Music Reviews

Vader – The Art of War (Candlelight, 2006)

Rating: 9/10

What better way to kick off 2006 than a new offering from polish death metallers VADER? The Art of War EP may be the first metal album to be released in 2006, and it is certainly the perfect way to kick off another year in metal releases. This 6-track death metal opus features VADER evolving further, as The Beast (VADER’s effort from 2004) was a sneak preview of which direction VADER were heading towards. The Art of War is the arrival of the evolution that VADER were striving for, as the band is more melodic and technical than ever. Evolution is bad for some bands, but in this case, VADER ends up evolving for the better without compromising their style or image. This EP mixes in the melodic technical guitar riffing of DEATH, but still maintains the distinguished death metal style that VADER has perfected for 20 years.

The first thing one might notice is the dedication of the EP (below the track listing) to the late Krzysztof "Doc" Raczkowski, who was the band’s drummer for over 17 years, and departed the band in 2005. The album commences with "Para Bellum," a short composition that serves as a prelude to the brutality that follows with "This is the War, " which opens up with a war-march feel to it. After the mid-tempo guitar riffing and drumming, the song then proceeds to venture into a ball-shot-out-of-a-cannon tempo, and drummer Dariusz Brzozowski proves himself to be a suitable replacement for "Doc." "This is the War" would be a perfect reminder to anyone as to how insanely heavy and talented VADER is, as well as to how good of a guitar shredding duo that VADER have in their ranks. "Lead Us!!!" begins rather dirgy and mid-tempo (similar to current day EXODUS), but then leads into mid-tempo riffing, reminiscent of NEVERMORE ("Seed Awakening," anyone?). Close to a minute later, old-fashioned VADER speed picks up, whil e switching between the fast and mid-tempo pacing throughout. Again, the guitar solos in the song prove to be as much of a highlight for VADER as Peter’s peculiar style of death metal vocals.

The last half of The Art of War begins the same way that the first did, with another short instrumental composition in "Banners On The Wind." The initial riffage in "What Color Is Your Blood?" has an EXODUS (Tempo of the Damned) feel to it, but then switches into the thunder-riffing and lightning-fast drumming signature sound that VADER has always been known for. "Death In Silence" concludes the short but heavy EP, and the track itself is only mildly entertaining. "Death In Silence" leans on the filler side, but is still worth a listen.

The CD itself is enhanced, as it features the video for "This is the War." If "The Art of War" is any indication of what VADER’s next full-length release will sound like, then the album is going to epic, yet very intense. The Art of War is the evolution that VADER have been slowly-but-surely approaching since they released Revelations in 2002, and is a resounding success. VADER’s line-up includes Piotr Wiwczarek (Vocals/Guitar), Maurycy Stefanowicz (Guitar), Marcin Nowak (Bass) and Dariusz Brzozowski (Drums). - Dave Larmore

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Necrophagia – Necrotorture/Sickcess DVD (Red Stream, 2005) 

Rating: 9/10

We all know I love some NECROPHAGIA… (I mean the band, not the act… Or do I?)  Their latest DVD release, Necrotorture/Sickcess, is a fun little romp through the sick gore-soaked world of Killjoy and company, and it's handily divided into halves representative of the two interests of the band: kick-ass death metal and gruesome low-budget blood-and-guts cinema.
 
The first half (Necrotorture) is a complete live show from Spain, and it completely rips.  The band sounds good (although the drums are a bit too loud and the guitars too low), and Killjoy is in fine form, hunkering his chubby demented-hobbit-looking self down and spewing his filthy lyrics in that Exorcist voice he helped make fashionable back in the mid-80s. Guitarists Fug and Frediablo are a perfect team, as tight as vintage Tipton & Downing, and bassist Iscariah looks like a madman, rail thin and covered in blood.  There are multiple cameras in the shoot and each band member is featured, so this isn't just a half-assed concert film.  The sound is presented in both 5.1 surround and stereo for your listening enjoyment. (Imagine, kiddies! It will feel like you're right on stage with Killjoy!  Happy happy!)
 
Of equal appeal as the concert is the short film Sickcess, directed by Fred Vogel.  Detailing the journey of the director, who supposedly knows nothing of the band and gets hired to do a documentary on the European tour, Sickcess follows Vogel as he joins the band and begins his film. He interviews each band member (Iscariah first, then Frediablo, Fug, drummer Titta, and keyboardist Mirai) plus the bus driver and tour manager, asking each in turn about the “rumors” of the band engaging in activities such as ritual murder, cannibalism, blood drinking, and so on. Some band members get angry; some agree only to discuss the matter off-camera; others, like Frediablo, are open about such activity, discussing it with hilarious stoicism.  From there, the plot thickens.  . It's not the complete bloodbath some people would expect, but it's true NECROPHAGIA nonetheless. I won't give anything away here, but to say that it's a fun and campy little gore film, with the band as primary actors, and yes, it's silly, and at times, grotesque, and no, children probably shouldn't see it.  That's the fun of NECROPHAGIA. If you don't like it, go listen to KENNY LOGGINS. - JW

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Neuropathia – Satan Is A Cunt (No Escape, 2005) 

