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Music Reviews |
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All reviews are on a scale of 1-10. For the jackasses, one is the lowest and ten is the highest. For an explanation of our review policy as well
as info on how to submit materials for review, click here.
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Spotlight Album:
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aka ”An album that really kicked our asses!”
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Morbid Angel - Gateways to Annihilation
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This Edition’s Reviews:
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Click on the artist’s name to be taken to the review. Scroll up or down to view the rest of the reviews, or to return to the top.
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Opprobrium, Orphanage, Rotten Sound, SatanicBlack, Scariot, Supershine, The Want, Virus 7, Vukodlak, Slowgate, Darkness Eternal
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Morbid Angel - Gateways to Annihilation (Earache Records, 2000)
Rating: 9.5/10
Coming home from a long day at the office and finding an advance tape of the new Morbid Angel record in my mailbox proved one of the jolliest moments of my summer.
Morbid Angel is not only my favorite metal band, they are one of my favorite bands of any genre. Their music is well-written, intricate, evil, and challenging all at once. Guitarist Trey Azagthoth has proven himself in league with the likes of Eddie Van Halen over the years, while the drumming of "Commando" Pete Sandoval has led to severe foaming at the mouth of stickmen worldwide. Add the guitar expertise of Hate Eternal axeman (and extremely nice guy) Erik Rutan and the bass guitar and BRUUUUTAL voice of Mr. Steve Tucker and we've got serious shit here.
This record sees Morbid Angel taking a more atmospheric stance with their song composition often sacrificing speed (one of my favorite aspects of an M.A. song) for richer song structure on
this record. The results are overwhelmingly positive. This record is another masterpiece to add into M.A.'s already rich back catalogue. Standout tracks include "Opening of the Gates,"
"Summoning Redemption," "Secured Limitations," "God of the Forsaken," ŕwell, actually, there aren't any filler songs here. Every track is unique in the way only Morbid Angel can
be. A definite winner and excellent addition to any collection of metal, in this pre-packaged and manufactured age of Static-X, Staind and Coal Chamber. - Master Shockwave
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Opprobrium - Discerning Forces (Nuclear Blast, 2000)
Rating: 7.5/10
 Apparently this is the '80's thrash band
known to us as Incubus returning in the year 2G under a new name and with a slightly beefed up sound. Having been in grade school during the original reign of Incubus, I am completely unfamiliar with
their back catalogue and expected this disc to be another bland thrash band trying to regain the glory of their past. However, "Discerning Forces" has a few surprises in store for
the listener. The band presented here has a very modern sound, and could easily pass as a
young bunch. Their skill in obvious, with wanky guitar
fills-a-plenty that often remind of me Gorguts "Obscura" record. Strong vocals and a tight rhythm section only make this record more and more interesting with each listen. Surely
not destined to redefine metal, Opprobrium are here to show us that they're definitely not new to the game. - Master Shockwave
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Orphanage - Inside (Nuclear Blast, 2000)
Rating: 7/10
 Weird. I don't get what style this band is trying to play really. Several songs start
out with female singing, and then slip into death metal riffs with midrange growls. Never losing atmosphere at any moments this cd sounds a bit on the doomy side, but the riffs keep it from
totally venturing into that boring sleep inducing genre. Lyrically this album is very well written and structured and musically it's decent but its the odd structure of this album that I enjoy the most. It
can go from sounding neo-classical, to
brutal death metal, to mid-paced doom, and then to almost black metal sounding shrieks accompanying what sound like
slam riffs. First listen through I really couldn't stand this but next listen I really saw the unique, creative and enjoyable qualities of this, as they seem frenzied to alternate styles
over and over throughout each song. A high quality release for a label that has completely surprised me this year (First Darkseed-Diving Into Darkness, then Hypocrisy-Into the
Abyss and now this?) Recommended for fans of Maudlin of the Well, older Katatonia, Sinergy and Darkseed. - Rick
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Rotten Sound - Still Psycho (Necropolis Records, 2000)
Rating: 7.5/10
 Very heavy and pummeling EP from these sickos from Finland. After several
releases previous, Rotten Sound seem to have hit paydirt (not taking a thing away from their previous material, this is just their strongest to date). Taking the older grindcore sound of Carcass and melding it
with the intensity of a band like Suffocation, RS are a perfect infection of modern death metal.
