Malamor - 4-song advance from the forthcoming CD Dead To The World (Pulverizer Records, '98)

Rating: 10/10
Tracks: Dead to the World, Fuckers Like You, Breeding Impurity, Bless Me Father

Death metal bands, be prepared. There is a new standard against which you will be judged, a new beacon of brutality, a new dark messiah... Malamor have entered the arena like a gladiator with a thirst for blood unmatched by any of his brethren of times past and present, and they are going to hack and slice leaving a wake of pure carnage in their path. Everyone knows how the crowd loves to see the crimson flow... well, this time they will be fucking drowning in it.

Malamor play with a refinement and conviction that very few bands have reached, even over a 4 or 5 album career. The performance of each individual comprising the group is impeccable; the riffs tasteful, the drumming powerful with a fine blend of groove, double-bass workouts and all-out blasts... the vocals are ferocious and the annunciation is superb. Malamor's true strength, however, lies in the songwriting. They have managed to pen tunes that are catchy and memorable without compromising a drop of the brutality that is a trademark of the genre as so many death metal veterans unfortunately have in the past, be they Sentenced, Entombed, Gorefest, or the number of others that are today a pale shadow of their former selves.

These 4 tracks are from the soon-to-be-released 8 song CD Dead To The World on Pulverizer Records. If the 4 songs not included on the advance are half as good as those that are, the album would still rank a 9 out of 10. If they are as good or, if such a thing is possible, better than the 4 included here, Dead To The World will sit along side albums like Scream Bloody Gore, Altars of Madness, Slowly We Rot, Consuming Impulse, Left Hand Path and Deicide as a landmark of the genre. - Al Kikuras

For more information, visit the official Malamor web page or send the band email.

Oh, and that picture above is not the cover art...

Gardenian - Two Feet Stand (Listenable Records, '98)

Rating: 8/10
Tracks: Two Feet Stand, Flipside of Reality, The Downfall, Awake of Abuse, Netherworld, Do Me Now, Murder..., Freedom, Mindless Domination, The Silent Fall

So, you're pissed that At The Gates broke up, huh? Yeah, well... aren't we all? Apparently, Gardenian are no exception, as they seem to be striving to fill the void that opened since At The Gates' much-lamented split, doing so with a bit more melody than ATG's swan song release contained. Although I have yet to actually hear In Flames (can you believe it??) this is how I always pictured they would sound and would be surprised if I was not dead on. And wouldn't you know it? Gardenian's lead guitarist is currently playing with In Flames as a temporary replacement, AND "Gardenian were highly recomended by Jesper of In Flames to Listenable records..." and "In Flames also wanted to take Gardenian on tour with them in Europe" (from Gardenian's bio). It sounds like I am building up to slag them, no? Right... no. Although Gardenian borrow heavily from the aforementioned bands (I also hear a bit of Necrophobic's first album here, especially in the vocals at times), they do so respectfully and adeptly. Two Feet Stand sports well-crafted songs with strong melodic hooks, memorable riffs, and aggressive vocals, wrapping it up in an excellent production job (although the snare sound could be a bit sharper) from (SURPRISE!) none other than Fredrik Nordstrom at Studio Fredman, "midwife" to the birth of Slaughter of the Soul... In all, a strong debut release. Hopefully as time goes on they shall carve out their own niche rather than filling one previously excavated, but until that time comes enjoy the soaring melodies, the screaming vocals, and the well-written and expertly-executed songs that make up Two Feet Stand. - Al Kikuras

To order, send $15 to Chris Forbes at 13 Carriage Ln., Marlton, NJ 08053-1109 USA, or email Chris for more info.

