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Behemoth - Ezkaton
(Regain/Metal Blade) Review by Crin |
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Now here we have one of those interim between
album releases [or didn’t we just get that with the recent
Live Apostasy album??] So this must be an interim within an
interim release… Whatever it is the very whiff of new Behemoth
material is enough to whet the appetite of destruction [pun
intended].
The EP is available as a limited edition box set that includes
4 picture disc 7"'s, a Behemoth pendant and the CD all
packaged in a Deluxe box.
The EP features seven tracks, including one new song titled "Qadosh",
which is pretty standard Behemoth, two covers, a totally
morphed Ramones cover, I’m Not Jesus, |
originally found on the Ramones, Halfway to Sanity , album [1987], an odd cover to
manipulate [and manipulate is the word here] as this has been
totally reconstructed into a Death and Roll vomit attack and
it's fantastic. The second cover pays homage to the cult Czech
band, Masters Hammer, the track Jáma Pekel, [from the Ritual
album 1991] is another highlight of this mcd, Vocals are
performed by Big Boss and Igor from Root.
The reworked, Chant for Eschaton 2000, originally found on
the bands 1999 album Satanica, is a track just oozing class
and reminds me of a Gorefest/ Hypocrisy style Metal attack.
The three live tracks are again, [especially after the arse
ripping, Live Apostasy release] Behemoth bulldozing the live
environment to dust. Overall, a very impressive mcd and one
that is well worth the money. The cover is not to dissimilar
to the 6 handed imagery on the ball cracking album, The
Apostasy of 2007, so the theme continues so to speak. Buy or
die…
www.myspace.com/behemoth |
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Burning Point - Empyre
(Metal Heaven) Review by Dave Baynham |
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This album has a hugely satisfying old school two guitar heavy
metal feel. By having a short intro (The Godfather theme), a
powerful ballad in the middle of the record and a great end
track ‘Only The Wrong Will Survive’ the overall pacing is of a
release that would almost feel more natural on vinyl. On top
of that, the quality of the songs is good enough to make you
play it from end to end rather than pick out highlights for
the iPod shuffle function generation. Had anybody played me
‘Empyre’ about 20-25 years ago I would not have found it that
out of place, apart from the modern production values. However
I would have been totally staggered to find out that the band
are not American. In fact Burning Point are |
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from Finland and were formed in 1999. This is their fourth
album, and their second for Metal Heaven after 2007’s ‘Burned
Down the Enemy’. The first two albums were released in 2001
and 2003, the long gap between them and the third appears to
be a result of record company troubles and line up changes.
The sound is in the vein of Queensryche, Crimson Glory and Judas Priest after
they focused on the American market. The main difference from
all of these is the vocal style of singer Pete Ahonen, who
rather than the higher screaming vocals goes for a sweeping
mid to lower range bellow. He has a great voice which is very
comparable to the mighty Russell Allen of Symphony X, although
another similar vocalist would be Cloudscape’s Mike Andersson.
He is especially effective on the ballad ‘Was it Me’. But what
really works on this album is the mix of sharp riffing, catchy
melodies and decent soloing, all delivered in tracks under 5
minutes long.
www.burningpoint.net
| www.metalheaven.net
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Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
(Metal Blade) Review by
James Young |
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Everyone’s favourite band-that-was-in-Ace-Ventura is back with
their eleventh album, Evisceration Plague. Death metal
veterans Cannibal Corpse have evolved over the years ever so
slightly, from being the brutal outfit fronted by Chris Barnes
with rather muddy production to an equally brutal outfit
fronted by George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher with pretty damn good
production. Technically then, this is the best the Corpse have
ever been, with the ‘meat and potatoes’ (and a whole load of
gore) death metal approach intact. However, this is about as
predictable and safe as you would expect from the Americans,
with very little in terms of surprise. Heck, you can even
guess the vocals on each track’s chorus by |
grunting it in Corpsegrinder fashion. In some of the songs, if somebody told
you that you were listening to Bloodthirst or Gore Obsessed,
you probably would believe them…
…But that’s why you have to love it! The Corpse could have put
in clean vocals, breakdowns, and cut their hair, but they’ve
just done what they do best, and put out a stellar dose of
death metal. Still present are the anvil-heavy drums, buzzsaw
riffs, electric solos and chunky grunts and blood-curdling
screams, and it sounds as good as ever - brutal yet technical,
chaotic yet melodic. Yes, it’s nothing that innovative, but
it’s still good fun to listen to. Erik Rutan has done a great
job on the production, allowing the listener to hear
everything from the smallest cymbal clink to the loudest
guitar squeak. Pat O’Brien and Rob Barrett really have
surpassed themselves in terms of riff-writing, which although
aren’t radically different from previous albums, still display
some technical wizardry. ‘Beheading And Burning’ contains some
excellent fretwork, and ‘Scalding Hail’ is saved from
mediocrity by some nice quirky riffage at the close. Some time
signatures are nicely mixed up, bringing an unpredictable feel
to some of the songs, with ‘Priests Of Sodom’ and ‘A Cauldron
Of Hate’ tinkering with the rhythms and increasing the appeal.
