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Past
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BACK
SCAR
CULTURE
Inscribe (Century Media)
Having seen and owned a copy of the band’s early demo material
when they were called Scrape, I was excited to hear that this New
York-based act had signed to Century Media. A solid, aggressive
death metal band with hardcore tendencies, Scar Culture is indeed
a band to be reckoned with. ‘Inscribe’ is punishing from
the outset as singer Pheroze lets loose some truly mind-blowing
screams of aggression. And while a lot of new bands make an effort
to make an epic out of every song they write to impress fans or
dazzle us with their musical wizardry, Scar Culture keeps things
tight and fast. No pussy-footing around here as they keep bludgeoning
us song after song. And another thing—Scar Culture are a great
band because they are just extreme enough to play shows with death
metal bands, but still hardcore in sound and style to get any hardcore
pit going. And to boot their music is jaw-droppingly heavy. Heads
up on Scar Culture!
<A. Bromley> -7-
SEASON TO RISK
The Shattering (Owned and Operated Records)
Jazzy hardcore? That may sound funny, but it’s one of the first
thoughts to enter your head when hearing ‘The Shattering.’
Chaotic, but in a controlled way, Season to Risk perform the music
on their latest offering with an eerie syncopation, keeping the
music hardcore, with a punk feel, but adding diverse and complex
elements in the music, making the tunes far from noise, but at the
same time difficult to digest in just one listen. Verily, it takes
multiple listens of ‘The Shattering’ to imbibe the CD
into your consciousness, and with each successive listen you will
find yourself still picking up new things that you hadn’t noticed
previously. A treat in the sense that it’s not your typical
hardcore offering, Season to Risk are also toeing a fine line, as
many casual fans or "true" hardcore fanatics may find
this too rich for their blood. Still, kudos for trying. And if you’re
open minded enough to allow yourself to be perplexed, you just may
find this album to be one of the unpolished gems of 2001.
<A. Ristic> -8-
SHOCORE
Devil Rock Disco (Linus)
From the ashes of one-time Western Canada buzz-band DDT comes Shocore,
a crossover hardcore/rock/rap band that actually shows a lot of
potential on the new disc—most of the time. While metal heads
will no doubt have problems swallowing the mainstream flow of vocals
from singer Cory at times, the aggressive nature of the band will
distract those who have a beef with Shocore’s sound. With a
little bit of punk rock, rap, and rock and roll, Shocore are rambunctious
and crazy enough to make some heads turn and hopefully come album
number two their wild spirit will have plenty more taking notice.
Highlights: "Two Trick Pony" and first single, the infectious
"Bonecracker."
<A. Bromley> -6-
Contact: 225 Richmond Street West, Suite 200 Toronto, Ontario CANADA
M5W 1W2
SILENTIUM
Altum (Spikefarm)
‘Altum’ ranks among the better atmospheric goth metal
albums that I have yet heard. Unlike Trail of Tears and similar
bands where it sounds like a female vocalist was artificially grafted
onto a death/doom template in order to confer a gothic melodicism
upon a band’s sound, Silentium sounds exalted, celestial, sublime.
The dark passion of the lyrics is animated by a stunning male-female
vocal duet courtesy of tenor Matti Aikio and contra tenor Tinna
Lehvonen, while the instruments forge a tightly woven tapestry of
despondent melancholy comparable to My Dying Bride. The MDB comparisons
are particularly apt given the manner in which the violin interacts
with the other instruments in a similarly mournful fashion, although
the heaviness of the guitars tends to be more strategically limited,
exploding in depressive bursts of low-tuned angst before eerily
retreating to formulate its next point of attack. It is to the band’s
credit as a songwriting unit that it proves capable of effectively
managing how and when the various instruments at its disposal are
allowed to speak. This constant tactical renegotiation of its constitutive
elements allows for a fluid dynamic that is calculated in its deployment,
cognizant of the ebb and flow of the album as a whole, and capable
of bringing together its flowing tributaries of dreary melodicism
into a deep-bottomed river of dark-hued splendour.
