REVIEW: WITHERING SOUL - WITHERING SOUL

 

WITHERING SOUL - WITHERING SOUL ( Independent , 2002)

Produced by Withering Soul

Recorded by Withering Soul

Tracks: 1- Possession of Deception; 2- The Frozen Oblivion; 3- Infinite Circle; 4- Fallen Release; 5- A Midnight Eclipse

Here we have a great band with a strong emphasis on atmospheres and climatic passages with a lot of depression while having an ultra heavy sound. Withering Soul has a lot of interesting keyboard parts thata re the main ingredient of the band´s music through their interaction wth the heavy guitars. The singer is a really good one who knows how to sing without missing a note and retaining the dark atmospheres that Withering Soul´s music deserves. There are a lot of drum patterns which I like a lot bringing to my mind shades of "Draconian Times" era Paradise Lost. There are many fast parts that contrast with the more climatic ones in a great way adding new tonalities to the music. This is a MCD with five tracks and it lasts more than twenty minutes. This guys deserve the money or contract to release a great full length with a bigger than hell production.

Favorite tracks: The five contained here....this guys are fantastic !

Contact: www.geocities.com/withering_s0ul

REVIEW: VISIONS OF THE NIGHT - ENVISIONING THE NEW AGE

 

VISIONS OF THE NIGHT - ENVISIONING THE NEW AGE ( Bloodbucket Prods, 2002)

Produced by Visions of The Night

Recorded between April and December 2001

Cover by Wolvesblood

Tracks: 1- Hatred for Humanity; 2- Postalled; 3- Murder of the Self; 4- Beseiged by demons; 5- Six Ways From Sunday; 6- Manifestations of Impure Thoughts; 7- Celebrity Scalped; 8- Consumption; 9- Black Revelation; 10- Victory through Suicide; 11- A Heightened Sense of Perception; 12- Grindblast (Dissolution); 13- Postalled (Vampiric Bloodfeast Version)

This is a really devastating release. It is an extremely brutal CD but at the same time has certain synth arrangements that gives another dimension to Visions of the Night´s music. This band has in its lineup Alexander Erhardt, also known for his work in Horde of Worms...and as in that band here we have alos a programmed drum machine that gives a strange touch to the music. Jenn Kilburn is a killer bass player adding a lot of the brutality to the music through her bottom low end lines pleyed at super speed and accentuating the heaqvier drum parts. Thumbs up also for Wolvesblood who does the main vocals which are really brutal. I liked a lot the use of the synth and some clean guitars in tracks like "Celebrity Scalped". I like this guys and girl because they are really brutal but they have also the desire to experiment with a lot of new sounds and atmospheres.!!

Favorite tracks: "Postalled"; "Six Ways from Sunday" and "Consumption"

Contact: www.visionsofthenight.net or www.bloodbucketproductions.com

REVIEW: VIRULENT - AZOTH

 

VIRULENT - AZOTH (Independent , 2002)

Produced by Virulent

Recorded at Moskou Studios

Tracks: 1- Crowning the 4th Age; 2- Dreams of Disharmony; 3- Zyem Carasophia

Here is Virulent´s new material and they have progressed a lot since "Under the Hex...." their previous recording. Here we have the guitars with a more crushing sound and the drums are clearly mixed so you can feel the hyper fast blasts done with great precission. Here we have amazing guitar riffs done with a lot of technique that creates the mood for Jorre Jansen to spit his guttural vocals with all the hate he is capable. Here we have a good work of bassist Ed Siderius who follows the guitars or the drums (depending the part of the track). Fans of brutal death metal will surely be delighted with all the elements that I described before and I encourage them to check this release.

Favorite tracks: The three conatined here

Contact: http://go.to/virulent

REVIEW: VIRULENT - UNDER THE HEX OF AMDUSIAS

 

VIRULENT - UNDER THE HEX OF AMDUSIAS (Skullcrusher Prods., 2000)

Produced by Erik De Boer and Virulent

Recorded at Studio Harrow Prods.

Cover by John Martin

Tracks: 1- Renouncement, 2- Kali Yuga; 3- Cult of the Magma Mares ; 4- Regie Amdusias; 5- Necropolis

This is what I call a violent release. Guttural vocals, guitars with a huge sound, hyper fast drumming and all this with a really good sound. Here we have a band thata has a lot of heaviness on each riff and knows how to do everything sound heavier than hell. The production here is good and I think that with a better sound this band could be in the same level as for example The Forsaken. This recording si from year 2000 and I think they have evolved since then doing another recording called Azoth which is self produced. What I liked most here are the guitar riffs which are original and sound really well when combined with the explosive drums...also the bass player does a great job in making the structure of the song with the drummer. For fans of brutal death !!!

