REVIEW: ROOTS V - THE PENTANGLE

 

ROOTS V - THE PENTANGLE (Root of All Evil Recs., 2001)

Tracks: 1- The Alchemist (Somnus), 2- Enraptured by Temptation (Theatre of the Macabre), 3- Valkyrie (Walhalla), 4- Scream Machine (Impaler), 5- Condemned Creation (Demonicon), 6- Choir ofImmortal Queens (Ancient Ceremony), 7-Caged (Opaque), 8- Don´t Ex´pect any Miracles (Disturbed), 9- Your Carcass (Crimson Thorn), 10- Black Metal (Sigh), 11- Downvain (Aesma Daeva), 12- The True Will Deisired (La Rue Delashay), 13- Smoke em if you got em (Maphead, 14- Blood from Zion (High on Fire), 15- Pianoskin (Ekstrand and Green), 16- Shrine (The Unholy), 17- Mulch (Pentagoria), 18- Death is Eminent (Ripsnorter), 19- L.N. (edit) (Rev. Poky Bunge, 20- Introduction to Evil (Brainmix)

This is a compilation from American label Root of All Evil Recs. featuring the bands that they have released in their catalog and some cooperations with other labels. So, here there are bands like Theatre of the Macabre, Walhalla, Somnus, Impaler, Demonicon, etc. Opening with Somnus was a good idea for this compilation because of the mix of elegance and brutality that their sort of death/black metal music with keyboards and spoken parts has. Following that track is Theatre of the Macabre´s "Enraptured by Temptation" with its killer keyboard and guitar based black/death metal. The interesting thing about this compilation is that covers very different sides of the spectre from Demonicon to Aesma Daeva...from Sigh to la Rue Delashay and much more. Plus it includes some rare tracks from bands like Maphead, the Unholy, High on Fire and more. Favorite tracks: "The Alchemist" (Somnus), "Downvain" (Aesma Daeva), Shrine (King Diamond Cover) (The Unholy). Contact: www.rootofallevil.com

REVIEW: RESISTANT - ANCIENT FUTURE

 

RESISTANT - ANCIENT FUTURE (Seventh Generation Recs, 2001)

Produced by Resistant and Schneebi

Recorded at Donner and Blitzen Studios

Art Direction and Design by Anthony E.

Tracks: 1- Strike, 2- refuse/Resist, 3- They Want to Keep You out, 4- Ball and Chain, 5- Four Wheel Drive, 6- Boss, 7- Man Against the Machine, 8- feathered Serpent, 9- Knowledge is the Key, 10- Ancient Future, 11- Mutated Future, 12- Medicine

This is band from California that makes a crossover between thrash, hardcore and death metal with a lot of other elements that makes them really original. There are a lot of breaks in the music here (in some of them you can appreciate a killer bass player). The vocals have a lot of moods from screaming to calm, from guttural to sort of industrial. The guitarists are really good musicians too and they have some funky flavour (the beginning of "Refuse/Resist" is really funky (starting as an extremely heavy and death metal version of Infectious Grooves and twisting into a Fear Factory/Sepultura style...cool!). One thing that got my attention is that all the tracks here are completely different one fom the other and that makes the CD more interesting to listen to. The palms here go to the great musicians which are original, heavy as hell and thay don´t miss a beat even in the more complicated parts. Favorite tracks: "They Want to Keep You Out", "Four Wheel Drive" and "Mutated Future". Contact: www.resistantculture.com

REVIEW: REFLECTING SKIN - AGONY STAR

 

REFLECTING SKIN - AGONY STAR (Luminous Motion Recs, 2001)

Mixed by Bruce McFarlane

Recorded at Supersonic Studios and

Cover Photo by Michelle Sola - Layout by Leah Chandra

Tracks: 1- Shadow of Your World, 2- Agony Star, 3- Snakes, 4- Remember Me, 5- Last in Heaven, 6- Soul Desert, 7- One, 8- Blue Night, 9- I dream You Sleep

There are a lot of aspects on this recording to consider it one of the bests of this month!! The first and most important is the excellence of Leah Chandra, whose vocals are so well placed through the whole recording giving an ethereal feeling and a lot of originality to the tracks. The second reason are the great arrangements that the band makes on this album. They are original and sometimes they are eastern sounding, sometimes more pop, sometimes jazzy. There is a lot of variety on the music here and that is, in my point of view, another reason to say that this is an excellent album. The percussion and the guitars are not what one is accustomed to listen...the drummer is really tribal in some parts and the guitarist knows how to be heavy and how to be subtle when the track needs it. Favorite tracks: "Snakes", "Soul Desert" and "Blue Night". Contact: www.reflectingskin.net

REVIEW: REALM OF CARNIVORA - VIKATI VARI TE PALGEL..."

