REVIEW: ANEURYSM - AWARE

 

ANEURYSM - AWARE (Independent, 2001 )

Produced By: Aneurysm

Tracks: 1- The Cavern, 2- Larva, 3- Inner Side, 4- Ruin, 5- Torment, 6- The Hunt, 7- Ways, 8- All In the Name, 9- CD Rom Track

Cover Art by Giorgia Carteri

Recorded at Pink Noise Studios

Aneurysm is a band whose music is extremely difficult to label (something like progressive death modern metal can be closer but I think is not fair to describe their music that way because their compositions go well beyond this styles). In fact I have to say that their vocals are sometimes death metal and sometimes cleaner and more melodic and sometimes closer to gothic. The main thing here are the technical skills of this four musicians from Italy. This guys change from riff to riff, from rhythm to rhythm, from clean to extremely heavy within the same song without missing a note. The band is extremely tight and the songs are realy well composed. Palms go to all the musicians because of the excellent work that they have done on this CD (specially the guitarists...Peter is really a virtuoso). One thing that also makes the results better is the extremely great sound that the recording has. Check this CD now!

Favorite tracks: All of them are masterpieces

Contact: www.aneurysm.it

REVIEW: AMUN RE - MAGIC KINGDOM

 

AMUN RE - MAGIC KINGDOM (Real Treat Recs., 2001)

Produced By: Amun Re

Tracks: 1- Bad Dream, 2- Shadowhunter, 3- Anathema, 4- Reach for the Stars, 5- Avalon, 6- Twilight Pyramid, 7- Child of the Light, 8- I Wish it Back Again, 9- Diablo, 10- Under Dark Skies, 11- Magic Kingdom

Cover Art by Norbert Sigart

Recorded at Holy Gasoline Recording Studios

Here we have this progressive metal coming directly from Austria. If you want melodies here you have them. They are done mainly through the guitars, keyboards and vocals (here we have beautiful voal harmonies done by a male and a female vocalist that know really well their job). But the main thing here are the keyboards: they play melodies, chord progressions and do a lot of orchestration of the tarcks of this CD. The male vocalist is not of the type that you expect in a band like this. In fact he uses more the middle range of his voice instead of using high pitched vocals (he achieves good harmonies with female vocals that are also in the middle range). I would like Amun Re to mix a little bit louder the guitars so the music will have more power. Lovers of progressive metal will surely like this one.

Favorite tracks: "Shadowhunter", "Twilight Pyramid" and "Under Dark Skies"

Contact: www.amunre.com

REVIEW: ALL TIME PRESENT - DISTANT MICROPHONES PICK UP BOTH DIRECT AND REFLECTED SOUND

ALL TIME PRESENT - DISTANT MICROPHONES PICK UP BOTH DIRECT AND REFLECTED SOUND (Evolving Ear, 2002 )

Produced By: Chris Forsyth and Rich Gross

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- Detail 1 , 3-MOCA, 4- MOCA, 5- Detail 2, 6-8 Fringe 1, 9-10 Fringe 2, 11-12 Fringe 3, 13- the true sound of the improv underground

Cover Art by Littlegem Design

Recorded at Bar XVI, Red Room, MOCA-DC, Fringe Festival and Ear Space

Here we have an experimentation album that features a man whose work we have reviewed before: Chris Forsyth. Here Chris has been joined by two other guitarists and two percussionist in order to create the music without boundaries that All Time Present does. The CD starts with an eerie track with a lot of guitar arpeggios that deliver sort of a strange sounding eastern melody when combined. Then comes the heavier experimentation with lots of sounds going on in each one of the compositions...none of this guys have any problem in being spontaneous and breaking musical boundaries on each phrase or sound that they play. A must for those who like new music and experimentation.

Favorite tracks: "MOCA", "Fringe 3" and "Fringe 2"

Contact: www.evolvingear.com

REVIEW: ALL IN VAIN - THE BACKSIDE OF HUMANITY

 

ALL IN VAIN - THE BACKSIDE OF HUMANITY (Spreadit Agency, 2002 )

Produced By: All in Vain and Marrtosh Music

Tracks: 1- Annihilation of the Sun, 2- Psychological limbo, 3- Darkstars (Meteorites), 4- Introspection, 5- The Longed Wisdom, 6- Fallen Angel, 7- Revelations, 8- Epilogue

Cover Art by All in Vain

All in Vain is a band whose music can be described as death/thrash metal with no doubt! They have vocals that are clearly death metal (there is one screming vocal type that sound really original and different from what is common in the style). And this guys also have a lot of thrash emtal influences which can be heard in the riffs and guitar melodies that they make through all the recording (and also in some of the choruses). There are really good melodies, acoustic interludes and twin guitar work that add a lot of dynamics and different feelings to All in Vain´s music. The sound of the recording is good and raw and the guitars which are the key elment here are really well mixed and that allows the listener to appreciate every detail here.

