I am not sure
why the label bothered with a promo sheet as the info on there is
scant and mostly useless. It is just a lot of talk about how much
they love their Hermetic beliefs. It took me a little while to get
used to the vocals of Blood Moon. They are sort of a strange mix of
Mortuary Drape, early Immortal, the deeper growling portion of King
Diamond’s style and more. They will likely be an acquired taste. But
I found after a couple of listens they really grew on me. Yes it may
be a weird mix, but I am a fan of all those vocal influences I
named, so it was probably no surprise I like them. I think this
vocalist was also once in Crimson Moon and also has done the logos
of bands like Black Funeral & Xasthur. I guess I would call the
music itself sort of ritualistic & mystical in nature with a touch
of the theatrical. The way they use the drums definitely helps
re-enforce the ritual like feel. If they were trying to create a
soundtrack for an HP Lovecraft book as the band name might suggest –
then they have achieved their goal in my opinion. “In Desolationem…”
is not the most digestible and easy to get into music, but that is
not necessarily a bad thing. This is the case with Dagon and each
new listen brings the whole picture into clearer view for me. But it
will of course take some patience. Some of the riffing sections
definitely remind me to early 90s Norge black metal. Which when it
is me who is reviewing, it is never really a bad thing. This is a
pretty interesting piece of work that should appeal to those into
strange atmospheric black metal with old school 80s touches and many
layers to attempt to peel back. - Dale
http://www.cultofdagon.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cultofdagon |
Ha ha! Darkthrone!
Now here is a much deserved tribute album and personally one that I have
been waiting sometime for. Hopefully Darkthrone will be releasing some
new material sometime soon though. All the covers are pretty much
strictly true to the originals with the exception of Thorns version of
“The Pagan Winter”. Now, I’ve heard Darkthrone’s Nocturno Culto was
impressed with this version but I am not at all. Not only does it
utilized computerized effects w/ vocals and instruments but it
completely loses the hateful, misanthropic feeling of Darkthrone, which
for me, is the main ingredient. The Enslaved and Gorgoroth covers of
“Natassia In Eternal Sleep” and “Slotter I Det Fjerne” respectively are
my favorites. Both are also carbon copies save for the production. In my
opinion, there is no way to do a Darkthrone song better than the
original as no band can re-create that feeling, so a strict cover is
nothing to mock. Other songs consist of Satyricon’s “Kathaarian Life
Code”, Emperor’s “Cromlech”, Dodheimsgard’s “Green Cave Float”,
Immortal’s “To Walk The Infernal Fields” and Gehenna’s “Transylvanian
Hunger”. Besides Immortal’s thick bass heavy production and Gehenna’s
noticeably sped up version of “Transylvanian Hunger” , these songs are
very close to the originals, just the way I think it should be done. It
is great to see these bands pay their respects to the mighty Darkthrone
and if you are listening to any of these bands and not Darkthrone you
should remedy that fast! - Jeffrey Kusbel
PHD Canada, C-1445
Crown St., N. Vancouver, B.C., V7J 1G4, CANADA Email = phdcan@axionet.com
|
To say DT are known as re-creating the same album time after time
and just changing the album titles to tell the difference is like
masturbating cattle with two finger's rather than three! Thus, people
are confusing the 'Thrones with the burly Bolt Thrower in some
unknown assertion. Musically I hear mainly hints from Soulside (not
DM either) and a Blaze...and a-back to slow to mid-paced drum-fare,
except the old-school as fuck DO NOT BELIEVE THE PUNK ELEMENT, as
"Graveyard Slut" and "Whiskey Funeral" are just true rooted BM
hymns. Journalist's must have their heads up their collective assess
these days. The debut Buldozer meet's early Bathory vocals of
Nocturno Culto simply kill, and any true Black Metal Warrior would
condone. DT pugilizes fake BM on "Too Old To Cold", as "Shut Up" is a
huge middle-finger to Satanic Wanna-Be's (Dimmu and COF come to
mind). Piggy of old-school Voivod would not be happier in a song
dedicated in his name than" Atomic Coming" pulling lyrics straight
out of Voivod's titles themselves (Mainly RRROOOAAARRR!!!"). Ripping
out the Booklet is the killer part. They mention Piggy and Voivod
(Especially the 'Tornado' song), while hailing-"MAKE WAY FOR THE
INCINERATOR!", a fuckin A homage to Canada's Slaughter! Which shirts
deck's Nocturno Culto in the live CD-ROM Interviews on the
Peaceville re-issues of past DT albums. That pure fucking devotion
deserves eternal hails!!! Alas, all of you 'Throners that are
besides yourselves of the DT camp, quit reading, get off your boiled
butts and buy this evil and raw fucking album today or go pose out
to Dimmu or something, and join the crowd! In a scene were BM is
faltering to poserdum and before it became a campaign for what often
tries but fails to pass as Horror show's today, DT make an
exclamation mark that at least as long as they are breathing, The
Cult is very much Alive like the days of yore.
