DIMMU BORGIR – Abrahadabra CD review

DIMMU BORGIR – Abrahadabra CD
Nuclear Blast Records

Over the past couple of years I’ve come to the opinion that the people who hate DIMMU BORGIR are just as insane as the ones who claim the band still plays black metal. Actually hate is putting it mildly considering that the mere mention of DIMMU BORGIR on a black metal forum is equal to shoving a cross in Dracula’s face. As for this band’s defenders, well I see them more as trying to stand at the top of a rickety ladder lecturing everyone else on their own superior tastes. So let’s put it all in a common sense and historical perspective shall we? DIMMU BORGIR started out as a black metal band and their early releases are perfect examples. Then the band started expanding their sound toward a more progressive style relying heavily on the symphonic elements, added clean vocals and orchestrated melodies. Their last release, 2007’s In Sorte Diaboli, saw them trying to consolidate the old with the new ending in the band sounding more like a mainstream shock rock act. Since then the band has gone through some significant changes. As far as those changes, the band is now a three piece (Shagrath, Silenoz and Galder) who’ve enlisted a bunch of session musicians including the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (huge black metal fans) and the Schola Cantorum Choir (in corpse paint).

Their line-up isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Musically DIMMU BORGIR sounds more like a power metal band on this one which I first thought was titled Abracadabra and wondered if a bonus track might be a STEVE MILLER BAND cover. I figured it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch since CRADLE OF FILTH once covered “Devil Woman”. My love and appreciation for power metal is widely known throughout Extreme Metal blog circles. Yeah that’s a joke because the fact is that I don’t mind a little symphonic touches but when it gets full blown then I turn the stuff off. To put it honestly I thought that last BLIND GUARDIAN release had more metal elements than on this one. This is not a release by a metal band but instead is the soundtrack to a Broadway play that I’d walk out of. I say that alot when I’m confronted with certain power metal bands because I hate show tunes.

So what’s not to like on Abrahadabra? First off Shagrath gets to share vocals again on various songs; this time around it’s two women who sound like witch hags (on purpose of course) and session bassist Snowy Shaw from THERION, who sounds like a eunuch. The only thing missing is the fat lady wearing the horned Viking helmet and holding a spear. Next up where’s the metal? That old wall of noise riffage this band was somewhat known for has been severely downplayed and replaced with full on orchestra movements and the choir. What chances Silenoz and Galder have to shine are few. I was wrong this is not a soundtrack to a Broadway play. This is opera and I’d walk out on that as well. Usually when I write my reviews the music I’m writing about is playing on my stereo. Abrahadabra was so annoying that I had to turn it off. Trust me I’m neither a DIMMU hater nor a snot nosed pundit. I’m just a fan of what I like to call Extreme Music. I still consider their Enthroned Darkness Triumphant an essential release and an integral part of the Norwegian Black Metal history. Some people might think I overlooked the grand production value of the orchestrated movements on here. Well look here cookie pusses; this is a CD by a metal band and not Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, there is a difference. Now excuse me while I go sleep off this bad hangover.

www.nuclearblast.com

DIMMU BORGIR – Abrahadabra CD review

DIMMU BORGIR – Abrahadabra CD
Nuclear Blast Records

Over the past couple of years I’ve come to the opinion that the people who hate DIMMU BORGIR are just as insane as the ones who claim the band still plays black metal. Actually hate is putting it mildly considering that the mere mention of DIMMU BORGIR on a black metal forum is equal to shoving a cross in Dracula’s face. As for this band’s defenders, well I see them more as trying to stand at the top of a rickety ladder lecturing everyone else on their own superior tastes. So let’s put it all in a common sense and historical perspective shall we? DIMMU BORGIR started out as a black metal band and their early releases are perfect examples. Then the band started expanding their sound toward a more progressive style relying heavily on the symphonic elements, added clean vocals and orchestrated melodies. Their last release, 2007’s In Sorte Diaboli, saw them trying to consolidate the old with the new ending in the band sounding more like a mainstream shock rock act. Since then the band has gone through some significant changes. As far as those changes, the band is now a three piece (Shagrath, Silenoz and Galder) who’ve enlisted a bunch of session musicians including the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (huge black metal fans) and the Schola Cantorum Choir (in corpse paint).

Their line-up isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Musically DIMMU BORGIR sounds more like a power metal band on this one which I first thought was titled Abracadabra and wondered if a bonus track might be a STEVE MILLER BAND cover. I figured it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch since CRADLE OF FILTH once covered “Devil Woman”. My love and appreciation for power metal is widely known throughout Extreme Metal blog circles. Yeah that’s a joke because the fact is that I don’t mind a little symphonic touches but when it gets full blown then I turn the stuff off. To put it honestly I thought that last BLIND GUARDIAN release had more metal elements than on this one. This is not a release by a metal band but instead is the soundtrack to a Broadway play that I’d walk out of. I say that alot when I’m confronted with certain power metal bands because I hate show tunes.

