_________ .__ .__ .__ \_ ___ \| |_________ ____ ____ |__| ____ | | ____ ______ / \ \/| | \_ __ \/ _ \ / \| |/ ___\| | _/ __ \ / ___/ \ \___| Y \ | \( <_> ) | \ \ \___| |_\ ___/ \___ \ \______ /___| /__| \____/|___| /__|\___ >____/\___ >____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ _____ _________ .__ _____/ ____\ \_ ___ \| |__ _____ ____ ______ / _ \ __\ / \ \/| | \\__ \ / _ \/ ___/ ( <_> ) | \ \___| Y \/ __ \( <_> )___ \ \____/|__| \______ /___| (____ /\____/____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ The New Year's Evil Edition CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, January 10, 2001, Issue #51 http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti Coordinator: Adrian Bromley Copy Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo Assistant Copy Editor / Contributor: Paul Schwarz Contributor: Brian Meloon Contributor: Adam Wasylyk Contributor: Aaron McKay Contributor: David Rocher Contributor: Alex Cantwell Contributor: Matthias Noll Contributor: Alvin Wee Contributor: Gabriel Sanchez Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault The individual writers can be reached by e-mail at firstname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com ("firstname" must be replaced by the respective writer's first name, e.g. Gino@ChroniclesOfChaos.com). NOTE: You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a blank e-mail to . For more Chronicles of Chaos information, check out the Details section at the end of this issue. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Issue #51 Contents, 1/10/01 --------------------------- * Editorial * Loud Letters * Deadly Dialogues -- Napalm Death: Killing Is the Business of Their Enemy -- Cryptopsy: The Shifting Scales of Brutality -- Thomas Gabriel Fischer: Remembering the Past -- HammerFall: Renegades Reliving the Glory Days -- Extol: Death From the North -- Tristania: Unveiling New Realms of Music -- Seth: God: Tied in Steel Handcuffs? -- The Black League: Suomi Finland Perkele! -- Association Area: Panko's Pancreatic Pandemonium * Album Asylum -- Abscess - _Tormented_ -- Acid Death - _Random's Manifest_ -- Arch Enemy - _Burning Japan Live_ -- At Vance - _Heart of Steel_ -- Behemoth - _Thelema.6_ -- Black Abyss - _Land of Darkness_ -- Blood Axe - _In Battle_ -- Blood Duster - _Cunt_ -- Boiler Room - _Can't Breathe_ -- Breakdown - _Battle Hymns for an Angry Planet_ -- Burn It Down - _Let the Dead Bury the Dead_ -- Cage - _Astrology_ -- Cast in Stone - _Life on Trial_ -- Cephalectomy - _Sign of Chaos_ -- Cryptopsy - _And Then You'll Beg_ -- Darkthrone - _Prepare for War_ -- Deadfood - _Weird Feelings_ -- Dipknoi - _fkddd_ -- Disrespect - _Hit the Ceiling_ -- Dominion Caligula - _A New Era Rises_ -- Dominus - _Godfallos_ -- Dreams of Damnation - _Let the Violence Begin_ -- Embraced - _Within Me_ -- Epoch of Unlight - -- Fetus Eaters - _Vomitcore_ -- Fleurety - _Department of Apocalyptic Affairs_ -- Ginger Leigh - _Broken by the World_ -- High on Fire - _The Art of Defense_ -- Hybrid Children - _Stardom Is Here_ -- Hypnos - _In Blood We Trust_ -- i - _One Word_ -- Icon of Coil - _Serenity Is the Devil_ -- Juno Reactor - _Pistolero_ -- Immolation - _Close to a World Below_ -- Impaler - _One Nation Under Ground_ -- Kalmah - _Swamplord_ -- Lethargy - _Discography '93-'99_ -- Love History - _Anasazi_ -- Monster Magnet - _God Says No_ -- My Dying Bride - _Meisterwerk I_ -- Narcissus - _Newwave Techno Homicide_ -- Neglected Fields - _Mephisto Lettonica_ -- Nightwish - _Wishmaster_ -- Novembers Doom - _The Knowing_ -- Odor of Pears - _Crown of Thorns_ -- Primal Fear - _Nuclear Fire_ -- Psychopunch - _Bursting Out of Chucky's Town_ -- Various - _Scream Forth Blasphemy: A Tribute to Morbid Angel_ -- Seth - _The Excellence_ -- Six Feet Under - _Graveyard Classics_ -- Slaughter - _Surrender or Die_ -- Slaves on Dope - _Inches From the Mainline_ -- Suffocate - _Exit 64_ -- Tantrum of the Muse - _Modernmu$ick (2000!)_ -- Tchort - _Love Metal / Government Issue Rock 'n' Roll_ -- Thanatos - _Angelic Encounters_ -- Theatre of the Macabre - _A Paradise in Flesh & Blood_ -- Underoath - _Cries of the Past_ -- Usurper - _Necronemesis_ -- Velvet Acid Christ - _Twisted Thought Generator_ -- Vessel - _Vessel_ -- Vomitory - _Revelation Nausea_ -- WarHorse - _...As Heaven Turns to Ash_ -- Witch-Hunt - _Souls Enshrouded Fire_ -- Wynjara - _Wynjara_ * New Noise -- All Is Suffering - _All Is Suffering '00_ -- Aphotic - _Aphotic_ -- Bride Adorned - _The Grey Eminence_ -- Forlorn Legacy - _Omega_ -- Habeas Corpus - _Crucified_ -- Scorched-Earth Policy - _Boot-Camp Demo 2000_ -- Tomorrow - _Illusions We Live By_ -- Unevil Hopes - _Pretranscendental_ * Chaotic Concerts -- Belated Tales of the Unexpected: Morbid Angel, Enslaved, The Crown -- Canadian Carnage! Cryptopsy and Solus in Toronto -- Satanic Swedes and Chugging Canadians: Dark Funeral in Canada * Writer's Wrath -- The Four MusCoCteers -- Speak English or Die Because Even Satan Wears Leather * What We Have Cranked * Details =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____) / /) , , /) )__ _(/ _/_ _____ _ // / (_(__(_(__(_)/ (__(_(_(_(/_ (_____) by: Gino Filicetti I'm not going to start this editorial off with some cheesy line like "Welcome to the 21st century!!" or any other contrived cliche. However, since it is a new year, I am proud to announce our 6th New Year's Evil Edition of CoC. This issue is jam packed with two months worth of material from our writers. I'm sure you all noticed the absence of a December issue of CoC. Well, it wasn't due to lack of material; on the contrary, we had plenty of material. However, I decided that we should maintain our traditional of putting together an absolutely massive New Year's Evil Edition, so here it is. Needless to say, we lapsed in our promise of an unwavering monthly release schedule. However, from this point forward, you can rest assured that you'll be receiving a new issue of CoC every month. As you read this issue, you'll notice a few extra goodies thrown in from two of our European crew; Matthias Noll brings you a hilarious look at German metal lyrics through the ages and Paul Schwarz reports on the European crew's first ever convergence. Also this issue we have the debut of new writer Kirsty Buchanan, a friend and school-mate of Paul Schwarz's. Kirsty's presence brings back the female element to CoC, an element that has been noticably lacking this past year. Please join me in welcoming her to our fold. Well, that's about it, people. I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to and read our magazine in 2000 for a great year, and especially for what's to come in 2001, a year which I'm sure will stand out as one of our best. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 . All letters received will be featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos. Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 From: "Pierre Gingras" Subject: Blinded by Faith review Hey Adrian, Good to see that you had reviewed our stuff, i've just dicovered her and don't thinking there was another review of "Veiled Hideousness" somewhere. Just to inform you that "Veiled" is the first demo of Blinded by Faith and it's not a children game to have a personal and unified musical style on the first hit and the experience was at a low level during the record session. Like many people, you seems had taken our demo for a first and official album, but it's just an auto-production. The first album might be release in october 2001 onto Hypnotic Records (Quo Vadis, Obliveon) Anyway, your review is still straight, honest and open-minded. Thanks for the efforts you put every day in the underground metal scene! Take care, Daniel Gingras (Blinded by Faith, guitarist) Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 From: Jason Smith Subject: Burzum bootleg! This is what the reviewer, Alvin Wee wrote about the Burzum disc you reviewed in Issue #49... Contact: No Colours Records, Postfach 32, 04541, Borna, Germany (30DM + postage, $20 should cover it.) $20? Is that Canadian, American funds? Does this distributor have a web page where I can find out more accurate pricing, which also takes postage area into account...? I don't just wanna send $20 when it could cost more or less... Thanks in advance... j.schizoid www.schizoid.org [Sorry for the confusion there folks, I merely suggested sending US$20 as the label did not indicate the exact cost of this item. Feel free to e-mail the label directly at info@no-colours-records.de or e-mail me directly at my CoC address if it still doesn't work. There are also quality bootlegs of Strid stuff and a killer Grimm EP, so you might want to ask about those too. -- Alvin Wee] Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 From: "Stinson, Morgan" Subject: Lame Question Hey, I'm essentially an unblemished virgin when it comes to goth/metal/industrial music, but I am wondering if you can recommend any particular music that anyone could like. The darkest stuff I listen to is Theatre of Tragedy, NIN, Tool, Saturnus, etc. But I need it to be pretty mainstream. I'm a generalist, and I want to know about some really artistic and yet almost poppy goth bands. Y'know, really dumb it down for me. Thanks in advance. Morgan =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ \ | | | | _ \ _` | _` | | | | | | __/ ( | ( | | | | ____/ \___|\__,_|\__,_|_|\__, | ____/ __ \ _) | | | | _` | | _ \ _` | | | _ \ __| | | | ( | | ( | ( | | | __/\__ \ ____/ _|\__,_|_|\___/ \__, |\__,_|\___|____/ |___/ KILLING IS THE BUSINESS OF THEIR ENEMY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Shane Embury of Napalm Death by: Paul Schwarz A lot of people didn't like _Scum_ when it came out in 1986. I recall our our own CoC scribe Matthias Noll, when we were talking about the explosion of grindcore, making the comment that people in the metal world at the time felt that this new form of "music" was merely "noise". Attitudes have changed, and today Napalm Death are both respected and loved for those ripping first steps they made, and the various twists and turns their expansive career has taken since then. Though they never again quite matched the first-time unlistenability factors of _Scum_ and its successor _From Enslavement to Obliteration_, Napalm Death continued to assault our ears with records swaying in varying degrees towards death metal, hardcore and even melodicised punk, changing and developing with each successive release. Though stepping away from blunt extremity with _Diatribes_ (1996) and _Inside the Torn Apart_ (1997), Napalm Death nonetheless continued to grow, expanding their audience with extensive and increasingly prestigious live work. However, _Words From the Exit Wound_ -- which was ultimately to be the band's final album for Earache (the label with whom they had been since _Scum_) --, though a good album, was not inspiring or encouraging, and there were people who had begun to exclude the possibility that Napalm Death would again blast through all the cliches and make a record as truly great as they used to -- that's the way I was thinking, at least. A changeover of management personnel, a move to the UK's fledgling Dream Catcher label and a stomping covers EP later, and I was proved well and truly wrong by last September's release of the ninth(!) Napalm Death record, _Enemy of the Music Business_. I said as much as I needed to in my review [CoC #50], so I'll save you any more gushing here about the record and deliver you into the hands of bassist and longest-standing member Shane Embury, with whom I talked in the latter part of last year. CoC: First of all, good record. This is the first record of yours I've really gone for in the last three years. What do you think it represents? You've called it _Enemy of the Music Business_ and it comes after a period of you going in a direction which was a little less heavy and a little more song-written, possibly a little adventurous for the early Napalm. What would you say this new album represents, with you being on a smaller label, or a different label at least? Shane Embury: I think the thing is, with the label, it's a fairly new one, which is good for us and the guy behind it; he used to run Music for Nations, so he knows what he's doing. But, at the same time, I think it's like a fresh start for him and a fresh start for us. Obviously with the title and all that: that really just represents a lot of the crap we had to deal with. It was a bit of a weird title to pick in some ways. CoC: It is very proclamatory and, to be honest, when I first heard it I really kind of groaned inside 'cause it sounded like a record against something, and nothing else. It didn't sound like something that would be good. But it's actually quite appropriate somehow. SE: It is. I think on face value you can look at it and [think] we might be sparking off on some fuckin' righteous trip or whatever, but it's not so much that, really, as a case of documentation of all the shit that we went through. I mean, I like to think -- without trying to sound too cliched -- that in a way it's a lesson for other people, to be honest: not to be sort of trapped into thinking that 'cause you've signed this deal suddenly everything's a better road. It wasn't just the record label, it was the whole situation we were surrounded by, y'know. I can point to a lot of things wrong with Earache, but it's not completely their blame. I mean, we used a lot of people around us who nearly suffocated the band and didn't really push the band or like the band for the right reasons, I don't think. And I think towards the end of the last album we were basically thrown into the studio so many times that as much as we had the enthusiasm for writing songs it was just not enough time to breathe and fuckin' sort of work out where you wanted to go. And of course we had loads of personal problems between us as well, which we managed to get through, but I think this record, for us, as a band, we're all pretty much on the same level with each other now -- for the first time in a long time, probably. And it was a conscious decision for us to just go, "well fuck it, y'know, we just want this one to be a kick in the face", really. Obviously there's bits and pieces there that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for us experimenting, so to speak, but we went back to what we felt comfortable with. I mean, I myself, I've come full circle, in a way, after doing the Lock Up album with Nick from Dimmu and stuff like that. It just, it just... I don't know! I mean, I'm just sitting here now with my four track just churning out riffs and all of a sudden they're just coming to me, y'know. Which is good because that's kind of how I was around the '92, '93, '94 period. CoC: _Utopia Banished_ through to _Fear, Emptiness, Despair_. SE: And as a reaction to that we made a conscious decision to try do something different, which is a learning process at the same time and of course it comes out on record as a documentation. But I think that's all mingling well with what we've done. There's elements of difference there, but I think it's more sort of pasted into all of the typical sort of extremes that we're known for. CoC: Absolutely. I think the last three records -- _Diatribes_ onwards -- a lot of people did start to flag off, and I was one of these people. I bought _Diatribes_ and then heard bits of the next one. It didn't just hit quite the right spot. Getting the new one, it reminds me most of _Fear, Emptiness, Despair_ in the way it's put together. I don't know why, but that's just the impression that I've got. For me, it's my favourite Napalm record and I think it'll stay that way; I don't think it's just 'cause it's the new one. You really have kind of mixed in the old and the new. You seem to have grown -through- the whole songwriting thing, but also sort of gone back to the earlier material. SE: I think it's a learning process, yet again. From _Diatribes_ onwards it was almost a reaction to the blasting in a weird way, I guess. I always get this picture in my mind of like half of the Napalm fans running off 'cause of the black metal scene or something: 'cause it was the fastest thing around at the time. Why I think that I don't know, but it was just that at that particular time we were getting into... well, we were always into our different stuff, but I think it was just our reaction to it and of course obviously as a band it was always mixed feelings, but I think it's a learning process. I think because we've managed to stay around for the duration, we've managed to mix it well. I'm just glad that we turned around and said "right, we're gonna do something that we're known for", but obviously with all the little bits and pieces that we learned from the other shit, really. And I think that's helped. I mean, when you first try different things, y'know, it's a whole learning thing of trying to make it all fit and fit in well, obviously. Your album's documented so people sort of, the ones who stuck with us, it's killer for that but obviously, I think with this one we've probably grabbed a few people who swayed a bit on the last couple, like yourself. CoC: You got a lot of good critical acclaim for _Diabtribes_ and _Inside the Torn Apart_. _Diabtribes_ was quite popular with Metal Hammer and a few other mags. That whole direction did you quite well, but the _Enemy of the Music Business_ title and all the problems you had with Earache and other things just seemed to sort of sway things the wrong way, in terms of how the band ended up actually being pushed out there. I think Napalm could have been a lot more popular based on the kind of sound that you were putting out with _Diatribes_ and stuff like that. SE: Well, I mean, y'know, it all depends how you look at it. I think a lot of people into the band liked the direction and obviously we pulled a few people that never liked us before. Obviously, there were also people who said "this is not my cup of tea", or whatever. I think if we were on a different label maybe [it would have been different], but I don't think it was so much that. We just kind of were a little disillusioned at some points with everything. As you progress and all that bollocks you just want to do different things, I suppose. I guess. But with the new one, I don't know, there's just more of a combined sort of affair between all of us, I think. Even like doing the last few albums, that became a bit stale because we wanted to sort of pick the pace up more, really. And it was just like a combined thing where we just said, "well, this one we really wanna pull all the stops out if we can". And I think we were fuelled a bit more by what had happened. I mean, in sort of the middle of '98 -- it's an old story, really, now -- things were looking very doomy for us, y'know. And we were just hangin' on by a thread, really, I think. CoC: This is around _Words From the Exit Wound_? SE: Well yeah, we had just recorded that, but there wasn't much enthusiasm from Earache. By their own admittance, they said that they were getting stale themselves, y'know, of having the band on the label, and I'm like going "thank you very much" . A great vote of confidence considering -- not to blow our own trumpet -- but if it wasn't for us you probably wouldn't have a fuckin' label! CoC: Absolutely. The synonymy of Napalm Death and Earache in some ways is quite scary. In the beginning and all that sort of thing. You were saying how the personal problems in the band had sort of died down. Do you think that's just the end of a long saga of all the stuff that came after _Utopia Banished_? 'Cause I recall the whole thing about doing _F,E,D_ was that Barney wanted to do faster things and that wasn't the band's opinion. Did things just sway one way or the other from that point on and have they come down now? SE: Well, I think around that point Barney was taking the lead in a lot of things -- around '92/'93 -- and some of it we agreed with and some of it we didn't. We felt that we wanted a whole band. Now, it's a situation where if you want to talk to Napalm you can talk to any member of the band; before I think it was mainly Barney. And that's fine, but we felt that it wasn't totally representative of the band and I guess for whatever reasons we all sort of went a little bit haywire and crazy having this democracy go out the window for a while, really. And I mean, of course Barn liked some of _Fear..._, but there was a problem when we were doing that. But I think at the same time he'd admit that he started to have a few personal problems himself, y'know. Just whatever. We're lucky enough through all of the years that we've pretty much stood by him and he's stood by us, y'know. And it's cool that we managed to get through all of it. I mean, looking back on it I don't fuckin' know how we did it, to be honest. You hear about these things with bands and stuff and on a big scale, and you think well OK, they're selling millions of albums, y'know, pressure this, pressure that. But there was pressure on us, I think: _Fear, Emptiness..._ was the Columbia release and that's when they started to poke their noses in and we were trying to ignore them as best we could. After that there were problems with Barney flying and things like that and all sorts of bits and pieces which you overcome. I think all that didn't help, y'know, and I think we were putting too much pressure on ourselves, mainly because I think people around us weren't doing their jobs. I think their managing, to be perfectly honest, was fucking useless. I think they were ridin' the crest of the wave, so to speak. Came in around _Harmony Corruption_ / _Utopia Banished_ where, to be honest, the band was doing well off its own name and nothing else, I think. And it's easy for some guy to come in and suddenly he looks cool because he's managing this band, but when things need to progress or move in different directions that's when he shows his worth, y'know, and that wasn't happening and the agencies really weren't working for us. And we just found out loads of things behind the scenes and that all fuelled the new one, I think. CoC: One of the lyrics I noticed from "Taste the Poison" on the new record that I thought was quite good was: "Raise a voice? The art of making noise. Attacking stance? Fist in the face for personal choice". Is that about trying to get your music past record labels? Also, what I liked about "Raise a voice? The art of making noise" was that it reminded me of the way that Napalm is quite political in some respects and quite intelligent lyrically, but it's always been very noisy, you have to sit down and read the lyrics book. Is it anything against the people who say "what's the point in being political, you can't understand the lyrics"? SE: I think it's several things. I mean, that to a point, and also it deals with certain factions of music where it's sort of trendy to play extreme as well. Whereas it's actually genuine in the first place, y'know, it's almost like a fashion in six months time. They could be a totally different band depending on what the label wants them to be, I guess. That's a little bit to it. But I mean, you always get the criticism of "you've got a lot of things to say, why can't I understand the lyrics", but we've always said that that's what the lyrics sheets are for, y'know, use the brain, -read-, you know what I mean. It's just like part and parcel, I think. "You've got to have some accessible voice to understand you"? I've never quite understood that, really. CoC: I've never got it either. I think it's one of the things that works better as a statement of energy, as a statement of what it is musically. I think that says a lot, if you see what I mean. SE: And I think people can just go "I can't understand what you're saying" and there you go, read! You just take it in, because you're going to take it in a lot better readin' it than you are just singin' along with the guy. Anyone can sing along and not realise what the person's singin', really. You look at the piece of paper and just take it in visually and go "well, I know where he's coming from" or "I don't". CoC: What led you to work with Simon Efemey and not Colin Richardson? You went back to the old logo and some of the old sounds, so it was interesting not to see Colin there. SE: Well I've told you the general vibe of the album, I think after I did the Lock Up album -- that was just an experience which I was really pleased about because it was just a three day, four day affair: we just blasted the shit out -- which sounded good and there was an energy captured and shortly after we'd just signed to Dream Catcher after we did the American tour and we thought, "right, we don't really wanna go in and do an album straight away, let's take some time out". Y'know, try and repair some of the damage that we felt had been done by our label and manager and stuff. We did the covers EP and Simon Efemey has been a good friend of mine for years, really. I mean the guy's a complete maniac, y'know. His sense of humour is like right on par with mine and the rest of the guys. It's just, Colin, I mean, he's a lovely guy, he's a great bloke, I've known him for years, but I think as he's got more popular, I think he almost -- without being disrespectful to the guy -- has to prove how much he's worth, y'know. And towards the last album, we were just sitting around twiddling our fingers going "fuck me, four days on the guitar sound!", y'know. We were going, "this is just bollocks!", y'know. And I was just going, "it never used to be like this" and I'm there moaning, running around, going "it never used to be like this years ago". We used to get in there, couple of fuckin' days at the most. And we just wanted a fresher approach, y'know, we were getting a bit tired. I think we/he just killed the vibe, by the time people started to record their songs, you're just fuckin' tired, I think. Simon's not like that. I mean, he works differently with each band, I think, but he likes to get things moving. CoC: Absolutely. I mean, you did this whole album in two weeks. SE: Pretty much. CoC: That's a pretty short time for a band on their -- god, what is it -- eighth or ninth record. SE: Yeah, I mean the other guy Russ Russell who produced it with Simon, he's our live sound engineer. Which is great, because I think he incorporated in his own way what he tries to get live. He tried to put that in the album and I think it's a very live sounding album as well. CoC: Absolutely, it is, it's got a lot of bite to it. SE: Which I think a lot of bands try to get. I've always wanted that. I think that's maybe been a missing ingredient for a few years: that you put it on and it feels exciting. And that's really the main reason, plus, with the guys down the studio, it was not just like recording an album: it was fun, y'know. And that had been missing for a couple of albums; let us get on with what we're doing and the other people can worry about what they've got to do. As opposed to us just trying to sit in the studio and stress about fuckin' everything else at the same