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Chronicles of Chaos Issue 057
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, April 12, 2002, Issue #57
http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley
Copy Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo
Assistant Copy Editor / Contributor: Brian Meloon
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk
Contributor: Paul Schwarz
Contributor: Aaron McKay
Contributor: David Rocher
Contributor: Matthias Noll
Contributor: Alvin Wee
Contributor: Gabriel Sanchez
Contributor: Chris Flaaten
Contributor: Quentin Kalis
Contributor: Vincent Eldefors
Neophyte: Kirsty Buchanan
Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault
The individual writers can be reached by e-mail at
firstname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com ("firstname" must be replaced by the
respective writer's first name, e.g. Gino@ChroniclesOfChaos.com).
NOTE: You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by
sending a blank e-mail to <Unsubscribe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.
For more Chronicles of Chaos information, check out the
Details section at the end of this issue.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #57 Contents, 4/12/02
---------------------------
* Loud Letters
* Deadly Dialogues
-- Judas Priest: The Metal Crusade Continues
-- Winds: Let the Cold Winds Blow!
-- Evoken: Tending the Dire Hatred
-- Anaal Nathrakh: The Heart of Necro
-- Entombed: Entombed's Shining Star!
-- Dew-Scented: Inside Out
-- Blind Guardian: Singing Out Loud
-- Angra: An Easy Delivery
-- Black Label Society: Limp Bizkit Must Die!
-- Arkhon Infaustus: Satanic Waste
-- Soul Embraced: On the Right Path
-- Scissorfight: Weirdness From New Hampshire
* Independent Interrogations
-- Biomechanical: Chatting Up a Cyborg
* Album Asylum
-- 7 Angels 7 Plagues - _Jhazmyne's Lullaby_
-- 7th Moon - _Alter Alma_
-- Abortion Clinic - _Premature Birthulation_
-- Ancient - _Proxima Centauri_
-- Archetype - _Dawning_
-- Bethlehem - _Schatten aus der Alexander Welt_
-- Black Dawn - _Blood for Satan_
-- Black Web - _Black Web_
-- Blood Red Throne - _Monument of Death_
-- Brodequin - _Festival of Death_
-- Burnt by the Sun - _Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution_
-- Callenish Circle - _Flesh_Power_Dominion_
-- Carpathian Forest - _Morbid Fascination of Death_
-- Chernobog - _Nuclear Bloodbath_
-- Commit Suicide - _Human Larvae (Earthly Cleansing)_
-- Crest of Darkness - _Project Regeneration_
-- Cruachan - _Folk-Lore_
-- Various - _Czech Assault_
-- Dark Legion - _Bloodshed_
-- Dawn of Dreams - _Darklight Awakening_
-- Deicide - _In Torment, in Hell_
-- Destruction - _The Antichrist_
-- Dew-Scented - _Inwards_
-- Dim Mak - _Intercepting Fist_
-- Dusk - _Mourning... Resurrect_
-- Entwine - _Gone_
-- Even Vast - _Dawning Gloom_
-- Eyes of Ligeia - _The Night's Plutonian Shore_
-- Fall of the Leafe - _Fermina_
-- Final Tragedy - _Greed_
-- Fleshcrawl - _Soulskinner_
-- Furia - _A la Quete du Passe_
-- Godgory - _Sea of Dreams_ / _Shadow's Dance_
-- Grabnebelfursten - _Von Schemen und Trugbildern_
-- Gravewuerm - _Ancient Storms of War_
-- Green Carnation - _Light of Day, Day of Darkness_
-- Horde of Worms - _Wormageddon_
-- Human Eve - _Children_
-- Hypnos - _The Revenge Ride_
-- Hypocrisy - _10 Years of Chaos and Confusion_
-- Impaled Nazarene - _Absence of War Does Not Mean Peace_
-- Infidel? / Castro! - _Case Studies in Bioentropy_
-- Internal Bleeding - _Alien Breed (1991-2001)_
-- Judas Iscariot - _To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding_
-- Judas Priest - _Sin After Sin_
-- Judas Priest - _Stained Class_
-- Judas Priest - _Hell Bent for Leather_
-- Judas Priest - _Unleashed in the East_
-- Lux Occulta - _The Mother and the Enemy_
-- Metalucifer - _Heavy Metal Chainsaw_
-- Misteltein - _Divine. Desecrate. Complete_
-- Mork Gryning - _Maelstrom Chaos_
-- Mytile Vey Lorth - _Mytile Vey Lorth_
-- Naglfar - _Ex Inferis_
-- Necrodeath - _Black as Pitch_
-- Nephasth - _Unholy Immortal Triumph_
-- Night in Gales - _Necrodynamic_
-- Nightly Gale - _...And Jesus Wept_
-- Occult - _Rage to Revenge_
-- Phobia - _Serenity Through Pain_
-- Rampage - _Monolith to an Abandoned Past_
-- Running Wild - _The Brotherhood_
-- Scholomance - _The Immortality Murder_
-- Sinckwhole - _Cease to Exist_
-- Skullview - _Consequences of Failure_
-- Sleepless - _Winds Blow Higher_
-- Testament - _First Strike Still Deadly_
-- Various - _The Bells of the Mystical Empire_
-- The Black League - _Utopia A.D._
-- The Haunted - _Live Rounds in Tokyo_
-- The Seventh Gate - _None so Bloody as the Kingdom of Christ_
-- Thragedium - _Theatrum XXIII_
-- Through the Discipline - _Our Lady of Death_
-- Trails of Anguish - _Relentless Abhorrence of Misery's Grievance_
-- Ulver - _Silencing the Singing_
-- Umbakrail - _In Unity Paienne_
-- Underoath - _The Changing of Times_
-- Virulence - _A Conflict Scenario_
-- Vortex - _Colours Out From the Emptiness_
-- Wurdulak - _Ceremony in Flames_
* New Noise
-- AAAAARGH! Bloody 2-Handed Chainaxe Blow - _Elliptic White Square_
-- Actual Time - _Time Frame_
-- Crushing Belial - _Crushing Belial_
-- Datakill - _L'Odio_
-- Malkavian - _Malkavian_
-- Pagan Reign - _Gates of Hell_
-- Serca - _Singularity_
-- Shadeworks - _Sooty Limbs_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Aggroculture: Slayer with Hatebreed and Diecast
* What We Have Cranked, Top 20 of 2001
* Details
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M MMMMMMMM 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP dP .d888b88
M MMMMMMMM 88' `88 88 88 88' `88
M MMMMMMMM 88. .88 88. .88 88. .88
M M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8
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M""MMMMMMMM dP dP
M MMMMMMMM 88 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
M MMMMMMMM 88ooood8 88 88 88ooood8 88' `88 Y8ooooo.
M MMMMMMMM 88. ... 88 88 88. ... 88 88
M M `88888P' dP dP `88888P' dP `88888P'
MMMMMMMMMMM
This is the column where we print those lovely letters our readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled wrong, you can rest assured that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here, e-mail it to <mailto:LoudLetters@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.
All letters received will be featured in upcoming issues of
Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002
From: Tiago Ferreira <theraven@punkmusic.com>
Subject: On the matter of religion...
Greetings,
As I read the e-mail from Frederik Okholm on religion,atheism and why
there weren't replies to his first e-mail I found the sudden urge to
do reply.In my opinion,and I stress the fact that it's only my
opinion,the lack of comment on the topic of "Religion and Co." is in
part due to the content of nowadays Black/Death Metal's lyrics and in
the other part due to the fact that most listeners just bang their
head,cut their bodies and adopt the ideas on the lyrics of their
supposed "idols".I don't mean that every listener does this(so don't
e-mail me with shit)and I know that most of you who are reading this
don't do that kind of stuff and laugh at who does,because if you
are reading this I think you have,at least,a minor taste music
that's good for your ears.There's a difference between listening to
music,something that awakes feelings and emotions inside of you,and
being matter of a self imposed brainwash starting with your ears.When
I started listening to Black Metal I noticed one thing,the critics
are REAL critics who know how to support their arguements and are
very intelligent people.
Unfortunately,the so called herd isn't just composed by
Christians,Muslims,and other members of organized religions,but also
by kids(those who biologically respond to the adjective of "kid" and
those who never grew up attached to movements,musical or not,that
limited their points of view and the developing of their mind and
thought).
I just can't stand to see in the news more and more cases of church
burning,animal sacrifices with inverted crosses and pentagrams,even
human sacrifices,among others,and afterwards who's to blame?Not the
kids,not the families,not the truly responsible,but those to who
it's easy throwing the blame at,music bands like Slayer,Marylin
Manson,...I am not Christian,not even close,but I find stupid both
the church burning and the blaming of those who have nothing to do
with it.And I quote Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" when Lucifer says
:"Why do they blame me for all their little failings?They use my name
as if I spend my entire day sitting on their shoulders,forcing them
to commit acts they would otherwise find repulsive."The devil made me
do it."I have never made one of them do anything."
I truly agree with Frederik's sentence of one self being his own
God.That's how I rule my life,I live according my own standarts,I do
listen to the music that pleases me be that Mayhem or Super Furry
Animals,and I also do what I please,as long as I don't interfer with
the freedom of those who respect my freedom.
Once again,this is just my opinion.Be free to e-mail me with any
response.
P.S.:Chronicles of Chaos,congratulations for your wonderful zine.The
best I've ever seen.
Tiago Ferreira(Portugal)
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002
From: "S.R. Prozak" <prozak@anus.com>
Subject: Christianity and metal, continued
Greetings,
Since Paul Schwarz conveniently restarted this debate after it
languished, I thought I'd share some useful commentary on Black
Sabbath from the primary lyric writer in the band, as quoted in
Michael Moynihan's "Lords of Chaos":
Although Iommi later claimed that the band had nothing to do with the
inverted cross, that it was all the record company, I think Geezer
Butler's statement concerning Sabbath's connection to the occult is
probably more telling about this matter:
"I found out Satanism was around before any Jewish or Christian
religion. It's an incredibly interesting subject. I sort of got more
into the black side of it and was putting upside-down crosses on my
wall and pictures of Satan all over. I painted my apartment black. I
was getting really involved in it and all these horrible things
started happening to me. You come to a point where you cross over and
totally follow it and totally forget about Jesus and God. 'Are you
going to do it? Yes or no?' No, I don't think so."
Hopefully this clears up some of the intent behind the band on this
issue regarding transcendence of morality and nihilistic, occult, un-
PC viewpoints.
Thanks,
SRP
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002
From: AntiPsuedo@aol.com
Subject: correction on the jan 2002 issue
hey i love the zine but i noticed a little mess up. in the review of
the new pissing razors album the reviewer (david something...) claims
it to be there "sophmore" effort. It is in fact their 4th cd. and in
my humble opinion that band has went down hill since there self
titled release (which is a gem). Anyhoo i thought id send in the
correction cause there might be someone who will buy that album and
realizes it sucks ( in compairison with there older shit)
keep up the kick ass work
dave
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002
From: "MICK DESTINITY" <destinity66@hotmail.com>
Subject: DESTINITY
Hail,
Here is Mick from DESTINITY (France).
I read your great review !
I think you are right ! It is a fuckin'gay album (Ah Ah Ah !).
I want to tell you that for our next opus it will be very very
different !
Our music si faster, agressive and occult than ever !
Is it a crime to be young ?
All songs had more than 2 years !
I know that we will kill your fuckni'brain qhen you will listen this
new opus that we record this summer during one month in Germany.
I will send you it !
Best regards,
MICK & DESTINITY
Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002
From: bandi669 <bandi669@freemail.hu>
Subject: about a grindcore show
Hello there!
I'm writing to you about a truly underground concert I attended last
Friday (22nd March). It was an exceptional occassion, 'cause here, in
the little town of [sorry mate, the name of your town came out
unreadable due to the special characters you used -- ed], Hungary
good death/grindcore shows are fucking rare. Two bands were on the
bill: Fleshless, who were featured in Coc #22 with a Toronto, CA
show. So, seeing them here in Hungary, close to the Romanian border
was an oppurtunity that I couldn't miss! The other band was Neural
Booster, a wicked Hungarian grindcore outfit.
I was shocked by the attendance: about 20-30 people. Well, that's
a very-very low number of people, even though the show was
well-advertised. Fortunately, this way the moshing was safe, I didn't
have to be afraid of being kicked in the head, or something like that
:))
There were some skinheads in the attendance, and the concert itself
was organised by a local skinhead guy. Fortunately, they didn't make
any trouble, the crowd was great.
Fleshless started the show. For a soundcheck they did Fear Factory's
Demanufacture. Wow, that was good to hear, even though they didn't
play the full song. And after their intro they ripped into merciless
butchery. One of the guitarists wore a ski hat, cut out at the eyes
and the mouth, he looked like some terrorist, and he banged his head
like a maniac! That was great to see! Their singer was the typical
death metal singer: long curly hair, and a voice like a fucking pig!!
They put on some really killer death metal, with lots of tempo
changes, breaks and killer riffs, powered by a very-very fast and
clever drummer. Me and my friends moshed through their show, causing
me intense pain in my neck for the day after. Which was my birthday.
:)) Who cares!
Fleshless did covers from Brujeria (Anti-Castro), Mortician
(Slaughtered - rocked!) and from a czechish ('cause Fleshless are
czechish) black metal band called Root. They rocked, I wouldn't miss
seeing them again anytime.
Next on were Neural Booster, the Hungarian grindcore bastards. They
were GRINDCORE: their singer was dressed in a butcher suit, and
looked really wicked as he grunted, screamed and shouted all the
time. One of their guitarists was a girl: she looked really cute in
her Fleshless T-Shirt, as she grinded those fucking fast riffs, and
banged her head like a lunatic. :) They played about 30 or 35
songs, including a cover of Terrorizer's Fear Of Napalm. Now that
was killer! Also, Brutal Truth's Walking Corpse was executed so
devastatingly, I couldn't believe my ears!!
So, this was a very killer show!! GRINDCORE RULES! All hail to
Fleshless and Neural Booster!
bandi669@freemail.hu / Hungary
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002
From: "S.R. Prozak" <prozak@anus.com>
Subject: letters in coc
howdy,
this is a message to frederik okholm which addresses issues brought
up in the letters section of coc #56.
i agree with your statements regarding the lack of intellectual
discourse in metal. no one wants to see repetitive flamewars, but
conflict is part of what makes any ideology become living instead of
tired homilies repeated by the embittered. this genre at its finest
tackles spiritual, philosophical and linguistic issues head-on, but
most of the fans want to evade any responsibility.
i think drew johnston (conformity@aol.com) exemplifies this
phenomenon best. while he's spitting with venom against nazis, for
example, he is "tolerant" of religions and parts of the genre which
have no soul or future. by behaving in this manner, he is crushing
attempts for this genre to determine what it does believe, and thus
to cease tolerating the rest. metal is an ideological genre, but that
doesn't mean we forget the music.
it seems to me that the major factor holding the metal genre back is
fans like this, who can't remember how alive hardcore or crustcore
were in their days of the fullest, most "narrow-minded" ideology and
therefore have no idea how much "diversity" exists within even the
seemingly narrowest thought process. these same people remind me of
the politically correct censors i knew at the collegiate level.
i'd like to close with a quote from jim tasikas:
"But what drove Max Cavalera to write such brutal music? I say it was
his fascistic love for his ancestry, his hate towards christian
aliens and government induced poverty."
for every great hate, there must be a great love. varg vikernes was
mentioned in the same letter; he speaks endlessly of his love for his
culture and the aspects he appreciates of it, and devotes relatively
little time to hatred, yet his music is full of love and hate
and associated emotions in a panopoly of logical and emotional
approaches. cavalera had his hate, and more than hope, he had
something on which he could work and make something great. it's when
he turned to god, and to trying to tolerate the mediocre ideas of
others, that his music became the poprock that it is now.
when the fans stop trying to be "open-minded" and accept ideologies
like christianity, humanism and heavy metal in black/death metal,
there might be some hope for this genre approaching some degree of
intellectualism. as it is, i see mostly "ideologues" who are
repeating either tired leftist homilies from universities, or
parroting something they do not understand which a thinker like varg
might make lucid.
frederik okholm, you nailed it when you said "why should subjects
that abound in the interviews and reviews not exist in reader
feedback?" i'd say the answer is encoded in this riddle:
q: what's the difference between a fanboy and a musician?
a: the ability to act independently on powerful ideas or emotions
drew johnston is a fanboy; cameron archer is a fanboy. when we
get past these "tolerant" attitudes that inundate our genre with
christians and other degenerates, we will be able to as a genre self-
define and move onward toward being an artistic category truly
deserving of independence from mainstream rock, hard rock and AOR.
SRP
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002
From: "camilo castro" <camcarcass@hotmail.com>
hello there saying hi from colombia, your zine rules big time keep it
that way, if anyone from colombia wants to make some fucking noise
get off your ass and write
camilo
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T H E M E T A L C R U S A D E C O N T I N U E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC talks to Scott Travis of Judas Priest
by: Adrian Bromley
There are a lot of Judas Priest fans and music critics out there
who had a hard time digesting the new album _Demolition_ when it was
released last year. Many found the album to be a bland metal
offering, a far cry from the explosive _Jugulator_ (1997) (featuring
then new singer "Ripper" Owens) and the classic metal sound that the
band has been known to deliver since the late '70s. So what happened?
Sophomore jinx?
During the busy North American tour this winter (a tour
postponed a few months because of the September 11th terrorist attack
in New York City), Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis talked to
Chronicles of Chaos about _Demolition_, the band's legacy and what he
really thinks about touring.
"I can't criticize people's opinions about the record. I mean,
everyone has them and is entitled to their own one", starts Travis.
"The only thing we do when we write a record is look forward and try
to write songs on what we like, and try to create music that sounds
good and the fans will like. We [the band is rounded out by dueling
guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton and bassist Ian Hill --
Adrian] don't try to sound like a certain era of Judas Priest, we
just write what we feel. People are going to criticize what we do no
matter what. If we put out a record that sounded like it was from
1983, a lot of people would be annoyed and say it sounds dated, while
another set of fans would be so excited that we are playing a record
that sounds right out of 1983. It is a catch 22, really. You can't
please everybody with a new album."
"The band really doesn't give any thought to that. We just write
songs to correspond to the mood or vibe we are in and just hope that
the fans like it. For a band like Priest, who has been around for
thirty years, it is hard to please fans who fall into many different
eras of the band."
On the new record, he comments, "I like the new sound of
_Demolition_. I think it sounds very refreshing. I am glad it doesn't
sound like something from the 1980s, to be honest. I think this album
has lot of energy and modern sounds to it."
So, what songs are the band doing live off the new record?
"We are doing two songs live: "One on One" and "Hell Is Home". I
think both of those songs are great live songs and work well into our
already huge set list of material. "Hell Is Home" is a really heavy
Judas Priest song and it sounds great. When you are a band with this
sort of history, we have to play so many songs from many eras. We do
a lot of songs, but we make sure not to grab material that sounds
alike, hence why we play "Hell Is Home". It is a song that sounds
unlike a lot of Priest's material that we do live. It is a tough
situation to be in, choosing set list songs, but it allows us to
really comb through some great classic numbers and add them into the
set."
And Travis' favourite era of Judas Priest?
"Oh man, the early '80s is a great era for the band", he says
enthusiastically. "I wasn't in the band back then; I was playing in
bar bands back then in Virginia, where I'm from, and was so into what
Judas Priest was doing. Back in the '80s was a cool time for this
music. I think back then people appreciated rock music more. I would
have loved to have been in the band back then. I hear some great
stories from the band about that period. <laughs> Oh well, I'm in the
band now and couldn't be happier."
The topic turns to the recording experience of Judas Priest and
the second studio effort with "Ripper" Owens at the helm. What was
the recording experience like this time compared to the work on
_Jugulator_?
"This record took a long time to do, almost three years, and it
was a lot of work but a great experience", Travis answers. "Both
"Ripper" and I live in the United States and we had to fly over every
couple of months to England to work on material and do our parts.
Glenn wrote most of the album. He did a lot of work in his home
studio, and worked at his own pace, so that might have been a factor
in why it took so long. But we are happy with the results for sure."
"Nothing was really different this time around. With _Jugulator_
the band had material already written when "Ripper" finally joined,
and this time around it was a very collaborative album", he reveals.
"It feels great to have him in the band. It all worked out well for
him joining the band as the singer. I know it sounds cliche, but he
really is a natural, fantastic vocalist. He has always fit in
personally and musically from day one. Onstage he totally kicks ass."
About touring, Travis says, "This has been a really good
experience for us on the road with this album. I am noticing,
especially on this tour more so than the last album's touring, that a
lot of younger fans are coming to the shows. We still get the
die-hard older fans showing up, but a lot of younger fans are making
their way to see us on tour with _Demolition_, and that is really
cool for us to see. It has been refreshing to see so many fans into
metal and coming to the shows. I had heard over the last five years
that "Metal is coming back!", and I didn't believe it for the last
three years or so, but since we have been out on the road with
Anthrax, and we are playing great shows, I can honestly say that I
think there is truth to those comments about metal returning."
"Playing live is a great thing. Playing in the studio is okay,
but you need to do that to get the product out. But once you play
live and you get beyond the stage and see the faces of the fans and
people singing along and having a good time, that right there is what
it is all about. That is why I still do this. It is a party, man!"
He continues on, "I love touring. It is every musician's dream
to go out and tour. When you start playing your instrument and after
you get good, you want other people to see you do this. You want to
go out on the road. If any musician complains about traveling, that
is like wanting to become a doctor and not wanting to see any sick
patients. It is idiotic to think like that. It is great to be back on
the road again. We haven't been to North America or Canada in like
three years. This tour is going great so far."
But during the fall of 2001, the tour took a serious setback.
"It was something that was totally awful and nothing that we could
control", says the drummer about the events of September 11th that
affected the North American leg of the world tour for _Demolition_.
"We had just finished playing a show in Mexico City and I was packing
the next morning and had the TV on when I saw on CNN what was
happening. Needless to say, we didn't get on the plane to Los Angeles
that day and had to stay in Mexico another five days. By the time we
were able to get out, shows in California were scrapped and we
decided to cancel the rest of the tour and just take some time off
before going to Europe."
"There is no positive spin that you can give to what went on or
to those who lost lives", he finishes off, "but the fact is that
Judas Priest is back on the road again in North America and trying to
let all their fans have a good time and try to forget what went on."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
L E T T H E C O L D W I N D S B L O W !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Andy Winter of Winds
by: Aaron McKay
On April 9th, the music community is in for a rare treat. A melodious
effort from the inspired band from Norway, Winds, will find its way
into your local metal retail outlet for your listening enjoyment. I
am beside myself with exuberance that an act of immeasurable
experience and talent has found themselves on a label that I hold
near and dear to my heart -- the fastidious The End Records. Not a
surprise that this label would pick up on an outfit so far ahead of
its time; Winds nearly blows past us on with their immeasurable skill
and uncontested level of interest a listener invests in a band this
compelling. Many try, but rarely is a band capable of blowing away
others in the field with such a style as this band has pulled off.
Winds is an obvious force (of nature) to be reckoned with. If you
doubt my assessment, listen to some of the virtual "who's who" of
metal as told by the quartet's keyboardist, Andy Winter, as he
regales us about those caught in the blustery tempest known as Winds.
CoC: First, congratulations on _Reflections of the I_! With little
doubt, it is one of the more enriching releases since _A
Treatise on Love_ by Scholomance. What would you say was the
catalyst that prompted Winds to record such a stirring musical
composition?
Andy Winter: Basically we wanted to record an even stronger album
than the previous one. We knew we had to give it a new
approach, and we also tried our best to outdo ourselves
in the compositions and arrangements of the music.
That's probably why it turned out as great as it did,
because we didn't repeat ourselves, and we didn't put
any limitations on our creativity. It's a very honest
record, and we just wrote the music as it came to us in
our moments of inspiration.
CoC: Bring the CoC readership up to speed after your release on
Avantgarde, the _Of Eternity and Mind_ MCD. Some tracks from
this new release were formerly from _Of Eternity and Mind_,
right?
AW: Actually, _Of Entity and Mind_ is just included on the American
version of the new release, and the only reason for this is
because it was never released domestically in the US. It's in no
way a part of the album, as it clearly states inside the booklet,
and since _Reflections of the I_ is a concept album and a
continuation of the story, we were a bit apprehensive about
including the extra tracks at first. But in the end we realized
that making our music available to our fans was more important,
so we decided to set our initial apprehensiveness aside.
CoC: What would you say are the differences between the two?
AW: Musically the new album is more evolved, the compositions are
stronger, and there is a more organic vibe on _Reflections of the
I_, as we had more time in the studio to improvise and work on
the arrangements. This album definitely reflects our growth
as musicians and band over the past year, and we all feel
this is some of the best work we've ever done. More in
detail, the production is far stronger and the sound is crystal
clear, the music is a little heavier and more symphonic as
we've incorporated a string ensemble in addition to our other
instruments. All in all we're incredibly happy with this new
album and how it turned out.
CoC: It seems like vocal mood is very important to Winds. Would you
agree? If so, why? Is it co-equal with the musical atmosphere on
_Reflections of the I_?
AW: Yes, the vocals are very important, because they are a big part
of the mood in the music. The different vocal styles contrast
each other and this is very intentional. I think the music and
the vocals compliment each other perfectly. The thing about this
CD is that for some people it might take a little time to get
into because it's very layered and there's a lot going on in the
music. But once people have heard it a few times... well, let me
put it this way, everyone who has heard it so far thinks the mood
on this record is something incredibly unique. And it is.
Personal preference will always factor into the picture, but this
is definitely something that hasn't been done before, whether you
like it, love it, or not.
CoC: Please tell me a little bit about the wildly diverse and
extremely talented members comprising Winds.
AW: Well, we all come from various musical backgrounds and regardless
of where we started we now play many different styles of music.
We all have a passion for classical music, and that is also
greatly integrated into Winds. We all have other projects or
bands on the side, which might be known to some, but even so,
Winds is a priority for all the members and everyone is
completely dedicated to the band.
CoC: If you would, elaborate on how the critically acclaimed Jan Axel
von Blomberg (a.k.a. Hellhammer) tailored his wildly extreme
capability for voracity so well to the subdued sounds Winds
strives for in your music.
AW: I think this was something that came naturally to him. He's
played different styles of music for a long time now, and
although he is mostly known for his metal endeavors, he really
has a wide range as a drummer. He has a very creative playing
style as well, which makes him stand out from a lot of drummers
out there, and in Winds we have everything from blasting double
bass drums to laid back jazz beats, so it's really the perfect
combination for him.
CoC: Would you describe the band's musical representation as
conceptual?
AW: Yeah, the albums are concepts.
CoC: Personally, I doubt that I could imagine _Reflections of the I_
without the incorporation of a full string section on the
album. Please elaborate on the thoughts behind using the Oslo
Philharmonic Orchestra on _Reflections of the I_.
AW: When we worked with _Of Entity And Mind_ we realized that a
string ensemble would really complement our music, so when we
wrote the music for _Reflections of the I_, this was the
intention from the beginning. A lot of the basic ideas were also
originally written for strings, and then the guitars were shaped
on top of that. Quite different from most other bands who have
ever used strings, I would assume. The string ensemble will be a
regular thing for us in the future, as it is now a part of our
sound along with all the other instruments we use.
CoC: I have a special place in my heart for the song "In All
Reflections" due in no small part to intriguing arrangement and
tight guitar riffs. Would you tell the CoC readers a little
about the song?
AW: With the exception of some basic ideas for the intro track on _Of
Entity and Mind_, this was the first Winds song ever written, and
thus it was entirely written by me. It's also the most easily
accessible song on that CD, and some people called it our "radio
hit" or something to that effect. Not that this is a bad thing; I
think the song turned out very well, and many have this as their
favorite track from _Of Entity and Mind_. This is also one of the
songs I would like to play if we ever do something live, because
it's a lot of fun to play and it would be very suitable in a live
set, even with main focus on the newer material.
CoC: Were there ever discussions on if Winds should integrate a harsh
vocal style or was the "clean" approach the only one ever
considered?
AW: Screaming vocals were not considered at all, as it doesn't fit
the music. We will not use this vocal style in the future either.
The contrasting vocal styles we use now create the effect
suitable to the mood of the music, and this will remain one of
our trademarks.
CoC: Would you consider Winds a "dark" sounding band or more
progressive metal with a vintage edge?
AW: It's difficult to say, but probably both. There are definitely
dark elements to the sound, but we're also somewhat progressive,
and we integrate strong classical elements into the music as
well. All these things are quite in contrast to each other, and
maybe that is what makes our sound unique. There is a little bit
of everything in Winds, but it's tastefully put together and we
always make sure the integrity in the music isn't lost.
CoC: Is there another group you might envision Winds on tour with?
AW: We're not planning to go on tour any time soon, as we will most
likely only do studio work this year, but the question is a
rather difficult one nonetheless. Avantgarde Music wanted to set
up a tour for us last year, but this was a big problem
considering they didn't have a clue what band to put us up with.
You'd have to ask the fans, really, because this is too difficult
for me to answer.
CoC: Why the choice to record at Top-Room Studios?
AW: Our guest vocalist from Esperanza [Drajevolitch -- Aaron], who is
also a good friend of mine, has used this studio ever since it
started in 1993. He was the one who recommended it to me. This
studio had, before us, worked very little with metal, and that
was one of the reasons why we wanted to use them in the first
place. But after us, and especially after Mayhem recorded there a
few months after we started, this studio suddenly became very
popular among metal bands. Luckily we feel rather confident and
in control of the production aspect of our music, so we're not
afraid of ending up with similar sound as anyone else or anything
like that, but even so this trend is not something I prefer to
see, as this studio was originally a studio mostly used for the
recording of acoustic instruments. But in the studio industry
it's all about making money and that's a fact whether one likes
it or not.
CoC: Would you say _Reflections of the I_ is a visually inspired
album reflected in the cover art on the release? If so, why?
AW: The cover art is inspired by the music, and it illustrates the
concept featured on the album. Being the visual presentation of
the album, the artwork is very important, because we're very
conscious about the image we communicate, and being a concept
such as this is, the artwork needs to be something the listener
can relate to when hearing the music. And we really couldn't be
more satisfied with this. The artwork is perfect for this album.
CoC: Thank you very much for your valuable time you took in answering
these questions. Please feel free to close this interview in any
fashion you see fit. Thank you!
AW: Thank you for taking the time to prepare these questions, and
also for the support. We appreciate it very much.
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T E N D I N G T H E D I R E H A T R E D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Vince Verkay of Evoken
by: Pedro Azevedo
Perhaps those who enjoy playing or listening to doom metal are
the cursed offspring of some fallen angel or whatever other cliche --
but this interview did at times look like some sort of divine curse
had been cast upon it. Originally meant as an interview with
Evoken guitarist Nick Orlando many moons ago, it eventually ended
up answered by drummer Vince Verkay, after many a problem was
encountered. Yet, doomed or not, those who were involved persevered,
and here are Vince's answers to CoC's questionnaire.
Evoken have delivered three massive slabs of doom metal unto
this world. The first, the _Shades of Night Descending_ EP, showed
promise, but seen in the context of the two full-length releases that
followed, it was just a simple prelude for things to come. _Embrace
the Emptiness_ continued the doom/death of its predecessor, but with
greatly enhanced sound, atmosphere and songwriting. Its title is a
fitting one, as the band mercilessly drags the listener through the
bleak fields of sorrow they create. Then _Quietus_ further increased
the potency of Evoken's crushing sound, as the band continued on with
their masterful dirges. Not simply your basic slow downtuned metal
here: many nuances and carefully placed passages keep the music
itself interesting throughout.
I urge you to read on if you have even a passing interest in
doom metal, for Evoken are without a doubt one of the greatest bands
ever in the genre. Their latest opus, the magnificently crushing
_Quietus_, is also, in my opinion, one of the finest records of 2001.
CoC: What was the original feeling that gave birth to Evoken? How has
it changed over the years?
Vince Verkay: Well, I wasn't the original founder of Evoken, but I
did join in its early stages, almost the beginning.
What started Evoken was basically when we heard demos
from bands like Disembowelment, Thergothon, Winter,
etc. -- it was that almost a shock at the time that
there were bands that sounded like this. It was so
different from what we were hearing, the way it almost
brought chills from such a dark, heavy and ominous
atmosphere. After hearing such sounds spill from the
speakers, we decided that we wanted to create that same
atmosphere, to stick out from the rest of the pack that
was all death metal at the time. When Evoken formed it
was to surround that basic concept of being the stand
out from the infinite pile of bands that were coming
out those days. You have to remember around that time
in 1990, doom this extreme was in its infancy, with
very few people coming to grasp that such bands
existed. Over the years we have expanded beyond what
our initial goal was. As you grow as a band, you start
to understand that to accomplish the atmosphere you're
looking for, you don't have to simply play at a snail's
pace for twenty minutes. Now, don't get me wrong: the
main focus of playing this genre is to play slow, but
we just started to realize that you can incorporate
other arrangements. Especially now that we have five
members, each with their own unique perspective on how
things should sound. In the very early stages of Evoken
it was basically only influenced by two people. That,
without a doubt, winded up painting us in a corner
which you can hear on _Shades of Night Descending_.
We'll never settle, which basically is the blueprint
in keeping Evoken alive. Each album we grow with
influences coming in from all sides. I hope that we
never settle, because when it comes to that point,
there's no reason to continue, no reason to grow.
CoC: With _Embrace the Emptiness_ and _Quietus_ you have, in my
opinion, created two of the best doom albums ever. What were the
most important elements and the musical objective in your mind
when crafting such sombre music?
