Cauldron: Chained to the Nite Review

This is the first full length album by Canadian heavy/thrash metal band Cauldron. Cauldron formed when the doom metal band Goat Horn broke up. They play a more traditional style of metal, sounding like a thrashier version of Iron Maiden or other NWOBHM bands. They released one EP prior to this album. This is definitely in the run for metal album of the year for me. The album is fast, fun, and catchy as hell.

Traditional metal has been on the upswing for the last several years. Cauldron joins a growing list of bands that play traditional metal that includes The Gates of Slumber, Grand Magus, Twisted Tower Dire, Wolf, and Icarus Witch. Cauldron's reference points are bands from the NWOBHM and early thrash metal bands like Slayer or Overkill.

The band plays short, choppy, staccato guitar riffs that call to mind Iced Earth's Jon Schaffer, over a galloping bass line, very similar to the style of Iron Maiden's Steve Harris, bringing the best of both styles together into a very well-done whole. The bass can always be heard very well in the mix, which is a good thing on this album because it is a major highlight. The guitar solos are incendiary, yet another influence from Maiden and their ilk. The drums are done capably but are not an outstanding feature of the music. They are played well, but the real focus of the band is on the riffing and the vocals.

Jason Decay provides the vocals for the band and, while he is not one of the better metal vocalists out there, his vocal style seems to fit reasonably well with the music. Decay's vocals bring to mind early Dokken, which is a bit of an unusual style. They are higher with a little bit of a whine to them. This is not a bad thing by any stretch, but they are something of a grower.

The lyrics are a little cheezy, the band certainly seems to have an affinity for chains. The album is titled "Chained to the Nite" and there are songs called "Chained Up in Chains" and "Chains Around Heaven". It's something of a theme. Despite the repetitiveness, the vocals are fun and do not detract from the music at all. The songs are extremely catchy and can easily become lodged in the brain for days at a time. Once again, that's not a bad thing.

The only complaint I really have is that my version comes with a bonus disk with just two songs on it. I am a little torn between liking and disliking that idea. On the one hand, the complete album is there and available to be listened to as the band intended. On the other hand, this is a short album, so why not include the bonus tracks at the end of the album? I guess ultimately I would prefer to have the bonus tracks at the end of the album instead of a separate disk. Just personal preference.

This album is fun and very catchy. The band sounds like they had a great time doing it which is communicated well to the listener. I look forward to seeing what the band does from here. This album is highly recommended to people looking for new metal bands that play the traditional genre the right way.

Hellhound: Anthology Review

Hellhound is a thrash metal band that came from the Bay Area but was unable to have a lasting impact or even really be able to get a record contract. All of the recordings put out by the band have only been of demo quality. They released only three demos, whose source material was collected to form this compilation probably as a result of the recent thrash resurgence.

The band plays melodic thrash metal in the vein of early Exodus and Testament with plenty of NWOBHM influences. The guitar riffs are fast and gallop along in a similar vein as those of Iron Maiden, although they are more thrash oriented than those of Maiden. There are some more technical riffs heard occasionally and these are also very well-played. The solos are very well-played, similar to those of Megadeth, albeit not with the same speed.

The drumming is good, although not a focal point of the music. Sometimes the drums a are a little high in the mix, but this is more due to the demo quality of the recording. The bass playing is clearly audible and is frequently playing something to accentuate the guitar riffs. The rhythm section is very good and manages to keep things interesting while keeping the time for the guitarists.

The vocals are higher pitched and similar to those of Erik Knutson of Flotsam and Jetsam. His vocals are a little weaker, but he matches the music well and that is the most important thing for thrash metal.

All in all, this is a good release which encompasses this forgotten band’s entire discography. It is a lot easier to find than the demos, and is recommended for those that want to hear some real authentic, but unknown Bay Area thrash.

Confessor: Confessor Complete Review

This band is labelled "technical doom metal". A description that when first heard does not seem to make sense. However, upon listening to them, "technical doom metal" seems like the only way to describe them. Confessor is a hugely underrated band and unfortunately largely forgotten, which is a shame. They are active again now which has helped them become a little more known, but they exist for the most part deep underground.

Confessor take the technicality of groups like Atheist and Voivod and apply them to the melodic traditional doom of groups like Cirith Ungol, Candlemass, and Trouble. In fact, two of the songs on this EP are fairly faithful covers of Trouble songs.

The riffs are fairly standard doom riffs most of the time, but can get surprisingly complex at times. The drumming is clearly the highlight of the album, the near-constant fills and runs are truly amazing. The band did a great service by having the drums so high in the mix because it really is a treat to hear a drummer this talented.

The vocals consist mostly of a sort of melancholic wail. They sound pretty good with the music, but otherwise I would not care much for them. The best track on the album is the instrumental, which is one of the Trouble covers, because all that can be heard is the interplay of the musicians, in particular the guitarist and drummer.

This is a great EP from an underrated band. It's just too bad it's so short.