time, y'know. CoC: Yeah, you can't be the band and the manager and everything. SE: Not really, no. So we have people with us now who are extremely enthusiastic and know what they need to do and it's great. It's a weird, bizarre thing, because we've all sort of come together as a team of people and they themselves, before they got involved with us -- y'know, Russ, Simon, Rudy Reid who's our manager and Jez who's our manager or whatever --, they were saying that years ago they really wanted to meet some fuckin' crazy people and all of a sudden after this shit hit the fan you just got the other. I'm not one for fate or anything like that, but it just seemed kind of well timed, y'know. So I think all that sort of throws into the bag and makes the record what it is. CoC: Touching on the idea of _EotMB_ as a protest record, I just wanted to quote something out of the review in Terrorizer of the album. "If _EotMB_, as the title suggests, is a protest record, it's one that manages to make its case by the force of its existence. Right now I couldn't give monkeys about the push and pull of trends, marketability, any kind of discourse you might drum up to put Napalm Death in their place. This record lives by its own rules and that feels to me like the whole of the law." Do you think that is where you've tried to put _EotMB_: outside of progression and trends and all this sort of thing? SE: There is an element of the record there, y'know, that we just fuckin' -- not for any particular other reason than what it is: we're just sick and tired of some of the music scene. Whether we're old bastards I don't know. I sit there and think: am I getting this? And some new bands come along and I do think they're fuckin' good. It is a whole different scene. I am not trying for fuckin' people to be like "they're the mods, they're the fuckin' rockers", that kind of thing, y'know. I am not crying for that again, I just think that music's so intertwined with each other that people don't know where they're going or whatever the fuck. And I just think people are just... people don't search for music anymore, they are told what to buy. And obviously with marketing this record in magazines people are going to see Napalm and they might check it out because they think that's what they've got to get, y'know, but at the same time we just wanted a record that says "fuck all that shit, we are what we are and we're outside all that". We make no bones about it. Some of it we don't know where it comes from. Some bands we think, "well yes, that's genuine, that's good and they've started something", but the copious thing just seems ridiculous to me to an extent. We just wanted to see something that people either like it or they won't, really. CoC: I mean the shirts you guys wear on the album are quite indicative of that: Possessed and Venom. But I noticed that in some of the interview shots your wearing Nasum shirts and stuff like that. Are there a couple of bands like that out of the music scene now who you think -are- doing something worthwhile and you might -- it sounds a bit cheesy -- ally yourselves with? SE: Yeah, I mean the Nasum thing is just... I think the first time I heard them was during the _Words From the Exit Wound_ and they just gave me a kick in the ass, to be honest. It was staying fresh, to me. I mean, it's nothing really original, but it's just staying fresh. I just think it sounded like they were doing it with conviction whereas some bands who do that, don't. I don't know, but I'm a great believer in the idea that you can -hear- fuckin' integrity on records. I'm sure you can. CoC: I think so. SE: And I think that's what I heard in them, and it definitely sparked the Lock Up thing with us. Fuckin' 'ell. I mean, we were talkin' about it anyway and it just mutated from there, really. And I think that's when we decided that the next Napalm album should be a right kick in the ass, y'know. There are a lot of good bands that are out there. Unfortunately my ear's not as to the ground as it was. I used to tape trade years ago. I've got an Internet now so it's a bit easier, but the fuckin' time to sit down and write letters has never been my greatest thing lately. But there are a lot of good bands out there, but they especially did sort of spark some of this, y'know. I don't think it's fuckin' a case of we're like 30+ or whatever. We just look back at our own scene that we come from and we just think, "but then, people, they craved, fuckin', the music and they went out, they went to find it." CoC: Yeah, I think definitely the late-eighties grindcore and the early nineties death metal scene had a lot more of that because it hadn't become an industry yet. I think that's the case now with some of the emerging musical styles. Like American noisecore isn't really trend-oriented yet. If you've heard Botch, and The Dillinger Escape Plan... SE: Hm . CoC: I think they're a little more out of that whole system, but yeah, death metal releases now are marketed to shit, marketed on poor ideas, but because they have a very solid fan base people keep, seemingly, buying the same records over and over again. Which is very strange, I find, because originally it was such an interesting musical style. When all that stuff came out it was new and fresh. SE: Well, I think it's like anything after a while. It just gets copious and then it explodes and then all of a sudden it's deemed the fuckin' wrong thing to be playing, y'know. We've always tried to mix a shitload of different ideas from different areas. I mean Napalm's not just a death metal band, it's a hardcore band, it's got fuckin' industrial influences, it's got all kinds of stuff. And I think maybe that's where some bands fall short. I mean, the black metal thing's getting -- well, has been -- swamped to fuck now. I don't know where that's gonna go next. CoC: I don't know. It seems that the main bands of it seem to have sort of almost killed it themselves intentionally, by making sort of odd, very right-angled records, which is a bit different. A lot of the death metal bands went a bit Roadrunnery about '94/'95, where the black metal scene -- Emperor, Ulver, Mayhem and others -- have just gone a bit weird. But still there's the melee of keyboards and Cradle of Filth guitars which is selling the same sort of way that the SOD reading faction of the death metal crowd does. I was wondering what you thought of the whole Napster revolution and the whole Emusic revolution which Earache is taking part in? SE: The whole Napster thing's a bit weird. Strangely enough I was just lookin' on that site today because some guy fuckin' wrote into the website we've just started (www.enemyofthemusicbusiness.com) just saying how he purchased the Lock Up album off Napster and I was like, fuckin' bastard! I've mixed feelings about it in some ways. The idea essentially is good, I think, but I know that for small bands it could be a pain in the fuckin' arse. CoC: You think for small bands? SE: Yeah, I think so in some respects. It depends on how you look at it. For very, very small bands it could be good, but I think when you've got fuckin' bands on a sort of ten, fifteen thousand selling basis or they've got some fuckin' record label who're stingin' 'em badly, it could really fuck them over. No-one intentionally does this for money, but for some bands -- going back to how we signed our record deal with Earache, I know that in the early days our royalty rate was not the greatest, y'know. You've got Napster putting the record out and in essence it's killer, but you've also got a fuckin' label puttin' the album out who're just fuckin' the band over twice as hard in a way. It's not particularly -their- fault. There's a million ways to look at it, I think. Essentially it's a good thing, I think. I don't know whether it affects bands' sales that much anyway, to be honest. CoC: To be honest, I think at the moment it has very little effect, because of the number of users who use it and how many of them are fans of small bands. I think a lot of them are older, better off people with computers. I think most of the worry about Napster is gonna be for the future: in ten years, where will people be buying CDs, and all that sort of thing. SE: I mean, that's the only thing that I would say, if a band was signed to so many albums for a label and they had a shit fuckin' deal, it would really affect them -- maybe not so much now but maybe in three or four years time, y'know what I mean, if a thousand kids download the album or whatever. CoC: For some bands that is a good proportion of their sales. On the other hand, it depends how much people keep their honesty. I use Napster and I use the local university network to get music and stuff, but I never keep anything on MP3 and don't buy it, that I would keep. In the end, if I want something I'll buy it, because I feel some sort of debt to the people who made it. Even if that money doesn't necessarily go to the band directly, every sale tends to make -some- sort of difference as to whether they get another deal or whatever. But for bands from where Napalm were coming from -- when Earache started and that sort of thing -- in theory Napster is a really good place to discover music. Like you were saying about people just buying what was out there and not going and looking for stuff, one of the things about Napster is you can just go and look and download one track of anything out there that someone's got on a computer somewhere. That's one of the serious advantages. What do you think of the actual sales on the Internet? Do you think that's in some way gonna dehumanise CDs and music because, for example, the bands you covered and bands like Possessed and Venom and that sort of thing came from the vinyl age when everything had a lot of character, it had two sides and it was big: there was a whole image to it. If it goes digital, do you think that will die and bands will sort of become just sounds? SE: There is a danger of that, I think. But I don't know, I think in some ways it's interesting to us because especially in years to come we're definitely thinking about where it's gonna be on the Internet in five or ten years time and where we as band could just like totally control our own output as well. I think there's a million ways. The whole vinyl thing's pretty much dead, unfortunately. Well, I suppose it's there to a point, but it was always great when you bought a record you could see that you got value for money, so to speak. But it's interesting that for some bands in the years to come you could have total control, which is good, y'know. I mean, I don't know how far it's gonna go because you are gonna need, probably, a really good distribution as well. We've been talking about this quite a while. In five years time, I think, probably. CoC: It depends, but with Internet use going up at the rate it is, there will be an obscene amount of people on the Internet. It's ironic that someone like Metallica have been so hounding of Napster's phenomenon considering that they come very much from the tape trading circuit. One of the things that could be good with Napster if it gets to a bigger audience is that it could become like tape trading. A buzz could go around about a band -- like it did with yourselves or Morbid Angel -- before their album came out. SE: With Metallica, I don't understand that, because they're so fuckin' huge anyway. What's the big deal, y'know? That was my only complaint -- what I said before -- with like certain bands on certain deals where it could potentially affect them. I mean I would see how that would piss -those- bands off: a) we have a shit deal; b) we're not recouped yet... and Napster's selling our album. That's the only way I would look at it at that point; as regards bands who press their own CD, it's a killer way of getting their name around. But on the spectrum of bands as big as Metallica I can't even see the point in getting worried about it, 'cause they sell so many bastard million albums anyway -- why get stressed? They're fuckin' beyond millionaires or whatever. And as you say, you know, the whole process of their first album came about through tape trading. CoC: Absolutely, through _No Life 'Til Leather_. SE: That's the one that's responsible. I mean in some ways the Internet reminds me of tape trading because since I've been on it I've talked to the guy from our website in Brazil and a few other people. Spoke to a guy today who wants to license our album in Russia. OK, it's not a great deal of money, but who gives a fuck: it gets out there and, y'know, the kids can get the record, which is the main thing. And you know, hopefully we can get some gigs out there. It just reminds me, all of a sudden I'm starting to keep in contact. It gives me something to fuckin' do again, y'know, it's great during the day. That's something that's been lacking a little bit, it just reminds me a lot of tape trading. I mean a band called Hirax who were one of our favourite bands years ago, all of a sudden they were reformed and I got an e-mail out of the blue like, "hey guys, blah, blah, blah", and it's killer. And in a way I think it is -good-. It definitely is a damn site easier than writing a fuckin' letter, y'know. CoC: Yeah, e-mail has become a really, really good thing. One of the things about the Internet -- it's very obvious from Napalm that you're not 100% there with Capitalism -- is that it's quite an egalitarian thing in principle. Though maybe it'll stop being so in practice. But in theory the idea of something like Napster is that anyone can get it, and just say, for example, that there's some way of paying the artist, or some way of keeping him in the business -- that's one of the things I do like about the Internet, that it doesn't sort of say that if you don't have any money then you can't listen to good music. One of the things about the underground music scene that's annoying and difficult is that the records are often difficult to get and expensive when you find them. If you wanted to get Dying Fetus albums you more or less had to import them from the States until recently. You have to have a very sort of close knit sale thing, and I don't know where Napalm are financially at the moment, but a lot of the bands I've talked to over the last couple of years -- Cryptopsy, Vader and others -- spend Monday till Friday practicing and working -- running their lives to run a band -- and that's quite a commitment. If the Internet could in any way alleviate that, it would be great. SE: I mean, the four of us, four of the band, we share a house together. We have our own little squat, so to speak. Barn, he writes for Kerrang! and reviews computer games for Kerrang! as well. We don't have to do the whole nine to five thing, but saying that, there are times when -- you know at moment -- it's all a bit scarce, really, to be honest. When it's good, it's good, and when it's bad, it can be bad. It's just one of those things. I think things are picking up a bit, obviously: we're gonna be on tour this Sunday for seven weeks, so that gets us out of the rut, so to speak, and playing the songs live, which'll be good. CoC: Which political system between the US and the UK do you feel is more detrimental to people, which one do you think is better one way or another? SE: I don't know... neither, probably. I am a bit of a doomist on that kind of thing. Barney's probably the person to answer a question on that, really. I am a bit more of an end of the world type fuckin' nutcase, y'know what I mean? CoC: But not quite an anarchist, then? SE: Not really. I'm more like, "they're all fucked basically and anyone who comes in doesn't change things anyway". Speaking for England, it just seems to get worse anyway. I don't pretend to understand the political designs or anything, really, I just look at it in a face value and try to use common sense and it just seems to me like things get worse anyway. CoC: Would you say that's not the case with music or would you say you're just trying to combat that? SE: What d'you mean? CoC: Well, in the sense that a lot of what you said, a lot of what seems to be part of Napalm Death, is that you're not obeying to musical conventions, but in the same way what's popular and what's getting the most money and the way that the music industry flows is quite difficult to affect, but on the other hand a band like Napalm Death, back in '86/'87, no one would have expected it to make as much impact as it did, but it -did- make that much impact. SE: That was quite a surprising thing, really, but I mean we never tried to play to people's whims, I suppose. I don't know. I mean, it's a surprise. I get surprised still, surprised that I'm still around after all this time, really. I never really thought I'd be here still doing music at this age. It's a bit of a surprise. We never tried to fit in, I don't think. We get a nice, weird kick out annoying people, I think. CoC: Is it or is it not ultimately your hope that people do get into Napalm and do get into better bands than they sometimes might do? SE: Yeah, I mean, you know, obviously if no-one liked as at all we'd probably cease to exist except for very infrequent gigs or whatever. I think obviously you want people to like you. But I don't know, I read a great Queens of the Stone Age thing in Kerrang! last week -- or some magazine -- and they said that if you want people to like you, pretend to have a secret that people wanna get into. So you cup your hands and when people come near you, you just tell them to fuck off and get away: it's not for you. I quite like that because in some ways it makes people think, "I'm intrigued, I've got some curiosity here", y'know. So in some weird way, I think maybe we do a similar sort of thing; it's just a case of can you really sort of handle what we're about, y'know. CoC: I guess that's kind of what _Scum_ did. It was right angled. It didn't say come and listen to me, it said don't ever listen to me. SE: We've got a little thing on our website -- Steven Welsh wrote it for us -- which just gets to the point where it just tells people to log off right now, remove yourselves. Which is a similar kind of thing in some respects. I mean with the new one, as I say, we're completely into it and we've just got to the point now where if people like it, great, and if they don't, we're just not really bothered anymore. This is what we want to do. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E S H I F T I N G S C A L E S O F B R U T A L I T Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Jon Levasseur from Cryptopsy by: Paul Schwarz Death metal's stalwarts, beware: you may not like the new Cryptopsy album. "Why?", I hear you ask. Well, because Cryptopsy can no longer be labelled a "death metal" band and even roughly summed up. Their fourth offering, _And Then You'll Beg_, is yet more bewilderingly technical than even _Whisper Supremacy_ [CoC #34] was, and though it is quite fully recognisable as Cryptopsy, the album also sheds nearly all the band's debts to the death metal scene that they were spawned from. Jon Levasseur prefers to use the term "extreme metal", and Cryptopsy's musical progression and expansion justifies such a wide classification. Listen to what he has to say, because whether it be about Cryptopsy or the extreme music scene in general, I think Jon has a lot of interesting perspectives and insights to offer. CoC: How are things in the Cryptopsy camp? Jon Levasseur: Pretty cool, we're pretty relaxed, pretty happy with everything that happened. The studio time was very cool, we had the time to do everything that we wanted. It was more relaxed this time, no pressure, we had the time that we -wanted-: _Whisper Supremacy_ we jammed everything in like three weeks and this time we had -a month- and three weeks, and that makes a big difference! We're kinda happy 'cause we've already done a couple of the shows, so we're getting used to being on the road again, driving and connecting with the crowds and everything. We did three shows, we played in Wooster, MA, Meriden, Connecticut and New York city in Manhattan, and it was an awesome show, and we played in a place here in Quebec. Our album launch is coming up and it's our next show in Montreal. I wish you could see it, 'cause we're putting everything we've got into it. I can't say what we're putting into it, but it's gonna be the biggest Cryptopsy show ever at The Medley and we're putting everything we've got into it. But we're putting it on film though, so it should be a live video. CoC: Wicked, that would be cool. JL: That's why we're doing it with like four cameras and we're gonna edit the whole thing and it should be... I can't say too much here. CoC: Bug Century Media and put it on DVD! JL: CoC: That way we can switch the camera angles. JL: That would be something else, wouldn't it. CoC: You were saying that it was really relaxed in the studio. You found there wasn't any pressure going into doing the fourth album -- second one for Century Media -- and I assume from what you say there was no pressure from the label to do one thing or another? JL: Not at all, not at all. 'Cause obviously Century Media signed us for who we are and they knew what we were about. With _Whisper..._ we didn't have any pressure from Century Media but we put ourselves under a lot of pressure, because we had a hard level to overcome after coming out with _None So Vile_ and it getting such great reviews. People were questioning whether we would be able to top _None So Vile_. But what we did was we went into real extremity, a few grooves, really intense, really technical, and it was our first album on Century Media, so those two reasons were really putting us under some pressure. Since we did the album in a short period of time it was pretty rushed, actually. But this time -- Century Media know that we put out an album every two years and a couple of months, so they respect that, and especially since we toured for like a whole year, though not continually. We played Japan. We played twice in the States to start off and then right after that our first show in Europe was Dynamo [CoC #40]. That was awesome. We were playing and weren't even realising we were there because us here in North America, we hear talk about Dynamo and it's the biggest metal festival in the world and just the idea of making it there is... impossible! But obviously, coming back to Century Media, Century Media Germany had a lot to do with it. Coming back to the album, they helped out a lot with the time: they gave us a greater budget so we had the time to do what we wanted to do. And we worked with Pierre Remillard again and they had no problem with that. Things have been just booming and the studio was relaxed 'cause we had the time to do anything that we wanted. Century Media have been just great about it, waiting for it. Now they've heard it and their feedback to us is very, very positive considering the album. I told them: it's gonna take time, but once it's done it's gonna be something else. CoC: And it really is something else. It's the second album you guys have done with Mike and it sounds like you've become more comfortable just doing whatever you want. It seems like a very free album. JL: Yes. CoC: _NSV_ and _WS_ were both creatively interesting and different but this one you just seem to have written -an album-. There doesn't seem to have been any need for it to be a death metal album or any particular kind of album, it's just a Cryptopsy album. JL: Exactly. I can't say it better than what you just said. That's exactly it, you're right. _Whisper..._ was the beginning of our "extreme metal" side. _None So Vile_ is like the beginning. _None So Vile_ is still a -death metal- album, but the beginning of technicality started there. And then for _Whisper..._ -- because of all the pressure that I mentioned earlier -- we wanted to give something even more. But by being extremely intense. But this album, like you said, it's a free album, and what contributed a lot to it is that there was a lot of help from everyone. Before, me and Flo [Mounier, drums] used to be the main writers -- for _None So Vile_ and even a lot of _Whisper..._. But on _Whisper..._ Eric had adapted to the band -- he's been in the band a long time now -- so he started writing a lot, and on this album he wrote an entire song. "...And Then It Passes" is his song. He showed me the riff, we worked it out with Flo and that's what came out. Other songs like "We Bleed" and "Voice of Unreason" me and Flo wrote, but all the other five new songs on the album -- I couldn't even say that it's more me than anybody else: it's a group effort. Even Alex, our new guitar player, had a couple of ideas. Obviously he had just entered the band and it wasn't an easy task for him to adapt so fast to a band that was extreme when he was coming from a more power metal type of band, but he did! Because he practiced. But obviously his ideas, some of them were not exactly in the Cryptopsy vein, but some of them that we found interesting we, like, worked on with him, so at least the basic ideas came from him, y'know. So it was very much a group effort and it's a free album, like you say. It bounces from Morbid Angel to Primus. CoC: It definitely flips from one place to another. Recently I've found that a lot of the death metal scene's lacking creativity. JL: Yeah, in death metal, yes. CoC: One of the things that really got me going recently has been some of the American noisecore stuff like Botch and The Dillinger Escape Plan. I was curious whether you'd picked up any of that, whether that had sort of influenced -- maybe not the album, but you musically? JL: Well, I know Dillinger and they are indeed very fucked up and I respect them at a high level for what they do because they're crazy. It's something else: the musicianship and the way that they change things around is on the money all the time. It demands a lot of work. I can't really say that we're directly influenced. I think that maybe what happens is that we are a bit influenced by what they're a bit influenced by also. 