Initial Impressions: Asphyx: Deathhammer

Asphyx has always been one of my favorite old-school death metal bands.  Part of this has been the presence of Martin Van Drunen behind the mic and part has been the band's less conventional sound.  The band went on hiatus for several years and re-emerged with Van Drunen back in tow in 2008.  This is the band's second full-length since re-forming.

Asphyx's sound joins old school-style death/thrash with doom metal elements.  What results is a crushingly heavy album that stands up well to the band's prior material.  The album title is definitely a good description of the music found therein.

Of course no discussion of Asphyx would be complete without a discussion of Van Drunen's vocals.  Van Drunen is one of the great death metal vocalists and he continues to show why on this album.  His psychotic wailing is on full display here.

Asphyx continues to put out great albums.  They have been one of my favorite death metal bands for some time and this is yet another great album from them.

My Thoughts on Prometheus

SPOILER ALERTS:  I am trying not to reveal anything about this movie, but I am not sure what other people have not been able to glean from the trailers.  If you have not seen it yet, you may want to skip this post for now.

Slam Poll Results

So my idea in extending the time for the slam poll was to get some more votes.  This backfired, sort of.  I only got one more vote and that person said he did not like any slam band.  So here were the results from a very disappointing outcome:

Wormed, Devourment, and Abominable Putridity all tied at one vote.  Boring.

Reader Submission: Refusal: Grasp

Some time ago, I was asked to review a demo from a Finnish death metal band called Refusal.  It was their fourth demo since the band formed in 2008.  Recently, Tero from Refusal contacted me once again to take a look at their fifth demo.

The first question that pops into my head after listening to this demo is how in the hell has this band not been signed yet?  Seriously, the band already sounded pretty good on their last album and, if anything, they have still improved on this one.

The band's basic formula, which was fully realized on their last demo, has not changed.  This is death metal with something of a punk flair and some serious grooving riffs.  The third track is definitely closer to punk/grind than death metal.  As such, it is not my favorite on the demo.  The other three tracks though more than make up for this minor misstep.

The demo has not changed much overall since the last one.  If anything the band's songwriting has improved, as these songs are even more catchy than they were the last time out.  The strong production values and instrumentation still sound great.

I will close things out on here the same way I started: why has this band not been signed yet?  When do we get a full-length?  Hopefully soon, they deserve it.

Two Reviews Posted on Full Metal Attorney

Just a quick post to provide links to two new reviews I have submitted for Full Metal Attorney.

Holodomor

Mass Burial

Concert Review: Volbeat, Megadeth, and Rob Zombie May 24, 2012

I went to my first concert in a couple of years on Thursday night.  Volbeat, Megadeth, and Rob Zombie were playing at Tyson Event Center in Sioux City, Iowa.  Since that is only about an hour away from my home, I managed to talk my wife into going along.  I had seen Rob Zombie several years ago, so Megadeth was the main draw here.

VOLBEAT:
I am not terribly familiar with Volbeat.  I kind of bristled at some of the praise heaped upon them by Metalsucks and since my tastes are typically not in line with that website, I never really gave them much of a chance.  I will say that the Danish band impressed me quite a bit on Thursday night.  They played a fast-paced and energetic show.  Their variety of influences were on display Thursday night as elements of rock and roll and  punk shined through.  The vocalist's crooning howl was definitely a strong point.  It was also obvious that Volbeat knows their metal, playing excerpts from Motorhead, Metallica, and Slayer among others.  We did not see their entire show as we were running a bit late, but I may have to check out some more Volbeat material.

MEGADETH:
As I said, Megadeth is the reason that I wanted to go to this concert.  If it was just Rob Zombie and Volbeat, I would not have gone.  I have been a Megadeth fan almost as long as I have been a metalhead.  They were the second band after Metallica that I got into.  But I had never seen them in concert so I had to go.  Megadeth has not lost a step, they played a very fast-paced show.  We did not get much of Dave Mustaine's personality as the band leapt into the show and did not really slow down until it was over.  The show featured a sort of greatest hits collection.  There were a few tracks from their latest album, but otherwise they played the usual classics: "Symphony of Destruction", "Peace Sells", "Hangar 18", and "Sweating Bullets" all made it into the set.  They of course closed with "Holy Wars" as they typically do from my understanding.  They sounded great.  It's hard to believe they have been active for over 30 years at this point.  My only complaint is that the video accompanying some of the songs seemed to skip a bit.

ROB ZOMBIE:
As I said, I have seen Zombie before.  I had an idea of what to expect.  I was a little disappointed that they relied almost entirely on video screens for the effects this time around instead of the moving set they had the last time I saw them.  I have not really checked out much Rob Zombie material since being disappointed with the musical direction taken on the new tracks on Zombie's Greatest Hits collection several years ago.  Turns out I did not miss much.  Zombie only played three songs I had not heard before.  The rest of the material was mostly from his first two solo albums and of course "Thunder Kiss '65" and "More Human than Human".  Zombie did play us the trailer from his upcoming movie Lords of Salem which looks interesting.  My wife particularly enjoyed his show.

Soils of Fate: Sandstorm v. Soils of Fate: Crime Syndicate

I have not done one of these faceoff posts for awhile, not since the last slam week in fact.  So here's one, since I recently added both Soils of Fate albums to my collection.  Since we are talking Soils of Fate against Soils of Fate, picking a better album is not going to be easy.  But here it goes anyway.

SOILS OF FATE: SANDSTORM
The debut album from Sweden's impressive slam death metal band was released in 2001.  The band is a little divisive due to their somewhat thuggish image, just look at the band picture on the Metal Archives for an idea.  Soils of Fate establish their reliance on rhythm early on in this album.  While it is not as pronounced as on their second release, the band clearly shows some rap influence.  The Goodfellas samples early on are definitely entertaining.  The vocalist also experiments with some raplike vocals here and there.  Soils of Fate do throw in some impressively fast songs here, most notably the title track.  To switch things up a bit occasionally, Soils of Fate do throw in some decent, if short, guitar solos.

SOILS OF FATE: CRIME SYNDICATE
If I did not know any better, looking at the album cover and song titles, I would assume this was a rap album.  Seriously, when was the last time you saw a metal album with a song title like "Killaz Beware"?  This is groove-laden slam death metal with several instances of raplike vocals delivered in a grunting death metal style.  Sgt. D used to refer a lot to "wigger slam", something of a derisive term for slam death that clearly has a lot of rap influence.  Well, here is a good example.  There are breakdowns that sound very similar to rap songs in which the vocalist does his death-rap thing.  This album is as close to a rap album as slam death metal can possibly get.  I bet you never expected to see that sentence in writing.  The most impressive moment comes in "Vs." when Ruben Rosas of Devourment shows up for some exceptionally brutal roaring vocals.  They also do a decent job of covering Suffocation on the final track.

THE VERDICT:  It is clear from the debut album what Soils of Fate were attempting to do, which is slam death influenced by rap.  They perfected it on their second album.  The second album is probably my favorite based on the more complete ideas here.

