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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, July 8, 1998, Issue #32
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>
Contributor/Asst. Copy Editor: Paul Schwarz <mailto:saul@mcmail.com>
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>
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 #32 Contents, 7/8/98
--------------------------
- Editorial
- Loud Letters
- Deadly Dialogues
-- Anathema: Delusions of Silence
-- Cradle of Filth: From Cradle to Grave...
-- Long Winters' Stare: The Endless Winter Inside
-- Opeth: Born Within Sorrow's Mask
-- Pulkas: Taking Pulka to a New Level
-- Slayer: Monarchs to the Kingdom of the Dead
-- Anathema - _Alternative 4_
-- Apocalyptica - _Inquisition Symphony_
-- Arch Enemy - _Stigmata_
-- Arckanum - _Kampen_
-- Various - _Blackened III_
-- Children of Bodom - _Something Wild_
-- Children of Naami - _The Veil of Osiris_
-- Dark Funeral - _Vobiscum Satanas_
-- Days of Yore - _The Mad God's Wage_
-- Deeds of Flesh - _Inbreeding the Anthropophagi_
-- Depresy - _A Grand Magnificence_
-- Desecration - _Murder in Mind_
-- Destroyed by Anger - _Destroyed by Anger_
-- Don Caballero - _What Burns Never Returns_
-- Einherjer - _Odin Owns Ye All_
-- Elend - _The Umbersun_
-- Enthral - _The Mirror's Opposite End_
-- Evemaster - _Lacrimae Mundi_
-- Fear Factory - _Obsolete_
-- Haggard - _And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer_
-- Iced Earth - _Something Wicked This Way Comes_
-- Impaled Nazarene - _Rapture_
-- Krome - _Enough Rage_
-- Long Winters' Stare - _Cold Tale Eternal_
-- Manmade God - _Manmade God_
-- Monster Voodoo Machine - _Direct Reaction Now!_
-- Mornland / Abominator - _Prelude to World Funeral..._
-- Nile - _Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren Ka_
-- Odes of Ecstasy - _Embossed Dream in Four Acts_
-- Old Man's Child - _Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion_
-- Opeth - _My Arms, Your Hearse_
-- Pulkas - _Greed_
-- Samael - _Exodus_
-- Various - _Sepultural Feast: A Tribute to Sepultura_
-- Silent Stream of Godless Elegy - _Behind the Shadows_
-- Slayer - _Diabolus in Musica_
-- Solus - _Solus_
-- Soulburn - _Feeding on Angels_
-- Various - _Statements of Intent_
-- Stormwitch - _Priest of Evil_
-- Strapping Young Lad - _No Sleep Till Bedtime_
-- Suffocation - _Despise the Sun_
-- Swan Christy - _One With the Swan_
-- Thine - _A Town Like This_
-- Tyrant - _Under the Dark Mystic Sky_
-- Undertakers - _Suffering Within_
-- Vader - _Kingdom_
-- Virgin Steele - _Invictus_
-- Waylander - _Reawakening Pride Once Lost_
-- Demimonde - _The Warrior's Poets_
-- Desolate - _Resurrection Eternal_
-- Fury - _Fury_
-- Intestine - _Gastrointestinal Pathology_
-- Pain Lab - _Inconceivable Aquatic H.I.V. Descrambler_
-- Slayed, Once Again: Slayer with Clutch and System of a Down
-- Ozzy and his Fest: Black Sabbath, Pantera, Slayer, Fear Factory,
Entombed and Pitchshifter
- What We Have Cranked
- Details
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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
MMMMMMMMMMM
M""MMMMMMMM dP dP
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: Sat, 13 Jun 1998
From: Lugburz <lugburz@mail.dma.be>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
Gegroet CoC'ers,
First and for all congrats for your ezine. I think it's a very
interesting project, receiving every month a free ezine through
email, without moving my lazy ass. Both interviews and reviews are
writting very nice and intelligent. Great work guys.
I was only chocked by the review of a certain guy called Adam
Wasylyk, about Enthroned's latest masterpiece "Regie Sathanas". As
reviewer myself I know it is a hundred times easier to write negative
things about a CD then positive. But that particular review was just
pathetic. Except for the sentence "play better music", the entire
review handles about everything exect the music. What the fuck have
the Simpsons to do with music? Anyway, Everybody has his own opinion
I admit but such opinion much be based on good and true arguments
otherwise, shut the fuck up. Personally I think this album is fucking
amazing (and not because they're from my home-country). They ARE very
original and they give their Black Metal sound a REAL metal spirit in
the solo's (which lacks most black metal bands). Anwyay, enough of
this crap, I just wanted to point out that I was a dissatisfied
because Enthroned is one of my favourite bands.
Furthermore much luck to your zine and don't let this annoy you
in any way, but please Adam, be objective and just stick to the
music, the Simpsons suck nowadays btw.
Jimmy "rC" Goossens,
on behalf of Lugburz
LUGBURZ - BELGIAN BLACK/DEATH SUPPORT SITE
http://bewoner.dma.be/lugburz
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998
From: sasanborn@micron.com
Subject: ATTENTION LOUD LETTERS
Hail C.O.C. and readers! Great fucking ezine and it's awesome to get
it in email format so I can read it while I sit my ass here at work.
Hell yeah. Anyways, I'm looking for any cool sickos out there that
might be interested in trading tapes. I am into all styles of musick,
but especially more brutal grinding shit. I love Black Metal,
Grindcore, Crusty fucked up punk rock, as well as industrial,
gothick, psychedelic/acid rock, etc etc.I have a big trade list so if
you want me to send you a copy by email, write me at the address
below. Keep up the great work! Cheers, Steve sasanborn@micron.com
Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998
From: Maarten de Jong <maartenj@lx.student.wau.nl>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
My greetings to Chronicles of Chaos,
but watch out since this is going to be a lengthy one... :) I'd like
to dicuss the review in your latest issue of Bal-Sagoth, done by
Brian Meloon. No doubt is he able to review albums, but in my opinion
he has failed to see the essence of the great Bal-Sagoth. This review
does not do right to the band's effort. I shall explain. Nothing in
the review is mentioned about the concept and lyrics of Bal-Sagoth.
Well, yes, one thing. That the titles on "Battle Magic" are less long
than on "Starfire Burning Upon The Ice-Veiled Throne Of Ultima
Thule". This is certainly not a constructive remark. The lyrics of
Bal-Sagoth are *essential* to fully enjoy the music. It is like a
fantasy book on CD. The music is based on the lyrics and the lyrics
follow the music and different parts can be recognized. Referring to
the melodies he is either puking or laughing out loud. Well, that's
not how it works. I think he is referring to the circus music part at
"Blood Slakes The Sand At The Circus Maximus". Brian, if you had read
the lyrics you would have understood why the first part of the song
is indeed so happy. The song is about a gladiator captured by the
Romans. He is to figure in a show to entertain the people and
eventually (probably) to die by the hand of another gladiator. The
Romans are making a huge show of it, they want to be entertained:
that is the circus part. It is very convincing. At first I was amazed
and distressed, but after reading the lyrics I understand the
functionality of it and hold Bal-Sagoth even more in awe. After that
happy circus part is finished, you hear the gladiator speaking,
denouncing the emperor Nero and the Roman gods, and hailing his own
gods. And the circus part is done with; the battle with other
gladiators can begin! Carnage for Cernunnos! In all these songs, the
same unification of lyrics and music can be perceived. A creditable
accomplishment, indeed! This song is quite original as well, I've
never heard a metal band incorporating circus music in their song. A
metal band, to put this with black metal, either symphonic or not,
would be sheer nonsense (where did you get that info Brian?). The
band is very melodic indeed and I'd call it "fantasy metal" because
that's what it is about: a fantasy experience, translated into music.
They are quite good at it. If fantasy is not your cup of tea you
might as well stop and let someone else review the album. I don't
think that christians would grasp the essence of Morbid Angel, for
that matter. Sword and Sorcery are the keywords here, not Manowar or
Rambo IV. Ridiculous comparisons. It IS pompous and pretentious, AND
bombastic, but hey, that's cool. I don't like pretentiouslessness in
music. About your comparison with "Starfire Burning...": both albums
are NOT the same. APART from the stupid remark about the songtitles,
has it occurred to you that Starfire Burning... is tuned in minor
chords for the greater part, and "Battle Magic" mostly tuned in major
chords? Probably not, else you would have mentioned it in your
review. This is another great prestation of Bal-Sagoth, since too
many bands are stuck in their three minor chords playing evil music,
while Bal-Sagoth explore the more unknown regions of tuning and
tones, and still manage to spawn forth a great, epic, sword and
sorcery metal album. I hail them for that. Just my two cents, but I
HAD to mention them...
Greetings... apart from this review, I like your zine... and Brian, I
expect an interview with Bal-Sagoth from you next issue :P
Annatar Gorthaur, Darkfriend Trollsbane a.k.a. Maarten de Jong
ICQ 3836817 e-mail: maartenj@lx.student.wau.nl
Date: Sun, 14 Jun 1998
From: Fernando Araujo <faraujo@colnodo.apc.org>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
Hello Everybody: Many of you have surely heard of Colombia by some of
our "problems" ,widely exposed by International News Agencies. This
one has only the objective of keep you updated on the scene here in
the capital,Bogota. After being isolated for decades from the tours
of Metal Bands ,the two last years have allowed us to see some of the
best groups ,thanks to the help of independent promoters like
Backstage & Cinismo Records. HM fans have been able to see Napalm
Death,Cathedral, Sodom,Testament and Moonspell.For next June 28th
Kreator will be here. A festival called "Rock al Parque" is held
every year with free entrance for everybody and special guests.
Hopefully and with the help of all those who are loyal to the cause
we will keep this thing alive... Colombia has won the award of "Most
Violent Country of the world" but for sure it's not because of those
who need the Metal to be alive ....
Fernando Araujo
faraujo@colnodo.apc.org
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 09:50:25 -0700
From: Christian Hecimovic <ChristianH@simba.ca>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
Hey,
I just wanted to say that I'll miss Steve Hoeltzel's writing. His
review of Astarte in CoC #31 was funny as hell, and I completely
agree with his rant. Just the other day, I read an interview with Old
Man's Child, where one member (Jardar) mentioned his hatred of Jews
and lumped them in with blacks as "trash". Great. Black metal is
associated with so much retarded thinking that it's tough to remain a
fan sometimes. Certain concepts just aren't thought through...they
hate Christianity, and, at least originally, wanted to oust it from
Scandinavia, yet many claim to be Satanists, a belief system that is
meaningless without the existence of Christianity...anyway, speaking
as an athiest, it all seems lame. I was at Dynamo this year, and that
experience cemented the fact that most black metal fans are TOTAL
idiots anyway, and about 12 years old as well. Bands like Death gave
the classiest performances of the festival; they saw no need to
scream "This one's for Satan!" or dumb slogans like "How about some
more PURE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL??" (this last one came, most
ironically, from Dummu, er, I mean Dimmu, Borgir. How about that...)
Emperor was cool, though.
Keep your standards high.
Chris
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D E L U S I O N S O F S I L E N C E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Vincent Kavanagh of Anathema
by: Pedro Azevedo
After the crushing emotional doom/death of their 1992 debut EP
_The Crestfallen_ and first full-length _Serenades_ (1993), Anathema
moved to a more atmospheric style of doom metal with the _Pentecost
III_ EP in 1995. The departure of vocalist Darren White followed,
with guitarist Vicent Kavanagh performing the vocals from that point
on. That same year saw the release of _The Silent Enigma_, showing a
more aggressive, but always very doomy Anathema and the start of a
new era for the band. They returned with the much softer, but perhaps
even more emotional _Eternity_ in 1996, writing yet another page in
the history of doom metal, and now return with _Alternative 4_ (a
title related to Anathema's view of civilization and its future, the
three alternatives so far being life underground, life in a dome and
life on Mars). Vincent phoned me one afternoon to talk about
Anathema; here is what was said.
CoC: My first question concerns your vocals. When Darren White left
the band, you used a kind of vocals on _The Silent Enigma_ that
were actually harsher than Darren's on _Pentecost III_. Why did
that happen?
Vincent Cavanagh: The vocals were never going to get any softer with
Darren; truth is he couldn't really sing. That's
part of the reason why we kicked him off the band,
which has already been stated a long time ago, and
we don't really need to go back into that again. At
that time, when we kicked him out, we were half way
through the recording of an album; we had to do
something straight away, because we were on the
studio -- so I became the singer. We really wrote
the lyrics there, on the mixing desk, if you know
what I mean. I didn't really have a chance to
prepare anything else, so what I did was what, at
the time, I felt suited the music. Since then,
obviously, I've done something else with the
vocals, as you can hear. I just decided to do my
own thing. On _Eternity_, I sort of discovered that
I could actually sing, so I've been working on
that, working on my own voice.
CoC: What will the cover artwork concept be about on _Alternative 4_?
VC: We will again use the theme of angels. You'll see an angel --
which is actually a picture of the virgin Mary -- with an
astronaut face, the reflexion of an astronaut. It links quite
well with the subject matter of the album.
CoC: Speaking of your new album, I seem to detect less changes in
your sound relative to _Eternity_ than between any of your
previous albums. Are you reaching the kind of sound you want or
will the future bring great changes?
VC: We will always keep progressing, for sure, but _Alternative 4_
has turned out more the way we wanted it to sound, as opposed to
other albums in the past. It's a lot less clotted with various...
you know, it's a lot more simple, less clotted with keyboard
tracks and guitar tracks, we haven't gotten silly with things,
and there's a more direct approach to the songwriting. The
production itself is a lot better, and the songs are a lot
better, and the whole thing is more strikingly "in your face".
It's a more honest type of music, that's how I like to describe
it.
CoC: Wasn't _Eternity_ honest enough?
VC: Yes, but it also had too many tracks of various things, and also,
speaking of how things don't always turn out the way they could
have, we were let down by the drummer on _Eternity_. This time
none of that shit happened; we made sure everything was right.
CoC: Does the band feel that [the new drummer] Shaun Steels is doing
a better job than [the former drummer] John Douglas, then?
VC: Of course, yes. John Douglas was full of ideas, but he couldn't
really bring any of them into action. He was too caught up with
his ecstasy and his dancing, you know what I mean? He lost all
his enthusiasm; he wasn't really part of the band anymore.
CoC: So you feel the production is better on _Alternative 4_ than
before?
VC: Fucking definitely, yeah. It's the best production we've ever
had, and it's also the best production the producer's ever done
in his career as well, so it turned out well by all accounts.
CoC: At some stage, there seemed to be a certain Anathema trademark
in that the third track had to be acoustic and have female
vocals (happened in the _Crestfallen_ EP, _Serenades_ and _The
Silent Enigma_). Why did you do that -- and why did you stop
doing it?
VC: Well, nothing says we won't do it in the future. It's just that
we haven't written a song like that specifically to go in the
album. We're always writing stuff, we're always coming up with
all sorts of ideas, and we have got plans to do more acoustic
stuff in the future, and to use female vocals again. So, we'll
see.
CoC: Something that, in my opinion, did change significantly from
_Eternity_ to _Alternative 4_ were your lyrics. On _Eternity_,
you were still "wondering if she ever wondered the same..." Now
we can read lyrics such as "Come on and twist the knife again,
I'd like to see you fucking try..." What caused this change?
VC: Yeah. Well, all sorts of things. Again, it's these situations and
everything that has happened to us in the last 18 months or
whatever, and it's our way of flushing that shit out, you know.
It's more honest than _Eternity_; from my own personal aspect,
these lyrics have more to do with myself, like the ones you just
mentioned. It's basically just about not taking any shit from
people, coming to your senses... you know, getting some control
back in your life.
CoC: Your lyrics have always had a certain link between them: they
were usually about lack of love and lack of life. What is it
exactly that inspires you to write lyrics?
VC: <Thinks for a while> There's not one single thing that I can say
that inspires us; we're just honest with our own feelings. In the
past, we've got to remember this, I've not written many lyrics; I
can say, on behalf of the writers of those lyrics, that it's
difficult for them to write things that are fantasy, you know,
they can't write stuff that isn't true. Who knows, there's only
so far you can take one subject, once you've done so many things,
once you've expressed all these things -- of course it's gone
then, it's done and there's no need to do it anymore. So I think
even in the future you'll probably see something that's a bit
more upbeat, but as I said, we are not a fiction band.
CoC: Specifically, I'd like to know what inspired you to write the
lyrics for "The Beloved", if that's allright with you.
VC: Mainly the feeling of coming to the end of life as you see it,
with all sorts of regrets about how you've conducted yourself
while you were being given the chance -- love-wise, never really
letting anyone in when you could have.
CoC: Towards the end of that track, your voice has this great fragile
sound that really enhances the emotions portrayed in your music.
I know you have been taking singing lessons recently, and I
think your voice on _Alternative 4_ is much more confident, but
it seems to have lost some of those fragile moments, gaining
other kinds of expressive power. What would you like to say
about this?
