Music Reviews

Nihilist – Nihilist (1987-1989) (Threeman Recordings, 2005) http://www.threeman.net/

Rating: 9/10

I’ve been hearing about NIHILIST for fifteen years now, ever since I got into ENTOMBED with the Clandestine record  back in the day, so it’s nice to finally have a proper collection of their legendary demos. Nihilist (1987-1989) features tracks from 1988’s Premature Autopsy and Only Shreds Remain demos, as well as 1989’s Drowned sessions, and an added bonus of the first ENTOMBED demo, 1989’s But Life Goes On.  Also, there’s an informative essay in the liners, written by Ula Gehret of Metal Maniacs magazine, which details for the uninitiated the incestuous relationships between NIHILIST/ENTOMBED, UNLEASHED, DISMEMBER, MAYHEM, and other late-80s Scandinavian bands.
 
The sound quality is exactly what you’d expect from twenty-year-old demos, but if you’re buying this record, then you probably already know what you’re getting. (In some places, the tempos even shift slightly, so you get the full effect of listening to a cassette tape, just like the good old days.)  L-G Petrov snarls like the bastard child of Cronos and Chuck Schuldiner, and the riffs are total classic early death metal. What’s most amazing about these demos is that each of the band members was under 18 when they wrote and recorded them.
 
This collection is a great place to discover (or rediscover) the roots of one of the most important bands in the history of metal.  (I’m talking about ENTOMBED here, of course.)  Threeman also intends to release a NIHILIST box set later in 2005 or early in 2006 with even more rarities, including the pre-NIHILIST BRAINWARP demos, so be on the lookout for that.  This record is essential for any metal historian and should be required listening for all who enjoy death metal. - JW

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Highbinder - ... All The Way To Hell (Sin Klub Entertainment,
 
Rating: 9/10
 
Sin Klub Entertainment does it yet again!  With ... All The Way To Hell, HIGHBINDER produce a offering which merges together loud stoner rock and punk rock, and ... All The Way To Hell should not go unnoticed. The debut effort from HIGHBINDER is a soundtrack fitting for a rowdy and late night party at a friend's house where destruction of property is the game and the beverages should insure inebriation for all in attendance.
 
The album opens up with "Terracotta Monster", which starts off as something that drags on, then leads into clean singing and catchy instrumentation. Next is "Japanese Businessman", which starts off with slightly clean Guitar picking and then a mid-tempoed distorted rhythm lets loose. The follow track, "Sum" is fairly similar, but noticeably different when listened to. "Queen Is Bled" contains the only mellow and slow moment on the disc, only to fool the listener when HIGHBINDER rips directly back into the established loud and foot-moving rock they've established with ...All The Way To Hell. The heaviest tracks on the album are "Grand Mal" and "Dyslexia", but the rest are just as good.
 
HIGHBINDER has a sound that could be compared to a mixture of THE MELVINS and BLACK FLAG. The vocals shift between being clean and downright screaming, and that is a good thing. Overall this is a pretty good effort, and ... All The Way To Hell is recommended to those who dig bands such as THE MELVINS, BLACK FLAG and THE PB ARMY.  HIGHBINDER consists of a Guitar and vocals duo of Jon Kuhlman and Andrew Clark, Adam Keeler handling Bass and lending his throat for screaming and Nick Grifka on Drums. More is to be expected from HIGHBINDER indeed. - Dave Larmore

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Kreator - Enemy Of God (SPV, 2005)
 
