Because I do not feel like copy and pasting the band's name again, I am going to refer to them translated from this point on. This is Litourgiya by the Polish band Batushka. Now, let's get started.
Man, the Polish black metal scene is absolutely on fire. Mgła, Behemoth and Forest Whispers have all put out terrific albums recently. Add Batushka to that list. Unfortunately this will be the band's only album. There were only two permanent members of the band and now there has been a split with both members claiming they kicked the other out of the band and then formed a new one. Both bands are trying to claim the name, though they are now different groups and each are releasing their own music. Maybe this is too early to tell, but maybe not.
Batushka made big waves in the extreme metal world with this release that combines traditional black metal with doom metal and drapes everything with an incredibly sinister atmosphere via the usage of Christian church ritual elements. They use Orthodox chanted vocals, chimes, bells and more to create the feel of attending a church service, even if the underlying music is malevolent and dark. It is an absolutely intriguing and spell-binding release that haunts the listener long after the album is done.
Even without the added touches, the music of Batushka is powerful enough on its own. It is dark and atmospheric black metal that occasionally drags and oozes, combining a funereal tone with the blackened riffs. Every once in awhile, a guitar solo shines through like a beam of light in the darkness. The primary vocals are delivered in a harsh shriek, typical of the style.
It will be interesting to see what comes of the split of the two primary members of Batushka. Some people have picked their sides already and each band has already released something. I have yet to pick either one up, but I am anxious to hear what each one has to offer. This album is incredible.
Nope. No idea what that says. Kroda, like Drudkh and Nokturnal Mortum, is a pagan black metal band from Ukraine. And here comes the standard disclaimer: like the other two, there have been alleged ties with the NS scene with Kroda. The band itself does not appear to be an NS band, but they have been on labels associated with the scene such as Ancient Nation Productions, which was also the label that released albums by Astrofaes and Hate Forest and is a member of the Pagan Front, a loose association of labels and bands that have NS leanings. So yes, the ties appear to be real, but the band itself has little to do with the NS ideology and is much more of a pagan/folk black metal band with lyrical content about history and nature.
The album definitely starts off in an odd way. After an intro track that mostly features the sound of a crackling fire, the first real track "Долі шляхи" kicks in. It starts off with a blaring horn sound that sounds like a low-budget movie about an African safari (apparently it is a Ukrainian folk instrument called a trembita) and follows that up with copious amounts of jaw harp. That's right, jaw harp (technically it's called a drymba). The thing that goes "boing boing boing". But once the song settles in, it is amazing. And that is basically true of most of the rest of the album.
Kroda does a fantastic job of combining their brand of pagan black metal with traditional Ukrainian folk instruments and melodies. I mentioned the drymba and the trembita, but there is also a lot of use of a sopilka, which is more like a flute. The sopilka is used frequently through several songs. Kroda never lets the folk elements overpower the metal and takes a much more serious approach to the folk elements. Groups like Finntroll and Korpiklaani definitely sound like they are having fun, but the music can be a goofy at times. That is not the case with Kroda.
This is a fine example of folk metal done right. The band blends the disparate musical influences seemlessly and crafts a terrific album. If only all folk metal bands took their craft this seriously.
It feels like I am starting a lot of posts recently with a line about how so-and-so is a black metal band that I have long heard good things about but only recently checked out. And so it is with Nokturnal Mortum. Now, there is a pretty good reason for that. And here we get into the next most-frequently used line about how this black metal band had NS ties at one point. That is true of Nokturnal Mortum who were fairly anti-Semitic at one point in time, and this release came out during this time, though I cannot find any particularly offensive moments in the music. The band has since distanced themselves from this ideology.
As I said, this was released during Nokturnal Mortum's controversial phase. Well, not much I can do about that now. As usual, I am just here for the music. This was a compilation that collected together two of Nokturnal Mortum's EPs (hence the two titles), both of which were released in 1997. It also features cover songs from two more very controversial black metal bands: Burzum and Graveland.
The album kicks off with the absolutely amazing "Return of the Vampire Lord", the high point on the entire release. It is a lengthy song but features some spell-binding melodies and terrific interplay between the guitar-driven riffs and usage of synths to carry the melody. And though it is over eleven minutes long, it never drags. The next two tracks are also off of the Return of the Vampire Lord EP. Those tracks are decent, but not nearly as good as the first one.
Next is the Marble Moon EP. This one finds Nokturnal Mortum tightening up their sound and never indulging in the kind of lengthy epics like "Return of the Vampire Lord". In addition, this is much more of a rarities kind of collection with several demo versions, three instrumental tracks (including two under three minutes in length) and a cover of a Death SS song. The short instrumentals feel very out of place and sound like rejected tracks from a Finntroll or Korpiklaani release. They are far too upbeat and bouncy, and simply do not fit in with the rest of the release. Unfortunately the result in all of this is that the Marble Moon tracks feel like filler rather than a real release.
This is a very uneven release. "Return of the Vampire Lord" is an excellent look at how good Nokturnal Mortum can be, but much of the rest of the album fails to live up to the immediate high point. That is very unfortunate. I doubt that I have heard the best this band has to offer, so I will refrain from writing them off after this.
If I had to pick one band to show what a stereotypical black metal band was all about, Maniac Butcher would be on the short list of groups to consider. It can be seen in the band's visual aesthetic. Just look at this patently ridiculous album cover, and all of their album covers are variations on this same theme. It can be heard in their music: minimalist riffs repeating over and over on top of pounding, blast-beat driven drums and harsh, raspy vocals. There are no keyboards, no clean vocals, no complex melodies. It is just pure, hateful black metal. And I love it.
This album was intended to be Maniac Butcher's final album, and the band did go on a lengthy hiatus before reuniting and releasing an album in 2010. They disbanded for good when one of the two primary members died in 2015. The Czech band formed in the early 1990's with some of the local masters of first wave black metal (Root, Master's Hammer) as primary influences, and taking that influence in as extreme and direct a direction as they could. Along the way, they refused to compromise their position, refused to expand their musical influences, and absolutely refused to sell out, remaining an uber-kvlt black metal band through and through.
