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Bewitched - Spiritual
Warfare (Regain Records) Review by Crin |
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Not to be confused with the Chilean band of the same name,
this Swedish act was as some of you will recall quite prolific
in the releasing of excellent retro Black thrash offerings in
the mid to late nineties.
They followed a similar path to Norway’s Inferno, spitting
forth raw and razor sharp riffs that oozed the likes of
Destruction and Venom in full blazing mock satanic glory.
Bewitched lumbered into the new millennium with their last
album, the 2002, Rise of the Antichrist, signing off in 2004,
with the little known EP, Atrocities in A-Minor.
At their best, Bewitched were riding high during their initial
1996 debut mcd, Encyclopaedia of Evil. Here |
the band
ripped though 5 cover songs of such eighties thrash gods,
Mercyful Fate, Bathory, Venom and even cult UK, prog-doom act, Black
Widow.
Signed to Osmose, the bands following albums were sharp,
decisive homage’s to the past with a real up to date injection
of vibrancy and energy.
So, here we are in 2006, and a new label heralds a new
beginning.
Musically the band are still lost in Destructions ‘Eternal
Devastation’ at their trashing best, and when the tempo is set
to plod mode, Celtic Frosts ‘Emperors Return’ emanates from
the guitar distortion.
To the naive, one would be convinced, Schmier [Destruction] is
handling the vocal duties, such is the likeness.
Bewitched are still dragging the mid eighties into the new
millennia with fighting ease and making the whole nostalgia
trip their own.
The band manage to inject new meaning to this thrashing
satanic metal ghost, and the quality of the musicianship
coupled with excellent song craft just has to make this an
essential purchase for any bullet belt clad metal head with a
denim waste coat littered with Venom and Motorhead patches..
[do they still exist?, yeah, they do…]
www.regainrecords.com |
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Brand New Sin –
Tequila (Century Media) Review by Chris Davison |
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…And so, in taking the disc out of the packet, I wondered,
“Will this CD be the aural equivalent to Tequila?”. I have had
more than my share of wonder with the Mexican wonder drink,
from necking a bottle of it with an impossibly huge German and
subsequently arm wrestling as “Bomber Harris vs Goerring”, to
vomiting so much that I woke up with the contents of the
previous nights kebab in my socks, (which were still worn!).
Tequila – good times, with a bite. Could this CD possibly
provide such a visceral experience?
Brand New Sin are an American five-piece, having released
three previous albums of hard rock/southern metal prior to
this particular opus. Cue, of course, the band photo featuring |
the
musicians clad in dirty old denim, worn baseball caps, Misfits
patches and Olympic standard sideburns. The blurb on the back
of the promo disc reckons that the Sinners sound like genre
titans Black Label Society and C.O.C.; which is actually
to do them a disservice. Compared to the former, Brand New Sin
are in an entirely different league – much better, in fact.
They share certain similarities with C.O.C. in as much as they
share the southern sensibilities, but are rather more
aggressive and modern sounding. A somewhat better comparison
would be in the single Floodgate album that Roadrunner put out
in the mid nineties…but even then, Brand New Sin have much
more to offer.
Put essentially, this is the sound of a band drinking
moonshine, duelling guitars rather than banjos, and laying
down dirty piss-stained riff after wife-beating riff over an
ever insistent drum beat. The authentic rock beats provided by
bassist Chuck Kahl ride you hard while you squeal like a
piggy, Joe Altier providing a demented vocal assault not
unlike Orange Goblins Ben Ward in its attack.
In terms of songwriting, the filthy rock n’ roll collides
headlong with a sense of formidable atmosphere. The production
is absolutely genius, especially with the guitar tone, full of
grit and fire which lends a particular edge to the oppressive
humidity of the songs. Epics-in-the-making such as “Old” or
the belligerent “Acehole” betray a band that has come into
maturity and finally hitting their stride. Finally, ending
proceedings, we have a rather fantastic cover of old standard
“House of the Rising Sun”, which makes the original sound
nothing more than an aging impostor. Partial as I am to the
likes of Down, COC and Floodgate, it has been a particular
privilege to finally hear a band worthy of joining their
hallowed ranks. All hail Brand New Sin.
