My Favorite Metal Band from Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is not exactly a hotbed of metal activity. The only Puerto Rican band I have heard much material from so far is Sacrilegio, and I have only heard their side of a split with Mexican band Blood Exile. Nevertheless, Sacrilegio is a pretty impressive band. The speed/thrash metal band shows strong influences from Bay Area thrash metal bands with their own spin. Sacrilegio is a relatively new band but is one to watch.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 30: Death

I am reposting this since Blogger went down. I did not have this saved anywhere so I am doing it from scratch.

Death is truly a revolutionary band. Largely cited as a pioneering band in the death metal scene, Death has remained hugely influential. Hell the entire genre was basically named after the band. Their debut album is still one of the best early examples in the death metal genre and has inspired tons of copycats. However, not content with simply founding an entire genre, Chuck Schuldiner pushed the boundaries of death metal with each new genre becoming more and more progressive until his untimely death. Despite this, Death has remained one of the greatest bands in the death metal genre.

FAVORITE ALBUM: SYMBOLIC

My Favorite Metal Band from Portugal

I am reposting this since Blogger went down. I did not have this saved anywhere so I am doing it from scratch.

Moonspell has been a band that I have been listening to since I first started getting into extreme metal. The band is another one that has made frequent changes to their sound, starting out as a black metal band and then incorporating more and more gothic metal influences until they took over the sound. Later Moonspell reincorporated black metal influences to end up with the healthy mix they have now. Moonspell has always retained their dark and dreary sound and the band's major defining characteristic has always been Fernando Ribeiro's soulful baritone.

Let the Countdown Begin

In exactly one month, I will be getting married to my wonderful fiancee. Looking forward to it.

Year in Metal: 2010

I have finally come to the final post in this series. Go here for the larger post. As usual, here are five more albums that I missed covering in that post.

DENOUNCEMENT PYRE: WORLD CREMATION
Denouncement Pyre was covered just a couple of days ago in an Initial Impressions post. The Australian band possesses a sound similar to other groups in the scene such as Abominator, Destroyer 666, and others. With good reason too as both of the current members and all of the band's previous members have been in a number of other Australian bands. That is one of the more interesting parts of that particular scene. This is a particularly brutal album, even for the scene.

GHOST: OPUS EPONYMOUS
Subject to a ton of hype in the latter couple of months of 2010, this album actually released in the U.S. early in 2011 but was released in Europe well before that. Ghost takes 1970's hard rock groups like Blue Oyster Cult and combines them with early doom metal for a surprisingly infectious sound. At this time, there is still no information out there about who the members of Ghost are or what the band is really trying to accomplish, but it is a fun ride.

GRAND MAGUS: HAMMER OF THE NORTH
I was just not able to get my hands on Grand Magus's 2010 release during the calendar year. That is a shame too because their 2008 album was my Album of the Year so I was definitely looking forward to this one. Grand Magus did not alter their approach too much. This is still a 1980's heavy metal-inspired album with some truly catchy tracks and the amazing vocals of JB. Grand Magus should be the next big thing in metal, but nothing ever seems to work out the way it should.

INQUISITION: OMINOUS DOCTRINES OF THE PERPETUAL MYSTICAL MACROCOSM
Inquisition has become known for long album and song titles, this one certainly takes first prize in that. What we have here is good old South American black metal. Inquisition's sound is rooted in second wave Norwegian black metal with sonic ties to groups like Immortal. This is true black metal at its best. Inquisition takes the black metal torch and runs with it here. Initial Impressions to come soon.

WITHERED: DUALITAS
This album could easily have been my Album of the Year if I had found it during the calendar year. That is how freaking good it is. I had missed out on this band for a long time but when I discovered how great this album was, I realized my mistake. Withered plays black/death metal but with some droning and post-metal qualities. All of that thrown together creates a harrowing and suffocating album that is cold and miserable. What a great album.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 29: Dawn of Azazel

Dawn of Azazel was just recently covered as my favorite metal band from New Zealand. As such, not much more to add.

