Ywolf’s Dream Warrior is the toughest call I’ve had to make yet. On one hand this seems like the most retarded joke ever made, but on the other hand this might be an entirely serious project of Mr. Gabriel Wolf; I can't decide. It just smells like a bad Lord of the Rings rip-off.

Imagine Summoning, only without the cool buzzing guitars, without the pounding drum computer; basically imagine Summoning trying to mime themselves after eating several bad burritos. Or something along those lines, as long as the end result equals a big steaming heap of shit. Some of the compositions are somewhat interesting but completely lack density and any sense of flair, and the vocals sound like Gollum trying to put the One Ring in places it shouldn't be put.

Not to mention the fact that between every track there is a 40+ second intermission that serves no purpose what so ever except taking the little speed that was there out of the listening process. Not to mention the fact that there is a bonus industrial mix track that sounds like German synth pop... of the bad kind. Not to mention there are two novels by Gabriel Wolf included on the disc, but it'll be a cold day in hell when I start reading them.

So, I'll just mention this: stay away at all cost. (0/10 if it's serious, 0/10 if it's a joke)

Ask any progressive rock fan for the bands that made the most impact on the genre and you are most likely to hear King Crimson, Genesis and Yes (perhaps even Pink Floyd or Gentle Giant) as an answer. East of Eden’s debut album, though widely ignored and forgotten, deserves as much credit as King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King (perhaps even more!) in shaping the face of progressive rock, and it preceded the other aforementioned bands in both its vision and its execution.

Mercator Projected, originally released in 1969, is a world-embracing escapade that I can only begin to describe.

Perhaps it would be fair to start with the band’s own description: "Take one violin that blows rock and Bartok, add one flute from the East, mix in Sumerian saxophones, bass, drums, guitar and liquid word pictures – mark East of Eden.’"

Indeed, Mercator Projected is everything the band promises, and more.

"Northern Hemispheres" starts the triumphant, dynamic performance that lasts throughout the album with jagged instrumental interplay and unexpected transitions, ending with some wild improvisation. It also introduces the rasp production, which was way ahead of its time, that integrates the pioneering sound effects and the dynamic passages into a smooth, nonstop pleasure.

"Isadora" presents a gentler side, dwelling further into eastern motifs, and once again the production shines with tasteful overdubbing procedures (as if the instrumental variety was not enough!). The mythological "Centaur Woman" is a one-of-a-kind, progressive blues piece that slowly develops into avant-garde jazz.

"Waterways" and "Bathers" are windy journeys, with the violin playing taking the popular role of serving as a dramatic, continuous setting – a role that in classic progressive rock was usually reserved for the mellotron. "Communion" offers marvelous poetry and "Moth" is classically orchestrated, with drum work that is similar in its big bang cymbal splashes to Nick Mason’s early work in Pink Floyd. "In the stable of the Sphinx" finishes the original recording with an untamed instrumental adventure that, at some point, incorporates a placid Japanese theme.

As lush and colorful as this recording is, it is never overdone. The bold delivery is engaged with a spiritual touch and the explorations never seem out of place.

Mercator Projected is, with no doubt, a masterpiece; not only in a retrospective examination as a brilliant, leading amalgamation of cultures and musical styles and a cornerstone of progressive rock, but also in an objective perspective – as it is highly compelling and timeless as well as fully realized.

The remastered Eclectic release unveils three previously unreleased tracks, including a fascinating extended (!) demo version of "In the Stable of the Sphinx," and a cover of The Byrds’ "Eight Miles High," done in true East of Eden fashion: remaining loyal to the spirit of the album, which definitely deserves the title "one of the best albums ever." (10+/10)

In 1969, out of the ashes of the band Uriel, Egg emerged. Uriel, or in the pseudo name under which the band members recorded their sole album – Arzachel – was a part of Britain’s underground psychedelic movement, amongst the likes of Pink Floyd and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, leading and shaping the spirit of progressive rock.

Uriel was composed of Dave Stewart on organ, Mont Campbell on bass and vocals, Clive Brooks on drums and Steve Hillage on guitar and vocals. When the latter left to resume his studies (he will return to make an outstanding impression on the progressive scene as you will learn in our next issue), the rest went on as a trio.

Egg’s debut album (1970), often reminds of early Emerson, Lake and Palmer material (before pomposity has won ELP over). Put the obvious bass/drums/keyboards trio comparison aside, Uriel’s music was also highly influenced by Emerson’s earlier outfit, The Nice, and consequently, like ELP, Egg offers a better evolved attempt at mixing experimental rock with classical music, which stands the test of time much better than most of The Nice’s recorded output.

This mostly instrumental album opens with a bang, followed by two songs, showcasing not only the band’s creative musical direction but also their unusual songwriting capabilities. On these convincingly performed songs and the tracks that follow, Egg punches with hard-driven rhythms, odd time signatures, solid melodies, fully realized improvisations on classical themes (that work better than the jams on Arzachel) and a heaven of distorted keyboards.

The album tracks are relatively short compared to the lengthy tracks often associated with progressive rock (even the lengthy "Symphony No. 2" is spread on some distinctive segments), and the album actually benefits from this, as the precise experimental tracks ("They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano," "Boilk") are not long enough to tire casual listeners, but instead serve as a mind-expanding experience.

There’s no doubt – this unique mixture of jazz, rock and classical music, as well as the songwriting, is top-notch here. The entire Canterbury scene (known for coloring progressive rock with a gentle jazz inspiration), including bands like Caravan and Stewart’s subsequent releases with Hatfield and the North and National Health, was built on the foundations laid here; but the fact is that the macho Egg is way more powerful than most of their Canterbury followers.

The new and most-welcomed remastered release by the Canterbury-based label, Eclectic, expands the album not only with songs from Egg’s first single release, but also with a rare treasure – the third movement of "Symphony No. 2," which was only previously released on test-pressings of the original vinyl release and removed due to legal concerns.

Egg is a terrific listening experience, one that combines the characteristics of progressive rock while remaining accessible and endearing, and is therefore recommended to both the classic progressive-rock audience and those of you who want a first bite of this delicious genre. (9/10)

The Hidden Hand is the recent form in which the underground’s favorite, Scott "Wino" Weinrich (ex-Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and Spirit Caravan), found his voice. Its version of stoner-rock/post-grunge is not much different than Kyuss's, and these guys, unlike Monster Magnet, are stoned-serious.

