REVIEWS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY BAND NAME)
Bands included are: Abriosis, Angelcide, Autumns Eyes, Coffin, Dark Metamorphosis, Desolation, Dystrophy, Ethereal Collapse, Gmork, Gross Misconduct, Incolded, Izegrim, Nocra, Ørkenkjøtt, Sanktuary, The Green Evening Requiem, Waning
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Abriosis
These guys definitely have it down. These guys are very serious about what they do, as can be seen by the business-esque letter they gave me describing themselves and what they have been doing. Although they do show that they have a sense of humor too, like in the track “Bottom Feeder,” where Bruce Springsteen comes in out of nowhere. I’m from New Jersey but I don’t like any Bruce Springsteen so I thought it was funny, but sorry guys if you actually like him. (Pick up a copy of their cd to figure out what I’m talking about here). This Ep is the first effort by Abriosis, but it sounds really professional, as good as any CD you buy in music stores. I thought there must be two guitar players in this band, but there isn’t! I assume the guitar player Taylor Lipton writes most or all the guitar parts which are all pretty damn sick. There is so much going on with the guitars, to be able to do all that yourself is very impressive. I’m talking about the short solos, rhythms and leads throughout the songs and what I believe to be a lot of sweeping.
The vocal range is also very complete and impressive. This guy, Chris Mathis, has like 3 or more ranges that he can do. This is awesome in varying up the songs and keeping them interesting (even though I know a lot of grinding death bands can do this, here it is very well executed). The drums sound really good, the bass drum is pretty loud. I like loud bass drums, so I would have liked it to be a little louder, but that’s just me. The drummer is very talented and really keeps the songs surging, or trucking as I like to say, throughout the whole EP.
The best tracks on this EP I believe are “Architecture of an Anomaly,” “Bottom Feeder,” and Memoirs of a Traitor.” “Architecture” is a good headbanger. Not too much blastbeating and not slow either. In the outro of this song, the bass really stood out to me. I like a nice audible bass and mostly you could hear it pretty well, but here especially. It also had a really nice tone, not twangy or annoying. “Bottom Feeder” had some sick parts with (what I believe were) really cool hammer on guitar leads. Lastly, the BEST TRACK was definitely “Memoirs of a Traitor.” At 2:05 in the song, it goes into this crazy part, where you see their obvious Meshuggah influence. It’s probably the coolest section of the CD.
There was one problem I had with the music though and that was that the typical “death grind riff” was used a bit much, hindering each individual song from standing out as best at it could. The riff I’m talking about is the one where the guitar is doing low notes, where it goes 1 2 3 4 to a bit higher 1 2 3 4 and repeats. A huge fan of death grind may love this though. They weren’t over used too badly, but a little.
So in the end, this band is awesome. The songs never stop truckin through and the time signatures are really technical at times making the music remarkable even more. I Check them out at myspace.com/abriosis. They plan to tour the USA!!! Next year.
-Asgrim
February 2009
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Angelcide- The Citadel
This is a respectable release from Angelcide. I heard the 4 song ep that Maelstrom (one man band) put out before this one and that one really blew me away. It was the first stuff I had heard from them and because of that, I was expecting a lot more from this release- “The Citadel.”
The first track, “Approach the Gates,” is really just an instrumental intro. The first guitar to come in sounds a bit out of tune, and I felt throughout the whole EP the rhythm guitar sounded a bit out of tune. Then it continues though, in the first track, with a pretty cool, atmospheric lead. Tracks 2 and 3 seemed to be the tracks that the most effort was put into. It does not seem like drums are Maelstrom’s main focus because I didn’t hear a lot of filling, but his double bassing was outstanding and really filled out the sound on these two tracks. The vocals though throughout the EP had too much echo on them. I know echo is almost always used for Black Metal, but there was a little too much used here. It distorted the vocals too much. Even so “As the Walls Cave In” and “Exordium” were good tracks, the best on this release. “As the Walls Cave In,” which by the way I think is an awesome song title, starts out with a really nice opening riff right away. That was probably the sickest riff of the EP. In the next track, “Exordium,” at about 1:03, kicks in a very classic sort of black metal riff combined with the drums. It was an all around good song, but that part was particularly pleasing. And to finish the song, a solo busts in basically out of nowhere which I thought was an interesting and bold way to include one in there.
Track 4, “Exordium part 2,” was another instrumental. It is kind of just filler and at one point some weird noise comes in. Track 5, “Knife Wounds,” is a short 2 riffer but it’s pretty “groovin’” I would say. You can hear the bass a little clearer, which essentially follows the guitar, but it adds to the fullness of the track. This track is a pretty good headbanger with faster sort of punky drums. The next track, Soul Departure (Apacalypse Version), seems to have different (weaker) production quality from the other tracks. It still though, has some good higher tremolo riffs in it. Closing the album is a piano track that is pretty soothing.
