Runemagick – On Funeral Wings (Aftermath Music/Eternal Dark Productions)
Nicklas Rudolfsson, who’s been running the Runemagick apocalypse machine since it's 1990 inception, couldn’t give two shits about me or my opinions, but I’m such a fan of this guy and all his many projects (The Funeral Orchestra, Runemagick, et al). He’s one of the true underrated metal geniuses, preferring to reside firmly in the underground in relative obscurity. He’s like the Swedish-version of Paul Chain without the weird baby-talk.
Suffice to say, Runemagick have never disappointed with their sometimes atmospheric Autopsy/Unleashed-on-‘ludes take on heavy darkness. There is something about every album that I find compelling, interesting or just plain hypnotic. While not as unrelentingly crushing as their last release, Darkness, Death, Doom, the dynamic change-up – and pure visceral punch - in the material is more impressive. One of the best features of Runemagick is the ability to put punch in their songs – it’s the magic when guitar, bass and drum (sometimes accented with the ever-doomy church bell) all hit their mark at the same time in a particularly slow doomy passage for maximum impact as a precursor to a mid-tempo Old School Swedish Death romp before coming together again to shake the bats out of the belfry. The title track is a perfect example of the Runemagick craft – menacing negative doom riffs, plodding passages and swingin’ back-in-the-day death metal breakdowns. “In A Darkened Tomb” is sheer uptempo pure metal darkness, the epic “Wizard With the Magick Runes” incorporates some of those unsettling atmospherics familiar to fans of The Funeral Orchestra, deciphered in an Arabic scale before the supah-heavy climatic ending.
I’m a sucker for the build-up.
Visit the Runemagick website at http://www.runemagick.se (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

In Flames - Soundtrack to your Escape (2004 Nuclear Blast)
I'm not quite sure what these guys are trying to do, what demographic they are pursuing or what style their going after. I mean it seems like as each album is released they just get worse and worse. Set aside the fact that they no longer know how to play their instruments, ignore the choice of hairstyle that Anders Friden wears, ignore the fact that the album lacks any real melodies or solos, the real mystery here is that there are no good songs, not even any cheesy poppy catchy ones, the songwriting just sucks, and Anders' voice is the absolute worse, I knew all this going into this purchase, but still I had to buy it, and I have been listening to this album non-stop for the last few days trying to pound it into my brain hoping that I might "Get it" at some point, but each time I listen the more I actually dislike it. The guitar tone they use on this thing is worse than your average Nu-metal band, I mean I've heard better riffs on the last 3 Doors Down album, everything has that annoying downtuned chugga-chugga sound, that sound that Korn ditched 3 years ago. Bjorn and Jesper are just going through the motions up there, they have to be able to play better than this, can't they hear what they're doing, don't they know that it sucks? The singing on this record is just awful, Anders still growls and it sounds like the Anders of old, but when he tries to sing clean it's just downright painful almost to the point where its all I can do to keep myself from yanking the CD out and shattering it into a million pieces "I have no business wasting my time listening to this shit" but yet I continue to do so out of loyalty to a once great band... When Anders sings clean he uses this totally gay psychedelic furs/duran duran whiney voice, and he just sounds like a little bitch, this is supposed to be metal for Christ's sake, not some cheesy 80's techno ballad. Anyways this is a shitty album, with the worst songwriting that In Flames have ever done. This album makes "Reroute to Remain" look like a masterpiece. In Flames haven't sold out, they just suck, they work hard, tour constantly and put out albums consistently, but they can't write a good song and Anders just can't sing.... (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

Thorr’s Hammer - Dommedagsnatt (Southern Lord Recordings)
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying the huge contribution of the O’Malley/Anderson team to the Doom bloodline. One of them…and usually both in some way or form have been/are responsible for not only Thorr’s Hammer, but Goatsnake, Sunn 0))), Khanate, Burning Witch, Teeth of the Lions Rule the Divine, Lotus Eaters and Probot…I’m sure I’m missing a few… not to mention the Southern Lord label which has come as close as we’ll ever get to making “doom” a household idiom.
So it’s nice to take a trip back on memory lane to both Southern Lord’s first release. Dommedagsnatt features the O’Malley/Anderson doom team as well Buring Witch drummer Jamie Sykes bassist James Hale. The real star here however is Norse beauty Runhild Gammalsaeter who looks like a runway model with fangs.. Tall, slim and blonde with a voice that alternates between alluring beauty and guttural belches, you have to wonder what her childhood was like. Watching the bonus video included on the disc, it’s hard to imagine such a demonic voice emanating from such a natural beauty, which makes it all the more unsettling. Electric Wizard’s “Devil’s Bride” comes to mind in terms of a case study.
The three studio songs that comprise Dommedagsnatt take the dISEMBOWELMENT/Thergothon paradigm and give it a new twist. Gammalsaeter’s Norse poetry and alternating vocal stylings paired with Sykes beating the shit out of his kit slowly (check out the Gammalsaeter/Sykes outing on the end of the title track) and the raw, bludgeoning crawl of Hale/O’Malley/Anderson, make this an essential extreme doom classic. Keep in mind this would set the template for a ton of copy cat bands to come, not to mention O’Malley and Anderson’s own future projects. Thorr’s Hammer is the precursor to the pure unsettling evil of Burning Witch and Khanate and subsonic frequency manipulation and eclectic vocal collaborations of Sunn 0))). The band has had an indelible impact on extreme doom, much of which goes unnoticed as the genre’s bloodlines blur with time.
Really, an essential release in doom history. (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Various Artists - High Volume: The Stoner Rock Collection (High Times Records)
Right here is the reason why I don’t smoke pot anymore – it slows you down, sucks ambition right out the window. Here we are, at least three years past the peak of ‘Stoner Rock’ and High Times Records decides to push it’s largely hip hop-based output aside for this rock n’ roll compilation. Where were they in '79 when the dam began to burst? Did you check us out down at the local show? Were you wearing denim, wearing leather? Wait a sec, different era. If it’s not the pot, the Prozac will get ya.
Even though it’s Stoner Rock’s ‘classic rock’ period, this comp is living proof that this type of music still breathes life and offers a tremendous amount of variety and sound. Gas Giant’s vintage track is a textbook example of how the most creative sounds come from foreign shores – “Too Stoned” is the Buddah Thai of stoner rock; hits you hard every time you partake. Clutch clocks in with the supah-groove of “Willie Nelson” (he only gets the best weed, according to Neil.), Orange Goblin starts strong with a beautiful heavy doom riff but quickly ruin the friggin’ thing by doing that drunken way-too-uptempo thing they like to do nowadays. Shame.
Some of the best tracks are instrumentals – Suplecs “Cities of the Dead”, the Formula’s “Hello to Oblivion” (who??) and NOLA supergroup The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight are all top notch outings. Why they gave these tracks to a comp and didn’t use them for they selves, I dunno. High on Fire rules, they are the perfect cross between Sabbath, Frost and Jesus Christ. Corrosion of Conformity’s “It Is That Way” is a great reason to forget that America’s Volume Dealer ever existed, nodding way back to Blind, Deliverance and Wiseblood. Sounds like that Custer production, too. If I hadn’t smoked pot in my youth, I’d have enough ambition to look up that little fact.
High Volume… features two of the genre’s greatest talents – John Garcia screaming his head off on the unreleased Unida track “Left Us to Mold” (I take back that “Unida ‘nother guitar player” comment) and Wino in the Hidden Hand track “Falconstone”. Even though Garcia’s voice is buried in an annoying vocal effect, there’s no doubt in my mind he’s one of the most unique, powerful and grossly underrated vocalists in all of rock. As for Wino, even though he lyrically tends to spend most of his time in conspiracy wacko land, is a such reservoir of pure guitar-playing genius that it’s no wonder there’s a black market for locks of his hair. The guy is unstoppable.
The one true head scratcher on here is this… You’ve got the best of the best – Unida, COC, High on Fire, Nebula, etc… whose choice was it to add Sea of Green?? What a let down to get rocked to hell by High on Fire and then have to hear mediocrity incarnate? Of all the choices out there… someone must’ve lost a poker bet.
Anyway – this release would have been more relevant back when the ‘00’s were still new, but what the heck. An excellent sampler for those that get teary eyed thinking about stoner rock’s glory days and those that missed it all together. Let's hope this is a sign of a second wind in this scene. (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Primal Fear - Devil’s Ground (Nuclear Blast)
I’ve got to hand it to Primal Fear – they’ve managed to create an entire career reinterpreting Defenders of the Faith over and over. In their world, there was never a Turbo Lover or a Ram it Down not to mention the catastrophes that occurred after Painkiller.
And I grudgingly will admit to you that I thoroughly enjoy Primal Fear albums. OK, so Mat Sinner comes off like half a douchebag sometimes, but the band can write a metal song like Tipton, et al never went into hibernation. Sure, “Metal is Forever” and “In Metal” are goofy ‘metal brotherhood’ anthems but man, they sure packs a trad metal punch and “Sea of Flames”, “Soulchaser” and “Sacred Illusion” are unstoppable. Ralf Scheepers has vintage Halford down pat, right down to the haircut. But I have to confess, when that dude launches his pipes into the stratosphere behind that quality Sinner-penned metal, it’s damn impressive. I can’t help it. I tried to be jaded and aloof.
Funny, when I saw them live in Spain back in 2001, they did nothing for me. I guess I was going through my “Kyuss rules, everything else sucks stage.” Anyway, this is good. It’s like ’84 never ended.
Visit the Primal Fear website at http://www.primalfear.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Anthrax - Music of Mass Destruction (Sanctuary Music Group)
First off, let me say this is a helluva package (CD AND DVD) put together by a helluva band that has left an indelible mark on metal history. If you’re even a causal fan, run out and give the band some of your hard earned sheckles. They’ve earned it.
A few things occurred to me as I listened/watched this thing:
1. Joey Belladonna doesn’t matter anymore.
2. Where’s Bush’s gay hat?
3. Sound of White Noise is one of the greatest metal albums of all time.
4. Scott Ian does look a lot like Bert of Bert and Ernie fame.
5. Stomp 442 continues to be criminally underrated, I don’t care what you motherfuckers say.
6. They must have put a lot of dough into the DVD – 8 cameras, some killer editing and a ton of bonus crap. Very cool.
7. I got chills during blistering versions of “Inside Out”, “Caught in the Mosh”, “Room for One More” and “Only”. You will too.
8. How come Frankie Bello quit again?
9. They’re all my age and have way more energy than I had 20 years ago.
This is just a killer deal, from the packaging to the very Anthrax-ian take on Federal copyright laws. There
really should be a Federally mandated “Don’t Be a Dick” code, but it makes sense in this world of Napster-bred free music entitlement bullshit. Don’t rip off their shit, they wouldn’t rip you off.
Anyway, top notch in every aspect by a band that still very much matters. Get it.
Visit the Anthrax website at http://www.anthrax.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Finntroll - Nattfodd (Century Media Records)
As much as we’d like to think otherwise, buying music is usually fraught with disappointment. Putting the cash down for the promise of the big return – a collection of songs that will set off a series of intricate mechanisms within the cerebrum that will bring you to that inexplicable Nirvana-like place that only music can lead you to – just doesn’t happen that often. Thus, with it’s inherent intermittent–reward system, buying music is like gambling. Usually you ose your ass, but when you hit big…. There’s nothing like it. But usually… you lose your ass.
The marketing aspect of marketing heavy music is another problem. I’ve pretty much ceased equating music with image, expecting the big payoff. In my experience, it’s usually the other way around. Those musicians that lay low, that don’t partake in brash marketing efforts seem to defy the odds and really create magic. Those that lean heavily on image and gimmicks – let’s use Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir just for sake of example – usually have a good reason to lean heavily on image and gimmicks. Because, musically, they don’t have a lot to offer. So image becomes the primary focus and they go on to base entire careers off of marketing. They sell a shit load of albums, T-shirts, lighters, backpacks, flashlights, mousepads and coffee mugs though. I call it the KISS business model.
I had heard good things about Finntroll on the periphery based on a couple of reviews and feedback from fans on various boards. Interesting, eclectic mix of native Finnish folk music and heavy metal. Then I get the promo with the pic of the Finntroll boys, dressed in Viking garb sitting at a wooden table, huge medieval mugs in front of them, a dagger casually stuck in the table. Uh oh. Then the one of them in a dilapidated house, again in Viking garb, makeup and wild, ‘metal’ expressions on their face. Uh oh. The kicker is the bio where it ends with “Let the ice cold troll blood spill forth!”. Eeeeshhh.
I suppose good things can be said about combining Finnish polka with metal music. I mean it’s certainly different. Unfortunately, it’s just not very good. Some things forms of music weren’t really meant to go together, especially when the production is so overblown, it makes the last Dimmu Borgir sound like Al Jolsen circa ’35. Ultimately, the inclusion of “Joik” and “Humppa” music indigenous to the musical history of Finland in Finntroll’s bland ‘viking’ metal just comes off as another gimmick, a way to differentiate in a market that’s becoming more and more crowded with these types of record company revenue tools in an era of declining sales.
Seriously, I feel bad for the music-buying public these days. If I didn’t get most of this stuff for fee (occupational hazard), I’d feel like I was at a high-stakes table in a backroom with a gun to my head. Nowadays you have to wade through an awful lot of shit to get the holy grail.
Visit the Finntroll website at http://www.finntroll.net (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Alabama Thunderpussy - Fulton Hill (Relapse Records)
The first track off of Fulton Hill is predictive of the entire album. Between the gentle backwoods strumming you get the sense something is in the air. Whiffs of the coming storm are translated into urgent, tense and amplified chord breaks that eventually evolve into a howling solo and the ‘pert near hardcore’ of next track, “R.R.C.C.”. The whole album has this kind of pace, culminating in the 13 minute Southern Metal manifesto “Struggling for Balance”. Calm, shitstorm, bigger shitstorm, calm, toasted metal epic so you don’t care anymore.
It’s because of this pacing that Fulton Hill will take awhile to come to terms with most listeners – not every tune is a whiskey and fistfight anthem and not every song contains the magic combo of chords, percussion and vocal inflections. What does stand out are those trademark Thin Lizzy-ish duel guitar leads, breaks and harmonies (they coulda really dragged out that solo on “Wage Slave” for another five minutes and I’d be a happy dude) and that Moonshine Metal ethic, somewhere between good ol’ boy drunken shit talk and bullet belts. For all it’s power, there is a lot to get out of this record.
Truth be told I’d buy Fulton Hill for three reasons alone – “Three Stars”, “Three Stars” and “Three Stars”. This diddy leapt right into my heart the second I heard it, with it’s gleaming Skynyrd aura, female backups, and Rhoads piano (or is that a Hammond? I can never tell the difference). “Alone Again” is a close second. It’s fucking classic rock with massive testicles.
Lastly, you might be wondering how new guy John Weills sounds on the mic. He’s very good. He’s got three different voices as far as I can tell – the first is – and I swear to God if I close my eyes I hear an angry Danny Joe Brown with a chest cold. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got a lot of power, but there’s that “phlemgy” feel. On a couple, Weill is damn near Glenn Benton on (“R.R.C.C.”, “Sociopath Shitlist”, “Infested”), and he almost out Bons Jon Bon on “Alone Again”. He’s good, and seemingly, damn versatile.
In closing, my advice on this record – don’t judge on first listen. Give it three of four good spins before you make judgment. There’s a lot here that may escape idle listens.
Visit the Alabama Thunderpussy website at http://www.alabamathunderpussy.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