Gooseflesh - Welcome To Suffer Age (Self Released, '97) Rating: 7.5/10
Tracks: Killing Stone, Blinded, Seeds Of Terror, Suffer Age, Fine Tuned War Machine

Gooseflesh consider themselves to be "metal in it's purest sense", and in a way that true. They definitely try very hard to deliver very good metal, and for that they get my thumbs up. This cassette EP is good, don't get me wrong. The songs are hearty and the singers voice has a powerful deep growl, ala a deeper version of Metallica's James Hetfield (although these guys are NOT trying to be one of the many Metallica clones that have popped up lately, ex. Sentenced's Down). The musicianship is very evident, and will be a force to be reckoned with, if they can just work on what is, in my opinion, a few weak points:

1. The name. Gooseflesh is a horrible name for a metal band. It sounds really alternative or hardcore-like, and these guys definitely are NOT alternative or hardcore.

2. I feel that with their musical ability, Gooseflesh should be blowing me out of my seat, and they aren't. They hit hard and are powerful, but I think they hold back a little too much. I feel that they are too worried about striking the right cords and not really letting go.

3. They should work on the catchiness of their music. The place where bands like Deicide, Fear Factory, Pantera, Demolition Hammer, and Sepultura separate themselves from the pack. These guys would do themselves a world of good if they would work on creating more of a pocket, and sticking their power in it.

This is a band that is worth a look, and a demo that you wouldn't be doing yourself a disservice to get. If you like new music, and like to catch rising stars before they hit big, check out Gooseflesh. They have been catching a buzz around the touring circuit, and are currently working on a full length album that I am expecting good things from. - Piston Rod

For ordering info and more details, check out their web site, Gooseworld

Devilyn - Anger (Listenable Records, '98)

Rating: 9/10
Track List: Intro, Decline of Worlds, The Rule, Millenium, Necrosis of the Ego, Uncrowned, Black Mask of Death, The Burial Ground of God, Wings of the Night, The Shadows of Acheron, Anger

Devilyn's bio hails them as a "slaughtering machine," and refers to their debut album, Anger, as "diabolical hyper brutal and furious audio torture... the ultimate sonic thundering death metal tornado that very few bands have strived to achieve. Pure hate!!" Now, years of running a print 'zine back in the day more than prepared me to take such statements in artist bios with not just a grain of salt, but a full fucking lick... but I must admit, the author of said bio just about hit it on the head this time, boys and girls...

Another claim of the bio is that "many a reviewer and extreme music fan have compared Devilyn to be the European answer to MORBID ANGEL." That (aside from being grammatically incorrect), would be selling the boys short. Although Devilyn do not break down any barriers in the genre, going for a rather straightforward all-out death metal attack, they manage not to sound too much like and one of their contemporaries, which is, itself, an accomplishment in a genre as fully-explored as death metal (the one act/album that does come to mind Deteriorate's JL AMERICA release Rotting In Hell when searching for a comparison). The intensity level of this material is astronomical... the words "relentless" and "rabid" spring up quite often when listening to Anger, with Devilyn churning it out as if possessed by a legion of hell's fiercest demons. Fast, furious, heavy, dark, and absolutely venomous in its spite.

The production is good, with the bass easily audible rather than buried underneath the guitars as tends to be the case with a majority of death metal releases. Cover art is some of the more interesting I have seen in recent times... the lyrics deal with the standard fare, although the typos/mistakes (well, they ARE Polish, after all) make the read a bit more interesting. If the lyrics didn't deal with burning and hell and disease and death, well, shit... I'd be disappointed, so no complaints here.

If they're too brutal, go lock yourself in your room and choke on your KORN records, maggot. Those of us with balls will be leaving burning bags of shit on your doorstep for you to stomp out with your new, shiny Doc Martens. - Al Kikuras

To order, send $15 to Chris Forbes at 13 Carriage Ln., Marlton, NJ 08053-1109 USA, or email Chris for more info.

SOIHADTOSHOOTHIM - 7" (Crop Circle Records, '98)

Rating: 9
Tracks: Kagero Adversary, Nightmares Bought and Sold, Impulse Motive, Starry Night Wool Frequency, Ambrosia, Narcoleptic Seizure, Philadelphian, Harnessence

Serious grind. Not serious as in a bunch of hard-ons, but serious in the way that a big set of swollen balls is serious... "no fuckin' around, this is the real deal" serious. Dig?