Furthermore, there’s a decent mix of the fast and slow on
display, with songs such as ‘Carnivorous Swarm’ alternating
between the blistering snare assault of Paul Mazurkiewicz and
a slower, more groove-based attack.
It’s nothing new, but it’s savage, relentless, and, well,
Cannibal Corpse. It’s both a gift and a curse when you pretty
much know what to expect from an album, but it’s good to know
that one of the most commercially successful death metal bands
of all time shows no sign of selling out. Bring on the gore!
www.cannibalcorpse.net |
www.myspace.com/cannibalcorpse |
www.metalblade.com |
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Chaoswave - Dead Eye Dreaming
(Silverwolf) Review by Steve Green |
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Because of the duel vocal style of Giorgia Fadda and her male counterpart
Fabio Carta, comparisons with Lacuna Coil are unavoidable. Fabio's clean
tones blend perfectly with Giorgia's, and this style does lend itself for
the Lacuna Coil comparison and I'd also throw Evanescence into the mix as
well, although musically, Chaoswave are distinctly heavier than the bands
I've already mentioned. I suppose Thrash is as good a term as any on how
to describe their sound, but there's also a more modern, downtuned slant
and drummer Raphael Saini has a style similar to Mikkey Dee's on the early
King Diamond albums, which is quite ironic as Dead Eye Dreaming is
(superbly) produced by a certain Andy
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LaRocque. All of which makes for a
very commercial album, which still possesses plenty of bite.
I have to admit that I really like this album. It's very easy to get into,
maybe as it has an air of familiarity about it, but that doesn't mean it
should be easily dismissed, which I have to admit, is my normal course of
action when I can make a number of obvious comparisons with other artists
work. There's something about this band which makes them a joy to listen
to. I've not really put my finger on it yet, but maybe it's as simple as
the fact that I like the songs and I like the bands style... even it is
borrowed. So we'll forget the science on why I like this album and instead
I'll point you towards their Myspace page and I'll recommend the streaming
of 10 Years Of Denial as it's the best representation of the album as a
whole. The other new track there, Rise, is one of the weaker numbers, in
my opinion, so don't base the album on that song.
www.myspace.com/chaoswave |
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Dol Theeta - The Universe Expands
(Electronic Art Metal) Review by Steve Green |
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Dol Theeta is another project from Dol Ammad keyboard wizard, Thanasis
Lightbridge. And if you are already familiar with Dol Ammad, then you
already know what to expect as this is a stripped down version of said
band. If both projects are new to you, then I'd better start my
explanation.
Dol Ammad are a band which feature a 14 person (7 men, 7 women) choir and
the keyboard delights of Thanasis Lightbridge and a full backing band. Dol
Theeta features, of course Mr Lightbridge, as well as two other Dol Ammad
band members, vocalist Kortessa and guitarist Dim. As I've touched upon
already, the two bands are very similar
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in nature, with Dol Theeta mixing
up more psychedelic keyboard sounds with atmospheric, almost New Age tones
and just the merest hint of Prog based Metal. The end result is a silky
smooth sound, topped off with enchanting female vocals, which is a
complete contrast to the more bombastic, symphonic sounds of Dol Ammad.
Judging the two projects side by side, then I have to say that Dol
Theeta are my preferred option. The shackles of providing music a choir
can sing along with are gone and Kortessa takes centre stage and she
shines throughout. That is until track 6, Something Called Tomorrow.