UNHOLY GHOST: TORRENTIAL REIGN
Holy shit!!! This is really impressive! In less than a year after their formation Unholy Ghost has managed to write and record their debut Torrential Reign. My initial thoughts were that it would sound a little rushed but I was absolutely and completely wrong. Unholy Ghost consist of Pessimist main man and guitarist Kelly McLauchlin along with drummer Aantar Lee Coates, vocalist/bassist Paul Ouelette and guitarist Jerry Mortellaro who all three are formerly of Florida based death metallers Diabolic. Unholy Ghost has created a fierce and a relentlessly brutal album that delicately balances between utter brutality and beautiful melodic harmonies.
Of course the similarities to Diabolic are striking but seriously I would have found it kinda odd if they weren't. Regardless similarities or not Torrential Reign is an unrelenting album that proves it's possible to create savage and extreme death metal without compromising the dynamics of the music. Right from the opener "The Calling of Sin" Unholy Ghost makes it clear that they are a band that shouldn't be taken lightly. They simply annihilate everything that comes within range of their dark and sinister blend of black and death metal. Throughout the entire album they show their incredible flair for composing. Each song has a diversity and fierceness that I cannot recall having heard in quite a while. But the common demeanour is the godlike leads that are scattered all over the entire album. They really help to lift Torrential Reign to a monumental level that most of the other death metal bands only can admire. The incredible guitar work of Kelly McLauchlin and Jerry Mortellaro are screaming towards the majestic divine. Most of the songs are extremely fast but instead of straining the listener with endless blastbeats Unholy Ghost vary their tempo so it never tends to sound the same. Drummer Aantar Lee Coates more than ever before deserves his "Blastmaster" title. Paul Ouelette pushes his vocal chords to the utmost, sounding as dynamic and evil as ever. All this combined makes Torrential Reign to a flawless release.
Torrential Reign is an absolutely devastating death metal album that leaves nothing whatsoever to be desired. Fans of Diabolic, Vital Remains or Brutality should have no problems digesting this! Torrential Reign is definitely the highlight so far in 2004. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Blut Aus Nord - The Work That Tranforms God (Candlelight Records)
Plucked from near-obscurity by extreme metal behemoth Candlelight Records, France’s Blut Aus Nord has done the near impossible… making Black Metal interesting again.
We’ve seen the genre taken to cartoonish-like levels thanks to the like of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth – all fluff and no filth. More a commercial venture than a musicians serious about it’s music or the cause behind it. Then there’s the polar opposite – bands that are using the same two chords pioneered in Pure Fucking Armageddon, where the word “Progression” holds equal footing with “Catholic”.
Blut Aus Nord, instead of simply meeting in the middle between tradition and progression simply hang a sharp left down the Devil’s highway… marrying truly disturbing ambience and frozen blast all into one discordant project. This sucker is dark… a suffocating kind of dark that borders on making this almost unpleasant. The unearthly howls permeating “Devilish Essence” are unsettling, and the lurching, sickening guitar on “Destiny” doesn’t exactly bring bright sunny days to mind.
But credit is due in that The Work… isn’t the same ol’ same ol’ – space and pacing is used exceptionally well, juxtaposing soundscape with frostbitten rhythmic fury in equal measure. Its ambiance is truly a case study on how texture within the a composition can a powerful force within the realm of music. The overall effect is sort of like hallucinating on mescaline while being buried alive.
It’s not a party, but artistically it's a unique and compelling work.
Visit the Blut Aus Nord website at http://www.blutausnord.fr.st (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Act of Gods: Stench of Centuries- Osmose 2/6
A thing that has bugged me for quite awhile is how Osmose Productions is able to continue signing all those mediocre bands. With the exception of a handful of bands the majority of the Osmose rooster seems very dull which often results in standard or sub-standard releases. And to be totally honest French death metallers Act of Gods does absolutely nothing to change that impression.
The music is pretty standard death metal which leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. Most of the riffs sound like they could have been dished leftovers from a Cannibal Corpse record. Most of the songs tend to sound alike adding nothing positive whatsoever to the soundscape. However the band does try to set them apart by incorporating some elements from black and thrash metal in a half-hearted attempt to vary the music but the result does not come across very convincing. They still sound like a third rank clone of Cannibal Corpse and that's definitely not what the scene needs.
After having heard Stench of Centuries over and over again it struck me as still sounding the exact same as it did with the first listen. It did not change; it just kept sounding the same making it a boring sub-standard affair that I don't feel I justifiable can recommend anyone to check out. Hopefully Act of Gods will succeed in adding some identity to the music next time 'cause they have failed miserably with Stench of Centuries. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Eyes of Fire: Ashes to Embers Century Media 5/6
First thing that came to mind when I pushed play and the debut full-length album Ashes to Embers from Eyes of Fire sounded from the speakers were Anathema. Eyes of Fire's music have more than a few things in common with the aforementioned Anathema and in particular how Anathema sounded on their Silent Enigma album.
But Ashes to Embers doesn't sound like an exact copy of The Silent Enigma 'cause Eyes of Fire combine their pulsating, melancholic and dreaming music with elements of hardcore and even some nu-metal riffs a la System of a Down. The more spins I gave Ashes to Embers the more it grew on me. Somehow their music was a like a flower leaning towards the sun and slowly unveiling its inner beauty. It's very clear that the musicians in this band are not newcomers and both bassist/vocalist Matt Fischer and guitarist/vocalist Dan Kaufmann do actually also have a past in the now defunct doom/death band Mindrot who released two full-length album and three EP's through Relapse records.
Ashes to Embers is a beautiful journey into the melancholic and despairing emptiness. A journey I challenge you to take if you're willing to expand your musical horizon a little and explore the enchanting musical universe seen through eyes of fire. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Malevolent Creation: Warkult Nuclear Blast 4/6
My expectations were sky high to the new Malevolent Creation release Warkult still having fresh in mind their previous album The Will to Kill which was a phenomenal combination of both brutality and catchiness. My first impressions were that the new album didn't quite live up to it's predecessor but now I'm not so sure anymore 'cause the more rotations I give Warkult the better it becomes and it darn close to being equal to The Will to Kill.
The opener "Dead March" does in a way remind of "Memorial Arrangements" from their debut The Ten Commandments I guess it's mainly due to the slow and spoken piece in the beginning of the song but from there on there's absolutely nothing slow about the music. Malevolent Creation doesn't really surprise in any way this time either. The band continues to deliver their somewhat unique blend of old school death metal with a few references to thrash metal like they've done for the past thirteen years. And seriously this doesn't bother me the least 'cause why should you begin to tamper with a well oiled machine that runs steady and smoothly 'cause that's exactly what Malevolent Creation does. Warkult is some sorta concept album obviously dealing with war but the topic war isn't exactly a new one within the framework of the band so there's really nothing surprising here either.
Like the previous effort Warkult is produced and mixed by Kataklysm guitarist Jean Francois Deganais and this has naturally resulted in an impressive production that obviously isn't really any different from The Will to Kill. All the material on the album is fairly diverse and memorable but in my opinion songs like the opener "Dead March", "Supremacy Through Annihilation", "Murder Reigns" and "Shock and Awe" are the ones that stick the most out and therefore also the best. The band have chosen to finish it all off with cover of "Jack the Ripper" who was originally written by Australian thrashers Hobbs Angel of Death.
Warkult may not surprise at all but it still lies in the better end of the scale and there's no doubt that Malevolent Creation consist of competent musicians and the album does also seem pretty flawless. If you like the previous works from the band then I see no reason why not to purchase Warkult 'cause it's far from being a bad release. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

GRAVE: Fiendish Regression 4/6
Lately there hasn't been much music that has caught my attention right away and the new album Fiendish Regression from Swedish death metallers Grave was no exception either. However it quickly began to grow and suddenly I found myself more or less addicted to the musical escapades on the album.
Fiendish Regression is pretty much a straight continuation from where Back From the Grave left off. So basically we're dealing with slightly groovy and yet brutal old school death metal that people familiar with the back catalogue of the band would recognize as being some kinda mixture of their debut Into the Grave and their third album Soulless. The music is very organic, catchy and varied without ever becoming too much. The band has found a beautiful balance between the brutal and the mellower and groovier parts. But no need to worry we are not talking Nickelback mellow here and the music is still brutal as f**k but it's just not the typical brutal endeavor from start to finish that so many bands often tends to go for. All the songs on Fiendish Regression is strong and has their own identity but if I should mention anyone that sticks out it would probably be the slow opener "Last Journey" because of it's somewhat Slayer-like inspired approach. But also the heavy and brutal "Breeder" and the heavy and mid-paced "Trail by Fire" sticks out and last but not least the fast and brutal closer "Heretic" which perfectly brings Fiendish Regression to an end.
The album may not bring anything unheard but what it may lack when it comes to this it certainly have in variation and I didn't even found myself bored at any point while listening to Fiendish Regression. So if you like your death metal varied to the utmost but still without it losing its appeal then I wouldn't hesitate in purchasing this one 'cause Grave have this time delivered their most diverse effort to date. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

BLOODBATH: Nightmares Made Flesh 4/6
If some one by any chance should have missed the news awhile back I'll repeat that Swedish all-star death metal combo Bloodbath have revamped their line-up. Gone is Opeth front man Mikael Åkerfeldt who has been replaced by none other than Hypocrisy/Pain main man Peter Tägtgren. Furthermore Dan Swanö has switched to guitar. Replacing him behind the kit is Witchery/Satanic Slaughter drummer Martin "Axe" Axenrot. So the line-up hasn't become any less impressive with the exit of Åkerfeldt.
At first I found Nightmares Made Flesh somewhat disappointing but I also had the predecessor Resurrection Through Carnage fresh in mind but then again it's also close to impossible to outdo such a flawless effort as Resurrection Through Carnage. Obviously the band is aware of this 'cause the new album doesn't sound like the aforementioned album even though it still bears all the characteristic trademarks of Bloodbath. But to people who have followed the band since the Breeding Death EP it shouldn't comes as a surprise that the band once again have changed their sound a little.
For those unfamiliar we're this time around dealing with old school Swedish death metal combined with the brutality and technical edge of US death metal opposite to the somewhat simplistic style that the band had on their previous releases. The music seems far more technical this time and at the same time the pace have also been quickened quite a bit compared to the past material. The deep roaring growls from Tägtgren leaves absolutely nothing to be desired proving that he's a worthy successor. Peter is sounding as intimidating as ever even though his vocals aren't quite as deep as the obscure growl from Åkerfeldt. The music is as usual very organic, diverse and memorable but this time without having quite the same catchiness and accessibility that Resurrection Through Carnage has. The production this time around seems somewhat clearer and dry opposite to the ultra thick and juicy sound that the band had on the previous record.
Resurrection Through Carnage is a darn hard album to beat and Bloodbath doesn't quite succeed in doing so but somehow it seems like the band already knew this. But this being said Nightmares Made Flesh is still far better than most other releases so far this year. However here's a little advise; "Don't expect to find Resurrection Through Carnage Part II like I wrongfully did at first 'cause then Nightmares Made Flesh will most likely disappoint". (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Forsaken - Anima Mundi (Golden Lake Productions)
Lordy, the Maletese Fivesome have outdid themselves on Anima Mundi. There was promise on there Iconoclast EP, but this is in another league. There is some serious Doom-Prog going on here, a amalgam of Candlemass's From the 13th Sun, Solitude Aeturnus' Downward Spiral with the bombast, flourish and four-car garage production of any Blind Guardian album. It's doom metal polished to a blinding, brilliant sheen.
Grant it, there is a chance that Anima Mundi might be a little too slick for some of you, but that's a chance worth taking in the ears of Old Man Barnes.
The production lends a gut-wrenching crunch to Sean Vukovik's negative riff (especially on "Carpe Diem" and "All is Accomplished" but also brings out the subtleness in the softer transitions. Mario Ellul's keyboard work lends a Tony Banks-on-downers like proggy-flair to everything, but not in a way that can be considered obnouxious ? this isn't Rhapsody. The keys remain tasteful, and add a certain amount of depth and emotion to the songs. The percussive team of Simeon Gatt and Albert Bell perform with a certain air of authority (as should in any Doom recording) and vocalist Leo Stivala has never sounded better. You though 'arry wrote tongue twisters for Dickinson, try to sing this:
The oneness immemorial heals my rupture In the trial of opposites I meet my sepulcher Sephiroth, daughter of the vampire sun I am one with the forgone leviathan
I can't feel all that sorry for Stivala, I mean he helped co-write many of the lyrics on Anima Mundi. What a sadist? hahahaha?.
This is quite a majestic and sweeping work from the band and certainly will be one of the Doom Metal releases that all the heads will be discussing. The scope of these songs is so technically challenging and varied ? not to mention I have no idea how Stivala will remember all those lyrics - I honestly have no idea how they'll pull this off live. That's what happens when you set the bar so high with a recorded release. Everyone wonders how you'll live up to the legacy live. I have faith in these guys though. Nice work.
Visit the Forsaken website at http://www.cru2.net/forsaken/ (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Exodus - Tempo of the Damned (Nuclear Blast)
Even though I'm the last person on the planet to hear this and you've read 5 zillion reviews of this thing, I still feel like I have to weigh in. It's the obsessive-compulsive thing.
I really haven't read a bad review on this long-awaited, post-Baloff comeback album. I can see why for the most part. Tempo of the Damned is the best U.S. thrash metal album since Testament's The Gathering, to my ears, anyway. I know Sweden is on the downward life cycle slope of a renewed interest in thrash metal and frankly, there has been some good ones from the land of the Constitutional monarchy. Where Exodus leaves 'em in the dust can be explained in three parts: They have a vocalist that doesn't sound like every other vocalist with a sore throat; they made at least two great albums so you know they can do it again... hell, they helped originate "Thrash" back in the day; and last but not least, they're all off drugs now and very angry. It shows.
The two openers may be among the best two openers I've heard ever in thrash - "Scar Spangled Banner" would get you jailed in most countries (and just might happen here in the good ol' US if the FCC gets it's way) for it's scathingly blatant criticism of a heavy handed U.S. Foreign policy. Plus, it rocks. "War is My Shepherd" is a thrash classic, don't let anyone tell you different - that thing scorches both musically and lyrically in a way that most only dream. Speaking of which,Exodus have no problem in the lyric department, they comes up with some of the most biting and creative vocal lines I've heard. It would be a mistake to not listen to the lyrics here. "Cruci-fucked"?!! That just entered the pantheon of my personal vernacular.
Not everything is wonderful on Tempo... though. "Sealed with a Fist" is a lyrically poignant take on spousal abuse but musically it's as flat as Redondo Beach surf. Same with "Culling the Herd". Man, I'm all for vigilantism in the face of a justice system with no teeth, but I've had naps that are more exciting. That's OK though, because the first two tracks, the title track and a reworking of "Impaler" (Keyrist!! Can you get enough of that hyperspeed break??) make this a must buy for any self-respecting metal head on this wacky planet of ours.
Visit the Exodus website at www.exodusattack.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Mithras - Worlds Beyond The Veil (Candlelight Records)
I don’t know anything about Mithras outside of a Terrorizer review I breezed through that basically heralded them as the Second Coming. If I were a musician and I got a review like that, I’d quit figuring that it’d be all downhill after that. After I supplied the writer with top shelf hookers and rad tootskie.
Worlds Beyond The Veil is the work of Leon Macy (guitars/drums) and Rayner Cross (vox/guitar) and is certainly the most interesting release I’ve heard this year. I’m not even going to try to go into the lyrical concept behind the album because I don’t have a clue what the fuck they are on about. Something about heaven, evolution and telepathy. If the plot line doesn’t read like an episode from Everybody Loves Raymond, I’m lost.
Musically, man oh manoschevitz, this is something. Lush hypnotic space-synth interludes lead into death metal ditties that’ll rip your head clean off… then back to the space rock, repeat. This all comes to a head with the 13 minute opus “Beyond the Eyes of Man” which has a little of both. Unconventional to say the least, I can’t really recall anything I can compare this to for a baseline. Trey Azagtoth and Phil Sandoval on the Hawkwind tip? Dunno. Best I can do.
The overall sound is very different for a death metal release as well… at times you get the distinct impression that Worlds Beyond the Veil was recorded live at Royal Albert Hall -it’s huge - the guitars, drums and bass have a hint of reverb, almost like the acoustic echo in a large hall designed for a symphony. Definitely different and I dig it but if your looking for Neil Kernon-like production, might wanna try the new Deicide instead.
I can highly recommend this if you’re an open-minded sort. I know that doesn’t come easy for the died-in-the-wool Death Metal fans that want to hear Covenant over and over again. To you I say this.. try it, you might like it. (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Force of Evil - Force of Evil (Diamond Records)
I've waffled more than John Kerry on this album. On paper, this thing has capacity to smoke... Mercyful Fate guitarist Hank Shermann pulling Michael Denner out of retirement to record a new album... I mean these were two guys that had a big part in writing Melissa and Don't Break the Oath (among others) for crissakes. That's some kinda street cred.
So, for the first listen I was underwhelmed. The second listen I thought it was brilliant. The third listen I thought it was mostly brilliant but flawed. As it plays in the background, the soundtrack to my typing, I've settled on my final judgment: It's a damn good traditional metal album. Not great, but good. There are indeed some tasty old school riffs on this thing, and I gotta tell you, the Denner/Shermann solos are Godly. Add some finely crafted epics ("Eye of the Storm", "Samhain" and "Eternity") and fret-melters ("Hell on Earth", "The Calling") and it's solid. Not great, but worth some of your hard earned shekels.
What keeps me from enjoying this more is really my own damn fault, but I can't help it. Vocalist Martin Steene (on borrow from Euro-metalers Ironfire)mid-range sounds like gawdamn Jon Bon Jovi and I friggin CAN'T STAND the man or his "music". Steene even claims that Bon Jovi was the very first concert he ever attended and that the Bon man inspired Mike to grow out his locks. Don't tell me that. That really doesn't help matters. And Bret Michales inspired you to wear tight pants? I will give credit to Steene in that when he gets wound up and lets out that high-pitched metal roar, it's pretty damn impressive. Unfortunately for me, he spends most of his time in Bon Jovi land. Essshh...
But look, not everyone is as hung up on vocals as I am and it doesn't look like we're going to get a Mercyful Fate record anytime soon. So you might wanna jump in.
Visit the Force of Evil website at www.forceofevil.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Anata - Under A Stone With No Inscription (Earache Records)
Who, in the world of death metal, end a particularly brutal barrage of hypertechnical death metal with a trill?? A trill, I say. Hammer-on, pull-off, end of song. Anata does and this is how "Shackled to Guilt" ends it's time. Non-conventional ending to be sure, but then just about everything regarding Anata defies at least some sort of convention.
Under A Stone With No Inscription arrives just as the death metal world appeared to run short of ideas and fall into an endless cycle repeating itself. Anata save the day, arriving with a calculator, an uncanny ability to enslave tempo and warp it into weird, wonderful and awe-inspiring things at very high speeds, and a belly full of aggro. The riffs created by this band make your head spin - circular, angular in a way that would make an Escher drawing like fingerpaint-time at preschool. Couple this with a percussive powerhouse that is nothing short of jaw-dropping in it's technicality (as in, can someone really do that without ProTools??) and a raw, innate instinct to convey aggression within the framework of a musical arrangement, and you got something pretty special. No wonder most Death Metal bands gig in sweat pants. It's a fucking workout.
Still, being the pisser I hate myself for being, Under a Stone... isn't perfect - the frantic tempo of the record left me feeling like I just spent 45 minutes in the spin cycle of a giant Maytag once track 10, "Any Kind of Magic or Miracle" ends. All that speed and multitude of calculus riffs delivered at hairpin turns will turn you grey before your time. The only time Anata slow down is in the midsection of the last, aforementioned track. More attention to dynamics certainly couldn't hurt.
Honestly, aside from my bellyaching, Anata is taking this art form to a new level. Nice work, fellas.
Visit the Anata website at www.anata.se. (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

