Music Reviews

Insomnium - Since the Day It All Came Down (Candlelight Records, 2004)

Rating:  10/10

I love bands like INSOMNIUM, I really do.  Al Kikuras provides me with quite a few horrible discs but for every 5 bad ones, I find a true gem like this that I may not have found if I weren't a reviewer for this fine website.  Not even all the ESTROGENOCIDE CDs in the world could undo the greatness of this particular album.

This is essentially melodic death metal as it should be played.  This particular style, something about it has always enchanted me.  The majestic sound of it, the atmosphere, and just in general, the sorrow such music can express without even following along to the lyrics. I hate to lump this with other bands playing this style because this really stands out as something different, and that brings such joy to me its hard to fathom really.

INSOMNIUM from Finland are a completely different than about any other band I've ever heard.  Not as soft as FALL OF THE LEAFE, not quite as evil or fast as DISSECTION, not as heavy as DARK TRANQUILITY, but..they take the good of every band who plays this style and really make it their own. I think the real thing that sets these guys apart from the more extreme bands of this style is their willingness to blend acoustics and some great melodies into songs that are still quite metal.

The guy on the board for this recording has my extreme envy for being able to witness such greatness being recorded. Everything here is flawless! Nothing is drowning anything out, theres just perfect harmony and balance achieved between all instruments on this. Its like for one night, the planets were in perfect alignment, on that night, Since The Day It All Came Down was recorded.

I'm not sure what else I can say about this album really.  Its everything a melodic death metal CD should be. Theres a few albums that I really feel are timeless and I feel everyone should own, including but not limited to The Gallery by DARK TRANQUILITY, The Creation by SINS OF OMISSION, Storm of the Light's Bane by DISSECTION, but...there is now another album I will hold in that very high regard, that is Since The Day It All Came Down by the best band out of Finland, INSOMNIUM. Thank you Candlelight Records for not letting these guys drown in obscurity in a sea of undiscovered talent.  So far this is my album of the year, and I don't foresee anything conquering that spot. - Rick

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Abaddon Incarnate - Dark Crusade (Xtreem, 2004)

Rating:  8/10

I never thought of Ireland to be an area to be a hotbed for extreme music and while that opinion probably won't change much anytime soon, ABADDON INCARNATE have shown me there is at least one incredible band from Ireland.

ABADDON INCARNATE play grindcore, but not a simplistic straight forward type. Theres a lot of great riffs, very creative drumming and the vocal arrangements are well done, everything flows quite nicely.  16 songs in 32 minutes and it all goes by quickly but everything really stands well on its own.  I set it to play on shuffle mode and sure enough I didn't mistake one song for another on the album.  A lot of grindcore, while I love it, has this tendency to really just sound quite similar, ABADDON INCARNATE avoid this and show they can write some great songs.

There are certain masters in this genre that are hard to outdo, from founding acts like TERRORIZER and NAPALM DEATH to modern bands like BATHTUB SHITTER, DISCORDANCE AXIS, SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION but don't go in expecting classic bands to be replaced and you will enjoy this album just fine.  My only problem with this album is, AI aren't as fast as I'd like them to be but they do make their style work quite nicely.  Without a doubt this is the best CD on Xtreem Music that I have heard to date, and one any self respecting listener of Grindcore should check out. - Rick

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Cadaver - Necrosis (Candlelight Records, 2004)

Rating: 8/5/10

Some wet their pants over Cadaver's (then Cadaver Inc.) previous release, Discipline. A cold, mechanical slab of black metal, it was a fine album no doubt, but I, for one, find Necrosis to be a more appealing listen. While I appreciate Discipline, I missed the quirkiness of the old Cadaver before they incorporated. The In Pains-era Cadaver. Necrosis is no where near as awkward as the aforementioned 1992 classic, but the hooks that were  were displayed on the early works but were missing on Discipline are back in full force, and are sharper than ever. "Necro As Fuck" opens the album  with a great chorus,  that has been stuck in my head since first listen. From there, Cadaver launch in to "Decomposed Metal Skin." A death-metal single if I have ever heard one!