'Cause for example, Mike's influenced by like death metal, but with a hardcore feel -- which is still really aggressive 'cause there are some hardcore singers that I've seen live that are just ten times more brutal than some basic death metal singer. So that's it, you know. CoC: These days I think those noisecore bands are closer to Cryptopsy in both talent and extremity -- the way they do things -- than a lot of the death metal bands out there. There are still plenty of good death metal bands around, but I think what you do technically is closer to what those bands do: using odd timings, syncopating things and weaving stranger stuff into whatever you're doing. JL: Yeah, if we influence it or not it's kind of hard to say, 'cause we're still a growing band. When people tell me they're influenced by Cryptopsy I find it awkward, because I'm supposed to be influenced, because on a musician point of view it's very different from an outside point of view. What I find cool is that at least recently there's been bands coming out that have been doing extreme music, but that is totally different from one another. There are so many bands now that are so brutal, but they all have something that's them, and it's their musical composure that makes them that band. And it's good musicians too. To be able to go through so many things and so fast -- as bands are doing now --, you have to be on your game. Like you have to be there mentally and you have to be knowing what the hell you're doing. CoC: I think that's completely true. As far as touring partners for this album go, who are you thinking of going out with? JL: Well, often agencies book those tours; we don't really have a big choice. But, if we were to go out on tour, the ideal tour for now in my mind in -extreme- metal -- because I think that now the death metal we've become with other bands is more as extreme metal than death metal. Obviously death metal is our roots -- there's no hiding that. Like before death metal was big it was thrash metal, then ten years later it was death metal. And now we are ten years later than death metal, so I tend to think of it more as extreme metal. I would see on tour three bands; the ideal tour for now I think would be Nile, Cryptopsy and Cephalic Carnage. CoC: Cephalic Carnage is a very cool band. JL: We've toured twice with Nile already and we get along just great with those guys, they've actually become like tour brothers. And we've met Cephalic Carnage many times and those guys are very fucked up too. And even their music is like: oh my god! But it's cool, 'cause you have to listen to it to appreciate it. It's like, you listen to it once, for sure, the first listen is very awkward 'cause you don't know really what to expect, but after listening to it you realise the detail coming out of it and it's there that you realise that the extreme bands are giving a lot of thought to what they do: they take time and they let inspiration come naturally. That in all would be cool if from now on the bands would always continue to have a new side. 'Cause let's face it, these bands are not only influenced -- as with us -- from typical death metal bands, because we couldn't influence ourselves on typical death metal to start getting ideas that are weirder. When death metal was at a low five years ago there was nothing we could influence ourselves upon, and we wanted to create music that was continually evolving, so that's why we changed, and a lot of people did that too. CoC: I think Cryptopsy and Cephalic Carnage and a lot of bands now have really gone beyond scene music. Death metal really used to be divided into scenes: what scene you came from determined where your music came from. JL: Yes. CoC: I think that's really starting to dissipate. JL: Oh yes. CoC: Scene death metal is all old. There is nothing more you can really do with the Florida death metal sound, y'know. JL: And it's okay, 'cause that's the evolution of music. If we just take metal it always has: Black Sabbath came out with it and then Metallica was huge and then thrash metal was huge and then speed metal and Slayer came about and when Slayer came that was a -big- turning. I think that Slayer were the beginning of the even more violent music. And what's great about Slayer is that they've stayed the same throughout all the years and that's why I think as a metal band Slayer would have to be the most unanimous, respected band in the world. CoC: I think they should be, if they aren't. JL: These guys have been going at it -- and we've seen metal bands go commercial, we all know that --, but they've stayed true and accepted their popularity and didn't care and always did it for metal. CoC: And I think nowadays there are a lot of places you can go. Going back to the album, what made you decide to use the digereedoo at the beginning of "Screams Go Unheard"? JL: That is part of the free flowing of the album, it's just that at a certain time while we were writing new material our manager -- the ex-manager from Voivod, Morris Richard, who also manages Obliveon. Well, he manages other Quebec artists -- francophone artists -- and Morris invited, one night, Flo and Alex to go see the show. It's commercial, but the guy's a good singer, his name is Burno Pensi, very good singer. That digereedoo guy did a piece at this show and he played the digereedoo not as commonly as what you would hear like in Austalia or something. CoC: Not the traditional way, right? JL: Exactly. He uses it in a really -weird- way and then we said: well, we gotta have that on the album 'cause it's an instrument where, in the studio, when he was taping it and we were listening to playback, we were cranking it out loud and it's as if you... You know that disease you have when you look at a painting, when there's a bit of hypnotism there? CoC: Magic eye, when it all goes strange, right? JL: Exactly, you can spend like an hour and a half looking at it and have the impression that it's fifteen minutes. The same effect happens, you're there and time just stands still. You lose the notion of time -- and then we realised: this lasted two minutes! I didn't feel it was two minutes 'cause I was so stunned by it. It's great. Crank it loud on a good sound system, 'cause it fuckin' blows you away, man. CoC: I'll give it a shot! JL: And the guy came in, did three tracks with three different digereedoos, one from Australia, from the tribal regions -- the higher pitch one, that is very much more like the Australian one. But the two others, he has one intonated in D and I think the other one was an E or something like that. We thought of putting it right near the end because we put "Back to the Worms" right before that. But on the album there's a tendency: it starts off with like new stuff and then towards the end of the album, when you're at the "Equivalent Equilibrium", it's more a song that's going back to the old days of Cryptopsy. It's two songs. It's like a _None So Vile_-ish, _Blasphemy Made Flesh_-ish type of song, and that's how we wanted to write it, too. So that's why, by having that song there, we said: well, then we're gonna use "Back to the Worms" to put right afterwards 'cause since we're bringing people back to what Cryptopsy used to be on the first two albums we still put some new stuff in there. In "Equivalent..." there's that funky bass thing. Then we're gonna finish the album with "Screams Go Unheard", with the digereedoo, and the song itself, with the ending, we always thought -- when we finished that song, we said: this is a cool song for just ending an album. And we said: we'll have to end it with power this time. It was actually pretty funny 'cause we did a listening party in Montreal at one of the biggest metal clubs there. We put the CD on and it was free, so fans could just walk in and hear the album. They heard the album before anyone else. It was pretty funny because when the didge started, people thought it was the end of the album -- as if it was the end of the song --, so people started walking out, because it lasts long, and then the song starts and everyone comes running back in. CoC: And after "Screams Go Unheard" it kinda fades back into something similar to the intro. What's the deal with the intro, 'cause I was told that there was supposed to be a sample from "Matrix" that you couldn't get licensing for or something? JL: Well, obviously the main idea came from that, but the way that the guy says it in the movie is cool, but if you listen to it loud enough there's a lot of ambient noises. It would be too ambient when you blow it up loud and what the guy says would not be as in your face. Also, we talked with Century Media about it and obviously for the rights maybe it could have been done, but since there was the ambient noise factor we thought: we're just gonna do something that is quite similar. And with the intro to the album, I'm glad that you saw that at the end of the album we come back to what we've done in the beginning. It's cool that you noticed that pattern going towards the old and didge and then the new stuff like the beginning of the album. But the intro itself, at the beginning, we tried to just not have an intro that would start typically. Some albums you hear the intro and then it starts and then it just continues. So we thought: we're gonna put the intro, put a little bit of music, and then continue the intro to confuse people. Then start off with the initial beat of the album. CoC: It's a cool intro, and I think it's better if you don't take it from the film, it gives the album more of an individual character. JL: And it was a lot more imposing in the studio 'cause we didn't have to deal with that ambient noise. It's more in your face: vocals and train. As far as sampling goes, we had more time to work on samplings, because _Whisper..._ was so one shot we didn't have time to do any real intro. This time we had time and ideas prior to going into the studio. The scream of the girl, the beginning of "Screams Go Unheard", the digereedoo plays a while with us. It's panned from side to side. CoC: Is the cover the specific to anything or is it just a great image to have with the whole train sound and everything? JL: Well, it's just that the whole image was an idea that we had but it didn't only come from us. By touring and by talking to people playing North America, Europe and Japan -- it's fucked up 'cause there's always been something that people would come up to us and say and some people would come up and say: "when I listen to a Cryptopsy CD I feel like I am getting run over by a train". And we said: OK. We take it as a compliment, it's cool. Then we just said: it's a cool image, it's now a question of just getting a perfect image. And then we gave the idea to our graphic designer -- not too sure, but our graphic designer once again did a great job on the artwork. We went with the concept of not showing too much of the image; what we show on the cover is just a part of the image, because when you'll be able to open up the whole CD there's more. So that's it; that was pretty much just the idea. We took the band photo in an old train in Ottawa. The Museum of Science and Technology, they pulled out an old wagon of 1908. They pulled it out of a huge garage there and took everything off and they made it so we could take pictures and then they put it back in after. They were really cool with us. We took the picture in there and obviously our graphic designer again worked a lot as far as designs. He's a big perfectionist: when we tell him to stop 'cause it's nice enough, he never stops. As he did on our website (www.cryptopsy.net). I'll give you a secret: if you fuck around with it long enough you can open hidden things. CoC: Now that Mike's been in the band long enough I assume he's writing most of the lyrics, right? JL: Yes, Mike is complete lyricist and vocalist. He writes all the lyrics, also in part because Alex used to write lyrics for his band, I used to -- a long time ago, ten years ago -- write lyrics, but now Mike writes his lyrics to the songs. While we write the song, even if Mike can't sing the song because he doesn't know the song, he's always sitting there listening to our progression, and even giving his opinion because while we're going -- if he has a vocal idea -- he stops us and says: okay guys, I'm thinking about doing this and this. So we modify the music. That's what I meant about a -tighter teamwork- this time. And he writes his lyrics to the songs so the feeling that he gets from the song gives him the feeling to what he writes about, and he writes about it and just structures everything into the song. And on this album he did even better than he did on _Whisper Supremacy_ because there's a lot of details that musically are there that Mike realises are there. So what he does is, he'll sing and when this slight detail comes along in the music that is gonna give a little spice to it, he's just gonna let it go and catch on on vocals later on or something like that. So it's cool to see that a singer is really implicated in the musical aspect. So compared to Lord Worm I think that we're much more a tight unit. CoC: Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any sort of ego clash: "I wanna do some more vocals" or "I wanna do some more guitar". JL: No. I mean, guitar, I could say: I wanna do a solo per song. But for how long has that been done? Some songs don't need it. Some songs, I think, do need it. In "We Bleed", which is much more progressive, yes, Alex and I each have a solo: it's a progressive song. But there's other songs when we go back to the past, like typical brutal stuff like "Voice of Unreason" that just don't need a solo. CoC: For me it worked well as an album because "...And Then It Passes" has a little bit of lead widdling but there's no solo in it. And you have to get all the way to "We Bleed" and it builds you up more for it. JL: Exactly, and "...And Then It Passes" is actually a first for Cryptopsy: a twin technical solo, me and Alex together at once. I start off the solo, we join in together and he finishes off the solo. And within that, while we're twin soloing there's no rhythm guitar in the back, it's just bass popping. We just said: we're just gonna go crazy, we're just gonna do something that's just gonna sound -whack-, you know. Me and Alex didn't really try to go musical on there because the song is pretty whack to start off with. We said: we're just gonna go for like craziness, that's all. CoC: It's a very pounding piece of music. JL: It's funny, I find. CoC: Finally, you as a band seem to have raised your profile with the dates in Europe [CoC #42] and all that sort of thing and people seem to be much more aware of this new album than they have been before. People seem to be way more into the band than they were a few years ago, and do you think that with what the album is -- being very technical -- that it might break new ground for you popularity-wise? JL: Hopefully. Again, we do our music because we want to do the music that we do, and obviously we don't think of any commercial part. We do music that challenges us, challenges the people who listen to it, so it's a challenge and it's just new. And if it does [gain more popularity] then cool, but -- as you were even saying earlier -- in general the styles are warping together now. A lot more. And what's cool about the extreme metal scene as a scene for ourselves and other bands: you don't only have the death metal people there. And it's cool because the people from death metal are also going to hear something that's a bit new. So they go more towards that so it's a good follow-up, as we did. We are from death metal, but you've got some people now, we've got a certain -- the more violent hardcore scene, bands like Converge and Hatebreed. Some fans of that recognise themselves in what we do because we're extreme. Because hardcore -- like Converge, Converge is a hardcore band and a half! A hardcore band with blastbeats, that was like: holy shit! CoC: I think the dissipation of some of the scenes has been sad in some ways [I'm thinking of death metal and black metal particularly here -- Paul], but I think that's also forced people out of their little, kind of like, hiding holes. There's still a lot of people who stick to their scene and don't really move outside of that, but to be honest I think there is more possibility for people to get into different bands wherever they're from and whatever they're doing. JL: Exactly, and that's the beauty of it 'cause now, instead of ten years ago, we're uniting styles instead of separating styles. Before, like you said earlier, either you were a metal fan or you were a hardcore fan or you were a fan of a specific style. And now you talk to people and they don't even have to look metal, they listen to some new age but they still appreciate what you do. It's cool because people are opening their minds to music and it's great because we'll be able to make music in general evolve instead of having all that commercial crap that's all the same and lame all the time, you know. At least there's a music style in our scene of metal that's gonna go towards a certain evolution. So at least it's still going on, because music is an art for the ear and in every art there's a progression and we've gotta ensure this progression, you know. Towards time, towards the future, because music has to change. If in a hundred years someone listens to Cryptopsy and they say, "these guys are totally nuts", I'll say, "well, it's cool", because even in a hundred years maybe they've not fully assimilated what the band is about. But I wouldn't be surprised that in a hundred years there'll be like bands that are like two times faster, and we're considered like the slo-mos. Because everyone thought: Jimi Hendrix can't go any faster, blah, blah, blah. And then here's Yngwie Malmsteen. There's always going to be evolution, so even if people think that this is the last speed that they'll be able to hear as far as speed, no. Even Slayer, for a long time it was: you can't go faster than Slayer. CoC: I recently borrowed some thrash mags done around '85 [thank you, Matthias -- Paul] and people are saying: it can't get any heavier than this. JL: Exactly. CoC: It's amazing because people are like saying this now and I'm always very dubious. I think that you can't really see a possibility until someone does it for you. JL: Yeah. CoC: I remember -- not to be too sycophantic -- when _None So Vile_ came out I remember a lot of people being shocked, people who were into death metal, because it was -that- fast, it was -that- aggressive. JL: That's just progression, 'cause now bands have come up to that level and there will be bands who come after who will be even more extreme. That's progression. In how long, it's hard to say, but it will happen. In time, if Cryptopsy is just one of the bands who helped to make the liaison between, well, great! And next album, well, I can't say that we have any songs written for it, but it's gonna be again something different like we've always done: from _Blasphemy..._ to _None So Vile_ to _Whisper..._ to _And Then You'll Beg_. The next album: expect the unexpected. Jon and I also chatted about: Albums that grow... JL: The albums that I've taken the most time to get used to are the ones I put on regularly, like Liquid Tension Experiment. That's fucked up. My appraisal of Cryptopsy [yes, my ego needed feeding... -- Paul] JL: I see that you've listened to the album very carefully 'cause you were on the ball about everything musically. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= R E M E M B E R I N G T H E P A S T ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC talks to Thomas Gabriel Fischer about his book "Are You Morbid?" by: Adrian Bromley A lot of people will tell you that Celtic Frost was one of those bands that didn't really change metal music, rather they just helped put a lot of inspiration and attitude into it. Their work now seemed cult-like, and was created out of the need to see how far metal music could bend. What could become of the simple chord playing and harsh vocals. Experimentation and lots of thought helped shape the music of the band and more than a decade later since their peak, we once again are talking about Celtic Frost. In the last few years, the band has, with the help of their old label Noise Records, re-issued all of their classic records (except for the frustrating _Cold Lake_ disc) and singer Tom G. Warrior has taken flight with his new avant-garde industrial act Apollyon Sun. Now comes the new book "Are You Morbid? (Into the Pandemonium of Celtic Frost)", written by the singer. Chronicles of Chaos caught up with Fischer by phone while he was in New York in late November to do North American press for the book. Here is his account on the book, the tales it tells and the role Celtic Frost played in metal music. "Since I don't take drugs, I had a lots of time and lots of boredom", cracks Fischer on how the book came about. "I always wanted to write a book and I always wrote stuff. I started researching for this book back in 1990 when the band was still together and it took me a long time to get this going. It took me three years of research, 'cause I didn't remember all of the details either. By the time I had all of this done and had started on the manuscript, the band was over. A lot of people were always asking me about Celtic Frost and why we put this particular album out or wrote music this way and all of our legal problems and it just seemed obvious for me to finish this book so all those questions could be answered to fans." One read of the book, and it is quite obvious Fischer doesn't hold any punches. He tells it like it is -- a rewarding characteristic of the book, which could have easily followed the safe route and kept things straightforward and unconfrontational. Not here, folks. And Fischer likes that element of the book too. "This is a very open book and just the way I wanted to tell it: like it was. As a legal disclaimer I had to put in that this was my opinion of how things were. I'm not lying about any of this. I had to say it was my opinion and if other people have other opinions, then so be it. I've been sued by Noise Records in the '80s and I don't want that again. If other people are ticked off, then that is what I have to deal with." "Many of the band members read the manuscript before it even came out", notes Fischer. "And I've been asked several times to delete stuff from the book and I considered it and out of respect for these people I took it out. It made them feel uncomfortable, so I left it out. I tried to write this as it happened and sometimes I left our last names or just didn't mention names at all for legal reasons. In essence, the book does not distort the truth. While there is some bad stuff written about people in the book, including myself, there is also a lot of good said about those people inside too. I'm very critical of myself throughout the book and if I can do that throughout the book, why can't others step up and face what they did, be it good or bad?" Does he think the book covers every aspect of the career of Celtic Frost, or was stuff left out? Fischer answers: "The original manuscript was twice as voluminous as this book [which is close to 300 pages -- Adrian] and it was far more detailed. I didn't want to bore people and because of publishing reasons, I had to cut it down and make it very streamlined. I basically had to pick out what I thought was important to keep in the book. It was great, they allowed me to do the editing of the manuscript and I was able to choose what stayed in. There was so much that could have got into this and from the original manuscript, there was even more that wasn't there. I mean, I could have gone on more about tour anecdotes and legal issues, but how many can you put in before you start yawning? The book is pretty detailed and not very repetitive. I think I touched upon everything." "There are a lot of stories I couldn't really trace or track down, but that was bound to happen. A lot happened for this band and it was just impossible to get it right. Sometimes I thought a story happened one way, and all the band members recounted it another way. Those ideas had to be dropped and couldn't be in the book because there was no real agreement on how things unfolded there." "Writing this book was a very emotional thing for me", he says. "It sounds cliche, but I was very overwhelmed by a lot of the memories I brought back from writing certain parts of the book. It brought back a lot of things. Even Reed [St. Mark, drummer] was reading the stuff and getting emotional. We were weeping like little idiots, but it is just because these years of being in the band were a very important part of our lives. These years changed our lives forever." So does writing the book help Fischer realize just how important the band was in the metal realm and what they did for metal music? "This book wasn't written for me to go around saying "yeah, I was in Celtic Frost and I am so important". That wasn't the case at all. That would be just so rock star like. I think this book really helped me understand Celtic Frost as a band and only writing this book helped me free my mind and start to work on my new band Apollyon Sun. That is the effect this book had. As far as how we changed the metal scene, I touched upon the stuff that was brought to us and what people said about us, but I would never go out saying Frost was so important." Fischer ends: "To this day I still have a hard time believing we were important at all. We were just a band that set out to make music and we got all messed up with the business and each other. It happens all of the time, except with Celtic Frost it was more visible and the story needed to be told." Book Review: "ARE YOU MORBID?