|
|
|
|
|
Dark Suns - Grave Human Genuine
(Prophecy Productions) review by Sam Thomas |
 |
I am beginning to get very concerned. It used to be that I would have to
scour the internet and visit obscure little record shops (most of whom did
not have a website) to find my favourite kind of music. With Dark Suns’
latest release, “Grave Human Genuine”, I was emailed by Amazon just prior
to release because I had “bought similar items in the past”! Fuck me, I’m
going mainstream!
Or not, as the case may be. I have to say that of all my weird
and wonderful tastes (and we’ll confine this discussion to
music) Dark Suns are one of the oddest. They don’t fit easily
into any category, they don’t follow any “normal”
developmental path and they don’t do |
predictable. I forget how I originally discovered them, but
they’ve been one of my favourite bands for a long time.
“Grave Human Genuine” makes a further step away from Dark Suns original
presentation as a band somewhere in the style of Opeth, bringing in some
subtle Middle Eastern influences, and possibly a nod in the direction of
Pain of Salvation, courtesy of bassist Kristoffer Gildenlöw. But it’s a
very slight nod, and there are still many places where you could close
your eyes and imagine that you were listening to Opeth. Niko Knappe’s
vocal style in particular is reminiscent of Mikael Åkerfeldt in places but
there are also areas where the extreme delicacy and fragility of his voice
is all his own. I always think that it’s a little strange to have a
drummer who performs lead vocals, especially when they aren’t raw and
brutal. But there you go, I shouldn’t stereotype musicians in that way!
I have to admit that it took me an age to really get into this album,
because it’s as complex and multi-layered as can be. It also has a
beautiful flow to it, where one track leads seamlessly into the next,
rather like a coil of smoke gently rising through a summer haze. There are
no sharp edges here, no brutality, and yet it’s far from being a wimpy
album. There are some odd bits of (almost) rap (a subject about which I
know less than nothing) which actually don’t irritate as much as you would
think. The majestic progress of the music continues, unruffled by these
strange aberrations, and winds its way into your mind. Once I’d really
started to get into this, I couldn’t shake it out of my head. The big
surprise came when I listened to it on headphones for the first time and
discovered that on fourth track “Rapid Eyes Movement” the music veered
around from left to right and back again in a way that would definitely
induce rapid eye movement (or possibly insanity).
Provided that you have a reasonably open mind about music, and like the
type of thing that is generally labelled as “progressive”, this extremely
creative, well-written and beautifully performed opus could well be one of
the best things you hear this year. I’m certainly not expecting to find
many more impressive releases come my way, even if it has taken me forever
to come to that conclusion.
www.darksuns.de |
www.prophecyproductions.de |
| |
|
Eluveitie - Slania
(Nuclear Blast) By: Joe Florez |
 |
Every genre of music has their 15 minutes of fame and now it’s
the folk/pagan/Viking turn to grab our attention. Even though
this eight piece outfit hails from Switzerland as opposed to
Scandinavia, their hearts are in the right place and the music
is too. This full length sophomore effort sort of grabbed me
off guard of sorts cause I was expecting something more along
the lines of the intro “Samon” that contains flutes, and
anything else that is organic from drums to guitars. This has
a very epic feel in sound and also contains plenty of
atmosphere, but what happens next was insane. “Primordial
Breath” opens with chants, but soon enough, the riffs are fast
and intense and the drumming picks up a lot of steam. The |
|
vocals are growly as hell and have a sinister edge. It’s
amazing how they mix this up with melody and rhythm. Think of
this as At The Gates running through the forest with bagpipes
and other wind instruments. Hot damn! This disc just gets
better with each track. The energy remains on high and the
compositions are just as infectious as the previous ones.
“Grey Sublime Archon” ups the ante with faster licks, meaner
drumming and infectious grooves that won’t quit. There is a
certain charm to this disc that makes the group appealing to
many fans of different tastes in Metal and abroad. Each song
on here is well crafted and full of life. It’s the way that
they approach traditional celtic/folk and add metal into the
mix and then turn things up by ten by adding melodic death
metal and chants into the factor for something that is a truly
rewarding aural experience when you listen to it. Eluveitie
didn’t turn me into a fan on the first spin, but by the second
and third I was hooked like a junkie. I haven’t heard anything
this refreshing and entertaining since Korpiklaani. All I have
to say is that you are missing out by not giving them a spin.
