review by: Megan Leo

Lucifugum refer to themselves as "poisoned, anti-human black metal," and indeed they are misanthropic. This black metal band from the Ukraine take a particularly grating, unmelodic approach to the blackened arts.

On The Supreme Art of Genocide, Lucifugum brings to the table an array of almost epic unmelodicism. Their riffs are timed in odd ways over the somewhat repetitive drumming, creating the kind of dreary landscape an old black and white horror move produces: dark and chilling but somewhat campy. Perhaps it lies in the nature of the (electronic) drums and the production, but it appears this is one of the qualities that give this band a unique sound and feel.

The riffs twist and turn unpredictably over the predictable drumming. It is a mainly mid-tempo beat that occupies the rough song work. The vocals are a scratchy, higher pitched (but not screechy) brand of black metal malevolence.

The Supreme Art of Genocide is a worthwhile piece of blackened vitriol. While bearing a certain monotony through the drumming, it holds its weight through unconventional riffs, note choice , and vocals spewed forth effectively amongst a distinct mix. (6.5/10)

review by: Pal the Postman

Last time I described the post-mortal adventures of a Maelstrom reviewer in the Underworld, where a sadistic performance was laid down by the musical devils of Deathspell Omega.

Well, from sadism to genocide is a logical step, and those who have meanwhile become curious enough to check out the latest one by Deathspell Omega could be equally pleased by Bloodthorn. Think of Deathspell Omega, plus a little dose of Cannibal Corpse, and you'll get the most corrosive and highly aggressive mixture that is Bloodthorn today.

A pentagram, Teutonic lettering, and a rusty background form the simple sleeve design for Genocide, but they pretty much sum it all up. Bloodthorn from Norway used to be much more doomy, with keyboards and vocals much different to the current line-up with Krell. The album was recorded in Godt Selskap Studio (Chton, Griffin, Keep of Kalessin) with Knut Fug Prytz (Necrophagia) producing, giving the album the heavy, thundering production the band sought after.

It's the long overdue follow-up to their third album, Under the Reign of Terror from 2001, and it's extremely brutal throughout the nine tracks, lacking nothing in adrenaline and testosterone. Allegedly, countless delays, difficulties, and lineup changes almost did it for the band, but they've persevered and it seems that there was some serious reason to, let's say, vent the compound.

Genocide offers a solid production, full with minimalistic riffs, a "ram it in yer face" power battery on the drums – with lotsa blastbeats and urgent double bass athletics. This is all complemented with a less tensed up and toneless growl. A good vocal input, because an angry Tom Araya approach would have made it overkill in a negative sense.

Unfortunately, there is not too much reason for rejoicing for all true misanthropes who might be thinking Genocide is their ultimate party disc.

If you skip through the album tracks and hear just the beginning of each one, the tracks seem rather interexchangable. At the beginning of the sixtth song, "Forced Selfmutilation," there is a deceitful intro that seems like things are put into a different gear (a bit reminiscent of Venom's intro to "Nightmare"), but after half a minute it turns out to be just as similar as the other tracks, raging all the way. "They Will Arise" does have some groove, however, be it only in a sparsely dosed manner.

The upshot is that the album's uniformity serves the consistency and a nice and brutal beast of a record may be well appreciated, but in the view of yours truly the weaker point of Genocide is that it lacks depth and offers little variation. Then again, so is the case with actual genocide. With this recognition one may be able to dig this record. But when speaking in terms of "digging," literally, this album is like a dug-up skull that you hold in your hand, looking at you with its hollow eyes, making you do your best Hamlet impression: "To be or not to be..." I'll leave the answer to this question up to Bloodthorn, now that Slobodan Milosevic is out of the picture. Perhaps their next campaign will knock over any skeptics on a more massive scale. Genocide manages to be good and not good simultaneously. (5/10)

review by: Pal the Postman

About 15 years ago the north European black metal underground spawned a new direction of an elementary, even dilettant execution in self-production. Some bands like Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone and such who came up with these principles were so lucky to be doing this at the right time and place, and hence they later were accredited with the honourable badge of being ground-breaking, re-defining for the genre and destined to become immortal for being quoted at any convenient occasion. This direction has become a sort of black metal etiquette for years to come, leading to retrogressive bands which carry on reproducing the wheel, and reviewers making themselves guilty of the copying and pasting of easy comparisons, when in fact perhaps something entirely new could be the matter. Thankfully, black metal keeps on evolving and produces adepts that are far more proficient. Let's take Hate Profile from Italy.

Hate Profile from Italy was founded in 1998 by Amon 418 in order to (as he says) give life to his musical instincts and lyrical urges. Amon stands for a primeval Egyptian personification of air and breath. Thelemite freaks may find out that 418 is the gematric synonym of "ABAHADABRA" (evidently a bit long for a surname). Well, does it all work (magick) here? To some extent, yes, because Hate Profile are a good example of an act trying to lift the BM underground to a higher level, whilst still retaining their integrity.

This project called Opus 1: The Khaos Hatefile has an ambitious background, being part of a concept album trilogy. Like the Flying Dutchman, this album floats in a sea of the occult, breathing a haunting atmosphere, but being philosophical and intelligent at the same time. And fast!

It's by no means bombastic, but very sparse, potent and competent. Amon 418 took care of the growling vocal uncanniness and, with the exception of drums, all musical components, which is certainly admirable. But it's especially the drumming that is of a level that makes it listening to The Khaos Hatefile a pleasure.

Diego "Grom" Meraviglia (from Ancient and Hortus Animae) was called to perform session drums on The Khaos Hatefile, which were recorded during different sessions and studios throughout 2004. The snaredrum sound is tinny, but it's just that aspect that puts an emphasis on Grom's enormous dexterity, who doubtlessly belongs to Italy's finest drummers.

Hell, man, these folks are like an Italian answer to Wrest's Leviathan, notably like he sounded on his older demos: Good melodies, crazy and complex time signatures (often fast, occasionally slower), it just gets better and better after each listen.

Only minor point of complaint is for the misleading instrumental intro, which is somewhat dull and repetitive, so I'd advise to skip and forget about that one. The first minute of the fifth song, "The Day My Feathers Fell," is an absolute highpoint when you get treated to a splendid crossfire of manic blastbeats alternated with some lightnin' fast and virtuoso rolls!

Occassionally, Hate Profile have applied some keyboards to enhance the atmosphere with creepy effects, and further the title track stands out for its intro with its subtle use of echo. Very smart.

The band is presently writing new material for the second album and recording a split-cd with Defixio. Again, Grom recorded the drum tracks for both (which is absolutemente bellissimo). It should be out very soon and will feature 4+4 songs and covers from Satyricon and (yes... *sigh*, there they are again, the inevitable) Darkthrone.

Hate Profile are a potentionally rising star in skies blackened by mediocrity. Go check it out! (8/10)

review by: Pal the Postman

A Finnish band formed `cause they liked to play Six Feet Under and Obituary covers, release an album in 2003, but then find they have no singer. They mentioned this on the Internet, and who was the one to eventually turn up? Chris Barnes himself!

A bloody wet dream come true!

With his help, the Finns were able to join Metal Blade Records and now this remarkable collaboration is a fact in the shape of Swarm!.

Being inspired by SFU, Torture Killer naturally share the gore-obsessed themes, and musically they are just as groove-based. Despite the things they share in common, Swarm! is an album unlike the last Six Feet Under album because it radiates more energy than the routine and – compared to SFU's previous works – not-so-remarkable album that was 13.

Also different is the style of Torture Killer's drummer Tuomo Latvala, which is less laid back and more subtle in the use of cymbals. Also in contrast they have two guitarists, Tuomas and Jari, who, combined with their baldness and heavy tattoos, rather suggest a linkage with the metalcore scene. But don't be deceived by their appearance. Their approach is more melodic and not as downtuned as Steve Swanson's. However, as could be expected, one can hear song structures which are very reminiscent of classic SFU songs.

SFU connoisseurs may agree that the general rhythm and feel of "A Funeral for the Masses" is similar to "Human Target"; And that "Multiple Counts of Murder," with its upbeat tempo, is like a bastard twin to "Revenge of the Zombie." And that the beginning of both "Obsessed With Homocide" and "Heading Towards the Butchery" is stylewise similar to "Hacked to Pieces." And, yes, even that "Cannibal Gluttony" echoes "Victim of the Paranoid." One may think that these similarities show a lack of ideas. On the other hand, Torture Killer do not pretend to be doing anything else than producing legitimate variatons on a theme. It's well produced and it sounds nice.

Swarm! is like a Chris Barnes tribute project in which all involved were lacking nothing short of motivation, which can't go beyond notice.

Those who have become disenchanted with Barnes' long-term vehicle called SFU may experience Torture Killer as a welcome and slightly pimped-up version, which is rare considering that they don't give a damn that they can (and will) easily be dismissed as clones. Torture Killer must be so euphoric, they probably can't be bothered by criticism whilst Chris Barnes can enjoy the luxury of choosing direction on his crossroads to Armageddon whenever the fuck he wants.

Unfortunately for them (and us), when it comes to concerts and festivals he has commitments with SFU live activities. But the death camp will hold something to be looking forward to.

Torture Killer: They don't want to hurt you, they just want to kill you... (7/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

A DVD about Sear Bliss? The Hungarian black metal band? The one with the tuba? Oh, wait, it’s a trombone. Right.

Probably not the first band you’d expect to have a DVD made about. But that’s part of Decade of Perdition’s charm. Yeah, it turns out Sear Bliss has been around for 10 years now. Who’d have known? We like their records. Outside of BM superstar Attila Csihar, it’s curious how the Hungarian metal scene is like an infant compared to the other countries that come to mind when you think of eastern Europe. What with Hungary’s historically cultural, romantic embracing of suicide and despondency, you’d think it would be the opposite.

So the DVD is like an expose on what passes for black metal in Hungary. And perhaps not surprisingly, it seems that Sear Bliss is actually pretty well known in their country, having played their music in front of large crowds at outdoor performances of "The Beggar’s Opera" with a prominent theater troupe.

These are the kinds of stories and footage we are privy to during Decade of Perdition’s documentary on the band. It’s surprisingly well done: transcending the usual behind the scenes segments featured on metal band DVDs, replete with the compulsory drunken idiocy and moronic fooling around. Not that there isn’t any shortage of this in Decade of Perdition, but it fits in much better with the pacing of the interviews and random scenes. In addition to being entertaining, the documentary is very well edited and subtitled, giving you the flavor of the Hungarian language, but making you feel like you’re not missing anything in the translation. It’s also good for a few chuckles, either from the band members themselves or from the shocked, black metal virgin engineer who nervously laughs when he first hears BM vox going through his board. "This is brutal," he says, "I can’t record this."

Not that the concert is anything to sneer at. Ok, there could have been some better shots of the drummer, and an hour set over 10 songs could seem a little short for such an occasion as a 10 year anniversary, but look at the plus side: The sound is excellent, the performances sound dead on, and the trombone (and trumpet) come across beautifully. Speaking of trombones, the show gives precious insight on what to do between parts if you’re a trombonist in a metal band: hold the instrument like a guitar and headbang like mad.

Other high/lowlights include the apparition of a bearded, would-be wigger/hip-hop type, sunglasses and sweatshirt hood in place, who does little but hog the camera for a few minutes. As soon as he opens his mouth, though, you realize, aghast, that it’s BM icon Attila Csihar in a guest role. What’s with the get-up and mojo, dude? You might say the same thing about the lone corpse-painted member in Sear Bliss.

Decade of Perdition’s greatest triumph is that it transcends being a DVD about a band for fans of that band: It largely succeeds in instilling interest in those with a casual interest in Sear Bliss, or even in those who have never heard of them before. A highly recommended DVD. (8/10)

review by: Chaim Drishner

This album is a compilation of Malvento's three demos, dating back to 1999, 2001 and 2002, collected and pressed into a CD, offering a chance to hear the band's early and limited works to anybody who wishes to do so.

The question will have to be then, why would anybody want to listen to Malvento's music in the first place? What does it offer? Well, even though the musical material on the disc sounds relatively clear, production-wise, the music is still very underground-like in essence.

Malvento offers nothing new and adds none to free-thinking, commercially-unbound, esoteric music, for Malvento is the living proof of how and to what extent the herd mentality has affected the underground – the wild, free, allegedly creative underground…

Regressus Ad Uterum is a stereotypical, raw, and simple black metal album without any identity or characterization, one in a line of thousands of faceless black metal clones out there, in a crowded underground that's been more busy with quantity and has long since forgotten all about quality.

Malvento offers relentless, mid-paced-to-fast (no blast beats here), stripped down, and monotonic guitar-driven, riff-oriented black metal with typical vocals, very simple (sometimes too simple) drumming that could kill with boredom, and the usual riffs and song structures. Malvento does not offer any single reason why anybody should listen to its offering whereas there are so many similar copycats which offer the exact same product… (5/10)

review by: Chaim Drishner

A four-song, do-it-yourself CDR of professional sounding, professionally played thrash metal with a nu-metal vibe (or is it mallcore?) not unlike Slipknot, which are one of the band's influences, among others, ranging from Pantera and Testament to Slayer.

All in all, sixteen minutes of uninspiring, unoriginal, disposable metal of some kind. The songs are nevertheless catchy, simple in a way, monochromatic and stereotypical, but with top-notch execution. Well-taught instrumentalists without one drop of originality or emotion… (1/10)

review by: Chaim Drishner

Vasa Iniquitatis, although labeled as black metal, has got nothing to do with it... not even remotely. For that matter, it hardly can even be associated with metal altogether. The only black metal reference for this duo is one of the two members' affiliation with black metal bands (Black Funeral, Sorath).

Rather, Ordo Tyrannis offer to the very patient listener a bleak and atonal sonic morbidity that's been inspired by heavy and harsh industrial, drone, minimalist, funeral doom (forget the metal element, already) and something along the lines of dark ambient, death rock, dark cabaret and post-punk.

It is very hard a task to sit through almost an hour of sonic attack on the ears and listen to this very unfriendly mass of strange sounds, obscure vocals and disharmonic layers of rhythms, noises, and drones, in wait of a certain climax or a punch line that never arrives.

The recording is very bleak and sterile, every element sounds as if it was processed to a pulp, screened, harmonized and synthesized, resulting in a very obscure, cold album that almost intimidates the listener with its extended, machine-like sounds.

The guitars, if used (it is really hard to tell whether these are actual guitars or some other distortion generator) are nothing but a wall of constant noise in the background, upon which there are other layers of sounds, hisses, beats, rhythms, loops and samples. The dominant layers and the vocals, which again, not unlike the "music," sound hollow and obscure: not growled or screamed, but rather even more ominously shaped and pronounced by a mouth of an evil-sounding circus clown with rotten, yellow, sharp teeth and malice in his eyes, spitting his manifest in some godforsaken dark cabaret theater or a morbid sideshow.

As mentioned, the musical structure is repetitive, monotonous, almost-dreamlike (or the embodiment of nightmares) with a hypnotic essence to the repetitions and the aimless, sluggish pace this album is overwhelmed with. This album will be most suitable for fans of Until Death Overtakes Me, Agamemnon and anything else minimalist, droning, repetitive and dark… (5/10)

review by: Chaim Drishner

Fire for Effect is one of those dime-a-dozen bands that offers nothing new other than the concept: a vitriolic, in-your-face, full-throttle patriotic support of the American armed forces, and their day-to-day, life-threatening activities (mostly in regards to Iraq).