Burn to Black: Mach 666 Review

Burn to Black is a Canadian blackened thrash metal band. Listening to them, it is clear that Hellhammer/Celtic Frost were a major influence on the band. They possess the same sickened low end-heavy guitar tone. The bonus track at the end of some versions of this album is even a Celtic Frost song.

The band is most notable for the presence of bassist Sam Dunn. Dunn is the creator of the metal documentaries A Headbanger's Journey and Global Metal.

As previously mentioned, the band uses a riffing style similar to Celtic Frost on many of their songs. The tone is the same, but Burn to Black plays significantly faster on average than Celtic Frost ever did. The riffs are meaty and have a very dark tone. There are played by the rhythm guitarist in conjunction with the bassist. Occasional melodic leads play over the top of the bottom-heavy riffs. Other influences are culled from Canadian death/thrash metal acts such as Sacrifice and Slaughter. A lot of the speed elements come from those acts.

There are guitar solos present giving songs a little more of a melodic touch. The guitar solos are played with more of a clean tone, helping to further emphasize the dirtiness of the underlying riffs.

The drumming is precise and pummelling. The drums act as timekeeper and the force driving the speed and intensity of the individual tracks.

The vocals are mostly made up of a sickening rasp. They are often shrieked in typical black metal style and that is where most of the black metal influences lie. The music for the most part is derived from early thrash acts like the aforementioned Canadian bands and Celtic Frost as well as other more extreme thrash metal acts such as Sodom and Destruction.

All in all, this is a pretty decent album by a little known or underrated band. A lot of metalheads know about the band because of Dunn's presence, but those that did not care for the documentaries, in particular the first one, have stayed away from the band. This is a mistake. This band possesses enough quality metal influences that shine through to make this a very well-done and entertaining effort. It will be interesting to see how they develop.

Mydgard: Decay of Thy Gods Review

Mydgard was a little-known band from Spain. After the band’s split, members went on to form the atmospheric black metal band Dantalion. Mydgard is obviously influenced heavily by bands like Dissection. They wear these influences on their sleeve, playing a brand of melodic black metal with some death metal influences.

This is a short EP with only five songs and is the band’s second recorded output after one demo. The band broke up after this release and members went their separate ways although several of them formed Dantalion as previously mentioned.

The recording quality is not very good. The guitars are up way too high in the mix effectively drowning everything else out, including the vocals. The bass cannot be heard at all and the drums are fairly low in the mix.

The music is very similar to early Dissection. Tremolo guitar riffs weave around the rhythm section. The leads are reasonably well-done and catchy. They definitely would not have sounded out of place on The Somberlain. Keyboards show up occasionally in slower portions to add a little more of a gothic feel. The drums are almost constant blast beats coupled with hits on the high hat.

Vocals are done in the typical mid 90's black metal style. They mostly consist of two pitches of rasp: a higher pitched one and a deeper death-metal type growling rasp. Occasionally they are layered giving a more evil, fuller sound. The vocals could stand to be a little higher in the mix. The lyrics are focused on Satanism and anti-Christian themes.

All in all, there is nothing original here. The band is another Dissection clone with some Emperor keyboard parts thrown in. If you enjoy Dissection, they make a reasonable approximation of the band’s sound, but if you want something new and original, go somewhere else.

Apophis: I am Your Blindness Review

This is a very short six song album. Apophis plays a sort of melodic death metal that is far closer to real death metal than the Gothenburg scene. They meld influences from early 1990's Swedish death metal and mid 1980's German thrash into a sound that is raw, powerful, and aggressive, but that is still incredibly infectious and catchy. The band is unknown for the most part and incredibly underrated. There are not many bands out there that can match the combination of power and infectiousness that Apophis reaches. It's unfortunate because this band is having record label troubles, which is why this release from 2005 is their last one to date. This band deserves to be heard.

The first track is kind of a throwaway symphonic intro track but it builds into the powerful opening riff of "Choirs of Bitterness". And just like that, the intensity never wavers the rest of the way through the album. The riffs come crashing in along with the blasting drums and the gruff death metal vocals.

The music is heavy, yet melodic at the same time with lead guitar lines weaving in and out of the crashing drum and bass rhythms. Guitar solos shine through in darker moments in the music and add even more melodic touches. There are very occasional uses of keyboards to add an additional flourish near the end of songs or when the moment calls for it.

The vocals retain their gruffness throughout the album, with the exception of some spoken lines in German in “Extinct Life” going back and forth with the main vocals. They are occasionally layered at points where the band wants a little extra emphasis. Once in awhile, the vocalists speaks, using the same vocal style, giving the moment a little extra demonic push. The vocals do get a little redundant over time, but this is not a problem on such a short album.

“Welcome to My World” is the highlight of the album with melodic guitar lines played over the top of blast beats from the drummer in several places throughout the song which are incredibly infectious. The guitar solo blazes near the end of the song leading into a final breakdown before the fadeaway.

