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| MUSIC REVIEWS (September 2009) |
| CASTRUM - PHENOMENONSENSE (10 track CD) BLOODBUCKET PRODUCTIONS This is the third release from this Death Metal band out of the Ukraine. These guys have a bit of a different sound than the typical Death Metal band, especially bands from this area. These guys have a very fast paced, tight & technical style to their music as well. At times they throw in some stop & start parts, melodic more atmospheric parts & even some Death grooves to mix things up a bit. The majority of their sound is heavy brutal Death Metal. The vocals are a mid paced mid ranged Death growl style. I really enjoy Death bands like this that aren't afraid to mix it up a bit. One of the best bands to emerge out of the Ukraine. Check them out & blast it! www.CASTRUM.com.ua |
| HELLACAUST - DISGUST (7 track CD) BLOODBUCKET PRODUCTIONS HELLACAUST was formed back in 200 from the ashes of the band AGORETION. "DISGUST" is the bands third CD release to date. These Canadians play extremely fast paced Death Grind music with touches of Thrash Metal tossed in the mix. The music is blasting fast through out most of the songs. There is an occasional stop & start part, but it's very short. The guitars is where most of the apparent. The vocals are done in a crossover style of Death / Thrash with some harsher more screaming Grind ones at times. These guys have shredded my brain & it makes me want more! This is definitely one that needs to be turned up as loud as possible & played over & over again! www.myspace.com/HELLACAUST |
| LUCIFER'S LEGION - HYMNS OF DARKNESS This is I believe the second release from this one man project out of Australia. The project is the brainchild of Brad Dillon. Brad does all guitars, bass, vocals & programming. The music is done in a raw, cold old school style of Black metal music. The music is very gritty & dark sounding. There are some very fast paced aggressive old school war like Black Metal. Brad also mixes in some melodic & atmospheric new school Black Metal influences as well. The vocals are done in a mid to low end Black Metal style thats a bit muffled sounding at times. There is something here for new school & old school Black Metal fans to enjoy. Check it out! (Available through BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS) |
| MANIAC - FAST AND DEADLY (9 track CD) BLOODBUCKET PRODUCTIONS Hailing from Canada comes this blast from the past band known as MANIAC. These guys are straight out of 1984 & play fast past shredding Thrash Metal. They do blend in elements of Power Metal, Traditional Heavy Metal & a little bit of Punk, but they are mostly a Thrash metal band at was just a little Thrasher & starting to discover all these amazing new bands playing a heavier style of Metal than what was being played on the radio. Thrash Metal is a live & well & MANIAC kills! The vocals are where the Thrash / Punk crossover style really shines! These guys are amazing & shred like no other. Throw on your leather & spikes & pop this disc in! You'll start a circle pit in no time! www.myspace.com/MANIACtilthedeath |
| (11 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS MY OWN GRAVE was founded back in 2001 out of Sweden. This is the bands first release for PULVERISED RECORDS. I was blown away as soon as the album started. These guys play straight forward in your face Death metal music. The music is extremely fast paced, heavy, brutal & choke full of aggression. The music has a reminiscent fell of old school 90's Death metal that emerged out of Florida. The music does have some grooved out parts & chunky chugging parts as well. Mid ranged throaty Death growl vocals round out the bands sound. These guys could hold their own with Death Metal greats like SUFFOCATION, MALEVOLENT CREATION, OBITUARY & NAPALM DEATH. If that isn't enough to make you want to buy this, than you shouldn't even be reading this! www.MYOWNGRAVE.com |
| PATHOGEN - BLASPHEMOUS COMMUNION (8 track CD) DEAD CENTER PRODUCTIONS San Pablo, Philippines was the birth place of PATHOGEN back in 2001. These guys take things back to the old school by combing elements from Death, Thrash, Black Metal together to create their style. They at times will toss in some influences of Doom & Grind as well. The music is a raw low ended sound which brings in a dirty kind of old school vibe. They mix in some blast beats with some guitar shredding & slower gritty Doom parts too. The vocals are a low ended thick Death Doom growl style that sometimes will crossover into Black Metal. I kept getting the feeling that I was listening to old VENOM a lot, but they don't really sound like them! Well worth checking out! |
| PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS - IN MEMORIAM, ILL OMEN (8 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS Australian Black Metal hordes PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS has unleashed their newest offering. These guys play very cold dark & dreary old school Black Metal music. The music has a very somber yet harsh & evil feel to it. There is a strong echo & unholy presence to their sound as well. They switch things up from fast paced aggressive to slow crawling creepy atmospheric parts. The vocals range from low ended Death/ Black growls to slower higher pitched hallowed Black Metal screams. This is definitely one for all the old school Black Metal fans of the European sound! Horns raised & hail Satan!!! www.myspace.com/PESTILENTIALSHADOWS |
| RAPTOR SCHOOL - REDEFINE (11 track CD) OIL DUCK RECORDS RAPTOR SCHOOL out the West Michigan area plays a very different style of Rock music. They combine many influences from Metal, Classic Rock, Thrash Metal, Power Metal & Modern Rock together to create their sound. The majority of the music I hear coming to the for front is Thrash & Power Metal. Mostly this is in the guitar work, which heavily dominates the bands sound. There are times when an old school Classic Rock sound dominates. The only part that really threw me off was the vocals. They were a weird form of Metal & maybe Alternative Rock. I just didn't feel they went with the music too well. The music was very tight well written & played, but I couldn't get passed the vocals. They should have a faster more aggressive & raw style of vocals. www.myspace.com/RAPTORSCHOOL |
| SANCTIFICATION - BLACK REIGN (9 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS SANCTIFICATION play some unrelenting amazingly great Death Metal music. But would you expect anything but this knowing that they hail from Sweden. Sweden is the birth place of so many great Metal bands & you can place these guys right at the top of that list. The music is aggressive, powerful & heavy as shit. They throw in some down tuned Death grooves, catchy hooks & blasts galore. The vocals are mid ranged harsh Death growls. Some of the best written Death Metal I've heard in a long time. This is technical & intelligent Death Metal at it's best. Features guest from HYPOCRISY & DARK FUNERAL. Every Death Metal fan should have this CD in their collection! www.myspace.com/SANCTIFICATIONband |
| SIXONEOSIX - RESET (3 track CD) Self Released SIXONEOSIX has released a new three song release shortly under year since their last release. Hailing from Sweden this Death Metal based band has a slightly different sound that usually comes from their home country. The bands foundation is Death Metal, but they add in some Modern sounds as well as Thrash & Traditional Metal too. The music is very thick sounding with some Death grooves, switch ups & melodic parts blended all through out. The vocals also follow the same path with some spastic Death growls & screams mixed with slower more melodic clean vocals. One band that kept coming to mind when listening to these guys was IN FLAMES. They are more like the bands newer material. If your a fan of IN FLAMES than your sure to love this band. They have progressed tremendously in just under a year. Very impressive preview to what is to come from these guys! www.SIXONEOSIX.com |
| SLAVE ZERO - EXEMPT FROM ALL TOLERANCE (9 track CD) DOUBLE STANDARD PRODUCTIONS Ireland's SLAVE ZERO are back with a follow up to 2006's "THE PAIN REMITS" in the form of "EXEMPT FROM ALL TOLERANCE". The guys play extreme Death Metal with some other Metal influences mixed within. They have changed their sound slightly since the last release. They have gotten a bitter faster, heavier & more brutal. There are more elements of Grind & Black Metal in their sound along with the usual Death & Thrash Metal elements they are known for. The vocals have also changed a bit too. There are more lower ended Death growls with mid to higher Grind screams. SLAVE ZERO have taken their sound to new heights. After one listen you will know why they are understandably one of the best bands to come out of Ireland! www.SLAVEZERO.net |
| SUBNOIZE SOULJAZ - BLAST FROM THA PAST (14 track CD) SUBURBAN NOIZE RECORDS This CD release is a compilation put out by SUBURBAN NOIZE & features bands from their label do covers of some classic Hip-Hop & Rap songs. All these songs are classics that have influenced the artists covering them. The Cd features KOTTONMOUTH KINGS covering BEASTIE BOYS "Paul Revere", JUDGE D covering LL COOL J's "Momma Said Knock You Out", CHUCKY CHUCK covering SNOOP DOGG's "Murder Was The Case", SEN DOG & DADDY X covering PUBLIC ENEMY's "Bring Tha Noize", SAINT DOG, JUDGE D & DADDY X covering NWA's classic "Fuck Tha Police" & lots more. I have really been loving the stuff that SUBURBAN NOIZE has been putting out lately & this is yet another great release. Even if your not into Rap or Hip Hop you'll find yourself really digging this release as well as many of the labels other releases! Great album! www.SUBURBANNOIZERECORDS.com |
