review by: Ryan Loostrom

Metalcore is hit-or-miss. It's love-hate. It's a million phrases with dashes in between them. Basically, you either get it, or you don't. Technically, if you get it, you keep it or get bored with it. Metalcore is Abeyance. You can only take so much of metalcore. So you can only take so much of Abeyance.

Elaboration: Abeyance are the modern incarnation of everything that's metalcore. You've got your hardcore vocals, your tremolo riffing, your breakdowns that haven't been heavy for about a year now. However, Abeyance like to occasionally throw in a section of acoustic music that makes them sound heartfelt. It could be a personal issue, but let's face it – you can get heartfelt from Devin Townsend. You can get heartfelt from Opeth. You can get heartfelt from a myriad of other bands that do the same thing, yet more effective.

At least you can applaud Abevance for trying, though. They managed to set themselves apart from more than half their counterparts.

Enough to save them, though? Not necessarily. If you're new to this genre of music, Abeyance will grab you by the balls. The only problem is that they're releasing what could've been an awesome album about two years too late, when several other bands have accomplished the exact same thing. (6/10)

review by: Bastiaan de Vries

Oren Ambarchi was born in Sydney, Australia, and has been performing since the ‘80s as a guitarist and percussionist, focusing mainly on making his guitar do unconventional things. We quite liked the way The Wire magazine pompously yet smartly described that Triste "re-routs the instrument into a zone of alien abstraction where it’s no longer easily identifiable as itself. Instead, it’s a laboratory for extended sonic investigations."

We’d say change the word "laboratory," because it might give you an impression that Triste is a clinical affair. After listening to the first, 18-minute track, the album sounds more like a slightly fuzzed out bedroom experiment set in the ‘70s. While one can imagine the tones being heard originating from a guitar, it almost sounds like a subdued electric xylophone. Entirely soothing and organic in nature, it’s hard not to be coaxed into closing your eyes and letting your mind wander off. Gentle but deliberate, what sounds like vinyl pop and crackle gives the track an experimental and fuzzed out atmosphere.

The second track, a minute and a half longer than the first, starts off as a continuation of where the first cut leaves off. Ease on down the road, no need to rush. The pushing sound of feedback creeps up from below the gentle waves. This track is something entirely different after all; before it was soothing, brooding sound waves, now it’s the higher frequencies that rule. Now don’t go expecting ear piercing tones, but on high enough volume the sound will at least piss off a dog or two.

There’s diversity in the sound, the experiment has begun. Perhaps this is the laboratory that the quote was talking about. Harsh and very unwelcome after the first track, it’s safe to open up your eyes and maybe even let out a little yelp. Quickly hit the "previous track" button and start off at square one again, just to breathe easy.

Included are two shorter tracks (both under ten minutes); the press sheet talks of "some remix collaborations by Tom Recchion" who helped found the Los Angeles Free Music Society. Interesting fact is that Recchion has done collaborations with Keiji Haino, who is also an artist who tries to make his guitar do unconventional things. They’re essentially the same workout as the two main tracks, only slightly more subdued. The first is amazing in its gentleness; the second is more jarring and high pitched. Easier on the ears and mind by far because of the shorter running time but not quite up to par with the first half of the album. (8.5/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

While it's common for all shredders to be called mechanical, cold or boring, Anand managed free itself of all those tags and to create an interesting disc. Sure, it doesn't really try to be different, and it's quite normal by shred standards, but for what it tries to be, it's perfect.

Instead of the common "guitar wankery" found in most albums of the kind, Anand uses an emotional approach similar to Steve Vai's "For the Love of God," or pretty much everything off his The 7th Song album. The usage of synths and its symmetry with the guitar lines is reminiscent of John Petrucci's work with Dream Theater (pre-Falling into Infinity).

Thankfully, all the album is instrumental (shred songs with vocals are horrible and you know it) and almost completely focused on the guitar playing. Some songs are heavier, some lighter, and there's an acoustic number at the end. There's variety and the album doesn't stagnate (well, there's not much progression, either). A Man’s Mind has its really technical moments, but also its purely emotional ones. Anand has variety in his playing, and from what's shown in this album, he could adapt to both metal and progressive rock outfits.

It's well packed, coherent, easy to listen to and fun, as weird as saying that would seem when talking about A Man's Mind. Production-wise, it's perfect; technically, it's outstanding. There's not much to say, if you like shred or prog rock you're gonna love it, if you only like the true underground genres or Australian tribal music, you better search somewhere else. (8.3/10)

review by: Matt Smith

If you're a regular reader of Maelstrom and general metal fan, chances are you'll like Animosity. Loose but technical and always aggressive, the group has named itself appropriately – it grinds out death metal tinged with a frenzied anger and more types of growls than most bands would know what to do with.

Slow guitar grooves played with authority lead smoothly into faster-paced riffs before the forceful growls kick in with a verse. The format is straightforward, and Empires relies mainly on super-heavy, imaginative guitar work to drive it. And no matter what the tempo, Animosity keeps the album interesting with all kinds of fills and embellishments from the drums and guitars.

With all its different layers and interesting technicalities, Empires is an album that is worth repeated listens. It would be an error for any fan of death metal to pass this one by; hopefully we'll see a lot more work out of these teenagers by the time they're done. (8.5/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

You can chalk it up as one of the great metal ironies. Apocalyptica, the famed Finnish cello quartet that gained notoriety by playing Metallica covers, finally did themselves justice by releasing an album of original material, the stellar Cult.

But that’s not the irony. Rather that lies in Cult’s follow up, Reflections, in which the (now) three piece try to make their project more metal in order to play up to the bulk of its existing audience, but in fact make it worse.

We nearly wrote this album off as an average disk with a novelty approach. But it’s not true. The Apocalyptica flavor from Cult is still in place, but it’s very watered down. There are two types of tracks on Reflections: the slow, gorgeous ones and the "power metal" ones in which the cello serving as the bass largely plays the most simple, fast "picked" chord progression – listen to Stratovarius’ bass lines for but one reference – leaving the anchor melody to do its thing. These so-called anchor melodies also seem to be recycled a bit in this record. So the slow songs are much better, but they still pale in comparison to Cult’s material.

Perhaps the big draw this time around is the inclusion of god drummer Dave Lombardo on the faster tracks. But irony rears its head again, as Lombardo’s work, albeit perfect for what he’s playing, is little more than standard power / thrash metal beats that underpin compositions that are comparatively too bare bones.

Cult is credited to have been written entirely by Eicca Toppinen, who writes about 80 percent of the material on Reflections. But one has to wonder if the departure of Max Lilja is a cause for stylistic change. Certainly, Reflections sees Apocalyptica moving its influences away from Metallica (and thankfully so, as it was TOO derivative in spots) to power metal, but the layering, dynamic and symphonic elements have suffered, probably because there’s one fewer member to add them.

Nuclear Blast is also not fooling anyone around here by calling Reflections Apocalyptica’s "new" album. Fact is, we bought our copy of it on eBay for $2 more than a year before this version was released. (To drive this further home, we saw a NEW Apocalyptica album while we were in France in August, 2005, and which we just bought on eBay.) But upon closer inspection, we noticed that there is in fact a substantial difference between the various Reflections issues. The original issue’s bonus tracks are live cuts of tracks from Cult, which probably made the Reflections album pale even more in comparison as one had the difference between night and day readily available. Don’t believe us? Listen to Cult’s "In Memoriam" in comparison to any track on Reflections. I don’t think I’ve ever played the intro to that louder than any piece of music in my life.

Did we mention that this album is fraught with irony? The US re-issue has different bonus tracks, which are in fact better than the "regular" tracks, mostly due to the inclusion of vocals. "Seeman" features a German language female singer who seems to be inviting us into her boat. Her low female voice and controlled, crackly delivery is brooding and spellbinding. Less so, but still good, is the more pretty girl vocals on the re-working of "Faraway," which is a "regular" track on the album, shorter and with no vocals. These tracks shine an even brighter spotlight on a band that suddenly finds itself needing to progress, but are not sure how to do it. Perhaps the new album will yield better results.

But for all this slagging, keep in mind that it’s all relative. Apocalyptica is still an essential act, even though Reflections may not be an essential record. Apocalyptica must be lauded for doing what most bands with atmospheric, layered washes of melody do not: use actual, classical instruments instead of synthesizing them. And like the new approach or not, the Apocalyptica boys are world class musicians making exquisite sounding recordings. But it’s stagnating a bit here.

To sum up: get Cult (don’t bother with the metal song cover albums. They get old no later than after one listen.) Only if you adore the quintessential Cult should you get Reflections, which is "merely" recommended. (7/10)

PS: While not an original idea, the whole imagery of a woman being portrayed as a cello (yes, we get it, the curves are similar) in the sense that women are like sexy instruments to be played, is puerile machismo at its worst.

review by: Pal the Postman

Arch Enemy’s previous album, Anthems of Rebellion, was a strong piece of work, but not all fans seemed to be delighted by it. When one listens to Doomsday Machine, it becomes quickly evident that here we have a production with much more punch. Together with Rickard Bengtsson, Michael Amott has taken over the producers seat from Andy Sneap, who kept a role for mixing duties. The result is a much warmer and thicker sounding album than its predecessor.

Thankfully, the band refrained from trying to blend in too much by including things like keyboards or unnecessary backing vocals by someone other than Gossow. Instead, there are only some occasional and functional keyboard sound effects, and the vocals are much more up front. It’s an improvement that shows more focus on the compositions, which display a band overflowing with loads of ideas. There’s almost never a dull moment. The drumming of Daniel Erlandsson alone is a joy to listen to: Excellent double bass, everything is to the point and proficient. It could make you shake your head in awe, especially if you're a drummer.

The instrumental introduction "Enter the Machine" that leads into "Taking Back My Soul" are a perfect start. The following " Nemesis" is a warm blooded headbanger, though for some the "Three Musketeers"' chorus ("One for all, all for one....") may cause some toes to curl. It still fails to beat the worst ever Arch Enemy lyrics sung by Johan Liiva ("I loved you so, why couldn't you love me?")

"My Apocalypse" is a perfect example of a band that has found the right consistency in its line-up. It rocks and sounds like the song has always been around, even with submarine signal sounds. But premature decompression is caused by song five, "Carry the Cross," which (unintentionally) suppresses the intensity and breaks the momentum. That's a pity.

The rest of the album just breathes confidence. "I Am Legend / Out For Blood" is very nice 'n' thrashy, which perhaps might even earn an approving nod from the Slayer camp... it’s definitely one of the hardest pieces on the album. Surprises continue as further on your reviewer suspects a love of the Amotts for the good old prog rock of Rush, as the second instrumental, "Hybrids of Steel," seems to hint at the Canadian greats’ ancient instrumentals "La Villa Strangiato" and "YYZ."

It may be a slight shame that the last song, "Slaves of Yesterday," is faded out. Last songs should never fade out! They should go out with a bang, dammit, or they should grind to a painful halt. I want to think of a doomsday machine as a terrifying device of monstrous proportions, not of a mixing desk with faders. Perhaps I'd better find the Japanese import with two extra live tracks then.

Doomsday Machine gives a worthy example of the best in current day (Swedish) melo-death. It’s a slightly better album than Wages of Sin and much better than Anthems of Rebellion. The band has found a creative peak and the signs are that Arch Enemy mk. 2 are capable of engineering more machines to win the next lap of incredible Swedish "death with pathos." Don't miss out if you can see them live! (8/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

This release compiles two fine albums by Atlanta Rhythm Section, 1975’s Dog Days and 1976’s Red Tape, on a single CD.

While Atlanta Rhythm Section is most commonly associated with southern rock, the influences reflected through their music are varied and enlighten the genre’s diversity.