“That’s Why I’ve Killed You” is another highlight. It starts out a little slower but after the first couple of verses kicks up the tempo and rolls through the rest of the song with a groove that Pantera would be jealous of.

Apophis possesses an amazing ability to write a truly catchy death metal song. Bands with that ability should be more popular. This is a very good, short melodic death metal album and it is highly recommended to anyone interested in melody but still wanting death metal.

Nuclear Desecration: Neclear Demons Attack Review

I picked this up when I was in the mood for a good vinyl 7" album of blackened death metal. It fulfilled most of those requirements except one. This is not a good release.

This album is UGLY. The intensity is there, the riffs are there, the vocals are there, but none of this can be heard all that well. This is a live recording meaning that there will be some sort of a decrease in recording quality, but wow. The only thing that can be heard well at all are the drums.

The drums are a good place to start as that's the only instrument that can be heard all that well. The mic must be on top of the drum kit. The drums are played in fairly typical blackened death style, i.e. lots and lots of blasting. The snare is the most used piece with occasional work on the crash, high hat and the bass drum. The drummer is pretty much blasting the entire time except for the occasional breakdown when he plays some truly interesting fills. The snare often sounds like he's playing a tin can.

The vocals are typically encompassed by rasping shrieks. He sounds a little muffled, not as bad as some of the other instruments but it almost sounds as if he is screaming into a pillow.

The guitar riffs, when they can be heard, are actually pretty good. Fast, almost thrashy riffing played with a lot of intensity and power. There are no guitar solos evident. There may not even be a bass player despite what the liner notes read. The music is fairly standard blackened death with lots of blasting and ugly, jagged riffs. The songs are decent and the band would be interesting to hear on record.

This album is not recommended, except for completists. If someone wants to get into this band, go to their studio output instead.

Pitchshifter: www.pitchshifter.com Review

I was shocked when I first discovered the Metal Archives. I was amazed first of all at the number of bands present and the size of the site. Then when I set up an account and started forming my collection, I was surprised that many of the bands I listened to where not present. Bands like Static X, Godsmack, Slipknot. Later I began thinking logically about these bands and listening to them next to real metal bands and realizing why they were not there. The real one that threw me then was Pitchshifter’s presence instead of absence.

I first heard Pitchshifter back when I listened to nu metal. They released this album to capitalize on the popular genre at this time. They even showed up live on some MTV special with Limp Bizkit before they even hit it really big. This music definitely fit in with that genre. And it’s also terrible.

Pitchshifter was once a mighty industrial-metal juggernaut on their earliest albums. They played a style similar to Ministry and Godflesh and are considered one of the first industrial metal bands. Their music was dark and intense. I really do not know what happened, although I suspect that it had more to do with a cash grab than anything. This is their first major label release and was their first release completing dropping the metal from their sound.

The music is very heavy on the samples and still maintains some form of industrial/techno-type influences, but these influences are melded with music more similar in style to Deftones, Spineshank, and Systematic than the early Godflesh style. The music is driven by electronic drum beats and a throbbing bass pulse. There’s just not much going on musically during most of the song. Guitar “riffs”, such as they are, kick in typically only on the choruses and are there to provide an influx of noise and aggression.

The vocals are clean, for the most part, except for the occasional angry scream during choruses. The vocals are nasally and delivered with a sarcastic snarl that gets a little grating on the ears after awhile.

The songs are all somewhat short, mercifully, but unfortunately there is a lot of them making the album fairly long. There really is nothing going on musically throughout most of the individual songs with only bass, drums, and vocals going except for the choruses. Some of the songs are a little catchy and their inclusion into soundtracks for video games does seem appropriate, but as a whole, the album is hard to listen to unless one is really into this form of music.

The last track is particularly annoying. It consists of all of the samples the band used on the album played individually. I understand that the idea was to provide free samples for use by anyone else, but it’s annoying. I recommend skipping it.

This album may be a good industrial rock album, but I am not in a position to judge their quality from that standpoint. Even at the time that I enjoyed nu metal, I did not like this album. It just does not have much going for it from a musical standpoint.

I no longer question Pitchshifter’s presence on the site, having heard their earlier material, but this is not a good representation of their sound and certainly does not reflect their status as a metal band. This is horrible nu metal produced at a time that the genre was popular. Apparently this is the style the band ended up adopting and quit playing their old industrial metal material live. It’s a shame when bands turn their backs on the genre, but it happens.

Aion: Noia Review

Aion is a gothic metal band from Poland. They play a style of metal that sounds a lot like Moonspell in their gothic heyday. This is a fairly obscure band and this is not a bad album, but it’s not really something to seek out.

Guitar riffs, when they are present, are oftentimes fairly heavy groove metal type riffs. This is not to suggest that there are not many guitar riffs, simply that they are often overwhelmed by the other aspects of the music. The guitars are there mostly to set a rhythm for the song to follow, much like in groove metal, but there are far more melodic touches added on to the top of the riffs. There are solos and leads but neither adds much to the rest of the music.

