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Acid Drinkers - Vile
Vicious Vision (Metal Mind) Review by Metal
Mark |
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From their debut in 1990, Poland's Acid Drinkers instantly
established themselves as being more than just a thrash
band. At the heart of the music was thrash, but they mixed
all kind of odd styles, sounds and whatever they could throw
into the mix. At times they sounded like a cross between the
Dead Kennedys and Anthrax. By "Vile Vicious Vision"
something was definitely changing in this band. The first
aspect was that they were definitely slowing down and the
thrash parts were becoming few and far between. Okay, maybe
that just a product of the times as a number of thrash bands
were opting to slow down. Besides being fast these guys had
a quirky approach and frequently pulled in numerous
different |
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unexpected part and passages. At first I wasn't sure if I
had gotten used to their style or if they had just cut down
on the surprising parts. Upon a second play I think it's the
second reason. At least for about the first, perhaps 3/4 of
the album, the band seems far more subdued and even
predictable (at least for them). Granted, being less
predictable for this band is well above average for most
other bands. There are still a number of moments where they
just take off on odd paths, but they had certainly toned it
down on this release. There are some fine moments and the
last three tracks all demonstrate Acid Drinkers at their
chaotic best, but this album is certainly weaker than the
previous discs. This re-issue includes lyric booklet, a
bonus tracks and two video clips. |
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Amon Amarth - The
Avenger (Metal Blade) review by Sam Thomas |
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The Avenger is the latest in the series of re-releases by Amon
Amarth, with the innovative 2 CD format, one remaster and
one live recording. The best thing about this is that it
gives me a wonderful opportunity to dig out my AA collection
and listen to it in a slightly obsessive manner. And, of
course, to enjoy the live recording...
The one thing I struggle with is remaining impartial here.
Amon Amarth are, all things considered, probably my
favourite band of all time (sorry Mikael, but Opeth haven’t
been cutting it for me for a while) and are definitely one
of the finest live bands ever. Then again, who cares if I’m
biased? Would you prefer a lukewarm review by someone who
knows |
nothing of the band, has never seen them live, never bribed
them with Old Speckled Hen?
The Avenger is one of those albums that I don’t listen to
very often, because I tend to think that the band have
progressed in leaps and bounds since the early days.
However, listening to the live performance, I could be
wrong. The power and the passion hurtle out of the stereo,
you can hear the audience really getting into it – the only
way this could be better would be if you’d actually been
there with a beer-crazed German horde when the concert was
recorded. I made the point with the re-release of “Once Sent
from the Golden Hall” that it’s fantastic to have this type
of re-release, which really offers something to the fans.
Bring on The Crusher, I can’t wait!
www.amonamarth.com |
www.metalblade.com |
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Bone Gnawer - Feast Of
Flesh (Pulverised Records) By: Dave Schalek |
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Pig squeals, cannibals, and gore galore! Yep, there are no
surprises on the debut from Bone Gnawer, entitled “Feast Of
Flesh”, issued by the increasingly reliable Pulverised
Records. Actually, what is somewhat surprising is that Kam
Lee himself has teamed up with a veritable who’s who of old
school Swedish death metal to churn out this monster.
Joining Lee are Rogga Johansson, Morgan Lie, and Ronnie
Bjornstrom, all alumni from various Swedish projects such as
Paganizer, Banished From Inferno, and so on.
The result of the collaboration is very high quality old
school death metal that is a perfect cross between old
Death/ Massacre (of course) and Sunlight Studios stuff such
as early |
Grave. There aren’t any frills to be had on “Feast Of
Flesh”; basically, this is straightaway death metal with
plenty of speed, huge amounts of crunch, barked vocals, and
the usual gore soaked lyrical themes involving cannibals,
and so on. All of it is done very well with great, catchy
songwriting and a great deal of heft backed up by a gigantic
production. In fact, “Feast Of Flesh” is probably one of the
best releases from Pulverised Records thus far, a label
that’s been busily releasing a lot of material of late.
Other than that, there’s not much to say. Basically, if
you’re into old school death metal, you’ll be all over this
one. What the Hell are you waiting for?!
www.myspace.com/bonegnawerband |
http://pulverised.net |
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Destruktor - Nailed
(Hells Headbangers) Review by Chris Davison |
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Some areas of the world just have their own metal sound, and
Australia is one of them. While Norway, France and (to some
extent) America may have their own black metal sounds, and
Sweden, Poland and Finland may lay claim to their own
distinct brand of death metal, only the land down under
makes this kind of unholy, unapologetic brand of filthy
warring death/black metal. Yes, from the country that
brought you Destroyer 666 and Abominator comes…Destruktor,
if anything, more obsessed and bestial than those bands.
