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BACK
ALCHEMY-X
11:59:59 (Independent)
Having known Bob Mitchell’s previous work as a singer—ex-Attacker,
ex-Sleepy Hollow and now Vyndykator (see review elsewhere)—I
never would have guessed he’d be interested in dabbling into
the world of technical/progressive metal by teaming up with hot
new progressive rock act Alchemy X. No more screeching vocal cries
and dominating vocals for Mitchell with Alchemy X, rather an impressively
clean-voiced singer who really works well with the brilliant music
the band dishes out. Wonderfully orchestrated, Alchemy X is a dream
spin for music fans who crave technical music played with emotion,
rather than those types of bands in this genre that are more about
flash than substance. Highlights include "Shifting Passages,"
"Looking Glass Memoirs" and "The Dance." Just
like chemistry, you take two substances that you’d never think
would be able to work together and voila!
<Adrian Bromley> -7-
http://www.alchemy-x.com/
ALEXISONFIRE
self-titled (Distort)
There has been a lot of buzz lately in Toronto about hardcore/noise/rock
act Alexisonfire and while I do like the band (having seen them
live before), I am not sure if I would call the hype necessary.
Their music—while creative in the way they bring some eclectic
styles and sounds into their music—comes across as a mix of
Darkest Hour, At The Drive-In, and The Hope Conspiracy. But what
the band does have helping them out is the nice production that
brings their sonic mayhem booming out of your speakers all crisp
and tight. I also love the harmonies achieved on "A Dagger
Through the Heart of St. Angeles." I’m eager to see what
touring and live shows have done to the band and their creative
process. It’ll be an interesting sophomore effort for sure.
<A. Bromley> -7-
http://www.theonlybandever.com/
ANCIENT GODS
Mystic Lands (Sempiternal)
The best thing about the music that Mexican death/black metal act
Ancient Gods plays on ‘Mystic Lands’ is that fact that
the band is honest about what they want to do. This is not some
sugar-coated death metal with melodies and killer production. This
is raw and reckless death/black metal with an attitude and the need
to fight to survive—and Ancient Gods know it. Rabid death vocals
guide the band through punishing numbers like "Inside The Devil’s
Mind" and "Demon’s Land." Far from groundbreaking,
but still a kick-ass album for those death metal heads who like
it fast and abrasive.
<A. Bromley> -6.5-
http://www.sempiternalproductions.com
ANDROMEDA
II=I (Century Media)
I really enjoyed Andromeda’s last offering, ‘Extensions
of the Wish,’ a flashy guitar-driven, synthesizer-heavy extension
of creativity that just rumbled through an assortment of progressive/heavy
metal influences. It was tight and heavy when need be, thanks to
producer Daniel Bergstrand and the talent of session singer Lawrence
Mackrory (ex-Darkane), but it was obvious the band was not going
to stand still, not as long as guitarist/ringleader Johan Reinholdz
was in charge. Album number two arrives and there are plenty of
changes: new singer (David Fremberg), new producer (keyboardist
Martin Hedin) and a much richer sound. Still heavy and flashy, Andromeda
has managed to find the right components for the music to retain
structure and stamina and most importantly diversity. The band dazzles
the listener with such heartfelt numbers as "Two Is One"
and "One In My Head" and stomps hard ’n’ heavy
through opener "Encyclopedia" and others like "Morphing
Into Nothing" and the cool "Reaching Deep Within."
This album is a remarkable display of musicianship and passion and
a strong sophomore effort.
<A. Bromley> -7.5-
ANONYMUS
Daemonium (Kafka/MPV Records)
The three-year wait is over. One of the most underrated metal bands
in the world is back, and sound just as pissed and inventive as
ever. ‘Daemonium’ builds on the band’s incredible
1999 effort ‘Instinct,’ and adds some subtle and not so
subtle changes to an already powerful musical entity. Using a classical
piece consisting of violins to start off the CD’s opener "Invisible
Man" gives an eerie, yet beautiful feel. Then they proceed
to go full-tilt into a straight-ahead thrashy delivery. The next
track, "Demons Are Forever," is set up by some razor-sharp
sounding guitars, only to hear Marco Caliarri fiercely belt out
the title in an incredibly convincing pissed-off fashion. Journey
through the CD and you’ll find tracks like "In Your Face"
and "Mephisto" to be abrasive, but not to the extent that
it’s too much to swallow. And take "La Mano Criminal"
and its beautiful acoustic intro that melds nicely into a heavy
one-two punch, and you can really see the scope of the band’s
musicality. I figured it’d be hard to top ‘Instinct,’
and I don’t think this album has, because it stands on its
own. It’s just as inventive as its predecessor, but in a different
way. It’s like the most complete Anonymus yet. Just take the
huge melting pot of styles in metal and deposit it into a CD, and
you have the unique mind-fuck of ‘Daemonium.’
