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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, October 25, 2000, Issue #49
http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley
Copy Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo
Assistant Copy Editor / Contributor: Paul Schwarz
Contributor: Brian Meloon
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk
Contributor: Aaron McKay
Contributor: David Rocher
Contributor: Alex Cantwell
Contributor: Matthias Noll
Contributor: Alvin Wee
Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault
The individual writers can be reached by e-mail at
firstname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com ("firstname" must be replaced by the
respective writer's first name, e.g. Gino@ChroniclesOfChaos.com).
NOTE: You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by
sending a blank e-mail to <Unsubscribe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.
For more Chronicles of Chaos information, check out the
Details section at the end of this issue.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #49 Contents, 10/25/00
----------------------------
- Editorial
- Loud Letters
- Deadly Dialogues
-- Morbid Angel: Ageless Angel of Annihilation
-- Lux Occulta: Re-Constructing a Pocket-Size Universe
-- The Berzerker: Chaos Unleashed From "Down Under"
-- Exhumed: Gory Details From the Exhumed Cult
-- Unmoored: Simmering in Greed
-- Doro: Calling out to Her Fans
-- Opprobrium: Making a Name for Themselves
- Independent Interrogations
-- Anaal Nathrakh: Necro Lives!
-- Alchemist - _Organasm_
-- Ancient Ceremony - _Synagoga Diabolica_
-- Atomizer - _The End of Forever_
-- Aurora - _Devotion_
-- Azrael - _Mafia_
-- Bernard Edwards' Project Homicide - _Bernard Edwards' Project
Homicide_
-- Beseech - _Black Emotions_
-- Blackend - _Mental. Game. Messiah._
-- Burning Inside - _The Eve of the Entities_
-- Burzum - <demo LP bootleg>
-- Corpus Christii - _Saeculum Domini_
-- Crimson Moonlight - _Eternal Emperor_
-- Various - _Critical Mass_
-- Various - _Electropolis Volume II_
-- Dark Age - _Psychotic Side_
-- Deep - _Pieces of Nothing_
-- Desaster / Pentacle - _(Desaster) In League With (Pentacle)_
-- Discordance Axis - _The Inalienable Dreamless_
-- Drowningman - _Rock and Roll Killing Machine_
-- End It - _End It_
-- Ephel Duath - _Phormula_
-- Extol - _Undecieved_
-- Figure Four - _No Weapon Formed Against Us_
-- Funker Vogt - _Maschine Zeit_
-- Various - _Gateway to Hell 2: Tribute to Slayer_
-- Gold fur Eisen - _Kein Morgan_
-- Haemorrhage - _Loathesongs_
-- Hateplow - _The Only Law Is Survival_
-- In Aeternum - _The Pestilent Plague_
-- Into the Sunless Meridian - _Into the Sunless Meridian_
-- Iron Maiden - _Brave New World_
-- Isis - _Celestial_
-- Jane Doe 69 - _Snakeskin_
-- Jester's Funeral - _Quicksilverlight_
-- Various - _Jump in the Pit -- A Tribute to Testament_
-- Juno Reactor - _Shango_
-- Killing Machine - _Killing Machine_
-- Various - _King Diamond Tribute_
-- Kreuzfeuer - _Blut fur Blut_
-- Lesser Known - _Higher Levels_
-- Liber Spirituum - _Frugativi et Appellativi_
-- Mark D - _The Silent Treatment_
-- Martyr - _Warp Zone_
-- Metalium - _State of Triumph -- Chapter Two_
-- Mortification - _10 Years Live Not Dead_
-- Myopia - _Concentration of Suffering_
-- Mythological Cold Towers - _Remoti Meridiani Hymni -- Towards the
Magnificent Realm of the Sun_
-- Nightingale - _I_
-- Nocturnal Rites - _Afterlife_
-- Opera IX - _The Black Opera (Symphoniae Mysterioeum in
Lauden Tenebrarum)_
-- Ordained - _The Second Coming_
-- Origin - _Origin_
-- Physicist - _Physicist_
-- Point of Recognition - _The Admiration of a Son_
-- Postmortem - _Storm Force_
-- Quo Vadis - _Day Into Night_
-- Redeem - _A Diadem of Beauty_
-- Various - _Root of All Evil 2000 2nd Anniversary Sampler_
-- Rotten Sound - _Still Psycho_
-- Scariot - _Death Forlorn_
-- Society's Burden - _Ten Tales From Hell's Trailer Park_
-- Somnus - _Awakening the Crown_
-- Soulfly - _Primitive_
-- Soulless - _The Darkening of Days_
-- Steve Von Till - _As the Crow Flies_
-- Symphony X - _V_
-- The Fallen - _The Tones in Which We Speak_
-- The Haunted - _The Haunted Made Me Do It_
-- Tierra Santa - _Tierras de Leyenda_
-- Walhalla - _Firereich_
-- Various - _World of Pain -- A Tribute to Sepultura_
-- Wumpscut - _Bloodchild_
-- Yattering - _Murder's Concept_
-- Zemial - _For the Glory of UR_
-- Bealiah / Unevil Hopes - <split demo>
-- Erase - _Plastic Soul_
-- Lucifer - _Watching the Christians Burn_
-- Torment - _Torment_
- What We Have Cranked
- Details
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_____)
/ /) , , /)
)__ _(/ _/_ _____ _ //
/ (_(__(_(__(_)/ (__(_(_(_(/_
(_____)
by: Gino Filicetti
The pressure is on, folks, but the unstoppable CoC staff has
been furiously working hard to recapture our title of "MONTHLY
ezine".
Although this issue finds itself in your inbox more than a
little tardy, rest assured that we already have material for CoC #50
completed, and that we'll be releasing that issue as soon as the
material is assembled and proofed. That should find us in the early
weeks of November, after which we will most assuredly reclaim the
FIRST of each month as our official release date.
I know that most of you are grateful enough that Chronicles of
Chaos even exists, let alone that we release issues regularly every
month. But this is something that we've let slip in the past year and
I believe it is our DUTY to get this magazine out to everyone in a
quick and timely manner.
So please bear with us as we ascend the mountain of commitment
once again and make our promise to you that Chronicles of Chaos will
become as reliable as the winter frost in Norway.
Before I go, I thought I might bring it to everyone's attention
that we have just recently surpassed the 3000 subscriber mark! This
marks another milestone in the 5+ year lifespan of Chronicles of
Chaos. However, these last 1000 subscribers have taken almost twice
as long to find CoC as the first 2000. Does this mean that we've
plateaued as an ezine? Does this mean that there are no longer any
extreme music enthusiasts out there that aren't already subscribed to
CoC? You can bet your ass the answer is a resounding NO on both
counts.
But to reach our next milestone of 4000 subscribers, we need the
help of each and everyone of our readers. We need your help to spread
the word, to tell the world of CoC, to help us turn this ezine into
an Internet phenomenon: the largest and most respected non-profit,
non-commercial and unrelenting ezine in the world.
So get posting on your message boards, chatrooms, IRC channels
and even your dusty old Fidonet BBSes. Direct everyone to our website
at http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com where they can now subscribe to
our ezine mailing list (where they will get the entire issue of CoC
in their mailbox every month) or our notification mailing list (where
they will get small email notices of new issues every month).
We can't do it without your help. Go forth and spread the word
of CoC like it's never been spread before.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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:LoudLetters@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.
All letters received will be featured in upcoming issues of
Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000
From: Andrew Lannen <andrewc@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Poor Review Technique
I've been a CoC reader for quite a while now, and rely on its
reviews for hints about what albums are must tries and which to
avoid. Unfortunately, Aaron McKay's terrible review of Running Wild's
_Victory_ is the low point thus far for CoC.
It's not that _Victory_ is a good album. It deserved a 3 out of
10, along with a scathing critique of the subpar songwriting and
lackluster drumming. Instead of an intelligent critique, though,
McKay spent the entire review taking cheap shots at the lead band
member's name, the band they did a cover tune of (what's wrong with
the Beatles anyway?), and who they toured with several years ago.
Nothing but mindless bashing unworthy of a quality zine like CoC.
What else could be expected when the opening sentence mentions how
much the reviewer hates this style of metal?
_Victory_ is Running Wild's ELEVENTH studio album since 1984, and
they have maitained a consistent quality that most bands only dream
about. Is it beyond McKay to treat them with the respect that they've
earned over the years? I suggest that the next time he gets a CD from
a genre of metal he intensely dislikes, he should kindly pass it on
for someone else to review.
Andrew Lannen
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000
From: Ax <Xul@phreaker.net>
Subject: Response to csarcher@hotmail.com
> alla xul (CoC #45)--duh, metal is Satan and God is a weak little
> bitch. Hail Satan! YARRR!!! What a misanthrope.
Bullshit
> alla xul (CoC #46)--like reading his previous letter, only funnier.
> He attempts to slay RayRuenes@aol.com by "ridiculating" his
> "intellectual mumbelings." You should talk. Learn how to spell. Is
> that foreign to you?
If you read the letter again you will see that he was the one trying
to ridiculate me by various completely uninteresting and irrelevant
intellectual speculations. As for my english, yes it sucks but that
is also completely uninteresting. And yes again, english is foreign
to me.
> Well, there you have it. The argument that won't die away. Well,
> I've got the definitive answer...LET IT GO ALREADY! JUST LISTEN TO
> THE MUSIC AND DON'T TRY TO SEE ANY DEEPER MEANING IN IT THAN IT
> ALREADY HAS!
Look, the fact is metal=!christianity. Metal is not really satanic
but it sure as hell does not have anything to do with christianity i
dont see how that is so complicated to grasp, perhaps it is because
most people do not realize what christianity is. Another thing i dont
really understand is why there, as soon as two (or more) people start
arguing in any public forum there is always lots of pacifistic,
generalizing idiots that starts interfering with posts like 'you guys
are so silly blablabla', what exactly do you hope to accomplish with
such posts? I think i prooved my points pretty good. What you wrote
in that letter is just generalizing and missinterprenting the
original posts and then adding your own uninteresting conclusions. If
you have a problem with people having an argument then you can simply
ignore them instead of trying to flush them out with posts like the
above.
/Ax
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000
From: "Cody" <saiwat@win.bright.net>
Subject: Metal fest
Hello,
Just found out ezine surfing around and wow keep up the good work.
This year was my first metal fest and it blew me away. I live only 4
hrs away from it but just started to get into death/black metal so I
was kind of a outsider walking around with my white NIN shirt. One
band you forgot to point out was Babylon whores. They put on a killer
show and won me over big time as a fan. Just before them "The Fall"
where not bad but only playing three songs didn't give me much chance
to get into them. I also was wondering which one your writers was the
one trying to pick chicks up in line for the Mayhem autographs?
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A G E L E S S A N G E L O F A N N I H I L A T I O N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Steve Tucker of Morbid Angel
by: Aaron McKay
Here's some background. It is fairly well-established that my
growing up in the "Sunshine State" has impacted my musical penchant.
Therefore, being exposed to a lot of the juggernauts that comprise
the Florida death metal scene made its mark. I sure won't insult your
intelligence by listing off the scene's pioneers. Let's just leave it
at: Morbid Angel concerts were a regular attraction for me. Off hand,
I can remember answering with my attendance Morbid Angel's particular
beacon of brutality more than just a few times. Due to the time frame
I lived in Florida, I was inherently thrilled to bear witness to the
band's _Alters of Madness_ through _Domination_ era. Incredible
times.
Presently and admittedly, I have never had the privilege to see
Steve Tucker perform with the band, so getting the opportunity to
discuss Morbid Angel with Mr. Tucker more-or-less completed the
circle. Our discussion was detailed, open and frank, with a startling
surge of enthusiasm on both our parts. I had too many questions and
just so precious little time -- after all, there is -a lot- going on
in the Morbid Angel camp.
I told Steve I thought this new album, _Gateways to
Annihilation_ [reviewed in this issue], was the Morbid Angel album
they were preparing their whole careers to release. "Excellent,
man!", Steve rings in. "Thanks! We just wrote it from our heart.
Three words I would use to sum up this album are dark, passionate,
and vibe. That's what this record consists of." He goes on
enthusiastically: "I think this record is extremely passionate and I
think that shows. I think that is something that you instantly
recognize: the passion. The vibe gives a constant flow of energy and
it's amazingly dark." I highly doubt anyone having the privilege to
hear _Gateways to Annihilation_ could argue with anything said there.
Really.
Before I got to the intricacies of Steve's vocal approach on
this record, I probed around for some of his influences. "Slayer!",
he issues forth with no hesitation. "Slayer made me want to play
music. When I heard the early Slayer, it just set me off. I went
berserk. It started for me with Slayer."
Now here is the point that I bet you guys didn't see coming;
what about vocal inspiration, Mr. Tucker? Araya? "No, man -- it'd be
like Ronnie James Dio." Surprised? I was, too. Listen to his
rational, though. "It is a matter of power", Steve instructs. "I know
that a lot of people won't understand me comparing what I do to
Ronnie James Dio, but there is a definite correlation -- it is about
power." I sure can see what Mr. Tucker is saying here. Morbid Angel's
worshipper of the man on the silver mountain emphatically continues:
"He's brutal. I mean he's not death metal, but still one of the most
powerful people I think I have ever heard sing in my life." That
seems like enough of an endorsement and reason for me.
Now lyrics. You had a lot to do with them for this release,
right, Steve? "I wrote them all except for "Secured Limitations","
Tucker affirms. "These are my words. They come from me. People have
asked me, "Vocally, you sound a lot different on this record. Why is
that?" -- I wrote these words, man." He continues, "When you are
writing passionately about things that you feel passionate about, it
comes across as passionate." This is ever so evident on this record,
my friends. I don't think Socrates could have said it any better.
The drumming; A perfect punctuation to the material presented on
_Gateways to Annihilation_. "We spent a lot of time on drums", the
group's bassist informs me. "We spent more time on drums than Morbid
Angel has -ever- spent on drums." Yea? How long? "Two straight weeks
on drums", comes the reply. "That's unheard of. Usually it is like
four or five days. We did sixty takes of some songs. [The band]
thought it meant everything." Well, Mr. Tucker, it shows. You know
Pete is capable of an eight-armed blast machine offensive, but
instead Mr. Sandoval's caged furor is force like none other on
_Gateways to Annihilation_. You'll have to hear it to believe it.
Trey's got another vocal effort on this one, too. Is there a
threat lashing Trey's vocal efforts from "Invocation of the Continual
One" (_Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_) to "Secured Limitations" on this
release? "We did some cool effects to Trey's voice to make it seem
super-seething", Steve tells me. "Trey wrote the lyrics and showed me
the song by singing it. I was actually listening to his track [with
Trey singing] and singing -my- track and then played them back. It
was like, "Holy shit! This sounds incredible."" Most certainly, if
you liked "Invocation of the Continual One", you are in for a special
treat with "Secured Limitations". In addition to Mr. Azagthoth's
improvisational guitar soloing on this album, his vocal effort makes
his contribution nearly priceless.
Now, Erik Rutan; one of metal's hardest working souls. "He wrote
the music for the last song, "God of the Forsaken", and "Awakenings"
that comes in before the song "I"", Steve Tucker states. "Erik is an
important part of Morbid Angel. There was a lot of shit surrounding
_Formulas..._, but Erik did every single show for _Formulas..._. He
was there. I mean, I have never done a single show with Morbid Angel
without Erik."
I have to say that members of my fellow press corps who
prematurely proclaimed the demise of this band due to David Vincent's
departure and Erik Rutan's less-than-direct participation on some
past Morbid Angel releases really messed-up in light of what Steve
Tucker just filled me in on. Honestly like this is what I live for.
That and maybe music like _Gateways..._.
Furthermore, Steve elaborates, "Right after we recorded
_Gateways..._, Erik went off to record the Alas album [one of his two
side projects -- Aaron] in New Jersey. Erik is a very important part
of this band and one of my very best friends."
""Ageless, Still I Am" is a song that I don't think people are
going to get the first few times", the formidable frontman
elaborates. "There are some things going on in that song that are
really, really obscure things that Morbid Angel has never done
before." He's right, folks. I've gotten something out of that song...
-nay-, the whole album, -every- time I listen to it. If you are a
Morbid Angel fan like I am, I'll say this, I am buying another copy
of _Gateways to Annihilation_ -- one for my apartment and one for my
truck. I wouldn't want to be caught either place without a copy if...
no!, -when- I get to needin' some potent death metal. As of right
now, I dread the thought of having to choose between _Gateways to
Annihilation_ and Venom's _Resurrection_ for my album of the year!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
RE-CONSTRUCTING A POCKET-SIZE UNIVERSE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Jaroslaw of Lux Occulta
by: Pedro Azevedo
Even though when Poland is mentioned the mighty Vader may be the band
that will come to most metalheads' minds, others inside that
geographical area are worthy of attention. And ever since I
discovered Lux Occulta when their painfully doomy debut _Forever
Alone. Immortal._ [CoC #18] came out in 1996, I knew they had the
potential to create some highly remarkable music. And they have kept
doing so. The talented symphonies of 1997's _Dionysos_ [CoC #29] have
led to the band's greatest musical achievement to date, last year's
excellent _My Guardian Anger_ [CoC #48], an album which once again
displays Lux Occulta's ability to create tightly woven albums in
which music, lyrics and imagery all play important parts. Musically,
the aggression is still all there, their skill seems ever-increasing
and creativity appears to be more abundant than ever as Lux Occulta
prepare to record their fourth full-length album. Representing the
band that has been producing the most interesting music in Eastern
Europe to have reached my ears, vocalist Jaroslaw answered an e-mail
questionnaire that should allow you to find out more about Lux
Occulta.
CoC: You have come a long way since your debut _Forever Alone.
Immortal._, during which you seem to have forsaken some of the
doom and anguish in your music in favour of greater dynamics and
symphonic arrangements. Do you agree? Would you say there have
been changes in your musical objectives, in what you try to
express through your music?
Jaroslaw: Well, everything changes, that's life. And since we are
alive, so is our art. I don't know if it's good or bad, but
we get bored quite quickly with music. You see, we were
really into these gloomy, somehow ascetic sounds on
_Forever Alone. Immortal._; we were into doom and primitive
black metal back then. But some day we discovered that two
guitars and a never-ending amount of instruments in
keyboards can be used in a bit more complex ways, we
discovered Cradle of Filth -- no, I'm not ashamed to admit
that -- and Emperor. That was when _Dionysos_ was created.
But after the recording of _Dionysos_, a few months later
we realized that this kind of symphonic black metal has its
limits as well. You can hear them in all these so-called
symphonic black metal albums that the underground is still
full of. That's why with _My Guardian Anger_ we decided to
go even further, not to limit ourselves to metal, not to
look upon so-called big ones of the genre. We have
incorporated some jazzy elements to our music, we have
experimented with music and the sound. But the result is
the most aggressive and extreme album in our discography.
And the less boring one, I'd say! <laughs> And we will keep
on going in this direction, I can promise that.
CoC: _My Guardian Anger_, your latest full-length release, does
indeed see the band stepping forward into more avant-garde
experimentation in your extreme metal -- which in my opinion now
has more of a death metal tinge than a black metal one as it
used to as well. Do you agree? If so, what caused this?
J: I'm not sure if there's much death metal on _My Guardian Anger_. I
mean, maybe some guitar lines, some of the vocal parts, but that's
all. I guess the new stuff will have even more of that, but still,
it won't be a death metal album. What caused these changes? No
reason, really. We hardly ever think about our music, we just play
it. I guess we did our best on the symphonic black metal field
with _Dionysos_ and that's why we moved towards a more progressive
style on _My Guardian Anger_. And we keep on evolving.
CoC: All of your three full-length albums so far are based on quite
distinctive sets of subject, lyrics and artwork -- the change
from your debut _FA.I._ to _Dionysos_ having been very
noticeable, and the same again between _Dionysos_ and _My
Guardian Anger_. Do you consider them as concept albums, or do
you just create each of them around a certain different subject?
J: Yes, that's how we used to work so far. All of the above mentioned
albums are more or less conceptual ones. I just liked this way of
working with lyrics, and since I always enjoyed concept albums by
other artists as well, I thought it would be interesting to come
up with something like that. But I'm not sure if the next one is
going to be a concept album too, I still have to consider all the
pros and cons.
CoC: Were you especially satisfied with one particular album, on the
whole: music, lyrics and artwork working together especially
well?
J: It must be the last one. We have even changed our nicknames to
make them fit to the whole concept of _My Guardian Anger_. But of
course we've made a good job on _Dionysos_ as well when it comes
to the correspondence between the lyrical concept and the artwork.
That's what I always try to achieve: to make an album become a
piece of art by all means. Of course the music is the most
important thing, but it's not the only thing that counts. That's
just why I'm a little bit afraid of this MP3 stuff. Not that I'm
afraid of losing money because of pirate downloads, because when
it comes to bands like ourselves it's a great way of promotion --
maybe the best one. What I mean is that when you have a Lux
Occulta album downloaded on your hard drive, that means you only
have one part of it, maybe some 70% of what it's all about. But I
hope there are still some people who care about such "useless"
things as lyrics and artwork.
CoC: Both the front and back covers of _My Guardian Anger_ are quite
remarkable, in my opinion. What do they mean to you?