VV: Wow, that's quite a compliment and something that I will never
get used to. With both albums, the most important thing was to
capture the same sound we do live on tape. Something we wanted to
avoid was being trapped in that void so many bands find
themselves in: a band can go into the studio and sound like
complete crap, then you see them live and it's 100 times better,
or vice versa. For us, production was the main key, because
that's what makes the atmosphere on the album immense. We wanted
to be able to hear all the nuances without sacrificing another
instrument in the meantime. Another concern was to make the album
the heaviest ever. We have heard so many albums that the
atmosphere was there but that heaviness, that was almost the
anchor for the music, was missing. That's what makes listening to
these albums more enjoyable. Just to hear the heavy sound, almost
weighing you down further and further into unknown depths is what
I continue to play for. The most important musical objective is
really hard to say as a whole. Each member has their own opinion
on what we are trying to achieve. Basically, I can take the guess
at we're not just happy being one of many doom bands to exist. We
want to be "the" doom band that everyone agrees to be the
heaviest, darkest, and most ominous doom band ever. To basically
look back on all of our releases and not see one weak album or
one so-so album to be released. So many doom bands have started
out great only to fall by the wayside by creating something not
genuine, almost fake, just to become commercial. That's not what
writing music is about, to me anyway. This genre has to come from
deep within, an outlet, to express something that in everyday
life is hard for the average person. Once you abandon that
concept to write more commercial material, that's when you lose
that initial drive, that influence that got you started. If you
look back at all the bands that attempted to go commercial, they
failed miserably. Those are the bands that will look back not
with their heads held high, but with that empty feeling that will
corrupt their thoughts until they meet their final rest.
CoC: One of the most impressive characteristics of those two albums,
at least for me, is how the music remains so solemn and sombre
throughout the disc, when so many doom bands fall for the
occasional catchy melody or whatever. How important is this
emotional consistency for you while creating your music?
VV: Very important. I have no problem with bands throwing in a more
"upbeat" riff in a song, because that may represent the anger in
their arrangements. I know that maybe the average listener will
have the conception that it's thrown in their to break up any
monotony, but that, for me anyway, is not the case. We basically
want each and every album to crush from beginning to end. For us,
that's what doom metal is all about. This music isn't about
driving your convertible to a rose garden and playing cemetery;
it's about the sombre emotions that everyone feels at one point
in time. For us, it's just easier to write this type of music
because it comes from within, with no outside interference. When
people ask me about those goth, so-called doom bands that exist
today, I tell them it's a joke, a facade for what they think is
cool. Doom wasn't created to bring lovers together in black
fishnets, it was created to explore the darker things in life,
the solemn atmospheres that actually come as a sort of therapy
for some of us. The average person can sit back, listen to about
40 seconds and say "This is just too depressing for me", or "How
can you listen to this, it's so boring". Well, those are the
individuals that will more than likely never understand the
deeper meaning of this music. It's music to be absorbed, not let
out. I find this genre actually picks up my day, rather than
bring it down.
CoC: Though it is obvious that your music is of a very sorrowful
kind, I would like to know what sort of effect you would like it
to have upon the listener; or do you just try to express certain
types of emotion with the music and let each person absorb it in
his or her own way?
VV: I really like for each person to absorb it in their own way.
That, for me anyway, is what makes music that special. It's
something that you can take and turn in into your own. Obviously
we write the music to have those sombre and dark atmospheres, but
the music is much more than that. I would much rather have five
people come up to me and give me five different stories as to
what they feel the music holds for them than to have all five
come up with the same thing. I firmly believe that when every
review, every listener all find the same characteristics in the
music, it's time to either hang it up or try other ideas. There
are some characteristics in the songs that everyone will agree
on, but that's just a small piece of the entire puzzle. Now, I'm
not saying we write these complex arrangements and [I don't want
to] sound like a complete artsy-fartsy wanker like I always read
about, but I think they go beyond just songs that are played
slow, with a lot of reverb, and heavier than Sally Struthers on
Venus. [Venus' surface gravity is roughly 0.9 times that of
Earth, so she'd actually be heavier on Earth. -- ed] I mean, we
basically write this music for ourselves, but we also write it
for our fans. If we didn't, we wouldn't release albums. We would
just sit in our basements and record everything on a three
dollar, garage sale radio never to see the light of day.
CoC: Is Evoken all the doom you can take, are you and the other
members of Evoken able to enjoy much lighter and/or happier
music, or quite the contrary?
VV: Well, we all listen to different things as well as similar. We
all enjoy doom and try to listen to as many bands as we find
interesting. We also don't pigeonhole ourselves and listen to
nothing but. Our influences really have a wide range. I can't
speak for the entire band, but I can say with certainty that we
all listen to bands like Disembowelment (obviously), Winter,
Thergothon, My Dying Bride, Shape of Despair, Carnivore, death
metal, black metal, ambient bands like Lycia, Portishead and
Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Pink
Floyd, etc.. I also enjoy old U2, some tranced out techno,
Lustmord, Brighter Death Now, Type O Negative, Rush, old Def
Leppard, old Disgrace, etc.. I can go on all night with a huge
list, but these are the ones that come directly to mind. As you
can see, we don't strictly listen to depressive music and we
certainly don't walk around with a puss on our face. It seems
harder and harder to have a favorite band or even newer bands
that I can enjoy. A lot of bands these days just have no
relevance to what I like. They either try to sound like Cradle of
Filth or Cannibal Corpse, but it's always been like that, I
guess. I guess as I get older I try to find things I haven't
heard before, or things that aren't as prominent anymore as
opposed to years and years ago. Evoken isn't the most inventive
band, but I also feel that we are doing something that isn't as
dominant out of all the genres, like we stick out a bit from the
absolute hundreds and hundreds of bands that exist. Evoken will
never be all the doom I can take, but it does satisfy all those
things that I look for in bands -- that's what makes it still
interesting and will always be a part of my life one way or
another, I will never let Evoken fade away or die.
CoC: How do you feel about the state of doom metal nowadays?
VV: Doom I think is getting better, as far as attention goes. I don't
think it will attract the attention that the other genres have,
but I think it's growing with time. Doom right now, I think, is
getting the attention it should have received in the early '90s
with bands that were coming out like Paradise Lost, My Dying
Bride, Disembowelment and Winter. Those bands, I think, were
about to come out strong, but then black metal stepped in and
basically became -the- genre at the time. I also think it's good
to see different variations of doom these days with Spirit
Caravan, Esoteric, My Dying Bride, Nebula, etc. all bringing more
notice to the genre. I know a lot of debates, I guess you can
call them, have ensued over what is doom and what is not. You
have people saying that Black Sabbath started doom and anything
directly influenced by them, a la "stoner doom", is really doom.
Then you have the other side of the debate proclaiming that
"funeral doom" or "doom/death" are the true doom bands because
they are more tapped into the depressive side of the music. I
always say that for me it doesn't matter what classification they
are given; as long as you enjoy it and you feel that it holds all
the elements of what you feel doom is, then hey, enjoy the band
and not the label stamped on them. Even though doom bands live
are a rare occurrence, I think the turnouts are also growing,
depending on where you live, if you compare NYC to Buttfuck,
Egypt... I know from our experience it seems each and every show
we see more and more turnout for us and newer converts with each
performance. I absolutely love it! It really makes it worthwhile
hauling the equipment, dealing with shady clubs, the owners, and
incompetent sound engineers. Not too long ago we would play to
about ten people and have nothing to show for it but sore
muscles, empty wallets from buying beer, and scratched up
equipment. Now, things have been getting better with a fairly
larger audience, somewhat sore muscles, half empty wallets, and
our equipment has the proper protective cases. I guess we will
really see if our audience is growing once we tour, whenever that
will be. Doom is not only growing in audience, but also in bands.
Just about six or seven years ago, doom was in sorry shape, with
only a few bands, and most were classified as this ridiculous
goth/doom, which, I think, hurt the genre. Fans despised this
style and all of a sudden it became the poster child as to what
doom was, which in turn hurt the doom bands that were doing it
the right way and had talent. I still do feel, though, that you
can literally count on your hand how many doom bands are in each
country, but that's not exactly a terrible thing. What that
does is prevent doom from falling into the same trouble the
other genres experienced. That was too many bands coming out,
bands that all sounded alike, eventually suffocating the genre
and collapsing. Hah, now, I've read fan statements that they
literally can count five or six legitimate doom fans from each
area, but I think that they could be undercutting it a bit. Don't
forget, there's a lot of fans out there that keep to themselves
and don't post on the message boards or go to the clubs for
various reasons. I think people would be shocked if they found
out how many there could potentially be.
CoC: You are now signed to Avantgarde Records; how did this happen
and what do you expect this to bring to Evoken's career? How has
it been going so far? The release of _Quietus_ seemed to suffer
quite a long delay in Europe...
VV: Well, Nick was in contact with Avantgarde for quite some time
beforehand. I think it was around the time _Shades of Night
Descending_ was released. Roberto wrote to us saying how much he
really liked the album and that he was disappointed to see us
picked up already. So, after he heard _Embrace the Emptiness_ he
was really impressed and was entertaining the idea of doing
something with us. E-mails went back and forth for several months
until finally Roberto said "Fuck it, let's do it, fuck sales,
fuck losing money, I really want to release something with
Evoken", and the rest is history. What we expected was to finally
have the proper label to push Evoken out to a wider spectrum. We
feel that Avantgarde Music has always been noted for releasing
quality albums and for us to be a part of that entity would
really benefit us as well as give us a little bit more of a name.
With previous labels, we weren't able to reach our intended
audience like we would have liked. We would receive e-mails all
the time from people asking where they could get our albums
because their local shops didn't carry them, or they tried to
reach our label but heard nothing back. With Avantgarde, we
finally found that one chance, that one real possibility to reach
out beyond our shores. So far we have definitely reached out
beyond anything we tried before. It has really been a step up
for us, but we are not finished yet by any stretch of the
imagination. Of course there are things that we feel could be
improved, but that's on both sides of the fence. We hope to
correct those things so we can expand even further. I think what
went sour in that instance was both Avantgarde and Evoken were
complete strangers a bit. We had to get used to a certain way
Avantgarde did things and Avantgarde had to get used to the way
we do things. I think this next release will see better relations
as well as greater sales, with the proper push on both ends. The
delay in getting this past album out was something I really can't
say I remember; it's a bit foggy for me. As I sit here and try to
recall, I come up blank. Ah, how the brain cells are dropping
like flies.
CoC: How would you compare your three records -- and especially
_Embrace the Emptiness_ to _Quietus_?
VV: Hmmm, that's a good question. I would say _Embrace the Emptiness_
creates a darker atmosphere compared to _Quietus_. I also think
_Quietus_ developed a more haunting and sombre atmosphere than
_Embrace the Emptiness_. One major difference, I think, is
the experience level that we gain with each release. In my
opinion, that's something that you can definitely hear. Not only
that, _Quietus_ was mixed in digital format while _Embrace the
Emptiness_ and _Shades of Night Descending_ were both completed
in analog. Digital was cool and very convenient, but for this
next release we're looking to go back to analog. Analog, we feel,
has that warmer sound which really enhances any atmosphere that
you want to hear -- even though digital makes it easier to
correct mistakes, etc.. What I mean by this is, you start to find
yourself relying too much on the computer, which creates this
almost safeguard, causing us to almost digress in our playing
ability, which can pretty much cause us not to rehearse as
intensely as we normally would. _Shades of Night Descending_
really was a record we went into the studio blindly. We weren't
together long at all and the ideas we developed only came about
in the studio during recording. We were very inexperienced, but
for what it was worth, I think we did an OK job.
CoC: What can be expected of Evoken in the future? How do you think
your music will evolve?
VV: That's really hard to say, actually. Of course we will continue
to write the darkest, slowest, and most intensely ominous music
we can. Who knows what the future may hold for Evoken. One goal
of ours is to, at some point, try and either play a few festivals
or tour in Europe. I think first we will wind up touring in the
US only, because it would be easier for our label to support
anything and it would really give us some experience in being on
the road. At this point in our existence we haven't traveled very
far, with the furthest being Ohio, which is about 12 hours from
here. We'll just have to see what we can conjure up. As far as
the music, I really don't like to predict what may happen. We
really would rather have things happen naturally than to sit back
and say "Well, we should try and sound like this or develop like
that". There's always the conception that most doom bands exist
for either two or three albums then simply fade away or
completely change in their musical approach and wind up degrading
into something they are not. With Evoken, we want to avoid those
pitfalls and go out on top with each and every album being top
notch.
CoC: Any final words for this interview?
VV: Well, thank you for the interview. I guess we both know now how
e-mail can be a blessing but a curse at the same time... huh?
Good luck with future endeavors with the zine. Everyone keep
checking our website for any news we may have. Hopefully, we will
see everyone on some sort of tour for the next album, and thanks
to all of our fans around the world for the continued support of
Evoken. Cheers!
Contact: http://www.evoken.com
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T H E H E A R T O F N E C R O
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews V.I.T.R.I.O.L. of Anaal Nathrakh
by: Pedro Azevedo
It is not, in my experience, a very frequent occurrence that
an underground band who cultivates their underground status so
blatantly and corrosively as Anaal Nathrakh would so rapidly gain
recognition from the bigger metal and sort-of-metal publications.
Having personally witnessed their sonic development since their first
demo [CoC #43] and having interviewed them after their second [CoC
#48, #49], I have to say I have never yet found a trace of any kind
of faux-underground and ultimately commercial attitude in this band.
Just a listen to their first full-length record _The Codex Necro_
[CoC #56] should provide more than enough proof, but V.I.T.R.I.O.L.
-- one half of the duo that is Anaal Nathrakh -- proves with his
discourse that there is a lot more than mindless sonic aggression in
Anaal Nathrakh.
CoC: _The Codex Necro_ is your latest output, and the first with
which you can expect more widespread recognition. How satisfied
are you with it?
V.I.T.R.I.O.L.: Very. When we started
Anaal Nathrakh, it was with
complete disregard for the outside world, so the fact
that our music has been so well received is at the
very least interesting. In terms of whether we are
satisfied with the actual recording, yes we are. We
set out to squeeze out the most violently horrible
puss we could, and we succeeded. That is not to say
that there is not more to come, though...
CoC: You have always been quite successful in the underground -- at
least as far as CoC is concerned. However, you now seem to have
picked up some impressive praise from bigger magazines such as
Terrorizer and Kerrang! as well with your latest disc, which
could thrust Anaal Nathrakh into a rather visible position in
the metal world. How do you feel about that?
V: It was interesting when Kerrang! asked us for an interview, etc..
They sent a photographer to Necrodeath Studios who had recently
been on tour with some shit but very popular American band. Static
X or some similar pile of crap. He asked us if we were going to
get dressed up for the photos etc., and we just said "Er, no". I
don't think he really understood our attitude, and we didn't
understand his. The journalist I spoke to seemed genuine, though.
Terrorizer at least supports some decent music sometimes, so
receiving attention from them is a bit different. Basically, the
idea is the same as when I have always said we could easily sign
to a huge label if they offered us millions of pounds. Not that
they would. No one will ever get anything from us but absolutely
vile shit. We do not, and will never compromise. At all. Ever. As
long as people understand that they are free to do with it as they
will, we don't give a fuck. Are we rockstars, or interested in
becoming them? No, fuck off. We just keep on doing what we do to
the detriment of everyone else. The end.
CoC: As far as I know, you still don't have a human drummer. Is this
situation likely to change? Will it stop you from performing
live?
V: At the moment, we have no plans to get a drummer and no plans to
perform live. There is nothing to say we could never have
a drummer, should an appropriately necrotic and unspeakable
individual become available. If we got a drummer, we could think
about live shows, but not before. That is not, however, something
that we spend a lot of time bothering to consider.
CoC: Your sound currently conveys an unbelievable amount of
aggression at times. How do you see that evolving? Will you
strive for even greater brutality, or try to diversify your
sound?
V: We have already recorded material that is far more violent than
anything we have so far released. Until the world is cracked in
two and sent crashing into the sun, there is always room for
improvement. Basically we will do whatever the fuck we want to do.
At the moment, that includes insanity and barbarism. We would
never try to do something, we would just do it.
CoC: The same can be said about your vocals: some of the most
desperately hysterical and harsh I've ever heard. Do you still
have vocal chords as such?
V: Just about. A sound guy once asked if I had a distortion box in my
throat. The whole point of the singing is to get across the sound
that's in my head. It drives me fucking mad because I can't get
away from it, so when it comes out it's pretty fucking harsh.
"Desperately hysterical" is probably a good description.
CoC: How pleased are you for having _The Codex Necro_ released
through Mordgrimm? Do you believe they might be the most
appropriate label for Anaal Nathrakh, given their profile?
V: Their performance in the UK has been very good. Outside the UK
I don't think there has been a proper release, so better
distribution could be needed. Nihil, who runs Mordgrimm, seems to
have a good understanding of the necro spirit, and that is what is
necessary.
CoC: You state that "humanity is cancer". Would you like to elaborate
on that?
V: To launch into a rant here would seem predictable. Suffice
to say this: generally speaking, what is cancer? It is a
growing collection of undifferentiated cells that by itself does
little except attempt to perpetuate itself. The byproduct of its
existence and its trying to further its fundamental uniformity is
to suffocate and destroy everything around it and ultimately
itself simply by existing. In virtually its entirety, and by
virtue of the wasted possibility it represents, it deserves only
to be exterminated. That is what cancer is.
CoC: May I ask what you think about the events that took place in New
York on September 11th?
V: And give blinkered, ignorant maggots yet another excuse to hurl
abuse at us? People who are so stupid that they can't even
understand to whom I'm referring when I use the term "blinkered,
ignorant maggots"? No. We'll keep our silence and they can keep
their pathetic worlds.
CoC: What would you like to see happening in the world during 2002?
V: We would like to become independently wealthy. The rest of the
world can go fuck itself. It would be good to be drunk long enough
to get away from all the shit that seems to coat everything.
CoC: How do you imagine the world will be like ten years from now?
And when you are in your old age, assuming you live that long?
V: "Assuming you live that long". Thanks for the vote of confidence.
It's not an assumption I share either. I don't think about the
future. I have an irrational sense that something horrible is
always about to happen -- a lot of people do, so I'm told -- and
when I try to picture the future, all I see is black. The only
certainty is oblivion.
CoC: Titles such as "Insipid Flock" and "Human All Too Fucking Human"
seem to speak for themselves, but what exactly is the "paradigm
shift" that you also mention?
V: Any given operative paradigm is the framework within which
everything operates. For example, in the philosophy of science, it
has been said that science can exist within the current paradigm
-- e.g. working with and manipulating data within accepted and
generally understood ways of thinking -- but can also step outside
that paradigm and force a paradigm shift. An example of this could
be the shift beyond Euclidean geometry whereby it was realized
that despite theoretically being equidistant along their entire
length, "parallel" lines would eventually cross if extended far
enough through space due to the fact that space itself was
fundamentally curved. Geometry operating under the Euclidean
paradigm could not account for theories such as this -- a paradigm
shift occurred to a way of thinking that could accommodate the
"new reality". This form of realization forces people to reassess
the suppositions upon which they base their actions, and to
reorient existence in some way. The "Paradigm Shift" we describe
is one of everything toward annihilation.
CoC: "Submission Is for the Weak" is one of the album's most
punishing tracks. I have to say the opening line and the attack
that follows is quite remarkable. Any comments on that track?
V: Yes, it's probably my favourite song from the album too. So savage
you kind of go "Fuck!" when it comes in, but it has depth beyond
simple savagery. Plus the vocals are especially unpleasant. I
don't think there is anything else that sounds much like it.
CoC: Re-recording "Supreme Necrotic Audnance" and "The Technogoat"
from your demo CD was a very wise decision, in my opinion. Are
you pleased with the results, do you think those two songs
benefited from this?
V: Yeah, we know how to get better sounds now, plus the original
version of the first track had a fuck up on the tape. "The
Technogoat" is a lot faster and more violent too, which is always
a good thing. Plus it has the section somewhere in the middle of
probably the most inhuman vocals I've done so far. We also did an
intermediate demo of that song and one or two others that hasn't
been released, with a different guitar sound.
CoC: The last couple of tracks seems to be recorded at a lower level
than the rest, which is quite unfortunate. What happened there?
V: If there is any difference, it's just because it was difficult to
mix them. Real necro can be hard to control. You're lucky we could
force any of it on to the CD at all.
CoC: The word "necro" is quite ubiquitous in Anaal Nathrakh's
discography. In what ways would you say it describes your sound
and attitude?
V: Necro needs no explanation. There are those who possess and
understand it, and there are those who do not.
CoC: Why the name V.I.T.R.I.O.L., by the way?
V: It means sulphuric acid, which is perfectly appropriate for me and
what I do in Anaal Nathrakh. Corrosive, and based on elements
which stink of rot. Plus it is an obscure reference to the
Philosopher's Stone which has a perverse relevance to me. That I
won't go into.
CoC: Whilst visiting the current Anaal Nathrakh website, I found a
prominent advert for a website that lets you search for old
highschool classmates throughout the US. Care to comment on the
irony?
V: Erm, what? Ah, yeah, the Geocities adverts that pop up.
Schoolfriends, film adverts, pictures of Britney Spears, all sorts
of shit comes up. I think she would have to be the most ironic
thing that could possibly be on our site, as she is the absolute
opposite of what if anything we are about. Worse still, she
appears to "stand for" what she represents (apple pie, sex only
after marriage, lack of drug abuse, etc., etc.) whereas we both
despise what she represents and reject the idea of standing for
anything at all. Then again, the quantity of pictures of her that
are around must lead to individuals somewhere out there who would
love to jack her up, beat the shit out of her and fuck her till
she was dead. So maybe there is some balance in the world to an
extent. At least the adverts disappear after a few seconds...
CoC: The final words are yours...
V: The world may think it has seen the heart of necro, but it has
not. There are further depths to be plumbed, and we will scrape
them clean of vile shit and serve it up, that the maggots might
feast. Unspeakable, violent nihilism, rampant. That is what we
will create. Be ready, for the next lump of necro vomit is soon to
come...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
E N T O M B E D ' S S H I N I N G S T A R !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with L.G. Petrov of Entombed
by: Adrian Bromley
Entombed have a new album out and it rocks. Go figure...
The first time I played the new Entombed album _Morning Star_ I
was mesmerized, not because of the fact that this band still after
all these years continues to put out great material and expand their
sound with each recording, but because the band is just having so
much fun. You can see it in the album cover (look carefully!), the
lyrics (listen carefully!) and in the grooves of the music (just
crank this fucker!).
The new album is as exciting as going to a Chucky Cheese
restaurant all hammered with a group of Frat boys. Hell, maybe even
more exciting than that!
Entombed singer L.G. Petrov begins about the good times with
_Morning Star_: "I think through all that we have been through these
last few years with the changes in what we have done musically, the
band [rounded out by guitarists Uffe Cederlund and Alex Hellid,
drummer Peter Stjarnvind and bassist Jorgen Sandstrom -- Adrian] is
right where we want to be. A lot has happened, one of the main things
being Nicke [Andersson, drummer] leaving the band after so many
years. He was a main songwriter for the band and we felt his loss. We
put out an album [1998's _Same Difference_] that was kind of, well,
musically different than what we wanted to do. But we eventually got
back to the music that we wanted to do [with 1999's _Uprising_] and
things seem to be going a lot better for us now."
He adds about response to _Same Difference_ by saying, "We knew
when we made that record that it was going to be a different album,
but for the most part we weren't worried about that 'cause it was
just another Entombed album. There were a lot of negative voices in
the air when _Same Difference_ came out and that just kept us aware
of what we were doing and what needed to be done. When bands go off
course and make a different record, possibly a record outside of what
they have done before, it just gives them the initiative to make the
next record better. And that is what we did with _Uprising_. We
weren't going to throw in the towel because people hated _Same
Difference_. No way! We just kept rolling along and turning our
Entombed music."
The new record _Morning Star_ seems to just coast along, a lot
of fun and just solid grooves that never seems to slow down. "We have
had a lot of records that have been up and down throughout the years,
but our fans just seem to like it when we just coast along and keep
things heavy and exciting. I know we do when we play", he comments.
"There is just this really cool feel to this album and that to me is
a much stronger feeling than trying to go all out and experiment with
a sound and overdo things. We tried to keep the album pretty basic
and have easily written songs."
So what about _Morning Star_ does Petrov like? Each Entombed
album must leave a certain impression on him. What does he get out of
the new album?
"I just think this is -- and I know we say this with each album
--, but this is the best record. We have made some albums in the past
that we could have done better and I think we made it up with this
album. We got a lot of satisfaction out of making _Morning Star_. It
isn't a long record, it's quite short, but it is intense. We wrote
it, recorded it and moved on."
He adds, "This album was a very short process for us. Usually we
spend a lot of time on an album and we didn't want that. We didn't
want to fuss over songs and try to get things right 100%. We just got
the right vibe, made sure it was recorded properly and moved onto the
next song. There was no need to go all out with this record, it was
more about a feeling rather than perfection."
And L.G.'s favourite songs on _Morning Star_ are? "I love
"Bringer of Light" a lot", shouts an enthusiastic L.G. down the line.
"It is such a great song. When Alex brought the ideas to the band it
seemed like it might be hard to do, but it came out perfect. That is
such a heavy Entombed song. It is a great song."
"The whole making of this album was so great, I just can't stop
talking about it", says the singer with sincerity. "The studio was a
fun place and it never got boring for us. Sometimes when you are in a
studio and recording it really does make you wish you were not there.
Not this time. It was a blast."
Through all the "ups and downs" over the years, this year being
an "up" year for the band with the release of _Morning Star_, is
Entombed's frontman surprised that they have lasted this long in the
music business?
"Not really", comes the reply. "There is nothing else for us to
do and we just keep on doing this. This is what we do. We have never
thought about leaving the band or going on our own separate ways.
Making music is still interesting for us, and it has become easier
over the years. We are very spontaneous songwriters and our source of
songwriting never seems to end."
"This is far from feeling like a job. It is just a lot of fun
all the time and we feel very happy and fortunate that we can do this
all the time. Some of us have gotten jobs out of boredom, but for the
most part we don't do anything else but be Entombed. It is simple,
but fun. I've gotten used to it over the years."
As _Morning Star_ plays on, it becomes quite clear that
references of Satan and religion keep popping up here and there.
Christ, just look at the cover. What gives, L.G.? Are there any
specific subject matters that the band tackled for this album or was
it just one big party?
"We have always written about Satan and once again he pops up in
the lyrics", he laughs. "But from a lyrical point of view there are
no really concrete issues we really have an emphasis on; we just take
on whatever comes our way. We just observe and write about it. It is
that simple", Petrov says while continuing to laugh. "We take ideas
from around us, put our own spin on it and record it. We just laugh
at everything around us, really, because the world is what it is. We
can't change anything, so why not have fun?"
I can live with that. Keep on rocking in the free world,
Entombed. Devil horns till the end!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I N S I D E O U T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Leffe Jensen of Dew-Scented
by: Paul Schwarz and Adrian Bromley
Part 1: Is Inwards the Only Way Out?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Paul Schwarz
Dew-Scented are one the finest thrash bands that has emerged from
Germany since its "golden age", when the likes of Kreator, Sodom and
Destruction first tore up the scene in the Eighties. Well, maybe they
didn't as much tear up the scene as they did congregate in one corner
of it and make a distinctive loud and offensive noise; to be called
"one of the finest thrash bands that has emerged from Germany in the
last decade" is a compliment -- but in being awarded such an accolade
a contestant is not indicated to have had to face a lot of
competition. As you can probably tell, I personally have my doubts
about Dew-Scented; simultaneously, I am in no doubt that they are a
tight, powerful metal band that will appeal to many of you out there
and -do- appeal to me. My reasons for being rather sharply critical
in the following email interview with Dew-Scented vocalist Leffe
Jensen conducted in early January were simple: _Inwards_, their
fourth album [reviewed in this issue], though more than unbridled
enough in its vicious metalness to stand tall over Nuclear Blast's
relative-unknown collective, seemed to me a little lacking in
vibrancy, despite its undeniable, brutalising proficiency. Though I
didn't dislike _Inwards_, listening to it led me to forsake it
increasingly in favour of The Haunted. Though I haven't really
altered this stance on _Inwards_ myself, I still think that many of
you with more of a desire for volume in your head-down, thrash/death
collection than me may well find the album and the band well worth
checking out. That said, the band are still on my interest list --
and not just because my (possibly overblown and pretentious) reading
between the lines "discovered" a hint of the will of Hegel and a
healthy dose of Rousseaunian romanticism in the ideas behind Leffe
Jensen's lyrics. I'll -definitely- be turning up early to catch
Dew-Scented live when they come to Scotland with Vader on the 21st of
March.
CoC: If I had to describe Dew-Scented briefly to someone who hadn't
heard the band, I'd call you a mixture of The Haunted and
Malevolent Creation (_Retribution_-era). What do you think of
that description? How would you describe Dew-Scented to someone
who'd never heard the band?
Leffe Jensen: Well yeah, I think we can live with your description!
It's obviously very difficult to make up a "neutral"
opinion about the material if you are playing it
yourself, but I would say that both Malevolent Creation
and The Haunted definitely have similarities in the
songwriting approach with Dew-Scented, as we all go for
the best of both worlds between thrash and death metal
and also have the aim to sound as uncompromisingly
aggressive and hard-hitting as ever possible. I also
do hear strong Slayer references in all mentioned
cases, so I guess that's a good point as well?!
Dew-Scented's basic intention is to come up with an
interesting mixture of untamed brutality and some
technical sidemark in the song structures without
losing the overall catchiness. We grew up on savage
thrash metal and appreciate vile death metal, so that
will always shine through in our own songs...
CoC: Why do you think that the metal scene needs Dew-Scented? Is
there something missing from it that Dew-Scented can bring to it?
LJ: That's a really tough question and not really something I feel
very comfortable answering. I think it's rather up to the
listener to decide, at the end of the day! I think in general,
the metal scene of these days needs more bands that believe at
strongest in what they are doing and stick to their "individual"
musical formula in the long-term, making sure to always move
forwards in quality without abruptly jumping from one style to
the next just for better instant exposure. We have been doing
this for quite some years now, playing our asses off on stage,
and I feel we have grown a lot as single musicians as well as in
terms of being a tight unity. I think our new album _Inwards_ is
the result of these last years of hard work and I hope it will be
a record that satisfies the needs of some other people into
violent straightforward thrash metal too!? That would be fair
enough to us! I don't think we are a totally unique or
stylistically "groundbreaking" outfit, and we actually don't
intend to be! After all, we are having a good time ourselves with
what we are doing...
CoC: Do you find that people are at all dismissive of Dew-Scented
because of your German origins in the way that people tend to
automatically pay more attention to metal bands, at the moment,
who are Swedish?
LJ: Could be, but that is often used as an excuse by many bands for
the question why they aren't succeeding. I don't know, I think
there is a massive amount of outstanding extreme metal bands from
Scandinavia, so it's pretty normal that the scene over there has
a bigger focus and profile! As far as the German scene, I guess
it also has a lot to do with the "glorious" past of thrash metal,
as there haven't been many German extreme acts that managed to
achieve a huge world-wide reputation after Sodom / Kreator /
Destruction. Maybe Morgoth were the only exception to that!? Then
again, I think this situation leads to make the up 'n' coming
bands fight harder for what they believe in and hopefully one day
get the deserved attention. And the scene over here had a very
healthy period of evolution, as I think there are plenty of good
bands now around in Germany that don't really have the exact same
sound. I mean, bands like Night In Gales, Disbelief, Crack Up,
Fleshcrawl, Bethlehem, Agathodaimon, Profanity, Harmony Dies and
probably also Dew-Scented have been around for quite some years,
always progressing next to each other without sounding too much
alike. But coming back to your original question: in the very
last instance, there is only good or bad music to me, no matter
where the band comes from, and I think more people should start
realising that by now...
CoC: What would you say to someone who claimed Dew-Scented were
nothing but an inferior alternative to The Haunted?
LJ: I take the "alternative" as a compliment, because in fact there
aren't many bands around that are devoted to this style of music!
All other styles are full of lame copycats and now there is a
handful of bands that have a strong Slayer vibe to them as well
as a death metal attitude at the same time, and suddenly you'll
need to put them into competition with each other? I don't quite
agree with that! Everybody in Dew-Scented loves The Haunted and
we really appreciate the fact that they had the guts to write
their self-titled debut record, because that's probably the most
pounding thrash metal record of the last ten years! Still, I
don't think that Dew-Scented is too close to what The Haunted are
doing and we never meant to "steal" their trademarks, so I don't
see the problem here! I would love to hear their opinion on this,
haha!
CoC: What do you think of Nuclear Blast, their history and their
current roster? Why did you decide to sign with them? How do you
feel about being on a label that has Primal Fear, HammerFall and
Narnia on its roster?
LJ: I think Nuclear Blast is a cool label and they are (finally)
opening a lot of new worldwide doors for Dew-Scented with the
fact that we are getting far better promotion and distribution
for our music than in the past, so I wouldn't be able to complain
at all so far. I guess they respect our album and career so far
and I think they are really satisfied with the media results on
_Inwards_, so things are really looking good for our co-operation
at the moment! We signed with them because we share the same
vision for this new album and we as a band have the impression
that they are gonna give us the best possible attention and
facilities to get the album out to the people who care about our
music! We don't have to dig all of their repertoire to know that
we are in good hands with the label that works for bands like
Destruction, Immortal, In Flames, Lock Up or also Dimmu Borgir! I
think it's a positive move that they have a quite diverse,
all-metal roster and the people working for/with us definitely
know what they are doing!
CoC: Would you call yourselves a death metal band (as Nuclear Blast
have)? I would say you were more thrash than death. Do such
labels as "death metal" and "thrash metal" really matter to you?
