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Chronicles of Chaos Issue 060
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, Thursday, April 3, 2003, Issue #60
http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
Co-Editor / Founder: Gino Filicetti
Co-Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo
Contributor: Adrian Bromley
Contributor: Brian Meloon
Contributor: Paul Schwarz
Contributor: Aaron McKay
Contributor: David Rocher
Contributor: Matthias Noll
Contributor: Alvin Wee
Contributor: Chris Flaaten
Contributor: Quentin Kalis
Contributor: Xander Hoose
Contributor: Adam Lineker
Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault
The individual writers can be reached by e-mail at
firstname.lastname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com.
(e.g. Gino.Filicetti@ChroniclesOfChaos.com).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #60 Contents, 4/3/03
--------------------------
* Editorial
* Chats
-- Metalucifer / Sabbat: Can You Say "Heavy Metal"?
-- Kittie: Kittie's Got Claws
-- Vehemence: Christ, They Fucking Hate You!
-- Cradle of Filth: Disturbing the Mainstream
* Albums
-- ...And Oceans - _Cypher_
-- Abdullah - _Graveyard Poetry_
-- Aborym - _With No Human Intervention_
-- Aesma Daeva - _The Eros of Frigid Beauty_
-- All in Vain - _The Backside of Humanity_
-- Asgaroth - _Red Shift_
-- Beaten Back to Pure - _Last Refuge of the Sons of Bitches_
-- Beyond the Embrace - _Against the Elements_
-- Bloodline - _A Pestilence Long Forgotten_
-- Brave - _Searching for the Sun_
-- ChthoniC - _9th Empyrean_
-- Codeseven - _The Rescue_
-- Corporation 187 - _Perfection in Pain_
-- Council of the Fallen - _Revealing Damnation_
-- Dead Blue Sky - _Symptoms of an Unwanted Emotion_
-- Desaster - _Divine Blasphemies_
-- Dimmu Borgir - _World Misanthropy_
-- Disharmonic Orchestra - _Ahead_
-- Divercia - _Modus Operandi_
-- Fallen Into Ashes - _Solely Dreaming the Reconstruction of a
Forgotten Revolution_
-- Flesh Made Sin - _Masterwork in Blood_
-- Freedom Call - _Eternity_
-- Hate - _Cain's Way_
-- Hate Eternal - _King of All Kings_
-- Himsa - _Death Is Infinite_
-- Impious - _The Killer_
-- INRI - _Hyper Bastard Breed_
-- Kataklysm - _Shadows & Dust_
-- Lacuna Coil - _Comalies_
-- Legion - _Awakened Fury_
-- Madder Mortem - _Deadlands_
-- Martyr - _To Confirm When Destruction Comes_
-- Megiddo - _The Atavism of Evil_
-- Mess Age - _Self Convicted_
-- Morningstar - _Kalevala Mysticism_
-- Necronom - _The Darkening Path_
-- Negura Bunget - _'N Crugu Bradului_
-- Nicodemus - _The Supernatural Omnibus_
-- Novembers Doom - _To Welcome the Fade_
-- Omnium Gatherum - _Steal the Light_
-- Origin - _Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas_
-- Overkill - _Wrecking Everything - Live_
-- Phantomsmasher - _Phantomsmasher_
-- Red Harvest - _Sick Transit Gloria Mundi_
-- Rotten Sound - _Murderworks_
-- Scalplock - _Spread the Germs... Over the Human Worms_
-- Sepultura - _Under a Pale Grey Sky_
-- Severe Torture - _Misanthropic Carnage_
-- Somnus - _Through Creation's End_
-- The Black Dahlia Murder - _A Cold Blooded Epitaph_
-- The Blood Divine - _Rise Pantheon Dreams_
-- The Equinox ov the Gods - _Where Angels Dare Not Tread_
-- Thine - _In Therapy_
-- Thorium - _Unleashing the Demons_
-- Thyrfing - _Vansinnesvisor_
-- Today Is the Day - _Sadness Will Prevail_
-- Various - _Covered in Blood: A Tribute to Slayer_
-- Vinterriket - _Und die Nacht kam schweren Schrittes_
-- Vintersorg - _Visions From the Spiral Generator_
-- Wolfnacht - _Night of the Werewolf_
* Demos
-- 7th Nemesis - _7th Nemesis_
-- Aggression Core - _Victim or Enemy_
-- Aphotic - _Stillness Grows_
-- Balseraph - _Balseraph_
-- Event Horizon - _From Beginning... to End_
-- Goldenpyre - _Necroterrorism_
-- Gotha - _Take Your Soul_
-- Honey for Christ - _Forging Iron Will_
-- Illogicist - _Polymorphism Of Death_
-- Recto Rectors - _Fight For Your Grind_
-- Serrated Scalpel - _Suspended in Misery_
-- Set in Silence - _Watch the Sky Burn_
-- Slaughter of Souls - _Nexus Avernus_
-- Solution 13 - _Solution 13_
-- The Last Winter - _IRA_
* Gigs
-- Morningrise in the Deadlands
-- King Tut's Burning Angel Hut
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by: Gino Filicetti
Welcome to the first of our monthly Chronicles of Chaos email
digests. In this digest, you will find all of the articles that have
been published on our website over the last month.
For those of you who haven't seen the new Chronicles of Chaos, head
over to: http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com and take a gander. Check
out my editorial on the website for more info on our new format.
Also, let's not forget about the new Chronicles of Chaos Message
Board at: http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/board. Sign up now for an
account on our message board, and help foster a lively community of
CoC readers and writers.
Enjoy the new material, and remember to check back with our website
on a regular basis to read the latest and greatest as it's published.
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C A N Y O U S A Y " H E A V Y M E T A L " ?
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CoC chats with Geniezoluzifer/Gezol of Metalucifer/Sabbat
by: Paul Schwarz
It rode up on hell's hot wing, a heavy metal album with its feet
defiantly planted in the past which nonetheless had to be taken
seriously: _Heavy Metal Chainsaw_. Of course, Metalucifer -- lead by
Sabbat (Japan) frontman Gezol (aka Gezolucifer and Geniesoluzifer) --
had already delivered such an album with 1997's _Heavy Metal Drill_
[CoC #33], but with _HMC_ they bettered themselves ten times over. In
the West, _HMC_ saw Metalucifer leave the ultra-small underground
imprint Iron Pegasus (run by Costa Stoios of Tales of the Macabre
'zine) to join the growing ranks of small, US-based underground label
Rest In Peace. After its release early last year, _HMC_ began slowly
but surely to garner ever more praise and interest from around the
globe. Metalucifer played Germany's Wacken festival in the summer
and, at year's end, topped at least one leading extreme music
magazine's end of year poll. It may sound like just another story of
a band who were marginalised by distribution restrictions finally
getting the exposure they needed to reach a wider audience, but I
think many of us doubted Metalucifer would ever get anywhere. Great
as they are, Metalucifer are so god-damned excessively old school
heavy metal that you'd think there'd be no place for them in today's
scene. But if you thought that, perhaps you just weren't looking hard
enough -- or for the right things -- when you cast your eye over the
metal scene, looking for a place to park Metalucifer. Old school
metal is really growing again, in popularity and quality; Wolf's
ultra D'Anno-era-'Maiden styled _Black Wings_ made an impact almost
as surprising as _HMC_'s last year. Perhaps the ground -is- still
fertile for a band as dedicated to old school metal as Metalucifer.
Who knows? In fact, who really cares? I think I'll just get back to
my headbanging and let you get on with reading what Gezol had to say.
Oh, and just in case you're confused, this interview was conducted in
early 2002: before Metalucifer's Wacken performance. (Apologies for
the time-lag.)
*[Disclaimer of sorts: I have left most of Gezol's sentences as they
were because I feel his "Engrish" (see http://www.engrish.com for an
explanation of this term, if necessary) has a certain charm to it --
also, even meticulous rewriting might well not convey what was
-meant- by a given passage, even if it might read more cleanly. One
other good reason to leave things as they were was that this was an
email interview -- what you see here is all that I had to go
on. That said, I actually think Gezol's answers are perfectly
understandable -- even if a second reading is required to fully
grasp the meaning of some sections/sentences. I think the best way
to 'get' what Gezol is saying is to get into his mindset, into the
-spirit- of what is being said. If you can do that, I think you'll
not only be able to find out a lot about what goes on and has gone
on with Metalucifer, Geniezoluzifer and Sabbat, but you'll also
start to understand how much passion and sincerity, I believe, lies
behind Gezol's words.]
(Credit: Translated by Yohta Takahashi / HMSS / FETU)
CoC: In what circumstances did Metalucifer first form? What was the
thought (if any) behind forming a traditional heavy metal band
like Metalucifer?
Geniezoluzifer/Gezol: First of all, the Metalucifer project was born
in a very simple reason that I just wanted to play a sort of
traditional metal music with pureness. I was... I was an innocent
pure guy for metal, a traditional one.
Around 1984 when Sabbat was founded in the countryside of Japan, the
world metal scene was at the very beginning of the thrash metal
movement. Me and other members of early Sabbat were of course so
young to understand the situation that we directed ourselves to play
a kind of satanic metal. Sabbat was in a part of Japanese metal
underground as pioneer satanic/black/thrash metal and performed
violently, as the scene people expected of a satanic band. Yes, we
were young. We put all our energy into our stage and always storms of
violence blew up on our stage. And in my opinion, playing music as
Sabbat was much better benefit for me to let metal fans understand
what I want to express. Yes, that's satanic metal at the moment.
Still now I haven't changed this thought. Sabbat can sound what I
really want to do through metal. However, I have kept listening to
traditional/typical metal music besides playing in Sabbat. From
NWOBHM to Euro/US power metal, my ears were hungry for various metal.
I just love metal! So I can't remember exactly, but one day in the
very past I got an idea to form a band to play a sort of
-traditional- metal, not as Sabbat.
Well, time run so fast and back in 1995 I thought, "The time has
come." In 1995, I think the scene of traditional/typical metal
was totally declined. Maybe there were a few bands in the very
underground around the time who would be the core of today's
(2000-2001) new metal movement. But the scene itself at that time was
"fulfilled" with thousands of black/doom/death metals. And it was
crisis for pure metals, that many of these brutal bands were trying
to do cross-over music with quite different kind of sound far from
metal. I asked myself, "Gezol, can you accept this situation?",
"Gezol, what can you see in the future of metal scene with
such crossover shits?", "Gezol, now is the time and chance to
look over the real substance of heavy metal, isn't it?". These
self-questionnaires and rage against the scene brought me a pure
spirit for metal. Not only to destroy the crossovers with my pure
metal, but to bring hammer down on the semi-critics who proudly said,
"METAL IS DEAD". I wanted to prove traditional/typical metal isn't
dead. It lives forever. Rise it from the dead!!!!
Let me say something about traditional/typical metal. I think the
base of this metal has already been developed out in the end of the
Eighties. Of course digital technology brought a kind of revolution
to the sound quality, later. But about composing, I think the
traditional metal got its final style with _Painkiller_ by Judas
Priest, Blind Guardian and Helloween. Metal bands of today are
trying to make a good song in the categorised field even if
they're well aware that there are no new ideas coming up. Can
you make a masterpiece metal song by using these accomplished
ideas/phrases/rhythms? Is it impossible for us to do it? I wanted to
prove: YES, WE CAN! That was the core-reason why Metalucifer appeared
suddenly in mid-Nineties. Metalucifer shows we can make the awesome
great metal songs by using Eighties ideas only. I want to say to you,
"YOU NEED THIS ONES WE ARE PLAYING NOW, YOU LOVE OUR MUSIC IN REAL,
DON'T YOU!? DON'T YOU!?
And I think modern black/death metals are one of the results of
the development of speed/power metal affected by thrash/grind/HC.
Dividing by so-called speed/thrash as the border-line, the metal
is categorised in two: black/death/doom, and the other one is
traditional/typical/speed/thrash. I had known that there were many
and many traditional/typical metal fans in the musicians of
black/death metals too, so my strategy was to blow 'em up with simple
Metalucifer sound and let them be sympathise with us -- and also let
them be big Metalucifer fans... And then... we can possibly make a
giga-wave in the metal scene! I think true metal fans are listening
to any kinds of metal music from NWOBHM to brutal metals. Metalucifer
should be one of their heavy rotations!
However, to tell you the truth, I didn't expect to get such great
reactions from whole world. I thought that was a kind of miracle for
Metalucifer to release the second full-length on US/German labels,
and additionally we are going to play at the Wacken Open Air!! In the
very beginning of this project, I just wanted to play heavy metal in
my ideal. And I did it. Of course I had many inspirations and
thoughts mentioned above along with this project, but it don't
matter. My first priority was to play what I really wanted. I had
confidence in the songs, but my pronunciation and lyrics were too
kiddish Japanese-English. Technique and sound itself were based in
the Eighties one. I was a bit anxiety wondering if the young metal
fans would say "No" to Metalucifer. But now the reactions sided on
me. My project Metalucifer was accepted by the scene and I can
proudly say, "METAL is SPIRIT!" People want high-level masterpiece
and metal anthems anytime.
CoC: Your first full-length, _Heavy Metal Drill_ [CoC #33], was
released by the Iron Pegausus "label", run by the editor of
Tales of the Macabre, in Europe (and the US?). How did the deal
with RIP come about, and how did you feel about Iron Pegasus's
release of _HMD_?
G: Before the release of Metalucifer's Euro version CD on Iron
Pegasus, I pressed 1000 copies of the original version of _HMD_
album on my own Evil / Metal Proof label in 1996. It was fate
that Sabbat had a German tour next year and the owner of Iron
Pegasus was in front of our stage and... he was very impressed
with our performance. He was also into Metalucifer sound and
offered us the release of Euro version on his label. Anyway, he
made 1000 copies of _HMD_ and sold it out in a year. I was really
proud of the release in Germany and satisfied with the situation,
that many European metal freaks had got a chance to listen to
Metalucifer. Well, Iron Pegasus helped us to spread the name of
Metalucifer to the edge of the world. The metal scene of today is
based mainly in Northern/Mid/Latin Europe. Getting good reactions
from the mid-Europe was very effective for us to let people in
Asia / America / Latin America be interested in Metalucifer.
Fortunately Metalucifer has got more and more fans than I
expected, except UK.... One English man wrote me, "Metalucifer is
ultimate! But too late. It must be come 10 years ago." Something
like that. Uh, he couldn't catch my spirit and faith for metal.
Probably English men, not only him, want to say "Metalucifer is
an anachronism, old-fashioned, etc." I am okay to his opinion if
he is really honest to the music of Metalucifer. But I want to
ask you English men, what is going on with the UK metal scene of
today? Is there any new metal bands coming up and any new scene
or movements in the underground? I haven't heard any news from UK
today. Before criticise my UNIQUE vocal style (laugh), what you
English men should do is to look over yourselves and your scene!
In my opinion, these English critics are not honest to heavy
metal music as art work, because you are always mentioning the
ability to speak English when you guys review bands from
non-English areas, especially from Asia. Heavy metal is artwork
of spirit! To tell you the secret, Iron Pegasus was very afraid
when they decided to release Sabbat/Metalucifer albums in Europe,
saying like this, "That's desperate war for Iron Pegasus to
promote a Japanese band in the current European scene because of
kamikaze-English". Haha, but it was easy for me to guess there
was also prejudice existing in European mind to Asian playing
metal. However, Costa of Iron Pegasus challenged that risky game
and carried out to blow up the scene with Metalucifer/Sabbat. And
his belief in metal sympathised American RIP records, I guess.
Well, I had already spread 100 copies of _HMD_ album to US
distributors before getting touch with RIP. I don't know how they
were interested in Metalucifer and I don't care of such matter
right way. And what I can remember now about RIP Record was that
the owner rang up me but was ripped by my Samurai-English, haha!
He wanted to release some Sabbat albums on his label at the first
contact on the phone, but one day he changed the subject to
Metalucifer. Please ask him why.
(Stan (RIP): I did call him on a phone once and yeah it was way
too kamikaze for me but I never dropped the idea of Sabbat on
RIP. Actually the new album will most likely be released thru
RIP, so be forewarned!)
G: Iron Pegasus advised me that it was much better for
Sabbat/Metalucifer to have a contract with an American label if
we wanted to go America. So all of us -- me, RIP and Iron Pegasus
-- had a discussion about the contract offer from RIP and got the
best result, I see. Well anyway, the things went so naturally
with the Sabbatical circle and Metalucifer's strong impact to the
metal scene. Actually Metalucifer is under control of Iron
Pegasus and we trust on the label perfect. They have done tons of
benefit on Sabbat/Metalucifer and I respect him, of course. I get
agreement from Iron Pegasus about the issues of any offers
according to Metalucifer. No need to have a new contract with
Iron Pegasus about our management, because I trust on him 100%.
That's SAMURAI's mind.
CoC: Would you say Metalucifer are "a serious band"?
G: Metalucifer is not "BAD NEWS"! And in my opinion, Metallica of
today is more comical than us. Metalucifer is definitely not a
comic band, but really a serious band. We are not playing music
as parody of Eighties music. To prove for this, I put on _HMD_
album some Sabbat songs which were written in mid-Eighties when
Sabbat was at beginning. And there is no comic bands of metal
without technique and ability. So-called comic bands can let
people enjoy because they are highly technical and performing
super. Metalucifer is an old-metal band being totally against
atmospheric epic/symphonic metal which is under influence of
Rhapsody or Angra! Hey, I guess these atmospheric epic/symphonic
metal fans whom brains have meltdown in eating too enough
McDonald's will judge us down as a joke metal band if they have a
chance to listen to Metalucifer, haha. But that's not my
business.
I would like to tell you one episode about one Finnish metal fan.
One day, the guy had had a dinner listening to Metalucifer.
Unfortunately that was his first time to listen to Metalucifer
music. And when his CD player turned to "Heavy Metal Hunter", he
couldn't stop spitting out the things in his mouth because of
funny sound. The things flew 5 meters away! Well, he couldn't
have the dinner at the night because he couldn't stop laughing
all night. But... from next day he couldn't stop headbanging
and Metalucifer became his heavy rotation. I think he could
understand what Metalucifer means and what I really wants to say.
That's METAL!
CoC: Do you care how 'the scene', 'the media' or other collective
opinions on metal see Metalucifer? Do you have any opinion on
the state of metal today, or any proclamation to make as to
what Metalucifer are going to do about it?
G: Honestly I am totally not taking care of media saying. Anybody
has any different opinions about artworks. FEELING is not given
by critic's words, but by LISTENING ONESELF to the music. There
are countless reviews by many fans and these opinions direct the
intention of the scene itself. It's a very important factor
that the environment of Metalucifer movement and affection
consist simply of these general metal fan's opinions! We welcome
metallers arguing about the metal scene or Metalucifer. But I
just do what I want to play. I just want to reach to the ideal
style of ultimate metal. And also I am doing Sabbat with the same
attitude with different members.
Sometimes I read some "GOOD" reviews for Metalucifer on medias.
But sadly some of them are not so serious to our music that I got
mad at the writers. Not only about Metalucifer, but always MEDIA
lies. I am sad that many unable writers do ugly articles without
understanding metal music. It's too hard for us to find true
faithful writers in current scene. So I could say, the most
important thing for the scene people, especially fans, is to
judge yourself with your own ears. It's stupid to believe what
the media says blindly. Not only the media can make the scene,
but need your power!
The main message of Metalucifer is, saying frankly, that I hope
the countries like the UK will revive the metal scene. I guess
you English men have always looked down on other countries and
still now you guys haven't been noticed your stupidity. Like
Mini-cooper and fish & potato, what you can make brag of is Iron
Maiden & Judas Priest only. Certainly NWOBHM was a legend. The
movement left countless metal classics and still now bands like
Saxon, Tank and Motorhead is going on. And you have some bands
like Curdle of Filth and Bolt Thrower following... but... but...
what's the reason why your country cannot have a new band of
traditional/typical metal coming up nowadays? Is there no scene
in the UK for that kind of metal? Are your young people dead
out? Don't you have any rebellious spirit against heavy music
featuring stupid RAPS???? Even our Japan -- known as a developing
country for metal music -- we have some strong newcomers and the
scene is beating hard. Nobody in Japan mentions Loudness anymore.
When you got the NWOBHM, it was the real glory for the UK scene.
UK was the sanctuary for every metal fans as their destination.
However, I want to ask you again. Was it really over now? You
English-spoken people are sometimes saying stupidity like this
"WE'RE ALWAYS NO.1 IN THE WORLD", but do you know that the
metal-THIRD countries like Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Mexico,
Czech, Hungary, Greece have got tons of new bands and getting the
new scene bigger and bigger these days? In old time, Japanese
metal fans only listened to English-singing bands because of
prejudice, but now they open mind to ethnic vocal styles and
accept bands singing in own language like French, Spanish and
Eastern block language. This time, I put the song called "Lost
Sanctuary" in the end of the new album. This is my message to UK
people and the scene; "We hit the road to new sanctuary. The time
has come. What we need is new place to get the new glory." I
think that being proud of the past glory is transient. New-aged
fans cannot understand the glory in the past. There is no future
for the UK scene if you can't say bye to the "great" glory and
stupid pride. Now is the time to brave new world. I really hope
the UK scene will be back to the forefront with new metal
anthems.
Anyway, the traditional heavy metal scene in the UK is totally
dead now. And Metalucifer proves METAL AIN'T DEAD YET. That's my
conclusion right away. The world must be into the chaos of metal
war. Anybody can join in the war and battle for getting the
better result. To polish up each other, this kind of war is
benefit for the future of the scene. I hope UK bands will think
forward to my suggestion... and join us.
CoC: Metalucifer's music is unashamedly unoriginal -- and I love it.
But what would you say people who: a) claimed that Metalucifer
are a pointless band, because people would be better off
listening to HM records that are genuinely old; b) claimed that
Metalucifer are a pointless band, because they're not as good
as Primal Fear, Hammerfall or other 'true metal' bands?
G: As I told you before, I think the basic development of
traditional/typical metal has already been completed by many
bands in the past. Can you see something very new in today's
bands playing that music? The main theme for the bands of today
is how to compose unique songs which give listeners strong
impression and braving spirit. Hey, I could say, the sound with
all very original methods cannot be METAL. You know what I mean
and you know Metalucifer proved it, so in result you're possessed
by Metalucifer, aren't you?
A) So I say UK is dead. That's why you're sticking with FISH &
POTATO even if the World War Three has happened. Don't you
have any desire to know what's going on in the underground?
Metalucifer is a point-device band to ask you the question "Why
have we released such old-fashioned sound now?". If you can't
catch what I mean, it's waste of time.
B) I don't like Hammerfall. That's a problem of subjectivity, but
when I finished listening to their first album, I had no
impression left in my mind except one ballad song, haha. Sorry,
but their music was boring. I can't understand why many people
are exciting with the band and making a fuss. Primal Fear is, in
my opinion, just an ape of Judas Priest's _Painkiller_, isn't it?
But in the point of composing, Primal Fear is good enough, so I
am not beating them down.
