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Eken Is Dead - Amendment
(Blacksound Records)
Review by Steve Green |
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I've no idea who Eken is, or when he died, one thing is for sure, this cd
ain't called Eken as the music on here is truly alive. Eken Is Dead are
from Los Angeles and this quartet have got a fantastic groove going on.
When you hear a new band for the first time, you almost immediately
think "that bit sounds like so and so, the vocalist sounds like, singer
A" etc... I can quite easily make the same comparisons here, but mainly
with the vocals. I'd say that Eken Is Dead frontman Chris Navarrete
sounds like a cross between Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell when he uses
his clean voice, when he starts to crank it up a few notches, then a
more hardcore version of
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Zack de la Rocha springs to mind. When it comes to the
music, then I think they've got something quite original
going on. And whatever style you want to lump this in with,
you cannot deny the energy these guys create. There's a huge
groove going on and the pace can be switched up instantly
and the whole package just feels so alive and I just love
drummer Jack Espinoza's busy style, which seems to drive the
music on at every opportunity.
I was quietly sitting here thinking that Eken Is Dead also sounded like
another band, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it, when, completely
by chance, I checked their Myspace page and the answer was staring right
back at me. Canoblis. Canoblis are another Californian band who I think
are fantastic and I can imagine these 2 bands going on the road together
and kicking up an absolute storm. And both bands are shining examples of
some of the quality underground bands doing the rounds right now.
Eken Is Dead remind me of when I first heard Pearl Jam or the first time
I heard Rage Against The Machine... utterly blown away.
www.myspace.com/ekenisdead |
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Eluveitie - Evocation 1 : The Arcane
Dominion (Nuclear Blast) Review by Steve Green |
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I thought Eluveitie's Nuclear Blast debut Slania was absolutely fantastic
and I really enjoyed seeing Eluveitie when the Paganfest visited these
shores in April of last year, so my hopes were very high for this
acoustic album. Maybe because my expectations were so high, this album
is, not quite disappointing, but perhaps just not as good as I'd hoped
for. The main reason, I think, is that the pace is a lot slower than on
Slania, and also frontman Chigrel Glanzmann takes a bit of a backseat
and it's the female vocals of Anna Murphy and Meri Tadic that dominate
this album, which I wasn't really expecting. And although it hasn't got
me foaming at the mouth with excitement, it still possesses a number of
stunning |
highlights.
The Cauldron Of Renascence at track number 6, is the first song that has
the same feel as the Slania material and is a jaunty 2 minute work-out.
This seems to signal the start of a livelier direction, which includes
the very poppy, but catchy as hell, Omnos, the video of which you can
view on the bands Myspace page, and the gypsy feel of Dessumus Luge. I
guess the biggest plus point of the stripped back acoustic sound is that
you can hear Eluveitie's Folk/Celtic influences in all their glory,
especially on the tin whistle led Gobanno. But without the energy of
their metallic side, for the most part, I honestly don't think they
sound as good, although I have to admit that the album does sound better
with each listen.
I'm sure this is an album that the majority of their fans will enjoy,
but if you've yet to discover the joys of Eluveitie, then I'd recommend
Slania as a better starting point.
www.myspace.com/eluveitie
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Michale Graves - Illusions Live/Viretta Park
(Screaming Crow
Records) Review by Marco Gaminara |
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I must admit that when I first got this disc I was "WTF?",
and then I put it in the CD Rom in my laptop, which promptly
crashed and I've had grief with it since and it's finally
playing CD's again, a month later, but I digress. Anyway, I
listened to the whole disc before reading the info sheet
that came with it, and opener "Blackbird" is pretty much how
the rest of the live session remains. It's Michale singing
and strumming along on an acoustic guitar, leaving me very
much still in the "Why the hell was this sent to me" frame
of mind. That all changed as "Fiend Club" started, as I
quickly recognised it as a Misfits track and then realise
that Graves was vocalist on the album that came from and
actually wrote the song. |
Now this is where things got interesting, because knowing a
song and having it played in a way Tori Amos does Slayer puts a completely new twist on
things, and the up-tempo groove that Misfits give their
material was gone, so you're left just with concentrating on
the lyrics and their flow. The songs come across really
beautifully as Michale has a really strong voice which
carries well and never sounds strained no matter how carried
away he gets with a song. Having never heard the acoustic
album that the majority of these songs come from, I can't
really compare their deliver to the originals, but the
second half of the album 'Viretta Park' consists of his
'Romania Demos' so you can get an idea of how some of the
songs have progressed. "Wormwood" is rather lively with its
fast strumming and quick changes, while the vocals remain
slow and smooth in contrast. Taking minimalism a step
further "Frost Bite" barely uses the guitar and its
melancholy content makes all the more haunting, lovely. The
last 2 tracks of the live set, "Scream" and "Crying On
Saturday Night" are both Misfits tunes, which are very well
done here, and as stated previously their content appears
more stark owing to their delivery which isn't bouncy and
'fun' for lack of a better term. Well worth listening to,
even if it's just to get a different take on songs you may
know. He even throws in some 'Life of Agony' towards the end
of "Scream".
