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Band - Atomicaust , Album - A Lot of Nothing 1991.
Country: USA, Genre: Thrash Metal
This act were one of the many who jumped the classic thrash wagon in the late-80’s as at that time thrash was still the talk of the day pretty much. It was buried later under piles of groove and other numetal innovations, but the underground resistance, which eminent members were also our friends here, stayed alive longer.
The debut demo was a really cool affair with a characteristic, heavy potent sound recalling Infernal Majesty’s “None Shall Defy” and the Brazilians MX’s “Mental Slavery”, but with more technical guitar work than both. Then came this “Intense on the Brain” mindfucker, the title-track being a most tantalizing showpiece of technical schizoid, labyrinthine thrash accompanied by a short balladic respite (“Reach”).
Then came nothing, I mean the demo reviewed here, and it showed the guys spacing out even more, sometimes beyond the strict boundaries of thrash. Still, the final result is nothing short of outstanding the opening “From Shallows to Fathoms” alone worth the price of admission, a bizarre jumpy shredder with super-technical “skirmishes” ala Realm and Deathrow duelling with heavy stomping additives and eccentric speedy bass-driven jolts, the cool mean-ish semi-clean vocals trying to sound as dramatic as possible in order to match the very quirky musical scenery which, taken in its entirety, doesn’t quite resemble anything out there.
Expect orthodox crossover strokes and very hectic jazzy breaks to add more to the otherwordly nature of this most diverse saga that carries on with the stolen from the earlier demo etude “Reach” which grows into jumps and jolts galore served by the thrash/crossover extravaganza that is the title-track which also contains some really hard-hitting thrash with more puzzling riff-spirals, virtuoso lead sections, and merry uplifting speedy dashes the latter taken straight from the Lawnmower Deth and The Accused textbooks; totally surreal stuff with the befuddling time-signatures flowing from all sides replaced by a quiet lead-driven balladic finale. Comes another “Reach”, a 4-min nerve-scratcher with aggressive pounds interlaced with more perplexing technicality and accentuated bassisms, the lead guitarist shining bright for the umpteenth time although it’s the visionary complex riffage that captures the imagination the strongest as there are so may ingenious original riff-patterns to be encountered within a such short span of time. Time to relax with “Intense on the Brain”, a 1.5-min crossover joke having nothing to do with the number of the same title from the preceding demo, and with the The Beatles cover of “Polythene Pam” which is easy to recognize despite the frivolous crossover aura and the next in line stylish lead insertion.
There’s so much to savour within these 15.5-min that the demo title can’t be any more paradoxical, intentionally of course; this is a most eventful concoction of styles and influences which amazingly sounds absolutely compelling and absorbing as even the most mind-scratching moments will be swallowed without any problems due to the optimistic atmosphere that wraps everything, and greatly eases the process. It’s a fairly unique listen that has its rightful place among left-hand-path recordings from around the same time like Omnitron’s “Masterpeace”, Transilience’s “Mouthful of Buildings”, Headcrasher’s “Introspection”, Jester Beast’s “Poetical Freakscream”, also the unjustly forgotten, very obscure heroes from France Les Gnomes, etc. although this effort has not much to do with Voivod, the tangible influence on most of those other albums. The guys were going their own individualistic way, and only god knows how far they were going to reach up this most unusual musical trajectory…
They may have perched on the very top of Mount Bizarro in subsequent years, but this must have happened under a different “cloak” as the band changed their name to Nervewomb a few years later, and had reportedly altered their style to something equally as weird, but outside the metal spectre. Well, I would still be more than curious to check out what this new/old “womb” has been able to bear…
Band:Napalm Ted, album: Coffin Liquor, genre: Death Metal/Grindcore
'Coffin Liquor' EP is Napalm Ted's third release this year, and fifth in all. They don't build sonic cathedrals, but about a minute or two long grindcore/death metal pieces. Yeah, they can get very intense... So get ready for their newest squirt of fermented load, because they are coming fast!