Rating: 8/10

Polish splatterpunks NEUROPATHIA clearly have a sense of humor: the CD here is labeled “Pure Norwegian Black Metal.”  For that little joke alone, I would give them high marks, but I'll be damned if they don't rock, too. Satan Is A Cunt is somewhat of a compilation­14 new tracks combined with remixed versions of tracks from When The Earth Spit Out The Dead (now out of print), plus a bonus of three unreleased covers.  (All in all, there are six covers on this record, one each of GUT, BLOOD DUSTER, REPULSION, IMPETIGO, REGURGITATE, and BRUTAL TRUTH.) No, kiddies, NEUROPATHIA is not pure Norwegian black metal, but rather the sum of those influences above: crusty and raw splatter-grind in the best tradition, thrashing and raging and yet oddly catchy and sing-able­sort of a MISFITS approach to crusty grind.  Here the standard B-movie samples introduce most every song, and each song pushes forward in a frantic frenzy of punk guitars, ferocious drumming, and horror/gore-themed lyrics. Unlike some of their less-interesting peers, NEUROPATHIA have sense enough to change things up and not repeat the same one-riff, blastbeat pattern endlessly throughout the disc. (They even have enough humor and talent and balls to pull off what sounds like a “Yeah, baby, let's rock,” in the breakdown to “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”)
 
I first listened to this record one evening when I was drifting off to sleep, tossing it on for something to occupy my brain while my body shut down, and I stayed up an extra hour listening to it from start to finish, really digging in to the new tracks, and being somewhat let down by the old ones. After doing so once, I do think that Satan Is A Cunt is best listened to in sections, as a representation of the progression of the band, because as one unit, it's lengthy and a little disjointed, and the old recordings aren't anywhere near the quality of the new ones. The vocal style of the newer stuff is a raw-throated shout interspersed with an occasional sewer gurgle, whereas the old stuff presents the gurgle almost exclusively.  Despite the remixing, the old tracks simply can't compete sonically with the crispness of the new recordings. (In fact, the sound quality is so vastly inferior that it makes one wonder just how poor the original mixes were.)  So treat the last 10 tracks as bonus tracks, and focus primarily on the new material.
 
This disc is the first I've heard from these guys, even though they've been around for quite awhile, and I definitely dig it. Along with SIEGE OF HATE and WOJCZECH, NEUROPATHIA is one of my new favorite grind bands.  Based on the first half of this record, it rarely gets better than this. I give it a 9 for the first half and a 7 for the older stuff, so it balances out to an 8. - JW

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Oathean - Fading Away Into The Grave Of Nothingness (The End Records, 2005)

Rating: 7/10

As if SIGH weren’t enough, South Korea’s OATHEAN has unleashed a classic slab of black metal in 2005. Combining folk and classical elements with great riffing and rough vocals, Fading Away Into The Grave Of Nothingness, OATHEAN’s third offering, is an album that any black metal fan can enjoy. With an indecipherable black metal logo, a top-of-the-line booklet and melodic black metal, one cannot go wrong in checking out OATHEAN’s latest slab of mastered black metal.

The album opens up with "Distant Requiem Buried Within", which mixes the sound of wind with the melancholic keyboard work of Hye Ryung. Preceding the melancholic introduction is "Wandering Soul", which is definitely one of the album’s highlights. The opening riffing is like an army marching into war, then the riff becomes fast-tempo and skilled blast beat drumming kicks in. Along with the keyboard work, vocalist Do-Su Kim delivers a raw voice that is a good mixture between Nocturno Culto (DARKTHRONE) and Mirai Kawashima (SIGH). In addition, "Wandering Soul" is the album’s longest in duration track, and features very good lead guitar work, which is directly backed by keyboard work. "From The Depths of Despair" sounds like something left on the cutting room floor for DARKTHRONE’s Transylvanian Hunger, as the album starts right off with blast beating and chugga-chugga guitar riffing. The only thing that separates "From The Depths of Despair" from something left on the cutting room floor for the Transylvanian Hunger sessions is the keyboard work of one Hye Ryung. Additionally, the guitar riffing goes into a CELTIC FROST direction, and the song then takes a leap into a gloomy atmosphere. "The Origin" starts off horrific (in a good way), with a sickly scream from Do-Su Kim, and the keyboard work overshadows the lightning-paced strumming. In fact, the only thing that overshadows the keyboard work is the astonishing drum work of Woon Kim. "A Life of Suffering Craving The Darkness" starts off very similar to "From The Depths of Despair", only the music drifts into keyboard-driven melody. "Voice of My Soul" spotlights the same lightning-fast strumming technique that was previously overshadowed by keyboard work on "The Origin." The sick part of "Voice of My Soul" is the three-quarters of a minute blast beat by drummer Woon Kim, and the blast beats remains lengthy throughout the track. If truth were told, a blast beat hasn’t been played consistently like that since Vinnie Daze (ex-DEMOLITION HAMMER) and Mike Smith (SUFF OCATION).

"Beyond The Memories I Lost" leads the album into a much different direction, as the music opens up in a much slower tempo. Eventually, the music shifts into fast-tempo and guest vocalist Kenta sounds like he’s about to rip his own throat out with a spiked baseball bat, similar to Do-Su Kim. "Scent of Longing" opens up as a strictly orchestrated piano composition featuring the beautiful guest vocals of Jee-Young Lee, and then leads way into Do-Su Kim mutating the song into a slow-tempo composition with an extreme black metal voice. The album closes with "Road To…", which sounds like something one would hear at a funeral in Korea, and doesn’t feature anything from band members outside of Hye Ryung. Fading Away Into The Grave Of Nothingness includes two bonus tracks at the end with "The Money From The Tobacco Pouch" and the aggressive live version of "In Fear With Shiver." "The Money From The Tobacco Pouch", however, is another Hye Ryung-centered track, and Do-Su Kim eventually enters in on the track.