Surprises are to be found on every turn. I can’t wait to see
and hear them pull this off at the first ever Pagan festival
held here in the U.S. soon.
www.nuclearblast.de |
www.eluveitie.ch |
| |
|
Epicurean - A Consequence
Of Design (Metal Blade) By: Joe Florez |
 |
Epicurean is from the Midwest. Minnesota to be exact and these
guys have toured so much especially through Chicago that I
thought they were from my home town. The craziest thing about
these lads is that I have seen and heard their music transform
from melodic black metal to what it is now. The line-up's were
different each time they came through too. Now, they seem
pretty much settled in and the style that they are going for
is also for the most part etched in stone.
“The Author And The Architect” lays out the groundwork for
what is to come for the next hour. Solid and intense drumming
that is really tight is meshed with clean riffs, haunting
keys, |
and John’s vocals that sway back and forth from aggressive and growly to clean. Sure, it’s not a new and
original formula, but it’s done well. At nearly six minutes
long, I think some of the fat could have been trimmed off in
order to keep things moving fast. The problem becomes very
clear with this debut quickly and that it’s repetitive and sad
to say…boring. The ivory keys come off as Cradle Of Filth-ish
and these songs go on just waaay too long. You begin to lose
interest after the three to four minute mark. Droning on and
on for five or six minutes here is career suicide cause they
add nothing refreshing to hold your interest. The disc should
have been thirty to forty minutes max. At an hour plus long,
this could have been two records, but that would have worked
against them cause they could be considered bookends. Perfect
example is Judas Priest’s Defenders of The Faith and Screaming
For Vengeance. Tell me that they don’t sound the same even
though they are a joy to soak in. Bottom line is that the guys
have a look that they think will get them chicks backstage
after the show. Even though they have been out before the
blokes in Bullet For My Valentine, Epicurean will and can be
compared to them. I think if they want to last for one more
record on Metal Blade or any other label then some drastic
measures in composing are in order. The production is polished
to the extreme and the performances are all efficient, but
just don’t cut it anymore.
www.metalblade.com |
www.epicureanmetal.com |
| |
|
Fireborn - A Deadly
Premonition (Self-produced) Review by Metal Mark |
 |
Fireborn play melodic death metal. The vocals are of a fairly
typical death metal style and sometimes they lighten up to an
old style thrash approach as well. The rhythm section is
decent, but sometimes a bit too much into the background, when
they are really needed to be more a part of the action. The
best part of of "A Deadly Premonition" was definitely the
guitar work which may not be stellar in originality, but they
were sure solid and very active. I heard a large Iron Maiden
influence in the guitar style and that's fine with me plus I
heard some Helloween and Gamma Ray as well. I liked they took
their time and that they spent as much time with perfecting
different guitar tones as they did with playing fast and
heavy. |
|
Sometimes bands in this style run into the problem of the
vocals being too much of a contrast to the music to the point
of where the two work against one another. Fireborn
don't have that problem at all as the vocals work very well
the music and they go along together while each add to the
total sound. The band is also proficient in their timing and
control of the overall pace on just about all of the songs.
They never seemed rushed or forced and primarily got the most
out of what they were playing. Although the album was fairly
fresh and avoiding being repetitive I do think they could have
dug a little deeper at times with the music and maybe been a
little less predictable. There were a few hints of some
potential to really open up, but I think they could have
pushed in that direction a little more, plus I think they
already have the playing skills to do so. With "A Deadly
Premonition" Fireborn have created an album that is
immediately likable and it has enough to appeal to fans of
different genres of metal.
www.myspace.com/fireborn
|
| |
|
-Itis - Exit 420
(Hat Light Recordings) Review by Steve Green
|
 |
This is a completely different slice of Stoner Rock, this
is a Reggae influenced rock with a laidback vibe with tales of
your mum buying you some pot in Amsterdam and various other
tales of getting wasted. At times, -Itis' sound reminds me of
Living Colour, a band I had a lot of time for in the late 80s
and early 90s. But obviously this is nowhere near as polished
as Corey Glover and co. This is more of a fun album, which I
imagine transfers well in the live arena, of should I say,
sweaty little club.