Well, mostly. There is quite a bit of tempo changes happening. From fast blasts to mid-paced/slower beats. The songs, albeit short, are about changes. The songs tend to move into a new part almost every time they change (sometimes the band return back for chorus or something at ending of songs). Is this a fucking mess? Not composition-wise, even though that that could have been very easy to "achieve". A song keeps changing but this variety is sticky and able. Progressive grindcore/death metal; this is it!
All in all, this has a burn time of almost 12 minutes. During this snippet of time the band are able to give us death metal (bands such as Carcass and Vomitory can be smelled), grindcore (Nasum... Repulsion... Terrorizer) and punk (Discharge). Atmospheres go from insane (on 'Baker' there's a jolly nursery rhyme going on... and Macabre comes to mind) to oppressive and brutal. The band cannot be accused for stagnation or running out of ideas.
The vocals, performed by two guys, vary a lot, too. Guttural, throaty or snarly in Jeff Walker way growling is accompanied by throat-ripping, insane shouting. The lyrics partly include black humour, but on the other hand, can be a look at modern society. Instrumental-wise, this is very good. The guitars offer riffing that can be heavy-handed or fast shredding, and open-string stuff. The drums go from blast beats to d-beats and are generally all over the place. In a great way. The bass mauls and brings in... well, bass!
Any way you ingest it, 'Coffin Liquor' isn't a humorous release, except in a twisted way. It is very able in its trade and one of the best ones the band have ejected to date. Viva progression! Viva the old school!
Band:Anthem, album:Hunting Time (2005), genre: Heavy Metal
Anthem was on quite a run when the band released Hunting Time exactly one year after the incredibly catchy Gypsy Ways. The second album with melodic and skilled singer Yukio Morikawa successfully mixes the energy and speed of the band's first three outputs with the catchy and melodic approach of the critically acclaimed predecessor. Anthem found its very own style with this release.
The record opens with a bang in form of the unchained up-tempo track ''The Juggler'' with gripping riffs and howling guitar sounds, a vividly pumping bass guitar, wild yet precise drumming and a more variable vocal effort mixing an uplifting melodic approach with a rawer undertone. This outstanding opener exemplifies Anthem's unique style on this record.
The record features more vivid tunes like the powerful ''Evil Touch'' with its ferocious instrumental section and outstanding guitar solos that is occasionally lightened up by a few epic keyboard passage reminding me of organ sounds.
On the other side, there are also more melodic, creative and complex songs such as the diversified and almost progressive title song ''Hunting Time'' where each band member showcases his incredible talent in six passionate minutes without ever drifting off towards instrumental wankery.
Another song that needs to be pointed out is the rhythmic ''Let Your Heart Beat'' with its thunderous drum play and surgical opening riff before the song gets more melodic and almost danceable towards the longing and soothing chorus, supported by occasional backing vocals, melodically howling guitars and a few decent keyboard patterns. Just like the more explosive opener, this song that never gets boring or predictable perfectly represents what Anthem stands for and can be considered an overlooked highlight on this release as well as in Anthem's long career.
The excellent song material progresses in diversified yet logical order as heavier tracks are often followed by more melodic tunes. Everything is hold together by a refreshingly organic production by Chris Tsangarides who collaborated with the band for a third time in a row.
Anthem was at the height of its career in the late eighties and early nineties. Ultimately, it's a matter of personal taste whether your prefer the more catchy and melodic Gypsy Ways or the more diversified and heavy Hunting Time. Personally, I slightly prefer the latter because the band sounds so variable, unchained and creative and delivers eight killer tracks without any fillers. Anthem has also found its very own style on this record and can't be compared to any other artists or bands here. The energizing and precise instrumental work sounds better than ever before and the vocals find the right balance between energy and melody. Any fan of classic heavy metal of the eighties should own Anthem's Hunting Time.
Up until maybe this year or so, I really hadn't listened to much Vulvodynia. Sure, I had seen people wearing their shirts at concerts and overall people seemed to really enjoy them. But for whatever reason, I just didn't think much of it. Then I actually heard this album and let me tell you, it's insane. Vulvodynia is a death metal band from South Africa of all places, and fit firmly within the "slamming" brutal death metal genre with traces of deathcore here and there. They take their name from a condition of the vagina which causes extreme pain with no identifiable cause. Pretty gnarly, eh? Lately, I have been on a huge death metal kick again, including the more brutal "slam" style and deathcore. So I think it is about time I reviewed the first album from one of the genre's possibly most important up-and-coming bands, Vulvodynia. This is "Cognizant Castigation", and it's going to impale your anus with a literal school bus full of decapitated special education children.
