____ _ ____ ____ _ _ ____ _ _____ ____ ____ _____ / _\/ \ /|/ __\/ _ \/ \ /|/ \/ _X \ / __// ___\ / _ \/ / | / | |_||| \/|| / \|| |\ ||| || / | | | \ | \ | / \|| __\ | \__| | ||| /| \_/|| | \||| || \_| |_/\| /_ \___ | | \_/|| | \____/\_/ \|\_/\_\\____/\_/ \|\_/\____X____/\____\\____/ \____/\_/ ____ _ ____ ____ ____ / _\/ \ /|/ _ \/ _ \/ ___\ | / | |_||| / \|| / \|| \ | \__| | ||| |-||| \_/|\___ | \____/\_/ \|\_/ \|\____/\____/ CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, March 16, 1997, Issue #18 Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti Coordinator: Adrian Bromley Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault Contributor: Brian Meloon Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel Contributor: Adam Wasylyk Contributor: Drew Schinzel Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski Contributor: Pedro Azevedo Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder --> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and bio to: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CHRONICLES OF CHAOS 57 Lexfield Ave Downsview Ont. M3M-1M6, Canada Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517 e-mail: ginof@interlog.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~ Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all. Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite bands, written from the perspective of a true fan. Each issue will also include record reviews and previews, concert reviews and tour dates, as well as various happenings in the metal scene worldwide. If you'd be interested in writing for CoC, drop us a line at mailto:ginof@interlog.com. Concert reviews are especially welcome, but please bear in mind that we cannot accept every submission we receive." HOW TO SUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a message with "coc subscribe " in the SUBJECT of your message to . Please note that this command must NOT be sent to the list address . WORLD WIDE WEB SITE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We are currently in the process of constructing a website for Chronicles of Chaos. You can check it out by pointing your web browser to http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html. If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail Brian Meloon . FTP ARCHIVE ~~~~~~~~~~~ All of our back issues and various other Chronicles of Chaos related files are stored in the e-zine archive at ftp.etext.org. Connect to this site using your favorite FTP program and chdir to /pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. For a description of each file in the archive, check out the README file. You can also reach this site through a web browser by pointing it at: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. AUTOMATIC FILESERVER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do is send a message to us at . The 'Subject:' field of your message must read: "send file X" where 'X' is the name of the requested file. Back issues are named 'coc-n', where 'n' is the issue number. For a description of all files available through this fileserver, request 'list'. Remember to use lowercase letters for all file names. If you experience any problems or are having difficulty, feel free to e-mail us the usual way at . >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Issue #18 Contents, 3/16/97 --------------------------- * Editorial * Loud Letters * Ferocious Features -- Sinister: Across The Styx And Back * Chaotic Chat Sessions -- Summoning: Messages From Mordor -- Dio: On The Mend -- The Mourning of Mork Gryning -- Acid Bath: Neutralizing The Bass -- Nightstick: Fucked Up And Loving It * Independent Interrogations -- Quo Vadis: Fuck the Status Quo * Record Revelations -- Absu - _The Third Storm of Cythraul_ -- AC - _I Like It When You Die_ -- Agathocles - _Thanks for Your Hostility_ -- Angizia - _Die Kemenanten Sharlachroter Lichter_ -- The Blood Divine - _Awaken_ -- Borknagar - _Borknagar_ -- Carcass - _Wake Up and Smell the Carcass_ -- Coal Chamber - _Coal Chamber_ -- Various Artists - _Wintergrief_ -- The Darksend - _Unsunned_ -- Dominion - _Interface_ -- Eternal Oath - _So Silent_ MCD -- Godkiller - _The Rebirth of the Middle Ages_ -- The Great Kat - _Guitar Goddess_ -- Grimoire - _A Requiem for the Light_ -- Hammerfall - _Glory to the Brave_ -- Hefeystos - _Vilce Sjen_ -- I'M'L - _Instigating The Mean And Loud_ -- Limbonic Art - _Moon in the Scorpio_ -- Lordes Werre - _Canticles of Armageddon_ -- Lux Occulta - _Forever Alone. Immortal._ -- Machine Head - _The More Things Change..._ -- Mental Destruction - _Straw_ -- Merzbow - _Age Of 369/Chant 2_ Double CD -- Necromantia - _Ancient Pride_ -- Necrophobic - _Darkside_ -- Num Skull - _When Suffering Comes_ -- Penitent - _The Beauty of Pain_ -- Various Artists - _A Tribute to Judas Priest_ -- Purity - _Built_ -- Quorthon - _When Our Day Is Through_ -- Regard Extreme - _Resurgence_ -- Rocking Dildos - _On Speed_ -- Signs Ov Chaos - _Frankenscience (Urban Cyberpunk)_ -- Six Feet Under - _Alive and Dead_ EP -- Solhverv - _Tagernes Artusinde_ -- Sonipath - _Heavy Hooks_ -- Stillsuit - _At The Speed Of Light_ -- Summertime Daisies - _The Clarity of Impurity_ -- Quo Vadis - _Forever..._ -- Xysma - _Lotto_ * New Noise -- Carrion - _Flesh Piles On The Floor -- Chaotic Order - _Chaotic Order_ -- Inner Misery - _Sea_ -- Odes Of Ecstasy - _Atheistic Emotions_ * Chaotic Concerts -- Cannabis Corpse And Friends: Cannibal Corpse in Buffalo -- The Factory Never Quits: Fear Factory in Australia * What We Have Cranked * The Final Word =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= E D I T O R I A L ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Gino Filicetti Hello everyone, as promised, here is the next installment of the Chronicles of Chaos legacy! Issue #18 and no less for all our loyal readers. And thus continues the legend of CoC, established over 1.5 years ago. Alright, alright, I'll cut the melodrama, but hey, we all need to feel important at one point or another! :) On February 19, 1997, the two founding members of CoC, Adrian and yours truly went on another 'excursion' into the United States of America. This time, our mission was the reconnaissance of the Brutal Truth/Cannibal Corpse show in Buffalo, NY. I must say, Buffalo was a depressing city, but the show definitely brought up my hopes for the scene. Incredibly, 500+ turned out for the show, probably because Buffalo IS Cannibal Corpse's hometown. But it was a great concert. Brutal Truth stole the show and all I can say is that they SMOKE! It was also good to finally meet a longtime e-mail pal, BT's drummer, Rich Hoak. (Sorry I had to jet, Rich. You understand, right?) Our Loud Letters section this month is pretty sparse. Only one letter to print. I hope this isn't going to become a trend. Let me remind everyone, that Loud Letters aren't ONLY for the praise or put down of the mag, like any "Letters to the Editor" section, we encourage you to speak your mind, give your opinion on any topic of concern or correct any fuck ups we may have made. It is a section that is for, of, and by the reader. We got some early word on this year's Metalfest. So far, things are looking MIGHTY good for the show. Good enough that us Canadians will have to make another 'excursion' to go check it out. I'm not going to say which bands I heard are playing, because it probably won't be true by the time you read this. Well, that's all I got to say, enjoy this issue and I'll see you all next time. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= M""MMMMMMMM dP M MMMMMMMM 88 M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP dP .d888b88 M MMMMMMMM 88' `88 88 88 88' `88 M MMMMMMMM 88. .88 88. .88 88. .88 M M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8 MMMMMMMMMMM M""MMMMMMMM dP dP M MMMMMMMM 88 88 M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b. M MMMMMMMM 88ooood8 88 88 88ooood8 88' `88 Y8ooooo. M MMMMMMMM 88. ... 88 88 88. ... 88 88 M M `88888P' dP dP `88888P' dP `88888P' MMMMMMMMMMM This is the column where we print those lovely letters our readers decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative, ignorant or just plain spelled wrong, you can rest assured that they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own letter here, e-mail it to and enter 'Attention Loud Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all letters received will be featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos. Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 From: Hafiz Mawji Subject: Loud Letters I have been reading CoC since issue 3. I think the effort put in by Gino, Adrian, Alain and other contributors is phenomenal. I myself am very happy that this magazine was started locally here in Toronto and best of all is available for FREE to anyone interested. Although I was not familiar with a lot of the bands in CoC 16. I was anxious to read the Classic Carnage section. I am also looking for reliable people to trade tapes with and to add to my growing collection. This is a list of all the groups I am looking for rare, limited, FM, live, demo and practice recordings of (with excellent sound): AC/DC, Accept, Annihilator, Anthrax, Black Sabbath Pre1987/1992, Cathedral, Celtic Frost, Destruction, Dio, Dream Theater, Exciter, Exodus, Fear Factory, Forbidden, Iced Earth, Iron Maiden Pre1990, Jimi Hendrix, King Diamond, Led Zeppelin, Megadeth, Mercyful Fate, Metallica Pre1987, NWOBHM Groups, Ozzy Osbourne Pre1987, Pantera, Quiet Riot w/Randy Rhoads, Raven, Rush Pre1990, S.O.D., Sacred Reich, Sacrifice, Joe Satriani, Sepultura, Slayer, Testament, Trouble, Steve Vai, Venom. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ___________ .__ \_ _____/__________ ____ ____ |__| ____ __ __ ______ | __)/ __ \_ __ \/ _ \_/ ___\| |/ _ \| | \/ ___/ | \\ ___/| | \( <_> ) \___| ( <_> ) | /\___ \ \___ / \___ >__| \____/ \___ >__|\____/|____//____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ ___________ __ \_ _____/___ _____ _/ |_ __ _________ ____ ______ | __)/ __ \\__ \\ __\ | \_ __ \_/ __ \ / ___/ | \\ ___/ / __ \| | | | /| | \/\ ___/ \___ \ \___ / \___ >____ /__| |____/ |__| \___ >____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ The meat of the matter lies here. Read on for the juiciest morsels on bands ranging from the reknowned to the obscure. No fat, no gristle, just blood-soaked slabs served hot and ready. Dig in, readers. A C R O S S T H E S T Y X A N D B A C K ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Interview with Mike of Sinister by: Steve Hoeltzel This band should require no introduction, having proudly carried the flag for European death metal throughout a decade that has seen scores of lesser death metal bands on the continent either stagnating or wimping out. Not Sinister. Their 1992 debut _Cross the Styx_ set the standard early on for excellence in death metal: imaginative, brutal, jagged, technically adept. Follow-up _Diabolical Summoning_ (1993) injected a good, strong dose of blasting grind into their sound, and remains an unique and under-appreciated slab of tightly-disciplined sonic mayhem. And then there's 1995's _Hate_. If you ask me, it's the pinnacle of the death metal genre so far, the prime synthesis of songwriting prowess and pulverizing power. Last year saw the European release of the four-track EP _Bastard Saints_, whose two new tracks continue in the crushing tradition of _Hate_ and precede re-recorded versions of a pair of songs from _Cross the Styx_. The EP should be available in North America through the American branch of Nuclear Blast by the time you read this, and the band hopes to do a North American tour this summer, possibly as part of a package of Nuclear Blast artists. Since _Bastard Saints_ seems to represent a kind of coming-full-circle for the band, I asked vocalist Mike what led to the decision to redo "Cross the Styx" and "Epoch of Denial" from their first CD. "Actually, two reasons," he explains. "At this moment, we've got a new line-up. We've got a new bass player, Michel, and [guitarist] Bart was not on _Cross the Styx_ either, so we just wanted to show people how we play the songs. It's even more intense, better played, faster, with some parts a little bit slower, so the songs have a little bit more feeling. So this would give the idea of how we play them live." In fact, Michel has played bass for the band since immediately after the recording of _Hate_, and he toured with the band in support of that record. Now that there's a complete, solid line-up, has any more new material been recorded? "No, nothing recorded yet," Mike reports. "We're working hard on the new material, but we've been doing other stuff, playing, et cetera. We want to have the best songs we can make, so it takes a little bit longer than usual. It's a little harder now to write very good material, because _Hate_ is a very good album. People like _Bastard Saints_ as well, and people expect us to have the same quality. That's what we want as well, so there's a little pressure, and it's a little bit harder to write the songs." Still, there's been plenty of writing going on, Mike tells me. "We've got a lot of parts written, and one song is totally finished. It's probably the most brutal Sinister song ever. The title is not settled yet. 