Music Reviews

Ghoul - Maniaxe (Razorback, 2003)

Rating: 9.5/10

The great white hooded hope returns... the fiends of GHOUL bring us Maniaxe: 34 minutes and 42 seconds of death-soaked thrash metal that calls draws as much from the well of Anthrax and Exodus as it does Carcass.

Remember when people like Paul Baloff, Dave Mustaine, Tom Araya and Kerry King weren't just musicians, they were icons? Untouchable characters that, as far as you knew, didn't pay bills, eat cheese, or love their mothers. With the exception of Mr. Baloff, our one-time Gods, while still (in some cases) kicking ass, are touchable. We know them. Dave Mustaine suffered from repetitive stress injury. Kerry King lost his hair. Tom Araya has done interviews in a Spongebob Squarepants t-shirt. The mystery is gone, people. The rock star mythos is dead.

Until now.

GHOUL have single-handedly brought character back to metal. And, no, it is not just the hoods and monikers. It is the attitude. It is delivering their craft with as much glee as conviction. It is NEVER breaking character. It is writing songs as catchy and heavy and balls-out as "Sewer Chewer," "Ghoul Hunter" and "Numbskull." It is having the sack to do a thrashed-out cover of "What A Wonderful World" and the chops to actually pull it off.

GHOUL, I hope you live forever, and while you will never get rich playing the music you do, I hope you win the lottery and live high off the hog with enough green that you can churn out a new GHOUL splatter platter twice a year. I hope you never take off the hoods. I hope... I hope you play my  next birthday party, and the one after that, and if I ever have a kid, I want you to play its birthday party. I love you, GHOUL. - Al Kikuras

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Abaddon Incarnate - Nadir (Sentinel Records, 2003)

Rating: 8.5/10

This band sure know how to set off a successful death metal record and never look back. They kick right out the gate with opener "I Will Nail You in" and let you know just how seriously pissed off they are. I'm reminded of Cryptopsy, Suffocation, Discordance Axis and early Napalm Death all at once. And I'm still talking about the first song! 

In twenty-four songs (forty-three minutes), these guys successfully nail all naysayers to the cross.  Their style draws on the aforementioned influences, but comes together in a highly original and interesting way. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this record is the phenomenal drum sound.  They actually sound real!!! I can't remember the last time I picked up a new death metal disc and didn't walk away thinking they had an automatic typewriter behind the kit.

There's not much else to say.  You like it brutal? You still listen to "None so Vile" wondering what happened to the "good old days?" Then pick this baby up! - Big Juan

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Behold... the Arctopus - Arctopocalypse Now... (Epicine Sound Systems, 2003)

Rating: 9/10

Instructions for listening to Behold... the Arctopus' Arctopocalypse Now:

1) Click here and order Depends Undergarments in bulk.
2) Once you receive your shipment, remove pants and underwear. Put on one (1) Depends Undergarment.
3) Place your copy of Arctopocalypse Now gingerly into your home stereo system.
4) Ask your family/loved ones to leave the room. Make sure all pets are outside.
5) Push play.

Yes. Behold... the Arctopus are that good. You will shit your pants, and you won't mind it. In fact, you will find yourself listening to Arctopocalypse Now so often, jaw agape, marveling at the sheer virtuosity, relentless heaviness and brutality of this music, that you will need a steady supply of Depends, unless you just want to listen to the CD while sitting on the can.

Fans of Watchtower, Dysrhythmia, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Human Remains and so forth would be just plain stupid not to pick this up as it makes all of the aforementioned acts (with, perhaps, the exception of only Watchtower) look like three-chord punk bands. Arctopocalypse Now is a full 50-minute album of instrumental grind/metal/jazz/whatever crammed in to 11 minutes and 13 seconds. Imagine taking a five-course meal consisting of burritos, shell steak with tampico sauce, lamb vindaloo, New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream and a bowl of pickled habanero peppers and cramming it down your maw in just over 11 minutes and you have an idea of what it is like to experience Arctopocalypse Now. While the average person would shudder with disgust at the thought of ingesting that much varied food in such a short time, those of us that are true gluttons know that, while the aftermath would be sheer hell, those 11 minutes would be perhaps the greatest 11 minutes of our gastronomical lives. - Al Kikuras

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Between the Buried and Me - The Silent Circus (Victory Records, 2003)

Rating: 6.5/10

BTBAM are part of a new sound that's emerged out of hardcore in the last few years. Bands like these guys and the Red Chord have crafted a combination of grind, hardcore mosh and death metal into one unique entity. 