THE END - Within Dividia Genre: Noise/hardcore Label: Relapse Released: January 26th, 2004
This is to my knowledge the second full-length album from Canada's The End and I must confess that I'm not familiar with their previous material so I really can't tell in what way they've evolved and progressed since their previous album Transfer, Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient but what I do know is that this is definitely not my kinda music The End plays. I'm having a really, really hard time dealing with the screaming vocals that really seem to get under my skin and therefore tends to ruin this album completely for me. The music is a strange mixture of hardcore and noisy rock which I'm sure in its own way is appealing to a lot of people and that's really cool but they certainly have turned me off. When it comes to sounding a little different than the rest then The End hasn't really anything to offer, I swear if I put on a CD with December or The End I seriously could not tell the difference - that's how close they sound. I'm sure it's probably just me who doesn't know how to appreciate this kinda music but to me it's just a complete wall of noise that would be more than useful if you have intentions about driving your surroundings insane. Within Dividia is a release that of course probably will please most of the fans of this genre. But if like you like me are unfamiliar with this subgenre of metal then I wouldn't suggest you start you exploration here. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

KATAKLYSM: SERENITY IN FIRE Nuclear Blast 5/6
I clearly remember when I bought my first Kataklysm album back in '95; it was their debut full-length album "Sorcery" and frankly I wasn't impressed at all, so I kinda lost interest and ignored them for quite some time, but I kept hearing their name mentioned over and over again so it sparked my curiosity once again and I decided to buy their previous album "Shadows and Dust", and I was immediately blown away so I went out right away and brought their two albums prior to "Shadows and Dust" and they both possessed the same energy and vitality so I was hooked.
Now Kataklysm is ready with the successor to the aforementioned "Shadow and Dust" and the new album "Serenity in Fire" continues almost exactly where "Shadows." left off so basically there's really nothing new under the sun here. We're still dealing with high quality and very diverse death metal with a few melodic and black metal elements built in, but "Serenity in Fire" is also an album that despite it heavy reliance on the now well-known formula that Kataklysm have been building up over the course of their last three albums still manages to sound very fresh and full of vitality. "Serenity in Fire" ranges from being ultra-fast over to slower and very catchy mid-paced songs, and prime examples of this are "The Resurrection" and "Blood on the Swans" only to name two, but the album is actually perfectly and equally divided between the fast and mid-paced part, proving this is a really worked through effort. Some personal favourites are "The Ambassador of Pain", "The Tragedy I Preach" and "Under the Bleeding Sun", but all in all there's really not a single bad song on "Serenity in Fire".
A small minus with the album is the over-exaggerated use of drum triggers, which makes the drums seem very artificial and sterile, but all in all this is a minor thing that in no way spoils the overall experience. If you liked K ataklysm's previous works, then you can in no way go wrong with "Serenity in Fire" which stays true all the way to what we've come to expect from the Northern hyper blasters. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

DEICIDE: SCARS OF THE CRUCIFIX Earache 5/6
The last Deicide album "In Torment In Hell" wasn't really anything special; it seemed kinda rushed and boring. The band also stated that they weren't happy with it, but they were just so eager to get out of Roadrunner's straightjacket that they rushed the whole thing. I must confess that I tend to believe them 'cuz their new album and Earache debut "Scars of the Crucifix" is a whole different story.
Of course "Scars of the Crucifix" is typical Deicide all the way and does really not add that much new if anything to the already known Deicide sound. Front man Glen Benton sounds as pissed as ever and all the bible lovers out there should have plenty to take offence from with titles such as "Mad at God", "Fuck Your God" and "Go Now Your God is Dead". Somehow "Scars of the Crucifix" sounds a lot fresher, more aggressive and brutal than some of their later releases. It's like the split with Roadrunner and Glen Benton's collaboration with Vital Remains have pumped renewed energy into the band. It's in no way a new "Legion" but it might possibly be their best since "Once upon the Cross" or even the aforementioned "Legion". A thing that really sets it apart from most of the previous Deicide material is that the leads seems a lot more dominant and almost haunting this time around adding a lot of diversity to the sound.
My only complaint about "Scars of the Crucifix" is the length of the album it doesn't even clock twenty-seven minutes but I guess I should have been used to used to this by now since almost none of Deicide's releases exceed thirty-five minutes. This is just me rambling 'cuz it doesn't change the fact that "Scars of the Crucifix" is a great release that proves that Deicide still have what it takes to create hellish and truly blasphemous death metal. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Wolverine - Cold Light of Monday (Earache/Elitist)
Maybe it's me, but prog-influenced bands seem get more interesting the older I get. I guess some of that youthful, visceral rush of an aural pummeling displaces a bit for more cerebral stuff as the metal fan matures.
I like this album quite a bit - a surprise because I actually put this in my CD player by accident. I stuck it in a Decide promo cover by mistake. Silly. I was thinking I was going to get an adrenaline fix by some wacko with an inverted cross branded in his head and I get something completely opposite. I get a brilliant, lush, techically-impressive concept album about an abused young woman...
Wolverine remind me of somewhat of Dream Theater and Green Carnation, allied with some of the more ethereal overtones and pure emotional impact of the last two Anathema albums. Emotionally, it's not a party album. It's an intense story of an abused young lady, the music rising and falling from rushing climaxes to melancholic passages as we follow her story. The musicianship is superb, as is the production - every instrument is crystal clear in the mix, the whole package giving the listener an extreme feeling of texture and space.
Of considerable note are the stunning vocals of Stefan Zell - truly a find as he explores a huge range and delivers lyrics with palpable emotional conviction. In short, the fucking guy rules.
You don't have to be a prog-head to dig this - but it does help to be open-minded. Give it a spin if you get the chance, I really don't think you'll be disappointed.
Visit the Wolverine website at www.wolverine-overdose.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Swarm of the Lotus - When White Becomes Black (At A Loss Recordings)
Somebody hipped me to an MP3 of these guys a while back, heard it and thought it was pretty impressive stuff - highly rhythmic pummeling in the vein of Mastadon and Meatjack with an occasional burst of Sonic Youth sound frequency exploration and Neurosis subtlety. Then I deleted a bunch of files by mistake, SOTL being one of 'em and promptly forgot about them. What a music fan I've turned out to be.
Thanks to the fine people at Earsplit PR, SOTL is back on my radar with their first full length album, When White Becomes Black. It's the same SOTL that I remember, although they sound a little more high-strung , a little more apt to rip off your face than say "pardon me". The first four tracks are multi-textured forays into sonic pounding, drummer Jon-John being especially compelling as he busts the fuck out of his set but does it with such technical dexterity and aplomb that it's frightening. Pete's shriek of largely party-pooper lyrics are highlighted by his and fellow guitarist Bob's jagged, almost angry artrock guitar work. Everything anchored down (almost) by the low-end of John the Bassist, used much less as an instrument of rhythm as an instrument of pure, unadulterated impact. The kind you feel in your ribcage.
The epitome of the SOTL experience occurs on 'From the Embers' and 'Seeing Truth' - both songs that let the band breathe a bit, get in touch with their subtle side by drenching the listener in some forgiving space after the first four punishments. "Episode Infinity" gets high marks too, for no other reason then I love hearing the drummer go ape-shit at the end. Damn that was good.
There are only two things that keep When White Becomes Black a totally satisfying listen: The first is the length of the record. At 51 minutes and change, it gets kinda long to listen to this sort of music - this is a 35 minuter, tops. The other is that I enjoy SOTL more when they aren't simply intent on kicking my ass... when they explore a little bit, get in touch with their subtle side and let the songs breathe is where they shine. Admittedly, small nit-picky complaints but when you sit and listen to music all day for a living, what the hell else are you going to do? Other than that, a nicely done album that should leave Mastadon, Meatjack and Nuerosis fans with a post-endorphin rush glow.
Visit the Swarm of the Lotus website at www.swarmofthelotus.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Herod - For Whom the Gods Would Destroy (LifeForce Records
Old School metal is getting a second wind of sorts... not as the main course so much as a main ingredient in a...erm... casserole of metal stylings. Casserole. That may be the lamest metaphor I've ever come up with but my email and internet access is down and I'm in a real pisser of a mood. So it stays. Casserole.
There are a number of bands incorporating old school stylings into their sounds, Tirivium comes to mind immediately as an excellent example of how new and old can meet and even get along. Buffalo, NY's Herod lean even harder on metal of yore for an interesting mix. Dammit if the opening of "We Are Those People" didn't take me back to Delirious Nomad-era Armored Saint, and "The End", "Winter's Bane" and "Look Beyond" have more Killers-era Maiden-isms than Maiden at this point.
The interesting kicker is that Herod incorporates all of this into a hardcore salmagundi. Salmagundi. Another lame metaphor. Judah Nero lays down the hardcore bark n' chant like a pro. Interesting. Breakdowns and solos, not your typical classic metal OR hardcore fare. And truth be told, given my classic metal background (I grew up on the stuff) the blending of the two fucks with my frame of reference. It doesn't stick to the tried and true and ultimately throws me for a loop. That's a good thing though. It's like having a younger nephew with those ridiculous body piercings and pants belted mid-ass. He looks like a miscreant but if you spend enough time with him, you love him anyway.
And that's the deal with Herod. This kinda style of blending old and new is still fresh enough where I'm not annoyed and actually enjoy the change in dynamic. It helps that the band write some killer riffs, hooks and have the guff to bust out actual SOLOS... something unheard of only a year ago. The kids are raiding mom and dad's vinyl collections it seems, and so far the results are pretty impressive.
So for you young 'uns, give it a whirl. Trust me it rocks way better than Blink 182 ever could. And for you oldies, give the kids a chance. Try it, you might like it.
Visit the Herod website at www.herod.cc (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

EXODUS: TEMPO OF THE DAMNED Nuclear Blast 5/6
When Exodus released their last studio effort Force of Habit in 1992 it quickly came to serve as a painful reminder that this was the same band who in the 80's had released thrash metal classics such as Bonded by Blood and Fabulous Disaster. The band also split up shortly after the release of Force of Habit, but in '97 the band reformed with original vocalist Paul Baloff and recorded the now-classic live album Another Lesson in Violence. Being among the innovators of Bay Area thrash metal, it's not undeserved that Exodus possesses a certain legendary status in the metal community.
Now seven years later, the band still mourning the loss of Paul Baloff, who passed away on February 2nd, 2002 after suffering a massive stroke, have been rejoined by Baloff's replacement Steve "Zetro" Souza and are ready to release their first studio album in almost 12 years on the two year anniversary of Baloff's death.
Tempo of the Damned opens up with a typical aggressive up-tempo Exodus track "Scar Spangled Banner" that sounds like something that could have been straight of one their 80's releases with the typical Zetro vocals and Gary Holt/Rick Hunolt riffs. "War is My Shepard" is another aggressive up-tempo song that just as well could have been on their earlier albums. "Blacklist" is a classic, catchy mid-tempo Exodus tune with a great chorus and heavy pounding groovy riffs. "Shroud of Urine" is one of the album's absolute highlights and features the classic guitar attack from Gary Holt/Rick Hunolt, and likewise "Blacklist" it has a very catchy chorus and bears the classic dual guitar trademark of Holt and Hunolt. "Forward March" is more of the classic Exodus fretwork and contains vocals that range from being typical Zetro vocals over to something that borderline rapping (and NO, we' re not talking nu-metal style here). "Culling the Herd" is more classic Exodus extravaganza with a slight change in pace but still sounding typically like Exodus. Next up are the two tracks "Sealed with a Fist" and "Throwing Down" which was originally written by Wardance, the ill-fated mid- '90's act formed by Gary Holt and drummer Tom Hunting. Both tracks have been reworked and in my opinion it works out well even though they stand out a little from the rest of the material but still sounding like Exodus. "Impaler" is an old Exodus classic written when Metallica's Kirk Hammett was still in the band; it was supposed to have been on their debut "Bonded by Blood" but never made the cut. So now Exodus has chosen to give it the proper recording it deserves. It sounds really cool even though it doesn't possess the aggressive edge the rest of the material has and therefore it stands alone. The final track "Tempo of the Damned" is an aggressive experience that doesn't sound like typical Exodus but none the less is a great ending.
Tempo of the Damned is an impressive comeback that proves that Exodus still know how to create thrash metal the classic way. Exodus' long absence from the studio has really done them well. With Tempo of the Damned they have delivered an inspired and fresh effort that stays true to their pioneering sound. Hopefully we'll be hearing a lot more from Exodus in the future. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

CANNIBAL CORPSE: THE WRETCHED SPAWN Metal Blade 5/6
I was staring out the window on a dull Sunday morning, trying to come up with a great idea as to how I should start this review, but my mind was completely blank, totally drained of logical thoughts. I'm not sure if it was the nerves that were beginning to have an effect on me since I had to talk to bassist Alex Webster later that day. But the more I came to think about it, the more I realized that Cannibal Corpse is a band the really doesn't need any introduction cuz' most people know their name, no matter if they like the music or not. Cannibal Corpse is simply an institution in death metal.
I must admit that the last couple of Cannibal Corpse CD's haven't had much play time in my CD-player; not that they were bad in any way but they just weren't that exciting compared to their earlier material such as Tomb of the Mutilated and Eaten Back to Life. But The Wretched Spawn is a whole different story. I might go as far to say that The Wretched Spawn is possible their best album since the aforementioned Tomb of the Mutilated.
The opener "Severed Head Stoning" is a good hint of what is to come. It takes off in a fierce pace, bearing all the usual trademarks of Cannibal Corpse, and from there on there is really no turning back. Next up is "Psychotic Precision" and "Decency Defiled", two equally great tracks both with catchy and simple choruses that quickly get stuck in the head. Up next is "Frantic Disembowelment", another fierce and brutal song that does what it's supposed to do: eliminate. The title track is one of the slower tracks and it works as the perfect link between the previous song and "Cyanide Assassin" which is yet another malevolent attack. "Festering in the Crypt" is a pretty slow song according to Cannibal Corpse standards but still a gut-ripping tune. Next up is one of my personal favourites, "Nothing Left to Mutilate", which of course is typical Cannibal Corpse with a catchy riff that really sticks out. "Blunt Force Castration" is yet another merciless assault of speed and precision. The last four tracks tend to remain a little anonymous, but still this doesn't mean they are boring in any way. They are just not quite as dominant as the rest.
The Wretched Spawn never seems to become monotone or dull, and most of the material is catchy and memorable due to the structure of the arrangements that range from being ultra fast to mid-tempo parts and even slower ones as well. The Wretched Spawn bears all the familiar trademarks of Cannibal Corpse, so if you like any of their previous releases or if you're just looking for some quality death metal, then don't hesitate in getting The Wretched Spawn. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

ANATA: UNDER A STONE WITH NO INSCRIPTION Earache 4/6
Sweden's Anata is ready with their third full-length CD Under a Stone with No Inscription. A CD that is full of free-thinking and experimental elements but this without compromising their death metal sound and approach. Under A Stone with No Inscription is a CD that's hard to categorize and Anata can definitely not be accused of playing the typical brand of death metal. The music is a strange compound of a wide range of influences from both the American and Swedish scene all bonded together by dozens of weird harmonies, breaks and hooks. At first it all sounds a little weird but the further you dig down and investigate, the more compelling the music gets. Just listen to the main riff in "Sewerages of the Mind" and tell me it's not compelling! Under A Stone with No Inscription is a CD that demands multiple listens before it can be really appreciated properly due to the complexity and the technical approach of the songs. With every listen you'll discover new and interesting things. Of course, it's not all rosy and wonderful and there are a few annoying things here and there, but they are minor things that doesn't do much to the overall experience so I won't dig any deeper into those in this review.
Under A Stone with No Inscription is a CD that definitely won't appeal to everyone, but if you're open-minded and looking for something a little different than the usual, then you shouldn't hesitate with getting this album. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

