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BACK
FIREIGN
Valley of Unrest (Dallas Tarr Records)
With a wonderful old-school/NWOBHM heavy metal charge, thrashy/power
metal East Coast metalheads Fireign storm into ‘Valley of Unrest’
with a beer in one fist and the other in the air. The result is
a dirty, unpolished (for the most part) and reckless time, a record
that thrives on that good ol’ heavy metal vibe that every band
of this genre should emit in some form or another. Got to hand it
to Trevor Leonard for some killer guitar work on ‘Valley of
Unrest,’ his shredding helping keep the momentum fast and frightening.
Strong numbers include "Killer In the Night" and "Death
From the Forest." Good to see Canada offering some great bands
on both coasts these days. Hopefully more people will take notice
and soon bands like Fireign and countless others will be thrown
into the spotlight, rather than having to wade in obscurity for
years without anyone catching on. This stuff is good, so investigate—NOW!
<A. Bromley> -7.5-
URL: fireign.cjb.net/
Contact:16 Ridge Rd, St. John's, NFLD A1B 2H4 Canada
FUNEBRARUM
Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods (Necroharmonic Productions)
Like getting your head smashed repeatedly with the dull edge of
enormous boot, Funebrarum, the new side-project of Evoken and Abazagarath
members, must surely be the cure old-school death metal fans have
been anticipating for their boredom for some time. All of the favoured
elements are there, from the splintering guitar sound to the rampant
blastbeats to the gargantuan vocals, all encased in a slime-filled
cocoon given birth to by mutants from a thousand-year old crypt
buried a thousand miles beneath the earth’s crust. The material,
morbid as it is, possesses its share of grooving riffs, its "sublunary"
spectra, so to speak, but not overdone to such an extent that one
thinks of "mosh-riff deluxe" bands (as Nick would call
them) like Intestinal Bleeding or Dying Fetus. No, the debut of
Funebrarum rather dwells in the nether-realms defined by the likes
of Dismember, Demigod and Grave: a very straightforward, semi-technical,
and generally un-melodic brand of death metal. One thinks of a more
updated and modern version of these bands. Now if I were to file
a single complaint about this, just one complaint, a less clear
and gratingly loud production might have benefited the atmosphere
greatly, but, either way, ‘Beneath the Columns of Abandoned
Gods’ is a perfect detour in the face of all the melodic, light
and "electro" death metal bands coming out in recent years
– i.e., the "mosh-riff deluxers." I think it’s
safe to say that people who appreciate old school death metal will
like this.
<Y. Arkadin> -8-
GRAND ALCHEMIST
Intervening Coma-Celebration (Sound Riot)
Black metal from Norway continues to surge after so many years of
churning out tons of cult metal bands and loads of copycats. The
latest band from that part of the world I’ve come in contact
with is Grand Alchemist, and luckily for them they play more of
their own take on the genre rather than taking the easy road and
copying it or I’d quickly pass over track after track. Their
sound, good for the most part, functions primarily on the strong
vocals and the sharp and solid guitar work (check out "Down
Again" and "Under My Shallow Skin"). Think mid-era
Emperor with a bit more keyboards, though not as strong of a production
(though this album’s production is damn good!). Personally,
I think Grand Alchemist has a future in Norway’s black metal
scene and only time will tell if they are up to the task. I mean,
Emperor has now dissolved, so how hard could it be to lay claim
to black metal throne?
<A. Bromley> -6.5-
URL: http://www.grandalchemist.com
GRAYSCALE
When the Ghosts Are Gone (Sound Riot)
With a strong production and talented musicianship coming together
as one, Finland’s Grayscale were guaranteed a winning release
with their debut ‘When the Ghosts Are Gone’ no matter
which way they went about recording this album. With shades of mid/late-era
Sentenced and a nice handle on the gothic rock sensibility helping
guide their musical flow, Grayscale proceed to dazzle us with their
effortless sway of styles coming and going with each track. Lots
of melody and dual vocals are etched into each song, allowing the
talented sextet to work their musical magic to bring it all together
as one. Grayscale are no doubt one of the more talented Finnish
acts going right now and I’m already eager to hear the follow-up
to ‘When the Ghosts Are Gone’—hopefully sooner than
later.