<Liam Savage> -10-
AXIS OF ADVANCE
The List (Osmose)
From the ashes of Sacramentary Abolishment, Axis of Advance has
picked up the pieces and emerged as a more militant and extreme
version of their last project, once again forging ahead in a chaotic
blackened death metal outfit. Even from their previous project,
the style is difficult to pinpoint as is any discernible influence
contained herein. Axis of Advance play a more frenzied and discordant
amalgamation of extreme metal, achieving a sound unto their own.
Some tracks such as the opener "Annihilation" show the
band’s more chaotic and bombastic attack, while "Supremincer"
shows the band’s ability to interject some melody to stave
off the monotony. ‘The List’ is a unique stylistic approach
to the best of the most extreme genres of metal and offers a fresh
albeit chaotic take on the genre.
<Steve Wasylyk> -7-
AVANTASIA
The Metal Opera Part II (Century Media)
I know I’ve said this about too many people, but Tobias Sammet
is, without a doubt, one of the most gifted songwriters in the melodic
metal field today. Not only does his main band Edguy progress light
years with each album, but his pet project Avantasia yields such
a wellspring of talent and style its effect is almost overwhelming.
This album’s predecessor was novel for what it was, and I almost
wrote it off as an Ayreon knock-off, but The Metal Opera Part II
really drives home the rock opera theme that was primarily lacking
on the first album. Starring vocalists on this disc include Michael
Kiske (great to hear the man on a METAL album again!), Gamma Ray’s
Kai Hansen, Virgin Steele’s David Defeis, former Angra frontman
Andre Matos, and Within Temptation’s Sharon Den Adel (who also
lends her talents to Arjen Lucassen’s various Ayreon projects).
As stated, Part II exemplifies the rock opera aspect more than "a
collection of metal songs with superstar vocalists," as each
track, grandiose in its own way, combines impressions of both Meatloaf
and Queen intricacies, while carefully shying away from the Andrew
Lloyd Webber Broadway fluff. The power of these tracks is nothing
short of incredible. Even metal fans that do not appreciate the
power metal genre will be awed by the grandness of this album. Savatage
fans will obviously eat it up, as parallels can be drawn to some
of their work as well…Paul O’Neill would be proud. But
I digress; Avantasia shines as a body of work greater than the sum
of its parts. Even though the vocal and musician departments are
entirely composed of an all-star lineup, Sammet’s direction
and composition skills creates a brilliant cohesion emphasizing
everyone’s stronger abilities. Of course, most people will
purchase the album based solely on the individual participants’
efforts, for if metal fans are anything, most are completists and
devoted to their favorite artists! It is my hope that, with that
respect, that Avantasia is eventually looked upon more than a "We
Are The World" novelty item and more a rare event that brings
together key players in the melodic metal field through a study
in amazing songsmithing.
<Mark Morton> -10-
BABYLON MYSTERY ORCHESTRA
Divine Right of Kings (Independent)
I don’t why I was attracted to this album by Babylon Mystery
Orchestra (the one-man project of Sidney Allen Johnson), but I was.
After an initial listen I was drawn back into ‘Divine Right
of Kings,’ quite possibly by the unusual way the album is presented.
With a sound reminiscent of something you’d get should you
mix Judas Priest, Therion and The Sisters of Mercy (as in their
gothic/narrative delivery of vocals), then you pretty much know
what you are getting into. Powerful atmospheric overtones help coat
this album with some substance. Themes running throughout deal with
religion, politics and lots of other social themes. While it may
not be the best album out there, there is a touch of genius permeating
the album that makes it an enjoyable listen for the most part. No
doubt people giving this a listen will find something to latch onto—I
certainly did.
<A. Bromley> -6-
http://www.babylonmysteryorchestra.com
BEATEN
BACK TO PURE
The Last Refuge of the Sons of Bitches (Retribute)
Very few bands are capable of producing a harmful, filth-ridden
swagger of a sound as Virginia’s Beaten Back To Pure are, so
congrats to them for dishing out such an aggressive pile of intensity.
