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 Bloodshed Divine Demo of the Month |  Nyctophobic EP of the Month |  Martin Residence Album of the Month |
Amon Amarth | Anal Blast | Anal Cunt | Angel Corpse | Babylon Whores | Blood Storm | Cromlech | Defiled | Dillinger Escape Plan | Evil Incarnate | Fleshgrind | Forest of Impaled | From The Depths | Hangnail | Hate Eternal | Leadfoot | Pentagoria | Rise 13 | Sarcophagus | Sevenfootspleen | T666
Rating: 10/10
Tracks: To The Ancient Dawn, The Christian Holocaust, Bloodshed Divine, Blut Auf Meiner Klinge
Pretentiousness is a sadly rampant thing in the black metal underground. Many consider their music to be "art" simply because they have donned some spikes and corpse paint and chalk up their disability to play their instruments to "misanthropy" and a rejection of aesthetics. Bottom line, if you were a true misanthopist you wouldn't give enough of a fuck about the general populus to actually release your music to them. From time to time, however, a release is put forth that does manage to embody "art" in black metal. To The Ancient Dawn is such a release. Why does it qualify? Because EVERY element of this release contributes to the overall grim expression of hatred, pain and disgust with all things holy and of the light. The production, the vocals, the guitars, the bass... all parts of a greater whole that is seeping with cold and darkness. THAT is art, in this reviewer's lofty opinion. Troy LeBlanc, the singular man behind Bloodshed Divine, has tapped into a river of disgust that is seething somewhere beneath the collective unconsious of mankind to produce a body of music that grates at the soul. The death metal leanings of the debut Bloodshed Divine release, Summoned, are gone. This is pure black metal to the core and a prime example of what one man with a dark vision is capable of. To The Ancient Dawn ranks with Judas Iscariot's The Cold Earth Slept Below and Black Funeral's Journeys Into Horizons Lost as one of the coldest US black metal releases of all time. I hope we are blighted with a full-length release soon, as if it holds up to the standard set here, it will undoubtedly solidify Bloodshed Divine's place in the annals of black metal forever. - Al Kikuras
Rating: 10/10
Tracks: Neglect of the Loss, Sterility, Narrrowed Minds Bleeding
Holy flurking schnitt! Nyctophobic sent me this 7" to review an embarrasingly long time ago. Because I am completley lame and playing vinyl was a major pain in the ass, I didn't get around to listening to it until now. What an asshole I am. Not just because of the delay, but because I could have been playing this thing over and over and over from then until now. Nyctophobic spew forth some of the fastest, tightest, heaviest and most intense grindcore ever to assault my ears. To be honest, I don't think I have ever heard music more brutal than the three short tracks that make up Sterility. I have heard stuff AS brutal, but nothing surpasses it. Not Impetigo, not Nuclear Death, not Lesch-Nhyan... nothing! The vocals are deep and insanely fast, the drummer grinds like a jackhammer on crack, the guitars and bass are like chainsaws cranking at full fucking tilt. THIS is what grind is all about, ladies and gentlemen. It is not often that I give a release a 10/10 rating (and even less often that there are three side-by-side-by-side as you are seeing in front of you right now), but when the shit is this good, I feel free to wallow in my own crapulence and even find myself wondering if the time has come to up the rating system to 11. - Al Kikuras
Rating: 10/10
Tracks: prelude to the rest of the album, top secret part one, donut, top secret part two, special ed, top secret part three, cutlery boogie, top secret part four, i forgive you
Solo albums are difficult beasts. Usually, when a musician embarks upon a solo project, it serves as a showcase for his or her playing skills. In my experience, 99% of solo releases consist of pointless wanking, as if the musician is saying "look at what a great (instrument) player I am!!" Obviously, there are some exceptions. The KISS solo albums come to mind, as no one actually believed they were good musicians, even themselves.
