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1349
Hellfire
(Candlelight)
1349 from Norway
are becoming a serious contender on the black-metal scene, and when you
listen to their latest effort Hellfire it makes sense. Listening to
Frost from Satyricon fire off one barrage after the other is close to
breathtaking, and the album is on the whole a merciless shot of adrenaline
that thrashes the listener around for 52 minutes. My main point of
criticism towards 1349 has previously been the vocal efforts of Ravn,
which – sadly – come across too uniform compared to the rest of the band,
and that is also the case on Hellfire. It is fortunately not as
apparent on this new effort as it was on the previous album Beyond the
Apocalypse, but personally I would very much like a stronger and more
varied expression than is the case. 1349 have overall surpassed themselves
with Hellfire, and the album is a safe investment for fans of the
band.
Aarni
Bathos
(Firedoom Music)
Looking
at the artwork from the CD, I start to wonder what this music is. The
cover is painted very nicely in various colours illustrating flowers and
mushrooms and lots of green life in a wood. This is not what I expect from
a band from Finland. Nevertheless the artwork is very fine. From the
biography I understand that this is the band’s debut record, and that it
contains Lovecraft-inspired music ranging from folk metal to doom and
ambient metal. Well, the music is very atmospheric and contains some very
alternative elements regarding instruments and rhythms. Sometimes you
don’t know what’s going on at all, and you might have the feeling that
either the guys crap around with the instruments or that you ate some
mushrooms. All in all this record just left me wondering, and I’m not
sure that I am able to specify what style the music is, so if you like pan
flutes, lots of bass-playing and some heavy doom-guitars, this might be
your taste. Music on mushrooms.
MP
Abandoned
Thrash Notes
(Dockyard 1)
The Germans have always had a weak spot for thrash. In
the late eighties the scene was literally flooded with German thrash metal
bands. Destruction, Kreator and Sodom started what would become a true
tsunami of German thrash, which dominated the scene until the end of the
century and peaked around ‘87-‘88. Abandoned clearly cannot forget these
times of grace, and with Thrash Notes they have created an album
that might as well have originated from that era. Abandoned are closely
related to fellow Germans Kreator in sound and style, and are in no doubt
heavily inspired by the legendary kings of German thrash. So in short
terms, we are dealing with well-executed and tight old-school thrash here.
Though I can enjoy the album, I do not think it gets above average. The
production is simply too weak and – in this case – diminishes an otherwise
good band and does them no justice at all. Their sound lacks heaviness to
a high degree, and it makes the album sound like an average sounding demo
from 1987, which I think is unnecessary in these times when technology can
do magic with sound. Another weak spot is singer/guitarist, Kalli whose
voice could need some improvement. He has a narrow vocal range and his
voice generally lacks power. But all in all: a good old-school thrash
album with some crucial weak spots that pull this release down to average.
JESTER
Act Of Gods
Stench of Centuries
(Osmose)
By oft-strenuous
audio experience it has become evident to me that Osmose Productions can
be a very ‘hit-and-miss’ label institution. Runaway prodigies such as
Immortal, Vital Remains, Enslaved and Marduk have earlier done much to
exert an assertive pull on the record-buying masses, but their respective
exits from the label roster in addition to the ill-timed demise of Angel
Corpse have severely weakened the magnetism of this ever-unorthodox record
enterprise. Nowadays highlights are few and far between, and to my sincere
regrets the French death metal combo Act Of Gods is not exactly one
either. Osmose promptly issued the three-track demo entitled Dies Irae
of these hopeful newcomers as an official MCD in early 2003, and albeit
neither technically outstanding nor musically innovative it was not at all
doomed to failure. Their current debut album Stench of Centuries,
however, is the subsonic equivalent of a four-hour lecture on cellular
metabolism in herbivorous marsupials. Nondescript vocalisations, shoddy
drum-work and unimaginative tremolo-picking... In essence, each and every
one track on Stench of Centuries is cut from the same fundamentally
moth-ridden blueprint. It says all about a band when the most
attention-grabbing constituent on their full-length album comes in the
form of a 12-second sound file, which in this case is the spine-tingling
wail of a vintage camera as it recharges, sampled from Tobe Hooper’s
horror-movie classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Nope, there is
truly nothing to further scrutinise here. Come again, Osmose!
MISEREION
Amorphis
Eclipse
(Nuclear Blast)
I have a bad habit of turning my back on bands when
they disappoint me with a bad release. But in the case of Amorphis I admit
to have made a mistake by writing them off too soon. I was a little
disappointed with their album Elegy (1996); following their
critically acclaimed masterpiece Tales from the Thousand Lakes from
1994, which I still consider a milestone in metal. The folk-inspired and
slightly commercialized Elegy appeared a little too cheesy for me.
