We were wondering when the impossible American light speed black metal machine calling themselves I.C.E. (that’s "Imperial Crystalling Entombment for those wondering) would resurface, what with being utterly blown away by their demo that we reviewed a couple years ago (see below for a link). We proclaimed it better than Marduk, we laughed at the band members’ get ups, and we crossed all our digits for more.

So great that I.C.E. landed a deal on Crash Music. They’re still going with the wacky look, which is seeming less quaint as we realize that the band is totally serious about it. Apocalyptic in White contains all three songs from the demo, plus seven more. Stylistically, think Marduk mixed with Aurora Borealis. The straight forward, keyboard-less black metal brutality of the former, with breaks and tempo changes that remind us of the goodness of the Gholgoth record we reviewed two months prior. And although those seeking pure swirling black metal overkill at all times might be turned off a bit by the more death metal leanings on and around songs like "Convulsing Frigid Death," extreme metal fans will have lots and lots to savor.

But if there is one criticism to be leveled, it’s that the vocal phrasings are largely unimaginative, mostly following the accents of the music. Paired with the riffs, this sometimes has the effect of sounding like super sped up, evil nursery rhymes. Get the I.C.E. vocalist to do a case in study of Immortal’s second and third records, and get these guys a production to rival the best coming out of Scandinavia, and we’d have something to erect shrines to.

But the quality of material and execution is undeniable. A highly recommended purchase for fans of Marduk, Thy Infernal, Gholgoth and Aurora Borealis. (8/10)

Impious’ debut album, Terror Succeeds, saw the Swedish death metallers out crowning their country mates The Crown. At the time, The Crown had just put out Deathrace King and Hell is Here not long before that, and Impious was doing them one better.

It’s 2004, The Crown is no more, and Impious is still outdoing them at their own game... that is to say, the game The Crown had about three to four years ago. The Crown changed on their final two records, and Possessed 13 in particular, but Impious, who are only on their third album, are sticking to their guns.

And what blazing guns they are. Hellucinate has a production that is to die for: huge punches every moment that make your head snap back crisply and precisely. Prerequisite Swedish amazing musicianship that cuts and blazes in that unmistakable style. Rattling triplet blast beats galore. Ripping, meticulous leads. Wall to wall energy.

If there is one highlight to mention above all others, it’s the Judas Priest screaming chorus vocals on "Infernique" that give that song the record’s biggest hook. Otherwise, you may have heard this type of thing before, but Hellucinate’s overall quality is certainly above most of the rest in this genre, and we think you should check it out. The Crown is gone, and that makes bands like Impious even more relevant, don’t you think? (7.7/10)

Taking no risks, the music here is an adaptation of the formula familiar to Liv Kristine, the band’s vocalist and leader, from her previous band – Theatre of Tragedy: her vocals mold into classical-like music, supplied by Atrocity (the band), and served with just enough distortion to earn the "metal" label. But when you take no risks, you are bound to fail.

Like Theatre of Tragedy, Leaves’ Eyes relies on the conflict between the symphonic arrangements and the distorted wall of sound; however, while this wall served Theatre of Tragedy well – creating the desirable counter effect to Liv Kristine’s vocals – here it is dull and predictable, serving as nothing more than a mere setting for the vocals.

As for Liv Kristine’s vocal work – which is definitely up front here – it lacks the wonderful childish innocence that once distinguished her, and missing that element she comes off much less appealing. On a few tracks here there is an attempt at recreating Theatre of Tragedy’s trademark "beauty and the beast" vocals battle, but once again, it sounds lame and borrowed.

Coming to think of it, I don’t buy anything here. Lovelorn is an empty shell: it is ear-catching as it is a commercial product well produced and performed (although things tend to smear when the distortion kicks in), but as you try to go deeper you will find no pearl – as for an album so concerned with matters of the heart, this comes off pretty much heartless and untruthful, not to mention kitschy.

I would truly like to believe that any self-respecting music fan, metal-heads included, would find more interest in Renaissance (the symphonic progressive-rock band) albums (such as Ashes Are Burning or Turn of the Cards); even if not, it’s better to give the authentic Theatre of Tragedy albums another spin than to invest too much time exploring this superficial, expendable effort. (3/10... for the shell)

Age of Silence is yet another "super" group, of "super" star musicians. These are popping up everywhere these days. Not necessarily a bad thing because there have been a few that have risen to the occasion and presented us with something fresh and exciting. Age of Silence seems to be dishing out a fresh plate of songs at first; and after you get past the Arcturus comparison/excitement the record seems to double over itself with twinkly, fruity synth antics and the overly dramatic vocals.

Nothing against Lazare (of Solefald fame), because he is a really adequate (if a tad quirky) vocalist, but this is just that one tad too much. During the record he comes off some kind of preacher, teaching the law of quantum physics in relation to human emotion. I think I would heavily enjoy this if I (and with me the metal generation) weren't mentally numbed down from all the mindless band lyrics over the past years. It's just too much information to process and only when tossed aside does the enjoyment really start to build up.

Mainly because the songs are all really solid, very dynamic and despite the mind numbing lyrics, very heavy on the sing along factor. It's a real treat listening to Acceleration at first, and even the second time, and another handful of listens after that, but there will come a time when the fun stops and an intense dislike towards the twinkly factor of the record starts to grow. In some songs it just gets to a point that a skip to the next song is necessary in fear of overdosing on happy-go-lucky synth wankery. Winter (of Winds fame) really missed the boat with that one, but redeems himself somewhat because in other parts of the record the synth work is outstanding. Just please no more twinky bits.