Ultimately though, there's not enough here to win me over. I
love the opening number, Hey Mom, I Smoke Pot, despite my
anti-drug stance. The lyrics are hilarious and musically, its |
|
got the best groove by far, of the albums 17 tracks. Only the
pummelling In God We Trust, which reminds me of Ministry,
circa The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste with a bit of funk
thrown in, comes close to hitting that initial high. The band
flit between too many different styles for my liking and not
enough of them are heavier enough for my tastes. This is by no
means a bad album, just an album that needs a bit more guitar
action to suit, not just my tastes, but that of the Live 4
Metal readership.
www.itisrocks.com |
| |
|
Kauan - Lumikuuro
(Badmoodman/Solitude Production)
Review by Chris Davison |
 |
Much has been made recently, of course, about the natural
riches of the Russian states, and that we (that's the British
“we”) have been made to pay over the odds for our energy by
these states. Now, I'm not going to get into that debate, save
to say that it isn't just energy that Mother Russia is rich
in. Some of the most interesting, powerful underground music
of the moment is coming from way out East, and to be honest it
seems that for those of us with a doom bent, that this is
where much of the best stuff is coming from. Solitude
Productions seem hell-bent in releasing these little gems onto
an unsuspecting Western audience, and for that, I feel thanks
are in order. |
Kauan, as an entity, are a little difficult to describe. At
the heart of this release, their first full length album,
lurks a doom base, one suspects. That being said, there is so
much more here than you will find from their peers. Rather
than aping the British Doom/ Death explosion like many of
their brothers-in-metal (which is not meant as a slight of
those particular bands), Kauan have taken a rather more
expansive approach to their music. Ethereal, at degrees both
atmospheric and direct, this is head expanding music as much
for the soul as for the mind. I am conscious that I sound like
some kind of new-age self-help guru, but the fact remains that
this is clever music that speaks to the heart in equal measure
to the brain.
Multi-instrumentalism lies at the core of the music. From
delicate piano pieces through to strings, choral voices and of
course the metal base of guitars, drums and bass, this is a
band not afraid to use fragile passages of music to contrast
with the more normal growling, grinding guitars and pounding
drums. “Aanu Fa Kaste”, by means of example, starts with a
relatively ambient motif, moving through multiple layers of
melody and instrumental sections, sparse use of vocals
underpinning the bands meticulous work. The standard of both
composition and playing are absolutely exemplary. More than
that, their use of acoustics, keyboards alongside the more
staple metal fare is without any peer. Coming on, at times,
like a clash between prime Katatonia and Anathema circa the
“Eternity” years, this is music with real emotional
intelligence. The prime way to listen to this stuff is in a
darkened room, a glass of whatever you fancy sat poised by
your side and time to allow your mind to drift on the currents
summoned forth by these aural expeditions. That being said,
there is a time and a place for music like this, and it isn't
going to be to everyone's liking. There is nothing here of
interest to the pure dyed thrasher, the rabid death metal fan
or the stubborn old doomer – though the odd use of flute does
bring to mind some early Cathedral passages! For the rest of
us though, who want the odd sophisticated listen between the
gore and the Satan worship, this could be exactly what you're
looking for. Except some bits that sound like a “voice of the
pan pipes” tape, naturally.
www.solitude-prod.com
|
| |
|
Obskuria - Discovery Of
Obskuria (World Of Sound) Review By Strawb |
 |
Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been seven weeks
since my last review. As I have mentioned, Steve, the leading
light and organiser of this site, is a very, very nice man who
keeps sending me disks to review. And he has continued to do
so since I joined this site. For the past few weeks I have
been an ungrateful git who has accepted the discs, reviewed
and enjoyed them and then when it has come to typing the
reviews has tossed it off in some other direction. And to a
certain extent this has been a slur on you, the readers,
because it means that you are weeks later discovering such
platters as this fine offering.