Their new release is filled with potent, low-end deliverance. The bell-bottom, down-tuned guitar creates a vortex context in which the songs are executed to an immediate catch, with a convincing vocal performance to support the band's rumblings about the powers that be, the fucked-up world and the need for a change.

The songs are pretty straight-forward in their structure, with held and smeared power chords, yet every now and then they offer a twist, like the firing-squad section on "Sons of Kings," inspired by Black Sabbath but isn't as far reaching as Sabbath's developing pieces. Nonetheless, it helps in giving the grudge-fueled, heavily distorted songs a more sizzling treatment.

"Black Ribbon" features a tortured and disguised vocal work that is reminiscent of Placebo as well as some higher tone guitar that wails over the monstrous rhythm, while "Currents" presents an attempt of mixing the outfit’s usual stoner rock with 60's psychedelia that is, unfortunately, not fully realized, although it does contribute to the variety of the entire work; Still, it is the heavier songs like "The Crossing" or "Sons of Kings" that really get you going.

The production is of a deliberate underground nature, not missing the hand movements on the fretboard and tainting the music with static noises and lots of feedback. But someone's got to tell these guys that an underground production is no excuse for a lightheaded musical delivery, as some of the songs lose their way: "Half Mast" stays loyal to its title, being interrupted abruptly by the following track; "Coffin Lily" ends (like the lives of most of those who are in coffins) with a sense of a miss; and while "Draco Vibration" starts off promisingly, with its beast effects, an unrehearsed guitar section finally spoils it, causing it to vaporize without leading anywhere.

Mother Teacher Destroyer is in fact a fine album, but aside my recommendation to give it a try, there is a warning of a partial disappointment. It could have been better had it been baked more thoroughly. (7/10)

Even though the aura of Genghis Tron is filled with enough pretentious babble that tries to describe what the hell these three guys are on about (and we all know that we journalists love pretentious babble), I'm going out on a limb here and say that Cloak of Love is nothing short of a pure electronic aphrodesiac, one that tastes so good that it's damn hard to stop taking in more.

Fuck descriptions like "Painkiller and Naked City hijacking Erasure's synth pop" or "Brutal Truth and Afrikka Bambaata in a club brawl with Depeche Mode." It's all a lie. This is just downright sexy, with no descriptions needed.

Granted, the electronic blast beats seem out of place every now and again when the band stop starts from sullen synth pop to nasty electro metal, but you gotta take the good with the bad.

Biggest downfall: there are only five songs on this here Cloak of Love, good for about and around 13 minutes, and while the hectic side of the band makes it seem that you'll be glad it's over so soon, the extremely catchy song writing will make you go back for more. Again and again. (9.8/10)

This is one nasty split. I was not familiar with either band, but after half an hour of intense freaking out I feel as though I've been listening to them both for years. Be that a good thing or not, I have yet to find out. It's produced by Scott Hull, so at least it sounds good.

Burmese lays the smack down via filthy squealing noise/core, which in itself is very effective... in cleaning out your ear canals, clearing out a room, or just downright wreaking havoc. Ten songs, 10 minutes, be glad it isn't any longer. This material is intense and highly entertaining... for those who enjoy getting molested by piercing metal bits, that is.

Fistula takes on a more slough-like approach. Sewer sludge that borders on Sabbath inspired drone rock, filled with electronic, vibrating slugs and nasty coughing nymphos. Even more nasty than Burmese, in every sense of the word. Listening to this will make you afraid it's airborne and you'll end up ordering those funny white masks on the internet. Four songs, 18 minutes, be glad it isn't any longer. This material is gross and highly phlegm-able; for those who enjoy getting coughed on by sick people. (8.7/10)

Apollyon is Free is a very lopsided album that shines so brightly in certain areas, but is very lacking in others. The major draw here is the top notch guitar shredding and keyboard wizardry on hand. The style is basically in the so-called neo-classical style that fans of power metal have come to expect, but nonetheless what Delta display demands attention.

Sylistically, the song structures and riff writing have a very strong Yngwie Malmsteen flavor – especially the last four or five songs on the CD, which are the most technical and interesting.

What else scores big points are the two tracks that feature female and male vocals with piano accompaniment, which is organic and rich. It’s a fine complement to the particularly impressive talent of Magdalena Reyes. The male vocals are quite fine as well.

...which brings us to the album’s low points. Despite the great skills of the musicians, Felipe del Valle can’t sing his way out of a paper bag. Ok, so it’s not a teeny paper bag, but still, del Valle sounds woefully out of place on this record, like a weekend jogger amongst Olympians. The result is that the bulk of the metal songs – the parts where he sings – stumble and lack validity. It’s a mystery why the woman on the clean tracks, or even the guy on those tracks (if that is indeed a different guy) couldn’t be coaxed into being the full-time singer. Then what a force this band would be.

The above problem might be made worse with the piddly production. It’s clear – which is good, as it does the precise and rapid playing justice – but very trebly and weedy, like it was mixed entirely on a Casio keyboard. The mixing is particularly bad as far as the vocals on the metal songs is concerned, perhaps exacerbating del Valle’s weaknesses, but we think his bad tone is a problem he carries with him everywhere.

It is also perhaps due to the precise nature of this band being a showcase of "the best of the Chilean scene" that makes it falter. Generally, there are ideas that don't seem to have come to maturity, and an overall hodge-podge feeling to the tracks and lineup. Apollyon is Free ends up being an album that soars about 40 percent of the time, and lumbers around awkwardly the rest. Let’s hope this band continues to tie up the many loose ends, as the future has major promise. (6.1/10)

Haunting Remains is about as average a Euro power metal album as you can find. Held-out chords and bland fast picking dominate the parts where the vocals are, and it’s not until the very cut and dried solo show off parts do the band begin cut loose... but even then it’s in a very formulaic manner.

Pete Ahonen’s decent vocals would be ok in a band where there were interesting songs whose hook focus was on the music, but bands in this genre that rely on a very simple formula have powerhouse singers to carry the load. Ghost Machinery merely deliver what has become the cliched standard. (5/10)

Impiety turn the trick again with Paramount Evil, an album that’s as old-school as they come, yet doesn’t get bogged down in the stagnation of the retro bog. Impiety marries the two biggest extreme styles of death and black metal extremely well, sounding very much like classic Morbid Angel and Immortal’s Blizzard Beasts album (which has quite a few Morbid Angel-isms on it, come to think). The result is chromatic, whirlwind songs who’s greatest trick is being highly technical but not showy.