So what’s not to like on Abrahadabra? First off Shagrath gets to share vocals again on various songs; this time around it’s two women who sound like witch hags (on purpose of course) and session bassist Snowy Shaw from THERION, who sounds like a eunuch. The only thing missing is the fat lady wearing the horned Viking helmet and holding a spear. Next up where’s the metal? That old wall of noise riffage this band was somewhat known for has been severely downplayed and replaced with full on orchestra movements and the choir. What chances Silenoz and Galder have to shine are few. I was wrong this is not a soundtrack to a Broadway play. This is opera and I’d walk out on that as well. Usually when I write my reviews the music I’m writing about is playing on my stereo. Abrahadabra was so annoying that I had to turn it off. Trust me I’m neither a DIMMU hater nor a snot nosed pundit. I’m just a fan of what I like to call Extreme Music. I still consider their Enthroned Darkness Triumphant an essential release and an integral part of the Norwegian Black Metal history. Some people might think I overlooked the grand production value of the orchestrated movements on here. Well look here cookie pusses; this is a CD by a metal band and not Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, there is a difference. Now excuse me while I go sleep off this bad hangover.

www.nuclearblast.com

UNEARTHLY TRANCE – V CD review

UNEARTHLY TRANCE – V CD
Relapse Records

One of my memories of the late nineties Extreme Metal scene was watching the rise and fall of Sludge rock. The genre suffered the same fate that all popular music genres have suffered from and that’s over saturation. You had quite a few decent bands riding the wake, some of whom are still around today, but then the coattail riders entered the picture. They believed in order to get noticed then they needed to emulate the flavor of the month sound after which even the top bands started releasing mediocre albums and the genre sunk. I see the same thing happening today but atleast now there’s an overflow valve. Once things start to get full in the Extreme Metal tub the overflow goes over the side down to the masses which is basically the mainstream, indie rock and hipster crowd. What we call mediocre and boring is to them new and exciting. Here’s another one for them to wallow in.

I actually liked UNEARTHLY TRANCE until I played this and was bored out of my wits. I got into them after hearing their 2008 release Electrocution which I thought was decent and looked forward to hearing more. Last year the band appeared on four incredible splits with the bands ALDEBARON, RAMESSES, MINSK and VOLITION. It was from listening to those releases that my anticipation grew. Next came guitarist/vocalist Ryan Lipynsky’s black metal side project from this year THE HOWLING WIND which I considered half ass in its attempt to join black metal with sludge. The BP oil spill in the Gulf was a better concoction. Which brings us to this one and I have to ask whatafuck happened to suck a promising band?

It’s not that UNEARTHLY TRANCE has changed significantly it’s just that this release also sounds half ass and without passion. All the features which made me like em before are still present. Lipynsky still has that caustic growl which reminds me of John Brannon (LAUGHING HYENAS, NEGATIVE APPROACH) if he’d consider doing a Sludge rock band. I have no complaints about Lipynsky’s dynamite like riffs plus the bass and drum work is satisfactory. It’s just that the songs ascend to the peak and then tumble down the other side. The great thing about the splits was that UNEARTHLY TRANCE gave you these short bursts of excitement whether they were playing traditional Sludge or reaching back to its early Punk/Hardcore (sludge punk) roots. On V they merely scratch at those aesthetics and leave this fifty-eight minute beast running on cruise control.

www.relapse.com

PROFANATICA – Disgusting Blasphemies Against God CD review

PROFANATICA – Disgusting Blasphemies Against God CD
Hells Headbangers Records

The earth’s crust cracks open and out from it pours forth blackened armored beasts with the sign of the pentagram painted in human blood on their helmets. They march in cadence to a mechanized rhythm. This army of the underworld overwhelms the surface dwelling sheep using their crushed bodies for lubrication as they continue on their mission to destroy all that is holy and divine. Yeah that’s what this reminds me of and then some. If you are into necro black metal and bands like SPERM OF ANTICHRIST, KERASPHORUS and BLASPHEMOPHAGHER then you need this one. PROFANATICA aka: Paul Ledney (vocals & drums) and John Gelso (guitar & bass) don’t like jesus and most likely you as well. Some bands can pull off their hate for the holy with artwork, lyrics or intense music. Disgusting Blasphemies Against God simply combines all three for a lethal trident that is the absolute best this band has ever done. I’ll even go as far to say that this release will go down in history as one of the most anti-christian BM releases of all time. (I’d even put their Broken Jew EP from 2002 on that list as well simply because I still laugh about that one) One listen to it and you’ll understand my opinion is far from hyperbole. You’ll also have the most sinister grim on your face (like me) or you’ll be scared for life and never listen to metal music again.

