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Paganizer - Carnage Junkie
(Vic Records) review by Sam
Thomas |
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Years ago, I remember there being a series of programmes
called (possibly) “Rock Family Trees” in which the connections
between various bands were shown in the form of a family tree
and odd clips shown to demonstrate the variety of absolute
junk kept in various video archives. I’d love to see a version
of that programme based around Rogga Johansson, because he
crops up all over the place. Paganizer is one of his earlier
(but still going) bands, which has at various points been put
on ice to allow him to continue with other projects.
Carnage Junkie is the sixth full length album from Paganizer,
and demonstrates once again |
that, when it comes to mindless brutality, Sweden has no
equal. The opening track is perfect – entitled “Death plain
and simple” it couldn’t sum this up any better. Speaking of
tracks, the limited edition first pressing contains a pretty
awesome five bonus tracks, which are not only staggering in
numeric terms, they’re also pretty damn good tracks – a real
bonus in fact. Of these, “The Morbidly Obscene” really caught
me by surprise, as there’s a riff about half way through which
was so like the opening of Guns n Roses “Coma” (I was sad
enough to have that as a musical accompaniment to a
screensaver – my excuse was that I could tell from two rooms
away if the kids had left the computer on) that I had to check
it out against the original in case I was imagining things (I
wasn’t). There’s loads of bits in this album that are sort of
reminiscent of various other bands, in a good way, as it makes
the music feel familiar even on a first listen.
This release is exactly as the label describe it (a rarity!),
old school death metal from Sweden. It’s not a groundbreaker,
but it’s a very well-produced and well put together example of
its genre. If you like this kind of thing (I do) you’ll love
it. www.paganizer.com
| www.vicrecords.com |
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Preludium - Raping Mankind Disorder (Redrum 666)
Review by Chris Davison |
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Polish Death Metal. Really, since round about 1996 or so, the
Poles have established themselves as one of, if not the
premiere force in global death metal. With the likes of Vader,
Decapitated, Yattering, Behemoth, Devilyn and others, the
surgical accuracy and terrific production of the Polish scene
have catapulted them to the top of the scene. Eastern European
death / grind fanatics Redrum 666 have now unleashed fellow
Poles Preludium into the market. Just how will they
distinguish themselves from their illustrious forebears?
The first distinguishing feature is that they are at least
1.5 gigatonne fuck-loads heavier than 99% of their
contemporaries. This is unrelenting, dense brutal death metal,
not unlike |
having your head smashed with a lump hammer. Repeatedly. That
in and of itself, of course, would also make it about as much
fun as having your swede smashed in. There is
a little more here than the usual clattering and “br00tality”
of the brutal death metal brigade. The martial stomp on
“Desecration by Fire”, for example, has hints of the
atmosphere and drive of classic Kataklysm, with the same
crunchy, Jade Goody-thick riffs, and while it is not much more
than an instrumental introduction to “Anti-Gods Lament”, it
does show that Preludium aren't solely about being heavier
than thou, they're also concerned with making actual “songs”,
an art form which is sadly almost lost to many of the heavier
death metal bands these days.
The production is as polished and powerful as you would expect
from a modern Polish outfit, packing more punches than a rail
carriage full of Millwall fans, and more polish than a
truckload of Mr Sheen. The drums must come in for special
mention, with the drum sound being pretty close to death metal
perfection to my ears, and the playing is nothing less than
astounding. While “Raping Mankind Disorder” may not be making
it onto my top ten list of 2009, it's a whole lot better than
I thought it was going to be. I can only hope that they can
land themselves on a support slot and do some touring to up
their profile, as I can honestly see Preludium joining the
Polish elite if they get the exposure. Oh, and “Suffering for
Nothing” is the best Aborted song that they never wrote.