I saw elder people in Finnish national costumes dancing folk-dance before
my eyes every time I listened to it. And believe me, it was not exactly
appealing. On top of that, the newly recruited co-vocalist Pasi Koskinen’s
clean vocals annoyed me for some reason. But the band seem to have come a
long way since then, and the Finns really surprise me in a positive way
with this album. Eclipse is a mature, well-composed, diverse and to
a high degree a spell-binding and epic progressive rock/metal album. The
arrival of new singer Tomi Joutsen seems to have given the band a saline
injection. His voice covers a wide field from clean vocals to growls and
he really masters it all, which helps make the songs varied and it seems
to have given the band a little more freedom in their songwriting. If I
have to compare their music to anything else, the only comparison I can
come to think of is Paradise Lost. Especially on the track “House of
Sleep” they come close to newer Paradise Lost material. But that is as
close as they get and unlike the aforementioned band, the Finns do not
deny their death metal roots, which still – though more constricted than
before – shines through on several tracks. And above that, the band have
also managed to keep the music recognizable, despite many line-up changes
through the years. You are in no doubt that this is Amorphis when you hear
it. Their music contains so many nuances and you are well entertained by
their superior musical skills and compositions through the whole album.
Amorphis has with Eclipse more than justified their existence, and
with this release they might win many new fans and perhaps win some old
ones back. And rightfully so. So as of today I will be a little more
careful with writing off any bands, before they have had the chance to
redeem themselves. That I promise.
JESTER
Anthrax
Taking the Music Back
(Nuclear Blast)
Milking the hit
list capacity of 2003’s critically acclaimed We’ve Come for You All
album, New York’s speedy thrash veterans Anthrax strike back with the
four-track cocktail Taking the Music Back, named so after the
principal cut on the CD. Incidentally, I wonder if this mini package is
available through mail-order? [pause for laughter]. With the obligatory
white powder joke over and done, let us have a track-by-track rundown. The
eponymous song is a cool mid-paced mosher that appears practically
tailor-made for the club-show environment: bouncy, anthemic and damn
catchy. Next up we have a previously unreleased gizmo entitled “Ghost”,
which is basically a two-minute formulaic fart that is as easily forgotten
as it is digested. And from there further on to cover tracks! “Exit” is a
very committed and accordingly very redundant rendition of U2’s original
song, which makes me wonder if Anthrax left their idiosyncratic
star-quality outside the front door to the studio. In contrast to
aforesaid triviality, the upbeat and energetic “Next to You” as originally
recorded by The Police does indeed spring to life in the house of Anthrax.
Nice choice! Added to the CD-player titbits are two virtually tiresome
promo videos for the stand-out album track “Safe Home” and the one and
same eponymous EP-opener. There is some live footage featuring Anthrax’
new and sparkling pentagram attire, and the former of the two videos even
includes a cameo from Keanu ‘1½ facial expressions’ Reeves. In essence,
however, this appetizer has a somewhat fishy flavour; not least since it
comes in the wake of Nuclear Blast’s 2-CD tour edition of We’ve Come
for You All, which had further been issued in some sort of ‘special
limited fold-out, plastic slipcase format’ months before. Frankly put,
this EP is as good as superfluous.
MISEREION
Arch Enemy
Doomsday Machine
(Century Media)
I
have to admit that I have never heard an entire Arch Enemy (AE) album
prior to this, so I really had no expectations. The only comparison I
could make was with the Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious
and Heartwork by Carcass on which super guitarist Mike Amott played
the lead guitar and also contributed to the songwriting. I truly believe
that Amott’s presence was the main reason that Carcass’ popularity reached
new heights back in the nineties. His simple and catchy heavy riffs
combined with a rarely heard sense of melodic harmonies blew new life into
the worn-out recipe of the standardized Carcass grindcore and catapulted
the band into death metal stardom. Heavy riffing and sick gory lyrics were
the main ingredients in Carcass, whereas AE on the other hand are more
about epic melodies with the early eighties’ NWOBHM (New Wave of British
Heavy Metal) as a clear source of inspiration. The two most obvious ones
being Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Many would caracterize AE as a death
metal band, but I would find it a little out of place to put them in a
category with bands like Nile and Cannibal Corpse, for instance. Even
though they have the characteristic death metal growls, courtesy of Angela
Gossow (a female growler who does an outstanding job by outdoing many of
her male colleagues), the music would fit better in a category together
with Iced Earth, Nevermore or with the melodic swedish Gothenburg metal, I
think. Mike Amott is a very skilled musician and it’s a joy to hear him
play, but I just miss some heavier riffing as a ‘break’ between the many
guitar harmonies and beautiful leadwork. After several spins in my
discplayer, I still lose focus every time I listen to it, and it all just
becomes a little too predictable – and dare I say: boring.
JESTER
Barcode
Showdown
(Nuclear Blast)
I
have got to admit that I have always had a thing for Barcode. Their two
previous efforts Beerserk and Hardcore were in my opinion
sublime old-school NY hardcore done in a Danish style. And nothing has
changed with Showdown, except for the record company. Barcode still
sound exactly the same as they have always done: angry and pissed off.
It’s with Barcode as it is with AC/DC and Motörhead. Expect no change –
and I don’t. Some bands never change while others change drastically from
album to album, and so it should be. I respect that. But sometimes it’s
nice to have somebody you can count on; if you know what I mean. With
Barcode it’s like coming to the usual bar, meeting the usual people,
drinking the usual beer, and having a hell of a time. That’s what Barcode
is all about for me. And if it works, don’t fix it!
