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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, Saturday, November 5, 2003, Issue #67
http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
Co-Editor / Founder: Gino Filicetti
Co-Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo
Contributor: Adrian Bromley
Contributor: Brian Meloon
Contributor: Paul Schwarz
Contributor: Aaron McKay
Contributor: David Rocher
Contributor: Matthias Noll
Contributor: Alvin Wee
Contributor: Chris Flaaten
Contributor: Quentin Kalis
Contributor: Xander Hoose
Contributor: Adam Lineker
Contributor: Adrian Magers
Contributor: James Montague
Contributor: Jackie Smit
Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault
The individual writers can be reached by e-mail at
firstname.lastname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com.
(e.g. Gino.Filicetti@ChroniclesOfChaos.com).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #67 Contents, 11/5/2003
-----------------------------
-- The Crown: Possessed to Race With Death
-- Tiamat: Let Us Prey
-- Krisiun: The Carnage Continues
-- 1349 - _Liberation_
-- Arcana - _Inner Pale Sun_
-- Atrium Carceri - _Cellblock_
-- Between the Buried and Me - _Silent Circus_
-- Blut Aus Nord - _The Work Which Transforms God_
-- Burnt by the Sun - _The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good_
-- Burst - _Prey on Life_
-- Cadacross - _Corona Borealis_
-- Cephalic Carnage - _Lucid Interval_
-- Coph Nia - _Shape Shifter_
-- Deathstars - _Synthetic Generation_
-- Drudkh - _Forgotten Legends_
-- Embraze - _Katharsis_
-- Enslaved - _Below the Lights_
-- Escualo - _Ritual_
-- Evanescence - _Fallen_
-- Forest Stream - _Tears of Mortal Solitude_
-- Gothica - _The Cliff of Suicide_
-- Hate Forest - _Purity_
-- Institut - _Live Like Traitors, Die Like Traitors_
-- Leviathan - _The Throne Of Bones_
-- Monolithe - _Monolithe I_
-- Moonsorrow - _Kivenkantaja_
-- Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_
-- My Ruin - _The Horror of Beauty_
-- Nod - _The Story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf_
-- Nokturnal Mortum - _The Taste of Victory_
-- Number One Son - _Lessons_
-- Nunslaughter - _Goat_
-- Nuse - _Hung Well_
-- Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio - _Cocktails, Carnage,
Crucifixion and Pornography_
-- Ornaments of Sin - _Inhale Zyklon-B_
-- Panthe�st - _O Solitude_
-- Raise Hell - _Wicked Is My Game_
-- Silent Voices - _Chapters of Tragedy_
-- Spawn of Possession - _Cabinet_
-- Stamping Ground - _A New Darkness Upon Us_
-- The Crown - _Possessed 13_
-- The Kovenant - _S.E.T.I._
-- Ulcerate - _Ulcerate_
-- Ulver - _1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines_
-- Ashley Cook - _Ashley Cook_
-- Burial Ground - _Burial Ground_
-- Junta - _Junta_
-- PsyOpus - _2 song demo_
-- Night of the Angry Swedes
-- One Step Closer to Armageddon
-- Hemp Heaven? No, It's Iowa!
-- I'm Dreaming of a Neon Black Earth...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_, _,_ _, ___ _,
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
P O S S E S S E D T O R A C E W I T H D E A T H
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Janne Sarenp�� of The Crown
by: Paul Schwarz
A short introduction, no more. The Crown's sixth record is out this
month. Heralding the return of original howler Jonas Lindstrand --
replacing his replacement for 2002's _Crowned in Terror_, Tomas
Lindberg (The Great Deceiver, ex-At the Gates) -- the album has been
hotly anticipated by Crown fans, including a number of us here at
CoC, especially those (Matthias and myself) who witnessed their
performance at this year's Wacken. I talked to Janne Sarenp�� on the
8th of October. Here are the results of the tape.
CoC: Have you read many reviews of _Possessed 13_ yet?
Janne Sarenp��: I have seen three on the Internet, and some sound-
check from the European Metal Hammer.
CoC: Just to start, I'd like to briefly ask about the promotional
copy of _Possessed 13_, specifically the "bleeps" on it.
JS: Yeah.
CoC: Was there any disagreement between you and Metal Blade about
that particular technique for protecting the record from copying?
JS: No. We have no say in those matters. We... when I heard them
myself I really didn't like them. You know, I got my promotional
copies to give away to friends, and I really didn't feel like it.
It's very sad.
CoC: Yeah. I mean, I see where they're coming from, from one
perspective. The problem I have is that I really like The Crown
and when I first got it[*], I didn't want to listen to it more
than three or four times...
JS: No-one does.
CoC: ...because you start to expect it and it's annoying. I was
just curious about that. But let's go on to something more
interesting -- moving onto the new record, _Possessed 13_. It
really sounds like The Crown are back. It's mainly, I think,
because Lindstrand's vocals just fit so much better to The
Crown, in the end. What would you say about _Possessed 13_ as an
album that you can move on from, in the sense that you got a
stable line-up again -- the stable line-up you had for many
years before [1990-2001 --Paul] -- so where do you think the
record is going and how is it to have Lindstrand back on the
record and in the shows, basically?
JS: Well, you know, having Lindstrand back wipes away all these
problems which he caused from the beginning, which is very good.
We're back with new power. He had problems with his personal life
-- and you know, work and stuff -- when he quit the band. The
only condition for him to come back was that his personal life
was sorted out, which it is. So he's like a new person now and he
was so cool when he came back last summer. We hadn't been touring
that much so the album wouldn't be as much influenced by touring
as _Crowned in Terror_ was, because that was basically... you
know, straight-influenced from Nile, Krisiun and Morbid Angel.
CoC: Yeah, I know what you mean: it did have a sort of... I mean,
it wasn't like it was a rip-off, but it didn't sound as
distinctively The Crown as, especially, _Deathrace King_, which
I think really did show The Crown in the best light that it
could, you know?
JS: Yeah. We actually... it was so extremely heavily that we even
-learned- something from that: to not only be influenced by bands
you tour with. With this album we had lots more time to stay in
the rehearsal room and work and work -- and that's also a thing
we forgot with _Crowned in Terror_. We didn't get that much time
in the rehearsal room or in the studio; it was, you know, lots of
heavy work, and the singer situation and everything. So I guess,
it sounds like a clich�, but we have found ourselves again.
CoC: I think that's true. Although on the other hand what's
interesting about _Possessed 13_ is that there's a difference to
the - tone- when you put it next to, say, _Deathrace King_.
_Possessed 13_ sounds darker, slightly less staccato, a bit
murkier. And it's got more slower songs. What do you think of
the feel of _Possessed 13_ in comparison to the earlier records?
JS: It was cool 'cause the only thing we decided before we started
rehearsing on this album was that we'd do things simpler, more to
the point, more straightforward: to give more room for the riffs,
you know. Being more relaxed playing them gives them more power:
that's how we see it. Also tuning down even one more step on this
album, of course; and finally getting the bass of Magnus upfront
with the other instruments is like a victory. 'Cause me and
Magnus have always been fighting in the studio for the bass
guitar.
CoC: How does the rhythm section of The Crown function? 'Cause rhythm
sections in the classic rhythm and blues bands is something that
goes together, separate from the guitars -- you can hear it in
'Zeppelin or 'Sabbath: it's their roots. But in thrash metal --
metal since 'Priest, perhaps -- the rhythm section is much more
of a sort of backline a lot of the time. With bands like The
Crown there's much more intricacy and complication; your roles
are more complicated, I'd say. How do you find that you two as
the rhythm section function in The Crown?
JS: Well, we aren't that well moulded together, actually. It's more
me and Marko [Tervonen, rhythm guitar --Paul]: we call it setting
up the ground for the album. It's actually Marko who has the best
feel for rhythm. So when we do the drum tracks he does the
guitars at the same time and we both are -addicted- to tempo
changes. So it's actually me and Marko building the grounds. I
don't know: Magnus was somewhere in the middle laying his bass
tracks and it's always been like that, so there is no traditional
way that's come down from rhythm and blues at all.
CoC: Why have three "movements" for the album: "initiation",
"exaltation" and "annihilation"?
JS: Well, you can see that they follow in logical order; but to be
honest there's no deep meaning behind the concept to that, or our
record. I think they work pretty well as "parts", also. But it's
not that meaningful, at all.
CoC: What kind of -- not concept, but the album's presentation is
tied into a really rather cool kind of Fifties b-movie-style package.
JS: Yes.
CoC: That's kind of cool 'cause before the days of constant media
bombardment and TV trailers, movie posters had to say a lot. So
you had these great drawings and elaborate, "creepy" writing.
That's very much what you've got on the cover. You have "The
return of..." The Crown: clearly a reference to all the horror
b- movies that followed on and on from each other. But then it's
cool the way you've put "The Crown" almost like "Carcass": it
looks like those early Earache bands' logos!
JS: Or Earache itself?
CoC: Exactly. It's kinda cool 'cause that's... you know, that's one
font for splatter!
JS: Yeah.
CoC: And it works with the original idea of having eye-catching
logos, on the Fifties horror posters.
JS: This album is pretty much summing up our thirteen years,
especially with the bonus disc. You know, when we started out, in
the early days, 90% of the albums we bought we're always released
by Earache. People have many, many views on how Earache work: I
don't wanna get into that, but we sure as hell want to pay our
respects for them actually releasing those important albums when
we were getting into it.
CoC: The song "Are you Morbid?": a nod to Tom Warrior?
JS: The title? It's purely a coincidence, actually. Magnus, who wrote
it, he's not that much into Celtic Frost: he likes them, of
course, but they are not his favourite band.
CoC: It's interesting though, 'cause with phrases like that, and the
shock artwork and all, death metal albums have a certain amount
in common with those Fifties movie posters. There's something
visual to try to engage you: like the Dan Seagrave covers.
JS: Making it look serious -- like those movie posters -- was
something we wanted to do 100%. We wanted to make it look
serious, even though it is a b-movie clich�!
CoC: Talking of the special edition, how did you feel listening back
to your first two demos when you were remastering them to be
included on the bonus disc to the limited, digipak special
edition of _Possessed 13_? [Along with a different version of
"Rebel Angel" (from _Deathrace King_) and a Bathory cover
("Burnin' Leather") which appeared previously on a Swedish
compilation, to bring the second disc's track-total in line with
the album itself and its "13" theme. --Paul]
JS: Mastering them was quite painful. Because we started learning our
instruments around the time we started The Crown. So, of course,
in 1993 we couldn't play our songs as well as we can play them
now. It was really painful, but it was also really important,
because the whole of the "13" idea was based on the fact that
we'd been going 13 years. We wanted to show people where it had
all come from. Over the years we've taken many riffs from those
demos, and with the new record -a lot- of the riffs came from the
demos, so it's nice for people to be able to see where things
come from.
CoC: When you write songs, do you worry about whether something will
sound like something old (or something new) that you or other
bands did?
JS: Yeah well, especially now we are quite worried; because this
secret potion of ours -- those old riffs -- they're all gone
now... on our new studio album. So we are very worried ourselves
about what we are going to sound like. And, _Possessed 13_ being
the last record of our previous contract with Metal Blade
records, we actually told them -- when they said that they wanted
a new deal -- that they really should listen to a demo first,
because we're not sure what we're gonna sound like.
CoC: What about the significance of the number 13 in and of itself,
did that tie in?
JS: Well, it was tied into the fact that it's our 13th year as a
band. Also it's interesting, the superstitions around it as an
unlucky number. Like in Japan they have hotels which don't have a
"floor 13". I heard that in Japan they take stuff like that
seriously. So us dreaming about going to Japan might be even more
of a dream!
CoC: You think they'll have to put a sticker on it? "Parental
Advisory: Explicit Number!" What about the inversions in The
Crown's work? It's something you do really well. It happens with
the more fun lyrics mainly, like "Total Satan" or "Blitzkrieg
Witchcraft". For example, when I thought of saying that some bit
of your stuff sounded "beautiful", I felt like I should have
said "ugly" to mean "beautiful". "Ugly = Beautiful"; "Satan =
Good"; do you see what I mean? It's brilliant over-the-top metal
lyricism.
JS: Yeah, it's a difficult balance; because we want people to know
that we take our lyrics seriously, but it doesn't mean we don't
joke around. I think it's difficult to be in-between, you know.
CoC: Yeah, but I think for most people the enjoyment is still "of the
music". I see what you're saying, but to be honest I find bands
are often too grave and binary about this. For me and a lot of
people I know -- you can listen to the music, find the lyrics
funny, but not laugh -at- the music: still enjoy the music in
its spirit even though you may find that spirit funny.
JS: That's true. I myself don't buy albums for the lyrics; if I want
to read lyrics, I read a book. But of course it feels so great
that Magnus puts huge amounts of time into making the lyrics as
good as they are. Have you seen the lyrics for _Possessed 13_?
The lyrics for "Natashead Overdrive": if you like funny, crazy
lyrics I think that one will blow you away. That's my favourite
song and those are indeed very great lyrics.
CoC: I think it is definitely a case of seeing the clich� or the
humour value attached to something -- Manowar in my case, for
example -- yet still really, -genuinely- liking it. I assume
that's similar for you: you're a fan of Motley Crue, I hear?
JS: Oh yeah, a huge fan.
CoC: But do you take Motley Crue seriously?
JS: No.
CoC: But when you're listening to Motley Crue you probably enjoy it;
though when you read the lyrics you probably find them funny,
thand ink, "Oh my God!"
JS: Of course! Yeah, that's exactly it.
CoC: Going on to your Wacken performance: -the- Wacken performance. I
saw it. It was excellent. Do you think it was the beginning of
something special? I thought there was something in the air...
JS: I remember. You could really feel that it was something special.
We had a huge crowd, which was great; and I had my own personal
drum kit!
CoC: I really think next year will [should? --Paul] be a really good
year for you; because I think _Deathrace King_ had potential
that wasn't capitalised on: it made an impact. Your debut _The
Burning_ made an impact back in 1995; an impact on the
underground, but a profound impact nonetheless. But things
didn't work out that way with the next two records; _Eternal
Death_ didn't seem to follow-up quite right and _Hell Is Here_
was let down mostly by its production. _Deathrace King_ was the
first time since _The Burning_ that The Crown [Crown of Thorns
up until _ED_, of course --Paul] really sounded right on record.
But when Lindstrand left, I gather that it was really hard to
keep the momentum up. When I heard Jonas was back I was
interested to see the Wacken performance: I wanted to know if it
would work. When I saw that performance I was like, "Roll on!
This is the continuation!"
JS: One of the reviews I read on the Internet summed it up great for
me. It talked about how good the show was, and at the end it
said, "By the way: Elvis lives and he's playing in The Crown!"
CoC: There have been very few line-up changes in The Crown's history.