Fading Away Into The Grave Of Nothingness is a unique black metal offering. The band’s heritage shines through on the album, while maintaining a style of progressive yet pure black metal. Fans of SIGH, DARK TRANQUILITY, DARKTHRONE and maybe even DIMMU BORGIR are going to love Fading Away Into The Grave Of Nothingness. OATHEAN consists of Do-Su Kim (Vocals/Guitar), Hee-Doo Lee (Guitar), Yong-Hee Park (Bass), Hye Ryung Koo (Keyboards) and Woon Kim (Drums). - Dave Larmore

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Parabellum – Stainless (New South Metal, 2005) 

Rating: 7.5/10

Despite a 10-year career, Floridian swamp metallers PARABELLUM are just now releasing their debut full-length Stainless, and it couldn't possibly be more rooted in the sounds of the Gulf Coast underground. A raw mixture of ACID BATH and CROWBAR sludge with PANTERA thrash and SOURVEIN doom riffs, Stainless moshes along in a mid-tempo groove for most of its 12 songs.  Shane Reneaux, like most vocalists in modern metal, is clearly a student of Phil Anselmo, splitting his time between the requisite dry-throated scream and a cleaner voice that sounds like a depressed Neil Fallon of CLUTCH. (As a bonus, Ben Falgoust of the almighty SOILENT GREEN/GOATWHORE and Joe Gaston of BRECCIA/SOULCORE/MUTANT SPEED provide guest vocals on one track apiece.) Even when they're thrashing, PARABELLUM rarely rises above a BLACK SABBATH pace, and when everything clicks properly, as on the heroin tale “Locust Dreams In Potters Field” or the agonizing “The Wound That Never Heals,” it's pure, sweet Nola sludge. There's nothing here that hasn't been done before, but PARABELLUM does it as well as the masters, if not as originally or transcendentally.
 
The only real fault I can find with the record is that over the course of 70 minutes, it wears long, its colossal mid-paced crush becoming too repetitive and the riffs blurring together. With most songs in the six-minute range, PARABELLUM could be well-served to streamline their songwriting a bit, saving the extended workouts for the stage and not the CD player. - JW

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Premonitions Of War – Glorified Dirt + The True Force Of Panic (Metal Blade, 2005)     

Rating: 7/10

Similar in construct to the Blackmarket/Metal Blade ED GEIN record I also reviewed this month, PREMONITIONS OF WAR's newest disc is intense metalcore.  What primarily separates the two is PREMONITIONS' emo-styled lyrics vs. GEIN's violent finger-pointing protestations. (The emo lyrics, in my opinion, are the weakest point both of this record and the entire metalcore genre.)  Glorified Dirt + The True Force Of Panic is a compilation release of two EPs (I'm sure you can guess the titles of those), and the line-up of each is different because the band actually re-recorded one EP (Glorified Dirt) with their most recent line-up.  Thus the two halves of the record have slightly different vibes, and as a complete listening experience, the album is a bit disjointed. Overall, I prefer the second half, which is actually the older of the two recordings. There's a rawness there that grabs me a little more.
 
If you've heard metalcore, you've heard this, although metalcore never seems to get this damned heavy, so that's one thing PREMONITIONS OF WAR has going for them and the one reason why I didn't dismiss this one immediately.  I haven't heard the previous LP, Left In Kowloon, but I heard good things about it.  I'm generally not a fan of metalcore (in fact, I avoid it whenever possible), and I'm not certain Glorified Dirt + The True Face Of Panic is enough to change my view of the entire genre, but it is enough to make me maybe give a shot to that Kowloon record that I wouldn't have given previously.  All in all, given that it's a compilation of older material, I get the impression that Glorified Dirt + The True Face Of Panic is more for the fans anyway, so that's probably the best it can do. - JW

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Pustulated - Haematoma (Goregiastic, 2005)

Rating: 7.5/10

PUSTULATED play vomit diarrhea death metal. Fast, chaotic, ultra-low gurgle vocals, ala DISGORGE (Mex), BRODEQUIN (well, duh), RETCH and the like. I'm quite the fan of Chad Walls' (aka Captain Killdrums) work with BRODEQUIN. Without a doubt, one of the fastest blasters out there. PUSTULATED's material not nearly as tight or clean as BRODEQUIN, so it isn't quite as evident what a monster this guys us, but there is a barbaric and frenzied quality to PUSTULATED that I find appealing ("in fact, they're a'peeling him off the sidewalk right now!"). There are 7 new songs on here, plus 5 tracks previously released on a split with COPREMESIS. The sound on the split tracks is thicker, though muddier, (you can't have it all, I guess) and the material is equally as insane. No, PUSTULATED don't do a whole lot to separate themselves from the masses, but while a band like BRODEQUIN is like letting a bear loose in a small apartment to maim the occupants, PUSTULATED is like putting that bear in the back of a garbage truck and driving it through the front door at 85 miles an hour. You'll probably kill everyone on impact, but just in case someone is left breathing, the bear can finish the job. - Al Kikuras

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Putrid Pile - The Pleasure in Suffering (Goregiastic, 2005)

Rating: 8/10

As we all know, brutal death/grind has been fucked in every single hole over the past few years. RETCH, LIVIDITY, DISGORGE, PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, INVERACITY... the list goes on and on, from the bands that started it, to the bands that kept it going, to the bands that are now kicking the dead horse until the maggots fly. While it is increasingly difficult to bring something new to the table, bands like BRODEQUIN push the envelope by playing faster than even the fastest. INGURGITATING OBLIVION interjects mood atmosphere to the formula. On the other hand, a band like ARTERY ERUPTION (also reviewed in this update, and labelmates of PUTRID PILE) suffers from a lack of identity because they do little to stretch the boundaries of the genre, and do so with production that actually harms what quality the material might have because it comes off as a wall of noise at its fastest.