"COME ON! COME ON!! FISTS IN THE AIR!"

"Awakening" is a slower, more simplistic number, reminding me of a more modern Unleashed, had they not traveled down the doodie path and unleashed that last turd of theirs (2002's Hell's Unleashed). Sceptics worried that Cadaver have abandoned black metal for death metal outright need not be afraid, however. Songs like "Evil Is Done" and "The Etching Cleanser" feature some of Discipline's sub-arctic riffing, so there is still much here to entice your blackened hearts. To simply say Cadaver combine death and black metal would not be to do them justice... they obliterate the line between the two, taking the "death metal warrior" attitude of Unleashed and slamming it spleen-first into black metal's cold cruelty, and the end result of this unholy alchemy is Necrosis. Be it black, be it death... it is brutal, it is ugly, it is necro-metal in all of its glory and I, for one, raise a blood-filled chalice in celebration of Cadaver's latest (and perhaps greatest) effort. - Al Kikuras

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Carcass - Choice Cuts (Earache, 2004)

Rating:  8/10

Oh my god when I heard this was coming out many years ago I just about went into seizures. One of my favorite bands of all time releasing anything new almost brought tears of joy to me. I didn't care it was only one unreleased 1990 Peel Session, the one from 1989 that Strangefruit released way back when, and a best of. ITS CARCASS. Enter Ken Owen's health problems which nearly resulted in his death, Earache Records had to make a decision and they made the correct one for Mr. Owen and his family, rather than exploit his condition they put this album on the backburner.  Ken Owen is now doing much better, and was involved with the layout and track selections for this album, and Earache has finally pressed it.  Was it worth the wait?  Well that all depends...

The song selection for the best of portion is pretty good. Good mix from Reek of Putrefaction up to Swansong, you can hear and understand their change over time. I still insist anything after Necroticism wasn't great but for what it was, it was ok. Nothing could recapture the magic of the early days of this legendary act and I know I'm not alone in that feeling.  Luckily, Earache seems to have jaded fans like myself in mind with part 2 of this CD, the John Peel Sessions.

In that era, John Peel hosted a radio show on the BBC, and he would constantly play Reek of Putrefaction, AND Symphonies of Sickness.  He was very instrumental in their early success and CARCASS had 2 live sessions, one in 1989 and one in 1990.  As I previously mentioned the 1989 session was available a while back and can still be found but the 1990 session was..unheard of by this reviewer. I was waiting so long for these 4 tracks and they did NOT disappoint. The 2nd Peel Session has 4 of my favorite songs of all time, "Empathaological Necroticism", "Foeticide", "Fermenting Innards", and the mighty "Exhume to Consume".  Sound quality is great for that type of recording and its just mindblowing how well they played them on it.  Its what a live recording should be. 

There is one inherent problem with this album though, it is a best of. For the hardcore longtime fans, you will most likely want it for the unreleased Peel Session, and maybe for the prior one from 1989 if you don't have the joy of owning the original release. There's not much else to offer someone who already owns all of the studio albums though.  For something just getting into death metal and goregrind though this is a very good introduction to one of the most important bands of all time. - Rick

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Carcass - Fleshripping Symphony (Devil Metal Records, 2004)

Rating:  10/10

Oh boy, I was not prepared for this at all.  Devil Metal Records, a label I've never heard of before has put out the most essential demo compilation of all time.  For anyone who never moved past the Symphonies Of Sickness era, this release is designed for you.  Nothing past 1989 is on here, and I love every second of this album.

Flesh Ripping Symphony is made up a few recordings.  The first is the mindblowing Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment demo tape, next is the Symphonies of Sickness 1989 Demo recording, and then it finishes up with a show from Liverpool on 9/24/88, and a rehearsal session recorded at some point in 1988. 

