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Cattle Decapitation - The
Harvest Floor (Metal Blade) Review by James
Young |
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Finally, the ironic vegetarian grinders Cattle
Decapitation have returned, and are set to lay waste to the
human race in a slightly more different manner than usual. If
you’ve herd (groan) the previous releases, they have consisted
of brutal goregrind with a large dose of technicality, but
this time they’ve experimented even more and come up with a
work of boundary-less craziness. Almost impossible to describe
through words, this release comes across as a mix between the
volatile tangent-riding nature of Cephalic Carnage and the
progressive pandemonium of !T.O.O.H!, but this is only
scratching the surface of what we have here. Assisted by
amazing production, which of course is a prerequisite for
technical |
death metal bands (who wants to waste so much effort?), this
album pumps out its mind-warping nectar for thirty seven
minutes, and it’s one hell of a ride.
‘Stop talking in superlatives and try and describe something
you wordy git’, I hear you ask. In a nutshell, this album
ranges from the slammingly slow, such as ‘The Ripe Beneath The
Rind’, with its moments of stomach-churning chugga riffs, to
paces that will break your neck. Drummer David McGraw brings
his unbelievably talented hands and feet to this album - ‘A
Body Farm’ manages to integrate blasts, double kick pounding
and gravity blasting all into its sickening structure.
Vocalist Travis Ryan has never been a man to mince (ahem) his
words, and this album is no difference, with a fine array of
grunts, screams, gargles, burps, and every other form of vocal
chord abuse out there. That brings us to the technical side of
things, and good gracious does this band excel at such a
thing. Josh Elmore’s guitar and Troy Oftedal’s bass literally
spray notes over our defenceless ears, popping, bubbling,
rising and descending all over the place to form some of the
most outrageous structures (or lack thereof) in the history of
the genre. There are moments in ‘The Product Is Alive’ with
its sharp downtuned assault and guitar screetchings which will
paralyse you in its sheer insane abrasiveness. The progressive
side of the band is very much evident too, whether it be the
warm post-rocky guitar tones of ‘The Gardiners Of Eden’, the
violin accompaniment of ‘Regret And The Grave’, or the
relaxing hypnotic clean vocals which make up the three-minute
‘The Harvest Floor’, all of which bring a whole new side to
Cattle Decapitation.
This release puts the ‘mental’ in experimental and the ‘cow’
in ‘holy cow, this band is fucking amazing!’ You don’t even
need to try beef-ore you buy, just get your rumps out to the
shops and buy a copy - it’s incredibly rare to find grind this
well done!
www.myspace.com/cattledecapitation |
www.cattledecapitation.com |
www.metalblade.com |
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Criminal - White Hell
(Massacre Records) Review by Marco Gaminara |
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My only knowledge of these guys is seeing them at Wacken when
they played there and having their 1997 release 'Dead Soul',
and to be honest I wasn't even aware that they had released 4
other albums. Anyway this Chilean quartet play pretty fucking
decent thrash metal with plenty of intricate guitar harmonies
and trade-offs. Anton Reisenegger's vocals are gruff but never
a growl and he doesn't do any of the 80's high thrash stuff
either, his guitar work is really tight and complements
Rodrigo Contreras's as one would expect it to. Zac O’Neil's
triplets and snare pounding is precise and sharp, while Dan
Biggin gets his bass rumbling, filling all the blanks. From
the opening salvo of "21st Century Paranoia" you |
know you're in for a fun ride and that it shan't have a dull
moment, and man do they not disappoint. Feeling very epic,
possibly because they actually start it with leads, "Crime And
Punishment" whips itself up into a frenzy and doesn't relent,
even during its melodic breaks. Taking things a little slower
and choppier "Strange Ways" flows really well and the
screeching lead just gets higher and higher while everything
else drops off behind it. Beautifully done really, as is the
fast change to the blasted ""Mobrule" then equally fast "The
Infidel". There plenty of leads in "Bastardom" showing off
Rodrigo's flair. Wrapping things up is "Sons Of Cain" which
builds to a peak that's as sharp as knife before slicing you
up like Able.
www.youtube.com/CriminalChile |
www.myspace.com/criminal |
www.Massacre-Records.com |
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Herman Frank - Loyal To
None (Metal Heaven) Review by Steve Green |
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Herman Frank actually played an important part in my Metal dominated
youth. Around the age of 14/15, to me, Accept were the greatest band on
the planet. Herman joined the band just after the completion of Restless
and Wild, and featured on their magnificent Balls To The Wall opus, which
is around the time that my love for the band was at its highest. Over 25
years later and I still love the band and it's nice to be acquainted with
Herman Frank again on this, his solo debut album, Loyal To None.