This style is in full effect as the LP kicks off and BTBAM blaze through the first third of the album and then...WHAT THE HELL??! Did someone throw a Soul Asylum CD into my changer as a joke? Suddenly I'm sitting through two tracks of the softest rock this side of Belle and Sebastian. Odd choice to place these songs in the middle of the disc, but OK. Things pick up again and grind to a frantic halt with the closer "Need for Repetition."

While I think these guys have some serious potential, and some outright killer moments on this record, I can't help but wonder what they were thinking with the track placement.  Good CD, but next time, less talk, more rock! - Big Juan

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Beyond Fatal - Sanctuary in Misery (Bloodsoaked, 2002)

Rating: 7.5/10

So sure, the instrumental intro to track 9 may be a little bleh, but the rest of the album is undeniably nasty and effective death metal and they totally redeem themselves once the heavy stuff kicks in. Simply stated, this is brutal death metal akin to Tomb-era Cannibal Corpse. The drumming is ripe with blast beats, but the production is such that the rest of the music isn't overshadowed by typewriter double bass and relentless snare pinging. The vocals are primarily of the gutteral school with the occasional blood-curdling scream.

While Beyond Fatal won't get any points at all for originality, they rack up a respectable rating for doing what they do and doing it well. - Al Kikuras

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Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll (Century Media, 2003)

Rating: 8/10

I must admit, I sat down to review this album after seeing Children of Bodom at the NJ Metal and Hardcore fest this year , fully expecting to give it say a 4 or 5 out of 10, tops. I don't go in for the nu-thrash all too much and wasn't impressed with the snippet of their performance I saw. As a fanatic of the original thrash movement, the new blood, what with their soaring melodies, clean drumming, and (gasp!) KEYBOARD SOLOS usually leave me limp and lonely.

But, wait... what is happening to me?? Those soaring melodies have me... well, soaring. The clean drums are fast... tight... heavy... the vocalist isn't just screaming, he's kind of singing, and he's ON KEY. Did I just actually LIKE that keyboard solo that was played with all the reckless aplomb of an Ygnwie disciple? Keyboards are usually the stroke of death for me, and while Children of Bodom uses them liberally as a lead instrument, the guitars never take a back seat to the keys, which tends to be the undoing of bands that travel keyboard highway.

I think what sets Hate Crew Deathroll apart from the other nu-thrash albums that have left me wanting is the lack of pomp. Sure, Children of Bodom sound pissed, but tunes like "Chokeold (Cocked 'N' Loaded)," "Triple Corpse Hammerblow," "Lil' Bloodred Ridin' Hood" and "Bodom Beach Terror" are as much about playing good 'ol, fun thrash metal as they are about being downright angry. Think of Forced Entry's "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," Gothic Slam's "Skankin'," Prowler's "Thrash and Bang" or Anthrax's "Caught In A Mosh."

Fans of Corporation 187, The Haunted, Carnal Forge, Darkane and the like will eat this up (they probably are already) and old school thrash metal fans like me that generally aren't crazy about the new bloods should give this one a good listen as it may crack the ice for you as well. - Al Kikuras

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Corporation 187 - Perfection in Pain (Earache/Wicked World, 2003)

Rating: 7/10

I am a thrash fanatic. Slayer, Metallica, Testament, Anthrax, Death Angel, Forced Entry, Toxik, Razor, Kreator, Sodom, Assassin, Destruction, Epidemic, Dark Angel, The Horde of Torment, Forbidden, Gothic Slam, Powermad… I love it. I live it.

Sadly, the thrash metal "resurgence" hasn't done it for me as I hoped it would. At The Gates (great as they were) had too deep and lasting of an impact on the scene. "The New Wave of Thrash Metal," as it has been dubbed, is tepid water for the most part. The Haunted, Carnal Forge, Darkane… the list goes on and I must admit I would have a tough time telling one act apart from the other if you put their latest albums in the 5-disc changer (which, incidentally, I don't have) on "shuffle." That is not to say that I wouldn't enjoy and appreciate each song as it came blazing out of the speakers with the standard NWOTM ferocity and melody, but thrash bands used to be distinct entities, now they are a faceless singular body that is no less potent than its forefathers, just not as good. To use cliché thrash terminology, the guitars shred, the drums crush, the vocalist rages, but the hooks aren't there. All the vocalists pretty much sound the same. Corporation 187 is no exception. Maybe I just don't hear the right things. Maybe I am spoiled by being raised on thrash metal in its prime (and, admittedly, beyond), but while I can appreciate Corporation 187 (and Carnal Forge, and Dew-Scented and The Haunted), I don't often get the urge to listen to them, and when the urge does hit, it doesn't really matter which one I hear. So, if you know what the array of NWOTM bands mentioned above sound like, you know what Corporation 187 sound like and if those are the bands that butter your bread, you won't be disappointed. - Al Kikuras

