Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes (Century Media, '98)Rating: 7/10
Tracks: Burning Times, Melancholy (Holy Martyr), Disciples Of The Lie, Watch Over Me, Stand Alone, Consequences, My Own Savior, Reaping Stone, 1776, Blessed Are You, Something Wicked Trilogy: 1)Prophecy, 2)Birth Of The Wicked, 3)The Coming Curse
Iced Earth's Something Wicked This Way Comes is the fourth Iced Earth album with singer Matthew Barlow. I must say that he has been, and remains to be a very disappointing singer, both on his own merit and when compared to John Greely, the singer on Iced Earth's most powerful and interesting release, Night Of The Stormrider. Ever since Matthew joined the band I have been less and less thrilled with the band. I continue to have respect for the musicianship and conviction to playing only the purest of metal, but Matthew continues to try and sound as much like James Hetfield as he possibly can. (I think he sings a bit more, but he does sound a bit too much to Mr. Shitfield - Al)
Iced Earth opted to abandon the high voiced lead singer in order to cash in on the new wave of lower octave James Hetfield sound-a-likes that have been popping up the last few years. Iced Earth isn't alone when it comes to trying to catch in on the James sound-a-like fad. Sentenced and Corrosion Of Conformity, as well as a few other bands, have also tried their had at making the "album that Metallica should have made instead of that horrible Load piece of shit". In my opinion however Iced Earth is the most dissapointing because they were so on-track with Night Of The Stormrider. That album was true metal through and through.
Burnt Offerings, The Dark Saga, and Days Of Purgatory, the albums which followed Night Of The Stormrider, were all rich with metal blood, but lacked the fire and energy that a really powerful lead singer could bring a band. Each album however did increase in way of musicianship and the relationship they had with their new lead singer. Each new album allowing Matthew's voice's own personality to come through a little more. He isn't a great singer by any stretch of the imagination, but he can be acceptable. I found The Dark Saga enjoyable at times and did listen to it quite a lot for a little while at least.
With Something Wicked This Way Comes, I was hoping that Iced Earth would once again expand their range of talent and show me something different, and hopefully continue to make Matthew's singe more easy for me to swallow, but that isn't the case. Something Wicked doesn't really show the listener anything different from The Dark Saga (Their last new album, since Purgatory was a compilation of older songs redone with the new lead singer). In fact, Something Wicked sound almost exactly like The Dark Saga. There is the same feeling of hopelessness that was in The Dark Saga (mostly because The Dark Saga was an album based on the Spawn comic book), as well as the same tempo and ideas that graced The Dark Saga.
If Iced Earth has been able to do one thing with this new album it is to increase the heaviness of a few of their songs. I particularly liked the songs "Disciples Of The Lie" and "1776". "Disciples" because this is one heavy motherfucking song, and even with Matthew's crooning behind the music, the musicianship of the band can't be hidden. I would have like to see more of the songs go in this direction instead of just sitting in the rut they have gotten themselves into. "1776" I liked because it is an instrumental {good, not Matthew) that really shows that great, great metal band that lives here. The "Something Wicked Trilogy" at the end was not bad, as good idea. I like their continuing idea of trying to at least putting a little story into their album even if the whole album isn't a concept album, ala King Diamond's The Spider's Lullaby.
With a lack of expansion of musicianship and creativity, I can only say that if you liked The Dark Saga and don't mind the notion of The Dark Saga Part 2 , then get this album. Also, If you like good god-damn metal and want to check it out, do it. If you like the lead singing, then you will enjoy Iced Earth's pursuit to keep the metal alive and kicking. My advice to Iced Earth: stop worrying so much about being accepted by the masses and just continue to make kick-ass metalÉ..oh yea, and dump Matthew Barlow and beg John Greely to come back, if you still can. - Piston Rod
Strapping Young Lad - No Sleep 'Till Bedtime (Century Media, '98)Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Velvet Kevorkian, All Hail the New Flesh, Home Nucleonics, Oh My Fucking God, S.Y.L., In The Rainy Season, Far Beyond Metal. Bonus Studio Tracks: Japan, Centipede
What could be better than a live album of one of the greatest live bands in the world?? Actually seeing them live. Aside from that? A live album with MORE SONGS.
That is the one falling of No Sleep 'Till Bedtime. Not enough live tracks. 7 songs just is not enough. I can personally attest to the power these boys yield in the live arena. They tear your nuts off and show 'em to you. It is absolutely impossible to capture that on a live album. What No Sleep 'Till Bedtime is successful at is showing how completely tight, in the pocket and absolutely venomous a SYL performance is without leaving the listener completely fucking drained and audially raped as one tends to be after an actual SYL show.
Devin's screams are perhaps even more painful and agonizing that in the studio... the man sounds tortured. Anger seeps from every crack and corner of this release as it does from an actual SYL performance. It electrifies the air. Hangs like a smog, thick and biting... like the smoke that billows up when you piss on a fire. Whereas that bitter steam is unbearable, the atmosphere at an SYL show is one to revel in, and you are given a small taste of it here.
