This one was pretty heavy on lesser-known bands. There were really only three bands I was familiar with before hearing this compilation.
BLACK TEMPLE: "PARTY MATERIAL"
This one took me by surprise. I was not expecting this kind of gothic metal. The vocals remind me of Rammstein's singer. They are a little bit laughable. This is not a bad song, but I have outgrown this type of music. When I was in my late teens I probably would have liked it better.
SATYRICON: "BLACK CROW ON A TOMBSTONE"
Satyricon has become more of a black 'n roll band at this point. That is not to say that this is bad at all, but it has lost that epic and majestic feel that helped them stand out from the other Norwegian black metal bands of the early 1990's. I do own this album, so I do still enjoy them. They just are not the same.
GRAVE DIGGER: "BALLAD OF A HANGMAN"
German trad/power metal band Grave Digger has been around for a LONG time. This is off of their 13th album. This is not European "flower" metal, it is real power metal and I enjoyed this song so much that I bought this album.
AGONY WITHIN: "OBLITERATING MEMORIES"
This is kind of a death metal/hardcore hybrid. The vocals remind me a bit of Gwar. They are pretty bad. The music is pretty simple, relying on ever-repeating crunching riffs before the final melodic ending. There are a lot of ideas here but none get really fleshed out. I think I would pass.
TORRID FLESH: "ASYLUM OF THE DAMNED"
As you might guess from the band's name, this is death metal, plain and simple. The vocals are delivered in a deep roar, similar to Cannibal Corpse's vocalists. Upon checking this band out on Metal Archives, the vocalist here is a woman. That is a shock.
FIFTYWATTHEAD: "WHITEOUT"
This is sludge/stoner doom that sounds a lot like early Mastodon with a little bit of Acid Bath thrown in for good measure. I am pretty impressed with this one. It is a good song with some pretty decent riffing and great vocals. I may have to look further into this band.
SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY: "10,000 SERMONS. ONE SOLUTION"
I have no idea what this band's name is supposed to mean. Despite the name, this is more of a death/grind band instead of some terrible haircut deathcore group. I am not sure I really care for it at all though.
BLACK REIGN: "VIKING"
Fairly standard thrash metal reminiscent of Sacred Reich, which has never really been a favorite of mine. I love thrash metal, but this really does not do a whole lot for me. It just is not anything that has not been done a thousand times before. Not bad, just not at all original.
K626: "DAMNATION"
Starting off with a sample from some Jim Carrey movie and then immediately jumping into some competent death metal, this is actually not too bad. Again, fairly unoriginal, but well-played and some decent elements.
AGONY ECLIPSED: "THE RAZOR EDGED WINGS OF AN ANGEL"
Fairly standard melodeath-influenced metalcore. The breakdown goes on and on and on and on and..... The song does get better as it goes along though and at the end it was not too bad. The guitar solo was pretty good.
I, YOUR LIEGE: "THE PHILOSOPHER'S LEGACY"
This is technical deathcore with some elements similar to Necrophagist and others more similar to Despised Icon and the like. It can be a little difficult to listen to at times, and ultimately, I do not think I would like it too much.
MOURNBLADE: "MACHINES OF WAR"
Decent thrash/hardcore. I can not find any information about this group anywhere. It is fairly simple music, but brutally effective.
KILLER OF THE RISE: "WAFFLE"
This is more deathcore. It is not too bad of a song, but it drags a little bit at times. I kind of lost interest.
MASTER: "SLAVES TO SOCIETY"
Finishing the compilation off is the legendary Master, one of the first death metal bands. This song is typical of their style, groove-laden death metal. A great song from a truly great band.
That's it for that. The highlights from the unknown bands were Torrid Flesh and Fiftywatthead.
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