REVIEW: SUMMON - FIRE TURNS EVERYTHING...BLACK

 

SUMMON - FIRE TURNS EVERYTHING...BLACK (Blackened Moon Recs., 1996)

Produced by Summon

Tracks: 1- Intro/Blind Shadows of Darkness, 2- Enter Into Eternal Oath, 3- Eve of AntiCreation,4- Praising to a Blackened Moon, 5- Burning Black Desire, 6- Tales of Immortality, 7- Outro: Forest of Dark Spirits

As many of you may know this is Summon´s first album. Summon is a great black metal band whose latest two albums I have reviewed in past months. And here I have in my hands the first ones. They are Classics of the black metal style. This band starts with an intro before getting into their full speed full of hate black metal with really raw guitars. When compared to their other albums this is the one that has the least good sound (despite being all the instruments really clear in the mix). The best thing for me are the guitar riffs which are killer and have a lot of power and desire to crush the listener. This album is a black metal classic along with their next one. A great band full of darkness. Favorite tracks: "Enter Into Eternal Oath", "Tales of Immortality" and "Eve of AntiCreation". Contact: www.blackenedmoon.com

REVIEW: SQUAD FIVE-0 - SQUAD FIVE-0

 

SQUAD FIVE-0 - SQUAD FIVE-0 (Tooth and Nail Recs., 2002)

Produced by Barry Poynter

Artwork by Rose Wind Jerome

Tracks: 1- I don´t want to change the world, I just want to change your mind, 2- Make you a star, 3- Make you dance, 4- Screaming With the Sirens, 5- Piece of the Dream, 6- Underground hearts, 7- The Adolescent Night, 8- Turn It Up, 9- Don´t come Runnin, 10- No Tomorrow, 11- Crystal Coastline, 12- Wasted (With You), 13- Get Away

Dirty rock´n´roll with some interesting punk and Hanoi Rock / L.A.Guns influences. It´s been a lot of time since I listened a band like this one. They play rock and roll with a lot of attitude (specially on the vocals which I liked a lot). The guitar riffs reminded me a lot of what Tracii Guns and company did on their debut album or in "Cocked and Loaded". There are cool solos and a lot of melodies and above all I liked the choruses which are the main point of this songs...it is like you are waiting the chorus to arrive !! Rock´n´roll!! This band rocks!! Favorite tracks: "Screaming With the Sirens", "Turn It Up" and "Wasted (With You)".Contact: www.toothandnail.com

REVIEW: SLICK SHOES - SLICK SHOES

 

SLICK SHOES - SLICK SHOES (Tooth and Nail Recs., 2002)

Produced by Neil King

Tracks: 1- My Ignorance, 2- Pass me By, 3- Friday nite, 4- Ten Ways, 5- Alone, 6- I knew, 7- Remember, 8- So Much More, 9- 1 A.M., 10- No More Words, 11- 1000 Times Before, 12- 151

Melodic punk rock with strong emphasis on the vocals melodies. One thing that I like from this recording is how good the band has achieved the vocal harmonies in the choruses and the bridges of their songs. And the melodies are catchy but they don´t make the listener feel tired like in bands like Rancid or Blink 182 (that is my opinion). Another thing that distinguish this band is the guitar sound that is different from what bands of the style use. And that is really good because the guitar is one of the main ingredients of their music. This is Slick Shoes fourth release and they are getting succesful (they toured a lot in support of their previous album). The album will be on the streets on April 9th. Favorite tracks: "Pass Me By", " So Much More" and "1000 Times Before". Contact: www.toothandnail.com

REVIEW: SIX FEET UNDER - TRUE CARNAGE

 

SIX FEET UNDER - TRUE CARNAGE (Metal Blade, 2001)

Produced by Brian Slagel and Six Feet Under

Recorded at The Factory Criteria Studios

Artwork by Paul Booth

Tracks: 1- Impulse To Disembowel, 2- The Day the Dead Walked, 3- It never Dies, 4- The Murderers, 5- Waiting For Decay, 6- One Bullet left, 7- Knife, Gun, Axe, 8- Snakes, 9- Sick and Twisted, 10- Cadaver Mutilator, 11- Necrosociety

Strangely this CD starts with a mid tempo track. And it is one of the best tracks of the CD...and maybe a good option for Six Feet Under to add more variations to their music. As everybody knows Six Feet Under´s music is pure death metal in the vein of Cannibal Corpse (Chris Barnes previous band). And the music here is brutal and deadly, but it has one problem: there are not much variations and I think that the musicians are good enough to do it better. One of the main problems is Barnes himself who sings very similarly since his first recording with Cannibal Corpse "Eaten Back To Life". Maybe a little variation would do some good to the music. The sound of the recording is really good specially on the killer drumming and on the guitars that are devastating. Favorite tracks: "Impulse to Disembowel", "The Murderers" and "Cadaver Mutilator". Contact: www.metalblade.com

