Initial Impressions: Helloween: 7 Sinners

Helloween is one of the pioneering bands in the power metal genre from Europe in the mid 1980's. Helloween started out very strong with their first three albums and then suffered through a long period of inconsistency. Their last couple of albums have shown a return to form though.

This is Helloween's fifteenth full-length album and the German power metal legends have proven they still can put out some great music. Current singer Andi Deris sounds a lot like original singer Kai Hansen, who went on to form Gamma Ray. His voice is a slightly snarled tenor with an incredible range.

Musically, Helloween carries on with the dual guitar attack they have utilized since their inception in the early 1980's. The music is typically fast, yet melodic, and features numerous guitar solos. The guitar riffs have a bit of a stronger, more aggressive bite to them on this album though. That is a welcome change and adds intensity to the music.

The album's second track is the anthemic "Are You Metal?", which will likely be a strong closer in concerts and should have the crowd pumping their fists. The rest of the songs feature many of the lyrical themes Helloween has frequently used, such as fantasy, humor, and politics.

On Helloween's last album, the band enjoyed a career resurgence. This looks like it will continue for some time, as this is possibly even stronger than Gambling with the Devil.

Initial Impressions: Kamelot: Poetry for the Poisoned

My fiancee gave me this CD and the most recent Helloween album for Christmas last week. Kamelot is a very good European-style power metal band from the United States. They are probably a little more on the poppy side of things, so there are not a whole lot of death metalheads out there that listen to this band. Many of their songs tend towards the emotional side of things, telling spellbinding, but nevertheless twisted love stories.

My fiancee though, really likes this group. We considered seeing them in concert last Fall in Chicago, but money was a little tight. The band has been gaining in popularity ever since releasing a masterpiece of an album in The Black Halo. I thought their most recent album was a bit of a step backwards though, so I was not sure how the band would do on this release.

This album shows a bit of a renewed emphasis on melodic guitar melodies and solos. Roy Khan's voice is still the lead focus throughout most of the album, but the improved musicianship and musicicality of the songs has improved on this album.

The album, like previous Kamelot albums, has a strong story-telling aspect to it. It's not clear if all of the songs are connected, but they certainly feel like it. Not many of the songs truly stand out, although they are all reasonably strong.

All in all, this is a solid album. Kamelot fans know what they will be getting, and there is something to be said for consistency. I enjoy Kamelot, so I enjoy this album, but non-fans will still not be impressed.

Coming Posts

Quick update for stuff to look for in the coming days.

1. My fiancee bought me the newest albums from Kamelot and Helloween for Christmas, so I'll have a couple of Initial Impressions posts.

2. I have my annual year in review post which will probably go up on Saturday.

3. Year in Metal post for 1998 is coming.

Things are still progressing with the beginning of the new law firm. I apologize that I have not been able to post as much, but I have not had as much time to listen to new stuff. With any luck, by the end of January things will be back to normal.

Year in Metal: 1997

I know I say this a lot lately, but I really do intend to get back to posting more regularly. Starting up a law firm is a bit more work than I thought. I still do not have office space at this time. Once that is taken care of, perhaps things will be a little easier.

DECEASED...: FEARLESS UNDEAD MACHINES
A concept album covering George A. Romero's zombie movies such as Night of the Living Dead and others, this album is all about zombies. On this album, Deceased... shed most of their death metal sound and went for a more thrash/heavy metal style. The vocals were still rough though. This is the band's masterpiece album, heavily melodic and powerful at the same time. Deceased... is one of the most underrated bands in American metal.

DESTROYER 666: UNCHAIN THE WOLVES
Australian blackened thrash metal masters Destroyer 666 released their first full-length album in 1997. This one is far closer to black metal than their more recent output, bearing a strong resemblance to acts like Blasphemy and Bestial Warlust. Tons of imitators sprang up after this album was released and the "war metal" scene was born.

EMPEROR: ANTHEMS TO THE WELKIN AT DUSK
One of the more popular Norwegian black metal albums ever, Emperor truly found their sound on this one. Featuring bombastic symphonic elements amidst the black metal riffing, Emperor truly came into their own here. Unfortunately, it was all downhill after this album. The only complaint I have about this album is that the vocals get a little buried, other than that, it's a great album.

GAMMA RAY: SOMEWHERE OUT IN SPACE
One of the better albums from the band that was formed by Kai Hanson after leaving Helloween. This is German power/speed metal at its best. Melodic and infectious, Gamma Ray put out a great album at the height of this scene. This album holds up very well next to the best albums from Blind Guardian, Helloween, Hammerfall and other European power/speed metal albums.

IN FLAMES: WHORACLE
The second In Flames album under Anders Friden was the first fully developed melodic death metal album by the band. In Flames had ditched most of the folk influences by this point and the result was a streamlined melodeath masterpiece. In Flames took over the throne as the top Gothenburg band with this album, but would lose it soon after to Dark Tranquillity.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: I had a hard time coming up with five albums. If I forgot something, I probably have not heard it enough.

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 1997: Akercocke, Finntroll.

Odd Career Turns: Samael

Lots of metal bands have had some bizarre changes in their sound over the years. Obviously there are groups like Metallica and Megadeth who began experimenting with a modern rock sound, but there are other less obvious bands as well.

The Swiss black metal band Samael formed sometime between the first and second waves of black metal. They began releasing full-length albums around the time Mayhem, Darkthrone, and others were beginning to be discovered. Samael's early albums were similar in sound to the Norwegian black metal sound and were generally well-received.

However, Samael was constantly evolving their sound. They were adding more and more industrial influences to their music. Potentially influenced by such acts as Nine Inch Nails or Ministry, the band's sound was morphing into something else entirely.

By the early 2000's Samael had fully emerged into an industrial metal band. But yet, they did it reasonably well. Their industrial albums were well-regarded as well. Obviously not by many of the same people who love their early black metal output, but Samael gained new fans and did not completely embarrass themselves by trying a new style.

Then, Samael released Above in 2009 and faster than they changed into an industrial metal band, they were back to being a black metal band.

I happen to enjoy both incarnations of Samael. But not many bands can claim they got in when black metal was big, changed to industrial metal, and then back to black metal, all without missing a beat.

Initial Impressions: Hail of Bullets: On Divine Winds

The death metal supergroup is back with its second full-length album. This time, Hail of Bullets retains their focus on World War II, but switches theaters to the Pacific. Martin Van Drunen, he of the inhuman yowling death metal vocals, returns to the mic along with Ed Warby of Gorefest, Theo Van Eekelen of Houwitzer, and Paul Baayens and Stephan Gebedi of Thanatos. The band once again follows closely the sound of Asphyx, Van Drunen's other band, in crafting amazing death metal masterpieces with touches of doom.

The album pretty much sounds like the last one. Which is not a problem at all for me, because it made my Top 10 the year it was released. I am not sure whether this one will make my Top 10 as I have not started putting it together yet, but there is definitely something to be said for rock-solid death metal.

The album definitely feels like the soundtrack to warfare, with the riffs having a steely, cannon fire atmosphere. The whole thing sounds mechanical and hostile. It is a malevolent, powerful force. Van Drunen's vocals simply add to the chaotic atmosphere.

This is a very strong album. Hail of Bullets is rising to the ranks as one of the top metal supergroups out there. I have only heard it once so far, but I am very impressed.

Initial Impressions: Limbonic Art: Phantasmagoria

I picked this one up last night while doing some Christmas shopping. I had heard of Limbonic Art before but never really heard them. I will be honest, the cover art really drew me in.

