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Eyehategod - Confederacy of Ruined Lives
Re-issue (Peaceville Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Hmph. This one puzzles me, frankly. Eyehategod are currently
on “permanent hiatus” according to Mike Williams and,
accordingly, haven’t released a proper full-length since
2000’s “Confederacy of Ruined Lives” (a couple of splits were
subsequently released, however). In addition, the devastation
wreaked by Hurricane Katrina left the band in tatters. Since
then, the band’s members have moved on to various other
sludge-related projects, all more or less interconnected to
each other, and most of Eyehategod’s last full lineup have
recently come together to release a full-length under the
Outlaw Order moniker, as well. |
My confusion arises with this apparent re-issue of
“Confederacy of Ruined Lives” from Peaceville Records. There’s
no description of this re-issue on any of the official
websites; that is, Peaceville, Eyehategod’s MySpace page, etc.
Also, there’s no mention of a remastering with this release,
no bonus features are included with the album, etc.
None of these minor issues should stop you from jumping all
over this release of “Confederacy of Ruined Lives”, if it is
in a wider release of some sort. Probably the “cleanest” of
Eyehategod’s proper full-lengths, “Confederacy of Ruined
Lives” is also probably the band’s best written album with
masterful, sludge laden riffs piled on top of one another, all
the while as you complete a slow slide into narcotic induced
oblivion.
Regardless of Eyehategod’s status (incidentally, the band’s
MySpace page is also advertising an upcoming Eyehategod show
in NOLA, further adding to the confusion), there’s no denying
the band’s influence on Southern sludge, and each of their
albums are required listening. At the very least, this release
from Peaceville should make the album easier to find.
www.myspace.com/eyehategod
| www.peaceville.com |
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Fen - The Malediction Fields
(Code666) Review by James Young |
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If you haven’t heard about Fen yet, you are bound to do so in
the upcoming months as not only do they come from our very own
country, but without a doubt the word will spread like
wildfire in the metal world because The Malediction Fields is
a very good album indeed. The overall feeling one gets from
this album is one of desolation, as the band create vast
soundscapes over fairly long song lengths, in which time they
move from acoustic, almost folky passages to expansive,
depressing black metal. Vocalist ‘The Watcher’ is very much
the driving force behind the operation, performing vocals,
guitars and some of the keyboards. Whilst the clean vocals can
come across as weak at times, they are more |
than compensated by screams that manage to sound savage,
whilst somehow suiting the ambient parts. Another thing this
album has going for it is the distant, yet perfectly audible
production, which fits the expansive sound perfectly, and adds
a extra dimension to each track.
Taking a few cues from Agalloch no doubt, things can change
schizophrenically in an instant from gentle to extreme, and
many of these changes are very well pulled off. This can be
heard in the opener, ’Exiles Journey’, which moves swiftly
between the two extremes, leading to a range of emotions being
explored. The dynamics are used in a different way in ‘The
Warren’, in which a long acoustic intro builds into a heavy
climax. The black metal that is utilised on this album is not
the raw breed that you would expect from bands such as Taake
or Thus Defiled; instead what we have is a sound that washes
over you, accompanied by synths from The Watcher and Draugluin
which produce an almost ambient sound. ‘Lashed By Storm’
contains the best examples of the band at their heaviest and
fastest, but even then they manage to captivate you with their
‘big’ sound. The mid-paced passages which contain screaming
have a post-rock sensibility about them through the guitar
sound and pensive bass lines from Grungyn, and songs like ‘As
Buried Spirits Stir’ use them to create a feeling of sadness
and despair in the same way Shining do. Not all of the album
can be seen as a tribute to hopelessness however - there was
one part which oozed a slightly warmer feeling, namely the
start of ‘Colossal Voids’, which utilises a prog rock
influence to provide a touch of optimism before dashing it
away again.