VC: I've got a lot more confident approach in the way I sing
nowadays. I am constantly learning and I do wish to express all
different sorts and types of emotions in the future. I'm quite
looking forward to it, actually, because I really think I can do
anything. <Laughs> That's the way I feel. As I'm only new to this
game, I'm sure you're going to see all sorts of things in the
future.
CoC: I suppose there is no way you'll ever use a few harsher vocals
here and there in the future?
VC: Maybe, maybe I will. It just depends on the feeling that we get
from the song. Depends on how we feel when we jam it out, and how
we'll want to play it live, what I'm going to deliver it like. We
might well do it, I'm not going to say anything concrete.
CoC: You do release a scream that sounds almost like part of _The
Silent Enigma_ or "Suicide Veil" on "Re-Connect" [on
_Alternative 4_]. Is there a story behind that lonesome cry of
yours?
VC: I was in there doing "Re-Connect", and I was just about to put a
really quiet vocal down when the producer came and booted me
really hard up the ass, and so I had to scream and that's the way
it turned out, sorry. <Laughs>
CoC: What's the meaning of those fading heartbeats in the end of
"Inner Silence"?
VC: <Sighs> That song is about something that's very close to me and
Danny [Cavanagh, Vinny's brother and Anathema guitarist], about
how we would feel about the impending and inevitable death of
someone very, very close to us -- the closest person to us, in
fact -- and how that would make us feel unless we did something
about it. The heartbeat represents that, the end of a life.
CoC: I believe you used some violin on "Fragile Dreams" and "Lost
Control", right? Why did you choose to do this?
VC: As we listened to the song, as it was shaping up, we decided a
violin would sound beautiful there. So we got a violin <laughs>,
and we made sure it would go on it.
CoC: Did you fear you would be compared to My Dying Bride because of
that?
VC: We don't fear any of that. We're not like My Dying Bride. We
don't care, we'll do anything; we're not scared of any of that.
CoC: I've read a few reviews of _Eternity_ in which Pink Floyd were
repeatedly mentioned as being a major influence to your sound. Do
you think there really is a reason for this? Do you like it, does
it bother you?
VC: No, it doesn't bother me. People have said it, and there is a
slight element in some things that I can see; but we're not
bothered, because we don't take any direct influence from anyone,
we don't really need to think about that. When we come down to
write a song, we know exactly what we're doing, really, and we
don't have to copy anybody else's ideas, we just do our own
thing. Pink Floyd are one of the most inspirational bands ever,
though.
CoC: What's the story behind the choice of using the song "Hope" on
_Eternity_?
VC: The concept of "Hope". That was the choice, the concept itself of
the song. Maybe we're not just spirits disappearing, maybe there
is some sort of light at the end of the tunnel as far as our
spirits are concerned. Perhaps things will be better one day,
perhaps when we're dead; you know, all of these types of things
you think about.
CoC: Why did you choose to have "Hope" as _Eternity_'s video clip?
It's a somewhat strange choice, I think, since it's not very
much like the rest of the album, is it?
VC: No, it isn't... Well, mainly, we chose it because the reactions
from various sections of the media when _Eternity_ was released
were very centered around "Hope", and it seemed to be the most
popular choice at the time.
CoC: Have you decided which song from _Alternative 4_ will be used
for a new video clip?
VC: We haven't, at the moment. We're still looking for ideas; we'll
see how it goes. Of course it's very expensive to do videos, and
if we were to do a video again in the future, we wouldn't like to
use a director -- at least I wouldn't. I feel I can do a better
job than all the people in the past if I was given the same
budget. It should all be part of the same vision. What you're
seeing, visually, should be a direct interpretation of the song's
story; it's one complete vision. Unless you do that, for me
videos are just boring. That's the way I see videos, that's the
way I feel they should be. Some bands are really good at it,
bands like Tool, who can actually fucking really do a video.
<Laughs> It's expensive, and if there's any call for it we'll do
one, but if there's no call for it...
CoC: What have you been listening to lately?
VC: Lately I've been listening to all sorts of things. I've just been
listening to S.O.D. this morning. <Laughs> Other than that, I
listen to all sorts of things from bluesy stuff, Masters of
Reality, Monster Magnet, Black Sabbath... a big mixture of
stuff... classical music...
CoC: Anathema still is a doom metal band, right?
VC: Yeah, we're still doom metal. But we do all sorts of music;
there's a vast scope of material on this album and all sorts of
different types of music.
CoC: A couple of questions about Michelle Richfield, Dominion's
vocalist. She sang on _Eternity_, but not on _Alternative 4_;
why?
VC: Nope. Because there was no need for her to sing on any of the
tracks we wrote for _Alternative 4_. No female vocal parts were
necessary for the songs, they were better without it, so we did
it that way.
CoC: What about your cover of "Better Off Dead", with Michelle
providing some remarkably emotional vocals? What's the story
behind it?
VC: Yeah, she did. We chose it because of the lyrics, specifically.
Me and Duncan had recorded the other two songs for the
compilation [_Peaceville X_, reviewed in CoC #31] in such a short
time that the Peaceville boss [Hammy, interviewed in CoC #31]
told us we still had plenty of time in the studio, so we could do
another song. We said OK and chose to do that song. We also
didn't have a drummer at the time, that's why you won't find any
drums in any of the songs, so we decided to fuck up a punk song
and do something with it. <Laughs>
CoC: Yeah, I mean, I don't listen to punk, but I was rather surprised
when I heard that you would be covering a Bad Religion song, and
then it turns out to be a nice, doomy piano/vocals-only song...
VC: Well, there you go. That's perfect; that's just the kind of
reaction we wanted. <Laughs>
CoC: And the other two tracks ended up being Pink Floyd covers...
VC: Yeah. Not so much because it was Pink Floyd; it had more to do
with the type of songs they were. We didn't have a drummer, as I
said; we wanted a couple of songs to start and finish the
compilation with, and Peaceville said we could do this. We knew
that these two songs conceptually and even musically fitted the
bill perfectly, so we said allright, let's do it this way, let's
do these two songs. And we did them so quick, as I said, we were
able to do another song, which was great.
CoC: So you're pleased with your contribution to the _Peaceville X_
compilation, then?
VC: Yes, definitely. Well pleased and proud of it.
CoC: What about touring?...
VC: <Enthusiastically interrupting me> Hopefully there's a festival
coming up in Portugal in which we can play in sometime in the
Summer, but we still have to sort that out, the managing and
booking companies still have to sort it out. [At present, it
seems that Anathema won't be coming to Portugal in the Summer
after all, unfortunately. -- Pedro]
CoC: That would be excellent indeed...
VC: It'd be great. We haven't been over to Portugal for a few years
now, and the last time we went over there it was great, it was a
fucking riot... <laughs>
CoC: Any idea where in Portugal that festival is?
VC: I don't know, at the moment; I think it's in Lisbon, but I don't
know.
CoC: We also have one in Porto, too...
VC: It could be the one in Porto... I'm not sure. I've heard people
are really, really crazy in Porto, moreso than Lisbon.
CoC: <Laughs> Well, I am in Porto...
VC: You are? <Laughs> Well, you seem very calm...
CoC: <Laughing again> [I proceed to mention the fine concert room
that is the Hard Club in Gaia, just across the river from Porto
and tell him about the recent Morbid Angel concert held there,
reviewed in CoC #31.]
VC: We'll try our best to get over there, and the truth is we might
even be touring with a well known Portuguese band, Moonspell. At
the moment, I shouldn't really be saying it, because it's still
in the early stages of planning, it's all just ideas at the
moment, but we're trying to get it sorted out; maybe sometime in
September or October. I should imagine that if we do end up
playing with Moonspell that we will play Portugal, so I'm looking
forward to that. Should be a top show, one of the best tours of
the year. For now, we have our first gig of _Alternative 4_
coming up on June the 19th in a festival in Italy, so we're going
to start rehearsing very soon for that. We're also going to party
at the Dynamo festival, and do a little bit of work there too.
CoC: Do you think there's any chance of a European Peaceville tour,
with My Dying Bride and all?
VC: Hmmm, maybe, maybe not. We'll see what happens. Generally, a lot
of the bands on Peaceville are busy at different times, so it's a
bit of a trip to organize.
CoC: So what are your ideal touring plans? What would you like to do?
VC: We'd like to play with bands that are far bigger than us, with
big crowds and all, like Black Sabbath, something like that. Or
even, if we were just doing an European tour, something like
Monster Magnet would be great for me... it'd be mindblowing to
play with them every night. I want to travel everywhere, all over
the fucking world, see everything.
CoC: What special advice would you give to someone who's listening to
_Alternative 4_?
VC: Close your eyes... <sighs> and just listen to it... loud...
without any distraction... that's the only manual you'll need for
this album, the only instructions.
CoC: Well, those were my questions. I'd just like to finish this
interview by asking you what thoughts would you like to remain
on the listener's mind after listening to _Alternative 4_?
VC: "I'll dance with angels to celebrate the holocaust, and far
beyond my far gone pride is knowing that we'll soon be gone..."
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F R O M C R A D L E T O G R A V E . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Cradle of Filth's Dani
by: Adrian Bromley
Cradle Of Filth's lead singer Dani Filth lives in a world so
vividly adorned by death, bloodlust, chaos, eroticism and darkened
tales of vampirism that at times he is taken a back by how far off he
is from reality and the ways of the outside world. His visions and
views of society have gone out the window as the character which he
has assumed the role of has become him. His world is adorned by
gothic elements and meshed between catalystic screams of aggression
and the thunderous wallop of black metal speed and crafty song
writing.
But with all of these elements shaping his character, the bottom
line is quite simple: he is a man with a mission. A mission to spread
the hellfire tongue of his band in a way that no other band does --
or is capable of doing. Cradle of Filth is about ingenuity and
passion overrun with mysticism and an undenying love of the
underworld. Hatred and aggression fuels the work of Cradle of Filth
and that is why many fans worldwide have become devoted followers of
the band.
The band's latest horrific tale, _Cruelty and the Beast_, evokes
images and ideals based around the life and perverse crimes of
Countess Elizabeth Bathory. The noblewoman who lived in the Hungarian
hills is believed to have killed more than 600 young women for their
blood, as it acted out as a 'fountain of youth' for her. Dubbed
Countess Dracula, it seems so appropriate that her legend helps spark
inspiration into this somewhat conceptual outing by these devilish
Brit lads.
Says Dani, "We had loads and loads of pressure to deal with when
we went into the studio to make this record. It was mainly from the
record company and our management. We were doing a lot leading into
this work and the band knew we had to take it easy making this
record. At one point while making this record we postponed our studio
time, because they had this crazy notion that we could go into the
studio two months prior to when we went in to start this record. We
were like, 'Fuck off!' Not only is it the writing element and making
the record that is the hard part, it's also difficult with situations
like this. Things like doing press and other stuff adds to it all.
This is a lot of work for us. I mean, we are busy people. We also run
our merchandise company for Cradle Of Filth and that takes up a lot
of time."
Over the last few years since their inception in 1991, the
success of the band -- rounded out by guitarists Gian Pyres and
Stuart Anstis, new keyboardist Lecter, bassist Robin Eaglestone and
drummer Nicholas Barker -- has skyrocketed. Through numerous releases
(_The Principle of Evil Made Flesh_ (Cacophonous, 1994), _Vempire --
Dark Faerytales in Phallustein_ (Cacophonous, 1996) and _Dusk... and
Her Embrace_ (Fierce / Music For Nations, 1997)), the band has
managed to escape the pitfalls of backlash and press hounding and
built a strong fan base and a creative musical direction. There is no
band out there like them.
"It just seems like things are going by so fast for us
sometimes. Straight after the last record we toured and did press
trips and festival gigs and all of these other things in support of
the record. It was grueling. Promo shots, traveling around and doing
research for the record. Writing. It was a lot of things to do and
handle in between records. I had no real down time. I am not
complaining right now -- though I was this time last November."
He adds, "There is so much going on for us. At some instances
now it seems like it is running away from us and that all goes back
to the British side of our record company. That is the main hub or
control center for what Cradle of Filth does. They expect some really
silly things from us and I tell them that. As a band we speak out and
are not afraid to say what we feel. I say what I want to say and I
personally think that we do get a lot of coverage over in Europe but
I think they could push things a little further. Not in interviews
but maybe in investments. They only go to a certain degree and they
have no vision for anything else when it's staring them right in the
face. I know I'm being a bit vague about things, but I can't go too
much into detail. It just bugs me. As for what we want to do with the
band, we have a clear idea of that and this whole imagery thing is
there for us. Actually, it ain't imagery anymore, this is more of a
lifestyle for us, and we are all comfortable with that. So in all,
things are shaping up and going real well for us, minus the few
grievances I have with people and wishing them to fuck right off."
As Dani had mentioned, his way of living and lifestyle has
become a very integral part of who he is. This is not a stage act. He
lives in the world that many people take to be just a stage show.
"I'm very much into this whole lifestyle. I've become more serious
about this and my way of life and that is 'cause of having to
understand the business side of this. One thing about being in this
industry and knowing its secrets is that I can't go to many concerts
anymore 'cause I know what goes on with shows and the headaches
involved. As well as listening to music of the same genre; most of
the magic is gone and I can't reclaim that 'cause I know how it's
done."
With guidelines in tow for the record, the history and research
done into the life of Elizabeth Bathory, the band went to work on the
record. Dani explains his satisfaction with the end result. "I am
very pleased the way this record turned out. I am really proud of it.
I was happy with the involvement of Ingrid Pitt on the record [the
Hammer Film actress appears on "Bathory Aria, Part III: Eyes That
Witnessed Madness"] and that was great 'cause we really fought for
her to be on this record. I like the way the songs all turned out. We
did do a remix of the "Bathory Aria" song 'cause I wasn't happy with
it originally and wanted to perfect it. That song was like my baby. I
love that song because it successfully captures all the themes that
Cradle of Filth are known for. I am totally happy with the artwork,
too. That turned out fabulous. We can't wait to start work on the
next record. We are due for another release this year and we are
pushing the label to do one. That is one of the things that really
annoys me about this label, as they won't listen to what we want to
do sometimes. This new record we are currently working on is going to
have remixes, cover songs and even a hardcore techno version of a
song. But we have to see how it turns out."
What cover songs? "As it stands we are doing "Hallowed Be Thy
Name" (Iron Maiden), which we have already recorded. "Kill the Power"
by Manowar is another one, and some other choices. We are also going
to put on a demo from one of our early demos, _Total Fucking
Darkness_, which fans are excited about and have been asking about
it."
Any ideas where new Cradle Of Filth will be headed in sound or
concept? "To tell you the truth, I don't really think we have thought
much about that," says Dani. "What matters for us right now is this
record. It has just come out and we are all excited and buzzing with
new ideas. We just came off a month long tour in Europe and we are
itching to get writing again."
And while Cradle Of Filth are gearing up for more writing
sessions, Dani acknowledges that it is a lengthy process to capture a
certain feel and vibe within one's music. He, like many musicians,
had to leap over many obstacles to get to a final product. It's part
of being in this business. "It happens a lot with what we are doing.
I write a lot of songs that just don't work out or fit what we are
doing. Of the guitarists in the band, Stuart and I have a term for a
certain song we wrote called "The Yellow Song". It's given that title
'cause it doesn't really fit into what Cradle of Filth is about. I
mean, it has some great riffs, but it's all cheery of sorts, not dark
at all. It's a bit too jolly. As for stuff that gets lost with
recordings? Not much gets left behind and [is] not [put] out on
records. We always try to find space for our material. We work hard
at writing material. But having this band as a six-piece, it's hard
to agree on stuff sometimes, y'know?"
Does Dani believe Cradle of Filth are an original band or one
based on multiple influences? He states, "Cradle of Filth does offer
a particular sound and style to its fans, but we too are influenced
by many things. I am not [in] too [good a position to] really comment
on whether we are original or not. Bands always seem to borrow from a
certain genre or epoch. I am influenced by many 19th Century writers,
goth stuff, keyboards, 80s German speed metal and some black metal
influences. I think our music is pretty original. We are not really
trying to set ourselves apart, but I do think we offer to our fans a
very multifaceted style of music. We also use a lot of great
photography, try to have a good slant on solid song writing and aim
to have a good production to bring out a cool atmosphere for the
band. Atmosphere is what we have always been about. In the end,
Cradle of Filth is a collaboration of many things that work well
together."
One thing that always seems to find shelter within the folds of
Cradle of Filth is controversy. Dani acknowledges it, but shrugs at
the notion that it in any way deters them from doing what they do.
"It's very hard to stand back and self analyze what is going on. It's
extremely hard. I would say there is a small minority of people who
claim we are selling out 'cause we have a side of enjoyment outside
the serious side of music. We do quite stupid things. Like drinking
contests with Dog Eat Dog for magazines. If somebody offers you the
chance to do that and pays for beer, then why would you turn that
down? By doing this, it shows that you have a different side. We
aren't afraid of who we are. We use our real names. That's why you
don't see us using stupid made up names like Lord Goatfuck or
something like that. There have always been people who are jealous or
disagree with what you are doing and you just have to remain focused.