Dog Days, the band’s fourth album overall, opens with "Crazy" – a song that would not have been out of place on Steely Dan’s Can’t Buy a Thrill (1972), demonstrating the refined, accessible songcraft. "Boogie Smoogie" then brings more of a blues-rock spirit, with Paul Rodgers styled vocals, while the title track benefits from a light symphonic arrangement.

The following album, Red Tape, presents an altogether firmer attitude, with a stronger emphasis on boogie, and guitars that rage more loosely and louder.

Still, Atlanta Rhythm Section is definitely not as hard rocking as Lynyrd Skynyrd nor as outstretching as The Allman Brothers Band, and certainly more tame than both; It is the band’s tight songwriting and a concise performance that do the trick. A recommended release for fans of classic American rock. (7.5/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

For Texas black metallers Averse Sefira, the third time is the charm. Where their first couple albums suffered from a combination of murky production, over-repetition and generally giving the feeling of the band being lost in the woods with a bad sense of direction and no compass, the whacko-titled third CD sees this group get all their ducks in a row to put out a killer sounding record.

Tetragrammatycal Astygmata benefits from a huge, cavernous production, not unlike the kind of feel you’d find on one of Deathspell Omega’s better, more recent albums. The polished sound doesn’t sacrifice any rawness, but rather drives the bands’ insidious point home even further. Averse Sefira’s style is more about the constantly brutal, though, as their music maintains an intense rumble and dark, aggressive hum. Another very fine element is the vocal work, which is scathing and benefits from just the right amount of reverb.

As engaging as Tetragrammatycal Astygmata is, the downside is the lack of musical variety, so you basically feel like you’re listening to the same track over and over. Considering this, the album is about two songs too long. Averse Sefira has tightened and honed their craft immensely on this record; let’s hope that their next progression is to explore the boundaries of their style, all the while maintaining their merciless execution. (7.9/10)

PS: Sure it doesn’t affect the album’s sound, but the ever gorgeous packaging with thick, glossy -- or in this case, matte --  paper that Evil Horde puts out album after album helps to make buying this album just that bit more sweet.

review by: Avi Shaked

Professional, guitar driven hard rock in all its glory is what the second album by America’s Beautiful Creatures is all about!

This is basically a collection of catchy songs revolving from self adoration to confusion and harmless hatred, fueled by solid grooves, and delivered with a confident, flamboyant execution, tasteful licks and snippets of abnormalities, such as flip-flopping, lashing solos, mild industrial flavors and decorative notes.

If you favor hard rock, then this lighter version of Black Label Society is something you should check out. I doubt that there will be a new, straightforward hard rock release to match this one anytime soon. (8/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Before we start nitpicking or outright lambasting, let’s make it clear that Beyond Twilight’s Section X is an interesting prog metal album that comes loaded with individuality. There are some fantastic hooks sung by a killer singer (mostly on the opening track) and the instrumentation, while a bit more reserved by power / prog metal standards, is nonetheless impressive.

This sense of reservation is largely due to a lack of a proper ripping song. This in itself is certainly no knock to what Beyond Twilight is doing. A good deal of the music is tailored to the largely theatrical mood of the band’s music, and this translates to a great deal of slow, undistorted, non-linear music with a great deal of piano. So high energy, it is not.

Now, the clear shots. We’ve bemoaned the inclusion of horrendous spoken clips in music, and prog in particular (and really, any clip is a horrendous clip), but Section X’s is even over that top. And it might not be so bad if they didn’t put the insufferable things right in the middle of their songs. So right when you’re hitting the vibe in "The Path of Darkness" about smelling the gasoline, you’re forcibly plunged into the metal version of the Cartoon Network. Jesus H. At least there’s no goddamn low, distorted talking. At least none that we can remember.

The bad side to the theatrical slowness described above are in its often overbearing qualities. If you can come up with some notion of a British theater version of prog metal made by someone who’s listened to a bit too much King Diamond and Andrew Lloyd Webber, but with cool ideas that are outside the tried and true, then you’re on your way. The ugly head of the agenda-plagued concept album rears itself yet again, although the strength and originality of the material does a lot to redeem it.

In the end, uniqueness and panache save the day. It can get a little infuriating at times, but Section X is a fine, recommended album for those prog metal fans who demand something more than the rehashed. And what’s progressive about safely doing what others do? (7.4/10)

review by: Rick Luna

Finally, after the debut success of Unhallowed comes the next exhilarating chapter in the blossoming career of The Black Dahlia Murder, Miasma. What’s great about these guys is that they differ from the rest of the melodic bands out there. They, along with Arsis, have more punch and creativity than any other band dominating the current melodic trend.

Miasma is theoretically a continuation from where Unhallowed has left off, and with such a high level to top off. It does so in a successful way but there are some slight mishaps here and there. Change is bound to happen as every band experiences it through their lifespan. The speed has definitely mellowed a bit but there’s plenty of harmony with the melodies, so not too much sacrifices have been made. There isn’t anything new to offer to the imaginary round table, just plenty of jabs towards a much more straightforward approach with a focused mindset. They already have mastered their trade; they’re only in the process of perfecting it.

Miasma is quite the enjoyable album and isn’t in any way disappointing, neither does it drag huge ass. Don’t go crying wolf calling The Black Dahlia Murder an At the Gates clone, because they certainly are not. (8/10)

review by: Ryan Loostrom

Brick Bath. Acid Bath? No. Brick Bath. Briiiiiiiccccck Baaaaaath. Think Pantera and Prong, not Acid Bath. Don't think sludge or thrash, think mid-paced and groovy. That's Brick Bath.

Think normal. That's Brick Bath. Think average. That's American Currency. Think typical groove rhythms, beats, vocals. That's American Currency. Think down-tuned chug. That's American Currency. Think general, hackneyed themes of a money-hungry America; lectures you've heard before from Earth Crisis and Corrosion of Conformity. That's American Currency.

Think decent production. Think riffs enjoyable for a moment. Think few breaks with above-average soloing. Think that typically annoying groove bass tone. Think about character-less drum patterns and structures. Think vocals composed of unneeded barks and quasi-melodies.

Think about every riff you've ever heard before, thrown into a blender and thrown back out.

That's American Currency. (Think 5/10)

review by: Rick Luna

Chronicles of Love and Hate in a nutshell is simplistic, mid paced, and extremely hooky; it’s the perfect formula for success. There’s plenty of groove to spread around like butter on toast, as riffs are constantly generating a fury of hard punches... but there just isn’t enough force. Solos are aplenty here, but not used to their full advantage when all you hear are improvisations typical to what an amateur would create.

The first half of the album starts incredibly on par with plenty of attitude and gruffness, and keeps it up with a mixed bag of radio hits and heavy tracks. This is what Godsmack would sound if they had the balls, but that’s as good as it gets. "Tired of You" is the best cut on the album next to "Now and Forever." There’s also a cover of the only Stealer’s Wheel hit: "Stuck in the Middle"; it’s an ear grabber at first, but totally forgettable afterwards.

Chronicles of Love and Hate is certainly a fresh flavor to a certain extent. It’s practically solid but nothing great or stellar; however, it might fit your fashion if you’re into a certain type of hard hitting rock music. Now where’s the hard hitting metal at? (6/10)

review by: Joshua

There must be a factory located somewhere between the 3rd and 4th levels of hell whose sole production unit spits out as many solid, technically flawless, impervious to the elements, not stopping for nothin’ or no one modern thrash/death bands as the conveyor belts can handle. Differences in each piece off the assembly line are minute at best. They all have the same gleaming stainless steel façade, heavy footed tread and calculatedly business-like penchant for destruction. And if you just happen to be in the path of the juggernaut, sorry, collateral damage; check out page of 27, paragraph 2 of the service manual for the requisite consumer warning.

It’s truly amazing how so many bands can sound so similar and interchangeable, yet they keep coming like waves of angry ants converging on an interloping wasp or spider. The Classic Struggle is from South Carolina but they could just as easily hail from Los Angeles or Warsaw or Hamburg. This homogenization isn’t even a bad thing, it’s actually a pretty great thing when a group of kids can get together just about anywhere in the world and whip out a skillful platter that is almost guaranteed universal acceptance. It’s like being in possession of a sonic platinum credit card, it gets you into all the finest establishments.

What gets sacrificed, of course, is originality. Feel Like Hell is transposable with a thousand other records out there. If the likes of Carnal Forge and The Haunted get your heart all aflutter, by all means grab a copy. It’s an inexorably good album, no denying it, full of whiplash riffs, articulate solos, breakdowns galore, divebombing guitar passages and plaster loosening percussion. The playing is faultless – the band does machinegun riffing better than about anyone out there – and Tyler Solnosky is an absolute brute behind the drum kit, using all four appendages like a hyperactive giant and beating it like a redheaded stepchild.

Innovation is such a random occurrence that rarely graces our presence. While we wait around for the next bit of art to drop in our lap bands like The Classic Struggle prove that there will always be a place for the mere appreciation of fine craftsmanship. (6/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

This new album by Daniel Jakubovic, who has been previously featured on Jordan Rudess’s Rhythm of Time, definitely has some Dream Theater tendencies that might associate his work with the "progressive metal" genre. However, it is genuinely rougher than the usual, pedantic output of the aforementioned band.

The songs are rather circular, and despite occasionally stretching out too long and featuring some over the top soloing, they manage to remain (for the most part) memorable and engaging, powered by a thunderous engine. You will probably even get used to the thin vocals, which might remind some of Phil Collins on late Genesis releases. After a while, the singing convert the need for a wider scale execution with the appreciation of the performer’s truthfulness.

Some guest musicians enhance the recording with their charm, and especially noteworthy are Rudess’ compelling keyboards on "End of Summer" and the adventurous, rock oriented sax playing (by Daniel’s father, a famed musician) that is found on "Replaced," interweaving magnificently with the guitars and just about making up for its preceding, schmaltzy spot on "All The Same For You."

One thing that is still hard to handle, though, is the simplistic drum playing, which does not improve much even when Jakubovic (who plays nearly every instrument on this release) leaves it to Euginia Ventimiglia. Also, cutting short on the farfetched technical guitar runs would have also been welcomed, as it would have allowed the listener to focus on the bare essential rather than striving to survive the relationship the whole way through. (7.5/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

The first thing that will pop into your ears once you hit the "play" button upon this live album is a promising, modern day collage of tunes, electronically accented and pseudo-spiritually flavored. Unfortunately, the promise soon evaporates into the nostalgic, loose rock that Dave Davies has became a legend for as a part of the immortal The Kinks, which was one of Britain’s most prominent R&B bands during the sixties.

And so, you are left with old songs (including "Dead End Street," "Picture Book" and "You Really Got Me"), as well as a bunch of later ones (including a selection from his latest studio release, 2002's Bug), performed with an earnest, keen spirit that is nearly just enough to make this album worthwhile. At times, though, the whole thing approaches awkward dimensions in the elementary propulsion ("The Blues") and the hinted spirituality (on the modern, upbeat "Transformation 2"), which Davies seems to have discovered a bit too late to reflect authentically.

Therefore, "Transformation" is not much but an entertaining, latter day live documentation of a veteran player, who has influenced generations of guitar players some decades ago, aimed mostly at the dedicated followers of old fashion. (5.25/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Imagine Anathema's Silent Enigma with Neurosis / Rwake's vocals, and even bits of traditional doom, all presented in an atmospheric sludge package. The Head and the Heart surely promises, but against all odds, it doesn't deliver as much as it should. Not a bad release, not a bad release at all, but there are many better things out there.

Nowadays, sludge artists can't bring themselves to do many short songs, and Deadbird's not the exception. The album is full to the top of heavy chord-based rhythms and long instrumental passages and textures. Things that in other bands could be a sign of quality, here are detrimental to the general feeling, because they are, plain and simple, terribly boring. If they erased all those slow and time-consuming segments, this review would be much, much more positive.

