Reviews 2003 Volume 2
A NOTE ABOUT MYSELF, MY INTERESTS,
AND WHO SHOULD CONTACT ME.
1) I am busy. I am a
married, mid-30’s, father of two who works two jobs and goes to grad
school. This makes me a little slow
about writing reviews sometimes. Nevertheless,
I am dedicated to this website because I am really into METAL! 2) My interests are primarily black, death,
and doom metal. I do enjoy power metal
and progressive metal, and a little hardcore, but it all depends on the
group. I despise nu-metal. If it’s not
dark and gloomy I amy not like it! 3)
Bands, zines, etc., interested in contacting me should send inquiries to criticaltom@juno.com. 4) I rarely do interviews due to time
constraints. 4) You will rarely see a
rating less than 7. This is because I
usually don’t bother with the really bad stuff.
AGENT STEEL “Order of the Illumiati
(11 tracks. 53:54). AOS/ARTILLARY.
Rating: 8.5
Just shy of their 20th
year in existence this Californian proto-thrash metal band emerges from the
shadows once again to show the younger generation of metal-heads how it is
done. Like Iron Maiden and Saxon, Agent
Steel has stayed the course. But unlike
Iron Maiden and Saxon, Agent Steel have not put out so many albums, something
which makes their occasional releases more welcome and less likely to have the
occasional “lemon”. From the first
notes of “Avenger” till the end of “Human Bullet” this album flat out cooks.
Only their fourth album in 19 years, it is quite possibly the best one they’ve
done so far.
ARGHOSLENT “Incorrigible Bigotry”
(7 tracks. 38:00).
MORIBUND/DRAKKAR.
Moribund is proud of its non-commercial, non-trendy approach to
music. Arghoslent is the perfect band
for this label as they do not compare to any band I have encountered. Musically it is dead on serious death
metal. Lyrically, it is either social
commentary or anti-social commentary.
It is hard to say. The opening
song, “Flogging the Cargo” is a prime example of what I am talking about. Are they decrying the evils of slavery
(i.e., sympathizing with the slaves), or are they glorifying the institution
(i.e., demonizing the slaves)? I really
don’t know what to make of it. Suffice
it to say that it is unique in its field.
CAGE “Darker than Black” (13
tracks. 68:15). FUGITIVE.
Rating: 10.
Happy birthday to me, this is just
what I needed! Of course it’s not my
birthday, but this band kicks major ass.
Contained on this hot little CD are thirteen well-crafted power metal
anthems with top-notch production, awesome vocals and killer music. Everything is done just right. Anyone who loves Judas Priest, Winter’s
Bane, Metal Church/Wayne, and early Warrior will fall head-over-heels in love
with this sensational band. I should
mention that fans of Gamma Ray and Iron Savior will also have a liking for this
one. A few moments into the album and I
was magically transported back to that day (c. 1985) when I discovered
Warrior’s “Fighting for the Earth.” In
a word: exhilarating. The press sheet that came with this CD is
two pages long with quotes (in 6 pt. Type!) from metal zines all over given it
highest praises. Albums of this quality
do not come along every day, don’t miss out on it. I guarantee it will be in your player for a while.
CELLDWELLER “Celldweller” (18 tracks. 69:47). ESION MEDIA.
Rating: 10.
I have followed the career of this
amazingly talented artist since the debut of Circle of Dust in 1992. I met him at a festival in Atlanta in 1993
and saw his act twice more over the years at some well-known venues in the
Atlanta area. Circle of Dust had
garnered a tremendous fan base despite the underground nature of this music (at
the time) as well as the limitations of an obscure label (R.E.X.). From the very beginning he impressed me as a
musical genius.
As I was anticipating the arrival of
this new project I wondered if Klay Scott (f.k.a., Scott Albert) would want to
totally break from that distinguished past both musically and
philosophically. After reading the press
sheet and “living” with this album for a couple of weeks (my 12 year old son is
also quite taken with it), I believe that he has neither broken with his past
nor has he confined himself to it. On
the one hand this is recognizably the voice and musical work of Scott. It bears much resemblance to his Circle of
Dust stuff. But I would hate to jade
the reader’s opinion by giving the mistaken impression that Celldweller is only
a new name for a familiar act. The
reality is that Celldweller is Scott’s most diverse and accessible album to
date. The production is way
better. But the real improvement is
that Scott is now more than just a clever songwriter, he has pushed himself
beyond the boundaries he had previously reached. The truth is, I would have been quite satisfied with another
Circle of Dust type album. What I got
was way better. And I think it fair to
say that Scott has created the best album of his career.