This six song EP hits very hard with low end production and plenty of thick ass riffs and tight percussion. As a bonus for all of us, track six is a cover of Carcass's "Reek of
Putrefaction" that more than does the original justice. Rotten Sound will emerge as a force to be rekoned with. You have been warned. - Master Shockwave
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SatanicBlack - IMOAL (Self Released, 1999)
Rating: 7/10
 This is not at all what I expected. Looking at the cover of SatanicBlack's DIY debut
CD, I expected sloppy, underproduced black metal. Instead, this twisted two-man band play a hybrid of black, death and straight-up heavy metal. The final result is a passionate blend between
the pomp of classic power metal and the rawness of black and death metal, which sometimes works fantastically well, such as the opener "Night
Animal," and other times not so well ("Lucifers Rise"). The vocal performance ranges from clean, but rough vocals to high-pitched screams ala Attacker and the like, to deep death
metal growls and a black metal screech. A drum machine is utilized, and not a very good one... it sounds lifeless, which I think is a big part of the reason that some of the material on
IMOAL falls flat. On the opener, "Night Animal," it works as it is a raw, blasting black metal track and the cold feel suits it well. However, on the more classical metal-influenced tunes,
like the title track, it just about kills what would be an otherwise very cool song with very interesting musical ideas and great growling vocals. The band's beliefs are firmly
entrenched in LaVeyian Satanism and this most definitely is not a gimmick, folks. These guys are bred through and through.
So, my overall assessment: a lot of good ideas and some strong performing here. SatanicBlack would benefit from a live drummer and better production. The recording is very raw
and does not do the material justice at all. I would really like to hear what they could do with some quality studio time, as I think the results would be very impressive.
(Footnote: Ironically, about 10 minutes after finishing this review I received an email from Jason Black of SatanicBlack telling me that IMOAL was "re-mastered and re-released" and
that the disc was recorded "with one 4-track, one guitar, one bass guitar, an ancient drum machine, and two highly dedicated metalheads.") - Al Kikuras
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Scariot - Deathforlorn (Demolition Records, 2000)
Rating: 8/10
This was one of the best cd's Ive had the luck to review. Scariot sounds to me what Borknagar would be with female vocals and harsher growls. There's a bit
more folk influence as far as the keyboards go but the majority of the riffs sound like very melodic black metal perhaps along the lines of Dissection and early In Flames(A great combination
IMO). This style of black metal is one of the best out there I think. It shows signs of maturing as songwriters without appearing pretentious or egotistical but it can still be a
challenging listen. Good stuff here, a release that should put Demolition on the map. - Rick
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Supershine - s/t (Metal Blade, 2000)
Rating: 8/10
 I must confess. I haven't been excited
about a King's X album since Dogman. While there was nothing wrong with Ear Candy and that Mr. Bulbous album (I have yet to hear Tapehead), they didn't excite me at all. Dogman was melodic
and soulful, as all King's X material manages to be, but HEAVY at the same time, while subsequent (and previous) albums concentrated more on melody than heaviness.
This may not be a new King's X album, but Supershine does feature the bass and vocal talents of King's X member Doug Pinnick who aided Trouble guitarist Bruce Franklin in writing
the material on this album. The lineup is rounded out by a few other musicians, including King's X drummer Jerry Gaskill. Now, I am not familiar with the band Trouble, aside from
hearing the occasional snippet of a song here and there, so I can't really compare it to their work. But, Franklin and Pinnick have managed to pen what could be the logical successor to
Dogman. The Supershine album is heavy with great vocals. A bit darker than King's X material, but almost equally soulful and, most importantly, heavy. It is not as varied as most
King's X albums, but still holds my interest throughout all 12 tunes. Good album, I hope this doesn't turn out to be just a one-off, as I would love to hear more. - Al Kikuras
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The Want - Greatest Hits Volume 5 (Southern Lord, 2000)
Rating: 2/10
 Man, it's really great that the remaining
members of Led Zeppelin found a new drummer and decided to put out some new material, but couldn't they have at least given their new disc a less dated sound? OH WAIT! This isn't Led Zeppelin,
but a poor attempt to rip off nearly every catchy riff they ever wrote, with a singer that sounds like Plant with little inspiration.
