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NECROSPHERE
Revived (Diehard)
With name change (formerly ‘cult’ act Cenotaph) and re-evaluating
their sound and style, Italian metal band Necrosphere deliver to
us a pretty straightforward death metal record, full of classic
old-school metal riffs and intense drum blasts. And once you take
in all of that data from a few listens, there isn’t much more
to get excited about ‘Revived.’ I mean, their cover of
Slayer’s "Necrophiliac" deserves mention, as do the
songs "Ramming the Blades" and "Iconoclast,"
but besides that this is a pretty standard death metal record. Nothing
really stands out. Fans of this genre know that there has been a
massive abundance of typical bands flooding the market as of late,
so they are smart enough to pick and choose the right bands to follow.
I caution death metal fans with Necrosphere. Just because you have
‘cult’ status doesn’t mean a name change and new
sounds will revive your career. It doesn’t always work that
way, people.
<A. Bromley> -4-
NIENTARA
The Summer End (Tribunal)
From Connecticut, the state that brought us Hatebreed and 1,000
Demons, comes the vibrant metallic hardcore strides of Nientara.
There has been a good buzz about this band of late and the band
doesn’t let us down as "The Summer End" uncoils into
a masterful allotment of hardcore character and metallic brawniness.
Kris Foel has some of the most earth-shattering cries of aggression
that I have heard in some time, and when accompanied by an intense
guitar attack and deadly rhythm section ("The Killing Factor"
and "A Tale Of Treachery") the results are deadly. Nientara
may not be the big boys on the block right now, but give them time
to evolve and strengthen their sound and pretty soon they’ll
come asking the more established acts to step aside.
<A. Bromley> -6.5-
NIGHTSHADE
Wielding the Scythe (Scarlet)
Maybe it’s just me, but the whole modern school of Gothenburg
death metal, as exemplified by the most recent works of Arch Enemy,
In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and Soilwork, is getting ever closer
to that bastion of FM radio, AOR. Not that that’s necessarily
a bad thing—frankly, I absolutely love Journey, and Boston
are no slouch, either—but to stand heads above the swell of
At the Gates-worship that that scene/style is otherwise associated
with, you’ve gotta deliver the Big Hooks, ones that are immediately
geared toward stadiums and singing along to with a 24-ounce cup
of Labatt’s foisted high ’n’ mighty. Believe me,
this is the way the NewerWOSwedishDM is going, and fuck me if I’m
gonna argue against that. Swedish newbies Nightshade realize this,
too, and give a heady go of it with their debut LP, ‘Wielding
the Scythe.’ The salient difference between this album and
any other bowing down before ‘Whoracle’ is that Nightshade
employ a full-time keyboardist, Daniel Larsson. Larsson’s ivories
colour much of the album’s bang-away near-rock surge with a
quintessentially European dry-iced pallor on par with prime Moonspell—by
extension, then, you could add Dark Tranquillity’s last two
LPs to the equation—occasionally slipping in some Moog to lend
his bandmates a nod to Amorphis as well. However, as much as Larsson’s
contributions render both band and album a more curious proposition
that’s not wholly obvious, he tends to overplay (overwrite,
maybe?), sometimes backwashing into rather flowery territory, which
doesn’t bode especially well for Nightshade when you take a
gander at their frilly press photo (cue gay comment, Kevi Metal).
Nonetheless, Larsson is integral, particularly where establishing
mood and atmosphere are concerned, and the rest of the band do,
indeed, brandish the Hooks: not Big ones, but admirably memorable
ones, and ones that are imbued with some sort of emotional component—kudos
for that, lads. Still, at the end of the day, there’s an elusive
"something" lacking in ‘Wielding the Scythe’
to truly elevate Nightshade to serious contention with the aforementioned
G-burg greats, but, hey—it’s as solid as "second-tier"
gets.
<N. T. Birk> -7.5-
NO WARNING
s/t (Bridge Nine)
Having seen this band play a few times in Toronto, I was excited
to hear that they got signed to a U.S. label. From the old school
of hardcore music – a la Sick of It All and Agnostic Front
– No Warning are a young band with a lot of talent and energy.
Join the fun while songs like "Wrong Side" and "A
Day In The Life" blast from you speakers, fists pumping and
head bobbing to the intense groove of No Warning. You can just hear
the exuberance in their music, giving off a real live feel to their
music and the album’s production does a fine job of capturing
the feeling of being inside a ‘mosh pit’ as the music
coasts along. Let’s hope that this experience carries over
into their next recordings. I hope so.
