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BACK
100
DEMONS
self-titled (Deathwish)
It’s taken three and a half years for Connecticut’s 100
Demons to follow up their debut full-length In the Eyes of the Lord.
Think back to 2000 and you’ll remember that another Connecticut
band, Hatebreed, was embroiled in record label issues, and 100 Demons
had become a band to watch out for—especially their notorious
live show. Well, not only did time kill 100 Demons’ momentum,
but it really stultified their ability to write solid songs. Much
of this self-titled release is okay for what it is, but is definitely
not up to the standard of what they produced in 2000. Today’s
edition is writing fairly average hardcore songs, mostly in the
vein of a second-rate Sick of It All. Admittedly, the album starts
off well, with the threatening "Time Bomb" and the up-tempoed
"Destiny Never Came," but after that, the final seven
tracks are basically forgettable. If you feel like reaching for
some really, really good CTHC and already have all of Hatebreed’s
material, give the new 100 Demons a miss and pick up their old album
instead. <P. Silbiger> -6-
APOSTASY
Cell 666 (Black Mark)
Playing modern-day black metal (but not sacrificing on the heaviness)
with a progressive edge, Sweden’s Apostasy have started off
their music career with a powerful debut album. Giving a ferocious
and short-tempered fit of guitar riffs and solid rhythm at one moment,
and then slowing down at other moments to not completely hit the
climax right away, the band write metal the way the pros do. Not
sounding like a debut at all, it shows maturity in the songwriting
that seems to be lost on a lot of metal debuts. Bearing resemblances
to Dimmu Borgir, Arcturus, and Children of Bodom, it might take
another album by the band to find their identity. But fear not,
with doses of thrash thrown in to mix up the progressive black sound,
it shows that growth will most definitely happen with future releases.
Give this a few listens before passing off the band as another symphonic
black metal clone—it’ll be worth it. <Liam Savage>
-7.5-
PAUL CHAIN
Park of Reason (Masterpiece)
For years I have been listening to the same Paul Chain tapes that
I dubbed off a good friend, all dating back many years. Those CDs
are slow, contemplative, haunting, while being almost minimalist
compared to a million other "heavy" bands. Paul Chain
knows the meaning of atmosphere—heavy, doom-laden, and eerie
without being cold, or goofy. This CD was a gamble. How many guitarists
maintain a semblance of their roots over so many years without going
off the deep end with their egos? I would have thought that technology
or sense of self would have corrupted the man who has crafted these
songs. But, no, these songs have a mood and effect very similar
to those of shedded years. These songs are not stagnant in the sense
of time or tradition or impact. This CD offers 11 tracks which really
amounts to 12 tracks, but more on that later.First off some of the
current influences on this disc must be mentioned: Sleep, Wino of
Spirit Caravan/The Obsessed, and Black Sabbath. One who has listened
to these acts will notice guitar riffs that are set to knock you
over, whereas Chain’s normal approach is a more sparse delivery.
This is most prominent on the third track, "Sanctuary Heve,"
although "War Abysses" has the same woozy, psychedelic
fuzz guitar effects Sleep is/was known for. Tons of echoing voice,
just above a whisper, reflecting around the introspective guitar
strummings. A track like "Continuous Fix" could lose me
with the drum sound, but the spooky keyboard sound totally redeems
and chills one’s mind into expecting something utterly eldritch
to appear from out of the mist and fog which surrounds the song.
"Stanjess Klaus" is a bizarre psych freakout in slow motion
with some piano and an utterly creepy atmosphere akin to Celtic
Frost’s "Danse Macabre." "Let the End Begin"
is a perfect blend of Sabbath and elder Chain. "Ascension of
Any Pound" is where the Wino inspiration shines forth. Track
10 has a bit of a Middle Eastern mood to it, reminding of something
vaguely Arabic or Moroccan. The trickiest moment of this whole disc
culminates with the final track(s). This is two tracks in one, literally,
as one song comes via the left channel while a second comes from
the right channel. It’s an intriguing idea that almost works.
I say "Almost" because the two songs don’t quite
have the same duration, which makes it a bit awkward. The right
channel has more of a songy song feel, with vocals, structure, and
rhythm. The left channel is more like a huge breakdown—drum
rolls, crescendos, sustain. And then the songs seem to switch positions.
And then they both break loose with their own jams, of sorts, and
this is where things don’t flow as smoothly as one would hope.
This is the only part of the disc that isn’t just about flawless.
Damn! I can’t stress how powerful this CD is without being
violent or pretentious or in your face. It is hauntingly effective
by being illusury in nature, by subtly working on the subconscious
of the listener, of moving to the interior of the mind as the fog
descends amongst the trees. <Bane> -8.25-
CONTROL
The Cleansing
BASTARD NOISE
Sound Engine
LEFTHANDEDDECISION
Curtains (all PacRec)
Three new loaves fresh from the PacRec ovens, this time on pro-printed
CDs. Control kicks things off in typically authoritative style,
spanning the entire frequency spectrum from earth-shaking (literally)
rumbles to ear-splitting distorted screams. The mastering on this
disc is incredible; I don’t believe I’ve heard a production
as powerful and loud as this that doesn’t sound overdriven
in the least. Tracks are a collection from a variety of short releases,
and the discontinuity shows, though not annoyingly so. The first
few tracks are some of the best Control material out there, showcasing
Garrison’s knack for combining an ominous ambience (blackened
roars and analogue rumblings) with a full-on torturous aggressive
onslaught (blasts of high-end white noise) replete with his blood-curdling
screams.
