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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, June 7, 1998, Issue #31
http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <mailto:energizr@interlog.com>
Contributor/Copy Editor: Pedro Azevedo <mailto:ei94048@tom.fe.up.pt>
Assistant Copy Editor: John Weathers <mailto:grief@bellsouth.net>
Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski <mailto:kmvb73c@prodigy.com>
Contributor: Alain M. Gaudrault <mailto:alain@gaudrault.net>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <mailto:macabre@interlog.com>
Contributor: Paul Schwarz <mailto:saul@mcmail.com>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder
NOTE: For more Chronicles of Chaos information, check out the
'Details' section at the end of this issue.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #31 Contents, 6/7/98
--------------------------
- Editorial
- Loud Letters
- Deadly Dialogues
-- Cannibal Corpse: Visiting the Gallery of the Damned
-- Nocturnal Rites: Retro Metal for the Masses
-- Novembers Doom: The Bitter-Sweet Taste of Life
-- Peaceville: The X-Viles
- Independent Interrogations
-- Ember: Smoldering Sub Terra
-- Acid Death - _Pieces of Mankind_
-- Anthrax - _Vol. 8: The Threat Is Real_
-- Astarte - _Doomed Dark Years_
-- Avulsed - _Cybergore_
-- Bal-Sagoth - _Battle Magic_
-- Beyond Fear - _Haunted by Visions of a Third Atrocity_
-- Boiler - _The New Professionals_
-- Capharnaum - _Reality Only Fantasized_
-- Carcariass - _Hell on Earth_
-- Cradle of Filth - _Cruelty and the Beast_
-- Enthral - _Prophecies of the Dying_
-- Enthroned - _Regie Sathanas_
-- EverEve - _Stormbirds_
-- Kadath - _Twisted Tales of Gruesome Fates_
-- Katatonia - _Discouraged Ones_
-- Korova - _Dead Like an Angel_
-- Lacuna Coil - _Lacuna Coil_
-- Ledel - _Behind Inside Unexpected_
-- Monster Magnet - _Powertrip_
-- Various - _Call To Irons: A Tribute to Iron Maiden_
-- Malignant Tumor/Squash Bowels - _Eat the Flesh...and Vomica/Dreams
Come True...in Death_
-- Manegarm - _Nordstjarnans Tidsalder_
-- Mindrot - _Soul_
-- Nokturnal Mortum - _Goat Horns_
-- Novembers Doom - _For Every Leaf that Falls_
-- Obituary - _Dead_
-- Various - _Peaceville X_
-- Prototype - _Cloned_
-- Reincarnation - _Void_
-- Sculptured - _The Spear of the Lily Is Aureoled_
-- Septic Flesh - _A Fallen Temple_
-- Siebenburgen - _Grimjaur_
-- Taetre - _The Art_
-- Therion - _Vovin_
-- Various - _Until the End of Time_
-- Timescape - _Two Worlds_
-- Tulus - _Mysterion_
-- Tyrant - _Under the Dark Mystic Sky_
-- Unholy - _Rapture_
-- Various - _Voyager: 10 Years Nuclear Blast_
-- Xytras - _Passage_
-- Angrenost - _Evil_
-- Brutal Insanity - _Sick Perversions_
-- Cut.Love.Kill - <demo>
-- Downfall - _Der Anfang vom Ende_
-- Manifest - _Framework_
-- Mephitis - _Blinded_
-- Scythe - _The Sorcerer_
-- Soulscar - _Lost in Life_
-- London's Underworld Holocaust: Immortal, Angelcorpse, Desecration
-- Morbid Mayhem: Morbid Angel, Vader and Entwined
-- Never Discount the Priests: Judas Priest with Gorefest
- What We Have Cranked
- Details
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by: Gino Filicetti
Well people, we're back! After a month of well deserved vacation
we're back with another issue of Chronicles of Chaos. Hopefully, you
didn't contract a severe case of the jones; in any case, all is well
now.
We've had a few changes here at CoC (seems like this time of
year always excites change in us). Two of our contributors have
parted ways with Chronicles of Chaos; namely Drew Schinzel and Steve
Hoeltzel. Drew and Steve have both been with us for over a year and a
half, and I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that they'll be
sorely missed.
As you can imagine, we now have some openings on our staff and
I'd like to invite anyone who is willing and able to contribute to
Chronicles of Chaos to get in contact with me. However, there are
some criteria that we are looking for. First of all, CoC isn't just a
bunch of strangers writing isolated articles and submitting them to
me. I can safely say that everyone on the CoC staff has become a
group of close knit friends. It is important to me that this not
change, therefore anyone who wishes to become a contributor must shed
any political or religious agenda and become an objective writer
focussing on the music at hand, and nothing else. Also, as you can
imagine, we wish to uphold our excellent tradition of quality
writing, therefore it'll be up to us to decide who can be articulate
and well spoken enough to be included in our pages. There will of
course be a process of evaluation and probation during which your
writing will be critiqued and possibly included in the magazine
before you can become an official member of the team. Lastly, but
most importantly, we need people who have access to new releases
and possibly already established contacts with record companies.
Now, it may seem that I am being rather strict concerning all
these criteria I've laid out. However, this has been my policy for
initiating new writers for a very long time. It is because of my
close scrutiny and evaluation that CoC has thrived as it has, and the
reason that we've all become such good friends. I don't want to
sacrifice that for anything.
Enjoy this issue, and have a blast. See you all next month.
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M""MMMMMMMM dP
M MMMMMMMM 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP dP .d888b88
M MMMMMMMM 88' `88 88 88 88' `88
M MMMMMMMM 88. .88 88. .88 88. .88
M M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8
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M MMMMMMMM 88 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
M MMMMMMMM 88ooood8 88 88 88ooood8 88' `88 Y8ooooo.
M MMMMMMMM 88. ... 88 88 88. ... 88 88
M M `88888P' dP dP `88888P' dP `88888P'
MMMMMMMMMMM
This is the column where we print those lovely letters our readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled wrong, you can rest assured that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here, e-mail it to <mailto:ginof@interlog.com> and enter
'Attention Loud Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all letters
received will be featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998
From: Shadowhunter <night@lar.forthnet.gr>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
well , the e-zine is very good but try to put the album reviews when
the albums are out and not 4 months later.. e.g La masquerade
infernalle in CoC 30
anyway.. since i am from greece i have to say that you dont interview
that many greek BM bands.. why is that ??
Rotting christ , Septic flesh, Necromantia, Thou art lord, JAKALS
TRUTH .are among the best BM bands in the world
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998
From: peter hochins <phochins@Quetico.tbaytel.net>
Subject: ATTENTION:LOUD LETTERS
Well, well, well. Once again I awaken to a new issue of COC sitting
in my computer. Definitely another stellar issue. Adrian's interview
with Guillotine was definitely killer, and they definitely possess a
certain amount of cencarity, and capability and are leagues ahead of
anyone else that plays "retro-thrash". I'm just glad none of the
bands have adopted the vocal stylings of all of the old thrash bands.
We really don't need anymore people that sound like the Exodus
singer. IS it just me, or are the vocals the only thing lacking of
many old thrash records? Anyway, I definitely read your reviews
carefully because I'm always looking for new records to buy (other
then the ones I get for free from doing my 'zine that is). I
definitely want to pick up the Disfear album. The Primal Fear review
in this 'zine made me laugh so much. I think Alvin Wee missed Primal
Fear's biggest influence, Painkiller-era Judas Priest. The first song
"Chainbreaker" doesn't sound like Deep Purple, it sounds like an
out-take from the Painkiller album. I think this album has more to do
with the power metal scene then it does with the glam scene. So I
would liken this album more to fans of Judas Priest, Helloween,
Gammar Ray, Hammerfall, etc. People who like those bands and their
albums will definitly like the Primal Fear disc. Skid Row? Jesus,
what they hell was that guy on?
Anyway, I think I've spewed enough stuff for now. Also just a quick
note. I think metal is starting to get a lot more attention these
days, and I think it may start to make a comeback. Of course, gore
soaked entrail ripping death metal, chaos, grandma beating inducing
grind/crust, and black metal will never reach a mainstream audience.
Bands like Korn, Coal Chamber and other bands in this style will
become popular and their popularity will fade, so hopefully some good
old fashion metal will break the charts. Out of all of the rap/metal
bands, the only one worth listening to, in my opinion, is Limp
Biskit. They are definitely one of the most original bands playing
this style. They are also more rap-like then the other bands in the
genre.
Keep up the good work.
Mike/Unbound 'zine
From: "Stuart L. Frazer" <sfrazer@odu.edu>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 12:53:32 EST
Subject: Just a thanks
Hey. I just wanted to provide some positive feedback on Chronicles of
Chaos. To show my age, I've been listening to metal since the 70s.
Chronicles of Chaos provides excellent coverage of new metal music
and helps those of us not really socially connected to the scenes
sort out the good from the mediocre. This is all the more important
because most people must rely on mailorder to even get a hold of this
music. I've discovered numerous bands through your reviews, which I
really appreciate. Don't let the ongoing arguments about particular
genres (black metal vs. death metal) obscure the fact that these
genres are part of a larger common musical history. There is metal
being produced today which is as good or better than anything created
over the last 30 yers.
Stuart Frazer
sfrazer@odu.edu
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 16:41:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: Reiner <tombstonerock@yahoo.com>
Subject: mag suggestion?
HAIL!
This is Reiner of Tombstone Rock radio show here in New Mexico.
First I gotta say great mag, and your reviews make me want to get
those releases and avoid others. I agree with that Mortician review...
Anyway, is there a way you can include an address or email for these
bands or distro so I can get them to send them to KUNM so I can play
them? I just got Covenant, OK, but I want Empyrium!
Do you have an address for them?
[Empyrium's homepage is at:
http://www.fdj.org/akbauer/music/empyrium/ -- Pedro.]
Date: Mon, 04 May 1998 09:31:42 PDT
From: "Blackk Soul" <blackksoul@hotmail.com>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
Dear CoC,
I'm a twenty-two year old Black\Death Metal fan from Kathmandu,
Nepal. I am very pleased to have been a subscriber to CoC. It's a
very good concept and this zine is very informative. Thanks to
everybody @ CoC.
I'd like to make a point on something that I have been
witnessing these days in the extreme metal scene; the so called
_Black Metal Trend_. Just about a few years ago BM was considered to
be the most extreme and the least commercial of all music but
nowadays it's a different story all together. People, who were 'till
yesterday listening to band like Metallica, Megadeth and all those
trendy stuff, have suddenly become _BM fans_. It's a very disturbing
thing for a _True_ fan of this music. Unlike most people, I don't
blame the bands or the record companies for this. I put the blame on
the people who buy the records; kids who are 14 or 15 who know very
little about the ideology or even the musical style of BM. Most of
the newer so-called-fans of BM are nothing but a bunch of trend
following motherfuckers. It's time that all the 'real and dedicated'
fans unite against this phenomenon and cry out in a single tone. Due
to this trend stuff BM is slowly beginning to lose its essence and
the extremity. If anyone out there agrees with me, then you can send
support mails to CoC loud letters or email me. And if someone
disagrees with my opinions then those assholes can send me hate mail
via CoC or my email address. My email address is
<blackksoul@hotmail.com> [mind the double 'k' in blackksoul ].
Sunil 'Blacksoul' Kathmandu, Nepal.
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 16:43:29 +0200
From: Matthias Noll <Matthias.Noll@updatemarketing.de>
Subject: Want to subscribe CoC
Hello there, I want to subscribe you email magazine but unfortunately
my subscription emails get returned with a "fatal error" message as
shown above. Could you send me a message what I should do?
Btw: Great magazine. I�m from germany and have foolishly banging my
head to this kind of music since 79. So far this is one of the best
publications I�ve found and far better than most of the written
magazines we have in germany. There seems to be a more open minded
atmosphere in the reviews and interviews I�ve seen so far and I�m
sick and tired of the "True metal", "Black metal", "whatever metal"
labels put on each and everything with the different groups then
bashing each other for various reasons.
Best regards
matthias
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V I S I T I N G T H E G A L L E R Y O F T H E D A M N E D
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CoC Chats with Cannibal Corpse
by: Adrian Bromley
The world of Cannibal Corpse has always surrounded itself with
death. Sickened images of mutilated bodies, blood, gore and decayed
remains have littered the lyrics and artwork of the band since it's
inception. Controversial, yes, but like any innovator in any kind of
profession, one must search out and find his own niche. Cannibal
Corpse did that. And they continue carving out that niche in 1998,
not afraid to go farther and more expansive than their past material.
Cannibal Corpse have done all that gore stuff, ten times over.
That aspect of their music is still there, but the band has grown in
the past ten years and seems fitting that, after a decade or so of
stomping through vicious bites of gory detail, it's time to spruce
things up.
Welcome to their latest sicko slab of sickened metal called
_Gallery Of Suicide_.
"It was great for us to put together this material for _GoS_. We
aimed hard to make this record sound great," states drummer Paul
Mazurkiewicz over the phone from his home in Florida. "We worked to
make the riffs heavier and just give the music burst of creativity.
We have done all that gory, death stuff for years and it seemed like
we should add some ideas and just take it up one step. And that is
what we did."
Following in the footsteps of _Vile_ (1996), _GoS_ again
features the powerful vocals of George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher (who
took over for Chris Barnes who since went on to forming Six Feet
Under) fronting one of metal's favorite death metal outfits. "Unlike
most of out past records, this was a pretty smooth one for us,"
relates Mazurkiewicz over the phone. "We really had no problems
surfacing making _GoS_. And also having George in the band [rounded
by new guitar player, ex-Nevermore axeman Pat O'Brien, other
guitarist Jack Owen and bassist Alex Webster] has been a great asset
for us. He has a lot more rhythm and direction. With Chris [Barnes]
it was really difficult to get stuff going, whereas with George it
comes together very automatically for us."
Does Mazurkiewicz still feel that Cannibal Corpse is the same
band as it was when it started? Or does it feel like a totally
different band?
"I think when Chris left the band and whatever other changes
have occurred with the band; we have changed somewhat, but for the
most part the overall core of Cannibal Corpse is still intact. Things
change. I think we have matured as a band and this seems to be the
strongest lineup to date for us. I think we are in this for the long
haul and that is why we continue to do this. We are aiming to
progress with each album and we have managed to do that. It's all
about growing with your music and I think we have done quite well."
Look at what Cannibal Corpse has been able to provide to us
metallers over the years. Ground-breaking and innovative albums like
_Eaten Back to Life_ ('90), _Butchered at Birth_ ('91), _Tomb of the
Mutilated ('92), _Hammer Smashed Face_ EP ('93) and _The Bleeding_
('94) set the trends for bands and riddled our brain with masterful
epics of brutality shed upon society. And that glowing realm of anger
and aggression keeps Mazurkiewicz making music. "I love what we do. I
play and continue to play this music 'cause of the aggression and
what people get out of this music that Cannibal Corpse delivers to
them. I've just been a big fan of all metal music like Napalm Death
and Morbid Angel in the early years and it carried over into us
trying to making a name for ourselves and make it fast, violent and
aggressive. I think we have succeeded in that."
On the new LP, Mazurkiewicz says, "I think this record offers a
lot more personality than what we have done in the past. I think our
listeners will see and hear that when they hear this LP. I think this
record is very different from a lot of the albums that are out there
right now. We are trying a lot of different things with this record
and we are pleased," he says. "Overall, the reaction to the new
record has been very positive for us. Both critics and fans are
digging it so that is a good thing."
With the release of the new LP, as the ways things usually go
for bands with new releases, the band will be taking this LP on the
road. Mazurkiewicz is excited about going on the road. He always is.
He comments, "It's great to be on the road playing all of this new
material. I just love the feeling of going somewhere different.