Favorite tracks: "Kali-Yuga", "Regie Amdusias" and " Renouncement"

Contact: http://go.to/virulent

REVIEW: VICTIMAS - ANGUISH IN THE WAKE OF DESOLATION

 

VICTIMAS - ANGUISH IN THE WAKE OF DESOLATION (Deadworld Syndicate Records, 2002)

Produced by Accelerado

Recorded at KUNM 89.9

Cover by Victimas

Tracks: 1- Murderous Resurrectional Foresight; 2- Breeding the Slaughter; 3- Mandatory Disposition

Victimas is brutality guaranteed !! Each of the three tracks contained here is pure brutality from beginning to end. IN fact the tracks are short and effective. They have a really fat guitar sound that crushes your brain (he makes interesting riffs specially in the more rhythmic parts) with its power and the drummer is killer adding blast beats in the fast parts and a lot of heavy rhythms in the slower ones. The track i like most is "Mandatory Disposition" because they have added a clean guitar that fits the rest of the music perfectly and it is also the track with more changes and that nmakes it really interesting and original. The vocals are extremely guttural and fit the music perfectly. This is a record for those who love brutal music at its best!!!!

Favorite tracks: The three contained here . Full brutality!!

Contact: www.victimas-dth.com

REVIEW: VEXED - PROMO 2002

 

VEXED - PROMO 2002 (Anger Music, 2002)

Produced by Vexed

Cover by Vexed

Tracks: 1- Italian Aggressive Attack; 2- Elements of Anger; 3- Bringers of Death; 4- Lust of Revenge; 5- Oblivion Takes Unanimated Brains; 6- Death Justice

Vexed is an italian band whose music is aggressive black/thrash metal. They have many elements of thrash metal in their music and I like that because they add a new featrure to black metal. The music contained on this promo CD is fast, aggressive and raw with interesting guitar riffs and many changes in rhythm and moods. The sound of the whole release is raw and I liked a lot the way in which the guitars are mixed (also I liked a lot that this guys prefer to do interesting solos instead of simple noises with the guitars). There are some influences from norwegian and english band but the good thing about Vexed is that you can not say that they are similar to some band. Fans of aggressive metal will like a lot this band.

Favorite tracks: "Elements of Anger", "Bringers of Death" and "Lust of Revenge"

Contact: angermusic@libero.it

REVIEW: VEDERVÄRDIG - POST METAL

 

VEDERVÄRDIG - POST METAL (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Vedervärdig

Cover by Vedervärdig

Tracks: 1- Introducing Suffering; 2- Dead Before the Eyes of None; 3- Seventh Day Suicide (Part 1: Ond Bråd död; Part 2: Förruttnelse); 4- Concert for Radio and Percussion

Vedervärdig music is really weird. When the guitars first started in "Introducing Suffering" (with a really raw sound) I thought "well here comes the drums and we have black metal". I was wrong !! The drums never came. Instead this guys start experimenting with the sguitar sounds and some strange sounds and noises. This is really dense experimental music with many interesting features, like the heavy use of sound effects and voices. There are whispering vocals in many places that add a deeling of darkness to this guys total experimental release. One track that I liked a lot is the one called "Concert for Radio and Percussion" that starts with a big sonic explosion before getting into the most experimental parts with many noises and sounds. Those who love musicians who make a lot of experimentation and are not afraid of breaking boundaries will like Vedervärdig´s music.

Favorite tracks: The four tracks contained here

Contact: www.allruins.cjb.net

REVIEW: UNLEASHED - HELL´S UNLEASHED

 

UNLEASHED - HELL´S UNLEASHED (Century Media Records, 2002)

Produced by Unleashed

Cover by Media Logistics

Tracks: 1- Don´t Want to Be Born; 2- Hell´s Unleashed; 3- Demoneater; 4- Fly Raven Fly; 5- Mrs. Minister; 6- Joy in the Sun; 7- Demons Rejoice; 8- Death Metal; 9- We´ll Come For You; 10- Triggerman; 11- Dissection Leftovers; 12- Peace, piece by piece; 13- Burnt Alive; 14- Your Head is Mine; 15- Made in Hell

Unleashed is back !! After a five year hiatus after their recording "Warrior" the swedish band is here again with their death metal music. One of the main ingredients of the band is here in all its splendour...and that are the hooks that they have achieved through all their career. Yes, the songs here have a lot of hooks, specially on the choruses that are designed to be singed along (check for example "Don´t want to be born" or "Hell´s Unleashed" to see how good the soings are composed in order to achieve a lot of attention from the listener). Here are all the elements that made the band famous: Johnny Edlund´s vocals, the fast guitar riffs combined with fast bass lines, the powerful drumming that gives the adequate timing and rhythm to all the tracks and the guitar melodies which are better than ever on this CD (Fredrik is killer in the melodies and solos on this releas). If you love Unleashed you will surely like this album. If you don´t know them lets have a taste of their music.

