Weekly Recap: Feb. 28-Mar. 6

It was a somewhat busy week this week. At work, I got quite a bit done, including a couple of hearings early in the week and then two hearings that were continued. Mrs. Metallattorney was still sick for the first three days of the week. She's feeling better now.

I got albums from Riot, Diamond Head, Exciter, Dark Fortress, Forbidden, and The Sword this week. Look for reviews later in the week.

As mentioned in an earlier post, this month is Metal Month. What does that mean? Who really knows. There's a sampler CD at participating stores of which there are a couple in Nebraska. Hopefully I will have a chance to stop by one of the stores. It depends on how busy things are this week.

Burzum finally released a long-awaited album. Varg Vikernes was released from prison last year. Indications are that it is decent, if a little behind the times. But Vikernes has been in prison for 15 years, so what do you expect?

Amon Amarth: Versus the World
Arsis: United in Regret
Blaspherian: Allegiance to the Will of Damnation
Bloodbath: Nightmares Made Flesh
Bloodbath: Resurrection Through Carnage
Bloodbath: The Fathomless Mastery
Cephalic Carnage: XenosapienCruachan: Folk-Lore
Cryptopsy: Blasphemy Made Flesh
Daath: The Hinderers
Dawn of Azazel: Bloodforged Abdication
Diamond Head: Lightning to the Nations
Dismember: Where Iron Crosses Grow
Eluveitie: Slania
Emperor: In the Nightside Eclipse
Enslaved: Isa
Entombed: Left Hand Path
Exciter: Heavy Metal Maniac
Fear Factory: Archetype
Goatwhore/Epoch of Unlight: Corruption in Increments Vol. 1
Gojira: From Mars to Sirius
Iced Earth: Something Wicked This Way Comes
In Flames: The Jester Race/Black-Ash Inheritance
Kalmah: They Will Return
Kamelot: The Black Halo
Kreator: Enemy of God
Lord Belial: Enter the Moonlight Gate
Lord Belial: Nocturnal Beast
Lord Belial: Revelation-The 7th Seal
Lord Belial: The Black Curse
Machine Head: Burn My Eyes
Mictlantecuhtli: Warriors of the Black Sun
Nevermore: Nevermore
Nightrage: A New Disease is Born
Nile: In Their Darkened Shrines
Norther: Mirror of Madness
Pantera: Reinventing the Steel
Primordial: A Journey's End
Riot: Fire Down Under
Rusty Eye: Possessor
Sacred Reich: Independent
Seance: Awakening of the Gods
Shadows Fall: The Art of Balance
Skyclad: Prince of the Poverty Line
Slayer: Seasons in the Abyss
Sodom: Agent Orange
Sodom: In the Sign of Evil/Obsessed by Cruelty
Sodom: Persecution Mania
Suffocation: Effigy of the Forgotten
The Chasm: The Spell of Retribution
Trench Hell: Alcoholic Disaster
Trench Hell: Southern Cross Ripper
Tristania: Beyond the Veil
Waylander: Honour Amongst Chaos

Favorite New Bands of 2000's Pt. 3: Arsis

Arsis was just discussed briefly on this blog recently on an Initial Impressions piece for the band's new album. Arsis is a band that is somewhat difficult to categorize as they possess influences from thrash, death, melodic death, and even some black metal. The band's music is rooted in standard death metal, but it often features technical riffs and melodic solos running throughout.

Arsis formed in Virginia in 2000. Since inception, the band has gone through numerous lineup changes. The one sole member that has been with the band since the beginning has been guitarist/singer James Malone. It's his band, everyone else is temporary.

I own three albums by Arsis.

United in Regret is the band's second album. It is the album in my collection closest in sound to death metal. The album's lyrical theme is basically one big "fuck you" to a former flame. The album even features a Depeche Mode cover to go with the bleakness inherent in the musical facets.
We are the Nightmare is the band's third album and this is much more varied than the previous album. It features more technical riffs and solos and is overall, a darker sounding album.
The band recently released Starve for the Devil, so named because of Malone's problems with an eating disorder last year. The album features the tongue-in-cheek song "Forced to Rock".