'Satan's Disciple' is what I'm calling it right now, but I haven't finished the lyrics." Given that Sinister is a band whose albums are never carbon copies of previous releases, I asked Mike whether the new material would continue in the same brutal vein. (This is an idiotic question to ask the vocalist of such a titanic band, I know. But for some reason, I asked it.) "Definitely!" Mike states with enthusiasm. "The same aggression. Sinister stands for something brutal and aggressive, and we want to keep it that way. Even if we're going to sound a little bit different - like _Bastard Saints_, for example, is totally different from _Cross the Styx_ - still, it's the Sinister sound. And that's what we want to keep for the new album as well." Clearly, these guys have no intention of going soft. I always wonder, though, how death metal vocalist are able to keep belting it out in the trademark style. I mean, you would think that that approach would just kill your throat, and I've always suspected that that's why so many bands feature brutal vocals on an album or two, then shift to a cleaner style. According to Mike, though, that's not an issue for Sinister. "No, not with me. I sing in the good way. Some guys sing out of their throats, and if you're going to sing out of your throat, then yeah. They have problems on tour, stuff like that. I've never actually had problems on tour. I can sing that way every day and have no problems. I know some guys who have pain in their throat from the way they're singing. But I have no problem, because I sing a little bit out of my stomach. That's the good way." That's cool to know, since the band will be doing weekly dates in Holland for the next little while and, as I mentioned above, they hope to make the trek to North America before the year is out. I ask who they might like to come over with, and Mike replies that "We're working on it. We've thought about all kinds of ideas. We might make it a Nuclear Blast package." The band seems to be quite happy with the newly re-formed Nuclear Blast America. "Yeah, Dustin is doing a great job for us," Mike says. "It's really cool." Is the band excited to get back on the road? "Oh yeah!" Mike exclaims. "We love it - that's what music is all about, playing live. That's what we want to do, to be on the road as much as possible. We get sick if some show gets canceled or a tour gets canceled. That's the biggest disappointment you can get." As long as we're talking about like and dislikes, I'm really curious to know what Mike thinks of the recent explosion of interest in black metal - especially since Sinister are a European band who've carried the banner for death metal since well before black metal became so huge. "I like some black metal stuff, but most of the bands I like have a little bit of the death metal sound," he tells me. "I like Marduk, Angel Corpse, things like that, but they've got a little bit of death metal sound. They're not 100 percent black metal: the guitar sound is not that high, and you've only got the high vocals, warpaint, and stuff like that. To me, those bands are pretty cool." Of course, quite a few death metal bands these days seem to have stories about harassment from hardcore black metal purists - annoying letters, people flinging dead cats around, that sort of thing. Does Sinister have any such tales to tell? "No," Mike says. "Actually, we've got a big black metal following here in Europe. When we do a show, there are so many black metal guys, it's unbelievable. And they say, 'Yeah, we only like black metal, but the only death metal band we like is Sinister. So that's cool, and we hope we're gonna keep it that way. I like some of the black metal stuff. Not all, because... a lot of those guys are just starting out playing guitar for a couple weeks or a couple months, and then they start writing music. So for me, it doesn't sound like anything. But now, there are more and more better black metal bands. So it's pretty cool, and as I said, we've got a big black metal following." That is cool, and its good to know that the scene isn't necessarily as narrow-minded and self-contained as one might think, given the way in which it's often portrayed. As I indicated to Mike, I think that the black metal explosion has been a great thing for the scene. Yeah, there's been plenty of bullshit and hype, but at the same time, it's unleashed some creative energies that just weren't getting tapped by bands in the death metal scene. Mike's thoughts on all this? "It's true. There were so many death metal bands at that time, and a lot of them getting slower and softer. They'd all want to sound like Death, and Death was getting softer as well. The media was making a big thing out of it, and saying that death metal died. Everybody was searching for something more extreme. That's why only bands who kept their own style - like us, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation - those bands survived. A lot of other bands who changed their style - nobody cared about them any more. People searched for something new, and the most extreme thing was black metal, at the time. Even though the music, for a lot of these bands, totally sucked, they didn't care, because it was extreme, they've got the warpaint and stuff like that; the image was cool. That's what a lot of people were searching for." What about all the ideology, though? A lot of black metal bands talk a very hard line about Satanism, and more to the point, a lot of them have nothing but unkind words for Anton Lavey. Sinister, on the other hand, is a band which has never shied away from Satanic imagery either - but who, I would suspect, have a lot more sympathy for Lavey's atheistic, individualistic style of Satanism. I ask Mike what he thinks about all that. "Well, I can say one thing," he replies. "Most of the guys who are saying shit like that are just, like, 15 years old. And if you're 15 years old, what do you know about life? What do you know about Satanism? I know a lot about that stuff - not a lot, maybe, but I've read many books about it, and I can say I know a bunch of that stuff. But even if I was totally into the demon stuff, I could never tell myself that there was a Satan, for two reasons. I think that if you are a Satanist, you should know stuff like that with 90 percent certainty. And nobody could know it with 90 percent certainty, because then you'd have to read so many books and stuff like that, that you should probably be 40 years old or something like that even if you spent your whole life being into Satanism. As well, I use the word 'Satan' in the lyrics, but for me, Satan is made up by Christians. So, if you believe in Satan, you have to believe in God. And I don't believe in God, so I don't believe in Satan. I believe in some other stuff; I believe in evil, but not in Satan and God." But then what's the point of all the Satanic imagery and lyrics that Sinister make use of? "I use it as anti-Christian stuff," Mike explains. "Actually, I'm anti-religion as well. I think everybody can have his own religion, but he should not preach it to somebody else. That's why my lyrics are against Christianity in the first place, as well as against religion. People are calling themselves 'Satanists,' but for me, if you're a Satanist, then you have to keep the stuff to yourself, or among the people who have the same beliefs. Do not go and give it big hype, because that's not what Satanism is all about. Keep it to yourself. Otherwise, you're like a Jehovah's witness, walking door-to-door and preaching. That's stupid." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _______ __ _ _______ __ / ___/ / ___ ____ / /_(_)___ / ___/ / ___ _/ /_ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ _ \/ __/ / __/ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ __/ \___/_//_/\_,_/\___/\__/_/\__/ \___/_//_/\_,_/\__/ ____ _ / __/__ ___ ___ (_)__ ___ ___ _\ \/ -_|_-<(_-::> ,.:/ Here is where CoC gets the inside story on up-and-coming bands. Check out this column for a variety of fresh, brutal groups. Should you be an aspiring band on your way to super-stardom, send us your demo and bio; our address is included in the zine's header. F U C K T H E S T A T U S Q U O ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC Interrogates Montreal's Quo Vadis by: Adam Wasylyk From the powerful Quebec underground emerge what will become a strong contender in the international death metal community. Quo Vadis, after several positive reviews for their self-titled demo have recently released an independent CD titled _Forever..._. The CD demonstrates Quo Vadis' strength at playing music that is at times fast but at other times melodic and emotional. Guitarist/vocalist Bart Frydrychowicz took the time to answer all of my questions about the band, the music scene in Quebec among other interesting topics. One of the first questions that came to mind was what the band's name meant, so it would be one of the first questions I would ask. It was indeed Latin and meant "'Where are you going?". He went on explaining how the name really suited the band. "The name suits us perfectly as we really have no pre-defined musical direction. We try to capture our feelings and transcribe them into music and our new album reflects that philosophy perfectly. You never know where you'll end up in life - bitter, sad, angry, or calm or serene... we'll see where all this takes us". I then turned our conversation towards their previous work, their self-titled demo which helped them get the band's name out in Montreal and also around the world. Bart explained that they were still in the process of focusing their sound. "We recorded a demo which was released as an EP on cassette last year. The reaction was very positive. We were still searching for direction at that time, experimenting with keyboards and femme vox. The music is much more focused now as we have found our sound". Comparing it to their new album Bart continues, "_Forever..._ is much more aggressive then the EP was, it's much more melodic and intricate. That may sound like a contradiction but that is the case. I think we had more to say as musicians this time in the studio as well. Our objective was to keep the aggression and not to loose our edge. I think we captured that quite well, at the same time setting free our artistic side. It's pretty weird. You have to listen to both (the EP and CD) to really understand. With Quo Vadis from the ever-growing Montreal scene, I asked him on his thoughts on coming from that scene and it's place in the overall Canadian metal scene. "Actually the Montreal scene is geared more towards "brutal" stuff", he begins. "Suffocation can get 900 people here for example. Bands that we'd like to play with, like At The Gates, In Flames or Dark Tranquillity don't come to Canada. The scene in general is very united in promoting Montreal, and it's working. We have more metal shows by international acts here then any other city in Canada and there seems to be little backstabbing etc. with the exception of two black metal bands that were spawned from the same original outfit and are now enlocked in a firm grip of hatred. Maybe we'll have our own murder and church burnings here. As for our shows we should be hooking up with Monstrosity/Vader for a few shows [which awaits confirmation on behalf of Lee from Conquest Music] and Suffocation will be doing a show on March 1st, that is already confirmed, I think. We'll be quite busy in the upcoming weeks". Concerning lyrics Bart has a hard time describing them, but they definitely aren't the silly gore-type. "Everything on the album is based on reality. It's either our perspective on the world or an introspective look at ourselves. The topics on the album are what we're all about, the music and lyrics say it all. Really it's very difficult to answer this question as many of the things can not be put into words, the poetry on the album expresses the answer quite closely". "There are always little details one would want to change", Bart begins talking about the production of _Forever..._, which was produced by Pierre Remillard (Obliveon, Cryptopsy). "But we're extremely happy with this album and it's production. We asked Pierre Remillard who is the local sound guru and that certainly payed off. That is not to say that the recording process was easy and without stress, we took about 3 weeks for recording. I'd like to work with Pierre again for our future effort. With only one listen to _Forever..._, one will hear not only technical musical ability but also a lot of emotion and soul. I asked Bart how exactly important it was to have emotion in Quo Vadis' music. "Music without emotion has no meaning to us. Music has the ability to transcend language and words. It is a perfect medium to convey emotion. In my mind the two are inseparable. Music without emotion is uninspired and misses it's purpose. I also find vocals to be very expressive and an integral part of any song. I suppose my fascination with voice is what keeps me listening to choirs all the time". Bart also informed me that labels have expressed interest in signing the band. So you may soon be hearing from one of Canada's finest and latest metal exports!! Demo _Quo Vadis_ -- $6 US Independent CD _Forever..._ -- $12 US Contact: QUO VADIS, c/o VomiT Productions P.O. Box 44, NDG, Montreal, Que., H4A-3P4, Canada mailto:quovadis@axess.com WWW: http://alcor.concordia.ca/~b_frydr/index.