LJ: I would say we are fairly in between both of those "labels", but
to somebody who digs just well-done, aggressive metal, it
shouldn't be much of a difference! I wouldn't totally agree with
the fact that we are scheduled as "death metal", but to people
expecting "nice" melodic or old school thrash metal, I think it
does make sense to set a warning that Dew-Scented might be a bit
heavier than that. We equally like some thrash and death metal
bands so again, I don't think it's a big deal! Thrash metal
riffing and songwriting, but with death metal brutality and
pissed-off vocals, that would be a good way of putting it in case
you should really need such a strict "labeling". Haha!
CoC: How important are your lyrics when compared with you music? Is
there some message (or messages) they convey that you think it
is important that people hear?
LJ: Basically the lyrics are meant to add to the certain musical
atmosphere of a song, so of course I would always point out that
the music is of bigger importance for us. "Message" is maybe the
wrong word, but _Inwards_ definitely has some guiding theme
lyrically, as you might discover by seeing the symbolic cover
art, the title of the album and the names of the songs. _Inwards_
generally deals with the power of inner strength that we carry in
ourselves and about the fact that we tend to forget more from day
to day how vital that is and how little we challenge it! Daily
life is full of shit, society is becoming more cruel, it's so
much easier to be frustrated or hopeless these days... but then
again, we could do something about it if we only wanted. Every
bit of experience and every feeling is a source of power (no
matter if positive or negative) for our minds and spirits. I
think it's too bad that some people are giving up fighting for
what they feel and that's the main topic throughout all the
lyrics. I think it would be by far easier to speak about the
individual songs instead of talking about a complete "vision",
but I hope you will get at least some input now? Yes, I
definitely think that lyrics should be a nice extra for the
listeners that care! To me, there are good albums with crap
lyrics in metal and some that are just better because they have
some impressing amount of lyrical "wit" on top of good music! If
you enjoy reading between the lines of metal lyrics, you might
like our approach!? But the music will always go first and
therefore the lyrics are just there supporting the very angry and
aggressive vein of the music on _Inwards_...
CoC: You have built up quite a resume' of live work, playing with
bands such as Overkill, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Arch Enemy and
Cryptopsy. How important is playing live for you as a band? When
you're writing songs, how much thought do you put into how it
will sound in a live setting? Would you write, or have you
written, songs that you couldn't perform live, or that wouldn't
sound good when played live?
LJ: Playing live is the strongest part of death and thrash metal
music! We would rather consider ourselves as a live act that is
writing albums to be able to go out again to play some more
shows, instead of the other way around! We have grown quite a lot
as tight unity in the last couple of years, majorly due to the
fact that we did as many shows as we could and went through a lot
of different experiences when it comes to touring! Hmmm, I think
you are touching a good topic here, as we perhaps finally managed
to write the right material for a cool stage presence on
_Inwards_!? In the past, we somehow always wrote two or three
songs per album that we knew instantly wouldn't work out that
well in our live-sets, so those songs never got played, really.
With _Inwards_, I somehow think that we really composed songs
that are straightforward and imminent, so it has been awesome to
perform that material live! I think we learnt a lot about our own
stronger and weaker points as songwriters through all those
different shows we did in the turn of the years, and therefore
_Inwards_ profited a lot from that. I really hope we will be able
to come over to the UK soon for live shows as well, as we
unfortunately never really had the chance to come over to play...
CoC: What do you think of your version of "War Ensemble" when you
compare it to Slayer's original? Why did you choose to record a
Slayer cover, why did you choose "War Ensemble", and what made
you decide to include it as a 'bonus track' on _Inwards_?
LJ: Hmm, difficult one as well again! I think 99% of the Slayer cover
versions done so far by other bands can't live up at all to the
original Slayer song... Well, they just suck!!! I think we tried
to make a fair and simple rendition of that classic, massive song
just to see how we would be able to "represent" it ourselves and
also to see how it would come out when we have it powerfully
recorded and produced. The moment we first heard "War Ensemble"
in its final mix in the studio, we felt sure that it came out
fine and that it would be better to give it a use on the release.
We were looking for one track off the session to be used as the
Japanese bonus track for the album, so it looked like an obvious
pick that we would leave the cover song for this reason!? It's
always "risky" to play around with songs of bands that you would
consider as direct influence for your band, so I can't really
make up my opinion on whether we succeeded on doing a good
version of the song or not. It was such a spontaneous choice that
it only got rehearsed a handful of times, so we actually never
thought about the "consequences", haha! In fact, we never meant
to get special "attention" for the track and therefore we decided
not to make it a regular part of the album, as some people seem
to always give special value to cover tracks. _Inwards_ is a
record that should stand on its own feet, so to say, just by our
own material! "War Ensemble" is a song that pretty much every
metalhead is gonna know by heart (or really should!), so it's a
great tune to fully tear up the audiences during a good live
show! Did I mention before that Slayer rule?
CoC: The floor is yours. Say anything about Dew-Scented you feel
people should know that you haven't already touched on.
LJ: Thanks for this interview and for the support! It would be
awesome to be finally able to come over for some shows with our
new album _Inwards_. I hope some of your readers will give our
new record a try, as I think they could like what we came up
with?! Please feel free to visit our website for further details
about the band. Take care and stay heavy! Chuck Schuldiner --
RIP, you are never going to be forgotten!
Part 2: Outward Bound
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Adrian Bromley
"I think things are going as planned with this band. It just
seems to be all going in the right direction", starts Dew-Scented
singer Leffe about the band's new album _Inwards_ (their debut for
Nuclear Blast) and their growth over the years. "I know for a fact
that all of our fans are still following us and are quite happy with
the evolution of our sound. We have always done what we wanted to do
and I think, without sounding cliche, we have done the best record
that we have ever done."
"We are getting a lot of feedback for this record and it is
exciting to hear people so excited about what we have done here. It
feels good. We are just trying to keep making the best music that we
can and learn from our mistakes, to work with the new chances that we
are given with being on a new label and just try to push the profile
of the band out to the music fans. The scene is growing and it is a
lot more open-minded and people like a lot of music and hopefully
people who don't know us with latch onto what we are doing with the
new album. Thrash metal is having a comeback and we are trying to
seize the day and present ourselves in the best possible way."
He adds, "We worked hard to write and record the best music we
could for this release. We wanted to have a good production,
something we didn't have on the last few records. It took a while to
get the right production. We were concerned on making the music of
Dew-Scented a bit more technically intriguing than what we had done
in the past. We also got a lot more aggressive and I know the fans
like that too."
And have things changed for Dew-Scented -- the band is rounded
out by guitarist Flo, bassist Patrick and drummer Uwe -- with them
being on Nuclear Blast?
"Oh man, we have seen so many changes already", says the
frontman about their new home. "We are able to walk through a lot of
new doors, doors that were locked before we signed to the label. It
is getting us excited about being in the band a lot more and
motivating us as a band. The label is really excited about what we
are doing and it is definitely a good sign for us."
"But I'll tell you one thing, Adrian", he continues. "It doesn't
matter what label's name is on the back of our CD, just as long as
there are people who believe in what we are doing and are working
hard at making things happen for us. That is all we want to see.
There is a lot of good chemistry between us and Nuclear Blast and
they are extremely proud of the response we are getting."
With the jump to a major label and things changing week after
week for the band right now, with touring plans and much praise from
fans and the metal community, the band must be in awe of how things
have gone for them since their inception. Are their prime goals as a
band still intact?
"That is a difficult question. I think the risk is always big to
fall into a routine with what you are doing and losing the freshness
in your creativity. I think we have been pretty lucky with this band.
We have learned a lot over the years and known quite well that this
was a learning experience. A lot of bands in this genre come out with
a massive debut album and then slowly lose ground and are never
capable of getting that back with their follow-up albums. With us, we
have had to grow with each album and you can hear that when you play
_Inwards_ next to our older stuff. You can see that it is much
tighter than previous albums and that we have indeed worked hard to
perfect and nurture our sound."
For fans of Dew-Scented, the new album _Inwards_ finds the band
stepping up things a notch, in both the technical and aggressive end.
_Inwards_ is a definite monster of a record that exudes so much force
and power but showcases it will finesse and grace rather than a
pompous attitude that some technical death metal outfits omit. This
is good, honest playing done with lots of passion. Leffe feels it big
time!
"We are in love with playing technical music", he states. "We
just want this to be an experience for all of our fans. We love to
bring a lot of this technical stuff into the death metal mix, but
still keep it catchy and open ended to go other routes with the
musical creativity. We are so much into bands like Meshuggah,
Cryptopsy and even Dillinger Escape Plan, they are all so cool, and
we wanted those kind of technical features in what we do, but on a
much smaller scale. To just squeeze it into what we play and let the
music offer up a variety of sounds for people to digest. Our drummer
is a very technical drummer and we really had to nail him down to
playing a bit more straightforward with the music and not be too
technical on this album. Technical, but a but more controlled. I
think in the end, it helped make this record stronger."
And what about _Inwards_ is he most proud of?
"I think that this album has a beginning and an end", responds
Leffe. "The whole album just makes sense. It is about full on
aggression and this record builds up from song to song and ends in
this huge blast beat massacre at the end of the album. With past
albums we had mid-paced songs and some of them had too much melody in
them, and this album has a very compact feel to it. Every song that
didn't seem to fit the scheme of what we were doing with _Inwards_
was thrown out. We just wanted this album to be one of those albums
that you put on and listen from start to finish and at the end of it
all say, "Man, that was brutal!" and move on."
Even though the band has been around for almost ten years, they
are still is in the trenches of the metal community, playing fast and
furious against a sea of other acts trying to get noticed. Where does
Leffe see Dew-Scented in the scope of the metal music world?
"I don't know, really, I don't think it is fair to say we are
better than anyone else, because at the end of the day it isn't a
competition for us. We aren't doing anything original or special",
says the singer. "With our music we are just saying that we are
influenced by a lot of '80s death and thrash metal bands."
He ends, "We are just trying to present what we like in
aggressive metal with our own ideas. I know there are a lot more
bands that are more special to the scene than us. I think we are just
a traditional band. I think our music appeals to a lot of people, but
I don't really care how big we become, as long as the music gets
heard."
Contact: http://www.dew-scented.de
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S I N G I N G O U T L O U D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC talks to Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian
by: Adrian Bromley
Making that perfect album is not always a lot of fun. Just ask
Blind Guardian singer/bassist Hansi Kursch how he and the rest of his
band spent twelve months in the studio working on their latest
magical opus _A Night at the Opera_ and you'll be sure to get a lot
of groans and moans from the usually upbeat frontman.
"Making this record was frustrating at times. It makes me
nervous when things take too long. I was doing four months of singing
and it was just becoming this long routine of each day singing all of
these parts. It was driving me nuts", Blind Guardian's frontman
blurts out over the phone. "Charlie [Bauerfeind, producer] demanded a
lot of really intense vocals at times and it is much higher than
anything I have had to sing before. It was very complicated to get
all of this going on the right path and it was just taking so long. I
was disappointed that we weren't able to keep the schedule that we
had set for this album, but all of us in the band [guitarists Andre
Olbrich and Marcus Siepen and drummer Thomas Stauch -- Adrian] knew
that we had to take as much time to make sure this album came
together smoothly or we'd be dealing with a giant mess."
"We felt confident with the music itself and that it would
justify the extended recording period that we did with this album,
but to be honest, twelve months on an album is a bit too much for me
and I don't ever want to go through that ordeal again", he laughs.
So the lengthy, demanding studio work and extended schedule
would explain why the CD single, the 14+ minute epic "And Then There
Was Silence", was put out? To whet fans' appetites?
"Yeah, sort of", notes Kursch. "It had been a long time since
our last record and it was sort of a statement, to let fans know that
we were back. We needed to really provide fans with the best possible
excuse for the extended waiting time. A lot of our fans have been
patient with us, but have also been disappointed that the album is
not out yet. I think we had announced the record to come out in July
or August of 2001. Then it got bumped to September or October and we
knew it was too late to release anything and would have to wait till
2002, so we decided to provide the fans with something quite
excellent to show that we were back by putting out the 14+ minute
song, and also including the song "Harvest of Sorrow" [an outtake
from the _Nightfall in Middle-Earth_ sessions -- Adrian]. I think by
doing this, we were on the safe side with our fans and they were
willing to wait a bit longer for the new album."
The new album by Blind Guardian caught me by surprise, really. I
mean, while I have numerous Blind Guardian releases in my collection
at home, I have never been a die-hard follower of the power metal
band's music. Until now. The new album basks in brilliance: from the
stellar production work, glorious guitar riffs and heavenly vocal
harmonies, _A Night at the Opera_ is a great festive piece of work
that does away with normalcy and coats itself with a bubbly,
colourful feel to the music. Just listen to songs like "Battlefield",
"The Soulforged" or "The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight" and you too
will be singing along and enjoying the night out.
About the recording of _A Night at the Opera_, the singer
comments, "We got to a certain point during the recording of this
record, a record that was very delicate and needed a lot of attention
to make sure it all turned out okay, where we knew that this was a
lot to take on at once. This is a complex record and things could
easily turn out of control and bring it all crashing down. The big
task was for us to keep things in control and make sure everything
was reaching the same level of creativity and mood throughout the
album. I also think our producer did a great job of making sure all
the dynamics of the record worked well off one another."
He continues, "For me as a vocalist, I just tried to get better
with this album, as I do with every album. In terms of the
songwriting, it was really weird this time around. Andre provided me
with complete sections. All the music was done and all I had to do
was add vocals on them. It already had guitar, drums and orchestra
parts laid out and I didn't have a lot of space to bring something of
value out of these somewhat over-packed musical arrangements. I was
trying to make my work vital and passionate, trying hard to just make
my voice complement what music had already been assembled and given
to me. It was a unique experience, to say the least."
Speaking of uniqueness, especially when you are discussing the
themed escapades of the band such as past works _Tales From the
Twilight World_ (1991), _Somewhere Far Beyond (1992) and _The
Forgotten Tales_ (1996), _A Night at the Opera_ is not a concept
album at all. And there is a reason for that, too. The singer
explains.
"When we started to write this album, when it was in the early
stages, we considered that this would not be a concept album. We
wanted several songs to lyrically have different topics and as we got
into the songwriting process more it became obvious that that was the
case with the material, as a lot of the songs all went off in their
own directions. But we did feel that there should be some kind of
connection between the songs on this album, like a common thread
going through them. So what we did was try to work in a lot
of harmonies into the vocals, then the guitars and finally the
orchestra. The harmonies on all three levels give this album a real
operatic effect."
"When we were trying to come up with a name for the album I
suggested _A Night at the Opera_", says the singer about the album
title. "But I had thought about the Queen album _A Night at the
Opera_ [the 1975 classic album that spawned the mega-hit "Bohemian
Rhapsody" -- Adrian] and was unsure of using the title. I didn't
really want it to come across as offensive to Queen's album. The rest
of the guys in the band liked it, so we stayed with it. Plus it went
along nicely with the somewhat operatic musical arrangements inside."
With a lengthy album at hand (70+ minutes of music), how then
should fans tackle this record, Hansi?
"I know from my experience I like to take songs on one at a
time, to just really listen to a song and try to get the most out of
it. That is just me. But with this record, I also would recommend
that to the fans who pick up this album, to really sit down and
listen to each track very carefully. There is a lot going on and I
think each demands a lot from the listener. If I was a casual
listener, I would take my time with this album, because it is
demanding and there is just so much going on. In short, any Blind
Guardian fan should tackle this record how they choose to. Just as
long as they enjoy it."
And does he still enjoy making music after all these years, or
has he found himself wanting to break away from it lately?
"Oh no", responds Hansi. "I don't think I have ever gotten to a
point where I was sick of making music. This is what I do and this is
what makes me feel good inside. I really like to create music and
just make music that inspires other people to start creating music or
just send them off to another world where they can forget about their
lives for a while. I also like talking about my music and doing
interviews. I love to talk to magazines and fans when we have a
record coming out. It allows me to be excited about my work and see
how other people are reacting to what we have done."
With so much quality work under their belts, it must feel great
to look back and see the work they have done, and add a solid outing
like _A Night at the Opera_ to the list.
"I am proud of every album we have done, and when I look back it
just makes me feel good to know that we have progressed musically
with each album", he states. "With each album we also seem to get
more and more popular and it feels good knowing that people are
paying attention to our music."
And the progression continues...
"The most important goal for us with this album was to get the
album out and just supply music fans with the best album that we
could make. We always want to sound new, innovative and creative with
each album. It is especially hard to start on a new album off,
especially with an album like _Nightfall in Middle-Earth_ on your
back, because you accomplished all that you could music-wise in that
genre and field. You need to search out new fields and new ideas to
try to make things different for the band. It is quite hard and it
took us about five months to get into a decent songwriting process
where we could experience significant changes compared to what we had
done with _Nightfall in Middle-Earth_."
The singer ends off, "We really had to outdo ourselves, and
judging by how much time we were holed up in the studio, I think I
can honestly say we did a damn good job."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
A N E A S Y D E L I V E R Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Edu Falaschi of Angra
by: Adrian Bromley
So, you're the new singer, eh?
"I guess I am", laughs new Angra frontman Edu Falaschi down the
line from Brazil. "It has been a great experience to join and be a
part of this band. It was pretty easy to join Angra. No real
pressure."
You'd think that taking over the singer position (from
Andre Matos) in an already established band like Brazil's
progressive/power/heavy metal act Angra would be quite the task, but
not for Falaschi, who along with drummer Aquiles Priester and bassist
Felipe Andreoli (who replaced Ricardo Confessori and Luis Mariutti)
joined founding members, guitarists and main songwriters Kiko
Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt to complete the new line-up of Angra
and put out the stellar _Rebirth_ on SPV.
Indeed it does look like it was an easy transition. Falaschi
explains: "I am very famous in the heavy metal scene here in
Brazil and that made things easier for me. I have been singing
professionally for about ten years now and people know me and knew
that me joining Angra was a great thing. But it was a bit different
around the world and the response that people were giving to the new
line-up. I think people weren't sure of what to expect, but sales
have been great, so they must have caught on."
"We just want people to know that this is a new band", the
singer says. "But the essence of Angra remains. People understand
what we are doing musically. I am very glad with the results that we
are getting around the world with _Rebirth_. People just seem to be
excited and that makes us even more excited."
I admit to Falaschi that while I was a fan of Angra's previous
work, the new album with him singing far surpasses anything they have
done in my books. The new album soars under his superb vocals,
especially on tracks like "Millennium Sun", "Heroes of Sand" and the
title track. Impressive, to say the least!
"I'm very happy to be a part of this. Everyone is saying that
Angra is much better now, a lot heavier and a much stronger structure
than in years past, and I can hear that. It makes us feel good to see
that people are so into what we have done with _Rebirth_. The band
has matured a lot and the new members, including myself, have brought
a lot more diverse dynamics into what we do now. There is no pressure
to be a part of this and be the frontman. We all know change is hard
to deal with, but it has been smooth. Musically we are at our best."
And other than dealing with the pressure of taking over the
frontman position, what was the songwriting experience like for
_Rebirth_?
"We worked as a real team, very much like bothers. I have known
Kiko and Rafael for a long time and you can just see the great work
that we do together. The songs are just so vibrant", he states. "This
album was a lot of fun for me. I composed three songs for this
record: "Heroes of Sand", "Nova Era" and "Judgement Day". The next
album I hope to contribute a lot more. I hope we all are able to get
a lot out of us as a team. It all seems to be working really well for
us now."
This is a very emotional record, a special record that
symbolizes change and perseverance. Does Falaschi agree? "I agree
totally with your comments", he answers. "There are a lot of emotions
here. We are living a new moment in our lives. When we went into the
studio to record this album we intended to make sure that we
showcased our best possible work. For all the new members, it was a
great experience, because this was going to be the first time that we
would show our talent to the world. Because of that, I think this
record was an emotional thing for all of us. We put our hearts into
every song and every arrangement."
"This album is probably the most important album of my life. I
love this album a lot because I think I my singing is the best that
it ever has been. I was so enthusiastic about being a part of Angra.
It was a big challenge and I think we got through this with flying
colours. We are already composing songs for the next album, which
should come out sometime in 2003, and it is going well. We are trying
new things, some songs are heavier than what you find on _Rebirth_,
and it is so much easier because we are accustomed to each other. The
team effort is glowing bright."
After singing for so many years in the music business, with the
solo career and now with Angra, what keeps you inspired to keep
wanting to do this?
He responds: "The main reason that I do this is because I love
singing and creating music, and even though I know from experience
that there is very little money in this, I am still inspired to
create and sing. I love singing heavy metal songs and listening to
heavy metal bands from many different countries. I used to sing a lot
in the bathroom when I was growing up <laughs> and always wanted to
do something I love. I love where I am now, being a part of Angra,
and I love that our fans around the world are into what we have
provided them with in _Rebirth_. Right now it can't get any better
than this."
As some fans of Angra may know, Falaschi was approached many
years ago to fill the spot of another heavy metal band that had
recently parted ways with their singer. The band was Iron Maiden.
Explains Falaschi about his 1994 experience (when he was 22): "It was
a really weird and an exciting time for me. I was approached to try
out for Iron Maiden after Bruce Dickinson had left and submitted
stuff from my previous band at the time, Mitrium. It was a great
moment, but so long ago. It really did wonders for me to get my name
out, especially in Brazil. Lots of newspapers and magazines were
talking about this and it was such a big news item."
"I was very young and I had no real experience and I think that
was what really didn't get me the job in the end", he explains.
"After that I studied a lot vocally and was always making the effort
to improve. I am happy that it happened and that experience has
pushed me even farther as a singer."
That is too bad that he hadn't joined Iron Maiden, 'cause being
from Brazil, Falaschi must be a good soccer player and would have
been a great asset to Iron Maiden's recreational soccer team. "Yes",
he ends laughing. "I am very good at soccer. Of course I am, I am
from Brazil. <laughs> I didn't make their team, but we could have won
a lot of games..."
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L I M P B I Z K I T M U S T D I E !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society
by: Adrian Bromley
Don't ask Black Label Society singer/guitarist Zakk Wylde what
he thinks about today's music scene, 'cause you'll get an earful for
sure.
"I have had a lot of people tell me I should be a certain way
and dress like this or that to fit into today's music scene, and I
don't fucking get that", starts an obviously annoyed Zakk Wylde down
the road during his touring duties with Ozzy Osbourne to talk about
Black Label Society's new disc _1919 Eternal_ (on Spitfire Records).
"What am I supposed to do, make believe I never played with Ozzy? I
went to Interscope to look for a record deal a few years back after
my ass was dropped from Geffen. I was at all these meeting and
kissing ass and trying to secure a deal and Interscope was like,
"Well, maybe if Zakk changes his image, gets rid of the leather and
denim and wears shorts and gets a haircut, then we could work with
him." They wanted me to fucking dress a certain way and add hip-hop
to my music? What the fuck? So I thought to myself, "Who is the
catalyst for all of this shit that is going down with this music
these days? Limp Bizkit." Okay, cool, now I know that they are going
to fucking die and I am going to take them down. Not only are we
going to do that, but we are going to destroy them."
I laugh out loud.
"The revolution is on, man", blurts out Wylde, deafening my
laughter. "I'm dead fucking serious! We don't even play metal music
anymore, because I don't want to get lumped in with fuckin' nu-metal.
We play IRON!"
"In reality, this whole industry bullshit is something that I
try to avoid", he adds. "I mean, I just don't want to deal with it. I
write music, drink beers and lift weights. I let my wife deal with
all of the music industry stuff. I just want nothing to do with that.
To this day, I don't know what points mean on a record. I don't even
want to know. I'd rather just come up with the music and have some
beers with my friends."
So with the new sound of "iron" in tow, Wylde and his bandmates
have delivered to us a varied assortment of songs to sift through,
from the memorable first single "Bleed for Me" onto heavy hitters
like "Battering Ram", "Graveyard Disciples" and "Life, Birth, Blood,
Doom". Musically more diverse than his past works, the new album is
obviously Wylde's need to try new routes to deliver his heavy musical
message.
About the new album _1919 Eternal_, Wylde states: "For me, as it
has always been, it is about strength, determination and merciless
forever. I just wanted to make sure that this album was more pissed
off and angrier than the last album. I know a lot of people are
really liking the new album, but I loved the last two records that we
did with BLS as well. It is all just BLS to me, really. We'll never
sell out or be a cheese-dick, candy-ass fuckin' band. BLS is an
underground band still with lots of fans who appreciate what we do.
I'm happy with getting some commercial success with this band, but
I'm even happier just cranking out the music and being able to put a
roof over my wife and kids. At the end of the day, I win."
"I really enjoyed myself making this record, but it wasn't like
I planned out what to do with the new album -- I just threw on some
old Black Sabbath records and that was enough inspiration to get me
going creatively. Ozzy-era Black Sabbath, mind you. No disrespect to
Ronnie James Dio, I love those albums too, but those early Sabbath
records mean so much to me. BLS is basically Sabbath recycled. We are
just carrying on the torch."
And much like their influences, BLS has wasted no time in
offering up new material year after year, something that was quite
common in the '70s and early '80s.
Says Wylde, "It is just this whole '70s vibe running throughout
our music, man. I mean, look at Black Sabbath back in the day. They
put out an album every year. Nobody does that anymore, so I guess
there has to be one and I guess it is BLS", he laughs. And fans
appreciate all this music on a regular basis, don't they? "Yeah", the
guitarist answers. "But you know what? The whole meaning of BLS is
bigger than the band's music. That is why it isn't called Zakk Wylde
and BLS. It is like the name Harley Davidson and the motorbike. The
name is bigger than the bike, it is a way of life. And it is like
that with BLS too. It is just a way of life and fans that come to our
show are all into what we do and what we are about: strength,
determination and merciless forever. Everybody that is down at those
shows are bored of the bullshit and don't give a flying fuck what
anybody thinks. I got the idea of creating BLS from Sonny Barger, who
started the Hell's Angels. He just wanted to get together a group of
people who felt the same way he did and were in the same mindset. And
I did the same with BLS."
While Zakk Wylde has branched out musically over the years with
his solo work, BLS and Pride & Glory, his work with Ozzy Osbourne is
what has probably given him the most exposure. To this day I still
worship his debut work on Ozzy's 1988 disc _No Rest for the Wicked_.
So what does Ozzy think of BLS?
"He knows about it", he confides, "but right now I'm on tour and
jammin' with Ozzy and that is where my head is at. It is all Ozzy.
I'm bleeding for Ozzy right now. I'm on his team right now. His
colours are the ones I am flying right now", he laughs.
It's also incredible how Wylde has managed to stay part of the
musicindustry after more than ten years, while many othe
r acts and
musicians have faded away.
"It has been a great experience for me to be a part of some
great things musically. I have had a great time and I don't really
regret anything. Well, maybe a bottle of Aquanet back in the late
'80s", he says, laughing. "Regardless of what I have gone through to
get here, it has been worth it and I'm still having fun. Fuck yeah!"
In closing, I ask Zakk what is next for BLS.
"What's next? I'll tell you. Beating as much fuckin' ass and
destroying as many fucking stages and pissing and shitting on
everything and consuming as much alcohol as possible. It'll be a big
party this year for sure!"
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S A T A N I C W A S T E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews The 666 Torturer from Arkhon Infaustus
by: Adrian Bromley
When you sit back and look through your metal music collection,
especially if you are an avid death, black metal or extreme music fan
like I am, there are a lot of fucked up words and images that go
along with what we all take in, tons of albums worth of blood,
violence and other images that would send any non-metal fan running
scared. But this is what we digest, and most importantly, what we
worship. I guess you can say we are all desensitized. But there are
certain albums which we come across every once in a while that some
of us will question and/or be taken aback by. That album in question
for me is _Hell Injection_ by black/death metal French act Arkhon
Infaustus.
Arkhon Infaustus' disc has got to be one of the scariest and
most horrifically evil albums I have come across in some time (fellow
Osmose labelmates Sadistik Exekution's new album _FUKK_ scares me too
with its intensity). The album just hit a nerve with me and it really
opened my eyes to what kind of horror and hatred this band is
releasing to the world. I'm nowhere near offended, I am just seeing
all of this from a different point of view.
Chronicles of Chaos tracked down Arkhon Infaustus' bassist The
666 Torturer to get the real meat on why things are so fucked up in
the world of this savage extreme metal act and what it really means
to be extreme. We begin...
CoC: You guys are obviously not strangers to censorship. First off,
how does censorship make you guys feel? Does it push you more to
further your cause and push the envelope? Or do you just laugh
it off and deal with it?
The 666 Torturer: Hail Satan. It just confirms what we think of the
world. We [the band is rounded out by guitarist D.
Deviant; drummer Hellblaster recently left the band
and they are currently looking for a replacement --
Adrian] don't do all this to derange and shock
people. We do it because it's the revelation of
our inner selves. The fact is that what we are
disturbing to the masses. We know that we are some
anti-part of the world and the world knows it, like
a void from the inside. They have fed us with their
lives and now we take revenge on them. We have bred
upon their morality, cults of devotion and laws.
Never did we kneel, never did we follow, and never
did we obey. Censorship is nothing to us, and they
can be afraid, as it will get worse and worse.
CoC: This is a really -evil- record, a record unlike many that I have
heard in the last little while. What was the mood like in the
studio and what ideas fueled this new album?
666T: Arkhon Infaustus is born from our need to make something that
was 666% us. And this is the result. What you can hear, see and
read in Arkhon Infaustus is what we have inside of us. No game.
No lie. No disguise. _Hell Injection_ was done with our true
feelings, so that people with sick states of mind can get into
it. What we say is what all of you have in your most inner
soul; some hide and refuse to let it out, while others let it
burst away and take all pleasure from this state of being. Look
at French priests: they try to bring us their enslaving
morality and are here among the first caste to molest children.
CoC: What bands inspired you to start off? Do you still hear those
influences?
666T: We'd been playing in other bands before, so that we could blast
off our early influences and start to create our own style. But
if you really want some names of what I listen to, I would say
Incantation, Sodom, Beherit, Blasphemy, Bestial Warlust. Of
course, we still listen to all these bands.
CoC: What do you get out of all the music that you make? Is there a
sense of excitement with each album when it is completed?
666T: There is this feeling of finding the right words and the right
notes out of us. We are as sick in rehearsals as on stage. If
we didn't feel anything while playing, we will stop. We make it
for ourselves first, then for Satan and then for the perverts
of the world. We live our lives responding to our personal
pleasures. When there is no adrenaline anymore, what is the
reason to live?
CoC: Where does the band fit into today's music scene? I personally
think Arkhon Infaustus has a unique sound, but you may disagree.
666T: We are not at all standing among the black metal crowd that
plays some kind of "fastest band contest", but rather with all
sick black and death metal bands that really know what violence
is and the real goal of it. I agree that we created our sound.
During the recording session of the _Dead Cunt Maniac_ 7", this
was really our sound, violent and heavy as death metal, dirty
and raw as black metal. But we don't intend to have a
particular sound or style musically, we just play and make it
sound the way we feel and it always ends up sounding like
Arkhon Infaustus.
CoC: Next to your band, a lot of other metal bands look tame and
weak. Do you like that? I mean, you guys are full on metal while
many death and black metal acts are playing it safe these days
with their music and image. Do you agree?
666T: Too many bands play this kind of music without any real
understanding. We don't take this image to fit the music; the
music is extreme because we are extreme. Among today's bands I
respect Revenge, Impiety, Watain and Aborym. There are still
some sick people to carry, though in different styles, the real
spirit of evil upon the earth. No sweet and clean music. Some
people leave our live shows telling people outside that it was
too extreme and that what we did was not about metal. Those
kind of shitty people are just looking for some nice black or
death metal and leave the show to go back to their shitty
comfortable little lives. If our image makes these people leave
and not buy our stuff, then it's all the better.
CoC: Music is meant to convey some kind of message. I think the image
of the band and album cover says one thing, but what do you want
fans to get out of the music and lyrics?
666T: All those that listen to it, seeing artwork, lyrics, etc., will
understand it. If they are not afraid of the message, they will
understand fully. I don't want to make it easy to people; we
are not sheep following masters. I want people to wonder and
experience.
CoC: What about the business and label side of the music industry? Is
that something you try not to get too involved with or is it the
opposite?
666T: We don't care at all about the business side of the music
industry. We chose Osmose because they didn't ask us to change
anything. They let us do whatever we want. We have no limit.
The few parts of the business that I've seen so far would make
most of you puke and Osmose is really different and not like
that. We didn't change when we signed onto Osmose and never
will. That is the important thing. We evolve without changing.
We've been playing Satanic music for more than ten years now,
and Arkhon Infaustus is the climax of all this. We are not
selling Satan, rather opening one of the gates to him. I am not
at all into the idea of the Church of Satan, but if they bring
some people to the real state of evil, pleasure and eternal
cumming, then I support them. We are the black semen waste upon
the world that liberates it from its former morality.
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O N T H E R I G H T P A T H
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Rocky Gray of Soul Embraced
by: Aaron McKay
Not Frankenstein's monster, Soul Embraced hasn't been piecemealed
together by cannibalizing other bands' members -- nor is it a "super
group". One thing is does have is a talent corps of musicians that
aren't afraid to go that extra mile. Traversing the walkway stamped
out by Solid State Records' underlaying outfit, Living Sacrifice,
Arkansas's Soul Embraced marches to their own drummer. The sneak
attack power this band packs in their punch is a prime reason I
decided I needed to ascertain for myself (on behalf of the CoC
readership, of course) what motivated this respectably devoted
threesome. I was fortunate enough to beat a path to core member,
bassist and guitarist, Rocky Gray's doorstep. Here is the fruit of my
journey...
CoC: First off, Rocky, thank you for granting this interview. I think
it is a real opportunity to glimpse the world as Soul Embraced
sees it. Please tell the CoC readers about the band's beginning
-- bringing things current through the new album, _This Is My
Blood_.