REVIEW: SHADEWORKS - SOOTY LIMBS

 

PRESS RELEASE:

SHADEWORKS - SOOTY LIMBS (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Shadeworks

Recorded at the Shade Studio

Artwork by Gib, Fae and R-NO

Tracks: 1- Sooty Limbs, 2- Blind Healing, 3- Terra, 4- Silky Birds

What a great release. But it left me wanting more songs!!! I want more !! Form beginning to end you have to recognize Mr. Nicolas Arnaud´s talent. He is the only man behind Shadeworks. And he is only helped in this recording by the wonderful female vocals that Mae sings here. The tracks have a lot of great elements: I will make a list: interesting riffs, great melodies, many atmospheres (in fact Arnaud in some places creates melodies with the bass and then the guitar plays a solo or does another melody), good guitar solos and the excellent vocal performance that Mae does in all the recording. There are many atmospheric moments, specially when the vocals are combined with keyboards or some melodic line. One more thing: I want more !!! Favorite tracks: The whole MCD: A lovely ethereal yet heavy release. Contact: anicolas777@lycos.com

REVIEW: SEPULTURA - NATION

 

SEPULTURA - NATION (Roadrunner Recs., 2001)

Produced by Steve Evetts

Recorded at AR Studios, Rio de Janeiro

Artwork by Shepard Fairey

Tracks: 1- Sepulnation, 2- Revolt, 3- Border Wars, 4- One Man Army, 5- Vox Populi, 6- The Ways of Faith, 7- Uma Cura, 8- Who Must Die?, 9- Saga, 10- Tribe To a Nation, 11- Politricks, 12- Human Cause, 13- Reject, 14- Water, 15- Valtio, 16- Bela Lugosi´s Dead, 17- Annihilation, 18- Rise Above, 19- Revolt (demo), 20- Roots Bloody Roots (live)

Here we have Sepultura´s latest offering. This time the Brazilian guys have continued the path started with their previous recording, "Against". That is adding some simpler elements in the songs. And obviously there are Derrick Greene´s vocals which are notoriously different from Max Cavalera´s ones. They have more of a hardcore flavor. The CD has some high points and some not so high (in fact I think that the simpler tracks are not so effective as the other ones and could be from other band different from Sepultura). A step forward but I think they have to recover the spirit of the last three or four albums with Max. Favorite tracks: "The Ways of Faith", "Who Must Die?" and "Reject". Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

REVIEW: SCREAMING AFTERBIRTH - PUKE PILE

 

SCREAMING AFTERBIRTH - PUKE PILE (United Guttural Recs., 2001)

Tracks: 1- Entangled in Entrails, 2- Stump Fucked Piss Flaps, 3- Open Pussy Surgery, 4- Anal Volcano, 5- Completely Stuffed Bitch, 6- Writhing and Contorting, 7- Cottage Cheese Between her Legs, 8- Epidurial Emissions, 9- No Orifice Shall Remain, 10- Mongloid Whore, 11- Puke Pile, 12- Stabbing Faces and Kicking Guts

The Music that Screaming Afterbirth makes can be described as Bestial Death Grind. Yes, it is incredible the wild brutality that this guys have transmitted to this CD. In fact this must have been one of the most brutal releases ever. Fast as hell riffs with blast beats vocals that go from screaming to guttural, then back to screaming. The guitars have been tuned down a lot to make the riffs much more crushing and it really amazes the rhythmic riffs which are like a hammer in your brain. One of the main things here is the amazing drummer who is killer in the blast beats and even has sometime to add some interesting patterns to the guitar riffs while kicking the double bass drums. Extremely brutal !! Favorite tracks: "Writhing and Contorting", "Completely Stuffed Bitch" and "No Orifice Shall Remain". Contact: www.unitedguttural.com

REVIEW: RAIN FELL WITHIN - REFUGE

 

RAIN FELL WITHIN - REFUGE (Dark Symphonies Recs., 2002)

Produced by Rain Fell Within with Ron Vento

Recorded at IQ Studios, Clinton, MD

Artwork by Mike Riddick and Erika Swinnich

Tracks: 1- Torn Apart, 2- In the Knowing of You, 3- The Child Beneath, 4- In My Dreams, 5- Save Your Soul, 6- Winter´s Embrace, 7- Into the Tower, 8- Sirens, 9- Burned Away, 10- Passing Time

How wondeerful can be a female voice?? I don´t know, but I can mention many female vocalists that I really love: Kari Rueslåtten, Tarja Turunen, Erika Swinnich. This women have voices that can be as delicate as cristal and as powerful as a thunder. And Rain Fell Within have two great vocalists: Dawn and Laurie who sing duets in many parts of this CD. Rain Fell Within´s music is played with the heart, brain and soul from this amazing musicians, having a key role the omnipresent Keyboards and the heavy guitars. How heavy can be a band without being brutal? Well, Rain Fell Within is heavy as hell and yet they are extremely subtle with all their dark melodies. The sound of the recording enhances a lot the results. One of the albums of the year !! Favorite tracks: The whole album. Contact: www.darksymphonies.com