Music-wise, the band – who started in 2005 as a retro ‘80s hair metal cover band – plays a somewhat old-school hardcore-like thrash metal, employing distorted guitars with a distinct heavy buzzing sound, old-school-ish riffs and rhythms and a very unsuitable vocalist that mostly shouts (or dictates) in a rather ridiculous manner and seems out of place with the music. If any of you are familiar with Uncle Slam and/or the early days of Suicidal Tendencies, I'd suggest you keep listening to these fine bands – that although share a somewhat similar sound and style with Fire for Effect – offer a genuine listening experience, whereas Fire for Effect is really a disposable album. (2/10)

review by: Chaim Drishner

This album does not contain music, but random sounds – incoherent, indecipherable, an insult to all that's musical. Seeds of Darkness is supposed to be a "best of" compilation of material Arsenic has recorded since its inception in 1984. The "music" seems to be some parody of punk-ish thrash/speed metal – that is, if these guys actually knew how to play their instruments, write something you could call a song, and record in a real studio... and not in a cave.

This is amateurish bullshit without aim, structure, or a sense of rhythm. The sound is so bad, one may only wonder what kind of a hit in the head the people in Baphomet/Red Stream sustained to even spend a nickel on this worthless album… It is claimed this is Killjoy's (Baphomet Records' manager) favorite band, go figure… Avoid at all costs! (0/10)

review by: Chaim Drishner

This MCD was recorded in 1998 and has been re-released by Crash Music, a fact that makes me wonder... What's the incentive in re-releasing a 27-minute, eight- year old mini-album with three covers, one original Jungle Rot song and three more live tracks? No, it can't be the money, right? It must be the added value of this short album, or its historic value, or something…

Apart from this eyebrow-raising move, I think Jungle Rot is a very potent band that does not follow the obvious paths in (brutal) death metal: Jungle Rot may actually be labeled as one of the pioneers of slow, brutal death metal, and I mean "slow" as opposed to most bands that had chosen to employ the death/grind approach to their death metal. Jungle Rot has always owned a sense of depth in its music – as well as a sense of melody, even though never really touching any of the melodic sides of metal. Slaughter the weak and Dead and Buried were both very mature and unique experiences through slow, heavy-as-fuck death metal that did not fall into any of the genre's clichés or stereotypes.

Darkness Foretold, albeit not Jungle Rot's finest hour, is a strong album displaying the abilities of these slowed-down death metal masters, giving a mild impression to anyone who hasn't yet listened to Jungle Rot's full-lengths to this ensemble’s abilities and stylistic approach. And then, there’s one of the best covers I've ever heard – Sodom's "Agent Orange." If only for this cover alone, this album is recommended. (7/10)

review by: Chaim Drishner

Storm Alert is a re-release of material that was mostly recorded in the late ‘80s. It’s good Escapi decided to release this album (plus bonuses) again, thus allowing metal listeners – old and young – to enjoy a piece of violent, powerful, riff-oriented, old-school thrash metal done right (not your average thrash offering, this album is of the highest caliber, even among the thrash classics…).

Storm Alert comes highly recommended mostly for younger generations that have no real clue what thrash metal is/was all about, judging from all the post-thrash bands of today or the retro-thrash that offers only a pale shade of the original filthy, redneck attitude and sound of those thrashers of old (that bore the unsaid slogan, "we're imbeciles, and proud of it…") that didn't give a fuck about anything or anyone, and played this sort of music only for their own personal fun, a fact that could be easily heard.

Frankly, many a year has passed since last listening to thrash metal as good as this: Searing, distorted guitars, classy tunes and passages, killer, interesting riffs, mid-paced to slow drumming, emphasizing the power and heaviness of the music, and a prominent, dominant vocalist that lends his raspy, sometimes high-pitched voice to the dynamic song structure. The overall outcome is nothing less than a very rewarding, if not nostalgic thrash metal experience par excellence.

A much recommended back-to-roots (and more) album. (8/10)

review by: Chaim Drishner

Most of the European readers of Maelstrom should be familiar with the long-lasting establishment called The Eurovision song contest: a lame, pathetic, pop-ish piece of crap, where Europe gathers (en masse – ed) once a year to witness its glorious garbage-for-music, only to prove once again how faceless this planet has become… (Drishner doesn’t appear to be a fan – ed)

Eric the Red is a Eurovision-like product, and has nothing to do with anything metal stands for. Albeit better written and executed than most Eurovision rubbish, the musical approach is of saccharine conformity and herd mentality that does not stray from the conventional and the banal, what makes – in the end – a very poor listening experience that although may be somewhat enjoyable at times – due to pompous and greater-than-life arrangements – offers nothing and excites no one.

Tyr hail from the Faroe Islands, located in the North Sea, and try to create a folklore-infused, heroic heavy metal of sorts, but the arrangements are nothing we haven't heard, the tunes too jolly and silly and the emotional factor is absent. As good as their intentions are, the outcome is far from breathtaking. It's not that the album is horrible, per se – it has its moments – but for an experienced listener, these moments are far from enough. Anyway, anyone who seeks the manifestation of darkness and reflection through metal – or any other dark music for that matter – will miss it a great deal with this piece of… pop metal, maybe?

For "Viking" metal fools only. (4/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Amateur DIY noise. I know most of you define noise music as a really loud "WHOOOOOOOOSH," but the sheer amateurness and immaturity of this collaboration makes it truly unique. As bad as you might have expected it to sound, The Attack of the 19th Killer is just the opposite.

To have an idea of what this album really is, think of Gerogerigegege mixed with more traditional Japanoise, old-school noisecore, and power electronics here and there. There's your typical effects pedal noise, mixed with... something like singing, claps, guitar "riffs," and other instruments. Surprisingly, there are even melodic parts, like in "Pipe Duckling1" that are similar to Naked City's ambient bits.

The album's highlights are the Japanoise-like elements – the ones that sound like Merzbow's later analog material. You know, the WHOOOOSH mentioned above. It's refreshing to find some modern and analog harsh noise without it being 70 minutes of brown noise.

To sum it up, this album is at the cutting edge of avant-garde noise: stuff that even for noise standards is weird as hell. If there's something to remark, it's mostly having the balls to release something as hit or miss as The Attack of the 19th Killer, which will certainly be a miss for most people... except hardcore noise fans. The "exclusivity," or at least the limited target it was made for, doesn't make it any less amazing. (8.9/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Common criticisms of both shredders and/or progressive metal guitarists are "they don't know how to compose a song" or "their music is just wankery." While that might be the case in many instances, there certainly are exceptions to the rule. One of them is Degree Absolute.

Musically, Degree Absolute could be best described as power-influenced prog metal. You could say it's closer to Fates Warning and old Dream Theater than it is to Symphony X. Unlike many modern bands, however, it's not a worship band and it has a style of its own.

It's prog, you know what to expect. The rhythmic parts are full of polyrhythms and complex guitar riffs, with a terrific rhythmic section that does an awesome job providing the music with constant highlights and changing the mood. The vocalist, and thank whatever deity you believe in for that, is not really high-pitched, but more of a hard rock singer. It's important to say that he sounds kind of amateurish in a good way, like it's not just the same singer you hear all the time but someone experimenting with his voice.

Degree Absolute’s downside, as with most modern prog, is that it’s really hard ro get into unless you really are in the mood for it, or your attention span is especially good. But still, that doesn't make the album any worse, as it's an outstanding album of some of the best prog out there.

If the terribly disappointing last few albums from Dream Theater made you lose any hope for the whole genre, here's a band that will fix that. (8.4/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

There can never be enough sludge. Traditional, real sludge, none of that modern "atmospherical" sludge or sludgecore stuff. Lately, there have been many bands playing it the old-school way, and many others are starting to play something that could be called avant-garde sludge (see Khanate). Facedowninshit is a mix of both.

Stylistically, it's Grief and Iron Monkey worship, mixed with some Khanate here and there, as well as grind (so it might remind you of Goatsblood), death metal, and blues. But ignoring all those influences, the best parts on the album are easily the straightforward sludge ones. It can be pretty awkward to hear an atmospherical part just after really in-your-face riffing mixed with extreme vocals.

The riffing is the one you'd expect from a southern-styled doom band, and seriously, it would make Eyehategod proud. And most of all, it's highly entertaining, simple and headbangable. The rhythmic base is outstanding and the vocals are some of the best in the genre.

If you can ignore the unfitting non-sludge parts, you'll find yourself loving most of the album. Not for sludge purists, but for all the rest. (7.7/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

There's this trend in metal, or rather in the more traditional genres of metal, of making it all so serious it makes you want to puke. There have been bands speaking of a brotherhood in metal, some being way too serious about angst and depression, and others talking about racial cleansing as a solution for everything. But what we have here is something that has been needed in a big release like this for quite a lot of time. That is, fun (and JUST fun) thrash.

Well, we're using thrash here in the broad sense of the word, as it's quite punk-like in approach, even displaying a horror-punk like atmosphere and old-school hardcore segments. But thrash or not, the thing one can't ignore about Invasion from the Death Dimension album is the obvious and overwhelming fun factor. Its influences range from Slayer (seriously, the singer's just a harsher Tom Araya) to Misfits. Actually, if you liked Slayer's punkier era, you'll love Invasion from the Death Dimension all the more.

Simply, Funerot is amazing. Technically, they display variety, originality and at the same time, structures one can recognize and follow. Sure, you might say it lacks depth, but it's so entertaining it makes up for it. The technical work is tight, with some absolutely perfect riffs (pretty much all of "1-900-Dth-Line") and, at worst, just very good ones.

Recommended for all fans of metal, with absolutely no exception. (8.9/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Broken Whispers feels like being inside a modem. You know those really old 28.8kbps modems that now are about as hard to find as your favorite black metal band's first demo?

It all feels like transmissions, downloads, and uploads. There will be moments where the usage of the modem is low; sometimes there will be actions using the modem's full capacity. But no matter what, it all sounds like electronic devices working.

So this offering is from the more digital side of ambient or minimalistic music, often using sine waves and other analog sounds but placed in a digital context. When it distances itself from this modern sound, however, it sounds a lot like Raison d'Etre and In Slaughter Natives (see the song "When Darkness Falls," for example).

There's something perhaps magical that makes Broken Whispers fun. I know, dark ambient bands aren't supposed to be fun, but this one somehow manages to be so. That, mixed with the pure talent displayed here, makes it a hell of an ambient album. Summarized: it's amazing. (8.6/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

This US metal band’s style is equal parts black metal and good ol’ rockin’ heavy metal. Think Brocas Helm if it were a BM outfit: a BM meets trad guitar tone, BM vox, riffs that mix BM picking with music of a Celtic air, and tons of rough, double kick attack. The riffs are simple and, while not re-inventing the metal wheel, are deeply saisfying. The songs are long for this style (five to eight minutes) and rely heavily on the metal riff staple, resulting in a hard-charging, old-school homage to gloriously flying metal’s true colors.

Counterbalancing the old-school characteristics are some new-school aspects, like triggered, aggro typewriter kick drums, which play an impotant role in Catatonic Stella Illusions’ sound. The playing is solid overall, but has enough little imperfections to keep it honest, and in the end makes Mog Ruith all the more likeable. The production is full and clear, without being polished. Again, that true metal feel.

Mog Ruith might try to make you believe that Catatonic Stellar Illusions is a demo. It says so in the inlay. No way. From the pro layout, tasteful packaging, and quality music and recording, this album smacks of way too much time and effort to be ranked as a rough approximation of a proper album. It already is. (7.5/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Nebula is one of the big, big names in stoner rock nowadays, and Apollo makes it obvious it's not for nothing that they are up there with artists such as Dozer and Unida.

Aesthetically, Apollo is pretty much the early ‘70s done in a 2006 way. The riffage is a mix of Kyuss, Black Sabbath, and a little bit of Cream. It's logical, however, that the production is top-notch and the guitar tone is more modern than those bands.

As with all Nebula’s releases, Apollo’s strong point is catchiness, entertainment and a dopey atmosphere. Some parts even get almost sing-along, but the fact that it could be commercial doesn't make it any worse.

So, as fun and entertaining it is, this album in particular is nothing new for Nebula. It's another album in their good but not groundbreaking catalog of constant quality. Sure, it's hard to make original stoner rock without producing just jams or without going too far away from stoner itself, but Apollo would be so much better if they actually experimented instead of just playing good songs. Anyway, don't let this mean anything bad about it, but take it more as a warning: don't expect anything different.

For what Nebula wants Apollo to be, it's perfect, and it's pretty much what you can expect of very good but not impressive stoner rock. So take it as a quick fix but not as a big change for the genre. (7.8/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Dark ambient as a whole is pretty much a hit or miss genre. In this case in particular, it's just in the middle. It's not a complete hit like In Slaughter Natives, but it's not a complete miss like many black metal styled dark ambient bands.

Extermination Processing Tower can be stylistically divided in two parts: the dark ambient one, and the power electronics-sounding one.

The power electronics (or rhythmic dark ambient if you might call them that) are the album's highlight, with really interesting – and at the same time musical sounds. While it doesn't get too far from dark ambient, it certainly doesn't follow the genre's stereotypes.

On the other hand, the dark ambient ones range from mediocre to very good, often in the same song. For example, the first two songs of Extermination Processing Tower are quite generic and boring, but the ones found later in the album can be quite atmospheric and likeable, sometimes getting close to the Cold Meat Industry bands.

Flawed and all, this Objekt 4 release is good for background music, but don't expect it to turn into your favorite album or something you'll go back often to. (5.6/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

We could classify Sterbender Satyr as a neofolk album.. It has a deep German sound, befitting Orplid’s Teutonic origins. And this is where the main influence comes in: Nico. While Orplid doesn't sound like a carbon copy of Nico, it has lots and lots of similarities in sound to her more neofolk compositions; that is, her later solo career. In some parts, it sounds like a brighter Death in June (especially when the guitars enter).

Sterbender Satyr is a unique experience. It seems like the perfect soundtrack to a movie about the dark ages. And even if compositionally it seems from another century, the production and instruments used make it obvious it's from the actual century. Well, no distorted electric guitars are used, but the approach to neofolk is still modern.

A different offering from an original band, it was a surprise to hear such a good album seemingly coming out of nowhere. (8.3/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Ah, how I love the smell of gore-ridden brutal death metal in the morning. It's certainly one of those genres that can just cheer you up with its special brand of the best kind of immaturity: comedy.

Putrefy, as every good band in the genre, doesn't approach it so seriously, but with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, musical technicality, and outstanding compositions with tempo changes and variation as its pillar. The vocals are among the best in the genre, sometimes sounding really goregrindish, and some other times more like Brodequin.

Putrefy does indeed sound like what Brodequin would play if they relied less on the drummer and more on the composition, less on sheer speed and more on brutality. Better? Not really, it's just a different kind of the same thing, but this one's for people searching for musical quality instead of brutality.

The usage of samples might make it seem like a grind album, but honestly there's not much grind to be found here, just blasting brutal death madness. And damn, is it brutal. (8.2/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Uki Uki is the musical version of that really, really hard sentence you have to read at least 10 times to (maybe) get its meaning. In this case, it's certain you'll need some good spins before really understanding this album. To put it simply, you won't know what the hell's going on for quite a while.

You could say Uki Uki is a mix of Air, with Japanese avant-garde/tape music (similarities with stuff such as Ryuichi Sakamoto's more electronic meterial can be heard), post-rock, minimalistic electronica, early synth music such as Erkki Kurenniemi, and ambient. While it's true some noise music segments are obvious, it's mostly of the musique concrete kind.

The whole CD, even its harsher parts, displays a cute atmosphere all the time. Even the female vocals, psychotically sampled and distorted, are cute and somehow happy sounding. That distinctive atmosphere is what makes Uki Uki an outstanding and unique album.

