|
Past
Issues:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25
BACK
NARCISSUS
Crave and Collapse (Abacus)
Narcissus has carved a niche for themselves in the underground hardcore/metal
scene by employing an adventurous take on existing standards in
aggressive music. Crave and Collapse, their third full-length release,
continues to evolve the Narcissus sound to new, risk-taking dimensions.
Ambient songs such as "Sounds of Silver" and "The
Recovery" are perfect illustrations of how far Narcissus are
willing to roam, as the echoing guitar sound and contemplative vocals
have more in common with a Creation Records band than anyone out
of the hardcore scene. However, other tracks such as "Division
of the Figureheads" and "Pride/Politics" really crank
things out, with ear-ringing vocals that rival Coalesce’s belter
Sean Ingram. The only problem with Narcissus is that John Pope’s
clean vocals begin to grate and irritate after a while. At first,
the novelty of his weak and occasionally tuneless singing style
adds another curious layer to Narcissus’ originality. After
half the album it becomes disturbing, and you wish he’d just
sing properly. Or stop singing. Vocals aside, this is a band attempting
to either expand or defy the realm of hardcore/metal, and they do
so with a great amount of success.
<P. Silbiger> -7-
NECRODEATH
Ton(e)s of Hate (Scarlet/The End)
I have always championed Italy’s Necrodeath as one of the better
black/thrash metal bands to surface in the metal world, a powerful
veteran act that gives 110 per cent with delivery and attitude each
and every time out. It should come as no surprise that the new album,
Ton(e)s of Hate, is a glorious continuation of where the band left
off with the spellbinding Black as Pitch. Sharp riffs adorn the
blackened landscape as the band pushes forward with the music, utilizing
a lot of atmosphere, some female vocals and even acoustic guitar
work (on the track "Evidence of the Beyond") to help spark
variety. Even though the band branches out a fair amount, they still
lash out in Slayer/Kreator-like fury of rage and intensity on tracks
like "Petition For Mercy" and "The Mark of Dr. Z."
With a less crisp production, the music of Ton(e)s Of Hate would
have suffered, I believe, but because the band was able to bring
out a stellar production the music here sounds much more intense
and focused. Ton(e)s of Hate is a worthy release to pick up for
sure, whether you are a fan or just a music fan looking for something
to hit you hard.
<A. Bromley> -8-
NIGHTFALL
I Am Jesus (Black Lotus Records)
Upon first listen to this album, I was ready to write this group
off. Doom-inspired death metal doesn’t usually grab me; instead
it puts me to sleep. But I was persistent with this release, because
I knew if I gave it a few more spins in the ole CD player, I would
be rewarded. Chugging forth with opening track "Death of Neira,"
they waste no time in holding my attention and piquing my interest
with their doomy death metal with a gothic flavour and slight progressive
edge. I guess those extra ingredients are what drew me in to this
sound. Comparably speaking, visions of Moonspell and Katatonia dance
in my head, not to mention the great attention-getting guitars that
draw you into the overall might of the sound. Yes, it’s atmospheric,
and with the styles mentioned, it doesn’t seem to be anything
new these days, but there’s something different about this
one. It just comes across really well. I don’t know how to
explain it, so check it out for yourselves and see if my ramblings
are accurate.
<L. Savage> -8-
NORTHER
Mirror of Madness (Spinefarm/Century Media)
I hope when these guys look into the mirror, they realize the madness
they created in ripping off Children of Bodom. It’s bad enough
that there are some bands out there stealing certain ideas from
COB, but to genuinely steal their sound and try to adopt it as their
own is inexcusable. It’s all here, folks—the battling
keyboard and guitar solos, the black metal vocals, the double-bass
drums leading the harmonious music along its way. So it’s things
like this that make me wonder how some bands can get away with this.