J: The front cover. I already had the album title, the lyrics and the
idea of Tarot cards [for each of the band members] inside the
booklet, but I didn't know what to put on the front cover. There
were some ideas of some angel image, but it would be too simple a
choice with this title. And the other day I met Jacek, the guy who
painted most of the Vader covers. He showed me his works and there
was one picture between these predictable born-to-be-metal album
cover pictures that really grabbed my attention. It was this naked
man, kneeling in front of Cosmos with the knife in his hands. I
thought it would be a perfect illustration of what I wanted to say
with this album... And the back cover. Well, I think of it as of
some bitter pill to swallow. Some people say it's tasteless and
maybe they are right. But you know, the message behind the album
is something like "I am a proud human being, I can destroy and
create worlds"... and the back cover was meant to be kind of a
question mark put at the end of this sentence.
CoC: I also found your representation of the band members through
those Tarot cards quite curious. Did everyone just choose his
own different card without any conflicting options? I mean, how
representative of your personalities are they?
J: No conflicts at all. To be honest, I expected some. I thought
everyone would like to be Death or Magician; but no, everyone
agreed with the card I've chosen. Yes, I have chosen all of them,
simply because I'm the one in the band who knows most about Tarot,
occultism and the meaning behind it all. They trust me totally
when it comes to these things, as much as I trust them when it
comes to music, if you know what I mean. Of course I wanted the
cards to be very representative of our personalities as well as
the whole concept of the album. Some of the choices were pretty
obvious to me, some more difficult (like Martin being The Sun),
but I think I've succeeded anyway.
CoC: The phrase "Re-construction of one pocket-size universe with the
patchwork method" that you applied to _My Guardian Anger_ makes
sense considering the variety of material contained therein and
the way it flows; but again, what does it mean to you? And how
successful would you say that re-construction was?
J: Well, the above mentioned phrase is the key to understanding the
album. It's about destroying the links to the outer world and
choosing the way of creation... It says that we all can be gods,
at least to some extent, and we should use the power that we have,
even if we're destined to fall. In my opinion, the act of creation
is more important than its result; the road itself is more
important than the place it leads to. My personal re-construction
of my own pocket-size universe is not finished yet, but if your
question is about the album itself, I think it came out pretty
good.
CoC: This time you seem to have tried to bring in a myriad of
elements into your music, much more so than in previous albums,
despite their considerable variety. Where is it that you draw
inspiration from to create such music?
J: Lots of different inspirations, not only the musical ones. I think
the music we play is first of all the reflection of who we are,
our twisted personalities, our dreams and fears. This is like a
fundament on which we built the Lux Occulta style. But of course
then comes the music we listen to. We are all into extreme and
original metal, we all enjoy bands like Morbid Angel, Opeth,
Nocturnus, Emperor, Nile, Samael (with the exception of _Eternal_,
which is pretty boring, I'd say), Master's Hammer, Phlebotomized,
Sigh, Forgotten Silence, Kobong (last three being one of the most
underrated bands in the history of extreme music). But we're also
into David Bowie, Sisters of Mercy, Faith No More, Portishead,
Massive Attack, Apollo 440... Some jazz and classical stuff as
well. We're very open-minded when it comes to music we listen to
and sometimes we "borrow" some ideas from non-metal bands and
transform them into metal. I guess that's one of the things that
makes our music interesting and fresh.
CoC: You have also released a collection of miscellaneous material
titled _Maior Arcana_, which I haven't heard yet; what does it
consist of?
J: It's our only demo _The Forgotten Arts_ remastered, as well as
supposed-to-be-vinyl-EP _Maior Arcana_ stuff, consisting of a new
version of "Love" from the demo, a song called "When Horned Songs
Awake" (it always kills live, but I don't like the studio version)
and two covers. One of them is Danzig's classic "Heart of the
Devil" and the other "Burn", an oldie from Sisters of Mercy. I
wrote my own lyrics to the second one, which are inspired by the
church-burning accidents [I wonder if he meant "incidents" --
Pedro] in Norway in the early '90s. I guess _Maior Arcana_, being
a half-priced CD, is a good purchase for fans -- but for fans
only. I guess it wouldn't be wise to begin with that one if you'd
like to know what Lux Occulta is about.
CoC: I believe you have left your old label, Pagan Records, and
signed with Portugal's Maquiavel Music; is that correct? What
motivated this change after such a long stay with Pagan? What
are your expectations for this new deal?
J: As I said before, we like changes. Changes are always good, they
help you to look upon everything you did before from a different
perspective. We have signed to Maquiavel Music because we feel
they're able to push us on another level. Maybe not in terms of
sales, because it's up to the fans after all, but in terms of
professional promotion and distribution. You know, we're doing
very well in Poland, we're maybe second to Vader here, but that's
Poland only. We're almost unknown abroad and I believe that our
music is good enough to do something more. We also believe that
Maquiavel Music would be able to send us on an European tour,
which was too difficult for Pagan Records. Anyway, it's quite
possible that Pagan will still represent us in Poland.
CoC: What are your plans for the future now? Are there any details
you can reveal about your next album yet?
J: Our main and only goal at the moment is to record the fourth
album, tentatively called _Mother and the Enemy_. I hope we'll be
able to do that in February 2001. All I can say at the moment is
that the new stuff will be much more advanced on the technical
side than _My Guardian Anger_, more extreme, but also much more
experimental. We'd like to set our own standards in metal music
and I guess this time we're able to do that. And when the album is
recorded we will think about some touring. We've been already
asked by Rotting Christ to support them on their journey across
Europe, and I guess that would be great. But nothing's certain at
the moment.
CoC: Is there anything else you would like to mention before ending
this interview?
J: Thank you for your support. Be prepared for our fourth coming in
2001, we're going to steal your souls... Anybody, feel free to
visit our website. Some sections are still under construction, but
I hope you'll find it pretty interesting and informative anyway.
There will be some MP3s soon available for free, so all of you not
familiar with Lux Occulta, download them to your hard drive and
enjoy. And you can always contact me at
<mailto:luxocculta@poczta.fm>. Magick. Freedom. Art.
Contact: http://luxocculta.rockmetal.art.pl
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C H A O S U N L E A S H E D F R O M " D O W N U N D E R "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with The Berzerker
by: Adrian Bromley
When one thinks of the fastest and most brutal records this
year, there is no doubt that many fingers will point to Australian
band The Berzerker and their self-titled release for Earache Records
[CoC #47].
The debut release paints a horribly vivid picture of our world
and the state in which we live. Just look at song titles like "Pain",
"Massacre" and "Cannibal Rights" and you'll understand just where
these weirdoes are coming from. Throw on top of that blasting drums,
violently charged vocals, ungodly industrial rhythms and ear-piercing
guitar riffs and the chaos just goes, um, berzerk. I'm sure you get
the picture.
When asked about his take on society and how he plans to help
elevate it from the depths that it has fallen into, head guy The
Berzerker answers: "It is not designed to add, it is designed to
take. To take the diseased shell of the mundane human rituals and
habits that exist on this planet and destroy them to reveal a being
with a greater purity than man. Some achieve this via
self-mutilation, drugs or violence. We achieve a more intense result
in the form of music. My disgust with humanity was not something that
I was born with; it stems from my many years of being let down and
disappointed with the performance of almost 100% of the humans I have
encountered throughout numerous countries on this planet. But my
views on humanity are best described in the lyrics of the first song
on the record, titled "Reality"."
There are a few elements that make _The Berzerker_ an album
truly worth a listen and, in this case, a look. While bombarding us
with gabba-fueled industrial death ditties from Hell, the outcasts
from society that make up The Berzerker are presented with gruesome
skin-like masks and an atrocious appearance. Aren't they afraid that
they could be called a gimmick band, lumping them in with the likes
of Gwar or Slipknot?
"The Berzerker has not been created to change people's opinions
or views", comes the reply. "Our philosophy is a simple one, and that
is to unite worthy, like-minded beings, beings who are honest,
motivated and self-driven to do the things they say they will. It is
to create a sub-race somewhere on this planet where we can exist
without being surrounded by inconsiderate beings and to be given the
rare opportunity to have the utmost respect for the others who are
chosen to surround us. The human form conjures up images of
complacency, therefore the human form will be avoided."
And what of The Berzerker's thoughts on the debut disc? What is
more important for the band, the lyrics or the music? "There is not a
single area of The Berzerker that overpowers any other. They all must
have an equal amount of my attention. At the present moment (as the
album is finally complete) the live shows, continual expansion of the
band's image and general awareness of The Berzerker is my current
focus. The Berzerker is much more than a band, an artist, or simply
as music. The Berzerker involves almost all aspects of life on a
physical level and spiritual level. My goals are very extensive and
encompass many different aspects of life. More information on this
topic will be revealed at an appropriate time."
He continues: "This quote should sum up my opinion about the
album: "Embalming is essentially a process designed to present a dead
human individual in the most natural, lifelike attitude and
appearance possible. Anything which detracts from the appearance of
naturalness will lessen the success of the embalming operation. And
in the strictest sense of the word, any result which is not a
complete success must be regarded as a failure.""
So just where do these ideas and themes stem from? Are they
taken from real life or just spur-of-the-moment thoughts inspired by
certain situations? Berzerker says: "The topics are not a conscious
decision by myself. All the themes are based purely on facts. If my
attention is brought to an event I think is worthy of The Berzerker,
we will encompass the event and all of the heightened emotions that
were involved in the particular event. We chose the name The
Berzerker in relating to the "berserk" or bare-sark Norse warriors.
The physical appearance of the berserk was one calculated to present
an image of terror. The berserker was thought not only to have
assumed the ferocity of an animal, but also to have acquired the
strength of the bear. By the 12th century, the berserk, with his
Odinic religion, animalistic appearance, his inhuman frenzy upon the
battlefield, and terrorism within the Scandinavian community,
disappeared. The berserk, like his patron deity Odin, was forced to
yield to the dissolution of Pagan society and the advent of the White
Christ", he notes.
"The Berzerker [band], as it stands today, is the most natural
form of extremity known on this planet. And being as no
performance-enhancing drugs are used at any time, including the
recording process and the live performances, this holds true to all
sides of the debate on what is truly extreme."
These guys are extreme -- to the max.
Contact: http://www.theberzerker.com
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G O R Y D E T A I L S F R O M T H E E X H U M E D C U L T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC talks to Matt Harvey of Exhumed
by: Adrian Bromley
Gee, I wonder what Exhumed's new disc, titled _Slaughtercult_,
will be about? Daisy-filled fields? Beautiful songs about love and
inspiration? Perhaps a song about the wonderful world we live in?
Don't count on it, people. With song titles like "Slave to the
Casket", "Funeral Fuck", "Dinnertime in the Morgue" and "A Lesson in
Pathology", Exhumed are back and they are here to fuck things up more
than they already are. All in the name of gore!
The one thing that has always impressed me about Exhumed is the
fact that the band (rounded out by vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey,
guitarist Mike Beams, drummer Col Jones and new bassist Bud Burke, ex
of Pale Existence) has always been about what they want. They write
what they want to. They play how they want to. As long as they can
fuck things up and make things as gorified as possible, then all is
good in the Exhumed camp.
Matt Harvey agrees. "We do what we want to do and we don't
conform to anyone. We do what we want and we put what we want on the
front cover. We don't place a nice piece of artwork on top of the
brutal music within. I hate those bands that do that or put on photos
to rationalize a justification of singing about rotting corpses. We
know at the end of the day that a rotting corpse is just that, a
fucking rotting corpse. We just don't care. I guess it can all be
summed up in one sentence: we don't give a fuck!"
And with such putrid images of blood and body parts, severed
limbs and death sequences adorning their album covers, what sort of
flack or censorship have they attained thus far? "Oh yeah, man. We
get a lot of shit about what we are doing and to tell you the truth,
we don't really deal with it. We don't care what people really say
about Exhumed, good or bad. There are always people out there saying
that it is "juvenile and stupid", and you know what? It is juvenile
and stupid. Who cares? We are just having a good fucking time. I
don't care what people say, as long as they don't say we are just
"okay". I want people to either hate what we are doing or love us.
People that think we are just "okay" piss me off and make me wonder
just where we went wrong." He laughs.
"We are just fans of music and we just can't get enough of
metal", explains Harvey. "I think the main reason why we all enjoy
playing in Exhumed so much is that we want Exhumed to be the band
we'd like to see. We sit around smoking and drinking beer and saying,
"What kind of band do I want to see?" Or "What kind of record do I
want to hear and have it kick my ass?" That is what we strive for,
and will continue to strive for, with this band. That's the whole
secret, man. It isn't anything fancy. We just want to play straight
up death metal that is fast and brutal as fuck."
Ah -- that would explain the reasoning behind Exhumed's
passionate throat grabbing sessions with each release. These guys go
for the jugular and won't leave until your blood-soaked corpse has
stopped convulsing. These are sickos at work and they mean business.
"I just want people to get a lot out of what we do. To let
people know that we are paying respect to the bands that inspired us,
but doing it the way Exhumed was meant to do it. You know, it is us
playing the music and you can tell where our roots are coming from.
We just keep it messy and full of gore." He adds: "I think death
metal in general, I'm talking the whole genre, has become quite
cautious and so overproduced and clean. We aren't about that. Exhumed
didn't use drum triggers or computer editing. We went in to the
studio, sung into the microphones and played our music and this is
the result. Deal with it."
Those who hear the Exhumed record will no doubt hear the raw yet
symphonic wails of aggression take shape into a sonic wall of
intensity. Thanks in part to Nasum frontman Mieszko Talarczyk,
Exhumed has presented a much fuller sound to digest, though still
chock-full of all those gory details. About working with Mieszko, he
says: "We wanted a really clear sound, but not a clean and safe one.
He is more like a punk producer and that is what makes him so good.
It is like the best of both worlds, a raw in-your-face sound that has
metal riffs played with clarity and it just brings out the fierceness
of it all. We really saw eye to eye on a lot of things, and we knew
what he was all about, seeing that we are Nasum fans. He wasn't
afraid to push us to try harder too. I'd be playing my part and he'd
turn to me and say, "I thought we were making a death metal record.
Why are you playing like a pussy?" <laughs> Then I'd go back and play
it again until I got it the way he saw it to be. He pushed us and
totally whipped us into shape as a band."
Besides the gore aspect of Exhumed, the band has also changed
quite a bit over the years in terms of a revolving door of musicians,
each time out adding a unique feel to the sound and style of the
band. How does Harvey feel about all of the band member changes
throughout their existence? How do things stay intact? "<laughs> We
have been through a lot of changes, but it has been worth it, I
guess. All of the members now have been with the band for a while and
we are all contributing to the record. We have had a lot of line-up
changes and I think that is just because me and Col are a bunch of
pricks. We want things our way. We want Exhumed to be A-B-C and if
you want D-E-F then you can fuck off. It is so funny to hear all of
these bands that have line-up changes go and say, "This guy was a
jerk and we couldn't work with him." Yeah, right. Those guys in the
band are probably assholes. You have to be an asshole to do this and
get things done. If you are not part of the solution, then you are
the problem. It is that simple."
He finishes: "Like I said, I'm an asshole about a lot of things
and Exhumed means a lot to me. I am this way because Exhumed has to
be a certain way. If it isn't the way we want it to be, then why the
fuck do it then? Plus, being an asshole is fun."
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S I M M E R I N G I N G R E E D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Christian Alvestam of Unmoored
by: Alvin Wee
All but the most dedicated fans of the Swedish scene would be
familiar with this band's poorly promoted album _Cimmerian_. A
blessing in disguise perhaps, for the seriously sub-par debut to sink
into obscurity: Unmoored are back with a major overhaul, and the
stellar _Kingdoms of Greed_ attests to the band's new-found prowess.
While a similarly improved promotion isn't quite expected from the
label, the very quality of the music should garner considerable
attention from discerning critics and fans alike. I hooked up with
main man Christian Alvestam in the hope of gaining some insight into
the remarkable new opus...
Christian Alvestam: Well, let's start by saying we're more than
satisfied with the final result. I personally
sacrificed a great deal in the making of
_Kingdoms of Greed_, so now that it turned out as
well as it did, it really is a relief. The album
was recorded at Studio Abyss under the watchful
eye of producer Tommy Tagtgren, which means the
production is of highest quality. In contrast to
_Cimmerian_, _KoG_ is more of a concept album
lyrically, dealing with all those bittersweet
desires that form our lives. As goes for the
music, it's faster and more intense than on the
debut. It's still as dynamic and varied as
_Cimmerian_, though.
CoC: You're still a relatively new name in the scene, but you guys
have been pretty active in the past. Surely there's some history
to share?
CA: When we started out back in the late winter of '93, I don't think
we really had any goals in the strict sense of the word. However,
in '94 we recorded our first "official" demo called _Wood-Chuck
Tune_ and it was generally very well received. From that day we
all started taking Unmoored more seriously, encouraged by the
great response. As for goals, recording an album suddenly had
become one. It took us three demos, _Wood-Chuck Tune_ included,
to finally get signed in the Summer of '97: a two-album deal with
the Singaporean label Pulverised Records. After finishing the
recording of our debut album at Sunlight studios, we immediately
started working on some new material. We made a couple of songs
with Nicke still being a full-time member (our drummer back
then), but we soon realized his limited drum skills, along with
his decreasing interest in the band in consequence of his
personal problems at the time, would put a spoke in our wheel. We
simply didn't want to jeopardize what we had going, so we gave
him an ultimatum. Either you concentrate on the band
wholeheartedly or you give notice. He chose the alternative
last-mentioned. We also felt like we had taken Unmoored as far as
we could go with the sound established on _Cimmerian_ without
starting to repeat ourselves musically. So with the help of
drummer Jocke Pettersson, co-producer of _Cimmerian_, we tried to
take Unmoored one step further. Did we succeed? Well, the answer
to that can be found on _Kingdoms of Greed_. Feel free to check
it out!
CoC: Either I'm imagining things or some of you have bands on the
side, don't you? Jocke's with Thy Primordial, that's for sure...
CA: Both me and Jocke are involved with several other bands and
projects besides Unmoored, while Rickard and Tobbe aren't. Solar
Dawn, Trone and Supernaut are some of the constellations I play
with when I'm not practising the guitar in Unmoored. Jocke is
also a member of Thy Primordial, Retaliation and Kids Are Sick,
to mention a few.
CoC: You mentioned Nicke "putting a spoke in your wheel" due to his
waning interest. Was the unsatisfactory debut album a direct
cause of this trouble? Or were you just trying to appeal more to
the fans with _Kingdoms of Greed_?
CA: When Nicke declared his resignation, our rehearsals consequently
stopped. I then started writing new material completely on my own
in view of the situation. All of a sudden there was no longer
anybody placing obstacles in my way. Back when Nicke still was in
the band, we often had to compromise in the writing process, you
see. Always having to simplify everything so that he would be
able to play the songs. Considering this, I don't think it's hard
to understand our development, or our shift in sound as you
prefer to call it. It consequently has nothing to do with trying
to enlist more listeners or anything. We've simply removed the
missing link, that's all.
CoC: So what exactly instigated this shift in sound? Why choose this
specific genre of technical death? It's a fine example of
integrating melody with aggression in the true Swedish
tradition, don't you think?
CA: First of all, we didn't choose to play in this style. This was
just something that came to be once we started writing the new
material with Nicke being out of the picture and all. You know,
"cause and effect". As for the mixture of melody and mayhem, the
challenge in trying to get these two elements working with one
another is in itself the source of inspiration generating
creativity. I simply need this defiance in order to be productive
of new material.
CoC: It's interesting to know what state of mind you're in when
composing this duality of passions. Also, I guess your
influences wouldn't stray too far away from the realm of death
metal?
CA: I write new music all the time, no matter what frame of mind I'm
in. You can say composing kind of works the other way around for
me. Creating new stuff makes me feel good, whatever temper I
might be in right before picking up the guitar. As for
influences, let's put it this way: bands that we've really come
to dig throughout the years are Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Morbid
Angel, Obituary, Testament, Vader, Bolt Thrower, Carcass,
Emperor, At the Gates, Entombed, Dismember, Hypocrisy, Eucharist,
Dissection and Edge of Sanity, to mention a few.
CoC: I personally feel the standard of lyrics in the scene is
abysmal, but you seem to handle some unique issues with your
writings. What do you usually try to portray? Do you feel there
is a disadvantage when the listener cannot hear the lyrics
clearly like in normal singing?
CA: I'm not trying to spread any message with my lyrics or anything.
I pretty much just write down my own thoughts and opinions
whenever I see, hear or read something interesting that affects
me in one way or another. I don't think not hearing every word in
a song is something that works against you, since the listener
then has to read the lyrics in order to make out what the vocals
are all about. This way you're reaching out to the listener in
more ways than one.
[The highlight of _Cimmerian_ had to be the final track, entitled
"Final State", a sensitive, emotional "ballad", heavily angst-ridden
and self-searching. "Final State Part II" made its appearance on
_KoG_, once again proving a remarkable experience with the emotive
singing and hugely memorable leads. I tried to get to the bottom of
the obviously deeply personal lyrics.]
CoC: The "Final State" songs are very interesting... they seem to
reflect your personal experiences. Is this a sort of catharsis
for you, to get it out of your system? Care to share it with us?
CA: The "Final State" songs are by far the most personal ones to
date. If I told you what they were about lyrically, it would be
like giving away the end of a movie before seeing it. I think
lyrics in general work better this way -- unanalyzed, that is.
[The blatant piss-taking of the track "Now and Forever" on the debut
album upset me for some time; it seemed to ridicule the imagery of
the extreme black metal scene. My annoyance would probably have been
unfounded had the music been less hardcore-ish and immature. Needless
to say, I confronted Christian.]
CoC: In the song "Now and Forever", you're taking the piss on the
image/lifestyle of "evil" black metal bands. As a die-hard
purist myself, I can't help wondering: how serious are you with
these lyrics, and why do think this way?
