|
|
|
|
|
Book Of
Reflection - Chapter II: Unfold The Future (Lion Music) By: Joe Florez |
 |
I was more than impressed with the debut a while back. It was
a real treat to hear something so different at the time. For
people that know about this band, it’s a project spearheaded
by guitarist and owner of Lion Music, Lars Eric Mattsson. Just
like this release, there are various singers and musicians. I
mainly gravitated toward the first offering due to the unique
singing style of one Hubi Meisel. I was just mesmerized by
what he had to offer on a few of the track the first around. I
thought he would be on here, but sadly…no. So, let’s find out
what is in store this time out, shall we? The title track
leads the way and all I can say is…WOW! While many may say
that the combination of progressive with power |
| metal is
nothing new, which it isn’t, you have to hear how it’s
composed. It’s fantastic. It’s heavy, neo-classical, fast,
technical and then some. Bjorn Jannson from Tears Of Anger
offers his vocal capabilities and he has a strong voice that
never cracks. Lars throws in some really wicked guitar riffs
and solos that will blow the mind. The ivory key tickling on
here somewhat dominates the song, but it’s ok because it only
accents the song. It’s classical at times, fancy and even
tripped out in an Amorphis way. Love the song. With such a
strong beginning, can the group keep this up? “Bringer Of The
Torch” injects a middle eastern atmosphere with some 70’s Pink
Floyd-ish keyboard work wrapped around a more mid paced tune
that once again entertains the mind and ears. Marin LeMar from
Tomorrow’s Eve offers his services and he too has a set of
deep lungs that stand out for all the right reasons. Just to
show everyone how versatile this record can be, we are treated
to a slow and very sad ballad thanks to “Heal Me.” The vocals
are somber and depressing as well lush bringing to mind
Massiah Marcolin from Candlemass and Jape Peratalo from
To/Die/For/. The piano and violin inclusion only helps to
bring out the tears from your eyes just by giving it a spin.
Want more? “Uncover The Lie” features a guest keyboard solo by
an artist known as Mistheria. Most people would say who gives
a rats arse, but when I dug just a bit deeper I found out that
it’s everyone’s favorite “air raid siren” Bruce Dickinson. He
shows up a couple of more times on here surprisingly. And I
must admit, he ain’t that bad. It’s was quite cool to inject
to say the least. Quite proggy. I wasn’t too sure what to
expect on here, but that is just part of the fun. Trying to
find out what will stick in your head and what won’t. The only
thing I knew was that it was going to be progressive, but to
what extent and how predictable would it be. I am happy to
report that this is chock full of excitement that will keep
you hooked from start to finish in any style that a song is
performed in. This is no paint by numbers release. Dive in.
www.lionmusic.com
| www.larsericmattsson.com |
| |
|
Born From Pain - War (Metal Blade) Review by Samuel Munch-Petersen |
 |
Okay now this is the shit. Metal is something you can never
mistake, there are certain elements which will always be
apparent. Dutch-based Born From Pain even cross the boundaries
into what is hardcore with their raw punk beat in their second
track ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ (any relation to the poor film?).
The album is clear and sounds much like a very, very fine
piece of writing and the production has worked wonders for
them. The vocals stab through under the resounding riffs and
devastating drums with bass bouncing through to accompany them
all in the heaviness that is War. |
What you’ll notice on the album is that they have a selection
of high rise names in the metal/hardcore music world joining
them on tracks for vocal backup. These are; Jan-Chris de
Koeijer from (Gorefest) on track four, Pepe (Hatebreed) on
eight, Lou Koller (Sick of It All ) on ten and Mark “Barney”
Greenway (Napalm Death) on twelve. These are big names and is
this just a PR stunt to back up a dying band? I don’t think
so. Born From Pain mark themselves high in the walls of
metal/hardcore and it is more likely that the guests wanted to
appear on the album to emphasise the durability of this genre
of music.
I can't wait to see them on tour in support of War. I
feel like I’m writing to Marty in Back to the Future. I expect
they’ll be awesome live and I hope to see a lot of true fans
there bringing with them all their fears, leading to anger,
leading to their hate, which will ultimately, lead them down
that darkside path. Born From Pain have definitely claimed a
place in my heart as one of the better metal bands out there
that are not afraid to continue the good word and the great
musicianship that we all love. After all, this is Live 4
Metal, not Live 4 Pussy-Arse Music.
