Music Reviews

Cirith Gorgor - Firestorm Apocalypse (Tomorrow Shall Know the Blackest Dawn) (Ketzer, 2004)

Rating: 10/10

When I think of the Netherlands, I don't think of fast, blasty, folk influenced black metal. I can't imagine anyone that I've ever met from the Netherlands burning down a church, or writing angry, anti-Christian metal.

But hey, let's be honest here, I'm not about to fight with CIRITH GORGOR over whether or not geography can allow them to play some of the best Black Metal that I've heard since I first heard TAAKE's incredible "Nattestid Ser Porten Vid."

The parallels between TAAKE and CIRITH GORGOR don't stop at my excitement for them upon the first listen.  CIRITH GORGOR, like TAAKE, is obviously very influenced by harmonized two-guitar styles, and thus taking their influence from that as well as the obvious black metal influences, they mix the sound to make incredible melodic black metal, without needing cheesy keyboards.

One of the things I was impressed with is the way they offset their blasts, trem-picking and screams, with more old school sounding slow parts, with a simple drum beat and power chords. In other words, hey get the sound that SATYRICON was going for on "Volcano" without commercial sound.

Start to finish this record is incredible. The energy is perfect, varied enough to keep you interested, but also keeping everything intense and never sacrificing the true black metal sound. The musicianship is great, without getting wanky or showy, they manage to keep a sound that often gets dull and overdone sounding fresh and excellent. All in all, this was the best record in the batch.  Hail CIRITH GORGOR! - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Abhorer - Unholy Blasphemer (Xtreem, 2004)

Rating: 8/10

Another review from Xtreem Music's Xtreem Cult Series, which is turning out to be a hell of an imprint, releasing FUNEBRE's Children of the Scorn and with plans for many more old gems in the works. Singapore's ABHORER gets the treatment this time, with the disc including the 1996 Zygotical Sabbatory Unabapt album plus the Upheaval Of Blasphemy 7" and the unfortunately-named Rumpus Of The Undead 1989 demo.

A relatively obscure, yet heralded act by those who are aware of them, ABHORER play chaotic death/black metal akin to bands like IMPIETY, BEHERIT and BLASPHEMY, though a bit more cohesive than the latter two. As is to be expected, the sound on the LP is much cleaner than the 7" and demo, and the material is more refined. It is interesting to listen back to the band, to hear how they progressed yet still retained their chaotic edge. The 7" material almost sounds like a live-in-the-studio recording, though I don't know if it is. With the Rumpus of the Dead demo, it sounds even MORE live and, thus, even more chaotic.

With the resurgence of popularity of bands like the aforementioned BEHERIT and BLASPHEMY, plus new acts like REVENGE and BLACK WITCHERY, Xtreem have a very timely release on their hands, and one that fans of the genre new and old will find sits nicely in their collections. - Al Kikuras

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Annihilator - All For You (AFM Records, 2004)

Rating: 9/10

I am a big ANNIHILATOR fan, particularly the first two albums and the last few. I remember first buying Alice In Hell when we went to a local record store for a friend's birthday party, back when your parents had to drive you everywhere. I was maybe 14 or 15 years old and the ten bucks I shelled out was a lot of money to me, but it was worth it. Then, when I was in my early 20s, that same copy of Alice In Hell got stuck in my car stereo tape deck. It wouldn't eject so, for 3 or 4 months, whenever I drove, I was listening to Alice In Hell and I didn't mind.

With Set The World On Fire, they lost me for a while. The album was soft. Too soft. Then, there were the "Jeff Waters on vocals" years, which yielded some good stuff, but I missed Randy Rampage and Corburn Pharr, which brings us to Criteria For A Black Widow and a drug-crazed Randy Rampage re-joining the fold just long enough for another kick-ass album to be produced. With Randy out, ANNIHILATOR mastermind Jeff Waters made the smart move by enlisting Joe Comeau, who was the vocalist for LIEGE LORD's criminally underrated masterpiece, Master Control. Two powerful albums were released before Joe left.