The artwork is exceptionally nice, and the theme presented in the lyrics flows forth in these pieces, adding a really wonderful touch to the overall feeling of the album. The rest of the "super" stars do their job adequately; Hellhammer (Mayhem, Arcturus, and a million of other bands) is his usual wonderful self, although sounding a bit more subdued behind the kit, Kobbergaard (By Pale Light, Winds) and Extant (By Pale Light) are in top form and Eikind (Winds) wraps things off nicely on the bass.

It's a real hit or miss album, the song writing is solid yet some of the instrumentation is down right horrible, the lyrics are mind numbing yet with your brain switched off perfect to sing along to. You can go either way, so try before you buy. (6.8/10)

A band that initially started out as an Autopsy cover band, consisting of well known heads in the metal genre, Murder Squad have since come a long way. While Unsane, Insane and Mentally Deranged (from 2002) was an early death metal-inspired record, and a good one at that, Ravenous Murderous is in fact a big step in a better direction. And while their debut was "merely" a tribute of sorts to the legend of Autopsy, this follow up actually has the talent of Autopsy's very own Chris Reifert on a number of tracks, from guitar to drums to his unique style of vocals.

The songs are all thrash-influenced death metal, and some of them are actually pretty serious, but others... like "Spunkslut" or "Homocide," can be dubbed completely retarded lyric-wise even though they are still rocking music-wise.

"Spunk slut, spunk slut, you beg me to come all over your face."

It's all with a healthy dose of (rather drunken) humor and those of you who are serious-faced, arms-crossed death heads should think twice before buying this. Unless of course you get drunk a lot... then go ahead and buy this, but only play it with a pint or five.

A not so serious attempt to fuck around with the genre, Murder Squad pull it off quite well; it's an entertaining record filled with awesome riffs and leads and nothing at all gets in the way of enjoying this. (6.9/10)

The debut album by Wintersun is some kind of missing link between the very best in slick black metal (think Immortal and Old Man’s Child), Children of Bodom and Euro power metal. The album would fit in so well in the collections of any of the enthusiasts of the previous bands, and yet Wintersun is not a watered-down copycat.

Sure, you’ll get loads of speedy, classical melodies, Viking vocals, raspy screams, rough singing, exquisite noodly solos, Christmas keyboards, impossible drum barrages and heartfelt nods to the ancient folk of Scandinavia, stuff that seems comfortably familiar, but yet it’s done with unforgettable style and flair. Less rock than Children of Bodom, more complete and satisfying than Old Man’s Child’s In Defiance of Existence, and nearly as stark and proud as Windir, true, but Wintersun’s greatest aspect isn’t necessarily its initial triumph, but how much exponentially better it gets with each successive listen. Could an immensely talented singer have made this *the* melodic metal album of the year? It’s debatable... (9.4/10)

There’s always a lot of talk to qualify this’n’that new album being "melodic death." At first, it seems pretty cool... on paper, that is. Problem is that it turned out that this tag generally referred to a woefully limited type of band, mostly At the Gates clones, with your Arch Enemies and Dark Tranquillities filling up the rest... Sweden cornered the market!

Oh, and also, as good as any of those bands’ finest albums are, the music is more power/heavy/goth metal with death vocals. Great? Sure. Proper death metal? No.

In swings Arsis to dispel the boredom. Undoubtedly death metal first, the totally original formula that this two-man outfit masterfully puts together incorporates the best of Swedish melodic death, French Canadian technical death, metalcore, thrash, and US death, and puts a technical spin on the whole product that sets it perhaps even above of the giants in all those genres. As far as historical references go, think of the way Cynic’s Focus or Death’s Human set the extreme metal world on its ear. Here’s the latest chapter.

A Celebration of Guilt is one of those blessed albums that wows you at first, but you know that for interminable spins of the disk thereafter, you’ll be latching on to stuff you hadn’t noticed before. Arsis is seriously in the same field of brilliance as Martyr (Canada). At the same time massively heavy, blazingly fast, tantalizingly weaving contemporary melodic death elements with a fine use of classical scales and melody, all delivered with a production that is unbelievably clear and organic sounding, this is THE album to get this year for all manner of progression-craving connoisseurs of classy, extreme technical music. E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L. (9.6/10)

For a musical act of such scope time- and influence-wise as King Diamond, anything short of a double live album would be selling everyone short. And Deadly Lullabies Live delivers in the way that all great live records do: with a clear sound that allows you to enjoy all the intricacies of the music on the studio records that you should own first, but with a raw immediacy that makes the listening experience unique.

I think I’ve just about given up going to shows, and metal ones in particular. Generally the sound is so loud and (therefore) distorted that it’s hard to make out what all is going on. It’s dark, smelly, loud and uncomfortable, and I’d rather be at home listening to CDs. Hell, I wouldn’t go to my own band’s show if I weren’t in it. So it’s ironic that in terms of musical aesthetic, the live metal album, with all its overdubs and studio mixing, has supplanted the show-going experience. You don’t have to wait around/through terrible opening acts or endure noise distortion. You have complete control of volume, can get up to make toast at any time, and get a product that is forever yours to enjoy again and again for the same price! Less social, sure, but we’re talking purely of the listening experience here.

So you don’t get the props or theatrics, yes. But luckily, you also don’t get a lot of the concept album filler fluff that plagues King Diamond’s latest release, The Puppet Master, instead allowing you to realize that "Blood to Walk" is a pretty catchy song, one that again arouses the suspicion of King Diamond’s closet love for The Knack’s "My Sharona."

