MetalSucks Presents the Top 21 Albums of the 21st Century

It's a pretty interesting idea, but I have my concerns with the way this list is going to turn out. I will probably have some follow-up posts about it, but this is the list of people they polled:

Chris Adler, Lamb of God
Dan And, Bison B.C.
Ben Apatoff, Apatoff for Destruction/Metal Injection
Jason Bittner, Shadows Fall
Tim Brennan, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
Freddy Cai, Painkiller Magazine
Ian Christe, Bazillion Points
Reverend David J. Ciancio, Yeah! Management
Betsey Cichoracki, Relapse Records
Paul Conroy, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
J. Costa, Thy Will Be Done
Dallas Coyle, ex-God Forbid/Coyle Media
Doc Coyle, God Forbid
CT, Rwake
Anso DF, MetalSucks/Hipsters Out of Metal!
Vince Edwards, Metal Blade Records
Charles Elliott, Abysmal Dawn/Nuclear Blast Records
Brian Fair, Shadows Fall
Leo Ferrante, Warner Music Group
D.X. Ferris, author 33 1/3: Reign in Blood/Freelance Journalist
Mike Gitter, Roadrunner Records
Nick Green, Decibel
Matt Grenier, August Burns Red
Anthony Guzzardo, Earache Records
Kevin Hufnagel, Dysrhythmia
Mark Hunter, Chimaira
Steve Joh, Century Media
EJ Johantgen, Prosthetic Records
Kim Kelly, Metal Injection
Josh “The J” Key, Psychostick
Jason Lekberg, Epic Records
Eyal Levi, Daath
Bob Lugowe, Relapse Records
Matt McChesney, The Autumn Offering
Jake McReynolds, Psychostick
Marc Meltzer, The Syndicate
Josh Middleton, Sylosis
Matt Moore, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder
Vince Neilstein, MetalSucks
Sammy O’Hagar, MetalSucks
Anton OyVey, MetalSucks/Bacon Jew
Rob Pasbani, Metal Injection
Alex Preiss, Psychostick
Carlos Ramirez, NoiseCreep/NetReach
Brian Rocha, Fresno Media USA
Jeremy Rosen, Roadrunner Records
Axl Rosenberg, MetalSucks
Satan Rosenbloom, MetalSucks/Cerebral Metalhead
David Bee Roth, MetalSucks
Jason Rudolph, Heavy Hitter, Inc.
Amy Sciarretto, Roadrunner Records/NoiseCreep
Carl Severson, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
Gary Suarez, MetalSucks/No Yoko No/Brainwashed
Geoff Summers, The End Records/Crustcake
Bram Teitelman, The Syndicate/Metal Insider
Alisha Turull, Heavy Hitter, Inc.
Christopher R. Weingarten, 1000TimesYes/Freelance Journalist

There are a lot of very mainstream metal bands in that list, and some bands, like three fucking members of Psychostick, who are pretty far removed from metal. They also talk to people from such shitty labels as Ferret (well-known hardcore label) and Roadrunner (I have already made my feelings about this label known). I will comment at length after all 21 have been revealed, and possibly once in awhile if the selection is particularly obnoxious, or good, who knows I may feel generous. For now though, after two selections were revealed, I am right to be discouraged. Slipknot was #21 and Shadows Fall #20. Shadows Fall is a much better pick than Slipknot, but still not a great one.

Dusting Off a Cassette Pt. 19: Ozzy Osbourne: No More Tears

This album began my long-lasting appreciation of the works of Ozzy Osbourne, most of them anyway. Before I ever bought any Black Sabbath album with Ozzy as singer, I bought this album. That's what happens when you are naive and growing up listening to metal in the '90's. Sometimes you come late to the game. I remember being surprised when I found out Ozzy sang for Black Sabbath at one time. I bought this album alongside Black Sabbath's Cross Purposes album, Queensryche's Empire, and one other album that will remain nameless because of its ability to impeach my perfect 100% metal persona.

This is a very good Ozzy album, but it was one of the last consistently good Ozzy albums as well. After this, Ozzy began devoting half of each album to ballads. There were a few on this one as well, but for the most part this was solid heavy metal. The production was a little on the weaker side, Ozzy's voice took the biggest hit. But that was okay, metal production at the time was notoriuosly weak.

The songs were very memorable and had a strange unsettling atmosphere. It was at this time, that Ozzy was starting to become well known as "The Prince of Darkness". All in all, this was a good Ozzy Osbourne album, certainly not his best, but definitely not his worst either.

Folk Metal

Folk metal has exploded over the last couple of years. Up until just a couple of years ago, one could count on one hand the number of folk metal bands that were making a major impact in the metal landscape. Skyclad and Ensiferum were arguably the first folk metal bands, although folk influences were present in the works of Amorphis, Moonspell, Rotting Christ, and Satyricon as well. Recently though, it seems like there is a new folk metal band popping up daily. Folk metal gets its name from bands who use traditional folk instrumentation and rhythms in their music. It can run the gamut from Celtic to Humppa to Russian depending only on where the band is from or draws its influences. Here are just a few bands that are flying the folk metal flag:

BORKNAGAR

Borknagar was the first folk metal band I had heard. The band plays a mix of black metal, viking metal, and folk metal. Most of the folk influences can be heard in the rhythms of the music. The vocals are typical black metal rasping, however there are clean vocals present as well. The band has gone through several different vocalists including Garm from Ulver, ICS Vortex from Dimmu Borgir, and currently Vintersorg from the self-named band. All of the vocalists have in common their ability to go from a rasp to a spine-tingling clean tone without any hesitation. The band has been blessed with these unique vocalists.

MELECHESH

Melechesh is probably my favorite of the bands I will discuss today. The band has developed an uncanny ability to take Middle Eastern rhythms and melodies and spin it into their black/death metal, creating a sound like no one else. Melechesh is originally from Jerusalem, Israel but create music based around Sumerian and Mesopotamian mythology. The band has been forced to relocate to The Netherlands to escape problems with the religious culture of their homeland. Melechesh has put together a couple of amazing albums that are personal favorites of mine.

FINNTROLL

Finntroll is the one of the first real folk metal bands I heard. I received their album Jaktens Tid in a Century Media Grab Bag. Pretty good use of money, actually. Finntroll combines Finnish humppa music (the folk music part of things) with black and melodic death metal influences. The lyrics are all in Swedish (bizarre as the band is from Finland, hence the name). Finntroll has had some extraordinarily bad luck with members. One singer left due to having a tumor on his vocal chords, another was fired from the band, and the original guitarist died after falling off a bridge (possible suicide). That being said, Finntroll's music is fun beer metal. The music has a good beat and is fast and surprisingly uplifting. The frequent folk parts make things bounce a little bit. The vocals are delivered mostly in a black metal style rasp, particularly with current singer Vreth, previously they were closer to death metal. Interesting stuff.

THE LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG

The name is strange enough. Thankfully they have recently shortened it to Slough Feg. The band is one of the most original-sounding bands in America today. Rising out of the San Francisco scene, Slough Feg combines classic rock, traditional metal, and Celtic music. The band essentially sounds like Thin Lizzy on steroids. The band essentially belongs to singer Mike Scalzi who has one of the more recognizable voices in metal. A great, underrated band.

ORPHANED LAND

Orphaned Land, like Melechesh, is from Israel. This band however does not play the same style of extreme blackened death metal as Melechesh, choosing instead to base their folk rhythms and melodies into progressive metal with occasional death and doom influences. Orphaned Land go so far as to create concept albums, their most memorable of which tells the story of Gilgamesh. It is seriously one of the most beautiful metal albums in existence. An amazing album that will take the listener's breath away.

CRUACHAN

When I first became aware of folk metal, I wanted to find bands that dealt with Celtic and Irish folk music. Cruachan is one of those bands. Cruachan focus more on their folk influences than their metal influences on the only album I have heard from them. There are actually only a couple of clearly metal songs on the album. However, the interplay between the male and female vocals and the Irish rhythms is amazing. A very good album, despite the relative lack of metal.