I didn't really expect to find any comparisons with Accept on here, and
despite a healthy dose of 80s Metal, none were found, bar the opening riff
on the last number. Opener |
Moon II has a feel of early Dio about it, with singer, Victory
frontman Jiotis Parachidis having the perfect voice for this
kind of retro Metal, which in places also reminded me of Iron
Savior. The guitar playing, as expected, is phenomenal.
Picking up the pace, 7 Stars is another dose of solid 80s
influenced Metal, which rather perversely reminds me of Graham
Bonnet covering some of the songs from the Joe Lynn Turner era
of Rainbow, which I'm sure has never happened in real life!!!!
Not as instant as the first couple of numbers, Father Buries
Son is actually a bit of a grower and eventually the hooks and
melodies work their magic and the album is still firing on all
cylinders.
Heal Me is a more brooding number, but once again you get
reeled in by the chorus, which is more AOR in texture than
Metal, and kind of reminds me of Whitesnake's more commercial
output. And from what I've heard so far, I might have to check
out some of Victory's albums as I'm really warming to Jiotis
Parachidis' voice. Hero picks up the pace once again, and I
guess it's fair to say that this a more sleazy affair. Huge
riffs, a more glam edged rhythm and typical party/anthem style
vocals. Not exactly original, but a fun listen nonetheless.
As we move into the second half of the album, we reach the
first song I'm indifferent to. The cry of Kill The King during
the chorus is ok, but I'm not a big fan of the rest of the
song, so we'll move onto the next couple of numbers. Down To
The Valley and Lord Tonight move slightly towards more
traditional Power Metal territory and this redresses the
balance from the (semi) lacklustre Kill The King. The first
hint of cheese can be found on the penultimate number Bastard
Legions and again I'm reminded of Graham Bonnet, which doesn't
mean that I'm calling Graham Bonnet cheesy, just that the
lyrics are a tad on the Coverdale side of intelligence, but
without the sleaze.
So as we reach the last number, Welcome To Hell, the first
hint of an Accept style riff can be found, and a welcome sound
it is too. But it's quickly merged into the (Metal) heart of
the song and it's a cool rocking way in which to finish the
album.
www.hermanfrank.com |
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HOD - Serpent
(Ibex Moon Records) By: Dave Schalek |
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Sloppy, primitive, alcohol soaked blackened death metal with
lousy musicianship is the hallmark of HOD (not to be confused
with H.O.D. from the U.K.), a five piece from Texas with
connections to various other black and death metal acts from
the state. “Serpent” is the debut full-length from HOD (an
abbreviated name for an old Norse god named Hodur), and is
released on the ever-reliable Ibex Moon Records.
The obvious template here on “Serpent” is primitive black
metal along the lines of early Sodom, Celtic Frost, and so
forth (albeit with modern production values) with plenty of
crushing, bass-heavy riffs that don’t go anywhere near a
remotely technical description, |
greasy, deep growls, sloppy musicianship, and a plodding,
simplified, mid-paced percussion. Add to the mix plenty of
leather, bullet belts, and the like to complete the look and
it becomes apparent that HOD are not treading any new ground
here. However, HOD do apply their craft with an obvious
enthusiasm for the art, and “Serpent” rapidly becomes a solid
homage to the genre. That, of course, is the saving grace as
the final result on “Serpent” is a thoroughly enjoyable mess
that will certainly appeal to all fans of the genre.
A release like this is squarely aimed at my demographic; that
is, those of us who grew up on a steady diet of old vinyl
releases from the early to mid 80s, but I would also recommend
“Serpent” to anyone with an appreciation for simple black
metal.
www.myspace.com/hodtheband |
www.ibexmoonrecords.com |
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Persona Non Grata - Shade
In The Light (Sensory Records) By: Joe Florez |
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Greece is an interesting place for a few reasons. One, there
are not a lot of bands that come from there, but when they do
arrive on the metal scene, they are generally good. You have
Firewind and Rotting Christ for starters. Also, Greek fans
love metal and support it all the way through. Dream Theater,
Fates Warning and Iced Earth are loved by them. Now, enter
Persona Non Grata. This is their debut work and from what I
can gather is that they appreciate music and plays their songs
with compassion and conviction. This is progressive metal with
maturity. “Before The Reason” is pretty standard prog fair
with |
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semi technical drumming, fair amount of piano work and guitars
that are catchy and a tad meaty. Nothing too aggressive. It’s
mid paced and has a decent flow. Bill Aiotis vocals are
interesting because he will sing in a mid range and then hit
these highs that actually kill it for me. It doesn’t seem to
come off as smooth as I would hope for. When he hits the upper
range, it’s like throwing a monkey wrench into the situation.
Not necessary. Also, there is this little rap like thing that
goes on during the breakdowns that I don’t like either.