Well, I would like to thank you because you compared Metalucifer
with such big names like Hammerfall and PF! Fantastic. Yeah, as
you say, Metalucifer may be "lesser" than these TRUE bands. But
let me say one thing. Suppose Prime Fear or Hammerfall plays
music of Metalucifer without telling people who is the original,
definitely they can make more and more big sales than today. Let
me ask you what is the "TRUE METAL" you mean with question? Can't
you say Metalucifer is much more "TRUE" than them because we are
not doing the band for making money? Can you? If your band play
metal music with pure mind and without any gimmick for making
money, you're a true band, I guess. I am proud of Metalucifer as
the true band even we have no contract with Nuclear Blast and we
have no debut CD on big labels. The bands you have mentioned are
just lucky to succeed in spreading their names to the market. Any
metal bands like Metalucifer, Hammerfall and Primal Fear... what
we believe on is the spirit and the spirit is METAL.
CoC: Roughly speaking, is there any thought put into Metalucifer's
lyrics, or do you feel that as long as they mention "heavy
metal" as often as possible, they're good?
G: Sorry for the lyrics of _HMD_ album which was hard to understand.
I ought to study English hard and deep... But _Heavy Metal
Chaisaw_'s lyrics were checked by ex-Death drummer Bill Andrews,
so I think these is no problems in the lyrics. The problem is my
pronunciation, so check the lyrics sheet when you play the CD.
There is no difficulties to understand the Metalucifer's lyrical
imagination. Please do understand the lyrics simple and straight,
that's all about Metalucifer. The meaning of lyrics depends on
your imagination. We're not giving any serious story-lines to the
lyrics, we're not like modern black or gothic metals.
And as you point it, I use the word of HEAVY METAL so frequently
so much. I really love HEAVY METAL music and a rhythm of the word
and its background. I dedicate 100% of my life to heavy metal.
Well, my small challenge to heavy metal is getting today's
reactions to Metalucifer and it goes on now. Probably you English
men cannot understand the situation, but it's true that I
have got countless e-mails from whole world saying they are
sympathised with the way of metal which I put on the Metalucifer
sound. Need I say more? Yes, they are 100% understanding my
lyrics. These is very important meaning in my lyrics, but in
other hand, there is no meaning with it either.
CoC: How are Metalucifer related to Sabbat excluding the fact that
the two bands share some members -- in terms of music, or the
thought behind making the music, for example?
G: My main life work project is Sabbat. Metalucifer project is
done as my side-project (fun-project). I have lots of things
to do with Sabbat. As you can listen, Sabbat is playing
black/thrash/death metal as the advance style of evil-metal,
and much more brutal than Metalucifer's. So-called metal is
sub-divided into many categories today. In its basis, Sabbat has
darkened themes like worshipping evils, occult, anti-religion,
anti-pop metal, anti-hypocrisy etc. etc. But these are just
theme. These blacky themes match very well to evilized music like
Sabbat plays and that sounds exciting. When I am a member of
Metalucifer, I am just a traditional/typical metal nut. You
medias often ask us what the goal as a band is, but I have no
goals for sure. I have no intention to change the world with my
music and no political ambition. I am not interesting in the news
like USA and UK bomb Afghanistan... I am not interesting in
making money, either. I live free, I play free. However, there is
only one exception in my life. I can't be silent to the metal
scene of today. So I sometimes attack the scene with our
music.... The meaning of "band" for me is one of mankind's sixth
sense, one of daily life habits same as eating or excreting. I
play music for myself the first, and for fans who enjoy the music
as art, and for heavy metal kids who go crazy in the concert. And
then there is the SCENE and medias like you following the
Metalucifer movement. Enjoy Metalucifer music straightly, and
imagine something crazy from my great lyrics in your way! That's
the way of art called music, isn't that?
Well, about the point you mentioned... yes, some members are
sharing both bands Sabbat and Metalucifer. The reason is just
simple. It's very hard for us to find able players in our area
and that's better for me to do Metalucifer with all my friends or
Sabbat members. These German players on _HMC_ we're getting from
connections with Iron Pegasus. Hey, they worked superb and I was
satisfied very much with their way of metal! One thing I asked
the Metalucifer members was "Enjoy it in your way". Metalucifer
session was full of joyment, but in other hand, that was full
of battle with originality/personality/potential each other. I
didn't care of the result. Some members asked me about my
satisfaction, but that's not a matter. I asked them to join the
next sessions and told them, "Everything was okay if you really
enjoyed Metalucifer and had a confidence that you did your work
100%". There is one thing I have to take care all time between
members of Sabbat and Metalucifer. My main project is Sabbat, and
Metalucifer is a part of Sabbat. I don't ask Metalucifer and
Sabbat members to do lots of things... they are not victims for
my satisfaction and they should be free from any pressure and
stress.
CoC: What specific bands (if any) inspired the music of _Heavy Metal
Chainsaw_? What bands inspire Metalucifer most in general? Do
the primary inspirations vary between different albums: I
notice a marked (general) difference in style between _Heavy
Metal Drill_ and _Heavy Metal Chainsaw_?
G: The music of _HMC_ wasn't inspired specially by any bands.
I myself am influenced by Iron Maiden, Manowar, Accept and
many other NWOBHM/European metals. _HMD_ consists of 40% of
remaked/arranged versions (done in 1995) of my songs written in
the early Eighties, 30% of early Sabbat songs written in the mid
Eighties, and rest of 30% were brand new songs written in 1995.
_HMC_ songs were in the same vein of _HMD_ songs written in 1995.
You know Metalucifer had a chance to release the _Warrior's
Again_ 7" EP around 1998 and the _HMC_ songs were written at the
same time as the EP materials. I did the composing for all the
_HMC_ songs in six months. I mean, the _HMC_ album is very tight
and not done in loose idea. When I was doing the job for _HMC_
album, I had some discussions with Iron Pegasus to let some
German players join in Metalucifer. So I tried to give straight
edges to the songs more than dramatic rhythm changes, because
simple feeling would be effective to German fans who know well of
the glory of metal Eighties! Well, I could say there was a bit
change of musical direction between _HMD_ and _HMC_, but it's
alright. Additionally we recorded it at a new studio with new
musicians.
CoC: Geniezoluzifer, your vocal style is distinctly
Japanese-accented and is the only thing about Metalucifer
which isn't really blueprinted on classic NWOBHM material. Is
the Japanese accenting intentional or can you not help it?
Personally, I really like it because it is comedic yet (for me)
captures that "warrior spirit" that makes traditional HM vocals
sound so powerful, and grip one's attention so much. What would
you say to that?
G: What I want to say is as follows... uh. I just can't DO English
well and I don't make any effort to let my English better than
now. And I have no enough time to study it either. However the
MUSIC of Metalucifer is rising above the matter. Please don't
misunderstand our stance. We're not a kind of NWOBHM clone. We
play the Eighties-styled traditional/typical heavy metal with a
touch of NWOBHM and I was inspired by not only NWOBHM, but all
kinds of trad/typical metal from whole world. Right? And then, I
want to ask you one question along with your feeling and opinion
about Metalucifer. You said "Metalucifer sounds great as classic
NWOBHM songs", in other hand, denying Japanese-accented vocals,
but you liked it... uh? Why don't you fall into dilemma with your
pointless question?
Or... are you a gentleman taking care of my less-ability of
pronunciation? What do you think of these metallers who refuse
Metalucifer because of my terrible pronunciations?
Find the fact that the situation surrounding Metalucifer rises
above your questionnaires. Bad English? So what?? My samurai
spirit says you that the real substance of Metalucifer magic blow
off away the negativities of Japan-esque English. That's the
reason why I don't make effort to go to an English school
(paying huge money) or I don't share my composing time with
studying Englsih. Saying frankly, if you love Metalucifer,
you should study JAPANESE-ENGLISH. You British people speak
British English. Americans do American English. Aussie people do
Australian English. Europeans do European English. Asians do
Asian English... If all of Chinese people speak Chinese English,
absolute number of the spoken-English people are consist of
Chinese people as the main, you'll be sub. One stupid nut
American said like this, "Don't play metal without speaking
English!" Crazy. He addled his brain with his stupidity to be
against many domestic bands singing in ethnic languages. Quite
nonsense. One German said like this, "Gezol's English is not
acceptable, but I really love it sang in Sabbat and Metalucifer."
He continued, "Almost all of listeners in non-English countries
are not taking care of the pronunciation and they don't
understand the words without lyric cards while listening, but
that's okay enough!" Many people are listening to my ugly vocal
as a part of metal sound, a part of artwork. Don't you think the
words can be an art? Even if somebody rejects, even if somebody
worships, I live free from any chains and go on playing music.
Actually our language Japanese itself is become broken by young
ages. I asked myself, is there any must-rule on my work to
express what I want to say with PERFECT and CORRECT words? In
result, I tried to create new language based in some elements of
Japanese (language) for Sabbat's _Karisma_ album, and fortunately
Japanese fans accepted it with open arms even if they couldn't
understand the lyrics.
Definitely you can't understand my lyrics because of my kamikaze
pronunciation, but you can catch me with your free imaginations.
That's the way of art. We can say nobody can understand the art
without imagination and inspiration, can't we? As you know, music
is a sort of artwork to create some feeling from zero. Feel it
free with pure mind for your metal spirit! If Metalucifer is okay
to you at this point, everything is OKAY!
CoC: I was not denying the Japanese accented vocals as "acceptable",
I was merely noting that they were not a part of the original
NWOBHM style-template and thus were additional to it. There was
not a dilemma; I was not being a "gentleman". I like the way
you do your vocals in the sense that it fits the music and
sounds good and METAL! I also find the accent sounds, from my
perspective, rather absurd singing the words that it sings, and
so that aspect amuses me.
G: Okay, okay, I can catch you. What I am taking care the most for
composing the riffs of vocal is to find the most suitable
vocal-lines which fits perfect to the sound. There are countless
combinations of different patterned riffs in general. Just like
an architect thinks of the plan of a house, it's possible for me
to find thousands of riff patterns/combinations from my past
experience and knowledge for my "house" (music). But when I write
the lyrics, I can find what's the best vocal-riffs which fit
perfect to the sound with ease. That comes from my spirit for
metal so natural that I think it's not a difficult task. I give
enough priority to the vocal's riffs/melodies, as same as the
sound itself. That's the most important point to understand the
real substance of Metalucifer. Therefore, in my opinion, to
pronounce the English-written lyrics perfect is not given the
first priority for the sound of Metalucifer, but Metalucifer
should be a great project created by those who believe in our own
style of metal which we must do and have. For example, sometimes
Spanish-singing metal bands are really attractive in point of
powerful lyrics/vocals which is not like English-singing ones.
That's sure that my style is based on Japanese language and
accent. But I myself think it's a sort of Japanese/English mix
juice! I think my/our Japanese vocal style is very original.
What you said to me "...not a part of the original NWOBHM
style-template..." is right and I accept it as an excellent
opinion. But let me tell you that I don't want to play NWOBHM
under the name of Metalucifer. What I want to do with Metalucifer
is the Eighties sound in the European/Japanese style which was
played by people (except English men) who wanted to ape NWOBHM
and wanted to be a follower of NWOBHM but who couldn't be that
because of their nationality, language barriers and original
feeling with own background. Also the metal scene was rapidly
developed in the past 20 years and it seemed that there was no
place for these maniac metallers to play this kind of music.
Metalucifer is attack to give them a good chance to look over the
history and show you the proof that we can make the new metal
sound by using the Eighties style which you have lost away
somewhere. Metal ain't dead yet! That's the core-message from us
Metalucifer. I've heard that the word Lucifer means "Morning
Star", doesn't it? Yes, Metalucifer is a new morning star for the
metal next generation.
CoC: Further to what I said about your lyrics in Metalucifer, I have
an appreciation for the amusing qualities of "Bad English", as
I call it, in metal lyrics; like in Sodom's "Blasphemer"
when the lyrics go, "Midnight, the clock strikes twelve /
Masturbate, to kill myself / Blasphemer!"; or when Kreator talk
of kicking away flowers with power in "Riot of Violence"! The
best "Bad English" I have ever seen was on one of your songs:
Sabbat's "Baby, Disco Is Fuck", which is a monstrous evil metal
disco destroyer anthem: "Stop singing such your song!"
G: Sounds great! Are you the guy who gave the review for
"Baby-Disco" of Sabbat? I've got a mail from the owner of
Primitive Art and he told me someone wrote in the review saying,
"Gezol is the world's greatest metal poet". Did you do that
article?
CoC: No, unfortunately not. But to continue... In fact, my biggest
problem with _HMC_ is that there aren't -enough- problems in
the lyrics. The lyrics, as you say, have almost no mistakes in
them. But they are a little repetitive and dry. Before, I
thought the scattered pronunciation gave them an obscure
quality which gave them more charm.
G: That's the problem on my side. I should show you more crazy
English in next album with CARE! HA! Anyway, telling frankly, I
cannot imagine how you feel good and bad to my vocal style
because I am a Japanese resident and no chance to pronounce
English sentences in my daily life. But let me add one thing
about my vocal. Well, I AM TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH MY VOCALS!!
That's my pure style and probably I can't sing better or worse
than today's style. If you metallers want to critic Metalucifer,
you can do it free. If you simply like our music, I just want you
keep listening with relax feeling. I see, even if metal fans in
general is against my vocal style, they cannot be satisfied with
Metalucifer without my vocal! Right?
CoC: Pretty much. Who do you consider the biggest wimps, poseurs and
disco-sluts in the world today?
G: Metallica. The guy who was an European in the past [Lars "'Do I
have to play double bass drums? But it's so much work!'" Ulrich
--PS] answered to a Japanese magazine like this... "We were all
fool while we were a thrash band. We can't play stupid thrash
metal anymore right way." So I could say Metallica could get
today's ugly position in the music scene. He has eaten so much
rotten American pizzas that his brain seems to be meltdown.
Sometimes major bands answer to the interview, "Last album wasn't
good enough, but this time everything (new album) went perfect
(so buy this one !)"... something like this. ... How many times
do they repeat the same answer in each time when they release the
NEW albums? They look down their fans, music fans. After reading
the interview, I let myself cool down and go to a second hands
record shop to make small money by selling their brand new album.
That's enough to buy some toilet paper... that's all. The bands
announced through the media interviews that their materials were
not worth listening, lesser than toilet paper.
CoC: Who do you consider the greatest heavy metal warriors in the
world today?
G: If you don't mention your band to this question, you're a false
metal. Of course Metalucifer is the world's greatest metal
warriors. Metal artists are always trying to be better than other
rivals. We believe ourselves that we are the best and our albums
are the best, too! Am I stupid? Do you play live to let
yourselves silent than other bills? We ought to be always on
stage with belief to play the very best show and performance than
any others. That's not strange if there are many BEST metal
warriors in the world. You know, there are countless "ultimate"
black metal bands in the current. I am not conceited about myself
and I am not a rock star (see my looks). However I am always
spending energy for metal to be 100% honest to my fans, "We're
always on the 100% way of heavy metal. We're the best metal
warriors!". And hope, the readers of this interview, you must be
another metal warriors and try being the best any time.
CoC: Where did you think up the crazy pseudonyms for the members of
the band and the instruments they play [e.g. "Elizablumi:
erotic Thai guitar of death all backing riffs, solos and
chorus"]? Can you take us through them individually as they
appear on Heavy Metal Chainsaw and tell us... "WHY??"
G: My pseudonyms are Gezol, consisting of Gel and Sol, both are
colloidal liquid making human body. On the activities through
Sabbat, I am calling myself Gezol. And on the Metalucifer
project, I just add Lucifer to my name. Then when we had sessions
for _HMC_, I replaced some words with German word Geniesser (=
enjoy) and Luzifer (= lucifer). While we had recording for
_HMC_, I said, "Enjoy!" many times to German guys. One of
them, Tomentarou had flashed the idea. "Bratwurst" means of a
bread+sausage, doesn't it? I add "senf" (= mustard). I really
love the food and when I go to Germany, I am always eating it. Of
course we have the same one in Japan, but it's Americanized and
terrible tasted. German ones are the BEST! Tomentarou was
enjoying to give new pseudonyms to members. One day, he asked
me about pseudonyms of Zorugelion (drummer of Sabbat), so I
explained it. He is similar to me, so let my name Gezol
reverse... "Zoruge" and in the beginning when he joined Sabbat,
he had blonde hair and it seemed like a lion to me. "Zoruge"
meets "lion", that turns to his name. Then Tomentarou wanted me
to give him a new stage name as a member of Metalucifer. He
is/was a fat guy, so I got "Tarou" from Japanese dictionary
meaning of fat. And added it to his name on "Desaster". And I
thought it was perfect if adding "Kamikaze" and "Sumo" to his
weapons. Sounds great as the drummer of Metalucifer. Elizaveat
was one of the original Sabbat members in the very past. I took
his name from Elizaveat Bathory. Nowadays he has some problems
with his BALLS, so I wished his balls would be back to usable and
gave name of "Spermy Splash" to his weapon. Elizabigore is a real
older brother of Elizaveat. Both of them are playing in a local
band, "Gore". He is older and bigger than Elizaveat, so....
Eliza+Big+Gore. He is a figure artist of Godzilla monsters, so
his weapon became "Ecstasy Screaming Godzilla". Elizablumi,
he wanted as a member of Elizaveat family. "Eliza" meets
"Blumenthal", his real name. When we had the recording session,
he was a frequenter of a prostitute house in the town. He was
possessed by a cute girl from Thailand, and he enjoyed her like
hell... That's why his guitars is called, "Erotic Thai Guitar of
Death".
CoC: Which of the following words best describes Andrew WK: "great",
"good", or just "gay"? Is there a better word?
G: Tell him that anus is better than a cunt, I think he'll like that!
CoC: Did you like the last Iron Maiden album?
G: Fans and medias are supporting _Brave New World_, but I am not.
In my opinion, Iron Maiden is finished with _Seventh Son of a
Seventh Son_. There is no albums coming out from Iron Maiden
which is actually better than _SSoaSS_.
CoC: Should Rob Halford get back together with Judas Priest?
G: The scene people and the fans seem to let him come back to Judas,
but I don't want it come true. If he has very new ideas to make a
new album which is superb better than _Painkiller_ album, he
should come back. If not, they should keep distance each other.
Remember Accept please. U.D.O was simply great than re-union
Accept, wasn't it?
CoC: What do you think of _Warriors of the World_, and of Manowar
post-_Kings of Metal_ in general? Were they not better in the
days of _Sign of the Hammer_ and _Battle Hymns_?
G: For me, _Louder Than Hell_ was a great album. I think the album
was stronger than _Kings of Metal_. I liked "Brothers of Metal",
"The Gods Made Heavy Metal", "Number One", "Outlaw" & "The Power"
a lot!! Still now I've been listening these tunes. They are heavy
rotations when I drive!! BUT -- sorry for Joey Demaio --
honestly, _Warriors of the World_ is not good enough, but boring.
The sound is just Manowar fulltime! However, The Quality [sic] of
the tunes is inferior to their past masterpiece albums. I feel
sad.
CoC: Anything to say in closing?
G: Before closing the interview, thank you again for this chance.
Sometimes I was aggressive to answer to your questions, but I
just wanted to be honest to myself. If you can speak Japanese,
probably you can catch me 100%, but I think I did my best right
now. I hope readers will understand the way of metal and what's
what in Metalucifer. Arigato.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
K I T T I E ' S G O T C L A W S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos interviews Mercedes of Kittie
by: Aaron McKay
As the saying goes, dynamite comes in small packages. In my
estimation, this harbors the meaning, among other things possibly,
that explosive things are often underestimate. Kittie is a band that
falls solidly in this class. Speaking of class, they have plenty of
that, too. Deference isn't something, I suppose, you'd think an
interviewer would describe a metal outfit as possessing, but there
has to be a first for everything.
If you feel the need, swallow you preconceived notions as you give
_Oracle_ a try. It'll surely scratch more than the surface of your
mental whimsy. Don't walk, "Run Like Hell" to check this Canadian
outfit, but lap up a few lines of Kittie's mother's milk here first.
Mercedes has some yarn to spin your direction.
CoC: I just want to start off by complimenting you guys on _Oracle_.
I hadn't got much exposure to you guys other than the Milwaukee
MetalFest... what was it, three years ago?
Mercedes: Yeah, a very, very long time ago.
CoC: Very long time ago, indeed. This disc, _Oracle_, this is the
first exposure I've had in CD format to Kittie's music. I have
to say that it's fairly incredible. I didn't realize how heavy
you guys were until I actually got _Oracle_.
M: Well, thank you.
CoC: Could you elaborate a little bit how the evolution toward
making _Oracle_ as heavy as it is?
M: Well, physically the songs are off of our first record; those
songs were written six years ago, a very, very long time ago -- a
different period in our life, and I mean there's not much really
to it except the evolution of a band. Obviously, the only way we
could go was heavier through the new record, and I mean that's
the direction we wanted to go in and subconsciously that's the
direction we went into. We weren't expecting, you know, well
"this song has to do this and this song has to be like this" --
it just kind of happened and it flows nicely.
CoC: Was there a lot of influence from bands that you toured with
that you felt like, you know, we could have all added our own
sound and just incorporated that into Kittie?
M: Not really. I think that if anything, watching bands play is more
of like an inspiration, you know? It just makes you try harder.
We don't like to like pick up things from other artists; we're
not that kind of band. We just like to pave our own trails, if
anything.
CoC: Was "In Winter" the first one released, or was it "What I
Always Wanted"?
M: "What I Always Wanted".
CoC: And did "In Winter" come as a follow up?
M: Yeah, "In Winter" is actually released from like... between that.
CoC: As I mentioned, at the Milwaukee MetalFest years back, I had a
little of exposure to Kitty. Now I have _Oracle_. In your
estimation, what would you think about a new fan hearing Kittie
for the first time and their first exposure being "What I
Always Wanted"? Is that kind of what you intended as the
inaugural step?
M: I would hope that, well, I mean... yes. That is what we kind of
intended, but I mean at the same time I think I'd rather have
people listen to the record in its whole entirety rather than
listen to the one song. The record is so diverse and it is so
much different from that song, and every song has its own
personality, I think. I'd rather have them listen to the whole
record and see how brutal it actually is.
CoC: Well, that's a good way of putting' it! It does have its own
personality. Here's a question you probably get in each
interview: how did the Pink Floyd "Run Like Hell" cover come
about?
M: Basically what happened was back in October '99 (some time in
there, not sure about the dates) we were asked to do a Pink Floyd
tribute album. We recorded a version of the song, and right after
that we hit the road and, basically, while we were on tour the
Pink Floyd tribute album fell through and we had already started
playing the song live, so we really didn't know what to do with
it -- so we just kept on playing it live. After that we kind of
revamped it a little bit and decided to put it on the new record.
CoC: I looked over Kittie's website just a little bit a few times.
The video clip there for "Run Like Hell" seems like the fans
really get behind that song. Is that what you've found?
M: Oh, definitely! We've been playing it for such a long time. I
mean everybody knows the song and before it was on the record
there was stuff on Napster, live tracks on Napster, so like
everybody knows the song. I think it's like that with all the
live songs though. Some more brutal than others.
CoC: Was it your first choice for the tribute album as far as
getting to pick "Run Like Hell", or was it something that they
asked you to do?
M: It was our first choice. That was a song we felt we could make
into our own song. Obviously the song doesn't sound anything like
the original, and that's what we were going for.
CoC: Yeah, but the distinctiveness is definitely there and you're
absolutely right, but you can tell it's Pink Floyd, which is
the great part about making a cover your own. You guys did
flawlessly, if you don't mind me saying so.
M: Thank you.
CoC: I also wanted to touch on the bass aspect of the band, I'm a
huge fan of bass lines being up front and "in your face", so to
speak. "What I Always Wanted" has a nice driving' bass aspect
to it. Was this a showcase piece to highlight Jennifer's
ability?
