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Antigama - Warning
(Relapse Records) By: Dave Schalek |
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The last of four grindcore albums released in rapid
succession by Relapse Records to find its way into my pile
of promos is “Warning” by Poland’s Antigama. “Warning” is
the fifth full-length album from Antigama, a band with
numerous splits under their collective belts, as well. In
fact, my prior exposure to Antigama comes from their last
appearance on a release, a split with Nyia from Selfmadegod
Records a year or so ago.
Like the songs featured on the split release with Nyia from
2007, “Warning” is chaotic grindcore with a considerable
mathematical feel to the music, as well as the odd moment of
free form jazz (check out “Paganini Meets Barbapapex”, for
example) or two. Blisteringly |
fast blasts are mixed with stop on a dime time changes, all
over the map guitar work, and some non-traditional sounds to
the percussion to produce a release that reminds me a bit of
Meshuggah, but with even more moments of swirling chaos. In
addition, “Warning” is different enough from the recent
grindcore releases from Relapse to really stand out,
particularly in the depth of variation to be found on the
album’s 16 tracks spread out over 35 minutes. In short, the
songwriting keeps things interesting throughout the album,
no easy feat in the grindcore genre as many albums tend to
get a bit stale after about 30 minutes or so. Adding further
to the interesting elements present on “Warning” is the
longest track, a dark ambient experiment to close out the
album.
This is the last grindcore promo from Relapse on my dinner
plate, so to speak, and I’m pleased to find that all four
albums are distinct enough from one another that any fan of
grindcore will find much to like in each release. “Warning”
is definitely recommended.
www.myspace.com/antigama |
www.relapse.com |
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Belenos - Errances
Oniriques (Northern Silence Productions)
Review by Crin |
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This is a completely re-recorded and improved reissue of the
bands long sold out debut album, including two exclusive and
previously unreleased bonus tracks ("Seigneur de
l'obscurité" and "Serment de vengeance") It's an odd thing
to do, this re-recording of early albums and the sense of it
becomes clear as in Dimmu Borgirs ‘StormBlast’, but not so
clear with a band no one really knows about. If the first
album is a conundrum to most, why do it again??? Here the
French band reinvigorates what was a rather good debut
anyway back in 2001. [Those who do have the original will
not find too much different here apart from the sound] This
has a Black Pagan sound shifting between Marduk, |
Taake, Windir and early Enslaved. The music blasts off in a
frenzied Emperor like style, virulent and caustic, yet
smooth to the ears.
The fast/ slow arrangements are very part of the Belenos
creative spark and add to this guitar solos and acoustic
moments, it becomes clear there is a lot more to the songs
than just a frenzied Blackened blurr… The Celtic tag [label
biog] hanging over this band is somewhat misleading and I
can only presume it applies to the bands place of origin, as
no Celtic flavour is imbued into the music. The up-beat
pagan metal of Belenos oozes a melancholic atmosphere that
prompts aural expectations of Emperor through the guitar
style and overall epic mood generated here. Of course this
is not the instantly dynamic genius of Emperor and musically
this is a far more personal expressive Blackened sound. The
tracks are more driven by mood swings and thought provoking
arrangements. The furious guitar strumming creates a multi
layered rhythmic assault and the melodies are very well
deployed allowing the whole album to be absorbed without too
much difficulty. It's not as Pagan in depth as the likes of
Kroda or Foklkvang, as this is far more progressive in
texture. Its one of those love ‘em or hate ‘em releases.
www.northern-silence.de |
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Blind Fury - Out Of
Reach (Metal Mind) Review by Metal Mark |
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There once was a band named Satan who were part of the NWOBHM
scene and they released an excellent album back in 1983
called "Court in the Act". However, the next year the band
changed vocalists as Brian Ross would go back to his old
band and Lou Taylor would come to replace him. That wasn't
the only change though as the band changed their name to
"Blind Fury". That's quite a bit of activity in a brief
period of time and it's possible that this did slow down the
momentum that the band should have riding on after such a
fine album. By 1985 they had it together and released this
album. Taylor's vocals are a little different that that of
Brian Ross, but he was a good fit even though his |
tenure would be relatively brief. The sound was slightly
different overall. There are still some hints of Iron
Maiden, Diamond Head and Judas Priest. Yet there are a few
songs where the band tried to become more accessible and
they push more towards a hard sound as opposed to the very
solid metal leanings of the Satan album. "Out of Reach" is
no "Court in the Act", but it doesn't pretend to be. I think
this was a new chapter and the band reached out and tried
some new ideas. Fortunately most of them work. Steve Ramsey
and Russ Tippins were an extremely capable guitar duo and
they keep this album on pace. At times they are reserved,
but when needed, they rip out some monstrous riffs. The rest
of the band is equally as adept at laying down the framework
for pounding metal. The production work compliments the
music and adds some real depth to their sound. As I said
earlier, this album lacks some of the punch of the Satan
album from to years earlier. I think they were striving for
a slightly more melodic sound.