The main difference between Roricat and other modern acts is that, while avant-garde music tends to be just an experience, this band made this album both as an experience and as single, individual songs. Some compositions that inevitably stand out are "Naga Will Be Fine," "Taina [X-Com Forever]" (mostly due to its amazing concept) and "Uki Uki."

Overall, an amazing, fun and unique album. If you're at all into any even remotely avant-garde genre, Uki Uki is a must. Watch out for the massive length of the album (more than 70 minutes) and for most of it being instrumental. (9.1/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

There's a serious lack in doomy death bands nowadays. I mean, we've gotten lots of old-school death bands, but not many real doom-influenced death metal. Death/doom we have lots and lots of, but when you want something more brutal, it's just hard to find.

Vore is precisely that, a slow death metal band, without getting totally doom. It's a concept that, if done correctly, can be absolutely awesome, but sadly Maleficus is not the case.

Technically, it's not really the most complex album out there, but there’s no problem with that. The compositions are good; each with quite a lot of riffage. The vocals are quite strong and have variety when compared to other bands’. But the good part is only the technical one.

The downside of Maleficus, and it's quite a big one, is that the album is simply boring. Sure, quality-wise, it's far better than average, but it's so monotonous and samey that you won't notice. The fact that it's not blasting death metal (or brutal in any way), and not doom/death either, makes it just an alright record, and not something that you'll remember months from now. It's just like those progressive albums that years later are completely unknown thanks to being just guitar wankery, except that this time you have to exchange "guitar wankery" for "headbangable riffs." But still, it doesn't make the album bad, just... deeply flawed.

So... unless you're specifically searching for something like this, it's not the best thing out there. (4.7/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

Greatest hits albums, same as re-recordings, are just for when you have an especially outstanding catalogue. For example, when Anathema released Resonance, it was awesome to see the changes that took place in all those years. Victory, on the other hand, has a history of playing only one genre, and there's no point in doing this. And well, their material isn't even good, so it's unexplainable.

Surely, Fuel to the Fire isn't horrible, but it's not so far from it. It's pretty much standard, generic, hard-rock based, almost glam-like heavy metal. Logically, that means high-pitched vocals (not the best ones out there) lots of drums-and-bass-only parts, traditional structuring and the same ol' riffs you've been hearing in generic heavy metal for 25 years now.

On the good side, Fuel to the Fire is a fun album if you're a hard core fan of the genre (as in, you buy pretty much everything that's labeled "heavy metal," no matter how bad it is), even if completely lacking in depth, as well as in every other capacity. But anyway, there's so much good heavy metal out there that listening to this album should be a crime.

If you liked ‘80s hair metal, and early heavy metal, maybe you'll like this as "just another band." Otherwise, you won't want to touch it. Ever. (2/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Pyramaze’s sophomore album, Legend of the Bone Carver, tightens up a great deal of what were the looser ends of their debut, Melancholy Beast. The production on this power/progressive metal album is better, most importantly in the greater presence and fullness of the guitar. However, all the instrumental elements sound improved in respective depth and brightness, making it the best recording this largely Danish band has done.

We’re even going to go as far as to say it’s the best recording journeyman veteran singer non pareil Lance King has ever been a part of. As ever, King’s vocals are original and talented, lending Pyramaze so much of its worthwhile qualities with the same knack for signature phrasing and melodic placement that made Balance of Power remarkable.

It’s partially because of these improved sonic qualities that The Legend of the Bone Carver isn’t the kind of record that one needs to spend time to get to know, like Melancholy Beast.

Musically, Pyramaze’s utilization of keyboards sits excellently with the powerful drums and sharp riffs, which range from the high-pitched neo-classical, to charging, pseudo-Celtic bits, to fast-picked, aggressive metal riffing. The music varies in delivery, urgency and tone, giving the album a remarkable pace. The material isn’t of the progressive ilk that features lengthy, meandering instrumental sections. Pyramaze’s songs – while featuring instrumental sections with quality guitar solos – are centered around the vocal arrangements, so you won’t find any instrumental tracks or 8+ minute songs. As a result, the album moves along smoothly and seemingly much faster than its actual 47-minute length.

Unfortunately, what you will find are a bunch of spoken clips. We count five, which as far as we’re concerned, is five too many (and much more than Lance King recalled in his telling interview with us in this issue). The prog metal club around Maelstrom hates spoken clips, and largely see them as a bane of the genre. Speaking isn’t musical, and we’re buying music albums because we want to hear just that; speaking a part seems like a cop-out to singing it. What’s more, it’s far too easy to err on the side of cheesiness with spoken clips by over-dramatizing, something that this album is guilty of. (At least there aren’t any generic, pitch-shifted low talking parts). This is sadly a common side-effect of the concept album, which Legend of the Bone Carver is. Please give us a story, but save the speaking for the book on tape.

What’s worse, some of these spoken sections appear in the middle of a song, our biggest pet peeve. This culminates in a guest appearance of Lance King’s son, playing the album’s titular character as a child on track three. No doubt a lovely boy in real life, the lad’s whiny, lamenting part is awkward at first, and increasingly becomes grate on the nerves with each passing listen, eventually becoming something to not look forward to each time the album is played. Meanwhile, the female guest vocals work well, being professionally delivered and most importantly, sung.

But let’s put things back in proper perspective. Legend of the Bone Carver, despite pushing some of our personal pet peeve buttons, is nonetheless a highly recommended power/progressive metal work, whose attention to quality and depth far transcends any of its shortcomings. And, hey, you might not even be irritated by anything that bugs us. We look forward to this band staying together for a long time. (8.1/10)

review by: Matt Smith

These Swedes' third release is a display of musical maturity. On its thirteenth year as a group, Satariel has mastered a unique sound that smoothly combines a black metal mentality with a lower-tempo thrash execution. Melodic grooves sit at the center of a well-ordered but tumultuous mixture of vocal stylings, acoustic lines, synthesizers and masterful solos.

Songwriting is Satariel's main strength, as putting all the dissimilar elements together in a cohesive way must have been a real challenge. Nowhere do the transitions seem jarring or unnatural, but by the end of Hydra the listener feels he has traveled some great distance (and occasionally wonder if the album is some sort of split LP).

Grinding choruses combine with more emotional verses, sweet female serenades lead into gently rocking guitar lines, which turn into pounding, double-bass-fueled riffs accompanied by screams. Well, you get the idea. The generally slow speed of Hydra does lead to some feelings of repetitiveness, though Satariel does a great job of continuously bringing new elements into the mix and shifting between related themes. Aside from the severe shifts in style, Hydra is not an extreme album, nor is it greatly challenging to the listener. But it is a good listen overall – a lot of metalheads should be pleased by this one. (7.5/10)

review by: Matt Smith

Third Degree's brand of grinding death is a thick mixture of varied drum lines and repeating but evolving guitar riffs overlaid with aggressive growling. The looseness and straightforwardness of the group's style hints at hardcore, but the variety of grooves and tempos will appeal mainly to death-heads. Although not overtly technical, Third Degree's style has an underlying complexity that complements its headbanging sound and keeps each song interesting.

The lyrics are composed of simple words and images but are strangely intriguing. Often, seemingly trivial lines are punctuated by an eye-opening phrase or sentence that really gets your attention. The simple sentence structures are also well-paired with the percussive nature of the vocals and pounding guitar lines.

The songs on Outstay don't feature a lot of variety among them; the instrumentation and distortion remain the same throughout, and Third Degree doesn't stray far from the style it knows. But the album never reaches tedium, and if you enjoy Third Degree's basic sound you're sure to like the entire thing. Uncomplicated but thoughtfully executed, Outstay is a solid listen for any fan of death metal. (7/10)

review by: Matt Smith

Kataklysm is a band that has long been in search of equilibrium. It experiments with a melodic sound, then with groove-heavy stuff, then with a more aggressive, formulaic style. In the Arms of Devastation is a great synthesis of Kataklysm's former experimentation. The guitars are particularly versatile, shifting between technical riffing and simple yet satisfying grooves. The drums are also strong on this album – each beat is hit with precision, and none of the lines are allowed to get repetitive or stale. The double bass kicks in occasionally, and always at the right spots to get your head moving. The vocals comprise alternating or layered growls and screams, which are also very defined in their timing and execution.

The production is perfect for the instrumental/vocal combination that Kataklysm brings in this release. Every part is audible, and the layering is perfect for the thick, unrelenting sound the group achieves.

In the Arms of Devastation probably won't appeal to fans of really extreme stuff, or to listeners looking for something they haven't heard before. But there is satisfaction to be found in the solidly executed grooves and uncomplicated but well-honed overall formula Kataklysm has created. This release is accessible to any metal listener, especially fans of death and thrash, and it's sure to be a hit among many of them – especially if they're not too picky and just enjoy a good listen. (6.5/10)

review by: Matt Smith

This masterful trio knows how to put on a show. Light on banter but heavy on badass death metal, this DVD highlights Krisiun's unrelenting style, hardly slowing for a moment from the blazing guitar riffs and extreme drum lines that have become the group's signatures.

The video's production values are excellent; varied, professional camera work and good stage effects set a great backdrop for the crisp-sounding metal that Krisiun brings to the show. And the extras, which include bonus videos from Wacken 2001, a Sao Paolo concert in 2004, and Metalmania 2004 are similarly enjoyable – they give you a chance to see Krisiun's balls-out style even if they don't tour near you.

One of the main problems with metal DVDs is that they usually seem so sterile, hardly the same as going to a show. Live Armageddon suffers from this, as well – the frantic feeling of the crowd is all but lost (same goes for all the DVDs shot at that highly professional but sterile club/studio in Poland. Think Enslaved, Behemoth, Vader... – ed), and the clean-sounding music and well-lit stage shots leave something to be desired (and these are dark compared to the other vids... – ed). Although the few tracks bootlegged from Wacken give you a better feeling of the atmosphere, then one must complain about not being able to hear the guitars very well. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't, essentially.

Another thing that is lacking in Live Armageddon that could have really added value is some backstage interviewing – a closer look at the band members and their fans that you might not otherwise get would really be worth something. This would also remedy the lack-of-atmosphere problem cited above, to some degree.

Although this DVD is overflowing with live video of Krisiun's performances (over 100 minutes of it), I'd still rather listen to them on my stereo, and a CD would be sure to get more play in my case. But I can appreciate that other fans place more value on the combined audio and visual experience. And if you find yourself watching a lot of metal videos, this DVD is for you. It looks good, it sounds good, and Krisiun's music is excellently portrayed. It just lacks that extra content that would really add replay value. (7/10)

review by: Matt Smith

I usually hate to compare the album I'm reviewing to another band's work, but here I can hardly resist. Naglfar's Pariah was some of the best black metal I heard last year, and Revocation strikes the same chord in me when I listen to it. Well-structured and clean, The Legion's brand of black metal relies on prolific songwriting and musicianship to build its ominous atmosphere rather than making the CD sound like it was recorded in a dug-up grave. Revocation moves forward constantly, with its creative melodies changing continuously and Kjetil Hektoen's forceful, throaty growls accenting the great drum and guitar work.

Emil Dragutinovic's drumming drives everything forward with strength and precision, and he adds more than enough variety to his beats along the way. His impressive double-bass work is especially prominent, though he's all over the set throughout. The guitars are similarly strong, delivering their speedy but meticulous riffs exactly on time and with conviction. Revocation is absolutely furious. I would recommend it to nearly anyone, no matter his taste in metal. (8.5/10)

review by: Pal the Postman

Look here, a "new" mini-album by Nachtmystium. In fact, it's quite an old one, with recordings dating back to August, 2002. That was during their second release, after the debut, Reign of the Malicious (demos and cassettes not counted), and this 6-tracker was previously available on Regimental Records in a limited run of 1000 copies. On yet another label called Painiac Records it came out on vinyl, again limited with just 400 copies. Whether all copies have been sold by now is uncertain, but the label Battle Kommand has decided to re-issue it in an unlimited quantity and has more re-issues in the pipeline. Does this mean that Nachtmystium have attained some sort of cult status? Perhaps, but this mini-album is unlikely to have been contributing to it, as the tracks are fairly run-of-the-black-metal mill.

This mini-album also has an obligatory sped up cover of Judas Iscariot's "Gaze Upon the Heavens in Flames," but as decent as it may be, it's not the albums's exclamation mark, merely the album's "...and...".

Further, "Call of the Ancient" was re-recorded from their first album. The drums vary from galloping to the pulsing stroboscopic rhythm that is alternately led by the hi-hat the ride cymbal, all very dynamic and such. And the bass drum presence serves to fill up the absence of any bass guitar.

The album's as regular as could be in 2002, with musical hooves well planted into familiar Norwegian soil. There is not that much reason to make haste acquiring this cd, but if I should recommend this disc, it would be for the fine explosion in "Cold Tormentor," the mildly amusing guitar solo in "Come Forth Devastation," and not to forget some great and new artwork in black and white.

Only when comparing this material with Reign of the Malicious can some progress be apparent, because as of now Nachtmystium have developed their sound much more. Hence I can't see a clear reason why Battle Kommand didn't come up with the idea of coupling these 24 minutes with the 38 minutes of Reign. A Thai label called Desire of Goat did that in 2004! Anyway, it's all looking back here, and Nachtmystium has moved on and become much more prolific (and don’t forget last year's interesting all-star USBM project Twilight, in which their current vocalist Azentrius played a key role). In short, the Nachtmystium EP is nice for completists, and though not being remarkable, it's not bad either. (5/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

It has been a while since I last lent my ears to examine a highly Dream Theater-ish release, and I almost thought these are in the danger of extinction. But rest assured, the progressive metal monster still echoes.

This entire prelude is not to dismiss Ascension Theory’s second release, as the band actually derives from the earlier days of Dream Theater, back when their songs were catchy and free of expectation-dictated pretension.

Indeed, Answers has the melodic edge and drama to sink firmly and make an impression that is beyond technical admiration. The strong songwriting confronts the listener with thoughts regarding the human nature and purpose, and is skillfully executed with spicy twists, such as the Tool-ish vibes on "End Game," and utilizing a fit technical level.

The harmonies are further accented by the tender vocals, as evident through the beautiful male-female duet on "Decisions" and the layered (high meets natural) vocal work of "Perfect Plan," which easily brings the finer moments of James LaBrie into mind.

Ascension Theory is all about clever and memorable songs, and while this work will probably leave you with your original questions unanswered, it is quite an accomplished effort and therefore recommended for fans of light, progressive metal. (8/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Ascension Theory’s take on prog doesn’t have a great deal to do with metal, which is fine. Avi’s calling it light prog is an apt description (although I personally see no connection to Dream Theater in the least, unless Avi’s talking about the Dream Theater demos, which I have not heard). The drums aren’t busy, and serve more to pace the music rather than shine with dazzling fills or by playing off the music with angular time.

Answers’ production is well developed for their style: warm and full, but not heavy, the guitar and keyboard tones achieve a pleasant shade of richness. This, combined with the talented, unusual vocals, make for an original sound. The vocals are a bit like the drums in that they aren’t showy. The singer isn’t performing any throat workouts, remaining comfortably within his range, but pulls off what he can do perfectly well and without criticism.

However, there is a glaring issue with Answers, especially considering it’s supposed to be a progressive music record. It’s the arrangements. They’re beyond simple and repetitive, and into annoying territory. Far too often, the songs will repeat the chorus at the end of the song ad nauseam, making you utterly sick of the album after only a couple listens. This is simply ridiculous for prog, which is about shifts in tempo, dynamism, and unique sections in songs galore. The staleness of the arrangements gives Ascension Theory’s already stripped down (for prog) music an even more bare-bones aspect.