As you may have guessed, the band gives their all here, relying
more on drunken emotions and a fist-pounding drive rather than an
ace production and sterile ideas. Choice cuts: the title track and
"Syphilis." Distortion, screams and a real redneck mentality
runs rampant for 35-plus minutes, so be sure to hold onto your beer(s)
as these bastards kick the shit out of you and everything else in
the room. Brace yourself!
<A. Bromley> -7.5-
http://www.beatenbacktopure.com/
BEYOND FATAL
Sanctuary In Misery (Bloodsoaked Records)
You will find no sanctuary, perhaps a fair bit of misery, and certainly,
if this four-piece continues in the same direction of banal, tired
death metal, it will certainly be beyond fatal for their career.
Here you have a group, trumpeting the fact that they're "pure
death metal," and listing that they're fans of Suffocation
and Cannibal Corpse, but don't actually do anything to show that
they either can perform their own material, or deviate from the
path set forth before them by their predecessors. Then you have
a singer who does live up to his reputation of sounding like a young
Chris Barnes, but this is not a good thing, as a young Chris Barnes
couldn't be understood or was never discernible, sounding like a
pig in his death throes grunting what sounded like "oink oink
oink oink oink oink oink." Hey, if you want the sounds of barnyard
animals, wouldn't it be easier to download them than spend $15 or
more on a CD? Now, Beyond Fatal have done a lot right with ‘Sanctuary
In Misery,’ with tons of professional artwork, a stellar production
for their level of experience, and having the ability to play brutal
and blinding fast death metal without missing a beat. But if we
are to be honest, who is a serious artist in death metal who can't
play that way nowadays? Having the tools of the trade is no longer
enough. And quite frankly, there is nothing compelling enough to
make you go out and buy this.
<Alex Ristic> -4-
BLESSING THE HOGS
The Poisoning (Goodfellow/Suburban Home)
String bending and mind bending, Blessing the Hogs share their insanity
with the world on this intelligently crafted 11-track full-length.
With Bloodlet-like growled vocals, detuned guitars, frequent tempo
changes and odd time signatures, bizarre samples and a totally unpredictable
ride, Blessing the Hogs are almost too difficult to listen to for
the first half of the album. However, ‘The Poisoning’
has been cleverly structured, as the schizophrenic beginning to
the album unravels into a more sludgy but organized middle and end—an
inviting way to encourage the listener to try again at track one.
While there are some difficult, manic moments that sneer at the
rules of structured songwriting, Blessing the Hogs should appeal
to fans of Soilent Green, Neurosis and other metal performers who
are able to clearly and effectively communicate madness in a way
that somehow makes sense.
<Paul Silbiger> -7-
BLOOD VOMIT
Up From the Grave (Bloodsoaked Records)
Gore metal? Bore metal maybe. Yeah, there's blood, guts, vomit,
decaying corpses, blah, blah, yadda, yadda. It seems like everything
old is new again, except for those of us old enough to remember
and still get bored by rehashed, tried-and-true formulas, which
have now lost their power to be fatal to the flesh. To beat the
dead horse, which is dumb enough to come back after getting beat
in the first place, when there is nothing new to embrace, what exactly
do you have to cheer about? Hero worship is all fine and dandy,
but we're sure Mortician like being who they are just fine without
having Junior (i.e. Blood Vomit) tag along behind them. There is
nothing, at least from a lyrical and thematic standpoint, that can
be done to re-energize this genre. Gore is gore. Sure, you can't
sing about decapitating roses and orchids (it just doesn't have
the same effect) but if you can't take it any further than it's
been, why wear a hole in the well-tread carpet in the first place?
And none of this is helped by the poor production job, with ‘Up
From the Grave’ sounding like it was recorded in a cramped
Port-O-Potty. Hey, kids will be kids, and always follow their heroes.
But if they also insist on doing this, they will never surpass them.
<A. Ristic> -3-
BOUND ETHER
Good Sara In Flames (Independent)
I love good hard rock bands that can make you lost in their sound,
much like Bound Ether has done. The first thing you’ll notice
upon listening to this almost 20-minute EP is the nice mood the
band sets—tight and well delivered. The next noticeable thing
is singer Val Linaker’s vocals. Wow. So soulful and emotional.
Very comparable in that aspect to Concrete Blonde’s great Johnette
Napolitano. When listening to this, I get the impression that they
just really love to play. It comes out in their music, not to mention
their live set (last song "Tooled" is a live cut), where
the band commands attention with their drive and attitude. The title
track draws you in and locks you, while "The Distance Between"
once again showcases the awesome pipes of Linaker. There’s
been a lot of hype surrounding this band in the Toronto rock scene,
and after seeing them in a live setting like I have, you’ll
be wondering when the record executives will be pulling out a contract.