This re-issue includes a lyric book that has a family tree
for this band. Believe me you need it to keep the band
members straight. This band went through even more line-up
name changes after this album so the chart helps you to keep
everything straight. This is a real keeper and another
fantastic re-issue from Metal Mind. |
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Despised Icon -
Montreal Assault DVD (Century Media) review by
Sam Thomas |
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The first thing that strikes me with this DVD is that it
wasn’t filmed in Krakow! Instead, it’s footage shot at a
sell-out gig in deathcore merchants Despised Icon’s home
town of Montreal, along with the obligatory extra disc of
documentary footage. It’s actually a great idea, as you get
an audience who know what they’ve come to see, and a band
who really care about putting on a good show. No expense has
been spared, with an enormous number of camerapersons
credited in the end titles, but, sadly, more is not always
better.
Where this DVD loses out for me is in the quality of the
pictures (slightly grainy) and the absolutely awful editing.
There are two things that I like to see in a live DVD: a
sensation of what it would be like to be at the gig (Amon
Amarth have a particularly fine example of this in one of
their bonus DVDs) or a breathtaking spectacle (Dimmu Borgir
spring to mind). This DVD failed to deliver either of these,
almost entirely down to the editing. Just because you have a
large number of camera angles, it doesn’t mean that you have
to use them all in |
every track, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you have to
keep cutting from one to the other every couple of seconds.
This gave a very jerky, almost home-movie effect.
OK, skip the whingeing. The content of the DVD is fine, and
you get the interesting spectacle of links in French with
English subtitles. This would allow you to discover that the
Quebecois have their own swear word, “Tabernak”, which would
loosely be translated as “Fuck”. I only mention this because
it does appear with quite alarming frequency at one point...
This is the longest set that Despised Icon have ever played,
and it’s a good selection of their output, with one track
from their debut CD, another six from 2005’s “The Healing
Process” and the rest from their most recent offering, “The
Ills of Modern Man”. It also comes across that this was a
great gig.
The second disc is the usual selection of interview clips,
which are always fascinating, and in this case you come to
the inescapable conclusion that Despised Icon are actually a
really nice bunch of guys. You also get the usual insights
to how soul-destroying life can be on the road.
As ever, with a DVD, you either buy it because you know and
love the band, and are absolutely riveted by it, or you
don’t. Apart from the editing, I thought it was pretty good.
www.despisedicon.com |
www.centurymedia.com |
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Epochate - Chronicles Of A Dying Era
(Subsound Records) Review by Steve Green |
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Formed by Victor Love (Dope Stars Inc.) and Noras Blake (Spineflesh/Edenyzed),
this album is a concept album based upon "the eternal struggle generated
by thought and power, centering on the decline of mankind and
apocalyptic visions". And in keeping with the subject matter, this album
has a huge sound. Pulverizing rhythms clash head on with dark
orchestration, whilst the vocals have an imposing feel to them and
despite their melodic nature, they have a very strong presence. Fire
this up with the more Industrial textures of Substantia and you are very
close to perfection.
Victor and Noras have come up with an album that has an air of
familiarity, yet at the same |
time it sounds rather new and refreshing. It conjures up
many images, and I cannot help but think of some of the more
eccentric moments from the Pink Floyd film, The Wall and I
think the music on Chronicles Of A Dying Era would be a
fantastic backdrop for some crazed 1984, totalitarian type
film, mainly because of the albums crushing rhythms.
You don't necessarily need to be a fan of Industrial to enjoy this
album. Some of the albums orchestration isn't a million miles away from
the likes of Epica, albeit a few shades darker, so those with a liking
for the more symphonic end of the Metal spectrum will most likely enjoy
this as well. With that in mind, this one comes highly recommended to all.
www.myspace.com/epochate |
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Glorior Belli - Meet Us
At The Southern Sign (Candlelight Records) By:
Dave Schalek |
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French black metal masters Glorior Belli make the jump from
Southern Lord Records to Candlelight Records for the release
of “Meet Us At The Southern Sign”. In addition, the move to
the new label pays off for Glorior Belli as the band ends up
on a co-headlining bill with the newly reinvigorated Absu
for a lengthy trek across the United States (needless to
say, I’ve already purchased my ticket).
“Manifesting The Raging Beast”, Glorior Belli’s last
full-length, was exactly that; a raging beast of a black
metal album with a concentration upon an all out, brutal
assault. “Meet Us At The Southern Sign” is a noticeable
shift in gears for Glorior Belli as the album is |
considerably toned down from its immediate predecessor. In
fact, “Meet Us At The Southern Sign” reminds me greatly of
the latest release from fellow countrymen, and label mates,
Blut Aus Nord. Although more traditionally rooted in pure
black metal than the avant-garde tendencies of Blut Aus Nord,
Glorior Belli have adopted a dreamy, gloom-inducing feel to
the music on “Meet Us At The Southern Sign”, an album that
showcases a band not afraid to move outside of the
boundaries of their previous material (there’s even a song
that flirts with Southern driven rock somewhat reminiscent
of Down). Featuring a nice variation in tempo from all out
blasts to plenty of slow, introspective moments, “Meet Us At
The Southern Sign” incorporates some fluid guitar work.