Rocky Gray: The beginning would have to go back to 1997 when me and
my friend David Sroczynski [now in Thy Pain] decided to
do a band called Soul Embraced. We wrote and recorded one
song that went on a Frozen Dawn Records compilation
and soon after that, we ended it. After I joined
Living Sacrifice in 1998, I still needed an outlet
for the extreme stuff I was writing that couldn't be
used for Living Sacrifice. So I asked my friend and
brother-in-law, Chad Moore, to do the vocals for a death
metal project. He was into it, since his metal core band
wasn't really working out. We did the _Fleshless_ EP
right away, then did _For the Incomplete_ soon after that
and thats when Lance Garvin from Living Sacrifice got
with the band. A year later we hooked up with Solid State
Records and recorded _This Is My Blood_.
CoC: Who would you consider an influence on the band's vocal style?
To me, personally, it sounds like a raspier Burton C. Bell (Fear
Factory)...
RG: Well, I can't speak for Chad, but I know he likes "Corpsegrinder"
[Fisher] and Chris Barnes from Cannibal Corpse. My vocals -- the
more clean type -- are influenced by Burton from Fear Factory for
sure, but hopefully I've added my own flavor to it.
CoC: Musically, where does Soul Embraced's inspiration stem from? I
sure hear some nice Carcass-esque riffs periodically -- similar
to, but unique at the same time.
RG: We're into a lot of stuff, but the main musical influences that
come to mind are Slayer, Metallica, Carcass, Pantera and new
stuff like Arch Enemy and In Flames.
CoC: One of the things that I most appreciate about the band is the
hard hitting style and chunky riffs. How does the band pull off
such a thick and tight sound with three members?
RG: I have no idea. If we like it, we play it and hope it works.
CoC: Tell me a little bit about your production duties, Crystal
Studios and Thy Pain.
RG: Well, if we didn't record at Crystal, I probably wouldn't be
producing. That ends up happening just because I know the studio
and the capabilities we have there, since I've been recording
there for probably ten years. At this particular studio they
don't do a lot of metal, so when it comes to producing and mixing
they're not real sure how to accomplish what were wanting to do,
so I take care of that for us so we can get a clean and punchy
mix. I've known the drummer for Thy Pain for years and years. He
knows to get a hold of me when he's ready to record and I'll
produce his stuff for him. Thy Pain was a lot of fun to do and it
gave me a chance to get some practice in for the mixdown of _This
Is My Blood_ that I was going to right after [they got done
recording].
CoC: What are your thoughts about being on Solid State?
RG: We couldn't have given this music to the world without them, so
we are very thankful for that.
CoC: I noticed your use of Travis Smith's talents on the artwork; it
was a fantastic job, too. Why did Soul Embraced choose Mr. Smith
to visualize the band's message on _This Is My Blood_?
RG: Travis is a genius and I couldn't imagine anyone else doing it
and doing it right.
CoC: In your opinion, how does the _Fleshless_ EP compare to _For the
Incomplete_?
RG: Well, there's just that musical maturity happening. I can tell we
got better at writing and playing songs from the EP to the full
length and that's the way it should be. Our next album shouldn't
sound like the last one -- it should continue to evolve and grow
but still maintain an overall extreme sound.
CoC: I am interested in the song "Scars Remain". It is probably one
of my preferred cuts from _This Is My Blood_. Please give me
your take on "Scars Remain".
RG: I dig that song 'cause it's pretty different from the other songs
on the CD. It's actually laid back, but it has just enough
aggression to it to not wimp out. It's one of my favorites, too.
CoC: When playing live, does Soul Embraced enlist the help of
additional musicians?
RG: Yes. Arthur Green (Living Sacrifice) is our bassist and John
Lecompt (Mindrage) is our second guitarist.
CoC: What was the band's biggest career altering moment thus far?
RG: Getting on Solid State Records.
CoC: I've never asked this question in interviews past, but I wanted
to see what you had to say about this... To follow is the
remaining top 4 CDs I am currently listing as receiving the
majority of time spent in my CD player (_This Is My Blood_ is
listed as number 3). Please comment on any/all of the following
catalogue:
CoC: Burnt by the Sun - _Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution_.
RG: Never heard 'em.
CoC: Necrodeath - _Black as Pitch_.
RG: Never heard 'em, but sounds interesting.
CoC: Soul Embraced - _This Is My Blood_.
RG: Dude!... Sweet!...
CoC: Scholomance - _The Immortality Murder_.
RG: Never heard 'em.
CoC: Death - _Spiritual Healing_.
RG: Good record, but it can't touch _Leprosy_ or _Human_. R.I.P.,
Chuck.
CoC: Lastly, thank you for your valuable time and please end this
interview with any parting words you may have for the Chronicles
of Chaos readers...
RG: Thank you, Aaron and CoC! Thanks to all the metal fans worldwide.
\m/ y'all rule \m/
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W E I R D N E S S F R O M N E W H A M P S H I R E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC talks to Ironlung of Scissorfight
by: Adrian Bromley
Whoever wrote that rock 'n' roll and heavy music was about
rebellion, partying and scaring the hell out of parents with the
music blaring from the speaker must have had New Hampshire heavies
Scissorfight in mind when they penned that.
But not only are Scissorfight a reckless group of individuals,
they also have a real bizarre style/sound that is beyond comparison,
really. For sure, you need to hear this band so you can really
understand the mentality going into their weird-o-rama release
_Mantrapping for Sport and Profit_ on Tortuga.
In a review that I wrote recently for the band, I said, "If you
like beer, cheap women, bar fights, hunting, giving the middle
finger, dirty sex, camping, pissing in the woods, Ted Nugent, gross
humour, swearing, biker gangs, leather, brass knuckles, Motorhead,
ignoring authority, facial hair, poor hygiene, Clutch, driving
long highway stretches, drugs, tattoos and loud music, then New
Hampshire's shit-kicking, heavy rock act Scissorfight is just what
you need." Indeed this band is in a class of their own.
So this burly bearded CoC scribe tracked down the burly bearded
singer known as "Ironlung" via e-mail to discuss the band, the sound
and maybe pick up some hunting tips.
CoC: The one thing that I find really invigorating about Scissorfight
is the reckless, fun-like atmosphere of the music. What is the
studio experience like when the band records? It must get
bonkers in the studio? Beer spilling and just crazy shenanigans?
Am I right?
Ironlung: Yes, the short time we [the band is rounded out by
guitarist Octocock, bassist Jarvis and drummer Kevin --
Adrian] spend in the studio is chaotic, to say the least.
There are only hazy memories. Thick smoke and many beers,
riot gear and crates of dynamite to provide tension.
CoC: Having been familiar with past Scissorfight work, there has
definitely been some growth -- do you see/hear it? If so, where
and have these changes been planned or just happen?
I: If anything, it's about getting the sound you always wanted, each
excursion to studio land provides the experience to get what you
want. There is still an element of banging everything out which
captures the live sound. This record was written under different
conditions where not everything had been performed as a band yet,
so there are elements of that to work with, a spontaneity, a shade
of the unknown.
CoC: What have been the influences of Scissorfight since day one --
and can you still hear them today?
I: There was never any set influence on us other than the weather.
You can hear elements of stuff we grew up listening to -- AC/DC,
Black Flag, etc.. If anything, it was to do the rock in our own
style the way we wanted to, for our own personal amusement.
CoC: Is this a full-time job for you? I believe Jerry (of Warm and
Fuzzy PR) mentioned you were attending university/college? If
so, what are you studying and is the band more hobby then?
I: Everyone has a day job to pay the bills. There is no money in
underground rock. I'm writing my master's thesis (on the drug LSD,
no less) and working as a commercial fisherman. To do this
realistically you must be able to wear many hats at once, which is
a good thing.
CoC: What makes you happy about being in the music business? And mad
or sad?
I: Our situation is different. We just do whatever the fuck we want.
We put out records on an underground label for that reason. We
have total control and a great opportunity for an expressive
outlet, that is the only way to look at it.
CoC: Describe to me a Scissorfight show. I can only imagine bar
fights and lots of drunk bums mulling around.
I: We get a lot of Travis Bickle ("Taxi Driver") types, the most
alienated and fucked up dirt bags society has to offer, which is a
good thing.
CoC: Music has changed so much over the years, i.e. it has become
very corporate. How did your band avoid from going in that
direction and just staying true to the spirit of rock 'n' roll?
I: Because we are totally selfish in that we do. This is to get our
rocks off. We don't give a fuck where it goes our how it gets
there. And no corporate flunky would come near us with a ten-foot
pole.
CoC: Can you tell me about the writing of _Mantrapping for Sport and
Profit_? Any specific song stands out as a favourite one?
I: I dig all of them; "Hazard to Navigation" is pretty cool. Mostly
half of the lyrics were written while working on the fishing boat
staring out at the ocean.
CoC: Who'd win in a wrestling match -- you or a bear? I think I could
take on a bear cub, but not a mama bear. I am a burly guy with a
beard too, so I think we'd make a great tagteam if there ever
was need for one. Anyway, who'd win? Would you fight dirty?
I: I once wrote an article for a magazine about bear attacks and how
to prevent a bear from mauling your ass. I would kick an attacking
bear in the nuts first, and then I would go "cave man" style on it
and break my foot off in its ass!
CoC: Just curious, and playing off the title of album, how much does
one caught man fetch you (or other bandmembers) during the
hunting season?
I: Mantrapping is taken from survivalist guru Ragnar Benson's books
on capturing the most dangerous game. It is important to learn, as
he says, to keep your ass out of someone else's sling.
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C H A T T I N G U P A C Y B O R G
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with John K. of Biomechanical
by: Alvin Wee
One listen was all it took to convince me of this band's
importance in the power/prog demo scene. Emerging like a steel
leviathan from the depths of the quietly simmering UK scene,
Biomechanical are one furious squad hell-bent on proving Great
Britain's worth to the metal world. Despite putting out one of the
more impressive demos in recent years [CoC #56] and gaining positive
reviews on the international stage, the band has gone largely
unnoticed in the past year's deluge of power metal releases.
Comparisons have no doubt been made to their older cousins Nevermore
and Iced Earth, but what Biomechanical really offer is a unique
view of a cybernetic, yet poignantly human reality. Musically
and lyrically distinct from all of the aforementioned bands,
Biomechanical's singular cyber-concept is a breath of fresh air in
scene where the dragons and sorcerers have grown haggard, providing
the perfect backdrop for the band's blend of technical complexity and
sheer epic scope.
Despite some difficulty due to the fact that Biomechanical
are currently working hard on their forthcoming full-length
opus, I finally managed to catch hold of an overworked (and
probably hung-over) John after the New Year for a bout of
intensive interrogation. Seeing as the band has an impressive
website (http://www.biomechanical.co.uk) with a wealth of detailed
information, we decided to skip the usual introductory questions
about the band's history and line-up and proceeded straight into
things.
CoC: Greetings John! At the risk of sounding cliche, I'd like to
state my amazement at your demo; it's one of the best demos I've
ever received and I hope the album will be equally killer.
John K.: Thanks, man! Also thanks for your fantastic review. We have
been very surprised by the reaction of some of the websites!
As for the album, we are working our butts off to make it as
powerful as possible! We hope that this hard work will pay
off.
CoC: What can we expect from it, then?
JK: Musically, the CD will develop the material you heard on the demo
into many other areas of the metal style. The tracks will take
you from one frame of mind to another as aggressive music will be
followed by an orchestral/choral track -- the title track -- into
more subdued tones and back to aggressiveness. At the moment it
feels like a journey, which is pretty cool. We quite like the way
it turns out to be as an album. We hope you will too! <smiles>
CoC: Speaking of the new album; let us know something about how you
managed to get the deal and stuff like that.
JK: Sorry I gave you the wrong impression, dude, but we are still
talking to a few labels. The album is funded by us. So we know it
will be ready at the end of February and we hope to get it
released early 2002.
CoC: Oh, I must have misunderstood our previous e-mails... so there
isn't really any concrete deal yet!
JK: We are still talking to a few labels. We wanna have this album
out early 2002, so we are very focused in getting a deal as soon
as possible.
CoC: In that case, how did you manage to drum up interest among the
interested labels?
JK: The guys we are talking to have come back to us purely because of
the material. We are a very new band and we didn't have the
chance to do gig after gig. So the only way to go forward for us
was to follow the good old way of sending a CD through the post!
It takes ages, but I was surprised to find out that some people
responded. As I wrote before, we are still talking with them for
the possibility of getting signed and releasing the album soon.
CoC: You mentioned an early 2002 release date... February, wasn't it?
JK: Hopefully it will be out in February. If not, then not much later
than that.
CoC: I assume the recordings are going OK? After all, this interview
caught you in the middle of recording some stuff, didn't it?
JK: The recordings are going OK. I just finished all of the guitar
parts and I am going to put down the vocals. The bad news is that
the recordings will be postponed for a while due to the fact that
our studio will have to move premises. I think we will get back
to work mid-January.
CoC: Your arrangements aren't too simple either; any problems with
coordinating everything?
JK: As for the arrangements, we didn't have too much of a problem,
'cause all of the music was laid down and all the parts were
rehearsed very intensively before the recordings.
CoC: I'm interested in your creative process; tell us something about
how you create your music.
JK: As the songwriter of the band, I always think of a song in terms
of what I wanna say with it both musically and lyrically even
before I lay my hands on a keyboard. This way I have a clear
understanding of where the song should go and what kind of
structure it should follow. It's not as simple as that, of
course. Sometimes you think of a song and things don't work out.
Then you just have to put down all the elements of the track and
decide what's best for it.
CoC: The music has a very visual... almost filmic feel to it; was it
intended as incidental music to some mental motion pictures or
something?
JK: The truth is that I love film music and I have done some
film-scoring for short films, and the way of writing for
movies is not very dissimilar to the way I write songs. Both
structure-wise and harmony-wise.
CoC: And film music combines pretty well with metal as you've managed
to show us...
JK: I always wanted to integrate film music with metal music, 'cause
I think that there is a lot of power coming out of some
film-scores. Composers like John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith,
Elliot Goldenthal and many others have written some incredibly
powerful music. I have been influenced by them for a long time.
So I though it would be a good idea to bring my influences
together and create something that has both power and [is]
musically interesting.
CoC: So the album was composed in pretty much the same way as you
would a soundtrack to an existing movie?
JK: With writing the album I followed the same rules. The album is
thought out before it is written. Again, that way I have better
direction and this also creates an easier flow for the album as a
whole.
CoC: Right then, I'm sure most people who've heard the demo CD will
be wondering about the concept of Mekan. What's the basis of
this sci-fi concept?
JK: _Eight Moons_ is about destroying your fears and weaknesses. It
is about beating destructive situations such as drug addiction,
mental and physical abuse by others and in general fighting back
to a destiny that others seem to think is an unavoidable path
that you have to go through. Damn, I sound like Yoda! <smiles>
CoC: Haha! Go on...
JK: When you fight problems like these you get stronger and stronger
and in principle you are fighting and obliterating your fears.
What you do is that you create an alter ego, you are wearing a
mask that strikes fear into the heart of your enemies. In order
to describe this reality, I decided to tell the story through a
down and out character who lives on the streets and the only
thing left for him is to wait for his dying day. When the night
falls his body becomes an empty shell. His soul is embodied into
a Spawn-type character called Mekan. This alter ego is fighting
his fears, which on the planet of the Eight Moons take flesh and
blood forming unspeakable creatures. There he slays them and
hopes that one day he will be free of them. The guy on the
streets is the fear in all of us and Mekan represents the power
to fight them.
CoC: So it isn't just pure sci-fi fantasy stuff, there's an element
of reality in there too...
JK: The story revolves around real day to day situations. I chose a
sci-fi angle to describe them.
CoC: Still on the same topic, then; do you think this sci-fi
angle will be accepted by the listeners who're used to the
medieval/fantasy stuff the other bands are putting out these
days?
JK: I think that as an artist you have to do what you have to do. If
you have a certain vision, then you will follow it and hope that
others will wanna share it with you.
CoC: I couldn't agree more, and I think it's a breath of fresh air
anyway after all these swords and dragons. What, then, are your
influences when it comes to Biomechanical's concept?
JK: Book-wise Lovecraft comes to mind, and film-wise maybe "The
Matrix" for the parallel world story. But my main influences come
from comics such as "Spawn", "The Darkness", you know this kind
of thing. I love the artistic aspect of it all and I wanted to
create something along those lines.
CoC: And did you intend to have some specific underlying message in
the album?
JK: Will and determination are two of the strongest elements of the
human spirit. We have to awaken them and enhance them in order to
be victorious against our darkest fears. This is the message of
the album.
CoC: Let's move on to the music now. I hear influences from bands as
diverse as Fear Factory, Iced Earth and Metallica. There seems
to be a very slight hardcore influence in terms of your vocals
as well, and one listener -- a friend of mine -- even pointed
out how similar one passage sounded to a Faith No More song!
JK: Faith No More!? Wow! I didn't think of that. The truth is that I
don't write this way consciously in order to produce a new sound.
I just write what comes to mind and feels good to me. Obviously
you have to be careful not to copy everybody else, but nowadays
many bands have influences from other bands. Don't forget that
there is a 20 to 25 years history of solid metal music. It's
impossible not to sound slightly like someone else in places.
CoC: So what are your specific influences in terms of metal, then?
JK: My influences from the metal world... Maiden, Priest, Metallica,
Pantera, Rage Against the Machine, Slayer, these are the ones
that spring to mind.
CoC: It's also strange that you have a more US metal sound than a
European one; why do you think that is so? Surely you must be
more exposed to Euro-metal, living in the UK?
JK: I haven't had a great deal of experience with Euro-metal. Not
because I don't like it or anything like that, but simply because
I took a break from metal a few years ago to study orchestration
and 21st century harmony. So when I came back to metal my
influences were still Metallica, Pantera, Qeensryche, Slayer,
etc.. And from the European scene, Maiden, Priest, and those kind
of bands. The Euro-scene exploded fairly recently and I am still
catching up with it. It's difficult, though, with all this work I
am doing with Biomechanical. You bastards!! <smiles>
CoC: There's this strong classical element in your music. Where did
that come from?
JK: I grew up with soundtracks from "The Empire Strikes Back",
"Indiana Jones", "Dune", you know, lots and lots of symphonic
soundtracks mainly written for sci-fi movies. So my writing
influences come straight from these sounds. Also, when I was 14 I
thought it would be a good idea to listen to some classical
composers so that I will get an idea of where all these film
music composers gained inspiration and musical direction.
CoC: Any composers in particular?
JK: The first I heard was Tchaikovsky. I was blown away by the
power and emotion of his music! Since then I heard quite a
few composers, but I can't say I am a very knowledgeable
classical music listener. My favourite composers are Stravinsky,
Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Holst and many others -- mainly Russian
composers. So the fusion of influences is unavoidable. I think it
works, though.
CoC: I'm sure it would be a dream come true to do like Metallica and
hire a full orchestra, wouldn't it?
JK: Symphony orchestra? I would love to. But with our budget all we
could do would be to invite them for a cup of tea and send them
home even before they would get their instruments out of their
cases!
CoC: But will there be any -real- classical instruments on the album?
JK: Samplers and synths will be used for most of the stuff, but I
have dubbed a violin player and a cellist to get a more realistic
feel of the string section.
CoC: Now let's change topic for a bit. What do you think of the new
deluge of melodic metal bands swamping the market? Many have
been criticized by the old-timers for aping Helloween over and
over again. You know, the HammerFall effect?
JK: You know what? If the kids are having fun and if this leads to a
more healthy metal scene, then it's cool by me. You can't
criticise the bands for doing what they wanna do. It's the record
labels who should be a bit more open-minded when signing bands.
CoC: That's a very positive philosophy.
JK: Any band that is out there, gets on stage and plays its heart out
deserves respect.
CoC: So what do you think -you- have to offer over and above what's
already out there in the scene?
JK: As far as this band is concerned, we will do what we wanna do and
hopefully some people will believe in our music like we do. If
people feel that we have something new to offer, then cool.
CoC: OK, back to the album. I know you're very active in terms of
mixing and producing your material; why do you insist on doing
all this work yourself instead of letting a possibly more
experienced producer handle the job?
JK: It can be a very frustrating experience trusting your music to a
producer and then having to wait and see whether your stuff is
going to be ruined or sound great. I have had some horrific
experiences with various producers and my outlook in music
production has changed dramatically over the last few years. My
motto now is that "if you wanna do something, DO IT YOURSELF!"
Unless, of course, a world class metal producer has been brought
to you by a multinational company. Then OK, we'll talk about it
over a large cappuccino! In all seriousness, I feel lucky that I
know how to produce music.
CoC: Isn't it very time- and energy-consuming?
JK: Sure it's hard work, but it pays off when you hear the finished
product! Having worked with Steve Brown [producer of The Cult,
The Manx and many more] and having finished an album production,
I feel experienced enough to take on the task of recording and
mixing _Eight Moons_. It's not easy, but I think that the final
product is going to be pretty cool.
CoC: Judging from the production on the demo CD, I'd say the same!
Now, in terms of promotion, I know you've been playing a number
of gigs over in England. How did they go, and what was the
audience like?
JK: The gigs were cool. Obviously I am not gonna say to you that we
had people moshing, simply because many guys were seeing the band
for the first time. But they were pretty good.
CoC: Will you be planning any more shows in the near future,
especially outside the UK?
JK: Hopefully yes. We would love to play outside the UK! We have to
focus on the album for the time being and secure a deal before
thinking of anything else.
CoC: I'd like to break off again: you're from Greece if I'm not
wrong, so what do you think of the metal scene in England
compared to Greece? It hasn't exactly been a hotbed for metal
since the glory days of NWOBHM, has it?
JK: When I came to England in 1995 I realised that metal was pretty
much dead. So it was really odd for me to try to get in a band.
There weren't too many bands around and if they were I was
probably missing them all! A few years later the underground
scene became really strong. This is when I thought it would be a
good time to put a band together.
CoC: Right then, that's about all we have time for... what can our
interested readers do to find out more about Biomechanical?
JK: OK people! Go to our site and check it out! Our album will
hopefully be out early 2002. Keep checking the news and join our
club for free MP3s and more! _Eight Moons_ will be advertised
through great sites such as CoC! So check it out! <laughs>
CoC: I'd second that, it's certainly an amazing site! OK, thanks for
your time, John. Keep up the amazing work!
JK: Thank you, Alvin, for hosting Biomechanical on this great metal
site!
Contact: http://www.biomechanical.co.uk
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_____ .__ ___.
/ _ \ | |\_ |__ __ __ _____
/ /_\ \| | | __ \| | \/ \
/ | \ |_| \_\ \ | / Y Y \
\____|__ /____/___ /____/|__|_| /
\/ \/ \/
_____ .__
/ _ \ _________.__.| | __ __ _____
/ /_\ \ / ___< | || | | | \/ \
/ | \\___ \ \___ || |_| | / Y Y \
\____|__ /____ >/ ____||____/____/|__|_| /
\/ \/ \/ \/
Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed
9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended
7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities
5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into
0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs!
7 Angels 7 Plagues - _Jhazmyne's Lullaby_ (Uprising, 2001)
by: Brian Meloon (9 out of 10)
7 Angels 7 Plagues fall into the rare category of hardcore bands that
I enjoy -- which includes the likes of Lethargy, early Candiria and
Red Tide. As you can probably guess from this list, 7 Angels 7
Plagues is far from typical hardcore. The base of their sound is
hardcore played with the skill and precision of metal (a.k.a.
metalcore). To this, they add (in roughly equal parts) dissonant
syncopative rhythms, flowing distorted melodies, and some acoustic
melodic touches reminiscent of "alternative" bands like Jane's
Addiction and Don Caballero. At times, they even have a slight hint
of progressive metal. The really impressive thing about this album is
the skill with which they handle and blend these musical styles. The
songs show some very good song development in places, and rarely do
they get carried away with a certain style and let it get boring. The
transitions between dissonant to melodic sections and back again
rarely sound forced, and in a few places, they're even able to
incorporate dissonant melodies into their melodic sections and make
it sound good. The vocals are also one of the highlights of the album
for me. They're similar to typical hardcore vocals (somewhere between
a shout and a growl), but they have just a hint of scream to them,
which gives them a distinctive sound and adds a sense of urgency and
power to the music. The playing is excellent; it's very tight and
quite technical in places. The production is excellent as well, as
both the melodic sections and the heavy sections sound very crisp and
clear. This is a very good release -- bordering on excellent at times
-- and should be enjoyed by both metal and hardcore fans alike. I
look forward to their future releases.
7th Moon - _Alter Alma_ (Icarus Records, February 2002)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
Listening to the music of this Spanish sextet, it is hard not to hear
The Gathering or Lacuna Coil as the music is pretty much played in
the same format and style throughout. While The Gathering has a
very dream-like quality and Lacuna Coil has a very seductive,
passionate flow to things, 7th Moon's format revolves around a much
darker element, a real gothic/stoic feel coming over some of the
arrangements. This style adds some interesting pieces for the band to
comb through as singer Sonia offers up her vocal passages. While the
singer has a very beautiful voice (check out the track "The Shine of
the Unknown"), and the rest of the band does offer up some
interesting passages, the music doesn't really offer much that we
haven't heard before. In other words, there is nothing that really
sets them apart. One thing is to be a great musician, the other is
being able to separate yourself from the rest of the pack. In due
time I'm sure 7th Moon will find some prestige with what they do, but
for now they'll just have to wait for the spotlight to shine on them.
Abortion Clinic - _Premature Birthulation_ (<Independent>, 2002)
by: Adrian Bromley (0 out of 10)
This has got to be one of the worst CDs I have ever received from any
band since we started doing CoC almost seven years ago. I'm serious,
folks! This fucking bites! I can look past what some might see as an
offensive name (obviously Abortion Clinic is out to shock) -- but the
music? Pathetic! From the ridiculous opener "Euthanasia" onto the
stupidly penned "Anal Vapor" ("...heading to the toilet / I think I
got to wipe / I bet that one left a racing stripe...") and other lame
numbers like "Eat the Dead" and "Camelot" (about the famous Kennedy
family), Abortion Clinic just goes down the drain wickedly fast. Oh
man, it was torture to sit through this. The music is generic heavy
metal and the vocals are more spoken/sung than actually sung and that
gets quite annoying after a while. As for the lyrics, don't get me
started. The snippet above should give you an idea what lies heard
should you put this shit album on. I think this was supposed to be a
joke, but when the music of Abortion Clinic makes bands like Gwar and
Gardy-Loo look like technical metal geniuses, then the joke is on
them.
Contact: mailto:theband@abortionclinc-usa.com
http://www.abortionclinic-usa.com
Ancient - _Proxima Centauri_ (Metal Blade, 2001)
by: Alvin Wee (7 out of 10)
Ancient halts their recent downward slide with this surprisingly
powerful assault of mainstream mayhem. Closer to Cradle of Filth in
style than their Norse counterparts this time (due in no small part
to the keyboards and Kristin's occasional female snarling), Aphazel
and Co. depart from the drawn-out monotony of their previous releases
for a more commercially viable crunchiness and aggression. While
never reaching earth-shattering heights, the new material presents a
tighter, catchier side of the band, due no doubt in part to the
commendable Los Angered studios production. Melodic, hummable tracks
like "Satan's Children" will no doubt gain the band a substantial
following among the newer breed of longhairs, even as die-hards
bemoan the band's lapse into the characterless sterility typical of
newer acts. Moments of brilliance shine through at odd intervals, the
band's knack for creating ambience becoming evident on slower
passages (see the intro segment to "Apophis"), while never really
building on the promising interplay between epic riff and atmospheric
synth. Points given for coming up with a remotely engaging album
among all the sub-standard filth, but the black metaller in me still
misses the atmosphere and obscurity of the _Svartalvheim_ days.
Archetype - _Dawning_ (<Independent>, 2001)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Impressive from the get-go, Ohio progressive metal act Archetype had
my attention from the opening guitar riff of "Final Day" off their
album _Dawning_. Not only does this talented band of musicians know
how to write some great songs, they have the incredible musicianship
to back it up. With a definite nod to '80s era metal (Helloween, Iron
Maiden) and newer-era progressive metal masters (Iced Earth, Dream
Theater), Archetype delivers a spirited performance that indulges in
on their influences, as well as showcase their addictive heavy metal
ways. Singer Greg Wagner's vocals could lead any metalhead into an
anthemic chant and guitarist Chris Matyus dazzles the listener with
some solid, intricate guitar work. And the rhythm section of Keith
Zeigler (drums) and Jamie Still (bass) are on the ball too, providing
an interesting back crunch to the heavy metal mastery of their
bandmates. I have their previous demo _Hands of Time_ (1999), and
while I was mixed about that release, the band has grown and honed in
on their skills with the new disc. With bands like Iced Earth, Jag
Panzer, Twisted Tower Dire and Archetype waving the flag of heavy
metal loud 'n' proud, music of this ilk will never fall to the
wayside.
Contact: mailto:archetype@archetype1.com
http://www.archetype1.com
Bethlehem - _Schatten aus der Alexander Welt_ (Red Stream, 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (6.5 out of 10)
There is almost too much happening here for the average metal fan to
wrap their brain around. Transformations of spoken words into musical
concepts to explain the atmosphere of this album's plot all laid over
the never typical dark suicide rapture Bethlehem exists to create --
it is saturating. I like _Schatten aus der Alexander Welt_, but I'd
wager you couldn't tell that from my rating of the disc... I'm a
Bethlehem fan through and through and dyed in the wool, but
-- at times -- this double disc, bonus American version, gets
extravagantly strung out, even for me. Permeating every radiant
nerve on a case by emotional case basis, _SadAW_ embarks toward
the semi-lucid conscious, but only when absolutely necessary. The
textbook definition of deranged, Bethlehem again pushes the envelope
of metal. Look not for the presence of riffs or blast beats on this
effort, but concentrated insanity runs rampant. Not for the casual
fan.
Black Dawn - _Blood for Satan_ (Necropolis, October 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (3 out of 10)
I can't believe I am again consigned to reviewing another "I'm more
evil than you"-type band. Nothing new can be found on _Blood for
Satan_ -- nothing! You most assuredly can glean whatever Black Dawn
is trying to pass off as "true black metal" from many, many different
genuine black metal outfits, most of which I can appreciate. The same
gratitude -cannot- be said for BD by any stretch of the imagination.
Having roots back as far as 1992, I wonder as I listen to this why BD
cares to even try anymore. Riffs like on "Enemy of the Day" save this
disc from complete unadulterated musical bankruptcy, but they are too
far and few between to be consequential. If Black Dawn is serious
about the banal instruction on the CD's back cover that "_Blood
for Satan_ should only be listened to during the practice of
self-mutilation", why -- OH WHY -- haven't these guys bled to death?
They are the farcical ringleaders, right? More misrepresentation.
Yawn...
Black Web - _Black Web_ (Music Online, 2001)
by: Vincent Eldefors (8 out of 10)
Black Web is a new Swedish band whose name you should remember from
now on, because they are one of the best newcomers I've heard in a
very, very long time. The band isn't really new, since they already
started out in 1992, but this is their first album release so far.
The music of Black Web is a hybrid between hard rock and metal, but
what stands out the most is the remarkably strong vocal work, which
reminds me a little of Lemmy Kilmister at his best. Don't think
Motley Crue or something like that now, though, because this album is
a lot heavier than they ever were and it rocks like very few albums
do. The slower tunes don't always maintain the standard of the rest
of the album, but all in all this record is definitely worth buying
if you are into any kind of heavy music. Perhaps the vocals and music
don't work perfectly well together in every single track either, but
that is luckily only a minor flaw. Fans of Motorhead will probably
love this album, although I personally think Black Web has a much
more promising sound than Lemmy and the boys ever had. Sweden still
has a lot to offer to the realm of hard music and I am very glad that
there are still people who believe in this kind of music, because the
mainstream is becoming worse and worse these days. The first half of
the album is amazing and you just have to listen to the title track
"Black Web", which is one of the most powerful tunes I've ever heard.
Black Web is not an extreme band, but they are still great and I
think they will appeal to you whether you are a fan of metal or hard
rock. Let's just hope that they can continue in the same vein in the
future. Check out this band and your life will never be the same
again...
Contact: http://www.blackweb.nu
Blood Red Throne - _Monument of Death_ (Hammerheart, 2001)
by: Matthias Noll (8.5 out of 10)
Now here is a surprise! A brilliant Norwegian death metal release
which is not in the neo death/black fusion style of Zyklon
or Myrkskog! Mainman Tchort seems to be another north-European
workaholic who manages to almost simultaneously release multiple
albums of astonishing quality (e.g. Green Carnation, reviewed
elsewhere in this issue). _Monument of Death_ mainly hails the death
metal style of the early '90s while avoiding to sound close to a
single band in particular. This record is fast-paced, but there's no
speed for the sake of speed here, no note-by-note Suffocation /
Morbid Angel rip off, and no stupidity Six Feet Under style.
_Monument of Death_ blazes along when necessary and throws elements
from Florida death metal, thrash and, occasionally, Norwegian black
metal ("Dream Controlled Murder") into a fiery melting pot. Whenever
the pace settles to mid or up-tempo, Blood Red Throne come up with
riffs of truly murderous proportions that can put everything Slayer
have done since _Seasons in the Abyss_ to shame. Just listen to the
insanely grooving and crushing riff-fest of "Mary Whispers of Death"
or the last minute of closing track "Path of Flesh". _MoD_ features
nine clearly distinguishable tracks of consistently great quality and
its production balances clarity and heaviness exceptionally well.
Bloodbath's _Breeding Death_ EP [CoC #48] might be the most valid
point of reference when it comes to comparisons to other recent
records. Like _Breeding Death_, this does not redefine the genre but
is one of the few really entertaining death metal releases of 2001.