Todd Martin, drummer of JJ's Greatest Band On Earth, has released his contribution to the solo project CD quilt, an instrumental release simply entitled Martin Residence. What sets Martin Residence apart from (and above, in most cases) other "solo" albums is that it is a showcase of Martin's songwriting talents, rather than just instumental skill, although he is adept at each and every instrument. This is music with meaning, drawing from a myriad of styles including metal, polka, jazz, rock, funk, lounge, country... you name it, it is on here, and often all within the same song. A solo project in the true sense of the word, Martin handled all the instruments, the recording, production, mixdown... the whole deal, save for a few brief guest performances.
Another of the fatal flaws of solo efforts that Martin Residence manages to deftly avoid is pretentiousness. With the urge to showcase often comes the attitude that one's talents are, alone, enough to carry a release and hold the listener's attention. A necessary evil, I suppose, but there are few things worse than a musician that thinks his or her shit doesn't stink. Not the case here. It's obvious Todd's dumps are rotten, and he knows it, as a lot of the moments on this album are very tongue-in-cheek. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll regurgitate and after you finish you'll come back to stuff your face with more. - Al Kikuras
Amon Amarth - The Avenger (Metal Blade '99)
Rating: 8/10
Tracks: Bleed For The Ancient Gods, The Last With Pagan Blood, North Sea Storm, Avenger, God His Son and Holy Whore, Metalwrath, Legend Of A Banished Man
My first run-in with Amon Amarth, The Avenger reminds me very much of a cross between latter-day Hypocrisy and Slaughter of the Soul-era At The Gates. Not the most visionary blend of influences, but the stuff does rock and that's the bottom line. There is a definite Viking-ish tinge to the music with anti-christian themes prevalent throughout. What does the phrase "Viking-ish" mean, exactly? I don't know... but listen to Hades Almighty's debut release, Again Shall Be and you will know what I mean. A certain sense of the grandiose and epic - a very nice touch that elevates the stuff above standard metal fare. - Al Kikuras
Anal Blast - Vaginal Vempire (Nightfall/Terrorizer, '99)
Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Smell Your Cunt, Bloody Mary, Nipples Knees Ass Cheeks Ankles, Pull A Train, Staple Your Puss Lips Together, Slop Hole, Crimson Smell, Wings Flew Away, Menstrual Pancake, Pussy Blood Popsicle, Diaretic Orgasm, Honey/Blood Hole/Suck Your Shit Off My Dick, Puss Sores, Bloody Brown Mouse, Puss Blood Pentagram/Bloody Cunt Suck Pt. II, Spraying Blood/Blood Sprayer, Big Sags, Farm Animal Hammer, Ass Over Snatch, Lubed With Blood, Tampon Tea Bag
Two of the things I love most in this world are metal and porn. Food would probably go in there second (after metal), but it is not all that relevant here. So, when a band manages to combine both metal and porn I tend to get pretty excited. It has been done in the past - the Meat Shits were smearing their releases with porn references, pics and samples years and years ago and I was (and still am) completely delighted with their earlier, total noise-fest demos like Bowel Rot and Menstrual Samples. When Robert Deathrage saw it fit to actually delve into cohesive grind (as on the Fuck Frenzy demo and the Ecstasy of Death full-length), well, a lot of the charm was lost because the music wasn't all that exciting.