PROFANATICA is to black metal as NUNSLAUGHTER is to death metal and we all know how much certain death metal fans think of NUNSLAUGHTER. Some individuals like their christ hating a little on the subtle side with atmosphere, ambiance and lyrics ripped from an atheist’s class paper. Personally I have nothing against some of that but when elitists holed up in their ivory towers start complaining about the stench of burning religious texts it’s time to toss them onto the pyre as well. That’s another reason why I like this release so much. Because I know it will piss off the metro-sexual indie rock losers who slum the halls of black metal. Disgusting Blasphemies Against God is this band’s high water mark considering that all of it started back in 1990 when three ex-members of INCANTATION wanted to have some blackened fun. Since then things have changed dramatically. After a few years the band broke up then reformed in 2001 with Ledney the only original member. Even from that point on it’s been a hell of a ride. To those who thought their 2007 release, and actually their first official full length, Profanatitas de Domonatia was like pissing in the chalice at the last supper then this will melt it.

This apocalypse starts out with “Black Cum” of which all disgust is spawned from and moves along like the earlier mentioned blackened armored beasts. There’s no tremolo picked madness no harsh shrieking in fact what you do get is heavy handed bass thundering BLACK DOOM. Ledney’s drumming leads off in a military style cadence while his scorched vocals bark off commands. “Pious Piece of Shit” and “Christs Precious Blood Poisoned” bleed into one another like converging rivers of hate. Genres get meshed between gears of the mighty machine churning out “Smashing Religious Fucking Statues” and “Fuck the Blood of the Lamb”. “Covered in Black Shit” is simply haunting as a gong rings out like dinner bell for a giant mouth readying to consume everything. As this thing comes to a closing the more epic, if that word could even be used here, “Angel with Cock” mixes some atmosphere with brutality. All I can say is blasphemy never sounded so beautiful, just fuckin beautiful.

http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/

DRUNKEN BASTARDS – Horns of the Wasted CD review

DRUNKEN BASTARDS – Horns of the Wasted CD
Hells Headbangers Records

Musically there’s no mistaking where this Hungarian band’s influences come from and that’s mid-80’s Hardcore and Thrash, the good stuff before it turned to shit. For some reason I thought there use to be an English Punk/Oi band which went by the same name. On this their sophomore full length, more on that point later, the DRUNKEN BASTARDS provide alot of reminiscing for me in a good way. This five piece sounds like POISON IDEA, one of the greatest Hardcore bands from the 80s, who also dabbled on the Metal side of the stream. Blizzard’s vocals are a spot on Jerry A. and the guitar riffs would make Pig Champion (RIP) proud. They kick out some great speedy originals like “Drink with Satan”, “Baptized in Speed and Blood” and “Posercrusher”, which was also the title of their 2007 debut. Plus they include two covers by EAT MY FUK, who I never heard of but that’s a GG reference and BARBATOS who I do know and this band’s version of “Prophecy of the Evening Star” is spot on. Technically my calling this a full length is a stretch since it’s around twenty minutes long with eight cuts and one of those is an intro. Another thing is that this is actually a compilation since all of these cuts have appeared either on the first full length or their various split releases. Well be that as it may so if you’re already a fan then this is worthless but for scum punk lovers this is a must.

http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/

ENTHRONED – Pentagrammaton CD review

ENTHRONED – Pentagrammaton CD
Regain Records

Nornagest, the vocalist/guitarist and last man standing from this band’s early beginning, is somewhat of a hero to yours truly. He represents that black metal everyman. Nornagest is a craftsman when it comes to this genre and yet most people into black metal don’t even know it. In fact a few months back I was talking to some people about ENTHRONED and they all thought the band were Scandinavian as in from Norway, Sweden or Finland. As I explained to them ENTHRONED are from Belgium and if they would have just disappeared after releasing their essential 1995 release Prophecies of Pagan Fire then their reputation would be legendary. Unfortunately they’ve been slogging it out in black metal’s over crowded second tier since the mid-90s without ever reaching the pinnacle of that past blackened glory. It’s not that they haven’t been trying to bust out either since they’ve consistently released some decent full lengths every few years. Now for some people, music critics especially, consistency is not enough. This is why the words “hipster” and “trendy” are treated with scorn from me. Some clowns like to point to Nornagest‘s revolving door of bandmates as a cause for never breaking out. I disagree because in his case satanism and occultism are the main subjects behind the band’s music. If you’re not understanding of that then you’re not gonna cut it. For those of you out there who have never given ENTHRONED a chance because of what critical circle jerkoffs opine about them, then here’s a good way to start.