Limbonic Art is a symphonic black metal band, but unlike Dimmu Borgir's recent output, they are still focused on the black metal side of their sound. The band is made up of one member this time around, Daemon kicked out former member Morfeus in order to focus on creating this album, which is epic and malevolent.

Black metal riffs are often combined with Wagnerian symphonic sounds on this release. Some sections slow way down and the symphonic parts take over. But there are seldomly any parts where the black metal influences are not obvious.

This album is rich, dynamic and multi-layered. It has an absolutely massive sound. This album is what Dimmu Borgir has failed to put out this year. It is a great example of symphonic black metal.

Year in Metal: 1996

AMORPHIS: ELEGY
The Finnish band released this album, my personal favorite Amorphis album and the best combination of death metal and folk influences they have released in 1996. Featuring an amazing range of vocal dynamics, humppa-influenced riffing in spots, and some terrific solos, this is a great album. It also includes some of Amorphis's strongest songs to date.

CRISIS: DEATHSHED EXTERMINATION
It's not so much the music that makes this album so memorable. It's the manic vocal style of frontwoman Karyn Crisis. The music is fairly simple post-thrash/groove metal, but the vocals make this an over-the-top, frantic listening experience. Karyn Crisis can go from a whisper to a death growl to a high-pitched shriek all in the same vocal line. And she does this, frequently. Her tortured vocals definitely carry this album, which would be forgotten quickly otherwise.

CRYPTOPSY: NONE SO VILE
Cryptopsy took the Suffocation sound and made it even more brutal. Not an easy task, but one in which Cryptopsy excelled at. They continued to push the boundaries of brutality in this landmark album. Forget the recent Cryptopsy releases, this is the one to pick up. It is unmatched in power and will leave your ears bleeding. The lyrics are actually fairly impressive as Lord Worm is an English teacher for his real life career, but you can't tell from the vocal style.

EDGE OF SANITY: CRIMSON
A unique album, in that there is only one song on the entire album. The song "Crimson" is a 40 minute masterpiece divided into several movements and telling the story of the end of humanity in the distant future. Edge of Sanity was a Swedish death metal/avant garde project of the great Dan Swano, who performed most of the music and supplied the vocals. With just one song, one would think it would start to drag or people would lose interest, however Swano does a magnificent job at keeping the attention of the listener. This is an incredible musical experience.

EYEHATEGOD: DOPESICK
An early example of sludge metal. The hardcore and doom metal roots of the genre are clearly evident in this album. I did not care much for it at first, the vocals are very extreme and difficult to get used to, but this is an incredible album once it sinks in. Eyehategod are masters of making their bleak worldview known to the listener.

Honorable Mentions: Behemoth: Grom, Cannibal Corpse: Vile, Cradle of Filth: Darkness and Her Embrace, Dimmu Borgir: Stormblast, In Flames: The Jester Race, Opeth: Morningrise, Sepultura: Roots.

Bands that formed in 1996: Arch Enemy, Decapitated, God Forbid, Gojira, Hibria, Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, The Haunted, Within Temptation.

Initial Impressions: God Dethroned: Bloody Blasphemy

Well, I'm finally back full-time. My law office is coming around and I decided to buy a CD this week.

God Dethroned was one of the bands that I saw in concert with my fiancee last spring. They kind of sound like a more melodic version of recent Behemoth. It's definitely blackened death metal, with some thrash influences and plenty of melody. This is one of the band's earlier albums, having been released in 1999.

Still, the band's sound has not changed all that much. The songs are straightforward, no-nonsense blackened death. Lots of power and speed and some occasional melodies. Vocalist Henri Sattler has one of the better voices in this type of metal, very distinctive and powerful.

There are some clean vocals thrown in occasionally, including female vocals, that help to add to the melody.

God Dethroned has a new album coming out soon, and if it is anything like this one or their most recent, the only two God Dethroned albums I have heard to this point, then I am definitely there.

Initial Impressions: Brutal Truth Flexi-Disc

Yesterday, I received my latest issue of Decibel in the mail and there was a surprise: a free flexi-disc featuring two songs off of Brutal Truth's latest album. I was not totally familiar with the band. I have heard of them of course, but since grindcore is not really my thing, outside of a few exceptions, I had never really heard them.

Well, I am definitely impressed with the band's sound. They're loud, brutal, and fast. Of course all of that could be expected, they are a grindcore band after all. There is enough metal influences here to keep me interested though. The band sounds like more recent Napalm Death, a group that I have grown to really enjoy.

This is just a small sample of the band's material, and I have to say that it has piqued my interest enough to seek out more of the band's stuff. I will have to start with the new album. Thanks Decibel.

What I've Been Listening To

I have not been keeping very good track of things during my hiatus from posting on this blog. But, here's a rough idea of some of the stuff I have been listening to:

Unleashed
Amon Amarth
Deceased...
Darkthrone
Lightning Swords of Death
Vomit Remnants
Razor of Occam
Brain Drill
Woe of Tyrants

I was on a big Deceased... kick last week and listened to all of my albums by them, and I do have quite a few. I have not bought anything new in a long time. Most of my money has been going to trying to get my law firm off the ground. I do have four criminal court appointments going right now. I think the most challenging part of this will be trying to get clients. Advertising is a must.

I do want to thank the individuals who commented for their support as well as my fiancee for hers. I will probably be writing reviews here shortly. As I mentioned I do not have any new albums, although there are quite a few that I want. Lots of good stuff has been coming out. My wantlist includes the new albums (and some older ones) from the following:

Cradle of Filth (bit of a guilty pleasure, but they're better than Dimmu Borgir these days)
The Crown
Sacrifice
Heathen
Forbidden
Atheist
Hail of Bullets
Sodom
Grand Magus
Kamelot
Vektor
Voivod
Fleshgod Apocalypse

Update 2

I have made the decision to start up my own firm. I will keep you all up to date. Next week, I intend to get back to posting regularly. Thank you for your patience.

Update

As of today I am unemployed. I am not going to go into reasons or what happened. I have some time to get things figured out. My fiancee is being incredibly supportive and I want to publicly thank her for that. Once again, I ask you to stay with me, I will get back to posting regularly soon. Thank you.

Weekly Recap: 10/31-11/6

Well last Sunday was Halloween. My fiancee decided this year to dress up the rabbit, a checkered giant named Genghis. She decided to dress him as a dragon this year. We just kind of hung around the house for the holiday and carved pumpkins.

My trial date has been set for November 16. I will not be quite as active until that trial is over. It's kind of a stressful one.

I did finally get the new Melechesh album on Friday, and already posted my impressions on it.

Amon Amarth: Once Sent from the Golden Hall
At the Gates: Slaughter of the Soul
At the Gates: The Red in the Sky is Ours
Blind Guardian: Imaginations from the Other Side
Cathedral: Carnival Bizarre
Cauldron: Chained to the Nite
Cradle of Filth: Cruelty and the Beast
Cradle of Filth: Middian
Dark Funeral: Attera Totus Sanctus
Dark Funeral: Secrets of the Black Arts
Dark Tranquillity: The Gallery
Death: Symbolic
Drawn and Quartered: Merciless Hammer of Lucifer
Emperor: In the Nightside Eclipse
God Dethroned: Passiondale
Immolation: Dawn of Possession
Immolation: Failures for Gods
Immolation: Majesty and Decay
Immolation: Shadows in the Light
Incantation: Diabolical Possession
Incantation: Onward to Golgotha
King Diamond: "Them"
Lion's Share: Dark Hours
Melechesh: Sphynx
Melechesh: The Epigenesis
My Dying Bride: For Lies I Sire
My Dying Bride: The Angel and the Dark River
Necrodeath: Into the Macabre
Panzerchrist: Soul Collector
Satyricon: Dark Medieval Times
Unleashed: As Yggdrasil Trembles
Unleashed: Hammer Battalion

Initial Impressions: Melechesh: The Epigenesis

I was at a Continuing Legal Education seminar in Omaha yesterday, just six blocks away from Homer's, so you know I had to run over there. It's been several weeks since I bought anything new, and I had a list 18 CDs long that I wanted to find. Well, apparently Homer's is scaling down their selection, I only found one CD there from my list. But man, is it a good one.