Rating: 8.5/10
 
Four years after their last music offering (Violent Revolution), German Thrash Metallers KREATOR return in 2005 with Enemy Of God, and KREATOR refuse to change their sound in order to fit with the times. Enemy Of God takes the listener back to the 80s (and early 90s) when Thrash Metal was very much alive and kicking, and the production is top-notch as a result of Andy Sneap once again proving that the production of a record makes a huge difference (simply compare both versions of NEVERMORE's Enemies Of Reality record!). Although opinions about KREATOR's later material differs amongst the fan base, fans of early KREATOR can rest assured that Enemy Of God is an offering from the roots of the band that those same fans cherish and yearn for. The guitar solos, hook on riffs, signature Thrash drum work and the signature vocal style of Mille Petrozza shines through the entire album and makes the old school thrash metal crowd proud, and Enemy Of God contains even a few surprises. The album starts off with "Enemy Of God" with an instant fast riff and drumbeat, and serves as a prelude to the material that is going to be heard throughout the album. The single off the album, "Impossible Brutality", is a catchy song and the video for the song is viewable if the album is played on the computer. "World Anarchy" has a very SLAYER-like feel to it, yet still is undoubtedly KREATOR. In the midst of the Thrash Metal extravaganza, "Voices Of The Dead" starts off with a slow guitar line followed by dual acoustic guitar/lead guitar lines work, and reverts back to the heaviness that is KREATOR at the one minute thirty second mark of the song. "Voices Of The Dead" sounds slightly like something you'd find on MEGADETH's Cryptic Writings or Youthanasia because it is quite a catchy song. Proceeding "Voices Of The Dead" is the back-to-fast tempoed "Murder Fantasies", followed by "When Death Takes It's Dominion" and "One Evil Comes - A Million Follow". Right after the trio of amped up metal comes "Dying Race Apocalypse", which starts as an acoustic piece and then reverts back to the heaviness that is KREATOR. The album is closed by the ultra-fast "Under A Total Blackened Sky" and the mournful "The Ancient Plague", with "The Ancient Plague" incorporating yet again the dual acoustic guitar/lead guitar lines work and back to the heaviness, similar to "Voices Of The Dead" and "Dying Race Apocalypse". Old school thrash metal fans (especially those who like EXODUS and SLAYER) alike will enjoy Enemy Of God, and KREATOR prove that they still serve relevance to the underground metal scene. - Dave Larmore

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Masacre - Total Death (Xtreem, 2005)

Rating: 8/10

MASACRE are probably best known for being the other band on the sought-after PROFANATICA split CD on Osmose, which went for ridiculous amounts of money on eBay and, I believe, was re-released in mass quantities not too long ago. They have released three albums and an array of splits and EPs since, but this is the first MASACRE material I have heard aside from the EP and it is a good 'un.

The material on the Ola de Violencia EP, as their half of the split is called, was raw, sounding like it was recorded in a cave. MASACRE came off very much like so many JL America bands (EXCRUCIATING PAIN, ACCIDENTAL SUICIDE, etc.): nasty, under-produced, underdeveloped, but appealing. I was surprised to hear Total Death, as it is far from unpolished. While still brutal and ugly, the music is refined, and more akin to the giants of the genre, like MORBID ANGEL and MONSTROSITY. There are some good hooks, like on "Death Metal Forever," lots of groove, sub-sonic vocals, fluid lead work, and massive sound courtesy of Erik Rutan. This is straight up death metal. No tricks, no surprises... just solid, meat-and-potatoes stuff that, like a Snickers, really satisfies. - Al Kikuras

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Morgul - All Dead Here... (Season of Mist, 2005)
 
Rating: 8/10
 
A horror movie-like classical instrumental starts off the track dubbed "Intro", only to transform into a dark riff and macabre voice. This opens up MORGUL's latest offering, All Dead Here..., and this offering is sure to make Norway proud. However, MORGUL is not all about a traditional Norwegian macabre voice and a dark fast riff all over the place; MORGUL tend to experiment with acoustics, clean chant-like vocals and... Violins?  That's right; MORGUL incorporates a Violin into their metal, establishing a sense of a broad horizon in MORGUL's music.
 
All Dead Here... contains NECROPHAGIA-like riffs and battering ram drumming, but MORGUL incorporate different vocal ranges and the aforementioned violin. If vocalist J isn't shrieking like a butcher house full of mutilated humans and animals, he is singing in a clean baritone voice or a high pitched range similar to CRADLE OF FILTH. To stress the diversity on this album, the title track starts out with a dual piano and acoustic guitar intro and "Shackled" is strictly violin work. "Empty" is a mix of straight-edge metal and experimental ambience, while "The Mask of Sanity" sounds like something one would find on a new NECROPHAGIA effort due to the track's blasphemy and brutality.
 
