HAHAHA! It is hard
to believe anyone at a label would even skim thru my ‘zine and send this
to me! Imagine Jewel or something blended with The Gathering - fuck this
awful radio shit!!
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Coming to us by
way of Germany is Paradox. I have to admit it took me a couple
listens to get acclimated to the vocals of Charley Steinhauer. At
first I really did not care for them but they continue to really
grow on me. They sort of have a raspy and ballsy quality to them.
Though you can hear Charley trying to be a power metal style clean
singer and most of the time he hits his mark. Just going on face
value and not scratching the surface this band appears to have it
all. They are talented, skilled on their instruments and write some
great riffs, along side some nice solos. So what is the problem?
They just seem to lack the natural feeling and instinctual flow of
what makes a good song. They need an architect in the band to flesh
things out and that appears to be missing. There are times when they
go too fast or not fast enough when the song is begging for the
opposite. Then there are times when they have a good thing going.
Then cut it short and get in a big rush to cram in an unnecessary or
out of place section / transition. Some of the really clunky lyrics
contained on this album do the songs no favours either. I would say
all of this will come with time if it were a young band that got
signed too quickly. But Paradox has been in existence for 20 fucking
years!! Ouch…
– Dale
www.paradox-bangers.de
www.afm-records.de
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This album was a
nice surprise and threw me off guard a bit. This Aussie outfit play a
very clean classic ‘80’s heavy metal in which I hear influences of bands
like Warrior, Iron Maiden, Manowar, Savatage (“Hall Of The Mountain
King” era), Halloween and maybe a slight mixing in of Demon, Thin Lizzy
or something in that range. Pegazus love epic riffing and up tempo, epic
sounding songs with flavorful, classy guitar solos. The vocals are great
piercing, siren like as they glide across the air with a silkiness.
Vocalist Danny Cerati brings vocally bands like Manowar, Iron Maiden,
Saxon, Gothic Knights and Lethal, not gruff just clean textured vocals.
Pegazus are great musicians who have put together a great album that all
heavy metal maniacs of old can shake their studded fist to as they sing
along with the catchy choruses. Nice... |
I was a very happy
puppy to receive this, I love this band (as evidenced with their
positive review in issue # 1 and interview in # 2)! The only way I could
be happier would have been if Damnation, would have sent me the double
vinyl version. Beggars cannot be choosers as they say! Before even
listening to this I rate Pentacle as one of the best ever out of
Holland, among such bands as Asphyx, Achrostichon, & Sinister /
Monestary. Pentacle have altered their sound slightly and have come out
(production wise) with a sound very close to early Celtic Frost without
ripping anything off. This band is made up of metallers that were around
when metal exploded and started Pentacle itself in the last part of the
‘80’s. They start things off in fine fashion with a killer intro, it is
an excerpt from an audio bootleg from the 1985 World War III festival in
Montreal, Canada where Tom Warrior yell’s “Let’s go crazy!” Then the
music kicks in, pure cult thrash/death metal from the heart, played with
utmost conviction. This is what Celtic Frost may have sounded like had
they carried on with the style of their first couple releases! The
production compliments the music beautifully, clear and raw. Due to the
heavy suffocating & distinctive guitar tone from start to finish the
songs have to work that much harder to identify themselves from one
another, luckily Pentacle is up to the challenge. God, I can’t believe
this still, I am getting some of the same feelings I had when I first
listened to stuff like “Morbid Tales”, “In The Sign Of Evil”, and “Fear
No Evil”. Only one listen is needed to “Yielding The Scepter Of Flesh”,
“For I am Chaos!” and “Scythes” to feel the excitement lit by this
album! I cannot end this without mentioning the cover of cult Chilean
undergrounders Pentagram on their “Spell Of The Pentagram”. If you can
listen to this song and not headbang then don’t look at me and call
yourself a metalhead!!