JESTER
Before The Dawn
4:17 am
(Locomotive Music)
Listening
to this CD made me wonder where I had heard the kind of sound that was
presented to me before. So I checked up on the band’s homepage and found
out that the band originates from Finland, and the recording was likewise
made in Finland. So I then knew that the sound reminded me of the latest
Rapture CD. The band was from the beginning a solo project of Tuomas, but
he was quickly joined by musicians who wanted to work together with him
and then Before The Dawn was created. This is their second record; they
have done a record and an EP in the past. I am quite pleased with this
record so I might go out and try to find the earlier material as well. It
reminds me of a combination of Katatonia, Rapture and Theatre Of Tragedy.
Note that the vocals are male, though. It is a very relaxed kind of music
that I enjoy putting on. The music is well-balanced and of a fine quality,
and the vocals are in very good unison together with the rest of the
musical picture. The music is melodic and gives away a feeling of longing
for something. One of the finer contributions to my collection indeed.
MP
Beseech
Drama
(Napalm Records)
Presented
to me as a gothic-rock band from Sweden including male and female vocals.
Harmonic guitars with loads of keyboard effects. Did anyone say Lacuna
Coil? The production of this record is almost perfect, every instrument as
well as the vocals sound and clear. As expected of a Swedish band the
music is performed flawlessly and to the point of perfection. The
disappointment falls on that the music is made from a recipe heard many
times before. The music becomes boring very quickly, and the male vocals
irritate me. Do your own vocals instead of trying to replicate Peter
Steele from Type O Negative. I don’t know what to say more about this
album. If you are a German guy and you think that bands that sound like
Lacuna Coil and vocals like Type O Negative are the best there is, this
record is surely something for you. If you are someone who sets demands
for quality in music and originality, you should avoid this by all means.
MP
Bleed The Sky
Paradigm in Entropy
(Nuclear Blast)
A
new high hope signing from Nuclear Blast who are jumping on the metalcore
wagon; a genre soon more watered-down than George W. Bush’s arguments for
starting the war in Iraq. American Bleed The Sky is a typical example of a
band trying to reach everybody with their musical blend of hybrid
metal that I would call nu-metalcore pop. The band reach out in almost all
directions of metal and add a slice of radio-friendly clean vocals and
more quiet musical outlets that I think any mother would appreciate. I
think the band needs to rethink their musical concept and narrow down the
target group, which in this case would be young teenagers looking for a
new band to take over from the over-exposed and commercialised Korn.
JESTER
Blindfault
Talking to Deaf Ears
(Fast Beat Records)
Blindfault are a bunch of skilled musicians, and with Talking with Deaf
Ears they prove it. Unfortunately, their recipe for nu-metal is not
that original. Even though they try to mix it in a new way, their sources
of inspiration are still too obvious. Bands like System Of A Down,
Mudwayne and Pantera shine through on the 12 tracks, and their obvious
lack of originality is unfortunately impossible to ignore. The expression
is aggressive and the riffing precise, and Blindfault are as good as the
best clones out there. But Blindfault could actually have a bright future
ahead of them, if they could shake loose the influences and find an
expression of their own. All it takes is commitment and a will to do it,
and I seriously believe that these guys could do it. I know you’ll do
better next time.
JESTER
Blood
Red Throne
Altered Genesis
(Earache)
After their two first offerings, Monument of Death from 2001 and
Affiliated with the Suffering from 2003, I was never convinced that
Blood Red Throne could go places. Their basic old-school American based
death metal was just a little too predictable and one-sided for me. But
now there’s a completely different and better tasting icing on the cake.
Altered Genesis has all the things that the other albums lacked and
then some. Tchort, Død and Co. have mixed their American-style death metal
and blended in some melodic Scandinavian metal, and the end result is
something to call their own. The compositions are cut to the bone and made
very easily accessible and catchy as hell too. A death metal fan wouldn’t
go wrong here. The band seem to be in their element here as they pound one
deadly track into your ears after another. Everything has been improved
from production to a more catchy song structure, and all tracks are tight
energetic outlets. I feel compelled to name the track “Arterial Lust”,
which in my opinion really stands out with its spell-binding and
uncompromising heavy riffing. Great stuff! The only weakness on this
album, if any, is the one-sided vocal work of Mr. Hustler, which could be
just a little more varied in my opinion. If you’re into old school death
metal, you should check this piece of fine culture out. Killer album.
JESTER
Burst
Prey On
Life
(Relapse)
I
knew nothing of this band before I got the promo. Nevertheless, it just
fitted right into my taste of music. This band comes from Sweden with
roughly 10 years and 5 releases behind them. I read on a website somewhere
that the band in a way regards this record as the real true Burst music
they have come to through years of making music. Well, it is very unique
in its style, combining elements from Hardcore with traditional Heavy
Metal and Swedish Death Metal; they even grind on some passages. It
contains many details in itself and is very well played, yet it demands
active listening … which is fine by me. Track number 7 “Crystal
Asunder” actually reminds me a short passage of Arcturus back to La
Masquerade Infernale days, very nice indeed. Check this out, it is very
cool.