Pentagrammaton offers up what mainman Nornagest has been crafting for years and that’s furious Second Wave era black metal with a thick sound that’s relentless. One of the reasons I say thick is because contrary to other bands you can actually hear the bass being played. The guitars are full on distortion to the point where you just want to scream “ahhhh” but that’s a good thing. Since the production value on Pentagrammaton is far superior to original Second Wave BM recordings then the guitars sound better than a disgruntled beehive. Adding new drummer, Garghuf, is also a plus since his performance on here is exceptional. When this guy goes into blastbeat mode, which is on most of this release, it’s like sitting through an artillery barrage. The final ingredient is Nornagest himself who gives one of the best recorded vocal performances of this year from a BM perspective. Since the lyrics are more from a personal perspective then you can understand the harsh emotion which he displays at certain times while at others he’s down right sinister. There’s no faux BM bullshit here, this is pure fucking conviction. There are few bands from this genre’s second wave that are still around today let alone still create something that doesn’t sound dated or average. In 2007 I was one of the few people who thought their Tetra Karcist CD was a better than decent release. While others, critics, were wondering why a band like ENTHRONED were still vital to a metal genre that in their minds had expanded far from its original roots. I kept my hand out ready to shake Nornagest’s and tell him I can’t wait to hear what you have planned next. Three years later I have (the music that is, I still haven’t met the guy) and am here to tell you this is one of the better releases of 2010.

www.regainrecords.com

ZOROASTER – Matador CD review

ZOROASTER – Matador CD
E1 Music

ZOROASTER, from Georgia and remember that, are a band who I have missed seeing live even though I’ve been wanting to and they’ve played locally various times. I had a chance in June when they were on the bill with EYEHATEGOD and NACHTMYSTIUM but found out when I got to the club that they cancelled. They just played again in town with NACHTMYSTIUM at a newly reopened hipster club. I missed that show, go figure right. Anyways this is my first chance hearing one of their releases and I’m sure there are some people out there who’ll tell me their older material is better. Well to be honest with ya I sincerely hope it is because after a few listens to this I’m wondering what’s with all the hype? Remember I said they’re from Georgia and I haven’t seen things from that state hyped this much since we had peanut brain Jimmy Carter as president. I’m not saying ZOROASTER or this release is bad. I’m simply wondering if the people who hype them know that music, especially extreme music, existed prior to 2010.

First off I give the three members of ZOROASTER, from Georgia, credit since they’ve obviously spent some time combing through the bins at used record stores for influences. I’m guessing they purchased every obscure (meaning crappy) pseudo psychedelic, hard rock 70’s era record they could find. I’m hearing guitar wankering which sounds like they were plucked straight from those albums. From there they mix in heaping levels of late 90’s Sludge and Stoner Metal which was taken originally from SLEEP and prior to that SABBATH. Once again there’s nothing really wrong with that since it’s a formula that tends to be common when the hipster crowd latches onto certain bands because they’re clueless to past music. To be honest with ya I’d probably like this more if I was locked in a room sitting in a foam chair with the stereo volume high, especially the bass. Secondly there would have to be marijuana smoke pumped in to the point where I’d believe I was sitting in a cloud. Thankfully I’m not nor do I trust or pay much attention to the opinions of people stoned out of their fuckin minds. I’m not about to turn a review into a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in which I describe my past substance use. I will say that no substance has ever made music sound better to me. Matador sounds like a hippie jam band trying to play heavy music but thankfully there are no long jam songs and this ain’t Woodstock. It is more modern day Deliverance as in get up in them woods, take those mushrooms from the bearded men and remember they’re from Georgia. You should know now what to expect from this.

http://www.e1music.us/

RAGNAROK – Collectors of the King CD review

RAGNAROK – Collectors of the King CD
Regain Records

In the past I considered this band’s brand of black metal decent but always stuck on the second tier below greats like 1349 and GORGOROTH. Much of that had to do with a revolving door line-up especially on vocals. Their last release, 2004’s Blackdoor Miracle, was pretty good and on that one Hoest from fellow Norwegian black metallers TAAKE was behind the mic. Now on this one it’s a new line-up with the exception being drummer Jontho who’s been in the band from their start back in the early nineties. This line-up was finalized in 2008 and soon afterwards recording began for this release which was originally scheduled to come out last year. I was looking forward to it but for some reason it got pushed to a 2010 release date. Either way after a few listens I’m here to tell ya this is certainly the most cohesive sounding release of their long career.

This thing opens with a now obligatory black metal type intro but “Resurrection” is aptly titled and worthy of what this band is about to do. What follows is all out old school cold black metal brutality that Norway was once famous for. “Stabbed by the Horns” is a perfect comeback song to really scream “we’re back and more lethal than before”. New vocalist Hans Fyrste makes you forget that this band had a past. The songs on here are fast blasts which almost remind you of a familiar name from a neighboring country. Although there are the typical missteps on Collectors of the King as in no bass sound, tremolo picked madness run amok and Jontho’s drum work which can get excessive. I still hear some things on here which will cling to you like spattered blood after a gruesome murder. Songs like “In Honour of Satan”, “Eternal Damnation”, the title cut and the closer “Wisdom of Perfection”.