Enter: Anal Blast. If the Meat Shits had grind chops so sharp they could cut through steel, Vaginal Vempire might have been the opus that Ecstasy of Death should have been. Anal Blast open up swinging and leave hacking with a machete. This is grind in its purest, most vile form, with vomitous vocals, blurring guitars and bass and outrageously fast drumming. The aural equivalent of explosive diarrhea. Need I say more? - Al Kikuras
Anal Cunt - It Just Gets Worse (Earache, '99)
Rating: 9/10
Tracks: I Became A Counselor So I Could Tell Rape Victims They Asked For It, Easy-e Got A.I.D.S. From F. Mercury, I Like Drugs And Child Abuse, Laughing Wjile Leonard Peltier Gets Raped In Prison, I Convinced You To Beat Your Wife On A Daily Basis, I Sent Concentration Camp Footage To America's Funniest Home Videos, Rancing Sucks (And The Clash Sucked Too), I Paid J.Howell To Rape You, I Pushed Your Wife In Front Of The Subway, Extreme Noise Terror Are Afraid Of Us, You Rollerblading Faggot, I Sent A Thank You Card To The Guy Who Raped You, I Lit Your Baby On Fire, Body By Auschwitz, I Intentionally Ran Over Your Dog, Sweatshops Are Cool, Women: Nature's Punching Bag, I Snuck A Retard Into A Sperm Bank, Your Kid Committed Suicide Because You Suck, I Ate Your Horse, Hitler Was A Sensitive Man, You Robbed A Sperm Bank Because You're Cum Guzzling Fag, I Made Your Kid Get A.I.D.S. So You Could Watch It Die, I Fucked Your Wife, Into The Oven, I Gave Nambla Pictures Of Your Kid, The Only Reason Men Talk To You Is Because They Want To Get Laid You Stupid Fucking Cunts, I Made Fun Of You Because Your Kid Just Died, Domestic Violence Is Really Really Really Funny, Dictators Are Cool, Dead Beat Dads Are Cool, I'm Really Excited About The Upcoming David Bushkin Concert, Being Ignorant Is Awesome, You're Pregnant,So I Kicked You In The Stomach, Chris Barnes Is A Pussy, Tim Is A Gay, Bt/Ac, I Sold Your Dog To A Chinese Restaurant, I Got An Office Job For THe Sole Purpose Of Sexually Harassing Women
You're an Anal Cunt fan or you're not. Like a bad joke, you either get it or you don't, I guess. The Cunt have progressed from their all-out noise days to a somewhat more cohesive sound that is still a wall of noise, it is just controlled noise. I could see why a lot of people wouldn't understand the appeal of Anal Cunt, so I will try to explain it, which will serve the twofold purpose of also explaining why I like this album so damn much and therefore take care of my review responsibilities. Anal Cunt represent an absolute disregard for anything user-friendly, politically correct, and a total lack of decency. From the name of the band, to the lyrics and songtitles and the sound of the music, every aspect is aimed at pissing people off. and Seth Putnam still screams like a pig getting raped by a bull, which is always nice to hear. - Al Kikuras
Angel Corpse - The Inexorable (Olympic, '99)
Rating: 8.5/10
Tracks: Stormgods Unbound, Smoldering In Exile, Reaver, Wolflust, As Predator To Prey, Solar Wills, Begotten (Through Blood & Flame) , The Fall of the Idols of Flesh
I didn't think it was possible for Angel Corpse to take the formula one step further, but shit... they went and did it! The Inexorable is, somehow, faster and more intense than Angel Corpse's last release, Exterminate. With the increase in velocity, the material inevitably nears the "total blur" classification where it is SO damn fast that the tracks meld into one another and the entire 34 and a half minutes slip by before the listener realizes it. The question, then, is whether or not the value of the intensity outweighs that of memorable material. I can safely say that this is one of the rare cases in which it does. Marduk's latest, Panzer Division Marduk, is another release that falls into this category, although to Angel Corpse's credit, they do manage to slip the occasional hook into the music, with makes the listening experience all the more rewarding. The refrain to "Storm Gods Unbound," for instance. "Reaver" is another tune that sticks in the mind. I have to wonder where Angel Corpse will go from here. Faster? Is it possible without crossing over into total noise? We shall see... either way, I am confident that Angel Corpse will not fail to deliver the goods, as The Inexorable is yet another brick in the rock solid foundation that makes up their history thus far. - Al Kikuras
Babylon Whores - King Fear (Necropolis, '99)
Rating: 3/10
Tracks: Errata Stigmata, Radio Werewolf, Hands of Glory, Veritas, Skeleton Farm, To Behold The Suns Below, Exit Eden, Sol Niger, Fey, King Fear: Song For The Damned
Got to be honest. I don't usually go this route, but I couldn't even make it all the way through this one. I actually had to throw on the new Angel Corpse after just to cleanse the pallate.