For the reader who is unfamiliar
with all I have written above, Klay Scott’s music is in a category roughly with
Rob Zombie, Braindance, Klank, Level, and similar acts. Celldweller is the perfect music for the
post-modern age. It is an open-ended
blend of metal and rave, goth and grind, and a little pop (even acoustic
guitar) here and there. If it is any
indication, just realize that among Scott’s projects include music for MTV
programming, a Matrix video game, and the band Prong; dark and extreme, but
also diverse. There was a great deal of
anticipation and build up for this album among those who know of Scott’s
work. Now I can say that it was all
very justified. I cannot image anything
but success for this project.
DIABOLICAL “A Thousand
Deaths” (9 tracks. 32:50). WWIII/MERCENARY.
Rating: 7.
The Swedish do
death metal right. Part of the secret
is in the production. You can actually
discern all the instruments and the guitar solos make sense. The overall sound is kind of raw, with
harsh, raspy vocals. Nevertheless, it rates only as a good addition to your
collection rather than a great one. The reason is that while it is
well-performed and well-produced, it doesn’t break any new ground or pull any
surprises. Music like this is enjoyable
when you pay attention to it, but it can fade into the background like muzak.
EXTOL “Synergy” (11
tracks. 42:35). CENTURY MEDIA.
Rating:
9.5
I have been waiting a long time for
this CD. Since Extol’s underground
debut on Rowe Productions’ Northern Lights Compilation CD, I have had a
keen interest in this band with such technical prowess and theological
goodness. Their first two albums, Burial
and Undeceived, along with the Mesmerized E.P. were a bit
over-the-top, though. Enjoyable yes,
but a bit overwhelming at times. All
that is past now as Synergy demonstrates the band’s ascension from raw
brilliance to metallic dominance. It is
no surprise then that Century Media, who rarely if ever carries bands from the
righteous end of the metallic spectrum, snatched this band up from Sweden’s
Endtime Productions (www.endtimeproductions.com) in time to release
this groundbreaking album. It is sure
to create a buzz among serious purveyors of technical death/thrash metal.
To my ear, the best comparison for
the uninitiated would be Destruction and Believer (remember my earlier comment)
with touches of Borknagar—especially with Ole’s clean vocals—and some
Opeth-like acoustics on track 9, “Aperture.”
In terms of technicality, Extol certainly match all of the aforementioned
bands. The bottom line is that a band
of this caliber that garners the attention of the execs at CM is no passing
phase or flavor-of-the-month band.
Extol have been building their chops and honing their talents for quite
a while now. They are worthy of your
attention.
FORLORN “Hybernation” (9 tracks. 53:16). NAPALM.
Rating: 6.5.
A while before the release of this
album—in anticipation of its release, actually—I received an e-mail from a
friend of the band (as did countless others I’m sure) regarding a new direction
the band took on this album. I suppose
you could argue that this is true, but it is not glaringly true. Hybernation has the same overall feel of
their previous albums in terms of production, though one could also argue that
Forlorn has aimed generally for the Old Man’s Child sound, though one will also
notice affinities with Dimmu Borgir, Aborym, and early Mayhem (De Mysteriis dom
Sathanas era). The bottom line is that
this is a rather generic sounding black metal album. All the pieces are in place but they lack the “magic spark” many
other bands have in my opinion.
GOLDEN DAWN “Masquerade” (10 tracks. 46:52). NAPALM
Rating: 8.
Upon first
listening to this band, one might find it hard to pin down their sound. Golden Dawn strike me as a
neo-classical/baroque metal band with black, death, and gothic metal and
electronic elements. They remind me of
a little known band from Germany called Lightmare. Occasionally the black metal and death metal influences surface,
especially in “Masquerade”, but the overall feel is a baroque neo-classical
sound with a haunting vibe. And
actually, while they draw upon a diversity of styles, those styles are very
closely related, especially as they are used here.
GRAND BELIAL’S KEY “Judeobeast Assassination” (8 tracks. ).
MORIBUND/DRAKKAR.
Rating: 8.
Some labels are
like subcultures. Moribund is like
that. All their bands share a
death/black/satanic/screw the mainstream vibe.
GBK is one of the most interesting bands on this label. I mean musically, of course. They aren’t necessarily innovative or
off-the-wall, they just sound different.
