Music Reviews

Enslaved - ISA (Candlelight, 2005)

Rating: 10/10

Occasionally you come across a record that is everything you want in a metal album. For me, I want grim, dark music, offset by progressive guitar work and rhythms with great grim vocals, clean vocals and interesting lyrics. ENSLAVED has delivered in spades with their new record Isa, which just recently one the Norwegian "grammy" for best metal record of 2004 (of course, Europe gets it first).

ENSLAVED needs to be heralded as one of the best bands ever. Over time I've grown to appreciate what incredible musicians these guys are, and "Isa" is just more proof that over time they've gotten better. I was so excited to get this disc, I nearly killed myself running to my CD player to put it in. And boy was I happy! Another pure masterpiece from our Viking brothers!  Though, I must say I was worried whether or not it would live up to the prog-laced opus "Below the Lights" released a few years ago, right off the bat I was proved that those sorts of misgivings are wrong and bad. I flogged myself for several hours after that.

One of the things that might annoy newcomers to the band is the fact that they, like so many other excellent bands, take a LONG time to get anywhere. The new record could be written off as "repetitive," but I prefer to think of it as atmospheric. The songs are long,  winding roads that describe musically the darkness, cold, ice and all the other trappings of ENSLAVED's topics.  This is not to say that there isn't something fresh happening often, or that they're just playing the same riff over and over again for 10 minutes like some "atmospheric" black metal bands attempt.

In fact, however, "Isa" is less progressive than it's predecessor, there are no 1970s sit- com flute intros that sound like they were taken off of a YES record, the rhythms are pretty straight, and they have a lot of really rocking riffs that make you want to bang your head. While there are the slower more atmospheric moments, these are offset by the parts that make me still want to call them a black metal band.

Every song on this record is a well-crafted machine of metal that ebbs and flows with the darkness of the material. The guitar work is very interesting, rhythmic, chordy, but melodic.  The rhythm section is tight, nuanced and brutal at times, while working well with the progressive parts that do seep their way into the music.

Everything about this record is perfect, I could ask for nothing more. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.
 

Bleed For Me - Composition (SinKlub Entertainment, 2005)  

Rating: 8/10

You gotta love a band that titles its demo The Diabolical Science Of Torture Through Sound.  That was the only science I was ever really good at, and I've been practicing it on neighbors and girlfriends for years now. With that in mind, BLEED FOR ME come screaming out of the box on Composition with "Love Is A Right Cross," yet another sentiment I can relate to.  I like these guys already.  Jay Galvin has a death-y hardcore bark that reminds me of bands like Skitsystem and Wolfbrigade, both of whom I dig. Composition is a hardcore punk record-no intricate riffing here, just solid chunks of distorted angry goodness-but there's more to it than just sheer aggression.  Tracks like "Spysong" kick ass, and then tracks like "My Thoughts Light Fires In Your Cities" delve into trippy jazz-inflected weirdness, with congo breakdowns and shit, and then tracks like "Fresh Air Hymnal" kick ass for awhile before they delve into trippy weirdness. A damn solid record, even if I knocked off one point because I would've liked more ass-kicking and less trippy weirdness.

You may (or may not) care that one of these guys was in Ozzfest second-stagers EVERYTIME I DIE before joining up with BFM. Honestly, I didn't care either, so it's okay. - JW

Back to the top.
 

Blue Holocaust - Twitch of the Death Nerve (Murder the World, 2005)

Rating: 8/10

When an album is a named after a Mario Bava film, it is little surprise when it sounds like a grindcore band spewing blood all over a big pile of vomit and bile. BLUE HOLOCAUST is a one-man project of drum machine-driven gore grind. Imagine IMPETIGO smashed face first into FUCK... I'M DEAD and you have a good idea of what is going on here. Razorback Record's WTN are doing similar work, as a point of reference, though BLUE HOLOCAUST is even more over-the-top. For the most part, Twitch of the Death Nerve is an overwhelmingly intense and noisy experience. The vocals sound like they were recorded with the mic shoved down Pierre's throat so deep that he is singing out of his asshole. There are customary giallo-film sound bytes interspersed throughout the album, and the blasting mayhem is broken up with a catchy riff or grooving section here and there that keeps Twitch of the Death Nerve interesting throughout its almost 40 minutes, despite the single-minded approach. - Al Kikuras

Back to the top.
 

