reviews: The Void - Vision Of The Truth
The Void celebrates their first decade of existence with "Vision Of The Truth" - their dark metal debut album. Dark metal is indeed a fit, encompassing label, as The Void grasps the essence of different genres and consolidates them in nine spun-out compositions. Doom, dark wave, gothic metal, it's all referred to, but never copied. The Void's appeal lies in this combination of elements. The pace rarely slows down to a doomish feel; on the contrary, the pushing beats are often what keeps the songs lively. That and, of course, the keyboard lines - especially because it is used in all its likely versatility. Both grotesque, obscure tunes and solemn, majestic atmospheres are created with little difficulty. As with many bands employing the synth, the guitars are often limited to basic (but essential) structures, while the keyboard (and the vocals) take care of most melodic and atmospheric duties. Similarly, the drum/guitar skeleton is - in this case - richly adorned (??????????? decorated) with complementary synth and vocal performances.
Plainly said, this isn't quite my genre, but, even despite the lengthy tracks, I wasn't bored for a second. All instrumental layers fit so well together, the songs feel intelligently composed, keeping the tension high and the predictability low. The band has been patient to release their debut, but hearing this, it was well worth the wait - for band and fans alike. Nice work.
Author: © Göran
reviews: The Eastpak Resistance Tour Volume III (DVD)
As tradition prescribes, every Eastpak Resistance Tour is followed by a DVD compilation of the most intense experiences. I got my hands on The Eastpak Resistance Tour Volume III, released by “I Scream Records”. The show was recorded on November 28th 2004 at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels (Belgium). The disc ended up my to-do-stack for some months, and after enjoying a couple of viewing turns, I really feel guilty for my unforgivable sin. For hardcore and metalcore lovers, this concert DVD almost is pure gold. But it definitely grants an energetic and vivid show for other music lovers too.
This third release of the well known Eastpak Resistance Tour collects renowned music icons and more underground novices. A tasteful blend! The first act to start with, is the show of the New York hardcore giant “Sick Of It All” (possibly one of the best en most influential hardcore bands, at my opinion). No crap, a blast-off, a fast pace. Just the way hardcore and punk should be. The vocals of lead singer Lou Koller are enjoyable unclear. The drumming is just mad. The fourth song “Scratch the Surface” is accompanied by a grand 4-way braveheart; a wall of death with four sides resulting in a moshpit crowd on stage. This is the powerful energy you expect of a hardcore punk concert. What a terrific DVD opener(more ...)
Author: © Hamirubi
reviews: Flesh Grinder - Crumb's Crunchy Delights Organization
Yeah, say the name and tell me you expected anything else. This underground grindcore effort is both sick and fun. Obviously you have to have a certain bent to appreciate that melding, but if you don't have that bent, you're probably not going to listen to this CD anyway. Hell, you're probably not reading this. Let's start with the outside, by which I mean the packaging. The cover of Flesh Grinder's "Crumb's Crunchy Delights Organization" is a joy both for fans of DIY gore-grind art as well as those who delight (ha ha) in horror movie in-joke humor. I won't tell. Find out for yourself. But it's cannibalistic and gut-munching good. Rejoice in grue! The same can also be said of the lyrics, which are unintelligible except to those few who have the ungodly knack of deciphering this stuff with their ears. Thank God for lyric sheets. Or not, if you sicken easily. Then there's the sound itself. Cheap, underground grindcore (the way it's supposed to be). An extra kick is the kind of rock-based structure and groove-drive the music has much of the time. Brings back the punk-style ties old grind frequently had back in the day before grindcore and metal in general parted ways - until the resurgence of metal and punk fusion in slicker modes (such as the arise of metallic hardcore and metalcore and such). Open your wallets, spill your guts, buy this, listen, die, come back from the grave and listen some more.Author: © Upchuck Undergrind
reviews: Transitional - Nothing Real Nothing Absent
What a darkly Buddhist title! And then there's the band name. It really kind of makes sense with this music, which could almost be the soundtrack to the state after death but before whatever the hell comes next. Which makes me think of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which gets us back to Buddha. I should really stop that. It's distracting. At any rate, you're not apt to be distracted once you're immersed in this. The epic shadows of "Nothing Real Nothing Absent" bring us a number of things. Tenebrous ambient, downtempo industrial, aspects of drone and doom - these all find nesting within this album. It's a prolonged trek through atmosphere, at times heavy (though not in the metallic sense), at times spacious. While Transitional reflects other doomish and bleak ambient acts in mood, the band also has discovered its own way of going about things. The focus of Sunno))) and the like, I suppose, but looking through a different eyepiece. Good stuff for those who want to get zoomed out and new age isn't their cup of moodmaking tea.Author: © Upchuck Undergrind
reviews: Last Souls - Inner Voices
Inner Souls is this bands second MCD, with three long tracks on it. Even though the music isn't the most technical around, it could grab my attention because of its well-sounding simplicity and catchiness. The only minor point worth mentioning are the vocals, which aren't bad, but they're a bit too vague and distorted. Otherwise, the heavy/thrash-like songs are nicely woven together... even despite their duration (each track is about 7:30 long), the songs don't bore a bit. Last Souls didn't produce anything groundbreaking, but they did quite a good job considering they are rather young. They certainly should continue with this stuff, it could turn out nice.