[Pedro Azevedo: "In abstract terms, _Monument of Death_ is cold,
precise and methodic in its brutality, albeit somewhat sterile -- as
indicated by its cover art. The practical side is that even though
it is far from revolutionary, it is among the most impeccably
executed and unpretentiously enjoyable death metal records of the
year. Hammerheart's gimmick of having a limited special edition
featuring "a suicide kit with blood from all the bandmembers" seems
to be the only real novelty here, but _MoD_ nonetheless remains damn
good fun."]
Brodequin - _Festival of Death_ (Unmatched Brutality Records, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (5.5 out of 10)
As far as death metal albums go, there is not much that can top the
sheer brutality and violence of this release. The lyrics aren't so
much lyrics as various descriptions of violence and torture -- hardly
surprising given the name of the band (a brodequin is a torture
instrument used to crush its victims legs, often to such an extent
that the bone marrow would be forced out). Not that it really matters
too much, as the vocals consist of an impenetrable growl that is
impossible to decipher, even with the aid of a lyric sheet. One of
the problems I have with this album is the production, which leaves
much to be desired. The drums and -- to a slightly lesser extent --
the vocals dominate the mix, to the detriment of the guitars. In
addition, the drums have a hollow, tinny sound, which sounds more
than slightly odd on an album of this genre. Furthermore, there is a
distinct lack of variety in the drumming. Don't get me wrong -- I'm
all for blastbeats, but when the drumming consists of little more
then that, it starts to get more than just a little boring, and when
the drums are as high in the mix as they are on _FoD_, an additional
and inevitable sense of monotony is created. Their music as a whole
is unceasingly repetitive and boredom quickly sets in. With better
production and guitars higher in the mix it might have been more
interesting to hear, and I definitely would be interested to hear
what Brodequin manage to achieve next time round.
[Alvin Wee: "It's been a long time -- since Broken Hope went all
technical -- that brutal grind like this has graced my mutilated
ears. Reminiscent of the classic New York sound a la Suffocation,
Brodequin serve up their second steaming splatterfest that lacks
neither hooks nor tightness. Lack of originality shouldn't be a
problem in this genre, so if names like Impetigo and Regurgitate
bring a smile to your lips, these twisted Texans should satisfy your
craving. Solid stuff, just don't bother deciphering the lyrics."]
Contact: Unmatched Brutality Records, Michael Bailey, PO Box 12023,
Knoxville, TN 37912, USA
mailto:info@unmatchedbrutality.com
Burnt by the Sun - _Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution_
by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10) (Relapse, 2002)
Removing the fact that I think this album's title is completely
killer, you'd never believe it was produced by someone closely
associated with bands like Screaming Trees or the insipid Pearl Jam.
My money is on the fact that you'd, like me, swear Steve Austin from
Today Is the Day, Matthew Jacobson from Pig Destroyer, or my mom --
-anyone- but somebody tied into a group like Pearl Jam! At any rate,
it works. While pulling inspiration for _Soundtrack to the Personal
Revolution_ from frenzied phenomenons, Burnt by the Sun captures
all the forcefully kinetic energy available to grind onto a CD.
Piercingly cleaving and rich in nice cuts in the song patterns, this
band turns over ten mostly riff-packed dips into the razor-laced
landscape BbtS generates. I encourage you to pay special attention to
the resourceful "Boston Tea-Bag Party"; it is laced with some killer
change-ups and instantaneously obligating parts that make ya sit up
and take notice. The powerfully inspired and aptly named _Soundtrack
to the Personal Revolution_ is this five-piece's first full-length
offering, if you can believe it. If an EP like was reviewed in CoC
#53 appeals to you at all, this version of a longer variety will be a
big bonus. Kind of like illuminating something by the rays of the sun
or manmade light -- both get the job done, but one sure as hell
outshines and outlasts the other. You are hereby encouraged to mount
your own individual repulsive insurrection and grab Burnt by the
Sun's newest effort -- it is an aggressively fine coup de grace.
Callenish Circle - _Flesh_Power_Dominion_
by: David Rocher (8 out of 10) (Metal Blade, February 2002)
Dutch quintet Callenish Circle's musical history is just slightly
untypical -- initially spreading their name with a doom-laden death
metal release (_Drift of Empathy_) which was somewhat reminiscent
of the sadly disbanded Caustic's _Moments in the Infinite_ MCD,
Callenish Circle have since evolved in time to embrace the tones of
the renowned "Gothenburg Institute of Death Metal". Their third
full-length release, _Flesh_Power_Dominion_, perfectly fits in with
this evolution, yet somehow leaves some very noticeable flaws open to
criticism. Although Callenish Circle's great songwriting is, on the
whole, as efficient as it is technical, some typically Swedish riffs
just tend to float over the top, and indulge in excessively melodic
dirges which turn out to be more annoyingly notey than they can claim
to be really catchy. This tendency unfortunately deprives some parts
of _F_P_D_'s tracks of much of the power they deserve, a flaw which
is sadly at times acutely reinforced by the excessively thin, rasping
vocals. On the other hand, Callenish Circle do have their moments of
truly powerful genius, when they focus on powerful low-end aggression
or a less Scandinavian-sounding approach, as they do on tracks
such as the potent "Take Me Along", or the beautifully touching
"Bleeding". As the excellent cover of Death's classic "Pull the Plug"
clearly testifies to, Callenish Circle display technical abilities
which are sufficient by far, and an intriguing, unusual approach to
their death metal -- however, these riffing Dutchmen still at times
seem to be searching for a musical style they are one hundred percent
comfortable with; and although _Flesh_Power_Dominion_ does display
some flaws (which are made all the more apparent owing to its
generally high quality), Callenish Circle are becoming a force to be
reckoned with. I can now only hope that the sequel to their 2002
effort shall comfort me in my great expectations for them -- with
their songwriting abilities so clearly displayed, their next release
can't decently afford to fall anything short of sheer brilliance!
Carpathian Forest - _Morbid Fascination of Death_ (Avantgarde, 2001)
by: Matthias Noll (5 out of 10)
Carpathian Forest are being hailed as one of the few Norwegian
black metal acts that didn't compromise and still worship the
"old" sound. The meaning of "old" is rather the mid-period Sodom
style of Motoerhead influenced Teutonic thrash than _De Mysteriis
dom Sathanas_-era Mayhem or the necro sound of early Emperor or
mid-period Darkthrone on _Under a Funeral Moon_. Carpathian Forest
are heavy in a simple, grooving way and do have a few odd tracks
which ignore the formula applied to the majority of their songs and
feature untrue instruments like saxophones and eerie sound effects.
CF's previous album _Strange Old Brew_ does work quite well for me
and is a nice and simple piece of blackened metal with rasping vocals
in a world of modern day Emperor, Zyklon, Satyricon, etc.. _Morbid
Fascination of Death_ got recorded during the same session as
_Strange Old Brew_ and features Tchort on bass and Anders Kobro
(In the Woods...) on drums supporting CF mainmen Nattefrost and
Nordavind. At first this seemed to guarantee a consistent level of
quality between the two records. After listening to _MFoD_ I'm
strongly suspecting that what's getting served this time are the
inferior parts of the year 2000 sessions in the guise of a new
record. With the exception of re-recorded demo track "Knokkelman" and
the Mayhem cover "Ghoul", there's not much on _Morbid Fascination of
Death_ to get excited about. It's certainly not the production'
fault, as it is loud and powerful in a clear and clean way. The
majority of the song material is downright boring this time.
Unfortunately, _MFoD_ turns out to be a superfluous release and a
pretty weak follow-up to the convincing _Strange Old Brew_ (8 out of
10 in my books).
Chernobog - _Nuclear Bloodbath_ (Unsung Heroes Records, June 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (2 out of 10)
Although black metal is renowned for its ultra low budget bathroom
production, "raw" and "primitive" releases, I haven't heard anything
that quite matched the level of production (or more accurately, the
lack thereof) on this album and I doubt if there is any album out
there that has. Admittedly, t
his is actually a demo released as a
proper album, so I guess one shouldn't expect too much -- but even
so, I can easily say that this is the worst sounding demo I've ever
heard. Fine, I hear you crying out, the production's terrible. I can
handle that. Tell me about the music. Well, I can tell you that the
album opens with a couple of arpeggiated chords. Beyond that I can't
really say, as the production is so terrible that it pretty much
renders this demo unlistenable. The production results in the vocals
sounding like, say, Dani Filth on a cheapo tape deck with the
volume turned up to full. Massive distortion to the point of
indecipherability. Most of the time the drums sound like pneumatic
drill -- unfortunately I'm not being figurative. The drumming really
does sound like a pneumatic drill. And the guitars are buried under
this mess of drums and vocals. Occasionally I can hear a decent riff
struggling to the surface, but it is quickly overwhelmed by the
drums. In fact, this album has to be deliberately underproduced to
create such a raw sound -- I can't imagine a garage band recording
anything in their, er, garage which could sound as bad as this.
Contact: UHR, Mark Vignati, 260 Overlook Dr, Covington, GA 30016, USA
mailto:uhr@mindspring.com
Commit Suicide - _Human Larvae (Earthly Cleansing)_
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10) (Willowtip, 2002)
I have played Commit Suicide's album _Human Larvae (Earthly
Cleansing)_ quite a lot lately. And it wasn't because it is just
28-plus minutes long and I can get more spins in a day than the
average album. So why so many spins? Because it is so damn good! The
new offering by this Pittsburgh death/grind quintet is truly a work
of art, a blasting flow of reckless intensity on one end and a
technical grinding assault at the other end of things. Heavy-set
vocals come down on the listener with the might of a stream roller,
while the ferocious guitars wail, the frightfully potent rhythm
section shakes the foundations and the powerhouse drumming sends
the music into a chaotic tizzy. Fast as lightning, I tell ya!
Grinding numbers like "Ablation", "When Nothing Exists", "Hollow" and
"Epiphany" will send shocks of enjoyment to fans of great new heavy
hitters like Circle of Dead Children and Backstabbers Inc. and
classic grind outfits like Napalm Death and Haemorrhage. Commit
Suicide are way ahead of the pack with this latest offering and
anyone who says otherwise after hearing this record needs to off
themselves. Truly devastating stuff here!
Crest of Darkness - _Project Regeneration_ (Listenable, 2001)
by: Vincent Eldefors (6.5 out of 10)
Black metal is one of the easiest styles of metal to play, but it is
definitely not easy to make it sound good. The vocals have to be evil
and raw, but still not annoying. The music has to be very fast or
symphonic, but without becoming monotonous. Some black metal bands
create some of the best music that can be found on this earth, while
others create some of the worst. The Norwegian band Crest of Darkness
lies somewhere inbetween the two categories. This is the band that
was originally formed as a solo project by the former Conception bass
player Ingar Amlien, who had always been interested in the darker
side of life and therefore also the darker side of music. To be able
to realize his black visions he had to do this in another band.
Perhaps because of his previous experience, the music of Crest of
Darkness is very progressive and experimental, but still contains a
sharp brutal edge. Ingar Amlien has always wanted to present his
music as black and Satanic, but this time the lyrical concept deals
with the future of mankind, a future where technology may become our
worst enemy. The music is often quite interesting thanks to the
nice riffs that can be found here and there on the album, but
unfortunately it gets a little too chaotic and annoying in the end.
Another thing that makes me rate this album rather low is that I am
not too fond of the hissing male vocals and Kristin Fjellseth's
female vocals. Kristin has a pretty nice voice, and I think they
could have made it sound a lot better than it does here (she has now
left the band for her other band Pale Forest). I must admit that
Crest of Darkness is a creative band who isn't afraid to experiment,
but unfortunately this album didn't impress me much. It works very
well as background music, though.
Contact: http://www.crestofdarkness.com
Cruachan - _Folk-Lore_ (Hammerheart, 2002)
by: Vincent Eldefors (9.5 out of 10)
Cruachan is certainly not the most productive band in the history of
metal, but what counts is that they are one of the absolute best.
Their first album _Tuatha Na Gael_ was a landmark in the black/folk
metal field, but the second one, _The Middle Kingdom_, was a lot less
black. That is also the case with this third release from Cruachan.
Except for the last track (which is actually one of the best), there
is nothing here that shows the slightest resemblance to black metal.
Even though there are some people who only like Cruachan's first
album and think they have wimped out since then, I am definitely not
of that opinion. _Folk-Lore_ is really a continuation of what they
began on _The Middle Kingdom_, but with every single element further
improved -- the songs are even more complex, the music is more
varied, and the female vocals by Karen Gilligan are stronger than
ever. Add to this a top-notch production job and you will understand
that Cruachan have risen to become one of the most important metal
bands today. They are creative, innovative and dare to challenge
everyone and everything. I'm really glad that the band decided
against signing the deal they were offered by Century Media in the
mid '90s. Instead they have been able to develop their own sound free
from any label pressure. The most important thing about Hammerheart
is that they offer their artists artistic freedom, which will
inevitably bring out the best in every band. Almost every single
track of this album is exceptional, except for "Spancill Hill" which
sounds a little foolish to me. _Folk-Lore_ is without a doubt one of
the most unique and beautiful metal albums ever made. The Romans
didn't succeed in eradicating the cultural diversity of Europe --
Celtic music is still alive and better than ever before.
[Paul Schwarz: "It is extremely boring to listen to music that
harmonises old Bathory riffs with a coy Celtic chorus -- and
extremely infuriating to find the same band making the same horrible
mistake twice of trying to make it sound good."]
Contact: http://www.cruachan.cjb.net
Various - _Czech Assault_ (Relapse, 2001)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)
Relapse's third offering in their "underground campaign" features
five bands from the Czech republic: Imperial Foeticide, Negligent
Collateral Collapse, Contrastic, Intervalle Bizarre and Fleshless.
Each band gets from four to six songs, which is more than enough time
to make up your mind about them. Imperial Foeticide start off the
disc with four short tracks of brutal grind/death (plus a short intro
and outro). While the music is competently played, it really adds
nothing new to the genre. Negligent Collateral Collapse are next with
five songs of industrial-tinged death metal. Aside from the extremely
guttural vocals and some samples and effects, there isn't much to
differentiate them from the other bands here. Contrastic are the
third band here, and by far the most unique. Their style is a mix of
punk, hardcore, death metal, jazz, and assorted weird sound effects.
All of their songs are pretty different from each other. They remind
me of Australia's Alchemist, both from the general sound of the music
and especially the vocals, but Contrastic are a little weirder and
more diverse. Intervalle Bizarre follow Contrastic with four songs
(plus an intro) of fast death metal. The music is competently played
and reasonably good, but the music is hurt by a production which
makes the vocals inaudible at times. Finally, Fleshless wrap things
up with four more songs of death metal. Once again, the music is
competently played and reasonably interesting, but not outstanding.
As you'd expect from an "underground" release, the production isn't
very good, though it's passable. Notable exceptions are the low
vocals in Intervalle Bizarre and the very clear production of
Contrastic. Personally, I'm a little disappointed by the selection
of bands, although they're all reasonably competent. I would've
preferred to hear something from Godless Truth, Forgotten Silence,
Vuvr [CoC #56], Agony or Love History, though admittedly those bands
might not be "underground" enough for Relapse. There's some great
music coming from the Czech Republic, but the bands on this comp
don't show it.
Dark Legion - _Bloodshed_ (DeadSun Records, October 2001)
by: David Rocher (4 out of 10)
The Polish death metal scene just seems to be writhing organically
with an endless supply of technically proficient, musically inspired
bands -- acts such Lost Soul, Decapitated, Yattering or Hate are
often hot on godfathers Vader's heels, a lethal nervecurrent which
DeadSun signees Dark Legion seem to be fusing with both in body and
soul. Unfortunately, though their technical proficiency can not be
questioned, it is Dark Legion's truly musical abilities which turn
out to be a blemish; this Polish quartet's warlike death metal is
tight, brutal and competently played, yet the globally chaotic
structures, often uninspired arrangements added to the imprecise,
shifting production let _Bloodshed_ down pretty badly. Although some
interesting, powerful melodies do surface sporadically throughout the
nine tracks plus intro on this recording, this debut release on the
whole seemingly tends to grunt, grind and blast around aimlessly, and
no matter how hard I try, I can't find myself being even mildly
interested by Dark Legion's material. I can only hope that in the
near future, they will return to display with consistent and
efficient songwriting skills, as although their pure technical
abilities are clearly apparent, this release is unfortunately not a
wholly recommendable listen.
Dawn of Dreams - _Darklight Awakening_ (WWIII, November 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10)
For whatever reason, Germany has been hiding this five piece outfit
and not sharing very well with the rest of the steadfast metal
community. After kicking around the scene for some time, Dawn of
Dreams erupts with this debut in WWIII and I am thrilled beyond
words! Slicing up their feet from walking the black/death razor's
edge, Dawn of Dreams, if losing their balance and falling off, would
surely land death metal side up. They have considerably more to offer
than a bland formula for fire licked rhythms and piercingly militant
drive. Pulling apart the scene, DoD delivers a amplification of
measured bursts of musical intensity that needs to be felt more than
described. Pay close attention to "Watch the Sunrise", "The Sirenes
Dreaming" and "Dwell in My Embrace" for DoD's raw, nearly reckless
surrender to their passion for music. I can't wait to hear a
sophomore endeavor from these guys. With their gilded black death
style, Dawn of Dreams is the real thing.
Deicide - _In Torment, in Hell_ (Roadrunner, 2001)
by: Matthias Noll (6 out of 10)
In CoC #50 I came to the conclusion that Deicide's last record
_Insineratehymn_ was "one of the most boring records I heard in the
last ten years". In the twelve months since then, nothing happened
that changed my opinion about this album. Never did I foresee that my
jaw was about to drop when I put on evil Glen's last output for
Roadrunner, _In Torment, in Hell_. I was indeed encountering an
exciting, grooving riff! With expectations as low as mine, Deicide
probably didn't have that much to achieve to make me give slightly
more praise this time, but in all honesty, a good portion of _ITiH_
-is- okay. The -- by Deicide standards -- uncommonly short pregnancy
period to deliver another meagre 30 minutes of material seems to
have had some positive effect on the results. _In Torment, in
Hell_ sounds a bit rawer than its predecessor, avoids some of
the slow, plodding monotony, and the majority of tracks manage
to hold my attention, something which could not be said about
_Insineratehymn_. Stylistically this is in between the debut and the
dumbed down approach of _Serpents of the Light_, while neither being
in-your-face like _Deicide_ nor as straightforward and catchy as
_SotL_. Unfortunately, with the exception of stating that this sounds
clearly like Deicide and that Benton's vocals have never been deeper,
there is nothing really remarkable about _ITiH_. Overall, this CD is
miles away from being a top death metal record and I'd like to advise
everybody who does feel tempted to buy it just because it's the new
Deicide (who were so shockingly controversial and brutal many
years ago) to check out _Necrodaemon Terrorsathan_ by Belphegor or
Aborted's _Engineering the Dead_ instead. You'll buy far more
convincing records with -- to my ears -- enough good Deicide in them
to help you live without _ITiH_.
Destruction - _The Antichrist_ (Nuclear Blast, 2001)
by: Matthias Noll (7 out of 10)
When reviewing _All Hell Breaks Loose_ [CoC #48], Destruction's
reunion record, I was complaining that "less technicality would have
resulted in more power and ultimately better, more cohesive songs." A
slightly more focussed, more to-the-point approach is the main
difference between _AHBL_ and _The Antichrist_. The best example may
be the aptly named opener "Thrash Till Death", which uses a simple
but very effective riff almost all the way through. Besides this
minor improvement, Destruction have of course not changed their
formula and still play their fairly intricate, break-laden, unmelodic
version of Teutonic thrash metal. What still makes them unique is
Mike's typical flowing riffing and Schmier's gruff but somewhat
powerless trademark vocals. Although Mike's ever-busy guitar work has
its moments, the songs are still too long and sadly not that
different from each other. Even after the tenth listen, the main
distinction between individual tracks is the chorus, which consists
of pretentious songtitles ("Dictators of Cruelty", "Bullets From
Hell") which always and predictably get shouted over and over again.
Sometimes, _The Antichrist_ makes me go "wow, these guys are quite
good for their age", but ultimately _The Antichrist_ is lacking
something: on first listen it sounds heavy and aggressive, but over
the course of 40+ minutes it starts to become boring and suffers from
a lack of really interesting songs. Substract the "the legendary
Destruction" bonus and you'll have something which pretends to go for
the throat but never manages to make the kill. In my eyes, neither
_The Antichrist_ nor the new Kreator record show enough substance to
make the much talked about resurgence of German thrash more than a
short-lived phenomenon. Don't get me wrong, _The Antichrist_ is not a
bad record and certainly more than just a reminder of the good old
days and how cool "Bestial Invasion" still sounds. But, on the other
hand, this does not fare too well when it has to compete with records
by younger bands playing a comparable style. Last time I mentioned
Defleshed, this time it's Dew-Scented's _Inwards_, which is a perfect
example that some of today's thrashers owe a lot to old Destruction
but manage to single-handedly slaughter _The Antichrist_.
Dew-Scented - _Inwards_ (Nuclear Blast, January 2002)
by: David Rocher (9.5 out of 10)
Although it can most likely be stated that Dew-Scented's latest
releases to date, _Ill-Natured_ and _Innoscent_, were decent,
efficient, yet ultimately dispensable recordings, this German
quartet's anno 2002 milestone is guaranteed to have hairy
heads-a-banging in many an abode throughout this year. Truthfully,
_Inwards_ is one hammer of a recording, a blasting, razor-sharp
thrashing death metal session which mercilessly tramples all over
most present-day "thrashing" releases just like they didn't matter.
Germany's unsuspected yet unambiguous reply to the godly At the Gates
monument _Slaughter of the Soul_, _Inwards_ simply oozes and writhes
with murderous power and precision -- the ruthless fusion of an
uncontested _Pleasure to Kill_ with all the coolness and undisputed
aggression of Jensen/Bjorler trademark "riff a la tractor-pulling",
mercilessly distilled by sole axeman Professor Riffmeister Floryan
Mueller. From the first seconds of the staccato-laden opener "Bitter
Conflict" to the final echoes of the blasting closing number
"Reprisal", the thrashing rhythmical trinity (rounded off by skinsman
supreme Uwe Werning and surgical bassist Patrick Heims) within
Dew-Scented deliver a "Mutterload" of nuclear riffs and blasts,
surgically winding leads and raging rhythmic onslaughts. Vocalist
Leffe Jensen superbly caps this merciless offensive of sheer
technical rabidity with his throaty, powerful vocals, making this
thrashing death metal gem a true lesson in the art of incisive
musical potency. A sterling production crafted by Holy Moses axeman
Andy Classen -- who knows, if anyone ever will, how to spawn a
brutally heavy thrash sound -- deals the final lick of aural violence
to this exceptional release; short and sharp -- if the once glorious
German thrash scene ever needed fresh blood in which to seal its
future, Dew-Scented have all the haemoglobin and guts to secure it.
Undoubtedly one of 2002's top five releases, no matter what.
Dim Mak - _Intercepting Fist_ (Olympic, 2002)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)
Dim Mak consists of three-fifths of Ripping Corpse, so you could
confidently expect this to be a tight, professional, technical
slab of death metal. And on all of those counts, it delivers.
However, this disc has the same effect on me as Cryptopsy's
_Whisper Supremacy_ does: it's a repetitive mess of brutality. Like
Cryptopsy's _None So Vile_, Dim Mak's previous album _Enter the
Dragon_ had a very important and difficult-to-acquire feature: the
songs were catchy and memorable. However, on this album, Dim Mak
de-emphasized the groovy, catchy riffs of their debut in favor of a
more brutal and denser sound. The result is certainly more aggressive
and heavier, but it quickly gets repetitive. In addition, aside from
a few places, the riffs are less technical than on their debut. The
production doesn't help matters either, as it's muddy sounding and
the riffs don't stand out clearly. On all these counts, this album is
inferior to their debut. Fans of hardcore-inspired death metal should
search out _Enter the Dragon_, and skip this offering.
Dusk - _Mourning... Resurrect_ (Lost Disciple, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (9 out of 10)
Almost totally unknown to me until this dark beauty arrived in the
mail, I've been trapped by Dusk's obscure extravagance. From what I
understand from the CD inlay, Dusk, who have since disbanded, just
happened to be one of the very first outfits Lost Disciple stocked in
its mail order infancy. From what I've heard on _Mourning...
Resurrect_, I am absolutely certain I would have clamored for more
from Dusk. The heaviest cuts from Gorguts mixed with some Coercion
and Cianide complete with heavy-handed deadened drum beats. This kind
of material works me up into a frenzy. The well-timed and atmospheric
placement of the synth and ambient chant puts _Mourning... Resurrect_
nearly at the top of anything done doom-oriented before or since
Dusk. While I chose not to, a listener could successfully argue a My
Dying Bride correlation. I rather think that is an off-handed, novice
comparison doing little to shed much light on the masterful work Dusk
was responsible for. While there are eleven tracks present, I will
openly admit my admiration for the band's 1994 self-titled effort --
overwhelming in its totality and murky milieu. Upon listening to
_Mourning... Resurrect_ time and time again, I rue the passing of
such a talented band, but thanks to Lost Disciple (and Rich), Dusk's
heritage will go on.
Entwine - _Gone_ (Century Media, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (4 out of 10)
Entwine initially began life as a death metal band before switching
to the relatively more sedate and contemplative style of gothic
metal, claiming that death metal was simply too boring. If their
debut release is anything like this, their sophomore release, then
perhaps they should have stuck with death metal. Who knows, it might
just have been less boring. The singer is undoubtedly trying to
sound all weepy and emotional, yet comes across as sounding quite
insubstantial. Plus his slightly nasal vocals get irritating after a
few songs. The musicianship is adequate, if somewhat lacking in
songwriting skills. I can safely say, without any reservations
whatsoever, that this is the most banal, mediocre gothic metal
release I have ever heard. And I have heard my fair share. All the
songs follow the same pattern: intro, soft part, heavy part, chorus,
soft, heavy part, alternate heavy and soft parts till end. Then
repeated again in the next song. Variety would not go unappreciated.
The use of such formulaic pop-songwriting may help to explain why the
single "New Dawn" managed to make into the Top 10 in the Finnish
charts -- I guess the Finns have the same bad taste as just about
every other country in the world. Recommended for anyone who finds
Britney Spears' or Backstreet Boys' songwriting techniques combined
with gothic metal elements intriguing or entertaining.
Even Vast - _Dawning Gloom_ (Painkiller, 2001)
by: Alvin Wee (7 out of 10)
Yet another pre-release maxi-single from Painkiller Records, this
time round the unveiling of Italian Goth-meisters Even Vast. Much as
I'd like to avoid making the obvious comparison with The Gathering or
Lacuna Coil, _Dawning Gloom_ is more a dreary _Mandylion_ than
anything else, and so derivative it almost defeats the purpose of
putting it out as a new release. Commendable, however, is the
band's ability to sound vaguely engaging and thoughtful, something
even bigger names struggle to do at times. Minimal yet superbly
refined, the acoustic "Scared for the Last Time" showcases these
Italians' impressive song-crafting capabilities, while the title
track, as imitative as it is, proves the band both technically and
compositionally on par with the best of them. The crunchy, plodding
guitar work sets the dreary backdrop perfectly for Antoinetta's
melancholy crooning, and the band's sense of cohesion is downright
impressive. All the members play off each other, trading riff for
chord in a dense polyphony accentuated by Antoinetta's dulcet tones.
It's possible this bunch would have eclipsed Scabbia & co. had they
emerged earlier, but for now, the hurdle of being labeled as
imitators looms large for them.
Contact: http://www.painkiller-records.com
Eyes of Ligeia - _The Night's Plutonian Shore_
by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10) (Unsung Heroes Rec., June 2001)
Judging from their moniker and album title, Eyes of Ligeia are
heavily influenced by Edgar Allan Poe. His melancholy tales and
poems, replete with grim, near horrific overtones, are a fitting
influence for a doom metal record. I'm surprised Poe hasn't exerted a
greater influence over some of the more sombre bands. Eyes of Ligeia
is yet another one-man band on UHR. While I think that the formation
of many one-man bands is due in part to musical pretentiousness (the
"no-one has the same vision / understands me / can do it as well as
me" syndrome), Eyes of Ligeia's Toby demonstrates that he indeed
possesses the necessary talent to pull it off. The guitars produce an
unusual, high-pitched, almost artificial sound, almost as if it is
trying to sound like a keyboard imitating a guitar. Definitely
different. The vocals too are different from the norm: instead of
sorrow-filled mournful clean vocals or death style grunts, the
vocalist utilises a whispery, high-pitched rasp. Despite the unusual
sounds, the slow mournful pace of the songs leaves no doubt in my
mind that this is a doom metal album. The song structures bring to
mind the likes of _As the Flower Withers_-era My Dying Bride whilst
undeniably retaining an aura of originality. Simply like no other
doom metal band. Unfortunately, Toby has put Eyes of Ligeia on hold
at the moment as he concentrates on his other project, Amphigory,
which should also be worth a listen or two.
Contact: mailto:eyes@eyesofligeia.cjb.net
http://eyesofligeia.cjb.net
Fall of the Leafe - _Fermina_ (Icarus Records, February 2002)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
There seems to be a common theme running throughout the music of
Finnish act Fall of the Leafe: diversity. The band's third offering,
their second for label Icarus Records in Argentina, finds the band
carrying on with their folk/melodic death metal angle with their
music, surprisingly infectious at times and always an interesting
listen. Like another band from their homeland, Kalmah, FotL isn't
afraid to mix things up and be proud of their heritage and integrate
it into their metallic flow. Check out tracks "Stumbling Stone" or
"Chameleon Loop". While I think some metal fans might find the music
of this band a tad odd at times, for those with an ear for diversity
and eccentric metal music, this band will no doubt have you wrapped
up with what they do. But like their past releases, I find the vocals
a tad annoying at times, somewhat whiny but easily forgettable once
the music gets flowing. A good listen.
Final Tragedy - _Greed_ (<Independent>, 2001)
by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10)
Not sure what to make of this French progressive/atmospheric metal
duo and their -long- song arrangements. Not to mention the fact that
singer Delphine Cochand sounds like she was across the hall from the
microphone when she was recording the vocals -- the songs have this
very distant, hollow sound to them. While there are some nice sounds
flowing within this eight-song, 49+ minute release, I'm sorry to say
that I felt bored by the mid-mark. The reason being is that
most of the songs revolve around the same style/pattern, soft
passionate singing over tranquil/majestic guitar amongst a somewhat
archaic/gothic overtone, thus making it really difficult for any real
song to break out of this overused mold and shine in the spotlight.
Not to say that Cochand or her partner (Jean-Luc Millet) can't make
beautifully sculpted music -- they can -- it just seems as though
their excess feel and flow of things really took away from the
developing each song. Too much, too long and not enough character.
Trying to pick out a memorable song from the bunch here is difficult
and I think the best advice I can offer would be to tack on a bit
more substance to the songs, bring them up from the melancholy
drudgery they are wallowing in and add some colour and break out of
this blandness. The promising moments on _Greed_ come only in small
patches.
Contact: mailto:final.tragedy@wanadoo.fr
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/finaltragedy/
Fleshcrawl - _Soulskinner_ (Metal Blade, November 2001)
by: David Rocher (7.5 out of 10)
Fleshcrawl's sixth full-length, _Soulskinner_ totally lives up to its
blatantly poetic title, and righteously embodies all the sweaty
finesse and growling delicacy I have by now come to expect from
Germany's own old school Swedish deathsters. Needless to say, once
again, as their fans will most likely already have anticipated
on, little has occurred in the scope of a hypothetical musical
evolution Fleshcrawl may one day choose to follow. Such a whimsical
trend would be most unworthy of these Germans' blasting career,
and the only change showcased by _Soulskinner_, when compared to
Fleshcrawl's previous opus, the 50% early Dismember, 50% _Heaven
Shall Burn_-era Marduk release _As Blood Rains from the Sky..._, is
that _Soulskinner_ actually tends to be somewhat slower -- whilst
nonetheless retaining all-out frantic breakneck velocity. An extra
slab of massive heaviness and chunkiness (quite reminiscent, in fact,
of _...For Victory_-era Bolt Thrower riffage) has successfully been
introduced into the raging, mangling maelstrom invoked by the rhythm
department, efficiently capped off by Sven Gross' bowel-churning
growls. _Soulskinner_ is as blatantly unoriginal and efficient as
death metal will ever get, and though I doubt whether it will
actually earn Fleshcrawl any new fans, the simplistic, ruthlessly
outspoken death metal it offers is bound to content the hordes of the
band's existing followers.
Furia - _A la Quete du Passe_ (Adipocere Records, October 2001)
by: David Rocher (8 out of 10)
The sounds emanating from this very promising French band's
thousand-facetted, polymorphous first full-length release are
reassuring tones indeed. After the once active French death metal
scene slipped into a coma a number of years ago following the
untimely demise or prolonged lethargy of bands such as Crusher,
Loudblast, No Return or Massacra, it now looks as though a searing
electrical shock has sent extreme metal-laced adrenaline flowing
through the veins of a scene which now teems with massively potent
reformations or new bands -- No Return, Scarve, Symbiosis or Gurkkhas
are confirming their immense potential with each of their new
releases, and it looks as though Furia are all set to become an
unhallowed force to be reckoned with. Throughout the thirteen tracks
on the concept album named _A la Quete du Passe_, countless
influences and melodies intermingle to form a compelling, varied and
intricate opus. Although the rabid label sticker lurking within every
music journalist could maybe hastily and, at all rates, very
imprecisely file Furia under "heavy black metal", this French band
encompass much more than one rash definition may even dream to
describe. From the Iron Maiden-tinged opening riff on "A la Quete du
Passe" to the hyperblasting blackened death metal segues on "Une
Quete Sans Lendemain", from the Kind Diamond-laden start of "Le
Jardin d'Eden" right over to the thrashing number "Le Sacrifice de la
Vierge", Furia display awesome musical creativity and downright
impressive technical skills as their material effortlessly mutates
from splendorous heavy metal leads into high-speed melodic death
metal onslaughts. Furia's strong rhythm section, fronted by a highly
versatile drummer and an inspired string department, is graced with
the lucid, interspersed interventions of keyboards, which are always
used to their best possible effect -- and are also left out when
their participation would do nothing to help Furia's furious metal.
