One and Done? Pt. 14: Satan's Hallow

Satan's Hallow was a band out of Chicago, IL riding the traditional metal wave.  To be more specific, they were one of the many recent traditional metal bands with a female lead singer, joining groups like Smoulder, Iron Griffin, Lady Beast, Savage Master, Huntress and many others.  Satan's Hallow though may have been the best of the bunch. 

Satan's Hallow's sound was rooted in the early 1980's NWOBHM and other speed/traditional metal of the time period.  It is of course obvious to draw comparisons to other female-fronted bands from the time period like Warlock, Bitch, Chastain and others.  Musically though, I think they sound much more like Angel Witch with a bit of Omen thrown in.  But with a woman singing.  Which is just freaking awesome.

The music here is terrific, no-holds-barred true heavy metal with some ripping solos and catchy-as-hell choruses.  And the vocals provide a lot of melody to the riffs.  The result is some blood-pumping, full throttle metal.  The best tracks are the title track, "Still Alive" and "Beyond the Bells".

Well there's bad news and good news.  The bad news is that Satan's Hallow is no more.  The good news is that four out of the five members (only guitarist Von Jugel is absent) have formed the band Midnight Dice.  I will have to check them out to see if they will be carrying on the torch from Satan's Hallow.

One and Done? Pt. 13: Gorement

I have never seen a less-than-perfect score in a review for Gorement's The Ending Quest.  Given my attempts from a few weeks ago to uncover hidden gems of the Swedish death metal scene, I had to give this one a shot.  This is Gorement's only full-length release.  They changed their name to the significantly less interesting Pipers Dawn in the mid 90's, but never released more than a single demo under that name. 

Gorement is kind of different for a Swedish death metal band.  They do not play the same kind of typical buzzsaw punk-inflected riff style.  Rather, Gorement shows significant doom metal influences, bearing more similarity to groups like Autopsy and Asphyx than to Entombed and Dismember.  The result is an extremely dark and gloomy atmosphere that is at least as impressive as anything their countrymen have ever released.  There are moments where there are gothic metal elements similar to Paradise Lost as well.

Gorement appears to have just missed the boat when they released this album.  By 1994, most of the Swedish death metal landmark albums had already been released and the attention had shifted to Norwegian black metal.  They were just a couple of years late.  Most of the big Swedish death metal bands were entering into the second phases of their careers and were declining in quality.  This is the status of the scene into which Gorement released their sole album.

It is a shame that this album has been mostly relegated to obscurity.  It is a terrific album that pulls together influences from Swedish death metal, doom metal and gothic/death metal.  The Ending Quest should be a classic.  Instead it is a hidden gem. 

One and Done? Pt. 12: Church Bizarre

Among the many styles of metal that I am a big fan of, there is melodic black/death metal, particularly of the Swedish variety.  You know the type, Dissection, Watain, Naglfar, and the like.  One band I discovered in this vein a couple of years ago is the Danish group Church Bizarre.  Their album, Sinister Glorification, was an excellent example of the style with catchy tremolo riffing and some of the most decayed vocals ever.  The band actually released a few demos and EPs as well, but nothing since 2006 after the full-length.  The reasons for the ending of the band are unknown.

It is a shame.  Their release is terrific and it would have been interesting to see what happened next.  They had a unique sound amongst their genre.  Cerekloth formed out of the ashes of Church Bizarre and fellow Danish black/thrash metal act Victimizer.  But Cerekloth does not have the same feel as Church Bizarre and is not quite an acceptable substitute.

There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon though.  It appears as if Church Bizarre will likely release another EP for Hell's Headbangers in 2013.  Maybe they will rise from the grave and curse us with another full-length some day.  One can hope.

One and Done? Pt. 11: Sothis: De Oppresso Liber

I had a subscription to Metal Maniacs in 2008.  This was the year that the magazine eventually folded.  For several months the magazine was running advertisements for Sothis's debut full-length.  Lots of different advertisements.  There was quite simply a lot of hype leading up to this album's release.  Well at the time I had a lot of disposable income so I figured what the hell I will give them a shot.

Sothis is a U.S. symphonic black metal band.  Yes such things actually exist.  And of course you can imagine how well this sounded.  Somewhere along the veins of Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, and Limbonic Art, but nowhere near as impressive.  For the most part, this was just kind of a boring release without a whole lot going for it.  Well, I do enjoy "Defiance" quite a bit.  That song alone makes this somewhat interesting.  But nothing else really grabs me.