Traditional, harsh riffing found in most fast black metal is
nicely interwoven with the dreamy guitars found in the
album’s slower moments. Include some solid percussion and an
excellent bass, and “Meet Us At The Southern Sign” should
propel Glorior Belli forward within metal’s consciousness
even more so than its predecessor.
I must say that I greatly enjoyed “Meet Us At The Southern
Sign”, but the album is somewhat of a jarring switch from
the all out assault of “Manifesting The Raging Beast”. So
much so at times, particularly deep into the album, that I’m
sure that some will be put off by the album. I await further
reaction from the metal community with interest.
Nonetheless, “Meet Us At The Southern Sign” comes highly
recommended.
"Post script: Apparently, Glorior Belli has just dropped off
the Candlelight tour due to paperwork issues regarding entry
into the United States. This seriously diminishes my
enthusiasm for that tour, considering that Averse Sefira had
already dropped off awhile back."
www.myspace.com/gloriorbelli |
www.candlelightrecords.co.uk |
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com |
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Icon In Me - Human
Museum (Massacre Records) Review By Marco
Gaminara |
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Having just spent a weekend in St. Petersburg and seen no sign
of a metal community, granted I didn't have a chance to
look, it's nice to know that it must be there, even though
these guys are from Moscow, which is several hundred
kilometres away. And sadly it's not an entirely Russian
affair either, as there are a couple Swedish members, namely
vocalist Tony JJ and drummer Morten which have several other
bands in their résumé. Either way, their anger and anguish
are palpable, but that's to be expected, it's metal after
all.
From the moment "Dislocated" starts and the drums kick in,
literally, you can tell that these guys are going to go at
this no holds barred. and there's nothing wrong with that at
all. |
Tony JJ's vocals are very much what they were in M.A.N.,
visceral and ever changing, from growls to screams to
sweetly sung. Morten's drumming on "That Day, That Sorrow"
is pure blast with plenty of triplets for colour, and he
does it really well too. D.Frans and Artyom's guitar work is
precise and technical, and the way they play off each
other's changes in "End Of File" are easily apparent here
and everywhere else on the album. There are plenty of tempo
changes on "Empty Hands" which are emphasised by the changes
in vocal styles. I really like the short songs like "Blood
Ritual", because what they lack in length, they more than
make up for in intensity, but that said, "To The End" is
twice its length, but just as fast, albeit with a few
slightly mellow bits. Speaking of mellow bits, the whole of
"In Memorium" is a rather mellow guitar piece. A rather
lengthy, but very impressive lead on "Turn The Dead On" is
the highlight of the song for me, and thinking about it,
could be played by any one of the many guest artists on the
album, but as the promo doesn't come with an inner sleeve
there's no way of me knowing who's playing any lead on
here.. The final track "Avoiding The Pain" ends things the
way they began, with a variety of vocal and guitar sounds
and powerful drumming, not forgetting Konstantin's low end
addition to the mix on his bass.
www.iconinme.com |
www.massacre-records.com |
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Inferno - Pompa Magna (Subsound
Records) Review by Steve Green |
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What a strange beast this album is. Take an approach favoured by certain
modern elements of today's extreme, (and I use the word begrudgingly),
metal scene, by this I mean screamed vocals, mix it up with off-kilter craziness. Take
that creation, wash it in some weird sci-fi fixated sound, which to me
sounds like Space Invaders being butt-fucked by The Clangers, add a hint
of Grind, fuck about with the sound levels, throw in a load of random
shit, bake for 30 minutes on gas mark 7, and you're done. Yeah,
it's that weird.
What's that you say, will this appeal to the very smallest minority of
music fans? Yes, I'm |
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sure it will. It's too damn weird for me, so it's best I
fuck off now and play Space Invaders Extreme on my DS,
which, thankfully, has a much better soundtrack.
www.infernogrindnroll.com |
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Into The Moat - The Campaign
(Metal Blade)
Review by Steve Green |
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File this one under: "Great musicianship, but not really my sort of
thing". Into The Moat will be deemed by some as too clever by far and by
others as creating a fucking racket. Take a growly frontman, the type
that the more modern bands prefer and back it with total chaos. Opener,
The Last Century, throws a bit of a curveball, mainly because it's so
accessible. Something I wasn't expecting. But fear not, within 2 seconds
of track number 2, From 1,000 Meters, this fucker is jumping all over
the place and we are heading for chaotic Heaven, or Hell, depending on
your persuasion. For me, I'm afraid, it's the latter. I simply don't get
this type of music and completely fail to find any affinity with it. So
this is |
for those that can admire the 1st class musicianship and get
off on the maelstrom that qualifies itself as music.
Fans of Psyopus and the like will no doubt love this.
www.myspace.com/intothemoat |
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