REVIEW: SCREAMING AFTERBIRTH - PUKE PILE

 

SCREAMING AFTERBIRTH - PUKE PILE (United Guttural Recs., 2001)

Tracks: 1- Entangled in Entrails, 2- Stump Fucked Piss Flaps, 3- Open Pussy Surgery, 4- Anal Volcano, 5- Completely Stuffed Bitch, 6- Writhing and Contorting, 7- Cottage Cheese Between her Legs, 8- Epidurial Emissions, 9- No Orifice Shall Remain, 10- Mongloid Whore, 11- Puke Pile, 12- Stabbing Faces and Kicking Guts

The Music that Screaming Afterbirth makes can be described as Bestial Death Grind. Yes, it is incredible the wild brutality that this guys have transmitted to this CD. In fact this must have been one of the most brutal releases ever. Fast as hell riffs with blast beats vocals that go from screaming to guttural, then back to screaming. The guitars have been tuned down a lot to make the riffs much more crushing and it really amazes the rhythmic riffs which are like a hammer in your brain. One of the main things here is the amazing drummer who is killer in the blast beats and even has sometime to add some interesting patterns to the guitar riffs while kicking the double bass drums. Extremely brutal !! Favorite tracks: "Writhing and Contorting", "Completely Stuffed Bitch" and "No Orifice Shall Remain". Contact: www.unitedguttural.com

REVIEW: RAIN FELL WITHIN - REFUGE

 

RAIN FELL WITHIN - REFUGE (Dark Symphonies Recs., 2002)

Produced by Rain Fell Within with Ron Vento

Recorded at IQ Studios, Clinton, MD

Artwork by Mike Riddick and Erika Swinnich

Tracks: 1- Torn Apart, 2- In the Knowing of You, 3- The Child Beneath, 4- In My Dreams, 5- Save Your Soul, 6- Winter´s Embrace, 7- Into the Tower, 8- Sirens, 9- Burned Away, 10- Passing Time

How wondeerful can be a female voice?? I don´t know, but I can mention many female vocalists that I really love: Kari Rueslåtten, Tarja Turunen, Erika Swinnich. This women have voices that can be as delicate as cristal and as powerful as a thunder. And Rain Fell Within have two great vocalists: Dawn and Laurie who sing duets in many parts of this CD. Rain Fell Within´s music is played with the heart, brain and soul from this amazing musicians, having a key role the omnipresent Keyboards and the heavy guitars. How heavy can be a band without being brutal? Well, Rain Fell Within is heavy as hell and yet they are extremely subtle with all their dark melodies. The sound of the recording enhances a lot the results. One of the albums of the year !! Favorite tracks: The whole album. Contact: www.darksymphonies.com

REVIEW: PREJUDICE - REALITY

 

PREJUDICE - REALITY (Firebreath/T.E. Recs., 2000)

Produced by J.P. and Prejudice

Recorded at Art Sound Studios

Artwork by Kris Verwimp

Tracks: 1- New Breed, 2- Act of Despair, 3- Deformity, 4- Disctated lives, 5- Embrace, 6- Betrayed, 7- In-Vitro, 8- Shadowed Thoughts, 9- Vicious Conduct, 10- Nuclear Malediction, 11- Spheres

Prejudice is one of the best metal bands ever coming out from Belgium....that is for my taste. I really like their brutality and the good sound that this recording has. They have complex riffs and many riffs on each track courtesy of Tuni, a great guitarist who sometimes uses a seven string guitar that adds a lot of bottom end to the riffs. Also there is a killer drummer here whose double bass drumming can be listened really clearly (I liked a lot the way in which the bass drum is mixed). The music is extremely brutal and that does not mean fast. In fact this guys go for extreme brutality without abusing blast beats and things like that (in fact the drummer makes some interesting technical things that make the result better). There are multiple changes in some tracks like on "Embrace", sort of a mix between brutal death metal and free jazz. An excelent release from an excelent band!! Favorite tracks: "Deformity", "Betrayed" and "Nuclear Malediction". Contact: www.prejudice.be

REVIEW: PHILIP GAYLE / RICHARD CHOLAKIAN - HUD PES

 

PHILIP GAYLE / RICHARD CHOLAKIAN - HUD PES (Yabyum Prods., 2000)