Playing different cities and meeting new fans. It has been about a
year and a half since we have been out on the road and we are all
eager to go."
He adds, "It'll be good to go out on the road and incorporate
all of the cool song ideas we did with _GoS_ into the set. It'll be a
blast to play this shit live."
As the interview winds down, I ask Mazurkiewicz about today's
metal music scene and where he thinks veterans like Cannibal Corpse
fit in. "It's a good music scene out there right now. There are a lot
of good metal bands. I'm aware that there isn't a really big metal
scene but it is coming back. Right now there are death metal bands,
but what people are perceiving as metal bands are just rock bands
giving hard music an edge. Bands like Korn and Deftones and that kind
of music is real big but it ain't metal. As for where we fit in? I
dunno... I just see us as a band, a metal band, that is doing our own
thing and still putting out aggressive music for people to pick up on
and enjoy it. We're still Cannibal Corpse doing the same shit we have
always done. We aren't going to change now. We've been doing this far
too long to change now."
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R E T R O M E T A L F O R T H E M A S S E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Interviews Nocturnal Rites
by: Adrian Bromley
If you're going to play music, you might as well play it fast
and furious. Keep it melodic and in check with a solid rhythm section
and you're going places nowadays. Words to live by? You bet.
Nocturnal Rites has kept those guidelines in mind and it has allowed
them to produce one hell of a metal record: _Tales of Mystery and
Imagination_.
While initially surfacing as a death metal-styled act with their
debut disc _A Time of Blood and Fire_, released on a small European
label, the band opted to bring more melody into their sound and
eventually they [the band is comprised of Anders Zackrisson (vocals),
guitarists Nils Norberg and Fredrik Mannberg, Nils Eriksson (bass)
and drummer Ulf Andresson] signed a deal with Century Media. Things
started to look promising for them.
"We are just so happy with the way the evolution of the band has
taken," says bassist Nils Eriksson about the band's melodic metal
(i.e. Helloween, Iron Maiden) qualities on their new disc. "I mean...
we knew where we wanted to take this music. Right now we are in the
midst of gathering ideas for new material. Though nothing has been
recorded, you can expect to see Nocturnal Rites continuing on in the
same sound and direction in the future."
"On this new record we really didn't change much on our approach
in the studio or recording material. It was all planned and we knew
which was to be the way to handle the recording." He adds, "This band
has been around for more than eight years now and it is quite cool to
see how a band changes their way or style when creating music. It's
like yourself and being a writer, the more you do it the better you
will get. With writing songs and stuff, it all falls into place and
you develop certain styles that work. Songs will always get better,
that is just the ways things work."
In the long run, Nils believes that his band truly does have the
staying power. "I think we have a good load of material for the next
few records. I don't think we will run out of ideas. We all have all
of these ideas and arrangements running around in our heads all of
the time. It's hard not to want to be creative when you are in a band
that wants to be successful as well as creative with what you create."
The sound of Nocturnal Rites is very standard 80s metal. A sound
that has recently begun to take an interest amongst many metal fans
once again. Bands like HammerFall, Primal Fear and several others
have helped to bring back this vividly melodic metal tone to metal
music of the 1990s. "We are very proud of the music here," he states,
"We wanted to bring the music of Nocturnal Rites to where it is
nowadays. We pay homage to the bands we grew up listening to and
making melodic metal to play loud." On the makeup of the band's
sound, Nils says, "I think Nocturnal Rites is a combination of the
early German metal scene, like Scanner and Gamma Ray, and the whole
British music scene sound, like Iron Maiden and Saxon. We fall into
those two types of categories when one is trying to define our sound.
Those bands we grew up listening to and they have found their way
into our music for sure."
Continuing, he says, "I think Nocturnal Rites is a great asset
for metal music nowadays. So what if we play retro metal, spawned on
by our influences? Who cares? The thing that I believe makes us such
a good band is that we have a varied sounding LP. An LP that
showcases a band eager to bring out the best of their experiences on
record."
The band's label, Century Media, has been a blessing for the
band. Their previous small label did hardly anything for their debut
effort. The band didn't see much success over there and that was one
of the reasons the band felt the need to move labels. Eriksson
offers, "Century Media has been great for us. We are getting good
exposure, tour dates and getting the albums out to the stores.
Something our old small indie label could not provide us with. In
this business it is all about exposure and getting the band's name
out to the masses."
What does Nils think about the diverse roster of Century Media?
"I think it is really good that the label has a full roster of all
types of music. I think it's cool 'cause someone might like a band on
Century Media and give another band on the label, of another
style/genre, a listen. I don't see any problem with the many forms of
music that they are signing to their label. It's great to have a
label with such diversity."
For those of you in the know, both Nils and Fredrik (guitarist)
also play in the thrash/retro three-piece known as Guillotine on
Necropolis Records [interviewed in CoC #30]. Nils is excited to be a
part of both projects, applying equal time and responsibility to each
band. "It's really not that hard to separate the works of both
bands," explains Nils, "I mean... Guillotine plays music that is much
more back to basics and rawer than Nocturnal Rites. It is so
different. I feel that both bands are so far apart from what style
and sound they deliver. It really isn't a task to be a part of both
outfits. Making music is what I do and being in both bands keeps me
busy. And when I'm busy, I'm one happy musician."
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T H E B I T T E R - S W E E T T A S T E O F L I F E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Paul Kuhr of Novembers Doom
by: Pedro Azevedo
Some may say that doom/death metal's prime moment is gone, now
that bands such as My Dying Bride, Anathema and Celestial Season are
treading different paths. However, the early nineties may be gone,
but doom/death certainly is not. Two Portuguese bands, Desire and
Sculpture, show it, and several others do so as well. One of them,
and also one of the best after the release of their _For Every Leaf
that Falls_ EP, is Novembers Doom. After having had severe line-up
problems following their debut _Amid its Hallowed Mirth_, Novembers
Doom are back to contribute to the future of doom/death metal; and,
considering the quality found in _For Every Leaf that Falls_, they
seem to have what it takes to accomplish that. Vocalist Paul Kuhr
replied to my questions from the USA.
CoC: Would you like to describe to our readers the music created by
Novembers Doom?
Paul Kuhr: We try to create an atmosphere with our music. If we write
a song and it doesn't affect the entire band in a way that
we are all completely satisfied, we don't keep it. We have
no 'filler' in any of our songs. We try to create songs
that are enjoyable from start to finish.
CoC: There was quite a long period of time between the release of
_Amid its Hallowed Mirth_ and _For Every Leaf that Falls_; what
caused it?
PK: Well, actually we called it quits. Here's a quick version of the
story. We all had a rehearsal space that cost quite a bit each
month to rent. I was the only member with a checking account, so
I would write the check for the room, and everyone would give me
cash. It was good for about six months, and we wrote all the
material for the second release. We were getting ready to record
in the near future, and some people in the band had no money come
time for rent to be paid. I covered them with the understanding
that I would be paid later for it. So this went on for another
two months, with different members not having money; I was
covering everyone, and not getting paid back. It got to a point
where no one in the band had the rent, so I refused to pay the
bill. Two months of not paying our rent, and we were kicked out.
At that point we were all fighting about the music, and fighting
with each other, and I told everyone that it was over. We never
recorded the second CD, and I'm glad we never did. It was almost
an exact repeat of _Amid its Hallowed Mirth_, with nothing new to
offer in any way. After six months of being miserable and missing
the band (not so much the members), I decided it was to time give
it another try; only this time I would pick the members more
carefully. It took me almost a year to assemble the band we have
now, and it is truly the best lineup we have ever had. We were
only together for about three months when we recorded _For Every
Leaf that Falls_. That's how well we work together.
CoC: Is the lineup in the EP a steady one now or will there be more
changes in the near future?
PK: With the addition of a second guitarist, which we are looking for
now, this line up should remain the same. We're all very happy
with the music, and we have some things planned soon, that makes
everyone excited for the future.
CoC: How is Abbas [Jaffary, drummer] recovering from his car
accident? [I wish him a quick recovery.]
PK: Abbas is doing good. He's walking a bit now, on one crutch. The
accident shattered his pelvis, and it had to be totally
reconstructed. They cut him from the center of his stomach to
almost the center of his back, so he's pretty proud of the scar.
He was behind the drums playing with us just four weeks after the
surgery. He can't walk, but he can play! He's quite an amazing
guy.
CoC: How satisfied are you with the _For Every Leaf that Falls_ EP?
PK: I'm totally happy with it. The production on it is great, and the
musicianship is amazing. Eric [Burnley] is one of the best
guitarists / song writers I have ever worked with. It really
captures what my vision for Novembers Doom has always been.
CoC: How has the response to the EP been so far?
PK: It's been really good. We have sold about half of our pressing in
about a month and a half, and that's without much promotion at
all. People seem to really like the new music. It has so much
more to offer than the old material.
CoC: Personally, I find your lyrics quite interesting; would you like
to tell us more about what lies behind the lyrics you wrote for
each of the EP's songs?
PK: When I write, I write for myself. Everything is personal, and
written on a very personal level. I write them so the meaning
people get when reading the song is usually different from what I
wrote about. For example, the title track was written for anyone
that has felt loss. It deals with the death of a loved one, and
the pure emptiness you have. That's what the listener will get
out of it. The true meaning is in fact different. It's about a
relationship having problems. The line "I used to dream of the
blue in your eyes" isn't about the color blue, it's about the
sadness and innocence in a person. Basically it's saying "I used
to dream about the purity of your soul." But that's a bit too
personal for me to write. I don't want people to know what goes
on inside my head. "The Jealous Sun" is basically written about
myself. It's the first time I have ever written anything solely
about myself. "Dawn Breaks". That's hard to explain without
getting into a huge answer. Let's just say this: if you looked in
the mirror, and you saw nothing but darkness, this song is about
what lies beyond the darkness.
CoC: How have you been doing in what concerns concerts over there in
the USA?
PK: We played a good show with Obituary in December, and we're
supposed to play with Morbid Angel at the end of the summer. We
will also be playing the International Metal Fest in Michigan in
August, so we have a few things lined up. We're all hoping to
have a tour set up before the year ends in Europe.
CoC: I suppose the USA isn't exactly the best country in the world
for a doom metal band like yourselves... How do you view the
current American metal scene?
PK: It's quite difficult here. Especially here in Chicago, where most
of the bands are grinding death metal or black metal. The crowds
always seem to look confused for our first two songs or so, but
then they get into it, because I think they realize that we're
quite heavy, just not blazing fast. It's a fun time. We've never
had a negative reaction yet, so I guess we're doing "OK". We need
to get to Europe.
CoC: Some of your musical influences come from Europe, I think; bands
such as My Dying Bride and Anathema could be named here. Several
bands that literally made doom/death a few years ago are now
getting softer. What is your opinion about that?
PK: It's disappointing, but at the same time, it opens up new doors
for this style of music, and draws in a larger audience. If you
ask just about anyone what their favorite My Dying Bride CD is,
most people will tell you _Turn Loose the Swans_. [At least I
will. -- Pedro] It has a nice mixture of both the clean and the
dirty. It worked well for them. Many bands in this style use that
mixture now. It's no surprise that we're influenced by bands like
this. How could anyone not be?
CoC: Will there be many significant changes in your sound? Do you
think the musical softening I just mentioned will apply to
Novembers Doom in the future as well?
PK: Well, I can promise you this: while the band plays under the name
Novembers Doom, you will hear at least 60% death vocals. That's
one thing I won't change. Some of the music may have its moments
of softness, but we're a 'metal' band and will remain that way.
CoC: What about the future? Any plans for a full-length album soon?
PK: We scheduled time in the recording studio, two weeks in early
October. The full length should be available in late 1998.
CoC: Having _Amid its Hallowed Mirth_ been released through
Avantgarde, and considering the high quality of the _For Every
Leaf that Falls_ EP, it surprised me that this new EP of yours
was self-financed. Why did this happen?
PK: Well, after being away for so long, we wanted to give people
something new to listen to, and to show people that we're still
around. We decided to release the best possible package
ourselves, and shop the CD to different record labels to see what
offers come in. We received a few offers, and Avantgarde said
they will work with us again, but we haven't signed anything
officially yet with anyone. We will be making a decision soon. We
are waiting to hear back from a couple of labels, so after that
we will be signing. It looks good. The offers we've seen have
been good. Some better than others, but we will release the CD
through a label. We're just waiting it out a bit longer while we
write the new material for the release. We're close to finishing
the material, so it will be soon.
CoC: What would you like to see happening in Novembers Doom in the
future?
PK: We want, more than anything right now, to tour Europe. If we can
get there and play with a larger band of our style, it could
really be great exposure for us. I really think the European fans
would accept us.
CoC: It's time for a final message, "for now... dawn breaks."
PK: Thanks to everyone who has picked up _Amid its Hallowed Mirth_ in
the past. Don't forget to pick up _For Every Leaf that Falls_,
our new EP, and keep an eye out for the new full length due out
Winter 1998. Thanks for the great interview!
WWW: http://www.novembersdoom.com/
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T H E X - V I L E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Hammy of Peaceville
by: Pedro Azevedo
In February 1988, one thousand copies of _A Vile Peace
Compilation_ were released. Ten years later, April 1998 sees the
_Peaceville X_ compilation celebrating the label's tenth anniversary.
Having once had At the Gates, Paradise Lost, Darkthrone and Autopsy
in their roster, My Dying Bride and Anathema are nowadays the main
bands responsible for the Peaceville's success. It is therefore no
wonder that Peaceville has become somewhat associated to doom metal,
which the addition of the recently extinct The Blood Divine only
strengthened; yet Peaceville's most recent signings have frequently
been somewhat surprising -- after Dominion came Acrimony, Lid and
Blackstar, and these last three certainly aren't the metal bands one
might expect. But, as Peaceville owner Hammy tells us, this attitude
has always been what has kept the label going. Here are the results
of our conversation.
CoC: First, I would like to ask you to tell us more about who is
Hammy... I mean, most Peaceville bands' fans have read your name
over and over again, but don't know much about you. What is your
role in Peaceville?
Hammy: I started it and I have always run it -- I suppose that is the
simplest way to look at it. Obviously I have had lots of help
from others, but I'm the one who was here at the start and I'm
still here now. I've always tried to stay in the background
until now, as I wanted Peaceville to have its own identity and
not really be strictly associated with me, as such. Also, I
think it's a bit lame when the label boss is more famous than
the bands (like Rick Rubin or something). Because this is the
tenth year, we (me and Lisa) who run the label, decided to put
up a bio page at our site for a while. To sort of "let our
hair down" in keeping with the spirit of the "X" comp.
CoC: Ten years ago, Peaceville was being created... what was
Peaceville's objective back then? Is it still the same?
H: Back then, I had been in bands and I'd been running Peaceville as
a cassette only label for a few years; I wanted to stay involved
with music, so the idea for a real record label was obvious to me.
The only thing was, there were already a load of labels. So, in
order to survive, you have to have your own niche. As I'd come out
of the hardcore punk era, I was into having a really sort-of
"free" label. One which wasn't afraid to take risks and do things
differently. In a way, we have always gone down a different path
to most conventional labels. So I suppose the objective is still
the same. Never to sit back and pump shit out, but to challenge
and push the boundaries musically.
CoC: A lot can change in ten years; how did you view the metal
scene's evolution during this past decade?
H: Well, it has certainly changed. I mean, OK, when you release
something like [Paradise Lost's] _Gothic_, you expect it to do
well. But no-one could imagine that the band would become one of
the -standards- of metal music. Same with Darkthrone, really.
Evolution seems to have followed Peaceville. There are more
"peaceville" bands that are big now than standard metal heroes
like Saxon and what have you. So, obviously, I'm not against the
changes. Plus, personally, I'm a lot happier to have more
diversity than ever in the scene. It stops it from becoming
stagnant.