After hearing the first track, "Errata Stigmata," I thought, "not only will I be able to stomach this, but this stuff ain't half bad!" By track 6, my stomach was churning and I had the burning desire to listen to somethig ridiculously fast and completely METAL. Babylon Whores waver between sludgy rock ala those Monster Magnet guys (ugh) and Doors-ish crooning. At times, the vocals and tunes are just so damn pretentious that I wanted to shit myself just to get a new smell into the air.
Need I go on? - Al Kikuras
Blood Storm - Death By The Stormwizard (Nightfall/Terrorizer, '99)
Rating: 8/10
Tracks: Vision of the Soothsayer, Yuggothian Slayers, Expulsion of Wrath, Volkrun Jhuul Zhahruus, Serpent of the Icecross, Crypts of Sorcery, Clavicula Salomonis (of the lightless fire), Spell of the Burning Wind, Savior Under the Sword, Destroyer, Calling Lands of Blood Storm
I had the pleasure of catching Blood Storm at the '99 NJ Metalfest. They were sloppy as hell, totally chaotic... a real mess, but 100% metal. I was thrilled from the first second to the last, despite the fact that for 75% of the set the bassist had no idea what the fuck he was doing. Vocalist/guitarist Mezzadurus plowed through the set, oblivious to the shortcomings of the other musicians. A total abandonment of all pomp and flair that was very refreshing to see.
Blood Storm's debut full-length, The Atlantean Wardragon, failed to impress me. Flat production, unexciting tunes... it seemed so tame compared to the live show. Death By The Stormwizard, however.... now this is the stuff!! A collection of demos, from what I understand, this is Blood Storm in all their raw glory. This is black metal in its rawest and purest form. The vocals are harsh, the production is trebly, the drums ablaze. Downright ugly music, and that is what I love about it. - Al Kikuras
Cromlech - Reconsciousness (Nightfall/Terrorizer, '98)
Rating: 5/10
Tracks: To Rise Above, Shallow Graves, Character Assassin, Inside, Bio-Pire Soul, Vanishing Point, Reconciousness, Believers
Funny. As I am sitting here writng this, having listened to the album once or twice before, I was going to go with the "the Korn of death metal" spin on the review. One of our staff writers, Big Titty Car Wash, is here in the room with me, having just devoured some horrific Taco Bell (he swears it was okay) and 5 seconds in to the Cromlech album, he said "death metal Korn."
Good to know it's not just me. I'm not a big Korn fan. Although they can groove somewhat, they bore the hell out of me. Cromlech smell way too much like Korn for my liking. Although, to their credit, there are some good moments on here, on the whole this comes off sounding way too pretentious and muddy. Sorry, folks. - Al Kikuras
Defiled - Erupted Wrath (Nightfall/Terrorizer, '99)
Rating: 8/10
Tracks: Fall Into Dilemma, Nihilism, Rush Of Hostility, Erupted Wrath, Defiled, Boiled In Limbo, Addicted To Occult Oath, Crush The Enemy Rising, Depth Of Psycho, Defeat Of Sanity
Well, this is certainly brutal! Defiled churn out the real heavy shit from the first second to the last on Erupted Wrath, not letting the listener breathe for a second. They incorporate a strong dose of technicality into the music - most of the ideas work and a few don't, but they had the balls to try and I've got to give them credit for that. This is a release that fans of straight-up death metal will devour with a passion, and those looking for something a little on the odd side will find it a rewarding listen as well. - Al Kikuras
Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity (Relapse Records, '99)
Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Sugar Coated Sour, 43% Burnt, Jim Fear, *#.., Destro's Secret, The Running Board, Clip The Apex... Accept Instruction, Calculating Infinity, 4th Grade Dropout, Weekend Sex Change, Variations On A Cocktail Dress
Most everyone flipped over Dillinger Escape Plan's Relapse debut EP, Under the Running Board. Music fans and musicians alike hailed these young NJ boys. I have, personally, been sung the praises of Dillinger by members of Gorguts 'till my ears were ready to fall off my head. All with good reason, as Under the Running Board is an invigorating, insanely intense release. I had my doubts, though... as it was an EP comprised of only three tracks and clocked in at just over 7 and a half minutes long, I was concerned as to whether or not they could keep the same pace on a full length. Granted, the self-titled '97 release on Now or Never Records was a longer outing, but Dillinger was a pale shadow of the current monster they have grown into.