Some people might ask, "Well why do I need to hear this demo material?" Simply put, it blows away everything on Symphonies of Sickness and Reek of Putrefaction.  The original demo with Sanjiv on vocals has now taken its rightful place as my favorite Carcass material of all time.  His vocals just totally fit, and its a shame Carcass turned into a 3 piece before recording their debut album.

As far as the 1989 Symphonies of Sickness demo is concerned, its got far better production than the actual full length album had. I'm not sure how this person at Devil Metal Records got ahold of any of these but I'm glad they did, so now those of us lucky enough to own this can experience CARCASS the way they were meant to be experienced.

The live sessions are disturbingly better quality than their footage on the Wake Up...DVD/VHS.  Much better song selections too.  I don't know what else to say about this other than if you are a CARCASS fan, you need this.  Do what you must to track it down because this is absolutely essential and I don't think there are a whole lot of copies floating around, get it while you can still find it. A tip of the hat goes to Devil Metal Records for making this release possible, thank you for sharing these rare recordings with the underground. - Rick

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Cathedral - The Serpent's Gold (Earache, 2004)

Rating: 9/10
 
Right off the bat it would wise to note that this is best of collection and not a new record.  If you've ever been curious about Cathedral, this is a good place to start.  This disc is an extremely well rounded vision of the band's tenure with Earache Records, which ended about two years ago.  Cathedral have long been adored in the doom scene and this disc should hammer that home.  Interestingly, the band's debut was full of solemn doom, extremely slow and very focused on riffs. For the rest of that decade (the 90s) Cathedral set off in a direction that incorporated less morose sounding riffs which caused some initial devotees to point the finger and scream how the band had "lost it." I was never one of those people. I've always enjoyed Cathedral regardless.  Now according to the promo, the store bought version of this comes with a second disc consisting of rarities that would make hardcore Cathedral fans cream their pants. A Witchfinder General cover, ("Rabies") "A Funeral Request live with assistance from Victor Griffin of PENTAGRAM fame and Scott Carlson of REPULSION," plus various demos and assorted live tracks. Recommended for both those curious about Cathedral as well as hardcore devotees.
- Big Juan

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Cattle Decapitation - Humanure (Metal Blade, 2004)

Rating: 8.5/10

With tongue planted firmly in rotten cheek, CATTLE DECAPITATION blast through 8 tracks (plus an intro and outro) of frenetic death/grindcore that is as fun as it is frightening. CATTLE DECAPITATION's enthusiasm for their craft is evident and contagious on Humanure. CATTLE DECAPITATION are excellent musicians, not just because they can play fast, or because they can groove, or because they can leap from one time signature to another, with breakneck stops in-between... they can do all these things and more, but CATTLE DECAPITATION's true strength is knowing WHEN to blast. WHEN to groove. They mix things up enough to keep them constantly and wildly interesting. Travis Ryan's vocals do the music justice. He roars like the best of them one second, and squeals like Ned Beatty in Deliverance the next, hitting just about every pitch in between in the process. This is grindcore taken to the next level of evolution, which is ironic considering sophomoric titles like "Bukkake Tsunami," but there are few things more entertaining than an amazing band that has good sense not to take themselves too seriously, and despite having the chops to justify being pompous assholes, CATTLE DECAPITATION have the good sense to not do so, and Humanure is all the more fun of a listen as a result. Thank, you CATTLE DECAPITATION, and thank you METAL BLADE for squeezing this album out on the world. - Al Kikuras

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Cerebral Effusion - Violence in Motion (Unmatched Brutality, 2004)

Rating: 7/10

This is very hard to review, not because its bad per se, but because of bands that I think have influenced this sound.  The high vocals are eerily reminiscent of VIRAL LOAD's, a lot of the riffs sound like some hybrid of DEVOURMENT, and FLESHGRIND, and I like that, but it begs a question to be asked, is this original?  Short answer? No.  Long answer?  Well...

