ABSCESS (USA) “Through the cracks of death” (2002) [PEACEVILLE]
This is the 4th full-length album from this sick death metal band, featuring Chris Refert and Danny Coralles (Autopsy).
It is old school splatter death metal, in the same style as Autopsy and sometimes Carcass.
Abscess have a really rough sound and that’s the way I like it when I listen to this kind of music. The whole CD is raw, groovy and nasty and my favourite tracks are “Mourners will burn” and the crazy “Tomb of the unknown junkie”. Enjoy the suffering!
Reviewed by Ketil Søraker
ALIENGATES “Dark Days Quantum” [self produced] 21:39 6 tracks
Dark Days Qyantum is a really interesting and and in every aspects (layout, recordings and production) professional work coming from Switzerland. Definitely one of the best CD I have received: the incredible thing is that this self produced CD has nothing to envy to the best products out these days under the biggest metal labels.
Talking about their style, Aliengates play a tough NWOSDM influenced by At The Gates mostly concerning the screams vocals. The band show high technical skills, clever songwriting and also a original touch like i.e. in the outstanding intro and outro which I simply find ingenious for a death metal band (I am sure even obscure ambient bands will envy these tunes!)
Dark Days Quantum is a work close to perfection.
All readers into NWOSDM should order a copy right now and of course label should get in touch with this promising band.:
loki@aliengates.com
www.alinegates.com
Review by Lidia Buscaino
AMON AMARTH "Versus the world" (2002)[Metal Blade Records]
On their last album ,"The crusher" , AA lowered the tempo and took
a direction towards a deathmetal more suitable for live performances.
On "Versus the world" they have adopted this direction and taken it somewhat further.
For some reason the quintet of vikings has left the genius Peter Tägtgren and his studio Abyss. This time their crusade has reached Berno Studio, where acts such as VOMITORY, THE CROWN, DEFLESHED have done recordings. Personally I consider this to be a mistake since the sound on this album just isn´t AA, even
though it´s a great sound.
The music itself is rather great as well, but the more furious debut album, "Once sent from the golden hall", still remains my favourite AA album. If you´re quick to the store you might lay your greasy hands on the limited "special viking edition" which , besides "Versus the world" , also contains a 14 track bonus-cd featuring material from the first and the second demo and from the mini-cd "Sorrow throughout the nine worlds". All wrapped in a very elegant digipack.
AA are already booked for the Decibel Festival in Bengtsfors Sweden may 17:th. But I hope to see the guys on the road before then, in order to do some serious headbanging ans just as serious beerdrinking.
Thor arise in the name of AMON AMARTH !!
Review by Elias Axelsson
ASGAROTH (SPA) “Red shift” (2002) [PEACEVILLE]
First thing I said after looking at this CD was: “a Spanish band !!! Asgaroth !!! oh no!! Is it a brutal death metal realise???” I was worried it was a grind-core band, but luckily not (only grind-core I worship is early Carcass).
After I listened to the album, I found out that it’s not a brutal bastard band, but a black/dark metal album. It sounds a bit like a mix between Dimmu Borgir, Moonspell and Nightfall, without copying them.
Christopher Baque-Wildman is definitively the most active person in this band: he sings, plays guitar and keyboards like a god, no doubt about it.
The album is strong all the way, so I don’t have any fave songs so far.
It’s also a video of the opening track “Naked eye”: probably not the most creative video in this world, but it looks passable. If melodic black metal is your favourite style, then surely this is a good investment.
Reviewed by Ketil Søraker
AUDIOPAIN "Revel in desecration"
Noisy norwegian metal with riffs from the 80´s. Including influences
of punk and VENOM. Considering the voice of the singer, I suppose he starts each day with a bowl of milk and rusty nails. It´s not original for a second, but it´s full of go, and I actually like it.
I received this cd (limited edition of 500 copys) as I paid my way into
ElmStreet,Oslo where AUDIOPAIN were to perform in company
with AMOK and AURA NOIR. (Was it bands who starts with an
A -evening ?).
Unfortunately I only saw AMOK before I took off
someplace else. (Damn alcohol !!)
If I´ll get a second chance I won´t miss it.