CA: Well, the lyrics for "Now and Forever" are written in the vein of
irony, my friend, so take them with a pinch of salt. All I did
was try to mix some humour into a view of life that in a way
fascinates me, that's all. As goes for extreme imagery, it's OK
by me. I frequently practise upon it myself.
CoC: In the light of the band's new musical direction, the lyric
takes on a more meaningful slant... OK, back to your music. Many
newer Swedish bands are moving in the same direction: to become
more technical, more thrashy, etc.. Don't you feel lost in this
flood? How do you intend to differentiate Unmoored from the
horde of similar bands?
CA: You don't have to be the most original band in the world in order
to write interesting songs, you know. We do what we do and if
someone has a problem with that, too bad. All the bands I
mentioned earlier in this interview work as an inexhaustible
source of inspiration for us in some way.
CoC: Indeed. While not earthshakingly original, _KoG_ is outstanding
in its sheer complexity and maturity, and I hope it'll do better
this time. What's the future going to be like, then?
CA: Since our contract with Pulverised is drawing to a close with the
release of _KoG_, we'll probably start looking for a new label in
time. As goes for promoting our new album, we'll definitely be
trying to do so through some live shows this fall. Nothing is
scheduled yet, though.
CoC: You're going to leave Pulverised? Not surprising, considering
how poorly _Cimmerian_ was promoted! But they're essentially a
good label, I think...
CA: When _Cimmerian_ was released back in 1999, Pulverised suffered
from really severe financial problems. Unfortunately, this came
to affect our promotion and consequently our sales. Hopefully
this will not be the case with the promotion of _KoG_, especially
now that Pulverised have managed to get their economy back on
track again.
CoC: OK, to finish up here, tell the readers why they should waste
their money on another Swedish album...
CA: Well, first my compliments to you, Alvin, for your shown
interest. For the rest of you, check out _Kingdoms of Greed_ if
you like it brutal and melodic at the same time. You will not be
disappointed!
Apparently promotion for this has been exemplary, with larger labels
like Copro taking over distribution overseas.
Contact: Pulverised Records, P.O. Box 109, Yishun Central,
Singapore 917604, Singapore
mailto:pulverised@pacific.net.sg
Contact: mailto:unmoored@hotmail.com
http://members.tripod.com/unmoored/
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C A L L I N G O U T T O H E R F A N S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC talks to Doro
by: Adrian Bromley
It has been a long time since Doro Pesch released a record in
North America. Ten years, to be exact. Now with a US deal (with KOCH
Records) and definite interest from over here, once again the German
rock goddess can showcase her goods. It also helps that her record
sounds pretty good as well.
"This record has so much meaning for me", starts Doro with a
thick, but easily understandable German accent. "There are a lot of
great songs on this record as well. There are a couple of songs from
the _Love Me in Black_ record [1998], which was only released over
here in Europe, that I put on this disc as well. Originally I was
going to re-record the tracks and needed permission to do so. I was
uncertain if they would grant me such permission. Eventually I got
the permission and I really felt that songs like "Pain",
"Terrorvision" and "I Give My Blood (Dedication)" had to be included
with this release. We just fixed up the songs in the studio and they
sound so alive and so vibrant. Much more so than the original
recordings."
So seeing that she had seen success over the past decade in
Europe, what kind of album did Doro want to put out? Was there an
idea to win over North American fans? What was the mindset for _CTW_?
"I wanted to have a modern record, but still have it full of the
roots of where I came from. I just wanted a really live recording
that had a lot of variety. You know. Everything from really hard rock
songs to spiritual songs and even onto ballads. I just felt that this
record had to have a lot of variety. I just needed to showcase a lot
of emotions here on the disc."
While Doro's new disc does have a few tracks from European
import records on it, there are also a few interesting
collaborations. Those collaborations include works with Lemmy from
Motorhead ("Love Me Forever" from Motorhead's _1916_ disc and "Alone
Again") and working with guitarists Slash (Slash's Snakepit, ex-Guns
'n' Roses) and Al Pitrelli (Megadeth, ex-Savatage). As well, Doro has
placed a rocking cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" on _CTW_. She
explains the ideas and how they came to be.
"Those songs mean so much to me. I love the ones that Lemmy sang
on and the ones Slash played on. They just added more to the record.
I just wanted to make sure that the record was just full of songs
that had good positive energy. I was just looking for this vibe,
because I have always felt that if you give out good vibes, the fans
will return the good vibes."
Since the mid-'80s, Doro had made a name for herself with the
"wizards and warriors" influenced act Warlock. Though the band only
saw moderate success, they had made a name for themselves and once
Doro parted ways with the band for her first release, titled _Force
Majeure_, her fans from Warlock had come along for the ride.
Regardless of being non-present over here in North America, Doro has
still maintained a career in Europe. What keeps it going after so
long of slaving away in this business?
"My secret is the strong fan base. I never gave up and decided
to pack it in after so many failed attempts at getting records
released over there. I just never gave up and always gave my best
effort. If you try your best and give everything you've got, then
people will eventually hear what you are saying and respect that."
"I'll tell you", she adds, "after so many years of working on
records and almost getting them released in North America and the
deals falling through, that is so heartbreaking. I think a lot of
things brought those problems on for me in the early '90s. First
things changed in the music industry and a lot of bands playing music
like I did just went away. I mean, if you weren't from Seattle, then
you didn't have a chance at all -- when "grunge" hit all my friends
in bands and even myself got dropped from our labels, and it was
terrible. And it was tough to get anything going. You couldn't even
get anything, regardless of the type of record, because people wanted
one thing and didn't listen to what you were providing them with or
giving them a chance. The change in music's climate at the time
really made it a hard sell for what I was doing at the time. I really
thought my music was something that the American market would want to
hear, but in the end, it was never to be. And it was heartbreaking.
It seems like I am getting a second chance here with _CTW_."
As the years have gone on for Doro, her appreciation for what
she does has grown. She is in love with music and all that comes with
it. Her passion runs deep. "This is a 24 hour a day thing for me",
she notes. "I don't really have a family or a private life. It is all
about the music for me and I don't think it'd work any other way
really. Creating music and being so sure of what you are doing and
believing in it takes a lot out of you and you are always on the go
doing stuff. Stuff like fighting for ideas and your style and just
trying to keep the name out there. I am just so proud to be able to
do all of this and now that we have the deal in North America with
KOCH, I have been given the opportunity to make an impression once
again. I'm very excited."
Other than a successful appearance at this year's March Metal
Meltdown, it has been a -long- time since Doro toured North America.
She is itching to get back on this soil and tour. "It has been too
long", Doro says with a long sigh. "I am totally excited about the
possibilities of coming over and playing there live. Playing live is
what I was born to do. Writing music and making records is fun, but
get me on stage and I go wild." She finishes: "The climate seems to
be a bit better now for my style of music. I just want fans to know
that I care and that I'm going to come over to North America and just
rock hard and have fun."
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M A K I N G A N A M E F O R T H E M S E L V E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Frances M. Howard of Opprobrium
by: Adrian Bromley
A few things have changed for death metal act Incubus. Most
notably their name.
Now called Opprobrium, a change needed due to the alternative
rock band Incubus now owning the name (more on that later), the
Louisiana-based, Brazilian born squad have returned to the metal
scene after a long absence. Their solid and well-received debut for
Nuclear Blast, titled _Beyond the Unknown_, is but a metal memory and
the band knows this. With a new name, pent up aggression and strong
songs, Opprobrium plan on making a name for themselves once again.
The call comes in late one night from singer/guitarist Frances
M. Howard after one failed attempt earlier on the night to hook up
with him. I'm glad he has called back, because without him explaining
the band's return to metal, there is no story.
"We have just been living out our regular lives since we left
the scene", Howard offers about himself and his brother, Opprobrium
drummer Moyses M. Howard. "We tried to put out a record in 1994. We
tried to re-release our first record, called _Serpent Temptation_
[1988, on Brutal Records] with me handling the vocals [the original
release featured then singer/bassist Scot W. Latour -- Adrian] but it
never came out. My brother and I went to Brazil for vacation a few
years back and that is where we met Luiz [Carlos], our guitar player.
We also discovered we had lots of fans down there and it inspired us
to go back and try to start this again. It gave us [the band is
rounded out by bassist Andre Luiz Oliveira -- Adrian] an appreciation
of what we had had before and inspired us to work on new material. We
just wanted to get back that metal sound and vibe we had lost after
so many years of not doing music."
So what happened with the name Incubus? And why does that
alternative rock band go by the name now? "It is kind of funny",
snickers Howard. "We were in the record store just looking around and
we saw a band with the same name and laughed. After we found out all
of the legalities for all of this, we knew that changes had to be
made. We thought that we had rights to the name, but after four or
five years of not releasing material under that name, someone has the
rights to take it. Plus, back then we didn't even trademark the name.
We just wanted to have fun and just go out and play rock 'n' roll. So
now we have chosen the new name for the band, Opprobrium, and have
already trademarked the name too. We are playing by the books now."
"The name is great for us, I think", he says. "It has a little
bit of mystique. I am really happy with it and I am hoping that with
a new name and attitude for all of this, things will start to work
out for us once again."
Talking about the new record, it is quite obvious that Howard
wanted to have his band's return be a triumphant one. His care for
the material and the production is apparent. Everything needed to be
just right. "I was very apprehensive about doing all of this over
again. The writing, the studio -- all of it. It took a couple of
beers to just get me settled in and going about recording and writing
again <laughs>, but seriously, we really made a strong effort on this
recording. There was a lot of pressure to really make this record
representative of what we are about right now. To add even more
pressure, Markus Staiger [head of Nuclear Blast] was there in the
studio with us. That definitely added more pressure."
"I had a hard time getting the vocals down", admits Howard about
problems that arose in the studio. "It was just a struggle to get
things going, but the producer who helped us -- Harris Johns, he
really made an effort to help me get things back on track. He coached
us through the singing and it helped out a lot. I think the vocals
sound great."
Having really been out of the metal music scene for more than
five years now, and seen it unfold as a fan, how has Howard viewed
the music scene over the last few years and where it has come to? "I
think a lot of the old bands out there who are still playing and
making records just don't have the fire anymore. I don't really want
to name any bands, but I think those bands know who they are. It's a
shame, really. I mean, I think a lot of older bands just go out there
and make music and not really give it their all. It has been a long
time since our release and we know we have to give it our all. We
can't just go into a recording half-ass. We need to make a statement
here. Why should bands that have been around for a long time not show
it? If you have the experience, go for it. That is our attitude right
now."
Continuing on, he says: "Things have changed so much nowadays
with all of the information we are receiving, and so fast. The
Internet is an amazing way for bands to let the world know about
them. It has changed so much since we started way back in 1986. Man,
if we had what we have now back then, we'd be famous." He laughs.
"We just wanted to be able to express ourselves with music and
go out and play live", says Howard of the underlying reason for
returning to metal music. "We just wanted to be able to get our music
out there, obviously under a new name, and just have doors hopefully
open up for us. I'd love for us to do a song for a soundtrack for a
horror movie. That would be cool, but obviously, we just have to
worry about this new record and trying to make a name for ourselves
all over again."
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| |___ _| |___ ___ ___ ___ _| |___ ___| |_
|- -| | . | -_| . | -_| | . | -_| | _|
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|- -| | _| -_| _| _| . | . | .'| _| | . | |_ -|
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|___|
N E C R O L I V E S !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews V.I.T.R.I.O.L. of Anaal Nathrakh
by: Pedro Azevedo
When I found Anaal Nathrakh's demo inside my mail box in Portugal
some time ago [CoC #43], I was certainly impressed by the sheer
ferocity of the music contained therein. One detail went unnoticed,
however: they were from Birmingham. Having moved to the charming town
of Warwick (England) by the time I received the band's _Total Fucking
Necro_ CD [CoC #48], looking at their contact address I suddenly
realized I was now living less than 40 kilometres away from the
dwelling place of this relentless musical entity. Of what relevance
this is to this interview is questionable, since I still opted to
communicate with the band via e-mail (I was unable to record phone
conversations at the time). However, having visited Birmingham and
having found it a rather lacking in amiability and somehow harsh
itself compared to most of the other places I've been to in England,
the fact that Anaal Nathrakh's so-called "necro metal" came from
Birmingham started making more sense to me. Then again, the band's
extreme disenchantment with mankind in general is hardly bound by
such frontiers; read on if you wish to find out more.
CoC: What was it that originated the formation of Anaal Nathrakh?
What made you want to convey such a level of aggression through
music?
V.I.T.R.I.O.L.: Originally, we met through other bands, and ended up
performing in an old band together. We've been
friends since then, several years now, and we have
always shared something of a musical vision. So it
was quite natural for Anaal Nathrakh to come out the
way it has -- we just made the music that the two of
us thought music should sound like. In terms of
conveying such massive aggression, Anaal Nathrakh is
a vent, it lets out some of the sound that's in my
head.
CoC: Though you haven't made any lyrics available (that I know of),
the liner notes on the CD certainly indicate you're less than
happy about this world. Would you like to expand on that? Is it
more about mankind and civilisation itself, or about humanity,
the human condition and existence?
V: Our lyrics will never be made available. In sentiment, Anaal
Nathrakh is an expression of the blackest part of our psyches. I
have none of the pretensions of people like Dead, the guy from
Mayhem who killed himself. He seemed to think he was some sort of
non-human creature inhabiting this planet by mistake or something.
I'd put it more like Anaal Nathrakh displays a certain viewpoint,
a very disturbed one, but a viewpoint nonetheless; it's an outlet
for it -- it runs as follows: mankind is the source of some of the
most ridiculous stupidity, the most unadulterated deceit and
barbarism imaginable. Surely there is plenty to be less than happy
with there. Civilisation has, despite its achievements, produced
types of people that make me feel physically sick with their
pettiness, their arrogance, their blindness, their lack of scope.
If the human condition is one of being eternally confronted with
the philosophical "other", and being made to continually feel
disgust, if existence is synonymous with an ever present repulsion
and hatred for the "life" that seethes everywhere before us like
some tumour, does it really come as a surprise that some people
should feel less than happy about this world? No master/slave
dialectics, no self affirmation implied by the act of killing,
just repulsion and a desire to be rid of presentations of "life".
Even further, despite already to a greater or lesser extent
wallowing in its own repugnance, mankind amounts to a disaster
waiting to happen. A race of idiots, fucking idiots, that invents
moralities and religions to defend inbred prejudices that it
doesn't even perceive, let alone understand, and to divert
attention from the fact that it feels incapable of existing on its
own justification. And further than this, that were it to be
capable of existing on its own as some members of the species seem
to be, it would still be totally incapable of a single truly,
radically original thought. It's not hard to see how extreme
misanthropy would result from a viewpoint like that. However,
there's a sick enjoyment taken in bathing in the shit. A perverse
medium is struck between out and out hatred for your fellow man
and revelling in the filth, like taking joy in a horrible disease.
I would go on, but I tend to get carried away. Maybe it sounds a
bit of an insane perspective, but so be it.
CoC: You are from Birmingham, home of Black Sabbath and Napalm Death
-- has that had any influence on you?
V: If that means "Are Black Sabbath and Napalm Death influences on
Anaal Nathrakh?", the answer is definitely no. In the sense that
all people are to a greater or lesser extent products of their
environment, I suppose it's inescapable. It's true that people
from our background would be hard pushed to experience the world
in the same way as people from vastly different backgrounds --
that's one reason why I find it somewhat ridiculous that bands
from the Southern hemisphere would want to try to emulate the
Norwegians, for example, but still, they have tried. A lack of
originality, I suppose. Can you believe I once heard of a band
from down there trying to call themselves nordic nationalists or
some such? Flipping idiots. Coming from what is essentially a
deferential, non-affluent industrial background cannot help but
make a person who's got a lot of rage anyway even more
misanthropic. In that sense, Birmingham does have an influence,
and perhaps that's something that contributed to the bands you
mentioned as well.
CoC: Where does the name Anaal Nathrakh come from? And what is the
origin of that opening sample in which you can hear it?
V: The sample's from the film "Excalibur", a film about the Arthurian
legend. The phrase "Anaal Nathrakh" is from the charm used to
awaken the Dragon, which in the context of the film is a sort of
omnipresent, extremely powerful force that can be bent to one's
will in part, but is vastly destructive. We thought that fitted in
with what we wanted to achieve when we started the band. It is
also thought by some that biblical references to Leviathan, or
elsewhere to "the great dragon", are among the only references to
devils that cannot be resolved as simple linguistic corruptions
and the like, such as Beelzebub merely originating from a very
old, semi-benevolent god.
CoC: How satisfied are you with what you have achieved so far,
musically and in terms of production? I understand you had some
difficulties with the production for both of your demos, but the
final result still worked for me. What changes can we expect to
find in your new material sound-wise?
V: I personally am quite satisfied. Musically, I would not work with
anything I did not believe in, and the results appear to have
touched many people in the way we wanted. We have had excellent
reactions from some very interesting people, and it looks likely
to continue. The production so far has been naturally very raw,
but I think it gets the point across: problems or otherwise. It's
not as if Anaal Nathrakh is about transparent clarity in its
acoustic sections -- this is about fucking insane violence! The
new material is much better sounding, much "better produced", but
I defy anyone who hears it not to feel the harshness. Overproduced
Cradle of Borgilth this is not.
CoC: What about the music itself? How do you think it will evolve in
the future?
V: Our new material is extremely savage, more so than our earlier
songs, and I think that will continue. I know it will. It has to.
There is also a disturbing current in some of our music, and I see
that getting more pronounced. More of a refinement than a
progression as such. More elements might be incorporated, but only
in such a way as they fit in with our vision of Anaal Nathrakh.
Compromising, wimping out, keyboards and female singing etc. are
NOT on the fucking cards...
CoC: What was it about Mayhem that made you want to cover one track
of theirs on each of your demos? What other bands do you feel
Anaal Nathrakh is related to in some way?
V: I remember hearing _De Mysteriis dom Sathanas_ for the first time
-- I bought it the day it came out, in fact. That was a long time
ago, some seven years or so, but I can still listen to it today
and get a real sense of "the Mayhem feeling" -- I don't think
virtually anything else I've heard can do that. Maybe it's
something to do with a certain mystique that undeniably surrounded
the band back then. I think there's a certain relation in spirit
between Anaal Nathrakh and bands like Darkthrone and Gorgoroth,
but really we don't tend to consider outside influences very much.
We concentrate on the feeling we're trying to convey.
CoC: Now that your two demos have been released on CD, what is the
band planning to do in terms of future releases? And what's the
situation label-wise?
V: We have just (as in today, September 13th) finished the recording
of our new material. A whole album of the most necro metal ever
heard, and it's good. Very good. So we are going to take it to
labels and tell them we don't need money to pay for recording an
album, we just need them to release what we already have.
Hopefully a decent label will realise they can get somewhere with
the material and sign us up. We've had some contact with certain
labels, and I am confident something will present itself.
CoC: Any plans of getting Anaal Nathrakh to play live in front of an
audience? What's the story behind the band you do play live in,
Mistress?
V: Anaal Nathrakh live isn't out of the question. Were we to find,
most importantly, a drummer who could play our set live, then
maybe. At the moment we're unlikely to be getting the likes of
Hellhammer, so for now it's a possibility rather than a
likelihood. It would be cool, but unless it was just right, we
wouldn't do it. Mistress is unrelated to Anaal Nathrakh in
anything other than the vocals being extreme. I have got into
trouble in the past because of being too
unpredictable/abusive/violent at gigs. Maybe it's a good idea that
Anaal Nathrakh don't play live at the moment after all... With AN
it would be more focused though. I'd like to see it live myself.
CoC: Care to leave a message for our readers?
V: Be aware that we are not about to quit, compromise, dilute our
vision or anything else, for anyone. And we are not about to go
away. Anaal Nathrakh is coming... Only death is real.
Contact: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dbanger/
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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!
Alchemist - _Organasm_ (Displeased, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10)
"Thinking-man's metal" is what I would call this enchanted, celestial
outpouring of cerebral material. Australia's Alchemist wafts freely
on an interesting flight through fogs of Neurosis blown though at
times by breezes of Voivod and Cynic (_Focus_). Even though none of
the CD's more than fifty minutes of challenging, fourth-dimensional
music is colorless, my personal preference would be to take it all in
at one sitting. For instance, tracks two, three, and four are dubbed
the "Evolution Trilogy", comprised of, in order, "The Bio Approach",
"Rampant Macro Life" and "Warring Tribes -- Eventual Demise". As the
three-part title might suggest, Alchemist lays out a concentrated
version of multi-celled life's (people?, animals?) progression and
decline. A choice track that instantly grabbed my attention was "Tide
in, Mind out". Creating mood softly but consistently, this song
glides effortlessly on the listener's memory through passages in
their mind. Typical throughout _Organasm_, and "Tide in, Mind out" in
particular, vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Adam Agius interjects a
chemist's blend of clean, hostile, and death metal growls. With the
damn fine participation of Roy Torkington (guitar), John Bray
(bass/keyboard) and Rodney Holder (drums), it is no wonder
Alchemist's line-up hasn't changed in seven years; one simply
shouldn't fix a machine that isn't broken. This being my first
awakening to the dream Alchemist concocts, I sure as hell intend to
mix myself up a potion of their earlier amalgamations, starting most
likely with their _Jar of Kingdom_, if possible. It's always best to
start with a formula's first ingredient.