- Clayton
|
Wow! It took a few
listens before it sunk in, but damn this is some bad ass shit. The sound
on here is rather organic and rich. Mix a heavy Iron Maiden influence
with some of the best facets of thrash & death metal alongside small
hints of black metal and sharpen the point ever so slightly with a
progressive edge. That is a basic overview but doesn’t but doesn’t do
just to the skills of this heavy band or the maturity they display with
imaginative songs structures. Vocals by John and drummer, Chris are spot
on and run the gambit of growls/screams/cackles to powerfully deep and
commanding clean which highlight the cover tune (which I cannot place
but surely know it!) “Untold”. Great album and I only see this band
getting better, which is scary! – Dale
Twilight Records,
P.O.
Box 416, Devault, PA.19432, USA
|
I am stoked to have
gotten this! I had no clue this band was still around! I enjoyed this
bands demos “Far Beyond Your Imagination” & “Slaves To The Abysmal
Perversity” and later their split CD with Regurgitate. Now here is their
2nd album (the 1st eluded me completely) . Dead
are wicked sick, crusty death/grind that even brings back sweet early
Autopsy flashbacks. Dead always were known for their warped sense of
humor and that is presented here on tracks like “Evil Go-go Babes From
Outer Space”, “In Gang-Bang City”, “Chew-in-cum (Sperm-int mix)”.
Fucking classic and a must have!
– Dale |
I read a review
of this Australian band from Unbound fanzine. I could not agree more
that The Dead seem to have adopted the slapping bass sound of
Cryptopsy on their first two records “Blasphemy Made Flesh” & “None
So Vile”. It is a great sound when used right like Cryptopsy do. I
guess The Dead agree with that and have implemented it. They kind of
go over the top with its use though and in general, it sounds really
good. But there are times when it becomes the focus too much and is
a little too pronounced and hurts things. Thankfully those moments
are few and are far enough in between so as not to hurt the overall
enjoyment. But make no mistake it is a central part of their sound
so you need to like it as I do. That is where most of the Cryptopsy
comparison stops however. The Dead amble their deceased corpse at a
slower pace and decidedly less technical. But it is still some solid
brutal death metal that has its own style and dynamics. There is
also some tasty emotive guitar work that kept my interest up. There
is some groove mixed in as well, but thankfully that is not too
overdone either as when it is I do not have the stomach for it. Just
like the music the vocals are fucking thick and chunky growling and
kind of remind me a little to another old, but little known Canadian
band I dug named Immortal Possession. Somewhat garbled and gurgled,
but they have a really infectious tone to them. The more I listen to
this record the more it is growing on me. If you like some
memorability and depth to your death metal with little bit of
adventurous flair then The Dead is something you have to get. If you
are purist put your head down and do nothing but straight forward
brutal blasting then you might want to pass it up. – Dale
www.obsidianrecords.com
www.myspace.com/lordofthelivingdead
|
My copy of this CD
arrived cracked and broken. W.R. was nice enough to send along another
copy. I hated this bands last CD also on W.R. reviewed last issue. They
played a death/hardcore/industrial hybrid. Now they dropped the
industrial element thankfully. Now doing the death and hardcore mix or
deathcore as they call it. This time around we have some very rhythmic
music and it is pretty quality stuff. As opposed to their last release
“Bitter” which was awfully generic and boring. I’m not floored but I am
impressed by the large progression in a short amount of time! Deathcore
freaks will masturbate over this one. – Dale
W.W.R., 22O7 W.
