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