M: Actually, our old bassist was on that recording (not Jennifer),
but I don't think that was our intention. I think with Jennifer,
she adds a lot more stuff to the music now; she adds fills and
actually has a bass solo. She's actually a good player. I think
now when we play the song live it is more of a showcase.
CoC: It comes across really well all throughout _Oracle_, but that
was the song that really stuck in my mind. Having ties to
Canada like Kittie does, in your opinion, does that origination
point for the band have an impact on their sound or how it is
received in the metal community? Put another way, do you
receive more or less attention because the band is from Canada?
M: Um, I don't think being from Canada really has anything to do
with our sound, 'cause there's not a lot of heavy bands from
Canada minus Cryptopsy and the like. There's a lot of radio and
punk rock here and that's about it. There's a few really good
heavy metal acts from Canada, but I mean other than that, I think
a lot of people kind of [believe] just because [a band like
Kittie is] from Canada they won't listen to your music because
they think that just because you're from Canada you're going to
suck. There's not a lot of good metal bands out there from
Canada.
CoC: How is the exposure in Canada for Kittie? Pretty diverse?
M: Not as good as in the US. Canada is a little behind and always
has been. It's really annoying, kind of. They either hate you or
they love you.
CoC: I think it is just a matter of getting them to hear Kitty and
understand it, because you touched on it best when you said all
the songs have
their own personality. I think there is going to
be something on _Oracle_ that appeals to somebody somewhere;
it's just a matter of getting it in front of their faces.
Touching on the songs a bit , the song "Pain" had a nice layer
over the harsh and clean vocals. It just came across really
well in my opinion. Do you ever get anybody who says you have a
good singing voice and why don't you utilize that more; i.e. do
away with the other harsh style?
M: Yeah, we do get a lot of people who [say] that, but I mean it's
our band and it's our choice. Obviously we're not going to let
anybody influence us except for ourselves.
CoC: There is a lot of varying up and changes when it comes to the
vocal approach -- sounding at times like in Flames or whatever.
What made you guys decide to have a couple different techniques
as far as where the vocals come from?
M: We are a band of all types of music and we like to add melody
into our music, you know? Other than being just a straight up
screaming or singing band, we like the best of both worlds. And
it really mixes well with our music.
CoC: Would the term "conflicted" pretty much describe Oracle? Not
one path or another but kind a conflicted as far as the vocal
approach and all the facets that you have on the song
musically?
M: I wouldn't say "conflicted", I'd more say along the lines of...
blah... I don't know what I'd describe it as... it's different.
CoC: "Safe" and "Pink Lemonade", I would consider a couple of the
most dynamic on the new album. Does it show another side you
want to demonstrate to your fans?
M: Yeah, definitely! We always wanted, on our first record (_Spit_),
to add an instrumental song that was more mellow, but was safe.
We really wanted to have a slower and more mellow song, because
we're not just into heavy music. We're into all sorts of music.
CoC: It was excellent... Great way to end an album, great way to go
out. What do you think is the heaviest song, in your opinion,
on _Oracle_?
M: In my opinion, I think "Severed" is really very brutal, and "No
Name" is really heavy. There's so many heavy songs...
CoC: Yea, and they drop in different places, too, where the
chunkiness picks up where the other left off. Maybe you thought
the previous song was heavy and then you get into a riff in a
certain song other track and you're like "DAMN, that's heavy".
I mean, as far as the listener would go, I think they would be
taken in in a big way by musicianship like that. Did you ever
expect _Spit_ to go to the heights it did?
M: No! We're signed to an indie label. I mean, we're from Canada and
a garage band forever, and so we really never expected anything.
CoC: How's your relationship with the label?
M: It's alright, I guess... it's not the best.
CoC: Would you consider it a real eye opener from the last album to
this one when a fan hears _Oracle_? Do you think they'll be
blown away?
M: [_Oralcle_] is so much more different and so diverse, and I think
a lot of people who haven't taken the time to listen to it
because of the first record, I think, they would definitely enjoy
the second album.
CoC: Do you think, speaking of labels, dealing with them is a highly
complicated aspect of the music business? Does it ever detract
from the more enjoyable parts of having a band like Kittie?
M: Sometimes, but you know what, there's always going to be fights
and battles that you win or lose, but I mean this is my life and
I love what I do.
CoC: Would you say that touring is the best part of a band like
Kittie?
M: We got into this tour to have fun and play live shows. We've
always been a live band and we always will be.
CoC: So that's probably the best part and everything else aside.
M: Yeah.
CoC: To a large degree I think that a band takes a little bit away
from every person they run into. Do you ever think playing with
a band like Slipknot impacts you in any way? For instance, the
energy you get caught up in when performing with an band the
size of a Pantera, or Slipknot, or an In Flames... Would it be
different or would you be able to take something positive away
from those different types of shows?
M: I don't know, I mean... I think that always something positive
comes our of a show whether it be we're always going to make new
fans no matter what.
CoC: It is just a matter of getting you in front of the right people
for exposure. I noticed the mason jar on the front cover; tell
me a little bit about the cover, where did that come about?
M: The cover [of the CD] is of a flaming mason jar and you open it
up and there's pictures of x-rays of people's bones, for example,
and x-ray of a guy with a knife shoved in his eye. And then it's
just different x-rays and different pictures that depict emotions
and other fun stuff. You have to see it!
CoC: You don't really know what the cover is instantly; you have to
look at it pretty hard to pick it up.
M: A lot of people don't know what the cover is and I've heard some
pretty interesting things people think it is...
CoC: Are there big plans for time on the road... tours?
M: Actually, we've been touring non-stop on this record, and we've
just set up a tour with us and Shadows Fall, and a band called
Hotwire.
CoC: Will you guys headline it?
M: Yeah.
CoC: Thank you, Mercedes, and please end the interview any way you
like.
M: Come see a show! Forget every thing you've ever heard about the
band at the door and listen with open ears. Or go buy the record
and forget anything you've heard about the band and put it in
your CD player.
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C H R I S T , T H E Y F U C K I N G H A T E Y O U !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews John Chavez of Vehemence
by: Adrian Bromley
It's tough being the new kid on the block. You're basically starting
from scratch, thrust into a world of bullies, new friends and a new
neighborhood that you call home. It isn't easy to blend in and become
"one of the gang". Think of how hard it must be for a new metal band
nowadays to fit into a scene that has been going on for thirty years
now. A tough task indeed.
Phoenix, Arizona sextet Vehemence are one of the many new bands
thrust into the metal music scene. Their hard work and perseverance
as an indie band has paid off as they signed to Metal Blade Records
and have just released their intriguing concept album _God Was
Created_.
Having fun yet, guys?
"Oh man, it has been a real blast for us the past few months", beams
Vehemence guitarist John Chavez down the line from his home in
Arizona. "It just feels great to have accomplished so much with this
band and hooking up with Metal Blade. All we [the band is rounded out
by singer Nathan Gearhart, guitarist Bjorn Dannov, bassist Mark
Kozuback, drummer Andrew Schroeder and keyboardist Jason Keesecker]
ever wanted was to get our music out to as many people into this
music genre as possible so that it could be heard."
"I think this record turned out pretty damn good with the budget that
we had for it and the amount of time that we had spent on it", he
says. "We made sure that seeing that this was our debut disc for a
big label, that everything sounded the way we wanted it to sound
before we left the studio. We really couldn't afford to mess up this
release."
What does Chavez get out of the new album when he plays it back? What
are his reactions? What does he get from the music?
"I am very proud of this album when I play it back. I think we have
done something deeply honest and intense. We are very happy with the
final results and it seems to be going over well with fans and music
critics. We're just happy to be with Metal Blade and them backing our
music."
It is worthy of noting that the band took credit for producing the
debut album as well. Does that go along with the fact that the band
wanted to make sure that everything turned out right in their eyes
and ears?
"Kind of", he responds. "I mean, we were told to look into getting a
producer to work within our budget for recording, and then some other
things happened, and it wasn't working out for certain scenarios. We
eventually wasted some time and had to get things going right again,
so we took charge. The album was recorded in The Saltmine Studios in
Mesa, Arizona and mixed at Trident Studios in California. It was an
experience, to say the least, for us this time around. Next time
we'll be ready."
Seeing that this was their debut album, did Vehemence go into the
studio with a lot of ideas to work from or did they have a
concentrated array of songs to mix into the final product?
"We demoed and did some pre-production work before we had entered the
studio with the help of Metal Blade, just to kind of help us get a
good feel of how studio work is. It was an okay experience, but once
we were in the studio and trying to get all the ideas down, that is
when we really made a joint effort to make this a worthwhile and
rewarding experience for Vehemence."
I heard your independent release (2000's _The Thoughts From Which I
Hide_) a while back and wasn't into the band at all.
"Really?"
Yeah, I just couldn't get into the earlier independent release for
some reason. I was actually a little pessimistic about the new album
when I heard you had signed to Metal Blade. But I'll admit, I
am definitely into the new disc. Very good death metal. Sounds
impressive.
"Thanks man", he says with enthusiasm. "I'm glad you are into the new
album and that we changed your mind and thoughts about Vehemence.
_God Was Created_ is a progression for us. I think if you play back
our demo release and the last album we put out, _The Thoughts From
Which I Hide_, you can really get a good sense of us expanding our
sound and not really staying with one thing", he remarks. "Each of
our albums are different. The last album set the standard for what we
needed to do creatively with this Metal Blade debut."
There is a lyrical concept behind _God Was Created_, and with song
titles such as "Made For Her Jesus", "Christ, I Fucking Hate You!"
and "The Last Fantasy of Christ", I was curious to know more.
"I can't really go too much into detail about it 'cause I am the
guitar player and didn't conceive the whole thing, but I'll try", he
states. "Our singer Nathan had decided to make this album follow a
concept. It all started with the first song on the album, "Made For
Her Jesus", and we just started building the concept idea from there.
The story has all of these religious overtones and gets more horrific
as it goes along. When we made this album we didn't want it to become
this big King Diamond kind of concept album where it would carry over
into several albums, we just concentrated on it being this one
release. Now that it is done, we can go on to making another record.
Who knows? Some day down the road we may make another concept album."
He adds, "We are taking all of this one album at a time. Each album
will be different. This album is death metal, the next one might
cover black metal. We want to try and cover all genres with what we
do. The beauty of music is that you can't stop a creative mind. You
always want to try new things and not stay the same or go bland with
your visions."
Are there any worries about this industry and being in a band?
Responds Chavez, "I'm not really worried about the music we create,
'cause I think we do a good job and I think we can hold our own, but
I am more worried about internal problems for the band. Things like
jobs or school holding us back, or even family matters. Our singer
Nathan just had a child and that is obviously an important thing for
him to have in his life alongside his music."
As things go along in your career, just like any other job, you'll be
able to work around things.
"I agree", ends off Chavez. "Sure those things are in the back of my
mind, but we just put out a great album and are ready to tour all
across North America and Europe, so that is more of a priority. Plus,
right now nothing is really bothering us, so we are good to go."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
D I S T U R B I N G T H E M A I N S T R E A M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC talks to Dani Filth
by: Adrian Bromley
When it was revealed to the metal music world that Cradle of Filth
had signed a worldwide deal with Sony Music to release their upcoming
album, _Damnation and a Day_, many metal music fans couldn't believe
the news. Cries of "sellout!" could be heard throughout the world
amongst metal hordes and both angry and confused comments made up
hundreds of posts on message boards throughout the Internet. Was the
end of the world near?
Along with many Cradle of Filth fans, I too wondered whether the
vampiric / black metal regime -- who had taken the metal music by
storm with their now legendary demo _Total Fucking Darkness_ (1993)
and debut album _The Principle of Evil Made Flesh_ (1994) -- was
making the right decision. Well, according to lead screamer/spokesman
Dani Filth, every decision the band has made in the past has been the
right one, and this was just another stage in their ongoing career.
"When people say the 'fans' are talking shit about us signing to Sony
and saying all this stuff about Cradle of Filth, I really think that
it is a minority of detractors", explains the outspoken frontman.
"Our fans who have come to know us over the years trust our judgement
-- after all, we -are- the band. When people mention that people are
saying shit, I think it is an elite clientele of wankers who go
around trashing the band."
I know people like that. <laughs>
"Those people are worms. They are nothing. There is so much to enjoy
out there in life, but to spend so much time in the negative is a
preposterous thing."
The topic shifts to the recording of the Sony debut, with Filth
revealing, "There was a lot of expectations, I guess, from fans, some
pressure for sure, but we tried to not let that get on top of us when
we went into record the album. We wanted to undertake a record that
was going to be a much bigger project for us. I mean, being on Sony
we had a much bigger financial backing with this album and it allowed
us to venture into Hungary to record with a 40-piece orchestra and a
32-piece choir. We never intended to do a mammoth 77-minute album, it
just ended up that way."
How so?
He continues, "Well, we took ourselves to a well-hidden, out of the
way studio in the north of Wales to kind of get away from everything
like girlfriends and business partners and just to get the ball
rolling. We didn't want any distractions -- apart from sheep.
<laughs> Out of that experience was born this creation that just kept
on rolling and growing larger as it went along till it came to a halt
as this lengthy album consisting of seventeen tracks. As a concept
record it was key to have a good lengthy set of material, but don't
let that scare you off from listening to several tracks out of order.
This album can be digested in many ways, really."
As some might expect, _Damnation and a Day_ is easily one of the best
produced albums the band has released during their career. The band
co-produced the album with Doug Cook and invested a lot of blood,
sweat in tears (not to mention time and resources) to strengthen and
enlighten their darkened creative edge. Miles away from their debut
offering, but still on par sonically (for the most part) with other
classic releases like _Dusk and Her Embrace_ (1996), _Cruelty and the
Beast_ (1998) and _Midian_ (2000), the new album will no doubt win
over the die-hard Cradle of Filth fans (and maybe even some of those
"wankers") Dani loves so much.
"I know our fans will appreciate what we have done with this album.
The time and effort we put into this is mind-blowing in my eyes."
Is this the best Cradle Of Filth album?
"Yes, for sure. It is the biggest, the heaviest, and in some places
the fastest record we have ever done", comes Filth's answer. "But
some might say it is a bit commercial in some spots as well. It is an
album where we have grown as a band and brought forth a whole lot of
ideas into the Cradle of Filth mix. We're still the same band, but
have actively set out to get the best results with what resources and
time we were given to make _Damnation and a Day_. It is such a weird
feeling being on Sony, I mean here we are rubbing shoulders -- not
really, but you know what I mean -- with Michael Jackson, Shania
Twain and all that other pap and we are going to hold our own."
And yes they can. Regardless of all the turmoil that has plagued
the band over the years (label changes, band members leaving,
controversy, etc.), Filth refuses to see any of it in a negative
light.
"We have always had a vision with this band and I hate it when people
paint a black picture of the past of the band. It is interesting; it
is not bad or a bleak past. People always seem to pick up on that and
make it out to be some huge road of disaster. How can it have been so
disastrous and we have gotten to where we are now, then? I mean, each
album has gotten better as the years have gone on and... well, that
is only my opinion. It has been an interesting ride for sure. In
regards to band members leaving, it is kind of like how any machine
works. If the machine is going along and some cog has stopped working
and it threatens to stop the movement of the whole machine, then you
need to get rid of that cog and replace it with a new one. It's that
simple."
So Dani, excited about OzzFest and headlining the second stage this
year?
"It is a great experience for us", says Filth. "People might be
seeing us in the light that they should not be seeing us in, i.e.
broad daylight, but despite that I think it will be a fantastic
opportunity for us to reach a totally new and bigger crowd."
I think people going there and seeing Cradle of Filth for the first
time will be blown away and want to go out after the set and buy the
CDs and T-shirts.
<laughs> "Or they'll want to bottle us!"
True, very true. That could happen. You know how Americans get when
they drink, right?
"There never seems to be any middle ground with this band. It is
very love/hate and it isn't about to change just because we signed a
deal with Sony Music."
So after getting finishing the album, doing press and readying to hit
the road, is Filth worried about the possibility that this new
venture into mainstream may not work out, or does he not care?
"To tell you the truth, we may not go over so well, but that is how
things are set up right now. We get to see what happens with us, and
fingers crossed, hopefully we'll prove them wrong. Proving people
wrong is such a huge satisfaction."
Filth ends off, "If we succeed, then other bands will follow and the
metal music scene will grow even stronger. We're ready to take on the
mainstream, but are they ready for us?" <laughs>
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_, _, __, _,_ _, _ _,
/ \ | |_) | | |\/| (_
|~| | , |_) | | | | , )
~ ~ ~~~ ~ `~' ~ ~ ~
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!
...And Oceans - _Cypher_ (Century Media, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (5.5 out of 10)
This band is as far from straight metal as a Northeastern U.S.
politician's moral tendencies. This sensory infused outfit defies
classification with their strangely tormenting soundscapes of
haunting conundrum. The track listing on _Cypher_ reads like an
offering for a depraved E.E. Cummings' poem. Strong harmonies and
inflicted vocals comprise the most valuable elements on this release.
No stagnation on this band's offerings, but there is something to be
said for having a goal in mind and shooting for it, too. Hearing
_Cypher_, I now think ...And Oceans could have had better aim.
"Aphelion: Light Evanescence: Into Extinction" and "Silhouette: In
White Rooms: Vacant Bodies" (see what I mean about the names of the
songs?) hold the fairest of blossoms on _Cypher_. The verifiable
aroma of exploration intoxicating this effort is inventive and
disturbing at the same time. My guess is that is how these musical
explorationists intended it. Hard hitting in a KMFDM-kinda way,
...And Oceans slice culture into categories of the wildly harsh
fanatics and everyone else. Thirteen cuts of bottomless retribution
are scarcely contained within the confines of the _Cypher_ offering.
Regrettably, I've heard far better. If more on this effort would have
sprouted from the inspiration (barely) contained on the dynamic
"Comatose: The World Amnesia: Planet Dead", I might have been more
taken with _Cypher_. As things are now, I'd seek the unusual in an
X-Files episode before looking here for anything more than the
cautious path self-proclaimed intrepid folk traverse. This CD was far
too tame for me personally and not at all what I was hoping for.
Abdullah - _Graveyard Poetry_ (Meteor City, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (9 out of 10)
Over the past year, stoner rock label Meteor City has released a
considerable number of high quality releases, far more then most
labels. But Abdullah's sophomore effort may very well top everything
else that they have released this year. Despite an album title that
sounds like the morbid infantile musings of a teenage goth, Abdullah
are in no way connected to this genre, instead taking their cue from
the rock of yesteryear to compose a varied album that unlike many
stoner rock CDs consists of more then recycled Black Sabbath riffs.
Of course there is a Black Sabbath influence -- it's impossible to
find a stoner rock album which has not been touched by these heavy
metal grandmasters -- but my use of word influence is meant to mean
exactly that and not as a euphemism for blatant mimicry. A fair
number of songs contain strong overtones of NWOBHM bands such as
Diamond Head, while the heavy final track takes it's cue from punk
(the real stuff, not the power pop nonsense that passes for punk
nowadays) and is a fitting closer for an otherwise largely subdued
album. But despite these varied influences, it is a testament to
their song writing skills that none of these songs sound out
of place, complementing each other to produce an excellent and
cohesive album. The lyrics are intelligent and introspective with a
philosophical bent, containing more then just a hint of paranoia.
Vocals are superbly handled by Jeff Shirilla who has emerged as one
of stoner rocks best vocalists. His vocals are eerily detached,
producing a coldness in an otherwise warm and inviting album. In
short, this is an outstanding album with no major flaws and a few
inconsequential minor flaws, resulting in the genre's best offering
of 2002 and one of the best albums overall of 2002.
Contact: http://www.meteorcity.com
Aborym - _With No Human Intervention_ (Code666, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10)
_With No Human Intervention_ starts off fast and chaotic, yet
powerful and catchy with its title track. Aborym come across as
an apocalyptic black metal band a la Anaal Nathrakh, only less
unrelenting in terms of pure aggression and more chaotic in terms of
the sheer lunacy of the electronic samples and beats they throw into
their music. While I personally enjoy Anaal Nathrakh far better,
nevertheless I have to give credit to Aborym for taking some things
further in their own way and coming out with a better result than,
say, December Wolves' own experimental exaggerations on _Blasterpiece
Theatre_. This may come as little or no surprise, but Aborym's more
techno and/or industrial-oriented passages consistently fail to
interest me throughout the album. Still, even though Aborym's black
metal almost always has a more-or-less synthetic, techno-like feel to
it, it is usually only on the purely electronic passages that it
becomes obtrusive. Fast, often catchy and always chaotic to some
degree, _With No Human Intervention_ is a difficult concoction to
evaluate, simply because it can go from really interesting to rather
vulgar and back several times in a couple of minutes. It has some
really good tracks, several average ones, and some rather annoying
ones as well -- fourteen in all, so excuse me for not naming them one
by one. If you want some name-dropping, then look for contributions
from Nattefrost (Carpathian Forest), Irrumator (Anaal Nathrakh) and
Bard "Faust" Eithun. Overall, it's mainly some catchy guitar leads
and Atilla Csihar's vocal performance that provide the highlights on
this one amidst an aural chaos of which a significant proportion is
rubbish and only a minority actually enhances the music. It's a
worthwhile release for those interested in the genre, but one that
would have benefited from being more focused rather than such a mixed
bag.
Contact: http://www.code666.net
Aesma Daeva - _The Eros of Frigid Beauty_ (Root of All Evil, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (2 out of 10)
Besides the well-worded title, this re-recorded effort comes across
as drunk on its own sense of transgenre bullshit, much like Dudley
Moore in Arthur -- and please know I hate to disgrace that movie with
this comparison. Aesma Daeva fans, mostly related to the band I would
assume, will say that I am not able to hear the beauty of this hybrid
zoological garden soundscape. Rubbish! The problem is I hear it TOO
WELL! In order to become aware of the menagerie at hand, the listener
must be at least modestly interested in understanding where the band
is going with their music; I am not. The female vocals tend to
nurture drowsiness expedited along by the classical guitar style of
AD's main-brain, Jon Prassas. Violence is most certainly the last
thing you think of when Aesma Daeva comes to mind, but to illustrate
a point: even all the talent in the entire world spread out like grey
matter on a wall after a shotgun blast to the head couldn't make this
disjointed effort any more interesting. _The Eros of Frigid Beauty_
takes the "artsy" approach to metal about -three- steps too far. To
understand what I mean, spin _Stormblast_ from the beginning, take
out all the black metal and its implications -- what you have left is
what you can expect from AD. To go one more and play upon the already
weak "AD" reference, the only wish I have for this particular disc is
that it would have been left in the "BC" period! Not a funny crack?
Well, this disc isn't either -- it's pitiful.
All in Vain - _The Backside of Humanity_ (<Independent>, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10)
I nearly wrote off this band as yet another entrant in the
increasingly overcrowded field of melodic death metal after hearing
the first track, which is nothing more than a by-the-numbers example
of this genre. The first track on any album is supposed to be one of
the best tracks on that particular release; something to attract the
first-time listeners attention and lure him into buying the album.
The fact that the first track was dismally boring meant I did not
hold out much hope for the rest of the album. But the second and
subsequent tracks proved that first impressions can be wrong. Whilst
I didn't experience a complete reversal of my opinion, the rest of
the album is considerably more varied with regards to tempo and
raised my opinion of this band by quite a few notches. The inclusion
of various gothic metal moments also helps to produce a varied album.