If you liked Chaos Kommand 696, you’ll like Paramount Evil even better, as the production is even clearer and fuller, but largely in the same vein. This CD is a break-neck ride of exhilaration from one of the world’s most likeable extreme metal bands. Not as cult as their Skullfucking Armageddon classic, but necessary for all fans of no-nonsense, brutal and fresh extreme metal. (8.5/10)

review by: Tom Orgad

From what I'd read about Death Reality, I'd much anticipated listening to and reviewing this new album. I was rewarded with a lot of...well, not with a whole lot, to be honest. As nondescript as a word like "ok" can be, that's what this is, ok. Standard throwback death metal, nothing jumps out and makes you say, "YEAH! now THAT's what I'm talking about!"

Now, it's by no means a bad album, merely bland. Drums, yes, they have drums, and they're average. Bass, yes I can hear a little bass, a bit low. Guitars, kind of a dirty sound to them, unpolished and distorted in places. The vocals are mediocre, better on the tracks "Wages of Eternal Death" and "Your Epitaph Is Written."

Actually the peak moment of this album is the melodic instrumental track "Ingenuous Thoughts." They should try more of this. Let me reiterate, this is not a bad album at all, it's also not a good one. I'd recommend this one to people who are already fans of Death Reality, or people who collect every death metal release merely for the fact that it's death metal. (4.7/10)

As you listen to this first release by the Swedish grindcore band Jigsore Terror, you'll swear you just stepped out of a time machine into the infancy days of grindcore. World End Carnage has the simplicity of grind's punk beginnings and the powerful blastbeats and mosh riffing and speed of the "good old days."

There's nothing new or innovative here: it's complete Carcass worship at its best. It doesn’t bring any real brutality to the table, but more of a concentrated effort on bringing forth the classic elements of grindcore history. The production here is good but not so slick that it loses its grind credibility. The musicians themselves are awesome, everyone together in a seamless groove, not each making their own noises as so many grindcore bands do anymore.

Here we have actual songs, not noises thrown together. The vocals were covered by the drummer for the album after the departure of their vocalist and he’s spot on. His vocal style is perfect for this "throwback" type of grind. Lyrically, they lean more towards death metal and it works. High points: the tracks "Reeking of Death" and "Corpses on Fire." I'm putting this pretty high on my recommend list for 2004. (7.8/10)

This German band was known as Enslaved (no, not the black metal Enslaved) from 1991-2001, then became Killing Spree. They had five releases as Enslaved, and have had a demo and a CD release as Killing Spree. The fact that they've been together a while comes through in their sound. It’s very polished and tight, each member complementing the other as if they were born to play in a band together. Each member's individual playing is good in and of itself, but together it melds into a fantastic mix.

Killing Spree defies genrefication; they have elements of thrash, death metal, bits and pieces of noodly soloing reminiscent of power metal, and melo-deathy keyboards. This makes them more easily accessible to newbie listeners of death metal than many "pure" death bands. On the other hand, it may turn off some of the people that have been soaking in the scene for many years.

High points of this album are the drumming skills of Pauke Hanschke, and the track "Black Summer." This track evokes memories of Sepultura in their peak years, with a fast intro and driving guitars, really great stuff. The only drawbacks here are the Cookie Monsterish bellowing vocals of Andre Voigt; if you're going to growl, GROWL. The half growl, half shouting vocal style just doesn’t really cut it these days; and the keyboards. Its hard to take a band that's trying to be death metal seriously when you hear chimey keyboards in the background.

That said, I do recommend this album to both new and old metal fans alike, it's not an essential, must-have-it or you're not a true death fan album, but it's definitely worth a listen or ten. (7.4/10)

Remember that old commercial where they say, "it's good to the last drop"? That line sums up this release by the German band Spawn. From the first chord to the last bash of the drum, this album holds your attention.

Human Toxin brings to mind the time you bumped into someone as an adult that you haven't seen since they were a child. You can see in their face the child you once knew, only bigger. That's this album. It's aggressive modern death metal, but you can see glimpses of the band's old-school death upbringing. The speed is just right, it's not "let's all race and see who can get to the end of the song first" fast, and it's not funeral dirge slow. Laden throughout with heavy riffs, the guitars almost COMMAND you to get off your ass and jump into the pit.

The only thing that detracted from the album was the guitar in the instrumental breakdown in "Fear the Just Revenge" – it seems a bit wispy, not quite fitting in with the brutality of the rest of the tracks, but this is a VERY small minus in a CD chock full of plusses. High on my list of recommendations. (8.7/10)

This self-financed effort by Dutch death metallers Vermin does leave a bit to be desired on the production front, but the band tries their best to impress upon the listener the quality of their songs, bad sound or not. And it is quite evident that this five-piece band does know a thing or two about how to write decent songs.

Things occasionally tend to sound a bit too chaotic, but that's only due to the bad sound; as on hearing closely you'll find that these guys are actually pretty tight in their playing. The material varies between hypnotizing, Meshuggah-like grooves ("The Swallowing Vortex") to wild death metal moments ("Fuel for the Flames"), though most of the material tends to lie closer to the latter territory.

What these guys could have done without are the higher pitched backing vocals that pop up from time to time, which sound very irritating. All in all, this won't manage to get me all excited but it did pique my interest in this band enough to want to check out their next release. (6/10)

This failed to move me in any way whatsoever. Part of the blame lies with the poor drum sound, which has been totally overshadowed by very beefy sounding guitars. And the remaining part of the blame falls squarely on some very unimaginative guitar playing and song writing. Guys, come on! Surely you don't think you can compete with the likes of Disgorge (US) with riffs like these?

This album sounds like a nappy wearing toddler walking around in circles compared to the real heavyweights of the scene. Why walking around in circles? That's because the whole CD sounds like the same bloody song playing over and over again. Give this is a miss even if you're held at gunpoint. (0/10)

It’s no secret that Annihilator has always had an entertaining, child’s perspective into their material, and packed with the ultra-speedy yet melodic guitar work of Jeff Waters, it has provided some hard-hitting entertainment.