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Crucifier - Stronger Than Passing Time (advance) (Death To Mankind, 2003)

Rating: 9/10

Metal luminaries Crucifier have returned with a strong album that pays testament to their status as semi-legends in the underground. Some bands deserve "cult" status, while others earn it just by limiting every release to 88 copies. Crucifier are most definitely in the former group and have consistently churned out high quality material and Stronger Than Passing Time, as the title would imply, is no exception. It's been at least 12 years now since Crucifier released the Humans Are Such Easy Prey demo and despite the countless trends that have come and gone since then, they have always maintained a distinctive sound, which is a challenge in these times. Crucifier blends black and death metal seamlessly and Stronger Than Passing Time is an album that fans of both genres should seek out as a pinnacle of quality and integrity. This is a timeless album that, like Incantation's Onward to Golgotha, Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness and Entombed's Left Hand Path, fans will still be hailing a decade from now. - Al Kikuras

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Cryptopsy - None So Live (Century Media, 2003)

Rating: 7.5/10

None So Live is a rarity in the metal world: a live album that introduces a new vocalist to the fans and, as it turns out, is also that vocalist's farewell release. News broke just a few days before I sat down to write this review that "new" Cryptopsy frontman Martin Lecroix is already the "old" Cryptopsy frontman. It's a shame as, while I liked Mike DiSalvo's work ("White Worms" off 1998's Whisper Supremacy is among Cryptopsy's greatest songs), Lord Worm really is the man that belongs at the helm and Lercoix comes much closer to capturing the Lord's rabid insanity than DiSalvo ever did.

The downfall? Live death metal albums don't tend to be much of a stretch from the studio albums as most death metal bands aren't particularly known for live improvisation, so even a well-recorded and perfectly executed live death metal album tends to be a bit lackluster (take Deicide's live album for example). While None So Live was a great placeholder for a band introducing a new vocalist to say "We're still here, you bastards," it is not something that I, or the average fan I would venture to guess, will get the urge to throw on all too often.

That said, having seen Cryptopsy live a handful of times, I can attest to their live power. So potent they are that Big Titty Car Wash (former Unchain staff writer), who is not a fan of death metal, was blown away by their performance. None So Live captures the essence of their live show well. Tight, frenzied, technical, relentless… this is Cryptopsy, a death metal band in a class of their own, at the top of their game. The set is well balanced with old and new material, the sound is clean and powerful and the crowd is audible enough to convey the excitement that was in the air that eve, but never so loud that they detract from the music. None So Live is a very enjoyable live album that serves just as well as a "best of" as it does a testament to Cryptopsy's proficiency in the live arena and, yes, for you drum fanatics (because I know you are wondering), Flo "The Machine" Mounier does take a healthy drum solo. - Al Kikuras

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Darkest Hour - Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation (Victory Records, 2003)

Rating:
7/10 if you've never heard At the Gates
5/10 if you have

Do you want innovation or imitation? That's the question you have to ask yourself when picking up the latest from Darkest Hour.  These guys are an established band in the hardcore scene, with roots that trance back to the legendary Art Monk Construction label.  Thing is, Darkest Hour aren't a hardcore band.  At least they don't seem to want to be one.  
Over the course of the last few records Darkest Hour have evolved into a full on replica of the sound made famous by At the Gates, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork and In Flames. In fact the band were flown out to Studio Fredman to record this disc, and you also get cameos from members of At the Gates, Soilwork and the Haunted. The result of all this? Well, it sounds like a band trying to recreate "the Jester Race" minus the solos, and with a more hardcore vocalist.