The second half of the disc is far more laidback, but that
appears to owe more to the fact that he doesn't have an
audience to feed off than because the music is, as there
even appears to be a full band playing on some of the
tracks, like "Locked Away". Both acoustic guitars work so
well together on "The Eternal Haunting" that it is in fact
haunting. The title track for this section "Viretta Park"
has effects laden vocals which are eerie and beautiful at
the same time.
I really enjoyed this album and if you're in the mood for
something very mellow, but kinda dark at the same time, I'm
sure that you shall too.
www.ScreamingCrow.com |
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Nebelhexe - Dead Waters
(Candlelight) Review by Steve Green |
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I'm a big fan of Andrea Haugen aka Nebelhexe, or at least I should be. I
first discovered Andrea's work via the Hagalaz' Runedance album, The
Wings that Sang of Midgard's Fate, just over a decade ago, but hadn't
realised that she had also appeared on Satyricon's Nemesis Divina, my
favourite ever Black Metal album, as well as the Cradle of Filth debut,
The Principle of Evil Made Flesh. The only other time our paths have crossed
was on the Nebelhexe debut, Laguz - Within the Lake. I've loved
everything I've heard by her, especially the Hagalaz' Runedance album,
so I'm kind of confused to why I haven't a few more of her cds in my
collection. |
So this new album is a welcome treat to these ears. A time to kick back,
be seduced by it's hypnotic ambience and debate whether Nebelhexe is the
dark tormented sister of Siouxsie and the Banshees. I guess to some this
album may be looked upon as twisted. It has a very dark heart, but I
cannot help but be drawn in by its eccentric (albeit in a calm, chilled
out way) charm. No real tracks stand out, apart from (probably)
Skindeep, and that's because every song has its own identity and
deserves your attention in its own right. Skindeep, incidentally, is a
combination of multi-layered vocals, a pulsating bass line, a feeling of
worlds gone by with the medieval feel to the instrumentation, and a
common bond with 80s Gothdom. Elsewhere it's Enya style new age
romanticism, tribal chants and enchanting minimalism etc... At every
turn this album is an absolute joy to listen to. Look, this is probably
the best album of its type that I've ever heard and one that seems to be
stuck on repeat.
This has more in common with the Goth and Ambient scenes than with
Metal, so the beer can stay in the fridge tonight and I'm off to open a
nice bottle of red wine and to get the missus to fill the room with
candlelight (no pun on the record label name intended), then I'll be
utterly blissed out.
www.myspace.com/nebelhexe |
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Semlah - Semlah (Cyclone Empire)
Review by
Chris Davison |
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Class. That's a term that is not really widely used when
discussing heavy metal. Seen from the outside, much of our
beloved music is viewed as noisy, undirected cacophony. Much
of the music is aggressive, chaotic and (occasionally)
pretty puerile in its “brutality” and “extremity”. It's
sometimes ironic to think that the most violent, nasty and
downright unpleasant music produced also has, thanks in part
to the lyrics, the most juvenile, pathetic sentiments behind
it. When was the last time you listened to a new band that
simply oozed timeless, poised class? You may remember the
halcyon days of classic Maiden. Classic Priest. Classic
Sabbath. |
Semlah are so classy that they're pretty much the heavy
metal equivalent of a mahogany grand piano. This Swedish
outfit are one of the most impressive new doom bands that I
have heard in an absolute age. Taking a leaf from the
godfathers of epic doom, the most obvious point of reference
are the almighty Candlemass, and like their progenitors in
all things miserable, these fellows have the benefits of
tremendous songwriting, wonderful musicianship, and an
incredible vocalist. Singer Joleni, equal parts operatic
orator par excellence and rocker comes across like some kind
of improbably hybrid of Marcollin and Halford. The music
here is dark, vast and perfectly composed. To produce an
album so self-assured and ignorant of current trends is
utterly remarkable, and towering above many of their peers
in sheer dogged determination to classic, doom-inflected
heavy metal. Clear, crunching riffs collide with stone-solid
rhythms, while Joleni produces magical vocal moments that
send shivers down the spine.
