Music Reviews

Orphaned Land - Mabool (The Story of the Three Sons of Seven) (Century Media, 2004)

Rating: 10/10

In 1997 ORPHANED LAND signed with Century Media records, and took a break from writing music. Having heard their earlier material, I think this is the smartest thing they could’ve done. While their early stuff isn’t bad, it sounds like their ideas hadn’t coalesced into anything fantastic.

Seven years has done wonders for this band.  Their brand of metal has been created, mixing the hypnotizing sounds and rhythms of Arabic instruments, with good ol’ Western heavy metal.   The blending of these two is done incredibly as you wind through the excellent concept record that is Mabool (which means ‘whirlpool,’ in Hebrew).  The guitar playing is interesting, proficient and at times very reminiscent of IRON MAIDEN, with straightforward two guitar melodies and leads.  Time changes and key changes riddle this album and making it interesting to listen to, since they hardly ever rehash the same idea more than once.

The keyboards, while peripheral, add a dimension to the music while not drowning it or saturating it thickly.  There is only one major keyboard solo, which is actually an excellent piano solo at the end of "Norra El Norra". They also use a choir and strings to add atmosphere and intensity to their music along the lines of WINDS, without coming across as cheesy or overdoing it like THERION.

The vocals are very good, staying clean without being cheesy and carrying excellent melody over sometimes very difficult passages.  While sometimes the lyrics seem a bit weighty and unwieldy, he manages to maintain good rhythms and complex wordings that add a little spice and variety to the music, which makes it all seem that much more dynamic.  The growls leave a little to be desired, in my opinion. While the rhythms are excellent and interesting, the vocals just aren’t extreme enough at times, they seem a bit weak and often I feel like they don’t carry the music as well as they should.  Female vocals are also employed in several areas, using them in the more traditional sounding Arabic ways, and they are used to incredible effect!  The haunting melodies of half steps and voice breaks always leaving me longing for more, and give the music a mystical feeling that could’ve been left out, but would’ve been missed sorely. 

Concept records, as we know them, either suck or rule in my experience.  Rarely have I encountered a concept album that I felt somewhere in between on.  This is no exception. While undeniably “Hebrew Core” with very strong religious undertones and concepts that link back to the Torah (plus, the judicious use of Hebrew as a narrative language), they manage to link it together to make even a secular fellow like myself not angry with them for it.  These guys nail it right on, using a story and narration to lead you through the twists and turns of an excellent album.

I’ve been trying to come up with negative things to say, and the only thing I can think of as that these guys could stand to enlist a better drummer for their next recording, though they may be short on metal drummers in Israel, so I won’t hold it against them if they don’t. 

Fact is, if their next record is as solid as this one, Orphaned Land will soon have a following that rivals some of the biggest bands out there, because of their incredible talent and fresh style. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Inner Wish - Silent Faces (SPV/Limb Music, 2004)

Rating: 4/10

INNER WISH is yet another power metal band on Limb Music that has very little that separates it from the pack.  With a sort of stereotypical "heavy metal" sound, they plod through this record with OK riffing and decent vocals, but nothing that never really impresses, amazes, or even keeps me from wanting to change CDs.

While the vocals are much better than other recent releases from Limb (see: ICYCORE and MAGIC KINGDOM reviews), the melodies aren't catchy enough, or intricate enough to really hold you in your place for very long. The song writing is pretty traditional, and while there are some relatively interesting or progressive parts, the record spends the majority of its time floating in the cellar of semi-ballads and thematic stupidity.

I can't really think of anything else to say about it, if you've listened to power metal or traditional heavy metal, you've heard this band 1000 times over, done better in the beginning by the likes of IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST, and improved upon by SONATA ARCTICA and STRATOVARIUS. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Kratornas - Hecatomb To Affliction (Ordealis, 2004)

Rating: 9/10

Yes, yes, yes. There have been a few times when waves of bands in the underground sounded like a big fucking mess, not necessarily because they were trying to sound like a big fucking mess, but because their drive for the extreme got beyond their abilities as musicians. HELLHAMMER, SODOM's In The Sign of Evil, BLASPHEMY's Fallen Angel of Doom, BEHERIT's The Oath of Black Blood, anything from GOATLORD... you get the idea. Glorious times, and glorious releases.