My introduction to this band came at a live show where I expected that the group of young'uns taking the stage were going to play some piss-poor, lameass hardcore. I walked to the back of the club and sat down, only to find myself running to the front of the stage about 30 seconds into their set. This is GRIND, ladies and gentlemen. Damn good grind, at that.

Two 7" records are reviewed here. A split with Cease and a subsequent self-titled release. The latter shows an incredible progression from the first. There is experimentation with tinges of industrial and sampling (although they stay true to the grind 100% throughout). There is also a fair amount of refreshing arrangements throughout the 8 tracks, displaying SOIHADTOSHOOTHIM's abilities beyond the speed and ferocity required to blast with the best. These here boys got some chops, folks...

Dual vocals provide a serious battering of shrieks and roars. The guitar playing is very refreshing and surprisingly inventive, as is the drumming. Due to the fact that this is a 7", the production suffers and the bass is buried in the mix, but at the same time we are presented with the hokiness that can come only from a 7". The same tinny sound that makes the old Post Mortem and Basement Apes wax so great. Shell out $3 and see where the current state and the future of underground grind rests. These boys are destined for the hall of classics, here's your chance to get the original releases before some label snatches them up and releases them all on one CD. Be the hippest kid on the block and wave the vinyl in the faces of your friends and enemies. - Al Kikuras

Email SOIHADTOSHOOTHIM at soihad@aol.com for ordering info.

DJ? Acucrack - Nation State (Slip Disc Records, '98) - music from the forthcoming Mutants of Sound

Rating: 6/10
Tracks: Nation State (Shorty Mix), It's More Fun To Compute, Bitch Universal, Neophyte, Time For You To Leave

Note: This review is by Steve G., our industrial/techno correspondent.

First off, let me say that this CD is not that bad. It needs a little work and it seems "empty" at times, but with a little time DJ? Acucrack will only get better. With there being only five tracks on the CD, I figured I would tell you about each one:

• "Nation State (Shorty Mix)" - Very Repetitive, but still a decent song. Not too bad for an opening track. Sort of "spacey" like Fluke or Future Sounds of London, but still his own.
• "It's More Fun To Compute" - Digital sounding. Sounds like it's missing something... also seems like it needs to be sped up a little. Again, repetitive.
• "Bitch Universal" - Put together nicely! Starts off slowly but picks up into a nice tempo with even more of a "spacey" effect.
• "Neophyte" and "Time For You To Leave" - These tunes run into each other. "Neophyte" starts off nice but by the time it runs into "Time For You To Leave," it sounds as if there is a blown speaker. "Time For You To Leave" picks up the temp but again, with the blown speaker sound, it really ruins the track, especially at the end.

Over all, not too shabby and like I said, with time DJ? Acucrack can only get better, as the potential is certainly here! - Steve G. (all email will be passed on to Steve)

V/A - Until the End of Time (The End Records, '98)

Rating: 8/10
Tracks: Mental Home-"Under the Wing (of Gamayun)", Sculptured - "Together With The Seasons," Epoch of Unlight - "Silver Mistress," Nokturnal Mortum - "Unholy Orathania," Mental Home - "Southern Calm Waters," Odes Of Ecstasy - "Faithless," Scholomance - "Pride of the Serpents Wings," Nokturnal Mortum - "On the Moonlight Path"

The End Records offer a large array of musicians in basically what can be called the "melodic death metal" genre. This is a interesting and innovative style of metal that most people might identify most with the band Rotting Christ. I was very excited when I got this sampler CD in the mail. There are a lot of really good ideas here. Here is a brief overview of some of the bands on the sampler, but to take a deeper look at the music offered by The End Records, check out their web site.

Mental Home "Under the Wing (of Gamayun)" sounds a lot like Wildhoney-era Tiamat, with a little less symphonics and less memorable song writing. Also brought Samael's Ceremony of Opposites to mind... the tune is not bad. It's mid-paced, melodic. "Southern Calm Waters" packs more punch than the first song by Mental Home. This is the direction I wish they would go in. Heavy, catchy, and brutal.