I was worried, people. I heard Jeff found a new vocalist. They released a video for the title track to the album I review at this moment, and I wasn't worried anymore. I was livid. Despite the great riffs, I heard leanings of nu-metal in the vocals. NU-METAL! ON AN ANNIHILATOR ALBUM!!

What happened, though? Despite my initial revulsion, the song was stuck in my head. I downloaded the video to my hard drive and watched it a handful of times. Then I started putting it in on in the background and listening to the song as I worked. It sunk in. Then, it occurred to me... I was disappointed not because of any actual fault in the music or the vocals, but because of my own expectations. I expected an old-school metal screamer and didn't get it. While new vocalist Dave Padden can scream, it just wasn't the kind of screams I was anticipating. This is not nu-metal. This is still metal. So, skeptical, I ordered All For You.

Man, what a fucking album! It has all the great guitarwork, the heaviness, the ultra-fast and tight riffing, and that fine coating of Velveeta we've come to expect from an ANNIHILATOR album. I mean cheese in the best sense possible, like in the intro to "Dr. Psycho," where Padden confides to the listener, "I'm drifting off into nothingness, So terrified of what will be/Tomorrow is the day, I can't back out/But I'm scared of what will happen to me/They say a simple procedure, It's supposed to be all so routine/But what if the doctor was evil and very, very mean." One can't help but snicker, and such b-movie lyrics taken seriously might just come off as dumb, but when the music backing it up is this good, the humor (unintentional, I am sure) just adds to the enjoyment. Padden can be heard at his best with the unorthodox vocal performance on "Demon Dance," a great tune that is one of my favorites on the album. He made me a believer the second I heard his off-kilter vocals on that song.

There is one HUGE clunker on All For You, and that's the ballad, "The One." Yech. Jeff Waters tends to pen the occasional fruity ballad (like "Innocent Eyes" off Refresh the Demon) but when the rest of the material is as razor-sharp as it usually is, you can forgive his emotional indulgences. What Waters is doing that most new thrash acts are not is writing catchy, fun songs that are as heavy and musically proficient as thrash metal has ever been. He is a veteran and it shows. All For Your is another gem in his crown as one of the kings of thrash metal, and a man that has never abandoned the real good shit. - Al Kikuras

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Attila Csihar - The Beast of Attila Csihar (Southern Lord, 2003)
 
Rating: 7.5/10
 
I was very curious when I first heard Southern Lord was planning this release. Love him or hate him (and most metalheads are pretty polarized when it comes to Mr. Csihar) no one can deny the creative line this guy has been able to consistently walk for nearly 2 decades now.
Personally, my favorite works of Csihar-meister would be early Tormentor material, his work with Mayhem and the most recent Aborym output. Also included here and worth noting is his performance with Emperor covering Mayhem's "Funeral Fog." 
Most of the other material on here went a bit over my head.  I did enjoy the Anaal Nathrakh and Limbonic Art songs. But I was equally turned off by Plasma Pool and Korog. The bonus track featuring Attila's collaboration with Sunn O)) also rears its head as the creepiest thing these drone nuts have put out.
Overall this record changed very little of my thinking about Attila Csihar. But this is an excellent sampler for anyone not familiar with his history. - Big Juan

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Brainstorm - Soul Temptation (Metal Blade, 2003)

Rating: 7/10

While BRAINSTORM have possibly the worst band name ever (excluding bands with numbers in their name, of course) they make some righteous heavy metal!

With a sound that reminds me of a less technical/shreddy ONWARD (including a baritone vocalist [Andy B. Franck - SYMPHORCE] who has a voice that is hardly distinguishable from Michael Grant), BRAINSTORM paints a picture of traditional, melodic metal that's hard to ignore in these days of rehashed themes. 

While, granted, they are not an entirely originally sounding band, still having obvious classic metal influence, they capture the two guitar sound of the 80s without sounding tired, overdone, or mediocre. The song writing is a deft mix of progressive elements and traditional metal structure, soaring choruses, mixed with off times or long musical interludes that make their music worth listening to.

