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FERMENTO
Three Murders (Ablated)
With loads of horror movie samples, tuned-down guitars and some
truly sick, low guttural vocals, Spain’s Fermento deliver a
nice display of sick ’n’ brutal death/grind metal for
us with ‘Three Murders’ (which is actually the group's
‘Symbols Of Decrepitude, Symbols Of Supremacy’ CD remastered
with the ‘Fervour of the Impure’ and ‘The Shining’
demos tacked on). While the band does manage to muster a few cool
numbers full of might and sickened brutality ("Immortal Fever
of Desire," "Symbols of Decrepitude" and "Murder
In Mind"), the album seems to hover in the state of blandness.
Not that the band isn’t creative; it just seems as though through
various song arrangements it all starts to sound the same. As you
can tell with the demos attached, their stuff has moved forward
but not far enough. And with that quality fermenting their sound,
the band’s momentum comes to a standstill (except for those
songs noted above). Fermento are good at what they do; I just wish
there was a bit more life in ‘Three Murders.’
<Adrian Bromley> -6-
THE FORSAKEN
Art of Desolation (Century Media)
The sophomore effort by The Forsaken sees this Swedish quartet continuing
to play brutal Swedish death metal, although it has started to incorporate
some other influences into its template in order to broaden its
sound. Frenzied guitar leads laden with thrashy harmonies and rapid-fire
drumming merge with the grizzly bear growls of vocalist Anders Sjoholm,
forging a vicious onslaught of aggressive death metal. The increased
technical complexity heard on this album is vaguely reminiscent
of Morbid Angel at times, particularly when the rhythms shift gear
in stomach-churning drops and dives, while the guitars discharge
tons of held-note peelouts and the choppy riffwork hammers its devastating
point home with conviction. What The Forsaken still lacks, and what
ultimately holds Art of Desolation back from being a great rather
than a merely good album, is the similar-sounding nature of much
of the band’s music. While the songwriting proceeds in a logical
and fluid manner, the band needs to concentrate on writing more
memorable riffage and perhaps consider including a few more midpaced
sections by way of contrast, as successfully occurs on "Injected
Terror." The increased use of violent tempo changes and perturbed
riffery suggests that The Forsaken is moving in the right direction,
but it still needs to find better techniques for coloring its songs
in order to reduce the "blur effect" whereby one song
moves into the next with markedly little drama; evidence, it would
seem, that there is not yet sufficient distinction from track to
track. A perfectly fine album for what it is, but not sufficiently
innovative or distinctive to push the band beyond the second tier
of the death metal genre. At least not yet, though I certainly do
believe that The Forsaken has what it takes to elevate itself to
first-tier stature with time. <Tate Bengtson> -6-
GRAVE
Back From The Grave (Century Media)
After hearing the atrocity that is the new Unleashed album (yeah,
I know so people like it - I don't and neither does U! scribe Tate),
it was a breath of fresh air to hear such power and momentum storming
out of Grave's long-awaited release 'Back From The Grave.' Six years
in the works, the Swedish death metal machine returns to the scene
with a growling beast of heavy riffs and death metal know-how. Sure
the drive of their death metal riffs and growls sound a bit more
modern and polished, but this isn't 1994's 'Soulless' folks. Evolution
is key for bands to survive in this day and age. That said, fans
of Grave will be pleased to know that the band hasn't mellowed out
at all after such a long hiatus, rather they have become wiser with
the direction of their death metal material. Singer/guitarist Ola
Lindgren still sounds vicious and the production couldn't have been
better to help emphasis the stronger structure of their sound. Good
to see these veterans back and in fine form, especially with volatile
numbers like "Behold The Flames," "No Regrets"
and "Resurrection." Unleashed? Taking notes? <A.
Bromley> -8-
HAGALAZ’ RUNEDANCE
Frigga’s Web (Hammerheart)
I guess you could look back at the career of Andrea Haugen and her
work with Hagalaz’ Runedance and say that with every record
she seems to bring out the same sound, emotions, and atmosphere.
That is true, but with each release something special surfaces with
her music. Fans of her work will know what I mean when I say that,
as her evolution as a songwriter subtly intensifies and progresses.