MP
Candlemass
Candlemass
(Nuclear Blast)
It’s
been a while since an album gave me shivers down the spine – but this one
did. It’s not every time a band decide to reunite that the outcome is this
positive, but I have to say that this album blew me away. Exactly like
Deep Purple it seems that the Mark II (second) line-up is the
ultimate line-up for Candlemass. Not to diminish the two mediocre albums
that bassist/songwriter Leif Edling released under the Candlemass moniker
after these five decided to part ways, but this album is light years ahead
in both quality and diversity to name but a few differences. This five
piece match together as my dick matches with Halle Berry’s pussy, and when
these five individuals come together magic occurs. And this album is the
proof. It’s like they have never been gone. The style is still the
well-known Candlemass style with the heavy riffs, beautiful leadwork,
superior compositions and the outstanding voice of Messiah Marcolin. That
man is indeed in a league of his own. One moment his voice is gently and
carefully caressing your inner eardrums on tracks like “Seven Silver
Keys”, “Copernicus” and “The Day and the Night”; next he is ripping your
entrails out on track like “Black Dwarf” and “Born in a Tank” with a
rawness yet unheard of.... From his guts, anyway. This album may not be as
good as their debut Epicus, Doomicus, Metallicus or the classic
Nightfall but its close, and I will not hesitate to put it right up
there with Ancient Dreams and Tales of Creation. Let’s just
hope that the peace will last, so that we can enjoy this band a while
longer. Epic doom metal!
JESTER
Callisto
True Nature Unfolds
(Earache)
Just what I needed:
a band from Finland who thought to themselves ‘we want to sound like Cult
Of Luna’… And they then did a record that sounded like a copy of Cult Of
Luna The Beyond. It is too obvious for me. I mean, they even got
the same sound. Even now when I listen to it, I get the creeps because I
dislike it that much. It is not ok to just copy what others do and then do
the same. That is a feature that belongs exclusively to pop music and hip
hop.
MP
Carpathian Forest
Fuck You All !!!!
(Season Of Mist)
Finally: here is the new
Carpathian Forest album! The album was recorded a year ago but was
completed towards the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006 due to the
release of Nattefrost’s solo album Terrorist: Nekronaut Pt. 1. Let me set
one thing straight right away: it has been worth the wait. Not only did
Nattefrost with his solo album release one of the, in my opinion, biggest
surprises in 2005; Fuck You All !!!! will be one of the highlights in
2006. The album opens rather fittingly with “Vi Åbner Porten til
Helvete…”, which hints at what we are up against for the next 46 minutes.
This is Carpathian Forest as we know them, but the band have redoubled
their hostility and disgust, which shows in both lyrics as well the music.
Nattefrost et al. open – in every sense of the saying – the gates to Hell
on Fuck You All !!!!, which from start to finish delivers some of the
strongest and most hateful material that the band has released in a long
while. There are no grand forays or tryouts on the album; just necro black
metal of the usual high calibre that we have come to expect from
Carpathian Forest, and this time on an album that is sublime on all
fronts, to boot. There is not much else to say than: Buy Fuck You All !!!!
unless you want to deny yourself the experience of this latest excellent
offering from Carpathian Forest. Now fuck you all!
Bo
Carpathian
Forest
Skjend
Hans Lik
(Season Of Mist)
I
am a big Carpathian Forest fan, and I am usually delighted no matter what
they release, but I have to admit that I do not really know how
interesting a release Skjend Hans Lik really is... Yes, the Bloodlust
and Perversion demo is on there, but it has been re-released one time
before – in 1997 through Avantgarde Music. Besides the demo you find
another mix of “Skjend Hans Lik”, “Humiliation Point”, which is a
track that did not make it to the Defending the Throne of Evil
record, a rehearsal version of “Spill the Blood of the Lamb”, a live
version of “Martyr/Sacrificulum” and a cd-rom video, and even though
it is very interesting to hear “Humiliation Point”, Skjend Hans Lik
is not a release that I will pull out often in the future. After the
release of the, to say the least, impressive We’re Going to Hell for
This – Over a Decade of Perversions, Skjend Hans Lik pales a
bit in comparison, and I would at any time recommend that album instead of
Skjend Hans Lik.
Bo
Chaos
Breed
Brutal
(Century Media)
Eventhough being from Finland, ChaosBreed have all the
ingredients of an early nineties swedish death metal band. The
characteristic superdistorted guitarsound courtesy of the Boss Heavy Metal
HM-2 pedal, the mix of ripping fast played metal, as well as the rockin’
and groovin’ parts best known from releases by Entombed, Unleashed and
Dismember in the early and mid-nineties. These three bands seem to have
had a large influence on ChaosBreed and especially Dismember and Unleashed
comes to mind at first listen. I happen to like all of the aforementioned
bands, and I have weakness for the swedish old-school death metal style in
general. And though not being particularly original (just listen to the
main riff of the song “Faces of death” and think of Slayer’s “Dead skin
mask”. You could get arrested for less, you know!), these songs make me
wanna bang my head, and the headbanging factor happens to be one of the
parameters on which I measure quality. If the music just grab you by the
balls and slam you hard against the walls until you surrender
unconditionally, then there is nothing to do, but to submit to the
superior. Fans of early Entombed, Dismember and Unleashed will surely not
be disappointed here. Comes with a neckache guarentee.