<A. Bromley> -6-
PAIN OF SALVATION
Remedy Lane (InsideOut Music)
As far as really being enthralled with progressive metal acts, I’d
have to say my fascination with Pain of Salvation (a band I only
stumbled upon early last year) is pretty strong. I like the uniqueness
of their sound, I like their attitude and I like their determination
to strive and find new levels of creativity with what they do. Fans
of this genre know that progressive metal is full of clichéd
sounds and pompous bands, but there are many out there that wish
to break that stereotype. So, the evolution of Pain of Salvation
continues in 2002 and we see a more brash, almost intense band sprinkled
throughout the album. Not over the top, driving guitar power metal,
but intricate little heavy parts that break the groove up a bit
and add a bit more character and raise the pulse of the listener.
The band could have easily followed in the footsteps of their successful
past outing, 2000’s ‘The Perfect Element Part I,’
but they didn’t. This is a very emotional and personal album,
an album not afraid to open up and let the listener be a part of
what is going on. And as expected, once again the musicianship of
PoS is top notch (check out the songs "Fandango," "Dryad
of the Woods," the title track, and "Second Love"),
as is the production, with the band taking the time and effort to
bring a lot of balance between all of the instruments and vocals
this time out. Singer Daniel Gildenlow told me once in an interview,
"Bands of this genre really need to be open minded. That’s
why we have tried to maintain our own sound and tried to make progressive
music the way we want to, rather than try to impress people by being
what they expect." After listening to ‘Remedy Lane,’
it is quite obvious that they are on the right track.
<A. Bromley> -8.5-
PERVERSERAPH
Namtaru (WWIII Music)
Upon hearing Perverseraph for the first time with their ‘Savage
Messiah’ MCD several years ago, my initial reaction was one
close to shock. It was like getting attacked by a ferocious pit
bull. But then the shock wore off after a while and all I felt when
hearing this band was a kind of malaise and unavoidable boredom.
Perverseraph play very primitive, death/black metal, with no innovation
or individuality whatsoever. It’s just grinding primitivity
with a very angry lead vocalist, bordering on all-out noise. There’s
some groove thrown in for variation, but it doesn’t really
save the music. The worst part of this CD is the fact that it contains
the exact material from the ‘Savage Messiah’ MCD. Three
new tracks are tacked on to the end, with a short outro. I don’t
know how fans of this band would feel to find out they already own
half the album, and that they’re paying full price for less
than a MCD’s worth of new material. I would certainly feel
cheated in some way, unless I was a diehard fan…but how one
can be a diehard fan of such insipid music is beyond me...
<Y. Arkadin> -5-
REIGN OF EREBUS
Humanracist (Blackend)
Falling on the more chaotic side of the black metal spectrum with
its ear-bleeding rawness and primitive symphonia, Reign of Erebus’s
first proper label release begins on solid ground with "Stormwinds
of Lucifer" and "Funeral of the Nazarene," two energetic
slabs of unpolished black metal that feature hyperstrummed guitars
produced with trebly thinness and some effectively simplistic synth-generated
atmospheres. The result cuts to the very centre of that primordial
mystique that radiates from so many of the black metal classics,
in which chaos is represented musically without devolving into mindless
disarray. The latter quality, however, would come along shortly,
beginning with the third track, as the band’s focus deteriorates
and its songwriting implodes. By the fifth track, the album has
sadly degenerated into utter tedium, with all of the band’s
good ideas seemingly discharged in the first pair of songs, and
the remainder of the album comprised of a rudimentary mixture of
unremarkable black metal and inept experimentation in which the
paucity of compelling ideas forges a path of laborious monotony.
The band’s execution gets progressively sloppier as the seconds
tick down to an album conclusion that is anticipated for no other
reason than the cherished fact that it is finally over, the wavering
quality, loose execution, and stream of subpar ideas (the title
track in its entirety comes to mind) causes the album to rapidly
decay as the band’s gift for creating chaotic black metal ultimately
becomes its curse.
<T. Bengtson> -3.5-
RESISTANT
Ancient Future (Seventh Generation)
I was surprised when I first threw on the new album by L.A. act
Resistant, not because I wasn’t sure what to expect, but because
of what I heard. If you can imagine—please do so—molding
Sepultura’s tribal rhythms, Testament’s thrash/speed metal
dexterity and a good flow of modern metal and some punk ethics,
you pretty much know what to expect. But even after the album is
finished it still strikes a nerve. Potent songs like "Strike,"
"Ball and Chain" and the hard-driving "Man Against
the Machine" are memorable and extremely intense. They are
not forgotten that easily—political, vibrant and undeniably
creative. Resistant’s new album runs you down like a Mack truck
would, but at the same time educates, as there are many messages
within the music of Resistant. In the end, Resistant is a band to
take note of, especially for fans of hard music who are looking
for a band that doesn’t sound like the flavour of the month.
While not top of the musical ladder yet, Resistant’s uniqueness
sets them apart from many others, and that is a step in the right
direction.