Review by Elias Axelsson
BAALPHEGOR (SPA) “The end of Descend” 11:16 3 tracks (2002)
For all the extreme brutal death metal maniacs (I know you still out there!) this is the time resume from your graves to check out this band coming from a country that, apart the well know stereotype bullfight and paella, seems to be the known by metalheads for being the main European country to give birth to valid brutal bands: of course, I am talking about Spain.
Without doubt, Baalphegor is not a band that will surprised you (not they aim to this either playing highly influenced USA death metal) but their well played work rich in catchy riffs and with a good production can be appreciated. At least I can state this for the three songs (“The Pact”, “Always Here”, “Eaten alive”) which are enclosed in the promo that is a preview of what the full length album will sound like.
www.baalphegor.com
Reviewed by Lidia Buscaino
BLOODBATH (SWE) "Resurrection through carnage" (2002) [Century media]
Outstanding oldschool deathmetal ! And considering the allstar-lineup
you can´t possibly expect anything less.
The drums are fairly beaten by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY etc.). Anders Nyström from KATATONIA handles the guitar , while Jonas Renkse , also from
KATATONIA, deals with the four-stringed relative. The highly
competent roaring vocals emerges from the throat of Mikael Åkerfeldt
(OPETH). If records like ENTOMBED "Left hand path" , GRAVE
"Into the grave" , EDGE OF SANITY "Unorthodox" , and DISMEMBER "Like an everflowing stream" were thrown into a meatmincer , I suppose the result would be the delicious course named "Resurrection through carnage". If you , just like me , appreciate the recently mentioned albums or deathmetal of the old school in general, then there is nothing left for me to say except that you should buy "Resurrection through carnage" and enjoy the skillfully delivered deathmetal. You will not be disappointed.
Review by Elias Axelsson
DAEMUSIM (ITA) “Daemusinem domine empire (2002) [Cold Blood Industries] 39:43 8 tracks
Daemusinem proposes us a well played but a bit standard death/black metal that is more successful and enjoyable in the fast parts than in the more melodic ones.
The band’s members show high skills both in playing and in the songwriting, still they could improve few elements with their next release: first of all, the vocalist should find out a more suitable way of singing as the screams vocals are a bit too harsh and I didn’t enjoy the clean vocals at all (why he tried to sound like Attila Csihar?); last but not least, the weak recordings follow a deep-rooted Italian tradition: will any Italian band be able to get rid of this kind of Achilles’ heel without passing the frontier to record their release?
Review by Lidia Buscaino
DARKNESS (ITA) “Let the napalm rain” (2002) [Huginn Prod.]
Just raw and grim black-thrash metal: this is Darkness, the Italian answer to the Norwegian malicious Auranoir, both musically and lyrically.
As you can expect, the songs’ structure is sometimes a bit archetype but I do really not care cause I simply enjoy their sound: riffs just follows a furious bleeding score!
Instead something I can’t avoid to complain about is the recordings level: professional recordings (mostly about the Achills’ hell of almost every metal bands called drums!) will surely help to enjoy this release even more. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t think CD such as “let the Napalm rain” should sound clean and perfect as in the Abyss production; on the opposite, I really liked the idea of the band to make this CD sounds like a vinyl.
Recordings apart, this band (with some members of The true Endless) hit the target and have all my appreciation.
You can order “Let the Napalm Rain” through (but hurry up: it’s a limited released):
Huginn Production
Marco De Rosa
V. Crespi 40
28100 Novara
Italy
DECAPITATED "Nihility"
The toughest teenagers in Poland (?) delivers their second album.
Technical deathmetal , highly influenced by VADER.
Better production and clearer growls than on the first album "Winds of
creation", which on the other hand felt a bit more personal.
Never the less a brutal and wellplayed deathdisc.
Review by Elias Axelsson
The grim creature Gard is back with another great goal called “Phantom”. I was really looking forward to listen to the “Masterpiss of Pain” ‘s following album. “Phantom” goes along the lugubrious paths which really impressed me with the debut album: raw, obscure and groovy black metal with even gloomier and darker tempos than in the previous release like in titletrack “Phantom” and unforgettable riffs like in the song “Skjebnevette”.
This is darkness knocking at your door!
MORIA (SWE) “Varg a grav” promo version 13:10 3 tracks
This is a promo version of their next full length album “Varg a grav”.