PRIMORDIAL

Primordial is similar to Cruachan in that they play Celtic/Irish folk metal, but this band is far more on the metal side of things. However, where Cruachan is often light-hearted and free, Primordial is dark and depressive. The band's metal influences come from black metal, and while the singer typically uses a clean vocal style, he will unleash an ear piercing scream once in awhile. They lyrics are sad, dealing with lost battles and loved ones perishing in them. The pain of the lyrics comes through in Nemtheanga's heart-wrenching vocal performance.

ELUVEITIE

Eluveitie is a band from Switzerland that plays melodic death metal mixed Celtic folk influences. Next to Melechesh, Eluveitie is probably my favorite folk metal band, due mostly to my interest in melodic death. The band uses traditional instrumentation such as bagpipes, whistles, and even the hurdy gurdy to play lilting melodies over the top of the Gothenburg style guitar riffs. Vocals are growled in classic At the Gates/In Flames fashion and the occasional non-metal track comes across beautifully with female clean vocals.

HOLLENTHON

Hollenthon is a very strange band. Coming out of Austria, the band plays a sort of symphonic/orchestral/folk/melodic death/black metal. It's tough to tell from one song to the next which style will dominate. Their music is very interesting and fun to listen to as they continue to keep the listener guessing. Hollenthon is a very good, underrated band that sounds like few others.

SKYCLAD

Skyclad was one of the first folk metal bands, if not the first. The band was formed by Martin Walkyier, formerly of the massively underrated UK thrash metal band Sabbat. Skyclad had the idea to combine folk elements from Scotland, England, and Ireland into traditional and thrash metal and fronted by the unmistakeable staccato shouting of vocalist Walkyier. The sound was new and exciting and influenced a ton of other bands after some time. However, until recently not many people noticed, which is a shame.

ENSIFERUM

Ensiferum formed in 1995 in Finland, the major breeding ground for folk metal. The band played viking/folk metal influenced mostly by later Bathory. The folk elements mostly come in the form of the rhythms as the instrumentation is typical for metal. The band plays quickly, allowing for a few acoustic interludes here and there. Ensiferum was at the forefront of the rise in interest in folk metal. Guitarist Jari Maenpaa left the band and formed Wintersun, another great band with only occasional folk influences.

ARKONA

There are two bands named Arkona from Russia. This band is the pagan/folk metal band fronted by Masha "Scream" Arhipova. The band plays using Russian folk melodies delivered in heavy guitar riffs. Masha has an amazing voice and can sing, scream, growl, and more. Arkona also incorporates flutes and bagpipes in their music.

Dusting Off a Cassette Pt. 18: Danzig III: How the Gods Kill

Glenn Danzig is one of the more bizarre personalities in metal today. Clearly a nerd with short man's syndrome, Danzig is extremely muscular, temperamental, and did I mention short? He's also big into comic books and has built up an impressive library of occult books. It's tough to tell what part of Danzig's public persona is real, and what part is an act. However, I can judge his music.

Danzig's music in the early days took influences from hardcore, metal, classic rock, and the blues. He mixed and matched and came up with an impressive amalgam of some sort of gothic doom metal. Danzig was originally the singer for The Misfits, one of the few punk bands that I have any interest in whatsoever (and that is mostly because of my interest in Danzig). He took their well-known affinity for horror stories and darkened the music. Danzig's songs are mostly about occult themes, odd sexuality, horror stories, and other dark topics.

The music is exceptionally dark, with ominous atmosphere, and heavy riffs. This album features one of his better known songs "Dirty Black Summer", which has an amazingly catchy opening riff. The album also features the haunting "Sistinas" and several other more hard hitting tracks.

Danzig was one of the first metal bands I remember enjoying. MTV used to play the live video for "Mother" frequently and this song attracted me to the band. Danzig's Doors-esque crooning vocals grabbed attention, and the anger was enough to attract the attentions of listeners. Unfortunately, after this album and the following EP, Danzig started to go into a different direction. Soon after, he began to lose his trademarked vocal style. While he has returned to this sound, somewhat, the magic is gone.

International Day of Slayer June 6, 2009

Today is International Day of Slayer. Slayer came up with this little jab at religion back in 2006 (6-6-06) to mock the International Day of Prayer. Ah, those incorrigible little scamps. Anyway, the idea is that people are supposed to listen to Slayer all day long. I love Slayer, but I won't go that far. I plan on listening a little, I have Show No Mercy playing right now. I have several of Slayer's albums, and do enjoy listening to them. Slayer is a great band, icons in the thrash metal scene. I would love to see them in concert before they retire.

Terrorizer Fear Candy Unsigned Edition Walkthrough

I picked up an issue of Terrorizer when I did the magazine reviews. Terrorizer was notable because it included two free sampler CDs. One of these was to showcase new or upcoming albums by established bands. The other was to showcase unsigned bands for a contest. I am looking at the unsigned bands album today to determine which of these bands I would most like to hear more from. Some of the bands are good, some are very good, some are bad, and some are fucking awful. Let's do this bitch.

1. BILOCATE: Not bad, actually kind of good. They play a sort of blackened death metal with some very melodic parts, including use of keyboards. The vocals are deep growls and they are fairly good for the genre. The guitar solo had a great tone to it. There are frequent tempo changes throughout. The music itself gives off an epic feel. The band is from Jordan of all places. I would be willing to check these guys out further.

2. COFFIN: This band plays a very raw form of death/thrash. It's fast-paced metal. The guitar tone is a little muddy, I think they were going for the Swedish buzzsaw guitar tone, but did not really succeed. The vocals are delivered in a staccato shout. This is not bad, but not something that hasn't been done tons of times before. I would want to see this band develop it's own sound before checking them out further.

3. MANUSCRIPTS: Bad name. I get the impression these guys are like 15 years old from their vocals. They play a sort of slow, sludgy doom metal on this track with some major hardcore influences present. Actually it's tough to tell which sound is more present. These guys should never attempt a guitar solo again until they become more competent. That was just painful to listen to.

4. VIRAEMIA: Yuck. Necrophagist clone, extremely technical death metal. The noodling guitars at the beginning give it away. I don't mind Necrophagist but some of the bands influenced by them take things to the extreme. No real riffs or melodies here, just overly technical guitar wanking. Very tedious listening.

5. TITAN: I can't tell what this is, some sort of progressive hardcore with metal influences I guess. It's not bad but there's not enough really here to capture interest. Space filler basically. Vocals are decent and the riffs are very heavy, but it's ultimately forgettable.

6. VERTIGO STEPS: This is not fucking metal. I don't even know what the fuck it is, it kind of reminds me of the song on Roadrunner United with the singer from Glassjaw. I hated that fucking song. This is no different. Overly saccharine sweet and going nowhere. Emo-ish vocals and lame guitar riffs. The name fucking sucks too. Oh god, the breakdown is horrendous. I couldn't even finish it, I had to hit the skip button. No thanks.

7. INTENTION: I can barely hear this song. It's essentially a fast hardcore song, maybe crossover if I'm feeling generous (I'm not after that last piece of shit). Bad vocals, bad guitars, sloppy. Short though, that's nice.

8. HELLISH OUTCAST: With a name like that, you pretty much know what you're getting into. Or not, this band is more of a death/thrash metal band, more emphasis on the thrash. Actually this is pretty good, especially after the last two atrocities. Extremely fast and blunt, but with hacking riffs and shouted vocals. I could get into these guys.

9. PROFANE PRAYER: Who guessed black metal here? Raise your hands. Very good. This one isn't bad either. Not just a Darkthrone or Mayhem clone, this has melody and good riffs. It's fast and intense. Pretty good, I'd like to see their full length.

10. DIABOLICUS: More black metal, this from Ireland I guess. Even faster and more intense than Profane Prayer. The vocals are awful though, I hate vocal effects. The riffs swirl around the pounding drums, achieving a bizarre melody in between vocal parts. If not for the vocals themselves, this would be really interesting.