Why it is that the Australians feel such a need to be filled
with this warlust and primitive |
desire to destroy is not yet fully known, but may, I guess,
have something to do with the proliferation of awful lager
that they churn out. Lazy national stereotyping now
completed, let me tell you about the band. Having formed way
back in 95, it’s fair to say that this atavistic band have
had their share of ups and downs, but this is their first
full lengther, and a testament to the sheer bloody willpower
of mainman Glenn Destruktor. This sounds exactly as you may
imagine it; barely produced extreme metal, of what is
essentially thrashy death metal with a raw, necrotic black
metal production. Sometimes the album you get is not an
accurate reflection of the album cover that adorns it, but
in the case of “Nailed”, what you see is what you get: a
tormented Christ figure being bothered by three goat headed
demons. Blasphemy in a tin then.
It’s all very enjoyable stuff, with that “I don’t give a
fuck about your trends” vibe that Australian underground
metal produces so well, and though to be brutally honest
some of the songs tended to blur into each other for about
half the CD, in short, sharp bursts this is a treat for any
seriously extreme metal head looking to get his injection of
heaviness in a filthy and uncompromising fashion.
www.hellsheadbangers.com |
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Eagle Twin - The
Unkindness of Crows (Southern Lord) By: Dave
Schalek |
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Eagle Twin is yet another project from Gentry Densley, who was
last seen on “Ample Fire Within”, the debut full-length from
Ascend (also on Southern Lord). On that album, Densley
teamed up with Greg Anderson to produce a masterpiece of
drone/ doom with perfectly executed, haunting vocals
courtesy of Densley.
This time around, Densley teams up with percussionist Tyler
Smith to produce a baritone guitar-driven duet of doom,
stoner metal reminiscent of Kyuss at their most bludgeoning,
fleeting moments of free form jazz, and elements of drone.
Densley also goes out of his |
way to advertise the fact that he employed extra amplifiers
while recording “The Unkindness of Crows”, the debut
full-length from Eagle Twin, and one definitely gets the
idea that the duo will go over extremely well in a live
setting. Simply put, “The Unkindness of Crows” absolutely
flattens the listener with the assault from Densley and
Smith.
Densley is able to evoke a wide range of sounds from his
baritone guitar. The instrument employs elements of both
bass and guitar, allowing Densley a wide range of riffs and
sounds to explore. In fact, Densley makes use of the full
range of his instrument throughout “The Unkindness of
Crows”, and is able to play fluid bass lines
simultaneously with crushing riffs and moments of melody,
drone, and mild navel contemplation. All the while, Tyler
Smith backs it all up with kaleidoscopic, cascading drum
patterns that veer from the conventional to wildly out of
control.
Eagle Twin are at their best when they effectively use the
two instruments to concentrate upon drone and doom. Combined
with Densley’s gruff voice, the results are suitably
crushing, yet atmospheric. Essentially, Eagle Twin comes off
as somewhat similar to Ascend, but with greater
concentration upon riffing and tempo. Less interesting, in
my opinion, are the free form exercises of chaotic fret
board work as Eagle Twin seem to spin out of control. These
moments are fleeting, though, and only have intermittent
appearances during the first half of the album.
“The Unkindness of Crows” is a bit uneven, but certainly
demonstrates Eagle Twin as yet another Southern Lord act
effectively exploring aspects of drone. Recommended.
www.myspace.com/eagletwin |
www.southernlord.com |
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Ensiferum - From Afar
(Spinefarm) By: Joe Florez |
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It’s hard to believe, but these Finns have been going at it
since 1995 and they are now only releasing their fourth
opus. I believe that after the second record, I sort of lost
track of the band for one reason or another. But now, I’m
getting reacquainted with the guys especially since they
have a new screamer. “By The Dividing Stream” is a slow and
very folky tune that starts things out. While not the best
choice to begin the disc, however this sets everything for
next hour because this is going to be one rocky ride. The
title track encompasses everything from string arrangements
to agro riffs, harsh vocals and an epic vibe that’s very
Hollywood. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for war. The six
string work is |
furious, but catchy. There are thick harmony choruses, a
thunderous rhythm section, keyboards and all kinds of
nuances that gives this song a fun vibe. You can hear the
Hollywood magic on here as the orchestration is very in your
face, but done well. This is a little hokey for me, but
entertaining. “Twilight Tavern” still packs a punch, but the
riffs are very happy sounding and rather than wanting to
wield my sword I want to fill my beer stein up and dance
around and act a fool. There are two epic tracks on here.