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ______ __ | __ \.-----.----.-----.----.--| | | <| -__| __| _ | _| _ | |___|__||_____|____|_____|__| |_____| ______ __ __ __ | __ \.-----.--.--.-----.| |.---.-.| |_|__|.-----.-----.-----. | <| -__| | | -__|| || _ || _| || _ | |__ --| |___|__||_____|\___/|_____||__||___._||____|__||_____|__|__|_____| This is where we rant, rave, and rip apart albums. Check this column every month for the scoop on the latest in heavy hand-outs. Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- If there was ever a perfect CD, this is it! 8 out of 10 -- A great piece of metallic mayhem 6 out of 10 -- Not too bad of an album 4 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters 2 out of 10 -- If you like this, you are fucked! 0 out of 10 -- My shit can put out better music than this! Absu - _The Third Storm of Cythraul_ (Osmose Prod., January 1997) by: Steve Hoeltzel (9 out of 10) This is just excellent: hyper-energetic weirdness all the way. The third full-length from these eclectic Texan mystics, it's a high-voltage meltdown of elements of black metal, thrash, and death, with totally wacked vocals to boot. _The Sun of Tiphareth II_, it's not! The band plows through nine tracks in under 38 minutes, abandoning the epic style of _The Sun..._ in favor of concentrated, uncomplicated bursts of energy which are craftily constructed and compelling as hell. I defy any crowd not to go nuts to the fire-spitting anthem "Swords and Leather" or the charging "Winter Zephyr", both of which exemplify a lot of what makes this such a great album. It's utterly direct, driving, irresistibly catchy, and seething with vigor. (A couple of songs do invoke the more complex, varied style exhibited on the last album, but each clocks in at about four minutes, max) A re-recorded version of the 7-inch track "And Shineth Unto the Cold Cometh" gets the album started. Talented drumming with tons of great fills propels the attack, grounding catchy, speedy riffs which transcend simple categories like "death" and "thrash" yet remain jagged and sharp. Tempos are fast, for the most part, but never so fast that the pulsing momentum washes out in a blur of monotonous speed, and there are some great time changes. Cooler still, the quick, dexterous vocal phrasings are loaded with hooks, and really pull you into the songs as the lyrics are speed-chanted atop the slithering riffs and driving percussion. I suppose Proscriptor's gremlin-ish vocals are an acquired taste, but I think they're cool. They're different from the standard black metal rasping, and they feed the engaging, over-the-top weirdness of the band's overall sound. (Shaftiel also contributes his deeper vocals to a couple of tracks.) Be warned, though: the production leaves a lot to be desired, as the mix puts drums and vocals up front and noticeably muffles the guitars. Still, that doesn't detract from my enjoyment of this one at all. Almost gave it a ten, and I get into it more with every listen. Killer, killer release. AC - _I Like It When You Die_ (Earache, February 1997) by: Brian Meloon (4 out of 10) AC return with yet another CD, this time featuring 52 songs which fill up just over 42 minutes. Unfortunately, this isn't quite as varied as _40 More Reasons To Hate Us_ (see CoC #10), and therefore not as good. In fact, very few of the songs stand out at all; most are the kind of short punk/grind songs with dumb/silly/homophobic (and unintelligible) lyrics we've come to expect from AC, and are virtually indistinguishable from each other. The few highlights include Seth's brilliant vocal stylings in "Just the Two Of Us" and "I'm in AC", the cover of "Hungry Hungry Hippos", the use of Chopin's "Funeral March" in "Jack Kevorkian is Cool", and the absolutely brilliant "311 Sucks" (which rips off "Down", and reflects a sentiment I couldn't agree with more). Other than those choice songs, there's not much on here that you haven't heard before. This is (of course) essential for AC fans, but if you already own an AC record, you can probably do without it. Agathocles - _Thanks for Your Hostility_ (Morbid, February 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (3 out of 10) European grindcore pursuers Agathocles' fourth album, _Thanks for the Hostility_, is a bludgeoning onslaught of noise and mayhem all packaged into one album of twenty-seven tracks. That doesn't mean it is worth a listen either. Problems arise quite rapidly with this collection of material, with an abundance of groans and moans, sarcastic band's lyrics and a sloppy direction (not to mention recording) of material. Lacking any kind of formula or even initiative to get any kind of momentum going, Agathocles' latest noisefest turns into a pile of garbage three songs in. I'm staying clear of this one. Angizia - _Die Kemenanten Sharlachroter Lichter_ by: Steve Hoeltzel (5 out of 10) (Napalm Records, February 1997) I can definitely see why Napalm saw potential in Angizia and gave them a deal, and I hate to give a low rating to a group with so much creative ambition, but I just can't get much real enjoyment out of this release, interesting though it may be. The band's goal is to combine black metal and classical influences, much like the pioneering Dismal Euphony (also on Napalm, and an excellent band). But while that group put out one of my favorite albums of last year, Angizia falls a bit flat. Whereas D.E. create dreamy, memorable songs driven by sweeping, icy melodies, Angizia have crafted what they call a "Metal Musical Theatrical Play" dominated by piano and organized around multiple vocal performances. There are four vocalists: two females, one of whom does some soprano singing; and two males, one of whom sings tenor, one of whom performs in a screechy black metal style. The problem is, none of these vocalists is quite expert enough to really carry this style of music. (The grim vocals, in particular, just don't fit in well at all.) My main dislike, though, is the band's way of handling melody. Unlike the drifting, ethereal melodies favored by Dismal Euphony, the melodies here are often sing-songey and cloying. When they start singing soprano-and-black-metal duets, or little tenor soliloquies, right in step with these melodies, the result often sounds somewhat childish. Lastly, the guitars seem merely tacked onto the music. They are definitely never central to the sound; in fact, they're barely audible. Certainly, there are some enjoyable passages on this CD, but on the whole I can't unreservedly recommend it. Still, it -is- intriguing stuff, and I'll be interested to hear future efforts from the band. The Blood Divine - _Awaken_ (Peaceville, 1996) by: Pedro Azevedo (10 out of 10) The Blood Divine are the result of joining Darren White (Anathema, vocals), the Ryan brothers (Cradle of Filth, guitars and keys), the other CoF guitarist PJ Allender, drummer Was from Extreme Noise Terror, and bassist Steve Maloney. This band is therefore the fusion of Cradle of Filth, slower and without the black metal influences, and Anathema, since Darren's vocals always were a big part of the superb early Anathema sound. Vincent Cavanagh (current Anathema vocalist) said they "kicked out" Darren because his voice was getting worse all the time. The Blood Divine proves Cavanagh was wrong, since Darren's vocals are amongst the best I've ever heard - emotional, powerful, awesome. The keyboards remind me a lot of Cradle of Filth, of course - it's clear that it's the same guy behind the keyboards, and he performs as brilliantly as one would expect. And then the guitar work, which is just as excellent as the rest of the album, combined with the remarkable, powerful drumming and the good bass work. It's really hard to point out tracks here, since they're all great. I really can't name my favourite track. TBD manage to include lots of doomy melodies and feelings from Anathema, as well as the kind of keyboard effects and atmospheres that can be found in any CoF album. But TBD add an intense power of their own to all this, raising it all to a different level. It's very clear that they have their own sound, at the very least just as good as the bands they come from. In fact, I liked this much, much better than Anathema's latest. Just a final word for Ruth, who seems to have moved with Darren from Anathema: her vocals on two of the softest tracks are truly great, as she has one of the sweetest voices I ever heard. I believe more influence of hers in the future will be a very good thing for TBD. Overall, this is possibly my favourite 1996 album. Borknagar - _Borknagar_ (Malicious Records, 1996) by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10) This band includes some real black metal big shots: there's Ivar Bjornson of Enslaved; Infernus of Gorgoroth; Garm of Ulver and Arcturus, Oystein Brun of Molested, and someone named "Grim", whom I probably should be able to place, but can't. (Sorry, Grim) With the exception of two instrumental tracks by Bjornson, all of the music is written by Brun. It's a very impassioned, identifiably northern style featuring all the frenzy of Norse black metal, but none of the shallow fixation upon being "unholy." (These guys are into "the glorious past.") The guitar is high-pitched and expansive, very much like Bjornson's sound on _Frost_. Garm handles the vocals, generally sticking to his harshest tones, but occasionally singing clearly, and often employing his trademark "Ahhh, AHHHHHH, Ahhh" one-man choir technique. (Some people get all misty-eyed when he does this, I know - but it's turned into something of a cliche, I think, and it's over-used on this release. Ahhh, AHHHHHH, AAHHHHHHHHHH!!) There's some very speedy, precise drumming, too. The blazing rhythms, shrill guitars, and abrasive vocals often congeal into quite a powerful sound - propulsive and angry, yet dense and organic. The song structures are pretty standard, but there are some nice breaks and shifts in mood and rhythm to punctuate all the aggression. (Check out "Svartskogs Gilde" in particular.) Still, out of ten tracks on the CD, only five of them are proper songs. The remaining five are all instrumentals (not counting the occasional "AHHHHH, Ahhh, AHHHHHHHH"), some of which are enjoyable, some of which don't accomplish much. So: there's some quite solid material here, but not an entire album's worth, and definitely nothing that measures up to the quality of the various members' full-time bands. Not bad, though, for sure. Carcass - _Wake Up and Smell the Carcass_ (Earache, December 1996) by: Adam Wasylyk (6 out of 10) This being only the second video to be reviewed for CoC (the first was Slayer's _Live Intrusion_), it's also my first review of this kind so hopefully I will have covered all the angles. With the video cover having an autopsy pic of former American president JFK, this video contains five music videos ("Heartwork", "Corporeal Jigsore Quandry", "Keep on Rotting in the Free World", "Incarnated Solvent Abuse" and "No Love Lost") and two live concerts. There's not much to say about the videos but the concert footage should be commented on. The shows were recorded in the years 1992 and 1989 and you can tell which is which by the recording quality. The first concert, the Gods of Grind Tour 1992, features songs like "Reek of Putrefaction", "Pedigree Butchery", "Exhume to Consume" and "Tools of the Trade". The live footage for the music video "Corporeal Jigsore Quandry" was taken from this concert, so if you've seen that video then that should give you some idea as to the film quality. For this concert the overall film quality isn't bad but in a few places it does get rough. The second concert, the