ALBUM OF THE MONTH:

PUISSANCE
Mother Of Disease

Amduscias | Amsvartener | At Any Cost | Azazel | Cryogenic | Darediablo | Gardenian | Godflesh | Gorlbarog | Iced Earth | Liege Lord | Labyrinth | Mob Rules | Riot | Samael | White Skull | Candiria

Rating: 10/10
Tracks: Light Of A Dead Sun, Reign Of Dying Angels, Mother Of Disease, In Shining Armour, Post Ruin Symphony, Core Of Revelation, Human Error, The Voice Of Chaos

I am wary of writing this review because I am not sure that any words I can muster will do Puissance justice.

Mother Of Disease is 44 minutes and 31 seconds of absolute musical glory. F. Soderlund and H. Moller have created a musical journey of epic proportions in these 8 songs. Normally, synth-driven music that aspires to capture the feel of classical works does nothing for me. It comes off soundling like Verdi musak to my ears. Puissance have deftly avoided that snare by not writing pieces for an orchestra and playing it on synths. What they have done is carved out a genre of classical music written FOR synths. There is not a single moment on Mother Of Disease where my ears yearn for a woodwind or brass or string instrument to take up the melody. The Fluttering Dragon bio describes the music of Puissance as "Neo-Classical Apocalyptic Music." I don't think there could me a more appropriate title, or soundtrack to the Apocalypse when it does arrive. Listening to Mother Of Disease is by no means a passive experience. Turn off the lights, put down your book and just listen... the music expresses itself as much visually as audially. The title track is based around a narration depicting a group heading to the former Soviet Union with a plan to launch missiles at 5 different unstable nuclear reactors throughout the land. The music swells beneath the narration, as if heralding the story's "heroes." "In Shining Armour" follows, glorifying some great equalizer (disease? the nuclear holocaust detailed in the title track?) that "[turns] man back into mud." "Post Ruin Symphony" could well be a dirge for all manking, painting the scene of a city raped by disaster... flames everywhere, shells of people dying in the streets as they lament the loss of loved ones and the hysteria that accompanies any massive loss of life lurking beneath it all.

I'll refrain from any further attempts at description and/or analyzation to avoid stamping my own perceptions onto anyone reading this review that might pick up Mother Of Disease to experience it for his or herself. I can safely say that this is an essential purchase for just about anyone with a real love for music, and for those that are content watching MTV and being spoon-fed mindless dreck by popular culture, it will serve as a wake up call signifying that the comforts you banally wallow in will soon come to an end. - Al Kikuras

Amduscias - s/t (Metal Blade, '99)

Rating: 7/10
Tracks: The Dragon Domination, The Cursed Destiny, Hell On Earth, Dominion Of Darkness, Sacrifices Within Me, Blood From Your Heart

Strange photo. Just one member of this three-piece Japanese band is pictured on the back of the inlay card of this CD. He looks very confused.

That said, on to the music. Amduscias have the potential to be a remarkable band. The songs are there... the guitars and vocals are both excellent. Vocalist/bassist Ryuichi takes a Tom G. Warrior stab at the whole black metal thing, emitting a throaty high-end growl with that Frost attitude. The bass is pretty much completely buried in the mix throughout the first track , "The Dragon Domination," and as a result is of little consequence. The only real weakness of Amduscias is the drums. The incessant blasting with little or no regard for the music being laid above it all throughout the opening track gets to be very overbearing. More imaginative playing would have really made the song much more interesting. As is, you have to listen past the drums to really appreciate the tune itself. Track 2, "The Cursed Destiny," features a more varied drum performance but is not even on the same planet as "The Dragon Domination" when it comes to the songwriting and comes off as a very unremarkable track. The drums are stiff throughout the 6 tracks on this release to the point where I am suspicious a drum machine may have been used. Whether the drums are programmed or the work of Mike I, an assumedly living drummer, is somewhat of a moot point. Not to fault the drumming completely... there are tunes on here, like the aforementioned "The Cursed Destiny" and "Hell On Earth" that are clunkers to begin with, but the bottom line is that the lifeless drum performance keeps the decent moments on this self-titled release from being great, or even good, moments. - Al Kikuras

Amsvartener - The Trollish Mirror (Metal Blade, '99)

Rating: 8.5/10
Tracks: The Trollish Mirror, Underneath the Thousand Years Gate, Memories of Faded Kingdoms, The Wilderness of Mind