REVIEW: PREJUDICE - REALITY

 

PREJUDICE - REALITY (Firebreath/T.E. Recs., 2000)

Produced by J.P. and Prejudice

Recorded at Art Sound Studios

Artwork by Kris Verwimp

Tracks: 1- New Breed, 2- Act of Despair, 3- Deformity, 4- Disctated lives, 5- Embrace, 6- Betrayed, 7- In-Vitro, 8- Shadowed Thoughts, 9- Vicious Conduct, 10- Nuclear Malediction, 11- Spheres

Prejudice is one of the best metal bands ever coming out from Belgium....that is for my taste. I really like their brutality and the good sound that this recording has. They have complex riffs and many riffs on each track courtesy of Tuni, a great guitarist who sometimes uses a seven string guitar that adds a lot of bottom end to the riffs. Also there is a killer drummer here whose double bass drumming can be listened really clearly (I liked a lot the way in which the bass drum is mixed). The music is extremely brutal and that does not mean fast. In fact this guys go for extreme brutality without abusing blast beats and things like that (in fact the drummer makes some interesting technical things that make the result better). There are multiple changes in some tracks like on "Embrace", sort of a mix between brutal death metal and free jazz. An excelent release from an excelent band!! Favorite tracks: "Deformity", "Betrayed" and "Nuclear Malediction". Contact: www.prejudice.be

REVIEW: PHILIP GAYLE / RICHARD CHOLAKIAN - HUD PES

 

PHILIP GAYLE / RICHARD CHOLAKIAN - HUD PES (Yabyum Prods., 2000)

Produced by Philip Gayle

Recorded live by Marco Saenz at Aztlan Recordings

Tracks: CD 1: 1- Sick Bones, 2- OK (part 1). CD 2: 1- OK (part 2), 2- Available Jones

Amazing duet improvisations of this two great musicians !! Philip Gayle is joined here by percussion master Richard Cholakian for a serie of duets. Here we hacve in two CDs four extreme and spontaneous tracks. Some called this intuitive music and I think this is a great term top classify the music that Gayle and Cholakian make. It is increedible to see howgood this two guys interact. It seems like there is a mental conection between them. They explore their instruments in all the possible ways. Experimentation at its best. Favorite tracks: "OK" (thius track is the best...is divided in two parts, one on each CD and the total duration is almost 78 minutes)Contact: www.philipgayle.com

REVIEW: PHILIP GAYLE - SOLO LIVE 98

 

PHILIP GAYLE - SOLO LIVE 98 (Yabyum Prods., 1998)

Produced by Philip Gayle

Recorded at different live shows

Tracks: 1-Otoko No Tsuwari, 2- Uvula Pipe Cut, 2- Sic em Slobber, 4- Bibimbap Statement, 5- Paboya No Papparapah..., 6- Hagishiri, 7- Keguri Pulgbnluh, 8- Uppii to Pepe Monogatari, 9- Santoki Pnmbmna, 10- Easily Inquisition Trial, 11- Chlebulah Blhnbnlhnjhnha, 12- Narunun Kohttakchi

This is a Cd where Gayle shows his improvisations and spontaneity in a live environment, for example in some radio shows that he did. The music here is really improvisational and the same time there is a feeling of intimacy. There is only Gayle and his instruments (here he uses mandolin, 6 string guitar and a modified 3 string toy guitar). He is always playing with dissonant sounds and bordering extrema cacophony but he seems to always remain under his own control without making the dissonance sound bad. In fact I think this guy can be compared to excellent musicians in the same vein like Eugene Chadbourne, Derek Bailey or the guys in The Vertrek Ensemble. I would love to see Phillip collaborating with other musicinas in some weird improvisational project. Favorite tracks: "Uvula Pipe Cut", "Santoki Pnmbmna" and "Easily Inquisition Trial". Contact: www.philipgayle.com

REVIEW: PHILIP GAYLE - KEGURIBAP

 

PHILIP GAYLE - KEGURIBAP (Yabyum Prods., 1997)

Produced by Philip Gayle

Recorded by Birgrumbacher

Tracks: 1- , 2- Pustular Eruption, 3-, 4-,5-,6- Gambrinous Sapcicle Scuddies, 7-, 8-, 9- Billy Homemade Paste, 10-

Here is another Cd with Philip Gayle´s amazing improvisation. As you may have seen here I only put some of the name of the tracks. That is because many of them are written in japanese charachters and I didn´t want to make awful mistakes trying to put them. On this recording Gayle uses a lot of different guitars, mainly the 4 string and 5 string guitar, and some banjo too. The songs have really demential parts and others that are extremely melodic and harmonic. Also he experiments in the realm of sounds and noises adding a lot of variations to his improvisations. For people who like musicians that try to break boundaries always. Favorite tracks: "4", "Billy Homemade Paste" and "7". Contact: www.philipgayle.com