Jester.
Crowhead
Frozen
(My Kingdom Music)
Listening
to the first track while working with something else; at track number two
I was perfectly still listening only to the music; while track number
three was playing, I was fumbling for my headphones; at number four I was
lying on my bed with my eyes closed with nothing but Crowhead in my ears.
Coming from Norway with a music history in Ragnarok, these two guys did
indeed impress me with their debut CD. It is written in the booklet that
“Frozen” is destined to be a new milestone in the depressive Gothic
Dark Music. It is and I have recommended it to all I know that favour Goth
Rock and the like. I even recommended it to a member of the board of a
Goth arrangement in Copenhagen called Black Cat. It must spread like a
plague for this is awesome and it definitely deserves to be checked out.
Two guest musicians from Ex-Apoptygma Berzerk are performing on the CD as
well, adding some very interesting elements to the music. Should you ever
buy this CD, you should try blasting your speakers while listening to
track 2 “Mad Man” and track 5 “Fire Eye (Kill You)”. If you do not
despair, then try again when you’re drunk. It should definitely take you
down.
MP
Dead
Soul Tribe
A
Murder Of Crows
(InsideOut Music)
At
first I wondered why I was given this CD for reviewing. After having
listened to the CD to the end I knew. My first impression was that this
might belong to a guy favouring progressive metal, but this band has a
depressive and Doom Metal feel in it as well that might lead your thoughts
to old Candlemass. Performing very atmospheric music with screaming solos
and despairing vocals, this record stands out as unique in my collection
of CD’s. The music sometimes makes me think of standing on a battlefield,
dead corpses on all sides, the crows already taking their share. It weaves
and crawls through me and I enjoy listening to this CD, reading some of my
fantasy books. There is a great focus of percussion in the music that
gives it the tribal attitude, matching the name of the band. I cannot
point to a precise genre that fits to this music, but you should check it
out and find out yourself. It is really worth it.
MP
Decapitated
Organic Hallucinosis
(Earache)
‘You are
reading a review of the new Decapitated album, Organic Hallucinosis,
on the Evilution Magazine website’.
Yeah, Earache made another voice-over stunt. Please address
anthrax-stuffed letters and other such hateful comments in their
direction, thanks.
MISEREION
Decapitated
The Negation
(Earache)
Cursed be the venom
of inflated expectations! By now, I have practically worn down my copy of
Decapitated’s sophomore full-length Nihility due to the frequency
of spins it has abided on my home stereo. Surely, fixation of such
enormity is not conducive to the likelihood of future contentment… And as
has been the case with countless of other outfits, the worst enemy of this
much-admired Krakow quartet turns out to be their own back catalogue. The
band’s third effort The Negation pales markedly in the brilliance
of its predecessor. While Nihility was a dazzling display of
technical equipoise in every aspect and bore witness of a super-potent
progression from the notable, yet fledgling debut Winds of Creation,
this new album is ‘simply’ textbook – and bluntly speaking: a regressive
plunge into Vader-ian predictability. In the course of a laid-back
interview conducted for an online magazine, Decapitated’s golden-haired
bassist informed me that the band had taken a less overt approach to
technicality on The Negation for the benefit of accessibility. What
a damn pity! That their music was overly complex earlier is a severe
misconception; furious arpeggios and plentiful drum fills do not baffle
the listener when creamed together in flavourful catchiness. These four
Polish lads knew exactly how to flaunt musical skill and still come out as
attention-grabbing. All that said and done, The Negation does make
for a kick-ass affair. The production is thick and punchy while the
instrumentation remains impeccable from start to finish. Fair enough,
vocalist Sauron’s monotonous bellow is still a regrettable chink in
otherwise flawless armour, while the ambient slotfiller “Calling” marks
the opening of what can be described as the middle-tier and somewhat
redundant second half of the album. However, when these lads shine – and
they sure do on the blast beat-replete album opener “The Fury”, the phat
bass drum killer “Three-Dimensional Defect” and not least in the
Massacre-like skank beat section of “Lying and Weak” – their capacity is
reminiscent of the mighty Monstrosity. Too bad, I can just ‘barely, almost
and nearly’ stretch out my hand far enough to reach Nihility from
this here laptop corner...