It's still happening. Black metal bands are still coming out of the woodwork, literally spilling out from every nook and cranny of the underground music scene. The latest release with an indecipherable logo to worm its way onto my desk is the debut mini-cd from Scandinavia's Amsvartener. Luckily, the music is not as non-descript as the logo. Amsvartener have some very inspired moments on The Trollish Mirror, with the fewer, less remarkable ones still packing enough punch to hold the listener's attention. This is an album that my appreciation for increased tenfold after listening to it with headphones. Dual guitars and descriptive bass playing build a dense wall of sound that never flails into ill-defined waters. Vocalist Marcus Johansson's voice is not the most original to reach my ears in recent times, but the lyrics are spit forth with a conviction that "typical" black metal vocalists lack.

The Trollish Mirror is an unfortunately short but memorable foray into well-written and expertly-executed black metal with a slight folk influence that, 90% of the time is a raging beast with the other 10% giving break to melodic passages that still scream "metal!!" I look forward to Amsvartener's full-length as I am confident it will be excellent. - Al Kikuras

At Any Cost - Seen Through Shattered Eyes (Lost Disciple, '99)

Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Grievance, Burdened, Extract, Helpless Cries, Hidden Existence, Lost In Seclusion, Wasteland, Pillage

I've heard these guys pigeonholed as a hardcore band. Although their certainly are hardcore elements to At Any Cost's music, it is so much more on the whole. They genre hop from death metal, to thrash, hardcore, even a bit of black metal can be heard from time to time. Sounds like METAL to me!! Great stuff... VERY heavy, grooving, with vocals that are a cross between Phil Anselmo and George Corpsegrinder Fisher, with the occasional black metal-ish screech. The most accurate comparison, in my opinon, would be EYEHATEGOD on speed. The sludge, the anger, the depressive feel of EHG is there, it is just as if EYEHATEGOD were doped up on caffeine and decided to kick things up a few knotches and thrash out. This is a very solid and listenable album that I find myself spinning surprisingly often. I'd wager that they are incredible in a live situation. - Al Kikuras

Azazel - Order Of The Fly (Self-Released, '99)

Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Garden of Shadows, Undeserving Fate, Transformation, Aether Cries, Crown Of Fire, Forever Heaven Gone

Absolutely raging black metal from the US. Order Of The Fly is 23 minutes of total chaos!! Blasting black metal ala Thornspawn and Marduk with distinctive vocals that are not kind to the ears, and I cannot imagine them being kind to the vocalist's throat. Order Of The Fly just about ranks up there with December Wolves' Completely Dehumanized as one of the angriest black metal releases I have ever heard. There is a sense of chaos running throughout this release, like things are just about to get completely out of control. It is like watching a potential homocidal maniac with a 12-gauge shotgun deciding whether or not to walk into a McDonald's and shoot the place to shit. Azazel have managed to harness a healthy dose of insanity and cram it into the 6 songs that make up this release. If you are a black metal fan, BUY IT!! You will NOT be disappointed. - Al Kikuras

Check out the official Azazel web site for more info.

Cryogenic - Celephais (Millenium Music, '99)

Rating: 8.5/10
Tracks: Cryogenic: Celephais - Overture, Wanderer, Die Rueckkehr, Fimbulwinter, Nacheache, Ignis Occultus Im, Processia Nocturna - Teil 1, Processia Nocturna - Teil 2, Celephais, Celephais - Finale

It is refreshing to hear black metal this well thought-out. Cryogenic have opened the black metal genre up with extensive, but tasteful use of melody and great songwriting. It is still fast, still heavy, but decidedly clean. Undoubtedly, this is the kind of black metal that will expand the genre's fanbase, as Cryogenic's music should appeal to traditional metal fans as well as the hardcore black metal population. Borknagar and Twin Obscenity both come to mind when listening to this (although I like Cryogenic considerably more than both).

I should clarify that fans of traditional black metal have no cause to dismiss Cryogenic as typical symphonic black metal. Although keyboards are used liberally (and there is a smattering of the dreaded "fenale vocals"), it is not an abandonment of the core elements of black metal that will enable Cryogenic to cross over to fans of bands such as Iced Earth and Liege Lord. Rather, it is their ability to pen memorable, multi-faceted songs without sacrificing speed or brutality. Celephais is a strong debut album from a band from whom I think we can expect even greater things in the future. - Al Kikuras

Darediablo - Blue Plush Interior (Self-Released, '99)

Rating: 9/10
Tracks: chase scene through swamp, army of ants, 71 washington, blue plush interior

Once upon a time there was a great band called Medeski, Martin & Wood. Vital, refreshing, grooving... these three East-Coasters laid down jazz-encrusted funk like no white boys ever had before them. Alas, it seems all good things must come to an end, as after their second release, Friday Afternoons In The Universe, the bread got a bit stale. The idea well ran dry.

