Music Reviews

Taake - Over Bjoergvin graater Himmerik (Avantgarde/Wounded Love, 2002)

Rating: 10/10

Taake is the best damn thing in Norway right now.  Their first album Nattestid ser Porten was bloody brilliant, and "...Bjoergvin..." was no disappointment. Once again another 7 track (all in Norsk runes) concept album, the music permeates with death and grimness that much Norwegian Black Metal has lost lately. Founder Hoest once said that Taake is the only true Norwegian Black Metal left, and I believe that he might be on to something.  If nothing else, Taake has put out a brand of Black Metal that makes other music pale in comparison.  The one thing about these guys is that they do great melody, without losing the grimness of their music. For those of you who listened to nattestid... you will notice that the production is cleaner, but it doesn't take away from the pure genius of this record. - Jim Bob the Enforcer

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Lord Gore - The Autophagous Orgy (Razorback, 2002)

Rating: 9/10

I don't think it gets much better than this... and I thought We Came For The Dead was going to be impossible to top... The Autophagous Orgy is as good as GHOUL's debut slab, though I cannot say one album is any better than the other. Hell, when they are this good, who cares?? Catchy songs, vile vocals, blasts and double bass, a slew of samples... this fucker's got it all. Razorback prove again that they are the finest US grindcore/gore label, if not the finest US label PERIOD. Lord Gore perfectly embody all of the finest elements of gore metal, as The Autophagous Orgy will sound disgusting to the uninitiated and endlessly entertaining to those of us that get it. It is at once shocking and hilarious; heavy and hook-laden. Lord Gore sound like Impetigo with serious musical chops, and while no one might ever sound quite as disgusting as Impetigo, Lord Gore certainly come in a close second. The Autophagous Orgy is an album that has yet to grow tiresome even after countless listens in a relatively short period of time. I think that is the primary strength of Lord Gore (as well as Ghoul): the ability to pen songs that hold up well to repeat listens without sacrificing any of the elements that make the music so hard to listen to for the average person. Now if Razorback could just get them to tour together...

My one gripe: the album closes out with a LOOOONG loop ala Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I listened to it for about 10 minutes, then fast forwarded about another 10 minutes ahead and just gave up and turned the disc off. I don't know if there is anything at the end of the loop worth hearing and since there are few things worse than waiting through a long, stupid "hidden/bonus" track with no pay off, I may never find out. - Al Kikuras

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Machetazo - Trono De Huesos (Razorback, 2002)

Rating: 8/10
 
I wasn't very familiar with Machetazo beside a few tracks here and there on cassettes, until Razorback send me the Carne CD along with Ghoul... who won the battle. And then I got Trono De Huesos...

Hell! This album kicks ass! First thing I did is read the song titles and when I saw "Ace Of Spades" I know I was in for a treat. They cover that song a way better than Blood For Blood or Bathory did, the guitar is almost identical to what Fast Eddie Clark plays, and I just couldn't believe my ears when they go on with "Stay Clean" (Motörhead "No Sleep Till Hammersmith"). That's just funny they did that.The early 90's grindcore influences (Terrorizer, Napalm Death "Scum") are obvious at first, but when I listened to it a second time I got knocked out, it's like putting early grindcore with the melody Swedish hardcore in blender and then you get Trono De Huesos. The Swedish hardcore thing hit me when I heard the intro for "Banquete Funerario,” which reminds me of Skitsystem 10" era or Disfear. They definitely find the right balance between blasting grind and some melody. Same for the sound, it's raw raw raw but still, you can discern guitar, bass, drums, and the singing. Good job at the mixing. There's a word for that sound in French - "gras" which translates in English to "fat," but I don't think that works. Whatever.