KRATORNAS' Hecatomb To Affliction captures the spirit of those releases perfectly. The production is resplendently disgusting. You actually hear mics/amps feeding back from time to time. Appropriately, this is a cassette-only release limited to 300, so even the tape hiss is intact. The vocals are vile beyond compare... laden with reverb, they sound like 1,000 cats dying 1,000 deaths and someone throwing a grenade into the midst of it all. Musically, Hecatomb To Affliction is primitive and barbaric, but like the early works of VENOM and KREATOR, memorable.

Could you call it black metal? I guess so. Death metal? Yeah, sure. Thrash? Absolutely, but to slap KRATORNAS with any one defining genre would not do them justice. Just as the aforementioned bands transcended genres, as much because no one had (and, in many cases, still hasn't) though up a name putrid enough to aptly describe the chaos they generated, KRATORNAS have reached new levels of debauchery and insanity on Hecatomb To Affliction, and the release sits proudly along with the albums mentioned above as a new extreme in raw, unbridled ugliness. Seek this one out before it is gone if it is not already, and if you miss the boat, pray that KRATORNAS get around to recording something else as the world might become a too beautiful place without them. - Al Kikuras

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Liturgy - Dawn of Ash (Unmatched Brutality, 2004)

Rating: 9/10

With members of BRODEQUIN and DISGORGE, you know what to expect and LITURGY's Dawn of Ash fucking delivers. There comes a point with this type of band where you've more-or-less head it all. The gurgled vocals, relentless blast beats, lightning-fast guitar work... there are tons of bands doing it, and doing it well, but with Dawn of Ash, LITURGY have bumped up the bar every-so-slightly. Maybe it is the dual vocals of Matti Way and Jamie Bailey, each just distinct enough that you can discern one from the other, or the solid production, or just that the band is comprised of veterans of the style, and their experience shines through, but Dawn of Ash is not just a good album in the ultra-brutal death/grind style. It is an EXEMPLARY album. It is relentless to the point of almost being ridiculous. The kind of music that has the uninitiated shaking their heads in confusion and saying, "How can you listen to this crap?" while we aficionados know, this is about as jaw-droppingly brutal and extreme as it gets. If you are a fan of the style, of bands like PYAEMIA, INVERACITY, DEVOURMENT, STABWOUND, and of course, BRODEQUIN and DISGORGE, Dawn of Ash may well become your new bible. - Al Kikuras

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Magic Kingdom - Metallic Tragedy (Limb Music, 2004)

Rating: 6/10

The opening lines of this record made my heart jump for power metal joy. Not only does it start out with a instrumental track with a double lead and a very convincing melody, and it soon breaks into the traditional pitter-patter of metal double bass pedal and galloping/thrashy guitar.  Then the vocalist comes out.  4 points off, right there.  Apparently there is only one power metal vocalist left, and he’s a guy from Sweden with terrible, terrible, terrible lyrics and an incredibly thick accent.  While the music is awesome, power metal at its finest, with incredible solos from the guitars and keyboards, with excellent time changes and those little intricate extra measures that make me throw horns and jump around with excitement, it’s that fucking vocalist -- that guy from Sweden, who shouldn’t be allowed into a recording studio ever again.

I’m not just being a dickhead either, I want SO badly to like MAGIC KINGDOM, to add them to my collection of excellent, exciting, technically proficient and melodically pleasing power metal bands that I will never see live because I live in the United States, but I just can’t! With insanely cheesy lyrics like the ones in "Flying Pyramids" ("We must be armed and ready, they will change our destiny, the sentence will be so hard, humanity will die – Flying pyramids, there are millions in the sky…"), the fourth cut on this travesty of metal (Metallic Travesty?) and the terrible crooning that just makes me want to buy a plane ticket so that I can personally end this mans life.