Enter Wayne Horvitz's Zony Mash - they've blown out the waters in which MM&W were idly wading, bringing the genre to a whole new level. Will the envelope continue to be pushed? I hope so. I can't see Horvitz letting the sound get stale, especially considering his resume (Naked City, Pigpen, etc.). But, should Zony Mash decide to slip into the water up to their ankles and share a beer with Medeski and cronies, we have Darediablo!

Darediablo is a slamming funkgroove monster from NYC that definitely calls to both aforementioned groups, but with a much more bass-driven sound. Jake Garcia is the man on the low end, and he is a motherfucker. Keyboardist Matt Holford and drummer Clayton Craddock both shine as well throughout these four tunes, but the true key to Darediablo's sound rather than the abilities of each individual player, is the chemistry between them. It is obvious that they are really listening to and working off one another. The dialog between the bass and keyboards is intense, with Craddock holding the groove like a fat lady with the last Twinkie in the box. When Darediablo is locked on, like during the closing bass solo of "army of ants," it is as if thunder found a melody. I am talking LARGE, ladies and gentlemen!

The brief 20 minutes that make up Blue Plush Interior have set the stage for Darediablo, a trio that will, undoubtedly, tear through the NYC scene and on to national recognition in no time, and the world will be a better place because of it. - Al Kikuras

Check out the official Darediablo web site for more info.

Gardenian - Soulburner (Nuclear Blast, '99)

Rating: 9.5/10
Tracks: As A True King, Powertool, Deserted, Soulburner, If Tomorrowıs Gone, Small Electric Space, Chaos In Flesh, Ecstasy Of Life, Tell The World Iım Sorry, Loss, Black Days

Now this is a band that refuses to be pigeonholed with labels. Are they metal? Yes, but that's the only label you can peg on these guys. Their songs all contain different elements from many different styles of metal, and each song itself is very different

There are elements of death metal, doom metal, black metal, heavy metal, thrash, etc. This causes Soulburner to be a very eclectic and interesting listen. You really don't know what the next song will sound like. Soulburner is not a masterpiece. Gardenian's masterwork is still coming, and I for one can't wait for it. I predict that in the next few years these guys will put out an album that will do for the 00's what Slayer's Reign In Blood did for the 80's and Strapping Young Lad's City did for the 90's: that is, setting the benchmark for other heavy bands a little too high.

These guys do something that I have been screaming would be a good idea for a long time. That is, they have two different lead singers, one is a deep growling death metal singer, the other is a high heavy metal screamer. They work beautifully together, either in the same song trading parts, or in separate songs showcasing their particular talents. This element adds depth and variety in the songs and the album. The only song where this doesn't work well is in the second song, "Powertool," where the clean vocals take away from the heaviness of the song. Otherwise, this is a great album. - Piston Rod

Godflesh - Us and Them (Earache Records, '99)

Rating: 9.5/10
Tracks: I, Me, Mine, Us and Them, Endgames, Witchhunt, Whose Truth Is Your Truth, Defiled, Bittersweet, Nail, Descent, Control Freak, The Internal, Live to Lose

I've have never heard Godflesh before; I have no sleeve or anything from Earache (they only sent the CD in a white cardboard sleeve); the only words I can associate with the group from past experience are "sludge," "industrial," and "death metal." With that in mind, I move onward with the review. There are several words that can be used to describe what is happening on this album: suffocation, crush, sludge, maul, anger, buzz, fuck, asphyxia, kill, death, machine, chug, twist, turn, groove, brutal, fuck again. All of these words combine to create a slab of metallic industrial that is brutal enough to bowl over any would be metal head. Crushing bass lines combine with very aggressive sounding drum and bass beats, complemented with an absolutely venomous guitar to create extremely hateful music. The guitar will either punch you in the throat or slash your jugular; either way, the final effect is devastating. The vocals are for the most part shouted, distorted, and just completely fucked up with echoes and other various effects, however spoken and occasionally even sung vocals are added; the sung vocals are amazing, by the way, very beautiful to behold on such an ugly work. The music is extremely violence and smothers the listener as is if a great, heavy, malevolent force from above was pushing down on one's spirit; however, the music is also very catchy. The bass lines are distorted, repetitive grooves, and sometimes music akin to dance is inserted throughout songs. The bass line from "Witchhunt" is ripped directly from "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground and the bass line on "Whose Truth Is Your Truth" is off of Blackstreet's "No Diggity." Also, the drum and bass influence in very noticable: the drum programming is has more in common with trance than metal or rock (which IMO is a good thing). This is all no surprise to me however, because structurally the album best represents techno or "pure" industrial, although some of the songs are more rock/metal oriented. Sometime however, the formula gets a little repetitive and some of the songs drag on, seeeing as how the CD is rather long (64:10). All in all, I would recommend this CD for someone who wants to be punished by odd sounding, crushing industrial with heavy metal overtones. Listen to this, and feel your windpipe being crushed by the awesome might of Godflesh. - The Phroo