Very strong and efficient release... thank you Razorback! - Anne

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The Meads of Asphodel - The Excommunication of Christ (Conquistador Records, 2002)

Rating: 9/10

This is a stellar release. The Meads of Asphodel are obviously a joke taken too far and carried out so well that people actually took it seriously. Think the Ween of black metal. I LOVE stuff like this. First off, they are perfectly adept death and black metal musicians so it sounds credible, but then there are parts like the riff that hits about 33 seconds in to "Angelwhore" with the guitar, drums, keys and bass all hitting the same punches that just sound so damn goofy. Just look at the cover... you almost HOPE they are serious but there are subtle elements pointing to the contrary. Don't get me wrong, I definitely do not think this is an all-out joke, but The Excommunication of Christ is at least a little tongue-in-cheek. These UK boys can definitely play. The music is a blend of melodic black metal, death metal and some traditional metal elements. The vocals are of a deeper register as opposed to the typical black metal rasp, which is used from time to time. Get a load of the title of track 12: "Falling with Lightining Rays through the Blazing Firmement towards the Uncharted Burial Grounds of Kharsag."

The Excommunication of Christ is an infinitely amusing and rewarding album that, hopefully, will be taken seriously by more people than get the joke. In either case, The Meads of Asphodel have achieved something great here that hopefully will not go ignored in the over-saturated black metal market right now. - Al Kikuras

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Mental Horror - Proclaiming Vengeance (Necropolis/DeathVomit, 2002)

Rating: 8/10

Imagine!! A fast Brazilian death metal band! Yes, folks, another blasting Brazilian beast has been unleashed on the underground! There's Krisiun, Rebaelliun, Nephasth, Headhunter DC and more, and while Mental Horror have been around for close to a decade and I have heard the name before, I am sure it is no coincidence that Necropolis released this album in the wake of the buzz the aforementioned bands have garnered. So basically you have the general idea of what Mental Horror sound like if you have heard Krisiun, so the task here is to tell you what (if anything) makes them stand apart. For one, the vocals are more of the muffled grindcore variety, peppered with the occasional Benton-ish high screams. I don't think drummer Robles Dresch stops blasting even once on the 50 minutes that make up this album. His credit is listed as "Traumatic Drums" in the liner notes and I would say that is an accurate description. This is just plain ridiculous, folks. The man must play with an I.V. pumping caffeine directly into his bloodstream. As can be imagined, 50 minutes of non-stop blast beats gets to be somewhat redundant, but when music is this extreme you have to appreciate the sheer endurance that is displayed. So while all of the riffs and songs go in one ear and out the other, it all causes a hell of an enjoyable ruckus on the way through. Mental Horror's songwriting may not be as refined as that of most of their countrymen, but I think it will be a cold day in shitville before any of them match Proclaiming Vengeance in terms of intensity. - Al Kikuras

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Mystic Circle - Infernal Satanic Verses (WWIII, 2001)

Rating: 6/10

I'm going to start off with one complaint. Now I know this isn't the BAND’S fault, but I'm angry at World War III already. The little bio on the back of the CD says this "Their mission is to honour their gods, 'Satan' and 'Wotan' by making antichristian music."  Now I can understand the urge to make antichristian music, and I'll even honour that they do an alright job at it. However, Satan is a judeo-christian concept, where as Wotan is Asatru. Alright people, these are TWO DIFFERENT RELIGIONS they DO NOT CO-EXIST!  They are not INTERCHANGEABLE.  Beyond this Mystic Circle makes average symphonic black metal sounding a bit like mid-term Dimmu Borgir. With the exception of a few interesting melodic female vocal parts and some good drumming, they don't really have THAT much to offer. It's definitely nothing that progressive, but then again, I'd never heard of them prior to this. Unfortunately, they have this urge to use the female talking overdubs that are reminiscent of Cradle of Filth which knocks off a few points. Although, I must say, I've heard much, much worse. - Jim Bob the Enforcer

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Nephasth - Immortal Unholy Triumph (WWIII, 2001)

Rating: 9/10

Where the hell did Nephasth come from? Prior to this they did one EP, and then they just release this death metal masterpiece. Even though it took a while this disc has proper American release/distrobution, it was well worth the wait. 

In the vein of Krisiun, and Rebaelliun this band takes elements of both while blending in their own unique mix of melodic riffs, and extremely skilled leads.  The vocals are some of the most brutal I have ever heard for this style, trading off highs and midrange-low growls never grows old. As far as the drumming goes, this guy has the feet of Pete Sandoval with the hands of Flo Mournier, without question some of the most dynamic and over the top drumming I've ever had the luck to hear.  

