REVIEW: SALEM - COLLECTIVE DEMISE

 

SALEM - COLLECTIVE DEMISE (Independent, 2002 )

Produced By: Salem

Tracks: 1- Broken Yet united, 2- Coming End of Reason, 3- Slave, 4- Act of War, 5- Collective Demise, 6- Dead Eyes, 7- Feed on Your Grief, 8- Decadence in Solitude, 9- Recall, 10- Inhuman Greed

Cover Art by Nir Gutraiman

Recorded at D.B Studios

Directly from Israel comes to us the pmain black/death metal band from that eastern lands. Here is Salem. Their music is amazing!! From extremely fast parts with almost blast beats (the sound is really good and the drums are perfectly mixed) to melodic intros with clean guitars and dual guitars that play melodies (with an eastern flavor in them like on "Collective Demise"). This guys are excellent musicians and they know how to play from the simplest riff to the most difficult one without hesitation. There are female vocals that give some atmospheric feeling to the tracks while the rest of the band continues to play heavy riffs. And this is one important part of Salem´s music....the mix of climatic parts or melodies with their heavier staff (as you can see through all this recording). A must for lovers of extreme music

Favorite tracks: "Dead Eyes", "Recall" and "Act of War"

Contact: http://all.at/salem

REVIEW: RUSH - VAPOR TRAILS

 

RUSH - VAPOR TRAILS (Atlantic Records, 2002 )

Produced By: Rush and Paul Northfield

Tracks: 1- One Little Victory, 2- Ceiling Unlimited, 3- Ghost Rider, 4- Peaceable Kingdom, 5- The Stars Look Down, 6- How It Is, 7- Vapor Trail, 8- Secret Touch, 9- Earthshine, 10- Sweet Miracle, 11- Nocturne, 12- Freeze (Part IV of "Fear"), 13- Out of The Cradle

Cover Art by Hugh Syme

Recorded at Reaction Studios

Since I am a fan of Rush´s music I could not let this album pass without reviewing it. This album starts with "One Little Victory" that is one of the most energetic tracks by the band since some years ago. As always here we have the combination of distorted and clean guitars used by Alex Lifeson, and here we have Gedy Lee´s bass lines and unique vocals and also we have Neil Peart´s unique drumming style (this guy is extremely influential for progressive bands like Dream Theater or Fates Warning). The songs are more direct than in many of the later albums by the band and that would maybe be liked by fans of the "2112" or "Fly By Night" era of the band (even if Geddy Lee is using now a different vocal tonality). Rush continues to make good albums.

Favorite tracks: "Ceiling Unlimited", "One Little Victory" and "How It Is"

Contact: www.rush.com

REVIEW: RUNNING WILD - PORT ROYAL

 

RUNNING WILD - PORT ROYAL (Century Media Recs., 2002 )

Produced By: Running Wild

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- Port Royal, 3- Raging Fire, 4- Into the Arena, 5- Uaschitschun, 6- Final Gates, 7- Conquistadores, 8- Blown to Kingdom Come, 9- Warchild, 10- Mutiny, 11- Calico Jack

Cover Art by Sebastian Krüger

Recorded at Sky Trak Studios

Century Media Brazil is rereleasing this classic Running Wild album. This is the album that put the band in the top of the german metal world of the late eighties. With the previous great albums "Under Jolly Roger" and "Gates To Purgatorium", Running Wild established themselves as a great power metal band from Germany. But with this "Port Royal" they made the jump to success. Here we have eighties classics like "Port Royal", "Conquistadores", "Calico Jack" or "Final Gates" that have become icons in the history of metal music. Thumbs up for the release of this classic album from this classic band 

Favorite tracks: "Port Royal", "Conquistadores" and "Calico Jack"

Contact: www.centurymedia.com.br

REVIEW: RISING MOON - AREA 51

RISING MOON - AREA 51 (Independent, 2002 )