MORGUL is all about diverse dark metal. The only possible description and comparison would be an orgy in dog's blood between NECROPHAGIA, COVENANT and classical music. MORGUL is a trio consisting of J (Vocals/Guitars/Bass), Maestro Pete Johansen (a.k.a. Jack D. Ripper, Violin) and Tom Cuper (Drums). - Dave Larmore

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Mors In Tabula - Promo 2004 (Self-Released, 2004) www.morsintabula.com

Rating: 8/10

I didn't know what to expect from this promo.  I'd never heard anything about this band at all, it was just a self-produced, burned CD from a no-name band. When one doesn't know what to expect is when one gets bowled over full force by a kick in the chest. MORS IN TABULA was that kick in the chest!

Sounding like a cross between American brutal death, SAMAEL, and RAMMSTEIN, MORS IN TABULA produce what I'd like to call a fairly interesting and unique sound. It is equally brutal and malevolent, while being evened out with a groove that's easy to get into and creepy keyboard work, samples, and of course, the obligatory "Hellraiser" quotes.

All four tracks an amalgamation of brutality, technicality and robotics.  It gives it a very sterile feeling which is enforced by the incredibly clean production. This works in their benefit since the music is so well written.  These guys obviously didn't pull any punches when it came to production.

I guess my major complaints are that the guitar work isn't as melodic as it could have been, there are too many breakdowns where it just pulls down to vocals and drums/samples, which I don't find particularly interesting and that while the drumming is cool, it's too rock/hard techno and not metal enough, at times.

All the way around, though, this record is a fantastic demo and I would not be surprised to see this band getting signed by someone big in the near future.- Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Mortician - Re-Animated Dead Flesh (Mortician Records/Crash, 2005)

Rating: 8/10

Ahhhh, MORTICIAN. I have a weak spot for these NY death metal monsters. Yes, it tends to bother me when a band sticks to a tried and true formula over and over and over, and MORTICIAN are certainly guilty of doing so, but shit, when I eat a hamburger I know it is going to be meat, bun, cheese, bacon and a bucket of ketchup, but that doesn't keep me from loving it every time I sink my teeth in. MORTICIAN is like a good burger. No surprises, but it does the job. It is what it should be.

MORTICIAN should be tuned-down, barbaric and ridiculously fast, with a drum machine playing at more BPMs than would be humanly possible, all slathered with sub-sonic gurgled vocals. There should be a picture of Will Rahmer inside, holding a shotgun or Samurai sword or a ball and chain, flexing like he is on the cover of Men's Fitness Monthly. There should be a sample with every other song. Fuck, EVERY song.

If you've heard MORTICIAN before, you know what to expect with Re-Animated Dead Flesh. If you've been living under a rock and have yet to hear them, read the previous paragraph and you'll get a damn good idea. If you're not a fan, this album won't change it. If you are, you'll be satisfied and, like me, find yourself spinning it repeatedly because, as the initiated MORTICIAN fan can tell you, beneath this monstrosity there are meathooks. - Al Kikuras

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My Shameful - ... Of Dust (Firedoom, 2005) http://www.firedoom.fi/
 
Rating: 5/10
 
Not bad for a Finnish band who consists of one guy crafting a depressive doom metal album completely by himself and handling vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards and programming. The band in question is MY SHAMEFUL, the album in the criticism spotlight is ... Of Dust, and the mind behind the creation is Sami Rautio. When ... Of Dust is labeled as a depressive doom metal album, there is no exaggeration inserted in the description whatsoever. This is abysmal doom wrapped up in depression, and the result of what would happen if CROWBAR went on a cocaine diet, lost 300 pounds collectively, lost their girlfriends and endured the deaths of a lot of family members. The tracks on ... Of Dust tend to be repetitive, and may bore a listener who is not into doom. However, fans of MY DYING BRIDE will easily enjoy MY SHAMEFUL. - Dave Larmore

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Myon - Ghost in Paradise (Crash Music, 2005)

Rating: 5/10

Old school metal is still alive in the hearts of many. Every time I get a batch of records to review, there's always one that sounds like it could've been released in 1985. I'm not sure if this is a positive aspect of metal, so many bands living in the past, not trying to progress into new things that keep music interesting, innovative, alive.

