Jag Panzer are back,
no one off come- back here! J.P. are championing ‘80’s heavy metal and
of course they are well suited to do such as they were around the first
time and made their mark. I really love the soaring, smooth vocals as
they slide across the ranges of high screams to gritty lows. The vocals
remind me heavily of the latest Tad Morose singer whom I am an admirer.
J.P. are masters of melody & layering the material to create a very
emotional, driving metal anthems Tweaked by some great guitar leads that
tattoo themselves to the brain. Mid-paced and melodic heavy metal near
it’s pinnacle. Yes, Jag Panzer need no longer to ride on the reputation
of their classic ‘80’s album “Ample Destruction”, as they have a
bone-a-fide winner in this LP. All power/heavy metal fans will want this
in their collection.
Century Media
Recs., 1453 - A, 14th Street # 324,
Santa Monica, CA.
90404, USA
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This is my
introduction to Jex Toth. I do think I shall be searching out some
releases by the group. I would posit that they will appeal to fans
of traditional doom metal and fans of epic heavy metal. What grabs
me immediately are the monolithic, ploddingly heavy riffs that set
the atmosphere for the fantastic and hypnotic vocals of Jessica Toth.
They draw you in and you quickly lose yourself in their mental
tapestry, drawing a superb melancholy range of emotions. You kind of
forget about everything else around you and your eyes are closed
even when they are open as your mind is off swimming in the ether.
For those of you that have experienced this sort of trip, it is
magic and there is no slight of hand involved. There are only 3
songs on here so it is only a taste of what is to come. It leaves me
wanting more and hoping it comes soon. –
Dale
http://www.jexthoth.com/
http://www.ihate.se/ |
This Finnish
black metal band has been in existence 10 years already and this is
their debut album. During that time they only released a couple of
demos, eps and a live disc. I am sure they have had their offers, I
really have to respect that they waited until they were ready, and
it is obvious they create this music for the right reasons.
Jumalhamara have their own distinct character and I do not find
myself saying every other song this sounds exactly like this band or
that album. I think you could call them atmospheric, but not the
usual way of that term, in this genre. They use a lot of organic
sounds to achieve this goal, something that is harder to do than
just smothering everything in sight with synth (hello Xasthur and
the like); it takes more creativity and imagination than that, in my
opinion. I like their use of percussion, it is very spiritual yet
dark sounding, uplifting at times and melancholic the next moment.
This album is all about flow, and feeling the songwriting, rather
than just putting parts together, it is a highlight of their years
together and emotional maturity as a band. Such words in this day
and age, I do not throw around lightly. The vocals tend to be used
sparingly and the guitars are drawn out to the point that they melt
into the background and become part of the scenery, though an
important part. I am a proponent of traditional black metal purity
in sound, but when something is done this well, it is impossible for
me not to respect and enjoy it. I could see other staunch purists
having a hard time liking this, I can only stress that you are
missing out and making a mistake passing it up. – Dale
http://www.ahdistuksenaihio.com/ |
This is a re-release
(this time on disc) of this bands now classic ’95 demo tape of the same
name. I remember liking this when I reviewed it the first time for The
Sepulchral Voice, a mag I used to write for. I also reviewed their first
demo in ’94 “Rip Your Face Off” in which I told them to drop some of the
weaker thrashiness and concentrate on their death metal side - their
strength. They did exactly that on the this raging demo that got them
signed to Pulverizer Records (now they are on Pavement Music). If you
liked their album at all, then u, need this!
Pure Death Records,
P.O. Box 3019, New Haven, CT. 06515, USA Phone # = 1-800-994-4178
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A B C D E F G
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This is one mean
fucking hateful slice of North American black metal. Yes, I have
heard it called USBM, but when one of the main members is Canadian,
that title becomes a little less than accurate, no? The two foremost
players in Kerasphorus are Pete Helmkamp (the mighty Order From
Chaos, Angelcorpse, Feldgrau etc…) and James Read (Revenge,
Conqueror, Cremation etc…). So there is plenty of experience and
seasoning going into Cloven Hoofs. I would say you can definitely
hear influences or probably better stylistic signatures of these
individuals past endeavors. There are most definitely bits and
pieces of Order From Chaos, Angelcorpse and Revenge in here and on
here. Maybe if you have those releases you do not need this one? I
would look at like the perfect compliment to that collection, I
suspect devotees of those former bands, will absolutely love this.