You might say they sound like what Celtic Frost may have sounded like if
Tom G. Warrior had stayed on track from Morbid Tales rather than pursuing a more
avant-garde style. Obviously, though,
with song titles like “Pimps of Gennesaret” and “The Shitagogue”, they have a
very anti-Biblical lyrical slant (big surprise, duh!). But the reason I mention it is because their
lyrics demonstrate a greater knowledge of biblical information than most
Christians possess. How’s that for
irony?
HIDDEN “Spectral Magnitude” (9 tracks.
). RED STREAM.
Rating: 6.
This CD has been out for a while,
but when the promo came I was really burned out on the reviewing business. I put it in a stack of CD’s for a later
date. Now that I am getting back into
the reviewing mode I thought I should give it a review. With apologies to Red Stream and the Hidden
(Himinbjorg too), I submit this review.
Whether a serious
attitude or just a gimmick, this group claims to be composed of known musicians
that prefer to remain anonymous for this musical project. Thus they live up to their name: Hidden.
The idea is that the listener will approach the music without any
expectations. Of course that doesn’t
keep us from speculating or listening for clues in the music or looking for
them in the lyrics. But I won’t do that
here.
Hidden go for a raw, death metal
sound. Quite often they are slow and
almost doomy. But the slow grinding
riffs and the thin production make this CD sound like something typical of the
80’s underground, maybe with more than just a nod to Venom. This is not a criticism, just a
description. It is simply music made to
satisfy the band no doubt. I am willing
to consider the possibility that the production is intentionally thin in order
to create that retro sound, but I would have been much more satisfied with a
more up-to-date sound. (See Vassago
below).
HIMINBJORG “Haunted Shores” (7
tracks. 37:34). RED STREAM.
Rating: 8.
This “full-length” album is only 11
minutes and 18 seconds longer than Himinbjorg’s previous release, the Third
E.P. Nevertheless, 37 and ½ more
minutes of Himinbjorg is always welcome.
Dark but not brooding, somber but not depressing, Himinbjorg’s music is
atmospheric in an aggressive way. There
is always that underlying Viking vibe reminiscent of Bathory’s Twilight of the
Gods album. Still, one is tempted to
avoid overly specific descriptive titles for their music. Heavy metal with a dramatic feel will
do. The title, “Haunted Shores,” says
it all.
ILLUMINANDI “Demo I & II” (8 tracks.
31:32).
Rating: 9.
Don’t
let the fact that this is a demo disc bother you, this CD is a very near cousin
to Opeth’s Damnation CD. This
demo is not all acoustic/clean guitar, of course, but the emphasis in their
music is on the stringed instruments.
This means that there are a lot of clean guitar sounds as well as violin
and cello. Also, almost all the
vocals—male and female—are clean.
Everything I have heard from Eastern Europe, particularly this type of
progressive death metal, has been deeply interesting. Illuminandi bring to mind groups like Love History (The End
Records) and Without Face (formerly Dark Symphonies, now on Elitist/Earache). Much heavier than gothic, and also without
that trendy feel, Illuminandi may yet appeal to a cross-section of the doom,
death, and gothic crowds, but especially to anyone who has a more mature taste
in metal (once again, think Opeth’s Damnation). The inclusion of stringed instruments like
violins is an added bonus. Fans of
Undish and Paramaecium may both take a liking to them. The best thing about this combination of
demos is that it sounds like a professionally recorded album, albeit on a small
budget. With a label deal and some
studio time this band will be able to produce some amazing music. To order, send $7 carefully hidden to:
Illuminandi
c/o
Jan Trebacz E-mail: illuminandi @ kdm.pl
ul.
Chopina 20 website: Illuminandi Website
39-200 DEBICA
POLAND
KEEP OF KALESSIN “Through Lines of War”
(7 tracks. 47:36). MERCENARY/WWIII/AVANTGARDE.
KEEP OF KALESSIN “Agnen: a journey through the dark” (8 tracks. 50:51).
MERCENARY/WWIII/AVANTGARDE
Rating: 8.
Keep of Kalessin are a solid Norwegian-flavored
Black Metal band. This band is a
serious, straight ahead, no keyboards or electronics type band. Early Bathory influence is detectable, but
not a full-on Viking sound. What you
will experience is hyper fast drumming and guitar riffing and gruff
vocals. This is the kind of solid black
metal that non-trend people buy.
LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE “Fall, I Will Follow” (10 tracks. 46:04).