PUTRID PILE is a one-man project that certainly isn't bringing anything new to the table, but unlike ARTERY ERUPTION, the production is clean (probably, in part, because it is so much easier to record with a drum machine than a live drummer). The guitars are crisp, the vocals are right in front of the mix, and PUTRID PILE mastermind Shawn Lacanne keeps things interesting with a mixed bag of solid groove parts, clean blasting and speedy sections, and hitting just about every tempo in between. The vocals aren't just the deep gurgle, but range from the bowels of the CARCASS universe through Benton-ish growls and screams to the sucked-in pig vocals that so many grind bands are fond of. What really makes this one listenable is the refinement. Never noisy, never chaotic. The Pleasure in Suffering is a very solid grinding death metal album that any fan of the genre will appreciate. - Al Kikuras

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S.O.S. – A Guide To Better Living (316 Productions, 2005) 

Rating: 5.5/10

Man, there are so many possibilities here; where do I start? Do I start off by saying, “‘SOS, please help' was what was running through my mind when I was listening to this”? Or do I start by saying, “A Guide To Better Living. Step One: destroy this CD”?  It's tough being a reviewer sometimes…
 
S.O.S. considers itself New York hardcore, although how they do so, I'm uncertain, since, at best, they sound like a developmentally disabled METALLICA to me.  (Not even good METALLICA­we're talking like Reload-era METALLICA, only with more sloppy punk riffs and fewer challenging thrash ones.) “Hopeless” sounds like NOFX and then segues confusingly into “Old No. 7”s bastardization of early WHITE ZOMBIE and then into “No Miracle” which brings us full circle to Garage-era METALLICA covering all their punk favorites… “Venice” starts as an anti-establishment oompah tune arranged for accordion, acoustic guitar, and snare drum before the band comes in and transforms it into an approximation of an Oi sing-along. This whole record is a disjointed shambles­the riffs are hackneyed and poorly played, the production is sub-demo quality, and the vocals are almost inexcusable, especially when paired with ridiculous lyrics like the opening couplet in “Bumblefuck,” which states: “When we first met, you fell / and I was like, ‘Right on…” (I can only assume that the lyric means “fell in love” and not “fell on your ass.”) Or how about “The Wedding Guy,” which name-checks both the Macarena and the funky chicken… Or hey, how about this gem: “Fuck politics and parlor tricks, I'd rather see the show / I won't give a fuck when this song never makes it to the radio…”  It might be the most brilliant thing they say, since I don't see radio in their future. - JW

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Scid – Fucked Beyond Recognition (Unmatched Brutality, 2005) 

Rating: 7.5/10

Fucked Beyond Recognition is a compilation of the first two EPs from these young German porno-gore-grinders. (Vocalist Rainer Duesing also does vocal duties in the brutal death band EMBEDDED.) The guys over at Unmatched Brutality have been putting out some cool shit lately, and this one is no exception. Hyperfast grindcore, grunted gurgle-pig vocals (according to the liners, “SCID doesn't use any kind of vocal effects”)­you've heard all these things before, and hopefully, you dig it.  Added to the mix here, for the sake of variety, is a touch of classic metal, lending the disc a CARCASS-ish sense of twisted and gory melodicism.
 
Sonically, the first half of the album (the latest of the two EPs) sounds much better­the snare drum on some of the later songs, particularly “Permanent Flatulence,” is a little tinny for my tastes, but that's a minor complaint, and one that most fans of underground music are happy to overlook. My favorite tunes on the disc are the opening track, “Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition” and the lovely “Queen For A Day, Cunt For A Lifetime,” but there's not an total dud in the bunch.  You certainly can't go wrong with a track like “C.L.I.T.,” which opens with a sample of Jay (of Jay & Silent Bob) declaring his mastery of the clitoris before grinding majestically for two minutes of mayhem. - JW

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Sear Bliss – Decade Of Perdition DVD (Red Stream, 2005) 
 
Rating: 8/10

So this makes two bands I get to review this month that feature horns. (No, not horns like those of the evil goat, horns like those of the evil ska.) Next month, I get the new CHICAGO album. Just kidding.  (For the record, the first few CHICAGO albums are great.  After that, utter shite.)
 
Anyway, Hungary's SEAR BLISS is a black metal band, and this DVD celebrates their 10th anniversary, a feat of longevity impressive in itself.  There's a full concert filmed in Budapest, plus the usual backstage chatter, interviews, cutting up, etc. I wasn't a huge SEAR BLISS fan going into this, and I'm not now either, but I can say that, were I a fan, this would be a great package for me.  The concert is filmed well­the sound is especially great, presented in both stereo and 5.1­and the band invites back a past member or two to perform with them on their older material.  Guest vocalist Attila (MAYHEM, TORMENTOR) even performs on “Birth Of Eternity.”
 
What I did find particularly compelling about the band was the use of a trombonist, which really adds a medieval tinge to the music, which otherwise would be competent, if not terribly distinctive, symphonic black metal.  (Zoltán Pál does look a bit odd headbanging, holding a trombone. It's not something you see every day.)
 
The DVD extras are entertaining, and the less adventurous viewer should expect subtitles, since the SEAR BLISS guys speak in Magyar and not in English.  There are long interview segments with the band, giving the history of the group as well as insight into the creative process.  Also, there's a pretty informative bit on their performance alongside a Hungarian theater troupe performing The Beggar's Opera.  And for no extra charge, you can see drummer Zoltán Schönberger prepare and eat a salami sandwich using apple halves instead of bread. (Yes, it's every bit as exciting as you imagine.)  There's also a photo gallery for those of you into that sort of thing.
 