Maniac Butcher's albums are all basically the same, the band never changes the formula in any real ways. The riffs are fast and intense, the kind of riffs that made up the black metal coming out of Norway in the early 1990's (think Immortal's early work). The band has a gift for these kinds of riffs and there are some damn good ones here. The vocals are croaked and raspy, like Barbarud Hrom is tearing his throat apart to deliver them. The last song stands out because it is much slower and quite long. But that is the only departure for the band.
A quick note about my own history listening to Maniac Butcher. I first discovered the band several years ago with their album Černá krev. But I did not really get them at the time, mostly because the production value of it was so shitty. The band's albums are all being remastered now and the sound is much improved. And now, I am going to pick up as many of the albums as I can. I already have another two coming. And that should be all you need to know. Highly recommended.
I was blown away by Jordablod's debut album Upon My Cremation Pyre immediately upon hearing it back in 2017. It did not make my Top Albums list only because it was so late in the year that I heard it, but subsequent listens have led to it being one of my favorite black metal releases, much less debuts, in the last ten years or so. It is remarkably creepy and atmospheric and it really does not sound like anything else. They have yet to release a follow-up, but they did previously release an EP and a demo. I picked up the demo last year, and this is the EP.
This is the first recording by Jordablod and it is definitely rough around the edges, both in songwriting and in the production values. None of these three songs appear on the band's debut album or the demo, so it is likely that these songs were written well before anything from the album released a couple years later. That being said, these three songs are a very good introduction to the band and definitely show what the band was aiming to do later on. The elements of what made their debut album so intriguing are present from the very beginning. The band's ability to create a dark and hostile atmosphere through riffs that call to mind the first wave of black metal (Bathory, Master's Hammer, Root for reference points) sounds completely fresh and alien and unique all at once.
I am absolutely looking forward to hearing more from Jordablod. I now have all of their releases and I enjoy the band more and more every time I hear them. This is a truly unique black metal band. More people should be aware of them.
I have been a huge Enforcer fan since hearing Diamonds for the first time in 2010. It was their blend of NWOBHM style riffs with the pop sensibilities of groups like Def Leppard, particularly on songs like "High Roller" and "Running in Menace". It was definitely a retro sound, and even a little cheesy at times, but goddamn they were fucking good at it. The songs were catchy as hell. And as good as Diamonds was, Enforcer kept getting better on each new release. Their last album, From Beyond was their best yet. And so, I was definitely looking forward to a new Enforcer album.
Unfortunately, as good as this album is, it is not as good as any of the three previous releases. Maybe Diamonds, but not Death by Fire and definitely not From Beyond. Enforcer is trying to do something different here, perhaps not wanting to get too stale. Unfortunately, that messed with the formula that had made Enforcer so impressive before. Now I mentioned before that Enforcer always had pop melodies on occasion. What changed on this release was that the band became more and more focused on these melodies, to the detriment of the obviously more metal riffing. This is apparent from the beginning with the gang vocals leading into "Die for the Devil". The accompanying riffs are just a little too much like the kind of rock and metal that infested the airways in the 1980's. A lot of the aggression is gone for a much more radio-friendly sound. The ballads in particular are maybe a step too far away from what this band used to do so well, particularly the piano-driven "Regrets".
There is still some good stuff on this release and I do not want to give the impression that I truly dislike this album. Liking and album and being disappointed by it are not mutually exclusive. "Searching for You" is something of a return to form for the band, capturing the speed metal intensity that marked some of the best moments from their earlier albums. There are also moments such as "The End of a Universe" and "Forever We Worship the Dark" which come close to the band's prior material.
This is probably the most varied and dynamic Enforcer album to date. The band has taken a lot of risks with this release, departing from what made their previous albums so great. Unfortunately, they have gone a bit too far. This would be really bad for most bands except for one thing: the songs are still catchy as hell. So even though I was disappointed by the direction the band took on this release, I still find myself singing a lot of these songs in my head well after I have finished listening to the album. Enforcer is coming to Nebraska soon in support of Warbringer and I will have to attend. I have liked this band for a long time, and I still like this album. Time to see them live.
Kampfar is yet another one of those black metal bands that I have heard good things about for a very long time, yet never got around to checking them out (like Shining and Drudkh). They have been around since the mid 1990's and have released eight full-length albums, yet this is the first album I have heard. Part of that may have been due to the language barrier. Otherwise, it is likely they just were not completely on my radar. As a result of this discovery of the band, I am hearing them fresh and do not have the reference points in the band's career to compare this.
In a couple of ways, this release reminds me of Theogonia by Rotting Christ. First of all, musically. Kampfar combines traditional Norwegian black metal with pagan and folk influences, including chanted vocals. Now obviously the pagan and folk influences on this Kampfar release differ in origin to the Rotting Christ album. Kampfar, being Norwegian, would obviously have different folk music to pull influence from than the Greek band Rotting Christ. The folk elements complement the otherwise dark and grim black metal riffing quite well, making this a very intriguing listen.
The second way in which this album reminds me of Theogonia is due to my own personal experience with it. Like Theogonia for Rotting Christ, this is my first experience with Kampfar and is their newest release. I had the same response to this album, being one of awe and amazement, for the most part. The album does tend to drag a little bit toward the end. And so time will tell if I get into Kampfar as much as I did Rotting Christ.
I found myself extremely impressed by this release by Kampfar. It is a terrific example of taking disparate influences like black metal and traditional folk music and combining them into something beautiful and powerful. Obviously many bands have been doing this for quite some time, and of course Kampfar is one of them, but they still make it sound new and fresh.
Aura Noir is one of those bands who I have accumulated a few albums by, but rarely really target when a new album is released. In fact, I had no idea this album came out last year. The last one I remember was 2012's Out to Die. Part of the issue probably is that the band takes a long time between releases. It is odd though, because this is definitely the type of band I should be more into, given their blackened thrash metal sound and featuring the guitar work of the notorious Blasphemer, formerly of Mayhem.