MISEREION
Deicide
Scars of the Crucifix
(Earache)
Right, this is a
tough one. Much has been proclaimed and prophesised already about
Deicide’s long-awaited Earache debut Scars of the Crucifix and the
earth-shattering renaissance that it is. Reviewers have hurled
superlatives in every possible direction, and anything I add to the hype
and hoopla will doubtless come across as yesterday’s news or simply
cliché-ridden. Regrettably, nothing in my contract instructs me to stray
from these stock principles and practices, and so I lift the curtain for
yet another wordy suite of skewed opinions. One thing should be nailed to
the inverted cross straight away: this latest offering from Satan’s
favourite mouthpiece (blast-) beats the wits out of 2001’s spiritless and
repetitive In Torment in Hell – and that with cloven-footed ease.
Although it is far from a milestone weighed against the back catalogue of
these battle-scarred blasphemers, Scars of the Crucifix remains a
robust riposte in the face of early press-endorsed tombstones. Deicide are
more alive and hungry than most of their fledgling emulators, and if
anything the business-related skirmishes with Roadrunner seem only to have
bettered and bittered their collective bile to a positive outcome, chiefly
comparable to 1995’s Serpents of the Light. Steve Asheim’s
well-timed blast beats reek of vehemence and animosity, the Hoffmann
brothers battle it out in a foul flourish of screeching disharmonies and
fluid tapping, while Glen Benton’s signature cobra screams are as
vitriolic as in days past. Scars of the Crucifix sets off with the
juggernaut-like title track, which could well be one of the most
consummate and epitomic Deicide tracks ever, and the entire digital
debauchery ebbs out 30 minutes later with an ill-omened piano toccata
affixed to the crushing album closer “The Pentecostal”. Truthfully, I will
not come to value this timely effort nearly as much as the first four
Deicide records and perhaps not even as much as the wrongly disparaged
Insineratehymn, but less is absolutely acceptable and Scars of the
Crucifix is the devil’s worth of every paltry penny. Important note:
Make sure you obtain one of the two, three, four limited editions
including the Behind the Scars – Under the Skin of Deicide DVD,
containing plenty of devil-worshipping and Jägermeister-loving tomfoolery.
MISEREION
Deinonychus
Mournument
(My Kingdom Music)
This
is what real doom metal is about. A booklet with small pictures of art,
black backgrounds and grey letters. A long intro with eerie sounds that
leads you through the tunnel that ends where the real music starts.
Melodic doomy guitars with keyboard supporting the musical picture. And a
very desperate voice screaming its painful words into your ears. My first
thought: why didn’t I hear about this years ago. Mournument is the 5th
full-length album from Deinonychus, and I understand that it started as a
black metal band back in 1992. There is no doubt that there are strands of
black metal inspiration in this doom metal; nevertheless it supports the
music perfectly and creates a very mystic, creepy and sorrowful dimension.
I enjoyed this cd from the second it entered my cd player and the music my
ear, and it is definitely not the last time it will annoy my neighbours.
People into music like Shape of Despair and Ancient Wisdom should check
this band out even as you read this.
MP
Destruction
Inventor of Evil
(AFM records)
Let me say this
right away: I worshipped Destruction back in the old days! Sentence of
Death, Infernal Overkill, Eternal Devastation as well as
Release from Agony have constituted a big part of my musical
upbringing in the 80’s, and for that reason it hurts to receive an album
like Inventor of Evil to review. It has been a thorn in my side
that Destruction have not been their good old selves since the reunion,
and in my opinion it just keeps getting worse with each album that they
have released since All Hell Breaks Loose. This new full-length
does not at all make things better, as it is plainly speaking just boring.
There is nothing here that they have not done before or better – except
from featuring a host of guests – and everything is quickly forgotten. I
wish that Destruction would step up to the task sometime, but
unfortunately that has not happened with Inventor of Evil, which to
me is the newest addition to a line of disappointing releases ever since
the reunion of this band, and I will continue to stick with the old
albums.
Bo
DIO
Evil or Divine – Live in New York City
(Spitfire Records)
This live album is
fucking amazing! The whole band are right on the money and deliver every
goddamn note with passion and intensity, and Ronnie's voice hasn't lost
any range over the years. Contrary to many other old-timers out there
today, he is still a supreme vocalist and this album is a proof of that!
My personal favorite on this disc is a brilliant medley of “Egypt (The
Chains Are On)” and the almighty Sabbath song “Children of the Sea”. Hell,
picking a favorite song off this disc is no easy task since it is filled
with classics, and the 3 songs from the Killing the Dragon album
are also right up there with the best of them. If you are a sucker for DIO,
Black Sabbath and/or Rainbow you should pick up this album. It is
certainly recommended for fans that are into pure heavy metal! Hail DIO
for not wimping out!
Svest
Disbelief
Spreading
The Rage
(Massacre)
I
was introduced to Disbelief once by a friend of mine who said that maybe
it was something for me. It was and I was very happy to receive this new
record from them to review. Having a very unique style, and in my opinion
walking in the footsteps of Morgoth and Neurosis, combining two unique
styles and adding their own contribution to it in the end, this new record
differs somewhat from the previous material by being more melodic and
slightly more up-tempo. Being still very noisy and playing heavy riffs,
this is actually quite satisfactory. The Intro “The Beginning Of Doubt”
somewhat confirms this statement in my opinion. All in all a very good
step in the development of their music. I enjoy it and will recommend it
if you by chance should see it in the record store near you.