Favorite tracks: All the CD

Contact: http://digilander.iol.it/allinvain

REVIEW: ABNORMITY - DEMO 2002

 

ABNORMITY - DEMO 2002 (Independent, 2002 )

Produced By: Abnormity

Tracks: 1- Fallen In Eternal Dislove, 2- The Perfect Sadness

Cover Art by Henk Van Rensbergen 

Recorded at Trastero Studios

This is a band whose music is climatic because of the way in which the guitars are used and extremely heavy because of the use of fast parts and extreme vocal parts in the black metal way (but there are also clean vocals parts that add a lot of variation to the songs). The two tracks on this MCD are long and let the band do some changes within them going from fast and heavy riffs to more climatic parts with a lot of clean guitars such as the beginning of "The Perfect Sadness" (and they also have riffs changes that are surprising within the songs). The mix of this CD is extremely raw in the heavier parts but surprisingly clean in the parts with clean guitars and vocals. I would like to listen more from them soon.

Favorite tracks: Both tracks.

Contact: http://www.geocities.com/abnormityband

REVIEW: AARNI / UMBRA NIHIL - SPLIT CD

 

AARNI / UMBRA NIHIL - SPLIT CD (Firebox Netstore, 2002)

 

Produced By: Firebox Recs.

Tracks: Aarni: 1- Uddo Sathla, 2- Myrrys, 3- Lider Umdrarum vel Coniunctio, 4- Transcend Humanity, 5- Reaching Azathoth, 6- Anima; Umbra Nihil: 7- Follow and Believe / Fall without Relief, 8- A Mere Shell, 9- My Way to the Lakeshore, 10- Determination, 11- Water in Lungs

Design by Milzer

Aarni starts this CD with a very atmospheric beginning of the first track. This track reminds me of some experimental bands and solo projects out there because of the experimentation with sounds and dissonances. Then comes a completely different track "Myrrys" which is slow paced and extremely heavy yet climatic with many clean guitars and speaking deep vocals. The main thing in Aarni´s music is the use of the instruments and voices to create atmospheric and experimental music (almost doom in many places because of the slow pace of the tracks).

Then comes Umbra Nihil starting with a more melodic approach and with more doom/death like vocals that makes the music darker and more somber. Then they have hyper distorted guitars that contrast with the keyboards adding a lot of darkest colours to their music. One thing essential here are the guitar melodies which make the songs even more deppressive and interesting. There are many parts where the bass work is essential such as in the middle of "A Mere Shell" where the bass plays a melody that is soon combined with the guitars and whispering vocals. A must for fans of doom. 

Favorite tracks: Aarni: "Myrrys" and "Transcend Humanity". Umbra Nihil: "A Mere Shell" and "Determination"

Contact: www.firebox.fi

REVIEW: ZøRN - ZøRN

 

ZORN - ZORN (Independent , 2002)

Produced by Zorn

Cover Art by Zorn

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- Manifesto, 3- Serial killer, 4- Homo Creato Dall Nula, 5- Odiami

This is a brutal band that comes directly from Italy. Their music has many powerful riffs and in some places like on "Manifesto" or the beginning of "Serial killer"they use a particular guitar sound (sort of an elecrtonic noise or something like that) that makes the song more weird. The main thing here is the heaviness of all the tracks and the combination of brutality with arrangements and interesting rhythms (check for example how this guys develope the track "Serial Killer" starting with a clean guitar intro and then guetting into a twisted rhythm before getting into the full speed part. Then they add some melodies that give a lot of originality to the songs. The vocals are powerful in the vein say of Max Cavalera and singers in that style. A strange thing is listening the vocals in italian (as I think in spanish sound weird too even if it is my main language). It is incredible to see how many great bands are coming from Italy and Zorn is one of the ehaviest I have listened.

Favorite tracks: "Manifesto", "Serial Killer" and "Odiami"

Contact: www.zornband.com

REVIEW: WATCH ME BURN - WATCH ME BURN

 

WATCH ME BURN - WATCH ME BURN (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Watch me Burn

Cover Art by Watch me Burn

Tracks: 1- Lester, 2- 3 2/3rds NUMB, 3- Roadkill

This is an extremely burtal band, specially in the screaming vocals....they are brutal as hell!!!. This woman reminds me a little bit to Holy Moses Sabina Classen because of the energy and bestiality that she uses in the vocals. In fact she is amazingly bestial through the three tracks that are on this MCD. The music is also very extreme and changes rhythms a lot , from slow to fas, then back to slow and then fast again and maybe then even faster. There is also an ultraheavy guitar sound that combines perfectly with the bass thta has a cleaner sound and contrasts with them. The drummer is hyper fast and knows how to make tight rhythm changes that are essential in Watch Me Burn´s music. But the spirit and soul here are the savage vocals which in five minutes (that is what this MCD lasts) smash your brain against the wall. Here we have intensity and brutality !!! !!! Now we want a full length CD from this savage band from hell.