It gives me great pleasure to say that they have lived up to the hype. So few bands do, but these boys have managed to cram almost 40 minutes of absolute mayhem onto Calculating Infinity and the intensity does not let up for a second. The riffing is bizzare, odd timing is all over... the music is completely schizophrenic. As a whole, the release tends to blurr into a larger cacophony, greater than the sum of its parts, and after all is said and done the listener's ears and mind are taxed. If that's not a sign of some great music, I don't know what is. - Al Kikuras
Evil Incarnate - Blood of the Saints (Deathgasm Records '99)
Rating: 8/10
Tracks: First Born of the Wicked, Last Suffer of Nazarene, Blood of the Saints, Heaven Lay Burned, His Only Bastard Son, Twist of the Serpent's Head, Raised From the Deep, The Sacrificial Lamb, Dead Corpse of Jesus Christ, Sculpture of Impurity
Ahhh, yes. True underground death metal! Lots of folks have lost their love for the genre, but it remains close to my blackened heart. Evil Incarnate are the genuine article. Blood of the Saints is two demos pressed on to once CD. The first six tracks were originally released as the 1998 Christ Destroyed demo, and the last three as 1997's self-titled release. Satanic through and through, Evil Incarnate have captured the finest elements of brutal death metal and blended it with a strong taste for old-school metal. Strong riffs, played with obvious and contagious enthusiasm, are Evil Incarnate's primary strength. This brings me back to the early days, when death metal was still fresh and invigorating. Now let's get a full-length album of new stuff recorded! - Al Kikuras
Fleshgrind - Destined for Defilement(Pavement Music, '99)
Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Whacked, Burning Your World, Chamber of Obscurity, Sordid Degradation, Rape Culture, Lurid Impurity, Organ Harvest, Frozen in a Voiceless Scream, Litany of Murder
In a scene cluttered with literally hundreds of uninspiring and talentless "brutal" death metal bands, Fleshgrind, without a doubt, stand leagues above the rest. Since 1993 this band has released 2 excellent demos and one full length cd, the masterful Destined for Defilement, which was at first released by Pulverizer Records, but has now been re-released by Pavement Music. The music on this disc is as brutal and heavy as it gets. Guitar madman Steve Murray churns out riff after riff if insane, sickening insanity laced with enough slicing precision to slice your wrist on. Rich Lipscomb proves to us what the word "gutteral" really means. I have not heard vocals like this since Broken Hope. Of course there are vocalist out there who sing lower, but none of them have the substance that Rich has. You can almost feel the vocals rumble in your stomach!