All around, this album will make a traditional metal listener happy.  For those of you who are into more modern forms of metal, there are still some elements that you might enjoy, even if it does seem like a bit of a throwback at times. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Butcher ABC - Butchered at Birthday (Obliteration Records, 2003)
 
Rating: 8/10
 
First off, despite the rip off title do not expect a CANNIBAL CORPSE clone here. This is seriously twisted and brutal Japanese goregrind/brutal death. Its short, but its very to the point and well worth owning.
 
The production is pretty good, the vocals are sick, the riffs are catchy, this is just really fun stuff. Its 5 tracks, and 13 minutes of straight forward no bullshit brutality. If you like HAEMORRHAGE, or DEAD INFECTION, I think this will be right up your alley.  There isn't a whole lot to say about this release, I don't think it will start a musical revolution but it damn sure will keep me listening for some time to come. - Rick

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Caliban - The Opposite From Within (Abacus Recordings, 2004)

Rating: 6.5/10

As far as metalcore goes, CALIBAN has been around for a while. Forming in 1997, they've been around for long enough to validate their claim to being "metalcore" veterans, even though they never "jumped on the metalcore bandwagon" according to their bio.

Listening to this, I hear a mix of HATEBREED, MACHINE HEAD and such similar veterans, which mixes with a more nu-metal tendency for clean parts.  While a lot of the clean parts in modern metalcore feel more punk-influenced, these guys don't seem to have the same pop sensibility.

So, when you think CALIBAN, think screamy/talky hardcore vocals, over a machine gun double bass, offset by hardcore breakdowns and semi-poppy clean parts. That basically describes the bandwagon. Sorry guys, you missed the chance to break the scene, and now you're just members of the bandwagon whether you like it or not.  You are EXODUS to METALLICA; LACUNA COIL to EVANESCENCE; MUSHROOMHEAD to SLIPKNOT; who cares how long you've been doing it, you're a second rate imitator now.  Sorry.

That said, these guys aren't terrible, and even if I've heard it before, I still have a basic appreciation for what these guys are doing, and how cool this would've been in 1997 when it first came out.

Check it out if you dig metalcore, you'll appreciate it. If you don't, steer clear.  You've heard it all before. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Crisis - Like Sheep Led to Slaughter (The End Records, 2004)
 
Rating: 6.5/10
 
In the mid to late 90's, Crisis was pretty much all over the place in the New York scene. However as we moved past Y2K the band seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth.  I had read that they relocated to California, changed their name to Skullsikk Nation and taken an approach to blend in with the nu-metal scene.  With a name like, you almost had to find a nu-metal band behind it.

Now in 2004 the band have reverted to their original moniker and released a long awaited full length with strange bedfellows, The End Records. Crisis doesn't seem to have changed much, but I do hear a tinge of Ozzfest in there. In fact it wouldn't be hard to imagine a Crisis/OTEP tour.  The main difference between Crisis and those bands is that here you have extremely competent musicians showcasing a sound that draws equally from hardcore and old school death metal. 

My main gripe with Crisis has always been one thing. Karen's vocals make my skin crawl. I just can't get into her voice. She deserves credit for taking her vocal range in many new directions this time around, but I'm not sold.

All in all anyone who dug previous Crisis material won't be disappointed with this. - Big Juan

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Damnation - Destructo Evangelia (Threeman/Candlelight, 2004)

Rating: 8/10

This is a radically different band than the DAMNATION that released the Resist album on Dark Realm back in '00. Much more interesting band as well. This DAMNATION play a DARKTHRONE-inspired brand of black metal (as if there is a black metal band not inspired by DARKTHRONE these days) that is quite appealing in its gut-wrenching rawness. Slam that together equal parts SARCOFAGO and CELTIC FROST and you know what to expect... a chaotic, thrashing, black metal buffet, full of chunky goodness. This is just about as old school as old school gets, right down to the pseudonyms, the sound, and even splitting the CD up in to "Side Darkness" and "Side Evil." Throw in BATHORY and SARCOFAGO covers and you've got an album in Destructo Evangelia that black metal fans, old and new school alike, will wet the bed over. - Al Kikuras

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Death Metal: A Documentary DVD (Music Video Distributors, 2004)
 