Gojira: "From the Sky": Heaviest Song Ever?

Is there a heavier song than this? Holy shit, it starts off with a bludgeoning riff played on the bass and guitar which then switches gears into a a continually pounding power chord. Meanwhile, the bass drum is rapidly firing on all cylinders throughout and Joe Duplantier provides coarse yelling vocals. This song is seriously powerful and has earth-shaking bottom end. It slows down for a brief moment and then speeds off to its conclusion, returning with the opening riff. Wow.

Favorite New Bands of the 2000's Pt. 2: Eluveitie

Eluveitie, formed in 2002, is a Swiss band that plays melodic death metal interspersed with Celtic folk instruments and elements. It took me by surprise that the band was actually Swiss with the Celtic influences, but I don't claim to know much about European influences and cultural spread, so what the hell. The only thing I know is that this band is great.

Most folk metal bands are closer to black metal than other genres, not so in this case. Eluveitie has far more in common with groups like Dark Tranquillity and Amon Amarth than black metal bands.

The band uses traditional Celtic instrumentation mixed with their metal. For instance, various members play the bagpipes, the hurdy gurdy, bodhran, mandola, and pipes. The mix of these traditional influences sounds amazing next to the melodic death metal that makes up the majority of the band's sound. The lyrics are often done in the extinct language Gaulish to add to the traditional nature of the influences.

Thus far, I only own the album Slania, which to date is the band's best album. It's fast and extreme with moments of beauty and melody. The band will be releasing their new album in just a few days. Hopefully, I will be able to find it quickly.

Initial Impressions: Riot: Fire Down Under

Riot is an early U.S. heavy metal band, rising out of New York in the mid 1970's. This is the band's third album and one that broke to a very wide audience. It was released in 1981, right during the midst of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal explosion that was starting to find its way over to U.S. shores. It was pretty good timing as this album has a lot in common with the NWOBHM. Riot had also found an audience across the sea.

To begin with, there's the crazy ass cover. I have no idea what this creature is. It's some sort of man with a seal's head. And it appeared on the band's first five album covers. After the band nearly broke up after their 1983 album, it did not appear again, at least not that I have seen.

Musically, the band sounds a lot like very early Iron Maiden. The opening riff on the first track "Swords and Tequila" sounds a lot like the opening riff to Maiden's "2 Minutes to Midnight". The rest of the music on the album continues to tread the line between sounding like NWOBHM and American hard rock/metal bands of the day. The riffs have a Judas Priest feel to them and the vocals, while not as overpowering as some of the band's British peers, are well-done. The guitar solos are where things really shine. Guitarist Mark Reale is a very talented player and soloist.

Riot is one of the early American metal bands to truly make a name for themselves. They played a style very similar to bands from England of that time period which helped them to attract an audience. Unfortunately, their career peaked in the early 1980's. While they stayed around, they never matched it.

March is Metal Month

http://marchismetalmonth.com/

Just as the title says, March is Metal Month. Several metal websites will be running contests and having special features. There will be a sampler CD at independent music stores across the country. Homer's in Omaha is a participating store, as is FYE. Please help support our music.

Rusty Eye: Possessor

Rusty Eye is a band that originally formed in Mexico City, Mexico in 1995 and later relocated to sunny Hollywood, CA. I was recently contacted by bassist and singer Mr. Rust to introduce me to his band. It's just the kind of DIY strategy that the band has been utilizing to get themselves notice over the last few years. Sometimes, in the underground metal scene, that's the only way to accomplish things. Well, I have been won over. This album, the band's fourth, is surprisingly original and creative. Why have I not heard this band before?