Grindcrusher Tour 1989 pales in comparison to the first in both sound and film quality. What bugged me about this show was the inactivity, or lack of stage presence. The guitarists just stood and played while the drummer was behind a huge Carcass banner so you could barely see him most of the show. The guitar sound was also too low. So the last show was both boring to hear AND watch. To wrap this review up, it would have been nice to see some interview footage or maybe hear the band members talking about the break-up. To tell the truth, this video is completely unnecessary and it appears as if Earache are trying to cash in on Carcass's demise. Fans of Carcass may want to complete their collection with this, but most everyone else should save their $$. Coal Chamber - _Coal Chamber_ (Roadrunner/Attic, February 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10) Los Angeles quartet Coal Chamber's self-titled debut album is everything that a die-hard Korn or even Deftones' fan would crave. It's heavily-coated with an intense rhythm section, overflowing with hard-hitting riffs and draped with maniacal vocals throughout. Sound familiar? While comparisons are very similar to the other two popular California outfits, the thing that sets Coal Chamber apart is the band's feel for melody and groove. While Korn and Deftones rely moreso on a maniacal charge of sorts with their burst of adrenaline-laced screams, Coal Chamber displays some control of material and that saves this project. Other than that I'm having a hard time telling these bands apart. Various Artists - _Wintergrief_ (Nahitfol Productions, January 1997) by: Jo Romst (8 out of 10) The main reason why I ordered this tape was that it featured many bands I have heard about for a long time but never really had the chance to listen to (like Nightfall or VOD). Yup, unless you're one of these guys who buys every single underground metal release, you'll discover many cool bands here! The orientation of the tape is towards the more atmospheric and melodic side of the black/doom/death genres. Black metal freaks will rejoice in blasphemy with Agatus, Zemial, Invocation, Elysian Fields, and an unreleased song by Varathron; doom/death followers will drown even deeper in sorrow with Yearning (debut CD out on Holy Records), Septic Flesh (no words needed for the gods!), VOD, Garbage Breed (chilean band a la My Dying Bride), Groms, COD (finnish band with a forthcoming release on Wild Rags) and Absence of Dawn; the more technical and progressive side of the scene is represented by Acid Death, Kalisia (incredible French band!), Aeon (Nocturnus lives!), and Manic. For those who'd want even more, there are a couple of quite surprising tunes: Carnival in Coal offer us a song filled with sheer brutality and hate but featuring a banjo break (!!!), Stille Volke is a folk/pagan band with lyrics in French (they're signed on Holy), The Renaissance Dance play dark/electro/pop and Moozzhead - the tape's outro is pure fucking noise! A funny thing is that almost half of the bands are Greek, so I guess that the guy who issued _Wintergrief_ must be Greek, too. This release is perfect for people who would like to discover some very good bands from the dark side of the current underground metal scene. More info can be found at: http://www.cs.univ-paris8.fr/~nahitfol/garden/ The Darksend - _Unsunned_ (Head Not Found, 1997) by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10) Before receiving _Unsunned_, I'd never heard, nor heard of, The Darksend at all, so I didn't really know what to expect. Luckily though, I was pleasantly surprised. Their style is mostly Swedish melodic black metal, in the vein of Dawn and Marduk (okay, so Marduk aren't that melodic), with a lot of melodic death metal influence from the likes of Dark Tranquillity and others of their ilk. Not being able to rely on originality, The Darksend instead create extremely fast, melodic compositions, broken up by slower mid-paced reprieves, and punctuated with a few thrashy solos. The vocals aren't too bad, similar in style to Dawn, but a little more whiny sounding, unfortunately. The production is good enough, though maybe a little thicker than others (relatively speaking, this is no Mortician production job), but it gets the job done with no major problems. The most important part of _Unsunned_, like most albums of its type, are the guitar melodies, and there are few disappointments here. You won't find anything comparable in quality to the best from D.T. or Dawn, but they certainly suffice, and comprise most of the highlights of the album. There's not too much else to say about The Darksend that you couldn't have read in any other review of its genre, except that it's just as good as any of the others. Dominion - _Interface_ (Peaceville, 1996) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) Yet another recent Peaceville release, in this case a debut, Dominion present a somewhat renewed version of thrash metal with various other influences, together with both male and female vocals. In fact, and that might be what will bring Dominion notice, Michelle is actually the lead vocalist, with various sorts of backing male vocals. They have a consistent sound and use a very clear bass, while managing to have a very fair amount of interesting, even original, arrangements and riffs, although their quality isn't constant. The tracks that really stand out are "Silhouettes" and "Weaving Fear", but almost every track has something good about it. Track four features guest vocals from Aaron (My Dying Bride) and Michelle's good vocal abilities are explored in the very soft final track. Dominion show some good potential, though they still lack something to really make them stand out. Not a masterpiece, but a very pleasant album and a good debut. Eternal Oath - _So Silent_ MCD (1997) by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10) Eternal Oath take a unique approach to Swedish melodic death: by taking elements from both brutal death metal and melodic death, the occasional synth backing, and some more "mainstream metal" characteristics, they form an eclectic mix which is easily separated into its best and worst parts, and which can't really be aligned with acts such as Dark Tranquillity or In Flames. The six songs alternate between heavy, brutal sections, and epic, mid-paced, sometimes rather symphonic, melodic parts, and it is the latter that definitely shines through the most. It's a shame Eternal Oath didn't concentrate more on what they do best: creating melodic, memorable guitar lines with great (guttural) vocals. Instead, they overshadow them with heavy, brutal, double-bass laden sections and weak, mid-paced sections with decent synth and distinctly non-death metal riffs. The heavy parts aren't even of the high-speed, frantic variety. Instead, they just plod along, seemingly waiting for a good melody to pop up, which inevitably does happen. The first and last songs, "The Dawn" and "Dream of Rising", respectively, are without question the best, but the majority of the others are merely average, and are evidence enough as to why Eternal Oath can probably best be summed up in one word: inconsistent. Godkiller - _The Rebirth of the Middle Ages_ by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10) (Wounded Love Records, 1996) I don't know why the guy behind this one-man black metal project settles for the fairly modest nickname "Duke Satanael", when the overall package of this 20-minute CD easily earns him the title "King Cliche". Picture of a castle on the front. "Duke Satanael" posing on the back, covered with makeup, holding a big sword and glaring at song titles like "The Never-Ending Reign of the Black Knights". On the inside, a flatulent speech about just how evil "Duke Satanael" is, inverted crosses, more wonderful sword poses, and so on. Bored yet? I mean, how many times has the -exact- thing already been done? (The answer: so many times that none of this stuff has any real impact anymore.) Still, the -music- the Duke creates proves to be quite enjoyable stuff: good, unpretentious black metal which flows nicely, features some great riffs, and has a reasonably dense, well-balanced sound. The riffs are definitely what makes Godkiller stand out: instead of endlessly repeating the same ultra-simple combination of notes over an unchanging beat, the Duke takes a basic black metal riff and then craftily bends it around, putting it through variations that greatly increase the music's appeal. In addition, keyboards are used almost perfectly: just prominent enough to provide cool harmonics, but never fancy and never more than a backup for the riff. Cool keyboard-and-drum breaks also make for some nice dynamics, laying down hard rhythms and harmonic lines which the guitars leap onto and take off. Vocals are in the screechy Burzum style, though perhaps a bit smoother and definitely less annoying. Percussion sounds solid, if maybe a bit basic. So, despite my gripes about the image, I quite enjoy the music - it's a very solid entry into the genre, even if not a particularly innovative one. The Great Kat - _Guitar Goddess_ (1997) by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10) The Great Kat's latest offering is a 4 song EP, clocking in at a whopping 8 minutes. It features two classical covers (Rossini's "Barber of Seville" and Sarasate's "Gypsy Violin Waltz: Zigeunerweisen"), and two original songs ("Feast of the Dead" and "Dominatrix"). The style is essentially the same as her previous offerings: fast, short, thrashy songs with lots of fast neoclassically inspired guitar work, and screamed and growled vocals. As with her previous release (_Digital Beethoven on Cyberspeed_ (see CoC #6)), she seems to be trying to be taken more seriously, as the music (and packaging) avoids a lot of the cheesy imagery from _Beethoven on Speed_. She's even incorporated some new influences (such as the congas at the intro and outro of "Feast of the Dead"). By far my favorite part of the CD is her version of Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen", in which she elaborates on the guitar/violin interaction that she has played around with in the past (e.g. "Paganini's Caprice #9" from _DBOC_). The dueling guitar/violin approach works well, and offers a novel sound. Hopefully, she'll continue to explore this fertile territory with her future releases. The production isn't great; it's rawer than her previous offerings and sounds a little distorted as well (probably due to a smaller recording budget). Overall, this is a nice release for fans of neoclassical guitar spank-off, but it's way too short. Grimoire - _A Requiem for the Light_ (Euphonious, November 1996) by: Adam Wasylyk (8 out of 10) Grimoire are another black metal band on the Euphonious label that isn't from Norway or Sweden (along with Solhverv, see review in this issue). From the unlikely country of Israel hail Grimoire with their take on black metal, which is done very well and exceeds some of the genre's counterparts. Mixing traditional black metal with their own ideas (distorted vocals, piano/keyboard passages and sound effects), the well-written lyrics deal with varied topics from vampires to warriors. And yes, in the lyrics the words "fog", "moonlight", "mountains" and "woods" appear, after all I did say they were a black metal band!! Songs like "At Dark", "Nevuath Ha'Tom" and "Vampires" show that Grimoire do have talent at playing black metal . I do expect that this would be hard to find this at your local record store, so here's the label's address: Contact: GRIMOIRE, c/o Euphonious Records Sankt Jorgens Alle 7 O.G 1 TH., DK-1615 Kobenhavn V, DENMARK mailto:vow@pip.dknet.dk WWW: http://www.vow.dk/euphonio/euphonio.htm Hammerfall - _Glory to the Brave_ by: Drew Schinzel (10 out of 10) (Vic Records, April 1997) Wow, I wasn't expecting this at all. A brand new side-project of two In Flames members and a couple of Crystal Age members, and in addition to having featured Mikael Stanne and Nilkas Sundin from Dark Tranquillity before the recording of the album, I was expecting "just" another Swedish melodic death release, but this is nothing like that style at all. This is more of a "typical" speed metal band, and in fact not very original at all, but this is just absolutely killer stuff, and its unoriginality really doesn't harm its appeal much at all. Replete with clean, moderately high-pitched vocals (much like Helloween, Gamma Ray, and others of their ilk), relatively simple, driving riffs, lyrics about gleaming steel swords, fighting alongside one's brothers in the night (all in the name of glory, of course), and those ultra-cheesy choruses where the whole band sings, Hammerfall is -not- to be mistaken for an extension of In Flames, and only sounds even remotely