This EP was definitely not bad, but I don’t think it was as strong as the prior one- “Soul Departure.” I am less a fan of the instrumentals from most bands, so I felt like there were too many on this release. The full songs though were some good solid black metal though. Their myspace is MYSPACE.COM/ANGELCIDELIVES. Definitely check them out.
-Asgrim
February 2009
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Autumns Eyes- “Surrender the Fire”
Autumns Eyes is a Gothic Black Metal project with some Death metal mixed in. This is a one man project. The mastermind, Dan, to this release handles all the instruments and vocals. There is nothing lacking on each piece either, they are all stunningly arranged and put together. I really do not feel one instrument took precedence over any other for the most part. What comes out is a refreshing style of music I don’t hear enough of.
As I listen to the first track, “Greedy Demon Parasites,” I first hear a similarity in vocal style to Peter Tägtgren of Hypocrisy who is one of my favorite vocalists. There is also a bit of a Dani Filth presence in there, another excellent vocalist (even though I know everyone despises Cradle of Filth). These vocalists are both very unique, which puts this guy, Dan, in that same category. It is nice to hear someone of this style and capability, as is show on this output from Autumns Eyes. Some of the riffs on guitar coupled with the drum style are also Hypocrisy-esque. This was another good choice in direction. I am not trying to say this is a Hypocrisy copy band though, because this is a very unique record in itself. On this first song is a very strong symphonic keyboard presence, which gives the song a very gothic/black metal feel. Here and throughout are some astonishing guitar solos as well.
The next song was my favorite- “Empty Bliss,” although I was a bit torn between this one and the next, “What’s Left of Flesh” as to which I liked the most. The reason I picked “Empty Bliss” was because of the brilliance in its arrangement. Each preceding section just led into one fascinating section after another. There were some very compelling lead guitars on this song as well. At 2:25 in this song was an amazing transition and the song just builds even better from there. This part really stuck out to me. The energy flowing through this song was captivating, adding to the enjoyment. I should also mention the vocals on this song. The raspy styled vocals dominate the record, but at times as he gets louder he will do clean shouts. Basically this is done at an emphasis point. I loved this and thought it gave the vocals an exceptional personality. I only wish the vocals were somewhat louder on the album. Some of the lyrical passages were interesting as well and should be focused on after you take in the beauty of the music.
What’s Left of Flesh was another song with great energy. The guitar solo was notable as well. The next, “Feast of the Dead,” had some wondrous orchestrations and synth work. There was the feeling a real orchestra was present. These parts were vividly arranged. The final song was a Dimmu Borgir cover which was a pleasant surprise. The selection was, “Mourning Palace,” one of my favorites by the band. Autumn Eyes stays true to the song, but mainly with his vocal style, brings a new view to the song. This version was essentially as strong as the original but in a different way.
This release was excellent and it is advisable that one takes a listen to this. It really has something in there for all preferences in genre. Go to www.myspace.com/autumnseyes to find out more. There will be an Autumn Eyes interview to follow this shortly.
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Coffin
Coffin from New Jersey plays some evil old skool thrash. Satan would be pleased with them. This is some really straightforward stuff obviously influenced by the great originators in thrash. There isn’t too much soloing but when there is, it is most certainly the good stuff. Being that they are very Slayer influenced, I was afraid the solos would just be going for speed while hitting every note in the way. Fortunately this was not true. There was also a lot of chuggin palm mute riffs, best heard on “Forsaken Angel.” There will be tons of headbanging going on for any listener of this EP.
When you put the cd in you immediately hear the Slayer influenced vocals on “Altar in Black.” You also get a quick solo further along in the song that compliments the riffing nicely and quickly. It was after this that the bass was more audible, adding to the crushing power of the end of the song. “Before the Cross” was also in the vein of the old skool trash. I thought these first two songs would be most liked by pure die-hard thrash fans. The next three songs, while still containing originality in their genre, were definitely more accessible to a larger metal audience. And while the first two were awesome tracks, I liked the final three the most. “The Burial Ground” was full of headbanging riffs. The only real problem I had with this song and parts of some of the others was that some really sweet riffs would be cut short and transitioned a bit awkwardly to another riff. This song though, also had my favorite lyrics, written by the bassist Damien. “My liver and heart end up in their mouth, Mauled, and clawed, we are ripped to bits” were two lines talking about “re-animated corpses” striking terror. These were gruesome yet entertaining lyrics. “Forsaken Angel,” with the lyrics and music all around, seemed to have a strong Black Metal influence to it. A very enjoyable blending of the genres for a big Black Metal fan such as myself. “Witch” was a quick and powerful finish to a strong release.