A few of the songs also sound rather half-baked compared to others. As you might expect, the inferior tracks are at the end of the record, with the female/male duet that Avi spoke of being the one that stands out in my mind the most. It’s partially because it reminds me of a J-pop tune from a Streetfighter Anime series, but the inclusion of the guest singer, and the interplay of her vocals with the lead singer’s, seems careless and amateurish. While the important aspects of an original and fresh sound have been achieved, more development is definitely in high order to keep up with the noteworthy bands of the genre. (5/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

Slave to the system unites members of Queensryche (including the band’s longtime drummer Scott Rockenfield) and Brother Cane, but the fact is that it sounds very much like Soundgarden, only with less rage and urgency.

The ballad "Live This Life" does manage to breathe intent into this album, but it is far from being enough. The band’s grunge-inspired hard rock is neither highly memorable nor intrusive, although I bet both were original goals. The vocals try hard to recapture the Chris Cornell heights, but there is only one Cornell, and for him it comes naturally. A few obvious fillers, such as "Gone Today" and "Leaves," do not help, either.

Oh, and I have yet to mention the unsuccessful attempts at being creative – these serve as a proof of inadequacy, especially in the light of the preceding accomplishments of Soundgarden on Badmotorfinger and Superunknown.

In other words, if you think you can get into a B-class Soundgarden, this album is for you. If you are stricter with your listening material, stick to the aforementioned Soundgarden material. Those of you who look for more modern, progressive yet forceful material – last year’s debut release by Totalisti, Slave to None (produced by Rockenfield; and one might wonder if the contrast of both titles made the difference) awaits your attention. (4/10)

note by Roberto Martinelli: Is anyone else slapping their foreheads and exclaiming the ubiquitous "duh?!"? One of the main marketing aspects to this record was that it was recorded and released in a remarkably short time. Considering the result, is it any wonder the album might sound rushed?

review by: Avi Shaked

This second 2005 release by Henning Pauly continues the similar path of the lunatic, charged outlet he has unleashed on his recent and superb Frameshift release (Absence of Empathy, reviewed in issue #39), while exploring new sounds and tricks.

Juan Roos (Transmission) is handling most of the vocals on the album. His singing style is quite close to Sebastian Bach’s (who handled the vocals on the aforementioned album). His performance is full of guts, driven by the excellent, extroverted insanity that is contained within the songwriting; and yet it is delicate enough to bring out the sheer honesty of its emotional plane, even on its more superficial or childish moments ("They never play my favorite song so I can never sing along" on "Radio Sucks"). The venting declarations ("I don’t wanna be a rockstar") serve as significant hooks to which the listener can relate, as well as color the album with hilarious tones.

Pauly himself does everything he can to live up to his vision by his musical conductance. His jargon of sounds is truly remarkable and refreshing, as it combines so many worlds with ease. At one moment he plays the meanest guitar, while the next one he pulls some bizarre industrial and production pranks that would make Trent Reznor wish he had thought of them first. At some points he unveils another secret weapon in the form of his wild banjo playing (now, how many times have you heard a banjo in metal? And let me tell you, it fits masterfully). His technical level is highly impressive, and yet this does not turn the album into a mechanical manifest.

Much like the approach presented on the aforementioned Frameshift album, electronic metal, symphonic metal, hard rock and even rap blend here remarkably well, sometimes intentionally verging on the ridiculous. Credit Where Credit is Due is a further testament to Pauly’s outstanding talent, and I hope it’s only a matter of time until he receives the respect and attention he so rightly deserves. (8.7/10)

ed’s note: check out Belgian black metal band Lugubrum for more unabashed banjo.

review by: Larissa Glasser

Okay, it had to be addressed eventually: the use of drum triggers. As my own ability is severely limited to stringed instruments, I have no earthly right to tell any drummer their business. But for a listener of metal, there can be no denial that drums constitute the very fucking spine of a band’s power (or lack thereof). And for one who grew up on the warm thudding of 1980-ish Celtic Frost and Slayer, the sound of a typewriter doesn’t belong on the fucking albums. Temp agencies take note: Frost of 1349 (and Satyricon) can type of over 200 words per minute!

Jesting aside, the technology is here to stay and is indeed useful in certain circumstances. In a live setting, triggers enhance the drummer’s equilibrium with the walls of amps and often Fisher-Price quality P.A. The bigger the venue, the more this holds true. However, in the studio, if the 50/50 ratio is tipped towards triggers and away from the acoustic attack of metal drumming, the overall material sounds diminished. And if your band’s fortunate enough to have acquired a drummer as fucking amazing as Frost, one would think that the production ought to showcase his talent as much as possible.

So, the only thing off-putting about 1349’s Hellfire is that it sounds like they used a drum machine. Even when Wrest (Leviathan, Lurker of Chalice, Twilight) uses his V-drums he makes them sound like actual playing. And OF COURSE Frost is playing amazing runs throughout "Hellfire" – the triggers just make one wonder if demonic (or drunk) forces inflated the click track.

Then again, drummers (and all of 1349) could rebuke me just as readily with the hypothesis that guitarist’s shouldn’t use distortion, or singers microphones!

So, position stated, on to the meat and potatoes (and goat urine): 1349 take their name from the year The Black Death (bubonic plague) entered Norway, and their third album, Hellfire, is a massive, epic, and unique collection of black metal iniquity.

A lot of the songs, like "I Am Abomination" and "Nathicana," sound a lot like Hate Eternal (guitarists Tjalve and Archaon share many similarities with Eric Rutan’s diminished/augmented technique). The verse riff of "Celestial Deconstruction" even reminds me of The Jesus Lizard! These parallels are for the sake of illustration only – 1349 obviously weren’t beholden to any outsiders.

The structures of "Sculptor of Flesh" and "To Rottendom" (favorite song of the bunch) are unconventional and lend the black elements of this material even greater legitimacy. The hyper-homicidal riff that closes "To Rottendom" even patterns an inverted cross on the fretboard – touchdown of the millennium, by my reckoning.

Finally, Ravn’s vokills are my favorite component of this band. The man employs a hoarse, tormented, and confrontational style evocative of a red-skinned, nine-horned preacher preaching fire and brimstone with death breath from atop a pillar of salt. Think Richard Boone as the voice of Smaug the Golden in the Rankin/Bass 1977 cartoon of "The Hobbit." Or don’t.

Hellfire is 1349’s element, and has all the makings of a breakthrough. (8/10)

review by: Larissa Glasser

For those who gauge Devin Townsend solely on the basis of his work with Strapping Young Lad: you’ve got to check this out or you’re really cheating yourself. Devin Townsend Band aren’t exactly SYL’s polar opposite, but more of a logical prog-metal extension. Songs bounce from melodic Beatles rapture to spazzed-out Rush enrichment.

Synchestra is a very powerful lens with which to peer into this gifted musician’s soul. While it is not a concept album per se, the tracks contain a definite narrative element – there are times when you even think you’re hearing a rock musical. Songs follow one another rapidly and smoothly as if from verse to chorus, even overlapping in places.

The progressive elements of the standouts "Babysong," "Let It Roll," and "Triumph" are not obtrusive. Indeed, when Devin shifts gears from majestic melancholy to utter silliness, you can see he deals with his demons in a very proactive and irreverent way. Often times that’s the best survival mechanism for sufferers of bipolar disorder.

The man himself explains, "With the last SYL record, I tried to find the limit as to how far I could go emotionally and go in a direction that in hindsight was uncomfortable."

Makes sense, since last year’s Alien was one of SYL’s most cacophonous and hyperblasting efforts to date.

"With Synchestra," Townsend explains, "the intention was to make me feel better about going that far."

Indeed, there are bouts of heaviness on this release that, when taken with the synthesized orchestration, resemble a tracking shot across a sunlit vista. Devin Townsend Band is prog-metal summertime for this listener (who paradoxically cannot abide Opeth or Dream Theater). Synchestra marries harmony with heaviness so well, categories become schmategories by the end of the listen. An acquired taste, perhaps, but Devin Townsend Band would want you to figure it out for yourself anyway. (7.5/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

This re-release of The Work’s rare 1982 Japan-only, live album manages to give the due respect to this adventurous but rather poorly documented band.

Joining the original founders Tim Hodgkinson (sax, organ, Hawaiian guitar and vocals) and Bill Gilonis (guitar) are Amos (bass) and Chris Cutler (acoustic and electric drums). Cutler and Hodgkinson, in particular, are no strangers: both already enriched the progressive rock vocabulary in the 1970s, as members of the creative Henry Cow; and this release proves these guys were not the ones to rest on their laurels.

The Work approaches the direction of early ‘80s King Crimson (with less discipline) and mix it with the energy of post-punk. It seems that a dedicated treatment was paid to attend the original recording’s sound faults, and while the sound is still not excellent, it authentically reflects the band’s true nature: underground, experimental and punchy.

The material is a zoo-like extract of ideas, with its illusion of mess enhanced by maniac execution that includes fuzzy bass lines, bizarre guitar lines, all-around drumming and half-frantic, half-delusional vocals, at times reminding of Gong.

Live in Japan offers a bent experience, and although the concept gets a bit exhausted, it is still enough to challenge the underground scene’s nonconformist. (8/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

Maggie Bell’s second solo album, originally released in 1975, opens with her version of Free’s "Wishing Well," a bouncy version that finds the Scottish singer performing from the gut but failing to make a noteworthy interpretation.

The title track, which is the only song co-penned by Bell on this release, follows, and demonstrates the mid tempo that prevails throughout the album without much finesse.

This is indeed not much of a promising start, but "I Was In Chains" soon corrects this, showcasing the singer’s immense, introspective capabilities with mellower, sullen tones, which later surface again on other highlights such as "In My Life" and "Hold On."

While her debut was recorded with stellar session players, this album sees Bell’s touring band supporting her. Consequently, the album has a more liberated feel and more wholehearted contributions, including some delicate organ and guitar playing. It might lack consistency (in particular, leaving the Beatles cover out would have been a wise choice), but there is a good dose of soulful material here to please fans of mainstream 70’s rock.

[The Angel Air reissue features two bonus live tracks and detailed liner notes covering Bell’s career up to the present] (7/10)

review by: Larissa Glasser

Seattle’s premier death metal export has learned its Incantation / Suffocation lessons well. Frequent gear shifting, atonal-chromatic riffing, furious wardrums, and guttural obscenity characterizes this band, who derive their moniker from a gruesome form of execution reserved for those convicted of treason in England from the 13th to 19th centuries. This being their fourth release for Moribund, D&Q (don’t forget the "and," unless you want almonds with that – ed) have attained a sharp confidence and sense of play missing from most death metal of today.

Standout cuts include "Blood of a Million Martyrs," "Suffer a Traitor’s Fate," and "Bind, Torture, Kill" (this last one actually DOES sound like that faux Christian fat fuck Dennis Rader busy at work – really nasty riffing). The most notable feature of D&Q is guitarist K.K. Kuciemba, whose style fuses the best elements of Kerry King, Eric Rutan, and John McEntee into pure metal, ripping corpse attack.

Drummer Dario Derna is involved in lone black dirge project Krohm, also available from Moribund. (7/10)

review by: Megan Leo

Black Majesty play a brand of metal that doesn’t lean towards the more ferocious side of the genres. Each song is conveyed through melodicism, relying on clarity of production, the building of harmonies, and well, fruity, fantasy-influenced lyrics. (Think a sugar coated Blind Guardian)

This band's strong points lie in their apt musicianship and ability to structure songs traditionally; the guitars are effective power metal prowess, accomplished leads and harmonies that weave tastefully throughout each piece. The vocals are melodic, with frequent overdubbed harmonies. However, their abundant talent and abilities can't hide the general lack of "power" in their power metal.

They appear to wear their influences on their sleeve, and hold many elements of Iron Maiden through their harmonized solos, and their lyrical topics bring to mind Blind Guardian (with song titles such as "Dragon Reborn"). However, the aforementioned came across much more powerfully and intensely in their recorded works than what is apparent in Silent Company.

Black Majesty is very listenable, singable and fairly catchy. They are more than adequate musicians, and know how to write a riff and a well structured song. However, they need to work on conveying more power and intensity in the recorded setting. (5/10)

review by: Brandon Strader

There is an indefinable mysterious power hailing from the UK. Ewigkeit creates a breathtaking voyage not only musically, but conceptually and creatively. The album opens with the sounds of the city: people speaking, cars beeping and environmental sounds. A spoken narrative penetrates the ambiance, and lays the tracks for the oncoming train – it's not reality, it's Ewigkeit.

The first impressions of the opening song would convince the listener that they had stumbled upon "techno rock," but after a few tracks, they realize they were mistaken. Although the music does employ a ton of synthesizer and keyboard elements, it does not depend on them entirely to function as a whole. There is an overwhelming substance here, from the highly intelligent conceptual lyrics, to the dark, haunting compositional elements and songwriting. One might compare the experience to that of Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime....

Everything about this release is flawless; the vocals are top-notch and are mixed and produced properly, using effects when it may add to the sound but without harming it in any way. There are so many different kinds of voice on this release, ranging from "announcer" voices to narrator voices.

The use of keys and synths working together with the music, plus the sound samples make the sound very dense. There is always something new to discover while listening to this album. It seems like Ewigkeit tried to put as many various sounds into the music as possible to create a sound that encompasses not only ‘70s style synths, but also some rock and metal influences from modern times. The guitar and bass work is present with an outstanding clarity, although the instrumental work is not overly technical. After a few tracks, it is apparent that more effort was put into a quarter of this disc than most bands put into an entire album.

Ewigkeit is built for comfort rather than speed! Is it possible to label such a band as "experimental" when their sound is so calculated and conscious? Ewigkeit's Conspiritus takes conceptual ambient rock to a whole new level with a story that is so close to describing modern governmental changes, it sends chills down the spine. (9.5/10)

review by: Brandon Strader

Deicide’s first DVD, When London Burns, is a very impressive show recorded on November 29th, 2004. The menus are beautifully designed, leading to a performance featuring 17 tracks of goat-sacrificing insanity! The actual show starts out with a short sound check, which somewhat ruins the mood after the explosion and the cross that zooms towards the screen that leads into the first song. Because the original two guitarists left the group, they were joined for this performance by guests Jack Owen (Cannibal Corpse) and Dave Suzuki (Vital Remains).

The footage of the show is done fairly well, but because of the shaky handheld camera, the video becomes very chaotic at times. They seem to focus mostly on Glen Benton (bass, vocals) instead of the other guitarists or the drummer. The camera didn't even focus on the guitarist while he was playing solos. Benton either has a bad sense of humor, or is just a very silly guy. He makes the most retarded jokes and insults towards the audience and receives little to no applause! His low growls are spectacular and work well for Deicide's live performance, but his death shrieks do not sound exactly right, sounding more like a raccoon in pain than a death shriek, despite how effortlessly he seems to pull them off.

The sound mix on the recording is superb, sounding as good (if not better) than a normal audio CD. The percussion mix is perfect, with nothing too loud or out of place. The blast beats and double bass are performed amazingly with great timing and brutality, considering that there were no overdubs or corrections on the recordings. The vocals sit on top of the music instead of taking full control, and can be heard clearly. In the left and right channels, the guitars have a great tone. There are occasional pick clicks with the guitar sound, but it is not so distracting as to take your attention away from the performance. The bass is not so easy to hear, probably because the sound of Deicide is so massive and brutal, or perhaps because it is mixed too low. Other than that one small flaw, this may be one of the best death metal DVDs ever as far as sound and production goes.

