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Aetherius Obscuritas - Viziok
(Paragon Records) By: Dave Schalek |
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American-based independent Paragon Records has become quite
good at unearthing rare, obscure black metal gems from Europe
and presenting them to an American domestic audience.
Certainly, I look forward to anything from Paragon that comes
my way, and the label’s latest find is a Hungarian one-man
black metal act called Aetherius Obscuritas.
The project of one man, Arkhorrl, whom previously had numerous
connections to Sudden Death, Aetherius Obscuritas play black
metal very reminiscent of the mildly symphonic form that was
prevalent in the early to mid 90s from the Norwegian second
wave; namely, “In The Nightside Eclipse”-era Emperor.
Arkhorrl’s fourth full-length as Aetherius Obscuritas, |
entitled “Viziok” and recorded with a session drummer, has the
same thin production, harmonies, melodious guitar work, and
some muted keyboards that were all present on “In The
Nightside Eclipse” and the hordes of albums that followed that
masterpiece. Arkhorrl’s harsh, rasped vocals also have the
same pitch and timbre of Ihsahn.
Essentially, Aetherius Obscuritas is playing bread and butter
black metal from the period, but does a good enough job to
hold your interest such that you’re able to, more or less,
forget the fact that you’ve heard all of this before. That
said, however, Arkhorrl’s songwriting skills are well
displayed in this homage to the genre, but the album does tend
to drift a bit in the latter half. Coming in with 12 tracks in
over 50 minutes, “Viziok” is much more interesting and better
written during the first half with well displayed melodies
overlaying chord progression guitar with good variations in
tempo from some mid-paced drums to all-out blasts. However,
the last couple of tracks meander somewhat with acoustical
interludes and some slow passages that are rather poorly
written.
Overall, “Viziok” is a good release for the genre, but does
suffer somewhat from being a bit too long. This is definitely
a release that should’ve been trimmed a bit, and would have
been that much more effective.
www.paragonrecords.net |
www.arkhorrl.hu |
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Arceye - As The Ground Consumes You
(Wolf At Your Door) Review By Steve Green |
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As we edge towards the end of the year, it's time to reflect on 2007 in
terms of the quality of music. For me I've enjoyed, more than anything,
the amount of quality underground bands emerging. And while, as far as I'm
concerned, Australia wins the gold medal this year, the UK has produced an
astonishing number of up and coming bands, probably the best crop we've
produced in the last decade or more.
So that brings us quite nicely to Arceye, a band who bring together the
best of extreme Metal and more traditional values. Harry Aldridge has a
cracking Deathly growl and this is supported by the classic twin lead
guitar sound of Dave Roberts and Giles Callingham, and |
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the pummelling rhythm section of bassist, Al Llewellyn and the baby of the
band, 17 year old drummer Joshua Davies. I really like this 5 tracker,
despite the fact I don't think the band have fully found their feet yet.
It's a weird situation as I love the sound they've created, mixing Maiden-esque
leads and driving rhythms, with the freshness of Thrash and a Deathly
aspect because of the vocals and the furious drumming. Yet, I don't think
their songs are particularly memorable, despite the fact I enjoyed each
and every minute of this cd and the structuring of every song is spot on.
Maybe this is one that'll really grow on me over time, I hope so as it
really is rather good. Available via
www.wolfatyourdoor.com |
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Cyclone - Brutal Destruction (Metal
Mind) Review by Metal Mark |
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I
remember twenty-one years ago waving around my cassette of
this release trying to get people to listen to me rant about
it’s greatness. Well, now I can rant about it in print and
Metal Mind has released it on CD for the first time. Cyclone
were a thrash band from Belgium and this was their 1986 debut.