The band presents more of a stripped-down and raw sound this time around. The sound is reminiscent of a combination of early Sodom and Venom with some Nocturnal Breed thrown in. Track "Mordant Wind" even has some early Voivod influence to it. Many of the riffs, particularly that in the aforementioned song and "Demoniac Flow", have a rusty, mechanical quality to them. It sounds like the rampage of a 70 ton war machine. The vocals, which sound as if Aggressor has been gargling with battery acid, fit well with the war anthems within. It is an interesting classic metal feel that is quite a bit different than the band's earlier material.
It is kind of a tough call as to whether I prefer this album or the previous one. They are very different takes on the blackened thrash metal sound. This one is more comparable to the earliest days of black metal when thrash was just crossing over. The previous album is a much more modern take. I guess it all depends on what kind of mood I am in. Sometimes, I want some 80's style blackened thrash, and when that is the case, this album will do quite nicely.
As I have mentioned many times recently, I have been on a major black metal kick. This has resulted in checking out a lot of bands that I have previously either actively avoided or just plain did not care enough about to listen. Some of the bands I have gotten into includes Drudkh, Shining, Drowning the Light and many more. One particular black metal scene that I have largely missed out on is the American depressive black metal scene, which is kind of odd since you know, I am in the U.S. I have a Xasthur album, but until recently just never really cared much for it. Leviathan is another such band that has just never been a priority for me to check out. I decided to change that.
Wrest, the only member of Leviathan, is something of a controversial figure, especially in the last decade or so. He had legal troubles with Moribund Records and had some criminal charges as well. He was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, but was found not guilty of everything except a domestic battery charge and was sentenced to two years of probation. Despite being acquitted of most of the charges, it has been a long road back for Wrest. Of course, he did not exactly help himself by releasing an album called True Traitor, True Whore afterwards. By no means am I defending him here, the domestic battery is still a shitty thing to do. But it was time to at least check out the music.
In reviewing information in anticipation of this review (I freely admit that I am not familiar with Leviathan's work previously), I learned that this album is fairly different from their previous material. Specifically that there is more ambient material and some other influences that come forward. So, I do not have much of a frame of reference for the band's prior material, but I can tell what is here. There are definitely some odd moments and this is far from a straightforward black metal release. At one point in the first true song, the music drops away to some subtle guitar noodling and narrated vocals. At other points, the guitars come charging back in and Wrest affects an impressive death growl. And at still other points, Leviathan barrels forward in a typical black metal style. It is the constantly fluctuating style that makes this an intriguing listen.
One thing that is easy to tell from this release is that Wrest is going through some shit. It is obvious how much of his heart and soul is poured into this project and it comes off strained and anguished and just frankly pissed off. The emotion from this release is painfully clear. It can be incredibly harsh at times, and at others, be absolutely gut-wrenchingly devastating.
This is my first experience with Leviathan and I came away very impressed. It is one of the more emotional black metal releases I have heard in some time. I am definitely going to keep my eye out for more of Wrest's material. I may still skip True Traitor, True Whore though.
Dread Records has started to re-release Drudkh albums starting from the very beginning. And this is that beginning. Forgotten Legends is the Ukrainian black metal band's debut, released in 2003. And as a result of my sudden interest in the band (this is my fourth album by Drudkh since checking them out for the first time last year), I jumped on it. And I will likely do the same with each new (old) release. The next one is already on its way.
I talked about the concern I had with Drudkh in the last post. The reason that it took me so long to get into their music. I do not see that as a continuing issue though and I am not going to get into it again here. Quite simply, the music of Drudkh is terrific and any potential ideological issues with the band are tenuous enough to ignore.
Drudkh emerge on their debut album fully-formed. Very little has changed musically for the band in the more than fifteen years since their debut. The Drudkh heard on their latest album is the same Drudkh that appeared here. The album contains just four songs, three of which are proper songs, and each of those is lengthy. The songs are generally based around slowly unfolding riffs with a lush and warm atmosphere that is unusual for a band whose primary influence was likely Burzum. But where Burzum's music calls to mind icy winters, Drudkh's perfectly captures the feel of the autumn.
Drudkh's particular brand of atmospheric, folk-influenced black metal is hypnotic and mesmerizing. It is a slow-burning melodic album that ebbs and flows naturally. The album sounds like the soundtrack to the Fall. It moves from the warm, lush melodies (even with the raspy vocals) of the opening strains to a much harsher final song that ultimately ends in a rain storm.
Later albums by the band would incorporate more traditional metal elements, such as guitar solos. This release though was based in Burzum's take on atmospheric black metal. The band puts their own spin on things though and does not fall into the trap of being a clone. I am still discovering material by this band, but their debut is going to be hard to top.
I have talked a lot recently about my newfound love of Anthrax. It was with this in mind that I decided to finally pick up one album from the band that I had been avoiding: their debut. Now, I have not been actively avoiding it, just not making any special effort to pick it up. The reason for this is that the vocalist on this album was Neil Turbin instead of Joey Belladonna, so I had no idea what to expect. In addition, the style is not quite the same.
Anthrax's debut is a fantastic example of power/speed metal, not the hardcore-influenced thrash metal the band became known for. The chunky riffs are not present, instead featuring much more melodic riffs that call to mind Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. It is an upbeat and powerful album with fast-paced songs and blazing solos.
The other aspect of the album that sets it apart from the band's other releases is the vocalist. Neil Turbin is a significantly different kind of singer than Belladonna or John Bush. He has a wide range and is powerful and dynamic. He is doing his absolute best impression of a NWOBHM singer on this release. He throws everything he has into this performance and it is the big highlight of this album.
While this album is not as strong compared to the later Anthrax material or compared to the debut albums of the other members of the Big Four, it is quite a good album in its own right. It is significantly different from Anthrax's other material, but it is still a better album than any of the John Bush albums, except for maybe Sound of White Noise. It is an underrated album in Anthrax's catalog.
Despite coming just a year later, Death Angel's sophomore album is significantly different in sound to their debut. It came at a time when thrash metal was being forced to adapt. Some bands went in more of a progressive sound (Heathen, Metallica), others opted for a more melodic one (Testament), and still others went in a light-hearted, almost goofy direction (Exodus). Death Angel fell into a combination of the Testament and Exodus route with this album, and the quality was definitely a step down from their debut.