I recommend Born From Pain with all of my fists raised high to
the ceiling since they have even got an instrumental track on
the album, track seven ‘The War Is On’. You can’t beat
instrumentals and this adds to the overall showmanship that
this band deserve to portray. A definite thumbs up all round, bring on track eight.
www.bornfrompain.com |
| |
|
Degenerhate – The
End Has Just Begun (Endless Brutality of Men) review by Sam
Thomas |
 |
The End Has Just begun is an action-packed little offering of
ten and a half minutes of Italian death/grind. It opens with a
delightful little music-box playing a really irritating little
tune, and then becomes uncompromisingly brutal. In many ways,
this is very reminiscent of the type of thing that was all the
rage about five to ten years ago, produced by numerous bands.
There are the usual samples as intros to various tracks, the
typically short (sub 3 minute – after all how else can you get
six tracks into ten minutes?) tracks, and the brutal growled
vocals.
I would compare this to a very rough version of Desecration,
but without the references to corpses and/or body parts. In
fact, that is probably the most interesting aspect of this CD
– |
the
lyrical content (ok I’m only going on the printed lyrics as,
obviously, the vocal style makes it pretty impossible to
distinguish anything so mundane as actual words!). These guys
are clearly extremely angry at the system and are pretty
articulate at expressing their anger. Their manifesto is
clearly and brutally laid out: “Uniforms of Brutality”,
“Zombified by Propaganda” and “Failure of God” definitely give
you a major insight into their thinking.
The first track showcases the drummer, Cristiano Rotatori,
with a frantic display of blastbeats, but after that things
calm down slightly (this being a relative term, you
understand). Gianluca Lucarini clearly fancies himself as a
guitarist, and there is obviously some merit in his opinion of
himself, as there are some rather nicely-mixed guitars soaring
away in places.
Unfortunately, the music isn’t particularly inspiring,
reminding me as it does of so many others in the death/grind
field. All in all, this could be the beginning of something
new, or more likely, the last bastion of something old. As the
outro (that bloody music-box again) plays, I’m left feeling
quite relieved that this wasn’t longer.
www.degenerhate.com
| www.ebmrecords.com |
| |
|
Dragonland –
Astronomy (Century Media) Review by Andrew Doherty |
 |
Power Metal lovers, gather round! Well, at least for about two
thirds of this, the fourth album from Sweden's Dragonland. After a cosmic opening
reminiscent of Bal Sagoth, we’re treated to 52 minutes of the
genre and much more. The album is called “Astronomy” and it’s
a sort of concept album dealing with matters ethereal. It’s
not rocket science and it’s not going to help anyone with
their Science GCSE, but the material lends itself nicely to
the higher reaches of Power Metal. I must say that I did find
the “Supernova” theme of the first track a bit hackneyed.
Before we get carried away with the idea that it’s clichéd,
it’s not. I would have walked out of the room if it had all
been the same. After the strange |
opening,
my attention was captured by the powerful and impressive
production, the thunderous guitar riff and vocal quality in
the first couple of minutes. And on it went. Undoubtedly we
have the musical style of Hammerfall and the vocals of Masterplan here, but
mixed in with it are some Swedish Death Metal vocals, notably
on “Astronomy” and “Antimatter”, Finnish type Thrash Metal,
keyboard interjections, an acoustic guitar intro on
“Cassiopeia” and orchestral parts. Oh, and in the middle of
all this there’s a very interesting classical instrumental
piece called “The Book of Shadows part IV: the Scrolls of
Geometria Divina”. I can only describe this track as a Peter-in-the-Woods meets Finntroll piece with a bit of Bal
Sagoth and a theme score reminiscent of a spy film thrown in.
So it’s not all breathtaking Power action.
“Direction:Perfection” contains a mellow vocal and guitar
section in its final stages, which I felt could have been
developed further, but instead it leads to a Classical
trilogy. The first one is “A Death in the Family”, an
impressive atmospheric piece which starts with Eastern
European sadness, strings and all, before working into a
chunky guitar riff and an orchestral Metal end – think Therion
without the opera singers. Part 2 “The Thing in the Cellar” is
more upbeat but with haunting voices in the background. The
album finishes with a majestic classical-style piece called
“The Ring of Edward Waldon”.