Cadacross - So Pale Is The Light (Crash Music, 2005)
 
Rating: 7/10
 
Finnish group CADACROSS offers a slab of Metal that embraces wide versatility in So Pale Is The Light.  Initially CADACROSS were a pure death metal band that worshipped CARCASS, but a disastrous demo tape and threat of band disintegration later mutated them in to a multi-dimensional metal outfit molding death, folk, power, Viking and battle elements together. Sami Aarnio maintains a semi Death metal (and often at times resembling MINISTRY's Al Jorgensen) vocal style without the usual death grunts, and the Guitar duo of Georg Laakso and Tino Ahola maintain the pace of Power metal licks, purposeful riffs and steady technical dual solo work. The drumming of Janne Salo and the Bass lines churned out from Jarkko Lemmetty fits the rhythm of the often-shifting tempo of CADACROSS, and the Keyboard work of Mathias Nygard dominates. The tempo throughout this disc changes quite a bit, going anywhere from fast paced power/death metal to a classical/folk moody breakdown, which prevents CADACROSS from being able to conform to any of the genre umbrellas under the Heavy Metal storm. The epic 14 minute-30 seconds "Turmion Taival" closes the record, and practically transports the listener in a Viking battlefield with tragedy, victory, evolution and prevalence. Currently CADACROSS has two albums to its name, and if they continue to produce the music that they have, they could eventually give CHILDREN OF BODOM a run for their money. -- Dave Larmore

Back to the top.
 

Callisto - True Nature Unfolds (Earache, 2005)
 
Rating: 5/10
 
The music of CALLISTO can be best described as hardcore and soft metal that is strongly controlled by an element trio of progression, experimentation and ambience. The mood of their debut album, True Nature Unfolds, is as though the listener is in a sonic dream without a consistent grasp on it. CALLISTO's tempo changes in different moments, shifting from aggressive and heavy to caressingly passive and mellow. Certainly CALLISTO will not appeal to the elite metal fan, but those who like bands such as NEUROSIS, ISIS and CULT OF LUNA should give CALLISTO a spin. CALLISTO will open the listener's mind to a new dimension of music and leave the listener wondering where in the hell the music they just induced came from. True Nature Unfolds was produced and recorded by NASUM vocalist/guitarist Mieszko Talarczyk and engineered by Peter In de Betou. - Dave Larmore

Back to the top.

 

Crionics - Armageddon's Evolution (Candlelight, 2005)

Rating: 8.5/10

After having been the butt of jokes across the globe for so long, I guess the people of Poland have decided to prove themselves with a series of kick-ass metal bands. VADER… DECAPITATED… BEHEMOTH…  And now CRIONICS, who admittedly sound quite a lot like BEHEMOTH, but are still a really powerful band with a great record in Armageddon's Evolution.  The album opens up with "Arrival Of Non-Parallel Aeons," setting the pace for the whole record in one song-pummeling black metal, and then a little more pummeling black metal, and maybe top that off just a bit more pummeling black metal.  Vocalist Waran, also the band's sole studio guitarist, sounds like he's channeling every bad thing that ever happened.  The two-song suite of "Chant Of Rebel Angels (intro)" and "FFF (Freezing Fields Of Infinity)" is a perfect example of modern black metal-a classical keyboard intro before the first apocalyptic downbeat of five minutes of beautiful chaos. Armageddon's Evolution, although not terribly original, is well worth the price of admission.

As a bonus for black metal fans, there's a cover of EMPEROR's "The Loss & Curse Of Reverence" added on as an extra track.  But the true added value is in the other extra track, "Dept. 666," a mid-tempo tune that the band wrote themselves and presumably just didn't fit in with the rest of the album's pummeling fury. - JW

Back to the top.

 

Debris Inc. - s/t (Rise Above, 2005)
 