NAPALM.
Rating: 7.5.
Previously on Burning:
A Wish, LP won my appreciation with some heavy duty doom/goth metal in the
vein of My Dying Bride’s Angel and the Dark River album. This time around they aim for a slightly
quicker-paced Katatonia gloom rock vibe, though one song has a curiously My
Dying Bride type title: “Sear Me Pale
Sun.” Hmmm. The cover art and song titles (e.g., “For Bad Times”) confirm
this. Good stuff, but not as good as
the previous album. Also for fans of
late era Paradise Lost, Love Like Blood, Jack Frost, and maybe Anathema. Again, it is good listening, but not as
pleasurable as the previous album.
Perhaps imitation has won out over innovation.
LYNCH MOB “Revolution” (13 tracks. ).
DEALINE RECORDS.
Everyone should recognize this band. Their guitarist, George Lynch, is a legend who first received
major attention when Dokken released Tooth n’ Nail. The video to “Into the Fire” was played to death on MTV. I don’t know the story well but George Lynch
broke away from Dokken more than once and founded this band. Here is a new release with new recordings of
old songs with a different vocalist (kinda like Company of Snakes). Frankly, listening to this CD reminds me of
why I didn’t get into Dokken much. It
is not because there is no talent or musicality here, it is just too commercial
and too symmetrical for my tastes.
MACTATUS “Suicide” (10 tracks.
). NAPALM.
Rating: 7.5.
It’s been a while
since Mactatus released an album (about 2 years). On Suicide Mactatus maintains pretty much the same sound and feel
of their earlier material—similar to Dimmu and Cradle of Filth—but with a
different source of subject matter.
Gone is the evil black metal image, in its place are images of death and
violence.
PHARAOH “After the Fire” (9 tracks). CRUZ DEL SUR.
Nearly every classic metal album I
receive is good, solid, well-executed, etc.
If this is your thing, pick up Pharaoh.
It is another great power metal album.
I’ve read other reviewers who really like this album. I guess I am just getting kind of bored with
this kind of album. It doesn’t excite
me.
SCARVE “Luminiferous” (11 tracks).
WWIII/LISTENABLE.
I feel like I should mention this release because it is from a
label I enjoy doing reviews for.
Nevertheless, this form of grinding death metal with slavering mad man
vocals isn’t my thing. Apparently
people do like them though since WWIII licensed them from Listenable to
distribute in the U.S. This album was
produced by Daniel Bergstrand for all who keep track of those things. They’re
French which means they are one of the few French bands to get imported to the
U.S.
SUMMON “And the Blood Runs Black” (15 tracks.
45:51). MORUIBUND.
I am reminded of some of those hysterical things people used to
say about KISS, Alice Cooper, and AC/DC in the 1970’s. If they only knew! This American black/death metal band would scare the living hell
out of those paranoid alarmists. Now in
their 11th year in existence, Summon make their Moribund debut with
15 tracks of pure cult music produced by legendary guitarist/producer James
Murphy. More death than black, with
somewhat serious but occasionally humorous satanic lyrical material (e.g.,
“Satanic Slut”), Summon betray some Venom influence. Thus song number seven is none other than a cover of Venom’s
“Buried Alive”. Nevertheless, the album
is hard-hitting death metal with Murphy’s excellent sense of production.
VASSAGO “Knights from Hell” (15
tracks. 32:13). WIII/MERCENARY.
Rating: 7
Take some cool sounding death metal,
throw in some black metal influences, add producer Andy LaRoque and Los Angered
Studios, mix in a healthy dose of Hellhammer (a.k.a., pre-Celtic Frost), and
you get Vassago. The pseudonyms and
lyrics are on the funny side of satanic.
Albums like this one just go to show that sometimes really talented
musicians like to have a little fun.
Perhaps that is why they use pseudonyms like “Pepa” and “Sin” and have
guest musicians like “Sadistic Sodomizer”, “Suckdog”, “Bloodlord”, and “KK
Kranium”. A really patient person could
probably figure out who some of these guys are. My guess is that some of them are from the Swedish Black Metal
scene.
VINTERSORG “Visions from the Spiral Generator” (9 tracks.
). NAPALM.
Rating: 9.5.