Rating:  8/10
 
Bill Zebub is a name that should be known by most folks in the metal underground. For some time now he has been making many of us laugh with the tongue in cheek humor of the Grimoire of Exalted Deeds, the second longest running zine out of NJ to my knowledge (Second only to Chris Forbes' Metal-core) and also for the humor in his films. He's made a variety of them and he has now filmed this, a documentary about death metal. There is no narration, the folks in the video tell you the story. There’s Ron and Dan of MALIGNANCY, Peter Steele of TYPE O NEGATIVE/CARNIVORE, Dan Lilker of... you name it, Lilker's been in it, Bob and Ross of IMMOLATION, Roger of MORTICIAN, Frank of SUFFOCATION, Johan from AMON AMARTH, James Murphy and quite a few more.
 
A few nice extras are videos from HAEMORRHAGE, DERANGED, BRUTAL TRUTH, CARCASS, MALIGNANCY and SUFFOCATION. Issues discussed range from the origin of death metal to record labels, contracts, piracy, money, scene violence and things of that sort. In my opinion Dan Lilker comes across as the smartest on here, and offers the most insight. I'm not gunna bore you with quotes or anything but I do recommend this film to any fan of death metal. The one thing I didn't like about this though was the inclusion of Peter Steele.  Yeah I understand what CARNIVORE was all about, but all he talked about here was the hardcore scene he came out of, record labels and he made some jokes which were not funny at all. I could have done without Steele, sorry.- Rick

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Disillusion - Back to the Times of Splendor (Metal Blade, 2004)

Rating: 8/10

 OPETH opened many doors in the metal scene. When everyone realized that bands with acoustic parts in their death metal can get popular, they started snatching up bands that figured dynamics out and have brought them into their music effectively. 

DISILLUSION is one of those bands that benefited from this.  While they don't sound necessarily like OPETH (their heavy parts are much more obviously IRON MAIDEN or AT THE GATES influenced) they use dynamics effectively, and write long winding songs with complicated structures.

While DISILLUSION is writing long songs, it doesn't feel like they lose anyone in the "pretention" of the art.  They're not just being "progressive" for the sake of it.  The creative mix of death metal, acoustic rock and some traditional metal parts, really lend themselves to excellence.

One of the things that really stands out on this album, aside from the excellent musicianship, is the vocal melody.  When juxtaposed with heavy parts, the creative use of melody, similar to no band I've really listened to.  There's sort of a folky feeling that moves through the vocal parts and carries them without sounding hokey, or straight up "folky" like FINNTROLL or OTYG.

All around, this record is an hour of excellent modern progressive extreme metal. Anyone who likes any of the above styles will find pieces that they appreciate, and if you've an ear for interesting music, you should absolutely check this band out.  This one's going in my CD wallet for the car. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Ewigkeit - Radio Ixtlan (Earache, 2004)

Rating: 5.5/10

While I COMPLETELY disagree with Earache trying to sell this record off as the "Dark Side of the Moon of a new generation," I do think that this is an interesting and fun album that isn't necessarily progressive or innovative, but interesting none-the-less.

The sound is hard to explain as their isn't really a band I could compare it to. I guess I'm going to say this, were Trent Reznor a good guitar player who was influenced by old metal bands, this is probably what NIN would have sounded like. With lots of interesting sound scapes, from radio transmissions to Indian tribal chants, there is definitely a PINK FLOYD influence on this record from that standpoint. But when you tie that together with semi-industrial metal, I think you lose those comparisons and they become fairly meaningless.

To be honest, this album took me about 3 tries to make it all the way through. Partly this was circumstantial, because I'm busy, but partly this was because I had no reason to sit around and listen to it.  It didn't captivate my attention, because, frankly, it was either too obtuse, or too simplistic. It never made it to that level at which a record becomes both interesting and catchy.

While I appreciate what's trying to be done, I just can't get into it.  If you're into the obtuse attempts at progression, you'll probably dig this. I just think it really did feel like an 'ewigkeit' (eternity) to listen to. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Eyes See Red - Beyond the Realms of Sanity (Self-Released, 2004)

Rating: 6/10

I don't recall anyone ever talking about the German Death scene.  I've heard about the power metal scene, the thrash scene, even the black metal scene (BLACK METAL IST KRIEG!!!) but never the German Death Metal scene.

