REVIEW: DREAM THEATER - SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE

 

DREAM THEATER - SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE (Elektra, 2002)

Produced by Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci

Recorded at Bear Track Studios

Artwork by Dung Hoang

Tracks: CD 1: 1- the Glass Prison; 2- Blind Faith, 3- Misunderstood, 4- The Great Debate, 5- Dissapear.

CD 2: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (I: Overture, II: About to Crash, III: War Inside My Head, IV: The Test that Stumped them All, V: Goodnight Kiss, VI:Solitary Shell, VII: About to Crash (reprise), VIII: Losing Time/Grand Finale)

I remember some 12 years back in time buying the first Dream Theater album "When Dream and Day Unite" and thinking what a great band they were despite the recordings lack of good sound. Then came "Images and Words" and that album blew my brain !!! IN fact, Dream Theater is one of my favorite bands because they can mix perfectly the more melodic passages with some that are really heavy and they have great technical skills whioch allows them to add a lot of interesting passages and breaks to the songs that other bands can´t. I didn´t like that much "Falling Into Infinity"...but then came "Metropolis Part.2...." and the change of keyboardist and I thought they had returned to the good path !!. This new album, "Six Degrees..." is in the vein of "Metropolis" but a little bit heavier in some places. As always, this guys have a lot of imagination and incredible solos....this time Jordan Rudess shines more than on the previous album. This is a two CD pack where the second CD is comprised of only one 42 minutes long song (the title track) divided in eight parts where this guys show why they are one of the best bands in the world. Favorite tracks: As always Dream Theater delivers the best....the whole album is a masterpiece. Contact: www.dreamtheater.net

REVIEW: DOWNER - DOWNER

 

DOWNER - DOWNER (Roadrunner recs., 2000)

Produced by Bob Marlette

Recorded at Blue Room Studios

Artwork by Pushead

Tracks: 1- Flex, 2- Bi-Furious, 3- Last Time, 4- Savior, 5- Weed Eater, 6- Mud Bath, 7- Born Again, 8- Speed teeth, 9- Punching Bag, 10- Ventilation, 11- Curbed

Downer´s music reminds me in some parts of a much heavier Creed mixed with some grunge elements and some drops og gothic music. In fact what sets this band apart is the heavier sound of the guitars which are really fat and add a lot of heaviness to the tracks contained on this CD. The vocalist is really good and uses a lot of middle range vocal lines in a really melodic fashion (despite sounding quite similar in many of the tracks). The band has a cool drummer who accentuates correctly the guitar riffs and make the tracks rhythmic and at the same time very hard. Favorite tracks: "Last Time", "Born Again" and "Ventilation". Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

REVIEW: DOOM - TOTAL DOOM

 

DOOM - TOTAL DOOM (Peaceville Recs., 2001)

Recorded at Birdsong and Rich Bitch

Produced by Doom

Tracks: There are 37 tracks from two classic Doom albums here.

37 tracks of energetic hardcore grind- death !!!! This is really pure and raw music from this classic band from the eighties. The tracks are form two classic recordings from this band: "War Crimes (Inhuman Beings)" and " Bury the Debt (Not the Dead)". There are tracks that sound better than others but the main thing here is the heaviness and power of their simple music. The songs are really short (less than one minute in many of the tracks). Some songs are more punk than others, some are pure grindcore like for example "Circles" (that reminded me to early Napalm Death or some things from Terrorizer). A great album for those who want to know the origins of this kind of really extreme music. Favorite tracks: "A Means To an End", " Days Go BY", "Money Drug" and "Phobia for Change". Contact: www.peaceville.co.uk

REVIEW: DEICIDE - DEICIDE (REMASTERED EDITION)

 

DEICIDE - DEICIDE (REMASTERED EDITION) ( Roadrunner Recs., 1990/2001)

Produced by Deicide and Scott Burns

Recorded at Morrisound Recording

Artwork by Ira Rosenson

Tracks: 1- Lunatic of God´s Creation, 2- Sacrificial Suicide, 3- Oblivious to Evil, 4- Dead by Dawn, 5- Blasphereion, 6- Deicide, 7- Carnage in the Temple of the Damned, 8- Mephistopheles, 9- Day of Darkness, 10- Crucifixation