Sculptured "Together With The Seasons." Iron Maiden comes to mind due to the running guitar harmonies... Sculptured seem to be strongly influenced by later Sentenced. As a hardcore fan of North From Here and being one of the few people that has really disliked much of what Sentenced have done since, I can't say I am thrilled with the obvious influence. Excellent break in the middle with the clean guitars.

My favorite bands among the batch are Epoch of Unlight, Mental Home (particularly the second track, the first did not excite me) and Scholomance. Nokturnal Mortum is another strong band on this sampler. Without a whole album to go by it's very hard to give a complete review of the directions or ideas of the bands here, but this sampler is a good place to start for anyone interested in melodic death metal. - Al Kikuras, assisted by Piston Rod.

V/A - Mercyful Fate Tribute (Listenable Records, '98)

Rating: 8/10
Tracks: LUCIFERION - "Black Funeral," SACRAMENTUM - "Black Masses," GARDENIAN - "A Dangerous Meeting," SNOWY SHAW - "Evil - Live," ARMAGEDDON - "Descecration of Souls," EMPEROR - "Gypsy," WITHERING SURFACE - "The Oath," MISANTHROPE - "Doomed by the Living Dead," DIMENSION ZERO - "My Demon," IMMOLATION - "Satan's Fall," DARK TRANQULITY - "Lady in Black," DECEASED - "Nuns Have No Fun," NOTRE DAME - "Into the Coven"

LUCIFERION "Black Funeral" - High vocals!! He almost pulls them off! The impression of King here is actually quite convincing. A great version, remaining true to the original, but varied enough that you can tell it is not Fate. Seems more like a cover band than another group's interpretaion of the song, as is the case with most of the tracks herein. I am not familiar with Luciferion's other work so I cannot hold this up to their usual sound. The playing is quite good, the only downfall is at times it fails to capture the mood of the original, but that is to be expected I would suppose. There are times when it is replicated quite well.. the keyboard part before the solo, for instance...

SACRAMENTUM "Black Masses" - I am familiar with Sacramentum's The Coming of Chaos, and this sounds just as you would expect... like Sacramentum playing Fate. Unfortunately, they sound TOO much like Sacramentum. Not that I am not a fan, but they did not retain any of the mood of the original. That is the danger of covering a band like Fate... atmosphere is so important and what makes Fate so great is the fact that they had a definite, eerie sound and mood to their pieces.

GARDENIAN "A Dangerous Meeting" - Falls prey to the same flaw as Sacramentum's track... lack of atmosphere. Hell, I will stop mentioning that unless a group manages to catch the mood. Gardenian are a solid band, their debut is excellent (see review above). They're just not a band that can do this song justice. Check out their album, though!!

SNOWY SHAW "Evil - Live" - Bizzare... ex KD drummer doing a cover of Mercyful Fate... Snowy Shaw was on the later Fate albums, but (obviously) not Melissa, where "Evil" originally appeared. The intro to this tune on Shaw's version is from "The Oath" off of Don't Break The Oath, he throws a bit of "Come to the Sabbath" into the arrangement as well. The vocals are awful. Just hideous. Some of the arrangements are interesting though, but it just seems blasphemous to me. Not in a good way, mind you, but the cover seems to be done with little respect for the original... almost like he is destroying the tune. One thing, the drumming on here is more impressive than anything I have heard him do on KD or MF albums. I hated his playing on The Eye. Skip this one.

ARMAGEDDON "Descecration of Souls" - Love hearing other people do King's falsetto... nice lead work on this track. Gruff vocals, nice recording. A good cover following the traditional arrangement.

EMPEROR "Gypsy" - Great interpretation... complete with the falsetto, once again. Keyboard parts add a nice touch. The falsetto is close to the original, but King's "wailing" voice is replaced with Ishan's scream, and quite effectively. This is one of the better tracks on the album... they captured the atmosphere... but fuck, they're Emperor, aren't they?? Trivia bit... on Don't Break they actually spell it "Gipsy."