<A. Bromley> -7-
URL: http://listen.to/grayscale
HERETIC ANGELS
Delicious Sinistry (Maximum Entertainment)
Wow, here's something new. A band that can play death metal, but
aren't necessarily worried about making it the fastest, or most
brutal, yet at the same time manage to go into new territory and
throw in what seems to be innocuous little elements, but they still
have an impact on the music. Let's start with the drumming, which
isn't of the jazz/grind variety, yet there are simplistic time changes
a plenty, drawing in the listener’s ear more. Then there's
the guitars, which much like the drums, aren't overly technical
or fast, yet manage to propel the song along with straight-forward
death riffs—hard hitting and sharp—but get melodic flourishes
thrown in to throw the listener off. And no, we're not talking about
melodic death bands like Children of Bodom or In Flames who base
their entire songs on melodic structure, but rather staid typical
riffs, with mini-solos thrown in. The vocals are also distinct.
While it's safe to say that growling is growling, some vocalists
in the genre are so low or indiscernible that you can interchange
them, whilst to these ears minstrel Sunyalux has chords all his
own. As for the combined effect, it's nothing short of intriguing.
A grower to be sure, not all of the elements that go into ‘Delicious
Sinistry’ can be found upon first listen (and more are being
found after multiple listens—take our word for it); so it's
not a "grabbing" release. But it is a rewarding experience
to take in the music that Heretic Angels peddle nonetheless, even
if it's one piece at a time.
<A. Ristic> - 7.5
Contact Heretic Angels: PO Box 6, Taladkhwan, Nonthaburi, 11002,
Thailand.
URL: www.hereticangels.com
Email: rine@hereticangels.com
HORFIXION
Instigators of Chaos (Galley Records)
It’s always interesting to hear modern-day metal bands with
a retro feel. Will they be diverse enough to just hint at their
influences while creating their own sound? This is the question
that always tugs at me when I hear bands like this. Unfortunately,
Quebec’s Horfixion don’t click with the question I posed.
Although they are a talented bunch of musicians, their musical approach
comes off to me as unoriginal and boring. After the disc’s
intro, the title track made me think this would be a good CD, just
as long as they don’t repeat this track through the album.
Unfortunately, they did just that. If you’re wondering just
exactly what this sounds like, then I guess calling it progressive
death-thrash would be the best description. As far as comparisons
go, it sounds a lot to me like a cross between Coroner and Kreator.
Basically an old-school thrash outfit with a bit of a modern-day
approach. I’ll recommend this for the musicality, but for the
overall effort, I think they could have been a lot more original
without using the dated approach.
<L. Savage> -5-
INFINITY MINUS ONE
Tales From the Mobius Strip (Independent)
I’ve heard quite a bit of this band in the underground, so
I received the CD with much anticipation. Unfortunately, that excitement
turned to a feeling of boredom when listening to it for the first
time. After repeated listens, the feeling still stuck. This is your
average prog-metal noodling. Of course there’s great playing
(what prog band has shitty musicians?), but that’s where the
fun ends. The songs just sound like any other prog band I’ve
heard, meaning odd time signatures and lots of solos abound. I think
that in today’s prog-metal scene, the bands really need to
take a look at what is special about the scene and build on it,
instead of using the same backdrop that so many others have used.
This album to me is just another case of good musicians presenting
a way too familiar product.
<L. Savage> -4-
URL: www.infinityminusone.com
INHUMAN
Black Reign (Released Power Production)
These self-described "Brooklyn Bastards" play a reasonably
heavy form of melodic hardcore, although they mix in a few metalcore
grooves and punky vocal harmonies and tempos in order to keep things
interesting. At the band’s most melodic, it reminds me of H20
mixed with 7 Seconds, while its heavier material is reminiscent
of Strife or Madball. The band’s strength is in its ability
to keep things varied by mixing the melodic and the heavy in different
proportions. With an intro, four studio tracks, and two poorly recorded
live cuts, the album blows by pretty fast, and the value is to be
found in the four studio cuts, which demonstrate the band’s
scope as it hops among its various influences. While the band’s
songwriting is adequate, the ideas being presented are rarely anything
out of the ordinary, and the band’s penchant for eclecticism
does relatively little to mitigate this problem. I frankly don’t
find myself particularly enthralled by ‘Black Reign.’