Shit, but this is different. It is as if the largest metal
shop around have lined their walls with |
discs and then let the world champion epileptic darts team
throw arrows during a particularly violent episode. And then
told Obskuria to record
those tracks bullseyed, or produce a representation of the
group playing the track. On this one disk we have pseudo punk
for an opener, a hippy version of For Whom The Bell Tolls as
the fish course, and many other tasty courses to follow.
Remember the psychedelic wanderings of Hawkwind? They are
faithfully reproduced and expanded upon as a later course. Or
could a track be compared to the early ‘one-track-a-side’
style of the Sid Barrett-era of Pink Floyd? Well yes, it
could, although now, obviously, we do not have sides. I See
puts me in mind of the Argus-era Wishbone Ash, for most of the
eight minutes of its length.
While it can be played with the lava lamp doing its thing in
the corner and your favourite relaxant coursing in to your
system, it is not at all ‘samey’. It is an album that does
require listening to in the vein of the classics. I just
cannot see it as music to do other things to, you will miss
much if you do. I have feasted at the table of Obskuria and I
am sated as I leave it.
The eleventh track, The World Is Gone, is a guest track,
direct from the 1960’s. Its inclusion says a lot about the
values of this band and what this album stands for.
Obskuria are an unusual line up of musicians from Peru, the
USA and Germany and they bring many influences and backgrounds
to the melting pot of their music. Occasionally, a track might
meander away from the footpath of good length on to the road
of too long but on the next listening hit the roundabout of
exactly the right time. Must go now, I feel an evening of Hail
Marys about to begin….www.obskuria.com |
| |
|
Revelations of Rain -
Marble Shapes of Despair (Solitude Production)
Review by Chris Davison |
 |
The seeds of Russia lie in the Vikings making their way up the
river Rus and settling there. Indeed, the history of the
modern giant lies in waves of immigrants making their way
across the fertile plains and settling, braving the cold and
making the most of those summer months below clear blue skies.
It isn't as widely reported though, that there was another
expedition in the mid nineties, of immigrants who fled Britain
away from the tyranny of grunge, nu-metal and crap dance
music, and settled in a more receptive nation. These
immigrants, ex-patriots from the great English northern cities
formed small enclaves of like minded fellows, all schooled in
the noble art of doom/death that subsequently died in their
home nation. |
Curious, at first frightened Russians approached the be-paunched black-clad warriors, and learned this noble
metal genre, as Cro-magnon took the secret of fire when
dinosaurs ruled the earrrrrreaaarrrrth* Finally, the Russians
began to make their own metal, superior in every respect to
the metal excreted forth from 99% of the bands from Albion
herself.
All of which, of course, is my way of saying that Russia
really does seem to be producing bands of amazing quality when
it comes to doom/death these days. This particular little gem,
which let me tell you is up there in terms of quality with the
likes of My Dying Bride, was first recorded in 2006, but is
only now seeing the light of day thanks to those quality
purveyors of Russian doom, Solitude Productions. There may be,
of course, those nay-sayers who will be quick to point out
that all Revelations of Rain have done is expand on the gloomy
foundations laid by their British ancestors-in-metal. Well, I
say find that nay-sayer and put his head through the nearest
fucking window, because this is really good stuff. It's slower
than a snail on valium of course, and a bit on the
maudlin/lace hanky side of things, but then doom/death was
always quality music wrapped up in the tissue of teenage
melodrama.
Firstly, praise in excelsis to the producer, (alas, for I
cannot read Russian to tell you who such a beast is, or indeed
where his studio is), because the quality of sound here is
really rather special. The bass seems to absolutely leap out
of the mix, without ever overwhelming things. Take for example
the third track, which translates I am led to believe as
“Requiem”. After a tasteful introduction, comprising of choral
keyboard effects, slow as hell riffing and the most exquisite
melancholy guitar melody to be heard since...well, the last
Revelations of Rain track, the main melodic motif continues,
to be joined by sparse piano and sweeping guitar licks. The
vocals are hoarse and deathly, of course, which may not be to
the liking of some lightweights out there, but this is in
every respect top drawer, premiere league miserabilism done
the old fashioned way. The songs are epic, downbeat and more
leaden than the reaction given to a loud ripping fart at a
funeral. The production really brings out the best in the
maudlin song writing, being easily the equal of any of the My
Dying Bride albums produced in the last twenty years. When the
crunchy, boot in the throat riffs of “Sentenced to Silence”
hit you, you will be glad you listened to me. Thought the last
MDB album was, well, a bit shit? Try this.