5 More Favorite Slam Albums

During Slam Week Pt. 1, I listed my five favorite slam albums, which included releases from Wormed, Devourment, Sarcolytic, Defeated Sanity, and Dying Fetus.  Since I have added a bunch of slam albums since then, I figured I would update that post with some more.

ABOMINABLE PUTRIDITY: IN THE END OF HUMAN EXISTENCE
Abominable Putridity is a Russian slam death metal band that has had a number of different vocalists over the years, including well-known grunters like Big Chocolate and Matti Way.  This album features the much less well-known Vladimir, but nevertheless was one of my favorite slam albums early on.  There is not much to say here, it is just typical slam, but it is performed highly competently.  There is a reason Abominable Putridity is one of the first bands recommended when getting into the genre.  It is a very good gateway.

BODYSNATCH: INSIGHTS OF A ROTTEN THEATRE
I have not had this one very long but it made an immediate impression on me.  This is a truly original album by a slam death metal band with a variety of other influences and some highly unusual moments thrown in.  Part of the reason behind the odd moments is the fact that two of the members were previously in Stream of Consciousness, a progressive metal band.  I am not really sure what the decision-making process of going from progressive metal to slam death metal was like, but I have absolutely no complaints.  This is one of the best slam death metal albums in years.

INTERNAL BLEEDING: VORACIOUS CONTEMPT
This album is one of the very early roots of slam death metal.  It came out in 1995, after the beginnings of the genre were carved out by Suffocation and Pyrexia.  Internal Bleeding took some of those ideas and built upon them, which eventually lead to the basic sound of slam death metal as we know it.  Devourment then took the ideas from Internal Bleeding and kept improving on them.  This though is one of the early true slam death metal albums.  This was a hugely influential album on the beginnings of the slam death genre.  The music itself is fairly simple and it is clear that Suffocation was the band's major influence, but Internal Bleeding did not have the technical mastery that Suffocation had, which helped lead them into the slam genre.

PUTRID PILE: HOUSE OF DEMENTIA
A one-man slam/brutal death metal band, Putrid Pile is still an extremely powerful and extremely loud band.  The band is Shaun LaCanne who performs all of the vocals and guitar and bass parts and programs the drum machine.  The drum machine is barely noticeable as the rest of the music is done so well.  This is a very impressive album which shows the ability to make slam death sound fresh and interesting.  This is a much faster-paced album than some other albums from the genre and the speed of the riffs is probably its best quality.  I am also very impressed with the Deicide-esque layered vocals.

VOMIT REMNANTS: SUPREME VEHEMENCE
This is kind of cheating.  This album from Japan's Vomit Remnants is actually a compilation of the band's Supreme Entity full-length from 1999 and the Indefensible Vehemence EP from 2001.  So it is actually one and a half albums, but I am still counting it because I absolutely love it.  Vomit Remnants bring an almost machine-like precision to slam death metal.  There are parts that are almost industrial metal-esque.  Japan has been blessed with a number of very good slam death metal bands, Vomit Remnants is probably one of the best.

Slam Poll Extended

I decided to extend the slam poll.  As of this writing, there have only been three votes, which is not a terribly impressive turnout.  In case you are wondering, those votes were for Devourment, Wormed, and Abominable Putridity.  I expected votes for Devourment and Wormed.  Abominable Putridity was a bit more of a surprise because they are not as well-known.

One and Done? Pt. 9: Orchidectomy: A Prelate's Attrition

Orchidectomy is one of those slam bands that Sgt. D references a lot when talking about slam along with Repudilation, Vulvectomy,  and Artery Eruption.  So of course I had to figure out what all the fuss was about with this band.  Orchidectomy is a Canadian band who only put out one album and a demo before breaking up.    But that one album is highly regarded in the slam death metal genre.  Orchidectomy use pounding drums, slow, methodical slams, and some of the most guttural gurgling vocals any band has ever used in this release.  This is a classic slam release.  It's unfortunate that Orchidectomy did not really stick around afterwards.

Split: Split Torso Trauma

This is the biggest split in my metal collection at this point with five blistering bands that run the gamut from slam to grindcore to brutal death.  The split showcases five bands from around the world, mostly from countries not typically known as metal hotbeds.  It is a pretty good idea.

As you may remember, I usually look at splits to decide which band is my favorite.  There is more to choose from here with five bands.

ANTROPOFAGUS
Starting things off with the first two tracks is Italian brutal death metal band Antropofagus.  This group sounds a bit like Suffocation, only more brutal, if that were possible.  The vocal style is considerably more guttural and intense giving off the sound of a crazed monster.  Antropofagus does a lot of things very well.  I will definitely be looking for more releases from them.

PUTRIDITY
Putridity is also from Italy although they play a different style of brutal death.  There is a lot less technicality here and Putridity throw in some slams for good measure.  The production on their first track on the split is horrendous.  It is very difficult to really hear what is going on.  The second track is a little better although the vocals are so deep as to be nearly lost in the bass.  I do like the guitar tone on the second track though.

PRION
Prion is an Argentinian death metal band influenced a lot by Morbid Angel and other occult death metal bands from the early 1990's.  South America has produced a number of good death metal bands, with Thornafire still being one of my favorites.  Prion definitely has what it takes to be a leader in the South American death metal scene.

INFECTED FLESH
Infected Flesh is a one-man wrecking machine from Spain.  This is grindcore/brutal death metal album with slam parts and Infected Flesh joins the ranks of other impressive brutal death one-man bands like Bloodsoaked and Putrid Pile.  Infected Flesh plays fairly fast when not busy slamming.  The vocals are typically delivered in the frog croak style.  The drum machine gets a little aggravating after awhile, but the riffs and vocals are interesting enough to keep it from dragging it down.

MASS INFECTION
Greek death metal band Mass Infection closes things out on this release.  Mass Infection is a blastbeat-driven brutal death metal band similar in style to Hate Eternal.  The band plays crushingly fast brutal death metal with a dark atmosphere and deep vocals.  The band blends in some old school death metal influences to go with their more modern brutal death sound.  The result is an impressive mix of styles.

THE VERDICT:  I like all five bands for different reasons.  Picking out just one band is difficult.  Putridity and Infected Flesh are fairly impressive slamming bands.  Mass Infection does an amazing job of mixing the old and the new.  Prion is terrific dirty South American death metal, and Antropofagus do a great Suffocation impression.  I suppose if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Prion.  Even though it is slam week, Prion takes it.

Initial Impressions: Dysentery: Internal Devastation

Dysentery had gotten quite a bit of hype leading up to this release.  Renowned for an impressive live show, up to this point, their recorded material had not been nearly as impressive.  But that has changed with this release as the band finally got the production job they needed to flesh out their gory brand of slamming death metal.

I read a review once that likened Dysentery to Cannibal Corpse with slams.  Upon listening, I do not think that comparison is quite warranted.  Although with the meaty production here they are a little closer than they once were.  The music is much simpler than Cannibal Corpse who have become very proficient musicians over the years.

