A TREE WITHOUT ROOTS - THE DEVIL CAME TO ME
(? track CD) 1912 RECORDS
This is my first time experience this band & I really dig what I hear. These guys play an up beat
& different style of Punk Rock music. It has a fast paced beat to it, but there is an acoustic
THE
MONKEES
with some ballad parts mix through out. The Classic Rock sounds mixed with the
60's Rock style with long drawn out vocal at times. These guys are quite different & will
surprise a lot of people. Give them a chance, cause they are very good!
www.myspace.com/WITHOUTROOTS
BANISHED FROM INFERNO - SELF TITLED
(5 track CD) IBEX MOON RECORDS
Beginning in 2003 under the name of BERENICE BLEEDING. With this new release & debut
for
IBEX MOON they have settled on the name BANISHED FROM INFERNO. They hail
from tuned & raw sounding, but this is how it's meant to be, because it's done in the vein of
some old others. The harsh, deep & thick Death growls helps achieve this as well. This is only a
MCD release, but will be enough to satisfy your hunger until their full length is unleashed!
www.BANISHEDFROMINFERNO.com
DAGORLAD - HERALD OF DOOM
(11 track CD) SHIVER RECORDS
DAGORLAD is a two man Atmospheric Medieval Metal band from Belgium. These guys have
been around since 1997 & just keep getting better with each new release. The music is mostly
how they go from a slow Atmospheric mystical sound straight into a fast paced Black/Thrash
Metal crossover style. The vocals are mid ranged Death/Black Metal growls that are for the most
DISTRUST - NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED
(9 track CD) LOCOMOTIVE RECORDS / SCREAMING FERRET WRECKORDS
DISTRUST was born back in 1995 & has gone through some member changes as well as music
they play. The music is mostly a mix of Death Metal & Hardcore, but at times you can hear
some was born back in 1995 & has gone through some member changes as well as music
DISTRUST same path as the music by crossing over between many Hardcore & Death Metal
vocal styles. If I same path as the music by crossing over between many Hardcore & Death
Metal vocal styles. If I Everyone should check out these guys cause they are killer!
HOLY MOSES - AGONY OF DEATH
(12 track CD) SPV / WACKEN RECORDS
HOLY MOSES has been shredding the scene since the late 80's & with this new album they
don't seem to be stopping anytime soon. This is what great German Thrash metal should sound
like! The music is fast paced, aggressive, powerful & right in your face. The guitars are
blistering fast a little bit like Angela Glasgow from
ARCH ENEMY. In fact a lot of this band
sounds like
ARCH ENEMY, in no way ripping them off & adding in much more Thrash Metal.
If your an old school German Thrash Metal fan then this must be in your collection cause it's
amazing! Thrash til Death!
www.HOLYMOSES.de
JENNIE TEBLER'S OUT OF OBLIVION - TILL DEATH TEARS US APART
(10 track CD) BLACK MARK RECORDS
Jennie Tebler is a Swedish vocalist who has an enchanting & magical voice. She has a darker
more of different Metal elements present through out the album. They cross into Progressive,
Gothic, must pick up this CD & play it over & over again! You'll be mesmerized!
www.OUTOFOBLIVION.se
LEVEL-C - SELF TITLED
(10 track CD) LOCOMOTIVE RECORDS
These gals come out full blast & don't ever let up. They are tighter, heavier & more aggressive
than a lot of all male bands out there. These chicks are brutal. They have a bit of an old school
flare This Cleveland based band is going to change the way everyone views all female Metal
bands. Vocals range from harsh thick Death/Hardcore screams & growls to soft melodic vocals.
This is no gimmick band, these girls are here & mean business!
www.myspcae.com/LEVELC
LIVER CAGE - PICK UP THAT AXE & CUT THEM DOWN!
(20 track CD) Self Released
LIVER CAGE play an old school style of Death Metal music with touches of Black Metal
mixed in. There is an cold eerie & dark overtone to most of their music which gives it that Black
Metal vibe. There are some slower & sludgy like Doom Metal parts at times too. I did like the
filler orchestrated music a lot, cause it just added to that creepiness they have in their songs. The
vocals are done in a low ended to mid ranged Death & Black Metal crossover style. These guys
tend to hordes! The coldness of their sound just haunts all the way through the whole album!