11. NAETU: Even more black metal. Someone loves their early Immortal and 1349 albums. Extremely fast, even moreso than Diabolicus. This band also takes blastbeats to the extreme with constant blasting drums. The tremolo riffs are pretty well done. Not as good as Immortal or 1349, but it holds its own. Very interesting, I wouldn't mind hearing more from these guys.

12. BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS: Some reference to the BTK killer in Kansas I guess, and the song is called "Gore Bukkake" which presents all sorts of horrible mental images. I am not much of a fan of goregrind and this band does nothing to change that opinion. Next.

13. REVOKATION: Ah, intentional misspellings. Why is it always changing the C into a K? This band definitely has some slam in them. It's not a full-on slam death metal band, but they have some influences. They sort of combine Skinless with Devourment. It's a decent combination of brutal death and slam, so I am intrigued. I would be willing to hear more from this band.

14. GRIDLOCK TAKEDOWN: Horrible production values on this song. The band appears to be playing melodic death metal, but the sound is so muddy, it's hard to hear what's going on. No, now they're playing regular death metal. I'm not sure this band knows what they want to play. There's some talent here, I just wish I could hear it.

15. IMMORTAL EMPIRE: Could this name possibly give away the band's influences more? If this were a thrash metal band, they would call themselves Metallic Anthrax, if it were a death metal band they would be Cannibalistic Creation, hey those aren't bad, I'm gonna form a band. Yes, Emperor and Immortal influences are noticeably present here. At least they chose to be influenced by the earlier Emperor stuff. More horrible production though, the tremolo riffs sound very interesting, but they can't be fucking heard. The vocals are very high in the mix and the only things that can be heard well at all. Get some better production and I will listen again.

16. REPROBATE: It starts out with a nice lilting acoustic melody. Then it descends into some sort of attempt at industrial metal. Having heard Ayat last night, I know how good this genre can be. Having heard this, I know how bad this genre can be. This is just noise.

17. THE ENGINES OF ARMAGEDDON: This is pretty good stoner/doom style metal. Surprisingly the band is from the UK, not too many bands like this come from there anymore. It's become more of a Southern US thing. This band is heavy, I am definitely interested. Not enough good stoner/doom at all anymore.

18. I'LL EAT YOUR FACE: Charming. I don't even know what to call this. It's not terrible, but it's not good either. It's just drums and guitars, no bass, no vocals, nothing.

19. MORDANT: This is a decent way to end this thing. Mordant plays a form of groove/thrash heavily influenced by bands like Testament, Pantera, and Machine Head. The music is not particularly original, but it is decent, hard-hitting, aggressive metal. Not bad.

The bands I liked the most were Bilocate, Hellish Outcast, Naetu, and The Engines of Armageddon. Choosing between them is a little difficult. I probably prefer Bilocate or Hellish Outcast depending on my mood. I suppose I will go with Bilocate for today, but that may change.

There were several terrible bands here as well. However, none were as bad as Vertigo Steps. It was the only band I had to hit the skip button on. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard that song all the way through. Huh.

Random Thoughts About Ayat

Holy shit this band is fucking crazy. Essentially, Ayat is what one would get if they threw Ministry, Zyklon, and The Berzerker into a blender. The fact that the band is from Lebanon is another reason to be impressed. This album is loud and intense. There's no other way around it, they are fucking crazy.

The Reaper Playlist

I don't say much about my personal life, but decided it was time for something. My girlfriend and I have a blue heeler puppy. Due to his ferocious personality, he has been named Reaper, or better yet, The Reaper. Out of pure lack of anything better to do one afternoon, I scoured the Metal Archives for some of the best songs with The Reaper's name in it. Just to put together his own personal playlist or soundtrack. I have not heard all of these songs, the only criteria was that the name of the song had to include "Reaper". So without further ado, the terrifying soundtrack to The Reaper:

1. Angus McDeth: Fresh Corpse for the Reaper: The Reaper hasn't quite figured out he's a carnivore at this point, although he has been a constant headache for the cats and the other dogs.
2. Anticosm: Here Comes the Reaper: Cover your face, he tends to go for it and he can jump.
3. As Dusk Unfolds: Behold, the Reaper: And all of his smelly, horrible glory!
4. Autumnal Reaper: March of the Reaper: He doesn't march so much as trot.
5. Children of Bodom: Follow the Reaper: It's best to keep your eyes on him at all times in order to avoid him launching himself into your crotch.
6. Crucified Mortals: The Reaper’s Blade: Thankfully, The Reaper is not armed.
7. Dark Illusion: Reaper of Souls: Your soul will belong to The Reaper.
8. Dissection: Soulreaper: See above.
9. Hell-Born: We Bring the Reaper: Hopefully we leave him with you so he will leave us alone.
10. Hellhammer: Reaper: Simple, direct, Hellhammer.
11. Helvetets Port: Killed by a Reaper: It's a long, slow, painful death.
12. Horrid Corpse: Grim is the Reaper: Actually, happy and stupid is The Reaper.
13. Key of Mythras: Hail the Reaper: It's best not to do so, he already has a massive ego.
14. Loudness: Call of the Reaper: It's a shrill, high-pitched bark, not difficult to miss.
15. Mendeed: The Reaper Waits: Hopefully for food.
16. Mr. Jumbo: The Reaper was Faster: Damn straight. Running does no good.
17. Nifelheim: Storm of the Reaper: More of a pout than a storm.
18. Onward: Feast for the Reaper: Ah, puppy food.
19. Psilocybin: Reaper Attack!: Thankfully we have not taught him this command, he picked i up on his own.
20. Reapers Domain: Domain of the Reaper: It's a small kennel, occasionally with blankets that he likes to destroy.
21. Runemagick: Return of the Reaper: Damnit.
22. Sabbat: Possession of the Reaper: Probably already done, not sure though.
23. Satani Infernalis: The Reaper’s Stare: He's not great at maintaining eye contact, he is a puppy.
24. Six Feet Under: Shadow of the Reaper: He's about a foot and a half high, so it's not much of a shadow.
25. Soulreaper: Godless Reaper of Souls: See #8.
26. Sweet Sorrow: The Solitary Reaper: He's only solitary because he pisses all the other animals off all the time.
27. Wolf: (Don’t Fear) The Reaper: BOC cover, but still. You should fear The Reaper.

Occult Death Metal

There are several forms of death metal out there. There is the obvious gore-obsessed death metal from acts like Cannibal Corpse. There is highly technical and brutal death metal from bands like Suffocation. Then there are the overtly evil bands. Let's look at three of the leaders from the occult death metal movement.

MORBID ANGEL

Morbid Angel is the originator and most well-known of the sub-genre. Morbid Angel is also one of the first death metal bands ever. They arose out of the mid to late 1980's playing a heavier, more complex, and evil sounding style of thrash metal that then came to be known as death metal. Their lyrics were focused on Satanism and other occult themes. The vocals were extreme, much huskier than thrash metal shrieks, but death metal had not gotten to the guttural vocal style now familiar. Morbid Angel actually proved fairly popular in the early 1990's when thrash, and metal in general, was struggling.

INCANTATION

Incantation took the Morbid Angel formula, added some doom elements and ran with it, to become perhaps the most evil-sounding band to date. Incantation's music is frightening. Slow, with jagged riffs, guttural vocals, heavy bass sound, murky production, and pounding drums. Incantation's leader John McEntee also owns and operates Ibex Moon Records, a label devoted to putting out releases from powerful death metal, acts like Dreaming Dead, Dawn of Azazel, Thornafire, and Estuary.

IMMOLATION

Immolation is only slightly less frightening than Incantation. They don't have the doom metal elements that make Incantation stand out, instead choosing a more straightforward death metal approach forged by Morbid Angel. Immolation has a knack for infectious, yet extremely evil lyrics and songs.

Others playing this style: Blaspherian, Drawn and Quartered, Nox, Angelcorpse, Thornafire.