CoC: You just mentioned Paradise Lost, who were once with Peaceville
and are now with Music For Nations. What is your opinion on
their career right now?
H: When we had Paradise Lost, they were growing at such a rate that
it was always going to be hard to keep onto them. I simply
couldn't offer the money that others could, so I can't possibly be
bitter. The band have had great successes and traveled the world.
That's all they really wanted in the beginning. Right now, I think
they're at a bit of a crossroads. I know they want to break out of
their old image, but is anybody buying it? Actually, I thought
_One Second_ was the only move they could make and it was the most
refreshing thing they'd done since _Gothic_, but that's only my
opinion.
CoC: How much of a priority has it been for Peaceville to keep up
with what the market wanted during this period?
H: Erm, none really. If we sucked up to the market, we would have
nothing but black metal bands on the label.
CoC: The reason behind my previous question was your signing of bands
such as My Dying Bride and Anathema, which are effectively your
main bands nowadays. Back then, there wasn't much of a market
for such doom metal, was there?
H: No; like I said, it's weird that our records have become standards
within the scene -- instead of the dark, grubby little ghetto that
we all crawled from ten years ago. That is also relevant to the
above. Because if we had just followed trends we would always be
imitators instead of being the innovators that I think we are.
CoC: What made you sign them? I mean, what seized your attention in
their sound?
H: They were both doing something which was completely unique. It's
just that sometimes it takes others a lot longer to realize -how-
unique, because people often feel safer listening to something not
quite as challenging to the norm.
CoC: How did you see Darren White's departure from Anathema, his
transfer to The Blood Divine and their signing for Peaceville?
H: Daz had been a friend for a long time and he is a much liked guy.
So, it seemed natural to continue working with Daz and I really
liked their demo when he sent it. It's always unfortunate to lose
band members, but it's just a fact of life. Just 'cos you run a
label, you can't make people happy when they are not.
CoC: Is Anathema's drumming problem solved yet, now that John Douglas
has left?
H: Yes, absolutely. John was a sad loss, but now the band have
recruited Shaun Steels (ex-Solstice) and he is a full time member
and plays on the soon-to-be-released new album _Alternative 4_
[which I shall review on the next issue of CoC -- Pedro].
CoC: What is _Alternative 4_ supposed to mean?
H: I honestly don't know. The band told me something about
civilization having tried three ways to live and failed, so now
it's time for alternative 4, or something like that. You really
need to ask the band about that one!
CoC: Did everything go well with the recording of their new album?
What changes can we expect in their sound?
H: It all went fantastically well. Everyone concerned is a lot
happier with the presentation for this album than with _Eternity_.
There is a more structured approach to the song writing. Vinny
[Cavanagh, vocalist/guitarist] has been taking singing lessons for
a long time and you'll be amazed at his progress. The production
is, by far, the best the band have ever had. I also think the
cover artwork is the best yet. But everyone has their opinion. I
personally love the album and I can't remember listening to
anything else for the past few weeks...
[At this stage, we discussed the future of The Blood Divine. However,
a few days after the interview, the band broke up. Few details are
known for now, except that everyone seems to agree that The Blood
Divine are no more. -- Pedro]
CoC: And what about My Dying Bride? Losing keyboardist/violinist
Martin Powell and drummer Rick Miah must be difficult to
overcome. Any solutions in sight yet?
H: This may sound strange, but the solutions are all in place and all
the negativity has been overcome. Yes, Rick was extremely hard to
lose -- and in such a way [officially due to illness], but the
passage of time has helped My Dying Bride to overcome the reality.
Plus, having the services of an exceptional drummer like Bill Law
[from Dominion] on hand... well, you can say it could have been
worse. Martin's timing was dreadful, but it was becoming clear
that Martin was, at some point, going to quit the band to return
to his education. So, rather than prolong the inevitable -- it has
helped the band to focus, re-group and look forward. As Calvin
wrote all the keyboard and violin parts, it isn't going to be a
problem in the studio. This buys the band time and they aren't
clouding the album recording by looking for a replacement at this
point.
CoC: One thing I would certainly like would be My Dying Bride using a
cello in their music. Has that ever been considered? Any chance
it might ever happen? I think that instrument can add much to
doom sound.
H: Well, that's totally up to the band. I don't know if they've
considered it, I don't interfere with songwriting !
CoC: What information can you share with us concerning their next
album? Can you give us any idea of what direction to expect
their music to take, despite the line-up problems?
H: I know that all this turmoil has made the band look at itself
inside out, and to me, well, I've never seen them so convinced and
confident. It's pretty safe to say that it will be different from
previous albums, but as you can expect, it will still be My Dying
Bride. Plus, without the touring pressure they have also had quite
some time to write and rehearse. So I am really looking forward to
this. They record in May and mix in July.
CoC: Any other new albums out soon on Peaceville? Dominion, maybe?
H: Dominion's new album will be delayed due to Bill's involvement
with My Dying Bride, but a new album of theirs is on the cards, as
is Acrimony, Blackstar and Lid. Coming very soon, though, is the
debut album from new signings Thine. The album is called _A Town
Like This_ and will be out in July. The band appeared for the
first time on the _Peaceville X_ album. Considering they are 19
years old, I think you will agree that they sound a hell of a lot
more mature than their ages suggest. The album is truly stunning,
in my opinion. Rarely has a record showcased such a broad
diversity from a new band. Personally, the guys involved remind me
of the young Paradise Lost, because they have the same energy,
confidence, determination and ability. I'm raving over these -- so
check them out! They (will soon) rule!
CoC: You have a compilation out now, _Peaceville X_, celebrating your
tenth anniversary. One question I would really like to ask you
is why did you (or the bands) choose to cover non-metal songs
only?
H: As I said, I've always wanted to push the boundaries and do things
a little differently. To me, if we had just done another Slayer or
Sabbath covers album, it would mean nothing and we would look
childish and lazy. The bands all like the songs they've covered,
they were their choices. I just said "no metal, please." So I
think you can also get a little more information about the bands
from knowing which cover songs they picked.
CoC: But you could have pushed the boundaries with metal covers...
just imagine My Dying Bride playing Emperor, Dominion playing
The Gathering, Anathema and The Blood Divine playing each
other's music... why is it that such a compilation is never done?
H: Well, to be honest, I'd much rather they did what they did than
what you suggest. You are sticking too much to the "scene". It's
important that we all learn to look outside our own worlds or we
may miss something amazing -- just because it's not "cool" within
a niche market. ["Coolness" was never an issue for me... -- Pedro]
CoC: One band that I have to ask you about, even though they were
never connected to Peaceville (at least not that I know of) is
Enchantment. Their _Dance the Marble Naked_ (released through
Century Media) does remind the listener of some of what Anathema
were doing at the time, and they credit you as having produced
the album and Mags as having engineered it. But that isn't quite
right, is it?
H: True, this is a strange story. Century Media asked Enchantment to
get me to produce their album. I said OK, if there was a decent
budget, because I didn't want to do anything shit. They wouldn't
give them any more studio time, so I refused to have anything to
do with it, as five days for an album is nothing and I wasn't
getting anything anyway. Strange thing was, they still put me down
as producer. Which is a little naughty. It didn't sound all that
bad either! [Indeed, for me it remains as a powerful piece of very
emotional doom/death. -- Pedro] It just shows how desperate
Century Media was back then... <laughs>
CoC: Do you have any idea where Enchantment (or its members) may be
now?
H: A good bet would be Blackpool -- 'cos they came from there.
CoC: Speaking of Century Media: how do you view their attitude as a
label? They certainly are controversial.
H: I don't understand why they are controversial, so I can't answer
this question properly. I can't see how they are different from
where we were five years ago.
CoC: Well, what I meant was that many consider them as the most
mainstream of metal labels, because of the direction taken by
bands like Moonspell, Tiamat, etc.
H: I never thought of it like that...
CoC: Let us discuss some of Peaceville's current direction now. Three
of your latest signings -- Acrimony, Blackstar and Lid -- are
quite different, to say the least, from the usual in recent
Peaceville history. Does this indicate a new direction for the
label?
H: No, never trust us to stick to one direction!! That was then, who
knows what tomorrow will bring? Maybe jazz-western...
CoC: Who's next? Care to unveil some of Peaceville's newest signings?
H: We're working on two new signings right now, but I can't mention
anything because of the contract situation. Both will shock you!!
CoC: One thing that your three main bands' musical path has in common
is that My Dying Bride, Anathema and The Blood Divine's music
has gotten somewhat more attractive to larger audiences. My
Dying Bride's latest isn't as deeply doomy as before, Anathema's
sound is now much softer, The Blood Divine have changed into a
more rocking and less doomy band. Is there really a set pattern
here and a reason for this or is it just a product of
coincidence?
H: I think that you first have to realize that when these people were
doing their stuff seven years ago, they were a lot younger, hadn't
traveled the world and didn't know what was in store for them. To
assume that they could possibly be the same person walking in to
rehearsal now as they were then is missing the point that people
do change. Inevitably, when artists change as people, their art
changes. When you grasp that, I think you can understand why.
CoC: Does Peaceville ever advise bands to apply certain changes to
their sound in order to make it easier to sell? I ask this
because it is often said that labels have a strong influence in
the direction bands choose.
H: I have always given the bands a free reign to do as they please
artistically. Labels who get involved with the creative side
should stick to what they're good at -- business, not songwriting.
I mean, why should a band who have been playing together for seven
years listen to a lawyer/accountant when it comes to songwriting?
It doesn't make sense. When it happens, it also invariably messes
up good relationships. I've seen it so many times with other
labels...
CoC: Any plans of touring Europe in the near future? I understand
this is a difficult moment to plan these things, considering all
the changes happening in your biggest bands, but are there any
plans for next year or so?
H: There are always plans. It's just that a lot of them go by the
way. I'll be honest though -- there aren't many of our bands who
enjoy being cooped up in a van half their lives, so it's
difficult. But at the same time, I find it hard to imagine there
being no major Peaceville tour this year.
CoC: To finish this interview, I would just like to ask how you would
like Peaceville to be ten years from now...
H: In ten years we'll probably be a completely independent entity
based entirely on the Internet (or what it becomes), directly
distributing our product worldwide from a single server in
Yorkshire. This would make me very happy. Simultaneous worldwide
release. The sheer luxury of it. Either that or we'll be as
foolish as Saxon or Girlschool look now... <laughs>
WWW: http://www.peaceville.com
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S M O L D E R I N G S U B T E R R A
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews unsigned metal stalwarts Ember
by: Steve Hoeltzel
If you've kept your ear tuned to the American metal underground, then
you've no doubt heard of this band already. Ember hail from Illinois
and hammer out a distinct and potent alloy of dark-blackened metal,
spiked with a bit of thrashy aggression (minus the retro cliches) and
hardcore punch (minus the cornball machismo). They've put out two
well-received demos thus far (_Within the Realm of the Snowqueen_,
followed by _The Gate_), and they're currently working on a CD, which
you can read about below. If you make it to Milwaukee this year,
check out Ember's set -- downstairs on Friday, as far as I know right
now. Anyway, enough blabber out of me. I recently put some questions
to vocalist Pete; here's what he had to say.
CoC: How would you describe Ember to someone who's never heard the
band?
Pete Mlot: From my point of view, I would say we're a modern metal
band, in the black metal vein, which utilizes influences
both old and new to create an aggressive sound without
losing a sense of melody. It's kind of hard doing a
self-description, especially when you hear so many
conflicting reviews. However, we tend to focus on having a
sense of aggression -- not basing it on hyper-speed and
grind, but maybe feeding off of Slayer and older thrash
influences of the same style.
CoC: What brought you guys together and inspired you to write and
perform this kind of music in particular?
PM: Well, I had known Abbas since the early days of high school, and
we had talked about getting a band together, but procrastination
got the better part of us. A few years later, Mourngrym and I got
to talking a bit. We had never really hung out much, but we had
mutual friends. This connection led to a lot of talking, but
after procrastination, we got going. Abbas was soon brought in as
a drummer, and by winter of 94 the ball was rolling. So far as
our specific style, a lot of it had to do with what we were
listening to at the time. Obviously, the black metal craze in
Europe affected us greatly, as is evident in the first demo.
However, the music came to us kind of naturally, and everything
grew from there.
CoC: I understand that you're planning to put together a CD release
some time in the near future. What can you tell us about that?
PM: Well, after several label offers (some really quite good, some
not so good), we decided to do another self-financed release, for
several reasons. First and foremost, I suppose we feel that since
Ember is our creation, we're a little hesitant to give up any
control. Since we feel that we have the means, and we've gathered
a little experience with the demos, we were ready to compile what
we have. Also, the lack of interest in demos kind of forced us
into the position of doing something in a different format, and
since what we would have wanted to do with a 7-inch would have
cost too much, a CD seemed most efficient. The CD will consist of
five or six new tracks, two covers (probably one Misfits and one
Cure; however, there are some other ideas being tossed around),
and both demos. The plan is to sell it for the price of a mini-CD
so no one will be stuck paying for the demos twice. If all goes
well, we are hoping for an early summer release, but as things
tend to go with Ember, delays are possible.
CoC: How does the new music you're working on compare to the material
from the demos?
PM: There are some changes, for sure. Not huge, but I would say
noticeable. While the bulk of the material is a combination
between the first two demos, I would say that we have been paying
more attention to how we structure the music. Instead of going
from fast to slow, there are now bridges, which help the songs
flow a little better. There are also parts which are really
somewhat different from what we've done before, plus a few more
"breakdown", or slower thrash/hc parts. It just seems that most
bands today in the underground are really vying for a nice mix of
classical and metal (atmosphere, etc.) or are experimenting with
goth sounds (both of which we are all highly fond of) -- but I
would say that we have chosen to continue by making things a bit
more aggressive overall. Technically speaking, we have tried to
place focus on the drums quite often, as it really does seem that
the beats we have used in the past have all been quite standard.
In order to show a bit of differentiation, it seems that with
different drum beats, trying to leave a little of the standard
"pitter-patter" behind, we add a new dimension to the music. All
of this said, the music is still noticeably Ember, but I would
say we have now started to confirm the definition of our sound a
bit more -- a lot of this happening only within the last few
weeks. For the few who have heard it, they are quite happy with
the way things are progressing.
CoC: In addition to the two demos and the forthcoming CD, there's
your appearance on the _Under the Pagan Moon_ compilation
(Cyclonic Productions) -- anything else?
PM: We've also been included on various cassette comps. All are
important, but there are just too many to list.
CoC: What else would you like to see the band achieve over the next
few years?
PM: For me, I would really like to be able to get something going in
the U.S. again. It seems as if it is starting to happen a little,
but I suppose only time will tell. I feel that Ember would play a
nice role in importing a new sound into the current scene. [I
agree. -- Steve] Other than that, I hope we can continue to
release strong material and, along with that, be able to play out
more often. The opportunity to tour would be a nice plan to
have...
CoC: What would you say your biggest band-related frustrations have
been?
PM: I think I could truly whine forever, but well, go figure...
<laughs> Actually, I would say the biggest frustrations have to
do with distance and time. With Mourngrym and I still in school
(not to mention the fact that Mourngrym is about 150 miles from
us 3/4 of the year), this only allows so much time for the band
throughout most of the year. Other than that, I would say that
the choice to have had _The Gate_ released only on cassette was a
bad decision in some ways. It seems as though we got plenty of
recognition from 'zines worldwide, but at this point, people want
CDs. I'm kind of at a loss as to how a band could receive quite a
bit of good press, but in the long run have a relatively small
response through mail, etc. I would say the first demo garnered
more in the way of mail; however, the second tape has outdone the
first in terms of promotion and good reviews... frustrating,
nonetheless. In the long run, I would imagine that every band
that tries to carry on their work with persistence encounters
these same experiences, so we try to make the most of what we are
doing -- and surely it has been a hell of a good time so far!