EYES SEE RED are a German death metal band.  And, frankly, I can understand why I've not heard about the German scene.  This is not to say that they're bad, it's just to say that it's not a distinctive sound, if ESR are a prime example of the sound.

This is good mid-paced, semi-technical death metal.  It has a sound simliar to that of BOLT THROWER meets R.I.P era MEGADETH.  There isn't a lot of the excessive grind blasting that seems to color so many death metal bands today, and some of the stuff sounds like old school, bay-area thrash if I've ever listened to it.

The vocals reek of Sweden. A mid-ranged vocalist, who's rhythmically oriented, but not necessarily lyrically fantastic.  Really, the vocals don't stand out as dynamic or interesting, and I could stand a bit more of an energetic performance.  However, in the defense of this guy, this is a self-released recording, and often times vocals on recordings don't sound good unless they've been properly mastered.

The sub-par mixing actually leads to one pleasant surprise.  Because of the guitar mixing being a bit thin, the bass takes a step forward to good effect. This is a talented bassist who's obviously aware of his limitations, but doesn't feel the need to take a back seat to guitarists.  While sometimes flashy, he knows his place. I like a bassist like this.  It's well done.

All in all, I think these guys would benefit from a real studio recording with real money to back it up. Some of the ideas they have, such as a very jazzy/bluesy sense at some points, don't come across well because of poor tone, and muffled sound.  While I don't know if it would ever make this band fantastic, I think it would shed a light on their recording that they weren't able to capture with this record. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Impious - Hellucinate (Metal Blade, 2004)

Rating: 8.5/10

What a fucking album! I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Impious. I assumed brutal death metal for some reason, and while the material on Hellucinate certainly is brutal, it is also so much more. Impious combine the "new" thrash sound with the best of the old school, meaning Hellucinate isn't your typical, run-of-the-mill nu-thrash album. It is fucking RAUNCHY, leaning heavily on death metal and some black metal, the end result being an album with all the ferocity and chaos of classic thrash combined with the technical proficiency of the current big players. There are some very catchy moments, and some less memorable, but nothing is weak. All is ferocious. Impious stand out not for doing anything radically different from their contemporaries, but rather for doing what others may be doing much better than the average band. Hellucinate is an album that I think will grow more rewarding with time and I intend to dedicate some serious listening time. - Al Kikuras

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Inquisition - Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer (No Colours, 2004)

Rating: 9/10

Nice to hear a distinctive sound in black metal. There are a slew of black metal releases flying out of Satan's every orifice these days, and with such a bevy of material, it takes a lot for an album to really stand out. on Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer, INQUISITION have created a sound that is very much their own. It is sick, oppressive, depraved... there is nothing remotely commercial or user-friendly in INQUISITION's sound, and that is their greatest strength... they have absolutely abandoned all of the characteristics associated with the common perception of "good music." The playing is haphazard, the melodies ugly, the vocals vomitous, the production noisy and raw... and if you take this all and roll it up together, you get one of the best black metal releases I have heard all year. This is the kind of music that makes people shake their heads and say, "How can you listen to this crap?" The kind of music that makes a parent stop outside their kid's door and whisper to each other, "I'm worried about him." The kind of music that fans of vile black metal will listen to over and over, and praise as a new beacon of blackness for the rest of the underground legions to aspire towards. Listen to the "solo section" towards the end of track 3, "Under The Black Inverted Pentagram." Is that a guitar? Is it someone wailing in falsetto, describing a vile melody? Then the vocals that carry that section out... it sounds as if he is trying to sing as someone jams a knife down his throat. And from there the music builds, becoming more and more frenzied, before cutting off like a head in a guillotine. Perfection in black metal, that track is, and so dark and nasty that the song that follows, "Of Blood and Darkness We're Born," itself a nasty number, almost sounds poppy in its wake.

Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer is an album that demands repeat listens, and unfolds more and more with each spin of the disc. A great release that should set INQUISITION at the fore of the underground black metal scene. - Al Kikuras

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