Now, this isn't to say that Darkest Hour aren't excellent musicians. On the contrary, they've obviously done their homework.  And if you're one of the many who just can't get enough of the "Swedish" sound or are bummed out that In Flames sound more like Duran Duran than Mercyful Fate, then this disc if for you.  I'd just prefer a larger dose of individuality next time around. - Big Juan

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Decrepit Birth - ...And Time Begins (Unique Leader, 2003)

Rating: 8.5/10

I love buffets. I love mass quantities of good food, but I must admit, I'd prefer a smaller plate of great food than a huge pile of unremarkable food. When at a buffet where everything is... decent, you get to the point where it doesn't matter if (in the case of a chinese buffet) you are eating chicken and broccoli or chicken with garlic sauce. General Tso's chicken or orange beef. It all starts to taste the same.

Such is the state of ultra-brutal death metal right now. Deeds of Flesh. Krisiun. Severed Savior. Waco Jesus. Mortal Decay. While of varying quality, there is too much on the buffet right now and no one dish stands far apart from the other.

Decrepit Birth are as adept at death as any of their contemporaries, but do stand out as they are perhaps a little more tasty. Having Tim Yeung behind the kit assures a whirlwind drum performance and the other members have no trouble keeping up. The material is as frenzied as it comes, but tighter and cleaner than most. Blasting never falls into the "wall of noise" territory. The riffs are always audible. The vocals are just as you'd expect: ultra-guttural and ultra-indecipherable. This is just about as good as this style gets. I honestly cannot see death metal getting any more brutal, fast or ridiculously relentless, so if you want to hear the most genuine article, ...And Time Begins is a good pick. I am curious to see if anyone can up the bar further. - Al Kikuras

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Demon Hunter - Demon Hunter (Solid State, 2003)

Rating: 1/10

What do you get when you throw Vision of Disorder, Slipknot, Korn, Converge and a whole lot of Christian ideology into blender? A fuming turd that will likely resemble this CD. - Big Juan

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Destruction - Metal Discharge (Nuclear Blast, 2003)

Rating: 8.5/10

Destruction come screaming back with their third of their "comeback" albums. Each album has be slightly different in feel, while continuing to offer real quality thrash. Along with All Hell Breaks Loose and The Antichrist, Destruction have crafted for themselves three albums to be proud of. These albums remind me of the glory days of thrash metal, without sounding dated.

All Hell Breaks Loose had grove oriented feel to it, while The Antichrist was pure blazing speed. Metal Discharge is like a mix between All Hell Breaks Loose and The Antichrist. Straight ahead thrash, fast, loud, and frantic, but also quite catchy and interesting. Lead singer Schmier's vocals are as ballsy and raw as every.

One must question the choice of title. Did Destruction mean for the title to be double entendre for ejaculation or did the name just sound cool to them, and they didn't know the other meaning of 'discharge'. Either way, it doesn't really matter.

What does matter is that if you love thrash metal (as I do), and want to head some classic heavy fucking thrash metal, get this album now.

A classic? No. Very good, yes. - Piston Rod

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Disgorge - Necroholocaust (Xtreem Music, 2003)

Rating: 7/10

Mexico's Disgorge have returned with the follow-up to 2000's Forensick, which to date is one of the most repugnant death metal releases of all time. Necroholocaust finds the band toning down their deliverly which, if you haven't heard Forensick, you might find hard to believe as this is still very over-the-top and nasty. Forensick had my mouth agape at the vile depths to which Disgorge sank in the great spirit of sensationalism. Had I heard Necroholocaust first, it wouldn't be a disappointment, but in the wake of the shit and blood storm of Forensick, I can't help but feeling unsatisfied with Necroholocaust as it just isn't as putrid. There are some fantastic moments on Necroholocaust, however. "Macabre Realms of Inhuman Bestiality" is a violent whirlwind of gore, with some excellent riffing and a hypnotically repetitious solo that is perhaps the finest point of the album and as effective as anything on Forensick, but on the whole I am not nearly as bloodsoaked at the album's close as I was the last time around. - Al Kikuras

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Embalming Theatre - Sweet Chainsaw Melodies (Razorback, 2003)

Rating: 6.5/10

While I usually crap my pants over most Razorback releases, from Lord Gore to Ghoul to Gruesome Stuff Relish, Embalming Theatre's Sweet Chainsaw Melodies is the first Razorback release I was a little disappointed with. One of things I love most about most of Razorback's roster is that while they have all the chops to play 100% straightforward and serious death metal, the music, lyrical content and overall concepts of the band are always tongue-in-cheek. Like a bad horror movie, it is as funny as it is frightening and repulsive, if not more so. While Embalming Theatre achieve this touch of humor lyrically, with tracks like "Topless But Mummified" and the cautionary tale "Execution By Hanging Is Not A Game,"  musically, Embalming Theatre don't have the same level of charisma their label mates do. Perhaps it is the impressively brutal, yet disappointingly one-dimensional vocals of W. Rath, or the lack of hooks in the songs, but Sweet Chainsaw Melodies isn't as much fun as I had hoped it would be. It is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, but not one I will find myself listening to often. - Al Kikuras