CoC: What have been some of the most fulfilling aspects of the
experience?
PM: Well, to start off with, we all hang out with each other
anyways... Abbas and I have known each other for far too long at
this point, and Mourngrym and I have built a strong friendship
over the course of the band. Just the same, both Allen and Chris
have added a lot, not only with playing, but personality as well.
Our jams seem to have grown a bit more eventful over the last
year or so, not to mention the fact that we have been having a
great time meeting new people and entertaining them (or vice
versa). I would say the best aspects come from travelling
(although for a performance, we've only done this once...), as we
tend to have some quite memorable experiences from these
instances. If we ever get a chance to tour, all hell is going to
break loose!! You've been out with us a few times, and we were
nowhere near our peak... Finally, I suppose being a rock star at
local burrito joints is always a plus... <laughs>
[Heheh! That, dear readers, is an inside joke pertaining to some
culinary exploits in which Pete and I partook not too long ago. Funny
stuff, in a you-had-to-be-there kind of way. -- Steve]
CoC: From your own vantage point as a member of a damn good unsigned
band, would you say that interest in underground metal in the
states (or in the midwest, anyway) is growing, dwindling, or
staying about the same?
PM: Recently, things seem to be growing a bit. I mean, to my
surprise, the death/grind scene is still quite large in Chicago.
Some other evidence would be Cradle of Filth's reception at
Metalfest. Usurper also had a crowd of about 300 at their last
show here in Chicago, so... While I wouldn't say metal is at
European standards so far as fanfare is concerned, the scene is
changing. I also think the increased distribution of European
black metal bands in the U.S. is a sign. It won't be an overnight
sensation, but I think within the next couple of years the
changes may be rather dramatic. Finally, as the punk scene seems
to be dying out a bit, these kids will need somewhere to go, and
in my point of view, metal in the U.S. can afford to welcome some
of them.
CoC: Who are some of the other unsigned or lesser-known bands, in the
States or otherwise, who you'd consider especially worthy of
checking out?
PM: Lately I haven't heard all too many bands. A few would include
Garden of Shadows, Scepter (although they may now be signed),
Lilitu, Forest of Impaled (if they are still a band), Novembers
Doom, and maybe a few others. All of the bands listed are from
the U.S. I know there are others, but I highly suggest looking
out for these band's releases.
CoC: How about the whole black metal phenomenon? Quite a few people
who really got into black metal early on, before it became the
much bigger phenomenon that it is today, are kind of down on it
now because it's become so much more commercialized and
formulaic than it was at first. (I guess that's my own attitude
these days.) But on the other hand, it seems like more people
than ever are into it, now that some of the bigger metal labels
are really pushing it, certain bands are headlining big
festivals, and so on. Anyway, speaking both as a serious
long-time fan of the music, and as a member of a band with some
black metal heritage, what do you think of all this?
PM: A catch-22 situation, I suppose. This a bit of a difficult one to
handle. Logically, there are some bands which I feel deserve all
the credit in the world for what they have done for the scene
(I'm solely speaking musically here). Bands like Emperor,
Katatonia, Mayhem, and numerous others have been great influences
on Ember as well as metal in general. But at the same time,
growth and change is a bit disturbing. For all of us in Ember, I
think the black metal scene is the first we have been involved
with since its beginnings, and when it no longer belongs to a
select few, it can suck. Personally, the scene is no longer as
interesting and passionate as it once was for me. There used to
be genuine excitement in waiting for a new release of a band I
had heard of (Ulver and Gehenna come to mind) or read about, but
things have changed, a lot. The mystery that once surrounded so
much has dissipated, and now we have pictures of Ulver in suits
mocking what was once sacred. It is an annoying situation. There
are some bands who have been able to keep their respect levels up
(e.g. Emperor) without having to resort to tactics in no way
related to their music. I feel there are a lot of bands that I
could criticize, but it would be quite pointless, mostly because
I don't know what their motives were, and anyway we have all
passed judgment on the actions of many bands. Still, many bands
(Sort Vokter, etc.) keep the "true" underground spirit alive, and
while this group remains a minority (many demo-level bands as
well as bands who have released CDs are third rate), the music is
still phenomenal. I am getting caught up here in my own words a
bit, but the scene hasn't hit a point where I am completely
sickened, and there are only a few blemishes which have left
their marks. I guess the biggest criticism I have is that the
music back in 92, 93, and 94 was just so much better... But what
once was will not be again.
CONTACT: Ember, P.O. Box 2177, Darien, IL 60561, USA
Pete adds the following additional info: "We have only a handful left
of the second demo, and technically it is available for five bucks
(US). If they want at this point, those interested could send a SASE
(with sufficient postage = three stamps) and a blank tape (no cases)
and we'll copy the second demo and include a cover too... Also, if
you haven't heard, we are playing Metalfest. We are on the lower
stage, Friday night, now scheduled to go on between 5:00 and 6:00
sometime. Thanks."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_____ .__ ___.
/ _ \ | |\_ |__ __ __ _____
/ /_\ \| | | __ \| | \/ \
/ | \ |_| \_\ \ | / Y Y \
\____|__ /____/___ /____/|__|_| /
\/ \/ \/
_____ .__
/ _ \ _________.__.| | __ __ _____
/ /_\ \ / ___< | || | | | \/ \
/ | \\___ \ \___ || |_| | / Y Y \
\____|__ /____ >/ ____||____/____/|__|_| /
\/ \/ \/ \/
Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed
9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended
7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities
5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into
0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs!
Acid Death - _Pieces of Mankind_ (Metal Mad Music, 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10)
From Greece arrives Acid Death, showing some interesting technical
thrash on their debut full-length album _Pieces of Mankind_, the
follow-up to their 1994 split LP with Spanish death metal act
Avulsed. Not much thrashing actually happens here, though, as things
are mostly mid-paced, with plenty of strange tempos and nice
interludes. Strange tempos, however, are more easily thrown in than
made effective and interesting. Acid Death sometimes make them work,
but they often get in the way of better sequences. Indeed, _PoM_ has
some good passages (especially on "While the End Is Coming"), but the
problem is that they never last for long and seldom have much
continuity -- they are frequently broken by the band's attempts at
the exquisite tempos I mentioned or simply by unremarkable parts.
Nevertheless, this is a varied album that shows talent and plenty of
creativity, even if it isn't very focused.
Contact: Acid Death, P.O. Box 31902, GR 10035, Athens, Greece
mailto:jakeacid@netor.gr
Anthrax - _Vol. 8: The Threat Is Real_ (Ignite Records, July 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
The new LP by NYC thrash metal veterans Anthrax, _Vol 8: The Threat
Is Real_ (third with singer John Bush), starts off real promising
with opener "Crush" and "Catharsis"; but as we get more into the
record, it becomes apparent that these veterans are running a little
low on ideas. Lots of repetition and mid-paced rock numbers line _Vol
8_ for the most part, rarely getting the fists pumping and the pit
going as was the case with vintage _Among the Living_-era Anthrax.
Don't get me wrong, some of the rock-styled numbers like "Inside
Out", "Killing Box" and "Hog Tied" are pretty solid numbers with
choppy riffs and memorable choruses, but in end it does little to
help spruce up the overall feel of the record. I loved Bush's work
with his debut disc for Anthrax (_Sound of White Noise_ in 1993) and
was high on the follow-up _Stomp 442_ (1995), but I'm starting to see
how Bush's vocals and styles are becoming one-dimensional/flavorless
as things go along. The band can only do so much with Bush and it's
becoming a bit lackluster right now. A good record, but lacking the
crunch or bite most Anthrax fans would be craving for right now.
Astarte - _Doomed Dark Years_ (Black Lotus Records, 1998)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
This is fast and forlorn black metal, fusing stark melodies in the
chilly style of early Emperor with freezing riffing reminiscent of
Mayhem's _De Mysteriis_. And you'd never know it from the way this
sounds -- including the anguished, throaty vocal rasps -- but this
band is composed entirely of women! If I'm not mistaken, that's a
black metal first. Not that it's evident from appearances: there's
face paint; spikes and bullets; long, stringy hair, parted down the
middle... So Astarte look just like the typical black metal gents --
but then the guys don't exactly come across as paragons of
traditional masculinity when the makeup's on and the skinny limbs are
posing up a storm, eh? Anyway, musically, _Doomed Dark Years_
definitely delivers. Astarte has an early-90s-Norse-style sound,
pleasingly thick and abrasive in tone, pleasingly basic in style and
structure. It's also a bit repetitive in the early 90s way -- though
this can be a plus when you're in the right mood. There's a drum
machine in use, but it sounds solid as these things go: lots of sharp
fills and so on. The production is fairly crisp and dense, not too
bright or bouncy. While hardly original, this band's sound is
extremely well-realized, occasionally quite haunting, and overall
very faithful to the inspiration of some of the pioneers of the
second wave -- not watered-down, polished-up, or played-out in the
manner of so many recent releases in this genre. And speaking of this
genre, I wonder how Astarte shall be received... Which reminds me, in
a roundabout way, of a gripe I've got -- not about Astarte, but about
'scene'-type stuff. What many of us really like about black metal is
the music's cryptic, spectral, alien feeling (enhanced by the
costumes -- sometimes). But that essential, unearthly vibe is often
spoiled when the genre becomes a platform for politics -- especially
in the form of intolerant whining and cliched threats. I'm all in
favor of intelligent, -informed- critiques of mainstream religion and
commercialism. But a lot of this trendy 'underground' race-bashing
and religious intolerance is closed-minded and muddled with ludicrous
old stereotypes, hence: lame. But hey, I'm not the thought police;
I'm just stating my own view. Anyway, this Astarte album really rips.
Avulsed - _Cybergore_ (Repulse Records, April 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (0 out of 10)
Following the sad example given by Fear Factory's _Remanufacture_,
Spanish death metal band Avulsed have decided to release a remix
album of their reasonably good _Eminence in Putrescence_. The band
describes these remixes as "cyber-techno/death" experiences. Agreed.
The music on this CD is but a mangled, ridiculous version of _EiP_. I
will not waste anyone's time throwing more adjectives into this
review to detail the result any further, as the rating above should
easily clarify -my- opinion by itself.
Bal-Sagoth - _Battle Magic_ (Cacophonous, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
Not being familiar with this band's previous efforts, I wasn't sure
what to expect from this album -- but never did I think it would be
anything like this. This is one of the cheesiest metal albums I've
ever heard. It reminds me of a heavier version of Manowar, or a
metallized version of the "Rocky IV" soundtrack. It's pompous,
pretentious, and very self-indulgent. There is little here that's
"black metal", or in any sense "extreme", (except for the
cheesyness), yet it's billed as "symphonic black metal". The vocals
are raspy like black metal in parts, and there are spoken parts as
well. The music is extremely melodic. A lot of the melodies are so
happy they make me want to puke, and some of them still make me laugh
out loud. The playing is fine, and the material is sufficiently
challenging to make that a compliment. The production could be
better, as the synths are too high up in the mix, tending to drown
out the other instruments. I recently got ahold of _Starfire Burning
Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule_, and I find _Battle
Magic_ to be distressingly similar. The overall sound is nearly
identical, and they even use some of the exact same melodies. The
only thing that's really different is that the song titles on _Battle
Magic_ aren't as long.
Beyond Fear - _Haunted by Visions of a Thrid Atrocity_
by: Paul Schwarz (7.5 out of 10) (Utopian, February 1998)
Well, this wasn't quite what I expected. When it said "nearly 30
minutes" on the flyer I didn't expect only 3 tracks. Since Beyond
Fear are brutal death, and don't use any orchestration/electronics
etc., the length of these tracks is about 2 to 3 times the normal.
Sufficed to say it makes for unusual listening. This is a posthumous
release from Beyond Fear's last days back in 1996. As an MCD,
_HbVoaTA_ is certainly very good value on account of its length, but
the compositions are also pretty decent. Although Beyond Fear weren't
really breaking any boundaries, recycled riffs are not the order of
the day and, like any self-respecting brutal death band, Beyond
Fear's technical ability is pretty impressive -- right up there with
their stamina, if they ever played these songs live. Ultimately, this
is one for brutal death fans: it is not an accessible record for
trendies and even those who stop at Cannibal Corpse might find it a
little harsh. Although _HbVoaTA_ is not in the league of the _De
Profundis_s or _None So Vile_s of this world, this was Beyond Fear's
first CD release and they definitely display the potential they would
have needed to attain a higher level.
Contact: Utopian Productions, c/o J.D. Betts
PO Box 91, Orpington, Kent, BR6 6UE, England
Boiler - _The New Professionals_ (Mayhem Records, May 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
While on the outside (and maybe even after a few listens) Boiler may
seem to be a standard Biohazard meets ProPain groove metal outfit,
there lies much more beneath this NY trio and their hard n' heavy
sounds. The LP, _The New Professionals_, is a kick in the teeth to
those metal kids that think metal music has to be hard n' heavy with
no room for groove. This record kicks ass for the most part, laying
on us thick slabs of metal n' groove that'll shake any foundation.
Dark and broody emotions fill the music of Boiler, lashing out
intense doses of creative stop n' start numbers that'll amaze and
impress fans that like their metal varied. With each listen, many
will get rocked hard by "Stegosaurus" and/or "Vice Grip", thus
allowing Boiler to keep pummeling us while we're trying to get up
from the canvas following the solid one-two punch. Check this record
out, 'cause it's a contender.
Capharnaum - _Reality Only Fantasized_ (Independent, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
This is death metal from Connecticut. It's very well played,
moderately but not overly melodic, and fairly technical, but it just
falls short for me. They don't seem to have a good grasp of
development: they'll begin to develop a section, and then quickly
shift to a completely different style. This is particularly true for
the solos (and their accompanying sections). Normally, frequently
changing riffs don't bother me, but here it does, primarily because
they begin to actually develop the music, and then stop. The guitar
harmonies (both in leads and riffs) are good, but they aren't
consistent about using them, seemingly throwing them in at random
times. Some of the riffs are pretty complex and they have some good
ideas, but they're just not organized properly. The production's fine
-- except for the glitch towards the end of one of the songs -- and
the playing is very tight. This is worth checking out, as with some
maturity and attention to development, they could be excellent.
Carcariass - _Hell on Earth_
by: Alvin Wee (6 out of 10)
It looks like France is offering up more than its customary sacrifice
of uber-underground black metal. Belketre and co. step aside, it's
time for the likes of Misanthrope to take the stage. Not far behind
are self-styled Gothenburg clones Carcariass, who, despite the
strange name, claim to have received considerable accolades from
respectable publications. With the current surfeit of Dark
Tranquillity clones roaming the land, my immediate reaction was one
of cynicism, if not downright disapproval. My hopes did soar when
confronted with the melodic leads of the intro. Combining remarkable
dexterity with more ferocity than, say, In Flames, the boys attempt
to blend the harshier styles of Gothenburg (At the Gates, Crystal
Age) with the more smoothly melodic (Dark Tranquillity, In Flames),
sounding on the hole a lot 'deathlier' than their other counterparts.
It's not totally unoriginal, though; a certain element of originality
lurks in most of Carcariass' work. Ranging from ultra-funky (yech!)
to pure death metal, original riffs abound on this album, in an
occasionally disruptive mix of styles; the problem here being a kind
of identity crisis. What Carcariass has attempted to do is to create
a whole new sound by combining radically different elements into
single tracks. A problem faced by even some of the more experienced
bands, such music often sounds slapdash and improvised, the challenge
being to create fluid, natural songs. Sadly, Carcariass' music falls
almost entirely into this category, coming across as totally
unplanned and hastily thrown together. Granted, they possess a
certain element of jazz in their music, but such avant-garde styles
require years of refinement, something these guys obviously lack. As
for now, _Hell on Earth_ offers little more enjoyment than a mediocre
demo to a discerning listener; however, don't write this band off
yet, the next album might just be one helluva stunner.