like them in a couple of riffs where some influence is evident. Another thing you won't see on an In Flames album: a simulated live setting with crowd noise! You know something's amiss when the song breaks to a slow part and you hear cheers and whistles coming out of the speakers from a supposed concert for a band who have never released an album. Ok, so some of this album is a bit on the cheesy side, but who cares, I get the chills when listening to _Glory to the Brave_; some of the material present is so truly inspiring, it makes me shiver just thinking about it (how's that for cheese, eh?). If you couldn't already tell, I am utterly blown away by _GttB_, and recommend it to -everyone-. Hefeystos - _Vilce Sjen_ (Wounded Love Records, 1997) by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10) Another in the growing ranks of mid-paced, heavily folk-influenced, keyboard-laden black metal, Hefeystos have one separation from the rest. Despite the trite picture of the band in the forest with axes, and the obvious Norwegian trademarks, Hefeystos are actually from Poland. Of course, that doesn't mean they can't play this style of music well; actually, on the contrary, _Vilce Sjen_ is a decent release, succeeding in its goal of being majestic and atmospheric, but there's still room for improvement in a couple of areas. First, and most easily fixed, is the length of the album. _VS_ is only 11 minutes, with a paltry two songs. I know this is a first release, but two songs? Granted, they're both good efforts, but still. Second is the musicianship. The compositions here are extremely simplistic. This doesn't detract -that- much from the experience, but a little skillful playing can go a long way, for sure. _VS_ is not without its good points, however. The vocals, a rather-high pitched, extremely throaty shrieking, are decent enough, and the Satyricon-esque groaning is certainly cool. The majestic, emotional sounding keys are a highlight, too. Hefeystos have produced a fine first effort, though it's too bad it's over so fast. Still, though, at a reduced price at most distros ($7 or $8), give it a try. I'M'L - _Instigating The Mean And Loud_ (DeRock Records, Fall 1996) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) Surfacing from one of the only 'metal' hot spots in Canada, the city of Montreal, comes I'M'L, a powerhouse quartet who live and breath the somewhat long forgotten style of metal i.e. Slayer, Anthrax and Kiss. Listen to the band's debut album, _Instigating The Mean And Loud_, and you will hear hard-driven melodic numbers, the crunch of ferocious riffs and slamming of the drums - all played with the utmost enthusiasm and passion. As if drawn from their influences, the band's music style ranges from Slayer-like numbers to the stomp and groove stylings of Anthrax, with lead screamer Dan sounding very similar to Anthrax's singer John Bush most of the time. I really liked the way this album's eleven tracks seem to work off each other and their specific love and feel for old school metal. Also evident is the fact that the band never tries to play music that is different from what they desire to play. In other words: straight forward metal with no need to experiment. The album's loudness, well-crafted songs and honesty are some of the more positive selling points of _ItMaL_ and I suggest anyone who likes those selling points to search out and find this record. Limbonic Art - _Moon in the Scorpio_ by: Drew Schinzel (9 out of 10) (Nocturnal Art Productions, 1997) Limbonic Who? Another shock, this time in the form of extremely atmospheric Norwegian black metal, courtesy of Limbonic Art's debut, _Moon in the Scorpio_. Although the image is extremely contrived and trite (does anyone really want to see another two guys with scary names; Daemon and Morfeus... ooooo... ahhhh, posing around a fire in corpsepaint?), Limbonic Art's music is phenomenal. Shedding the traditional guitar with backing keyboard approach, they instead do the opposite: the keyboards lay out the haunting melodies, while the guitars just kind of buzz around in the background. And what haunting melodies they are. Listening to the first track, "Beneath the Burial Surface", I just about couldn't believe my ears when the bell started its ominous chime and the synth broke out in a heart-stopping arrangement. It only gets better from there, with the awesome recorded thunderstorm and whispered vocals, again accompanied by the bell. Of course, there's more than just one song on _MitS_, but they all follow in the footsteps of the first; specifically, they are all captivating. Cosmic sounding keyboards, brutal percussion (programmed, though you can hardly tell), scathing vocals, and a dark, morbid atmopshere round out the sonic assault. Having seven songs and a duration of 60 minutes, _MitS_ is not short on content, either. Limbonic Art have come up with perhaps the best black metal album of the year, thus far. Lordes Werre - _Canticles of Armageddon_ (RIP Music, 1996) by: Drew Schinzel (2 out of 10) I gave Lordes Werre a chance. Really, I did. But, after further review, I don't like _Canticles of Armageddon_ at all. Its style of death with thrash influence, horrible screamed vocals, extremely unoriginal image (an army of skeletons on the cover, oh wow!), and bullshit posing just doesn't do anything for me. Apparently, members Galan Dracos and Avernus have been too busy worshipping Satan and spreading the darkness, because they certainly didn't come up with anything original, or even remotely good, for their MCD. The simplistic, annoying guitars are just plain bad, and everything else follows suit. Avoid this. Lux Occulta - _Forever Alone. Immortal._ (Pagan Records, 1996) by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10) First thing that caught my attention was the brilliant cover layout: the band's name ("lux" meaning light), the album title, and the way the picture itself fit the rest. And, as a matter of fact, so does the music... fit the rest, I mean. If I had to describe this album (er, actually, I do have to describe it) I'd precisely use the name Lux Occulta and the title _Forver Alone. Immortal._. Throughout the 55 minutes of this very well-produced album, Lux Occulta show an impressive array of creativity, songwriting skills, and musicianship. All this mixed with the interesting look I already mentioned makes one hell of an album. Lux Occulta are essentially a melodic black metal band, showing some classical music influences and often using a very doomy atmosphere (hence the appropriate title). About the classical influences, well, this six-piece band knows how to use their keyboards for diversity, and they sometimes include an acoustic guitar, a flute (which is once used during a fast black metal part - which are always melodic and well played - besides some other flute solos) and a cello (which performs particularly well in the excellent third track). These instruments, as well as all the keyboard orchestral effects, blend in extremely well, giving an overall feel that, again, fits the title. But what would this be without the talent? Besides being great musicians in what concerns playing (tight guitars and bass, technical and powerful drumming, well used keyboards), they also come up with constantly remarkable melodies (the classical influences I mentioned being important here) that team up with the good black metal and doom parts to create a great album. I must mention the third track, the one with lots of cello, which is great, as well as the last one (the sixth), which is probably the doomiest: the vocals in that track are like a combination of a regular black metal voice with Aaron's (My Dying Bride) weeping voice, and the song is the very essence of the album's title (there I go again). So this was undoubtedly the album which surprised me the most in 1996, and one I won't hesitate in recommending to any metal fan. "The awakening has begun..." Machine Head - _The More Things Change..._ (Roadrunner, March 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) When San Francisco Bay-area thrash metal quartet Machine Head stormed into the music industry three years ago with their powerfully-charged debut disc _Burn My Eyes_ they demolished everything in sight thanks in part to an onslaught of heavy guitar riffs, thunderous wallops of intensity and singer/guitarist Robb Flynn's anger-filled lyrics. That record had everything. Fans loved them, critics loved them, they toured extensively worldwide and to many Machine Head was the musical force that helped preserve the somewhat fading metal community - and they did. Now album number two, _The More Things Change..._, finally surfaces after being plagued by studio problems (the album had to be re-recorded), extensive writing sessions and the loss of original drummer Chris Kontos. The results? A somewhat different Machine Head in my books. While the album is as intense as _Burn My Eyes_ in the screams and guitar-driven numbers department, as seen on first single "Ten Ton Hammer," "Struck A Nerve" or "Bay of Pigs," _The More Things Change..._ lacks a real pressure point, something their debut album was chock full of. Don't get me wrong, I like this record - lots - but I feel that the band wasn't able to carry the success and momentum they saw out on the road into the studio. I'm happy with the results, I just wished I had my teeth knocked out this time out rather than slapped around a few times. Mental Destruction - _Straw_ (Cold Meat Industries, 1996) by: Andrew Lewandowski (7 out of 10) Following a directional shift towards sedate dark ambient, CMI has almost completely neglected the sub-genre of post-industrial European noise manifested in classic releases by the likes of In Slaughter Natives and Lille Roger. Here to revive this dying breed is one of CMI's oldest bands, Mental Destruction. _Straw_ showcases all of the pounding, scraping, clanking, and screaming that once typified the Cold Meat sound. This is far from all-out noise; the instrumentation possesses a discernible rhythm. While metals provide a formidable base for each song, MD layers a few enthralling synthesizer notes into the mix. Once combined with surprisingly effective lyrics, the music posses quite a despondent feel, although this is slightly tarnished by a belief in Christianity, blatantly manifested in the lyrical passages to almost every track. While this factor alone is not enough to give me a disappointed impression, plenty of disappointment can be found in the soulless production. First of all, any lyrical despair is negated by the ludicrous vocalizations. They come across as a vomited hybrid between Count Grishnach and a distorted Phil Anselmo, during one of the latter's typically impotent attempts at sounding "bad ass." Even more irksome is the dull, resonating thud produced by most of the instruments. Despite the diversity of sounds manipulated by MD, the tonal similarities result in a repetitive feel. On the plus side, they have created one of the more hallucinogenic CD cases that I have ever laid my eyes upon. Merzbow - _Age Of 369/Chant 2_ Double CD (Extreme Rec., Winter 1996) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) Masami Akita (a.k.a Merzbow; one of the many projects he has collaborated on) is probably one of the most popular noise/ambient aficionados within the music industry. Merzbow's latest double-CD is not really a compilation or anything like that, rather a reissuing of the record _Age Of 369/Chant 2_ that found it's way into the market more than ten years ago. The year of 1985 to be exact. This reissue of Merzbow's efforts not only display's some of the most bizarre and intricate collection of noise/ambient experimentation's over the last decade or so, but also proves that Akita was way ahead of his time with his creations. The creativity and intensity is extremely mind-blowing. Every second of this record lends a delicate feel of emotion to us that strains at every pore of our psyche. It creates images and visions within the music and leaves us drained at the end of every listen. While some may steer clear of this release as it is quite intense and noise-filled, the die-hard fans of extreme and powerfully executed noise bands will worship this (as many have done since the band's conception). Proving once again, as he may have done years ago, that music needs not to come out and dictate a story or speak through lyrics, as this record reveals that it can be told through music and I think Merzbow achieved this quite effectively. An abomination of noise for noise lovers worldwide. Note: a cool Merzbow page to check out: Necromantia - _Ancient Pride_ (Osmose Prod., January 1997) by: Steve Hoeltzel (6 out of 10) It seems a bit odd that a tinny-sounding drum machine is featured on this mini-CD, since