It contains only eight songs and just goes over the half an
hour mark yet the songs were killer back then and they still
are. It’s very tight styled thrash leaning slightly towards
Exodus’ Bonded by blood and Metallica’s Kill ‘em all, but
perhaps even more aggressive. The band demonstrates an uncanny
knack for changing the pace at any given time and making it
work. The guitar solos are just chaotic at times as they |
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are just peeling off notes right and left, but it’s the
absolute perfect style for this form of music. The vocals are
strong and deep, but not exactly comparable to anyone I can
think of. The album actually picks up steam as the earlier
songs are good, but the album works its way on to great songs
that make up the second half of the album. However, I have
known all of that for many years. Yet this version did allow
me to hear just how heavy it is now that it’s finally on CD. I
was playing it in my car and really feel the drums pounding
all around me as they pushed the songs along. Unfortunately
Cyclone didn’t get much notice when this came out. They also
waited several years to release a follow-up. Still I am
thrilled that this is finally out on CD and in my hot little
hand. Easily the best re-release of the year as the sound is
fantastic and it includes a booklet with notes about the
band’s history.
www.metalmind.com.pl/index.php?jezyk=en |
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Elvenking - The Scythe (Candlelight
Records) By: Joe Florez |
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It
was just a mere year or so ago that these lads dished out an
interesting and fun record. Now, they are back with another
dose of true heavy metal. You would think with a name like
Elvenking that they would be from Scandinavia, but no they are
from Italy. It’s the title track that is filled with plenty of
fuel as the record gets well under way. There’s bombastic
double bass drumming, happy yet aggressive fast riffing and
growls. Soon, things settle in as Damna starts singing which
is a combination of clean and being slightly gruffy. There is
also a folk vibe that runs thru the song as the violins make
their presence known. The chorus is lush and rich thanks to
nice harmony voices chiming in and you can definitely feel
that this |
will be a crowd pleaser on the live circuit. The solos on here
are clean, but bursting with energy. It’s upbeat and mid paced
all the way through, keeping things on a positive note. “Lost
Hills Of Memories” is pretty crafty thanks to the interesting
arrangement which includes some electronic elements, but don’t
worry they don’t tread on the industrial path ala Fear Factory
or Rammstein. The music also takes a turn for the darker with
meaner six string action and the vocals seeming to be a little
bit uglier, but brighten up in all the right spots. I love the
production a lot on here and think that for the most part the
songs are constructed well and are entertaining, but it seems
that after a while I am getting a little bored with the disc
because it seems like they are repeating themselves, but what
they try to do to offset things is to utilize the violins when
you least expect it and add other instruments that are not
normally associated with this brand of music. Such as kicking
in a doomy/sludgy breakdown toward the end of “Romance And
Wrath.” I love the authenticity of the folk ambience, but it
becomes tiresome after a while because it becomes predictable
in the sense that you know exactly where it’s going to be
used.
This isn’t a bad album by any means and there are plenty of
reasons to celebrate this new effort, but perhaps I have maybe
outgrown this genre. I think Helloween, Hammerfall and Manowar
fans would be wise to check this out.
www.candlelightrecords.co.uk |
www.elvenking.net |
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Khann –Tofutopia (Black Market
Activities/Metal Blade Records) Review by Ray Van Horn, Jr. |
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One of the last thresholds of metal that still has purity to
it is one that doesn’t really have a categorization label to
it, but you know the constituents, be it Isis, Rosetta,
Intronaut or Mouth of the Architect. Even Between the Buried
and Me and Dillinger Escape Plan snugly fit into this crowd
despite their overwhelming popularity amongst the younger sect
of listeners, proving that sometimes mass acceptability isn’t
always a bad thing. The latitudes in this subgenre vary
between slow, droning and hypnotic to chaotic and explosive.
Many see the need to call it all post metal, but really what a
band like Orlando’s Khann and their progressive-minded fellow
artisans in this particular style of disruptive music can be
called is |
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an expressive cult of abstract chaos ushers. On their
sarcastically-titled Tofutopia, the boisterous rage of the
album is about controlled disorder that delivers rains of
grinding metal along with tempered and inventive moments of
calm to allow the listener to absorb the vociferous mind
melding of Khann’s crushing music. It also gives poignancy to
a band blaring in protest against a blasé nouveau riche
society taking a dump on everything that doesn’t fit its
wannabe megabuck mold. In a wartime climate where metal music
has become the ultimate soundboard for the country’s
proletariat frustration, the manic thrash and urgency of
Tofutopia seizes its chance to lend voice to the
disenfranchised, often in hit-and-run sonic blasts on cuts
like “Himalayan Green,” “Charisma” and “Apprehension.” While
for some ears, Khann is complete sensory overload on songs
like those aforementioned plus “Ignorance,” “Silver Mouth” and
“Cleanse,” the more you submit to the reckless pace Khann
wants to keep, the more subtle textures will unravel before
your ears. It won’t necessarily take a slower song like “Bird”
to carefully sculpt the agitation that erupts on the title
song following thereafter, but it will prove that Khann is a
band of substance beneath the noisome cacophony and in turn,
Tofutopia becomes a bitter pill made easier to swallow.