Perhaps a full-length album will better showcase the band’s
talents.
<Tate Bengtson> -4-
Contact: R.P.P., P.O. Box 48, BXL 19, 1190 Brussels, Belgium
URL: www.rpp-hc.com
KURIXIS
Petitioning the Cold (Independent)
Bad black metal. Do we really need to explain it better than that?
Okay, here goes. While there's nothing technically wrong with ‘Petitioning
the Cold,’ there's hardly anything right either. A true paradox,
the threesome that comprise Kurixis sure have the chops, know how
to write riffs, and have the cold, dark and eerie thing down pat.
The sad thing is, none of it is their own. Not to be mean, but listening
to older Impaled Nazarene or Immortal is better, as ‘PtC’
treads no new ground, being old-school minimalist black metal just
for the sake of it—sparse thrash-based guitars, mid-to-fast
tempoed compositions, and lyrics leading to nocturnal notions. If
that's not enough, the production is just as bad, prompting one
to wonder if they couldn't afford any better, or they're ripping
off the masters once more by trying to be "tr00 kvlt."
Oh, and the music sounds really empty without a second guitar player.
Back to the drawing board, boys.
<A. Ristic> -4-
Contact Kurixis: PO Box 5039, Portland, ME. 0401, USA
Email: kurixis@lycos.com
KAMELOT
Epica (Noise/Sanctuary)
This band has really made a name for themselves in the power metal
scene. Now along comes the highly anticipated ‘Epica.’
Although I’ve grown pretty disinterested with a lot of music
in said genre for the last few years, there always seems to be a
few bands that can step up and show that there’s still some
life left in this particular style. Although the typical power metal
nuances are prevalent in their sound and on this album (double-bass
drumming, chugging guitar, high-pitched vocals), Kamelot seem to
make it work better than a lot of bands that try this formula. It’s
romantic sounding in its approach, and not without commanding attention
for its emotional delivery in the soft and hard parts. This CD takes
over from where their last one (2002’s ‘Karma’) left
off in the musical sense, but it showcases little extras like more
instruments, and female vocals that are present at certain points
in this album. I find the real gem of the band to be singer Khan’s
soaring vocals, which top off an already great band. Bands like
Kamelot keep my hope alive that more can be done with power metal,
in an age when it is sorely lacking originality.
<L. Savage> -8-
KISS THE CYNIC
s/t EP (Slob)
With ex-members of Luddite Clone and As Darkness Falls, you already
have a good idea what to expect from New Jersey’s Kiss the
Cynic: mayhem. And it lives up to expectation. The problem is, there’s
good mayhem and there’s bad mayhem. This EP is mostly bad mayhem.
There are good riffs here and there, but overall the songs lack
the glue to bond each of their individual parts together. It’s
almost as if this band knew they wanted to record a five-song EP,
wrote 39 different song riffs, and then threw all the different
parts up in the air like leaves to see which five piles each of
the leaves would fall in. Maybe the band felt rushed to get something
out to the public while the buzz was still fresh, but nothing kills
a buzz like the sobering reality of half-constructed songs
<P. Silbiger> -3-
LAST PLACE
Those Specks of Dust (Independent)
Like hardcore with melodic leanings? If so, this album might just
be for you. What a great CD. Taking a different approach to hardcore
makes for a varied sound by Last Place. The sound is not easily
comparable to one specific band, but if I had to pick one, it’d
be Mind Over Four (especially in the song "He Doesn't Know
What He's Doing"). That band took so many chances with their
sound to make something unique, and Last Place sound like the successors
to their underground throne. Another cool thing is that there’s
two vocalists, one clean and one rough, which makes for a nice contrast
in the sound. They’ve also thrown in some odd time signatures
to really make the sound special, as well as some sections that
may be a tad influenced by Mike Patton. It has an independent sound
with no boundaries, so I can see this appealing to a lot of people.