But you’ll really be getting this record to hear eminently tight and clear renditions of the true King Diamond classics like "Mansion in Darkness," "The Family Ghost," "Black Horsemen," and "Welcome Home." The only drags on the performance is the punchless female vocals on the utterly useless and cheesy ballad "So Sad." But there are 16 other proper songs on hand, all with vocal arrangements pulled off with aplomb, making this live record highly recommended... as far as live records go, anyway... (8.5/10)

It’s an asset that The Mandrake’s technical death metal has a wealth of excellent riffs of varying tempos, and a fair amount of classical influence that comes across in a square-shouldered, brutal way, rather than sounding frilly or flowery. Yes, there’s lots and lots of tasty death metal to please the distinguishing ear, but despite all that, the best track on The Burning Horizon at the End of Dawn may be the acoustic one, "Bringer of Dreams: a Fallen Angel."

Death metal bands have been doing these little silly passages since the beginning, almost, and although providing a good break between distorted pummelings, the compositions have often been rather trite and undeveloped, but The Mandrake puts something together that not only sounds fleshed out in itself, but makes the whole CD sound better because of it. Certainly a cool album that aims to deliver solid and meaty death over flash. Check it out. (7.8/10)

Compilations are a tricky endeavor. Mp3s and CDRs have made a band’s "best of" albums pretty meaningless, leaving the only relevant comps the ones that have some kind of theme to them or introduce the listener to some manner of pocket music or scene that he or she might not have been aware of. But even then it can be pretty dicey. You can’t always tell how good a band is from one track, and crappy bands give the other, perhaps better bands on the album a disservice by making them seem worse than they actually may be.

Akom Productions’ Akompilation 001 is a 20-track stockpile cross section of what’s going on in the Italian musical underground, from grunge to hardcore to death metal to power metal to goregrind. Instead of reviewing the CD band by band, here’s an overview of how this CD fares as an overall product. We’ll cut to the chase and say that it fails pretty resoundingly.

The scope of the styles of bands, matched with the overall mediocrity and lack of originality of the material, makes for a discombobulating experience. Goregrind nuts might be able to appreciate an hour of average material, but chances are they won’t dig four tracks of crappy hardcore, and vice versa. Of the 20 groups, we’ve only heard of two before (death metal Entity and the sort-of power metal Juglans Regia), and unsurprisingly those are the ones who have the strongest material. There are a few other bright spots, like in some of the gloomy, heavy pieces of Eikasia or the strong career beginnings of Media Solution.

However, the last quarter of the CD is a real garbage dump, with Crunch Mob’s abhorrent garage punk wankery seeming to be the worst track of the CD, until Action Man’s perhaps ska "song," which is made up of a bastardization of that utterly vomit inducing ditty that goes "if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands," except here the lyrics about applause are changed to things like "suck my dick."

We’re really not sure who would want to buy this. And this is the part we get the least, for Akom is selling this comp for $10. Seriously, now, there was work put into this, like to EQ all these amateur bands’ material so that the levels were even, and to put together a booklet, but a compilation of unknown bands that are decent at best should be free. Akom, take a loss on this thing in hopes to get people to listen, and then sell the best bands’ full-lengths. Or better yet, quit it with the dopey compilations, do the right thing and release full-length albums. For now, such overly ambitious, out of touch endeavors will only be preaching to the converted, which in this case are probably the bands themselves and all of their immediate fans. (3/10)

Melodic death metal can be a minefield. One riff repeated once too often can destroy a song. One idea stretched too far can destroy an album. Which is why Children of Bodom and In Flames have now officially gone to the dogs. Yes, I know I gave Hatecrew Deathroll a favourable review, but in retrospect, it never did stand up to repeated listens.

Suidakra are here to blow away the cobwebs. They have the variety, the panache, and the downright brutality to go far in this world. I would even go so far as to say that they are the greatest of their kind. The vocals, both death metal and clean, are used to fantastic effect. The guitar melodies are well placed and flawlessly executed. In face, Signs for the Fallen is one of the most exhilarating albums I have heard for a long time. Not a single display of weakness among the 10 tracks, and as a bonus, it just gets better and better with each listen.

I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that every idea on this album works like a charm. A wonderful combination of influences and agile creativity. The clean vocals occasionally give a nod towards Viking metal, and there are many guitar phrases that signal the development of melodic heavy metal.

Take a listen and you won't be disappointed. (9.3/10)

This thrashy New York mob certainly know how to renew the spirit of the old school. The drum sound is very similar to vintage Slayer, whilst the solid chug of the riffing brings to mind many from Venom to Exodus. Vocalist Mem V. Stein seems to be an angry mix of Cronos (Venom) and Cathedral's Lee Dorian.

"Kanun" is definitely the track that grabs you by the throat and shakes you for any spare change in your pockets. The proficiently brutal sound and rugged style are not what you’d expect from the modern-day American scene, and it's damn good to hear. Not a lot can be said at this point, but this is one fucking solid demo. We can only lie in wait for the next offering. (7.7/10)

Few are the black metal bands whose claim to the throne of the underground scene is as strong as Germany's Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult. They have come to exemplify the genre's finest virtues in their music, which continues to express a seething hatred for humanity in a cold and brutal fashion.

Nocturnal March could well be the soundtrack to the apocalypse. I have rarely heard such fire and raw passion in black metal since the demos of Emperor, and this is in no small way due to the bloodthirsty vocals of Onielar. The guitar, bass and drum tracks create a chilling thunder that is all pure Slaughtercult, and each song is a merciless barrage of violence, interspersed with passages of dark ambient terror.