Indeed, most of the fully enjoyable segments are the ones unrelated to Deadbird's "home" genre, the emotional (but fast) parts and the death / doom-like ones. Sadly, everything's predictable if one knows American sludge / sludgecore enough.

The guitarwork, even if simple, stands out when compared to the sometimes monotonous, sometimes great vocals. Lots of melodic leads, lots of held power-chords, playing all the time with the singer. The somewhat romantic approach plays an important factor atmospherically and turns The Head and the Heart into a mood-changer if you happen to ignore the obvious errors in approach.

Maybe it's the hype over a post-Rwake band, maybe the way the scene is right now, but I get the feeling I should somehow be amazed at The Head and the Heart. But after many, many listens, I still can't find out what to be amazed at. Probably it's just the pretentiousness. Anyway, get it only if you need every sludge / doom record out there, as this one's not an important bit for your survival. (5.95/10)

review by: Matt Smith

For performing melodic, power-metal-type music, Deadly Sin sounds surprisingly modern. The band has a thrash mentality, introducing each track with mood-setting synths and fast-picked lines from the guitars that always reach the desired heaviness. The drums lay a solid foundation, though Markus Nulle isn't as creative as he could be on this one. Ross Thompson's vocals occupy the biggest part of the album, and although he doesn't reach the high-falsetto registers of your favorite power metal band, his layered melodies may be more digestible for those who more rarely dip into the genre.

Although the songs' layouts and performances are pretty typical, and Deadly Sin doesn't do much experimenting with range or technique, Sunborn is a strong debut album with a lot of emotion and some great guitar moments. (6/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Mention that Deathbound is a grind band from Finland that features "members" (that nebulous tag) of Rotten Sound, and everyone gets excited.

...is it Kai Hahto on drums? No. It’s not, but Doomsday Comfort outdoes Rotten Sound at its own game... or at least for a while, anyway.

Deathbound also comprises members from other Finnish noteworthies, like ...And Oceans, but we’re not counting. The four guys in the band put out grind at the peak of speed and tractor-worthiness. If it weren’t so purposely well-produced to accentuate the downtuned aspects of its basic, powerchord grind riffs and utterly relentless drums, we’d be calling Doomsday Comfort as yet another truck-with-a-blastbeat record.

But the album totally kills. It gets you moving with its rabid, precise energy. But listen to the whole album before you declare it as being even better than Rotten Sound. Deathbound’s one trick pony act gets a little rehashed after about four or five songs, so while it’s a breathless ride all the way through the album’s 13 tracks, it’s exactly the same ride with little or no variation. So while we were going to tell you it was the grind album of the year, we decided to back off on that and merely highly recommend it to any fan of the genre. (8/10)

review by: Pal the Postman

Since its inception in 2002, Dimentianon’s goal has been to create a unique mixture of chaotic black, death and doom metal. The four tracks on Demos 2005 give you some fast action right away in a Cannibal Corpse of style: Lotsa blastbeats, lovingly embraced with energetic quick rolls over the skins, with that good ole double bass like a remote rumbling in blackened skies. In fact, one can notice that the drums are pretty much in the forefront and the bass/guitar department is kept quite modest, almost understated. However, despite a certain tinnyness of the snare drum sound the virtuosity displayed makes it quite dynamic.

A bit riddlesome is the second song, " Blood Shed From a Red Rose," which has in the last minute a bit of mystical singing in some mumbly eastern European tongue. It's only just before we are brought to the sinister "To Be Crowned King and Stabbed to Death," which has some uncanny growling vocals for a change, even with some Twilight Zoney patterns!

Within one song, Dimentianon are able to create different atmospheres and seemingly illogical structures. It’s impossible to whistle along to. Overall, the vocals are delivered in a convincingly belched and disgusted way.

From a title like "Blood Shed From a Red Rose," you can sense there's more to Dimentianon than just brutality. There's much more going on than just the common crossfire of rhythms. The artwork offers no hint whatsoever, being somewhat abstract. Nevertheless, it's a pleasantly aggressive demo and the production is rough and clear so conform it's nature it's not too bad.

Dimentianon's upcoming follow up to their debut album, Seven Suicides, entitled Hossanas Novus Ordo Seclurum, will be – according to their label – their most intense and ambitious release to date. It has been recorded and is in the mixing stages.

On this demo you'll get some fairly intriguing tunes, but hopefully the real album will have a mix that is fuller and has more punch. (6/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Disembowelment was a pioneer in the early death/doom scene, mixing really slow doom (that would later evolve into what’s commonly known as funeral doom) with death metal parts a la Autopsy, with ambient parts thrown in. They were well known for infusing the music with really fast parts, as opposed to the horde of new "'doom is only about playing slow and boring" bands. (Amen to Disembowelment – ed.) Disembowelment is a double CD release containing all the band's discography. Yes, that's all their stuff including the compilation track, demos, etc.

Let's start with the package. It's beautiful, shiny and dark, unfolding into three parts. The middle one contains a booklet with some words by the drummer concerning the band’s history, the lyrics, and some pics. (note: words can't explain how much I love the package alone. I'd hump it) (ed’s note: individual writers’ personal views or sexual practices are not necessarily representative of this zine’s stance or sense of decency).

Then you take out disc number one, and play the first song... again and again. Disembowelment is good like that, it just sucks you in and, well, you have my congratulations if you can go back quickly and safely to where you were before you listened to them.

Disembowelment, as it happened with all the demos, is really hard to listen to. Being so psychologically heavy, it's hard to focus entirely on it, but when you do, you know it's no joke. Not that this is bad, of course. A factor that made things a bit hard to grasp was the subpar production of the demos. But thankfully, this has been improved greatly with the re-release, which fixes what was the only bad aspect about the previous versions. Thanks to this, the variety in the vocals (clean chants, monk-like voices, death growls...) is much easier to notice. And most important of all, it all now seems like a pro recording.

Saying that Disembowelment were "gifted" or "talented" in the traditional sense of the world would be stupid, yes. But, seriously, such a good atmosphere-driven death / doom band MUST be considered so. If you're into doom, raw music or early death, this is INDISPENSABLE. (9.9/10)

review by: Bastiaan de Vries

We all know and love Chet W. Scott (Ruhr Hunter and other projects) here at Maelstrom, and his collaboration with James Woodhead on The Elemental Chrysalis sees the man continuing his remarkable musical accomplishments.

I'm gonna be obnoxious and actually list most of the instruments now because it's just that impressive.

Here we go: Six string acoustic and electric guitars, piano, cello, analog and digital organs, environmental recordings, thunder sheet, theremin, bowed sitar, Egyptian hand drums, hermit thrush sample (whatever that may entail), Brazilian surdo drum, bodhran, energy chimes, wooden flutes, harmonica, voices and Tuvan inspired throat singing. (What? No hammered dulcimer? – ed.)

What did I tell you, impressive. But how does it sound all together on CD? Surprisingly tranquil. You'll definitely need to take your time with it; first to take it all in and second to really appreciate the rich and organic sounds. This record grows, like a little fairy fetus, or a dingy type of mold, whichever you prefer.

The first track alone is the stuff dreams are made of, especially if those dreams occur while taking a nap on the couch next to an open window on a lazy Sunday.

A 25-minute track starts off with almost unbearably cute acoustic guitar, but the big highlight is the masterful soundscape in the middle. Huff and gruff organ work, birds chirping, ghoulish howls in the distance, it all amounts to such a rich and dynamic atmosphere that it's hard not to lose yourself in it... especially with your eyes closed. Just in time the acoustic guitars plunk their way back into the track and make for a wonderful comedown.

The rest of the album is not any different. Filled with the most eclectic and diverse of instruments and sounds, 75 minutes of music feels like a daunting task but just let go of your surroundings and immerse yourself in the beautiful world of The Elemental Chrysalis. Fairy prince or princess, the forest awaits you. (9/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Torben Enevoldsen's third album is the flip side of the successful instrumental metal album’s coin. While Anand’s A Man's Mind (also reviewed in this issue) was a display of creativity and good composition, Flying Solo is your stereotypical shred / instrumental album; nothing new, no experimentation.

Enevoldsen’s style is pretty much borrowed from Paul Gilbert and Yngwie Malmsteen and violently put over a heavy metal / prog rock background. Incoherent, lackluster and...yes, deeply boring. Actually, it doesn't sound so bad to the ears, but it has three main and defining problems:

- First, the way everything is arranged; almost no mood changes, and when there's one, it's badly done. It would be alright, except that...

- Second, the songs are longer than they should be and, really, you won't want to hear them for longer than two minutes, which leads us to...

- Third, the absolute lack of composition. Sounds rough, but Flying Solo sounds either like a jam between three enemies, or a guy guitar-wanking over pre-made backgrounds. Badly thought pre-made backgrounds, that is.

All that leaves us with just technical talent. Lots of technical talent here: the guy is right up there with the masters when it comes to shredding if you don't mind him being too mechanical and lifeless. "1:49 am" is a good song, with an actual composition (too bad it represents little more than the 10% of the album). Then there are some (badly distributed) solos that will make you want to pull out your air-guitar and jam. But man, Flying Solo is a mass of banal, typical solos and obvious flaws. Avoid. (2.1/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Lately there have been lots of bands turning over to a romantic hard rock / metal sound (sometimes stepping in goth field); bands such as Sentenced and Lacrimas Profundere, that before played a completely different genre, changed drastically. And this is the case with The Eternal. Since their name switch from Cryptal Darkness to this one, they changed their death / doom for a more accesible gothic / doom / rock.

Sleep of Reason suffers from the same faux pas the last Sentenced did: it's not catchy enough; they want to go accesible, but not the whole way in. Not having this error was what made Lacrimas Profundere's Ave End and Charon's whole discography awesome records, the ones that you wouldn't grow tired of. It's as if The Eternal didn't want to lose their doom fanbase but also wanted to establish a new one.

However, even with that big, big error, Sleep of Reason is an enjoyable album, albeit a little too incoherent when it comes to mixing the doom with the gothic. The fast parts are alright, the doom ones are outstanding, but not enough in quantity. The riffs are basic but effective, and the rest of the instrumentation works just right. The compositions are simple as well as the arrangements. The definite highlight is the calm doomy track "Weight of Empathy." (5.3/10)

review by: Joshua

Anyone can write an instrumental song. Easy. Take your random tune, lop off the vocals, and voila, there you go. With some skill it might even be a decent enough endeavor. Of course with that logic in tow, any band could forgo their vocalist – and let’s be honest, the world would be a far better place if most did – and go the instrumental route. Sure, anyone can do it, but should they? Plenty may even be good but what separates the chosen few from the herd, what makes a great instrumental band, particularly a rock band, is when you can’t imagine them doing it any other way, how vocals would merely be a superfluous addition to perfectly crafted compositions. You don’t even get the customary three guesses to deduce the status of Explosions in the Sky in this realm.

The good (and fiscally astute) folks at Temporary Residence, Ltd. have given How Strange Innocence, Explosions In the Sky’s debut from 2000, its first proper release after extremely limited CDR and vinyl runs. Rather then being a cash-in on the good fortune of an underground band who unexpectedly and spectacularly vaulted into the mainstream, it’s a worthy document of a band who, even in its nascent incarnation, displays a preternatural grasp of their chosen milieu. It not only stands toe to toe with their subsequent material but carves out small spaces that even surpass it.