Seriously.
www.redrum666.net |
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Pussygutt - She Hid Behind Her Veil
(20 Buck Spin) Review by
Luke Goaman-Dodson |
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This album was apparently sent back by
another reviewer on this site, and I can't exactly blame them
considering I was practically in despair after taking one
listen to this album. My blathering skills seem to be cut
short when it comes to this particular genre. Still, I gave it
my best shot, and although coming in a little bit late, these
are my thoughts on this CD. Consisting of just one track
lasting over 45 minutes, 'She Hid Behind Her Veil' is a album
of drone-doom ambience, beginning with feedback-drenched soundscapes
calling to mind a more spacious version of Stephen O'Malley's
work. All this changes about 11 minutes in, when the guitars
disappear and we are subjected to pure dark ambient keyboard
work, |
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eventually overlaid with monstrously detuned bass work, and
then 10 minutes later an ensemble of dissonant strings. How
much you like this album really depends on how much you like
the genres of drone-doom and ambient-rock - it's an impressive
piece of work, that's for sure, even if it was slightly beyond
even my tastes in extremity. Recommended.
www.myspace.com/pussygutt |
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Stigma - Solitude 24/7
(Tyntis Records)
Review by Strawb |
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www.stigma247.com is where you can go if you want to
skip this review, but come on, give me a chance why don’t you.
Of the five albums released by Stigma, three of them have the
word Solitude in the title, and the blurb states that this one
is the successor to their debut, named simply ‘Solitude’. The
band currently has two members, Stig [is this what he does
when not playing the foil to Clarkson, Hammond and May?] and
Endre, and there were four guest musicians credited for their
work on this one. The limited titling continues with the track
listings, with seven of them named after the days of the week.
However, this fits in with the concept of the album |
which is ‘a week in the life of a working class bachelor with
its ups and deep downs’. A concept album brings prog rock to mind, and
this impression continues as I listen on. When I dwell on prog,
one of the things which springs to mind is the unusual vocal
styles of some bands, I think of Jon Anderson and Geddy Lee as
the best exponents of this trait. Stig has his own distinctive
style on this CD, not in the same league as the
aforementioned, but one of the noticeable and memorable
components of this offering. I also like the use of the church
organ, not an instrument I often hear on Metal discs. I can
barely recall when I was a bachelor, but I have been along for
the whole journey and whilst it is not all from the top
drawer, it is varied enough and of consistently high quality
that I may take it again.
It is important to note that Solitude 24/7 will be available
on vinyl only – it has been mixed for this format. However, in
the package will be a CD. It is the CD which I have reviewed,
but being older I have the equipment to have done the vinyl.
In the 21st Century, this policy seems somewhat eccentric and
individual, but then again those same two words could be used
to sum up Stigma |
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The Eternal - Kartika
(Firebox) review by Sam Thomas |
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Now it’s one of my habits (some would say affectations) never
to read the press release that accompanies a new CD before
I’ve listened to it at least once. I like to make my own mind
up about what I’m listening to, and not rehash tired old
phrases. After all, if I were to do that, there’d be no real
point me writing the review at all… In the case of The
Eternal, that was all made a lot easier by the press release
getting lost in the piles of paperwork that drift across the
floor at Live4Metal Towers, so my thoughts remained pure and
uncontaminated until I’d spent a couple of weeks listening to ”Kartika”.
So there I was, really enjoying the melancholy, off in my own
little universe, thinking that I |
was listening to a great Finnish band in the style of, say,
Amorphis or Charon. I could
have believed that The Eternal might be Swedish, because the
lyrical content is not a million miles from, say, Katatonia,
but I was definitely thinking Scandinavia. Imagine my surprise
then, finally unearthing the biog, to discover that The
Eternal are actually a bunch of Aussies! And, yet again, I
have to say that Australia is a country which produces some
absolutely fantastic bands, including some of the most
original on the planet.
“Kartika” is offered up as a two CD release, consisting of one
CD of absolutely fantastic first rate dark metal, and a bonus
disc (with the limited edition first pressing only), which I
have to confess that I’ve played a couple of times, but it
didn’t really do a lot for me. And besides, the main CD is
just so damn catchy that, as I’ve been playing it all the
time, there wasn’t any time left to play the bonus stuff…
This is an album with so much going on, with so much carefully
thought-out work having gone into it that every time I listen
to it another facet comes into prominence. On headphones, for
example, the multi-layering of some of the tracks is
absolutely exquisite and the sheer clarity of the keyboards is
spellbinding. There is enough variation between the tracks
that you could never get bored, but they are all extremely
compelling, whether it be because of the lyrics (intelligent),
the hooks (catchy) or simply the incredible variety of
instruments (mandolin, hammered dulcimer) and time changes.