Hell, even vocalist Petri Lindroos (who happens to also play lead
guitar—go figure!) is a dead ringer both vocally and as far
as the way he looks to COB’s Alexi Laiho. My god, it’s
time to rise above the copycat mentality, Norther! Wake up and do
the metal world a favour and create something worthwhile musically.
Until then, you’re just another cover band trying to pass yourselves
off as something creative. Be gone!
<L. Savage> -0-
PAGANIZER
Murder Death Kill (Xtreem Music)
Paganizer basically sounds like an amalgamation of Entombed, Hetsheds,
and Bloodbath. I would not implicate myself by saying that Paganizer
was as good as these bands, but nonetheless, the old-school grinding
Swedish sound is alive and prevalent on this recording. However
there are no Entombed-ish creepy guitar interludes, no slow and
doomish Bloodbath-ish segments, just straight up mid- to fast-paced
grindy death metal. There was a sense of "class" that
went along with some of the aforementioned acts, who kept their
music accessible, yet appropriately in tune with the genre. Paganizer
display some attributes of "gem-like" status, but not
in any shocking abundance. This release fits well into its genre,
but with the advancements within the underground genre, the old-school
Swedish sound from this band sounds kind of…dated.
<S. Wasylyk> -5-
SAD LEGEND
Searching For Hope in Utter Darkness... (Jusin Productions)
With great joy I discovered that Sad Legend put a second release
out, after the debut self-titled album on the Korean Hammerheart
which was so superb and original that it immediately became one
of my favourite releases, and probably my favourite metal release
from East Asia in general. The label that produced this one, Jusin
Productions, is headed by one of the guys from Oathean, another
South Korean band, but nowhere as good as Sad Legend. Searching…
is a MCD of three tracks and carries a running time of about 20
minutes. The music of this band has been described as black metal,
but that is really a gross inaccuracy. Much like Dornenreich, Sad
Legend has evolved from black metal into something impossible to
conveniently classify, as this music is so individual and unique,
an expression devoid of the usual conventions and clichés.
What I can do is emphasize several qualities of this music, like
the lush keyboards and diversity of vocals (all executed, by the
way, by frontman Naamah, who does both male AND female vocals!),
and the impeccable production and execution of this mini-album.
The music is extraordinarily emotional, dream-like, and in parts
extremely sad (go figure!) and sentimental, but never in an excessive
or sordid way. There is a kind of "Manga" or "Anime"
quality to Sad Legend. I am not thinking "Sailor Moon,"
I am thinking of something a bit more serious—maybe…"Robot
Carnival"? I don’t know. There is clearly an old thrash
presence in several parts of the songs, but it is complemented with
myriad classical and avant-garde hues that make it vastly remote
from your run-of-the-mill retro-rehash of something or other. The
whole release, in fact, has the structure, complexity, and intelligence
of well-composed classical music, going through various themes with
little repetition. All together it is a brilliant piece of music.
From what I’ve been told, Naamah is in Japan now finishing
his college studies, so there is no telling what awaits for Sad
Legend. Needless to say, I will be very eager to hear what they
come up with next!
<Y. Arkadin> -9.5-
SEVERED SAVIOR
Brutality Is Law (Unique Leader)
Riding the wave of new school brutal death metal—and doing
a decent job at it—is Severed Savior with their promising debut
Brutality is Law. The band launches into impressive technical prowess
with tracks like "Buried Again" or "Blessed by the
Beast" showing the band’s ability to create proficient
song structures while retaining some lasting power. Overall, the
album focuses heavily on technical playing with little emphasis
on creating more distinct sounding songs. A promising debut from
a fledging band whose future works will be worth looking into.
<S. Wasylyk> -6-
GREENLEAF
Secret Alphabets (Small Stone)
They are KISS as much as they are Kyuss. The "they" in
question—Greenleaf—rolls out a 10-track platter o’
clatter that bridges the gap between classic rock and stoner rock.