This is a retrospective designed for the band's fans, of which there are many, I understand.  Although I'm not certain I'm in those ranks, I did quite enjoy it for what it is: a glimpse into a creative unit, doing what they do and making good music. If you are a fan of SEAR BLISS, or of symphonic black metal, or if you're in the market for a very well-done and entertaining retrospective of a band or genre you don't like, then by all means, pick this one up. - JW

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Severe Torture – Fall of the Despised (Earache, 2005)

Rating: 3/10

Who came up with the fucking cover of Fall of the Despised? It looks great! The cover depicts a bald skinny slave’s hands nailed to the floor in the dark, with clouds surrounding the back of him and five nails in each hand. The blood from the wounds is visible and the melancholic hopeless look in the slave’s eyes is priceless. With a cover like this, SEVERE TORTURE’s fifth full-length album has to undeniably be brutal death metal, right? Absolutely, and the music is so brutal that a grandmother would probably laugh hysterically and conclude that the cookie monster started drinking heavily.

Honestly, this sounds like an effortless unreleased DYING FETUS album that John Gallagher himself thinks sucks a polar bear’s fish-smelling virginal vagina; hence why it would be thought of as an unreleased DYING FETUS album. A majority of the tracks sound identical, save for "Enshrined in Madness" and the title track. "Enshrined in Madness" is a mid-tempo track with good riffing, but the Chris Barnes vocals butcher it completely. The title track is an instrumental foreclosing on Fall of the Despised, and is containing brief (and clean) doom riffing, until an effect fades the album like a star cruiser in a Star Wars flick.

Otherwise, Fall of the Despised contains nothing new or interesting. Some of the song titles are laughable ("End of Christ", "Unconditional Annihilation", "Consuming The Dying", "Dead From the Waist Up") and are so over-the-top that even a right-wing conservative Christian could find humor in it. Again, the album cover and the booklet artwork (consisting of different captures of the album cover) are very original and stick out amongst other album covers in retail stores, but the music is run-of-the-mill death metal. A listener is better off picking up a copy of Destroy The Opposition or Stop At Nothing, both by DYING FETUS. For what it’s worth, SEVERE TORTURE consists of Dennis Schreurs (Vocals), Patrick Boleij (Bass), Seith V/D Loo (Drums) and a duo of guitarists (Marvin Vriesde and Thijs Van Laarhoven). - Dave Larmore

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Skullshifter – Here In Hell (Independent, 2005) 

Rating: 6.5/10

Despite having a bit of a lame name, SKULLSHIFTER delivers the goods with Here In Hell, a 3-song slice of old-school crossover that reminds me of a thrashier SICK OF IT ALL or BIOHAZARD or maybe a less frenetic OVERKILL.  (Tom Nolz' vocals, probably the weakest part of the overall package, unfortunately lack either the streetwise charisma of Lou Koller or the distinctiveness of Blitz, but they don't detract from the music at all.)  Here In Hell is a teaser EP, previewing the release of a full-length in the near future.  As in the best thrash metal, the guitars are tight as hell, mixed brilliantly by the ever-reliable Simon Efemey (NAPALM DEATH, PARADISE LOST).  None of the songs are particularly brilliant, but they all rock right along in the familiar groove of all the bands that SKULLSHIFTER are emulating. There's not much to review really, since the running time is so short, except to close with: if you like old-school crossover thrash, then check these guys out, and if they can develop a more compelling vocal sound and hone in on their songwriting, they could be ones for the rest of you to watch out for. - JW

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Sunn 0))) – Black One (Southern Lord, 2005)  http://www.southernlord.com                         

Rating: 8/10

This one is a hard one to review.  With SUNN 0))), you either love it or hate it.  Me, personally­I love it, but at the same time it's not something I can just pop in and listen to at any time.  You definitely have to be in the mood for this type of thing.  That being said, I appreciate the beauty of its sheer ugliness.  I love that it's taking a backwards approach to evil­not faster and louder, but slower and darker, to the point that none can be slower or darker... (I say, how much more slow and dark could it be? The answer is none.  None more slow and dark.)
 
Black One is the soundtrack to the end of the world­the bleakest, darkest, most droning ambient metal imaginable, dripping with doom and gloom.  It's also a companion piece to the similarly titled White 1 and White 2, and is an even darker affair than those records (hence the title), representing a detour into completely deconstructed ambient black metal.  (Normally the band treads closer to EARTH's doomy minimalism, whereas this is like a DARKTHRONE record slowed to a crawl and remixed nearly out of existence.)  There are guest vocals from XASTHUR's Malefic and LEVIATHAN's Wrest, and there's also something that passes as a cover of IMMORTAL's “Cursed Realms (Of The Winterdemons), although completely broken down into a wash of vocals, feedback, and the odd droning guitar chord…
 
SUNN 0))) mainstays Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson are truly creative geniuses, but their music isn't for everyone. If you're a fan of harsh feedback-drenched anti-music and/or you're looking for something new and cool that is 180-degrees away from most extreme metal, then definitely check these guys out.  Otherwise, you've been warned… - JW

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The Mass – Perfect Picture Of Wisdom And Boldness (Crucial Blast, 2005) 

Rating: 7.5/10
 
With their thrashing math-metal with jazz flourishes, Oakland's THE MASS have been dubbed “indie-thrash” by their label and bear resemblance to quirky groups like MR. BUNGLE and FANTOMAS.  Although THE MASS is heavier and less schizophrenic than BUNGLE, what they share with Patton's myriad projects is a warped sense of genre-bending musicality. THE MASS has the ability to make a sensible record juxtaposing their disparate tendencies toward EXODUS-styled old-school thrash, progressive time and tempo shifts, and vocalist/saxophonist Matt Waters' jazzy saxophone breaks.  Imagine a more relaxed EXODUS crossed with a much more accessible version of JOHN ZORN's forays into jazz-metal (i.e. PAINKILLER), and you pretty much have it.
 