Nowadays there really isn't much originality left in brutal death metal. Everyone is doing something quite a few bands before them have done and taking it a little further. Where CEREBRAL EFFUSION set themselves apart though, they aren't sticking to one particular direction too much. A lot of the songs on this disc really are all over the place going from nearly blistering speeds crammed with some mindbending riffs, to some slower grooves and breakdowns.  The vocals are a mix of guttural growls and earpercing shrieks, and the occasional cricket chirping low vocals.

I know my score for this isn't overwhelming but I wasn't totally overwhelmed. It is a good album, it is worth listening to but this isn't quite going to evolve death metal, and while there is nothing wrong with that, it is good to have some progression.  Things have to change at some point, ya know?  In the end, you have a pretty good album that is worth checking out. - Rick

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Crionics - Human Error (Ways to Self Destruction) (Candlelight Records, 2004)

Rating: 7/10

EMPEROR lives! Ok, well, maybe not quite. But the spirit of EMPEROR surely lives on in this record by CRIONICS.  From the get go, this band had a sound that was very reminiscent of later EMPEROR and ZYKLON, but not as sterile.  With solid blasting, vocals that were mostly screams, but occasionally a bit lower, and solid riffing reminiscent of DIMMU BORGIR and OLD MAN'S CHILD CRIONICS manages to put together a relatively solid record.

My biggest complaint is that I've heard it all before. In fact, in that first paragraph I named off 4 bands that I was immediately reminded of upon listening to this record. While tight, and intricate (minus the chromatic scale solos, booooring) CRIONICS hasn't breached the barriers of what we know as metal. In fact, they've reenforced my lack of faith in the creativity of the scene.

I gave it 7 points because they're very good at it.  I thoroughly enjoyed this album from start to finish. The song writing is great, with excellent keyboards, guitar harmonies and vocals. Aside from some seriously cheesy song titles ("Satanic Syndrome 666" and "Matrix of Piety"), this is a good album.  Just don't expect to be listening to something new, unless you've just recently started listening to metal. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Decapitated - The Negation (Earache, 2004)

Rating: 8/10

Everyone was shitting their pants when DECAPITATED first hit the scene, not just because the members were so young (15 and up) but because Winds of Creation was/is a motherfucker of an album.

Now, a few years down the line, as the members of DECAPITATED have advanced in age, we find out if they have really stood the test of time. Novelty is most definitely not a factor in The Negation's appeal. DECAPITATED have once again created a motherfucker of an album. Tight and varied in tempo, with exemplary performances on the part of every musician, The Negation is a 30-minute voyage into the realms of brutality. The guitar sound is perfectly crunchy and full. There is loads of double bass and blast beats. DECAPITATED are never brutal for the sake of being brutal. You never get the feel that a part is being played just for the sake of speed or heaviness. The songs are well-structured and memorable. Sauron's vocal performance is one-dimensional in range, but his vocal arrangements are his strength, as he weaves in and out of the music, sometimes following the riffing, sometimes flowing over it.  The Negation is not a ground-breaking album by any means, but a very solid and entertaining death metal release that holds up well to repeat listens. - Al Kikuras

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Eldritch - Portrait of the Abyss Within (Limb Music, 2004)

Rating: 5/10

There are two problems with progressive metal. The first is that most of it seems entirely contrived. It doesn't seem like the bands who play it really have a firm idea of HOW to be progressive without making it sound totally awkward. Secondly, there's boredom. Boredom is what happens when you sit down to listen to a band that's trying to be so progressive, that it bores you to sleep because there are no hooks at all.

ELDRITCH manages to avoid the latter, but they fall face first in the former.  While this semi-thrashy DREAM THEATER manages to avoid putting me to sleep (unlike DREAM THEATER which will put me to sleep within seconds of entering a CD player), it fails at sounding natural. It basically sounds like after writing a riff, they'd sit down and say "now, where can I put in an extra beat or two?" or "how awkwardly can we change the time signature to make it sound like we know what we're doing?"