To come from Sweden this band sounds quite unusual as they focalise on melodic folk tunes adding keyboards and female vocals to a more black metal base. But what you’ll first notice is the vocalist sings and screams in Swedish: a rare choice that only few bands embarked on so far (among the few I remember Arckanum, Allegiance in the past and nowadays Vintersorg); still the sound and especially the way of singing in the first song “I natten förgången” reminds me more folk gothic metal bands than the ones above mentioned.
Original material but honestly I am not so enthusiastic about their folk metal sound: it’s too much melodic for my extremely raw taste and I also think they should improve the recordings a bit before a full length album.
On the other hand, I also think I need more than 3 songs to judge so particular music so I will surely tell more after listening to their full length album.
Contact:
moricave@hotmail.com
http://back.to/moria
Review by Lidia Buscaino
MYKORRHIZA (SWE) [Konqueror Records]
This is a bizarre CD (to call it just various it will not pay the right homage to it!) as well as the intricate band’s name Mykorrhiza. Take note of this if you are sure you have listened to every kind of combination of style: it’s always something to learn! This time this Swedish newcomer band teaches us about it.
They tried before me to describe their sound ending in curious classification: “some kind of death/black/grind/heavy metal mixture”. The most funny thing is that actually I am not sure I can do it better as these guys take really influences from aggressive old school death metal tunes and vocals, heavy metal (riffs and vocals à la Slayer) even grind core drums tempos (probably a remainder from their first musical approach in the start of their career); more (do you never get enough, don’t you?), in only 5 tracks they was also able to add some slow parts and melodic elements filled with spoken parts and evocative vocals which remind me Lee Dorian (Cathedral)!
The most incredible event is that the duo found this singer (“a old friend of them”) at the very last moment when they was really close to the recordings: Anders Strorkirk. Does his name remember anything to you? It should do cause before singing in Mykorrhiza and Blackshine, he was use to sing in Necrophobic at the time of the marvellous “The Nocturnal Silence” album. A very happy choice for Mykorrhiza as Anders did a really good work with this MCD and it’ll be again the session vocalist for their first full length album.
This is a promising band: the variety is surely a quality of their sound that also shows their inventive although as fans of death metal in its strongest expression I’d reduce the melodic parts and clean vocals.
konqueror_records@hotmail.com
PENTAGRAM "Turn to stone" (2002) [Peaceville] 79:04
Peaceville never ends to surprise me but this time I got a kind of shock when I played “Turn to stone” for the very first time. Not really because I don’t like the sound in this CD but only because the band’s name and the layout of the CD made me think the band I was going to listen was a cruelty new death metal band. Maybe I deserved it cause I usually read the info sheet just after listening at least a couple of tracks. Surely, I also deserved this surprise cause I wasn’t able to immediately associate this CD with the cult band that has been playing since the early 70’s(!) under so many different monikers that one can easily lose the bearings.
"Turn to stone" is not the new album of the enduring band but an interesting collection of the best Pentagram songs from the old albums such as "Pentagram" and "Day of Reckoning" plus some tracks taken from the new album "Be Forewarned": for all the Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus fans this is a complete and impressive way to know their particular heavy-doom sound.
A-STONISH!
Review by Lidia Buscaino
SATANARCHY "Disgraceful World"
Debutalbum featuring members from the flowermetalband RISE AND
SHINE and from GEHENNAH (Swe). Some of the tracks are musi-
cally not too different from GEHENNAH , besides a more heavy
sound. If GEHENNAH smells like VENOM , then SATANARCHY
surely reeks of the same. The cd-booklet says : "This Revolution has
just begun...... BEWARE !" I take that as we haven´t heard the last
from these guys. However, this kind of music has a tendency to get
monotonous and a bit boring in the long run. And so it does. Atleast
when it comes to me.
Review by Elias Axelsson
THE GREAT DECEIVER (SWE) A venom well designed (2002) [Peaceville Records] 45:08
I started with the reading of the press release: “debut album from the Swedish hardcore metallers…” Hardcore?!? I must admit this word made my blood freeze but luckily after few seconds the music started: vocals gave me more than a real hope: I stopped thinking about the press release and listen to my sense of hearing: “this vocals are highly impressive but…It seems to hear from Tompa (At The Gates)…it can’t be or maybe…” I took the press release back and started reading again to find out some more info. Soon the arcane mystery was reveal: the singer of GD is exactly Mr. Tompa who started singing in this band not long after ATG split up. Anyway, don’t think The Great Deceiver is a clone of ATG: they sets up their sound between a more melodic sound and rockish tempos, still guitars riffs sometimes are more obscure and vocals are too harsh to call it as simple rock or hardcore like i.e. in the song “The living end” : impervious vocals and riffs even remind me the last katatonia!