Gorbalrog - Untergang (Millenium Music, '99)

Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Gorlbarog: Blutige Schwingen, Widergeist, Stille, Ars Mortis, Sternengriff, Untergang, ...Und Es Beginnt, Aeonen Verwesender Anmut

Somewhat similar to labelmates (and fellow countrymen) Cryogenic's debut album Celephais, on Untergang, Germany's Gorbalrog utilize melody and strong songwriting to a fruitful end, churning out a very epic and emotive blend of black metal and death metal. Vocally, Gorbalrog have a bit more going on than Cryogenic. The vocal performance is more expressive than the standard black metal scream, of a slightly deeper register with the occasional guttural growl. The guitar work is particularly excellent, very technical at times but never overly so. Keyboards are used but are fairly low in the mix - the guitar remains the dominant instrument throughout, with some clean melodic passages layered out over heavier distorted chords that ring out beneath.

Again, a very strong debut release from a band that has a hell of a future ahead of them. With Horna, Cryogenic and Gorlbarog on the roster, MILLENIUM MUSIC is shaping up to be one of the driving forces in black metal for years to come. - Al Kikuras

Iced Earth - Alive in Athens (Century Media, '99)

Rating: 10/10
Tracks: Burning Times, Vengeance is Mine, Pure Evil, My Own Savior, Melancholy (Holy Martyr), Dante's Inferno, The Hunter, Travel in Stygian, Slave to the Dark, A Question of Heaven, Dark Saga, Last Laugh, Last December, Watching Over Me, Angels Holocaust, Stormrider, Path I Choose, I Died For You, Prophecy, Birth of the Wicked, The Coming Curse, Iced Earth

Here is the latest recording from one of the bands that I consider to be amongst the best ever. It didn't instantly grab me, but after a few listens I was totally hooked on this. This is without a doubt one of the best live recordings I've had the joy to hear. It was recorded over 2 nights in Athens, Greece, both nights to a capacity crowd of 5000, and between nearly every song you hear the crowd chanting "Iced Earth!", and they add alot to it. To see fans that devoted, and loving of a band is great in this day and age. The musicianship displayed by Iced Earth is second to none. They played every song you could want to hear from each album. One of the most mindblowing songs is "Dante's Infero", which clocks in at an astounding 15 minutes, and holds JUST as much strength as the studio version, if not more. Also features such unforgettable songs like "I Died For You", "Birth of the Wicked", "Stormrider", and what I view to be the best track ever written..."Last December". In addition to these mentioned, 17 more tracks, and both cd's clock in around 60 minutes long. Every element you could want is on this cd, the bass is at just the right level, the vocals sound impressive, the drums are precision, and it features some of the most mindblowing guitar work in recent times. All around this album has it all, and is VERY highly reccomended, and is one of the best albums 1999 has had to offer. Don't pass this one up! - Rick K.

Rick K. runs Darkness Descends 'zine. Interested parties can contact Rick at: DDZine@hotmail.com

Rick K.
P.O. Box 234
Belford, NJ 07718

Labyrinth - Timeless Crime (Metal Blade Records, '99)

Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Save Me, Out Of Memory, In The Shade, Falling Rain, (hidden song: Sanctuary's "Die For My Sins")

This Italian power metal band is one of the better power metal outfits I've come across all year. Their songs are well written, their style is powerful, the singing is high, and they play with an aggression that's hard to find in today's so called power metal music. This is my first exposure to this band, that has been around since 1991, and I hope it will not be my last. I see good things coming from these guys.

Their style reminds me a lot of Rhapsody, the grandiose themes, the marching drums, the soaring guitar work of Olaf Thorsen and Anders Rain, etc. Check these boys out if you like power metal, and like me are very pissed by the lame crap calling itself power metal.