This is an impressively brutal release with some punishing riffs.  The vocals are also comparable to Chris Barnes's work on earlier Cannibal Corpse releases.  The band for the most part plods along at a medium pace, sort of the sonic equivalent of Jason Voorhees.

Dysentery is on the right track.  This is a decent album with some good ideas.  It is short and filthy with the gory lyrics complemented nicely by the full and disgusting-sounding production.

Initial Impressions: Condemned: Realms of the Ungodly

It was the absolutely awesome cover art that pulled me in on this one.  I have a soft spot for hellish landscapes I suppose and the demonic entity in the center is pretty wicked looking as well.  Condemned features the drummer and singer from slam stalwarts Cephalotripsy, so I felt pretty safe checking this one out.

Condemned is a brutal death/slam death metal band with a hauntingly evil atmosphere and some impressive technical elements.  Condemned sound like a blend between Defeated Sanity and Suffocation with vocals similar to early Dying Fetus.  There is not a lot of originality in the riffwork, if you have heard any of the bands that I named then you pretty much know what to expect.  There are faster riffs and of course the slam parts.  Condemned is not really breaking any new ground here.

The vocalist is the most impressive.  With deep, gurgling vocals similar to Dying Fetus and Demilich, he has a truly extreme style.

As I said, Condemned is not reinventing the wheel here, but the dark and evil atmosphere makes things very interesting.

Initial Impressions: Bodysnatch: Insights of a Rotten Theatre

This has to be one of the most ambitious slam/brutal death metal albums I have ever heard.  Bodysnatch is a Swiss studio-only project that pack a lot of surprises and do a lot of unique things that this typically creatively stagnant subgenre does not see a lot of.  Bodysnatch features Fredrik Widigs, drummer for Soils of Fate, a band I will discuss later this week, and two vocalists, who combine to create a hell of a racket.

The first thing that I will discuss is the only drawback to this album.  I want this to be a generally positive review, but there is one detraction.  This album is long.  The album is just shy of an hour long which is incredible for slam death metal.  Almost every song is more than five minutes long.  It is pretty incredible.

The length of the album though is hardly noticed because Bodysnatch does some amazingly creative things.  They have a lot of ideas that are thrown in making each song an intense and interesting listening experience.  Bodysnatch complements the crushing slam riffs with some surprisingly melodic passages at times.  In addition there are moments when the vocals are actually rapped, yet retaining the deep guttural sound.  It is quite the intriguing combination.

All of the unusual inclusions though do not detract from the crushing riffs and slams.  The band still rolls along at a mid-paced grooving chug, a la Jungle Rot and others.  This is an incredible slam release and one that has definitely risen to be one of my favorite albums in the genre.

Initial Impressions: Cerebral Effusion: Impulsive Psychopathic Acts

You know it's a slam death metal band when you can barely read the band's logo and the artwork is an absolutely grotesque picture of a corpse.  So yeah, you can tell that Cerebral Effusion is slam from one look at the cover.  And if that did not sell it then the first few seconds definitely will.  Even my wife took one look at the cover and name of the band and asked if it was slam.

Cerebral Effusion definitely follows the Devourment approach to slam with devastatingly crushing riffs and pounding drums.  There is a little bit of brutal death to be found in this album.  The most impressive aspect is the incredibly deep guttural vocals.  This is one of the most intense vocalists I have heard, putting many other brutal death metal vocalists to shame.

As you can see, the cover is pretty disgusting, and the riffs and sound of the album definitely fits the cover.  I am not usually a big fan of the more disgusting and filthy subject matter or artwork, which is why Wormed is one of my favorite slam bands, but it works well on this release.

For some absolutely depraved slam death metal, Cerebral Effusion's latest is definitely one to check out.

Initial Impressions: Short Bus Pile Up: Promo 2009

Recently, there was an article over on my former law school colleague's blog, Full Metal Attorney, which discussed metal band names.  One of the more politically incorrect, but somewhat humorous names I have heard is this one: Short Bus Pile Up.  I first heard about SBPU in an article on slam death metal a few years ago, which is still one of my favorite articles the magazine ever did.  The name was so preposterously stupid that eventually I had to check them out.  It certainly did not hurt that they were becoming a pretty big name in the subgenre.

This is without a doubt one of those recordings that I will point to for years to come when someone wants to know what slam death metal is.  The recording is short and loud and possesses all of the qualities one would expect to hear from slam.  Deep, guttural vocals, grooving slam riffs, powerful drumming complete with gravity blasts and some damn impressive bass drops, which occur once per song.  Of course there is also the repulsive lyrical content common to the subgenre.  Each song is short and intense as well.  Instead of dragging along as a lot of other slam bands tend to do, SBPU knows what they want to accomplish with each song, accomplish it and then move along.

This was a promo release to tease the band's second full-length album in 2010, but standing alone it is impressive as hell.  This promo is better than a lot of bands' full-length albums.  I will definitely be checking out the full-length as soon as I can locate it.

New Poll: What is Your Favorite Slam Death Metal Band?

I just listed a bunch that I am aware of, but by no means is this meant to be a complete list.  I would ask anyone who clicks "Other" to let me know who you picked so that I can check them out.  Thank you.

Slam Week Pt. 2

I actually do not have a ton of stuff going on this week and I have a pile of slam albums that have been adding up for some time, so it's time for a new theme week.  Woo-hoo.

This week I will mostly just look at new albums.  I may do something else.  Who knows?

Song of the Day: Sonata Arctica: "Wolf and Raven"

Due to the post last night, I've been listening to my Sonata Arctica quite a bit.  I am pretty sure the keyboard player immediately contracted carpal tunnel syndrome after learning to play this song.  Bad stuff, carpal tunnel syndrome.

Metal Breakup Songs?

QUICK NOTE: The subject matter of this post is not meant to be taken as any sort of clue into what is going on in my personal life.  In fact it is quite the opposite.  My wife and I have our first wedding anniversary coming up in June, and I could not be happier.  This post was inspired by a song that has been stuck in my head for some time.

Metal frequently depicts the darker side of the human experience.  It is stereotypically about the negative parts in life.  Anger, sadness, and all the other nasty stuff that happens to us all.  So of course there are a few breakup songs in the heavy metal canon, despite the emotional nature of the event.


WOODS OF YPRES: "SHARDS OF LOVE (HURT FOREVER)"
This is the song that influenced this post.  I have no idea why, but this song really gets to me.  The song is about the narrator (possibly even the singer, I am not sure how personal this song is) finding his significant other in the process of packing all of her things and moving out.  An argument ensues with the narrator pleading with her to stay.  It's heart-wrenching really.  The song culminates with the woman telling him "No, I have to go.  It's too late, I'm going away and there's nothing in the world you could say to make me stay."  The music is extremely somber with some very impressive horn lines.  Unfortunately, singer David Gold recently passed away.