One was in the demo days, before _The Burning_, when Marcus
joined. [He replaced Robert Osterberg on _Forget the Light_ --
Paul] The other, now rectified, we've already talked about. How
do you feel about the line-up today?
JS: From that we learned a lot; from having Tomas, a new singer -- a
professional singer but yet the new singer in the band -- we
pretty much learned that because we had been together for 11
years it wasn't easy to let someone new into the band. I mean, we
call ourselves "La Familia"; we joke around about it, but it's
pretty serious, because we are such good friends. So we feel like
if anyone else does leave then The Crown really should quit
instead of trying to find a new person.
CoC: Going back to something you said earlier; when you talked about
playing more loosely and getting more power? I think _Deathrace
King_ and _Possessed 13_ especially are both prime examples of
that and I think that comes from a less constrained approach to
playing and production.
JS: It's cool to see that you see that, between _Deathrace King_ and
this one, because not all the people see it. They think that this
is a natural evolution from _Crowned in Terror_, but we actually
ourselves -- all of us -- think this is actually a step backwards
to find the feeling and atmosphere of _Deathrace King_.
CoC: _Crowned in Terror_ wasn't bad, but it was slightly lazy. It
relied more on death metal conventions, and less on radical
song- structures.
JS: That was an addiction with speed -- and metronome. I overdosed on
metronome. I actually once woke up early in the morning and I was
listening to my heart thinking, "It's not beating perfectly." I
thought maybe I should go see a doctor, but then I realised that
I'm human; my heart isn't a piece of machinery: it shouldn't
really sound like a metronome!
CoC: From a production angle, I think -that- was also the problem
with _Hell Is Here_. I thought the Berno studio production made
it sound a little too dry.
JS: Oh yeah! It's like you can't light like an open fire at gas
stations with that album. We felt satisfied at the studio when we
had done them, we were very happy with the way we'd played, but
we didn't think the production was that good.
CoC: Some of the songs on _Hell Is Here_ are the reason that I'd
really like to hear a well-done Crown live album. Some of the
songs are really good; for example, "1999: Revolution 666",
which sounded so much better at Wacken than it does on record.
On the original it doesn't sound fast enough.
JS: Yeah, that's true.
CoC: Are you gonna be doing mostly songs from _Possessed 13_ and
_Deathrace King_ on the next tour, then?
JS: Our label was actually asking us: are you really going to do
eight songs from the new album?
CoC: How many songs will the set contain?
JS: Eight from the new album; three from _Deathrace King_; three from
_Crowned in Terror_; and one song from _Hell Is Here_, as it is
now: and we're looking at 60-75 minutes.
CoC: Can you do that?
JS: Yup. If we headline, we're gonna do that. But we might cut down
one or two songs just to try out if we can do more older songs.
But it is a good album: we're so happy with it. We feel that we
can't get better than this, in no way, playing this kind of death
metal. So we feel that we want to share it with people.
[*On request, Metal Blade did send a bleep-free CD-R (I offered to
sign a contract guaranteeing I would not copy it, in my e-mail of
request). --Paul]
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
L E T U S P R E Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC talks to Johan Edlund of Tiamat
by: Jackie Smit
Contrary to the preconceptions that some of you may hold, the life of
a Chronicles of Chaos scribe is not always a particularly glamorous
one. Yes, we may write for the greatest web entity in the known
universe, but unfortunately the rest of the world has not yet seen
this as an adequate reason to bestow us with enough money that we can
leave our boring day-jobs behind.
So, why am I telling you this? Because this paragraph is being
rattled out as I sit at my humdrum, boring-as-fuck job listening to
two of my no-brain colleagues feigning an intellectual discussion
about music that would make most episodes of Big Brother seem like
fine art by comparison. And it is at this precise moment -- while the
debate rages over whether Limp Bizkit indeed is the heaviest band in
the world -- that I realise how fortunate we who follow the
underground are. Let the rest of the world have their Korns, their
Linkin Parks and their Darkness, for we are blessed with luminaries
whose music will remain great for years after the nightmare that is
Papa Roach has dissipated.
Three weeks ago I was lucky enough to speak to one such luminary,
better known to most as Johan Edlund of Tiamat. For the last decade,
his band's music has proven to be a life-changing experience for
many, while the man's enigmatic personality has silently transformed
him into a cult figure. Now, on the eve of the latest Tiamat epic,
_Prey_, he was ready to discuss music, religion, life and whatever
else came up in the course of the conversation.
CoC: Since the birth of Tiamat, you have projected the idea that
progression is one of your main musical priorities. Is this
something that you have allowed to happen naturally, or do you
make a conscious decision to write something different with
every record?
Johan Edlund: We never decide to do anything different. In fact, we
don't feel like we're changing anything. We approach
every album in a similar way. Of course, every album is
usually different, but we tend to realise that only
when the record is done. There have also been line-up
changes over the years which have obviously affected
our sound, but ultimately it feels like I've been doing
the same thing and going through the same process for
thirteen years, and I find it hard to think that it
could be any other way. What Tiamat does feels very
natural to me.
CoC: So, from a retrospective point of view, what would you cite as
the key factors that play a role in shaping the differences
between every Tiamat album?
JE: I think that we often end up doing everything that we didn't do
on the previous record, but wanted to do -- if that makes sense.
Between _A Deeper Kind of Slumber_ and _Skeleton Skeletron_, it
feels very much like the next natural step after doing all that
experimentation, and then just being a band again. But again, you
never realise that when you're busy making the album, and we're
influenced by some many different types of music -- from black
metal through to Radiohead and Pink Floyd -- I think that you can
hear that in our music. Sometimes we're close to one and
sometimes we're close to the other.
CoC: In which way do you prepare for an album -- do you get together
as a band and write, or do you construct the songs gradually
until they're ready to be put down as part of the next Tiamat
record?
JE: For _Judas Christ_ a lot of stuff was done in the rehearsal room,
but this time I started producing the album while I was writing
the songs. I recorded and started really thinking about the songs
-- about sounds, about ideas -- and as time went on, I continued
to do this and it just felt right.
CoC: You're renowned for incorporating a plethora of obscure, bizarre
sounds and samples in your music. How do you come upon your
ideas for this?
JE: At the same time that I'm writing songs, I think that I am also
writing a novel. I see us as very much an album-band, not just a
band that put a collection of songs together. So, we're really
working hard to get a good flow on every album and that's where a
lot of the sounds and cross-fades come from -- keeping the record
flowing and connecting certain pieces on the album.
CoC: You describe _Prey_ as your most honest effort to date. In what
ways do you feel that you've revealed yourself this time round
that you have not done before?
JE: I feel that because I have recorded the album in my home studio,
my domestic environment affected the music a lot. I mean, there
was a pile of unpaid bills laying next to me while I was writing,
so... just basically the pressures of real life, I think, came
through on the record.
CoC: I definitely did get the impression that the record hints toward
escapism in some ways. Would you agree?
JE: Definitely. I mean, with the home studio sometimes you'd
start writing straight after you've had an argument with your
girlfriend or something like that -- it's really close to you.
When you go to a big studio and there's gold records hanging from
the wall, you very much become a "musician" in a sense, where
when you're recording at home, you're more at ease and more of
yourself comes out. In a way, I also think that this album is
more representative of the band, because there are a lot of parts
that remind me of the atmosphere on _A Deeper Kind of Slumber_
and _Wildhoney_, and I wrote the songs in a similar way. I
sometimes have trouble writing in that way because it makes me
feel self-centred, but this time it felt right.
CoC: When you do expose yourself the way you do on your records, do
you ever sometimes feel like you need to censor or stop yourself
in any way?
JE: I think that I have to continue like this, because I feel that
all music should be intense in a way. And we're not aggressive or
anything like that, so I think that this is the intensity that we
project, and for me when we perform the songs live, I try to get
in the atmosphere of things, even if it hurts. I also learn a lot
about myself by listening to the songs and by hearing what comes
out. I'm not always really aware of what I am expressing until
later, so it has a lot to do with interpreting the songs for
myself as well.
CoC: You mentioned earlier that your albums are like novels. What
themes do you deal with on _Prey_?
JE: I wrote about things that are very important to me -- as I always
do, really. I think that religion was a big influence on this
record, just because I don't know where I stand; I have so many
unanswered questions about religion. And also more complicated
things like love -- I know that it's not groundbreaking to write
a love song, but I do feel that I perhaps approach it in a
slightly less cheesy way.
CoC: Speaking of religion, Close-Up magazine in Sweden recently
quoted you as saying: "I worship the devil, but I believe in
God." Care to expand on that?
JE: Actually, when I was doing that interview I was telling them a
story about some inverted crucifixes that I had forgotten in the
studio, and when I was on my way to Finland to mix _Prey_, I
called my girlfriend and told her to turn them around. And when I
read the interview again, I realised how twisted we are as a
band, how schizophrenic we are, and it's there in the music as
well.
CoC: What about the unanswered questions you mentioned earlier?
JE: When I started to work on this album, I realised how much
religion actually means to me. Before, I didn't care about it at
all and I was never religious in the slightest, but I started
thinking about why I kept writing about it. So I started reading
about it -- I started reading the Bible, and I started reading
about other religions, and there's still a lot of questions that
I have that are unanswered; there's nothing I can put my finger
on specifically. At the same time, I have also learned to respect
all religions. I still criticise the Christian church, but I do
feel that it's very important to make clear that I am not
criticising the Christians, just the religion.
CoC: What formed the basis for the beliefs that you currently hold?
JE: I started reading a lot of the stories in the Old Testament, and
as stories they're really great. You can learn a lot from them.
But what also got me very interested is that there is so much
that they don't tell you. For instance, why, when the human
beings built the tower of Babel, did God throw them into
confusion?
CoC: What would you say is the personal standout moment for you on
_Prey_?
JE: Right now I really like the song "Divided", but that changes
every day.
CoC: You are often referred to as one of the great composers of our
time. Do you see yourself in this way?
JE: No, I don't take myself that seriously. I'm just writing songs.
Music definitely means a lot to me, and now that I have a home
studio, I can definitely write my songs more easily, and
sometimes I don't even realise that I have written something
until sixteen hours later. But I'm certainly not striving to be
seen as a great composer or anything like that. I just write
songs at my own pace and let the record company know when it's
ready.
CoC: What are your plans for Tiamat in the near future?
JE: We tried to get on to a supporting slot for a couple of bigger
tours, but we're still waiting to hear about that, so I'm not too
sure right now. Worst case scenario is that we won't do anything
this year until January. We tried getting on to the Marilyn
Manson tour, and from what I hear we were really close, but
unfortunately it didn't work out.
CoC: So, finally -- any last words for the Tiamat fans?
JE: Thanks a lot for the interview. We'll see you all on tour real
soon.
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T H E C A R N A G E C O N T I N U E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Max Kolesne of Krisiun
by: Jackie Smit
"Pete Sandoval is a legend and I will never ever compare myself to
him."
Surprisingly humble words from a man the Commando himself once
described as the best drummer in extreme music. But then, more than
anything, humility and true passion have been the driving forces in
the decade-long career of Brazil's most brutal sons, Krisiun.
Now on the eve of releasing perhaps their most polished, aggressive
and accomplished album to date in the form of _Works of Carnage_,
Krisiun are still just as fired up for the cause of metal as a band
who are on the eve of recording their first demos -- and as drummer
Max Kolesne tells me on line from Brazil, "Krisiun has many more
doors to open and many more fans to conquer".
CoC: When Krisiun released _Ageless Venomous_ in 2001, a lot of
criticism was leveled at the band for supposedly repeating
yourselves, and for sounding -- for lack of a better word --
lifeless. Did this is any way influence the changes you brought
about on _Works of Carnage_ in terms of your overall sound and
the more diverse approach you brought to the structure of the
music?
Max Kolesne: Well, I don't think so, man. The way that we did
_Ageless Venomous_ was exactly the way it was supposed
to have come out. When we were writing and rehearsing
for that album -- even before we went into the studio --
we wanted to do a record with a clearer production, but
given the Krisiun style and sticking to our roots. I
think it differs a lot from _Conquerors of Armageddon_
and I think that people who said that we were repeating
ourselves don't have a clue about what extreme death
metal is all about. They just hear blast beats going on
and they don't fucking understand a thing. We're never
going to write any differently or change our music just
because some critic is talking shit about us. And when
we're composing a new album we try to do it in a totally
natural way. We get together in the same rehearsal room
and basically just play the music that we love to play.
That is what we did with _Works of Carnage_, which is
different from _Ageless Venomous_ but still has the
Krisiun trademarks: it's fast, brutal and aggressive. Of
course we want to get better and innovate, but we want
to stay true to our roots and do whatever we do with a
lot of passion and a lot of feeling.
CoC: There definitely are a lot of changes on _Works of Carnage_,
specifically as far as the differing rhythms you used and the
difference in sound from the previous records. How much of an
influence was Pierre Remillard [producer] on the outcome of this
album?
MK: Everything happened naturally and I definitely think that Pierre
was the right guy for the album. We were looking for someone to
give us a more powerful and a more natural sound -- bringing the
guitars and the bass to the front, making the drums sound more
powerful. And we were very impressed with the work he had done in
the past on bands like Cryptopsy. We wanted to make an album that
was heavier than _Ageless Venomous_ -- more straightforward, more
aggressive, with shorter songs. I think that when you play death
metal it is more effective to be more straightforward. Also, we
needed to do something different from _Ageless Venomous_.
CoC: So what was it like to work with Pierre?
MK: It was really great, man. He is a really great guy and we're
really good friends with him now. His duty as producer for _Works
of Carnage_ was to give us the proper sound for our music,
because we had just about everything done before we started
recording, so he didn't change anything. He gave his opinion
about a couple of little parts here and there, but 99% of the
album was already done and he didn't want to change anything. So
his main role was to give us a good sound, and he spent hours and
hours looking for simple things like a powerful drum sound or
brutal guitar sounds. It was really important for us to have
someone we could trust, because when we go into the studio, we
need to be able to concentrate 100% on the performance -- when
you play this kind of music, you have to give it your all when
you are recording. And Pierre was definitely someone we could
count on and he did a great job.
CoC: Apart from the changes you brought about in your sound, you also
seem to have moved away from dealing with religious topics in
your lyrics. What are the main issues or themes that you cover
on _Works of Carnage_?
MK: Well, I think we kind of kept the same vision, but more focused
on the many wars and battles that have happened in human history.
There's even one song about Genghis Khan and the lyrics tell his
story. Also, all the things that we see around us -- even here in
Brazil, there's a small war going on and there's twelve year old
kids walking around with shotguns and killing people. There is
war going on everywhere and these kinds of lyrics really fit in
with our music. We're not trying to give a good message to our
fans, we're just trying to find matters that will suit our music,
and war, I think, has a lot to do with the way we play.