The band uses a lot of keyboard flourishes and choir vocals that are presumably sampled throughout much of the album. These touches provide most of the dark, gothic feel to the band. The picture on the cover is some undersea kingdom and the above mentioned aspects of the music do bring images to mind of just such a kingdom. These two ingredients make up a majority of the band’s melodies.

The vocals are a little weak. The singer sounds as if he is either holding something back or simply cannot achieve the powerful voice he is trying to portray. The vocals are clean, delivered in a bit of a flat tone and sometimes the words sound a little slurred. The style of vocals does reasonably well with the music, but on their own would not be considered very good.

The songs are extremely catchy and the melodies infectious. Many of the songs would probably be big hits if they were performed by a more mainstream gothic metal bands such as Lacuna Coil.

The last track is the band’s rendition of “O Fortuna”, the first movement of Carl Orff’s masterpiece “Carmina Burana”. This is one of the better movements to incorporate into a metal album and a gothic metal band is the most likely to do so. The band does well with this song, but it would have been nice had it been a bit longer.

All in all, this is a catchy release but is not essential. The band does not possess any qualities that other more well-known gothic metal bands do not have.

I'm Apparently a Glutton for Punishment

Against my better judgment, I picked up the new issue of Decibel magazine last night. I did it because I heard that one of the contributors over at Metal Inquisition was interviewed as part of the magazine's feature on slam death metal. Since I have developed an unhealthy (and probably ultimately short-lived) interest in the genre, I wanted to check it out.

The article itself was interesting. They interviewed some label heads, the aforementioned guy from Metal Inquisition, as well as some band members from bands like Short Bus Pile Up and Waking the Cadaver. Apparently some of the people in the bands take themselves and the genre way too seriously. One musician says that there are enough original bands out there keeping things interesting to keep going for a long time. Which brings to mind the question: who are these bands and why have I not heard them? Ultimately, slam isn't the most creative genre in the world. It's fun to listen to once in awhile when I am bored, want to listen to something that does not require thought, and want something brutal. I will probably continue to listen to those albums I own, but will not be clamoring for new ones any time soon.

More random thoughts about the magazine:

I suppose it shouldn't shock me that the magazine is all over ISIS's nuts. ISIS is a "metal" band for hipster jackasses who don't really like metal. But the level of fellating that Decibel gives to this band is annoying. Ugh, fuck this band. They look like douchebags too.

Apparently you can buy shoes with the Slayer logo on them. What a retarded idea.

Decibel is pretty proud of their early review of ISIS's debut EP. They reprinted it here. I don't give a fuck. They were all over the band then, and that has not changed.

The letter to the editor talked about problems with the printing industry and suggested Metal Maniacs folded because it was weaker than Decibel. I respectfully disagree. Fuck off, I would have preferred Decibel folding although I don't wish unemployment on anyone.

Hydra Head opened up a new retail vinyl outlet for hipster douchenozzles. Oh hey, one of the members of ISIS is an owner of Hydra Head. That explains a lot. Mostly, Decibel's interest and my heaving at anything with a Hydra Head logo on it.

Gorguts is getting back together. Are they playng straightahead death metal or overly technical stuff? The answer to that determines my interest level in the reunion.

Old Man's Child's new album cover looks awesome. I may be checking this out. Same with Warbringer.

They have the same dingus from Genghis Tron doing a travelogue. Sigh.

I'm pretty sure I saw that same exact picture of Millions somewhere with them underneath a bunch of bald lightbulbs. Apparently magazines don't have their own photographers anymore.

A full page ad for the new ISIS album. My god people, show a little restraint.

Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky is the WORST band name ever, EVER.

There is not a single album I have even a passing interest in on the Hydra Head full page ad.

Propagandhi are way too smiley. There's no smiling in metal. I don't trust that. They look like frat guy douchebags. Oh, apparently they "cross the long bridge between pop-punk and thrash." That explains it. I guarantee the only thing wrong with that sentence is the word "thrash".

Hatebreed has a cover album. That'll sell about 10 copies. Mostly to singer Jamey Jasta's family. I only know one thing about Hatebreed: they suck. If it's possible, they are even more simple-minded than slam.

General Surgery are the worst surgeons I have ever seen. They are constantly completely covered in blood.

Who is Big Business and why do I care what they think of Heaven and Hell?

Chimaira wants so desperately to be Pantera it's pathetic.

Hey, an article on Believer. You did something right, Decibel.

Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth claims to enjoy metal. That's only because it's popular in the hipster douchebag community of which Sonic Youth is a part. He only likes really lo-fi black metal though, therefore he is definitely a poseur of the highest order. Fuck off. I'm sure there's someone out there who legitimately enjoys metal we can talk to. Hey, interview me Decibel, I'll tell you exactly what I think.

I don't own a single one of Seargent D's essential slam metal albums. That's unfortunate.

Nile's early stuff is awesome. Their new stuff is a little too samey, but good nonetheless.