Rating: 8/10
 
If a listener out there is looking for a revolutionary knock-you-out-of-the-ballpark underground band, DEBRIS INC. is not the band that the listener should be listening to. If the listener is looking for something that would remind them of the era where BLACK FLAG and DEAD KENNEDYS reigned supreme in the underground scene of punk along with a splash of stoner rock and doom, then the listener should definitely give the debut disc from DEBRIS INC. a listen. Featuring Ron Holzner handling the very doom-ish rhythm lines (ex-TROUBLE) and Dave Chandler grinding a down tuned axe (ex- SAINT VITUS), DEBRIS INC. play only the music they feel like playing. They have had a revolving drum slot that has included Tony Costanza (ex-CROWBAR), Greg Rogers (GOATSNAKE), Joe Nunez (NOVEMBER'S DOOM), the late Barry Stern (TROUBLE) and Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD), and DEBRIS INC. are seemingly content with Jimmy Bower bashing the skins... and with good reason. The subject matter within the songs does not concern themselves with anything on the serious front (example: "The Old Man and His Bong"), but the lyrics do not need to be serious with this style of music. DEBRIS. INC will appeal to fans of BLACK FLAG, TROUBLE, SAINT VITUS, EYEHATEGOD, THE HIDDEN HAND, CRO-MAGS... and even fans of the holy BLACK SABBATH may like DEBRIS INC. Put in DEBRIS INC., grab a cold one, and play it loud. - Dave Larmore

Back to the top.

 

Falconer - Grime Vs. Grandeur (Metal Blade, 2005)

Rating: 6/10

It was a sad day for the folk metal world when MITHOTYN called it quits.  Every fan of folk metal mourned in a loud cry that reached the skies. The world stopped and took notice. Or, well, maybe not. But still, it was a sad day! So it was an exciting day when FALCONER formed, though I don't think it quite lives up to the incredible things that MITHOTYN did, FALCONER is still a force to be reckoned with, given their technical expertise, catchy songs and excellent production (thank you Andy Laroque).

I remember reviewing Chapters of a Vale Forlorn and I remember my complaints about it. The vocalist, while good, didn't seem to have a good enough metal presence about him. Also, while the songs were good, there was something missing that I couldn't place my finger on.  Some of these things have been corrected, since then.  Two albums later FALCONER doesn't sound like a brand new bands, but they sound like a band who's finally clinging to an identity, forming a unique form of power/folk metal that is starting to be noticed.

Unfortunately, still, the songs are hit and miss.  While every song has a redeeming quality about it (usually great guitar work), there is a tendency to go TOO big on the choruses, to repeat them too many times and to do the "pop music keychange" in every song.  After a while, such tricks (which are amusing the first couple times around) become grating, unnecessary, inappropriate and stupid.  It almost feels as though the band is trying to expand the songs unnecessarily to get length out of them, when they could've released an entire record of short, catchy songs.

The new vocalist is also hit and miss. While he certainly has a presence about him that the original singer did not, his high range is iffy-at-best, and certainly gets a little irritating at times. His lyrics are all right, but he cheeses out at times (most memorably in Jack The Knife), too. However, he did contribure a good quarter of the music, and I think that might be part of the reason for this album is stronger than 2001's In A Vale Forlorn.

This is a pretty good record, though not as strong as it could be.  As I said, these guys are starting to get a personality of their own and I could definitely see them releasing their opus in the next couple of years. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.
 

Frost - Extreme Loneliness Fragments (Paragon, 2005)

Rating: 6/10

Ah, old school sounding Norwegian-esque atmospheric black metal. How long it's been since I've listened to old DIMMU BORGIR.  And need I now that FROST has rolled around with its latest release (including old demo tracks and a cover of the classic track Elizabeth Bathory by TORMENTOR?  Well. Yes. I do need to.  But this album does sound pretty close to that old school sound.

Though I've never really understood the appeal of reliving a scene that one wasn't part of, FROST does a pretty good job of imitating such old sounds. However, they never live up to the extremity of the early EMPEROR or SATYRICON and at times I think their sound is just too tame, controlled and slow.

This is a pretty good album, though. The melodies are good, the songwriting is pretty solid. But it doesn't really stand up to the originals, and it's certainly not an instant classic, though cult followers of black metal from all over the globe will probably enjoy it for what it's worth.

One thing that they do remarkably well is melody.  Unlike a lot of black metal bands these guys seem to have figured out that the key to releasing a classic album is having memorable melodies, but I think they kill it for themselves by not being heavier and more extreme.  The other major issue that this record has is that the atmosphere is held entirely on the keyboards, and is never really seen in the guitar work or in the vocal performance.

This is an enjoyable release, but it's not much more than average. Speed it up, riff it out a bit more and this could be a fantastic record.  But one cannot relive a record anymore than one can relive a scene, and from the sounds of the bio FROST is done because their keyboardist quit and move to England to form a new band. Hopefully the look forward and not backwards. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.
 

Grand Alchemist - Intervening Coma-Celebration (Sound Riot Records, 2004)

Rating: 8/10

I wasn't sure what to expect from GRAND ALCHEMIST. They came on a recommendation from Al, but the only cool thing he ever recommended me was LOST HORIZON, so you know, we take these things with a grain of salt (note dripping sarcasm).