Indeed this album continues with her passion for the Pagan arts,
pushing forth wonderful musical arrangements and Haugen’s always
mesmerizing chants. ‘Frigga’s Web’ comes across as
a much warmer platter of musical creativity, a welcoming web of
passion and sounds that allows the listener to settle into a comfortable
place and take it all in. Haugen’s magical songwriting talent
continues with this disc, and for that I am grateful. <Adrian
Bromley> -7.5-
HATE
Cain’s Way (WW3)
No offense to Vader (whom I have never liked that much) and Decapitated
(who I think crush!), but when it comes to intense, brutal death
metal from Poland, I’ll take Hate over those two. I can’t
explain why I feel such a kinship to the band, but I think it has
to do with their assortment of reckless death metal numbers. They
master brutality meshed with technicality wonderfully. Check out
scorching death metal numbers "Through Hate To Eternity"
and "Resurrected But Failed." I had a copy of ‘Cain’s
Way’ last year (when it was released in Poland) and the production
here for the WW3 release in North America is far superior. The production
has allowed the music to become much more intense and lively, something
the original CD was lacking. In the end, ‘Cain’s Way’
will please those death metal fans that want something heavy and
steadfast. <Adrian Bromley> -8-
IRON SAVIOR
Condition Red (Noise)
I think I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Iron Savior
regardless of what they may release, due solely to vocalist/guitarist
Piet Sielck's history as a co-architect for the band that would
become Helloween. But that was years ago, and despite the uninspired,
by-the-numbers nature of the band's previous release ‘Dark
Assault,’ Iron Savior's 2002 effort ‘Condition Red’
brings the band back on track. And although heavily influenced by
Judas Priest, Piet's Teutonic heritage and track record for potent
power metal keeps the similarities exclusively to an influence.
‘Condition Red’ brings to mind the band's 1997 self-titled
debut with energetic and precise steel-forging anthems, pleading,
singalong choruses, and a bombastic sense of pride. Rightly so,
as the album is a focused study in clear-cut metal with each track
causing the listener's heart to thump a little faster and may induce
synchronized fist-pumping, such is the glory of pure German power
metal. Executed correctly, as in the case of ‘Condition Red,’
you leave the experience with a mild glow and a feeling of benevolence.
Though you could probably spit anywhere in Europe and hit a power
metal band, Iron Savior stands tall, having developed their own
set of rules from day one and continuing to grow as time passes.
<Mark Morton> -8.5-
IN FLAMES
Reroute To Remain (Nuclear Blast)
I know, I know...everyone out there wants to hate the new In Flames
album. Why? Some say the band is becoming too commercial, others
say it is because they toured with Slipknot in Europe and others
are crying because they changed their logo to something that looks
nu-metal. I admit I was very apprehensive about the new album as
I wasn’t too into their last album, ‘Clayman’ (2000),
and felt that the band had to change quite a bit to avoid falling
into the trend of rehashing old stuff (which in my mind was happening
with ‘Clayman’). And don’t get me started about that
awful/poorly produced live album ‘Tokyo Showdown.’ Whatever
your (or my) problems are with In Flames, I personally think that
all that will disappear with a few listens of ‘Reroute To Remain.’
With a new burst of energy and a clever title too, these Swedes
find a lot of cool ideas to work with on the new disc, be it the
bizarre vocal stylings, catchy choruses or some electronic elements.
The success of this album relies on the fact that the band set out
to make a record full of variety, to step away from what had been
part of their sound for so many albums, but at the same time not
lose a grip on the traditional In Flames sound. And of note, ace
producer Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, Stuck Mojo) did a nice job
bringing a nice crunch to their sound. This album offers everything
an In Flames fan could want from a band that has been around so
long and evolved enough to keep it interesting. My favourite tracks
are "System," "Cloud Connected," "Dawn
of a New Day," and "Dismiss the Cynics." ‘Reroute
To Remain’ is one of the best albums of the year, partly because
the band didn’t follow any trend and did what they wanted to
do. For that reason alone, they remain one of the best metal outfits
out there nowadays. <Adrian Bromley> -9-
IRON GIANT
No Longer Sleeping (12th Planet)
"Take Her Down," this album’s first track, immediately
lets the listener know what to expect from Iron Giant: thievery.