<L. Savage> -9-
Contact: www.boundether.com
BURY YOUR DEAD
You Had Me At Hello (Alveran/Eulogy)
Like the bastard son of Connecticut’s powerhouse hardcore act
Hatebreed and noise mongers Meshuggah, East Coast act Bury Your
Dead are a band on a mission. The mission? Destroy everything in
their path. Violent, non-stop and reckless, ‘You Had Me At
Hello’ (I love the movie Jerry Maguire too) just lets loose
an onslaught of chaotic rhythms, crushing riffs and screaming vocals
that’ll send any hardcore kid into a frenzy. How could it not?
I was flinching at the drive and intensity of such songs as "33
RPM," "Dragged Out and Shot" and "Tuesday Night
Fever" as they blared from my boombox. While far from groundbreaking,
mosh pits will no doubt light up when Bury Your Dead hits the stage.
Watch your back!
<A. Bromley> -7-
CENTVRION
Non Plvs Vltra (Scarlet)
First things first: I just can’t get into the vocals on the
new Centvrion disc. I think for some reason or another I was able
to digest some of their past heavy/thrash metal work with some sort
of ease, but the vocals on the new album ‘Non Plvs Vltra’
are just horrendous. I mean, I know sometimes a mediocre singer
when mixed with powerful music can work, but this pairing of atrocious
vocals and talented musicianship showcases no magic at all. I felt
myself slowly becoming irritated as the band carried on and by the
time we hit the mid-point with "The Crvcifier" I was itching
to turn this sucker off, but I carried on. Even after coming back
to the album a day later, I couldn’t get into it. Maybe come
the next album and with a new singer I could get into Centvrion,
but as for now, I’ll be steering clear of the album because,
well, the vocals just SUCK!
<A. Bromley> -2.5-
COHERENT LIQUID FORM
New Existence (Archives Music)
The opening riff on "Divergent Reality" is such a trip
(late-’80s thrash flavoured), that you can't wait to hear what
Coherent Liquid Form come up with next. And they don't disappoint,
jumping lanes in mid-stream, slowing down and going for the jugular
with a Morbid Angel mid-tempoed delivery. CLF know how to blend
styles without making it confusing, culling together traditional
metal elements like the shred, and applying it to extreme death
metal to create a scathing CD. While the occasional shred is a nice
touch, CLF do keep things a little more coherent, using tones that
would make Chuck Schuldiner and Trey Azagthoth proud. Of course,
that's just on the first track. When ‘New Existence’ jumps
to "Chained," a more traditional early-’90s black
metal sound becomes quite evident, although the vocals are put through
some electronic fuckery to get a more evil effect. Not always fast,
CLF ride the waves of mid-tempo, exploring just how extreme they
can go in a single speed setting, and for the most part it works.
No song sounds alike, and while they do blend several styles, it
never gets confusing or chaotic. A pleasant surprise coming from
left field, as the boys may not be on their own indie label for
long.
<A. Ristic> - 8
URL: www.imperialarchives.com/clf
Email: clf@imperialarchives.com
CRADLE OF FILTH
Live Bait For the Dead (Snapper Music)
In keeping with 2002's trend of cashing in on the Cradle of Filth
brand, Snapper Music follows up the impressive Heavy, Left-Handed
& Candid live DVD (I have yet to see a music DVD that matches
its immaculate design, as far as creative content—and yes,
I have seen the Iron Maiden Rock In Rio DVD!) with a CD version
of the concert, along with a second disc of various odds and ends.
This marks Cradle's introduction to the live CD format (it only
took eight years), and the quality is amazing. I've always felt
Cradle's black magic was most effectively accomplished in the studio,
because of their extreme technical prowess, but ‘Live Bait
For the Dead’ is an incredible piece of work, even though studio
touchups had to have been involved somewhere along the lines—come
on, Cradle's work is too complex to just let a tape record it accurately.
Despite that argument, the live set captured herein is an excellent
setlist and exhibits the band's volatile and versatile approach
to performing live. While MFN took the sneaky approach of coaxing
fans to purchase their CoF product, Snapper aims directly at the
converted with beautiful (and quite unique) packaging, a lavish
booklet, and a second disc loaded with audio mayhem (a couple altered
versions of studio classics, soundcheck recordings, a couple cover
tunes, a video, and downloadable extras). On top of all that, the
disc has a limited edition pressing, so once they're gone, like
Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets, only the few will be able to visit
Dani Filth and Co.'s factory of horrors.