I mean, if I was to stand back and look back at all the things we
have done, I would see the stupid nature of it all. But I don't. I
stay focused."
"We love what we do and that's all that matters," says Dani.
"And to tell you the truth, we don't give two fucks about what people
think outside of the fan base. Of course the fans are the most
important thing to us and that's what keeps the band going. I
couldn't care less about all the others out there."
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T H E E N D L E S S W I N T E R I N S I D E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Clint Listing of Long Winters' Stare
by: Pedro Azevedo
While the American doom scene may not be exactly crowded
nowadays, once in a while an interesting debut happens -- that's
precisely the case with Long Winters' Stare, who have just released
their _Cold Tale Eternal_ EP on Pantheon Records. Currently looking
for a path that will lead the band to a better future, vocalist Clint
Listing answered my questions. Without any further delay, here is
what he had to say.
CoC: Please tell us about the early days of your band.
Clint Listing: This lineup has no real early days -- we've been
together for only 8 or 9 months. The lineup consisted
of Greg (synth/midi, guitar, contrabass), myself
(vocals and guitar) and Jason (drums), who has left
the band after the recording of the MCD [_Cold Tale
Eternal_].
CoC: You seem to have taken a turn towards more gothic influences
since your early days as Manthing. Why did this happen?
CL: As Manthing we were more into the sludge/doom thing, you know,
Crowbar, Eyehategod, Grief, etc., but we started to really get
into My Dying Bride, Anathema, Mindrot and that style of things
because of a friend of mine that works at a local record store
who played this stuff because she thought we'd like it. At this
point we asked Greg to join during a session he was recording for
us and he said yes! The rest is doom history... <laughs>
CoC: Your band's new name, Long Winters' Stare, is quite interesting.
What personal meaning does it have for you?
CL: We wanted something dark, depressing and full of reflection,
because our songs were starting to become very much about the
emotions of the blacker side of life. The true meaning of the
name is 15th century English -- it means "Endless Winter".
CoC: What bands would you mention as your main musical influences?
CL: Currently, the music that fills our creative vibe would be
Emperor, Theatre of Tragedy, In the Woods and Dimmu Borgir. But
the bands that made us what we are would be 80s power and thrash
metal like Judas Priest, Metallica, Mercyful Fate and prog rock
like Queensryche, Yes, Rush, etc.
CoC: And what inspires you in every day life to work in a doom band?
CL: The pure sadness of living in a country like America, where metal
music has been totally forgotten. The understanding that the
world has become so politically correct that no one fights for
what they believe in anyway. It fills my very soul with hate!
CoC: What do you think of the doom scene over there in the USA? And
what about the thriving European doom scene?
CL: In the American doom scene, there is Solitude Aeturnus, Morgion,
Novembers Doom and ourselves. The European doom scene has been
ungodly for 30 years. We're working on moving over to Europe this
summer for good, so hopefully, if all works well, we'll be part
of that scene. Europe is the place to be for any real metal band.
CoC: What is your opinion about the recent melodic doom bands showing
up in Europe, many of which mainly using female vocals?
CL: I like some of it -- In the Woods, Theatre of Tragedy and a new
band called Apostasy from Norway do it very well. You need to mix
the darkness with the melody, or else what's the point? However,
I think some bands just do it to sell CDs and you can hear it.
CoC: One of the distinctive characteristics in your sound is the
frequent use of a contrabass. How, and why, did you choose this
instrument?
CL: Well, Greg is the master of the contrabass. It's basically an
upright bass played with a bow, like a cello. We love epic
symphonic stuff and strings are a must for that, so we knew we
needed a deep and piercing sound. Greg knew how to play the
contrabass and the rest is here for the world to hear.
CoC: Your band doesn't have a bass player, yet your sound definitely
has plenty of bass -- enough for the lack of a bass player to go
unnoticed. How did you do that?
CL: Well, I play drop tuned to C and I use guitar and bass amps
together specially eq'd. So there is bass, just not by a bass
player (which I was for seven years). We're just not in need of a
bassist. I think this gives us a unique edge.
CoC: I heard you might be signing a deal with Misanthropy Records.
What's the current situation?
CL: I'm sorry to say that we won't be working with Misanthropy. We
have moved into a more symphonic black/doom style Misanthropy are
not fond of, but we will have a split CD with Ningizzia (from
France/Sweden) due out on Pantheon Records in November 1998.
CoC: So how likely is it that you will to travel to Europe in the
future for some live shows?
CL: The Misanthropy deal is out, but we have several other offers in
Europe so it looks good. Maybe we will be touring there sometime
in 1999.
CoC: Which bands would you like to play with over here?
CL: That's easy: In the Woods, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Opeth or In
Flames. We're very much into the more progressive side of the
doom and black metal world. These are the bands we dream to tour
with.
CoC: How have thing been going concertwise in the USA?
CL: Turn outs for metal shows in the USA are poor. Ancient just
played here in New York City to 50 people. Most think Korn,
Marilyn Manson or Deftones are metal here. Only Pantera and
Machine Head style bands do well here and it's a damn shame.
CoC: In your opinion, what is the most important feature in a Long
Winters' Stare concert?
CL: The music. It's all about the music, nothing more!
CoC: What changes can we expect in your music in the split CD you
mentioned, relative to your EP?
CL: Longer, grander much darker and epic music. We're mixing black,
doom and progressive metal together and finally making our own
sound. The EP _Cold Tale Eternal_ [reviewed in this issue] on
Pantheon Records is a great beginning. We're very proud of it,
but it's just that -- a beginning.
CoC: What are your hopes for the future of Long Winters' Stare?
CL: To make the best and most true music we know how to and never let
trends or people tell us to do otherwise.
CoC: Feel free to write a final message here...
CL: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview and check out
_Cold Tale Eternal_ on Pantheon Records. Thanks to Anish
[Pantheon Records] for believing in us.
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B O R N W I T H I N S O R R O W ' S M A S K
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth
by: Pedro Azevedo
With so many Swedish metal bands being accused of souding too
similar to each other nowadays, there is one that certainly escapes
such problems: Opeth. Their ten or more minute long songs that
feature no choruses or predictable structures (rather than the
occasional use of acoustic guitars, perhaps) have certainly earned
them that privilege throughout the years. Of course, having such a
vocalist/guitarist as Mikael Akerfeldt and the instrumental quality
Opeth always had turns them into a truly outstanding band. After two
superb albums (_Orchid_ and _Morningrise_), Opeth are back with _My
Arms, Your Hearse_ (reviewed in this issue). Therefore, I proceeded
to interview Akerfeldt himself through e-mail in order to find out
more about the great band that is Opeth and their new album.
CoC: There are two things that, I believe, immediately make Opeth
stand out from all the other bands of its kind. One, vulgar as
it may be to mention it, is undoubtedly the sheer length of your
songs, which can end up being highly rewarding for the listener.
Why do you choose to make such long songs?
Mikael Akerfeldt: We really like those epic tracks ourselves, and I
guess that's the main reason why we have long
songs. We don't actually write long songs
intentionally; they just "turn out" that way. I
reckon we have a pretty different songwriting
style: we can't quit until we feel that the track
is completely finished.
CoC: _My Arms, Your Hearse_ presents shorter songs than your first
two efforts, yet they all merge into each other and try to sound
continuous. Did you want to make the album sound like one large
piece? The relationship between the continuity of the lyrics (a
story instead of separate song lyrics) and that of the songs
(linked to each other) was not just a coincidence, was it?
MA: No. It was written as a concept, and that was an idea I had been
thinking about for a long time! I feel it made the final result
be more in one piece, more complete if you will. As it was a
concept, I needed more titles to be able to tell the story
completely, and that's why the songs ended up a bit shorter this
time around.
CoC: Speaking of the lyrics on _Your Arms, My Hearse_, which I
enjoyed very much, would you like to shed some more light on the
story behind them? What tale are you telling with these lyrics?
MA: It's basically a ghost story written out of pure fiction. It
reaches throughout one earthly year. Starts up in Spring, ends in
Winter, as you have probably already noticed. This was just to
make it somewhat timebased. As usual, I have chosen to write
about death, as it is one of those subjects you can write about
that can only be based on what you personally think. Nobody can
tell you that you're wrong, you know? It's basically about dying
but trying to cling to people and subjects left on earth, and
even trying to bring them with you to death. A plain ghost story,
I'd say.
CoC: The other extraordinary thing of the two I mentioned above is
your voice -- it really is remarkable. I'm not just talking
about Opeth, but also your participation in one Katatonia album
and one EP and also in Edge of Sanity's _Crimson_. What inspires
you to perform such vocals?
MA: Dunno! I just love screaming my guts out, and I've been doing it
for ten years now, so I guess I've become better. I caught a
really bad cold the day before the recording sessions for _My
Arms, Your Hearse_, and it affected my normal voice -- but only
to the better, I think. But I can scream even though I am totally
ill... no problem, I never lose my voice!
CoC: The length of some of your, shall I say, screams is also
remarkable. Do you just have a huge pair of lungs or do you use
some sort of effects to achieve those long screams?
MA: I don't use any effects apart from the usual reverbs/delays at
times, but the screams you speak of are not fake, if that's what
you're aiming at.
CoC: Fortunately, the rest of Opeth's music doesn't fail to
complement your vocals. How do your songwriting methods work?
MA: I usually come up with the riffs, arrangements and so on, but I
usually write together with Peter [Lindgren, guitarist], as I
feel it's important for a band to let everybody say what they
think, and Peter's my right hand in Opeth, so...! We just
basically hang around at his place banging our acoustic guitars
until something comes out!
CoC: Has everything worked out allright with the two new band members
[drummer Martin Lopez and bassist Martin Mendez]?
MA: Yes, I am satisfied with them, although we have to work more
together. The drummer has done only one album and a couple of
gigs, and the bassist has only done three gigs or so. They are
good musicians, but I have to work on them a bit to make them
become perfect!
CoC: One of the bands you thank in _Orchid_ is Katatonia, a band you
have worked with. How was it like to work with Blackheim and the
other Katatonia members?
MA: They're my best friends, and I really like their music! But they
are so lazy to work with... They just hang around, drinking
coffee and tokin' on cigarettes. I've done some vocals for them
and played a couple of shows. On _Discouraged Ones_ I ended up
doing vocal lines for them, as they had virtually nothing ready
when they were supposed to start recording the vox! I ended up
being a co-producer, which was a different role. I worked with
them at Sunlight studios for a week or so, and it was cool!
CoC: And how was it like to work with Dan Swano on _Crimson_?
MA: Again, he's a very good friend of mine, so I could not refuse! I
really like(d) Edge of Sanity [Swano left the band a few months
ago -- Pedro] and everything Dan has done. He's basically a great
guy and an incredible musician.
CoC: Swano produced both _Orchid_ and _Morningrise_, and I know he
enjoys your music a lot. How important was his role in the
development of Opeth?
MA: He did more for us than we knew at the time. He became Opeth's
fifth member during the recordings. He made many of the basic
decisions.
CoC: _My Arms, Your Hearse_, however, was recorded in the Fredman
studios, now that Swano's Unisound is closed. How would you
compare the results?
MA: I'll put it like this: both are absolutely great studios; the
first two albums [_Orchid_ and _Morningrise_] could only have
been recorded at Unisound, while the third [_My Arms, Your
Hearse_] could only have been recorded at Fredman! _MAYH_
demanded a heavier and fatter sound, and therefore Fredman was
the perfect choice for us. I am very satisfied with the results!
CoC: What bands would you name as having influenced Opeth's sound?
MA: There's too many to mention! Basically all good music influences
us... Black Sabbath, Camel, Morbid Angel are somewhat mentors to
me.
CoC: Were you personally influenced by a specific vocalist in what
concerns your usual raspy Opeth voice?
MA: David Vincent [Morbid Angel], Chuck Schuldiner [Death], Quorthon
[Bathory] and Christofer Johnsson [Therion] all made a big impact
on me when their best works came out, but they didn't really
affect my way of screaming.
CoC: What did you try to achieve with _My Arms, Your Hearse_,
relative to your previous albums?
MA: The only thing that makes us satisfied after recording a new
album is to feel that it's better or at least equal to the last.
There's not much to achieve in the world of death metal apart
from more recognition and more fans. I don't know, we don't kiss
anybody's butt, and we play mainly for ourselves. We are
fortunate that some people are on the same wavelength as we are.
CoC: What changes will there be in the future, concerning the
direction of Opeth's music and your vocals?
MA: I can't say now. All the new material I've written so far has
come out very mellow and calm. I don't know what it means!
CoC: There's a third thing that, if not entirely unique, is at least
unusual in Opeth: none of the original front covers of your
three albums so far had the Opeth logo nor the album title. Why?
MA: We started this on _Orchid_ because it simply didn't look good to
have the logo there, on the cover. Afterwards, we decided to keep
that as one of the "special" Opeth things!
CoC: What are your touring plans?
MA: I don't know right now. PHD are working to arrange a European
tour for us, but nothing's complete at this stage.
CoC: Is there any final message you'd like to send to our readers?
MA: Yes, check out the new album! I hope to see you on tour!
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T A K I N G P U L K A T O A N E W L E V E L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews England's Pulkas
by: Adrian Bromley
While many metal fans may not have heard much of British noise
quartet Pulkas or their hard-hitting debut _Greed_, I'm betting that
by the end of the year this band will be well-known and have a huge
following to boot. And YES, they are that good!
Pulkas -- comprised of singer Luke Lloyd, bassist Jules McBride,
drummer Rob Lewis and guitarist Martin Bourne -- are one of the many
new Earache Record signees that seem to have rejuvenated the label's
cause of delivering solid, groundbreaking releases. Within the past
few months, the label has released the powerful Morbid Angel opus
_Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_ and a good slew of their new releases
(i.e., The Haunted, Iron Monkey, Napalm Death live bootleg, etc...)
and seem to have been able to build up their roster with some new and
reliable meat for metal fans to chew on. The pickings are good this
year at Earache.
"It was a real fast-paced learning experience for us while
making this record," begins bassist Jules over the phone from Earache
office in New York City. "We had only twenty days to record it and we
did. We went in, heads down, and cranked it out. It was all pretty
hectic for us to be able to finish it all up and stuff and now that I
have time to actually sit back and reflect, I'm proud of the end
result."
_Greed_ is a triumphant dose of heavy grooves, powerful melodies
and sheer intensity brought forth by guitar riffs from Hell. The
music here, most notably "Rubber Room", "Loaded" and "Control",
detonates on impact with vivid and passionate realms of intensity
being shot through our system. McBride agrees. "It's so funny how the
old argument of bands sounding nothing like their record live.
Recording and keeping a live feel of your music is very hard to
capture in the studio. Many things factor into a live feel of a band
and that is hard to bring to a record. It could be the vibe of the
gig, the audience or the poor sound system we have to deal with. We
are much heavier live."
"Going into the record I had a certain mind set that we wanted
to have. I am not too much into this one-dimensional albums with this
ongoing riff. What I like about _Greed_ is that there are many
different songs here. All of the songs have their own identity and
when I hear back the record time and time again I'm glad we
approached it this way, 'cause if not I'd have been bored with the
music. And if I'm bored, so are the people hearing our music."
The first time I had heard Pulkas was the demo track on the
Earache sampler _Earplugged 2_ and the track "Hippy Fascist".
Listening to that track now, on the record, it's obvious how the band
has strengthened their sound and style. "It's funny that you actually
liked that version of the song, 'cause the band really didn't like it
at all. We basically just had that to give to the label at the time
and I was hoping we'd have something else, but that was it. At the
time of that recording we were working with someone who really didn't
know how to get the experimental sound we were aiming for. And it
shows. With Colin [Richardson, of Machine Head fame] producing with
us, he knew how to make our music sound good and be able to work
different bits here and there into the music. What you hear on record
isn't far from what we had played in the studio with Colin guiding
us. This is pretty straightforward music for us."
On the band's love of studio work, he injects, "I hear all the
stories about band's hating the studio and just wanting to get in and
out and then go on tour. We like both the studio and touring. Both
things have to be done in order to get the ball rolling. When you are
in the studio, you're making a record and focusing on putting out
quality music. Working the music hard to get good results. Touring is
the other aspect of it all. It's a one-take approach to get your
ideas out to the audience and make them understand what you are
about."
One thing that has Jules in a little bit of an uproar currently
during this press junket is the notion of the band being labeled as a
Tool/Deftones kind of band. He just doesn't see it. "I don't know how
to take that in. If people are saying that we are as good as those
bands and put them on their level of experience, that is a great
thing. But sounding like them? I dunno. The thing is when you are
totally unknown people have to compare you to somebody. That's the
thing. There is no real point to write a review if you can't state
who the band is similar to -- am I right? But now that we have the
album out I'm hoping people are hearing that we have our own
identity. After so many times of people saying that we are being
compared to such and such bands and even with the record company
including data like that in our bio, we are getting a bit tired of
it. We'd rather have people go out and buy the record and decide for
themselves what we sound like rather than have a preconceived notion
put into their head."