Fortunately, _A la Quete du Passe_ has been graced with the
production to match the convincing power it displays, and even though
I believe a more "organic" sound would have fitted this release
better than the squeaky clean, very digital-sounding production, it
would be unwise to begrudge the band for this; in fact, the only
point one may decently moan about on Furia's first full-length is the
wall many bands trying to open their sound to female chants and
keyboards fail not to run straight into -- at times, fortunately
unfrequently though, Furia over-enthusiastically merge catchy, heavy
rhythmical segues with epic keys and/or feminine vocal lines, thus
heading for a very willing, unwitting yet nonetheless headlong dive
into a world of heroic musical cheesiness. This punctual irritating
feeling however does not pervade _AlQdP_, and Furia's debut effort is
undisputedly a most promising blaze of creative energy emanating from
a French scene that badly needed fresh blood on which to thrive. It
may now only be hoped that their success will thrive both within and
beyond French borders, as Furia are way as deserving an extreme band
as many of their Scandinavian, American or European counterparts.
Godgory - _Sea of Dreams_ / _Shadow's Dance_ (7 and 4 out of 10)
by: David Rocher (Hammerheart, July 2001 [reissue])
The somewhat untypical Swedish melodic death metal outfit Godgory was
initially signed to the German-based label Invasion Records who, you
may recall, also released Cryptopsy's first effort, _Blasphemy Made
Flesh_ -- a very ominous recording, which was eventually reissued by
Displeased Records. Indeed, as Invasion Records suddenly disappeared
from the scene a couple of years ago, facing an increasing
circulation of rip-off allegations, bands such as Cryptopsy, or
Godgory (now signed to Nuclear Blast), found themselves homeless,
with requests for their out-of-print former releases remaining
unheeded to. Hence, Hammerheart Records have reissued and repackaged,
in double-CD form, Godgory's praiseworthy 1995 debut _Sea of Dreams_,
and its rather disappointing 1997 sequel, _Shadow's Dance_. Indeed,
after the beautiful, acoustic-laden depths of _SoD_, the tentatively
heavier and more powerful material on _SD_ just fails to hit
its mark: an unbalanced production (excessively loud drums and
unconvincing guitar fuzz), cheesy, overemotional spoken/melodic
vocals, and acoustic guitar lines subdued by keyboards all contribute
to make _SD_ a rather dispensable experience. _SoD_, however, still
retains much of the charm it displayed at the time of its release --
its convincing production, courtesy of Dan Swano's Unisound studios,
attains an accurate balance between the mid-tempo guttural heaviness
shed by the potent rhythmic section combined with Matte Andersson's
powerful vocals and the delicate, crystalline acoustic melodies
wisely interspersed throughout the tracks. Godgory's atmospheric
death metal debut was, and so remains to this day, a profound and
very enjoyable release, graced with generally catchy songwriting, and
with the very remarkable and characteristic talents of axemen Stefan
Olsson and Micke Dahlquist -- few Scandinavian death metal bands
could, at the time, claim to have such proficient and inspired
guitarists in their ranks. However, as I already broached, quite
contrarily to _Sea of Dreams_, irritation-tinged boredom soon sets in
when listening to the blunt _Shadow's Dance_ -- the contrast in
musical and lyrical depth between these two albums is astonishing,
and a re-release of _SD_ alone could hardly, nowadays, have claimed
to be a worthwhile investment. _SoD_, however, despite the ugly
packaging -- not that the original Invasion Records release was
beautiful, far from that -- is fully worth a listen for metalheads
out there who have discovered Godgory with _Resurrection_.
Grabnebelfursten - _Von Schemen und Trugbildern_
by: Vincent Eldefors (7.5 out of 10) (Ketzer Productions, 2001)
Some bands just don't seem to want to become famous and known to the
entire world, and the German Grabnebelfursten is one of them. The
little information I have on the band is that they have apparently
released a mini-CD called "Sakralasthetik" on the German label Last
Episode prior to this. This band definitely deserves more attention
than they are willing to draw to themselves, because their brand of
black metal is quite unique, exciting and varied. Their music is very
atmospheric and melodic and the vast range of vocal styles used on
this album is rather impressive. They are not afraid to use keyboards
either, although this will automatically make them "trendy" in the
eyes of some Darkthrone fanatics. They are, however, far from
sounding like Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir, who would sound rather
mediocre without their symphonic arrangements. The closest you could
come to imagining the music of this album is as a mix between early
Cradle of Filth and Ancient Rites, although Grabnebelfursten is a lot
rawer and less polished. These Germans will show the world that black
metal is far from dead and there are still new worlds to explore
musically. The only thing I don't understand is why a bigger label
hasn't picked them up, because this album deserves a lot more
attention than it has been given (which is practically none). Being a
German black metal band and writing their lyrics in German will
automatically make them nazis to some people, but I think those
people need to open their minds and realize that the world is not as
easy to predict as they apparently would want it to be. If you enjoy
atmospheric black metal, then I definitely think you should check out
this band, even though that is not the easiest thing to do at the
moment...
Contact: http://welcome.to/ketzer/
Gravewuerm - _Ancient Storms of War_ (Barbarian Wrath, 2000)
by: Matthias Noll (8 out of 10)
Gravewuerm from the US of America sound old. Sounding "old" these
days mainly seems to have the meaning of either worshipping Black
Sabbath, Celtic Frost or (German) thrash metal. While _Ancient Storms
of War_ has no connection whatsoever to Black Sabbath or thrash, it
sounds as if it could have been a record that got worshipped by
Thomas Gabriel Fischer when he decided to use the pseudonym Satanic
Slaughter. _Ancient Storms of War_ achieves no less than to plausibly
come across as if it had a strong influence on the Hellhammer and
Bathory debuts. The musicianship here is certainly nothing to get
excited about: the guitar work borders on debility and the drummer is
content with handling the most basic rhythmic challenges, while the
bass simply follows the guitar lines. Still, the aptly named sinister
foursome of Tyrant, Blood, Massacre and Funeral has created a rather
unique and surprisingly impressive piece of work, which in its
simplicity never exceeds what can be found on tracks like Venom's "In
League With Satan". Short, raw, to the point, mostly in the slow to
mid-tempo range, and grooving like Hell. A connection to what today
is considered black metal can be made via the rasping vocal style,
the ultra lo-fi recording and the buzzsaw guitar which rips and tears
like Quorthon's hellaxe anno 1984. The fact that a couple of the
sixteen short songs simply fade in and/or out gives this release an
even more obscure atmosphere -- as if the material had been taken
from demo tapes where some passages which couldn't get restored
simply got left out. With their approach Gravewuerm almost border on
parody, but what they created with _Ancient Storms of War_ isn't
laughable. This is Neanderthal metal: no beauty, no finesse, no
noteworthy skills, just a big, stinking half-ape half-human creature
crushing your skull with a rock.
Green Carnation - _Light of Day, Day of Darkness_
by: Aaron McKay (9.5 out of 10) (Prophecy / The End, January 2002)
Fervency slaloms through Green Carnation as the Nile navigates near
Burundi, its canopied source. Richly laden tracks filled with
emotion bury the listener under feelings of cavernous despondency,
but simultaneously addictive, hard-fought passages beg insatiable
satisfaction. Perfectly layered, ex-Emperor bassist (post Mortiis),
Tchort, and Carpathian Forest / In the Woods... drummer, Anders
Kobro, realize virtue in their playing by way of an exhaustively
dense sound taking the form of _Light of Day, Day of Darkness_.
Nearly limitless tracks and samples comprise this solitary release to
achieve the goal of luxuriant density so lavished throughout this
effort it burdens the heart. It is nearly impossible to not get lost
within the ingenuity of this offering. Clean vocals purify the
sound and arresting movements in Green Carnation's music is almost
extrasensory. I've never uttered the phrase "stunning metaphysical"
before, but this band of darkly aristocratic metal musicians would
bend even the most enlightened Borknagar song in half when faced with
Green Carnation's quiescent power. Oh... did I mention that this
entire CD is one track totaling an hour plus? _Light of Day, Day of
Darkness_ is a vision of excellency and a total conceptual odyssey of
the likes I have never bore witness!
[Pedro Azevedo: "Ambitious this record certainly is, but it suffers
from two problems. First, the lack of a consistently good
atmosphere, which derives from the attempt to create a wide spectrum
of moods throughout the disc. And second, the presence of a few
rather pedestrian riffs and weaker passages in this hour-long
composition does not help the overall listenability of the album --
which is lower than that of, say, Edge of Sanity's _Crimson_. The
album is lavishly produced and performed, and clearly a vast amount
of work went into planning and creating it. There is plenty of
quality material here -- some of it is indeed excellent -- and it is
a considerable improvement on the band's debut [CoC #52]. However,
its listenability and consistency would have greatly benefited from
a fair bit of trimming."]
Horde of Worms - _Wormageddon_ (Bloodbucket Prod., January 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10)
Although this EP is a mere 11 minutes (a raucous and unnecessary
hidden track which is revealed after a few minutes silence pushes the
length up to just under 17 minutes), Horde of Worms manage to pack
more hatred, more speed and greater intensity into those 11 minutes
than some bands manage to do over the course of a full-length. These
self-styled purveyors of Canadian blast metal provide four songs of
hyper-fast blackened riffing underlaid by ferocious blastbeats,
creating a powerful and memorable listening experience. There is
sufficient variation in speed and intensity to ensure that even if
this was a proper full-length album, monotony and subsequently
boredom would be unlikely to make an appearance. The vokills (this
dumb pun fits in with the excruciatingly weak pun of the title --
they must have been influenced by the Cradle of Filth CD booklets)
alternate between death growls and ear-piercing black metal screams.
I can't really think of any negative aspects of this album, except
perhaps the length, which is far too short, and the inclusion of the
aforementioned completely unnecessary "bonus" track. It's debatable
whether Horde of Worms would be able to create material of such speed
and quality over the course of a full-length, but hopefully they will
put that argument to rest with the recording of a follow-up
full-length.
Contact: Bloodbucket Prod., 1 Anglesey Boulevard, Suite B,
Islington, Ontario M9A 3B2, Canada
Contact: mailto:wormy_2@hotmail.com
Human Eve - _Children_ (<Independent>, 2001)
by: Adrian Bromley (2 out of 10)
Two-man Mexican project Human Eve needs to figure out one main
ingredient into their music before they can go on: production. The
recording of this six-song death metal outing is horrendous. It
sounds like it was recorded on a cassette player. The drums sound
weak, the guitar is annoying and the vocals have a distant echo which
gets annoying about two songs in. Granted some of the guitar work is
pretty good (I mean, I couldn't play it!) but not enough to save this
wreckage. This release is weak on so many angles. I hope they get a
better budget next time, or at least know when a studio has ripped
them off.
Contact: mailto:arziel77@hotmail.com
Hypnos - _The Revenge Ride_ (Morbid, September 2001)
by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10)
In little over a year, this Czech band progressed a good distance for
a staunchly death metal act: _The Revenge Ride_ -- Hypnos' second
album in less years of existence -- is a comfortingly competent death
metal album which owes by far its heaviest debt to Carcass. When
Hypnos' self-titled debut EP [CoC #48] evidenced their arise from the
cleaving-in-two of long-time Czech death metal beacon Krabathor,
all it really proved on its own was that Bruno and Pegas --
bassist/vocalist and drummer respectively -- were keeping the rough,
aggressive death-pounding approach of their former band on minimal
life support with few visitors allowed to affect its character.
_In Blood We Trust_ [CoC #51] affirmed that Hypnos were not
about to take the easier road to success in their native country
by blueprinting themselves on American death/grind: _TRR_ is the
confident follow-through of that first defiant blow against local
trends. It is obvious that through practice Hypnos have sharpened
themselves into a tighter, more-technically-able unit; Harris Johns'
production, mastered at Morrisound, preserves instrumental clarity
while giving individual elements their appropriate power. Hypnos'
progression on a purely technical level has been simultaneous with a
progression in the quality of their songs -- but unfortunately Hypnos
have too often chosen to forgo being original in favour of liberally
borrowing from their predecessors. In fact, it's substantially only
Carcass that Hypnos have borrowed directly from, but this is more
than enough to neuter praise for _TRR_ as a -Hypnos- album. To put it
simply: though much of _TRR_ is good, too many of its best bits are
bits of _Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious_ regurgitated in
more or less their original form. Solo breaks like the one on
"Endorsed by Satan" are where this can be most obviously heard --
though more than a hint of the British legends' riff style now
accents the bulk of Hypnos' music. As you can tell from the mark I've
awarded them, Hypnos' failure to define themselves apart and -ahead-
of their predecessors does not mean that _TRR_ is an unenjoyable
listen -- on the contrary, the _Necroticism_-esque solos are probably
my favourite bits of _TRR_. However, as with Exhumed's albums, too
much of the enjoyment of Hypnos 2001 is the -real- work of other
bands: Hypnos will have to be more original and individual if they
want to prove themselves to be an original death metal band of
individual note.
Hypocrisy - _10 Years of Chaos and Confusion_ (Nuclear Blast, 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (10 out of 10)
Some days the stars align, you hit the mother load and you discover
Summoning! Other days you know Hypocrisy intends to release an album
and you know you aren't serviced by the band's label -- SHIT! So I
did what any red blooded Tagtgren fan would do: I pre-ordered _10
Years of Chaos and Confusion_. Never dissatisfied with anything this
man seems to do from Pain to The Abyss, I found myself totally
enraptured by Peter Tagtgren and Hypocrisy's newest double, best of
compilation. Everything from the production (of course!) to the song
selection to the pictures included in the inlay booklet to the belch
at the one minute thirty-two second mark on the 2001 re-recorded
"Osculum Obscenum" -- this package deal is beyond words. It doesn't
stop there, either. The second CD provides an unprecedented glimpse
into the very core of Hypocrisy's soul. Demo material from '91 and
'92, including "God Is a Lie", "Suffering Souls", "To Escape Is
to Die", "Nightmare" and "Left to Rot", are best left to your
imagination until you bear witness to the raw creativity of it all
for yourself. Is that everything? No! There are CD-ROM video clips
for six tracks from spanning 1992 through 1997, culminating with "The
Final Chapter"; all this manually projecting Hypocrisy's genius in
case you found yourself too stupefied to do so under your own
capacity. So that's it... not exactly. As a bonus on disc two,
Hypocrisy delivers a new studio track for your pleasure. It is
titled "Turn the Page" (no, not the Bob Seger one). I will
give boisterous kudos the guys for the excellent work on the
other re-recorded tracks on _10YoCaC_: "Penetralia", "The Fourth
Dimension", "Apocalypse" (with its impeccable bass), "Left to Rot"
and "Pleasure of Molestation". If you are as big of a fan as I am of
Peter's re-recorded material -- I am thinking of "Roswell 47" off of
_Death... Is Just the Beginning IV_ -- then _10 Years of Chaos and
Confusion_ should have already been in your player ten minutes ago.
Hypocrisy is the unchallenged in the field. Magnificent work,
gentlemen!
Impaled Nazarene - _Absence of War Does Not Mean Peace_
by: Alvin Wee (9 out of 10) (Osmose, 2001)
Impaled Nazarene albums are hitting the shelves faster than a Krisiun
blastbeat these days, and it's a wonder how sloppiness never creeps
in. In fact, _Absence..._ marks the Finnish combo's turn towards the
tighter, thrashier side of things, achieving the perfect combination
between _Show No Mercy_-era Slayer and Mika's original blackened
tendencies. Kicking things off with a nerve-tingling martial/mystical
intro, the band wastes no time in laying their cards on the
table with the furiously thrashing title track. Wildly melodic yet
terrifically headbang-inducing scorchers like "The Lost Art of Goat
Sacrificing" and "Humble Fuck of Death" owe more to classic '80s
metal than the nuclear black metal the band is better known for. The
abundance of killer solos and harmonic riffing on the album proves
you don't need to go the Children of Bodom way to pay real tribute to
the old metal gods, and the band's ability to retain their extreme
aspect while wholeheartedly rocking-out is downright awe-inspiring.
As usual, the band showcase their knack for writing catchy, epic
slower tracks (remember "Blood Is Thicker Than Water"?) on "Never
Forgive", but the killer blow comes at the end with the all-out
death/thrash blasting of the 15-second "Satan Wants You Dead"
followed instantly by the album's most rock-and-roll track polishing
things off to a deliciously neck-breaking finish. A potential
classic, kicking dirt in the face of all the Finnish melodic acts --
and did I mention the killer cover?
Infidel? / Castro! - _Case Studies in Bioentropy_
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) (<Independent>, 2002)
Not only do Colin Marston and George Korein have a good thing going
here with the unique sounds of the Infidel? / Castro! release _CSiB_,
but the sky is the limit with what they can do or how they can
progress the band in the future. So what do they sound like? The
website for the band says "an indecisive amalgam of metadelusional
frequencies spawned from the depths of two twitching, tangled neuron
masses". In short, it is a serious mindfuck! Take the bizarre sounds
/ styles of bands like Karaboudjan, Old Man Gloom, Soma and many of
the same ilk and complexity, and mash it all together, drain the
heavy production values and add in some electronic tinkering here and
there (check out "Mobius") and you have the music of Infidel? /
Castro!. Far from a detonating, sonic assault, Infidel? / Castro!
makes a statement with its tranquil, at times flow and create segues
into new numbers. An interesting realm of musical exploration that
many should try to stumble upon in the next little while.
Contact: mailto:cjm246@nyu.edu
http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cjm246/
Internal Bleeding - _Alien Breed (1991-2001)_ (Olympic, 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10)
In anticipation of their upcoming release, _Hateful_, due out this
year, Internal Bleeding decided to remind us what it is like to beat
about the head and chest with pummeling rhythm after pummeling
rhythm. Infectious riffs plague this compilation enough to make
Dying Fetus sit up and take notice. Crunchy and overwhelmingly
fat, tight playing is an extraordinary large feather in Internal
Bleeding's, er... skull cap. (?) All fourteen tracks on this release
have elements of the riff-heavy "Murky Waters" mosh segment from
Testament's _Demonic_ album, including the new song, "Alien Breed".
Having only known IB since their second effort, _The Extinction of
Benevolence_, I can hear consistency and progression all through
_Alien Breed (1991 - 2001)_. In my estimation, with bands like
Fleshgrind and Macabre, Olympic Records is the natural home for
Internal Bleeding. If you were unfamiliar with this New York
five-piece before, I'd probably get to know 'em a bit. Chances are
you'll be hearing a lot about them really soon.
Judas Iscariot - _To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding_
by: Aaron McKay (4 out of 10) (Red Stream, 2002)
Sometimes my expectancy supercedes reality where bands that I enjoy
are concerned. Such seems to be the case with Judas Iscariot.
Normally, the arrival of a new Akhenaten offering would set me on
Cloud 9 for weeks, but _To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding_ sure fell a
few "clouds" short of that. Where JI of the past filled a void with
yet more frigid obscurity, this release merely claws at a freezer
door like a toddler after a grape popsicle. Look back upon CoC #54,
#53, #50 and #47 if you think Judas Iscariot has not been the
beneficiary of mostly positive press by this zine. While I take issue
with some comments and opinions (sorry, Alvin), fans of black metal
must know that living up to expectations for a band's next release is
arduous, at best; few will argue that point. While I am in favor of
Akhenaten's openness about the error toward the beginning of "Where
Eagles Cry and Vultures Laugh", track after track _To Embrace the
Corpses Bleeding_ seems to be reaching for former glory. Too much
presumptuous insolence seeps into this album. The CD inlay stands as
a pretty good testament to that, but the music sets that attitude to
music in yet another way completely. While black metal is riddled
with this type of disposition (obviously), JI manipulates it on
_TEtCB_ in a way that has simply been worn to death. I've heard
Akhenaten do better and I am fully aware of his skill and proficiency
because I've been witness to it previously. I can offer little advice
concerning improvement I personally would have made if I possessed an
aptitude on par with Akhenaten. That having been said, I might
suggest to say grab hold of the splendor set forth on "The Dead Burst
Forth From Their Tombs" and "I Awoke to a Night of Pain and Carnage"
while filtering that innovation through the _Heaven in Flames_ [CoC
#47] skillful musicianship, and your next offering, Akhenaten, will
be an effort in black metal accuracy, for certain!
Judas Priest - _Sin After Sin_ (originally released in 1977)
Judas Priest - _Stained Class_ (originally released in 1978)
Judas Priest - _Hell Bent for Leather_ (originally released in 1979)
Judas Priest - _Unleashed in the East_ (originally released in 1979)
by: Adrian Bromley (8, 9, 9 and 9 out of 10)
I'll be the first to admit, I was never a -huge- Judas Priest fan
growing up -- but I was a fan. I had a few of the earlier albums, and
_Screaming for Vengeance_ has always been my favourite disc of their
long-running career. While things look a little rough right now for
the band (thanks to the lame _Demolition_ offering), it is nice that
the band has got back into the vaults and remastered and fixed up
their back catalogue with some great liner notes, packaging and
production. Hmmm... could this be a ploy to divert us from the awful
results of the new disc? Maybe, who knows? Anyway, here we are with
round two of the re-issues of their classic albums (_Sin After Sin_,
_Stained Class_, _Hell Bent for Leather_ and Unleashed in the East_)
and the diversity couldn't be any better than this. Their 1977
Columbia Records debut _Sin After Sin_ still sounds good, even better
with the remastering. Rob Halford's vocals are crystal clear as they
echo above the pounding drive of the band's rhythm section through
numbers like "Let Us Prey / Call for the Priest", "Starbreaker" and
the classic opener "Sinner...". All of the re-issues come with
unreleased and live rarities; this album features the blistering
stomp of "Race With the Devil" -- a great gem indeed. Now onto the
leather! Revved up and ready to go, Priest's _Stained Class_ is a
truly classic metal album that reeks of power and passion. From the
opening number of "Exciter", onto the title track and "Beyond the
Realms of Death", _Stained Class_ delivers a satisfying rock 'n' roll
experience. The re-issue comes with a live recording of the Spooky
Tooth cover "Better by You, Better Than Me" and the rare 'n' raw
sounds of "Fire Burns Below". The band continued to pump out albums
in the late '70s: _Hell Bent for Leather_, which followed the
well-received _Stained Class_, was just another solid album that
would once again prove Judas Priest was a rock 'n' roll killing
machine. This was a no holds barred album that was reckless, loud and
brash. No apologies for anything that went on and the fans of Priest
loved it. No doubt after the success of the past few releases, Priest
just turned the notch up another few levels and proceeded to kick
fans' asses with songs like the title track, "Delivering the Goods",
"Killing Machine" and "Running Wild". And oh man, the re-issue
features an intense unreleased track called "Fight for Your Life" and
a totally crushing live version of "Riding on the Wind" (from
_Screaming for Vengeance_.) _HBfL_ set the bar for metal records, and
even though it wasn't always my fave disc, it certainly is the one of
the toughest Priest albums. Closing out the re-issues is the live
album _Unleashed in the East_, and in my opinion, one of the best
live albums -ever-! This live album, which was recorded in Japan
during the Killing Machine / Hell Bent for Leather tour, features all
the Priest classics ("Sinner", "Victim of Changes" and "Exciter") and
just sounds so awesome. It really captures the live sound and the
explosive live performance that Priest has always been known for. It
is a fun live record that just rolls along with an intense passion
and drive. Wickedly fun to listen to after all these years! The
re-issue features extra live material from the same show, including
heavy versions of great Priest songs like "Rock Forever", my fave
"Delivering the Goods", "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Starbreaker".
This re-issue is especially good, adding more material to the already
blistering live set. Listening to these albums after all of these
years, as well as already cranking the first set of re-issues --
_British Steel_ (1980), _Point of Entry_ (1981), _Screaming for
Vengeance_ (1982) and _Defenders of the Faith_ (1984) -- one can't
deny the impact that Priest has had on the metal music scene. And
even after years of the metal scene going through changes, you can
always come back to Priest and know when and where and who you were
with when you first heard these albums. That, my metal friend, is a
great experience to re-discover. So yeah, Priest delivered the goods
back then and they will continue to do so -- even if the new album is
a tosser! Good news, folks: one more set of re-issues on the way in
early 2002 to round out the Priest classics. Save your money for
Priest. Up next: _Turbo_ (1986), _Priest... Live!_ (1987), _Ram it
Down_ (1988) and _Painkiller_ (1990).
Lux Occulta - _The Mother and the Enemy_ (Maquiavel, January 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10)
Most discs on the market today tend to fit snuggly into some category
or another, or else sound like a combination of a couple of
styles. Of course some other albums go a bit further in terms of
experimentation and avantgarde tendencies as well, with greatly
varying degrees of success. However, after five years of reviewing
music for CoC, still once in a long time a record comes along that
leaves me quite bewildered by its sheer complexity and uniqueness.
Lux Occulta's fourth full-length effort _The Mother and the Enemy_ is
one such record. It is perhaps useful to mention at this point that
Lux Occulta have always tended to be a rather unique band, with the
possible exception of their second album _Dionysos_. But saying that
_The Mother and the Enemy_ simply builds upon what experimentation
could be found on its predecessor _My Guardian Anger_ [CoC #48] is
quite an understatement. It might even appear that way until
track five, though. The first three tracks after the brief intro
(titled "Breathe In") show you what you will believe to be the
new Lux Occulta -- that is until "Yet Another Armageddon" comes
along to start proving that you were only seeing the tip of the
proverbial iceberg. Those initial tracks, in their uniquely jagged,
jazzy and progressive extreme metal style, resemble a reasonably
expectable follow-up to _My Guardian Anger_: more inventive, even if
overall slightly less powerful, but still very dynamic. Then "Yet
Another Armageddon" arrives, with sombre, ethereal female chanting,
atmospheric sound effects and a background beat, not entirely
dissimilar to a very dark Portishead. This track really comes as one
of the most surprising moments I can remember coming across in a long
time while listening to an album for the first time, in the sense
that it is so damn unexpected -- and very good as well. "Gambit" then
contributes to the mix a more electronic/industrial-sounding broken
dirge that brought to my mind some elements of Thorns. Not bad at
all, but a bit too long. And then, when you expected Lux Occulta's
more "normal" style to return, "Midnight Crisis" instead goes back
to the dark, melancholic female-led style akin to "Yet Another
Armageddon", completing a remarkable 16 minute long intermezzo that
seems almost unrelated to the rest of the album, and yet somehow
manages to fit in nicely. Only afterwards does the style found in the
early tracks reappear, in the form of "Pied Piper" and "Missa
Solemnis". The latter goes into an ambient-esque passage
midway
through, combining ghostly chants with varied sound effects and what
sounds to me like a saxophone in the background -- but that is just
an example of the kind of unpredictable creativity you will find in
this record. "Breathe Out" then melancholically closes the album with
more atmospheric beats, saxophone and female vocals. The jazzy
touches, the ambient passages, the electronic innuendos, all combined
with Lux Occulta's vibrant extreme metal and the more subdued parts
with female vocals, result in one of the most original albums I have
come across in a very long time indeed. The production on the metal
tracks is a bit disappointing, and all the complexity and variety may
become somewhat tiresome on occasion; but after sufficient listens,
_The Mother and the Enemy_ can also become a very enjoyable
collection of music, as long as you are able to take in a lot of
different styles being skillfully performed and blended into quite a
unique album.
Contact: http://www.maquiavelmusic.com
Metalucifer - _Heavy Metal Chainsaw_ (R.I.P. Records, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (8.5 out of 10)
The cover photo is bad enough (a photo of the leather clad vocalist
holding a chainsaw above a prone body), and the lyrics are laughable
(like this gem from "Flight of Iron Pegasus": "Time for the final
battle is now / You will burn on Heavy Metal's might / Only Metal
hearts will survive now"). Plus they perform true metal, a genre
which easily lends itself to ridicule (send hate mail to the above
address). But despite everything against this release -- and make no
mistake, there is a lot --, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Not a
single dud. My pet hates of true metal -- namely falsetto screams and
interminable guitar solos -- are present, but they are used sparingly
and do not litter the album, thereby destroying the songs. In fact,
the guitar solos do at times enhance the song rather than act
as a mere springboard for self-indulgent fretboard onanism. The
aforementioned "Flight of the Iron Pegasus" is actually my favourite
track on the album, and the record as a whole has spent a fair amount
of time in my CD player. Their contagious (not to mention blatantly
obvious!) love for heavy metal definitely contributes to my enjoyment
of this album. Sure, it's cheesy at times, but it's nevertheless
thoroughly enjoyable. Recommended for everybody, not just true metal
fans. Take it from someone who normally does not give a shit about
any releases from this genre.
Contact: R.I.P. Records, PO Box 41182, Chicago Il. 60641, USA
mailto:riprecords@hotmail.com
Misteltein - _Divine. Desecrate. Complete_
by: David Rocher (8.5 out of 10) (No Fashion, December 2001)
Wariness is usually a commendable virtue when approaching symphonic
black metal releases nowadays -- the trademark "Cradle of Borgir"
tones which have flooded the extreme metal milieu have alas done
little to maintain decent originality and quality standards within
this genre. Misteletein's 2000 debut release, _Rape in Rapture_,
despite suffering from a striking lack of originality, somehow stood
out amidst the corpse-painted mass of symphonic releases, owing to
the diffuse, yet very tangible, mean twist which these Swedes
so successfully mesh into each of their tracks. In fact, this
distinctive bite actually managed to get my attention off the asinine
paramusical black metal gimmicks which Misteltein tend to indulge in
-- conceited names, bad corpsepaint and disputably evil attitudes.
Although this feature has sadly not changed with _Divine. Desecrate.
Complete_, Misteltein's addictive, envenomed sting has grown far
more conspicuous with this release; _D.D.D_ is a mean, aggressive
synthetic-laden blackened release, which cleverly doesn't rely on
being merely "symphonic" -- just as the haunting siren-like keys
on the baleful opener "Thy Kingdom Cum" testify to. In fact,
Misteletein's use of keyboards is quite remarkable -- adding a
clever touch of atmosphere at times, gracing a forlorn melody with
touching beauty at others, "Orchestral Demonsummoner" Hel also
cleverly enhances this blasphemous outfit's music with a truly
unhallowed, disturbing touch. Obviously, inevitable Dimmu Borgir
influences shine through and through at times, but the shape-shifting
rhythmic section, backed up by the impressive drummer (sorry, I
meant "Necropulser") Karagat brilliantly lashes out with aggressive,
roaring and nonetheless at times truly canorous melodies inspired by
a variety of styles and emotions -- whether "standard" black metal
segues, Morbid Angel-influenced heaviness or typically Scandinavian
aggression. Recorded in the famed Berno studios (early Crown of
Thorns may be an apt reference here), this harsh, varied release
should, I hope, help shed some (black) light on a deserving, somewhat
different "symphonic" black metal outfit, amidst a genre which is
sadly monopolised by Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir.
[Paul Schwarz: "Though they bear stylistic comparison to Dimmu Borgir
& Cradle of Filth, Misteltein have, describing it crudely, a more
"underground" overall sound. _D.D.C_ does not lack pleasingly
biting, brutal, atmospheric and even curiously jagged passages --
though it does lack vibrancy. Leaving aside the 'we are total
evil'-type presentation, _D.D.C_ is good album though its stylistic
manner is better represented by Dornenreich's _Her Von Welken
Nachten_, in my opinion."]
Mork Gryning - _Maelstrom Chaos_ (No Fashion, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (6.5 out of 10)
I'll be honest, I have had precious little exposure to Mork Gryning's
earlier material. Most of what I -have- heard comes from casual
contact with the band's efforts and whatnot. _Maelstrom Chaos_
grabbed me from a patently vibrant standpoint, I will confess. This
trio -- comprised of Goth Gorgon (keyboards, guitars, lead/backing
vocals), Draakh Kimera (drums, lead/backing vocals, guitars and
keyboards) and Avatar (lead/rhythm guitars and backing vocals) --
inspired a similar, but admittedly less potent tone, as The Abyss
upon cursory listens. Subsequently, I'd have to say the wicked
skillful guitar Mork Gryning employs invokes feelings of an In Flames
or A Canorous Quintet meets Old Man's Child (another personal
favorite -- especially _Pagan Prosperity_). After harvesting exposure
from greats like Dan Swano and Tomas Skogsberg on earlier efforts,
Mork Gryning pushed forward into the grasp of unadulterated confusion
with their newest effort _Maelstrom Chaos_. If you think you've heard
it all, I'm sure this outfit can make a believer out of even
the staunchest critic with _MC_'s eleven excruciating tacks of
bewilderment. Few will doubt Mork Gryning's power on _Maelstrom
Chaos_, I'd think, but with a lack of overindulgent melody, with "My
Fiends" at track six being an exception, this band is heading in a
more intensely searing direction -- not wholly unenjoyable, but not
their strongest suit either. Consuming in its raw energy, I'd say
more songs to the contrary like "My Friends" and "The Darkness
Within" would secure Mork Gryning a much more visible seat on the
black metal dais where I'd prefer them to be.
Mytile Vey Lorth - _Mytile Vey Lorth_ (<Independent>, 2001)
by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10)
There is no doubt in my mind that Australian doom/blackened death
band Mytile Vey Lorth had a lot of good intentions assembling this
six-song release, but in the long run the seven-piece seems to be
tripping over each other's musical delivery. There seems to be too
much going on with this album, tossing and turning through genre
styles, easily weakening the musical binds of the album's material.