One ironic thought I have about this is that RAGNAROK now sound more like TAAKE then when Hoest sang with em. The similarities as far as the fast tempos, melodic parts that still leave blisters on your ears and a constant temperature drop from the atmosphere within the songs is uncanny. If ya want another similarity then think of that afore mentioned familiar name from a neighboring country as in MARDUK. That’s right, not only was this release recorded in Sweden but the guy who did the engineering was none other than MARDUK bassist Magnus Devo Andersson. There were some in the Norwegian black metal community of years ago who would’ve called that blasphemy albeit unthinkable. Oh well times change and yet the music created and our appreciation of it doesn’t.

www.regainrecords.com

MALEVOLENT CREATION – Invidious Dominion CD review

MALEVOLENT CREATION – Invidious Dominion CD
Nuclear Blast Records

After 2007’s Doomsday X release I pretty much covered this band’s face with a sheet and called a time of death. MALEVOLENT CREATION was always the spare tire of the Florida four wheeled Death Machine. You know which four bands I’m talking about and even though the fearsome foursome of Florida Death Metal haven’t had sparkling clean careers themselves they’re more consistent then MALEVOLENT CREATION. I used to feel sorry for guitarist and mainman Phil Fasciana in that if anything bad could happen it would happen to MALEVOLENT CREATION. They put out two incredible releases back in the early nineties and then their troubles started. Whether it was the revolving door of band members, label problems or wondering if vocalist Brett Hoffmann was gonna stick around, it all made for a on again off again creative mode. Maybe their survival up to this point in time was for a reason because Invidious Dominion is probably the best thing they’ve released in years.

First and foremost this is one fast release as if the recording studio was on fire when they recorded it. Hell just listening to it makes my room here feel slightly warmer. Invidious Dominion is around thirty five minutes in length with ten songs plus a thirty second intro. There’s only one cut over four minutes in length. It’s as if Fasciana and revolving door vocalist Brett Hoffmann melted down copies of their first two releases, The 10 Commandments and Retribution, then injected the liquid into their veins. Wait till you hear Hoffmann’s extended guttural gut busting screams on some of these cuts.. I’ll bet they set fire to the studio themselves just to inspire the rest of the band. This release is thrashier then anything put out by the thrash revivalists of today. Their latest in a long line of drummers, Gus Rios, is a fuckin maniac behind the kit. With breakneck drumming, riffs fit for a drive-by murder spree plus Hoffmann reinvigorated behind the mic, this dink is insanely great. There’s not even time enough for standout soloing except on cuts like “Compulsive Facebreaker”, “Conflict Finalized” and “Slaughterhouse” but what’s left is simply generic Florida DM bursts at best. It’s the riffs and blasting drums plus the vocals which will crush your pitiful world.

After the thirty second opening “United Hate” grabs you by the throat and with the rest of the cuts, never lets loose until the end of this dink. The first time I blasted this everything flew by so quick that I couldn’t get a hold of an opinion. Ten plays later and I wouldn’t mind seeing them perform this whole release live. What’s amazing about Invidious Dominion is that the intensity builds up with every song from beginning to end. By the time you get to “Leadspitter” at the midpoint it’s as if you’re on a fuckin death coaster out of control at the carnival holocaust. For some people that might not sound like a lot of fun but to this psycho it’s fuckin heaven in black and blood. Raise the body count!

www.nuclearblast.com

GRAVE – Burial Ground CD review

GRAVE – Burial Ground CD
Regain Records

Just like their fellow countrymen, UNLEASHED, this Swedish death metal institution will never do wrong in my book although I can honestly say their better days are long gone. I don’t expect to be bouncing of the walls again with loaded 44 magnums in hands firing widely while listening to their classic Into the Grave release. I’ll never forget that mess plus I lost my deposit when I moved out of the apartment. Ok I was kicked out after that incident but what do you expect when you’re “wired by the smell of death”. In all honestly GRAVE were pretty dead to me after Hating Life in 1996 and I didn’t get back into them until a decade later with As Rapture Comes. Since then I’ve hung in there corner, picked up missed releases and thought their 2008 CD, plus first on Regain Records, Dominion VIII was damm good.

Burial Ground finds Ola Lindgren returning with the same line-up from Dominion VIII albeit soundwise they’ve turned the notch down to a dirtier setting. As always it’s that bass heavy production and buzzsaw guitar sound which always reminds me why I never got into the more melodic death metal sound from the later Swedish bands. Although nowadays I’m slightly calmer when listening to old school death metal as far as physically but mentally it’s another story. “Liberation” opens this dink and it gives me reason to grin devilishly plus have my head bang a little. Hey it’s been eighteen years since the day I first got into them but once the opening cut is done and “Semblance in Black” takes hold it’s like partying with an old friend. “Dismembered Mind” brings back memories of old and you tell yourself hell I’ve still got plenty of decent days ahead.