Australian War Metal Scene

The War Metal scene is a name given to a bunch of Australian bands who draw influences from thrash, death, and black metal. They all play very fast, evil, chaotic sounding music. Guitar solos come out of nowhere in a frenzy of riffs and pummelling drums, and vocals typically consist of raspy death growling. This is one of my favorite scenes because of the extreme energy of the bands involved. Destroyer 666 is the most well-known of the bands, but there are several others. The scene gets its name because many of the bands prefer lyrical themes about warfare. Many of the band members switch from one band to another frequently.

Here are just some of the bands involved in the war metal scene:

ABOMINATOR

Abominator was discussed briefly in one of the reviews, so I won't go into too much detail here. Abominator was one of the earlier bands in the scene. They took the groundwork laid by groups like Slaughter Lord and added various extreme elements to it. Abominator is much more of a death metal band with black and thrash influences than many of the other bands. They are heavier, dirtier, and rawer than some of the others. The band is still active, although they have not released anything since 2006.

ATOMIZER

Atomizer is probably my favorite band from this scene, next to Destroyer 666. Atomizer started off playing a style of blackened thrash with death metal influences. The vocals were harsh and extreme and there really was not anything making them different from the litany of other bands that played that style. Then, they started experimenting a little bit with a cleaner sound. It's tough for me to tell just what their other influences are, but the music got significantly catchier. The vocals were still harsh but were not quite as raspy, they were more spoken that screamed and it was much easier to tell what Jason Healey was saying. The music was a little more restrained, still fast with driving drums and frequent guitar solos, but not as out of control as it was previously. The music was calculated to be infectious and the band succeeded. They went a little too far away from the thrash sound on their final album, which was not as good as their prior albums. Unfortunately the original drummer Suds died in 2006 which is why the band split. A great band who had a bright future, it's unfortunate.

BESTIAL WARLUST

Along with Abominator, Bestial Warlust was one of the earliest bands in this scene. Unlike Abominator, Bestial Warlust has split up. However, their influence can be heard in many of the other bands. Bestial Warlust also played an extremely raw and brutal style of death metal with black and thrash influences. The production value on their albums is terrible, making them a little difficult to hear well, but the speed, power, harsh vocals, and blazing guitar solos that make up the war metal sound are all here. While Bestial Warlust was still together, guitarist KK Warslut formed a side project called Destroyer 666, the leading band in the scene. The band recorded two full length albums, each one extremely ugly and brutal.

DESTROYER 666

Destroyer 666 is probably the most well-known band in the scene. I have discussed Destroyer 666 before, so I won't go into a lot of detail here. They play a frequently evolving mix of black, death, and thrash metal. On their earlier recordings, they were mostly a black metal band but they began mixing in the other genres as they continued to record. The most recent full length Cold Steel...For an Iron Age was essentially just blackened thrash and was an amazing album. They have recently posted a new song on their Myspace, so apparently a new album is coming, finally.

DESTRUKTOR

Destruktor is very similar in style to later Destroyer 666 and for good reason as former members of Destroyer 666 are in this band. They play mostly blackened thrash metal with some death metal influences. Their sound is fast, chaotic, and powerful. They play thrashy riffs with a heavy bass tone and feature similar raspy screams as Destroyer 666. They are not real well-known yet as they have only released a couple of EPs, splits, and demos, but they are a force to be reckoned with.

GOSPEL OF THE HORNS

As ugly-sounding as many of the bands in this scene are, few hold a candle to Gospel of the Horns. Gospel is the only band that is far more influenced by black metal than thrash or death, other than the earliest recordings by Destroyer 666. The vocals of Mark Howitser are extremely raspy and half-growled at the same time. He achieves a tone rarely heard before, actually sounding like some of the instrumentation at times. Gospel does use a better production than many of the other bands from the area, but that doesn't make their sound any less filthy. The band's status is constantly changing, it would appear at this time that they have split up, but they tend to reunite quickly.

GRENADE

I am not entirely convinced of Grenade's inclusion in this scene. They seem to meet the style requirements, playing mostly blackened thrash with some death metal elements. The riffs are similar, the tremolo swirling guitar riffs are there, the vocals are raspy, but the lyrical theme is different. Grenade, despite the band's name, does not actually deal much with warfare. Many of their themes are anti-Christian, humorous, or about metal. Grenade is kind of a throwback band, with a lot of speed metal parts, solos that whizz by, and strange lyrical themes, it's easy to imagine them coming out of the 1980's. They have only released one full length so far, but it is a good one.

RAZOR OF OCCAM

Razor of Occam is a band made up of Shrapnel and Matt from Destroyer 666. The band plays music mostly similar to Destroyer 666's Cold Steel. The lyrical themes do not always deal with warfare, choosing instead to deal with diverse themes. The band is actually on Metal Blade, which is a surprise for a mostly underground movement. Their first full length Homage to Martyrs was released earlier this year and is a frontrunner for album of the year at this point.

SLAUGHTER LORD

Slaughter Lord is another band that really doesn't belong in this scene, but I am mentioning them only because they were a major influence on it. Slaughter Lord is more of a thrash metal band taking influences from German thrash metal bands like Sodom and Destruction. They are long since broken up and only released three demos in the 1980's. The demos were collected together and released as a compilation in 1998. Other influences on the scene included Sadistik Exekution, Hobbs' Angel of Death, and Blasphemy (from Canada).

TRENCH HELL

Trench Hell is a relatively new band to the scene. They wear their very clear Hellhammer/Celtic Frost influence on their sleeve, even covering the classic "The Third of the Storms" on their demo. They do play a little faster than the much doomier Swiss icons, but with the same punk energy, down-tuned riffs, menace, and even a pretty good approximation of Tom Warrior's husky grunting vocals. Thus far, Trench Hell has only released a demo, and EP, and a promo for the EP. I am eagerly anticipating a new full length album. Hellhammer worship is never a bad thing.

URGRUND

Urgrund is one of the lesser-known bands in this scene. Urgrund plays a slower form of thrash metal with black metal influences and filthy-sounding production. The band basically sounds like a combination of Kreator and Mayhem. The band is not as chaotic-sounding as groups above like Abominator and Gospel of the Horns. Instead, they are a little bit more restrained in the speed department, but make up for it in the heaviness. This band is extremely heavy.

Other bands that I have yet to hear include: Denouncement Pyre, Nocturnal Graves, and others.

Impaled vs. Ghoul

Okay, these two bands are basically the same band. Ghoul is currently made up of two current members of Impaled, both of whom were also in Exhumed, and one of it's former members was also in Impaled. So at one time, three of the members of Impaled were in Ghoul.

It is common knowledge that Ghoul is not exactly a serious project, see the photos for proof of that. They wear sacks over their heads and are covered in fake blood. They go by names like Cremator (Ross Sewage of Impaled), Digestor (Sean McGrath of Impaled), Dissector, and Fermentor. The band even has its own origin story, which is interesting and long and will not be repeated here. The albums tell the story of the band and their wild and weird adventures in "Creepsylvania".

The issue though is the fact that the two bands basically sound the same. This was not always the case as Ghoul played a form of crossover thrash/grind and Impaled was essentially just a death grind band, but over the years Impaled has been becoming thrashier. At this point, the two bands are basically interchangeable except for the lyrical themes.

I have no problems with band members forming side projects. Hell, if it weren't for side projects, we wouldn't have bands like Down (formed by members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Eyehategod, and Crowbar), Bloodbath (formed by members of Katatonia, Opeth, Hypocrisy, Witchery, and Edge of Sanity), and Destroyer 666 (formed by KK Warslut of Bestial Warlust). I do have an issue though when more than one member of a band form another band which basically either starts out sounding the same as the main band, or through its influence steers the original band into sounding like the side project.

If there are going to be two bands made up of the same members, they should sound like two different bands. End of rant.

Metal Cover Songs Pt. 1: Metal Goes Pop

This is Part 1 of a possible new series on cover songs. In this one I will examine some metal covers of popular pop songs.

