REVIEW: NAZGUL - DE EXPUGNATIONE ELFMUTH

 

NAZGUL - DE EXPUGNATIONE ELFMUTH (Elegy Recs., 2002 )

Produced By: Nazgul

Tracks: 1- Proemium, 2- Hult-Garth, 3- Elficidium, 4- Dies Festi..., 5- In Summis Montibus, 6- Nigrum Praesagium, 7- Impetus Quartae Lunae Novar, 8- Caelum Obscuratur, 9- Legio Draconarum orkian, 10- Natura Cadit, 11- Charcharon, 12- Solvitur Ad Elfmuth, 13- Bellum, 14- Epilogus

Cover Art by Vite

Recorded at Petit Studio

Here we have this band that plays "orkish black metal". In fact their music is black metal with many orchestrated parts mixed with some extremely fasta and raw parts. The vocals here are of different types, from the trollish (or orkish) type to a more guttural one to a bass spoken one. This guys know how to do an orchestral compositiona nd they show it through all this release...each of the songs here have a lot of keyboards and samplers that reflects the feeling that this guys want to transmit to the listener. When combined with the hyper raw guitar (that is mixed a little bit low for my taste) and the programmed drums this gives us Nazgul´s sound. The sound is good, specially on the keyboards (the main elment here) and the vocals (I prefer the spoken vocals because they give more atmosphere to the tracks). Lovers of atmospheric black metal will like this one for sure

Favorite tracks: All the CD, specially the orchestrated parts

Contact: www.elegymusic.com

REVIEW: MOURMANSK 150 - PSORIASIS GYRATA 3

MOURMANSK 150 - PSORIASIS GYRATA 3" (Independent, 2002 )

Produced By: Mourmansk 150

Tracks: 1- Skin and Internal Disorder, 2- Diagnosis, 3- Treatment, 4- Surgical Techniques

Cover Art by Unknownsickness

Here we have four tracks of pure experimentation with electronic sounds. Elemental sounds are mixed with electronics making this experiment in sonic madness. Mourmansk 150 knows no limits for their exploration of sonic boundaries, sometimes closer to noise and sometimes closer to ambient. Tracks like "Treatment" are more chaotic while tracks like "Diagnosis" have a different structure and show more coherence with spoken dialogues and sounds from some documentals from nazism and war. The compositions are quite long (more or less five minutes each) delivering a total of twenty minutes of pure exploration of sonic tapestries. People who enjoy this type of experimentation will surely find Mourmansk 150´s music interesting.  

Favorite tracks: "Diagnosis" and "Surgical techniques"

Contact: http://mourmansk150.free.fr

REVIEW: MOTIVE - DAMNED IF YOU DO...

 

MOTIVE - DAMNED IF YOU DO... (Independent, 2001 )

 

Produced By: Motive

Tracks: 1- Expose The Lies, 2- Spiral Fracture, 3- Religious Intent, 4- The Deep End, 5- Land, 6- Damned if You Do, 7- Almost Over, 8- Liberty

This is a previous recording from this powerful band and comparing this to the 4 song demo that we reviewed before you can listen to the evolution that this band has suffered, specially getting a better sound. Here we have all the other elements from Motive´s sound, the fast drumming (the double bass work is not so clear on this recording), the great bass work, the fast guitar riffs and solos and the vocals that later became more powerful and have been mixed in a better way. This is a good band for those looking for pure power and energy and some wild attitude.

Favorite tracks: "Spiral Fracture", "Land" and "The Deep End"

Contact: www.motive1.homestead.com

REVIEW: MOTIVE - 4 SONG EP

 

MOTIVE - 4 SONG EP (Independent, 2002 )

Produced By: Motive

Tracks: 1- Lochness, 2- Straight Madness, 3- Burnt Flavor, 4- Genetic Cleansing

Here we have this 4 song EP from this guys whose main influences are in the thrash and death metal styles. There are elements of old school death metal in many of the riffs here and also many influences from bands from the mid eighties and late eighties, specially on the drums rhythms (but this guy also makes interesting double bass patterns that give extra points to the songs. There is also an excellent work by the bass player who is really tight with the drums yet making interesting phrases and arrangements (here the mix lets us hear clearly the bass). The vocals are really wild and have a lot of power that make Motive a really energetic band. We want more from them!

Favorite tracks: "Lochness" and "Burnt Flavor"

Contact: www.motive1.homestead.com

REVIEW: MINDLOCK - SOULFRACTURE

 

MINDLOCK - SOULFRACTURE (Independent, 2000)

Produced By: Lars Schmidt

Tracks: 1- The Four Walls, 2- Unconsciously Aware, 3- Voice Within, 4- Soulfracture, 5- Exposed

Cover Art by Morten Ussing

Recorded at SoundZone Studio

This is an EP released by the guys of Mindlock before the Promo 01. Here you have all the elements that make Mindlock´s music a neck breaking experience. Here you have the powerful riffs, the drum patterns that makes you bang your head, the powerful vocals that add a lot of power accentuating the riffs while spitting the words. The sound in the Promo 01 is better and that is good because it means that this guys have a clear picture of what they want inside their heads. The four songs on this EP have no mercy for the listener, crushing him from the beginning to the end with its smashing power!!