One thing I find cool about present day GRAVE is how they’ve been re-recording songs from their demo days. On here they redo “Sexual Mutilation” which is like icing on the cake. Another surprise is hearing Karl Sanders from NILE knock out a solo on the song “Bloodthral”. Overall the rest of Burial Ground is riff friendly heavy on the psyche DM which might not win over any newbies but old schoolers like myself see this as a reminder of ourselves. We’re bloodied and unwilling to change. That’s why someone half my age will listen to this and think it’s slow and the vocals are distinguishable which for them means crap. But for me and anyone out there who still gets off listening to bands like GRAVE as well as UNLEASHED, ASPHYX, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER and BOLT THROWER, well it might not be the early nineties but we’re not ready for the dirtnap.

www.regainrecords.com

SETHERIAL – Ekpyrosis CD review

SETHERIAL – Ekpyrosis CD
Regain Records

If you like some good old fashioned Swedish face peeling black metal then this long time Swiss band supplies it right from the onset. “A World in Hell” charges forth with like a maniac with a flaming chainsaw. The release follows a similar wall of noise formula throughout and that’s the problem. After repeated listening you start picking out one or two decent songs and feel the rest is filler. That’s one of the major downfalls of this style of black metal. Years ago it was incredible but after a few releases bands become a one trick pony. Some bands have learned the lesson and have become better, more diverse in song writing. MARDUK learned the lesson and is now a better band for it but DARK FUNERAL didn’t and their latest noise opus is boring.
Their last release, Endtime Divine, came out seven years ago so you would think that maybe they would’ve learned some new tricks other than gearing down a bit on a few cuts. Otherwise other than the closer “Enemy of Creation” and the opening cut, the rest of Ekpyrosis is forgettable.

www.regainrecords.com

KING OF ASGARD – Fi’mbulvintr CD review

KING OF ASGARD – Fi’mbulvintr CD
Metal Blade Records

Hail Sweden! Hail Viking Metal! Hail KING OF ASGARD because here’s a release you can add to your Leif Erikson Day party playlist. You do celebrate Leif Erikson Day on October 9th right? Anyway this is their debut release and the band follows similar territory as label mates AMON AMARTH as far as the Viking/Norse Metal thing but with slight differences. KING OF ASGARD comes off sounding more epic and at times reminds me of ELUVEITE meets Reinkaos era DISSECTION. A perfect example can be heard on “The Last Journey” where the older Gothenburg melodic death metal sound is weaved with folk song structures without using folk instruments. It’s one of my favorite songs on here. In fact there’s alot more Jon Nodtveidt influence on here then AMON AMARTH coattail riding especially on songs like “Never Will You Know of Flesh” or “Wrath of the Gods”. Powerful riffs cross paths with blastbeats which melt into almost blackened melodies. They also add a little variety with “Brethren of the North” that’s close to sounding thrash and “Heroes’ Brigade” which is ladened with riffs of doom. Viking Thrash? Viking Doom? Since this band is made up of former MITHOTYN, FALCONER and THY PRIMORDIAL members it’s easy to understand how they could come up with such a mature sound on a debut release.

www.metalblade.com

BLIND GUARDIAN – At the Edge of Time CD review

BLIND GUARDIAN – At the Edge of Time CD
Nuclear Blast Records

If there’s one thing about Germany’s BLIND GUARDIAN that makes them consistent are their album covers. Anyone who’s into fantasy fiction artwork should have this band’s releases plastered over their walls. I’m not one of them nor am I a huge fan of their music which I just found out this weekend puts me in the minority where I live. I was at a show the other night and saw a guy at the bar with a BLIND GUARDIAN back patch on his denim cutoff. My friend Andy told me that they’re big with alot of local area bands. I’ve known about BLIND GUARDIAN, heard songs over the years that were decent but never owned a full length until now. My collection of power metal CDs is severely lacking to say the least especially ones with a full orchestra as session players which this one has. Well be that as it may; this is the band’s ninth full length in their twenty five year existence. From what I recollect of the cuts I’ve heard before they weren’t as symphonic as what is on here. I’ve been listening to this for over a week now and I just can’t get away from the idea that this is actually the Prague Philharmonic with a couple of metalheads sitting in as opposed to it being a metal band.

