REVIEW: LUNATIC GODS - THE WILDERNESS

 

LUNATIC GODS - THE WILDERNESS (Shindy Prods, 2001)

Produced by Hirax and Lunatic Gods

Recorded in Studio Exponent, Sulekovo

Artwork by Milan Hrabovsky

Tracks: 1- Curse, 2- Tormenting World; 3- Fallen Beauty; 4- Doomsday; 5- Battlefield of Life; 6- Dance of Salome; 7- Stone; 8- Mystic Way; 9- Bemidbar I; 10- The Wilderness; 11- Bemidbar II

In one of the first issues of Music Extreme I reviewed both previous Lunatic Gods releases. Since then I was waiting their new release. Now, after some lineup changes here they are again. Their complex style is here again (this time even with more arrangements on the songs), and they have two improvements: one, the sound which is much better (the keyboards sound bigger and so do the drums and the guitars) and the second ones is that they have complemented their technical skills with a more aggressive approach which I like a lot. The vocals are great Horar and Emil are like day and night vocally speaking and they complement very well one with the other (there are interesting contrasts between the more guttural vocals and the more melodic ones). There are a lot of clean guitars parts that work really well with the keyboard progressions and melodies in ordeer to create new sides to lunatic Gods music. This is one step forward from this amazingly great band.

Favorite tracks: "Tormenting World"; "Battlefield of Life" and "Mystic Way".

Contact: www.shindy.cz or www.lunaticgods.sk

REVIEW: LORD WIND - RITES OF THE VALKYRIES

 

LORD WIND - RITES OF THE VALKYRIES (No Colours Recs., 2002)

Produced by Darkens

Tracks: 1- Winged Helmets; 2- the Ancient Beginnings; 3- Prophecy of the Norns; 4- Father of Wisdom; 5-Atlantean Monument; 6- Rhinemaidens Lamentation; 7- Dance of War; 8- Horn of Summoning

Lord Wins id a project of Darkens from the almighty black metal band Graveland. But the music here is completely different from this band. In fact here we have climatic orchestral pieces with big influence from nordic music. In fact listening to this CD is like walking in an ancient dark forest full of pagan myths and beings. The compositions have a great feeling with those chants that can be listened almost through all the CD and the combination of ancient sounds with this keyboard melodies. There is a lot of use of minor tonalities in the tracks and that makes the feeling of the music contained here darker or more sad. This is great music to listen with your eyes wide shut and I think it would be a great soundtrack for some ancient-times movie. One of the recordings of the month.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD. I liked a lot the compositions. This music and orchestration showcases the skills that Darkens has .

Contact: www.no-colours-records.de

REVIEW: LOL COXHILL - SPECTRAL SOPRANO

 

LOL COXHILL - SPECTRAL SOPRANO (Emanem Disc, 2002)

Produced by Steve Beresford

Mastered by Dave hunt

Artwork by Monkey Design

Tracks: CDI : 1-Autumn in New York; 2- bad Boy; 3- Strictly legal; 4- Vermilion Sands; 5- Not the North; 6- Three go To letchworth; 7- Embraceable You/Quasimodo; 8- Union Dues; 9- Turned Out Nice Again; 10- Happy Birthday Bob Cobbins; 11- I Thought About You; 12- Aquaslide; 13- Experiments With temperature; 14- Two Out of Three; 15- Messin With the Man;

CD 2: 1- Abrief Introduction To Sax; 2- Magic Buffalo; 3- Uptown Top Ranking; 4- Perdido; 5- Out of Nowhere; 6- Brits Abroad; 7- Tourism in Crisis; 8- Verstehen und Sprechen; 9- Murder In The Air; 10- Sweet Hawaiian Kisses; 11- Victory Walk; 12- C.A.K.; 13- Resonance; 14- Introduction to the Orchestra

Here is Lol Coxhill´s latest offer. This is a compilation of Impriovisations that this great musician did with his sax (his main instrument) and other musical instruments like piano. The music here goes from jazz, to ambient , to sponteneous, to electronic. It is interesting too to see the big quantity of musicians that have worked with Coxhill through all the years helping him to develope differnt sides of his musical personality. The music contained on this two CDs is of esentiall listning for every musician who wants to know something about improvisation. Coxhill can do from hyper fast sax lines to sustained notes, to shrieaking sounds in order to develope the idea that he has in his mind. It is great to see that this superb musician has always a new desire to explore and break boundaries. A must.

Favorite tracks: All. This two CDs show us why this superb musician is a master of experimental and improvisational music.