Contact: WWW: http://www.loria.fr/~couturie/carcariass
mailto:couturie@loria.fr
Cradle of Filth - _Cruelty and the Beast_
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) (Music For Nations, May 1998)
So this is it. My turn to review an album by Cradle of Filth, a band
almost everyone seems to either love or hate. Coincidentally, I
neither love nor hate them. _Cruelty and the Beast_ is a good album,
but simultaneously slightly disappointing for me. Most of the
'classic' Cradle of Filth elements are here (including Dani's
well-worked lyrics, the usual imagery effort and Sarah Jezebel Deva's
nice vocals), as well as plenty of quality musical sequences
throughout nearly one hour. _Cruelty and the Beast_ is mostly less
aggressive and especially less intense than the 'old' CoF; it's also
a bit more theatrical (_CatB_ is an interesting concept album about
Elizabeth Bathory, by the way) than their previous albums. The
average speed is lower than before; the guitar sound is usually
cleaner; and the drum sound is of strangely poor quality, tending to
hurt the album. The cleaner guitar sound also sometimes becomes very
thin when the keyboards are silent, which, together with the drum
sound, has poor results. However, despite the production faults,
_Cruelty and the Beast_ should be worthy of purchase in case you like
CoF's style.
Enthral - _Prophecies of the Dying_ (Hot Records, 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo (5 out of 10)
Over one hour of blackened Norwegian metal that features some Swedish
influences, divided in songs of around ten minutes each. Add the
reasonably careful packaging that _PotD_ has and some favourable
adjectives, and you have what could be a promising package. However,
the album turns out to be quite weak. It has a rather peculiar
overall sound, mainly because of the unusually loud and clear bass
sound; this might even have been positive, but the rest of the
production is far from ideal and the bass sound becomes annoying.
However, the main problem with _PotD_ is that Enthral display neither
the creativity nor the technical skills they needed to turn this into
a good album. As a result, the songs become repetitive and lack
points of interest, with few exceptions -- Enthral are just -very-
far from the creativity and talent of a band such as Opeth. The
production doesn't help either -- and Enthral are nowhere near the
remarkable intensity of, for example, Nagelfar's _Hunengrab im
Herbst_, either. Ironically, Enthral failed to enthral me with their
_Prophecies of the Dying_.
Enthroned - _Regie Sathanas_ (Blackened, April 1998)
by: Adam Wasylyk (3 out of 10)
I've never hid my love and passion for that lovable cartoon family
The Simpsons. I've seen every episode at least five times (hell, when
it comes on three times a day in my area, what's a guy to do?) and I
consider myself quite knowledgeable on the topic. One scene I
remember well took place in the Simpson home, where Homer is watching
something on television but becomes angry and frustrated at what he's
watching, causing him to hit the television and yell "Be more
funny!". While listening to shit to review I often fantasize myself
taking hold of one of the members and giving him a huge bitch slap,
causing me to yell "play better music dammit!". Enthroned was one of
those very bands, taking black metal to a new low with their
monotonous playing while adding nothing to the already polluted
genre. This album was in tribute to the ex-drummer who commited
suicide last year (perhaps he was sick of playing bad metal?). I can
only wish if I ever joined a band (yes, that's a stretch) and left it
in a similar manner as this drummer, that someone wouldn't pay
tribute to me in such a ridiculous and silly way. And people wonder
why black metal is ridiculed by so many. This is the reason why, my
friends.
EverEve - _Stormbirds_ (Nuclear Blast, March 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
EverEve's superb debut _Seasons_ told, through intelligent lyrics and
music, a tale that went from despair to hope and back to desolation.
_Seasons_, as you can read in CoC #20 (in a review I entirely agree
with), showed a highly talented blend of doom, gothic and metal
elements. It has outstanding doom moments, top notch metallic
qualities and occasional gothic touches that actually fit the music.
Fortunately, _Stormbirds_ is a worthy sequel to that excellent album.
It remains clear that every member of EverEve contributes to the
overall result and every instrument again manages to sound just how
it should, considering what EverEve create. I was somewhat
apprehensive about the direction EverEve would choose. However, the
introductory narration says we are about to enter a realm of "much
prouder but nevertheless even sadder creatures" than the crows chosen
to represent the inevitable Winter found on _Seasons_ -- promising.
And as the band opens the album with "Fields of Ashes", it becomes
clear from the very first few seconds of it that _Stormbirds_ can be
as great as _Seasons_. And, in fact, even if this turns out to be the
album's best song, only "Universe" (towards the end) falls noticeably
below the high average quality. The songs, most of which are linked
together, are anything but predictable: this is one varied album, and
it features some faster parts and perhaps not as much doom as
_Seasons_. (Still plenty of blackened vox, as the vocal balance
didn't change much.) EverEve continue to experiment in every track,
be it the seven "normal" songs, the short and very romantic
"Dedications", the over four minute long "Spleen" (excellent grand
piano and French narration) or the strange "Valse Bizarre". So,
EverEve have done it again. _Seasons_ still stands as my favorite,
perhaps mostly because it's doomier, but _Stormbirds_ confirms that
EverEve are one of those bands that have remarkable musical
equilibrium and shows that they haven't lost their direction.
Kadath - _Twisted Tales of Gruesome Fates_
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10) (Independent, November 1997)
It's a pity Kadath chose such a typically laughable title for this
MCD, because for a band producing their first MCD Kadath are doing
pretty well. Forget that this 'boasts' a cover of Terrorizer's
"Corporation Pull-In" (not good or interestingly reinterpreted
enough), concentrate instead on Kadath's own music and, hidden among
a sea of well executed cliches, you will find a good deal of near
originality. The band add harmony playing, more typical of black or
brutal melodic death bands, into a sound which is most prominently
influenced by grindcore and death. They also utilise some refreshing
acoustic interludes which, although not wholly original, are well
woven into the tracks on which they appear. As debut EPs (they've
also done one split 7") go, _TToGF_ is damn good going and bodes well
for future releases. Kadath need better production and, most
importantly, greater technical skill (also a must for doing those
Terrorizer covers properly, at least in the drum department).
Contact: Holger Friedenberger, Eifelstrasse 35, 52068 Aachen, Germany
Voice: (0049) [241] 532 747
Katatonia - _Discouraged Ones_ (Avantgarde, April 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
I can only draw one comparison between _Discouraged Ones_ and
Katatonia's first album, the sorrowful masterpiece that is, for me,
_Dance of December Souls_. In my opinion, the main emotion portrayed
in _Dance of December Souls_ is sorrow; ultimately, the same can be
said about _Brave Murder Day_. _Discouraged Ones_, however, as the
name itself indicates, is more of a work of discouragement.
Musically, relative to their _Sounds of Decay_ EP [CoC #28], the main
changes concern the vocals (all clean now) and song structuring (very
conventionally chorus-oriented now, far from the early days and also
more conventional than in _Sounds of Decay_). For a Katatonia fan,
these three changes should define _Discouraged Ones_ well enough
already, for the musical quality hasn't been lost. Renske's clean
vocals are adequately doomy most of the time, even if exceptions do
appear. Instrumentally, besides the (in my opinion, unfortunate) song
structure changes, similarities to _Sounds of Decay_ are often easy
to find, despite all the changes. "Deadhouse" and especially "I
Break" are brilliant examples of what Katatonia can achieve through
their new sound, and most other songs follow those close enough.
However, in my very personal opinion, "Distrust" and especially
"Relention" should never have been on a Katatonia album, and neither
should the kind of guitar solos found in the last two tracks.
Overall, this is a great album that I feel could have been even
better, considering who made it. Nevertheless, my rating reflects the
fact that I do not find _Discouraged Ones_ superior to October Tide's
_Rain Without End_ [CoC #30], which I personally enjoy better, nor
quite as outstanding as the music in Katatonia's _Sounds of Decay_
EP. Still, let it be very clear that this is one remarkable album,
full of musical quality and the blend of emotions and music that
Katatonia have always superbly achieved -- even though these are
different now: discouraging, rather than sorrowful.
Korova - _Dead Like an Angel_ (Napalm, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
Korova described their 1995 debut album _A Kiss in the Charnel
Fields_ as "northgoatified cyberbaroque". While this is a rather
cheesy description, it does capture most of the salient features of
that album, which consisted of a unique blend of black and death
metal, some goth, and a general weirdness along the lines of Thought
Industry and Master's Hammer. _Dead Like an Angel_ continues in this
tradition, but shows the band leaning more toward
electro-experimentation. At times, they remind me of such bands as
Therion (whose female vocalist also sings on this album) and Dark
Reality, but they really have a style all their own. The album starts
off as reasonably heavy and straightforward industrial-tinged death
metal, with keys used as accents. As the album wears on, it gets
progressively lighter, more symphonic/gothic, weirder, and more
electronic. The song "Trip to the Bleeding Planets" (a redone version
of the one on Napalm's "With Us or Against Us" comp) appears as the
middle song, bridging the two halves of the album. There are both
black metal raspy vocals and clean male and female vocals. The clean
male vocals could use some work, as he doesn't quite have the range
to hit the highest notes. He also has a goofy/silly way of singing
that takes some getting used to. The playing is much better this time
around; it's tight, but there are still a few weak spots. The
production is clean (a big improvement over their last album), but
there are some places where the guitar tones could be better. In all,
this is an excellent, diverse, and truly unique album.
Lacuna Coil - _Lacuna Coil_ (Century Media, May 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
While this Italian atmospheric/metal outfit are a complete carbon
copy of The Gathering in my books (I mean... just hear the vocals),
there just seems to be something emanating throughout this 6-song EP
that draws me to the music of Lacuna Coil. The vocals are the main
thing (thanks in part to the lovely Cristina), but it can also be
traced to the celestial sounds of passion and excellence spewing
forth in monumentous proportions on numerous tracks (i.e. "This Is my
Dream" and "Falling") that leave the listener (like myself) taken
aback. Powerful expressionism that soothes the soul and leaves you in
a hypnotic state. A solid release that deserves a listen.
Ledel - _Behind Inside Unexpected_ (Grupo Premiato Musicattiva, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
This is Ledel's first MCD, following on the heels of their demo "The
New Case" [see CoC #23]. It features one of the songs from that demo,
plus two new songs in a similar style. Their sound is difficult to
categorize; it isn't really metal, but it does contain metallic
elements. They play styles ranging from latin dance to jazz to "space
rock" to dissonant metal. What I like the most about their style is
that they're very confident. They are willing to take risks in
developing their songs, instead of sticking to what's comfortable and
predictable. They're also incredibly good at weaving a sonic tapestry
entirely without the aid of keyboards. All of the sound effects are
done on guitar synths (similar to Pestilence's "Spheres", only much
more advanced). In that respect, I haven't heard anything as
impressive as these guys. The production is cleaner than on their
demo, and that causes a problem, since the guitar tone isn't very
good in places. It has kind of a weak, tinny distortion, sort of like
how it would sound if you poked a hole in a speaker. Their lineup
features a full-time percussionist, who adds to their dense sound.
The music is typically complex, with usually a few things going on at
the same time. The playing is good, although there are a few spots
where they're a little loose. The songs can get a little repetitive
at times, but, eventually, they move on and take the song somewhere.
In any case, this is a refreshing, unique vision from a confident
band, and well worth a listen for those wanting something different.
Contact: mailto:slayer@dei.unipd.it (Maurizio)
mailto:puppet@dana.dei.unipd.it (Luca)
Monster Magnet - _Powertrip_ (A&M, June 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
The return was inevitable. Like we could get rid of Dave Wyndorf and
his merry band of stoners. Break out the joints people, "Space Lord"
Wyndorf has returned with his best work since _Superjudge_ with their
latest cosmic crusade _Powertrip_. After the success of the very
commercial sounding, but excellent record _Dopes to Infinity_ (1995),
I was kind of skeptical to where Wyndorf and crew would take the
music of Monster Magnet. CoC head honcho Gino Filicetti worships
their earlier efforts _Superjudge_ (1993) and _Spine Of God_ (1991),
like myself, because those records captured a renegade assault to our
senses through experimentive music and excessive amounts of drug use.
Both those records brought forth the unique talents of Wyndorf as a
storyteller, leading us like school kids through his jaded and fucked
up world of reality and mind searching. While _DtI_ had that kind of
story tellin' feature, it lacked a real uneasy coat of rawness and
dysfunctional state of mind. It was too clean for the most part. Onto
1998 and Wyndorf's longtime coming epic _Powertrip_. Smokin' opener
"Crop Circle" starts this cosmic leap of complexity and downright
groovy mode of deliverance. Strong riffs and abstract visions of
love, life and drug use (courtesy of numbers like "Temple of Your
Dreams", "19 Witches" and "Tractor") manhandle the sonic grooves of
Monster Magnet, coating them with vices of the unlawful variety that
peck at our minds. This is one of those records that signifies an
accomplishment in a band. Achieving a status of creativity utopia
where all seems to be flowing properly and symbolizing true
craftsmanship. While I'm sure Wyndorf and Co. have years more music
to write, _Powertrip_ is a worthy collection of numbers that shine
like there is no tomorrow. And Wyndorf's lyrics? Totally out there.
Various - _Call To Irons: A Tribute to Iron Maiden_
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) (Dwell Records, May 1998)
Just by glancing over the track listing and seeing the bands
participating in this much deserved tribute record, it was quite easy
to be excited about this compilation. Bands like Vital Remains ("The
Trooper"), Morgion ("To Tame a Land") and Absu ("Transylvania") doing
Iron Maiden numbers -- what a cool concept. With eleven Maiden tracks
covered, I'll have to say I was pleased with about eight of them. And
the reason being? Well... I felt that some of Iron Maiden's more
well-known hits (i.e. "Flight of Icarus" and "Number of the Beast")
were ignored, opting for more defined Maiden numbers like "Remember
Tomorrow", "Strange World" and "Ides Of March / Purgatory"). But then
again, I'm not the band covering my favorite Iron Maiden number, am
I? Standouts on this compilation include Ancient Wisdom's killer
"Powerslave", Morgion's "To Tame A Land" and Opera IX doing the
classic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Some cool covers, some a
little weak, but what do you expect when you're competing against the
masters of metal? This tribute goes to show the power and influence
that Maiden held so tight in the 80s, something the chaps are lacking
as we head into the year 2000. I'm praying Steve Harris and the boys
check this one out and realize that they don't write metal music like
this anymore.
Malignant Tumour/Squash Bowels - _Eat the Flesh...and Vomica/Dreams
Come True...in Death_
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10) (Obscene, August 1997)
Well, this really was a surprise. When bands advertise themselves, in
so many words, as pure, extreme grindcore I have come to expect 46
(or whatever number) minutes of underproduced, badly played white
noise to arrive at my door step printed onto plastic. This CD did not
conform to the latter. Yes, it is grindcore, and yes it is pure, but
as bassed out pure-grind goes this split is close to _Reek of
Putrefaction_'s standard and has a slightly better production than
the aforementioned. Malignant Tumour get the first half and 27 of the
43 tracks to do their thing and they are marginally the better of the
two. The riffs are repetitive and it would be a lie to call the music
original, although there are some nice drum breaks, but this doesn't
matter because Malignant Tumour are simply unashamed and rippingly
good gridcore; nothing more, nothing less. Squash Bowels have a
slightly murkier production and again the music is not devastating in
its originality, but similarly the songs are played out in style and
the grind is good. If your heart longs for the sound of pure
grindcore, look no further; your journey is at an end.