On All for You, Annihilator chose to take a nu-metal inspired approach, while still leaning on the Megadeth-like speed metal that it is known for. In a way, it sounds like System of a Down meets Sepultura ("Demon Dance" and "The Nightmare Factory" are good representatives), add the more laughable than usual childish lyrics, and you have a serious problem. But that’s only the half of it.

The worst thing about the new Annihilator is the obvious way it insults the fans. It seems, more noticeably than ever before, that Jeff Waters decided he can laugh at us, at our expense, all the way to the bank. Sure, he still shreds on this release (probably way better than any nu-metal player can), presenting us with both the occasional bass/electric guitar melody lines and the head-banging rhythm that would please testosterone carriers, but everything is taken so jokingly, it hurts!

There’s no hint of truth, sympathy or intent in Dave Padden’s vocal performance, and the two ballads, "The One" and especially "Holding On" are just banal and false.

I really do not like to being laughed at, and I hope you feel the same way. So, for the sake of our respect, please skip this one. Maybe Waters will have a better appreciation of his audience once his bank account’s positive balance diminishes. (2/10)

You probably won’t find any bigger Zakk Wylde fan than me. This man truly won my heart from the first time I heard Book of Shadows, and his genuine originality and truthful performance on Pride and Glory and on early Black Label Society material is unquestionable. And so it hurts me to say what I am about to say.

The current Zakk Wylde, documented on this DVD release, has a disgusting on-stage persona – smashing beer cans against his head, then drinking half of it and spilling the rest all around; constantly cursing, with Limp Bizkit being his preferred target. This is in sharp contrast to the man portrayed on Book of Shadows, and at this stage, "Lost My Better Half" seems like a regretful self-observation.

Still the main dish will please the average BLS fan, yearning for a brutal headbanging to go with its beer-drinking and venting, as BLS (featuring Robert Trujillo on bass and Nick Catanese on additional guitar) is doing a profound work in heavy rocking, with stress on the earth-shaking rhythm.

However, it is the bonus material found here, much like the studio-album on the "Alcohol Fueled Brutality +5" release, which offers the genuine Zakk Wylde experience. The two songs taken from the live Tokyo performance, while professionally filmed, have a more underground edge to them, with more responsible vocal delivery by Wylde. Then, you get a short amateur footage documenting a sincere acoustic performance by Wylde, accompanied by Catanese, playing the classic guitar and spilling his guts out emotionally, yet without sparing the shredding; and on top of it all there’s a homemade video offering a glance into Wylde’s private life pre-BLS, with clean-shaven face, lovingly performing "I Thank You Child" with his daughter.

Perhaps all Zakk Wylde needs is a shave, so that we can all enjoy his gentle, trustful face once again. (7/10)

A lot of the problem with the US metal scene is very few people, especially on the West Coast, really have any idea what metal is. Tell laymen you’re in a metal band, and they’ll think of AC/DC or big hair bands. Fair enough, as that’s when metal was in the spotlight.

What’s more alarming is that those who you’d think would know about metal haven’t got the foggiest. In my humble band’s search for a singer and bass player, we’ve had the following, actual conversation with people who have answered our explicit ad looking for members for a melodic metal band:

"Melodic metal... you mean, like Tool?"

"No."

"Oh. Like The Disturbed, then?"

Rounding out the bottom of baffling, contemptuous cluelessness is the media itself. A local, free, hip, indie newspaper recently heralded the band Dirty Power as a return to heavy metal glory. For those who are lost, calling Dirty Power a return to heavy metal glory is like calling Avril Lavigne a return to the true roots of punk. This is no knock to Dirty Power. We’ve reviewed their record and have recommended it heartily. Certainly, it doesn’t have to be metal to be good. But it does have to be metal to be metal.

And so we were almost relishing the duty of ripping the band Subjekt 2 Change to utter shreds. With such a name and eyebrow-raising tracks such as "Rasta Metal," it seemed unquestionable that "S2C" would be our effigy for all those who water down the genre in a misguided attempt at progression and social acceptance. There’s been all kinds of horrific "(label) + metal" experiments: rap metal, salsa metal, and now rasta metal? Here’s a question: why is it that you don’t see Jamaican bands that play reggae make "metal reggae," or Venezuelan social dance club performers make "metal salsa"? Please, if you’re going to be metal, do it with pride and honor. It’s like saying, "oh, we know metal isn’t cool... but we’re having a good laugh at it and showing that we’re cooler because we have a hip-hoppy name and take the piss with reggae crossovers." And if this is true, it does everyone a disservice.

But enough finger pointing. For we actually did listen to the CD, and it’s nowhere near as bad as we imagined. Actually, many metal bands could learn a good lesson from Subjekt 2 Change in how audible and present the bass guitar is. Truth be told, it may be a bit too loud, but it’s always been a pity that what should be such a bit part of the music in metal is more often than not buried by the guitars.

Stylistically, Subjekt 2 Change is rough, thrashy, and a bit punky. Sepultura is certainly a major influence. S2C’s conviction is good, and they can play. The sound is raw and pleasantly gritty. Their vocalist, while not the metal ideal in his brash, often punk delivery, has talent. And the "Rasta Metal" track was actually kind of cute.

However, the real problem with S2C’s album is that many of the tracks are half-baked. Ironically, this is "Rasta Metal"’s downfall: it’s just a rather half-assed instrumental. Rather than put 13 tracks on this record, Subjekt 2 Change would have done better to consolidate their material into a more focused and prepared set of songs. We’ve been harsh to this group, and perhaps unfairly so, but being a good metal band is the same formula as being a good band of any genre: take pride in what you are and the craft of your songmanship. (4/10)

Much like Udo Dirkschneider’s original outfit, Accept, U.D.O will forever remain an acquired taste, mostly due to his roaring, German-accented, cat-like vocals.

For those who have already acquired the taste, though, U.D.O remains faithful in its lack of evolution, supplying the same chorus-led heavy-metal songs. And for those, Thunderball surely delivers!

The title-track opens the album on the right chord, with jagged guitars, bombast rhythm and Dirkschneider’s powerful wailing, creating a fast-paced experience reminiscent of Halford’s Resurrection.