Favorite tracks: "Don´t Want to be Born"; "Hell´s Unleashed" and "Death Metal"

Contact: In Southamerica: www.centurymedia.com . In Europe: www.centurymedia.de

REVIEW: TREVOR WATTS AND VERYAN WESTON - 6 DIALOGUES

 

TREVOR WATTS AND VERYAN WESTON - 6 DIALOGUES ( Emanem Disc, 2002)

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded by Steve Lowe

Cover by Gus Cummings

Tracks: 1- Unrest Assured; 2- Split Frequencies; 3- Rest Unassured; 4- Finding and Binding; 5- Blending and Bending; 6- Spacing and Placing

What a great combination!! Trevor Watts on sax and Veryan Weston on piano. This duo is incredible and are extremely connected....yes, it seems that each one of them knows what the other one is going to play next and so they anticipate each other creating a really coherent improvisation (check "Unrest Assured" where seems that Watts knows what Weston is going to play and pays a similar phrase over his piano progression). "Split Frequencies" mis an example of more dissonant experimentation by this duo where you can listen some minor ninths (or minor seconds) intervals that are really clashing with the chords that Weston plays (or he plays this intervals in the chord progression making the result even more weird). This is an imporvisational duet with a lot of imagination and an extremely open mind !

Favorite tracks: "Unrest Assured"; "Rest Unassured" and "Spacing and Placing"

Contact: www.emanemdisc.com

REVIEW: THE SEVENTH GATE - NONE AS BLOODY AS THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST

 

THE SEVENTH GATE - NONE AS BLOODY AS THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST (Satan Rock Records, 2001)

Produced by The Seventh Gate

Recorded by Ken Olden and David Elizondo

Cover art by Jon Zig

Tracks: 1- The Eternal; 2- The Rubble of Glory; 3- To Forget; 4- The Mary Shelley Song; 5- Mine Will Rise; 6- Her Innocence; 7- I Alone; 8- Battered Skin

Here comes The Seventh Gate who play pure brutal satanic death metal (or american satan rock as they prefer to describe their music). In fact their music is brutality in its purest form. Crushing guitars, thundering drums, guttural vocals are all elements used here to blow the listener´s brain into pieces. But there are also more rhythmic and calm moments such as the beginning of "The Rubble of Glory" where the band plays a more mid paced riff after a clean guitar intro. This elements add a lot to the music of the band without letting the energy dissapear. The sound of the recording is really good, specially on the rhythmic guitars that are devastating. Also the drums are killer and the bass is clear in the mix following the guitars and accentuating with the drums. Steve´s vocals are guttural most of the time and screaming in others helping a lot to the brutal result. Brutality guaranteed !!!

Favorite tracks: "To Forget"; "Her Innocence" and "I Alone"

Contact: www.satanrock.com

REVIEW: THE NATIONAL CEMETERY ORCHESTRA - AS TWILIGHT FADES INTO NIGHT

 

THE NATIONAL CEMETERY ORCHESTRA - AS TWILIGHT FADES INTO NIGHT (INdependent, 2001)

Produced by Karl Nix

Recorded at Grandma´s Mosh Pit Studios

Cover by Karl Nix

Tracks: 1- Juggernaut; 2- Deaths Tragic Embrace; 3- Hence, the Tears; 4- Beneath a Dying Sun; 5- From Beyond the Oceans of Time; 6- As Twilight Fades Into Night; 7- Grasping Infinity; 8- Centuries of Turmoil; 9- Kwerqi; 10- In A Future Memory; 11- Eternities Restless Spirit

Here we have this great experimental music coming from the mind of Karl Nix, the only composer and musician on The National Cemetery Orchestra. Here we have eleven instrumental tracks full of ideas and a combination of sounds that make the result really weird. In fact here there is a heavy combination of distorted guitars playing heavy riffs and keyboards; then come clean guitar parts that embellish the music with a lot of melodies and then comes a fast drum pattern that makes things heavier. It is amazing how well developed are the songs and how many ideas can Nix put into a song without losing coherence. The sound is good and I would like him to do more solos like the one he does in "Hence, the Tears" with wah wah and combined with an ultra heavy break and riff. I have to listen more of The National Cemetery Orchestra because it is a great experience for my ears that crave for originality and good ideas !!!

Favorite tracks: "Hence, the Tears"; "Centuries of Turmoil" and "In A Future Memory"

Contact: http://www.mp3.com/NatlCemeteryOrchestr

REVIEW: THE FORSAKEN - ARTS OF DESOLATION

 

THE FORSAKEN - ARTS OF DESOLATION (Century Media Recs, 2002)

Produced by Tommy Tägtgren

Recorded at Abyss Studios

Cover by Mike Bohatch

Tracks: 1- Incubator; 2- The Hatebreed; 3- Cold Flesh Colony; 4- Dethroned; 5- Embedded Insanity; 6- The Second Manifest; 7- Injected Terror; 8- Human Chapter X; 9- Scars; 10- Mental Degeneration

The Forsaken is one of the most violent, powerful and heavier bands that I have ever listened. This is the second album from this swedish death metal masters and it has some improvements from their previous "Manifest of Hate". First of all I have to remark the excellent sound that this release has (Tommy Tägtgren is behind the mix on this one) that makes the music heavier as Hell (the drums are crushing...they have a specail sound that blows my brain). Then comes the music....the guitars are heavier this time and they make a lot of solos and melodies that turn The Forsaken´s music into a unique experience. The band has made a change in its lineup and now guitarist Patrik Persson plays also the bass being a great rhythmic tandem with Nicke Grabowski (drums). I have to remark also Ander Sjöholm´s vocals which are guttural but have a lot of power and he gives a lot to the Forsaken´s music. Up to now this is the heaviest release of 2002.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD is really powerful and has many subtle elments that make The Forsaken a truly original band.

