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Mothra - Dyes (Selfmadegod)
By Robert Cheesewright |
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I’m not quite sure how positive to be about Polish
mathcore band Mothra’s latest release. Whilst I quite enjoy
listening to the album I can’t help but feel a little
disappointed. Firstly, its only seven tracks long. No album
should be that short, not unless all the tracks are eight
minutes in length. Track three is nothing more than an
interlude, making it six tracks of any real note.
Despite this, the album has a lot going for it. It’s nicely
comparable to bands like Twelve Tribes, and to an extent
Textures. Although the album’s technical musicianship is not
mind-blowing, it’s solid enough and pleasing on the ear. The
problem with sounding quite similar |
to bands within the same genre is that if you’re not as good
as them it’s obvious – and Mothra aren’t as good as Textures,
that’s for sure. There may be scope for them to become as good
– it’s not as though they write bad songs, or are incompetent
musicians. Who knows, if this album had been allowed to
develop they may have shown glimpses of real quality, but
instead, you just get into it, and the seven tracks end.
Having ripped the album onto my media player, its unlikely
that I’ll skip a track off this album should the shuffle
function put one on, but by the same token, I doubt I’ll be
scrolling down the list of tracks to seek out this album at
any point. A decent effort, but could have been so much more.
www.selfmadegod.com |
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Nasty Idols - Boys Town
(Metal Heaven) Review by Metal Mark |
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In recent years we have of course been overwhelmed by the
number of glam acts that have popped up in Sweden. Yet here we
have Nasty Idols a band who formed over twenty years ago when
most glam bands were swarming around LA. They managed to knock
out five albums between 1989 and 1995 before calling it a day.
However a few years ago the band reformed. Now they hit us
with a release that should make fans and younger bands alike
stand up and take notice. This is pure sleaze glam with lots
of volume and attitude. A simple formula for sure, but one
that is guaranteed to work if the band pushes hard enough.
Nasty Idols call on the sounds of Motley Crue, Hanoi Rocks,
Tigertailz and even draw |
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from youngsters like Crashdiet as well. The vocals are rough
and gritty when they need to be and melodic when they have to
be. The music is basic hard rock, but it contains enough hooks
to make an impression. If there is a downside it's just that
the band sometime fall prey to being too repetitive with some
of the choruses on a couple of songs. That's a minor complaint
because really this is the first really good hard rock album
of the year and I would be very surprised it does not make my
top ten albums of 2009.
www.metalheaven.net |
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Orcustus - Orcustus
(Southern Lord) By: Dave Schalek |
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Yet another fine addition to the black metal wing of the
Southern Lord roster appears in the form of Orcustus, another
semi-legendary raw black metal band from Norway without a
proper full-length to their credit prior to this self titled
debut. Orcustus is largely the brainchild of one Taipan, but
also appears to be another one of those project bands that
members of other established acts seem to drift in and out of,
most notably Infernus (the true Gorgoroth; at least, according
to the Norwegian judicial system) who contributes the bass
lines to this album.
I mention Infernus specifically because there’s a strong
pre-“Incipit Satan” Gorgoroth vibe |
going on with this album with lots of the guitar tricks
present on “Destroyer…” and such making appearances here. In
short, the self titled debut from Orcustus is basically a
version of old Gorgoroth with a hugely beefed up production
with a really deep, powerful sound. Other than that, the usual
adjectives that I use to describe well done raw black metal
from class act labels such as Southern Lord will apply. No
doubt, I’d use words such as “truly vicious”, “scathing”,
“greasy rasps”, and so on to describe Orcustus. Throw in a
really loud bass from Infernus (Vrangsinn also manages to
squeeze himself into the picture), some pretty catchy riffs,
and you’ve pretty much summarized Orcustus in a nutshell.
If you’re into the current wave of powerful, ideologically
driven black metal (i.e. Watain, Ofermod, most of the Norma
Evangelium Diaboli acts, and so on), then you’ve no excuse not
to add this album to your collection. What the Hell are you
waiting for?!
www.southernlord.com |
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Raventale - Long Passed
Days (Bad Mood Man) Review by Chris Davison |
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Fucking hellski. For those of you not as exposed as I have
been to Russian doom of late, the iron curtain may well be
down, but the misery remains. Bad Mood Man music is the
subsidiary label of the Slavic misery-mongers Solitude
Productions, usually reserved for those bands that might have
one toe in the pool of doom, but otherwise defy the genre
conventions. Now, when your kindly Uncle Steve sent me the
description of Raventale as “blackened doom”, it is fair to
say that my interest was peaked. Turns out I had no idea just
how engrossing this album is.
Firstly, the biographical bits. Raventale are a Ukrainian
outfit – though to be strictly |
correct, this is actually entirely the work of one man – the
wonderfully monikered “Astaroth”. I can only assume that he
isn't the immense axe-wielding bastard from the Soul Calibur
series of games, though of course one can never be too sure
with the general air of mystery that pervades such
solo-offerings. It would appear that Raventale did indeed used
to be some kind of black metal outfit, and indeed some of
those trappings still appear on this album. There are rasping,
hoarse vocals and a general concentration on atmosphere, but
really, that's where the black metal influence seems to end.