It is obvious from the album cover and title how much lighter the tone of this album was going to be. Where the debut promised violence and had a gritty album cover, this could not be farther away if it tried. There are still some dark themes present in this release, with songs like "Why You Do This" and "Mind Rape", but it is nowhere near as aggressive as the prior release.
Death Angel also began experimenting with different, non-metal styles of music. "Open Up", in particular, features a funky bass line, something Death Angel would return to on their third album Act III. There is also something generally lighter in tone about the band, with "Bored" and "Road Mutants" being examples of this. I do think the cover of KISS's "Cold Gin" is very much out of place here. It is not one of KISS's stronger songs and it completely breaks up the flow of the album.
This album is very much a product of its time. As such it sounds dated and has not held up well over time. This was a harbinger of things to come for Death Angel who would go further toward a more experimental sound on their next album before going on hiatus for over a decade. Out of Death Angel's early albums, the debut is definitely the best. This would be next.
In coming across a few lists similar to the Loudwire video I covered a week or so ago, I have realized there are some holes in my old-school thrash metal collection. One of those holes was some of the lesser Bay Area thrash metal bands. Groups like Forbidden and Death Angel are kind of underrepresented in my collection, which is weird for as much of a thrash metal fan as me. I have a few of Death Angel's recent albums, but only one from their early years. I decided to change that. Today and tomorrow's posts will cover the first two Death Angel albums.
The Ultra-Violence is Death Angel's debut album and it is a damn impressive one. There is a reason this album comes up in several lists like the aforementioned Loudwire one that covers best thrash metal albums not by the Big Four. Somehow though, Death Angel is rarely mentioned among the best the Bay Area had to offer, even among the second tier groups like Exodus and Testament.
One of Death Angel's biggest strengths is in the musicianship of its members, particularly lead guitarist Rob Cavestany. His incredible abilities has made it possible for Death Angel to experiment with a variety of musical styles in the future. On this release, the focus is on shredding guitars. There is a rawness and aggression, and definitely emotion, that is present in the sound of Death Angel that is missing in some of their more workmanlike peers. This is powerfully conveyed in the outstanding guitar work of Cavestany.
The other big strength the band has is the incredible vocals of Mark Osegueda. He is an incredible vocalist who is without peer in the Bay Area thrash metal scene. His best work comes on the track "Voracious Souls" where he really lets loose with haunting howls among his more standard vocal style. This leads to my only complaint about the album. With such a great singer, the band should showcase him more, but this album features two instrumental tracks and one track with very limited vocals. I get that Cavestany needs time to shine as well, but so should Osegueda.
This is a terrific debut album by Death Angel and really set the tone for what the band would do in the future. The band has a dynamic singer/lead guitarist combo that a lot of bands strive for, but fewer have. It is likely that this is the best album Death Angel has to offer.
Look, I am not going to waste a lot of space and time discussing Varg Vikernes. Everyone has their opinion on the man. Certainly there are a lot of reasons to never want to listen to Burzum. From the church burnings to the murder of Euronymous to the NS leanings, Vikernes is not exactly a positive role model. Among all the reasons to avoid Burzum's music, there is one reason to check it out: the music is generally amazing and was legendary in the burgeoning black metal scene of Norway in the early 1990's.
I am a particular fan of Burzum's early material, before Filosofem, when the black metal material outweighed the ambient material. In fact, Det som engang var is the only album by Burzum I have picked up. Until now. This is a compilation of Burzum's earliest major material: the first full-length from 1992, and the follow-up EP in 1993. It is the period I prefer from Burzum, and it was recorded before most of the truly objectionable events in the life of Vikernes, with one notable exception. At this point, Vikernes was far more interested in Tolkien and Lovecraft than in race relations or anything of that sort.
The aforementioned exception is the church burning. The original cover of Aske when it was released on its own was a photo of the burned-out church. So, Vikernes was on his way down the rabbit hole at this point, but most of the worst things he had ever done was yet to come.
Much of the music on this compilation is raw black metal, performed entirely by Vikernes. The riffs are fairly simplistic, yet hypnotizing, and the vocals are typically delivered in harsh shrieks. There are a few more ambient tracks, but it is not close to the focus. Some of Burzum's most potent songs appear on this release, including "War" and "Ea, Lord of the Depths".
This is by no means a perfect release. Varg's songwriting and musicianship were very raw, but the potential is definitely there. Obviously a lot of people have chosen to avoid Burzum and I will not tell them they are wrong to do so. I understand why people would avoid anything with Vikernes's name attached. I will not defend his ideologies or actions, both of which I find deplorable. But it is possible to respect the art that a horrible person has created, and that is where I find myself.
Paradise Lost is very similar to Amorphis in that it is a band that has experimented with a variety of disparate styles over the years and, despite that, I absolutely love everything I have heard from them. Paradise Lost started out as one of the progenitors of the doom/death metal sound in the U.K. along with My Dying Bride. Over the years, they added more and more gothic metal elements and began to lose the death metal elements. Then suddenly, they were just a gothic rock/metal band. But then, they began returning to their roots more and more.
That brings us to this album, which is basically a doom/death metal album with only occasional gothic metal moments. So they are back where they started. From the opening strains of "Fearless Sky", it is clear that Paradise Lost have brought back the slow, lumbering doom. And that continues throughout the album, with only occasional moments when the band locks into a rollicking groove. But they never get close to anything like "Once Solemn" from Draconian Times. It is an extremely dark and slow release that recaptures what made Paradise Lost so great from the very beginning.
The best moments from the album are those in which the vocals alternate between the dry, spine-tingling clean vocals and the gruff, death vocals. The clean vocals call to mind the time when Paradise Lost experimented with more gothic rock, which they did a lot better than other bands who attempted the switch (looking at you Tiamat). This comes together perfectly on the gloomily beautiful "The Longest Winter".