Well all the hype did not really do Sothis too many favors as the album was not well-received when it was actually released.  It's now been more than four years since that release and I have not heard anything about a new one.  Maybe the deflated egos have lead to the inability to come up with a follow-up.  Maybe the band is trying hard to come up with something decent.  Whatever the reason, four years is a long time for a sophomore album.

One and Done? Pt. 10: Catacombs: In the Depths of R'lyeh

I have covered this album before here.  Last night I was on kind of a funeral doom kick and since this is one of the few funeral doom albums I have, along with a couple by Ahab, I started thinking about the band a lot. Well, band is probably not the correct term as Catacombs is made up of Xathagorra Mlandroth, a Lovecraftian name if I have ever seen one.  He performs all of the instruments and all of the vocals on the album.  He also does the same for several other projects, such as Hierophant, Inimical, Origin of Darkness, and Sect.

But Catacombs is the only project I am familiar with.  It released an EP in 2003 and this album in 2006.  Catacombs is the only Mlandroth project that has released a full-length album.  The other projects have released EPs, demos, or splits, but no proper albums.  Catacombs is still listed as active though Origin of Darkness is the only project that has released anything in the last several years since this full-length.

So what is going on?  Is Catacombs still active?  Is Xathagorra Mlandroth still making music?  I have no idea.  I hope so, because this album is incredible.  As I mentioned, I do not really have all that much funeral doom, but I really enjoy the stuff I have.  And this guy makes some damn good funeral doom.  This album perfectly captures the dread and cosmic horror of Lovecraft's stories.  I would like to hear more.

One and Done? Pt. 9: Orchidectomy: A Prelate's Attrition

Orchidectomy is one of those slam bands that Sgt. D references a lot when talking about slam along with Repudilation, Vulvectomy,  and Artery Eruption.  So of course I had to figure out what all the fuss was about with this band.  Orchidectomy is a Canadian band who only put out one album and a demo before breaking up.    But that one album is highly regarded in the slam death metal genre.  Orchidectomy use pounding drums, slow, methodical slams, and some of the most guttural gurgling vocals any band has ever used in this release.  This is a classic slam release.  It's unfortunate that Orchidectomy did not really stick around afterwards.

One and Done? Pt. 8: Outworld

Outworld was an extremely impressive progressive/speed metal band out of Houston, TX. Musically they sounded somewhat like a faster version of Symphony X with Painkiller-era Rob Halford belting out the lyrics. The band only managed to release one album, the self-titled release from 2006. They did put out a couple of demos, but even though there were some rumblings about a follow-up, it never happened. Vocalist Kelly Carpenter left the band some time after the release and the band just never put another full-length out. Such a shame, because the one and only release they did have was simply incredible.

Take a listen:

One and Done? Pt. 7: Burn to Black

Burn to Black is a band that is probably more well-known for who was in the band than for the music they put out. And that is honestly a shame because Burn to Black's only full-length album is an excellent slab of blackened thrash metal. But that one particular member was too busy doing his own thing to continue with the band.

So who is this individual? Well, it is Sam Dunn, the documentary film maker who gave us A Headbanger's Journey, Global Metal, and Flight 666. Dunn played bass for Burn to Black.

This is actually a pretty good album, with a focus on Celtic Frost-style riffing and decayed vocals. The Celtic Frost influence is obvious as the band covered them as a bonus track at the end of the album.

It's a shame Burn to Black did not continue.

One and Done? Pt. 6: Advent: The Dawn

Advent is an Italian blackened death metal band with a fetish for H.P. Lovecraft. I gotta be honest, that sounds like an almost perfect formula for a band, but somehow it just did not work out that way for Advent.

Advent released just one album in 2003. They have released a couple of demos as well, one as recently as 2006, but the one full-length was it for them.

Their sound is actually somewhat similar to fellow Italian band Fleshgod Apocalypse but it is not as well accomplished. They do have the black metal characteristics of tremolo riffing and shrieked vocals, but they also have some clean vocals and significant keyboard parts. The clean vocals sound a lot like those of Borknagar.

The Lovecraft influence on the lyrics is obvious with tracks titled "Shub-Niggurath" and "The Thing That Sleeps in the Abyss". The lyrics feature lines pulled directly from Lovecraft.

The album is not bad, but it's not really that much different than a lot of other bands at the time. When it comes down to it, Advent was just too obscure and got lost in the shuffle.

One and Done? Pt. 5: Willard: Steel Mill

Had they lasted long enough, Willard probably would have been thrown under the "grunge" moniker. I say that based only on the fact that they were a hard rock/metal band from Seattle. Of course there are examples of bands that prove that theory correct, such as Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. This was fairly common at the time. But Willard did not last long. Their only full-length was released in July of 1992, a full two months before Nirvana released Nevermind. They broke up some time afterwards. So no, they are not often named as part of the grunge scene, but likely would have been.