Contact: In Southamerica: www.centurymedia.com . In Europe: www.centurymedia.de

REVIEW: THAT´S ALL FOLK - PSYCHE AS ONE OF THE FINE ARTS

 

THAT´S ALL FOLK - PSYCHE AS ONE OF THE FINE ARTS (Beard of Stars Recs., 2002)

Produced by E.R., N.S. and T.A.F.

Recorded at Purerock Studios

Cover by Robert Butler

Tracks: 1- Firesphere; 2- Jumboo; 3- The plasma; 4- Always Radiant and Fucked; 5- Real Last Night; 6-I´m Half Sick of you; 7- Soul. Vent; 8- Motormouse and Autocat; 9- Dany; 10- March of Chameleons 2K; 11- Psyche

Here we have this rocking band coming directly from Italy. Their music is pure psychodelic rock designed to melt your brain with their rhythms and sound effects. The music here has a lot of seventies influences and the songs are like a dosis of drug in your body because you can´t stop singing them while they are rhythmic and have repetitive melodies designed to stuck in your mind. The production has given the band a lot of seventies sound in the guitars and also in the drums (if I am not wrong the cymbals are sometimes passed through a flanger effect). There are a lot of sound effects on each song that give a lot of psychodelia to the tracks while adding a stoner rock feeling. If you like this style you will surely love That´s All Folks.

Favorite tracks: "Jumboo"; Real Last Night" and "I´m Half Sick of You"

Contact: www.vinylmagic3.it

REVIEW: SUMMONER - SUMMONER´SIGN

 

SUMMONER - SUMMONER´SIGN (MAE Prods., 2002)

Produced by Summoner

Recorded at Media Sound Studio

Tracks: 1- The Maskplague; 2- Tears I´ve Shed; 3- Summoner Sign; 4- Vicious Fruit

Here we have a four track MCD from this italian band. They play what I would call symphonic death/black metal. I mean, their music has elements that are not out of place in the styles mentioned above. For example, they have growling vocals in the vein of death metal, the screaming vocals similar to the ones used in black metal. And here is the main point....I used the term "Symphonic" to describe their music. Why? Because of their heavy use of orchestrating keyboards, because of the melodic use of the guitars (this means that their music has a lot of power combined with interesting melodies and arrangements). All this elements give a sort of epic feeling to Summoner´ps music. The production of this recording is really good and maybe I would mix a little bit louder the guitars. There are many original riffs here that deserve to be remarked in a fair description of this band´s music. A must.

Favorite tracks: All the four tracks are amazing. This is a TOP metal band

Contact: www.mae.6go.net

REVIEW: SPELLCRAFT - TEARS LIKE RAIN

 

SPELLCRAFT - TEARS LIKE RAIN (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Davide Rosati, Alessandro Montoneri and Spellcraft

Recorded at A.C.M.E. Studio Recording

Cover by Roberto Grillo

Tracks: 1- Tears like Rain; 2- This Feeling; 3- Season Five; 4- Equilibrium; 5- Stolen Time

The first thing that caught my attention is the really good sound that this recording has. Then comes the musical ideas which are really well by this italian band. The music is heavy while having a lot of melodies in the vocals and a certain gothic flavor in some of the parts (in the vein that bands like Paradise Lost or Katatonia have used in some of their songs). The guitars are really heavy and have a special sound which I think is due to the heavy use of flanger in them...I like it a lot. One of the things that I liked most are Gino Chiarizia´s vocals which are powerful and at the same time full of anguish nad sadness (also I have to remark some interesting vocal harmonization that is used in some of the parts of the songs contained here). Thumbs up for the bassist who uses a clean sound that is not very common in bands of the style and gives a lot of identity to the Spellcraft sound ! (check "This Feeling" to see what I am talking about).

Favorite tracks: The five tracks are really well developed and are excellent and powerful songs

Contact: www.spellcraft.it

REVIEW: SODOM - M-16

 

SODOM - M-16 (Century Media Records, 2002)

Produced by Sodom. Coproduced by Harris Johns

Recorded at Spiderhouse Studio

Cover by Axel Hermann

Tracks: 1- Among the Weirdcong; 2- I am the War; 3- Napalm in the Morning; 4- Minejumper; 5- Genocide; 6- Little Boy; 7- M-16; 8- Lead Injection; 9- Marines; 10- Surfin´Bird

I have listened Sodom´s music since their "In the Sign of Evil" album and I always liked it (despite the metal press in Argentina, very relying in classic metal, that disliked them). I always found certain similarities between their music and the one that bands like Kreator or Destruction did, and I liked a lot the German thrash metal scene of the eighties.. Here we have their latest powerful release that haves as always Tom Angelripper on bass and devastating vocals, and Bernemann on guitars and Bobby on drums which are a killer duo to join Tom. The lyrics as in many Sodom albums spin around war and its consequences. Here we have a lot of the raw power that have made Sodom famous but with a better production that makes the songs more direct and powerful while clearly mixed. I liked a lot the work of Bobby on drums because he knows how to add the needed heaviness to Sodom´s music. A classic .