<T. Bengtson> -8.5-
SKYFIRE
Timeless Departure (Hammerheart)
Symphonic black metal roars up once more, as Skyfire take some of
the attributes from Dimmu Borgir's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
opus, but also add way more melody, and vastly different keyboard
arrangements, to create a sound that's a little more unique. Add
to that the occasional death growl and power metal riffing, and
at times you could even confuse ‘Timeless Departure’ as
a melodic death release - almost. Listening to second track "Fragments
Of Time" on its own, you can here riffs inspired by the Iron
Maiden song "Powerslave," and an atmosphere that lends
itself to DB's "Spellbound…" A very intriguing release
to say the least.
<A. Ristic> -7.5-
SOILENT GREEN
A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down (Relapse)
Unexpected tempo changes, super-tight scales and fills, sludgy blues-based
riffing, schizophrenic high growl/low growl/spoken vocal parts...and
all in the first song! This is the world of Soilent Green, the most
distinctive, adventurous metal band on the planet. Frontman Ben
Falgoust has added an extra vocal personality to his arsenal: a
low, almost Gregorian, chant, as evidenced in track seven, "Clockwork
of Innocence," but otherwise ‘A Deleted Symphony...’
simply plays like an excellent sequel to 1998’s ‘Sewn
Mouth Secrets.’ And why change a winning formula? So many times
a band writes a killer record and then changes their sound next
time round. Fortunately that hasn’t happened here.
<P. Silbiger> -9-
SONS OF OTIS
Songs of Worship (TMC)
The sounds and inspiration of ‘Songs of Worship’ are indeed
mighty in all aspects. Half-bagged when reviewing this disc, my
mind wandered as the booming sludge vibes seeped out through my
speakers, taking my psyche and mindset for a lengthy joyride. My
emotions were swaying in and out of uncertainty as the doomy space
jams cruised onward, leaving me feeling unsure of how to cope with
the atmospheric heaviness that Sons of Otis always delivers. Looking
to escape your boring world? Sons of Otis, some pot, and a nice
bed to curl up in will help cure you of boredom. Good, but only
in small doses.
<A. Bromley> -5-
STUCK MOJO
Violate This (Century Media)
There is something deep down inside of me that simply has a problem
with "best of," rarities, or unreleased material albums.
I just think bands assemble albums and put certain songs on those
albums that fit their mood, direction, or what have you when they
record. Unreleased material is usually mediocre fodder, songs that
don’t get used and end up filling comps. While Stuck Mojo’s
‘Violate This’ is chock full of demos, outtakes, and some
other pieced-together song ideas, there are some rewarding moments
here. The new tracks "Ten Years" and "Revolution,"
both recorded without frontman Bonz, are pretty solid numbers with
memorable choruses, "Ten Years" being the better of the
two. It was a treat to hear the band cover classics by Iron Maiden
("Wrathchild") and Motley Crue "Shout at the Devil")
with the help of their good friend Devin Townsend. All in all, an
interesting collection of outtakes from the career of a band that
really did know how to push the Mojo groove. Look out for the new
bands that Stuck Mojo spawned: Sick Speed and 420 Monks.
<A. Bromley> -6-
TARENTEL
The Order of Things (Neurot Recordings)
Trying to pinpoint just where the music of ambient cinematic outfit
Tarentel hits its stride on their debut ‘The Order of Things’
is quite difficult. There really is no ‘order’ of events.
Things just seem to happen. The music moves in waves of emotions,
flourishing with intensity and then at a second’s notice, sinking
into a distant murmur. Unlike their past works on singles and other
recordings, this is the first release with vocals. The vocals are
used as additional instruments rather than conveying lyrics. Very
creative, I must say. This is very epic and emotional ambient music
filtered through a cinematic sensibility…a fitting soundtrack
to each passing thought. Neurot Recordings is determined to help
expose bands like Tarentel, Zeni Geva, and others like them as their
label continues to flourish, and I applaud them for that. They obviously
see the brilliance in all of this. Now it is our turn to discover
it for ourselves.
<A. Bromley> -7-
THRONEAEON
Neither of Gods (Hammerheart)
While Swedish death metal with strong Floridian elements may sound
like a good thing (especially about eight years ago), I can name
at least one band whose rudimentary sound combined with an absence
of dynamics will convince most that the past is best left untouched.
Influences such as Deicide and Morbid Angel can be heard in the
inane riffs, while the vocals sound like the former and the solos
originate from the latter. It’s staggering to see that bands
such as Throneaeon have a voice in today’s scene, and they’re
on Hammerheart, no less. Hopefully this is the last I hear of this.