"Scaffold Salvation" is one of the band’s finest tracks, made all the more effective by the dark ambient track "Whispers of Arcane Cimonar" that follows. "The Dead Hate the Living" is equally impressive, mixing hyperspeed blasts with 5/4 shuffle and nice double bass drum assaults.

The battle for the album's best track however, would have to between the infernal magnificence of "Through Rotting Stench" and 'Nocturnal March," an anthem for the armies of darkness. Trust me, if you only buy ONE black metal album this year... (9.5/10)

Sirenia have now joined the ranks of reverb-crazed gothic metallers. Having obviously taken lessons from Sins of thy Beloved, Tristania, Crematory, and latter-day Therion, they have created mediocre, derivative music... Although this is not too surprising given the contributions from ex-Tristania/SOTB members.

It's a nice, big sound, but there is very little of it that has not been heard before. A great pity, as this would have been a triumph 10 years ago. Nice vocals, majestic keyboards, and chunky riffs, but nothing that honestly stands out. Scanning through the songs in the hope of an inspirational melody or phrase, it's not until "Star-Crossed," the eighth track out of nine, that there’s any feeling of being moved. "Seven Sirens and a Silver Tear" is a fairly impressive closing instrumental, but neither are enough to redeem that which preceded them.

If you could quite easily listen to Tristania all day, then it would be worth your while checking out Sirenia. Other than that, it's nothing to go crazy over. (4.5/10)

When the idea of Finnish folk metal comes to mind, so obviously does Finntroll, but from what I can tell on first inspection, Korpiklaani take their inspiration more from Skyclad. More curious however, is the distinct power metal influence in "God of Wind," and the atmosphere created by the album as a whole.

For the joys of solid headbanging, go with the ultra-heavy stomp of "Crows Bring the Spring" (the way in which the folk instruments cut through the riffing and weave amongst the guitar melodies is particularly nice). The gorgeously chilled out "Mother Earth" seems the perfect way to end such an album.

Korpiklaani have given us something to ponder in the field of folk metal crossover, and perhaps a more exciting direction in which it can be taken. (8.3/10)

Part of a large crop of "gothic" or "melodic" black metal bands who would be shunned by traditionalists, Stormlord have actually made a commendable job of The Gorgon Cult, most notable for the tight staccato riffing of guitarists Pierangelo Giglioni and Gianpaolo Caprino and precision blasting of drummer David Folchitto. One song may occasionally blend into another, but it's all a pleasure to listen to. Yes, it's squeaky clean, polished, and ear-friendly, but you can't lock them up for that.

One thing to catch the ear is the almost power metal interlude in "The Oath of the Legion" that blended seamlessly with the vaguely Agathodaimon-esque stylings. Stormlord can try to be as dark and dangerous as they like, but for the most part, The Gorgon Cult is a positively uplifting album. The title track is a little more melancholy in its nature, but nothing to bring down your spirits.

What will doubtless catch the ears (and raise the eyebrows) of most will be the choice to cover Iron Maiden's "Moonchild." That's not to say that it's poorly done, but I wouldn't have figured it as a song to suit the band really. Ah well, each to their own. (7.2/10)

On first glance, you might wonder if Heimdall’s album title had been taken from the Judas Priest song. Whether or not this was the case, a certain amount of Priest influence is detectable here. That said, it's a bit difficult to pigeonhole Italy's Heimdall. Essentially, it's power metal, but at the same time, it's good old heavy metal. Well, whatever. It's quality stuff.

Heimdall have the kind of balance between metal and keyboards/choral vocals that Rhapsody should have had, and there is a certain fullness to the vocals that gives the sound a nice texture. A perfect example of this balance is the exquisite "Black Tower," in which vocalist Giacomo Mercaldo almost strays into the realms of Moonspell.

This is not the kind of album I could personally listen to all the time, but Hard as Iron has quite a kick to it in small doses. Listening closely, the crisp definition of the bass picking is a perfect compliment to the gorgeous crunch of the guitars. I love the subtlety of the voices behind the keyboards in "Cold," as well as the vocal harmonies used throughout the track.

Hard as Iron is something you have to be in the mood for, but a damn fine album when you are. (7/10)

For an album that doesn’t bring any new revolutions, Infernal sounds extremely refreshing! Yep, on their second release, Finland’s Silent Voices abandoned some of their earlier Dream Theater influences in favor of a more traditional and less pretentious metal orientation, and it works like charm!

There’s just no escape from the sweeping power of the songs here – whether it is the power-metal of "On the Wings of Rage," the speed-metal of "Disease: Man" or the semi-progressive suite "Avalon," which also features spottable influences by classic acts such as Deep Purple; these and others are not only performed with excellent skills, they are also well-written and catchy.

Produced with a tint of darkness as well as a lot of clarity, everything is up front, and that’s a treat as these guys are true professionals: highly melodic and well executed guitar playing; ass-kicking bass lines; fierce, dynamic drumming; floating keyboards (courtesy of Henrik Klingenberg, who also plays in Sonata Arctica); and last but not least, the highly impressive vocals that remind of Klaus Meine on the early Scorpions material (check out "End of Days"), melodic and reaching incredible heights as well as being utilized with a bit of throat whenever it is needed – this is one captivating package that just should not be missed. (8.5/10)

The booklet of Process of Life Separation, the debut release of Finnish black metallers Ninnuam, bears a certain concept: it features all sorts of documentation, evidence, autopsy report etc. of a murder the band allegedly committed.