REVIEW: PHILIP GAYLE - PNBNA

 

PHILIP GAYLE - PNBNA (Fleece Recs., 1998)

Produced by Philip Gayle

Recorded at Aztlan Recordings

Artwork by Tricia Moreau Sweeney

Tracks: 1- Leaning Tower of Dust Bunny, 2- Onion Smoke, 3- Crescent Moonflower, 4- Gallinule Legs, 5- Arasha Korosha, 6- Flower is a Pinata, 7- Lenvoy Lirp

Philip Gayle´s main goal on this recording is experimentation. And he has chosen to do it here through many different instruments: mandoline, 12 string guitar, cello, waterphone, just to name a few of the many that he uses through all this recording. The music contained on this recording is extremely spontaneous (they are solo acoustic improvisations) and boundaries breaking. In fact Gayle is constantly exploring new paths with his instruments in the search for the ultimate sound. Lovers of improvisation and experimentation will surely like this album that while melodic in many places is constantly surprising the listener with new sounds. Favorite tracks: "Crescent Moonflower", "Flower is a Pinata" and "Onion Smoke". Contact: www.philipgayle.com

REVIEW: ONTARIO BLUE - SHINE

 

ONTARIO BLUE - SHINE (Fluttering Dragon Recs., 2000)

Produced by Stephen Pennick

Recorded at Enlightment House

Artwork by Stephen Pennick

Tracks: 1- New Beginnings, 2- Chant of the Forgiven, 3- Mara´s Daughter, 4- Lost City, 5- Change, 6- Shadows, 7- Don´t Weep for Me, 8- Memories of Tomorrow, 9- This Mortal Coil, 10- Kali in Mine Eyes, 11- Rise

Stephen Pennick, the man behind Ontario Blue (main composer, arranger and musician on this CD) is a great artist and here he delivers this album called "Shine". In fact, the music contained here is really atmospheric and full of keyboards (some parts reminded me of some new age artist, some Kitaro and others). The tracks here are small ompositions like small classical pieces done with heavy use of keyboards and electronics. There is also a dark celtic flavor in some of the tracks. Pennick´s vocals are similar to the ones that make Brendan Perry in Dead Can Dance and you will feel some shades of that band in Ontario Blue´s Music too. Those who like this style will surely enjoy this recording. . Favorite tracks: "Mara´s Daughters", "Don´t Weep for Me" and "This Mortal Coil".

REVIEW: OLIGARQUIA - NECHROPOLIS

 

OLIGARQUIA - NECHROPOLIS (Destroyer Recs., 2000)

Produced by Ciero and Oligarquia

Recorded at Da Tribo Studios

Artwork by Wanderley Perna and Gregor Osipoff

Tracks: 1- Hiroshima, 2- Reflections of Death, 3- Induction, 4- Real Nightmare, 5- Enslave! Synonym of Money, 6- Correction, 7- Voices, 8- Agony, 9- Crucial moment, 10- Blood Streets, 11- Ecstasy

This is a climatic band...their music is death metal with some melodic parts and some hyperfast riffs that can be listened in black metal bands, also there are some parts that are slower almost doom, some rocking riffs (Carolina Parada does not play the riffs that one expects and that is really great). The vocals are guttural and fit the music really well. I would like a mix a little bit better, specially on the drums cymbals and hihat which are a little bit buried in the mix. The main factor here are the guitars with great riffs that sometimes are simple and sometimes more technical (like the ones in "Real Nightmare"). I feel a certain thrash metal influence in some of the parts. The result is this really good album !! Favorite tracks: "Reflections of Death", "Enslave ! Synonym of Money" and "Crucial Moment". Contact: www.destroyer.com.br

REVIEW: OCULTAN - REMEMBRANCES OF EVIL, THE CRUCIFIXION

 

OCULTAN - REMEMBRANCES OF EVIL, THE CRUCIFIXION (Evil Horde Recs., 2002)

Produced by Ocultan and Ze Renato

Recorded at Phonovox Studios

Artwork by Michel R.

Tracks: 1- Supremo Mal, 2- Eterno Poder Obscuro, 3- As Sete Caldeiroes Do Inferno, 4- O Orgulhoso Exu Belzebuth, 5- O Sangue, a Maior Oferenda, 6- Vossas Damas, 7- Lembranças do Mal, a Crucificaçao, 8- A Matança

This is music that is full of hate against christianity!! Yes, black metal in its rawest form!! The tracks here are incredibly fast and the guitar sound is really raw (as are the drums too). The guitar riffs are extremely fast and there are a lot of arrangements in this ultraspeed riffs that make the tracks more atmospheric while full of hatred at the same time. The sound of this recording is good (I would like maybe the bass and snare drum mixed a little bit louder). Also the packaging of this CD is great with a booklet really well printed with pictures and drawings and all the lyrics (which are in portuguese). This is pure black metal from Brazil / South America for the world !!!! Favorite tracks: "Eterno Poder Obscuro", "As Sete Caldeiroes Do Inferno" and "Lembranças Do Mal...". Contact: www.evilhorderec.com or http://www.geocities.com/ocultanblackhorde