From the song’s clever Kyuss-like buildup to the trademark
Josh Homme guitar fills and contemplative soloing, plus the overall
"tube amp" sound, this is a band that relies on another
bands to help define what they are about. Subsequent tunes, such
as "Sexist Cliche," scream of Fu Manchu, with an emphasis
on guitar scales and trippy interludes. While aspects of the "wear
your influences on your sleeves" ideology is a good thing,
Iron Giant are too overt with the copying and lack the innovation
necessary for their own self-definition. <Paul Silbiger>
-4-
JUVENES
When Heroes Will Rise (No Colours)
After an initial glance at the album cover and the band’s logo
font, you’d be forgiven for thinking Juvenes’s ‘When
Heroes Will Rise’ is yet another ripoff of/tribute to Bathory’s
‘Blood Fire Death,’ and to a considerable extent, you’d
be correct. However, the Polish clan injects an equally considerable
amount of their own personality into that template (in other words,
they’re at least a good knockoff), and surprises abound among
the band’s mildly majestic/mostly musty blackthrash here. Held
as a cult pillar of pagan black metal since their ‘Riddle of
Steel’ debut, the foremost surprise on their grittier ’n’
grimier sophomore outing, ‘When Heroes Will Rise,’ is
the hauntingly hovering title track, one of those psychedelic black
excursions into the vastlands of your mind, a war-torn battlefield
panorama that dangles most dreadfully in the cosmos like mammoth-sized
vultures surveying said scene; similarly, "Toward the Father’s
Inheritance" follows suit, and "Born Out of Flames"
might be the unlikely occurrence that Graveland would take a stab
at mildewed copies of ’80s Sodom and Kreator records. Speaking
of which, the other surprise here is "The Talionis (The Law
of Talion)," where the ornery artiness of Voivod circa ‘Killing
Technology’ steps onto the tracks of a Teutonic-trash trainwreck.
Elsewhere, of course, Juvenes treat the kult-inklined to revisions
of said Bathory platter, all cranky and cranked-up and cavernously
recorded like the ’90s never happened—and in Juvenes’s
world, they probably never did. What’s next, then, a trip into
the ‘Hammerheart’ of darkness, or inciting a "Riot
of Violence"? Wait and see, I guess, but this writer will be
waiting for the call to attack. Double-fist this with Urgrund’s
semi-recent ‘The Graven Sign’ for an elegantly wasted,
heathen-hearted mead-swilling session. <Nathan T. Birk>
-8.5-
KID GORGEOUS
Friday Night Knife Fight (Uprising)
Featuring ex-members of Buried Alive and Every Time I Die, Kid Gorgeous
produce some aggressive, challenging metalcore that is as offensive
as it is memorable. The throaty vocal attack, reminiscent of Will
Haven’s Grady Avenell, leads the way, belting out a bleak message
of pain and frustration. The rest of the band execute their duties
well, effortlessly guiding the listener though some fairly difficult
song arrangements, time signatures and guitar scales while making
it sound as though this is all second nature to them. There is also
a good dynamic vibe to this disc—slow parts are juxtaposed
with faster bits and the volume fluctuates up and down quite nicely
and naturally. ‘Friday Night Knife Fight’ is a successful,
creative approach to metalcore, and Kid Gorgeous are bound to develop
a good following if the metalcore kids out there give them half
a chance. <Paul Silbiger> -7.5-
LUCIDRA
Hollow Psalms (Life Is Abuse)
A cool black metal band from the United States that doesn’t
try to sound like they are from Norway. No way! Yes way, folks!
May I introduce you to Lucidra—a collective black metal outfit
consisting of members from acts like Hammers of Misfortune, Fölcainö,
Impaled, Ominum, and the Lord Weird Slough Feg—that manages
to avoid the cliché black metal sound and muster an album
full of thrashing intensity, black metal atmosphere and cunning
brutality. The album flows with a real sense of danger. Songs like
opener "Tomorrow Held In Scorn" lashes out a ferocious
wail of hatred as other numbers like "The Final Lamentation"
and "Damn the Night" bring out a real dark feel to the
band’s music. In the end, ‘Hollow Psalms’ is a black
metal album that doesn’t rely on location or makeup to make
itself evil and corrosive to our ears, and I can appreciate that.
<Adrian Bromley> -8.5-
LUNATIC GODS
The Wilderness (Shindy Productions)
‘The Wilderness’ hits the CD player, and track one ("Curse")
blasts out, making the mind grope automatically for recognition.
"This sounds like Auberon," I think to myself, "but
more extreme." And after repeated listens, the original conclusion
stands. Lunatic Gods create a blasting furnace of drumming and speed,
yet allow well-timed and well-planned clean vocals, with the appropriate
slower riffing and atmospheric effects, to make the listen interesting,
as well as multi-dimensional. About the only thing about their death/black
attack that does not conform to the norm would be the lyrical output—bitter
takes on the curve balls life has thrown their way, as opposed to
outright Satanism and nihilism, which offers a refreshing change.