The dual guitar interplay between Stefan Kaufmann (ex-Accept drummer) and Igor Gianola works extremely well and it leads the entire album masterfully. The rhythm section is solid, and Dirkschneider is aggressive as ever. What else can you expect?

So the album continues with just the right amount of speedy metal sections and repeating, military mantra choruses ("pull-pull-pull-pull the trigger, fire your guns"), with "Trainride in Russia" incorporating Russian polka into the mixture, with the appropriate accordion playing. "Blind Eyes," the closing ballad, introduces a cello to the primitive metal, and while it fails to excite, even not as much as the ballads found on early Accept albums, it is well done.

All in all, this is a potent release by a true metal dinosaur, which would highly satisfy his archeologist audience, serving them another intense dosage of familiar ground. (8/10)

Lord Flimnap first and final release had been doomed to a cult status by its time and origin. Released in Israel of 1989, it had a very restricted access to the international market. Nonetheless, it eventually saw the light of day in Europe with a release by a German label, SPM (WWR), that actually disguised Lord Flimnap as a mysterious band of unexposed origin and date (in fact, they even held a competition to reveal these band-biography details http://mitkadem3.homestead.com/Flimnap_English.html ).

Now, it’s not like Lord Flimnap had invented anything new – they mostly borrowed from the giants of progressive rock, especially from the reflective tales and dramatics of Genesis and the harmonies of Gentle Giant, with a nostalgic nod that was both humble and unpretentious.

"The Wilderness," for example, begins as an acoustic guitar piece, slowly unveiling the vocal harmonies and then transforming into an electrifying piece that, with a sharp twist, turns into a hard-hitting, bass/drums wrestling match in the Wetton/Bruford King Crimson tradition, finally making its way to an authentic keyboard (organ, Kurzweil) and electric guitar interplay.

The compositions range from melancholic, sorrowful multi-passage themes to more lively ones; with just the right amount of humor, that can be first spotted on "Out of My Way" and culminates on the wild, upbeat (and a bit improvised) "Solution," making the album an enjoyable affair.

The 80’s low-budget production is remarkably clean, at times bringing a bit of precise heaviness into the recording (kind of like Marillion), and contributes to the roughness of the pieces. On certain parts ("Out of my Way"), the guitar gets a slight metallic shade, which combines with the production to hint at the possibilities of progressive metal, but considering their origin, it is unthinkable that Lord Flimnap have made any impact outside their geographical boundaries, although, had the circumstances been different, they probably would have.

It seems that above all, the strength of this release is buried in being unripe and truthful, and while the 2004 re-release only adds some negligible-to-foreigner bonus tracks showcasing the further evolution of the band’s members into less progressive territories, along with a rough demo, it is definitely a cause for celebration and a chance to discover this nostalgic release. (8/10)

By the 1980’s, jazz rock was no longer a new, unexplored territory. Since the late 60’s, musicians like Miles Davis, Chick Corea and John McLaughlin were busy integrating and studying the possible combinations of mixing jazz postulates with rock energies and rhythms.

RMS, fronted by Ray Russell on guitar, Mo Foster on bass and the highly experienced and varied session drummer Simon Phillips (whom metal fans might recognize from Judas Priest), decided to go for a different approach than the daring one associated with the aforementioned musicians: instead of pushing to extremes, they relied on their compositional skills to deliver their audience an accessible brand of jazz rock that corresponds with the more traditional bebop jazz and the road that was already traveled.

Their choice, as captured in this live release, proves itself right. Russell and Foster have a great melodic sense that serves as a strong spine for their music. They are also wonderful players, who know not only how to excite with expressive solos, but also how to avoid wrong turns, which keeps them close to their satisfying written themes.

Their appeal towards "purer jazz" is also worthy, as they performed their pieces with four-man horn section that makes an essential contribution to the spirit of the performance, being highly influenced by the legendary Miles Davis.

The result is certainly colorful, with thoughtful, by-the-book jazz, bass/guitar/horn exchanging leads to a rock tempo ("Tootin Beck"), highly creative bass work – at times melodic ("After All These Years") and at other times slapping ("Centennial Park"), responsible cymbal backdrops and a half-clean, half-synthesized guitar exploring jazz scales.

So on one side you get the blistering "Broadway Rundown," which is actually similar to the fast rocking material of the Dixie Dregs, even more specifically to "Take it off the Top" (which you might recognize as the theme for the UK’s "Friday Rock Show"); on the other side, you have "First Love" – a passionate, luscious tale; and in between you have the likes of "Hoover the Duvet," which is a wild, speedy mixture of both worlds.

The drum solo on "Juna the Last," however, is casual, lasting way longer than it should, and the entire piece itself is too conventional. This certainly leaves some bad taste.

Altogether, this live RMS release is highly fulfilling as long as you’re into well-written instrumental pieces rather than experimentation. But bearing in mind that some of the greatest jazz rock innovators had strong writing capabilities to go with their breakthrough journeys, this album should only come as a secondary selection to albums like Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Birds of Fire, Weather Report’s Mysterious Traveller and Return to Forever’s Romantic Warrior. (7.5/10)

Not to say that Apokrypha necessarily perform any of these misdeeds. Not too blatantly, anyway. Actually, their music is rather decent, in a conventional sort of way. Proving fine instrumental performance, the group of German blackers has gathered a bunch of up tempo, distinctive, angry, standardly melodic and slightly thrashy themes, not exceedingly creative yet avoiding relapsing to the realms of utter boredom. All are concentrated under a unifying concept having to do with an apocalypse, a herd of ignorant and indifferent doomed people, an elite of aware people to be salvaged, and, lest we forget, seven unearthly entities to grant them with salvation. Indeed, a concept album.

Musically, if an element of singularity is to be mentioned, it may be seen in the interesting, quite successful blend of engulfing atmospheric movements within the context of linear, purposeful array of clearly progressing, simply constructed metal phrases. Many of the songs contain circular, encompassing motives – which, unlike in many of the Norse-oriented acts of the genre, do not implode to form a self-indulgent whirlpool of submerging, isolated magic, but remain faithful to the overall literary evolvement of the general context.

After all, we can't ignore the concept, can we?