WITHERING SURFACE "The Oath" - Production is a bit uneven, I like the vocals... very black metal. Aside from that, this track can go. The high vocals are not even attempted, which may be a good thing as I am sure they would be mutilated, but the song really just does not sound right. Not a bad band, I like the vocalist and would be interested in hearing some of their own stuff, but "The Oath" is such an awesome song it should have been reserved for a band with the abilities and sound to pull it off. The guitar harmonies here sound like live Maiden, believe it or not. Perhaps Emperor or Luciferion should have tried this one...

MISANTHROPE "Doomed by the Living Dead" - This is my first time hearing Misanthrope since I heard one track, "Endless Cycle," on an advanced copy of a sampler called Music For The Morbid that was intended to come out on Psychoslaughter Records back in '91, but I don't think it ever saw the actual light of day (the sampler, on an unlrelated note, contained a track by a band called Old Funeral, a group that featured the infamous Count Grishnack). Great drummer, interesting arrangements, a very talented and technically proficient band. Good track. Up there on the list.

DIMENSION ZERO "My Demon"- Death metal! Deeeeeeep vocals. I like this band! I know I wouldn't say it again, but I have to... none of the atmosphere that made original Fate so great, but I'd like to hear some of their own stuff. The cover isn't bad, but it is not all that inspiring either. Good playing, but it lessens the track to a standard, albeit well-played, death metal song. What album is "My Demon" on anyway? Must be a later release... I'm not all that familiar with the last 2 albums, I am afraid.

IMMOLATION "Satan's Fall" - They certainly make it their own. Immolation are one of those death metal bands that manages to have a very signature sound. You KNOW it is Immolation when you hear it. I like Immolation, a lot... they throw in the harmonics they are so fond of. Ross Dolan sounds absolutely frightening. They create a definite mood with the droning guitar parts. Not the classic Fate atmosphere (tired of hearing me say that yet??), but one of their own that is pretty phenomenal. Up there on the list along side Emperor for one of the better tracks. I am all tasted up for some new Immolation material now...

DARK TRANQUILITY "Lady in Black"- Here is a case where I actually like the Fate cover better than the original material I have heard the band do. The few Dark Tranquility tracks I've heard on samplers never excited me. This is a nice piece of music though. Melody is very well used. It flows very naturally.

DECEASED "Nuns Have No Fun" - Who better to cover a classic metal tune than the prodigal sons? I saw Deceased do this one live in NYC a few months back and it was as much fun then as it is now. Hail to the King, baby!!

NOTRE DAME "Into the Coven" - Not into this one at all... very pretentious. It would be comical if they meant for it to be. It has its moments, but for the most part they are pretty silly ones. Reminds me a bit of Devil Doll due to the dramatics of it, but it is not as grandiose and convincing. I'd like to hear some of their solo stuff, my interest has been peaked.... but the problem here is they are fucking with a classic track and eliminating most of the things that are so great about the original. I dunno....

In all a very interesting listen and a chance to check out a wide variety of quality bands. One of the better tribute albums I have heard. Gesundheit!! - Al Kikuras

To order, send $15 to Chris Forbes at 13 Carriage Ln., Marlton, NJ 08053-1109 USA, or email Chris for more info.

V/A - Slip This On & Rock Hard (Slip Disc Records, '98)

Rating: 8/10
Tracks: Rorschach Test - "Satan," N17 - "Version 1.2," NIHIL - "Nowhere to Hide," Mary's Window - "Penny Red," Final Cut - "It Comes Too," 13 MG. - "Way Down," Rorschach Test - "Sex," NIHIL - "Under Me," Final Cut - "Shake," N17 - "Kontrol," Mary's Window - "Strychnine," 13 MG. - "Sinister," The Clay People - "Car Bomb"

I am not a big electronica/industrial fan, so I am not really qualified to review this release, but the individual I had reviewing it flaked out on me so I inherited the job. There are some acts on here that I cannot fairly comment on as I am not really qualified to judge them against their contemporaries, so I will not even try... but the following acts did peak my interest, be it in a positive or negative sense. So here we go:

Rorschach Test - "Satan." Reminds me of White Zombie, with a drum machine.. not that the Zombie doesn't use samples and triggers up the ass, they just don't use them this well. Some of the best electronica/industrial I have heard to date. Aggressive, with a strong groove.