Favorite tracks: "Napalm in the Morning"; "Minejumper" and "Lead Injection"

Contact: www.centurymedia.com

REVIEW: SNUB - THE HARVEST

 

SNUB - THE HARVEST (Copro Records., 2002)

Produced by Snub

Recorded at Active Studios

Cover by Martin Jeffery

Tracks: 1- The Harvest; 2- Six Deep; 3- The Subtle Art of Slaughtering a Dream; 4- Flowers of Flesh and Blood

This is Snub´s latest MCD. Here we have four tracks full of power , with a really modern sound and a lot of hardcore influences. Here we have the heavy riffs with a lot of dirty arpeggios that make the music more climatic while being extremely heavy (this songs are designed for headbanging and moshpit). Full of crushing guitar riffs and devastating rhythms, Snub´s music is in a middle place between bands like Biohazard and Machine Head (they have rhythms similar to Biohazard but the heaviness off Machine Head to name just a couple of bands). I hope to listen to a full length release soon because this guy´s music is really powerful and kept my head banging while listening to it.

Favorite tracks: "Six deep" and "Flowers of Flesh and Blood"

Contact: www.coprorecords.co.uk

REVIEW: SEVEN 13 - UNLEASHED

 

SEVEN 13 - UNLEASHED (What Matters Records, 2002)

Produced by Seven 13 and David Lefkowitz

Recorded at Renaissance Recording Studio

Cover by Vip Technologies

Tracks: 1- Drink!; 2- Out of Control, 3- Haunted; 4- Don´t You Wish; 5- Outcasts; 6- Whenever you Close your Eyes; 7- Venus; 8- If you Want Me; 9- Dianne; 10- You Could be Mine; 11- Falling

Here we have Seven 13. This is a band that really surprises me because they play powerful hard rock and at the same time they have sort of a dark atmosphere or sad feeling in their music which I liked a lot and that seems related to the great theatrical image that this band has. There are two excellent things here: one is the great use of vocals....the singer is really energetic and gives a lot of power to the songs; then the keyboards which are omniprescent through all the recording and construct the main feeling of the songs while contrasting with the heavier guitars. But the main thing on this CD are the amazingly well constructed songs....Seven 13 has an idea and knows exactly how to transmit it to the listener through their beautiful and melodic music. The band has also a lot of power due to the use of distorted guitars (the guitarist has really good taste for the riffs and also for the solos as you can check for example in "Falling". Seven 13´s music sounds even more energetic live as I can see through their "Drink!" video that they have made as a live videoclip. I liked a lot this band because of the melodies that they create in every way that is possible and the dark feeling that they obtain!!!

Favorite tracks: "Don´t You Wish" "You Could Be Mine" and "Out of Control"

Contact: www.seven13band.com

REVIEW: SENTENCED - THE COLD WHITE LIGHT

 

SENTENCED - THE COLD WHITE LIGHT (Century Media Recs., 2002)

Produced by Sentenced

Cover by Vesa Ranta

Tracks: 1- Konevitsan Kirkonkellot; 2- Cross My Heart and Hope to Die; 3- Brief is the light; 4- Neverlasting; 5- Aika Multaa Muistot (Everything is Nothing); 6- Excuse Me While I kill myself; 7- Blood and Tears; 8- You are the One; 9- Guilt and regret; 10- The Luxury of a Grave; 11-No One There

It´s been a lot of years since I bought Sentenced´s "North from Here" and now looking back I feel that it is great to see a band evolve in such a way. Here they are, Sentenced 2002 and here are the melodies in the guitars, the crushing riffs that try to create a heavy song, here are tyhe clean vocals with a lot of power and feeling. It is amazing how well Sentenced has achieved an amazing technique to create songs....only a check of their latest albums confirms this. Every new album they are getting better in this. The main thing here apart from the vocals are the incredible guitar riffs combined with a lot of melodies that gives this feeling of depression to the songs contained here. The production of this album is really great and lets us listen to all the elements of Sentenced´s music. A great recording from this Finnish band.