“Heathen Throne” clocks in at eleven minutes and it goes
through all the paces from slow to mid range to lightning
quick thanks to the rapid fire double bass drumming. Sure
it’s fine, I think it drags on just a tad too long. The
second composition which is equally long is actually part
two to the song mentioned above. “The Longest Journey”
(Heathen Throne Part II) continues its way with galloping
riffs and licks and vocals so loud and rich that they could
fill up a hall. Damn, this truly epic track if put together
would clock in at a half hour. While this is an entertaining
listen, I feel that this disc is a culmination of
Korpiklaani and Amon Amarth getting into a scuffle. I feel
this is more folk than Viking metal. The disc is slickly
produced because this thing sounds huge like a movie
soundtrack. I think that’s where I kind of lose it with
these guys. It could have been a bit more raw, but that’s
just my opinion. This is a decent release and people who are
into their fairy tale power metal, folk, Viking music or
whatnot will get sheer pleasure out of this. So, go grab
your Viking helmet, sword and stein and party on or ravage
and pillage. The choice is yours.
www.spinefarm.fi |
www.ensiferum.com |
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Foobar - Your Fiend My
Friend (Reside Records) Reviewed by Anthony
Deane |
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When first introduced to the world of Foobar I wasn’t quite
sure what I was going to be in store for, but after 10
seconds into the album I never looked back. To cut a long
story short Foobar are a pure alcohol fuelled, Rock ‘n ‘Roll
act from Sweden. Since forming in 2005 the band is already
on their fourth release, which certainly shows the band has
wasted no time in releasing their infectious blend of catchy
melodies. Their album forces the listener into a frenzy of
head banging, shout along chanting, and guitar riffs that
have enough power to cause an earthquake. So whether you
find yourself on a twelve hour alcohol binge, or in a high
speed car chase, I would certainly recommend this to be the |
perfect soundtrack.
Foobar’s sound ranges from fast and hard rock, in tracks
such as ‘Dawning of a Day’ and ‘Catch 22,’ to more mellow
territories on track ‘18 Years’. Their thunderous power is
enough to entice any Clutch/ Down fan and will definitely
hold your attention.
The album definitely has the potential to attract a wide
range of listeners from metal to punk and rock. It really
gets better and better after every listen much like the vast
amounts of alcohol which was most probably consumed when
producing this beauty.
www.foobartheband.com |
www.residerecords.com |
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Fury UK - VR
(Rocksector Records) Review by Strawb |
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Since I have been reviewing for this website I have
championed Fury UK as one of the young bands at the
forefront of the current metal scene. From the album Face Of
Adversity, through their EP Salvation, and catching their
set at Bloodstock Open Air 2008, these boys have impressed
me with their output and have shown improvement as time has
gone on.
In spite of their incessant touring, the boys have somehow
found time to visit the studio and give birth to VR. It is
Fury UK's second album, and the line-up remains the same
with the more hirsute Appleton Brother, Chris leading on
Vocals and Guitar, the smooth chested |
and chinned Luke on bass and backing vocals and the
‘shaving, what’s that then?’ Martin McNee hidden behind the
expansive drum kit. And this continuity of personnel means
that the sound that they have produced is tighter than I
have heard them before. Chris’ vocal talents have matured,
and any previous criticism of weak vocals can now be
dismissed. Luke continues to provide the brotherly support,
and as always Martin lays the foundations in a way that
requires a high powered amp, really big speakers and full
volume. And with this album the band have really arrived and
should acquire the mass following that their output
warrants. The songs here have more structure than their
previous offerings. I have just pressed random upon
inserting the CD and Game Over is the track selected. The
opening is powerful, interspersing instrumental power with
Chris’ forceful vocals, before the two combine to produce
the main thrust of the song. The message contained within
the vocals is pertinent to the current position of the
country. Then at 1:45 in, everything slows to a bass and
drum tempo, soon joined by a wailing guitar. Fifty five
seconds later we have lift off into just one more riff laden
power sequence of instrumental before the vocals rejoin and
remain to the end. Four minutes 42 seconds which demonstrate
the super nova level that the band has now risen to. And to
be fair, no matter which track had been selected, the
synopsis may have been different but the result would remain
the same as this CD has quality throughout. Many times this
year I have spent my hard earned on albums which are nowhere
near as good as this one.
Like another team from Manchester, Fury UK are at the top of
their league and with VR have raised the bar to a new level.
Treat yourself at
www.furyuk.com |
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