www.blackmarketactivities.com |
www.metalblade.com |
www.myspace.com/khannn |
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Mörglbl - Grötesk (The Lasers Edge)
By: Joe Florez |
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When I opened up the package and saw this disc before reading
the bio, I thought to myself (what the fuck is this?) If you
ask me, judging by the photo on the front, the wild colors
used and the goofy clothes that the guys were wearing I
thought that this was a Polish band that played polka. You
see, I made that assumption based on the fact that I used to
work in a small radio station years ago. During the day it was
variety programming from Polish to Russian stuff and then it
was metal at night. The posters on the wall were from artists
in Poland and they looked ridiculous. All of them. And that is
why I assumed this. But, by reading the biog I found out that
they are from France and play prog/fusion. |
So, let’s see where this goes shall we?
“Tapas Nocturne” is fusion alright with some colorful guitar
playing that is easy on the ears. The drumming isn’t too out
of control, but does have plenty of rhythm. There is also funk
thrown in here as well as some metal riffs. This is an
instrumental that was actually pleasing to the aural senses.
After two tracks of wackiness, the guys bring it down a bit
with “Buffet Froid” which is a peaceful number combined with a
calm and relaxing atmosphere. It doesn’t chart into the ballad
territory, but it’s smooth. All of the tracks on here are
vocal free and filled with wonderful musicianship. Just make
sure you are in the right frame of mind for this one. If you
are into the Frank Zappa wackiness, Allan Holdsworth quirky
time changes and blend it with smooth and sophisticated jazz
and sprinkle it with some fusion and metal notes then you are
prepared for this. This is an intriguing journey to say the
least.
www.lasercd.com |
www.christophegodin.com |
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Nifelheim - Envoy of Lucifer (Regain
Records) Review by Crin |
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Not to be confused with the Norwegian act who have a similar
name, this mob are Swedish and let rip with a style of
Blackened Death that only the Swedes could pull off. The band
boast members of acutely precise and smooth guitar fiff
master, Necrophobic, a band who cut though the atmosphere with
stunning speed and frightful ease. The band have been around
since 1992, and this is a solid fourth album. As it happens on
first play, I gathered many Necrophobic elements here, and
that is the biggest praise could possibly credit. Tight, thick
guitars drilling riff after riff into a rabid drum attack.
This is how you would expect Black/Death metal to sound. Not
too primitive, not too grind, not too raw, not too blast- |
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beat happy. This is a well balanced, clearly produced slab of
monstrous barbarism set to music. There is also a retro thrash
feel to the vibrant up-beat tracks, and with the band pic
revealing spiked arms and studded vestments, one can smell the
loose thrash ethos assimilating with the more modern
attributes to the music. Instantly accessible songs,
unashamedly melodic arrangements, hard and heavy Metal with
bite. This is one of those releases that insist you play it
again and again, such is the infectious grooves emitting from
the aural dismemberment. Darkthrone have created a similar
feel with their new opus, F.O.A.D, so there must be something
in the air at the moment prompting bands to reap the past to
make the music of the present. Nifelheim are a worthy addition
to a massive scene that has given us the likes of, Dark
Funeral, Merciless, Dissection, The Haunted, Sacramentum, to
name a mere few.
www.regainrecords.com |
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Rob Zombie - Zombie Live (Geffen)
Review by Adam Hawke |
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Rob Zombie is a Hollywood movie director as well as a talented
musician and performer. He started out in White Zombie,
scoring classic metal hits with harder edge metal heads. In
1995, they released a great album known as ‘Astro Creep 2000’
which scored major success. However, White Zombie only
released around 3 albums before Rob decided to break off and
do it on his own. Rob gained success with the album ‘Hellbilly
Deluxe’ and the song which would later become his signature
song ‘Dragula’ is prominent on the album. Since he broke off,
Zombie has done 4 albums and a best of album with a bonus dvd,
now the time is right for him to release something he has
never done before in his career: a live |
album!