While _TBoH_ is unlikely to provide sleepless nights for In Flames or
Dark Tranquility, All in Vain may yet develop into a potent force in
the scene.
Contact: allinvain@libero.it
Asgaroth - _Red Shift_ (Peaceville, 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
I remember first hearing this Spanish band when they released their
album _Trapped in the Depths of Eve_, and back then they were
all Emperor-worship. Compared to the relatively straightforward
symphonic keyboards, fast drumming and screamed vocals, _Red Shift_
is certainly a different game altogether. Peaceville liked it, and
are re-releasing the album after it originally came out on Abstract
Emotions in 2001. Ironically, _Red Shift_ brings to my mind some
latter day Emperor, like its predecessor did with its contemporary
version of Emperor. This time, however, the similarities are only
superficial. _Red Shift_ has shades of black metal -- and where it
does they remind me of Emperor -- but it's mostly a rather different
affair. Above all, _Red Shift_ comes across as modern, with a slight
Fear Factory (circa _Demanufacture_) tinge to their sound, even if
the music itself is far from FF. The music is neither extremely
aggressive nor bland, varying in pace and amount of melody and
usually relying on a good guitar sound coupled with prominent
keyboards (some atmospheric, some electronic and a lot of piano) and
varied vocals. "Naked Eye" provides a well-balanced, entertaining
opener for the album, and is followed by the operatic choir of "Lured
Decoy" that seems to make a point out of showing that there are
still things left to reveal after just one track, in case anyone
thought that was all there was to Asgaroth's sound. The next
track, "Cyphred", extends this symphonic element; it is a tranquil
instrumental track that provides an early break after two good
tracks, leaving the listener in anticipation of what is to come. And
for the most part, the rest of the album does deliver in quality and
variety -- take for example the more atmospheric "Buried" or the
symphonic "I, Befouled", both of which prove the importance of the
fine keyboard work on this album. Some of the tracks, however, seem
to lack a bit more of the intensity that one can find earlier in the
album. Still, _Red Shift_ is varied, entertaining, and often quite
impressive, and should be worth your time.
Contact: http://www.asgaroth.com
Beaten Back to Pure - _Last Refuge of the Sons of Bitches_
by: Xander Hoose (7 out of 10) (Retribute Records, 2002)
Virginia's Beaten Back to Pure were high on my list of recommended
albums with their debut _Southern Apocalypse_ when it got released
over a year ago. My only negative comment back then concerned the
sound quality. For this album, Beaten Back to Pure have built their
own studio (Sniper Christian) and it rubs off indeed: with all the
instruments placed perfectly in the mix and the vocals coming out
more powerful than before, Beaten Back to Pure's next step towards
maturity sounds more convincing than last time around. Musically, the
eight songs on this album are a small step back from the swampish
death-sludge and a small step towards more straightforward death
metal. Vocal-wise Gorefest keeps popping up in my head, but Beaten
Back to Pure incorporate more diversity in their music: the guitar
work on "Shards of Mason Jars" and the catchy laid-back structure of
"Paleface" show that _LRotSoB_ has a lot to offer for the careful
listener. Nevertheless, they made one big mistake I hope to see
corrected in the future: the incorporation of clean vocals. It's not
clean vocals per se that I oppose, but the vocals featured in some of
the tracks on this album are absolutely unconvincing -- not to say
misplaced. Guys, please work on the clean vocals or leave them out
and your next effort might be a masterpiece.
Beyond the Embrace - _Against the Elements_ (Metal Blade, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10)
A very tightly packed debut from this Massachusetts six-piece,
Beyond the Embrace drives the sense of intrigue fused with power to
heights not often reached by most U.S. bands. Forced ahead with an
up-front style, the vocals provided by Shawn Gallagher (also
picking up the keyboard duties) are a nice blend of hoarse, husky
and melodious. Worked ever so nicely into the ear-pleasing song
structure are ambitious riffs of the infectious kind courtesy of
Oscar Gouveia, Alex Botelho and Jeff Suade. Yup, that's -three-
guitarists alright and BtE sounds as full as any band out there
today. Vim and vigor course through this ten track disc, so
much so that you'd swear to everything holy these guys were
reincarnated Berzerkers. Completely compelling cuts are strewn
generously throughout _Against the Elements_ with two finding
themselves back-to-back: the instrumental "Drowning" and the title
track, "Against the Elements", on which Adam Gonsales pushes a
thunderous bass line, the likes of which appeal to me like
all-you-can-eat BBQ. Not to let that momentum dissipate even for a
second, Mike Bresciani on drums joins Adam's bass barbarity on the
next track, "Release" -- the song is ripped wide open as a result.
As a side note, recently Beyond the Embrace has replaced drummer
Mike Bresciani with Kevin Camille. A small bit of background for
those readers who are interested, Mr. Camille's former bands include
Voices Forming Weapons and Roswell. Enough said that, BtE is one of
those things you might hear for yourself to appreciate. This is a
young outfit age-wise, so expect even bigger things headed our way
from Beyond the Embrace. Time and talent are sure on their side.
Contact: http://www.beyondtheembrace.com
Bloodline - _A Pestilence Long Forgotten_
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) (Ketzer Recs./Neodawn Prod., 2002)
This is the sort of release that is designed to draw a mixed
reaction: the black metal purists will love _APLF's_ deliberate
ultra-raw production while others will scorn the unnecessary wall of
noise approach. While the latter view is understandable and I in no
way consider myself a black metal purist, I favour the former
approach, as the rawness of the music creates a primal fury and a
cold, clinical sound that would be missing from a record that is
subjected to higher production values. Such low-level production
is not without (other) flaws: the drumming is relegated to the
background, while the intermittent keyboards are occasionally too
high in the mix. The keyboards are often necessary in order to
counter the pure dissonance of the guitars. The musical style means
that it is unlikely to be tolerable and is likely to become tiresome
over the course of a full-length; on this 7" EP release containing a
mere two tracks - the title track and a cover of Burzum's "Was Einst
War" - and with a playing time of some twelve minutes, there is no
chance for boredom to make an entrance. Its brevity works in its
favour, as it is likely that one would not be able to stand their
abrasive style over the course of a full album. If under produced
black metal appeals to you then the score above holds; if not, this
would be worth a two.
Contact: ketzer@ketzer-records.de
Brave - _Searching for the Sun_ (Dark Symphonies, 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10)
Formerly known as Arise From Thorns, Brave are a band that knows how
to use their skills in a way that suits them. On _Searching for the
Sun_ they do not try to sound heavy or depressed; they simply
concern themselves with showcasing their technical merits and
Michelle Loose's talented vocals. While a lot of the material on
this album comes across as quite radio-friendly, some of it also has
a reasonable metallic edge. This is hardly a metal release at all,
though you can tell there's a progressive metal influence at work --
fans of older Anneke-era The Gathering will be interested in this
one, as long as they can tolerate the loss of the heavy guitar
sound. The music is, of course, very melodic; it's neither sad nor
happy, though generally warm and possibly uplifting (depending on
the listener). I am left wondering how such an album fits in a label
called Dark Symphonies -- more so if I look at the sunny album
title, which doubles the irony of it all -- but that doesn't detract
from the quality of the music inside. If you too are "searching for
the sun" instead of darker soundscapes, then you should give Brave a
chance -- but you must be prepared for the album's very light
atmosphere.
Contact: http://www.bravemusic.com
ChthoniC - _9th Empyrean_ (Nightfall Records, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (7 out of 10)
I have no idea, honestly, how I came into possession of this disc. I
am not serviced by this label, I have never heard of this group nor
could I truthfully tell you that I can even pronounce their name
correctly for the record. All that aside, this Taiwanese outfit
embodies quality that is imbued with elaborations found only in
avant-garde black metal. Because of this disc, that is no longer
true. ChthoniC has forged a melding of black metal and atmospheric
harmonies that makes its own path like a cooling lava stream. I am
not telling anything most of you don't already know, but such a
unique trait for independent musical creativeness is become more rare
than a search for meaning in the American Democrat party. While that
is neither here nor there, ChthoniC is a band of some longevity to
their existence. Recently this five-piece celebrated their nearly
half a decade anniversary as a band at a celebration party in Hong
Kong. Passing their music off as an escape to other worldliness, this
band takes eight tracks of heavy keyboards and strong, but subdued
guitars to heights of limited by imagination only. An ancient feel of
warped divinity plagues this band, however. I have grown weary of the
"more evil than thou" mentality prevalent in metal of all genres, but
ChthoniC, at least on the surface, seems to keep this in check. I
enjoy the isolated feel and unnaturally warm feel of this group, but
a greater focus of energy toward venturesome riffs with more of a
heightened spirit of the Taiwanese culture, like on track eight,
"Guard the Isle of Eternally", would benefit Chthonic immensely.
Codeseven - _The Rescue_ (Caroline Distribution, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (7.5 out of 10)
For a band whose music featured on a WWE (it'll never replace
WWF, will it?) broadcasting, Codeseven are surprisingly mellowed
out. There is a certain honesty about the music offered on _The
Rescue_ that doesn't really fit well with their emo-pop tag. While
there are moments that paint the lightest shades of what At the
Drive-In were trying to do, Codeseven leave a greater impression of
individuality. Musically, _The Rescue_ flows naturally and without a
hitch; only what is expected when taking into consideration that
three brothers form the core of this band. There is an evident sense
of harmonic sensibility and invention, with the band throwing more
than one curveball into the structuring and melodic progression. This
is backed by an attractive production, with shining guitar and
thick, enjoyable bass; interestingly the drums have that distinct
'percussion booth' feeling and sit oddly with the slick feeling of
the mix at first, although later it becomes apparent that the sound
complements the performance of this band: very sensitive to its own
creativity and yet very human. The vocals vary in attitude, often
taking a reflective commentary on the surrounding music, occasionally
welling up and emotionally bursting forth. It is both absorbing and
surreal, aural impressionism that reflects the care that has gone
into its creation. This also proves to be Codeseven's only real
failing. As with many bands that adopt a surreal element in their
composition, it can prove too vague in translation. Although it gives
props to the emo movement, it is often unclear what emotion the
listener is meant to be tapping into. Often the keyboardist blends
entirely with the guitar line, losing clarity in presence; couple
this with a vocalist who is more than occasionally incomprehensible,
and Codeseven's message is well and truly lost in the fog of their
own music. Unfortunately this also detracts from their impact. Though
they may be absorbing and pleasurable, it is difficult to specify any
memorable moments in _The Rescue_; the title track is the only piece
approaching a stand out work. However, credit where credit's due:
although this style of music may not be of my own personal taste,
Codeseven offered me an emotive and relaxing listening experience,
though enthusiasts of this style may be somewhat disappointed by the
length of _The Rescue_, falling short of the standard for a full
album.
Contact: http://www.music-cartel.com
Corporation 187 - _Perfection in Pain_ (Wicked World, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (7.5 out of 10)
With the thrash revival at full speed -- mostly thanks to a handful
of modern Swedish bands (The Haunted, Darkane) -- thrash itself is
getting stripped and analysed, deconstructed then reconstructed,
modernized to appeal to the youngsters with shorter attention spans,
and brutalized to be just a little more extreme than what people
might expect. Slayer did it with their killer last album, The Haunted
have proven they master the skills almost better than their masters,
and Darkane has managed to create a whole new thrash league. More
marginally, bands like Dew-Scented and Carnal Forge are bringing
successful albums to the market as well. Another name that should not
go unmentioned is Corporation 187, who debuted more than two years
ago on Earache's Wicked World sub-label. _Perfection in Pain_ is
their second offering, consisting of little more than half an hour of
pure aggression. Reminiscent mostly of Carnal Forge in both vocal
style and song structures, _PiP_ will undoubtedly appeal to anyone
with an interest in the thrash scene. However, the quality level of
Carnal Forge is not quite reached yet: _PiP_ sounds like it was
cloned from the blueprint of CF's _Firedemon_ album. Nevertheless, in
all its straightforwardness, aggression and honesty, _PiP_ is an
album that'll cheer up the hearts of many a good soul during the
drizzly Autumn.
[Adam Lineker: "The second album from the Corporation joins the fray
at a time when the influences of thrash are more alive than ever.
Bookended by Darkane's _Expanding Senses_ and The Haunted's _One Kill
Wonder_, this second release is well timed enough to have put
Corporation 187 on the spot quite nicely. Thankfully, _Perfection in
Pain_ is a strong enough record to sit alongside the records which
have recently surrounded it. The music on _PiP_ translates well and
sounds fittingly modern enough to sound relevant. Most of all,
this record is enjoyable and involving, with some powerful songs
and effective musicianship. However, although enjoyable and well
performed, _Perfection in Pain_ lacks that certain x-factor to lift
into a higher level that it almost reaches. As it stands, we are
given a strong record that is worthy of attention; after all, we must
remember that not all bands can be The Haunted..."]
Council of the Fallen - _Revealing Damnation_ (Martyr, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10)
Like heat-priming a chimney before lighting a fire, Council of the
Fallen are set to blaze nearly uncontrolled. This well-balanced three
piece have hardened their sound through experience. Derek Ruddy (Hate
Eternal), Sean Baxter (Broken Hope / Em Sinfonia) and Kevin Quirion
flare with magnificence on _Revealing Damnation_. As a matter of
fact, Ruddy has issued a newly released 45 minute instructional
drumming video as of late. No half-baked, half-assed metal here! CotF
is purely scorching metal. In this three piece, a listener will
soon come to appreciate the duality of the band's vocal assault.
Occasional and lightly used wisps of shadowed murmurs and whispers on
some tracks add a welcome hint of black metal to this firebrand
outfit. "Demon Winds" and "Secrets No Longer" showcase this band in
the best of lights magnifying Sean, Derek and Kevin Quirion's ability
and consuming passion to rip through some largely imaginative
material. Believe me -- it smokes. "Cast from the Heavens" has an
undeniable Epoch of Unlight undertone, where as the majority of the
rest of _Revealing Damnation_ incorporates a cross-section of styles
from technical to black to death. Playing up more of CotF's vocal
style and interplay while mixing in at least the same amount of
texture, like at the 1:30 mark on "Unveiling the Pain", would be most
certainly a plus, adding to the band's already smoldering complexity.
Making it on the metal scene, as we all know, takes an impassioned
desire to succeed. All I can say for sure is, Council of the Fallen
has the necessary the collective fire in the belly to engulf the
metal community. I can't wait for the next offering.
Dead Blue Sky - _Symptoms of an Unwanted Emotion_ (Goodlife, 2001)
by: Brian Meloon (9 out of 10)
Like the Indian fable about the blind men trying to figure out what
an elephant is, knowing only some of the facts about this album will
lead you to wildly inaccurate conclusions. Based upon the cover art
and the band and album names, you'd be tempted to think this is
ambient or Projekt-style goth-lite music. Based upon the facts that
the band are American (from Ohio, actually) and this is released on
a hardcore label, you'd probably expect a completely different
sound. And should you actually listen only to the music, you may be
convinced they hail from Sweden and feature some former members of
Miscreant. In fact, all of these facts hold only partial truths. The
music is a mix of atmospheric and melodic death metal with rasped
lead vocals and ethereal female backing vocals. These contrasting
styles are mixed throughout nearly all of the songs, allowing them
to accentuate each other. In an impressive display of songwriting
prowess, the band are able to maintain the flow of the songs, with
nary a jarring transition to be found and only the 13-minute
instrumental title track being overly repetitive. The metallic parts
feature tremolo-picked harmonized guitar lines and riffs that
emphasize melody over heaviness. Some of these sections bear a
remarkable similarity to those done by Miscreant over 8 years ago,
whereas others are more original, but all of them are well-done. The
softer parts rely on keyboards, acoustic guitars, and/or female
vocals, and are varied in their style and duration. The drumming in
general is very impressive, as the drummer works hard to keep any
sections from getting too repetitive by throwing in fills or even
completely changing the rhythmic structure under the repeated guitar
riffs. Some may find his style "too busy", but I feel that it
provides a needed diversity, and fits the flow of the music. In
contrast to this, the guitar and bass work is solid but restrained.
This is heavily guitar-driven music, with the keyboards serving
mainly to provide atmosphere and accentuate or provide counterpoint
to certain guitar lines. Overall, I'm very impressed by this debut
effort, and I hope to hear more from them in the future. This
release should be enjoyed both by hardcore/metalcore fans who enjoy
a more melodic approach as well as fans of melodic and atmospheric
death metal.
Contact: http://www.deadbluesky.com/
Desaster - _Divine Blasphemies_ (Iron Pegasus, 2002)
by: Matthias Noll (9 out of 10)
In the last couple of years Desaster have mainly impressed me through
their display of stubborn underground spirit. In times where not many
give a damn about this style, the German four-piece has proudly and
inexorably delivered authentic-sounding German thrash combined with
slight black metal influences and imagery. This mostly failed to
impress me on a musical level, because I never got the impression
that Desaster were really able to consistently follow in the
footsteps even of second tier outfits like Deathrow, Violent Force or
Assassin. Desaster were either not black, not thrashing or not
violent enough to do much for me, and were instead uncomfortably
located in some kind of no-man's land where a lot of respect is due
for many reasons but the least of which is outstanding musical
accomplishments. Seeing them live in Wacken 2001 was enjoyable but
not really spectacular either. I'm not really sure what has happened
since then, but Desaster are back with their new album _Divine
Blasphemies_ and here I sit, the non-believer, and want to inform you
that it shreds, totally! It's really difficult to pinpoint what
exactly makes this album so much better than previous Desaster
material I've heard. It's a combination of multiple factors: the
production is sharper and more aggressive while sounding refreshingly
natural; the songs thrash fiercer and more memorably; and an
excellent quality level is maintained throughout the whole album. And
most importantly for me, their new vocalist delivers a truly
phenomenal performance, whereas I never felt totally comfortable with
his predecessor Okkulto. The aptly named Sataniac does not only
shout, snarl and scream coarsely into the microphone in a powerful
fashion; he attacks it like a rabid animal with such ferocious energy
that the recording equipment is often kicked into overdrive whenever
he lets lose completely. Kreator's Mille has quite a few problems
sounding like a man in comparison to this madman during their vocal
duet in the song "Nighthawk". Musically Desaster deliver prime
up-tempo and fast Teutonic thrash on _Divine Blasphemies_ and I don't
hear much of a black metal influence this time. Although there are
occasional bits and pieces which remind me of old Destruction and
other legends, Desaster have developed their own distinguishable and
raw style, with a genuine '80s vibe which clearly distinguishes them
from more modern German thrashers like the formidable Dew-Scented. I
really doubt there will be a better album coming out of Germany in
2003. Get those denim vests out and join the thrashing rage -- now!
Contact: http://www.total-desaster.de/
Dimmu Borgir - _World Misanthropy_ (Nuclear Blast, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (8 for the music, 5.5 for the DVD) out of 10)
As one of Nuclear Blast's more successful acts, it was only a matter
of time before another Dimmu Borgir DVD was released. (The first
DVD, _Live and Plugged_, was released back in 1997.) The first
_World Misanthropy_ DVD (it is a double DVD set) consists largely of
selections from their 2001 tour. The focus is on songs from the
last two CDs; fans of Dimmu Borgir's black metal days will be
disappointed, though the second CD does feature some older material
from a 1998 tour and a few clips -- though old in this case means
_Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ era Dimmu, with only one song from
_For All Tid_ and two from _Stormblast_. First the good news:
judging by the 2001 live concerts, Dimmu Borgir have evolved into a
tight, intense and totally impressive live band. The sound for the
concerts is astounding and songs such as "Tormentor of Christian
Souls" have never before sounded so powerful. The songs from the
last two full-lengths may be those most despised by the black metal
purists, but if truth be told, these are the most complex and
layered songs Dimmu have ever written, a far cry from their raw and
primitive early days. They scored a coup by taking on former Cradle
of Filth drummer Nick Barker; however at times his drumming feels
too robotic and machine-like, making one long for the return of
Tjodalv's less adept but more human touch. On to the bad news: Dimmu
also seemed to score a coup through the hiring of Vortex on bass and
clean backing vocals. As a bassist he is easily replaceable, but as
a vocalist he is indispensable, having provided some of the best
examples of clean vocals in black metal to date as demonstrated
through his work with Borknagar and Arcturus, amongst others. Yet
here his vocals sound strained and forced in both of the concerts he
performs. I could excuse bad clean vocals from one concert (everyone
has their bad days) but two? Perhaps he has relied a bit too heavily
on studio tricks. Too much time is wasted on showing Dimmu Borgir
clowning around backstage; the space these inane, less than sober
antics occupy could have been put to better use by showcasing
several songs that are conspicuous by their absence (such as "In
Death's Embrace" or "Reptile"). The obvious answer is that perhaps
there was a desire not to feature the same songs that were on their
first DVD. Which initially sounds acceptable and understandable, yet
the exact same performance of "Puritania" is to be found on both
_WM_ discs! Did Nuclear Blast really think that the average Dimmu
Borgir fan would be so dim as not to notice? This DVD will likely be
appreciated by anyone who has an interest in Dimmu Borgir. But when
one considers the amount of money a label the size of Nuclear Blast
must have put behind an ambitious double DVD by one of their
top-selling artists, then one cannot help but feel that with this
DVD one hasn't exactly received their money's worth. The songs
deserve an 8 out of 10 but the DVD as a whole is only worth 5.5 out
of 10.
Disharmonic Orchestra - _Ahead_ (Nuclear Blast, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (6.5 out of 10)
I remember really being into _Not to Be Undimensional Conscious_, and
later on _Pleasuredome_, when I was a kid. Metal combined with
weirdness, that was exactly what I liked, and Disharmonic Orchestra
were my heroes along with Pungent Stench. However, after they split
up I never really gave them much thought and it's been years since I
last played one of their albums. Their reincarnation was somewhat of
a surprise to me, and I can't deny having been a little bit curious
to know what they would come up with. So, now _Ahead_ is finally
released upon us, and I'm sad to say it doesn't provoke any of the
feelings I used to have when I was a kid. Sure, they still try to be
experimental and in some ways they succeed, but usually they just
sound like they got stuck in the mid-'90s. Their experimental side
sounds outdated now, with many bands doing the trick better and more
impressively (Dillinger Escape Plan, Red Harvest, Arcturus). A good
example is the song "Dual Peepholes", which has a beat underneath
that sounds so archaic any modern band would be ashamed to use such
cheap sounding instruments. Sure enough I enjoy their jazzy approach
at metal, and the songs on _Ahead_ can be very catchy with excellent
riffing ("Supervision"), but Disharmonic Orchestra is really nothing
more than 'just another metal band' nowadays. Their best songs are
probably "nine9nine" and "idiosyncrated", the only ones on which they
really seem to offer something different. Hey, if you liked their
first three albums you'll like this one as well, but those who expect
something surprising or out of the ordinary should look elsewhere.