It´s been more than twelve years since this recording was originally released. And this is still a classic of brutal satanic death metal. In fact listening to this you can see why Deicide has become a legend in their style. And you can realize how many bands have copied their style. Glen Benton´s vocals are extremely brutal screaming blasphemy after blasphemy and praising Satan. The sound is much better than in the original recording and here you can appreciate a lot of Steve Asheim´s killer drumming and the Hoffman brothers killer guitar tandem with crushing rhythms and frenetic guitar solos that set a standard (along with Morbid Angel) to death metal style. Favorite tracks: The whole CD....it is a true classic. Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

REVIEW: DAEMUSINEM - DAEMUSINEM DOMINE EMPIRE

 

DAEMUSINEM - DAEMUSINEM DOMINE EMPIRE (Cold Blood Industries, 2002)

Tracks: 1- Daemusinem, 2- Domine Empire, 3- Throne of Illusions, 4- Witch´s Dream, 5- Killers of the Wood, 6- Burning Soul, 7- The Key of the Realm of Deads, 8- Silence in the Water Mother of Life

This is a great album. In fact I would label Daemusinem´s music as death/black metal but with riffs that go beyond what is typical in those styles. Some of the riffs are kind of thrashy, some of them are more like power metal. And there are also some keyboards that give the atmospheric touch to Daemusinem´s music. The tracks are really well developed and they have a lot of interesting riffs even in the fastest parts. And there are changes in which the vocals change doing some melodic part or where they speak some part over the keyboards chord progressions. This band is really original and at the same time very powerful. Favorite tracks: "Throne of Illusions", "Killers of the Wood" and "The Key of the Realm of Deads". Contact: www.coldbloodindustries.com

REVIEW: CORPSEVOMIT - RAPING THE EARS OF THOSE ABOVE

 

CORPSEVOMIT - RAPING THE EARS OF THOSE ABOVE (Blackened Moon Recs., 2001)

Engineered by Chris Djuricic

Recorded at Studio One Racine, Wisconsin

Artwork by Mike Beasley

Tracks: 1- Sons of Famine, 2- Maggot Lamb, 3- Waste, 4- Seas of Excrement, 5- Mind Scabs, 6- Gathering Chemical Children, 7- Seeping Dismay, 8- Death Meddle. 9- Crawling Visions, 10- Nothing

Extremely brutal and fast death/grind with some slower parts (almost doom in some places)is what this band does. And they do it with a l,ot of intensity giving even the slowest parts so much brutality that you will not believe it. Plus, the recording has a good sound, specially in the drums which are crystal clear and play blast beats and a lot of interesting slower patterns. There are fast and furious guitar riffs combined with slower phrases. But the main thing here is the band raw and savage brutality combined with good musicianship. If you love bands that crush your brain from beginnin to end of the recording then Corpse Vomit will surely become your favourite. Favorite tracks: "Seas of Excrement", "Crawling Visions" amd "Seeping Dismay". Contact: www.blackenedmoon.com

REVIEW: BYFIST - ADRENALIN

 

BYFIST - ADRENALIN (Independent, 2002)

Produced by David Wayne (Metal Church). Engineered by Joe Floyd (Warrior)

Recorded at Silvercloud Studios

Tracks: 1- Eternal Damnation, 2- Meltdown, 3- Left To Die, 4- Mary Celeste

It has been a lot of time since I listened an album with this thrash/speed metal feeling. And I think that this is really positive, because this was a style that was really missed by me because I was a big fan of this style of bands in the eighties. The music here has great riffs and a good drummer who knows how to accentuate the changes and passages from one riff to the other. There are interesting guitar solos from great guitar players Notch Vara and John Rodriguez. The vocals reminded me of the guy that used to think in that great band called Toxik and also it has some inflexions that wouldn´t have been out of place on the first Anthrax album "Fistful of Metal". It is great to know this band because I would like to listen more from them and I know that this guys can give this kind of metal style the place that it deserves. Favorite tracks: "Eternal Damnation", "Left To Die" and "Mary Celeste". Contact: www.byfist.com

REVIEW: ATMOSFEAR - ATMOSFEAR

 

ATMOSFEAR - ATMOSFEAR (Independent, 1999)