Moving away from his keyboards and his drum kit, Thanasis also provides
vocals for this track and the man has a great voice, so good in fact that
I wonder why he doesn't sing on a few more tracks on this album. I love
the way the vocals entwine and it provides the listener with the best
track on the album. Space Rock has never sounded so good.
www.thanasislightbridge.com
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www.myspace.com/doltheeta |
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God Forbid - Earthsblood
(Century Media)
Review by Strawb |
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It may be that I just enjoy February. It may be that the month
has been a fantastic experience this year and I feel happy as
a result, mainly due to the best birthday in memory [thank you
Mrs S.], a week in the lakes, time in the peaks, a meeting
with Steve, who is still a very, very good man. [The meeting
took place as due to the sprinkling of snow we had ensuring
that the British mail system ground to a halt, and my movement
could have had the review cds following me around the
country]. During the meeting I collected three cds, and in
keeping with previous experience I would have expected at
least one of these to be in the ‘hope they have day jobs as
well’ category. And having reviewed Wolf and |
Martyr, guess what I was expecting from God Forbid? Who
incidentally are a quintet from New Jersey. I was expecting shite.
What I got was the opposite, a gem of an album. Doc Coyle
tells us that the title is ‘an abstract observation’ however
it is obviously a subject close to the hearts of the band
members. Did I mention they have been together since 1996,
this band has never had a member change. Surely somewhat
unique. And this togetherness may account for the seemingly
effortless tightness and balance on display here. We open with
the short instrumental track ‘The Discovery’ which if listened
to in isolation would attract fans, but would also give a
false impression of what was to come. It would also miss out
on some top drawer vocal skills, from melodic, almost prog two
and three voice input to just my side of the vomit line raw
and gruffness. As the short silence leads to track two ‘The
Rain’ a truer reflection of the bands output takes shape, wind
up the volume knob and be prepared to keep it there until the
ender ‘Gaia’. In the intervening time ride the roller coaster
of powerful riffs that permeate this album. After three
heavier tracks we have ‘The New Clear’ which demonstrates once
again the differing musical abilities of the band, slower,
lighter, with much clearer vocals it adds to the mix of the
album.
The website of God forbid claim that the band have extended
from their metalcore beginnings to achieve their full
potential on this album. This information alone will preclude
my searching the usual sources for their back catalogue of
four previous releases, but this offering does stand alone as
one I would not want to be without. I will, however, be
checking the diary to see if I can catch them on the British
leg of their current tour.
Interweb? Of course – try
http://godforbidmusic.ning.com/
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Hansel - Mission To Rock
(Pussycat) Review by Metal Mark |
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The first thing I noticed about Australia's Hansel was their
look. It appears that they purchased part of their wardrobe at
Spinal Tap's yard sale and then stole some clothing from Marc
Storace's closet and then they were set. It's not about the
clothes though, it's about the music. This four track EP
definitely follows a sound from the past. This kind of radio
friendly, arena rock was done many times over before 1990 even
rolled around. However they have definite appeal due to
strong melodies, good production values and the steady way in
which they constantly keep the ball rolling. The bio on the
band and their look gave me the impression that they had a
good sense of humor. The lyrics are pure |
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cheese, but more clichéd than actually funny. The music is
generally tight and they hit on some good solos as well. I
kept hoping for them to step it up and trade in some melodies
for some harder hitting riffs. They stay firmly on the hard
rock side of the fence on all four songs and I can hear some
Van Halen and 80's KISS in
their sound. That's fine except they stray into Bon Jovi
territory more often than I wish they had on a few occasions.
It's decent overall even though it's not very original. I like
the songs for the most part, but really hope they take more
chances and move beyond just playing it so safe. There is part
of me that would certainly be interested to see what this band
could do on a full length album.
www.myspace.com/hanselmusic |
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IXXI - Elect Darkness
(Candlelight Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Ondskapt from Sweden are a raw black metal band with a great
deal of legitimacy in terms of ideological outlook; that is,
at least they’re successful in promoting themselves as such.
They’re also quite successful at simply writing and playing
some truly vicious black metal. Enter IXXI (9/11 in Roman
numerals, by the way, and terrorism is a lyrical theme), a
side project of sorts mostly consisting of current and former
members of Ondskapt as well as Totalscorn, on loan from
Zavorash, on vocals.