LONG LIVE THE SMOKING GUN - WE BUILD EMPIRES
(5 track CD) 1912 RECORDS
This is a two piece band that comes out of the gates full blast. They play a very cool & unique
style of Southern Metal music that is amazing. The music is so driving & gets you pumped, that
you never want it to end. I dig how they go from a Southern Rock sound straight into a Punk
groove & then to a Metal Thrashing part. This is some great heavy music. The vocals are done in
a
HELMET & BLACK FLAG you'd get the great band LONG LIVE THE SMOKING GUN!!
PSYCHO - SELF TITLED
(43 track CD / DVD) AX/CTION RECORDS
This is a very cool release from this crossover Thrash / Punk band from back in the day. These
guys play super fast, raw, aggressive & noisy Punk that is Thrashed out all the way. The CD
contains a collection of the bands earlier material only releases on vinyl. There is studio & live
tracks from 1986-1991 plus bonus unreleased studio songs! The DVD contains 2 camera pro
footage & audio recorded back in 1987 & a bonus photo gallery. This is a great gem & must be
picked up by everyone who is a fan of this band or Crossover Thrash & Punk music. Check out
one of the classic bands playing this music from back in the day!
www.myspace.com/PSYCHOboston
REFLECTION - WHEN SHADOWS FALL
(12 track CD) CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC
REFLECTION just blew me away right from the start. They have such a huge & powerful
sound songs that you can't help but be amazed. The core of their music is Power Metal with lots
of technical & solid Progressive Metal passages. The music is so Epic sounding it forces you to
listen & keeps you wanting more. The vocals are done in mid to higher pitched melodic clean
vocals. If you grabbed elements of
RHAPSODY OF FIRE, BLIND GUARDIAN,
DRAGONFORCE, LUCA TURILLI
& STRATAVARIOUS & mixed them together you'd get
this amazing band. Now go out & get this album, you won't be disappointed!
STREETCULT SAMPLER - VOLUME 8
(11 track CD) STREETCULT
This is the 8th volume of this very cool compilation series. The compilations feature a bunch of
new up & coming bands playing in all different forms of Metal music. There are some
Nu-Metal, Thrash Metal, Traditional, Heavy Metal, Death Metal & more all featured on this
volume. The bands include
DEAD BY WEDNESDAY, SCUM OF THE EARTH, BURNED
IN EFFIGY, RUSTMINE, TENSION HEAD, KAGED, SONS OF THE REVOLUTION,
SERPENT UNDERGROUND, LESS THAN SACRED, MEGAHERZ
& ALEV. Each band
has one song each, plus there is bonus features for your computer. Get your free copy from
them directly!
www.STREETCULT.com
SUIDAKRA - 13 YEARS OF CELTIC WARTUNES
(17 track CD / DVD) WACKEN RECORDS
This release is to celebrate the 13 years that SUIDAKRA has been a part of the German Metal
rawness & Pagan/Folk atmospheric hooks. This band has been pouring out great album after
great album over the years & this new one is a best of album. There is a bonus DVD that
features the bands live performance at the Wacken Open Air Festival, an acoustic concert &
many more bonus features. If you never heard this mesmerizing band before than this is a good
place to start & work your way backwards!
www.SUIDAKRA.com
SUREFIRE MACHINE - SELF TITLED
(8 track CD) ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Emerging out of Toronto Canada & playing some rip roaring Rock N Roll comes SUREFIRE
MACHINE
. These guys play some great dirty balls to the wall Rock N Roll music with lots of
always rocking out & having good time. This is when I really first became a Metalhead & it's
with any of those bands back in the day & blew most of them off the stage. The vocals are done
in a gritty Punk like style which is very cool too! Get this & Rock out!
www.SUREFIREMACHINE.com
TEARABYTE - DOOM GENERATION
(11 track CD) LOCOMOTIVE RECORDS / SCREAMING FERRET WRECKORDS
This is a re-release of the bands album that was originally released in late 1998. TEARABYTE
& crunchy Thrash Metal music that is very reminiscent of a mixture of the 80's Bay Area &
German Thrash Metal bands. The music has a lot of  very cool riffs & high speed grooves. These
guys shred all the way. The vocals are done in a mid ranged Thrash Metal style. Any fan of the
till death!!!I know I did! Thrash till death!!!
TEARABYTE - EMBRACE OBLIVION
(13 track CD) LOCOMOTIVE RECORDS / SCREAMING FERRET WRECKORDS
first release with the bands new line up after the relocation to Texas from Los Angeles. This
album shows a lot of the bands progression since the previous album. They have a bit more
aggressive sound with tighter more well structured songs. There is a lot of cool grooves once
again along Thrash Metal fan then these guys need to be in your collection!