Divercia - _Modus Operandi_ (Hammerheart, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (7 out of 10)
Being something of a Nightwish fan, I have to confess that the double
name-dropping of the Finnish operatic metallers on the bio for _Modus
Operandi_ caught my interest almost immediately. The other bands also
mentioned in the descriptive include Him and Dimmu Borgir; needless
to say, Divercia claim to offer an interesting mix of stylistic
influences and it becomes evident very quickly where these influences
fit in the Divercia sound. Keyboards and lead guitars battle for
melodic prominence in true Nightwish fashion, while the use of
synthesised orchestral tutti hammers the point home even further. The
heaviness of the rhythmic structure alludes to Dimmu Borgir, although
it has to be said that the material within _Modus Operandi_ never
reaches the same levels of brutality or aggression. Jyri Aarniva's
vocals have similar stylistic traits to Him frontman Ville Valo, but
it is fair to say that the latter may have delivered a more inspired
performance. However, this isn't to say that Aarniva's somewhat
disconnected delivery doesn't have its own merits, as it seems to
float above the ethereal metal, creating slightly gothic shades. If
anything, this quality could also be Divercia's biggest failing. The
nature of the mix is such that it renders the music a little too
ethereal, thus detracting from the overall power of the material. A
basic guitar distortion is clothed in swirling layers of keyboard
alongside a drum sound that is unsuitably treble heavy and the vocals
can seem awkwardly out of place. With the bass being almost
non-existent in the overall sound, the production is left somewhat
thin and it is because of this factor that Divercia never capitalise
on the bombastic nature of their writing, thus never fulfilling their
dynamic potential. Divercia are successful in conjuring some strong,
innovative ideas and create some enjoyable music, but even key
changes seem to slip by unnoticed in the shallow soundscape. Though
there are a number of moments that have reassuring quality, the main
impression is one of unfulfilled potential. This would have been so
much more absorbing had it been that little bit heavier and more
filled out; perhaps this is something rectifiable in the live
environment but, even so, it is a disappointing fact that _Modus
Operandi_ is lacking in substantial impact.
Contact: http://www.hammerheart.com
Fallen Into Ashes - _Solely Dreaming the Reconstruction of a
Forgotten Revolution_
by: Xander Hoose (8.5 out of 10) (Burning Season, 2002)
Fallen Into Ashes, a pretty recent band from the capital of Hungary,
surprised me with this debut MCD. In order to master the fine arts
of new-school hardcore, New Jersey style, these youngsters have
obviously listened carefully to Shai Hulud, Botch and Coalesce. In a
mere five tracks, they manage to impress with solid songs that
interweave brutality with emotion; accent-less raw English vocals
alternate with clean melodic vocals, and together they provide the
perfect front for the well produced twin guitar combo while the drums
and bass complete the picture. Fallen Into Ashes is a high quality
band that has the disadvantage of coming from an unpopular country --
from a musical point of view -- so only time will tell if they can
manage to break their national barriers. _Solely Dreaming the
Reconstruction of a Forgotten Revolution_ comes highly recommended
for noisecore bastards looking to expand their collection.
Flesh Made Sin - _Masterwork in Blood_ (Thrashing Hell Records, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (5 out of 10)
Flesh Made Sin's focus is the reproduction of '80s thrash metal with
the unstated intention of emulating thrash luminaries such as Dark
Angel and Possessed to the furthest extent that is humanly possible.
As can be expected of an album dedicated to the exhumation of past
trends, modern sensibilities have not had much of an impact on this
CD, Do not misunderstand me; there is nothing intrinsically wrong in
a contemporary band mimicking a sound or style of old, and _MiB_ is
far from being the worst thrash record in existence. But when a band
chooses to replicate a classic sound, especially one which has
already been done to death, then something new and fresh should be
added; the musical boundaries imposed by that sound should be pushed
and extended, however slight. And this is the major problem with this
CD: Flesh Made Sin do not move beyond the safe confines of the nearly
20 year old thrash sound. The CD is not entirely bad -- there are
some catchy sections, the expected overblown and extended solos
enhance rather then distract from the song, and the musicians are
hardly marginally talented. But nothing is offered here that even a
casual thrash fan would not have heard numerous times before.
Recommended for diehard thrash fans only.
Freedom Call - _Eternity_ (Steamhammer / SPV, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (4 out of 10)
How can you avoid the comparisons to Helloween where Freedom Call
is concerned? Even Alvin couldn't help himself in CoC #53 for
Freedom Call's sophomore effort, _Crystal Empire_. This is an unfair
reference in my opinion; it is kind of like calling Kingdom Come
Led Zeppelin prodigies. Typi
cal and tame mixed with ultimately
decompressing, trite rock riffs passing themselves off as metal foul
this effort in more ways that relieve oneself in a public water
fountain. With the possible exception of the moderately exceptional
vocals on "Ages of Power", this effort seems to stumble over itself
both in musical direction and style. Freedom Call has a longing to
have a ballad-type of sound, but that desire rubs up against a poor
man's Edguy; unsettling and conflicted. "Bleeding Heart", nearly half
way through this CD, is still far too dainty in form, but combines a
choppy riff throughout that, as a consistent practice, would be very
well received as a listener. It adds a great deal to the song when
the music captures and grabs you as "Bleeding Heart" accomplishes in
some places during its nearly five minute stretch on Freedom Call's
third installment. I cannot help but think that there is a sense of
smooth sailing on seas of placidly overt tedium on this disc;
_Eternity_, with an oasis dropped here and there, seems to last just
a shade less than forever.
Hate - _Cain's Way_ (WWIII, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (5.5 out of 10)
There is plenty of room for improvement here, but -what- Hate can
improve is already honed to a fine point. What is distracting from
_Cain's Way_ is the over-blended structures Hate utilizes. Where the
band skillfully extenuates their music -- frictionless guitar parts,
the far-too-few breakdowns, or harmonization -- this Polish outfit
exists a hemisphere away from most things Behemoth, Yattering or
Vader (killer!) are doing. I see Hate much the same way a cat sees
its own reflections -- limited dimensionally. _Cain's Way_ would
benefit significantly from capitalizing on this strengths like
incensed guitar solos (see "Future Is Mayhem" at the 2 minute and 5
second mark). Harsh, dry vocals are another selling point that if I
was in Hate, I would not hesitate to exploit. I think the fire in the
belly remains untapped among this four-piece. Also, if Hate lost the
atomic evil facade, too, it'd sure go a long way to minimizing the
pigeonhole the band currently fits in. That area being one not
conducive to wholly gratifying extreme metal.
Hate Eternal - _King of All Kings_ (Earache, 2002)
by: Matthias Noll (7.5 out of 10)
It has always been denied, but do not Hate Eternal's album titles
really give any hint what Erik Rutan thinks the status of his band
should rightfully be? First _Conquering the Throne_ and now, almost
logically, _King of All Kings_. The one ruling all those who sit on
lesser thrones. Well, at least several kings are allowed to exist in
Hate Eternal's world. In the realm of death metal Erik and his gang
have of course long left the status of squires and knights and been
promoted to full blown lords. But since _High Voltage_ everybody
should be aware that it's a fucking long way to the top if you wanna
rock 'n' roll. _King of All Kings_ succeeds and fails at the same
time. It shifts the boundaries of ultra-extreme, technical and
blasting death metal one inch further than other contenders --
Krisiun, for example. Erik also gives proof that he holds a master's
degree in writing and playing some of the craziest, most dissonant,
intricate and unique riffs out there. The fact that the fast songs he
did for Morbid Angel's _Domination_ already displayed his personal
style but sound almost wimpy in comparison is testimony to the
immense leap he's made since then. Furthermore, a bunch of memorable
songs can be found on _KoAK_. Something at which bands like
Lux Occulta and many, many others in the extreme metal universe
completely fail. Now, if this amounts to all you expect, then _King
of All Kings_ might be the current be-all-end-all of extreme death
metal. At least until a new album comes along that proves that either
Hate Eternal or some other band can blast faster, be more brutal,
whatever. There is an obvious desire here to be more extreme than
thou, and display brutality for the sake of being brutal; and this
single-minded focus is what makes _King of All Kings_ a pretty
one-dimensional affair. Simply because everything is said and done
after five tracks at most, and, strangely enough, even its playing
time of a meagre 30 minutes seems too long. The feeling of listening
to something one-dimensional is greatly increased by an extremely
flat and compressed production that sounds anything but natural. Now,
as you can see from my rating, this still is a good record and better
than the debut. Taken for what it really is -- a showcase in
brutality -- there are moments where it can be just everything you
need in your desire for ten or fifteen minutes of aural butchery.
During those moments it might even be a better remedy than the new
Nile. The king of all kings certainly is a ruler who knows how to
trample and massacre everything in its path -- but also one who lacks
most other skills to command a realm other than the kingdom of
butchery. I have the feeling that Rutan still has more to offer, and
all I need to do to believe that is listen to "Hatework" from Morbid
Angel's _Domination_. Maybe next time?
Himsa - _Death Is Infinite_ (Revelation Records, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (5.5 out of 10)
The first impressions created by Himsa smack strongly of hardcore
with a decidedly raw production, created mostly by fuzzy guitars
riffing over treble-heavy drums. They soon work in some metallic
features, with solo lead rolling over the top of the main structure.
Working in regular sample work between the songs, Himsa are able to
keep the momentum running strong. The fixed mood for _Death Is
Infinite_ is that of aggression, mostly embodied by vocalist John
Pettibone, whose shouted vocals occasionally drop hints of the
spazcore peddled by Macabre and their ilk. The song writing is
sound enough and there are moments when Himsa succeed in grabbing
your attention. Unfortunately _Death Is Infinite_ is a shoddy and
ill-conceived release. There are only four studio tracks and one live
track, badly stuck on the end of the album and edited in such a way
that one could be forgiven for not noticing its inclusion; it rears
its ugly head only after half a minute of silence. The length of the
album is a major failing of _Death Is Infinite_. It can be ventured
that had this release been a full-length album it could have been a
credit to Himsa's name, but, as it is, it leaves the listener no time
to appreciate the message or direction of the band; indeed what
little we can gain is only vague, even after multiple playings. The
momentum Himsa create through their performance and attitude is
unfortunately lost as the listener is rudely jolted into silent
dissatisfaction. I have found in the past that EPs can do this, but
it has to be said that even when taking the nature of the release
into account, Himsa still lack identity.
Contact: http://www.himsa.org
Impious - _The Killer_ (Hammerheart, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (7 out of 10)
The first release from Impious on Hammerheart begins with an
effective acoustic intro, building up to the first track well enough
before it begins with a surge of fast-paced riffage going through a
raw-edged guitar sound with a lot of mid-low end crunch. The
drums seem rather mechanical, as Impious employ a tight use of
triggering. The offered thrash material is quite strong and the riffs
that Impious create are well suited to their chosen approach.
Working in the odd guitar solo and finding room for an adequate
amount of melody, Impious are not entirely unadventurous, if a
little unrefined. Martin Akesson's vocals are aggressive and soundly
preformed, although they fail to be as imposing as they might have
been. It is fair to say that guitarist Valle Adzic should be
commended for putting in a lot of work as the band's core songwriter,
yet this is the source of the album's main failing. The overall
impression of _The Killer_ is that it is somewhat one dimensional.
Impious are competent and the music is well performed, but the songs
are based around singular melodic riffs as opposed to layered
writing. As the record progresses this becomes a little uninspiring,
as one feels that the focus of their songs needs to broadened and
given more depth. Adzic, as a song writer, has a decent melodic
sensibility and is apt at creating melodic thrash riffs but the
finest melodic passage on the album arrives late in the one track not
written by Adzic: Robin Sorqvist's "Needles of Sin". One would
conclude that a less concentrated creative input could be required
for the future. The band often show glimmers of creative potential,
but Impious need more diversity in style if they ever hope to ascend
to the top flight within their scene. Having said this, _The Killer_
still holds enough to entertain die hard thrash fans and is a solid
enough release with which to begin their spell on Hammerheart.
Contact: http://www.hammerheart.com
INRI - _Hyper Bastard Breed_ (Cold Blood Industries, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10)
For the past six months I have hardly listened to death metal for
reasons I will not go into here. However, I have been listening to
INRI (or Insane Non-commercialised Rock Institute to give their full
name) more times than is absolutely necessary for the purposes of
this review. As to why INRI should represent the break of my
death metal fast is not immediately clear -- they are neither
breathtakingly innovative along the lines of a Cynic or an Atheist ,
nor is there a masterful display of guitar virtuosity. What does
separate them from the hordes of death metal bands is the highly
infectious passion and energy which imbues every single note on this
album. The energy is upped by the brevity of the songs, which rarely
venture beyond the three minute mark, and are unencumbered by a
single note of keyboard tinkling or acoustic strumming -- just pure
flat-out brutality. A downer is their Satanic-themed lyrics, which
owe more to the frankly infantile rantings of Deicide then to their
comparatively more subtle European black metal peers. Do not let the
dubious album cover deter you from purchasing this release; this is
an excellent death metal record by these relative unknowns who are
sure to give the big boys a run for their money.
Contact: info@coldbloodindustries.com
Kataklysm - _Shadows & Dust_ (Nuclear Blast, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (9 out of 10)
Over the years since I have been following Kataklysm's activities
I've seen them go through ups and downs, but I never expected them to
regain their former status after the disastrous _Victims of This
Fallen World_. However, surely Kataklysm managed to overcome their
line-up problems and fought to regain respect and reputation, going
into the third album with the new line-up: _Shadows & Dust_. It is
debatable if pumping out a new album each year is too frequent to
keep delivering good songs, but fact is that _Shadows & Dust_, like
its two predecessors, has some very strong points as well as some
weaker ones. What strikes me most when comparing the three releases
is that the production on _Shadows & Dust_ is crystal clear, giving
especially the drums a much better place in the musical spectrum. The
vocals are shifting once more; they sound a lot less forced than on
_The Prophecy_ but have a more generic feeling to them compared to
_Epic_ -- which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I do prefer the
other style. Giving this disc a few spins there's another thing
striking me: the song structures of _Shadows & Dust_ are more and
more reminiscent of the early Kataklysm material, to the point where
I would say that on its peak moments this album is a modernized
version of 1996's _Temple of Knowledge_. Whether fans of the early
material will accept this sleek and almost over-produced style I
can't say, but I personally think this album is the best in their new
style.
Lacuna Coil - _Comalies_ (Century Media, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (8 out of 10)
Judging a Lacuna Coil album is very hard. Take one look at their band
picture and who can deny being taken in immediately by the lovely
Christina? Listen to one bit of their music and deny the same thing
about her angelic yet powerful vocals. Yes, impossible indeed. But
having the honour of reviewing _Comalies_ like I have reviewed every
other album by Lacuna Coil, I do have to admit I feel more critical
than ever before. Not that _Comalies_ is a bad album -- not at all.
It's not even a bad Lacuna Coil album; it might very well be one of
their best. The production on _Comalies_ is yet again one notch
higher than that of _Unleashed Memories_. Vocals have matured, the
drumming has tightened, and there is a little more experimentation,
such as the '80s-style keyboards in the "Humane" intro, the vocals on
"Self Deception" and the increased use of electronics throughout the
album. However, I can't shake the feeling that the band lacks in
expanding their territory. Surely the band has matured a lot since
their first EP, but if you look through the frills, the musical core
is exactly the same as it was almost five years ago. Secretly, with
_Comalies_, I was hoping to discover something new, something fresh,
something groundbreaking. My hopes weren't fulfilled, but then again,
with songs like "Heaven's a Lie", "Tight Rope" and "Unspoken" Lacuna
Coil did deliver another smashing and faithful album.
Legion - _Awakened Fury_ (Ketzer Records / Neodawn Productions, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (3 out of 10)
If their name sounds vaguely familiar, it's most likely because they
were in the metal news earlier this year when their drummer Dragu
departed for the comparatively more lucrative pastures of Marduk. It
is not surprising that Dragu was selected; the drumming here is a
testament to his considerable ability. But a more likely reason that
he was chosen was his familiarity with the Marduk style: this EP is
little more then a thinly disguised attempt at emulating _Panzer
Division Marduk_. Their imitation of Marduk even extends so far as
the band name -- it can be no coincidence that they share a name with
the Marduk vocalist! For someone who has never heard Marduk before,
this will sound like a fast and furious black metal assault. To be
fair, they can play their instruments and the songs are hardly the
worst that I have heard. This does not change the fact that this
remains a totally derivative release, unburdened by originality.
Recommended for non-discerning black metal fans only.
Contact: http://www.ketzer-records.de
Madder Mortem - _Deadlands_ (Century Media, 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
Once in a while a band comes along that really surprises me. With
_Deadlands_, Madder Mortem have just made it into the restricted
group of those who have successfully surprised me twice in a row.
After changing half or more of the band's members after their debut
full-length _Mercury_ (which, in the light of their last two records,
I overrated back then), Madder Mortem proceeded to release two albums
that failed to make much of an impact upon first listen. I had little
expectations for _All Flesh Is Grass_, but after a few listens it
really started making sense and won quite a lot of admiration from
me. _Deadlands_, coming along on the wake of _All Flesh Is Grass_,
consequently faced much higher expectations, and that initially
seemed set to be its undoing. It simply failed to live up to its
predecessor. That was until it too started making sense, not as the
successor of a great album but as an album in its own right. It's
different, yet still very much Madder Mortem. It won me over like its
predecessor did, only for different reasons that took me a while to
figure out. Yet with every listen, nearly all the tracks seemed to
come forth a bit more, until finally I conceded to myself that the
album was at least as great as _All Flesh Is Grass_. Madder Mortem
are unafraid to sound strange at any given time, and they definitely
do their own thing, which is what makes them unique. A track like
"Rust Cleansing", with its guitar lead interweaving with the vocals
and the crushing main riff and drum work throughout the song's
remarkable structure, can only come from a highly inspired and
talented band who doesn't mind being labeled as 'different'. Of
course Agnette Kirkevaag's powerful, inspiring vocals are on the
forefront of the sound again, and on tracks like the excellent
"Omnivore" I wouldn't like to stand in her path. Much like the rest
of the band, she is not just talented: she is willing to experiment,
and does so with great results. The instrumental side can move the
music from doomy and introspective to angry and crushing, with some
really heavy, rhythmically challenging riffs alternating with great
leads and vocals. Madder Mortem sound fresh and unique in a world of
copycats, although bound to be misunderstood by a lot of people
(perhaps even the majority). As far as I'm concerned, I just can't
wait to see what they'll come up with next and whether they can
maintain this level of quality and originality.
Contact: http://www.maddermortem.com
Martyr - _To Confirm When Destruction Comes_
by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10) (Regimental Records, 2002)
These guys are more than ready to run with the "big dogs" -- Dimmu
Borgir, watch your back. In a street-fight, black metal to black
metal, I may back Martyr to most other notable bands on the scene
today. Lots of provocative saw-blade guitar style change-ups on _To
Confirm When Destruction Comes_, for sure. That is a rarer spice in
the black metal cauldron, if you ask me. Any band that can vary
their tempo and structure without weakening the shadowed, enigmatic
foundation is structurally sound from the ground up. Martyr embodies
this song, lyric and delivery. Stained, but throaty vocals add a
dimension to Martyr found in few extreme acts -- supplementing rather
than accentuating the music enshrouding them. While this is only a
six-track release with room to expand on the band's taste for harsher
side of ambience, Martyr fills the available space with enough raw,
blazing aggression that you'd swear you just spun Old Man's Child in
the _Stormblast_ oven of Hell's kitchen. "I Am the Bringer of New
Obtainment" and the title track are well worth your attention. Who
knows? Martyr might very well make a fan outta you, too!
Contact: http://RegimentalRecords.tripod.com
Megiddo - _The Atavism of Evil_ (Barbarian Wrath, 2002)
by: Matthias Noll (8.5 out of 10)
Chorazaim returns with a second full-length album and once again
successfully delivers the orthodox black metal goods. According to
Barbarian Wrath "Megiddo stand in proud defiance of anything recorded
after 1985 CE" and this is indeed a proper description of their
style. Basically this band is comparable to the Bathory debut
combined with a good dose of grooving and anthemic metal without ever
sounding like a rip-off or pure nostalgia. Blasphemous lyrics are
fiercely spewn forth in rasping black metal style and the production
is extremely raw but remains thick and powerful. This is certainly
not a record for people who exclusively consider the _Transilvanian
Hunger_ school of fast strumming the be-all-end-all of black metal.
The power of simple, crushing riffs makes this a perfect soundtrack
for drunken head banging, thrashing and fist-pumping rather than
misanthropically dwelling in a cave in the nebula forest of winter
frost. While certainly black metal at heart _The Atavism of Evil_
remains firmly rooted in what was considered extreme metal in the
first half of the '80s although the delivery is far more ferocious
than what was the norm for the bands back then. Again Megiddo
have made an excellent choice of cover versions. This time it's
Onslaught's "Witch Hunt" from _Power From Hell_ and Warfare's "Dance
of the Death" from _Pure Filth_, which are seamlessly integrated into
the original material. There are only minor changes in comparison
to the excellent previous album _The Devil and the Whore_. The
dominating pace is still pounding mid-tempo but the number of faster
scorchers got slightly increased, the production is even a bit more
ripping this time and Chorazaim's vocals sound a lot more natural and
not as artificially distorted as before. Overall this is an excellent
release not only for seasoned pre-second wave black metal lunatics!
If in doubt check out the two full-length samples at Barbarian Wrath.
Contact: http://www.barbarianwrath.org/
Mess Age - _Self Convicted_ (Conquer Records, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (7.5 out of 10)
Although they incorporate some rather tired imagery and uninspired
layout designs, Mess Age thrash out a driving and somewhat melodic
form of metal and this becomes clear from the very start of _Self
Convicted_. With a thickly produced rhythm section, the guitars churn
out aggressively formulated riffs through a metallic distortion with
a fuzzy edge. It is the rhythm section that really captures the
attention, as the bass pulses and thumps the drums are tight and
powerful, stamping authority on the music with its intrusive double
pedals. Mess Age include lead passages effectively, even if they
are somewhat sparsely spread. The musicianship is solid enough
to give the music on _Self Convicted_ more of an impact than
it may have had otherwise. Vocalist Raaf bellows hoarsely but
surprisingly expressively, phrasing the tortured, angry lyrics with a
basic but effective style. It is reasonably strong material, with
well-constructed riffs and an effective element of complexity in the
melodic elements; it even succeeds on occasion in being haunting.
There are not many problems with _Self Convicted_ except for the
length of the song structure; they are all just a little too long and
often leave the listener behind. Lyrically, the songs are accompanied
by a patchwork of vindictive grievances that are occasionally
offensive, particularly on "Infected by Deflection" where Raaf yells
"I saw some fags in speechless orgy of sights I threw up I watched
somebody cover them with gas... and burn!". Whether or not this is a
gratuitous display of boneheaded hostility, Mess Age still succeed in
offering some effective metalworks, even if they prove to be a little
drawn out. With a general grasp of how to be cold and aggressive, the
uncompromising nature of the thrash-tinged metal on _Self Convicted_
creates many enjoyable and absorbing moments. This is a commendable
work that Mess Age should be proud of.
