Music Reviews

Hidden - Alexisstar Morphalite (Baphomet/Red Stream, 2005)

Rating: 10/10

Alexisstar Morphalite is a complex listen, and not one easily digested. The genres incorporated, mutated, and mashed together are myriad. Black metal, thrash, death metal, VOIVOD-is frenetics, and more are combined to a very raw and satisfying end. The production is rough, but doesn't detract from the music. Rather, like early VOIVOD efforts, the barbaric production adds to the appeal and overall harshness of otherwise complex music... an interesting dichotomy. No personal information about the band is provided, further adding to the "old school" appeal, back when bands were actually a little scary because you knew so little about them (remember how intimidating Tom Araya was as a metal figure before we saw him in a Spongebob Squarepants shirt?). From listening to the final product of the members of HIDDEN's collaboration, my guess would be the band is comprised of old school metalheads with a deep love of protothrash and mindfucked technical metal, and if you would count yourself among their number, as I do, Alexisstar Morphalite is sure to please. - Al Kikuras

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Flotsam and Jetsam - Dreams of Death (Crash, 2005)

Rating: 9/10

I tend to not allow myself to get too excited about "comeback" albums by bands I once loved. I was, and still am, a huge fan of FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's first two albums. The third, When The Storm Comes Down, is good but marred by the worst production job perhaps in the history of metal. Then, after that, they just fell off the radar for me. The less thrashy they got, the less I cared, and Eric AK laid off the piercing high screams. After seeing their live DVD of last year, I understand why. While he can still occasionally hit the notes, he doesn't have nearly the instrument he used to, which is understandable, as he's not a kid any more (none of us are).

So, I heard about Dreams of Death. I heard it was a fine "return to form," and that FLOTSAM re-discovered their thrash metal roots. I felt that initial spark of excitement, then snuffed it out. After all, expectations lead to disappointment and I had been let down by so many so-called "comeback" albums before. While one of our original scribes, the great Piston Rod, liked FLOTSAM's Unnatural Selection so many years ago, it was because he disassociated it with the FLOTS of old. Well, I am happy to report that, even compared to the two classic albums, Dreams of Death holds up. The fact that the name is lifted from one of the great songs on one of the great albums ("Dreams of Death" off No Place For Disgrace) was a good sign. No, Eric still doesn't hit the high notes, but he does sound great on these songs. The band is thrashing again on great tracks like "Straight To Hell" and "Parapsychotic," that are as heavy as catchy. "Bleed" is a powerful mid-tempo, ballad-ish song akin to "Escape From Within." While I don't have the lyrics, I have read that this is a concept album about an individual tormented by his dreams and a murder he committed, and the varied feel and tempos of the material fits that mold well. If this was just a collection of songs, my opinion would be that there needs to be more fast stuff, but knowing the music is carrying the story, it all makes sense. While it is great getting free promo copies of albums, the downside is the lack of packaging. One of the most glowing comments I can make about Dreams of Death is that it is an album that I think I am going to purchase another copy of just to have the lyrics and packaging. Yes, it is that good. - Al Kikuras

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Hate Eternal - I, Monarch (Earache, 2005)

Rating: 9/10

A lot of folks slag HATE ETERNAL for being too over-the-top. Too technical, too fast... but people, this is DEATH METAL! The genre has been plowed in every hole, and technical and ultra-brutal death metal has been taken to its utmost extreme. While bands that BLAST BLAST BLAST and have super-guttural vocals, technical riffs, and are insanely brutal can be loads of fun they, sadly, are also a dime a dozen, in many cases.

This, my friends, is where HATE ETERNAL steps in, and where they prove their value and relevance in the death metal genre. What they bring to the throne that so many other bands do not is refinement and clarity. The songs contain no filler. The musicianship is stellar, as is to be expected. The sound is never muddy, the playing is exemplary, and the chaos is controlled. Through tempo changes, odd grooves, blast beats, some odd instrumentation, I, Monarch remains focused. I can understand why some folks might think HATE ETERNAL's music is nondescript, as if you aren't paying attention, this is an album that could slip by in the background while you are doing something else, but if you actually sit and really LISTEN to it, it is impossible not to appreciate  the fact that HATE ETERNAL have taken ultra-brutal death metal to the next step of evolution. No, the material is not catchy for the most part, but that is not what this is about. I, Monarch is not an album to sing along with. It is an album to sit back and be amazed by, be it the musicianship, the speed, the intensity, or the ferocity. If you were not a fan of HATE ETERNAL's previous works, I, Monarch will do little to change your opinion. If you are looking for death metal taken to new extremes, pick up I, Monarch and brace yourself. - Al Kikuras

