REVIEW: AGAMEMNON - ANGRY BEYOND FORGIVENESS

 

AGAMEMNON - ANGRY BEYOND FORGIVENESS (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Kharis

Recorded at Dungeon Studios

Cover Art by Anubis

Tracks: 1- Watchtowers of Night, 2-Queen Maeh´s Ride, 3- Perseus Treachery, 4- Horrors of the Inquisitium, 5- Window Through Eternity´s Continuum, 6-Desertion of the Churchyard

This is an extremely ethereal and atmospheric release by Kharis, the only compoaser and musician behind Agamemnon. Kharis is also the one that plays all the keyboards (which are the only instrument here) and does all the vocals.The result is a darker than hell album with a lot of moods and feelings (all of them dark and sad). The compositions here are really calm and have many different shades that Kharis has developed really well. All songs are quite long and that allows Kharis to give a lot of variations in the harmonies and melodies that he plays here. One weird thing is that the music here was recorded originally in a rehearsal in 1996 and in 2002 Kharis revidsed the lyrical concept and rewrote some part. Despit what it says in the booklet, the sound is good (even if there is some tape noise in the background). People who liked things like Koan or Esperanza or atmospheric bands like those ones would surely like Agamemnon.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD is extremely dark, atmospheric and sad !!!!

REVIEW: AESMA DAEVA - THE EROS OF FRIGID BEAUTY

 

AESMA DAEVA - THE EROS OF FRIGID BEAUTY(Root of All Evil Records, 2002)

Produced by Aesma Daeva

Cover Art by Aesma Daeva

Tracks: 1- Lysander, 2- Devotion, 3- In My Holy Time, 4- The Eros of Frigid Beauty, 5- Overature, 6- The Minstrel Song, 7- Lysander II

This is Aesma Daeva´s second full length album and if the first one "Here Lies One Whose Name Was Written in Waterwas excellent this one is better. Here you have all the elments that have made John Prassas a reknowned composer....here you have the ethereal melodies, the cold female vocals, the beautiful atmospheres and the darkness of the feelings that this music provoques on everyone that listens to it. Here John has gone beyond boundaries adding a lot of harmonies and elements that were in the previous album but this time they are multiplied by ten adding new sides an d perspectives to Aesma Daeva´s music. Here John has shown us all his compositional skills and has improved the sound when compared to the previous album making the music sound deeper and more introspective. Just one thing more....you have to got this album!!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite tracks: All the CD. As always Aesma Daeva delivers the best.

Contact: www.rootofallevil.com

REVIEW: ABSCESS - THROUGH THE CRACKS OF DEATH

 

ABSCESS - THROUGH THE CRACKS OF DEATH (Peaceville Records, 2002)

Produced by Abcess

Tracks: 1- Raping the Multiverse, 2- Mourners Will Burn, 3- Through the Cracks of Death, 4- Escalation of Violence, 5- Serpent of Dementia, 6- An Asylum Below, 7- Tomb of the Unknown Junkie, 8- Monolithic Damnation, 9- Die for Today, 10- 16 Horrors, 11- Vulnavia

Chris Reifert and company are back!! This is the follow up to their "Tormented" album and here we have many of the features that we lkove from this band. In fact, there are some welcome changes like faster riffs and better guitar solos. As most of you know Chris Reifert played drums on Death´s "Screaming Bloody Gore" album and later founded classic band Autopsy. That band was a really influential one in the underground and here we have half if that band because we have also Danny Coralles on guitars. Here we have the guttural vocals that have made Autopsy and Abscess famous and also here there are slow as hell riffs like the ones Autopsy used to play (check the middle part of "Through the Cracks of Death"). The sound of the recording is really much better than in all previous Abscess albums, specially on the guitars where you can listen the great riffs that this guys use and the amazing guitar solos. A classic.

Favorite tracks: "Mourners will Burn", "Serpent of Dementia" and "Monolithic Damnation".