<A. Bromley> -7-
RINGWORM
Birth Is Pain (Victory)
Lead by the charismatic Cleveland hardcore icon, Human Furnace,
and featuring former members of Integrity, Ringworm belt out a slightly
faster rendition of the trademark Integrity sound. The same evil,
brooding guitar lines are there, as well as the lyrical identification
with human struggle (approached from a fairly bleak and horrific
perspective). 'Birth Is Pain' is Ringworm's first full-length release
in many years and, while there are a couple questionable tunes on
here such as "Dollar Whore", the overall quality is very
high and very well worth the wait.
<P. Silbiger> -7.5-
ROADSAW
Rawk ‘N Roll (Lunasound)
Not much has changed with Boston act Roadsaw’s music (last
seen on the now-defunct label M.I.A.), and that is indeed a good
thing. These guys certainly can play "rawk n’ roll"
as their album title suggests. In fact, they are probably one of
the top bands in their genre right now. Slick, catchy and downright
dirty, ‘Rawk N’ Roll’ finds the band turning up the
amps and just kicking out the jams with a real drunken swagger,
but tight all the same. Rockin’ numbers include "Disconnected,"
opener "Right On Through," and the suave instrumental
ditty "That’s Mr. Motherfucker To You." Nice! Next
time I throw an NFL Sunday afternoon football party, Roadsaw will
blasting from my stereo system and I won’t give a damn what
my landlord below me says.
<A. Bromley> -7-
SATANIC SLAUGHTER
The Early Years: Dawn of Darkness (Necropolis)
Satanic Slaughter play generic, by-the-book thrash/speed metal
with a satanic lyrical concept. Almost every track sounds alike
and adheres to the same formula, and here we have 25 of them! Actually,
this is a compilation of two earlier releases, the self-titled album
and ‘Land of the Unholy Souls.’ One extra track is tacked
on to the end. A lot of these tracks repeat, so I would think that
this is ultimately strictly something for the completists. There
is little joy in hearing the same mediocrity repeated over and over
again, and here we have nearly 70 minutes of it! 70 minutes of generic
thrash/speed metal with black metal vocals—can you imagine?
This CD can be used as a torture device. Maybe if they had some
sort of seminal role in shaping the future of this music, if they
had any historical worth in the sense of originality or innovation
I would not be as critical, but as it stands they have none. Most
of this material is from 1995, well after the so-called forefathers
of thrash and speed metal had defined what-is-what and who-is-who.
Satanic Slaughter is simply derivative, third-rate thrash, nothing
more, sad as it is to say. And get this: there’s a guy in the
band named "Richard Corpse" and another one who calls
himself "Ztephan Dark." Someone save me...
<Y. Arkadin> -3-
SAVED BY GRACE
For What You Have Done (Recourse)
It is nice to be able to come across a band, whether by accident
or you’re actually searching out info on the band, and know
that they’ve got a good thing going on for themselves. Kansas
City’s Saved by Grace are one of these melodic hardcore acts
that prove that a little bit of initiative and creativity can open
up a wide spectrum of sounds and ideas for them to set their creative
input into. ‘For What You Have Done’ has a real thick,
intense drive of emotions, making songs like "What It Takes
To Feel Normal Again," "A Loss of Innocence" and
"The Mark of Your Letter" sound grandiose at times, but
also very personal. I’m getting this strange feeling with this
band that I did when I first heard Cave-In. While much different
than Cave-In, the drive of the band is similar. I expect to hear
more from this band in the next year or so, so keep checking back
with UNRESTRAINED!
<A. Bromley> -7-
SOILWORK
Natural Born Chaos (Nuclear Blast)
Not only was I excited about Devin Townsend working with melodic/death
metal act Soilwork on their new album, but I was eager to see where
they would take their metal in 2002 after the monstrous last effort
‘A Predator’s Portrait.’ Needless to say, the Swedish
act’s album fucking rocks hard! From the amazing opening number
of "Follow the Hollow," "The Flameout," the
title track and "Black Star Deceiver," Soilwork has advanced
their sound, adding a lot of melodies (though not in a bad way)
and welcomed the production ideas of Townsend. While it is obvious
that Townsend has produced this album (those who know his work will
know what I mean), he was pretty faithful in keeping the Soilwork
sound intact. There is still a lot of anger within Soilwork’s
music, so they haven’t pussied out yet, folks. I personally
think this is the most addictive album from the band so far in their
career and will surely knock the band up a notch or five on the
metal ladder in 2002! Holy fuck, this is good! Okay, boys, bring
on the North American tour!