Favorite tracks: "Brief is the Lught"; "Neverlasting" and "You are the One"

Contact: In Southamerica: www.centurymedia.com . In Europe: www.centurymedia.de

REVIEW: SEIRIM - KILL. WAR. CHAOS

 

SEIRIM - KILL. WAR. CHAOS (Cudgel Agency, 2002)

Produced by Seirim

Cover by Nightliner Tattoo Studio

Tracks: 1- Morbid Animalism; 2- Power of Elements; 3- Time for Your Deaths; 4- Your Blood; 5- Incosibea; 6-The Other Dimension; 7- Rulers of the World; 8- Creatures of Pain; 9- Killing Elements; 10- Beyond the Death

Directly from Germany comes this extremely brutal band with many interesting ideas. First of all I have the remark the great sound that this recording has, specially on the guitars which are really devastating. Then, I have to say that Seirim is one of the most brutal bands that I have listened in a long time...and they achieve a lot of this brutality through complex guitar riffs played with a monolithic guitar sound ( also this guys obviously tune down their guitars to achieve a lower end). Also the bass is clearly mixed and one can listen to it through all the recording playing patterns similar to those played by the guitars but with a more bottom end sound that makes the whole idea more crushing. Then comes the killer drumming which uses some blast beats but prefers to use heavier ideas that fit better the music. The vocals are guttural and screaming and fit perfectly the musical ideas of this ultra brutal band. Brutality at its maximum level!!!!

Favorite tracks: "Power of Elements"; "Your Blood" and "Killing Elements"

Contact: www.cudgel.de or www.seirim.de

REVIEW: RUDIS / CUSTODIO / DIAZ-INFANTE - CRASHING THE RUSSIAN RENAISSANCE

 

RUDIS / CUSTODIO / DIAZ-INFANTE - CRASHING THE RUSSIAN RENAISSANCE (Pax Recordings, 2002)

Produced by Lx Rudis and Ernesto Diaz-Infante

Recorded by Lx Rudis and Andres Custodio

Cover by Tohru Kanayama

Tracks: 1 to 3 - Three Collega Radio Ready Edits; 4 to 30 - Overthruster

I have reviewed recordings by Custodio and Diaz Infante before, but on this recording they have been joined by Lx Rudis who plays Matrix 12. This addition opens new possibilities and the trio explores them through all this recording. I liked specially Lx Rudis electronic sounds that match perfectly Diaz-Infante ´s experimentation with guitar, violin and voice and also Custodio´s percussion patterns. There is a mix of different type of experimental pieces here: one type are those musical pieces that are longer where there is more developing of the experimental ideas and other that are shorter and are sudden bursts of spontaneous sounds. I prefer the longer ones because in there I cqan see how well the three musicians interact and also how well they construct the improvisational piece. This recording is for those people who can listen to a fully experimental recording without being scared !

Favorite tracks: The whole CD is an amazing showcase of experimentation among this three open minded musicians

Contact: www.paxrecordings.com

REVIEW: ROGER SMITH - GREEN WOOD

 

ROGER SMITH - GREEN WOOD (Emanem Disc, 2002)

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded by Roger Smith assisted by Ian Vickers

Cover by Marion Franses

Tracks: 1- Wood Green Waltz; 2- North 22 (no Catch); 3- Forward Fast; 4- Extended Ploy; 5- Strange Interlude; 6- Waltz with heating; 7- An Extract; 8- Diminuendo & Crescendo in Green; 9- Saul´s Beret Rode; 10- Local Twang; 11- The Last of the Season; 12- Arse Myth

We have reviewed Roger Smith´s music before in the recordings where he plays with the Spontaneous Music Orchestra. This time we have the chance of listening to a more melodic side of this great musician and guitar player. First of all we see that the music here is really quiet and melodic and that is due to the fact that Smith has recorded this CD at home and he plays during the night hours. This is interesting because we can see a more subtle side of his musical personality. Here we can listen how Smith constructs his guitar lines while armonizing them ...and he has played through all this recording with his finger in order to achieve a warmer sound very different than the one that one can achieve using a pick. There is heavy use of natural harmonics in tracks like "Extended Ploy" and the most amazing thing here is that all this material is improvised. Thumbs up for this amazing musician and innovative guitar player.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD. I love Smith´s guitar playing. Is experimental and at the same time very melodic

Contact: www.emanemdisc.com

REVIEW: PAUL RUTHERFORD - TROMBOLENIUM

 

PAUL RUTHERFORD - TROMBOLENIUM (Emanem Disc, 2002)

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded by Martin Davidson

Cover by Martin Davidson

Tracks: 1- Red Rose Afternoon 1; 2- Red Rose Afternoon 2; 3- First Walnut, 4- Second Walnut; 5- First China Pig Extract; 6- Second China Pig Extract; 7- China Pig Lament; 8- Stalf; 9- Falst; 10- Flast; 11- Stlaf

This are recording of solo trombone improvisations by trombone master Paul Rutherford. The recordings are from four different concerts from the years 1986, 1992, 1993 and 1995. Here you have a man with his instrument who is always achieving new sounds and combinations that have not been tried by many musicians before him. In fact, Rutherford is exploring new paths on each track that one can listen on this CDs. In some tracks like "First Walnut" he uses sonic explorations trying to reach weird sounds with his instrument. In other tracks like "Red Rose Afternoon 1" he uses a lot of legato notes to create dissonant melodies and complicated phrases. It is amazing also how warm this instrument sound, being not loud and not overabused, reaching interesting melodies through all the CD. For lovers of exploring new sides of the music spectre.