Paradise Lost was a band I fell for fairly early on in my metal collecting days, getting Draconian Times for Christmas when I was 15. That album still ranks as my favorite from the band and one of my favorite albums of all time. Medusa is a terrific album (Decibel made it their Album of the Year in 2017) that does not come quite close to matching that one, but may very well be my second favorite album by the band. And beating Gothic is not easy, so that shows the high quality of Medusa.
Okay, we have a band named after the ice planet at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back in which Luke Skywalker was nearly killed by a wampa. We have a band logo that looks like Darth Vader's TIE fighter. Yep, it is pretty clear this band MAY have been influenced by the Star Wars movie. Now, in the early years, this was a lot more blatant, with song titles like "Drowned by the Dianoga" and "The Rancor". I am not a huge Star Wars fan, so maybe the references are lost on me but it seems like the influence is less obvious with this release. The themes are definitely still science fiction-based.
Now, I do not really have a problem with a band taking influence from this kind of thing, but it does kind of limit the appeal for me if it is something that I am not that interested in. Plenty of bands have done entire albums about Tolkien stories, which is another series I am not hugely interested in, and yet, I do enjoy the albums. If it was a metal band that took influence from the Harry Potter universe though, I would be completely lost. So the Star Wars influence is interesting, but would not really grab me that much. It would not completely turn me off. I can say though, I am glad it is not as obvious with this release.
Enough of that, is the music any good? That after all, is the most important thing here. Fuck yes it is. Hoth's sound is based around influences from bands like Dissection, Naglfar, Nifelheim and other melodic black metal bands. And they definitely have that freezing cold Storm of the Light's Bane atmosphere down. Which is a good thing for a band named after a fictional ice planet. The riffs are damn catchy and the songs equally so.
One of the more interesting tracks on the album is "Citadel of the Necromancer". That song flips the script a little bit and presents a downright positive and triumphant atmosphere that comes as a complete shock next to the much darker songs like "The Horrid Truth" and "The Living Dreams of a Dead God". It is the fanfare at the chorus lines that really does it.
There have been a lot of great melodic black metal albums in the last few years (Uada, Behemoth, Necrophobic, Watain, etc.), but Hoth may be one of the best. This is a terrific album that tells some dark and intriguing stories. It is the storytelling ability that really separates Hoth from the pack. They may have started out obsessed with Star Wars, but now they are telling their own stories and the music fits in incredibly well. Not many bands can do that.
Readers of this blog can probably tell a couple of things about my listening habits. One, thrash metal is my favorite of the major metal genres. This is likely due to my formative years as a metalhead spent being obsessed with Metallica, Megadeth, Sepultura and Testament. And two, I love exploring metal scenes in other countries.
Which brings me to Arakain, a thrash metal band from the Czech Republic. This is the second album I have checked out by the band, the first one being Black Jack, which was a decent melodic heavy metal album with some thrash moments. Unfortunately it was not quite what I was looking for when I picked it up. I had heard great things about their thrash metal releases and I just missed with that one. Well I fixed that minor miscalculation by picking up this, Arakain's debut.
The sound of Arakain is something of a mix between the early works of Teutonic thrash metal bands such as Destruction and Bay Area-thrash of Death Angel. The riffs are melodic but pack a lot of bite, and there are a ton of them, and most of the songs are fairly fast-paced. The songs are also ridiculously catchy, which is somewhat of a surprise given that 99% of the lyrics are not in English and I definitely do not speak Czech. Where Arakain really excels though is in the vocals which are delivered in a siren-like wail that calls to mind Artillery in their prime.
The only real issue I have with this release is the lyrics not being in English. Do not get me wrong, I have no problem with it, but it did likely prevent Arakain from breaking through to a wider audience. Now, there is of course a concern that if the lyrics were in English they would lose their effectiveness. I cannot really say because I have no idea what the singer is going on about anyway.
Thrash metal fans would do well in checking this out, if they can get past the lyrics. There is nothing really mind-blowingly new and original here, but it is a terrific blend of thrash metal styles. And it is one hell of a good time listening to it. Even though I have no idea what they are saying. Seriously, who cares?
Well, once again I mistakenly purchased a Vomit Remnants album that was subsumed in the compilation that I picked up years ago. This is the band's first full-length release and finds the band fully-formed as a paint-by-the-numbers slam death. That is not to say that this is bad, far from it, as the band is one that was instrumental in making me a fan of the genre.
This release by Vomit Remnants is absolutely sick and disgusting slam, punctuated by brutal riffs and guttural vocals. The drum sound is terrible, sounding like pounding on a trash can, but that is just part of the charm. There are a number of absolutely ridiculous samples preceding some of the songs, including what sounds like an advertisement for weed-growing tips. I am not sure where these samples come from, but they are hilariously weird.
Just like the last release I picked up from Vomit Remnants, this one features a number of live tracks added on at the end. They are significantly better this time around, helped out by much better sound quality, but they still seem very unnecessary.
Vomit Remnants was an important band in getting me into slam death metal. This album is a good example of why that is, checking all the major requirements of a slam album. Hopefully next time I grab a release by Vomit Remnants, it will be one I have not heard before.
As far as extreme metal goes, France is mostly known for its black metal. On top of the LLN bands of the 1990's, there is also Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord and others. Of course, France has also produced some great metal in other genres. Gojira is probably the most well-known French metal band. One thing that does seem to be somewhat lacking though is thrash metal. Massacra, likely named after the Hellhammer song, though was one of the leading thrash metal bands with a raw and savage sound that bordered on death metal.
On their sophomore release, Massacra's sound most closely resembles bands that were just starting to skirt the line between thrash and death metal. Possessed's Seven Churches and Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness are the closest albums to this sound, though Massacra does not possess quite the razor-sharp riffs as the other two bands. The songwriting is also not quite on par, but the band makes up for these minor deficiencies with their aggression. This is nasty and savage thrash metal with vocals that are closer to the earlier death metal bands.
Most of the songs are fast-paced and short with rampaging riffs and shredding solos. The track "Full of Hatred" though stands out as more of a mid-paced stomp that rivals the doomier moments of Morbid Angel's "God of Emptiness".