the EP is being marketed as some sort of tribute to down-home, ancient European ways. In fact, I was a bit startled by the overall character of this whole release, which feels like a real step backwards from 1995's excellent _Scarlet Evil, Witching Black_. Gone are the innovations and occult atmospheres that made that album so interesting. In their place, we get a flute, lots of mid-paced riffing on shrill-sounding strings, plus a bunch of extremely uncool symbolism and rhetoric about "the European consciousness." European consciousness, my ass. Anyway, the four songs are quite simple, straightforward affairs, containing very few fast parts, fairly basic structures, and mostly mid-paced riffing. What black metal feel these guys did have once is now pretty much gone, and the eight-string bass sounds considerably less crusty this time around. Not that all that is necessarily so bad - it's just that I don't find any of the new songs to be particularly engaging, with the minor exception of "Each Dawn I Die". This one has a certain pounding catchiness to it, and -almost- recaptures the nocturnal feel of older material. In fact, it reminds me of some of the latest from Thou Art Lord, but it's neither as energetic nor as enjoyable. This release is certainly not bad, and the material is well-played (respects to Divad for some nice lead guitar), but I just don't think the music measures up to the band's past efforts in terms of originality or power. Necrophobic - _Darkside_ (Black Mark, February 1997) by: Adam Wasylyk (4 out of 10) On _Darkside_ it appears that Necrophobic got the $$ in their eyes and jumped onto the black metal bandwagon. Giving hints to this on their last EP _Spawned by Evil_, it featured bad black metal vocals which carried onto this LP. It speaks volumes about their bandwagon-hop when in the first line of the first song, "Black Moon Rising" they use the word "forest". And to be frank, I'm sick of seeing song titles like "Nailing the Holy One" and "Christian Slaughter". I thought Deicide did that sort of thing to death?? As for the music, there wasn't anything here that I found memorable or worth hearing again. Hell, you know you have a bad CD when you like the cover art more than the music. Also thrown in are some pretentious keyboard/piano instrumentals which I guess makes their black metal transformation "complete". I admit I've never been a fan of Necrophobic, and _Darkside_ will keep it that way! Num Skull - _When Suffering Comes_ (Defiled Records, 1996) by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10) Although their spelled-wrong-on-purpose band name keeps making me think of hair metal wussies Ruff Cutt, these guys have absolutely nothing to do with wussy-hood. Nope, this is brutal death, North American-style - the kind of thing that would make Ruff Cutt wet their spandex pants; and if you're big on this particular style, then you're almost certain to like it. It's superbly heavy, with a bit of early Suffocation feel to the sound, plus some crushing mid-tempo grooves and rhythm guitars that occasionally remind me of Malevolent Creation's uber-powerful _Retribution_. What I especially like about the album is the genuine old-school vibe it's got going: these guys are much more interested in morbid heaviness and unpretentious structures than in needlessly technical riffing and constant tempo changes. Not that it's monotonous, though. There are some great, barbaric dynamics on tracks like "As the Dead Pile High," "The Gift of Hate," and opener "Eyes of a Madman." Another cool touch: they close with a cover of Venom's "Buried Alive," a song which definitely benefits from an injection of death metal heaviness. The production is solid, and so are all the performances. Why didn't I give it a higher score? Well, at 33 minutes for nine tracks, the compositions are all fairly short, and some songs don't really seem to go anywhere in the course of their brief durations. More to the point: although definitely enjoyable, Num Skull are lacking in any real distinctness that might set them apart from their peers. But hell yeah, they know what they're doing, and this is undeniably very heavy. Penitent - _The Beauty of Pain_ (Draenor Productions, 1997) by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10) Draenor Productions is a new division of Austria's Napalm Records (home of superb bands like Abigor, Summoning, Setherial, and Dismal Euphony). Based on this first release, I'm guessing that Draenor will specialize in the Dark Ambient and ritual music that has attracted quite a bit of interest from metal musicians and fans these days. Penitent, you see, are a former Cold Meat Industry act who specialize in morose, atmospheric keyboard pieces built up around icy recitations of somber poetry. Asbjorn Log handles the music, while Karsten Hamre performs the "Mad Poetry Declamations." My respects to Asbjorn, because much of the music on this CD is quite spellbinding. It's fairly minimalist, often just a single, echoing piano with (or without) a quiet synth background and thundering tympanic percussion. Opener "Autumn is the Beauty of Pain" begins with this simple framework, gradually adding accents and emotion to what becomes a galloping anthem, vigorous and sad. There's some grimly beautiful music on this release, displaying genuine compositional talent. However, the poetry component is not quite so enjoyable, because the delivery is rather unimaginative. The lyrics are simply recited in a deadpan, accented voice. In a way, this works to accentuate the music's somber mood, but it can also sound a bit corny, and it definitely would have been cool to try out some effects, instead of just flatly talking into the mike. Still, I enjoy this, and some of the musical passages are just splendid. Is it metal? Of course it isn't. The point is, it's music intended to capture and create many of the same atmospheres and emotions that bands who do play metal are also trying to evoke. (Especially doom metal, in this case.) Various Artists - _A Tribute to Judas Priest_ (Century Media, 1997) by: Alain M. Gaudrault (4 out of 10) My main reason for hanging onto this is almost entirely for Kreator's rendition of "Grinder", and Chuck Billy's vocals in Testament's version of "Rapid Fire". The rest is mostly mediocre to poor in terms of quality and creativity, which is a disappointment coming from such names as Helloween, Fates in Hell, Nevermore, and Mercyful Fate. The most insipid thing about this release is that there are two bands covering "The Ripper". Mercyful Fate does a lacklustre job of it, King Diamond sounding out of place and silly. Iced Earth wins the competition on vocals alone, although even the music is superior to MF's. Essentially, this is a waste of time and money, unless you're a major fan of either Judas Priest, or one of the featured bands. In fact, the accompanying bio sheet with words from selected bands appearing on the disc was far more interesting that the listening itself. Purity - _Built_ (Black Mark, January 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) Power-metal band Purity (a four-piece from Finland) have worked hard since their inception in 1991 to perfect their sound and style. They have finally been able to do that with their debut album, _Built_, a wonderful assortment of song styles that showcase many of the styles they have tinkered with over the last few years. Several attributes, such as brutal growls, strong melodies and a definite groove, stick out the mostly on this record. While some may hear or pick up comparisons to Prong or Machine Head within the band's music, they'll definitely be able to see that the band successfully manages to weave their influences and own ideas into one pattern, and break away from such stereotype sounds. I like what this band has been able to accomplish with _Built_, relying more on creating within a familiar boundary or idea but still sounding fresh each time out. Standouts include: "Enter/Exit," "Pique" and "In Disguise." Quorthon - _When Our Day Is Through_ (Black Mark, February 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10) I must applause Bathory frontman Quorthon for continuing onward in his quest to create other forms of music other than the brutal carnage he brought forth with the numerous Bathory releases. The follow-up to 1995's _Album_ is the 4-song collection called _When Our Day Is Through_, an assortment of material far from the savagery of Bathory rather closely similar to Smashing Pumpkins and any other mainstream alt/rock act. The material has it all: Top 40 sounds, bittersweet melodies and memorable hooks. This ain't bad, kind of cheesy at times, but the main thing to keep in mind is that Quorthon is dead serious about what he is doing outside of Bathory and within his musical endeavors. Case in point: this is the 'warm-up' to the twenty-three song, double-cd collection of alternative ditties called _Purity of Essence_ that Quorthon will be unleashing sometime in May. You've been warned. Regard Extreme - _Resurgence_ (Perspectives, 1996) by: Andrew Lewandowski (10 out of 10) Every once in a great while, an album will come along which completely allude a verbal definition; in fact, placing words upon such a release can only serve to pervert its power. _Resurgence_ is one of those albums. Symbols such as "melancholic" and "transcendental" are ejaculated, yet nothing can do anything but limit the objective strength and subjective effect of this recording. If seen superficially, this is created in a rather conventional mold; orchestral ambient generated by synthesizer. Yet Regard Extreme create music that is far too lush and multi-faceted to be correctly limited to the ambient genre, nor do they come close to degenerating into an obviously "Casio" band (see much of Mortiis' work). Only the choral passages are evidently inorganic, for the human voice is impossible to faithfully replicate via machine. The emotional impact and suffocating ambience result in an effect intrinsic in only the best of ambient music, as the dichotomy separating listener and music is annihilated; the m sic truly melts into the skin of the listener, assimilating itself with one's persona. Thus, as I've discovered over the past month, _Resurgence_ is the perfect album for those solitary winter nights in which the ambivalence of emotion runs thick. Rocking Dildos - _On Speed_ (Kron-H, January 1997) by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10) Eighteen tracks, thirty-three minutes - and you WILL want to crank this up when the first song kicks in. Anyway, I sure did. These four goofs call their band a "motherfucker punk rock explosion," and I doubt I can improve upon that assessment, except maybe by pointing out that they pack some definite metallic power, too. I mean, how many mere punk bands do you know who sound surprisingly similar to Impaled Nazarene? These guys do, especially in their thick, bombastic guitar sound; harsh, rasping vocals; and full-on, high-octane approach. Of course, the RD's play less ferocious, more "rocking" material, but _On Speed_ is still an extremely high-energy affair. You'll probably get a few laughs out of it, too, thanks to all the purposefully idiotic songs like "Pregnant Women Must Die" and "Erection of the Century". The songs are short, driving, and usually feature just one or two basic, punk-styled, metal-tuned riffs in simple verse-chorus-verse structures. Did I mention that all four guys in the band are named Frank? Hats off to Frank, Frank, Frank, and Frank; and cheers to Osmose/Kron-H for giving some exposure to a band who's bucking the current trends and doing their own pretty potent thing. Signs Ov Chaos - _Frankenscience (Urban Cyberpunk)_ by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) (Earache Records, January 1997) Sole creator Michael Wells takes us on a dark and in-depth journey of society and life. Upon each listen, the almost soundtrack-like feeling of _Frankenscience_ brings us into a world in which we are forced to experience what Wells wants us to experience - no questions asked. It is an experience that dabbles with hate, understanding ourselves and the complexity and intricateness of life. What we leave with is a more accurate feel of the molding world of Wells' ambient/noise project. While the bio says the album primarily focuses on celebrating and dealing with both the good and bad ideals of "cyber culture," the album works further as it also manages to create an image of quite possibly the evolution of ambient/noise projects. Assembled from multiple styles of musical ideas, samples and noise _Frankenscience_, much like the Frankenstein monster in Mary Shelley's novel, is a creation that manages to feed off and survive on all the parts of what makes it one. If this album