Here, post rock rules the day: meandering structure as flexible alternative and devil may care in the details. Unlike most of their counterparts in this game though, the emphasis is on delicate construction rather than purposeful abrasion. From note one there’s an inviting warmth that draws you in immediately, sparse yet shimmeringly lush in its minimalism. Notes are spread out with plenty of space for melodies to stretch and grow until they amble off with no particular destination. Blissed out passages dissolve into fragments of swirling percussion and exit via crescendos that appear, almost apologetically, as a daydream’s afterthought. Moody, late night ponderings slyly turn up-tempo and rock with the elation of a great weight removed from one’s shoulders. A carefree summertime stroll is bisected by a muted peal of distortion, distant thunder that threatens to rip open the sky but for the quick rhythmed, slightly jazzy run that ensues, transforming that stroll into a giddy run.

Explosions In the Sky don’t so much write songs as they create lissom reveries in which to lose yourself. Each track possesses a membranous fragility that sounds as if it could tear under the slightest touch; even the loud parts have an underlying softness. The trick is that they’re tougher than they appear, sturdy bits of steel that hide their strength wrapped in the same gossamer strands that pull you towards a sweet oblivion. (8.5/10)

review by: Matt Smith

Transgression could be a collection of B-Sides. The CD doesn't hold many surprises, but Fear Factory is in good form throughout. As is to be expected, the group packed a lot of movement into this release – slower, moodier pieces offset the mainly deep-and-heavy grooves; vocals shift from yelling to talking to singing; synthesizers build an atmosphere and quickly fade, leaving the sparse sound of start-and-stop guitar riffs and the fading echo of vocal lines.

However, this album is anything but a big step forward for Fear Factory. Although composed of accurate, energetic songs that carry the listener's interest from one to the next, Transgression is devolution for the group. It is clear that Fear Factory hasn't lost its skills – let's just hope the creativity we're used to is in hiding, or that the band is saving all the really good stuff for its next release. Transgression is listenable and enjoyable, but it may disappoint those whose hopes were inflated (and some of that downtempo stuff is plain boring). (5.5/10)

review by: Ryan Loostrom

There's not a person alive who hasn't dug the hell out of Fear Factory at one point or another. Granted, they ran from where bands like Godflesh, Head of David, and Killing Joke touched base, they were the group that brought the industrial sound to the forefront of metal until Strapping Young Lad came around. Even their re-entry into metal after a lengthy hiatus was successfully capturing of their glory days. What is this new abomination that is Transgression, though?

Is the album so bad? Not really, but coming from the band that released three godly albums with a single strike (It was more like a foul than a strike though, that "Digimortal"...), Transgression is almost unforgivable. Almost. Transgression is such a huge departure from what was Fear Factory, that if it wasn't for vocalist Burton C. Bell, you'd have no idea what band you were listening to.

The riffs on this CD are varied, which is the main problem. There's a severe technical deficiency that inhibits the playing ability on this album. Fear Factory tried to employ some death metal whiplashing riffs, but nothing over the strenuousness of a simple finger flick. Hell, they even managed to sneak in a song you'll swear is a Korn b-side cover of a Killing Joke song in the form of "Contagion."

Change is not a bad thing, but when you have a formula that works, you don't forsake your own creation. Crowbar will never be a thrash metal band. Krisiun will never produce a Colony. Stephen Carpenter will never play a single solo. (4/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

I know that people into gothic stuff don’t mind cheesy music, and in most cases I wouldn't either, but Alice’s Inferno is just a little bit too much for ANYONE.

Leaving aside all the cheese, Forever Slave is just a pseudo-gothic version of Nightwish (you mean, and even MORE Gothic version of Nightwish? – ed.). You get it: the girl singing over redundant guitar rhythms and subpar instrumentation, this time with some more instruments thrown in for the sake of it, and a pointless and horrible growler. OK, the keyboard lines are sometimes good, like the organ at the really end of the CD, but don't expect that to make Alice's Inferno tolerable, or less than sanity-breaking.

Then we have the concept. Supposedly, it's about a girl who's institutionalized after being found with a bloody knife near her murdered parents. Instead of bringing back memories of sadness and sorrow and whatnot, it just makes you think of an angst-ridden teen diary written by a gnarly toothed, fat goth kid who can’t spell.

No good points whatsoever to be found. Alice’s Inferno is full of eye candy but empty of real content. Avoid like the plague. (0.1/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

If party swaggers are your brand of rock, then Gemini Five might be just for you. These Swedish guys aim at mainstream success with their catchy, verse meets chorus songs.

A loud wall of rhythm guitars sets the pace for the direct vocals and drum bash, and off they go! One song after the next, the lyrics may change but the overall formula remains still. And that’s not a bad thing, as they do their new millennium variation on hair-metal well; it’s just nothing to actually brag about, especially since it misses a refreshing ingredient.

It’s all up to the marketing now to do its tricks… (5/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

As I have always considered the jazz fused soul rock of Blood Sweat & Tears as one of a kind, this reissue has been a revelation for me.

Keef Hartley grew to fame on the British blues scene, with his role as John Mayall’s drummer being a crucial stepping stone. After his departure from Mayall, he formed an eponymous band.

The Time Is Near… (originally released in 1970) is the band’s third, and while the blues roots of Hartley are still evident throughout the robust yet delicate rhythms, the coherent, song-oriented album also springs with impressive jazz maneuvers of adventurous and heartfelt solos that stretch some of the songs unto climatic epics.

Miller Anderson’s vocals are soulful and declarative, supported by a stellar lineup, which includes bass player Gary Thain (who would later join Uriah Heep) and a selection of Britain’s finest horn players giving the album a sensitive, festive feel.

The songwriting is superb, with its melancholic nature providing a prominent British spirit into the works, coloring them with a unique voice. Recommended for just about anyone who is willing to sink into a mesmerizing, meaningful expression of fusion.

The Eclectic Discs reissue offers the original album in digitally remastered form, and includes insightful liner notes as well as the original sleeve notes and lyrics. (9/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Surprise is one of the best feelings. That, joined with the fact that thanks to the internet, bands are coming out of nowhere, giving us easy access to recordings that can be by either terrible amateur bands that would get booed at a local show and stop playing, or by quite good bands that just don't have the money to get known, but would otherwise be well regarded. This time it's (and I'm already thanking whichever higher being heard my prayers) the latter.

All Rise works like a mix between Malice Mizer's guitar-driven stuff (I swear I heard the "Bel Air" melody in the second song), Vintersorg's clean vocal work, and prog rock. It all results in neoclassical hard rock / metal, experimental in its own sense and original. The compositions are similar (except the rockiest parts) to those of the baroque / classical period, much simplified, however; guitar and bass are independent lines, yet they complement each other.

A definite plus is the production. It's about as perfect as it can get on a self-released disc and doesn't turn any instrument into the exclusive center of attention.

Complaints? While the style itself is good and the arrangements are impressive, the way Steve Donahue's voice comes out is a little bit shaky, something to be fixed in the future. But really, it's just a little bit of dust in a jewel, it's not really noticeable.

Normally EPs don't say much about a band, but this isn't the case with All Rise. The aftertaste is quite good and I'd like to taste a little more. We're waiting for the full length. (7.9/10)

review by: Ryan Loostrom

It seems like almost every genre of metal has the big four. Everyone knows who they were for thrash, but for melodic death, it was four core bands: In Flames, At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity and Seditious.

Before you raise an eyebrow, Seditious later became what you all know today as Hypocrisy, Peter Tagtgren's metal project. Like the big four of thrash, each band has gone through various phases in change. Some admirable, some abominable. However, no one would have seen what was coming for Hypocrisy, a band several had just let fade into the obscurity of "meh" or a simple shrug of the shoulders. (Guilty as charged – ed.)

Virus is an immediate kick to the teeth. Hypocrisy before had gone from one of the fiercest, almost blackened melodic death metal bands to a band who looked to Slipknot for riff influence on their later albums. In the late 90's and early 2000, they had adopted an almost sludgey style of melodic death. Virus, as unexpected as it would be, is pushing against the grain.

While most of their counterparts adopted a slower, more accessible feel to them, Hypocrisy borrowed from their own roots and reverted to a style they'd long since relinquished. There's no sludge anywhere, no alterna-metal whiffle crunches. Virus is a whirlwind of razors aligning in an almost orchestrated pattern, producing one of the best and catchiest CDs of the year. The tempos are all higher, Tagtgren's vocals are almost at their peak, and the riffs have an almost blackened, abrasive edge to them. Orchestration is back, as well.

"Warpath" starts things off brilliantly, and it's a quick revelation of what exact change has taken place. The song starts fast and powerful with a riff that sounds borrowed from black metal, giving way to a vicious war cry from Tagtgren. Instant mood-setter for the entire album.

The last two tracks, though, some might find a little dissuading. "Compulsive Psychosis" uses some distortion and stop-and-go riffing that sounds like they've got a bit of Catch 22 they don't plan on letting go. "Living to Die" is a song in the vein of Dark Tranquillity; it's the slowest and most depressing song on the entire CD. The problem is the clean vocals. While they're certainly no hindrance for anyone willing to just listen, some of the more elite might find it a bit tough to swallow.

The change is undeniable, though. Admist headlines of bands claiming a heavier sound or return to roots, Hypocrisy delivered. Of course, they had the aid of a lack of hype, but the fact of the matter is that Peter Tagtgren is the Swedish Devin Townsend, and his work ethic, although sometimes hit and miss, will always produce a record that turns a few heads. Virus is going to be a CD you remember once the end of the year rolls by, though. (9.7/10)

review by: Joshua

Seems we have a little taster here from the band’s full length and if this is the best that the band has to offer – if this is what they’re tossing your way to massage your synapses with fervent anticipation of an album’s worth of material, well, I’ve a suggestion: stick your head in a vat of toxic waste, fill your lungs to capacity with the corrosive liquid and count down the seconds until the blood starts to bubble in its veins and your eardrums burst from the massive internal pressure. It’d be time better spent than listening to this; remember, you have only a finite number of minutes in your life.

Immaculate Deception fancies themselves a gothic-techno-industrial sort of outfit but really, this stuff wouldn’t even pass muster at a "Come dressed as your favorite member of The Cure who isn’t Robert Smith night" at the monthly goth extravaganza at the sole downtown club in Andalusia, Alabama. Three of the four tracks wouldn’t even make the grade as heroin induced castoffs from Skinny Puppy or Bauhaus practice sessions. If anything the songs have more in common with early 80’s Berlin or Yello, adding a little fuzz to the mix while subtracting the cheesy wit of those two groups. Ugh.

A trifling glimmer exists in the final track, "Zebolwaltz," a decent little quasi-classical instrumental that calls to mind the stumbling and simplistic splendor of Mortiis’ first few albums. Not enough to save this by a long shot but just enough to keep you from completely lamenting the previous nine minutes of your life that you can never get back. (1/10)

review by: Matt Smith

This is a live album with bite, and one that means something to a lot of the world where Impaled Nazarene has yet to tour. If you haven't had a chance to see this group live, you're missing out on a real experience.

Impaled Nazarene's form of grinding black metal is crushing and insane when recorded in the studio, with more energy and anger than most bands could muster while performing on hot coals. But Mika's vocals reach throat-ripping levels when he's live, and of course the tempos also increase by a good degree, which must be how the band fits 26 tracks on one album. The guitars and drums just rip by, as if there were a metal concert on a passing train.

There are a lot of tracks from the latest release, All That You Fear, which is definitely a plus – it is probably Impaled Nazarene's strongest album yet, and these versions aren't lacking in any respect. Everything is performed perfectly, and there is more energy in Carefully Selected Pieces than in any album you've heard this year.

So if you've heard the studio cuts of these songs, buy this album. If you like Impaled Nazarene even a little bit, buy the album. If you don't particularly like Impaled Nazarene, buy the album and maybe you'll change your mind. (9/10)

review by: Ryan Loostrom

A kick in the balls. This is black metal. In Memorium are black metal. Yeah, yeah, Darkthrone this, Mayhem that, Marduk killed Jesus with a baseball bat... People talk about majesty with black, or how grim it is, yet you can rarely hear the type of power In Memorium have in their music with other bands of much greater reputations.