Contact: www.emanemdisc.com

REVIEW: LAPIDATED - IMPLANTING THE FECAL SHOWER

 

LAPIDATED - IMPLANTING THE FECAL SHOWER (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Javier Gil

Recorded in Madrid

Artwork by Oscar

Tracks: 1- Entrails Cake; 2- Homemade Traqueotomy; 3- Verminous Anal Suppuration; 4- Fecal Shower

Lapidated´s music is fast as hell. Their grind/ death metal is terribly fast and devastating. With fast and bestial riffs (played with a fat sound) and a lot of blast beats on the drums (this guy, Javier, is killer on the drumkit....sometimes he plays blast beats so fast and precise that he seems to be a machine). The compositions spin around fast parts but they have some rhythms that make the songs interesting. The vocals are extremely guttural as the style demands and there are guitar solos played hyper fast and with a strange sound like the one in "Fecal Shower". The tracks are not short...in fact the four tracks contained here make a total duration of the CD of more than 14 minutes. I would like to listen more material from tis band because I liked a lot their attitude and brutalityw ith no limits.

Favorite tracks: "Entrails Cake"; "Fecal Shower".

Contact: www.lapidated.cjb.net

REVIEW: KING DIAMOND AND BLACK ROSE - 20 YEARS AGO. A NIGHT OF REHEARSAL

 

KING DIAMOND AND BLACK ROSE - 20 YEARS AGO. A NIGHT OF REHEARSAL (Metal Blade Recs., 2000)

Mastered at Nomad Recording Studio

Mastered by king Diamond, Kol Marshall and Gary Long

Tracks: 1- Locked Up In the Snow; 2- Holy Mountain Lights; 3- Crazy Tonight; 4- Virgin; 5- Kill for Fun; 6- The End, 7- Road Life; 8- Soul Overture; 9- Doctor Cranium; 10- Disgrace; 11- I Need Blood; 12- Radar love

This is King Diamond´s band previous to the creation of Mercyful Fate. Don´t expect heavy metal in the vein of that band or in the vein of King Diamond´s solo band. Here the music is closer to seventies hard rock with a lot of Hammond organ sound and rocking riffs. The two main influences here can be Deep Purple (this is the strongest influence that I can feel in Black Rose´s music) and Kansas or some seventies prog rock band (here they include a cover of Golden Earring´s "Radar Love"). This CD was recorded in a night of rehearsal and you can listen all the mistakes and all the spontaneity ofthe band. It is really funny to listen. A good document of what King was doing well before Mercyful Fate.

Favorite tracks: "Doctor Cranium", "Holy Mountain Lights" and "Kill for Fun".

Contact: www.metalblade.com

REVIEW: ISKRA 1903 - BUZZ SOUNDTRACK

 

 ISKRA 1903 - BUZZ SOUNDTRACK (Emanem Disc, 2002)

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded in London 1970 or 1971

Artwork by Martin Davidson

Tracks: 1- Buzz Trio1; 2- Buzz Trio 2; 3- Buzz Trio 3; 4- Buzz Trio 4; 5- Bass and Trombone; 6- Trombone and Guitar; 7- Guitar and Bass; 8- Bass Solo 1; 9- Trombone Solo 1 ; 10 - Guitar Solo 1; 11- Buzz Trio 5; 12- Bass Solo 2; 13- Trombone Solo 2; 14- Guitar Solo 2; 15- Buzz Trio 6; 16 - Buzz Trio 7; 17- Buzz Trio 8; 18- Buzz Trio 9; 19- Bass Solo 3; 20- Trombone Solo 3; 21 Guitar Solo 3

For those who doesn´t know it, Iskra 1903 is a trio that puts together the talents of superb improvisational musicians like Paul Rutherford (trombone), Derek Bailey (amplified guitar) and Barry Guy (double bass). This guys are masters of spontaneous music and improvisations and they show it through all their recording. In fact this is a CD that was originally recorded in 1970/1971 and showcases all the habilities of the trio. In fact I think that the pieces that I liked most are the ones where the thre musicians play together because here you can feel not only their individual skills but also the mental connection that they have between them. Rutherford trombone lines crash against Bailey´s drop rain like arpeggios and they are reshaped by Guy´s double bass phrases creating this magical pieces that you can listen on this recordings. Also the solo tracks are killer and here you can learn what this guys know about spontaneous music.

Favorite tracks: "Bass Solo I"; "Buzz Trio 4" and "Buzz Trio 9".

Contact: www.emanemdisc.com

REVIEW: IRON MAIDEN - ROCK IN RIO

 

IRON MAIDEN - ROCK IN RIO (EMI, 2002)

Produced by Kevin Shirley

Recorded live in Rio de Janeiro; January 2001

Artwork by Peacock

Tracks: CD I: 1-Intro; 2- the Wicker Man; 3- Ghost of the Navigator; 4- Brave New World; 5- Wrathchild; 6- 2 Minutes To Midnight; 7- Blood Brothers; 8- Sign of the Cross; 9- The Mercenary; 10- The Trooper; 11- Brave New World (video)

CD 2: 1- Dream of Mirrors; 2- The Clansman; 3- The Evil that Men Do; 4- Fear of the Dark; 5- Iron Maiden; 6- The Number of the Beast; 7- Hallowed Be Thy Name; 8- Sanctuary; 9- Run To the Hills; 10- A Day in the Life (video)

This is a recording of a concert recorded in the beginning of 2001 (when Iron Maiden did their Southamerican tour with their new six-piece lineup). The recording features their entire set with two videos (one on each CD). The recording has a greta level compared to "A Real Live One", " A Real Dead One" and all that stuff. I liked the "Brave New World" album and there are plenty of songs from that album here. But nothing compares to the classics. Nothing compares to the glory of tracks like "Wrathchild" or "The Trooper". This is a proof that Iron Maiden needed a great singer and that they have got it with the return of Bruce Dickinson. And also it is a proof that they are still alive and kicking.