The album starts off promising with "Visions" and features one hell
of a song within "Betrayed and Taken", but by the time you get to the
somewhat sped up / doomy stride of "Beyond the Bitter Mists", the
life of this metal outfit seems to have dissipated. Some cool
atmospheric work can be found here, but not enough to push the mark
any higher up than it is. No doubt the band means business, as they
are eager to impress; let's just hope next time this band comes out
bit more focused and not as jumbled.
Contact: mailto:mytileveylorth@hotmail.com
http://www.mytileveylorth.com
Naglfar - _Ex Inferis_ (Century Media, November 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10)
_Ex Inferis_ is a collection of the old and the new: two new songs, a
cover of Massacre's "Dawn of Eternity" and two songs from the _When
Autumn Storms Come_ 7". Considering the above, along with the fact
that their last full-length _Diabolical_ [CoC #35] was released in
1998, this is obviously a stop-gap EP to keep the fans' interest
alive. Unlike many other EPs released for the same purpose, this CD
is actually interesting and holds your attention. Naglfar display
some unexpected restraint on their second new song, "Emerging From
Her Weepings", introducing a piano interlude midway through the song.
Otherwise you are not allowed to breathe for even a minute. Fast,
furious and aggressive, the CD opens with "Of Gorgons Spawned Through
Witchcraft" -- everything you would expect from Naglfar. This is
followed by the Massacre cover: an alright song but not as good as
their original material. Still, it does have its function in that it
serves to highlight the strength of their own original work. As a
rule I am ambivalent towards EPs: while they may and frequently do
contain some good songs, all too often they are merely a money making
exercise. So even though I have enjoyed this EP and the music is
definitely above average, I still have my doubts about whether it
would be a worthwhile purchase. As with any CD, but especially with
this one, I'd suggest listening before buying.
Necrodeath - _Black as Pitch_ (Scarlet / The End, 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (9.5 out of 10)
After only the second time these Italian deviants' new effort spun in
my CD player, I was a fan. Thanks to The End Records, I was able to
finally enjoy this powerhouse's infinite rhythmic brutality. Maybe it
was Necrodeath having again recorded at the Underground Studios in
Sweden, or maybe it was their use of producer Pelle Saether (Carnal
Forge, Terror 2000) -- and then again it could be a masterful
stroke of brilliance upon the heels of the decade of anticipation
before _Mater of All Evil_, but whatever the contrivance this band
employs... it WORKS! Catchy riffs and unabashed potency flow from
this band like Niagara Falls in the rainy season. If it takes four
albums to create an effort like this, I might just as well begin
listening to bands after their junior offering -- _Black as Pitch_ is
that wicked fuckin' severe. If eleven tracks of all out groove-laden
metal potency don't have you thrashing your skull, you're dead --
believe me, I mean stone cold fuckin' dead! I refuse to dissect a
piece as flawless as _Black as Pitch_ any further for fear my
critic's insecurities will force me to uncover a nonexistent flaw.
_Black as Pitch_ is not a recommendation -- it is a requirement!
[Alvin Wee: "Nothing less than what I expected from these Italian
legends. Their brand of controlled mayhem blows away the bunch of
new pretenders like Krisiun any day. Old-school to the core and full
of neck-damaging thrashiness, but with all the updated brutality
needed to make an impact in today's flooded scene. One of the most
astounding releases of 2001 for sure."]
Nephasth - _Unholy Immortal Triumph_ (Mighty Music, 2001)
by: Matthias Noll (6.5 out of 10)
It's good to see so many Brazilian bands around these days. It's not
good to see that the ones I'm aware of all sound so close to each
other. While in my opinion Rebaelliun are currently the leader of the
pack and have at least managed to release the album Krisiun should
have done after _Conquerors of Armageddon_, Abhorrence sound like a
total, slightly weaker Krisiun clone to me. Nephasth do also sound
undeniably "Brazilian", but have worked a bit more to leave their own
fingerprints than just offering ten unreleased Krisiun tracks with a
different logo. Sure, Nephasth know how to blast like Krisiun, but
they don't do that over the course of a full song or a whole record.
They come up with far more breaks, do regularly slow down to what was
called "fast" before blast beats became the norm, even reduce speed
to mid-tempo sometimes and have learned a trick or two from
Suffocation. The desire to keep things interesting is obvious
throughout _UIT_ and Nephasth manage to keep all ten tracks nicely
short and rather unforeseeable and diverse. Brazilian death metallers
seem to spend quite some time practising and Nephasth's technical
skills are indeed very good; in addition, _UIT_ has a dry, decent
production. The vocals -- you guessed it -- sound like any other
band I mentioned here and are probably the least remarkable part
of _UIT_. Despite some quality that's certainly present on this
record, it still falls into the overcrowded category of professional
and aggressive releases which fail to be exciting and ultimately
satisfying. Only die hard death metal enthusiasts or people with a
neverending appetite for the Brazilian style should seek out this
record. I have no doubt that Nephasth are still hungry and willing as
well as able to improve. Maybe we're all in for a surprise next time
around.
Night in Gales - _Necrodynamic_ (Massacre, 2002)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
I'm a little on the fence with this new album. This is a much
different album than the German band's last offering, the criminally
underrated _Nailwork_ (2000) and even further from the heavy drive of
_Thunderbeast_ (1998), but things go on for Night in Gales and they
still have some pretty decent ideas up their sleeves to make
_Necrodynamic_ an interesting spin. Whether it be the hyper-kinetic
groove of "Doomdrugged" or the rampant wild-side of songs like
"Blackelectric" and "Song of Something", the band makes an effort to
bring melody into the death metal equation -- maybe a tad too much at
times. I like singer Bjorn Goosses vocals, but it sounds a little
forced to work alongside the thrusting drive of the album's material.
Musically, the band has evolved since the earlier days, taking on
more of a The Haunted / Witchery type speed angle, kind of recklessly
turning up the amps and cranking out whatever they can play faster. I
like the new disc quite a bit, but I miss the melodic death metal
flow (a la In Flames / Dark Tranquillity) of their previous stuff.
I'll accept the change for now, but I won't be toe tapping to
everything on _Necrodynamic_. Some of it, well, irritates me.
Nightly Gale - _...And Jesus Wept_ (Pagan, June 2001)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
Nightly Gale are a Polish doom band who have a unique, eclectic
sound. Their website calls their style "dark suicidal doom", though I
find that somewhat misleading. The majority of the music is slow,
atmospheric, keyboard-enhanced doom with either screamed or somber
clean vocals. It isn't particularly "dark" or "suicidal", though
there certainly are parts which could be described as such. However,
they cover enough different sounds and change them often enough that
no one sound dominates their music. The sections vary from a sound
similar to the industrial soundscapes of Brighter Death Now to a more
traditional gothic rock / metal sound to mid-'90s atmospheric
death to almost Burzum-like black metal and everywhere in between.
They throw in a few questionable twists here and there, such as
bluesy wah-wah guitar solos and jazz/fusion keyboard solos, an
electronica/trance beat, and some horns. But the music doesn't
rigorously adhere to any particular genre, so such touches don't seem
as out of place as you might think. Somewhat surprisingly, the songs
flow pretty well, which makes their long running times (the five
songs clock in at just over an hour, and the shortest is 9:16) seem
much shorter. This is an interesting release, and should be enjoyed
by adventurous and open-minded doom fans.
Occult - _Rage to Revenge_ (Painkiller, 2001)
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)
This is one eagerly anticipated slab after Painkiller sent us the
face-ripping promo-single (_Violence and Hatred_) a few months back.
Expect more of the same hair-raising mayhem on this full-length
ritual; like most all Dutch death metal combos, Occult seem to have a
knack for churning out bucketfuls of clench-fisted riffs without
lapsing into the monotony of countless play-as-fast-as-you-can
deathsters. Distinctly _Necroticism_-era Carcass (the twin vocals
don't help either), _RtR_ may not rank high on the originality chart,
but that doesn't stop it from grabbing you by the throat from
the very outset with blazing old-school riffs whizzing past like
machine-gun fire. Take a faster, less tongue-in-cheek version of
_Necroticism_, throw in a bunch of headbang-inducing thrash riffs,
and you can imagine the punch this little 35-minute scorcher packs.
Musicianship is as tight as you could ask for -- crucial for such an
intense album -- and the fluent songwriting reflects the decade or so
of experience this combo has behind them. Certainly an album to put
them alongside other Dutch greats like Pentacle, Asphyx and God
Dethroned, and worthy of the four or five formats Painkiller is
planning on releasing it in.
Contact: http://www.painkiller-records.com
Phobia - _Serenity Through Pain_ (Necropolis, November 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10)
One thing I can say convincingly about Phobia is that I have enjoyed
their work consistently since _Return to Desolation_ was released on
Relapse (Raymond Herrera from Fear Factory sitting in as a session
drummer didn't hurt either). Since then, this California four-piece
has seen their fair share of time on other labels, and they now
reside with Necropolis. Phobia's cross-section of madness and visible
music aptitude are a perfect mix. Speed and lavishly lustful riffs
pound out twenty-three versatile tracks of infinite radiance. Not
nearly as straightforward grindcore as, say, Napalm Death, but
savagely aggressive in their own right; Phobia isn't afraid to mix
things up. Samples befittingly pepper _Serenity Through Pain_ with an
uncommon style. In a genre of abused of (evil) exaggeration, Phobia
throws metal a not so unsuspected curve with intelligent commentary
on worldly matters (among other things) while still taking life with
the proverbial grain of salt; I can appreciate that kind of style.
Listen up for "Mental Incarceration", my favorite on this, Phobia's
latest. It embodies all the finest aspects of the band, from
change-ups to Pig Destroyer-like devastation, yet riddled with stingy
but addictive catchiness. I know these fuckers are capable of more
than just what I enjoy on _STP_ and I eagerly await the day they find
their predetermined calling -- then woe be us all! Ferocious shit
here and I like it...
Rampage - _Monolith to an Abandoned Past_ (Unsung Heroes, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10)
Following on the heels of 2000's Viking metal epic _Bellum Infinitum_
and a couple of black metal tracks on the _New World Blasphemy_ split
with Song of Melkor and Cross Sodomy, prolific one-man act Rampage
has now put those musical styles behind them with _MtaAP_, a
doom-based record. It would be a mistake to call this a doom record,
as Rampage has not managed to put these styles completely behind him,
and their influence, along with other musical styles, can be felt
throughout the album. For instance, while the opening track is
reminiscent of _Forest of Equilibrium_-era Cathedral with slow,
heavy, grieving guitars, the beginning of the following track reminds
one of the likes of My Dying Bride with its slow arpeggiated
guitar overlaying a more distorted guitar wailing mournfully in the
background. Here Rampage's experience in metal's various genres is
evident, as the second part of this song sounds more like Dio than My
Dying Bride. (It really isn't as bad as it sounds!) Two out of eight
songs are covers, one of which is a passable cover of Black Sabbath's
"Wheels of Confusion", its groove a far cry from the doomy riffs that
litter most of this album. The last track, which is simply indicated
with an ellipsis, is upon listening revealed as a cover of Mayhem's
classic "Funeral Fog". By far and away the heaviest, fastest song on
this album, it betrays Rampage's origins as a death/thrash band.
Despite all the various elements in the album, it is remarkably
coherent, largely because they represent a natural development of a
man inclined towards experimentation rather then a kitchen sink
approach to songwriting.
Contact: http://unsungheroesrecords.cjb.net
Running Wild - _The Brotherhood_ (Gun, 2002)
by: Alvin Wee (9 out of 10)
A welcome return to form for Rolf Kasparek and crew after two
less-than-satisfactory concept albums in the past few years.
Allegations of drummer Angelo Sasso being a drum machine are
unfounded, and while die-hards may miss the halcyon Jorg Michael
days, percussion on the new album can hardly be faulted for being
insipid like on _Victory_. Opener "Welcome to Hell" signals the
band's re-discovered knack for simple, fist-pumping riffs, but the
lack of the customary intro track must surely disappoint hordes of
hardcore fans. The next few tracks trot along at a surprisingly
laid-back pace, but traditional RW-epics like the title track and the
ten-minute Lawrence of Arabia-tribute "The Ghost" boast the memorable
leads we've come to expect from the band's better days, and certainly
herald an improvement over the forgettable material of _Victory_.
Strangely enough, Rolf's songwriting seems to have taken an
AC/DC-esque turn on a few tracks, which surprisingly sits comfortably
enough amidst the more traditional stuff. The aptly-titled "Pirate
Song" must be one of the most eagerly anticipated tracks in RW
history, and lives up to expectations as a -classic- RW anthem with
its simplistic power-chord riffing and sing-along chorus. Without
doubt the best track on the album, a surefire crowd-pleaser on stage,
and an instant classic that renews our wilting faith in the Captain.
Lackluster artwork aside, this album is the one the band's cult
following have been waiting for ever since 1995's _Masquerade_, and
deserves the attention less worthy Helloween clones have been getting
Stateside. It's also been said that the limited digipak edition is
the only version of the album worth buying; the two bonus tracks on
it are easily among the best on the album and it's a wonder they
aren't included in the main body.
Scholomance - _The Immortality Murder_ (The End, 2002)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
Scholomance's second album is a rather ambitious effort, a 2-CD
concept album. The first disc is similar in style to their debut [CoC
#36]: a fusion of the styles of early Dream Theater and later
Emperor. The vocals are black metal style raspy screams, and the
music is progressive metal played with a melodic black metal
aesthetic. Their progmetal roots poke through this black metal facade
in a few places, such as keyboard solos and tones and their flair for
flashy and flamboyant instrumental sections. In general, the music is
layered and complex, and it takes a few listens to really start to
get a handle on. Once you do, you'll find that the music is generally
quite good and surprisingly memorable. The playing is generally very
good, which is remarkable given the technicality of the material.
However, there is a big problem with the music, and it's the same one
that hampered their debut: the guitar solos. They sound cheap, the
playing is sometimes embarrassingly sloppy or inappropriate, and the
tone is terrible. It's a very hollow, Strat-like tone, and it's much
louder than the other instruments. This might not be so bad if the
rest of the music wasn't completely different. The rhythm guitars
have a very tight, solid tone, and the music as a whole has a solid,
compressed feel. Atop this background, the guitar solos stick out
like sore thumbs. The second disc contains instrumental versions of
some of the tracks from the first disc and some solo piano
interludes. The piano interludes are completely improvised and uncut,
which means that they meander about aimlessly, and are occasionally
sloppy. Those who don't have a problem with black metal vocals will
therefore find little in the second disc to interest them. But it is
interesting to hear de-vocalized versions of the songs, and the
complexity of the music is such that the songs hold up pretty well as
instrumentals. Overall, this is a good offering, but with a little
work on the production, could have been even better.
[Aaron McKay: "Penetrating like so many cryptic stares from the
uneducated, Scholomance is the epitome of masterful showmanship.
Skillful, but incredibly powerful arrangements complicate this
double disc set in such a way that your mind thirsts to swallow
the ingenuity whole! The intricacies of this woven progressive
orchestration are transcended only by the material itself.
Disc one's four movements, followed stupendously by four more
un-numerated tracks, seek to overpower the listener with all but too
much skillful radiance. Words fail to wholly encompass Scholomance,
but the second CD remains in a class by itself. If I were forced,
and I do mean -forced-, to put a term to this music phenomenon, I'd
call Scholomance "progressively complex aristocrat metal". Coming
from a true fan crossing the Viking Crown to Epoch of Unlight void,
Scholomance more than satisfies!"]
Sinckwhole - _Cease to Exist_ (<Independent>, 2001)
by: Adrian Bromley (2 out of 10)
Okay, you know what, I like Slipknot and I knew when the band was
starting to get big that dozens and dozens of bands like Sinckwhole
would come out of the woodwork and try to capitalize on the whole
aggro-rock / DJ scratching / heavy groove schtick. Well, after
hearing Sinckwhole, I hope all those bands go away and leave Slipknot
to finish their time in the spotlight. This is second-rate Slipknot
and fans should stick with the original. Awful "disturbed audio"
(scratching?) from a guy named Dunce. Some gullible kid out there
looking for heavy music will fall for this, not me. Their business
cards say: "Reversing the effect of modern music changing people's
lives." Whatever. Lame.
Contact: http://www.sinckwhole.com
Skullview - _Consequences of Failure_ (R.I.P. Records, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (4.5 out of 10)
I'm far from being considered the world's biggest lover of
traditional metal, but I fail to see how this album could appeal to
even the most die-hard fans of this genre. Overuse of high pitched
screams combined with a vocalist who is trying his best to sound like
Rob Halford does not a good album make. The most enjoyable song is
"The Archmage", the slow song pace of which prevents the use of inane
ear-piercing vocals. At less than two and a half minutes long, it is
the shortest song on the album. Guess that's how long the vocalist
could contain himself before bursting into falsetto. "Leviticas"
isn't too bad either, featuring a cool bass interlude despite
the Halfordisms. "Armed With an Axe", on the other hand, is
unintentionally hilarious. You can get away with dumb lyrics such as
"Armed with an axe / An axe! / An axe! / An axe!" in death metal, but
not in this genre where the lyrics are enunciated pretty clearly.
Song titles such as "The Archmage" and "Wrath of the Sorcerer"
suggest a preoccupation with the typical, yet inexplicable power/true
metal fascination with fantastical, Tolkien-esque topics. (Oh wait,
there is a song called "Digital Bitch"; maybe the advances of the
past fifteen years haven't entirely evaded them.) Creative talents
were not overstretched during the construction of this album. Will
the real Judas Priest please stand up?
Contact: R.I.P. Records, PO Box 41182, Chicago Il. 60641, USA
mailto:riprecords@hotmail.com
Sleepless - _Winds Blow Higher_
by: Aaron McKay (5 out of 10) (Raven Music / The End, November 2001)
I am not a fan of qualifying my reviews from the outset, but with
Sleepless I feel I must. This duo from Israel communicates a secret
darkness in their degenerative progrock/goth whispers -- that I will
not repudiate. Where I falter in my intrigue for Sleepless is with
_Winds Blow Higher_'s follow through: there is little congruity and
my focus diverges nearly immediately no matter where I begin
listening to the album. The low-end (fretless) bass work, especially
on the nearly five minute "Sands of Time", is sensorial monopolizing.
Sleepless attempts to expand the concept of subdued slumber to an
extreme, but fundamentally embedded is a jazz concept that works
wonders for David Bendayan and Maor Appelbaum, Sleepless's core
members. Another area that disagreed with me is the intermittent use
of female vocals. I would have argued vehemently -against- myself on
this point before totally digesting _Winds Blow Higher_, but I know
the addition of the occasional feminine vocal approach wasn't the way
to go. With solid male technique vocally and supremely supported
backing vocals, the airiness of anything else clearly misses its
mark. As I said, this contradicts everything I would have believed
prior to taking in the whole album, but, nonetheless, I find that to
be the case. Nine tracks of convincingly progressive atmosphere
lay in wait for you if you're the sort for mostly colorless
mood-infusions.
Testament - _First Strike Still Deadly_ (Spitfire, October 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10)
As you might have guessed from the title, this new effort is some
truly intense (re-done) material from one of the bands that has set
the thrash metal standard for ages. This is a "best of" album with a
unique twist; Testament reinvented itself and brought back line-ups
from ages past. Recognize the names Alex Skolnick, John Tempesta and
Steve Souza? You should if you call yourself a Testament fan, and I
sure as hell do. From the first three efforts, this -long- standing
Bay Area staple rips though near and dear favs like "Into the Pit",
"Trial by Fire", "Over the Wall" and "The New Order". Mr. Souza takes
center stage on "Alone in the Dark" and "Reign of Terror" for a
couple of tracks assured to put a smile on your face and your fist in
the fuckin' air! The impregnable Chuck Billy is in faultless form --
even his backing vocals are incredible and absolute; a really well
incorporated (very, very sparingly) use of Billy's "death metal"
voice from _Demonic_ can be heard now and again. I have wondered at
various times what it might sound like to have Chuck's experience
applied to albums like _The New Order_ (my favorite Testament
release, by the way). I guess I now have my answer. On another note,
I've always appreciated and respected Alex's guitar style since day
one, so it is a rare and welcome privilege to have his talent
demonstrated once again on this forcefully executed release. Pay
special, close attention to the fantastic ability of the rare demo
(re-)recording of "Reign of Terror" -- that much proficiency so long
ago when this band was called The Legacy is nearly inconceivable.
Well worth the price of admission, boys and girls; I am spinning this
one a helluva lot. On a personal note, I'd just like to say God bless
Mr. Billy and I wish him the speediest of recoveries!
[Matthias Noll: "Re-recorded old Testament tracks -- yawn. Two with
Zetro -- yeah right, so who gives a damn? Hadn't a friend of mine
bought this, I would have never been tempted to check it out. And I
would have screwed up big time! In Paul (R.I.P.) Baloff's words:
this is older than shit, heavier than time! For me "Reign of Terror"
is the best of the eleven tracks and I can't stop fantasizing about
how cool _The Legacy_ would have sounded with the ripping and
snarling Steve Souza hadn't he joined Exodus. If you've got the
slightest interest in thrash metal, then go get this now, set the
volume to eleven, fall to your knees and bow to these Thrash
Lords!"]
[Paul Schwarz: "New performances with a modern production of
_Legacy_-era Testament sounded like a recipe for excellence. And
despite the fact that the new "Over the Wall" is sadly no match for
its thirteen-year-old original, almost every single one of these new
versions improves on its original, with "Disciples of the Watch" the
crushingly reworked highlight."]
Various - _The Bells of the Mystical Empire_
by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10) (Moon Soon Records, 2001)
A compilation of death metal, black metal and everything in-between
of promising acts from the realms of the underground. Like most
compilations, this is a mixed bag featuring some very good songs
buried amongst some extremely mediocre songs -- although, somewhat
unusually for a compilation, it has managed to avoid including any
really terrible songs. Even the hardcore number by Dreadline isn't
that bad (though I still fast-forward to the next track whenever I
hear it.) The album opens with a fairly good number from Blizzard
which would have been an excellent number if it weren't for the
vocalist's tendency to sound like Louis Armstrong with a throat
cold. They use a different vocalist on a second song who sounds
considerably better. Japanese band Gorgon's selection also suffers
from the inclusion of lame and inadequate vocals, the singer sounding
as if he had more than just a few tots of Jack Daniels before going
on stage (Gorgon contribute a live track). The song is saved by the
music, undoubtedly heavily influenced by Black Sabbath. But my
favourite is "Organised Chaos", the contribution from French band The
End. The title describes the song perfectly. Fast, ferocious and
extremely raw, with a slight hardcore punk edge (punk as in old
school greats like Minor Threat and Verbal Abuse, not the Offspring /
Blink 182 pop nonsense). Listening to a full-length of The End could
very well test my patience, but on a compilation surrounded by other,
totally different bands, it is totally killer. A good introduction to
some largely unknown bands.
The Black League - _Utopia A.D._ (Spinefarm, February 2002)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
There was something unique about The Black League's debut, 2000's
_Ichor_, something thought caught my attention right from the get go.
It might have been the fact that ex-Sentenced singer Taneli Jarva was
the ringleader of the band, a great performer who had sung on classic
death metal albums like _Amok_ and _North From Here_, and I was
anxious to hear his new band and his growth as a musician after
leaving Sentenced. Whatever the case was, I was intrigued by the
dark, eccentric ways of The Black League, a wonderful arrangement of
death metal, hard rock and gothic overtones -- none overshadowing one
another, but all working as one. A unique package indeed. Following
the release of the successful _The Doomsday EP_, Jarva and The Black
League return with _Utopia A.D._, a wonderful continuation of the
band's sound and style, though much more expansive and in some ways
boisterous than their first outing. Jarva has successfully managed to
create a world of beautifully crafted numbers with intensity and
bite, but at the same time technical, passionate and, above all,
unique sounding. Be drawn in by the wonderful tracks "Empiria",
"Harbour of Hatred" and "Citizen Cain" and you'll come to realize
that _Utopia A.D._ is not like any other record you'll hear this
year. It isn't at all predictable and that works in such a grand way
for The Black League. On the edge, _Utopia A.D._ is fearless in its
undying need for exploration of metal music. As if crafted by the
Gods themselves, _Utopia A.D._ stands tall in a world of metal music
where uniquely crafted albums are as rare as an albino elephant.
Discover _Utopia A.D._.
The Haunted - _Live Rounds in Tokyo_ (Earache, January 2002)
by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)
Though Earache's release of this fifteen-track, fifty-minute
live-album-with-studio-track-tacked-on as a double CD with 2000's
_The Haunted Made Me Do It_ [CoC #49] may make it initially seem an
expensive, unattractive proposition, think a minute. If you don't
have _THMMDI_, this package will give you two class-A thrash releases
-- and for less than a tenner each in all likelihood. To be frank
though, if you -have- got a copy of _THMMDI_, you'll wanna start
looking for places to sell it, 'cause you're gonna be wanting _LRiT_.
_LRiT_ is the single release that alone exemplifies The Haunted's
important place in the metal scene of today. It was the final
catalyst to convincing me of how truly -killer- The Haunted really
are. When _The Haunted_ [CoC #34] arrived in 1998, I never "got it"
the way others did; all I saw in The Haunted was some ex-At the Gates
members, with friends, doing good thrash. I hardly even gave _THMMDI_
a chance until over a year after its release. What turned me 130% on
The Haunted was seeing them live at Wacken last year. Six months
passed in which I went back to both Haunted albums repeatedly, then
_LRiT_ turned up. A few high-volume spins later, everything clicked
into place. The Haunted aren't just a great thrash band, they're a
metal band of truly exceptional excellence: I'd bet they could
support Slayer in Germany and get a pit going. Releasing a live album
with only two full-lengths under your belt might seem a cheeky move
coming from most bands, but from The Haunted, it just seems -right-:
live is where The Haunted come into their element; _LRiT_ is a
profoundly powerful live thrash metal album which, figuratively
speaking, grabs every band still playing the style by the collar and
asks, "WHO'S THE DADDY NOW?!"
[Pedro Azevedo: "If it hadn't been for Marco Aro's pedestrian
interaction with the crowd and the omission of my two favourite
tracks from The Haunted's eponymous debut ("Soul Fracture" and
"Forensick"), this would have been a superb live disc. Nevertheless,
it still is an impeccable live rendition of a fine collection of
songs (including every highlight from their superior second album),
and a very strong extra reason for you to buy _The Haunted Made Me
Do It_ if you haven't done so yet."]
The Seventh Gate - _None so Bloody as the Kingdom of Christ_
by: Adrian Bromley (6.5 out of 10) (Satan Rock Records, 2002)
In a furious rage of aggression, this record opens to a massive
barrage of death metal intensity, heavy-set grind grooves and vicious
vocals. For some it may be a bit too much -- a whirlwind of intensity
that will leave you fumbling for your balance -- but for those
metalheads that like to get knocked around from the get go, the solid
stride of The Seventh Gate will leave a smile on their bloody lips.
Musically the band is pretty proficient at what they do: some nice
guitar tones match up well with the vocals, and the band has a knack
for bringing a slight technical feel to this demented death metal
groove (check out numbers like "The Eternal" and "To Forget"). My
only problem with The Seventh Gate's release is that, while there is
some variety in the album, there doesn't seem to be enough to set it
apart. A lot of the material follows the same routine and that
provides us with little to go on or be attached with at some times. A
little more variety and a step up (a notch) in the production end,
and The Seventh Gate will be ready to take on any signed band.
Contact: mailto:silenceinheaven@aol.com
http://www.satanrock.com
Thragedium - _Theatrum XXIII_ (Half Beast, 2001)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
"Lusitanian essence" is a designation that this Portuguese band likes
to associate their music with, and it is shown mainly through the
pronounced folk influences in their sound. Classical Portuguese
acoustic guitar is often used throughout Thragedium's doomy metal,
which is somewhat reminiscent of mid-era Paradise Lost. And although
this self-applied "Lusitanian essence" tag can seem rather pompous
and exaggerated, Thragedium do at least merit some praise for the
effort to live up to it: the Portuguese acoustic guitar carries its
traditionally vibrant sound into Thragedium's music very well, and
imbues it with something special and distinctive. Apart from that,
Thragedium's music is competent, at times achieving good emotional
passages, even if, as I mentioned before, it occasionally seems
somewhat derivative. The disc finishes with a poem by Fernando
Pessoa, recited by Moonspell's Fernando Ribeiro, accompanied by
acoustic guitar and background sounds of ocean waves -- a suitable
ending that turned out better than I initially imagined it could.
This last track has a rather lengthy atmospheric component, though,
and the remainder of the album is not much more than a lengthy EP;
nevertheless, the music on offer possesses enough quality, uniqueness
and dedication to warrant attention. If they don't rush things,
Thragedium may very well be on their way to creating a remarkable
follow-up disc.
Contact: mailto:halfbeast@clix.pt
Through the Discipline - _Our Lady of Death_ (<Independent>, 2002)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
I'm not sure what to make of the music of Through the Discipline
after numerous listens. Musically the band plays a kaleidoscope of
death metal numbers, drawing several different mood swings and
styles, each unique in their own right, thus bringing a strong sense
of variety to their music. One of the things that I think TtD's music
need to adjust a bit more to make more of an impact are the vocals of
singer Mike Centrone. He isn't a bad singer, I just find his death
metal growls are a tad bit weak for the heavy set stuff that the band
churns out, and as for the much more slowed down parts, his vocals
seem out of place. The band has a good death metal stride intact,
they just need to tighten the wheels and make sure they don't fall
off during their death metal blitz. I know the potential is there for
TtD; there is just a little bit of tweaking needed for it all to fall
into place for music fans and critics to take note. Choice cuts:
"Requiem Mass" and "Hunted Down".
Contact: http://www.throughthediscipline.com
Trails of Anguish - _Relentless Abhorrence of Misery's Grievance_
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) (<Independent>, 2001)
From the cold regions of Canada -- otherwise known as the black metal
province of Quebec -- comes the duo of Trails of Anguish. Playing a
rather feisty black metal in the vein of mid-era Immortal, the duo
waste no time at laying waste to the listener with punishing opener
"The Scythe of Engrieved Melancholia" and onto such epic battle cry
of "Reaping Life's Frailty" and the haunting "The Final Soliloquy".
With a rabid flow of things, rarely pausing for any kind of
atmospheric black metal sound, Trails of Anguish play fast and
furious, storming through this five-song EP like a massive storm
blast. With a rather impressive (though still fairly raw) sound, this
is one of the best black metal bands I have heard from Canada in some
time -- Quebec's Frozen Shadows and the East Coast's Burning Moon
being the others worth mentioning. With a lot of strength and
determination, Trails of Anguish could make an impact with their
music; we'll just wait to see if others grasp onto their black metal
assault. Intense and basking in mighty momentum.
Contact: Maxime Ducharme Abraham, 1689 Rue Longueuil, Chambly,
PQ Canada, J3L 4N1
http://go.to/trailsofanguish/
Ulver - _Silencing the Singing_ (Jester Records, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (9.5 out of 10)
Ulver have frequently been described as chameleons, due to their
propensity for drastic changes in musical styles, but I disagree with
this observation. A chameleon always changes to fit in with its
environment, and at no time have Ulver ever tried to match their
surroundings, instead always choosing to do whatever they felt like,
whenever they felt like it. _Silencing the Singing_ is their third
releases for 2001 and it is essentially a companion EP to _Silence
Teaches You How to Sing_ [CoC #55]. Instead of presenting us with a
single monstrous track, _StS_ contains a more conventional three
songs (though averaging about nine minutes each, they're hardly the
perfect pop song length). As suggested by the title, this is an
instrumental release. Bits of static noise and various other bits of
white noise litter the album at what appears to be seemingly random
spots -- but this is Ulver, after all, and one gets the impression
that each bit of noise is placed where it is for a reason. My
personal favourite is "Not Saved", a beautiful, haunting song,
calming by its very repetitiveness yet also creating a sense of
sorrow. As the song fades out and you think the album has come to a
close, it then returns with a vengeance, seemingly louder and more
ominous then before. You'd never think that this was by the same
Ulver that released the violent _Nattens Madrigal_ some four to five
years ago. This time around, Ulver have also wised up to the fact
that people are buying their EPs and have printed 3000. Now you have
no excuse for not having a copy.
Umbakrail - _In Unity Paienne_ (DeadSun Records, October 2001)
by: David Rocher (4 out of 10)
The brainchild of one man, S'aamed, Umbakrail fuses raw black metal
with rather distinctive, shape-shifting keyboards and vocals. The
outcome, however, fails to whet my appetite; although the music on
_In Unity Paienne_ is obviously the work of a truly tortured soul
(according to the enclosed bio, S'aamed apparently attempted to put
an end to his life last year), I fail to make out anything more
than mostly stereotypical black metal with a terrible guitar fuzz
and linear drum machine programming, truly grim vocals that are
frequently badly let down by frightfully cheesy proclamatory chants,
and keyboards which unfortunately sound out of place, and are
excessively loud in the mix, to make matters worse. Only one track,
the intriguing "Dome", actually hits home, and the remainder of _In
Unity Paienne_, whether tentatively chilling black metal onslaughts
or synthetic interludes, simply fails to convey anything to me.
Referential bands such as vintage Burzum or Darkthrone have shown the
path in terms of raw, chilling black metal releases, spawning, in
their wake, genuinely talented and unhallowed formations such as
Craft [CoC #53], and unfortunately, the project named Umbakrail can
not -- as of yet, at all rates -- claim to shed the same blackness as
its predecessors.