Contact: http://www.conquerec.com
Morningstar - _Kalevala Mysticism_ (RIP Records, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (5 out of 10)
It takes more than conviction and guts to pull off fantasy power
metal. It takes an attitude, a true metal spirit and a faith strong
enough to match. If only this were the whole truth, Morningstar could
be right up there with the metal gods. Alas, they lack one major
element that is essential to greatness. Whereas Manowar are able to
boast some truly great music alongside their 'more true metal than
thou' beliefs, Morningstar are not. Whereas Lost Horizon can match
their ridiculous furry Viking pants with some exhilarating metal,
Morningstar come across as mundane. With a very basic production
accounted for, it is entirely on the shoulders of the music itself to
draw the listener in and _Kalevala Mysticism_ doesn't quite manage
it. To their credit, Morningstar occasionally create some emotive
riff progressions and show some glimpses of creativity; sometimes
their 'warriors of the north' metal almost works. Unfortunately there
are too many flaws that cripple _Kalevala Mysticism_ before it can
ever get off of the ground. Morningstar would do well to find a
vocalist who can actually sing convincingly, as powerful vocals can
make or break power metal. Instead, vocalist Ari's voice lacks
passion, flair and ability, though in all fairness he is also the
guitarist, and plays convincingly, especially on "Battleaxe" -- this
track provides the best moment on the album as it segues into "Made
of Iron". Unfortunately such moments are saturated by an average-ness
that suffuses the whole record. The greatest flaws lie in the song
writing and this becomes obvious as the tracks lose identity as the
record progresses. The structuring allows for far too much repetition
and the music is almost constantly one dimensional, resulting in
crushing boredom. With all this in place, the 'true metal' posturing
falls flat on its face, rendering Morningstar's imagery flaccid and a
sitting duck for savage humour. Contributions to the true metal cause
are mostly a good thing in my book, but offerings such as _Kalevala
Mysticism_ make the whole thing look so silly.
Contact: http://www.restinpeacerecords.com
Necronom - _The Darkening Path_ (Winterthorn, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (6.5 out of 10)
Most one-man bands that play around with extreme sounds focus
on harsh, raw black metal or experiment with some subgenre of
electronic-based music. Necronom are the exception in that this
one-man band performs doom metal. Admittedly, a strong argument can
be made that they perform death metal -- this isn't the kind of
release which is easily pigeonholed. However, the focus on creating a
sense of sadness with appropriate atmospheric effects rather then
balls-out aggression and a noticeable lack of speed suggest a closer
link with doom metal then with death metal. Necronom's crunchy
post-industrial guitar sound is quite unusual for an album of this
nature. This, along with the ambitions underlying this album (this is
the second release in a planned trilogy of albums -- the first was
_Exordium_) as well as the use of distinctive atmospherics ensures
that Necronom manage to create their own characteristic sound
-- innovation is always something to be welcomed. Unfortunately,
innovation and originality are not always enough to produce an
excellent album and while this album is not terrible, it still has a
way to go before it can be regarded as a truly excellent release.
_Exordium_ was poorly received by a co-writer; this album is
definitely better then the measly points awarded to _Exordium_.
Perhaps the final album in Necronom's Trilogy of Tears will see a
further progression in quality and conclude the trilogy with an album
of note.
Contact: info@winterthorn.com
Negura Bunget - _'N Crugu Bradului_ (Code666, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Large chunks of dew-dripping atmosphere surround the metallic
sections on _'N Crugu Bradului_, the new full-length album by
Romanians Negura Bunget. This is a band that takes great pride in
the knowledge they possess about their country and their ancestors,
a band that seems to truly feel the natural forces around them, and
it all shows in their music. In fact, even though Negura Bunget have
again worked hard to create a remarkable package for their CD and
the sound quality is quite good, _'N Crugu Bradului_ is still a
decidedly uncommercial record. _'N Crugu Bradului_ is divided into
four untitled tracks, each ranging from twelve to fifteen minutes in
length, and comes with a multimedia section that is well above
average. Negura Bunget's brand of mystical black metal comes across
as very spontaneous and unconventional, and at times even almost
ethereal. Had the playing been somewhat tighter and my rating would
have been higher; yet I realize that extra tightness might actually
reduce the enjoyment others will derive of this album's spontaneous,
natural feeling. _'N Crugu Bradului_ is definitely not an album for
everyone's ears, but those who manage to fully immerse themselves in
the sheer atmosphere this record possesses will be well rewarded for
it. It's a very unique release.
Contact: http://www.negurabunget.com
Nicodemus - _The Supernatural Omnibus_ (Dark Symphonies, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (3 out of 10)
Although the name David Penprase was unfamiliar to me before I
received this Nicodemus CD, I must say I was quite impressed by the
cover art he put together for Nicodemus. Unfortunately, from that
point on it was downhill all the way for _The Supernatural Omnibus_
-- and I'm not just referring to the fact that the rest of the
layout is ridiculously poor in comparison. In brief, Nicodemus sound
like a more gothic / power metallic version of Cradle of Filth... on
Valium. In particular, on "Shards of a Bitter Night Wept" they reach
such an involuntary level of Cradle of Filth caricature that
the Brits would surely be seriously offended if they heard it.
Throughout the album, the male and female clean vocals are just
average, while the black vocals sound so cartoonish I can scarcely
believe my ears. The extremely bland guitar work, coupled with
decent but over-melodic keyboards, fail to compensate for any of
that. Worst of all in _The Supernatural Omnibus_ is the way
Nicodemus fail so miserably when they try to sound heavy. It is only
on slower sections (namely on "Harlot"), with less of their
pseudo-heavy guitar and vocals, that Nicodemus rise above utter
mediocrity. Unfortunately, such passages are few during the album's
excruciating hour of length and far from enough to save it from a
disastrous result.
Contact: http://www.nicodemus.us
Novembers Doom - _To Welcome the Fade_ (Dark Symphonies, 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
By consolidating their sound and tightening their focus, Novembers
Doom have created an album which is the culmination of their career
so far. Having witnessed from afar the evolution and tribulations of
this band over the years, I am thoroughly pleased with their
achievement. _To Welcome the Fade_ comes presented in very suitable
Travis Smith artwork (some of his best to date), and boasts the
production talents of Grammy award winner Neil Kernon as well as top
notch digital equipment. The album does sound very good, but it is
the consistent quality Novembers Doom manage to deliver throughout
that makes all the difference. A stronger effort all around than its
promising predecessor _The Knowing_, _To Welcome the Fade_ shows an
experienced band that is on top of their style and no longer seems
to feel the need to 'expand' their sound. True enough, "The Spirit
Seed" sports quite a bit of an Opeth influence that couldn't be
found before, but all in all the album does have a very consistent
character. The band's doom/death can break hearts and crush bones
with similar ease on _To Welcome the Fade_. There are some
remarkable gems to be found within the CD, most notably the superb
"Within My Flesh" -- one of the best doom metal tracks of recent
years -- which follows the more than suitable start provided by "Not
the Strong" and "Broken". This is a thoroughly competent and
inspired album from Novembers Doom, and a must for any doom metal
fan.
Contact: http://www.novembersdoom.com
Omnium Gatherum - _Steal the Light_ (Rage of Achilles, 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
If the words "In Flames meets Amorphis" make you retch with disgust,
then you should read no further. If what you feel is quite the
opposite, however, you should seek Omnium Gatherum's EP with some
urgency, because you're bound to enjoy it. (Note: this is the
Finnish Omnium Gatherum, not the Australian band of the same name.)
Tight, well produced, full of catchy melodies and lots of good
hooks, and with raspy vocals to help stay away from the lands of
power metal, _Steal the Light_ is a darn enjoyable little EP in a
way that reminds me of In Flames' _Subterranean_ EP when it came
out. The songs are all consistent, well written and performed,
making this EP a very decent value for the money. Omnium Gatherum's
music on _Steal the Light_ is undeniably enjoyable and even
uplifting in an old In Flames kind of way, though with more power
metal guitar leads thrown in and some vaguely _Elegy_-era Amorphis
touches here and there. The vocals are well suited to the music, as
they provide some much-needed contrast against the overly melodic
instrumental side and give the whole thing more edge. The guitar
work isn't all melody though, and despite the absence of any real
harshness the band still sounds heavy enough for their genre. A
follow-up album called _Spirits and August Light_ is scheduled for a
March 2003 release, and although I'm not sure they can easily
pull off an entire full-length of this type of material, I'll
nevertheless be curious to see what else the band have up their
sleeves. For now, they have at least succeeded in releasing a highly
playable EP.
Contact: http://omniumgatherum.cjb.net
Origin - _Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas_ (Relapse, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (8.5 out of 10)
It has been a while since I heard anything this violent. Beginning
with a buzzing of flies that soon becomes a pulse, _Informis
Infinitas Inhumanitas_ simply chunders into life and pummels the
listener into a sticky mess. Origin's brand of brutal death metal is
mercilessly intense and only rarely is the pace ever slowed. As both
bass and guitar churn and thump out thick, soupy riffage, prominent
drums batter away relentlessly. If the band were not so tight then
this would not sound anywhere near as powerful, yet they perform with
startling precision. With the reigns kept tight on the aural assault
below him, vocalist James Lee is able to perform as he bellows,
screams and garbles his way through a range of extreme vocal styles
in a visceral and dramatic fashion. Origin's onslaught is put through
a heavy mix with only the drums being polished up by triggering;
aside from this, the rough edges are not only present but also form
part of the character of their sound. We are graced with fret
squeaks, bass pops and muffled distortion, but it all seems to lend
itself well to Origin's style. Lyrically we are treated to lengthy
odes of hatred that have more than a few awkward turns of phrase, but
it hardly matters as it is all belted out with guts and intensity.
With such an intensity being maintained throughout _Informis..._,
Origin can become slightly one dimensional, but it is made all the
more absorbing by the passion with which it is performed. Although
the impenetrability of the metal all but obscures whatever melodic
sensibilities Origin might possess, killer riffs are consistently
hammered out -- though it is all a little hard to remember, as it
blazes past in a violent blur. It is always a pleasure to hear a band
that imposes its music upon you rather than aiming for accessibility,
and it is safe to say that Origin have never heard of the word
'compromise'. Overall _Informis..._ is absorbing and solid, even
enticing the listener back for more as it seems to end all too soon.
This is brutal and technical death metal with attitude and presence.
Contact: http://www.origin-site.com
Overkill - _Wrecking Everything - Live_ (Spitfire, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10)
It seems when you got a good thing going, it is wise not to stop --
and Overkill never has. The power surge continues. Flying in the face
of all the commercialization, Overkill does as they please and have a
devoted following to reinforce that point to boot! Brooklyn thrash
stomped to prominence largely thanks to this band, and I am very glad
for it. DD Verni's bass is flawless throughout this newest live
installment to the sizable Overkill catalog. Strong with favorites
like "Overkill" and "In Union We Stand", these guys regroup to
bludgeon the listener with killer cuts like "Thunderhead", "It Lives"
and "Long Time Dying". To be openly frank, I am thrilled to have
"Evil Never Dies" and "The Years of Decay" on the same disc as "Deny
the Cross". Having never heard "Necroshine" before, this was a
magnificent way for Overkill to launch this performance. Recorded in
March of 2002 at The Paramount Theatre in New Jersey, these guys
reconfirmed their superiority on their home turf for the umpteenth
and most decisive time. While I will hold onto my declaration that
_Wrecking Your Neck Live_ will maintain its position of prominence as
THE thrash metal live disc, _Wrecking Everything Live_ is as close as
a runner-up could hope to come. If Overkill is wrecking everything as
a way to fix something that's not necessarily broken, they've done it
-- it's all fucked up now! Shred!!
Phantomsmasher - _Phantomsmasher_ (Ipecac, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (9.5 out of 10)
Forced to change their previous name, Atomsmasher, due to 'legal
issues', James Plotkin's super star band is back under a new moniker
and with a brand new album to terrify the living daylights out of the
innocent souls wandering on this planet. When the Atomsmasher album
came out I loved it, but it soon faded into obscurity, as it
lacked the necessary structure to make it playable on a regular
basis. The new Phantomsmasher album is different: where Atomsmasher
was a brutal, violent and chaotic attack on the aural senses,
Phantomsmasher stands out as a more structured and well-aimed kick in
the head. Its music -- death metal meets jazz meets blastbeats meets
electronics -- is insanely accurate and well composed, resulting in a
much more solid album than its predecessor on the whole, but not in
any way less crazy or insane. The fucked up vocals and haunting
samples make it hard not to envision Jap-style anime movies as the
perfect visual companion to this onslaught, while those who are
willing to listen carefully to this album will discover layers upon
layers of instrumental texture that many a band would be jealous of.
Even though this is not music for the weak or narrow-minded metal
fans, Phantomsmasher will have a undeniable appeal to sci-fi oriented
fans and people who are disturbed by the lack of creativity and
technical progression in music nowadays. The only reason why I'm not
giving this album the full 10 out of 10 is that I overrated the
Atomsmasher album. However, I'm quite certain that in the end it'll
turn out I've actually underrated this one.
Red Harvest - _Sick Transit Gloria Mundi_ (Relapse, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (5 out of 10)
Muddled riffs litter this effort like so many plastic beer cups after
a Bongzilla show (if anyone is interested, Bongzilla had a great set
at this year's Milwaukee Metalfest). The heavier, slower aspect of
this band is the most inviting facet of this Norwegian outfit. At
times, _Sick Transit Gloria Mundi_ would remind you of a power outage
-- at other times, they fit my taste like a socket and a plug. The
inconsistency with this effort's mix and texture is my biggest
hangup. "Godtech" has a wonderfully infused source of power; they
seem to draw from guttural vocals which remind you of a cross between
Oscar the Grouch and Barney Greenway. Unfortunately, this song plows
directly into "Humanoia", a mechanized, overcharged slur of Fear
Factory on speed. Yuck! One thing I can say, being a huge Pig
Destroyer fan, is that I'd bet Red Harvest has an outstanding stage
presence. With the drop to the tone on track five, "Dead", I would be
remiss in saying there wasn't hope for these atom-smashers. Red
Harvest energizes fourteen tracks of intangible wattage with a
semi-techno charge that ups the volume on this reviewer's system.
However, the band has a tendency to lose sight of the metal element
to their creation on _Sick Transit Gloria Mundi_ -- not that this
is a bad thing, but it's reminiscent of Frankenstein's monster,
especially the further into _STGM_ you get. They say you reap what
you sow and this harvest is more-or-less meager.
Rotten Sound - _Murderworks_ (Deathvomit / Necropolis, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (6 out of 10)
It sure feels better to be on the road to valuing Rotten Sound's
material rather than sliding further back from the already dismal 4
out of 10 I gave _Still Psycho_ in CoC #49. Even the name of this new
disc is more sensible while still retaining a childish element that
most of us expect from metal -- it keeps us young. Fourteen tracks of
single-word titles rip unforgivingly and in a way such that enjoyment
can be easily gained from every cut to some degree. Anger, violence
and aggression are, of course, the staples on which _Murderworks_
fuels its insatiable appetite. While I have never held Black Dawn in
any regard whatsoever, the members from this band, as well as ...And
Oceans, seem to strike a nice inharmoniousness chord on which their
combined efforts for this Finnish band are concerned. While a great
deal of time on _Murderworks_ is spent overplaying their instruments
for intensity's sake, "Obey" and "IQ" offer not exactly altogether
rational interludes in the midst of the mayhem, but on the songs
where this transpires, it works fairly well. In this writer's
opinion, "Lobotomy" is the finest cut off of _Murderworks_. The song
ties all the elements Rotten Sound is going for into a rope lashed
together with tight strands of extreme power-hate without saturating
the listener. This CD also came with three bonus video clips that my
QuickTime player eventually opened. The band is in every way animated
and the video footage is certainly worth a look. The last couple of
tracks on _Murderworks_ are superior in most regards to the beginning
five or six minus the song "IQ". Rotten Sound would do themselves
well to cultivate the direction _Murderworks_ finishes the release
with -- that would be a Rotten Sound album I'd like to hear!
Contact: http://www.rottensound.com
Scalplock - _Spread the Germs... Over the Human Worms_
by: Xander Hoose (6.5 out of 10) (Cacophonous, 2002)
Perhaps known to some from tours with Napalm Death and Impaled
Nazarene, it's not difficult to place Scalplock in the musical
spectrum. The result of mixing black and death metal with the crusty
Impaled Nazarene attitude can be heard on _StGOtHW_, which is the
band's third full-length album already. In thirty tracks the band
showcases its love for short aggressive songs, with the occasional
sludgier song blended in ("Ever Eluding Promise", "Hyperbole"). It is
through these songs that the album has at least an above-average
appeal: the sludgy feeling contrasts nicely with the heads-on assault
that is performed on most of the songs. The downside of _StGOtHW_ is
the mediocre production, which makes the band sound like 'just
another hardcore band', and the lack of songs that stand out on the
album, which further validates my previous statement. All in all,
Scalplock is a promising band that hasn't been able to make a solid
statement yet. If they do in the future, then I'll be more than
willing to give them a new chance.
Sepultura - _Under a Pale Grey Sky_ (Roadrunner, 2002)
by: Matthias Noll (9 out of 10)
Oh yeah, the glory days of the early and mid-'90s! I vividly remember
an amazing amount of people wearing Sepultura shirts, no matter to
which show or metal-related event one went. Looking at the path the
band had taken since recording "Necromancer" and the success they had
finally and rightfully earned, one had the impression that there
might not be limits for the Brazilian quartet. Well, everybody knows
what happened then. Hopefully some people have at least learned that
it's not really clever to mix family and business. My initial hopes
that the Max-less Sepultura and also Soulfly would turn out to be
worthy successors died when exposed to utter crap like _Against_,
_Nation_ and the second and third Soulfly albums. While Soulfly might
have been able to reach a medium and rather stable level of success
by pleasing some nu-metal youths, what happened to Sepultura's
popularity must be a disaster that makes Celtic Frost's _Cold Lake_
adventure appear like a flat tire in comparison to an earthquake.
_Under a Pale Red Sky_ is the last show of Sepultura's _Roots_ tour
and also the last show with Max, recorded in December 1996 at
London's Brixton Academy. This double CD contains a whopping 28
tracks, presumably the whole show. Eleven songs are from _Roots_. Far
too many to call the setlist balanced and enough to put some of those
who dislike _Roots_ off. While I believe that at least five of the
_Roots_ songs should have never made it into the live set, some
others -- like for example "Spit" and "Endangered Species" -- work
much better than I expected. If anything, the huge presence of
_Roots_ material shows the immense confidence the band had in the
quality of their then-latest record. Still, replacing "Breed Apart"
and "Born Stubborn" with "From the Past Comes the Storms" and "Escape
to the Void" would have made me salivate. Some of the older,
'classic' Sepultura material appears in a shortened version or in the
form of a two-songs-in-one medley, like "Arise / Dead Embryonic
Cells". There aren't many surprises here for those who are familiar
with Sepultura setlists. "Necromancer" certainly is a huge one, as is
the Cro-Mags cover "We Gotta Know". But when considering that this a
document of what was reality then and the fact that a pre-planned
live album would surely have had a slightly more balanced track
selection, such complaints are not valid. The familiar encores -- the
Titas cover "Policia" and Motorhead's "Orgasmatron" -- are also here,
as well as the hyper-fast "Troops of Doom" and an ultra-wicked
version of "Inner Self". The sound quality leaves nothing to be
desired: it's huge, heavy and well balanced, and I noted a couple of
fuck-ups in the guitar department (check "Troops of Doom" around 30
seconds into the song) which seem to confirm that the performance
itself hasn't been doctored. Overall this is an excellent album and
when Max commands the audience to "Like in the old fucking times,
destroy this fucking place!" during "Inner Self", the complete
time-tunnel experience including adrenaline rush and gooseflesh is
upon me. The incredible live tracks from the Barcelona gig of the
_Arise_ tour (on the _Under Siege, Live in Barcelona_ video and the
_Blood Rooted_ double CD version of _Roots_) might be the better
choice for those who gave up on Sepultura after _Arise_ or _Chaos
AD_. All others can be extremely happy that we have two such
excellent live documents from one of the most amazing metal bands of
the '90s. This is so good, I don't even mind it being on Roadrunner.
Severe Torture - _Misanthropic Carnage_ (Hammerheart, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (6 out of 10)
The prospect of a second encounter with Severe Torture in only two
issues of CoC did not exactly fill me with joy, as I had thought very
little of their _Butchery of the Soul_ EP. Thankfully, the fact that
they just got banned in Switzerland for a truly delightful piece
of cover-art made reviewing _Misanthropic Carnage_ more of an
opportunity than I first anticipated. It didn't take a long time to
realise that this album was a lot more worthy of my time than
_Butchery of the Soul_, but that's not really saying much. Utilising
a rather chewy distortion guitar, _Misanthropic Carnage_ is cut from
a rather low-fi cloth. Fortunately this rawness creates defining
character traits; the bass rattles and thumps along under the guitar
lines, all its natural peaks and troughs laid bare for the listener,
while the drums maintain a tight and basic attack, even if a little
too quiet in the overall mix. Add this to Dennis Schreurs' belching
death grunts and we are left with an aggressive and gory brand of
metal. Severe Torture do themselves justice in performance of
their material and extra credit must go to Patrick Boliej for
some impressively technical bass lines. Unfortunately _Misanthropic
Carnage_ suffers from a certain mundanity in the song writing. Though
Severe Torture carve out some effective riffs, they lack progression;
each riff they conjure up is merely slotted into a four bar phrase
before lurching into a different riff that also gets repeated another
four times. There is very little variation from this pattern and the
only embellishment on the displayed riffage comes from the drum line.
With the lyrics being nothing short of totally incomprehensible (a
rather traditional touch), Schreurs is found lacking in invention and
quickly becomes boring. Although Thijs van Laarhoven's guitar forms
the lynchpin of the Severe Torture sound, he fails to shine on this
record; a few guitar solos would not have gone amiss. Although
enjoyable in parts, one cannot escape the feeling that _Misanthropic
Carnage_ plods along and lapses into a vagueness that obscures
anything resembling a stand out track. Fans of gory death can catch
Severe Torture on tour with Cannibal Corpse and no doubt others will
want to see what all the controversy is about, but I recommend you
don't believe the hype. The music on _Misanthropic Carnage_ is not
quite as interesting as its cover.
Contact: http://www.hammerheart.com
Somnus - _Through Creation's End_ (Root Of All Evil, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (4.5 out of 10)
Most notable here is the drastic slip from the review found in CoC
#49. The gossamer female vocals are a huge drawback on this album as
I found them to weight down this effort's direct aim and somewhat
slumbering style. Where this band uses such a feminine style, it
should be diaphanous and haunting all throughout _Through Creation's
End_, but it is not. Instead it is employed much like a crippled
person would a crutch: in place of inspired, airy proportionality
and balance, Somnus ends up passing this effort off as sub-par
musicianship. Where both the male guttural and female vocals are
employed, the message comes across perfectly. In this regard, it is
clear and well acclimated, but where the gruff vocal style "lays in
wait", behind everything but the instrumentality, the effectiveness
on this sophomore effort breaks down completely. Indifferently,
Somnus chooses to enshroud themselves in profane heathenism of
popular paganism. I care little for this, but the heavily cryptic
themes pervade tracks such as "Dawn of Spirits" and "Warlock's Feast"
and rarely surface much more than a snout about the waterline for a
desperate gasp of air. Boiled down to the bone, this effort finds
itself complete with all the enraptured harmony to make this release
-at least- as good as _Awakening the Crown_, but instead lacks the
interesting arrangements and most of the appeal found on Somnus'
debut. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing, as they say; what I would
say is Caveat Emptor!
The Black Dahlia Murder - _A Cold Blooded Epitaph_
by: Xander Hoose (9 out of 10) (Lovelost Records, 2002)
After hearing so many Gothenburg thrash/death bands, I mistakenly
thought I had grown tired of them. The Black Dahlia Murder has proven
me dead wrong. Hailing not from the cold plains of Sweden, but rather
from automobile-infested Detroit, Michigan, these five guys have
managed to awaken my kindred soul and get my head banging to the
insane pumping drive of the four songs featured on this mini-album.