But let’s talk about the other 6 points they were awarded, which I did refer to in the opening paragraph. With neo-classical technicality similar to that of RHAPSODY, SYMPHONY X, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, and so on, the music is a blur of technical playing with excellent melody. Produced well, the guitar isn’t overbearing, and the keyboards stay in their own little world, while the drums are a little tinny it’s made up for by how much I love that power metal beat. It’s such a shame that this band couldn’t find anyone better than That Guy From Sweden.

One last question: Is the Magic Kingdom they refer to Disneyland? - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Necrophagist - Epitaph (Relapse, 2004)

Rating: 9.5/10

The opening 40 seconds of Epitaph had me drooling nervously. Drooling because the music was so frantic, technical and inspired. Nervous because I was expecting a eunuch of a vocalist. That is not to say, high-pitched power metal-ish vocals... I might not mind that so much, but rather a drab vocal performance not at all up to snub with the music, like on that Ephel Duath album I reviewed last update.

The 41st second had me smiling. While the vocal performance is far from virtuosic, there are at least brutal vocals to fit brutal music. I wasn't expecting the standard death metal growl, but I am not disappointed.

NECROPHAGIST... what can be said? If you love bands like ATHEIST, CYNIC, DEATH, latter-day GORGUTS, MARTYR (the Canadian band), your knob will be as hard as mine when you listen to Epitaph. - Al Kikuras

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Paganizer - No Divine Rapture (Xtreem, 2004)

Rating: 7.5/10

While I was very fond of PAGANIZER's last slab, Murder Death Kill, their latest effort doesn't get my blood boiling in quite the same way. Sure, it is still heavy... still good, old-style Swedish death metal with a healthy heaping of mashed potatoes on the side, but the production isn't quite as grimy... the music not as menacing. It's still a few feet ahead of your typical rehashed death metal band, but coming off the high of Murder Death Kill, No Divine Rapture is a little disappointing. It is still great to hear that classic Swedish fuzz... and I do find myself putting this one on from time to time. If you have yet to hear PAGANIZER and your heart fills with pride when those maniacs from The Netherlands, PENTACLE, declared, "DON'T FORGET THE ANCIENT FEELING... IT STILL RULES," then you will find much joy listening to No Divine Rapture, and be sure to pick up Murder Death Kill as well. - Al Kikuras

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Pest - Daudafaerd (No Colours, 2004)

Rating: 9/10

Got to give credit to PEST for writing the black metal "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (or did VENOM already do that with "At War With Satan?"). Daudafaerd is one long track (entitled, "lifit es Daudafaerd") of mid-paced, atmospheric black metal. Coming off their previous releases, Ara and Desecration, Daudafaerd is a surprise. I expected more of the raw black metal bashings PEST delivered in the past, but rather on Daudafaerd Pest takes the elements that made previous releases stand out from the masses... melody and occasional moments of twisted beauty amongst ugliness... and explores them more thoroughly, and with magnificent results. Despite the 20+ minute length, "lifit es Daudafaerd" never feels overlong or disjointed, and that is perhaps Daudafaerd's strongest aspect... that rather than sounding like a bunch of random parts thrown together into one long track, it flows.  Rather than creating an oppressive, carcinogenic mood as on Ara, on Daudafaerd a melancholic atmosphere is created through layered guitar parts, and sparse, allowing the music to breathe. That is not to say that the music is not harsh. There are no keyboards, no female vocals, no string instruments or orchestration. This is the traditional black metal formula used to create music that is still black metal to the core, but more refined without being pompous. Epic without being grandiose. Daudafaerd is a very strong release that has me eagerly anticipating PEST's next effort, as Daudafaerd is a big step forward and I hope the next step they take is just as bold. - Al Kikuras

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Scavenger - Madness to our Method (Sentinal Records 2004)

Rating: 2/10

So in 1989 there was this band called ABANDONED SOULS from Minneapolis. They weren’t really that good, but I loved them because they had this satirical country song that made me laugh really hard, and I was 7 years old.  They were the band of my brother’s-friend’s- older-brother.  They played mediocre thrash metal at best, and they broke up after the all graduated from high school. 