However, there is still some decent stuff on this record.  Fortunately for this band, they don't have That Guy From Sweden singing for them, but their vocalist isn't very defining. His voice is fairly non-descript, with flat intonation (not tone, he's on key) and no feeling. The lyrics aren't terrible, though they too seemed contrived at times.

So there you have it.  Another band in this batch that failed to get past my, apparently insanely high, standards of creativity.  I'm really pretty disappointed, because other reviews I've read of this band have made them out to be something huge, when really they're just sort of a mediocre progressive thrash band. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Fleshcrawl - Made of Flesh (Metal Blade, 2004)

Rating: 8/10

If you find yourself missing the old days of classic ENTOMBED, UNLEASHED, DISMEMBER, THERION (Of Darkness era) and so on, you will greatly appreciate FLESHCRAWL's Made of Flesh. This is death metal of the classic Swedish style, replete with buzzsaw guitars, bestial vocals and eerie production from a band that has been around almost as long as the aforementioned (their debut was released in 1992) but, unlike most of the bands above (excluding DISMEMBER), FLESHCRAWL never strayed far from the formula that made the "Swedish sound" the phenomenon that it is.

I was a big fan of FLESHCRAWL's Metal Blade debut, As Blood Rains From the Sky. The follow up, Soulskinner, was a solid, but disappointingly unremarkable album. I am happy to report that Made of Flesh delivers completely. The great songs on As Blood Rains... are back, and while the album still doesn't pack quite the punch, it is a hell of a fun ride. There are a handful of bands out there still riding the old wave of the Swedish sound, but few capture the eerie, haunting feeling that the classic releases had as well as FLESHCRAWL, and that is their main strength. They don't sound like a band trying to capture the "old" sound... they are one of the "old" bands and, like DISMEMBER, still very much have it, and anyone with an ear for great death metal of this style will appreciate Made of Flesh immensely.   - Al Kikuras

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Funebre - Children of the Scorn (Xtreem, 2004)

Rating: 9/10

This is true old-school death metal. Not new blood playing the old style... Children of the Scorn was originally released in 1991 but didn't receive anywhere near the accolades it deserved. The folks at Xtreem have seen fit to re-release this gem and I, for one, am very happy. I love FUNEBRE's classic Cranial Torment demo and, must admit that in my ignorance, I wasn't even aware they had recorded a full-length until this promo arrived in my box.

Children of the Scorn should be mentioned in the same breath as ENTOMBED's Left Hand Path and DISMEMBER's Like An Everflowing Stream as landmarks of the classic Swedish style of death metal (though they hail from Finland). Most likely because it was released on Spinefarm as opposed to Earache and/or Nuclear Blast, it never received the same attention as the aforementioned classics, but the material is just as strong. The guitars have that otherworldy buzzsaw sound, the bass is a unholy presence as much as a sound... the vocals are deep (think early GRAVE), vile and repulsive... this is classic death metal at its grimiest and most eerie. The kind of stuff that entire genres have been launched by. FUNEBRE have a distinct sound that sets them apart from other bands of the time, however, making Children of the Scorn a worthy addition to your collection not just because of the of the nostalgia it churns up in those of us who were listening when this music first broke out into the underground, but because, even today, it still holds up to repeat listens just like the other hallmarks of the era. So, seek this one out. Whether hearing FUNEBRE for the first time or not, you will not be disappointed. For those of you with the original Spinefarm release, Xtreem's version is still a worthy buy as it includes the Cranial Torment and 1990 demo tracks on CD proper for the first time, barring the CDR version released years ago by Masterkult Records which, incidentally, was a bootleg offshoot of Xtreem's last incarnation, Repulse Records. - Al Kikuras

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Gholgoth - Somnus Mortis Imago (Ordealis, 2004)

Rating: 6/10

GHOLGOTH, I'm told, are a pagan black metal band from Hungary.  As far as I'm concerned, they sound like they live right next door to MARDUK.  They play an aggressive, but not too aggressive, form of black metal that I've become more fond of over the years.  While chaotic and atmospheric, I think most black metal fans might be a bit disappointed with the lack of vocal atmospheric and extremity.