|
Wow, what a bio,
evil as fuck, but let’s face it. 4 pages isn’t gonna score you any
additional acclaim here, you may actually lose some over it! We’re
busting our asses and we sure as shit don’t want them kissed! Let’s
stick to the meat and potatoes; meaning the music. PS are
Australians gone Scandinavian as EAD contains 3 releases, put into
one, all recorded in MMIII with Balam, Wraith, and Merrim. The
ungodly ‘The fate of all that Lives’ opening this CD up. This is
true ‘necro’ in sound as was Emperor’s ‘Wrath of the Tyrant’ (low
production, loud percussion, etc…) creating pure, early ‘90s BM
which is talented, melodic, hateful and most of all unique. Ever
hear that low-produced BM kick’s ass compared to high end
production? It’s true. Not too fast nor slow, this definitely
showcases some of the rawest, acidic infected vocals in BM,
separating PS from the pack of sound ~ alikes and trendies. This is
the shit, unlike “Part II: Embrace After Death”, and I may note that
although it’s a full length, we only have 3 songs here. EAD see’s PS
straying from their sound with higher, yet still infectious vocals,
yet more faster, like many other bands doing the same today. No it’s
not a repeat release of another band as they manage to be lost
somewhat beyond the perimeter spoke of in Pt I. The longitude of
each track is 7 to 9 minutes, so it sits fairly well, I’m not
complaining like a bitch still dominates the second entry. Fuckin’
“A” on the intros as well! The drawback is the bonus EP, “Putrify”,
done in MMIV. This is when Pestilential threw themselves in the same
sound as everyone else. It’s likeable because it’s included with 1
and 2, and yes, this trio’s headed downhill, especially when the
vocals lose their meaning. Buy this for the ‘cult’ worthy
recordings, because it’ll be gone next time around. Goatwarex shall
release tape editions and a full length as this CD is limited to as
many copies as they see fit, and such fans need only apply. Dying
and PS discography have much in common. Sight is the first, followed
by taste, then smell and you can hear everything up too the end;
catch my drift?
-
Clayton
www.antilife-plague.cjb.net
www.asphyxiaterecordings.com
info@asphyxiaterecordings.com
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Coming to us by
way of Germany is Paradox. I have to admit it took me a couple
listens to get acclimated to the vocals of Charley Steinhauer. At
first I really did not care for them but they continue to really
grow on me. They sort of have a raspy and ballsy quality to them.
Though you can hear Charley trying to be a power metal style clean
singer and most of the time he hits his mark. Just going on face
value and not scratching the surface this band appears to have it
all. They are talented, skilled on their instruments and write some
great riffs, along side some nice solos. So what is the problem?
They just seem to lack the natural feeling and instinctual flow of
what makes a good song. They need an architect in the band to flesh
things out and that appears to be missing. There are times when they
go too fast or not fast enough when the song is begging for the
opposite. Then there are times when they have a good thing going.
Then cut it short and get in a big rush to cram in an unnecessary or
out of place section / transition. Some of the really clunky lyrics
contained on this album do the songs no favours either. I would say
all of this will come with time if it were a young band that got
signed too quickly. But Paradox has been in existence for 20 fucking
years!! Ouch…
– Dale
www.paradox-bangers.de
www.afm-records.de
|
Very boring, slow
moving and symphonic light metal. The band are relatively talented but
could not write a good song to save their lives. 7 songs included and as
always with R.I.P. everything is nicely package and presented. Band
contact:
Promontory, c/o
Eugen Biryukov, Malo-Zavalskaya 2-2, 241008 Bryansk, RUSSIA
|
Great, great
death/grind band with brutality brimming out of every pore! Mostly fast
balls out death with blasting that kills but they also like to mix shit
up. Like on a extreme & brooding track like “Assembled By Death” or the
epic baseball bat to the head that is known as “Prophecy”. Excellent
start for this young label as the packaging and production is on par
with the music. Plus there is no denying the name Corpse Gristle Records
rules and just rolls off the tongue with style. $12 US to:
Corpse Gristle
Records, 3521 Oak Lawn Avenue, Suite 666, Dallas, TX. 75219, USA
website = www.corpsegristle.com Email = hound@corpsegristle.com
|
Damn, Psychopathia
are hell of a wicked slap to the face! Yes, my attention is at full
swing now! Vicious, lightning speed, techno death/grind from the Czech
Republic. Hyper is a good word to use for this band and especially the
drummer who is a human whirlwind! They rip, tear and bulldoze thru 9
songs of nutsy material. I’m kind of speechless, I can’t seem to string
together any coherent sentences so here are a few more words that aptly
apply: heavy, brutal, catchy, technical, fast, guttural and top quality.