I get a kick out of metal bands covering pop songs. I'm not totally sure what the fascination really is, perhaps it's a deep-seeded desire to actually listen to the original pop songs. Probably not. Actually it's more likely the fact that it is a novelty and I find them really funny. That being said, I prefer the non-obvious jokes. Children of Bodom covering Britney Spears isn't nearly as entertaining as some of the below.

Here's a list of some of the more interesting metal covers of pop songs:

1. Graveworm: "I Need a Hero" (Bonnie Tyler)
Okay, this one's just plain weird. Graveworm is a melodic black/gothic metal band from Italy who seem to enjoy covering pop songs. They have also done the Pet Shop Boys song "It's a Sin" and the R.E.M. classic "Losing My Religion". I remember this song playing in a cooking scene in the movie Bandits, the Bonnie Tyler version obviously. Things would have been tragically different with te Graveworm version. Definitely a bizarre cover choice. The Graveworm version is significantly faster, heavier, and featuring growling shrieks for vocals.

2. Machine Head: "Message in a Bottle" (The Police)
Machine Head, the trend-hopping bandwagon band, is more of a groove/nu metal band on the album this song is featured on. The song has a dreamlike feel to it in the early moments. The song actually turns out to be a rather faithful version for awhile, although vocalist/guiarist Robb Flynn is pretty much tonedeaf and should stick to metal. The song builds several times, then wanes again before kicking into a more metallic riff. The song remains aggressive and heavy the rest of the song.

3. In Flames: "Land of Confusion" (Genesis)
One of the pioneers of the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene in Sweden, In Flames chose to cover this extremely political song by the progressive rock act Genesis. This one is not a horribly shocking song to cover, and I do really enjoy the original. The song actually sounds similar musically, although faster and complete with heavy power chords. The vocals are made up of Anders Friden's typical shrieking screams. The chorus does feature clean vocals, but the backing vocals which gave the original song its kick, are a little sloppy and too fast. The entire song is very fast and goes by in the blink of an eye.

4. Amorphis: "Light My Fire" (The Doors)
Amorphis is one of the first bands to blend folk elements with metal and the Finnish band influenced countless other bands. On this song, they cover the classic by the 60's rock group The Doors. Musically, the band does a decent job of putting their own spin on the well-known melodies. Much of the musical qualities are similar other than the use of power chords. The vocals are where the song completely differs with Tomi Koivusaari's death growls replacing Jim Morrison's crooning baritone. The use of the organs is very faithful to the original.

5. Firewind:"Maniac" (Michael Sembello)
This one seems completely bizarre, but the band does a surprisingly faithful version of it. Firewind is a power metal band with members from Greece, Sweden, and the U.S. The song sounds very much like the original which was featured in the movie Flashdance. The familiar keyboard lines and vocals are present. The only difference is the addition of power chords underneath the keyboards. The climax of the song is also a little more powerful.

6. Night in Gales: "Black Velvet" (Alannah Myles)
Night in Gales is a relatively unknown German band that plays a style of melodic death very similar to In Flames. They chose to cover this massive hit by the Canadian singer Alannah Myles. This version of the song is not even close to the original. The only time it can even be identified is during the chorus, and even then, the melody is significantly different. The song features heavy riffs and screaming vocals. The song is missing the charm and feel of the original version. It's a decent song for a Night in Gales song, but if expecting something close to the
original it's disappointing.

7. Grenouer: "Take On Me" (A-Ha)
Grenouer, a Russian metal band in the vein of Fear Factory, covers this 80's pop classic with the iconic video. The recorded version of the Grenouer track is a live version, with fairly bad production values. It is difficult to hear the music, although it is there, but definitely faster. The growling vocals detract from the song. The familiar chorus is very weak, which is unfortunate.

There it is, a few of the pop songs covered by metal bands.

Roadrunner United Walkthrough

Roadrunner United was an album that came out a few years ago to celebrate Roadrunner's 20th Anniversary. Roadrunner was one of the early labels that specialized in metal music along with Metal Blade. Early on, the label got in when death metal was just beginning to make major waves. Early on, the label had such death metal artists as Obituary, Death, Deicide, Cynic, Malevolent Creation, and Suffocation. Later on, the artist began dropping these artists in favor of nu metal bands and metalcore bands. Thus began the finger-pointing at Roadrunner for being a trendwhore label. Yes they stick to the more hard rock genres, but they will quickly drop artists who are not popular at the time in favor of acts who are.

This album was an interesting way to celebrate the label's 20th Anniversary. The label found four well-known musicians to front teams and write all but one of the songs. The captains were chosen for their popularity and songwriting abilities. The four captains were Robb Flynn of Machine Head and Vio-Lence, Dino Cazares of Fear Factory, Joey Jordison of Slipknot, and Matt Heafy of Trivium.

I will start with a track by track look at the album and then finish with some final thoughts on the album.

1. The Dagger (Genre: Metalcore/Groove Metal)

Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage): Vocals

Robert Flynn (Machine Head, Vio-Lence): Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

Jordan Whelan (Still Remains): Rhythm Guitar

Christian Olde-Wolbers (Fear Factory): Bass

Andols Herrick (Chimaira): Drums

Jeff Waters (Annihilator): Guitar Solo

Leading things off with a bang, this song features the familiar good cop/bad cop vocal stylings of Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage. The riffing is much more powerful than anything Killswitch has done though. The breakdown features more familiar crooning from the popular singer. Much of the rest of the song is fairly standard groove/metalcore. The guitar solo is impressive, as Jeff Waters usually is. He is not called the Canadian Eddie Van Halen for nothing. He gradually picks up more and more speed before fading out. The trade off vocals at the end between Jones and Robb Flynn lend a little extra jolt of energy as the song is coming to a close. If this lineup recorded an entire album, I might be interested.

2. The Enemy (Genre: Groove Metal)
Mark Hunter (Chimaira): Vocals
Dino Cazares (Fear Factory, Divine Heresy): Rhythm Guitar
Andreas Kisser (Sepultura): Solo/Acoustic Guitar
Paul Gray (Slipknot): Bass
Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour): Drums

This song was the first time I heard anything about Chimaira. It starts off with a little acoustic guitar courtesy of Sepultura's Andreas Kisser. It then dives into a groove/thrash riff with Hunter's desperate gasping screams kicking in. Hunter has always been a good vocalist, it's been the rest of the band that has been the problem. That is not an issue here as Dino keeps things heavy throughout without losing interest. The breakdown with the pounding drums, throbbing bass, and the Kisser solo is probably the highlight of this song. It ends the same way it starts, with acoustic guitars from Kisser. If this lineup recorded an album, I would consider it.

3. Annihilation by the Hands of God (Genre: Death Metal)
Glen Benton (Deicide, Vital Remains): Vocals
Matt DeVries (Chimaira): Rhythm Guitar
Rob Barrett (Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation): Rhythm Guitar
James Murphy (ex-Disincarnate, ex-Death, ex-Obituary, ex-Cancer, ex-Testament): Guitar Solo
Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament, Sadus, Autopsy, Control Denied): Fretless Bass
Joey Jordison (Slipknot): Drums

There are lots of death metal veterans on this one. Only DeVries and Jordison look out of place. Glen Benton brings his psychotic layered death vocals to the party over the top of an impressive death groove courtesy of Rob Barrett and Steve DiGiorgio. James Murphy, who has been in several highly influential death metal bands lends a smoking guitar solo to the proceedings. Easily one of the more impressive songs on the album, I would definitely pick up an album by this lineup.