I was actually pretty impressed. These guys have managed to freshen up the progressive, art-black metal that was coined by BORKNAGAR, while avoiding becoming annoying and obscure which is usually what happens when a band is at all influenced by those bands (ARCTURUS, BORKNAGAR).  GRAND ALCHEMIST uses interesting instrumentation, quality playing and a general understanding interesting songwriting to make this record better than bad.. good! (It's log! It's log!)

So what stood out about this album?  Firstly, I'd say that it was the clean vocals.  So many bands try to use clean vocals in orchestrated black metal and fail miserably. They try to approach the land of Garm and Simen and they fall flat on their face in their pathetic attempts. Sigurd, their vocalist, manages to not only approach, but he ventures into the realms of haunting, interesting vocals without being an obvious ripoff.

Another excellent quality is the flow. Going between black metal, orchestrated stuff, and the breakdowns (not hardcore breakdowns) that are necessary to keep your songs sounding fresh is no easy task. The manage to maintain this flow without becoming formulaic, and they manage it throughout the whole record.  Every song, while similar, sounds strangely fresh and unique.

Finally, what I think really pushes them from the pack is the melodic structure and content. As a sucker for good melodic stuff, I was always drawn into their leads, solos and chord progressions because of how melodic they were. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the chord progressions of WINTERSUN or ENSIFERUM or CHILDREN OF BODOM in how melodic they get.

This, my friends, is a quality record! It is not just run of the mill melodic black metal, it has some fantastic qualities that are above and beyond a lot of metal records I've heard lately. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.
 

Grayscale - When the Ghosts Are Gone (Sound Riot Records, 2004)

Rating: 5/10

GRAYSCALE likes SENTENCED. In fact, GRAYSCALE are such huge SENTENCED fans that they've exactly copied their sound, down to the self deprecating lyrics and the "rock n' roll" beat that shows up in every song. GRAYSCALE should, in fact, be called SENTENCED II (PLUS KEYBOARD).

That out of the way, this wasn't a terrible record.  It started out pretty strong, with catchy songs that I enjoy listening, too.  But like SENTENCED, they begin to grow old, stale, boring, etc.  There's just nothing fresh here.

I think that this band could pull off the sound a bit better if they didn't have a vocalist that sounded exactly like the dude from SENTECED. Maybe mix it up a bit, guys. Maybe get a chick and write about flying through the sky on a beautiful winter night.. or wait, then you'd just be copying NIGHTWISH.  - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.

 

Hecate Enthroned - Redimus (Candlelight, 2004)

Rating: 5/10

I've never heard HECATE ENTHRONED before, I'd never had any desire. Everything I've ever read, heard, or talked to someone about had never been positive. I didn't go into this record expecting a lot, really. Or should I say, I expected it to suck completely.

So I wasn't terribly surprised when I wasn't entirely impressed. While, I must admit, the music has some definitely awesome points, I've just heard it all before. The keyboards don't add anything particularly interesting, the drumming isn't particularly awesome, the guitarwork isn't really anything special, the production is OK, the vocals aren't very grim. It's not bad, but it's certainly not great.

What really killed this record for me, though, was the lyrics. On the rare occasion that I actually get a record with a booklet, I make sure to read them.  Of course, I'm now violently regretting that decision. I would've given this record at least a 6 or maybe even a 7 if I hadn't been so turned off by the lyrics.   For example, in the song "No One Hears," there is a passage that goes, "Now you die - how you cry, Worthless life now destroyed, Day appears - no more fears, Nazarene - No one hears." I was writing better lyrics as a 5th grader for my bands SEVERED HEAD, CROOKED AXE (and don't forget PURPLE SUN) when I couldn't even play any instruments yet!  This is just an example of trite that is passed off as lyrics.

It's too bad, because the music, as I said, isn't terrible.  There were a lot of parts where I found myself getting into it even when I didn't want to. But there's only so much music can do to offset lyrics like this.

For those of you, however, who don't mind trite/cliches for vocals, this is a pretty cool black metal record for the most part.  It gets blasty, extreme, grim, atmospheric. It's hateful, and they're not very fond of some guy called Jesus (I don't know what everyone's  got against that crazy Mexican anyway, he's never done anything to me). This band could be cool if they had a lyricist with some imagination, or poetic inclination. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.