FAVORITE ALBUM: THE LAW OF THE STRONG

My Favorite Metal Band from Poland

This country came down to two choices, both of which would have been worthy. The tiebreaker went to Behemoth over Vader simply because I have been able to hear much more of their catalog. Vader's stuff is sometimes hard to come by. Behemoth has always put out great albums, whether in their black metal early days, their blackened death crossover, or their more recent occult death metal material. Nergal has been recovering from leukemia in recent months and just recently made it back to the stage for the first time.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Besatt
Decapitated
Luna Ad Noctum
Vader

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 28: Darkthrone

Darkthrone has never ceased evolving. Beginning their existence as a death metal band in the late 1980's, the band started going in a different direction on their sophomore album. Their fourth album is an often imitated take on raw black metal. It was simple and direct with often only one heavily-repeated riff per song. Not content to lay the fundamental groundwork for which most of the oncoming black metal scene was based, Darkthrone started to look back toward their roots in punk and heavy metal. Through all this, Darkthrone has never lost their creative touch, continuing to put out good music even amongst all of the changes. Darkthrone member Fenriz currently acts as an ambassador for underground metal, yet another reason to like the band.

FAVORITE ALBUM: A BLAZE IN THE NORTHERN SKY

My Favorite Metal Band from the Phillipines

Like Peru yesterday, this is not a difficult choice as I only own one album from any band from the Phillipines. Oddly enough Deiphago possesses a lot of the same musical qualities as Anal Vomit from yesterday. Deiphago is a dirty-sounding, raw black/thrash metal band that sounds as if they are heavily influenced by the South American metal scene in the mid to late 1980's. I do not like Deiphago quite as much as Anal Vomit though due to the really poor production. The album sounds like kind of a sloppy mess. But I do suppose that was probably intentional to really capture the Sarcofago feel. Deiphago has relocated to Costa Rica as of 2004.

Initial Impressions: Denouncement Pyre: World Cremation

This album was listed as Metal Maniacs' Album of the Year for 2010. That coupled with the fact that Denouncement Pyre is a black/thrash/death metal band from Australia finally convinced me that I needed to check them out. After forming in 2003 and releasing a number of demos, EPs, and splits, this is the band's long-awaited full-length debut album.

Denouncement Pyre is the project of Decaylust from Hunters Moon and InVotan from Portal and Misery's Omen, more bands that I enjoy quite a bit. So yeah, this thing should be pretty much right up my alley. And of course it is.

Denouncement Pyre definitely has the sound of Aussie "war metal" down. This is dirty and sleazy blackened death that calls to mind Abominator, Bestial Warlust, and non-Aussie groups like Sarcofago and Blasphemy. It is brutal and dark and has some qualities of old school black metal and occult death metal woven in as well. There is also a hint of 1980's era grind boiling just beneath the surface.

The riffs are sinister and grind along throughout the album. It is clear that Decaylust cited a number of influences for his riffing style, including Deicide, Mayhem, and others. Decaylust roars out his vocals with a ferocious snarl and InVotan contributes with some amazingly dexterous drumwork. This is a bleak and hostile album. Just the way I like them.

The Australian "war metal" scene has stagnated in recent years with the dissolutions of Atomizer, Gospel of the Horns, and other groups. Denouncement Pyre breathes new life into the sound and this is one of the best such releases in some time.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 27: Dark Tranquillity

Dark Tranquillity was the first Swedish melodeath band I ever got into. They still rank as one of my favorites. Dark Tranquillity simply has a gift for writing catchy melodeath masterpieces. Every single album they have produced has been good. And while the band has changed their sound over the years, it has not been in the same slap-in-the-face decline in quality as some of their peers in Soilwork and In Flames. They have evolved into a different band without abandoning their roots. Their core sound can still be heard even in their most recent material. The driving force behind the band has been vocalist/guitarist Mikael Stanne, who still possesses a powerful death growl that he uses to great effect.

FAVORITE ALBUM: THE GALLERY

My Favorite Metal Band from Peru

Not a lot to choose from here. That's okay though as Anal Vomit is a pretty damn good band. Anal Vomit captures the sound and fury of the mid 1980's South American metal scene and brings that into the modern age. References like Sarcofago and Holocausto are obvious. Anal Vomit has kind of a terrible name and particularly so because they are not a pornogrind band. Which is good because I probably would never have checked them out otherwise.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 26: Dark Angel

U.S. thrash in the 1980's produced a lot of memorable bands. There were the Bay Area bands, East Coast bands, and even groups from the Los Angeles area. Dark Angel is a group from the latter area. Dark Angel made a name for themselves by writing some of the fastest riffs in the scene in the 1980's. The band also featured the inhuman drumming skills of the legendary Gene Hoglan. Dark Angel is one of the few 1980's thrash metal bands that has not reunited. Very unfortunate.