Six pages of ISIS, including one whole page devoted to each member. Ugh, way too much ISIS. You're giving them friction burn. Time to let up.

They're really excited about Funeral Mist. My apathy is palpable.

They also really like Altar of Plagues and Amesouers. My hatred is boiling up within me.

Oh, Big Business is on Hydra Head, that explains so much. I now hate them.

Jungle Rot has a new album coming out. I'm there.

At least Candlemass and Leif Edling got good reviews.

Gay Witch Abortion, really?

They're not excited about Hatebreed's cover album either. Finally, something we agree on.

Lord Mantis is kind of scary. I take credit for their inclusion on Metal Archives.

The Lord Weird Slough Feg is releasing a collection of early recordings. They also have a new album out. I'll stick with the new album, thank you.

Oh, what a shocker, Decibel enjoys Nadja too. Hipsters.

Pestilence was MUCH better with Martin Van Drunen fronting them. I'll stick with the newly reformed Asphyx if you don't mind.

Hey, at least Seance got a good review. But so did Stinking Lizaveta, yuck. Tribulation, Warbringer, and Withershin also got good reviews, surprising.

We're already talking about the next Mastodon? Why?

There you have it. It would take quite a special issue for me to try this magazine again.

Abominator/Mornaland: Prelude to World Funeral...Split Review

This is a split album between Abominator, one of the leaders in Australian “war metal” scene and the Swedish melodic black/death metal band Mornaland. Neither band was particularly well-known at the time of this split’s release, although they have since gone in separate directions. Abominator has thrived in the scene that it helped to spawn, releasing four full-length albums while Mornaland released an EP and a couple of demos following the split and then broke up.

Mornaland plays first on the split, providing seven songs. Their sound is very similar to other Swedish black/death metal bands like Naglfar, Dissection, and Lord Belial. They attack the listener with swirling tremolo riffs played over constantly blasting drums. There is a lot of melody going on with the rest of the music. The band is a little calmer and not as aggressive as Dissection, but they still play at a moderate tempo most of the time, although they do occasionally break out a faster song. They are not a completely relaxing band to listen to, but compared to the other band on the split, they are much more passive.

The vocals are delivered in a fairly typical rasp that does bring to mind their countrymen as well as second wave of black metal vocalists from Norway. The lyrics are easily understood. The most interesting point with the vocals is on the track “Silent Forest” with the clean, melancholic vocals in the chorus. It gives the song an eerie feeling.

The production on the album is crisp and clear. No one instrument is higher in the mix than any other and all instruments can be heard well. This is a very good recording by an unknown band.

Abominator comes rumbling in ready for battle after Mornaland’s half is over and this band is significantly more aggressive. Abominator’s six tracks all came from one of their demos. The band plays an extreme, hateful mix of thrash, black, and death metal with lyrics focusing on war, death, and anti-christian themes.

The first track is a bit of a spooky ambient intro with deep growling vocals. Then gunshots ring out, spoiling the uneasy serenity. The band charges in with blast beats and a blazing guitar solo. The singer roars a few times and the band never slows down from here. The drumming is raw and unchecked in its brutality. The drummer holds nothing back as he pounds away. Guitar riffs twist and coil around the rhythm section with intermittent squealing solos. The vocals remain at a deep guttural roar throughout.

The songs are all performed at incredibly fast speeds and those speeds are maintained sometimes for five minutes at a time. The songs are chaotic and powerful, the soundtrack to an extremely violent and bloody battlefield. The sound quality is often a little murky, but it sounds right with the music. All the listener can hear is the violence and aggression behind the music.

These two bands are markedly different even though they share influences from death and black metal. Where Mornaland is somewhat somber and melodic, Abominator is intense and chaotic. Abominator probably wins this split, acting like a steamroller over the listener.

Dusting Off a Cassette Pt. 17: Warth: Hateful Speed

Warth is a speed/ thrash metal band from Chile. They play very fast songs with influences mostly from the Bay Area thrash scene. They seem more influenced by groups like Possessed and Slayer than Exodus or Metallica though. Some hardcore influences can be heard. This is a fairly short demo release from the band and thus far is their only recorded output. It is only available on cassette making it that much more of a retro-feeling album.

The album opens up with an instrumental track. It is a fast thrash riff with a loud guitar solo shredding over the top of it. This happens frequently throughout the album. The band then settles into a consistent style of early death/thrash. The music is always fast-paced and energetic and the individual musicians are surprisingly adept at keeping pace with one another given the extreme speeds at which they are playing. The bass is audible rumbling along with the riffing by the guitarists and even has its times to shine as well.

The vocals are delivered in a snarling shout with occasional gang vocals. They are very similar to Slayer on their Show No Mercy album with a little bit of early Kreator thrown in for good measure. The singer's accent can be heard a little bit but does not detract at all from the music.

The songs are typically short, rarely surpassing the four minute mark, which makes for an easy, fast listen.