www.centurymedia.com |
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Criminal Element -
Career Criminal (Emetic Records)
By; Dave Schalek |
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The geniuses at Emetic Records that gave us the brilliant
debut from the new kings of grindcore, Sweden’s Exhale, have
now released a brilliant follow-up with “Career Criminal” by
Criminal Element. Wait! What’s this?! Terrance Hobbs and Derek
Boyer from Suffocation are playing in this band? Jason
Netherton from Misery Index throws in his writing skills,
other alumni from such notables as Dying Fetus and Pyrexia
toss their hats into the ring, and Frank Mullen from
Suffocation makes a guest appearance?! And, get this, the
style is essentially a perfect combination of Nasum and
Terrorizer?! Okay, by now, this is pretty obviously a
necessary addition to any self-respecting metalhead’s
collection, and |
do you
really need any other reason to rush out there and buy this
sucker right now?
Seriously, though, this is a well-done slab of politically
tinged grindcore with more than a nod to the godfathers of the
genre, the legendary Terrorizer. Fast blasts, growled vocals
segueing to high-pitched screeches, chunky, sloppy slow riffs,
and DRI-esque cover art and layout all make appearances on
this eight-song debut MCD that blows by in about 19 minutes.
Did I mention that Doug Bohn shows up as well? What the Hell
are you waiting for?!
www.emeticrecords.com |
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Dead Hearts – Bitter
Verses (Ferret Records) Review by Samuel Munch-Petersen |
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Well, this is a story of how one small band can make it big
with the right exposure. Dead Hearts come from Buffalo, NY and
are a four piece with a lot of talent. They simply started to
play music and play to live audiences since their conception
in 2004. After having put up a MySpace page (ah MySpace,
bringer of music to the masses) they were being confronted by
labels left, right and centre and found themselves going with
the Netherlands-based label Reflections which brought out
their 12” “No Love No Hope”.
The album Bitter Verses brings us a fluid montage of punk and
metal. Dead Hearts are primarily punk rockers with that twist
of sour metal that seeps through with every chord and |
riff and
punchy drum fill whilst giving the bass line something to kick
and slash into the cochlear tunnels. The tracks are very
dramatically labelled and this is obviously a tactic to
appease the more creative elements of Derek Doyle (vox).
The album actually seems very post-rock in some ways and has a
definite elemental value to the music, almost as though nature
were controlling the way in which the notes are being formed.
A lot of the tracks have quiet build ups or breakdowns and
this formulates a dark and patient, reflective sound. This of
course is juxtaposed by the vocals themselves, screeching
through in raw desperation and then of course by the following
tracks which balance the album itself expertly on the edge of
too much and too little.
The tracks are short and thrust-filled which keeps your
attention applied to the way in which they play their
instruments.
I have to say I am a fan, they’ve caught this dead heart and
added electric love to make it beat once more and beat harder
than previously thought. They would be brilliant to catch live
and I recommend the album and their overall musical
perseverance to you and your friends. It reminds me of the
first time I heard SikTh and how awe-inspired I was by them
and I can now say the same for Dead Hearts, they’ve carved a
canyon in my beat machine.
If Ferret Records keeps signing bands like this there will no
stopping the world from a flood of immensely pure and truly
gifted musicians that play music that works and at the same
time means something to you. Keep on blasting.
www.deadhearts.net |
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Diecast – Internal
Revolution (Century Media) Review by Andrew Doherty |
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To describe this album as guitar-driven brutality would be
over simplistic but there would be an element of truth in the
statement. Strong and tight guitar riffs dominate this hard
rock / metalcore piece from the outset, with subtle changes of
pace and cleverly integrated breaks. Paul Stoddart’s
aggressive vocals are perfect but I wasn’t convinced by the
clean vocals which sounded whiny to me at times and at one
point during “Weakness” were totally out of tune. This surely
is a production issue as during other parts of the album,
notably on my personal favourite tracks “Fade Away” and
“Nothing I Could Say”, the clean vocals serve to emphasise the
melodic catchiness of the album. US band Diecast maintain a
level of |
intensity and aggression with this, their fourth album, and
play in a style which is reminiscent of Killswitch
Engage and to some extent Shadows Fall. Each track is
interesting, none more so than the last track “The Coldest
Rain” which unexpectedly starts off as a Metal ballad. The
vocalist here proves his versatility, bizarrely sounding like
a Metal George Michael, but pulling it off with great
dexterity before the track gathers epic momentum to round off
the album in style.