Favorite tracks: "First Walnut", "China Pig Lament" and " Flast"

Contact: www.emanemdisc.com

REVIEW: PAIN OF SALVATION - REMEDY LANE

 

PAIN OF SALVATION - REMEDY LANE (Heelion Records, 2002)

Produced by Daniel Gildenlöw

Recorded at Roasting House

Cover by Daniel Gildenlöw

Tracks: 1- Of Two Beginninh}gs; 2- Ending Theme; 3- Fandango; 4- A Trace of Blood; 5- This Heart of Mine (I Pledge); 6- Undertow; 7- Rope Ends; 8- Chain Sling; 9- Dryad of the Woods; 10- Remedy Lane; 11- Waking Every God; 12- Second Love; 13- Beyond the Pale

Here we have the latest Pain of Salvation album...and I have to say that this is a masterpiece. From beginning to end you can see that this album is truly beautiful and deppressive at the same time. In fact I think this is the main feature in Pain of Salvation´s music....the splendour of their melodies and the sadness that all the recording has in it. One highlight to point out are the excellent vocals that have a really wide range and manage perfectly all the melodies needed here . I have to say that Daniel Gildenlöw is an amazing composer that can give a lot ofm feeling to the songs and at the same time add a lot of variations to them (check for example the crazy "Fandango" to see what this man is capable of doin and contrast it with the more deppressive and melodic "Ending Theme"). This album is going to be one of the classics in the future and Pain of Salvation is always an inspiration for musicians.

Favorite tracks: All the CD....this is what I call a masterpiece !!

Contact: www.hellionrecords.com

REVIEW: OSH - RED UNIVERSE

 

OSH - RED UNIVERSE ( Independent, 2002)

Produced by Osh

Cover art by Osh

Tracks: 1- I.C.I.; 2- Hideaway; 3- Schreispiegel; 4- Crisis; 5- Worldsaw; 6- For Me; 7- Less Beloved Daughter; 8- Mantra; 9- Wilderness; 10- And Always the Deep Red Sea; 11- Helsingør; 12- Threshold to an embrace; 13- No Limit

Osh is an extremely heavy band, and that does not mean that they are at full speed all the time. In fact the guys in Osh prefer to concentrate on riffs that sound much heavier being more rhythmic and prefering to play power chords instead of one note runs riffs. Also they have make very clever arrangements in all their tracks (as an example you can check the beginning of "Hideaway" with clean guitars before entering the heavy riffs...then in the heavy parts they have a lot of changes and dissonances going on here and there making the songs really interesting. There is a lot of variety in the vocals too...sometimes heavier, sometimes screaming, sometimes more melodics, sometimes operistic, sometimes in a tone that would not be out of place in a Mike Patton album and sometimes harmonized. But the main thing here is the originality in the arrangements ( you can check the bass in some places of "Hideaway" to see an example of how this guys use their great technical skills to make great songs). If you like originality and a lot of variations in a CD where no track is similar to each other then Osh is a great options. One of the CDs of the month

Favorite tracks: All the tracks are amazing, weird and fantastically played.

Contact: www.osh-metal.de

REVIEW: ORDAINED - THE RESURRECTION OF MORTIMUS GRIMLEY

 

ORDAINED - THE RESURRECTION OF MORTIMUS GRIMLEY (Sinternational Records, 2001)

Produced by Ordained

Recorded at D_Dungeon Studios

Cover by Scapegoat

Tracks: 1- Mortimus Grimley (2001 Mix); 2- God of Nothing; 3- All in Vein

This is a three song CD by this heavy band!! And I see some progress when compared to "The Second Coming", their previous release, specially in the sound which is much better. This time the band continues doing what they know best: excellent riffs with interesting solos, thrashy rhythms and over all this musical wall The Reverend´s anguished vocals spitting the lyrics. There are really climatic passages like the beginning of "God of Nothing" with clean guitars before getting into the heavier parts. The mix here is really good, I liked specially thebass and guitars mix which make the instruments fit perfectly to create a heavier than hell environment. This is a good MCD to await for the new Ordained CD!

Favorite tracks: The three tracks contained here.