<M. Morton> -8-
DEINONYCHUS
Mournument (My Kingdom Music)
Ever since Marco Kehren joined Bethlehem as vocalist, later departing
the band to continue on his own project, Deinonychus, and even before
then, this obsessive, manic-depressive Dutchman has been an endless
fount of inspiration for those of the fanatically "troubled"
bent. The utter negativity pouring from this man (not literally)
is enough to negatively charge the whole planet earth, setting magnets
out of control. No kidding. ‘Mournument’ is a collection
of raw, symphonic doom metal recorded back in 2000 and unfortunately
delayed up to this point, as record label complications have kept
it in a state of limbo. But with the eminent release of this album
things will hopefully change for the better. The most conspicuous
break from the past is the addition of Dark Sanctuary keyboardist,
Arkdae, who embellishes Marco’s anguished vocals and crunching
guitar lines with a bombastic, sweeping keyboard performance giving
the music, at moments, an airy, drifting feel, closer to the ‘Ark
of Thought’ recording from 1999. It is like the guitars, if
you can imagine, are the dirt on the ground, and the keyboards the
wind to set the dirt floating and whipping in the air in a majestic
display. William Sarginson, the ex-Cradle of Filth drummer, provides
percussion once more, taking a curiously simple and formulaic rock
’n’ roll approach to this recording, but the level of
emotion stirred up in these hymns, and the "what’s that?"
coming on account of Marco Kehren with his absolutely tortured vocals,
make up for any such shortcoming. ‘Mournument,’ while
not as extreme as the self-titled album that came before it, definitely
shows a more creative and personal side to this artist. It is far
from immediately gratifying, yet for those with patience (or are
just mental patients), a virtual reality noose with fantastic liberating
possibilities.
<Yury Arkadin> -8-
DESPISED ICON
Consumed By Your Poison (Galy)
As of late, Galy Records has been putting out a consistent amount
of good, diverse metal bands for the metal market to consume: Reckon
With One, Unquintessence, Soulscar and Horifixion. One of the label’s
more intense acts is grind/hardcore/noise act Despised Icon. The
band’s album ‘Consumed By Your Poison’ has a damn
good groove going on, lots of grinding vocals attached to sinister
riffs and some hardcore momentum. Fast and furious is what they
dish out ("Poisonnariat," "Dead King" and "Fashionable")
and while that is a good thing, there seems to be a slight flaw
in what they do. It doesn’t sound all that focused at times
and that can be the downfall of the band. But given that this is
their debut release, I’m willing to believe they can correct
any flaws and come back out even stronger next album. I’ll
be playing this till then.
<A. Bromley> -7-
URL: www.galyrecords.com/index.shtml
DOMINION III
Life Has Ended Here (Napalm)
It finally happened. Tharen, ex-Abigor keyboardist, frontman of
Dargaard and the unquestionably ultra-cool Amestigon, has recorded
a weak album—a really weak album. A really, really weak album!
I was stunned at the mediocrity of this recording when I heard it.
Even the first Dominion3 outtake (the band is now called Dominion
III), which was a mixed bag that ranged in quality from the dubious
to the mildly interesting, but still possessing a share of curious
ideas riding that thin line (ahem) between black metal and commercial
industrial, was far better than this current gothic dance-pop conglomeration.
Allow me to clarify: to call ‘Life Has Ended Here’ half-assed
would be a compliment. The material is simply confused. ‘Riding
the wave,’ I suppose, of other current Napalm bands, Tharen
and Elizabeth Toriser have decided to add, as I’ve said, dance
elements to their music, like Depeche Mode or something of that
sort, while still retaining the dark electronica core and even a
bit of metal—trust me, it is even worse than it sounds on paper.
And it’s not even the cheap, erratic eclecticism of this release
that bothers me, but simply the fact that it comes across as so
thin, so weak, so unfocused. There is no iron foundation to this
release, no solid, firm base. Dominion III is like the repository
of all the poor ideas Tharen had that were too out-of-place and
unconventional to incorporate into his other bands. Terrible...and
a real pity, too, especially knowing how much those two are usually
capable of.
<Y. Arkadin> -4-
DREAM EVIL
Evilized (Century Media)
Man, that was quick. I just remember Dream Evil’s debut album
‘Dragonslayer’ coming out last year and now we already
have a new one? Seeing as the band is led by keyboardist/guitarist/producer
Fredrik Nordstrom, I assume if he really wanted to he could work
on his band late at night in his pyjamas while drinking hot cocoa
if he wanted to. Whatever the case for the rapid turnaround from
debut to sophomore record, the new album is a step up from ‘Dragonslayer.’