Again like most of Patton's projects, this isn't necessarily for everyone.  Headbangers looking to kick back and enjoy a record without having to think too much will be confused by Perfect Picture Of Wisdom And Boldness, but those looking for something pushing the boundaries of metal may find this an interesting listen. - JW

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Torture - Storm Alert (Escapi, 2006)

Rating: 8.5/10

Take the attitude and vocal insanity of SACRIFICE, DESTRUCTION and SODOM, the clean and tight delivery of ANNIHILATOR and the mayhem of classic SLAYER, smack them all up in a big car wreck and you have TORTURE's Storm Alert, an album that was recorded and originally released in 1989 and sounds every bit the part. Which, if you are a thrash fanatic like I am, is a good thing. TORTURE, even in '89, had the solid chops that the early thrash metal bands may not have had. The song writing is catchy, the sound is nice and crunchy. Storm Alert may sound dated to fans of nu-thrash, but those of us that know and love the genuine article will feel right at home. Had it been properly released in the US when thrash was at its peak, Storm Alert would most certainly sit along albums like Torment in Fire (SACRIFICE), Punishment for Decadence (CORONER), The Ultra-Violence (DEATH ANGEL), and others of the same ilk... thrash metal albums that may not have set the standard, but upheld it with their undeniable quality. - Al Kikuras

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Torture Killer - Swarm (Metal Blade, 2006)

Rating: 8/10

Well, duh. A band named after a SIX FEET UNDER song, that started playing SIX FEET UNDER covers, gets the singer from SIX FEET UNDER to join the band. What do you think it is going to sound like? Blessedly, Swarm leans towards the latter-day, more aggressive SIX FEET UNDER rather than the earlier works (which I always thought sounded like OBITUARY with Chris Barnes singing... again, duh), and also brings a fair amount of CANNIBAL CORPSE into the fold, along with some melodic guitar work (like the end of "Forever Dead") which gives the material its own slant. So... the result? While they get no points for anything approaching originality (let's be honest, how many bands do these days?), the good thing is, TORTURE KILLER pen some catchy songs, and Barnes sounds like Barnes, doing what he does best.  Songs like "Multiple Counts of Murder" go far to make you forgive the fact that they are using a tried and true formula to get the blood boiling and head banging. You can just sit back and revel in gore-soaked death metal in all its glory. - Al Kikuras

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War Throne – Ghoststorm Eulogy (Ghost Storm, 2005)

Rating: 6.5/10

Who was it that said that a metal band with a woman is automatically lousy? WAR THRONE proves this to be untrue, as Kristel handles the Bass (as well as Keyboard duties). With former DYING FETUS drummer Erik Sayenga handling the out-of-this-world blast beats (as well as guitars!), Ghoststorm Eulogy is an EP that can’t do any wrong, right?

Aside from the very noteworthy drum work of Erik Savenga, WAR THRONE plays epic black metal that will only appeal to a small demographic. Black metal traditionalists will be turned off completely by the synthesizers and keyboard work here and there, but a traditional sense is evident nonetheless. The vocal work consists of two styles: harsh gut-wrenching cadaveric screams of the mutilated and downright death grunting. The guitar work pounds the black metal riffs that one would expect, but also adds in a flavor of fast picking.

The album, however, can get boring fast. Save for the instrumental keyboard conclusion of the album (Where Dark Bleeds), the rest of the album sounds relatively the same. Some may even find that the music contained on Ghoststorm Eulogy doesn’t stick out at all, but others may enjoy it. Additionally, the cover is rather distinctive, as it features different shades of white and depicts a female ghost near an old three-story home. The picture inside the disc holder tray depicts all three band members as ghosts, sitting on three chairs that a king would reside in. The inside booklet is lame, however, and is simply a fold-out with the lyrics engraved in hard-to-read cursive. Those who appreciate great drum work will appreciate and be impressed with exactly that: the great drum work. Otherwise, Ghoststorm Eulogy is specifically recommended for the epic black metal demographic. Along with Kristel and Sayenga, WAR THRONE features former WITCH HUNT vocalist Richard Johnson. - Dave Larmore

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Widow – On Fire (Cruz Del Sur, 2005)

Rating: 3/10

Ever stumbled across one of those bands that had a world of potential, but a weak link held them down and smothered the level of enjoyment factor regarding a band’s latest release? Raleigh, North Carolina’s own WIDOW is a prime example of this. The traditional power metal attack of WIDOW proves to be a band that could have a significant impact on the metal underground, but there’s one factor that holds their sophomore effort back from having balls. On Fire, which precedes 2003’s Midnight Strikes, is held back by none other than a female lead vocalist. Before any claims of male chauvinism arise, keep reading on. The music on WIDOW’s sophomore effort has worlds of potential and could be enjoyable to listen to, but vocalist Lili completely slaughters the capability of enjoying the album with her mainstream pop vocal styling.

To begin, the cover is very over-the-top. The cover features all five members of WIDOW in goofy VENOM meets SPINAL TAP poses, with a massive amount of flames all around them. Guess what? This band is completely invincible and impervious to the flames, and they all remain completely unscathed in their cheesy cartoon-like poses! There’s a bass player who looks like MOBY in a pair of glasses. Beside the Bass player is a guy holding a Jackson V with his head titled back and screaming. There’s Lili, front and center, going for a "pump my fist out and sing" stance. Beside the chick is a goofy longhaired guy doing a solo with an effortless facial expression that screams for "Look at me, I’m cool" attention. Lastly, there’s the drummer with a drumstick and a snare drum, which looks like he’s wearing a wig and has his sunglasses pulled down on his nose. Perhaps the drummer’s sunglasses are preventing the band from decaying in the flames?