Produced By: Rising Moon and Elegy Records

Tracks: 1- Can´t Die, 2- Thirst of Hydrogen, 3- To Enervate, 4- Nature Killer, 5- Sikoyg-H, 6- Searching Hate, 7- Empty In my Eyes, 8- Forgotten Future, 9-Soulrust C/2010, 10- Area 51

Cover Art by Rising Moon

Having listened the band previous album "European Aliens" I find a lot of improvements on this new album. First of all the sound is much better than "European..."...this time the guitars sound clearer and the band´s complex riffs can be listened in their full magnitude. Then the drums are crystal clear and ypu can admire the double bass drumming that this guys do on most of the tracks. The compositions have improved a lot too, having more changes and more original riffs that are perfectly sustained by the rhythm section. The vocals have become more brutal too and this is fundamental for the mix of technicality and brutality that this band has. Rising Moon is a welcomed band every time that they release a new album!!!!  

Favorite tracks: "Can´t Die", "Natural Killer" and "Forgotten Future"

Contact: www.elegymusic.com

REVIEW: RECTO RECTORS - FIGHT FOR YOUR GRIND

 

RECTO RECTORS - FIGHT FOR YOUR GRIND (Spreadit Agency, 2002 )

Produced By: Recto Rectors

Tracks: 1- Raping the Ripped Reaper, 2- My Dog Was Taking a Shower when the phone rang..., 3- Lord of the Shit, 4- Cut the Cat, 5- More Stupid than a Stupid Idiot, 6- What about the Muck?, 7-21

Cover Art by Recto Rectors

Recto Rectors music, as the title of this CD tells us (and as their music confirms later) is pure grindcore of the fatest and rawest kind. Here we have short tracks that go at hyper speed (some of them, like "My Dog..." start slower but then goes to hyper speed turning slow again later) with extremely distorted vocals and ultra fast drum blast beats. There are 21 tracks on this CD (I only have the names of six of them) and the total time of this CD is something like twelve minutes. So, everything fits in the classic grind pattern. Extremely distorted guitars and bass, blast beats, guttural vocals, raw and primitive sound....if you like all this things then you have to check Recto Rectors music. 

Favorite tracks: "Lord of the Shit" and "Cut the Cat"

Contact: recto.rectors@yahoo.it

REVIEW: REARVIEW - ENJOY

REARVIEW - ENJOY (Independent, 2002 )

Produced By: Rearview

Tracks: 1- 3 Second Sex, 2- Milkway, 3- Enjoy

Here we have three tracks from this extremely climatic band. The album opens with a drum pattern followed by the bass guitar and the guitar playing some natural harmonics. Then enters Natalie´s whispering voice before getting into a heavier passage, then all of a sudden calm parts appear again. But is the calm before the storm. Rearview plays passages with extremely distorted guitars and interesting vocal harmonies. One of the main elements here are the vocals. The contrast between the melodic voices (Natalie is an awesome singer) and the heavier parts is amazing in "3 Second Sex" or "Enjoy". Tracks like those or "Milkway" show us how this guys and girl develope a lot of feelings through their music. Now we await a full length release from this awesome band.

Favorite tracks: The three

Contact: www.rearview.de

REVIEW: RATOS DE PORAO - ONISCIENTE COLETIVO

RATOS DE PORAO - ONISCIENTE COLETIVO (Century Media Recs., 2002 )

Produced By: Alex Newport

Tracks: 1- Onisciente Coletivo (Radio Edit), 2- Onisciente Coletivo (Original Version, 3- Onisciente Coletivo (DJ Version)

Cover Art by Ratos de Porao

Here we have a single with three versions of the title track of the new album from the great brazilian band Ratos de Porao. The first one is sort of a censored version of the song "Onisciente Coletivo" with a lots of beeping where the censored lyrics are. Then the second version is the one that is featured on the new album with complete lyrics and then the third one (DJ Version) is an instrumental version of te song but with more arrangements and variations (and without vocals). I would really like to listen the complete album so I can make more comments on the new aspects of Ratos De porao´s music.  