The band is very interested in horror movies and this influence shines through like a beacon. The entire atmosphere of the album gives off a 1960's or 1970's psychedelic horror movie vibe. Everything about it feels dingy and unclean. Even the packaging of the album gives off that feel, with the well-done cover art and the inside artwork. The cover is colorful and sinister and chaotic, all at once. The CD itself is made to look like a vinyl record. Another nice touch.

The vocals are provided by the aforementioned Mr. Rust as well as drummer Miss Randall. Mr. Rust has a dirty, gravelly-sounding voice, which adds to the atmospheric tension of the overall sound. His extreme vocals could use a little work. They are not bad, just not as impressive as his full-throated snarls. His clean vocals on "The Serial Kind" sound like a demented Jim Morrison. Miss Randall provides backing vocals early in the album and as it progresses, she takes more and more of a lead vocal role. Miss Randall's vocals are typically delivered in femme fatale-esque sultry voice beckoning unwary men into danger.

Musically, it's not easy to pigeonhole Rusty Eye. Any given song may be different and a wide variety of musical styles are present on the album. The band seems to be rooted in a combination of thrash metal, progressive metal, and psychedelic rock. But again, this may be completely different from one song to the next.

The album opens up with an instrumental "At the House by the Cemetary" which builds into the uptempo "11.02 Day of the Dead" about the Mexican holiday. "Mondo Cane"'s opening riff sounds lifted from a garage band, but the song is fast and raw once it gets going. The pace is kept up until "The Serial Kind" which slows things down quite a bit and features Miss Randall on lead vocals. After that, the thrash attack comes crashing back through for a few more tracks before slowing down on the last two tracks.

As for the instrumentation, Rusty Eye features three very talented musicians. Miss Randall is an incredible drumming talent. Her fills and cadences capture the listener's attention and do not let go. Baron Murtland is a very talented guitarist and creates much of the atmosphere and soundscapes with his take on psychedelia-inspired metal. His solos sound as if they would be at home in any stoner doom metal band. Mr. Rust's bass talents are also on full display here as it rumbles along shaking the ground beneath.

The only disappointment I have with the album is its tendency to lose steam near the end. The songs are not as well-constructed after "Jerusalem Cricket Souffle" and lose the listener's attention a little bit. A strong album closer would have been a good way to end this album on a high point, but instead we have "Rituales de Sangre" which is more of a soundtrack to an old horror movie during a drug-induced ritual. It then descends into only an occasional ding. If the last song had been more of a barnburner, it may have awakened the listener, bringing them back more and more. That being said, the album as a whole is a quality listening experience.

This is a strong album by a band devoted to its craft and to making a name for themselves. The band certainly has a strong work ethic and a fierce desire to succeed. If the band keeps putting out albums like this one, they should be able to be successful. This is an overall very good album. It's varied and chaotic, but with enough of a common thread running through it so as not to completely lose any listeners. The whole thing feels dirty and grungy, but it's a good feeling.

Favorite New Bands of the 2000's Pt. 1: Trench Hell

I am starting a ten part list of my favorite bands I have heard that formed this last decade. I will then have an honorable mentions post. This is the first part, and these are not ranked.

I have covered this band before, when I did the piece on Australian "war metal". Trench Hell is a thrash metal band with occasional black and death metal influences, although thrash is their root sound. In particular, Trench Hell seems most interested in playing a style of metal heavily influenced by Celtic Frost's sound on To Mega Therion. Their sound is gritty and raw and they closely approximate the sinister guitar tone Frost made famous on their riffs. Their singer has even come close to perfecting Tom G. Warrior's trademarked grunt vocalizations.

This is not to say that the band is a Celtic Frost copycat, merely that the influence is fairly clear in their music. Nevertheless, Trench Hell is an extremely effective and aggressive thrash metal band. They play fast, furious, and ugly, and steamroll the listener with their sound.

I own two releases by Trench Hell.