Although the Power Metal element gives way after “Direction:Perfection”,
the ninth track of twelve, to a more epic and atmospheric
Classical style, there are common threads. Even if it’s like
listening to two separate albums in terms of style, it is
coherent and effective. The quality of production is
excellent, as is the technical skill of the six members of
this band. It’s a very interesting album and I would recommend
it to others who like “technically challenging, bombastic
metal” as the supporting publicity puts it.
www.centurymedia.com
| www.dragonland.se |
| |
Dry Kill Logic - Of
Vengeance And Violence (Psychodrama/Repossession Records)
Review by Marco Gaminara |
 |
I've no idea why, but I keep thinking Killswitch whenever this
band is mentioned, and it couldn't be further from what I
should be thinking. I really don't like 'em, they're noisy
with way too much shouting and screaming rather than decent
vocals. Cliff Rigano on the other hand, has an amazing set of
lungs on him and his ability to transition between low
guttural growls to sweetly sung chorus, and even minimalist
ballads, takes DKL to an entirely different level. Opening
things up is the feedback Prologue "L5", but "My Dying Heart"
is far from just feedback. Heavy and fast, but carrying a
clean and simple chorus in tow gives it a great dynamic.
Brendan Duff litters the songs with triplets and certainly
isn't afraid to |
beat the
living shit out of his snare, but he too is able to step back
and keep a steady back beat going to allow other components to
come to the fore. A nice steady rhythm for "4039" and a more
hardcore approach to the vocals is going to make it a bouncing
favourite at gigs. Jason Bozzi
delivers his sharp tight riffs with clinical precision that
Phil Arcuri matches perfectly on his bass. Though not a
particularly spectacular song "Caught In A Storm" still has an
air about it that has me reminiscing about 80s thrash. "From
Victim To Killer" is all 90s thrash in the vein of Machine
Head's debut, and delivered with just as much venom. "The
Innocence Of Genius" is pretty much just a piss take, and a
rather humorous one at that. While "Boneyard" is as serious as
the driver of a bullet train having a heart attack. It's 3 and
a half minutes of anger in the form of music and crushingly
so. An acoustic guitar opens up "Kingdom Of The Blind", and
while the guitars do get heavier, the vocals don't and manage
to keep the song far more emotional and flowing. The choruses
on "Dead Mans Eyes" sounds a little whiney to me, but as for
the rest of the song it's more than heavy enough to carry that
slight faux pas. "Confidence vs. Consequence" has a familiar
feel to it, which I can't quite put my finger on... Oh wait,
it's Face Down, which sure as fuck is anything but a bad
thing. Damn! Now that I have Face Down in my mind, the
comparisons are coming out as thick and fast as the riffs and
blasts in "Breaking The Broken", which I guess is a perfect
example of the thrash/hardcore hybrid they play so well.
"Lying Through Your Teeth" is an all out blast assault and the
eerie bridge is made more so by the effects put on the vocals.
It also makes the final track appear that much more quiet and
serene. As "In Memoria Di" is a beautifully sung acoustic
ballad and a fitting conclusion to the CD, pity that there's
10 mins of silence in the track though.
www.drykilllogic.com
| www.repossessionrecords.com
|
| |
|
Exitium -
Outsourcing Morality (Deepsend Records) By: Dave Schalek |
 |
Swedish grindcore with a political bent, rather than a focus
on gore, by way of Oklahoma is the order of the day from young
American up-and-comers Exitium with their 26-minute
full-length entitled “Outsourcing Morality” (great political
title given the economic and political situation in middle
America). This, their second album, is
released from Deepsend Records and features some straight
ahead, Napalm Death/ Nasum-influenced political grindcore with
a few surprising moments of melody interspersed amongst the
mayhem.
Besides the regular members, Exitium also features Kill The
Client main man “The Champ” to help out with the requisite
dual vocal attack. In addition, Exitium, frankly, has all of
the |
signature elements of the sound present in their sonic
assault. Fast blasts, the aforementioned dual vocals
consisting of a deep-seated growl as well as a higher pitched,
grating yell, some slap happy bass lines, slower grooves, and
a few moments of guitar melody all make appearances and lead
to an enjoyable, if not entirely original, listen. In short,
this is a promising album from a young band to watch, although
not as seasoned as, say, Sweden’s relative newcomers Exhale.
Probably the biggest problem present on “Outsourcing Morality”
is the rather flat production that, while clear, robs the
music of the power that grindcore relies upon. All of the
instruments are audible, but there’s no snap to the drums, nor
does the guitar sound flatten the listener, as it should. This
is a minor quibble, though, for a young band getting started
on a small label. I would hope that one of the major
independents would give these guys a look and back them up
with a powerful production for their next full-length.