I have never seen Diecast live, but I am sure they must be
capable of an energetic and captivating performance. One thing
I liked about this album was that it captures the essence of a
live performance, with a strong opener in “Internal
Revolution”, the title track, plenty of movement and
aggression, and a powerful end. If you like hard-edged
metalcore with a bit of melody, this is for you.
www.diecast1.net
| www.centurymedia.com |
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Disillusion - Gloria
(Metal Blade) Review by Marco Gaminara |
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The first thing I had to do was get over the
mindfunk (good
band from the 90's BTW) that was the 98 track promo, where
splitting I'm guessing is meant to prevent copying, like
that's gonna be an issue. Anyway, I'm immediately made to
think of Rammstein and Fantomas before the second of 11 tracks
of "The Black Sea" are complete. I guess the Rammstein
reference is twofold, the first is owing to Schmidt's accent
and tone and the other is because of the interesting samples
and sounds that filter through the heavy guitars and pounding
drums. Maluschka's drumming is machinelike in its consistency,
but he also throws in random fills that are anything but.
Schmidt also shares guitar duty with Barthel and the two |
| of them
play off each other with the familiarity that 18 months of
writing an album shall do for you. A steady drumbeat slows
down into light tapping and then into jazzy offbeats in "Dread
It" to accompany the guitars going from tweaky to fuzzy to
almost nonexistent. "Don't Go Any Further" is one of the only
two songs that are single track, and it's more than likely
because it's got so much going on that it would completely
ruin it, and there are no breaks to place track markers. Going
to their website there's a video clip for this and it works so
well visually and audibly that I can always see it when
hearing the track. "Avalanche" is the other single track, and
it's filled with layer upon layer of guitars and vocal effects
that approach cacophony just before it ends. The title track
"Gloria" has a far more straight forward rock feel to it at
first, the choral vocals during the intro and then the spoken
lyrics almost minimalistic guitars that quickly change into
heavily distorted ones, then back to what almost sounds like
heavy rain. The soundscape that is "Aerophobic" has me wanting
to pop my eardrums like I do when I'm on a plane and the
sounds ebb and flow in waves of changing volume. Far heavier
and more menacing is "The Hole We Are in", with its screams
and horrific sounds of machine gun drumming. "Save The Past"
has a very industrial sound to it with "Lava" being the honed
product of the machinations. Toning things down to a simmer
musically, but upping it lyrically "Too Many Broken Cease
Fires" is slow and moody, but strangely uplifting at the same
time. A really beautiful ending in the form of "Untiefen"
which is light and airy, and eerie for that matter, leaves me
thinking this should be a soundtrack and not only an album.
Damned enjoyable.
www.disillusion.de
| www.metalblade.com |
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For Ruin – Obsidian
demo (Self Financed) Review by Chris Davison |
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Ah, the long awaited return of the current gem in the crown of
Northern European underground metal. To say I have been
looking forward to this is something of an understatement.
From their very first split demo, I have thought that this is
a band with the capacity to produce some amazing music. While
previous releases have been heavy on ideas and skilful in song
composition, they have always sounded like a band that has
still to come of age…until now, that is.
Ireland’s finest metal export since, well, Guinness draught
cans, has skilfully wrought five amazing tracks of
melancholic, doomy melodic death. I don’t really do the music
justice in |
describing their sound thus, but if you took a big melting
pot, and threw in pure ground early Katatonia, dashes
of Gothic era Paradise Lost, some Terminal Spirit Disease At
The Gates leaves and leave to simmer over a bed of 1000 Lakes
era Amorphis, you’d still only have a dish half as tasty to
the ears as these songs. The songs are sharper than ever
before, seemingly honed to a particularly fine edge, with not
even the merest hint of filler within. Magnificent, clean
guitar melodies soar over the music with much greater aplomb
than the For Ruin than ever before. The new found line up has
taken the foundations of the old sound, and built a mighty
musical fortress atop of it.