Produced by Philip Gayle

Recorded live by Marco Saenz at Aztlan Recordings

Tracks: CD 1: 1- Sick Bones, 2- OK (part 1). CD 2: 1- OK (part 2), 2- Available Jones

Amazing duet improvisations of this two great musicians !! Philip Gayle is joined here by percussion master Richard Cholakian for a serie of duets. Here we hacve in two CDs four extreme and spontaneous tracks. Some called this intuitive music and I think this is a great term top classify the music that Gayle and Cholakian make. It is increedible to see howgood this two guys interact. It seems like there is a mental conection between them. They explore their instruments in all the possible ways. Experimentation at its best. Favorite tracks: "OK" (thius track is the best...is divided in two parts, one on each CD and the total duration is almost 78 minutes)Contact: www.philipgayle.com

REVIEW: PHILIP GAYLE - SOLO LIVE 98

 

PHILIP GAYLE - SOLO LIVE 98 (Yabyum Prods., 1998)

Produced by Philip Gayle

Recorded at different live shows

Tracks: 1-Otoko No Tsuwari, 2- Uvula Pipe Cut, 2- Sic em Slobber, 4- Bibimbap Statement, 5- Paboya No Papparapah..., 6- Hagishiri, 7- Keguri Pulgbnluh, 8- Uppii to Pepe Monogatari, 9- Santoki Pnmbmna, 10- Easily Inquisition Trial, 11- Chlebulah Blhnbnlhnjhnha, 12- Narunun Kohttakchi

This is a Cd where Gayle shows his improvisations and spontaneity in a live environment, for example in some radio shows that he did. The music here is really improvisational and the same time there is a feeling of intimacy. There is only Gayle and his instruments (here he uses mandolin, 6 string guitar and a modified 3 string toy guitar). He is always playing with dissonant sounds and bordering extrema cacophony but he seems to always remain under his own control without making the dissonance sound bad. In fact I think this guy can be compared to excellent musicians in the same vein like Eugene Chadbourne, Derek Bailey or the guys in The Vertrek Ensemble. I would love to see Phillip collaborating with other musicinas in some weird improvisational project. Favorite tracks: "Uvula Pipe Cut", "Santoki Pnmbmna" and "Easily Inquisition Trial". Contact: www.philipgayle.com

REVIEW: PHILIP GAYLE - KEGURIBAP

 

PHILIP GAYLE - KEGURIBAP (Yabyum Prods., 1997)

Produced by Philip Gayle

Recorded by Birgrumbacher

Tracks: 1- , 2- Pustular Eruption, 3-, 4-,5-,6- Gambrinous Sapcicle Scuddies, 7-, 8-, 9- Billy Homemade Paste, 10-

Here is another Cd with Philip Gayle´s amazing improvisation. As you may have seen here I only put some of the name of the tracks. That is because many of them are written in japanese charachters and I didn´t want to make awful mistakes trying to put them. On this recording Gayle uses a lot of different guitars, mainly the 4 string and 5 string guitar, and some banjo too. The songs have really demential parts and others that are extremely melodic and harmonic. Also he experiments in the realm of sounds and noises adding a lot of variations to his improvisations. For people who like musicians that try to break boundaries always. Favorite tracks: "4", "Billy Homemade Paste" and "7". Contact: www.philipgayle.com

REVIEW: PHILIP GAYLE - PNBNA

 

PHILIP GAYLE - PNBNA (Fleece Recs., 1998)

Produced by Philip Gayle

Recorded at Aztlan Recordings

Artwork by Tricia Moreau Sweeney

Tracks: 1- Leaning Tower of Dust Bunny, 2- Onion Smoke, 3- Crescent Moonflower, 4- Gallinule Legs, 5- Arasha Korosha, 6- Flower is a Pinata, 7- Lenvoy Lirp

Philip Gayle´s main goal on this recording is experimentation. And he has chosen to do it here through many different instruments: mandoline, 12 string guitar, cello, waterphone, just to name a few of the many that he uses through all this recording. The music contained on this recording is extremely spontaneous (they are solo acoustic improvisations) and boundaries breaking. In fact Gayle is constantly exploring new paths with his instruments in the search for the ultimate sound. Lovers of improvisation and experimentation will surely like this album that while melodic in many places is constantly surprising the listener with new sounds. Favorite tracks: "Crescent Moonflower", "Flower is a Pinata" and "Onion Smoke". Contact: www.philipgayle.com

