Music Reviews of Metal, Grindcore, Death, Prog-Rock
Band Spotlight
Chiodos
Perhaps no one can explain the sheer ferocity and timid quietness it is better than when vocalist Craig Owens says “we don’t want to let the kids down” when discussing the group’s intense vocals live at shows. Well they never let a single kid down with their vicious assault on the ears and grip on the jugular...
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03.09.2007 by J-Sin
Music Reviews of Metal, Grindcore, Death, Black, Thrash, Progressive Rock
Arch Enemy — Black Earth Buy it at Amazon
Few are as rapidly advancing the metal world as Arch Enemy has been for the past several years. Thrash metal mavens that provide another technical impetus for proving how incredibly talented your group needs to be in order to make a dent in the metal scene, Arch Enemy has quickly gained popularity and expanded outside of the tight knit of metalheads. Originally released in Europe in ’97, Regain Records saw fit to re-release this lynchpin of metal and toss on a few extra bonus tracks along with a video for “Bury Me an Angel” and I applaud them for this. Crushing dual guitar assaults are blended with fast precise drumming and roaring vocals for a sound solely their own.
- J-Sin
Child Abuse — Child Abuse Buy it at Amazon
Only would the front man for Genghis Tron allow a band called Child Abuse call his indie start-up label, Lovepump United, home. Child Abuse is as menacing and underhanded as their moniker. Whirling disarrays of distorted guitars, mathematical crust-punk, and grind noise are fused together to create this dizzy self-titled debut full-length album. As chaotic as a Dillinger Escape Plan album with just as many squelching guitar note twists as you can muster, Child Abuse likes to challenge the listener. Jazzy metal that’s noisy, imposing, and fucking off the hook. Who loves Child Abuse? I do!!!
- J-Sin
Marduk — Rom 5:12 Buy it at Amazon
Since I’m not a Christian (or religious in any way), I had to look up what the Bible passage title was a reference to. Seems perfectly appropriate for a black metal to title an album after all men dying because all men sinned due to Adam’s sin, doesn’t it? Marduk has been one of those bands that have been hailed as one of the great black metal bands out in a very crowded universe of sludgy and grimy black metal. Huge blast beats are bent and twisted into a contorted formation of evil so GRYM that anyone not of the faithful black metal circus might self-combust. Churning guitars waste not a single note as the dangerously venomous vocals grow in strength as the album progresses. This is sacrilegious prose that refocuses the lens of black metal more than just a bit.
- J-Sin
Lord Belial — Revelation - The 7th Seal Buy it at Amazon
Swedish blackened death metal group Lord Belial returns with “Revelation”, an album that lives up to its name with horrifying death escapades in the guitar department. Whipped raw vocals collapse into an oblivion created by distorted and wailing guitars, steady-quick percussion, and massive guitar solos that bookend each ravished tune. Lord Belial’s compositions are what separates the group apart from their contemporaries—this isn’t just a bunch of blast beats, inane lyrics spewed forth about dumb teenager evil angst, or squalors of guitars—this is TRVE!
- J-Sin
Earth — Hibernaculum Buy it at Amazon
Plodding sludge doom metal and begrudging guitars beguile the listener who is now doomed to an eternity of listening to sub-par metal albums. Earth re-releases three classics that are remastered and remixed with a stark and clean tone that will completely devastate the soul. “A Plague of Angels” is also on this colossal album which was previously only available on a Sunn 0))) split 12”. Subsonic frequencies that rip out the intestines and stomp on them cleanly are but a few of the reasons that we should all fear “Hibernaculum”. Seldom will you be presented with a more concise answer to "heavy?"
- J-Sin
Monarch! — Dead Men Tell No Tales Buy it at Amazon
Brutally dense distortion-laden doom sludge metal that’s as riddled in swamp goo as it comes. Based out of France, Monarch!, is one of those groups that is hard to define yet easy to distinguish—after all what other insane asylum would allow their denizens to escape and record a metal album? Maniacally crushing, “Dead Men Tell No Tales” is a doomsayer’s delight.
- J-Sin
Drawing Voices — Drawing Voices Buy it at Amazon
Isis’ guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner’s masterful experiment is Drawing Voices. A project that hopes to expose the body’s nervous system via audio, video, and meta data technologies, Drawing Voices is both ambitious and completely mind-fucking. Holistically original, the self-titled debut will find you painting, drawing, sketching, doing anything you can to be slightly in the shell of yourself for a mere moment. It’s sexy to be so original so forgive the boner please. Drawing Voices is clearly one of the best raw experimental metal and ambient pieces heard to mankind. If you don’t own this mastery of noise then you never existed.
- J-Sin
Nightrage — A New Disease Is Born Buy it at Amazon
Swedish and Greek metal heros Nightrage boast a melodic approach to death metal that takes a little emphasis from the Gothenburg cats and dips it into Mediterranean thrash to simmer. This band is so impressive they can list the great Tomas Lindberg (ex-At the Gates, Disfear, the Great Deceiver) as a collaborator. Roaring vocals, stunning guitar assaults, and huge rhythmic smashes are but a mere piece to this metal puzzle
- J-Sin
Total Fucking Destruction — Zen and the Art of Total Fucking Destruction Buy it at Amazon
It’s fitting that this band is touring with Brutal Truth because Total Fucking Destruction has a lot in common with that grind favorite. Brutal drumwork, caustic guitars, and guttural vocals are all a common bond. A sense of cerebral celebrity is felt within their lyrics while crusty grind slams are well in hand. These aren’t fucking twats with distortion pedals. They’re fucking maniacs!
- J-Sin
Cruachan — The Morrigan's Call Buy it at Amazon
What a perfect fit for my St. Patrick’s Day! Cruachan is an Irish pagan folk metal band. I cheer them one green beer as they devastate my cranium with Celtic precision. If you’re a soul into groups like Finntroll, Elvenking, Windir, or Thyrting you’ll fucking love Cruachan. Who could have thought that the Pogues could gulp down a Guinness and slam down the distortion pedals and break drumsticks with blast beats?
- J-Sin
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