Ancient Ceremony - _Synagoga Diabolica_
by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10) (Alister Records, September 2000)
Opening with a short but effective mood-setting intro, Ancient
Ceremony deliver the follow-up MCD/album hybrid to _Fallen Angel's
Symphony_ [CoC #38]. A band that has gone through several line-up
changes in recent times, Ancient Ceremony certainly have the merit of
having kept going, led by vocalist Chris Anderle; but even though
_Synagoga Diabolica_ is by no means a bad release, I feel the band
needs to find something that will make them stand out from the crowd
more effectively in the future. The half-thrashy, half-symphonic
blackened metal they present on _Synagoga Diabolica_ lacks a
significant part of the flourishes that made _Fallen Angel's
Symphony_ more attractive, whilst for the most part failing to
compensate for that with remarkable improvements in other areas. The
average cover of Metallica's "Creeping Death" that closes the record
does little to help things. The music on _Synagoga Diabolica_ is
quite listenable and indicates that the band may be getting ready to
release a very worthy follow-up, but as Ancient Ceremony head towards
their third full-length album (counting this one as an MCD), they
need to cause a greater impression next time.
Contact: http://www.ancient-ceremony.de
Contact: http://www.alister-records.de
Atomizer - _The End of Forever_ (End All Life, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee (7 out of 10)
Taking off from countrymates Destroyer 666 and Bestial Warlust,
Atomizer do much to add to an outsider's impression that retro-thrash
is all the Aussie hordes are capable of coming up with. No more, no
less, for the music is disappointingly bland considering the hype
worked up by the label for this release. Generic rock 'n' roll-tinged
thrash riffage combining with even more typical black metal vocal
rasps don't make for much reviewing material in the wake of
precedents Bewitched and Inferno (who nonetheless don't rise very
much above the same banality). However, the sheer energy and
liveliness of tracks like "Somebody's Gonna Die Tonight" do get one's
head moving a little, the pummelling brutality of Sud's drums warring
deliciously with the razor-sharp hooks of Justin's riffing. Adopting
a tongue-in-cheek rock 'n' roll ethic benefits the music with a
rollicking groove lacking in the more "serious" bands (read: Suicidal
Winds), which partially saves the record from joining the heap of
discarded retro-madness-era Necropolis releases. By the same token,
the lyrics take this "fuck you, we're evil" sensibility a tad too
far: phrases like "When I burn your house down just for fun / Yeah
that's fuckin' evil" don't do much to help the already-precarious
situation. On a positive note, musicianship seems to be of the
highest calibre, the band's tightness contributing much to the energy
of the record. Rather than taking the typical lo-fi approach, the
production team's choice of crystal clear instrumentation also adds a
punchiness to the material that adds much to the energetic playing.
Kudos to End All Life for a highly impressive layout: this vinyl-only
release boasts a glossy gatefold cover with great cover art, and
opening it reveals glorious full-color photos of the band with lyrics
printed alongside, presented with a brilliance and clarity as yet
unrivalled in the industry. Surely this ranks alongside one of the
most appealing pieces in terms of packaging, surprising for a label
renowned for obscure B&W affairs, which explains the relatively high
print run of 666 hand-numbered copies -- an impressive number
considering EAL's tendency to sell-out their limited-to-100 titles
even before their official release. On the whole, Atomizer don't
quite match up to the more established acts Down Under, but neither
are they to be put aside as failures. Until their next effort,
Atomizer can't quite hold a candle to my favourites Swordmaster, but
most old-school headbangers won't be disappointed with this very
promising outing at all. Not many copies left as usual, but write to:
Contact: End All Life, B.P. 4, 86 281 St. Benoit Cedex, France
mailto:eal@wanadoo.fr
Aurora - _Devotion_ (Serious Entertainment / Voices of Wonder, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
From Denmark comes a band who very seriously threatens to become this
year's best musical surprise for me. Unafraid to take chances in the
technical department (much like Dark Tranquillity did with _The
Gallery_), Aurora also add elements that bring to mind such
remarkable bands as Opeth and At the Gates. Interested yet? However,
don't expect to find a copycat band here though, as the material on
_Devotion_ does not lack Aurora's very own style throughout. Beneath
some sensual cover art lies a record in which Aurora produce intense
and emotional music, backed by very technical and distinctive guitar
work and drumming -- technical, but never losing sight of what is
relevant and what is superfluous -- and vocals that are both varied
and very adequately intense and emotional themselves. Their song
structures go far beyond the average three or four minute long chorus
repetition routine as well, which together with the impeccable
production helps turn _Devotion_ into the excellent record that it
is.
Contact: http://www.aurora.ms
Contact: http://www.seriousentertainment.dk
Azrael - _Mafia_ (Locomotive Music, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee (7 out of 10)
Despite an increasing number of bands breaking out from obscure
scenes like Peru, Singapore and even Lithuania, Spanish heavy metal
seems reluctant to leave its cloistered scene untouched by foreign
hands. Bands like Tierra Santa, Mago de Oz and Ankhara all deserve a
level of recognition far above the adoration received in their
homeland; for Azrael the case seems to be no different, despite the
two fairly well-received albums behind them. Moving away from the
almost glam-rock sensibilities characterizing the earlier efforts,
_Mafia_ stands the band in better stead to be accepted by the
speed/power metal crowd overseas, the only obstacle being the
characteristic Spanish stubbornness (or lack of ability?), refusing
to write in anything other than their native language. A small
setback, considering the quality of material on offer here: lovers of
old-school HR/HM will warm to Azrael's somewhat nostalgic delivery of
'80s-obsessed heavy rock-made-metal. The ballad "Vendiste Tu
Propia..." hints at the band's comfort in the mellower realms, but
rippers like "Vuela" and "Atrapado" (see the language problem?)
dispel any doubt about their metalness. Progressive touches litter
the album sparsely, with odd time signatures and dissonance thrown
into the mix, not to mention the blazing fluidity of the solos... All
adding up to a quirky originality that admittedly takes some getting
used to, but once sucked in, it's a ride well worth paying for. While
not the most brilliant thing to come out of Spain since flamenco (the
honor belongs to Tierra Santa), Azrael do serve up some considerably
mature and solid material, enough for me to urge the more adventurous
to go in search of this album at import dealers, or possibly Sentinel
Steel in the US. Last minute: news is just in that there's an English
version of the album out there...
Bernard Edwards' Project Homicide - _Bernard Edwards' Project
Homicide_
by: Adrian Bromley (4 out of 10) (Emerald City, September 2000)
Few bands out there have been able to mix the style of multiple
bands, but leave it up to psycho-freak Bernard Edwards and his scary
henchmen to do so on this release. The band pays homage (steals?)
from such diverse freakoids as Kiss, King Diamond and White Zombie,
while adding their own dash if insanity. The music of BEPH is more
like a battlefield of ideas and sounds, as well as soapbox of
beliefs, that really scatter out onto the music fans but does little
to draw interest. Of note, drugs get a big push here as the band
offers total support for the green leaf. God bless him. Other than a
few notable numbers (i.e. "Broken Bones", "Another (Nail in the
Coffin)"), BEPH stands out as nothing more than a really gung-ho
group of guys trying their best to make music, when all they are
doing is repeating what everyone has done before them.
Contact: Emerald City, P.O. Box 3919, Hollywood, CA 90078, USA
Beseech - _Black Emotions_ (Pavement Music, July 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10)
How do you rate an album that can as easily get quite pleasant on one
track as it can really get on your nerves on the next? Well, Beseech
do just that with _Black Emotions_. The nice and soft acoustics of
"Little Demonchild" or the somewhat doomy "Ghoststory" and "Neon
Ocean" achieve most of the former, whilst the excessive goth-isms of
questionable quality that pervade a significant part of the rest of
the album achieve most of the latter -- I can certainly live without
stuff like "Velvet Erotica" and its ilk. Besides the band's new-found
goth influences causing changes to the overall style and use of
electronic elements, the vocals also vary quite a bit. In addition to
female vocals, the male vox range from a goth-like style to some
sections that remind me of Tiamat and some of mid-era Paradise Lost.
For those to whom a heavy dose of goth elements is especially
welcome, _Black Emotions_ is likely to become catchy and enjoyable;
for all others, however, this is a lot more likely to be a hit-miss
affair, and in my case they are just about able to reach a positive
rating.
Blackend - _Mental. Game. Messiah._ (Massacre, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell (7.5 out of 10)
Wearing the influence of the rich thrash history of their homeland
directly on their collective sleeve, Germany's Blackend come crashing
down upon the forces of "nu-metal" with a CD that could have been
released twelve years ago but sounds great today. If I may name drop
(it is, after all, the only resort of the non-creative music critic),
it sounds to me that Testament and Kreator played the most
significant roles in shaping these young minds, and to a lesser
extent Sacrifice. Also, many of the parts seem to sound like a
non-depressive Nevermore. One thing that sets them apart from the
rest for sure would be the cleanly sung, but heavily accented vocals
of Michael Goldschmidt. Of course, for a band to play this particular
kind of music, it is required that they have a proficient lead
guitarist, and Blackend have that base covered with no problem. Their
music is very listenable, not overly technical, and they even throw
some Machine Head grooves in there. This is the kind of thrash that
_...And Justice for All_ took to a higher level, forever raising the
bar for quality metal with intelligent lyrics. This CD is for metal
people, and I am doubtful that it would be accepted by the backwards
red baseball hat crowd at all.
Contact: Massacre Records, Rauheckstr 10, D-74232 Abstatt, Germany
http://www.massacre-records.com
Burning Inside - _The Eve of the Entities_ (Still Dead, 1999)
by: Aaron McKay (5.5 out if 10)
This CD was generously provided to me by my good friend and
colleague, Paul Schwarz. Having read Paul's interview with Steve
Childers [CoC #48], I was anxious to take a listen to Burning
Inside's _The Eve of the Entities_ for myself. Consequently, when Mr.
Schwarz offered the review of this album to me, I was naturally very
open to the idea. As you might ascertain from my rating, this release
caused more than a little grief for me. I fought as hard as I know
how to burrow myself within Burning Inside's bombastic fortress of
technical speed/death metal. I had very little success, obviously. I
could appropriately term Burning Inside a "copper glided gem". What I
mean by that is, in essence, Burning Inside is a precious stone of
members like Richard Christy (Death / Control Denied / Iced Earth),
Steve Childers (Black Witchery) and Mike Estes (Acheron). All of
these people and their other work I enjoy immensely. The group's
obvious mastery of their instruments were seemingly covered over with
a less than valuable coating to diminish their luster. What happened?
Too musically technical? Yes, possibly that's it, and -not- like the
technical metal I relish in some At the Gates or A Canorous Quintet
pieces. I am thinking more along the lines of questioning where the
band's "hook" is. What is to draw the listener into Burning Inside's
offering here on _The Eve of the Entities_? Where does the band
separate itself from the herd of other groups playing the very same
kind of material? Richard Christy's drumming is a good retaliation to
my questions and this point qualifying _TEotE_'s for most of the
points furnished to them in my rating. (I think that any of Gene
Hoglan's work with his vast catalog of bands would be more of a
favorite of mine, however.) I was hoping that the combined efforts of
some of the talented musicians in BI mentioned above could influence
this release favorably, but it didn't, in my opinion. Some time ago,
I was exposed to BI on the Full Moon compilation _Tribute to Hell:
Satanic Rites_ [CoC #42] and even some covers since then like on the
King Diamond and Mercyful Fate tributes. Unfortunately, these turned
out to be mostly forgettable covers and, worse yet, BI's own
material, while loosely appealing, isn't too much better. Broadly
speaking, the artwork on _The Eve of the Entities_ is professional
and very metal in appearance. Eleven tracks of indisputable sounding
musical apocalypse, with an impressively stacked CD inlay complete
with lyrics. All nicely done right down to the outro, "Everlasting
Sleep". (More atmospheric soundscapes like that track worked into the
rest of this offering would be a very welcome addition.) Before
closing, there are a couple of things that I would like to mention.
First off, Jamie Prim's sandpaper-dry vocal approach in some way
escapes my ability to define it, but it ultimately fails to "fit" BI
absolutely, in my view. As I pointed out, I can't tell you why the
vocals by Mr. Prim seem "off-center", and they are not annoying by
any means; just simply ill-suited. Kind of like forcing a dodecagon
into a round hole; it would probably work, but why would you? Or,
better yet, like having Chuck Billy from Testament around the
_Demonic_ era pick up the vocal duties for Daniel Corchado or Craig
Pillard in Incantation; Mr. Billy could sure pull it off, but it
isn't a solid match, I wouldn't think. My second and final point I
wanted to make is: I spent a good portion of my life living in the
midst of the Florida scene, which is where BI hails from. It goes
against everything I want to believe that Burning Inside isn't as
good as I would hope they could be, but I cannot in all good
conscience laud this band for the reasons mentioned above. I suppose
there is always next time...
Burzum - <demo LP bootleg> (Vinyl Maniac, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee (7 out of 10)
Another in the series of bootlegs put out by Vinyl Maniac Records,
this nice affair seems to have adopted the name _Ragnarok_ in
underground circles, and consists of Grishnack's 1991 instrumental
rehearsal/demo as well as other rare tracks. Burzum maniacs and avid
completists might be intrigued by the rareness of these recordings,
but the lack of vocals on an entire side might deter the less
dedicated listener. Like most other bootlegs of instrumental
rehearsals (Mayhem's _From the Darkest Past_, etc.), the music often
lacks the solidity and presence of the full recording, especially in
the case of Burzum's straightforward simplicity. What is a brilliant
play of minimalist creativity on the debut album becomes too
bare-bones, overly stripped-down, and loses its tenuous grip after
the first track or two. The impressive quality of the recording does
much to help things, though; in fact, this is one of the most
impressive translations of demo-material in recent years. While not
exactly crystal-clear, little seems to have been lost in the
transfer, and the quality of the vinyl ensures that the bootleg
doesn't end up sounding typically worse than the original. Side B
more than makes up for the preceding blandness, and opens with "Et
Hvitt Lys Over Skogen", a previously unreleased studio track from
1992. The monotonous, simplistic music needs no further description,
save to say that fond memories of _Aske_-era sentiments are invoked.
Varg's characteristic screams penetrate the heavily atmospheric
layers, inimitably combining the vastness of cosmic space and the
closeness of dank woodlands in a single sprawling, barren soundscape.
The difficulty of maintaining such a heavy atmosphere over such a
long track isn't apparent in the skilful hands of Vikernes, and
although I've never really been a fan of Burzum, the sheer
songwriting technique required here cannot but inspire a vague degree
of awe. Fans born too late lamenting the altered version of "A Lost
Forgotten Sad Spirit" on the Misanthropy releases will probably
relish the original DSP recording presented here. Apart from slight
production differences and perhaps niggling alterations in the
delivery, this doesn't strike me as being any vast improvement over
the already killer Misanthropy version. All in all, this isn't the
most essential of bootlegs, although the great production and layout
deserves a mention here. True fans will probably want to send away
for this unique and (possibly) unprecedented release of this
material.
Contact: No Colours Records, Postfach 32, 04541, Borna, Germany
(30DM + postage, $20 should cover it.)
Corpus Christii - _Saeculum Domini_
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) (So Die Music / Division House, 2000)
Having been quite impressed by the brutality displayed on their _Anno
Domini_ demo [CoC #40], I was looking forward to this CD release by
Corpus Christii. Fast, brutal and raw black metal, propelled by
synthetic percussion and devoid of all melody and embellishments is
what this duo produces. And despite the mediocrity of lyrics and song
titles and the vastly unfriendly (to put it mildly) production, the
fact is that _Saeculum Domini_ still works quite well for me. It
takes quite a bit of getting used to (headphones -not- recommended
this time) and its 41 minutes do tend to become tiring, but the
record has some personality of its own and plenty of strength if you
look at it from the right perspective. Certainly not an album for
those looking for intricate symphonic elements or Abyss-like sound,
but nevertheless a strong, very underground-sounding release that
lives up to the uncompromising, harsh promise set by their demo tape.
Contact: http://www.divisionhouse.com
Crimson Moonlight - _Eternal Emperor_ (<Independent>, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell (7 out of 10)
_Eternal Emperor_ is the debut disc from Sweden's newest creators of
frozen black metal, Crimson Moonlight. Too bad there are only five
tracks (two of which are keyboard instrumentals), because we only get
a slight glimpse of what this band is and is not capable of. The
production is quite good for an indy release, but it is a bit below
par in the drum sound -- not that they sound bad, but it is obvious
that there was not a lot of money spent on trying to make everything
sound perfectly slick. The three tracks that are not instrumentals
feature a lot of keyboard work within them, but are impressively
brutal at the same time. Heavy, double bass driven black metal is the
music of choice for Crimson Moonlight, and they are off to a good
start. Also, as a humorous aside, I have to tell you that one of the
group members' name is Pilgrim. I said "member".
Contact: Crimson Moonlight, c/o Simon Rosen,
Gransefall, 571 94 Nassjo, Sweden
mailto:bloodsign@hotmail.com
Various - _Critical Mass_ (Metropolis, October 2000)
Various - _Electropolis Volume II_ (Metropolis, October 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (7.5 and 8 out of 10)
As I have brought to your attention before, this label has gathered
some competent bands together and formulated a very respectable label
dating back twenty years. These two compilation discs are two truly
befitting examples. Mind-broadening and empirical material can be
heard from most of the listed groups; thirteen cuts on _Critical
Mass_ and fourteen on _Electropolis Volume II_. Some more familiar
bands to me like Funker Vogt and Wumpscut [see reviews elsewhere in
this issue] have songs on both discs joined by better known groups
like Front 242 and Front Line Assembly on _Electropolis Volume II_,
but _Critical Mass_ suffers a bit from Front 242's absence. _Critical
Mass_ is, in all fairness, a specially priced label compilation aimed
at adjusting you financially and musically to Metropolis Records in a
reasonable manner. _Critical Mass_ supplied a couple of new groups to
me worthy of particular mention. The highly meticulous techno-beat of
VNV Nation on their song "Rubicon" is both soothing and thick with
linear musical techniques. Very compelling. Not all that much less
groove-oriented, but mostly more emphatic and enveloping, is Diary of
Dreams' "Butterfly: Dance!". Also, Decoded Feedback, Velvet Acid
Christ and Crocodile Shop present some intense cuts on _Critical
Mass_. _Electropolis Volume II_ is my favorite of the two
collections. The heavily wavy Mentallo & The Fixer's "Murders Among
Us" was the first to draw me in proceed by a positively developed
track listing hitting highlights like Ikon's "Triumph of My Will"
(unreleased), Kevorkian Death Cycle's "Eclipse" and Project
Pitchfork's "Temper of Poseidon", the latter being one of my
favorites on either of these releases. While you are able to derive
more than enough nutrition from these electro-treats, I'd maintain
there is a lot more techno-sustenance here than empty "dance"
calories. Savor the delicacy!
Dark Age - _Psychotic Side_ (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
The one thing that you will always see me point out about Latin or
South American bands is the heart and soul they put into their music.
Metal music means so much to these people, whether they play it or
just listen to it. Listening to Chile quartet Dark Age, you can
easily take note of their love for the music they make. The music is
rich in sound and production. The music here may just, for the most
part, be the meat and potatoes of metal music, but it's the
presentation that counts. Sure Dark Age play metal music that draws
from the classic '70s/'80s era of metal, but add their own take on
things, most prominently the gruff Entombed-like vocal sounds and the
everflowing rhythm of down-tuned guitars that help showcase a modern
metal attack. The guys rock hard, and there is no doubt in my mind
they will progress as the years go on, but right now Dark Age have
yet to hit the right groove. There is a lot on offer here, just not
enough to make them heads and tails above the rest. Choice cut:
"Stolen Sanity".
Contact: P.O. Box 51627, Correo Central, Santiago Chile
mailto:info@darkage.cl
http://www.darkage.cl
Deep - _Pieces of Nothing_ (Pavement, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (7 out of 10)
What I enjoy the most about this group, I think, is how they break
down the music. Sometimes there will be a nice open, airy passage in
a track, then guitars fill in and fade off to allow the drums to
exhibit themselves. Many combinations of Deep's instruments are
utilized within a song and not always simply having just both
guitars, bass, vocals, and percussion simultaneously. This is used
very well right from the very beginning on "Hear Their Own". This
approach adopted by the band sure creates a nice sound. Jerome
Hoofnagle maximizes his range from a parched whisper to a full-blown
grated death growl, which is also impressive. This being my first
foray into Deep's world and never having heard their initial
full-length effort, _The Reach of Envy_, I can understand Logan
Mader's (Machine Head / Soulfly) interest in producing _Pieces of
Nothing_. I sometimes think I can hear some of the influences of
bands such as Machine Head and possibly a Sentenced injected Misery
Loves Co. with a dry rasp death shred vocal style. After getting
picked up by King Diamond for a tour, I doubt Deep will need too much
help making it into even bigger, better known metal circles. I might
suggest as a piece of constructive criticism that Deep might want to
add a touch more diversity to their ventures; sometimes tracks on
_PoN_ -can- sound pretty samey. Lyrically speaking, relatively deep
(pardon the pun) with meaning and the production is truly solid, too.
The attention surrounding Deep is warranted indeed. Pick up _Pieces
of Nothing_ and immerse yourself.