Such gestures are not to be taken too seriously. However, sadly, the band doesn't show any trace of humor in their artistic(?) statement – a notion emphasized by the morbid gravity of their featured lyrics, as well as by the pompous musical output. So, the band members present themselves as cold blood murderers. I wonder, what were they trying to convey?

So, Ninnuam are tough and look and sound evil. In fact, considering their slightly parodic countenance of self importance, the superior parts of their music sound better than one might expect.

Although faithfully following the conventions of the black metal genre, mixing both atmospheric keyboard laden parts with (very mediocrely performed) fast picked guitar phrases, they do manage at times to feature a few creative glimmers, mostly in the realm of instrumentation and orchestration.

Overall, at their best, Ninnuam does prove their legitimacy and justification of being considered a honorable member of The Order of Newbie, slimly innovative yet effective and powerful extreme metal. On their worst parts, they sound like kids who think that murder is really cool. Try it out if it gets in your way. If it doesn't, don't necessarily bother. (5/10)

Babylon Mystery Orchestra is the one-man-project led by Sidney Allen Johnson, a good Christian delivering his religious gospel in a bizarre heavy metal manner. His current release tries to explore the intriguing possibility of the existence of rock music in an antediluvian era, serving as the devil’s actual music. A Christian metal concept album dealing with the satanic origins of its own medium? No, pointing the irony would just be too banal.

Actually, one may easily hear the mixed emotions Johnson feels towards his own hosting genre. While featuring sluggish slow- to mid-tempo chord movements, supposedly heavy drumming, dramatic, bassy vocals and overly simplistic, traditional metal melodies, he somehow assures the overall pompous listening experience to be, even if surely heavy, quite far from the conventions of the genre. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily (actually, necessarily not) done by means of originality or renewal: simply, the lack of developed melodies, harmonies, leads or any other captivating musical element, together with the overall stagnant atmosphere, joined by un-charismatic literal, narrative, pedagogic, uninterestingly preaching vocals, makes the album a demonstration consisting of pure distillment of boredom and tastelessness.

The better moments, however, may occasionally bring one back to the jolly old days of spinning Blue Oyster Cult's Imaginos (Don't you know that album? Drop everything, forget Babylon Mystery Orchestra and go get it), or even Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (don't know this one either? Exit your web browser, please. You are banned off Maelstrom). (It’s ok, you can come back... – Roberto Martinelli)

But still, there may be some charming aspects on On Earth as it is in Heaven after all. Just think of Johnson as a prophet, attempting to reach the ignorant masses of sinners, applying devilish means that are justified by his godly goals. Perhaps he hopes this album to be the seal, the concluding effort of the metal movement, a self-annihilating creation to end our decadent, hellish feast. The barbaric hordes, this time approached in their own language, should realize their error and correct their ways (or at least, for a start, replace old Satyricon with old Stryper).

Also, for a self-produced personal project, our modern-times prophet of wrath managed to achieve quite an impressive professional work of production and performance. And, one simply can't avoid sympathizing with such an abysmally serious, quixotic image. Is this an appealing album to listen to? Nope. Is it a phenomenon worth examining? Definitely. All hail the white metal underground! (5/10)

Supergroup. By definition, a supergroup is a band made up of performers who gained popularity in other bands. Hateplow falls into this category. Made up of members with such bands as Malevolent Creation, Cannibal Corpse, Kult ov Azazel and Sickness on their pedigrees, they started in the mid-90s as a side project and now have three releases under their collective bullet belts. Moshpit Murder is the 2004 release of the Detroit performance on their "The Only Law Is Survival" tour in 2000, with their 1996 demo finishing out the CD.

Now, with the term supergroup comes high expectations. You expect them to be as good or better than the bands the members come from. This does not happen with the first part of the album. Part of this is due to the fact that it's a live CD, complete with the obligatory "MAKE SOME NOISE, DETROIT!" shouts after every song. The sound is muddy, as is generally the case with live concert albums. Its very rare for a band to sound the same live as they do in the studio, and even more rare for this to come through on a recording of a live performance.

Kyle Symons' vocals aren't as strong live as they are on Hateplow's studio recordings. The instruments are hard to pick out individually, it comes through as one big noise, which is not entirely a bad thing if you are actually at the performance.

Two highlights in the live set are "Without Weapons" and "In the Ditch." They're well performed, and more up to the standards you would expect from a band with this background. Many of the other songs sound the same, and fairly typical of their genre.

The second part of this CD, their 1996 demo, is much more impressive. The vocals are very strong, and though the sound quality and production still leave something to be desired, it is much more "together." The drums and guitar come through better on this section of the recording, revealing bits and pieces of the talent you would expect to be here. Highlights here are again, "In the Ditch" and "The Gift Giver," where you hear a bit of vocal range.

Overall, it's rather standard fare, for a live performance and demo it's decent, but from Hateplow, it should be better. (5.8/10)

If any album will ever make you want to tear your house apart and then kill your neighbours just for fun, this is IT! Artistic Creation With Cranial Stumps is a four-song EP from the newcomers from Nevada, Guttural Secrete.

It starts out with a sample. Yes, they use samples as most brutal death and grind bands now do, but they don't go completely overboard with them, some of them are used sneakily in the middle of songs, not always just the first 10 seconds as seems to be the "standard." After that first sample in "Slit Into Succulence," you're hit with a blast of sound that doesnt stop until the CD is over. It’s very well produced, you can hear each individual instrument and how well they blend together into one violent cacophony.