The only real problem is that the recording quality is a little rough. The sounds sometimes get a little too muddy and it is difficult to distinguish what is going on. The band is also not incredibly original, choosing to ape styles that have been done before and not bringing in their own elements. It's a decent job though.

The album is a decent first time recording. It calls to mind the 1980's Bay Area thrash scene musically. It sounds fresh and exciting, a true retro thrash band. Any of the songs could have easily been created by bands 25 years ago, it sounds that authentic. It will be interesting to see how this band develops.

Sanatorium: Internal Womb Cannibalism Review

Sanatorium, on this album anyway, tread a line somewhere between brutal death metal and slam death. I would actually suggest that this album is a slam death album, although in reading reviews of their other material, I am not sure they are always a slam death band. Even if they are indeed a slam death band, they are usually playing some more interesting riffs than most other such bands.

The music is heavily laden with breakdowns. They kick in at a rate of a couple per song. During these breakdowns, the guitars actually are playing some decent death metal riffs. The drums pound along with the riffs with the occasional fill. The drummer drives the music moreso than any other members. The bass is audible but is typically not doing anything other than what the guitars are doing. Musically, the band is obviously talented, even though they are playing a more simplistic form of death metal on this particular album. It is this talent that helps the band to stand out from the more stereotypical slam death bands like Devourment and Internal Bleeding.

There are two different types of vocals. There are some more standard death growls, sounding like Chris Barnes during his early Cannibal Corpse days. There are also gurgling guttural vocals in almost every song which typically show up during the breakdowns. The vocals are impressive at first but wear thin rather quickly.

The most interesting song is "The False Prophet" which does not start out much different than any other song, but the middle section consists of a somewhat melodic groove over a sample of wailing and even features a guitar solo, the only one on the album. It then quickly reverts back to a slam riff.

The song titles and lyrical subject matter consist mostly of typical slam death fare, such as gore, death, some anti-christian themes, and misogyny. This is all par for the course for this type of a band and is not to be taken seriously. They are trying to offend people and this is no secret.

As a whole, the album is very heavy and brutal. The vocals, the drums, and the riffs add up to one hell of a brutal listening experience. However, it just gets tiring after awhile. They are doing some more interesting things with the slam death genre, it really shows that the band does not exist solely within the slam genre, but even their innovations wear thin.

Megadeth Live Review

This was one of the first metal recordings I was really exposed to. My older brother was kind of a mainstream metalhead and picked up the Countdown to Extinction album and this promo live EP was attached to it. I started listening to Megadeth soon thereafter and he basically just let me have this EP. I was much more interested in the EP than the album because I liked the songs better.

This EP features six songs, including songs from their earlier albums. I was never as much of a fan of the Countdown era of Megadeth, which is why this EP appealed to me.

The songs on the album are played even faster than on the recordings, which is the most interesting aspect of the EP. It is especially noticeable on "Symphony of Destruction". This is my favorite version of this song because the increased speed makes it an incredible roller-coaster of a song. "Peace Sells" is also sped up to a degree and Mustaine's voice sounds desperate and manic.

The band is a cohesive unit on this limited edition EP. The songs are crisp, the sound quality is clear, and every instrument can be heard. Mustaine's vocals are just as exasperated as on the albums. He is truly a one-of-a-kind vocalist. The riffs and solos are all played at blazing fast speeds, with the exception of "In My Darkest Hour" which should be played slower.

My only complaint about this EP is the presence of "Anarchy in the UK". I have always felt that Megadeth's songs are good enough without the band having to resort to covers. Especially since most of their covers are of the ironic pop song variety. This one is not, but still sounds out of place with the thrashing of the other tracks.

As one of my first exposures to Megadeth, and metal in general, this EP is a personal favorite of mine.

Sepultura Refuse/Resist EP Review

This was one of my first experiences with Sepultura when I was in high school. At that time, I was unaware of Sepultura's origin as an extreme thrash metal band. The groove metal sound of the Roots/Chaos A.D. era was the sound I attributed to the band. At the time, this EP was amazing to me. It was powerful and aggressive and nothing like I had ever heard before. Sepultura was my gateway into extreme metal. The EP has almost everything: good songs from the recent album, some previously unreleased covers, and live tracks.

Now, almost a decade since I had first gotten into Sepultura, this is still a decent release, although it has not aged well. The groove metal genre is watered down for the most part and only a select few bands have been able to be successful in that genre. Sepultura was one of those bands. Chaos A.D. and this EP are examples of groove metal done right.

The album kicks off with the heartbeat of "Refuse/Resist", possibly Sepultura's most well-known song. This is an extremely powerful song and has lost none of its power and meaning over the years. "Propaganda" is another strong track off of the Chaos A.D. album, and while not as good as "Refuse/Resist", is a fairly strong track as well. Max Cavalera's vocals have always been gruff but they really achieved a level of meanness and anger in the groove metal era of the band. The riffs are still strong as Max has always been able to write decent riffs and the drumming rumbles along with the rest of the band.