Contact: www.centurymedia.com

REVIEW: PRIMORDIAL - STORM BEFORE CALM

PRIMORDIAL - STORM BEFORE CALM (Hammerheart Recs., 2002)

Produced By: Mags and Primordial

Tracks: 1- The Heretic Age, 2- Fallen To Ruin, 3- Cast To the Pyre, 4- Suns First Rays, 5- What Sleeps Within, 6- Sons of the Morrigan, 7- Hosting of the Sidhe

Cover Art by Marco Jeurissen

Recorded at Academy Studios

This CD starts at full speed with "The Heretic Age" ...a hyper fast track with crushing guitars and melodies that gives Primordial´s music a lot of identity. The main work here is in the guitars that are those who play the sad and epic melodies that make Primordial a unique band. Then comes the drumming that is fast and imaginative without missing a beat and adding a lot of musicianship to the music. The mix here helps a lot to the result because it makes each of the instruments shine. And here come another aspect that is essential to Primordial´s music: the vocals. Yes, the vocals go from black metal type of screaming to singing in a really epic tone and playing with the guitars. There are some acoustic guitars that give the music a climatic touch being like the calm before the storm (that comes when the double guitar attack enters in the songs (check for example "Fallen to Ruin"). Listen to this CD or perish!!

Favorite tracks: All the CD

Contact: www.hammerheart.com

REVIEW: PHOBIC - SICK BLEMISHED UNCREATION

PHOBIC - SICK BLEMISHED UNCREATION (Elegy Records, 2002 )

Produced By: Phobic and Elegy Records.

Tracks: 1- Funebre Nuclearity, 2- Wickedness, 3- Iconoclast Rapture, 4- Feed Flesh Messenger, 5- Blemish Murder Execution, 6- Spawn Born In Sin, 7- Mured and Left Behind, 8- Manifestation of Hate, 9- the Right Ones, 10- Cancer of Soul, 11- S-L-999

Recorded at Maelström Studio

Phobic´s music sounds really strange to me. Despite having a death/black metal feeling, the way in which this CD is recorded has surprised me. First of all the vocals are brutal but at the same time follow rhythms that are not the common in this styles (check for example "Funebre Nuclearity". The guitars are fast and the bass is mixed really loud so the sound has a lot of bottom end. There are fast riffs (that are not of the one note type that are used in black metal or death metal many times) and some rhythms are closer to blast beats but the band prefers to play other type of stuff with more heaviness and mid tempos. The sound is good but I would like them to mix louder the guitars to add more brutality to the songs. The drums and vocals are well mixed and are the core of Phobic´s music. A brutal release with interesting arrangements. 

Favorite tracks: "Wickedness", "Blemish Murder Execution" and "The Right Ones"

Contact: www.elegymusic.com

REVIEW: OVERFIEND - SELF MEDICATED DREAMS

 

OVERFIEND - SELF MEDICATED DREAMS (Independent, 2001)

Produced By: Barry Martin and Overfiend

Tracks: 1- Scars, 2- Hysterically Useless, 3- Ms.Take, 4- Bleed Me Weak

Cover Art by Rob Cinami

Recorded at Diamond Hill and Blackcloud Studios

This is obviously drug induced music!! Yes, it is really weird. First of all I have to say that the music here is metal but not of any of the styles that we listen often. In fact Overfiend´s music has elements of death metal (in some vocal parts), of modern metal (in the guitar and bass sound) and other styles (I think that some of the vocals sound like some doom or stoner band). Through the four tracks that we can listen on this CD Overfiend takes us through many different moods, tempo changes and speeds. There is plenty of experimentation here and this four musicians are not afraid of making people wonde what they are going to do next. If you want a band that is really original while at the same time extremely heavy then you got to listen some Overfiend.

Favorite tracks: The Four

Contact: www.overfiendmusic.com