This is a terrific album that is something of an underrated gem. Part of this is due to the limited scene Massacra came from. But it is one that should not be missed for fans of early death metal or the more brutal strains of thrash metal.
The Uada concert a couple months ago turned out to be one of my favorite concerts I have attended in quite some time. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the bands so much that I decided to buy an album from each of them. Wormwitch and Cloak will be coming soon. From Uada, I picked up the band's debut album which I was surprised to see still available at their merch table.
Uada seems a bit more influenced by a combination of the Polish black metal scene (particularly groups like Mgła) and the more melodic black metal bands from Sweden (Dissection, Lord Belial, Naglfar). Their music is cold, but has some impressive melodies weaving their way through the dark and cold atmosphere. Most of the songs are structured around one or two main riffs and layer solos, drumming and the gruff vocals on top. But this relative simplicity works for Uada because it makes the songs catchy as hell. The groove that Uada locks into certainly helps as well.
The last two songs are the big highlights. The first three songs are fine, but nothing really special, but Uada really gets going on the second half, starting off with the terrific "Our Pale Departure" and then continuing with the neck-breaking "Black Autumn, White Spring". I remember the latter quite well from the concert and was blown away by it then. It absolutely slays, particularly the second half.
This is Uada's debut album and it was a terrific initial release. Uada has made a lot of noise among the American black metal scene and this album shows that the hype is deserved. They are even better in concert.
Hades is kind of a forgotten band among the Norwegian black metal scene of the early 1990's. I know I forgot about them. I have a split of theirs that they did recently with Drudkh and did not realize it was the same band as this one. I blame the fact that they are now called Hades Almighty after some legal issues with another band called Hades. It was only after thinking this logo was vaguely familiar-looking that I realized the mistake.
This album is much more similar to groups like Enslaved and the recently-reviewed Borknagar than to some of the more raw and aggressive black metal bands from the scene. As such, Hades is an early band whose music could have been lumped into the "Viking metal" sub-subgenre. The songs tend to plod along and have melodic keyboards and almost chanted vocals at times. The riffs however are massive and the sound is monolithic. It is an absolutely huge and impressive sound that can be beautiful and harsh at the same time.
This is a terrific album that should be considered among the classic albums of the Norwegian black metal scene. Unfortunately, Hades never reached the heights of their brethren in Darkthrone, Emperor, Mayhem, Immortal, Enslaved, Satyricon and others. They were just kind of forgotten, even though the band is actually still active. It is a shame, because Hades was easily the equal of those bands back then and, if that split with Drudkh is any indication, still putting out great music today.
This is the second band named "Crematory" in my collection, joining "Sabbat" and "Solstice" as names for which there are multiple groups represented. But there is a difference. Whereas with "Sabbat" and "Solstice", picking a favorite band between the two can be a toss-up, I have a very clear favorite band named "Crematory". It is this one.
The other Crematory is a German gothic metal band, but this one is pure old-school Swedish death metal. We are talking the Stockholm scene in the early 1990's when bands like Entombed, Dismember and Grave were dominant. And Crematory's sound fit in quite well with those groups. Featuring a sound that combines the Swedish scene of the day with groups like Napalm Death and Slayer, this is a lively, energetic release. The riffs are bound to result in head-banging and the solos absolutely shred. The vocals are gruff, but not ridiculously so. This is an almost perfect example of Swedish death.
The only downside to this release is that it is too damn short. This is only a four-song EP. And unfortunately, there is not much else that the band has ever released. There are a few other demos, but no full-length. There is a compilation collecting most of the band's material together under the same name and cover as this EP. And that's it.
Members of Crematory would later emerge in groups like Regurgitate and General Surgery. Unfortunately neither group had a sound quite like this. And so, this is the only real great release we have from this Crematory, but it is still better than the German gothic metal band.
Borknagar started out as something of a supergroup. Øystein Garnes Brun, who had previously been in death metal band Molested, formed the band as a way to explore more melodic music. He contributed guitar and songwriting and enlisted the help of Garm for vocals (Arcturus and Ulver), Ivar Bjørnson for keyboards (Enslaved), and Grim and Infernus for drums and bass respectively (Gorgoroth). Later incarnations of the band would feature ICS Vortex (Dimmu Borgir) on vocals.
Oddly enough, Borknagar was probably one of the first four or five black metal-related bands I ever checked out via buying an album. It was early one while I was in college that I was just exploring the tip of the iceberg that is Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal. I was checking out groups like Dissection and Emperor on the black metal side (yes, I am well aware Dissection is Swedish) and Opeth and Dark Tranquillity on the death metal side. It was among those groups that I picked up Empiricism, Borknagar's fifth album. Yet though I thoroughly enjoyed the album, I never bought another one. I decided to go backwards, picking up the band's debut album, which is a much different beast than Empiricism.
The music presented on Borknagar's debut album is a little bit different while still be recognizable as the same band that created the terrific album I was exposed to in college. For the most part this is a far more typical black metal release, though there are definite moments where the band strays into the more melodic Viking metal sound they had in future releases. The use of keyboards, particularly in "Tanker mot tind (Kvelding)" and "Dauden", and the clean vocals used on "Dauden" are dead giveaways that this is in fact an earlier version of Borknagar. These are the moments that are the most compelling from the band, and remind that there are members from Enslaved and Ulver here.
I really do not know why I have not checked out more of Borknagar's work. Maybe this will be the kick I need to get back into them. I have loved both of their releases I have heard so far.
Old Man's Child is the solo project of Galder, the former guitarist and now bassist for Dimmu Borgir. The band changed greatly from the time of their inception, starting out as a band covering Slayer and Metallica, then morphing into a death metal band, before releasing this album, their debut, in 1996. At this point, there was still more of a push to make this a legitimate band, instead of just Galder's solo project. That came much later.