In Memorium specialize in the melodic branch of black metal. The atmosphere present, vulture-esque black metal screeches, all of it's present. It all sounds so evil, yet so highly likable. Some of the melodies they evoke are almost majestic in nature. Hell, the central melody in "Ravenslaughter" is one that'll stick with you all year. Any melodic black metal detractor would be hard-pressed to find a reason that would make them any less black. The speed, aggression, feel, presence, it's all there. In spades, it is.

Of course, In Memorium deviate from the normal spectrum of black metal as well. They can pull off some pretty intense solos, which not many bands outside of Naglfar are ballsy enough to do. Songlengths are also fairly extended, which is the foremost achievement of this album. Seven tracks, fifty-three seconds shy of fourty-five minutes. If it were for In Memorium's ability to write such epic music, this music would bore you to tears.

From Misery... Comes Darkness is an album worth every ear to hear it. (9/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Symphony X fans! You have a new messiah and its name is Iron Mask. If the epic compositions of the American power / proggers was your thing, then consider Hordes of the Brave your new favorite album.

Hordes of the Brave isn't 100 percent Symphony X worship, really, it also draws influences from straight-forward power metal bands and our friend Yngwie "Unleash the Fooking Fury" Malmsteen.

Anyway, there aren't 20-minute songs here, most of them are five- to six-minute ones, relying on the vocals (an almost 1:1 copy of Russell Allen's ones) and technical riffs backed up by keyboards. From the power part, we can observe the catchy, predictable choruses (love them or hate them) and the typical power-drumming we all know (and some love). Thankfully the cheesiness isn't as high as it would be, for example, in Hammerfall or Stratovarius, even though it's in high quantities with Iron Mask. The neoclassical aspect is done impressively, especially so on the first track, "Holy War," which is the real highlight.

Everything is tastefully done to satisfy your nerdy prog / power desires. If you don't like the genre, Hordes of the Brave surely won't appeal to you as it's not really so different from the rest of the bands. The main difference is: this record is a whole lot of fun. From the arrangements to the well-known guitar / keyboard duels and the high vocals, it's 100 percent goodness. (8.8/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Hold your horses, now. I wouldn’t really call Iron Mask much at all like Symphony X. Rather, depending on the song, it kind of alternates between being a slave to Malmsteen and outdoing the master.

Cheesiness has never stood in the way of a power / prog metal fan and his beloved records, but this might press the matter a bit. Seriously, the biggest strike against this band isn’t the hammy vocals, but rather the lack of adventure in the singer’s syntax. He follows the guitar lines too closely, making the record rely too heavily on the now too sparse Baroque noodling.

A song about Alexander the Great? Nice try, boys, but you bit off way more than you could chew in the face of Iron Maiden’s definitive version. And trying to make it as long is only hurting things. Mask of the Brave is good, but you won’t have enough money for this after you get all the cool prog metal albums that have come out this year. (6.3/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

I have to admit I had lifted an eyebrow or two when I received this release – dance club music is not really my cup of tea! But I immediately discovered there’s more to Chas Jankel to defy its initial categorization.

Chas Jankel was a key member of the lunatic Ian Dury & The Blockheads, which was responsible for the bizarre hit singles "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" and "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick," prior to releasing this solo debut in 1980.

The album certainly carries some elements of Jankel’s previous engagement, although the punk attitude is completely absent. Jankel has orchestrated a mixture of jazz, pop, reggae and electronic music in one masterful and slightly humoristic package.

The upbeat numbers are the highlights of the album, containing catchy grooves infected with meticulous arrangements of keyboards, guitars, drums and horns; and while Jankel handles nearly every instrument as well as the vocals, he is joined by fellow musicians (including Mark Isham and Peter Van-Hooke) who make the recording all the more vivid. The longest of these jazzy, crazed cuts runs for nearly fifteen minutes without losing its grip.

For some reason though, Jankel contrasts these songs with basic, mellow pieces that are far less exclusive, giving away the momentum for a relaxing, classically oriented break.

Still, this is a work filled with vision and subtleties that are rare amongst its natural territory and way ahead of contemporary club / acid jazz outfits such as Jamiroquai.

The Angel Air release delivers the album with fine, remastered sound for the first time on CD, as well as a bonus track co-written by Jankel and Ian Dury. (8/10)

review by: Pal the Postman

1348: The Black Plague arrives in Europe, starting its devastating trail of death in Italy. In just three years time something between 25 to 50 percent of the entire population in Europe will be extinguished.

The duo Locus Mortis from Cagliari, Italy prepared a concoction of Darkthrone-ish germs with a furious frenzy and squirming wormholes that transport you to "medieval" times at their worst.

Your host RM (Rotting Man[iac]?) will contaminate your eardrums with rasping Italian sounds like from a leper leading you into the catacombs of those unfortunate enough to have been kissed by the parasite-filled mouths of shiny black fleas. In 45 minutes, the eight tracks will rage by with scenes of disease at various locations.

A song like "1652 (Nigra Pestilenzia)" refers to The Sagra of Saint Efisio. The Sagra takes place every year in the island of Sardinia to celebrate the legendary intervention of the Saint to rescue the citizens of Cagliari from the plague in 1652.

Only two tracks on Inter Uterum Et Loculum have straight endings, the others fade out slowly, like the daylight in dying eyes. There are no high points, there are no low points, you just get a monochrome black impression of fate's cruelty. Vocals and guitars flow like pus and blastbeats jump around ferociously. Locus Mortis (named after the Darkthrone song "Sunrise over Locus Mortis," from their debut Soulside Journey) have delivered their first proper release as a monument dedicated to life's decay and death as a companion. The last song, "Relitti" ends this CD, determined like a lid on a coffin. Verdict: promising! (7/10)

review by: Rick Luna

Kahos Humana is interesting from beginning to end. French black metal band Mindripper put some good use of their handy musicianship toward the crafting of a solid album that’s a little bit different from the standard black metal cliché.

Done entirely in their native tongue, Kahos Humana’s darkened and twisted melody is the main attraction. The album feels like it can leap and bound into an adventurous mode with a sweetened progressive approach, and that works well here. It’s like getting the audio tape version of a good story book, just audibly. In order to fully bring this grim creation to life, there are your standard fundamental elements that give it its true black metal feel.

You can tell that these talented gentlemen have done all their extensive homework assignments by listening to the old Emperor and Dissection albums. If there was anything to nitpick on this album, it would be "The Full Metal Jacket" sound bytes during the intro and outro. (7/10)

review by: Joshua

Good lordy. Prepare to have your tiny world crushed, splintered, flattened, pulverized, and reduced down to its most minute molecular structures before utter and complete vaporization and obliteration. And that’s the just the more genteel aspects of this album. Seriously, Minsk will fuck you up, but good.

What begins as total Neurosis worship quickly turns into something that operates on a much grander scale. The Minsk crew takes that band’s seminal piece of work, Enemy of the Sun, and utilizes it as their starting point, taking those dense tribal atmospherics and rendering them, contradictorily, more expansive and claustrophobic, thicker and lighter, single minded and open to changes. Their instincts prove keen as there’s not a misstep to be found.

Paramount is the sound. Clear, loud and unyielding in its mission to dismantle anything in its path. Sonically, Out of a Center Which is Neither Dead Nor Alive is one of the most abjectly violent albums to come down the pike in quite some time: relentless, focused and intent – an album where the quieter passages deliver an indelible bruising.

The bedrock, of course, is the huge, plodding riff, trudging along determinedly like an implacable army slashing and burning, whose scorched earth policy leaves behind nothing useful except for that which they can carry with them. Knowing that this tactic would quickly grow tiresome, Minsk folds in plenty of forays that seem delicate, and they may even be so, but really serve to accentuate the pervasive ferocity.

Lulling intros beckon the inevitable stomp of a track’s primary rhythm(s). Spacey sounding and machine-shop electronics add menace or distraction. Clean, arching vocal lines, black metal tinged choral bridges and epic, near-Viking flavored vocals juxtapose themselves against the apocalyptic shouting that generally guides the proceedings. Psychedelic tinged swaths of acoustic guitars and spare piano reveal a distinct prog fetish lurking underneath the rumble and shake of kettle drums and heavily flanged guitar. Post rock dynamics squirm their way into the mix and co-exist fitfully with the insistent churn of percussion and behemoth weight of the riffs that lay on top.

What’s so enticing about an album like this is the predictability of its unpredictability. Sure, it crushes, kills and destroys seemingly ad infinitum; that’s the given. The respites, no matter the length or when they appear, are temporary; you know this, but it’s the anticipation that’s so exhilarating, tension that’s either relieved or exacerbated with the next bout of brutality.

Out of a Center… is one of the few albums that benefits from a listening from start to finish. There are no breaks between the album’s six tracks. Each fades into the next, singular parts of an hour long journey bound together by a common goal: a dutiful march towards the abyss. (9/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

This new live CD is the first in the line of official Nektar bootleg releases, which consists of material compiled from tapes that are in possession by Mick Brockett, Nektar’s lights man, who was often considered as a band member.

With some live releases already having seen the light of day under the Eclectic Discs seal, it is evident that there was a lot of thought while considering this compilation, which was carefully assembled (as detailed in Brockett’s liner notes) from two live shows on the band’s 1974 German tour.

The track list is the most important ingredient here, avoiding repetition of the material found in the band’s previous live releases as much as possible. Some tracks were culled from the band’s Down to Earth and were rarely played on stage, while some others never found the way into a studio release. Also worth mentioning is the inclusion of the latter parts of "Remember The Future" as it was usually the first part of the piece that found its way to the previous classic live releases.

The band is wild and eager, and ignites its material with hard rocking jams. The sound is not on the cutting edge, but it is not much of a burden either, and the band’s fan base should embrace this release warmly. (7.25/10)

review by: Ryan Loostrom

Logic is like a brick to the head falling from the Eiffel tower. By the time it hits you, you wonder how you missed something falling that far and making the noise it did by the time it's fractured your skull. Logic is something Neurosis Inc. are in tune with. The state of modern thrash metal is... well... unfortunate, for anyone in tune with bands like Sodom and Destruction, and what they were back in their glory days during the German thrash eruption of the eighties. Countless bands have tried to rejuvenate the glory, most fail. Neurosis Inc. accomplished the task, and then some.

Neurosis Inc., from Colombia, are a band wholeheartedly intent on reviving thrash as the Germanic counterparts intended it to be, with one difference: symphonics. Of course, it works for black metal like Anorexia Nervosa, but symphonic thrash? Sounds novel, but it's executed with very stylish and streamlined methods on Subversivos Espirituales. Think symphonics in the way of Dimmu Borgir, except slightly more odious and less epic.

Their riffs, however, are pure thrash study. Galloping palm mutes and pounding drums sets the way for the razor-esque riffs, complimented by symphonics to give it a much more ominous feel. Vocals are pure death metal, nothing to really write home about. Their only real downfall is the lack of any ability to stick with you after you've heard it. The whole epic thrash idea is excellent, and it's pulled off magnificently with some rather tasteful lead work here, but at the end, it feels like a jumbled mesh of orchestration and rehashed 80's riffs.

However, the thing that's catching me about the album is how sly the recording method was. Remember the logic lecture? If you were trying to revitalize a genre, what would you do? Match the production. While it's doubtful that having such a muddy production job was Neurosis Inc.'s intent, it really worked for the better. It curbed off the obviously synthesized orchestrations, which will irk you after awhile with most symphonic anything bands, and gave it a retro atmosphere.