"This whole industry thing is all new to us and all," he says.
"I mean, we are at a stage where things are starting to happen, but
nothing too out of control. Now that we have the record out and the
support from the label, talking to many people about the record, we
don't have to do much of the talking. We let the music work for us.
And people are digging it. We have been waiting around here and there
for everything to happen, but as they say, 'Timing is everything.'
I'd like things to go a bit faster for us, in terms of touring and
stuff."
He concludes, "People keep saying to us that it's going to take
off for us and stuff. Well, I am waiting and not jumping too far
ahead of the whole thing. I don't want my bum shoved up my ass. I'll
wait to see how things pan out for us and let the record take control
of things. I think this is an honest record and we are an honest
band. We've never been too much into hyping stuff or pushing it too
much. We let the music do the talking."
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M O N A R C H S T O T H E K I N G D O M O F T H E D E A D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos interviews Slayer
by: Adrian Bromley
The name Slayer, amongst metal fans, is a sacred name. The band
epitomized metal music in the 80s. They set the trends for what metal
music was. Speed. Aggression. Anger. It was the devil's music pushed
onward by harrowing guitar riffs and screams of anguish. Slayer was
metal. And nowadays every one who *is* a metal fan owns either one
(or both) of their 80s classic LPs _Reign In Blood_ and _South Of
Heaven_. Many bands out there place Slayer as one of their major
musical influences.
The 90s has been a growing time for the band. Slayer -- along
with the likes of Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax -- were one of the
four bands that carried metal into the 90s. Bands that had done their
share of arduous labor in the 80s by carrying the metal torch and
heading into the 21st Century with riffs flailing and fists pumping.
The other three acts have kind of veered off course of their metal
roots lately, many of them opting for a slick, commercial feel. Had
Slayer 'sold out', their career would have been over. But they
didn't. Their efforts in the 90s -- _Seasons in the Abyss_ (1990),
_Divine Intervention_ (1994) and _Undisputed Attitude_ (1996) -- saw
the band modernizing their sound to some degree, but still laying
claim to their roots. It was still metal and still oh-so Slayer.
This year brings forth a very cool and grooving Slayer LP
entitled _Diabolus in Musica_. The record, while a bit crunchier in
its riffs and a definite home to bombastic grooves, still fuels the
fire of anguish and capping the adrenaline rush we metal heads crave.
Slayer have managed to grow as a band but still stay honest and true
to their roots. Many are finding this to be one of the year's best,
by one of the best. What's the scoop on the new Slayer? Guitarist
Jeff Hanneman sat down with CoC to discuss the new LP and Slayer's
long career as one of metal's favorite bands.
"I think the key element to what we are doing is that we still
enjoy what we are doing. We still get excited about the material we
create," says Hanneman. "We enjoy this still. Many of those other
bands (Metallica/Megadeth) may not be into this as much. They may
have changed their styles 'cause they were bored with this music. As
long as we still dig this and get goose bumps, why change?"
Seeing that Hanneman (who is joined in Slayer by bassist/singer
Tom Araya, other guitarist Kerry King and drummer Paul Bostaph) wrote
most of the material on _Diabolus in Musica_ and a lot of classic
Slayer, the question of staying fresh pops up. "I think we always
have something to write about. While many bands would get bored or
uninspired to write, we always seem to have something to work with.
We still get angry and it comes out in the music. People always seem
to ask me about the music of Slayer over the years and how we have
stayed charged and angry and I say to them, 'Don't you get angry over
things still?', I do. We are just very good [at] bringing those
emotions into the music." The career of Slayer, while starting off as
a cult-like band to follow, grew into a big deal come 1990's _Seasons
in the Abyss._ This was the record that broke the band into the
mainstream and made it known that they were the band to follow. Had
the band experienced much change going from a band on the cutting
edge of metal with a loyal fan base to a huge success story for metal
music? "For me it was important for us to do what we were doing," he
says. "Nothing really changed for us. Just the audience grew or the
overall acceptance of the band grew, but we were still doing what we
were doing and enjoying it. Obviously it hasn't affected us much.
It's not like we said, 'Okay, so now we have a big audience and if we
change our style it'll grow bigger.' We don't care on audience size
at shows or whatever. As long as we can play what we want it's all
okay by us." He comments, "The biggest lesson that we have learned in
this business is don't do what someone tells you to do if they have
no idea what is going on. We have faced a lot of these situations
over the years. One of them was when we were recording _Show No
Mercy_ [1984]: the producer wanted Lombardo [Dave Lombardo,
ex-drummer] to play the drums without cymbals 'cause they made too
much noise and he wasn't sure if he could siphon out the noise. But
we did that and it came out fine, but you can tell, at least when I
hear it, that that's the way we did it. It's little things like that
we have learned, which is to not let people lead you on. Do things
the way you want to do them. People try to lead you astray for the
most part and you gotta watch out."
On the new record's writing style / sound, Hanneman says, "The
biggest difference between this record and the last one (_Divine
Intervention_) was that I wrote a lot of this one. With _DI_ I was in
a rut and couldn't come up with riffs I like. Before I knew it Kerry
had most of the album done. So now with this record I really started
working hard from the beginning. I was thinking, 'What do I want to
hear on this record? What sounds?' The major thing in the 90s for me,
as a songwriter, was getting past the rut I had with the last record
and continue on with my writing for Slayer with this one how I wanted
to see it come out."
He adds, "This record is definitely a Slayer record. This is the
way Slayer has always been and grown. We take what we are into at the
time and bring it into the music, but still stay true to our roots.
If this record sounds modern, it's 'cause we are into modern music
and that shows."
"I practically wrote most of this record all at once," notes
Hanneman. "I have an 8-track and drum machine at home and basically I
wrote a song and moved onto the next one. It was great writing this
record, 'cause every time I would write a song, I'd try to make the
next song different. I wanted a different approach. I wanted to keep
things moving. The one thing I like about this record is that it's
moody. By the time you get to the end of it, it reads like a book.
Some of the beats I have brought into the music were brought in on
purpose and that keeps the music fresh, yet still having the same
riffs and attitude. I really like the beats and ideas I brought into
_DiM_ When you're writing material, either on the road or alone, it
takes time. I spend time alone doing this. I try to draw myself away
from the scene before I write stuff. I always have to reinvent what
we are doing as a band to make it a different record. I eventually
get back into it again and do the writing."
Slayer has always been about loud music, strong ideas,
aggression and images. But they are also human. However, many people
see them as sickos and wackos, fueling the youth with corrupt ideas
and distorted takes on society. Hanneman acknowledges the views of
Slayer as current-themed topics, real-life unfolding within the
barrage of riffs and Tom Araya's screams. He knows, like many other
bands, Slayer has been targeted by many. "I think most people, when
they listen to music, can't separate the music from the individual.
We write about death and war all of the time, but we don't go around
living it. We don't kill anybody," says Hanneman. "I think people
can't see the guys in Slayer just sitting down at home or watching
hockey. We do a lot of that."
As for the future of Slayer, Hanneman reveals, "We have talked
amongst each other over the last little while and have come to the
conclusion that we do want to get another record out as soon as
possible. The only thing in my mind is that I don't want to rush
things. I don't want to end up with an album that I ain't happy with.
We are definitely not going to wait four years for the next one."
The interview ends with the question, 'Why do you think people
keep coming back to Slayer?' His response: "I think kids are just
happy with us. They keep telling us at some in-store autograph
sessions we have been doing that we didn't sell out or forget the
fans. I would have to say that the kids feel we are loyal to them. I
personally think we are loyal to ourselves and doing what we want to
do and [have] stuck to it. And I think the kids can sense that and
respect us and the music more."
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_____ .__ ___.
/ _ \ | |\_ |__ __ __ _____
/ /_\ \| | | __ \| | \/ \
/ | \ |_| \_\ \ | / 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!
Anathema - _Alternative 4_ (Peaceville, June 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
Every Anathema album so far had been somewhat unpredictable. This
applies to the changes from _Serenades_ to the _Pentecost III_ EP,
from this one to _The Silent Enigma_, and, even though not as much,
from _TSE_ to _Eternity_. _Alternative 4_, however, is just about the
kind of album I was expecting from Anathema these days, and it's no
disappointment: still doom metal and still very emotional.
_Alternative 4_ isn't instrumentally heavy, and that's hardly a
surprise; it's about as heavy as _Eternity_, but often presenting
less instrumentation and some more piano, acoustic guitars and even a
little bit of violin. Tracks such as "Shroud of False", "Lost
Control", "Inner Silence" and "Regret" are good examples, and are
also perhaps the best ones on the album. The rest is very good too,
though, with the exception of "Feel" (especially its chorus) and the
very misplaced upbeat drum loop on "Empty". The new drummer, Shaun
Steels (who formerly played for Solstice), performs very well. Traces
of the kind of barely contained anger that thrives on _The Silent
Enigma_ can be found on "Re-connect", and the whole album does seem
less romantic than _Eternity_. Vincent Cavanagh's vocals are more
confident than before, and show clear improvements, while the lyrics
are, again, quite good, and the production is better than before. A
very solid album by Anathema, which I personally like about as much
as _Eternity_; anyone who likes that album will most likely enjoy
this new one too.
Apocalyptica - _Inquisition Symphony_ (Polygram, 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
Undoubtedly the most famous Finnish cello quartet ever to play
versions of Metallica songs, Apocalyptica are back. Beneath the great
skull-shaped cello on the front cover lies one of the most original
albums I've ever heard, despite being made mostly of song covers. The
three Apocalyptica original songs are perhaps the main novelty -- all
very good, combining very metallic riffs with melodies ("Harmageddon"
and "M.B." being the best). In the versions department, there's more
than Metallica to be found. Faith No More's "From Out of Nowhere"
sounds quite good (I don't know the original), Pantera's "Domination"
is, rather expectably, somewhat annoying, while Sepultura's
"Refuse/Resist" is surprising, to say the least. Now we get to the
best ones, which, together with "Harmageddon" and "M.B.", stand out
from the rest. The other Sepultura song covered happens to be
"Inquisition Symphony", easily one of the best songs Sepultura ever
wrote. Then there's Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and
"Nothing Else Matters", both great. Finally, they just happened to
pick my two favorite Metallica songs, "Fade to Black" and "One". Try
to imagine sadder, doomier versions of both, with everything played
just right by those cellos. Excellent. In fact, the playing is so
good throughout the album that it sometimes gets nigh unbelievable
that Apocalyptica only use their cellos -- every cover is remarkable.
This really has to be heard to be believed, especially their version
of "Fade to Black".
Arch Enemy - _Stigmata_ (Century Media, May 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10)
Arch Enemy have made an interesting, and slightly unexpected,
progression from their _Black Earth_ debut of two years ago. Opener
"Beast of Man" kicks in with searing riffing and thundering double
bass, which creates the false impression that the new material will
be far more like the _Heartwork_ era Carcass sound which
characterised much of _Black Earth_. Arch Enemy have, in fact, gone
the opposite way -- in terms of heaviness, not quality --, and
produced an album which utilises far more melody, especially in its
choruses, than _BE_ did. This may sound like a "wimp out" by the
band, but that would be seeing the matter very narrowly. Arch Enemy
have not drawn their "melody" from pop or even folk; in fact, nearly
everything that characterises the difference between _Stigmata_ and
_Black Earth_ can be summed up in three words: classic heavy metal.
Arch Enemy have gone back to the classics like Iron Maiden or
Helloween and successfully injected much of what made traditional
metal classic into the body of their primarily 90s death metal sound.
The results are -very- successful and this mixing is what makes
_Stigmata_ a great album. Arch Enemy introduce blinding solos of epic
length straight after belting out viciously bassy riffs and deep
powerful vocals: a beautiful contrast. On songs such as "Let the
Killing Begin", Arch Enemy allow harsh simple riffs and pounding
drums to give way suddenly to twin guitar melodic scale progressions
and then effortlessly flow back into hard riffing or great soloing --
or whatever they choose. What is more pleasing is that Arch Enemy
don't seem to be worried about what they're putting into a song as
long as it sounds good: they're doing just fine there. Admittedly, a
few riffs or songs do overstay their welcome, but this is rare and
overall _Stigmata_ is a great album and one of the best directions
Arch Enemy could have chosen to follow after their critical success
with _Black Earth_.
Arckanum - _Kampen_ (Necropolis, May 1998)
by: Adam Wasylyk (2 out of 10)
When I come across someone who hates black metal, I wonder which
bands the individual came across that would cause such an extreme
sentiment towards this particular sub-genre of metal. Arckanum could
very well be forming deep seeded hatred for black metal in people all
around the world as I write this. All I hear on _Kampen_ is badly
written/recorded music, with vocals equally as bad. Also thrown into
the mix are various nature sounds (like birds chirping, for example),
a total gimmick so you can tell Arckanum apart from the other clowns
who play similar shit. The biggest kick to the balls for me was the
70+ minutes I had to endure while reviewing this. Arckanum's debut CD
_Fran Marder_ showed some promise, so I'm forced to ask myself "what
happened?" And I'm sure that later it'll be pointed out to me that
Arckanum play "true" black metal. The only thing "true" about this is
that people will go out and buy this, no matter how many times
they've been warned. Yes indeed, sad but true.
Various - _Blackened III_ (Blackened / Metal Blade, 1998)
by: Adam Wasylyk (6 out of 10)
Blackened are a pretty bad label, but they have two things going for
them: Hecate Enthroned (sure, they rip off Cradle of Filth, but in
the end they play better music) and this mediocre comp. This third
installment of a 2-CD black metal compilation series features the
best artists of black metal from around the world -- bands like
Emperor, Mayhem, Enslaved, Dimmu Borgir, Limbonic Art and Thy
Serpent. A track is taken from each band's prior album, so don't
expect any unreleased goodies. If '98 is your year to discover black
metal, you should check this out. For those already into the
beautiful atmospheres or blasphemous hellfire that black metal
represents, there's absolutely no reason to own this. Which of the
above are you?
Children of Bodom - _Something Wild_ (Spinefarm, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
Like Ebony Tears, Children of Bodom start with the Gothenburg sound
and add some outside influences. In this case, the dominant outside
influence is neo-classical/symphonic metal. Valid comparisons to make
include Bal Sagoth [see CoC #31], Angra, Helloween, Malmsteen, and
even Nocturnus. There is plenty of classical (baroque) influence in
both the guitar work and the keyboards. The music is much more
technical than most others in the In Flames camp, and the interplay
between the guitars and the keyboards is impressive, recalling the
glory days of Nocturnus. The guitar work is very well done, if a
little derivative. The keyboards are also very good, showing a good
range of tones and styles. They are featured prominently in the
music: a background instrument no doubt, but still very important in
the overall scheme of things. Other than the lame hardcore-like
vocals in the third track, this is a solid, impressive effort, and
should appeal to those who like neo-classical or symphonic metal and
are tired of the stagnant idiom known as the Gothenburg sound.
Children of Naami - _The Veil of Osiris_ (Velvet Music, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
This is a one-man black metal outfit, the one man being Vindsval
(Blut Aus Nord, The Eye). It is self-described as "black metal
experimental", and it does fit that bill, even though it isn't overly
experimental. The music is mostly thrashy black metal, with a
processed/industrial feel. A good description might be "a black metal
version of Overflash". It is competently played, but there are some
sections which could be a little tighter. Their sound features some
new touches: processed vocals, some interesting guitar parts, etc. It
isn't necessarily anything that you haven't heard before, but the
presentation and vision are unique. The music is pretty melodic and
keyboard-driven in places, and it tends to be a little repetitive.
There are four songs, clocking in at a little over 22 minutes.
Overall, this is a decent offering: standard fare, but competently
played, and with enough new touches to stand apart from the crowd.
Contact: mailto:velvet.music@wanadoo.fr
Dark Funeral - _Vobiscum Satanas_ (No Fashion Records, 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Lurking inside this gorgeous dark digipak are 35 minutes of
unrelenting black metal from Sweden. The rather beautiful and
atmospheric digipak pictures are pretty much all that's beautiful and
atmospheric in this album, though, for the music is always downright
aggressive. But one thing is for sure: much of the enjoyment this CD
provides comes from the fact that it was recorded in the Abyss
studios with Peter Tagtgren. Some may not like his work, but the
sound on _Vobiscum Satanas_ is simply amazing -- it's the best I have
ever heard on a black metal album so far, as simple as that. Clean,
yes, in a way, but also extremely full, sharp as a blade and
brilliantly balanced. And Dark Funeral don't waste it, either:
ferocious yet often catchy riffs, a slight Swedish scent prevailing
sometimes, blazing drumming and extreme vocal performance. The pace
is almost always remarkably fast, the exceptions being few and brief
-- there is hardly ever a chance to breathe. However, the song
structures could definitely have been -much- better. You'll find
medium-sized, conventionally-structured songs, whereas with some more
thought put into songwriting this might have been something else.