Good solid guitar melodies traverse throughout this album, but the trem picking seems never ending at times when they should just fall back onto a good solid chunky riff.  They manage to pull off some cool timing and feel changes that are a little less common in black metal, as well.  The rhythm section (or should I say drummer, do these guys have a bass player? I can't hear him..) is pretty good as well, the blasting is solid and the symbol work is great, but it's produced with a sort of sterile sound that I've never heard on drums that weren't triggered before.

All in all, this is a pretty solid black metal release for the fans of black metal who aren't into the more atmospheric and noisy styles.  Even though at times it gets a bit generic, it's an enjoyable listen from start to finish. They manage to avoid the cheesiness of excessive keyboards (or any at all, in this case) and my only major complaint is too much talking and whispering on the vocal tracks.

I've definitely heard better, but all in all this is a pretty good release. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Gigantic Brain - The Invasion Discography (Razorback, 2004)

Rating: 9/10

This is it, folks. The ultimate drum-machine fueled death metal/grindcore album. Gigantic Brain push the BPMs to new levels of abuse. When you've got 63 songs in 59 minutes, you know you aren't dealing with any RUSH-like progressive leanings. Gigantic Brain are the musical equivalent of the movie Mars Attacks if it was rated R and some zombies were thrown into the mix. Vocals leap from the most guttural belching to ceiling-scraping screams. The riffs are just as varied... lumbering like an elephant on a bad acid trip one second, and snapping into wood-chipper mode the next. Picture Mortician with a sense of humor, though what Gigantic Brain does is not nearly as simplistic and straightforward, but is no less barbaric and brutal. The Invasion Discography is a great big, tongue-in-cheek bucket of blasts and gore. Rejoice, ye lovers of drum machine grindcore! Your Reign In Blood has arrived! - Al Kikuras

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Godus - Hell Fuck Demon Sound (Xtreem, 2004)

Rating: 3/10

XTreem Music releases a lot of albums and many of them fail to impress me.  GODUS, with their incredibly horrible idea of what black metal is, continue this long-standing tradition. I do recommend checking this out though for some odd reason.  They do a damn fine cover of DARKTHRONE's "Triumphant Gleam", its probably the best cover of DARKTHRONE I've ever heard, which is very strange considering how much I disliked their own original songs on here.  Just listen to the DARKTHRONE cover and you'll be fine. - Rick

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Hatework - Thrash n' Roll (Beer City, 2004) 

Rating: 5/10

HATEWORK can best be described as "what you see is what you get."  The second I had this CD in my hands and took a glance at the band's logo I knew I was in for some retro-thrash.  Sure enough, thrash metal is the name of the game here. A little KREATOR here, some SODOM there and a whole lotta DESTRUCTION adds up to an extremely competent, yet unimaginative tribute to a genre this band is clearly familiar with. The problem with bands like this is that the style was perfected years ago, and there's been no shortage of new acts that reach into the thrash metal grab bag for idea. So the best course of action would be to distinguish yourself from the masses.  Unfortunately this is where HATEWORK drop the ball. Not bad, but not necessary when I have a copy of Pleasure to Kill at arms reach. - Big Juan

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Icycore - Wetwired (Limb Music, 2004)

Rating: 4.5/10

ICYCORE is another band on SPV that I received in this batch.  Let me just start by saying about them that they looked promising. The concept art, even with all the numbers of the songs being done in Binary, seemed like an interesting concept (would've been even MORE interesting if song titles had been in binary…) but, of course, I was horribly mistaken.  I think that one word sums up this recording. That word, my friends, is: typical.