 

REALM OF CARNIVORA - VIKATI VARI TE PALGEL..." (Ketzer Distro, 2001)

Tracks: 1- Intro-Let the Winter Last Forever, 2- Triumph of Armageddon, 3- Varjude Tants Jäälossis Kestab Iga Vesti, 4- Emission from the house of lords, 5- Grimm Ravens arrivel with Winterkill, 6- Caverns of No Return, 7- Ma Töusen üles Tuhast, 8- Outro-Nendele, Kes Iga Vesti Surid, 9- Hell Patrol (Judas Priest cover)

Realm of Carnivora´s CD opens with a very beautiful and melodic intro with a lot of melodic lines and keyboards atmosphere before getting in the purest of mayhemics black metals. Despite being full speed hatred black metal the music here has certain interesting arrangements. Interesting riffs that sound far from black metal when they slow down a little bit (and I think here is their best material and this is the path they have to follow in the future). There are some interesting melodies here and there played behind the death like vocals and some interesting guitar solos (the sound here can be better). An album for fans of original black metal. Plus there is a cover of Judas Priest´s "Hell Patrol" done the Realm of Carnivora´s way. Favorite tracks: "Emission from the House of Lords", "Caverns of No Return", " Let the Winter Last Forever". Contact: http://www.welcome.to/ketzer

REVIEW: RA - SINNOCENCE

 

RA - SINNOCENCE (Tribal Prods., 2001)

Produced by Tribal Productions

Recorded at Studio Box, Romania

Artwork by Valeriu Dudau

Tracks: 1- Medusa Child, 2- Sinnocence, 3- Nothing, 4- Hate, 5- My Goddamn Soul, 6- The Great Wide Shut, 7- Seductie, 8- Everything, 9- Just Wonders

Ra´s music is climatic and strange. Sort of a mid paced gothis music with distorted guitars. I hear some influences of Type o Negative in the vocals but Ra´s music has a bigger emphasis in atmospheres and extremely climatic tracks. I really liked this stuff, specially in the parts that where a crescendo is made going from a very climatic keyboard part to maybe a chorus like in the song "Sinnocence". The guitars give that metallic edge that Ra´s music deserve to have a good balance of power and magnificence. One thing to remark is that despite being very dark and heavy the tracks here have a lot of hooks designed to make things more interesting to the listener. I have not listened other releases from Tribal Prods. Before but judging by this recording and the one by Illegal Operation, I think that they release great music! Favorite tracks: "Medusa Child", "My goddamn Soul" and "Everything". Contact: www.tribal-productions.com

REVIEW: PRESENT - HIGH INFIDELITY

 

PRESENT - HIGH INFIDELITY (Carbon 7 Recs., 2001)

Produced by Guy Segers and Alan Ward for Carbon 7

Recorded at Noise Studio, tel Aviv

Art by Uri Dushy

Track: 1- Souls for Sale, 2- Strychnine for Christmas, 3- Reve De Fer

Highly Experimental music, disonant, with a really amazing work done by the winds section. But, above all, here we have excelent compositions. It is really interesting to see how this songs have a structure but at the same time leave enough room for great improvisations and experimentations. Spectacular track "Strychnine for Christmas" great musicians. The CD is done in three parts ...threee long tracks, one of them of more than 27 minutes of duration. There is an excelent guitar work in all the labum that reminded me some of the best things by King Crimson (Adrian Belew era). It is really surprising the fact that Present includes a lot of keyboards and mellotron that makes the sound os the band really progressive. Favorite tracks: The whole album. Contact: www.carbon7.com

REVIEW: PIRLY ZURSTRASSEN AND JEAN PIERRE CATOUL - SEPTIMANA

 

PIRLY ZURSTRASSEN AND JEAN PIERRE CATOUL - SEPTIMANA (Carbon 7 Recs., 2001)