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Hibria - Defying the Rules (Magick Records, 2005)

Rating: 8/10

The power metal rebirth of a few years past yielded a lot of crap. Actually, mostly crap, with a few diamonds in the rough (or corn in the crap?). LOST HORIZON was a big find, though as they are now without a vocalist, I am worried as to where they may wind up. HIBRIA actually benefit from some much poop being pushed out the butthole as I was expecting just that: poop, but much like LOST HORIZON, HIBRIA know enough to keep things fast and heavy because, no matter how much melody and how many sing-along choruses you put in your songs, if it ain't heavy, it ain't shit. To be more accurate, actually, if it ain't heavy, it IS shit.

Yeah, the Velveeta factor is in full force here, but that's part of the appeal. If balls-out, semi-silly power metal makes your stomach churn, reach for the Rolaids as Defying the Rules is it incarnate. From the ridiculous cover art, to the "made for TV" level story that this concept album, Defying the Rules is almost as good as LOST HORIZON at their finest and much better than HAMMERFALL have been since their debut. The story, as far as I can tell, revolves around a long-haired biker guy that takes part in this motorcycle race where you win by killing the other riders, but he "Defies the Rules" by refusing to kill his competitors and thus sparking off a revolution of sorts. To be honest, I didn't read too far into the libretto (complete with different verses sung by different characters) - just far enough to know that it reads as a comedy, though probably not intentional.

It may sound like I am jabbing at HIBRIA, but to be honest, all my comments thus far are compliments. Yes, metal is a serious business, but there are times when what HIBRIA does is just what the doctor orders. I love movies like Apocalypse Now, The Seventh Seal, Begotten and the like, but there are times when I just want to watch Dumb and Dumber (incidentally, as great a film as those above) or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (incidentally, not). Where HIBRIA differs dramatically from Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is the execution. The musicianship is stellar. Everyone can play and play well, and display their proficiency with some off-the-wall guitar and bass runs, speedy drum chops, fast riffing, soaring vocals replete with piercing screams, yet they musicians also know when to just play good-old, straightforward heavy metal ("Living Under Ice").

All of that said, you should know what to expect. If you like LOST HORIZON and are a fan of bands like HELLOWEEN that give you just a little goofy along with their good and heavy, HIBRIA will have you smiling, laughing, headbanging and raising the metal horns all at the same time. - Al Kikuras

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Infernum - Farewell (No Colours, 2005)
 
Rating: 5.5/10
 
INFERNUM were a highly regarded side project of GRAVELAND mainstays Rob Darken and Capricornus.  And I'm sure that from the incredibly imaginative album title, this is their final release. So what should you know about this record other than the GRAVELAND link?  Well, according to the information provided by the promo, the answer would be, "nothing."
Fans of bands like GRAVELAND, VELES and many of the earlier No Colours bands will absolutely enjoy this piece of dark and moody metal. Not quite heavy enough to be black metal and not quite cheesy enough to evoke the "Viking metal" tag, INFERNUM really stick to the basics. Slow, prodding songs carefully layered with synth.  I would not call this a must have release for a casual black metal fan, but fans of early GRAVELAND and most of the modern "pagan" metal bands will absolutely enjoy this disc. - Big Juan

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Ingurgitating Oblivion – Voyage Toward Abhorrence (Unmatched Brutality, 2005) 

Rating: 9/10

Voyage Toward Abhorrence is the first record I’ve heard from the Tennessee-based Unmatched Brutality Records, and using it as the yardstick, I’d have to say they’re a pretty aptly named label. INGURGITATING OBLIVION is a bunch of German dudes who play some damn heavy death metal.  I love it when bands realize that heaviness is more than just speed­it’s about atmosphere and nuance. These guys remind me quite a lot of INCANTATION, and that’s a huge compliment. Like INCANTATION, these guys know when to slow down to a near-crawl to keep the songs interesting.  (Fear not, speedfreaks, there’s a ton of blast-beating and thrashing, too…)  Like GORGUTS, there are dissonant guitar chords and a wicked sense of melody and counterpoint to lend the proceedings a truly musical edge.  Voyage Toward Abhorrence is that sort of beautiful musical brutality that only extreme metal fans can appreciate.  Check out the twisted intro to “Toward The Flickering Light”­it’s so heavy it’s almost trance-inducing.
 