The first release is the self-released demo Alcoholic Disaster, which featured two original songs and a cover of a Hellhammer song, thus further reinforcing the idea of the band's influences. The songs are raw and fast, and an excellent hint at what was to come from the band.
The second release is the Southern Cross Ripper EP. This album represents the band's current sound. It features six songs that are much more polished, while losing none of the band's aggression and power. The band continues to grow. Hopefully we will see a full length at some point in the near future.

Weekly Recap Feb. 21-Feb. 27

This one will be short since there is little to no news this week.

My fiancee came down with a cold, or the flu, or something late this week. I am home today taking care of her. Poor baby.

I picked up the new High on Fire album earlier in the week, which I have already reviewed. Today I got a CD in the mail from a band called Rusty Eye who asked me to review their album. That review will be prepared by midweek.

That's it for the week.

3 Inches of Blood: Advance and Vanquish
Amon Amarth: The Crusher
Anacrusis: Manic Impressions
Ancient: The Halls of Eternity
Anvil: Forged in Fire
Apophis: Heliopolis
Arsis: Starve for the Devil
Atheist: Piece of Time
Behemoth: Pandemonic Incantations
Believer: Gabriel
Cannibal Corpse: Eaten Back to Life
Carnifex: Hell Chose Me
Cellador: Enter Deception
Celtic Frost: Monotheist
Dark Funeral: Attera Totus Sanctus
Dark Tranquillity: Damage Done
Dark Tranquillity: The Gallery
Dawn of Azazel: Vita Est Militia Super Terram
Destroyer 666: Unchain the Wolves
Dew-Scented: Issue VI
Dismember: Massive Killing CapacityDomine: Dragonlord (Tales of the Noble Steel)
Down: NOLA
Dying Fetus: War of Attrition
Enslaved: Ruun
Enslaved: Vertebrae
Gardenian: Sindustries
Grave: As Rapture Comes
Halford: Resurrection
Hammerfall: Threshold
Hecate Enthroned: Upon Promeathean Shores
Hell's Headbangers Compilation Vol. 2
High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine
Misery's Omen: Hope Dies
Misery's Omen: Misery's Omen
Nailbomb: Proud to Commit Commercial Suicide
Napalm Death: Fear, Emptiness, Despair
Orphaned Land: The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR
Portal: Outre'
Quinta Essentia: Archetypal Transformation
Revocation: Existence is Futile
Rotting Christ: Khronos 666
Rotting Christ: Sanctus Diavolos
Rotting Christ: Theogonia
Satanic Slaughter: The Early Years: Dawn of Darkness
Six Feet Under: Commandment
Skyfire: Spectral
Sonata Arctica: Silence
Testament: Souls of Black
The Crown: Crowned in Terror
Vader: Impressions in Blood
Vital Remains: Icons of Evil
Watchtower: Energetic Disassembly

Hell's Headbangers Compilation Vol. 2

HELL'S HEADBANGERS COMPILATION VOL. 2
This is a sampler CD from the label Hell's Headbangers, specializing in black, thrash, and death metal that is often infused with punk influences. This CD was given free when I placed a large order with the company. Many of the bands have more than one song. This was a good way to be exposed to more bands.

Evil Army:
Kicking things off with a militaristic snare drum cadence is the thrash metal band Evil Army who sound like a mix between Overkill, Dark Angel, and Exodus. They have two songs off of their EP. Their songs are short, fast, and violent, with just a trace of a punk edge to them. I would definitely pick up something by this band.

Gospel of the Horns:
I have discussed this band before. GotH is part of the "war metal" scene in Australia, providing lightning fast blackened thrash metal with vocals that sound like the singer just finished drinking a gallon of battery acid. I have two albums from this band already.

Destruktor:
Another band from the "war metal" scene, Destrukor sounds most similar to Destroyer 666. This song is off their split with Bestial Mockery. I have one album and an EP from this band and have discussed them before.

Profanatica:
This was a very early black metal band from the U.S. They are buried deep in the underground and only producing an EP and a couple of demos from their first go-round, but re-emerging 16 years later to bless (curse?) us with a full-length album. Their shows are extreme and their music is blasphemous. Their music is very simple and riff-based. Not bad, but I doubt I would check them out more.