Vocalist Hansi Kursch can pull off a decent heavy metal scream when he wants to but over this whole release I find him annoying. If it wasn’t for the lead guitar work of Andre Olbrich I would have pulled this out by the third cut and used it for a skeet target. There are too many moments on here which remind me of FAIRYLAND who are a joke in my not so humble opinion. “Tanelorn” (Into the Void) held promise until the chorus hits. I don’t wanna “cry for Tanelorn”. “Ride into Obsession” keeps things on the metal side where as “Curse My Name” could appear on any number of releases I have from Folk Metal bands. But as the release continues on I find most of the songs relying on grandiose structures that turn this more into a Broadway musical soundtrack than a metal album. My idea of Power Metal is 3 INCHES OF BLOOD or WOLF which don’t have choral arrangements that remind me of QUEEN. When “Voice in the Dark” finally hit my ears I was relieved because here was something I’ve heard before in terms of this band’s past. If Power Metal is supposed to take me away to a fantasy land then BLIND GUARDIAN’s realm is full of pretentious bull layered thick.

www.nuclearblast.com

THE FUNERAL PYRE – Vultures at Dawn CD

THE FUNERAL PYRE – Vultures at Dawn CD
Prosthetic Records

Black Metal from California that doesn’t sound like bandwagon jumping crap nor do they have a girl in the band for eye candy purposes and no keyboards. Those of you who’ve been following my reviews through the years (and frankly who hasn’t?) knows my disgust when it comes to bands trying to play Black Metal from California. My basic complaints which I’ve just mentioned find their way in almost all my reviews of bands from there. THE FUNERAL PYRE is quite the exception but maybe that’s because they’ve been toiling away at their craft for more than a few years. This is my first release of there’s although they’ve got three other full lengths under their career belt along with two EPs and two splits. They’re busy little blackened bastards. As far as sound and style Vultures at Dawn has this Swedish Black metal feel because there’s a heavy Thrash sound to the riffs coupled with blastbeats that are, dare I say, panzer division driven. What THE FUNERAL PYRE do on here is nothing new but it’s a breath of freshness from a scene in dyer need of it. I’ll admit when it comes to BM the US has some great bands but not enough to stand boot to boot with their European counterparts. After listening to this full length I’m here to tell ya THE FUNERAL PYRE are one that can.

After the obligatory scary sounding opening at the beginning of “Vultures” things get going which to this jaded hatemonger had me thinking thank you. Overall this release runs the gambit of blackened excess and subtleties. “Monolith” falls into the latter with its doom layered aesthetics were as “Blistering Hands” feels like a cold hand grabbing your face and shaking it wildly. Those are just a few highlights but “Destroying Gods” and “To Watch the Earth Rot” are songs which will stick in your head. Both of those cuts are opposite sides of the same blackened coin but represent something to which I call enthralling. The more I listen to Vultures at Dawn I find myself realizing that here is an American BM band that, despite obvious influences, actually represents USBM. There’s no faux I wanna be Scandinavian bullshit going on here or raw superficial hate. The listening experience will make you forget all of the post BM hype of late which avant garde lovers would like you to believe. Look nothing against that area of the scene but if you wanna hear a US band that plays BM like the latter days of the second wave then here you go.

www.prostheticrecords.com

ABADDEN – Sentenced to Death CD review

ABADDEN – Sentenced to Death CD
Rising Records

When I saw that this was the debut release from an English Thrash band my first thought was “is it gonna be ONSLAUGHT or EVILE as far as English Thrash”? One is a fairly decent band and the other is simply shit suitable for buffoons. If you don’t know which is which then you probably like the shit one. As far as ABADDEN goes this is a fairly decent release albeit generic. If you’re expecting originality or experimentation then you’re in the wrong genre. Modern Thrash is like previously chewed gum that you find on the bottom of your shoe. I expect to hear influences as huge and clean as back patches on denim cutoffs to jump out at me. After a few listens I say Sentenced to Death reminds me of the first album by ANTHRAX and the worst album by KREATOR. As far as the latter goes you can take your own pick since they’ve had a few.

The good things going for Sentenced to Death are the vocals. Their singer, Dan Pool, has a raspy style which is more convincing then the usual fake angst or deathcore pussy style. Then there’s the drum work which is simple and not over the top fancy which is what you want from a band like this. I like that their songs are fast blasts that don’t leave any room for flashy moments except for a few neck snapping solos on songs like “Violent Assault” and “Atomic Devastation”. Those two out of the eight are the best cuts on here. The only thing that I noticed about this release which keeps it from the amazing category is that for a young band their sound is not hungry enough. Granted it’s the Thrash Revival and expectations are always going to be mediocre. Since this whole high top sneaker thing came back in vogue I’ve only heard & seen five bands that truly equaled those who have thrashed before. I’m not going to mention who but I’m sure some smart ass with a public school education pending can name three off the top of their bandana wrapped or baseball cap covered head. Hopefully this band’s next release will come off sounding like they’re not just well practiced.

www.risingrecords.org/

IRON MAIDEN – The Final Frontier CD review

IRON MAIDEN – The Final Frontier CD
EMI Records

For me the days of getting excited about a new IRON MAIDEN release are long gone. It has nothing to do with the band per say but moreover the timeline. I got into IRON MAIDEN when they first started out and saw them in concert twice, first with Paul DiAnno on vocals and soon afterward with Bruce Dickenson. I think their first five full lengths, their self titled debut to Powerslave, are essentials to anyone’s metal collection. The mid eighties is where my enthusiasm for them laxed because their releases became generic with a couple of decent songs surrounded by filler. The rest is history which I never bothered with up until the band did that recent world tour. It was great to see them in the spotlight again but I have to be honest. MAIDEN are a nostalgia act and when you go see them, like two friends of mine did this year, you wanna hear the great old songs. My friends even admitted to not recognizing certain songs from their post Powerslave catalog but then not many people do unless you’re from Brazil.