The cover tracks are hardcore/metal tracks that display the influences of the band. The band was raised on 80's hardcore and thrash and these influences have always shined through, especially early on. The best track here is probably "Crucificados Pelo Sistema".

After that, the EP features some live tracks and this is where Sepultura always shines. Their live show is a major spectacle and the band plays very well. They are tight and cohesive and even more aggressive than their recorded material. The live tracks featured are mostly from their thrash days and helped introduce me to their earlier material. "Dead Embryonic Cells" is a true thrash classic. The album closes with the Motorhead cover "Orgasmatron" which Sepultura has really made their own. They play it frequently live and it sounds great.

This is a very good EP with all of the necessary ingredients to look for in an EP. A very good pickup and good place to start with the band.

Goatwhore/Epoch of Unlight Split Album Review

This is split album featuring two Southern United States bands going in opposite directions: Goatwhore, the black/death metal band from Louisiana, and Epoch of Unlight, a melodic death metal band from Tennessee. At the time of its release, neither band was particularly well-known.

Epoch of Unlight came with the much longer track record, having been together since 1993 and having already produced two full length albums, and EP, and a few demos. However, they have only released one full length since this split in 2003. Goatwhore, on the other hand, had been around since 1997 but only had a demo and one full length under their belt. They would go on to release three more albums to date after this split and are signed to Metal Blade Records.

This split is comprised of three cover songs: one by Goatwhore and two by Epoch of Unlight. It is a decent split of two distinctly different sounding bands but is by no means an essential pickup unless one is a completist of either of the two bands. Even then, the Goatwhore track appears on the Japanese version of Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun.

Goatwhore covers Celtic Frost classic "Into the Crypt of Rays". They do a great job with the track. It manages to sound both like Goatwhore and like Celtic Frost, not an easy task. Goatwhore brings its trademark Southern swagger to the song and Ben Falgoust's well-known husky growling vocals. The proto-death metal riffs gallop along just as Celtic Frost played them. The major differences between the original and this version is the vocals and the fact that Goatwhore just seems to have a certain, unnameable quality that shows where they are from. Almost all Lousiana bands have this same quality, it must be the way they play the guitars with a type of bluesy swing to them.

Epoch of Unlight does not fare as well in their two tracks. They chose to cover "Betrayer" by Kreator and "Raped by the Light of Christ" by At the Gates. Epoch does not possess the speed riffing ability to pull off an early Kreator track, and as a result, the song sounds sluggish. Not the best way to cover Kreator. The riffs are there, but slowed down, the vocal delivery does not come close to matching the sheer ferocity of Kreator. They do a little bit better with the At the Gates song, but it is so short, much shorter than the original, that it ceases to be memorable and flies by in a blur. Epoch is a little more adept at aping At the Gates than Kreator. It is good for a band to put their own spin on a cover track, but when it flies in the face of the meaning of the original song, it's better to not even attempt it. This is the problem with the Kreator cover.

All in all, I would have to give this a decent score, but almost solely because of the Goatwhore cover. Goatwhore outperforms Epoch of Unlight on this split.

Slam Death Metal

I'm not sure what there is that's appealing about this genre. It's dumbed-down, simplistic death metal for white trash idiots. It's gory, misogynistic, extremely brutal, and pummelling. So, why the hell can't I stop listening to it?

I have no idea, but I have been listening quite a bit over the last few weeks. The folks over at Metal Inquisition love this stuff, so I took some of their myriad posts to heart in determining what to order from Comatose Music. Ultimately, I ended up with four new slam death albums in addition to the four (debateable, possibly only two) that I had already. Let's take a little look at some of these bands.

INTERNAL BLEEDING

Quite possibly the originator of the genre. Internal Bleeding came out of the early 1990's New York death metal scene and were very influenced by groups like Suffocation and Pyrexia. They took those bands' typical breakdown-heavy, groove-laden brand of death metal and pushed it further, adding more breakdowns and becoming more brutal. Internal Bleeding is a little more listenable than some of the others to new listeners just because they are still closer to brutal death than the typical slam of today.

DYING FETUS

This is one of those that is debateable. Dying Fetus may have started out as a slam band before there really was such a thing. Now they have moved more in the direction of technical brutal death metal and grindcore. I have their latest album which really is not a slam death album at all.

DEVOURMENT

Internal Bleeding may have started it, but Devourment definitely perfected it. The extreme guttural vocals, frequent breakdowns, pounding drums, extreme lyrics; all were made more pronounced by Devourment. Butcher the Weak is probably the most essential album of the entire genre.

ABOMINABLE PUTRIDITY

Slam death metal has spread all over the world and is particularly popular in some bizarre places. A.P. is from Russia, not exactly a bastion of metal. Its spread is possibly due to it being easily played and still extreme. A.P. is definitely not my favorite from the genre, they play slower than the others and the vocal style has devolved to a constant growl that does not appear to be making any differentiation in words. At least the album is short.