On a distinctive note that’s either pretentious or hilarious or both, the lyrics come across like Canterbury Tales or Coleridge poems, although, as usual, the listener couldn’t tell without reading them.  (Sample lyric from “Poetry Of The Flesh”: “Hast thine eye beheld yon enmity that dwells in ye great deep? / Gazing into ye grand womb hence incising ye vapours that hover above.”)   German claustrophobic death metal with English Lit aspirations may not sound like a good mix, but INGURGITATING OBLIVION makes it work.  This is some heavy shit, kids.  This is how it’s supposed to be done.- JW

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Kalmex and the Riffmerchants - Electric Bukkake (Intolerant Messiah, 2004)
 
Rating: 7.5/10
 
Christ. At first I thought that THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and THE LOCUST went on a three week acid binge in a desert with Mike Patton. I've heard some crazy shit in my time, but this is absolutely over the top, and in a very cool way. KALMEX seem to cover almost every genre possible while still holding on to the RIFFMERCHANT part of their name in full force.
Honestly, trying to describe this 54 minute excursion would be doing it an injustice. Instead I would say that fans of MR. BUNGLE, FANTOMAS and any of the aforementioned bands should make this release a priority. - Big Juan

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Kill The Thrill - Tellurique (Season Of Mist, 2005)
 
Rating: 7/10
 
The Industrial New Wave Metal trio known as KILL THE THRILL offer to the music world their own original vision with their fourth album, entitled Tellurique. Their latest offering is four years apart from 2001's 203 Barriers, and KILL THE THRILL still do indeed offer something entirely new and original. However, this new and original style that KILL THE THRILL have played for 16 years will not appeal to all listeners, as is obviously true will all artists. However, KILL THE THRILL are a big exception to the age-old rule.
 
The most accurate verbal portrayal of KILL THE THRILL is indeed labeling them as an Industrial New Wave Metal band, with the Industrial and New Wave elements well outweighing the Metal part of the equation. In fact, this may be the result of what would happen if Trent Reznor lost his massive hard on for computer effects and morphed NINE INCH NAILS into an actual instrument-oriented band.  KILL THE THRILL mold a melancholic atmosphere consisting of a repetitively slow tempo, a rough vocal performance portraying emotion and pain, sampling throughout each song, Doom-like guitar riffs and bass lines, and a drum machine to keep the beat within each song.
 
The listener will either perceive Tellurique as either simply alright, or they just won't understand what it's purpose is and forget about it immediately after they listen to it. Quite honestly, this album may possibly be best suited in either a situation where one is very mellowed out, or merely as white noise. As aforementioned, the tempo remains slow throughout the album, which supports the theory that this is an excellent white noise or mellow album. In fact, the most meaty song on the album would have to be "Us and them", as this is really the only song that commences with a heavy riff.  Otherwise, fans of NINE INCH NAILS and insanely slow doom outfits will eat up the fourth album from KILL THE THRILL.
 
Other than "Us and them", not much else can really be said about the other songs on the 12-track Tellurique. Tellurique is more an album that just has to be heard in order to understand, because a review of the album will only paint half a picture. KILL THE THRILL's trio is completed by Marylin Tognolli (Bass, Vocals), Nicolas Dick (Lead Vocals, Guitar) and Frédéric De Benedetti (Guitar, Vocals). - Dave Larmore

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Levelsix – On The Inside (self-released, 2005) 
http://www.levelsix.net/