The rythym section is tighter than a baby's snatch, compliments of Ray Vazquez and Dave Barbolla, however both have since left the band long ago, and replaced by Jim Genenz of Avernus and Alan Colldo, formerly of the disbanded Euphoric Evisceration. If you do not have this pulverising disc in your collection that go in your collection then quit being a pussy and go get it. - VagnlVomit
Forest of Impaled - Demonvoid (Red Stream, '99)
Rating: 9/10
Tracks: For Ours is the Kingdom (Desecrate the Heavens), Beyond the Black Mountain Realm, The Impaler, I Metamorphosis (Birth of the Seventh), II Diabolisis (The Seventh Dominion), Wings of Apocalypse, Demonvoid, The Gateway of the Gods, Mortis Dei
At first listen, Demonvoid failed to impress me. It seemed just another drop in the ocean of black metal bands. But, as I am a fair man, I listen to each album I receive at least two or three times before reviewing it. May seem to be an annoying policy (it can be downright excruciating sometimes) but it is because of bands like Forest of Impaled that I stick to that rule.
Demonvoid is a release that creeps up on you like a bad rash. At first, you don't really notice it, but it slowly crawls underneath your skin until your body itches to its very fibers and you wind up naked in the tub with a scrub brush, a 9-volt battery and, well... you know the rest.
Forest of Impaled play black metal with melodic and symphonic overtones. I phrase it that way as opposed to "melodic, symphonic black metal" as I don't want the reader to get the wrong idea... while many black metal bands stray off the beaten path into shallower waters when they decide to interject melody into their music, Forest of Impaled haven't sacrificed a lick of the ugliness and aggression that make black metal what it is. This is a solid half hour of quality black metal from start to finish, with strong songwriting and performances on part of each of the members. The material is a bit more user-friendly than, say, Marduk or the uglier Ulver, but it is definitely not commercial by a long shot. This is the kind of album you can lend to a friend that is into metal, but too much of a pussy to check out black metal. Demonvoid may well plant the seed that will lead him or her into the darkest realms of the genre. - Al Kikuras
From The Depths - Elysium (Nightfall/Terrorizer, '99)
Rating: 8/10
Tracks: Separation, Sunshine, Regret, Elysium, Dark Angel, Thy Bright Night, Forever, Epidemic, Iron Maiden
Here's how I would describe these guys... if Slaughter Of The Soul-era At The Gates leaned more towards black metal than death metal and incorporated keyboards into their music. A nice combo! From The Depths don't pen as memorable a tune as At The Gates, but the music is very similar in groove and feel throughout. Keyboards are used tastefully, never overpowering the guitars which, as I have said dozens of times before, should be the driving force of most metal of this ilk. Some of the tunes on here, like the title track, are exceptional. From The Depth's skill lies in their ability to incorporate haunting melodies into the music without wading into less-metallic waters, which is where many bands striving for a similar sound tend to lose my interest. As I mentioned previous, black metal is the base genre here, especially vocally. Picture Marduk meshed with Iron Maiden and you'll have a close idea. Elysium may turn off black metal purists, but they'll pick up a slew of straight up metalheads that may get turned on to a whole new genre as a result. - Al Kikuras
Hangnail - Ten Days Before Summer (The Music Cartel, '99)
Rating: 6/10
Tracks: Overhang, Side/Slide, Keep On, Summer Rain, Visit my World, Sun Quake, 4:28, One Million Layers B.C.
Hangnail prettymuch fit right into the realm of Stoner Rock, more so than that atrocious band Leadfoot . The guitars arent riddled with blues and are alot heavier for the most part. The songwriting is pretty basic, nothing outstanding or groudbreaking by any means, but the individual songs arent as predictable or boring. It is obvious that alot more elements and ideas are thrown in, mixed up, and distributed throughout the songs. There is even a very nice sounding female vocal insert on the song "Side/Slide "which gives it a very erie middle eastern feel. "Keep on" starts of with a very Led Zepplin-esque acoustic/electric guitar melody and progresses into a wide range of instruments inclusing what appears to be bongos and a mandolin. Overall the sound could be a bit thicker, and the vocalist should relax when it comes to the higher screams/yells. There are some memorable tracks on this disc which is one of the few reasons its NOT going into the microwave to pay a visit to that Leadfoot cd. - VagnlVomit
Hate Eternal - Conquering The Throne (Earache/Wicked World, '99)
Rating: 9.5/10
Tracks: Praise of the Almighty, Dogma Condemned, Catacombs, Nailed To Obscurity, By His Own Decree, The Creed of Chaotic Divinity, Sacrilege of hate, Spiritual Holocaust, Darkness By Oath, Saturated In Dejection
Everything you have heard about Hate Eternal is true. It is hard to believe that in this day and age, when death metal has been spread thin for so long, a band can come along that brings virtually nothing new to the fold, yet still manages to sound fresh and invigorating. Actually, I shouldn't be so quick to make sweeping generalizations... we, dedicated death metal freaks, have been lucky of late. There has recently been an impressive display amongst death metal's finest and freshest new hopes, from veterans such as Immolation and Internal Bleeding to new blood like Diabolic, Devilyn and now Hate Eternal, it is as if new life has been breathed into the old corpse.
