Live 4 Metal - Reviews

Magrudergrind - Magrudergrind (Candlelight) Review by Steve Green
	Both the Magrudergrind Myspace page and the biog than accompanied this release reveal very little about the band. So all I can tell you is that Magrudergrind are from Washington DC and they sit on the Punk side of the Grindcore fence, with a few mid 80s Thrash leanings thrown in for good measure. Banging out 17 songs in 27 minutes, this is pure filth-ridden crusty Grind, with a circle pit attitude. Most of the songs hurtle along at a face-ripping pace, this is broken up by the usual array of samples and the occasional dip in pace, particularly with the sludge laden groove of Bridge Burner which pops up halfway through the album and a brief foray into Hip Hop towards the end of the album. For my
own personal tastes, I'd have preferred a slightly bigger emphasis on the Punk side of things, with only Excommunicated ticking most of the boxes for me, and even then it feels more like Anthrax/SOD on PCP than GBH on glue. There's not a lot more to say to be honest. It's heavy, in your face and full of attitude and for what it is, it's pretty darned good. If you want to hear more, get clicking over to www.myspace.com/magrudergrind

Molotov Solution - The Harbinger (Metal Blade) Review by Steve Green
	I have to admit that before I'd even heard a note, I wasn't really expecting to enjoy this album. Molotov Solution dwell at the modern end of Death Metal and are therefore geared towards a younger audience. So simply imagine the baggy trouser brigade screaming over a Death-like soundtrack with added groove and bounce. And while a lot of this is lost on a traditionalist like myself, Molotov Solution seem to have a knack of introducing a glorious beam of light that appears from nowhere through the murky depths of their sound. More often than not, the lead guitars provide the uplifting experience, and sometimes it's the vocals, particularly in the more groove-laden songs. But this matters not, as all that matters
to me is that these small pleasures are enough to make this comfortable listening. The introduction of the more melodic parts save this album from being very mundane, and without them, this would be a one-dimensional soundtrack to watching paint dry. www.myspace.com/molotovsolution

Molotow - Rock Tales (Nordic) Review by Metal Mark
	It's been around a year and a half since Molotow's "feat. Rock & Roll" was released. The new album finds the band still playing the type of hard rock that was so prominent in the late 80's and early 90's. On "Rock Tales" the band takes it up a notch as they have become heavier and much forward in their attack. Under the influences section of the band's Myspace page it states "Every great rock band out there". That kind of attitude goes along with the fact that they seem more confident and they just rip into the songs with zero hesitation. I hear hints of Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and others. However this time around these guys are starting to seize the opportunity and develop their own
style. It's a style that grabs hold and doesn't let it go. There isn't a lot of meandering around or wasted notes. The melodies are strong and the hooks are tight and on target. The vocals are powerful and definitely had me convinced they would be even better live. They throw out some catchy choruses that were going through my head even after the first listen. The production is superb and everything is in place. I found myself feeling both surprised and impressed by how far Molotow have come since their last release. My only real complaint is that there were a few songs that I felt could and were going to last longer. So perhaps they could take their time more and get as much out of their talent as they can. The talent, confidence and poise is obviously present now. www.myspace.com/molotowrock

Necrophobic - Satanic Blasphemies (Regain Records) By: Dave Schalek
	Hot on the heels of the release of their latest album, “Death To All” (an album that I greatly enjoy, despite the rather weak production in the drums), Sweden’s Necrophobic and Regain Records team up to release the band’s first two demos and their first official release, “The Call” EP, in one package. Entitled “Satanic Blasphemies” (originally supposed to be released in late 2008), the package features the 1990 “Slow Asphyxiation” demo, the 1991 “Unholy Prophecies” demo, and “The Call” EP from 1992 for a total of nine songs. The “Slow Asphyxiation” demo was originally recorded by Thomas Oberg at Studio Kuben, with the remainder of
the songs recorded at the famed Sunlight Studio with Tomas Skogsberg behind the board. The album comes with new artwork and liner notes briefly describing the circumstances of each release. Although not included with the promo materials from Regain Records, “Satanic Blasphemies” will also be packaged as a digibox with a poster and a patch (bummer, I want that stuff). Although not specifically stated, I assume that the songs have been remastered as the sound is crisp and crushingly heavy. Needless to say, anyone with at least a casual interest in the roots of Swedish death metal should go out immediately and snatch this up (even if you have the original demos/ releases), along with the recent Nifelheim re-issues, also from Regain. I once again also refer you to “Swedish Death Metal” (Bazillion Points) by insider Daniel Ekeroth for more information. www.myspace.com/necrophobic \| www.regainrecords.com

Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry 25th Anniversary Edition (Rhino/Atlantic) Review by Metal Mark
	To say that this album had a major impact on me would be a gross understatement. Back in those early days I was eagerly absorbing any hard rock or metal that I get my hands on. Twisted Sister along with the likes of Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Judas Priest and others were some of the first bands that I was exposed to. I don't know if it was the raw sound or the silly anti-authority lyrics, the drag queens gone wrong look or a combination of all of those, but Twisted Sister just struck a nerve with me. Their first three albums are fine examples of edgy hard rock done with a lot enthusiasm and fire. "Stay Hungry" was the one that really sucked me in. I wore out at least two cassette copies of
this back in the mid-1980's. I had a Twisted Sister poster taped to my wall and of course I scribbled TS symbols all over my book covers. My love for the band tapered off on the albums after this as the band failed to deliver a good follow-up. Now twenty-five years later we get this two disc anniversary edition of "Stay Hungry" which also comes just a few years after the band re-recorded the album as "Still Hungry". The first disc is a remastered version of the classic album. Truthfully I don't hear a great deal of difference in the sound, but that's okay because the material still holds up well. "We're Not Going To Take It" is a fantastic anthem that has never gotten old to my ears. Songs like "S.M.F' and the title track still have that powerful bite that they always possessed. Tracks like the two part "Horror-Teria" and the always fantastic "Burn in Hell" have a dark side to them and they work even today. "Don't Let Me Down" would be my choice for most underrated song on this album. "The Price" really should have been a bigger hit than it was as it's a slow song done right with feeling rather than the kind of whiny sap that made up many of the hard rock ballads of the day. Now I do have to admit that "I Wanna Rock" doesn't sound as good to me as it did back then. I still like it, but it's merely decent. That leaves "The Beast" and it is the one song on this album that I have never cared for. It's rather dull, but the rest of the album makes up for it. A great album, but that's not all because we still have disc two which is full of demos and previously unreleased tracks. There are demos for five of the songs on "Stay Hungry" and they vary in quality. The one for the title track is solid and not far off from the final version while "We're Not Going To Take It" sounds very rough and the band has yet to figure out the groove that really drives the completed version. Interesting to hear these tracks in their early stages. Then there are ten older unreleased songs that recorded while the band was making "Stay Hungry" back in late 1983. For whatever reason they were not picked for that album, but at least we get to hear them now. There are some real gems like "What's Love Without You" and "We're Coming On". Actually most of these songs are good although some sound like they could have been fleshed out a little more. In hearing these it's a shame that Twisted Sister went so far off the mark on 1985's "Come Out And Play" when they had some fine material like these songs already done. The first of the last two entries is a "KMET radio spot" which is brief, but slightly amusing. The other is "30" which is the band's first new track in a long time. It has a bit of an older drive to it, but definitely the kind of simple gritty sound that helped define Twisted Sister back in their prime. Surprisingly better than I was expecting. It's not like I needed an excuse to listen to "Stay Hungry" again, but this is a great album and the second disc is sure to please fans of the band as well.