Much more cohesive and packing a bit more of a wallop, the melodic
power metal outfit sounds much more in step with their sound. These
guys are having fun playing and it shows, most notably on tracks
like "Fight You Till the End," the title track and "Fear
the Night." The great thing about Dream Evil is that Nordstrom
could have easily made this band sound perfect from the start and
spent months recording an album just to make it sound superior,
but he didn’t and this allowed his band to live a little and
grow along the way.
<A. Bromley> -7-
ENTOMBED
Sons of Satan Praise the Lord (Music For Nations)
Familiar with cover songs by Entombed? Well, you should be by now
as the Swedes have done loads of them over the span of their career,
probably more than any metal act out there. This nicely assembled
two-CD set from Music For Nations compiles all of these cover songs
so we don’t have to throw on dozens of albums at one time to
enjoy Entombed having fun with other bands’ material. While
I like all the covers presented here, with Entombed doing their
best to beef them up and add their own sound to each track (okay,
the "Amazing Grace" cover is iffy), my favourites are
"One Track Mind" (Motörhead), "God of Thunder"
(KISS), "21st Century Schizoid Man" (King Crimson), "Scottish
Hell" (Dead Horse) and "Mesmerization Eclipse (Captain
Beyond). Not much else to say other than if you are a collector
of this band’s material, then scoop up this two-CD set of cover
songs. If you are a casual fan and like the occasional cover song
on an album by the band, then save your money for their upcoming
2003 release.
<A. Bromley> -8-
ESTROGENOCIDE
S/t (Independent)
Having arrived at my doorstep with just a simple note that said,
"I hate bios. Just play the music!" (or something like
that), I was intrigued to hear the music of Estrogenocide and see
what I was missing. While the duo’s music is not the most exciting,
the experimental/electronic/industrial rhythms did keep me somewhat
interested for the 13-plus minutes that their creation played on.
With a demented mentality and truly creepy vocal delivery (an almost
robotic/slow-paced vocal delivery), Estrogenocide are effective
mostly on songs like "Kick That Cunt In the Cunt" and
"Miss-Directed Anger." This is weird stuff indeed and
definitely not what I was expecting.
<A. Bromley> -5-
Contact: M.H. Records, 36 Central Park Rd., Plainview, NY USA 11803
E-mail: mrhymson@aol.com
ETERNAL LIES
Spiritual Deception (Arctic Music)
Keeping Swedish metal’s typical sound intact, Eternal Lies
have put out this, their debut album. Now at first listen, I hear
similarities of At the Gates and early In Flames flying through
my head. Well, here’s where the reader will say "Is this
just another generic Swedish death band?" Yes and no. Sure,
it’s very comparable to the aforementioned bands that helped
shape that country’s scene, but Eternal Lies have chosen to
keep with the current Gothenburg sound and have added a generous
helping of the groundbreaking mid-’90s Scandinavian death metal
sound. Not many bands that take this particular death sound from
both decades make it mesh properly, but this band has. The foursome
are very precise in their delivery, and sound like veterans. The
vocals by Tommy Gronberg take on a mix of black/death, which is
a nice combo. The superb drumming of Anata’s Conny Pettersson
is worth mentioning, too. I’ll be honest—this isn’t
the most original band I’ve heard, so that will diminish my
rating slightly. But the band has the distinction of making "Spiritual
Deception" sound like a 3rd or 4th album in their career, and
not a debut. It’s full of mature sound and capable musicianship.
<L. Savage> -7-
EVERGREY
Recreation Day (InsideOut)
While I have been enthralled by all of Evergrey’s previous
releases, especially 2001’s ‘In Search of Truth,’
for some reason the new album ‘Recreation Day’ isn’t
hitting me hard. There is no denying that there are some great moments
on here ("As I Lie Here Bleeding," the title track, and
"Fragments") and the trademark sound of Evergrey is still
present with harmonious vocals, killer guitar and keyboard work,
but something is not keeping things together for me. I am finding
myself losing interest at certain points in the recording, when
I should be headbanging and pumping my fist. I think a lot of it
has to do with the sameness of some songs or perhaps the production
is a little too polished. Regardless, ‘Recreation Day’
is a good album by all accounts, but kind of a letdown after their
last album (which was a concept album about alien abductions) blew
my mind.
<A. Bromley> -7-
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