SCAVENGER has nothing on ABANDONED SOULS.  Not only that, they don’t even have a satirical country song to bolster their record and make me laugh.  Plus, I’m now 22, and that wouldn’t improve their score any. These guys are really mediocre thrash metal with a HORRIBLE vocalist.  This guy has no sense of what makes a good melody, and his style is a little too similar to James Hetfield for me to let past with out a mention.  Hey man, you’re not James Hetfield.

The guitar work is all right, though produced very poorly. It’s really just too old school trash with nothing new going on, for me to even give it much more than a mention. The bass is totally unheard in the production, and the drums are pretty typical metal these days.  Musically there’s really nothing interesting going on here, trash metal meets an untalented IRON MAIDEN and teams up with the worst vocalist (that’s in key) I’ve ever heard.  

I really have nothing positive to say about this record. I try very hard to say good things about every band, but I was left entirely unimpressed by this incredibly mediocre band. If this is truly the “Ireland’s premier Heavy/Power Metal outfit” Ireland's metal scene is in a sorrier state of affairs than I had originally believed. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Skepticism - Farmakon (Red Stream, 2003)
 
Rating 8/10
 
Well, head for the box cutter and get ready to slit your wrists because SKEPTICISM have a new record out.  At time point I think everyone knows what to expect from a SKEPTICISM record.  Which isn't a bad thing, as these guys have been getting stronger with each record. For those not in the know, SKEPTICISM play a style of doom metal commonly referred to as "funeral doom."  Other examples of this sound are EVOKEN and THERGOTHON. However, it's a difficult task to keep the average listener tied down for the entire trip of an EVOKEN record, SKEPTICISM seem to have the market cornered on turning utter hopeless new into music while never losing the listener. So while this record isn't a giant leap forward for these guys, it absolutely sets a new standard in this genre. - Big Juan

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Splatterhouse - The House That Dead Built (Razorback, 2004)

Rating: 8.5/10

How the fuck do Razorback do it? They continue to find the greatest death/grind bands in the world and house them all... GHOUL, LORD GORE, WTN, FRIGHTMARE... the list goes on and on, and SPLATTERHOUSE are a spectacular addition to their already "brick-shittingly good" roster.

The formula is tried and true, and works. Like the mighty GHOUL, SPLATTERHOUSE combine the CARCASS sound with classic thrash, and the end result is an album that is gory buckets of fun from the first note to the last. This stuff doesn't get much better than the track "Mutilator," though "Night of the Creeps" comes close, with its sinister and hair-raising opening. The vocals run the gamut, from the low belches to a standard death metal growl and a Walker-ish screech and just about every pitch in-between, all at times layered all over one another like cheap whores during a wealthy tycoon's Vegas weekend.

But, unlike such a display of decadence, SPLATTERHOUSE never indulge too much in any one facet of their sound. They never abuse the double bass or the blast beat. They thrash when they should thrash. They grind when they should grind. They groove when they should groove. There are a few horror movie samples on the album, but don't go thinking they get MORTICIAN on you and have just as many samples on the album as music. They are used sparsely and tastefully, and they even managed to find an appropriate quote from Futurama. That's got to be somewhere in the "Top 10 Things I Never Expected To Hear On A Death Metal Album" list.

Thank you RAZORBACK, and thank you SPLATTERHOUSE for The House that Dead Built. It is a great place to visit, and you can both expect Christmas cards from me this year as a humble show of gratitude for releasing such a great album. - Al Kikuras

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Suffocation - Souls to Deny (Relapse, 2004)

Rating: 8.5/10

There is a reason why SUFFOCATION are heralded, emulated... everything but gangbanged by the death metal legions of the world. As much as any other band in extreme metal, SUFFOCATION have influenced a massive number of death metal bands, spawning an entire sub-genre of death metal by themselves. Very few bands have matched the intensity and conviction of the originators, however, and Souls to Deny is further evidence of why they are, as the saying goes, "often copied but never duplicated."