REVIEW: OBTUSE - PROMO 2002

 

OBTUSE - PROMO 2002 (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Obtuse

Recorded at Blalsdell Studio

Artwork by Obtuse

Tracks: 1- Retrospect, 2- Wrong Place, Wrong Time, 3- Close To the End, 4- Questions, 5- Preacher

Judging by the cover art you would not guess what kind of music this band plays. In fact they play brutal death metal with extremely crushing riffs and tempo changes. In fact the brutalitty of this band is inmense and they make interesting arrangements in the tracks with excellent riffs like the one at 0:10 in "Wrong Place". The tracks are short but totally energetic and full of power. In fact, longest track within the five contained here is "Questions" that is three minutes long. The main thing here besides the brutality of the music are the interesting riffs that the guitarist creates. I would like to listen a full length from this guys really soon. Favorite tracks: "Retrospect", "Close To the End" and "Questions". Contact: www.obtuse.nl

REVIEW: OBSCENITY - COLD BLOODED MURDER

 

OBSCENITY - COLD BLOODED MURDER (Morbid Recs., 2002)

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- The Arrival, 3- Caught In Life, 4- My Dark One, 5- Alien Hand Syndrome, 6- Sleepwalker, 7- Blessed By Nature, 8-Soulpain, 9- Cold Blooded Murder

Brutal death metal directly from germany. The first thing that caught my attention (besides the brutality of the tracks) was the quality of the lead guitar player....he is really good and reminded me of great musicians like Alex Skolnick and James Murphy in some of the guitar solos. Then another thing: despite being extremely brutal the tracks have hooks !! Yes, the riffs are catchy in many places and the way the vocals are done (guttural) gives some extra rhythm to the tracks. The sound of this release is extremely good, specuially on the drums (killer double bass !!) and the guitars (an amazing wall of sound). This is a band that achieves greater brutality through really professional musicianship and doing really good compositions with different parts and technically difficult passages. A must !! Favorite tracks: "The Arrival", "Caught in Life" and "Sleepwalker".Contact: www.morbidrecords.de

REVIEW: NIGHTSKY BEQUEST - OF SEA, WIND AND FAREWELL

 

NIGHTSKY BEQUEST - OF SEA, WIND AND FAREWELL (X-Rated Recs., 1999)

Produced by Andre Mateew

Recorded at Graffitti Studios

Artwork by Emil Saparevski

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- Windsymphony / Reflection of Lost Years, 3- Your Sun / If I could Wipe this Dust Off My Eyes, 4- Green eyes, 5- The Moon is Waiting for its Song, 6- To Sing a Song / Just Life is Left, 7- Shadow of Myself / A Silent Bird...

Spectacular release !! Nightsky Bequest is a really climatic and dense band whose music is at the same time enchanting and deppressive. The female vocals dominate the songs here contrasting with the deeper male ones. There are passages where the heavy guitars enter but most of the time the music is full of keyboards parts that are really well composed and designed to cause different feelings in the listener. There are great guitar solos in some tracks and a lot of interesting ideas flowing through all the tracks. If you want quality musicianship, great melodies, amazing atmospheres, enchanting vocals and great compositions that will leave your sense hurting and asking for more, then check Nightsky Bequest. Favorite tracks: All the CD. It is a great masterpiece. I loved it.. Contact: http://xrr.musicpage.com

REVIEW: NERVOCHAOS - LEGION OF SPIRITS INFERNAL

 

NERVOCHAOS - LEGION OF SPIRITS INFERNAL ( Destroyer Recs, 2001)

Produced by Tchelo Martins and Nervochaos

Recorded at Da Tribo Studios

Artwork by Denilson Tenebra

Tracks: 1- Cold Feelings, 2- Envy, 3- Conventional Lives, 4- Our Fury, 5- Speechless, 6- Repulsive World, 7- Satanic Domain, 8- Let the Bible Burn, 9- Upside Down Crosses, 10- Mortal Decay, 11- When The Mask Falls Down, 12- Those Behind The Light, 13- Legion of Spirits infernal, 14- Pure Hemp

A really strange guitar riff opens this CD of this brutal band. They come from Brazil and they have recorded this CD on the same studio as other cool bands like Genocidio and Oligarquia. The music is brutal death metal with some touches of modern bands. One of the main features here are the multiple changes that the band makes within each of the tracks (even if some of them are really short). Guitars are really well mixed and the drums too (the snare drum has this thin sound typical of modern bands like Slipknot or Machine Head and that adds a different feeling to the slower tracks where this si more evident even if the music is completely different from this bands). Fans of Brutality with great musicianchip and great technique will love this one. Favorite tracks: "Envy", "Repulsive World" and "Upside Down Cross". Contact: www.destroyer.com.br