4. In the Fire (Genre: Speed Metal/Traditional Metal)
King Diamond (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate): Vocals
Matt Heafy (Trivium): Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars
Corey Beaulieu (Trivium): Lead/Rhythm guitars
Mike D'Antonio (Killswitch Engage): Bass
Dave Chavarri (Ill Niño): Drums

Ah King Diamond. King is one of the most influential and distinct vocalists in the genre. The Trivium axe-slingers display their skills on this song. Trivium has always had the musicians capable of putting out excellent music, they have just been a little lacking in the songwriting department. Still, they are very young. King's voice sounds excellent, more powerful than it has sounded in years. Dave Chavarri proves that he is not a nu metal drummer naturally, having spent time in M.O.D., Laaz Rockit, and Pro-Pain among others. This is another impressive track and a lineup that I would check out. It doesn't have the same spooky atmosphere as King Diamond's normal backing band does, but it is good nonetheless.

5. The End (Genre: Hard Rock/Nu Metal)
Matt Heafy (Trivium): Vocals/Guitar Solo
Dino Cazares (Fear Factory): Rhythm Guitar
Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head & ex-Soulfly): Melodic Guitar Harmonics
Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly): Keyboards/Programming
Nadja Peulen (Coal Chamber): Bass
Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour): Drums

This is the single, the big hit from the record. It is a fairly typical power ballad for the time period. It is very catchy and Heafy sounds pretty good. There's not much musically interesting going on as Heafy is the big star here. It's interesting that he never attempted a ballad with Trivium, something that would surely put the band over the top popularity-wise with the Hot Topic kiddies. It's a good song, not a metal song and not something I would consider buying an entire album for.

6. Tired 'N Lonely (Genre: Hardcore/Grunge)
Keith Caputo (Life Of Agony): Vocals/Keyboard
Matt Baumbach (ex-Vision Of Disorder): Rhythm Guitar
Tommy Niemeyer (Gruntruck): Rhythm Guitar
Acey Slade (Murderdolls): Rhythm Guitar
James Root (Slipknot/Stone Sour): Guitar Solo/Harmony Guitar
Nadja Peulen (Coal Chamber): Bass
Joey Jordison (Slipknot/Murderdolls): Drums

The first five tracks have ranged from above average to awesome. This song takes it down a few pegs. Mostly that's because it is aimed at being a post hardcore/grunge type track. There's nothing metal about this song. Caputo's voice is only good in certain circumstances, and this is not one of those. It's annoying and he sounds tired. I would not consider an album by this lineup.

7. Independent (Voice of the Voiceless) (Genre: Groove Metal)
Max Cavalera (Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, ex-Sepultura & ex-Nailbomb): Vocals
Robert Flynn (Machine Head): Guitar/3-part Guitar Harmonies/Keyboards
Jordan Whelan (Still Remains): Rhythm Guitar
Jeff Waters (Annihilator): Guitar Solo
Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory): Bass
Andols Herrick (Chimaira): Drums

The album gets back into things with this groove metal stomp. Max is his usual angry self on this one. The song sounds like something Cavalera Conspiracy would have put out if Robb Flynn was on guitar. It really does sound like a mix of Machine Head and Soulfly. Not a bad song at all. Still it doesn't offer anything that Max hasn't done elsewhere. I am a fan of Max Cavalera though so I would probably consider an entire album of this. Annihilator's Jeff Waters adds another amazing solo to this.

8. Dawn of a Golden Age (Genre: Melodic Black Metal/Gothic Metal)
Dani Filth (Cradle Of Filth): Vocals
Matt Heafy (Trivium): Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Justin Hagberg (3 Inches of Blood): Rhythm Guitar
Sean Malone (Cynic): Bass
Mike Smith (Suffocation): Drums

Here we have an attempted black metal song. It's not a bad attempt, but neither of these guitarists really know how to play black metal. The tremolo riffing is somewhat on point, but that's about it. The drums pummel away unmercifully. Mike Smith practically invented the blast beat. Dani Filth is not as ear-piercingly shrieky in this song as he is in Cradle of Filth. This does sound like a song that would fit in well with latter-era Cradle, which isn't really black metal either. The keyboards give the song a melancholic feel towards the end. Decent song, I would think about buying an album by this lineup, particularly if they replaced the rhythm guitarist.

9. The Rich Man (Genre: Nu Metal)
Corey Taylor (Slipknot/Stone Sour): Vocals
Robert Flynn (Machine Head): Rhythm Guitar/Keyboard
Jordan Whelan (Still Remains): Rhythm Guitar
Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory): Bass
Andols Herrick (Chimaira): Drums

This was probably the most disappointing song on the album. It sounds like an afterthought or an early draft to The End. Corey Taylor has a decent voice, but on this song he doesn't even try. It's a nu metal song, without a doubt. There are no riffs to speak of, just power chords strummed during the screaming chorus. I really thought Taylor would have sounded pretty good backed by a real metal band for once (fuck you Slipknot). Unfortunately, this was not what I had in mind. The samples are really annoying too in this context.

10. No Way Out (Genre: Hardcore)
Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw, Head Automatica): Vocals
Matt Baumbach (ex-Vision Of Disorder): Lead/Rhythm Guitars
Junkie XL (Junkie XL): Programming Synths
Joey Jordison (Slipknot): Drums/Bass

From the most disappointing song on the album to the worst song on the album. Seriously, this one is just plain fucking awful. I usually skip it when I actually listen to this album, which admittedly isn't much lately. Glassjaw was a band that kind of pre-dated the current emo scene and had some influence on it. His voice is FUCKING TERRIBLE and annoying as hell. I can't even comment on the music because it's so hard to get around the awfulness of the vocals to actually hear what's going on. It's sort of upbeat and happy sounding but I don't know. No fucking way would I pick up an album by this lineup.

11. Baptized in the Redemption (Genre: Groove Metal)
Dez Fafara (Devildriver, ex-Coal Chamber): Vocals
Dino Cazares (Fear Factory): Rhythm Guitar
Andreas Kisser (Sepultura): Solo/Wah Wah Guitar Effects
Paul Gray (Slipknot): Bass
Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour): Drums

This one is decent. I have always been a fan of Dez Fafara's voice, particularly his rough vocals, his clean vocals suck. I always felt he would fare better with a metal band than with Coal Chamber. When Coal Chamber broke up and he formed Devildriver, it was what I was hoping for. This song is kind of in between Coal Chamber and Devildriver. It's got more of a slow groove metal feel to it halfway between the nu metal of Coal Chamber and the melodeath influenced groove metal of Devildriver. Not a bad song, but Devildriver is better. I probably would not pick up an album by this lineup just because of the existence of Devildriver.

12. Roads (Genre: ?)
Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth): Vocals
Josh Silver (Type O Negative): Keyboards/Backing Vocals

This is the most unusual song on the album as it was not written by any of the four team captains. Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth has an amazing voice and he only uses his clean vocals on this track, over the top of string synths. A good song, and a melancholic break from the rest of the hard hitting metal/rock songs on the album. I would not like an entire album of this, but this is a decent little song.

13. Blood & Flames (Genre: Metalcore?)
Jesse David Leach (ex-Killswitch Engage, Seemless): Vocals
Matt Heafy (Trivium): Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars/Vocals
Josh Rand (Stone Sour): Rhythm Guitar
Mike D'Antonio (Killswitch Engage): Bass
Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative): Drums

Jesse David Leach is the original lead singer of Killswitch Engage and left that band because it was too hard on his vocal chords, right before they hit it big. A shame. He's actually a more emotional sounding singer than Jones. His gruff vocals also have a more intimidating sneer than Jones's vocals. I'm not sure what genre this song would fit under, it seems to have elements of a lot of different genres. The groove during the verses is interesting and catchy but they always break down into the chorus.