Vintersorg is one of the highlights
of the Napalm roster. Napalm, in fact,
touts Vintersorg as the world’s #1 Viking metal band and I am inclined to
agree. Visions from the Spiral Generator marks V’s first album since becoming
the new vocalist for progressive black metal band Borknagar. It also marks the beginning of a broadening
of V’intersorg’s own band. From the
sound of things, V has brought some of the Norwegian influence with him back
across the border to Sweden. He did, in
fact, in the person of drummer Asgeir Mickelson (Borknagar). He also brought in some American influence
with Steve Di Giorgio handling bass duties (Death, Sadus, Testament). Thus Visions was recorded in three
studios in three countries (Sweden, Norway, US). But that is not to say that Visons is really all that different
from previous Vintersorg albums. It has
less of the folk feel of previous albums (especially Till Fjalls and
Odenmarkens Son), but it is also stronger than its predecessors. Again, this does nothing to belittle the
previous albums, but they were more or less solo projects with a guest musician
here and there. Perhaps the most
remarkable thing about this album is that it comes so quickly on the heels of
Borknagar’s Empiricism album. But
sometimes such collaborations are fertile and do more to inspire than to
fatigue. If so, then Vintersorg is
riding the creative wave right now and we are the beneficiaries.
VIRGIN BLACK “Elegant … and Dying” (9 tracks. 74:24).
THE END RECORDS.
Rating: 10.
Their previous
album, Sombre Romantic, brought this band out of obscurity and into the
open. With Elegant … and Dying,
VB will once again be hailed as a voice of distinction among a lot of talented
bands. Unlike Sombre Romantic,
which required some getting used to on my part, I was immediately into Elegant
… and Dying. It is a lot like its
predecessor, but I think it is accurate to say that Elegant is actually a
stronger and even more beautiful album.
There is no need here to speak of a sophomore slump, VB are right on the
mark. If you haven’t heard Rowan
London’s haunting voice or Samantha Escarbe’s fluid guitar playing, you are
missing a rare treat/talent. Anyone
looking for a truly emotional musical experience needs to hear this band. The magic of Virgin Black is that their
music does not immediately “grab” you.
It may confuse you, but it will also intrigue you. Finally, this isn’t music for the car or for
parties, it is music for a quiet dark room and a calm demeanor. It is music for the audiophile of an amalgam
of dark, gothic, metallic, esoteric, poetic, symphonic, operatic, and other
elements. No doubt those who have a
taste for the various musical excursions of bands like Ulver will embrace
Virgin Black’s own excursions enthusiastically.
WIND OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN “Black Sun Shall Rise”
(9 tracks. 35:06). MORIBUND.
Rating: .
Not to be
confused with another guitarist/vocalist named Tchort, WofBM was formed by the
American Tchort and another pseudonymously titled musician, Nybras.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
*SEVENTRAIN
Announce New Website and Album
Hard rock/metal
act Seventrain featuring guitarist Eric Horton (formerly of the San Diego, CA
power metal band Cage) has just launched their new website at
www.seventrain.com. The site features four tracks available for download from
their debut album titled Moments of Clarity, which will be released worldwide
in the fall. The CD was produced by former 24-7 Spyz and current Crown 10
drummer Joel Maitoza who also played drums on the disk. An official release
date and track listing will be announced within the next few weeks.
SUMMON / THORNSPAWN / EXCOMMUNION
“The Unholy Crusade” Ideological West
Coast Tour!
THE METAL TOUR OF SUMMER 2003 !!!
7/4
7/5
Arlington/Ft Worth/
7/6
7/9
7/10
7/11
7/12
7/13
7/14
7/15
7/16 In-Store Signing at MUSIC OBSCURE
7/16
L.A./Corona, CA @ The Showcase- All Ages
w/ Nokturne
7/17
S.F./Oakland, CA @ iMusicast- All Ages *
w/ Occission
* Show filming for DVD release!
7/18
7/19
* Show filming for DVD release! + Drawn
And Quartered CD release Party!
7/20
* Show filming for DVD release! + Drawn
And Quartered CD release Party!
7/21
7/22
7/23
Moribund 10
Year Anniversary Party! A Decade of the Devil’s Metal!!!
1. Free CD,
T-shirt OR Magazine to the first 200 people through the door!
2. Free “The
Unholy Crusade” Color Tour Poster to the first 300 people through the door!
3. Drawn &
Quartered “Extermination Revelry” CD Release Party-
Win free D&Q “Extermination Revelry”
CD’s, T-Shirts and Posters!
4. Win a
chance to appear on “The Unholy Crusade” DVD Video!
5. Moribund
and Napalm Merchandise Stores!