 

Iuvenes - Towards Sources of Honour and Pride (No Colours, 2005)

Rating: 5/10

"A mix between FALKENBACH and the Viking Metal style of BATHORY!" says the bit that I received with this IUVENES record, but I'm not seeing it. FALKENBACH is quite folky and I hear very little folk on this record.  However, they are certainly not mistaken when they compare it to BATHORY.  Never before have I heard such an obviously BATHORY influenced record.

So let's lay it out for you in "technical reviewer jargon."  IUVENES is an epic form of slow, heavy viking metal that plods through the five epic tracks with a mix of chunky riffing, old-school sounding black metal vocals, and epic clean vocals (not power metal vocals, though, these are lower and there isn't a Halford/Dickinson edge on them, these are obviously more Quorthon influenced). The sound is basically a RAVENTHRONE or BATHORY sound, almost exactly.

So while this is put together well the sound is just too much like BATHORY and not enough like IUVENES, if you know what I mean.  These guys need to mix it up a bit to come up with an original sound, or at least an original take on an old sound.  Unfortunately they play by the book a little too closely.  You might as well just break out BATHORY's Blood, Fire, Death, it's classic and it was revolutionary, unlike this. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.
 

Jacob's Dream - Drama of the Ages (Metal Blade, 2005)

Rating: 4/10

I do not like this band. I do not like them, Sam I Am.  I do not like them in a tree. I do not like them even when their records are free.  I do not like them as theologians and I certainly do not like their new vocalist.

Ok, so just like the stupid rhyme above, this album failed at ruling.  In fact, it failed at even being good.  While it has it's upside at times, for the most part it was a failure. It's been a few years since JACOB'S DREAM released a record and I, for one, had hope that they had faded into obscurity. No such luck.

Apparently they have improved, however.  They used to be complete IRON MAIDEN rip offs, and these days I couldn't really put that on them.  Their sound has grown tremendously to become sort of a neo-classical extravaganza. The riffing has gotten more intelligent and there are far more interesting rhythmic things going on.  They've added some death metal vocals which function rhythmically and really create the most enjoyable parts of this album.

The primary issue are the clean/power metal vocals.  I hate to sound like a broken record, but seriously, where do they dig these guys up? It's like the power metal scene has been overrun by voice school drop-outs. They learned how to get vibrato, but not how to hit notes. This guys voice is so bad that he's going flat in the first couple songs!!

Metal Blade plays these guys up as "contenders for the Power Metal throne," but as far as I'm concerned these guys removed themselves from contention when they got the new vocalist. However, as a band I think they've improved. If they could get a vocalist who didn't suck, you could expect to hear some cool stuff from these guys. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.
 

Kaliban - The Tempest of Thoughts (Crash Music, 2005)

Rating: 7.5/10

So, as we're all aware, IN FLAMES has gone "on the suck."  Or as they would say in good ol' Britain they've "taken the piss."  They sold out, they quit making pretty, happy melodies with a folky tinge and semi-whiney screams that rocked our world so hard.  So who can step up and replace them in a time of such metalcore pretenders stealing their sound? Well, KALIBAN can.

It's unfortunate, really, that the metalcore band CALIBAN has been signed by a major label, because KALIBAN is really the better of the two band.  Mixing IN FLAMES style Swedish sounding death metal(think Jester Race) with folkier guitar melodies, harmonies and speed, with some well-placed female vocals (and other unique instrumentations), KALIBAN has really nailed a great sound!

Technically this band is both proficient and inventive.  They piece together a great offering with ten stellar tracks of folky death metal. In some ways, I think this stuff almost more power metal than a lot of new power metal bands that are releasing records. Never does this stuff gaze back at old school metal unless it's trashing out, but it manages to keep the melodies awesome, fresh and constant throughout.

While the musicianship and the song writing is great, the most standout part for me is how well they mix in female vocals!  The vocalist is not overbearing, her melodies are catchy and solid and her voice isn't over produced. Plus, they manage to avoid the downfalls of the cheesy male metal vocals that could easily fit, but could also have easily ruined a masterpiece of Swedish-sounding Death Metal.

KALIBAN have nailed it with this album mixing the best of Swedish Death with the best of folk metal, I fear that it's only been released a few years too late. This would've been perfect had it been released after it was recorded in the late 90s.  But one can never fight a great release like this and hopefully it will get the recognition it deserves! - Jim Bob The Enforcer

Back to the top.