Not just an album for the doom-heads, there's something of
the heavy metal hybrid as epitomised by the likes of the
wonderful Doomsword to be heard here, among the plaintive
melancholic moments and quieter acoustic interludes. Take a
walk on the cultured side and listen to some truly mature
metal. You can shove your hammer smashed face where the sun
don't shine as long as Semlah are flying the flag for all of
us non-Beavis types in the audience.
www.cyclone-empire.com |
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Seven Year Kismet - Not Without Incident
(Rising Records) Review by
Chris Davison |
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I like Rising Records. No, really, I do. They've got an
impressive roster of up and coming bands, an ear for the
“now” and a likable image. I also like to support British
heavy metal and extreme music whenever and wherever the
evidence is there for me to be able to do so. You all know by
now that I also love heavy metal in most of its bastard
forms.
I am an old, reactionary shit-bag. Seriously. I don't like
punk rock. I don't like hardcore. In fact, I fucking hate
anything with the suffix “-core” or the pretentious prefix
“post-”. While I'm never solely sold on a band with image,
stupid side fringes, Slipknot t-shirts and general scene or kiddy-metal knobbery
is also unlikely to make me put you on my “must listen to” |
list. Alas then for poor Seven Year Kismet, a band that's
seemingly comprised of loads of stuff I fucking hate. There
are the predictable riffs, the all-too-frequent
hardcore-friendly breakdowns, the pinch harmonics and the
popularity baiting extreme-scene-core vocals.
...yet try as I might, I find it impossible to despise this
album. Yes, it's as annoying as standing next to the fat
drunkard that finds his way to every concert I ever go to
just to shout “SLAAAAAAAAYER” in my fucking ear, but the
same kind of dumb appeal is evident here. When the slower
sections of music stomp about like pissed-up teenagers in
diving boots, there's absolutely no way that you'll be able
to suppress your smiles. Is it possible that we have extreme
metals first hopelessly lovable Labradors? All enthusiasm
but with none of the class? Reckon so. Switch your brain
off, listen to the chug and you might just have a good time
with them while they fetch you your aural stick.
www.risingrecords.org/home.php |
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Submission - Code Of Conspiracy
(Blistering Records) Review by Mat Willcocks |
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Has sufficient time really passed for Soilwork to have
spawned so many groups quite blatantly displaying them as an
inspiration? Scar Symmetry are a pretty wicked band, don’t
get me wrong, but notable on each of their CDs is a
remarkably similar sound, albeit more melodic and catchy.
Still, the way Soilwork’s direction has taken them recently
opens more European bands beginning with the letter ‘S’ and
a bald singer to make themselves known. Little is known of
Submission, certainly on the web, but their most recent
output, ‘Code Of Conspiracy’ is well-produced (having
secured the services of Hansen Studios) and a very tight
affair. There is a tendency throughout the album for some,
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pseudo-Meshuggah grooves to come in, when in
the grand scheme of things, it is not to the benefit of the
listener. The blastbeats (thrown in at various points of the
CD) are welcome as usual. Most listenable track is the title
track, no offence meaning to be offered to the vocalist, but
this is an instrumental track where both guitarists are
given ample opportunity to impress with soloing and nice
riffs. It is with regret that the rest of the tracks are
just too similar for any attention to be paid individually.
However, if you have nearly one hour to use up and will take
any aggressive verses and melodic choruses, as long as it’s
wrapped up in nice shiny package, then try these guys out.
www.blisteringrecords.se
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Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky -
The Grand Partition and the Abrogation of Idolatry (Nuclear
Blast) Review by James Davison |
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Success Will Write Apocalypse Across The Sky! If ever there
was a name to put you off a band, this is it. Crikey! My
initial fear was that this was an unsuccessful attempt at
using up word space in reviews and that SWWAATS, (as I will
now refer to them), were going to be shit. “Never judge a
book by its cover”, I hear you say, and quite rightly too.
And then the album title itself, “The Grand Partition and
the Abrogation of Idolatry”. Jeepers!
A 'source' of mine had pre-warned me that SWWAATS were very
heavy, but quite 'samey'. Each song slightly more
indistinguishable from the last.
Rubbish! It turns out my so-called source is a fan of some
pretty shoddy bands (who I won't mention) and therefore |
will not be trusting them again. Ever!
Personally, listening to SWWAATS I felt uplifted. I felt
happy. SWWAATS are so exceptionally heavy the lyrics are
often all but unrecognisable. But that doesn't matter one
bit because you will be moshing so hard, It will be
impossible to decode the hate filled slosh anyway. The
drumming is immense. In fact superb, and as far as my
research shows this the drummers first band! Amazing. Dark
and abrupt guitars, riffs left, right and Chelsea and an
uncontrollable feeling of hate, catapult this album straight
to the top of my party chart!