MEGADETH: "1,000 TIMES GOODBYE"
Megadeth wrote a breakup song?  Yes they did.  The song deals with the pain of moving on and finding peace in the breakup.  But it is kind of funny in a way because the song incorporates some samples or recordings of a woman explaining the reasons for the breakup, which run the gamut from "I don't feel the same way about" to "I met someone else" to "I still want to be friends" and culminating with the hilarious "I love you like you're my brother".  Someone has been friendzoned.


BLEEDING THROUGH: "LOVE IN SLOW MOTION"
This is a bit of a guilty pleasure album for me.  Bleeding Through is a metalcore band with some black and death metal influences.  This track is also for the most part about the lead character finding peace in moving on with his life.  Obviously a lot of the typical emo tropes are present in this song, complete with faux-deep lyrics about pain and suffering.  Nevertheless, for some reason, I really like this song.  Sue me.


SONATA ARCTICA: "TALLULAH"
I first heard this one at a time when I was dealing with a breakup of sorts.  It starts out with the closing moments of the breakup.  The last embrace, when there is one, is often very painful and that pain is exhibited here.  The song continues and finds the narrator seeing his former lover with a new flame and all of the pain that comes with that.


DAYLIGHT DIES: "ALL WE HAD"
In a song with very few words, Daylight Dies still manages to pen an absolutely devastating song.  As I said, there are not a lot of lyrics here but the pain of a lost relationship is clearly evident here.

So there's a few songs.  Obviously there are more, but I feel pretty good naming off five.  It all makes me very happy to be in the stable relationship I currently have.

Initial Impressions: 16: Deep Cuts from Dark Clouds

It took me awhile to really get into sludge.  Sort of.  I was a big fan of groups like Corrosion of Conformity, who had some sludge elements.  However, most of the other bands from that genre took a bit longer.  I really got away from it when Mastodon was becoming the big band in the genre.  Not that I really disliked Mastodon, just that they did not do a lot for me early on.  They seemed a bit too mainstream for me, I don't really know.  I also stayed away from groups like Baroness and a lot of other bands featuring similar sound and cover art.  You know what I am talking about.

And then I started getting into Crowbar, Eyehategod, and Acid Bath.  From that point, I started getting into Mastodon and Baroness as well.  While I would not say that sludge is a particular favorite genre of mine, I have gotten enough into it to know that I can enjoy other bands in the similar style.

Which brings us to 16.  I had been aware of 16 for a long time, but never really checked them out.  Until just a day ago.  I was in the local music store and saw this album sitting on the shelf.  I debated between picking it up or Cannibal Corpse or Exumer.  I chose 16 to give a band I had never really checked out a chance.  Sometimes that does not work out, and then sometimes it does.

This time it worked.  16 plays a particularly savage brand of sludge metal with a lot of aggression and power.  16 is not quite as extreme as Eyehategod but exists in sort of a middle ground between the more mainstream-minded Mastodon and Baroness and the psychotic stylings of Eyehategod.  The band's riffs are earth-shakingly heavy and the songs carry on at a somewhat medium pace.

The album does tend to drag a little bit as it goes on.  Most of the songs are fairly similar.  But the pace and energy are still infectious enough to keep things somewhat entertaining.  It is a pretty good album, but not essential for the genre.

It's My Birthday

My wife and I went to Kansas City on Monday to see the Red Sox play the Royals.  Boston has been terrible this year so far, but at least they won on Monday.  Nothing to do with metal here, just sharing.  I will have some posts up soon, I promise.  I have another jury trial scheduled in a little more than a week, so things have been pretty busy.

Song of the Day: Nifelheim: "Storm of the Reaper"

It's been storming lately, and here's The Reaper, my beloved blue heeler.

Song of the Day: Morbid Saint: "Scars"

I have been listening to this song all day long.  From the great underrated thrash/death metal band Morbid Saint is this song.  It is very unfortunate that Morbid Saint only released one album, but what an album it was.

Initial Impressions: Overkill: The Electric Age

Quick question, who is the most consistent U.S. thrash metal band that formed around the time the genre rose to prominence and continues to be active today?  It's probably an answer that is different for a lot of people, but I would think Overkill absolutely has to be near the top of the list.

Overkill has once more put out a great album here.  This is their 16th full-length album, an incredible number for a thrash metal band.  And Overkill has never put out a bad one.  There were a couple of groove metal albums in the late 1990's, but even those were powerful enough to put Pantera to shame.  Overkill shows absolutely no signs of ever slowing down.

Which brings us to a discussion about this, the band's newest albums.  2010's Ironbound was one of the band's best albums in years, which is really saying something.  So I was prepared to be a little let-down on this album.  After all, it happened when Metallica and Megadeth both released their best albums in years, Death Magnetic and Endgame respectively.  That letdown never came in listening to this release.

This album is ten tracks of punk-infused thrash metal fury.  It is absolutely relentless with the kind of speed and intensity that Overkill has become known for over the years.  The energy and riffs coming from the band on this album sound like they should be from a band half Overkill's age.  The individual performances all sound great.

Some bands just never age, Overkill is definitely one of those.  The band just keeps putting out classic release after classic release.

Initial Impressions: 3 Inches of Blood: Long Live Heavy Metal

I have really enjoyed 3 Inches of Blood for quite some time now.  There is just something to be said for a band that is so unabashedly unashamed of what they are doing.  The band first garnered attention with the absolutely ridiculous song "Destroy the Orcs".  It was pretty clear where exactly 3 Inches of Blood stood.  They were a fantasy-inspired band that made no apologies for their subject matter.  Sort of a new-age Manowar.

Their music was a bit of a different story.  In the early days, there was quite a bit of metalcore present which of course lead to the band being dismissed as poseurs and metalcore kids.  Much of this animosity was due to the band having two vocalists, with one performing falsetto-type vocals similar to King Diamond and the other doing hardcore-style shouting.  That was about it for the core elements, but it was enough to turn a lot of people off.

After the band's third full-length album though, the hardcore vocalist left the band and, rather than replacing him, Cam Pipes took over full vocal duties.  Unfortunately the band seemed a little out-of-synch on the next album.  Which brings us to this one.

Whatever went wrong on the last album has been fixed.  3 Inches of Blood is back to producing blood-pumping, anthemic heavy metal once again.  There are no core elements to be found here.  It is simply balls-to-the-wall heavy metal.  The 1980's speed metal-inspired riffing is still present backed up Pipes's amazing, ur, pipes.  Many of the songs have pretty cheesy lyrics, but that is to be expected with this band.  "Metal Woman" and "Leather Lord" are just two examples.

One surprise is the song "Lookout" which features various references to Ronnie James Dio and is meant as a tribute.  Pipes does a pretty decent job sounding like a more extreme version of Dio on this song.

3 Inches of Blood have come back in a big way on this album.  It is not for everyone, but it is a highly-impressive release nonetheless.

