REVIEW: ASHEN LIGHT - CTAPbI BbIAHHbI

 

ASHEN LIGHT - CTAPbI BbIAHHbI (More Hate Productions, 2001)

Produced By: Ashen Light

Tracks: There are twelve tracks with song titles in russian

Cover Art by Ashen Light

This is a compilation of two recordings done in 2000 and 2001 by Ashen Light. Here we have twelve tracks whose main sound is really atmospheric with a lot of keyboards and good and spacey drumming. Here the dark melodies are enchanting and reflects the darkness and serenity of the woods and other arcane places that inspire Ashen Light´s music. The compositions are well developed and they transport the listener to their dark world also using forest sounds and nature sounds that closing your eyes can take your imagination far away. There are also some heavier parts like on the seventh track were the guitars enter leaving a lot of space to the drumming, and the keyboards. For lovers of the dark, here is Ashen Light !!!

Favorite tracks: All the CD

Contact: www.morehate.newmail.ru

REVIEW: ASBEEL - HOMO HOMINI LUPUS

 
ASBEEL - HOMO HOMINI LUPUS (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Asbeel

Tracks: 1- Walczyc Nie Chce, 2- Condemantion, 3- Rotten Dreams, 4- Venom and Envy

Recorded at Checz Studio

Ultra heavu and weird kind of metal. This band comes directly from Poland and delivers here four tracks that are really heavy as hell and at the same time have elements that are not typical of the styles that we are used to listen. Here we have crushing guitars, an amazing contrast between Joanna´s vocals and other vocals that are more guttural (there are also amazing vocal harmonies done by Joanna herself). It is amazing how well Joanna interacts with the heavy guitars with her extremely powerful voice. The guitars here sound fat and heavy doing complex riffs,scales and phrases while the drums play heavy rhythms. I have to point out the good quality of the guitar players that deliver riff after riff and interesting solos through all the recording. If you like original metal with interesting musicianship then you should check Asbeel´s music. 

Favorite tracks: the four

Contact: www.asbeel.metal.pl

REVIEW: ARTDISORDER - FALLEN

 

ARTDISORDER - FALLEN (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Artdisorder and Andy Whitmore

Tracks: 1- Fallen

Cover Art by www.lethal-dose.com

Here is a single extracted from the "Sounding Colours". This is with no doubt one of the most aggressive tracks on that recording,and it has amazing melodies on the choruses with some processed vocals while having huge guitars doing rhythmic riffs and powerful drumming. Again I recommend this band to those lovers of heavy music with amny melodies and interesting compositional skills on their music.

 

Contact: www.artdisorder.net

REVIEW: ARTDISORDER - SOUNDING COLOURS

 

ARTDISORDER - SOUNDING COLOURS (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Artdisorder

Tracks: 1- Contrasting Shapes, 2- Fallen, 3- Abstract, 4- Virgo, 5- Fallen (UK Single Version)

Cover Art by www.lethal-dose.com

Recorded at Psychotic Reaction Studios

Here is a band that I am sure that with a good promotion could be one of the biggest name in the scene. Here we have a band with huge heavy guitar but with a pop feeling in the vocals that add a lot of hooks in each of the tracks on this album. Yes, each song here is memorable as hell while having heavy riffs and many changes. It really amazes me how well the songs are developed here and how you can sing them following the band . There is also heavy use of clean guitars in many parts and interesting drumming that add some progressive touches to the music here. I would recommend this to anyone that wants something new (and something that can go up in the charts really soon!)

Favorite tracks: The five

Contact: www.artdisorder.net

REVIEW: ANTARCTICA - ERASING MANKIND

 

ANTARCTICA - ERASING MANKIND (Sweet Nausea Promotions, 2002)

Produced By: Antarctica

Cover Art by Antarctica

Recorded at Mansion Studios

This release has two great features: first of all the music is brutal and powerful, and second the musicians here are really good and that means that they have a lot of creativity in their riffs making the songs really interesting and giving each second new twists to each of the compositions. Here we have a band that is not afraid of trying new riffs and drumming on each of the phrases, a band that finds new licks and riffs on each moment. All this ideas flow naturally from the band and is remarked by the good sound that this recording has. The vocals here can be brutal (in death metal or black metal styles, spoken and calm within the same composition as can be listened through all this recording. A must

Favorite tracks: All the CD

Contact: http://home.no/antarctica o www.sweetnausea.com

REVIEW: ALEPH - PROMO 2002

 

ALEPH - PROMO 2002 (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Aleph

Tracks: 1- Hallowed Hatred, 2- Sins of the Fathers, 3- Crossroads

Cover Art by Aleph

Aleph is a band with complex songs that can be described as heavy metal with some speed metal / thrash metal feeling in many of them. Here we have twisted riffs with complex guitar lines and good drumming with a lot of variations. One of the main things here is the use of keyboards that contrast heavily with the guitar riffs playing chord progressions and melodies while the guitars do the heaviest riffs. The vocals are in the style of pure heavy metal with some thrash metal feeling on them. There are interesting breaks and changes of riff and rhythm. The band sounds really tight and they have achieved a lot of cohesion between the members that allows them to play perfectly the compositions. For lovers of pure metal with new ideas.