I DEMAND you order this by sending $5 US (for this pro-packaged album)
to:
Psychopathia, c/o
Ivo “Sam” Kapoun, Sladorni 1185, Kojetin 75201, CZECH REPUBLIC
|
Fuck yes! An album
full of crushing, chunky thrash metal from the Bay area. No Bay area,
rehash tho’. Punisher take things in their own direction and spit out
some lethal catchy, ripping thrash w/ knockout punch drumming. Pat Toms’
vocals are deep and powerful and a little scratchy as they switch into
different tones and ranges. Now I will finish this with a apt quote from
their bio “Not interested in trends, Punisher offers up a potent brew of
musicality and brutality”. Check or money order for $10.93 US made out
to Confusion Records at the following address:
4 Meyer Place,
Kentfield, CA. 94904, USA Label website =
www.confusion-records.com Band
Email = punisher@flash.net
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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After I read the
label bio, though I read those with a grain of salt, I really thought I
would dig this record. Radakka play hard rock w/ slight metal touches
with a very commercial flavor. I don’t like the pretty melodies and
harmonies, despite their claims in the bio, they are going for
accessibility. Most of the songs are close to radio friendly. They have
the odd cool riff and are good musicians but it is wasted on here and I
don’t think too many, Canadian Assault readers would appreciate this, so
I won’t waste any more space on it.
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This is a little
different from most of the Swedish stuff these days. However, they do
owe a slight bit to the Gothenburg scene but are far too vicious and
heavy to placed there. They are not death/grind either, Raise Hell are
too up-tuned and thrashy for that. This release sticks out like a
welcome sore Scandinavian thumb. No virtuoso playing or noodling, just
break ups of catchy rhythmic guitar riffs in between blitzkrieg speed
blasts, it is this contrast and the great execution which prevail and
impress for me. The only thing is the band photos are nearly exact
copies of Dismember’s “Pieces” ep photo session (i.e. - black pants,
bullet belts, spiked wrist bands, no shirts & dripping blood down their
torso’s). A highly recommended, thrashing metal platter.
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Angst-ridden
industrial metal in the vein of Fear Factory, Machine Head, Meshuggah
ect. Yes, you got it, this is awful - come on and jump! JUMP!
|
I fucking love that
that, record label name! If you read my 1st issue you will
remember the interview I did with this band. Rotting flat out hit you
with some of the most rambling, punishing and juggernaut like brutal
death metal your likely to hear. They do like make things varied and
catchy with a slight groove (no not that gay groove hippity-hoppity
‘jump metal’) but always heavy. They don’t grind things up instead
opting for a straight on in-your-face attack with deep and
understandable growls. This is an album all self-respecting death metal
fans should own. United Guttural, P.O. Box 752, Grayslake, IL. 60030,
USA or band contact:
Rotting, c/o Korey
Arnold, 58 Roxborough Road, Newmarket, Ontario, L3Y 3K9, CANADA
|
Ride For
Revenge
– Kind of remind of the slow / middle paced crawl through the
darkness that some of the early Greek black metal bands, such as
Necromantia churned out. Maybe you could even call them Beherit
played in slow motion. There are not many bands that cross my path
these days play this sort of vein, it makes me really appreciate
those precious few which do. Slow, atmospheric (nope no synth laden
rubbish) and yet simplistic dark blackened metal, with great
obscure, murky vocals. I need to keep my eye on this band.