Of course, such a bridge does not need an exceptionally large span
given that these two genres are more interrelated than 17th century
European royalty. Still, Greenleaf manages to bring these two musical
forms into a near-perfect balance. The band hits upon a compelling
blend of old and new, scripting party-friendly anthems that eschew
the self-absorbed pretension of contemporary rock and restore a
sense of genuine fun to the proceedings. The guitar riffs are effectively
simple without indulging in cliché, moving with confident
swagger from the wailing riff rock of "10 000 Years of Revolution"
and "Black Black Magic" to the groovy spliff-riffing of
"Never Right" (with more than a hint of Paul Stanley in
the vocals) to the psychedelic sludge-plod of "One More Year."
Unlike most stoner rock, which favours a distortion-heavy guitar
tone, Greenleaf favours a more traditional rock sound with greater
clarity bequeathed to the guitar sound. Keeping pace with the guitar
team is vocalist Fredrik Nordin, he of Dozer fame, who belts out
the hooks with a melodic verve that sounds like a suave mixture
of John (Kyuss) Garcia and Scott (Fu Manchu) Hill with a hint of
Paul Stanley in attitude and tone. At the end of the day, what ultimately
matters is that Greenleaf knows how to write great songs, and that
simple, incontrovertible fact is in evidence throughout the course
of Secret Alphabets. That fact alone allows Secret Alphabets to
stand as one of the best of this year’s crop of stoner rock
albums.
<T. Bengtson> -9-
SINISTER
Savage or Grace (Nuclear Blast)
It pissed me off when original vocalist Mike left Sinister, my favourite
band, to pursue a band of lesser calibre, it pissed me off further
when Sinister in turn released a string of lacklustre records, deviating
from their deviously elegant and bombastic style. With (I will admit)
impressive vocalist Rachael resuming her duties and original guitarist
Ron v/d Polder back in while Bart exits, Savage or Grace resumes
what is becoming a stale and redundant path for the band. Previous
albums were more based around a blasting and bombastic approach
to writing, where mood was enhanced with dynamic writing. Savage
or Grace, much like their last outing Creative Killings, focuses
more on technicality and succumbs to mediocre ventures that leave
no mark or lasting impression. While newer Sinister fans will appreciate,
us older connoisseurs will still pull the older material out of
our catalogues. Still disappointed.
<S. Wasylyk> -5-
SLEEP
Dopesmoker (Tee Pee)
Epochal stuff from a defunct entity. This is Sleep’s 63-minute,
one-track "fuck you" to life, the universe, and everything.
Depending on your point of view, this is a 0 or a 10. It’s
either high concept/low content drivel, or an ingenious meditation
on time-travel via power chords and THC. Just don’t ignore
it—it’s Dopesmoker, man. It’s also an alternate mix
of Jerusalem, Sleep’s legendary foray into major label politics.
(London Records wouldn’t release it, passing it on to Lee Dorrian’s
Rise Above Records, who definitely would, and did.) Dopesmoker restores
10 minutes edited out of the original album, as well as a heavier,
more raw mix (and a live bonus track, the unreleased and pretty
happening "Sonic Titan"). To describe the music, well,
previous referents might be Melvins (their Lysol opus) or Earth’s
2, or Sleep’s own Holy Mountain. It’s the relentless hum
of Orange amplifiers and metronomic waves of crash cymbals, and
the sound of three guys going off their heads to an extent I can
only imagine. If I had more lost weekends at my disposal, this would
become a definite 10, but since opportunities for sinking deep into
Dopesmoker in its entirety are rare, I’ll dock it some marks
for being so damn unwieldy. I heartily encourage everyone else to,
as the liner notes say, "get high, crank it up and listen with
open ears and mind…"
<R. Hughes> -8-
STILLE VOLK
Maudat (Holy Records)
Stille Volk, loosely translated as "Silent People," has
always had a special presence in the experimental folk world, and
Maudat does not change this observation in the least. In fact, Maudat
is arguably the most complete and developed album from the duo to
date, still original, still unpredictable and most definitely still
full of as much magic and esprit de corps as ever before. This time
around the concept centres on old traditional music, the music of
the troubadours, the travelling minstrels, so once again, like on
Satyre Cornu, we have a collection of bizarre anachronistic music
before us. However, whereas the last CD was ripe with electronic
oddities and a more, so to speak, festive, joyous atmosphere, Maudat
is conspicuously more brooding and serious, and also sounds measurably
more organic and focused than the previous album. Again, at least
20 different instruments are put to the test by both Patrice and
Patrick, and the results are, to say the least, magnificent. It
seems where many artists are losing inspiration and beginning to
sound, intentionally or not, less poignant, both Patrice and Patrick
are rather going the opposite direction, full of creativity and
the energy and talent to actualize this creativity in their music.
