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