Hate Eternal's strength is in their intensity and conviction. From start to finish, Conquering The Throne displays what death metal really is all about. Speed, heaviness, brutality, pristine musicianship and masterful songwriting skills. To call them "new blood" might be a bit of a misnomer, as the names Erik Rutan (Morbid Angel, Ripping Corpse) and Doug Cerrito (Suffocation) should ring familiar to any seasoned death metal fan's ears. Both guitarists have an impressive amount of experience beneath their belts and it shows on Conquering The Throne. Easily, this is one of the most ominous and menacing metal releases of the past 5 years. To those with a ceaseless hunger for the pounding that only death metal can provide (myself among them), Hate Eternal's debut is like manna from hell. - Al Kikuras
Leadfoot - Take a Look (The Music Cartel, '99)
Rating: 1/10
Tracks: Redline, Loose Cannon, Unkind, Built in a Day, War Against You, Take a Look, Reapin Existance, Drift, Curse the Gods, Old West F-Over, Certian to be Wrong, Blowhole, Panic Attack
Im not sure what in the hell this is suppossed to be. Stoner rock? A Kiss wanna be band? I'm really having trouble trying to find a proper discription of this cd. The music is really sloppy garage rock, and by the quality of the production I'd say it was recorded in a garage, too. These guys really should put the Kiss and Kix records down and spend their time on killing themselves. The songwriting is repetitive and boring. The song scructures are so simple and predictible that I'd swear they bought and memorized the "How to make every song as predicitable and boring as possible" handbook. Many many bands have read this book and Leadfoot might as well be their leader. The only semi-interesting aspect of this cd is the topless woman featured within the pages of the very poorly designed layout. So why am I giving them such a high rating? Because I am generous. And because there is one section of the song "War Against You" that sounds similar to an Iron Maiden riff. Other then this this cd would make better use as a coaster or possibly to clean up some cat shit with. There is one other option however: Ever microwaved a cd? I have. And this would be a perfect cd to experiment with. Just dont leave it unattended. keep your eyes on the cd during the process. Enjoy. - VagnlVomit
Pentagoria - ...And The Sky Bled Gore (Five Pillar Productions, '99)
Rating: 8.5/10
Tracks: The Coalescence of Pulchritude, Lugubrious Face Fuck, Soaked in Cum, Vermiform, Seethe, Palingenesis, ...and the Sky Bled Gore, Saprophytic Pig Rape
Geez, wonder if I am going to like this one?? Death metal combined with porn, all warped with a really distasteful sense of humor. Yes, it seems Pentagoria's ...And The Sky Bled Gore is one of those albums I was just destined to own. This is some downright filthy death metal... very raw, very brutal. Pure essence of the underground! The production is somewhat thin, but you can hear all of the instruments (metal translation: the bass isn't buried in the mix). A very chaotic release with deep, guttural vocals and music that doesn't let up for a second... extreme to the point that it sometimes borders on grind. Highly recommended to any and all death metal fans! - Al Kikuras
Rise 13 (Compilation) - Magick Rock Vol 1 (The Music Cartel/Rise Above Records, '99)
Rating: 9/10
Tracks:
I remember I permanently put the bong down back in late April of this past year, but never have I been as tempted to grab it out of my closet as I am right now. Featuring some killer bands such as Unida, Orange Goblin, Spirit Caravan, Goatsnake, and several others, it has a very good lineup of bands. The album cover is good too (what do topless chicks have to do with this compilation? Well, nothing but they couldn't hurt right?) Some top-notch bands, alot of fast bands, but it has its due portion of sludge/rock on it. Great stuff here and hopefully the first of many installments in what could become a Stoner Rock bible of some sorts. - Reek