MYON is the token "old school metal" band in this batch of records, and while they're not bad, there's nothing fresh about this album.  In the vein of DIO, IRON MAIDEN, QUEENSRYCHE, and on a more modern end MACHINE MEN, these guys do it totally old school.  But unlike back in the day, when this music was fresh and interesting, this album just sounds like people going through the motions of what their favorites did back in the day. That's disappointing.

The band is pretty talented, while they're not stellar.  The biggest drawback is the vocalist who has a cleaner kind of Kai Hansen wail, which always just bites on my nerves anyway.  The songwriting is pretty good, catchy metal, but it's all just pretty stale.

So MYON, if you're reading this, it's time to do something to freshen it up. I'm not sure what you can do, but remember that 1985 was 20 years ago, and while a little bit of old school is cool, too much is boring.  Put your jean jacket away and cut your mullet, it's time to move on. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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NovAct - Tales From The Soul (The Laser's Edge, 2005)
 
Rating: 6.7/10
 
What happens when the legendary lungs of GLENN HUGHES, a massive erection for Keyboard work, a back up Pop metal band and a weekend binge on progression and experimentation are molded together? Tales From The Soul, the debut album from Dutch outfit NOVACT, does manage to unquestionably give the consumer a new sound. For background information purposes, NOVACT formed in February 2001 under the name MORGANA-X, only to change the name to NOVACT three years later.
 
While NOVACT offer a refreshing, experimental and progressive sound, but the movement can get a bit cheesy and over the top at times. Then again, the phrase To Those Who Understand appears below the album title in parenthesis on the cover. The songs are mainly set for a mellow situation, as none of the songs get very aggressive for too long at all. As a matter of fact, the most aggression spewed out by NOVACT can be found on "The Rider", which has a hell of a hook-on and chop riff to it. However, the hooking and chopping doesn't last long, as NOVACT reverts back to the progression and experimentation. "Bad Religion" has a promising battle march like beginning to it, but it is overtaken by the experimentation and progression.
 
No matter how much critics, listeners, the fans and the band themselves want to slap on the commonly used adjectives of progression and experimentation, Tales From The Soul is simply a pop album fused with a 98% Fat Free dose of Metal and a passion for Keyboard work. That description displays full understanding of NOVACT are all about. However, the music is something to hear nevertheless, as words probably couldn't fully do it justice. Tales From The Soul is not a bad album at all, but it certainly will not appeal to those who like their music more upfront. NOVACT is rounded off by Eddy Borremans (Vocals), Jeroen van Maanen (Bass), Martijn Peters (Drums), Michiel Reessink (Keyboard) and group founder Wouter Wamelink (Guitar). - Dave Larmore

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Overmars – Affliction, Endocrine…Vertigo (Appease Me/Candlelight, 2005) 

Rating: 9/10

Appease Me is affiliated with Candlelight Records and is owned and operated by members of BLUT AUS NORD.  So it’s no surprise then that OVERMARS is a) French and b) atmospheric. In fact, I might even be inclined to use the word “progressive.” But before you run screaming, let me say that OVERMARS isn’t progressive in the DREAM THEATER “let me show you how well I can play” sense. They’re progressive in the more interesting sense. Like ISIS, OVERMARS is progressive in the sense of pushing boundaries and trying new approaches to the art form…  The first time I listened to this record, I didn’t get it, but the second time through it made sense to me, and then I listened to it about six times through after that because, dammit, I liked it.
 
Affliction, Endocrine…Vertigo is like the soundtrack to an exceptionally bleak and ugly movie.  (The bizarre title of the record isn’t explained in any of the information I was given, so you’re on your own there.) Each track here builds and crashes down on itself like boiling lava­slowly, but with great destructive power and a frightening beauty.  The whole record is divided into songs with titles like “A Spermwhale’s Quest” and the interstitial instrumentals “Destroy All Dreamers (Parts I-V),” but really it plays like a sludgecore symphony, all one piece, ebbing and flowing. OVERMARS doesn’t rely on speed or precision or Wagnerian bombast to achieve a sense of beautiful ugliness­it’s all about atmosphere here, and that atmosphere is wonderful doom and gloom.  It’s slow; it’s harsh; it’s bleak; and it’s a damn good record.- JW

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Raging Speedhorn - How The Great Have Fallen (SPV, 2005)

Rating: 5/10

RAGING SPEEDHORN isn't brutal, but they are incredibly aggressive.  I guess I'd call 'em thrash metal.  They sort of sound like SLIPKNOT, to me.  The thing is, I don't think that's really a very good thing.