HATESPHERE: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Black 4/6
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Black is the fitting title on the new seven track mini from Danish melodic death/thrash metallers HateSphere. A mini CD that's made up, as the title suggests, of something new, something borrowed and something old.
First up is the new track "Release the Pain" which is very cool and sounds like typical HateSphere and is best described as aggressive melodic death metal with some thrash elements. Next up are two cover songs in the shape of the old Ozzy Osbourne classic "Bark at the Moon" and the classic Anthrax song "Caught in a Mosh". HateSphere's rendition is done with a perfect balance so they do sound like HateSphere but still remaining true towards the original recording. Finally, there are four live tracks recorded live at Voxhall in Aarhus, Denmark during their European tour with The Haunted and Mastodon in 2003. The sound on those four tracks is excellent and illustrates evidently what 'HateSphere live' is all about.
Something Old. is a very good appetizer while we wait for a new full-length release. Fans of Hatesphere or melodic death metal in general shouldn't hesitate in getting this! (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Negative Reaction/Ramesses - Split CD (PsycheDOOMelic Records)
I'm reminded of Negative Reaction every time I have to reactivate the desktop on the computer. The same exclamation point in a triangle symbol that says to me, "Warning! You're computer fucked up!!" and is the precursor to a negative reaction of a completely personal sort.
We all know about Negative Reaction by now.... NY's principal trust in old school sludgecore. The band always lulls me into a hypnotic sludge stupor. I love 'em. I like Negative Reaction in that they don't fuck around and pretend to be anything OTHER than sludgecore. There is a definite lack of pretense hear, a sentiment that sticks even when the band bust out the Native American flute for a spell on "NOD" - instead of coming off like a too-clever add on, it's a nice juxtaposition to Ken's wail-from-hell. It might be me, but I think that NOD may be the most intense Negative Reaction track to date.
The big news on this split is that it's also the musical debut of Ramesses - the new project of ex-Electric Wizard members Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening. It's not fair to compare 'em to Electric Wizard, but what in life is fair when it comes down to it? Where the Wiz take things down a more psychedelic path, Ramesses hang a severe right. It's much more straightforward pummeling, more Venom-y and Frost-y then their previous employer. Tim moves from bass to guitar, Mark on drums (and a nice turn on the Hammond at the beginning of "Master (Your Demons)")while new guy Adam Richardson provides bottom-end anchor and guttural bark. Is it good? Hell yeah! Is it the second coming of Doom as we know it? .... nah. There are some other bands doing this type of thing (Atlanta's excellent Tualatin come to mind) and although these two Ramesses tracks provide a damn good deal of visceral appeal, I need more to getter a better idea of how the band will place in the long run. An earnest debut though, off to a good start. Nice work, lads.
Purchase the Negative Reaction/Ramesses Split at the Hellride Music Superstore (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Probot - S/T (Southern Lord Recordings)
First off, the Probot promotional disc contains a new form of copyright software embedded in the disc making it difficult to play on your computer. I found out it's also difficult to play on my car stereo as well. A big thanks to all you douchebags who love to download music you don't want to actually pay for. Fuckers. You've now stuck us with half-ass technology.
For those not familiar with Probot, it's famed Foo Fighter/ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl's tribute to the metal gods he grew up on. Mighty nice of Dave to tip his hat to the masters and to Greg Anderson of Southern Lord Recordings to get this out to the public. It's been awhile and we've all been waiting.
Two things that strike me right off the bat - Dave Grohl is a helluva song writer and must be a helluva metal fan because he writes each song according to the vocalist's style. For example, the magnificent "Centuries of Sin" track featuring Cronos sounds like a lost Venom track. Same with "Sweet Dreams" featuring Danish high-note hero King Diamond (with some guitar help from one Kim Thayil... where you been, dude??!). Same goes for the rest of the songs on the album, except for "Big Sky" with Tom G. Warrior which we'll get to in a minute. . The second thing I notice is a lack of guitar solos. I mean none, except if you count Wino doing 12th fret bends for 10 minutes. I dunno if it's because Dave can't solo or because... well, I dunno.
The one thing you should know about Probot is that it's well worth your money, whatever you pay for it. If you are even a casual fan of metal, you'll find at least one track that will stick in your memory like your first love. For me, the Cronos, Kurt Brecht, Wino and Lee Dorrian tracks are done exceptionally well, enough for me to play 'em over and over again on constant and incessant shuffle for an entire afternoon. The Eric Wagner track is also amazing, and it's about time that Mr. Wagner is recognized for the true talent he is and not just another Howard Stern lookalike. The only track that disappoints is the aforementioned Tom G. Warrior track "Big Sky". What the hell happened here? It sounds like a Marylin Manson outtake. Stinky.
The real disc and matching double vinyl offering will offer a bonus track. I have no idea who it is, because it wasn't included in the promo. Someone said it was Jack Black. That would bum me out in the worst way. How anticlimactic would that be? All I need to say is "Shallow Hal". Go back to hell where you belong. Hopefully these rumors are unfounded and we get someone cool, like Dickinson, Bobby Halford, Ron Dio or someone of that ilk.
Cool cover art and design by Voivod's Away too, for you detail junkies. (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Anathema - A Natural DisasterAnathema - A Natural Disaster (Koch Entertainment)
"In a split second the foundations for peaceful fulfilling life can be blasted away to the four corners of reality...almost as if it were an act of a truly evil god.
It's succinct reflections like the above that draw me to Anathema. More than once I've been blown away by the Cavanagh brother's ability to mesh beautiful prose with everyday emotions and then put them to lush, hypnotic and haunting music.
I know a lot of long time Anathema fans were thrown for a loop with 2002's A Fine Day to Exit as the band introduced a whole new sound. Half cried "Sell out!" while the other half embraced the bands change in sound a true progression. I loved that damn album and continue to spin it quite frequently. In a word, brilliant, and a huge step in defining the band with it's own unique sound.
2003's follow-up, A Natural Disaster, continues where A Fine Day to Exit left off, albeit with a bit more f ire in the belly. Nothing on this album captures the urgency and beauty displayed in A Fine Day to Exit's "Pressure", Release" or the title track, but A Natural Disaster comes damn close and close enough not to disappoint. Again, Danny Cavanagh's ability to write songs that highlight the Anathema hallmark of rich melodies and hypnotic dynamics is what really drives this releas. Brother Vincent's haunting emotive vocal delivery gives the whole affair palpable life that's hard to come by in music alone.
With this release, the band revisit their heavier moments, albeit briefly, with the midsection of amazing first track "Harmonium" and the downright blasting (and surprising given the tone and mood of the other songs) panic-inducer "Pulled Under at 2000 Metres A Second". The band further throw convention to the wind by enlisting someone outside the Cavanagh circle to sing the title track in the form of the prodigious vocal talents of Lee Douglas (wife of drummer John). "Flying" is not only catchy, but defines melancholy beauty as only Anathema can do and further attention must definitely be given to the climatic instrumental "Violence" which recalls Sonic Youth and Pink Floyd in both intensity and trance-inducing capability.
Really, another incredible work from this band. In my ears, they have absolutely succeeded in reinventing themselves.
Visit the Anathema website at www.anathema.ws (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

GORGASM: MASTICATE TO DOMINATE Label: Unique Leader
Chicago's Gorgasm continue from where they left off with their previous CD "Bleeding Profusely" and they haven't exactly slowed down or made any compromises on their second full-length "Masticate to Dominate". A CD that shows Gorgasm still know how to create savage and brutal death metal which brings to mind bands like Suffocation and Gorguts.
The arrangements and structures are based upon the classic formulas, making much of it predictable. But nonetheless the CD is full of cool breaks, fast grinding riffs, slower heavy parts and of course plenty of blast beats making it a varied and deadly effort. The songs are kept fairly short making them even more intense and brutal. "Masticate to Dominate" is a lesson in pure and utter violence; a lesson that will not soon be forgotten. Just listen to songs such as "Stitched Oral Asphyxia", "Concubine of Despise" and "Deadfuck" and don't tell me you're not convinced. The production is fairly clear, yet heavy and brutally raw, accompanying the music perfectly.
"Masticate..." is among the better releases of 2003 and fans of sickening and twisted death metal shouldn't pass on this one. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Gorerotted - Only Tools and Corpses (Metal Blade)
I just read the lyrics to "Fuck Your Arse With Broken Glass". I shouldn't have done that but the lyrics to "Zombie Graveyard Rape Bonanza" had me in a horrified trance. I'm admitted puss when it comes to gore. I can't even watch "ER" reruns.
I know you can't take song titles like "Hacked in the Back and Dumped in a Sack" seriously and if "Her Gash I Did Slash" didn't metal me like a mofo with that hellishly tight midsection and Hell-bred guitar solo, I'd be tempted dismiss this thing altogether on the basis of sick fuck lyrics alone. The fact is, Only Tools and Corpses is a death/grind combo of the highest order - tighter than Nemo's butthole 20,000 leagues, more grooves than a vinyl copy of Mozart's Requiem. The topper is a triple vocal threat that alternately mimics an un-anesthetized tracheotomy, sudden gas escaping a bloated corpse, and violent vomiting.
My advice, skip the lyrics and go right to the music because you can't understand what the hell they're singing about anyway. Musically, more high-speed twists and turns than an out-of-control rollercoaster. Very cool.
Visit the Gorerotted website at www.deadagain.fsnet.co.uk (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Extol - Synergy (2003 Century Media)
Haha, you can tell which label has the best distribution by these last few reviews that I've done, I bought 5 new CDs this weekend and all but one are Century Media. This is a Christian progressive death metal band from Norway, and it's heavy on the Christian overtones, but that's okay, because the music more than makes up for the shortcoming of their choice in beliefs. The music is progressive and the dudes can play their asses off, they use a mixture of clean and death growls, this is just some good complex death metal with a pretty good variety of songs. This is a pretty decent band with some decent skill, I really don't know who else I could compare this too, maybe Farmakon as far as some of the strange melodies and intricate riffs, there also seems to be some thrash elements here and there. (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

Children of Bodom - Hate crew deathroll (2003 Century Media)
You guys keep talking about how Opeth and Doom metal are boring, well I think Children of Bodom is boring, if it wasn't for the far out ripping solos I'd never listen to this band. I thought their last album was better, this one is just too much of the same, Alexis' voice is better that's for sure, but the songs all have that same identical formula and frankly is just kind of tiresome. The band photos don't help for me, there's just a little too much posing going on. This is a good record and I can see how so many people like it, and it is metal, I guess I'm just into different things right now and this just isn't doing the trick for me, I'd rather listen to the new P.O.D. I know that sounds harsh. The good thing is these guys will sell a lot of records and keep gaining popularity whether I like them or not, and they are one of those bands that really don't need to be reviewed in the first place because you pretty much know what you're getting before you even open the CD case. (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

Into Eternity - Dead or Dreaming (2003 Century Media)
This is one of those bands that can get lost under the radar very easily if your not keeping an eye out for them, I stumbled upon this by accident and then remember the list and decided to give it a spin. The sticker on the front of the CD was touting this as being a mixture of all forms of metal, progressive, death, doom and hardcore. I'll admit the hardcore part kind of turned me off, I am getting really sick of the crossover hardcore metal genre right now.
After hearing this a few times I think it's safe to say that this is mostly a crossover hardcore metal band with some sparse Dream Theater like keyboards. The riffs are nice the song structures are quite odd, the clean choruses are cool and catchy, there are a million different vocal styles, but the one that prevails is the hardcore-ish shout, that's the one that you hear most and to me that's kind of a let down, the clean singing is very good, but at times might seem out of place. These guys can really play, but I think they need to settle on a genre and stick with it, I betting that the band has one Hardcore Hatebreed fan, a Blind Guardian fan and a Cannibal Corpse fan. It's just hard to pinpoint where this band fits in. It is a very interesting and at times hard to follow album, that I think will take several more spins to truly understand.
I'm glad I bought it, I just need some more time to let it sink in. (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

Reverend Bizarre - Harbinger of Metal (Spinefarm Records)
It may be a little cavalier of me to say this, but it's my belief that Reverend Bizarre played a great part in ushering this new Doom Renaissance with their 2002 masterpiece In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend. A perfect synergy of occult-driven power, emotion and volume that has already created a classic and inspired a multitude of bands to plug in and slow down.
Obviously I wasn't the only one to think that the band was on to something special, as they quickly were swept up from relative obscurity by Finland's Spinefarm label, landed a spot in the high profile spots in the Tuska festival at Helsinki (among others) and recorded an EP (albeit a 70 MINUTE EP!).
Lightning strikes twice, the doom-laden wunderkinds have created another epic - although this time the lyrics and music take a decidedly darker turn, sucking the any and all light right out of the room. The band eschew any trace of psychedelia and the popular "groove-laden" breakdown that might lighten the mood, for the addition of "atmosphere": various audio snippets, and occasional Hammond-ish keyboards and vocalist Albert's distant wailing and gnashing of teeth to augment bass/percussion trance-inducing jams. What a record.
"The Wandering Jew" is the instant standout - an epic length tale of Christ's tortuous journey to Golgotha and what happens if you happen to be amongst those in the crowd that spit in the Saviour's face as he carries his deadly burden. The take is much different than anything you've heard - Christ as Son of God or martyr for the lower class? Christ as an occult figure, casting spells?? Whoa.
Albert's vocals are still the tested trademark of the band - they could go country and you'd still recognize that clear yet ominous timbre, perhaps the best built voice for doom metal since Ozzy picked up a microphone.
Another doom metal classic, you'll soon realize.
Visit the Reverend Bizarre website at www.reverend.shows.it (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Revelation - Frozen Masque (Miskatonic Foundation)
I often associate places and times with the music I was listening to at a particular moment. The first time I gave Frozen Masque a proper spin was on a the way to a conference at UCLA. I remember the morning being crystal clear and the music playing on my car stereo being incredibly awe-inspiring. What leaped out at me was incredibly written songs, each loaded with a multitude of not just one, but several amazing riffs, delicate midsections and iron heavy passages - a multitude of dynamics. When the band launched into a particularly intense moment toward the middle of the title track "Frozen Masque" (Branagan, Cornelius and Hunter in perfect harmony), I sat in the parking lot, playing that over at least five times. I repeated a listening on the way home and I sat in the garage playing the midsection of "Finished With You" and the entirety of the immaculate "Little Faith" another multitude of times (Jim Hunter's bass lines as that baby winds up). Experiences like that I really treasure. The rare and perfect integration of music and mind.
For those of you that aren't hip, Revelation recorded the Frozen Masque demo in late 1996, flush with success from the pivotalYet So Far album and a subsequent tour with double doom legends Saint Vitus and Solitude Aeturnus. Unfortunately, the album never came to be, but the demo made the rounds within doom circles, garnering just and due praise.
The Captain Supreme of true metal and Doom, Richard Walker (Solstice, Warning) saw fit to release Frozen Masque in conjunction with 1994's Mourning Son demo and two live tracks, all in one package. The icing on the cake is the comprehensive 12-page booklet with liner notes by drummer Steve Branagan replete with lyrics and band photos (including the vintage mighty mullets of singer/guitarist Dennis Cornelius and aforementioned drummer!). An excellent package, and a worthy snapshot of the seminal Branagan/Cornelius/Hunter songwriting team.
Also of note is the development of Cornelius as a vocalist between the Mourning Son and Frozen Masque demos - the difference in chops and confidence is striking. And then that signature guitar tone (listen to that solo in "Eternal Search" for Gawd's sake!!!) - both voice and tone he'd carry with him to his criminally overlooked OverSoul project, whose Seven Days in November is also worthy of your attention.
If you're a fan of doom metal in any regard - or heavy music in general - this is a must for your collection. (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Destruction - Metal Discharge (Nuclear Blast)
It actually took me a little while to warm up to Destruction's 2001 thrashterpiece The Antichrist . Looking back, I can't really pin down what the initial hesitation was. I mean, let's be honest, that fucker brung it. Hard. That Germanic raw thrash aggression coupled with solid thrash rhythmic fury and choruses that were actually CATCHY. How many times have I caught myself singing "Nailed to the FUCKING cross!!" or "Bullets...Bullets from HELL!!" while driving or wandering around the house?? Either those tunes have sticking power or I'm retarded. Or both. From that standpoint, their latest release Metal Discharge already had big shoes to fill.
And to a large part, those shoes remain unfilled. Metal Destruction comprises two discs - the first is all new material and the second one is covers and demos. When the cover/demo disc outshines the one with new, original material, it's a little disconcerting.
Metal Discharge starts off strong all right, both the first neck-snapper, "The Ravenous Beast" and the title track are absolutely stellar Destruction compositions - fast, gritty, aggressive and catchy. The third song, "Rippin' the Flesh" starts a decline (aside from the fine guitar bridge in that aforementioned track) that will last until the last two offerings on the disc "Made to Be Broken" and "Vendetta". So what happened to those six middle tracks? They aren't horrible and "horrible" is not an option with a band of this caliber - they're just....boring. Standard issue thrash tunes devoid of any memorable riffs or choruses. They'd be acceptable for a middle-of-the-road band, but these are the Teutonic legends Destruction we have here! Maybe I'm being a bit harsh... To their credit, Destruction have shit more top-shelf tunes in their long career than most bands can even begin to hope to create at their peak.
All is not lost, however. Disc 2 contains some absolutely stellar covers of Maiden's "Killers" and Metallica's seminal "Whiplash" as well as killer demos of "Bestial Invasion", "The Butcher Strikes Back", "Nailed to the Cross", and the "Metal Discharge" title track. Unnecessary, but good listening.
Unfortunately for the new material, 4 solid tunes out of 10 does not make a great album and that's what we're left with. Not horrible, just not living up to the legacy of this incredibly talented band. I'm disappointed, but there's always next time.
Visit the Destruction website at www.destruction.de (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Doomsword - Let Battle Commence (SPV/Dragonheart)
There's a good reason Terrorizer magazine's Chris Chantler lauded a "9/10" on Italian cult metalers Doomsword's latest release, Let Battle Commence. The album is Heavy Metal at it's finest; an epic piece recorded with abundant doses of true metal grit.
Doomsword have always been an anachronism in time, eschewing the current ostentatious keyboard-laden Eurometal movement for something more authentic. Something more related to Saxon than Rhapsody. "Battle Metal" has always been the band's forte, conveying a strong sense of storytelling and approach to lyrics as it does to it's dark brand of metal. Let Battle Commence, the band has hit it's stride.
The band has a keen sense of "epic" when it comes to songwriting - from vocalist/guitarist Deathmaster's sub-operatic delivery style, to the sword n' steel clashing sound effects to the keen sense of dynamics pioneered by early bands (and admitted Doomsword influences) such as Warlord, Viking-era Bathory and Candlemass. The climatic speedy passages are always tempered with slow, atmospheric flourishes, and vice-versa. Despite the Metal bombast evidenced on Let Battle Commence, one walks away from the whole experience convinced that Doomsword are all about the metal, any evidence of pretension (thankfully) is kept to a minimum.
I agree with Chantler. What we have here may be a metal classic.
Visit the Doomsword website at www.truemetal.org/doomsword (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