Contact: www.peaceville.co.uk or www.peaceville.com

REVIEW: ZAO - PARADE OF CHAOS

 

ZAO - PARADE OF CHAOS (Solidstate Records, 2002)

Produced by Barry Poynter, Jesse Smith and Scott Mellinger

Recorded at Poynter´s Palace

Cover Art by Asterik Studio

Tracks: 1- The Buzzing, 2- Suspend / Suspension, 3- Parade of Chaos, 4- Angel Without Wings, 5- Killing Cupido, 6- Free the Three, 7- Man In the Womb, 8- A Pirates Prayer, 9- The Ballad of Buddy Bigsby, 10- How are the weak Free?

Zao is back!! This time more violent than ever! Here we have the crushing riffs that were in their previous releases but this time the screams are louder the riffs are heavier and the sound is bigger !! Here we have this trio of devastating guys that melt your brain through the ten tracks of this CD. Here we have the drumbeats from hell that lives the listener banging his head. This are songs that were meant to be played live. I imagine a Zao concert with hundreds ofmetalheads moshing and jumping along with the songs. The songs here have a lot of interesting changes and guitar arrangements that make the result really powerful and interesting and also the songs have a lot of catchy choruses that you can scream along !! A must.

Favorite tracks: "The Buzzing", "Angel Without Wings" and "Man in the Womb"

Contact: www.solidstate.com

REVIEW: VINTERRIKET - ADVANCE FROM "KÄLTE" 7" EP

 

VINTERRIKET - ADVANCE FROM "KÄLTE" 7" EP (Parasite Records, 2002)

Produced by Vinterriket

Cover Art by Vinterriket

Tracks: 1- Der Schrei Der Leere; 2- Züngelnde Winterflammen

Here we have this two track CDs with two strong compositions by Chris. This compositions are from february and march of 2002 so they are the newest material from Vinterriket. On the first track we have some raw parts with screaming and blast beats combined with a lot of keyboards passages and interludes that give a lot of identity to Vinterriket´s music. This way to mix darkness and violence in the same compositions is an art that Vinterriket has developed in a really great way. The second tracks is kind of more introspective and melancholic and shows us a more atmospheric side of Vinterriket´s music (here Chris screams but the screams are mixed lower letting us listen much more the eerie keyboards phrases and interludes). Let there be darkness with Vinterriket´s music!!

Favorite tracks: Both tracks are beautiful works of art.

Contact: www.vinterriket.com or www.parasiterecords.org

REVIEW: VINTERRIKET - PROMO 2002

 

VINTERRIKET - PROMO 2002 (Neodawn prods., 2002)

Produced by Vinterriket

Cover Art by Vinterriket

Tracks: 1- Fragments Eines Schatten, 2- Tötendes Licht, 3- Am brennenden nördlichen Firmament, 4- Stumme Wintersnacht, 5- Forge of Souls (Graveland Cover)

Here we have Vinterriket´s new promotional CD. This consists in some tracks taken from different releases like splits or 7" and a Graveland cover. Here we can see that Vinterriket has achieved their own style with raw guitars and a lot of keyboards (in fact I think the keys are the main element here adding a lot of atrmosphere to the tracks). Chriostopher ´s voclas have a more dominant role here than in the previous material that I had listened before and he sings melancholic melodies through all the recording and screaming when its necessary. And that is the main thing here: melodies with a lot of darkness. This is definitely a release for lovers of darkness and music with a lot of interesting arrangements.

Favorite tracks: The five contained here are great

Contact: www.neodawn.de or www.vinterriket.com

REVIEW: VARGSRIKET - SATANIC EXECUTION COMMANDO VARGSRIKET

VARGSRIKET - SATANIC EXECUTION COMMANDO VARGSRIKET (Records, 2002)

Produced by Vargsriket

Recorded in February 2002

Cover Art by Grym

Tracks: 1- Black Orders, 2- Luciferian, 3- My Blood- My Enemy, 4- Vargsriket, 5- Prologue To Honour, 6- Minions of Satan, 7- Oath of Blood, 8- Sanguinem Sacrificim, 9- Antichristian Battle Tune, 10- Hater of the Nailed One, 11- Willing to Compromise; 12- impale the Bastard