REVIEW: MY MINDS MINE - SCENES OF THE COMPLETE ANNIHILATION OF THIS PLANET

 

MY MINDS MINE - SCENES OF THE COMPLETE ANNIHILATION OF THIS PLANET (Amenta Recs., 2002)

Produced by My Minds Mine

Recorded at Sing Sing Studios

Artwork by Bert

Tracks: 1- Nothing, 2- Signing Up, 3- Lockup Volunteers, 4- Anti-man, 5- On the Soil of Greed, 6- In Decay, 7- I Lied, 8- Empty Figureheads, 9- Sociopath, 10- Cyberchrist, 11- Easy come-easy go, 12- Numbered Corpse, 13- Pest, 14- Seen and Not seen, 15- Remote Controller, 16- Switch Blade Attitude, 17- Imago Mundi, 18- Confront, 19- the Game, 20- Reproach, 21- My Minds Mine, 22- Mobilization of Chaos, 23- Born Tired, 24- Pretentious Idols

This band is really extreme and crazy with really hiper fast tracks in the most extreme grind style. In fact the 24 tracks contained here are short and are like small bursts of energy and power. I like the longer tracks better beacuase it is where the band shows more what they are capable of doing. This is a band to see live (As you can see on the "live in japan" video that comes on this CD) because of the energy that they deliver on stage which is amazing. The drummer here is a machine doing all the blast beats through every track and he accentuates a lot the guitar riffs in the slower parts. This is a CD for fans of crushing and brutal grind !!. Favorite tracks: "In Decay", "On the Soil of Greed" and "Born Tired". Contact: www.amentarecords.com

REVIEW: MERCYFUL FATE - 9

 

MERCYFUL FATE - 9 (Metal Blade, 2001)

Produced by Kol Marshall and Mercyful Fate

Recorded at Nomad recording Studios

Artwork by Thomas Holm

Tracks: 1- Last Rites, 2- Church of Saint Anne, 3- Sold My Soul, 4- House on the Hill, 5- Burn In Hell, 6- The Grave, 7- Insane, 8- Kiss The Demon, 9- Buried Alive, 10- 9

Better late than never ! Here Music Extreme brings you the review of Mercyful Fate´s latest album. As always King Diamond and Hank Sherman deliver their metal with conviction and strength. In fact I liked this recording much more than some of their latest material. Why? Because this has all the elements of classic Mercyful Fate but it includes some new interesting riffs and ideas that were not present before. Also the sound here is really good and allows Sherman´s riffs to be listen better and you can appreciate what a good guitarist Mike Wead is. Mercyful Fate is a classic band that still makes great music ! Favorite tracks: "Church of Saint Anne", "Burn In Hell" and "Kiss the Demon". Contact: www.metalblade.com

REVIEW: JOHN LATARTARA - PENETRATIONS: SONIC EXPLORATIONS IN SEXUALITY

 

JOHN LATARTARA - PENETRATIONS: SONIC EXPLORATIONS IN SEXUALITY (Sachimay Recs. , 2002)

Produced by John Latartara

Recorded at WGBH Studios

Tracks: 1- Perverse Implantation, 2- Interlude, 3- Ripe, 4- Touch Through, 5- Interlude, 6- Hitotose, 7-Interlude, 8- Trust and Betrayal, 9- Simone´s Confession, 10- Interlude, 11- Chateau La Coste

Welcome to the realm of extreme sonic experimentations. John Latartara is a musician dedicated to the exploration of the deeper sonic possibilities in the music world. And here he has designed eleven tracks to reflect the different aspects of the sex realm. Latartara delivers a lot of different styles within a track like "Perverse Implantation", going from a repetitive phrase to a burst of noise within a few minutes. His main exploration is within the realm of cacophony making notes clash one against the others (a heavy use of dissonances). Check as an example the track called "Ripe" where all this elements are even more evident as there are more musicians improvising and creating a really weird musical environment. For lovers of experimentation this is a must. Favorite tracks: "Ripe", "Touch Through" and "Trust and Betrayal". Contact: www.sachimayrecords.com

REVIEW: INCARRION - INTO THE EXPOSED ABYSS

 

INCARRION - INTO THE EXPOSED ABYSS (United Guttural Recs., 2002)

Engineered by Greg Conrad

Recorded by Greg Conrad

Artwork by Zig

Tracks: 1- The Creature Experiment, 2- The Darkest City, 3- Untangled from the Flesh, 4- Encapsulated in Ice, 5- Skeffington´s Cyves, 6- Desperate Procedure