This a band I think you will like. Check them out at Myspace.com/coffinnj
-Asgrim
April 2009
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Dark Metamorphosis – Stains of Mortality
Dark Metamorphosis from South Carolina has a pretty solid release in “Stains of Mortality.” It’s mostly Black Metal, but also a lot of ambient, doomy keyboard dealings. The quality is pretty bad though, not all staticky with the drums blowing out your speakers, but more of a bad mix. When the keyboards are added to the rest of the instruments, taking precedence, that’s really all you hear. Sometimes I wasn’t entirely sure what the other instruments were doing at all. A lot of people really get into this kind of rawness, so I can see why there is a strong following for this one man band. When the keyboards are left out from time to time, you do hear the guitar pretty well though, and it’s some fine stuff. This can be seen in the title track “Stains of Mortality,” with some nice layered guitar work and leads.
From the start though with, “Shades of Pain,” you really get into the haunting atmosphere of this album. As the listener, I couldn’t get into it entirely because of an annoying feedback that went on almost the whole song. The vocals here and on the rest could have used a turning up of the volume too. When you move to the next song, “The Blood is Still Warm” you recognize the excellent keyboard work. This seemed to be the most important instrument of the release. Track 3, “Elipadae” was actually pure keyboards and synth. This element brought a fine blending of black metal with ambient doom music. This is pretty rare stuff.
Some people go for and thrive on production like on this release. For me to get into it a bit more, I’d like to see it taken to a more refined level, but that’s just me. This was a great release from Dark Metamorphosis and I should look forward to more from them. Myspace.com/darkmetamorphosismusic
-Asgrim
April 2009
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Desolation- “Misery”
This was a very interesting review seeing as this one man project was not really metal. It did have a few aspects of the doom metal genre though but still not metal. Even so it was a welcomed listen. I thought it better to judge this release mostly on the feelings it invoked rather than the musicianship, which actually worked out because the creator, Kei, declared “I’m trying to create something artistic, more sound and atmosphere than music.”
The first track, “A Winter’s Night in Solitude,” was definitely some dark, doomy stuff. Very contemplative and sorrowful. It started the interest for the rest. The next was “Desecration.” This had the only vocals of the release. They were unintelligible and haunting. This addition to the music was very interesting and made this a unique song, even though I wouldn’t say any of the songs sounded alike. The problem that really seemed to surface during this song and that stuck out in some of the other songs was the distortion of the guitar sound. If improved, the listening experience would also be improved. One other good thing about this song though, was the repetitive drum fills. They were pretty much the same throughout the song and I really liked that. It added to the droning aspect of the song. “Dischord” was the next song. I wasn’t sure if there was a double meaning to this song title or not. When the song started I thought it was time to do the waltz, but then it turned into something else. The feeling was like one was at a shimmering lake. At least that’s what I envisioned. Another good track, but one that also needed an improvement in instrument sound quality. Track 4, “Fading…” was an inspirational track and a thought provoking track. It didn’t inspire me do to anything yet, but I think it may have that sort of power. I was fond of the violin led outro as well. “Interludium” had an evilness to it. It had a violin ending as well, which I found strange but this is abstract music after all! Last was “The Erotic Nature of Misery.” This song generated more optimism. The other songs were more depressive and sorrowful but not this one. This song was also the most beat oriented.
For someone who has no musical training, Kei’s arrangements are quite good. Not exactly metal, but listening to this could be beneficial and inspiring to the listener, which is recommended. Myspace.com/keidesolation
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Desolation- (Self Titled Release)
So I previously reviewed “Misery” by Desolation, which was a great release. I was informed though by the creator of the music, Kei that I had listened to it in the wrong order. On this, his latest release, I’m pretty sure I listened to it in the correct order. I am not sure if would have affected me personally any differently had I listened to it in a different order, but it seemed important to the creator. Perhaps what he is trying to portray is best seen if listened to the way he intended, so it seemed a good idea to do this one in the correct order.
As I said in the previous review of Desolation, they aren’t really metal, more drone/doom ambient sound art. This still holds true for this release. It is a bit slow for me but of course that is the quality of drone. I do crave the faster, harder hitting stuff usually, because of my appetite for metal, but this was still a good listen. Even so, some of the individual songs were somewhat repetitive and that was a little dissatisfying for me. This is ambient art though, and that’s kind of how it works. I am also probably not the closest target audience Desolation is going for. Part of that repetitive problem, that any music listener can appreciate, was the guitar sound. I thought it needed to be changed up from song to song. It was used as the main sound often and some tracks did not sound too different from the others, a bit of a bother to me. The next release really could use a different distortion/fuzz sound. So some of the tracks didn’t feel too new and exciting to me.