There's not too much to say about this disc other then its extremely intense, dark and brutal.  Highly reccomended for fans of: Morbid Angel, Krisiun, Rebaelliun, and pretty much any Florida Death Metal or Brazillian Death Metal. - Rick

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Onward - Reawaken (Century Media, 2002)

Rating: 0/10

I love power metal.  I really do.  But there's one bad thing about power metal, the bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad vocalists.  I must say that the guy from Onward is probably one of the worst vocalists alive. He was so bad that I could hardly LISTEN to the rest of the music. He was flat half the time and his vocal style is just irritating.  He sounds like he's getting anally raped with a blender. Don't buy this record, you'll hate it. - Jim Bob the Enforcer

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Penance - Alpha & Omega (Martyr Music Group, 2002)

Rating: 6.5/10

Penance have apparently been a huge presence in the doom scene that I've simply either overlooked or never noticed. I thought long and hard about this.  I stared aimlessly at the words "...have become one of the most revered acts within the scene...," and wondered how they slipped by my radar all this time. Basically because they're not all that interesting. At least this record is not.  To their credit, this band performs as a competent doom-rock unit. Their only problem on this outing is that they don't leave much behind when the album is finished.  No standout tracks, but a satisfactory listen the way through for anyone into Trouble, Cathedral or their contemporaries. I'd be interested to hear their earlier material and find out if it lives up to their label's hype. - Big Juan

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Pessimist - Slaughtering the Faithful (Lost Disciple, 2002)

Rating: 7/10

Pessimist have never been one to push the envelope, rather the band was always content delivering the goods, and they continue to do so on Slaughtering the Faithful. Lineup changes abound and the band's overall sound has changed as a result, most noticeably in the vocal department.

New vocalist/bassist Ralph Runyan (as well as drummer Mick Kimock) are from the band Corrupture, a solid, if unremarkable, death metal unit that I've seen open for various nationals over the past few years. Little has changed in Runyan's delivery (though his hair is a lot straighter these days):  deep, guttural retching that is effective but one-dimensional. While I cannot short Runyan, I prefer Rob Kline's more varied vocal performance on the first two discs.

One the whole, actually, both Cult of the Initiated and Blood of the Gods provide a much more interesting listen than Slaughtering the Faithful. Pessimist was one of those bands that had a distinct sound despite doing nothing particularly different from their contemporaries. Sadly, that distinct sound is missing from Slaughtering the Faithful. While this certainly is not a bad death metal album by any stretch of the imagination, it could be an album from ANY competent death metal band and that is its one downfall. There's a lot of meat and potatoes here for fanatics to sink their teeth into: for example, "Ressurrected Torment" has all the elements of a great death metal song, but a veteran act like Pessimist should release a more remarkable album than Slaughtering the Faithful. I'll chalk this one up to the introduction of new members and the inevitable periods of adjustment that follow and hope that the next release really tears my head off. - Al Kikuras

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Rain Fell Within - Refuge (Dark Symphonies, 2002)

Rating: 4/10

I really wanted to like these guys.  I swear. I'm a big fan of operetic vocals in music, but there is something about the excessive over dubbing of operetics that just KILLS a record.  And this record was slaughtered with a machette. There was no hope. It died. I normally don't fixate on lyrics much, but with vocals driving me insane and the music not helping by keeping me interested I moved to the booklet to read the lyrics (since you can't understand her even though she's doing "clean" vocals), and I was horribly disappointed.  The lyrics basically consist of how many different ways you can sing about your relationship with your bad boyfriend. Not interesting. What happened to the days when females sang about bondage and S&M? What happened when they were offset by nasty growls and excellent gothic music behind it? Oh yeah, Theatre of Tragedy went techno. - Jim Bob the Enforcer

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Raventhrone - Endless Conflict Theorum (Avantgarde/Wounded Love, 2002)