Mutilated Messiah:
Similar name to Rotting Christ, but not very similar musically, Mutilated Messiah is an Irish death metal band with only an EP, a split, and an appearance on a tribute album to their name. The music is most similar to a very extreme Jungle Rot, which is saying something. If only they released something more substantive.

Nunslaughter:
The legendary Nunslaughter formed in the late 1980's and have been deeply underground since then. The band runs this record label in some capacity and releases a ton of stuff through it. Their music can best be described as punk-infused death metal. It's short and aggressive as all hell. A great band. I own one of their albums.

Havohej:
It's Jehovah spelled backwards. You can already tell this band is blasphemous. That they were formed by Paul Ledney after Profanatica first broke up tells even more. They would actually be okay if you could hear what the hell was going on in the music. Pass.

Grenade:
Yet another Aussie band, this one is not as affiliated with the "war metal" scene, mostly due to the lyrical subject matter. Musically, they seem to fit in with their style being more closely in line with death metal. I have their only full-length as they broke up soon after releasing it.

Church Bizarre:
For some reason, I was expecting doom metal here, maybe that's because of the similar name to Reverend Bizarre. What we have here is actually a black metal band in the vein of Absu, but with a bit more melody and deeper vocals. Seriously, this is some good shit. I don't know why I haven't picked this up yet. I have plans to make an order with HHB later this month, perhaps it's time to do so.

Victimizer:
The Danish thrash metal band was discussed earlier in my thrash metal bands of the world post. They play teutonic thrash metal similar to Sodom, Destruction, and Kreator. It's extremely fast and aggressive and is one hell of a good time. Excellent album too.

Witchtrap:
Witchtrap is a Colombian thrash/speed metal band. Their album was also reviewed in the same post as Victimizer's. Another great album, plus the first song here is called "Heavy Drinker". Ah, beer metal. We have Tankard to thank for that.

Evil Incarnate:
Evil Incarnate is a very extreme death metal band. Firmly rooted in the old school style, but harsh and aggressive, and very evil. Hence the name. They are similar in sound to Nunslaughter but noisier. This is a pretty good band that has been around for a long time. I may have to check them out further, one song on a compilation is not enough.

War Ripper:
War Ripper is a blackened thrash metal band that plays a very old school style. The sound quality is not good and the band has only released an EP at this point. We'll see what they do in the future.

Satanic Threat:
This is just terrible. The vocals are just yelled by what sounds like a 15 year old kid. The music is the same on both tracks, basically. Just bad. Pass.

Initial Impressions: High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine

High on Fire's roots go back a little ways. The band itself formed in 1998, but frontman Matt Pike has been at this game since the very early 1990's when he was in the extremely influential stoner doom metal band Sleep. Pike brings some of the stoner doom elements from his previous band and blends them with Bay Area thrash metal influences to create the sludgy thrash sound of High on Fire. Nowhere is that more obvious than on this album, which amps up the thrash metal influences considerably more than on prior albums.

Musically, all of the elements that have made the band so critically successful (at least in metal circles) have returned. The sludgy, thrash-inspired riifs, pounding drums, and Pike's gravelly vocals are all in good, working order. The songs are complex, and often a little long and tell stories of monsters and fantasy themes. High on Fire has been doing this for years now without any hiccups in the road. Until now.

This is a good album, but it suffers from one glaring problem that decreased the overall quality of the album. The sound is terrible. One thing that has made High on Fire such a formidable listen has been their beefy low-end of the sound: bass guitar and heavy drums. Somehow, the producer robbed the band of this important element to the band's sound. This makes the sound too high-pitched it does not have the same earth-moving feel as the prior albums. The sound is also too thin. High on Fire normally sounds like a lumbering monster, this album sounds more like one trying not to wake its victims tip-toeing through the house. It's still ugly-sounding, but not as powerful.