Guttural Secrete have original riffs, not the same tired group of guitar sounds you hear regenerated on so many albums anymore. Their drummer is lightning fast at times, but doesn't lose any of his power with the speed. All of this blends tightly with the insane vocals of Blue Jensen, adding up to one big gangbang for your ears. The only drawback to this CD is that there are only four tracks, making you crave more when it ends. (8.5/10)

I have the feeling, after listening to this CD ten or so times, that this will be the sort of disc that grows on you; the kind that you pick up after a few months, and think to yourself, "hey, that’s really good, why did I leave that on the shelf?" I may be wrong.

On the other hand, Ulysses, yet another project featuring the Apples in Stereo’s Robert Schneider, produce some fine music. With topics ranging from the self-deprecating nature of some romances ("Push You Away") to the frustrations engendered by everyday life ("Frustration"), 010 covers the well-worn tropes of pop without veering into the trite.

Although Schneider’s ear for melody and prettiness is quite evident on every track, Ulysses’ sound has a keen edge to it that lends itself better to the bitter moods of a breakup than the exhilarating rapture of a crush: "I want to show you this…it’s going to make you pissed/ because you will see/ I’m better off now" ("Television"). "Evening Star" combines the frenetic with the lyrical – the bridge slows us down, the rest of the song bouncing away steadily.

Familiar, without sounding old before it’s been listened to, the album feels like a cardigan you just picked up secondhand, already broken in and comfortable from the moment you put it on. (7.5/10)

It’s perhaps enough to say that compared to other bands labeled as "progressive," Time Machine (although being around for over a decade) are no virtuosos! You can actually hear and feel that these guys sometimes miss on their playing and don’t sit well together. You don’t need to be a music expert to hear how heavy the acoustic guitar picking is on "Alhambra," or how the instruments are detached from one another on ""Seeds of Revolution"; and other passages, mostly the acoustic ones, can also serve as further evidence. Still, these do not bother Time Machine to display some acrobatic guitar playing and other common progressive juggling, which occasionally borders on being expendable.

Add an old-fashioned production and overly emotional vocal gestures (these guys are Italian, after all…) to these, and it’s easy to let this album go.

But Reviviscence should probably be better off examined through a different lens, as besides the Dream Theater influences there is a lot of doom influence that is extremely dominant. This aspect serves as an advantage as the simple rhythms that lay the foundation for most of the tracks here need no virtuosity in order to be catchy. In fact, there is a strong sense of the Tony Martin Black Sabbath era (Headless Cross), reflected through the dramatic vocals and the misty background keyboards, which at times also get a manufacturing-line, Tool-ish treatment (straight from the book of Lateralus).

This different view also demands re-judging the production respectively. Sure, it all could have sounded richer and deeper, but then it would not have had the instant classic feel that is highly attractive for old school fans.

And so, Reviviscence" is not a revelation to the strict progressive metal fans, but instead, it is a fine attraction for those that appreciate vintage metal and are looking to quench their thirst as well as opening up to more progressive material. But with all that being said, Black Sabbath is still second to none. (6.5/10)

As the title suggests, this album, recorded in 2000, includes interpretations of some Allan Holdsworth compositions, played solely on piano.

I have to admit that while approaching to review this album I was in awe of the warm words poured on it by two guitar greats, John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth himself, as documented in the booklet of this 2004 re-issue. Who am I to contradict them? Once I gave this recording a try, all fear was gone as contradicting them never again came to my mind.

But perhaps some background of this tribute’s subject as well as the performer is important here to give a better insight into this recording.

Allan Holdsworth is a highly respected and experienced fusion guitarist, known for developing his unique, liquid style while recording with progressive/ jazz-rock bands such as Soft Machine and Gong, as well as recording a healthy amount of solo material, some of it of a technocratic nature, often drenched in high-tech sound, credited to his pioneering use of SynthAxe (a type of a synthesized guitar).

As for Gary Husband – he is not unaccustomed to sitting in for Holdsworth’s compositions, but unlike his position at the piano here, he mainly did it from behind the drum kit, as he was a collaborator of Holdsworth’s for a long time.

On this recording, Husband offers much more than a straight-forward one-take on the piano – it is full of colorful overdubs that help him to execute the compositions in a way that is both original and loyal to Holdsworth’s style, as clearly evident on tracks such as "The Sixteen Men of Tain" and "The Things I See," on which he quickly makes keyboard runs that, with a bit of imagination, can be replaced by a speedy Holdsworth-like attack of a guitar fret board.

It might be his previous role as a drummer for Holdsworth that makes this recording even more interesting, as a lot of energy and attention is given to the rhythmical aspect of the pieces. He is able to do so thanks to the multi-tracked playing, as well as his gutsy and successful attempt of using his piano as a percussion instrument.

Although Husband leaves the music credited to Holdsworth, there’s no denying that it is his adventurous, open-minded approach to this music as well as his love for it that fuel this recording to exciting heights. This goes far beyond being just an adoption of the guitar-based compositions to the piano – it is vivid and true, also bringing foreign influences, such as the Thelonious Monk upside-down harmonies on "An Out From Under"; and above all, it gives the originals, which were sometimes crowded and technical, more space and passion. Splendid! (8.5/10)

This is a very unique concept band. They merge various elements of power metal and neo-classic rock with the dynamics, drama and storyline of a live stage performance. These are petite rock operas featuring the timeless struggle between good and evil.

Skylark is an Italian band that has managed very well-timed notoriety in Germany, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain and Chile. Eddy Antonini is the writer, dramatist, and singer. His range of emotion and the ability to express and write through various characters creates fascinating images and stories. His voice is strong, lavish, and evocative. The songs defy the basic verse/chorus arrangements. They are really more like show tunes, often winding down into simple piano and vocal arrangements.