The Meads of Asphodel - The Excommunication of Christ (2003, Supernal Music)
Damn what a strange band, these guys are from England and play a very unique form of black metal, this is black metal without all the frills and fluff, it's almost like Medieval Black Metal, stuff that you could imagine the crazy Knights and Gestures would play back in the old days, you know if they even knew what metal was, The album art and photos are almost ridiculous, like some leftover press clips from Monte Python's holy grail. You go to their website and the guys are all dressed up as Knights with shields displaying coat of arms and the whole works, it almost looks like a joke, but then you hear the music and it just blows you away. The dynamics of the songs and the excellent multi-faceted vocal delivery is really cool, the old school traditional metal mixed with the folkish black metal really works well together, there's nothing at all hokey about this music, it's just some extremely well done black metal with lots of interesting touches thrown in..
I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this album, The Metal Observer gave it a 10/10 and then Tartarean Desire gave it a 6/10. http://www.themeadsofasphodel.com/ (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

Moonspell - The Antidote (2003, Century Media)
Some might say that Moonspell suck the high hard one, and others might say they've lost their way with all the goth metal stuff they've been releasing over the last couple of years. I only have one other Moonspell CD "Darkness and Hope" and I too thought it sucked pretty hard. This new one however is pretty damn cool, lots of growling and screaming, there's also a copious amount of double-bass drumming, I'm very, very surprised at this return to the old style, even though I don't really know what that style was, all I know is that this is a solid metal album with lots of aggression and creative song writing, there are times when the vocals get all Italian Count Dracula-ish, you know when he uses that gothic deep Type O voice, but I think it adds to the variety and overall scope of the album. I think the best tune on the CD is "The SouthernDeathstyle" which features some pretty cool death growls. This is a pretty good CD...... I couldn't be happier (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

Sun of Nothing - ...And Voices, Words, Faces Complete the Dream (Blast Beat Mailmurder/Damaged Productions)
The first track of Sun of Nothing's full length debut will weed out the weak right away. "Thank You" is comprised of a good 13 minutes of frequency squall and drone. Hang in there though, and the listener is rewarded with a truly intense amalgam of noise, grind, black metal and oozing Sludgecore like you've never heard.
Athens, Greece is the true metal capital of the world, where Manowar fills stadiums and classic metal is the staple in youth diet. The four members comprising Sun of Nothing turn their collective backs on the popular in favor of something completely aurally devastating, totally void of crowd-friendly anthemic chants, melody, harmony and pyro guitar solos. Sun of Nothing create one helluva dark piece of work whose pure visceral impact can only be matched by U.S. contemporaries like Hellblock 6, Rwake, Noothgrush and Mugwart.
Ilias Apostolakis' vocals are unnerving (and unintelligible) shrieks and screams through a veil of scar tissue - even in songs like the Southern groove-driven "Kick", Ilias's obtuse utterances darken what could be a riff straight out of an ATP song with a breakdown worthy of the song's title. It's a weird, unsettling combination. "Purge Reality (The Revenge)" pits sludgecore riffs with black metal blastbeats and speedcore breakdowns. "Diablo" starts with a menacing, acoustic intro and just as suddenly as it begins breaks into riff that could be right at home in Norway, circa '91 and a midsection that slows to a dead crawl... all plodding bass riff and percussion before the whole cacophony begins again, this time with a steady muted crunch that sounds as it were played on steel cables.
"....And Voices" is steeped in anarchistic brilliance and DIY ethic. All that is good in extreme music, compiled in 60 minutes.
Visit the Son of Nothing website at www.sunofnothing.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Tartharia - A Secret Device (Crash Music)
Tartharia represents unifying spirit of the Northern countries, half the members of Finnish descent, the other Russian in origin. On paper it sound compelling. Both countries represent hot beds of extreme music, genre breakers to be sure. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot here that would satisfy that premise. Reality overrides theory once again.
This record isn't bad, per se... it's just not something I'd likely go out and spend money on. A Secret Device takes run-of-the-mill black and death elements and peppers the whole platter with the omnipresent Finnish penchant for keyboard-driven atmospherics and supa-slick production. The whole thing sounds like an angry Children of Bodom with ADD and less guitar pyro.
This actually might perk more ears with a production job that was a little more...necro... in scope. Impaled Nazarane/Children of Bodom producer Anssi Kippo made this record sound crisper than a burnt toast, but to these ears anyway, it sucked the life right out of the music. These guys play brutally...you can hear the potential, yet the production makes 'em sound like they left their left balls in the desk drawer somewhere. Drummer Ville Huttunet might as well have been a drum machine given the enhancements I hear and a anywhere else, Tahvo Kenonen's Banshee-in-vice-grip vocals would have peeled paint. The dude gives it his all, but dammit if the production and mix make it sound like he's fronting a band comprised of well-oiled machines. Kinda disappointing from that standpoint.
The cover art is certainly different from the skulls, blood and blasphemy we've come to expect in this type of music. I still haven't figured it out. It's disturbing but I'm just not sure how. Anyway, much credit to the band for doing something out of the ordinary packaging wise. Still doesn't save the record, but nicely done nonetheless.
Visit the Crash Music INC website at www.crashmusicinc.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

The Frozen - Zero (Independent Release)
Heartache and alcohol. Throughout human history, the two seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. Austria's The Frozen not only were formed by a common bond catalyzed by wretched suffering and booze, they put it to music. Rock for the suffering soul. A great spin for when the female species takes a mind to ripping your beating heart out. And working up a good parting spit in the vacated cavity for good measure.
The Frozen harbor a truly remarkable sound, soulful and melodic borrowing a bit from the vintage Gothic bands of yore (remember fellow Austrians Jack Frost?) while still immersed in aggressiveness of hard rock. Tough to categorize and tough to compare to anyone else out there. To these ears at least, a good thing. Guitarist/vocalist Dennis Panholzer has a somber croon somewhere between Glenn Danzig and Pete Steele. Actually, Danzig and Type O Negative might be good touchstones for The Frozen's sound. Add in a little Rumours -era Fleetwood Mac, and you'd be there. That's right, Danzig, Type O Negative and Fleetwood Mac. Told you it was different. Definitely molded from hard rock cast, but performed in a laid back manner, infused with melody and a knack for the catchy.
I should also mention that this is an EP comprising four songs, the third release in the band's history since it's formation in '98. I should have mentioned that earlier, but it's getting late, I'm typing this after a heavy meal and I'm feeling a little fuzzy in the head.
The only problem I have with this release is the cover. Looks like one of the band members got the band logo tattooed on their chest and are looking for anyway possible to show it off. What better way than to slap it on the cover of their CD? Maybe a little self-indulgent and between you, me and the lamp post, looks kinda.... erm... gay. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I'm not sure if that's the vibe the band is looking for.
OK, I'm clearly rambling and it's time to end this review.... four solid songs, check 'em out.
Visit The Frozen website at www.thefrozen.net (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Denata - Art of the Insane (Arctic Music Group)
Frequent Hellride forum and review readers know that many of us denizens of Hellride culture have a soft spot for good, ol' fashioned thrash metal. Something about the mix of aggression and speed that satiates like no other.
So it's with great pleasure that I get the chance to say a few words about Denata's fourth release and third full length album - a no bullshit, low-to the-ground thrashing machine that boasts fortitude and confidence enough to add in some of the more technical elements of death metal for good measure. This is a no frills type of release, noelectronic shtick or filler material. It's 35 minutes, 13 songs, including a helluva cover of Celtic Frost's "Morbid Tales". Some songs that stick in my head are the first track "Marionettes of Death" which whips up a metal tempest that doesn't relent until the last chord of the last and aforementioned cover track. "Insomnia", the amazing "Prophecies" and the title track are some other gems worthy of your attention.
Grant it, this isn't a groundbreaking release by any means and I think that'd be pretty hard to come by in thrash metal at this point given the vast expanse of ground that has been covered in the last twenty years. It's all about interpretation now, and this is where Denata excels. The other drawback is the same that I've mentioned on just about every other recent thrash release, especially those coming out of Sweden.... the slashed throat vocals are no longer a differentiating factor, and in fact could be a detriment in standing out from the pack. Still, given the quality of the material, this is a pretty small factor.
Worth an investigation if thrash with a hint of death metal starts a buzz between your ears.
Visit the Denata website at www.denata.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Hellblock 6 - Nuclear Age (Worldeater Records)
Hellblock 6 creates the kind of music that would go well with a fat doobie, dexidrine and a bad disposition. Alternately aggressive and subdued, mind altering, totally uncomfortable.
Really, these guys know how to blend bud-kissed sludge, doom and grind into a seamless package. Mellow, flanged-out acoustic pieces suddenly catch fire and transition into hyperspeed. Drummer/vocalist Antman uses his throat as a sound frequency grinder, busting voice box before busting a punk-like breakdown and back to stoned backbeat. It's as if Pink Floyd, Eyehategod and Minor Threat decided to jam while souls were judged and cities burned. Hard to categorize these guys with anything other than "heavy", anything else just doesn't do it justice.
Good to see bands like this breaking down genre barriers and combining styles to create something different. Mutated grind/doomers with stoned ethics rule. (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

PANZERCHRIST: ROOMSERVICE Mighty Music 6/6
Deadlier and faster than ever is what Mighty Music proclaim on their site. Yep, the ultra violent death metal war machine known as Panzerchrist has returned with their fourth album, "Room Service". And yes, they actually sound deadlier and faster than ever. But this isn't just another muddy mass of blast beats, grunts and down tuned guitars! Nope, Panzerchrist play with a skill, dedication and variation that I haven't heard in quite some time. They start their merciless assault with the excellent "Tomorrow" which, by the way, is a good hint on what is to come. Up next are 5 equally deadly tunes in the shape of "Creature", "Lies", "Suicide", "At the Grave" and "Death Approaches". Then, they launch a crushing cover version of the old classic "Metal Church" before ending this deadly spree with "Room Service", "The Red River" and "Evil". The production is top notch and the compositions are well written and memorable. Sure, this CD may not be reeking of originality, but who the fuck cares? It's still one hell of a release and you shouldn't deny yourself the pleasure of witnessing the destructive power of Panzerchrist. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

NOCTURNUS: THRESHOLDS Earache Records 6/6
Back in 1992, Nocturnus put out their second album "Thresholds", which I would describe as technical sci-fi death. A weird term; I know, but nonetheless very fitting. Nocturnus today still stand out as one of the pioneer bands in death metal. "Thresholds" is an incredible showcase of technicality, brilliant musicianship and very unique compositions, which, in my own case, took quite a few spins in the CD player before I truly could appreciate the genius of this band. The massive presence of keyboards/samples in their music provides an incredible scene for the music to unfold upon, and it really lets the listener drift into their world of science fiction. If you ever come across this masterpiece, don't hesitate to get it; it may take a few spins to sink in but it's worth the effort. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

DIMMU BORGIR: DEATH CULT ARMAGEDDON Nuclear Blast Records 5/6
Yet another majestic masterpiece from the uncrowned kings of symphonic black metal has been unleashed upon our miserable existence. "Death Cult Armageddon" carries on from where "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" left off. There's not that much new under the blackened sun, but they did manageto put a few new ideas in here and there. There can be no doubt that Dimmu Borgir master their craft to the sublime. The music is so varied and detailed that one can only bow in the dust for their brilliancy. Only thing I'm truly missing is the clean vocals, which, in my opinion, there could have been more of, but it's only a minor detail and shouldn't hold any one back from checking this great album out. "Death Cult Armageddon" is indeed a worthy successor to "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia". If Dimmu Borgir continues to create compositions like this, they should be untouchable for years to come. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

KALMAH: SWAMPSONGS 4/6
You take a lot from Children of Bodom and add a bit of In Flames, blend it well together, and you have Kalmah. Seriously, it's obvious that they're heavily inspired by the aforementioned bands, but nonetheless it doesn't matter much cuz' Kalmah have created a CD that, despite the obvious lack of originality, still possesses enough strength to rise above most other melodeath releases. So, if you like Children of Bodom or well-played melodeath in general, you shouldn't hesitate to get this release. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

HOUWITSER: DAMAGE ASSESSMENT 3/6
Houwitser is back with the successor to the excellent "Rage Inside the Womb", and do they manage to lift the burden? Well, no. "Rage Inside the Womb" was lifted to another level by the utterly brutal riffing, the sound, and the sick samples whereas the sound on "Damage Assessment" seems thin. And, to tell the truth, the machine gun samples on "Damage Assessment" sound like something stolen from a bad computer game. A big disappointment; I had expected more from such an excellent band. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Hanoi Rocks - Twelve Shots On the Rocks (Liquor and Poker Music)
Did you know that the site where Vince Neil wrecked the auto that ended the life of Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle is five blocks from the Hellride Compound? Yep. That is Redondo Beach Rock Fact #1. Redondo Beach Rock Fact #2 is that Black Flag played their first gig four blocks from the Hellride Compound. And that's the capper to the Redondo Beach Rock Facts as of November 15, 2003. Exciting.
Let's be honest - Hanoi Rocks were never that good, even in their prime. This current reunion are HR originals Andy McCoy, Michael Monroe and a bunch of other people that I never heard of. And they're still not that good.
Of course, processed through a brain and set of eyes so steeped in cynisism as mine, this project reeks of a last ditch cash-in, sopping up the last puddle of almost-fame before the HR monikor is set fast in the history books of mediocre rock n' roll. I don't know this to be true, but the decidely mediocre music on Twelve Shots... probably comes off even worse than it is, tainted by my own subjectivity. So, to be fair to both band and label, keep that in mind.
Twelve Shots... is luke warm glam/trash rock. "Watcha Want" is the sole track that raises it's head above the run-of-the-mill, a real kick in the pants. But one great track out of 17 isn't such a good ratio. Hanoi Rocks are at their worst with anything that slips into 4/4 time (or below), with a collection of ballads that truly put the "s" in "shite". Honestly, really very bad. I can't even nail down exactly why they are bad. They just... suck. I dunno.
Anyway, that's my take on this. I'm not a betting man, but if I were, I'd bet the delete bin in the next six months. Watch me be wrong and this thing take off. Wouldn't be the first time I was proved an a-hole.
Visit the Hanoi Rocks website at www.hanoirocks.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

ABORTED: GOREMAGEDDON - THE SAW AND THE CARNAGE DONE Label: Listenable Records 4/6
Originality is a rare thing in death metal these days and Aborted doesn't add much new to this genre but who cares as long as the music is well executed and it certainly is on "Goremageddon". Sure it's all been heard before but Aborted manage add their own little thing so it doesn't come across like just another copy even though it sounds like they've been listening to Carcass and Fleshcrawl. So if you like your metal razor sharp, brutal and executed with no compromise what so ever then I don't see any reasons not to invest in this album. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

EXHUMED: ANATOMY IS DESTINY Label: Relapse Records 4/6
Did anyone say Carcass!! It's clear from track one that Exhumed are heavily inspired by the afore mentioned band but there is no reason to hold this against them since they execute their metal very well and "Anatomy Is Destiny" is a badass release. Exhumed add a few ideas of their own to the album but it doesn't change the fact that it leaves little to the imagination but I couldn't really care less cuz' why should you tamper with an excellent formula that has been tried out several times and works perfect!! Overall this is a very good release with nice artwork and booklet but be sure to get the uncensored version, it's beyond me why it has been censored but it has so.If you are a fan of Carcass this is a must and if you like well executed death/grind/gore then you shouldn't miss out on this one. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

VITAL REMAINS: DECHRISTIANIZE Label: Century Media Records 5/6
I wasn't too familiar with Vital Remains before I put "Dechristianize" in the cd-player but right from the opening intro "Let the Killing Begin" I knew something great was lying in wait and to tell the truth I wasn't disappointed at all even though the overall mix is a little odd, I'm mainly thinking on Glenn Benton vocals who lies a little to high in the mix in my opinion but other than that I really can't complain sure I've also seen and heard the complaints that Benton's vocals are too monotone but I say get over it cuz' there is so much cool going on this album that the vocals shouldn't hold you back. I mean there are plenty of dual leads that easily could lead your thoughts to Iron Maiden, blast beats, spanish guitars etc. and with a running time of more than 60 minutes you really get value for money. One thing is for sure Vital Remains really got me hooked with this awesome release and you probably also will be if you're a fan of bands such as Deicide and Deceased. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

MONSTROSITY: RISE TO POWER Label: Conquest Music 4/6
Like a storm wind from the past Monstrosity comes blasting back with their fourth studio album "Rise to Power", it's been almost four years since their excellent "In Dark Purity" and was it worth the wait?!, the answer is yes! The band has been creating a furious vortex of blasting drums, screaming guitars and raw vocals that proves that Monstrosity is still a force to be recon with, playing their own and to some extend unique interpretation of technical death metal. Fans of Death, Morbid Angel, Brutality and Malevolent Creation won't be disappointed. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