Melechesh has been one of my favorite bands ever since I discovered Emissaries a few years ago. This is also the band's first album since that one released. Melechesh's sound, a blend of thrash and black metal, with Middle Eastern rhythms and melodies, is truly original and sounds amazing. Their vocalist Ashmedi is very strong and their songwriting skills are top notch. These strengths are evident in full force once more on this album.

This album sounds a little bit more polished than prior releases. Perhaps this is due to the band's increasing visibility on the international metal scene. It's also a little less chaotic than past albums. Neither of these two things really detract at all from this album as Melechesh again puts out a fantastic album. I do not like it quite as much as their last album, at least initially, but it could easily grow on me. I have only heard it once so far.

Year in Metal: 1995

As I mentioned earlier, for the next few weeks, posts will be less frequent. Please bear with me. I have a major trial coming up soon that I am spending the majority of my time preparing for.

AT THE GATES: SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL
Who's honestly surprised to see this one here? This was a massively imfluential album for the melodeath genre and is the album most people think of when they think of that style. Oddly At the Gates streamlined their sound quite a bit. Their earlier material sounds little like this one. The album is hard-hitting, aggressive, and fast. For good reason, it is an absolute classic. Unfortunately, At the Gates broke up afterwards.

BLIND GUARDIAN: IMAGINATIONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE
This is probably my favorite Blind Guardian album. It is still reasonably aggressive, for Blind Guardian anyway, with an excellent sense of melody. The German power metal has never sounded as good as they do on this release. It is a darker sound than some of their earlier albums, which adds to the mystique of this release. Blind Guardian would become overly complicated on later releases, this was the last album where they were wholly concentrated on putting out quality songs.

DARK TRANQUILLITY: THE GALLERY
I am a huge Dark Tranquillity fan, and this is their finest album. This was before the band became too reliant on electronic elements and their last that was pure Swedish melodic death metal, plain and simple. Along with the above At the Gates album, this is one of the hallmarks of the Gothenburg style of melodic death, with dual leads and gruff vocals driving the music. The reissue is a must as it has the band covering tracks from Metallica, Iron Maiden, Kreator, Mercyful Fate, and Sacred Reich.

DEATH: SYMBOLIC
This is probably my favorite album by Death, as it combines the band's earlier death metal sound with the more progressive sound exhibited by the band's final album. Chuck Schuldiner's vocals are different, higher and more melodic, than they were on the band's earlier material. The razor-sharp riffs remain and Schuldiner's keen sense of songwriting is definitely still present. Some of these songs, such as "Crystal Mountain" are absolute classics.

PARADISE LOST: DRACONIAN TIMES
I had a hard time between this album and My Dying Bride's 1995 release, but I ultimately chose Paradise Lost because it was an early favorite album. This was one of my formative albums. Paradise Lost's sound was in a state of flux at this point, they were not really playing doom metal or gothic metal, but more of a traditional metal with gothic and doom influences. I have loved this album ever since I first heard it. The dynamics are incredible and the riffs are amazing. The vocals are incredibly powerful as well. This is just a great album, and an overlooked classic.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Alice in Chains: Alice in Chains, Cathedral: The Carnival Bizarre, Faith No More: King for a Day...Fool for a Lifetime, Fear Factory: Demanufacture, Immortal: Battles in the North, King Diamond: The Spider's Lullabye, Moonspell: Wolfheart, My Dying Bride: The Angel and the Dark River, Opeth: Orchid, Trouble: Plastic Green Head, White Zombie: Astro Creep: 2000.

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 1995: Borknagar, Ensiferum, Shadows Fall, Xasthur.

Weekly Recap: 10/24-10/30

I'm getting ready for a couple of trials in November, which is why my posting has not been as frequent lately. Hopefully, things will pick back up once these are out of the way. My fiancee and I went back to our home town for the weekend. I took her to the pumpkin patch on Saturday as one of our Halloween rituals. My dad and I went to the Nebraska football game on Saturday. Other than that, not much to report.

Abigail Williams: Legend
Acid Bath: When the Kite Strong Pops
Benediction: Killing Music
Blind Guardian: At the Edge of Time
Coldworker: Rotting Paradise
Corrosion of Conformity: Deliverance
Cradle of Filth: Bitter Suites to Succubi
Cradle of Filth: Cruelty and the Beast
Cradle of Filth: Dusk and Her Embrace
Cradle of Filth: Lovecraft and Witch Hearts
Cradle of Filth: Nymphetamine
Cradle of Filth: Thornography
Darkane: Insanity
Enslaved: Axioma Ethica Odini
Exodus: Fabulous Disaster
Hammerfall: Threshold
In Flames: Lunar Strain
Kataklysm: Heaven's Venom
Mantic Ritual: Executioner
Mayhem: De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Metal Church: This Present Wasteland
Pro-Pain: Foul Taste of Freedom
Seance: Awakening of the Gods
Testament: Low
The Absence: Enemy Unbound
Tribulation: The Horror
Voivod: Negatron
Voivod: Nothingface
Wastelander: Wardrive
Wolfpack Unleashed: Anthems of Resistance

Halloween Playlist

I am heading to my hometown for the weekend, so this is the last post before Halloween. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, and being that heavy metal can sound pretty spooky, it's the right season for the music. So here's what I am listening to this weekend:

Cradle of Filth
King Diamond
Mercyful Fate
Incantation

I know Cradle of Filth is not a particularly well-respected band amongst the true metalheads out there, but I find this particular season particularly appropriate for listening to them. The band blends gothic metal, thrash metal, and black metal and mixes that with a very dark atmosphere. Lyrically, Cradle of Filth covers morbid sexuality, supernatural events, and basic gothic horror. Dani Filth is a hell of a lyricist and possesses a vocal style all his own. I have been listening to all of the band's albums.

King Diamond and Mercyful Fate really need no introduction and I have covered them both extensively in the past.

I will also be listening to Incantation's Onward to Golgotha, a favorite album of mine that I have just not had an opportunity to hear for some time. The grimy riffs and spellbinding songs are just the kind of thing I am looking for this season. Excellent New York death metal.

Year in Metal: 1994

1994 was an important year for me in metal. Not because of the albums that were released, but rather that this was the year I started listening to metal.

ACID BATH: WHEN THE KITE STRING POPS
Acid Bath was an early pioneer in the sludge metal sound. Featuring members who would later comprise groups like Crowbar and Goatwhore, Acid Bath was ahead of its time. The band blended sounds from doom metal, hardcore, blues rock, black metal, death metal, and virtually anything else. This is a fantastic album with extremely strong dynamics and range. The band only released two full length albums, of which this is the debut.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY: DELIVERANCE
Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C. from now on) has had many different sounds over the years. Beginning as a hardcore band and slowly incorporating more and more thrash and metal influences, the band changed a lot. This was a complete change however, with the band adding classic rock and southern influences into their more traditional metal sound. The band was one of the leaders in the New Orleans sound along with Crowbar and Eyehategod, and of course, the above Acid Bath.