had been one straight forward ambient/noise project then it would have been quite boring. Not the case here, as Wells has thought out his work and makes this an interesting and enjoyable record each listen. Six Feet Under - _Alive and Dead_ EP (Metal Blade, November 1996) by: Adam Wasylyk (2 out of 10) Critics had good reason to dump on Six Feet Under's first record _Haunted_ as, excluding a couple of tracks, it sucked shit. With this EP it's the same thing. "Insect" and "Drowning" are SFU's new tracks, and are to my surprise actually remotely interesting to listen to. Still maintaining a slow pace, each song has a riff that you can actually remember after the song is done. What would an EP be without a cover track? On this it's "Grinder" by Judas Priest. The last four songs were recorded live, average recording but boring as hell. If you didn't like anything on _Haunted_ then you certainly won't want to hear them live!!! The only good tracks will be on their upcoming record so there's absolutely no need to buy this. Solhverv - _Tagernes Artusinde_ (Euphonious, November 1996) by: Adam Wasylyk (7 out of 10) Fans of black metal are familiar with the many popular (and some not-so-talented) bands from Norway and Sweden. Well, here's one from Denmark that deserves your attention. Solhverv (formerly "Fallen Angel" and "Helhejm") have based their black metal on Danish tales and myths of ancient warfare, runic stones, sacrifices to gods, etc etc etc. Don't count on this to be fascinating reading material unless you can read Danish, so you'll have to take their word for it. Focusing on the music, at times it's played at a supersonic speed while at other times slowing down to inject some keyboard melody or menacing screams. The tracks are lengthy but there is quality to the music being played. The vocals have an echo on them and aren't the shrilly/screechy variety that can be found in other bands. It's hard to come up with a comparison, Enslaved came into my mind but Solhverv definitely don't emulate them. Keyboards are rare, instead they successfully rely on their guitars to set the mood. Black metal fans I'm sure will like what they hear on _Tagernes Artusinde_. With this only their debut album, Solhverv have a bright future ahead of them. Contact: SOLHVERV, c/o Euphonious Records Sankt Jorgens Alle 7 O.G 1 TH., DK-1615 Kobenhavn V, DENMARK mailto:vow@pip.dknet.dk WWW: http://www.vow.dk/euphonio/euphonio.htm Sonipath - _Heavy Hooks_ (Flatten'Em Records, January 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) There is just something really intriguing about the music of Sonipath. I mean the music here is not as deafening or violent as Slayer or as intricate playing as Carcass, but the sheer ability of the band to mold funk, metal and aggressive rock deserves an applause. One thing the listener will pick up right away is the band's very raw feel to the material, nothing sugar-coated, just assembled as it was recorded and that does help create a character about the music. The seven-song outing covers topics ranging from the internet ("WWW.") to media coverage "Newswoman") and illegal bars ("Club Seal"), with singer D.J. Moran keeping the flow of the music going onto each song. Another thing I liked was that the band, to some extent, makes the music seem simplistic at times when in reality it is not. Great musicians and songwriters make up this New York five-piece and the more you hear this you really pick that up. For those that want to taste a bit of what heavily charged and diverse material should sound like, then check out Sonipath. Contact: SONIPATH, c/o Flatten'Em Records 247 Maple Avenue Studio 2A, Rockville Centre, NY, 11570 Voice: (516) 764-7237 mailto:dmoran1@vaxc.hofstra.edu OR mailto:sonipath13@aol.com Stillsuit - _At The Speed Of Light_ (TVT Records, January 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10) For those that really dig the intensity of such hard-edged acts as Quicksand, Helmet or Only Living Witness I will recommend Stillsuit. _At The Speed Of Light_ fulfills all the requirements of a melodic hardcore band that has the knack for writing not only strong numbers but memorable ones too. The album radiates a very raw feel to it as numbers like "Bicycle For Two" or "Will To Die" seem to really bring out an realistic feel of dominance and strength within the material. It just hits ya real hard in the gut. While many might place Stillsuit in the same category/sound of NYC greats Quicksand, the band does manage to add their own identity to the music too. Another thing that I enjoyed about Stillsuit's debut album is the harshly delivered vocals of singer Julian, a characteristic that really seams to help guide the direction of where the band is taking it's music. Loud n' heavy music that'll surely not be overlooked. Summertime Daisies - _The Clarity of Impurity_ (Independent, 1996) by: Alain M. Gaudrault (6 out of 10) Bassist Barry Topley indicated to me that the new material was more mature, more complex, and made allusions to a direction not unlike (gods!) Cryptopsy. I was anxiously awaiting more of their music after having heard their _Gathering of Vermin_ demo and attended their shows. Their memorable, high intensity death/grind showed great promise, so I was elated when Barry handed me a complimentary copy of their independently released full-length album, _The Clarity of Impurity_. I gave it numerous listens, and while it has its moments, on the whole, I don't agree with the band when they say they've matured and progressed. In fact, I sense a certain regression, a simpler approach which leaves the songs sounding too samey. Mind you, it's well executed and has its moments, but it always seems slightly listless, not as convincing as their previous material. While some soul searching may well be in order, what's clear is that they need to inject the songwriting with sharper attacks, and more original riffs. I can't slam it entirely, because it -is- a solid recording with some interesting twists, and some damn find heavy grinding music. What's more, they tacked on the _Gathering of the Vermin_ tracks at the end CD to make it just under a half hour of Summertime grind. Contact: SUMMERTIME DAISIES, 417 Richmond Street North, Box 158 London, Ontario, N6A 3E8, Canada Quo Vadis - _Forever..._ (Independent, 1996) by: Alain M. Gaudrault (8 out of 10) This is a band worthy of label attention, nay, worthy of attention, period. Hailing from the mighty Montreal, Quo Vadis are starting to make a name for themselves, and rightly so given the high quality output from this 4-piece act. Delivering a blend of styles influenced by Dissection, both older and newer Carcass, and some latter-day Death, Quo Vadis are succeeding at writing memorable songs as opposed to strings of riffs, a daunting task in extreme genres, but possible given the creativity and musical talent underlying the band. The vocals often are reminiscent of _Necroticism..._-era Carcass in their use of varying textures and intensity, although the lower, guttural vocals could use more work to give them more definition. Yanic Bercier should be commended on his drumming, which is an absolute flurry of rolls and fills, fluid, and machine-like, although the band nevertheless manages to lose sync occasionally. The twin guitars of Bart Frydrychowicz and Arie Itman hit the mark virtually every time, playing off each other, complementing each other in their melodic attacks, their exchange of single-note lines and blistering rhythms. Remy Beauchamp's bass work is barely audible, yet unpredictable when heard. QV even manages to weave in unique violin passages in and around the songs, creating just the right effect at the right time, serving to accentuate the power behind the music instead of washing it out. Fans of quality death who don't mind melody and the odd black metal structure will jism all over this. My biggest beefs were the interspersed (albeit short) spoken word bits which I thought simply didn't work, mostly because they seemed poorly delivered, out of place, and, well, a bit pretentious; the other complaint (and this cost them a whole point) is the shouting-style vocal with appears only on "Inner Capsule", a fine song otherwise, but practically unlistenable for me because of the poor excuse for a hardcore yell that is used in this track. Production-wise, the guitars need to be louder in the mix, but that's likely just a personal bias, and therefore of secondary interest. On the bright side, the lyrics are an interesting blend of violent images and emotional introspection, not all of the same caliber, but strong and an interesting read. Be sure to check out their home page for merchandise info. Contact: QUO VADIS, c/o VomiT Productions, P.O. Box 44, Station NDG Montreal, Quebec, H4A 3P4, Canada WWW: http://alcor.concordia.ca/~b_frydr mailto:quovadis@axess.com Xysma - _Lotto_ (Relapse, February 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) A lot of people are really diggin' this record. I am one of them. Fueled with more of a gritty Rock n' Roll feel to the material, moreso than working hard to display any kind of take on metal music, the Finnish five-piece's debut album _Lotto_ for Relapse Records is truly worth getting your hands onto. Full of swing, groove and a slight touch of absurdness and quirkiness, _Lotto_ rolls through the album's ten songs with a truly no holds-barred attitude. Like a fully-charged bar band wanting to scare the establishment's clientele, the momentum and deliverance of singer Joanitor's vocals are rough and running ragged on each song. Add in a tight band and memorable melodies and you got something worth cranking off your speaker. The music is a combination of influences from everyone from Sonic Youth to Motorhead to The Misfits to The Cult and Black Sabbath and there is no denying that all those band's weighed heavily in the sounds the band have managed to create within _Lotto_. Some of you may be scratching your head at the whole concept or ideas that Xysma are trying to gel together but believe me it works. If there is any hype to come along with this band in the near future, believe it. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ __ _ /\ \ \_____ __ /\ \ \___ (_)___ ___ / \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \ / /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/ \_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___| Your best source of information on the newest of the new, and the deepest of the underground, New Noise is the place to read about all the coolest shit you never thought existed! And if you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo with a bio if you want to be reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header. Scoring: ***** -- I see a record deal in the future **** -- Great piece of work *** -- Good effort ** -- A major overhaul is in order * -- A career change is advisable Carrion - _Flesh Piles On The Floor (3-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (***--) I was warned by the band's guitarist Ryan Mining on IRC #metal about the poor production of his Toledo, Ohio quintet's three-song demo when he was getting ready to send off the demo tape to us here at CoC. He wasn't kidding. Buried deeply beneath a muffled barrage of noise comes the music of Carrion: brutal, sick and extremely violent at times. While the music doesn't really stand out as groundbreaking material in the world of death metal, the intensity of the band is still shines through and helps keep us interested with the music. Sounding a lot like a mixing of the sounds of Brutal Truth, Mortician and Cannibal Corpse is where Carrion's music takes it's shape and sound from. But again, due to the production of the record, the band's music hardly sculpts any real definition to their own identity within their music - hard to sift through muffled noise don't ya know? Whatever the case may be (most importantly the poor production once more) the three selections on this demo tape are salvageable (and listenable) and do show that the band is trying hard to make original, brutal death metal the way they want it to be. Contact: CARRION, 2523 Berdan Ave, Toledo, Ohio, 43613-4805, USA Voice: (419) 474-1088 mailto:rmining@bgnet.bgsu.edu Chaotic Order - _Chaotic Order_ (4-track demo) by: Alain M. Gaudrault (***--) I'm caught between two opposing opinions regarding this demo. On the one hand, the musicianship is strong, as are vocals for the most part, the production crisp and punchy, the music reasonably well composed. This and the fact that vocalist James Rivera was formerly in Helstar are pluses, and this demo merits some accolades, but unfortunately, I find it quite derivative of a variety of other styles and in many cases, bands in particular. It's not just that Chaotic Order