MONSTROSITY: RISE TO POWER Conquest Music 5/6
Like a storm wind from the past Monstrosity comes blasting back with their fourth studio album "Rise to Power", it's been almost four years since their excellent "In Dark Purity" and was it worth the wait?!, the answer is yes! The band has been creating a furious vortex of blasting drums, screaming guitars and raw vocals that proves that Monstrosity is still a force to be recon with, playing their own and to some extend unique interpretation of technical death metal. Fans of Death, Morbid Angel, Brutality and Malevolent Creation won't be disappointed. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

PENNYWISE: FROM THE ASHES Epitaph 4/5
Pennywise is back with the follow up to the incredible "Land of the Free?" and do they succeed in making a worthy successor?!, well the answer is both yes and no. Most of the songs on "From the Ashes" are bursting of energy even though they are missing a little of that memorable and heavy as fuck edge that all songs on "Land of the Free?" possessed but when this is said there is really no excuse for not liking this (at least not for me). A friend of mine once said that Pennywise sounded like a mix between Pro-Pain and The Offspring, a comparison that I easily can follow even though it doesn't really do Pennywise total justice, but you get the basic idea in what area Pennywise is operating. (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

The Prophecy - Ashes
Well, I've found the best CD of 2003!!!!
The Prophecy - Ashes, This is just the best damn thing that I've heard since that Green Carnation CD, although it's silly to compare these two bands. The Prophecy is just a sweet ass combination of everything that makes doom so fucking awesome, I'd say these guys are a tad better than Mourning Beloveth, mainly because of their drastic shifts, somehow they manage to be so damn heavy one moment and then mellow as hell the next, while still maintaining a doom metal atmosphere, this isn't funeral doom or vampire doom or any of that other stuff, this is just straight up metal that's heavy and pummeling, lots of great clean singing along with some scary growls, the lead playing is superb. I was only able to get this CD directly from Blackdoom records in the UK, this label was formed by Andrew Craighan of My Dying Bride and he sent me the CD himself.
I think that in the future you can expect some great things from this label. www.blackdoom.com (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

U.D.O. - Nailed to Metal... The Missing Tracks (SPV/Steamhammer)
One of my fondest metal moments is walking out of Moby Disc in Pasadena, California with a freshly purchased cassette of Restless and Wild one Winter day in '82. I had heard the title track on KMET's "Mighty Metal Hour" the night before and had to get a copy of this. What a metal revelation... that album and it's immediate follow-up, Balls to the Wall are testaments to the power of good ol' fashioned Heavy Metal. "Fast as a SharK" was as extreme as it got back in the day.
I lost track of Accept after Balls to the Wall, and never paid vocalist Udo Dirkschneider's solo material any attention. The result is that a good 20 years have passed since I've heard Udo's powerful... but admittedly limited and sometimes downright phlegmy, roar. Nailed to Metal...The Missing Tracks... came in the mail as a complete surprise, the bonus being that several vintage Accept tracks were included.
Nailed to Metal ...The Missing Tracks... are the companion piece to the Nailed to Metal ...The Complete History... DVD which captures the band in Russia on their 2001 tour. The U.D.O.-era tracks weren't bad, actually. Plenty of old school head banging power to be had. On the other hand, the Accept tracks were a bit disappointing. "Fast as a Shark", "Restless and Wild", and "Balls to the Wall" came off a perfunctory run throughs, lacking the passion of the studio cuts. Only the epic "Princess of the Dawn" captured the metal momentum of the original.
All in all, not a bad testament to the little guys' career. Just not a great one. 7
Visit the U.D.O. website at www.udo-online.de (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Khanate - Things Viral (Southern Lord Recordings)
The sound of prayers unanswered.
The consummate doomed spirits of Stephen O'Malley, Alan Dubin, James Plotkin and Tim Wyskida have once again convened to uncage the collective Khanate consciousness. This band has garnered a reputation for orbiting the most remote territories in extreme music with their self-titled debut, and rightly so. Rigid boundaries imposed by their predecessors (Black Sabbath and their ilk) are coaxed into submission with subsonic frequencies and vile incantations, then trampled on in the most contemptible manner possible. It just doesn't get much more off the beaten (left hand) path than Khanate.
Things Viral is a more sparse recording than the debut. Sudden shards of feedback come out of nowhere, a bass drum hit, a downtuned chord struck, whispers permeate the space in between. "Unsettling" is the word I'm thinking of, but somehow it just doesn't do the whole thing justice.
Clearly, the star this album is vocalist Alan Dubin. The spartan instrumentation gives highlight to Dubin - so spartan at times, that Things Viral can come across as a doom's first spoken word album. Alan Dubin is the only guy I know that can give catalyst to such vivid, torturous imagery to seemingly non-sequiter words as "pieces" and "red". Really, his ability to lyricize these pieces... one that goes on for nearly 20 minutes... is astounding. One begins to appreciate the intonation, voice inflection and the space around syllables for what it is... an organic, living, breathing musical instrument capable of delivering a multitude of emotions just by a simple change in inflection. One also begins to appreciate, given the
Dubin's material and voice, that he might be genuinely disturbed. Heh... just kidding. I think.
Once again, Khanate will polarize listeners with it's output. I can see "shite" being bandied around just as much as "genius" for their brand of art/ambient/doom. Definitely not for everyone, but if pushing the envelope is your thing, take a chance. There's not much that can top this for pure, visceral effect. Even if that effect is shitting your pants.
Visit the Khanate website at www.southernlord.com/khanatetemp.html (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

The Crown - Possessed 13 (Metal Blade Records)
The first track, "No Tomorrow" scared the shit out of me. Not because it was disturbingly extreme or anything, but the first 50 seconds give you the distinct impression that your CD player is fucked. Crazy Swedes.
If it sounds like The Crown are heading back to their roots on this, it's because... well they are. Possessed 13 is a tribute to their 13th year of existence, retooling 13 tracks of unreleased stuff from the early, early years. Those of you in the states can get the double disc version, one with the updated take on the old stuff, the other the unexpurgated originals. 'Bout time that we in the states get the glorified packaging.
Back in the fold after 11 years (aside from a guest vocal on '02's Crowned in Terror) is original vocalist Johan Lindstrand. Apparently, the much publicized split between the band and journeyman growler Tomas Lindberg have swung the doors for Mr. Lindstrand's heralded return wide open. And he sounds fucking great, full throttle this guy.
What can I say about the music on Possessed 13? It doesn't stand out because it's polished n' perfect, but because it's furious and ugly as hell. The Crown take one part each of American and Swedish Death Metal and infuse good ol' Bay Area thrash. What wouldotherwise be violent chaos is tamed and channeled through the remarkable rhythmic chemistry of drummer Janne Saarenpää, bassist Magnus Olsfelt, and guitarists Marko Tervonen and Marcus Sunesson. The sheer brutality of death metal is retained, but the adrenaline surges that come in the stops, starts and razor sharp rhythmic fury of thrash make this a keeper.
Who says you need to progress? The Crown prove that opening the chapters of the past ain't such a bad thing. Metal heads rejoice.
Visit The Crown website at www.thecrownonline.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Panchrysia - In Obscure Depths (2002 The LSP Company)
This was a impulse buy from Dark Symphonies for $10. I'll start of with what's gay about this band and this CD... The bald guy on the front cover of the CD booklet, that guy is gay, and he's got to know it, he's wearing black sun glasses and he's trying to look tough, If he's not gay, he missed a good chance. The whole packaging of this album looks like that of the Zyklon album "World ov Worms" it even has a barcode across the front of it, along with a picture of the band standing around looking as metal as they can possibly be, black leather jackets and everything. Now what I like about it...The music is pretty cool. Take the vocals of Abbath and the riffs from Immortal and Zyklon and some pretty furious drumming and you've got some damn cool blistering death metal with a real mechanical feel. These guys have just got to be Immortal worshippers, except their music is much faster..
Anyways I think it was a good deal for what I paid.... (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

YOB - Catharsis (Abstract Records)
YOB is the sound of the fabric of time and space colliding with the vibrational stink of 100,000 years of human sin. I don't care what you say, energy doesn't dissipate, and negative energy has gotta go somewhere. The Gods have chosen YOB to channel that cosmic burden through 50 minutes of sound.
Three tracks of grandiose length, swirling dynamic and mind-blowing proportions. The whole thing is
blugeoningly hypnotic in that early Electric Wizard/Sons of Otis type of way. Even for the stubborn listener, if you leave Catharsis on long enough you'll eventually slide into some type of modified alpha state. I will caution, however, If you're the type of listener looking for a quick resolution in musical structure, stay away, don't even touch Catharsis with a yard stick. Resolution takes awhile with YOB, it's the anticipation that's the kicker.
Mike Sheidt's vocals can either be labeled as diversely brilliant and unique, or fucking annoying.Depends on your take. For most of Catharsis, he sounds strangely like a prepubescent Rob Halford. Or King Diamond drowned in reverb. Once in a while he lets the timbre drop into a Chris Barnes-ish (not me, the other one. My voice is unremarkable, given to occasional mumbling.) rumble for kicks. Wild.
Not the usual Black Sabbath-influenced disc of doom. There's something much more primordial...and threatening... about YOB. Catharsis would be the perfect soundtrack to a Dr. Edward Jessup experiment.
Visit the Yob website at www.yobrock.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Forsaken - Iconoclast (Golden Lake Productions)
Not satisfied with simply crushing listener's skulls with sheer downtuned volume, Malta's Forsaken offer a prolific, multi-textured approach to doom metal. Aspects of classic metal, funeral doom and even traces of death/doom are evident in Forsaken's incredibly bombastic mix. Majestic guitar solos complement powerful vocals and melancholy piano and female vocal accents.
The end result sounds something close to Solitude Aeturnus's progressive and technical chops, Las Cruce's visceral crunch and Long Winter's Stare epic bombast. Or Queen on a doom binge, you pick. The epic length of these songs and the multiple time changes and textures within each composition make Iconoclast come across as a 4 song movement in a doom metal opera.
Powerful, progressive and classy.
Visit the Forsaken website at http://forsaken_malta.tripod.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Anathema - A Natural Disaster
So far this is a disaster of a album, holy shit what the fuck happened between now and when they released the excellent "A Fine day to Exit"???
I was able to download this album after weeks of perseverance and patience. I consider myself to be a pretty big Anathema fan, have all of their albums and with each one you see them wimp out just a little more. On this new album you hear them use even more female vocals and even some synthesized effects on some of the male vocals, I don't know about you guys but I'm getting damn tired of hearing these fruity fem vocals, I mean the guy can sing, SO SING FUCKHEAD!!!!! The music is really, really mellow and it takes ages for the songs to actually kick in, way too much atmosphere and pretentious piano wankering. Those synthesized vocals I was mentioning earlier are also a major annoyance, it sounds like some "Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto" shit. I guess you can tell by this early review that I am not to pleased with what I've heard so far. It just seems like these guys are total pussies now. Maybe I'll sweeten up to it after a few more listens. (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

Orodruin - Epicurean Mass
From Rochester, New York....Another friggen' DOOM metal band, Damn I've been listening to so much DOOM lately, I'm thinking about changing my name to Doomy McDoomber....Has to be a cream or a support group I can go to for this addiction. These guys were most recently on the DOOMINATION of Europe and USA tours along with Morgion, Mourning Beloveth and The Prophecy. I intentionally sit on my ballsack really hard everyday as punishment for not going to that show, but that's what I get for being married and being pussy whipped, (I wish the wife's nagging wasn't so effective). This stuff is a little different than the previous DOOM metal bands that I have raved about in the past, this is more Olde School doom, similar to Cathedral and St. Vitus, the other bands like The Prophecy and Morgion are more DOOM-death and have longer slower and more atmospheric songs. Orodruin hardly ever use the ultra brutal growl, but the dude has a badass clean voice, much like that of Abdullah or even Robert Lowe of Solitude Aeturnus. The riffs are faster and the songs have a quicker pass, but they're still super heavy. You can order their CD from the www.orodruin.us website for $13.00. They are another really decent band that is worthy of some attention and praise. (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

As It Burns - Mortal Dusk (Cold Blood Industries)
I'll be honest, I put this in the CD player expecting another faceless death/thrash/black metal hybrid with a touch of the melodic. The hybrids started out to be compelling... they took the finer points of each genre, put 'em in a blender and in the process created a sound that actually stood out from the pack. But inevitably with the success of one, comes others and soon the bandwagon got so packed that any individuality was smothered once again. And the cold march of sameness ensues...
As It Burns would fit right in with the above had they not had the foresight to include a dude tricky on the keyboards. Now, I'm really not a huge fan of keyboards and metal, because, at least in my opinion, there is no better way to puss-up a raging metal tune than with fluffy keyboards. But in this instance, it's the keyboards that really save the band. As It Burns write some pretty decent tunes - some choppy riffed thrash-fests mixed with black metal blasts and melodic death metal over-the-top workouts. The trouble is there's two zillion other bands that can do the same thing and then proceed to add a vocalist that can scream his ass off. Sure it rocks and it's entertaining for about 15 minutes, but does it spur you to go to the show or take the disc for multiple spins? In the case of As It Burns, The keys really add a differentiating touch, especially the Hammond sounding backing in "Selective Amnesia" (a Hammond B3 in a raging heavy metal tune?? Nice!), the melodic break and ending of "Eternal" and the overall epic feel of "The Skintrade".
The result? As It Burns sounds like The Blood Divine's evil brother, hopped-up on speed and overly influenced by the NWOSDM. I'm still not a huge fan (the keys... I just can't), but I will say that As It Burns has created an album's worth of metal music that does truly stand out from the rest of the hybrid drivel.
Visit the As It Burns website at www.asitburns.nl (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

PANZERCHRIST: ROOMSERVICE Mighty Music 5/6
Don't get fooled by the name of the album, here nothing nice and helpful about this creature. Right from song one it's obvious that Panzerchrist is back stronger than ever and they intend to take no prisoners. The music is ultra brutal death metal played at an insane neck breaking speed at times but it shouldn't come as a surprise since the drummer Reno H. Kiilerich is among the worlds fastest!! The vocals are delivered by Bo Summer from Illdisposed and he sounds as great as ever, adding a lot to the overall brutal atmosphere along with the keyboard samples that are spread all over the place. Panzerchrist have chosen to cover the old classic "Metal Church" and they actually pull this off making the song even heavier than the original version. So if you into brutal and heavy as fuck death metal then you won't miss out on "Room Service" (Per/Supreme Bruality Zine http://www.supremebrutality.net/)