This is dark, melancholic metal, in a Finnish style at its
absolute peak. You don’t very often get perfection in music,
but this could well be it. Leavened with a faintly Eastern
influence, this is just superb. Darkness is indeed a beautiful
thing. www.the-eternal.com
| www.firebox.fi
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TNT - Atlantis (Metal Heaven) Review by Dave Baynham |
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As you might expect of a band that has been going on and off
since 1982, Norway’s TNT have varied their style over time,
sometimes more melodic hard rock, sometimes more AOR and
sometimes even a bit glam rock. However there has always been
a core sound of classy, catchy rock songs. On this album the
word that first comes to mind is quirky. ‘Tango Girl’ is
actually a tango, while ‘Peter Sellers Blues’ is in swing
time. A number of the lyrics are firmly tongue in cheek. This
brings us to the advantages of having Tony Mills, who first
became known as the singer in Shy, on vocals. Apart from
having a great voice it also helps that he thinks in English
so the wording is more natural than some European |
bands, and the accent doesn’t sound forced. There is also a
strong element of pop rock running through this album. The
first two songs both containing lyrical references to the
sixties does tend to make you notice a Beatles influence in a
number of tracks. However it is not all lightweight material,
the title track in particular rocking out effectively. Ronni le Tekro
can riff with the best and the guitar solo on ‘Me and Dad’ is
amazingly atmospheric, being supported by some great drumming.
In fact the album is quite diverse, from the smooth ballad
‘The Missing Kind’ to the groove laden ‘Had it, Lost it, Found
it’. Overall this album is fun, good time music that puts a
smile on your face.
www.tnttheband.com
| www.metalheaven.net |
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Tripswitch - Until
(Self Release) Review by Steve Green |
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I'd better be nice about Tripswitch as frontman Jamie Armstrong used to be
a bare knuckle boxer... so here goes.
This 5 track EP actually has 7 songs on it, although admittedly the two
extras aren't really songs. One of them is 2 minutes of silence, the other
an Arabic type sound with a bit of added Drum N Bass. So of the named
tracks, the best of the 5 is opener Call It A
Day. For the most part, I'd describe Tripswitch as Modern Metal with a
fusion of dance music running through it's veins. I'm not talking shite
disco here, more a pulsating Industrial beat, located somewhere in the
heart of the maelstrom. That melodic dance/industrial edge is in
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stark contrast to the dual vocal attack, presumably both done
by Jamie, which sees melodic tones clash head on with ball
crushing, pulverizing screams. Call It A Day keeps things a
lot simpler and benefits from the clarity, although there's
still a million things going on at once. And that seems to be
the core of Tripswitch's existence. Cram as much as you can into
each song, yet still manage to let each song flow and be devoid of
clutter.
Check 'em out at:
www.myspace.com/tripswitch
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Vengeance - Soul Collector
(Metal Heaven)
By: Joe Florez |
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Ok kids, time for a fast lesson on the band before getting to
the review. In 1984, this little known Dutch band got a major
label deal and dumped their debut upon the masses. For the
most part, these guys are a cult band that never made it big
worldwide except for their native homeland and parts of
Europe. I did enjoy their 2006 record Back In The Ring. Now, I
am hit with this offering. This is basically straight up rock
with dashes of AOR in for good measure. You would think that
with those two formulas that I would be a happy camper, but
sadly…I’m not. The first cut “Cross In The Rain” starts out
promising enough. Lead throat man Leon Goewie has this raspy
croon that sounds like Edguy’s Tobias |
| Sammet, but was doing
this when the German was just a toddler. You are greeted with
guitars that have a nice mixture of bite and melody. It’s
slightly heavy, but catchy. The rhythm is calm and in the mid
range, but will have you tapping your feet. But then they
throw in these little interludes that occur repeatedly through
the song that incorporate acoustic guitars and quite frankly
throw the song off track for a brief second. It ruins the pace
as far as I’m concerned, but ok it's decent overall. “Wait until
The Sun Goes Down” utilizes some blues riffs in this energetic
track that continues to be lively mixing blues/rock quite
well. “What The Hell Is Going On” is a ballad of sorts that
still is quite meaty, but God Damn if I didn’t know any better
I would have thought that it was an Edguy cut. Jesus Christ,
after five decent tracks with the fifth one barely making the
grade “Myspace Freak” just takes things down several notches.