<L. Savage> -8-
Contact: www.angelfire.com/pa3/lastplace
LOST
HORIZON
A Flame To the Ground Beneath (Music For Nations)
I think a lot of people didn’t really give Lost Horizon’s
debut album a chance because of their silly band costumes and unpronounceable
battle names, but for those who did they were rewarded with a stunning
debut album—full-on heavy metal/power metal intensity and glorious
production. The band returns with an equally powerful (if not better)
offering titled ‘A Flame To the Ground Beneath’ and I
must say, I think the band has done a superb job of mastering their
sound/style. The songs are much better assembled and more memorable.
Highlights include "Again Will the Fire Burn" and "Think
Not Forever" and opening track "Pure" is one of my
favourite songs of 2003 right now. So I ask, how could you not like
this band if you are into heavy metal/power metal? Thunderous guitar
riffs, sensational singing and masterful production—it is all
here for you to enjoy if you give it a chance. C’mon, don’t
let singer Ethereal Magnanimus and his warriors down—join the
crusade!
<A. Bromley> -8-
URL: www.oncelosthorizon.com
MANNHAI
Evil Under The Sun (Spinefarm)
Man, this album just kicked my ass from start to finish,. The second
release from Mannhai (featuring ex-Xysma singer Joanitor) is much
better than their debut a few years ago because the band has found
a solid groove to work with. While I guess Mannhai could be classifiable
as stoner rock, the band is more than that. They have some real
kick-ass rockin’ riffs going on and no one (I repeat, no one)
sounds like Joanitor. His wildly weird and distinct vocals add something
special to their music as they storm through numbers like "Sweat
of Love," "More Than Enough" and "Spiritraiser."
I’d love to see this band perform as I can only imagine the
madness of this band live—lots of beer, deafening guitar riffs
and insanity all unfolding on stage. ‘Evil Under the Sun’
is enjoyable from start to finish.
<A. Bromley> -8-
URL: www.mannhai.com
MEAT SHITS
Violence Against Feminist Cunts (Moribund) / Sniper At The Fag Parade
(Moribund)
The Meat Shits is like the Charlemagne Palestine of gore/grind—so
minimalistic, so primitive, one has to scratch one’s pointy
little head and think, "Hmm... what goes on here?" The
difference is that with Palestine’s work, there actually is
something going on beneath the noise, and it’s a bit more difficult
to decipher the secret code... But before I go into these details,
let’s talk first about the titles of these releases, which
are together being touted as the most anti-PC recordings ever made.
With titles like those one is bound to attract attention, and, in
a way, that’s what the underground is all about: no compromises,
full-on subjectivity, no fucking rules, no fucking borders. Deathrage
has the whole "fuck everybody" mentality down pat. It’s
evident in his music, and I can appreciate that. Even though I don’t
share his (admittedly moronic) sentiments, I can dig it. It’s
all good fun. The problem I have is that once you get past the shock
tactics, you find that there’s nothing to offer, honestly.
Meat Shits is like Mortician without the brutality and half the
IQ. The two CDs are virtually identical except ‘Sniper...’
has undergone a somewhat better mastering job. And, really, it’s
too bad... I was prepared to indulge in something truly extreme
and over-the-top here, something to match the extreme artwork and
the extreme neurotic worldview, and instead all I get is the musical
equivalent of a geriatric bowel movement. C’mon, Robert! Is
this the best you can offer, man?! This shit here isn’t meaty
at all... Where’s the beef, chief?
<Y. Arkadin> -1/2-
MERAUDER
Bluetality (Century Media)
I haven’t heard much about this band, except for their song
"Master Killer," which I found impressive musically while
the lyrics were laughable at best. So naturally, I didn’t know
what to expect with this being my first full introduction to the
band. I hear a lot of people giving this band flak for whatever
reason, but I don’t see a ton of stuff wrong with them. Vocalist
Jorge Rosado sounds to me like a cross between Phil Anselmo and
Sick of It All’s Lou Koller. Not the most original meshing
of vocal styles, but it works. This is pretty much cookie-cutter
hardcore as far as I’m concerned; not the most inventive, but
it’s heavy enough to be passable in my eyes. ‘Bluetality’
(horrible title!) contains all the regular hardcore elements, complete
with usual lyrical content like police brutality (found in the grooving
"Again") and just being pissy in general. "Payback"
sounds a lot like the "Master Killer" to me, so that’s
enjoyable to these ears. If you’re checking this band out for
the first time, don’t expect mind-blowing music, just some
decent hardcore. It’s one of those love ’em/hate ’em
bands to a lot of people, so listen to it personally to gauge your
own opinion.