Link to Bloodwritten Review on Full Metal Attorney

I have once again contributed a review to my former law school colleague's blog over at Full Metal Attorney.  Here is the link.  This was for Bloodwritten's album Thrashin' Fury, a very capable slice of blackened thrash.

Initial Impressions: Corrosion of Conformity: Corrosion of Conformity

When I was in my formative years as a metalhead, Corrosion of Conformity was one of the earlier bands that struck a chord with me.  This was in the early to mid 1990's and grunge was everywhere.  It was nice to find a decent heavy metal band once in awhile.  At the time, the band was forming a new identity.  They had previously been a crossover/thrash metal band, but they were developing into a sludge/southern metal band.  This was the Corrosion of Conformity I fell in love with.  I did check out some of their crossover material, but did not care as much for it as their 1990's style.  I should say that their Blind album was a favorite of mine as well, but to a lesser degree than Deliverance.  Unfortunately, I did not care as much for later albums.

This is Corrosion of Conformity's first album since 2005 and Pepper Keenan, who may have been the driving force behind the band's sound on Deliverance, does not appear on this album.  Instead, this is much more of a return to the band's roots.  Their style contains significant hardcore influences, which never really disappeared on their other styles, but were on the backburner.  There are still elements here and there of some of the other styles the band has flirted with in their long discography.

I found myself getting completely engrossed in this album.  I think the frequent stylistic changes really come across well.  Each song is different and interesting in its own way.  I found this to be the band's best album since Deliverance.  I still do not think it holds a candle to that album or its predecessor, but it is certainly better than anything that has come out since.

I enjoyed this album quite a bit and it is certainly a contender for the best reunion album this year.

Initial Impressions: Metallica: Beyond Magnetic

Metallica has been a tad uneven ever since the Black Album came out. That might just be the understatement of the year. Coming on the heels of one of the most reviled albums in their discography, Metallica looked as if they were attempting to get some of the good graces of their fans back by releasing this EP of holdover tracks from Death Magnetic. Now, I liked Death Magnetic okay. It was definitely a step forward from their St. Anger album, an album I feel is somewhat underrated, but by no means a good album.

Then of course Metallica collaborated with Lou Reed to produce Lulu and everything went to shit. This EP was a way to save a little bit of face. The only problem with holdover tracks is that oftentimes it is somewhat obvious why the tracks did not make it onto the album in the first place. That is pretty much the case here. None of these songs are really all that impressive.

The songs are all long, with the shortest one being just under seven minutes. They also do not have a lot going for them. The songs do not sound a lot different than other tracks that did make it onto the album, except a little bit weaker. There is not a track here that I like better than anything off of Death Magnetic. Furthermore, all of the tracks here are much closer to modern radio rock than metal.

I am not impressed with this EP. I understand that it was probably released to keep fans from giving up on the band after massively disappointing Lulu, and as a cash grab, but this is just not very good.

Once More, An Apology

Again, I am sorry. Things have been busy. Today, I had a jury trial, decision is to come sometime tomorrow morning. I have a bunch of stuff in the works though, so soon I will be able to get some more posts up here. In the meantime, enjoy this freaking awesome song by Armored Saint, John Bush's band just before joining Anthrax. For those not in the know, Armored Saint actually made a performance cameo in Hellraiser 3, performing this song among others. Yes, Hellraiser 3.

Link to Review on Full Metal Attorney

Here is a link to a review I did for the band KozybunX over on my former law school colleague's blog, Full Metal Attorney. Check it out. If you like my blog, I am sure you will enjoy his as well.

KozybunX

Bands You Hate to Love

This topic came to my mind as I was driving home from work tonight. I was listening to Arghoslent in the car, a band I have discussed before. I absolutely love Arghoslent's music, they write killer riffs with a ton of energy. They basically sound the way that melodeath should sound had it not been watered down over the years.

Unfortunately, I find some of the lyrics of Arghoslent reprehensible. I can handle Satanic and Anti-Christian lyrics. But I have a hard time with racist and misogynistic lyrics. I really can not explain why those topics are so difficult for me, but they really are.

I do not normally judge a band by their lyrics, so obviously I continue to listen to Arghoslent despite my problems with some of their lyrics. That should not be construed as a tacit approval of their lyrics, just that I will not discontinue listening due to them.

Other bands I have issues with lyrically include a number of slam bands. Lyrics dealing with rape and necrophilia among other horrendous topics are pretty commonplace in that genre, which I find unfortunate.

Initial Impressions: Christian Mistress: Possession

It has been a little difficult for me to find new music lately. Most of those problems have been self-imposed. I have been making a concerted effort to avoid buying much music online and I have not been to my favorite music store in Omaha for some time, due mostly to being too busy to travel there. I do live two hours away after all. So I have been left with Hastings Book Store as the only source of buying music. I can never really count on them to get decent stuff in, so sometimes it comes as a surprise when I find something unexpected.

Which brings us to Christian Mistress. I had not heard of the band prior to seeing this CD on the rack but when I read the description touting the band as performing a raw style of NWOBHM, I knew this was speaking to me. The more I look into the NWOBHM style, the more impressed I am. Even groups like Raven who did not grab me at first have been listened to more and more lately and grown on me.

Christian Mistress absolutely capture the spirit and energy of the early years of the NWOBHM, prior to the scene getting watered down by dozens of imitators. If you are looking for something incredibly fast and heavy, look somewhere else. This is just good, old-fashioned riff-driven heavy metal. There are no frills, it is just stripped-down yet powerful.

The band is lead by Christine Davis, whose voice sounds incredible over the classic metal riffing. Her voice soars over the riffs. She has a very unique voice with some impressive dynamics.

I am very impressed with this album. This is Christian Mistress's second album. I am definitely going to keep an eye on them.

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Initial Impressions: Eluveitie: Helvetios

Well it's a good day to take a look at the newest album from Celtic folk metal/melodeath band Eluveitie. I figure green beer and Eluveitie probably go hand in hand.

Well my feelings on this one closely echo what Full Metal Attorney says here. That is, I feel like Eluveitie is treading water and is desperately trying to recapture the magic of Slania. This was manifested on their last album when they basically re-released Slania. This time around, it is clear that there is some differentiation from their landmark album, but not enough real growth. In fact, Eluveitie seems to prefer trying to pick up on some modern rock influences. Such attempts to make their music palatable to the unwashed masses is sure to meet with a cold shoulder from longtime fans.

The other major problem with the album is that a lot of the songs just sort of run together. I was shocked when I looked at my CD player and realized I was already on track 6. It only felt like I had been listening for about five minutes. There are a few standout tracks here and there, but a lot of the stuff is all too samey-sounding.

Eluveitie still does a decent job of mixing melodeath and Celtic folk music and some of the songs do still sound really good. Unfortunately, the band's material does not sound as fresh as it did on their breakthrough release. I may still continue to check out albums by them because I am a big fan of the Celtic folk metal, but they are not likely to ever blow me away as they did the first time I heard them. That is quite unfortunate.