On this DVD, Deicide play songs spanning their whole career in death metal, from their first self-titled release, to their recently released Scars of the Crucifix. Their abilities have become more technical and refined over the years. After a half-hour into the show, everyone is drenched in sweat and for good reason, sadly the show is only an hour long. Because of the expertise involved with this release, When London Burns is highly recommended to all death metal fans. (8.6/10)

review by: Brandon Strader

Breaking the already fragile barriers of dark groove metal comes the Italian group Osian. Their sound is similar to those of some of the heavier American rock bands, and the more melodic metal bands of Sweden. Imagine a mixture between Soilwork and modern Katatonia and you've got the picture. The songs are very catchy, and could work well on hard-rock radio stations. The songs are written fairly well, but are based on the average "verse-chorus-verse-chorus" setup used by most rock bands. But hidden behind the facade is a deeply planted originality within the band's second full-length presentation.

The majority of the vocals in this release are clean, with occasional growls. The vocal performance is somewhat lacking, and seems boring a lot of the time except when entering a chorus. The music is not entirely chorus-based, however, and has a ton of good riffs and memorable hooks. The guitar work at times is disharmonic, other times very harmonious and focused, and at other times just plain tribal pummeling. The music is very soothing, but it can be very aggressive as well. The songs range from soft goth rock to heavy metal and thrash. There are a lot of electronic sounds here and there, accompanied by wah-wah covered guitar melodies, and aurally beautiful acoustic melodies as well.

The percussion is pretty simple, utilizing simple, rock-based paradiddle patterns. The bass drum is far too weak for this kind of music, hiding under the mix with a soft tone. The snare and cymbal sounds are well done, and fit in without taking your attention away from the music too much. The bass guitar is audible, but just like the bass drum, it is far too weak and not noticeable enough. Unlike most rock CDs, this disc stays consistently good until the very end.

Osian obviously know what they are doing, and have a message to get across through their music. At 44 minutes, the average listener will find much to enjoy, but those looking for a little more, and longer, more creative songwriting will probably become tired of this release pretty quickly and have to look elsewhere. This group has a ton of charisma and potential to gain widespread exposure. Someday they could be the next huge rock band, but their sound needs a bit of polishing. Overall, this is a very sturdy release, and the group can hold their own amongst their goth metal brethren. (7.4/10)

reviewed by: Brandon Strader 

Yet another group leeching off of the success of bands like Korn and Hatebreed is Italian hardcore 5-piece, Keenants. Their debut album, Let's Start From The Beginning features some of the most unoriginal hardcore tunes put to disc. Most of the songs on the record sacrifice entertainment and enjoyment for radio-broadcasting notoriety. A lot of the riffs either sound very similar to riffs from the past (groups like P.O.D., Slipknot, 311) or they are just extremely over-simplified.

The hardcore-style vocals are the best thing on the album, yet are still below average compared to the more refined hardcore acts of today. A lot of the time, the vocals sound corny due to the vocalist trying to perform vocal harmonies over music where vocal harmonies do not fit. The guitars are tuned a tad lower than standard, and sound quite heavy, which is exceedingly noticeable due to the rocky slowness of the riffs. Generally this is not a fast-paced album, and most of the riffs simply change between a few power chords. The percussion and bass seem to sit very tightly together, with perfect timing. The bass drum and snare are at a good volume in the mix, but the cymbals are a tad too present, causing an ear-numbing static effect whenever the crash cymbals are struck, which is almost constantly.

The lack of reverb and certain effects make the music even more boring. A good vocal echo would have gone a long way, because without the echo, the "building up" sections just end with no reserved power. The layered "group" vocals are very weak due to an improper mix and lack of reverb. Overall, the vocals sound like they were mixed by someone who doesn't exactly have a lot of experience with that kind of thing.

The most ridiculous song on the album is the title track, which sounds downright absurd with what sounds like a cowbell drum roll along with some whiny vocals. The best song on the album was probably "Not A Word" which featured some nice acoustic guitar work. Although the music was good to that song, it was ruined by the ska-style vocals and poorly produced vocal layers. Instead of solos and memorable hooks, the CD is smothered with poor vocal work, which pretty much demand the attention of the listener from the beginning of the CD. This is a band that has some potential for the future, but probably should not be releasing full-lengths yet. When they improve, it’ll be recommended for fans of System of a Down, Hatebreed, etc... (4/10)

review by: Pal the Postman

It’s doubtful that it took Craft much courage to dub their latest nail Fuck the Universe. A title so grotesque in its inapplicability that many who are put off by it probably fail to see the underlying nihilism, which wouldn't be as apparent with a better sounding Curse the Universe. Fuck the Universe was much delayed as the pressing plant delivered an initial batch of copies with misprints of the layout. A complete fiasco it was, so had they anti-christened the album "Fuck the Pressing Plant," it could have made history as the most memorable title in black metal.

The symbol on the front of the album is allegedly the one of Chaos, and accordingly Craft's lyrics are about Anti-cosmic Chaos Magick. The lyrics contain all sorts of symbols and names referring to this and they probably won't mean much to most. More obvious are the misanthropic and Satanic influences, which make them a chaotic mixture of both the smart and the dumb.

Eleven songs pass by in 51 minutes, of which the title track stands among the best. Musically, the album offers all sorts of black metal styles. On the first time through, one may assume they're from Norway, but soon you'll find yourself with a more typical Swedish heavy and sometimes rocky sound, a bit like Entombed. It varies from malicious, groove-based riffs in mid- to up-tempo, to frequent, lead-booted and dragging doom, devoid of energy, filled with disgust.

So if you're looking for the really fast stuff, it ain't here, and for that some will simply dismiss the album as boring. In all likeliness it's due to its hypnotic and numbing atmosphere that the album has gotten some crushing and negative comments, but I can't fully agree with them, as the album does have qualities. Believe it or not, at times – and I think the better ones – those ghastly grooves like in "Thorns in the Planet's Side" and "Demonspeed" wouldn't be misplaced on a nice stoner rock album. It's this element where things work best for Craft, because the faster, old school black metal style you find in the intros of "Xenophobia," and "The Suffering of Others" has become gravely trite by now and it doesn't really serve the bigger scheme of the album.

Still, Fuck the Universe is a black metal album in the true sense, but it's best to be heard in appropriate circumstances. The production is very well done by Pelle Ferner from Wall of Sound studios (he also engineered for Arckanum, Inglorious Bastards, Orphan Gipsy).

The vocals of Nox are nice 'n' filthy whilst being restrained at the same time. He sounds like a miserable, empoverished and hunchbacked warlock, wandering around in sorry, nocturnal, muddy alleys, endlessly snarling his hate towards the Nils Holgersson-loving bastard society: "They must DIE! Everything must DIE! Wheuh!"

Fuck the Universe is not an album to put on if you're angry, uptight, and want to smash things up, but rather one to enjoy if you're pissed off about something and you can't do a thing about it. Like being stuck in a real long traffic jam, it's a real drag and to convey such a feeling seems just the intent on this album. If you notice this you'll see that this product is able to both appeal and appall. Eventually my view sees the positive end of the scale. (6/10)

extra note: Fuck the Universe is also available as a limited double LP on one red and one picture vinyl disc.

review by: Roberto Martinelli

There’s more to the story than the face value of saying Spheric Universe Experience sounds like Dream Theater. For one, that’s a conditional comparison, as we’re talking about the more metal Dream Theater, especially during their finest, most defining hour, Images and Words. And considering how the last couple Dream Theater albums have been more bad than good, any third-party emulation of their superior output is welcome.

Secondly, this French group is no clone. Sure, some of the approaches to layering, vocal phrasing and instrumental interplay is in the same mold as the American greats, but for a fan of the progressive metal genre, Mental Torments is a godsend.

The 70-minute album is a virtual feast of virtuoso musicianship with lengthy instrumental sections. This isn’t to say that the group’s singer is bad – just the contrary. Although he isn’t as talented as James LaBrie (since we’re comparing the band to Dream Theater), he can certainly hang with the rest of Spheric Universe Experience.

Mental Torments’ richness in the production helps a great deal. The keyboards sound fantastic, being seamlessly and integrally incorporated with the rest of the instruments, anywhere from playing a background, filler role to blazing away top-notch solos. The keyboardist uses a great deal of piano tones, which gives the music much of its crisp appeal; the more electronic-sounding tones never err on the sides of seeming too plastic or sounding like inferior versions of acoustic instruments. Similar is the guitar, which takes turn with the keyboard in the spotlight. The two combine to make up thrilling parts with highly memorable solos and transitions.

Although the drums serve the album very well, this isn’t a drummer’s record – particularly if you’re into drum sound. The kick triggers are mixed very loud and punchy, so the album appears to be mostly kick and snare, with the cymbals being nearly buried (and they don’t sound all that great anyway when the rest of the music relaxes) and the toms being surprisingly neglected for the most part. On the rare occasion that they do come into play, they too are quite buried under the dominating kick and snare, which works well under the circumstances as there’s a great deal of double kick patterns. All this isn’t to say that the drum parts aren’t interesting, for they are masterfully played with a great deal of energy and dynamism (again, sounding perfectly acceptable as long as you don’t dissect too much), it’s just that their mix leaves something to be desired: effective, but comparing to Mike Portnoy’s sound on Dream Theater’s Metropolis 2, for example, will really put it in black and white.

If there’s one critique to be made of the music, it's that there is not enough reliance on the vocals. This is especially the feeling during the first few listens, where it seems that the music goes a bit too much on tangents that estrange the singer. You might make the case that there are too many instrumental-only tracks (one is a bonus track, that, as good as it is, did give us the impression of being an add-on even before we noticed the asterisk next to it) that could benefit from the added dimension of a vocal part, but this is of course subjective. After four or five complete listens, Mental Torments reveals more and more of its charm and originality. However, if you’re not a fan of long-winded prog workouts, this album is not for you.

What really matters is that this is a choice progressive metal album. The music contains a wealth of transitions and expression, making it a sublime journey of melody and technical greatness. And while we feel this will be one of the best prog metal albums of the year, there still is room for improvement in both composition and presentation. Considering this is Spheric Universe Experience’s debut, the future is very bright, indeed. Sorry, Pyramaze, but this is the best progressive metal record in this month’s issue, and probably the best album Nightmare Records has ever put out. (9/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

Misery Inc. offers a genuine brand of metal. Their basic approach is a single, male gender variation on "beauty and the beast" Gothic metal, mixing mellow vocals with some harsher gurgles. Sometimes it is taken even further to nu metal tones.

This might not sound hard enough, not to mention too original, but wait! A vicious attack is just around every corner, as the material is boosted with unrelenting, jagged guitars that possess the throbbing thrash qualities of early Metallica, as well as with rapid, dry, thunder-rolling drumming, which is placed at the forefront and, together with the beastly vocals and the occasional punctuating guitar craze, delivers an Aborted-styled death metal flavor.

In other words, it’s a metal bash. I just hope that on the band’s next release the vocal work would be more captivating and aggressive, as the music demands it to be. (8/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

The Heretic’s followup to 2002’s Chemistry for the Soul continues the band’s tradition of experimenting with different metal sub-genres; and while the focal point is still around black metal, traditional metal influences have grown louder and much more crucial in the blend, even if not in direct form.

The guitar riffs are less dusty this time around and they echo more dominantly and bravely, supplying clear, melodic hooks to the squeezed and ticking rhythm inferno. The vocals are mostly scorched and fiendish, but occasionally also make an appropriate (yet less successful in pure vocal criteria) alignment with the heavy metal maneuvers.

At times The Heretic sound like Iron Maiden gone extreme metal; at others, the more sluggish, down-tuned guitars bring Alice in Chains to mind. The atmospheric themes also vary, ranging from Type O Negative-flavored doom ("The Day of the Lord") to flashier, operatic tones. Despite its eclectic influences, it all sticks together to form a trademark sound.

All of the above might be appreciated by some, while others may recognize it as a bit off a tradeoff: The few Spanish kicks that the former album embraced are now completely gone, and the experimentation with sounds is also less perceptible. Either way, The Heretic are far from turning commercial, and their ingenuity more than justifies the acquisition of their new release, especially by those who appreciated the band’s previous album. (7.7/10)

review by: Abhishek Chatterjee

Nyia is especially remarkable for two reasons: Firstly, when a band has former members from bands like Vader, Prophecy, and Yattering in their ranks, you wouldn't be tearing your hair out wondering what kind of music this hybrid band makes. So it is remarkable indeed when you find out Nyia play a spastic and highly technical form of metalcore, replete with dissonant guitar notes, hoarse, shouting vocals, clean vocals at some places and blisteringly fast blast beats.

The second remarkable thing about Head Held High is how well everything seems to flow together despite the umpteen split-second tempo changes. Probably the closest frame of reference would be to imagine Gorguts Obscura getting all friendly with Meshuggah. This is certainly not something you want to listen to in order to put your mind at ease, and by the time these 12 songs are over chances are you might want to stick your head in the freezer to cool it off. (8.5/10)

PS: As an added bonus, this CD comes with some multimedia videos that you can play on your comp.

review by: Avi Shaked

After some long years of singles and live performances, the UK band Consortium finally sees the light of day for the first time ever of its sole album, Rebirth, recorded around 1975...

Like many albums of its time, Rebirth stands at the crossroads of psychedelic rock, hard rock and progressive rock. The music can be described as a hybrid between Grand Funk Railroad and Uriah Heep: its dirty, train-like rumble and down-to-earth lyrics (sometimes to the point of banality as in the case of "I Want You") resembling the earlier, while its operatic harmonies and grandiose dimensions reminding of the latter.

The band’s labor pains, which went on for some long years of failing to produce an album (some of their earlier recordings, however, surfaced on the Castle release Looking Back credited to "West Coast Consortium"), add an interesting dimension to the material. The band refuses to let go of its yet-to-be disburdened original ‘60s orientation, and blends it with influences that the band caught during early to mid ‘70s. "Stop (Look at Me)" has an R&B feel in the vein of early The Who (think "I Can’t Explain") and "I’m Dying" has a suspicious resemblance to Led Zeppelin’s "Thank You," while "It’s up to You" takes the timeline further on to early Rush, especially due to its falsetto vocals.

On the heavier side, "She Gave Life" has sparks of Black Sabbath’s doom interlaced with contradicting pastoral harmonies; and the dual lead guitars that run wild throughout some of the songs often make them sound like a prototype of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.

And so Rebirth is about the decades that shaped rock music being reflected through a certain point in time. It is therefore a shame it was not released close to its recording, as it could have established its reputation as a pivotal album. Still, it holds most of its vitality to this day. (8.25/10)

review by: Abhishek Chatterjee

Two minutes into this album and I was so damn sure that these guys were Swedes that it came as a shock to see that they were Americans instead. They have borrowed heavily from the famed Gothenburg sound and have created an album that sounded highly generic on first listen. By the third listen, this stopped sounding too generic thanks to subtle differences between the songs but I still couldn't identify anything that made me stand up and shout, "I love this band!"

The tracks all flew by harmlessly in their melodic death metal glory, causing me to tap my feet and nod my head from time to time. But ask me what was so special about the last song and I might just give you a blank stare before reaching for the rewind button.

If you're a fan of the really melodic death metal stuff like Dark Tranquillity, go ahead and test the waters with Enforsaken. They are definitely good at what they deal with, unfortunately it's just me who can't tolerate too much of slow-paced, melodic death metal. The eighth and ninth song give some strong pointers to how these guys can come out winners next time. I like the way things have been mixed up in these two songs: thrashy riffs, blastbeats, and acoustic interludes. If only the whole album was filled with tracks like these. (6.5/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Helrunar’s black metal is a pleasant mix of the old and the new, with the ever appealing German flavor that dark and black metal bands from that country possess.