Even so, production problems aside, those of you into
grindcore with a political bent will enjoy “Outsourcing
Morality” from Exitium. Recommended.
www.deepsend.com |
| |
|
Fields of the Nephilim - Genesis & Revelations Box Set
(Jungle) Review by Steve
Green |
 |
Were it not for
the fact that I'd seen this advertised via a leading online
retailer at a very respectable £12.99, I'd be berating the
fact that this is nothing more than a shoddy cash in. But 2
cds and a DVD for under £13, despite the often less than
perfect quality, is a price you can't really quibble over. So
what's on offer for your money then... Well the 2 cd set
comprises of "Studio Rarities" and set recorded at the
Roskilde Festival in 2002. The rarities are either remixes
(most of which aren't exactly rare as they were probably done
specifically for this box set) and some demo recording from
the mid 80s (and not forgetting a nine minute instrumental
recorded in 1997) Of the 8 tracks on offer, 3 of them are of
|
Power. The demo version sounds mighty fine, but the 2 remixes
of the same song are simply overkill and quite honestly
filler. The live disc follows the standards of the 1st cd,
except this time it's the sound quality that's the problem.
You can't argue with a setlist that consists of Moonchild,
Preacher Man, Dawnrazor etc... but you'd prefer to hear them
in all their glory and not in the lo-fi quality used here. I
used to buy countless bootleg live cassettes at Camden Market
in the late 80s. Back then I wasn't expecting the quality to
be that good, but with this release, I was expecting something
a bit better.
The saving grace comes with disc 3, the DVD. The footage
varies from a poorly dubbed live/promo video for Power via
small club gigs badly shot on early camcorders to a "camcorder
from the back" recording at Mera Luna in 2000. Yes, the
quality of the footage is dire, but having the visuals to go
with the music eases the pain a helluva lot and especially
with the club gigs from the mid 80s, as you get a valuable
insight into why the Nephilim inspired a whole generation of
goth bands. As does the inclusion of a German press conference
from 1998, which is a great addition to the package.
The packaging is sparse, but very neatly done. But it's the
the glaring omission of a history of the band other than what
they are doing these days, that to me, says this box set is
more about money, than about historical documentation. To use
an old cliché, this one is definitely for completists only.
www.jungle-records.com |
| |
|
God Dethroned – The
Toxic Touch (Metal Blade) Review by Chris Davison |
 |
The Dutch hyper-blasting uber-deathsters
return! Well, err…kind of. God Dethroned, I think it fair to
say, have built up a reputation based on their formidable
blast beat ridden death metal, which although fun in the live
setting, has always had a tendency to be just a tad boring and
generic on record. This is not a hyper-blasting album. This is
also not a bad thing. I feel it my duty to inform you that
though I love all things heavy, I have never pursued the sound
of brutality for its own sake; not because it overwhelms me,
but because devoid of context brutality becomes boredom.
Brutality does not also equal heaviness, kids. This might well
be the least brutal of their back catalogue, (though there are
plenty of very tight, |
bludgeoning moments), but it is certainly the most heavy and
memorable.
This is the second album with their new line up, and the
edam-chomping metallers sound like a band maturing into
themselves. Opener, (excluding the atmospheric sounds of
“Faithless”) “Hating Life” rips from the starting blocks like
a sprinter – taut and muscle bound, disciplined and full of
purpose. Arien Van Weesenbeek is undoubtedly an utter monster
on the drum kit, but by providing more memorable drum lines
than ever before, and by easing down on the gas pedal, you can
now hear his undeniable talent better than ever before.
Likewise, Henri Sattler and Isaac Delahaye have also been
given the opportunity to let their axe mastery breathe, where
not only do the faster sections have that trademark God
Dethroned rhythmic tightness, but the slower, brooding
sections, such as through “2014” display a flourishing talent
to produce hooks that stick themselves firmly in the mind and
will not let go. Bass duties are provided by Henk Zunger, who
produces rumbling undercurrents of menace underpinning the
work of the other band members.
With melody back into the fold, it would be easy to mistake a
shift in direction with “wimping out”, or even worse, “selling
out”. These would be entirely unfair accusations. This album
sees the band finally rein in their more destructive
influences, and splice together the conflicting concerns of
lead-heavy and soaring-melody. “Falling Down”, for example,
contains levels of Behemoth like discordant heaviness, with
more traditional heavy metal moments and slower,
fist-in-the-air sections. “On Wings of Pestilence” trundles
along like a Panzer advancing, before giving way to an
insistent soaring guitar line, before once again putting its
head down and running headlong at you. It’s clearly stirring
stuff, and even when a semi-traditional rock chorus comes
along, it speaks more of vintage Gorefest integration of rock
into metal than Metallica styled sell-out. An excellent album,
and were it not for the release of Unleashed’s Midvinterblot,
probably my favourite release of the month. The old God
Dethroned is dead. Long live God Dethroned!
www.metalblade.de |
www.goddethroned.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