Reader Submissions: Graveyard Dirt: For Grace or Damnation

We have come to the end of the Ashen Productions reviews for the week. I purposely left this one for last because it is kind of an outlier for the label. Graveyard Dirt is much more of a doom/death metal band, with no black metal influences. It is sonically very different from the previous bands.

The music reminds me a bit of Morgion, in that the songs are often slower-paced withh rolling riffs and some surprisingly harsh vocals. Over all it is a very melancholic record. The vocals are occasionally spoken, which is fine, but I much prefer the harsher vocal style.

Doom has been taking over the metal world of late and Graveyard Dirt fits in well. However, the band did not simply jump on the bandwagon. Graveyard Dirt actually originally formed in 1994 but went on hiatus for several years. This is actually the band's first full-length release. They have only released a demo in 1996 and an EP in 2007 before this.

Graveyard Dirt does an admirable job of still retaining heaviness even though the music is mostly somber. The band still provides crushing riffs to go along with the chilling guitar leads. The harsh vocals add to the atmosphere, making this an incredibly heavy yet melodic doom metal album.

This is a very impressive album. The band waited almost sixteen years before releasing their first full-length. All that time paid off.

Reader Submissions: Cold Northern Vengeance: Trial by Ice

This is a compilation of sorts. It apparently originally began as an idea to re-release the band's 2005 tape Curse, but gradually evolved into including some more demo and other rare material. I am all for bands re-releasing their material to a wider audience, especially when the band toiled in obscurity for a while. That is not to say the whole world was clamoring for a reissue of all of Cold Northern Vengeance's material. I had not heard of them before this, but I am not complaining either.

The opening track had a bit of a Varathron-esque feel to it. It was extremely murky and disturbing-sounding. But it quickly moves into a more raw Norse-style black metal sound with the next track. The third track sounds somewhat more industrial with death metal-style vocals. Basically what I am getting at here is that the band often sounds completely different from one track to the next. There is basically something here for every type of black metal fan. And that is where things get a little bit distressing.

I do not mind variation. A little variation is important from time to time on albums because it keeps things interesting. But when a band flips through so many different styles that the album sounds more like a various artists compilation than an album by one band, it is a little annoying. I can not tell whether Cold Northern Vengeance actually has a core sound.

It is very clear that Cold Northern Vengeance have the songwriting skills and chops to pull off a number of styles of black metal. I just wish that they would pick one style and maybe include some occasional influences from others. All of the songs are well-executed and generally sound pretty good, there is just no coherence. Diversity is good, but when you sacrifice identity, it becomes frustrating.

Reader Submission: Sleeping Village: Fragments

Blackened doom is not a genre I have heard too much from. The only groups I am at all familiar with are Forgotten Tomb and Misery's Omen. With that said, here is Italian black/doom metal band Sleeping Village who share a country of origin with Forgotten Tomb. The promo information I received described them as a cross between Sonic Youth, Type O Negative, My Bloody Valentine, and Burzum, quite the odd mix of styles really.

The music consists of mostly fuzzy, droning guitar riffs, think some of the slower Type O Negative moments for a point of reference. The drumming is repetitive, adding to the droning quality. It is a drum machine afer all. Towards the end of each of the first two songs, it gradually gets a bit more melodic before returning to the otherworldly style of the beginning moments.

I could have done without the ambient third track, which is eight-plus minutes of random noodling on the instruments. I am not much of a fan of tracks like this. For a shorter time, they are okay, but this is the longest track on the album.

The major complaint I have with this album is the lack of diversity. Everything is very slow and the guitar tone never really changes throughout, retaining the same fuzzy sound as it did at the beginning. The only track that really stands out as different from the others is the third track, which I have already explained I did not care for. I like the overall atmosphere, I just would have enjoyed the release a little bit more if there was some more variation. It is not bad, but it is not really for me.

Reader Submission: Animo Aeger: Fieber

Well after reviewing the full-length Impuls, I was actually kind of excited to listen to Animo Aeger's follow-up. This is just an EP but it still clocks in at nearly 40 minutes.

This one kicks off with a bang. The first track is significantly faster and more aggressive than anything off the prior album. In general, there are more faster tracks on this release. There are still some slower atmospheric tracks, but the band has become more aggressive generally.

Another major change from the last album to this is the use of clean vocals. This was a big surprise because the shrieking vocals fit in so well on the band's prior material. The vocals are occasionally layered with the clean, almost spoken vocals over the top of the shrieking or some roaring death metal-style vocals. The clean vocals can be a little off-putting at times. Sometimes they work well, but others they are a little irritating.

On a brighter note, the production on the first several tracks has improved, though it was not really a problem on the full-length. This is due to Animo Aeger recording them in a real studio this time around. Beyond that, there are a couple of leftover rehearsal room tracks tacked on to this thing.

Overall, this is not really bad, but I did not care for it quite as much as the previous album. The vocals got kind of grating after awhile and that really drove it down in my opinion.

Reader Submission: Animo Aeger: Impuls

I read a review on this album prior to listening to it to get a general idea of what to expect. The review discussed this as being a depressive black metal band, but I am not really seeing much of that. Sure there are some elements here and there, but the album as a whole is much too active. It is not nearly morose enough to really be depressive black metal. None of that is to suggest that this band is the next coming of Immortal. The music is typically slower-paced and more atmospheric, but with some decent riffs thrown in here and there. It is a very dark album.

The vocals are the main draw here. The vocalist Graasjal emits agonizing and tortured screams for the better part of the album. Every once in awhile he can pull off a Tom Warrior-esque grunt, but he typically does not stray far from the aforementioned shrieking, which serves him well and fits the music.

Some of the songs on the album actually sound a bit more like Norwegian black metal. There is a lot of Mayhem evident in these songs. "The Box" is the best example of this. Other songs feature some surprisingly chilling guitar leads. The lead in "Den Laufstall Zu Brechen..." is spine-tingling.

Overall, this is a pretty decent album. It definitely has a cold and chilling atmosphere, and there is some surprisingly good riffing. It was not what I was expecting, it was better.

Reader Submission: Zerstorer: Panzerfaust Justice

I still can't figure out how to do umlauts. I apologize, there should be one over the "o". The album name features the name of Darkthrone's monumental fifth album, so I had some idea of what I might be in for taking a listen to this one. I was a little surprised though. There may be some Darkthrone sounds here, but it is more likely to come from their thrashier, Hellhammer-worship material than their black metal material. Which of course is closer to what Panzerfaust was, so my prediction was not totally off the mark.

Zerstorer means "destroyer" in German and the name is certainly apt. The band would be right at home in the Australian war metal scene. This is punk-influenced black/thrash at its most aggressive. It is all blasting drums and blazing thrash riffs with insane screaming from the vocalist. It is chaotic and hellish, just the way the war metal scene is. The album does slow down a little bit toward the end, but it does not lose any of its edge. It brings to mind groups like Impaled Nazarene, Gospel of the Horns, and just about any Aussie war metal group.