IN FLAMES: LUNAR STRAIN
Here we go, the first sign of the Swedish melodeath scene in this series. This was In Flames's first album and at this time, they had a very different sound than what they have now. This was pure melodic death metal with occasional folksy interludes, such as a soft string section. The band was also different in that Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity fame was the band's lead vocalist instead of Anders Frieden, who was fronting Dark Tranquillity at this time. Weird.

MAYHEM: DE MYSTERIIS DOM SATHANAS
Mayhem's masterpiece is a dark and brooding album, perfect for this season. This album features Attila Csihar on vocals and his performance can best be described as manic and frightening. The album was the last to have guitarist Euronymous and bassist Varg Vikernes prior to Varg murdering Euronymous. For that reason alone, this album is far more infamous than it is famous. The music though is one of the best examples of the Norwegian black metal scene.

TESTAMENT: LOW
I kept wanting to get Testament on one of these things. Well the time has finally come. Testament was never really an elite thrash metal band, until this album, when they combined elements of groove and death metal with their thrash metal and Chuck Billy started growling far more often. This is when the band truly came into their own. This is a heavy and brutal album, far moreso than anything the band put out before it. This is the band's best album to this point, and it's not even really close.

Honorable Mentions: Black Sabbath: Cross Purposes, Cannibal Corpse: The Bleeding, Cryptopsy: Blasphemy Made Flesh, Dream Theater: Awake, Emperor: In the Nightside Eclipse, King's X: Dogman, Machine Head: Burn My Eyes, Megadeth: Youthanasia, Pantera: Far Beyond Driven, Queensryche: Promised Land.

Bands that formed in 1994: Abscess, Destroyer 666, Lacuna Coil, Six Feet Under, Strapping Young Lad, Symphony X.

Compilations: Metal Maniacs November 2008

God, I've slowed down on posting here lately. Well, let's get another compilation thingie out of the way quickly. Hopefully it won't be too painful.

GUILLOTINE: "INTENSE OPPRESSION"
Guillotine is a fantastic Swedish thrash metal band. I already own this CD and it fucking slays, so yes, I absolutely recommend this. Go get it.

DRAGONSLAYER: "THE SLAYER"
Someone's looking at a lawsuit. Not really. Apparently this is a NWOBHM band whose album was reissued in 2008. It's pretty decent. I wonder how many of these bands slipped through the cracks. It's like discovering fossils.

SCALERA: "GET OUT ALIVE"
Lots of drums, way too high in the mix. It's hard to hear what else is going on, which is a shame because this sounds like reasonably decent death metal on the opening riff, until the clean singing part. Spoke too soon. That killed it, now it's basically metalcore. Next.

MENDACITY: "AWAY"
More metalcore, and some progressive noodling. Yikes, this is starting to scare me.

KRISIUN: "COMBUSTION INFERNO"
This is the Editor's Pick. This band of three brothers from Brazil picks up where countrymen Sepultura left off. Absolutely fucking brutal, pounding intensity. Great band. I own this album too.

WRETCHED: "ABORNING"
Pretty decent melodeath/thrash. I enjoy this. I had a bad feeling based on the song name, a word I don't understand. But the music is quite good.

THREAT LEVEL: "STAND YOUR GROUND"
Completely unoriginal. It's okay musically, but offers absolutely nothing new.

BOWELS OUT: "A CHAINSAW AUTOPSY"
Ugh. Mental picture is disgusting. Who guessed death metal? Well, duh. It's pretty grimy stuff. I like it pretty well.

MAGNUS: "DREAMS"
I was expecting possibly some sort of doom metal here. Instead we got some metal/hardcore hybrid. Huh, guess you can't judge a band by it's name all the time.

ENTHRALLER: "OF THE SUN"
What a terrible band name. Sounds like a glam rock band trying to come up with something to thrill the ladies and Exciter was taken, albeit by a great band. And then the music is as far removed from glam as possible. It's death/grind. Why the stupid name?

COFFIN BIRTH: "SPIDERS OF INSOMNIA"
Let's play the name game. How about "Grasshoppers of Influenza", "Caterpillars of Irritable Bowel Syndrome", "Ants of Mononucleosis", "Earwigs of Catatonia", "Boll Weevils of Juvenile Diabetes", "Stinkbugs of Dementia", or "Aphids of Stockholm Syndrome"? Musically, it's pretty good though.

APOCALYPTIC VISIONS: "MOVE AND APPEAR"
I really like this band's sound. Lots of technicality and some damn impressive guitar work. This is pretty decent. This band could have a future.

ARABYSS: "ETERNAL SILENCE"
The compilation ends on another strong note. This is symphonic metal tinged with death metal elements and yes, some metalcore, but it works. A great song and a great ending for this thing.

Not Metal Post: My Fiancee's Ipod

So, I bought my fiancee an Ipod (or however the hell it is best written) for the first Christmas we were together. It has quickly become the bane of my existence. She has, shall we say, eclectic musical taste. We were having a discussion recently about songs to clear the reception hall and I pointed out to her that many of the songs on her Ipod are objectively terrible and just as likely to clear the reception hall as Cannibal Corpse's "I Cum Blood". So, here's a list of some of the crap on her Ipod that will also chase away people:

"Barbie Girl", yes the Aqua song. It's amazingly dirty actually.
"My First Kiss"
"We Like to Party"
Some song with instructions on doing a stupid dance that I can't even name but I point out every time it comes on that it's not actually a song but instructions set to a keyboard rhythm.

This will probably be an ongoing list as I think of things. My brain isn't working this morning.

Weekly Recap: Oct. 17-Oct. 23

Last week was incredibly slow. Long week at work. Oh well, it's given me a chance to try to prepare for a couple of potential trials next month. Not much to say otherwise. My fiancee has been working evenings and getting home late, which kind of sucks. Not a ton going on in metal. Looking forward to the new Melechesh album. Hopefully Hastings will carry it. Not holding my breath though.

Amon Amarth: Once Sent from the Golden Hall
Artillery: Through the Years
Bathory: Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Believer: Gabriel
Bonded by Blood: Exiled to Earth
Brain Drill: Quantum Catastrophe
Brown Jenkins: Death Obsession
Carcass: Heartwork
Celtic Frost: Into the Pandemonium
Celtic Frost: Monotheist
Celtic Frost: To Mega Therion
Cephalotripsy: Uterovaginal Insertion of Extirpated Anomalies
Cynic: Focus
Danzig: Deth Red Sabaoth
Dark Fortress: Ylem
Dark Tranquillity: Fiction
Dark Tranquillity: We are the Void
Decrepit Birth: Polarity
Dying Fetus: Killing on Adrenaline
Enforcer: Diamonds
Enslaved: Axioma Ethica Odinihttp://by137w.bay137.mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
Entorturement: Descend Into Deprivation
Ex Deo: Romulus
Exodus: Fabulous Disaster
Fatal Embrace: The Empires of Inhumanity
Havok: Burn
Heathen: Breaking the Silence
Heathen: Victims of Deception
Hellhammer: Demon Entrails
Immortal: Pure Holocaust
Iron Maiden: The Final Frontier
Kataklysm: Heaven's Venom
Kataklysm: Prevail
Kataklysm: Shadows and Dust
Krisiun: Southern Storm
Lecherous Nocturne: Adoration of the Blade
Mastodon: Leviathan
Merciless Death: Realm of Terror
Morbid Angel: Covenant
Old Man's Child: Slaves of the World
Paradise Lost: Icon
Pathology: Legacy of the Ancients
Pyrexia: Sermon of Mockery
Sinister: Diabolical Summoning
Teitanblood: Seven Challices
The Absence: Enemy Unbound
Toxic Holocaust: An Overdose of Death...
Toxic Holocaust: Hell on Earth
Triptykon: Eparistera Daimones
Vorkuta: Into the Chasms of Lunacy
Warbeast: Krush the Enemy
Watain: Lawless Darkness
Witchery: Witchkrieg
Xenomorph: Empyreal Regimes

Random Thoughts: Songs to Clear Out the Reception Hall

This one's for you honey.