Nevertheless, they have quite successfully worked themselves into the European metal circuit, playing the Italian God’s of Metal Festival and the Headbangers Festival in Germany. They steadily tour with bands like Labyrinth, Running Steele and Domine and have headlined in places like Osaka, Japan.

This project began in 1994 and Eddy has been on the move ever since. He indulges in solo projects, plays with other progressive bands and maneuvers Skylark with tenacity and confidence into the limelight. Even though Skylark clearly defies any one particular venue, they certainly hold their own.

No stopping these guys – who knows, maybe it’s on to Broadway next! (8.5/10)

Two leading figures of the Israel progressive music scene, Roy Yarkoni and Ishay Sommer (both are also members of Ahvak), joined forces with poet Karen Alkalay-Gut, as well as a handful of guest musicians (percussionist Yatziv Caspi, who also records with Orphaned Land, contributes his skills to one track, and is an essential component of their live performance) resulting in one of the most refreshingly original and interesting recordings in recent memory.

Alkalay-Gut performs her modern poetry convincingly and passionately, whether she is describing relationships and urges, everyday life or revisiting historical scenes. Her performance brings Laurie Anderson's performance art to mind, but the music found here is less minimalist than Anderson's music usually is, with nearly every track having its own distinctive voice and a suitable musical landscape that draw the spoken words.

When Alkalay-Gut talks of the British Holborn Station, the ground shakes beneath you as metallic guitars roar, introducing a Rock In Opposition (a movement of modern progressive music)-inspired composition, with gentle vibes, quirky keyboards and giggling bass. Then, when she brings an amusing, unpopular perspective on a biblical story on "Joseph And I," the keyboards shed an Egyptian flavor, later supported by appropriate oriental percussion.

On "Cellular Phone," things sound more futuristic and alien-oriented, not to mention digital; "To the Muse" recalls Yarkoni's solo debut in its rhythmical loops and electronica, while "Kitchen" adds theatrical drama to the equation.

Still, the tracks all have a collective spine in the form of playful keyboards and electronics, meaty bass work and expressive vocals, which turns them into a spectacular, accessible yet uncompromising mosaic that just drips with passion.

Thin Lips is a circus full of attractions and surprising tricks, and no matter how many times you revisit it, it remains ear-catching and arousing. This is progressive music at its best. (9.5/10)

Keeping with our theme, Tom Orgad’s ponderous reviews are preceded by what you could call "Orgad lite," but what we call "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." The whole review follows. – Roberto Martinelli

The Good:

- Forgotten Silence is so great that even Tom Orgad cannot begin to describe how great they are.

- Forgotten Silence uses eastern melodies to an extremely creative degree, shaping them to the band’s own identity.

The Bad:

- The metal elements on Bya Bamahe Neem can sometimes sound a bit out of place.

The Ugly:

- the album cover art.

The Review:

More than anything else, Forgotten Silence is a weaver of myths, a shaper of engulfing conceptual atmospheres. All along their avant-garde metal path, reaching its peak at the incredible Senyaan masterpiece, their works had featured their uniqueness in their ability to feature a unified, coherent, enshrouding thematic environment, drawing the listener into a symbolic world dominated by its own singular, unmatchable and undecipherable codex of rules of being – rules which are impossible to convey or articulate by words, non-discoursive, meant to be absorbed merely on the experiential level.

Any verbal representation, existing within the musical sphere, should not be treated as delivering a concrete, specific message – but as an integral of a greater holistic, encompassing organism of unfathomable death and mystery.

The latest release by the band, featuring two lengthy pieces, takes yet another step in the aforementioned direction. Including the content of their latest EP, Yarim Ay, as well as a lengthy ambient piece, once again the band sets up the surroundings for a subjective experience of inner journey through one's own inner values, terms and representations.

Stylistically, the band still borrows influences from oriental traditions, mostly (allegedly) Egyptian themes. However, conceiving their pieces as oriental would be a superficial, shallow observation: the band awaredly uses eastern motives in a specific way adapted to the band's views and spirit. These elements should not be seen as an anthropological imitation of ethnic musical traditions, but simply as a convenient leverage point chosen in order to construct their own artistic apparatus. The result is a piece combining female singing and metal guitars floating between muted riffs and eastern modes, vast soundscapes of keyboards and occasional vocal growls.

Whirling, intertwined leitmotifs resonate in the musical space, making way for a gradual, steady ideological progression, containing some concrete, palatable musical ideas (mostly in the form of well thought out constructions of instrumental interplay) yet never reaching a level of utter intensity, placing the emphasis on the total absorption of the musical piece as a whole, maintaining a balanced presence of all its ingredients, avoiding any exaggerated accentuation of any of them.

Judging it in a metal context, any aesthetic elements worth mentioning would be the lack of traditional drumming – both pieces only include some traditional eastern drumming. This choice of the band has several effects: on one hand, it does wonders to the task of achieving a steady, unified atmosphere. The lack of blast beat dynamics adjoins and unites the musical elements and establishes a sense of a particular intrinsic rhythmical core, endowing the mythical word with its own enchanting unique pulsation.

However, while this approach proves itself to be very effective in the ambient piece, it should be stated that some traditional metal stylistic elements are still present in the music of Forgotten Silence – the context of their activity is not to be ignored. Therefore, at times, the distorted riffing guitars and growling vocals sound a bit dislocated without a stout rhythmical support.