Produced by Atmosfear

Recorded at Monseny Studios

Artwork by Atmosfear and Jorge Soto

Tracks: 1- Zero Vision, 2- Don´t Preserve, 3- Disavowed, 4- Lost Soul, 5- Trapped in Emptiness, 6-Fade Out

Atmosfear is a band from Spain that plays brutal modern metal with some influences of death metal bands, some influences from thrash metal too and a lot of power in the riffs and drums patterns. The sound is better in some of the tracks than in others. The mix gives space to the drums bu the snare is a little bit opaque for my taste. There is a lot of use of clean guitars and bass in intros and the tracks have good melodies and solos that make them more interesting for my ear. Since almost three years have passed since this recording I think the band must have evolved...I would like to check some newer material. Favorite tracks: "Don´t Preserve" and "Trapped in Emptiness". Contact: Javi Bellido - C/Garbi Nº244 (08397) Pineda de Mar - Spain

REVIEW: ARCADIA - TRUST

 

ARCADIA - TRUST ( Independent, 2000)

Produced by Arcadia

Recorded ain 2-10 June, 1999

Tracks: 1- Behind, 2- H.I.R.A, 3- Senseless-Inane

It is difficult to describe the music of this band...in fact I think that the best way would be saying that they play some sort of mix between death metal and modern metal in the vein of Machine Head but with parts that are similar to Fear Factory (there is a special combination of clean vocals and keyboards that are typical of that band). There are a lot of keyboard passages that are put between heavy discharges of guitars and drumming. There are interesting guitar solos which fit the song perfectly but at the same time add some melodic features that give a lot of originality to the songs. A better sound would do this band a lot of justice because they deserve it. Favorite tracks: The three. Contact: Demetrio Scopelliti - Via Rocciamelone, 25 - (13100) Vercelli - ITALY

REVIEW: ANCIENT - PROXIMA CENTAURI

 

ANCIENT - PROXIMA CENTAURI (Metal Blade, 2001)

Produced by Ancient & Jacob Hansen

Recorded at Los Angered Recordings, Sweden

Artwork by Air-brush Perre

Tracks: 1- A Lurking Threat, 2- Proxima Centauri, 3- The Ancient Horadrim, 4- IN The Abyss of the Cursed Souls, 5- the Witch, 6- Apophis, 7- Satan´s Children, 8- Beyond the Realms of Insanity, 9- Audrina, my Sweet, 10- On Blackest Wings, 11- Eyes of the Dead, 12- Incarnating the Malignant Deity

It has been a long time since Ancient surpased the boundaries of the black metal that they played in their origins. And they have developed a style of their own with more original elements adding even some rocking riffs and elements that are not typical of the style. This recording has a great sound that gives a lot of space in the mix to the drums and the keyboards which are fundamental in Ancient´s music. Aphazel is creative as always with the six strings and he has a great team here ....I will like to point out the keyboards played by Jesus Christ! and Deadly Kristine´s vocals which are sometimes calm and sometimes as rotten as hell making great contrasts and duets with Aphazel´s ones !! Favorite tracks: "In The Abyss of the Cursed Souls", " Beyond the Realms of Insanity" and " On Blackest Wings". Contact: www.metalblade.com

REVIEW: AKIN - STANZAS

 

AKIN - STANZAS ( Independent, 2001)

Produced by Akin. Mixed by Diego Ruiz

Recorded on 8 track digital recorder

Artwork by Javel

Tracks: 1- The City in the Sea, 2- To One in Paradise, 3- Annabel Lee, 4- The Valley of Unrest

Here is this MCD with four tracks from this band...and I have to say that this must be one of the best albums of the month and maybe of the year. The band plays a mix of climatic death and black metal but with tons of melodies and they have an excellent female vocal who contrasts with the guttural vocals. In fact she is great using the middle range of her vocal spectre since this is not so common (generally female vocalists in this type of bands use a higher pitched voice). Another excellent feature here are the keyboards and the flute which create enchanting melodies through the four tracks. Apart from the guttural vocals and the female one there are also spoken ones in the more climatic parts. One of the records of the month. Favorite tracks: The four tracks contained here.

REVIEW: AETERNUS - ASCENSION OF TERROR

 

AETERNUS - ASCENSION OF TERROR (Hammerheart Recs., 2001)

Recorded at Grieghallen Studios, Bergen

Mastered in Oslo at Masterhuset.