Despite the quality of tracks like "Ravenna Strigoi Mortii",
"Enriched by Evil" and "Evil Prevail", every track seems to have a
couple of really good, relatively short sequences, but not much else.
As a result, the album tends to become tiresome after a few listens,
not only due to its structural simplicity but also to some, perhaps
excessive, similarities between a few of the songs. Still, even with
lyrics such as "I am the very essence of evil!!!! Evil!!!" (no joke,
quoted character by character), this album does shred.
Days of Yore - _The Mad God's Wage_ (Thunder, 1997)
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)
Few words could describe my amazement when the package arrived in the
mail. Even now, the beautiful packaging leaves me breathless.
Breaking new ground in package design the way digipaks did in the
early 90s, Canadian power metal quintet Days of Yore have spared
little in creating their debut box of sorcery. Looking more like a
high-budget computer game than a music CD, their debut opus
materialises in the form of a large, glossy box fronted by beautiful
artwork, and -- guess what -- a synopsis behind! Removing the lid
reveals a large, thick booklet (think Burzum's _Filosofem_, only
nicer), containing not only painstakingly crafted artwork, but also a
full 6000 words of fantasy swashbuckling adventure. As a matter of
fact, the entire album is written like a fantasy novel, albeit a
somewhat unimaginative one. Well, so much for the packaging, it's the
music that really counts, and after such a whetting, appetites are
bound to run high -- not to mention expectations. It's hard to
suppress the urge to smile with pleasure when presented with a
symphonic intro like that... and when Malmsteen-esque guitars start
to assault your ears, you feel a classic in the making. That is,
until you realise that the "theatrical vocal approach" isn't entirely
a can of worms you'd like to open. While musically promising, entire
vocal lines are ruined by tone-deaf shrieking and completely
unnecessary melodramatics. Things aren't as bad as they seem though,
with the Giguere brothers proving a formidable pair of axe-wielders,
offering ample recompense in the form of blazing leads and
throat-ripping riffing worthy of any Malmsteen album. Taking cues
from the usual horde of German power-metallers, much of the material
is engaging and sufficiently varied to complement the ever-changing
storyline. As a concept album, it wouldn't be fair to avoid anything
less than full marks; from a purely musical viewpoint, things look
rather promising too, with outstanding tracks like "Clash At Dawn"
proving that DoY are worth something beyond that pretty cardboard
box. On the whole, I'd consider this a pretty excellent album, and by
no means should any die-hard power metal fan miss it. For less
enthusiastic voyagers, giving this a miss would be a better idea, at
least till the band finds a better throat. Then again, with packaging
like that...
Contact: http://minfo.net/daysofyore
Deeds of Flesh - _Inbreeding the Anthropophagi_ (Repulse, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
This is very intense American death metal. My initial reaction to it
was that it was good, but boring. It suffers from the
too-much-of-the-same syndrome, and seems very monotonous. After a few
listens, I started to understand the complexity of the songs, and my
opinion of it improved. It still scores very low in the memorability
department: after many listens, there are still only a handful of
memorable riffs. However, in every other department, the album is
excellent. The production is clean, precise, and brutal. The music is
constantly changing, but the riffs are similar. The complexity is a
result of the rapid-fire switching of riffs that they employ. Even
when the riffs themselves aren't that interesting, the fact that
they're constantly changing helps alleviate this difficulty. The
playing on all counts is very good, with especially good drumming.
This guy keeps up with the constant changes, and changes his patterns
frequently. He's the main reason why the songs avoid becoming one
monotonous blur. This is excellent American death metal, but will
require some effort to enjoy.
Contact: mailto:repulse@arsys.es
http://www.csnauta.es/repulse
Depresy - _A Grand Magnificence_ (Shindy / Immortal Souls, Jan 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
This is the first album from a Slovakian band ever to make its way to
my CD player, and it turns out to be quite a good debut. Though it
may be a fact that they seem very inspired by Hypocrisy and some
other Swedish metal bands, Depresy simply sound good and have made a
pleasant, honest and varied death metal album. Plenty of catchy
riffs, well done fast sections, good vocals, and some doomy parts
thrown in as well ensure a rather interesting debut. This album is
composed of three new tracks, featuring some of the best material on
the album, plus a cover of Hypocrisy's "Reincarnation" from _The
Fourth Dimension_ (no surprise, really) and re-recorded older
material, for a total of over 50 minutes. There are some weaker
sections here and there in the older material, but Depresy keep the
average quality high enough and also have some pretty remarkable
moments.
Desecration - _Murder in Mind_ (Copro, May 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (4 out of 10)
Repeated listens to this alliteratively titled album suggested to me
that Desecration need to fix three major problems if they want to
produce anything above average. The first couple consists of their
production and playing. In this respect they're not doing too bad --
in fact, when they play the groove-oriented mid-paced parts, their
kickdrum sound and guitar crunch does them proud, but their
blast-snare sections are messily executed and tinnily produced.
However, this just requires a bit of practice and the twiddling of a
few knobs: not a problem. Where the band need to have a serious
rethink is in their overall approach to songwriting. _Murder in Mind_
is simply not an original or outstanding album in any way whatsoever
in this respect. The band's most prominent 'influences' (i.e., who
they seem to rip-off most riffs from) seem to consist of Malevolent
Creation and Cannibal Corpse. The techniques originally associated
with these bands, which have now become so cliched, are mercilessly
reeled off during _Murder in Mind_'s 32 minutes. The band even throw
in some samples relating to sick events, but this vaguely
Carcass-esque technique does not serve to raise the profile of
_Murder in Mind_ more than a few inches above the cesspool of generic
rubbish which countless bands dive into every day. With such releases
as _Despise the Sun_, _Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_ and _Exterminate_
already with us and new albums from Cryptopsy and Gorguts, among
others, still on the way, _Murder in Mind_ is an even less appealing
way to expend hard earned, or otherwise, capital.
Destroyed by Anger - _Destroyed by Anger_ (Vulture, January 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10)
Well, this was a surprise, and a nice one at that. My prejudgements
on the basis of the rather sorry cover (depicting a world surrounded
by nasty headlines, I think) were completely wrong. Destroyed by
Anger are not average, run of the mill or any of the other
associations which we-hate-the-system imagery and lyrical content so
often bring with them or which the violent power groove base which
their music has also tends to move towards. Destroyed by Anger
cross-breed Stuck Mojo with Obituary, graft on some classic Death
solos and rip the vocal chords from Karl Buechner, Phil Anselmo and
Rey Oropeza to forge a new creation fashioned in solid metal and
blistering hardcore. My description may have made the band sound like
a mere amalgamation of influences, but they are not -- these are
merely good comparisons. Destroyed by Anger base their sound around
heavy, simple riffs and classic hardcore drumbeats but, although they
do this perfectly well, it is when they slow down, use acoustic
passages and proclaimative vocals (along with some nice solos at both
tempos) that they really prove their worth. Although the production
wears a little thin at points, _Destroyed by Anger_ is a solid debut,
and worth checking out for the harccore and metal fan alike.
Don Caballero - _What Burns Never Returns_ (Touch 'n' Go, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
When I reviewed Don Caballero's second CD, _Don Caballero 2_ [CoC
#11], I'd never heard of the (inappropriately named) genre "math
rock". The genre's name is supposed to connote a detached, technical
approach to rock'n'roll, usually garbed in the cloaks of alternative
stylings. Since writing that review, _DC2_ has become one of my
favorite albums, both for its use of "tedious technicality"
(technicality that isn't the least bit flashy, relying instead upon
similar but frequently changing riffs), and for the incredibly
overplayed drumming. This album is similar to their previous one,
though it resembles only the lightest and least intense parts. Gone
is the intensity of the shorter tracks of _DC2_, and what's left is a
more laid-back, alternative-sounding style. They make effective use
of polymetric layering in their compositions, with the two guitars
and the bass and drums each playing riffs in different time
signatures. Some of the riffs are repetitive or standard, but the way
they are organized makes them interesting. There are some places
where the album really drags, though. The production is raw, giving
this a "live" feel. The most disappointing aspect of this release is
that the drumming has been simplified. It is still moderately
complex, and it fits the mood of the album, but it's not as dense as
it was. This isn't the direction I was hoping that they'd go, but it
is still a unique and interesting album.
Einherjer - _Odin Owns Ye All_ (Century Media, May 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)
Not having heard Einherjer's _Dragons of the North_ album, I can't
comment on the musical progression they have, or haven't, made on
_Odin Owns Ye All_ -- but I can inform those interested, and not very
well informed, that a new singer and bassist have been recruited
after three members departed. My enjoyment of the music displayed on
_OOYA_ is not consistent and this is its biggest let down. The band
like big, reverbed drums and chunky riffs; they also utilise leading
keyboards and clean, pronounced vocals. On first song "Out of
Ginnungagap", I like the way these elements come together; but one
track later, on "Clash of the Elder", these same elements combine to
produce a song which simply annoys me. The band reach their musical
peak with "Remember Tokk", which strikes just the right balance of
folk melodies, keyboard atmospherics and rock groove. In general,
however, _OOYA_ is patchy. One major hole is the chorus vocals, which
usually follow melodic progressions using a selection of notes which
really don't excite me. The last thing Einherjer, or their press
release, puzzle me with is their obsession with being Viking. I see
nothing wrong with this, but I do see inconsistencies in how it has
been put into practice on _OOYA_. The band have both their album
title and all their lyrics in English, and for a band who call
themselves "Viking metal", dress in vaguely Viking clothes and chose
for their lyrical content Viking legends, I would expect them to
present their material in old Norse. This isn't an important factor,
though, and for those who go in for mid-paced power riffing,
sung/chanted vocals and big reverbed drums, Einherjer will certainly
adequately fulfill their expectations.
Elend - _The Umbersun_ (Music For Nations, May 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
The first time I listened to _The Umbersun_, I was alone, in a very
dimly lit large room, in the middle of the night, and in -especially-
low spirits. I listened to it loud, with headphones. Under these
conditions, I can assure you that _The Umbersun_ is quite an amazing
experience, to say the least. And even if the conditions are relaxed
to a situation more likely to happen, plenty can still be drawn from
listening to _The Umbersun_. As I descended into my chamber after 66
minutes of _The Umbersun_, not a single nice melodic piece seemed to
remain in my ears -- rather the echoes of the thundrous, rapturous
symphonies of the first half of Elend's darkest work to date and the
sullen desolation of the second (not that it doesn't have melody,
though). "Au Trefonds des Tenebres", this final chapter of the
"Officium Tenebrarum" trilogy, is much more chaotic and less melodic
than _Les Tenebres du Dehors_ throughout its first half,
approximately (especially the first, fourth and sixth tracks). It
then tends to become softer and more melodic as the end draws nearer,
with more tranquil (yet always sombre) parts akin to those of its
predecessors. (If you're confused, reading my review of _Les Tenebres
du Dehors_ in CoC #19 might help.) Overall, _The Umbersun_ is even
darker than Elend's previous works, mainly because of the
orchestration changes. The addition of a -large- choir is also
noticeable, even though the vocal approach is still similar to _Les
Tenebres du Dehors_. As I went to sleep, the words that remained in
my mind were those whispered after all the music was silent: "Ils
m'entourent, les gemissements de la Mort." ("They surround me, the
wailings of Death.")
Enthral - _The Mirror's Opposite End_ (Hot Records, June 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
Within a few listens, it becomes evident that Enthral's music is as
eloquent, powerful and majestic as Emperor's and as dark and
sadistically eerie as Dimmu Borgir's -- just check out numbers "In
Passion Swept" and "Salvation Mother". Good for them to attain that
momentum, but in the long run what they are really doing is playing
all the right cliche sounds/styles to make this sound as good as
those two aforementioned outfits. Enthral's music, as expected, is
chock-full of witch-like chants, softened choir-like vocals and
atmospheric keyboard, with black metal rummaging painting the
backdrop to this musical canvas. With the drumming and rhythm section
of the band's material offering the most diversity and uniqueness, I
found myself losing grasp of Enthral's style after a listen or two.
As mentioned, it's all cliche styles that we have grown accustomed to
with forerunners like Emperor, Dimmu Borgir and Hecate Enthroned, who
do it much better. Regardless, Enthral are an interesting outfit,
albeit one that lucked out for the most part and didn't come up with
enough of their own ideas to make them truly unique.
Contact: Hot Records, Pb 8805 Youngstorget, 0028 Oslo, Norway
http://home.sol.no/~sontum/enthral
Evemaster - _Lacrimae Mundi_ (KTOK Records, July 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Having read this album's title, _Lacrimae Mundi_, I expected to find
some sort of doom metal. (I think the title can be translated into
"world of tears", or something similar.) Instead, this turned out to
be a good piece of melodic blackened metal with keyboards and a
strong Swedish influence (even though Evemaster are Finnish). Still,
there's quite a few doomy melodies in several songs, and the
anguished black vocals contribute for such an atmosphere as well;
plus, the last track, "Equinox Nocturne", is indeed black/doom (even
though it also includes some clean vocals) -- and very good, too.
Nevertheless, doom is by no means the dominating style here -- most
of the music is fast and based upon catchy riffs and melodies,
reminding me a bit of Ablaze My Sorrow's _If Emotions Still Burn_.
The first three tracks are remarkably good, and the rest of the album
doesn't let down as it leads to the doomy final track I mentioned,
which closes the album very well. Evemaster's style isn't exactly
very original, but that's something common enough to go nearly
unnoticed these days, and _Lacrimae Mundi_ is quite a good album.
Contact: mailto:jarno_taskula@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/7015/
Fear Factory - _Obsolete_ (Roadrunner/Attic, July 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10)
Man, I was waiting and waiting for this record to surface, and, now
that I have it, I can honestly say that I have been let down. I never
thought I'd say this about one of my favorite bands, but I think
they've lost their edge. Honestly. Where is the aggression? Where is
the innovativeness of the Fear Factory sound? Where are Burton's deep
growls? Oh my! While there are a few winning factors about _Obsolete_
(title track, "Shock" and "Hi-Tech Hate"), the rest of it is full of
the filtered and rehashed Fear Factory vocal styles and guitar riffs
that we have become accustomed to over the last few releases. And to
boot, the band has opted to use more melody within the numbers,
rather than sparingly use both growls and melody as they had done
with their brilliant last effort, 1994's _Demanufacture_. The one
aspect of the LP that may have die-hard fans turning away is Burton
C. Bell's solo singing accompanied by a string ensemble of album
ender "Timelessness". Again, oh my! I honestly can say, after several
listens of this record, that I see where the band wanted to take
their music, but it's quite apparent their ideas didn't mesh too well
in the end product. It's a sad day for a music fan when one of your
fave bands has become human just like yourself.
Contact: http://www.fearfactory.com
Haggard - _And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer_ (Serenades, 1997)
by: Alvin Wee (9.5 out of 10)
It has to be something special, when the advertisement looks more
Beethoven than Bathory. Haggard is a 15-headed family hailing from
Munich, Germany, with more than half of the members schooled in the
classical tradition. So, lovers of violins, violas and violoncellos,
listen up: here's one kick-ass slab of unpretentious "classical
metal", owing more to early My Dying Bride than the shallow "gothic"
kitsch floating aimlessly around today. It's pretty hard to classify
this wondrous mix of elements, as Haggard sucessfully fuse traits of
doom, goth, pure classical, death and folk into an awe-inspiring
cauldron of musical sorcery. Imagine classical interludes more
authentic than Therion, sweet soprano crooning and doom-filled
passages of melodic death/doom, throw in a couple of latin chants and
folk-tunes and you have probably the year's best avant-garde work.
Unlike the multitude of synth-based bands which rely on electronic
means to create a symphonic effect, Haggard uses actual instruments
like the harp, oboe, flute and clarinet, not to mention the usual
string instruments, to create an extremely intimate atmosphere,
avoiding the artificiality that usally accompanies the over-use of
keyboards. There's more to music than instruments, and Haggard prove
themselves worthy lyrically too. Delivered in a myriad of
satisfyingly deep growls, clear singing and chants, the lyrics focus
mainly on biblical and historical concepts like the crucifixion and
witch-burnings. In fact, the different "chapters" weave a loosely
connected tale of the Inquisition and the events that accompanied it.
As if the well-penned English phrases weren't enough to impress, I
was enraptured by the exquisite German poetry that adorns most
tracks. Sung in perfect rhythm and tune, the effect is stunning to a
German-speaker, creating a most memorable aural spectacle. Volumes
might be written about Haggard's music, but only hearing is
believing, and any self-respecting lover of music should check out
one of the most amazing new acts today. The next album should, if
nothing goes wrong, easily obtain a perfect score.