As has been implied before, not all of the material played by Apokrypha is exceedingly original or interesting. Nor does their literary skill manage to impress to the extent of transferring their creation to artistic realms other than that of relatively simple, mainstream extreme metal. However, acting from within their frame of well-known limitations, they do manage to produce a creation with a relatively original tinge, decent delivery and, for fans of the genre – also the merit of light headed enjoymnent. All in all, nothing to make great efforts to hear, yet definitely a worthy option. (6.5/10)

The debut release by US rockers Domeshots is a rather overwhelming phenomenon. Overwhelming, even if not for the right reasons – an especially difficult notion to state, since most of the reasons are quite undecipherable. Bewildered? So am I.

Domeshots play a brand of music derivative of varied sources of influence, including late apparitions of nu-metal and metalcore, traditional melodic rock, and a touch of 90's groovy heaviness. The presences of superb quality are notable, as are the advanced productional ideas and technique. 

Such description may apply for hundreds of bands active in today's music scene, mostly are sorrowfully worthy of being drafted to the superficial, standardly banal hordes of MTV, Nike and rebelling-while-still living-with-the-parents, allegedly tough groups.

Domeshots are not such a band. A listen to their self titled album reveals an intriguing quality inherent in it. One that fascination emanates equally not only from the rewarding listening experience for itself, but also from its enigmatic contingency and ambiguity of source.

None of separate elements of Domeshots' creation is utterly impressive or exceptional. The compositions are not exceedingly creative or innovative; no unusual levels of musicianship are beimg shown (not for flaws in ability, but simply due to lack of pretension or necessity).

The production is indeed excellent, but in the nowadays commercial music market such a characteristic is barely a trait to be praised, but more of a minimum demand. But still, no matter how expected and trite may the image depicted in the reader's mind as a result of this description appear to be, it surely delivers a mysterious supplemental value.

At times, we meet a creation that mercilessly confronts our innermost systems of habits and values, forcing us to undergo an unraveling, unsettling evaluation of the way we manages ourselves through our world, determining our acts, deeds and views.

The most positive (?) notion to be related to Gnostic’s Evoking the Demon is how the album will surely fulfill that function for every contemplating underground music (particularly black metal) fan. Unfortunately, the band doesn't seem to be aware of it, probably doing it all unintentionally. Which, honestly, puts them in an awkwardly embarrassing position.

Evoking the Demon is a piece of refined, absolutely pure black metal rawness. So crude and distilled, that most verbal description, if not utterly defied, is simply to remain expected, repetitive and boring ("Inspired by the music"? Hey, quit it with the mean cynical remarks at the back!). You surely already knows the drill: simple repetitive riffs, growling vocals, Darkthrone, grim unsophisticated evil rawness, Mayhem, mediocre (and below) performance, nothing you’ve not heard before, Mayhem, intentionally (and surely not out of mere lazyness or lack of abilty) raw production, early Satyiricon, short chaotic guitar leads, Darkthrone, early Darkthrone.

And, it should be noted, Gnostic are probably rather good at accomplishing their own ambitions. Trying to play raw, evil black metal, they reach exactly what they aim for. And what can one ask more than accurately hitting the target?

Now, the great question is how should a listener relate to such a piece of unsurprising brutality. Or, in a more simplistic form: I find myself sitting in a darkened room, away from any counterculture, society or any other form of creation or interaction, listening to yet another output of the same content we all know so well, featuring minimum value of practically anything. Indeed, an unmediated experience is somehow present – but it may be offered on a much better rate by numerous past artists. Why, than, why? What does it say about me? How have I been leading my life?

Actually,Gnostic supply a partial answer to such self-inflicted, existential torments, by adding some video footage to their CD. "Don't," they say, "forget about our music. There is not much in it anyway. Join us in the underground! Roam!" Thus, the album itself suddenly appears as not much more than an excuse for the band to promote their hectic social activity, which makes some more sense than simply listening to their (once again - "?") compositions. This sort of music is to be interactively experienced in the outer spheres of nihilism. Let us leave it to some more tasteful acts to be heard between our four walls. Hail self scrutiny! (4/10 for the music, 6/10 for the overall product and approach)

Goldoolins are an Israeli-based trio, inspired by the sixties English and American folk rock scenes (think Pentangle, Fairport Convention or Bob Dylan). While their debut album was just recently released, they already won some hearts over in England, with an appraised performance on the "International Pop Overthrow Festival" and a mini-tour.

Now you'll probably ask yourself what am I doing writing about a folk-trio on a metal/underground-dedicated magazine, though, by now, you may already know me – a true rebel; This album being released by the outsiders' label, Earsay, serves as half an excuse.

Truthfully, had the mainstream been consisted of better music, as was in the 60's and 70's, Goldoolins would have certainly have a place in the heart of it. But the fact is that beautiful acoustic songs are no longer in fashion, timeless as they may be.

Goldoolins is clearly about love-inspired songs and the need to share them around (not via peer-to-peer protocols). Two thirds of the cult Lord Flimnap (whose re-mastered, re-release is also covered in this issue), plus a classically trained female vocalist (who just happens to be the wife of one of them), and a fair amount of impressive guest performers, deliver lush, strings-driven, vocal harmonies, and a high quality, simple but efficient early Beatles-styled songcraft; and whether it is the inviting "Be my Friend," the gentle yearnings of "My Only Home," the reflective "Man (is Light as Feather)" or the amusing silliness of "I Know You're not Alone," it works!

The only problem with this sweet, capturing album is its lack of consistency. More specifically, it is the centuries-old Renaissance style "Fain Would I Wed" (originally by Thomas Campion) and the two songs sung in Hebrew, which, despite having the usual Goldoolins charm, harm the flow and direction of the entire album.

A second album is already on its way, and so I hope these wonderful performers will manage to make it as captivating as this one, while giving more attention to its flow. (7/10)

Remember waiting ages for new Electric Wizard records? The press says this was recorded in 24 hours. I can sympathize with Tim Bagshaw (on guitar) and Greening having some pent-up urges to blast out something entirely their own. The result is a little more in the old Earache vein, a gratifying improvement over the demos Ramesses had on their website a while ago.

Bagshaw is not just a frustrated shredder waiting to spring a noodle on a doom-stoned audience. Power and depression make this a return to the roots of the aesthetic that made Electric Wizard’s Dopethrone such an amazing departure from. In fact, I was hoping that Ramesses would be revealed as the genius behind that album. The main Electric Wizard comparison is to the most recent Let Us Prey, naturally. If CD lacks anything, its the outer-spaciness of that psyched-out stuff. And the growl vocals are more typical to the genre, not the Oborn wheeze.