Here are some songs that will drive everyone away from the reception.

Cannibal Corpse: "Necropedophile"
Cannibal Corpse: "I Cum Blood"
Cannibal Corpse: "A Skull Full of Maggots"
Cannibal Corpse: "Entrails Ripped from a Virgin's Cunt"
Crytopsy: "Slit Your Guts"
Obituary: "Chopped in Half"
Cradle of Filth: "Gilded Cunt"
Mayhem: "Chainsaw Gutsfuck"
Type O Negative: "Christian Woman"
Bathory: "Satan My Master"
Dimmu Borgir: "The Devil's Path"
Slayer: "Raining Blood" (would make an excellent opening theme though)
Slayer: "Dead Skin Mask"
Morbid Angel: "God of Emptiness"
Suffocation: "Bind Torture Kill"

And that is just a small sampling. I could have made this post extremely long.

Year in Metal: 1993

CARCASS: HEARTWORK
Carcass is revered for being a pioneer in the grindcore genre. However, in their later years the band put out one of the all-time great death metal albums, Necroticism-Descanting the Insalubrious. Still later though, Carcass had a major hand in the formation of melodeath with this amazing album. Featuring cover art from H.R. Giger and some absolutely sick riffs and melodies, this is a great album without which we would not have had melodeath. At least the good stuff anyway.

CYNIC: FOCUS
Along with Atheist, Cynic is responsible for bringing jazz and fusion influences into death metal. Sounds like something doomed to failure, but it surprisingly works quite well. The songs often run the gamut between death metal and more ethereal, serene soundscapes. The vocoder vocals can be a little irritating at times, but it's nothing to stop listening for. Cynic did not release much after this, going on hiatus until just recently releasing their second full-length album.

IMMORTAL: PURE HOLOCAUST
One of the more well-known bands in the Norwegian black metal scene, Immortal is also probably my favorite of the groups. Immortal knows their sound and largely sticks to it, and their sound is chaotic and unholy thrash riffs played with ungodly speed and shrieking vocals. Immortal has created their own world on this album. They may be a little cheesy-looking in pictures and videos, but there is nothing cheesy about this music. Excellent black metal.

MORBID ANGEL: COVENANT
The first time I have ever heard of Morbid Angel was when the video for "God of Emptiness" was on Beavis and Butthead. I thought to myself that I had to get that album. The music was so evil and unlike anything I had ever heard to that point. Well, I was not able to find the album until I really started looking within the last few years. Now, this is one of my favorite death metal albums ever. Terrific death metal that other bands have been trying to copy for years.

PARADISE LOST: ICON
You won't see a lot of gothic metal in these lists, but there will be some. Paradise Lost is probably my favorite such group next to Type O Negative. The English band helped usher in the death/doom genre with Cathedral, My Dying Bride, and Anathema, but they became more of a gothic metal band over time. This album represents the crossroads between the two sounds and the doom elements and gothic elements blend perfectly into a beautiful, but still aggressive album.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Anthrax: Sound of White Noise, Atheist: Elements, Crowbar: Crowbar, Darkthrone: Under a Funeral Moon, Death: Individual Thought Patterns, Entombed: Wolverine Blues, Fight: War of Words, My Dying Bride: Turn Loose the Swans, Overkill: I Hear Black, Satyricon: Dark Medieval Times, Sepultura: Chaos A.D., Type O Negative: Bloody Kisses.

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 1993: Children of Bodom, Dark Funeral, Diabolical Masquerade, Dimmu Borgir, Electric Wizard, Hammerfall, Melechesh, Nile, Symphony X.

Initial Impressions: Enslaved: Axioma Ethica Odini

Wow. Enslaved has outdone themselves on this album. I became a big fan of the band after seeing them in concert awhile back. I have enjoyed all of the albums I have heard from the band so far, but I do think this one blows even those albums out of the water.

The opening track is certainly the strongest, featuring an opening riff that is the closest thing to pure black metal that Enslaved has released in some time. The song does not continue in that vein, instead it becomes more interesting, and the band's prog influences are clearly felt throughout.

The opening track is just a brief microcosm of the overall album. This album features numerous black metal parts which blend into numerous progressive parts. The vocals run the gamut between crooning tenor and harsh blackened rasp. Indeed, Enslaved has shown more willingness to incorporate clean vocals into the mix a little more often this time around. These clean points are often peppered with the black metal vocals.

The riffs are overall impressive. Enslaved does not really sound much like a black metal band at this point, but there is nothing wrong with that. Their sound has matured and has come into its own this time out. The band has fully realized the potential of the experimentation they have conducted on other recent albums. This sound is fully fleshed-out and complete this time. This is the album they have been hinting towards for years.

Initial Impressions: The Absence: Enemy Unbound

The Absence is an American band that sounds like they come from Sweden. By that, I mean they are a melodic death metal band. However, they prefer the sounds of the early days of the subgenre. This is no In Flames or Soilwork ripoff band, The Absence goes for the more straightahead crunch of At the Gates. Unlike most American bands aping that style though, The Absence features no core influences. It's just hostile melodeath.

I picked this album up recently after loving their last album. It seems like a long time has passed since that album was released, but the wait was worth it. The Absence actually sounds a little better this time around. In my opinion anyway. Decibel did not care much for it, but I find myself seeing eye to eye with Decibel with far less frequency these days. So, that doesn't bother me.

The Absence has tightened up musically this time around. There is more precision to the riffing style and the guitar solos are sharper and more melodic. The Absence has also increased their thrash influences evident in their music. The band has continued to grow as musicians. This is an extremely overlooked band. I will be interested to hear where The Absence goes from here. This is currently the band's highpoint. The Absence is not for everyone, but if you like good melodeath, they are highly recommended.

Initial Impressions: Exodus: Fabulous Disaster

I kind of stumbled upon this rare find at Hastings recently. I was looking for some of the newer releases by groups like The Absence, Malevolent Creation, Kamelot, and others, but when I saw this, I knew I had to have it. An album by a great thrash metal band at their height? Absolutely. Plus, I have always loved "The Toxic Waltz".

This album is not quite as good as Bonded by Blood, and it does feature Zetro on vocals instead of Paul Baloff. But, Zetro's voice does fit in well with what the band is doing. Particularly on the aforementioned "The Toxic Waltz". Zetro sounds like a mix between Bon Scott of AC/DC and Blitz Ellsworth of Overkill, and he sounds great on this album.

There are some unusual moments here. The spoken word intro, the ill-advised "Low Rider" cover, and the odd Deliverance-esque opening to "Cajun Hell". It makes a little sense when you consider that Exodus has always had a bit more of a sense of humor than their more serious brethren (just look at the album cover for proof). These moments kind of derail things a little bit, but then the band comes back with a crushing thrash riff.