<L. Savage> -6-
MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE
Vampyre (Entity Productions)
You might remember an interview with this duo (Edward Douglas and
Gavin Goszka) in issue #16 about their last album ‘Gates of
Delirium,’ an asylum-based concept album. Very intense stuff
indeed. From one nightmare to another, the duo is once again back
with yet another horror-themed album titled Vampyre. This isn’t
some slick Buffy the Vampire Slayer-oriented album, rather a very
detailed and truly creepy excursion into the crypts of the dark
one. Haunting musical passages and great attention to detail has
once again made Midnight Syndicate’s work worth multiple listens,
especially late at night with the lights off and only a candle flickering
on the windowsill. For best results try playing the album from start
to finish without any interruptions and see how far you get into
the album before you turn the lights on.
<A. Bromley> -7-
URL: www.midnightsyndicate.com
MILLIGRAM
This Is Class War (Small Stone)
If you were to take the hypnotic, fuzzed-out drive of Fu Manchu,
the crushing powerhouse grooves of Helmet and the distorted/noisy
attitude of Fugazi and combine them into one musical entity, Milligram
would indeed be the result. Led by screamer Jonah Jenkins (ex-Only
Living Witness), Milligram play their music with more attitude and
conviction than a lot of major bands on bigger labels. And how do
I know this? Just listen to the band cruise through over 65 minutes
of no-holds-barred material and not even break a sweat. Hell, they
are ready for more. Harsh vocal cries set across a towering onslaught
of gritty guitars and a pounding rhythm section. Punishing on many
levels, Milligram is indeed a band worthy of praise in these days
when most bands living it up in the spotlight don’t deserve
the attention.
<A. Bromley> -8-
MONSTERWORKS
Rogue (Independent)
"If you like death, speed, thrash, black, ambient trance, but
most importantly TRUE METAL, then MONSTERWORKS is for you."
Taken from Monsterworks’ official Web site, this statement
perfectly sums up the conglomerate of styles and influences heard
in their music. Mainly based in thrash, with the other styles thrown
in to keep things interesting, the band has made ‘Rogue’
an original affair with many flavours and textures. To me, it sounds
like the bastard child of Exciter (older material) and Nuclear Assault
while on speed. It has an old-school feel with its reckless abandon,
but keeps itself firmly planted in the modern-day metal scene. I
love how it flows, and how it constantly keeps your attention. You’ll
probably not want to do anything else while listening to this, because
you’ll be so focused on this lay
ered piece of insane heaviness. One of the more original CDs I’ve
had come across my desk in a long time. We have a winner, folks.
<L. Savage> -8.5-
URL: www.supermetal.net
MOURNING BELOVETH
The Sullen Sulcus (Aftermath)
Majestic and lugubrious like Morgion or latter-day Alastis, Ireland’s
Mourning Beloveth prove themselves a force to be reckoned with on
this sophomore offering. Departing from the typical doom metal approach
of reflecting intimate despair, ‘The Sullen Sulcus’ instead
evokes a sense of an almost unimaginably grand cosmic despair, with
its six lengthy dirges (clocking in at over an hour) sweeping through
unending waves of immense heaviness and inexorable doom. The occasional
spoken laments from guitarist Frank play a disheartening counterpoint
to Darren’s full-throated bellow, as colossal guitar melodies
weave an ineluctable web of lachrymose grandeur on a level that
hasn’t been approximated since Anathema’s early days.
By turns beautiful and frightening in its scope, this album promises
to be no stroll in the park, and Mourning Beloveth’s gift for
portraying grief on an awe-inspiring scale easily puts them among
the biggest boys in the doom metal scene.