CoC: With the sampled interludes that you used in between the songs
on _Works of Carnage_, would you say that there is a underlying
concept running through the record?
MK: Yeah, kind of, because as I said, all of the topics are either
about war or about battle or about killing -- so all of the songs
are more or less about the same things.
CoC: Coming from a third world country with its accompanying
economical and political struggles and the problems that go with
that, would you say that this has an impact on the music you
write?
MK: I think so -- all the bad things we see going on and happening
really close to us definitely inspired us to come up with some
very brutal music.
CoC: And do you think that because of where you come from, you
perhaps deal with and experience success in a different manner
to, say for example, a band from the USA?
MK: Maybe. I think it depends on the band, but all the bad things
that we have been through like when we started the band and we
didn't have gear or whatever -- I think that those things just
make you stronger in the end and make you want to keep going and
keep struggling and keep on believing in the band. If things are
too easy, it's too easy to quit as well. But again, that really
depends on the band and not where the band is from.
CoC: And when you guys were starting out and going through your
struggles, did you ever think to yourselves "enough is enough"?
MK: No, we never thought about giving up, and I think that's because
of the passion we have for playing this kind of music. I mean, to
play metal is more than just making music, it's a lifestyle for
me.
CoC: What's the metal scene like in South America?
MK: There are a lot of bands in Brazil -- everything from melodic
metal to extreme, brutal metal. There are more small record
labels supporting the newer bands and more people are going to
shows now -- it's definitely better than ten years ago when we
started playing; things were much more difficult back then.
CoC: How many people went to the first Krisiun show?
MK: I think maybe about thirty people.
CoC: And if you played a show in Sao Paulo now, how many people would
be in the audience?
MK: Now, when we play here we play to about two thousand people. But
it's taken time and grown slowly. Every album we make or every
show we do, we try to make it a step forward for the band and
conquer new fans and keep a strong following.
CoC: So with the success you have achieved thus far, do you
ever start feeling complacent and think that you've achieved
everything you've wanted to?
MK: Well, we're still feeling the same way that we felt when we
started. I think there's many more things to conquer and I think
that Krisiun can be much bigger than they are now, and we can
definitely bring a lot of new fans to the death metal field. We
did a show two months ago where we were playing a big festival
here in Sao Paulo in front of about 40,000 people. We were the
only extreme metal band on the bill -- the rest of the bands were
all pop metal or nu metal or rock or whatever -- and we had a
fucking great response from the crowd. They fucking loved it, so
we definitely can bring more people into death metal, in the same
way that Morbid Angel has done -- there are a lot of doors to be
opened and there are a lot of things to be done.
CoC: With the increasing number of good death metal bands in the
genre right now, do you ever feel like you're in competition
with anyone?
MK: No way, man! Maybe when we were younger, we would want to play
heavier or play faster than someone else, but now it's like "What
the fuck, let's just play music". It's not a competition or
whatever. I just think about us and I don't care if another band
sells more than us or play faster than us. One thing in the metal
scene that really sucks is the competition and the bands talking
shit about the others. We just want to see more and more great
bands doing tours and selling more records.
CoC: With bands like Hate Eternal being played on MTV right now, do
you think that death metal is set to get much bigger?
MK: Yes. I think a lot of the kids who listen to stuff like Korn or
whatever are going to see a band like Hate Eternal and just be
blown away, and a lot of those kids will definitely start
listening to more brutal and more extreme music in the future.
CoC: What bands do you look up to in the scene right now?
MK: Nile -- and then of course the older bands like Morbid Angel and
Deicide. Decapitated, Vader, Diabolic -- there are a lot of
killer bands out there.
CoC: Krisiun is a very hard-touring band, and at the speed and the
level of intensity you guys play, how do you prepare for and
survive a tour?
MK: You've got to keep playing all the time -- never quit playing,
because if you do you'll be rusty and it will take time to get
back to the right level to be playing this kind of music. We just
keep practicing for like five hours a day and I think that's the
best way to keep in shape. And I do some extra exercises, like
jogging, working on my flexibility. You don't have to be really
healthy, but I think you just need to keep playing all the time
and that definitely helps you to not get tired when you're
playing and when you're on tour.
CoC: What are your plans for the next five to ten years of the band's
career?
MK: We're just going to keep playing and getting bigger -- we're not
going to be the biggest band on earth, but I just want to be able
to draw more fans to our music. We have a lot to show and a lot
to innovate, while still keeping our roots -- our strong feeling
to play aggressive stuff forever, and holding the death metal
flag always.
CoC: Thanks for your time, Max.
MK: Thanks a lot, man. We're going to be touring with Deicide and
Hate Eternal in the States later this year, and we'll be in
Europe in the beginning of 2004, between January and March. So,
come and check us out!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_, _, __, _,_ _, _ _,
/ \ | |_) | | |\/| (_
|~| | , |_) | | | | , )
~ ~ ~~~ ~ `~' ~ ~ ~
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!
1349 - _Liberation_ (Candlelight, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
If venomous, shrill black metal is not your thing, then you might as
well forget about 1349. Otheriwse, you are likely to feel at
least somewhat intrigued by the insanely fast drumming courtesy of
Satyricon's Frost (it really needs to be heard to be believed) and
the way _Liberation_ sometimes sounds like a mix of Ulver's black
masterpiece _Nattens Madrigal_ and Satyricon. The emotional charge is
not quite the same as that of the Ulver album, but the similarities
between the two go a bit deeper than the extremely harsh production:
the shredding guitars are by no means devoid of well thought-out
riffs and leads, and combine with the often almost disorienting speed
of the drum patterns to create a structure of considerable potential.
If guitars, vocals and drumming are all barbed wire, rusty razors and
machine gun fire, the more rocking Satyricon-like riffs and choruses
that occasionally surface (e.g. "Riders of the Apocalypse", "Legion")
help balance things somewhat. Make no mistake, however -- this is not
an easy album to like if you are used to bassy death metal or clean
melodic metal. The production is not such that the guitars or drums
are devoid of power, but it takes some getting used to before you can
enjoy all the technicality and fury on offer. Indeed, getting past
the production barrier opens up rewards in the shape of some great,
memorable guitar passages (e.g. "Manifest", "I Breathe Spears"),
often hysterically fast but impeccably tight drumming, and ultimately
an album that strikes the balance between uncompromising extremity
and musical enjoyment quite well -- much like Anaal Nathrakh have
done recently. _Liberation_ is definitely worth checking out if you
can handle its barbed wire.
Arcana - _Inner Pale Sun_ (Cold Meat Industry, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (6 out of 10)
Arcana, consisting of Peter Pettersson and Ida Bengtsson, is one of
CMI's top ranking bands. The neoclassical output these two produce
has been of a steady level from day one (_Dark Age of Reason_),
shifting more and more towards a heavily Dead Can Dance-influenced
sound on _The Last Embrace_. With Peter's side project Sophia, the
darker and more sinister part of the music has been expanded further,
leaving the angelic bright side to Arcana. _Inner Pale Sun_ is a
clear result of this two-way split. Medieval bombast is sparsely
present; most of the songs are focused on an almost ambient-esque,
vocal-driven flow. This creates a downside: with the absence of a
darker side, the songs tend to become too sweet, almost boring. With
an average running length of four to five minutes per track, I would
have preferred shorter songs instead. Still, _Inner Pale Sun_ is a
worthy episode in the Arcana series, and I don't think many fans will
be disappointed.
Atrium Carceri - _Cellblock_ (Cold Meat Industry, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose (8.5 out of 10)
My main complaint about darkwave being its overrated repetitiveness,
I was intrigued to find _Cellblock_ on my doorstep. Taking it as a
goal to reinvent darkwave whilst removing its monotonous feeling,
composer Simon Heath has managed to create a 43 minute long album
that is filled with a varied tapestry of sounds and small details
that make it more than just background music. Songs like "Black
Lace", "Corridor", "Blue Moon" and "Red Stains" manage to slowly
build up atmosphere, let music seep through your pores and invade
your body. At times, I can imagine _Cellblock_ being the twisted
soundtrack to a dark horror movie or a sinister first person shooter
like "Quake" -- to me a sign that Heath has succeeded in his goal. It
is by far the most effective and intriguing darkwave album I've heard
in quite a while, so I can heartily recommend it to anyone.
Between the Buried and Me - _Silent Circus_ (Victory Records, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit (7 out of 10)
Surreal is perhaps the most appropriate word to describe what happens
when _Silent Circus_ switches to track number six. The indication
that something decidedly more relaxed and different to the death
metal chaos of earlier tracks is approaching is certainly made clear
early on in proceedings, but nothing -- and I do mean nothing -- will
prepare you for the sound of "Shevanel Take 2"; a track that could
sit comfortably alongside The Backstreet Boys or Westlife on prime
time radio. The laid-back sway of Opeth's progressive jazz interludes
is one thing, but Between the Buried and Me have either sorely missed
the mark in their attempt to try something similar, or clearly intend
on fooling the mainstream into buying their record, only to shock
them into a state of incoherence with the throbbing heaviness of "Ad
a dglgmut" and the hyper-groove of "Camilla Rhodes". Certainly, this
is by no means a bad album -- in fact, it is by and large a rather
enjoyable record -- but there is clearly the odd occasion where the
more conservative extreme metal fan may want to keep the remote
control's skip button at the ready.
Contact: http://www.victoryrecords.com
Blut Aus Nord - _The Work Which Transforms God_ (Appease Me, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
A gloomy tunnel crawling somewhere underground, dripping water and
menace in the blinding pitch; an endless forest shrouded in darkness,
bearing the weight of centuries; the smell of earth, the moon as only
source of light, and an abstract sense of brooding evil that pervades
all. There is an almost palpable darkness surrounding the music that
Blut Aus Nord have created for _The Work Which Transforms God_.
Whether this makes any sense before you've heard this album I do not
know, but it should be hard to find someone who would hear it and not
be affected in some way. Blut Aus Nord generally avoid falling
into the black metal's usual traps; instead, the low-end wailing
laments of their dissonant guitars, the unusual string manipulation,
agonizing shrieks and cold percussion -- all mixed with well
incorporated atmospheric passages -- place Blut Aus Nord in a league
of their own. Their music is likely to invoke vivid images in the
listener's mind; it is the kind that can drag you away from reality
and into the darkness of some medieval field where something
unspeakable is taking place with wretched spirits as the only
witnesses. Although the faster material and the mechanized drumming
tend to get somewhat repetitive at times, the slower passages
on superb tracks like "The Choir of the Dead", "Our Blessed
Frozen Cells" and "Procession of the Dead Clowns" (as well as the
aforementioned atmospheric parts) help alleviate this potential
problem. In a day and age where finding bands with truly unique
characteristics is no easy task, _The Work Which Transforms God_ (and
also its predecessor _The Mythical Beast of Rebellion_ to some
extent) comes across as all the more unusual. A remarkable disc that
no seeker of musical darkness should miss.
Contact: http://blutausnord.fr.st
Burnt by the Sun - _The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good_
by: Jackie Smit (10 out of 10) (Relapse Records, 2003)
Right off the bat, I'd like to make it clear that I love the New
Jersey-based collective known as Burnt by the Sun. Their superb 2002
effort, _Soundtrack to a Personal Revolution_ was by and large one of
the most strikingly effective and aggressive records I have ever had
the pleasure of hearing, and as such, I think it would be safe for me
to say that my expectations for its successor were perhaps higher
than for the casual listener. Where they could, like so many other
acts, very easily have fallen prey to the dreaded sophomore album
syndrome, however, Burnt by the Sun have managed to not only top
themselves this time round, but to deliver a follow-up that makes
their earlier work sound damn near primitive by comparison.
The first aspect of _The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good_ to grab
one's attention is the impeccable manner in which the band have
introduced new elements to their sound -- melody, thicker and
catchier grooves to name a few -- while still retaining their
trademark vehemence. Indeed, opener "Washington Tube Steak", may be
slightly more tuneful than most of what the band offered previously,
but it could easily go toe to toe with anything on _Soundtrack..._
for sheer undiluted rage alone. Ultimately what Burnt by the Sun's
progression has achieved more than anything is to provide their music
with an added dimension of depth, which makes their music all the
more compelling and effective.
Delving once again into political and current global topics, the
band's music provides not only a perfect soundtrack for the
intelligent and ambiguous fashion in which they treat their subject
matter, but also vividly captures the zeitgeist. The distinctly
Middle-Eastern influence of "Revelation 101" stands out as perhaps
the best example of the tangible atmosphere this album projects,
whilst the almost Morbid Angel-like chug of "2012" shows off Mike
Olender's voice at its seething and devastating best. Elsewhere, the
band's new- found melodic sensibilities are made evident on "Spinner
Dunn" and the staggering "Forlani".
Not since Strapping Young Lad's 1997 _City_ opus have I been this
thoroughly blown away by an album. I could most certainly fill many
more paragraphs touting its praise, but for the time being I shall
summarise it as a consummate masterclass in intelligent brutality and
easily my favourite album of 2003 so far.
Contact: http://www.burntbythesun.com
Burst - _Prey on Life_ (Relapse Records, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit (8 out of 10)
Somewhat peculiarly approved by the notoriously conservative Kerry
King, _Prey on Life_ marks the second full length effort by Nasum's
(now reportedly ex-) bassist Jesper Liver�d and co. A genre-bending
affair of note, the first few minutes of "Undoing" and "Iris"
instantly betray the band's love for the progressive style of Opeth
and the rollicking assault of latter-day metalcore. By no means a
barefaced fusion of influences however, for the most part Burst
successfully combine their diverse styles to sound both natural and
spontaneous. As a result, tracks like "Rain" and "Vortex" are at
once brutal and graceful, remaining constantly exigent throughout.
However, while it is not a common occurrence, Burst do at times miss
the mark in their eclectic approach, leaving certain sequences
slightly dislodged from their root sources, so to speak, and giving
proceedings a hampered and almost tacked-on feel. Again, this happens
relatively infrequently, but does mar the album's ascension from
merely good to excellent. For the majority of its forty-five
minute running time, _Prey on Life_ is original, challenging and
most importantly entertaining, and will most certainly demand your
attention for more than just a few casual spins.
Cadacross - _Corona Borealis_ (Low Frequency Records, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (7.5 out of 10)
After a whimsical but enjoyable classical intro, Cadacross launch
into some mid-paced but crunchy power metal that isn't a million
miles away from what's peddled by Skyfire. As far as I am concerned
this a good thing, although it is undoubtedly responsible for
some rather bland medieval imagery. The production is not as
assertive as it might be, but it serves the music fine, establishing
the right balance between hard riffs and ethereal synth. The
hollow rasping of vocalist Sami Aarnio sounds somewhat forced, but
is adequately suited to the music, adding aggressive character
into the atmosphere. Merging classical- esque flourishes and sharp
metal riffs within traditional tonality, _Aurora Borealis_ is an
over-the-top but successfully executed record. Cadacross create
passionate melodic passages and ride on their strength in conjuring
inventive atmospherics with the music. Intermittently they achieve a
high standard of power metal brilliance; "Flaming Ember" is one
particular stand out track. Employing strong Maiden-style melodic
layering and foundational riff progressions, the harder elements are
offset by Antti Ventola's synth, establishing itself with symphonic
infusions of scene painting mood. Although Cadacross ooze metal
vibrancy, _Corona Borealis_ suffers from basic power metal problems.