N17 - "Version 1.2." I like!! Tinges of black metal in the vocals. Sounds more like a real band! "Chanting" sample in the background adds a nice atmosphere... the fella I originally gave this CD to for review purposes didn't like this band for all the same reasons that I do.

NIHIL - "Nowhere to Hide." Not really into this group. Vocals aren't aggressive enough, they remind me of Manson (yes, that Manson) at times. The track is short, so no real points lost here.

Mary's Window - "Penny Red." Reminds me very much of Tool... kind of a conglomeration of the aforementioned, MManson (once again), some Machines of Loving Grace and a touch of Jane's Addiction. Not my cup of steak, although some of the screams do sound good to my ears. On the whole, the track just annoys me, to be honest...

Rorschach Test - "Sex." Cool arrangement... nice studio work here. Strong tinges of metal throughout, the refrain with the clean female vocals gets on my nerves a bit... I could do without it, to be honest. I like the lead voice though. Pissed and he means it. I'd be interested to hear more.

NIHIL - "Under Me." Much cooler track than the first. Nice riff, reminds me of Voivod's "Lost Machine." Vocals are buried in effects, which dulls things a bit. If they were up front in the mix, I think it would serve the tune well. This, also, sounds like a full band, and as a result is one of my favorite tracks on the CD.

Final Cut - "Shake." This one made my stomach churn. In a bad way.

N17 - "Kontrol." Not as into this as I am "Nowhere to Hide," although I still dig the vocalist. A bit too minimalist for my tastes. Too techno. Bring back the groove, boys...

In all, Slip This On & Rock Hard sports a diverse roster of artist from a label with the balls to explore. SlipDisc have also signed with Voivod and, from what I understand, will have a hand in the new Gorguts album as well. I may not be into everything they put out, actually, far from it... but I respect them 100% for having the sac to cover so much different territory. And for fans of metal-tinged industrial/techno/electronica, SlipDisc is like a wet dream come true. - Al Kikuras

Morta Skuld - Surface (Pavement Music '98)

Rating: 8/10
Tracks: The Killing Machines, Save Yourself, The Anger In Disguise, Time Will Never Forget, Surface, Lords of Discipline, If I Survive, In Nothing We Trust

I reviewed Morta Skuld's demos, Gory Departure and Prolong the Agony, in UTU Vol. 1 Num. 2 back in '92 when I was running the print version of this 'zine at the tender age of 16 (see the graphic of the original review below). This is my first encounter with them since the demo days. Not an excessive amount has changed. Morta Skuld have remained true to their roots, still churning out solid, relatively mid-paced death metal. As I said in the original review, although it "isn't entirely original, it's very effective."

As I have not heard their other 3 full-lengths, Dying Remains, As Humanity Fades and For All Eternity, I cannot fairly compare Surface to any of them, but only to the aforementioned demos. Morta Skuld seem to have moved away from the Satanic themes that flavored tunes like "Prolong The Agony (Crucifix)" and "Of Evil" (my favorite to date). The music on the whole has a much less "evil" feel to it... gone are the demonic vocal overdubs, the "hollow" yet strong production, exchanged for a fuller but less distinctive sound. The musicianship is adquate, you won't hear many surprises, but rather a straightforward, brutal approach that is seldom this well-executed. The vocals remind me a bit of Vincent Crowley (Acheron) at times.

In all, a strong album of powerful death metal that purists will flip over. Crank this one up and get the blood boiling, 'cause it's not every day you'll come across an album that is this solid and delivers the goods so thoroughly. - Al Kikuras