Iced Earth - _Something Wicked This Way Comes_
by: Paul Schwarz (4 out of 10) (Century Media, June 1998)
_Something Wicked This Way Comes_ is the first full length from Iced
Earth I have had the 'pleasure' of listening to. It's their sixth
album, and I can't really see myself hunting down their back
catalogue as a result. _SWTWC_ provides its listener with just over
an hour's worth of nostalgic power metal anthems, half-cocked thrashy
numbers and repetitive rock ballads. Not only is this not really the
kind of thing I go in for, but _SWTWC_ does not throw in enough new
twists and turns to keep me interested for 30 minutes, let alone over
an hour, nor does it provide one with a selection of truly classic
metal songs to digest and bathe in the glory of. Riffs are simple and
repetitive, vocals are (though performed by an ably talented singer)
irritatingly crooning and lacking in genuine angst. The music is ably
performed, but the songs are uninteresting and treading a path so
well trodden it's below sea level. What much of _SWTWC_ actually
reminds me of is a collection of tracks from 80s movies like
"Transformers", "Action Force", or "Nightmare on Elm Street". You 80s
kids remember, when there was a fight or the credits would roll at
the end, you'd hear those real simple drum beats, real simple guitar
riffs, some indulgent solo over the top, then a eunuch would begin
singing lyrics like: "Life's a bitch, life's a whore, nothing less,
nothing more" (Iced Earth, "My Own Saviour"). Some of this material
even takes its cue from classic Annihilator, but if I was going to
listen to 80s metal of this sort I'd slam on the aforementioned
Canadians or a band who were there and who have always been
unashamedly metal, Manowar. Even Manowar or Annihilator's most
embarrassing moments have some better qualities than Iced Earth's
best efforts. If something "wicked", in its modern meaning, this way
comes, it sure isn't this album -- this is something tried, tested
and tired.
Impaled Nazarene - _Rapture_ (Osmose, May 1998)
by: Adam Wasylyk (5 out of 10)
Impaled Nazarene's last effort, _Latex Cult_, didn't sit well with me
until I played it enough times for it to properly sink in. The album
previous to it, _Suomi Finland Perkele_, showcased some great
melodies with thrashy aggression, but with the direction that _Latex
Cult_ ventured into, it appeared that the band wanted to throw out
the melodic side of the band and go for a punkish, over-the-top
sound. _Rapture_ is in much the same vein as _Latex Cult_ -- in fact,
some of the tracks on _Rapture_ sound either like re-written or just
re-treaded songs off the previous album. The drumming at times
stagnates due to the same beats being used time and time again, thus
creating a same-ness effect throughout many of the songs. The bad
outweighs the good, but the standout tracks include the catchy "Angel
Rectums to Bleed", the rampage of "Goatvomit and Gasmasks" and the
last track "Phallus Maleficarum". Buy at your own risk.
Krome - _Enough Rage_ (Chronium Records, June 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10)
And again we are seeing a trend starting to emerge from the metal
scene. Everyone is starting to do this aggressive groove metal mixed
with intricate song structures. It sounds so bland and ridiculous
with its repetitive snazzy stop'n'start riffs and the tranquil vocals
spersed over harsh riffs. Throw in the melodious segues of the vocals
and the tip-tap of the drumming and it's taken on the shape of an
awful sounding beast. This doesn't suck, it's just so 'standard'
sounding. Nothing really innovative or ear catching that would make
me want to really get into this. I'm sure this band aimed to do
something different with _Enough Rage_, but in the end it all sounds
the same. Think Pantera with a serious hangover and just jamming at
half-speed. Got it? Good.
Contact: Chromium Records, P.O. Box 41159-0159, Chicago, IL USA 60641
mailto:RockRoll66@aol.com
http://www.atmnet.com/~riddler/alchemy/krom/
Long Winters' Stare - _Cold Tale Eternal_ (Pantheon, March 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Doom metal accompanied by a cello has been an interesting thought for
me ever since My Dying Bride started using a violin more often in
their music, and the contrabass (you may think of it as a cello) used
by Long Winters' Stare does give them a significant amount of extra
quality. Mixing some more American-style doom with European doom
influences, the contrabass and a somewhat peculiar use of keyboards,
LWS manage to sound a bit different from other doom bands. One of the
characteristics of their sound that seems very reminiscent of
American doom is the vocal style, more screamed than grunted. This
approach doesn't work too well sometimes (though it does really fit
the excellent start of "Sigh"), and a more constant, low-pitched
approach, like that of the last two tracks, might have been better. A
couple of very good instrumental tracks featuring contrabass,
acoustic guitars and piano are also quite welcome. The major downside
of this 20 minute long EP is essencially the fact that all seven
songs are very short (usually under the three minute mark, with two
four minute long exceptions), and the song structures are a bit
repetitive. Still, this is certainly a solid debut, especially thanks
to the contrabass.
Contact: http://www.njrocks.com/lws/
http://www.pantheonrecords.com
Manmade God - _Manmade God_ (Independent, June 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
While this 5-song outing radiates a solid groove throughout, I'm a
little annoyed by mid-mark with its monotonous vocal drones and
similar riffs over and over. The sound of Manmade God can best be
compared to Tool meshing with a heavy Black Sabbath/Soundgarden-esque
guitar sound. And while I did have problems with the sameness of this
record, songs like "Scarred by Lust" and "Rip Me Out" keep things a
little fresh. Vocalist Mike Green has a pretty dark and eerie vocal
style that would be enhanced ten fold if some uniqueness and a bit
more experience of styling was put into this music.
Contact: Manmade God, 25125 Santa Clara St. #291 Hayward,
CA 94544, USA
Monster Voodoo Machine - _Direct Reaction Now!_
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) (Doctor Dream / A&M, June 1998)
Revved up and ready to conquer the world, the latest offering from
resurrected Toronto faves Monster Voodoo Machine (after calling it
quits a year ago) is a ball-busting concoction of harrowing riffs and
forcibly-tight vocals/harmonies. While still sounding very MVM-ish,
the new material does away with the keyboards/samples/loops and makes
use of the band's hardcore-esque stylings to their utmost. This
records runs on strong stamina as it caters to the band's need for
heavy grooves, coated with powerful vocals and a deadlock attitude
fixated on just rocking the hardest. Hardcore-edge mixed with garage
rock/noisecore sounds would best describe the current sound of the
band. It plays out a real luscious feel on the record, a slightly
slick feel that goes hand in hand with the band's vivacious overtones
of a hard worked and defined raw edge. Songs like "Gimme A Riot", "I
Have Seen The Rise" and "Dragon Style" sound wicked and easily urge
people to give this baby multiple listens. You know what they say:
'You can never keep a good band down.'
Contact: Doctor Dream Records, 817 W. Collins, Orange CA 92867
http://www.golden.net/~molotov/mvm/mvmhq.htm
Mornland / Abominator - _Prelude to World Funeral..._
by: Paul Schwarz (Path to Enlightenment, September 1997)
Mornland (6 out of 10), Abominator (1 out of 10)
What exactly makes this a "Prelude to World Funeral" and what exactly
is it that constitutes it is a mystery to me -- but if it is meant to
imply something haunting, scary or immensely brutal, then I think
someone put the wrong CD in my box. Mornland are by far the best of
these two bands. Their music is, roughly speaking, a mixture of
Burzum and early At the Gates, although they are in no way as
original, brilliant or haunting as either of these two artists.
Mornland do have some good ideas floating about here; they use some
good acoustic passages and play their melodic black/death nicely, but
not to the point of standing out. Abominator, on the other hand, seem
to want to be Immortal / Bathory / Darkthrone and fail miserably.
Their music is virtually inaudible behind a, I believe purposefully,
messy production. Their songs are unoriginal and their song titles
are once again straight rip-offs, mostly of Immortal. Their lyrics,
which they don't print because they are "profane" (the excuse of
every band who want to appear far more "evil" and outstanding than
they actually are -- although you could write to them...), seem to be
stereotypical and bad. Abominator should realise that not only are
there a million bands as shit as them but also that there are
hundreds who are infinitely better than they will ever be.
Nile - _Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren Ka_
by: Paul Schwarz (9.5 out of 10) (Relapse, June 1998)
This is undoubtedly one of the most brutal and uncompromising death
metal releases I have ever heard. It is also much more than just a
brutal and uncompromising death metal release (which Pyrexia's
_System of the Animal_ wasn't -- it should have got an 8 instead of a
9 out of 10 from me as a result). Although beginning with the aural
evisceration of "Smashing the Antiu" and following suit with the
similarly monstrous "Barra Edinazzu", _ATCONK_ has so much more to
offer than simply sheer brutality. The third 'intro' track captures
the sounds of Egypt first hand with traditional sounding
instrumentation. Along with utilising this a few more times, Nile
also incorporate Egyptian musical patterns into their distorted death
metal playing. The other thing which came to astound me about this
release was its ability to mix fast and slow, as well as mysterious
and brutal. Although the first few tracks involve speed and
technicality which would make most bands, except maybe Cryptopsy,
wince, "Stones of Sorrow" tackles a totally different angle, erring
between mid-paced and slow progressions and a very pronounced gradual
lead part which finishes off the song excellently. As if all this
wasn't enough, "Die Rache Krieg Lied der Assyriche" provides us with
a tribal infused chant to invoke the gods which is so well executed
it doesn't amuse, as so many of these "invocations" tend to, but
astounds. In just 33 minutes, Nile satisfy on so many levels. They
produce some of the most extreme and brilliantly constructed death
metal around and mix it with the atmosphere of Egyptian music, the
emotion of adrenaline fuelled screams of aggression, the calming
tones of the acoustic guitar and the disturbing atmosphere of tribal
chanting. In a year that wasn't looking so good for death metal, Nile
would be like a blinding light in total dark; as it is, they are one
of the most radiant and compelling of a number of beacons floating on
top of a sea of mediocrity. If you miss this, you have my
condolences; but don't say I didn't warn you.
Odes of Ecstasy - _Embossed Dream in Four Acts_ (The End, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
Odes of Ecstasy can be most easily compared with bands like Theatre
of Tragedy. I would also draw comparisons to Katatonia and Septic
Flesh. Their style is melodic, but not overly so, and features female
vocals very prominently. As the title implies, this is a concept
album, featuring four acts (real songs), plus an intro and an outro,
and lasting slightly more than 30 minutes. The playing and production
are decent, although I'm not too fond of the guitar tone, which is
often a little weak. The music tends to be orchestrated and
keyboard-heavy quite often, but it retains a guitar-driven, metallic
base most of the time. The music is a mix of straightforward metal
and classically influenced symphonic music. The vocals alternate
between death growls and female operatic vocals, with some other
types thrown in at times. It sounds like there are two female
vocalists to me, and one of them is by far the weakest part of the
album. She sounds like a trained opera singer, right down to the
extremely wide vibrato that she uses. While this is appropriate for
opera, it just doesn't work in a metal context. She has an excellent
voice, and a few parts where she sings are excellent (such as the
two-minute mark of "Garden of Temptation"), but some others just
don't work. Other than that, this is competent, melodic doom/death.
It's a good offering, and shows potential for better things in the
future.
Contact: mailto:shrider@compulink.gr
http://www.theendrecords.com/
Old Man's Child - _Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion_
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10) (Century Media, May 1998)
It feels like only yesterday I was writing my review for _The Pagan
Prosperity_, Old Man's Child's last album, and it -was- only just
over six months ago that their last full length saw the light of day.
What _Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion_ does not sound like however, is
that it has been rushed -- on the contrary, it sounds more calculated
and better thought out than its predecessor. OMC have taken a
different approach to the music this time around as well: their
sound, backed up by the pounding drum work of the justifiably
worshipped Gene Hoglan (guesting), now bears much greater resemblance
to Dimmu Borgir et al, and there are good and bad points to be made
about this change. The band certainly sound better: their guitar
lines gallop and classic speed-metal is evidently an influence; their
keyboards augment the sound far better than they did before; the
screeched vocals blend nicely in the resulting mix; and the drumming
is intense in writing as well as performance. The let down is that
some of the Dimmu Borgir-isms become a bit too frequent and, more
worryingly, a bit too close to the originals. Overall, it isn't a
_Reign in Blood_ for the band or the black metal world, but it is a
solid, heavy, enjoyable and well played slab of late 90s black metal.
If that's what you need, then you'll need _Ill-Natured Spiritual
Invasion_.
Opeth - _My Arms, Your Hearse_ (Candlelight Records, May 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (10 out of 10)
Looking at the remarkable bleakness of the cover for the first time,
I knew this album had everything it needed to be great. And it is.
Once again, no band logo, not even an album title on the front cover,
just a bleak picture, even moreso than those of the previous Opeth
albums. (Candlelight(?) did place an ugly sticker on the outside,
though.) What's next, then? The lyrics. Awesome. Displayed as a
single block of text upon the booklet's center pages, Mikael
Akerfeldt has offered us a story, rather than a set of separate song
lyrics, and it is indeed appropriate for the music and the album
title. (All song titles are embedded in the story.) This is the kind
of lyrics that actually strengthen the music; and with Akerfeldt's
usual vocal performances... Anyway, my CD player tells me the album
is "just" 52:36 long, which is rather disappointing for an Opeth
album. The songs are about eight to nine minutes long, a couple even
around six, not counting the instrumentals (but Opeth still don't use
any choruses, fortunately). However, as you might tell by the lyrics'
structure, this can almost be regarded as one 48 minute song: every
song does merge into the next (the only silence between songs happens
before "Epilogue"), often through fade-outs. And so the album starts:
ambient sounds of rain, then a sombre piano, followed by a short
crescendo... and Opeth tear into the powerful start of "April
Ethereal". Shortly after, Mikael does not disappoint and screams his
way into yet another superb vocal performance, the growled/clean vox
balance not having suffered any significant changes. There are less
acoustic sections than on _Morningrise_, and the album is overall a
bit less melodic than its predecessors. Being recorded at the Fredman
studios may have influenced this, but the fact is that the music is
heavier and more powerful than before -- "Demon of the Fall" being
the best example of that. Also, not a surprise considering what I
wrote so far, the atmosphere on _My Arms, Your Hearse_ is very sad
and doomy. Though some parts of the drum sound are somewhat awkward
at times (new drummer and bass player, by the way), the instrumental
performance is as great as one would expect, and Akerfeldt's vocals
are again amazing. Top quality sections just flow throughout the
album, making it truly -excellent-. _My Arms, Your Hearse_ is a
indeed a brilliant proof that Swedish metal isn't entirely stagnant.
Pulkas - _Greed_ (Earache / St. Clair, May 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
Having had this record for a few months before actually writing about
it, I had easily spun it dozens of times before actually sitting down
to write this review. Each listen wrapped me into the sound and
emotions blaring from this album. It really was unnerving at times.
This British quartet has managed to capture a vibe of metal music
that seems too hard to find nowadays. Solid metal music that speaks
the ways that metal should be going, as well adding in elements of
modern metal like Tool and Deftones. _Greed_ easily escalates to pure
adrenaline rush from track one, "Loaded", onward, as we are overcome
by the band's thick riffs, heavy-ass grooves and maniacal vocals that
help to keep things tough as Pulkas kicks into tracks like "Rubber
Room", "Hippy Fascist" and "Rebirth". No doubt these guys are gonna
wreak some havoc at home and hopefully in North America. A good
choice by Earache to sign them as one of their newer acts to push in
the years to come.
Samael - _Exodus_ (Century Media, May 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10)
From what I can tell, not being Samael's No.1 fan, this MCD gives you
three listed newly recorded Samael tracks and one unlisted bonus
track, two of the tracks from _Ceremony of Opposites_ reworked and
another reworked song called "From Malkuth to Kether". _Exodus_ also
clocks in at nearly half an hour and the net result is that this MCD
is good value for money; but, I hear you ask, is it any good? Well,
quite frankly, yes it is. The reworked tracks, "Son of Earth" and
"Ceremony of Opposites", both sound refreshingly different from their
originals, with the band giving the production a more rounded feel
and adding or subtracting various elements. These changes are all
blended in well, as opposed to being pasted, and even the techno
beats in "Son of Earth" don't sound like they've been unthinkingly
dumped. All the three new listed tracks are similar to the band's
typical compositions and are good; blending death metal power chords,
keyboards and a varied array of vocals, as is Samael's trade. The
final reworking "From Malkuth to Kether" incorporates thumping
techno-influenced drumming, brief guitar chords and squeals, and
black metal vocals to produce something vaguely original and
surprisingly listenable; although not one for the purists. The bonus
track is an inconsequential but enjoyable instrumental 'outro'.
Quality of music and value for money make this a good purchase for
fans and those who have never heard the band, as it gives you a taste
of the band's core sound and their flair for experimentation.