This album was a mind-numbing experience for me. There wasn't really a technically interesting moment on the whole thing. It was just really, really angry.  I'm not that angry, so I just don't identify with music like this.  While occasionally it's cool and they have a simple, but good, guitar melody or something, there just wasn't enough to keep me interested/entertained.

I can see how this is an extension of the Brittish scene, though.  With bands like BLAZE and FOURWAYKILL who are producing a chunky sort of metal scene, RAGING SPEEDHORN is doing pretty good for the English scene, I'm sure.  I just can't get into it. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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Raspatul – The Perfect Realm Of Jharkyannarkh (demo, 2004) www.raspatul.tk

Rating: 7.5/10

RASPATUL hail from Singapore, and they play a hard-edged thrash with the ferocity of early KREATOR or SODOM.  Their Razorback-distributed demo, The Perfect Realm Of Jharkyannarkh, which I shall henceforth refer to as TPROJ, so as to not have to type it again, consists of two music tracks and four videos. The videos come from a live show-- the “Conquerors Of Steel II” gig in 2003, according to the liners­and aren’t anything special from a video standpoint, but they do show the band in all their teenage glory, rocking out on stage in front of a handful of headbanging Singaporeans.  The quality of the videos is acceptable, but nothing that I would watch more than once. I like RASPATUL better when I can’t see them, anyway.
 
As expected, the music portion of the demo boasts a much better sound quality than the videos.  Vocalist Ayim has a voice like a combination of Mille Petrozza and Nocturno Culto, and the band is tight, especially on the first track, which I’m assuming is the title track. The second track is an unmixed, unmastered demo dating back to 2001.  (All references to titles are mere conjecture, because unfortunately the liners are poorly labeled and nearly incomprehensible in their wording.)
 
RASPATUL could be a band to watch. TPROJ is a good start, and I’d like to hear more. - JW

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Sunn O))) - The GrimmRobe Demos (Southern Lord, 2005)

Rating: 1/10
 
The GrimmRobe Demos is not the latest offering from SUNN O))), but rather a reissue of a previously rare out-of-print offering available on a limited CD pressing of 700 copies and Vinyl that quickly sold out.  After this, the GrimmRobe Demos went back into obscurity... which is where it should have stayed.
 
The GrimmRobe Demos contain four songs that offer absolutely nothing but distorted drawn out white noise throughout each and every song. The publicists at Southern Lord Records and the band themselves may describe it as a creation of soundscapes, drone and low end frequencies, but the content on The GrimmRobe Demos is nothing but white noise and a waste of time. There is nothing to either one of the four songs on this disc, absolutely nothing!  The listener would not even know they finished "Black Wedding" and moved onto "Defeating: Earths' Gravity", because none of the tracks are different from one another.
 
SUNN O))) is two man project featuring Greg Anderson of GOATSNAKE and Steve O'Malley of KHANATE/BURNING WITCH, with BOOTSY KRONOS lending a helping hand on Bass. The only thing this record has going for it is the beautiful artwork, booklet content and crisp black and white picture of Anderson and O'Malley. Otherwise, this disc is simply an hour and 12 minutes of a listener's life wasted and unable to retain if they spend their time listening to the GrimmRobe Demos. - Dave Larmore

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The Mass - City of Dis (Crucial Blast, 2005)

Rating: 6/10

THE MASS are one of these totally crazy grind/jazz bands that are coming out now.  The use of the saxophone makes these guys relatively unique.  However, I hate this record.  I hate it with all of my black little heart. I can't stand it. Part of it is the vocals, they sound like bad hardcore vocals.  There's not a hint of intensity in them at all. They're  totally crappy. Part of it is that I consider the saxophone to be one of the most heinous instruments every introduced to music. There are plenty of excellent instruments that are used in jazz. The piano. The trumpet. The flute. WHY A FUCKING SAX? I FUCKING HATE SAX!