"An American Werewolf in Raleigh" opens up the album with a sample featuring a man urging a werewolf to commit suicide, before the werewolf can harm anyone else. From there, there’s decent power metal and guitar doodling, with consistent sampling concerning the song’s subject. Lili and lead guitarist Christof Bennet do a dual vocal collaboration, which is very pop-ish and only shifts into metal mode every now and there. Already, WIDOW can do well without Lili butchering their material and simply let Christof Bennet handle the lead vocal duties, as he switches from clean singing to a raw voice similar to Howard Jones (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE). "An American Werewolf in Raleigh" has a decent guitar solo, but even that can’t compensate for how corny and over-the-top the album’s opening track is. "The Preacher’s Daughter" starts off as a corny ballad with a weird drum tone for about 22 seconds, but then shifts down the lane of an electric rock ballad. Lili’s performance in "The Preacher’s Daughter" proves to the lis tener already that she does not belong in a power metal band, but she would be perfect as a CYNDI LAUPER imitator. As obvious by the name of the song, the subject matter is rather sophomoric, as it mentions tasty bits of a "short little skirt". Christof pulls off a JUDAS PRIEST-like solo, but it’s not enough to sit through "The Preacher’s Daughter." The only band that could possibly make "The Preacher’s Daughter" a good song is KISS, as Gene Simmons would drool over the song’s subject matter. "Here To Stay", however, is perhaps the biggest highlight on On Fire. A riff that would result in a meeting between Jerry Cantrell (ALICE IN CHAINS) and KK Downing (JUDAS PRIEST) initiates the song, and Lili’s vocal performance is actually tolerable. Christof shouts out "You are here to stay!" in a demented scream similar to KING DIAMOND, which leads into a drawn-out slow-paced guitar solo. "Re-animate Her" is an example of a song that has great potential, but is ruined by Lili. "Re-animate Her" opens up with a good gui tar riff-lick, and has great lead guitar work all the way through. In fact, "Re-animate Her" is a track for Christof Bennet to shine, and the best part is when Christof takes over the lead vocal duties on the last half of the song.

"Sinderella" starts off with a cool riff, but gets boring very quickly. There’s skilled lead guitar material here and there, but the song is definitely the album’s filler. "Not alone" features a decent perfomance by Lili, and shifts between a power ballad and plugged in rock. Again, WIDOW sounds much better when Lili isn’t singing, and the song features a good guitar solo in the last minute. "Dead End" is the other highlight of On Fire, as the riff to the song is very intense and hooking. "Dead End" even features some intense double bass drum work in the middle and at the foreclosure by Marc Anthony, and would be a much better song if Lili weren’t leading the vocal work, just like every other song on the album. "Misstery", similar to "Sinderella", is possesses absolutely nothing special to write home about and is another filler track. "Family Affair" is where this album gets interesting and pathetically humorous! To its credit, "Family Affair" features some good IRON MAIDEN-meets-JUDAS PRIEST riffing with fast ICED EARTH-like drumming, but Lili definitely does not fit in with the song. The song’s subject matter should appear obvious by its title, as Lili is babbling about incest. If there’s a doubt in one’s mind concerning how funny "Family Affair" is, the chorus goes "Brother is my lover/Sister is my mistress."

The album (finally) closes with "I’ll Bury You Alive", which is thrash-like with good drum rolling. The corny lyrics ruin a potentially good song, and any listener can take a guess as to what some of the lyrics entail, as they are predictable. On Fire is a disappointment, quite frankly, and it is anyone’s guess as to which head WIDOW were thinking with when they decided to bring Lili to the fold as the front woman of the band. The funny thing about it is that Lili left WIDOW before the summer, which was before On Fire was released. Perhaps either her atrocious butchering of a potentially good metal album embarrassed her, or the core of the band gave the final product a listen and realized how much of a bad choice they made in hiring Lili to handle lead vocals? This album gets a 4 ½ out of 10, only because of the potential guitar solos, riffing and drum work that were all overshadowed by the cheesy lyrics and the CYNDI LAUPER lead vocal work. For WIDOW’s next album, perhaps they should give songwriter Del James (TESTAMENT, GUNS N ROSES) a call, as Del did wonders for TESTAMENT’s Low. Lili handled lead vocals on On Fire, but WIDOW consists of Christof Bennet (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Marc Anthony (Drums), Johnny Wooten (Guitar/Vocals) and Joshua Pantke (Bass). - Dave Larmore

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Wojczech – Sedimente (Selfmadegod, 2005) 
Rating: 9/10

No, I don't know how to pronounce the band's name, but it's another fucking killer grindcore band from the lads at Selfmadegod. Germany's WOJCZECH are a little more experimental than their peers in CATHETER, and a little more musical than ANTIGAMA, falling somewhere into a mid-period NAPALM DEATH vibe played with the ferocity of mid-80s grind-punk like ELECTRO HIPPIES or DOOM.
 
