REVIEW: DIES IRAE - NAIVE

 

DIES IRAE - NAIVE (Oz Records, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded at Fredman Studio

Engineered and Mixed by Fredrik Nordström

Artwork by Daniel Herrera.

Track List: 1- Sculped In Stone, 2- Ice In Dawn, 3- Blurred, 4- Parallel Universe Pt 1, 5- Shattered Mockery, 6- Slow, 7- In Porous Verves, 8- Shades, 9- Parallel Universe Pt. 2

This guys are real beasts!!! And they have achieved an impressing CD. With a death metal truly elaborated and technical, they present us a work in which we must remark the role of the guitars which have agreat sound that soemtimes play harmonies, sometimes open chords, sometimes hyperfast riffs. Another point that is fundamental for Dies Irae is the excellent drums sound that the CD has and that makes easier to appreciate the work that this drummer is doing with his kit. He is an expert in variations, changes and breaks (there are a lot of good drums arrangements, some of them very technical and some of them done witha lot of simplicity). There are really good interludes with clean guitars where the bass shines with his constant arrangements. All this point are fundamental for this guys whose main point is creating great compositions in their style. A band to don´t miss a step. Favorite tracks: "Shattered Mockery", " In porous Verves" and "Ice In Dawn". Contact: www.ozproductions.com

REVIEW: DIAGNOSTICO FINAL - INVOLUCION

 

DIAGNOSTICO FINAL - INVOLUCION (Independent, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded and Mixed by Ariel Malizia

Cover Artwork by Lilia Mosconi.

Track List: 1- Ellos vendrán a buscarte, 2- Tu vieja Amiga, 3- Siglo XXI, Epoca Feudal, 4- Persevera y Triunfarás, 5- La razón de Vivir, 6- Sociedad Consumidora de Mentiras, 7- Malvinas Argentina, 8- Bajo el Agua, 9- Multimedia Track

This is music between heavy, thrash and a certain hardcore flavor, specially on some of the riffs and vocals. This recording has a modern guitar sound tat accentuates the results achieved by the band on the guitar riffs. The music is the perfect way for the band to express their feelings through their very crude lyrics (which have a lot of social content...people from Argentina surely will understand them). Well, the music contained here is a kick in your stomach, with a lot of power and not too much subtle elements...here all the emphasis is on the strength and power and feelings!!. The sound achieved in studio is a very good one...maybe I would have mixed a little bit higher the bass to add more bottom end top the band´s sound. A really powerful recording. Favorite tracks: "Siglo XXI, Epoca Feudal", "La Razón de Vivir" y "Sociedad Consumidora de Mentiras". Contact: www.diagnosticofinal.com o www.diagnosticofinal.com.ar

REVIEW: DARK LAND - DARK LAND

 

DARK LAND - DARK LAND (Perverted Taste Records):

Track List: 1- Sound of Nothing, 2- Schizophren, 3- Rise and Fall, 4- Rome, 5- Dreams of Childhood, 6- Das Letzte Mal

Perverted Taste records has released this extremely climatic album, full ofm what we can call depressive gothic metal. Yes, I called this deppressive and that is the feeling that you will feel while listening to this CD. In fact, one of the main things that contribute to this depressive aura is the sound of the violin used here as one of the main instruments. This string instrument literally weeps through all the tracks contained here, sometimes with despair, sometimes with sadness, sometimes with hope. The vocals are another important element here because thy are quite similar to the ones in Moonspell, but used in a different way...more slowly, more calmly, darker. The guitars are the third point of the compositive axis creating a lot odf the moods presented on this album. Contact: www.pervertedtaste.de 

REVIEW: DARGAARD - THE DISSOLUTION OF ETERNITY

 

DARGAARD - THE DISSOLUTION OF ETERNITY (Draenor Prods., 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Tonstudio Hoernix.

Recorded, Mixed and Edited by George Hrauda and Tharen.

Layout by Tharen.

Track List: 1- As Old as the Bones of The Earth, 2- Thy Fleeing Time, 3- A Path in the Dust, 4- In the Omniprescence of Death, 5- My Phantasm Supreme, 6- Night Before the Vastland Storms, 7- Fires Dominion, 8- The Isolated Vale, 9- A Prophecy of Immortality, 10- Wanderer At The End of Time

This is the latest Dargaard album and it seems to be the last part of the saga of Eternity that started with "Eternity Rites". Here again the songs are extremely well composed and they seem to be from a movie soundtrack (specifically from a movie about ancient warriors and ancient times). Full of keyboards and orchestrations, Daargard´s music is the perfect vehicle to manifest the feelings contained in the lyrics done by Tharen. Elisabeth´s vocals are darker than ever and they are one of the main points around which the tracks are developed. People who likes good composition and dark melodies will definitely love this one. Favorite tracks: "As Old As The Bones of the Earth", " In the Omniprescence of Death" and " The Isolated Vale". Contact: www.daargard.com

REVIEW: DARGAARD - ETERNITY RITES

 

DARGAARD - ETERNITY RITES (Draenor Prods., 1999):

Technical data:

Recorded and Mixed at Hoernix Studios

Recorded, Mixed and Edited by Georg Hranda and Tharen

Track List: 1- Eternity Rite Pt. 1, 2- Demon Eyes, 3- Fuer Grissa Est Dranka, 4-Down To The Halls of The blind, 5- Nightvision, 6-Arcanum Mortis, 7- Eternity Rite Pt II, 8-Temple of The Moon, 9- Of Broken Stones, 10- Seelenlos, 11- Transfer Complete

Here we have Dargaard´s first recording. This debut CD´s music can be described as atmospheric and ethereal. Eleven extremely subtle tracks are what you will find here...they are full with keyboards, melodies and harmonies. Sang Drax Tharen and Elisabeth Toriser are the two persons behind Dargaard´s music and they make an excelent job: Sang Drax creating all the music and the lyrics and Elisabeth with her really beautiful voice. The music can be described also as ancient and dark because of the types of melodies used here which are sad and introspective. Favorite tracks: "Down To the Halls of the Blind, "Arcanum Mortis" and "Temple of The Moon". Contact: www.dargaard.com

REVIEW: CURTIS BAHN - R!G

 

CURTIS BAHN - R!G (Electronic Music Foundation, 2000):

Technical data:

Recorded at Curtis Bahn Home Studio and at the Zeitgeist on 11/18/00.