Contact: Obscene Productions, c/o Miloslav Urbanec
Dolany 117, 533 44, p. St Zdanice, Czech Republic
Manegarm - _Nordstjarnans Tidsalder_ (Displeased, April 1998)
by: Adam Wasylyk (4 out of 10)
The last black metal record I've heard from Displeased was by a band
called Unlord. A band that could easily crush the likes of Dark
Funeral and Marduk; they've crafted a truly barbaric yet
unforgettable form of hateful black metal. Manegarm has high
inspirations but it falls short, as it can't sustain the strength
exhibited by only a couple of tracks over an entire record. Using
most of the usual black metal cliches, the band failed to create a
sound for themselves but do show some talent at regurgitation while
demonstrating that this genre is becoming polluted with copycats and
unforgettables. A short review for a band that gave me so little in
return.
Mindrot - _Soul_ (Relapse, May 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Oh man... I was just losing it with just one listen of the new LP by
Mindrot, _Soul_. What happened? I was in fact a big fan of Mindrot,
cherishing their two previous Relapse recordings, _Forlorn_ EP and
debut full-length _Dawning_, but there was something very different
about the new Mindrot. I had talked to bassist Matt a few months
back, just prior to the efforts' release (and having only heard one
or two new tracks) and he had mentioned that the band had altered
their sound, experimented with the Mindrot sound and were very proud
of what they had done with it. So I took that in stride and when I
got _Soul_ and slapped it on. Shock. Unrest. Disbelief. The band had
changed quite a bit in three years. While still respondent to the
eerie, atmospheric overtones of complex metal that they had been
known for, this Southern California outfit had thrown into their
musical cache an onslaught of violent hardcore-esque riffs and
vocals. What the fuck!? Holy shit... I was in disbelief. How could
this happen? Wasn't this going to ruin the essence of what Mindrot
was about: searching of a soul through music? Oh... wait a second.
Hold the phone. Okay... now I get it. I investigated my thoughts a
bit more on the makeup of _Soul_ and for one day, through 12-15 spins
I cranked _Soul_. Over and over the record blasted from my boombox
and I started to feel and understand the workings of the band. This
was shaping up to being a godly sounding record. Warped within
harrowing screams of anguish and fluctuating through softened tales
of despair and hardened calls of anger and violence, Mindrot reveal a
true catastrophic view of society and the world we live in with
_Soul_. This LP discovers the makeup of one's life and it tells a
tale. Open it up moreso for the world to see and it becomes quite a
spectacle to delve into. That's how I feel with _Soul_. You hear it
in the background and it's a pure, powerful dose of metal music
tinged with hardcore stylings, but with more of an in-depth analysis
it becomes quite a creepy piece of work to listen to. Lyrically and
musically, _Soul_ defines the ways of Mindrot, and it's a definition
of great character and strong ambitions to succeed in showcasing
talented works of creativity in recordings. Mission accomplished. A
great band that more should discover for themselves. Here is your
chance, kids.
Nokturnal Mortum - _Goat Horns_ (The End, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
Nokturnal Mortum hail from the frozen tundra of Ukraine, and play
high quality black metal. Their lineup features two keyboardists,
playing at the same time, but often not playing the same parts. That
causes some sections to sound like three songs being played at once.
Both keyboardists are very good, and mix both classical and folk
influences into the music. They also use some unique instrumentation
to give certain sections a distinct atmosphere. Some of the keyboards
are a little too happy (think "Bal-Sagoth"), but most are consistent
with the music's dark atmosphere. The songs are varied and feature
some interesting changes. The playing is quite good, especially the
keyboards, but all members are competent. The production isn't as
clear or powerful as it could be, but it gives the music a
mysterious, obscure sound. Most of the vocals are typical raspy
style, but there are a few sections with clean male vocals.
Unfortunately, these often aren't as effective as they could be, as
they aren't very well done. Still, this is a good release, and offers
promise for their next album, which is scheduled to be released this
summer.
Novembers Doom - _For Every Leaf that Falls_
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) (Independent, January 1998)
Lovelorn, emotional doom/death of very high quality on this MCD.
Novembers Doom show very substantial improvements in their music
relatively to _Amid its Hallowed Mirth_: _For Every Leaf that Falls_
mixes fine doom melodies with remarkably crunching riffs, and adds
very good vocal and instrumental performances and excellent
production. I might mention that the music shows traces of early
Anathema and My Dying Bride; but those really are just traces now,
since Novembers Doom have reached a sound that seems to be much more
their own. Some nice occasional female chanting contrasts with the
death vox, slow guitars and occasional stronger riffs -- all this is
really well served by Novembers Doom, thus forming a very strong MCD
indeed. Add to all this the good lyrics and the emotions contained in
the music, and what you have is one of those -good- MCDs: the kind
that makes you feel like your money was well spent, unlike most MCDs
out there, which have very little value for money. This is thoroughly
enjoyable tragic doom/death, of consistently high quality throughout
the twenty minutes of this MCD. _For Every Leaf that Falls_ shows all
the quality needed to turn the promise of a future excellent
full-length from this band into an expectable reality.
Obituary - _Dead_ (Roadrunner, April 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (7.5 out of 10)
Much of the time, live albums are shameless cash-ins, and,
considering Roadrunner appalling record with those recently (does
ANYONE need details?), I didn't hold out much hope that _Dead_ would
break the cycle. It did; strike one, Obituary. _Dead_ is pretty damn
good on a number of levels. It charts Obituary's career quite well,
although "I'm in Pain" is the only song from _The End Complete_. It
reproduces the live experience well, the sound is maybe a little
worked on but it is the entirety of a single show in Boston. The song
versions are good, with a few surprises (the drum solo in "I'm in
Pain" is a nice one, the 45 second "Chopped in Half" is not).
Overall, _Dead_ is definitely one for quite dedicated Obituary fans,
particularly those who like the new album and _Cause of Death_ best,
because those are the most extensively covered -- those who have
never heard them, where have you been? For anyone else, it depends on
how you stand with live albums; if you never actually listen to the
ones you have, then _Dead_ doesn't offer enough extra to warrant a
purchase; but if you enjoy them, it is definitely up there very close
to Slayer's _Decade of Aggression_. At 65 minutes of length, it is
certainly the longest Obituary album you're ever likely to find,
unless they get all trippy on us: not likely from listening to _Dead_.
Various - _Peaceville X_ (Peaceville, April 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (no rating)
Peaceville is now ten years old, and have decided to release
something special -- the choice was this compilation CD that features
the most important bands in the current Peaceville roster playing
non-metal covers. I have to say that it'd probably be something else
to have My Dying Bride playing Emperor's, say, "With Strength I
Burn", Anathema covering The Blood Divine's "Wilderness" and The
Blood Divine playing Anathema's "The Beloved", or maybe even Dominion
emulating The Gathering... I think it would have been much harder and
more challenging than their actual choices. You can check Peaceville
owner Hammy's opinion about this in my interview in this issue.
Seriously, though, the option chosen here was to play non-metal songs
that'd somehow fit each band's style (or sort of), and the result is
actually interesting -- even if not constantly, but this is very
usual in compilations. Anathema open _Peaceville X_ with their
melancholic version of Pink Floyd's "One of the Few". Later, someone
(presumably Daniel Cavanagh) from Anathema plays piano for Dominion's
Michelle Richfield's very good, emotional vocal interpretation of the
surprisingly doomy "Better Off Dead" (Bad Religion). Her vocals here
are the best thing to be found on the compilation, in my opinion.
Anathema also finish the CD with another doomy Pink Floyd cover, this
time "Goodbye Cruel World". My Dying Bride play "Some Velvet Morning"
(Nancy Sinatra / Lee Hazelwood) and Portishead's "Roads": nothing
remarkably good, just listenable. One of Peaceville's new bands,
Thine, closes the positive part of the CD with a good cover of Nick
Cave's sarcastically titled "Song of Joy", one of his good songs. The
rest... well, the rest is either just reasonable or rather mediocre.
The Blood Divine completely disappoint with their covers of The
Osmonds and Joy Division, Dominion play Tears for Fears' "Shout" and
Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black", Blackstar covers Husker Du and Thin
Lizzy, Acrimony choose Status Quo and Lid play the Beatles' "Don't
Let Me Down". As for a rating, well, either you think that you will
enjoy such covers or you don't...
Prototype - _Cloned_ (Sublevel, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
This is Prototype's first CD, and it features the three songs from
their demo _Seed_ [see CoC #15] plus three new songs. Their older
sound can be described as "a cooler (Wicked) Maraya": melodic power
metal, with a good mix of technicality and memorability. Their newer
sound is less melodic, more intense, and more syncopative (a la
Solus, Meshuggah, et al.). It's still melodic at times, but not as
much as their previous songs. This probably has at least something to
do with their new drummer (Pat Magrath, ex-Killing Culture). He fills
in the shoes of his predecessor quite admirably. The thing I like the
most about their demo are the overplayed drums. The drummer takes
advantage of the rather loose structure of the songs, and fills in
the gaps. The newer songs are more tightly woven together, so that
aspect of the band's style is gone. The songs all show a good variety
in tempos and structures, maintaining a cohesiveness in sound, but
avoiding repetitiveness. The production is very good. It's more
powerful on the newer songs, but the older songs are more laid-back,
and don't suffer. The weak spot of the album is the vocals. While
those on the older songs aren't great, they aren't bad either. On the
newer songs, the vocalist seems to be straining to hit notes that he
doesn't have the range for. He has also stopped harmonizing his
vocals, which helped disguise his inadequacies in the past. Other
than the poor quality of the vocals, the music and the playing are
very good. Fans of technical power metal should enjoy this.
Contact: mailto:protoemail@aol.com
Reincarnation - _Void_ (Repulse Records, May 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10)
What's with the production on this record? I could have recorded it
better in my bathroom using a 4-track recorder. Anyway... the overall
feel of this death metal / grinding blast beats-ridden 9-song outing
is rather lackluster in my books. The riffs and blast beats are
loosely tied together, leaving the vocals and rhythm section in
shambles. While the band has captured a low, raw feel to their
material (something that managed to be salvaged from poor production)
it's not enough to keep this CD being a repeated play on my CD
player. This is 'fast n' heavy' music for the sake of being that way.
No real initiative to keep things in check. A loose cannon, that runs
out of initiative and ideas after the first few songs. Basically,
I've heard it all before -- and better.
Sculptured - _The Spear of the Lily is Aureoled_ (The End, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
Sculptured are from Washington, and play "progressive death metal".
The music is light death metal, along the lines of Edge of Sanity,
but more interesting and diverse. They have some touches of the In
Flames style in places, but avoid the ruts that bands in that style
frequently are mired in. The songs are frequently changing, so that
while some parts may not be effective, they don't completely ruin the
song. The band mixes together a good variety of styles, and include
many unique elements. The most obvious of these are the trumpet
solos, but there are numerous other passages which are original. The
vocals are usually growled death vocals, with some distorted spoken
vocals at times. The playing is solid, but the material isn't overly
challenging. The production is okay, but does sound a little cheap.
This is an impressive offering, and it shows lots of potential. With
some maturity and development, these guys could be excellent.
Septic Flesh - _A Fallen Temple_ (Holy Records, March 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Would you rather have an album that smoothly flows without any abrupt
changes, keeping the atmosphere and mood constant throughout its
length, or one that presents strong changes every once in a while? If
you chose the latter, this may interest you. Presented in a nice
digipak, _A Fallen Temple_ is not Septic Flesh's new full-length
album yet, even though it does contain plenty of new material. The
changes I mentioned occur because there are three very different sets
of material here: three new 'normal' Septic Flesh songs, two new long
neo-classical songs (unrelated to what the band had done so far) and
a re-recording of their 1991 EP _Temple of the Lost Race_. The new
Septic Flesh songs are more melodic than before, with some mellow
guitar leads and more clean vocals (even though the death vox aren't
gone yet). The result is good, but not outstanding. "The Eldest
Cosmonaut" (and especially its so-called "dark version") stands out
as the best of those songs, mainly because of Natalie Rassoulis'
superb vocal contribution. A brilliant voice, powerful and confident.
She only returns for the two neo-classical songs, which, as one might
expect, are rather strange -- reminded me of Arcturus' _La Masquerade
Infernale_ minus the metallic elements and with Natalie's vocals
making them much more interesting. The baritone voice they used
annoyed me intensely, though. After the three new songs and the first
neo-classical piece arrives the re-recorded material. Faster,
stronger death metal, to which plenty of keyboard enhancements seem
to be added (I never listened to the original versions), the result
having turned out very enjoyable. In fact, except for "The Eldest
Cosmonaut", I liked this section better than the first. Part two of
the neo-classical piece then arrives, followed by the "dark version"
of "The Eldest Cosmonaut" that I mentioned before (more death vox and
a more somber sound). _A Fallen Temple_ is thus an interesting album,
and above all very varied.
Siebenburgen - _Grimjaur_ (Napalm Records, May 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10)
This Swedish band's interesting _Loreia_ [CoC #22] relied mainly on
catchy riffs, folkish influences and unusual (yet very good) female
vocals to seize the listener's attention. Strangely, despite the
band's style having fundamentally stayed the same, these three
elements have nonetheless been somewhat forsaken on _Grimjaur_. Their
musical style can still be described as generally mid-paced, not
really harsh black metal with folk influences, even though the pace
has somewhat increased and the folk influences decreased.
Instrumentally, the band actually shows some improvement, but the
average riff quality is lower than before -- less catchy without
really accomplishing anything else significantly better than before.
_Grimjaur_ starts pretty well, and the first few tracks flow quite
nicely. However, after those opening tracks, the album gradually
becomes repetitive and even sometimes monotonous, only occasionally
showing the quality I expected. With the exception of the last track,
there are few traces left of the folkish parts found in _Loreia_ and,
what's far worse, Louisa Hallsteed (the female vocalist / violinist
on _Loreia_) only has short appearances on three tracks -- beside the
nice final track, which is all hers. Considering that her vocals were
what interested me most in _Loreia_, this is a major disappointment.
_Grimjaur_ thus falls a couple of marks below the much more enjoyable
_Loreia_, which deserved a better successor.
Taetre - _The Art_ (Diehard, March 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10)
First off, yes, this is another band from Gothenburg playing melodic
death metal. However, although the overcrowding in this scene is now
getting positively claustrophobic, Taetre have managed to produce a
very listenable debut which is full of rock solid riffing and nice
melodic lead lines. Particular highlights of the album are first song
"My Lament", which comes in very smoothly off the intro, and
"Lifeplague". Although by the end of 41 minutes the tracks do start
to blend very slightly into one another (this lacks the penchant for
brilliant acoustic interlude which At The Gates possessed and
utilised) the album is still well worth the time spent. Taetre are
certainly following older Swedish tradition, early '90s that is, of
being brutal, something lacking in too many bands emerging from
Gothenburg at the moment. _The Art_ is definitely a fine base for
Taetre to build on, and, with their prestigious live experience (they
have played with many of Gothenburg's most noted), they should
definitely get further than a great number of their horde of
contemporaries. But, with the scene so overcrowded and peoples' taste
changing daily, who can say for sure.
Therion - _Vovin_ (Nuclear Blast, March 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (10 out of 10)
Did you think Therion would never be able to release a better album
than _Theli_? They just did. There are two clear improvements in
_Vovin_ relatively to _Theli_. The first concerns the voices:
exclusively choir and lead classical vox; no 'traditional' Therion
vocals were used here -- the result is excellent. Beside the large
choir, you may recognize the names of Martina Hornbacher (Dreams of
Sanity), Sarah Jezebel Deva (whom you may remember from Cradle of
Filth) and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear). But while the two ladies'
contributions are very welcome, Ralf Scheepers is responsible for the
album's only poor moments, found in the fastest track, "The Wild
Hunt". The chorus he performs ruins the song and is -far- below the
quality of everything else on _Vovin_. But that detail is easy to
forget, as Christofer Johnsson's superb memorable melodies and
arrangements flow with pure genius and are brilliantly performed. The
second improvement regards the orchestration: no synths or samples
here. The Indigo Orchestra (doublebass, contrabass, viola, cello, and
two violins) gives _Vovin_ the extra touch of quality it needed. The
metallic side of Therion's music continues its loss of weight, which
is understandable -- indeed, this is an album which, regardless of
personal taste, is truly excellent.