Whittier Blvd., Montebello, CA. 92085, USA or band website = www.pcpltd/deathpenalty/
|
 
I was struck by
the beautiful packaging, absolutely stunning on both releases but
the colours on the digi release are mind blowing brilliant. I can
only imagine the band are very happy with the labels work here.
“Doomsday Comfort” is on seriously raging, a maelstrom of furious
blast beat death metal splatter platter, ala early classic Napalm
Death mixed with the frantic insanity Nasum. Punch you in the face
juggernaut death metal from these Swedish denizens of barbarity.
With “To Cure The Sane….” we get much of the same, these boys are
getting better and better at turning a heavy riff ass over tea
kettle and making you head want to bang along with it. I was
surprised just reading that “To Cure…” was actually released on the
Finnish Woodcut records (being the main label of black metal legends
Horna) back in 2003. Man oh man, is the drumming (apparently this is
the Rotten Sound drummer?) on here vicious and relentless, not to
mention the vocalist sounds like a mad dog getting to chew through a
fence to maul you. This guy is a really good death metal singer. I
think I may hear some Vomitory influence on this one in the riffing
and I like it. It is not the easiest of tasks to remain brutal yet
not lose memorability or melody but Deathbound manage this just fine
and wrap it up in tidy but brutalizing grind package. It is hard not
recommend this band to followers of the death / grind scene. –
Dale
D.A. Records,
Box 168, FIN-33101 Tampere, FINLAND
www.dynamicartsrecords.com |
“We Deserve…” is
the bands 3rd album from this Finnish band of savages. I
know them quite well as you can see I have reviewed those as well.
As time passes Deathbound are becoming masters of able to insert
some catchiness & groove into the body of their sound. That being
technical, fast and fucking brutal death metal, all backed up with
fantastic pounding drum work. The vocals of Kai Jaakola are splendid
yelling growls with energy and are decipherable. I would say fans of
Napalm Death & Benediction vocals will love his work. Deathbound
are just a well rounded great band – Dynamic Art indeed. – Dale
www.officialsear.com
www.dynamicartsrecords.com |
The “Lords of
Battle” kicks off the bloodbath with a catchy, righteous olden head
bang designed sound. It is replete with traditional title, chorus
repeated chants. Yes, make no mistake, the vocals are still brutal
death metal and the song structures themselves mix in some dynamic
elements among the ritualistic repetition. One thing I enjoy about
Debauchery is how they employ their guitar solos. Just a short ‘n
sweet running hit attack which is as quick as it is lethal, which is
kind of a microcosm of their style overall. Debauchery make sure
they always keep it heavy, catchy and flat out simplistic. Even the
lyrics are as eloquent as a spiked baseball bat upside the head. For
example the catchy in the song “Butcher Bitches! Slaughter Sluts!” a
Neanderthal chorus which would any sadists charcoal black heart. No
buttering you up and sneaking up behind you with a length of piano
wire, no, Debauchery just bash you over the head with a spiked bat.
“Back In Blood” is not shy to slip once in a while into a nice
hypnotic groove adding some dynamics and depth. Okay they are not
the most amazing band in the world but I still get pleasure from
simple things in life and death.