Subversivos Espirituales is, if anything, evidence of a blossoming South American metal scene, which outside of Sepultura and Krisiun rarely gets the appreciation it deserves (what about Angra? – ed.) . However, Neurosis Inc. have managed to create one of the records with the most character I've heard of any thrash band for awhile. Pick up the CD, and I'm sure you'll agree with me. (7/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Noekk is, without a doubt, the logical follow-up to Empyrium's mid-career period. Despite the usage of nickname by the band members and the variety of influences, we're in presence of the next step in their evolution, and, for once, a pleasing one. (What? You didn’t like Empyrium’s last two records? – ed.)

Starting from the cover, everything is related to forests somehow, reflected in the neo folk influences of The Water Sprite. The doom part is visible only on select fragments; in fact, there's almost no metal here. The songs are lengthy but not boring, based on prog-rock synthesizers and eerie atmospheres.

Think Empyrium playing Dead Can Dance songs with Rick Wakeman on keyboards while Shape of Despair rehearses in the other room. But really, it's a lot more interesting than it sounds. The music is perfectly cohesive, and complex enough without getting tiresome. The electric guitars are similar to those of Saints' Everlasting Rest (in their good moments, that is) in how they mostly create textures instead of rhythms. The acoustic guitars are, however, more similar to Current 93's ones. The vocals are operatic, not unlike Empyrium's clean vocals, usually being the main focus when they appear (although there are no death vox present).

The Water Sprite reaches its highest point in the Dead Can Dance cover, "How Fortunate the Man With None," present in the double tribute album Lotus Eaters, where the majesty gets to its purest status, even surpassing the original (and all the other covers). In general, The Water Sprite is one of the best 2005 releases so far, and Noekk shows a lot of potential. (8.95/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Peccatum, now Emperor mastermind Ihsahn's main band, just released a new EP, following the same line of avant-garde metal. OK, I'm already expecting hordes of black-metallers screaming "SACRILEGE!" at the door of the appartment where I live in, but I'll say it anyway: The Moribund People is awesome.

If you have heard Arcturus’ The Sham Mirrors, then you might remember the sound of the keyboard-driven background and the prominent vocals, all done while keeping the metal aesthetics from the band's previous avant-garde black metal releases. Well, honestly this is quite a lot like that record but with dominant female vocals. It's catchy, well-structured and professional, albeit a little too short to formulate a complex opinion.

The two original compositions are mostly neoclassical-derived, with some impressive vocal work by both Ihsahn and his wife. The technical part as a whole is outstanding, especially the sustained vocals made by the synth-strings. The song the EP is titled after is, logically, the catchiest and most accessible of the lot, but also the best by a big margin.

Included is a Bathory cover that (and yet again I feel the hordes at my door) is far better than the original, although it feels totally out of place; in an EP where atmosphere and melody seem more important, hearing black shrieks wasn't as pleasing.

While the music itself is nothing short of amazing, it's some years late. If this were 2000, The Moribund People would be regarded as groundbreaking, instead of just highly recommended. The incoherent cover (if only you knew how hard it is for me to say that about such a good one) subtracts some points as well. (8.3/10)

PS: Black metal purists, I'm prepared.

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Melancholy Beast might not impress you with its full ferality upon initial encounter, but stick around and it’ll show you its fangs. Pyramaze is yet another band featuring the vocals of quintessential sedentary nomad Lance King (ex-Balance of Power). The rest of the band is in Denmark, though, and they’ve got the guy from Wuthering Heights (which we loved) on drums.

Indeed, it takes a few listens for the whole album to endear itself. Initially, it seems a little slow, with the most engaging songs being around the end. But this animal can become warm and cuddly as your relationship grows, with each song being a standout on the disk.

Pyramaze’s music is largely mid-paced power/prog metal. Those wishing for an all-out technical speed orgy will feel held back. Rather, Melancholy Beast draws its strengths from King’s fronted buildups from part to part, and some fine melodic interludes.

A good part of the reason that the album takes longer than it should to prove its full worth lies in the production, which is not to say that it’s bad. You might want to accuse the keyboards of being too loud, but it’s in fact the guitar that is too thin. This holds the album back, and considering that all members are expert players, this is an oversight to be fixed next time around. Apparently, the new Pyramaze is already recorded, and we look forward to that one. Let’s hope they also drop the obligatory spoken intro (that is also done in typical, exaggerated low talking) that does nothing but detract to the album. Definitely a must buy for Lance King fans, and for all those hungry for more quality progressive metal. Recommended. (7.9/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

If someone were to make a documentary on the making of Once Was Not, it’d be called "Musical Jackhammers: the Cryptopsy Story." Nothing on the planet sounds so much like the pummeling of concrete by means of a powerful smashing machine, and in turn nothing sounds like that delivered in a way that’s as equally subtle and musical as Montreal’s Cryptopsy.

But Cryptopsy is SOOO predictable, man. I mean, you can expect each successive album to be their best one, and Once Was Not is no different. Where’s the suspense in that?

Lord Worm’s back. That’s the biggest whoopla. I never got that. I mean, Cryptopsy’s about the MUSIC. Sure, Lord Worm or Mike DiSalvo, or whoever, is an integral part of that, but it’s ironic that pop-esque frontman fixation remains unchanged in the world of technical death.

Funny in turn that Lord Worm is kind of turned down on the record. But it makes the result more powerful and creepy and heavy. What he’s doing is more diverse, although a bud of ours says Worm’s lost some of his venom, but that now that Mike DiSalvo is gone, he can start listening to Cryptopsy again. Whatever. DiSalvo is the best technical vocalist that Cryptopsy has had. Even drummer Flo Mounier said so in our first interview with him some years ago. It was just a question of getting used to DiSalvo’s none too death voice.

Enough about the vocals, already. With each passing year, Cryptopsy becomes more and more close to being all about Flo Mounier. We’ve got Flo fever, and the only prescription is watching him play that drum solo on his site again. That and giving this disk yet another complete listen.

Paradoxical, maybe, but Cryptopsy has become even more delicate in their brutality. The music swells and with reckless abandon breaks into iconoclastic territory – such as little jazz ditties, funky bass mini-solos, flamenco strumming or sorta Middle Eastern chords. And you get the feeling that the last song on the disk might have turned out with a more melodic metal-style arrangement had the band not caught themselves before recording it. But Cryptopsy is far too intelligent and calculating to ever have themselves accused of being hare-brained.

Listen, Once is Not is the best death metal album of the year. It’s got the mind blowing musicianship AND the best production yet from this band, that makes the landmark And then You’ll Beg look kind of sick in comparison, and Whisper Supremacy seem like a demo. Only an instance or two of less than convincing keyboard segues keep it from the perfect 10. Buy or die. (9.9/10)

review by: Bastiaan de Vries

The rocking riffs by Bellini guitarist Agostino Tilotta are lethargic – as if they were just thrown out there, on the record – and roll tirelessly through whatever previous conceptions you could have conceived about the band. Forget about their first album, this is a different Bellini. Small Stones is a better album, with new drummer Alexis Fleisig doing an excellent job in knocking the guitars left and right. Working alongside him providing the melodic and rhythmic bass backbone is Matthew Taylor, who, if you put the volume high enough, really does the trick.

Siren like vocals lay thick and heavy on the music. Giovanna Cacciola hardly crosses any high barriers and stays comfortably near the undertones with a voice that is part of the big picture. This isn’t an exceptional album by any means but rather one that is confident in its delivery and doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. Brutally blunt and honest, this record is worth your money if you are into peculiar and intense rock. Thirty minutes of sludgy and sexy rock, enough to drive a man crazy. (7.5/10)

review by: Bastiaan de Vries

Heavy, brooding, insane, frantic, paranoid, panic-fueled ambience. Calling it dark would be a serious understatement. Calling it fucked up would get you a little closer to this sceptic wound of an album. Jon Canady, making his new record sound like a bad soundtrack to your nightmares in fact does nothing more than portrays his own. He delves into his subconscious not to entertain us, maybe to put himself at ease, but definitely to let out all the filth and bile that’s been hiding in his dreams. The music almost comes as an afterthought. I’d suggest you leave the packaging alone and focus on the solely on the sounds because this record works far better without all the baggage that it comes with. Leave it open for own interpretations and you should come out unscathed.

It comes with a little foldout booklet that mentions "all words on this release are from my nightmares. What you read here was written down upon waking." What follows are strange texts in hard to read handwriting about a severed dog’s head, women being raped, more severed heads, gangsters and detectives, etc... you get the idea. You can go ahead and read through it all while listening to the songs, could be quite effective but can also leave a rather unpleasant aftertaste.

The artwork (and my dear hero editor will disagree with me here) is juvenile and would be better suited in a 15 year old’s comic book about a soldier who dies and gets put to work as Lucifer’s peon. Hardly a point to heckle Canady for, especially since I already advised to leave the package alone, but it fits so bad with the music that it warrants a remark.

While this record is nothing new, not even when it comes to the clever use of vintage and low-cost equipment, musically it is an exceptional display of care and eye to detail of its genre. Canady does a great job in making his work sound suffocating, organic and intense. CMI fans take heed. (9.5/10 without the artwork)

ed’s note: The artwork is the best part of the album. Moody and arty and texturally sensual in its matte finish. It’s kind of like Pig Destroyer meets Today is the Day. I thought about keeping the record JUST for the artwork, but then realized that the music would really be Basti’s bag.

review by: Bastiaan de Vries

The Starwheel takes a refreshing approach to its music: short and sweet. No twenty minute tracks that tremble on and on – not even a song that crosses the seven minute mark. A quick fix of ambience, just what the doctor ordered. Kammarheit ultimately lets us see that dreams don’t need to last a full night. You need to pay attention, but once you get into the groove, the slick and "10cc – I’m not in love" sounding groove, you’re hooked.

Hold on, its none of the pop antics, but rather the lush synth intermezzo of that slow dance disco hit track that closely resembles the sound this record is going for. It is gently washed away in reverb and immense sounding sonic landscapes. Perfect for late night meditation sessions.

No need for me to go on and on about something so simple: Kammarheit delivers a short, rich and utterly beautiful album. If you are an ambient fan in any way shape or form, this is a record that you need to buy. (8.5/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

This German power metal band’s rep is something along the lines of "local boys make good" in the sense that these guys’ ambition has carried them along through a few albums before finally getting signed to Massacre, and then eventually being picked up Stateside by Nightmare Records. And it’s been at least four months that we’ve had our Euro copy of Lanfear’s Another Golden Rage, and we’re still waiting to really get into it.

There are two obvious reasons for this. One, the guitar sound is way too thin, and it cuts down on the power. The second is some combination of the singer’s delivery and the fact that his voice is rather dominant in the production. The vocalist is talented, but he employs a very narrow range throughout most of the record, which makes it seem like his timbre never changes. It’s only for the more laid back song near the end of the album where he backs off of the strained highs, and you can hear more of his natural voice. Again, his vocals aren’t bad by any means, but there’s little to no variety in the delivery that makes it more difficult than it should be to have the various songs make their own distinct impression, something that the production actually worsens as it accentuates the more piercing notes in his range.

More intangibly, Another Golden Rage is an album that really takes some time to grow on you. It’s kind of like mowing a huge, overgrown lawn. It’s hard to wade through, but once you gradually mow around the edges, the uncovered ground becomes more familiar and comfortable. Such is the case with opening song "Another Golden Rage," which has become a minor favorite around here with its catchy arrangements and fine melodic progressions. And such is the case, too, with the next song. The one after that is a bit less familiar, and then the one after that less still. We need to fire up the mower again....

This album is a journey for which you may not have the time. Are you a patient power metal fan? We just today, during our 10^th or so listen to this album, uncovered a fair glimmer of a hook to penultimate track "What... For." The rest we’re still awaiting to click.