The UK has another band to be proud of, and The Malediction
Fields is a surefire hit for anyone who has a passing interest
in black metal, post-rock, progressive metal, and so on. Fen-tastic!
www.code666.net |
www.myspace.com/fenband |
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Iron Fire - To the Grave
(Napalm Records) Review by Dave Baynham |
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This is the fifth album by Iron Fire, who are a Danish power
metal band that has gone through lots of line up changes, and
is built around singer/composer Martin Steene. Opening track
‘The Beast from the Blackness’ crashes in with the first of
many power chords, pounding drum build ups and huge riffs that
characterise this record. The sound is European, well mainly
German power metal in the vein of Helloween, Running Wild and
Freedom Call, although there is a hint of early speed/thrash
metal too. That works well with the lyrics which are about
heroic fantasy or Viking warriors with one metal anthem for
variety. This gives an overall feel of uncompromising true
metal. Sometimes you listen to an |
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album without many surprises and realise that is a good thing
because it just rocks. While
the vocals are mainly clean there is the occasional growled
vocal for emphasis. There are some keyboards mainly for
filling out the sound and the guitar solos scream nicely.
However, mainly this album is about well constructed songs that
make you want to bang your head.
www.ironfire.dk
| www.napalmrecords.com |
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Korea - For The Present Purpose
(ViciSolum) Review by Steve Green |
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This isn't a bad album, so I'm not really going to be negative about it,
but I do have to point out that it's an album that's not been able to win
me over. It's quite a moody affair, a style I'm normally ok with, but for
the most part, this is still too pleasant a listen. While Michael
Ehrnsteb's voice is reasonably miserable, the musical platform isn't dour
enough and Mikael Hornlund's guitar tone is infinitely too positive in
texture. So my general opinion is that the music and the vocals are not a
perfect match. Which is unfortunate as if you view the two entities
separately, there's nothing wrong with them. This is, in my opinion,
loosely reminiscent of Katatonia mixed with the more recent music of
Paradise Lost, but without
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lashings of misery, which is substituted with a slightly
modern feel and the merest hint of very light Industrial
tones.
So if you haven't quite reached the depth of depression that the likes of
Katatonia induce, then something a little lighter may very well help you
on the way. Visit the bands Myspace to investigate them further:
www.myspace.com/koreasweden |
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Lethargy - Purification
(Candlelight Records USA)
By: Joe Florez
Lethargy - Purification (Powerage)
Review by Strawb |
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No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Two different writers
ended up covering the new Lethergy album. Both reviewers are
from different sides of the pond and both had differing
opinions on the album. So rather than piss one of the writers
off by not using their review, here's both of them. Joe's is
first, Strawb's is second. This is the sophomore release
from this band from Wales. When I saw the disc, I immediately
thought that this was going to be some stoner/doom band, but
once I popped this in I heard something completely different.
This was hard energetic rock of the highest |
order. “Stealth” sets the tone here with infectious spiraling guitar work and a rhythm section that not
only slams, but throws down a heavy beat with slight groove
that will have you boppin’ your head. The singer possesses a gravelly voice in which he will scream from time to time, but
you can hear it all nice and clear. There is some 70’s
inspired keyboard work that infused here to give it that
vintage feel and there are even some sludgy moments during the
breakdowns which will make fans of the genre happy. The boys
really throw down with “Bleechin’ Bones” The guitar work has
even more punch than before and there is plenty of vocal
harmonies here which gives it a warmer feeling. This disc was
a real grower on me. Each track on here progressively gets
better and what’s more there is enough change-ups, tempo wise,
to prevent you from hitting the skip button. There’s even a
subtle moment when the guys slow it down quite a bit in “I See
Man’s End In Construction.” Lethargy perfectly execute in
using their influences from the past and fusing them with the
present for a sound that won’t be dated anytime soon. The
balance on here is absolutely perfect and quite frankly does a
good job at avoiding redundancy. I believe strongly that if
you enjoy hard rock, stoner, doom and what not that there is a
little bit of something in here for everyone. I think this is
a worthy purchase for the first part of 2009. (Joe)
It is many a year since my last incursion into the South Wales
area. I used to visit for two purposes, one being the
excellent rugby served up in the pre-professional days, the
other being to visit the local clubs when my musically
talented brother in law and his band were playing at them.