This album definitely reminds me of Destroyer 666's Cold Steel, which is a major compliment. It does not quite have the same memorability in the songs, but the attitude and aggression is there. This is terrific black/thrash. While the band could stand to grow a bit into their own sound, this is still pretty damn good.

Reader Submission: Descending Darkness: Seelenruhe

Descending Darkness is an Austrian black metal band. Their sound is raw, but the production is surprisingly clean for a band of this style. Therefore, every nasty, filthy note can be heard clearly. It's quite the contrast really.

The sound is more reminiscent of early material from second wave black metal bands such as Mayhem and Darkthrone and other groups that were just starting to find their own voice and still had heavy death and thrash influences. The music is typically faster paced black metal using thrash-style riffs. It is raw and aggressive but with some occasional surprising melodies.

The vocals are typically delivered in an agonizing shriek, similar to the one possessed by Attila Csihar on some of Mayhem's albums. I do not understand the lyrics because they are typically in German, but something has him worked up.

I am pretty impressed with this album. It is one of the better black metal albums that has been submitted to me for my review. This is unabashed thrash-influenced black metal, the way it used to be done. Black metal has twisted and turned into so many different styles that it is nice once in awhile to find a band that still sounds like this.

Reader Submission: Sieghetnar: Die Asche eines Geistes

Kicking things off for Ashen Productions this week is German one-man black metal/ambient band Sieghetnar. Sieghetnar's sole member is Thorkraft along with an occasional session drummer. This is the re-release of a demo that Sieghetnar originally released in 2008. It was originally limited to just 25 hand-numbered copies until the reissue. This release is made up of one track, clocking in at over 20 minutes.

I have not typically cared much for ambient music. I do not mind it much, but wen we are talking about a full album or EP, it does not really hold my interest. Burzum has produced some surprisingly good ambient music on some of their releases, but they typically mix it up with some impressive raw black metal as well.

This album starts out with several minutes of random, atmospheric keyboard noodling. Just shy of the six minute mark, the drums kick in and lead into some fuzzy Burzum-esque riffs. The music eventually takes on an almost symphonic quality, while still being obviously produced by keyboards. Unfortunately, that is pretty much it for Sieghetnar. The rest of the song/album pretty much carries on with the same general sound. It ebbs and flows a little bit, but the metal is definitely out from that point forward and it is just soft from that point on. The last two minutes are an acoustic guitar part.

The music reminds me of the soundtrack to 1980's underrated horror film The Keep. The music was provided by a group called Tangerine Dream. Now there is nothing wrong with this, it is certainly interesting to listen to when unwinding, but that is really all there is to it. I do not think I would pay money for a release like this, but it is interesting once in awhile to hear.

Reader Submissions: Ashen Productions Week

I have been sitting on this for a very long time and I am very sorry about that. I received an email from Ashen Productions to review a bunch of their new and upcoming releases. This week, I plan on putting up a review of the eight albums for which I have been provided.

Ashen Productions specializes in mostly various styles of black meta, with some exceptions. We have fairly typical black metal, black/thrash, and even some ambient styles. Black metal is probably the most diverse metal genre these days and that diversity is evident in these albums.

Random Thoughts: Best Vocal Performance in a Metal Song

I was listening to Iron Maiden earlier and the song "The Evil That Men Do" came on. It occurred to me that this is quite possibly one of the greatest vocal performances in heavy metal. Bruce Dickinson's vocal range at this time was absolutely incredible. Of course Dickinson in the early days was one of the most powerful vocalists in metal. Other great examples of his vocal talents are shown in "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner", "Aces High", "Moonchild", "Infinte Dreams", "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", and several more. I'm not sure there are too many others out there like him.

Does anyone have any other examples of terrific vocal performances in metal?

I'm Trying

I am trying to get back on a regular posting schedule. But things are pretty hectic right now. I currently have six trials scheduled in the next five weeks. Four of which are jury trials. Three of those are felony jury trials which will likely take two to three days each. Business is booming right now. On top of the trials, I have been retained on very noteworthy case. I have been interviewed in the Omaha newspaper which is a city two hours away from my area of practice. Of course, I gave the standard "no comment", but that is besides the point.

Anyway, please bear with me. I am trying. Hopefully soon I will be back to some regular posting schedule of some sort.

Initial Impressions: Disma: Towards the Megalith

It is always nice to hear a band that sounds so unabashedly pure and filthy. This is death metal the way it was originally meant to be. And that is no surprise as this band features the incredible Craig Pillard of Incantation. Pillard has one of the more recognizable voices in death metal. Absolutely guttural and evil-sounding, Pillard automatically adds a sinister touch to anything he is roaring over.

Of course, this band does not belong to Pillard, he merely provides the voice. The original member is Bill Venner who seems to have a healthy respect for the old-school death metal sound, particularly the occult sound of the aforementioned Incantation, along with Immolation and Morbid Angel.

What we have is some filthy and disgustingly murky death metal. It is eerie and evil-sounding, just the way death metal was once supposed to be, before it became watered-down and safe. There are some almost doom metal elements present here, morosely slow and monolithic riffs that are almost stomach churning.

Disma has produced one of the best death metal albums in years. This is a can't-miss album.

Initial Impressions: Vektor: Outer Isolation

Even in retro-thrash, it was only natural that some bands would choose the road less traveled. There were already plenty of bands aping the Bay Area sound, plenty seeking to sound like East Coast thrash, and plenty attempting the Teutonic thrash style. So it was natural that there would be a band choosing their major influence to be the Canadian sci-fi thrash metal band Voivod. Vektor is that band even going so far as to have a similar logo. Voivod was a very original band and Vektor has seemingly decided to model their foundation on Voivod's fundamental weirdness. But saying that Vektor is a Voivod clone is far too simple, and quite frankly, incorrect.

I wanted to check out Vektor for quite a long time, since reading positive reviews on their first release Black Future. Unfortunately, it took quite awhile before I was able to do so. Now that I have heard them though, I can say that they are definitely one of the most impressive bands from the retro-thrash metal movement. They are a truly unique band, with a wide spectrum of influences.

Vektor kicks things off with blistering 10+ minute opener "Cosmic Cortex" which features a whirlwind of riffs. Many of the songs have a bit of a mechanical, science fiction feel to them. The songs feature mostly progressive structures similar to Voivod of course, as well as groups like Atheist and Cynic. The vocals sound like a cross between Schmier of Destruction and Chuck Schuldiner's progressive material.

The opening track sets the pace and Vektor never really slows down from there. The guitars sound crisp and, even though the riffs are relatively straightforward, the music sounds complex. The bass is prominent which is definitely a plus. Voivod's bass was also always pretty noticeable.

This is really an incredible record. I am definitely keeping an eye on this band. Seeing the logo and the song titles would lead one to believe that Vektor was a Voivod clone, but that is certainly not the case. Vektor has their own unique sound, Voivod is just an influence. This album is on par with the top albums from last year. If I had heard it earlier, it probably would have been ranked fairly highly.