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Author: © Göran
reviews: Nihilistikrypt - Required sacrifices
Nihilistikrypt is a young band that just released their first demo "Required Sacrifices". This Estonian outfit plays melodic deathmetal and their effort surprises me in a positive manner. It's always risky to try and home-record in your own 'studio', but these guys obviously known what they're doing: they managed to create a fairly good production. They describe their music as "evil"... well, it's not exactly blackmetal nor does it seem very evil to me, but who cares, it sounds damn good! Varied riffs and lots of catchy tunes (in which I sometimes seem to recognize Death-influences) keep your attention for about 30 minutes. With a strong drumming effort and a solid overall performance, this demo has fulfilled its purpose: making you and me aware of the existence of this band, and more importantly, showing that their compositions are worth the attention. Cool band and good music... one to keep an eye on!
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Author: © Göran
reviews: None shall be saved - Those days are gone
The first full-length of None Shall Be Saved is a fact with "Those days are gone" - more than 30 minutes of intense hardcore! For fans of Sick Of It All and Hatebreed indeed: this stuff is catchy as hell... Even the most static people will move on this one, and moshers will be able to spill quite some energy if they see this act live. I have to admit I don't listen to this genre every day and the album sounds a bit 'like all the rest' to me... But in this case, that doesn't bother me: the quality is more than decent, so the more the better, right!? To all you hardcore fans: listen to this band. Definitely.
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Author: © Göran
reviews: Nefarium - Praesidium
Nefarium's "Praesidium" album contains thirty minutes of blasphemous blackmetal; just as blackmetal should sound. The machine-like drummer provides a non-stop whirlwind of uptempo beats, while the demonic guitarlines show influences from, among others, Dark Funeral and Carpathian Forest. Also hints of thrashy black are to be found, together with some runs that become typical of Nefarium throughout the album. Raw and intense, yet clear and melodic even. These guys put sufficient variation in their songs and have the necessary musicianship to construct appealing blackmetal. Fans of the genre should definitely pay some attention to this release!
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Author: © Göran
reviews: Novembers Fall - Mythaeon
Novembers Fall is a young band with young members. I can hear you thinking already: "oh no, another band with kids who think they can play." Well, these guys don't just think it, they actually can. Melodic metal, with a firm dose of clean vocals and those lovely vague, continuous melodies. Don't get pinned on that description though, some parts even tend to blackmetal (superb vocals once more!). What i basically comes down to: a bloody impressive demo! The songs are long but the band has enough capacities to keep it varied and interesting. I can't quite make any plausible negative remarks, especially considering the member's ages and that it's self-financed. Keep an eye on this band, this can only get even better. And damn, I want to be there when that happens!
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Author: © Göran
reviews: AqME - Hérésie
Some weeks ago, I bought the AqME DVD “Live(s)”, a disc accompanying the homonymic album. I already reviewed the matching CD on Corazine: http://www.corazine.com/index.php?id=821
The DVD however contains a concert in Nantes (France), June 2nd 2006. The CD was recorded at a live performance in Brussels (Belgium) some months earlier on the seventeenth of February 2006. Both discs contain, next to an as good as similar setlist, no new songs. No breath of wind was to be heard of this French néo metal formation after the release of the live album Live(s). AqME honoured the sabbatical and having a dazzling fourth opus in mind (after the demo “University Of Nowhere (°2000), “Sombre Efforts” (°2002), “Polaroids & Pornographie” (°2003), “La Fin Des Temps” (°2005) and the live CD “Live(s)” (°2006)), they come up with their newest full-length album: We can all find “Hérésie” in the record shops. Compromising between néo metal and alternative hard rock, AqME definitely is one of the major or well known players in the French contemporary alternative music scène. That comes with great expectations. Could the band live up to the high prospects? Let’s find out!