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Sanctuary Publishing, $12.99 UK, $19.95 US) I'm going to make this short, as I think Fischer let those reading the interview know what to expect from "Are you Morbid?". While I was not a big Celtic Frost fan going into the book, I left a fan, not only for the band's hard work and struggle in the music business, but also for the fact that the band always made an effort to take their music to a higher level. Celtic Frost really wanted to explore metal music. And they did. Fischer's words are very honest, and while he may not be the best writer in the world (this is his first book), his clever writing passages are interesting and (at times) very funny. Fischer could have easily painted himself as the ring leader and savior of the band, but as mentioned in the interview above, his evils come out in this book. Nobody in this world is perfect and Celtic Frost was living proof of that. As I read "Are You Morbid?" I would listen to the music of the band at that era, whether it was _Morbid Tales_ or _Into the Pandemonium_. Reading the excerpts about the making of each record and listening to the music made me appreciate it more. In closing, I must say that "Are You Morbid?" is a book not only for Celtic Frost fans, but other fans and up-and-coming bands who want to know just what it takes (the good and the bad) to get far in this business from a first hand account. A good read for sure. Discography: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ _Morbid Tales_ (1984) _To Mega Therion_ (1985) _Into the Pandemonium_ (1987) _Cold Lake_ (1988) _Vanity/Nemesis_ (1990) _Parched With Thirst Am I, And Dying_ (1992) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= R E N E G A D E S R E L I V I N G T H E G L O R Y D A Y S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC talks to Oscar Dronjak of HammerFall by: Adrian Bromley I'll admit right off the bat that I am not a big fan of the latest HammerFall record _Renegade_. It just doesn't sit well with me. I am not sure why it really is, but I think one of the reasons is that unlike the band's blistering 1997 Nuclear Blast debut _Glory to the Brave_, or its mediocre follow-up _Legacy of Kings_ (1998), _Renegade_ lacks momentum and attitude. The once vibrant "heavy metal" cause has been downsized, replaced by more melodies and some slow and often unnecessary ballads. No balls this time out and that is not a good warning sign for things to come, is it? But you can't write things off right away (unless of course your band name is Mortification), and so the phone call comes in from guitarist Oscar Dronjak to talk about the new disc (and hopefully explain it a bit better for me) and life in HammerFall. We begin... "This album is a definite continuation of what we started with HammerFall", says Dronjak. "This record is a lot more professional and more polished. This is a mature version of the band, I think. We got a lot of experience making records and going out touring and all that and it just made its way into the record. We took all of what we learned and brought that into the songwriting. The experience we have had is the key factor with this record." He states, "We put a lot of heart and soul into the work we do and I think each record has shown that. We believe in what we are doing." And what about the experience of working with high-profile producer Michael Wagner (Alice Cooper / Skid Row / Motley Crue) and recording on US soil in Nashville -- what was that like? "He is so down to earth and easily the coolest person that you could meet", says Dronjak with enthusiasm. "He brought a great atmosphere into the studio and it just made everyone so relaxed. He just wanted us to be ourselves and come in and play the music. He is really good at getting material out of people, especially the vocalist. This relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere just made it a lot of fun to work on this disc and I think it shows." And why Michael Wagner? "Because of his track record. He was everything we expected him to be. We wanted to have a big producer to help and coach us, with vocals and the guitar work. We wanted a producer that would help us make music to the best of our ability. Michael has produced a lot of varied styles of music over his career and we thought that him working with us would be the perfect match. He told us that he was looking forward to working with us. He is into heavy metal. Even though he has produced the likes of Janet Jackson and a string of other acts, he was interested in working with HammerFall." The band -- rounded out by singer Joacim Cans, guitarist Stefan Elmgren, bassist Magnus Rosen and drummer Anders Johannson -- really made a name for themselves in 1997 with the release of the debut record [note: Chronicles of Chaos did the band's first-ever interview in CoC #21]. Not for the fact that the record was a solid piece of music, but for the fact that the band championed bands to bring back the heavy metal sound of past and have fun playing guitar solos and having melody. They made heavy metal return to the scene with vibrance and wicked guitar solos. It was a lot of fun and it seems to have spawned a vast amount of new bands to pop up and join the heavy metal cause. How does Dronjak feel about the movement and the bands that have surfaced? "I think it is great that there are many other bands playing this type of music. In order for the sound of heavy metal to have some longevity, we need more bands playing this type of music. It is important. Bands like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest can't carry the torch [of heavy metal] for the next twenty years. They are getting old. Bands like HammerFall won't be around forever either. We need all of these new bands playing heavy metal and getting more and more people into this genre of music." He adds: "It is good to see that a lot of magazines and labels have opened their eyes to this type of music and realized that it is not just the same old thing with each band. There is a lot of good stuff out there." One thing that has been always affiliated with HammerFall is the amazing and detailed artwork that accompanies each record. All three records have sported this towering knight, clad in armour and wielding a massive weapon. The warrior is ready for battle and ready to defend the cause of heavy metal. I have always wondered, "Do you see the artwork before or after you write the material? If so, are you inspired to write a theme to correspond with the artwork?" "What we do is: we pick song titles to use for the record, then we pick the album title from that and then we come up with an idea for the artwork and what we want to see on the cover. We do a sketch and a description of what we want to see and then we send it Nuclear Blast for them to forward it to the artist, Andreas Marshall. His work is truly amazing and it captures the real passion of HammerFall and what we sing and play about." Seeing that the band has stuck to their same heavy metal sound for three records, and plan to do so for the rest of their career from the sound of it, I ask Dronjak if the band has ever thought of incorporating new sounds/styles into their music. He answers: "We will always play music like this. We'll keep it heavy metal. We always are trying to go out there and make the ultimate music and the ultimate record. That is the goal for us. I mean, we'll never make the perfect album, 'cause if we did we might as well stop playing music. We know what we want with HammerFall and that doesn't include orchestrations or death growls. That is not what we want with HammerFall." He continues: "If we were to bring another style into the band and change things up, that would not only be betrayal for us as a band, but we would be betraying our fans as well. This is what we do. This is heavy metal. Any new incorporation of new sounds and styles for HammerFall would be a definite step down for us." In closing, I ask Dronjak about heavy metal in today's music scene and how he rates it. "Heavy metal is as strong as it has ever been. Actually, that is not true. It was the strongest in the '80s because it was the only thing. Heavy metal now has been the strongest since the '80s and it just seems to be growing. I see the future of heavy metal and it is a bright one, especially with all of these great new bands coming up and playing good music. If there are ten bands playing this music or 100 bands, that is a good sign. Of course, I'd like to have five good bands playing this type of music rather than fifteen so-so bands playing it. I think a lot of people nowadays are pretty well informed and know just who is playing the good stuff and what they should buy." As I hang up the phone I admire the vision that Dronjak has cast upon heavy metal music with his band, but I can only hope (and pray) that next opus HammerFall returns with a mighty crush, rather than a polished mediocre offering. The passion is there, let's hope it gets used more next time. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= D E A T H F R O M T H E N O R T H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC interviews Christer Espevoll of Extol by: Alex Cantwell Anyone who is a devoted reader of this publication probably knows by now that I hold Extol in extremely high regard. Although I love to tell their tale, and how I discovered them, and blah, blah, blah, I have done it already in past issues and will not go into any of that here. I was extremely curious as to how their recent and third tour of the US had been, seeing as how I was not able to attend one of their shows this time, and I also wanted to see what was in their immediate future, following recent triumphs such as the release of _Undecieved_ [CoC #49] and a feature in Metal Maniacs. After months of inquiring about the possibility of doing an e-mail interview with the band, I was finally granted that honour with guitarist Christer Espevoll, and the results are as follows... CoC: Tell me about your US tour this past Summer. Christer Espevoll: We had a good time and played a lot of shows. Thumbs up for the crowd at Club 412 in Ft. Worth, Texas, the best crowd we ever played in front of. Cornerstone was fun as usual; too muddy this year, though. I'm really happy we stayed at a motel... CoC: America has had a mad influx of Norwegian black metal bands touring this year, but most are not able to. Why have you been here three times already and why is touring in America so important to the band? CE: Touring is good no matter where. It's good because we get to meet new people and we get to talk about Jesus. Musically it's good because the stage presence gets better and we grow as musicians. The reason we've only toured USA so far (by touring I mean lots of shows in a short period of time) is that's where we have contacts, and that's where we've had the chance to tour. We love touring. It rocks. CoC: But as big as metal is in Europe, don't you think it will be important to the future of the band to try to tour there as? well Does SolidState require you to tour the US after each? release ? CE: Oh yes, we really want to tour Europe, but since we don't have very good distribution in Europe people haven't heard of us, so that's a problem. SolidState doesn't require anything like that from us, we just love touring. CoC: How does Extol fit into the metal scene in Norway? CE: Very well, I think; the only "drawback" is that we are Christians. I think that's how the secular scene looks at us. They respect us for the music we play, but not necessarily for us being Christians, which is kind of sad, but the music is a good opener for us to get to talk about our faith anyway, so that's really cool. CoC: What is Extol doing currently? CE: Writing music for the next album. And we're dealing with a new label for distribution in Europe. Can't tell you which one... We're also doing a few shows in Sweden and Germany before Christmas. CoC: Could you please inform me on the details of Ole Borud's departure from the band? CE: Well, he felt like doing other things musically, and he was tired of metal. We knew it was coming, so when he told us around Christmas last year, we were prepared for it. Of course there are no hard feelings or anything, and we wish him good luck further on whatever he does in music. He is a very good musician, so I have no doubt that whatever he decides to do is going to be good. CoC: He introduced clean vocals into your sound, has served as co-producer and sound engineer for your recordings, and contributed musically. How will you replace him? CE: We won't. As for the clean vocals, that was something we wanted to exploit because we knew he was a good singer. It was never part of our original sound. But we might do some clean vocals on the next album in another form... you'll just have to wait and hear. When it comes to the engineering part, we've been really lucky to have Ole and his family's studio, because we had the privilege to take the time we needed to make our albums as good as possible, but there are several good studios around here with good engineers, so I don't think that's going to be a problem on the next album. CoC: Are you guys still friends with him? CE: Yes. CoC: So is Tor Magne still not an actual member of the band? CE: Well, he is, but he is not. Right now Lengsel and Extol are helping each other out. Tor Magne and Jon Robert help us out on guitar and bass, and David and Peter help them out on drums and vocals. So Peter, David and I are still the core of Extol, but still both Tor Magne and Jon Robert are more than just stand-in musicians. They are really good friends. Officially, though, they are not permanent members. CoC: _Undecieved_ is full of very technical death metal with many mdark elodies, but with less of a black metal influence mthan previous aterial. Why did Extol make an album like m_Undecieved_? CE: We felt that was the direction to go after _Burial_. Our next album is probably going to be more towards black metal. Not pure black, of course, but faster and more chaotic, I think. We still have a lot more songs to write, but that's the way it looks right now. CoC: How much influence does traditional Norwegian music have on you guys? There have been hints of it during the orchestral parts on both full-lengths, but then you have bands like Manegarm, Twin Obscenity, and (early) Ulver who really incorporate traditional sounding music into their own. Do you think Extol might ever travel down this road? CE: As far as I know we are not influenced by any of those kind of bands. Some of the things Ole wrote I know were inspired by the Beatles and some classical composer (can't remember which one), and then of course you have Rush. Ole loves Rush. As for myself, I have never listened to any Norwegian folk music at all. CoC: Where do you see the band going in the future, musically? CE: Like I said, it's going be faster and more chaotic, but we'll still keep the melodies. Peter [Espevoll, vocals] puts it very nicely when he tries to explain our new direction: it's more beautiful and more brutal. CoC: Is there a chance that you will ever record in one of the more well-known studios in Norway or Sweden? CE: Probably not. We know what kind of sound we want and don't really feel the need for a producer or a famous engineer. CoC: What is your favorite Van Halen song? CE: Don't have one. CoC: Please tell me about your "Believer wannabe" thrash band. CE: Well, it's just a project and we're not Believer wannabes, but we're Believer influenced. We love Believer and David and I wanted to make some thrash music... so sometime in the future when we've made ten or twelve songs we'll probably release it. CoC: Why was the _Mesmerized_ EP never released in the US? CE: It was, through SolidState. CoC: And finally, what up-and-coming Norwegian bands do we need to know about? CE: Can't think of any right now. Oh yeah, Umbrella (girl punk) and Silver (old school rock and roll) are names to notice. CoC: That's it, I guess -- I could ask you 100 questions. Monga tusin tuk. [I was attempting to say "many thousand thanks" here -- Alex] CE: Hehe, that would be: mange tusen takk. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= U N V E I L I N G N E W R E A L M S O F M U S I C ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC interviews Morten Veland of Tristania by: Adrian Bromley Tristania's new gothic metal masterpiece _Beyond the Veil_ [CoC #45] has been out some time now, but this fall was supposed to be a big deal for Tristania's career. The band was to tour parts of the United States and Mexico, as well as participate in the metal festival November to Dismember in Los Angeles. While the band has a core following, praised by critics and fans around the globe, this trek to North American soil was going to bring about more exposure for this Norwegian act. That was the plan. As the interview takes place, Morten Veland is holed up in a hotel room in Los Angeles with the flu and getting ready to go back home after just a brief four-day visit to the United States. The tour they had planned is canceled and there will be no show in Mexico. And to boot, the band only played a 30-minute set at the festival, which was marred (how unusual?) by cancellations by anticipated acts like Venom and label mates The Sins of thy Beloved. Welcome to America, Morten! "It has been a short trip for us here, but I guess it was worth it. The festival was good exposure for the band. Playing the festival was okay; a few technical problems with our set but it was okay. We're getting ready to go home tomorrow", explains Veland. "In the beginning we were supposed to do a bunch of shows here in the US and in Mexico, but that didn't happen. It's quite unfortunate." "This whole trip hasn't been a real big thing because we have not really been a big part of it. We came to our hotel after we arrived and I got real sick and I have just stayed in my hotel room drinking lots of water and taking painkillers. Then we went to the festival an hour before we played, talked to the stage managers, set up our equipment, played and then came back to the hotel. From that point on I have been nursing this cold." Veland adds: "As I said before, we weren't a big part of all of these things going on, but it was a treat for our fans to see us play in the US and that makes me happy. It is a shame that there were all of these problems with the festival, but at least we played." Talking about the way the band (female vocalist Vibeke Stene, synth/programmer Einar Moen, bassist Rune Osterhus, drummer Kenneth Olsson and guitarist Anders H. Hidle) approached the new disc, he offers: "We have always been about expanding our sound. With each release, we take what we have as a band and try to make it go a lot further. We want to be able to keep all of the elements and influences, but not be afraid to bring in new ideas. With the new disc, we wanted to take the music of Tristania into a much harder direction. We added some aggressive parts to the record and tried to add a bit more of an electronic feel as well. It worked out well for us, I think." What draws Veland into the music of the band and keeps him interested in what he does musically? "I think the main reason is that we as a band always try to make the music so versatile and we never get sick of it. We have tried so many different things over the years. Each song has its own form of expression and ideas making it up. When we started we kept to the same style of music and it was getting boring for us. By changing things up and doing new things with the music, we are all still very excited about what Tristania does as a band and within the music." "Making music for this band has become a lot easier over the years", he states. "It has become a luxury of sorts for me to do. I enjoy making music. In the beginning of the band, after a record, I had very few ideas left over. Now I have hundreds left over and that is great because I know that I have so much to look forward to with the next release." Any new sounds and ideas for a new disc yet? "Oh yeah. We are in the middle of the process of writing new material for the next record. We go into the studio in February and the record should be out sometime in May or so. It is a bit too early to really say just what the new stuff sounds like, but it is a definite progression for us. At least that is what we are trying to do." "I love the studio", he says. "Studio work is one of the things I love most about working with this band and making music. I like to be able to come into the studio with the sketches of songs and carefully work on them and watch them grow into new songs. It is just a great feeling to be able to go into a studio and have your songs turn out the way you want them to." He finishes, "There is nothing more exciting than making music that you can be really happy about and fall in love with your work. I have been very lucky with Tristania and I'm sure things in the future will be just as good." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= G O D : T I E D I N S T E E L H A N D C U F F S ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Heimoth from Seth by: Paul Schwarz It's possible that to many people the phrase "good French metal" is an oxymoron. However, I'd say that this is most commonly due to a lack of investigation combined with prejudicial nationalistic sentiments. That said, good French metal bands do not come -my- way with a great deal of frequency, although in the last year the likes of Symbiosis, Scarve and --- case in point -- Seth have somewhat turned that tide. Seth's style is strongly influenced by Sweden's Dissection, but what stands out is not only the high quality of their black/death metal assault, but also the fierce individual character they imprint onto their work. Guitarist Heimoth chatted with CoC about Osmose's "French metal revelation". CoC: How do you feel about being called a "French metal revelation" by Osmose? How much do you think Seth connect to French metal? Heimoth: Actually, it's something that has been around since our first album, _Les Blessures de L'Ame_, because people were quite astonished, because they didn't expect this kind of band in France. It was maybe a surprise because we were not well known before this album. CoC: Do you think it's at all because of the musical style? It's quite a Norwegian style. H: Yes. CoC: To my ears it owes quite a bit to Dissection as well. It was quite interesting, after I listened to the album, I started singing Dissection again [I had "Unhallowed" stuck in my head for nearly a week -- Paul]. I think you've worked in a lot of good stuff, I think you've done it tastefully. What d'you think? H: I think that this time I wanted to present the album as something based on guitars and we wanted to make something more unusual compared to the first album, and when you mentioned Dissection I think you were totally right, because they are one of the few bands that shows that it is possible to create atmosphere only using guitars. CoC: Absolutely. H: I wanted, in a way, to create this feeling. So I think with this new album everything is more efficient; the tracks are more concise. CoC: They don't overstay their welcome. H: Exactly, and we worked a lot with my drummer on a lot breaks: to get a good structure. I have done this album under the idea of not making a compilation of riffs or something. I have tried to make good links between all the riffs. CoC: Talking about the lyrics, you've done them in four different languages -- as far as the song-titles go, at least -- German, Latin, French and English. I am curious why, and what effect do you think that creates? H: The thing is that on the first album everything was sung 100% in French. Now, about 60% of it is in French and the rest is in English. For us it was important to keep our roots. CoC: What did Fenriz from Darkthrone contribute to the album and also why? H: Maybe you have noticed that he mentioned our band in the _Goatlord_ album. We just wanted in return to in a way include him on this opus, we thought that was maybe the best thing we could do. We told him and he agreed to make a song; he wrote "Let Me Be the Salt in Your Wound", which is possibly my favourite track. The lyrics and the music go right together. CoC: I liked that song and also "Bastard Beast" a lot. I was really impressed with how well you managed to weave in the acoustics and crescendo it back into the song. It must have been difficult. H: You're right, this and "Legion Spirituelle Damnatrice" are maybe like the only two tracks that add a lot of heavy metal stuff. CoC: Would you say you're ideologically anti-Christian, with song titles like "Acid Christ"? H: Well, of course you have anti-Christian mention but it's more like an anti-religious stance. We just think that a lot of people can have their own idea, better people can have a will to create what they think and not to follow a principle. It's just something we feel should be [the case]. CoC: Also with "Acid Christ", is that a pun? [Anti-Christ -- Paul] H: You thought it was like a word game? No, no, it has nothing to do with a comparison or a link or something like that, it was just an idea of how it would be trying to put acid on Christ. And I think another reason of this song was about the symbols, the icons of religion. CoC: How did Peter Tagtgren end up remixing the album? What was wrong with the original mix? How did it come about? H: Well, actually there was a lot of confusion about that, because we recorded the album in France, and we remixed it in France. We -wanted- to have a remix in the Abyss studio but it wasn't possible because we didn't get the right connections with the tapes, so it didn't happen. So only the mastering was done there. CoC: It has got a very good sound, actually. H: It was recorded in December and January and mastered in July. CoC: Are you happy with the result you've got in the album? H: Yeah, I am happy with the whole CD, maybe. This is one of the first times I've been very proud of what I've done. I've completely realised what I wanted -- what I composed -- and it was a goal for me. Yes, maybe there are points that could have been better -- that could have been improved for me --, but obviously I can't be very proud of everything; I can't be happy with everything I've done. When you have done the CD nothing can be changed. No one can be happy with everything. CoC: Generally, where are you, Seth, aiming to get as a band? At the moment it's good and it's interesting but it's not pushing any particular boundaries. I was curious where you might be hoping to go in the future with the sound. What is your idea? H: It's a bit complicated because a lot of ideas have been coming to my mind, maybe. I'd like to go ahead and to change again but I don't have precise ideas so far. So I can't answer precisely, but in the future we have got a few dates in Europe. CoC: Right, touring. H: Yeah, but we don't know yet with what band we're gonna tour. I guess some French dates will be done about December. CoC: So, are you the principal writer in Seth? Do you write pretty much all of it? H: Am I the composer, do you mean? CoC: Yeah. H: Yeah, yeah, I suppose almost everything. On this album I composed about 80% or 90% of the material. Before, it was shared between my bass player -- about 50% each. Now I have done almost everything. I had more time to work and I got more time to work arrangements and put it with my drummer so the music can just be better. CoC: Is the band name Seth with regard to the Egyptian god of death? H: Yeah, we chose that name at the beginning of Seth in '95. So it was a long time ago and in reference as well to the bible because it's Adam's son. We thought that it was interesting to find this word because we wanted to get a short name as well. Not to get something with "of" or "on" in the name. CoC: Like Maze of Torment? H: CoC: You know, where you rip off some other band's song title. Not that like half the bands on Nuclear Blast don't do that. H: Yeah , exactly. CoC: Any particular significance to the cover, these bound stigmatated hands? H: Yeah, exactly. We wanted to symbolise that Seth has been able to take God's place with these handcuffs and the scars. It is God's arrest and the topic of the album concerns this image, this idea: that it's possible to get this power. The title goes with that as well, it doesn't mean that we are making excellent music , but we wanted to get really strong words and it marks a lot of people. CoC: It's definitely a striking title. How are things with Void [excellent London-based black metal band echoing Dodheimsgard's recent work; see demo review in CoC #47 -- Paul] going? H: I will have to go back probably at the end of this month or maybe in December. I don't know, I don't know how Void are going on. But I guess I am gonna go back. CoC: Are you finding it difficult to divide your time between the two bands? H: No, no, no, because so far Void doesn't take me so much time. So, I will see in the future. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= S U O M I F I N L A N D P E R K E L E ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC talks to Taneli Jarva of The Black League by: Adrian Bromley All singer Taneli Jarva wants to do is get on with his new band The Black League and his music. It has been a few years since he parted ways with his old band, Finnish act Sentenced, and he just wants the past to stay the past. Finally, after years of hard work, Jarva has managed to group together a sturdy set of veteran metal henchmen to form the League -- bassist Florida (Legenda, Impaled Nazarene), drummer Sir Luttinen (Legenda), guitarists Maike Valanne (ex-Faff-Bey and Terveet Kadet) and Alexi Ranta -- and release their Spinefarm debut _Ichor_. But you know what? His past still haunts him and there is nothing the somewhat irritated Jarva can do about it. Or is there? "A lot of the fans who seem to be into this band seem to be ex-Sentenced fans and remember me in the old line-up", starts Jarva down the line. "Obviously my past accomplishments with my old band have helped in spreading the name of The Black League out to metal fans, but as it might be a blessing in a way, it is also a curse." "I'm not to keen on discussing old times and my previous band", he explains. "Somebody did an interview with me yesterday and two-thirds of the interview was about Sentenced. Overall, I think people who liked the _Amok_ album also like the Black League record. A lot of people think this Black League record is a continuation of _Amok_, but I don't really think so. It bears some similarities, but mainly it is a completely new band with a new sound. The only thing that is the same is that it is the same old singer. " On the topic of the inception of the band, Jarva says: "This whole project began back in 1996, I had the ideas and it grew from there. I had just left my previous band Sentenced and I was unsure if I wanted to continue in this music business. But because of this "disease of my soul" and the love of music, I found I couldn't live without it. So in 1997 I met up with Sir Luttinen (drummer) and we started working on material for the band. We rehearsed as a two-piece for several months before we got the rest of the line-up solidified. By Christmas 1998, we had a solid line-up to work with for The Black League. "It is an honour for me to play with such a talented and skillful group of men. It is just perfect. This record is a very strong record and it is full of passion. I couldn't really tell you where the musical influences come from for this disc, but the lyrical inspiration for songs came from the work of Nick Cave. His work has easily been a big part of how I approach the lyrics to the music. I draw from my experiences or other experiences of those around me. Everything in some way triggers my writing and makes me want to write about it. I can't explain it. It just happens." While Finnish label Spinefarm is releasing the record, Nuclear Blast has picked the record up for distribution in North America and a larger scale of Europe. How does Jarva feel about them getting some strong support from NBA? "It is a good thing for us, but to tell you the truth, we didn't really expect much from this release and have it go crazy and sell all of these records... We were unsure of how this disc would do. We are glad just to see the record get a better distribution and to send the name out to people." And The Black League is spending no time waiting around. They already have new material on the way. Jarva fills us in: "Like I said before, music is the "disease of my soul". Our songwriting is in a continuous process. It goes on all of the time. From the recording sessions of the debut disc, I was secretly thinking of new ideas for the new disc. Once the record was done, I started to concentrate on the next album. A good chunk of that material is done and we have already rehearsed a lot of it. We're ready to enter the studio again already. We're going to polish it for six months or so and then record in the Summer of 2001." "But we have something on the go, coming out real soon", blurts Jarva. "It is an MCD titled _The Doomsday Sun_ EP. It is a grouping of older tracks and a cover of Nick Cave's cult classic "City of Refuge". The music on the EP is really tight and experimental, but not very different from what people have heard with _Ichor_." And while Jarva has a dislike for questions regarding his past work with Sentenced, his dislike always wanders into the path of today's metal music scene (including his homeland's). The veteran metal man has a few choice words on the subject. "I'm sorry to say that I don't really care too much about all of that and what is going on. Right now some people feel that the Finnish music scene is at its peak and it is great that all of these bands are getting exposure everywhere. I agree, it is a good thing and a lot of bands are helping expose other bands, but The Black League wants to just be the outsider to this kind of music scene going on here. If you compare us to the other stuff going on, we don't really have much in common with the power metal or goth bands. I'd rather have people see us as a different band than part of a scene." "Whether people like what we are doing or not, as long as people acknowledge that we are doing something different, then I take that as a compliment", Jarva says. "It is always a compliment that people see it as fresh or something not done before. I've always said this. I'd rather see The Black League become a cult band with a long-lasting following rather than become overnight sensations and sell 100,000 records and forgotten later on." "There's a lot of people in the music business who are intrigued and follow what is going on and what is popular. I don't care what is popular or not. We do what comes naturally and that is the only way it has been and will be for the band." The Finn finishes: "Seriously, I believe, or I want to think, that we are doing something timeless or something that cannot be connected with a certain period of metal music. I want it to last and people to be impressed with what we are doing." Contact: http://theblackleague.cjb.net =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= P A N K O ' S P A N C R E A T I C P A N D E M O N I U M ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Kevin Stewart-Panko of Association Area by: Adrian Bromley If you've heard the name of Association Area mentioned, chances are: a) you've heard the CoC staff mention the name; b) you read some bad graffiti on the bathroom wall in a truck stop somewhere in Detroit; or c) you were lucky enough to come in contact with Kevin Stewart-Panko's glorious zine Doomhauled during its brief but truly memorable existence, and saw it mentioned there. The zine, a mixture of off-beat humour and well-written band interviews/reviews and essays, is a definite landmark in the zine world, no doubt up on the pedestal with The Grimoire of Exalted Deeds when it comes to crazy-ass ideas and downright rude 'n' crude humour. In short, Doomhauled will never be duplicated and that is a good thing. Neither will the music of Association Area, hopefully, 'cause one of these fine messes is enough for all of us music freaks to digest. The hardest thing about Association Area (other than some of the monstrous wallops they dish out for us) is the task of trying to pinpoint who or what they sound like (see Stewart-Panko's description below). The spirited free form, noisy numbers come off like algebraic formulas of riffs and vocals screams, sandwiched between a killer rhythm section and jazz-filled beats. This is music that'll leave your stomach in knots, but have your brain going off in an ecstatic frenzy. The man on the end of the line is Kevin Stewart-Panko, guitarist for the Toronto band Association Area and writer for England's Terrorizer magazine. He's got a busy schedule, but Chronicles of Chaos was lucky enough to drag him away from a busy night of washing dishing and porn to chat it up with and get down to business. Throughout the interview, we discuss their debut for Swedish label Lunasound Recordings (titled _Loathsome Deco_) and what inspires them to play music. Mr. Stewart-Panko gives us the lowdown... "I'll tell you something, I don't know what the motivations for anyone else in the band are to create music, but music is something I have always been interested in. I have always done something regarding music. Ever since I was like nine years old, I have been playing some form of instrument. I like all types of music and just playing", says Stewart-Panko. "Even tapping beats on a table gets me happy about doing this. Some people get excited about movies and all that; music is just that for me. I like the idea of being in a band." He continues, "Being in a band is not just about being in a band. It is also about traveling around and meeting people. It is a huge learning process. You have to learn about yourself in a social sense, how to manage your money and how to manage your time, in regards to touring and managing your work and relationships. You learn a lot on the road. You learn who you can put up with and who your true friends really are." Along with the rest of the band -- drummer Chris Gramlich, singer Craig Young and bassist Matt Daley --, Stewart-Panko has made an extra effort to get noticed and keeps the sound of AA alive and well throughout the years of molding and honing in on their sound. Throughout the years the band has released a 7" (titled _Tundra_) and a debut CD titled _Stop Motion Has Been_. These accomplishments not only please Stewart-Panko, but have allowed him and the rest of the band to see how they have grown as musicians and just where they are headed. "In the beginning, I was always very strong in believing that I wanted to take my time with this band when it came to making music. I wanted to write good solid songs, as opposed to just rushing through and recording whatever came out and sticking with that. When we went in to make music, I wanted it to be as good as it was going to be when we went in to record. I didn't want to sit around and write the perfect song, but I didn't want to go in half-assed either." "You always want to do your best when it comes to music and that is what keeps you going at this and constantly trying to top yourself or just do something different. But there is also something said for taking your time", he notes. "As free-form as things are with us, there is some degree of planning involved." Why should people listen to AA? Stewart-Panko laughs out loud. "I dunno... I think it depends on who you are. If you are young and getting into heavy music by way of what you see on Much Music [Canada's superior version of MTV -- Adrian] and nu-metal then it is good for them to know that there is more than just mainstream music to sample. There is life outside of the seven string guitar riffs and just listening to some guy scream his head off. It allows them to explore and try new things and just see what else is out there. As for older music fans and why they should check us out? If people have had it with the scene and you're sick with all of the bands sounding the same and just not doing much, I think we offer a bit more of an involved sound to really listen to. We give people who are really jaded maybe something a bit different to latch onto. I think older fans will hear some older music influences in our music, just presented in a different manner. It is not that we play original music, it is just the way we put it together and try doing it a different way. I think people will take note of that and maybe give us a listen." I ask Stewart-Panko to describe the sound of AA in one sentence or a grouping of adjectives. After numerous failed attempts to concoct a sentence of ideas, he lets loose: "Okay... how about this? "Canada's Most Dyslexic BTO Cover Band", or "Constipated Mass Rock for the Masses". Wait! This sounds good: "A 35-Minute Roller-Coaster Ride of Algebraic Noise Concoctions Created in a Post-Punk World by Post-Modernist Anti-Artistic New Age Explorers". I dunno... something like that." So does he think their abstract and sometimes odd sound helps or hampers them as a band? "I think a little of both. It hurts in the sense of when we try to book our shows and some DIY hardcore kid thinks we are not hardcore enough to play on that bill. We have encountered that quite a bit. But it also helps, because it draws people in who want more from music. It is a personal challenge to just write any type of music that doesn't sound like anything else out there. I think our music really helps us stand out. It is a slower road for us, because we don't really fit in and we have to play lots of small shows and lots of really weird places to get noticed. I think we are attracting the real music fan, as opposed to just the really trendy scenesters." And what about reviews of the forthcoming record? Is Stewart-Panko expecting a lot of album bashing? What has the response been like so far? He states, "I am actually surprised how positive it has really been for the reviews with this album. From the beginning I have been prepared for the bad reviews. You just know that not everyone is going to like what you do. You have to be ready for it. I am ready for people to say the music is shit and I am a real bad guitar player. I don't care. I actually take perverse pleasure in really bad reviews, because I like to see what people don't like and I find it funny." While Stewart-Panko and the AA crew have a lot of initiative going for them and their music, it is the support of Stuart Ness (Lunasound Recordings owner) that will hopefully make a name for them. At least this fan (and guitarist) hopes so. "We never really planned to hook up with a label overseas, it just happened that way. The funny thing is we sent out all of our demos to many labels and friends out there to see what they think and maybe somebody would take interest in what we were doing. Stuart was the only one who really came out and told us that he really liked us and the music we played. We've had friends in bands tell us we were good and some labels saying good things, but Lunasound really showed interest. We had some interest from Roadrunner Records a few years back when our 7" came out. But nothing came from that -- thank God! Stuart was the only guy who wanted to work with us." "Sure it is an upstart new label", explains Stewart-Panko, "but I did some research on the guy and I asked around. I asked a lot of people in England and overseas, "Who is this guy?" I had never heard of him and his story seemed good. I asked my friends at Terrorizer and some other people and they said to me, "If there is a guy who can do a lot of good for you and break you in Europe, then this is the guy." He knows his shit and he has tons of contacts and..." "...And he likes porn", I jut in. "Yeah, whatever. The bottom line is he liked the stuff, he wanted to work with us and that was good enough for me. It didn't matter to me that it is just him and his wife working the label. He is very professional on how he does things and I can't complain. This guy believes in us. At least someone does. " =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____ .__ ___. / _ \ | |\_ |__ __ __ _____ / /_\ \| | | __ \| | \/ \ / | \ |_| \_\ \ | / Y Y \ \____|__ /____/___ /____/|__|_| / \/ \/ \/ _____ .__ / _ \ _________.__.| | __ __ _____ / /_\ \ / ___< | || | | | \/ \ / | \\___ \ \___ || |_| | / Y Y \ \____|__ /____ >/ ____||____/____/|__|_| / \/ \/ \/ \/ Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed 9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended 7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities 5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters 3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into 0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs! Abscess - _Tormented_ (Listenable, October 2000) by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10) It's just possible that some poor misled soul has led you to think that _Tormented_ can rise to the challenge of in some way matching up to Autopsy's 1991 classic, _Mental Funeral_. However, though Reifert and his present cohorts did indeed return to Different Fur in San Francisco to lay down the thirteen tracks which make up Abscess' latest recording, _Tormented_ is not the second coming drenched in blasphemous gore which one supposes Reifert may one day make to death metal. On the other hand, _Tormented_ is surprisingly good for an Autopsy fan such as myself who always felt Abscess was just a silly mistake bred of not knowing when things stop being disgusting and just get a bit silly -- that combined with listening to a bit much of the wrong kind of punk. _Tormented_ proves to be a well assembled pile of rotting blasphemy- and madness-drenched decay, and demonstrates that some character-building dabbling has been going on in the Abscess camp. The invasion of death rocking guitars set to "Entombed overdrive" in "Madness and Parasites", "Halo of Disease" and "Ratbag" suggest that Reifert watched the progression of the nineties contemporaries he had ironically helped influence into existence. Despite its moments of quality, _Tormented_ is ultimately unlikely to be of sustained interest: a year from now, I doubt anyone will really care about it. It may seem harsh, but whatever its redeeming qualities, Autopsy's latest displays nothing to me to suggest it will warrant remembering. Acid Death - _Random's Manifest_ (Black Lotus, 2000) by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10) Greece's Acid Death return with the follow-up to 1997's impressive _Pieces of Mankind_. This album shows them moving toward a heavier and more technical style. While I'd generally applaud such a move, I'm not sure that that's the best move for them. What made _Pieces..._ special in my opinion was the mixing of styles, from power metal to death metal, with interesting and innovative breaks in between. This album has a more consistently heavy sound. While the band still showcases the same diversity of styles and breaks, their effectiveness is somewhat muted due to the more consistent tone of the album. The playing is very good, as the band capably switches styles between heavy thrash, power metal, fusion, and other styles without a hitch. In addition, the music features a number of fairly technical sections, all of which are performed with admirable aplomb. My only real complaint in this regard are the clean vocals: they're not bad, but they certainly could be better. The production is very good, though it sounds somewhat sterile. A warmer production might've been beneficial. While I've been somewhat disappointed by this album, I must say that it (like _Pieces..._) has grown on me with repeated listens. Overall, it's a good album, and should appeal to fans of well-played and diverse metal. Arch Enemy - _Burning Japan Live_ (Century Media, 2000) by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10) A Japan-only release, this forty-eight minute live album, recorded at a single show, has a clear yet characteristic sound which places it in the rare category of being a live album well worth owning. The musical elements have a live-sounding rawness while retaining the subtleties which are such essential parts of Arch Enemy's masterful mixture of pure riff and metal melodies. Furthermore, Johan Liiva's vocal delivery is both powerful and expressive -- and similarly well-balanced and accentuated by the top-notch production. The set list focuses on Arch Enemy's last two releases, _Stigmata_ [CoC #32] and _Burning Bridges_ [CoC #41], with "Dark Insanity" and "Transmigration Macabre" from 1996's _Black Earth_ and "Diva Satanica" (_Burning Bridges_'s Japanese bonus track) being the three exceptions out of the eleven songs on offer here. The crowd are enthusiastically loud though their fanatical support is thankfully quite unintrusive to the enjoyment of the record. However, though good, _BJL_ does not seem worth shelling out extortionate import prices for, sight-unseen: I'd suggest trying to track it down by some other less costly method before you lay out large sums for a full, proper copy. At Vance - _Heart of Steel_ (Shark, 2000) by: Alvin Wee (9.5 out of 10) Helloween maniacs, listen up: all is not lost with the deluge of sub-standard power/prog acts pouring out of Europe these days. At Vance attack with a stunning blend of top-level virtuosity and masterful song-writing that belies the obscure nature of the band. _Heart of Steel_ scales the heights of bands like Freedom Call and Edguy, as soaring melodies sweep forth in torrents of epic majesty. Cheesy to some, but for most bands, finding a competent voice to carry forth the music is challenge enough (see Drakkar, Heimdall, etc.). Vocalist Oliver Hartmann rises to the occasion even as Olaf Lenk shreds his way through solo after incendiary solo. Tracks like the opening "Soldier of Time" are few and far between, often the highlight of the album, but the following anthems don't leave any room for complaint. Right down to ballad "Princess of the Night", an old-school crooner a la Axel Rudi Pell, the quality of music and musician never once fall short of near-perfection. Axel Thubeauville's impeccable production leaves nothing to the imagination, accentuating every incisive beat and heart-rending note with a crystal-clear punchiness. Die-hard fans of ballsy, "true" metal might find the smoothness somewhat offending, and should stick to the new Exciter instead. But anyone who appreciates classy Teutonic Helloween-worship must never miss this classic-in-the-making. Take my word for it. Behemoth - _Thelema.6_ (Avantgarde, November 2000) by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10) It wasn't much more than a year ago that Behemoth unleashed their mighty _Satanica_ [CoC #43], but this Polish force of remarkably powerful and technical metal seems to be very restless indeed these days. Not many out there seem capable of putting out a record that contains so many technical nuances while remaining such a bludgeoning force. Having said this, the production here didn't turn out to be as impressive as _Satanica_'s -- but it still is very good, though, and the searing vocals are still definitely there. Nevertheless, and despite the fact that none of the tracks on _Thelema.6_ managed to impress me more than _Satanica_'s amazing opener "Decade of Oepion", Behemoth's latest seems overall more consistent than its predecessor. The songs seem to work a bit better together and, as the band continues to move away from black metal and towards a very technical style of modern death metal, more elements have again been added to the mix that keep things very interesting indeed: the drumming is yet more complex and varied than before, as is the guitar and bass work. Another brilliant output from Behemoth -- although _Thelema.6_ doesn't go far enough for me to want to bestow upon Behemoth the 10 out of 10 that I hoped I would, I find in it no relevant signs of the band stagnating or losing momentum either. Black Abyss - _Land of Darkness_ (B.O. Records, 2000) by: Alvin Wee (6 out of 10) Considering their Teutonic origins, it doesn't take much to predict what debutants Black Abyss present on _Land of Darkness_. Going for a darker image than most of their fellow countrymen, this five-piece deliver a somewhat mediocre slab of Teutonic speed-power with a less-than-epic feel (in comparison to Freedom Call, At Vance et al). A highly promising opener seems to bode well for the remaining tracks, with a typically catchy group chorus kicking things off. Like compatriots Custard, singer Oliver Hornung handles his vocal duties amply enough, but in a somewhat low register that doesn't quite achieve the same effect as the usual brand of high-pitched singing. It is perhaps this aspect which casts the entire album in a less than favorable light, lending the songs a rather lacklustre feel. Little to complain about the music, a blend of Primal Fear and aforementioned Custard (the similarities are too many to ignore), a mixture I've never been extremely keen on. Things take a definite downturn after four tracks, the only relatively pleasant surprise being a pedestrian cover of "The Trooper" near the end. Even the title track closing out the album falls short of its promising intro, the nicely penned chorus being the only highlight of the track. With new vocalist and a sharper mix, Black Abyss are capable of so much more, and it hurts to see this album go to waste. As it is, Black Abyss has received excellent response from their homeland, and fans of Primal Fear -- not me -- will enjoy this solid piece of metal. Easily obtained in Europe; U.S. readers might try import mailorders. Blood Axe - _In Battle_ (, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (2 out of 10) This is one of those records where after just a few minutes of spinning it, I wonder if I should just take it off, throw it on my CD shelf and just forget about it. I got this feeling right away with Blood Axe. I didn't know what to do. The sound quality of this supposed "Viking Metal" from Canada was just abominable. The voices were so low in the mix (almost inaudible at times) that I had to turn it up louder to just hear snippets of gargling metal groans. And the music? There is nothing at all creative about what Battle Axe do. Their music is just mediocre at best, no doubt its effect deflated by the miserable production and horrendous vocals. Only good point: the artwork. I think Battle Axe better brush up on their production skills before they try to forge forward new ground with their Viking Metal. I'd rather jump into a fjord than spin this disc again -- serious! Contact: Blood Axe, Suite 15 1204-A Roland Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5M4, Canada mailto:bloodaxe@Odinn.zzn.com http://www.bloodaxe.net Blood Duster - _Cunt_ (Dr. Jim's Records, November 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10) Not only has the "thunder from Down Under" returned to the metal scene, but they have also managed to return in classy form. The new disc, appropriately titled _Cunt_, is a blistering wave of grindcore mayhem that just crushes anything they have ever done. The music is faster, the movie clip samples are classic and the band's sense of humour has escalated ten fold since their inception in 1991. Managing to break away from the experimental side of _Str8OuttaNorthcote_, an album Adam Wasylyk hated (why, Adam? Why?) -- myself and Alain Gaudrault have yet to forgive him for that --, the band has regrouped with old members and just cranked the amps up and played their guts out. The end result is _Cunt_, a wild realm of no nonsense bullshit that just paints a picture of the fucked up world Blood Duster reside in. Fans will rejoice in their return to the metal scene and others will just be disgusted and irritated at the sight/sound of Blood Duster's pent up aggression churning our new ditties like "Pornstorestiffi", "Anotherslackerarsedaussieband" and "Don'tcallmehomeboyya'cunt". Childish? Maybe, but it is all Blood Duster and they wouldn't have (or want it) any other way. Warning: watch out for the photo inside the CD sleeve. You've been warned! Boiler Room - _Can't Breathe_ (Tommy Boy, December 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) This album just rings