Various - _Sepultural Feast: A Tribute to Sepultura_
by: Adam Wasylyk (8 out of 10) (Black Sun, June 1998)
Finally I receive a tribute album that's worth purchasing. The Celtic
Frost tribute held very little worth listening to, while the Iron
Maiden tribute didn't do anything for me (both coincidentally put out
by Dwell). _Sepultural Feast_ contains a wide assortment of bands
covering some of Sepultura's greatest material while injecting each
own's sound and style. Starting off in a serious way is Sacramentum
with their storming cover of "The Curse / Antichrist". The momentum
falters in places throughout the album, but there are many worthy
moments, such as Dimension Zero's "Troops of Doom", Defleshed's
"Beneath the Remains", Impious' "Inner Self", Exhumation's
"Territory" and Slavestate's "Roots Bloody Roots". What was also good
to see was that every Sepultura album was represented on the tribute,
from _Morbid Visions_ to the bands' most recent LP _Roots_. Finally a
tribute album that the band being paid tribute to won't retch over.
Silent Stream of Godless Elegy - _Behind the Shadows_
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) (M.A.B. Records / Redblack, 1998)
Now here's an album that turned out to be a bit different from what I
expected, but nonetheless very interesting. I had heard that this
Czech band played doom/death and used both a violin and a cello in
their music -- hence my interest. As it turns out, a few tracks are
indeed doomy, but the album is often a mid-paced form of folkish
metal -- and quite good at it, too. The cello and violin really shine
through, together with plenty of catchy riffs and choruses. Check out
"Wizard" and "Garden", the first couple of tracks, and also some of
"The Last Place"; "Old Women's Dance" could also be an example, but
its rather terrible chorus ruins it. There are also a few folkish,
mostly instrumental tracks, sometimes featuring very nice female
vocals, which start showing up on the seventh track and turn out to
be quite important during the second half of the album. Some doomier
material appears in a darker version of "Old Women's Dance" (track
6), "Ghost" and "Shadow", among several other passages. Two Dead Can
Dance and one The Byrds covers are also to be found. The male vocal
performance isn't great, however; it ranges from low death grunts to
clean vocals (with several stages between the two), but the cleaner
vox are nothing special and the vocalist really has a rough time
trying to speak English. Still, his voice isn't terrible either and
this is a very enjoyable record.
Contact: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/4955/ssge.html
Contact: http://www.mabrec.cz
Slayer - _Diabolus in Musica_ (American/Columbia, June 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
The art of metal is a lost form. Everything is evolving and no one is
sticking to their roots. Hasn't it been like that for the last few
years? What happened to the "Big Four" of metal music -- Metallica,
Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer? Well, sad to say that Metallica and
Megadeth have gone commercial and Anthrax is currently having
problems adding variety to their sound with their latest effort _Vol
8: The Threat Is Real_. And then there is Slayer. Despite the many
ways in which metal music has changed over the last little while,
Slayer has pretty much stayed focused with what they have done. While
the band's last punk cover LP _Undisputed Attitude_ was not to my
liking and I was not into _Divine Intervention_ much, this new record
just rules. I'm serious, people. This is a hardworking, powerful
assault by Slayer. This is a brutally honest record that captures the
band at their best with its rough vocals, sinister riffs and a real
solid groove helping keep this beast tamed for the most part.
_Diabolus in Musica_ dips a bit into the aggro-rock feel to some
degree, but amply showcases the band's classic sound and style. Araya
has never seemed so verbally abusive and the dual attack of Jeff
Hanneman and Kerry King's chugging guitar and Paul Bostaph's drilling
drum work will knock some sense into you. The coolest track has to be
"Death's Head", as it slices through a killer groove with Araya's
trademark raspy growls. *ALL* of this record is good. And contrary to
popular belief, not all of metal's ex-heavyweights are selling out.
Slayer shoves all that bullshit down the throats of non-believers.
One of the year's best, by one of the best.
Contact: http://www.diabolus.net
Solus - _Solus_ (Skinmask Productions, June 1998)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
If there was something that the band's debut disc _Slave of Mind_
needed, it was a fuller, richer sound. Everything else tore at ya
with some sinister results; it just lacked something, and finally the
band has captured the missing piece. That one ingredient makes its
way into the band's latest 3-song (in between relaxing and recording)
effort that truly brings the band's strengths to the forefront. Laced
with ultra-heavy growls, a monstrous rhythm section and guitar licks
to die for, Solus' 3-song EP showcases a band on the move and in fine
form. I'm digging the powerful opener "Quilt of Shame" and the varied
vocal styles of the epic-esque "Magadan" big time. The EP ends with
the blistering onslaught calling itself "Tainted Slowly", a track
that really runs up the momentum of the band to tiptop shape. Strong
grooves and full growls echo and shatter things in its wake. A
Toronto band that is truly doing some dynamic work and looking rather
strong for the future if this keeps up.
Soulburn - _Feeding on Angels_ (Century Media, June 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (5 out of 10)
Well, if the press release hadn't emphasized the fact that Soulburn
was 2/3 Asphyx, I would have expected the kind of boring cliched
music that the cover, name and title suggested and the disc
demonstrated. As it was, I was interested to see what the Asphyx guys
were doing and had some expectations. From beginning to end, however,
I can find absolutely nothing outstanding about this album. I don't
even like the production. The attempt seems to have been (and this
was hinted at by the PRs decision to include a list of classic death
metal influences) to create that hard, razor edged sound that gives
classic early thrashers like _Morbid Tales_ and _Pleasure to Kill_
their charm. However, _Feeding On Angels_'s production, in attempt to
recreate that sound, seems to have taken a wrong turn and ultimately
resulted in weak drums, scratching guitars, monotone vocals and a
rather thin atmosphere. As I hinted at, Soulburn write some extremely
simple, though long and rather tedious, mid-paced death metal, a la
Celtic Frost, tunes which blend into each other and produce only
short parts which are seriously worth the time. I do make it sound
worse than it is. Had _FOA_ been released at the time its songs
reflect and it would have been just one more average album in a
burgeoning and confusing scene. Now we have the reflection to reap
many of the best crops at leisure, we know what is good, we don't
need a new band reminding us of all the rip-off mediocrity that was
around. Usurper get away with a lot of retro-isms because they do it
brilliantly and throw in enough techniques and twists that are new to
create a sound which reflects changes since the early 80s; Soulburn
are just digging up old corpses which should have been left to rot.
Various - _Statements of Intent_ (Wicked World, June 1998)
by: Adam Wasylyk (7 out of 10)
An offshoot of Earache Records, Wicked World is a new sub-label that
will cater to the more extreme forms of metal (the reason why Earache
doesn't straight out sign the bands rather than sign them to this
subsidiary is beyond me). The first release is a compilation called
_Statements of Intent_ that holds a variety of bands, from
traditional black to death/black and other related genres. Some of
the bands featured are The Haunted, In Flames, Arch Enemy, Opeth,
Katatonia, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir and Dark Tranquillity. Much like the
_Blackened III_ compilation, you get a good assortment of bands from
a good variety of sub-genres. Worth picking up if you can find it
cheap.
Stormwitch - _Priest of Evil_ (B.O. Records, 1998)
by: Alvin Wee (8.5 out of 10)
I wouldn't be too surprised if Hammerfall's recent sucess had
anything to do with this re-release of 80s cult-metallers Stormwitch.
Apart from sounding less contemporary than their modern counterparts,
Stormwitch is everything Hammerfall is and more; vinyl fetishists
will rejoice at the satisfyingly grainy sound reproduced on the older
tracks. Anyone who's heard Hammerfall's rendition of "Ravenlord" has
already heard Stormwitch: what's on offer here is simply 15 tracks of
metal anthems with the usual cheesy high-pitched "German"-vocals that
power metal fans can't seem to get enough of. One point to note,
though, apart from the operatic choruses and the occasional screams,
is that Stormwitch isn't ever as metal as, say, Running Wild or
Manowar are, or were in the early eighties. In fact, some of the
songs resemble more metal-edged hard rock, or a more diabolical form
of NWOBHM, (a metalised Incubus, perhaps). Still, few other bands
(with the exception of Mercyful Fate / King Diamond) can match up to
the sheer darkness of the title track. Boasting a riff of utter
darkness and vocals to match, Stormwitch manage to create an
atmosphere as diabolical as the best of today's black metal without
sacrificing melody or being as directly abrasive. There's little else
to be said about this release; either you have no idea who King
Diamond is and have lost interest by now anyway, or you're a faithful
fan of Attack, Running Wild and Iron Maiden and will already have
rushed out to grab this godsend.
Strapping Young Lad - _No Sleep Till Bedtime_
by: Adrian Bromley (9.5 out of 10) (Century Media, June 1998)
Those of you who get all hyped up with SYL should know what you're
getting with this live effort the band recorded during a week-long
tour in Australia. It fucking rules! Madman Devin Townsend has helped
capture a solid live recording showcasing the many facets of this
band. Live material from the sophomore effort _City_ ("Oh My Fucking
God", "SYL" and "Velvet Kevorkian") sounds blistering, especially
Townsend's vocals and Gene Hoglan's drumming. New unreleased live
song "Far Beyond Metal" kicks ass as do the two new studio efforts
"Japan" and "Centipede". One great quality about this record is that
it captures the live audience perfectly -- sounds like it was a zoo
'down under.' I only wish I had been there. This rocks!
Contact: http://home.bc.rogers.wave.ca/hdrecord/
Suffocation - _Despise the Sun_ (Vulture, January 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)
The kings of brutality return -- and what a beast they have brought
with them. _Despise the Sun_ is the most vicious collection of music
Suffocation have released since the legendary _Effigy of the
Forgotten_ and easily qualifies as one of this year's most brutal
releases. Admittedly it is only an EPs worth of material whose five
tracks fly by in a mere 17 minutes, but you can rest assured that no
second is wasted with anything but material of the highest quality,
brutality and technicality. In the four new songs, Suffocation fans
will note, probably with surprise, that no solos appear; this, in
some respects, adds to their relentlessness, but it would be a shame
if the band has decided to leave them out of the new material
altogether -- the masterfully re-recorded "Catatonia", from _Human
Waste_, demonstrates what folly this would be. Although Suffocation
have changed little in style or quality, the line-up has seen some
alteration with the recruitment of ex-Malevolent Creation skinsman
Dave Culross. Dave seems to have brought some of the additional
intensity and additional freshness which _DtS_ oozes, though drums
have never been a low point with Suffocation. Although hopefully a
mere taste of things to come, _DtS_ is hugely satisfying and a
testament to the longevity of one of death metal's best and most
influential acts.
Contact: Vulture, PO Box 730, Coram, New York, 11727, USA
mailto:VultureEnt@aol.com
Swan Christy - _One With the Swan_ (Black Lotus Records, 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10)
Symphonic metal is what Swan Christy aimed to create with _One With
the Swan_ (or at least so it says in their biography); however, it
turns out that it isn't very symphonic, and there certainly isn't
much metal to be found here either. They did use violin and piano,
but that's not necessarily enough to give the album a "symphonic"
feeling. Still, the violin and piano melodies are usually quite good,
and happen to be what's better on most of the album. The very soft
male vocals are skilled enough, but not very remarkable; you'll most
likely hardly ever notice the drumming; and both the guitar sound and
playing are rather poor (some similarities with Angizia come to mind
here). So what is it that adds up to that average rating? Well,
Natalie Rassoulis (whom you may know for her work with Septic Flesh)
provides her excellent vocals during approximately ten minutes, and
the rest of the album has plenty of the nice violin/piano melodies I
mentioned, which is pretty much all that remains after _OWtS_ is over.
Thine - _A Town Like This_ (Peaceville, July 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Sure, I've reviewed some albums that weren't easy to describe in the
past, but I can't remember one that defied description as much as
Thine's debut full-length does. Shall I try? Occasional slight scent
of Arcturus' _La Masquerade Infernale_ (no reason why I mentioned it
first, though), some Nick Cave here and there (I guess their
_Peaceville X_ cover wasn't just a coincidence), some doomy metal
bits, -plenty- of non-metal influences almost everywhere... and that
only starts to describe it. Overall, Thine don't sound specifically
like anything I know. Most tracks are seven to eight minutes long,
featuring mostly unpredictable structures, with some old-style
rocking sections (start of "Miss Grey", "Sonic Showmen"), some
strange interludes (end of "This Town", middle of "My Song", "Here
Tonight") and even a combination of both (start of "Pianomen"). Most
of the weirdness the band has inserted does ruin the atmosphere, in
my opinion, but with such tracks as "Re-animate the Masque" and
especially "Feathers & Roses", and the high average quality of all
these longer songs, there is plenty of quality material here --
especially due to the excellent instrumental performance. All put
together, and despite a few interludes that don't suit my taste at
all, Thine have produced a very interesting and certainly original
debut.
Tyrant - _Under the Dark Mystic Sky_ (Pulverised Records)
by: Alvin Wee (10 out of 10)
And just when we thought Obtained Enslavement could afford to rest on
their laurels with _Witchcraft_, Singaporean label Pulverised has
once again dropped jaws with their latest signing and bonafide
Japanese sensation Tyrant. Not to be confused with the 80s metal
legends, this Oriental quartet deceptively oozes retro-thrash spirit;
dishing up instead a most hauntingly beautiful form of black metal
art. It's futile to try to describe _UtDMS_ without making it sound
like the next Covenant album, but that's what it is, and more.
Stripped of the sickly sweet keyboard passages, Covenant and Co. end
up a boring, disoriented mess; Tyrant, on the other hand, remain
musically solid, combining highly melodic black-metal leads with
almost thrashy, hard-hitting riffs. Beneath the swathes of symphonics
lies a blazing, ferocious black metal heaviness that the luscious
melodies only add depth to. Each song flows smoothly and
effortlessly, with no hint of awkward riff or misplaced beat marring
the stellar musicianship. Sweet-faced female keyboardist Ayumi boldly
spits in the faces of would-be BM-misogynists with "Ghost Waltz",
boasting some of the most memorable melodies on the album. Which
brings us to the most excellent lead guitar work adorning each track,
of a standard most generic bands can only dream of attaining. All in
all, I'm still not very content with black metal's current direction,
but with new acts like Obtained Enslavement and Tyrant churning out
impeccable material like this, there's nothing this hack has to
complain about. I dunno if you can get this easily outside of
Singapore (I can't even find another copy here in Singapore), as
Pulverised doesn't get very good coverage despite the number of good
acts in their stables, but do try sending about $18 to their contact
below.
Contact: Pulverised Records, P.O. Box 109, Yishun Central,
S(917604), Singapore
mailto:ashes@pacific.net.sg
Undertakers - _Suffering Within_ (Cryptic Soul, August 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)
Undertakers have some good ideas and music rattling around inside
_Suffering Within_; the album's greatest defect is that its slightly
tinny drum production and a definite hissy background to the guitars
make the band sound rather unprofessional -- a fact which is not
borne out either by their ability, which is pretty decent, or their
songwriting, which is certainly coming along. Most of this album can
still be classed under the heading "run-of-the-mill death metal", but
two tracks stand out and provide definite hope for the quality of
future recordings. The first you will encounter is the third track,
"Human Decline". Much of this track is taken up with adequately
played riffs and blast beats, but a two chord riff and its backing,
which come in a couple of times after the main chorus, give the song
an excellent groove. I don't mean the kind of Coal Chamber / Limp
Bizkit we-can't-really-play-so-we'll-"groove" sort, I mean a serious
headbangin', rockin' groove!, which I think the band could try and
incorporate more to produce some truly cool music, as long as they
don't loose the brutality. The other aspect appears on last track
"Seed", which is a strange sort of tribal/electro drum experiment.
This track's methods are isolated here, but I feel meshing them with
the rest of the bands music would further improve the quality of
future recordings. A solid debut and quite a bit that can be
developed on.
Contact: mailto:engiann@tin.it
Vader - _Kingdom_ (Metal Mind, March 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10)
Unfortunately this taste of things to come, which should be arriving
in 1999 sometime, has at present only seen an official release in
Poland. However, it's currently available through the band's
management and I know Nuclear Blast Germany also stock it. But is
_Kingdom_ worth the trouble? Well, it sure was for me. It contains
two totally new songs, a re-recording of "Breath of Centuries"
(excellent), an outake from the _Black to the Blind_ sessions which
appeared on its Japanese copies, and two atmospheric dance mixes of
songs from _BttB_. Not to hold you in dreaded suspense, the remixes
are actually very well done, and, although I do not go in for
deconstruction myself, if I was listening to this sort of stuff I'd
listen to these as soon as any atmospheric dance, though it isn't
really a part of Vader to me. "Anamnesis", from the _BttB_ sessions,
is very similar to the other tracks on that album, although it does
have a particularly insane piece of drum chaos just before the song
kicks in which is worth checking out. If "Creatures of Light and
Darkness" and "Kingdom" are indicators of where Vader are headed,
then I predict that a repeat of any of their previous works is not on
the cards. These new songs, though short (only just over three
minutes a piece), are much less frantic and speed-oriented than the
songs from _BttB_. They utilize pummelling mid-paced riffs, backed up
by fierce drums and Peter's distinctive vocals and some excellent
quiet/loud dynamics, while not opting for slow/fast ones -- all in
all, two very cool Vader songs. _Kingdom_ is a reassuring reminder of
Vader's talents and a definite reason to salivate in anticipation of
a new full length.