The album really starts of strong though. That kind of threw me off because after song 3 I became somewhat disappointed for a little bit. Kei is more about the art, but I am interested in the music a little more. The first three though were really awesome tracks. “Venom” was a perfect choice to open the album. It had a long introduction, prolonging the wait. This gives you a sense you’re waiting for something big. It then becomes a more filled out song with the rest of the instruments joining in and the vocal noises so perfectly added to the rest of the sound. I loved how this song progressed. “Vehemence” provoked an incredible feeling. It had that fuzzy distortion that I seem to be complaining a lot about, but here it worked well. This was a quite pensive song, which Kei is good at making. And then BAM, we’re at the masquerade ball hundreds of years ago. This was so entertaining, that extreme change was so great and I loved it. “The Mourning Light” had drums and vocals again. At first the vocals seemed rather forced but by the end I thought they worked perfectly again. This song had an ending with amazing beauty.
Then the release went downhill to me. “Requiem” did not sound all that different from the others and “Intermission” had a bit of a fake Yamaha sound that the people at Sam Ash (musical instrument store) like to mock. This one also seemed like a filler, but it was called “Intermission” after all. “Aggression” was pretty good though, the fuzz sounded different and I was glad for it. “Ad Noctum” had a cool back and forth element to it, but still did not catch my attention as well as the first few songs. The high hopes I had for this release after the first 3 songs were restored with song 8, “A Final Moment.” It was much different from the others. The sound gave one the feeling they were inside a weird, futuristic machine. Those were my thoughts though, I’m sure it will be different to the next listener.
This was another fine release from Desolation, but with some flaws. I hope the music keeps coming from this guy because it is interesting stuff. Myspace.com/ keidesolation
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Dystrophy
This one was a quickie. It’s a 2 song release from Dystrophy who do a mix of death metal and thrash. The mixture is quite obvious in the first song, “Thirst for Blood.” This song has a bunch of good driving thrashy riffs with mainly death metal vocals done over them (but also some cleans). The death metal vocals are pretty well done but this band seems more about the guitar riffs. This track never slows down and along with some nice double bass blasting sections, makes for a pretty forceful song. The best riff in the song is the one under the clean vocals, which is a real good headbanging riff. Over that riff though are some typical thrash clean vocals, kind of like Slayer. Unlike the death vocals, these aren’t too great. They slightly hurt the song and it would probably be better if the band did less or none of these. The other problems with this song were the two guitar solos. They were ok but not too inspiring. They didn’t exactly seem to have the same direction as the rest of the song.
The second song, “Through Scenes of Buried Pain,” was definitely the best track of this release (although this was just a 2 song output). The drums were even better, with some very interesting parts, on this song and the main riff that you hear throughout the song was quite good. In general, what made this song better was that it was more melodic. It had slower parts than the first but these were well done. The solos were also more melodic and much better on this song. The first starts out with some sweeping and leads into a progressive part that is excellently done. There are two solos on this song, like the first, and the second one is also great and does not fail to keep the song alive and exciting. For the bass, you could hear it pretty decently throughout the demo, but towards the end it sort of “reveals” itself and shows some good licks before and under the solo. Even though there were a bunch of slow sections, they end this song strong on a good fast thrash riff.
This band is certainly worth giving a listen. Their myspace is www.myspace.com/dystrophy1
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Ethereal Collapse- “Breaching the Citadel”
This is one of the more accessible bands I’ve reviewed. They play a more popular form of metal, at least here in the US. They mix metalcore, melodic death and progressive (as well as some other elements) and they do it really well.
I loved just about everything this band had to offer, the one main exception was the lead vocals. They were a sort of throaty scream with a bit of a higher pitch. The album though, was essentially dominated by the guitar work, so the vocals did not really turn me off to the band as a whole.