Some of those satanic references are in there, but more like footnotes,
as opposed to actual song subjects, like "Battlefield of Life,"
about looking at past accomplishments and failures, and "Tormenting
World," about betrayal. Apart from that, the music is executed
with precision, and the production is clear and adequate, allowing
both clarity and skill to show through. ‘The Wilderness’
is a good opening release for one to test the wares of these Lunatic
Gods. <Alex Ristic> -7.5-
MOONLIGHT
Yaishi (Metal Mind Records)
This band reminds me a lot of The Gathering. They’re not just
comparable for the emotive music and gorgeous vocals, but for the
fact that I feel as excited hearing Moonlight for the first time
as I was when I heard The Gathering for the first time. Unfortunately,
the latter has kind of slipped out of any metal association, while
Moonlight takes their light prog/ambient metal and gives the listener
something fresh and original. I’m in awe of any band that can
try something different in the context of their own genre, as Moonlight
has here. This album is a true gem. The awesome vocals of Maja Konarska
complement the atmospheric and lush musical passages. It’s
also great to note how they switch-up the styles on this disc; from
the beautiful light prog of "Ergo Sum" to the ambient
and electronic vibe of "At the End of Our Days," through
to the hard-edged "A Story To Forget." Metal should be
about expansion these days, and not about conforming to a specific
sub-genre. And the expansive sound of Moonlight should be applauded
by the metal masses for daring to break the mold. This album leaves
me wanting more. <Liam Savage> -9-
MYRKSKOG
Superior Massacre (Candlelight)
There has been some great brutal death metal in the last half of
this year: Kaamos, Nile, Hate Eternal and now Myrkskog. Like the
wicked winds that open this album, the band just descends upon the
listener with a truly powerful aggressive flow, a violent display
of death metal music that isn't for the faint of heart. Some death
metal veterans may have a hard time digesting what ringleader Destructhor
and his minions have planned for us with 'Superior Massacre.' Cower
in fear as you will soon feel steel-toed boots on your neck as Myrkskog's
music pins you down as they rip into "Domain of The Superior,"
"Trapped In Torment" and "Blood Ejaculation."
In an interview this issue, Destructhor told me that he wanted to
make a record that was so brutal and overpowering that it would
make you feel like you were being strangled -- and he wasn't kidding.
This shit is evil! <Adrian Bromley> -8-
OCCULT
Rage To Revenge (Painkiller Records)
Occult's debut for Painkiller Records (their fourth album) is a
fistful of angry thrashing death metal that leaves you rabid and
craving more when the album comes to close after a quick 35-plus
minutes. Fans of this genre will know that former Occult singer
Rachel (who is on this record) now sings in Sinister. Her work here
is intense and on the money, with her delivering a sinister (sorry,
couldn't resist) death metal snarl that echoes with intensity and
might with each song. Chalk up some mighty death metal riffs and
a non-stop, all-guns-a-blazing rhythm section and Occult just steps
over the competition when delivering such monstrosities as "The
Madness Within," "Killing For Recreation" and "Mind
Domination." Now a four-piece, Occult has the goods to take
them far, and no doubt they are going to do their damndest to keep
it fast and brutal. Awesome stuff! <Adrian Bromley> -8.5-
PANIC
s/t (Bridge Nine)
With four songs in less than 10 minutes, I wasn’t expecting
much from abrasive hardcore/punk rock act Panic. But in this world
of musical creativity, some bands are capable of delivering the
goods in the least amount of time. Panic is a fast-paced whirlwind
of manic aggression that at times seems to find some melody in their
chaotic exorcisms. This band gives it all for close to 10 minutes,
and I must applaud them. I was into it. Choice cut: "Our Choice
Is Made." <Adrian Bromley> -6.5-
PLANET X
Moon Babies (Inside Out)
Just let me pick up my jaw off the floor. Man, this is great! Just
when I think I’ve heard it all in that multi-layered landscape
called "progressive metal," Planet X comes back and kicks
me in the ass. This album is like one big jam session. It’s
hard to tell the songs apart most of the time just based on how
much different stuff is going on. Composed of keyboardist Derek
Sherinian, guitarist Tony MacAlpine, and drummer Virgil Donati,
the prog supergroup has recommenced insanity in the form of their
second studio album ‘Moon Babies.’ Add guest bassists
Tom Kennedy, Jimmy Johnson, and the legendary Billy Sheehan to the
mix, and you’ve got a fierce-yet-focused sound. They have built
a more expansive landscape of sound than their debut album, but
it’s still just as insane. This is a sound that will make people
take notice. It’s crazy to note how they can have an aggressive
yet simultaneously subtle approach to making music. Musicianship
on this level should not go unnoticed. <Liam Savage> -8-
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