This is one of the better albums from the Zetro era of the band, which I still prefer to the current Exodus regime, but it's not quite as good as the band's debut. Still though, this is an absolutely neck-breaking album of thrash metal. I would pick this up anyday over most of the stuff coming out today.

Weekly Recap: 10/10-10/16

Another week. Ho hum. I did recently buy some more CDs, so look for Initial Impressions posts from Exodus, The Absence, and Enslaved. Hopefully this week. I've been trying to cut down on buying CDs lately to save money. So I have been making a conscious effort to only buy CDs I know I will enjoy. I am trying to make sure I can help give my fiancee the wedding she deserves.

1349: Demonoir
Akercocke: Antichrist
Akercocke: Words that Go Unspoken, Deeds that Go Undone
Alice in Chains: Dirt
Amorphis: Skyforger
Argharus: Pleitas
Baroness: Blue Record
Bloodsoaked: Sadistic Deeds...Grotesque Memories
Bonded by Blood: Exiled to Earth
Candlemass: Death Magic Doom
Cannibal Corpse: Tomb of the Mutilated
Cradle of Filth: Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
Crucified Mortals: Promo 2007
Danzig: III-How the Gods Kill
Deceased...: Fearless Undead Machines
Deicide: Legion
Deiphago: Filipino Antichrist
Destroy Destroy Destroy: Battle Sluts
Enslaved: Axioma Ethica Odini
Evile: Infected Nations
Exodus: Exhibit B-The Human Condition
Fear Factory: Soul of a New Machine
Gama Bomb: Tales from the Grave in Space
Hecate Enthroned: Upon Promethean Shores
Imperial Vengeance: At the Going Down of the Sun
Judas Priest: Sad Wings of Destiny
Kyuss: Blues for the Red Sun
Laethora: The Light in Which We All Burn
Lightning Swords of Death: The Extra-Dimensional Wound
Mastodon: Leviathan
Metal Maniacs Oct. 2008
Metal Maniacs Nov. 2008
Misery Index: Heirs to Thievery
Necrophagia: Holocausto de la Morte/Black Blood Vomitorium
Poccolus: Ragana
Red Harvest: Internal Punishment Programs
Rotting Christ: Aealo
Samael: Above
Satan's Host: Great American Scapegoat-666
Satan's Host: Power, Purity, Perfection-999
Satan's Host: Satanic Grimoire-A Greater Black Magick
Shackles: Traitors' Gate
The Absence: Enemy Unbound
The Lord Weird Slough Feg: Ape Uprising!

Compilations: Metal Maniacs November 2008

ENSLAVED: "THE WATCHER"
Well I am a huge Enslaved fan and have all of the albums they have released in about the last decade, so of course I already own this one. Good song, better album.

RONNIE JAMES DIO, TONY IOMMI, RUDY SARZO, AND SIMON WRIGHT: "GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN"
Yes, this is a Christmas song. Yes it's a little odd to have a doom metal treatment to a Christmas song. Still, it sounds great. Stranger stuff has happened I suppose. I'm sure the Westboro Baptist Church would have a field day with this.

THE HAUNTED: "MORONIC COLOSSUS"
I already own this album by the Swedish thrash metal outfit. This is the best song on the entire album. The rest of it is good, but not great. That's kind of how I feel about The Haunted in general actually. This is the Editor's Pick.

AQUEFRIGIDE: "DETESTO"
Just a guess, but these guys may not be American. It's also hardcore. No thanks.

RABBIT JUNK: "GHETTO BLASPHEMER"
Terrible band name. Worse song name. The song also really sucks and grates on my ears. Pass. I don't even want to describe it.

PHOENIX REIGN: "RUN NOW"
Traditional heavy metal with a female lead singer and a somewhatMiddle-Eastern sounding opening riff. This kind of reminds me of Temtris. It's pretty decent actually. I would want to hear more from them.

CELLPAN: "DUCT-TAPED MOUTH"
Awful nu-metal sounding shit. I thought nu metal died? At least it's short.

DEGRADATION: "DISILLUSION"
This is thrash metal. This, I actually enjoy. It sounds like they're heavily influenced by Slayer, utilizing the same harsh yell that Tom Araya uses. Good stuff.

FIMBULVETR: "BROTHERS INTO BATTLE"
Not to be confused with Fimbulvinter I suppose. It's impressive folk-inspired death metal. I may have to check these guys out, this is great.

CYNIC: "INTEGRAL BIRTH"
The technical, progressive death metal band returned with a sound that is decidedly less death metal, but still amazing. This is a great song, off a great album, which I already own.

THE VENGEFUL FEW: "MADHOUSE"
Excellent traditional metal with a singer who sounds a lot like Rob Halford. Once again, great song. I definitely need to hear more from these guys.

IRONSWORD: "CIMMERIA"
More traditional/power metal. This comp is full of this stuff. Once again, another great song. Huskier vocals and heavy riffs make this a very interesting track. I have heard of Ironsword before, but now I will have to check them out.

Bloodsoaked: Sadistic Deeds...Grotesque Memories

I am always on the lookout for some new metal, particularly in the genres of death and thrash. Well, I did not exactly find this album through my own searching, it's more like I stumbled into it. Sort of. You see, I placed an order with Comatose Records, a label I order from occasionally when looking for brutal death metal, and one of the CDs that I ordered was out of stock. So, the label head, Steve Green from Atrocious Abnormality, called me personally to tell me this and offer to send something else instead. Since I was not currently at my computer, I asked for his recommendation and he recommended this, so I agreed. That's customer service, ladies and gentlemen.

All of that would have meant nothing though if the album was not good. But it is. In fact, this was one of my sleeper contenders for my favorite album of 2009. Bloodsoaked is an impressive band combining old school death metal influences with more modern brutal death influences, there are even a few slams in here. The music sounds fresh and really captures the listener's attention with its bludgeoning riffs and deep sickening grooves.

But here's the kicker, the quirk of this band. There is only one member. This is a one man death metal band. On the plus side, that means no artistic differences of opinion, unless he's suffering from multiple personality disorder. A fact of which I am not aware. But, he had to learn all of the instruments himself and try to track them together. I think that would be exceedingly difficult. But, Bloodsoaked pulls this off.

You can often tell when a black metal band is just one person. Something sounds off, some area of the music is not as well-written or comes across as well, but I do not think I would have felt this way about this album, had I not known about it. Everything sounds complete and well-written. This sounds like a four-man death metal band had recorded it. The drums are impressive, but are used mostly as background. There is not a lot of experimentation going on with them. The riffs sound brutal and intense. The vocals are delivered in a standard death metal growl and sound very much like those of Immolation.

As I stated before, there are old school death metal influences, such as Immolation and Morbid Angel, and even Obituary thrown into a modern death metal style. The jagged riffs and crushing grooves are evidence that Bloodsoaked know the genre well. These old school elements mesh well with the brutal death overall style.

I really enjoy this album. I will have to try to get personal recommendations from label heads more often. Thanks Steve.

Top 5 Thrash Metal Ballads

Well I was going to link to an article on the Deciblog but I can't find it anymore and I get a 404 error all the time.

Anyway, as I recall, there was an article on the Deciblog naming the writer's top 5 thrash metal ballads. I only remember three of them off the top of my head: Anthrax: "Black Lodge", Metallica: "Fade to Black", and Testament: "The Ballad". I agree with one of them. Anthrax's song is okay but I would not go so far as to call it one of my top 5 thrash metal ballads. Testament has produced better ballads than "The Ballad" in my opinion.