The only concern I have is that their song writing may be a little limited. Their talent certainly isn't. Their songs lack that old school edge, and it's most evident when you listen to the cover song they perform at the end of this EP, Sanctuary's "Die For My Sins". This is my favorite song on the album, the lead singer being much more creative with his voice, and the band playing with a lot more edge than in their own work. I'd like to see Labyrinth explore more of these ideas in their next full length album, but for now I'm very happy with Timeless Crime. - Piston Rod

Liege Lord - Burn To My Touch (Metal Blade, '87; re-released '99)

Rating: 9.9/10
Tracks: Transgressor, Birds Of Prey, Cast Out, Portrait Of Despair, Black Lit Knights, The Manic's Mask, Legend, Walking Fire, Speed Of Sound

TRUE METAL, played the way true metal should be: aggressive, loud, fast, angry, and cheesy as hell. There is no wondering why; this release by Metal Blade is by one of the best metal bands every. I will not go into their history, my partner Al did a great job of that in his review of their second album Master Control (also a new Metal Blade re-release), but I will say that almost every one of the new bands coming out nowadays could learn a lot from this band.

Liege Lord rank right up there with Powermad, Toxik, Forbidden, and Flotsam And Jetsam as an awesome metal band that just didn't hit as big as other bands like Metallica (douche bags), Manowar, Iron Maiden, or Megadeth.

Burn To My Touch is not as awesome or technically perfect as Master Control, but that's the way it should be. This being their first album, their second is supposed to be better, and it is. Burn To My Touch, however, has a rawer sound that is very appealing in it's own right. A little rough around the edges, but showing the true brilliance that is to show up on Master Control.

If you are like me, and love collecting the best metal out there, whether it's old or new, then Liege Lord is a band that you can not afford to overlook. Now let's get a new album from these guys and see what they can do now. - Piston Rod

Mob Rules - Savage Land (Limb Music Products, '99)

Rating: 7.5/10
Tracks: Prologue, Insurgeria, Rain Song, Hold Back The Light, Secret Signs, Savage Land Part I (Strangers In Time), Savage Land Part II (Painista), Savage Land Part III (No Reason Why), Coast To Coast, Blaze Of First Warning, Pray For Sunlight, Down In Nowhere Land, End OF All Days

The cover art is very cool, and by the look of it, I expected a heavy band, or a least true heavy metal. "What we have here is failure to communicate." How many Iron Maiden clones do I have to hear in my life? I wonder, when these guys are writing their music, do they sit there and think, "This sounds just like Maiden, the world is going to love us." Or do they really think they are being original? These guys aren't bad. I enjoyed this album, because I like Maiden, but really guys. Get your own fucking gig.

Limb Music has given us some good bands in the past: Rhapsody, Abraxas, Ivory Tower. Mob Rules is no exception. These guys are talented. They can play, and the lead singer is good (could be Bruce's little brother though). The songs are catchy, and well written. It's kinda like painting a picture just like the Mona Lisa, but giver her blonde streaks in her hair. Yeah, it looks similar, and a lot of people will like it, but did you really create something new or just add a racing stripe to a Ferrari?

Perhaps these guys will grow and develop their own style; I hope so, because if they do I can see them really causing some havoc in the genre of power metal. And this genre really needs some havoc in it. Right now it's the equivalent of adult contemporary/easy listening metal. Fuck that shit. - Piston Rod

Riot - Sons Of Society (Metal Blade, '99)

Rating: 7.5/10
Tracks: Snake Charmer, On The Wings Of Life, Sons Of Society, Twist Of Fate, Bad Machine, Cover Me, Dragonfire, The Law, Time To Bleed, Somewhere, Promises

Boring is the word that comes to mind as I listen to this album. Riot are an old school metal band that have made their bones in the industry. I can not really disrespect them the way I would if this album was from a new band just starting out. I guess these guys are just getting old, but that doesn't change the fact that this album is lame. I think it's mostly the singer's fault (as it usually is). The songs would be strengthened tenfold if he had any power and creativity behind his singing. He is lame and therefore the whole band is lame.