THE UNDERWATER - FORCES
(11 track CD) MEGAFORCE RECORDS
THE UNDERWATER hail from Pennsylvania & play some radio friendly Pop Rock music, but
that's not where they stop. They add in lots of other elements like Punk, Hardcore, Emo,
Groove & more. They are band that plays what ever they want & it shows on this album. The
music was pretty decent & had a good upbeat grooving & catchy sound, but I wasn't too into the
vocals. It reminded me too much of the high pitched whiny Emo bands & I never really got into
that style. If your a fan of this style I highly suggest you checking these guys out, cause they
would fit in nicely into any Pop Rock Emo collection!
www.THEUNDERWATER.net
THOU - PEASANT
(6 track CD) AUTOPSY KITCHEN RECORDS
THOU play a very slow paced & dreary sounding style of Doom Metal music. The music does
have a lot of Death Metal influences in it as well as some Black Metal ones. The music is mostly
based in the Doom style with a raw & dirty sound that kind of creeps along. There is a thick &
thunderous drum sound with full chunky bass riffs. The vocals are done in a mid ranged slow
groggy Death growl style. This isn't one of my favorite types of Metal, but these guys do it
better than most of the bands I've heard playing this before. If this is how you like your Death
Doom then give these guys a listen!
TIME HAS COME - WHITE FUZZ
(10 track CD) REGAIN RECORDS
TIME HAS COME is a band that can not be placed in one genre of music. These guys have tons
of elements from Hardcore, Grindcore, Technical Metal, Noise, Mathcore & lots more. The only
thing I can say for sure is that these guys are down right great. I love all the spastic change ups
between the styles. I also dig the crazy off time beats & the pounding fury of the drums. There is
a lot of stuff going on with these guys & it's hard to keep up. The vocals also follow the same
pattern as the music with spastic screams, growls & spoken word type styles. The only band I
can think of that they remind me of is old
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.
www.myspace.com/TIMEHASCOME
UNWRITTEN LAW - LIVE AND LAWLESS
(17 track CD / 22 track DVD) SUBURBAN NOIZE
UNWRITTEN LAW have been around for over a decade & play a very solid style of Pop Punk
Rock music. These guys were one of the leaders in this style when it first hit coming out of
California. This is the bands first live album that was captured at the Key Club on the Sunset
Strip in California. The guys have a very cool upbeat grooved oriented Pop Punk vibe with lots
of catchy sing alongs mixed with in. The DVD has all the live tracks from the CD as well as an
acoustic set & some bonus material. This is a must for any fan of the band & other bands like
THE OFFSPRING, BAD RELIGION & PENNYWISE.
www.UNWRITTENLAW.com
URBAN ARCHFIEND - PROMO EP
(7 track CD) Self Released
I got this from the sole creator one man band at the MONSTER MANIA Horror Convention in
New Jersey. This guy is very talented & plays a wide variety of music styles. The main
foundation for his music is Metal, but he injects other styles like Industrial, Gothic, Death Metal,
Thrash, Doom & even some Electronica at times. There is an 80's New Wave overtone to most of
the music too. The vocals are done in a lot of the same styles that the music is done in. I dig the
fact that he has a very original sound that make him stand out a lot. If you have an open mind &
can enjoy your Metal with a lot of different flavors then check this guys band out!
VENUSIAN DEATHCELL - CHEETAH
(9 track CD) Self Released
VENUSIAN DEATHCELL is a one band project that consists of David Vora. He has written &
performed all songs on this release. The music is an all instrumental album & sounds mostly like
it's just guitars done in a repetitive pattern on each different track. The music is done kind of raw
& sounds almost like it's a rehearsal recording. I'm sure it was meant to be that way. It has a sort
of Rock vibe, but I'm not really sure what style of music this would fit into. I couldn't really get
into this too much because of the repetitiveness & experimental style of the music! If this is your
thing then check this band out!
YOUR LOWEST MOMENT - SELF TITLED
(6 track CD) Self Released
YOUR LOWEST MOMENT plays a very raw old school style of Death Metal with lots of
mixtures of Hardcore. The Hardcore really comes into play in the grooved out beats & rhythms.
There are some really cool sludgy slower riffs that kind of drag the music along in a creeping
style. The dirty thick bass was my favorite part of the music. The vocals are done in a mid ranged
screaming harsh Death style with some Hardcore grooved screams mixed in! If you dig old school
Death Metal with some Hardcore flare then look no further!
MUSIC REVIEWS
(September 2008)