Jack Starr's Guardians of the Flame - Under a SavageSky (Crash Music)
Jack Starr was around at the beginning, when the British-bred roar of Heavy Metal first traveled across the pond to be heard on American shores. In '82, he co-founded classic metalers Virgin Steele, shortly departing from that band after tension between him and vocalist David De Feis became intolerable. I don't blame him. One look at the current Virgin Steele photos of De Feis posing with his shirt unbuttoned and sunglasses on make me want to punch him in the face too. Check the ego, dude.
So, Jack went on to form Burning Starr, a promising band if a bit self-masterbatory, that eventually came to a halt as the times and tastes changed. Now, almost 20 years since his tenure ended with Virgin Steele, Mr. Starr has perfected the old school denim n' leather heavy metal album. I'm so impressed with this record, because it seems like the spirit of what made metal so great in the first place has been recaptured - ten glorious tracks of sword n' steel heavy metal.
For this outing, Jack recruited none other than Joe Hasselvander (most famous to us underground freaks for his recent work with Pentagram) on drums, ex-The Rods vocalist Shmoulik Avigal and bassist Ned Meloni. The material on Under a Savage Sky recalls the greats... Saxon, early-Manowar, Cirith Ungol, et al. The songs "I Stand Alone" and "Masters of Fate" are very reminiscent of early Dio material... Avigal has a voice that is truly built for heavy metal, his vibrato and power not unlike RJD himself.
Despite the quality of this record, a just criticism can be leveled at Mr. Starr, however... sometimes I get the feeling that that the songs go on a bit too long as justification for an overextended solo. His skills are obvious, but I don't think the listener wants to feel like he/she is being force fed an a guitar solo for the sake of the soloist. He sometimes walks the fine line between Yngwie-ism and good taste. Aside from this complaint, I can safely say that the songs on Guardian... really are excellent examples of what still can be accomplished within the realm of traditional heavy metal. Despite rumours to the contrary, The flame of metal burns on.
Visit the Jack Starr website at www.jackstarr.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Diamatregon - Blasphemy for Satan (tUMULt Laboratories)
The always diverse tUMULt label has scored another sonic victory with French black metal band Diamatregon.
While BM bands like Cradle of Filth drive the genre toward marketing and merch driven oblivion, the underground still has the potential to generate truly uncompromising extreme music. Diamatregon takes the decidedly lo-fi approach of early bands such as Darkthrone and Burzum, but eschew traditional BM tempos in favor of a dynamically rich collection of speed n' dirge. Over-saturated vocal shrieks pierce the chaos, guitars and percussion churn violently in the mix... the end result is a collection of songs that sound truly destructive and evil.
If the multi-layered, overprocessed black metal of the day has got you down (and the T-shirts... the more outrageous and tasteless, the better the sales, I guess) Diamatregon may be the thing for you. A freshing blast furnace of lo-fi hatred in the face of the watered-down and sold out.
Visit the Diamatregon website at www.loginsatan.org/dmg (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Harvey Milk - The Singles (Relapse Records)
If you happened to be hip to Harvey Milk back in the early 90's, you just knew they were destined for cult greatness. They were a band tuning low and daring to get slow in the wrong era. They packed clubs (mostly) in their hometown of Athens, GA but know one knew what to make of them. One second they were pummeling the audience with a barrage of brutally heavy riffs and vocalist Creston Spiers famous sledgehammer solos, the next introducing a shimmering and unearthly quiet passage.
They were hailed as brilliant. Genius, even. But weird.
The Singles captures Harvey Milk Mach 1 - Creston Spiers, Stephan Tanner and Pauly Trudeau in all their glory. I've never heard a band recording so many 7"s for so many bedroom labels. The essence of bedroom labels is that the 7"s disapper quickly, so most of what you hear on the collection is long gone. Some of the sound quality outright sucks, especially the live tracks, but others are amazing. The booklet contains an in-depth synopisis of the band's career by Chunklet Magazine's Henry Owings and photos of some of the original 7" covers. Nicely done.
Trying to get all these 7"s by themselves would require a lot of luck, a turntable and a healthy bank account. Relpase has put together an exceptional tribute to a largely unsung band. (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Helvis - Reverence the Sacrifice (Abstract Records)
Helvis features members of Iron Monkey, Pitchshifter, Cerebral Fix and The Varukers and sound exactly like a band that features members of Iron Monkey, Pitchshifter, Cerebral Fix and The Varukers. With a gerbil up their collective arses to boot.
This is how I would want to sound if I had talent enough to play in a band. Unshaved, unshowered, knuckle-dragging monolithic riffs reminiscent of Hellhammer played at punk rock speeds revisiting Iron Monkey-like crawls from time to time. But nobody wants to stare at a bald guy with bad tattoos playing with himself on-stage. So I kindly bow out of that dream.
This album, Reverence the Sacrifice, has been fueling my gym visits the past couple of weeks. Amazing the power of music. Helvis makes me fantasize about bouncing a 45lb plate off the head of the guy talking WAY TOO loudly on the treadmill across from the squat rack. It's that kinda vibe... angry, raw, no bullshit metal for the misanthropic.
Over the meth metal chug of Steve Watson and Chris Marygold, vocalist Bloody Kev takes on the death metal/punk rock voice and alternately channels the vocals of a drunken Mongoloid nearly every song. You could never say he lacks charisma, even if you hate him.
OK, towards the end the songs get a little repetitive, but track three is "Snail Speech" and that rules. A breakdown that guarantees spontaneous ejaculations by those inclined to that sort of thing. "Circle of Trees", "Fifteen Sucks", "Eight Men Down" and "Filthy Murder Shack" are also standouts.
Amplified negativity for the tuned-out, fucked-up and beaten down. Plus, the greatest album cover in five years.
Visit the Helvis website at www.helvis.co.uk (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Morbid Angel - Heretic (Earache Records)
Morbid Angel flat out rule for multiple reasons, but two of 'em are Pete Sandoval and Trey Azagthoth. God built them for Death Metal.
Heretic is a trip of a record, not the usual way to do things. A steady flow of death metal broken by some incredibly innovative instrumentals that could be or could not be fillers, I dunno. But "Place of Many Deaths" scares the shit out of me and "Victorious March of Rain the Conqueror" could have easily have been in the Wagner-ian Conan the Barbarian soundtrack. If Trey, et al decide to give up on the death metal gig, they're assured a career in composing movie soundtracks. We also get the amusing Pete Sandoval skills showcase, "Drum Check" which is just what it is. Pete rules, we know that. Then we've got Trey fucking around on the very last track, "Born Again". It all makes for a weird mixture of the brutal, the epic and the funny. The location choice of the track is definitely unorthodox as well - I mean, usually you want a crusher to end the album on a good note. But they've spit in the face of album-creating orthodoxy and did their own thing. I've read a lot of reviews that take issue with this, but I'm a fan because it's so out there. Good on 'em.
The production is huge, four-car garage production, which translates into HUGE guitar, HUGE bass, HUGE drums and Steve Tucker back in action with a HUGE voice - in fact, the best he's sounded in the band. I'd take him over Eric Rutan anyday, but that's me. "Cleansed In Pestilence (Blade Of Elohim)" is among the best things they've done, Tucker sounding absolutely ferocious and "Stricken Arise", just for Sandoval's drum work alone, is a killer. The band doesn't depend on speed as much as odd tempo changes and uber-technical guitar work that (thankfully) isn't so out of hand that the feeling of "we exist to crush!" is lost.
I suppose you could say that this album is uneven, and I'd have no choice but to agree with you. On the surface it is, but I'm digging this on the fact that the band have taken some risks here and done something different. That and the fact, based on the first six tracks alone, Morbid Angel continue to compose some of the best death metal put to record.
Visit the Morbid Angel website at www.morbidangel.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

The Funeral Orchestra - Feeding the Abyss (Aftermath Music/Eternal Dark Productions)
The sound of no hope.
Sickenly heavy, lysergically slow and totally hypnotic doom with a reverberating low end that will be heard for centuries as it makes it's way through the cosmos.
Apocalyptic Trance Ritual Doom Music indeed. This and Unearthly Trances' Season of Seance, Science of Silence will be in a dead heat to make Hellride Music's 2003 Top Five Albums for Ritual Sacrifice at the end of the year.
The Funeral Orchestra are the last word in cult doom, preferring to compose and perform under a shroud of mystery. They don't identify themselves, and take the stage wearing only form-covering habits and eerie reflective masks. Their website says so little about them that I'm not even sure in which part of the dark recesses of Northern Europe they reside.
Out of the ten tracks here, only "Worship" falls short.... a brief funeral organ-driven piece with the sound of female weeping in the background. A little too over the top for these ears. But the rest of the album is magnificent... mostly guitar-driven hymns paying homage to the God of Slow, interspersed with oddly menacing synth and atonal vocals, with no hint of groove or breakdown.
If total, oblivion-licking doom is your thing, don't miss out on this release. Limited to 999 digipack CDs.
Visit The Funeral Orchestra website at www.funeralorchestra.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Attila Csihar - ...The Beast of... (Southern Lord Records)
There's no mistaking the voice of Attila Csihar. Somewhere between a didgeridoo, a cat fight and a howling windstorm. Inside a sandpaper factory.
Attila is the hardest working man in Black Metal, bar none. He's added his vocals talents to Mayhem's standard-bearing De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas as well as works from such luminaries in the field as Anaal Nathrakh, Limbonic Art and most recently drone-masters Sunn 0))). He's fronted the seminal black-thrash band Tormentor (who, arguably, could be the catalyst for the whole black metal movement to begin with), Plasma Pool, Korog, and currently Aborym. The dude never rests.
The 'Lord and Attila have teamed up to bring you the rare, the best, and the unreleased from the man's impressive career. The thing that strikes me most about this is the spectrum of music his legacy is tied to... De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas may be the most perfect Black Metal album ever, but the most captivating stuff to my ears is his amalgam of black metal and other, seemingly diverse musical genres. The result being completely different from what you'd expect. Plasma Pool puts a new wave spin on black metal, conjuring something that sounds like the Thompson Twins if they hung out at Helvete. The impressive Aborym tracks are the most convincing combination of electronica, techno and black metal aesthetic to date. To further his delving into the void, his collaboration with Anaal Nathrakh's Irrumator in the Professor Fate project is equally compelling... imagine Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark fronted by Satan. And wait until you get a load of the 24 minute bonus MP3 collaboration with Sunn 0))). In my mind one of their best tracks to date, and should have doom/drone heads and black metal skull fuckers equally doing backflips in unholy delight.
Being a whore for good packaging, the Lord does not disappoint. The 15 tracks all come with unabridged liner notes from Attila, as well as a vast array of photographs from his career - something that makes me ache for the days of the gatefold LP. As good as it is, the small confines of a CD booklet doesn't give the packaging justice.
Aside from that, this is a must for Attila fans, those interested in the birth and growth of black metal, and those hungry for rare and unreleased versions of music that helped kick the genre into high gear.
Visit the Southern Lord's Attila Csihar page at www.southernlord.com/attila/index.html (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Sepultura - Roorback (SPV/Steamhammer)
Man, I'm getting old. Sepultura released Bestial Devastation one year after I graduated high school. And that was 18 years ago.
Eeeshhh.... Truth be told I lost track of Sepultura after 1996's Roots. I can appreciate the concept of melding the native music of the indigenous people of South America with heavy metal, but the actual execution didn't elicit much in repeat turns in the CD player for me. And then the whole Max affair...
I haven't heard anything with the 'new guy' Derrick Green, so I come in with a clean slate. What I hear on Roorback though is a audio kick in the ass - politically-charged thrash mixed with hardcore, maybe a little too much on the hardcore side of things because I don't hear Andreas let loose on the fretboard for a good 20 minutes into the album. On the plus side, Igor Cavalera is everybit the drum hero utilizing a variety of creative fills and rhythms and an overall drum sound that is rich, clear, organic and seemingly free of triggers or click tracks (tools that are rapidly becoming standard in heavy metal - to my chagrin). Derrick Green is an excellent vocalist, really sounding like he's putting 100% into everything he's doing here - maybe because he's credited as lyricist with Andreas Kisser on most tracks. I don't care what anyone says, if you sing your own stuff, especially given the sociopolitical slant displayed here, you're probably gonna put more into it than if you were singing the bass player's lyrics. Anyway...Max who?
OK, I admit I'm no pro on Sepultura but I will take a bit of credit on knowing my metal... and by every indication, Roorback sounds like a band at the top of it's game, aggressive, inspired and firing on all 12 cylinders. Odd for a band now almost 20 years into it's career. The lyrics represent a band in touch with both the political abuses and prejudices of it's native country and the world at large. Sepultura get extra kudos for staying away from the obvious metal lyrical fare and writing about affairs closer to the heart, the sound of revolution put to music, ideas with a drumbeat. It would be cool if someone beside me actually paid attention.
Check this out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Visit the Sepultura website at www.sepultura.com.br (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Skinless - From Sacrifice to Survival (Relapse Records)
Having never heard Skinless before and expecting a boring, nonstop salvo of blast beats, recycled death
metal riffs, subsonic grunts and lyrics about sodomy with fish hooks, I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, you'd expect that kinda output from a band called "Skinless".
Well, OK, the subsonic grunts are still intact but Skinless are anything but boring. The songwriting team of Noah Carpenter (guitars) and Sherwood Webber (vocals) has impressed the hell out of me... On From Sacrifice to Survival they seamlessly combine elements of death, thrash, hardcore and even some choice doom riffs and top off the whole combo with some stomping, rhythmic groove. Lyrically, Skinless take the high road, sounding more like Nietzsche on a bender than stooping to the obvious gorecore drivel. The production by veteran Nevermore/Judas Priest producer Neil Kernon is brilliant, the result is making Skinless sound wickedly heavy without sacrificing any instrument in the mix. Including Webber's guttural prophecies.
Intelligent, technical and highly rocking - sure to appeal to thrash addicts and death heads alike.
Visit the Skinless website at www.4skinless.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Meatjack - Days of Fire (At A Loss Recordings)
Meatjack have been creating sonic havoc since 1993 with a variety of 7"s, comp inclusions and even a turn in the soundtrack of John Water's movie Cecil B. Demented. Actually I dunno if they want anyone to know about the latter but at least the soundtrack was good. Finally, they got a shot at a full length with 1999's Trust - a chaotic homage to the musically intrepid and brain damaged. Or both.
While I liked Trust, it was dipped a little too much into the cool pool of cacophony for me. Wading in right to the applesack before deciding things were a little too out of sorts to actually dive right in and enjoy. With Days of Fire, the Daniloski brothers (with help from the phenomenal heavy handed time keeper, Mr. Charlie Baum) add a bit of melody to the agglomeration of frequency pummeling. Keep in mind, Days of Fire is still heavier than a cement truck in a rainstorm, but they mix it up, letting notes ring out and exploring more ethereal material such as in the amazing "Sea of Tranquility" or more darkly in the epic "Crawl".
The key to Meatjack is the tension... the use of minor chords, dread-inducing bass lines and the conservative but powerful use of percussion make you feel like you just turned down the wrong one-way street. And when the Daniloski boys bust in with a throat-searing vocal line, it's over. When the tension is finally resolved, as in midway through "Crawl" with the very "Kashmir"-ish effects, the end result is like being on a musical rollercoaster. The relief that the ride is actually over feels cool, yet you wanna do it again.
Visit the Meatjack website at www.meatjack.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Sodom - One Night in Bangkok (SPV/Steamhammer)
Sodom are one of those metal acts that endure through the years and are spoken about reverently by those hip to metal's sordid history. Starting out as a bad Venom imitation in Gelsenkirchen, Germany with an even worse grip of the English language, the band didn't really hit it's stride until '87's Persecution Mania. But to those of us who are die hard metallians, we still get boners from hearing the early stuff, like "Witching Metal" or Blasphemer". And hearing those chestnuts live in 2003 is all the better considering the production on the early material.
But I digress. One Night in Bangkok is an impressive 23 song (and one video track) collection of live
material covering the entire career of the band recorded one (give or take) starry night in Bangkok, Thailand. As the video track reveals, the Thai-folk are wacky about metal. How do I know? Because they order CDs and T-shirts from me on a constant basis, usually using the credit cards of some unsuspecting American traveler. OK, let me get this straight, you want me to deliver 20 CDs and 10 T-shirts to Apai Chanthanachullaka but the name on your credit card says "George Smith"? Gotcha.
Tom Angelripper comes across as the affable frontman with the heavy German accent. There is nothing more metal than hearing him say "This is one of the very first Sodom songs... Witching MetAAAAL!!!" in that voice of his. Sounds like air pushed through a cavern constructed of scar tissue. To me, the crowd sounds a little disembodied from the mix, but they go nuts for the stuff, finishing the titles of the song for Mr. Angelripper before going apeshit for "Agent Orange" and "Outbreak of Evil".
Sodom have never been the most technical of thrash bands, instead relying on pure visceral appeal. That's OK by me, because I truly love that approach, with Sodom especially. The classics sound great live and the newer stuff like "Napalm in the Morning" and "Tombstone" sound brilliant. Even a cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" sounds like an invitation to rip the roof off the place. The only track that falls short is the awful "Eat Me!", which, frankly, was awful to begin with.
In short, worth the money if you've been with the band since '84 or just catching up with the terror triplets.
Visit the SPV/Steamhammer website at www.spv.de (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Acrimony/Church of Misery - Split CD (Game Two Records)
Ah! this split is a stroll down memory lane, a cheerful walk down a road lined with Orange amplification and psychotropic drug paraphernalia. A true tribute to the early golden years of the stoner/doom genre, when this type of stuff was actually refreshing and original.
There is no doubt of the prestige and power held by the late, great Welsh outfit Acrimony. During five years and three albums, they almost single-handedly created the template for modern heavy doom-tinged psych. Listening to the five tracks that would have otherwise graced the follow-up to 1997's tremendous Tumuli Shroomaroom LP, you can see the lads were picking up the pace a little, even by Tumuli Shroomaroom standards. Sometimes it seems like the band was working themselves into a dytharambic frenzy and pert near spiraling out of control but manage to keep a lid on it. Great stuff, heavier on the psych than the doom but gawdamn near perfect.
Church of Misery - I've a hard time naming a band bringing the trad doom that I've enjoyed more over the years, simply because Tomohiro Nishimura on guitar and Tatsu Mikami on bass define the term "doom groove" in my book. Amazing. The four songs included take the listener WAYYY back to 1996, two of the songs having never being released until now. CoM's first vocalist, Kazuhiro Asaeda, sounds great, a combo of Dave Sherman and Lemmy doing doom vox. Another benefit is the total lack of serial killer news audio that inevitably gets spliced into every song recorded after this. A nice gimmick once or twice, but... c'mon!! Anyway, this is stellar material here. A definite must have for CoM fans and a great starting place for those not yet familiar with the band.
God bless Conan and Game Two for getting this stuff out there. It's a long time in coming.
Visit the Church of Misery website at www.d7.dion.ne.jp/~church (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Penance - Spiritualnatural (Martyr Music Group)
It was somewhere in the pulse-racing breakdown of "Lost My Way" that it hit. Penance have created the two best albums in their career back-to-back with Spiritualnatural and 2001's Alpha & Omega. Two doom-laden, groove-rich, choice-riff, lyrically prolific and musically diverse explorations into the damnable human condition.
Spiritualnatural is the great leveler, the balance between the uncompromising doom metal of '99's Proving Ground and the pure rock n' roll aesthetic of Alpha & Omega. Spiritualnatural is decidedly more uptempo than the first, but leans more on the side of minor-chord mayhem than the latter. Listening to songs like "Regret", "Gemini" and "The Innocent", I can't help but think the band soaked in Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Troubles' self-titled on a regular basis, capturing not only Iommi's and Franklin/Wartell's riff-generating genius but the diversity expressed in those albums as well - Penance being inspired to add culturally diverse folk elements not often captured in a traditional doom release such as bagpipes on "The River Ara" and mandolin on "Iron Curtain Blues". All to great effect.
While we won't get anything quite as emotionally draining as "Drown Me in a Sea of Empty" off of Alpha & Omega on this one, vocalist Brian "Butch" Balich continues to write some of the best lyrics in the biz. The reason? The man is direct, he writes from the gut and doesn't drench his words in obscure metaphor. It's the everyday struggles and wonders we all go through.... guilt, regret, depression, what's beyond this life. He speaks to the everyman. And what a fuckin' voice on that guy... "Leather Lungs" Balich.
Penance is in top form here and one can't help but wonder if the addition of ex-November's Doom bassist Mary Bielich and ex-Wickerman guitarist Matt Tuite to the band in 2000 gave the band a creative goose. If a band gets one great album in their career, that's luck, hard work and talent. More than one, that's genius.
Visit the Penance website at www.penancemusic.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Tualatin - Demo 2003
Like a shining diamond in a pile of processed rubbish (in this case, my review pile), Tualatin inspires a
renewed hope in the power of metal… not hyper-polished keyboard symphonic pap, not guttural cookie-cutter death metal, but bare bones, fist-to-gut heavy metal….
Atlanta’s Tualatin features ex-Malevolent Creation/Leviathan guitarist Jeff Juszkiewicz, former Autophobia bassist Dave Whitworth and ex-Ocolot drummer Mac Cole. In the three tracks available here (also available on their website for download), the trio conjure the magic of Celtic Frost-by-way-of Usurper with the stripped-down primordial pummeling of High on Fire. Juszkiewicz’s vocals remind me of Tom Araya doing Tom Warrior – powerful, admittedly short on range but heavy on pure, visceral punch.
These guys got me so wound up while driving, I missed a stop sign and almost called a celestial cab for some kid on a beach cruiser. Tualatin is dangerous for humanity but gawdam good for underground metal. Someone sign these guys so I can hear what’s next.
Visit the Tualatin website at www.tualatinband.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Kilfast - Tragedy Essential (Epoxy and Duct Tape Solution)
Hmmm.... really not bad musically. Calls to mind latter-day Carcass which can never be a bad thing. In my mind at least.
The band do the straightforward and to-the-point aggro death thing with some keyboard accouterments and some horror-show samples every once in awhile. Thanks for not overdoing the samples, by the way. That's a sure way of ensuring your CD becomes a frisbee.
Anyway, back to the point. Solid riffs, with some of that Carcass-ian mid-tempo groove. The keyboard dude does an amazing turn in the classically-inspired instrumental "Prelude to Blasphemy". I can see him touring with John Tesh if things don't work out with the band. Or even Yanni if he plays his cards right. Say what you want, those are the gigs that pay. Seriously, really good, he's obviously talented.
Lyrically, I'm kinda turned off by the misogyny, no-holds barred Jesus bashing and overt violence. It's just old. How many different ways creatively can you blaspheme and sing about killing chicks? Lame.
Music good, above average, very aggressive. Song topics could use a re-haul, but it's my fault for looking at the lyric sheet.
Visit the Kilfast website at www.kilfast.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Misery Index - Retaliate
Time for another dose of anti-capitalist, hate-filled, venomous, brutality from Maryland's own Misery Index. Originally the brainchild of former Dying Fetus members Jason Netherton, Kevin Talley, and Mike Harrison (formerly of Pessimist) they recorded their "Overthrow" demo during the spring of 2001 and released it through their own label Anarchos records. Soon after they signed a deal with Nuclear Blast and kicked things into high gear.
Now the Misery Index of today is a lot different than the Misery Index of 2001. Sadly Kevin and Mike have both moved on to other projects, (Grayson Manor and Psychotogen respectively.) but that doesn't mean Misery Index has been left behind. After recruiting Sparky Voyles (Ex-Dying Fetus, Fear of God) on Guitar and Matt Byers on Drums, Misery Index comes crushing back into your awareness with 11 tracks of brutal, technical, grind-death with some of the best lyrics I've heard since, well the Misery Index Demo.
Let's start there. I know a lot of you here bitch and moan over the lack of originality in metal lyrics at present. Well, I ask you to take a look at the lyrics to Misery Index. No Satan-worshipping, female dissecting, lyrics here. Just straight up political and sociological metaphors for the sorry state of affairs our nation has become. For example, check out the first lyrics off the title track Retaliate.
"Crawling from the cities the filth chokes me to the taste, feeding the desire to destroy this culture that I hate, the daily inquisition, the fear that fuels our lives, sets each man against the other with the wool upon their eyes."
If you liked the lyrics on "Killing on Adrenaline" or "Destroy the Opposition", you'll definitely bang your head to this album.
As far as the music goes, it's breakneck-fast grind influenced death metal with sparse breakdowns interspersed within the songs and just all-out aggression from beginning to end. Not as much “Groove” in the music as there was with Dying Fetus though, which in my mind is a good thing. Listening to these songs you get the impression that Netherton and crew are really fucking pissed off! Which is odd, because in talking with Netherton, he comes across as such a quiet individual.
Highlights off the album, "Angst isst die seele auf," "Demand the Impossible" (Featuring guest vocals from Kataklysm's own Maurizio Iacano,) "Servants of Progress," "Bottom Feeders," and a cover of Brutal Truth's "Birth of Ignorance."
Misery Index – Retaliate comes out August 26th on Nuclear Blast records. (or you can just go see them live and pick it up for a measely 12 bucks like I did) (<<<<<<<<<<|===0 ZeKK 0===|>>>>>>>>>>)