It is a monstrously acidic release and will not let you down. I
would in fact even go so far as saying this is as good and possibly
better than those past bands, with the exception of Order From
Chaos, who virtually untouchable, in my view. Just splendid
blitzkrieg warring metal with classic Helmkamp vocals striaght from
the masters. You will only wish it was longer. – Dale
http://www.nwnprod.com/
http://www.myspace.com/helmkampkommand
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This 2 disc
release from Ukraine's Khors is basically a re-release of their
first two full lengths from 2005 and 2006 respectively, along with a
few demos and live tracks to add the "newness" to the package (for
the diehards). As I sit here listening to the music, it reminds me
of bands such as Behemoth - black n death. Not as high tech as said
band but I would not categorize Khors as a black metal band,
regardless of what others think. The atmosphere for me is almost
non existent which instantly disqualifies them from the BM scene
alone. Having said that, the music is decent. The level of skill in
the band is above average on some tracks. There are keyboards on
some tracks for those that avoid such bands. Vocals are harsh mid
level growls and scathing screams. Blast beats and a few time
signature changes permeate both discs. The demos on The
Flames....disc are pretty close to the final versions - not much
worth with their inclusion. Overall, not a bad release for the
uninitiated but I think there are more inspired bands out there in
the scene. - Mark
http://www.myspace.com/khorspagan
http://www.themetalunderground.com/ |
Grooovy metal that
is very straight-forward and mixes in industrial/techno touches. The
vocals are raspy shout and at times have a sickening rap style to them.
People into stuff like Fear Factory, Meshuggah, Skinlab ought to like
this just fine. Me, I fucking hate it!!
V.N. Records, 231
Portebello Rd., London, W11 1LT, U.K.
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Another release
from UW, and another band from them producing their debut album.
This California trio vomit out some brutal grinding death metal that
is noisy and heavy as hell. Some of the vocals are of the garbled,
undecipherable constant stream variety, which I know turns some off,
but I like some of that flavour now and then. The drummer is the
back bone of the insanity level of the music, he punishes his kit
with such speed and fury, you would think it stole money from him or
fucked his girlfriend or something. The guitars could have a little
more punch and be a tad higher in the mix for my liking, as they get
drowned out by the drums and vocals at times. But that is only a
minor complaint; this is some really decent anti-christian death
metal that die hards of the genre will enjoy.
– Dale
http://www.myspace.com/killgasm
http://www.facebook.com/pages/UW-Records/162216050503802
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New York's
paragon records have struck gold again! It seems very few labels are
able to sign and release quality one after the other, but paragon
has done it with the last 4-6 releases. This time they released
Serbia's Kozeljnik. The duo have crafted a very dark journey of
mid-paced black metal with some outbursts of insane, blasting drums
and razor-sharp guitar chords. The band never really lets completely
loose with the violent black metal side instead opting to use it
more as a mood-breaker from the dark mid-paced songs. The vocals
remind me a lot of mid-era Immortal, with the raspy, gruff vocal
patterns. There is also some deeper, clearly chanted vocal pattern
used throughout the songs and is placed very well. The drums seem to
stick out most of all for me. Going from the hyper-speed intensity
of early european black metal to a more controlled and mid-paced
beat with some well executed solo's. Kozeljnik is band that fans of
old Immortal, or quality black, dark metal can appreciate and listen
to countless times. – Patrick Schroeder
http://www.paragonrecords.org
http://www.kozeljnik.com/
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I used to be in
the touch with the guy behind this 1 man band from the Philippines
back in the mid to late 90s. It is good to see thee crusty old
bastard is still going. A lot of time has passed since the early
days of Kratornas but not that much has changed to be honest. His
early recordings were extremely raw and not always the easiest to
make out or distinguish one instrument from the next. The recording
on “Over The Fourth…” is definitely better than those days though
not a lot better. It is still very raw and low-fi but it is clearer
and you can hear everything with more separation. Another difference
between then and now is these days Kratornas is probably a little
less grind and not quite as black metal influenced though that is
still there. The music is still pretty dark but a slight bit more
energetic and frenetic with a healthy dose of thrash metal mixed
into the riffs and overall guitar playing. There is even a hopped up
adrenaline blitzkrieg solo or two to be had. The vocals are still
obscure sort of dark whispers with the classic black metal sort of
undertone. This is a pretty good record showing some maturity and
focus that has come with age and experience. The one thing I could
do without is the drums. Unlike the Rigor Sardonicous album I just
reviewed here is an example of how a drum machine can hurt an album.
Otherwise this is some good work if you like things dark and you
love catchy thrashing riffs.