Underoath - _The Changing of Times_ (Solid State, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10)
Mostly what is appealing to me about this Clearwater, Florida based
six-piece is that they have the balls to separate themselves from the
death metal scene that surrounds them. As you well know, that
particular style, while not completely foreign to this reviewer,
pervades the entire "Sunshine State". What can only be described as
a metal-core, techno-ish, ambient saturated wonderment, Underoath
leaves precious little to the imagination and -so- few unchallenged
guitar riffs unplayed that I am, as a fan and reviewer, almost
without means to articulate this band's penetrating prerogative
predominance. Wanna example? I encourage you to take a crack at the
tempestuously descriptive effort on "Angel Below" or the bludgeoning
to follow with the power played out on "The Best of Me". Underoath
ties a screamingly distressed vocal style, courtesy of Dallas
Taliaferro Taylor, into rhythms that stir the soul. This outfit will
see better days ahead, I am sure. Talent like that can't be locked
out from the safety of the positive public opinion for long. Do all
of us a favor and give Underoath a listen; it'll signify a positive
change in the time you invest supporting this band. Like a three
Martini lunch, _The Changing of Times_ should make your whole day
that much better!
Contact: http://www.solidstaterecords.com
Virulence - _A Conflict Scenario_ (Morbid, September 2001)
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10)
Probably the only band on Morbid records from Boston USA, Virulence's
origins say far more about their chosen musical direction than
does their choice of record label. _A Conflict Scenario_ may be
among the most "death metal" of noisecore/metalcore records, but
it most certainly is manically experimental in that manner and
sonic atmosphere that is not in even semi-traditional death metal
territory. Speed-switching drastically and frequently seems to be
Virulence's "big gun" when it comes to sonic battery; the jagged,
frantic and manic feel of _A Conflict Scenario_ will likely mean
conservative listeners give up after less than one spin of this
twenty-six minute disc. Thankfully, for those who persevere beyond
_ACS_'s peripherary, there is much more going on than mere clever
technical trickery. Though grounded firmly in the art of shredding
the metal/grind way, Virulence, as musicians, just generally shred.
Period. Virulence's high technical ability is evident on _ACS_ -- it
is unfortunate that their skill in using technicality is not
as exceptional. Impressive though the likes of "Entrance" and
"Cementing With Introspection" are -- with quick changes and fusion
dabblings often spicing things up that additional bit -- it is the
soundtrack to a tribal-percussion-infused, bad-river-boat-acid-trip
that is penultimate track "Pipeline Dialogue", that gives me most
hope for the band's future. Virulence are an impressive, diverse
grind/noisecore band; they are more Cephalic Carnage than Naked City,
more Cryptopsy than Converge; their biggest problem is that at the
moment they are in the same league as none of the above -- and -I-
think unless they capitalise on what they tapped with "Pipeline
Dialogue", they won't be. Nonetheless, _ACS_ is a fine and bold
extreme metal album, sure to satisfy your hunger if you're looking
for something "stupid".*
*"Stupid [sic], of course, is the metal/hardcore equivalent of saying
'bad' to a hip-hopper." -- Kevin Stewart-Panko, Unrestrained! #16, May
2001
Vortex - _Colours Out From the Emptiness_ (Psychic Scream, 2001)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
Judging from the music coming out of your speakers, you'd be tempted
to say that Vortex are a European melodic death metal band, and this
release is from the mid-to-late '90s. And of course, you'd be wrong,
because Vortex are from Japan, and this disc was released in late
2001. The music is mostly thrashy death metal, with growled/shouted
vocals, but they add some progressive touches, jazzy clean breaks,
off-key male clean vocals, and some better-than-average guitar work
in places. Their sound is not particularly original, but it's
enjoyable nonetheless. Unfortunately, like most bands doing this
style, they have trouble generating enough good material for a full
album, and some songs are much better than others. Aside from the
patchy quality of some of the songs, everything else is fine: the
playing and production are top-notch. Ultimately, though, this is
just an okay release. It's enjoyable, but not groundbreaking in any
sense. I look forward to future releases from them though, as they
clearly show some potential.
Wurdulak - _Ceremony in Flames_ (Baphomet / Housecore Records, 2001)
by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10)
I refuse to apologize for loving this virtual "who's who" of extreme
metal. Wurdulak is a death and black metal lover's dream. Fug (Soul
Forsaken), Frediablo (Gorelord) and Ihizahg (Perished) twine together
a pattern of blackness so extravagant it necessitates the combination
of insipidly wicked layered vocals rooted in the works of Killjoy
(Necrophagia / Viking Crown) and Maniac (ex-Mayhem) to further
extenuate the extremity of Wurdulak's style. Beauty fails to exist
here; only torment and systematic persecution remain. Wurdulak is
evil extraordinaire. Choppy riffs of an immeasurable magnitude rip
unceremoniously from beginning to end on _Ceremony in Flames_. Highly
developed passages of unimpaired low end, drums and guitar interplay
constitute a healthy portion of Wurdulak's collusion. Ultimately
finishing up the album's eight tracks of havoc is "Gospels of
Depravity", complete with lyrics by Maniac -- my favorite cut off of
_Ceremony in Flames_. While the entire effort is more than worth your
time and money, this song in particular will have your cash in hand
already for Wurdulak's next release in 2002. And they say nuns have
no fun...
[Matthias Noll: "All hail the mighty Heavy Metal riff! _CiF_ is based
on the wicked groove of Celtic Frost without copying their trademark
guitar work and sound. Metallic to the bone, straightforwardness and
simplicity prevail here. Sounding suspiciously close to the only
released Eibon track, this is another nail into the already more
than well-sealed coffin of once true Norwegian black metal. I'm
already afraid of the next pan continental collaborations to come. A
"featuring Burton C. Bell" sticker on the next Carpathian Forest,
maybe? Still, this is highly enjoyable once the music does the
talking."]
[Paul Schwarz: "Not as embarrassingly desperately seeking "necro"
points as labelmates Gorelord, Wurdulak use Celtic Frost as the
basis for the mostly-groovy, sometimes-blasting retro-necro black
metal sound they present with their debut album, _Ceremony in
Flames_. Their sincerity and probable longevity are certainly
questionable, but Wurdulak have nonetheless made a good album in
_CiF_ -- even if it is a sonically shallow and musically unoriginal
album."]
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/\ \ \_____ __ /\ \ \___ (_)___ ___
/ \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
/ /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/
\_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___|
If you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo, including a
bio, if you want to be reviewed. We accept demos either on
traditional media or MP3 format. E-mail us at
<mailto:Demos@ChroniclesOfChaos.com> to know which is the most
appropriate postal address for you to send your CD or tape, in case
you are sending one, or to indicate the location of a website from
which we can download the MP3 files of your entire demo (but do
NOT send any files attached to your e-mail).
Scoring: ***** -- A flawless demo
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
AAAAARGH! Bloody 2-Handed Chainaxe Blow - _Elliptic White Square_
by: Adrian Bromley (*----) (7-track demo)
Pathetic name aside, I guess you could say that the band went all out
to make this monstrous heap of noise. And I'm sure they threw in the
kitchen sink too! With a continuous distorted, industrial flow and
grinding guitar riffs and screams echoing throughout, the noise
manipulation of the band increases and decreases throughout. Some of
the stuff is okay to sample, but for the most part irritating and
will have many skipping to the next track. Not to say that this
sucks shit -- it just grows tired very fast and I'm sure 9 out
of 10 metalheads would have a hard time sitting through this
grind/industrial/noise outfit. Maybe that was the point? Whatever the
case may be, this is one mound of musical mayhem that just seems too
congested and too long (at 60+ minutes).
Actual Time - _Time Frame_ (6-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon (****-)
Virginia's Actual Time have released their second offering, following
on the heels of their self-titled 1999 five-song demo [CoC #48]. This
time around, it's a six-song offering, with a similar but slightly
more aggressive sound. Their music is all instrumental, based heavily
upon complex rhythms and tight syncopation. Odd time signatures
abound and shift frequently, but only the most observant listeners
(or those who read the liner notes) will pick up on them, as the band
does a good job of making their odd meters accessible. Thankfully,
the band keep their songs short (between three and four minutes each)
as their heavily rhythmic instrumental nature would tend to make
longer songs repetitive and boring. But they're able to keep their
songs interesting, and even make them somewhat distinctive. The
production is very good, and the playing is rock solid and very
tight. Overall, this is an improvement over their demo, and should
satisfy those looking for a heavy instrumental disc to groove to.
Crushing Belial - _Crushing Belial_ (3-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (****-)
Oh my, what is this? With a drum sound that makes the new Krisiun
release sound like Nick Menza's fine work on _Rust in Peace_, UK
indie death metal outfit unleashes a totally downtrodden, grotesquely
poor drum sound that when grouped together with the menacing
vocals and sharp death metal riffs seems to be nullified and
work. Amazingly, while recorded in the guitarist's room on Cubase
(anyone?), the flow of this sampler is pretty rock solid. The best
track on this three-song sampler is the second, "Cleanse the Earth
With the Blood of Martyrs". Hell, yeah! So as I sit here with this
demo blaring, I am thinking to myself, "Imagine if this band gets
into a basement to record -- or better yet -- a studio?" With
determination to record the best demo they could with what they got,
the strength of their spirit alone should make for an interesting
follow-up album. I'm here waiting, guys.
Contact: mailto:kuragrindsaki@aol.com
http://www.crushingbelial.co.uk
Datakill - _L'Odio_ (5-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (****-)
Over the last few years, I have received a lot of releases (mostly
indie acts) from Italy that play hardcore/metal-inspired music. They
love the stuff over there. So when I got the new release by Datakill
in, I was ready for some hardcore/metal action! After the first
listen, I quite enjoyed this five-song demo from Datakill. With
definite influences from veterans like Suicidal Tendencies, Cro-Mags
and Biohazard, it launches into a truly potent dose of tight, tough
grooves that would send any mosh pit into a frenzy (check out the
title track). They band also had enough balls to cover the Suicidal
Tendencies' classic "Fascist Pig". Nice job, mi amici! I'm excited
for this band and want to hear more. Right now all I can do is cheer
them on, as Datakill are in charge of their own destiny. I think
they'll make the right choices.
Contact: mailto:datakill@libero.it
Malkavian - _Malkavian_ (7-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
While far from the destructive and monstrous flow of fellow Italian
act Cripple Bastards (they rule!), Italy's Malkavian eight-song
self-titled release is an interesting grindcore romp, full of fancy
guitar riffs and some genuinely interesting melodies -- if there
could be any in such heavy music. Musically this band is tight, but
somehow the poor production quality takes away from what could have
been an abrasive assault on us. With a bit more experience under
their belts, I'm sure this band could assemble quite a solid release,
as they show potential with opener "Sunburnt" and other tracks
"Grabbed by the Neck" and "Vampires". But for now they must follow
the work of Cripple Bastards, who not only are the reigning kings of
Italian grindcore, but are seriously fucked up. Can they be matched?
Only time with tell if Malkavian can do so.
Contact: mailto:mlakviangrind@hotmail.com
http://www.malkaviangrind.cjb.net
Pagan Reign - _Gates of Hell_ (8-track demo)
by: Aaron McKay (***--)
I listened to this band's entire music catalog online, so I will
refrain from CD quality speculation and take Pagan Reign completely
at face value. First, the vocals are varied; scratchy and gravely.
They seem to work well for these guys when PR doesn't decide to
actually -sing- ("Worth Hating For...") -- that isn't a strong suit
for the band. The elongated "yell-out" vocal approach on songs like
"Force of Will" is an appropriate touch. This Irish four-piece from
Dublin demonstrates a dynamic understanding of metal's need to
challenge direction and preconceived notions. Legitimately skilled
guitar dominates _Gates of Hell_ with an underlying bass line that
the band would benefit from exploiting more. A completely respectable
discography under their belts (two EPs -- one live --, a single, and
a German fanzine CD track), Pagan Reign has what's needed to make a
go of it if given a decent opportunity. A re-done version of
"Iconoclast" with harsher sustained vocals very well could be the
catalyst to the next level for Pagan Reign. Check 'em out.
Contact: http://www.paganreign.com
Serca - _Singularity_ (6-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (**---)
With Serca citing such influences as Nine Inch Nails, Pitchshifter
and Deftones, it had piqued my interest when I finally decided to
tackle this six-song demo from the British act. The band's tranquil,
electronic feel is interesting, but not really memora
ble, and nowhere
as aggressive as I thought it might be. A lot of the songs sound the
same, as if they are taken from the same skeletal song structure,
just loosened up a bit and added into sound snippets, vocal
arrangements and beats. I wish this album had been heavier, as it
would have provided some of the songs with a definite crunch,
especially my fave track "Reinvention". Maybe my hopes were too high
for this band after seeing their influences, but at least the band
got my attention for a short period of time. Add a little more spark
to the sound and get back to me.
Contact: 4 Moat Drive, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 4RX, England
mailto:contact@serca.net
Shadeworks - _Sooty Limbs_ (4-track demo)
by: David Rocher (*****)
With more emphasis placed on giving this beauty a professional
packaging worthy of its unbelievable musical splendour, this
four-track self-released MCD could proudly become an essential item
in any atmospheric, progressive music lover's collection. Shadeworks
is the magnificently moody brainchild of one man (ex-Obsidian drummer
Arnaud Nicolas), who plays -- and very competently, at that -- all
instruments on this recording, and is assisted by the enchanting
voice of singer Fae. Sadly, putting Shadeworks in words can only fail
to do this release any justice; both very potent and beautifully
atmospheric, tracks such as the eponymous opener or "Blind Healing"
give life to the unique and unlikely confluence of acts such The
Gathering, Elegeion, Dream Theater, Anathema, Katatonia and Arcturus.
Intrigued yet? Mesmerising, simply beautiful guitar melodies and
enrapturing female vocal lines are intricately woven into shifting,
subdued then powerful rhythmic segues, backed up by energetic,
innovative drum patterns, giving each of the four tracks showcased on
this gem a resolutely unique identity of its own. The only weak point
are Nicolas' nonetheless pleasant low, smooth chants, which fail to
recapture the silky, soothing charisma of singers such as Tiamat's
Johan Edlund or Diabolique's Kristian Wahlin, despite striving in
their general direction. Fortunately, however, the dramatically
facile solution consisting in throwing in a load of Tristania-style
death metal vocals has wisely been avoided, and the eerily tangible,
beautifully restrained metallic power emanating from _Sooty Limbs_
never looses touch with the frailty of Fae's chants or the delicate
intricacy of Arnaud's guitar work. A beautiful, moody and ineffably
enchanting demo, which no fan of atmospheric music should even
consider going without.
Contact: Arnaud Nicolas, 22 rue Reniers, 1090 Jette, Belgium
mailto:anicolas777@lycos.com
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/\ _`\ /\ \ /\ \__ __
\ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___
\ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\
\ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/
\ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\
\/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/
____ __
/\ _`\ /\ \__
\ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____
\ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\
\ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\
\ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/
\/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/
A G G R O C U L T U R E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC reviews Slayer with Hatebreed and Diecast
February 2nd 2002, Clive, Iowa, at the 7 Flags Event Center
by: Aaron McKay
Let's forget that this event took place on the precipice of a
milestone birthday for me and let's forget that I've seen Slayer live
in concert well more than ten times with dozens of opening acts from
Overkill to Testament to the Clash of the Titans where they recorded
_Decade of Aggression_ in Lakeland, Florida. More than all of this --
Slayer has -never- been better than they were this night!
Better why, you might ask... The obvious starting point to this
evening that was aggressively infused with toxically high doses of
musical wonderment -- the opening bands. Having -always- been an
incredibly huge fan of Diecast's ruff 'n' tuff, tight crunch 'n'
punch sound, I was thrilled beyond reason when these fuckers were
added to a tour that would expose them to a wider, receptive
audience.
This Now or Never Records outfit erupted on stage in a fashion
equal to bands with -twice- Diecast's longevity. My concert going
gang and I were just making our way through the 7 Flags Event
Center doors when Diecast was first pounding out their lead song.
Immediately if not sooner, the four other people I came with -- and
myself for sure -- were caught up in the riveting potency of this
band's presence like the slow motion bullets ripping through the air
in the movie "Matrix". Sometimes mistakenly referred to as "tough guy
metal", Diecast is far beyond this inadequate characterization. Even
before February 2nd, I was a Diecast fan, but since then I've
transcended that designation, too! I've actually spent more time
listening to Diecast's newest effort, _Day of Reckoning_, since
bearing witness to their awe-inspiring live show than I have clocked
off sleeping this month, for shit's sake. They were, no question, a
perfect opening choice for an ultimately flawless evening.
Hatebreed graced us next with their potent strength and power
amalgamation. Not nearly as comfortable with their material as I was
with Diecast's, Hatebreed took only a matter of seconds to make true
believers out of everyone in attendance that memorable evening in
Clive, Iowa. While I loathe to sweepingly characterize a class act
like these guys, Hatebreed is about as "back to the basics" hardcore
outfit as you'll ever find. Like I mentioned, it was mere seconds
after the stage change until Hatebreed's crushing, world-collapsing
pressure had the crowd thrashing to tight, hard hitting rhythms --
Hatebreed style. Another prime choice opening act for Slayer.
After a beer or two more, I was primed for the last of the Big
Four. Once upon a time there used to be a platform of metal
heavyweights braced by a quadrangle of support: Megadeth, Metallica,
Exodus and Slayer. Two of these bands have inexplicably lost their
edge, there other two have a story, but I'll wait on one of those
points for just a minute.
Slayer's commanding presence filled the 7 Flags Event Center
like so much wet cement poured into a swimming pool. "God hates us
all" emblazoned in red on the black stage curtains behind the
band became distinctively evident as Slayer expelled a flawless
version of the track off the new effort boldly embracing that
potently descriptive phrase -- "Disciple". Things got better from
there. Slayer peeled off a perfect mix of time-tested material
like "Chemical Warfare", "Angel of Death", "Mandatory Suicide",
"Postmortem" and "South of Heaven" complete with a peppering of
soon-to-be favorite Slayer material. Their sound after more than
twenty years of this is refined yet raw, but never, ever boring or
wanting for power. Slayer has refined their technique into a rare and
priceless gem and their sound quality tonight was far, -far- beyond
reproach.
As for the last mentioned of the Big Four, Mr. Araya informed
the crowd this fateful evening that earlier that very day Exodus
vocalist Paul Baloff passed away. We've lost too many of metal's
greats in recent months and Mr. Baloff was the most recent. Tom
Araya's news was received heart-felt and heavy by this reviewer and
Slayer's befitting tribute was well-received and recognized by a
receptive crowd.
Many, many pieces made this night's puzzle of events one of the
most surreal and memorable Slayer concerts on record for me. The
venue was sensational, the bands were class A top-notch, and the
performances were first rate, but the sad news that night of metal's
loss of Mr. Baloff (on the heels of the widely respected and beloved
Chuck Schuldiner of Death) was something not soon forgotten by anyone
there or removed that evening.
A -big- thanks to Slayer for their dedication and commitment in
finally getting to play live in the Des Moines, Iowa area after a few
failed attempts in the past; you have my utmost thanks, gentlemen.
While expressing this personally to the band would have been -all-
the birthday present I would have needed, I wasn't that lucky. If you
know anyone associated with Slayer, however, please let them know I
thought -- beyond any doubt at all -- that they've never, ever have
been in as fine a form than they were in Clive that night! Whoever
said Iowa AGGROCULTURE was as boring as the state's scenery?!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best Albums of 2001
Opeth reign supreme this year, with their _Blackwater Park_ opus
consistently making it into the vast majority of our staff's choices
and comfortably conquering the crown -- My Dying Bride, Absu, Shape
of Despair and Katatonia were all left fighting for second place.
This time we have also taken the opportunity to nominate albums
or bands for a list of categories. The Revelation and Disappointment
categories, as well as Most Innovative Album, speak for themselves;
the Most Underrated and Most Overlooked album categories refer not to
CoC itself, but rather to our perception of how records have been
generally received; and finally, the Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem
aims to highlight records that we have found to be damn good fun,
even if the band clearly set aside any thoughts of reinventing or
expanding the genre before recording the album.
Overall CoC Writers' Top 20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Based on each of the writers' personal top 20]
1. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
2. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_
3. Absu - _Tara_
4. Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_
5. Katatonia - _Last Fair Deal Gone Down_
6. Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_
7. Thorns - _Thorns_
8. Dimmu Borgir - _Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia_
9. Akercocke - _The Goat of Mendes_
10. Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_
11. Evoken - _Quietus_
12. Rammstein - _Mutter_
=. Ulver - _Perdition City_
14. Gamma Ray - _No World Order_
=. Iced Earth - _Horror Show_
16. Anaal Nathrakh - _The Codex Necro_
=. Anorexia Nervosa - _New Obscurantis Order_
=. Evergrey - _In Search of Truth_
=. System of a Down - _Toxicity_
20. Anathema - _A Fine Day to Exit_
=. Arch Enemy - _Wages of Sin_
=. Disbelief - _Worst Enemy_
Gino's Top 10
1. Absu - _Tara_
2. Immemoreal - _Temple of Retribution_
3. Desiderii Marginis - _Deadbeat_
4. Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_
5. Proscriptor - _The Serpentine Has Risen_
6. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
7. Bolt Thrower - _Honour, Valour, Pride_
8. Agathodaimon - _Chapter III_
9. Mastodon - _Lifesblood_
10. Solefald - _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_
[Revelation: Desiderii Marginis]
[Disappointment: Fear Factory]
[Most Overlooked: Immemoreal - _Temple of Retribution_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem:
Bolt Thrower - _Honour, Valour, Pride_]
Adrian's Top 20
1. Darkest Hour - _So Sedate, So Secure_
2. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
3. Jag Panzer - _Mechanized Warfare_
4. Anathema - _A Fine Day to Exit_
5. Amorphis - _Am Universum_
6. Sleepless - _Winds Blow Higher_
7. Ozzy Osbourne - _Down to Earth_
8. Sodom - _M-16_
9. Slayer - _God Hates Us All_
10. Malefaction - _Crush the Dream_
11. Katatonia - _Last Fair Deal Gone Down_
12. Evergrey - _In Search of Truth_
13. The Chasm - _Reaching the Veil of Death_
14. Kataklysm - _Epic (The Poetry of War)_
15. Atomsmasher - _Atomsmasher_
16. Converge - _Jane Doe_
17. Sigh - _Imaginary Sonicscape_
18. Circle of Dead Children - _The Genocide Machine_
19. Godflesh - _Hymns_
20. Tool - _Lateralus_
[Revelation: Angra]
[Disappointment: Megadeth]
[Most Underrated: The Black League - _Utopia A.D._]
[Most Overlooked: Sigh - _Imaginary Sonicscape_]
[Most Innovative: Devin Townsend - _Terria_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem: Ozzy Osbourne - _Down to Earth_]
Brian's Top 20
1. Winter Bestowed - _Within My Labyrinthine Heart_
2. Sceptic - _Pathetic Being_
3. 7 Angels 7 Plagues - _Jhazmyne's Lullaby_
4. Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_
5. Profanum - _Musaeum Esotericum_
6. Vuvr - _Pilgrimage_
7. Hematovore - _Demo 2001_
8. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
9. Virulence - _A Conflict Scenario_
10. Kalmah - _Swamplord_
11. Novembre - _Novembrine Waltz_
12. Aydra - _Icon of Sin_
13. Alas - _Absolute Purity_
14. Vortex - _Colours Out From the Emptiness_
15. Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_
16. Nightly Gale - _And Jesus Wept_
17. Anorexia Nervosa - _New Obscurantis Order_
18. Finntroll - _Jaktens Tid_
19. Therion - _Secret of the Runes_
20. Dismal Euphony - _Python Zero_
[Revelation: Shape of Despair]
[Disappointment: Epoch of Unlight]
[Most Underrated: Alas - _Absolute Purity_]
[Most Overlooked: none]
[Most Innovative: Profanum - _Musaeum Esotericum_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem: Kalmah - _Swamplord_]
Alain's Top 20
1. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
2. Akercocke - _The Goat of Mendes_
3. Tool - _Lateralus_
4. Dimmu Borgir - _Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia_
5. Thorns - _Thorns_
6. Punchdrunk - _Music for Them Asses_ (1999)
7. Zyklon - _World ov Worms_
8. Devin Townsend - _Terria_
9. Aborym - _Fire Walk With Us_
10. Lacrimosa - _Fassade_
11. Thyrane - _The Spirit of Rebellion_ (2000)
12. The Demonseeds - _Knee Deep in Hell's Grasp_ (1999)
13. Darkest Hour - _So Sedate, So Secure_
14. Keelhaul - _II_
15. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_
16. Immortal - _Damned in Black_ (2000)
17. Cadaver Inc. - _Discipline_
18. Withered Earth - _Into the Deepest Wounds_
19. Monster Magnet - _God Says No_
20. Iommi - _Iommi_
[Revelation: Aborym]
[Disappointment: Ozzy Osbourne]
[Most Innovative: Keelhaul - _II_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem: Iommi - _Iommi_]
Pedro's Top 20
1. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_
2. Evoken - _Quietus_
3. Katatonia - _Last Fair Deal Gone Down_
4. The Forsaken - _Manifest of Hate_
5. Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_
6. Madder Mortem - _All Flesh Is Grass_
7. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
8. Borknagar - _Empiricism_
9. Disbelief - _Worst Enemy_
10. Cadaver Inc. - _Discipline_
11. Anaal Nathrakh - _The Codex Necro_
12. Lost Soul - _Scream of the Mourning Star_
13. Anorexia Nervosa - _New Obscurantis Order_
14. Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_
15. Dornenreich - _Her Von Welken Nachten_
16. Summoning - _Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame_
17. Solefald - _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_
18. Absu - _Tara_
19. Blood Red Throne - _Monument of Death_
20. Soilwork - _A Predator's Portrait_
[Revelation: Anaal Nathrakh, Shape of Despair]
[Disappointment: Anathema, Emperor]
[Most Underrated: The Forsaken - _Manifest of Hate_]
[Most Overlooked: Evoken - _Quietus_, Disbelief - _Worst Enemy_]
[Most Innovative: Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem: The Forsaken - _Manifest of Hate_]
Paul's Top 20
1. Keelhaul - _II_
2. Akercocke - _The Goat of Mendes_
3. Absu - _Tara_
4. Converge - _Jane Doe_
5. Atomsmasher - _Atomsmasher_
6. Lost Soul - _Scream of the Mourning Star_
7. Old Man Gloom -
_Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism Regression_
8. Cadaver Inc. - _Discipline_
9. Anaal Nathrakh - _The Codex Necro_
10. Isis - _Celestial_
11. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
12. Aborym - _Fire Walk With Us!_
13. Svartsyn - _His Majesty_
14. Association Area - _Loathsome Deco_
15. Tool - _Lateralus_
16. Khanate - _Khanate_
17. Melechesh - _Djinn_
18. Enslaved - _Monumension_
19. Sigh - _Imaginary Sonicscape_
20. Pungent Stench - _Masters of Moral Servants of Sin_
[Revelation: Kaddish (Scotland, unsigned)]
[Disappointment: Thorns]
[Most Underrated: Absu - _Tara_ (not least by me!)]
[Most Overlooked: Keelhaul - _II_]
[Most Innovative: Atomsmasher - _Atomsmasher_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem:
Manipulated Slaves - _The Legendary Black Jade_]
Aaron's Top 15
1. Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_
2. Epoch of Unlight - _Caught in the Unlight_
3. Evergrey - _In Search of Truth_
4. In Aeternum - _Past and Present Sins_
5. Dragonlord - _Rapture_
6. Circle of Dead Children - _The Genocide Machine_
7. Marduk - _La Grande Danse Macabre_
8. Soilent Green - _A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down_
9. Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_
10. Testament - _First Strike Still Deadly_
11. Witchery - _Symphony for the Devil_
12. Mortician - _Domain of Death_
13. Hypocrisy - _10 Years of Chaos and Confusion_
14. Green Carnation - _Light of Day, Day of Darkness_
15. Slayer - _God Hates Us All_
David's Top 10
1. Arch Enemy - _Wages of Sin_
2. Rammstein - _Mutter_
3. Wolverine - _The Window Purpose_
4. Andromeda - _Extension of the Wish_
5. Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_
6. Iced Earth - _Horror Show_
7. Finntroll - _Jaktens Tid_
8. Diablerie - _Seraphyde_
9. Aborted - _Engineering the Dead_
10. Decapitated - _Nihility_
[Revelation: Wolverine]
[Disappointment: Elegeion]
[Most Underrated: Thyrane - _The Art of Rebellion_ (2000)]
[Most Overlooked: Iniquity -_Grime_]
[Most Innovative: Wolverine - _The Window Purpose_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem: Bloodshed - _Skullcrusher_]
Matthias' Top 20
1. System of a Down - _Toxicity_
2. Disbelief - _Worst Enemy_
3. Rebaelliun - _Annihilation_
4. Burnt by the Sun - _Burnt by the Sun_
5. Thorns - _Thorns_
6. Blood Red Throne - _Monument of Death_
7. Amon Amarth - _The Crusher_
8. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
9. Katatonia - _Last Fair Deal Gone Down_
10. Anathema - _A Fine Day to Exit_
11. Anaal Nathrakh - _The Codex Necro_
12. Akercocke - _The Goat of Mendes_
13. Absu - _Tara_
14. Solefald - _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_
15. Evoken - _Quietus_
16. Sigh - _Imaginary Sonicscape_
17. Green Carnation - _Light of Day, Day of Darkness_
18. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_
19. Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_
20. Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_
[Revelation: Burnt by the Sun, Disbelief]
[Disappointment: Opeth]
[Most Underrated: Rebaelliun - _Annihilation_]
[Most Overlooked: Rebaelliun - _Annihilation]
[Most Innovative: System of a Down - _Toxicity_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem:
Blood Red Throne - _Monument of Death_]
Alvin's Top 20
1. Falconer - _Falconer_
2. Cathedral - _Endtyme_
3. Impaled Nazarene - _Absence of War Does Not Mean Peace_
4. Edguy - _Mandrake_
5. Absu - _Tara_
6. Blackmore's Night - _Fires at Midnight_
7. Necrodeath - _Black as Pitch_
8. Grand Belial's Key - _Judeobeast Assassination_
9. Watain - _Rabid Death's Curse_
10. Clandestine Blaze / Deathspell Omega - _split LP_
11. Sonata Arctica - _Silence_
12. Ulver - _Perdition City_
13. Sadistic Intent - _Resurrection of the Ancient Black Earth_
14. Gamma Ray - _No World Order_
15. Svartsyn - _Bloodline / His Majesty_
16. Eternal Majesty / Temple of Baal - _split LP_
17. Exordium - _Exordium 10"_
18. Mortuary Drape - _Tolling 13 Knell_
19. Death in June - _DISCriminate_
20. Emperor - _Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise_
[Revelation: Falconer]
[Disappointment: Gamma Ray]
[Most Underrated: Blackmore's Night - _Fires at Midnight_]
[Most Overlooked: Grand Belial's Key - _Judeobeast Assassination_]
[Most Innovative: Ulver - _Perdition City_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem:
Children of Bodom - _Follow the Reaper_]
Chris' Top 20
1. Anorexia Nervosa - _New Obscurantis Order_
2. Thorns - _Thorns_
3. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_
4. Dimmu Borgir - _Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia_
5. Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_
6. Soilwork - _A Predator's Portrait_
7. The Provenance - _25th Hour; Bleeding_
8. Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_
9. Ark - _Burn the Sun_
10. Arch Enemy - _Wages of Sin_
11. Ambeon - _Fate of a Dreamer_
12. Rebaelliun - _Annihilation_
13. Borknagar - _Empiricism_
14. Ulver - _Perdition City_
15. Solefald - _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_
16. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
17. Devin Townsend - _Terria_
18. Anathema - _A Fine Day to Exit_
19. Susperia - _Predominance_
20. Zyklon - _World ov Worms_
[Revelation: Forest of Shadows]
[Disappointment: Emperor]
[Most Underrated: Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_]
[Most Overlooked: Pale Forest - _Exit Mould_]
[Most Innovative: Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem:
Anorexia Nervosa - _New Obscurantis Order_]
Quentin's Top 10
1. Ulver - _Perdition City_
2. Opeth - _Blackwater Park_
3. Katatonia -_Last Fair Deal Gone Down_
4. Emperor - _Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise_
5. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_
6. Zyklon - _World ov Worms_
7. Death - _Live in LA - Death and Raw_
8. Gamma Ray - _No World Order_
9. Evoken - _Quietus_
10. Diabolical Masquerade -_Death's Design_
[Revelation: Abigail]
[Disappointment: Dimmu Borgir]
[Most Underrated: The Chasm - _Reaching the Veil of Death_]
[Most Overlooked: Abigail - _Welcome All Hell Fuckers]
[Most Innovative: Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem: Metalucifer - _Heavy Metal Chainsaw_]
Vincent's Top 20
1. Iced Earth - _Horror Show_
2. Therion - _Secret of the Runes_
3. Hollenthon - _With Vilest of Worms to Dwell_
4. Rammstein - _Mutter_
5. Dimmu Borgir - _Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia_
6. Gamma Ray - _No World Order_
7. Within Temptation - _Mother Earth_
8. Rob Zombie - _The Sinister Urge_
9. System of a Down - _Toxicity_
10. Ancient Rites - _Dim Carcosa_
11. Tristania - _World of Glass_
12. Queensryche - _Live Evolution_
13. Blackmore's Night - _Fires at Midnight_
14. Judas Priest - _Demolition_
15. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_
16. Evergrey - _In Search of Truth_
17. Rhapsody - _Rain of a Thousand Flames_
18. Kreator - _Violent Revolution_
19. Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_
20. Annihilator - _Carnival Diablos_
[Revelation: Pig Destroyer]
[Disappointment: Moonspell]
[Most Underrated: Judas Priest - _Demolition_]
[Most Overlooked: Rakoth - _Jabberworks_]
[Most Innovative: Hollenthon - _With Vilest of Worms to Dwell_]
[Unpretentiously Enjoyable Gem: Night in Gales - _Necrodynamic_]
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Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #57
All contents copyright 2002 by individual creators of included work.
All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing
them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.