Desaster / Pentacle - _(Desaster) In League With (Pentacle)_
by: Alvin Wee (10 out of 10) (Iron Pegasus, 2000)
"This strictly limited vinyl is a result of a strong friendship
between Pentacle and Desaster and their respect for each other
throughout the years!" And that quotation on the sleeve aptly sums up
the nature of this intriguing 10", each band performing one original
song and one cover of the other band's material. Makes for great
headbanging, considering that both bands are already stalwarts of the
underground. Desaster kick off proceedings with the Pentacle-written
"A Serpent in Bloodred", the brutally pummelling drum-intro setting
the stage for a riff-fest of terrifying insidiousness -- anyone with
an ounce of metalized blood won't be sitting still by now. Not
surprisingly, the track doesn't sound unlike Desaster's own material,
which merely attests to the band's versatility throughout their
previous releases. Racing ahead at breakneck speed, these German
thrashmeisters launch into yet another drum-intro, heralding the
start of "Hell-Born". While not as merciless as the first track,
"Hell-Born" boasts a more controlled, melodic groove that still rips
the head off most "retro-thrash" bands, with the wildly flaring solo
and Okkulto's inspired "blasphemic death-throat" brimming with sheer
ferocity. Pentacle waste no time in introducing Desaster-penned "In a
Winter Battle" with a typically Frost-inspired riff and Wannes
Gubbels ever-tormented throaty rasps. Desaster are evidently the more
melodic songwriters of the two, littering the music with tuneful
background leads(?) and infinitely catchy riffs. Certainly the most
memorable track on this record, and no less brutal for its melodic
nature and lengthy nature. "Soul's Blood" showcases more of
Pentacle's straight-ahead brutality, the crushing riffs and ferocious
drumming leaving this poor reviewer battered and mangled after a mere
minute of aural hammering. Certainly, Pentacle uphold the Dutch
death-metal scene's notoriety for sheer heaviness and brutality. Most
American bands touted for their extremity would be hard-put to even
brush the standards of intensity on offer here. This incredible
tribute to the old days of metal is available in a picture disc
German pressing, a pink-vinyl Euro version, as well as a black-vinyl
American release, and any one of the three is highly recommended for
all true aficionados of old-school metal who aren't afraid to risk a
sore neck. No idea where the US version can be obtained, but Iron
Pegasus can be reached at:
Contact: P.O. Box 1462, 56804 Cochem/Mosel, Germany
Discordance Axis - _The Inalienable Dreamless_
by: Paul Schwarz (9.5 out of 10) (Hydrahead, July 2000)
Mmmm... oh sorry, I'm supposed to be writing the review, aren't I?
Well, I've been here for more than forty-five minutes trying to
figure out how to get the sheer compacted musical brilliance and
-brutality- of Discordance Axis over in words; the disc is spinning
for the third time in a row and I'm still not sure I can put across
quite how damn awesome and -addictive- this album truly is. The only
reason I've listened to it in times equalling dozens rather than, I
don't know, many -gross- this Summer is that it's been on a tape with
the new Iron Maiden album. Try to imagine Brutal Truth, Dillinger
Escape Plan and Drowning Man mixed together, with skin-slicing
screams for vocals; take away the fretboard scaling and sincere
quieten-downs (it seems DI's world is always distorted...) and
replace it with an almost excessively direct approach, and you should
have a rough approximation of what the searing twenty three minute /
seventeen track ride of _The Inalienable Dreamless_ has in store. And
it will quickly hook a seriously painful barb in your mouth, reel you
in a bit, and mercilessly draw you struggling and drowning through
its troubled waters time and time and time again. Mesmerising in its
extremity, deeply affecting, shockingly brutal and loaded with
insanely tight percussion fused with molten, grinding guitars and
vocals, DI are headed for the top three of the year's best albums,
and I'm not sure if the combined forces of Cryptopsy, Immolation and
Napalm Death will be able to pull it down even a notch.
Drowningman - _Rock and Roll Killing Machine_
by: Adrian Bromley (9.5 out of 10) (Revelation, September 2000)
Could there be a better band out there? Maybe so, but Burlington,
Vermont hardcore/noisecore/metal act (leaning heavily metal, if you
ask me) Drowningman are one of the strongest acts out there nowadays.
Their last recording, the sonically powerful EP _How They Light
Cigarettes in Prison_, was punishing. The new disc is even -more-
punishing. Blistering guitar riffs, hardcore momentum and vocals
(crazed and melodic) spill out at you in a feverish pace, leaving
little time to get out of the way. These guys could easily crush any
band live -- and I'm willing to put money on that. Choice cuts: "When
People Become Numbers", "This Year's Most Fashionable Signs of
Weakness" and "The Truly Dangerous Nature of a Man Who Doesn't Care
If He Lives or Dies". Man, those are great song titles.
End It - _End It_ (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Now this is the way I like these six-song EPs to sound: dirty, fast
and without a care in the world. Gritty rock 'n' roll metal machine
End It don't do much fancy guitar work or sprinkle any melodies on
this batch of material, which features a pretty good cover of
Entombed's "Out of Hand". Kind of like a mix between The Obsessed and
maybe Motorhead, throw in some chug-chug Entombed riffs/vocals and
you've got an idea where these bastards are coming from. As you might
expect, the songs are pretty short, rarely going beyond the
three-minute mark. I was sold after the rough opener "Skull Issues".
To put it in simpler terms: End It came, saw and conquered.
Contact: 180 Rosetta Auburn Hills, MI 48326, USA
mailto:endit@angelfire.com
Ephel Duath - _Phormula_ (Code666, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
These Italians try to stretch the boundaries of creativity within
black metal in a manner somewhat akin to some of Solefald's efforts,
though using very different processes. Leaving behind the Solefald
comparison -- for it serves only to illustrate a certain apparent
similarity of purposes (innovating with very avant-garde black metal)
-- Ephel Duath use everything from strange tempos and baffling
guitars to unusual keyboard work to concoct a mixture of both
successful and somewhat disjointed sequences throughout _Phormula_.
Some passages manage to be simultaneously innovative and enjoyable;
some others, however innovative they may try to be, end up
subtracting a bit from their respective track's overall value. There
is a feeling of weirdness throughout the record that can either be
quite challenging or rather infuriating depending on the listener --
as far as I'm concerned, it depends on the -day- itself: although I
do like it, this is not a record I'd listen to any day. Nevertheless,
the drum machine is well used and the band seems to have enough skill
to match most of their experimentation, and despite some less than
perfect passages, _Phormula_ still scores quite high in both the
experimentation and enjoyability departments, which is always an
achievement.
Contact: http://www.code666.cjb.net
Extol - _Undecieved_ (Endtime / SolidState, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell (8 out of 10)
After repeated listens to _Undecieved_, Extol's second full-length
offering, I still cannot pinpoint the exact emotion I have about it.
You see, Extol is my favorite band, and therefore they cannot escape
being judged more carefully than most music that comes my way. Allow
me to comment upon the music first and foremost. On one hand, I am
excited that they have achieved such a level of technical brilliance
as foreshadowed on their previous EP _Mesmerized_ [CoC #42], and as
made evident on _Undecieved_, but the songs on this album are not
very -easy- to listen to, because they require concentration from the
listener just to follow along with them. The album is full of mad
scales and melodies, but most are dark and depressive, as are many of
the main riffs, especially the conclusion of the title track and the
whole of "Shelter". On the other hand, all of the technical playing
takes quite a bit away from the black metal aspect of the band, which
managed to shine through brilliantly despite all of the scales and
melodies present on their previous full-length _Burial_ [CoC #34],
but more importantly makes it sound less Norwegian, and that is just
not a good thing. However, power is one thing certainly not lacking,
as drummer Pete Sandoval, er, I mean David Husvik hammers away with
reckless precision, and the first three tracks are among the most
powerful songs the band has written. Extol have never been either
black nor death, but have always combined the two with great success.
I propose that in years to come, _Undecieved_ will be looked upon as
their "death metal album". With twelve tracks in all, including three
instrumentals (one of which is actually a guest appearance from
Sanctum), a few lengthy, wah-soaked leads, and several beautiful
Grieg-esque orchestrated passages to break things up a bit, Extol
actually do succeed in translating every ounce of energy that they
possess in a live setting onto the plastic, which is a rare
accomplishment indeed (in part due to the extremely clear and
powerful production, another accomplishment seeing as how it was
self-produced by the band). Regarding the vocals, lead vocalist Peter
Espevoll has gained much strength, and has also successfully
diversified his vocals much more than in the past. He's got the death
growl thing down, he's mastered the black metal rasp (although with
much more ferociousness and conviction than most), but he is also
adding some twists and turns tweaks to his sick craft, as witnessed
in "Of Light and Shade" (1:55 to 2:18) and the "vomiting" that occurs
on several words in "Inferno", as well as other various occurrences.
Guitarist Ole Borud has also stepped up to the mic on several tracks
with a singing voice not far removed from the style of Fate's
Warning's Ray Alder, which is obviously an impressive feat and adds
something totally unique to this band. All in all, _Undecieved_ is a
brilliant metal creation that will indeed withstand the test of time
(at least in my collection), but Extol's greatest work is still ahead
of them.
Contact: Solid State Records, P.O. Box 12698, Seattle, WA 98111, USA
Contact: Endtime Productions, P.O. Box 17142,
SE-402 61 Gothenburg, Sweden
mailto:endtime@durling.com
Figure Four - _No Weapon Formed Against Us_ (Facedown, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell (8 out of 10)
These youngsters from Winnipeg have whipped up one heck of a debut
album on the fledgling Facedown Records. Don't ask me what a Figure
Four is, but I can tell you that they are an extremely tight hardcore
band, full of energy, fury and passion for their craft. I'm not
exactly sure about their ages, but I saw them live not too long ago,
and I can assure you they still have some years of school ahead of
them. Their sound is a combination of all things East Coast hardcore
with a strong Sick of it All influence, which I imagine they would
humbly deny, but I'm telling you they are -that- good. There must be
some kind of strong hardcore scene in or around Winnipeg, because
these guys have obviously had some sort of strong influence on them
regarding all facets of the band; their music, their image and their
live show. I hope these guys continue in the path that they have
chosen, because they are too good not to.
Contact: mailto:figurefour204@hotmail.com
Funker Vogt - _Maschine Zeit_ (Metropolis, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (7.5 out of 10)
Not having had as long of a career as, say, Wumpscut, Funker Vogt
nonetheless pulls their own sizeable weight in the electro,
stripped-industrial movement. I've grown to appreciate this band more
and more ever since _Maschine Zeit_ was brought to my attention by a
good friend awhile back. An authoritative convergence and an unclean
vocal style were two primary factors attracting me to Funker Vogt.
Bruising dance-esque drop beats litter the nearly sixty-minute
soundscape on _Maschine Zeit_ making it terribly interesting to
listen to through all of the release's wavy textures. Some background
worth mentioning might include Funker Vogt's participation in at
least eight compilations since beginning in 1995. Also, as I
understand it, the group acquired their name from a close friend of
Gerrit Thomas (synth / programming / backing vocals), one of the
band's two members. This friend is/was a radio operator in the German
armed forces. The word for his position translates into German as
"Funker". Excellent, thought-provoking lyrics, yielding some
glistening gems such as "Nuclear Winter" and the chorus on "Maschine
Zeit". Not nearly as adventurous as Wumpscut, FV has a bare charm
particular to them individually. I might have hoped for another layer
or two in _Maschine Zeit_'s core sound, but this is a personal
preference, I believe, and it sure as hell isn't a reason not to let
Funker Vogt attach itself to your curiosity and worn its way into
your collection if you're receptive.
Contact: http://www.metropolis-records.com
Contact: http://www.funker-vogt.com
Various - _Gateway to Hell 2: Tribute to Slayer_ (Dwell, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (6 out of 10)
Having never heard the original _Gateway to Hell_, I could have
possibly gone with a 7 or maybe a 7.5 out of 10 on this follow-up,
but I must confess that _Gateway to Hell_ is still the better of the
two, in my opinion. Why do I say this? The first tribute to Slayer
displayed near perfect works, as you might recall, from Dark Funeral
("Dead Skin Mask"), Monstrosity ("Angel of Death") and Sadistic
Intent ("Necrophiliac"). This one boasts a few favorites as well,
like Angel Corpse's cover of "Kill Again", Abigor's version of
"Crionics" and of course Incantation's reworking of "Hell Awaits" is
next to sublime. I will give an honorable mention to Cephalic Carnage
here pertaining to their interpretation of "Jesus Saves". I'm a
newcomer to the Cephalic Carnage fan-fold, but their effort on this
tribute does nothing but further my favorable impression of the band.
Where I was most pleasantly surprised was on this CD's excellent
production; it was clear, unblemished and it truly made an enjoyable
listen. If you are a sucker for tributes and/or clamor for everything
that is Slayer, I'd be of the opinion that you might want this one,
too.
Gold fur Eisen - _Kein Morgan_ (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (9.5 out of 10)
Things just happen. Life is so full of surprises; sometimes you are
prepared for them and sometimes you are not. You just deal with it
and hopefully in the end you come out better for what you have been
faced with. Doing Chronicles of Chaos for the last five years has
been a very exciting time for me. Not only because of the great
friends I have made doing this (props going out to all of the CoC
staff!), but also coming in contact with some of the coolest bands
out there -- whether they are mainstream-sounding or just so bizarre
that a simple review would do it no justice. Such is the case with
German four-piece Gold fur Eisen, a truly remarkable band that seems
to elude any real genre tagging but still sound so familiar in talent
and ideas. The music, a radiating bombshell of metallic riffing,
oddball vocals and just plain lunacy, is a six-song release that just
shakes the foundations of what music should be about. Just letting go
and seeing where it all ends up. No need to follow trends or stick
with a certain sound. Gold fur Eisen are about making music and doing
it in such a manner that others' thoughts (good or bad) make no
impression on them. I have listened to this disc the most this month
of reviews and I still do not get bored from it. Maybe it is just the
free-flowing spirit of ideas or the fact that the band sings solely
in German? I don't know, but I'm infatuated with this band and I'm
hoping that I still feel this way a year from now, 'cause this is too
neat to lose sight of. Hats off to Gold fur Eisen for providing us
metalheads with a truly sincere mindfuck.
Contact: Gold fur Eisen, PF 1011413, 17019 Neubrandenburg, Germany
http://www.goldfuereisen.de
Haemorrhage - _Loathesongs_ (Morbid, September 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (4 out of 10)
The pure simplicity of many of the minute long death grinders covered
herein, and the fact that they differ little from their originals
even in playing style, essentially leaves Haemorrhage's covers
sounding flat and pointless. The songs are never as good, and never
better, just very much the same as the originals. So why bother with
them? Do you need a worse version of a good (or sometimes average...)
grindcore/death tune? I doubt it. Elsewhere, the band attempt to
cover Suicidal Tendencies (revealing that they lack considerably in
knee-length socks and hardcore attitude) and UFO (to odd but
uninteresting effect). Entombed and Carcass are the most well-known
names from Haemorrhage's musical turf covered here and the more or
less average tracks chosen are executed in a workmanlike manner,
exemplifying their inherent pointlessness while displaying that
Haemorrhage have none of the flair of their predecessors. All round,
a well played waste of time and money, and it's an MCD.
Hateplow - _The Only Law Is Survival_ (Pavement Music, August 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
With ex-Suffocation drummer Dave Culross replacing the deceased Larry
Hawk, Hateplow (a project that is helmed by Phil Fasciana and Rob
Barret of Malevolent Creation) certainly guaranteed an impressive
rhythmic backbone for _The Only Law Is Survival_. And indeed,
following some rather impressive cover art, the onslaught is
merciless as the band unleashes some devastating death/grind of
remarkable quality. Not only does their musical delivery reach
unusually high levels of aggression, but the technical skill and
precision one might expect from looking, for example, at Malevolent
Creation's _The Fine Art of Murder_ is here as well. There is also a
certain level of similarity between _The Only Law Is Survival_ and
_The Fine Art of Murder_ during some of the slower sections, which is
expectable given the current Hateplow line-up. Some punk influences
on a couple of tracks seem rather excessive to me, however and I
don't think they fit too well with the hyperspeed brutality that
dominates most of the album, but fortunately they seldom appear
during _The Only Law Is Survival_. Meanwhile, the production, if you
listen to the record loud enough, does a good job of keeping things
simultaneously brutal and clear. Not a groundbreaking album, but
certainly one that pushes some things quite close to their limits at
times. A thoroughly enjoyable slab of brutality.
In Aeternum - _The Pestilent Plague_ (Necropolis, August 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (6 out of 10)
Here we go: another devilishly elegant slab of CD lawlessness, a la
In Aeternum style, that is nearly impossible to review plausibly. I'm
reminded here of The New Yorker and Harper's magazines columnist E.B.
White, who was known for his essays lightly satirizing the
complexities of modern life and once professing, "Analyzing humor is
like dissecting a frog: nobody really enjoys it and the frog
generally dies as a result." I feel the same way about analyzing In
Aeternum's newest release, _The Pestilent Plague_. My score on this
review fluctuated greatly depending on many things ranging from to
-who- it was I had just finished listening -- to -what- time of day I
was again spinning this disc. I compromised and gave _The Pestilent
Plague_ the median score between my highest and lowest point values.
I'll say this, In Aeternum has numbed, refined and chilled their
sound somewhat since 1998's _Forever Blasphemy_, which I freely admit
wasn't my favorite effort. The frozen maturity of _The Pestilent
Plague_ may have something to do with Tommy Tagtgren's assistance at
the Abyss Studios, but I attribute it more to In Aeternum in general
and more-than-likely the slot they had opening for Immortal of their
European tour, but this is simply conjecture on my part. I hear
points of view that tie In Aeternum comparatively to Angel Corpse and
Dissection (both great losses to the metal community), but I do not
share that opinion. If I would permit the bridging of these bands in
my own mind, In Aeternum would sure suffer in the bronze slot after
the aforementioned powerhouse groups. Use your best judgement here,
readers; In Aeternum is certainly brutal and chilling death metal
with a new found petrified sound, but not a lot of meat to keep you
returning to the bone to gorge upon.
Into the Sunless Meridian - _Into the Sunless Meridian_
by: Alex Cantwell (0.5 out of 10) (Near Dark, 1999)
I thought that I would be in store for some great, artsy European
metal with a name like Into the Sunless Meridian, but I was
disappointed to find that it is but a solo project of some guy named
Mikael from New York. Drat. Mikael conjures up a weak attempt to
bring back the glory days of thrash, with severe leanings towards a
Mercyful Fate sound (he even does a cover of "A Corpse Without Soul"
and throws horrible King Diamond vocal renditions into several other
songs). The material on this release was recorded from 1994 to 1997,
so there is no real consistency or good musical flow, and in most
parts the guitar sound leaves a lot to be desired. In summary, this
is a demo in disguise that someone at Near Dark, while suffering from
temporary insanity, decided to press onto disc.
Contact: Near Dark Productions, Box 40, 860 30 Sorberge, Sweden
mailto:dreamweaver@telia.com
Iron Maiden - _Brave New World_ (Capitol, May 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)
To unearth my reasons for reviewing this "high profile" release in
CoC's hallowed "underground" pages, look up my review of Pantera's
_Reinventing the Steel_ [CoC #48], insert classic as an adjective
where appropriate, amplify influence factor by at least tenfold, and
change the decade from the nineties to the eighties. On another note,
be assured that the timing of this review is not just down to a
perpetually hectic schedule and a two month visit to Argentina, for
much as I was disgusted enough on first listen to not be able to
finish the entirety of _Brave New World_ past track six, I have since
given it repeated spins now totalling in excess of twenty. I have
"lived" with this record, and as an Iron Maiden fan.
In the words of _BNW_'s final song, there is a thin line between love
and hate, and Iron Maiden's comeback with Bruce Dickinson -- back and
happily exercising the air-raid siren -- exemplifies perfectly how
possible it is to love and hate the same group of musicians, to
differing degrees, over nearly seventy(!) minutes of music.
Especially after repeated spins, love is definitely the initial
emotion evoked by Iron Maiden's twelfth offering. "The Wicker Man"
(the album's single and video) is assuredly _BNW_'s finest moment,
despite being overlong, excessively anthemic, and repetitive;
symptoms of the album's ultimate downfall from start to finish. It
isn't surprising to find that Adrian Smith took the greatest part in
the creation of this stomping opener, though it's unfortunate that he
ripped off Judas Priest's "Running Wild" -- opening riff = identical
-- to do so. From here on it proves to be a bumpy ride. "Flight of
the Navigator" has its moments but is ultimately maybe a little
pretentious; the title track is cleanly structured and adequately
evocative but no classic; "Blood Brothers" combines _Load_-era
Metallica with Manowar and its first chorus enters after 40 seconds:
need I say more?; "Mercenary" is nothing but cannon fodder. It
terminated my first listening of _BNW_, and after repeated spins the
wholly overlong "Dream of Mirrors" -- and its totally excessively
repeated chorus -- fails to evoke any other desire in me. After the
flat "Fallen Angel" and god-awful "The Nomad" have dragged by, "Out
the Silent Planet" proves to be the only other song on _BNW_ that I
can happily listen to all the way through. It injects some
-pleasantly- anthemic and powerful riffing laced with pleasant
melodies and boasting a -pleasingly- catchy chorus. "A Thin Line
Between Love and Hate" then closes things off in distinctly lukewarm,
unspectacular style.
It feels strange to advise a band with years of experience behind
them and, we assume, megatons of talent still in them about
arrangement and song selection, but at a rough estimate I'd say
Maiden could've cut _Brave New World_ down to about half (discarding
the fat of inadequate songs and unnecessary repetitions) and come out
with a better and eminently more -listenable- album. You see, _BNW_'s
greatest asset is that it is Iron Maiden who made it. The
musicianship and melodic sensibility is present and correct, and
Bruce Dickinson, though maybe not -as- spectacular as on certain past
releases, is nonetheless still in possession of some of the finest
lungs in the metal world. Many other bands (see current Century Media
and Nuclear Blast rosters for details) would probably have performed
_BNW_ a lot worse, more obviously exposing its considerable
shortcoming. However, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Maiden
have released an album which, by their standards, is verging on the
diabolically bad and not just merely the so-so level of witnessed in
Bruce's final early nineties days with the band. A Maiden album is
not necessarily a good album -- though the weakness of _BNW_ is hard
to understand considering the high quality and sheer metalness
Dickinson's last solo offering, 1998's _A Chemical Wedding_ -- I hope
the band collectively remember that for next time. Honestly speaking
though, I don't think Maiden will ever again make an album that I
will feel the need to own.