The music flows in a way that feels somewhat loose, motifs do not
always remain in one's mind, nor can one immediately follow the
structure of the songs. The album takes a while to really get going
and there are the expected moments of silliness. The baroque guitar
solo on "Wreath of Seven Stars" is pure Nigel Tufnell and some of the
synth work can make you wince; when one listens to metal, one should
not have the mental image of dancing gnomes (I don't care if they are
elemental creatures of fantasy, dancing gnomes are gay without
exception). Yet _Corona Borealis_ is an overall success in that it
turns stock in trade power metal features into inspired musical
forces. When an album can provoke love for metal and fantasy, it is
an achievement; and Cadacross succeed to do so without becoming
tiresome, making _Corona Borealis_ a measured triumph.
Cephalic Carnage - _Lucid Interval_ (Relapse, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (9 out of 10)
All brutal assaults in 2002 seem to have come from America:
Watchmaker, Converge, and now Cephalic Carnage. Of these three,
Cephalic is the oldest, dating from back in 1992, and also the most
extreme one musically. Picking elements from many different styles,
_Lucid Interval_ combines grindcore with gore, death, doom, rock and
hardcore, as well as some electronics, creating a whirlwind of an
album that is quite incomparable to any other band. The four
different vocal styles (gore, grunt, hardcore and screams) are
daring, even though I think certain songs would be better without the
gore style singing. The drumming and guitars come out excellently in
the mix, creating a driving destructive force. The many ways of
destruction are exemplified by "Anthro Emesis", a very slow and doomy
song with mixed- in electronics. "Pseudo" is a chaotic Coalesce-ish
piece, while on "Black Metal Sabbath" the black style is performed
with both ease and grandeur. "Cannibism" is an acoustic, fucked-up
Spanish intermezzo before "Lucid Interval" which is old school
thrash. Cephalic Carnage manages to mix it all without forcing it and
without making a chaotic mess. Within the whirlwind of battering
assaults, structure can be found underneath, making this album a
highly recommended listen. Now if they would use more grown-up
lyrics, they would have gotten half a point extra -- for now, they'll
have to stick with nine out of ten.
Coph Nia - _Shape Shifter_ (Cold Meat Industry, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose (6.5 out of 10)
Coph Nia's third release, after _That Which Remains_ and the _Holy
War_ EP, is again different from what you might expect. This time the
diversity of styles which characterized the first two albums has been
forsaken for the greater good of uniformity. This isn't to say there
is no diversity at all, it's just more hidden and less obvious. What
remains is an album reminiscent of Arcana in a few ways; the ambient-
esque atmosphere and the vocal overlay are a common factor on both
albums, but _Shape Shifter_ is a dark industrial album compared to
the Gregorian take of Arcana. Overall, I found myself enjoying _Shape
Shifter_ if listened to in smaller doses. The music tends to have an
droning effect, so it doesn't make an easy listen; however, for those
with a dark spirit and blackened soul, it makes the perfect companion
for those long dark winter nights.
Deathstars - _Synthetic Generation_ (Nuclear Blast, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit (7.5 out of 10)
Dark, if formulaic goth meets chugging Rammstein-like guitars on
_Synthetic Generation_ -- a record stemming from similar black metal
roots to those of the Deathstars' fellow PVC-loving labelmates, The
Kovenant. Yet, unlike the latter act's lackluster _S.E.T.I._ effort,
_Synthetic Generation_ is actually rather enjoyable. At its best it
provides a fix of atmospheric, catchy goth metal ("Semi-Automatic"
and "Little Angel"), while at its weakest, it merely falls victim to
the generic clich�s that are pretty much on par for this type
of music. With goth teetering on the brink of becoming a more
mainstream- friendly staple, this record is certain to have its fair
share of admirers; and while it is by no means groundbreaking, it
provides a welcome alternative for fans of dark, catchy music, for
whom the prima-donna antics of acts like HIM provide nary a thrill.
Drudkh - _Forgotten Legends_ (Supernal Music, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll (9 out of 10)
Hypnotic, majestic and raw are the adjectives I find best suited to
describe Drudkh's debut record. This Ukranian act can rightfully
claim to have turned the crushing powers of nature into music.
Imagine yourself on top of a barren cliff, watching the untameable
waves of a tumultuous ocean crushing into it over and over, day after
day; feel the ice-cold spray freezing on your face, the vibrations of
the impact reaching your feet through the mass of stone until it
finally crumbles; and you might get an idea which kind of images
songs like "Forests in Fire and Gold" are evoking. In a very general
sense, Primordial or Amon Amarth are exploring remotely similar
territory while coming from totally different angles, but neither of
them has been avoiding the cheese-factor which is often imminent in
Pagan or Viking metal so completely and ventured as far into
underground black metal and Burzum-esque territory as this Ukranian
act. While others feel the need for a certain pompousness in their
music and "we're Pagan warriors and come back to take what once was
ours" lyrics and imagery, Drudkh's approach is stripped down,
droning, hypnotic, and, while relying on proven concepts, original in
its execution. With two Hate Forest members in their ranks it's not
really surprising that there are certain similarities between the two
bands, but overall Drudkh sound less dissonant, more melodic and less
sterile, which is also due to a more natural sounding production,
especially as far as the drumming is concerned. This is an awesome
debut record which is highly recommended not only to fans of obscure
underground material but also those who look for emotional, raw and
violent music devoid of keyboards and acoustic sections somewhere in
between black, Pagan and Viking metal.
Embraze - _Katharsis_ (Low Frequency Records, 2001)
by: Adam Lineker (6.5 out of 10)
A truly great piece of power metal grabs you by the heartstrings and
blasts you with the metal spirit, making you throw ridiculous shapes,
torture your neck muscles and develop an affinity for plastic
weaponry. Sadly, finding a truly great work of power metal is not
a pleasure regularly experienced. So many bands, no matter how
feverishly they rework those Maiden riffs, fail to capture that
crucial vibe that separates bombastic brilliance from cheesy shite. I
was immediately gripped by the opening track of _Katharsis_, an
emotive work of dynamic riffing and beautiful guitar melody that
transforms Embraze into fantasy metal gods in an instant. It is a
real shame that the triumph of "My Star" burns out and dissipates
into nothing as the album progresses into turgidity. While the
music is refined by a thickened production and a clinically tight
performance, no amount of proficiency or gloss can smooth over the
abundance of peaks and troughs featured on this opus. The strength of
Lauri Tuohimaa's vocals is also somewhat suspect: although his voice
gives Embraze some character, his power death gurglings are often
mundane and, although he attempts to compensate with expression, it
soon becomes obvious that he has a rather restricted vocal range.
Embraze battle their stylistic shortcomings in variety with moments
of melodic flair, and although nothing matches "My Star", both "The
Sun Loves the Moon" and "Closed" are strong works. Yet there are many
tracks that are not worth mention. There is less choking idiocy on
_Katharsis_ than there might have been, but when Tuohimaa attempts to
be James Hetfield (ooooo!) on the groovier tracks it is truly
cringeworthy. And don't even get me started on the horrible folk
keyboards in "Frozen Swan". Ultimately _Katharsis_ shows that Embraze
could be promising, but at present they lack consistency in many
areas. This offering would work so much better as an EP; the opening
track has received multiple spins through my sound system, but I have
very little interest in revisiting the rest of this album.
Contact: http://www.mastervox.fi/embraze/
Enslaved - _Below the Lights_ (Osmose, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10)
When your first release dates back to ten years ago, you are likely
to be criticized for one of two reasons: either because you kept
playing the same style over and over again and haven't evolved, or
because you have adulterated your original style and alienated your
loyal following. In my experience, this seemingly inescapable vortex
of criticism only seems to have one way out, and that is through
the quality of your music regardless of the path you choose.
As a reviewer, I am not about to whinge too much because a
band has virtually recorded the same album again or introduced
completely different elements into their music -if- the end result is
sufficiently good. In Enslaved's case (even if you disregard the
band's earliest work) albums like _Frost_, _Eld_ and the relatively
recent (and my personal favourite) _Blodhemn_ remain as landmarks
both in terms of the style they helped define and their quality. The
band's last couple of albums, _Mardraum_ and _Monumension_, saw them
move into more psychedelic territory while still sticking with some
of the black metal they originated from. Reactions to those two
albums were mixed: I, for one, thought _Mardraum_ interesting but
_Monumension_ inconsistent and disappointing.
A couple of years after _Monumension_ came out, Enslaved are back --
and how much they blew me away with _Below the Lights_' opener "As
Fire Swept Clean the Earth" I cannot emphasize enough: solemn,
majestic and intense, a truly outstanding track. Of course it goes
without saying that such an excellent start raises expectations for
the rest of the album beyond what is perhaps reasonable, and
unfortunately _Below the Lights_ is not the absolute classic it would
surely have been had such a high quality level been maintained
throughout. This is not to say the remainder of the album turns out
to be mediocre, however; it certainly surpasses its predecessor in
terms of both consistency and highlights ("Ridicule Swarm", "A Darker
Place" and "The Crossing", for instance), and renews hope that
Enslaved can again become the force they once were -- all this as
they continue to mix their Viking black metal roots with death metal
influences (though seemingly less than on the previous album) and
quirky progressive passages.
Having blamed Roy Kronheim (based on track authorship) for most of
what I felt were _Monumension_'s shortcomings in my review of
that album, and with said guitarist having left the band, I had
high expectations for _Below the Lights_; and while "As Fire
Swept Clean the Earth" certainly exceeded them, the album as a
whole pretty much met those expectations. I still feel that these
days Enslaved occasionally drift into somewhat repetitive and less
interesting passages, but _Below the Lights_ nevertheless features
some magnificent material and remains a welcome return to form by
Enslaved.
[Quentin Kalis: "Ten years on and Enslaved have yet to release what
could be considered a 'dud' album. On the contrary, this is possibly
their finest work to date. _Below the Lights_ builds on the new,
progressive direction forged by _Mardraum: Beyond the Within_ and
_Monumension_. Vestiges of their black and Viking metal past
occasionally surface; unlike some bands who seemingly wish to ignore
their early days, these elements should be seen as a homage to and a
recognition of a past they are attempting to build upon, rather
than deny. Nor do these atavistic tendencies act as a dampener
on experimentation -- progressive rock melodies sit comfortably
alongside death metal riffs and jazzy intros. A truly excellent
album."]
Escualo - _Ritual_ (Independent, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10)
Given the high profile of nu-metal bands, and the resultant scorn
displayed to the scene by those who have an interest in anything more
obscure than Cradle of Filth, it is easy to forget that there is an
underground nu-metal scene producing music of a quality unmatched by
many of the bigger names. One such band is Escualo, the perfect
antidote to the undiluted excrement supplied in abundance by the
likes of Korn or Soulfly. Although these Chileans sing entirely in
Spanish, the language barrier shouldn't pose too much of a problem --
although admittedly, it can be a bit frustrating not knowing whether
the vocalist is indulging in annoying ranting about Davisian angst or
considerably more intelligent socio-political commentary. Considering
the similarities Escualo share with System of a Down (especially with
regard to a similar quirkiness in song writing and structure), it is
most likely the latter. (Oh well, if you're going to be influenced by
a nu-metal band, it might as well be the best!) Elements of Mike
Patton's unique vocal style can also be heard. If anyone is going to
succeed in converting yours truly to the nu-metal cause, it's going
to be the likes of Escualo, not the MTV darlings.
Contact: http://www.escualo.cl
Evanescence - _Fallen_ (Wind-Up Records, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (4 out of 10)
For years now I have not turned to the radio or television to look
for any music, but the media industry is such that it can reach you
virtually anywhere. Evanescence's hit singles "Going Under" and
"Bring Me to Life" have received more airplay than most in recent
months (at least in Portugal), thus becoming two of the songs to
reach me in spite of my "musical spam filter". So why did I go
through the trouble of hearing the entirety of their disc and writing
a review for CoC when they're already all over MTV and such? The
reason is twofold: one -- and note that this isn't saying much --
their hit singles actually have enough quality to justify a second
glance, much to the contrary of the rest of their ilk that I'm aware
of (most certainly including labelmates Drowning Pool and Creed);
two, they have irked me in an entirely different manner than their
peers.
Evanescence build their nu metal-ish sound around the vocals of the
talented Amy Lee, who describes their music as "epic, dramatic, dark
rock". She goes on about their homeland Arkansas in the group's
official biography: "It's typically death metal or really soft,
older-people music there -- I don't even know of any local bands that
have female singers." However, Evanescence ought to know that the
world does not end in Little Rock, Arkansas, or even the United
States. In Europe, metal bands have been successfully incorporating
various amounts of female vocals into their sound since the mid-'90s.
What Evanescence have done is simply take that contrasting blend of
female vocals and heavy music and give it a commercial, nu metal
treatment that hugely boosts the band's marketability. This leads me
to the way Evanescence have specifically irked me: the vocal style
and some of the guitar riffs on _Fallen_ bear more than a passing
resemblance to a simplified version of Norway's Madder Mortem, whose
vastly superior work easily predates Evanescence's -- and the same
can be said about some of the softer tracks on the album compared to
The Gathering. Yet whose is the public success, whose the financial
gain? Ultimately, it's the music industry and its marketing machine
that continue to dictate the results, because most people simply
can't be arsed to look for the better band.
So, how good is _Fallen_ then? Having already said Evanescence
deserved a second glance much more than their labelmates and other
such peers, I must nonetheless point out the often repetitive
choruses, bland guitar and drum sound, poor riffs, occasionally silly
male vocal patterns coupled with weak delivery, and the general
commercial take to their music as negative factors. Which is quite a
lot when you look at it, much as it still isn't as bad as their
competition. Truth be told, Amy Lee's vocals are responsible for
about three fourths of my rating -- not because they are particularly
amazing, but because the rest is rather mediocre. The remainder of
the album actually tends to be somewhat less nu metal and Madder
Mortem-ish, at times becoming more melancholic and keyboard-based
and bringing to mind The Gathering in some of those occasions.
Unfortunately, things never get very remarkable in any way apart from
the couple of overplayed choruses from their singles -- we've all
heard the slower piano tracks somewhere before, and even the
attempted symphonic edge of closing track "Whisper" reeks of things
that have been done much better by metal bands years ago.