Rating: 6.5/10
 
LEVELSIX is a heavy-riffing melodic hard rock band from Brooklyn.  I had to listen to this demo a few times because, at first, I wasn’t really blown away. The first half of the record sounds like a cross between VELVET REVOLVER and TOOL­with metalcore riffs underpinning Slash-esque high melodic “Sweet Child O’ Mine” guitar bits and arena-rock choruses.  And while I like VELVET REVOLVER (yeah, go ahead, shoot me), the stuff I heard here didn’t really knock me down.  After the boredom that is the “ballad”, track four: “Give In To Me,” I was ready to give up on LEVELSIX.  But then the last half of the record changed my mind. “Life Sentence” brought in some staccato thrash riffing and actually kept me interested. “Fall With Me” sounded like vintage WARRIOR SOUL, and that’s where I dug in.  (Random plug: WARRIOR SOUL was an underrated punk-metal band that got incorrectly lumped in with the hair-metal movement because they had a pretty-boy singer.  Check them out.)  The walloping motherfucker that is “Love Is A Myth” is worth the entire first half of the record ten times over. The final track is a toss-off collage of sound effects and completely ignorable. The first half of the record is an overdone mix of styles and doesn’t stand out; the LEVELSIX boys should stick with stuff like the last few tunes, if you ask me.  I give them a 5/10 for the first half and an 8/10 for the second half, which averages to a 6.5/10. - JW

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Lux Ferre - Antichistian War Propaganda (Ketzer Records, 2005)
 
Rating: 9/10
 
Where the fuck has this band been hiding and why didn't I hear about them sooner??  Absolutely crushing metal from these Portuguese savages.  These guys are so crushing that I can let slide the incredibly cliche and unimaginative album title.

LUX FERRE are somewhere along the lines of bands like AXIS OF ADVANCE and RITES OF THYDEGRINGOLADE (both bands from Canada) with a healthy dose of MARDUK in the mix.  Incredibly technical with dazzling instrumentation, yet equally hard hitting and ferocious, after this release LUX FERRE are one of the most promising bands in black metal today. - Big Juan

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Machetazo - Sinfonias Del Terror Ciego (Razorback, 2005)

Rating: 9/10

I have enjoyed MACHETAZO's output thus far, but Sinfonias Del Terror Ciego still knocked me on my ass. When I was back in high school, running the print version of Unchain, I started getting promos from a little label in CA called Wild Rags Records. One of the first discs (well, cassettes back then) I received from them was IMPETIGO's Ultimo Mondo Cannibale. At the time, I hadn't heard anything like it, and it sent shivers up and down my spine. No album has really touched it since, but MACHETAZO have come close on Sinfonias Del Terror Ciego. The material isn't as catchy as Ultimo, but that sound... that "scraped from the sewer" sound, like you are actually listening to someone's goriest, most disgusting nightmares, is here in the flesh. MACHETAZO have captured the air of mystery that used to make bands like BLASPHEMY, VENOM, POSSESSED, MAYHEM and the like so fascinating. Before we saw a thousand pictures of them, read a thousand interviews, learned that they were just normal guys that sat home, played video games and ate pork rinds... before that curtain was lifted up and we saw the little man pulling the strings and making it all happen.  Before we found out BRUJERIA was members of FEAR FACTORY and FAITH NO MORE... before we knew there was NO SANTA! Maybe it is because all the lyrics and info in the CD card are in Spanish (and my Spanish is too rusty to make out most of it), but I don't know much about these guys, and I like it that way.

So, enough about their persona. On to the music. We have some thick, raw, distorted death metal here, ala AUTOPSY, the aforementioned IMPETIGO, and the little-known CORPSE GOD (who you can click here to learn more about). The production is gloriously bass-heavy. The riffs have, at times, a punkish feel that makes you just want to fist bang and thrash about. The vocals sound like a mic has been stuffed down the singer's throat as he gurgles, screeches, and growls. MACHETAZO aren't trying to be the fastest, the heaviest, or the most technical death metal band at the picnic. If anything, they are the antithesis of all the DEEDS OF FLESH clones saturating the scene right now. MACHETAZO go for the jugular with a rusty, jagged edge rather than the surgical blade that so many death/grind bands are employing right now, and the result is an even bloodier, gorier and more painful experience. Sinfonias Del Terror Ciego is an album that I find myself listening to with regularity, and one of my favorite releases that the mighty Razorback Records have put out so far. Think of it as a Mental Funeral for the 21st century and you won't be far off the mark. - Al Kikuras

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Malsain – They Never Die (Dark Essence, 2005) 