Isis - _Celestial_ (Escape Artist, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
The work of Isis has always been met with critical acclaim, from
their _Mosquito Coast_ EP a few years back onto their _Red Sea_ disc
for Second Nature last year and up until now. _Celestial_ is a strong
statement from a band that thrives on noise, aggression and lack of
conformity. The sounds of the new disc pile upon us like a major car
crash, burying us beneath a heaping pound of abstract sounds, doomy
sludge-like guitars and ample feedback. The music of _Celestial_ is a
wake-up call to the power and intensity that Isis has been able to
capture on disc ("Glisten" and "Collapse and Crash"), but more
noticeably live. The disc rocks from start to finish and Isis don't
hold punches. Wallow in pain as Isis torture you to their sounds and
visions. Hard to swallow, but worth digesting. Isis leave no weak
links on _Celestial_. Are we all ready for Isis? Let's hope so,
'cause I'm pretty sure these boys are still stockpiling emotions for
the long haul.
Jane Doe 69 - _Snakeskin_ (<Independent>, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10)
Too bad Jane Doe 69 still can't shake off some more of their own
influences most of the time. They seem to jump from influence to
influence throughout the majority of this second MCD of theirs --
Machine Head, Sepultura, Korn: it's all here. Boasting very competent
production and playing, _Snakeskin_ is, if regarded independently of
everything else that's going on in the music industry, a strong
record that does show considerable potential. But when a band tends
to remind you too often of some other bands' most peculiar
characteristics, things begin to take a turn for the worse, and
that's the case with JD69. Much like _Scars_ [CoC #48], _Snakeskin_
shows that the band still needs more creativity of its own, instead
of creativity that's constantly being tainted with excessively
obvious influences. They have improved since their previous release,
and still look like they can evolve into something more interesting
in the future, but there still seems to be quite a bit to change in
their musical approach before that happens.
Contact: http://www.janedoe69.cjb.net
Jester's Funeral - _Quicksilverlight_
by: Adrian Bromley (8.5 out of 10) (Black Arrow / Point Music, 2000)
I have got to hand it to this German power/heavy metal quintet
calling themselves Jester's Funeral. Not only does the band have an
incredible amount of mystique and imagery making up their record
packaging, they have got a solid and truly powerful sound to go along
with it. From the opening chords of "Jester's Empire" onto
"Traveler", "Eternal Is the End" and "Astrocry", the band keeps the
listener interested. Whether it be the strong guitar riffs or the
melodic choruses, Jester's Funeral easily wins you over with each
track as it plays. With shades of Blind Guardian, Iced Earth and at
times even old Metallica, Jester's Funeral helps paint a fresh
picture on a genre of music that has been known to go stale on a
regular basis. Not this time, as _Quicksilverlight_ is truly a
champion-like effort.
Contact: mailto:contact@jestersfuneral.de
http://www.jestersfuneral.de
Various - _Jump in the Pit -- A Tribute to Testament_ (Dwell, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell (7.5 out of 10)
Testament has been a strong force in the world of metal, even as far
back as when they were frequenting such places as Ruthie's Inn when
they were known as Legacy. With the exception of Metallica, Testament
are the only other living witness to the once-burgeoning Bay Area
thrash scene, and have continued to have staying power for the
duration of their existence. _Jump in the Pit_ offers the chance for
some underground bands to pay tribute to a band that still matters,
and generally (and surprisingly) fare pretty well. Of course it must
be taken into consideration that this is Testament the bands are
covering, so obviously the vocal performance is going to be of great
importance, and then they have the lead work of Alex Skolnik, Eric
Peterson and James Murphy to contend with! Opening the disc, Fury do
a bang-up job of "Dog Faced Gods", and their vocalist sounds the
closest to Chuck Billy of all the bands on the disc. Wasteland's
version of "Time Is Coming" is right-on musically and features an
almost black metal vocal performance, but suffers a bit in the areas
of guitar sound and production. Prototype and Scary German Guy get
right down to business on "Into the Pit" and "Face in the Sky",
respectively, adding in some quick double-bass and great lead work.
Cold turn in a fairly powerful version of "Perilous Nation", and
Ultimatum's version of "Sins of Omission" is quite impressive, and
even as they took a bit of creative licence with the beginning, the
leads, a bridge and the ending, it has the uniqueness of sounding
like a Testament song, as well as a Ultimatum song. (Also, as an
aside, I had the privilege of playing bass on this track with the
guys, since it was my suggestion for them to do the song, but I swear
my minimal contribution in no way has an impact regarding what I
think of the song or the CD itself -- but I sure think the bass sound
could have been better!) Horror of Horrors, however, does not fare
well with their take on "Return to Serenity", turning in a weak
guitar performance and a vocal performance that is just plain bad. On
the other hand, Catch 22's vocalist really gets into "Trial by Fire",
even throwing some power metal screams in there, and their additions
to the original leads and complete reworking of the middle section of
the song are quite good. Blackend thrash away on "Practice What You
Preach" with great skill and musical dexterity, but the vocalist has
a -very- thick German accent and takes some getting used to. Closing
this tribute are Delusion and Habeas Corpus, who tackle the high
speed ragers "Ride" and "Nightmare", respectively, both with success.
This is a good tribute, methinks, because the bands rise to the
challenge of playing some difficult music, and paying their respects
to a band that has had a direct influence on their sound, and the
track selection is very close to what I would ask for personally.
Contact: Dwell Records, P.O. Box 39439, Los Angeles, CA 90039, USA
http://www.dwellrecords.com
Juno Reactor - _Shango_ (Metropolis, October 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10)
This label is making things pretty easy -- most of their artists are
completely enjoyable and easy to appreciate. Juno Reactor is no
exception. About three years ago, the band had a brief stint on Wax
Trax / TVT for their _Bible of Dreams_ release, their fourth album.
Since the band's formation in the early 1990s, it would appear that
experience has been a kind teacher to Ben Watkins and Stephan
Holwick, Juno Reactor's two current collaborators. _Shango_'s
inspired trance-techno sound has been meticulously combed into a
truly sanctified listening experience. A fine working through
complicating their techno approach with samples and dubbing, Juno
Reactor has mastered the term "trance" with _Shango_. By "trance", I
certainly do not mean boring. Nothing could be further from the
truth. "Trance" in the sense of your first beer of the evening after
a long day of laboring outdoors. I also feel celestial vibes from
this effort like watching a Pink Floyd laser light show at mid-night
in late July. The band's potential has not gone unnoticed, either.
Having tracks appear on movies such as "Lost in Space" and "Mortal
Kombat", among others, Juno Reactor now stands on the brink of
releasing the musical score for "Beowulf", which, I understand, stars
Christopher Lambert. Furthermore, former Billy Idol guitarist and
ex-Atomic Playboys pioneer, Steve Stevens, entwines his considerable
skill to the first cut off of _Shango_, "Pistolero". The song, though
not my favorite on this release, gives the listener a nearly
exclusive gaze inside Mr. Stevens's expansive talent while flavoring
JR's track with a Spanish flair and zest. I mention these things only
because I felt an undercurrent within myself swelling with outrage
that I had not realized JR before this point in my life. As you can
see, their talents have been utilized in many great ways prior to
_Shango_. This newest offering would be a fine place to jump inside
Juno Reactor's soaring macrocosm to cease your endless drifting
through the cosmos of merely adequate bands seemingly polluting the
atmosphere recently.
Killing Machine - _Killing Machine_ (Candlelight, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (6.5 out of 10)
I'll admit, after the first listen of the opening title track, I
thought this record was going to just stink to high heaven. The over
the top progressive metal style vocals, the wanker guitar solos --
Killing Machine was showcasing all of these signs big time. Then came
track #2, "Judgement Day", and my fears had subsided somewhat, as the
band had toned down things a bit, and got real gritty with their
playing as the disc went on. With members of W.A.S.P. (drummer Stet
Howland and bassist Mike Duda), guitar player Peter Scheithaur and
ex-Loudness singer Michael Vescera making up the pack, it is quite
easy to write this off as a "super group" of sorts. Well it isn't.
Far from it, my friends. Even though the band shakes things up a bit,
I can't seem to get past the wanker-like guitar solos and the
Slaughter-like (early '90s rock band) vocals of Vescera. This also
sounds a bit cliche as it unfolds. A rocking debut for sure, but it
is more "miss" than "hit".
Various - _King Diamond Tribute_ (Necropolis, July 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (7 out of 10)
Ranging from King Diamond's plentiful back catalog stretching to
pick-up 1985's single "No Presents for Christmas", covered extremely
well by Exhumed, through my favorite KD album, _Them_, to 1998's
_Voodoo_ release. I'm not sure I have to labor on the impact King
Diamond has marked on metal's malleable surface, so suffice it to
say, Necropolis's decision to pull this tribute off was a classy one.
What isn't so classy is Ancient's cover of "Halloween" on this
offering. Now, being a fan of _Svartalvheim_ and _Trolltaar_, this is
no effortless criticism for me to make. "Halloween" was much better
on _Fatal Portrait_ and should have been left there, untouched by
Ancient here. Now, that out of the way, most of the other covers are
fair and pretty well done. Of this next tier of groups, Fallen
Empire's version of "The Exorcist" (_Voodoo_) and the unsigned band
Enthrall doing "The Portrait" are arguably the best of the batch. The
standouts on this tribute are staggering. Dark Funeral's version of
"The Trail" (from my least favorite KD album, _The Eye_) is
walloping. This track can also be found on DF's EP _Teach Children to
Worship Satan_ [CoC #48] (again, quite a bovine title for such a
great EP). Anyway, moving on, as I brought up earlier, Exhumed's
cover of the single "No Presents for Christmas" is arresting,
humorous and tormenting all at the same time, but Agressor's take on
"Welcome Home" from _Them_ is truly my favorite song on this eleven
track tribute to one of the most (if not -the most-) recognizable
faces in metal. A worthwhile compilation here if anything mentioned
in the lines above strike a chord with you or if, for whatever
reason, you've just pulled yourself out of the primordial morass of
radio bullshit.
Kreuzfeuer - _Blut fur Blut_ (Endzeit Klange, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)
While Germany remains the undisputed land of melodic power metal and
the like, more extreme forms of metal have been festering in the
Teutonic depths. Sadly, the quality of such has been questionable,
with even the more successful names like Nagelfar and Moonblood
hardly making a dent on the international underground, with the
exception of certain non-musical achievements (read: Absurd) making
relative headlines. As such, it's rare to come across a German band
not entirely motivated by anti-Semitic sentiments. Kreuzfeuer remain
an enigma despite my repeated attempts to analyse the driving force
behind them. A direct, simple description is in order: the
surprisingly professional layout belies the nature of this obscure
private pressing, and suggests a slab of brutal, war-obsessed death
metal. The music, however, is a total shock, opening with a strange
chant leading into a catchy, almost cheerful play of rollicking riffs
and whimsical(?) synth, a greater surprise coming in the form of a
"Hallelujah" chorus!!! The purist in me dismisses such metal
irreverence as pure sacrilege; the actual effect is more appealing
than it sounds on paper, and a few more spins is all it takes to
start me (secretly) humming along. The sheer tongue in cheek mood
seems to pervade the entire album, the mostly merry, catchy tunes
clashing bizarrely with the pensive, sombre lyrics. Rather than
detract from the effect of the album, this jarring juxtaposition
serves to drive home the message with an irony as yet unmatched in
the genre. Heavy metal riffs war with guttural growls and highly
memorable solos, creating melodic soundscapes most Gothenburg clones
would do well to learn from. The very talent for crafting pure
foot-tapping melodies song after song is incredibly obvious in just
one listening, and to dismiss this band as a mere joke (which they
are, in their own unique way) is to miss out on one of the most
interesting bands to come out of the German underground in recent
years. The fate of such an experimental piece of work is already
decided: like most other over-the-top progressives, this band is
likely to languish in relative obscurity. Most listeners would be
tempted to label Kreuzfeuer as a meaningless "fun" band, but it
doesn't take much to realize the potential of this highly unique
record. Distribution and promotion is obviously a problem with
records like this (this review copy was obtained for my own distro
through a supplier), and therefore obtaining a copy might prove
difficult. I highly recommend the more adventurous to contact the
band directly.
Contact: mailto:tattoo@01019freenet.de
Lesser Known - _Higher Levels_ (LKE Entertainment, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
There has always been something very likeable about the frenzied,
hard rocking work of Windsor, Ontario act Lesser Known. I mean, I
give them points just for being from my birthplace, but there is a
bit more than that to all of this. I think the reason why I like the
band is their ability to have melody mesh well with a cool groove. It
doesn't work all the time, which is why I give this four-song EP
somewhat low marks, but they do hit a stride and those are the ones
worth mentioning. Opener "This New World" (there is also another
version at the end of the EP) is good, but weak in my books compared
to the hard-like feel of "Hell Ya!" and the ultra-rockin' "Underdog".
I guess this EP is good as a segue between their last solid disc
_Inner Beast_ and whatever else they have ready to roll in the
future. At least these guys have their act together and are still
going strong after some years. If they didn't have that going for
them, I'd have sent them applications for McDonald's.
Liber Spirituum - _Frugativi et Appellativi_
by: Adrian Bromley (4 out of 10) (<Independent>, August 2000)
I hate to start things off in the red, but here goes: this is one of
the worst releases I have heard in terms of production. The sound is
just so muffled and sometimes the guitar solos fade in and out. I
know this death metal (though blackened at times) charge is geared on
punishing the listener with severe blows bestowed upon us by their
righteous words and musical onslaughts, but the weak production turns
what could have been a promising killing machine into a muddled pool
of noises. Yawn! I admit the intensity is there (tracks "Fuck You
Christ (Ancient God of Lying and Betraying)" or "The Law of Forbidden
(Occult Art of Seduction and Manipulation"), but Liber Spirituum end
up shooting wide as the disc carries on. Too bad, as this sucker is
full of hate.
Contact: P.O. Box 17-03-774, Quito, Ecuador
mailto:jcmaqhe@uio.satnet.net
Mark D - _The Silent Treatment_ (Lunasound Recording, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)
At its best sounding almost like what could have been the soundtrack
to some booze-drenched Tarantino-like movie, this solo release by the
man who's worked as producer and bass player for the Melvins in the
past is a strange yet appealing disc. One can often almost picture a
small, darkened hotel room with worn-out curtains filtering some of
the light from a neon sign shining in the night outside, in the
middle of some desert-like American location, and... well, you get
the picture, and I'll try to avoid writing a cliche-ridden novel
instead of a review. The music on _The Silent Treatment_ can equally
sound quite depressed or present you with a bouncy bass line; varied
but mostly sombre vocal styles are combined with a heavily distorted
guitar sound courtesy of engineer Joe Barresi (Kyuss, Monster Magnet,
etc.) and dark atmospheres. Things can indeed go from rather sombre
and depressed all the way to groovy stuff, but both are generally
well achieved on _The Silent Treatment_; the mixture may not always
work entirely well, but despite being a rather excessively long
record, the overall result and atmosphere is still reasonably
interesting.
Contact: mailto:luna@ettnet.se
Martyr - _Warp Zone_ (<Independent>, 2000)
by: Brian Meloon (10 out of 10)
The year 2000 has been an incredible year for fans of technical
metal. This year has brought not only the long awaited debut of
Spiral Architect [CoC #48], but also the Listenable re-issue of
Theory in Practice's _The Armageddon Theories_ [CoC #46], the
reformation of Watchtower, and now Martyr's second offering, _Warp
Zone_. This album improves on their debut _Hopeless Hopes_ in almost
every way possible. While their debut was very Death-ish in its
approach, _Warp Zone_ could better be described as Spiral Architect
meets Meshuggah, with the occasional Death influence. While it's not
quite as technical as Spiral Architect, it makes up for this by being
much more original. Their music is extremely complex, switching
tempos and riffs often throughout each irregularly-structured song.
They utilize a variety of riff styles, changing from chunky to
intricate to melodic and back again at a rapid pace. While some of
the riffs are somewhat derivative, there are a number of excellent
original ideas thrown around, and the songs are structured in such a
way that it remains fresh and interesting. The playing is excellent
on all counts, and even the guitar solos are well done. Even though
each member's parts are very technical, the group is very tight. The
production is excellent: very heavy and crystal clear. The
songwriting is a little disjointed at times, and occasionally I'm
left scratching my head wondering "Why'd they do -that-?", but
overall it's quite good. This is absolutely essential for fans of
technical metal, and fans of original and innovative metal should
check it out as well.
Metalium - _State of Triumph -- Chapter Two_ (Pavement, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (3 out of 10)
I feel there is very little room in music for outfits like this and
what meager space remains is more than adequately filled by Manowar's
back catalog. Metalium is "triumph metal" (whatever the hell -that-
means), so hence the title of the release. Formulated,
paint-by-numbers metal is about all you can expect with this
follow-up to Metalium's first effort, _Millennium Metal -- Chapter
One_. Boy, something tells me I am glad I missed that effort
altogether. _State of Triumph_ forces images of Europe, _Final
Countdown_ era, meets Journey meets Lillian Axe or Styx into my mind.
The three points this CD did manage to accumulate come from the
mature separation between instruments; there is a heavy emphasis on
clear musical distinction. That Metalium do impressively. Also there
is a screen saver program on this disc. This, at least, is something
different from the "flying through space" and "3D maze/pipes" that
seem to be everywhere because of Windows. Celebrate triumphantly by
buying another disc like classic Manowar. One can't go wrong with
_Kings of Metal_, _Sign of the Hammer_ or if you -must- have the word
"triumph" in the title, _The Triumph of Steel_ just isn't too bad
either. As for _State of Triumph -- Chapter Two_, some things are
better left unwritten.
Mortification - _10 Years Live Not Dead_ (Metal Blade, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell (6 out of 10)
This is the third live release from these Aussies that most metal
people love to hate. No matter what your opinion is of this band,
though, you have to admire their persistence, and especially that of
lead man / bassist / vocalist Steve Rowe, as his bout with leukaemia
has brought him close to death many times over the past few years.
Mortification has always had a unique sound, somewhat grounded in the
style of Sodom and Kreator, and over the years has morphed from a
thrash/death outfit to death/grind and back to thrash, but have been
moving towards a more "classic metal" sound since the formation of
the current line-up, which is rounded out by Lincoln Bowen on guitar
and Keith Banister on drums, who have both been in the band since
1996, making the longest lasting Mortification line-up ever. The lead
off track is a new song entitled "Dead Man Walking" about the
leukemia struggle, and is fairly powerful but nothing to write home
about. There is also a medley done in the way that Metallica combines
a slew of old songs together (a technique which I absolutely abhor)
and includes bits from "Lymphosarcoma", "Destroyer Beholds",
"Distarnish Priest" (during which Steve commands everybody to "jump"
-- gack!), and "Love Song". Besides the inclusion of those "songs",
the furthest they go back into their catalogue for this disc is
"Mephibosheth" from 1995's _Primitive Rhythmn Machine_ [see CoC #3
for Gino's less than glowing review of that album]. The weaker
moments of this performance include "Chapel of Hope" and "Liberal
Mediocrity", as they are not energetic enough songs to be included in
a live Mortification performance, if you ask me. The highlights
include "Buried Into Obscurity", "Martyrs", "Peace in the Galaxy" and
"Hammer of God", which to me made the disc worth owning. Because of
the current style of music that Mortification is doing, besides their
hardcore Christian supporters who gobble up everything the band does,
I'm not sure who their audience is, and it is evident that their
impact on the secular music scene has been lessening over the years
(even though they have enjoyed a healthy amount of European exposure
courtesy of Nuclear Blast over the last eight years), as I don't know
one single metalhead who is not a Jesus freak that would even give
them the time of day. But as this live CD testifies, that is
certainly not due to their lack of musical talent, but rather to the
hostility aimed at Christians in general in the metal scene.
Myopia - _Concentration of Suffering_ (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Okay... since the disc has been finished, there have been changes.
Singer Dave "The Butcher", who is on the disc, is now out of the
band, and there have been some other changes in the band. Fuck!? Good
thing I visit their website and check the news frequently. Guess
we'll have to wait and see how this affects the band live and on the
next recording. As for the recording in my hand, titled
_Concentration of Suffering_, this is definitely a powerful and
well-executed slab of brutal death metal. This West Coast act have
really done their homework in terms of applying a real congruent and
sickened style to their sound. The music oozes with intensity
("Onward to Extinction" and "Salvation in Death") as the band
steamrolls through 24 minutes of mayhem. Strong production and a real
professional attitude may just get these guys noticed. If you like
brutal death metal, then let these Canucks rock your world!
Contact: 1137 Renfrew Street, Vancouver V5K 4C1, Canada
mailto:myopia666@crosswinds.net
http://www.crosswinds.net/~myopia666/
Mythological Cold Towers - _Remoti Meridiani Hymni -- Towards the
Magnificent Realm of the Sun_
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) (Somber Music, August 2000)
It is nice to hear music that has been laboured over for a long time.