www.solitude-prod.com
* History courtesy of Bruce Dickinson |
| |
|
Rigor Sardonicous -
Vallis Ex Umbra De Mortuus (Paragon Records) By:
Dave Schalek |
 |
Every time Thulsa Doom makes an appearance in front of his
followers in my governor’s best movie, “Conan The Barbarian”,
there’s a long slow moan of “Dooooooooooommmmmmm…” Well, that
epitomizes the fifth full-length from New York duo Rigor
Sardonicous. If funeral doom evocative of Skepticism, Evoken,
Celestiial and the like are your bread and butter, then look
no further than “Vallis Ex Umbra De Mortuus”, the pair’s
latest full-length from can’t-go-wrong label Paragon Records.
Rigor Sardonicous would fit right in with the progeny of
Hierophant; that is, huge slabs of distorted feedback,
incredibly down-tuned frequencies approaching the resonant |
frequencies of your speakers’ casings such that they’ll
painfully rattle even at low volume, deeply growled, distorted
vocals, and a plodding percussion that’s actually, at times,
more than just a few beats per minute.
Overall, this sort of thing can get pretty monotonous, but
there are a few moments sprinkled throughout “Vallis…” to
pique your curiosity. A melodic intro of woodwinds, a few
riffs that appear to approach the mainstream, and one or two
moments that are unusually up tempo, strangely enough,
ultimately provide some relief from the unrelenting doom.
I had recently reviewed a split with Rigor Sardonicous, and I
was not very impressed with a decidedly uneven effort from the
band. A huge production was somewhat absent from the split,
but is present in spades on “Vallis…” In addition, it’s hard
to use the term “songwriting” in this genre, but whatever that
may be in this context seems to work for Rigor Sardonicous as
the songs are always a bit interesting. A rather short length
to the songs, as well as the album as a whole, goes a long way
towards aiding “Vallis…” in holding your interest. In short,
“Vallis…” showcases a focused band in a difficult genre. Also
of note is a nice layout with some interesting photography and
praying skeletons reminiscent of Cirith Ungol.
“Vallis…” is not going to be for everyone, but if you’re into
the lowest depths of funeral doom, you’ll find what you’re
looking for in Rigor Sardonicous.
www.smilingdeath.com/RigorSardonicous/ |
www.paragonrecords.net/ |
| |
|
Stigma - When Midnight
Strikes! (Pivotal Rockordings) Review by Steve
Green
|
 |
This one slipped under the radar as it arrived just before
I went on holiday and almost got buried under the pile of cds
that heralded my return. Shit, I missed out on some quality Metal,
but only for a couple of weeks. My first impression, as I Am
Dracula spewed from my headphones, was of a comparison with
The Black Dahlia Murder. A solid wall of sound, in the same
potent Deathcore vein. I'm sure this style is done to death,
but, luckily I'm not really exposed to it on a regular basis,
so I can appreciate this as a rare treat.
What you get on Stigma's debut album, is a heavier version of
the sort of sledgehammer happy, melodic death that the
Children of Bodom should be producing, instead of the |
insipid repetitiveness they are now churning out. My only
complaint though, is that by halfway through the album, I was
beginning to be worn down. There are no chinks of light
allowed into the claustrophobic mix. It's mainly one style all
the way, so you can like it or lump it. Saying that, things to
tend to get a bit better towards the end, with the remarkably
fresh sounding Thrash of A Call For Vengeance and the crushing
onslaught of final number Sons Of Midnight, which ends the
album in style.
This album wears its influences on its sleeves, but it doesn't
pretend to be something it's not. It pulverizes, it grooves,
it slays and the quality oozes through, albeit for me, in
smaller doses. Shame you won't be able to catch them in the UK
this month as originally planned, as they've just dropped off the tour
they were headling.
www.myspace.com/stigmahc |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