Various - _Until the End of Time_ (The End, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
This comp is a must have. It features all of the current artists from
The End records, including Nokturnal Mortum and Sculptured (see
reviews this issue). I won't go further into those bands, but I'll
give a quick synopsis of the others. Mental Home are from Russia, and
they play melodic doom, along the lines of old Tiamat. They're
competent musicians, but really nothing new or original. Epoch of
Unlight play fast death/black metal, loosely played, but pretty
technical. The playing is good; a little sloppy, but considering the
technicality, that's understandable. Calling them "an evil In Flames"
would be an adequate description. Odes of Ecstasy are a
female-fronted band, and sound roughly similar to Theater of Tragedy.
They're moderately melodic, fairly typical sounding, and at times a
little cheesy. Scholomance are by far my favorite band on this disc.
I'd describe them as "a cool(er) version of Cradle of Filth". They
take the base sound of Cradle of Filth, minus most of the theatrical
and gothic elements, and add many other styles to that base sound:
Egyptian melodies, much better guitar work, interesting use of
dissonances and harmonies, and busy, interesting drumming. In
addition, all this is packed into only four minutes. I'm eagerly
awaiting their debut CD. All told, this is an excellent comp. It
features a good variety of mostly very good bands. To make it even
more enticing, The End are smart enough to give this one away at
cost. It's only $3 ppd US, ($5 worldwide) through their web site.
Contact: WWW: http://www.mythosmedia.com/theend
Timescape - _Two Worlds_ (Independent, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)
Timescape are a progressive metal band from Sweden, and this is their
first full-length effort. It includes revocalized versions of the
three songs that were on their promo [CoC #12]. They have a new
singer this time around, and he's not very good. It's not that he has
a bad voice, but I don't think he knows how to use it properly. At
his best, he reminds me of the guy from Damn the Machine. At his
worst, he sings over-expressively, and adds superfluous high notes
that he doesn't hit cleanly. Otherwise, the music is good. They have
a light progrock/metal sound, similar to Dream Theater, but different
in their own way. The songs lie in the middle ground between
strophic, riff-oriented songs and thoroughly-composed,
development-oriented songs. The songwriting is good, as it takes a
few listens to really feel comfortable with the songs, and yet they
have some easily memorable parts. Two of the new songs are decidedly
more laid back than their previous ones, and the other two are in the
same vein as before, but perhaps a little more experimental. The
playing is still very good, and the production is excellent. This
should appeal to fans of light progmetal willing to overlook an
immature vocalist.
Contact: Timescape, c/o Johan Berlin
Skogvaktaregatan 4, 602 08 Norrkoping, Sweden
mailto:johan.berlin@mailbox.swipnet.se
Tulus - _Mysterion_ (Hot Records, March 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (5 out of 10)
Tulus don't sing in English. This doesn't really bother me, I love
Enslaved's _Eld_ album, and although these aren't translated some of
my favourite albums don't have 'translations' of their
incomprehensible vocals; but it is probably Tulus' most notable
quality. Mysterion is not a bad debut, but it displays no hints of a
revolution about to happen. Songs like "Skuggeskip" have nice,
slickly produced guitar riffs and an ample amount of blast beats
among other less typical drum rhythms. The band also manage to
combine atmospheric keyboard parts and use of acoustic guitar.
However, this really boils down to a case of (decent) black metal
by-the-numbers, which accounts for the by-the-numbers style in which
I've written most of this review. Tulus are worth getting if the
Arcturus / Covenant style of non-brutal, no blast snare black metal
is starting to get you down (not a problem I have): it has distorted
guitars, screeching vocals and some decent use of dynamics.
Tyrant - _Under the Dark Mystic Sky_ (Pulverised, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
This is high quality Scandinavian-style black metal from Japan. The
music is similar to an aggressive version of Arcturus' _Aspera Hiems
Symfonia_. It has a neo-classical feel to it, mostly due to the
keyboards, which are very well-played and show good diversity. They
don't overpower the rest of the band, but alternately drive the music
and act as accompanyment. The playing is competent, but not flashy.
There are a few guitar solos thrown in here and there for good
measure. Although they aren't as well done as the rest of the album,
they do provide a nice change of pace. The music varies from fast to
midpaced, and the songs show a fair amount of diversity. The
production is excellent as well: slightly raw, but fitting the
music's brutal edge. The vocals are typical raspy black metal style,
with some (mostly male) clean vocals. The clean vocals could be
better, but usually function adequately. This is a fine black metal
album, suitable for those seeking a mix of aggression and artistry.
Unholy - _Rapture_ (Avantgarde, January 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)
This certainly is one of the strangest albums I have heard in a very
long time. I could label _Rapture_ as mostly very slow, often
repetitive, depressive doom/death; the melodies are few and almost
withdrawn. Totaling 67:47 minutes, time doesn't seem to have been a
problem when _Rapture_ was recorded. After a bland couple of opening
tracks comes the main highlight, "For the Unknown One": slow,
devastating guitars and few keyboard melodies (the keyboards remain
on the background throughout most of the album), with an unusual and
interesting female voice. Veera Muhli does indeed have the kind of
voice that makes you want her to 'stay'; you don't want her to
'leave', but the music is eventually over after ten minutes and
you're left alone again. (This kind of effect was even stronger with
early 3rd and the Mortal's Kari Rueslaetten or The Gathering's Anneke
van Giersbergen, but Veera's voice is still very pleasant.) And so,
alone to face the barren landscape presented by the music ahead, you
find the fifteen minutes long "Wunderwerck": a piece of very, very
slow and heavy doom/death with funeral-like organs. "After God" is
faster than the previous songs, more riff-based -- still unusual
doom/death, but somewhat catchy. The short "Unzeitgeist" shows how
things can get stranger: screamed vocals, crazy bass and keyboard
work, totally different from everything else on the album. Finally,
two tracks, around ten minutes each. "Wretched" brings more funeral
keyboards and repetitive, crushing, dirge-like drumming and riffing
with death vox. "Delunge", an interesting doomy instrumental track,
closes _Rapture_. This could have been a great album; however, some
of the album's qualities are a bit let down as it often becomes
somewhat excessively repetitive.
Various - _Voyager: 10 Years Nuclear Blast_ (Nuclear Blast, May 1998)
by: Adam Wasylyk (7 out of 10)
First off, I'd like to send out a big 'thanks' to PHD Canada for
sending this puppy to us, since Nuke Blast decided not to send this
comp to zines for review purposes. I was considering doing a
track-by-track analysis, but then I realized I had better things to
do, so I decided a synopsis would suffice. The brass tacks? Basically
Voyager consists of 3 CD's, with each disk representing an era in
Nuclear Blast's existence. Disk #1 is composed of the bands that were
on NB during the formative years. I wasn't aware that this label
started out as a hardcore/punk label, as indicated not only by the
liner notes detailing everything that has happened with this label
but also by the first 6 tracks. The first track worth talking about
would have to be "Resist the Urge for Power" by No Fraud, having cool
vocal hooks and proficient music that sustains/supports them.
Righteous Pigs are represented with "Boundaries Unknown", a good
track to show the madness behind their hardcore/death sound. The rest
of the disk is rounded out by the label's more prominent bands such
as Pungent Stench, Macabre, Kataklysm, Dismember, Monstrosity and
Disharmonic Orchestra. Disk #2 represents the modern era of the
label, with bands such as Sinister, Therion, Meshuggah, Pain,
Dissection and Hypocrisy. It also shows the new directions that the
label are going into, namely gothic metal (Evereve) and industrial
drivel (Girls under Glass). Bad metal is also represented; be sure to
use your skip button when the tracks by Benediction, The Abyss,
Pyogenesis, Slapdash and Night In Gales begin. Disk #3 represents the
future of the label, the bands that will bring the label into the
21st century. Both good and bad metal are present and in abundance,
like most compilations in existence. Dimmu Borgir start it off with
some easy listening black metal via "Mourning Palace", with bands
like In Flames, Dismal Euphony and Covenant following up with
well-played tracks. Stuff like Hammerfall, Hollow, Left Hand
Solution, Primal Fear and Am I Blood are a yawn-fest. I'm gonna give
the thumbs up on this comp, for the sheer amount of music here (a
good portion of it being quite good) but be forewarned: you gotta
take the bad with the good.
Xytras - _Passage_ (Century Media, February 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10)
Considering the excellent keyboard work found in Samael's _Passage_,
the idea of a classical version of that album seemed very interesting
to me. However, Xytras' (Samael keyboardist) version of _Passage_ is
fun to listen to, but not much more than that. The piano lines are
very good, even superb at times, and are by far the best element on
this recording -- especially on "Rain", "Angel's Decay" and the
enchanting "Moonskin". Xytras built this album around the original
melodies, adding more piano lines, rhythm and orchestral synths. Here
lie most of the problems: while the rhythm synths are effective, even
if not too good, the orchestral ones tend to sometimes fail their
purpose. Some songs still turn out very good ("My Saviour" was left
out, by the way), but the quality of the less keyboard-based ones on
Samael's version varies. As it is, this _Passage_ has plenty of
outstanding keyboard work (even for those who aren't into Samael's
music), and is indeed fun to listen to for a few times if you know
the original versions -- but I found myself wishing I was listening
to Samael's originals for most of the time.
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If you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo with a bio if
you want to be reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header.
Scoring: ***** -- A flawless demo
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
Angrenost - _Evil_ (5-track demo)
by: Pedro Azevedo (*****)
Quality atmospheric black metal from Northern... Portugal. Could
certainly have fooled me, though. This demo, pressed on CD, comes
from a band that may very well soon release a debut album through
Andromeda Creations, who also distributes this demo CD. Apparently
inspired by the ilk of Limbonic Art's majestic symphonies and
Emperor's epic masterpieces, Angrenost have created 20 minutes of
eerie and very atmospheric symphonic black metal. Of course the
quality can't be compared to the bands mentioned above, but this is a
demo that rises far above what one would probably expect. As the
booklet artwork suggests, Angrenost's approach to black metal seems
to aim at the creation of cosmic soundscapes in some ways akin to
Limbonic Art's, with a 'buzzing' guitar sound and occasionally
dominant keyboard melodies and atmospheres. The production could
certainly be better, despite the CD treatment, and I do expect to
find plenty of improvement in this band's future efforts -- however,
considering the limitations placed on the recording of this demo, the
time elapsed since then, and the musical quality found here, this
band shows rather unusual potential. I am thus definitely looking
forward to hearing new material from Angrenost, especially if
recorded under better conditions.
Contact: Angrenost, PO Box 598, 4900 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Contact: Andromeda Creations, PO Box 366, 2775 Carcavelos, Portugal
Phone/fax: 351 1 4562292
mailto:kosmosis@mail.telepac.pt
Brutal Insanity - _Sick Perversions_ (4-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (***--)
Brutal Insanity are difficult to rate universally. If I was rating
playing of, production of, and writing of brutal death metal tunes
which could serve as bonus tracks for Cannibal Corpse's _Tomb of the
Mutilated_, then Brutal Insanity would get 5 out of 5 without
hesitation. However, one of the things that a brutal death band needs
at the moment is new ideas, new ways of playing, twists and turns.
These are things not provided by Brutal Insanity, so whether you want
this depends on how picky you are about your death metal and how
brutal you like it. If the new Cannibal Corpse and Benediction albums
have been all you could think about for the last 6 months, then look
no further than Brutal Insanity for an extremely low cost (1.50
pounds, aproximately 3.00 Canadian dollars), three tracks (and an
almost 30 second long cover of Sabbath's Paranoid). If you want more
than blast snares, growling vocals, groovy riffs and shit-heavy
guitar sounds, a bit of finesse for instance, then I feel Brutal
Insanity will still please your ears for 11 minutes but will not
interrupt your life for long.
Contact: Jonathan Rushforth, Killingwood Cottage, Beverley Road,
Bishop Burton, East Yorkshire, HU17 8QX, UK
Cut.Love.Kill - <demo> (3-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
Get down and dirty with the boys in CLK as they lay down some
ferocious hard core / aggro rock numbers that could easily strip the
paint off a wall if it were cranked loud enough. Brash, forceful and
for the most part dark, the music of CLK falls into one of those demo
categories that I have here at home: the repeat listen section. While
we get inundated with hundreds of label efforts and demo material
here at CoC, I do keep a good stash of indie ones to crank now and
then. This will be one of them. While only providing us with three
tracks, the message here with this demo tape is loud and clear. These
guys mean business. Opener "Used" symbolizes the hard-edge vibe that
CLK dish out so forcefully on this demo. Fans of Hatebreed, Meshuggah
and even Machine Head may be interested in scoping this demo out.
Contact: 582 Rosemill Drive, Lexington, KY USA 40503
Voice: (606) 266-4291
Downfall - _Der Anfang vom Ende_ (4-track demo)
by: Pedro Azevedo (****-)
Not only did this twenty minutes long demo tread a strange path to
reach me, as it also presents some rather unexpected music. No metal
here. This demo is a piece of very melancholic, depressive music,
with goth-like vocals, acoustic guitars (used mainly as rhythm
guitars) and sparse percussion. The center of Downfall's sound,
however, is the mournful cello, in which dwells most of what I find
interesting in _Der Anfang vom Ende_. (Perhaps strangely, or maybe
not, this French band decided to translate their lyrics to German and
exclusively use that language on this demo.) Downfall could be
accused of being somewhat repetitive, and it is indeed true that the
vocals don't always sound too well. But with songs like "Mein
Schmerz", it became a demo I listened to more than I initially
expected -- mainly thanks to the emotion found in the music, in which
I must stress that the cello plays a fundamental part.
Contact: Autumn Productions, 51 Rue de la Pomme
31000 Toulouse, France
Phone/fax: (+33) 05 61 22 40 15
WWW: http://wwwperso.hol.fr/~miroir
mailto:miroir@hol.fr
Manifest - _Framework_ (7-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (**---)
After you get past the poor vocals and the poor production of this
7-track demo, there really isn't much left rather than a bunch of
kids trying to be all mighty and such with thick riffs and violent
screams aimed to kick us down. Half-hearted death metal attempts to
run rampant here as Manifest seems to lose the ambition to deliver
solid work from the get go. Not to shit all over this band, but there
are several obstacles/problems that need to be solved before the
equation can be determined. I'm left wondering why such generic,
poorly recorded stuff was sent out in the first place? Makes you
wonder...
Contact: Nick Engwer 5920 Leda Road, Sooke, BC CANADA V0S-1N0
mailto:amaranth@vvv.com
Mephitis - _Blinded_ (5-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (***--)
What can I say? _Blinded_ ain't a bad five tracks of music, it's
nicely played, quite well produced, but ultimately lacks being
special. Generally great or good demos partake to some degree of one
of two things which makes them good, in my view. They can be original
or they can excel in their chosen, albeit often cliched, style.
_Blinded_ uses a mix of screeching (black metal-ish) vocals, a
pounding rhythm section and mostly repetitive, thrashy, mid-paced
riffs to get its 'point' across. The problem lies in the fact that
_Blinded_'s 'point' is not the kind which is going to produce a
revolution or a nostalgic riot: it just carries you along, like most
of modern politics' evidence of hope for the future, though.