It has been a long time since Despise the Sun (6 years, is it?) and the years certainly have not mellowed SUFFOCATION. The music is still savage, technical, frenzied... pick your adjective of that ilk and it applies. SUFFOCATION still have the ability to slip seamlessly from a blast beat to a chugging groove and back again, and that jarring unpredictable nature of the beast is what kept the music through the years, and now on Souls to Deny, so damn interesting.

You can hear their conviction. It pulses within the music like murderous rage behind the eyes of a dangerous psychopath. You can tell that SUFFOCATION feel what they are doing with every fiber of their beings. Like a rabid beast, they keep lunging for the jugular, and do not rest until their victim, in this case the listener, is left bloodied and torn. Listen to the section that starts 4 and a half minutes into the title track to hear SUFFOCATION as good as they have ever been. Short bursts of blasting interspersed with double bass, building and building before launching into an all-out assault of snare and speed. This is what all of the clones have been trying to do during SUFFOCATION's absence. Luckily for them, and for us, the masters have returned to show them how it is done.

Souls to Deny may not have the same impact that Human Waste and Effigy of the Forgotten on first listen, but that is not because it is any less of an impressive or great album, but rather because back in 1991 nothing quite like either release had ever been heard. Let it be know that SUFFOCATION are back in fine form, and after 14+ years are still as relevant to extreme music as ever. - Al Kikuras

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Toadliquor - The Hortator's Lament (Southern Lord, 2003)
 
Rating: 8/10
 
Southern Lord has done an excellent job of cementing their reputation as THE doom metal label in the US.  Not only have they released records from the genre's best active bands (WARHORSE, KHANATE, BORIS, PLACE OF SKULLS) and reached back into the history of the genre to reissue albums from SAINT VITUS and GRIEF. TOADLIQUOR is somewhat of a different beast entirely.  Having a short existence in the early 90s, the band released one LP that never made its way into the digital format before calling it a day. This disc collects that LP and tacks on various demo tracks and other oddities. 
Musically TOADLIQUOR might best be described as the forgotten or overlooked twin brother of GRIEF. There are definitely differences between the two bands, and TOADLIQUOR were too far ahead of their time to be labeled a mere clone band. But anyone who is still morning the break up demise of GRIEF, IRON MONKEY and EYEHATEGOD over the last few years might be able to find some solace here. With 12 tracks of mind numbing doom, this disc should hold you over until the next MELVINS record hits town. - Big Juan

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Tower of Babel - Upon the Shores of Exile (Self-released, 2004) www.babelempire.com

Rating: 9/10

An unsigned act from Wisconsin that I’ve been fortunate enough to see live on several occasions, TOWER OF BABEL has always impressed me with their live performance, their energy on stage and of course, their two excellent guitar players. They recently went into the studio to do a self-produced record, which I managed to get my grubby little hands on.  I have not been disappointed. 

Though the production is obviously not fantastic, it is excellent for demo quality and "A Babylonian Legacy" rips into you after a drum intro.  What I was initially struck by was the presence of the vocals.  Nicodaemus’ vocal performance on this demo is commanding, covering the power metal laced symphonic black metal with trademark black metal vocals in the league of Garm’s commanding vocals on the early ARCTURUS and ULVER records.

The guitars, of course, are worthy of accolades as well. As I mentioned earlier, they’re obviously power metal influenced, but managing to tie in the technicality that they draw from those influences into convincing black metal is a task in and of itself, a task that they complete admirably. A seemingly constant dervish of speed and melody interlaced with solos, the guitars still have the raw trem picking and tone of black metal. It speaks very highly in their favor that they are able to maintain both of these without seeming too stretched in one direction or another.