I look at The Final Frontier in the same way I looked at recent releases by JUDAS PRIEST and HEAVEN & HELL. They all have that “classic band” factor going for em so you just can’t use words like “shit”, “crap” and “suck” towards them. Although my good friend James At 15 called that HEAVEN & HELL release a turd, oh well. Overall this reminds me of the releases from their career mid period. There are some good cuts and a hit (the title cut) plus lots of filler. The very beginning of this is gonna throw ya for a loop so just let it pass. Musicianship wise you can’t help but like the Murray/Smith solo extravaganza and yeah that other guy, Janick Gers, is involved somewhere, but does anyone really care? Dickenson’s vocal performances vary from sad to decent through the cuts. On “El Dorado” he’s singing over the solo but his chorus is first rate. His best performances, which remind me of the band’s classic days, are on cuts like “The Alchemist” and “The Talisman”, go figure? Maybe it’s that “the” factor as in “The Trooper”? For all the much publicized pre-release hype this thing got I really feel sorry for the well wishers who sat out in front of stores waiting to buy this. Now they know how METALLICA fans felt. There are only three good cuts on here. The dust is waiting for this one.

www.emimusic.com/

HORSEBACK – The Invisible Mountain CD review

HORSEBACK – The Invisible Mountain CD
Relapse Records

Since living in North Carolina for the past twenty years I’ve learned that when it comes to the local Indie Rock media there are two common threads. The first is that they, as well as the bands they write about, are always three to four years behind any significant development in music and secondly they’re too ignorant or arrogant to admit it. Take this latest act which the local media harpies want you to believe there’s a musical coup about. Jenks Miller is the main musical creator behind HORSEBACK, a seminal one man act out of Chapel Hill, NC. Although I first learned about Miller’s work through a friend, it wasn’t until I found this release and did some research on HORSEBACK that I discovered the collective suck off by the local Indie Rock media over it. HORSEBACK was described to me as a one man shoegazer black metal act but after listening to this dink I’m here to tell you it’s not. I’ll go into more detail on what it really is later.

The Invisible Mountain originally came out last year on the proverbial speck of a label, Utech Records. Relapse decided to pony up for its reissue and signing Miller up for a future endeavor. I can understand the label’s decision since of late they’ve been putting out releases which hipsters have been swallowing up faster then what they usually get in the mouth from the back room of an adult book store in downtown Durham. It wasn’t initial sales which got HORSEBACK in the center of the hipster circle jerk since not even the Black Metal underground knows about em (I checked) but hype from mainstream Indie Rock media, local & on the web, salivating. While listening to this four track release, which is just over thirty eight minutes in length, I spent the time reading some of the interesting reviews this thing has garnered. Normally this is something I would never do but hearing how the music was going nowhere I figured on reading the hype to see why it has been placed upon HORSEBACK.

As usual the Indie Rock media has a way of describing things in mythic proportions to the point where I always find myself asking “are we listening to the same thing”? The four tracks on The Invisible Mountain do provide a cacophony of genre styles but one and that’s black metal. The genre itself has been pulled in many different directions since the early days of its second wave. What people consider today as post black metal is not new to my ears since I’ve been writing about bands that have been at the forefront since its official inception a few years ago. The Indie Rock media have always been clueless to black metal with the exception of knowing XASTHUR. What HORSEBACK offers up as far as black metal is a misconceived description of Miller’s vocal style. The man sounds more like a cancer patient with a passy muir valve implant than actual blackened style rasping. Voice modification is not the only thing phony about HORSEBACK.

Once again genres cross pollinating is nothing new but where some artists in the past have used it to expound on themes others have used it to hide their lack of creative talent. Therefore The Invisible Mountain comes off sounding like a pot luck dinner provided by a wannabe chef who couldn’t get a job at a fast food restaurant. To make matters worse he stole the seasoning. Miller must have taken to listening to his favorite college radio station in Chapel Hill and used it as his main hodge podge of influence. The Indie Rock media would like you to believe HORSEBACK as well as this dink simply avoids easy definitions, really? The lion’s share of The Invisible Mountain consists of post psych hippie jams mixed with some drone and topped with Berlin basement rock from the experimental 80s. Years ago the term was coined “progedelic” although it never stuck thankfully since its creators feared hipsters would use it to define yet another genre which no one wanted to be pigeon holed into. Remember what I said earlier about the Indie Rock media, as well as the bands they cover, being too ignorant or arrogant?

www.relapse.com