With the first song on the album, “A Tragedy Divine,” I did not really think I was going to get into this band. This was a solid track but did not really blow my mind. This was also the introduction to the vocals that were not exactly my favorite. BUT THEN!!!! After that song it is as if the album really gets started, the first song was sort of a warm up perhaps. “Undo Creation” begins the shining of the lead guitar work. In the beginning is an impressive lead riff that goes into a great harmonization. They also doubled the lead vocal tracks with death metal vocals under the main style they use. This I liked and I felt made the vocal aspect of the song much more enjoyable. This song just continues with tons of great lead guitar work. Then they have a sort of “typical” break down which leads into more sick solos and harmonies. The guitar players are really sick. The next song, “Walls of Eternity,” was another great track. THE LEADS ON HERE WERE SO FUCKING FAST! The fastest of the whole album I think. They shredded through them flawlessly. Song 4, “As the Mighty Fall,” comes along and this right here is the BEST TRACK of the album. It has a Satan damn fine opening lead melody, but then it slows down and ALMOST kills the mood when the vocals come in (because of the tempo change, not the vocals that is). They quickly rectify this problem with an awesome depressive riff of sorts, probably my favorite riff of the album. This song demonstrates the one attempt at clean vocals. These are solid and nothing to complain about. Later on in the song is a kind of a breakdown alternating from speaker to speaker. This was a sick headbanging riff. The next, the title track, is a bit like song 1: solid but not incredibly stunning. Track 6 is called “The Eyes of Solace,” and this starts out in a very epic fashion with some more, great sweeping and some fine tapping work. I would describe this as the “fist pumping” track of the album.
“The Nightmare Creature” has the thrashiest feel to it of all the songs, but a variety of melodic thrash. The drums seemed most technical on this song and quite interesting. This was not the first showcase of their acoustic guitar styling, but this track had the more notable acoustic piece to break the song into pieces slightly. And at about 6:00, another very epic GUITAR SOLO!! Finally “On the Reins of Desire” plays to finish out the album. The best intro to their songs was found on this number. The lead guitar dominating obviously. This song also had a very Kalmah/In Flames-esque atmosphere to it. Here as well, they double tracked the vocals, coupling them with the low death metal growls, which I again liked and preferred. The conclusion begins at 5:50 with a build into one of the best leads they did. You feel it coming and you can’t wait. Blistering hammer ons/pull offs or maybe tapping (not sure). The very end has a breakdown type riff which I found to be one of the most original and interesting , although not incredibly complicated, that I’ve heard.
I could see this band being signed to a major label in the near future. Very good listen. Check them out at myspace.com/etherealcollapse
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Ethereal Collapse-Categories
Yummy is all I have to say.
But seriously girls and gentlemen, this band, whom we call Ethereal Collapse was a melodic death/speeeeeeed metal band with a hint of metalcore and prog metal influenced guitars. While listening to their three song EP, “Categories,” the first thing that really stood out were the leads and melodies. The first thought that came to my head was, “This band’s main hook for viewers would be their guitars.” The leads and solos were very satisfying. They filled out the sound, with much harmonizing involving both the rhythms and leads on guitar. Enough with the amazing guitars, in the next paragraph we will move to the drums and bass.
Hello again, as I promised this portion will be about the drums and bass. Although these two instruments were not very technical or arousing they were tight and fulfilled their roles. The only negative thing about the drums was the tom toms. They were very flat sounding, like a practice pad, and even the floor tom tom had zero depth.
And last but not least the vocals. I think that they really need to figure out what they want to do with them. The second and the third track were very similar but the first track sounded like a different band. I enjoyed both forms of vocals, mainly the double tracked ones off of “Slave to the Empirical.”
Over all this was a very solid sounding band with lots of depth, due mainly to the guitars. The only thing I would like to see these boys do would be to find their own true sound. The instrument section has the sound but they need to find which form of vocals to use. I think if they were more consistent, they would have more viewers listening in and purchasing the record.
Their myspace is Myspace.com/etherealcollapse
~Zolopht :)3 (Former Reviewer)**
March 2009
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Gmork – Svarte Vann
There is so much great music that you, or at least I, have never heard of. Gmork, from Russia, is one of those bands. They are a Black Metal band with no cleans and no keyboards. Even though they are black metal, this release is so listenable with great quality and a great mix. I bet the sound is even better live though and I would love to see them one day.
The first song on this short release is “Empty Scream.” It starts out with typical but compelling tremolo riffing. This song has a sort of epic, nature-y sound to it. The feel was sort of medieval too. It made me feel like I was in the days of kings and castles built into high mountain sides. There were low and high double tracked vocals which were excellent. Some of the sweeps and lead works were kind of basic but very fitting with the rest of the music. The only problem with this song was that it was hardly over 2 minutes long.
The next song, which was over 5 minutes long!, was called “Svarte Vann.” Since the last song on this release was a cover and I wouldn’t say a cover is ever a bands best song (because it’s not their work), I would give the title of best song to this track. And this is a great fucking song. From the start the bass catches my ear with a loose and somewhat twangy sound, adding great character to the song. I also thought this was a stronger track because it was more depressive sounding. The riffs as well, were more interesting on this track. The whole song was excellently arranged, the rhythm and lead guitars fit so perfectly together. The intricacy of this track was incredible.