Taking up the bits and pieces left by Dissection and At the Gates,
they manage to give them a tight-as-fuck millennial sound. Even
though it might not be highly original, these guys do know how to
write good songs and how to maintain a steady, natural flow
throughout. The occasional twin vocal approach does wonders too, and
it's good to see a band that doesn't fuck up a Rolling Stones cover
by trying too hard. _A Cold Blooded Epitaph_ is killer material for
those who are still mourning the loss of Sweden's greatest bands, and
an excellent introduction to the Gothenburg sound for those who were
too young to experience it when it happened in the mid/late-'90s.
The Blood Divine - _Rise Pantheon Dreams_ (Peaceville, 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (5 out of 10)
Born out of the gathering of ex-Anathema singer Darren White, three
former members of the early Cradle of Filth, Was from Extreme Noise
Terror on drums and Steve Maloney on bass, The Blood Divine caused
quite an impact with their debut. Their short-lived career only
lasted for two albums, however, and their melodic, doomy metal ended
up fading into silence a lot earlier than one might have expected
from a band with such high-profile members at the time. Despite my
rating, _Rise Pantheon Dreams_ is not an especially poor compilation
-- it features two unreleased tracks, a limited edition one, and two
live songs, in addition to a good selection of the band's best cuts
from their two albums. The problem with _Rise Pantheon Dreams_ is
that the material it contains has aged rather poorly. The Blood
Divine have gone from a band that greatly impressed me with their
debut a few years back to one that manages to put together just a
couple of really good tracks throughout the entire compilation: "As
Rapture Fades" and "Wilderness", although others like "Aureole" and
"So Serene" are perfectly decent. The add-ons, though numerous, are
nothing to write home about, so there's not a lot going for this
compilation. It earns its points mostly from the good material it
contains, which some people may not yet have heard. However, if you
knew about The Blood Divine while the band was still active, then
this compilation is largely redundant.
Contact: http://www.peaceville.com
The Equinox ov the Gods - _Where Angels Dare Not Tread_
by: Adam Lineker (3.5 out of 10) (Virusworx Records, 2002)
Since last issue, I have experienced pangs of guilt in my waking
moments over the violent critical mauling that I gave to Danse
Macabre's _Matters of the Heart_ EP. Thankfully, The Equinox ov the
Gods reminded me of why I believe synth-pop-goth and metal should
never be mixed, thus laying my conscience to rest. Strangely enough,
this album begins with a disturbing mix of sampled screams and
gunfire; whether or not this was used to denote the severity of the
thematic content is debatable. However, it only succeeds in setting
entirely the wrong mood, as the following music conveys no such
sentiment; indeed, serious questions may be asked pertaining to the
music's capability to effectively do so at all. Overall, within
_Where Angels Dare Not Tread_ there is very little that can be
complimented. An acceptably active keyboard is consigned to carrying
melodies that soon become mind numbing through repetition while the
guitar plays unchallenging and unimaginative accompaniment. The whole
rhythm section is rigidly uninteresting, seemingly devoid of any
spark of innovation and although the production is clean, the vocals
are far too high in the mix. Lamentably, these vocals are also
monotonous in both expression and style. Somewhere between a bellow
and an exaggerated groan of assumed emotion, the intrusive vocal
posturing drowns the music in a deluge of pretentious gothcheese. It
is this element that adds higher levels of detestability to _Where
Angels Dare Not Tread__; take into account that this is no lyrical
masterpiece, yet is performed as if it were the most melodramatic
Shakespearean tragedy, making it embarrassing and laughable. Many of
the songs seem to suffer from tempos that are too slow for their own
good and the melodic layering often seems a little too sparse; even
if this was the desired effect, it is another factor that makes The
Equinox ov the Gods seem incredibly shallow. Occasionally, they throw
up moments of more striking melody or manage to formulate interesting
ideas, but their sense of melodic progression is too linear and
uninspired, resulting in a collection of songs that seem to go
nowhere. Whether or not this will be played in Germanic goth clubs is
anyone's guess, but I cannot see _Where Angels Dare Not Tread_
causing many waves.
Contact: http://welcome.to/thespectralgarden
Thine - _In Therapy_ (Peaceville, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (6 out of 10)
My main point about Thine's first album, some years back, was that it
sounded a lot like Anathema but was missing that special feeling that
made Anathema such a unique band. My advice was to focus more on
creating a style of their own instead of imitating others. Now after
all these years, Thine has decided to give it another try with their
second album _In Therapy_. I felt curious as I popped the album in my
player, not knowing what to expect. Fifty-six and a half minutes
later, I was left with the impression that time had stood still for
Thine. The music is a little more uptempo than before, but apart from
that Thine hasn't really changed a bit. They give away a faithful
imitation of Anathema in their _Alternative 4_ era, but their songs
sound less progressive, more cliche and lack a real soul -- the fact
that I'm reminded more than once of Placebo probably says a lot. At
certain points it sounds like they start to get a clue ("In Therapy",
"Homewrecker Extraordinaire", "Running"), but most of the songs are
interchangeable and just as easily forgotten. It's all the stranger
considering they did a magnificent rendition of Nick Cave's "Song of
Joy" at the start of their career. Better luck next time, lads.
Thorium - _Unleashing the Demons_ (Diehard Music, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (5.5 out of 10)
"Penetrate the foaming, bleeding cunt. Masturbate in the open,
reeking asshole." Well done Thorium, that's great. Aside from lyrics
of dubious moral content, this band shreds with more melodic leanings
than at first anticipated. Opening with a decently atmospheric
passage accompanied by military themed samples, Thorium immediately
throw their trump cards on the table. Their song writing peaks when
they bring in lead guitar over the top of grand, ominous riff
progressions yet they seem to persist in obscuring the more striking
moments on _Unleashing the Demons_ with unimaginative passages of sub
standard riffs. This makes Thorium somewhat unabsorbing and they are
hardly aided by a base and uninspiring production. The bass is
nowhere to be heard, the drums feel messy underneath a crunchy
distortion employed by the guitar and the vocals seem intrusive, as
they are mostly monotone and induce boredom. Yet Thorium prove
that they can get it right with "Warlust", by far the most
accomplished track on the album and strong enough to survive the
band's penchant for tired and predictable structuring; even the
vocals seem interesting. It is a shame that most of the tracks feel
so average, recycling a multitude of thrashy riffs but nowhere near
melodically explorative enough. Lacking progression, Thorium hew out
a bunch of metal songs that seem to lack direction. It is a shame,
because they have moments when they rise above the dirge they are
creating; it has to be said that more lead guitar would certainly add
more dimensions to the band's sound, and on their cover of Cancer's
"Cancer Fucking Cancer" it is proven that at least someone in this
band can solo. With _Unleashing the Demons_ one gets the feeling that
Thorium's attitude is very negative. Aside from the petulance and
idiocy splashed all over the album sleeve, they seem neglectful of
their potential; though they come up with some emotive moments that
show the faintest flickers of invention, it is debatable whether or
not they realise or even care.
Contact: http://www.thorium666.dk
Thyrfing - _Vansinnesvisor_ (Hammerheart, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (8 out of 10)
A couple of issues of Terrorizer Magazine ago, the vocalist of
Nunslaughter made a proclamation: that owning a Thyrfing album
induces homosexuality, as opposed to making one 'underground'.
Setting the record straight, you should be aware that the
aforementioned notion is not really grounded in solid fact and is
somewhat unfair, as there are a lot of releases that fail to match
up to the quality of Thyfing's new opus. At a basic level,
_Vansinnesvisor_ incorporates metal with typical but effective usage
of keyboards to embellish, counter and layer subtle, folkish moods to
well crafted melodics. The first track, "Draugs Harg" demonstrates
this well, creating a distinct 'classical' feel in the synthesized
string parts; not exactly ascending to the symphonic heights of
Emperor's swansong album but striking a tone more akin to the
melodics of In Flames during their _Subterranean_ era (when their
logo kicked arse in a Morbid Angel-esque fashion). Thyrfing explore a
variety of subtle metallic shades, moody in riffage on "Digerdoden",
then subtler as the mood changes and flows into follow up track
"Varldsspegeln". There is use of a style of multi-tracking in the
prominent vocals that is similar to that of label-mates Mercenary,
combining low extreme with soaring clean that lends a more epic feel
to the music. The guitars have a balanced mix and use a traditional
metal distortion that seems neither too harsh nor too thick; it is a
shame that the drums seem a little too low in the balance and the
bass is camouflaged by the overall production. The material flows
soundly and never seems disjunctive or awkward in time signature or
structure. Thyrfing are also successful in pulling off stylistic
elements of their music that have often proved to become pitfalls for
metal of this nature. The Egyptian feel of "The Voyager" is
understated and atmospheric without becoming clichéd, and their folk
leanings are effective without provoking derisive laughter; overall
the music is accomplished in being b
oth enjoyable and uplifting.
"Angetsens Hogborg" is a great achievement, being epic in length and
scope whilst avoiding the onset of boredom. Though the images
they paint can become somewhat vague, the Thyrfing soundscape is
pleasantly colourful. Less blatantly metal crazed than Skyfire they
may be, but the given performance is still passionate, albeit in a
subtler and deeper form. "Vansinnesvisan" itself echoes of melodic
black metal, vocally adding more inhuman touches with vocal effects.
It isn't all immediate and some of the less captivating moments leave
the album with certain murky overtones, but when Thyrfing shine they
offer emotive glimpses of brilliance that earn _Vansinnesvisor_ a
deserving high mark.
Contact: http://www.hammerheart.com
Today Is the Day - _Sadness Will Prevail_ (Relapse, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (6.5 out of 10)
Ask people to name the strangest bands in metal/hardcore and chances
are big that they will come up with Neurosis and Today Is the Day in
their lists. Not only do both bands have a pretty hardcore cult
following, they are both also cultish in other ways: Neurosis as a
cult rather than a band, and Today Is the Day for being fronted by
Steve Austin, who thinks, acts and looks like a cult leader -- not to
mention a striking resemblance to the infamous Manson (Charles, not
Marilyn). The God/Satan/religion-inspired themes of his music surely
do add up to his image, and now -- in the holy year 2002 -- he
assails the world once more with an onslaught of cultish worship
packed onto as much as two shiny silver discs. That's right, this
clocks in at more than twice as much as his masterpiece _In the Eyes
of God_. _Sadness Will Prevail_ also features a completely new
line-up -- which is not very surprising, taking into account that for
mysterious reasons he has a different line-up on each album. But
where this change of line-up usually resulted in a change of style
for the better, _Sadness Will Prevail_ is quite a step back from both
_Temple of the Morning Star_ and _In the Eyes of God_. That the
Reverend Austin lost some very good musicians was already clear from
the raving success of Mastodon (featuring former members of TItD),
but guitars and especially drums on _SWP_ are downright awful,
sometimes reaching an almost demo-ish level. Austin's vocals are even
more over-the-top than on _ItEoG_, at times reaching an unpleasant
pitch and sounding more like a caricature of himself than anything
else. The songs themselves are hardly worth mentioning anyway,
compared to the weirdness of _TotMS_ and the sheer aggression of
_ItEoG_; in fact, what saves the album is the diffuse collection of
insane mayhem in-between the songs: distorted Diamanda Galas on
"Distortion of Nature", Mike Patton-ish screaming on "Butterflies",
lots of piano parts and intermezzos ("Death Requiem", "Voice of
Reason", "Your Life Is Over", "Miasma") and weird electronics
("Spaceship", "Sadness Will Prevail"). If one thing becomes painfully
clear is that Austin was not ready to release a double album yet. His
inspiration might be crazier and more productive than ever, but this
performance is far below his capabilities. Then again, considering
the past of TItD we shouldn't have to worry much about the future, as
his next album will surely feature yet another line-up -- hopefully
consisting of better musicians.
Various - _Covered in Blood: A Tribute to Slayer_ (Spook City, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (4 out of 10)
Sometimes, a glance at the album sleeve says more about the
quality of the music on the album than anything else. In this
case, a cheap Photoshopped pentagram of razors doesn't create high
expectations. Which is something we should be thankful for, because
high expectations would be fatal when listening to this album.
_CiB:ATtS_ is not just a Slayer tribute album, it's a Slayer _Reign
in Blood_ tribute album done by hardcore bands, leaving much to be
desired. I wouldn't go as far as calling it a piece of junk, because
there are some good songs on it (Unsilent Reign's "Altar of
Sacrifice", Crown Deterrent's "Reborn" and Left With Nothing's
"Postmortem"), but apart from those the non-quality of the songs is
fatal for both the listener and Slayer's songs. How It Ends ("Angel
of Death"), Over and Over ("Criminally Insane") and The Bad Luck
13 Riot Extravaganza ("Epidemic") are without a doubt the worst
contenders on this album, screwing up the Slayer songs to the point
of heresy, and they are closely followed by mediocre performances by
Arma Angelus ("Piece by Piece"), Most Precious Blood ("Necrophobic"),
Sworn Vengeance ("Jesus Saves") and Punishment ("Raining Blood"). I
honestly can't see anyone buying this and actually enjoying the
listen, save a few exceptions here and there, so do yourself a favour
and pick up the _Slatanic Slaughter_ series instead: bands like
Grope, Cradle of Filth and Mortician did the trick a lot better years
back.
Vinterriket - _Und die Nacht kam schweren Schrittes_
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) (Neodawn/Regimental Recs., 2002)
After releasing an inordinately high number of demos and EPs over the
past two years, Vinterriket has finally gotten around to releasing
his (it's a one-man project) debut full-length, which clocks in at a
satisfying 64+ minutes, unlike his all-too-brief piecemeal releases
of the past. Thankfully, he has all but abandoned his previous patchy
flirtations with black metal (though he deserves credit for the
original sound he created on the black metal-tinged demo _Sturme der
letzen Stille_) in favour of a complete reversion to the melancholic
and instrumental darkness found on his very first release, _Gjennon
Takete Skogen_. As with _GTS_, Vinterriket utilises an array of
ethereal soundscapes and tinkling keyboards in order to create a
distinctively morose atmosphere. As before, his ambient meanderings
can be compared to early Mortiis or incarceration-era Burzum, but
even his very first release -- and there has been considerable
development since then, with more complex melodies being utilized --
was more layered and complex then the likes of either _Fodt Til A
Herske_ or _Daudi Baldrs_. The production of his recent releases has
seen a noticeable improvement over the earlier releases and this
trend is continued here. There are a number of noticeable dips in
quality, most notably on the final track where the ambience is
disturbed by the emergence of a "dance beat" -- for want of a better
term -- and if that wasn't bad enough, it sounds like it emanates
from a cheap Casio keyboard. Nevertheless, these minor flaws do not
detract from what is otherwise an admirable debut.
Contact: info@neodawn.de
Vintersorg - _Visions From the Spiral Generator_
by: Adam Lineker (8 out of 10) (Napalm Records, 2002)
Remembering that past contact with Vintersorg had yielded some above
average power metal experimentation, I was pleased to see that I
could review his latest full-length album. What really doubled my
interest in _Visions From the Spiral Generator_ was the band that
Vintersorg had surrounded himself with, most notably bass master
Steve DiGiorgio. It becomes apparent early in the album that the
musicians acquit themselves well, with DiGiorgio's subtle licks
really adding character to the Vintersorg sound. With a well-balanced
mix, in which each instrument is free to play its role, we are
treated to a glossy and clear production. All of which would mean
very little if the music itself was a poor affair, but Vintersorg has
not disappointed. He has composed some impressively individual works
of power metal, diligently balancing his influences and working
subtle changes of mood into the music. His folk leanings colour the
tonality of his melodies, and while his riffworks may hold base
origins in power metal, they are very progressive in structure and
inventive in composition; his use of melodic keyboard layering
emphasizes his progressive flair. While his band performs the music
with aplomb, his prog tinged vocals soar over the top, harmonising
and countering instrumental dialogue. Vintersorg also throws the
occasional curve ball by showcasing his black metal roots in the form
of a suitably savage distortion vocal. The music on _VFtSG_ is
absorbing and colourful, though often melancholy. However, _VFtSG_
can be criticised for not always flowing as slickly as it might,
with the relationship between some of the tracks sitting slightly
awkwardly; in particular the last track "Trance Locator" is as strong
a change in mood as you will find on the album, yet doesn't feel at
all like a conclusion. Also, while sometimes being effectively
employed as an expressive tool, Vintersorg's distortion vocals can
feel unsuited to the mood of the music. Thankfully, these faults do
not detract much from the overall resulting music, and though it is
hard to latch onto any memorable hooks, it remains an enjoyable
listening experience. One gets the feeling that Vintersorg's music
reflects the intellectual nature of his philosophical concepts and
lyrical ideas, though the fact that he prefers to sing in his mother
tongue means that they are mostly lost on me.
Contact: http://www.vintersorg.com
Wolfnacht - _Night of the Werewolf_ (<Independent>, 2002)
by: Alvin Wee (5 out of 10)
Indicative of the downward spiral the NSBM scene has taken in the
past year or so, _Night of the Werewolf_ awkwardly straddles the
realms of stock NS-rock and semi-melodic black metal, failing to
execute either style with convincing verve or vigor. The title track
starts off promisingly enough with a catchy, hum-along riff worthy of
any Honor album, but soon begins to wear thin as the lack of
inventiveness in song-writing shines through. Things take an abrupt
black metal turn with "Black Bubonic Plague", but sadly any vague
hope of consistency vanishes with the next track "Aufstand", a
dreadful foray into pure banal NS-rock with lamentable black metal
vocals. The cover of Halgadom's "Wotan's Kreiger" presents an even
grimmer picture of Wolfnacht's failings, sounding thin, uninspired
and vocally abysmal (the horrid production on this track not helping
in the least). Things begin to look up somewhat towards the end, with
the epic black metal "Wehrwolfsschantre" and the barely adequate
cover of Absurd's "Eternal Winter" scarcely managing to salvage the
dismal proceedings in the dying minutes of the disc. Despite having
three "bonus tracks", the entire album clocks in at a mere 30
minutes, half of which is practically unlistenable. Last I heard, the
respected Battlefield Records was slated to release this disc, but
the inlay suggests an independent release by the band itself.
Contact: athalwolf1488@hotmail.com
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Scoring: 5 out of 5 -- A flawless demo
4 out of 5 -- Great piece of work
3 out of 5 -- Good effort
2 out of 5 -- A major overhaul is in order
1 out of 5 -- A career change is advisable
7th Nemesis - _7th Nemesis_ (4 out of 5)
by: Aaron McKay
This bastard came off strong right out of the gate! It's powerful,
ripped with energy, and -never- lacking the beats and groove-laced
rhythm to suck me in and hold me tight. The French five-piece boast a
talented growler, Sargon, whose sole responsibility is to verbalize
the swarm of blackish irritability this band stand in the midst of.
The musicianship on this demo is highly respectable and quite
frankly, I think 7th Nemesis is more talented than some outfits
already performing on the black/death scene today. 7th Nemesis didn't
lose my interest once in the more than eleven minutes this demo spun
on my JVC (multiple times, I might add). While I wouldn't fuss too
much with the guitar sound -- that is damn good -- the bass could be
accentuated a lot more and the vocals could stand some work in the
area of magnitude and dominance. If you got a good thing going,
accentuate it! If the band explores expanding their style on "Phoenix
Resurrectio" to a large degree, 7th Nemesis wouldn't be languishing
in the bowels of metal's naiveté for very long. I expect their full
length they are nearly done with, _Violentia Imperatrix Mundi_, might
even be the catalyst this band needs.
Contact: http://www.7thnemesis.fr.st
Aggression Core - _Victim or Enemy_ (4.5 out of 5)
by: Aaron McKay
This Seattle, Washington five piece outfit is all over metal like
flies on a rib roast. Impressively chunky in sound and texture with a
power of near limitless range, Aggression Core is far more than a
single dimensional extreme death metal outfit. Instead they keep the
listener engaged and beset with intrigue, all-the-while kicking
their ass with some of the most intense shit this side of my
father-in-law's cattle ranch. A wickedly potent pummeling begins the
disc with the title track, "Victim or Enemy", and it gets even deeper
from there on in. "What Your Life Has Become", while seemingly
all-too-familiar in sound, is actually my favorite from the demo. It
exercises the strongest aspects of Aggression Core. Chamaeleon-like,
this band alternates enveloping styles like so many folds in a
origami masterpiece and the sound separation is second to none. If
you doubt this, play "Drunk", the final track on the album in your CD
player with some headphones; you'll be awestruck, I assure you. Track
five, "Dethroned", is a cut you'll be hard-pressed to forget. It
introduces so many points of hard-edged intrusion -- while at the
same time, taking a "beauty-and-the-beast" countermeasure to keep you
off balance -- you will hardly believe what you are hearing. The
socially conscious, nearly Pro-Pain-esque lyrics, and current events
infused essence of Aggression Core is MORE THAN WELCOME in this
"more evil than thou" genre we far too often find ourselves
muddling through. Whether it be the Seattle connection or something
else entirely, I cannot help but wonder if Aggression Core and
Suicide Culture [CoC #48] share the same post office in the state
of Washington. While it obviously makes little to absolutely no
difference, I am left thinking that if I were Suicide Culture, I'd be
finding some way to integrate Aggression Core's potency onto my own.
As a side note, I must comment on the back cover of _Victim or
Enemy_. The UPC bar-code flag on the CD back speaks volumes to me
as an earnest metal devotee, but not because of some misplaced
sense of rebellion flowing through my veins. Instead, I see this
representation as a band's prerogative to capitalize on creative
license. Like Aggression Core's style, it is scorching and harsh, but
it sits well with those of a suitable mind-set. This style is most
agreeable and, the truth-be-known, while I don very few shirts in
support of bands, I would wear an Aggression Core T-shirt proudly if
I owned one.
Contact: P.O. Box 47071, Seattle, WA 98146, USA
Aphotic - _Stillness Grows_ (5 out of 5)
by: Pedro Azevedo
Fair enough, Aphotic have a strong doom component in their music; but
it took me just one glance at their latest demo for my spirits to
sink even before I heard any of it. This wasn't caused by some smart
cover art, but rather the lack of any. You see, Aphotic have released
two excellent demos on CD, complete with very tasteful packaging, and
all to no avail -- inferior bands kept getting signed in the
meantime, but not them. This third demo is to be their final one if
they aren't signed now, and gone are the packaging and illustrations:
all I held in my hand was a CD-R with a handwritten front cover
briefly stating that what lied inside was Aphotic's third demo. This
disillusionment did not affect the band's ability to create very good
music, though. They have continued onwards with their on _Stillness
Grows_, and now feature a human drummer in their line-up. The
rhythmic difference on _Stillness Grows_ isn't huge yet, but this
line-up change does give them a better margin for progression.
Powerful yet sombre, Aphotic's atmospheric doom/death metal manages
to sound varied without ever losing its consistency, and melancholic
without becoming whiny or boring. All five songs are interesting on
this third demo, while the sound quality is very good. All I can say
is that I crave a professionally produced Aphotic full-length album.
Unfortunately that possibility is far from depending solely on the
band, as apparently the record labels out there seem to have their
eyes turned to easier -- if far less interesting -- markets. Here's
hoping time will prove me wrong and Aphotic will get the deal they so
thoroughly have earned with each of their demos.