Those into bands like Madder Mortem or The Gathering who like
Evanescence's singles enough could do worse than give _Fallen_ a try;
but do not expect it to be anywhere nearly as good as those bands, or
as catchy as the singles. For me, this brief excursion out of the
underground is over, and served only to remind me how great music can
be down here.
Contact: http://www.evanescence.com
Forest Stream - _Tears of Mortal Solitude_ (Earache / Elitist, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
When you have an album title such as _Tears of Mortal Solitude_ you
are bound to generate certain expectations, so either your music is
going to be seriously miserable or -I- will be seriously unhappy.
Fortunately Forest Stream have plenty of miserable sounding riffs
and vocals, and above all the music remains sombre and majestic
throughout -- so I'm quite happy with that. These Russians are all
about a solemn blend of doom and black metal, and clearly have a soft
spot for generally well incorporated symphonic touches. Katatonia
circa the immortal _Dance of December Souls_ clearly played a major
part in influencing Forest Stream, and that's about as promising you
can make an influence sound to me -- but these Russians manage to
keep their personality intact on _Tears of Mortal Solitude_ rather
than coming across as copycats. Amidst the desolate string plucking,
emotional lead guitar work and various rasped and growled vocal
approaches, there is more symphonic black metal than on _Dance of
December Souls_. The pace is more often slow than anywhere near fast,
however, and while the feeling of the music remains mostly sorrowful,
it is not quite as extreme as Katatonia's early classic.
_Tears of Mortal Solitude_ weighs in at over one hour, with several
tracks around the eight to ten minute mark; easy chorus-based
structures are not something you will find here. Although the album
only really picks up with the twelve minute "Last Season Purity" and
the ten minute "Snowfall" (which follow a somewhat upbeat opening
track), the quality of FS's music speaks for itself as far as
justifying how a Russian band gets their debut released through an
Earache sub-label. Given time, they seem likely to produce a
follow-up of even greater quality, which is definitely something to
look forward to. Overall, though some of the synth work still needs a
bit of polishing, Forest Stream have crafted an impressive debut
album that should put a broad smile (figuratively speaking, of
course!) on the face of most doom metal fanatics -- especially those
that also happen to like a bit of black metal.
Contact: http://www.foreststream.net
Gothica - _The Cliff of Suicide_ (Cold Meat Industry, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose (8 out of 10)
Italian neoclassicals Gothica are a professional lot. Keyboards,
vocals, violins, oboe, drums and more -- all the instruments
needed to create an atmospheric soundtrack have been carefully
selected, rather than just thrown into the mix. The trademark
vocals as performed by Alessandra have improved a lot since their
last album: this time she manages to reach an impressive variety
of frequencies with her voice without making it sound strained.
Perfectly complementing her voice, Roberto's soothing male vocals
cite the lyrics throughout the album. The whole sound and atmosphere
breathes Dead Can Dance, but that quality level is never reached.
That doesn't mean Gothica isn't any good; in fact, I think they're
one of the most gifted gothic bands to come from Italy. _TCoS_ is a
treat for any neoclassical gothic fan, and I'm curious as to whether
or not they'll manage to receive more attention from a wider audience
with this album.
Hate Forest - _Purity_ (Supernal Music, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll (8 out of 10)
Combine the droning Burzum or Darkthrone approach with extremely deep
and brutal yet natural sounding death metal vocals; put them on top
of repetitive, dissonant guitar work that sometimes sounds like black
metallized Morbid Angel riffs; add an extremely linear, machine-like
rhythmic backbone; and you get to the core of what Ukranian NSBM act
Hate Forest is about these days. Although the vocals sometimes change
to a screechier style, their mostly guttural delivery and the fact
that most of the riffs might have more in common with death than
black metal might put off the purists, it is the actual execution and
delivery of Hate Forest's material that firmly places them in the
black metal category. Rather than bringing up images of nebulah
hordes or infernal fields, this music drills mercilessly into
your skull and resembles a festering, infected wound which keeps
pulsing endlessly, sometimes in synch with one's increased heartbeat,
sometimes faster, but always there and always hurting until it
becomes a masochistic desire to feel the pain. In my opinion Hate
Forest have not found a sound that is completely appropriate to their
music yet, their guitar tones could be stronger, and they have a
tendency to sound a bit thin, tinny and mechanical; but as soon as
the pitch-black atmosphere has grabbed you by the throat, the doors
to cavernous crypts of eternal torture are open wide.
Institut - _Live Like Traitors, Die Like Traitors_
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10) (Cold Meat Industry, 2003)
This second full length for these Swedes sees the husband-wife duo
exploring new musical territory (for themselves), increasing the
breadth and complexity of their textures while retaining the loose
rhythmic structures that made their first album an instant classic.
Familiar throbbing basslines are layered over with controlled blasts
of white noise alternating with twisted junk-metal cacophony, as the
combo of male and female ranting is distorted into satisfyingly
hate-filled spasms. An impressive stylistic palette is explored
throughout the album, all the while maintaining the project's
allegiances to the traditional Euro-p.e. sound. "Pick It Up" sports a
wall-of-white-noise, sheet-metal din akin to Grunt or Slogun, while
"Move Over Once" fucks around in ultra high-pitched Sutcliffe Jugend
territory (though never quite as intolerable). Other elements like
classic Merzbow fluttering and narrow-band sweeping tones begin to
creep their way in as well, making for a highly varied, intriguing
listen throughout. I've always held the ultra old-school analog
material on _Unto the Last Man_ to be Institut's best work, and
they oblige here with occasional throwbacks like "Once A Man" or
"Traitors". A great album overall, if not the most innovative in
recent times.
[Jackie Smit: "This album is a forty minute long quarter-arsed
attempt at ambient/noise that is so unspeakably poor that methinks I
could very easily have inserted a guitar jack into my rectum, and
ended up creating something of greater musical value. I consider
myself very liberal and open-minded toward any form of extreme
music, but this is, wiithout the slightest hint of exaggeration, the
biggest waste of time I have ever had the misfortune of encountering
in my entire life. The only thing that annoys me more than
Institut's pathetic, laughable efforts at sounding 'dangerous' is
the fact that I'll never get the forty minutes of my life back that
I spent listening to this bullshit."]
Leviathan - _The Throne Of Bones_ (Monkeyhouse Recordings, 2003)
by: Alvin Wee (6.5 out of 10)
This compact little dark ambient offering marks the solid, if
unspectacular debut of both label and band from the UK. Leviathan
draws on long-standing Lustmordian traditions throughout the 27
minutes, producing low-end, slightly melodic drones accompanied
by occasional sweeping waves and a semblance of rhythm (on the
excellent "Wraithmarch"). Layers of abyssal orchestration, drones and
martial percussion are piled on in "Tomb", all but attaining the
claustrophobic textures characteristic of the best dark ambient acts,
and coming across as somewhat flat and one-dimensional (a fault
pervading the entire album). I'd put it down mainly to inexperience
in the production department, but also a lack of maturity in the
soundscaping process. Composition technique seems to focus on linear,
simplistic arrangements and layering; to call it minimalist would
be to make unnecessary excuses for the clearly underdeveloped
songwriting. Still, this album is a refreshing new voice from the
scene, showcasing an uncommon ear for structure and narrative (sorely
lacking in the genre), and it isn't difficult to imagine stronger
things emerging from these studios in future.
Monolithe - _Monolithe I_ (Appease Me, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Looking for some energetic, revitalizing metal? Then you should
definitely look elsewhere, because _Monolithe I_, in all its majesty,
is thoroughly morose. Ponderous artificial drums, rumbling guitars,
distant synth and vast, cavernous vocals -- all occasionally
sprinkled with more involved drum patterns, sorrowful guitar
harmonies, atmospheric passages and spoken vocals. Not an incredibly
novel concept, but the fact is Monolithe have done it superbly on
this first outing. _Monolithe I_ is comprised solely of a single
track, weighing in at a monstrous fifty odd minutes; but even in
all its gloom, the music is still sufficiently varied to remain
interesting throughout. This is not the kind of album that tries to
impress the listener, though it can seriously depress him; as such,
you won't find violins or female vocals here in spite of some vaguely
symphonic leanings. _Monolithe I_ remains very solid and cohesive
throughout, something that is reinforced even further by its single
track format, resulting in a massive piece of doom metal -- truly
monolithic, and one of the best of its kind in recent years.
_Monolithe I_ and the new Blut Aus Nord are the first two releases by
the brand new French label Appease Me, and given the quality they
both possess, I definitely expect great things from this label in the
future.
Contact: http://www.monolithe.free.fr
Moonsorrow - _Kivenkantaja_ (Spikefarm, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis (8.5 out of 10)
Considering that their previous CD, _Voimasta ja Kunniasta_ is
literally the best Viking metal album since _Hammerheart_, it would
be unlikely that Moonsorrow would top their sophomore masterpiece and
unfair to expect them to do so. Nonetheless, they make a valiant
attempt, and while _Kivenkantaja_ ("Stonebearer") comes close to the
dizzying heights reached by _VjK_, it simply just isn't quite as good
-- though still miles ahead of anything else released by any Viking
metal-related act this year. _Kivenkantaja_ differs from _VjK_ and
their debut, _Suden Uni_, in that it is calmer, more reflective, and
a more mature album. Apart from that change, _Kivenkantaja_ isn't
substantially different from its predecessors, but it does contain
sufficient subtle tweaks and alterations so that it doesn't merely
feel like a rehash of the band's previous work. The lyrics are still
sung in their native Finnish, but it seems likely that their
preferred lyrical topics remain unchanged. After three albums it is
safe to say that not only are they elevated to the elite pantheon of
quality Viking metal, they are now the (ahem) thronebearers; if not,
then it is merely a matter of time.
Contact: http://www.moonsorrow.com
Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_ (Aftermath, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
Irish doomsters Mourning Beloveth are back with the follow-up to
their commendable debut _Dust_, this time with a record label behind
them. Opener "The Words That Crawled" sets the pattern for the rest
of the album: slow, heavy doom metal with pronounced riffs and
sorrowful guitar work, tortured guttural vocals and despondent clean
vocal passages. With Mags again at the production helm in the
legendary Academy Studio, Mourning Beloveth virtually guaranteed _The
Sullen Sulcus_ would be bestowed with a powerful, well balanced sound
that would fit their British doom metal roots perfectly -- and so it
happened. Despite their band name and having plenty in common with My
Dying Bride sound-wise, Mourning Beloveth's brand of doom metal is
not particularly romantic and certainly not orchestrally enhanced on
_The Sullen Sulcus_ -- a case where the album title tells more about
the music than the band name. Either way, Mourning Beloveth are one
of those doom bands that simply do not allow the listener to even
raise his eyes from the ground for the duration of the disc, and that
sort of consistency tends to score highly with doom connoisseurs.
Such is the case on _The Sullen Sulcus_: accompanied by excellent
doom vocals and percussion, miserable guitar harmonies follow slow
bone-crushing riffs in a cycle that renews itself over and over
again, digging a grave ever deeper in which all hope is buried. _The
Sullen Sulcus_ is a more accomplished album than its predecessor,
with the band showing more consistency and stronger ideas; Mourning
Beloveth have not yet reached the level of My Dying Bride or Evoken,
but they are certainly getting closer. Until then, _The Sullen
Sulcus_ is more than just another highlight in what's been a fine
year for the genre: it is the best doom metal I've heard this year.
Contact: http://www.mourningbeloveth.com
My Ruin - _The Horror of Beauty_ (Century Media, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit (4 out of 10)
Let's face facts: Tairrie B has always had a craving for fame and the
spotlight. Period. Since her early days in Manhole and Tura Satana,
her work has always carefully followed every changing trend and
nuance in metal, and it should come as no surprise to learn that _The
Horror of Beauty_ sheds much of the nu metal swagger that permeated
her last few albums, in favor of the increasingly popular bawdiness
of garage rock and post hardcore. While musically this is a marginal
improvement on the soul-draining torment that was _Blasphemous Girl_,
no amount of musical invention would be able to drown out Ms B's
relentlessly self- obsessed and tiresome whining. Still regurgitating
the same self- styled martyr-like drivel that she always has, Ms B
and her bandmates soundtrack fourteen sermons of female insecurity,
male chauvinism and Hollywood hypocrisy. While all worthy topics in
their own right, there comes a time when enough is enough. And
Tairrie -- in your case, I have definitely had enough.
Nod - _The Story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf_
by: Alvin Wee (8.5 out of 10) (Cold Meat Industry, 2003)
A very respectable (and anticipated) first album from this young
project which turned heads on the _Nihil_ compiliation. The new
circle of Swedish noisemakers are finally injecting some variety into
the tired death industrial scene and Nod prove to be smart, saucy
torchbearers of this ethic. The quirky title track kicks things off
with the famous fairytale set to a Brighter Death Now backdrop.
Things start picking up a little on the second track which opens with
a delicate harp motif that soon succumbs to a rhythmic torrent of
metallic electronics and vocal proclamations. Highly structured and
relatively melodic, this is classic Swedish power industrial given a
youthful kick. More strangeness ensues on "And" with female spoken
word and a girl singing some sort of spacey, dissonant acid-jazz tune
set to analogue dronings. Not quite as strange as it sounds, and
extremely evocative indeed. The remaining tracks run the gamut from
brooding death industrial to full-blown white noise assaults with
distorted ranting, but always with a characteristic vigour and
inventiveness that makes the album beg for repeated listening. Jaded
listeners will find this tongue-in-cheek outing a very entertaining
adventure indeed; not everything here works, but what does makes for
extremely engaging listening.
Nokturnal Mortum - _The Taste of Victory_ (Oriana, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis (8.5 out of 10)
They say that converts to a cause are the most fanatical, and this
may explain in part why relatively new NSBM converts Nokturnal
Mortum go to such extremes to associate themselves with the scene.
Fortunately, this does not mean that they have degenerated into the
audio Leni Riefenstahl, and this album retains the high calibre of
past efforts -- in fact, this may just be their best release since
the amazing _Goat Horns_. _The Taste of Victory_ is a (ahem) taste of
things to come -- the first three songs are lifted from the upcoming
_Weltanschauung_ album, while the last track is unreleased. The first
two songs feature heavy doses of folk influence which dominate,
relegating the guitars to a subservient role. As implied, the title
track possesses an epic edge, echoing latter day Bathory. The fourth
is unreleased and with good reason, being the weakest track by far.
It starts with a doom-like riff before launching into more familiar
Nokturnal Mortum territory and finishing off with a folksy outro.
These sections appear disconnected, and at nearly fifteen minutes it
would have benefited from some judicious editing without losing any
impact. Overall, it is a pleasing indicator of the strong future of
the Nokturnal Mortum camp.