Here's my list:

5. Suicidal Tendencies: "Nobody Hears". Highly underrated song from a band that has not achieved the fame and recognition they deserve. It's a bit more experimental than their usual fare, but still sounds great.

4. Megadeth: "A Tout Le Monde". Soul-crushing. Plain and simple.

3. Pantera: "Cemetary Gates". Excellent song with an amazing riff and incredibly sad. Pantera was basically a thrash metal band at this point, but slowed down into groove metal on the next album.

2. Metallica: "Fade to Black". I do love this song and Ride the Lightning was the first metal album I ever bought. This song was a big reason why I practically wore it out.

1. Testament: "Return to Serenity". As I stated before, Testament has done better ballads. This is my favorite song of all time.

EDIT: Death Angel: "A Room with a View" and possibly Pantera: "Cemetary Gates" were the other two on the list.

Year in Metal: 1992

Here's where we start to see traditional and thrash metal fading and death and black metal rising.

ALICE IN CHAINS: DIRT
I am a huge fan of Alice in Chains. One of the earliest groups that got me interested in metal. Alice in Chains is wrongfully lumped in with grunge because it came from the same geographical area. By the Seattle connection, it's surprising that groups like Metal Church, Nevermore, and Queensryche were never called grunge. Alice in Chains owes a massive debt to groups like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple in their music, definitely metal.

CANNIBAL CORPSE: TOMB OF THE MUTILATED
I've been debating about Cannibal Corpse albums to put in here for a couple of posts now. This one gets the call because it includes the famous song "Hammer Smashed Face" which was featured in a scene in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This was a very early exposure to death metal for me. Cannibal Corpse essentially laid out the framework for death metal for years to come: heavy riffs, pounding drums, deep guttural vocals, and gory lyrics. Bands have been copying the formula ever since.

DANZIG: III-HOW THE GODS KILL
Another band I have been trying to get into these posts for awhile. Danzig is an enigma. His musical roots lay in punk (The Misfits are still the only punk band I listen to) and 1950's rock and roll. Yet he puts out very good gothic, doomy metal albums such as this one. Yes, he still reverts back to his other roots, but the metal is undeniable. "Dirty Black Summer" is a great song, and the H.R. Giger art adds to the mystique of the album.

DEICIDE: LEGION
This is occult death metal kicked up to an insane speed. No one is quite sure just what the hell Glen Benton is roaring about, but with these songs, these riffs, and this dark, unholy atmosphere, who the hell cares? This is Deicide's second album and it set the early high mark for this band's releases. They descended into mediocrity for a long time immediately after this album, so this is still the early favorite. Still, like Cannibal Corpse, Deicide is often imitated and never really surpassed. Truly evil death metal.

FEAR FACTORY: SOUL OF A NEW MACHINE
Fear Factory quite possibly originated the clean/harsh vocal style mix. They also brought industrial influences into death metal. All that and this is one absolutely kickass album. It does tend to drag near the end, but the beginning is mindblowing. It's hard to imagine now, but this album created major waves when it was released. No one had heard anything quite like Fear Factory. Death metal with clean vocals and industrial influences, what a concept.

Honorable Mentions: Black Sabbath: Dehumanizer, Blind Guardian: Somewhere Far Beyond, Bolt Thrower: The IVth Crusade, Dream Theater: Images and Words, Faith No More: Angel Dust, Iced Earth: Night of the Stormrider, Immortal: Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism, Iron Maiden: Fear of the Dark, Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction, Pantera: Vulgar Display of Power, Testament: The Ritual, W.A.S.P.: The Crimson Idol

Bands that formed in 1992: Cruachan, Edguy, Gorgoroth, Graveworm, Machine Head, Mourning Beloveth, Moonspell, Necrophagist.

Compilations: Metal Maniacs October 2008

I have not done one of these for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would throw one in here today.

BLOODBATH: "HADES RISING"
The Swedish death metal supergroup is always good for bludgeoning music. I already own this album, so I don't really need to tell you how much I like this.

GRAYSKULL: "MY CHAINSAW WEIGHS A TON"
Kind of a stupid song title. It's also metalcore. No thanks.

UNEARTH: "MY WILL BE DONE"
Well-known metalcore band. They're one of the better such groups, but I don't really care for them. This song does nothing to change my mind. This song in particular sounds exactly like Killswitch Engage.

AMON AMARTH: "TWILIGHT OF THE THUNDER GOD"
Of course I already own the damn Amon Amarth album. Who do you think I am?

BATTLELORE: "THIRD IMMORTAL"
I also already own this album by the Finnish symphonic metal band. Decent stuff. Lots of Tolkien references. The music is a mix of power, gothic, folk, progressive, and melodic death.

MALIGNO: "ASTRAL BACCHANALIA"
With a song title like that, my guess was some sort of stoner doom. And it appears I was right. Not too bad. I generally enjoy this genre when I am in the mood. Always good to find another band.

MENDACITY: "BLINDED EYES"
This kind of reminds me of later Tiamat. Not sure why. It's very ethereal and yet retains some metal riffs and harsh vocals. It frequently breaks into a melodic interlude. It's not too bad. I don't know if I would actively search these guys out though.

GUILDOFIENDS: "STATUTE CLEAR"
No idea what this is, some sort of hardcore. Pass.

NETHERBIRD: "THE BLACKEST BREED"
It's symphonic blackened death metal with some pretty extreme vocals. I really enjoy this song. Never heard of the band before though.

WITHERING SOUL: "TIDES OF THE ACCURSED"
Some crushing and blasting blackened death metal with some progressive elements. This also sounds pretty good. It kind of drags around the middle when it goes melodic, but it comes back.

CYANOTIC: "BRUTAL DELUXE (GLITCH MODE DEMO)"
This is industrial music kind of similar to the early Nine Inch Nails stuff. I used to like this kind of thing, but those days are long gone now. I still like industrial metal, but this does not qualify.

ARTAS: "THE HEALING"
Metalcore again. Ever notice how all these bands sound the same?

TREMOR: "LIPSYNCED WITH SATAN"
This band kind of reminds me of Ancient. Very theatrical black metal. I do like Ancient okay, but this really isn't doing much for me.

Satan's Host

I hinted at a post looking at this somewhat unknown band a couple of weeks ago. Well here it is finally.

Satan's Host is a band out of Colorado that has had a little bit of an unusual career trajectory. The band started out as a power metal band and featured the vocal talents of Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin, most notably of Jag Panzer. They disbanded in the 1980's and within the last ten years or so re-emerged with a new sound, a blackened thrash metal sound with some death metal elements thrown in. The vocals have been done mostly in a black metal raspy style, but occasionally sound like a blackened death metal vocalist, such as Nergal from Behemoth. Strangely, Conklin has very recently been brought back into the fold. They have not released a new album with him, so I am not sure what they will continue to sound like, but I'm looking forward to it.

The driving force behind the band is the impressive guitar work of Pat Evil. The man can absolutely shred, although he does not do so frequently. When he does though, it is extremely impressive. He is also an impressive songwriter and riff master.

The one real issue with the band is their lyrical content and the messages of the albums. I do not personally have a problem with it, but the band is clearly Satanic and utilizes a lot of space on their albums toward preaching their Satanic invocations. Again, not a problem for me, but for others. For that reason, the band will never gain much more than a loyal cult following, which is a shame. When they want to, this band is amazing.