MP
Dissection
Reinkaos
(Black Horizon Music)
One thing should be clear straight off: Reinkaos is one of the most
anticipated albums this year, and the expectations towards this new era in
the history of Dissection reach towards the sky. It has been 11 years, the
band consists of a new line-up, and the material has been written and
composed while Jon served his time in prison. Reinkaos is the result of a
strong development in the band, which will undoubtedly split their
audience in two camps: those who love the new Dissection and those who
will be disappointed with the fact that band sounds very little like they
did on the classic Storm of the Light's Bane album. I have heard
comparisons between the new Dissection material and latter-day In Flames
from quite a few people, but since I'm not exactly a big In Flames fan I
am not really able to draw any conclusions as far as that assertion is
concerned. Besides, you could well ask yourself who inspired who when it
comes down to it. Dissection anno 2006 is musically speaking a far more
well-tuned entity, and the tracks are primarily mid-tempo and
atmospherically founded with a lot of melodic parts: a development that
was prefaced on the Maha Kali single, and which has been further
cultivated on Reinkaos. The development on the new album can seem rather
drastic on the first few listens to Reinkaos when it is compared to The
Somberlain and Storm of the Light's Bane, but for me Reinkaos was rather
swiftly absorbed as a album that evidences where Dissection would be
today, whether the band had released any other kind of material in the
past 11 years or not. There is no doubt whatsoever that Dissection have
went through a massive evolution while Jon has been unable to record new
material, and since we have not had the privilege of being able to witness
and take in the many mid-phases between Storm of the Light's Bane and
Reinkaos, there is a world of difference between the two albums. The music
is complemented by the strongest Dissection lyrics to date, written by Jon
and Frater Nemidial from MLO (Misanthropic Luciferian Order). It is no
understatement that Dissection consider Reinkaos a 'a sonic invocation to
the endless dark aeon' because the lyrics take their onset in the Liber
Azerate and MLO's anti-cosmic ideology as well as esoteric workings, and
provides a rare insight into the form and vision of MLO. Tracks like "Dark
Mother Divine", "God of Forbidden Light", "Black Dragon" and "Xeper-I-Set"
should be mentioned as my favourite songs on Reinkaos, but the album is in
its whole a solid release which not only shows that Set Teitan and Tomas
Asklund are the perfect arbiters for this new incarnation of Dissection,
but also that the lyrical collaboration between Jon and Frater Nemidial
definitely takes Dissection to the next level. As written before, old fans
who expect to hear a Dissection anno 1995 will be seriously surprised with
the style on Reinkaos - but do not let yourself be intimidated by that.
Reinkaos is in all aspects an album that paves and demonstrates
the way for the new era of Dissection, and I will recommend everyone to
purchase a copy of this piece of anti-cosmic metal of death.
Bo
Draconian
Where
Lovers Mourn
(Napalm Records)
Mournful,
slow and melodic. A male voice half growls half speaks, later joined by a
female voice singing in a mournful contrast to the male one. Precisely as
in the old days of Theatre of Tragedy. Then all of a sudden the music
shifts into something that reminds me of Moonspell – Wolfheart. There is
nothing new in this, yet it is well played and well composed so I was not
unsatisfied all the way through this CD. Being a quite large band
consisting of seven members and hailing from Sweden, this record is
presented as Gothic/Doom Metal. It does certainly appeal to the Gothic
fans that hang on to Theatre of Tragedy and Moonspell. So if you seek an
alternative to those bands mentioned, check this out.
MP
Eisheilig
Die
Gärten Des Herrn
(Napalm Records)
So
if I say texts in German and a very low pitched male vocal, what do you
think of? Rammstein perhaps? Well, those guys here certainly thought of
Rammstein and In Extremo while they composed this material. These guys
here should stick to the sausages and the sauerkraut while watching “Ein
Fall Für Zwei” on TV. Do something nice with your instruments: sell
them to kids who want to play cool metal. I can recommend this CD to you
if you would like to have new references as to what kind of music you
don’t like.
MP
Eisregen
Wundwasser
(Massacre)
Hold it right
there. Was that a spoken-word intro in German? There are almost certainly
not more than five or six people worldwide who love to collect beer
coasters from one-time Last Episode bands more than I do, and one of them
is our very own Evilution editor Bo Black. Nonetheless, in his
unfathomable benevolence he chose to assign the review of the most recent
Eisregen earsore to me. Oh, will he be mentioned in my ‘evening prayers’
for the next month or so! *cough* In as few words as possible,
Wundwasser is the sonic wisecrack to an explosive and aggravated
prolapse of the bowel. Further illustrative material can be viewed at this
location:
http://www.yourjokes.co.uk/images/jk729.jpg. Sadists and masochists
alike, take heed.