Unitted Guttural records is a label dedicated to the release of the music of the most extreme bands over the planet. And they have Incarrion among their artists. Incarrion´s music is a burst of energy from beginning to end and the main thing here is their brutality that can be listened from the first second of this recording. The tracks are fast and brutal in a clear death metal / grind style but despite the speed the band delivers incredibly good guitar riffs with a great guitar sound that makes the result even more brutal. The vocals are extremely guttural as they should be on a band from this style. I like the riffs which are a little bit slower but are more crushing like the ones in "The Creature Experiment" (3:50) for example or the beginning of "The Darkest City". This CD can be described as a lesson in brutality. Favorite tracks: "The Darkest City", "Enacpsulated in Ice" and "Desperate Procedure". Contact: www.unitedguttural.com

REVIEW: HALFWAY TO GONE - SECOND SEASON

 

HALFWAY TO GONE - SECOND SEASON ( Small Stone Recordings , 2002)

Produced by Halfway To Gone

Recorded at W.O.M. Studios

Artwork by Mike Saputo

Tracks: 1- Great American Scumbag, 2- Already Gone, 3- Black Coffy, 4- Escape from Earth, 5-Thee Song (A Slight Return),6- Whiskey Train, 7- Brocktoon´s Wake, 8- Outta Smokes, 9- Lone Star Breakout, 10- Never Comin Home, 11- Tryptophan

Rock´n´roll !!! Yes, here we have a band that plays heavy rock with a lot of southern influences and some doom and stoner rock touches. The music is catchy and has this seventies like sound which all the fans of the style love. One thing that I liked is the feeling that all the tracks here have and that is like some sort of rock meets psychodelia. The guitar is really distorted and has a lot of lower range which is emphasized by the distorted bass (the band is a trio and havinga a bass player who plays chords with a distorted sound makes the sound much heavier). The gorilla in the cover art has a whisky bottle in his hand and I think this is a great album to listen in a hot noon with a cold whisky in your hand. A great rockin band !!! Favorite tracks: "Great American Scumbag", "Black Coffy" and "Lone Star Breakout". Contact: www.smallstone.com

REVIEW: HAEMORRHAGE - MORGUE SWEET HOME

 

HAEMORRHAGE - MORGUE SWEET HOME (Morbid Records, 2002)

Mastered by Peter Neuber

Mastered at Mega Wimp Studio

Tracks: 1- Mortuary Riot, 2- Oozing Molten Gristle, 3- Midnight Mortician, 4- Virulent Mass Necropsy, 5- Funeral Carnage, 6- Obnoxious (Surgeon of the Dead), 7- Exhuming Impulse, 8- Unlock the Morgue, 9- Sublime Anatomy of Revenge, 10- Morgue Sweet Home, 11- Mangled Surgical Epitaph, 12-The Forensic Requiem, 13- Dirge for the Sick, 14- Intravenous Molestation of Obstructionist Arteries (Opus IV)

If I had to label the music of this guys I would surely like to put a label like morgue death metal or forensic death metal or something like that. The music is pure death metal with some grind touches in some places. There are certain influences from the first two Carcass albums and a brutality beyond boundaries through all the tracks. The music is hyperfast and brutal with rotten vocals and a sick sense of humor which I like. The recording has a good sound but is really difficult to mix clearly the drums cymbals played at such hyperspeed. The lyrics deal mostly with forensic themes and the dead and putrid things. Fans of this style would love them. Favorite tracks: "Mangled Surgical Epitaph", "Unlock The Morgue", and "Virulent Mass Necropsy". Contact: www.morbidrecords.de

REVIEW: GODLESS - LET THERE BE DARKNESS PROMO

 

GODLESS - LET THERE BE DARKNESS PROMO (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Chris Muimbwa and Nick for ''Useful Bass Production''

Engineered by Nick Georgiou in Studio ''N''

Tracks: 1- Godless, 2- Hordes, 3-Tale of a Gothic Cathedral, 4- Heavens Final Failure

This is death metal with interesting riffs and some epic parts and a sound that reminds me of late eighties/early nineties death metal bands like Morbid Angel or maybe Asphyx. And despite coming from Greece it has no similarity to all the famous underground greek bands. This recording is a rough mix four track of the Godless CD "Let there Be Darkness" which has seven trckas (61 minutes) of pure death metal!! The good thing here is that despite being a raw one man band (Chris Muimbwa is behind all the music here except for the lead guitar) Godless music has place for melodies in the guitar riffs that make a really interesting contrast with the rawer parts. Chris vocals fit the music perfectly and he has imagined very interesting phrases like the ones at 2:17 of the track "Hordes" which is really crushing. Even if I like the four tracks my absolute favourite is "Tale of A Gothic Cathedral" which is more than fourteen mnutes long and it has a lot of changes and different parts and sounds. I would really love to listen the other three tracks that are not contained on this promo. A death metal band designed to blast youFavorite tracks: The four contained here. Contact: godlesstheband@yahoo.gr

REVIEW: GENOCIDIO - REBELLION

 

GENOCIDIO - REBELLION (Destroyer Recs., 2001)