I had a chance to see Satan's Host and Drawn and Quartered in Omaha, but it was on a week night, I had an important hearing the next day, and I lived two hours away. Disappointing. Nebraska simply does not have enough good concerts to afford to miss them, but there must be some law that says all Nebraska concerts must be on weeknights. A bunch of crap.

SATANIC GRIMOIRE-A GREATER BLACK MAGICK
This is the first album I heard from the band, although I bought both it and the next album at the same time. The album starts with a spoken word calling to Satan and then kicks right into the first shredfest, the great "Necromantic Art", with some extremely impressive lead guitar work. Despite this, the album often feels a little sludgy, doomy, and not as fast as the band is capable of being. The band is concentrated more on creating a dark atmosphere, and this goal is accomplished easily, but sometimes, I just want to hear Pat Evil unleashed. Despite this minor flaw, the album remains a truly interesting piece of music. There are plenty of moments where the band rips into an impressive thrash metal riff and speed, such as "Metal from Hell". These are my favorite moments. The bonus tracks are both terrific and should have been part of the album proper.

GREAT AMERICAN SCAPEGOAT-666
Their next album starts off again with a spoken word intro. Very spooky stuff indeed. This album starts off sounding more like a blackened death metal album with tremolo-picked guitar leads and a deeper growl. This album as a whole is a bit more musical than the last album. It is however much closer to blackened death than blackened thrash. The album fits in well with groups like Belphegor, Behemoth, Angelcorpse and the like. Overall that's not a problem though because Pat Evil still lets loose with an abasolutely blazing guitar solo once in awhile, with "7 Strings, Sin" being just a guitar solo.

POWER, PURITY, PERFECTION-999
The newest album by Satan's Host presents the band going back for a thrashier sound once again. The opening track this time features a spine-chilling melodic guitar lead setting up the first song. This album features longer, complete songs with only two interlude tracks. This album features an increased reliance on Pat Evil's guitar wizardry to drive the music, and it is completely successful. This is my favorite of the three albums I have heard by Satan's Host, mainly due to the amazing lead guitar work. The track "Dark Priest 'Lord Ahriman'" in particular features some truly outstanding leads.

As mentioned before, some changes are afoot regarding this band. I have not heard their earlier power metal material, so I am not sure what it sounded like, but it looks like I may have a chance with Conklin back behind the mic.

Weekly Recap: 10/3-10/9

Another busy week at work, another late recap post, sorry. Also, there's not much news to report.

I have been increasingly disenchanted with a couple of my metal information sources. I don't quite know why. The sources I am speaking of are Metalsucks and Decibel. I feel like they are not really covering the music I really want to know about. Metalsucks is becoming increasingly fascinated by technical groups like Animals as Leaders, Protest the Hero, Between the Buried and Me, and the like. Groups I have never really cared for. Decibel seems to be covering an awful lot of noise groups lately. Is there anything out there covering underground death and thrash metal these days? Eh, just venting.

Personal life is fine. My fiancee is still working a job she dislikes, but hopefully some positions will start to open up that will make a better use of her education.

Artillery: Through the Years
Artillery: When Death Comes
Atheist: Unquestionable Presence
Bloodsoaked: Sadistic Deeds...Grotesque Memories
Cobalt: Gin
Convulse: World Without God
Dark Angel: Time Does Not Heal
Dark Tranquillity: We are the Void
Darkthrone: Circle the Wagons
Deceased...: Fearless Undead Machines
Deceased...: The Blueprints for Madness
Despised Icon: Day or Mourning
Devourment: 1.3.8
Devourment: Unleash the Carnivore
Exodus: Fabulous Disaster
Goatwhore: Carving Out the Eyes of God
Hibria: Defying the Rules
Immolation: Majesty and Decay
Insomnium: Above the Weeping World
Insomnium: Across the Dark
Jungle Rot: What Horrors Await
King's-Evil: Deletion of Humanoise
Lethal: Programmed
Liege Lord: Burn to My Touch
Lost Horizon: A Flame to the Ground Beneath
Manticora: 8 Deadly Sins
Mors Principium Est: Liberation=Termination
Nebula: Apollo
Necrovore: Divus De Mortuus
Nightmare: Genetic Disorder
Nocturnal Fear: Code of Violence
Nocturnal Fear: Metal of Honor
Norther: Mirror of Madness
Omen: Battle Cry
Omnium Gatherum: The Red Shift
Outworld: Outworld
Overkill: Horrorscope
Sauron: Satanic Assassins
Sepultura: Arise
Sodom: Persecution Mania
Sodom: Sodom
Sodom: Tapping the Vein
Suffocation: Effigy of the Forgotten
Tad Morose: Modus Vivendi
Twisted Tower Dire: Crest of the Martyrs
Unleashed: As Yggdrasil Trembles
Woe of Tyrants: Threnody
Wolf: Ravenous

Year in Metal: 1991

ATHEIST: UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE
I looked at one of their albums already in this series, it's time to look at a second. As much as I enjoyed the other album, this one is by far my favorite from Atheist. The band on this album further experimented with some of the non-metal influences from their previous albums. There is a very strong jazz influence present from the get-go. The band utilizes complex rhythms and unusual time signatures and even throws in some latin influences as well. This is an extremely original and thoughtful album. Atheist has recently reformed and will be releasing a new album this year. Can't wait.

DARK ANGEL: TIME DOES NOT HEAL
The tagline on this album is "9 songs, 67 minutes, 246 riffs!" I have no idea if that's an exaggeration, but it probably isn't. There are tons of riffs on this monster of an album from this highly underrated Bay Area thrash metal band. This album is extremely intense, but it does not feel quite like over an hour of music. Perhaps that's because the riffs are coming so quickly and furiously that it beats you into submission. No idea, but this is an incredible early 90's thrash metal album.

OVERKILL: HORRORSCOPE
Overkill has never put out a bad album, so picking a favorite album is sometimes difficult. This one is up there for me though. This is an extremely cohesive and powerful album from the East Coast thrash giants. Every single song is a masterpiece. Every single riff is amazing. This is easily one of my favorite albums by Overkill, and quite possibly my favorite. This is an absolute beast.

SEPULTURA: ARISE
Often considered the band's finest hour, this album unfortunately finds Sepultura at the end of the road as far as their thrash metal sound is concerned. But what a way to go. The album featured the same sound as their previous album but with experimentation in industrial and latin percussion. This album features some of the major Sepultura classics such as the title track, "Dead Embryonic Cells", "Desperate Cry", as well as a cover of Motorhead's "Orgasmatron". This album helped Sepultura break into the mainstream and ultimately helped doom their creativity.

SUFFOCATION: EFFIGY OF THE FORGOTTEN
Suffocation completely changed the game in death metal. It was now becoming a race to be the most extreme, the most brutal, and the most traumatizing death metal band. Death metal has never been subtle, but Suffocation took the genre to all new levels of brutality on their debut. The band has never released a bad album, and this was only the beginning. Surprisingly technical as well, there are interesting elements to listen for if you listen close enough. This album completely changed the death metal landscape and we are all the better for it.

Honorable Mentions: Armored Saint: Symbol of Salvation, Bolt Thrower: War Master, Cannibal Corpse: Butchered at Birth, Death: Human, Heathen: Victims of Deception, Morbid Angel: Blessed are the Sick, Ozzy Osbourne: No More Tears, Prong: Prove You Wrong, Soundgarden: Badmotorfinger.

Bands that formed in 1991: Acid Bath, Angra, Behemoth, Belphegor, Burzum, Cradle of Filth, Down, Emperor, Enslaved, Marduk, Nevermore.