Favorite tracks: "Wrathchild", "The Trooper" and "The Number of the Beast".

Contact: www.ironmaiden.com

REVIEW: INTERVALLE BIZARRE / MALIGNANCY - SPLIT CD

 

INTERVALLE BIZARRE / MALIGNANCY - SPLIT CD (Shindy Prods., 2002)

Produced by Intervalle Bizarre and Malignancy

Recorded at Shhark Studio (Intervalle Bizarre) 

Tracks: Intervalle Bizarre: 1- Abortion by Muriatic Acid; 2- Disfigured Sculpture; 3- Raped Serenity; 4- Incomprehensible Movements; 5- Walking Corpse

MalignancY: 1- Fibroid Embolism; 2- Profitable Extinction; 3- Rotten Seed; 4- Post Fetal Depression; 5- Mortality Weakness

What a crushing split CD! First starts Intervalle Bizarre with their extremely technical death metal with some grind parts included (there are super fast blast beats in some places). Here the riffs are technical and there are multiple changes within each song. It is incredible the great sound that this band has (the second track, "Disfigured Sculpture" that starts as a grind track with some odd time rhythms is perfectly mixed and you can distinguish even the more subtle arrangements). There are some Pestilence influences in Intervalle Bizarre´s music, specially in the guitar riffs (also i find some Atheist in there too...great influences!). They end their half of the split with a Brutal Truth cover "Walking Corpse".Thumbs up for Intervalle Bizarre!!!

Then comes Malignancy with a sound that is not as good (the mix is a little bit lower than the one in the Intervalle Bizarre side, specially on the guitars). The music has amazing riffs !! I liked particularly the ones in "Post Fecal Depression" witha lot of pinch harmonics and some fills that are killer. Malignancy also is a very technical band prefering to explore the rhythm changes instead of some melodies (they use some odd timing here and there too). Their killer is guttural and makes the music really brutal. Brutality guaranteed with Malignancy.

Favorite tracks: "Disfigured Sculpture"; "Raped Serenity" and "Rotten Seed.

Contact: www.shindy.cz

REVIEW: INFIDEL? / CASTRO ! - CASE STUDIES IN BIOENTROPY

 

INFIDEL? / CASTRO ! - CASE STUDIES IN BIOENTROPY (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Infidel? / Castro!

Recorded at the Realm of Koland and La Casa de Alvarez

Artwork by Colin Marston and George Korein

Tracks: 1- The Violence of Hygiene; 2- The Act of Sterilization; 3- Objective Reality; 4- Mobius; 5- Spiraling; 6- Negativity; 7- Subjective Reality; 8- Circular thoughts; 9- A Hanging Man

Only reading the name of this band I thought "well, this guys must be really experimental". And they did not dissapoint me...their music while heavy has many elments that can be called industrila nad a lot of sound effects that create a dense atmosphere in all the tracks. There are interesting keyboard arrangements that bring twisted melodies and arrangements to the compositions. I think there is some improvisation too here in the parts that seem more chaotic. And that is how I would define this music....the perfect equilibrium between complete harmony and chaos. Fans of experimental music will be delighted with Infidel? / Castro!.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD. I like musicians who have the guts to experiment in the way that this guys do.

Contact: www.infidelcastro.com

REVIEW: IMMEMORIAL - MONOLOGUE

 

IMMEMORIAL - MONOLOGUE (Conquer Records, 2002)

Recorded at Selani Studio

Mastered by Adam Kuc

Tracks: 1- Forsaken in Nonentity; 2- A Monologue; 3- Wander Through Life; 4- Demons of Fate; 5- Under Delusion; 6- Born To Redeem; 7- A Nightmare; 8- Seized With Darkness; 9- Video Track

A brutal release but with a lot of finesse in the guitar work. In fact I liked a lot the contrast between the crushing rhythms and rotten vocals against the melodic guitar solos. This gives a lot of originality to the band. Also another thing that I liked are the breaks and the change of rhythmand riffs that they use within each song . The drums sound is strange but I liked it a lot (is really like listening to a machine instead of this technical guy.....the double bass is killer). There are some fast riffs that could be from a black metal band too and this along with the beforementioned guitar melodies. One point that is fundamental is the great sound tat this release has....it is possible to listen everything cristal clear even in the faster and more distorted parts. Get on your knees...Immemorial has arrived !!!!!!!

Favorite tracks: "Wander Through Life"; "Under Delusion" and "A Nightmare".

Contact: www.conquerec.com