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DOUBLE REVIEW:
Forest of Impaled - Forward the Spears (Red Stream, 2003)

Glassgoat’s Rating: 7/10
Al Kikuras’ Rating: 9/10

GLASSGOAT’S REVIEW: At first, I was going to rape "Forward the Spears" in this review. It had this shell that was hard to break through. Initially, it sounded like 40 minutes of dinky guitar-in-a-tin-can black death with very little feeling behind it, which was especially insulting to me considering how much I liked this bands earlier material. Each song sounded like the next, nothing stood out, and the entire thing seemed completely hopeless, void of any redeemable quality to even listen to another 10 seconds - just another boring album with nothing special about it. But I forced repeated listens, and after a couple days (and about a dozen spins), the shell was beginning to crack and after a few more listens, the vile ugliness began to pour out... maybe not in colossal portions but enough to drown out my original disdain for this album. This is not a groundbreaking album by any margin of thought so i wont even entertain that notion, but when you fully grasp the idea behind "Forward the Spears" you appreciate it for what it is - quality, highly energetic and relentless black metal with a tinge of early Morbid Angel death metal worship, wrapped in a thin blanket of black thrash, dipped in pure old school goodness and prepared for some serious bloody fucking war.

The vocals alternate between employing vicious black metal vocals and a deep, commanding and almost barbaric scream, both of which are delivered quite venomously which makes me think that these guys really mean what they are saying and aren't playing around. A new addition for Forest of Impaled is the interesting spoken parts which sound like David Vincent's vocals on the 2nd part of God of Emptiness. The guitars have a certain flimsy feel to them which, admittedly, took a bit of time to get used to. It was the first thing I noticed while christening this album and that was a mildly detracting aspect to have adorning a release I have such high hopes for but it's certainly nothing that makes the album unlistenable and, with time, you don't even notice it. They deliver from a fully loaded palette of riffs - some black, some thrashy, and solos sounding strikingly similar to those on Morbid Angel's "Altars of Madness" (shit, how many M.A. references will I make here?!). The dual guitar attack works very well, the musicianship is dead on. There is no noticeable reverb here (or on the drums) whatsoever which might cripple the albums potential to a degree for some, but it also gives the album a no-nonsense feel which actually authenticates the war fueled aggression. The drums are nothing extraordinary, but that's exactly how they should be. Any sort of brandishing would certainly come off as nothing short of cheesy if incorporated into an album of this sort. The drums march through the slow parts, raise hell through the fast parts, and fill all the tempo changes with plenty of tom rolls and cymbal crashing mayhem, but again, the lack of any sort of reverb really hurts the potential here. The snare and toms are very snappy sounding due to this closet-space sound which gives the album a very closed in and depthless feel. Regardless, the guy is a machine and plays with absolute precision. The basslines generally mimic the guitar but occasionally some interesting atonal bass sections come in which are done rather well.

The production here is almost ace. All of the instruments sound perfectly in place but the virtual nonexistence of any reverb whatsoever works against Forest of Impaled. "Forward the Spears" isn't original, certainly not groundbreaking, and nothing to write home about, but it's far from being disposable. It's quality black metal with elements of death metal and thrash, performed with voracious prowess and surety. The album is peppered with occasional breaks which correlate very well with the clean guitar parts. The feeling this album excretes is purely evil and hellish, violent music that seethes hatred to serve as the soundtrack to all out war and bloody mayhem. No synths, no female vocals, pure metal... and while it may not be the best thing out there, it grows on me each time I give it a spin and it never becomes monotonous. Not awful, not perfect, but definitely good, and fans of supposed "war metal" will eat this shit up like no tomorrow. - Glassgoat

AL KIKURAS’ REVEW:
It is not often I decide to review a release already critiqued by one of our loyal staff here at Unchain, but after reading new blood Glassgoat's review of Forest of Impaled's Forward the Spears, I had to chime in.