When one hears music like this, it becomes quite apparent just how
much this music means to the artist. The hard work and determination
pays off in the end as we are presented a wonderful and truly
magnificent work of music to digest. The Brazilian outfit
Mythological Cold Towers have no doubt worked extra hard to fine-tune
their dark epic sound and style with _RMH_, a neat little expedition
into the darkened world of epic metal, but with a real South American
folklore twist. The vast use of folklore sounds, magnificent keyboard
work adding harmony and the solid guitar work enhance the vocal
delivery of singer Samej as the music of MTC flows effortlessly into
a marvellous ride of emotions and sonic wonders. These guys really
know how to play music -- not just as musicians, but as believers in
the power of music. Get swept away by songs like the title track,
"Glorious Traces of the Fall of Tahuantinsuyu" and "Colossal
Megalithic Monument". MTC know exactly what buttons to push to draw
us in.
Contact: Somber Music, P.O. Box 2089, Osasco, SP 06114-990, Brazil
mailto:somber@albnet.com.br
Nightingale - _I_ (Black Mark, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10)
The third instalment of superstar producer/musician Dan Swano's
project Nightingale is easily his most accessible. Strong rock / prog
rock harmonies, catchy hooks and solid beefed up production (great
use of keyboards) make this release a great listen from "Scarred for
Life" onto "Remorse and Regret" and the closing instrumental
"Breathing". For all of you Swano junkies, lyrics for all three
Nightingale releases are here. While Swano may have left Edge of
Sanity and gone his own way with Odyssey, it is quite obvious that
his love for rock / prog rock lies deep in his veteran heart. A
worthy purchase for fans of his work.
Nocturnal Rites - _Afterlife_ (Century Media, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
This band, even though they are primarily a power/melodic metal act,
can sure turn up the juice when need be. I'm talking deafening roars
of metallic ecstasy. While the new disc titled _Afterlife_ is a
definite continuation of Nocturnal Rites' material, it doesn't really
offer much diversity or groundbreaking work. A lot of the music here
is very same sounding, a far cry from their diverse and definitely
pounding 1998 record _Tales of Mystery and Imagination_. Nocturnal
Rites is still going strong (check out numbers like "Hell and Back"
and "The Devil's Child"), I just think the band didn't really try too
hard to add another rung to their ladder of creativity here. I have
to give them credit, though, as the production is frightfully
crystal-clear from start to finish. I'm a little bummed out on how
the overall record unfolds, but I'll let die-hard fans of the band
make the final judgement call.
Opera IX - _The Black Opera (Symphoniae Mysterioeum in
Lauden Tenebrarum)_ (Avantgarde / Dwell, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (4 out 10)
From what I am to gather about Opera IX (signed to Italy's Avantgarde
label and licensed to Dwell), the band composes a sound-quest through
cold occultism. _The Black Opera_ is, from all accounts, a concept
album dealing with a spirit warrior campaigning for mystical
knowledge within the spheres of evil. Now, here's what I hear vocally
on _The Black Opera_: Dawn Crosby of Fear of God pre-_Toxic Voodoo_.
Good? Yes, not too bad. Actually, Opera IX is fronted by Cadaveria,
and not Ms. Cosby, of course, but the comparison is easily
established within a minute or two on the first listen. The riffs on
this disc are plenty catchy and ferociously rhythmic, but I found it
difficult to swim through the atmosphere this band was trying to
fashion. I'm not opposed to this occult ambience generally, and Opera
IX's effort, while mature, is simply not a favorite of mine. That
said, if it -is- something you relish, add a couple of points, at
least. As for the positives, this group has no trouble fabricating
mood even through the somewhat entangling Cadaveria/Crosby vocal
issue I mentioned earlier; plenty of character on _The Black Opera_.
Another sure plus is Opera IX's cover of Bauhaus's "Bela Lugosi's
Dead", which I have on reunion double disc _Gotham_ from 1999, I
believe. Supreme choice for this band. The entire CD clocks in at
just over fifty-one minutes and, like I said, if you delight in murky
plunges through the depths of female-fronted vocal concept occultism,
Opera IX is right up your alley. For me, it's definitely a one-way
road -- the other way.
Ordained - _The Second Coming_ (Sinternational, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10)
Sounding like a really down and nasty (even vicious) garage rock
band, Virginia act Ordained manage to score points with their
infectious choruses, singer The Reverend's tantalizing vocals and the
downtuned guitars and hard-hitting rhythm section bringing up the
rear. While the music might be typical hate-filled ditties, spurned
on by aggressive cries and sinister Sabbath-like riffing, the
surprising winning factor here is Ordained's ability to add emotion
and atmosphere to the songs. Each song has its own emotion, but still
each song is given 100% attention (i.e. "Beloved", "Destroyer" and "I
Am the One") as it blares out of your speakers. A little bit shock
rock, a little bit rock 'n' roll and a whole lot of devil worshipping
seems to help fuel Ordained's need to get their message across.
Message received, guys.
Contact: 5621 S. Greenfield Drive, Portsmouth, VA 23703, USA
http://www.ordained.net
Origin - _Origin_ (Relapse, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8.5 out of 10)
There seems to be a lot going on within the confines of Origin's
sound and style. Lots of brain-bashing, that is! From the opening
assault of "Lethal Manipulation" onto the deadly crossfire of "Mental
Torment", the members of death/grind act Origin have set out to rape
us of our hearing and any sound intelligence that we might have had.
Pummelling and unthoughtful of what happens to us, Origin came,
conquered and left us crippled in a pool of our own vomit and urine.
Pleasant thoughts these are not, but neither is Origin. Damn fine
music to wreck your mind to.
Contact: http://www.origin.tsx.org
Physicist - _Physicist_ (HevyDevy Records, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Listening to Devin Townsend's new project Physicist (following other
great projects like Ocean Machine, Infinity and of course Strapping
Young Lad) is like watching magician David Copperfield making the
Statue of Liberty disappear. I'm left asking: how the fuck does he do
it? Record after record, Townsend and his crew of metallers (most
notably skin smasher Gene Hoglan) just push the envelope further by
meshing truly powerful melodies with severe riffage and detonating
forms of aggression. Loud, but no doubt a beautiful and jaw-dropping
result. No doubt this is Townsend's most extreme trip yet into the
wonderful world of metal music, but he does his best to make it as
pleasant a trip as he possibly can. While my fave project of his is
still SYL, this fucker delivers the goods. By the way, Devin, I am in
total awe of the track "Death". WOW!
Contact: P.O. Box 153, Maple Ridge, B.C. V2X 7G1, Canada
mailto:hevydevy@home.com
http://www.hevydevyrecords.com
Point of Recognition - _The Admiration of a Son_ (Rescue, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell (8 out of 10)
If this is SoCal Hardcore, I want more. Point of Recognition is
-extremely- metal, but has plenty of hardcore elements, and enough
sing-along choruses to please any shaved head. These six young men
have done very well for themselves with this, their debut. PoR slams
out fast one-two punches most of the time, but the mid-tempo material
is just as heavy, and most times more emotional. The music is
top-notch new school hardcore, and the production is crystal clear.
One unique thing that sets them apart for sure is that they have two
vocalists: one who uses the traditional hardcore shouting, and one
who is closer to the black metal register. Some would say that it is
totally unnecessary to have two vocalists in a hardcore band, but I
think it adds an incredible dynamic to the chaos that the band
themselves churn out, and it sounds really cool when they trade off
every other vocal line. Another advantage that PoR have on the
competition is the ability to write great riffs, and _TAoaS_ is
packed with them. I recently saw these guys live, and it was like
witnessing an explosion of power and emotion, and unfortunately as
good as this CD is, in no way does it capture the excitement of the
band in a live setting.
Contact: Rescue Records, 1075 Bay Blvd., Suite A,
Chula Vista, CA 91911, USA
Postmortem - _Storm Force_ (Morbid Records, June 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (3 out of 10)
Postmortem's attempts at a sort of watered-down, somewhat
electronically tinged "death 'n' roll" fall quite short of ever being
successful in the duration of this MCD. _Storm Force_ is mostly a
collection of uninspired riffs, very poor vocals, annoying electronic
sounds, mediocre use of a drum machine and a remarkable lack of
ability to stand out and seize your attention. The result is
redundant and uninteresting both for the absence of musical direction
and its lacklustre execution. Well, at least they seem to give up
their attempts to get people dancing early on the MCD, so most of it
is at least a relief -- even if a somewhat mediocre one -- after the
start of the record. Of course variety can be a good thing, but in my
view Postmortem need to make up their mind as far as what style they
want to play and then actually try to be good at it. Overall, this is
a rather redundant collection of material that generally fails to
present any real reasons why it should be noticed.
Quo Vadis - _Day Into Night_ (<Independent>, 1999)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
Quo Vadis are a Canadian band, and this is their second full-length
album, following up their 1996 debut, _Forever..._. Their brand of
thrash is straightforward and somewhat melodic. That is, it's not
completely dominated by catchy hooks, but rather incorporates some
melodic elements into a standard thrash setting. A good reference
point would be the last three Death albums, though Quo Vadis are
generally faster, heavier and more technical. However, their music
isn't overly complex: generally, the songs are based upon a few
distinct riffs which are incorporated into a fairly standard
structure. As with most records, there are good and not-so-good riffs
here; and the risk you take in basing a song around a handful of
riffs is that none of them is good enough to carry the song.
Unfortunately, that's what happens for a few songs here, as I find
some of the riffs less-than-inspired. But the playing is very good:
technical and tight. The production is excellent as well, with the
exception of some of the guitar leads, which sound a little cheap in
comparison to the rest of the music. At their best ("On the Shores of
Ithaka"), these guys are excellent. If the whole album were as good
as that song, this would be absolutely essential. As it is, it's a
good album that will be enjoyed by fans of fast and heavy thrash.
Redeem - _A Diadem of Beauty_ (Sofa, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell (9 out of 10)
Remember from my review of Zao's _When Blood and Fire Bring Rest_ in
CoC #34 when I prophesied that many new hardcore bands would adopt
the use of black metal vocals? Probably not, but I really did say
that(!), and with the release of Redeem and Point of Recognition my
prophecy has only begun to unfurl before you. Redeem is sick. They
take the most depressive feelings and pent-up aggressions and turn
them into anthems of rage that fall somewhere around the ever-fading
line that exists between hardcore, grind, noisecore and death metal,
but yet they are the kind of band who will not be limited to those
grounds, as evidenced in the instrumental "The Dayspring From on
High". Being from New Jersey certainly must have its advantages when
it comes to the metalcore/noisecore scene, as there are so many bands
within this genre from the area. Redeem seem to be a ball of mad
energy that can barely be contained on a disc, and their riffs just
reach out and grab you, pulling you square into the face of vocalist
Keith Lenox while he rips your head off with very personal lyrics
performed in the sickest hardcore vocal manner ever known to man. In
my opinion, the strongest musical influence on these lads is not
hardcore, but Slayer -- every song is full of riffs that could easily
find a home on any Slayer record, and you can imagine how cool it
must sound to have that element translated into non-over-produced
hardcore statements. No? Then run out and pick this up and try to
prove me wrong, Jack. Up the xHCx!
Contact: Sofa Records, 4643 Kendrick St., Philadelphia, PA 19136, USA
mailto:sofarecord@aol.com
Various - _Root of All Evil 2000 2nd Anniversary Sampler_
by: Aaron McKay (9.5 out of 10) (Root of All Evil, 2000)
Probably one of the finest compilations I have in my possession. Like
the Wolf release on No Fashion not long ago [CoC #48], here is yet
another example of never judging a CD's content on its cover. If you
did, you might opt for a more flashy casing like the new (very
killer) In Flames effort, but then you would miss out on some of the
finest tracks on a sampler I have heard in awhile. While most bands
on Root of All Evil are moderately new to me, Lorde of All Desires
performed at the Metalfest one year that I attended. Being my short
term memory is a lot better than my long term memory, I can't
remember a lot about Lorde of All Desires, unfortunately. What I can
tell you is their song on this compilation, "Diablerie's Course", is
ferociously impressive. Some other bands I can't fathom why I haven't
checked out before are Theatre of the Macabre, Aesma Daeva (intensely
powerful and frighteningly beautiful metal) and Opaque. This sampler
washes over the entire gambit of music genres Root of All Evil
oversees. For instance, Opaque have metal and rugged hardcore
qualities like a catchier Madball or Biohazard that, in Opaque's
case, is truly appealing. Also, bands like Somnus provide a somber,
exquisitely cavernous black metal approach to the scene, while
Walhalla [see the review of _Fireich_ in this issue] tackle the whole
black metal style with touches of infectious death metal injections.
This sampler has it all, no doubt about it. Plan-E's "My Skeleton"
has a kind of wispy, clean Godflesh sorrowful vocal slant to it,
while their form is more of a straightforward metal heaviness. The
glassy, unhinged semi-muted buzz feel of Carrier Flux's "The
Collective Part 3 -- Attack" is genuinely hypnotizing. Rock-steady
low bass riffs like Sleep meets Geezer Butler abound plenty on "Hexe"
from The Unholy. Brick gives the Root of All Evil compilation a taste
Cannibal Corpse infused Cianide while Reverend Porky Bunge fills in
the Anal Cunt slot in the roster. Two tracks from Impaler appear on
this disc: "Under the Dirt" and "Speed Thrills". If you look
elsewhere in this issue, I have a review that goes into a touch more
detail regarding Impaler. "Under the Dirt" is infinitely more
groove-oriented with an extremely wise use of tough-sounding drum
smacks throughout the track. Like I indicated earlier, a superior
sampler. With eighteen total cuts, this is a premium package.
Contact: http://www.rootofallevil.com
Rotten Sound - _Still Psycho_ (Necropolis / Deathvomit, July 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (4 out 10)
I think I might rename the first four words above No Shit -- _Still
Harebrained_. All this band's points came from the second track,
"Ignorance", track five, "Lack of Awareness", and the multimedia
clips of the band live this MCD comes with. For the brief time during
the above mentioned songs, I was able to gloss over the
shaving-off-your-asshair vocals in favor of Rotten Sound's determined
rhythm and tempo variances and none of that "too fast" to "more too
fast" shit either, as could be said about cuts one, three and four.
This brings me to the only tune not yet mentioned, six. Track six is
a cover of Carcass's "Reek of Putrefaction". I enjoy hearing bands
tip their collective hats to inspiring bands, but not in this case. I
have no points and took no points away for this due to the prominence
of Carcass, but RS's version isn't even playing the same game as the
original, let alone in the same ballpark. As you might be able to
ascertain, Rotten Sound draws influence from Napalm Death and Extreme
Noise Terror. But like the comparison to Carcass, RS isn't yet to
this echelon. This is nearly a waste of sixteen and a half minutes of
your time, but there are some not-so-dim spots to _Still Psycho_.
Scariot - _Death Forlorn_ (Demolition Records, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
This is just one of those weird records that come out of nowhere and
at first kind of impresses you, but then after numerous listens it
loses its charm. The band in question here is Scariot, a weird
melding of progressive metal vocals, strong guitar riffing and death
metal grunts helping lead the charge. I know what you're thinking:
"What the fuck?" Don't worry. You're not alone. Comprised of members
from Blood Red Throne, In the Woods..., Carpathian Forest and Trail
of Tears, Scariot loses its charm in the sense that it is offering
too much, too fast. The styles of music change at breakneck speed,
leaving metal fans scurrying to find out if their CD has skipped
discs. The musicianship is the most obvious characteristic that seems
to dominate here, with Scariot showcasing some fancy guitar licks and
song arrangements throughout. Too bad the ideas didn't meld together
too strong or this would have been a kick-ass record.
Contact: Scariot, c/o Daniel Olaisen, Dronningensgt 38,
4610 Kristiansand, Norway
mailto:peisapaa@c2i.net
Society's Burden - _Ten Tales From Hell's Trailer Park_
by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10) (<Independent>, August 2000)
Once you get past the rather downscaled production of the new
offering from Society's Burden, you can sort of get into the
doom/sludge/stoner state of things. Sludgy guitars, gritty vocals and
a real downright dirty ambience spurts out from the material of
Society's Burden as they play along, rarely breaking free from the
hypnotic drive of the heavy music (check out "Betta Run" and "Cast
Out"). The production is just plain lousy, but that is kind of the
beauty of it all. The production just attaches itself to the already
loosely played numbers, at times morphing them into a crushing
metallic gravy train of emotions. I can get down to this, but not on
a regular basis. I guess it is also the awful production that kind of
turns it off from listen to listen. Take caution if you're going to
scope this CD out.
Contact: P.O. Box 1208, Ramseur, NC 27316, USA
mailto:societysburden@mailandnews.com
http://www.societysburden.com
Somnus - _Awakening the Crown_ (Root of All Evil, 1999)
by: Aaron McKay (7 out of 10)
It may be a little old, but surely it is still consequential. Having
got this not all that long ago, I wanted to be sure to have it
reviewed to share with the CoC community not later than this issue.
Great stuff to be uncovered on _Awakening the Crown_. No drab Satanic
doldrums or trite black metal extracts, just heavily laden
atmospheric enchantment a la trolls, wilderness and mystical dreams.
Kind of refreshing. Reminds me somewhat of what little I know of the
game Dungeons and Dragons. Song titles like "A Calling of Arms", "The
Alchemist" and "Lair (of the Wendol)" may give you the same
impression, too. Even before I got my hands on this, I had heard
Somnus' "Season in the Abyss" tribute to Slayer on Dwell Records,
_Gateway to Hell_. Soft keyboards occasionally haunt tracks on
_Awakening the Crown_. Vocals are gruff and stressed, but clear and
understandable. Interesting arrangements play a big role in Somnus'
style and approach. Not that anyone has asked me, but if they did, I
might be inclined to mention utilizing the bass a bit more could
pound home the objective on some tracks. My personal favorite cut
from _Awakening the Crown_ has to be "Beyond the Shores", a wonderful
male/female voice volley at times making the song move swimmingly
along with evanescent ease. Strong effort.
Contact: Somnus, P.O. Box 81379, Cleveland, Ohio 44181, USA
Contact: http://www.rootofallevil.com
Soulfly - _Primitive_ (Roadrunner, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
After the exorcism that Max Cavalera displayed on Soulfly's
self-titled debut disc, I was beginning to wonder how he'd be able to
top that effort. Well, metal fans, he has. On Soulfly's new disc,
Cavalera leads his troops through a wind tunnel of experimentation,
metal riffs and bombastic cries of aggression as Soulfly once again
leads their fans onto soulful groupings of material. _Primitive_ is
full of songs with a message and lots of substance, a kind of book of
reality and life itself, which punish our ears but keep our feet
tapping. Cavalera is not afraid to venture out from the realm of
metal music (though at the same time keeping it metallic) to bring an
air of originality to the work. Case in point, the bizarre
collaboration with Sean Lennon ("Son Song"). Who'd have thought in a
million years this would happen? But it did, and it works quite well.
Other collaborators include Corey Taylor (#8 from Slipknot), Chino
Moreno from the Deftones and Slayer's Tom Araya, all lending hand in
support of Cavalera's quest for his musical vision. Some might be
expecting the Soulfly record to be geared towards the Ozzfest crowds
-- it is no doubt for fans of that ilk --, but this is definitely
more of a metal record than some might expect. Just listen to opener
"Back to the Primitive" and it might just make you give a damn for
Soulfly in 2000.
Soulless - _The Darkening of Days_ (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
Ohio act Soulless have definitely got a solid groove going. Their
death metal groove mixed with vibrantly aggressive (yet coherent)
vocals is definitely worthy of praise as it rarely changes up much,
thus allowing the listener to headbang along to the disc without any
drastic momentum changes. From start to finish, _The Darkening of
Days_ aims to please with its crushing death metal vocals and hard
hitting drive. If there was any setback, and usually there is within
this genre, it is the somewhat simple production that comes along
with their violent outbursts. It just seems too standard sounding.
Had the production been a little more cleaned up, I'm pretty sure the
songs would make more of an impact. Just my two cents, folks. This
still hits fast and hard. Choice cut: "Turn".
Contact: Soulless, c/o Chris Dora, 6110 Bradley,
Ave. Parma, OH 44129-2218, USA
mailto:chrisdora@webtv.net
Steve Von Till - _As the Crow Flies_ (Neurot Recordings, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Neurosis member Steve Von Till goes solo with this home-recorded
album of minimalist, sombre, acoustic music. In addition to using his
own deep, tranquil voice, he also plays acoustic guitar and piano,
whilst some guests (including Kris Force from Amber Asylum)
contribute with other instruments, such as cello and violin. The
music has an overall sense of calmness, and the tranquil, sombre
beauty throughout the record is as likely to be deeply appreciated
and absorbed by some listeners as the album's minimalism is likely to
lull some listeners to sleep. Soothing and very adequate for
melancholic rainy days, _As the Crow Flies_ is an unpretentious album
that does not pander to any trends and does not try to make itself
especially marketable in conventional ways; and as far as I'm
concerned, that makes it all the more attractive. Granted, this is
not a record I'll be listening to several times a day or anything
like that, but it still definitely is one whose quality and
personality ensure that I'll be enjoying it whenever the time is
right.