Genre: Progressive Sludge Metal
Country: USA
Tracklist:
1. Bending Light
2. A Shadow Memory
3. Fire Is The End Lesson
4. Broken Ground
5. Reach
Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: France
Tracklist:
01. Je Me Donne
02. Rumeurs
03. Au Delà
04. Obsession
05. Toxic
06. Le Meilleur Ou Le Pire
07. Donnez-Prenez
08. Les Anges Pleurent
09. Ici Ou Ailleurs
10. Chacun Son Heure
11. Pile Ou Face
Join Twilight Force, young girls and boys, on this great quest! Together with brethren such as Gloryhammer and Fairyland, they will defend the Twilight Kingdom against the dark lords of serious metal! Ride with our heroes on colorful dragons to the barren lands of evil, harsh metals, and battle the enemy with weapons such as sing-a-long choruses, lush orchestrations, and pure happiness! The quest will be long, exactly 12 tracks, but the energy will remain high with catchy tune after catchy tune to inspire your fellowship. Grab your enchanted sword, head to the wizard for blessings of mighty magic; we ride at sunrise. (Must provide own sword and unicorn.)
01. Battle Of Arcane Might
02. Powerwind
03. Guardian Of The Seas
04. Flight Of The Sapphire Dragon
05. There And Back Again [feat. Fabio Lione]
06. Riders Of The Dawn
07. Keepers Of Fate
08. Rise Of A Hero
09. To The Stars
10. Heroes Of Mighty Magic [feat. Joakim Brodén]
11. Epilogue
12. Knights Of Twilight's Might
This isn't tight jeans, big hair, "coke off a stripper's ass" heavy metal. But it'll blow your mind in the same way without you really realizing quite what's happening. No, this is "walk softly and carry a big stick" heavy metal.
Sumerlands' is a warm, gentle, dark sound. Dark, and heavy with a doomy mood. There's almost, almost, a retro fuzz in the air, coating the music in an imperceptibly thin layer of haze. Guitar solos are sensual, while the riffs are confidently, gently dominating. The record is wonderfully guitar-driven, though the drumming is a vital organ to this beast; never simply keeping time and always decorating the timeless tunes with luxuries we didn't know we needed but now cannot do without.
01. The Seventh Seal
02. The Guardian
03. Timelash
04. Blind
05. Haunted Forever
06. Spiral Infinite
07. Lost My Mind
08. Sumerlands
Listen at Bandcamp
Quercus' latest full-length offers a likeable, if confusing, mix of goofiness, uplifting moments and Doom.
Opening with a well written pipe organ piece, Quercus's album, 'Heart With Bread' quickly establishes itself as unique. Following the pipe organ, the opening track falls into the sound of ringing chimes as the band fades in. The opening riff is well put together, complete with long drawn out chords, tragic leads, a distinct bass-line, and an interesting drum-kick pattern that makes an otherwise good intro great. Unfortunately, the momentum the beginning track 'A Canticle For The Pipe Organ' carries doesn't last throughout.
'Heart With Bread''s production may be its strongest attribute. The album is definitively Doom Metal, exuding that noisy, reverb-filled sound so characteristic of the genre, while at the same time giving every part and instrument clarity on the soundboard. This is an impressive thing considering how much is going on in most of the arrangements. The aforementioned pipe organ is present on many tracks, often playing with the band, and even then everything remains clear. In addition to this, there are many soaring leads that never seem to step on the rest of the band, and the vocals sit nicely in the mix as well. Quercus achieves atmosphere without minimalism, and this is a remarkable feat considering that such arrangements usually pull off sounding 'big', but maybe not 'atmospheric'.
The songwriting is mostly well put together, but there a few "uplifting" moments that confused me as a listener. Combine this with some of the goofy song titles, such as 'Illegible Tree Name', and it makes me wonder how seriously Quercus takes their album as a whole. The uplifting moments aren't bad, in fact the fourth track 'Silvery Morning' is quite a good song that seems to hang on these sections exclusively, but they feel out of place, and the album loses coherence in this regard. Playing Doom in the major key is not an easy thing to do, and while Quercus doesn't fail at it, they don't knock it out of the park either.