The tried and true metal elements are there. This is true metal, and these guys aren't posers. I just think that they could have made their music a lot heavier and in your face than this. Let's face it, it's not called "HEAVY" Metal for nothing. When Judas Priest came out with Painkiller it knocked everyone for a loop how heavy and catchy it was, they know that the more you grow as a band, the heavier your music should get. Sons Of Society should be the same way, Riot should have come out and kicked our teeth in. What's happened to heavy metal? No one wants to play heavy anymore. Where is Manowar when you need them? - Piston Rod

Samael - Eternal (Century Media, '99)

Rating: 9.5/10
Tracks: Year Zero, Aileurs, Together, Ways, The Cross, Us, Supra Karma, Nautilus & Zepplin, Infra Galaxia, Being, Radiant Star

Samael blend true marching rhythms with super catchy metal and spiritual elements that all work together well to create a wonderful listening experiences. There are some truly great musical ideas going on here, the musicianship is top notch, and the singer adds to the music wonderfully. The music gets into your soul, and really helps you move into a different state of mind.

Samael play their own style of music, not trying to follow any trends and not trying to one-up any other bands. Samael are a perfect example of what can occur when a label allows a band to grow and develop their music over a period of time. If Samael were on a major label, I can guarantee two things: 1) They would not have lasted as long as they have. They would have burnt out after an album or two. 2) Their style would have remained the same, and any change in style would have been quenched by the label. Let's just say that I thank god Century Media allows their artists to grow and change as the bands want to. Fuck big labels, you deserve to put out the shitty music you do, hell is waiting for you. ­ Piston Rod

White Skull - Tales From The North (Nuclear Blast, '99)

Rating: 8/10
Tracks: The Quest (intro), Tales From The North, Asgard, Gods Of The Sea, Viking's Tomb, Kriemhild Story, The Killing Queen, The Terrible Slaughter, Horant, Sighting And Seasting, Here We Are, Still Alive (outro)

Five minutes into this album I really liked it, ten minutes in I started to get bored, twenty minutes into it I was angry, and within an half an hour I had turned it off. This is not terrible power metal, actually it's good stuff, or I should say it has one good idea. It's heavy and fast, but none of the songs go anywhere, and the album is one idea done over and over again.

The guitar parts of each song are nothing more than a series of guitar solos strung together. I love guitar solos, but to quote James T. Kirk, "too much of anything, even love, is not necessarily a good thing." Really now, their idea of building a song is to go from a speed metal guitar solo to a power metal solo and then to a thrash solo. Boring, they really need to learn how to write a song, not just a guitar lick.

The singer also isn't that great. Sounding a lot like a better Dave Mustane. I could get over that though, if the music had more meat to it. If the music in the least interesting, but it's not. I want my Maiden back. - Piston Rod

Candiria - Process of Self Development (MIA Records, '99)

Rating: 8.5/10
Tracks: Three Times Again, OneFourtyEight, Pull, Method Of Expression, Temple Of Sickness, Mathematics, Work In Progress, Matter.Anti.Matter, Cleansing, Elevate In Madness, Down To The Last Element, The Process Of Self.Development, Leaving The Atmosphere

For those of you who are familiar with Candiria, you probably know that they are made up of three of the most unrelated musical genres imaginable; 90's metal, jazz, and hip hop. Forgive me if these do not exactly fit the style of each type of music, but I'm usually not one to categorize music. Though, Candiria definitely is three completely different genres of music, metal being at the forefront.

Their third work, Process of Self Development is no exception. Probably more jazz and rap than their previous release, Beyond Reasonable Doubt, while still staying extremely heavy overall. Candiria is definitely an original and unique band, especially in their song structure. Rather than the typical verse/chorus/verse, they tend to go from one part to another, to another, to another, and to another, sometimes never to return to any of the previous parts. They have a brigade of vocalists, mostly guest rappers, some guest screamers. The main vocals are carried out by Carley Coma, whose voice sounds like it could kill a cat, and I mean that in a good way. His quirky rhythms and deathly screams compliment the music well. I have no idea what he's saying, but who cares, there's lyrics if you're curious. The drummer, Kenneth Schalk, is one of my favorite new drummers around. He grooves hard and plays with dead-on accuracy whether it's a simple beat or a totally weird, complex fill. His style is completely new and original and he makes the band groove even harder.

Process of Self Development definitely lives up to the previous album. They again, manage to be extremely complex, but at the same time, groove heavily, which is no easy task. - Todd Martin

Contents | Music Reviews | Porno Reviews | Music Interviews | Porn Interviews | Live Reviews | Porn Gossip | Editorials | Mailing List | About Us | Contact Information & Our Policy | Playlists | Links | Back Issues/Archives

Unchain the Underground
Contact us via email