borrows from groups such as Alice in Chains, Pantera, and even Black Sabbath, but too often, signature sounds or passages seem lifted straight off the proverbial page. The type of metal played is generally mid-paced speed-derived riffs, choppy and chugging. Oddly, they try to inject some heavier moods with the odd growled vocal burst, minor death influences, and even some occasional double bass drumming. Of course, all of this is punctuated by the mixture of deathish grunts and growls with occasional Phil Anselmo-style posturing and loads of Layne Staley-esque harmonies. Of course, eighties heavy metal is also an integral part of the sound, which gives the music further predictability. A good listen, though. Tracks: Lying Awake, Buy a Gun, Meaning, Side by Side Contact: CHAOTIC ORDER, 460 East Washington #18, Escondido, CA, 92025, USA Voice: 619-743-7166 http://www.atmnet.net/~riddler/alchemy/chaotic_order/ mailto:tpmdrs@aol.com Inner Misery - _Sea_ (3-track demo) by: Alain M. Gaudrault (****-) While their previous demo, _Perpetual Sadness_, (reviewed in CoC #8) left me flat, I found myself enjoying the rough mix copy of _Sea_ given to me by Don Clark, the band's guitarist/vocalist. While they're still playing speed-influenced death metal, the songs on this tape seemed to lodge themselves easily into my head, the chugging riffs and sludge-laden melodies blasting away in lashing waves. Far more creativity and originality went into these three no-frills-all-meat songs. Time changes abound, and different textures of sound are used to create a simple, yet powerful assault, neatly wrapped in tight delivery. Vocals are blunt death grunts, and the sound as a whole is minimal, which works effectively for Inner Misery somehow. This minimal production is probably what permits each instrument to come through so well in the mix, which is a blessing given the interplay between them, particularly in "Dreaming of the Dead". Death metal purists who like raw, lean songs with heavy speed influences would do worse than to check out Inner Misery. Tracks: Sea, Sucking Chest Wound, Dreaming of the Dead Contact: INNER MISERY, 381 1/2 George Street Sarnia, Ontario, N7T 4P6, Canada Voice: 519-336-8466 mailto:clunetb@ebtech.net Odes Of Ecstasy - _Atheistic Emotions_ (5-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (**---) Let me just get this off my chest right off the bat okay? Black Sabbath's classic song "Paranoid" should not be sung as a duet, with two singers taking turns with one providing death metal growls while the other singer (whom happens to be female) providing soft and eloquent gospel-like vocals. It just doesn't work - sorry. Anyway, the rest of Greece's Odes Of Ecstasy does not bother me as much, but still there are a few problems with this demo. One up front is the fact that the music and vocals don't seem to pair off too well. I don't like the switch from death growls to soft vocals too much as both vocals seem to be recorded and added to distant from each other within the mix. Nothing exciting happening there. It may work for bands like In Flames and Amorphis but here we are lost within the transition. Too bad too as the female vocals (done by Christina Maniati) work fine on several numbers (minus the cover song) and the strength and power of the growls work fine at times too. Personally I like what OoE are doing musically with the use of keyboards and dramatic ideas helping shape the band's symphonic and atmospheric death metal, but it is just a shame that this record, their first demo is a hit and miss. Contact: ODES OF ECSTASY, c/o D. Bikos Patriarhou Fotieu B'19, Ano Nea Smirni 171 24 Athens, Greece mailto:shrider@compulink.gr =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ____ __ __ /\ _`\ /\ \ /\ \__ __ \ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___ \ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\ \ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/ \ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/ ____ __ /\ _`\ /\ \__ \ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____ \ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\ \ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\ \ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/ \/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/ Here is where Chronicles of Chaos gives you the lowdown on the latest shows coming your way. Check out Chaotic Concerts every month for the scoop on the bands brutalizing the masses with their own form of terror. C A N N A B I S C O R P S E A N D F R I E N D S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cannibal Corpse/Brutal Truth/Immolation/Oppresor At the Showplace Theatre in Buffalo, New York by: Adrian Bromley I was actually quite excited to see this show, having seen most of the bands (minus Oppressor) back in NYC at Deathstock 3 in November with Adam Wasylyk (CoC writer). This show it was time for both founding members of CoC (Gino and myself) to cross the US/Canadian border (a 2-hr trek) to the get a heavy dose of metal imbedded into our heads. Mission accomplished. Show openers Oppressor (from Chicago) started off with quite a lackluster set, playing some older material from their _As Blood Flows_ (1991) days, but managed to liven things up when the more more solidified newer material (off their latest Lp _Agony_) was mixed into the set. A lot heavier and more brutal than their older material, the newer stuff seemed to add the "kick" that was needed to keep the band's momentum going. Songs like "Passage" and "I Am Darkness" went over well with the hundreds of fans who arrived early. Second up was New York faves Immolation. The band's sound was muffled from the beginning and that didn't change much throughout the bands 45-minutes set. This was a problem. While the band has a definite ability to mix both raw and emotionally charged grinds of death metal into their sound, it is the craftsmanship of the band's playing that helps keep the band afloat on record and something the band is capable of doing live and that helped somewhat to preserve the set and keep it from going to some awful level of sound and deliverance. Let's just say they were much better in New York City. Next came Brutal Truth's 50-minute set, definitely the highlight of the night. Charged and eager to rip hard and fast at the fans in Buffalo, the New York grindcore/death four-piece lashed out furiously playing material from their classic Lp's _Need To Control_ or _Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses_ and a good assortment of selections off their latest Ep _Kill Trend Suicide_. The band is just soooo awesome live: whether it be Rich Hoak's thunderous wallops on the drums, Dan Lilker's massive bass grooves or singer Kevin Sharp intense live performance. This band rules live. The thing that makes BT such a great live act is that no matter how intense or spastic the material seems to gear towards there always seems to be a hidden groove in their somewhere. Closing this rather impressive collection of metal bands was the infamous (and quite popular) Cannibal Corpse. Led by new singer "Corpsegrinder" (ex-Monstrosity) the band stormed with ease through material off of their latest Metal Blade release _Vile_. While I am not a big fan of CC, the band did play well. It sounded heavy, it sounded raw and most importantly it sounded real smooth - no real problems transfering the material off LP to a live situation. The band also pleased fans with a few choice selections from the _Tomb Of The Mutilated_ and _Butchered At Birth_ days. For a little more than an hour the band led fans through savage assaults of some vicious, ear-bleeding numbers. My only problem with Cannibal Corpse - no real stage presence. Besides focusing primarily on their 'Hair-twirling 101' classes, the band has a rather dull live performance, other than "Corpsegrinder" posing like a WWF wrestler every once in a while. Nothing big but something the band may want to work on. Was it worth the trip to Buffalo from Toronto, Canada? Sure was due to the fact that both Gino and I got to see a good metal show - something very rare in Toronto - we also finally got to see Brutal Truth live (I saw bit of them at Deathstock 3; Gino has never seen them before) and we got to meet up and chat for a while with longtime CoC reader and e-mail pen pal Rich Hoak, Brutal Truth's drummer. That ruled. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E F A C T O R Y N E V E R Q U I T S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fear Factory Live In Australia at the Big Day Out Festival by: Ian "Raz" Moyle Melbourne, Australia... The Big Day Out music festival. I don't know how many people have heard of this festival outside Oz so I will explain. The Big Day Out is a 12-hour festival of live bands, consisting of both international and local acts. It's tour travels around Australia over a month going to all the capital cities of each state except Tasmania (the little island down the bottom of Australia where I come from) - it does go to New Zealand for one concert as well. Well the bill in '97 included: Soundgarden, Prodigy, Spiderbait, Offspring, Superjesus, Beasts Of Bourdon, Insurge, Snout, Frenzal Rhomb, Powderfinger, and shit loads more. But I was there for Fear Factory! This was a massive show, with a crowd of 500,000 or more having fun in over 40 degree (Celsius) heat cooking us. I had the pleasure the day before to meet Fear Factory (FF) at a store signing. Burton C. Bell (singer) was glamorously showing of his new leg tattoo which matched his arm tattoo. I got into a hype 12 hours before the concert and so I had to do the alcohol thing to settle down. :) But enough of all that, what was the concert you say? Well bloody excellent. FF were scheduled to play at 3pm (Soundgarden were the only band to play at night) and the crowd knew it. There where two stages set up beside each other so one band could set up while the other was playing. Superjesus were playing on the other stage while FF set up. At the end of each song a resounding "FUCK OFF!" echoed from all the thousands of FF fans telling Superjesus where to go big time. When FF came out on stage it was one of the biggest crowds of the day cheering. They opened with "Demanufacture" and also played "Martyr," "Self Bias Resistor," "Scapegoat," "Zero Signal," "Scumgrief," "Dog Day Sunrise" and "Self Immolation." The band closed with "Replica." All in all a great concert. Pity, seeing that this is supposed to be the last Big Day Out festival, but, oh well, Cradle of Filth is coming soon I hear, and you just can't keep a metal head down. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gino's Top 5 1. KMFDM - _Xtort_ 2. Pitch Shifter - _Desensitized_ 3. Nine Inch Nails - _Pretty Hate Machine_ 4. Amorphis - _Tales From The Thousand Lakes_ 5. Fear Factory - _Fear Is The Mindkiller_ Adrian's Top 5 1. Trial of the Bow - _Rite of Passage_ 2. AC - _I Like It When You Die_ 3. Xysma - _Lotto_ 4. Handsome - _Handsome_ 5. Strapping Young Lad - _City_ Brian's Top 5 1. Arcturus - _Aspera Hiems Symfonia_ 2. Novembre - _Wish I Could Dream It Again_ 3. Unleashed Power - _Quintet of Spheres_ 4. Manitou - _Entrance_ 5. Gehenna - _First Spell_ Alain's Top 5 1. Korpse - _Revirgin_ 2. Inner Misery - _Sea_ 3. Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_ 4. Dio - _Strange Highways_ 5. At the Gates - _Slaughter of the Soul_ Steve's Top 5 1. Absu - _The Third Storm of Cythraul_ 2. Limbonic Art - _Moon in the Scorpio_ 3. Sumoning - _Dol Guldur_ 4. Helheim - _Jormundgand_ 5. Autechre - _tri repetae ++_ Adam's Top 5 1. Pain - _Pain_ 2. Sinister - _Bastard Saints_ EP 3. Arcturus - _Aspera Hiems Symfonia_ 4. Angel Corpse - _Hammer of Gods_ 5. AC - _I Like It When You Die_ Drew's Top 5 1. Hammerfall - _Glory to the Brave_ 2. Megadeth - _Rust In Peace_ 3. Limbonic Art - _Moon In the Scorpio_ 4. Edge of Sanity - _Purgatory Afterglow_ 5. In Flames - _The Jester Race_ Andrew's Top 5 1. Regard Extreme - _Resurgence_ 2. Voivod - _Killing Technology_ 3. Scorn - _Vae Solis_ 4. Brutal Truth - _Need to Control_ 5. Brighter Death Now - _Innerwar_ Pedro's Top 5 1. My Dying Bride - _Turn Loose the Swans_ 2. Anathema - _Serenades_ 3. Katatonia - _Dance of December Souls_ 4. The Blood Divine - _Awaken_ 5. Lux Occulta - _Forever Alone. Immortal._ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E F I N A L W O R D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another issue has come and gone, thanks go to you, loyal readers, for making it this far once again. All I can say is: "YOU RULE!" Take care all, ciao. -- Gino Filicetti =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #18 All contents copyright 1997 by individual creators of included work. All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.