Maybe it was, in part, due to seeing the band's performance at the Return of Darkness and Evil II fest and being summarily blown away that had me drooling with anticipation for this disc (I actually purchased it before the promo got here, thus I have it to review as does Glassgoat), or maybe I was just ripe for another album as hateful and relentless as anything released by the mighty Angel Corpse (a void which, until now, has yet to be filled). Forward the Spears is manna from hell for me. While Glassgoat is certainly right that there is nothing groundbreaking on Forward the Spears, for some reason this album grabbed me by the throat and has yet to let go. Forest of Impaled is to black metal what Kreator's Terrible Certainty was to thrash: an all-out assault on the senses, surging with fury and hatred. A raging piece of music so perfectly crafted that it will forever stand alone as a pinnacle of the genre. Forest of Impaled, I thank you. - Al Kikuras

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God Dethroned - Into the Lungs of Hell (Metal Blade, 2003)

Rating: 5/10

I really like God Dethroned. Always have. I've enjoyed every one of their full length records up until now. In fact I figured that this would be an easy review assignment at I would likely love this from the start. 

But then something happened. Something horrible.  I listened to this CD and before I knew it, it was over. And not a single song or even riff had stuck with me.  So I listened again.  And again.  Probably five times in total.  Still nothing.

While God Dethroned have typically displayed a unique ability to meld a chaotic rhythm section with hypnotic guitar lines, they seem to have lost something with this record.  Noticeably absent is the pounding drum work that was supplied on the last record by former Angel Corpse stickman Tony Laureano. But it's not just the drums, something's just not right.  Anyone who can figure it out should e-mail Unchain and they will receive a free God Dethroned CD, personally snapped in half by Big Juan. - Big Juan

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Gruesome Stuff Relish - Last Men in Gore (Motosierra, 2003)

Rating: 8/10

Fresh from the Razorback Records camp (where they still reside), Gruesome Stuff Relish have released this collection of songs, new and old, on their own label, and a glorious collection it is. Imagine Carcass and Impetigo spend a weekend holed up in a seedy motel with a bottle of bourbon, a box of BSDM pornos and a box of cheap condoms. Gruesome Stuff Relish would be the "not-so happy accident" to launch from the womb 9 months later. If you have yet to hear GSR's delightful Razorback release Teenage Giallo Grind, pick it up. If it tickles your ivories as much as it did mine, go right out and buy Last Men in Gore because they party doesn't have to stop just yet. - Al Kikuras

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King Diamond - The Puppet Master (Metal Blade, 2003)

Rating: 9/10

YES!! King has finally done it! He has released an album as creepy, heavy, and memorable as the classics (by classics, I mean pre-The Eye). I own every album King has released since then and while some I liked (Abigail II, The Graveyard) and others bored me (Voodoo, House of God), none really grabbed me and wound up, ultimately, being a disappointment from an artist that was (and still is) one of my all-time favorites. But, as I said in my review of House of God, "I still have faith... I think King Diamond is going to pull another classic out of the brimstone, I am just wondering how long I will have to wait."

My wait is over. The Puppet Master is a GREAT album. The story line, the performances, King's vocals... the man has once again released a true horror metal opera. No, the album is not as scary as Them or Abigail, but that is most likely because I am not the 13 year-old kid I was when I first got Abigail and read the lyrics as I listened along for the first time on headphones by a single light bulb in a chair in the corner of my parents' basement. Matt Thompson really turns in a great drum performance on this album, giving it a kick that was missing from some of King's latest efforts.

As for the story, I will not delve into it and leave it for you, the reader, to discover for yourself. I can soundly recommend this album to old King Diamond fans like myself as well as anyone looking for horror metal done by the true King. Welcome back, my friend. You were missed. - Al Kikuras

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Leviathan - The Tenth Sublevel of Suicide (Moribund, 2003)

Rating: 8/10

The past few years has brought an endless list of one-man black metal projects. At best these acts tend to come off sounding like an able tribute to legends like Burzum or Darkthrone.  At worst they come off sounding like they were recorded in '78 Pinto with the windows down and someone banging on the hood with a tree branch for drum effect. While at first glance, Leviathan may seem like another one-man project, the reality is that main-man Wrest dishes out some of the best "necro" black metal these ears have heard since the last Darkthrone LP.  Wrest seems to have a knack for riff structure and tempo that his counterparts are seriously lacking. Additionally, I honestly can't tell whether these are real drums or a drum machine, which is a really good thing. If you're a fan of bands like Burzum, Gorgoroth or Weltmacht you'd be good to check out this gem. - Big Juan

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