14. Constitution Down (Genre: Death/Thrash Metal)
Kyle Thomas (Exhorder, Alabama Thunderpussy): Vocals
Matt DeVries (Chimaira): Rhythm Guitar
Rob Barrett (Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation): Rhythm Guitar/Trade-Off Solo
James Murphy (ex-Disincarnate, ex-Death, ex-Obituary, ex-Cancer, ex-Testament): Intro solo
Andy La Rocque (King Diamond): Trade-Off Solo
Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament, Vintersorg, Sadus, Autopsy, Control Denied): Fretless Bass
Joey Jordison (Slipknot): Drums

This was actually the first time I had heard Kyle Thomas, known best for his work with the original groove metal band, Exhorder (sorry Pantera). This song is interesting because musically it sounds like a faster-paced, lighter death metal song, certainly so considering the musicians. However, Thomas is not a death metal singer, he sounds more at home with thrash and groove metal. His voice sounds a little out of place, he is attempting to make it fit the music, but it just doesn't. That's not to say that this is a bad song, far from it, it would be great if there was a different singer, maybe someone like John Tardy of Obituary, someone Roadrunner probably had access to.

15. I Don't Wanna Be (A Superhero) (Genre: Punk)
Michale Graves (ex-Misfits): Vocals
Matt Heafy (Trivium): Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Justin Hagberg (3 Inches of Blood): Rhythm Guitar
Mike D'Antonio (Killswitch Engage): Bass
Dave Chavarri (Ill Niño): Drums

This song is pure punk. Well, I'm probably wrong about that as I know next to nothing about pure punk. But anyway, at least it sounds like The Misfits which are a well-known punk band. It does have a metallic edge to it which is why I'm probably wrong. But man is it catchy and melodic. The chorus is infectious. A very good, fun song. I own a Misfits album and like to dig it out once in awhile. That's probably enough for me though.

16. Army of the Sun (Genre: Metalcore/Groove Metal)
Tim Williams (Bloodsimple, ex-Vision Of Disorder): Vocals
Robert Flynn (Machine Head): Rhythm Guitar
Jordan Whelan (Still Remains): Rhythm Guitar
Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory): Bass
Andols Herrick (Chimaira): Drums

Despite my unfamiliarity of the music of Vision of Disorder (all I know is that they are probably an early metalcore act with more hardcore elements than metal), I liked this song. This song has kind of a restrained aggressiveness to it. Williams's vocals fit it very well. The breakdown could have been skipped and the song would sound better though. Still not a bad song at all. I would think about an album featuring this lineup, but only with more samples.

17. No Mas Control (Genre: Nu Metal)
Cristian Machado (Ill Niño): Vocals
Dino Cazares (Fear Factory): Rhythm Guitar
Souren "Mike" Sarkisyan (Spineshank): Harmony Guitar
Andreas Kisser (Sepultura): Harmony Guitar
Marcelo Dias (ex-Soulfly): Bass
Dave McClain (Machine Head, ex-Sacred Reich): Drums

This song attempts to infuse a little Latin music flavor. Or just some Spanish lyrics, whatever. It is another nu metal track as there is little to no melody to it except for the choruses. I don't care much for this song, there just isn't much there. I have never cared for Ill Niño and this song did not change that for me.

18. Enemy of the State (Genre: Gothic Metal)
Peter Steele (Type O Negative, ex-Carnivore): Vocals/Keyboards
Steve Holt (36 Crazyfists): Rhythm/Acoustic/Slide Guitars
Josh Silver (Type O Negative): Keyboards/Samples
Dave Pybus (Cradle of Filth): Bass
Joey Jordison (Slipknot): Drums

This was another disappointing song. I love Peter Steele's deep, sad vocals. Unfortunately he doesn't use them to full effect in this song, choosing instead to speak the verses. The choruses are decent and the music definitely has a depressive feel, but the vocals are just lacking. Steve Holt of 36 Crazyfists actually does a decent job with the guitar parts despite the rather notable obstacle of the fact that he generally sucks. It's an okay song, but another missed opportunity.

Final Thoughts:

The major problem with the album is the lack of diversity. Robb Flynn and Dino Cazares seem incapable of branching out very far from groove metal. The most diverse songwriters were Joey Jordison and Matt Heafy who displayed familiarities with multiple genres of metal. The majority of the songs would not look out of place on Roadrunner albums from that time period. This was essentially a cash grab, but a reasonably interesting one. It did not totally disappoint me then, or even now, but it's not an album that I dig out and listen to very often.

Ozzy Osbourne is Suing Tony Iommi

Links:

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/05/29/ozzy-osbourne-suing-tony-iommi-for-black-sabbath-name

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05292009/news/regionalnews/ozzys_sour_sabbath_note_171506.htm
Well I guess there will be no reunion with the classic Black Sabbath lineup after all. Ozzy has filed a lawsuit against guitarist Tony Iommi for one half of the value of the trademarked Black Sabbath name as well as profits that Iommi has gained through use of the name. Ozzy claims that it was his vocals that were largely responsible for the success the band gained and that Black Sabbath was never the same after he was kicked out of the band.

A couple of questions:

1. Why the hell did it take so long for Ozzy to pull something like this?

2. When was the name trademarked?

3. Did Ozzy leave the band voluntarily or was he fired?

If the name was trademarked while Ozzy was still in the band and he did not relinquish any rights to the name and was then kicked out, then Ozzy probably has some legal grounds to stand on here. It's unfortunate, but it's probably true. However, if the band name was not trademarked until after he left voluntarily or was kicked out, then things are a little muddier.

From the information that I have seen, it looks as if Iommi did not register the trademark until 1999 at the earliest. After each of the original members left the band, they probably relinquished their rights to the name as Iommi continued using it. Ozzy has probably slept on his rights, allowing Iommi to claim as an affirmative defense the doctrine of laches. That would be my first move if I were the attorney.

I would need more information about this case, some of the facts are unknown to me at this time, before I can come up with a better idea of what will happen. Currently, I believe that this case will be settled out of court, but I am pulling for Iommi. Ozzy has his own career and is not hurting for money. Unfortunately, when people are forming a band they often do not consider what would happen if they got rich off of it and then broke up. I will keep an eye on this.

UPDATE:
http://www.metalinsider.net/legal-woes/ozzy-osbourne-files-suit-against-tony-iommi-over-black-sabbath-trademark-why-now

Iommi has had the trademark since 1999. The band Black Sabbath has not been active in that time period, but still sells merchandise pretty well. Iommi has a suit against Live Nation for merchandise profits for using the name without his consent. Apparently Ozzy thinks this will result in a big payday for Iommi. I'm still banking on the laches defense, he could have brought suit 10 years ago when Iommi got the contract knowing that there probably would continue to be merchandise released with the Black Sabbath name.

Explanation for the Reviews

As I mentioned previously, last week I knocked out a ton of reviews. They have all been posted now so I will get back to normal posting. Last week on the Metal Archives, there was a contest to see if they could get a bunch of albums reviewed that had not been reviewed previously. I came in a very distant fifth place. The top four were all over 70 or so, my 24 (with two splits that counted as two reviews each) was way behind. Still though, I am glad I was able to help with the project and review some worthy albums. As you can see, some of the reviews were very positive such as Devastator, Cauldron, and Apophis, three albums I love. Others were not so positive such as Pitchshifter. Enough full reviews for now.

Devastator: Nuclear Proliferation Review

Devastator is a blackened thrash metal band from the United States that sounds like they would fit easily with the Australian “war metal” scene. They play quickly and precisely, almost mechanically. They sound like an industrial machine moreso than a thrash metal band. There are few tempo changes within a song keeping this almost inhuman precision going at all times.

The guitar riffs have the same sort of buzzsaw tone that has become a staple of Swedish death. However, they are not playing death metal riffs, but rather thrash riffs inspired by bands like early German thrash bands and Sepultura. The band frequently finds one particular riff on each track and plays the hell out of it for the full song, sometimes as much as eight minutes long. They do occasionally switch riffs but for the most part they stick to one main riff per song. There are guitar solos that crop up once in awhile, but the tone is not fully fleshed out, sounding more like an electrical short in keeping with the industrial machinery feel of the rest of the album.

The rhythm section plugs away as precisely as the guitars forming the backbone to the sound. The drums are often not doing anything terribly fancy, an occasional roll or fill, but for the most part the drums are there to keep time and keep the guitars on track. The bass drum is struck with force in places the band is trying to emphasize, bringing to mind the image of cannon blasts and explosions. The bass plays many of the same riffs as the guitars providing a full, bottom-heavy attack on the senses.