The final song was, “I am the Killer of Trolls,” an Impaled Nazarene cover. They pretty much nailed this one. The vocal job done on this was the best part.
This was some great music and I hope to hear a lot more from these guys. Check them out at myspace.com/adventofgmork.
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Gross Misconduct – The Process of Indoctrination
Here we have a Thrash band, from Canada, that combines elements of the new deathcore genre with thrash. The thrash aspect is pretty old skool, which is probably the best you can get. There are aspects of this band that remind me a lot of Death and Metallica. They also have that modern approach mixed in, stuff like Hatebreed. With all this comes out a unique sound with tons of energy. This band can definitely go far, and having that modern deathcore/metalcore addition can certainly help them do this, because being a thrash band alone won’t get a band far enough in this era.
All the songs were awesome, solid and strong. One stand out song though, was “Abhorrence”, which had a lot of emotion. It was sort of the gloomy type of emotion that gave you the sense it would power its way out in the end, and the song did. The lead guitars are also mentionable here. This is where they really start to stand out to me. “The Humbler” was another song with a nasty guitar solo. “Withered” was a really cool, interesting track. It was just a quick instrumental but it was very effective. It was good for an intermission, because the actual songs never stop hammering ahead. The second to last song of the album, “Lifeless” was probably the best track. It carried on the same passion of the other songs and even took it to a further level. The drums were amazing here, thundering heavily, adding an awesome extra kick to the album. The guitar riffs were also at their finest here, and the vocalist, David London, added extra variation to his vocals furthering the uniqueness of this song.
What was interesting about this album was that with all the guitar solos and crazy drumming, no instrument really took the spotlight. It was all an equal share I thought, which you don’t always see, or if you do, you get a really boring band. This band was definitely not boring. Great music, go to http://www.myspace.com/grossmisconductmetal
-Asgrim
April 2009
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Incolded
Incolded has released two songs that you can find on their myspace. I’m not exactly sure how to classify this music, but there is a mix of experimental, death and black metal within the style. Essentially, I cannot say one bad thing about this one man band from Brazil. These two songs were really amazing. “The Urge” has all sorts of insane sections and odd time signatures. These two songs are both just really innovative and interesting. I have not heard a lot like them. “An Empty Race” has more of a black metal feel to it with some really atmospheric sections. The vocals on both songs have a sort of muffle, echo effect which adds to the fascination. The drums are programmed but still sound pretty good and the overall quality of the two songs is great. These are both great listens. Go to myspace.com/incolded to check them out.
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Izegrim- “Point of No Return”
This EP, “Point of No Return,” was my first exposure to Izegrim who are from the Netherlands. I had not heard of them before, but they seem to be growing bigger with every release. They refer to themselves as “Dutch Thunder Thrash Metal.” These days everyone is trying to make up their own genre for themselves to show how different they are. I guess this is a good title for the band, but if you use the classic terms, they are a mix of Death Metal and Thrash Metal.
The first point to be made about this band, and they probably get this often, is they are a lot like Arch Enemy. They are doing the similar Death/Thrash mix. What really makes one feel a real resemblance to The Swedish band is that they have a FEMALE GROWLER who also has long BLONDE hair. She even has a similar singing (growling) voice. The difference with this singer is that she also holds down the bass duties, which is pretty impressive because you don’t see this that often in metal, especially death metal. The other difference the band has as a whole from Arch Enemy is fewer guitar solos. They have some really strong riffs throughout the songs though, so you need not worry so much about if there is a solo in a song or not.
This Ep is a damn fine release, but it’s pretty short. They leave you looking for more, which is a good and bad thing. At first listen for each song, the first two didn’t stand out and the second two really stood out. Then I gave the first two another listen, dissecting them more and found they are also quality songs. Maybe it was because the first two songs are pretty short and really to the point. “Point of No Return” is the title track and first song. The first thing that struck me was the drums, and not just on this song but all the songs. This drummer, “Ivo,” has a really cool style and the drums really fill out the whole sound of the EP. I’m not saying it’s some new innovative style but it was very appealing. The other stand out of this song was the section right in the middle of the song. On all these songs it seems, the band starts off with general, simple thrash riffs, and saves their best arrangements for the middle. And they had some really killer stuff in there. The first solo of this song was a pretty solid, melodic solo. The second one starts out pretty typical of a melodic thrash solo and keeps trying until the end when it finally becomes good. As far as the bass in this song and throughout, it was pretty non-existent, but that might be asking too much of Marloes, who has only recently taken over on lead vocals.