Rating: 7/10

This record weirded me out at first. It broke into what felt like it was going to be an interesting black metal album, and suddenly I heard these VERY clean vocals (very little emotion, oddly gothic) and a major key! And then I start listening to this guy singing about going to castles and eating dead, but it's not power metal. He describes it as epic/folk metal, and although it has the tendency to get a little drenched in the synth, it's actually fairly entertaining.  It was certainly better the first record, which was soaked in synth. The drumming leaves a little to be desired as do the extreme vocals, not extreme enough in my opinion, but the general musical quality is good. If you like power metal, but slowed down with some occasionally (sort of) growly vocals, you'd probably dig on this.  I found it amazingly catchy and interesting. But the guy relocated to Canada, what's with that? - Jim Bob the Enforcer

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Secrets of the Moon - Stronghold of the Inviolables (Cicatrix/Red Stream, 2002)

Rating: 8.5/10

I've heard more than my share of "grim" and "kult" black metal releases over the past year or so. While they are seemingly infinite in number, I have yet to get bored with them. I have a weak spot for poorly-produced black metal. Largely, my affinity comes from being amused by the blatant lack of production values... that whole "necro" feel that is more often funny than menacing. There are some acts, however, that manage to make it work and sound downright terrifying. Most notably, Krieg, Yamatu, Demoncy and a few others. Secrets of the Moon have secured their spot among those elite with Stronghold of the Inviolables, a gloriously bad 8-track recording of black metal that combines the raw edge of Darkthrone with a chillingly ethereal sound that is as much a result of refined songwriting as the reverb/chorus-drenched production. Secrets of the Moon can pen blistering black metal riffs as effectively as slow, dirge-like passages and I think that varied songwriting is their primary strength. This is a disturbing, cold release and a prime example of how disgusting and frightening black metal can be that will not appeal to fans of polished black metal, while those into the aforementioned bands will appreciate what Secrets of the Moon have unleashed here. - Al Kikuras

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Signs of Dying - Desire is Suffering (Deathgasm, 2002)

Rating: 6/10

Decent death/grind in the style of Mortician is the name of the game here. My immediate gripe with this band is the same as with many modern grind bands.  That being that the drum machine is so abnormally fast that this sounds like dance music with occasional riffs, bass runs and trademark gurgled vocals. Good choice of movie samples ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" for example) that are quick and effective song introductions.

Not my cup of Red Bull at all, but certainly something that will appeal to fans of Mortician, Malignancy and other bands in that school. - Big Juan

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SUNN - Flight of the Behemoth (Southern Lord, 2002)

Rating: 6/10

I'm going to be completely honest in that, while I find Sunn to be and intense and absorbing listen, I rarely feel compelled to through it on on the way home from work.  Nonetheless, Sunn is a unique project who, like Earth before then, explores series sonic boundaries.  Anyone familiar with early Earth material, or Boris's "Superego" should have some frame of reference. For the most part Sunn's compositions evolve over at least five minutes to toy with the beauty of distortion. Check out the final track, which is their classic version of Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls." - Big Juan

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The Brought Low - s/t (Tee Pee Records, 2002)

Rating: 5/10

Pretty straight forward review for a very straight forward record. The  Brought Low are a NY band who exist (somewhat similarly to The Strokes) to play good, unadulterated rock n' roll. We're talking Hendrix, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and the like.  It's good stuff for sure. But there's really not a single song here that grabbed me more than any other. - Big Juan

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Totten Korps - Tharnheim Athi-Lano-NhiCiclopean Crypts of Citadels (WWIII, 2001)

Rating 8/10

Yet another band I was unfamiliar with prior to receiving this promo. Originally (for Europe) released through Repulse, this disc now sees a USA release on WWIII who are quickly turning into one of the best labels for domestically releasing the best available in Europe. 

For Totten Korps basically take the style of Avulsed but a bit slower, more technical and honestly not as sleep-inducing.  As for the vocals this guy goes even lower then most American Death Metal acts’ vocalists do, this singer does nonstop guttural puke vocals.  The riffs are pretty original for this style of death metal too, kind of catchy for the lead riffs but the rhythm riffs are very dark.  The drumming is one of the only things not quite up to par on this disc.  It's pretty standard, and nothing too extreme, but done decently.  