Four tracks, two featured in video format as well – they round out the creative statement, but they wouldn't play on my video deck, so I had to patiently download Quicktime – too sobering for the trippy visuals therein. (6/10)

Talk about any thrashin' band with a sax, and the Naked City comparisons are inevitable. I find the Mass more accessible from a rock background, more hard than tightly wound orchestration, even though that's there, too. The payoff for these sorts of collisions are in how it all gets unified.

In the live video, the saxophone comes off as a bit of a prop, but maybe I just need to see more.

In the studio, hellish chorus vocals and sax lines really complete the picture. It's not just aping "turbo sax" all-out pyrotechnics – there's a pocket here.

Screamin' heavy math can wear me out without something extra. And to lay that Naked City stuff to rest, I can really get into the lyrics (English). Even though Mass has plenty of the same over-the-top humor, I still say it's new.

Of course, I had to read their press release to aid my defective brain in remembering just what this reminds me of most – NoMeansNo. I like The Mass’ hoarse vocals better, though. I don't feel like I just drank too much coffee, after listening to this disc, too – disparate sections blend together more, if that makes any sense at all. (8/10)

When I first sat down to listen to the new offering from Polish black-turned-death metal band Behemoth, I had mixed, cynical feelings. Behemoth has impressed me so much in the past, but Zos Kia Cultus seemed like a lesser effort after Thelema.6 and Satanica, so it seemed that those efforts would be hard to live up to."

Thankfully, this album almost knocked me out of my chair and through

the back wall with its big sound. It is a little on the formulaic side, but if a basic formula works, why do more than tweak small things here and there? I'll always stand by the "if it's not broke, don't fix it theory." (If only Metallica felt the same...)

On this album, Behemoth are rebuilding the all-encompassing wall of sound they used on Satanica, a la "Decade of Therion," combined with the smooth production of Thelema.6 and Zos Kia Cultus. They've truly brought Nergal's vocals to the forefront, where they belong. Yes, there is talent aplenty in this band, but the vocals, even with the distortion used on this album, should be the focus of Behemoth. There are a few melodic, acoustic breaks in some of the songs, which is a nice throwback to Behemoth's black metal days.

This album's brutality and content would make even Jimmy Swaggart want to punch Jesus. There’s not a song on this album I didn't like, and I'm not a squealing fangirl who is easily impressed. Essential. (9/10)

We were worried that the band that made Conquistador was some sort of nightmarish Greek/Jamaican crossover, but maybe we were still frightened and reeling from our reflections on Subjekt 2 Change (the review’s in this issue).

It turns out that Olympos Mons is neither Greek nor Jamaican, but rather Finnish and English, we gather. However, Conquistador did turn out to be another band’s attempt to be the world’s best generic European power metal group.

The evidence: the cartoon cover art that marries all the prerequisites of power metal genericism: Swords, boobs, the dominance of men over half-naked, zaftig women; the inextricable intertwining of sex and violence, armor, knights, and the whole lot set in space. Too bad they couldn’t have squeezed a dragon in there.

And we haven’t even gotten to the music yet! Olympos Mons sounds heavily influenced by Gamma Ray – which is only right, as they will ever be the undisputed kings of metal rehash. Again, the evidence: happy, bouncy songs, synthesized classical instruments, retarded, deep spoken parts, heavy use of monotonous metal riffing punctuated by keyboard notes during the vocal parts, standard power metal beats, all belying musical virtuosity. It’s more melodic and a bit less rock than Gamma Ray... and the style is more cohesive and not nearly as plagiaristic as the Helloween offshoot. But when happy, goofy parts featuring airs of famous ditties come in, you just have to wonder what the intent is.

But enough criticism. Artistic creativity and originality aside, the fact is that Conquistador is actually a pretty good record. The songs are enjoyable, and you’ll recognize them after you hear them a couple of times. The singer is very talented, and the production is great. In terms of formula, Olympos Mons knows what it’s doing, and Conquistador will satisfy the devotees of this style. If you like Euro power metal, and find a copy lying around, you’ll be happy you picked it up. (6.6/10)

re-review by: Roberto Martinelli

Is is too late to flip-flop a little? While the above critique still stands, the fact is that the songs on Conquistador have grown a whole lot on me from the third to the fourth listen on. The evidence: waking up this morning with a bunch of the melodies buzzing around my head, and a strong desire to listen to the CD a bunch more times. Sounds like a recommendation to me. (7.1/10)

This is the first album by Canada's death outfit Soul Less Divine, and for the first time in my life I'm not sure what to say. When an album is bad, there's a lot to say about it; when an album is good, there's even more to say. When an album is unremarkable, it’s exactly that. But, I will say, this sounds like one of those bands that is loved by everyone from the band’s home town.

Being kings of your local scene is nothing to sneeze at. But on a worldwide level, it takes more than this to grab the collective attention of the people. It’s decent enough, interesting speed changes throughout the album, some melodic instrumental breaks in many of the tracks, including one featuring the bassist.

The production on this isn't very good, the guitars need to be brought up a little more, and the cymbals sound a bit tinny, but they recorded it themselves on a 4-track, so the sound isn't bad taking that into consideration. Kudos to the vocalist on his rumbling, grumbling roars, they're the most noticeable thing here. Bottom line, it's average, bland, middle of the road death metal. (4.5/10)

Roye Albrighton described himself in the thank you notes of this new release as an "old hippie." I’m not sure it was much intended but it reflects much on the nature of this album. Evolution is a conceptual piece about the condition of the world and its population, portrayed through the eyes of an elder. It may be a bit vague, but it is well-written and lives up faithfully to the heritage of Nektar’s previous social and environmentally aware output.

Nektar, consisting of four Englishmen, was one of the leading bands to emerge to worldwide fame during the golden-era of progressive-rock. Their early material, such as Journey to the Centre of the Eye(1971), A Tab in the Ocean (1972) and Remember the Future (1973) has a secured place in the pantheon of progressive rock, resembling a combination of Pink Floyd’s both psychedelic ("A Saucerful of Secrets," "More") and fluid ("Wish You Were Here") material, while often being rawer and more down to earth, without the pomposity of some of their contemporaries.