The second song, “No Place Like Home,” also was short and to the point. The opening line says something like, “I used to love our country” and another part says it is a “shitty country.” They end though with the line “There’s no place like home.” I’m guessing they have some sort of love/hate relationship with their country, which is a topic I haven’t really heard many bands singing about so that’s interesting. Track three, “End of Time,” is the BEST song on this EP. It is a rockin headbanger throughout, containing the best riffs of the release and better solos. If you only have time to listen to one song to decide if you like this band or not, listen to this one. It definitely will not disappoint. The last song, “Angel of Demise,” is apparently a re-recorded song from an earlier album. I haven’t heard the original so this was brand new to me. This was also a great track though. Singing along wise, this song had the catchiest refrain. But it also had a lead riff that I was disappointed to find did not jump into a solo, which was what I was hoping for, but it was an unyielding song nonetheless.
The band declares this EP as their “wake-up call to the world.” I think they need a longer release to accomplish this, but it may be done. Definitely a band worth checking out. Their myspace is www.myspace.com/izegrim. They would like to let everyone know that all 4 tracks will be made available for free download to everyone at Izegrim's myspace page between March 14th and March 28th 2009.
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Nocra
When I first looked at the myspace of this band, Nocra from Russia, I couldn’t believe it was a female operated Black Metal band. I’m pretty sure I have never seen that before. What’s more is that the music is incredible; it can put plenty of male run Black Metal bands to shame. The two members, Lady S. and Tesana have an undeniable musical chemistry.
There is not a bad or even subpar song on this demo. The first is “Spes Est Ultimum Adversarum.” It is a hauntingly beautiful instrumental driven by grandiose keyboard passages. From taking a quick first listen to this band on myspace, I thought I was going to be hearing slow music. That was untrue; the pace is quick and captivating. The next song, “Inter Vepres Rosae Noscuntur.” There was a male, I can only assume because it was so much lower than the rest of the vocals, guest voice on here. This was a brilliant addition to the song, making it even more interesting. The lead vocals of Lady S. herself were pretty good, but they were more of a spoken than screamed vocal offering. This was my favorite song on the demo, but not because of these previous mentioned elements. It was the way the keyboards, and also guitars, worked together with the drums to form essentially a full orchestra. It was so flawlessly done.
As I got to the third song, “The Drama of Loneliness,” I was wishing the production was a little better because the songs would have been so much more powerful. Not that the production was terrible though. This song too was beautifully depressive. The sad, depressive songs appeal to me the most which is why I really enjoyed this demo. The atmosphere invoked in this and the other songs is surrounding. The last song, “This is Just Sorrow,” was an instrumental that seemed to have hypnotic powers. You could feel the music whirling around you.
For those who like depressive, keyboard/synth driven black metal, Nocra is perfect. I look forward to hearing more from these women. www.myspace.com/nocraofficial
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Ørkenkjøtt -"Skygger og
Støv"
This band, Ørkenkjøtt from Norway, has such a creative and unusual sound. I definitely see the Opeth influence, but these guys really go way beyond Opeth. There are so many elements packed into these two tunes, making this EP something everyone can enjoy.
Break out the strobe lights and fog machines for this first song, "Skygger og Støv." This is a very doomy and psychedelic feeling song, with a soothing quality too. Yet there is still aggression there. The vocals go back and forth between cleans and death growls and both styles are well implemented and executed. The song on a whole is very atmospheric, with some Middle Eastern sounding elements included as well. The drumming really stood out too. Very elaborate and complex, adding an extra element to the listening experience.
Song 2, “Jeg Ser Verden Brenne,” picked the
pace up a bit more, but still with the clean guitar/vocal sections to distortion/growl
sections. The drummer continues that
fantastic style too. Even at times when
the song slows don’t, I did not lose interest.
Both songs were captivating. I
noticed the bass more here, the lines were very intricate, but the tone was
kind of strange to me. Both songs were
strong, but I really enjoyed this track, even more than the first.
This
band has a very original sound. They can
really appeal to fans of experimental rock, death metal, black metal,
progressive, and other genres along these lines. I think this band has the potential to really
get big. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/orkenkjott
.