Contact: Robert Gibson, Carrick Road, Edenderry, Co Offaly, Eire
Voice: (0405) 31352
Scythe - _The Sorcerer_ (3-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (*****)
With the virtual avalanche of bands ripping off the '80s in what has
become a shameless case of spot-that-riff, you'd think that any band
with old/real/thrash metal leanings would be doomed to just blend in.
Well, if most are, Scythe certainly are not. By mixing mid-paced '80s
thrash riffing with distinct black metal leanings, especially
vocally, Scythe show more promise in three tracks than many signed
bands do in a whole mediocre album. As a debut demo, I don't think we
could ask for anything more: Scythe have excellent songs, excellent
vocals (the let down of many a band), excellent production and
excellent little details (like the rumble of fast but almost
subliminal double bass drums which permeates the verses of these
songs). All the way from powerful opener "Demonfrost" through the
pounding of "Storms of Wrath" to the majestic closer "Lair of the
Ancient Snake", Scythe prove they deserve their place in the
post-thrash/death/black scene; purchase and worship!
Contact: Scythe, 43 Cambridge Rd, London, SW20 0QB, England
Soulscar - _Lost in Life_ (3-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (****-)
Much like the delicate art of finesse and production Carcass would
demand for their material comes Vancouver's Soulscar, a death metal
(oh so little industrially-charged) outfit that works damn hard to
keep things tight, precise and crisp sounding. This three-song outing
is almost near perfection. Strong drum beats mixed with sinister
guitar riffs and sharpened vocals meld together into a top form death
metal outfit. This is some of the best Canadian indie metal I have
heard in the last year or so. After hearing such numbers as "Escape"
and the title track of this demo, I'm eagerly awaiting some new
material (possibly a full-length?) from this Canuck outfit. Heavy as
fuck, this fucker will surely scar ya.
Contact: 4450 Valencia Ave., North Vancouver, BC CANADA V7N-4B1
mailto:andresta@unix.ubc.ca
WWW: www.angelfire.com/ca/soulscar
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\/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/
L O N D O N ' S U N D E R W O R L D H O L O C A U S T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Immortal, Angelcorpse and Desecration
At the Cameden Underworld, London, England
April 16, 1998
by: Paul Schwarz
Since Immortal cancelled their planned tour of the UK last year
due to Demonaz' poor health, the fact that Abbath has taken over
guitar and a stand in bassist has been drafted in this time surprised
me somewhat. Either Osmose have forced them to go on tour regardless
or they want to show the fans what they can do live; it is not clear
which is the case before the gig.
First band on were Desecration. Playing a Cannibal Corpse /
Suffocation-ish pure death style with pause-for-the-bass-on-its-own
parts punctuating the blast snare mid-paced-grinding riff tapestry --
apart from feeling like a five year old vortex, Desecration evoked no
particular emotion in me.
I have heard a number of good words said with reference to
Angelcorpse, especially in the wake of the release of their new album
_Exterminate_, but tonight they did not impress as much as one might
have hoped. To my ears their sound was not mixed crisply enough to
allow proper definition of the instruments, and at the volume it
comes out on the speakers, Angelcorpse's performance probably didn't
do them justice -- strange, considering how long it took them to
soundcheck. It's a shame, because the band were quite animated for
the technical level of their material and their live performance was
extremely precise. In the end, Angelcorpse left me wanting to hear
more of their music on record, at another gig, with a better mix;
however, as an experience in itself, Angelcorpse's set was nothing to
rave about.
A short lapse and Immortal, the Masters of Nebulah Frost, took
the stage to begin their task of unleashing their musical armageddon
on the not unsuspecting crowd. Immortal had a crisp sound: cranked up
to an earsplitting volume, the sound of the individual instruments
still remains, and Abbath did a stunning job of filling in for his
brother in darkness and managing a great vocal performance. Drummer
Horgh and the fill in bassist performed their tasks well, with Horgh
unleashing quite a surprise when an incredible drum solo kicks in in
the middle of "Pure Holocaust" -- which brings me on to the setlist,
which really couldn't have disappointed any but the most
narrow-minded of fans. Immortal went through material from all their
albums, although _Blizzard Beasts_ was among the most extensively
covered, with: "A Sign for the Norse Hordes to Ride", "The Sun No
Longer Rises", "Pure Holocaust", "Call of the Wintermoon", "Unholy
Forces of Evil", "Nebular Raven's Winter", "Mountains of Might",
"Blasyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)" and "Battles in the North" comprising
the blistering set. To answer the original question I posed: it
appears from the excitement of the crowd and the enthusiasm of the
band that Immortal came for the fans. And you can see why: members of
the crowd shouted for "Blasyrkh" after every song, and when it came,
cheered after every acoustic guitar line in the lull-before-the-storm
part at the end of the song. Immortal may not have known their
fanbase was so strong here, since Abbath seemed flattered at the
cheering in "Blasyrkh" and commented that the crowd was "fucking
crazy!" Immortal played an uncompromising, and nearly hour long, set
of some of the best brutal black metal in existence. If these
"blizzard beasts" come near you, beware; but, most important, don't
miss the chance of seeing them in action, even if Demonaz can't make
it out this time.
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M O R B I D M A Y H E M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morbid Angel, Vader and Entwined
Joint review by: Pedro Azevedo and Paul Schwarz
Hard Club, Gaia, Portugal
April 18, 1998
by: Pedro Azevedo
Before describing the concert itself, I shall describe the
atmosphere: a concert room built within semi-ruined stone walls, near
the Douro (the river which separates the cities of Gaia and Porto).
As the concert was held at night, the view of Porto across the river
was superb -- at least to me. But I barely had time to enjoy this
familiar view, as, quite unexpectedly, sounds of Entwined starting
their performance echoed outside the Hard Club precisely on schedule.
And so Entwined opened the concert with a twenty minute
performance. I had only heard fragments of their debut _Dancing Under
Glass_, and, in my opinion, they sounded better live -- or at least
harsher. The first thing that struck me when I entered the concert
room, however, was the great atmosphere inside, mostly due to the
tall stone walls all around. The second thing is the outstanding view
of the stage you can achieve if you stay on one of the access
platforms or, like I did, in one of the stairways that lead down to
the concert room itself. The room below me was crowded enough, which
was pleasant to notice. But back to Entwined -- except for their
sound not being too clear, they played a reasonable set. Their
vocalist did manage to get on my nerves, however, as he kept shouting
"Oporto" every once in a while (even in the middle of songs), in an
attempt to please the audience that I considered rather futile.
After the break, Vader. Again a band I knew little of -- just
_De Profundis_. Quite a show, especially if you happen to enjoy
double-bass drumming, as I do -- their drummer did a damn good job at
that. Fast, sometimes very fast, and precise. The rest of the band
didn't seem to bother too much with technical details, but they
certainly made the crowd start moving (not as much as Morbid Angel
did later, though). Their sound was better than Entwined's and so was
their on-stage presence. A powerful forty minute show from a very
good live band.
Morbid Angel entered the stage after "Disturbance of the Great
Slumber" was played as an intro. Their show was simply outstanding:
excellent sound and spotless playing for one hour and fifteen
minutes. Their live sound is remarkable, with the addition of a
second guitarist clearly strengthening their output. Some of their
fans who didn't own their latest album, _Formulas Fatal to the
Flesh_, were somewhat disappointed, since most of the songs were
taken from that album. No complaints here, as far as I am concerned,
and even those who didn't know the new songs seemed to easily get
into them. Songs such as "Heaving Earth", "Prayer of Hatred", "Bil
Ur-Sag" "Nothing Is Not", "Hellspawn: the Rebirth", "Covenant of
Death" and "Invocation of the Continual One" were perfectly executed.
As for older songs, I can mention a few: "Lord of All Fevers and
Plague", "Rapture", "Day of Suffering" and "Chapel of Ghouls", among
others. A great concert indeed.
As a footnote, this was my first visit to the Hard Club, which
recently opened. It offers excellent conditions for concerts, the
room was crowded, and it -must- have been profitable for the people
involved as well as good for the bands. So let's see if these kind of
concerts start happening more often over here, because I really am
quite sick, to say the least, of seing almost every good band (mostly
European ones) playing concert after concert in Germany and places
nearby without ever going anywhere else.
London Astoria 2
May 8, 1998
by: Paul Schwarz
Vader, just as in Paris [CoC #25], completely tore apart the
fabric of the real world. Although only on for 33 minutes, Vader got
through a well composed set consisting of: "Sothis", "Distant Dream",
"Black to the Blind", "Silent Empire", "Blood of Kingu", "Red
Passage", "Carnal" and "Dark Age". Once again, Vader began with their
sinister intro and Peter's initial words to the crowd. The build up
was once again superby executed and this time aided by the use of dry
ice, which enveloped almost the entire stage, just before the band
launched into "Sothis". The sound was beautifully crisp and once
again I found Vader virtually impossible to fault on any level. If it
had been another headliner, I would have felt sorry for them having
to follow Vader, but Morbid Angel were not shown up in any way by
their support band's astounding work, although they didn't show up
Vader either.
Morbid Angel are obviously as into _Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_
as I am, as they played every 'real' song off it except "Chamber of
Dis". Morbid Angel also played: "World of Shit", "Rapture", "Lord of
All Fevers and Plague", "Day of Suffering", "Blood On My Hands",
"Hellspawn" and "Chapel of Ghouls". Steve Tucker played his musical
and personal part of fronting the band excellently. Trey and Pete
were, of course, incredible to behold in their respective parts and
Eric Rutan's second guitar work came across nicely. Morbid Angel also
utilised the dry ice excellently, having it drift-by Trey and then be
blown into a storm of chaos by a fan at Steve's feet. The sound was
like crystal for almost the entire set and the playing was of the
kind you could set your watch by. A bill not to be missed at any cost.
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N E V E R D I S C O U N T T H E P R I E S T S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Judas Priest and Gorefest at The London Astoria, London, England
April 11, 1998
by: Paul Schwarz
I think this was Gorefest's first ever visit to the UK and,
taking into account the monstrousness of the headliners, Gorefest
seemed to have a decent contingent of deathsters eager to see them.
As any follower of the scene should know, Gorefest shed their pure
death roots a while ago and now conform to the post-death/not-death
stereotype of non-black, unmarked clothes, Gibson Les Pauls (both
guitarists in this case) and "groovy", cock-rock, death n' roll
tunes. It's not that their sound is murky or that the crowd weren't
up for it (although they weren't), it's just that Gorefest's music is
ponderous and power chord driven and their stage presence makes you
wonder why they even put in an apearance. If you're going to play
music as easy as this easy move, stick your foot on the monitor, jump
around, do something!, bands with far more technical music (e.g.
Slayer) are more animated are far more watchable, let alone
listenable, than Gorefest were this evening.
With Gorefest safely out of the way, Judas Priest had the rest
of the evening to demolish the venue and show up the aforementioned's
poor performance, something they achieved before the first three
chords of "Hellion" finish their tour of the Astoria crowd's awaiting
ears. This is Priest's first gig here in about five years; they have
a new frontman and their last album before _Jugulator_ was eight
years ago, yet Priest had no trouble filling the Astoria with at
least as many young as old. After the "Hellion / Electric Eye"
opener, Priest proceeded to crank out four of the wholly abrasive
offerings from _Jugulator_ ("Death Row", "Bullet Train", "Blood
Stained" and "Burn in Hell"), amongst a setlist comprised of heavy
metal classics: "Metal Gods", "Grinder", "The Sentinel", "A Touch of
Evil", "Beyond the Realms of Death", "Metal Meltdown", "Night
Crawler", "Ripper", "Victim of Changes", "Breaking the Law", "Green
Manalishi With the Two Pronged Crown", "Painkiller", "You've Got
Another Thing Comin'" and "Hell Bent for Leather". With this
selection of songs, it is hard to see how Priest could have gone
wrong, but all the same the boys from Birmingham have to be commended
for putting on one of the best gigs I have ever been to when some of
them are approaching 50. Proving even more conclusively that age is
not an issue, Priest are very animated on stage, finishing nearly all
the songs with synchronised axe chops / drum crashes and viciously
rocking with their instruments while ripping chorus' and verses alike
are churned out. Not that a band as classic as Priest are -should-
ever be dismissed without a good reason, but tonight Priest showed
that they weren't only a classic band but also a band able to
outperform about half of the trend metal bands who are thought to be
so "cutting edge" these days. Two lessons to be learnt from this
experience: 1) don't support Priest unless you can play live very
well; 2) never miss Priest live unless your life depends on it (if
you died you'd never be able to see them again).
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W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gino's Top 5
1. Monster Magnet - _Powertrip_
2. Absu - _The Sun of Tiphareth_
3. Pitchshifter - _www.pitchshifter.com_
4. Various - _Steve's Unholy Holocaust_
5. Zaraza - _Slavic Blasphemy_
Adrian's Top 5
1. Pitch Shifter - _www.pitchshifter.com_
2. Monster Magnet - _Powertrip_
3. Katatonia - _Discouraged Ones_
4. The Hellacopters - _Payin' The Dues_
5. Primal Fear - _Primal Fear_
Brian's Top 5
1. Korova - _Dead Like an Angel_
2. Various - _Until the End of Time_
3. Sculptured - _The Spear of the Lily is Aureoled_
4. Nokturnal Mortum - _Goat Horns_
5. Emperor - _Reverence_
Steve's Top 5
1. Nile - _Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka_
2. Controlled Bleeding - _Inanition_
3. Astarte - _Doomed Dark Years_
4. Eisenvater - _III_
5. Tribes of Neurot / Walking Time Bombs - _Static Migration_
Adam's Top 5
1. Katatonia - _Discouraged Ones_
2. Nokturnal Mortum - _Goat Horns_
3. Incantation - _Diabolical Conquest_
4. Suffocation - _Despise the Sun_
5. Fiona Apple - _Tital_
Andrew's Top 5
1. AMM - _Generative Themes_
2. Luc Ferrari - _Cellule 75_
3. King Diamond - _Voodoo_
4. Vlad Tepes / Belketre - _March to the Black Holocaust_
5. Sun Ra - _Space Is the Place_
Pedro's Top 5
1. Katatonia - _Discouraged Ones_
2. Therion - _Vovin_
3. Novembers Doom - _For Every Leaf that Falls_
4. Ulver - _Bergtatt_
5. EverEve - _Stormbirds_
Paul's Top 5
1. Enslaved - _Eld_
2. Celtic Frost - _Morbid Tales/Emperor's Return_
3. Hypocrisy - _Osculum Obscenum_
4. Immortal - _Battles in the North_
5. Annihilator - _Alice in Hell_
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Homepage: http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html
FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos
--> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and bio to:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
57 Lexfield Ave
Downsview Ont.
M3M-1M6, Canada
Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: ginof@interlog.com
----
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS (Europe)
Urb. Souto n.20 Anta
4500 Espinho, PORTUGAL
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DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms
of chaotic music including black, death and doom metal, dark/ambient,
industrial and electronic/noise as well as classic and progressive
metal. Each issue will feature a plethora of album reviews from a
wide range of bands, as well as interviews with some of the
underground's best acts. Also included in each issue are demo reviews
and indie band interviews.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
message with "coc subscribe <your_name_here>" in the SUBJECT of your
message to <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. Please note that this command
must NOT be sent to the list address <coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>.
AUTOMATIC FILESERVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for
automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do
is send a message to us at <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. The
'Subject:' field of your message must read: "send file X" where 'X'
is the name of the requested file (do not include the quotes). Back
issues are named 'coc-n', where 'n' is the issue number. For a
description of all files available through this fileserver, request
'list'. Remember to use lowercase letters for all file names.
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #31
All contents copyright 1998 by individual creators of included work.
All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing
them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.