It’s odd how if black metal bands apply power metal sensibility to their music, it’s often glorious, kvlt or at least endearingly amusing, but that somehow it doesn’t work the other way around. Seemingly endless are the Euro power metal bands that have tried to employ BM vox in their recordings, and those sections have all fallen flat on their faces. Three that immediately spring to mind are Freedom Call, Dark Moor and Celesty. In light of this, Lanfear’s "Shades of Black" does a pretty respectable job, with some hooks that have stuck. Maybe it’s because the song embraces the BM aesthetic more whole heartedly, with black metal chords, fast polka beats, and melodic progressions to go along with the "good for power metal" but "shit for black metal" harsh vocals. The moral of the story? Don’t try to be like Darkthrone if what you’re playing is Dream Theater.

In spite of these criticisms, we’re still going to recommend this album. Why? Because it undeniably has its strong points, and we’re hoping that the issues with the vocals are more of a personal thing. Lanfear has originality and elements to discover, like the interesting rhythmic intro to "Dispraise," and some rewarding melodic hooks. But it’s also partially hope for even more future unravelling. How long can you wait around? (7.1/10)

review by: Matt Smith

I was especially looking forward to hearing the new one from Ritual Carnage, as it was one of my favorite bands to see live when I was living in Japan – this band always brings the hard grooves with little filler in between, using creative rhythms and melodies along with great musicianship to pound out riffs that get everyone moving.

And instrumentally, I, Infidel is one of the strongest thrash albums that's made it into my hands this year. The variety among the tracks is impressive on its own, and everything is very well-executed. The guitar lines are particularly bold, experimenting with different moods, styles and cadences while never losing a deep, death-metal edge; the solos are also a good display of skill from Eddie Van Koide and Wataru Yamada. And Naoya Hamaii's drumming is a wide-ranging and solid base.

The only problem with I, Infidel is Danny Carnage's unfortunate vocals. While the group used to settle for the more conventional growling, Ritual Carnage's messages of destruction are now accompanied by a monotonous and rather irritating whiny voice that is FAR too loud in the mix. If it sat nicely behind the dynamic guitars, you just might be able to forget about it. But as it sits now, it is impossible to put out of mind as repetitious monosyllables burrow deep into your brain. If one rather piercing fault is enough to ruin an album for you, I'd suggest you steer clear. But the instrumentation is worth checking out if you're capable of putting a mental block on Danny. (5/10)

Editor’s note: Matt speaks the truth. Danny is really, really bad. Ruins the whole thing.

review by: Ryan Loostrom

Scar Symmetry are a unique phenominon amongst modern metal... modern melodic death, to be more precise. Featuring members from already well-established bands like Unmoored and Theory in Practice, every member of Scar Symmetry shows outstanding competence, it's just the product that’s confounding. Scar Symmetry make melodic death metal that sounds as close to Soilwork worship as a band can become without actually being Soilwork. However, Scar Symmetry are a blend of plethoras of accessible notions combined with actually metallic metal aspects... if that makes any sense.

Fifty per cent of this record is clean vocals. For every power chord, there is a tremolo riff. Synthesizers are used almost more than the guitar is. So, what's so great about them? The songwriting on this CD is amazing. It's almost to the point where Scar Symmetry are a spectacle. Everything about this CD is derivative of what you've heard before, but never has an amalgamation sounded so utopian as it does here. They've taken Soilwork over-tones and added sounds that seem borrowed from progressive metal, like the clean vocals(Christian Alvestrom is an excellent vocalist, his clean vocals and death growls are both very competent) and synthesizers.

Everything down to the lead guitar is borrowed from other bands. The solos on the CD all sound like they're Peter Witchers' own. Orchestration on the album is heavy, and it's very clear that it's synthesized, which is one of the few gripes about the record. However, all of these elemnts come together perfectly and end up producing flourishing melodies out of something that would alone be completely boring and mindnumbing.

Some of the riffs on this CD are just ridiclous in regards to how basic it sounds, but it's almost always in conjunction with another instrument to provide a better effect. I guess that's with the experience; that and the excellent drumming.

Scar Symmetry are accessible, almost to the point where they're commercial. However, this album is one of the most addicting of the year, so get your hands on it at all costs. (9/10)

review by: Matt Smith

Sear's debut full-length is a hard-hitting, Satan-infused act of pure death. Rich production and a good mix brings each musical element forward into a great blend: deep grooves from the guitars are always audible, the drum hits are hard and precise, and the combination of growling and throaty screams have some dynamic interplay.

Begin the Celebrations of Sin is classic-sounding, as well, bringing back memories of pre-synth death that moves from crushing verse to hard groove and back again, with some atmospheric build-ups in between. Sear isn't experimenting with this release, but the group has set itself up to be one more band that does death right. The songs all sound different, the riffs are varied, the vocals are completely violent, sick and Satanic and the instrumentation is very well-executed. What more can you ask for? One hopes that a band that nails the basics with its first album can only go up. (7.5/10)

review by: Joshua

Indie-folk? Alt-country? Bohemian-rock? All of the above, perhaps. The Secret Annexe’s six piece band of troubadours wield an oddly shiny happy songbook as their flag. They’re the type of band you imagine blowing into town in a rusted-out VW bus, the smell of incense and stale beer wafting from the windows as six guys and girls slouch out from every door with inviting smiles as they set up their equipment in a park gazebo. It’s classic summer music, perfect for sitting around on the grass as its bucolic strains require nothing more of you than feeling the sun on your face and laconic breezes ruffling your hair as you lazily consider shifting cloud formations.

Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll unearth a mournfulness that lurks in the recesses of most of the tracks on What is it About This Place? With their restlessly sunny nature, it’s as if the band is embarrassed by that subterranean sadness, and the bright exterior masks a hurt that can’t stay hidden no matter how cheerful a face is painted on the surface. So as they draw you in with tunes full of jangly, race-along catchiness that weave melodic webs around the very air you breathe, they’re simultaneously dragging you down with minor key swells and despairing moodiness.

Rob Mulhern has a voice tailored for straddling the two strata, a Lou Reed like drawl that languidly drives the upbeat material and underscores the doleful undercurrents. His guidance keeps the glumness in check while it prevents the songs from lapsing over into the realm of saccharine fluff. The rest of the band handles his juggling act with a sort of haphazard efficiency. Stripped down passages trade off with back porch jams. Languorous guitar chords share space with irrepressible piano lines that go epic or demure at a moment’s breath. Viola plays a central role, adding shade or light dependent to what it’s supporting.

The exuberance on display even manifests itself in some horseplay as the band tosses off a tease of prog-like orchestration or does an honest to goodness countrified power ballad that’ll have you picturing Motley Crue’s "Home Sweet Home" with straw hats and Wranglers instead of spandex and eyeliner.

In the end though it’s all about blithely moving through your afternoon where the only concern is whether tomorrow will be as equally carefree as today. The Secret Annexe wins out with songs whose persistent charm is aromatic enough to keep the melancholy at bay and keep you staring wistfully at the sky. (6/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

We had called the debut Space Odyssey album highly derivative of Yngwie Malmsteen’s Alchemy, where we should have said that it was in fact far and away a better version on some of the better moments of that album.

Indeed, Space Odyssey is what you could imagine Yngwie Malmsteen, the band, looking like in an alternate reality had the guitar great not lead such an insular and ever stagnating career. From the get go, The Astral Episode soars out with fast, technical and intense neo-classical prog fronted by ever incredible singer Patrik Johansson. Seriously, the opening track is breathtaking.

Track two soars similarly, and features more majestic melodies. So it seems like clear sailing towards a near perfect, if not perfect, score.

But some iffy moments pop up. Track three sounds way too much like "Requiem for a Dream" on the first Space Odyssey album, especially in the pre-chorus, which is practically identical. Also, Johansson goes a little too over the top with the raunchy huskiness, sometimes ascending to near R&B cheesy insanity.

But it’s cool. The man’s voice is so fantastic that we can easily overlook some melodic moaning indulgence. Low and husky and rich and awesome, this guy is something else.

The Astral Episode overall is a much stronger album than the debut, Embrace the Galaxy. The project is branching out into more adventurous, beautiful, technical, progressive and heavy territory. (And the noodling continues unabashed). The production has largely improved form an already clear and crisp place to more fullness and power. Some might like the bass drums to have more presence on a power metal album like this, but it’s a stylistic choice we can live live.

However, as a set of songs on a cohesive album, it falls somewhat short of its predecessor. Although longer than 50 minutes, The Astral Episode feels truncated, like it’s over too soon. Is that because it’s such a fun ride? Maybe, but it’s also because the last song ends so abruptly, leaving you wonder if that is really the final track, and with a perception that the album, despite all its wonderful music, was rushed. We’re mostly pointing to the relative lack of consistent, overall development in the vocal melody department compared to the first album.

Damn, don’t let this dissuade you from checking out the record, as it’s an exquisite bit of power/progressive metal that flips all the Yngwie clones, and indeed the master himself, on their ears. Too bad Space Odyssey wasn’t *any* of the members in the band’s main project. Then we’d really see something. (8.7/10)

review by: Ryan Loostrom

Sentenced. Amok. Now that your attention has been caught, we can continue. The suicidal Finnish metal act is committing self-termination with the release of their last CD, aptly titled The Funeral Album. While their last CD wasn't much out of the way of cheesey, goth-tinged hard rock, The Funeral Album commands attention.

If anything, time has proved that Sentenced are high-grade songwriters. Whether they're even metal or not is moot at this point. Remember, Amok. However, one thing that has kept Sentenced career alive (and judging from their lyrics, against their will), is their ability to write a memorable song, however light it can be. The Funeral Album is no different, in the end. Every song is one that's almost entrancing as far as how catchy it is. The lyrics? Eh, typical wishing-for-death material.

The only downside of this album is that outside of excellent songwriting, this album is essentially boring. It's one of those recordings you'll put in whenever you want something fun and catchy to listen to, with no real weight. Technical skill? Nothing to talk about. Even the vocals sound forced and rather... laughable. Sentenced are just running on how many mid-tempo riffs they can churn out before we get bored. Luckily, it is their funeral album.

Don't misunderstand, it's a great album when you're looking for something that's just fun. If it's technicality, or some special trait you're looking for, don't even bother. Remember Amok? Not even close. (6/10)

review by: Ryan Loostrom

Turn the treble down and hide your dogs. Siebenburgen are coming with the most annoying tone known to man to establish an album that's catchy, yet destined to make your ears bleed with how positively shrill it can be.

They're black, by all means. You could probably tell from the description of the production. Over-emphatic vocals on top of tremolo riffs and symphonic-aided chord blasting. Yet, amidst all that, there's a hell of a lot of fun to be had with Darker Designs and Images. It falls under all those categories to satisfy every black metal fan; the symphonics especially do Seibenburgen a great favor by painting a bleak and apprehensive atmosphere that almost embodies a medieval battlefield. Excellent leadwork, as well. Sounds almost derived from Megadeth.

You just got to take a moment to laugh at how corny it is, though. From what lyrics you can decipher, if you consider this music to be epic in its themes, it'd probably be best to turn off "Braveheart." Such a dissuading notion from a band that had a lot going for them.

Aside from the fucking annoying intensity of the treble, Darker Designs and Images is a very enjoyable listen, if you take music for what it is: music, and not image. (8/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

We should have known. When Maelstrom contributor Ray Van Horn, Jr. told us in passing that the new Stratovarius was "stripped down," that should have illicited a big, fat red flag. But we smiled just as dumbly and broadly that the Finnish darlings of the world power metal scene were back together and moving forward again.

We weren’t totally in dreamland, though. Ray also mentioned to us that Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson actually told him that, pre-Stratovarius (the album), there was very little else Stratovarius (the band) could do to further their highly progressive music. We would have raised a red flag if we could have picked ourselves off the ground from laughing so hard. That Jens, what a kidder!