Artwork by Christian Misje

Tracks: 1- Possessed by the Serpents Vengeance, 2- Slaying the lambs, 3- Ascension of Terror, 4- the Essence of the Elder, 5-Warlust, 6- Wrath of the Warlord, 7-Burning the Shroud, 8- Denial of Salvation, 9- The Lair of Anubis

This band is the perfect combination between brutality and great musicianship. Sounding very tight from beginning to end they know how to put climatic passages among some of their fastest parts in a way that the tracks have a great resolution. I liked a lot this release because it is really powerful and at the same time has a lot of original and charachteristic moments that make Aeternus a truly original band. I like specially the way in which they play heavy riffs but sustaining some interesting melodies and then they go from fast to slow without interemediate steps, and to do this correctly the guys here have a complete dominion of the instruments that they play. A band to look after each release. Favorite tracks: the whole CD. Contact: www.hammerheart.com or www.aeternus.ch

REVIEW: ACERBUS - EMANATING DARKNESS

 

ACERBUS - EMANATING DARKNESS (Independent, 2000)

Produced by Acerbus

Recorded by Stuart Laurence

Tracks: 1- Emanating Darkness, 2- Blackening of Souls, 3- Loyalty To the Tyrant, 4- Living Death, 5- Malkuth, 6- Voulantary Enslavement

Brutal death grind with some parts that are extremely dissonant (check "Blackening of Souls" 2:16...almost avant garde) and rhythmic parts that make the result much better. The guitar riffs are crushing and the guys are not afraid of experimenting with new sounds. The drummer knows much more than doing simple blast beats (which he makes in a lot of parts ...but he knows much more variations). The band is a trio but sounds heavier than hell. The sound is really good but I would like them to mix differently the snare drum and I would like the bass drum a little bit louder. This release will rip you apart!. Favorite tracks: "Blackening of Souls", "Loyalty to the tyrant" and "Malkuth".Contact: Acerbus@angelfire.com

REVIEW: VALGRIND - DEFINITION OF PREPOTENCE

 

VALGRIND - DEFINITION OF PREPOTENCE (Kick Promotion Agency, 2000)

Produced by Valgrind

Recorded at Crypta Studios

Artwork by Angelien

Tracks: 1- Evil Generatrix, 2- Author of your Pain, 3- Spit, 4- Prepotence, 5- Legion of Hate, 6- When Mortal Skin Ends to Be.

There are certain recordings where I definitely like the music a lot but the sound is not so good and that smooths a little bit my enthuisiasm. This is the case with this Valgrind release. And the problem is in one fundamentral thing: the guitars. The music goes in the path of brutal death metal with good guitar riffs and killer drumming. The vocals are guttural as the style demand and there are interesting harmonized guitar solos. In fact it is strange that the solos are really clear in the mix and the rhythms sound more opaque. I think the result can be more crushing with a better mix. And experience shows you the way to do it better. I think this guys have the potential to do it. Favorite tracks: "Author of Your Pain", "Prepotence" and "When Mortal Skin Ends to Be". Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

REVIEW: THY DISEASE - ART OF DECADENCE

 

THY DISEASE - ART OF DECADENCE (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Dario and Jarek Baran

Recorded at Jaro´s home Studio

Tracks: 1- Art of Decadence, 2- Eternal Disease, 3- Finding God, 4- The Earth, 5- Frozen, 6- Cursed, 7- Crashing the Soul

Extremely talented band coming directly from poland. The band plays atmospheric death metal with interesting riffs and rhythm changes and including certain black metal influences here and there. The music contained on this CD is really technical and yopu can see how well rehearsed theband is. Tracks like "Eternal Disease" show how this guys can combine perfectly brutality and speed with melody and keyboards. Also there is a guest female vocalist called Anna Wojtowiak who is extremely talented and has a voice that contrast in a great way with Thy Disease´s music which is more brutal, giving some extra points to the final result. A must. Favorite tracks: The whole CD. Contact: Underground - P.O.Box 674 - (30-960) Krakow 1 - POLAND

REVIEW: THE SOIL BLEEDS BLACK - THE KINGDOM AND ITS FEY

 

THE SOIL BLEEDS BLACK - THE KINGDOM AND ITS FEY (Cruel moon Recs., 1999)

Produced by The Soil Bleeds Black

Recorded in Dungeon

This is an album originally recorded in 1995 and 1996. The music has a certain medieval feeling but with played with modern instruments that gives certain strange feeling to the tracks. This is music to listen with your eyes closed or in the darkness. The melodies are enchanting and they are designed in order to give a certain feeling to the tracks. And that feeling is music that can be classified as a mix between classical, medieval and certain touches of renacentist. A great ones for people who like something different to listen to. Favorite tracks: "Behold Thou My Crest", " The Charm of Making" and " A Hymn to Dechtire".