That's ok for me, because the forest-skulking panda-faces are
generally as appealing to me as being impaled on a nail ridden
spike. This also isn't doom, exactly, though the pace is
somewhat leaden throughout, and the general mood is fucking
miserable.
Thick, weaving riffs run throughout, while tasteful and
sublime keyboard and electronic soundscapes conjure audio
pictures in the mind. This is a journey into the far reaches
of the subconscious. These are epic compositions, constructing
vast vistas of sound through combinations of simple, woven
guitars. Coming at you somewhere between Katatonia circa
“Brave Murder Day”, Anathema at their most progressive and the
epic bombast of Ereb Altor, this is some seriously engaging
stuff. At a mere six songs, you'll be left hungering for more,
but then this could well be the stepping stone to bigger and
better things. Also, kudos to any band that dares to cover a
track as mammoth as “Sunset of the Age” and actually improve
on the original – a track that is one of my favourites on “The
Silent Enigma”. This album may not be silent, but it certainly
is enigmatic. A quiet magic lies on this shiny disc.
www.solitude-prod.com |
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The Eruptors - Microwave
Massacre (Fixing A Hole) Review by Metal Mark |
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If you thought music had gotten too calm and dull then rejoice
because The Eruptors have returned to pull you from the pits
of boredom. Okay, granted these guys were not and are still
not pursuing anything that has not been explored in music, but
in this case that doesn't matter.
What we have here is a "limited edition compilation of
rarities, EP and album tracks". At least that's what it says
on their Myspace page. It's a fast moving, heavy sucker chock
full of churning riffs and healthy doses of fun and nonsense.
This is a chaotic monster that reminds me of a mix of
Motorhead, A.O.D, New Bomb Turks, early Angry Samoans and |
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other crazy stuff. It didn't even matter that I had heard a
few of these songs before because the tracks just ran me over
and kept charging on. They don't hesitate very often as they
very sure of where they are heading and they just go. With
song titles like "Whoregazm" and "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" you
know this isn't going to be rocket science. However if you
want to hear about zombies, aliens and the like then you are
in the right place for that and more. I only have one real
complaint about this album. There are times when the Eruptors
bring some psycho surf guitars into play and quite honestly I
wish they would do that more often because really know to
handle it and work it in. All in all this is just more good
times with a band who knows to deliver high octane,
metal/punk/garage rock madness.
www.myspace.com/eruptors |
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Too Pure To Die - Confess
(Trustkill)
Review by Steve Green |
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I'm genuinely not sure what to make of this album. The problem, I think,
is that Too Pure To Die haven't settled on a style to really call their
own. Opener, the title track, Confess wants to be Pantera so badly, but it
also wants to be in with the modern crowd. Then, My Vow takes us down a
bouncy Hardcore route, which should come as no surprise as Hatebreed's
Jamey Jasta co-produced the album. Elsewhere, this, to me, sounds like Nu-Metal
and its modern cousin, Metalcore, genres I do my best to avoid at all
costs, so please excuse me if I'm slightly off centre with my analysis,
but I'm sure you know what I'm hinting at. Yes, kiddie music. |
As with the majority of the Trustkill stable, this is Metal aimed at a
younger demographic, rather than an at 40 something idiots like myself.
But, which may be their saving grace, (no pun intended as it is also the
title of track 5 on here) there is a decent Hardcore heart struggling to
breakthrough the modern sheen, and that, at least, gives them an element
of individuality in a very sound-a-like, and very over-crowded market.
Quite obviously, this isn't really my thing, but it is better (and
heavier) than the majority of shit my teenage daughter listens to... If
that's any consolation. www.trustkill.com |
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Within The Ruins -
Creature (Victory) Review by Metal Mark |
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If I am holding my head in my hands then it means one of the
following.
1) I am tired.
2) My kids have been rough today.
3) I just heard an album that managed to be tremendously bad
on several levels and thus proved to be excruciating for me to
make it through the entire disc.
If you guessed number three then you are indeed correct. If a
band plays a style of heavy |
music then they should actually be heavy. Unfortunately Within
The Ruins didn't get that memo or else they chose to ignore
it. This is metalcore of the most generic variety. More metal
than hardcore I guess, but that's irrelevant as they really do
not bring out the best of either style. Every track starts
with brief, moderately fast bursts that are the best few
seconds of each song for whatever that is worth. Actually it's
a good thing they had those parts or I may not have known when
one song ended and another began. On almost every song they
rather quickly settle into a dull glide, with thin squealing
guitars and forgettable clicking drum beats leading the way.
Within The Ruins managed to make an album without being heavy
enough or engaging and they saved us from having to deal with
any hooks or fire as well. Congratulations, it's a tough task,
but this band did a full length album that manages to be
almost a complete waste of time. I say almost because at least
the songs did seem mercifully short so I thank them for that. |
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