Rating: 6/10

The liner notes proclaim that Norway’s MALSAIN “plays Claustophobic Metal exclusively!”  By “claustrophobic metal” they must mean “mid-tempo, keyboard-heavy black metal,” because that’s what this is. With black metal, it’s hard to tell if a poor production job is intentional or just the result of recording constraints, but either way, the flat production on They Never Die really sabotages any power the music may hold.  DARKTHRONE (and any number of their imitators) proved that a record can sound horrible and still possess a certain energy.  Here, Leprae’s keyboards and Skumring’s standard black metal rasp dominate the mix, pushing Valdr’s guitars and Phobos’ drums so far in the back that the listener has to strain to make out exactly what they’re doing.  Also, none of the music is terribly complex, so just hearing droning keyboard passages gets a little old…  Some of the atmospherics on the record are cool, but the band needs to find a way to bring some energy into the music to keep the listener interested. There’s potential in this band, but the recording of They Never Die is just too flat and lifeless for me. - JW

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Mistress – In Disgust We Trust (Earache, 2005)

Rating: 9/10
 
What is it about Birmingham, England, that just breeds great metal bands? BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, NAPALM DEATH… I’ve read interviews where all of those bands attributed their music to the bleakness of a boring industrial town where nothing else happens, which really just makes me wonder why the same scene hasn’t happened in Birmingham, Alabama… But I digress… Anyway, the latest in the line of Brummie bands, MISTRESS spits out a spite-filled chunk of grinding crust (or is it crusty grind?) on their Earache debut In Disgust We Trust.  Sounding like the bastard sons of a dozen classic Earache bands, most notably NAPALM DEATH and rot’n’roll-era-ENTOMBED, MISTRESS make a hell of a good racket.  The band grooves and grinds with equal aplomb, and damned if it doesn’t kick my ass.  Vocalist Dave Cunt even breaks out the KING DIAMOND falsetto harmonies on “Whiskey Tastes Better.”  Earache’s been getting a bad rap lately for signing a bunch of mainstream bands for kids at the mall, but then a band like MISTRESS comes along to redeem them.  (Also, I expect good things from recent Earache-signing MUNICIPAL WASTE.)  Note to Digby: you can sign commercial “hardcore” bands all day long as long as you also keep making records like this. - JW

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Monolithe - Monolithe II (Candlelight, 2005)
 
Rating: 0/10
 
French Doom Metallers MONOLITHE manage to release one of the most pointless albums to ever reach a print and distribution shop. Then again, the listener could have figured that out when noticing that the sole song on the album (or single), "Monolithe II" clocks in at 50 minutes and 24 seconds.
 
Let's be serious here for a minute, who the fuck feels as though 50 minutes and 24 seconds is needed to put together a song? The fucking song doesn't go anywhere!  All that is in the song is one drawn out lame mediocre doom riff, assisted by a repetitive drum beat and only brief indecipherable death growling. There's only a brief break down or two of melodic guitar and bass picking lasting a few seconds each, but it isn't worthy of fast forwarding through the sole meaningless track. Besides, there's not many (if any) people that are actually going to sit there and listen to a directionless song that lasts almost an hour.
 
Monolithe II was recorded in December 2003 and January 2004 with the line-up of Richard Loudin (Vocals), Kristofer Lorent (Bass), Benoit Blin (Guitar), Manu Mechling (Devices) and founder Sylvain Begot (Guitar and Devices).- Dave Larmore

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Nachtmystium - Eulogy IV (Southern Lord/Battle Kommand, 2005)
 
Rating: 8/10
 
What makes NACHTMYSTIUM unique in the sea of North American black metal acts is their ability to evolve with each release while still appealing to the diehard black metal crowd. .  "Eulogy IV" sees the band playing a much more progressive style than on previous releases. This release absolutely solidifies the band as pillars of the modern black metal scene. This should appeal to fans of JUDAS ISCARIOT, KRIEG and PINK FLOYD.  This CD actually contains the "Eulogy 4" EP along with four bonus tracks.  Those tracks are a two live songs, VON cover, and a BURZUM cover.  All are just as impressive as the EP. This definitely a band to keep an eye on. - Big Juan

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Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked (Relapse, 2005)