This new release sees three of the four original members reuniting (with a new bass player), and while the players have grown older, the Nektar spirit clearly has not! It is evident straight from the start, once the powerful, hard rock rhythm intercepts the quiet radio waves, leading the way to the fast and classic, melodic Nektar guitar/keyboard line.

Sure, Evolution is calmer compared to the early Nektar material. Some might be disappointed not to find the bombast, nearly apocalyptic, thrash and the distorted guitar associated with this band over here, once pass the opening track’s introduction, which is probably the way the band chose to introduce us with its own evolution. The melodic hooks that Nektar has always excelled in delivering, however, are still here for you to sink your teeth into; so are the trademark, dazzling as well as sensitive and spiritual guitar work, and the memorable harmonies, not to mention that the songwriting is more polished than ever.

Nektar is clearly not back in order to prove anything – they just followed their hearts and delivered a set of unpretentious, purposeful progressive rock material that is consistently pleasing and makes a fine complementary addition to their classic material as a definite statement. I can only hope that the 2005 Van Der Graaf Generator reunion will yield results at least as good as Nektar’s Evolution. (9/10)

US progressive metal band Archetype is soooo close. So close to being a godly band. For the music on Dawning, their re-issued debut (with two alternate versions of songs on the album as bonuses), features some of the most refreshingly wonderful music heard in melodic metal in a long, long time.

So much of what Archetype are attempting to do is commendable: virtuoso musicians playing at the level of their talent in both execution and arrangement. You won’t hear the musical shortcut device of held out chords or generic metal riffing here. At the same time, you won’t be hit with the irrepressible impression that the band is just showing off for the sake of it, such a common pitfall of progressive metal. This may be greatly due to the total absence of keyboards, making Archetype a pure heavy metal band that plays highly technical and varied music.

In metal, what borders on the tragic is that it seems that the quality of the music is often inversely proportional with the quality of the singing. You’ll find the best voices fronting the simplest, cookie-cutter bands, while the technical, genre-progressing groups have singers who are far below the level of the other members. Such is the case on Dawning.

Not that the singer is bad, or anything. It’s just that he can’t hang with the other guys in Archetype. Granted, it’s far more difficult to come up with something to sing over music that’s dynamic and technical (another reason why simple power metal bands’ vocals are more appealing), but the singer here seems a little lost. Call it less than great tone; call it mediocre execution of merely good melodies. Stylistically, there’s too much of the poorly-chosen gruff delivery (ala James Hetfield). I hear a lot of contemporary Geddy Lee (Rush) influence, which is good. There’s also some Bay Area thrash influence. But none of it does the music justice. And as of December, 2004, we understand that the singer on this record is no longer in the band. Justice is served.

Were this a complete package, Dawning would easily be in the 9/10s. As it is, it is *merely* a recommended album. Should you get it, you’ll need to set aside a bit of a time investment, as the album is unbelievably long (an uprecedented 82:30 minutes), and considering the wealth of excellent material, and how you’ll have to largely look around the vocals to truly appreciate it. Such a great effort, but such a shame considering. (7.5/10)

The re-issue of the debut album by Pagan’s Mind, a progressive metal band from Norway, is one that immediately comes across as something noteworthy. However, the true nature of its specialness is further revealed on subsequent plays.

It’s true that Infinity Divine does have a bit too much of generic riffing and rhythm, but the intrinsic likeability of its songs, and most importantly, the vocal performance and arrangement, make it irresistible. Indeed, the vocals shine here, accented by music that becomes more and more interesting with familiarity.

The quality of exponential endearment is a powerful one. Pagan’s Mind’s music has a progressive tinge to it, but not so much that it loses the listener in favor of purely satisfying the musician’s egos. The tone is on the darker side, but not in an overt manner. The tones from the various electric instruments is always crisp and "clean" (not as opposed to "undistorted"), never being some combination of cheesiness or pomposity.

If you already have the original issue, you might want to hunt down the two bonus songs. The latter is a cover of King Diamond’s "At the Graves," and is one of those blessed, rare instances where the cover outshines the original. Check this out.

We understand that Pagan’s Mind has already put out a second album, and that it’s far more developed than this one. We can’t wait to get a copy. But in the meantime, we’ll be happily letting the simple genius of Infinity Divine continue to endear itself to us. (8/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Anorexia Nervosa’s previous record, New Obscurantis Order, hit us as most pleasantly as a freight train could. Brutal, pompous and bombastic, it was a blurry, maniac ride that we loved.

The new Anorexia Nervosa records, Redemption Process, pales in comparison to its predecessor. It’s still raging, monstrously fast symphonic black metal, but the intensity has been dropped a few notches. And as many instrumental layers as the French group employs – to good effect – it can’t cover up that the material on this album is generally ho-hum.

Certainly, this album is no failure, and it’s pleasant to listen to for the craft put into its density. The problem is that there isn’t much to grab you musically. But things don’t get really engaging until song five, "Codex-Veritas," with its simple, instantly engaging keyboard riff that marks immediate tension and foreshadows the track excellently. The next track, "An Amen," the slowest one of the seven-song CD, is also remarkable – perhaps its allowing to breathe is as much an asset as its Celtic/Norse folk-flavored metal riff.

In all, Redemption Process is a disappointment, yes, but only in terms of the band’s previous output. Get New Obscurantis Order before anything else this band has made, and continue from there. (6.5/10)

As seems to be case far too frequently, we’re wrapping up the new issue and come to the nagging realization that something’s missing. And damn it, it’s the From the Vault pick. It happens every time.

Quick, pull out something from the CD racks that’ll be a lock for a blast from the past *and* easy to write about.

Emperor’s Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is THE album that defines symphonic black metal. It’s not the band’s best album, but it is their most important. By today’s standard, the production is rather, well... obscure in a lot of places. But it’s a Grieghallen Production, and just about anything that comes out of that godly music hall is flawed in a way that makes it a classic in its own right.

The standard of grandioseness through synthesized keyboards and layers and layers of guitars while bass drums go at full speed nearly constantly was set by Emperor here. They had been doing it before this album, but there is something about the overall mood being stepped up in its pomposity and regalness that make this one such a benchmark.