Torturing
– Imagine, if you will a rawer and loose version of Immortal on
their 1st LP. Toss in some old school thrash influences
and mix in insane screaming vocals ala early Burzum. I must say they
have great energy, dark energy. I believe they have a full length
album out on Aura Mystique now that might be worth checking out!
– Dale
www.bestialburst.blackmetal.fi/
bestialburst@blackmetal.fi
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Thergothon,
Winter, Disembowelment nor anything considered as death / doom, my
Satanic ass! Damn bios. Just because this NY outfit is colder than a
witches tit, let alone a whore’s heart, it seems all hate this 1999
re-issue. I shan't ever follow my fellow opinionated writers for the
sake of it, I have my own ears. Remember 78 records? (I do – Dale)
Take a 78, play it on 33 1/3 and that’s how the vocals sound like,
which I enjoy as it fits with thee most doomiest, damnable and
darkest music ever made. There is no wrong with change in metal less
it be rap, jazz, hip hop etc… This is testimony of how you will be
deprived of a ‘better’ life in death, because it ain’t true as our
‘After lives’ will have this horrid life lack beautiful and Rigor
joins me in telling you all that we are fucked for infinity. So
enjoy what pathetic life you have left you miserable fucks, because
when it’s gone, so are we! What the fuck, my critics? I wasn’t aware
of impute rules that every had to be exactly alike. Rigor do not go
against general rules, nor the band wagon, nor does it go against
the grain. Negative in all nocturnal intense hatred for all things
laced with pleasurable pain is what this is all about, fuckin’ “A”!
The new wave of positive thinking has taken over, indeed. Don’t
disappoint me all of you underground clowns ~ this is what it’s all
about, now buy or die! – Clayton
www.paragonrecords.net
info@paragonrecords.net
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Rigor do play or
in their case a better word might be encompass your traditional doom
metal. You will not hear the classic Sabbath sounds or the slick
synth infusion of later day My Dying Bride for one example. No
Sardonicous have a style that does not really sound a lot like
anyone else but it is slow and suffocating and it is immense doom in
every sense of the word. It is plodding and apocalyptic and the dark
snails pace actually manages to accentuate and make you forget that
they use a drum machine (as drum machines generally sound awful in
fast bands IMO). The vocals are extremely obscure and so much so
they almost melt into the background like they are part of the
scenery rather than meant to be a focal point of the musical whole.
I guess my only complaint and it is a minor one would be the
recording could be a little fuller and richer to take full effect of
their permeating style. The recording is just a tad thin but having
said that it is not always easy to achieve on a budget. A lot of
bands claim the title graveyard metal but Rigor Sardonicous actually
achieve it in their unique doom-y way.
– Dale
http://www.smilingdeath.com
rigor@smilingdeath.com
http://paragonrecords.org/ |
This would in
point of fact be my first encounter with Riphead but surely not my
first crossing of paths with it’s members. Two of Rip’s founders are
from the respected old death metal band Ton and their singer is an
old acquaintance of mine in the form of Andrew Parrish, formerly of
the band Halomachine, not to mention editor of such print fanzines
as Metal Union & Cult ‘zine and if that is not enough to occupy this
die hard’s time, he runs the UG record label Morbid Souls. Riphead
keep things on the simple side but that does not stop them from
taking you places, they paint portraits of societal decline with a
deft brush dipped in hatred. A little rough around the edges but
these monsters from the land of the Blue Jackets show plenty of
promise, I will keep my eye upon them. Drogheda on the other hand is
something I know like the back of my hand or at least I used to. I
was way into these grind animals for years, hence my interview with
them in issue 3 of Canadian Assault, however I had heard nothing new
from them in years and was uncertain whether they were still in
existence really. The more things change, the more they stay the
same and Drogheda have done just that, it is like traveling away
from home for a long period and knowing that recliner in front of
the stereo that has your body impressed into it from years of use
providing intangible comfort, the pocket on the side has your
fanzines, porno mags, tissues and vibration remote and it is like
you never left. The same can be said about Drogheda, they sound
exactly the same after all these years and I am okay with that, who
fuck wants a blasting semi-catchy monster grind band to progress?!