Contact: oriana@online.kharkiv.com
Number One Son - _Lessons_ (Visible Noise, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose (8.5 out of 10)
Standing on the border of what we usually review, Number One Son is
primarily an alternative rock band that has quite a following in the
hardcore/metal scene. Which isn't very strange: _Lessons_ is on the
heavy side of things, and much more original than others like Linkin
Park and Deftones. Musically somewhat similar to Thorn.Eleven and
LostProphets, Number One Son has a somewhat more bombastic and
aggressive sound without losing that poppy feeling to their songs.
While the guitar work is definitely worth mentioning, the most
surprising element are the vocals, which are so clean and vital that
many bands could learn from this. No false keys, no forced voices.
Slower songs like "Renewal" act like a piece of calmness between the
riffing, defining the contour of the songs more clearly. Even though
the album runs a little too long, _Lessons_ is recommended for those
into the alt/emo corner, and hopefully we'll see them touring soon
with some fitting bands.
Nunslaughter - _Goat_ (Metal War Productions, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll (7 out of 10)
With seemingly more releases than the entire back catalogue of Iron
Maiden (including reissues), it's quite difficult to keep track
what's going on with Nunslaughter. After an endless stream of
studio rehearsals and live recordings, these old-school lunatics
have finally managed to release another studio full-length. Quite
surprisingly, _Goat_ introduces a couple of changes in the
ultra-stubborn and primitive Nunslaughter approach: the production is
cleaner than on _Hell's Unholy Fires_, and this time around the song
structures on some tracks, as well as the number, usage and
positioning of breaks, are much closer to traditional thrash metal
than they've been on earlier material that I'm familiar with. While
these changes might come as a bit of a surprise, they do not mean
that the band shows any signs of wimping out on us or adopting a less
underground stance. Don of the Dead's vocals are as throaty and
charismatic as ever, there are no guitar solos, and the lyrics still
deal with ever popular topics such as nun-raping and every other
imaginable blasphemy. The word technical still does not make the
slightest sense when trying to describe the music on _Goat_. However,
I feel that the changes I've spotted have a slightly diminishing
effect on the uniqueness of Nunslaughter's stylistic identity. Songs
like the relentless opening track "The Crowned and Conquering
Hag" thrash raw, fast and teeth- grittingly good, but follow
the construction plan for second wave thrash metal tunes a bit
too closely. Setting my minor gripes aside, I have to say that
overall_Goat_ and especially tracks like "Raid the Convent" are
certainly good enough to require immediate addition to the collection
of every fan of '80s style raw, no-nonsense death- thrash.
Nuse - _Hung Well_ (Independent, 2003)
by: Adrian Magers (4 out of 10)
This bizarre New Jersey band marks their tenth anniversary with their
debut LP after a slew of demo EPs. Although the band's music was
generally enjoyable, some of their secondary presentation would
probably drive away many potential fans from wanting to actually look
deeper into what the band does. This CD features possibly the
shittiest-looking cover in the history of music. Now it's true
that it's unfair to judge a book (or anything) by its outward
appearance, but having such an effortless approach to such things
can't help. Anyway, onto the important things. Nuse has opened for
Biohazard, Cannibal Corpse, Clutch, Entombed, M.O.D., Mercyful Fate,
The Misfits, Napalm Death, Nuclear Assault, Overkill, Pro-Pain, and
Type O Negative. This is definitely an impressive resume, and the
listener can pick elements of some of those acts (especially
Biohazard and Clutch) in the mix of sounds Nuse employs. There's also
some Anthrax, a little bit of Slayer, maybe some Faith No More and
what I do believe is a Nirvana riff pulsing through track four, a cut
entitled "Smoke" (Kurt-worshippers will have to verify that for me).
The metalcore/thrash fusion is well done, but a lot of elements of
the band are annoying for the sole purpose of being weird or strange.
While this tendency makes some acts endearing, it makes Nuse
irritating. I'd like to love the band; they have a lot kick-ass
material and painfully good riffs. Half the album gets a 'B+', the
other half gets a 'D-'.
Contact: http://www.nuse.tv
Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio - _Cocktails, Carnage,
Crucifixion and Pornography_
by: Xander Hoose (7 out of 10) (Cold Meat Industry, 2003)
To celebrate its tenth anniversary and fifth release, Ordo Rosarius
Equilibrio has released a new album to enlighten the dark souls -- or
actually the opposite, really. Accompanied by a marching beat we are
introduced once more to the deep vocal style that became Ordo's
trademark years ago, but the album has more to offer. Borrowing
heavily from different folk styles, _CCCaP_ incorporates traditional
French and Roman influences whilst keeping ORE's baroque industrial
atmosphere on many songs. Lyrically, Ordo is becoming more and more
sexually oriented, although there is nothing really explicit here
that'll possibly shock the listener. My main complaint about _CCCaP_
is that it's not very different from their previous releases, at
least not different enough to justify paying the full price for
the album. Hopefully on a future album there will be some more
experimentation...
Contact: http://www.ordo-rosarius-equilibrio.net
Ornaments of Sin - _Inhale Zyklon-B_ (Total Holocaust Records, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll (5 out of 10)
Without a question France is a hot spot as far as underground black
metal goes. Bands like Blut aus Nord, Nehemah and Deathspell Omega
have set the bar for recent French black metal to a very high level,
and my expectations are never low when a new band from the country of
frog and baguette emerges. Unfortunately, Ornaments of Sin have
nothing to offer which would justify further praise to be bestowed
upon their country of origin. Yes, they have a controversional album
title which surely guarantees a decent amount of attention among
worshippers of NSBM, claim to be "French black metal elite", and
swing some oversized spiked maces on their band photos, but they
simply do not have much substance to back it up. Even for underground
black metal with 4-track demo quality, their material is not recorded
in a ripping and appropriately raw fashion. The drums are too
up-front in the mix and the guitar buzzes somewhat harmlessly in the
background. The songs cover a fairly broad spectrum of paces and here
and there a medium paced part with a decent groove hints at the
possibility of more potential, but overall this is raw black metal by
the numbers. _Inhale Zyklon-B_ is no overly blatant rip-off of any
established act and there surely are worse bands around, but neither
do Ornaments of Sin establish any atmosphere or identity nor do they
really impress on any other level. Don't ask me why they just got
signed by Christhunt Productions -- the quality of the music on this
release can't be the reason and should only appeal to those who have
way more CD shelve space to fill than what's necessary for the truly
noteworthy stuff.
Panthe�st - _O Solitude_ (Firebox, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)
Belgians Panthe�st approach doom metal mostly from a funereal, darkly
orchestral perspective. The deep classical music influences shine
through amidst the murky doom metal, usually accompanied by very
decent clean vocals instead of the also sufficiently competent death
vox. But Panthe�st also take some other measures to increase the
uniqueness of their sound, most of which unfortunately detract
greatly from my enjoyment of an album that is otherwise very good.
After the excellent first eight minutes of opener "O Solitude", for
instance, pace suddenly moves up a notch; but the plodding riff and
subsequent blastbeat are poorly tacked onto an otherwise consistent
song. On second track "Don't Mourn", after a brilliantly solemn first
four minutes, things change momentarily into a folksy tune that is
able to single-handedly ruin a great track -- the track would have
been better off if it ended after those initial four minutes instead
of going on for another ten. The baffling guitar solo and upbeat riff
towards the end of third track "Time" have a similar effect before
the song closes with another blastbeat. I don't mind the blastbeats
per se, but they simply aren't good enough to justify their place
here. Fourth track "Envy Us" is much more consistent, setting the
stage for the massive eighteen minute closer "Curse the Morning
Light", which is good, but not great compared to some of the
preceding material that often ends up ruined by silly passages and
mediocre pace changes. _O Solitude_ is an album that features some
great music but ends up seriously marred by its lack of consistency.
Contact: http://www.firebox.fi
Raise Hell - _Wicked Is My Game_ (Nuclear Blast, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (5.5 out of 10)
For quite some time now I have felt that the title theme from John
Carpenter's seminal slasher movie "Halloween" should have been
metalized in some way, if only for the sheer fun of it. Raise Hell
have done exactly that and it works so much better than it would
promise in theory. Although it is achieved via an interpretive
cover, _Wicked Is My Game_ is nicely set up as an unserious
and potentially enjoyable metal record. Which makes it quite a
let down when one discovers that what Raise Hell have to offer
is depressingly unremarkable; Raise Hell play aggressive metal
thematically focused on horror. With a satisfyingly heavy guitar
sound dominating proceeds, the frontman has a lot of Wednesday 13
(The Murderdolls AKA The Frankenstein Drag Queens From the Planet 13
Mainstream Revival) in his voice but is sidelined by a low presence
in the mix. The drumming has little impact, although it infuriatingly
disfigures all proceedings with an excessive wash of cymbal twattery.
_Wicked Is My Game_(ugh) is a heavily melodic riff-orientated
album that is competently performed and is not entirely devoid of
enthusiastic vibe, but Raise Hell are first and foremostly hampered
by shameless clich�. Some of the conceptuality we can forgive as it
contributes to the faint humour of _WIMG_, but musically there is an
overbearing sense that this has all been done before. Of course this
wouldn't be a problem if _WIMG_ was a well executed and enjoyable
album, but it isn't. Raise Hell have effective moments with the odd
inspired riff or occasional lead break, but these are rendered
impotent by mundanity and poor structuring. The songs on this album
are needlessly long, just for the sake of it; the only moment besides
the intro that made me pay attention was the beginning of "Another
Side", as the band stopped plodding and conjured a refreshing and
subtle clean melody. This was predictably short- lived, the band far
too happy to jump straight back into a stodgy mass of endless
riffage. Opting for slasher silliness as their point of contact,
Raise Hell fail miserably to produce a half decent album and pull off
a cheap trick in the process; I will remember _Wicked Is My Game_ but
only for the first half a minute (and the dreadful title).
Silent Voices - _Chapters of Tragedy_ (Low Frequency Records, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (8.5 out of 10)
The music created by Silent Voices works on many levels. Displaying
both symphonic and progressive traits, _Chapters of Tragedy_ remains
within familiar boundaries while retaining elements of creativity.
Having created metal that combines dynamic virtuosity with deep
sensitivity, Silent Voices are shown to be a highly accomplished band
by this opus. Most striking of all are the endeavours of guitarist
Timo Kauppinen, who blazes up and down the frets with acute
precision and flair, transforming each solo into an eagerly awaited
performance. Effective use of keyboards focuses a lot of the
complimentary mood and sufficiently avoids mix swampage. The rhythm
section shapes and controls the style of each passage; there is
measured embellishment employed with tasteful bass lines, though the
drumming is not as adventurous as it might be. Vocalist Michael
Henneken is competent enough, and although he never displays any
really impressive power, he does well to capture the prog vibe and
maintain a solid presence. Silent Voices create a very rich form of
music without being self- indulgent. The song writing is well crafted
and diverse enough to preserve interest; heavy sections of metallic
groove are offset by mellow or menacing keyboard atmospherics that
paint appropriate colours around passages of prog metal. They
avoid passages of complex scalic runs and awkward time signatures
while still showing enough instrumental flamboyance to impress.
Unfortunately _Chapters of Tragedy_ is an underwhelming first listen,
with its real majesty wrapped in subtlety beneath the surface. The
album ends abruptly, leaving behind deep silence and a bemused smile.
Yet this is almost a prompt to go again, and further spins reward
patience with pleasing and accessible music worthy of attention. If
there is any such thing, this is enjoyable easy listening for prog
fans and power metal lovers alike.
Spawn of Possession - _Cabinet_ (Unique Leader, 2003)
by: Brian Meloon (10 out of 10)
This is Spawn of Possession's debut album, and it's a very impressive
piece of work. After a 48 second non-musical intro, these guys rip
into 37 minutes of technical, brutal death metal. Their riffs have
the tight, syncopative style of Deeds of Flesh with the sharp guitar
tone and melodic flash of Necrophagist. Thus, they achieve a
near-optimal mix of technicality, musicality, and brutality. They
also use a variety of riff tempos and styles, without overusing any
particular technique. The end result is that the music remains
brutal yet doesn't get boring. The playing is excellent: they're
exceptionally tight and handle even the most technical sections with
ease. Still, the focus is on the songs, and none of the instruments
steal the spotlight. There are a few guitar solos, but they're
tasteful, appropriate and short. Similarly, the vocals are growled in
a very unremarkable style, and suit the music well enough. The lyrics
are of course incomprehensible, not only because they're growled, but
also because in many places, they're sung so fast that trying to keep
up -- even while following along with the lyrics -- is a challenge.
The production is excellent: crystal clear and powerful. Although
I've had this album for over seven months, it's still in regular
rotation in my car CD player. It will surely be one of my favorite
discs for 2003, and I'd urge all technical metal and death metal fans
to search it out.
Contact: http://www.spawnofpossession.com
Stamping Ground - _A New Darkness Upon Us_ (Century Media, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit (7.5 out of 10)
That I regard this London-based mob as one of the most exciting,
thrilling and invigorating live spectacles around, is something I
have never kept secret. On three separate occasions I have had
the pleasure of witnessing them come within a hairs-width of
overshadowing such heavyweight headliners as The Haunted, Biohazard
and Sepultura, and now after a rather lengthy three-year gap between
albums, their latest effort, _A New Darkness Upon Us_, is, well...
finally upon us.
Much has been made of Andy Sneap's involvement in the production and
engineering of this record, and while I have been a fan of Sneap's
work on previous Machine Head and Testament records, on this occasion
he unfortunately fails to harness the merciless impact of the
Stampin' Ground on-stage act, and as a result a very competent album
fails slightly to attain its true potential. Suffering particularly
in this respect is vocalist Adam Frakes-Sime, who sounds like a
pit-bull on PCP when he hits the stage, but on _A New Darkness Upon
Us_ comes across as comparatively tame. Similarly drummer Neil
Hutton's phenomenal prowess is let down by a production job that is
simply too slick for its own good, softening specifically the
head-splitting thud of his razor-sharp double-bass work.
Criticisms aside however, this is hands-down the best effort Stampin'
Ground have delivered to date. Tracks like "Dead From the Neck Up" or
the blistering "Pain Is Weakness" combine the Ground's influences of
old-school thrash and hardcore to ferocious effect. Successfully
avoiding monotony, the odd melodic surprise even creeps into the
fray, with a particularly satisfied nod heading in the direction of
"Behind the Light" -- a tune laced with enough vitriolic rage to make
any so- called post-hardcore pretender scamper for the nearest pair
of available adult undergarments.
So ultimately, despite its shortcomings _A New Darkness Upon Us_ is a
good record, and if anything, certainly proof enough that should
Stampin' Ground find a way to capture their crushing stage presence
in the studio, we could very well have a band of Slayer-like majesty
on our hands.