This release finds Old Man's Child essentially taking on the musical form they would retain into the present. It is a sound that owes much more to Dissection than to the aforementioned Metallica and Slayer. Although there are definitely some thrash elements still present here, such as the opening riff into "Demons of the Thorncastle". That opening track is a microcosm of the album as a whole, featuring blackened thrash riffs slowly melding into much more melodic gothic keyboard strains. Some songs tend to emphasize the more melodic moments while others the more obviously metallic ones. This is far from being a Dissection or Emperor rip-off. Old Man's Child has some top-notch songwriting.
The production is terrific on the album, particularly for a mid-90's black metal release. Everything can be heard well and the guitars have a great tone. The keyboards are not as prominent as they would become in later Old Man's Child releases.
The most surprising aspect of this album is that it is a debut. Old Man's Child sounds like a group of seasoned veterans. Obviously Galder had some experience, but Dimmu Borgir had not been around for a real long time at this point. This is a great example of a debut album done right.
In discussing the history of women in heavy metal, a very good starting point would be Doro Pesch. Sure there had been women in bands that have toed the line between hard rock and heavy metal for years prior to Warlock's arrival on the scene. But the diminutive singer with the huge pipes was probably the first real big true metal star as a female. But more than just being a terrific female singer, Doro was a terrific singer, period. (And no, I do not know why a band with a frontwoman would call themselves Warlock, the name for a male witch.)
Pesch got her start as a member of Warlock, but the band existed in a constant state of flux, with Doro being the only constant member of the band. After a series of legal issues, eventually the group changed its name to Doro. It was always basically her band anyway, so why not? This was the third full-length album by Warlock and they would only release one more before changing the name.
The music is fairly standard 1980's German heavy/speed metal, owing a lot of influence to groups like Scorpions and Accept, with some Judas Priest thrown in for good measure. Most of the songs are fairly quick-paced with fist-pumping anthemic choruses. This is an album that is a product of its time and it would fit in well with other 1980's metal acts like W.A.S.P. and Dokken. So yes, there is a little bit of a mainstream feel to it, and some cheesy moments, such as "Lady in a Rock 'n Roll Hell".
Of course the major reason to check out Warlock is to hear the vocals of Doro Pesch, and she definitely delivers here. Her voice is very strong on this album, able to deliver snarled lines and then soft melodic lines and change between them quickly. And her style fits the music quite well.
This is actually the first full-length Warlock album I have picked up. And also the first album with Doro at all. I just never really got around to it before, but I have been trying to get some classics occasionally recently and this was on my list. It may not be the best Warlock album, but it is a damn fine example of 1980's German heavy metal with a true metal legend behind the mic.
Comecon was a Swedish death metal band. Well, sort of. It was more of a project than a band. There were only two full-time members, Rasmus Ekman and Pelle Ström, each of whom performed bass, guitars and keyboards. There was never a human drummer, leaving that task to a drum machine. And there was never a full-time vocalist. Instead the band had essentially a guest singer on each release. They used L-G Petrov (Entombed) most often, and Marc Grewe (Morgoth) appeared on the band's final album. There is a reason that this is the first album I have checked out by Comecon. It features Martin Van Drunen (Asphyx, Hail of Bullets, Pestilence, etc.), one of my favorite death metal vocalists.
This is a brutally savage release with biting riffs, aggressive vocals and a whole lot of speed. Van Drunen delivers his typical rabid bark and sounds as good as anything else he has ever done. The band obviously takes a lot of influence from other Swedish death metal bands of their time. The typical buzzsaw guitar tone is present in spades, drawing comparisons to Entombed, Dismember and Grave, and there is plenty of groove to the riffing style. So, in a lot of ways, this is a typical Swedish death metal band.
Comecon though, stands out a little bit from their Swedeath brethren. There is the obvious lineup issues detailed in the opening paragraph. But the band also tends to use some off-kilter riffing and bizarre moments. For instance, in second track "The Ethno-Surge", there is heavy usage of a juice harp, which is just plain odd. Then there are some strange breakdown sections that feature call and response between acoustic and electric guitar in "Community" that finds some way to sound perfectly natural next to the more standard riffing.
This is something of an underrated album in the powerful Swedish death metal scene. I had seen the album cover a number of times, but had not really heard the band before picking this one up. I came for Martin Van Drunen, I stayed for the terrific take on Swedish death metal.
How many metal bands can say that they have appeared as themselves in a mainstream movie? I can't think of too many honestly. Cannibal Corpse appeared in Ace Ventura. White Zombie appeared in Air Heads. Armored Saint appeared in Hellraiser 3. And Malice appeared in Vice Versa. For those that do not remember, Vice Versa was a body-switch movie with Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage. It was...not very good. I only vaguely remember it, but I don't think I enjoyed it too much.
Now Malice, I enjoy them quite a bit. With a sound that can best be described as Judas Priest playing glam metal, it is somewhat surprising that this was as close as the band came to breaking into the mainstream. "Against the Empire" is a song that would have fit in very well on Priest's Defenders of the Faith album and the band definitely has some damn catchy songs. They also utilize an impressive dual-guitar attack.
As far as downsides, Malice is a little overly-reliant on the mid-paced rock songs. They are at their best when they are playing no-holds-barred speed/power metal as in "License to Kill" and "Chain Gang Woman". Unfortunately, they do not do that nearly enough. The other issue is James Neal's vocals are very similar to Rob Halford, but he does not have quite the pipes to really emulate Halford. He definitely cannot hit the real high notes.
Overall, this is a pretty decent album. I am not sure it quite qualifies as a hidden gem, but it definitely has its moments. I am still baffled why the band didn't make a little more noise in the mainstream though.
I often find myself watching Loudwire lists. I don't often discover something new, but they can be mindlessly entertaining. And sometimes, I disagree strongly with things (I have a lot of issues every time they do a best new bands list). That brings us to this list. I am a huge thrash metal fan. As such, I feel qualified to examine this list and see if I have any problems with it.
Now, I am not going to quibble too much with the placement of the individual bands, arguing that one band should be higher than another. There might be a couple of notes on band placement as I go along. What I really want to do is examine the albums selected by each band. Are they really the best releases representing each band?