<Alvin Wee> -8.5-
MYLES OF DESTRUCTION
Running Only Makes the Fire Worse (Independent)
I know a lot of bands out there are trying to be unique and all,
but sometimes the most creative ideas are the ones that fail. Myles
of Destruction—a doom/death/experimental metal band—are
one of those bands that might have had all the right ideas, but
something goes terribly wrong here. The music, which consists of
only bass, violin and drums, comes at you with a wickedly bland/outright
clunky assortment of sounds that are nowhere near as creative as
they could have been. Perhaps more time was needed for this idea
to gel? I cringe every time I hear the opening instrumental "Cold
Day In Hell." Sorry to say, but this is wrong in so many ways…
<A. Bromley> -2-
Contact: P.O. Box 42673, Philadelphia, PA USA 19101
URL: www.mylesofdestruction.com
NEBEL
Hymns of Destruction (Oaken Shield)
This is your basic old-school black metal, with a bit of death thrown
in for good measure. Nothing new, and unfortunately, nothing exciting.
Blast beats in every song, through almost every second of every
song, just annoy me immensely. What is so hard about throwing a
different drumbeat into the mix? I know, wouldn’t want to mess
with being formulaic and fitting into the same mould as a thousand
other bands in this genre. Not to mention every song sounds almost
exactly like the last one I listened to. I will give them credit;
at least they’re consistent with the music and I can hear all
the instruments clearly. Not all bands do this in black metal. Another
thing that bothers me is the song titles. "Holocaust,"
"Dagger of Sacrifice," "Nausea." C’mon
guys, next time don’t take your titles from the "Big Book
of True Metal Song Titles." And that’s my little rant
on unoriginality in black metal. I present your subjects: Nebel.
<L. Savage> -1-
NIGHTWISH
Century Child (Spinefarm)
Nightwish’s fourth studio full-length truly marks the band
as a brilliant and masterful entity. ‘Century Child’ is
symphonic metal at its zenith. While I had previously felt the band’s
material (‘Oceanborn’ and ‘Wishmaster’) to be
clichéd power metal, made unique by the novelty of an opera
singer for a front-person, ‘Century Child’ completely
demolished my previous perception of the band. Smooth, silken structures
and vibrant visualizations exude from each track on the disc. The
trade-off male and female vocals are also a nice touch, as it banishes
the prior novelty of Tarja’s strict operatic persona, especially
when she works with a "normal" singing voice throughout,
and does not focus solely on her grandiloquent trademark. The album
progesses like an ocean current, with passionate rock balladry as
waves lapping the shore, metallic aggression as the same waves crashing
upon the rocks, and the emotive, symphonic calm of a midnight sheen
of the ocean surface. The album is a veritable cornucopia of emotional
outpour, but the most notable tracks include a metalized cover of
the Broadway Phantom of the Opera theme and the 10-minute epic closer
"Beauty of the Beast." I’ve always felt that a band’s
true test of ability dwelt within the success of a good epic—see
Helloween’s "Keeper of the Seven Keys" or Edge of
Sanity’s "Crimson" for prime examples. Nightwish
has earned entry to elite status with this three-movement, stirring
masterpiece depicting love and pain in a tragic serenade. For the
first time, I am actually looking forward to the band’s next
work.
<M. Morton> -10-
NOSTALGIA
Arcana Publicata Vilescunt (Release/Relapse)
I gave this CD to newly appointed U! writer Liam Savage and he told
me he couldn’t get into it and wasn’t able to review it.
I understood his dilemma, so I took back the CD to review myself.
I know some people really have a hard time getting into ambient/atmospheric
bands, and while I am not a huge fan of the genre, I do have a few
bands I have followed for the last few years: Soma, Subarachnoid
Space and most recently VidnaObmana. Throwing on Nostalgia I was
blown away immediately by the beautiful and warm sounds permeating
throughout the record. The vibe was motherly at times, giving off
a very sedate "I’ve been here before" feeling, but
at the same time also offered a subtle dose of complexity. As Nostalgia’s
music carries on, the listener is doused with ample parts electronica
and atmosphere, multiple styles at times meshing into one, though
never reaching a chaotic frenzy as that would ruin the "flow"
of Nostalgia. For those who want to hear what their dreams’
soundtracks would sound like, check this out.
<A. Bromley> -7-
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