The Crown - _Possessed 13_ (Metal Blade, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll (9 out of 10)
Simply put, _Possessed 13_ sounds as if The Crown's previous album
_Crowned in Terror_ never got released. While _Crowned in Terror_ was
certainly a decent album which directed a lot of attention towards
the band, I always felt it had a couple of flaws. First and foremost,
it was Tomas Lindberg and not Johan Lindstrand on vocals. Lindberg
might have been the best possible choice at that point in time, but
somehow his voice just didn't fit The Crown as well as Lindstrand's
dirty and unbelievably powerful roar, and -- as subjective as it may
be -- Lindstrand is one of the key factors that make the band as
excellent and charismatic as they are. The increased technicality and
inclusion of more twin guitar melody work in the typical but overused
Swedish style, which I felt did not always work in favour of the
band's style on _Crowned in Terror_, has also been scaled back and
mostly disappeared. Equally important: The Crown once again make the
most out of their wicked riffs and grooves, and got rid of the
annoying tendency to waste the second half of tracks which started
with killer riffs by endlessly repeating the chorus. With these
changes in place, The Crown start right where they left off with
_Deathrace King_. Maybe a bit more simple and slightly more death
than thrash this time around as they unleash eleven raging songs and
two instrumentals somewhere in between the two genres, sometimes
spiced up with some dirty, rock 'n' roll-ish grooves in exactly the
unique, immediate and insanely frantic style that was one of the most
important ingredients to make _Deathrace King_ one of the best death
metal records of the last ten years. Blessed with a huge, powerful
sound that for the first time appropriately highlights Magnus
Olsfelt's destructive bass, _Possessed 13_ races along mercilessly.
From the stunning first blows of "No Tomorrow" and "Face of
Destruction / Deep Hit of Death" on through a mixture of more
hellishly paced tracks interrupted by a few slower, crunchier numbers
to the final instrumental, the intensity level never drops. While
some songs might stand out slightly, the overall quality stays
incredibly high throughout the album's 50 minutes and demands
attention from start to finish. This alone is a great achievement in
a world where every death metal record seems to end around the 30
minute mark -- and in numerous cases that's already 20 minutes after
things got boring. Lyrically The Crown are also back on track, and
where _Deathrace King_ featured gems as hilarious as metallic to the
bone like "Total Satan" and "Blitzkrieg Witchcraft", we now get the
already mentioned "Face of Destruction / Deep Hit of Death" and
Lindstrand roaring "Rainbow Satan Overflow". In direct comparison,
_Deathrace King_ might be a slightly better album: it had better
guitar solos and overall the quality of the songs was just an ounce
better; but apart from that, the outstandingly packaged _Possessed
13_ is certainly the best death metal record I've heard in 2003.
The Kovenant - _S.E.T.I._ (Nuclear Blast, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10)
Those who erroneously maintain that The Kovenant somehow "sold out"
or "went mainstream" with the release of _Animatronic_ will not
change their minds upon hearing _S.E.T. I._ -- if anything, it will
merely reinforce their initial opinion. _S.E.T.I._ is essentially an
extension and solidification of the new approach first adopted
on _Animatronic_, showcasing further excursions into electronic
territory. The few metal elements which remained on _Animatronic_
have been greatly watered down; the distinctly metal vox have been
dropped in favour of clean vocals, not sounding too dissimilar on
occasion to a certain Mr. Manson. Some of the lyrics do sound
incredibly amateurish, but the calibre of the album as a whole is
fairly high. It is clearly an improvement on _Animatronic_ --
perhaps the remake of _In Times Before the Light_ helped in
improving their skills and confidence with electronic music. (Though
the remade _ITBtL_ still remains an unnecessary novelty purchase
for the listener.) In keeping with the tradition established on
_Animatronic_, an eccentric cover is chosen, this time Metallica's
"The Memory Remains" -- infinitely preferable to the original. In
short, an excellent expansion of _Animatronic_.
Ulcerate - _Ulcerate_ (Independent, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis (6 out of 10)
New Zealanders Ulcerate are to be congratulated on having taken
the initiative to release this self-financed MCD. This four-piece
blast their way through four pieces of competently performed, yet
ultimately generic brutal death metal. Like many other self-produced
albums, it is performed with a passion often lacking on releases by
the larger labels, yet falling short of being truly noteworthy. It is
clear that they are not trying to create something unique and
innovative, yet it also lacks the personal quirks needed to give a CD
its own unique identity. As mentioned earlier, they are competent
musicians and clearly they are a rough diamond that may yet be honed
into a tight, innovative and leading unit. After all, who could have
foreseen back in the early 1990s, when Darkthrone's _Soulside
Journey_ was released, that they would develop into one of metal's
most important bands?
Contact: http://www.ulcerate.orcon.net.nz
Ulver - _1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines_
by: Pedro Azevedo (4.5 out of 10) (Jester Records, 2003)
Take a painting you find highly inspirational away from the comfort
of its wall in some museum and drag it to an old slaughterhouse. Rip
the painting out of its frame and casually crumple it into an
irregular mess. Thoroughly bathe it in a bucket of moderately
coagulated bovine blood, then run it through a meat processor. I
believe the result would be as valuable and interesting compared to
the original as some of the tracks on _1st Decade in the Machines_
compared to their original versions. Of course it can be questioned
whether that is a negative factor per se; whether a remix album that
bears virtually no resemblance to the sound, structure or spirit of
the originals should necessarily be seen as a waste of the buyer's
money or a commendable effort. But whatever one's view on that
subject, the quality of the actual efforts should be the most
decisive factor in determining the final result.
There is much in this disc that sounds anonymous and devoid both of
context and interest -- not to mention the ridiculous track by Bogdan
Raczynski. Even Ulver's own opening track fails to stand out from the
collection, but there are still some very good tracks amidst
all this, unrelated as they may sound. The Alexander Rishaug
ambient/noise track is not bad, nor is the more tranquil ambience of
The Third Foundation's effort. Martin Horntveth and Stars of the Lid
both add some very welcome strings to the mix later on and remain the
best contributions, while Merzbow's finishing noise track (which even
begins with a recognizable passage from _Bergtatt_, a true rarity in
this disc) is by far the best noise remix. Less than half a dozen
good tracks in a fourteen track compilation cannot make a good
average, especially when most of those 'other' tracks might as well
not even be there for all they add to the overall result. Those more
deeply into the noise genre are likely to extract some more enjoyment
than this from the disc, though surely not as Ulver remixes.
Perhaps the purpose of this collection has been achieved; perhaps
some people other than the fourteen authors of these remixes will
find considerable interest in the entirety of this disc, instead of
less than half of it -- but for this listener, this compilation as a
whole presents insufficient aesthetic and musical value.
Contact: http://www.jester-records.com/ulver/
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~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Scoring: 5 out of 5 -- A flawless demo
4 out of 5 -- Great piece of work
3 out of 5 -- Good effort
2 out of 5 -- A major overhaul is in order
1 out of 5 -- A career change is advisable
Ashley Cook - _Ashley Cook_
by: Brian Meloon (2 out of 5)
Ashley Cook is the man behind Below [CoC #28], but although this demo
features exactly the same line-up (namely, just Ashley), the music is
completely different from Below's. Instead of complex thrash, it's
similar to the mid-to-late-'80s instrumental guitar hero albums of
Joe Satriani (especially on the first track, "Scald") and Lars Eric
Mattsson. The songs are slow-to-mid paced and the melodies are oddly
memorable. As with many guitarists' solo projects, the guitars are
the exclusive focus of the songs. While the drum programming is
decent, it doesn't do anything to stand out. I couldn't hear any bass
at all, and there were very few keyboards used. Given the relative
lack of dynamics in the solos, this leaves the demo sounding a little
one- dimensional, which is my main complaint with this offering.
Technically speaking, it's very good: the playing is solid -- aside
from some awkward phrasing in the solos -- and the production (all of
which was done by Ashley in his own studio) is quite good. But I
sometimes felt that the songs (especially "Why I Like Spiders")
weren't intended to be anything more than vehicles for soloing. A
little more focus on dynamics or depth in the arrangements would help
a lot. The acoustic guitar and harmonized lead parts are a good
start, but more variety is needed. Overall, this isn't a bad
offering, but it isn't something I expect to listen to regularly.
Contact: http://users.penn.com/~evandia/
Burial Ground - _Burial Ground_
by: Adrian Magers (3 out of 5)
Burial Ground is a four-piece act that describe themselves as "tribal
metal" in their bio. To the vast majority of heavy metal connoisseurs
everywhere, this would put in mind comparisons to the mighty
Sepultura. While some common tendencies are discovered on Burial
Ground's nine minute and fifty-nine second EP, the three songs
presented are more in league with Machine Head on their first two
albums (maybe this comparison was planted in my head by the fact that
the cover photo features guitarist Andy Garcia sporting one of their
tees). Overall I'd say their formula is equal parts The Haunted and
old Korn, which lands them somewhere between the former's venomous
Swedish thrash, and the latter's more easily-digestible groove. The
riffs are good, drum work is quite competent, and they have a
vocalist that meshes well with the other 3/4 of his band. My biggest
complaint is a lack of anything too not run-of-the-mill. The whole
affair gives off a feeling of mild annoyance, but Burial Ground never
quite peaks into that indescribable chaotic anger that the standouts
of this particular sub-genre exist in. They have a handful of good
riffs and a dash of aggression, but an ingredient is missing.
Contact: http://www.burialground.net
Junta - _Junta_
by: Adrian Magers (4 out of 5)
The prelude to this album features the sounds of a storm followed by
bizarre experimental noise and larynx-shredding screams, which ends
up sounding a lot like the intro track of Slipknot's last album.
However, the actual songs on the CD are quite original in composition
and progression. Many different kinds of brushstrokes make up the
painting that is Junta. From catchy emocore-esque clean vocals to
blastbeats laced with throat bellows reminiscent of the first Lamb of
God record, to off-time madness and general guitar insanity -- all in
the first song. Junta is an engaging listen that could easily nab the
attention of many different music listeners. With the ability to
appeal to fans of everyone from Cannibal Corpse to From Autumn to
Ashes, the band gives off a definite aura of professionalism that is
crucial to any band graduating beyond their local / regional scene.
Part of this professionalism is obtained by impressive production and
surprising attention to giving the disc a 'flow' that shakes off any
notions that Junta simply wanted to record a demo. Rather we have an
album that ebbs and flows, with ups and downs and a trio of
vocal-less tracks. Junta was a pleasant surprise and will likely
remain a highlight of the demo submissions I've received in the last
few months.
PsyOpus - _2 song demo_
by: Brian Meloon (5 out of 5)
PsyOpus hail from Rochester, NY, and feature former members of
Strangle Fuck, Kalibas, Inertia and Within. Their style is similar to
Rochester's Lethargy (RIP), but even more technical and dissonant.
There is very little flow to the songs; instead, there are a
multitude of technical, quirky riffs which change frequently. The
guitar work is varied and interesting. The riffs range from
conventionally heavy and groovy to Voivod-ish dissonance to angular
single-note lines to tremolo-picked lines, and even a Primus-esque
section. The leads remind me of those from Richie Kotzen's
self-titled album (from 1987 -- long before he joined Poison), and
could best be described as "splattery". The playing is excellent, as
all three instrumentalists are competent and very tight as a unit.
The production is quite good: it's raw, but it fits the music and the
mix is pretty decent. The vocals are screamed, but again they fit the
music reasonably well; they're as aggressive as the rest of the
music. This is highly recommended for fans of Dillinger Escape Plan,
Lethargy, CromTech and similar bands. They have a full-length album
due out next spring on Blackmarket Activities, and I'll be eagerly
looking forward to it.
Contact: http://www.psyopus.com
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N I G H T O F T H E A N G R Y S W E D E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Entombed, Nine, Disfear and Cerberus
@ The Camden Underworld, London, 3 October 2003
by: Jackie Smit
With the notable exception of this year's _Inferno_ record, much of
Entombed's post-_Wolverine Blues_ output has been fairly disposable;
and while they are still clearly the biggest draw on tonight's
four- band line-up, my primary motivation for being in the Camden
Underworld is the rare opportunity to catch the Tomas Lindberg
anarcho-punks Disfear in action.
First on the bill though are Milton-Keynes based metalcore bruisers
Cerberus. Having already impressed me this year on their split-CD
with fellow locals Seethe, they continue to establish themselves as
ones to watch with a decent performance. Although at times exhibiting
the symptoms of a band in development, "Necromancer" and the
eponymous "Cerberus" sound particularly excellent. Even though they
could stand to incorporate some more on-stage activity into their
act, the very fact that these guys are all yet to celebrate their
twentieth birthdays, and still manage to outperform a fair number of
their elders, is worthy of ample amounts of praise.
Be it in At the Gates, Lock Up or Disfear, Tomas Lindberg's natural
propensity as a frontman is as striking as the uniqueness of his
trademark rasp. Kicking off with "Powerload" from their excellent
_Misanthropic Generation_ opus, Disfear take to the stage like fire
to a forest, playing with the kind of venomous rebellion that would
send bubblegum punk dribble like The Distillers run scampering for
cover. While a large contingent of the audience is surprisingly
oblivious to their efforts, a good number gather at the front of the
stage -- myself included -- to shout along and bounce along to such
unpretentious, straightforward stompers like "An Arrogant Breed",
"Desperation" and "Never Gonna Last". Closing off with the title
track from their latest offering, Disfear are undoubtedly the
highlights of this evening's bill and it is truly a shame that this
fact seems to pass many of the ridiculously staunch audience members
by.
Riding a wave of good reviews and industry hype, Nine should by
rights tear the house down, but sadly their brand of rock 'n' core
proves decidedly tepid, and isn't helped by the fact that the band
seem almost disinterested in performing at all. Playing several
tracks off their "Killing Angels" and "Lights Out" discs, Nine may
have the support of such illustrious names as Daniel Bergstrand, but
this does not save them from falling flat on their faces this
evening.
Eventually Nine exit the stage, which leaves it up to Entombed to get
on with business as usual, and even though they play cull their
setlist from mostly their last three records, they nevertheless
deliver a massively entertaining hour of metallic mayhem. LG Petrov
stalks the stage like a demon-possessed incarnation of Ozzy Osbourne,
as the band churn out enthusiastically received renditions of
"Retaliation", "Eye for an Eye", "Out of Heaven", "The Fix Is In" and
"Public Burning". While the onstage energy does compensate for the
lack of inventiveness of Entombed's newer material, it is the
presence of such classics on the setlist as "Stranger Aeons",
"Abnormally Deceased" and "Hollowman" that serve as the highlights of
their show. And ultimately this reinforces the notion that even
though Entombed aren't the band that they once were, they are
definitely a live prospect that demands attention.