<A. Bromley> -9.5-
SOUTHFORK
Straight Ahead (Black Mark)
There is something cool about the music of Swedish quartet Southfork
and the stoner/hard rock tag that goes along with their music. They
don’t sound like a full-on stoner rock band, but they emit
the feel and drive of such a band. Toss that into an already rockin’
ensemble of music and Southfork keeps their pace steady and straight
ahead as the album title suggests. Singer Gunner Loof has got a
really hypnotizing voice at times, corralling the music with his
vocal arrangements and just letting loose a powerhouse of emotions
(i.e. "By Your Side," "A Different Kind" and
"Blame It On Me"), very similar to how Soundgarden’s
Chris Cornell or The Cult’s Ian Astbury uses their voices as
an added instrument. This may not be the best hard rock record,
but it is definitely one of the most satisfying one from start to
finish. No studio wizardry folks, just full on rock n’ roll
impulse.
<A. Bromley> -7-
STOKE
s/t (Independent)
While Stoke may not sound like your regular independent band
found in UNRESTRAINED! (they play a heavy-set, bluesy rawk n’
roll), they do have a lot in common with bands like 5ive, Cable
and Roadsaw, who are all skilled musicians and can rawk out like
there is no tomorrow, and those are bands we do cover in this magazine.
The Vancouver trio is led by singer/guitarist Alex Macaulay, who
for the most part sounds like a raspy, tar-tongued version of Alice
Cooper. The rhythm section is tight (though loose and free-flowing
when need be) and the music just reeks of attitude. There are a
lot of great emotional highs as the disc skims along to great numbers
like "Anneka" and "Spider In A Jar," but also
gets sedated (or is that experimental?) with vivid numbers like
"Bad Tattoo" and "Ditchpig." Stoke has been
getting high praise as a great live band, something that comes across
as the album goes along. The album has a lot of charisma and passion,
but the live setting must bring it out in a big way. Guys, play
Toronto so I can get ’stoked’!
<A. Bromley> -7-
Contact: #10-973 W. 7th Ave. Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C4, CANADA
URL: www.mp3.com/STOKE
STRIFE
Angermeans (Victory)
Truth be told, back in high school and despite adhering to a more-or-less
"straight edge" lifestyle then, I never quite latched
onto Strife when their ’94 debut LP, ‘One Truth,’
was all the rage, finding the band’s mosh ’n’ maul
aesthetic a tad too jock-ish, if you will. A few years passed, and
along came their second LP, ‘In This Defiance’—more
overtly metal and multi-dimensional, but still mired in the meathead
realm. A few more years passed, and Strife subsequently broke up.
Now, four years later, the L.A. quartet have reformed and delivered
a 40-minute firestorm to literally scorch your socks off in ‘Angermeans,’
the band supposedly "losing their edge" in the interim.
Dunno whether it was that lifestyle change or what, but ‘Angermeans’
portrays Strife as a darker, fiercer, and altogether more experimental
metalcore crew—their earlier works may be strong in retrospect,
but this is a decidedly different and exponentially improved band
here. In a not-too-distant way comparable to Absu’s most recent
‘Tara,’ Strife’s third LP makes their previous records
pale in comparison while simultaneously putting them in a more curious
light, both of where they came from and where they are going. And
frankly, where Strife are now going absolutely kills. Kicking off
with the killer "Rise Again"—a stompin’, seasawin’
monolith of plaster-smashing proportions, its apropos chorus (tastefully)
bearing more than a passing resemblance to that of Integrity’s
oh-so-classic "Rise." Strife bluster through a barrage
of 10 tracks that exhibit a breadth of composition, intensity of
focus, and urgency of execution, in the process putting nearly every
possible spin on frustration and, yep, anger. And that’s not
just musically: lyrically, frontman Rick Rodney has arrived at a
world-weary poeticism—again, be it because of his aforementioned
lifestyle change is up for debate—and a goosebump-inducing
howl, evincing a maturity in line with his band’s that capably
evades any negative connotations associated with the term "mature."
Really, ‘Angermeans’ is about as ambitiously compelling
as a metallic hardcore record can get this side of Integrity (RIP),
subtly seared production nuances included (see the stirring strings
of "Angel Wings" and the demonic beatbox of "Staring
at the Sky"). And to fully seal the deal, Strife even end the
album with a singeing slab of aggro-thrash ("Mon Bel Ami").
So, colour me pleasantly surprised and stoked beyond belief—here’s
to the future!
<N. T. Birk> -9-
SURRENDER OF DIVINITY
Oriental Hell Rhythmics (Psychic Scream Entertainment)
It is always interesting to hear new music from different parts
of the world not very much renowned in the worldwide scene. In this
case it is Surrender of Divinity from Thailand whose debut release
is a whirlwind of fast, screechy black metal; six tracks in sixty
minutes. The production is raw and thick and has an enjoyable live
sound, while the guitars, vocals and drums are all clearly audible
and emphasized each their own. Though not very original, this is
not bad at all. It falls somewhat in the Swedish school of black
metal, with some American black metal rawness and simplicity mixed
in. It would have been great to hear more daring in the songwriting,
but so be it. Very cool logo, by the way...
<Yury Arkadin> -7-
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