Here we have this band that is a legend in the black metal realm. There music is full of hate and extremely fast in some places and more climatic in others (like in "Sanguinem Sacricim"). Here the main thing are the guitar riffs combined with some hyper fast part with blast beats and a lot of crushing rhythms all over the tracks. Also here we have some interesting interludes with dense atmospheres and some spoken vocals. What I liked a lot here is the bass guitar which is mixed really loud and helps the devastating result of this CD (it gives a lot of power to the riffs because they accentuate a lot of them). The vocals are screaming in the black metalstyle and they spit lyrics about hatred of god and war to cristianity. Lovers of black metal will enjoy this one with no doubt!!

Favorite tracks: "My Blood - my Enemy", "Sanguinem Sacrificim" and "Hater of the Nailed One"

Contact: www.vargsriket.com

REVIEW: THY PRIMORDIAL - THE CROWNING CARNAGE

 

THY PRIMORDIAL - THE CROWNING CARNAGE (Candlelight Records, 2002)

Produced by Tommy Tägtgren

Recorded at Abyss Studios

Tracks: 1- Subterranean Carnality, 2- Genuine Hatred, 3- Icon Retribution, 4- The Crowning Carnage, 5- Worldecay, 6- Purveyor of Chaos, 7- Changing the Mortal Disguise, 8- Menace of Human Waste, 9- Destroying the Idea of a God.

This is pure fucking holocaust black metal!! Here you have a black metal band that goes at full speed and full of hate all of the time. And they got what they deserve: the production of Tommy Tägtgren and the sound of the Abyss Studios that have multiplied ten times the power of the band. Yes, here the guitars are devastating even in the fastest riffs and you can hear them perfectly (they are not like a buzz in the speakers as in some releases that are not well mixed). Here you listenm perfectly the voices spitting their lyrics with their denial of god. And also here you have a killer drummer that can play great fills and blast beats making the music more agressive. This is raw black metal with great sound.

Favorite tracks: "Genuine Hatred", "Icon Retribution" and "The Crowning Carnage"

Contact: www.candlelightrecords.co.uk

REVIEW: THUNDERCORE - SAMPLER CD

THUNDERCORE - SAMPLER CD(Independent, 2002)

Here we have this powerful band that plays extremely violent metal with heavier than hell riffs and brutal vocals adding a lot of rhythms to their music through the syncopated drumbeats.. This guys have a lot of hardcore feeling too in their music and they know how to deliver it with some brutality in order to make it sound really heavy as hell. The production of the CD is amazingly good, specially on the guitar sound that is really fat and gives a lot of identity and power to Thundercore´s music. This is a six song CD sampler from this powerful band and I read that they are giving the final touches to their new recording which would really like to listen to soon.

Favorite tracks: Tracks number 1, 3 and 4

Contact: www.thundercore.com

REVIEW: THRONE OF CHAOS - MENACE AND PRAYER

 

THRONE OF CHAOS - MENACE AND PRAYER (Spinefarm Records,1999)

Produced by Tapio Pennanen and Throne of Chaos

Recorded at La-La Records

Cover Art by Kyösti

Tracks: 1- From Clarity To Insanity, 2- The Scaffold Scenario, 3- Cold Bits of Fire, 4- Bloodstained Prophecy, 5- Menace and Prayer, 6- Syntethia, 7- Opus Void, 8- Divanity, 9- Never in a Dream, 10- Towards Glory

This was quite an old release but because of its quality I decided to review it. This guys are from Finland and they have developed a style that I would called dark heavy power metal. That is: their music has elements of death metal in the voices (a screaming vocalist) and at the same time the music is really epic with a lot of elements of power metal such as the keyboards solos and the melodic riffs that are composed to sing with the fist in the air. Plus, here there are interesting thrash riffs along with fastest parts. The musicians here are really technical proficient (it is incredible how in Europe you have that many bands with great musicianship). Here you have a good option if you are bored from the same styles. This is different.

Favorite tracks: "The Scaffold Scenario", "Menace and Prayer" and "Towards Glory"

Contact: www.spinefarm.fi