Produced by Ciero and Genocidio

Recorded at Da Tribo Studio

Artwork by Marangoni Junior

Tracks: 1- Rebellion, 2- Reflexion of Down, 3- Hidden Army, 4- Nephilins, 5- Lost Children, 6- As The Gods, 7- Dominion, 8- Harvest of Souls, 9- Social Sterility

Brutal Death Metal directly from Brazil !! The music here is raw with a great sound specially on the guitars which are really clear and crushing at the same time. The band really likes speed but also they like to make breaks like on the second track "Reflexion of Down". The vocals here are really guttural and they are mixed very well with some reverb on them that makes the result better. There are a lot of interesting drums patterns where the main feature is the double bass which is really up on the mis as I like. The main thing here is power...and this band is really powerful doing a great job. A killer work also by the bass player who accentuates in an interesting way the drum beats as can be heard in "Nephilins". This CD contains a Napalm Death cover "Social Sterility" taken from their classic "From Enslavement to Obliteration". Favorite tracks: "Hidden Army", "Lost Children" and "As The Gods". Contact: www.destroyer.com.br

REVIEW: FLOTSAM & JETSAM - MY GOD

 

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - MY GOD (Metal Blade Recs., 2000)

Produced by Bill Metoyer and Flotsam and Jetsam

Recorded at Vintage Recorders, Phoenix, AZ

Artwork by Bryce Prevatte

Tracks: 1- Dig Me Up To Bury Me, 2- Keep Breathing, 3- Nothing To Say, 4- Weather To Do, 5- Camera Eye, 6- Trash, 7- Praise, 8- My God, 9- Learn To Dance, 10- Frustrate, 11- Killing Time, 12- I.A.M.H.

It is a pity that this band has always been recognized for being the band where Jason Newsteed used to play, even if he played only on their first recording "Doomsday For the Deceiver" before going to Metallica. Flosam and Jetsam has changed a lot since that times (but they have not changed their thrash spirit). One of the main changes were Eric A.K.´s vocals which are not as high pitched as they used to be....then the guitars have a much more modern sound and they are much more fat. Also they have mixed their thrash roots with a lot of the modern styles that arised in the metal scene, and they have obtained a new Flotsam and Jetsam´s sound (the evolution of Bill Metoyer´s mixes has been crucial here). This is a really underrated band which deserved a better destiny because of their great quality. Favorite tracks: "Keep Breathing", "Weather To Do" and "Frustrate". Contact: www.metalblade.com

REVIEW: FATIMA HILL - AION

 

FATIMA HILL - AION (Worldchaos Prods., 2002)

Produced by Ajio Kino

Recorded at Crew Studio, providence Studio and Studio Ride.

Artwork by Takamichi Koeda

Tracks: 1- Ares Dragon, 2- Babel Dune, 3- The Black Bat, 4- Aeon, 5- Ultimata, 6- Other, 7- Stigmata, 8- The Song for Beatrice part 3 / the Se ven Songs

Fatima Hill is one of the best bands to come from Japan (I also like a lot other Japanese bands like Sigh or Manipulated Slaves). They are a heavy metal band with many elements of eighties thrash and a lot of keyboards and orchestration. On this recording they feature eight elaborated tracks which are a big step forward from their previous album )specially in sound, I consider this one much better).I liked specially the way in which Takamichi Koeda´s keyboards are mixed up in the front and the combination that he does when the guitars make the more melodic solos (Takamichi orchestrates the solos with interesting passages). Yuko´s vocals are great and she does not abuse the high pitched tones, using a lot of vibratos in the phrases. The recording is really well mixed and that adds a lot to the final result. If you like classical metal with some new elements, then check this band. Favorite tracks: "The Black Bat", "Ares Dragon" and "Stigmata". Contact: worldkdm@syd.odn.ne.jp or www.fatima-hill.com

REVIEW: ELECTRO HIPPIES - THE ONLY GOOD PUNK

 

ELECTRO HIPPIES - THE ONLY GOOD PUNK (Peaceville Recs., 2002)

Recorded at Lion Studios, Sound Project and Live at Planet X 15/04/89

Tracks: There are 40 tracks on this release from this underground cult band taken from many of their now unavailable recordings.

How can I define Electro Hippies music for those who don´t know them? Well, let´s say that they have a lot of hardcore elements, a lot of grind in some of the tracks too and some death in many of the vocals. Let´s say as an anecdotic thins that Carcass bassist and vocalist, Jeff Walker, Did the vocals on the first Electro Hippies demo. So, this band is a brick in the extreme music wall of history. All the tracks here are taken from their late eighties releases which now are unavailable. They have in this recording a really raw sound that fans of the style would love (even if the songs here have been mixed much better than in the original releases). It is really great to see the evolution of this band going to their most extreme side (which can be listened in the live recording with a lot of grind parts and blast beats in tracks like "So Wicked" or "Profit"). The tracks are short and they are a burst of energy. Favorite tracks: "Things of Beauty", "Meltdown (live)" and " Sometimes I´m so Glad". Contact: www.peaceville.co.uk