As for the production its pretty good, nothing is too loud, nothing is buried really.  In the end you have a pretty unique offering from this band that is definitely worth listening to. Reccomended for fans of Christ Denied, Avulsed, and most brutal death metal in general. - Rick

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Vomitory - Blood Rapture (Metal Blade, 2002)

Rating: 7.5/10

It's death metal. It ain't pretty. It ain't catchy, but it sure as hell is heavy, and while Blood Rapture doesn't have my jaw dropping in amazement at any point, it does set the head to bobbin' and even though one track pretty much blends into the next, at just over 30 minutes, Blood Rapture never drags. Songs like "Eternity Appears," which smacks of classic Swedish death metal ala Entombed's Left Hand Path, makes me wish that these boys had a few more ditties of this nature as opposed to just concentrating on all-out speed. "Eternity..." is a slightly slower (gasp!) song that I actually think is the first Vomitory track I have heard that doesn't have a blast beat in it. The title track, likewise, is a slow chugger that might have been better placed earlier in the album to break up the monotony rather than sitting at the end of the album.

To their credit, Vomitory do the speed thing with the best of them. Seldom are blasts this clean and steady and a band this tight, but in the wake of their last release, Revelation Nausea, these boys would have benefited had they stretched their wings a bit more rather than just treading the same proven path. While effective, Blood Rapture isn't an album that I find myself getting the urge to listen to, but when I do want to hear some straightforward death metal and I happen to put it on, it leaves me satisfied. - Al Kikuras

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Wolfen Society - Conquer Divine (House of Death, 2002)

Rating: 9.5/10

The Rev. Vincent Crowley has returned with a new beast. Best known for years of mid-paced death metal with the legendary Acheron, Crowley doesn't stray too far from the formula on Conquer Divine, but it still VERY much sounds like a different band. The EP's opening title track is of the Acheron tempo, but there are hooks here that were missing from a lot of Acheron's material and the hokeyness that was very much an endearing element of Acheron's music is replaced with an almost frightening sense of fanaticism, as if we were not hearing the work of a band but the anthems of a militant cult. This is most apparent on track three, "Life is War," which could well be what Wagner would have produced had he been born in 1974 and grew up with an affinity for metal. Track two, "Blood Oath," is a relentless tune that is perfectly balanced and arranged with a good mix of speed and slower chugging riffs with a great solo break. The EP closes out with a cover of Carnivore's "Race War," which I think falls short of the rest of the EP. The material on Conquer Divine was reportedly recorded in its entirety once before but lost by the studio, with the exception of this track, so the band re-recorded the material in what was obviously a far superior facility as the sound on "Race War" pales in comparison to the first three songs. The cover is done well, but it would have a much bigger impact if the sound was as huge and clean as the rest of the EP. This is a spectacular start and is undoubtedly the best thing Crowley has produced to date. I am eagerly anticipating the full-length!- Al Kikuras

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Wytchfynde - The Awakening (Demolition Records, 2001)

Rating: 7.0

The Awakening, by England's Wytchfynde is good, cheesy fun from the Dio-esque warble of vocalist Luther Beltz, to the 80's thrash lyrics about corrupt religious leaders and politicians, to the "sword weilding warrior surrounded by skulls" cover art that looks like it could have been lifted off a 9th graders notebook. 

Wytchfynde were part of the N.W.O.B.H.M. (New Wave of British Heavy Metal for you pups!), releasing a few albums in the 80's before disbanding. Theirs was an era where any moderately hard rocking band with a sinister satanic image could please most underground metal fans. 

The songs on The Awakening are in a traditional metal style, updated with modern, post-Painkiller, power metal sensibilities. Guitarists, Ronnie Reynolds and Rick Gilliat, bassist Dave Hewitt, and drummer Tez Brown play this material with skill and precission.  Beltz hits some of the silliest falsetto screams you're ever likely to hear, but adds a lot of personality to the music. Songs like Hell Hath No Fury, Death Of Innocense, and Blessed Be have strong, catchy choruses, and the songs are just plain Maiden-like fun.

This Wytchfynde reunion shows the band putting a modern spin on their traditional riff oriented metal, and most importantly, delivering the songs on The Awakening with the kind of straight-faced sincerity needed to pull this kind of thing off.  - John Gee Warrior

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