Stratovarius sounds like it was written and recorded in about two weeks. It sounds like an album put out by a band that has been making better drama than music the past couple years. It sounds like a record put out by a band to uncomfortably show that all is well in the Strato camp; nothing to see here; move along folks. See? We’ve got a new record. The feeling of fidgeting confidence culminates in album closer "United," which tries its best to tell you that Strato is back and well. No, really.

Stratovarius is progressing by regressing. Their music has always been simple, basic and formulaic, relying on the same few beats and structures; and how a band of this repute could get away with so much blatant riff recycle is wondrous. But Stratovarius is over the top.

Look at the evidence: there is not a single moment of double kick drums on the entire record, and some of the songs have no guitar or keyboard solos. Just for the hell of it, too, the opening song doesn’t sound like Timo Kotipelto’s singing it. So the songs have a kind of fatalistic, mid-paced rock groove to them that becomes more and more ominous as you progress to the end of the record, realizing further with ever passing track that this is all Stratovarius is going to give you.

This qualifies as irony. Stratovarius’ appeal has always lied in its being attentively packaged, candy-coated metal that sounded like it was written for children – a sort of nursery rhymes with double kick drums and ripping, classical guitar leads. But now stripping down the stripped down has resulted in messing with the one element that it seems should not have been tampered with. Essentially, Stratovarius is a power metal band no longer playing power metal.

At least it still sounds like it was made by Stratovarius, even down to Jorg Michaels minimalistic but distinctive style. So it’s not complete betrayal. The closest thing to tragedy with this album is the blandness – the feeling of nervous doubt as to what to do next. It’s certainly not the shameless collection of b-sides that Elements, part 2 is, although the keyboard intro to "Maniac Dance" will remind all of us old enough of our original Nintendo Entertainment Systems. But that short but excruciating intro might be the best and quickest way to see where the Stratovarius camp is lying now: confused, out of touch and unsure of its future. (4.7/10)

review by: %%name=Pal Meentzen

Good heavens! Taliesin is here, unleashing Nightmares of Sorrow and Loss. Taliesin is Karl Haikara, yet another one man band. This 12 track demo was recorded last spring and it's dedicated to the misanthropic, suicidal black metal monsters whose names we so regulary see passing by in reviews. These songs were improvised with lyrics written beforehand.

Taliesin's tunes are skill-wise nothing like Xasthur's or Leviathan's or of the great Burzum. To whose names this "Necro-Hell" is dedicated to. But listening to these nightmares do conjure one name which is equally unknown to most metalheads, and probably even to Taliesin himself. It's Lightning Beat-Man, the insane wrestling rock & roll super hero from Switzerland who brought much joy to those fortunate enough to have heard his deranged "records to ruin any party." He was obsessed with both Elvis and Venom and once said that his preferred studio accoustics were in the toilet of his parents' home. One of his tracks was "Sonic Nightmares," which alone may justifiy this comparison with Taliesin.

I'd like to see Taliesin find a label in the Voodoo Rhythm stable, ‘cause it may be damn hard for him to find anyone in the US mad enough to sign him. Taliesin has a lot less rock elements though (a LOT less – ed), but is similar in creating nerve-wrecking sonic nightmares. Musical elements consists of a cheap keyboard, distorted guitar through a p.a., which is a the point of total collapse, disgracefully demented drumming and, well, sort of vocals: Taliesin often sounds like when an psychotic, asthmatic champion – where a bottle of pure absinth has been poured into – is asked to play tunes about the worst smog pollution imaginable backwards. Titles like "Hell Awaits," "Nightmares" and "Cursed" leave little to be guessed at.

But whereas "Hell Awaits" is the thrashiest guitar / drum / smog song, the last song – the instrumental "The Sorrow and Suffocation of Time" – is a keyboard-only fantasy, based on the tunes of The big B behind bars (yes, there are sparse moments of quite here and there).

Nightmares of Sorrow and Loss is probably the most insane and manic demo I'll hear this year. It's simply impossible and it's guaranteed to piss off anyone who cares for anything remotely produced. It shows nothing but contempt for anyone's sanity or reason. It's total no-fi trash and demonstrates the death dreams of an utter nut case who's given up hope of ever being successful or getting his share of groupies. There is a philosophy somewhat similar to, say, Xasthur's in that he wants you to kill yourself when absorbing this unbearable pain of a nihilistic existence. On the other hand, semi-folkloric sounding titles like "Ashes of Ragnarok" seem to hint at BM from the Norwegian masters of old.

Whatever Taliesin's intentions may be, if he would seriously aim to get into the USBM picture, he'd better start to get working his balls off and try developing some more skills, like one of his heroes, who produced no less than 15 album length home demos before finally having his 1st proper release.

review by: Joshua

There’s something intrinsically satisfying when an album cover so thoroughly telegraphs the content of the music found inside. The cover of Soul Saviour is a model example. Depicting a bleached out, desolate tableau of abandoned and crumbling buildings enshrouded in a haze of smoke and ash, brittle tree limbs reaching towards the sky in supplication to a god that no longer recognizes their need for sunlight and non-contaminated air. In the foreground, a dilapidated billboard displays a woman saucily decked out in a nurse’s uniform, bracketed by the album title and an ironically desperate sentiment that’s either the work of a post-doomsday prankster or a forlorn reminder of a society that was, but will never be again. Before you even throw the CD in to the deck you know you’re in for a rough ride.

And V:28 do follow through on that visual promise. The second installment of a planned trilogy, Soul Saviour continues in the same vein as their debut from a couple of years back – cold and austere industrial metal suitable as the soundtrack for the never-ending freeze of a nuclear winter.

There’s no new ground being broken here. The V:28 sound takes the dense layering of Red Harvest – no huge surprise considering that Red Harvest programmer Lrz is at the production helm – and tap it with the mechanized pummel and soaring guitar lines that Godflesh pioneered long ago. So while the approach itself isn’t going to knock you out by sheer originality, the execution will. These guys know what they’re doing, they do it very well and have the wherewithal to toss in a few left field ideas that stave off predictability.

The key is balance. The slow death of "The Purifying Flames" eventually cedes to an extended fadeout of piano riding a faint, buzzing wash of distortion. "Solid Structure Unknown" is end of the world scary filled with relentless drum programming and jagged guitar pieces vying for space with synthesized string sections itching to begin a funeral procession. The strings win out.

For every overwhelming avalanche of punitive rhythms, hoarse shouting and razor edged riffs there are delicate two or three note melodies, gentle guitar overlays and ambient textures. Lockstep martial rhythms morph into techno beats that are no less punishing. Ultimately, sorrow serves as the only viable alternative to hope as a minor key dirges wrestle against the full embrace of ghostly dark ambient passages.

Peer intently at the cover of Soul Saviour as you listen and descend into a world where nothing grows, nothing thrives. A scarred landscape whose only beauty is found in the wreckage of decay. (7/10)

review by: Ryan Loostrom

Gothic metal as a genre seems to be considerably hit-or-miss. You have the Paradise Losts that actually establish themselves as a quality music-making machine, but then you have the trifle bands. The ones who derive their names from "lilith," or "succubus," or some other abstract entity thought up by people who wrote the most boring literature. The Vision Bleak, however, seem to be in a rush to establish themselves as a band like Moonspell or Paradise Lost. A band you'll remember come next month.

The Vision Bleak are a delightful blend of genres with gothic overtones. They've got the distinctly melodic death guitar rasps in their tone, with even more hints of melodic death influences in the riffs. Orchestration is heavy here, aiding to give them some character along with the aesthetically gothic vocals that sound Disillusion with a hint of Moonspell. The tempo is very standard for gothic metal, as well.

Although The Vision Bleak may be gothic metal, there's an emotive difference between them and typical goth bands. Most bands of this ilk center their emotional flow on feelings of loss. The music takes a mid tempo and someone goes on about lost love while the rhythm plays power chords. The Vision Bleak's ethic, however, displays a sense of a bleak and ominous future. "Carpathia" has a riff that sounds caustic and evil. "Dreams in the Witch-House" features orchestration that paints such an apprehensive atmosphere that it's hard not to be captured by the feeling.

The only real problem The Vision Bleak show is that, while they're excellent at structuring and evoking feelings, as songwriters, they don't stand out above the rest. While I would choose them undoubtedly over Lullacry, I'd probably have an easier time remembering Lullacry's music. (7/10)

review by: Rick Luna

Oakland based Watch Them Die create one ugly monster with their second opus, Bastard Son. It’s forged in fire with gratuitous amounts of intensity, raw splendor and oh, so much more; however, it fails to impress.

Hate to break the bad news to you through thick glass, but there isn’t anything spectacular to comment on Bastard Son. It’s still a side project filled with ex-members of previous "legendary" underground bands (Grimple, Schlong, Eldopa, Word Salad, Buzzov-en, OjoRojo) trying to pass the time by creating thrash influenced metal music with no originality. The first two tracks are perhaps the only good tracks on the album; the rest is the same and gets stale pretty quickly. It’s as if everything were flying right through you at such a swift pace, and even attempting to force yourself into liking this is pretty much a daunting task. This needs incredible amounts of polishing and reworking. Hmm, are those Death influences here and there? Bah, not important, anyways. (5/10)

review by: %%name-Ignacio Coluccio%%

World Below has a weird line-up: mostly it consists of members of bands of other genres, like Centinex, Dellamorte, Amaran, and Altered Aeon. This certainly comes out in the sound of the band. As a doom outfit, traditionally styled, it's much more agressive and downtuned, sometimes similar to a slowed down Dellamorte.

The fact that Maelstrom is a "doom foreigners'" version of doom, it can prove to be quite awkward. The songs are long and dragging, usually clearly divided into segments, like on "Epitaph." Mostly the vocals are clean with the ocassional harsh part or high one, and of course, they are Ozzy-styled. The riffs are either Iommi-like goodness, or melodic stuff that doesn't really fit.

Maelstrom gives you the impression that the members of World Below were somehow serving out some sentence by playing doom, but they weren’t really sure how to do it. So they got together and said "Hey, what do we know about doom? Slow and long songs? Gotcha. Ozzy-like vocalist? Gotcha. Downtuned Guitars? Gotcha." That surely doesn't make the record bad in any form, but the concept is kind of limited.

The biggest error, however, is the lack of groove. The groove is what makes traditional doom songs stand out (like Saint Vitus' "Living Backwards") and be fun, what makes them fun to listen to and to headbang to. The choice to use old school death-metallish guitars instead doesn't help. Still, it's a good record, but just don't expect a masterpiece. (6.1/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

There are some bands that no matter what they do, they do it perfectly. YOB started as a stoner influenced traditional doom band, and now they play stoner / doom with sludge touches. Thankfully, release after release, they show us that everything they make is golden. All their albums are, in a way or another, some of the finest examples of modern doom.

The Unreal Never Lived is the continuation of The Illusion of Motion in all the meanings of the word: more experimental but following the same style musically. Aesthetically, it's their most religious album, the mystic atmosphere is omnipresent and the long songs (should I say journeys?) each shine with a special light. The definite highlight is "Quantum Mystic," the first and catchiest track. I wonder why they don't use clean vocals more often...

Of course, this album isn't made to preconceived expectations; it's quality stoner / doom all around, complex to hear but not boring; as it should be. If you liked their old Black Sabbath-worship material, you'll have to get used to The Unreal Never Lived, but it's worth it.

This time the vocals lean more towards the death side, instead of those high vocals of the past albums. There are no traditionally styled riffs; most of them are instead one-note stoner riffs or ones like Sleep's.

Easily one of the best releases since 2005 and a strong candidate for this year's top five. Just one last thing: play it loud enough to scare all the people in a one kilometer radius. Amazing. (9.5/10)