Not me and when it is continually delivered with this sort of
ferocity, memorability and cantankerous crusty dirt that is all that
matters! Hails to Drogheda the pigheaded bastards from Ohio’s
armpit, they play grind the way it was meant to be – pissed off with
every song taking about long as you do with your girlfriend, 2 ½
minutes or less! – Dale
Riphead =
cultfanzine@yahoo.com
www.riphead.cjb.net www.extrememilleniumentertainment.com
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Sloppy, talent less,
black metal with repetitive drumming and fairly passable vocals. The
keyboard playing is worst of all, very amateurish performed by Grimace
the grand blackened wizard of the golden arches. “Demonic Winter Metal”
from sunny and happy, winterless California.
This Canadian is unimpressed. |
It seems as if
it has been an eternity since I have heard a new Rites of Thy
Degringolade release. I have been guilty of not keeping as close an
eye as I could have upon them. Long time readers of the Assault will
recall I interviewed this band, on the strength of their great demo
tape, back in issue 4. A quick history lesson for those not in the
know, Rites rose from the ashes of a great old Canadian band named
Sacramentary Abolishment (interview in issue 1!) and the other half
of that band went on to form Axis of Advance. I would posit Rites
have gotten more technical over the years, I am not sure you could
call them a black metal sounding band any longer. Oh yes, it is dark
music and yes it has an occult feel but to me it is much more rooted
in death metal and old extreme thrash on “Totality”. I would say
think if newer Gorguts had reproduced with Order From Chaos and the
child was hopped up on speed and was exposed to occult themed
violent horror films at much too young an age. It is surprising to
me with the amount of things that are going on, the sheer cacophony
of sounds and ideas, swirling in the music that mainman Paulus
somehow manages to leave enough room for heavy slowed riffs and
other quirky guitar derangement to breathe, to flow but the counter
point of it all casts off a brilliant effect. Order injected into
chaos indeed and one is feeling cold and exhilarated all at once.
Though Paulus spews the vocals and plays all instruments, I have
always thought of him as a drummer first and his frantic yet
tasteful performance throughout the album are impressive and have
done nothing to change my pre-conceived notion. Another highlight on
the album, that should incite Canadian die hards, is a guest vocal
appearance by one of the great, under appreciated and visionary
Canadian musicians of our time, Hart Bachmier of the legendary
Disciples of Power. A fine, fine way to off a master work of an
album that should please aggression junkies who like a bit of
atmosphere in their surroundings, as well techno-philes, who will
revel in the many off-kilter and memorable twists, turns and time
changes that riddle “Totality”. A must have and Western Canada
proves once again it is the king of North American metal! – Dale
Realms… Prod.,
Box 69, Washington, NJ. 07882 USA
www.realmsofdarkness.com
Rites…, 11311 96
St., Edmonton, Alberta, T5G 1T2 CANADA
www.angelfire.com/music3/degringolade
|
If I am
following correctly this project was started in 1997 as a three song
demo, but it was never released. Yet the tracks were eventually
posted on a myspace site and Obsidian caught wind of them. Then, the
label convinced the one man behind this band to write more songs for
an album release. So five more tracks were penned over the last 2
years, added to the demo material and the result is “You Worship
Shit”. This is some pretty good stuff. It is hard to say what they
sound like, but maybe something like Judas Iscariot mixed with the
more fast upbeat Carpathian Forest type style. The vocals are
definitely classic black metal rasping, but clear enough and with a
deep enough tone to make out most of the lyrics. I just looked at
the bio and it describes it as “black thrash ‘n roll” and I guess
that fits though they definitely are rooted solidly enough in old
black metal not to sound as corny as that title sounds. I think it
is worth checking out. – Dale
www.obsidianrecords.com
info@obsidianrecords.com
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