Absolutely essential.
Bastard Noise is unfortunately underwhelming despite their reputation,
opting for a relatively ambient psychedelia instead of aggression,
but failing to bring the point across with any level of conviction.
Granted, the duo deserves some points for showing their more experimental,
electroacoustic side here, but aside from the improvisational genius
of the final live track, this remains as a collection of interesting
but unnecessary curiosities. LHD is Phil Blankenship of PacRec and
John Wiese of Bastard Noise. Good credentials that don’t disappoint
on this disc, churning out a familiar chunk of American noise that
sounds somewhat more varied and dynamic than some of their earlier
work, if memory serves. LHD seem hell-bent on bursting eardrums
this time round, blasting the listener with unceasing, rippling
walls of static and screeching. Yet there’s sufficient detail
to keep things interesting, making for a highly textural piece of
noise reminiscent of the best Merzbow material. Available for $8
each or a ridiculous $20 for all three from www.iheartnoise.com
, making them even more essential! <A. Wee> -9- / -8- /
-6-
DESPERATE MEASURES
Never Enough Time (Youngblood)
Starting out from the remnants of Maryland’s Gamewinner and
No Justice, Desperate Measures have put out their debut full-length
album in the form of Never Enough Time. Showcasing a straight-up
hardcore style reminiscent of Subzero and Madball, this band is
playing by their own rules and performing hardcore with no frills.
This 10-song, 18 minute album contains a steady flow of energy throughout
the disc. But with the good comes the bad—the production, which
is flat and lacklustre, and the fact that the band isn’t really
taking any chances with their sound. Sure, it’s performed like
they are old pros and know exactly what they want to accomplish
with each song, but there isn’t anything really interesting
on this album when you start to notice that all the songs start
to sound the same. The band just aren’t taking a lot of chances
with the music. I think though, that if they branched out of the
typical "chugga-chugga" formula and peppered the songs
with other musical ideas, it’d make for a much more interesting
outing. Not a bad job, guys, just keep me more interested with the
next studio output. <L. Savage> -5-
DEVILINSIDE
Prelude (Abacus)
Featuring a couple ex-members of Disembodied, Minnesota’s Devilinside
belt out four adrenaline-soaked tracks of extremely heavy music
that sits somewhere on the complicated line between rock, hardcore
and metal. The best way to describe this band is just to say that
they’re loud, as they offer the listener an ear-splitting dose
of primal scream catharsis, but little discernable variety. With
Jaime Gonzales’s throat-splitting vocals dominating their sound,
it’s like standing on an airport runway and guessing what 7-size
plane is landing behind you. Originally recorded in 2002, this EP
announces there’s more to come, with a full-length due out
later this year. Hopefully with a couple fistfuls of tracks in the
works, these guys can produce something that isn’t just loud,
but compelling. <P. Silbiger> -5-
EISHELIG
Die Gärten des Herrn (Napalm)
In some ways, Eishelig’s second record epitomizes Teutonic
goth, with the gloomy industrial aesthetic of its background synthesizers,
percussive rhythm guitars, and guttural delivery of German lyrics.
But despite the band’s nationality and their album’s electronic
edge, the most obvious comparisons Die Gärten des Herrn begs
aren’t German or industrial—take the Moonspell-quality
of Dennis Mikus’s softer vocals lines, for example, or the
Type O Negative-like tone of Eishelig’s guitar leads. Die Gärten
des Herrn has a steady, laid-back vibe all the way through with
enough groove to keep things moving—that is until about three
quarters of the way in. Then, with the track "Es Kommt der
Tag," things begin to drag and Eishelig plod on for a while
longer, working against the higher entertainment value of what’s
come before. The record ends with a lush instrumental, but it’s
not enough to totally undo the damage. Easy comparisons aside, Eishelig
sound pretty good—they just don’t leave a long-lasting
impression. <L. Taylor> -6-
EVERGREY
The Inner Circle (Inside Out)
Masterfully weaving emotions and melody amongst a darkened subject
matter, Evergrey boldly charts new territory and vision with their
sound and I love it. Having been thoroughly disappointed with their
last outing Recreation Day (save for the title track and one or
two other numbers) the band’s latest release is brilliant,
once again a concept-themed offering about religion and the controlling
ways it has on individuals in the world we live in. And while the
music is top notch and the production couldn’t be any better
(something we have come to expect from the band), it’s singer
Tom S. Englund’s emotional delivery of his vocals that makes
this album so powerful. Shivers run down my spine on numerous tracks
as Englund lets loose, especially on "A Touch of Blessing,"
"More Than Ever" and "Waking Up Blind." I had
my doubts that the band would manage to recover from their previous
effort and impress me, but they have and in a big way. The Inner
Circle deserves to be in the Top 10 of many in 2004—it would
be a crime if it wasn’t. <A. Bromley> -8-
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