Rating: 9/10

NILE have reached a new level of musical proficiency and controlled chaos on Annihilation of the  Wicked. The tried and true NILE formula is still intact, but jacked up a few notches. Faster,  heavier, with the cleanest and most powerful production on a NILE release yet, Annihilation of the  Wicked is a prime example of how an already world-class band can even further push the boundaries. Where this release truly excels is the songwriting. Yes, it is still insane and frantic, but there  are hooks in the madness that sink in, making the songs sound familiar on the second listen even though they are so off the meter in mayhem. New drummer George Kollias proves himself more than  adept at filling the large shoes left by previous NILE drummers.  Dallas Toler-Wade and Karl  Sanders prove themselves to be two of the finest musicians and songwriters in death metal today, with the rare ability to play as fast and extreme as the slew of "-tion" death/grind metal bands that are vomiting forth album after album of over-the-top technical death metal with nary a  memorable moment to be found WITHOUT falling into that same snare of only being able to tell one  song from another by the number displayed on your CD player. NILE blast with the best, but also know when to slow down for a moody, epic passage, or a slow, crushing groove. Annihilation of the  Wicked is just the album that I hoped NILE would deliver... their Reign In Blood. My only concern now is where do they go from here? - Al Kikuras

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Novembers Doom - The Pale Haunt Departure (The End Records, 2005)
 
Rating: 9/10
 
Ever wish that DREAM THEATER would shitcan vocalist James LaBrie and do a full-on DREAM THEATER-style death metal record?  Of course not, DREAM THEATER already kick ass the way they are. However, Illinois-based progressive doom/death metal band NOVEMBERS DOOM, formerly known as LACERATION, are as close to a doom/death metal DREAM THEATER as there ever will be... minus the unbelievable lead guitar ability of John Petrucci. 
 
With their fifth full-length album, NOVEMBER'S DOOM offer up perhaps their most ambitious, progressive and crafted work to date... musically and artwork-wise. The layout, illustrations and designs of Attila Kis are imaginative, thought-provoking and peculiar... and it coincides with NOVEMBERS DOOM music perfectly. Flipping through NOVEMBERS DOOM album booklet will give the listener as much joy as flipping through a NEVERMORE album booklet, because it features such a dark cornfield/scarecrow-based theme unfolding page by page, and features a full band photo in the middle of it all. The cover art and back tray alone should be enticing enough to a music fan.
 
However, the enticement also lies within the intelligence of the progression throughout each song. In fact, the only tracks on The Pale Haunt Departure that commence in a heavy upfront manner is the title track and closing track "Collapse Of The Fallen Throe". The main variety on The Pale Haunt Departure is the vocal performance of frontman Paul Kuhr, who can either sing very mellow and cleanly, or distort his voice in a raw death metal grunt style. "The Pale Haunt Departure" rips into good drum work after a 10-second echo-like introduction, and then the rest of the band rips in to a straight forward pure doom metal anthem, with Kuhr utilizing his raw death metal grunt style that would make DISINCARNATE proud.  For "Collapse Of The Fallen Throe", the song opens with a riff that would get CROWBAR inebriated in sonic excess, and the slow pace remains throughout the duration of the song. On this track, Kuhr utilizes both of his vocal capabilities.
 
Every other song on the disc, however, opens up with either mellow clean guitar strumming or acoustic guitar picking.  With "Swallowed By The Moon" it's a perfect predecessor to the opening album title track, as the mellow clean guitar strumming lasts for a good 5 seconds, only to go down a sonic doom path. "Autumn Reflection" is no different in opening arrangement, but the song alters from mellow to doom riffing, with the doom movement closing the latter half of the song. "Dark World Burden" may have the fastest and heaviest tempo on the album (after the mellow opening), and "Through A Child's Eyes" is the sole completely mellow track on the album.
 