Initial Impressions: Goatwhore: Blood for the Master

When I was in my more formative years as a metalhead, my friend and I would joke about completely over-the-top band names. Goatwhore was always one of the most often-cited band names. It took quite awhile before I actually checked out the band though. The name was a joke and that was all there was to it. Man, I was missing out. I finally checked out Goatwhore soon after moving to start my first job. That was A Haunting Curse and I have never looked back. Goatwhore quickly became one of my favorite bands. I even have a t-shirt that I wear despite the inappropriate name.

That brings us to last week when their latest album was released. Like a good Goatwhore fan, I picked up the album immediately. And I was absolutely blown away. This is a crushing and blistering album of balls-to-the-wall sludgy blackened death metal. Goatwhore has a unique sound that combines the sound of fellow Louisiana bands like Crowbar and Acid Bath with blackened death metal. Which makes sense given that Sammy Duet was in both Crowbar and Acid Bath. The result is a maelstrom of angry vocals and mammoth riffs. Goatwhore is extremely heavy.

The band experimented early on in their career with clean vocals. Those have long since disappeared with the band streamlining their sound. The songs are all blindingly fast and extremely intense. This is not an album for the weak of heart.

Once again, Goatwhore has put out an impressive release. This will definitely be a contender for Album of the Year this year.

Initial Impressions: Insomnium: One for Sorrow

Insomnium has solidified their status as the best ongoing melodeath band with this release. The Finnish band has put out a number of great releases in a row now and this album is not any different. They are one of the few bands from the much-maligned genre that has continued to put out excellent material.

Insomnium is known for their heartfelt and melancholic take on the melodeath genre. Their music is often full of sadness and pain and is often surprisingly beautiful. This style has continued once more with this release. The album opens slowly but magnificently with the instrumental lead-in track that opens into "Through the Shadows", one of the strongest tracks on the album. This track features a number of clean-singing sections, which with other groups have been often reviled, but Insomnium's always sound great.

There are a number of more aggressive songs, such as "Song of the Blackest Bird", which is as intense as Insomnium really gets. But, for the most part, this is Insomnium doing what they do best. Emotionally powerful melodeath, bordering on death/doom similar to Swallow the Sun. While the formula really has not changed at all from the last several albums, Insomnium create compelling music that feels timeless and powerful.

I am a big fan of Insomnium and have been since the very first time I heard them, on Headbangers' Ball no less. This release does absolutely nothing to change that. Insomnium continues to put out high quality somber melodeath.

My Wife Came Through Again on Valentine's Day

My wife gave me the following CDs for Valentine's Day, plus Metroid: Other M on the Wii:


Thanks baby.

Initial Impressions: Obscura: Omnivium

Technical death metal has not historically been a favorite genre of mine, which is a little odd given the shared origins with slam and brutal death metal. Suffocation and Cryptopsy had as much to do with the advent of technical death as slam and brutal death. However, there are definitely groups that I have found extremely impressive. Obscura is one of those.

The technical death metal bands I typically enjoy are those that sound more organic. They are not as machine-like and sterile. Obscura fits that mold quite nicely whereas groups like Braindrill often suffer. Their songs actually sound and are structured like songs instead of overly technical guitar shredding with some vocals thrown in. Obscura is much closer to Decrepit Birth than Braindrill.

This album shows the band maturing their sound, taking leaps and bounds in improving from their last album. And I even enjoyed that one, so it is quite apparent how much I enjoy this one. Obscura uses a surprising amount of cleaner vocal styles on this release. The lack of diversity in the vocals is one thing that always bothered me about the aforementioned Decrepit Birth, so this is definitely a point in Obscura's favor. Beyond that, the guitar leads flow quite nicely with the rest of the music. The whole thing feels natural, which is rare in this style of metal.

This is a surprisingly good release from a still improving band. This band could get even better.

Sorry About the Lack of Posts

As many (or a few, I don't have an accurate grasp on my audience) have probably noticed, I have not been posting much lately. It is kind of difficult when you are running a business. Things have been extremely busy for me. Which is good. Business is thriving. Unfortunately, it means I have less time to spend on this blog. Maybe some day that will change again. I have no idea. I just have to kind of go with the flow. Hopefully you will all bear with me.

Initial Impressions: Warbringer: Worlds Torn Asunder

It would appear as if the retro thrash metal wave has passed. Most of the bands that populated the wave still exist at this time but we will probably begin to see a die-off with them. Only a few will continue, much like the first thrash metal wave. Only the strong will survive.

Warbringer is one of the strong ones. The band has rarely sounded like an imitator. It is very clear that they know the subject material well and have crafted their own take on it. It still sounds like Bay Area thrash, but it is Bay Area thrash done with a more modern twist.

Unfortunately this album is not exactly a step forward for the band. They are not treading any new waters with this release. It is very similar sonically to their prior albums. There is nothing really wrong with that per se. There are not a lot of bands out there who continue to put out innovative release after innovative release. Some are just content with the status quo. Warbringer appears to be one of those bands.

Their music remains aggressive with razor-sharp thrash riffs and in-your-face vocals. So basically, it is a Bay Area thrash metal record. No more, no less. As a fan of the scene, I have no problem with this. It is just not essential listening, that's all.

Initial Impressions: Vader: Welcome to the Morbid Reich

Everyone's favorite Polish death/thrash pioneers Vader are back with their ninth full-length album. Vader has been one of the most consistently amazing bands going for the last twenty years or so. Vader has never put out a bad album and still absolutely crushes live. This album is no exception.

This is a surprisingly dynamic album from the band. In previous works, Vader has mostly stuck to the same formula, brutal, take-no-prisoners death/thrash. While the general description has not changed much, the band has incorporated blazing guitar solo work complementing the riffs virtually non-stop. This has added a much more complex and melodic layer to the typical crushing riffs.

Beyond that, if you are at all familiar with Vader, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect with this release. The vocals and general musical formula have not changed. Vader sounds a lot more energetic this time out, which is really saying something for this band. They sound rejuvenated. This album could have passed for something they released in their early years.

The Saxophone in Metal

I know there have been recent posts about this on Invisible Oranges and possibly some other places, but I do feel qualified to make a post about this because I played the saxophone for eight years. I was pretty good at it too, winning several awards at solo and small ensemble contests and being a member of a high school jazz band chosen as one of 20 groups from across the country to perform at a contest honoring Duke Ellington's 100th birthday at Lincoln Center in New York. I have experience playing the alto, baritone, and soprano saxophones.

The saxophone has not made frequent appearances in heavy metal, it is typically a complimentary instrument and requires a guest appearance. Sigh is the only band I am currently aware of that employs a full-time saxophonist, Dr. Mikkanibal. While it would be interesting to hear a band use the saxophone full-time, the instrument often adds an eerie atmosphere to the songs in which it does appear.

So, after an exhaustive search through my collection, these are a few examples of the saxophone in heavy metal:











Anyone know any others I may have missed?