This is a damn sad release from the same label that unleashed Burning WItch and Thorr's Hammer on the world. If you're thinking of getting this disc, and there are ANY Zeppelin discs
you're missing, get those instead. - Master Shockwave
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Virus 7 - Sick in the Head (Metal Blade, 2000)
 Rating: 7/10
I like this a lot more than I expected. Cheesy cover, not even in a good way - I expected this to be some second-rate pseudo-metal band. Granted, it is far
from a metal masterpiece, but Sick in the Head contains some serious kickass moments. Hank Sherman is the guitarist for Virus 7 and apparently he wanted to stretch his legs a bit
and take a bit of a detour from Mercyful Fate material. Nothing new on this album, but it is some catchy hardcore-tinged metal. The title track is a great, bass-heavy
metal song in the vein of American Way-era Sacred Reich and later Flotsam and Jetsam. The riff in "Obey or Die," another kicker, is pretty much directly lifted from the Anthrax tune
"Idiot Rules" on Volume 8: The Threat Is Real (which is actually a good album, folks, and I am a big proponent of the Belladonna years). The album is a bit overlong, clocking in at
around 45 minutes, but there are some good tunes on here, it just gets redundant about 7 songs in. I generally like it a bit heavier, but if you're looking for some lighter fare, you might
do well to check this out. - Al Kikuras
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Vukodlak - Blackest Autumn advance (Self-released, 2000)
Rating: 9/10
 In my review of Vukodlak's Via Diabolis
demo many moons ago I complained that, while I liked the release, "...the primary weakness on Via Diabolis is the lack of a live drummer" and stated that a live drummer might "add to the chaotic
nature of the music." It is nice when things go as you hope they will. For Blackest Autumn, Lord Akhkharu has enlisted Lord Matthias and Lord Sedit to round out the lineup,
on drums and bass, respectively. The results are impressive! At once, the music has a much more varied and full feel to it, growing vastly beyond the material that comprised the
aforementioned demo. Blackest Autumn is very raw and tight, with a harsh yet great mix in which you can hear the bass as clearly as the guitars (a rarity for most black metal, to my
dismay). The material is worlds more powerful than Via Diabolis. Vukodlak have honed their blade to a sharp edge and struck a deep wound for USBM that will take ages to heal... in
the mean time, the black blood flows freely. Let the believers come forth and be baptized and all others drown in the sanguine river. - Al Kikuras
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Slowgate - Sick and Confused (Dead Reindeer Records, 1999)
Rating: 8.5/10
 Slowgate take the atmosphere of early
Entombed and slam it face first into a heavy dose of Machine Head attitude (I am talking the good Machine Head, Burn My Eyes era). The final result is a very catchy, brutal strain of metal that is very
appealing in its balls-out approach. Each of the 4-songs on this EP are heavy and grooving from the first second to the last, with loads of double bass, slow mosh parts, fast death metal
workouts and a varied vocal attack that bounces back and forth between a deep death metal roar and dirty baritone vocals ala Rob Flynn. For the most part, it works extremely
well, with vocalist Christopher Larsson mixing things up enough to keep them interesting. On the EP's closer "Full of Filth" the clean vocals get to be a bit tiring, but aside from
that his performance is very impressive. The recording is excellent. Raw, but you can hear all of the instruments clearly. It is especially nice that the bass is not buried in the mix, as
Jan Lindberg has a great crunchy sound that brings much to the bottom end.
Sick and Confused is a very strong offering from this Swedish act that. It is good to hear an underground band that is carving out a niche for themselves without falling back on
any gimmicks or trends, rather just by playing some solid metal. I look forward to hearing more from Slowgate and am sure I will, as it is just a matter of time before they climb out
of the realms of obscurity and achieve some international recognition. - Al Kikuras
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Darkness Eternal - Dawn of the Suffering (Self-released, 2000)
Rating: 9/10
 Darkness Eternal is a brutal one-man death metal project from the Great
White North (Canada, that is) conceived and performed by talented multi-instrumentalist George Velaetis. His vocals are very reminiscent of Ross Dolan of Immolation and Craig Pillard of
Incantation (or any of the vocalists Incantation have had thus far, for that matter). Musically, Darkness Eternal is not that far from the Immolation/Incantation mark either. Another band that
comes to mind is Crucifer, especially the Unparalleled Majesty demo. Velaetis manages to bring some new things to the plate, however, as there is some stuff on here you probably
would not hear on either an Incantation of Immolation disc. The song "Mass Suicide" has an almost happy feel to it at times, sounding like calliope music from the depths of hell.
"Jesus Bleeding" features a very interesting clean guitar/double-bass break that comes out of nowhere. The title track opens with another clean guitar passage before
doubling with distorted chords, creating a unique and very eerie atmosphere. That same type of atmosphere pervades much of the album, and is, in my opinion, the primary
strength of the release. Velaetis produces rich textures by layering the multiple guitar tracks on top of one another and also allowing the music to breathe. You won't find a hundred
riffs jammed into one song and neither will you find a few guitar tracks and a bass track merely following one another, although there are times when all of the instruments are
single-minded in purpose, going off on a destructive frenzy. Velaetis gives each instrument its own voice and comes off sounding more like a band of 5 separate musicians than most
5-piece bands do. Dawn of the Suffering is a very impressive release that applies new ideas to a well-trodden musical field. I hope Darkness Eternal does not go unnoticed and thus fizzle
out before we are able to get an extensive body of work from Velaetis, as I feel he has much to offer, and Dawn of the Suffering is a hell of a start. - Al Kikuras
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