Contact: kpowers-aphotic@news.rr.com
Balseraph - _Balseraph_ (2.5 out of 5)
by: Adam Lineker
Through a muffled and unbalanced production, Balseraph perform an
ambient form of black metal that gives a few stylistic nods to Cradle
of Filth; for example, vocalist Beleth roars and spits his distortion
vocals at differing multitracked pitches. Balseraph do well when
everything seems to come together; it is here that their compositions
reach the highest levels of melodic strength. Unfortunately they
are undermined by the execution of the music. The aforementioned
production detracts from the musicianship on offer to the point
of obscuring what the guitarists are doing. However, there are
places where it is apparent that Balseraph are musically capable,
particularly the work of drummer Seance, and the poor production
levels are forgivable; this is, after all, a demo. The biggest
problems Balseraph have are with the song writing, as much of what
they perform comes across as dull and uninspired, particularly when
they resort to long passages of bludgeoning riffage. They also commit
the musically abusive crime of giving keyboardist Ambriel nothing to
do. It is obvious that they have spirit and passion for the music,
but they have work to do before they become a more accomplished
proposition.
Contact: http://balseraph.cjb.net
Event Horizon - _From Beginning... to End_ (3 out of 5)
by: Brian Meloon
This 25-minute, five song demo falls into the categories labeled
alternately as "progressive metal" and "power metal". I'm not a big
fan of this genre, so the best comparison I can give is to
Labyrinth's 1996 album _No Limits_. Despite the age of that album,
this seems to be an accurate enough comparison. The music here is
heavily melody-based, with keyboards for emphasis, and a male singer
who likes to hit high notes. The songs are pretty straightforward,
and don't vary much from standard verse-chorus structures. The
playing is mid-to-fast tempo and generally restrained, deferring the
spotlight to either the vocalist or the guitar solos (which are quite
average). This might be a reasonable strategy with a stronger
frontman, but Alessandro Formenti's vocals are the weak point of this
offering. While he has a good range, his choice of vocal lines and
his overuse of high notes are reminiscent of '80s glam bands, and
really detract from the music. In addition, his voice seems flat in
many places, bringing down what are otherwise memorable choruses.
Aside from this weakness, the music here is reasonably good: not
outstanding, but certainly on par with others in the style. Even with
the weak vocals, I wouldn't be surprised to find this band signed for
a debut release already. Fans of the style should keep an eye out for
these guys, as with a little improvement, they could be a contender.
Contact: http://www.eventhorizonband.com
Goldenpyre - _Necroterrorism_ (3.5 out of 5)
by: Alvin Wee
By no means hot off the press, but well worth a peek at for
traditional death metal maniacs nonetheless. This Portuguese quintet
confidently spew forth four chunks of simple, grinding death in the
most beloved of old-school Scandinavian traditions. As is often the
case in this genre, _Necroterrorism_ offers nothing particularly
earth-shaking to jaded ears, and the largely pedestrian material
even borders on the tiresome at times. However, old-timers will
find themselves inexplicably drawn to the archaic sounds of death
reminiscent of old At the Gates and even Cadaver. The production,
while solid, is just fuzzy enough to carry off that early-'90s vibe
and adds a considerable amount of character to the disc. In an age
where hyper-brutal death like Krisiun rules, Goldenpyre have the
distinction of sticking to their roots, and doing it damned well too.
Contact: http://www.goldenpyre.cjb.net
Gotha - _Take Your Soul_ (3 out of 5)
by: Quentin Kalis
Gotha are an Italian band who perform Bay Area styled thrash. This is
true for the first two songs, which while acceptably competent are
really nothing truly exceptional and certainly do not signify any
potential future greats in the making. But it is the final track
which suggests that Gotha have more than one trick up their sleeves,
in the form of the misleadingly entitled "Banshee": a brief song
composed entirely of an evocative and melodic guitar lead. Here,
Gotha demonstrate that they have the potential to develop into more
then Bay Area wannabes. Although it is hardly comparable to, say,
Yngwie Malmsteen in terms of technical ability, it is nonetheless
incredibly atmospheric. This track alone is responsible for the
addition of an additional mark to the rating above and an otherwise
nondescript demo.
Contact: f.tamas@libero.it
Honey for Christ - _Forging Iron Will_ (3 out of 5)
by: Aaron McKay
Know what chaps my ass? I know this Irish four-piece band is worthy
of all five out of five stars, but this three track demo leaves the
band a bit high and dry. Like shoveling shit against the tide of
harsh, moody metal out there today, Honey for Christ stands on an
oceanic precipice of something great; they have obviously found a
natural spring of inspiration. They rise above metal's murky depths
like no band at this point in their career should be able, but they
do. Bathing the listener with only three cuts, Honey for Christ run
the gamut of metal -- from harsh to blackened-sliced abrasiveness to
mood inducing interludes. HfC use predominately powerfully clean
vocals with an injected guttural grunt here and there for mostly
effect. While I am supportive of the less rigorous throaty-style for
a fair number of bands that I will not waste your time in listing
off, Honey for Christ would do very well to explore adding MORE of
the gravelly vocal approach to their material. It washes well with
the musically foamy effervesce they pound forth again and again.
Heavy, chunky and a varied style are things all well represented on
_Forging Iron Will_. You could get lost in the undertow HfC creates.
While this isn't a bad thing, this demo lacks the endurance to hold
your attention -- in their watery prison -- long enough to drown in
their potential.
Illogicist - _Polymorphism Of Death_ (4 out of 5)
by: Alvin Wee
It's hard to understand how _Polymorphism Of Death_ can be this
band's initial offering to the tired death metal scene, when
faced with the stunning quality of this MCD. Displaying little
of the naivete exhibited by equally young bands, this Italian
quartet toss off their brand of technical death metal with wondrous
ease. Incendiary solos reminiscent of James Murphy's Disincarnate
days dot this delightful 20-minute romp, sitting deliciously
amid headbang-inducing crunchy riff acrobatics and mainman Luca's
well-tempered growl. The band's influences no doubt run the gamut of
technical prog-death bands like Atheist, Death and Cynic, but are
immaculately showcased in a completely updated framework that hints
at thrashier and more melodic elements of the new Swedish style. Song
structures and melody lines, while always complex enough to remain
novel through multiple listens, never lapse into the unlistenable
musical masturbation marking the downfall of many a 'technical' band.
In my book, Illogicist could well be the next Cynic, for producing
amazing material worthy of album status on their first demo, and I
don't see them staying unsigned for long at all.
Contact: http://www.illogicist.com
Recto Rectors - _Fight For Your Grind_ (1 out of 5)
by: Brian Meloon
Recto Rectors are a two-piece Italian grind band. This is a
thirteen-minute slab of immature, cheap-sounding, pointless grind. It
features 21 tracks, two of which consist of a sampled belch played at
various pitches: the first to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb",
and the second with piano accompaniment. Other than those stand-out
tracks, the rest of the album is generic grind with a few irrelevant
bits that I suppose were intended to be funny. Given the nature of
grindcore, there's very little musical skill on display here: the
drumming is done by a drum machine, and the guitar riffs are either
simple or just amorphous noise. Maybe this will be appreciated by
die-hard grindcore fans, but I can't believe it's anything that such
a fan wouldn't already have heard a thousand times.
Contact: http://www.geocities.com/recto_rectors
Serrated Scalpel - _Suspended in Misery_ (3.5 out of 5)
by: Adam Lineker
Aside from a production lacking in power, Serrated Scalpel do well
enough when performing solid death metal and succeed in creating some
good riffs, but it is unfortunate that the band's preferred tempo
never really aids the music in escaping a stodgy feeling of
sluggishness. With a guitar mix that is far too quiet, the intrusive
evilbelch vocals only emphasise this. Still, with this in mind, it
remains reasonable quality for a demo and allows Serrated Scalpel to
display their compositional talent and capable musicianship. There is
an element of good progressive sensibilities and a fair amount of
fine riffs, yet the length of the individual songs lets a lot of it
become a dirge on first listening. All in all, what Serrated Scalpel
offer is quite enjoyable and shows potential, especially on standout
track "The Emblem of Immortality". To its credit, _Suspended in
Misery_ succeeds in drawing you in and ascending in levels of
quality; a fine and often lacking characteristic in many albums
you'll find floating around. This alone merits Serrated Scalpel worth
a look.
Contact: http://www.serratedscalpel.cjb.net
Set in Silence - _Watch the Sky Burn_ (4.5 out of 5)
by: Adam Lineker
Interchanging eerie melody with brutal riffage, Set in Silence show
potential from the word go. With guttural, howling vocals claiming
dominion over the dark and brooding music, Set in Silence sound
convincingly forceful. Aided by a solid production that is well
above average for demo standards, _Watch the Sky Burn_ yields
some progressive riff structuring with aspects of metallic groove
alongside some harmonies that would be easily suited to black metal.
There is a fair amount of feeling and ambience to this that allows
the audience to be drawn in quite easily and it is all performed with
guts and conviction. The music on _Watch the Sky Burn_ lends itself
well to its mid tempo nature and very rarely becomes a dirge, with
the only real inequities of this sort appearing on the closing title
track. Overall, the music is well crafted and well executed; recorded
evidence of the capabilities of Set in Silence. _Watch the Sky Bun_
is a strong demo and a fine achievement.
Contact: http://www.setinsilence.com
Slaughter of Souls - _Nexus Avernus_ (4 out of 5)
by: Adam Lineker
The newest creation of ex-Reign of Erebus brothers Pete and Mike
Rowland is melodic in style and performed with aggression under a
fuzzy and shallow production. As with many demos, the lo-fi feel can
sometimes detract from the impact of certain riffs, but Slaughter of
Souls do well in rising above the technical limitations, shredding
out some passages with impressive ferocity. Some of the melodic
touches they employ are quite traditional, although they make room
for a fair amount of discordant progressions that reflect the band's
more extreme roots. Aside from ludicrous song titles, such as "Your
(sic) All Gonna Die" and "Club Dead", the only real gripe one has is
that the reigns could be held a little tighter on the song
structuring, with some of the material seeming to lose its way on
occasion. However, this doesn't stop _Nexus Avernus_ being a strong
demo, possessing some really driving works of metal. Hopefully,
Slaughter of Souls will do well enough to release an album that
reflects some of the qualities present here.
Contact: http://www.SlaughterofSouls.com
Solution 13 - _Solution 13_ (3.5 out of 5)
by: Adam Lineker
Were it not for the absence of a record label acknowledgement,
Solution 13 could be mistaken for a signed band. With a reasonable
production and a professional presentation, they are, on first
impression, more than convincing for their level. They peddle a
thrash influenced form of rock, using conventional beats and stylings
but relying heavily on riffs, many of which are faster or more
unusual than one would expect to find. Though vocalist Ilkka
Jarvenpaa sings, he hasn't the greatest voice in the world, sounding
like a dog-tired crossbreed of Lemmy, Phil Anselmo and James
Hetfield. Incidentally there is a reasonable amount of early '90s
Metallica in this, and some of it works quite well. Having said this,
a lot of the material does lack punch and can sound passionless. The
unexciting nature of the music means that one has to listen hard to
appreciate the level of quality. If it sounded more powerful and less
sterile then this, it would probably be a lot more absorbing. As it
stands, it remains just a bit too bland. One gets the feeling that
the live environment would lend itself well to Solution 13; it is not
as if the music is impenetrable and their easy-listening brand of
metal can work on many levels. With riffs that are of an above
average quality and an inventive handling of familiar formulas,
Solution 13 show potential. As a debut release, one can forgive the
basic nature of the music and hope that the song writing reaches the
quality that it would seem to promise in time. Get a heavier
production with some edge next time. Some of this material deserves
better!
The Last Winter - _IRA_ (3 out of 5)
by: Brian Meloon
Italy's The Last Winter may have started as a black metal band,
but over the last few years, their sound has developed into
something more interesting. This offering contains a few vestiges of
their black metal days, most notably the vocals and some of the
tremolo-picked guitar lines, but for the most part, this is mid-tempo
thrash. There are only two songs here, but they're ten and twelve
minutes respectively. As you would expect from long songs, the riffs
and tempos change a lot. However, The Last Winter go a step beyond
what's expected by employing a wide range of styles and tempos, so
that the music doesn't get repetitive. Most of these styles are
familiar ones, but the band do find some original sounds to offer.
One area where they could use some work are the flow of their songs.
In particular, the global organization of the songs didn't make much
sense to me, and some of the transitions were rather clunky. The
playing is generally good, though there are a few places where their
timing is a little off. One more important point to mention are the
vocals. While most of the vocals are standard raspy-style black metal
vocals -- which fit the music pretty well -- there are four sections
(totaling less than a minute, thankfully) with a clean style trying
to carry a tune. I say "trying", though, because he's way out of his
(very limited) range, and the end result sounds simply terrible.
These sections still make me cringe every time I hear them, and this
vocal style needs to be dropped immediately. Taken as a whole,
though, this offering shows that The Last Winter have the potential
to develop into an innovative and interesting band. They have the
most important aspect for this already: an original approach and some
interesting ideas. They should be an interesting band to watch, and I
hope to hear more from them in the next few years.
Contact: http://www.thelastwinter.3000.it
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M O R N I N G R I S E I N T H E D E A D L A N D S
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Opeth, Madder Mortem and Kormoss at the Hard Club, Gaia, Portugal
by: Pedro Azevedo
It had been a lengthy spell away from the Hard Club for me (during
several months of which the venue was closed, due to a row with the
City Hall), but Opeth and Madder Mortem provided a superb reason for
my return. Opeth is easily among my favourite bands, whereas Madder
Mortem are, in my view, one of the most underrated bands around --
they are perhaps victims of being on Century Media, which is not a
very fashionable label these days (how about that for an ironic turn
of events?).
Local band Kormoss opened the gig in competent fashion, playing a
brand of Samael-influenced metal and showing little evolution since I
first saw them several years ago -- even if they did seem to lean a
bit more towards death metal than the last time I heard them. Despite
the fact that they were nothing out of the ordinary tonight, they
still managed to entertain the audience reasonably well. Impatience,
however, was impossible to disguise amidst the Opeth-hungry mob, and
there were few who even bothered to try.
Madder Mortem were also affected by that impatience; or rather, it
marred the audience's potential enjoyment of their set. In fact, even
though their performance was excellent tonight, few people seemed to
even begin to appreciate it. Granted, their material -- much like
Opeth's, although in a smaller scale -- is very difficult to get into
live if you don't already know it quite well; few in attendance
seemed to be familiar with their albums. Madder Mortem played a
combination of songs from their last two discs, _All Flesh Is Grass_
and _Deadlands_, both of which came out of virtually nowhere to
greatly impress me when they were released. They opened with
"Necropol Lit" off _Deadlands_, possibly the weakest song in a superb
setlist, followed by the excellent "Rust Cleansing" -- the final part
of that one blows me away every time. On to "Distance Will Save Us",
another good track, and then the first song from _All Flesh Is
Grass_: the massive "Breaker of Worlds". Another fine new song,
"Faceless", was next, then the less profound but very contagious
"Jigsaw (The Pattern and the Puzzle)", and a truly suitable ending:
"Omnivore", which ends abruptly after an amazing crescendo.
The band was tight and benefited from a good sound setup, but there
is no denying that their vocalist Agnette Kirkevaag was the centre of
attention. She is definitely not your average female vocalist:
she doesn't sport a goth look and doesn't stand still on stage
pouring forth angelic vocals. Instead she moves all over the
stage, thoroughly enjoying every riff, and takes the listener on a
rollercoaster ride of amazing vocal twists and turns. She has
-talent-, not just a sweet voice. I was already hugely impressed by
her performance on disc, but my girlfriend and I had to exchange
amazed looks at the sheer quality of her live performance. Quite a
shame that so few of those in attendance were able to appreciate it.
Opeth was the band nearly everyone was there to see, and Opeth they
got -- a whole lot of Opeth, in fact. Nine songs, which by their
standards guarantees about an hour and a half of music. And although
Madder Mortem had set a high standard, Opeth were not daunted by the
challenge. They proceeded to flawlessly execute a collection of epics
taken from the majority of their discography. They opened with the
excellent "The Leper Affinity" from _Blackwater Park_, and it
immediately became clear that the audience was in for a treat. The
guitars were spot on, the drumming impeccable and dynamic, and the
vocals -- both clean and harsh -- came out perfectly. Akerfeldt's
stage presence was simultaneously enthusiastic and relaxed, and he
never felt the need to amuse people with stage antics: it was the
music that did the talking, and that's what everyone was there for.
"Advent" from _Morningrise_ was next, and what a rendition! That song
has some magnificent moments, but they just seemed to carry a much
greater impact live. I am in awe of how Mikael Akerfeldt manages to
deliver such a performance on vocals and guitar simultaneously.
"Deliverance" from their new album was next, its distinctive ending
played with machine-like precision. Another cut from the atmospheric
_Blackwater Park_ then followed, and another fine song too, namely
"The Drapery Falls". Pure bliss. "Godhead's Lament" from _Still Life_
was a more questionable choice for the set, but I won't complain. It
then gave way to the acoustic "Credence" off _My Arms, Your Hearse_,
which came as a surprisingly welcome break to the more intense
material. Just like his intense demonic vocals and growls, Akerfeldt
continued to pull off his clean singing with great aplomb, while the
remaining musicians continuously showed their remarkable skill as
well.
Opeth then entered the final stretch of songs, starting with "Bleak"
from _Blackwater Park_ (with its marvelously doomy beginning and
end), followed by "A Fair Judgement" from _Deliverance_. Then
finally, as an encore, the monstrous "Demon of the Fall", their
classic from _My Arms, Your Hearse_ (from which "April Ethereal" was
sorely missing). "Demon of the Fall" ended proceedings more than
appropriately, with its irresistibly powerful first half and mellow
ending. All in all, an amazing performance from Opeth, and one of the
best gigs I've ever attended.
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K I N G T U T ' S B U R N I N G A N G E L H U T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arch Enemy, Corporation 187 and Without Face,
at Glasgow King Tut's, December 9th 2002
by: Adam Lineker
Upon arrival at King Tut's, it is pleasing to see that the metal
hordes have turned out in force. This was expected, as Arch Enemy
have been subjected to a frenzy of media attention following their
magnificent third opus _Wages of Sin_. With Corporation 187 also
turning up to have a little fun, the atmosphere inside King Tut's is
one of high expectancy.
Opening the evening in a more reserved style, Without Face just
about catch the interest of the assembled throng with their
gothic progmetal. Nobody in attendance goes crazy, but the offered
performance is seemingly appreciated by the scattered groups of
watching faces. Based on this performance however, it is hard to
imagine how they could coerce any other response. Though the music is
interesting, the musicians take a back seat to concentrate on their
playing, thus lacking stage presence. The performance is competently
tight but the music is too ethereal for this to make a real impact on
the audience. If you take the time to look a little harder, it would
appear that the drummer plays to a click-track. Couple this with an
invisible keyboard player and one gets the feeling that there is
something artificial about the performance; such heavy reliance on
DAT recordings never sits well with me. This leaves a lot up
to the two vocalists and unfortunately, something really doesn't
work tonight. Establishing a well used formula in Scandinavian
and European metal, eerie female singing is complemented by male
power/death vocals. However, the frontwoman is either hopelessly out
of tune or her lines are completely atonal; this leaves any sense of
melody severely marred. Worse still, she looks disinterested enough
for the problem to be caused by sheer lack of effort. This all
renders the monotone growls of the frontman somewhat redundant. To
his credit, his posturing captures the spirit of power metal well
enough, but he only just succeeds in avoiding looking very stupid
alongside his fellow performers. Though they provide an acceptable
amount of entertainment with their musical endeavours, one can't help
but feel that Without Face are rather forgettable.
Thankfully, Corporation 187 are up to the job of grabbing the
audience by the throat and proceed to deliver a highly spirited
performance. Succeeding mostly when hammering out large, catchy
riffs, they seem to delight in educating all and sundry in the joy of
thrash. It is very obvious that they enjoy themselves as they
bludgeon along, spurring on a supportive crowd and getting the bodies
moving. Filip Carlsson is a competent frontman who is unafraid to
make direct eye contact with those who seem to be more rabid
than others, and he is backed by a band that are all equally
strong performers. Using a lot of material from _Perfection in
Pain_ to spearhead their set, there are many memorable moments,
particularly the crushingly infectious "Ghosts of Confusion". Above
all, Corporation 187 come across as very proud of being a thrash
metal act and you can see it in their stage mannerisms; even though
bassist Viktor Klint just plants his feet and headbangs throughout,
the permanent grin speaks volumes. Though the Corporation know that
this isn't their show, they deliver an entertaining and passionate
performance, suitably acting like a band with everything to gain and
nothing to lose. Arguably there is some work to be done before they
make The Haunted look over their shoulders, but they leave the
stage having asserted themselves as a competent addition to the
death/thrash cause.
As the lights go out and the haunting piano intro of "Enemy Within"
filters through the hot and smoky air, the atmosphere that has been
bubbling under the surface all evening finally begins to boil
over. The scene is set for Arch Enemy to make a massive impact.
Unfortunately, when they finally hit the stage, they seem to be
somewhat deadened. Infuriatingly, the soundman has an unfortunate
case of the gremlins and proceeds to battle with the sound desk in an
uphill struggle throughout the entire show. Yet sound quality was
never going to totally dampen the spirits of this crowd, nor
compromise Arch Enemy's performance, and even though you can only
hear drums and a little bass guitar, the Amott brothers make an
energetic entrance that seems more suited to an arena than this small
stage. Special praise is first reserved for one Angela Gossow who
proves to be a brilliant and professional frontwoman, pausing between
songs to request better lighting placement and sound quality. Her
onstage manner ranges from intense to cool, as she rises to the
occasion and performs with energy and flair; even the mike stand
isn't safe from her wrath. Yet her real talent resides first and
foremost in her voice. She may look comically petite when stood
alongside the gargantuan bassman Sharlee DiAngelo, but when she
unleashes her death roar, you can feel it through your feet.
Yet this is still very far from being all her show. Without
exception, Arch Enemy are tight and charismatic performers,
blistering through their intricate instrumental sections without
fault, and when they launch into the opening bars of the Carcass
classic "Corporeal Jigsore Quandary" at the set's mid point, they
incite an already mental crowd into a near riot. Vacating the stage
forthwith to let Daniel Erlandsson show his stuff behind the kit, it
all seems so incredibly well thought out; when his sticks go flying
half way through the solo, it is hard to tell if it is a genuine
mistake or his sense of humour.
Choosing a career-spanning setlist, Arch Enemy perform their music as
admirably as possible, given the sound conditions. Especially worthy
of note is the crushing rendition of new song "Savage Messiah". There
are times when the pit becomes so violent that one's survivalist
instincts begin to take over and the music seems to lose momentary
priority, yet the air of triumph perpetuates throughout. If not for
the debilitating sound problems, this could have been the perfect
night for Arch Enemy. As it is, they succeed in determination and
competence, as their dogged performance is born aloft on the
shoulders of a crowd that adore them.
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Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically
distributed worldwide via the Internet. Seemingly endless interviews,
album reviews and concert reviews encompass the pages of Chronicles
of Chaos. Chronicles of Chaos stringently emphasizes all varieties of
chaotic music ranging from black and death metal to electronic/noise
to dark, doom and ambient forms. Chronicles of Chaos is dedicated
to the underground and as such we feature demo reviews from all indie
bands who send us material, as well as interviews with a select
number of independent acts.
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #60
All contents copyright (c) 1995-2003 by individual creators of
included work. All rights reserved.
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