Do I have to tell you what this one is about. The tone is bad
and Leon’s voice becomes grating here. It sounds like an
original song that a bar band would create and perform at the
local dives. Terrible! The song writing seems to suffer from
here on out on tracks 6-11. They all become sluggish and
boring and above all…repetitive. It seems like they lost steam
and just settled for 10th best. The last ballad “Lean On Me”
is just painful to the ears. I think even my speakers were
begging me to hit the stop button. There is nothing new added
to the mix, but listening to the same safe songs over and over
again just gets dull. I know what everyone is gonna say.
AC/DC, Motorhead and Axel Rudi Pell write the same damn thing
over and over, but they at least try to shake things up a bit
from time to time with a way to write the same thing in a
different fashion. Vengeance’s last outing was decent, but
this was dreadful from the second half on down. Glad these
guys never made a big splash of the Atlantic Ocean. Europe and
Holland can keep this band all to themselves.
www.metalheaven.net
| www.vengeanceonline.nl
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Voodoo Johnson - Into The Red
(VJ Records)
Review by Steve Green |
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This one arrived just before Christmas. It arrived in a very nice shiny
red envelope, came with a very cool Christmas card and a newspaper style
biog, all of which was housed in a fancy folder. A very professional
presentation. And thankfully the music lived up to the packaging. A
perfect marriage of old and new school, with the 70s and 80s hard rock
scenes leading lights being the main influences.
I think Voodoo Johnson would be the first to admit that their influences
are to the fore of their sound. The press pack name checks quite a few
legends, such as Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin, but to me, it's more Guns N
Roses, various eras of the glammier side of hard
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rock, (maybe a bit of Hanoi Rocks) as well as smaller snippets
of early Def Leppard (when they
were good), Soundgarden and I guess a very British sound. Be it Thunder,
UFO, The Quireboys or anyone of a similar ilk.
I guess Voodoo Johnson are hoping for airplay with this EP as they've
censored the swear words, which I guess is crappy sell out, but I guess
you can't blame them really. Thankfully my promo copy has the uncensored
versions as well. And at 42 years young, I'm ok with hearing such naughty
words as "fuck" and "motherfucker"... just.
I'm on my 3rd listen today and I have to say that this grows on me with
each listen. Very catchy, good time rock n roll. The perfect antidote for
all the doom and gloom this country surrounds itself in.
www.myspace.com/voodoojohnson |
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Who Rides The Tiger - Transylvania
Baby (Hard Drugs) Review by Steve Green |
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Without the aid of reading anything about the band, I knew from the first
minute or so of opener Your Guts, My Glass, that the strangely named Who
Rides The Tiger would be a three piece. They possess that fantastic, and
it has to be said, extremely dirty, type of groove that I find impossible
to resist. This is the type of shit that's usually created in a squalid
garage or equally squalid practice room, between a bunch of crazy individuals
that do all of this for their love of music. The vocals are either aided
by gallons of whiskey, a ton of dope, or maybe both and the grooves are
straight outta Seattle, with Who Rides The Tiger dwelling somewhere
between Grunge and Stoner heaven, mixing the best bits of |
Nirvana and Soundgarden and giving them a drug fuelled makeover courtesy of Jim
Morrison and The Doors. This is simply an album of dirty, rockin' tunes,
with a very high (on fire) feel good factor.
If this is your thing, you can download the album for free at:
www.whoridesthetiger.com/audio.aspx or you can check em out first at:
www.myspace.com/whoridesthetiger with Geronimo being my recommended
starting point. |
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