From the first track this is an absolutely relentless
assault on the ears. Extreme death/grindcore metal at its
very best. It's been a while since I have heard an album
where each song is slightly better than the previous but
this is, and track 12 "Of worms, Jesus Christ and Jackson
County Missouri" is a stand out track for me. Its bizarrely
fast and slow, heavy and punchy, happy and it hates
everyone! A bit like a kebab-full of all the worst
ingredients that you know are bad for you, but it doesn't
stop it being delicious at the same time. SWWAATS wont
appeal to everyone. I'm sure the name itself will put people
(namely grumpy old bastards like myself) off, but it
shouldn't. I'm not sure if this will one day grace my sacred
'top 5' but I'm quite optimistic that SWWAATS will one day
be on the top shelf with Carcass, Nile, Amon Amarth, At the
Gates and Deicide. Hopefully with a better name.
www.myspace.com/swwaats |
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Ulcerate - Everything Is Fire (Candlelight)
Review by Steve Green |
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Is there such a category as Dissonant Death Metal? I bloody well hope so
as that's exactly where I'm lumping Kiwi's Ulcerate. I can cope with the
Death Metal side of the band quite easily, but the constant barrage of
twists and turns and technical nuances is way above my comfort zone.
Imagine a nagging hangover which will never go away. The pounding on
your skull is never-ending, except that the pain appears in different
positions at ever opportunity and you feel more and more nauseous as the
process continues. That's how Ulcerate make me feel. Trapped in a world
of non-stop pain and brutality.
On the upside, their musicianship is fantastic, particularly drummer
Jamie Saint Merat who |
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is just jaw droppingly amazing. I'm also blown
away by Ulcerate's use of atmospherics and textures, especially the
slower drawn out sections. The ebb and flow of styles has a completely
natural feel and none of the clever shit (ie: the crazy twist and turns)
feels forced. Fuck, even though most of it goes way over my head, I'm
impressed nonetheless. I'm sure the musos amongst you will be creaming
yourselves over this beast.
www.myspace.com/ulcerate
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Wolfchant - Determined Damnation (Massacre Records) review
by Sam Thomas |
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I suppose that it was only a matter of time. Given the
resurgence of the pagan/Viking hordes, eventually the
Bavarians would get in on the act. Now don’t get me wrong –
I’ve nothing against Bavarians, I’ve even stayed with a
couple of Bavarian friends, and very nice people they are
too! It’s just that the anarchy and beer-swilling antics
that I associate with pagan metal seem to be a Bavarian
characteristic as well...
Yes, we’re back at the highly charged, breakneck tempo
played so well by the likes of Finntroll, and, as the lads
themselves say why should Scandinavia have a monopoly on
this type of music? There’s no arguing with that, and I
don’t think that I’d want to argue with |
this bunch anyway.
You’ve got the normal lyrical themes going here: fighting
until the bitter end, glory in death and drinking. Vocals
are quite hoarse (but with some good clean vocals overlaid
in parts, all as far as I can determine attributable to
Lokhi) drums vary between all-out pounding and blastbeats
and overall is the guitar coursing ahead with the melody.
The mouth harp is also in evidence on this album, which
makes a pleasant change from the awful bagpipes that a lot
of pagan bands favour. The songs are sung in English and
German, which works quite well, although some of the English
lyrics border on the banal occasionally (but then again the
concept of sophisticated pagan music just isn’t right
somehow, so maybe I should drop that line of thought right
now). There’s lots of shouting “Hey!” and the whole album is
incredibly catchy, I could listen to it over and over. Maybe
it should come with a health warning: it’s so good that it’s
prevented Steve from doing his own listening this week!
“Fate of the Fighting Man” is an expression of the
melancholy that the Vikings must have felt (in between bouts
of rape and pillage) that, whilst it doesn’t always come off
lyrically, is sufficiently heartfelt to be worth a mention,
but for me it’s the drinking song “Never too Drunk” that’s
the most memorable on the album. It summons up such images
of the ravening hordes, with the world’s catchiest melody
going on in the background, that it gets me every time.
The only slight niggle with this album is the production
isn’t always brilliant, but I can get round that by playing
it LOUD. Other than that, it’s a fabulously catchy piece of
pagan anarchy that should appeal to anyone who enjoys
Eluveite or Ensiferum. Very enjoyable all round.
www.wolfchant-metal.com
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