Virgin Steele - _Invictus_ (Modern Music / Noise, 1998)
by: Alvin Wee (10 out of 10)
Whenever a legendary band like Running Wild or Manowar unveils a new
album, there's bound to be a certain electricity surrounding it.
Canadian legends Virgin Steele are no exception. With a history of
classic albums behind them, frontman Daniel Defeis has led his band
of warriors through traditional hard-rock albums like _Noble Savage_
and magnificent epics like the _Marriage_ saga, while at the same
time contributing with his fathomless talent to cult underground
legends like Exorcist and Piledriver. This time around, conceptually
linked with the _Marriage_ series, _Invictus_ shows the aggressive
side of Virgin Steele, offering up a lethal mix of Manowar and
Running Wild, laced with vicious, almost screaming vocals. Present as
always are the Manowar-esque epic tracks like "Mind, Body, Spirit"
and "Through Blood and Fire", replete with Eric Adams-inspired
shrieks. It might be sacrilege to say this, but I'm strongly tempted
to compare any of these tracks to Manowar's finest work. One listen
to "Defiance", a stunning mix of Running Wild verses and Manowar
choruses, and you'll see what I mean. I'm not trying to put Virgin
Steele down as merely excellent clones; on the contrary, what sets
them apart from bands like Gothic Knights or Sacred Steel are the
unique riffs and bold structural experimentation, immortalised in the
10-minute opus "Veni, Vedi, Vici". Flowing seamlessly from angelic
mourning to rollicking prog-rock to out-and-out metal and back, this
epic, and most of the sixteen tracks on the album, never fail to
sound inspired, varied and dynamic. Boasting qualities above and
beyond most bands of the genre, like their irreproachable
musicianship, a knack for appropriate experimentation and a general
triumph in the glory days of heavy metal, there's no reason why, if
Manowar are hailed as the "Kings of Metal", Virgin Steele would not
deserve their own crowns.
Waylander - _Reawakening Pride Once Lost_ (Century Media, May 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10)
Waylander are an Irish band blending Irish folk and blackened
death/thrash metal. Being pretty competent at playing both styles
separately, as they do on "Gaelic Dawn" and "Emain Macha",
respectively, they also do a decent job of combining them -- see
"Victory Feast". This is not to say the album is supremely original,
although the use of a tin whistle is refreshingly untrendy, if not
too far from a flute or similar instrument. It is not in the
originality stakes that Waylander will succeed; it is the skillful
way they have written, recorded and produced this set of songs that
gives them a little of that crucial edge, not their compositions. One
positive point is that all the elements combine well and none of the
subtleties appear to have been drowned out. The band have also given
their set of traditional rock instruments a good production, with
great big chunky guitars, thumping drums and bass line and decent
vocals. Lyrically, the band, like many others (see Einherjer), have
chosen their heritage as inspiration, but what is funny about this is
it allows me to, in my case favourably, compare them to Manowar.
Their tales of battles, heroes and kings are not dissimilar to the
true "Kings of Metal", and although Waylander's music resembles
Manowar as obviously as rock resembles folk (read between these
lines), I challenge any Manowar fan to deny that the way "Hero's
Lament" opens is similar to "Hail and Kill". A solid debut and a band
worth keeping a third eye on.
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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
Demimonde - _The Warrior's Poets_ (7-track demo)
by: Pedro Azevedo (***--)
Demimonde's doomy form of atmospheric metal (featuring several styles
of male vocals, nice female vox and keyboards) certainly is varied
enough, with its melodic/atmospheric sections (including acoustic
guitars), death-like parts and faster sections. Having some pretty
good artwork and a very remarkable total length of over 40 minutes,
things seem quite promising. As it turns out, Demimonde have done a
good job, but the main problem clearly is that quality isn't very
constant throughout the songs -- the band often shows some lack of
experience. I did like several parts of this tape, especially the
faster sections with female vocals on my favorite song, "Queen's
Pilgrimage", but, considering all that's being done today, most of
the material here doesn't quite stand out from the 'crowd'. The
production is far from perfect and doesn't help, but it's not
disastrous either; the same can be said about most of the clean male
vocals. It's a fact that this recording is about twice as long as
most demo tapes, but, all put together, and even though there are
several good ideas and quality sections in this recording, it doesn't
stand out from the average very frequently. Still quite worthy of
being checked out, though.
Contact: Pavel Pavlik, Habova 10, 155 00, Praha 5, Czech Republic
Voice: +042 02 651 72 46
Fax: +042 02 651 53 82
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/9267/
mailto:mcermak@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz
Desolate - _Resurrection Eternal_ (5-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (***--)
Desolate's music can be summed up relatively well by the term gothic
rock. However, Desolate are not one of the terrible bands sitting at
the bottom of the very deep and festering barrel that so often
characterises this genre (at least in my view). The most frequent and
relevant reference point I can find for the music on _Resurrection
Eternal_ is Amorphis' _Elegy_ album. I am sure that's put some of you
off, but I personally really like _Elegy_ for what it is. Although
_Resurrection Eternal_ is not in the same league in terms of quality,
their mixing of rich power chords, rock drumming and clean vocals is
coming along. If this isn't all they've got, then Desolate could get
somewhere with this formula.
Contact: Desolate, c/o G. Jones, 8 Burnmoor Veiw,
Ingleton, Carnforth, Lancs, LA6 3BT, England
Fury - _Fury_ (8-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
With enough rage and momentum, Australia's Fury lash out with slick
guitar work and a totally damaging presence on this 8-track outing.
In the vein of Pantera and running a fine line between thrash and
death metal, Fury conjures up some pretty solid and well-executed
numbers that package together quite a healthy combo of metal
material. It's very melodic, but heavy at the same time. Vocalist
Mike O'Neil commands the troops with his hardy vocal style and
guitarists Rick Boon and Darren McLennan do some serious damage with
their guitars. Solid playing on their part. Listening to numbers like
"Forever" and "Final Scream", I'm also hearing some early Metallica
influence as well, and that ain't a bad thing. Let's face it -- old
Metallica rules, right? Anyway, strong and vigorous for the most
part, Fury deliver the goods and leave you wanting another listen
most of the time.
Contact: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/9070/home.html
Intestine - _Gastrointestinal Pathology_ (4-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (****-)
Well, this is a first for me: a demo on CD. In terms of presentation,
naming and titling of songs, Intestine (in fact the work of one man
on all instruments and vocals) are nowhere in the originality or
brilliance stakes. Musically, however, this is an incredible demo.
Production, always an important factor, is very good and brings out
the churning guitars and thumping drums excellently. In fact, every
duty except the vocals are more than just proficiently handled.
Intestine gets "that extra push over the cliff" from the groovy,
repeated and almost catchy riffs that are interspersed into the
heavily early-Carcass / Napalm Death influenced majority of the
music. For demo quality music, Intestine is extremely impressive and,
although not ripping apart established musical norms, manages to very
cleverly contort them. If more dynamic and powerful vocals were
thrown into the mix, I think Intestine could be well on its way to
being something of a contender even against the more experienced and
established of the pure-death/grind bands.
Contact: Ian de Grussa, PO Box 772, Esperance WA, Australia, 6450
Pain Lab - _Inconceivable Aquatic H.I.V. Descrambler_ (5-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
Once again I am witness to the noise-infested barrage that Pain Lab
calls music. Powerful onslaughts of musical mayhem that'll make
anyone's ears bleed till dawn. Much like their 10-track demo
_Magenetic Chaos of Parallel Psychosis_ [reviewed in CoC #27], this
Wyoming duo do their damnedest to wreak havoc from within you stereo.
And it works this time out. Much heavier and easily more versatile,
the newer sounds of Pain Lab, while still reminiscent of Merzbow and
Blunt Force Trauma, are striving forward amongst their own calls for
ingenuity and uniqueness. This isn't for everyone, but for those
wishing to drive your neighbors batty for a while, this is a good
choice. Loudest noise band from the mid-West? I think so. The demo
urges you to "PLAY FUCKING LOUD!" Do so accordingly.
Contact: Joel Rosenberg/Matt Lee 862 N. 10th, Laramie, WY USA 82072
mailto:kabal@uwyo.edu
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\ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\
\ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\
\ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/
\/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/
S L A Y E D , O N C E A G A I N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slayer with Clutch and System of a Down
At The Warehouse in Toronto, Ontario on June 11th, 1998
by: Adrian Bromley
While this date on the three week tour of North America was part
of a warm up tour for Slayer before they headed over to Europe to
play part of the European installment of Ozzfest [see Paul Schwarz's
live review from the UK], you'd have never known it by the hype and
the anticipation of the many metal heads waiting to see the veteran
thrash/speed metal quartet in action.
A stuffed and sweaty Warehouse was packed for the return of
Slayer in support of their brilliant and latest offering: _Diabolus
in Musica_. It was quite evident from the start of the set, opening
with "Hell Awaits", that this was going to be a 80-minute set of
classic Slayer, peppered with some newer material off of _DiM_.
Vocalist/bassist Tom Araya screamed with power and intensity
through opener "Hell Awaits", leading his band's aggressive charge as
the mosh pit lit up like a firecracker. Fans surfed and charged the
stage screaming along at the top of their lungs with fists pumping.
The band skidded though other classics like "War Ensemble", "Die by
the Sword", "Reign in Blood" and my personal fave "Dead Skin Mask"
off of the _Seasons in the Abyss_ LP.
Though the sound was muffled at times and the guitars tuned in
and out 'cause of bad acoustics and the cavernous Warehouse, overall
it was a solid, sweaty set by Slayer. They opted to just play two new
numbers off _Diabolus in Musica_ (the cool "Death's Head" and "Stain
of Mind"), saving the rest of the new material for a much larger tour
in the fall. In pretty good form that night, despite the venue, was
the axework of Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. These guys are two of
the best in this business and they love flaunting it. They helped
forge the metal genre with classic work and it still stands up a
decade later.
Opening the show was Maryland's odd rock quartet Clutch and
California hip hop / rock / hardcore ensemble System of a Down. While
I missed all of but one song by System of a Down, I wasn't too
impressed, easily classifying them in the same genre as Powerman 5000
and Limp Bizkit. Next up was the always exciting Clutch, on tour in
support of their latest weirdo concoction called _The Elephant
Riders_.
Clutch warmed up the ground and gained their support for the
most part of their 40-minute set, swaying the crowd with new numbers
like "The Elephant Riders" and "The Soapmakers" and kicking into the
popular Clutch fave "A Shogun Named Marcus". I've seen this band open
for numerous other acts (Sepultura and Marilyn Manson to name a few)
and they always add something special to a show. They may not be
liked by everybody, but they've got some killer grooves. There is no
denying that.
So Slayer slayed this evening. Big suprise, eh? They are one of
the only big veteran metal acts that can still deliver the goods and
enjoy doing it. They live for metal and it shows. I'm just hoping to
be able to get to see the next leg of this North American tour, which
supposedly has Fear Factory as the opening act. I'm already there.
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O Z Z Y A N D H I S F E S T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Black Sabbath, Pantera, Slayer, Fear Factory,
Entombed and Pitchshifter
at the National Bowl, Milton Keynes, England
Saturday, June 20, 1998
by: Paul Schwarz
The Ozzfest sees the return of a metal festival to the UK after
the demise last year of Donnington. Following a similar pattern to
last year's US Ozzfests, we get a whole loada newer metal bands, then
Ozzy's own band and Black Sabbath themselves to round it all off.
Pitchshifter were first on today. They played a pleasing set composed
most substantially of material from their new _www.pitchshifter.com_
album. Although I hear this band sound best inside, their sound was
good, the band performed their songs well and was also physically
active and enjoyable to watch.
After their "Imperial March" intro had finished, Entombed kicked
off their set with "Eyemaster". They proceeded to play a set drawn
mostly from their last two albums. This would have been good,
although Entombed aren't exactly suited to the outside anymore than
Pitchshifter; however, the astounding occurrence was that Entombed
chose to play "Crawl", from _Clandestine_ (their best album and one
that sees little live play), and so a good set was instantly
converted to a great experience. Let's hope they band carry on
drawing from _Clandestine_ for the live shows (I want to hear "Chaos
Breed" live!).
Fear Factory opened up on the main stage and I was surprised to
be quite impressed with their set. Not only did they play a nice set
of songs with a great live sound but somehow they seem to have
recaptured the rage they had when I saw them three years ago at
London's Astoria, something more recent shows seemed to be sorely
lacking. Personally, I am not a big fan of the new FF songs I have
heard. "Edgecrusher", which was played today, and others seem to me a
little simplistic and repetitive. However, new songs and impending
album aside, Fear Factory played a cool set and made overplayed
tracks like "Self-Bias Resistor" and "Demanufacture" sound as good as
they did first time out: catch 'em while they're still angry.
Slayer opened up with "South of Heaven" and proceeded, with
their killer set, to demolish all competition for the title of best
live act of the day. Despite being given the criminally short time of
40 minutes and being the second band on the main stage, Slayer got
through many of their most classic songs including "War Ensemble",
"Mandatory Suicide" and "Angel of Death". They played only one track,
"Death's Head", from the new _Diabolus in Musica_ album, which was a
pity since a number of those songs would have sounded great live
("Bitter Peace", anyone?). As if a set of classic songs, great
playing, crisp sound and amazing energy wasn't all we needed for this
to truly rock, Slayer also played thier amazing "Raining Blood /
Altar of Sacrifice / Jesus Saves" 'trilogy'. The best band of the day
and still one of the greatest live bands in the world today.
Pantera returned to the UK, after nearly four years of neglect,
to grace the Ozzfest bill. This performance had the potential to be
truly classic, but, although Pantera were very good, I expected so
much more from them. Using "Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills" as
their intro only seemed to waste time and get on my nerves (I hate
that song), and choosing to open with "Walk", one of their most
overplayed songs, meant that the set was off to a bad start. Their
set was not what I would have chosen, but it was good, with some of
their best material getting a look in. However, great songs like "Use
My Third Arm", "Mouth for War", "Domination" and "The Great Southern
Trendkill", among others, were sorely neglected. I cannot deny that
Pantera were good, in fact they were very good, but I expect Pantera
to be excellent -- and this they were not today.
After Ozzy's own band finished up, Black Sabbath took a short
break before coming on with "War Pigs", which worked as perfectly as
an opener as it did at Birmingham in December last year. Sabbath
actually played nearly all the same songs today as they did that day,
but who cares when those songs are as timeless as "Fairies Wear
Boots", "Into the Void", "Spiral Architect", etc. With Sabbath, no
song was a dissapointment in itself, as they have way more than two
hours worth of amazing songs. It is a pity, however, that Sabbath
once again didn't include "After Forever" in their set and that only
two songs from _Sabbath Bloody Sabbath_ got an airing. However,
Sabbath are great to see live and sound nearly as good as I'm sure
they did 20 or 30 years ago. Ozzy can no longer reach all the notes
he used to on "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" but this is a minor complaint
and one that cannot bring down a great set by the virtual founders of
metal itself; I think we should just be glad to have them back and
playing live.
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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. Absu - _The Sun of Tiphareth_
2. Monster Magnet - _Powertrip_
3. Pitchshifter - _www.pitchshifter.com_
4. Carcass - _Reek of Putrefaction_
5. Front Line Assembly - _Comatose_
Adrian's Top 5
1. Slayer - _Diabolus In Musica_
2. Vision Of Disorder - _Imprint_
3. Pulkas - _Greed_
4. His Hero Is Gone - _Monuments Of Thieves_
5. The Wellwater Conspiracy - _Declaration Of Conformity_
Andrew's Top 5
1. Xenakis - _Electronic Music_
2. Morton Feldman - _Rothko Chapel / Why Patterns_
3. Schoenberg - _The Piano Music_
4. Merzbow & John Watermann - _Tokyo / Brisbane Interlace_
5. Ligeti - _Grand Macabre_
Brian's Top 5
1. Deeds of Flesh - _Inbreeding the Anthropophagi_
2. Old Man's Child - _Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion_
3. Children of Bodom - _Something Wild_
4. A Canorous Quintet - _The Only Pure Hate_
5. Arch Enemy - _Stigmata_
Adam's Top 5
1. Cemetary - _Sundown_
2. Benumb - _Soul of the Martyr_
3. Entombed - _To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth!_
4. Dayglo Abortions - _Feed Us a Fetus_
5. Various - _Sepultural Feast: A Tribute to Sepultura_
Pedro's Top 5
1. Opeth - _My Arms, Your Hearse_
2. Dawn - _Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)_
3. Anathema - _Alternative 4_
4. Elend - _The Umbersun_
5. Dark Funeral - _Vobiscum Satanas_
Paul's Top 5
1. Dawn - _Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)_
2. Suffocation - _Despise the Sun_
3. Slayer - _Diabolus in Musica_
4. Kreator - _Pleasure to Kill_
5. Tool - _Opiate_
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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:
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
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Downsview Ont.
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Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: ginof@interlog.com
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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
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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
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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
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #32
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.