Vanmakt - Ad Luciferi Regnu (Pulverised Records) Review by Crin
	Here’s another of those Black Metal acts you have never heard of and in a few years you would have forgotten about. That’s not a derogatory remark, but an honest observation. This is a modern Black Metal style that is cemented to a formula tried and tested and yet injected with some outer genre elements like Doom, Death and even Hardcore. Imagine a mid career Behemoth firing on all cylinders and the overall texture become apparent, but even Behemoth can sound predictable, lacklustre and mechanical. That’s the problem here in a nutshell. Being proficient and technically adept isn't always enough if the musical bombardment is stifled in a cut and paste deployment of rapid percussion and razor sharp
riffermania. This is a decent stab at a more progressive Dark Funeral style blackened hyper speed attack .And to be fair it is extremely well constructed and polished so it will appeal to the more open minded fans out there. So if you just love manic buzz saw riffs, machine gun snares and unearthly guttural rasps, look no further than here. But will it change the face of Black Metal??? Nah www.myspace.com/vanmakt

Vindicator/Metal Witch - Outbreak Of Metal Vol.1 (Slaney) Review by Metal Mark
	This is a split disc consisting of six tracks each from Ohio based thrash outfit Vindicator who recently signed to Heavy Artillery and Germany's Metal Witch. It is meant to be a series featuring Metal bands from different countries. Vindicator are up first and they contribute four new songs and two covers. The originals follow the blueprints of the early days of thrash circa 1983-1985. They chug along playing active yet fairly routine thrash not far off from early Metallica, Slayer and others. They keep it short and to the point, but it's just above average material that will sound all to familiar about a minute into each track. After the originals are the two covers with "I Hate People" originally by The Anti-Nowhere
League and Indestroy's U.S.S.A. Vindicator fare better on these songs primarily due to the fact that they just sound far more inspired on these songs. Metal Witch originally formed back in 1985, but broke up in 1987. They reformed in late 1990's and have knocked out an EP and an LP this decade. Actually five of the tracks on this disc are from either the EP or the LP. Still they were new to me and these songs are spectacular. This band draws from the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, early Metal Church and Motorhead for inspiration. So it's mid-paced to medium fast classic metal that's jam packed with heavy riffs and killer vocals. This is kind of music that is completely up my alley so I found it to be instantly likable. If this band was this good two decades ago then it's a shame they broke up so quickly, but at least we can discover them now. So we get some alright entries from Vindicator and some outstanding offerings from Metal Witch. It will be interesting to see what bands they pool together in the future for this series.

Vomitory - Carnage Euphoria (Metal Blade) Review by Chris Davison
	Has it really been twenty years of Vomitory madness? Now veterans of the death metal scene, the Swedes return with their seventh offering in the brutal “Carnage Euphoria”. If “Terrorize, Brutalise, Sodomize”, their previous offering was a solid yet unadventurous foray into workmanlike death metal, then Carnage Euphoria is the flashy, rather well dressed evil twin. As you would expect from such battle worn warriors of the extreme metal circuit, Vomitory are playing with well worn weaponry and impressive instrumental skills. What has changed since the rather steady predecessor is a much better sense of dynamics; a
sense that each song on this record is crafted as an individual track that is going to stand out from the others. This album is like an unholy mix of some of the best death metal of the past twenty years. I hear snippets of old Benediction in the grinding approach to the faster sections and the punk like atmosphere, hints of the classic Swedish sound in the buzz saw guitars and slower sections, and even hints of some demented melodies in the tasteful soloing that makes a welcome reappearance on the album. A good, solid production helps things immensely, with a real attack coming from the speakers in the compellingly pounded drums and the guttural, pissed off vocal assault. Vomitory, then, are back, packing some infectiously groove laden lessons in violence and death. Really, this could be the brutal soundtrack to a summer of serial killing. Who needs the obligatory summer block buster pop songs when you could busting your groove on to such feel-good hits as “Ripe Cadavers” or “Rebirth of the Grotesque”? Get out in the back garden, spark up the barbecue and treat the neighbours to a prime slice of nicely spiced, perfectly matured Swedish death metal. What your summer was made for. www.myspace.com/vomitoryswe