There are definite nods to old Ulver, a bit in the distorted, blasting bits, and a lot in the couple acoustic tracks, that like the legendary BM group of old, mixes a sobering, gorgeous, Medieval flair to the guitar.

Blend this all together with an aura that instills a sense of mist and mystique, mixed with a sort of Pagan respect meets rough melody (think old Enslaved), all presented with that unmistakable German artiness (it helps a great deal that the lyrics are in German).

Frostnacht is an excellent and recommended record, but there’s still a certain something missing to make the album truly great. Perhaps a step or two in developing originality for next time will really push the band over the top. Still, Frostnacht is not run-of-the-mill, and BM fans looking for something a little more mature will like it. (7.7/10)

review by: Rick Luna

Sweden seems to be the place where the death metal genre evolves. However, with Splattered Mermaids, we’re not introduced into any new concepts but more of a direct impact of what has already been around.

Creation of Wounds is a mid-paced assault of semi-grind death metal. I mean, most of the time the riffs groove – especially during an occasional blast or two, and it isn’t overdone, either. It seems really simple and covers the basic principles. This isn’t the next Spawn of Possession or Visceral Bleeding, but it still kicks ass. The band also sports a mild sense of humor with randomized samples added in, like on "Trust Your Instincts, Be a Cannibal" as well as an acoustic, childish medley on "Slaves of Pain."

For the fact of being pure, this doesn’t need to go ape shit with the riffs to please those crazy death heads. A full-length should be the next step for this up-and-coming band. Maybe we’ll get introduced to something fantastic. (6/10)

review by: Pal the Postman

Sigillum Diaboli, mostly the project of Mr. Taedium Vitae of Russia, have a five-song EP (plus an intro). They say it's "cold black metal in a traditional nordic vein." Well, that sums it all up pretty much. Perhaps this is where this review could end. In that case, I'd be much harsher in three lines than Sigillum Diaboli are in 19 minutes.

666 is remarkably unremarkable for its blatant attempt to merely copy ‘90s black metal, which, in case you hadn’t noticed, has been done zillions of times before. Furthermore, I refuse to believe that the band's name is derived from a song by the finnish goth love metal band called HIM, that would indeed be a blasphemy – towards black metal that is.

If it's about Russian black metal, there's far more interesting stuff: the incredibly funny lo-fi black metal from Blackdeath (also a one-man band), or the nasty band Ashen Light.

666 is a downright mediocre release. Sigillum Diaboli should make their own black metal, not that of others. Pass it on! (4/10)

review by: Matt Smith

This album is a really solid piece of work by these Brazilian metal veterans – certainly one of their best releases ever, and that's saying something. Dante XXI is a loose concept album, based on the Inferno, but mainly it is 39 minutes of mood-building intros, super-aggressive choruses and killer grooves. The production is thick but clear, and the instrumentation is both accurate and diverse, putting a spotlight on Sepultura's wide-ranging skill. The songwriting is great, and each track moves fluidly into the next. The group also does a great job hitting the extremes, shifting from acoustic melodies to distortion and screams with ease and flexibility.

Derrick Greene's vocals are the best they've ever been. Though at times they still seem flat and throaty, he often digs further for the richness and feeling that adds a lot to his conviction. His flat yells are very hardcore-appropriate, but with Sepultura's brand of thrash-inspired death he needs a lot more phlegm to succeed. He's solid throughout, however, and he does a great job of punctuating and counterbalancing the guitar lines.

Much of Dante XXI holds at a mid-tempo slog, but the rich atmosphere Sepultura builds is interesting in itself, and the fast sections pepper the album at just the right times to keep it moving. I'd recommend this to anyone who has ever been a fan of Sepultura's previous material, even those of you out there who are still Max-loyalists. The band is in fine form, and its musicianship is better than ever. Anyone who appreciates good thrash won't go wrong with Dante XXI. (8/10)

review by: Larissa Glasser

This Swedish Viking horde’s decade of metal pillage seems to be paying off. These fierce godsons of Quorthon may be stylistically similar to Amon Amarth and Enslaved, but they take their metal a step beyond to the formidable realm of folk metal. Mind you, Thyrfing (pronounced TIER-fing) is metal of the heaviest order – they just happen to understand the importance of orchestration in their genre. There are even traces of Hawkwind thrown in for good measure.

As a sextet with twin guitar attack atop sweeping synthethesizers, the band unleashes a heavy mix of power chord bludgeon, minor-melodic majesty, and acoustic dirge.

Thyrfing evokes their pre-Christian era heritage with implacable conviction, and that is deserving of praise. Although this listener is not familiar with their previous four epics, the sound on Farotstider is a thick meal of mead, meat, and metal that will hopefully rally the heathen crusade unto American shores, as was once acknowledged. (7/10)

review by: Rick Luna

After a long wait, schizos get the deluxe treatment from Jeff Waters with his latest retrospective collection that spans the first 10 years of the band, and then some.

The first disc contains the first seven videos from Annihilator’s first five albums, Alice in Hell up to Remains. Fan favorites are included such as the monstrous "Alison Hell" and catchy yet thrashy "Stonewall." The picture quality is good and the sound is rich. There are also media segments and interviews taken from MTV, Much Music, local news stations, and even Japanese TV shows. It’s remarkable how Waters was so focused on his music and band members in the interviews.

The second disc is perhaps the most valuable. Those metal historians out there will have something to savor as each second is well worth watching. It covers how the band was formed, recording, touring, and the personal problems led to setbacks. Included are interviews from Coburn Pharr, John Bates, Russell Bergquist, Neil Goldberg and Mike Mangini.

One British fan said it best, "Annihilator is like Pink Floyd on speed." If only this collection covered more than the first 10 years, but it seems reasonable. Oh, what the hell, owning this DVD is something to be very proud of from a fan’s perspective. (9/10)

review by: Matt Smith

Akercocke is a British group with a wealth of personality. The extremes reached between the covers of Words that Go Unspoken, Deeds that Go Undone are impressive, indeed. The band moves from grinding death grooves, flashy solos and deep growls to fast-picked, black-metal-style melodies and high screams, to a slower brand of otherworldly rock. The combination builds a strange, schizophrenic atmosphere, and the variety is refreshing. There aren't too many bands that can do it all.

Satanism (read: hedonism?) appears to be a strongly held way of thinking among Akercocke's members, though they don't seem to get too dramatic or campy about their image. Some sections of the album border on cheese, including some sound effects and clean, harmonized vocal sections that don't quite hit the mark, but overall the CD should carry with it some credibility even among the ever-so-selective black metal community. The production is clean, though at times flat, and the musicianship is solid. This release is an accessible and entertaining listen all the way through, particularly due to the progressive experimentation Akercocke engages in throughout. (7.5/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

Akercocke really started to evolve into the sound that makes them unique on their second album The Goat of Mendes. The following record, Choronzon, put the locks on their signature; namely top-notch death/black metal with blistering speed, unique riffs, occult creepiness, and a sort of alien, clean sonic quality during the whole affair. Even if they didn’t have clips that invoke images of Satanic ritual magick, Akercocke’s music would instill the same uneasy, albeit somewhat campy atmosphere.

Most notably about Akercocke are the sections where they switch off the distortion and allow a brooding bass line and guitar riff to follow alongside the rumbling drums. They’ve done it a lot, and it could become stale if they keep doing it the same way, but if they keep coming up with new ways to apply the technique on albums to come, this band will remain one of the leaders in the extreme metal genre.

Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone isn’t as much of a stylistic progression as Choronzon was – as it’s largely in the same vein – but there are a few notable progressions. Overall, the album is more laid back and moody. The album opens up with a more groove-oriented song, and it’s a bit of a wait before the band starts letting loose with the super fast drums. The intensity peaks at the fourth song, which is a ripper. Throughout, Akercocke’s aim isn’t primarily to bludgeon you with brutality (see how the ride is the most accentuated piece on the drum kit), but rather with the sense of speed and dynamism. Akercocke’s MO is not one of bestial onslaught, but rather of monstrous metallic music played with subtle control – the whole piquing the imagination even further with the band’s calculated image of retro, well-dressed LaVeyan Satanists who surround themselves with naked, zaftig women and goats. The last track evokes some comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel’s darker material, which flows well from the dark undercurrent-laden mayhem that leads up to it.

One thing is for sure, though, Words...’s greatest progression is in the realm of production. While Choronzon’s sound wasn’t anything to sneer at, Words... benefits from a much crisper and fuller delivery that is immediately noticeable, while retaining Akercocke’s trademark sonic values.

Although Matt’s right that some of the clean vocal parts leave something to be desired as far as being in key (and the clean parts on Words... aren’t as good as the breakthrough singing on Choronzon), this isn’t a deal breaker, as in context, even the amateurish vocal parts supply a sort of brazen confidence that adds to the band’s terrific sound. It also helps that they’re mixed well...

Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone isn’t the breakthrough album that Choronzon was, but they can’t all be milestones. Rather, Akercocke is one of the world’s premier metal bands resting very well on the laurels it has made for itself with another outstanding record that will no doubt be part of many "best of 2006" lists. (8.5/10)

review by: Rick Luna

Grindcore is hands down the most extreme form of music you’ll ever hear. Fans of Napalm Death, Doom, and Extreme Noise Terror will probably have the most appeal to this crusty, ear-blasting release from Herman Rarebell.

Too Late for Peace contains 15 tracks of absolute grind done the old-school way with raw crunchy guitars, distorted bass, slamming snares and some insane throats. The screams possess a Kevin Sharpe (Brutal Truth) feel. You’ll pick up the additional influences immediately upon first listen. In fact, three of the songs from this mini-album are covers from Doom ("Rags to Riches") and Napalm Death ("Multinational Corporations," "Instinct of Survival"). However, that doesn’t mean that all is entirely well. If it lacks something, it’s variety. It’s like trying to pick one apple from a tree filled with the same thing.

Being a 3" CD, this album will be over faster than you can say grind away! Getting past the German (or at least I think it’s German) sampling, you’re in for an earful of sounds. It you have anger to vent, then here’s your vehicle, but original this is not. (7/10)

review by: Rick Luna

Powertrip Pigs was released outside of North America sometime in 1999, but it wasn’t until now, thanks to Crash Music, that it gets released here. The lineup in itself reeks of metal super group with members such as ex-Annihilator personnel Aaron Randall (vocals) and Ray Hartman (drums) as well as Jack Frost himself (Seven Witches, The Bronx Casket Co.). It’s a shame that despite the personnel, Speeed crashes on this mediocre ride.

Jack Frost’s style, in a nutshell, is all-American. It’s simple and easy to listen to, but it’s temporarily abrasive. His playing here has no drive, compared to say, Seven Witches, and there’s hardly anything that really grabs you by the hair. It’s a rhythm injected blend of grooves and chords, and a few occasional solos that shriek or howl. The drumming seems to be only blandly complimenting the riffs.

Powertrip Pigs isn’t only limited to one playing style: it’s got a bit of everything, from the industrialized "What Dya Want" to the ultra fast thrashings of "Sin," and the quasi-ballad "I Used to Believe." In this case, it’s a love or hate it kind of situation.

If you have been waiting for years to get this then don’t keep your hopes too high because you didn’t miss much. It’s good to hear from Aaron Randall again. That’s it. (5/10)

review by: Rick Luna

There’s no need for introductions here, Summoning Heresy simply sucks! You might as well proclaim death metal as dead metal while you’re at it.

There’s not even a decent moment. Does every band modeled after Morbid Angel or Incantation HAVE to be so damned sloppy? It’s been done a million times before. The guitars are all over the place, with more than a few "okay, guys, I get it… now quit it" moments. It’s as basic as you can get: growls = blah, guitars = shit, drums = same old, same old. Not even their version of Sepultura’s "Necromancer" was entertaining.

If there were a worst-of list to compile, then Summoning Heresy would have to be included as a top contender. (1/10)

review by: Rick Luna

City of Lost Souls may not be grand on a massive scale, but it’s quite the kick for the right occasion. Traditional power metal is an acquired taste, but nevertheless Jack Frost adds his most metal of influences and binds them into a well established brand with heavy American styling.

Never released in the North American continent till now, City of Lost Souls has its moments both good and not so great. It either gets you going or lets you down. It’s evident that Seven Witches loves to give the nod to old-school to greats such as the Priest or the likes of other British steel bands.

Musically, City of Lost Souls has particular edge with a "metal 4 life" attitude. Jack Frost does a good job at providing gnarly leads as well as tunes with the likes of the powerful "Atlantis" and unleashes additional surprises with the title track. Who knew that the song was going to go from a ballad to balls-out thrashy? Surprise, surprise! Bobby Lucas hits the notes just right, and it goes well with Jack Frost’s vision of the perfect metal band. However, I’m fonder of the later, James Rivera-fronted days.

The fun lasts for a while. This American release includes a bonus cut, which is untitled, but actually is poorly industrialized remix of "Pounding Metal." (7/10)

review by: Rick Luna

Finnish band Hevein incorporate melody with actual cello and violin players for one unique experience. Sound Over Matter is their first album and the music is just as every bit as commercial sounding as the more recent efforts from Soilwork, In Flames, and Amorphis.

The whole Scandinavian sound is present, but to an expansive degree. The music definitely has a western influence to it with plenty of catchy, radio-friendly tunes. However, that idea shouldn’t scare anybody off. In fact, it should give you more than a reason to listen to this. The combination of strings aren’t overused but played just right to accompany the guitars in a non-intrusive, neoclassical way. The vocalist is reminiscent of Pasi from his more modern Amorphis days (when he sings). His growling is another story.

Songs like "Bleed the Day" and "Hold Fast" are probably the fastest songs on the entire album if you want something quick and effective. "Iota" has that hit single vibe to it. It’s definitely a grower, and there’s no doubt that this band will have at least a moderately sized following from here on out. (8.5/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

This five-song EP is loaded with outstanding melodic, technical death metal. The music features dynamism galore, with shifts in mood, texture, tempo and intensity, resulting in a ride that’s thrilling both at first, and interesting each subsequent time you take the plunge.

For a self-released album, the sound is outstanding. It’s a cut below the fullness you’d get from a full-on, pro production and all the compression that would go along with it, but Exausted Prayer’s material is nonetheless conveyed superbly. In fact, it gives the occasional black metal-esque harmony a more frosty feel.

This new development we’ve been seeing over the past couple years in technical, extreme metal is an exciting one: complex, but with melodic hooks to make it more appealing than always trying to out-brutalize. Rather, bands like Exhausted Prayer’s secret lies in the intelligent morphology of the delivery and tone. The only real place that bands of this type can improve on is the variety of vocal delivery, although there’s nothing technically reproachable about Exausted Prayer’s scathing throat rasp style. If you like Arsis, this is an album to get without fail. (8.5/10)

review by: Joshua

A two part question to start:

What exactly is cowboy’s job and, here in March of 2006, is it possible to complete a review of a band with the moniker Job for a Cowboy without a "Brokeback Mountain" joke?

We shall see.

Doom they’ve titled this, their debut EP, and once the CD hits the deck you realize that there’s got to be a snarky sense of humor operating here, because rather than being enveloped in oppressive and plodding slow-motion misery, you’re waylaid by 20+ minutes of intense grind. Matter of fact, the only doom on hand here will be the impending kind for all other like-minded bands when they discover that all five members of this Arizona ensemble are still in high school. Choke on that.