REVIEW: ONTARIO BLUE - SHINE

 

ONTARIO BLUE - SHINE (Fluttering Dragon Recs., 2000)

Produced by Stephen Pennick

Recorded at Enlightment House

Artwork by Stephen Pennick

Tracks: 1- New Beginnings, 2- Chant of the Forgiven, 3- Mara´s Daughter, 4- Lost City, 5- Change, 6- Shadows, 7- Don´t Weep for Me, 8- Memories of Tomorrow, 9- This Mortal Coil, 10- Kali in Mine Eyes, 11- Rise

Stephen Pennick, the man behind Ontario Blue (main composer, arranger and musician on this CD) is a great artist and here he delivers this album called "Shine". In fact, the music contained here is really atmospheric and full of keyboards (some parts reminded me of some new age artist, some Kitaro and others). The tracks here are small ompositions like small classical pieces done with heavy use of keyboards and electronics. There is also a dark celtic flavor in some of the tracks. Pennick´s vocals are similar to the ones that make Brendan Perry in Dead Can Dance and you will feel some shades of that band in Ontario Blue´s Music too. Those who like this style will surely enjoy this recording. . Favorite tracks: "Mara´s Daughters", "Don´t Weep for Me" and "This Mortal Coil".

REVIEW: OLIGARQUIA - NECHROPOLIS

 

OLIGARQUIA - NECHROPOLIS (Destroyer Recs., 2000)

Produced by Ciero and Oligarquia

Recorded at Da Tribo Studios

Artwork by Wanderley Perna and Gregor Osipoff

Tracks: 1- Hiroshima, 2- Reflections of Death, 3- Induction, 4- Real Nightmare, 5- Enslave! Synonym of Money, 6- Correction, 7- Voices, 8- Agony, 9- Crucial moment, 10- Blood Streets, 11- Ecstasy

This is a climatic band...their music is death metal with some melodic parts and some hyperfast riffs that can be listened in black metal bands, also there are some parts that are slower almost doom, some rocking riffs (Carolina Parada does not play the riffs that one expects and that is really great). The vocals are guttural and fit the music really well. I would like a mix a little bit better, specially on the drums cymbals and hihat which are a little bit buried in the mix. The main factor here are the guitars with great riffs that sometimes are simple and sometimes more technical (like the ones in "Real Nightmare"). I feel a certain thrash metal influence in some of the parts. The result is this really good album !! Favorite tracks: "Reflections of Death", "Enslave ! Synonym of Money" and "Crucial Moment". Contact: www.destroyer.com.br

REVIEW: OCULTAN - REMEMBRANCES OF EVIL, THE CRUCIFIXION

 

OCULTAN - REMEMBRANCES OF EVIL, THE CRUCIFIXION (Evil Horde Recs., 2002)

Produced by Ocultan and Ze Renato

Recorded at Phonovox Studios

Artwork by Michel R.

Tracks: 1- Supremo Mal, 2- Eterno Poder Obscuro, 3- As Sete Caldeiroes Do Inferno, 4- O Orgulhoso Exu Belzebuth, 5- O Sangue, a Maior Oferenda, 6- Vossas Damas, 7- Lembranças do Mal, a Crucificaçao, 8- A Matança

This is music that is full of hate against christianity!! Yes, black metal in its rawest form!! The tracks here are incredibly fast and the guitar sound is really raw (as are the drums too). The guitar riffs are extremely fast and there are a lot of arrangements in this ultraspeed riffs that make the tracks more atmospheric while full of hatred at the same time. The sound of this recording is good (I would like maybe the bass and snare drum mixed a little bit louder). Also the packaging of this CD is great with a booklet really well printed with pictures and drawings and all the lyrics (which are in portuguese). This is pure black metal from Brazil / South America for the world !!!! Favorite tracks: "Eterno Poder Obscuro", "As Sete Caldeiroes Do Inferno" and "Lembranças Do Mal...". Contact: www.evilhorderec.com or http://www.geocities.com/ocultanblackhorde