<A. Wasylyk> -1-
THULSA DOOM
The Seats Are Soft But the Helmet Is Way Too Tight (This Dark Reign)
I don’t know what is more fucked up, the band’s album
title or the fact that there is a doom metal band from Norway. However
all of this happened, I’ve learned to live with it, I guess.
Anyway, the music of Thulsa Doom is pretty good, rocking doom metal,
reminiscent of The Hellacopters, Gluecifer, and even redneck quartet
Nashville Pussy at times—hell, even a smidgen of Motörhead’s
musical ways. The clean, hypnotic vocals of singer Papa Doom work
well with the music, as the band rotates their sound from heavy,
murky trips of intensity to slow-driving passages that still rock.
Throw in a harmonica here and there and a strong production from
Ole Petter Andreassen (Mayhem) and Thulsa Doom’s rock world
seems worth experiencing.
<A.
Bromley> -6-
TVANGESTE
Damnation of Regiomontum (Valgalder)
Listening to Tvangeste, a talented black metal-inspired band from
Russia, it is quite obvious to see how some might assume that they
just play the usual black metal with harsh vocals, blasting drum
beats, and female vocals thrown on top. At first I was thinking
the same thing, but then something clicked. Tvangeste are more than
just a common black metal band. Bands have done this style of music
to death, pushing the savage black metal wails as far as they can
go, and it is nice to hear a band like Tvangeste collect their ideas,
borrow from their chosen genre, and produce beautiful results (thanks
to work from violins and keyboards). The atmosphere of Tvangeste’s
music is one I have yet to feel from any black metal-inspired band,
a calm, collected swelling of emotions (check out the title track)
that gather within a dark world of ideas. And with six songs spanning
more than 51 minutes, you pretty much know this journey is going
to take you many places that you’ll want to revisit.
<A. Bromley> -7-
V/A
A TRIBUTE TO THE LEGENDARY TWISTED SISTER
Play It Loud, Mutha! (Koch)
Like most tribute albums, there are a few hits and misses. Hell,
that sounds like Twisted Sister’s career. But forget about
all the teased hair, the makeup, and the bright spandex. Twisted
Sister was a real rock ’n’ roll band that played their
music with intensity and conviction. They knew what they wanted.
It was the public that was (at first) unsure. Just look at the variety
of acts that have lent their own time and energy to covering classic
Twisted Sister songs and you can see the scope of fans that Twisted
Sister really had. Their music reached such a wide audience. As
diverse as their music was, so are the offerings here. You get Lit
("I Wanna Rock") and Joan Jett ("We’re Not Gonna
Take It") doing the classics, while Cradle of Filth ("The
Fire Still Burns") and Vision of Disorder ("Don’t
Let Me Down") storm through their selections. HammerFall butchers
"We’re Gonna Make It" and Chuck D’s "Wake
Up the Sleeping Giant" seems out of place. Overall, a nice
tribute for a band that deserves it—even though some won’t
admit to it. Note: Twisted Sister appears on this disc paying tribute
to their heroes AC/DC with a ballsy cover of "Sin City."
<A. Bromley> -7-
V/A
I Am Vengeance OST (Meteor City)
A doom/stoner rock-oriented soundtrack for a slasher/splatter film
initially struck me as a little bit odd, if only because I always
associated that genre of film with death metal due to the obvious
affinity between splatter imagery and death lyrics. But Meteor City’s
impressive assemblage of both obscure and established bands allows
‘I Am Vengeance’ to succeed beyond the scope of most soundtracks.
At the centre of this production is Dan Fondelius, who contributes
haunting atmospheric interludes under his own name in addition to
providing vocals for the horror-themed Count Raven track, "Scream,"
and two cuts from his new band, Doomsday Government, which continue
to reveal Fondelius’s uncanny resemblance to the Ozzman himself,
and I dare say contributing the greatest Ozzy Osbourne never written
or performed by Ozzy in the form of "Decision." Interspersed
with deranged samples culled from the movie, which provide a window
into the psychotic protagonist featured in the film, a mood of dark
humour and violence is established and built upon via the contributing
bands. The musical substance compiled on this album is impressive
and speaks to Meteor City’s depth of involvement in the doom/stoner
rock genre, ranging from the raw fuzz-laden rock of Bongwater666
to a disturbingly mellow, otherworldly tune by sHeavy to a very
cool slab of doom released in 1992 by Japan’s Eternal Elysium.