One thing often overlooked with this style is the rhythm section, which in this band is tight and proficient.  The drums are a bit of a break from more traditional black metal blasting, tending towards a more power metal approach, without getting too campy or uninteresting.  The bass is a bit tinny, and does use way too much distortion, the parts he’s playing work very well in the grand scheme of thing, and the tone helps with the raw sound that they’ve managed to maintain.

The only peripheral piece of the band is the keyboardist.  In some places the keys are awesome!  They work perfectly in unison with the band, creating an excellent sound, carrying melodies or just bolstering weaker sections. At other times they seem unnecessary or cluttering.  It may be an unfortunate side effect of lower quality production, however, as the parts fit, they just seem cluttered.

The song writing, while excellent, is indicative of a relatively inexperienced band.  While the songs are headbanging fests from start to finish, they tend to lack a little bit of the dynamics more experienced song writers rely on to help them gain their steam again and not bore listeners.  While, obviously, they are not completely missing they could stand more.  Another complaint is that sometimes the guitar solos seem a bit unwieldy, but again this is indicative of a young band, with immense amounts of potential. 

All in all, you would do yourself well to make your way to http://www.babelempire.com and check out this excellent up and coming metal band. Their unique brand of what they do will hopefully see them signed to someone with the funding to do their complex sound justice! - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Twilight Ophera - The End of Halcyon Age (Crash Music, 2004)

Rating: 7/10

I went into this record expecting crappy, boring, typical, cheesy symphonic black metal, and while TWILIGHT OPHERA isn’t exactly breaking barriers, they’re so good at what they do, I can’t help but enjoy listening to this.  Think for a minute of bands like BORKNAGAR and DIMMU BORGIR, bands that have been doing this symphonic black metal thing for a long time, and have gotten good at it, but sort of sunk into groove that they may never remove themselves from, this band adds some freshness to that. While undeniably fitting into that “niche” they do a very good job of adding freshness to it that I haven’t heard in this genre in a while. 

Let’s start with what they do remarkably well, and work our ways downward. Firstly, they have a firm grip on the dynamics that are necessary to make an excellent record, they’re not afraid to switch up the vocals to a VERY Simenesque (BORKNAGAR, DIMMU BORGIR, ARCTURUS) clean vocal that definitely makes some of these songs far more interesting than they would’ve been otherwise.    The guitar seems to have a power metal flare to it at times, with some excellent fast, technical riffing and strong melody.   The drumming is tight, but not amazing, and as usual the bass is nonexistent.

The “symphonic” aspect of it is excellent as well, using high quality synthesizers and having a sense of what works and what doesn’t, the keyboardist seems to know what the weakest points are, and what needs the most bolstering, and he does so with ease. The vocals, while going between guttural growls and a more black metal scream, lean more on the black metal side to pretty good effect.  The vocalist also isn’t ground breaking, but he’s not bad and he’s certainly got a good grip on when he’s needed and when he’s not. 

All around, this is a pretty solid record. It’s nothing ground breaking, and you’ll surely not see them on any American tours any time soon as I don’t suspect they’ll be hitting it very big, but if you’re a big fan of the symphonic black metal sound akin to GRAVEWORM and DIMMU BORGIR, these guys are right up your alley, and they do it very well.  - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Underthreat - Behind Mankind's Disguise (Conquest Music, 2003)

Rating: 9/10

Conquest Music doesn't have a lot of bands on their roster really, in fact I couldn't remember the last time I heard that labels name prior to receiving this album. I figured though with bands such as VADER, MONSTROSITY, and DIABOLIC on the label that it would be more of the same style but I was greeted with an incredibly pleasant surprise with this album.

Hailing from Columbia, UNDERTHREAT play melodic death metal in the vein of SINS OF OMISSION, for those unfamiliar, very thrashy melodic death metal. I keep telling myself this style peaked with its founding fathers but these last 2 weeks have made me believe otherwise. Perhaps the best isn't behind us just yet. 