REVIEW: TAKING BACK SUNDAY - TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS

 

TAKING BACK SUNDAY - TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS (Victory Recs., 2001)

Mastered by Tom Gilles at Surgical Sound

Recorded at Big Blue Meenie Studios

Artwork by John Clark for Stone and Michele Lago

Tracks: 1- You Know How I do, 2- Bike Scene, 3- Cute Without the "E" (Cut from the Team), 4- There´s no "I" in Team, 4- Great Romances of the 20th Century, 5- Ghost Man on Third, 7- Timberwolves at New Jersey, 8- the Blue Channel, 9- You´re So Last Summer, 10- Head Club

Here we have a good band of melodic punk rock. They have excellent songs, much better than in many bands that are a big success. I think that Taking Back Sunday deserves to be one of the most recognized names in the punk scene. This album called "Tell all your friends" is full of melodic choruses and interesting vocals interactaction like for example in the song "Cute without the "E" (Cut from the Team)" which is a great example of what this guys can do. The guitars are powerful and add a lot of strength to the songs. But the main thing here kis how well constructed the songs are and how good are the vocals (which have a lot of pop/rock sensibility). If you love this style I would totally recommend you this band !! Favorite tracks: "Great Romances of the 20th Century", "Bike Scene" and "the Blue Channel". Contact: www.victoryrecords.com

REVIEW: TAIPAN - 11 MUST DIE

 

TAIPAN - 11 MUST DIE (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Taipan

Recorded by 3 weeks in a Coal Chamber

Tracks: 1- Rakshasa, 2- Itcha, 3- ...of bones and Skin, 4- As the Flowers Wither, 5- My Curse, 6- The heart failed, 7- Breakaway, 8- Poisened and sunken down my throat, 9- Nobody Knows (The sorrow I Found), 10- The great control, 11- Fall from Grace

This was a great surprise for me. Looking at the awful cover and the quality of the packaging I expected a mediocre band. But I was wrong. This band is really good. And which style they love? Doom!!!!!!! Yes, they are slow as hell in some tracks (and very rhythmic in others) and they have that riffs that we loved in bands like Saint Vitus and Trouble and maybe in the Obsessed. But also they have faster tracks like "Itcha" were they sound like early Venom (specially because of the primitive sound that this track has with the noisy drums). But they prefer the slow riffs and the whispering vocals which transmit pain, anguish and fear to the listener. Good one !!!! Favorite tracks: "...of Bones and Skin", "Breakaway" and "Nobody Knows (The sorrow I Found)".

REVIEW: STORMBLADE - RAINDROPS OF LIGHT

 

STORMBLADE - RAINDROPS OF LIGHT (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Stormblade

Recorded at Mauro Cella´s studio

Artwork by Matteo Bocacci

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- The Calling, 3- StormBlade, 4- Fallen Angel, 5- Beyond the Boundaries of Infinity

Heavy metal. That is what we have here. Nothing more and nothing less. With a sound that is not really good (specially on one of the guitars and on the drums ). The songs are in the spirit of bands like Armored Saint (remember that one?). With epic choruses and some cliches of the genre. There are interesting changes in songs like "The Calling" (some Iron Maiden influences here too). Fans of heavy metal will be delighted with this one. I prefer other things. Favorite tracks: "the Calling", "Beyond the Boundaries of Infinity".