NOVEMBERS DOOM bring intelligence and a well-structured formula to both their music, lyrics and presentation. This album will most likely appeal to fans of MY DYING BRIDE, OPETH, PARADISE LOST and ANATHEMA. Vocalist Paul Kuhr is the only sole remaining original member of the band, as NOVEMBERS DOOM has endured quite the line-up changes since the band's inception in 1989. Along with Kuhr, the musicians whom participated in the recording of The Pale Haunt Departure were Larry Roberts (Guitar/Keyboards), Vito Marchese (Guitar), Mike LeGros (Bass), Joe Nunez (Drums) and NOVEMBERS DOOM alumni Eric Burnley lent a helping hand on the majority of the Keyboard work. Shortly after the release of The Pale Haunt Departure, Mike LeGros was replaced by Brian Whited, who remains in the band today. It's ironic that DISINCARNATE were mentioned in the third paragraph of this review, as legendary death metal guitarist James Murphy handled the mastering duties of The Pale Haunt Departure. - Dave Larmore

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Nuse – Hung Well (No Joke, 2005)             

Rating: 7.5/10

NUSE is a band in a bit of a time-warp, back to the glory days of hardcore-inflected thrash.  Mix one part crushing BIOHAZARD mosh grooves, one part SICK OF IT ALL barked hardcore vocals, one part fast and precise OVERKILL riffing, a dash of SLAYER and DRI, and a tiny bit of NOFX skate-punk silliness (on the marijuana ode “Smoke”)…  Shake well, and you have NUSE. (I’m assuming it’s pronounced “noose” since the album art is a hangman’s noose and the album title is a pun on hanging.)  Songs like album opener “Blue Fish” and “Ode To Jed” pound the listener with thrash riffs and hardcore gang vocals, just like the good old days... The oddly titled “Ig” sports some of the best FUGAZI riffs that MacKaye and company missed out on. NUSE should be commended for sticking to the guns of classic hardcore-influenced thrash and making a hell of a tight record. - JW

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Obituary - Frozen In Time (Roadrunner, 2005)
 
Rating: 8/10
 
With legendary death metallers OBITUARY's new album, the title of the album alone sums up the sound of the band's music from 1989's Slowly We Rot to current day, in that they still sound just like they did a good 20 years ago; nothing experimental or nothing too drastically new, just straight-forward old school death metal OBITUARY-style.  It has been eight years since OBITUARY's last offering, Back From The Dead, and Frozen In Time was well worth waiting for.
 
The album opens up with a 3 and a half minute instrumental entitled "Redneck Stomp", which maintains signature mid-tempo OBITUARY riffing throughout. "On The Floor" proceeds the album opener in a very fast tempo, and does not dissapoint at all; one could concur that the seven year hiatus only made John Tardy's voice grow even more harsh and despicable, and even lead guitarist Allen West gets to lend a brief SLAYER-ish guitar solo in "On The Floor". "Insane", the album's single, begins with a mid-tempo classic OBITUARY riff, and will make even the biggest OBITUARY fan feel as though it is 1992 all over again. "Blindsided" is the type of song that would get an ultimate fighter pumped up, while "Back Inside" is very similar to "Insane"... maybe even a bit too similar; "Back Inside" practically begins, progresses and concludes exactly like "Insane".
 
Meanwhile, "Mindset" would make a band like EYEHATEGOD or CROWBAR very proud and an immediate fan, due to how slow the song is. "Stand Alone" is one of the album's highlights, maintaining a fast tempo and nice lead work from Allen West at the very beginning and in the middle of the song, in addition to just how tight the rhythm section of the band is. "Slow Death" is another winner, with the drums sticking out just as much as the guitar riff... while "Denied" falls a bit on the filler side, with John Tardy's vocal style erupting the song at the very beginning. The album closes rather nicely with "Lockjaw", which opens up with progressing volume and launches into steady OBITUARY riffing.
 
Overall, the album is a true OBITUARY album, just like their other releases. In fact, just noticing the name of the album should tell the browser right away what they are in store for. OBITUARY went on hiatus for a good seven years, and listening to the resulting music assures OBITUARY's return back exactly where they left off before, only they are older, wiser and sound better than ever. Any and all OBITUARY fans will enjoy this release, and those looking to get into OBITUARY wouldn't be making a bad choice in starting with this album. The tracks to look for when listening to Frozen In Time would definitely be narrowed down to "Stand Alone", "On The Floor" and "Insane". The original OBITUARY line-up is still in tact, with John Tardy (Vocals), Allen West (Lead Guitar), Trevor Peres (Rhythm Guitar), Frank Watkins (Bass) and Donald Tardy (Drums) sounding better than ever... yet Frozen In Time! - Dave Larmore

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