Contact: www.ordained.net

REVIEW: ORDAINED - THE SECOND COMING

 

ORDAINED - THE SECOND COMING (Sinternational Records, 2000)

Produced by James K Faw and ORdained

Recorded at The Sanctuary

Cover art by Scapegoat

Tracks: 1- The Ordained, 2- Caught in a Trap, 3- Let there be Death, 4- Beloved, 5- Sealed with a Fist, 6- Lowly Little Pawn; 7-Sanctum Secorum; 8- Destroyer, 9- I Am the One; 10- Perversery Rhymes; 11- Lunatic; 12- Punk You!; 13- Golgotha

How powerfully starts this CD !!! A drums passage and then the guitars enter in a really heavy way. In fact Ordained´s music has a lot of eighties thrash metal influences, (specially on The Reverend´s vocals) but with a really modern sound in the guitars and drums. And this is a combination that is needed in the world of metal music. Why? Because the heavier bands don´t have thais influences and play in a different way and most of the eighties band have changed their sound. So, it is really good that a band like Ordained takes this music one step forward and make a crushing CD like this one. The music here has a lot of variations, breaks and changes, and interesting guitar arrangements (using many different ruiffs within the same song) that contrast with The Reverend´s high pitched vocals. It is good to listen this band with a lot of originality in their music !!

Favorite tracks: "The Ordained"; "Sealed With a Fist" and "Perversery Rhymes"

Contact: www.ordained.net

REVIEW: NECRONOM - A DARKENING PATH

 

NECRONOM - A DARKENING PATH (Winterthorn Records, 2001)

Produced by Winterthorn

Recorded at Toad Hall

Cover Art by Gustav Dore (1860)

Tracks: 1- Deadface: A Tale of Purity; 2- Sanctuary; 3- Shepherd to the Faithless: a) Alone in the Rain, b) Quandaries of the Spirit, c) Vermis Rex; 4- In the Arms of Nepenthe; 5- Ex Tribas Lunaes

This is Necronom second album and it is, at the same time, the second part of the trilogy of tears. The music is heavy and distorted while at the same time being very climatic (Christopher Howard Lincoln is the mind behind the music contained on this CD and also he is who construct the darkest atmospheres within here). The music has many touches of death metal, specially on the vocals and uses a great combination of heavy guitars and orchestrating keyboards (this is fundamental for the Necronom sound that gets you through a river of sadness while listening to the music. The keyboards are really well composed and creates the environment to develope all the music). There are interesting calm parts, specially in the complex "Shepherd to the Faithless" with its three parts. This release comes in a dark digipack format that is very coherent with the darkness of Necronom´s music. A must !!

Favorite tracks: "Sanctuary" and "Shepherd to the Faithless"

Contact: www.winterthorn.com

REVIEW: MUTALA - CARNIVOROUS DISPOSITION

 

 MUTALA - CARNIVOROUS DISPOSITION (Nocturnal Music Recs., 200)

Produced by Nicola Lonigro and Mutala

Recorded at Half Moon Studios

Cover by Mutala

Tracks: 1- The Sorcery of the Deepest Beauty; 2- On a Blind Track; 3- What Hates Will Kill; 4- Mutala Submission; 5- The Shore of the Cursed; 6- Fall of the Angel; 7- Habit to Violence; 8- Carnivorous Plants

Mutala is a brutal detha metal band but they have a lot of atmosphere in their tracks. And they achieve this through their everchanging guitar riffs and through the mix of vocals that they have in their songs (growling, whispering, spoken). Also they use in some places acoustic guitars and clean guitars which create a different feeling from the one in the heavier parts. The main thing here are the guitar riffs which are really original and greatly played and they have a lot of melodies. Plus they make excellent guitar solos !! (fans of great guitar players rejoice!!). The sound of this recording is really good and that makes the result even better. The drums are really good to making the rhythms shine in all their splendour and adding a lot of heaviness to Mutala´s track (adding blast beats when its needed or making slow patterns in the more dense parts). I strongly recommend this release!!

Favorite tracks: "On a Blind track" ; "The Shore of the Cursed" and "Fall of the Angel"

Contact: www.nocturnalmusic.net or www.mutala.cjb.net

REVIEW: MORNINGSTAR - KALEVALA MYSTICISM

 

MORNINGSTAR - KALEVALA MYSTICISM (R.I.P. Records, 2002)

Mixed by Teppo Seppänen and Ari Honkonen

Recorded at Mäkkäri Studios

Tracks: 1- Ultima Thule; 2- Pagan Funeral; 3- Metal Fever; 4- Sons of Kaleva; 5- Frozen Woods, 6- Kalevala; 7- Battleaxe/Made of Iron; 8- Throne of Doom (Divine Wisdom); 9- Attack; 10- Sinister Shaman

It seems to me that R.I.P. Records is realeasing really pure heavy metal bands...Metalucifer and Morningstar are a sample of this !! Here we have the Finnish guys from Morningstar who are a trio that plays pure metal with a really raw sound and some dark atmospheres. The vocals are not high pitched so it is not what you would call classic metal...in fact it sounds modern and has many changes that could have been done by a thrash metal band. There are many ideas going on here. As you may see in "Pagan Funeral" for example). The songs contained on this CDs are mostly from year 2000 and there are also new versions of older songs....One of the main things here is that the music has a lot of power and at the same time has a lot of hooks designed to make metal maniacs sing along the choruses with their fists in the air. Pure heavy metal lovers, rejoice...here is Morningstar.

Favorite tracks: "Throne of Doom"; "Metal Fever" and "Frozen Woods"

Contact: www.restinpeacerecords.com