That last detail wouldn’t matter for squat if the (cow)boys couldn’t deliver the goods, but deliver they do in a hailstorm of pulverizing rhythms, serrated-tipped guitars and a drummer who’s never met a blast beat that he didn’t like. This wall-to-wall bloodletting is helmed by a vocalist who, for the most part, sounds like a feral pig vigorously protecting a fresh kill; come close at your peril.

The playing is remarkably tight, requisite in an environment where a miscue or misplaced time signature spells the difference between precision killing machine and great big mess. They also have the good sense to ease off from a non-stop grind-fest by adding in brief melodic flourishes, breakdowns that sniff around the haunches of metalcore, and intermittent time changes that last just long enough to snag a few deep breaths before the tempo ramps up again.

Promising indeed. Doom isn’t going to have you running to trade in your Nasum or Napalm Death collections, but given what’s on offer here – and the salient fact that they have all the time in the world to develop into something truly special – it’ll be interesting to see if and how they develop in the ensuing years.

Failing that, there’s always sheep herding to fall back on.

Ouch. Close, so very close. (6/10)

review by: Joshua

File this one under: "really?"

Maybe: "are they serious?"

Perhaps: "they’re kidding, right?"

It’s damn near impossible to know what’s going through the hive mind of Agent Cooper. What you’ve got are some very talented musicians who want, apparently, to be Tool, but come off like the second coming of Asia. Someone better call John Wetton and co. and tell them to put the reunion plans on hold.

And it’s not only that. An ‘80s influence – make that infusion, is palpable from start to finish on Beginner’s Mind; that doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative, but the band’s stylistic plundering of that decade is bizarre and disturbingly MTV-oriented. Most egregious offender would be "…In the Bottle," an uptempo "anthem" – cough – that could pass as a castoff from a soundtrack circa 1985, replete with noodly, insistent keyboards, heartfelt acoustic break, an upfront and very wet sounding snare, and a chorus that would have even Kenny Loggins spinning in his grave. If he were dead, that is.

And while there are plenty of tracks that nod in that same direction, they skirt the awfulness of "…In the Bottle" by varying degrees but always end up disappointing. Opener "East Indian Sun" is about the nine millionth rip-off of "Kashmir," but it works well enough until a break that’s been excised from one of Styx’s later albums rears its histrionic head.

The aforementioned Tool aspirations are no more prevalent than on "Timing Crucial," which opens with a rhythm as slippery as a bag of eels, singer Doug Busbee doing a decent karaoke version of Maynard James Keenan’s tortured/torturer vocal approach. A subtly infectious chorus adds some nice shading, but, as if on cue, the track is ambushed by an unforgivably funky breakdown. On "The Heat," the guitar that drives a fairly driving riff is negated by a felony-worthy intrusion of slap bass and a mid-song jam.

It goes on, but why bother with more painful details? The Asia factor is the preeminent one and that’s where Agent Cooper has ultimately set themselves up for either ridicule, success, or both. To be fair, they don’t emulate Asia. The link between the two bands is the prog element that A Beginner’s Mind employs as its bedrock, but it’s prog-lite – a watered down and accessible version that deposits all the pretension, exploration and pomp smack down in the middle of innocuous song structures and ties it all up with a shiny bow. Sure, it may sell a boatload or two of albums, it’s worked before. And maybe that’s the primary goal. The problem, the ultimate frustration, then and now, is that this is a group of musicians capable of so much better. (3.5/10)

review by: Abhishek Chatterjee

This album is at its weakest state when you're listening to it for the first time or the first few times. Nothing particularly remarkable jumps out at you, and there aren't many parts that make you want you to hit the remote and start the song over again. What this album really does bank on is that the listener will spin the disc more than a few times till the tunes start soaking in. And that is when the second full length by Gory Blister begins to bare its teeth.

No, these guys have nothing to do with gore-grind. They play a thrashy yet technical form of death metal, bringing Coroner to mind quite often. The music flows well and is played with a good deal of competence. Unfortunately, these songs, although well written, lack real bite in the riff department. We feel that this album would be ideal for those evenings when we just want to put our feet up and listen to some relaxing death metal without taxing our brains too much. But then again, we can't help but wish that next time around they come up with even better material to knock us off that rocking chair. (6.5/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

The editorial we disagree. Skymorphosis is largely as Abhi describes it, but it’s a pretty fierce kick in the pants, even on first listen. The production is intentionally grating in its slick overall-ness, complementing the feel well that Gory Blister gives of being Death as a thrash band. Ok, the songs won’t go down individually as the most memorable in the genre, but there’s a uniqueness to this album that comes at the crossroads of knowhow, confidence and professionalism makes Skymorphosis very worthwhile. And the final track, a cover of "1,000 Eyes" from Death’s Symbolic, is totally great. (7.5/10)

review by: Joshua

A brief etymological lesson. Trust me, it’s worth it. Aeolian linguistically relates to "Aeolus," the Greek god of winds; the offshoot of that, "aeolian," refers to, among other things, musical tone produced by, or as if by, wind.

The music on Aeolian fits that milieu perfectly: constantly shifting, prone to sudden turnabouts and gentle breezes, equally capable of destructive gales or the exhalation of temperate thermals, possessing the power to bring entire cities to their knees while holding the fragile touch that can keep a single leaf wafting for minutes at a time.

The thing about this band is that they hit you in so many different ways it’s a dizzying effort just to keep up with the assault; repeated listens yield increasing rewards. As they did on their previous album – the quite stellar Fluxion – they operate within the post-metal realm that anyone even remotely familiar with Isis, Neurosis and the like will immediately gravitate towards, where the comfort of predictable structure is sacrificed at the altar of wide open expanses, whose territory is largely unmapped.

Neolithic jackhammer rhythms cede to non-linear riffs rife with discord. Meandering and jagged guitar scraps are smoothed out by misplaced bits of classical piano. Hardcore, melodic Swedish death metal, metalcore and thrash collide in a tangled amalgam where each piece fights for supremacy.

A circular rhythm born from utter chaos reveals a propulsive stoner rhythm hidden under layers of fuzz and scree; that disquiet is quelled by lilting post-rock passages which, in turn, are subsequently crushed under another barrage of ferocity that feeds upon itself until nothing remains, and the vapor exits via choral chant. Melancholy strings lay like trophies over percussive workouts that build with a single mindedness towards the epic, building to a cumulative roar and laying siege to anything within hearing distance.

There are plenty of bands out there that can replicate any number of the disparate ingredients that are found within Aeolian. But few can touch The Ocean as far as their ability to mix and match all of the pieces and weave them into a seamless fabric where each song submerges you into its world both singularly and within the whole of the album.

Cold, dark, unfathomable, enveloping, gentle, alluring, traitorous, unpredictable, embracing, mysterious, soothing, pitiless, wholly objective and imbued with a vastness that’s as impossible to comprehend as the mind-fuck of celestial infinity. As all these adjectives and dozens upon dozens more can be laid across the surface of the world’s seas, so can they be hung around the neck of The Ocean, the band. (8 /10)

review by: Joshua

Good lord, where to start? How about the punitively heavy riffs on hand? Or consider the dynamics employed in each and every track that lifts the absolutely familiar into something a whole lot more special? Great production? Tight playing? Still not convinced? OK, how about a keyboardist with an affinity for John Carpenter soundtracks and Goblin and he’s only 20 fucking years old? Figured you’d bite on that one.

Right off the bat, there’s a Swedish feel to Eden Fire, no surprise there as the band is comprised of, well, Swedes. Yea. But where most bands these days are content to fall into the At the Gates mold and plunge those influences into a metalcore stew, Sonic Syndicate – alright, let’s be blunt for a sec, the band name is weak – go a different route, taking those melodic death metal tropes and jamming them together within a European power metal framework. For those who find Blind Guardian, Lost Horizon, Rhapsody and their ilk a bit too limp-wristed and tight in the trousers, Sonic Syndicate is the antidote to all of your secret power metal tendencies.

Eden Fire’s ten tracks comprise three new songs and re-recordings of the band’s last two EPs. Accusations of laziness may head their way but since those EPs are out of print – and no one heard them, anyway – they can be forgiven. The inclusion of seven reworked songs might foreshadow a dearth of new ideas; time will tell. The new tracks blend easily with the reworked material and throw in a few new twists to boot. Standout of the three is "Enhance My Nightmare," which mingles heaviness with catchiness and benefits from the backup vox of recently acquired bassist Karin Axelsson. Her refrains add a black metal feel to the buzzsaw riffs and provide ethereal counterpoint to Richard Sjunnesson’s tonsil damaging growl.

The older material tends to be more keyboard-heavy, and where that aspect would drag down many a band in a sticky morass of feyness, Sonic Syndicate ride those keys through the obstacle course of each song. Whether indulging in games of chicken with the repeated attacks of double kickdrum work, playing musical chairs with Viking guitar strains or providing intros and passages that evoke haunted house mustiness, they never do anything more than accent, even when taking the lead.

Start to finish, the tracks provide some sort of juxtaposition that elevates the typical to the somewhat atypical: the insanely heavy bridge nestled within the melodic scaffolding of "Prelude to Extinction," or the rolling breakdown that evolves into the punishing rhythm that closes out "Where the Black Lotus Grows." But even when they take a more straightforward route, as on opener "Jailbreak," its head-through-the-wall intensity is nothing less than satisfying. (7/10)

review by: Joshua

You know that rush of hot air that escapes when you open up an oven door to check the progress on whatever baking expedition you’ve undertaken? Instant heat, almost intolerable for that first quarter second as your skin attempts to acclimate to the sudden temperature change. Listening to Ion Dissonance’s Solace is just like that. Times one hundred. Substitute a blast furnace for your little domestic oven and, rather then a quick peek, you stand your ground in the face of the searing air that singes your eyebrows and wilts your clothes; and, for some perverse reason, you refuse to move, each scorching minute that passes both an endurance test and a badge of masochistic pride.

So you’re getting the idea, right?

Ion Dissonance is all that’s (still) right about metalcore. The band might resist the tag – you’d have to ask ‘em – but they embody the metalcore aesthetic from top to bottom, reminding you why it was such an exhilarating ride in the first place. In your face vox that reek of malicious intentions while grappling with internal conflict? Check. Dexterous runs up and down the fretboard when not slashing away at vicious riffs? Got it. Breakdows? Galore. A rhythm section akin to a beating with lead pipes to the skull? Right here.

How many other bands posses those attributes? Tons. Ion Dissonance set themselves apart by the sheer display of sonic violence seeping from each and every note. They accomplish that through complicated arrangements and some jaw dropping instrumental prowess. Drummer JF Richard operates on a plain visited by few, his double kick work and fills are so insanely fast and accurate you can’t even construct a picture in your brain of a human pulling off this type of speed and agility.

His skills would be a hollow exercise if the rest of the band couldn’t match his strength, but they match him note for note, section by section, every step of the way. A testament to their collective ability is that when they utilize that most stale of metalcore devices – the breakdown – they lock in as one unit and you feel its destructive power right down to your nerve endings; you don’t imagine wading into the mosh pit so much as you contemplate a bout of duck and cover.

And just to contradict all the metalcore leanings, album closer "A Prelude of Things Worse to Come" serves notice that the band won’t be so easily pigeonholed. It’s an 11-minute trudge that eases off the speed and opts for simple, brute force instead. If you’d care to imagine a locked basement where you’re chained to a wall, the air oppressive and thick, and the only sound other than slow, droning chords and pummeling percussion is the ominous, incomprehensible murmurings of someone who’s made the final break from reality, you’re only starting to get the picture. As the final chord fades to a buzzing and then to black, the loss of consciousness is the only reliable form of solace. (7.5/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

If you like Summoning, it’s a guilty pleasure, even if you don’t realize it. Check the facts: All (but one) of the Austrian band’s eight albums is about The Lord of the Rings. The music, especially now that Summoning has completely found their muse (that garnered them their greatest acclaim with Stronghold, two full-length albums ago), is a kind of smashing together of dark ambient with black metal, permeated with a medieval flavor, and with a stereotypical new age music hokiness. The whole lot sounds like it was written either for a really cool and dark third-party Playstation 2 game about Middle Earth, or for a low-budget, closet independent movie’s beginning or ending credits.

In the world of Summoning, the movie is either perpetually building up to something, or pensively contemplating some manner of grandeur, or melancholically waxing nostalgic on some great, heroic, past deed that will never be reproduced... until the next album, that is. The whole lot is accomplished via electric guitars, raspy, thin BM vocals, song-like arrangements, a TON of synthesizers, and a plodding drum machine set to "dark ages" that holds so much of this project’s character that the beat box practically becomes the group’s third, sentient entity.

The verdict? Unregenerate geekiness.

But that’s just how those into Summoning like it. Don’t dissect what it is you’re enjoying, embrace the version of fantasy world unique to this Austrian duo, and all will be well. Remember: objectivity is the enemy.

Summoning is the perfect band to throw on as background music during a period of intense, pleasurable concentration, preferably of the nerdy variety. We now have Minas Morgul and Stronghold inextricably, happily associated with the French comic book series "Prophet." Substitution of that with "Hellboy," "Berzerk," or anything by Tolkien or Lovecraft would also be choice. (Note: we think Dol Guldur’s heavy-handed, tedious dark ambience sucks. We seem to also remember Lugburz, the debut – back when the group was a proper BM band with a human drummer – being pretty lame, too. And don’t even bother with the EP, entitled nightside something or other.)

If you’re a returning fan checking in to see if you’ll like the new record, you will. It’s more of the same from the last couple disks. A bit less theatrical than Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame (much fewer spoken samples used as rhythms), a wider range of drum sounds (like Middle Ages bongos!), and more melodic vocal samples.

But essentially, it’s the same thing. Eight or so takes on the symphonic and plodding at the hands of a keyboard-wielding, Dark Age devotee, comprising a somber but glorious intro, various takes on cavernous, creeping grandeur, and a heavily repetitive final track that features a cyclical spoken or chorally-sung (with tons of effects and manipulations) final sendoff into the hidden land of the Elves.

This last song on Oath Bound is particularly effective, with the anchor vocal melody being introduced with the keyboard at first, and then the big choral hook coming in eight minutes later, lasting until the song fades away at the 12-minute mark.

Also of particular note is the use of some kind of barbarian horn sample in a song that will always make us think of the part in "The Two Towers" movie with the oliphants. The section with the sample by itself is particularly effective. The rest of the album has some nice gems to uncover. Some of it leans slightly on the filler side, but once you get warmed up to Oath Bound, it’s not something that you’ll mind coming back to at all.

The days when Summoning had any trace of metallic, head-bangable parts are long gone. They’ve embraced their formula, which could get stale if they get lazy with it. Then again, you could say that about any band that keeps re-hashing the same imagery, but Summoning is master of its genre, and unique in the musical world. (7.5/10)

review by: Ignacio Coluccio

It's a fact: dark ambient and doom bands love Lovecraft. He's certainly THE writer to draw inspiration from when writing an album in that genre. Musterion is one of the few bands to really achieve making that influence come out in the sound without making it stupidly obvious or cheesy, as opposed to the millions of bands using it as a marketing stunt.

Variety is the keyword for The Black Lodge. It incorporates elements from darkwave, dark ambient, neo-folk and minimalistic electronica. The result is a big, fat bag of awesomeness. In other words, Musterion mixes the traditional "you're in a tomb and all alone" kind of dark ambient with lots of different kinds of atmospherical music to produce an absolutely unique and ear-soothing mix.