Favorite tracks: "The Four Walls" and "Voice Within"

Contact: www.mindlock.dk

REVIEW: MINDLOCK - PROMO 01

 

MINDLOCK - PROMO 01 (Independent, 2001 )

Produced By: Mindlock

Tracks: 1- True Face, 2- Don´t You Care?, 3- Shattered Dreams

Cover Art by Mindlock

Recorded at Soundzone Studios

Here we have Mindlock, a powerful band whose music can be described as braincrushing metal with nineties influences from bands like Pantera, Sepultura, Pro-Pain and others.The music has intense riffs designed for the mosh pit or for headbanging (I mean, they are those guitar riffs that make yoou jump again and again making you loose control). The drummer here is a guy who knows exactly what fits better the song in the style of drummers like Chris Kontos or even Raymond Herrera and when combined with the guitars and the powerful vocals they create Mindlock´s mindmelting music. The three songs on this promo have really good sound and I really hope that they release a full length really soon!!!

Favorite tracks: The three

Contact: www.mindlock.dk

REVIEW: MINDBREAK - WELCOME TO THIS WORLD.

 

MINDBREAK - WELCOME TO THIS WORLD... (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Mindbreak

Tracks: 1- Apathy, 2- Disharmony, 3- Centurio, 4- Broken Minded

Cover Art by Mindbreak

Here we have this powerful death core band. First of all I have to say that the sound here is really good (I expected some poor quality sound but I was wrong). Then come the songs which are extremely powerful, specially because of the heavier than hell guitar riffs and the powerful vocals. All the songs here have a main riff which is the center of the track and then they have some rhythm changes and breaks. But the main thing here is that Mindbreak have developed four really deathly and powerful tracks with interesting drumming and a focus in brutality but without forgetting songwriting. Check this brutal band and let them surround you with their violence!

Favorite tracks: The four

Contact: www.mindbreak-metal.com

REVIEW: MIND WILD - SPIRIT

MIND WILD - SPIRIT (Spreadit Agency, 2002 )

Produced By: Mind Wild

Tracks: 1- Thrashers Rievocation, 2- Mindwild Spirit, 3- P.I.´99, 4- My Wild Mind, 5- No One´s Calling, 6- Inculation

Cover Art by Mind Wild

Mind Wild is pure thrash with an old school feeling and some death metal shades. Their music is fast with eighties riffs and some hardcore elements that give a different feeling to some parts. The songs are well constructed and you can imagine yourself in the late eighties thrash scene (even if this guys have a more modern sound). The sound is good and raw and it is not overproduced, so the music has this underground quality that many bands had in its beginnings (for example I find some Venom sound in "P.I.´99". There are faster parts that are closer to death metal like the end of "Mindwild Spirit". I find amazing how there seem to be a comeback of thrash metal to the underground but renewed with new sound and elments from other styles. 

Favorite tracks: "Mindwild Spirit", "My Wild Mind" and "Inculation"

Contact: mindwild@genie.it

REVIEW: MACHINE GUN KELLY - HELL´S INN

 

MACHINE GUN KELLY - HELL´S INN (Independent, 2002 )

Produced By: Tommy and Machine Gun Kelly

Tracks: 1- Hell´s Inn, 2- Stoned king, 3- Machine Gun Kelly, 4- On the Run, 5- Danger In the Wasteland

Cover Art by Umberto

Recorded at Nadir Studios

Machine Gun Kelly is aband whose music can be defined as hard rock, but the band has some metal elements and influences and they have also a heavier guitar sound when compared to bands of the style. Here we have five rocking tracks that contain good riffs and some punk attitude in the singing and in some bass and drums rhythms. The mix of this MCD is really polished and that makes the result even more direct and powerful because you can listen every instrument that is played here clearly. The songs have a lot of hooks, specially on the choruses that are designed to be singed along by the crowd. This is rock of really good quality

Favorite tracks: "Stoned King", "Machine Gun kelly" and "On the Run"

Contact: umberto16@supereva.it

REVIEW: LITHAM - DHAL ENNAR

 

LITHAM - DHAL ENNAR (Independent, 1999)

Produced By: Lelahel Metal

Tracks: 1- Ila Voum Eddine, 2- Secrets, 3-El Djamra, 4- Elixir, 5- Empire of Ibliss, 6- L´Kahf, 7- Chapter XIII, 8- El Litham

Cover Art by Litham

Recorded at Saad Kezzime

This is a very special recording, because it is the first metal recording done in Argelia. And it is a really extreme and good one. Litham plays some death metal with incredible arrangements and with some influences from their homeland (and that is really good and you can listen it in some of the guitar and vocal melodies). The songs are complex and this guys have the technical skills needed to achieve the compositional level that they wanted (specially the guitarist that is killer in all the solos and melodies. I hope this album and band opens up the way for other bands from Argelia and other african countries that deserve to be heard through all the world.

Favorite tracks: All the tracks. One of the best albums of the month.

Contact: www.litham.fr.st