Of course, "A Venom well designed" is not an album for everyone as it is not an usual one but many of you will be gladly surprised by their fresh and original sound.
Review by Lidia Buscaino
THE WOUNDED (NER) “Monument” (2002) [COLD BLOOD INDUSTRIES]
To just say I am enthusiastic is not enough to express the real value of this work.
“Monument” will first monopolize your mind for the entire hour of total running time and after that, as the title seems to suggest, it will endure in you with a remote sense of bewilderment.
The Wounded set their sound between the dark melodies of The Cure and the more metal ones but still gloomy Katatonia’s guitar riffs, adding a proper use of keyboards, experimental parts and even alienating ambient tunes (like in the song “Monument”). Being also fairly influenced by the painful notes of Anathema, certainly perceptible in songs like i.e. “Red” and “Backheart”, the band still defends its own strong musical approach that conquests me completely.
The performance of the singer Marco Van der Velde is absolutely outstanding: he properly express the lyrics inspired by grief, insanity and all the diverse deepest and hidden emotions, singing through whirls of sorrow, rage’s storm and then abandon fragile crystals of pain in our pale hands.
Review by Lidia Buscaino
TO ELYSIUM “Dearest Vile” (2002) [COLD BLOOD INDUSTRIES]
"Dearest Vile" starts with screams and huge use of keyboards à la Dimmu Borgir and it pursue with female gothic vocals alterned to male-female duet à la Crematory.
Unfortunately, I am not really a great fan of such elements and I have no taste for such a melodic style but I still recognize the high standard of this production in their genre and I do admire the great value of these 7(!) musician. So, I am quite sure "Dearest Vile" will be a fairly desirable release among all the melodic goth/black metal fans.
Review by Lidia Buscaino
VADER "Revelations" (Metal Blade) (2002)
Considering the first three tracks on VADER`s last release ("Reign
forever world") my expectations were quite high on this record. As
much as it hurts to say, I´m fairly disappointed, cause my expectations
are not fulfilled. The three promising tracks that I just mentioned were
built with power and aggression. On "Revelations" you´ll find less of
both. But perhaps it was my expectations that were set too high,
cause no matter how you twist and turn it , this still is a damn good
record which deserves to be bought for the horrible cd-price of today.
New constellation since former bassplayer Shambo left the band and
granted Simon with his position. In other respects it´s all the same ,
which means great deathmetal with the true prodigy named Doc, at
the drums.
Reviewed by Elias Axelsson
VERDICT (GER) “Reflections Of Pain”
It’s not a surprise they play this kind of music coming from German: catching thrash metal riffs and vocals à la Kreator (a bit too harsh for my taste still really suitable to the music) will surely meet the favourably assent of many fans of this style.
The recordings is good enough to support their tough and direct sound but it could be ameliorate like i.e for the dry drums’s recordings (what a news!!).
All thrash metal fans can order “Reflections of Pain” for 12 euro via website:
www.verdict.de
Contact and booking:
David Helmstetter, Brunnenstr. 42, 97903 Collenberg
info@verdict.de
Reviewed by Lidia Buscaino
VOMITORY (SWE) "Blood Rapture"
My hometown boys are back with their fourth album of roaring death
metal. Yummy !!
Once again the recordings are done at Berno Studio , with Henrik Larsson and VOMITORY as producers. In other words , a pleasant and brutal sound.
I happened to notice that a girl which I was sexually attracted to as a teenager, is featured on the thanklist. Hmm.............I wonder what she looks like today ? Well , enough said about me and my perverted thoughts.
The opening track "Chaos fury" immediately strikes its claws in my
mind. And that´s just the beginning of a splendid 33 minutes long
journey of uniform quality. If you´re into oldschool deathmetal , you
should definitely buy this record. And if you aren´t clever enough to
already own my local heroes three previous high class releases , then
of course you should buy those as well. HAIL VOMITORY !!!!!
Reviewed by Elias Axelsson