| THE ACCUSED - THE CURSE OF MARTHA SPLATTERHEAD (14 track CD) SOUTHERN LORD RECORDS The kings of Splatter Rock are back & they have brought Martha back with them. Founding member Tommy Niemeyer has created a new line up for the return of the great THE ACCUSED. They have present & so is all the splatterific intensity, speed & all out aggression. The vocals are still done in that present & so is all the splatterific intensity, speed & all out aggression. The vocals are still done in that mid ranged harsh Punk / Metal crossover style. It's hard to believe it's been over 6 years since Martha has surfaced her ugly head. This is by far the best album the guys have put out, which is hard to do since everyone of their releases has had a huge influence on the Metal scene & has been a classic in it's own right. Everyone prepare, cause this is the true return of Martha Splatterhead! www.splatterrock.com |
| (8 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS The archfiends of Swedish Cult Black metal are back. They have unleashed one of the most fierce slabs of unholy Black Metal ever. The music is ultra fast paced, relentless & spastic old school Black Metal at it's best. These guys play some sick & blasphemous hymns that are sure to make any religious freak shit in their pants. The vocals are mid to high ranged groggy & throaty Black Metal growls & screams. Loud, fast, harsh, cold & evil! What more could you want from a great Black Metal band! All dark hordes of the Lord Satan should have this band in their collection & play this as loud and as much as you can! Hail the unholy one! |
| THE FEW AGAINST MANY - SOT (8 track CD) PULVERISED RECORDS "SOT" is the debut CD album from Sweden's THE FEW AGAINST MANY. These guys play a newer style of Death music, but in a very smart technical way. The music is very well constructed with some all out brutal parts mixed with technical intricate parts blended all through out. There are a bunch of very cool breakdowns, twists, change ups & grooves mixed in as well. The vocals are a mid tempo ranged Death growl style. These guys may have a new school style of Death Metal, but they are quite original & far better than most of the bands out there playing this style now. PULVERISED RECORDS is well known for releasing high quality bands & THE FEW AGAINST MANY can definitely sit high up on that list! This band is highly recommended & delivers in every way! Amazing! www.myspace.com/THEFEWAGAINSTMANY |
| TIME OF DEATH - FOREVER TRAPPED IN A BROKEN MIRROR (37 track CD) BLOODBUCKET PRODUCTIONS "FOREVER TRAPPED IN A BROKEN MIRROR" is the newest release from Canada's TIME OF DEATH. This CD release is actually a collection of past recorded tracks from 2001 up to 2006. I'm not sure if they were unreleased before now or not though. All the tracks are written, performed & recorded by Chris Balch. The tracks are all done in a fast paced, spastic Black metal mixed with Grindcore style. The music is very gritty, raw & intense all through out. There are no vocal tracks on any of these songs. If there were vocals present it would probably remind me of a lot of the music coming out of Europe in the late 80's & early 90's of the same vein. www.myspace.com/TIMEOFDEATH |
| (16 track CD) Self Released VENUSIAN DEATH CELL is a band I have been getting releases from for years now. Each new release is completely different from the previous. This one is no exception. The music is done in an Experimental / Noize type style with some Death Metal influences mixed within. It's a little weird sounding like a poet reciting their words over a repetitive beat, but doing it in a very angry & pissed off way. There is a weird humming to the beat the vocalist does in a lot of the songs too. The beats are a little bit the same on most of the songs, but do vary from time to time. This was a bit different from past releases & I actually prefer their prior stuff a little more. If you have a very open mind to Experimental / Noise / Metal music than check this band out if you get a chance! www.myspace.com/VENUSIANDEATHCELL |
| Emerging from the depths of Germany comes the band YUPPIE CLUB. These guys play a throw back style of Thrash & Death Metal mixed with Hardcore. Their music has a definite old school vibe to it & is heavy & aggressive. The music leans more towards the Metal side of things with the heavier parts, but adds in the grooved oriented styles of Hardcore through out their songs. The vocals are based in the Death Metal genre with thick drawn out Death growls. I really liked all the twists & turns they put in their songs. This is a definite must for all fans of bands in this style from the late 80's & early 90's. Death has risen & it's in the form of the YUPPIE CLUB! Join the club! www.myspace.com/YUPPIECLUB |