As for the vocals, there isn't much to say about them. For a band that plays such melodic parts, it would be interesting to hear a few vocal melodies in some places, but Quercus's vocalist hangs mostly on growls, with a few raspy parts thrown in. These neither add nor deduct from the music in my opinion. Except for the second track, there was not a single vocal part that seemed to contribute to the music or act as a genuine piece of the songwriting, but at the same time, the vocals followed the growling Doom convention perfectly, and never seemed to hurt any of the songs. As for their tone, it's generic, but on the good end, as in, I've heard it several times before, and while the vocals do nothing new, they do nothing wrong either.
Coming to the end, 'Heart With Bread' leaves me feeling a little confused. There were parts I loved, and there were parts I found cheesy, but no parts that I hated. My trouble with feeling the vibe of the music - mostly due to those major key parts I didn't quite find justified - isn't attenuated with the goofy song titles, ones that don't seem to flow from the feel of the music or the artwork. If you want to listen to something a little different, I'd give Quercus a shot, but they might not be for everyone.
Quercus' latest full-length offers a likeable, if confusing, mix of goofiness, uplifting moments and Doom.
Opening with a well written pipe organ piece, Quercus's album, 'Heart With Bread' quickly establishes itself as unique. Following the pipe organ, the opening track falls into the sound of ringing chimes as the band fades in. The opening riff is well put together, complete with long drawn out chords, tragic leads, a distinct bass-line, and an interesting drum-kick pattern that makes an otherwise good intro great. Unfortunately, the momentum the beginning track 'A Canticle For The Pipe Organ' carries doesn't last throughout.
Swampcult's sophomore Trad/Atmospheric mix does genuine justice to its Lovecraft inspiration.
Irony (noun, /ʌɪrəni/): the case that, to a genuine fan, the most shuddersome and vertiginously terrifying word to come out of Howard Phillips' legacy could well be 'Lovecraftian', most frequently a label carrying the coded meaning of "a dire warning that what is to follow will be some soul-shrivelling exercise in - at best - imitative pastiche, and - at worst - missing the point by to a degree measurable only by vast, non-Euclidean angles". There are honourable exceptions, of course, such as any movie starring Jeffrey Combs, or Brian Lumley's 'Titus Crow' series, but even those tend to fall short of H.P.'s uniquely nihilistic, yet beautifully descriptive, visions of horror.
DARKSEED LYRICS
album: "Poison Awaits" (2010)
1. Roads
2. Incinerate
3. Poison Awaits
4. Seeds Of Sorrow
5. All Is Vanity
6. Black Throne
7. A Dual Pact
8. Torn To Shatters
9. No Promise In The Heavens
10. Striving For Fire
11. Timeless Skies
12. King In The Sun
DARKSEED LYRICS
album: "Ultimate Darkness" (2005)
1. Disbeliever
2. My Burden
3. Ultimate Darkness
4. Biting Cold
5. The Dark One
6. Save Me
7. Speak Silence
8. Next To Nothing
9. Follow Me
10. The Fall
11. Endless Night
12. Sleep Sleep Sweetheart
DARKSEED LYRICS
album: "Astral Adventures" (2003)
1. Dying Land
2. Fly into the Night
3. Where Will I Go
4. Can't Explain
5. Life
6. Hear Me
7. Souls Unite
8. Rain of Revival
9. Forever Stay
10. Waiting
11. Every Day
12. It Shall End
DARKSEED LYRICS
album: "Diving Into Darkness" (2000)
1. Forever Darkness
2. I Deny You
3. Counting Moments
4. Can't Find You
5. Autumn
6. Rain
7. Hopelessness
8. Left Alone
9. Downwards
10. Cold Under Water
11. Many Wills
DARKSEED LYRICS
album: "Give Me Light" (1999)
1. Dancing With The Lion
2. Cold
3. Echoes Of Tomorrow
4. Cosmic Shining
5. Journey To The Spirit World
6. Give Me Light
7. Fusion
8. Flying Together
9. Echoes Of Tomorrow (Acoustic)
10. Spiral Of Mystery
11. Desire
DARKSEED LYRICS
album: "Spellcraft" (1997)
1. Craft Her Spell
2. Fall Whatever Falls
3. Self Pity Sick
4. You Will Come
5. That Kills My Heart
6. Be Ever Heard
7. Walk In Me
8. Spirits
9. Nevermight
10. Senca
11. Hold Me
DARKSEED LYRICS