I'll be the first person to say that I love grindcore in most all its forms, and Sedimente meets my standards for all-around kick-ass-ness. There's a certain atonality in the music--even more so than in traditional grindcore--that gives the tracks a unique texture, and the guitars are powerful, but not overpowering, allowing the song space to breathe and groove. Certain tracks like “Wachkoma” and “Redeschleife” are midtempo all the way through, and closing song “Letzter Aufgang Opferrolle/Reste Die Vergangenheit” starts out with a slower melodic intro, alternating between that and pounding grind. The more I listen to the record, the more little interesting riffs and textures I uncover. Great musicianship and great production by Harris Johns (KREATOR, SODOM) combine to make this the kind of disc that stays in the player for months on end.
 
WOJCZECH isn't quite in the league of NAPALM DEATH and NASUM yet, but they're the first band I've heard in a long time (especially since the untimely death of Mieszko Talarczyk) that I think could get there. Right now, Selfmadegod Records is the new home of great grindcore, hands down. - JW

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Xasthur/Leviathan - split (Battle Kommand, 2005)

Rating: 8.5/10

Two of the most revered bands in black metal circles right now on one disc. As most of you probably know, this is a CD pressing of a split previously released on vinyl with some additional tracks. For those familiar with XASTHUR and LEVIATHAN, you know what to expect here. For the uninitiated, the music of XASTHUR and LEVIATHAN, both, is like the whispering of demons in your ear when you are alone in the dark, afraid for your life, clinging on to sanity by a thread. Their voices may well be what drives you over the edge. Depressing, malignant, dark, and cold, this is black metal at its most funereal. What I appreciate most about the material is that it lulls the listener into submission with subtle melodies, smooth changes and the "wall of sound" production, but at the core, is abrasive and nasty. The LEVIATHAN compositions are long. Three tracks (including a JUDAS ISCARIOT cover) clocking in at around 30 minutes, while the XASTHUR songs average around 4 minutes each. For those that own the vinyl, the disc is still worth picking up for the additional songs. For those that missed out the first time around, the split features strong  material from two of the artists currently doing it best. - Al Kikuras

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Zero Hour – A Fragile Mind (Sensory, 2005)

Rating: 9/10

Someone answer this question: why is it that a majority of the albums featuring artwork by Travis Smith end up containing good and thought-provoking music? The same fate befalls the fourth album from melodic progressive metal band ZERO HOUR, as A Fragile Mind falls somewhere along the lines of early NEVERMORE, FATES WARNING, QUEENSRYCHE and DREAM THEATER. ZERO HOUR, the mastermind of the Tipton twins, perfect the meeting of emotion, imagination and flawless progressive metal music.

The album opens with a rather pointless intro that lasts six seconds, and is simply a waste of a track. "There For Me" contains a brief intro and sample, and it would have made a lot more sense to have "There For Me" serve as the first track on A Fragile Mind. After the few seconds that the introduction takes on "There For Me", the track rips in to a mid-tempo guitar riff and bass line that are both equally audible, and that’s very rare to find. As to be expected, the vocals are very clean and the track remains mid-tempo, in exception for the progressive guitar doodling and the brief few seconds of abrupt silence that appears right after the clean atmospheric guitar doodle. The phrase "guitar doodle" applies here, as there is no real guitar solo on "There For Me." "Destiny is Sorrow" maintains a mid-tempo pace, only scaling (and dare say, semi-shredding) replaces the mid-tempo guitar riff. After the chorus, guitar riffing enters the forefront, and keyboard work accompanies the riffing at appropriate times . The song then progresses to an atmospheric vocal performance, accompanied by guitar picking of the same nature. The song then returns to solid riffing, and briefly features very fast riffing. "Destiny is Sorrow" may be the best vocal performance by Fred Marshall, and "Destiny is Sorrow" could have been a b-side to Train of Thought (a DREAM THEATER album). "Brain Surgery" is perhaps the heaviest song on A Fragile Mind, consisting of a heavy opening riff and exceptional bass work. "Losing Control" is an emotional meditation track that would suit one that is looking within and reflecting on the past. Again, the bass work is exceptional on "Losing Control."

"Twice the Pain" opens up with clean guitar picking, followed by good bass work and guitar doodling. The song then goes in a meditation route and is dominated by bass work, which overshadows the clean guitar picking! "Twice the Pain" is certainly bassist Troy Tipton’s best representation of what he is capable of. "Somnecrophobia" is an instrumental featuring the shredding guitar work of Jasun Tipton, and even more exceptional bass lines from Troy Tipton. The title track serves as the longest track, clocking in at eleven minutes and 33 seconds. A third of the track is dominated with a meditation mood, with the riffing and a doom-like sample voice eventually kicking in. Most of the track, however, has a progressive and atmospheric tempo similar to that of RUSH and DREAM THEATER. The album concludes with "Intrinsic", yet another instrumental that proposes the perfect approach in closing A Fragile Mind. The song is mainly dominated by a bass line, which is accompanied by gloomy keyboard work. Eventually, pecu liar guitar work by Jasun Tipton enters and fluctuates between patterns of the bass line and the keyboard work. The final moments of the album are simply a fading.

The music contained within A Fragile Mind perfectly matches the abstract artwork done by Travis Smith: peculiar, thought provoking, and enjoyable to both senses (sight and hearing). Some of the illustrations featured throughout the album packaging include the brain and it’s stem (on the back), a face in a balloon and several color schemes. The album cover itself depicts the side of a child’s head having four holes, with bright rays shooting out of the holes. Travis Smith’s art certainly represented the album perfectly, and the artwork is top of the line. As far as the the Tipton twins are concerned, they will certainly be recognized as pioneers in the progressive metal scene sooner than later, and A Fragile Mind is a perfect testament to this. Along with Jasun (Guitars and Keyboards) and Troy (Bass), ZERO HOUR also consists of Mike Guy (Drums) and Fred Marshall (Vocals). - Dave Larmore

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