– Dale |
Deicide, at the
House Of Blues in Chicago. There’s not too much more to say about this
release. Although, I’m sure it has been anticipated for years from the
die hard fans. I for one enjoy this first live release of their career
as Deicide are a great death metal band, blasphemous to the core. The
production is not as bass heavy as one would expect, but still as heavy
as satan would appreciate. All albums are visited here fairly equally
but the majority of the tracks are taken from “Once Upon The Cross” and
“Serpents Of The Light”. Not much between song banter from Glen here
just a straight- forward death metal concert, just the way I like ‘em. - Jeffrey
Kusbel
|
I am highly
impressed with this, melodic but still heavy and aggressive death metal
from Slovokia. Their music is highly sophisticated and the musicians
obviously are talented. The catchiness grabs you and draws you in to
Depresy’s world, the sheer emotion of their music keeps you there
listening for more than 50 minutes. The sound of this disc is very
pleasant, a professional and class release all around. Drahos’ vocals
are deep and semi-descipherable growl/whispers that are commanding and
well suited. Depresy are also solid song writers and this album as a
reference point reminds me at times of Hypocrisy on their “The Final
Chapter” opus. If that doesn’t make you want to listen to this, I don’t
know what will! – Dale
Shindy Prod., c/o
Martin Brzbohaty, Sandova 17, 579 04, Adamov, CZECH REPUBLIC
|
This is a re-release
on this bands classic debut w/ no less than 6 (4 studio, 2 live!) bonus
tracks not on the original. This album fucking rages and reeks of pure
power/heavy/speed metal. They bring to mind peers of the time such as
Iron Maiden, Dark Angel, Hallows Eve, Metal Church and the like but in
the Destructor style. This album has all the ear marks of an overlooked,
under appreciated blazing heavy metal classic! Get this yesterday!
– Dale |
Bands from down
under have always owned their own style and sound, Destruktor is no
exception. Indeed, they are an apocalyptic brew of barbarous,
bestial old school death cult speed spewed with Aussie tradition and
perform like a well oiled machine. 4 songs, 1 intro totaling 16:34
may seem short yet it is better than 70 minutes of poser crud!
Nuclear mushrooms are pictured here and features (on this recording)
ex-Destroyer 666 skinsman Jarro, but you couldn’t tell as there are
many great ways to describe the mighty Destruktor. Jarro does vocals
with main man Glenn (on guitar) on the title track and on “Fight
Like The Devil” in an all out attack of BM hatred, bands from this
continent can only execute. Is it the drinking water, isolation,
heat or all three that creates such windpipes? All out brutal
fukking DM from Glenn on “Nuclear War” and “Strive To Conquer” is
seasoned and heavily salted, laced with years of work resulting in
near perfection. The intro is a metallic masterpiece of a battle
march which showcases the extreme talent this band possesses. Great
MCD and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Support Destruktor or
I’ll have you gang-banged by a pack of demonic red eyed Kangaroo’s
you sluts! – Clayton
www.destruktor.cjb.net
www.hellsheadbangers.com |
Everyone should
know deep inside the depths of Sweden, many a moons ago and ages
since the festival fires to the gods burned bright - out of those
ashes was born a legendary band named Pagan Rites. Now Pagan Rites
raped the scene with delight and always staying true to their
Autopsy Torment-ed roots. The lead tormenter of the rites and
rituals and heart of those old bands was Devil Lee Rot, after a time
of in-activity the Mr. Rot decided to strike out on his lonesome,
naming his latest and at the risk of backlash unto me, greatest band
yet, aptly named after himself. Deeply rooted in traditional metal
both clean and dirty, everything from Judas Priest and Saxon to
Piledriver and Anvil – yes I admit the black metal roots of Devil
Lee Rot appear to have been shed, though the Satanic image was not,
yet the band is no less lethal for sharpening it’s focus further
down the deep root systems. Yes, yes my demons, this is pure old
school heavy metal hellfire that will have you breaking out your
spiked wrist bands and drawing sick logos on your tattered school
binders! I fucking dare you to listen to songs like “Man Made of
Steel”, “Prepare For War”, “Blade In The Night” and “Metal Avengers”
and not want to headbang, and not want to sew a Devil Lee Rot patch
on your Denim and not play air guitar!! Do not let my retro chants
and nostalgic musings fool you, this album has depth, it is gloomy
emotion where called for and the vocals have dynamics to them in a
way bands of today just can not understand, that is not even
mentioning some of the tasty guitar work and timely ‘n tasty drum
licks. A classic record in the making, this much is certain. Though
that seems to be becoming a mere routine for Devil Lee Rot, can this
legend do no wrong?! Maybe I am becoming stuck in my ways, but I
live for this stuff, a lot of other new music in an interesting
distraction but this is the kind of music that lasts and that is the
greatest honour I can bestow! – Dale
Iron Fist
Productions, c/o Thomas Nyqvist 8a, 417 02 Goteborg, SWEDEN
ironfist@hotmail.com www.ironfist.cjb.net |
Nice heavy & brutal
death metal (never slipping into the grind area ‘tho) on this east coast
Canadian bands debut. I was surprised I had not heard of this band,
being so, quality and being of course Canadian. It’s all here for the
extreme fan. Fast parts, momentary slow parts, deep growls, precise and
pounding drums & a nice production to boot. Dichotic like to throw in
some cool counter flow guitar noodling parts ala Gorguts or Cryptopsy.