Immediately, the tortured, slimy vocals of Totalscorn stand
out. Reminiscent of the dirty vocals of Hoath Torog from
Sargeist, Totalscorn is quite good at delivering an almost |
punk-like snarl while belting out a nasally-inflected, loud
rasp that is at the forefront of the mix on “Elect Darkness”,
the third full-length from IXXI. Instead of playing
straightforward black metal, IXXI tread the black n’ roll
sub-genre with plenty of mid-paced tempos and some catchy
riffs, all the while backed up by a loud production and
Totalscorn’s in-your-face vocal delivery. However, “Elect
Darkness” is not simply an exercise in rollicking riffs
(“rollicking” is probably not the best description, though, as
IXXI are quite vicious, but not in the same manner as Ondskapt),
as there are more than a few blasts are present, as well as
plenty of slimy atmosphere, and touches of nihilistic doom. In
short, there’s a great deal of variation to be had on “Elect
Darkness”, with IXXI incorporating sounds from different
sub-genres in an interesting manner to produce an original
album.
IXXI, like Onskapt, play a particularly scathing version of
black metal, and should immediately appeal to fans of the
genre. “Elect Darkness” is highly recommended, and IXXI
represents yet another fine addition to Candlelight’s ever
expanding roster.
www.myspace.com/ixxiofficial
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www.candlelightrecords.co.uk |
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Kerbenok - O (Northern Silence Productions)
Review by Crin |
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Here we have the debut album form this Germanic Black/ Pagan
Metal act and its one of unusual versatility and depth. The
band are generally straight guitar/ drum oriented with a sound
that is richer in tone than the icy primitivism of more black
and white acts of the genre. There is a warmth and colour to
the very melodic and accessible songs here. The intro is
unusual as it’s a fast thrashing piece [imagine the beginning
of Bathorys Twilight of the Gods song accelerated] that hits
the first track, Heimstatt in Trümmern, [all twelve minutes of
it] to be tempered with a far more slower arrangement. Its
very misleading and quite a clever start to a very up-tempo
release. The music never hits the folk dynamics of |
Finntroll,
but the addition of flutes here and there enrich the
atmosphere with more traditional moods. The vocals are
predominantly harsh but the clean almost Ved Buens Ende
strains evoke a more ethereal flavour to the sound. As for a
direction in style I suppose Kampfar spring to mind, as do
early Borknagar and even early In Flames. There is that
fledging abandon seeping from the guitars, an almost clumsy
collaboration of instruments and yet it all merges to form a
very inspiring set of songs. This album has many moods,
ambient, acoustic, pagan, blackened, melodic, epic, harsh and
meandering arrangements that embrace these descriptive moods.
With all the vast levels in depth and tone, the seventy one
minutes of music seems only half the time, such is the
enjoyable nature of the compositions. This is a very sturdy
album and one that offers some originality in an otherwise
very lacklustre scene.
www.northern-silence.de |
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Lazarus A.D.- The Onslaught
(Metal Blade)
By: Joe Florez |
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These Wisconsin thrashers have just issued their debut
offering thanks to the mighty Metal Blade. Judging by the pic,
these mid westerners are still babies, but know how to deliver
old school music. The opener “Last Breath” contains some very
vicious yet catchy riffs that are clean, but pack a wallop.
The drumming is tight and quick while the bass lines add some
extra thumping to the speakers. The vocals are gritty, but
more than capable of being understood. And when it comes to
the solos, they simply shred. This is fast paced assaults, but
without the wankery. The focus that these kids have is immense
as each track burns bright, heavy and fast. The musicianship
is tight and they bleed old school while they mix it |
up with today’s technology which gives it a cleaner and richer
sound thanks to James Murphy. Now, that could help or hurt
them because most fans of thrash prefer it to be more raw,
unpolished and contain mistakes here and there and not be so
much in the neo-thrash category. Either way, the hunger is
there to keep the movement alive because who knows how long
the scene will thrive until another movement takes over and
becomes the flavor of the month. Slick, yet crushing riffs
from two guitarists and a rhythm section that is fueled by
racing octane makes these individuals worthy of your years and
yes, your wallet too. Besides, there’s no filler on here. It’s
the simple format of get in and out and you get to avoid all
the unnecessary garbage. No, the wheel isn’t re-invented here,
but if you want a fresh take on a classic genre, then this is
for you. Good stuff.
www.metalblade.com
| www.myspace.com/lazarus1 |
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