The whole package is available in some particularly fine, lush
packaging, much more professional than many major label
releases that get sent my way. It is clear that this really is
a labour of love for John Murphy et al, and let me tell you,
the hard work and effort is really starting to strike home.
This is head and shoulders above any other demo I have had the
fortune to hear this year, and to be honest, up there with the
big leagues in full-priced releases. The metal press has, of
course, crowed long and hard about the resurgent metal scene
in Ireland. My only fear is that this clamour might detract
from what is surely the best unsigned band on the planet.
If there’s any semblance of fairness in the music business,
this lot will find themselves signed and promoted heavily –
and if you want the maximum cred points for what will, I’m
sure, become a major force in metal in the years ahead, then
it’s best that you get aboard for the ride now. In one word:
essential. www.forruin.com |
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Flotsam And Jetsam-
Doomsday For The Deceiver 20th Anniversary edition
(Metal Blade Records)
By: Joe Florez |
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Metal Blade is at it again re-mastering and giving certain
artists the granddaddy of all special treatments to records
that were vital to the metal scene back in the 80’s and FAJ’s
debut was no slouch. Yes, everyone knows that Jason Newsted
came from this Arizona outfit, but that doesn’t even begin to
describe just what a masterpiece this was. I have been
listening to my old version for many moons now and it’s safe
to say that that one is gone and is replaced forever by this
one. This is a three disc set that is chock full of goodies.
First off, what a difference the sound makes by going back
into the studio to clean it up. Just compare the two and hear
for yourself. You get both versions. The new one is so much |
| lively
and cleaner. Also, the cover art is revived as the old version
was dull and looked faded as opposed to this which is much
brighter and more bold. Now, before I tell you to never listen
to the original disc again even in this three disc offering,
there are two cuts from the “Iron Tears” demo that are tacked
on here for keepsake. The title track and “I Live You Die” can
be heard it all it’s muddy glory for the die hards. Listen to how much the arrangements have changed since
the original conception. Now, onto the main event. The new and
improved version will have everyone jumping up and down for
joy from start to finish. As old as this disc is, I still can
hum some of these tunes to this day because they were that
memorable. “Hammerhead” kicks starts the band’s career with a
tune that has a ridiculous intro, equivalent to Metallica’s
“Hit The Lights” before they forge ahead. You can hear Jason
pounding away with his grooving and thick bass lines along to
Ed Carlson and Mike Gilbert’s quick riffing. Kelly Smith’s
quick drumming provided the perfect pacing for this music
while lead screaming Erik A K provides a voice that will be
never forgotten in the thrash scene. The quick two minute
track “Fade To Black” is an all out assault on the guitar work
as it’s catastrophic and wild and with only a short time to
knock this out, you have to knock the ball out of the park and
they do. The title track is an epic and memorable journey as
it clocks in at nine minutes and contains a three minute
guitar intro that’s both acoustic and electric. “She Took An
Axe” was probably the reason why I listened to the band in the
first place. This was/is a classic example of writing a song
that will last for generations to come. There is not a single
dud on here as each track was crafted to perfection and
executed even better. If that’s not enough, there’s the 1985
Metal Shock demo slapped on here to enjoy as well.
“Hammerhead” and “I Live You Die” are here as well as
unreleased cuts “The Evil Sheik” and “The Beast Within.” Sure,
you had your Metallica’s, Slayer’s and what not creating the
thrash scene, but FAJ should not be forgotten as they helped
to
pave the way as well. The third disc provided is a DVD
featuring a nine minute photo gallery with many never before
seen photos set to the title track. An hour long concert from
Live At Bootleggers 1985 is on here with a few unreleased
tracks. The real treasure comes with the high school interview
from a local cable access show in Arizona back in 1983-1984
and features a man in a three piece suit with neat hair
looking uncomfortable interviewing the five guys in their
metal best attire consisting of ripped jeans, band shirts and
gym shoes along with their ratty hair. It’s a funny and
entertaining look at the boys before becoming legendary in the
scene. Hot damn! First, Fates Warning “Awaken The Guardian”
gets the deluxe treatment as well as Volvo’s “War And Pain”
and now this? Whose next? Essential indeed.
www.metalbladerecords.com
| www.flotsam-and-jetsam.com |
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