The inclusion of "Far Beyond Metal" (complete with a verse from GWAR's "Maggots"), previously unreleased, is the one lighter moments of this otherwise belligerent release. The bonus studio tracks, "Japan" and "Centipede" (previously available only on the Japanese release of the ingenious City) should provide any additional incentive needed to convince you to get your hands on No Sleep 'Till Bedtime.
Oh, and thank you Century Media for releasing this in the US. May your breasts develop to balloon size! - Al Kikuras
Old Man's Child - Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion (Century Media, '98)Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Towards Eternity, The Dream Ghost, Demoniacal Possession, Fall of Man, Captives of Humanity, God of Impiety, My Evil Revelations, Thy Servant
I have heard a lot of people slag this album for being too commercial, trendy, etc. Granted, it is not as brutal or over the top as Megadeth or as "underground" and raw as Metallica (yes, I am joking, you idiot), but it is a very intense album that manages to employ adequate amounts of melody and keyboards without sacrificing an ounce of aggression. OMC do not play pure black metal, there are tinges of Death Metal throughout in the arrangements and vocals, but black metal certainly is the foundation upon which this beast is built. Perhaps the general dislike comes from the notion of whether or not OMC are "true" by traditional standards, but I say fuck that. The music is vicious and, as they put it in hip-hop land and some of the more remote reaches of Norway, "dat's the REAL shit, yo!"
I was psyched to hear Gene Hoglan's work in a black metal band. Hard to imagine someone as technically proficient as Hoglan playing all out hyperblast. Well, he does it and does it well. His work herein is not as impressive as with Death or SYL or even Dark Angel, but I suppose that could be chalked up to the material. Black Metal doesn't really call for much more than speed and endurance and Hoglan provides both.
The tunes are memorable, particularly "Towards Eternity," "Demoniacal Possession" and "Thy Servant." I can't really see why anyone into death/black wouldn't like this, but then, I don't understand most people's preferences nowadays. People like Sugar Ray, for fuck's sake... at least the Spice Girls are easy to look at. Tits can make a career, you know...
Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion is well-played. Fast, heavy, spiteful and an all-out excellent album displaying what a truly refined death/black metal attack sounds like. - Al Kikuras
SAMAEL - Exodus (Century Media, '98)Rating: 9/10
Tracks: Exodus, Tribes of Cairn, Son of Earth, Winter Solstice, Ceremony of Opposites, From Malkuth to Kether
I have never been a big Samael fan. Blood Ritual excited me for about a week when it first came out, but I soon found it plodding and mundane. Ceremony of Opposites saw the light of day, and I still am not captured, despite the fact that people then, and to this day, hailed the release as a masterpiece. I am not going to go into why I did not care for it, as Exodus is my focus here, but I figured a little of my history with the band was appropriate to understand my pre-conceptions going in.
I must say, I am surprised. I normally cannot stand techno when infused with just about ANYTHING, death metal included. It always sounds like two genres mauling one another rather than meshing together to form a cohesive whole. This is the first release I have heard where I actually think it works! Techno is far from the dominant genre, but its presence is strong.
Exodus remind me very much of Tiamat's Wildhoney in the arrangements and production, particularly on the first song, the title track Exodus. The feel is similar, and Samael have captured the ethereal quality that makes Wildhoney such a wonder. Keyboards are used well here, and when strong techno elements are incorporated it is not to the song's detriment. Programmed beats do not sound out of place here. They have a home within the twining keys and guitars, the impassioned vocals that border on aggression. They are not there for the sake of themselves, but rather for an enhancement of the whole.
Like Wildhoney, this is a release that is absorbing when given the time and attention needed to expore the mood it sets forth. The mood is singular, but rather than being a detriment, it is a strength as it unfolds while the material plays on. This release has impressed me enough that I plan on going back and checking out Passage on a rainy day, that it might be as rewarding - Al Kikuras.
Einherjer - Odin Owns Ye All (Century Media, '98)Rating: 7/10
Tracks: Leave Vikingeaanden, Out Of Ginnungagap, Clash Of The Elder, Odin Owns Ye All, Remember Tokk, Home, The Pathfinder & the Prophetless, Inferno, A New Earth
The goal of Einherjer is to capture the powerful atmosphere and feelings of Norse mythology and combine that with intensity of heavy music. They have accomplished that with Odin Owns Ye All. There are good drum parts on this album, and clean crisp guitar riffs. The lead singer sounds like a mix between the lead singer of My Dying Bride (after he decided to sing cleanly) and the lead singer of Jag Panzer. This album will speak to those who are interested in Norse mythology, but many fans of extreme music will just be bored.
Your opinion of the lead singer is what is going to make or break this album for you. If you can take the quality of his voice (not very high quality), then you will enjoy the many textured and layered parts of this music, but I myself find the lead singer's voice grating at times, and wish they had found a singer that could help carry this music better.
At times the album had kind of a drunken bar song feel to it, especially on the song Home. It feels like it could have been sung at an pub after the dragon had been slaughtered or the battle had been won. One aspect that makes me not like this band as much is the fact that I don't know how to pronounce their name. It's too weird from my liking.
There is a lot in this album to like, and there is also a lot that Einherjer need to improve. All in a all a decent album, but nothing to write home about. - Piston Rod.