Its hard to really put into words how intense this album is. When I was giving this album a first listen I was on a bus practically falling asleep but I popped this into my discman and it was basically like a shot of adrenaline.  A lot of bands that play melodic death metal end up sacrificing brutality for melody but UNDERTHREAT did not make any such compromises, and this really makes the album stand out.  Its a rare melodic death metal album you can call brutal but this fits that description perfectly.

The one aspect of this album which isn't to my liking is the lack of bass in the mix.  Bass is an essential instrument for any band and I don't feel like it carries the tunes here, but rather that its just kind of there and not very prevalent in the sound.  I'm great at singling out the sound of one instrument but on this album its so low its a bit hard to do that.

UNDERTHREAT are a band to be watched out for, these guys are already incredible and just show so much more potential for the future.  I highly recommend this album for ANYONE into extreme metal, I see very big things for this band.  Check this album out because I don't believe you will regret it. - Rick

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Vomitory - Primal Massacre (Metal Blade, 2004)

Rating:  7/10

VOMITORY are a band I've heard quite a bit about throughout the years but for one reason or another, I never really did look into their releases. Maybe I had this idea in my mind of what Swedish Death was supposed to be and chose not to venture far beyond what I already knew.  I'm glad I got to hear this though.

They play death metal very much in the old-school vein, and not a lot of bands can take that style and add modern twists to it with much success.  VOMITORY, however, pull this off quite nicely.  I hear Possessed in it but I also hear something I can't quite put my finger on, their own unique style, and I do like that quite a bit.

The standout track for me is "Stray Bullet Kill" which has a little bit of everything going for it.  Some riffs sound like they belonged on POSSESSED's classic Seven Churches album, and then they just have these moments where they go hyper-technical and really shine. The one area this disc lacks in a bit is each track having its own distinct identity.  Most of the songs feel like they sort of bleed into each other, all very by the books opening/intros and dare I say it, a bit formulaic at times.

Vomitory aren't likely to set the world ablaze anytime soon but if you do like them already you probably owe it to yourself to check this out.  From what I understand they don't change much from album to album, so if you do like their earlier stuff you should enjoy this quite a bit too. - Rick

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Vorkreist - Sabbathical Flesh Possession (Xtreem, 2003)

Rating:  6/10

VORKREIST, yet another band on Xtreem Music, another letdown? NO!  Note to whomever is in charge of EM:  Please, keep signing bands like this.  Anyways, VORKREIST are a bit similar to DIABOLIC, but with a much more raw sound.

They show a lot of promise on this album but the production really holds them back.  I've heard drums sound worse on one album, NUCLEAR DEATH's seminal Carrion For Worm. The guitars kind of cut in and out, everything sounds very tinny, and like this was a demo just pressed onto a CD.  They have some incredible riffs on here but everything is a bit buried, they need to get good production and soon.

Everything on here does sound different but once they get into the studio with an engineer who knows what he is doing, good things will happen.  I'd love to hear a follow up to this but I honestly don't know if I can or should recommend this album. Don't be fooled by my score though, I do like this quite a bit but I do have to judge this as a whole, including the production as that is a key aspect.  In the end, this is a good album that could have been great. - Rick

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Woodtemple - The Call From the Pagan Woods (No Colours, 2004)

Rating: 6.5/10

Ahh, irony. Here we have a band that sounds uncannily like GRAVELAND... are on the same label as Graveland, and the header on their bio on the label web site says, "Graveland Biography." (see http://www.no-colours-records.de/woodtemple_bio.htm). That does pretty much sum it up. WOODTEMPLE is a one-man pagan black metal project, very heavily borrowing from Graveland's later years. That is to say, mid-paced black metal with folk-ish leanings. Not as epic as the epic GRAVELAND (Immortal Pride), not as raw as the raw GRAVELAND (In the Glare of Burning Churches, Following the Voice of Blood), and just as homogenized as the homogenized GRAVELAND (The Fire of Awakening). The Call From the Pagan Woods does the trick, but the trick isn't all that spectacular. - Al Kikuras

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