD, OH. 44240 / SOFAKINGKILLER@CUTEANDCUDDLY.COM / http://www.stonerrock.com/SOFAKINGKILLER |