Later visits to the valley areas revealed the true legacy of
Thatcher v Scargill, seemingly whole communities of depressed
families with exceptionally limited prospects. It was not a
good place to be.
And from Neath in South Wales come the band Lethargy. They
have no connection with the demised band of the same names
from 1990s USA. The four members were born and bred there, met
at school and have remained friends, and their publicity makes
much of this. It also states that the ambition of the band is
‘to become one of the best groups of their generation’. Ummm.
Think it through boys. Probably the cessation of food
provision from mums teats before attempting the Olympic 100m
final would be a better goal. The music the band produce is
somewhat difficult to categorise, but they describe themselves
as ‘riff driven hard rock and seriously impressive, some might
say spellbinding, musicality’. Not sure I’m on board here
either. I have listened to this cd on a number of occasions.
Each one has been forced and done in order to compose this
review, basically there is no meeting between the output of
Lethargy and the music which I listen to by choice. However,
the opening track Stealth has had a playing on Bruce
Dickinsons rock show, and he is not only a better pilot than
me, but has enjoyed a more successful career in metal, so what
do I know?
In summary, I refer to the dictionary definition of Lethargy,
which is ‘the quality or state of being drowsy and dull,
listless and unenergetic, or indifferent and lazy; apathetic
or sluggish inactivity’. ‘Nuff said. (Strawb)
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
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www.myspace.com/lethargymusic |
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Lost In Blue - Lost In Blue
(Self Release) Review by Steve Green |
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It's pretty much impossible to imagine Iron Maiden without Bruce
Dickinson. I know Blaze Bayley replaced him once, but was that really the
Iron Maiden we know and love? So if he ever left them again, I'm sure that
would be the end of the band. So I'm asking you know to imagine the
impossible, an Iron Maiden without Bruce. No, not with another singer
replacing him, but an Iron Maiden which only created instrumentals.
Without saying that Lost In Blue are Iron Maiden clones, which they
aren't, this is probably as close as you'll ever get to finding out what
that would sound like.
Hailing from Chicago, these 4 very talented musicians "bang out" their own
band of Metal
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which mixes Traditional Metal, a touch of Thrash and a more
Progressive form of the genre. Now this isn't your average wankfest and no
instrument really takes control. It's exactly what you'd expect from a
Metal band, but there's no vocals. Ok, the lead guitar does tend to take
some of spotlight, but it never overstays its welcome and each song has a
natural flow... and bar the end of the final track Dead Moon Rises, which
is too long at nearly 12 minutes, I hardly had chance to get bored at all.
Writing this stuff must be harder than your average Metal song as there's
no chorus to latch onto etc.. So top marks to the band for writing
interesting instrumental Metal.
www.myspace.com/lostinblue
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Metalhit.com Releases- Volume 1
(Metalhit.com)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Metalhit.com is a new label specializing in Internet-only
releases, thereby allowing bands that would’ve been unsigned a
means of reaching an audience beyond the usual hits that they
may obtain on their own individual MySpace band pages.
Metalhit.com was started in early 2008 by Mike Riddick from
Lynchburg, Virginia, and is already showing signs of success
with material from the label being distributed in well known
digital music markets such as eMusic. Most of the releases
from the label reaching my email inbox are rather short, so
I’ll start by reviewing the releases in batches; hence, the
“Volume 1” reference above.
First up is Fetid Zombie, a gore grind project from none other
than Mike Riddick’s twin brother Mark. Mark Riddick handles
all of the instrumentation, including vocals and drum
programming, for Fetid Zombie. The four-song EP “Abort the
Messiah” is the project’s second release and comes across as a
burped version of pre-“Heartwork” Carcass with some humorous
sounding vocals similar to those of early Gorerotted.