– Dale
Send $10 CDN/$15 US to:
Lost In The Fog, 86
Nelson’s Landing # 216, Bedford, Nova Scotia, B4A 4C6, CANADA.
Band contact:
Dichotic, 2476 Robie St. # 8, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 4N1, CANADA
|
I was sent a review
of this, by C.A. writer, Jeffrey Kusbel, my apologies to him for not
printing his review here. I have a disturbing story to tell you about.
Besides the fact that all of my dealings in the past with Necropolis
Records (and Necropolis ‘zine before the label formed) were either
negative or just non-existent as they never wrote back a number of
times, even after I sent I.R.C’s to them. I won’t bother to mention his
name (but it should be easy to figure out from my past issues who I am
close friends with that has a label & ‘zine) but I was talking to him on
the phone and I greatly respect this person. He is a longtime
underground supporter (back into the mid-80’s!) and I trust his word
100% as he is no shit talker. Well, this gentleman told me a story he
about his dealings with Necropolis. It started with him ordering a vinyl
version of a Nifelheim album - he was returned his money in the form of
a credit slip and no explanation. So he sent back the credit slip to
Necropolis with a flyer he kept that the label themselves had put out
and he circled where it said “Vinyl LP version now available”. They once
again returned his credit slip again with no explanation. Pissed by now
my friend sent back the credit slip once again and said “Just send me
the CD”. As a side note here each time he wrote, he put flyers for his
label and ‘zine in each letter to them. Then and here is the kicker,
FINALLY sent him what he asked for the, which was the CD. The package
had lots of padding in it, THE STUFFING AROUND THE CD WAS THIS DEDICATED
GENTLEMAN’S LABEL/’ZINE FLYERS ALL SHREDDED UP INTO PIECES!!! Beware of
Necropolis they don’t care about you or the scene, only themselves and
the money they can take from you! There will be no support from this mag
to Necropolis. They can just FUCK OFF!
– Dale |
You just mix up Deicide
(hello Glen Benton vocals) and Repulsion with a small dash of original
spice and you have Divine Empire. Extremely heavy and ploughing death
metal, that is well played and comes with a nice production. Not ground
breaking but a damn good listen and I like it. – Dale
Olympic Records,
P.O.
Box 7217, Elgin, IL. 60121, USA
|
I’ve known of these
crusty fuckers for a while but the only material I have by them is was
their ’92 demo and ’96 split 7” w/ Morticite. I thought they were decent
but nothing special. After hearing this new killer release I would have
to say they are one of the best grind bands in the US. This is a really
interesting album in that it spans their career but most of the old
songs have been re-recorded for this and thus the production throughout
is pretty even. In all there are 29 tracks of ‘explicit grind’ for over
60 minutes for us freaky mothers to writhe to. Drogheda really like
straight-ahead ball busting grind as evidenced on tracks like “Terror,
Fucking Terror”, “Stygian Nightmare” and “Clean Up The Chunks”. Then
there is another side to the madness where they mix traditional sounding
catchy metal riffs and structures with their trademark grinding with
good results. Great garage band grindcore, I mean they are no Venom but
what do you expect!?
– Dale |
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