of nu-metal sounds and style, but I'm not going to write off Boiler Room. I'm a fan of some of the nu-metal sounds and I don't have a problem with it as long as it is done right and done with conviction. The music has to move me. Who cares what genre it is? If it moves me, I'm impressed. So you're asking yourself, "How does Boiler Room stack up?" I'll tell ya people, Boiler Room definitely have the shit going on and no doubt OzzFest veterans and the new breed of high school nu-metal scavengers will be all over this. The selling point of Boiler Room is the vocal delivery of singer Chris Lind, backed tightly and quite adequately by his hombres. At times it sounds cliche -- it all does at times --, but when they hit a stride they can prove quite impressive. Mainstream for sure, but with some footing that is helping them keep it real in metal's realm of existence. Choice cut: opener "Do It Again" or the cool-vibe of "Insomnia". Breakdown - _Battle Hymns for an Angry Planet_ (Thorp Records, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (8 out of 10) This record consists of one "battle hymn" after another, and the songs seemingly get better as the record progresses. Although it seems that these guys have been a staple in the East Coast hardcore scene for many years, I had never heard of them before this came in the mail (freakin' poseur that I am!). I am happy to say that this is finely crafted hardcore with thought-provoking lyrics that is creative, non-redundant, and there's sing-a-long choruses to boot. Roger Miret (Agnostic Front) makes a great guest appearance on "Freedom Song". Makes me want to lace up the old boots again. Contact: Thorp Records, P.O. Box 2007, Upper Darby PA 19082, USA http://www.chordrecordings.com Burn It Down - _Let the Dead Bury the Dead_ (Escape Artist, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (8.5 out of 10) The rollercoaster ride of Burn It Down's latest offering _Let the Dead Bury the Dead_ is not for everyone, and that comes in quite loud and clear with the manic frenzy of the hardcore rhythms, the (at times) rather melodic vocals and the shredding guitars. There is a lot going on and the emotional ideas of the album's theme run even deeper. Singer Ryan Downey is solid in all shape and form, a ringleader to the chaos and charismatic enough to take us by the hand and let us trust him as all Hell breaks loose. The thing about Burn It Down is not the hardcore elements or the diversity. The power of Burn It Down lies in the passion of their music. Their material is just such a passionate flow of ideas that gel with an intense hardcore groove that never seems to let up. Just check out numbers like "The Most Beautiful Lie I Ever Told or Sold", "Do Your Worst" or "Every Man's Got a Devil" and you'll see the dynamic diversity this band has to offer. Throw in a blistering cover of the classic Rolling Stones song "Paint it Black" and this record just shines. The theme of the record revolves around choosing a path in life and trying to get the most out of it, regardless of where you are currently situated. This is a deep record and a must for fans who want to experience something above par to the regular cliche of sounds and styles flooding the market. Burn It Down are true to what they and do and the ideas they believe in -- and it shows. Cage - _Astrology_ (Omega / Universal, September 2000) by: Kirsty Buchanan (4 out of 10) Despite having a frontman who bears more than a passing resemblance to British Klingon-faced comedian Bill Bailey, appearance cannot save Cage. Opening with a brief (and yet still pretentious) introduction, this record only goes downhill. From there on in there is nothing but a catalogue of excessive, unnecessary guitar "nonsense", squealing American men, frankly slapdash drumming and poorly dreamt up concepts. Each song relating to an individual element of the zodiac!!! I wish I could credit Cage with a good idea, but basically, this effort doesn't work: it's a bad plan to start with and is horrendously executed. Let's play a little game, shall we. What did Dave Garcia (guitar) and Sean Peck (vocals and Klingon warrior) listen to last decade? That's right, nothing but early Judas Priest and late eighties Iron Maiden. The whole thing comes across as convoluted, pretentious and visionless. With no desire to -affect- the public, Cage seem happy merely lining their pockets with Deutschmarks. If only they had some degree of freshness, innovation or a modern context. Though I doubt any of that would help. With lyrics that "a teenager in anguish" would be ashamed of, Cage fail to even interest me -- and their band photo resembles the local pub darts team that your dad and uncle play on. It's merely a matter of time before silly hats, beige cardigans and dominoes become the order of the day. Rubbish. Nothing more. Cast in Stone - _Life on Trial_ (Warfare Records, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (8 out of 10) This six song CD is full of totally infectious West Coast hardcore. On the first two songs, the band really reminds me of early Earth Crisis, but they do have the distinctive West Coast aggro thing intact. It also reminds me to quit listening to that damn Christina Aguilera CD just because she has cool red streaks in her hair now. By the third song they throw that vibe out the window and get down to some speed and mosh riffs. Yeah baby, there are many out there in whose hearts this stuff will never die! Drummer Derek Youngsma's snare is very tight, and has a cool, non-over-produced papery sound to it, which drives the music to great effect. Cast in Stone are yet another energetic hardcore band from the very fertile grounds of California, and it's almost enough to get me packing my bags and getting out there. Hopefully this EP is a good example of things to come from this scene and this band in particular. Shave that head which doesn't bang! Contact: Warfare Records, 2036 Alexander Dr., Escondido CA 92025, USA http://www.warfarerecords.net Cephalectomy - _Sign of Chaos_ (Discorporate Music, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10) The last time I reviewed Cephalectomy, it was their five-track demo _Dark Waters Rise_ in CoC #34. Things have definitely changed for the band, both in sound and most importantly production. While still garnishing their brutal death metal attack with sounds reminiscent of Brutal Truth and Internal Bleeding, the band has managed to forge for themselves a solid death metal groove of sorts. Not bad for two guys (Jason Nichols and Corey Andrews), eh? Powerfully commanding, the band's deliverance will blow you away should you stand close enough to the speakers of your stereo system. While some might shrug them off as just another indie Canadian death metal act, Cephalectomy have proven that with time and patience, their direction and sound can be intensified -- check out tracks "The Ravaged Crimson Fields of Evanescence" or "Dimensional Manifestations of Ashen Forms". If you like your metal fast and furious, I suggest some East Coast (Canada) death metal to digest over the holidays. Contact: Corey Andrews, 68 Walker St. Apt. 2, Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 4A7, Canada http://www.cephalectomy.com Cryptopsy - _And Then You'll Beg_ (Century Media, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (8.5 out of 10) In reference to _Whisper Supremacy_ in CoC #34, Paul Schwarz mentions the random rumblings and clicks that precede what he describes as being "total Armageddon", which was a completely accurate description of the first track on that album, and I always have those words in mind when listening to it. Well, not astonishingly, Cryptopsy have created more "total Armageddon" with _And Then You'll Beg_, pleasing fans and fuelling the fire for critics. You see, many criticize Cryptopsy for throwing disjointed sections together and calling them "songs", but for the fan this is of course the true beauty of this band. The riffs that they throw together alongside the incessant pounding of the fastest drummer in the world, Flo Mounier, are mind-numbing and are bound to confuse even those with well trained ears and appreciation for technical chaos. Cryptopsy excel at this like no other band currently. Meshuggah can compose chaos, and Cannibal Corpse can throw disjointed parts together and make them work, but Cryptopsy's songs are better, more listenable, and more entertaining than Meshuggah's wall of noise, and they are set apart from Cannibal Corpse right away because they have more of a grind element, and with the addition of Mike DiSalvo on vocals a few years back, a certain hardcore element as well. The first track on this album sums up what this band is all about perfectly: extreme blasting speed, crazy grooves, aggressive technicality, awesome bass tone and chaotic leadwork, and serves as a dead-on example of what to expect for the rest of the 39 minute ride. I have found that these songs only become catchy after the sixth listen, and I will keep on coming back to this album through the years because I know that I will hear something new every time I choose to make the descent into this realm of brutal complexity. Throughout the whole album, each band member fights for his part to be heard, but somehow it all comes together to make for a thoroughly satisfying yet terribly confusing listening experience. Darkthrone - _Prepare for War_ (Peaceville, November 2000) by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10) Together with part one of the My Dying Bride collection [also reviewed in this issue], this Darkthrone compilation opens a series of "best of" albums from Peaceville that will also feature bands such as Anathema, At the Gates and Autopsy. For the time being, admirers of this grimly influential Norwegian ensemble are given the opportunity to read a Darkthrone biography of sorts written by Fenriz himself whilst indulging in early Darkthrone material (1988/89) taken from two demo tapes and a live concert. Besides these four tracks, the rest of _Prepare for War_ consists of two death metal tracks from _Soulside Journey_, a couple others from the distinctly black landmark _A Blaze in the Northern Sky_, two more from _Under a Funeral Moon_ and three from what is perhaps their most famous release, _Transilvanian Hunger_ (with whose inspiring title track opener this compilation starts). Darkthrone's latest album, _Ravishing Grimness_, is not represented as it was not released through Peaceville. The material on _Prepare for War_ is quite varied, reflecting the band's progression throughout the years, and although the multitude of different production options tends to detract from the overall flow of the compilation, that was hardly avoidable anyway. A very well balanced compilation indeed, featuring both a selection of the band's classic material and also rare demo and live tracks -- very interesting both for collectors who already know all about Darkthrone and for those who want to know more about this legendary band. Deadfood - _Weird Feelings_ (, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (no rating) This be a strange beast indeed. Although it seems to be based on somewhat of a grind aesthetic, there are many other things to take into consideration, such as clean vocals, piano, sound effects, keyboards and xylophones, and they actually only go full-tilt grind on the track "Eximo". Cowpunk and older Meat Puppets (and I'm not just making a food association here) also play a role in the sound of Deadfood, but they are really too strange to describe with any clarity, and totally impossible to categorize. The track "Barbara" sounds like Pspazz, and a highlight of the album is a cover of the Old Lady Drivers' hit "Colostomy Grab Bag". The last two tracks are ambient soundscapes -- what the heck is going on here? Contact: Deadfood, P.O. Box 6488, Burbank, CA 91510-6488, USA http://www.deadfood.com Dipknoi - _fkddd_ (Moonza Records, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10) All the way from Brazil comes the rock 'n' roll (with a definite metal groove at times) of Dipknoi. The music, a little bit weak on the production end, is a loose assortment of bar band-like numbers that rock when need to but do little to spark any real foot tapping. I think the music is too weak for the harsh delivery of singer Ricardo Matsumoto and I really think they need to explore a more vibrant production element. The music wanders in and out, rarely showcasing any real mentionable qualities. Good musicians no doubt, but Dipnoi needs more than that to make a statement to those of us living in North America and abroad. This disc, _fkddd_, needs more work. Contact: Dipknoi, P.O. Box 2313, Sao Paulo, SP 01060-970, Brazil mailto:dipnoi@uol.com.br http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/studio/3016/ (soon: http://www.dipnoi.com) Disrespect - _Hit the Ceiling_ (Diehard, November 2000) by: Paul Schwarz (7.5 out of 10) Drawing considerable influence from pre-_Slither_ Earth Crisis material, Disrespect have hammered out a solid thirty-odd minutes of metallic hardcore featuring battering drumming, fat guitars and Buechner-grade indecipherable vocals. Despite a clean and individual execution, _HtC_ does leave slightly too strong an aftertaste of Earth Crisis than Disrespect's better judgement should have allowed. However, the strategic deployment of good, Obituary-esque melodic lead work serves to reduce the album's potential for tedium or excessive similarity to the Syracuse bruisers' signature. It's cool to think that Disrespect crank _Cause of Death_ alongside _Destroy the Machines_ -- even though the hardcore / death metal cross-pollination means that they wouldn't necessarily have had to. Solid, aggressive and centrally honest, a good record from what are probably a good band to see live. Dominion Caligula - _A New Era Rises_ (No Fashion Records, 2000) by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10) Now this is a compulsory piece of work. Very riff-happy and listener-friendly. I like this more and more with each spin in my player. What do I like, you ask? Well, how about the horrific "Domination" track, for starters. Ripping and bloodless as the song invades your consciousness. Cool as hell. Vocals are what you might come to expect from Emperor Magus Caligula of Dark Funeral, but at the same time, nothing like DF's scrapped, black metal approach. Dominion adds his professionalism to that of Lars Johansson on guitar, and what a combination -that- is. For example, take in the sheer ability of the solo about three minutes and ten seconds into song four, the indiscreet "In Love With the Gods". Dominion Caligula is much more than a spin here and there CD -- it is certainly a welcome staple on any metalhead's playlist. Producer Peter Tagtgren only helps this debut reach its objectives that much more professionally and easily. Nearly forty-five minutes of rebelliously cold, catching black metal taken down a path less traveled. Find it. Enjoy it. Dominus - _Godfallos_ (Diehard Music, November 2000) by: David Rocher (7 out of 10) Having never heard any of Dominus' earlier material, the bio provided with their new release enlightened me to the fact that _Godfallos_ is none other, or less, than "the creature that lives up God's ass". With this very revealing thought in mind, a first spin of _Godfallos_ still proves to be rather hard to define. Shifting between rabid thrash and blatantly _Metallica_-influenced heavy metal, _Godfallos_ offers eleven entertaining, competently played and written tracks: _Godfallos_ boasts some cool riffage, great vocals, oozes with killer guitar leads, and generally offers some really catchy material. Lead axeman Pete Storm and vocalist Michael Poulsen do a great job, delivering zany leads and hooklines, shifting from death metal rasps to cool, virile heavy metal vocals with amazing ease and a good deal of power. Unfortunately, however, not all tracks prove to be as efficient and memorable as the opener "Thine", which boasts a great structure, a cool chorus and a really wicked vocal line -- on the whole, in fact, _Godfallos_ soon turns out to sound kind of "samey", although "samey" here is on a distinctly high level. I honestly believe that if Dominus can channel their ideas better and more efficiently as on their scorching "Thine", they have more than what is just required to be a good aggressive heavy metal band, both recognised and sought for. Dreams of Damnation - _Let the Violence Begin_ (Necropolis, 2000) by: Aaron McKay (6.5 out of 10) What to do? Dark Angel is far and away one of my favorites. Dreams of Damnation publicize themselves as a Dark Angel replicas. I, for one, don't hear it. I -may- be alone on that, too, but I don't care. If I would not have come to understand that Jim Durkin was in this band and playing guitar, I would have -never- guessed it. Is this band good and proper in their own right? YES! Savage and severe, DoD force their scarred thrash reality upon you like a midnight stalker's wrath. For one reason or another, I am suffering from the Burning Inside syndrome (see issue #49). Dreams of Damnation's vocalist/bassist, Charlie Silva, doesn't complete the circle for me in the vocal arena. I like the whole band as a package unit and singling out the vocals is essentially nitpicking, but I don't feel comfortable saying that everything is hunky-dory here; it isn't. I surely will listen to _Let the Violence Begin_, but will it keep my interest? Only time will tell. I see better things for this band on the horizon unless the much talked about Dark Angel reunion occurs. If that happens, I'll drop DoD like a bad habit -- otherwise I -may- hold on to it like an ol' warm blanket reminding me of years long gone that by when even the mere thought of Mr. Hoglan and the boys live in concert boiled my fiercely human blood! LONG LIVE DARK ANGEL! Contact: http://www.necropolisrecords.com Embraced - _Within Me_ (Regain, December 2000) by: Chris Flaaten (8.5 out of 10) I absolutely loved Embraced's debut, _Amourous Anathema_. Now they are finally back with a follow-up album, which I have eagerly waited for after hearing a few tracks from it at their awesome gig in Oslo in March 1999. Embraced has very a distinct sound. It is like a mix between Gothenburg-style death metal and light black metal with heavy use of both synth/piano and hammering riffs. The album is like its predecessor, full of variations in tempo and structure, but the songs may be a tad more similar to each other this time. There are too many great moments on this album to mention, but at the same time these moments are less frequent on _Within Me_ than on their previous album. In other words, their debut is still their best work yet, but _Within Me_ is a great album, one of my favorites of 2000. Tracks like "Nighttime Drama" and "Sacred Tears" explain why. I suspect that their next record will be their best, though. The band was offered several deals from big labels, but was unable to break loose from their contract with Regain Records, a label which released their new album well over a year after its completion and not with a big budget. Annoying when labels cling to bands and drag them down like this... Epoch of Unlight - (The End Records, 2000) by: Aaron McKay (9.5 out of 10) Three glimpses of bliss: "The Last to Fall", "In the Absence of Light" and "Return to Eidolon". I've waited longer than I care to explain for a new Epoch of Unlight release. Seeing these guys at the Milwaukee Metalfest this last Summer was enough to hold me over until got my greedy little hands on this extremely advance demo. Compelling, professional, ripping, scalpel-sharp, and very hard to tear yourself away from, this kind of metal is as oxygen is to a fire: indispensable. If you have any reservations about what I am referring to, at your first opportunity, I would appeal to your good taste and encourage you to look at "In the Absence of Light" to buttress my claim. A bombastic introduction followed by a guitar riff so compelling it'll dislodge even the basest of intrinsic instincts. Believe me when I tell you, this will wound your inner-child! Recorded ruggedly, this advance three-tracker is as precise as it is captivating. The caustic atmosphere of the recording contributes to the demo's universal sundering prominence. Make no mistake about it, Epoch of Unlight's work is some of the most authoritative and commanding in recent years. Any music that is strong enough to challenge my focus and question my logic is what I have come to look for in bands such as Epoch of Unlight. Awaken to the new era -- the age of Epoch of Unlight. Fetus Eaters - _Vomitcore_ (, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (6 out of 10) I would say that Fetus Eaters is an awful name for a band, unless we're talking pig here. _Vomitcore_ is twenty one tracks of crazy grind in the vein of A.C., which they actually make a reference to in "Seth Is Gay". If you find that title amusing, how about "C'mon, Nobody Really Likes Manowar" or "The Bus Should Have Fell on Lars" (yes in-freakin'-deed!). It's really a shame that there are no lyrics to be found to decipher the mad vocals supporting such grand ideas. Amongst all the grind, you will also hear train whistles, circus music and other bits of ear candy to Bungle things up a bit. This is the kind of music that will just straight up get you fired if you listen to it at work, so I guess I'm living life on the edge now -- yeah buddy. Contact: Fetus Eaters, P.O. Box 6488, Burbank CA 91510-6488, USA mailto:kevinfetus@hotmail.com Fleurety - _Department of Apocalyptic Affairs_ by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) (Supernal Music, May 2000) Supernal Music's rather hilarious "warning about Fleurety" (i.e. the release info and band biography), "signed" by Norwegian trade and tourism authorities, tells you about these "traitors" to "true black metal" whose music is all "avant garde" instead of "fast and icy". What it also tells you is that _Department of Apocalyptic Affairs_ features a lot more than the two actual band members, and the list is impressive: Maniac, Hellhammer, Garm, Sverd, Carl Michael and ten others (not all of them necessarily related to the metal scene). In fact, in the list you will find members of bands such as Ulver, Arcturus, Dodheimsgard and Beyond Dawn, all of whom are hardly rooted in the metal scene at all anymore nowadays. That is the case of Fleurety as well, and _Department of Apocalyptic Affairs_ is about as difficult to squeeze into a genre pigeonhole as I've ever found with a release on a metal label. Despite the aforementioned promotional material having helped prepare me and get me in the mood for the musical experiments and (hopefully) entertaining creativity to come, I was put off by the cheerful, bouncy start of _DoAA_'s opening track. This was fortunately not going to be the case for the rest of the record, however, and things soon got better. Using the massive number of guests that I mentioned before (also including, for instance, a saxophone player and female vocalists), Fleurety keep things remarkably unpredictable if you pay attention to detail. Opting for a somewhat subdued sound instead of all-out aggression, the Norwegian duo challenges (and often seems to tease) the listener throughout the record. Following Maniac's appearance on third track "Shotgun Blast", the album enters what I perceive as its finest stage: the following three tracks, most of which are sung with female vocals ("Last-Minute Lies" also features Garm's guest appearance). A rather Portishead-like song then follows before a "radio edit" version of second track "Face in a Fever" closes _DoAA_. Having generally enjoyed the record, I still cannot say it really enthralled me despite all the interesting experimentation going on -- some of the music could have been more emotionally charged and sometimes the experimentation seems to harm the consistency of the album itself somewhat. Nevertheless, _DoAA_ is an interesting and enjoyable album from a creative duo that refuses to conform to any standards. Contact: http://www.supernalmusic.com Ginger Leigh - _Broken by the World_ (, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10) I was actually taking my time deciding on whether or not to review this for CoC. I decided to give it a chance and let the readers of the magazine decide if it was worth investigating. This is indeed a strange mix of sounds and styles, most noticeably drawing from the likes of Godflesh, Johnny Violent and Nine Inch Nails, though less of the latter's commercial substance. The beats of this electronic outfit are whisked into a fevered frenzy, as distorted sounds and samples make their way throughout the song. The end result? A mish-mash of sounds and ideas that sound like you're at a rave at times, but quite easily make it seem like you've been abducted by aliens and are in another world. Cool, creepy and just downright crafty. I think this belongs in CoC 'cause it will no doubt expose many people to a form of music they may not know of or really care for. We all need to just get away (especially us metalheads) and why not let someone else do the driving for a while? It's worth the trip to Ginger Leigh's world. Contact: Ginger Leigh, P.O. Box 863 Artesia, CA 90702-0683, USA http://www.gingerleigh.com High on Fire - _The Art of Defense_ (Man's Ruin, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10) Ex-Sleep singer Matt Pike steps away from the sometimes long routed, sludge and grind of Sleep to form a high-octane stoner-rock band chock full of thrashing guitar riffs, hearty vocals and a solid rhythm section to boot. The music on _The Art of Defense_ is very heavy, a trait that comes to the front almost as soon as the disc starts, due to the rawness of the production. My only complaint is that some of the songs sound the same. This is their first disc, so I'll cut them some slack. Fans looking for a reason to rock out and get high, pick up High on Fire's debut and get smokin'. Choice cuts: Opener "Baghdad" and "Blood From Zion". Hybrid Children - _Stardom Is Here_ (Dream Catcher, June 2000) by: Kirsty Buchanan (7 out of 10) What a shame that Hybrid Children chose such a stuttering non-entity of a track as "No Parade at the End of the Drain" as one of the openers to this collection of pop-rock fun. From the lamenting ballad style of "Crawl Back to Win" to the fiercely opinionated "I'm a Work of Art", _SIH_ is anything but consistent in quality. This release marks a foray into more pop based sounds; _SIH_ is less metal themed than 1998's _Drugster_. Although an essentially listenable album with a light-hearted, feel-good vibe, _SIH_ can and does at times seem somewhat contrived. While "Like Every Day Is the Last" is an introspective statement with powerful complimentary guitar, it nonetheless sounds excessively vocally led. Potential live favourite "Urban White Boy Blues" suffers the same problem with its sing-along-a-Hybrid feel: their Finnish accents transfer through slightly poorly into the vocals, and they can end up sounding like