KATALEPSY

Another Russian group, but Katalepsy is a lot more enjoyable than their countrymen in Abominable Putridity. Katalepsy is faster and more technical than A.P. The vocal style is also more distinctive. Katalepsy does use the gurgling style of vocals occasionally that has become well-known to the genre. On my album, they do a cover of the Megadeth standard "Symphony of Destruction" which does not sound AT ALL like the original. Somehow they make it work though.

VOMIT REMNANTS

Vomit Remnants is from Japan and is one of the up-and-coming bands of the genre. They have yet to even issue a full-length album at this time. This is another example of the genre spreading into odd places. Vomit Remnants add some occasional industrial influences in which is kind of bizarre.

So there you go, a small primer on some bands in the slam death metal scene. It is truly an odd genre of music with absolutely no mainstream potential. Maybe that's why it's appealing.

Dawn of Azazel: Bloodforged Abdication 7" Vinyl Single

Dawn of Azazel is something of a notorious band in their native New Zealand. This due mostly to the fact that frontman Rigel Walshe is a police constable. A local news station ran a feature on Walshe because of the controversial nature of Dawn of Azazel's music combined with his public profile.

The band plays a style of death metal combined with influences from extreme thrash metal and black metal. They fit in well with the Australian war metal scene, having similar sound and lyrical themes.

This recording is a 7" vinyl-only single featuring the song "Bloodforged Abdication", which does not appear on either of their full-length albums. The single came after the band's second demo and before their first full length album. The band brings its customary jagged riffs and insane pummelling drums. Walshe's vocals are manic shrieking screams and growls. The riffs change quickly and often with varying tempos producing an extreme sense of unease as the listener is brutalized over and over again.

The B side is a cover of the Order from Chaos song "Plateau of Invincibility." I am not familiar with the original so I can't speak to how faithful it is, but as this version sounds like a Dawn of Azazel song, I would assume that the band put it's own spin on it. Not that that is a bad thing at all. One can make the assumption that Order from Chaos is one of the bands who influenced Dawn of Azazel due to the similarities in sound. The elements from the previous song are all present in force.

This was a good preview of what was to come from this band. The production values had increased and the band found its sound which it would show on their full lengths.

Dusting Off a Cassette Pt. 16: Black Sabbath: Paranoid

This is a true classic of the genre and is the oldest album in my collection. For some reason I don't own Black Sabbath's debut. Pretty crazy. Well this is when Black Sabbath really moved away from being a heavy blues/rock band and began to polish the sound which would become heavy metal. There was some metallic stuff on the debut, but it wasn't clear at that time what the band's sound would be normally.

This album has several of the absolute classics on it: "War Pigs", "Paranoid", and of course "Iron Man". Each of these songs is burned into the brain of metalheads everywhere. But, the best song on there and quite possibly the greatest heavy metal riff of all time is "Electric Funeral", an amazing song from start to finish. "Hand of Doom" is another highly influential, underrated song. The title is where the doom metal genre gets its name and this is one of the earlier examples of the style, although the song "Black Sabbath" off the debut is the earliest.

There are a few tracks on here that show the band's blues influence, in particular the instrumental "Rat Salad" which features an extended drum solo of all things.

This is one of my favorite Black Sabbath albums, but not my absolute favorite. It is interesting to hear this and realize that the band released this album in 1970. It sounds just as fresh and vital today.

Nebraska Metal Pt. 3: Seppeku: Seppeku

Seppeku is a very new band from Omaha, Nebraska forming in early 2008. As a Nebraskan myself and knowing that my home state does not have much of a local metal scene, I am always interested in finding groups who share my origin. The band was handing out free copies of this EP as the crowd was leaving an Opeth/Enslaved concert, which is how I got my copy.

Seppeku sounds mostly like a cross between Atrocity Exhibition-era Exodus and Vulgar Display of Power-era Pantera. They play a style of groove metal meets slower thrash metal with shouted vocals reminiscent of Phil Anselmo or Rob Dukes. The music is powerful and aggressive, fitting with the vocals. The style has been done a lot and this band does not really bring anything new to the fold. Still it's a fun listen and short so it does not take up too much time.

The album opens up with some industrial rock-like noises before kicking off into a fairly decent thrash riff. The riff changes into a similar riff soon after and then continues throughout most of the rest of the song. The guitar solos are competent, but seem to get a little lost in the rest of the playing. They often occur at or near a breakdown. The leads are pretty good and the drumming is surprisingly good for such a new band. The second song kind of meanders a little bit in the middle threatening to lose the listener before jumping back into a groove metal riff.

As mentioned earlier, there are breakdowns in this, which should not come as that much of a shock. Metalcore is not the only style featuring breakdowns, it has been a part of metal since the beginning of thrash. However, the breakdowns on this EP do keep the interest level in the music and there is only one per song.

This EP consists of three songs: one thrash, one groove, and one that is in between the two similar styles. It is a decent first recording, if not very original, from a young Nebraska band and is a hopeful sign of good things to come out of Omaha. This state could really use a decent metal scene.