An impressively heavy soundtrack that not only makes me want to
check out this movie, but also stands as a fine representation of
the quality music that this burgeoning genre has to offer.
<T. Bengtson> -8.5-
VEIL OF SORROW
Dark Rivers of the Heart (Demolition)
What in the name of hell happened here? Although it’s been
a little less than two years since we at U! have been exposed to
the products of Demolition Records, that past material was of a
higher quality than this, and we don’t mean the production.
Whether it was avant-garde black metal or some extreme death, you
always knew you were getting something of quality, and not necessarily
the norm. Here, with Veil of Sorrow, you get some sorry-ass power
metal. At least you can say it’s powerful, but, damn, is it
derivative. You’ll hear no new inspirational riffing or other
material here. The only innovation might be the depressing, doomy
lyrics, which just aren’t as powerful as they were intended
to be with the flighty vocals of Tomas Ljung singing them. Kind
of sounds like Quorthon singing "The Lake" from Bathory’s
‘Blood on Ice’—except on every song! Lift the veil,
boys, and try something new and less boring.
<Alex Ristic> -4-
WINDS
Of Entity and Mind (Avantgarde)
Composed of members of Ulver, Arcturus, and Mayhem (among others),
this sombre bout of classically influenced progressive metal is
mournful and passionate, comparable to the more sedate aspects of
Sculptured’s ‘Apollo Ends’ or Dan Swanö’s
Nightingale. Mournful clean vocals drift through the valium-induced
wails, effectively backed by classical piano lines, stellar drumming
courtesy of Hellhammer, and guitar work that ranges from evocative
solos to plodding atmospheric death of moderate heaviness. The pace
is generally a slow rock tempo that allows the band to languish
in a state of withering depression, although this aspect is built
upon with the militaristic drum rhythms and assertive burst of guitars
that carries the third track, "Bloodstained and Sworn,"
to its conclusion. It is with this tune that ‘Of Entity and
Mind’ truly begins to make an impact, leading to an impressive
pair of closing tracks that includes the Katatonian "Mirrored
in Time," a sophisticated and hard-hitting number animated
by a particularly memorable vocal performance and a gorgeous piano
line. At a mere five songs, the first two of which don’t meet
expectations, this album is mildly disappointing in that it did
not deliver consistently what it was clearly capable of offering.
However, the remaining three tracks offer an impressive sign of
what is to come from Winds. Now it is a matter of ensuring that
the tactics employed in each individual song maintain a level of
efficacy equivalent to that expressed on the last few tracks.
<T. Bengtson> -7.5-
WIZARD
Head of the Deceiver (Limb / SPV)
As ‘Head of the Deceiver’ progressed, the music conjured
the visual image of a group of foot soldiers, clad in an intimidating
mixture of tin foil body armor and spandex, their mullets protected
by an impenetrable layer of congealed hairspray, emerging on the
horizon in full strength, then racing headlong down the hill into
the waiting battleground. Only, in the case of Wizard, one poor
soldier at the front of the descending mass, his cheap white high
tops worn to his swollen toe, stepped on a thorn and tumbled, sending
his battalion of metal warriors tripping and toppling over him,
all of them landing at the bottom of the hill in a disorganized
mess of flailing limbs that was effortlessly trounced by the opposing
forces. ‘Head of the Deceiver’ starts out strong, racing
through three tracks of energetic power metal in the vein of HammerFall’s
debut, before hitting its own thorn, in this case the vainglorious
mid-paced stomp of "Defenders of Metal," which would perhaps
better be described as "Defenders of Parmesan," so laden
is it with pungent cheese that would leave even the members of Manowar
blushing. From that point, the album stumbles through the tedious
melodrama of the seventh track, "Demon Witches," the repetitive
pabulum of "Iron War," and the spandex-and-swords quasi-machismo
of "The First One," the waft of congealed dairy products
firmly in tow. When Wizard plays the straight-up melodic power metal
ticket and avoids the showy bombast, it proves quite successful,
as heard on the short, sharp attack of "Revenge" and the
title track. Unfortunately, too much of this album is devoted to
music that does not expand upon the band’s strongest qualities.
<T. Bengtson> -4-
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