upper-class Oxford boys. I have no concrete proof or specific example with which to refer and compare, but "Down for Evermore" just sounds a little too familiar to me. I can't say to what because I'm not sure. There is always the possibility that it's just one of those songs, but I don't know... However, a mainly mediocre album is redeemed from the detriments of sloppy guitar work and weak song construction by the pure happy energy fired into it -- a fact exemplified by the upbeat percussion. On a number of journeys around his kit, I was both surprised and impressed by the way (the intriguingly named) Headache's talents overshadowed the other Children. Generally an amiable offering; although there are other Kids in the playground who play the game better, few have the simple gusto of the Finns. Hypnos - _In Blood We Trust_ (Morbid, September 2000) by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10) Evil Dead samples and references may not be original as features of death metal albums, but that makes them no less cool. Hypnos do themselves the credit of choosing a good tone-setting edit from the first film (the recitation from "The Book of the Dead") for their intro, and don't even completely spoil things when they come crashing in with their music. This quick-fire follow-up to Hypnos' self-titled EP is cruder and simpler than the output of the death metal scene's leaders, but nonetheless offers a well-constructed and more-than-usually varied platter of music. Mixing brutality, melody, good solos and dynamic work into a well-rounded package, Hypnos impress and invigorate to a surprising extent, though they ultimately fail to have you headbanging and screaming their name from the rooftops. As regards the band's own progression, they've improved their production and developed their songwriting: the five non-EP tracks presented here remind less of Krabathor than the EP did. The result is to place Hypnos near or on top of the Czech death metal pile, in my eyes. i - _One Word_ (Let It Burn Records, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (6 out of 10) East Coast hxc done German style that is actually not bad. The vocals are surprisingly not accented heavily even in the clean parts, and the lyrics are expounded upon by accompanying liner notes provided by members of the band. The music is not bad, but nothing too great either, and I will say that the drum sound is the worst that I've heard in awhile (think cardboard). i has only been a band since March of 2000, but have already toured and released a split 7" with High Hopes previous to this MCD, so they must be an ambitious bunch -- let's hope that ambitiousness translates into some truly great hardcore on their upcoming full-length. Contact: Let It Burn Records, c/o Christoph Zehetleitner, Benno-Benedicter Str. 31, 86609 Donauworth, Germany Icon of Coil - _Serenity Is the Devil_ (Metropolis, 2000) Juno Reactor - _Pistolero_ (Metropolis, 2000) by: Aaron McKay (both 7 out of 10) What do Juno Reactor and Icon of Coil have in common other than that both are on the Metropolis label? Nothing, but I decided to use a bit of creative license and put them in the same review. Why? I felt like it -- plain and simple. That and I didn't have a lot to say about Juno Reactor other than what I already brought up about their fifth release, _Shango_ [CoC #49]. _Pistolero_ is a singles compilation of remixes, a la Nine Inch Nails, centered around, of course, the original cut. A beneficial CD for the inquisitive in our midst. Icon of Coil isn't as easy to tag. _Serenity Is the Devil_ whips up dance-frenzy of musical delineations reminiscent of 1982's Steven Lisberger film, "Tron". Infectious? Fuck, yea! If you are at all familiar with the Metropolis label, Icon of Coil is a perfect match. Beating his way to you from Norway, Andy LaPlegua's started IoC as a one man project in 1998. No longer; Mr. LaPlegua is joined by Sebastian Komor, with Computer Girl and Christian Lund for live performances. _Serenity Is the Devil_ is this band's first and initial release. Tried and true dance/synth trends aplenty, _Serenity Is the Devil_ is a nearly sixty minute, air-tightly fresh effort of power prancing "pop"; underground, of course. Immolation - _Close to a World Below_ (Metal Blade, November 2000) by: Kirsty Buchanan (9 out of 10) Often the level of production levered into a band's work, and/or the obvious effort put into the artwork, are a cover. Such things can often be a sugar coating for a sour, sour pill. However, in this situation the production value and extensively blasphemous artwork can only add to an already fantastic release. Not this time the superficial glaze of lesser bands, no, an extension of the pure genius that shows itself through the music of Immolation. There are reasons that Immolation are still to the fore in the death metal scene, and they don't need to be discussed after listening to this album. Bass guitar, an oft ignored medium in this genre, is particularly audible, specifically in the clamoring wonder of "Fall From a High Place". Not only audible though, the bass rings through as an echo to the powerful voice of Ross Dolan. Not for nothing is the vocalist also the bassist; he complements himself wonderfully. As a listener, the comprehensive blasphemy is a standard to the genre; but as a young Catholic girl I was impressed with the obvious research which Immolation have clearly experienced to bring this joyous disquiet to our ears. Nothing short of phenomenal, a truly astounding effort. Impaler - _One Nation Under Ground_ (Root of All Evil, 2000) by: Aaron McKay (6.5 out of 10) My very first exposure to Impaler was on the Root of All Evil 2000 second anniversary sampler [CoC #49]. I truly enjoyed that CD taster. Impaler are raw and, in their own right, peerless. Not for everyone, however. Not many strive to the garden-variety goals of Impaler. There is a method to this band's madness after all. Pretty basic, though pointed and convenient. Rhymes wax poetic lyric after lyric -- sometimes purposely laughable. Imagine a rudimentary Deceased stripped down as far as you can take it and you kinda have an idea of _One Nation Under Ground_. Like on the Root of All Evil 2000 second anniversary sampler, the song "Under the Dirt" is on _One Nation Under Ground_; a plus. Track six, "Dead as a Doornail", is pretty catchy. I surely appreciate the cover of Cooper's "Teenage Frankenstein" and the use of the Mortician-like gore/horror samples throughout the effort. "Scream Machine" and "Girl of My Screams" should supply enough of an insight as to what Impaler is all about. I think Impaler may enjoy their modest appointment of being a B-rated Necrophagia. Contact: http://www.rootofallevil.com Kalmah - _Swamplord_ (Spikefarm, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) While the music of Kalmah is fast paced and intense, the pairing of harrowing riffs and melody is a match made in heaven. Thrown into the sound an eloquent flare of creativity, and the metallic beast known as Kalmah takes shape; a solid outing from start to finish. In this day and age, with so many bands trying to hard to outdo one another, Kalmah keep their heads down and just churn our melodically vibrant death metal. Paying homage to the metal veterans of the '80s, Kalmah manage to keep things crisp and never become oversaturated with ideas. The flow of such songs as "Heritance of Berija", "Alteration" or "Withering Away" have just enough keyboard to add atmosphere and style, while the punishing drive of their death metal attack takes charge. Well executed and worthy of repeated listens. Lethargy - _Discography '93-'99_ (Spoth, 2000) by: Brian Meloon (10 out of 10) The on-again-off-again career of Lethargy appears to finally be over. As a final tribute, Spoth records released this double CD, which is basically everything they've ever recorded. Included are their 1996 album _It's Hard to Write With a Little Hand_ [CoC #14], the _Humor Me_ demo [1995, CoC #4], the _Tainted_ demo (my personal favorite, 1994), the _Lost in This Existence_ demo (1993), the two songs from the Watchmen comps [1997 and 1998, CoC #27], three songs from 1999, and the unplugged version of "Lost in This Existence" from their split with Big Hair (1994). It adds up to 32 songs, clocking in at a whopping 133 minutes. Their style can be described as "palsycore", meaning that it's a hardcore/metal hybrid with spastic riff and tempo changes and little regular song structure. Human Remains would be a good comparison, though Lethargy are generally less extreme and more convoluted. Their riffs aren't always technical, but the way they are organized makes for a challenging listen. Riffs are thrown together in a hodge-podge style, with no thought given to song flow or development. But impressively, the band is rock solid even for the most difficult sections, where the riffs last only a few seconds each. And this lack of structure is itself a structure, giving the band their distinctive sound. Fans of technical and quirky death metal should pick this up. Highest recommendations. Love History - _Anasazi_ (The End Records, 2000) by: Aaron McKay (8.5 out of 10) This effort is nearly as difficult to describe and explain as _Organasm_ by Alchemist [CoC #49] was, but along those same lines, too. Both bands share similar qualities without ebbing over to the point of cloning each other's sound either. Wickedly complex as one passage braids into another almost more naturally than Love History's musicians embrace their instruments. It is almost as if this whole band creation was second-nature. This Czech group has an interesting vocal duo mixing Borknagar or Emperor-like spoken chants with a Chris Barnes throaty accentuation. To a lesser degree, lofty female vocal touches are utilized well, like on track four, "Masterless". Effective. I get a sense of the simplicity from Love History, too, between the complications of their sound. For example, all of the band's song titles are one or two words long ("Angealism", "Spiritual", "Sown") and the material is very easy to follow and enjoy. For those of you who have a desire for a lot of change-ups on a release, _Anasazi_ is just that. No overly abrupt segues make the flow of Love History's material pleasing. Orchestral parts play into more metal traits with the vocals punctuating in a gruffly inspirational way. A very thought-provoking CD-ROM bonus clip of the song "Lost" is also included. When viewing this, one is reminded of a short film that might possibly be presented at the Cannes Film Festival. To say this CD-ROM extra is just meaningful is putting it mildly. I believe now more than ever, bands like Love History can cover a lot of ground for music in general, but metal in particular. Contact: http://www.theendrecords.com Monster Magnet - _God Says No_ (A&M, November 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (8.5 out of 10) Is this my favourite Monster Magnet record? Probably not. To be honest, my fave disc by Dave Wyndorf and his henchmen is either 1993's _Superjudge_ or 1995's _Dopes to Infinity_. But to tell you the truth, this is my favourite Monster Magnet disc right now. Less lavish and more basic than the last record _Powertrip_, _God Says No_ is one of those records that needs repeated listens before the magic and dynamics of what the band has been able to capture here sinks in. And as many Monster Magnet fans know, this band doesn't really write or play by any book. They write music based on feelings. It is that simple. That could explain why a song like the tripping title track can co-exist with the rocking first single "Heads Explode" and a bizarre '60s-tinged piece like "Kiss of the Scorpion". I admit, the guitar work and songwriting here isn't as out there as the past work of the band, but get past those few rough edges and _GSN_ will no doubt be spinning on your CD player well into the new year. Monster Magnet's latest is pure chaos wrapped tightly into a rockin' roller coaster ride of fun. My Dying Bride - _Meisterwerk I_ (Peaceville, November 2000) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) Part one of the My Dying Bride anthology is more of a collector's album than one that lives up to its title. I could certainly think of some far more appropriate tracks for MDB's "masterpieces" than the three demo tracks that make up about one third of the record, for example, but then again that's probably what makes this record most valuable for collectors (together with the big digipak). The compilation starts with the classic "The Crown of Sympathy" from _Turn Loose the Swans_ sandwiched between opener "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium" (the rather inferior demo version of this song having been used instead of the MCD one) and demo track "The Grief of Age". _Meisterwerk I_ then takes the listener on a trip to _Like Gods of the Sun_ land with "A Kiss to Remember", followed by a good but rather long remix of "Grace Unhearing" and then "For You" all in a row. The rare demo track "Unreleased Bitterness" follows, and "Sear Me III" from the band's latest, _The Light at the End of the World_, wraps up the disc. I can hardly agree that this is a very significant part of MDB's best material, but on the other hand there are plenty of rare tracks to be found, plus the video clip for "The Cry of Mankind" from _The Angel and the Dark River_. Perhaps this compilation would have been better if it contained less tracks from _Like Gods of the Sun_, but it may be worth the investment for the rare material (not that its sound quality is great, though). I would now expect a more thoroughly enjoyable and less collector-oriented compilation for part two. Narcissus - _Newwave Techno Homicide_ (Takehold Records, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (9.5 out of 10) This is quite a band indeed, and I will state right away that fans of Refused should check this out. They really have a creative edge that many hardcore bands are not blessed with, and therefore do not rely solely on the "chugga chugga" approach to riffing and song structure. They don't even utilize a guitar tone that would do that simple stuff justice anyway. It's sort of what I imagine Stavesacre would sound like if they were aggressive, and what Neurosis might contrive if they went back to playing hxc. _Newwave Techno Homicide_ drew me in to such an extent that before I knew it I was on track four. I had to pay such close attention to the raging vocals and interesting guitar playing that I totally lost my sense of space and time, and this was the sixth time I had listened to it. What is going on here? Clean vocals make several appearances here as well. This is truly an amazing CD from this unknown band. Own it and support talent. Contact: Takehold Records, P.O. Box 19831, Birmingham AL 35219, USA http://www.takehold.com Neglected Fields - _Mephisto Lettonica_ (Scarlet, 2000) by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10) This is Neglected Fields' second album, following their 1998 debut _Synthinity_. While that album showed some serious Sentenced (_North From Here_ era) worship, this album is a more distinctive effort. They've moved toward the orchestral black metal sound of bands like Limbonic Art and Nokturnal Mortum by adding more prominent keyboards. The music is still heavily guitar dominated, and the riffs and vocals are still heavily Sentenced-influenced, but the keyboards temper the guitars and give the music a unique feel. The playing is generally quite good, though there are a few moments where things could be improved. The production is excellent: clear and powerful. The songs are generally interesting and inspired, and their core sound is dense and thick. The keyboards really add depth to their sound, not dominating the music, but expanding and filling it out. In addition, the album offers a moderate diversity of styles. The band occasionally strays away from their core sound to explore new territory, and most of these departures are successful, such as the vaguely Satriani-like instrumental "Presentiment". But this is a consistently heavy album, and the departures aren't radical enough to break its mood. Overall, this is a step in the right direction for the band, and I look forward to their next effort. Nightwish - _Wishmaster_ (Spinefarm / Vinyl Collectors, 2000) by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10) Perhaps my expectations were overly high for Finland's operatic masters Nightwish, but _Wishmaster_, their third offering, seems rather lacklustre in view of _Oceanborn_'s excellence. While by no means a bad album, the band's knack for soaring, epic melody-lines seems to be compromised in favour of a slightly more experimental approach, introducing more atonality and staccato rhythm into the previously smooth songwriting. Many fans have already ascribed the new direction to progression, and less melody-oriented tracks like "The Kinslayer" do add a touch of spice, offsetting the sublimely beautiful "Come Cover Me". Remarks have been made about _Oceanborn_ being more straightforward than _Wishmaster_; on the other hand, the music on the latter album appeals more to conventional power-metal sensibilities, downplaying the complex virtuosity and neo-classical arrangements in favor of harder-hitting power riffs. Tarja's polished soprano seems in fine form, but once again lacks the raw inspiration and operatic conviction of her previous efforts, lending the music a rather over-produced, boringly polished feel (read: The Gathering). Hammerheart's LP version boasts top quality pressing on heavy-vinyl; add to that a beautiful gatefold cover complete with separate lyric sheet and vinyl lovers have a near-flawless example of vinyl production. Certainly a recommended album despite the minor let-down, but to expect the band to top an effort like _Oceanborn_ would be asking too much, surely. Novembers Doom - _The Knowing_ (Dark Symphonies, October 2000) by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10) Together with Evoken, Novembers Doom have been trying to create quality doom metal in the USA that can compete against European bands, and both bands have definitely succeeded in this. Novembers Doom -- now quite suitably signed to Dark Symphonies -- have continued to hone their sound into something more atmospheric but still as emotional as ever, whilst trying to express that emotion yet more eloquently than before, and they have succeeded in doing so. With Eric Burnley's driving guitar dirges and Paul Kuhr's highly competent doom/death growls and clean vocals as a foundation, Novembers Doom now articulate their doom/death with more atmospheric parts, acoustic guitars and piano passages than before. This generally increases both the overall variety and the impact of some heavier sections as Novembers Doom tell of grief, sorrow and heartache with a sound that can successively be amongst the angriest and the most soothing in the genre. Only "In Memories Past" seems to be rather misplaced in _The Knowing_, but it can easily be programmed out of this hour long record. An excellent album, powerful both sonically and emotionally. Odor of Pears - _Crown of Thorns_ (, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) I don't know how we snagged a copy of this to review, but this is one of those borderline records to review in CoC. Does it fit the mold? Is it metal? Is it extreme? Where does it go? While I am at a loss on why the band would choose such a bizarre name as Odor of Pears, their music is a haunting trip through emotions, darkness and electronic/industrial-tinged offerings. The music is coated with a surreal state of sound, a sound emanating rhythms that'll sink deep into your psyche and cause you to feel bizarre and tingly all over. Odor of Pears is a cool band to take in stages, as their hypnotic guitar playing and '80s gothic inspired song patterns require a lot of concentration to get the full effect, something no doubt lost if there were to be repeated listens. Not for everyone, but definitely unique and no doubt a sonic stew of ideas for those who find comfort in bizarre music to relax and unwind to. Contact: mailto:diana@odorofpears.com http://www.odorofpears.com Primal Fear - _Nuclear Fire_ (Nuclear Blast, January 2001) by: Kirsty Buchanan (4 out of 10) Pure "Screaming Dad-Rock" at its best, or worst: it depends whether or not you are partial to the re-heated ideas of others. To my mind there is no more than 1 minute 30 seconds of original material in this release. It's all very well paying homage to your idols and those who influenced you, but some streak of personality would be a treat. This 53 minute romp through the record collections of five middle-aged men is an intriguing beast. At times it betrays the vague talent of the musicians, but just as I felt I was warming to them, another cliche was poured into my ears. Admittedly, as a band in this genre it is important to stamp your identity on your work; but there's personal identity, and then there's: a pretty basic font, cover-art to sell the cheapest of all budget computer games, and over use of the word "fire". However, the percussion on many of the tracks is skilled and the guitar work competent and at times noticeably good -- during the lyrically impressive "Now or Never", for example. Although in places more Aerosmith than anything else, a competent album can be found within _Nuclear Fire_'s unconvincing sleeve. The single standout track on this release is mercifully recognised as the "bonustrack", "Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove". It is a foray into the original land of personal thought. Passable, despite the Tommy Cooper band photo. Psychopunch - _Bursting Out of Chucky's Town_ by: Aaron McKay (3 out of 10) (White Jazz / House of Kicks, 2000) I haven't any idea where these guys were trying to go with this release. I think I hear a 1970s punk aspect to this album, but who would claim Psychopunch as protegees? Idol's Generation X? The Damned? The Buzzcocks? No fuckin' way! This is Psychopunch's second effort after _We Are Just as Welcome as Holy Water in Satan's Drink_, a pretty amusing title, but _Bursting Out of Chucky's Town_ isn't even -that-. If you'd like some straight-forwarded mindlessness with little to nothing more than watered-down, warmed-over, sub-par Motorhead riffs added to inadequate Jimmy Pursey (Sham 69) meets Faster Pussycat vocals, Psychopunch might be your alarm. Like Faster Pussycat, wake -me- when it's over!! Various - _Scream Forth Blasphemy: A Tribute to Morbid Angel_ by: Aaron McKay (6.5 out of 10) (Dwell, November 2000) Personally, I'd have begun this compilation with Diabolic's "Rapture" or Headhunter D.C.'s "Blessed Are the Sick / Desolate Ways". Listen to that beautiful Richard Brunelle-like guitar work on "Desolate Ways". Pretty damn fine. Coffin Texts and The Chasm accomplish their tasks effectively on "Thy Kingdom Come" and "Abominations". Infamy's "Fall From Grace" cover is surely time well invested, too. I was glad to see "Chapel of Ghouls" on here as well, but Mystifier was a poor choice, I thought, to do this track. Only my opinion, though. Even their take on "The Invocation" was a bit loose. Other than that, Damnation hits their mark with "Bleed for the Devil". I often wonder, what would I have done without Morbid Angel's _Altars of Madness_ release? I'm glad to see bands like Damnation do brutal justice to Morbid Angel's supreme struggle in making _AoM_ as great as I believe it to be. Damnation's version of "Bleed for the Devil" was reinforcement to that notion if ever I did hear one. Be wary, reader, there are as many cuts of _Scream Forth Blasphemy_ to watch out for as there are ones I've brought up here in this review. Better than average, though; that's for damn sure. Seth - _The Excellence_ (Osmose, September 2000) by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10) Aggressive, dark, atmospheric and infectious are not adjectives which often apply to a single release in a case where each quality is in appropriate and significant abundance. However -- carefully studying the lamentably deceased masters of blackened death, Dissection, beforehand --, Seth have given us a sophomore release which delivers the goods far more than merely adequately in all those areas. With a bit of luck, _The Excellence_ will be the genesis point which sees Seth soar to far more personally remarkable heights in the future, but for now, let's just stick with what the present has to offer, 'cause it is considerable. What most marks Seth as unusual and special is the strength and consistency of their guitar and drum attack. The former bites down hard, thrashes with style, punctuates wonderfully when required to do so, and has that essential power to emphasise and underscore melody with that seemingly contradictory mix of subtlety and profundity which acts like a magic potion for capturing atmosphere. The upfront but not intrusive drumwork melds to this, augmenting its power, underscoring its sincerity: the symbiosis of the two is ultimately what guarantees that _The Excellence_ is as remarkable and affecting as it is. That said, the vocals are by no means shoddy. Varied in general and powerful at appropriate moments, they show off a decent range and adequate ability to affect the listener. Admittedly, Seth do owe a stylistic debt to Dissection, but they are not ripping them off. _The Excellence_ doesn't grate: it's not a sound-a-like album. Seth have taken influence from a great band and forged a sound that has the potential to develop into something truly, individually their own. I hope they can make that step next time, but 'til then this beastly black/death opus will more than suffice. Six Feet Under - _Graveyard Classics_ (Metal Blade, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (2.5 out of 10) What was Chris Barnes thinking... er... smoking when he decided that the next release, following the brilliant _Maximum Violence_, was going to be a covers album? Oh man. Not only are most of the original, classic songs destroyed by the death metal wringer they are rung through, those classic songs just don't attain any of the relevant spark that made them classics. Case in point, the atrocious cover of Hendrix's classic "Purple Haze", the mediocre offerings of Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf" and Scorpions' "Blackout", or even the rocker "Smoke on the Water" (by Deep Purple). I must admit I like the AC/DC cover of "TNT", but that is about as far as it goes. Hopefully this is just Barnes and co. letting off a little bit of steam before they conquer a new disc. I at least hope so. Slaughter - _Surrender or Die_ (Utopian Vision Music, November 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) The legendary band gets high marks in my books for just starting off with the chainsaw. Yeah! Fucking metal! But there is more to the power of Canada's mighty Slaughter than a chainsaw intro. This was -the- band that influenced a legion of other bands with their ravaging metal sound and raw production, including heavyweights like Mortician and Napalm Death. Even though the original material (from 1985) has been remastered, Slaughter's music still sounds dated -- but in a good way. Back then, before Metallica broke out big and Death ever existed, Slaughter was breaking all the rules. A cult classic -- one listen to songs like "Incinerator", "Cult of the Dead" or "Shadow of Death" and you'll know why. God bless them for being Canucks! Contact: http://www.utopianvisionmusic.com Slaves on Dope - _Inches From the Mainline_ (Divine Records, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (1 out of 10) More like inches from falling into my trash can. Ugh!? This is absolutely horrible. This major label debut by Canuck (now L.A.