Produced and Designed by Curtis Bahn

Track List: 1- Sbass, 2- Mechanique, 3- r!p, 4- Quabbin, 5- Ornithology, 6- r!g

This CD show us a serie of improvisations done by Curtis Bahn with his "sensor bass" and live electronics. Curtis says in the booklet that the system that he uses to do this music live has 8 audio channels and cannot be fully represented in a stereo context. Judging by this and the pictures of his musical equipment I guess that this must be even stranger in a live context. It is interesting to see Bahn improvising with his instruments letting his imagination fly free and without losing control at the same time. The "sensor bass" played by Bahn sometimes sounds almost like an acoustic bass and sometimes like a part of the electronics used here (when it gets in combination with them). To see this you can check "Sbass" (7:00) where Bahn plays very interesting phrases over the electronics giving a feeling of almost ambient music. Her e you have six tracks of pure experimentation where Bahn shows us why he is a great and original musician who is helping to extend the boundaries of music. Favorite tracks: "Mechanique" and "r!g". Contact: www.cdemusic.org/emfmedia

REVIEW: CURTAIN - SECOND FLOOR PARADISE

 

CURTAIN - SECOND FLOOR PARADISE (Warlord Records, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded and Mixed at Lonesome Studio by Alain Grandiere.

Mastered at Actis Studio

Artwork by Curtain and Gilles Boyer.

Track List: 1- Second Floor Paradise, 2- Our Last Dance, 3- Push The Trigger, 4- Slow Down, 5- Under Your Spell

Well, this is surprising because this French band starts as an electronic band in the beginning of their first tracks before entering into a more gothic side of their music with interesting rhythms and songs that could be hits if well managed. Obviously as I told you the music is full of keyboards and electronics....let me think abot Paradise Lost´s "Host". The vocalist has a vocal range very similar to the one of Depeche Mode´s David Gahan...that is a vocalist who dominates de medium range and does his work to make this songs instant hits. The thing that amazed me most here is how dark are the tracks, because the heavy use of keyboards and clean guitars added to the vocals and combination of real and electronic drums creates a dark atmosphere giving a sense of oppression and beauty at the same time in tracks like "Our Last Dance". Favorite tracks: "Second Floor Paradise", "Push the Trigger" and "Our Last Dance". Contact: www.multimania.com/curtain

REVIEW: CROMLECH - THE VULTURE TONES

 

CROMLECH - THE VULTURE TONES (Beyond Prods, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded at Recordia Studio

Engineered and Mixed by Fredrik Larnemo and Cromlech

Artwork by L.M.Mennella

Track List: 1- A Clarity Denied, 2- The Bleeding, 3- The Vulture Tones, 4- Garden of Sin

First strike: This band has a really good sound with really powerful guitars (very well mixed) and a hyperfast and technical drummer (also with an excellent mixing sound). Second strike: They have original riffs and they use them in a way that the songs are even more powerful than if theywere full speed one note runs. Third strike: they have interesting tempo changes and they are very comfortable specially on the slower parts where the best ideas aredeveloped among the musicians. Fourth strike: The vocalist screams a lot here but it is helpful to meke the tracks as good as they are. Further information: This is a MCD with four tracks and the four are relly heavy as hell!!!. Favorite tracks: I like very much the four tracks contained on this MCD. Contact: www.beyondprod.com

REVIEW: CLAIR OBSCUR - SOMBRE REVELATIONS

 

CLAIR OBSCUR - SOMBRE REVELATIONS (Perverted Taste Records, 1999):

Technical data:

Recorded at Requiem Studio

Artwork by Alexis Dubois

Track List: 1- Petal, 2- Eros, 3- Desecrated Souls

A combination of the most hateful black metal with the most deppresive music in the most calm passages is how I would define Clair Obscur´s music. It is incredible to see the contrast between the faster parts and the slower ones. The band has all the characteristics of a black metal band when they accelerate (fast riffs, raw sound and screaming vocals, plus blast beat drums) and then, all of a sudden the keyboards enter and the role is inverted and they become the main instrument while the vocals change into a whispering mode. The three tracks contained on this CD are l,ong enough (the shortest is almost eight minutes long) to let the band incorporate all the elements they like in their compositions being them melodic or extremely raw and powerful. Contact: www.pervertedtaste.de 

REVIEW: CARNAL LUST - PREPARE YOUR SOUL

 

CARNAL LUST - PREPARE YOUR SOUL (Independent, 2001):

Track List: 1- Cannibal, 2- Crestfallen, 3- Human Die, 4- Messiah

Carnal Lust is a grind death band from France. And they are dedicated to the most extreme side of this style, the one with light speed drums and guitar riffs and with anguished vocals combined with guttural ones. And this is their latest demo and they are as brutal as they were in the prior one. There are four tracks totalizing nineteen minutes of pure grind with drums that are a nightmare pounding your brain together with the guitars that play one note riffs at an insane velocity. I hope the band gets a contract soon so we can appreciate them with a better production and obviously a better sound that would do more justice to their music. Favorite tracks: "Cannibal", "Human Die". Contact: www.carnallust.fr.st