Vocalist Wulfnoth delivers his lines in a constant rasping growl. He does not waver from this approach, except for the occasional shriek which still maintains the raspy quality of his other vocals.

Lyrically, Devastator is all about war. Song titles like “Brothers in Arms”, “Bombardment” (an incredibly fitting name), and “Into Battle” keep these images active while listening.

Despite the use of the same riff over and over within each song, each song sounds distinct and not like the one previous to it. This is enough to keep the listener involved throughout the album.

The band is not as chaotic-sounding as the Australian bands like Destroyer 666, instead choosing precision and constant bombardment to chaos and destruction. However, the effect is the same. This band pummels the listener with a force and fury that is hard to fathom. The songs are long but never get tiring because they maintain their ferocity all the way through to the end. This is a great album and Devastator lives up to their name, completely wiping out the listener by the time the album is through.

Dreaming Dead: Within One Review

At one time, having a female in a metal band was a novelty. Later on, this started to wear off but there were still not many females in extreme metal bands. It was this novelty that lead the Angela Gossow-lead Arch Enemy into a huge amount of success for such an extreme metal band. There have been more and more extreme metal bands with female singers an it appears that some of these bands have been accepted and praised more for the musical talents than the fact that there is a woman singing. Estuary is one of these bands and now, with their 2009 release on Ibex Moon Records, Dreaming Dead joins those ranks.

Dreaming Dead formed in 2006 under the name Manslaughter. They released an EP under that name and then later changed it along with adding a couple additional members. They released their first full length album early in 2009. The hype machine really has not discovered the band yet despite the presence of Elizabeth Schall, a beautiful woman, fronting the band. Thus far, they have garnered attention mostly on behalf of their versatile musicianship. This is a step in the right direction for the metal community.

The band’s influences are pulled from death metal, melodic death metal, thrash metal, and black metal. The music is quick-paced and intense. It owes more to thrash than the other forms although it is a little more bottom-heavy than thrash. The bass is audible adding to the thunder at the bottom of the music. The drumming is fast and loud. There are the occasional blastbeats and some other times where the drummer truly shines, but for the most part he stays in the background.

The guitar riffs bear some similarities to those of Dissection, occasional tremolo riffs swirling around the increasingly pounding drums. Other times, the riffs are more similar to death metal or even to thrash metal. The band switches styles effortlessly from one subgenre to another making them difficult to classify. Every once in awhile the band slows things down with a somber melodic interlude. This changes the pace a little bit and keeps the interest of the listener.

Elizabeth Schall does sound a little like Angela Gossow, but she has a little more rasp to her vocals, seemingly more influenced by black metal style vocals. It is often difficult to tell that this is a woman singing, she does a fine job.

All in all, this is a good debut album for this up and coming band. It will be interesting to see how the band follows it up.

The Problem with the Music Industry

Those who know me well know that I pretty much despise popular music. I think the vast majority of the shit on MTV and VH1 and most pop radio is ultimately disposeable crap produced quickly without any regard toward making something truly memorable. This brings me to my point today. There are two bits of music news that I noticed that pretty much shows that the music industry as a whole is pretty pathetic.

1. Lady Gaga will be on the cover of Rolling Stone

Lady Gaga will not be remembered two years from now, I feel very comfortable in saying that. Her songs are geared towards being popular today without any thought put towards being remembered years from now.

To make matters worse, she will be pictured on the cover naked, covered only with strategically placed bubbles. This shows that the only consideration in her presence on the cover is her sex appeal, she's not even that attractive in reality and I have seen the picture and it is ghastly. Lady Gaga is selling an image, NOT music.

2. SPV has been declared insolvent.

The German record label SPV distributes music by Angra, Annihilator, Ayreon, Borknagar, Chthonic, Enslaved, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Kamelot, Metal Church, Moonspell, Sodom, Summoning, and Type O Negative among others. Many of these are legitimately talented, original metal bands.

While declaring insolvency is not the end of the world, it certainly does not bode well for the future of the label. It only means that the company is having difficulty paying its dues. SPV will continue operations for the time being. Obviously it will have to start cutting costs if unable to keep up with its debts. Hopefully it will not come down to cutting bands who deserve to have their music heard.

Defleshed: Death...The High Cost of Living Review

This is a live album from Swedish death metal band Defleshed. They certainly seem to have done their homework on what Swedish death should sound like, throwing all of the typical ingredients together to form their sound which is very fast and brutal.

Defleshed actually started around the same time, just a couple of years later in fact, as many other Swedish death metal bands. However, where Entombed, Dismember, and Grave were able to get a full length album out and capitalize fairly quickly, it took Defleshed several more years to get their first full length out, which is perhaps why they remained mired in the underground, unknown except to people who are obsessed with Swedish death.

The most interesting aspect of this album is that it is a live album. It sounds like they’re playing a bar with maybe five to ten people in the audience. It’s actually kind of amusing to listen and hear everyone yelp, whistle, and cheer and be able to make out distinct voices.

The songs are very short and go by lightning-fast. If one is not paying attention, you could conceivably miss an entire song. The crowd probably would be a tip off that the song ended, but that’s it.

The music consists of standard Swedish death metal riffs with some hints of thrash thrown in for good measure. The guitars sound like chainsaws ripping through flesh. Unfortunately, in a live setting, sometimes its difficult to clearly hear the riffs and that is kind of the problem here as well. There are few, if any, solos, and they could not be heard very well anyway. The drummer is very entertaining as he is adding fills throughout the songs while still being able to keep time. The bass cannot be heard at all.

The singer sounds like he is trying to scream through a mouthful of blood. He has a voice that sounds desiccated and decayed as if he just crawled out of the grave. It’s rather amusing to hear him continue to use this voice as he announces the next song.

The production value is not very good. As mentioned earlier, the guitars sound a little muddy at times and the vocalist can not be heard well at all. The bass cannot be heard at all.

Still, this remains an interesting pickup of an underground Swedish death metal band. It is entertaining and a fast listen. Recommended for major fans of the scene and for completists. Anyone looking to get into the band should try their full lengths first.

Final Breath: Flash Burnt Crucifixes Review

Final Breath is a band from Germany that plays death/thrash metal in a similar style to Darkane, The Crown and other Swedish bands. Their death metal influences seem to be more on the Swedish side of things, bands like Dismember and Grave can be heard through their music. Their thrash metal influences are more likely their German countrymen like Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction. It is a volatile mix of extreme metal bands and yet it is seemless.

This is Final Breath’s debut full length album after forming in 1993 and releasing one demo and one EP. It is pretty obvious that this is their debut and they have had limited experience. The song titles are a little odd and show a limited grasp on the English language, or they’re jokes, tough to say which. Just look at these titles: “Going Hellbound”, “Sociopathetically Insane”, and “Bloodred Sky”. The album cover and band logo are obviously amateur but none of these things affect the music.

The guitar riffs have a little bit of the typical Swedish tone, but are delivered in a riffing style that has more in common with the German thrash scene. The riffs are not delivered at the same breakneck speed as the German thrash of the 1980's , but they are nowhere near groove metal speeds either, more of some healthy medium.

The drums are recorded pretty high in the mix. They are easily heard. They are often used more for keeping time than for doing much else, although there are quite a few interesting fills thrown in between guitar riffs. They are played very fast with a major emphasis on the snare drum as opposed to the rest of the kit.

The vocals are mostly shouted and gruff bringing to mind mid-era Grave. They do not change much, which is not that unusual for the style of music being played.

There really is not much original going on here. This style of music has been played before and probably played better, this is not a lost gem or anything like that and is by no means essential. However, the album is competent and interesting. It’s not a bad release by any means.

The band essentially sounds like Hating Life-era Ola Lindgren fronting a slowed-down Kreator. Not a bad mix whatsoever, as the band pulls it off quite well. As stated before, this is a decent album, just not original or essential.