Consisting mostly of a mid paced tempo built around some
simple riffs, Fetid Zombie suffers greatly from very weak
production and is instantly forgettable. The vocals are rather
amusing with well placed burps and humor, but that’s not
really enough to sustain a release of even just four songs.
Next up is an EP from Gomorah, also from Lynchburg, entitled
“By Means of Violence”. Gomorah play a version of mostly
mid-paced deathcore that’s well played and produced, but is
also fairly typical. Those of you out there that are into
bands such as Whitechapel and so on might find Gomorah
interesting, but “By Means of Violence” is deathcore of a
wholly pedestrian nature. Overall, however, Gomorah do display
some talent and might garner some notice with future releases.
Lastly for this batch review are Ripped Off Face, yet again
from Virginia, with their debut |
full-length entitled “We Are The State”. By far, this is the
best release of the three with a brand of politically tinged
melodic death metal, without keyboards, combined with metalcore. What easily sets Ripped
Off Face apart from the other two bands presented here are
well written songs with a degree of catchiness. Throw in some
tempo variation and an ability to weave together two different
genres, and Ripped Off Face are a band worth paying some
attention to. ”We Are The State” is a promising debut, but is,
alas, the last release from Ripped Off Face as the band has
disbanded.
I’m not sure how much I’m looking forward to a set of “Volume
2” releases from Metalhit.com, but the label’s roster seems to
be growing exponentially from the looks of a cursory
examination of the label’s website. Time will tell if this is
a good thing.
www.metalhit.com |
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Nitrous - Outlaw Racer (Nailboard) Review by Steve Green |
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Here's a new one for you genre compilers, "drag race thrash metal". Yeah,
I was wondering what it meant as well. Well let me explain. Nitrous
feature amongst their ranks drag racing champion Lauri Kuriks on guitar
and the subject matter is based around fast, powerful cars and musically
this is raw, yet catchy Thrash. Simple.
I kind of place this around The Haunted and Slayer, yet the guitar sound
is so different, you do have to say there is is an air of originality in
here somewhere. Vocally, this is somewhere between American Metal, and
mainly because of the delivery style and the subject matter, Rob Halford
and Judas Priest, but for the most part, without the higher
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register of the Metal God.
Overall, this falls into the "simply OK" category because I cannot get
excited about the subject matter, nor do I think the song writing is the
most creative I've ever stumbled across. But, I have to say I absolutely
love the unusual guitar sound. It feels as if it's floating on top of the
mix and the short, catchy riffs are to die for. So there's plenty of
talent on offer here, unfortunately it just doesn't really click with me.
www.nailboard.org/label
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Opprobrium - Mandatory Evac
(Metal Mind) Review by Steve Green |
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Metal Mind are renowned for re-issuing a plethora of classic 80s Metal.
When I first heard this album I thought that this must be a re-issue of a
long forgotten album, or maybe even a collection of demo tracks, as the
production is absolutely awful, or non existent would be a better phrase.
But no, this is a current release from Brazilian band Opprobrium. Which
leaves me wondering how this was ever sanctioned worthy of mass
duplication. Metal Mind have kept to their normal high standards of
digipack and gold cd, but I have to question their choice of material to
release.
With better production, I reckon I'd quite like this album. At times it
just slays (no pun
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intended) in an old school, Slayer type Thrash-fest. But the
production really is a major problem here and it's worse than
90% of all demos I heard 10 years ago. It really is that bad.
So if you do want to purchase this album, just beware of this
before parting with any money. But if that isn't a problem to
you and you want a slice of Cult Metal from Brazil, then dive
in and fight through the carnage and enjoy.
www.metalmind.com.pl/index.php?dzial=wydawnictwa&more=1544 |
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