Instead, Willard played a style of stoner/doom metal and were very similar in style to the more metallic moments of fellow Seattle band the Melvins. Their music is fairly simple and direct: distorted Sabbath-style riffs, throbbing bass, and punk-esque vocals.

These guys suffered from bad timing, releasing their only album two months before Nirvana. Therefore they faded into obscurity. Who knows what would have happened had they stuck around?

One and Done? Pt. 4: Sculpture: Sculpture

I got this album as part of a large lot I bought off ebay when I was just trying to increase the size of my collection. It is not a band I was previously aware of and I still really do not know much about them. From what I understand, Sculpture formed in Germany after Lotte Frost left similar band Crematory. The band recorded just this album and then broke up while touring in support of The Gathering.

Sculpture is a gothic metal band that bears a strong resemblance to the later works of Finnish band Sentenced. They typically punctuate their melodic sound with some heavy riffs and power chords. The vocals are very dry and often a little bit gruff. The songs are reasonably catchy.

The only real problem with this release is some of the vocals bear a strong resemblance to rap. Not to say this is nu-metal or rap metal or anything like that, but some of the vocal styles are a little weird. Otherwise this really is not anything people have not heard before.

Ultimately this is a bit of a throwaway album. It's not bad, but it does not do a whole lot. There are probably not a ton of people out there clamoring for a Sculpture reunion.

One and Done? Pt. 3: Mundanus Imperium

Mundanus Imperium is not a well-known band. They only released one album and one EP, but vocalist Jorn Lande is a well-known singer in several groups such as Masterplan, Yngwie Malmsteen, and his solo project. Despite Jorn's involvement, he is not the driving force behind the band. The band is a project for Lars Wiik and Bent Holm who created this dark progressive metal band.

Mundanus Imperium was formerly known as Nattefall, a group with only one demo out. So, even in their former incarnation they were not terribly productive.

The band sounds a bit like a more symphonic version of Symphony X. Of course Jorn is a perfect vocalist for a symphonic metal band, with a big powerful tenor, and the vocals are a strong point for the band. But the symphonic elements, delivered by keyboards and synthesizers are the most noteworthy aspect. Oftentimes, it sounds as if the songwriters were classically-trained composers rather than metal musicians. The symphonic elements really shine through on instrumental "Beyond the Earthly", which sounds less like a metal song and more like an orchestral piece.

The lyrics get a little cheesy at times. They are devoted mostly toward space and science fiction, taking things a bit too far with the ridiculous "Starwars". Despite this, the vocal talent of Jorn Lande helps make up for some of these odd moments.

I really do not know why Mundanus Imperium disappeared. Perhaps it was due to Jorn's involvement in other projects, but not likely because this is not his band.

One and Done Pt. 2: Slaughter: Strappado

This is probably going to be the last time I discuss this album for quite awhile. I feel like I do something with it a lot. What can I say, though? This is just a great album.

Slaughter is a Canadian band that had a major influence on death metal. Combining thrash metal and punk even more than the two styles already were, and experimenting with harsher vocal styles resulted in the band's trademark sound.

Slaughter only released this one album though and broke up in the late 1990's. They did release a ton of demos and some compilations, but Slaughter only released one album. After they broke up, some members went on to form the Bay Area thrash band Strappado, named after Slaughter's only album and later the industrial death metal band Inner Thought.

Unfortunately, we only have one full-length from Slaughter.

One and Done? Pt. 1: Sanctity

Well, let's do something new. I have lots of stuff in the works right now, all of which are requiring me to listen to multiple albums, so let's do a quick one just to prove I'm still alive. Believe me, you will enjoy the long posts coming up.

Sanctity is a melodic thrash metal band from North Carolina. They only released one full-length album (hence the title of this series). They did have a couple of demos and an EP, but only the one actual album. The band was unfairly lumped in with metalcore on account of their melodic music and occasional clean vocals. However, this album is truly catchy. It's not terribly aggressive, but it is undeniably metal. They were closely associated with Trivium, which did not really help the whole metalcore accusations.

The band is notable for perfecting the sound that Trivium and God Forbid were going for without making it sound forced. However, their vocalist left after his daughter was born and one of the other members left due to a personal situation. The band replaced the two members but were never really heard from again. I would have liked to hear something else by the band, as I believe they could have been a huge mainstream metal band, without sacrficing some of their sound.