REVIEW: S.R.L. - REQUIESCAT IN PACE

 

S.R.L. - REQUIESCAT IN PACE (Kick promotion Agency, 2001)

Recorded at Audiolandia Studios

Artwork by Desiderio Sanzi

Tracks: 1- Ora e Sempre, 2- A Lex, 3- La Fine di un Sogno, 4- Ultima Ora, 5- Requiescat In Pace

Here we have this band coming directly from Italy (and their songs are in Italian language). Their music is modern heavy metal with a great guitar sound (maybe a little bit low in the mix) and good riffs (most of them in a rhythmic way that make th songs conceived to jump in a moshpit). One of the things that I liked most were the guitar solos that maybe in today´s music are a little bit forgotten, but not for S.R.L. It is good to listen a bass with a sound so clean contrasting with the guitars. As I said the one thing that I would do is mix a little bit louder the rhythmic guitar to make the result more direct. A good release from this band. Favorite tracks: "La Fine di un sogno", "Requiescat In Pace" and "A Lex". Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

REVIEW: SLIPKNOT - IOWA

 

SLIPKNOT - IOWA (Roadrunner Recs., 2001)

Produced by Ross Robinson and Slipknot

Recorded at Sound City Studios

Artwork by t42 Design

Tracks: 1- (515), 2- People-Shit, 3- Disasterpiece, 4- My Plague, 5- Everything Ends, 6- the Heretic Anthem, 7- Empty, 8- Left Behind, 9- The Shape, 10- I am hated, 11- Skin Ticket, 12- New Abortion, 13- Metabolic, 14- Iowa

Here is Slipknot´s latest offering, starting with "People Shit" one of their most extreme songs up to date even with some blast beats in the beginning. I still donm´t know how this guys are so popular, because their sound is not what you would call "easy listening". Well, I think they deserve their success, because they are a great band. And they show how great they are on this new rtecording with a much better sound than their previous one (courtesy of Mr. Ross Robinson). The tracks here have that HUUUUUUGEEE guitar sound that has made Slipknot so famous and those drumming and percussion patterns that crush your mind with their insanity. I think this is one of the releases of year 2001. Favorite tracks: "My Plague", "The Heretic Anthem" and "Left Behind". Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

REVIEW: SLANG - SAVE THE CHILIS

 

SLANG - SAVE THE CHILIS (Carbon 7 Recs., 2001)

Produced by Guy Segers and Alan Wards for Carbon 7.

Recorded at Studio Caraibe, Brussels.

Artwork by Els and Gunther at Poplar

Tracks: 1- Sugar, 2- Yukun Slang, 3- Small Steps(for big people), 4- Bazaar, 5- La Trilogie d´Apu, 6- Oude Fox, 7- Nana, 8- Hombre Felí, 9- Own Wings, 10- Save the Chilis, 11- La Guigue

An interesting album with a mix of jazz, blues and rock with great arrangements and very interesting vocals. In fact, I think that this trio has a lot of ideas going on in their minds. I love the way the bass lines are quite different from what one could expect: In fact they are more rocking instead of doing typical walking bass arrangements. There is a certain feeling of progressive rock in tracks like "Yukun Slang" that combined with some hip hop drumming and the trumpet playing jazz phrases give an extremely original track. I like the way the album is mixed too because you can listen that is a trio but the instruments and vocals sound really huge without letting some holes in the sound appear as it happens with other trios. My favorite point here is the way the bass sound is distorted and the way this guy plays his instrument. Those lovers of original music, here you have Slang. Favorite tracks: "Sugar", "Bazaar" and "Own Wings". Contact: www.carbon7.com

REVIEW: SKYWISE - MORNING STAR

 

SKYWISE - MORNING STAR (Daredevil Recs./Kick Promotion Agency, 2001)

Produced by Skywise and Daredevil Recs

Recorded at Temple of Noise Studios

Artwork by Orange Studio

Tracks: 1- Rise from the ashes, 2- Mountains of the moon, 3- The darkest hour (morning Star), 4- My Rotten Kingdom, 5- Hellgate, 6- Beyond Redemption, 7- Earth 2012, 8- The Gastly Workshop of Hiram Kyram, 9- Farewell Blues (live)

Stoner rock!!!! Yes, here we have that psychodelic style of hard rock in its purest form. The riffs are catchy and witha lot of hooks and they are hypnotic at the same time. In fact the music here is pure rock and roll with a lot of seventies feeling on it (even in the sound, that is really muddy as it was in that time). There are certain influences of bands like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age but Skywise has its own identity and in the future I think this guys will have a great sound as they deserve (even if it does not sound so stoner to have a great sound). Fans of stoner rock check this one !!!! Favorite tracks: "Mountains of the moon", "My Rotten Kingdom" and "Earth 2012" Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