This album was great, I'm sure.  But it was pure torture for me. I hated every single second of it because I can't stand saxophone. At first I thought it was mildy interesting and dealable, but after about the 4th song I wanted to shoot myself.  See, there's only so much you can do with Sax in a grind band aside from squeeling on the reed for a while.

I do have to say, however, that they did a FANTASTIC job with the jazz breakdowns. While it wasn't twelve-tone or free jazz, it was still fun.  The sax sounded OK there, given what a totally heinous instrument it is, and the band showed that they were more talented than your average metal band.

Congrats, guys.  You play jazz.  You got signed. Shoot your sax player.  Get a trombone. - Jim Bob The Enforcer

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The PB Army - Spine For The Snapback (Sin Klub Entertainment, 2005)
 
Rating: 8/10
 
In the modern day music cesspool that victimizes one who is feeble enough to be drowned, along comes THE PB ARMY, a tight trio consisting of Keith Bergman (Vocals and Drums), Micah Shimborske (Guitar) and Mahlon Orrin (Bass). With THE PB ARMY's second album, Spine For The Snapback, the listener will be reminded what rock music is supposed to sound like: raw, dirty, foot tapping and fun. The songs do not sound the same at all due to all three-band member's different influences, and that is a good thing. You go from an alternative/rock tune like "A Temporary Absence" to the aggressive in your face "Bringing A Knife To The Gunfight", or you can groove to the lighthearted and happy "Ate A Lie" to a BLACK SABBATH-like "The Five Nines".  If one were to inquire about the band name, it apparently comes from a slogan for a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer slogan, "PBR Me ASAP". With the name alone, one could obviously conclude that THE PB ARMY is a band whose music would be fitting for a wild party. THE PB ARMY's music can be labeled Stoner Pop Metal, and Spine For The Snapback would appeal to those who like CLUTCH, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, HALFWAY TO GONE and/or FIVE HORSE JOHNSON. Even if one has never heard of the four aforementioned bands, THE PB ARMY is not a band to overlook. - Dave Larmore

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The Red Chord - Clients (Metal Blade, 2005) 

Rating: 7/10

According to their bio, THE RED CHORD were "highlighted on AP's list of 100 Bands To Save You From Corporate Rock."  Hey, I'm all for that, because I heard somewhere that corporate rock really does suck...  The problem is that, unless you listen to only corporate rock, I'm not certain that THE RED CHORD is the band to save you from it.  (Unless maybe they run over Rob Thomas with a van.)  Clients is pretty much the standard modern grindcore/hardcore crossover, in my book. It's like PIG DESTROYER, without the artiness and with more dual guitar leads. Blast-beats, grind riffs with pinch harmonics, stop/start rhythms, the whole bag of tricks.  Vocalist Guy Kozowyk has a decent growl, but he doesn't vary it up much, and it's just not that interesting or distinctive, and it wears on me. The whole package reminds me a little of CEPHALIC CARNAGE. Clients isn't a bad record by any means, but it didn't really go above and beyond.  I got bored by about the fifth song.  Maybe it's just that Carcass saved me from corporate rock in the early 1990s, so I'm not the target demographic here. - JW - JW

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Torture Wheel - Crushed Under... EP (Firedoom, 2005)
 
Rating: 6/10
 
The latest offering from TORTURE WHEEL, the solo project of multi-musician E.M. Hearst (WRAITH OF THE ROPES), comes in the form of a 4-Song EP entitled Crushed Under... containing three previously available tracks and a new song ("Crushed Under..."). The crushing part of the music is that the listener is trapped under an abyss of an unforeseen and unknown musical direction that only TORTURE WHEEL can produce and create. The only way to label the music of TORTURE WHEEL is doom with a tad flavor of industrial that's appropriate only for a funeral, or as a soundtrack for an intensely brutal and psychological horror movie. The tempo of the music on Crushed Under... remains consistently slow, and is completely indecipherable to one who is looking for music that either changes in tempo or music that is catchy. All of the songs basically sound the same, and Crushed Under... is not an album for one who wants to throw a party. One would listen to TORTURE WHEEL if they were in a state of despair, or if they wanted to relax. The listener should close their eyes, put Crushed Under... in their CD player, and simply let their mind and imagination produce the images that would go along to the music of TORTURE WHEEL. Recommended for those who like doom with a funeral twist. - Dave Larmore

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