However, this minor deficiency is not to withdraw from the overall impression left by Bya Bamahe Neem. Even if not reaching once again the astounding peaks of Senyaan (but, honestly, how could you expect that?), Forgotten Silence beget yet another closure of bestowing, appealing, enthralling musical experience. Essential. (9/10)

Lilitu has come a looong way since The Earth Gods, the band’s promising yet suffocated demo from 2000. It seems like ages ago.

Curious that The Delores Lesion has been billed as *not* being a Dark Tranquillity (think Damage Done) rip-off. Well, sure, it isn’t, but you won’t be able to deny that this record fits in largely with the rapidly growing genre that particular album has been defining (see Delores’s first track, "Only the End of the World Again" for some of the strongest comparisons). However, this record is a bit more aggressive and perhaps darker, and certainly featuring music that’s uniquely worthwhile.

Most impressive is the main theme for the title track, a charging, emotional, almost Celtic-tinged riff that will stay with you always. The song does lose some steam during the quiet breakdown that features some of the album’s clean male vocals, which are largely cheesy – like the singer is trying to do something that he just isn’t able to. In fact, think of metalcore when imagining Lilitu’s vocals: from the screaminess during the harsh parts, to untrained, rather inept, over-reaching singing.

This aside, Lilitu weave a rather powerful energy throughout The Delores Lesion’s 36 minutes, hitting some chords of powerful yet pretty melancholy. However, despite its length, this album feels strangely like an EP, which could either attest to the power of the material’s cohesiveness, or that there’s quite a bit of filler. Either way, you’d do well to check it out. (7.6/10)

It would be impossible to not to preface the review of Capharnaum’s Fractured without mentioning this reviewer's absolute adoration for the album Warp Zone by French Canadian death metal geniuses Martyr. (And even as an aside to that, to mention the supreme injustice that Martyr are so underappreciated in the technical death metal genre.)

See, we got the Capharnaum CD explicitly because Martyr’s guitarist playing Mongrain brother, Daniel (who also played with Gorguts), is in this Florida-based death metal band. So certainly Fractured would be another amazing, inspiring yet humbling/depressing display. And indeed it is. But it can’t hold a candle to Martyr.

It’s subjective, as the two band’s styles are largely different, but Capharnaum’s music’s relatively straightforward nature pales in comparison to the myriad dimensions and unique timing and taste of what Martyr did on their second album (and to a good extent, on their first as well). Fractured is technically bewildering, sure, but the depth of rhythmic nuance and creativity is far less, instead featuring more typical blasting brutality. The riffs and wizardry, too, are more typical. About the only thing that is superior here are the vocals... but just about anything is better than Daniel Mongrain’s third rate Death interpretations.

So, Capharnaum is all fine and good, but it would be a crime if Mongrain made this his main band, and if Martyr never released another album again. Come on, now, people! You have to make things right by checking out Martyr and buying their records! (7.5/10)

If there is such a thing as black metal political correctness, it would always be proper to declare Immortal’s "Holocaust Metal" period as the finest in that most seminal of Norwegian black metal bands’ body of work. Now, the truth may be far more debatable, but regardless, Pure Holocaust and its successor, Battles in the North, inspired more bands than anything else from Abbath and co.

Certainly for this reviewer, the very essence of what black metal sounds like *is* Battles in the North: Utterly fuzzy and inhumanly fast, yet with musical compositions that somehow beheld beauty and majesty; raw and brutal and played with utter conviction, yet being retarded on so many levels... How many of these were on purpose and how many weren’t may never be known, but it’s of no importance. Indeed, it’s just as much about what’s NOT right about this record (in a traditional record production sense) as it is about what IS right about it that makes it the most essential of black metal opuses.

Battles in the North was done in the days when Abbath was pulling triple duty as vocalist, bassist *and* drummer. He could play the blast beats like a madman, but wasn’t exactly the best drummer technically. Here, you can tell he’s playing as fast as he possibly can, perhaps beyond his means, resulting in numerous fuck ups and fills that stumble all over the place. However, it’s done with such style that anything different would be wrong.

Similarly is the utterly out of whack production. The vocals and drums are way up front, with the guitar being pushed pretty far down, making the record kind of sound like you went to see Immortal play but got there late and were buying your ticket outside the club and could hear the band playing therein. And yet Immortal never sounded rawer. Abbath’s demonic frog croak vocals are the best ever here, and the ambient buzz of the guitar and bass, after becoming accustomed to it, yields level after level of signature melody. Remarkable, indeed, as Battles in the North is basically one speed the whole way through (except for the last track), yet no song is redundant.

The production work of the legendary Pytten has as much to do with this album’s success as the Immortal boys’ often imitated but never duplicated style. Pytten’s greatest trick throughout his career was to make productions that were fatally flawed but curiously stronger because of it. And it wasn’t like it was some kind of formula, as each of the Grieghallen productions were fucked up in a way different from all the others. Here, songs that seem to run out of tape before the last note was finished is a prime example of what would seem like the most amateur of efforts, but in fact reveal what is the greatest, longest lasting genius: that perfection is overrated for the success of music, and black metal in particular.

Immortal’s image made us laugh. It still does, but it rules. A couple guys in evil Kiss makeup, crouching in the snow with guitars? Pretty silly. But Immortal persevered. And it got worse, too. But they were serious, and we’ll be damned if we’ve ever read black metal lyrics that sparked our imaginations more than the sometimes clumsy yet inimitable style of Demonaz’s writings about being alone on a mountain, "throned by blackstorms," with ravens forever circling overhead in an invented fantasy realm where winter never ends.

But one must always come back to the songs, and from beginning throttling buzz to the majestic, crusing ending to "Blashyrkh," Battles in the North is this writer’s pick of the black metal album to define the genre.