REVIEW: RAMMSTEIN - MUTTER

 

RAMMSTEIN - MUTTER (Universal, 2001)

Produced by Jacob Hellner and Rammstein

Recorded at Studio Miraval, France

Artwork by Dirk Rudolph and Formgeber

Tracks: 1- Mein Herz Brennt, 2- Links 234, 3- Sonne, 4- Ich Will, 5- Feuer Frei!, 6-Mutter, 7- Spieluhr, 8- Zwitter, 9- Rein Raus, 10- Adios, 11-Nebel

"Sehnsucht" was a great album, and "Mutter is its successor and is great too !! The music cis very similar to the one contained on "Sehnsucht: with that heavy riffs and that industrial feeling and with all the keyboards used in such a special way. Perhaps "Mutter!" is a little bit more difficult to listen because the tracks are not so accesible. The oppressive feeling that Rammstein creates in their recordings is present here too !! One thing to remark is the great sound that this album has (even if "Sehnsucht" had a great sound too). Favorite tracks: "Mein Herz Brennt", "Ich Will" and "Rein Raus". Contact: www.rammstein.de

REVIEW: RAIN - STARLIGHT EXTINCTION

 

RAIN - STARLIGHT EXTINCTION (Adipocere Recs., 2001)

Produced by Pascal Geronimi and Drop

Recorded at Illectronics by Pascal Geronimi

Artwork by Chris Kallias

Tracks: 1- The Four Messengers of Neptune, 2- Annihilation of Centuries, 3- The Cyclic Flood, 4- Aurora Borealis, 5- Like Dying Fireflies, 6- Narcotik 00, 7- Starclouds and cosmic Seas, 8- Dance of Infinity, 9- Dead planets, 10- Meteor Rain, 11- Amethyst, 12- The Final Extinction

The perfect combination between heavy riffs, excellent keyboards, great drums patterns and an original voice. That is what Rain music is about.S pecially I liked a lot the way in ehich the keyboas are present through the whole recoring contrasting with the heavier riffs and complementing the more elaborated ones. "The Four Messengof Neptune" start this CD in an excellent way and this guys teach you how to make tracks that are really heavy and at the same time extremely original and extremely melodic. The band Has riffs that are extremely heavy and they put it together with really mechanical drums (that sound in the vein of Fear Factory but better) and vocals that are death metal in places but really versatile in others. One of the albums of the month. Favorite tracks: "Starclouds and Cosmic Seas", "The Cyclic Flood" and "Meteor Rain" Contact: www.adipocere.fr or www.frozenrain.ch

REVIEW: PRO-PAIN - SHREDS OF DIGNITY

 

PRO-PAIN - SHREDS OF DIGNITY (Spitfire Recs., 2002)

Produced by Gary meskill and Eric Klinger

Recorded at Audio Images, the Jam Room and Gary´s House

Artwork by Eric Klinger

Tracks: 1- The Shape of Things to Come, 2- Gone Fishin, 3- Down for the cause, 4- No Way Out, 5- Shreds of Dignity, 6- Walk Away, 7- F.O.A.D., 8- Lock ´n´Load, 9- Casualties of War, 10- 24/7, 11- Justice Must be Done, 12- Kill or be killed

Pro-pain is back. As always with the leadership of ex Crumbsucker Gary Meskill on bass and vocals. This time they have returned to some heavier parts that were present on the "Foul Taste of Freedom" album with a total predominance of hardcore riffs. The guitar sounds really raw and it helps to make the tracks more direct like a kick in your head. The songs here are short and very powerful with some really cool riffs like the ones in the bridge of "Gone Fishing". The mix is really loud and you can appreciate both guitars and the bass perfectly. Also the vocals are really up in the mix which is really great to enhance the results. It is great to see bands like Pro-Pain that become better with time. Favorite tracks: "Lock´n´load", "No Way Out" and "Kill or be killed".Contact: www.spitfirerecords.com

REVIEW: PHOBIA - SERENITY THROUGH PAIN

 

PHOBIA - SERENITY THROUGH PAIN (Necropolis/Deathvomit Recs., 2002)