That's right everyone, typical.  I've heard it all before. While there are some catchy melodies, for the most part That Guy From Sweden (who is apparently SPVs default vocalist, sign a contract with them and they'll hook you up) dominates it with his cheesy lyrics, his mediocre melodies and his awkward (ESL) phrasing that makes you laugh, but more in derision than in a hearty, having-a-good-time-laugh. 

The concept is bad.  The Internet, technology, etc. just makes for terribly cheesy lyrics and concept unless you're far more poetic with them.  A guy's got to work his lyrics out so that they don't sound like your fumbling for anything you can to sing about. And while he occasionally hits some good notes, or a good chorus line, he usually screws it all up with some whispered lyrics or a terrible chorus line. 

I'm going to try to find an upside, because I feel like a terribly cynical negative reviewer.   The album improves as it goes on. The generic progressive/power metal sound becomes more bearable as time wears on. While there were still no memorable solos or musical moments to speak of, just a weary series of linked together notes, the vocals improved dramatically and caught onto some great choruses in both The New Gestalt and Watch Me Now.  Unfortunately these two bright spots don't make the album worth owning.

I honestly feel guilty giving reviews like this; I wish that I never had to give a review like this, I can't even think of anything funny to say.  It was just THAT typical. Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Illogicist - Subjected (Crash Music, 2004)
 
Rating: 7/10
 
In the past few years underground labels have gotten into the habit of slapping stickers on their shrink wrapped CDs that sound off the names of bands often seen as genre book-ends (SLAYER, MORBID ANGEL, AT THE GATES, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, DOWN, PANTERA etc...). Such marketing tactics are not entirely unwise as it offers a reference point to someone who may be unfamiliar with the band being promoted.  Unfortunately some of these stickers might read, "Recommended for fans of SLIPKNOT, JOY DIVISION and HATEBREED," which leaves you more confused than you were before reading the sticker.  Personally, I've found that a far more accurate way of predicting what a band might sound like before first listen is to simply read through the thank you list.  My thesis gains more credibility when researching the layout of this new record from Italy's ILLOGICIST (oh, you forgot this was a record review?). Right away there are several names that stood out to me including DEATH, TESTAMENT, CYNIC, ATHEIST, and IRON MAIDEN.  Sure enough, ILLOGICIST absolutely lay ground for a sound that incorporates pieces of each band mentioned, with DEATH being the most obvious influence.  By going back and forth between melodic NWOBHM riffs stacked upon the technical sorcery of CYNIC, TESTAMENT and DEATH, ILLOGICIST demonstrate an undeniable gift of proficiency in execution.  They also seem to have a good handle on writing songs that are undeniably catchy while not sounding overly melodic. While there's no hit single or standout track, I found that this record flows well from beginning to end, keeping you engaged through the entire listen.

To borrow from the record label lingo discussed earlier, ILLOGICIST are a band perfectly suited for someone who likes a conservative amount of technicality in their death metal, but don't quite want to see it taken as far as bands like GORGUTS, NECROPHAGIST and CRYPTOPSY have. If you miss the days of bands like DEATH and ATHEIST, who were technical in execution but never let it overshadow actual song composition, would do well to take notice of ILLOGICIST. Finally, I'm going to throw on a few extra points for a very aesthetically pleasing layout that combines band photos, beautifully detailed drawings and a collage that would make for a great pro-life rally poster. - Big Juan

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Insision - Revealed and Worshipped (Earache, 2004)

Rating: 6.5/10

Insision combine technical wizardry and brutality of SUFFOCATION with MORBID ANGEL's dynamics and quirkiness. The end result, Revlaled and Worshipped, is a solid slab of death metal that is interesting while you listen to it, but nothing really sticks in the mind upon completion. INSISION are certainly great musicians, but the music is kind of like Chinese food... it tastes great, but you are hungry again an hour later and, depending on what you order, it sometimes goes right through you. There are some odd riffs and changes, some great ideas, and some interesting parts, and while the album takes care of the craving for brutal music, it is not a release that I expect I will get the urge to listen to on a regular basis. - Al Kikuras

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