Rob Zombie's first live album doesn’t disappoint in my
opinion. With classics like Dragula, More Human Than Human,
Thunder Kiss '65....this album is very strong. Zombie is in
good form too...growling his lyrics and shouting at the
audience! Much better than his appearance on the Ozzfest 10th
Anniversary live CD, where he was so bored doing Dragula. John
5's guitaring is great as well....only heard his live work on
the Ozzfest 2002 Live Album with Zombie and his work on this
album is second to none. His guitar solo on 'Thunder Kiss '65'
is off the chart....sent chills down my spine!!!!
The album is strong throughout....a definite good buy. Some of
the songs I prefer the studio tracks....like Never Gonna Stop,
which disappointed me a little. Other than that, Zombie has
done so well with his first live album and if your a Rob
Zombie fan: this is a must. If your a casual fan, I wouldn’t
recommend this one to you until you've maybe listened to 'Hellbilly
Deluxe' or 'Past, Present and Future'.
www.robzombie.com |
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Seraphim Slaughter - Scum Terror
(Aids Needle Records) Review By Steve Green |
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Raw is a fucking understatement. This is a thinly produced racket that
mixes a full-on old school Black Metal assault with the energy and
attitude of Punk. Imagine if the Dead Kennedys, circa Bedtime For
Democracy, had invented Norwegian Black Metal? Sounds fucking cool doesn't
it.
Are the PMRC still about? If so they are going to have field day here. The
lyrics and song titles are, shall we say, uncensored. Die Fucking Scum,
Cervix Ripping Sex and the family friendly Armageddon Rape Rampage, and
the production is pretty damn awful too. But frankly, I don't care. Scum
Terror is so full of energy and passion, that it is impossible not to |
enjoy the blitzkrieg. And despite what what you may think from
the song titles and cartoon mutilated cover, this isn't a
clichéd album. It's fresh and very exciting. And I have to say
I absolutely love it.
Scum Terror is a very well put together album. The opening
four tracks are played at full throttle, with only an
occasional drop in pace, but the title track is well
structured and it builds slowly before, once again, hell is
unleashed. Everyone needs to blow away the cobwebs now and
again, and this is the perfect soundtrack. Support the
sickness via
www.seraphimslaughter.com |
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Vesania - Distractive Killusions
(Napalm Records) Review by Crin |
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Napalm Records have had a fine ear for signing some of the
most dynamic acts of the Black Metal [and beyond] scene since
its conception in the early nineties. Here we have a
relatively old act [formed late 1997, with the debut,
Firefrost Arcanum’ album appearing in 2003] Hailing from
Poland, it is surprising that the Black Metal alluded to here
is of the articulate symphonic style. Poland is far more
enriched with raw, inventive Black Metal, so this lush
symphonic elegance is a welcome change. Musically this album
is a collision of deathly vocal rasps, snapping percussion and
chopping riffs. If you removed the keyboard element you would
be left with a band sounding more like a Blackened Death
outfit. As we |
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have it, the deathly foundation is layered with bursts of
keyboards and orchestral pomp. This classical injection is
never a dominant force; it never becomes the musical vision
here. The Dimmu Borgir comparisons are minimal. Here we have a
brooding symphonic Black Metal release that strives to remain
more abrasive than ethereal, more twisted than prog. Limbonic
Art creep out of the mix on occasions, but even the Norwegians
epileptic savagery is never eclipsed here. Vesania are
seemingly trapped between ruthless Black Metal and pomp driven
majestic Black Metal, neither genre having a dominant
influence than the other. On tracks like, Hell is for
Children, a real purpose explodes from the otherwise average
sounding album. Here we discover a real atmospheric slow
burner enriched with a wonderful arrangement and memorable
vocal delivery. In a world wide scene embittered with
regurgitated sound bytes this well meaning Polish band are ten
years too late to make any difference.
www.napalmrecords.com |
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