It's a shame, because this would have been a great album. High on Fire does not sound like any other band, only Lair of the Minotaur is really close, and that band is a little heavier on the thrash side of things than HoF. It is amazing how the wrong production can sink an album, but that's what happened here. Maybe it will grow on me in time, it's just so different from their last album. I hope it does.

Initial Impressions: Enslaved: Ruun

This album is often considered Enslaved's masterpiece from their progressive viking metal era. It is the culmination of what they had been building to for several years. Enslaved has become one of my favorite bands since I saw them in concert last spring and was thoroughly impressed.

The music retains the progressive elements that began to distinguish Enslaved from other Norwegian bands from the time period. It also remains rooted in black/viking metal for the most part, particularly where the vocals are concerned. This is one of the band's heavier albums from this stage in their career. It is also extremely melodic and powerful.

This is the album where everything came together for Enslaved. The progressive elements that had been becoming more and more prevalent over the years had materialized into a major area of the band's sound. Still, it featured enough of the old black metal aspects of the music to keep old time fans happy. This is quite possibly the band's masterpiece.

This album has a very well-deserved reputation in metal circles. It's not the most aggressive album, but it's not the most progressive either. The two sounds are in equal balance on this album. This is a terrific album by a very talented band.

Initial Impressions: Carnifex: Hell Chose Me

Yes, occasionally I still pick up an album by a band because the cover art is really cool. Yes, that's why I picked this up. It was also cheap and I had at least an idea of what to expect from this band. I knew they were a brutal death metal band, bordering on deathcore at some places. I knew that I had read a review which claimed a lot of their riffing style was based on melodic death. Sometimes, blindly purchasing an album based on the cover art works out really well. Unfortunately, this is not one of those blind buy surprise albums that will become a favorite in my collection.

The album is certainly brutal, there is no denying that. However, it is relentlessly brutal without any real variation. The riffs and pounding drums never stop or slow down, except for in the chugging breakdowns, which oddly mostly occur towards the end of the songs. The vocals are all deep throated growls, with the occasionally raspier shrieks. The guitar solos are decent, if very short-lived. Some of the riffing is somewhat reminiscent of melodic death, but without any change in tempo, it's often hard to pick up on.

Yes, there are quite a few breakdowns, which will probably cause people to label this a deathcore band. I'm not entirely convinced that's accurate, and if it is, then this is one of the better deathcore bands, with Through the Eyes of the Dead and others. But being a decent deathcore band still makes this a mostly mediocre death metal band.

This is not a terribly good album. It's okay for what it is and I certainly prefer it to groups liek Job for a Cowboy and Suicide Silence and others. However, unless you're a fan of deathcore, don't bother with this.

Initial Impressions: Anvil: Forged in Fire

Anvil has certainly made a name for themselves lately. Unfortunately, that's almost wholly the responsibility of the documentary in which they were featured. It's not as if music fans have rediscovered the band, or that their most recent releases were so good as to renew interest in the band. In fact, their albums are still somewhat difficult to find with only their most recent album being the exception. Even that one I have only seen at one Best Buy. No, their resurgence is completely based on that documentary which overexaggerates a little when it comes to the influence Anvil actually had. I have not seen the movie yet, but plan to, but I do not believe that Anvil's problems were just bad luck and bad management. Not all bands make it, not even the most talented. So where does Anvil fit?

This is the band's third full length album. Anvil plays a style of metal that is much more similar to NWOBHM and speed metal. The band sounds like a Canadian version of Judas Priest essentially. Anvil was one of the bands that had a strong influence on the development of the Canadian heavy metal scene in the 1980's.

Anvil does play fast, riff-oriented metal with an emphasis on catchy choruses and blistering guitar solos. The vocals do sound like a lower-registered Rob Halford without quite the same dramatic vocal acrobatics.