Mastered by Paul Miner

Artwork by Victoria Scalisi

Tracks: 1- God is Grace, 2- Death threat, 3- You Suffer, 4- B.u.s.h., 5- Hurray for Jesus, 6- Poison My Mind, 7- D.F.F.D.,8- Pathetic Minds, 9- Slave to religion, 10- Seig Help. 11- Wounds Through Punishment, 12- Mercy Killing, 13- Closure, 14- Welcome to Violence, 15- White Devil, 16- You, 17- Social Sheep, 18- Rid Self Condemnation, 19- Ways of Destruction, 20- Fueled by Pride, 21- Mental incarceration, 22- Private War, 23- Sovereign

This is a deceiving CD. It starts with an acoustic intro with some clean vocals singing along theguityar and immediately it gets into hyper fast death/Grind with the track called "Death Threat". The first thing that got my attention was the excellent sound quality that this recording has, even better than many of the top bands in the style. Then another thing that hit me was the great riffs that this guys made. In fact they are not going at top speed all the time prefering to do more interesting rhythm changes and emphasizing the heavier than hell rhythms. This riffs that are slower than the grinding blast beat parts are extremely well supported by drummer Matt Mills who is really killer along the whole recording. Heavier than hell. Favorite tracks: "You Suffer", "Poison my Mind" and "Rid Self Condemnation". Contact: www.necropolisrecords.com

REVIEW: OVERBLOOD - OUR BLOOD

 

OVERBLOOD - OUR BLOOD (Kick Promotion Agency, 2001)

Produced by Overblood

Recorded by Overblood

Tracks: 1- Refuse It All, 2- Children Market, 3- Unknown, 4- Mister Crime, 5- Eternal Life, 6- Mortal Love, 7- Politically Insane

A brutal band from Italy playing what I would call modern death/thrash. I call this music in that way because it has elements from all this styles. They have vocals that could be from a death metal band and fast riffs that could be from that style too, then they have some drum patterns and guitar riffs that remind of eighties thrash metal bands. And they also have influences from modern metal bands like Fear Factory, Sepultura and others. The combination of influences gives a great result in this CD and the vocals which are not very guttural and not too clean either gives an original identity to Overblood´s music. There are also slower tracks like "Children Market" (that gets fast after a while). Check this release from this powerful band. Favorite tracks: "Mister Crime", "Mortal Love" and "Refuse It All". Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

REVIEW: NEEDLERUST - LET´S TALK ABOUT PAIN

 

NEEDLERUST - LET´S TALK ABOUT PAIN (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Needlerust

Recorded at Chaos Practice Studios

Artwork by Daniel Albertsson

Tracks: 1- Where we Differ, 2- Missing Link, 3- For this Deceit

An amazing CD !!! This guys have a ll the elements to become a real success in the underground metal scene. And they have the main thing: ORIGINAL IDEAS. In fatc what I liked most of this band is the way in which they combine a lot of elements to obtain a type of death metal that is extremely original. From the technical guitar parts (which emphasize melodies and dark phrases) to the keyboards that are all over the songs here adding harmony to brutality and subtle elments to powerful music. Also the drummer is killer and knows how to accentuate the riffs in order to make the music here much more interesting. This band is going to become one of my favorites if I listen more from them. Favorite tracks: the whole CD. Contact: http://www.metalprovider.com/needlerust

REVIEW: NECROPHILISM - PERVERSE CHAOTIC REIGN

 

NECROPHILISM - PERVERSE CHAOTIC REIGN(Kick Promotion Agency, 2001)

Produced by Necrophilism

Tracks: 1- Raped by Chainsaw, 2- The Ancient Cemetary, 3- Tze, tze, tze Bloup, 4- Flesh Feast

Necrophilism inmerse the listener in their brutal world of death/grind metal going for the most extreme side of music. Speed? You have it here in a lot of parts. Technique? Well, this guys can play from the fastest riff to the more rhythmic ones perfectly and without difficulties (they reminded me of bands like Myopia because of this changes combined with the guttural vocals). The overall sound in this recording is fairly good. Maybe they could have made sound better the drums (the guitars are killer) and that would have gave extra points to the recording. This CD and the band are brutality guaranteed for the listener. Favorite tracks: "The Ancient Cemetary" and "Flesh Feast" Contact: http://necrophilism.cjb.net or www.kickagency.3000.it