– Dale
http://www.kratornas.com |
Extremely raw,
caustic and lawlessly, hateful American black metal sums up the music of
Krieg. They blend acidic riffs that cut into you like a rusty knife
leaving jagged, gaping wounds. The drumming is pretty repetitive but
manage, to do the job and the vocals of Lord Imperial are maniacal,
insane, and emotional as he goes from spoken passages to agitated
shrieks. Said vocals really are the only thing that separates this band
from the average black metal hordes. |
A little
something different than what I usually get, I had not heard of them
previous, but this is already their 4th album. For Death…
has a certain ambient quality to it, whilst still being a fairly
riff driven rock record. When listening I think of influences from
bands like possibly Fugazi, Mastodon (though not as crushing),
Neurosis (not as trippy or as heavily atmospheric / psychedelic).
Another band that comes to mind to a small extent musically and a
large extent vocally is Godflesh, especially with vocals from their
Pure album. Kruger bounce around from being heavy and rocking on
some riffs to much more introspective, drawn out soundscapes that
let the mind float around and get lost in a spaced out fog. You
would think this would be somewhat jarring when transitioning back
and forth between aggression and the ambiance, but Kruger seem to
pull it off with skill and subtlety that probably comes from being a
veteran band at song crafting. Generally speaking this is not the
sort of thing I would listen to much. I did not expect to like
Death, Glory and the End of the World when the first song ended. Yet
somewhere along the way they managed to win me over. Check it out. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/krugerband
http://www.listenable.net/
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Canada's
Lacrimae Mortalium have released one of 2010's best death/doom/black
metal releases hands down. The album starts off with some heavy and
bone crushing riffs. The band seems heavily rooted in the early 90's
death/doom with their approach. The band picks up the tempo to
mid-paced range with some impressive guitar riffs and solo's not
normally heard in death/doom bands. The drumming is just as
impressive and devastating with some heavy crushing beats but picks
up the pace right along with the guitarist and makes for an
interesting and enjoyable listen. The vocals are really where the
bands black and death metal influence can be heard with some vicious
and brutal {yes I know brutal is not a word normally used to
describe a doom band} growls and some insane black metal screams the
two very different vocal patterns fit very well with Lacrimae
Mortalium's music and add an extra layer to the bands already heavy
sound. I am not really sure if traditional-doom fans will enjoy
this. But if you are a fan of death or black/doom then Lacrimae
Mortalium is a must hear! Buy this now! – Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/lacrimaemortaliumdoom
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Olympic did a great
job on this, all bands have a good sound and here is a run down for ya.
There are only 2 bad bands who shamelessly butchered Ozzy classics:
Soulstorm “Mr.Crowley”, and Filthboy who do an awful, awful “Ultimate
Sin”. The good bands include: Obliveon “Suicide Solution”, Los Gusanos
“No Bone Movies”, Opressor “Over The Mountian”(I heard this song on the
metal channel on digital cable here in Philly!), Morta Skuld “Believer”,
Syris “Crazy Train” and Distorted Rage “I don’t Know”. Stand out blow
your doors off covers come from: Solitude Aeturnus “No More Tears”,
November’s Doom “Revelation (Mother Earth)”, and Lethal with “S.AT.O.”
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Coming at us
from the armpits of Australia is Limb From Limb. One look at the
album title and the track listing shows these guys are pissed off
and it shows in the music. This is some heavy and guttural death
metal that definitely has an American sound to it. Maybe mixed with
a touch of Australian blasting war metal style. For me there is
something wrong the mix on this album. It is kind of all separated
and the lower levels seem to just get lost while other aspects are
loud and clear. It is kind of hard to describe. Some the riffing
though just comes at you like an avalanche while your body is
pounded to a pulp by the drums. There is a clearer less used growI
but the main garbled vocal sickness would make Mortician proud. I
think death/grind fanatics will love this album but if you are a
little more selective when it comes to this genre. Then you could
probably due without this one. This was pretty impressive for a
debut and I will be interested to see what they can do on their
follow up with a more balanced recording. I must mention that
Obsidian Records have done a fantastic job on their promotional
package and seem like a label that is really serious about promoting
their bands. –
Dale
www.obsidianrecords.com
www.myspace.com/brutalozzydeath |
I know this is a
little old, but I finally got a copy on CD (to replace my dub) and felt
it really deserved the space. Lividity play some of the sickest brutal
prono death/grind on the planet. They slam you with gut wrenching riffs
and an explosion of vomitous growls from 2 separate members and slash
you from every direction. Highly recommended to all extreme death /
grinders with strong stomachs! Send $12 US/$14 WORLD to:
Abound Distro.,
P.O.
Box 176, Winchendon, MA. 01475, USA |
Pppfffftt…Put
Machine Head, Meshuggah, Fear Factory in a blender and get wannabe’s
Lost Souls. Generic crap and I am getting so thoroughly disgusted this
boring style of Canadian Assault termed ‘jump metal’.
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