Recorded by Philippe Ledent

Recorded at Talkie O Studio

Art by Michel Woodbury

Tracks: 1- Dies Jovis, 2- Dies Veneris, 3- Dies Saturnis, 4- Dies Solis, 5- Dies Luna, 6- Dies Martis, 7- Dies Mercuri, 8- Siamoise, 9- La Troisieme Porte, 10- Crocus, 11- Jaune, 12- Vert-tige, 13- Rouge, 14- Coquelicot, 15- Pour Wend La Viim

Amazing duets between Zurstrassen on piano and Catoul on violin. This two great musicians are making great melodies through all the recording using their good taste in every note they play. Zurstrassen combines really good his chord progressions and arpegios basements with melodies that embellish all the tracks. As an example you can check "Dies Saturnis". Catoul plays melodic lines and melancolic phrases with his violins over this progressions that are the skeleton of the songs here. So, if Zurstrassen chords and arpeggios are the skeleton, then Catoul´s violin is the flesh of this musical compositions. A really beautiful album. Favorite tracks: "La Troisieme Port", "Vert-tige", and "Dies Martis". Contact: www.carbon7.com

REVIEW: OPQUE - RESOLVE

 

OPAQUE - RESOLVE (Root of All Evil, 2001)

Tracks: 1- Caged, 2- Level, 3- Cut Throat, 4- Crossing, 5- Stripped of My Guilt, 6- Surface Pain, 7- Awaken, 8- Delt Fraud, 9- Stolen, 10-Strain, 11- Transformation

This album starts powerfully with "Caged" a great deth core piece. And this is the style that Opaque plays with influences of death metal, hardcore and modern metal. The fundamental thing here are the ultra crushing riffs. The vocals are powerful in the vein of bands like Pro-Pain or Crowbar. The choruses are screaming ones. There is a really good drummer here and a lot of hardcore influences and of modern metal bands like Machine Head. There are some industrial riffs in "Cut throat" and the guitars have a strong sound here. I would define Opaque´s music as a powerful and loud experienceMy favorite tracks: "Crossing", "Surface Pain" and " Delt Fraud". Contact: www.rootofallevil.com

REVIEW: ON THORNS I LAY - FUTURE NARCOTIC

 

ON THORNS I LAY - FUTURE NARCOTIC (Holy Records, 2001)

Produced by On Thorns I Lay

Recorded at Magic Sound Studios - Bucharest

Artwork by Spiros Antoniou (Set)

Tracks: 1- Infinity, 2- Future Narcotic, 3- The Threat of Seduction, 4- Feed her Lust, 5- Love can be a wave, 6- Ethereal Blue, 7- Heaven´s Passager, 8- Desire, 9- Back to that Enigma, 10- the K Song

One of the best bands that I have listened from Greece. This band has evolved and changed a lot since their latest album. This time their music is more ethereal, more melodic and has a lot of orchestrations. Don´t worry they are still heavy, they have not become a techno band. In fact they have added a gothic flavor to their music and a lot of keyboards. Also the vocals by Claudia J that contrasts with Stefanos ones are depressive and melancholic...but the band also uses some interesting choruses that complement their music perfectly. A really good CD. Favorite tracks: Future narcotic", "Feed her Lust" and "Back To that Enigma". Contact: holyrecords@wanadoo.fr

REVIEW: OBLITERATE - THE FEELINGS

 

OBLITERATE - THE FEELINGS (Erebos Productions, 2000)

Produced by P.Kusy and V.Bujnak and Obliterate

Recorded at Esprt Studio, April 1999

Cover by Ladislav Jusko, Obliterate

Tracks: 1-Abnormal indolence, 2- Life´s Attitude, 3- naive Mind, 4- Longing To Die, 5- Indian Holocaust, 6- Waiting for Nothing, 7- World of Unlimited Facilities, 8- Boundless Violence, 9 - Let´s Stop Violence, 10- The Anger, 11- Inane

Brutal death metal from Slovakia! The music here can be classified like that but the band has some hardcore edge and some modern metal influences in the way they make their riffs (not hyper fast...they are really elaborated riffs). Plus they have a killer drummer behind giving their music a good kick forward! The lyrics are very interesting covering different social topics like violence, racial problems, etc. The vocals are guttural but all the lyrics can be understand perfectly and the vocalist uses his voice along some riffs to make some rhythms more interesting and adding power to the part where he is singing, not merely shouting. The overall sound is good, I would have mixed a little bit louder the guitars but this is a great release for fans of brutality. Favorite tracks: "Life´s Attitude", "Indian Holocaust" and "Boundless Violence". Contact: www.erebosproductions.com