Perhaps the one setback to Maudat is that it does not go as far
"out there" as prior releases—it opts for a less
eccentric and more of a traditionalist approach—bringing less
surprises, but I would question if the word "setback"
is even appropriate to apply here. Maudat is simply an excellent
neo-folk album from a band that today, in my view at least, sounds
like no one else in the world, and is another great addition to
their already superb and diverse discography.
<Y. Arkadin> -9-
THRICE
The Artist in the Ambulance (Island)
Island seems to be feasting on a lot of underground artists these
days, and Thrice is the best of the lot. With two releases on the
Hopeless Records subsidiary Sub City Records, where the band fleshed
out their sound, they’ve made a major-label debut of major
proportions. Blending a host of different musical genres—from
pop/punk to metalcore—Thrice have figured out how to throw
all their influences together and make it sound like a cohesive
whole. The Artist… is one of those albums where your favourite
song changes all the time. Instant gratification is found in "All
That’s Left," an über-catchy rock song that has such
an addictive chorus, it’ll have you scurrying for the lyric
sheet so you can sing along. "Paper Tigers" and "The
Abolition of Man" would appeal to metalheads everywhere, with
intricate guitar work, complicated song structures and guttural
screams. "Hoods On Peregrine" opens sounding like a Tool
song and displays wonderful Tool-like dynamics, but is unmistakably
Trice. But it’s "Under a Killing Moon," the album’s
second track, that seems to sum up the band best: memorable neo-metal
guitar hooks, a combination of singing and screaming, and a chorus
that just won’t quit. Overall, The Artist… is an incredible
album, and a brilliant example of what an underground band can achieve
with major-label funding.
<P. Silbiger> -9.5-
THUS DEFILED
Weeping Holocaust Tears (Shadowflame Productions)
Following a majestic and dramatic intro full of wind effects and
synthesizers, Thus Defiled return once again, after some eight years
of existence, with their third album of black metal. Whereas earlier
releases were closer to a prototypical and conventional black metal
template, Weeping Holocaust Tears is more of a death metal record
with very strong black metal and early thrash influences. As on
Wings of the Nightstorm, in my opinion the highlight of the band's
history, great solos impact upon the music here on occasion—when
they don’t (unfortunately) go out of control trying to sound
like Yngwie—and the guitars have a primal, under-produced bite
to them that is very welcome. Six new tracks make up this album,
one of which is the introduction aforementioned. One piece, "The
Angelblood Chronicles," is over 17 minutes long and divided
into four parts, making for a rather epic work, even if it is more
of a collection of songs rather than a continuous stream of music.
For myself, the best and most memorable song must be the heroic,
forward-marching nightmare, "Of Shadow and Storm," with
its trade-off of low growling and high pitched squalls of vocalist
Paul C (one of the most distinct black metal vocalists in the UK
for sure). The album has its moments, and what the band have accomplished
is unquestionably superior to most other UK black metal bands. Thus
Defiled have their own unique approach to things and this album
does not change things for the worse, even if Weeping Holocaust
Tears does not really stand up to the superior Wings of the Nightstorm.
<Y. Arkadin> -7-
TRIVIUM
Ember To Inferno (Lifeforce)
You’ve gotta love the bands that are hard to peg sound-wise.