MISEREION
End
Of Days
Dedicated to the Extreme
(Alveran Records)
This
is what Obituary would sound like if they played metalcore... and were
German. The music actually reminds me a bit of the Swiss metalcore act
Cataract reviewed in Evilution Mag #1. Perhaps it’s the sound because this
album is like Cataract’s With Triumph Comes Loss album from last
year, recorded at the already widely known Antfarm Studios, and was mixed
by producer Tue Madsen in association with singer Jacob Bredahl of
Hatesphere fame. And I think this production may be a little bit too close
to the aforementioned album for my taste. It’s one of these albums where
you have got to make a tough choice: either you diss it, or you look
shamelessly away from its obvious lack of originality and headbang like
hell. Death metal-ish metalcore with John Tardy-like vocals. Check it out.
JESTER
End
Of Green
Last
Night On Earth
(Silverdust)
It
took me some time and the CD in the player more than one time to get
accustomed to this record. Nevertheless, it grew each time and I have
actually promised myself to check out their previous material as well if
given the possibility. Coming from Germany, End Of Green launches you into
a style that I would call Melancholic Rock and compare with bands like
Katatonia. The production is very fine and delicate, supporting the music
very good. And for once the vocalist sings and has a voice that sounds
perfect to the music as well. There is a perfect balance between the
tracks, changing between more traditional Rock music to heavy melodic
gloomy passages. A very fine combination and very well played. I will
definitely be there, should they play a concert near me.
MP
Eternal
Majesty
Wounds
Of Hatred And Slavery
(Candlelight)
There
is nothing quite like receiving an album that really surprises you. This
is exactly the case with Eternal Majesty, whom I – unfortunately –
have not been introduced to before despite their impressive back catalogue
of split releases, a couple of demos, a live album, the EP Night
Shadows as well as the debut From
War to Darkness. A list of releases that I will definitely have to
make myself acquainted with after the eye-opener that is Wounds of Hatred and Slavery. The band are comprised of members and
ex-members from Atrox, Antaeus, Aosoth, Ancestral Fog, Reverence and
Deviant, and offer diabolical black metal, which lacerates its listener
from start to finish with icy moods and an all-out dismal soundscape. The
music is constantly balancing on the borderline between aggression and
melancholy while it retains a logical consistency, and Eternal Majesty
have really got a hold of something that is just right. Eternal Majesty
are a non-compromising, anti-Christian war machine, who have released an
album that you cannot allow yourself to ignore.
Bo
Exciter
New Testament
(Osmose Productions)
If someone was to ask me, what heavy metal is, then this would probably be
the album I would play for them. They would immediately know, what it’s
all about after listening to this one. Exciter have been to the studio to
re-record a collection of some of the highlights of their nearly 20-year
career. I have not heard the band since... uh, nineteen-eighty-something
and I was actually pleasantly surprised when I heard them again. They
really possess an enormous power and immediate energy that deserves to be
channelled to those not familiar with it. Exciter carry all the trademarks
of a classic heavy metal band: the screamy vocals, the double bass-drum
attacks, the non-crunchy sounding guitars (also doing guitar solos!), the
black leather jackets and stretch jeans and the lyrics about death,
darkness, witches, evilness, brutality and anything your parents would
dislike. You know, the good stuff from before metal got complicated and
there were only two (maybe three) companies that actually bothered to
publish the shit. And how exactly do these brave Canadian woodchoppers
sound then? To me Exciter sound like the outcome of a hefty night on town
followed by a threesome involving members of Judas Priest (no offence,
Rob), Iron Maiden and Manowar. These three names pretty much speak for
themselves, and I think Exciter deserve to be mentioned among the classic
pioneers of this particular genre together with the aforementioned bands.
A big cadeau to Osmose for picking up this band. By the way, I think the
police are still investigating the circumstances of this fateful night to
determine the fatherhood of this bastard child. They also encourage any
potential witnesses to this incident to call this number:
666-HEAVY-METAL-THREESOME.
JESTER
Exodus
Shovel Headed Kill Machine
(Nuclear Blast)
I think Exodus have made quite a scoop by recruiting
skinbasher Paul Bostaph (ex-Forbidden, ex-Slayer) and guitarist Lee Altus
(ex-Heathen, ex-Die Krupps) to their ranks. Their résumés should speak for
themselves. On top of that, they have managed to hire a new lead singer in
the shape of Rob Dukes, who sounds exactly like now-departured Steve
Souza. So despite a lot of turmoil concerning the line-up, the band have
managed to keep the ‘new’ sound which they introduced on their comeback
album Tempo Of The Damned (2004) intact, and they really sound as
good as ever. I think their sound has gone through big improvements
compared to the ‘old’ days. The band have chosen to follow time soundwise
instead of dwelling by the past, which I think is admirable. Even though
the expression has become darker and more in-your-face than in the old
days, you still recognize their music from a mile away, as if it was a
rotten body washed ashore. The style has
generally been through a facelift to make the impact optimal and you just
can’t help at least tapping your feet when listening to their
uncompromising and well-executed clean thrash attack. And with this new
super line-up, I think their old status as serious contenders to the
thrash throne is surely within reach by the new generation of metal heads.
So watch out ‘cos Exodus is a shovel headed kill machine meaning business
and they will brake for nobody!
JESTER
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