While this is a pretty decent album, I do not see what the fuss over this band is all about. There were lots of bands that sounded like this in the mid 1980's. Anvil were pretty good, sure, but they weren't so different and unique as to explain why, nearly twenty years later so much fuss is being made about them. I applaud the band for finally finding that success they have been looking for all these years without sacrificing their artistic vision, that success just seems as if it will be ultimately short-lived.

Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy vs. Revolver

http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/02/23/angela-gossow-slams-revolvers-hottest-chicks-in-metal/#more-30450

Ah Revolver, what hell have you unleashed now?

A little backstory. Revolver has this thing called the Hottest Chicks in Metal issue. It's been going for awhile now and usually features pictures of girls in metal bands in some state of undress or other. Well, a few years back, Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy appeared the issue. Then she decided she did not care for the image that portrayed and refused to be photographed again. She wanted to be judged based on her talent, not her appearance. Well Revolver kept running the same pictures of her in subsequent issues. Gossow called them on it and one of the editors said that if she did not want to be in that issue, then the magazine would stop covering Arch Enemy.

Seriously, what the fuck kind of attitude is that? I don't have a problem with the women who want to show a little skin. Obviously that's their choice to be viewed in that way. I also don't have a problem with the women who decide not to show skin, that's their choice. However, I think we have to respect their choices both ways. For a magazine to flat out tell someone they will not cover their band because they don't want to be objectified is flat out wrong. By trying to force Gossow into this issue and threatening her with no future coverage of the band just for this one stupid issue is beyond pathetic. It's extremely sexist and Gossow has a right to be outraged.

The fact of the matter is that this is a fucking music magazine. There is no Hottest Dudes in Metal issue. Revolved hit upon a way to make some easy money by showing these women in their magazine. But that doesn't mean it should be required of the women in metal to shed their clothes in order to sell Revolver's magazine. After all, the issue has little to nothing to do with the music. They may mention what band each person is from, but they don't discuss the band.

This whole debacle just proves my theory that Revolver is not a magazine for the metal underground. It's essentially pop fluff aimed at people who have no minds of their own. It's for those people who have barely escaped the MTV world of image-conscious pop music and latched onto Hot Topic. I like seeing half-naked women as much as the next red-blooded American male, hell I have posted pictures of metal women on this very blog, but you can't force someone to take it off. That's what Revolver apparently decided to do.

Initial Impressions: Orphaned Land: The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR

My fiancee gave me this album for Valentine's Day. Orphaned Land is a majestic and epic progressive metal band from Irael. They incorporate various Middle Eastern instruments and musical styles into their extremely beautiful metal sound. This is metal that is at once melodic and powerful, yet aggressive. Despite forming nearly twenty years ago, this is only the band's fourth full length album. It takes a lot of time and effort to create this music and it shows.

This is the band's second concept album. It tells the story of a warrior of light in the battle against darkness. The album is made up of three parts. It begins with the life of an orphan who eventually becomes a warrior. As with the previous album, the singer utilizes different vocal styles to represent the perspective of different characters. Using clean singing for the protagonist and a rough style for the evil forces.

The music is sweeping and powerful. There are frequent moments with string sections and others with a female vocalist to add to the beauty of the arrangements. This is still a metal band and there are metal riffs played with varying degrees of aggressiveness throughout the album. Just do not expect a death metal or black metal band here.

I was extremely impressed with the band's prior album and so when I heard that this album was coming out, I was very excited. After all, it had been five years since they released their last album (two since I first heard it). It was worth it. This is an early contender for Album of the Year for me. It's definitely my favorite of 2010 so far.

CD Universe is Confused

So I checked my email today and noticed one from CD Universe, a website similar to Amazon that I have used in the past to pick up CDs. It was entitled New Heavy Metal Music. So, I checked it out. Not a bad bunch of albums, several of which I already had (Charred Walls of the Damned, Orphaned Land, Overkill), and one I have been looking for (Heathen). However, there's a few odd choices in there. Rob Zombie was the featured artist, and while he has not been metal for quite some time (or ever really since he left White Zombie), it's at least a somewhat understandable choice. No, there were two other choices that left me scratching my head. First, Santana. Now I kind of like Santana's blend of Latin music driven by 1960's guitar rock, but it's not metal. Not really even close. Then there was the other album: Nick Jonas and the Administration. Nick Jonas. Of the Jonas Brothers. The Disney Jonas Brothers. I hate you CD Universe. Fuck you. Fuck you to hell.