FAVORITE ALBUM: DARKNESS DESCENDS

My Favorite Metal Band from Norway

Admittedly, Norway was very difficult. I kind of knew it would be. As much as I like the black metal scene in Norway, I have never really considered what my favorite band from the scene would be. So when I finally set to it, I was not sure what the answer would be.

I guess I picked Immortal due mostly to the fact that they are more of a raw thrash metal band similar to the early black metal bands such as Bathory and Venom. Their fast riffs and dark atmosphere was truly unique from the other bands in the scene. All of their albums have been exceptional, as opposed again to some of the other bands from the scene. Immortal disappeared for awhile but came back strong in 2009. Quite simply, everything the band has done has been great.

NOTABLE SCENES: Second wave black metal, duh.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
1349
Blood Tsunami
Burzum
Darkthrone
Dimmu Borgir
Emperor
Enslaved
Gorgoroth
Ihsahn
Khold
Mayhem
Nocturnal Breed
Satyricon
Syrach
Tristania
Vreid

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 25: Danzig

Yes, Evil Elvis is here on this list. As one of the early metal bands that I first remember enjoying, Danzig has been a big part of my musical exploration. Of course this was around the time that the Thrall-Demonsweatlive EP was released and the live version of "Mother" was all over the TV and radio. Ah, memories. The full-length albums though are even better. Danzig has gone through some interesting musical changes over the years and have made some missteps. The band's first four albums though stand the test of time.

FAVORITE ALBUM: III-HOW THE GODS KILL

My Favorite Metal Band from New Zealand

Dawn of Azazel is one of my favorite bands. With their sound rooted in a similar style as Aussie bands like Abominator and Destroyer 666, Dawn of Azazel is a brutal and relentless riff machine. Their sound can probably best be described as an uneasy chaos. It's a combination of thrash, death, and black metal that is dark and destructive. Another interesting facet of Dawn of Azazel is vocalist Rigel Walshe's day job. He's a police constable.

HONORABLE MENTION:
Ulcerate

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 24: Cryptopsy

When I refer to Cryptopsy as one of my favorite metal bands, you must understand that I am speaking of a very specific timeframe. Cryptopsy has changed their sound quite a bit over the years. I only really like the early material with Lord Worm on vocals when the band was an early brutal death metal band. There was nothing quite like that Cryptopsy at the time. They took extremity and brutality to an entirely different level. That's the Cryptopsy that I listen to. I do not like any of their other material. I do occasionally listen to the reunion album with Lord Worm, but even that has a completely different feel to it.

FAVORITE ALBUM: NONE SO VILE

My Favorite Metal Band from the Netherlands

Yes, I am repeating another pick from the Top 100, but seriously what do you expect? The Netherlands proved to be a particularly fertile ground for death metal in the early 1990's. Vocalist Martin Van Drunen has been in a number of bands but really seemed to make his mark with Asphyx. His psychotic wailing fit the band's doomy and gloomy sound pretty well. Picking just one band was very difficult for this country because there are a lot of good bands and a lot of them sound pretty similar. Asphyx wins out because it is the best work Van Drunen has done to date.

NOTABLE SCENES: Death metal.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
God Dethroned
Hail of Bullets
Nox
Prostitute Disfigurement
Sinister
Thanatos

One and Done? Pt. 4: Sculpture: Sculpture

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

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

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

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

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 23: Cradle of Filth

Not everyone is going to like this choice. But I really do not care. This is my blog and I get to say what makes this list. So there. I have made my feelings about this band pretty well-known on here. I absolutely love the atmosphere Cradle of Filth creates, the gothic horror style of the music, and of course, Dani Filth's lyrics. Dani is one hell of a good lyricist, influenced by Poe, Lovecraft, Barker, and every other noteworthy horror writer. And of course Cradle of Filth has some damn catchy music. I thoroughly enjoy every single album I have heard from the band, which is almost all of them. They are something of a gateway into true black metal, but I was able to begin to appreciate them for what they really are. And that is a surprisingly catchy and original extreme gothic metal band.

FAVORITE ALBUM: DUSK AND HER EMBRACE