10. Voivod: Killing Technology
Well, let's kick things off, shall we? I am kind of surprised to see Voivod on this list at all. Not because they don't really deserve to be, but because Voivod is mostly known for their sound after they moved away from thrash metal. Only their first four albums can really be called thrash, and the first one has significant punk sound to it. I personally prefer Dimension Hatröss but I can't argue with this selection. The two are kind of a toss-up really.
9. Sodom: Persecution Mania
Here is my first major quibble. I like Persecution Mania, I really do, but it is not even close to my favorite album by Sodom. Agent Orange would have been my pick. I could listen to that album every day. I still think that the thrash break at the end of "Tired and Red" is one of the greatest riffs in thrash metal history. In fact, that album may just be my favorite release by any German thrash metal band. Therefore, I would have it a lot higher than #9.
8. Suicidal Tendencies: Lights...Camera...Revolution!
This is probably the best album by Suicidal Tendencies, but my problem here is that I don't really think ST should be on this list at all. The issue is that the band is not a true thrash metal band, being much more of a crossover group. There are several bands not present on this list that would have been better inclusions, such as Destruction, Forbidden, Death Angel, and others.
7. Nuclear Assault: Handle with Care
No arguments. 100% agree. "Critical Mass" is an amazing song.
6. Dark Angel: Darkness Descends
They fixed it. In an earlier incarnation, they had Leave Scars listed, which is a damn fine album, but this one is Dark Angel's best.
5. Overkill: The Years of Decay
Picking just one great Overkill album is a monumental task. I have said it before and I will say it again: Overkill is the most consistently great thrash metal band ever. So, it is hard to argue with this choice, and in fact, I chose it as my favorite Overkill album when I did my Top 100 bands list. Horrorscope, Under the Influence, and Taking Over would also have worked. I would probably put Overkill #2 or #3 on this list personally.
4. Kreator: Pleasure to Kill
I go back and forth on this one. I love this album and it is a terrific example of raw, brutal thrash metal. But I think Kreator really refined their sound later on and albums like Extreme Aggression and Coma of Souls are really damn hard to pass up on a list like. I would probably ultimately lean toward Coma of Souls.
3. Testament: The Legacy
Testament is my favorite band. I love almost every album by the band (Demonic being the only real exception). I would probably agree that this is the album that deserves most to be on this list, even though it is not my absolute favorite. The New Order is also in consideration.
2. Sepultura: Beneath the Remains
I talked about Sepultura a couple of weeks ago. A few years ago I would have 100% agreed with this album being on the list. But recently I have been hooked on Arise. I love "Inner Self" off of this album, but Arise has equally great tracks like "Dead Embryonic Cells", the title track and "Infected Voice". I am beginning to come around on it being Sepultura's best album.
1. Exodus: Bonded by Blood
No contest here and honestly, this may be one of the best thrash metal albums period. This is a thrash metal masterpiece.
So I don't have any major problems with anything on this list, other than I probably would not have Suicidal Tendencies on it. If I was doing this list, I would not be able to limit it to 10. There are so many great thrash metal albums that I would have to give some attention to. And so, here are some thrash metal albums that I would have to consider:
Deströyer 666: Cold Steel...For an Iron Age
Sabbat: Dreamweaver
Onslaught: The Force
Death Angel: The Ultra-Violence
Vio-lence: Eternal Nightmare
Destruction: Eternal Devastation
Holy Moses: Finished with the Dogs
Nocturnal Breed: Fields of Rot
Morbid Saint: Spectrum of Death
I have been thinking about this question over the last couple of days. I have several splits in my collection, but really, only one comes to mind as a particular favorite.
March to the Black Holocaust, the split between Vlad Tepes and Belkètre is a landmark release. It is easily one of the best releases from the French black metal scene known as LLN. Both groups are at the absolute top of their game. Each side very well could be a full-length release on its own, but instead the bands have collected them together. It is a legendary split album, and probably one of the best-known ones in all of metal.
As for honorable mentions, a few have come to mind. I love the Horna/Behexen split featuring two titans of the Finnish black metal scene coming together. But Behexen's side is a little lacking on production, knocking the release down a few pegs. I have a number of splits with Fetid Zombie on them, but they are typically much shorter and the non-Fetid Zombie bands are not always quite up to par. The better ones have been the ones with Swamp, Hellripper and Battleroar.
There are a few splits that I would like to check out that have the kind of notoriety that March to the Black Holocaust enjoys. Emperor/Hordanes Land by Emperor and Enslaved respectively is one such release. It too is a landmark in the world of split metal albums featuring two pioneering Norwegian black metal bands just prior to the scene exploding. And I hear a lot of great things about the Xasthur/Leviathan split from 2004. Neither of those bands have made a lot of impact on me yet, but given my recent predilection for black metal recently. Maybe it is time to check that one out.
Once again, I was sucked in by an album cover. But really, how could you not be? That thing is awesome. I know I say it a lot, but this may be one of my favorite album covers in a long time. I really mean it. You know, until the next one.
Now, seeing an album cover like that, I kind of thought we might be looking at some sort of pagan black metal, or some kind of black metal at least. What I was not expecting was melodeath in the vein of earlier Soilwork and In Flames. Before those bands went to crap. I suppose a better comparison would be latter-day Dark Tranquillity meshed with Insomnium. But instead of being some late copycat, trying to revive a style that has gone dormant, Thirdmoon dates back to the mid 1990's, when melodeath was all the rage. The Austrian band has gone through a couple of hiatuses and this is their first album since 2007.
This album is a good lesson in listening to something all the way through before formulating an opinion. Honestly, the first half is a little bit bland, doing very little to separate Thirdmoon from any other melodeath band. The earlier comparison to Dark Tranquillity and Insomnium is apt, but the first half of the album has neither the hooks of the former or the doomy melodicism of the latter. But it all comes together in the second half, starting with the terrific "Fragile Identity". It continues in that vein for the rest of the release, culminating in the powerfully poignant outro "Is this the End?" featuring a voiceover talking about how society has forgotten how to truly live, focusing too much on how we will make a living from an early age.
It is a shame the first half of this release is less than impressive. This could have been a terrific album if the first five songs were more interesting. So we settle for half of a great album. I suppose that will have to do.