album: "Midnight Solemnly Dance" (1996)
1. Witchful Spirit's Care
2. Lysander
3. Love's Heavy Burden
4. The Sealing Day
5. Forgetfulness
6. Like To A Silver Bow
7. Chariot Wheels
8. The Bolt Of Cupid Fell
9. Night Mislead
10. My Worldly Task Is Done
11. Winter Noon
DARKSEED LYRICS
EP: "Romantic Tales" (1994)
1. Dream Recalled On Waking
2. In Broken Images
3. Above The Edge Of Doom
4. A Charm For Sound Sleeping
DARKSEED LYRICS
demo: "Darksome Thoughts" (1993)
1. Last Dream
2. Frozen Tears
3. Atoned For Cries
4. Lucu Perditus
5. Atoned For Cries (Rough Mix)
Starting a review about one of the most perfect sludge/doom albums I have listened to is a hard task. However, I will begin by addressing the pure groove carried all the way through this album, The massive harsh tone of the guitar carries out pure annihilation on one's eardrums whilst the funky tinged riffs make in impossible to tear your hearing organs away from their infectiousness. This album manages the most perfect balance of everything heavy, The bass tone bellows from beneath the thick wall of sound created by the guitar, Whilst the beefy, heavy laden, caveman like drums repeatedly punch you in the face as if you are being jumped in a dark, damp alley by a herd of heavyweight boxers.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2D7PYeGE_s
Where do I start with the vocals? Yusuf has the perfect mix. He can sing astoundingly which weaves in sickeningly well with the heavy rolling riffs, He then opens up the underworld with his orc like shrieks which crack through the low rumbling instruments like a sledgehammer. Teamed with Yusuf's vocals, on the other end of the spectrum is Sam belting out bludgeoning roars that make your belly churn with grit and only breaks the limit of how heavy you think one band could go.
In all this album is literally one of the heaviest, grooviest, and relentless pieces of music I have experienced in a long time. With this musical offering Slabdragger pretty much gives you back your virginity to then just snatch it right back off you, I named this review 'Curb Stomped By The Dawncrusher' because you might as well open wide and bite the concrete because this album makes that inevitable.
Just as I feared would happen, Autopsy got above their station when conceiving their second album and follow up to the all-round enjoyable Severed Survival, trying to incorporate doom and prog rock moments into a confused, nightmarish mess of a sophomore. Good songs (all four of them) need to be teased out of the woodwork carefully instead of being apparent when the record started. The cover art sums this album up perfectly: loud, garish and confused.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IpLYZkUrZA
Of the two acts featured on this split, I'm more (but not much more) familiar with Veldes, having reviewed an EP of his, "Skyward", almost exactly 12 months ago as of this time of writing. Perhaps something more than coincidence drew me back to Veldes and this split which introduces Black Autumn, a one-man ambient BM act from Germany, to me. I see on his MA entry that BA has a history stretching back some 20 years with a lengthy discography so I have a lot of catching up to do!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGuMs-bs76g
From Bled, a tiny mountain town in northwestern Slovenia, comes the moody depressive solo BM act Veldes which at this time of review has just two releases to its name. I've been hearing "Skyward" a few days now and I'm impressed with how Veldes main man Tilen Simon has approached making this recording, even though parts of it don't always communicate fully what he tries to say. From start to finish, I can hear there's a very clear over-riding concept and a narrative combining nature, change and a range of emotions running from regret through anger and wistfulness to resignation running through the EP. There is singing that makes the message clearer but the music by itself conveys emotion and mood well. Simon has an ear for melodies and riffs that are at once beautiful and distinctive, and which carry drama and feeling well.
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