Symphony X - _V_ (Metal Blade, October 2000)
by: Brian Meloon (9 out of 10)
Symphony X return with their aptly titled fifth full-length album
(well, sixth if you count the greatest hits comp _Prelude to the
Millennium_), and it proves to be their strongest effort yet. While
their previous albums were more song-based, this one flows from song
to song as one continuous work. This allows the band more freedom in
contrasting motives and ideas between songs, and allows them to move
away from standard song structures. In fact, about half of the songs
are more like instrumental interludes or introductions than "real"
songs, but they're often much more than simple keyboard pieces. The
band's style hasn't changed very much since their debut; all of the
Yngwie-isms and Egyptian references you'd expect are still there. But
they've expanded their influences a little bit, including influences
from the likes of Kansas, (symphonic) movie soundtracks, and some
classical piano (Chopin, e.g.). I even hear some parts which remind
me of a less over-the-top Bal Sagoth. As you'd expect, the production
is great, the playing is excellent, and the vocals are great. Even
more impressive is the restraint shown by the band members in playing
what's appropriate instead of showing off. While there is no sparsity
of flashy playing, it doesn't dominate the disc either. Perhaps the
lyrics could be a little better, but other than that, it's really
hard to find a weakness in this album. Fans of the band's previous
works should enjoy this, as should most other fans of progressive
metal.
The Fallen - _The Tones in Which We Speak_
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10) (<Independent>, August 2000)
Right off the bat, I'm thinking to myself, "These guys are so easily
classifiable. They are a thrash metal band that play thick riffs and
contain menacing vocals. What else is left to say?" Then I thought,
"Is it going to be that easy to write this review? I need a few more
listens." After numerous more spins, I came to the same conclusion,
but I did have a lot more respect for The Fallen, for paying homage
to the thrash metal heroes of years past but still trying to make
their music come off a bit more varied. While the riffs are heavy as
fuck and the solos would make any guitar fan take note, in the end
The Fallen speak the same "tones" that many metal fans have already
issued to us die-hard metal fans. Some of us just get sick and tired
of hearing rehashed stuff, you know? I think in the end their
influences will shine more than their attempt to take their music to
another level. As Metallica's James Hetfield used to sing with
conviction: "Sad but true..."
Contact: 26701 Quail Creek #190 Laguna Hills, CA 92656, USA
mailto:thefallen@home.com
The Haunted - _The Haunted Made Me Do It_ (Earache, October 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
What do you do when you have a solid debut album met with critical
acclaim and then after touring and playing out two key members
(singer and drummer) leave? What the fuck do you think you do? You
regroup, revamp the sound and go for it. That is exactly what The
Haunted did when they lost members after the successful rise
following their self-titled debut disc for Earache. In comes singer
Marc Aro (ex-Face Down) and drummer Per Moller Jensen (ex-Invocator),
two new factors in the ever-growing metallic strike of The Haunted.
The vocals are heavier, the sound more intense and the rhythm section
is to die for. Who says change is bad? The new disc, titled _The
Haunted Made Me Do It_, helps the Swedish act reinforce their
importance in the realm of metal music. With a blistering assault of
thrashing metal music that shows off the definite At the Gates vibe
that has become such a stable part of the sound (seeing that the band
initially was formed by ex-AtG members), the band forges forward with
a truly dynamic crunch of metal music. While paying homage to thrash
heroes of the past with the new disc, they are also easily paving way
for some new modern styles and sounds. Check out tracks like "Bury
Your Dead", "Hollow Ground" (the best track!) and "Silencer" and
you'll see just why you should invest your time and money in The
Haunted. Pick this up, fuck shit up and go crazy. Just tell everyone
The Haunted made you do it.
Tierra Santa - _Tierras de Leyenda_ (Locomotive Music, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee (9 out of 10)
Mention Tierra Santa in a group of Spanish metalheads and you'll hear
no end of it; say the same to anyone outside the country and chances
are you'll get blank stares. Heroes in their homeland and all but
zeroes (dare I say this?) outside it, TS certainly deserve a ton more
than what they've got in return for last year's godly _Legendario_
album. Those who know the band can't help but worship their brand of
old-school, ultra-melodic true metal, and the lukewarm response
they've received outside the Spanish-speaking world has been dismal,
to say the least. My expectations for this album never did run very
high: expecting it to top a modern classic like _Legendario_ would be
akin to hoping for another _Seventh Son..._. Locomotive Music
responds with notably stunning packaging: a triple fold-out digi-pak
in lavish color and a clear tray, a classy booklet and a beautifully
printed picture-CD sets the medieval tone for these Spanish
swordsmen. The requisite epic intro leads into the characteristic
Maiden-worshipping twin-guitar attack of the title track, Angel's
fiery cries cutting an authoritative swath through dense waves of
bass and florid guitar lines. Weak in the knees from the initial
assault, we're led through another typical anthem before the
highlight of the album: a two part epic saga of piracy, in the true
Running Wild tradition, lyrics apparently credited to one "Jose de
Espronceda (1808-1842)". A rollicking adventure on the high seas, _La
Cancion del Pirata_ leaves no doubt about the band's ability to craft
subtle yet catchy melodies that just go on and on, adding a
considerable measure to the similar structure of Running Wild's
epics. The second part proves even more captivating as the privateers
slip into mellower jerkins for a variation on the first theme. Seldom
does metal get this atmospheric... Thanks to the thematic artwork
behind each printed lyric, we are never quite lost despite the
unfamiliarity of the language; tales of pharaohs and mummies abound
in suitably "Egyptian" melodies, Sodom and Gomorrah gets a lashing,
and even the Tower of Babel gets a mention. Remarks have been made
about having to adapt to the strange-sounding language, nevertheless
I couldn't imagine it in any other language: the fiery music
complements the language perfectly, in the same way Master's Hammer
would sound wrong in any other language than Czech. Needless to say,
the music is of a consistently high quality, and without the
benchmark _Legendario_, this would rank as the greatest Spanish album
ever. As it is, this band demands a place in any self-respecting
metalhead's collection, and this album should serve as an excellent
introduction to these Spanish sorcerers.
Walhalla - _Firereich_ (Root of All Evil, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10)
I can't decide if this is simply balls-out aggressive metal or black
metal. Very spectacular in its diversity -- style crossing back over
itself in an ever-elusive genre pinpointing exercise. Whatever the
band calls itself and whatever you deem it necessary to dub it, I
like Walhalla's style. Rock steady beats thick with groves and
excellent guitar work sounding similar at times to Witchery's
_Restless & Dead_, especially in the vocal area. Members from Thy
Serpent, Soulgrind and Gloomy Grim form an iron nucleus for
Walhalla's explosive reactions. Seek out the second track,
"Helldivizion" about the two minute mark for some catchy vocal
blasting and infinitely crunchy guitar that loops back again in the
song toward the end of the track. Also, the opening to "Warsong666"
(the cut immediately following "Helldivizion") is awe-inspiring, as
is the song's chugging progression. The tempo inches faster with
tacks like "Black Cross Burning", "Winterfuhrer" and most certainly
"War Over Norland". The most interesting aspect to this inaugural
full-length effort from Finland's Walhalla is the hidden cut at the
end of track ten, "Firereich". Let me say when hearing this effort
for the first time in my truck coming back from a long weekend
vacation, I about drove into the ditch with electrified laughter and
enjoyment. Not many bands have the balls to record Bon Jovi's
"Runaway", let alone do a killer job at making it sound like inspired
black and old school thrash metal.
Various - _World of Pain -- A Tribute to Sepultura_ (Dwell, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell (7.5 out of 10)
Surprisingly, although this compilation features underground bands
only, 11 out of 14 tracks are actually very good representations of
the power held by the Sepultura originals. There are small
differences in the covers versus the originals here and there, but
overall these bands should be commended for their performances. Here
are some of the highlights/lowpoints. Things get off to a great start
with Pain Corporation, who make "Slave New World" sound like a
Swedish death metal song, with a very interesting take on the lead
guitar parts. Terminal Plan do a charged-up version of "Propaganda"
with dark death growls and the fastest double-kick this side of
Demolition Hammer, and Crematorium's take on "Arise" rules. Vore slow
"Inner Self" way down from the original speed and seem to get off to
a bad start, but it grows on you as the song progresses, so much so
that by the end I was headbanging like a fool. Decay of Salvation
play a severely downtuned and uninteresting version of "Troops of
Doom", and their chords in the opening segment are completely wrong!
The band that I was in while in high school did a better cover of
this song ten years ago -- next! Rise, Abhorrent, and Turning of the
Gears turn in covers of "Primitive Future", "Clenched Fist" and
"Desperate Cry" respectively, and their songs sound good, but are
just a bit more raw and unrefined than some of the others. Mystifier
and Enter Self dip way back into the Sepultura catalog, as they
attempt to revamp "Morbid Visions" and "The Curse / Bestial
Devastation" respectively -- proving that some things are better left
alone.
Contact: Dwell Records, P.O. Box 39439, Los Angeles, CA 90039, USA
http://www.dwellrecords.com
Wumpscut - _Bloodchild_ (Metropolis, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (9 out of 10)
Probably one of this year's most prominent and personally relevant
releases. As to not shade the review any, this is my first exposure
to Wumpscut. Most of you realize my tastes lean toward the death and
black aspects of metal, so for this group to sponge my interest like
it did lends a fair amount of credence to the possibility of opening
new doors to varieties of expansive listening for me. I have probably
spun this disc more than any other promo I've reviewed in a very long
time -- if ever. The Wumpscut sound is so a propos to whatever mood
or time of the day seems to dominate at the very moment you slide in
a CD. Make no mistake, Wumpscut has little or nothing to do with
metal; techno/industrial is the force to be reckoned with here. I'm
moderately unsure of the terms "techno" and "industrial", as a whole,
but they do seem to identify Wumpscut nearly perfect. This might not
need mentioning, but Wumpscut is focused by along the beam of
outstanding German electronic artists; in this case, Rudy Ratzinger.
As a stab at the band's sound, let's just say that I whipped out my
copy of Hanzel und Gretyl's _Ausgeflippt_ and found it massively less
satisfying now in light of _Bloodchild_. About as close as I can get
is a ham-handed comparison to labelmates Funker Vogt. This is the
primary reason comparisons mostly fail to accomplish their task
adequately of giving the listener/reader a parallel basis for
judgement. Even the Funker Vogt contrast is not up to par due to the
fact that FV is less languid and casual than Wumpscut's leaden beat
and approach. I won't get into the entire history of the group, but
it does stretch back to the very early nineties with some releases on
other labels until 1996, when the impressive Wumpscut was picked up
by Metropolis Records. The group has a solid number of efforts under
its belt, and even though I only have ten cuts from _Bloodchild_'s
new double CD compilation, complete with re-issues of some of the
group's earliest material with rarities and a special multimedia
track for computers, I still find myself in awe. It goes without
saying, the complete _Bloodchild_ must be -astounding-! My new-found
impression and interest in Wumpscut won't make writing my Funker Vogt
review very easy. I'd certainly urge you to head to
www.metropolis-records.com and find at least one way to expand your
musical horizons -- with Wumpscut's help, of course.
Contact: http://www.insania.com/wumpscut/index.html
Yattering - _Murder's Concept_ (Season of Mist, 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10)
Tagging _Murder's Concept_ simply as "-Very- brutal & -very-
technical Death Metal (sic) from Poland with a big fat sound. Need we
say more?" actually seems to have been a bit unfair of Season of
Mist. For though both these qualities are more than attributable to
Yattering, their music is not worthy merely of the attention of
anti-progressive stalwarts. The fact that many fans of brutal death
(much of the SOD-reading faction for example) may reject Yattering as
mere noise and go back to wanking over the new Deicide is definitely
to the band's credit. Though not melding technicality into their
music as inspirationally or brilliantly as Cryptopsy, Yattering
nonetheless combine skull-smashing sound and percussion with jaggedly
unusual riffing and jarring, non-linear arrangements. Admittedly, you
have to listen pretty closely for _Murder's Concept_ not to merely
blur into itself, but if you are sitting comfortably, then as the
record progresses and your mind adapts itself to Yattering's pace and
style, you are treated to a mind-bendingly warped and twisted musical
experience. The lack of coherent song structures or music that is
possible to follow does make _Murder's Concept_ more of an oddity
than a record which will see repeated spins in your stereo, but it
does not divert from the achievement it represents on a
musical-dissonance level, nor from the appeal it will have to those
of you craving something which is really, truly and purely fucked.
Zemial - _For the Glory of UR_ (Iron Pegasus, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee (10 out of 10)
Finally!!! After ages of obscure existence, Greek black gods Zemial
have eventually graced our eager ears with a re-release of their only
full length album (long deleted and hardly ever seen at all) on
equally-cult label Iron Pegasus. The traditional Greek style needs no
introduction, let it suffice to say that lovers of _His
Majesty..._-era Varathron will not be disappointed with Zemial's more
dynamic sound on _FtGoU_. Blending the epic qualities of Rotting
Christ with the hook-laden simplicity of Varathron and the atmosphere
of Necromantia, this piece of Greek history surely ranks among _Non
Serviam_ and _Crossing the Fiery Path_ as a definitive piece of
Hellenic metal. A cut-and-paste montage of sorts, the album boasts
cuts ranging from a single '97 track "Nocturnal Witch", a rollicking
riff-monster to say the least; slightly older material from '92/'93;
and a true bonus: the two tracks from their legendary _Sleeping Under
Tartarus_ 7" EP. Despite the apparent chronological discontinuity of
the material, nothing seems out of place at all, even the
instrumental piece doesn't seem out of place in the least. A tad thin
at eight tracks, _FtGoU_ nevertheless satisfies immensely, and the
hankering for more at the end can hardly be considered a fault of the
album. Iron Pegasus has never attempted to hide the fact that their
releases pander to collectors' whims, and this release in three(!)
separate formats drives the point home. While the picture LP version
of 100 numbered copies (in a picture sleeve!) may well be sold-out in
the usual short time, the normal vinyl (333 copies) and the CD
versions should still be up for grabs. A classic like this doesn't
come round very often, and no effort should be spared in getting hold
of it.
Contact: Iron Pegasus, P.O. Box 1462, 56804 Cochem/Mosel, Germany.
CD costs $15 worldwide, which is a bargain for such quality!
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/ \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
/ /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/
\_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___|
If you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo, including a
bio, if you want to be reviewed. We accept demos either on
traditional media or MP3 format. E-mail us at
<mailto:Demos@ChroniclesOfChaos.com> to know which is the most
appropriate postal address for you to send your CD or tape, in case
you are sending one, or to indicate the location of a website from
which we can download the MP3 files of your entire demo (but do
NOT send any files attached to your e-mail).
Scoring: ***** -- A flawless demo
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
Bealiah / Unevil Hopes - <split demo> (3-track / 5-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (**--- / **---)
Going into this split demo, I was thinking these are two different
bands teaming up to get some exposure and maybe turn fans onto new
styles of music. Man, was I wrong. Both Bealiah (from parts unknown)
and Unevil Hopes (from Russia) play almost the same kind of
atmospheric music, with a touch of keyboards and some darkened
ambience thrown in. The music sounds like something Burzum would
attempt to do, but not even half as interesting as Burzum could
conjure up. The only saving grace of this demo is Beliah's emotional
offering called "Untitled". Hopefully these bands will broaden their
sounds a bit more so next time I hear them I can have something more
pleasing to say. Slow, moody and for the most part boring.
Contact: Unevil Hopes, 28/4 Marata, St. Petersburg 191040, Russia
Contact: Turbulence Records, P.O. Box 1496,
JKB 11014, Jakarta, Indonesia
mailto:thtudg@centrin.net.id
Erase - _Plastic Soul_ (5-track MP3 demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (***--)
_Mental Overload_ sees this typically muscular mid-paced metallic
hardcore act, suited up with a decent production, strut their stuff
in somewhat typical genre style, but thankfully with enough elements
-- like melody and dynamics -- to keep them clear of the
insomnia-cure levels Backfire!/BF!, in my opinion, reach. Ultimately
though, Erase neither concentrate pure aggression as well as Stampin'
Gorund or line a truly brilliant musical vein like Vision of
Disorder, and despite a few pleasantly unusual Death/Carcass hybrid
solos, the band at this point show no unusual amount of promise.
Contact: http://www.mp3.com/erase/
Lucifer - _Watching the Christians Burn_ (8-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon (***--)
Lucifer is a death metal band from Maryland, USA. This is their first
full-length release. Their music is straightforward death metal:
nothing fancy or particularly innovative. Their main weakness is the
lack of a real drummer. While I generally have no problems with drum
machines, the key to their proper use is in making sure that the
drums don't get boring and repetitive. And that's what's wrong with
this album: the drums are too straightforward and very repetitive.
The thing that makes this all the more unfortunate is that the riffs
are generally average to good, but the repetitive drumming and song
structures combine to really drown out any interest that the band
manages to create. The guitar work is very good and even moderately
technical. The guitar solos aren't particularly good, but they don't
ruin the music either. If the music even had the level of diversity
that the vocals do, this would be a much better recording. The vocals
range from death vocals to shrieky black vocals, and are very well
mixed up (both interspersed and overlayed). While the actual CD
packaging is quite good, I must say that their bio sheet has more
errors in it than I was expecting. Guys: if you want people to take
you seriously, put a little more time into your bio sheet. Overall,
this isn't bad for a demo, but these guys aren't quite ready for the
big leagues just yet. With some work on making their songs and their
drum programming more interesting, they could be ready for the next
level.
Contact: Lucifer, P.O. Box 49, Goldsboro, MD 21636, USA
mailto:acc@lucifernet.com
Torment - _Torment_ (4-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon (***--)
Torment are a thrash band from Sydney, Australia, and this is their
second demo. They are a professional outfit, playing straightforward
'80s thrash, with almost a punk feel at times. The band that popped
into my mind while listening to them was Nuclear Assault (the song
"Brainwashed", to be precise). Ultimately, they're not treading too
much new ground, but what they're doing, they're doing quite well.
The songs display a good variety of tempos and styles, so they aren't
overly repetitive or boring. The music is semi-melodic; not
hook-based, just straightforward thrash with some melodic guitar
lines. The playing isn't too bad, and they have some nice ideas. The
rhythm guitar and bass work is good, and the drumming is competent.
Unfortunately, the guitar solos aren't very good; they're weak and
amateurish in comparison to the rest of the music. There's nothing
flashy in the music, which means that attention is focused upon the
vocals, which are the album's weak point. The vocalist simply shouts
the lyrics in a monotone style. This is passable on some songs, but
on others, he tries to carry a tune, which doesn't work because he
has basically no range. In addition, the lyrics could use some
improvement. The production is a little weak: somewhat faded and
tinny, but passable. If you're in the mood for late '80s thrash, this
would be a good choice, and it's nice to see bands still playing this
style.
Contact: Torment, 88 Bridge Road, Westmead N.S.W. 2145, Australia
mailto:dunks@torment.com.au
http://www.torment.com.au
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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. Nasum - _Human 2.0_
2. Tool - _Undertow_
3. Nirvana - _Unplugged in New York_
4. Kiss - _Double Platinum_
5. Immortal - _Damned in Black_
Adrian's Top 5
1. Rotting Christ - _Khronos_
2. Nile - _Black Seeds of Vengeance_
3. Soulfly - _Primitive_
4. The Haunted - _The Haunted Made Me Do It_
5. earthtone9 - _arc'tan'gent_
Brian's Top 5
1. Martyr - _Warp Zone_
2. Inner Strength - _Shallow Reflections_
3. Apocrypha - _The Forgotten Scroll_
4. Dark Tranquillity - _Skydancer_
5. Miscreant - _Dreaming Ice_
Alain's Top 5
1. Dying Fetus - _Grotesque Impalement_
2. Discordance Axis - _The Inalienable Dreamless_
3. Assuck - _Misery Index_
4. Hellnation - _Fucked Up Mess_
5. Summoning - _Stronghold_
Adam's Top 5
1. Carpathian Forest - _Strange Old Brew_
2. Rotting Christ - _Khronos_
3. Allersellen - _Neuschwabenland_
4. Pungent Stench - _Dirty Rhymes And Psychotronic Beats_
5. Blood Duster - _Yeest_
Pedro's Top 5
1. Aurora - _Devotion_
2. Thy Serpent - _Death_
3. Lux Occulta - _My Guardian Anger_
4. The Crown - _Deathrace King_
5. Hateplow - _The Only Law Is Survival_
Paul's Top 5
1. Nile - _Black Seeds of Vengeance_
2. Drowning Man - _Busy Signal at the Suicide Hotline_
3. Autopsy - _Fiend for Blood_
4. Public Enemy - _Fear of a Black Planet_
5. The Ravenous - _Assembled in Blasphemy_
Aaron's Top 5
1. Morbid Angel - _Gateways to Annihilation_ (advance)
2. Dark Tranquillity - _Haven_ (thanks, Adreas!)
3. Cathedral - _Soul Sacrifice_
4. Tool - _Undertow_
5. Alas - _Engulfed in Grief_
David's Top 5
1. Finntroll - _Midnattens Widunder_
2. Resurrection - _Embalmed Existence_
3. In Flames - _Clayman_
4. Cadaver / Carnage - _Hallucinating Anxiety / Dark Recollections_
5. Exhorder - _The Law_
Alex's Top 5
1. Hank Williams III - _Risin' Outlaw_
2. Morrissey - _Vauxhall and I_
3. Extol - _Undecieved_
4. Ultimatum - _The Mechanics of Perilous Times_ (advance)
5. Pestilence - _Testimony of the Ancients_
Alvin's Top 5
1. Monstrosity - _In Dark Purity_
2. Mercyful Fate - _Shadow Nights_ (bootleg)
3. Moonblood - _Blut und Krieg_
4. Overdrive - _Metal Attack_
5. Opus Forgotten - _Demon of Destruction_
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Homepage: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
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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M3M-1M6, Canada
Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: Gino@ChroniclesOfChaos.com
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS (Europe)
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e-mail: Pedro@ChroniclesOfChaos.com
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Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #49
All contents copyright 2000 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.