-Asgrim
March 2009
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Sanktuary
Sanktuary from Canada has a lot of talent but not enough originality. Although this was a fun, headbanger of a cd, the music did not have enough innovation to make me really stop in my tracks for these guys. The band has an obvious political agenda as seen by their song titles and emphasized by their lyrics. These were also part of that same problem, they weren’t too imaginative either. I’ve seen these titles many times before by other bands of the same and different metal genres. Even so, there is some cool music on here. The bass takes the spotlight on many occasions, which is somewhat of a rare thing. It was done very well, because this bass player had tremendous talent. As did the guitarists. There were a bunch of typical thrash solos, but also some really cool ones sometimes added to with nice effects. The drummer also had some real ability, holding down his end nicely. The last element was the vocals. The singer, Alan Binger, was not the greatest, there was not enough feeling in many of his vocal passages. He also did these weird wails throughout the album that were kind of annoying. There were group chants in there though which were really good. I sensed the passion in those. They would definitely be good for getting a crowd into the music.
The first song, “Speed Demon,” had a sort of Motorhead influence. There was a very classic metal style to this song. The second song, “Death Dealer,” had some of that bizarre wailing in it, but the music reminded me of a thrash/prog band from New Jersey called Severed Hand who I really like. Even though the vocals weren’t too appealing, the music was pretty cool. Towards the middle was an interlude done in triplets that had a good build and stamina. It progressed really nicely and finished the song strong. The next, “Into the Inferno,” was an instrumental so you probably know why I liked this more than the first two. There were some really awesome bass leads here, as well as some sweet guitar solos. The fourth was “Warmongers.” The vocals weren’t arranged to fit the song so smoothly, but there were a lot of cool riffs. The final was “Paradise Lost,” a song with a nice, multi-parted intro. Awesome gang shouts. A very Iron Maiden-esque song. The bass takes the spotlight again in this song.
Not a bad release, but some more innovation and creativity needs to take place for this band to stand out more. They have the talent to do this, so I don’t doubt that this will happen. Check them out at myspace.com/sanktuaryslays
-Asgrim
March 2009
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The Green Evening Requiem – Bastards of Atlas
This band does an incredible job blending different styles, and not just within metal. This accessibility could be what it takes for this band to really blow up. The Green Evening Requiem from Pennsylvania packs this release with catchy melodies, psychedelic interludes and lots of heavy strikes!
One of the driving elements throughout the album was the 60s-70s retro style of the music. This was mostly due to the keyboards as is exemplified in the track “If Ever So.” This mix is such an uncommon blend. This band does it so well, with the prog and death elements too! I would think it odd for someone not to find something they like in this band. All the songs were pretty long too, very progressive. They kept achieving new heights with each passing minute.
With song 4, “Atlantis in Winter,” I almost thought the death vocals added to the music were too bold. The screams are really very characteristic of metalcore and the instrumentation is certainly not metalcore. Really though, the union seemed to work out excellently. This song was the first with clean vocals too. I thought this was a good addition, because I was sort of hoping for some, but wasn’t sure any would be used. They really went with the “retro” vibe I was getting from the music because of the group harmonization. Then you have the next song. It was the best song on the album: “Severance.” This had a lot more of the clean vocals, which fit so well with the music. It was wise not to go with screams here. There were tons of great experimental riffs from both the bass and guitar. A very solid album.
This band has a ton of talent. It looks like their guitarists from this album are both gone now, so I am wondering what kind of music the band will make in the future. Great stuff, myspace.com/thegreeneveningrequiem
-Asgrim
April 2009
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Waning – Population Control
Waning is a Black Metal band from Sweden. It may not be Norway, but it is still Scandinavia so already they get points for their location. “Population Control” is an amazing debut release from a band who really knows what they are doing. Even though they don’t have the most technical approach, the music is still really unique.
The whole album is majestic yet depressive. You can feel the anguish from not only the vocalist, but in the rest of the music as well. Achieving this kind of emotion is not always easy and this band really nailed it. Not only that though, the album is crushing and powerful. The title track “Population Control” is an obvious example of this, even though it was an instrumental. I suppose the singer stepped back for this song to let the rest of the band just slay the listener. This song also had some really cool bass lines. The best song on the album, “Crowning Apathy,” also show cased the energy. The hate and aggression was very evident in this track. It progressed beautifully and never let up.
The two guitars worked really well together in this album. There wasn’t really a whole lot of soloing, but the sound was much filled out by the dueling guitarists. The drumming was also fantastic. The double bass roars in the background, assisting the annihilation. The vocal emotion was probably most important in the deliverance. Nothing was spared or left me wanting.
All these tracks were awesome, not a bad section even to one of them. I looked at the ratings from some of the other review sites and was appalled to see grades like 7.5/10. This band is sick and started with an incredibly strong debut. The only problem with that is that they will have to work twice as hard to make an even better album next time around. But I see them doing that. One of my favorite new bands I have found.
Myspace.com/thewaning
-Asgrim
April 2009