Atmospherically, it's terribly hermetic and cryptic, but it can be enjoyed without really paying much attention, albeit not at the same degree. There are lots of creepy parts where you'll expect something to come out of nowhere, and some others that will just make you relax.

We've seen some acts create cheap ambient by just lowering the volume to 10% and using random spoken parts and noises, but in The Black Lodge, the composition plays a central role. Every part of the seemingly concept album has a weight and personality of its own. That was actually a big surprise, seeing as many bands tend to make songs that could be interchanged with no real damage done to the album.

Pretty much the only bad part about The Black Lodge is the presence of two or three out-of-place keyboard lines, but really, they don't do much to an amazing record. (8.95/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

During the last year or so I had the privilege of reviewing quite a few Nektar releases, every one of which delivered. This new reissue of the band’s 1973 …Sounds Like This, in expanded form, is no different.

Back in 1972, Nektar set to capture its live vitality in a controlled, studio environment. An audience was invited to take place, and the gig was recorded for a future album, which was meant as a breakthrough release for UK ground. However, the session was found unrepresentative of the band’s true powers, and so another session came about and was found fit to release as the original …Sounds Like This double album, which is featured on the first CD of this reissue.

Recently discovered material from the first session is also found here for the first time (on the second CD, which doubles the original running time for about 150 minutes), mixed from the original master tapes.

Both sets find Nektar in free form. While not free of faults, the band rocks hard and loose, performing mostly new material with tons of inspired jams, some of which are bluesy, some blast with energy while some are more sonically exploratory (with keyboards passages in the experimental spirit of some of their contemporaries, such as Soft Machine).

As such, the album, and this new release in particular, shed further light on some of the band’s repertoire’s evolution, as numbers from the first set moved and evolved in and out of other tracks to form a different second set; some of these partially improvised movements would eventually compose the band’s landmark release Remember the Future. (8.25/10)

review by: Avi Shaked

Originally conceived in 1995 as a Christmas present for his family and friends, "Jim’s Special Edition Easy Listening Christmas Album" has transformed into this release with the substitution of some of the aforementioned album’s tracks with newer songs.

As suggested by the title, this is indeed an easy listening type of thing. Warren, who is known as a member of Stackridge and The Korgis, borrows mostly from the commercial, pop orientation of the latter and supplies short songs that are melodic and friendly, leaning on gentle guitars, keyboards and fancy orchestration, occasionally bordering on kitsch.

"Money Talks" is one of the few gems here, sounding very much like a number from the Paul Simon songbook, and The Korgis fans will certainly appreciate the original 1978 demo version of "Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime."

The song "Someday They’ll Find Out" off this release did find its way to Stackridge’s fantastic Sex and Flags (reviewed in issue #36), and unless you crave an overdose of simple, flattering (to the ears) and partly naive songs (and if that’s the case, then I would wonder how you even ended up reading Maelstrom), you should stick with that Stackridge album and avoid this one. (3/10)

review by: Joshua

To quote Spinal Tap: "There’s a fine line between clever and stupid." Martyrium tread that line with all the grace of a tightrope walker in a hurricane, leaning one way, then the other, never quite falling headlong into either camp. The end result is one massive crotchshot right down the middle. Better put some ice on that.

There’s some serious Cradle of Filth worship at work here, and if it were only that then this would be a much more enjoyable affair. Martyrium has obviously studied the dynamics: it’s all over-the-top and ridiculous: heaviness butted up against theatrical excess, crushing force meeting malevolently frail interludes.

All well and good, but where Dani Filth and co. have their tongues so firmly planted in their cheeks in regards to all things infernal that you’d need a crowbar to separate the two, the Martyrium crew suffer from a dearth of levity in this department. At the end of the night you just know that the only left hand path that the Filthy ones are going to follow is the one that gets them straight into a Goth girl’s panties. With Martyrium, you get the feeling that they’re really expecting to shake hands with ole Nick at the conclusion of their oh-so-fiery conjurations.

So rather than concentrating on creating songs that are redolent with atmosphere, aggression and an all encompassing barrage of sound, Martyrium want us believe that they’re actually creating dark, ritual music. Problem is, it’s about as bladder-emptyingly scary as a bunch of stoned teenagers messing around with a Ouija board and discovering that not only is Elvis alive, but he’s been writing all of Tupac’s material for the last decade.

Where the real scariness rears its head is in the form of female vocalist La Marquise de Sade – must’ve picked that name out of a very shallow hat. Her delivery is so forced and so embarrassingly self-conscious that it sounds as if she’s trying out for the lead in a dinner theater production of "The Crucible." Every time she makes an appearance, it’s a cringe inducing event and, at its apex, when she exhorts "Oh, Christ, fuck me," you may just piss yourself. From laughter.

Ultimately, The Carnage Lit by Darkness can’t be dismissed outright. The musicianship, particularly the keyboard work, is too good to ignore and despite a flat and somewhat monochromatic production, the instrumentation still shines. If the band can own up to the fact that the dark lord isn’t showing up for supper any time soon and focus on making music, then we can all move on to the business of laughing with, rather than at, them. (4/10)

review by: Roberto Martinelli

This incredibly long-windededly titled DVD is nothing short of a triumph in terms of musicianship, but most of all, to help give metal musicians more of the musical credibility that they so richly deserve. (Side note: actually SEEING Yngwie Malmsteen perform in his laughably cheesed-out persona, no matter how good he really is, reduces this triumph to the "two steps forward, one step back variety.")

Regardless of personal taste preferences, this DVD is astounding for several reasons.

- Malmsteen wrote all the music (although someone else is credited for scoring all the parts for the various instruments)

- As a result of his writing the music, Malmsteen is the only one of well over 100 musicians on stage (including the conductor) that is not reading along with sheet music as the pieces progress. Malmsteen barely even looks at the conductor, for that matter.

- Of the 17 pieces played (some of which are from Rising Force, like "Far Beyond the Sun," "Blitzkrieg," and "Black Star Overture"), there isn’t a note out of place by any of the performers.

- The sound in the concert hall is godly, and the performance is shot with the utmost of professionalism.

- As Malmsteen points out in the bonus interview, this performance is of original, classical music, as opposed to what bands like Metallica or The Scorpions have done, which is play their rock or metal songs with orchestral accompaniment.

Adding to the richness of the performance is a 40-some member choir. Excellent move. It breaks up the monotony that the symphony unfortunately falls into from time to time.

Yes, this is the downside. Unless you’re REALLY into Yngwie’s style, a great deal of the material regresses into aimless noodling. It could be because Malmsteen seems to be doing the same thing over and over again, and that his playing often seems to forsake emotion for cramming in more and more notes in a repetitive phrasing, but more probably because there’s only so much voice in his electric tone... try as he might to shake things up with a clean-sounding, electric steel guitar. (This doesn’t mean that the pieces can’t be thrilling, though. By the way, it’s curious to see that one of the most emotive pieces on the DVD is in the "bonus features" section. Is there a blatant fuck up somewhere in that piece that that we missed?)

This is the regrettable, hard-to-admit truth about the electric guitar: no matter how well and cohesively it’s played, it still sounds kind of out of place with a full-blown, acoustic orchestra.

But you might think otherwise. Regardless of your ultimate opinion, Concerto Suite for Guitar and Orchestra in E Flat Minor is a highly recommended spectacle to witness, and an undeniable benchmark for metal musicians everywhere. (8.5/10)

PS: Just in case you’re wondering, the performance on this DVD is not the same as the 2000 CD entitled Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E flat minor Op.1. Although much of the music is the same, the recordings were done at different times and with different orchestras (the CD is with the Czech philharmonic).

review by: Joshua

What will first contact sound like? Probably a whole lot like Meridian, and if we have any sense as a species – debatable at best – we’ll steer clear of that great unknown.

The album plays like the soundtrack to a sci-fi film envisioned by Steven Spielberg – visions of light, wonder, and wide-eyed innocence – that‘s slowly and insidiously co-opted by Stanley Kubrick’s cold, empty abyss of interminable nothingness. When alien strains are finally heard over staticky transmissions on a lone vessel, they bring no relief, only confusion and a faint sense of despair because they are so foreign to anything recognizable as human. What are the messages? And if even if you could translate them, would you really want to know what they say?

Low-end hum is ubiquitous; sometimes soothing, carrying sparse snatches of piano, insect buzz and distorted church organ; at other times untenable and confusing, like shifting tectonic plates that threaten to break from their tethers, or wind storms that end abruptly in the whoosh of a celestial vacuum. When the tremble of those sub-harmonic hums grows more insistent, it progresses to high-end oscillation and chitter that moves towards its inevitable disintegration to even lower tones.

By album’s end, those subterranean undulations ebb and flow like oiled machinery, moving in counter-time to soothing notes perched delicately on top of those rolling, throbbing waves. As the final transmission fades, an acoustic guitar repeating a simple progression trails off into the void, like a dream whose existence relies on the unconsciousness of its owner to survive.

Meridian is such an internally realized album that talking about it is akin to describing color to a blind man; it’s an approximation at best. Far better to immerse yourself in its wake and traipse through the landscape of your own mind. Familiar or alien, the terrain won’t look anything like what you expected. (7/10)

review by: Joshua

Alright, I know the mail can be a slow time coming, but this is pushing it. Not only did Antagonist come out in 2002, it’s since been re-released on another label. Geez. Nevertheless, duty calls and what we’ve got here is big heaping slab of vegan, straight-edge metallic battering. From Germany no less. The land of bratwurst! These guys must be a barrel of joy at family barbeques.

Rather then coming off as an Earth Crisis pretender, Maroon take a different tact, wrapping a hardcore aesthetic and approach around a sound that evokes a hyped up Bolt Thrower. Not an easy trick, but the band succeeds in taking that deliberate low end chug endemic of the Bolt Thrower canon and infusing it with bursts of speed, without watering down its bulldozer-like power. Add in breakdowns, hints of groove, jumpy riffs and a melodic sensibility that reveals a Gothenburg visit or two and it’s difficult not to get drawn in to their [sonic] vision.

It’s a consistent ride, but album highlight goes to "Drowning." Opening with pile-driving percussion discharges underneath discordant guitar lacerations, it takes off like a shot before settling into a mid-tempo stomp with hardcore phrasings and compulsive note progressions.

Mysterious, though, is penultimate track "What Remains," a gorgeous, stirring instrumental full of melancholy synth lines. What’s puzzling is that it’s an excerpt from "Journey to the Line" found on the score to Terrence Malick’s film "The Thin Red Line" (which, if you haven’t seen, you should – one of the most beautiful things ever laid to celluloid and the most vivid [fictional]depiction of the stark terror of war you’ll ever witness). There’s probably a statement lurking in the inclusion of this piece somewhere – equating meat eating with war or animal consumption as genocide, but that’s an argument for another review. Here, its uncredited usage is troubling to say the least. Explanation, please. (6/10 for the songs, negative karma points until clarification on "What Remains" is uncovered.)

review by: Larissa Glasser

Lemmy Kilmister often refers to this record as Motorhead’s biggest failure. More than a generation later, his assessment seems melodramatic, but considering the circumstances of the band’s first big personnel change, one can empathize. This was to be Motorhead’s comeback after their longtime guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke left the band, but the acquisition of Brain Robertson (Thin Lizzy) proved to be a very high-stakes gamble. Although a technically superior guitarist to Clarke, Robertson’s divergent fashion sense (try to picture Richard Simmons wearing darker mesh, red hair, and a pout) and 20-minute guitar solos befuddled many. Then the slagging came from fans and press alike. Considering that Robertson had been recruited as damage control when Clarke left the band amidst the "Iron Fist" tour, the predicament facing Lemmy must have made for a bitter experience, indeed.

"I never thought about giving up because then I’d have to start again," he explains in the liner notes to the APD re-issue (2001). "I wouldn’t have done it. I was bloody 37 in 1982. I wasn’t gonna start again at 37, for Christ’s sake."

The four classic full-lengths Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades, and Iron Fist had endeared the sickest denizens of rock fans to the Motorhead sound. But when Robertson refused to play classic tracks from those albums, shit flew. The freshman saw it coming and ducked out, leaving the band once again high and dry.

Thankfully, we know the rest of the story.

So, considering Lemmy’s abhorrence of A Perfect Day, why is it my absolute favorite Motorhead album?

Well, none of their other albums sound like this. Its marriage of dirt and polish is peerless. Tony Platt’s production retains the jagged nuance of Lemmy’s overdriven bass, sets his signature rasp front and center with little if any reverb, Philthy Taylor’s drums are distinct and beefy, and finally, Robertson’s alien guitar tones fit perfectly with the material. Granted, his gloss of delay and chorus modulation can be a bit much in places, but the guy’s dexterity and melodic blues attack really helped Motorhead transcend the pitted enamel of Iron Fist.

Also keep in mind, there are some real classic . . . nah, indispensable tracks on here.

"Back at the Funny Farm" opens in true Motorhead punker fashion, fast as bunnies makin’ fucky in the month of May. Part of what makes the song great is the emphasis on speed, along with Lemmy’s humourous lyrics that convey to the listener, "We’re still nutters!" Alas, that sentiment fell on some deaf ears, but mine are ever receptive. Motorhead ages like wine.

The hyperactive blues of "Shine" somehow evokes a Vegas attraction like Wayne Newton or Tom Jones, melting vaginas in the audience with pointed index finger, spangled self-confidence, and debonair lines like "High life I’m a fool for you / Low life, like to break the rules / First bite, you know I got a taste for you / I’m gonna make you SHINE!"

The eerie "Dancing on Your Grave" counterpoints a sweet melodic run with a verse that bludgeons stationary and desolate chords. Brian Robertson’s guitar work is especially remarkable on this track.

"Rock It" is the only throwaway. It’s too happy. However, it embodies the maverick mentality behind the entire record. The 50’s piano and Chuck Berry-through-a-Marshall characteristics set it apart from the other songs, which is commendable.

Jesus Christ and in the name of the Her Majesty’s Airforce, where do you even START with "One Track Mind?" What an awesome, hypnotic, heavy song. Its simple lyrical motif emphasizes how you just can’t beat the teenage metal out of the elders (the ones who stay young at heart, anyways). Lemmy even proclaims his addiction to One Armed Bandits: Fruit (a.k.a. slot) Machines.

The Clapton-esque title track "Another Perfect Day" appears to chronicle the serrated existence of urban British toughs trying to survive the streets of the nefarious Thatcher Era (which was really sticking the pole up England’s butt back in ’82). The sardonic tone of the lyrics, coupled with metallic determination mark one of Lemmy’s best odes to his roots.

The mid-paced "Marching Off to War" presages later works such as "Orgasmatron" and "1916." Robertson unleashes a lot of shrill leads on this one, raging through the walls like air raid sirens. The lyrics seem directed at political leaders who wage war from safe distances and shove their militarized pawns against the "other" ideology.

"I Got Mine" is one of the most popular songs on the record. It seems to have done fairly well as a single (the B-side, "Turn You Round Again," is a bonus track on A Perfect Day’s 2001 Sanctuary reissue). It’s also one of Lemmy’s most hyper-confident songs, right up there with "No Class," "Damage Case," and of course, "Ace of Spades."

The bullshit detector in "Tales of Glory" has a powerful signal. This is one of the more traditionally inclined rock songs of the bunch. I really like when it modulates at the bridge. Great stuff. What’s with the sudden Fleetwood Mac fadeout, though?

"Die You Bastard!" is almost like a Judas Priest song—hyper-assertiveness, walking chord patterns, and implacable menace add up to a perfect closer for this record.

So if A Perfect Day is indeed the turd of Motorhead’s oeuvre, then let it refertilize your lawn.