However, it’s faint and you really have to pay attention to
get it. Otherwise, this is a decent track to start off the
show. The gang goes for the pro power ballad right away on cut
two with “Dual Unity” which is the first of a few on here.
This could have easily fallen into the cheese category,
but the Greeks successfully avoid the pratfalls and blueprints
of making a safe track. Yes, it has a slow pacing, but there
is life to it and no sad lyrics. There is some punchiness that
comes into play when required. After slowing things down for a
few tracks, it’s the title track on number six that has
everyone kicking things up several notches. Even though there
is some speed and power here, there are some calmer and subtle
moments like the previous offerings and during the solos
everyone struts their stuff. There is even an infusion of jazz
just for good measure. It took me a while to get used to the
singing and Bill’s ways with his voice, but came to appreciate
it by the end of the disc. I was thoroughly impressed with the
debut and can’t wait to hear more in the future. I think what
makes this a successful disc is that just because we stamp
this band and disc with the prog label it doesn’t have to be
overtly overkill with the ludicrous guitar shreds, ultra
complex drumming and bass pluckings that will have your head
spin. This is sophisticated, melodic and easy to get into.
Prog heads should eat this up as well as fans of good music in
general. Something for everyone can be found on here.
www.lasersedgegroup.com |
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The Rattlebones - Ready
To Bite (Suisa) Review by Metal Mark |
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You can't always judge an album by the cover. However as I
took this out of it's envelope I couldn't help but think that
this one was going to be 80's style glam. That was my expert
diagnosis based on the band name and cover art. Of course I
was pretty much wrong. The opener "Sister Sinister" does have
a dirty, sleaze sound reminiscent of Faster Pussycat only with
a more modern twist. That's about it for the 80's glam sound.
After the opener, Switzerland's The Rattlebones pull us along
on a trip back in time. We are treated to a large slab of
mid-late 70's hard rock. Think Aerosmith, AC/DC, Rose Tattoo
and Ted Nugent for starters. Just smooth grooves and thick,
juicy riffs similar to a time when music |
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was more important than image. One of my favorites is "Broken
Bottle" which comes towards the end of the album. The slow and
controlled grooves had me thinking of Aerosmith around 1974.
There is a slightly laidback feel to much of the material on
this disc. That works for me because it gives me a chance to
try and absorb all that the band is trying to accomplish. My
only concern would be how they will get noticed when they rely
so heavily on their influences. Coming into your own can
always be tough for bands who wear their influences on their
sleeves. However the most important thing is that The
Rattlebones just simply rock. So hopefully everything else
will just fall into place for them.
www.myspace.com/thefuckingrattlebones |
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Torture Killer - Sewers
(Dynamic Arts Records) Review by Chris Davison |
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It was like some kind of warped death metal fantasy Tom Hanks
feel-good romantic comedy, wasn't it? A young Finnish band (in
this case, Torture Killer), forms with mates playing death
metal in the vein of Six Feet Under, being completely
impressed with their back catalogue. To their surprise, they
end up writing some killer material. Even better, they manage
to contact their idol, Chris Barnes, who is so impressed that
he sings for them on their last album, 2006's “Swarm”. A dream
come true.
The problem being, of course, that dreams have a nasty habit
of not being all they are cracked up to be. Having recorded
the album, it was apparent that the band wouldn't be |
able to be a “true” band due to the vast geographical
distances involved, and nor could they expect to be able to
record anything new for extended periods while the death metal
juggernaut that is Six Feet Under toured in the wake of their
last album. What to do then?
Well, “Sewers” sees the return of Juri Sallinen on vocals,
which is no bad thing. Barnes may be a character, but his
vocals aren't necessarily the hardest thing on earth to
replace. In terms of the music, well yep – this is still
groovy, nasty death metal with a definite emphasis on making
the head bang and the fist clench. Some of these things are so
infectious that they should consider placing them in some form
of incubation chamber. The main riff on “The Art of
Impalement”, for instance, has engraved itself into my head
sufficiently that I have been humming it in the shower of a
morning while getting ready for work. Indeed, for the last
week or so, this has been the soundtrack to my working week,
which is just as well really, because the energy, catchiness
and simple, old school head banging songwriting has made a
particularly tiresome spell of slave-wagery more bearable.
The production is spot on, with a guitar and bass sound
combining to make riffery which is even thicker than my mums
gravy (and only half as deadly). The drums are fantastic, with
some tasty thrash inspired beats combining with sparse but
effective blasting. The vocals, as one would expect, are not
unlike calling directory enquiries only to discover that 118
118 has been taken over by the cast of left4dead. So sure,
this isn't ever going to be the most original album you've
heard, and nor is it destined to be any kind of classic, but
then there isn't a law against making simple, enjoyable,
neck-snapping metal.
www.dynamicartsrecords.com |
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