Initial Impressions: Enslaved: Vertebrae

Enslaved was touring in support of this album when my fiancee and I saw them last spring. Enslaved had been pushing the boundaries of black metal for quite some time and over the last few albums, most of the black metal aspects of the music have disappeared. What has emerged is a very strong progressive extreme metal sound. Touring with Opeth was quite natural for the band. Both bands have basically abandoned their root sound in favor of progressive experimentation, and both bands have been very successful at it. Enslaved was one of the first bands to really embrace the viking metal sound. It is still evident to this day.

The music on this album sounds essentially like a cross between Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Opeth, and Norwegian black metal. The vocals are often delivered in a black metal style rasp, but there are often more cleanly sung vocals as well. There is a heavy use of keyboards as a backing instrument, but otherwise, the music is driven by very strong guitar riffs. The drums are thunderous and helped build each song into a powerful experience leaving the listener wanting more.

The songs themselves are somewhat long and winding, but never leave the listener feeling bored. There is a lot going on in any given Enslaved song. The band is one of the more talented bands in progressive metal. The songs do occasionally meander off into psychedelic territory featuring swirling keyboards and lengthy guitar solos, but the music remains very interesting and well-played.

It's difficult to determine which album is Enslaved's best. This album certainly makes a statement for consideration. It is melodic without losing any of the metallic intensity the band has built its career upon. While the band can not be considered a black metal band at this point, they have emerged as a very interesting and musically gifted band.

Initial Impressions: Arsis: Starve for the Devil

Arsis has been making waves over the last decade. The Virginia band plays a style of death metal featuring technical riffs and quite a bit of melodic touches as well. They have quickly become one of the better U.S. melodic death metal bands, without descending into the mainstream Gothenburg style.

This album finds the band honing their style and focusing on the melodic aspects of the music without sacrificing any of their technical abilities. The riffs remain as razor-sharp as ever and the guitar solos never cease to impress. The drumming is technical and powerful. The vocals are delivered in a deep growl, although they come close to venturing into black metal style territory at a few points.

One of the most underrated aspects of Arsis is vocalist James Malone's gift for dark poetic lyrics. Malone is a very good lyricist with a strong style and use of language.

Arsis has been going for about ten years now. They are not as brutal and technical as they were in the early days, but they have nevertheless been improving on each album. This album is further proof of their growth as a powerful American death metal band.

Blind Buy Surprise Album Pt. 1: Apophis: Heliopolis

This is the first part of a series on albums that I picked up as throw-ins to a larger purchase, picked up because the album cover was cool, or came across in some other way that have become personal favorites. These are albums I was not expecting much from but that have blown me away.

I bought this album along with four other albums off of an ebay seller. Each album cost a little more than $1.00. The other four bands were bands that I was at least somewhat familiar with: Dismember, Ancient, Domine, and Gardenian. I threw this one in just because of the extremely low cost. It became my favorite album of the group.

Apophis is a German death metal band with some heavy melodic touches. Essentially, they sound like Amon Amarth if the band was obsessed with Egyptian mythology, not Vikings. The band features some incredibly solid, melodic riffs grounded in death metal with frequent guitar solos. The vocals are very deep and growled. The production is murky, but not so bad that one cannot hear the music, it is just enough to sound dark.

I listen to this album fairly frequently and it never fails to grab my attention and get my blood pumping. This is how melodic death metal should sound. I picked up one of the band's other albums after this, and while featuring many of the same qualities as this, it does not leave quite as strong of an impression. This is a great, underrated album. And it should be able to be found cheap.