Favorite tracks: The three

Contact: www.angelfire.com/mt2/watchmeburn

REVIEW: VISIONS - A TRIBUTE TO BURZUM

 

VISIONS - A TRIBUTE TO BURZUM (Unholy Records, 2002)

Produced and Compiled by Hagen

Cover Art by Klaas Lageveen

Tracks:

CD 1: 1- ABORYM : Det Som Engang Var, 2- AEIGISHJALMAR: Jesus Tod, 3- BLACK QUEEN: Inn I Slottet fra Droemmen, 4- CRYOGENIC: Dunkelheit, 5- EARTHCORPSE: Lost Wisdom, 6- EWIGKEIT: Ea 2000 - Out for the Count, 7- FORNOST: Wende Im Zeichen des Mikrokosmos, 8- FUNERAL PROCESSION: Der Ruf Aus Dem Turm; 9- JUDAS ISCARIOT: War, 10- KRIGSTROMMER: Lost Wisdom, 11- KRYSTAL: Balferd Baldrs; 12- LUROR: Key to the Gate

CD 2: 1- NOKTURNAL MORTUM: Journey To the Stars, 2- ORTHAUGR: Der Weinende Hadnur, 3- PAGAN HELLFIRE: Frijos einsames Trauern; 4-SARNATH: Stemmen Fra Tarnet, 5- SCHIZOID: En ring til a Herske, 6- STARCHAMBER: Han Som Reise, 7- THE SYRE: Black Spell of Destruction, 8- TRONUS ABYSS: Moti Ragnarokum; 9- WOLFSBURG: Ein Verlorener, vergessern trauriger Geist; 10- WOODS OF FALLEN: Beholding the Daughter of the Firmaments, 11- HERRENVOLK: Daudi Baldrs

If you say you like metal then you must have this double CD in your recording collection. This is a 23 track collection of Burzum songs played in different versions by a lot of underground bands that have given the tracks their own twist in order to give tribute to a really influential band (or one man band) in the black metal underground. The tribute starts with a crushing version of "Det Som Engang Var" played bestially by Aborym which shows you the way that all the tribute is: really climatic and extremely brutal and heavy at the same time. One thing that I liked a lot is that all tracks sound really brutal, even the calmer ones and each of the bands have added their own personality on each of the tracks, from the guitar sound, to the drums sound to the way the compositions are played. There are versions that are closer to the original and some that have been changed a lot in order to add the band personality to them. Another good thing on this tribute is that despite the number of bands the sound of the overall recording is really good and there is not a big difference on the sound quality depending on which band is playing. Buy this or kill yourself!

Favorite tracks: A must for anyone that is into metal

Contact: www.unholyrecords.com

REVIEW: UNHOLY MATRIMONY - LOVE AND DEATH

 

UNHOLY MATRIMONY - LOVE AND DEATH (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Vladimir

Recorded in vladimir´s bedroom

Cover Art by Vladimir

Tracks: 1- A Prelude To love and Death, 2- Le Philtre , 3- Following the Black Star of thoughts, 4- The Feeling of not Belonging, 5- War, 6- Vomiting Bitter Tears of Disgust, 7- La fatalité de l´amour véritable, 8- Memory must Remain, 9- Hymn de la mort d´isout, 10- Selbstmord

Vladimir Cohet is a genius. This guy has created this wonderful piece of art that is this CD, full of dark ethereal music that is a great combination of melodic atmospheric passages and heavy twisted ones. The music here has powerful guitar riffs in many tracks but the essential thing here are the melancholic melodies that are in all the tracks even in the heavier ones. The music has elments of black metal like for example some fast rhythms and the screaming vocals . there are acoustic passages like the ones in "The Feeling of not belonging which are amazing and gives a lot of originality to the tracks. I think Vladimir is really good at doing orchestrations and harmonizations of musical pieces. As an example of this I suggest listening to the track "Le Philtre" which is magnificent. Vladimir also has other musical projects that I would really like to listen soon.

Favorite tracks: All this CD is magnificent

Contact: www.unholymatrimony.cjb.net