Such is the case with the excellent power-trio Trivium. Most comparable
to the outcast bands in metal that have too many sounds to classify
(God Forbid, Tourniquet and Anonymus come to mind), this CD is a
trip through musical originality. This is, to put it simply enough,
death-thrash with a metalcore backround, and lots of influences
are heard throughout, but none are immediate to me, which is good
because it shows the character of the band in developing their own
sound. What you have to realize that is so special about this band
is they sound like they have five members, but it’s only three!
How they produce this wall of sound is insane for a three-piece.
Coming from Florida, it’s interesting to note that they didn’t
take the easy way out and do a Floridian death tribute, which seems
to happen a lot to the bands from this area. I can honestly say
that if I was to write a metal record, I would want it to sound
like this, with all the things that go into the sound that make
metal special. The sound is flawless in its approach, it’s
original as hell, and it’s damn near perfect. This will definitely
make my year-end list.
<L. Savage> -10-
WACO JESUS
Filth (Morbid Records)
I’m surprised that the cliché typical mid-western US
death metal record can still find release with the abundance of
so many finer underground death metal acts. As far as cut-and-dry
death metal is concerned, Waco Jesus churns out the most drab of
releases. It’s hard to comment on a record that has been badmouthed
a hundred times in the past, but this record offers nothing new
or interesting to the genre. We have the standard misogynist-motivated
grinding, with clockwork-like tempo changes that adhere to the typical
formulaic mid-western death metal. Overall, not an enjoyable release,
nor a competitive effort considering the abundance of underground
talent current residing in their very own hometown.
<S. Wasylyk> -1-
YEARNING
Evershade (Holy)
Incomprehensibly, if not criminally, overlooked, Finland’s
Yearning, one of those many bands which are probably just "too
good" and too unique to have anything to do with large crowds
of admirers, have just released a new album this year, their fourth
album, and as any old fan of the band could extrapolate, it is just
as good as anything they have produced before, if not better. Opening
with an excellent melodic lead guitar on "Nocturne," before
you have even registered anything in consciousness, Juhani springs
forward with his characteristic low, death metal vocals, setting
the scene for the seven melancholic tracks that follow. It is really
difficult to choose any favourite at the moment, but "Contemplation"
and the title track are both indescribably awesome, and the last
piece, "A Day When the World Started to Weep", approaching
12 minutes in length, is a masterpiece. It is futile to put in words
what makes this band so remarkable...it’s a feeling, an emotional,
direct and epic quality to Juhani’s compositions—somewhere
between classical music, death and doom metal. And it is not only
the music—Juhani’s lyrics are really excellent as well;
dark, well-written and original. I used to hear an album as good
as this almost every month only a few years ago. What’s happened?
In any case, I am really pleased that albums like "Evershade"
still come out, even if they’re growing rarer. That same rarity
only makes a band like Yearning stand out more amongst the faceless
crowds, shuffling around and jostling each other sleepy-eyed in
the grey and barren corridors of insipid dreariness.
<Y. Arkadin> -9.5-
ZERO HOUR
Metamorphosis (Sensory)
This re-release of Zero Hour’s 1998 debut album is welcome,
showing how different progressive metal can be when it’s really
challenged to experiment and change up the formula slightly for
different, yet equally enjoyable results. Atmospheric and hyper
at the same time, all 50-plus minutes of this album really encompass
what is good about the progressive scene. Taking a typical page
out of the prog metal book however is the mini-concept piece of
Metamorphosis, which is broken up into five long-winded, yet very
enjoyable parts. As extras on this disc, we have demos of both "Eyes
of Denial" and "Jaded Eyes." Also of note is the
beautifully eerie artwork of Travis Smith, whom I constantly see
as the top cover artist for metal albums. So if you missed this
album the first time around like I did originally, try it again
and you won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t.
<L. Savage> -7-
|