Cream Abdul Babar/Kylesa Split CD - (At A Loss Recordings)
This is a very nicely done split by everyone's friends at At A Loss Recordings. Who never seem to answer my emails for some reason. Fags.
Just kidding. I don't think they are fags. Yet.
Cream Abdul Babar always challenges and confuses -what a monster their first full length Catalyst to Ruins was. A melding of
hardcore/noise/metal/Godknowswhat and trombone that was pretty compelling stuff. They've come a long way since playing shitty punk rock Dwarves style on that 1994 Halloween night. In the nude. The shitty punk rock is replaced by some crushing music in the typical CAB style.... loud, fast, with a distinct inability to pigeonhole. I dunno what they play but it's good and it's not the Dwarves. They could have let the keyboard and trombone guy have a little more, but that's me. This is the type of band that Billy Anderson sounds good producing because he always fucks up the vocals. In this case it doesn't really matter, because the vocals were fucked-up before he even got in the studio. But the guitars... man, how does he do that??
The real gem of this split is Kylesa, featuring members of Cobra Kai and Damad. I gotta be honest, I'm enjoying Kylesa so much more than I ever enjoyed Damad that it makes me giggle like a school girl. This is thinking man's heaviness - Kylesa add an ethereal sense to some incredibly dense sound, adding electronic effects and acoustic passages to soften and texture the music here and there. Which is a good thing, because the resulting effect is to make the heavy parts sound REALLY fucking heavy. The lyrics are self-reflective, brooding on doubt, hesitation and dichotomy. And when guitarist Laura Pleasents gets on vocals, run. She's angry and out to cut off your head. This is a helluva band with a sound that kind frightens me, and if you can get through my callouses of cynicism, that can only be a good thing.
All in all, a very enjoyable split where the bands actually do complement each other. Go see them when they hit your town.
Visit the Kylesa website at www.kylesa.com and the Cream Abdul Babar website at www.creamabdulbabar.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

-16- - Zoloft Smile (At A Loss Recordings)
Screw Newtonian theory. -16- creates enough negative energy to create black holes of leviathan proportions right in your own living room.
-16- has been dredging out hate rock since the early '90's in various lineups - first starting out on the cult grind/sludge Pessimiser records with the classic Drop Out recording and then the more sleek but every bit as spiteful, Alex Newport-produced Blaze of Incompetence album. All of the material battered, corrosive tales of depression, anger and debauchery.
Zoloft Smile is no different, although the musicians have almost totally changed. A big addition to -16- was bass player Nial Mcgaughey, formerly of LA low-end lovers 3D House of Beef who seems to give -16- a more powerful sound. Cris Jerue's angst-soaked vocals waver somewhere between straight hardcore delivery and straight hardcore delivery by a guy whose got more issues than Vanity Fair. Compelling if not disturbing.
Like junkie vomit on the floor of a gas station bathroom, Zoloft Smile is in no way, shape or form attractive and it tends to stick with you long after the CD's finished. "Aging Disgracefully" is a wholly depressing glimpse into getting old; "Born to Lose" centers on the pain of self-defeat, "Grip of Delusion" a charming ditty about mental illness; "Poverty" a humorless look at having nothing and ending in nothing. The only song that has any sort of comic relief is "Damone" where references to early '80's rock culture - Led Zep IV, Brian Johnson, Ford Gremlins, Blue Oyster Cult songs and ticket scalping to arena rock shows - make it a stroll down memory lane... albeit on a dark street with furtive glances toward dark alleyways.
Definitely not the feel-good album of the year, but wholly satisfying for those of us drawn to dark places.
Visit the -16- website at www.16zoloftsmile.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Entombed - Inferno (2003 Music For Nations/KOCH)
I was really surprised seeing this setting on the record store shelf, It seems like this one just sort of showed up, no real promotion or anything. There was a sticker on the case that said it was the perfect blend of Punk, metal and rock. Reading that sort of turned me off. I bought it anyway since I thought Entombed's last CD "Morningstar" was pretty damn good. I have mixed feelings about this new album, they seemed to have gone more towards the sound of "Uprising" more of a gritty rock/punk vibe, it's still metal, but the songs are very stripped down. The first track on the CD "Retaliation" starts off with a killer "Chief Rebel Angel" type riff and turns out to be a pretty cool tune, but the other 12 might need some getting used to. All in all I'd say it's still worth your money, the songwriting is good and are the vocals and riffs, I just wish it wasn't so bare-bones and garagy sounding. Doesn't really seem like they put a lot of effort into the whole thing, the CD artwork is kind of lame, but I know that stuff really isn't important. I think after a while, once this thing sinks in a little more I will enjoy it more. I guess I'll give it 7/10. (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)

Alchemist - Austral Alien (Relapse Records)
These crafty Aussies are always up to something. They're impossible to pigeonhole from album to album, and I think they like to keep that way. I admit, they scared the hell out of me... the intro into first track "First Contact" sounds just like Priest's "Turbo Lover". Frightening.
This is quite a record... erm... project. I mean it's epic in expanse, lyrically and musically. I'm not sure if this is a true blue concept album, but it sure could be. From the title, one would expect lyrical fare about Aliens. That's true - and the lyrics could apply to either our own sordid history on this planet as well as the history of another Sci-Fi world. Man meets planet, man fucks planet up. Lot's of dire warnings here that actually jar you from your insular world and make you think hard about the bigger picture. Could the inspiration be what's happening to the band's native Australia? The pollution of the awesome Great Barrier Reef or Australia's standing as the world leader in deforestation? It could be and it sure seem like it. Regardless, A+ on the lyrical material. Interesting and forthright, without being preachy. I hate preachy.
Musically Alchemist are definitely on their own program and that's refreshing for this reviewer. I hear elements of Voivod, Cult of Luna, Neurosis and a whole lotta space rock. Yes, space rock. Alchemist are candidates for the astral rock crown once held by Hawkwind. If you're thing is Mr. Quimby's Beard, SubArachnoid Space or their ilk, there is no reason not to give Austral Alien a place among your record collection... OK, it's heavier and I've never in my life heard Dave Brock scream anything, but there is definitely a space rock vibe here. A audible spatial feeling with the synth and keyboard spiraling amongst a dense wall of guitars.
Regardless of your feelings on the band or this record, there is one undeniable truth.... the Alchemist sound is unique and original. Not a bad thing among the cookie-cutter metal clutter currently making the rounds.
Visit the Alchemist website at www.alchemist.com.au (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Feast of Hate and Fear - None Dare Call it Treason
Feast of Hate and Fear. Sounds like dinnertime at the Barnes' household.
Four young, angry men who have all spent various amounts of time in the Miami metal, punk and hardcore scene coming together to make violent noise.
Now that Detroit's pissed-off thrash giants End It, um....ended it, Feast of Hate and Fear is my new favorite band to spin when I feel like knocking down chairs and kicking over tables. I've been to Miami and trust me, I'd be plenty pissed too if I had to walk around all day and stare at raven-haried, nubile females who want nothing to do with you unless you are an agent, actor or the on crew of "Wild On!".
The basis of FoH&F is hardcore - I think - I mean it's so mutated from it's original form it's hard to tell. Elements of doom, sludge and undisiplined thrash abound. Adel Souto alternates between a Deicide-growl and plain ol' hardcore yelling over Bryan Elliots' metal overdrive guitar and Randall McMillan's sick bass. Alex Fuste drums like an antagonized Neal Peart... he bashes the shit out of the drums but does it with flair and finesse. Nice job Alex. You can work on my annoying fat-ass neighbor next.
I like this. A lot. Check them out and tell me I'm wrong.
Visit the Feast of Hate and Fear website at http://www.feastofhateandfear.com/NDCIT.html (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Wehrwolfe - Godless We Stand (Magick Records)
I've never heard of Wehrwolfe, who used to be Darkmoon, who I never heard of either, but that's neither here nor there. They do the whole "War on Christianity" thing, which which in my book, has been used by more longhairs than Pam Anderson. But it still perks ears and generates record sales, so there you go. The war marches on....
This is actually a pretty good release, combining death metal and the Heaven-hating aspects of black metal with thrash turn-on-a-dime riff work for a pretty combustible listen. Kinda reminds me of Kataklysm's latest in overall vibe. The battle sound effects highlighted in first track "Unholy Crusade", give the distinct impression that Satan's Wehrmacht is making an advance in the war on the Righteous. Instead of coming off cheesy, it has a visceral sort of impact, setting the tone for the rest of the album. "Trinity Undone" and "Masked Jackal" are especially violent - razor-like riffs as interpreted by speed-junkie demons and Nathan Ellis's spitting blasphemy like barbed-wire vomit.
The thing that bothers me here (as in every other release like this) is the triggered double bass. Man oh man that drives me nuts. Really, I don't know why I keep going on about it because there is no change in sight and everyone and their cat is using it. But, in the long run it makes me reach for the more raw devil thrash, like Aura Noir or Desaster ,who shun such technological heresy in favor of the more primal, necro approach. But this is my pet peeve and don't let it keep you away from an otherwise impressive debut.
Visit the Wehrwolfe website at www.wehrwolfe.com (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Escualo - Ritual (Virtual Records)
Very interesting release from this diverse band from Santiago, Chile.
This is thinking man's metal... a blend of Latin polyrhythms with the often moody musical eclecticism of Tool and Messugah. Add a bit of jazz didatic and the new school approach to avoiding any guitar solos whatsoever (with the bold exception of "Aguila Sideral") and you have Escualo.
The band's approach is to use Latin folklore as subject matter. I can neither confirm or deny this because I know Spanish like I know Quantum Physics... in other words, I don't. But the fact that the lyrics are sung in their native language isn't a barrier to enjoyment of this release given the overall exceptional quality of the music. Escualo's use of rhythm is compelling, as it weaves in and out of the ever-changing dynamics of the music. Those very same dynamics is what sucked me in... Escualo is temperamental - going from buoyant to desolate and back again in the course of a few bars. Always something interesting....
Truth be told, I have to piss in the punch bowl for most everything I listen to, and Ritual gets no exception. Sometimes the band leans a little too hard into Nu Metal territory for my likes, but for the most part they do their own thing and they do it well. Nicely done and a welcome addition to my collection of heaviness from around the globe.
Visit the Escualo website at www.mp3.com/escualo (Chris Barnes/Hellride Music hsp90277@yahoo.com; http://www.hellridemusic.com)

Mourning Beloveth - Dust (2002 Sentinel)
Mourning Beloveth - The Sullen Sulcus (2003 Aftermath)
After having a couple of weeks to digest these two Mourning Beloveth CD's "Dust" and "The Sullen Sulcus", I have come to the conclusion that this band kicks some serious doom metal ass. I had plenty of time before I actually got the CDs to read several reviews, all of the reviews were stellar, so I was really hyped up to get a hold of them. I must say that everything that was written about these guys was correct. My only question is why don't they have a record deal on a bigger label. Come to think of it, none of the up and coming cool doom bands have a decent deal. That makes me wonder if doom is not selling well? Anyways I think Mourning Beloveth is best described as Morgion meets My Dying Bride meets Solitude Aeternus. The deep growls and mammoth slow riffs are very reminiscent of Morgion, the clean vocal passages and bridge riffs are just like something you'd hear on a Solitude release, and the variety and the epic scope of the songwriting is all My Dying Bride. If you put all that together you get a outstanding result. I think the best thing about this band are the riffs, so memorable and crafty. The songs are very long, but never leave you bored, they are peppered with outstanding lead work and time changes to keep you interested. The tune "Autumnal Fires" from "Dust" has to be my favorite so far, the main riff and clean vocals are excellent, the song sets a mood of utter despair, such power and emotion. Other great tunes are "The Insolent Caul" from "The Sullen Sulcus" and the title track from "Dust". I think out of the two albums I like "Dust" the most, I think that album has better clean vocals and the overall sound is more stripped down, but to tell you the truth if you mixed all the songs up from both albums and played them all in a row, you wouldn't be able to tell which song is from which album. The production and quality is very similar. I'd say that if you like any type of Doom metal, then you owe it to yourself to go out and buy these two albums. It's the very best of what the genre has to offer. I hope that these guys can catch a break and get a decent deal, and that they continue to crank out excellent albums like these in the future. (Vance mccumberv@cornerstonenational.com)