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Author: © Hamirubi
reviews: Ticket To Hell - Man Made Paradise
Ah, my curiosity is always sparked by a one-man extreme metal project. When it comes to solo careers in metal, I've heard some utterly dreadful albums, but some magnificent efforts also. Experienced metaller Jacobo Córdova is the creator of Ticket To Hell, handling "all instruments" - let's see what that produced.
Jacobo is clearly a jack of all trades, although it's not mentioned whether the drums are programmed - but if they aren't, respect! There are people who can play multiple instruments (including vocals) at a decent level, but it isn't a common thing, that's for sure. It doesn't really matter: unlike some other one-man releases, this album isn't thinly produced at all, but rather sounds like a full band.
Varied vocals, interesting guitar dialogues and headbangable beats are mingled together into a death/thrash mix. Mr. Jacobo knows how to write his songs with an enthusiastic pace and a stubborn groove: whether or not you want to, you will succumb to it. 'Man Made Paradise' is superb as the product of one man, and still fairly decent compared to the other fish in the sea. This is not the next band to worship, but it certainly is the next album you should give a shot.
Author: © Göran
reviews: Nabaath - Back Of Beyond
"Back of beyond" is the first full-length of Nabaath. This Russian black metal - with grim titles like 'Eternal Silent Forest Of Frost' - is another tribute to the old school generation. After the ethereal intro, the listener is drowned in a constant stream of semi-melodic blackest of black. Nabaath isn't too shabby about it, either. The drums aren't withholding at all, and the high paced gunning is, at the very least, a decent foundation. The same goes for the stringed instruments: using a dry, raw sound that allows for both aggression and clarity, the songs have a frostbitten ring to it and are compelling enough for me to be enthusiastic in my reviewing them.Generally though, Nabaath's fierce black metal is largely of the traditional type, so you all know what to expect. I won't say anything you already know, just let the music speak for itself: www.myspace.com/nabaath
Author: © Göran
reviews: Agenda of swine – waves of human suffering
You all know ( and probably love) the feeling when you hear a band for the first time and it really knocks you of your feet. Well I had this with this band I never even heard the name of. Agenda of swine is a new band consisting of members of benumb and vulgar pigeons. That are also two bands I am not familiar with. So I had no idea what to expect when I did shove this cd in my radio. Man was I blown away. Agenda of swine is a band operating on the thin line between extreme hardcore and grindcore. Sometimes they remind me of bands like ceremony, trash talk and tragedy and on other songs bands like nasum or come to mind. Add to that superb songwriting, aggressive and flawless musicianship and a great clear production and you know you have one super record on your hand. This is a record that I will be spinning a lot in the future. It might even show up in my yearlist.Author: © Peter Van De Weyer
reviews: Armentar – baptism by hate
This band plays black metal. And they do it by the book. Songtitels in English and dutch. Bandpictures with corpsepaint, medieval weapons and even one of the bandmembers breathing fire. You get the idea. Music wise it is also by the book. The vacuum cleaner sound on the guitar, fast drumming, desolate screaming and sometimes a hint of melody. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad cd. It is just that this is plain old school black metal. And I happen to like my black metal a bit more adventurous. But if you are a big fan of darkthrone and dark funeral this might also be a band for you. In the song “throne of satan” they even use some more epic riffs making that the best song on this record. I cross my fingers and hope that is the direction this band in going to evolve intoAuthor: © Peter Van De Weyer
reviews: Dreamsteel - YOU
It's been a while, but it's finally that time again: an Italian power metal band promo has dropped in the mailbox. There are bands that deserve (or even get) a near-maximum score in the press, like Symphony X, Dream Theater and Angra. Then there are bands referring to such big names, hoping for the reviewer to find the similarities and giving them an equally high score. Dreamsteel provides a fair (musical) attempt here, and though I've heard much worse Italian power/prog metal, they're not the next best thing about either. Surely, these musicians mean business: solid sweeping, tight drumming and atmospheric keyboards - skills in abundance, so it seems.
What bothers me, is the melodramatic nature of the songs. Enjoyable for a couple of minutes, but halfway through the album I was actually craving for an aggressive, fast power metal song. Maybe it's just me, but a whole album of mid-tempo prog beats doesn't exactly float my boat. The potential is really brooding in Dreamsteel, but they should recalculate their formula.
Author: © Göran
Highlights