Sarcophagus - Requiem to the Death of Passion (Nightfall/Terrorizer, '99)
Rating: 10/10
Tracks: From the Ruin of Paradise, The Dark Lord of Imputiry, Requiem to the Death of Passion, In Silent Death, Of Fires Surrounding All of the Heavens, Bastard Sons of Ignorance, Infernal Supremecy, The Pagan Battlefield
Nihilistic, misanthropic dark violence. That is the only way I can even begin to describe the latest release from the barbaric northwesterners known as Sarcophagus. This album is total hatred and contempt for all things made in the name of the holy. You will know exactly what this album is about after hearing the first 2 seconds of the opening track, "From the Ruins of Paradise." Remember the first Sarcophagus album, For we...who are consumed by the Darkness? This surpasses it tenfold. Maybe you liked the songs but thought the drums were pretty weak, and the lyrics seems just thrown together? They have remedied that situation. The first step in that process was acquiring drummer Duane Timlin. I don't know who he is, but he is definitely quite an extraordinary drummer. Musically, a lot of the riffs are very similar to Judas Iscariot, considering Andrew Harris's relation to both bands, only in Sarcophagus things are much heavier and more varied. Also, some very tasteful keyboards have been added to the mix which only add a greater sense of triumph. Maybe you are a fan of Dark Funeral, Marduk, and Setherial, but don't like the Peter Tatgren/Abyss studio sound? Well, Mr. Brian Griffin of the famed Broken Hope has lent his production skills and the result is one of the best produced albums I have heard in a long time. To put it bluntly, this might very well be the best black metal album you buy for a while. There are alot of skeptics who dont think that Americans have any place in the realm of black metal. Sarcophagus are here to prove them dead wrong. - VagnlVomit
Sevenfootspleen - Enter Therapy (MIA Records, '99)
Rating: 7/10
Tracks: Fetchin' Boy, Free Crutch Rental, Big Rig Blues, It Smells, Leech Eater, Joy of the Worm, Clean Catch Urine Specimen, Without Thumbs, Rag Acne, Power, Jerky
I had never heard of this band up till now, but I must say I was impressed by this album. Some VERY heavy, and slow sludge. Some very nasty low vocals are also present on it. The production is a bit lacking, but the music makes up for lack-luster production. One of the only negative aspects on the cd is that the low tuning and bad production make it rather hard to "dissect" the music in your head to hear the instruments by themselves. A very good effort, and promising if they can improve for the next full length. - Reek
T666 - Troops of Satan (T666 Deathmetal Company, '99)
Rating: 8.5/10
Tracks: Comrades In Slaughter, Execute All Christians, Smash The Cross
Take Cannibal Corpse and slap 'em with a potent dose of Satanism and you've got the T666 formula. These Australian boys are brutal to the point of ludicrousness, with wall-of-sound production, guttural vocals ala Butchered At Birth, whirring guitars and pounding drums. They don't rack up any points for originality, but in a time when there are so many subdivisions of metal, it is almost refreshing to hear something that is tightly confined to a single genre/formula. This is death metal. If you are a fan, you'll dig it. If you're not a death metal fan, you best set your ass to running 'cause this the kind of stuff that shakes the walls and clears the bowels... so damn heavy, you are sure to shit your pants. - Al Kikuras
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