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O N E S T E P C L O S E R T O A R M A G E D D O N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dimmu Borgir, Hypocrisy and Norther @ London Astoria, 5 October 2003
by: Jackie Smit
While it is doubtful that they could eclipse Cradle of Filth in terms
of album sales, if one were to compare the length of the queue lining
up in anticipation of the arrival of Norway's favourite sons to that
of the CoF show in April of this year, it would most certainly make a
bold statement. Spilling over into the adjacent Oxford Street -- home
to several overpriced stores and designer boutiques -- the spiked-up,
corpse-painted punters conceivably have a good deal of the passers-by
thinking that Halloween has arrived a few weeks early. As much as
Dimmu Borgir's fervent detractors would have you believe otherwise
however, tonight is not about image -- in stark contrast to many of
the bands they are compared to, Dimmu Borgir are still firmly rooted
in black metal, and as is evidenced by the distinctly dark and
heavy approach of their latest _Death Cult Armageddon_ effort, are
unconcerned with toning down their visceral aural assault to gain
mainstream acceptance.
First on the bill this evening are Finnish newcomers Norther -- a
tried mixture of traditional black and melodic death metal. Clearly
drawing their influences from the same well as fellow countrymen
Children of Bodom, Norther's finest moments come in the form of
"Dream of Endless War" and "Cry". They're unlikely to set the extreme
music genre ablaze anytime soon, but are definitely a notch above the
masses of melodic mediocrity that pollute record label rosters at the
moment.
Death metal has come a long way since Hypocrisy first invaded
personal stereos with 1992's _Penetralia_. Although the band plough
through a veritable wishlist of long-time fan favourites this
evening, they still come across as decidedly dull. "Roswell 47" and
"Apocalypse" are not much more than a once-great band going through
the motions, and even an airing of a track off their forthcoming
record fails to impress. It is only a rendition of the crushing "The
Final Chapter" that makes their otherwise yawn-inducing set slightly
bearable.
The moment the house-lights drop and smoke fills the impressively
decorated stage, a rapturous ovation makes it clear who the audience
have come to see. Backed by a fantastically atmospheric light-show,
the Borgir collective appear, horns held aloft, and kick into
"Allegiance". Bolstered by easily the most crystalline sound I have
heard at a London show, the Norwegians are in top form throughout
and storm through "In Death's Embrace" and "Vredesbyrd" before
launching into the stunning "Kings of the Carnival Creation". While
unsurprisingly focusing on latter-day material, they do treat us to
some spectacular old favourites like "Spellbound" and "Alt Lys Er
Svunnet Hen".
Despite the floor of the Astoria playing host to a number of mini-
pits, Dimmu Borgir are a mesmerizing band, and the sheer scope of
their almost militant overtures are overwhelmingly compelling in this
setting. Nick Barker's drumming, as per usual, is nothing short of
phenomenal and Shagrath's voice and stage presence are undoubtedly
among metal's elite, but I.C.S. Vortex (also known as Simen Hestnaes)
is easily the most effective weapon in their commendable arsenal. His
amazing clean vocals are the sound of a fallen angel in his final
throes of torment and soar out of the chaos of the band's music on
"The Insight & the Catharsis" -- undoubtedly my personal highlight of
the evening.
At 23:00 (the standard UK curfew) the performance draws to a close,
and judging by the looks on the faces of the majority of the audience
members, they would happily welcome another three hours of this. Yes,
Dimmu Borgir have not chosen to remake _For All Tid_ again and again,
and yes, their new record could potentially propel them toward a very
un-black metal stratosphere of commercial acceptance. But the bottom
line is that they have reached this level on their own terms, and if
tonight's show were to serve as an effective barometer, it's safe to
say that their attitude and mindset are still very much in the right
place.
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H E M P H E A V E N ? N O , I T ' S I O W A !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hatebreed, Madball, Hate Eternal, Terror and Cephalic Carnage
Toad Holler, Des Moines, Iowa, on September 25th 2003
by: Aaron McKay
"They better grow some weed in these fields here", announces Lenzig,
the vocalist for the evening's first band up, Cephalic Carnage. We
all knew we were in for a something right from the start with a phase
like that.
Let's take a step back a minute. The venue is the "famous" Toad
Holler in Des Moines. Never having been to this venue (at least at
this location), I was stoked for something new.
The 25th of September was a "school night" and I had to be at work
mighty early the next morning, but who the hell can't limp through a
Friday in the office especially if it meant being able to attend a
show of this caliber the previous evening?! Anyway, having touched
base with Erik Rutan a few hours before the show, I was under the
impression the doors opened at 6:00 pm. Wanting to get the evening
underway, I promptly arrived at 6:30.
God knows what happened, but my name was not on the two (as Henry
Rollins would say) "CHIX" guest list for Hate Eternal. As a matter of
fact, these two couldn't spell Hate -or- Eternal with a dictionary
open to "H" or "E" section in front of them.
After about thirty infuriating minutes at the door waiting for this
less-than-dynamic duo to decide which side is up, I managed to get it
all cleared up and headed off to the bar for an adult beverage.
At the back of the room, I catch a glimpse of Erik Rutan. As a bit of
background for everyone, Mr. Rutan and I go back to my days in St.
Pete, FLA. It was great to have a chance to catch-up with Erik,
despite my horrible mood stemming from the whole ordeal only minutes
before trying to get into the damn place.
Erik told me that Hate Eternal is third on the bill, so I had some
time to absorb the whole atmosphere of Toad Holler. It's a venue that
would remind people of a sports bar / Fight Club-like establishment;
I was taken in by this place's whole atmosphere and the fact they
were open to having such a metal crowd inside their doors. Hell, most
of these bands had never been to Iowa, let alone Des Moines. Previous
to this night, Hatebreed had played in Clive (a Des Moines suburb)
with Slayer, and Erik Rutan with Morbid Angel on the Pantera tour at
the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, a short two hour drive from
my doorstep. A show of this particular size and style, I dare say
-never- in Des Moines -- at least not in the time I've lived here.
At 7:45, the unclassifiable Relapse outfit Cephalic Carnage announced
the onset of tonight's festivities with the statement of hemp-induced
craving, "They better grow some weed in these fields here!"
Always an entertaining bunch, Cephalic Carnage all donned white masks
and spikes for an obvious tongue-in-cheek stab at the black metal
genre. Not to be left out, CC ripped a page from the Beverly
Hillbillies' dress code and played up their metal rendition of stoner
metal complete with "hick" glasses and all.
How can all this be summed up? What about Lenzig spouting off that
this is all for those that eat Cheetos and wind up with orange dicks?
Know where this band is comin' from now?
Anyway, these guys have more change-ups in their tempo than the
mathematical equations goin' on in IBM's Big Blue in a chess match
with Kasparov! They dedicated "The Isle of California", from the
incredible _Lucid Interval_, to the next band on stage, Terror.
This "Rise of Brutality" tour was off to a great start and Terror
kept it movin'. Bass heavy with a thick, rich sound even live, this
Southern California four-piece has a quickened pace to complement
their Agnostic Front / Sick of It All style. Scott Vogel, the band's
skilled vocalist, was impossibly infused with energy the likes of
which I haven't seen since the Skinless show in late August in Cedar
Falls.
As Terror plainly put it, they're -huge- Madball fans, so we in the
audience had a lot to look forward to. Before that point, however,
Terror had the audience piping up and screaming at their lung's
capacity for "What the Fuck Have We Done". All these festivities
taking place on Nick Jett's, the band's drummer, 21st birthday. It
must be my year for seeing metal shows who are celebrating a member's
b-day (see the concert review for "A Mini Milwaukee", Dying Fetus).
It was a big treat to have seen Terror live, but their killer
performance was, at that time, being overshadowed by the looming
promise of Hate Eternal in concert in my home town... "Obscure
Terror", "Powers That Be" and "King of All Kings" still are
ever-present in my memory. I delight in the fact this speed-infused
death assault of cataclysmic proportions was brought to bear upon a
mostly unsuspecting crowd -- it was surprisingly pleasurable to
witness the expressions of the people's faces as they took in what
Hate Eternal was dishing out. I might add, in all fairness, I believe
that Hate Eternal had the volume a might too loud for the venue. It
was a might too overpowering to fully appreciate the devastation they
were clearly known to create. By and large, their performance was
jaw-dropping. Enough said.
Try topping that one, I thought to myself as Erik Rutan, Jared
Anderson and Doug Cerrito exited -- stage right. While the hour was
getting late, Hate Eternal having enjoyed a full half hour, I always
wanted to see Madball live in concert.
At 10:10, I got my wish. I've owned the album _Set It Off_ since
1995, and when Freddy (Cricien), Madball's frontman, announced "Set
It Off" as their first song, I was sure the night could not get much
better. "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" from the Epitaph release _Hold It
Down_ came next, followed closely by the incorrigible, free-for-all,
"Get Out". We were indeed treated to a very new song for an EP/DVD,
called "For My Enemies". "New York City" was brought to us "old
school" from their city to ours, as we were told. Our last chance to
dance was "Pride (Times Are Changing)" as a tipping of the hat to
Agnostic Front.
Well... After the Ball of Destruction, I was spent like a 20 dollar
bill on a suitcase of Miller, so I decided to call it ALL GOOD after
Madball: besides, I've seen Hatebreed. While they are a good
"strongman" metal outfit, I was in no mood to have anything come
in-between a fond recollection of a fine August night of metal. Is
this Heaven? No, it's Iowa...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I'M DREAMING OF A NEON BLACK EARTH...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arch Enemy and Nevermore play the London Scala, 29th September 2003
by: Paul Schwarz
The tour headliners, Nevermore, are ousted from the top-slot for
their London show by "special guests" Arch Enemy, the latter having
shifted more units in the UK... thus far, at least. Judging on
tonight's performance, that may be set to change. At the least,
Nevermore should be back for their own headliner in the near future
(hint hint). The anticipation pre-set is almost tangible; every time
a song from the stereo finishes, tensions are released in hopeful,
expectant bursts of shouting and whooping.
Arriving to raucous reaction, Nevermore deliver a sterling set
comprised primarily of songs from 2001's _Dead Heart in a Dead World_
and their latest, _Enemies of Reality_; there is nothing from
_Dreaming Neon Black_, but splendid renditions of "The Seven Tongues
of God" and "Who Am I?" from 1996's _The Politics of Ecstasy_
more than make up for missing staples like "Ophidian". Sound and
performances are stellar: the band's distinctive technical twists
and talent for writing sophisticated-yet-anthemic songs are both
discernible and effectively delivered. While thrashing and hammering
out their moving and infectious 21st century metal, Nevermore engage
-- in their work and with their audience -- very naturally; but
Warrel Dane struggles throughout to judge the crowd's mood correctly
-- or at least fails to reconcile it satisfactorily with his. Apart
from proclaiming metal to be sleeping rather than dead (on two
separate occasions), Dane says little that gains anything like
resounding assent from his crowd. His flat refusal to play Sanctuary
material on the grounds that "...that was fifteen years ago,
man, no-one remembers that shit!" is greeted with near-hostile
disagreement; his requests for a pit fall upon deaf ears: if those
near me are anything to judge by, I'd say it's because they'd rather
headbang, sing-along and air-guitar in their own space -- as I did,
unsurprisingly.
People in the UK really care about Nevermore; some, it seems, even to
the exclusion of Arch Enemy: as tonight's headliners take the stage
the floor is no more, and possibly even -less- full than when
Nevermore had just left it. Nonetheless, to a near-full house, Arch
Enemy stride out with a triumphant swagger, and to a warm welcome.
The Swedes (plus one German, of course) clearly know they're
potentially on the verge of "doing a Sepultura": hitting the big-time
after giving hard / extreme metal some of its coolest albums whilst
they were "only" a growing underground favourites. Powerful and
anthemic, Arch Enemy do justice to just about everything they air;
it's telling that the set is heavy on mid-paced numbers (and
correspondingly contains quite a bit from their latest, but not
greatest, _Anthems of Rebellion_); but as far as gaining friends
goes, it becomes evident as their set progresses that this is the way
to do it. Though the reactions to "Bury Me An Angel", "The Immortal"
and even "Enemy Within" are far from muted, they are considerably
less unanimous than those which attend the slower-paced material. Not
quite as clear as Nevermore (perhaps from trying a little too hard to
push the POWER angle) the mix for Arch Enemy did unfortunately
necessitate the use of a little imagination to "hear" all the solos.
But though sound, and even perhaps performance are still -better-
than when I last saw Arch Enemy (at Glasgow's King Tuts, late last
year), the overall experience felt more in the realm of entertainment
this time out: colder and somehow almost contrived. "Objectively"
Arch Enemy put on a great show; but I could have left halfway through
and been happy to get home earlier. Something's not right about that,
and I know it's not my overall priorities that are at fault...
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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. Drudkh - _Forgotten Legends_
2. Disfear - _Misanthropic Generation_
3. Mythos - _Pain Amplifier_
4. Carcass - _Symphonies of Sickness_
5. Judas Priest - _Rocka Rolla_
Pedro's Top 5
1. Blut Aus Nord - _The Work Which Transforms God_
2. Septic Flesh - _Sumerian Daemons_
3. Moonspell - _The Antidote_
4. Forest Stream - _Tears of Mortal Solitude_
5. Dimmu Borgir - _Death Cult Armageddon_
Brian's Top 5
1. Yyrkoon - _Oniric Transition_
2. Extol - _Synergy_
3. Kalmah - _Swampsong_
4. Atrox - _Contentum_
5. Primordial - _Storm Before Calm_
Paul's Top 5
1. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
2. Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_
3. Mystifier - _Wicca_
4. Nasum - _Helvete_
5. Bestial Warlust - _Vengeance War Till Death_
Aaron's Top 5
1. Dimension Zero - _This Is Hell_
2. Fleshgrind - _Murder Without End_
3. Moonspell - _The Antidote_
4. Dimmu Borgir - _Death Cult Armageddon_
5. Hatebreed - _Rise of Brutality_
Matthias' Top 5
1. Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_
2. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
3. Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_
4. Hate Forest - _Purity_
5. Demoncy - _Joined in Darkness_
Adrian Magers' Top 5
1. The Haunted - _One Kill Wonder_
2. My Ruin - _Made to Measure_
3. KMFDM - _WWIII_
4. Mortiis - _The Smell of Rain_
5. Dimmu Borgir - _Death Cult Armageddon_
Jackie's Top 5
1. Burnt by the Sun - _The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good_
2. Skinless - _From Sacrifice to Survival_
3. Alchemist - _Austral Alien_
4. Krisiun - _Works of Carnage_
5. Morbid Angel - _Heretic_
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Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically
distributed worldwide via the Internet. Seemingly endless interviews,
album reviews and concert reviews encompass the pages of Chronicles
of Chaos. Chronicles of Chaos stringently emphasizes all varieties of
chaotic music ranging from black and death metal to electronic/noise
to dark, doom and ambient forms. Chronicles of Chaos is dedicated
to the underground and as such we feature demo reviews from all indie
bands who send us material, as well as interviews with a select
number of independent acts.
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #67
All contents copyright (c) 1995-2003 by individual creators of
included work. All rights reserved.
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else.