Favorite tracks: The three

Contact: www.alephmetal.com

REVIEW: ABSURD - ASGARDSREI

 

ABSURD - ASGARDSREI (Resistance Records, 2002)

Produced By: Absurd

Tracks: 1- Leben ist Krieg, Krieg ist leben, 2- Asgardsrei, 3- Für Germanien, 4- Tod vor Sonnenaufgang, 5- Crux Gammata, 6- Als die Alten Jung Noch Waren, 7- Germanien über Alles, 8- Sonnenritter

Cover Art by Nick Oxner

Recorded at Adlerskerbe Studio

Absurd plays a climatic raw as fuck pagan black metal with nationalist lyrics that are sung in german and interesting guitar melodies in some places. In fact this band delivers interesting riffs played with a primitive sound that gives an underground feeling to this recording. Here ther is a use of programmed drums thatare a little bit buried in the mix. The riffs are twisted in many palces, specially on "Für Germanien", an eerie track. I would like the band to mix louder the guitars and find a fatter sound in them to add more power to the compositions, plus the guitar melodies that are in many places here can be combined with a rhythm guitar in order to add more cohesion to the music. A good effort. 

Favorite tracks: "Crux Gamata", "Als die Alten..." and "Germanien Über Alles"

Contact: www.resistance.com

REVIEW: ABHORRENCE - EVOKING THE ABOMINATION

 

ABHORRENCE - EVOKING THE ABOMINATION (Evil Vengeance Recs., 2002)

Produced By: Abhorrence

Tracks: 1- Abattoir, 2- Evoking the Abomination, 3- Sacrificial Offerings; 4- Hellish Annihilation, 5- Storming Warfare, 6- Abhorrer Existence, 7- Reborn To vengeance; 8- Triumph in Blasphemy

Cover Art Concept by Abhorrence

Abhorrence is an extremely brutal band that plays at full speed and with extreme bestiality through the eight tracks that we have on this album. Here we have a band that does everything to create good brutal as fuck songs and they have achieved this with this eight bestial tracks from hell. Here we have a band that makes riffs in the vein of bands like Suffocation with a guttural and bestial vocalist that adds a lot of power to the band while remarking the guitar riffs with his voice.  Here we have extremely fast guitar with a huge sound that delivers brutality on each composition and a drumming that plays from complex rhythms to blast beats all with the same power. I think that this is an album that is ideal for lovers of brutal death metal taken to its more bestial extreme.

Favorite tracks: "Sacrificial Offerings", "Storming Warfare" and "Reborn To Vengeance"

Contact: evil666vengeance@aol.com

REVIEW: 4LYN - NEON

 

4LYN - NEON (Rodeostar Recs., 2002)

Produced By: Florian Sommer & Darren Grahn

Tracks: 1- Me Vs Me, 2- 2nd Round, 3- Deadnekk, 4- Pearls and Beauty, 5- Not like You, 6- Lil Indians, 7- Real cutties, 8- Angry Horns, 9- U know nothing (bonus), 10- None of Y All, 11- Brompton-City Anthem, 12- Husky, 13- Neon, 14- Shelltoes and Fatlaces;

Cover Art by Rouven Steinke

Recorded at Puk Studios

 4lyn´s music is powerful, heavy as fuck and at the same time weird because of some strange feeling that you can listen from the beginning of "Me Vs. Me" like the processed guitar sounds. The sound of the band is extremely modern but they prefer to follow their own path than the one of bands like Machine Head, Korn or others. In fact their trademark are the extremely heavy riffs and the catchy choruses that you can find on each of the tracks here. The recording has really huge sound and that makes 4Lyn much heavier than a ll the new metal bands out there. I would recommend this to all fans of new metal bands.

Favorite tracks: "None of Y All", " 2nd Round" and "Not Like You"

Contact: www.4lyn.de

REVIEW: WATAIN - PROMO

 

WATAIN - PROMO (Blazing Productions, 2002)

Produced By: Watain

Tracks: 1- On Horns Impaled, 2- The Limb Crucifix, 3- Rabid Death´s Curse, 4- My Fists are Him, 5- The Walls of Life Ruptured

Cover Art by Watain

This is unholy black metal in its fastest and rawest format. Here we have the fast guitar riffs that use a middle range of the guitars and the blast beats going all through the tracks. All the tracks here have been taken from CDs, 7" Eps and live tracks from this bestial musical project. The mix here is extremely raw,a dding to the wild sound that Watain has. The vocals are extremely tortured as the style demands and add a lot of the black metal feeling to each track. The sound of the recording changes dependeing of which track was taken from each of the releases of the band (the ones taken from "Rabid Deaths Curse" CD are the ones that sound better for my taste and I think that the guys in Watain should mix like this in the future or even louder). Here you have the most bestial black metal guaranteed.

Favorite tracks: "The Limb Crucifix" and "My Fists Are Him"

Contact: www.blazing.ws