-based) act Slaves on Dope is just like a shot to the head. It is so full of cliche metal sounds and nu-metal styles that I cringe at what they have become. Take the styles of Pantera, Soulfly, Korn, Deftones, Godsmack, Boiler Room, Slipknot, Incubus and any other OzzFest nu-metal band and you've got the music of Slaves on Dope. I don't know what people are raving about, 'cause this band really does nothing for me. This just goes to show that marketing and label influence can piece together a sound and image that'll please thousands, but nauseate those like me. One of the worst discs of 2000. Suffocate - _Exit 64_ (GWN / Warfare Records, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) All the way from Slovakia comes the punishing death metal grooves of Suffocate, a hardened death metal regime that just plays head to the ground and full of aggression. While the material here (coming from the 1998 demo tape and transplanted onto CD) is not of the best production, the strength of the playing, and especially the powerful drumming and violent vocals (i.e. "If You Can't Be Strong...", "Duplicity"), make that an easy blemish to overlook. Looking for death metal that really lives up to the genre's characteristics? Suffocate just might turn your crank. Awesome album artwork as well. Contact: P.O. Box 65095, CSP Place Longueuil, QC J4K 5J4, Canada http://www.gwnrecords.com Tantrum of the Muse - _Modernmu$ick (2000!)_ by: Alex Cantwell (7 out of 10) (Takehold Records, 2000) What a trip. These guys from Pennsylvania take the sly talent of The Melvins and mix in keen emo/indie sensibilities, along with a few grindcore episodes. This is not easy-listening, nor are they a band to "jam out to", as they deal with heavy sexual topics in "Eunuch (The Sinai Orgies)", "Happy as a Lark", and "Victoria Has a Secret", as well as some other fun topics (check out "10-10-99/$screw the Christian Industry$"). Some of the lyrics are really vague, though, and although they are written from a Christian viewpoint, this band lets loose like any group of tormented souls would in "Caught With Your Halo Around Your Knees" and "Chiroptera Armada" ("In my mind lives a swine, the ones possessed by demons, my soul has made a covenant but it's all stalked by darkness"). Sheesh. I would recommend this to those who enjoy the lyrical rantings of Roadside Monument, and fans of Built to Spill and Warlord. Contact: Takehold Records, P.O. Box 19831, Birmingham AL 35219, USA http://www.takehold.com Tchort - _Love Metal / Government Issue Rock 'n' Roll_ by: Adrian Bromley (8.5 out of 10) (Illuminatus Records, 2000) Looking back at all the years I have being doing music journalism, since 1992, I can honestly say that Toronto metalheads Tchort live and breathe metal. They are an asset to Toronto's growing metal scene and true purveyors of fine heavy metal, in music and on stage. If you ever get a chance to see them, please make an effort. The rock 'n' roll poses, guitar solos and fireworks will knock your socks off. The new split disc, the _Love Metal_ EP combined with the one-time "available on vinyl" only _Government Issue Rock 'n' Roll_ record is absolutely fabulous. The disc's title track is a true metal anthem and the cover of the Boney M disco hit "Rasputin" is awesome. The other material (i.e. "Virgin Forest" and the cool "Soul Embargo") rocks hard 'n' heavy, no doubt helping Tchort spread the word of metal a bit further. Be metal and get this disc! Contact: mailto:tchortm@hotmail.com http://uncertain.org/~illuminatus/ Thanatos - _Angelic Encounters_ (Hammerheart, January 2001) by: Kirsty Buchanan (8 out of 10) With the opening title track standing at an immense, thundering six minutes, Thanatos immediately grab your attention; it is merely a pity the following track makes little or no attempt to emulate this and thus carry the listener through the album. However, after a faltering beginning, _Angelic Encounters_ just gets better and better. I have never heard anything quite as intense as "Sincere Chainsaw Salvation" or "Gods of War". The combined experience of the musicians does not, as I would have imagined, lessen the experience of the record; it is often possible for bands to seem stale and somewhat stagnant if suffering from age, not so Thanatos. Their experience seems to have given them the ability to take stock of the Dutch death metal scene and release something worthy of great praise. The drumming is astoundingly performed with seemingly the greatest of skill and ease; "The Howling" stands as a prime example of the ex-Sinister stickman's ability. The wittily titled "Thou Shalt Rot" closes this musical journey in much the way it began: with a lengthy but proficient aural pleasure. Theatre of the Macabre - _A Paradise in Flesh & Blood_ by: Aaron McKay (7.5 out of 10) (Root of All Evil, 2000) Sounding a lot like Lorde of All Desires, Theatre of the Macabre manage to salvage a shred of uniqueness and avoid the "clone" label with their sound. LeRue Delashay parted company with LoAD to wind-up forming Theatre of the Macabre. I heard this in the band's style even before learning of the stark connection between the two groups. You can also see my review of Root of All Evil's second anniversary sampler in issue #49 for some more information about Lorde of All Desires and Theatre of the Macabre. On and on and so forth. This is the band's first full length effort and, thusly, a debut of sorts. Black metal is the respective target TotM is aiming for and very nearly hits. Some attractive guitar passages can be discovered here, like the beginning to track five, "Forsaken in the Garden of Earthly Delights" (Hieronymus Bosch, anyone?). I like a cerebral reference here and there. This song is equally as enthralling as Bosch's work. Not overtly fast musically, TotM changes that in for of a more catchy riff progression. If you'd like a bit of obscure magnetism conjured in your black metal, Theatre of the Macabre may be your witches' brew. A potent concoction. Underoath - _Cries of the Past_ (Takehold Records, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (9.5 out of 10) Crazy, crazy hardcore with a very direct black metal influence. Or is it the other way around? I could just as easily say that this is crazy, crazy black metal with hardcore leanings, because these upstarts have succeeded indeed when it comes to the game of obliterating lines between classifications of metal. Sometimes life is actually worth the living, and releases like this fan my flames to get through the day. Besides the fact that Underoath have pioneered a completely new sub-genre, let it be known that this CD is 42 minutes long but consists of only five songs, and therefore, the compositions consist of many different parts. Lightning-fast riffing leads into a melodic section that turns into a giant mosh riff as keyboards weigh heavy upon the soul, drums of doom keep it all in time and shrill black metal vocals scare any small children in the vicinity -- this is just an example of what a few minutes listening to one of these dark sagas would put you through. Amazing, really; as much as I am personally into black metal as well as hardcore (which from their typical respective viewpoints, would be two forms of music/lifestyles very opposed to one another), I never dreamt of melding the two, but I am extremely glad that these six young men did, and I believe that with this album they have done it with such creativity and style that fans of both genres would embrace them. You really must check this out, not only due to the novelty of it, but because these songs are good ones! Cradle of Filth meets Hatebreed -- gnarly! Contact: Takehold Records, P.O. Box 19831, Birmingham AL 35219, USA http://www.takehold.com Usurper - _Necronemesis_ (Necropolis Records, April 2000) by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10) Riff-tastic as it comes, kiddies. Mature, solid and brutal. Want proof? Listen to the title track, especially the opening to about the two minute mark. Back to back, nuts to butts persuasive. WAIT! Is that King Diamond on backing vocals on "Necronemesis", track four? Fuck yea! Impressed? I was. Nice bad-ass riff at the onset of "1666 AD", too. These guys know what metal is all about. Usurper's _Visions From the Gods_ was reviewed in issue #48, so for some further edification, check that out, too. I haven't been this satisfied with a metal-groove smorgasbord since _Wiseblood_ or maybe _Temple of Knowledge_. "Funeral Waters", track nine, gives you a perfect representation of Usurper's ability as it drags you through the venom-laced tyranny of their kingdom; at times sounding like a heavier than lead Dimmu Borgir circa _Stormblast_. Riddled with real feeling and creativity. Very compelling. The last cut, "Into the Oblong Box", is -the- scrupulously totalitarian exodus a band strives to achieve effort after soul-searching effort. Also, it is my understanding that Usurper is heading all over Europe supporting Cradle of Filth and Christian Death for the whole of November. Usurper have certainly found their own way through this genre's confusion. Find _Necronemesis_ soon. It'll be worth it. Velvet Acid Christ - _Twisted Thought Generator_ by: Aaron McKay (9 out 10) (Metropolis, November 2000) My first exposure to Velvet Acid Christ was through a Suicide Commando remix of "State of Emergency". If you haven't tried to mentally grasp hold of it, I'd sure give it a shot! What a ride. Now, all too suddenly, I find the group offering forth their newest album. I do enjoy the sampling VAC uses so very competently; often humorous, sometimes disturbing, but always topical and relevant. "Asphixia (Wasted)", song five, uses David Duchovny's ("X-Files") voice. This adds a certain amount of creepiness. I'll give 'em that. One thing that people could -never- accuse this band of is sounding like a high-school kid with a laptop Casio keyboard. Influenced by many a person, VAC, at its core, is comprised of two individuals, Bryan and Chris. Heavy is this band's nature. Calling upon influences from Napalm Death and Godflesh, Bryan and Chris calculate inspiration from Skinny Puppy and The Cure, as well. Obviously technology-based, VAC rises above the norm to a particular height of ability. Darkness and eeriness dance unfettered throughout _Twisted Thought Generator_. This is blamed mostly on the drug use the band advocated early on (_Fun With Drugs_ and _Church of Acid_), but not so much any more, I understand. Ambiguity still invades the music, but possibly more out of habit than substance abuse. Track six, "Never Worship (Bruised Knees Mix)", beckons a sampling from Al Pacino taken from the Warner Brothers movie "The Devil's Advocate". This German-sounding American outfit is no champion of the Evil One, however. Naw. I think they are in it more for themselves. "Here, as far as could be heard, there was no weeping except of sighs which caused the eternal air to tremble; these resulted from grief without torture, felt by the crowds, which were many and large, of infants and of women and of men... Great sorrow seized my heart... because I knew that people of great worth were suspended in that limbo." (Dante, "The Divine Comedy: Inferno".) Vessel - _Vessel_ (Burning Records, 2000) by: Alex Cantwell (7 out of 10) You ready for a stompin' good time? Although Vessel's music takes on somewhat of a dark edge, it's also pretty easy to mosh around the living room to with a big ol' sloppy grin on your grill. I know nothing of this band or their background, but although Vessel is pretty much new-skool hardcore, I would imagine they listen to quite a bit of metal as well. To make it easy on myself and you as well, I will just say that this band land somewhere between Pro-Pain, Drill 187 and whatever '90s hardcore band you care to think of. Now, that is not to say that their music is generic, or without a face of its own; it's just that they will need to work on personalizing their sound. Some of the things that they already have going for them include the ability to transform their anger and frustration into good songs, and combine good hardcore breakdowns with brutal double-bass drumming. Labels like Metal Blade and Goldtrax are signing bands like this right now, ya know? I recommend this to all the punters out there, but also to all of the kids whose CD collection consists of merely Deftones and Machine Head. Contact: Burning Records, 518 Elm St., Carnegie PA 15106, USA http://burningrecords.com Vomitory - _Revelation Nausea_ (Metal Blade, November 2000) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) Vomitory seem to have no qualms about calling themselves purveyors of old-school Swedish death metal. So, casting any thought of originality aside, the question is: how good are they at playing it? As you can imagine from my rating above, I think they're pretty damn good. The vocals are a bit faceless and even somewhat casual sounding, but apart from that, _Revelation Nausea_ is powerful, tight, catchy and dynamic. Even when -- after an excellent couple of opening tracks -- Vomitory make me wonder about the Swedish-ness of it all as the twin riff of something Bolt Thrower once wrote makes its appearance midway through third track "Beneath the Soil", I am still enjoying it. This is not necessarily the case for the entirety of the remaining tracks, but as far as I'm concerned Vomitory are generally welcome to tear into the next track each time they finish one. This is not to say that you're likely to be listening to this record very often far into the year 2001 if you know what the genre is about, because entertaining and enjoyable as _Revelation Nausea_ may be, innovation does not abound here -- but quality does, and Vomitory should get some credit for that. WarHorse - _...As Heaven Turns to Ash_ (Southern Lord Records, 2000) by: Adrian Bromley (9.5 out of 10) Ever been kicked in the head? Been punched in the mouth? How about toppled over by an angry mob? Well, as Ben Grimm (aka The Thing of the Fantastic Four) used to say: "It's clobbering' time!" It has been some time since I have been won over by such a heavy, doom-like release. While I am a fan of the genre, I pick and choose my acts to follow. I have been following this band since their inception in 1996 (from the ashes of Desolation and Infestation) and have always been fond of their work. And while line-up changes have been ongoing, the band has solidified a three-piece line-up to record their debut for Southern Lord Records. And what magic they have created. The debut for Southern Lord is a culmination of all their influences (everything from Black Sabbath to Cathedral to EYEHATEGOD) and their own set style, a mixture of hardened guitar riffs and death metal stylings. While more doom than anything else, _...As Heaven Turns to Ash_ is a brilliant dose of creativity and song structures (check out numbers like "Dusk", "Black Acid Prophecy" and "Lysergic Communion") that could tear walls down. Thick, solid riffs pummel us as the disc goes on. This band floors me and I want everyone to know it. WarHorse deserve everyone's attention as we head into 2001 and their record gets released. Know the name, buy the disc. It's that simple. Witch-Hunt - _Souls Enshrouded Fire_ (X-Rated, November 2000) by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10) Though the first impressions created by the relatively lo-fi, badly balanced sound seemed to suggest Witch-Hunt were headed for another anti-climax (see their _Prophecies of a Great Plague_ EP [CoC #25]), _SEF_ as an album is actually pretty damned impressive. Witch-Hunt's breadth of expression and talent for melody-weaving and songwriting is almost as pleasantly free in its choice of expression as Gardenian's impressive _Soulburner_ [CoC #43] effort of last year. It all goes to show that time and effort can really pay off. Three years ago Witch-Hunt were easy to dismiss as a serious concern; now they are getting somewhere. It seems that it is once again necessary to forgive an underground act their rubbish name, some bad grammar and a terrible album cover, and instead concentrate on the music they make. _Souls Enshrouded Fire_ has individual merit and charisma. Lurking within its dark, obscure atmosphere there is considerable potential. Wynjara - _Wynjara_ (Nocturnal Art Productions, October 2000) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) An American death metal band with an Australian Aboriginal word for a name releasing an album through Norway's Nocturnal Art Productions? Well, NAP releasing a death metal album is hardly something I'm used to in the first place, and I was quite curious to find out what was so special about Wynjara that turned them into a seemingly exceptional case for the Norwegian label. If not the doom/death-like Scorpions cover included in this disc, then what? Most likely it was the fact that Wynjara tend to sound somewhat different from most other bands in the genre. They use a drum machine competently enough to make sure it doesn't become a problem and have a relatively unusual guitar style on top of that; furthermore, there is plenty of variation throughout the record in terms of both style and tempo. Occasional instrumental tracks and passages (including some rather subdued and acoustic ones) add more variety and length to the record: some sound like they're adding some of the former, others just more of the latter. Overall, there seems to be a bit too much mid-paced chugging riffage going on for this 53 minute long album's own good, but with the variety and technicality on offer here, Wynjara's self-titled release should be well worth a try for death metal addicts. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ __ _ /\ \ \_____ __ /\ \ \___ (_)___ ___ / \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \ / /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/ \_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___| If you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo, including a bio, if you want to be reviewed. We accept demos either on traditional media or MP3 format. E-mail us at to know which is the most appropriate postal address for you to send your CD or tape, in case you are sending one, or to indicate the location of a website from which we can download the MP3 files of your entire demo (but do NOT send any files attached to your e-mail). Scoring: ***** -- A flawless demo **** -- Great piece of work *** -- Good effort ** -- A major overhaul is in order * -- A career change is advisable All Is Suffering - _All Is Suffering '00_ (5-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (****-) Wading deep down in a pool of muck and darkened realms of obscurity is the work of All Is Suffering, a highly effective and darkened death metal act. This band just seems to pool all of its resources from the weak and helpless and watch it grow into this monstrous battering ram. This powerful death metal outfit has secured a solid and abrasive sound that bands rarely can achieve with a demo tape. This is raw, unkind and no doubt meant for those who like to get more than just speed and fancy riffs from their metal music. I recommend this demo to all those metal fans out there who want to be thrown into a world of chaos and disorder. Those willing to take a few bumps and bruises as the pits of Hell open up and all Hell breaks loose. A scary sounding record that goes the distance with its sheer brutality and uneasiness. Another great band from the state of Maryland, that also brought us acts Lucifer and Dying Fetus. Incredibly cool. Contact: 4220 Solomons Isle Rd., St. Leonard, MD 20605, USA mailto:dismob@hotmail.com Aphotic - _Aphotic_ (5-track demo) by: David Rocher (*****) When casting a first listen to Aphotic's gentle, grave, and melancholic music, the first question which springs to the mind is "why -the hell- aren't these guys signed?!" The eponymous demo _Aphotic_ contains five tracks of melancholic, dark and slow metal, very reminiscent of masters Katatonia on _Brave Murder Day_, and although this band can not as of yet claim to delve as deep into sorrowful emotions as Katatonia once did, Aphotic's compositions are breathtakingly moody, fantastically efficient and of enrapturing beauty in their "ordinary" moments, and are massively enthralling at their best, such as on the magnificent track "Psycoma" -- probably one of the best dark, forlorn metal tracks I've heard in a long time. Although I inevitably end up holding a grudge against bands preferring drum machines to human beings, Aphotic use this element to its fullest, and actually succeed in turning what could be a weak point into an instrument of cold, calculated rhythmic exactness. This American trio have a powerful, meaningful form of music conjured here, and if they prove to rise towards the heights of "Psycoma" or "Livid Dread" on their forthcoming material, they have more than their fair chance to become one of the most significant and followed acts out in their own, darkened realms. Contact: Aphotic, P.O. Box 8236, Green Bay, WI 5408-2030, USA Bride Adorned - _The Grey Eminence_ (4-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (*****) The Rhapsody shirt on one of the members in the group photo may be rather revealing of the band's influences, but Bride Adorned's mixture of power metal and somewhat Therion-like chants worked far better for me than I initially expected. This Finnish band, whilst technically very good and able to create some fine melodies and arrangements, fortunately seems quite concerned with not allowing technicality to become needlessly flashy or melody to become annoyingly repetitive (even if their band name may not suggest that). The instrumental side flows very well and is greatly enhanced by a choir that consists of four male and four female voices. The song structures are generally interesting (particularly on the title track) and production is very good for a demo CD. The whole thing could of course have sounded a lot darker for my taste, but the choirs and inventive instrumental sections ensure that _The Grey Eminence_ does not end up a boring piece of standard power metal, nor is it a cheerful-sounding one within its genre. The sheer amount of work that appears to have gone into the making of this demo is indeed remarkable per se. Add that to the fact that even though I am not a power metal fan I still enjoyed this demo, and I don't think you can ask any more from a -demo- release. Contact: mailto:brideadorned@hotmail.com http://brideadorned.cjb.net Forlorn Legacy - _Omega_ (5-track MP3 demo) by: Brian Meloon (****-) Forlorn Legacy bill themselves as the "premiere Croatian technical death metal band". While that may be true, the word "technical" is a bit of a stretch. Forlorn Legacy are a good band, but overly technical they're not. This demo is their third effort since 1996, and is available in MP3 format from their webpage. Their style is pretty typical death metal, with good musicianship, above average guitar solos, some clean vocals and some melodic sections. In other words, it's not very different from what a lot of other bands (such as Shadows Fall) are doing these days. However, the band are pretty good at the style, and with the right break, I could see them being signed shortly. They usually strike a nice balance between melody and brutality, though I'd like to see a little more diversity in terms of riff styles. The sections seem to be either melodic or brutal, with little in the way of a middle ground. The production is top notch: clear and appropriate for the music. The band are currently planning a new release. With some improvement, and a further refining of their style, they could be quite good. As it is, this demo is worth checking out if you have the bandwidth. Contact: http://forlorn_legacy.tripod.com Habeas Corpus - _Crucified_ (5-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (**---) Veteran California thrash/death metal act Habeas Corpus (they formed in 1989) have released numerous demos over the years, though this is the first time I received something from them. The five-song demo tape starts off with a lengthy sample for Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" (does he know about this?) and kicks right into this blistering rush of thrashing metal. Solid production and deep growls keep this sucker afloat, though the music is a bit cliche. The band are good musicians, I mean, they have been around longer than most bands, so they should be, but I don't really see much else than that. No new ground is really covered with Crucified. You'd think that by now the band would have something to offer us. I guess this would have been real big back in 1989 when that whole scene was still vibrant. Things didn't catch on then and I'm not sure it will now. Who knows? I may be wrong. Contact: Dark Horse Entertainment, 724 Cottonwood Street #225, Woodland, CA 95695, USA mailto:habeascorpus_666@hotmail.com http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/habeas/ Scorched-Earth Policy - _Boot-Camp Demo 2000_ (4-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (****-) Having liked their last offering titled _Tones of Ambivalence XCIX_ [CoC #40], I was excited to hear what new sounds the band was going to push for with the new _Boot-Camp Demo 2000_. Just how would it stack up? Well, it is safe to say that the band's latest batch of material is a powerful set of strong, highly balanced songs with steady rhythms and heavy guitar riffs. Some definite Bay Area influences are apparent, as the band rifles through such killer numbers as "Come Clean" and the heavy "Politics". The band no doubt is painting their take on society with each number, but it is kind of cool how they have managed to stay heavy and deliver numerous messages with their music. Tight, fast and in need of being signed, Scorched-Earth Policy is the real deal when it comes to thrash/speed metal. It seems the Bay Area has struck again. Support SEP! Contact: 6168 Park Blvd. Oakland, CA 94602, USA mailto:mlamb@presol.com http://www.scorched-earthpolicy.com Tomorrow - _Illusions We Live By_ (5-track demo) by: Alex Cantwell (***--) Pretty rockin' stuff from these hardcore undergrounders. The riffs are simple but the songs are emotional and good. The vocals are of the raspy variety, but definitely need to be smoothed out and refined. This is a young band who probably has not been playing together for a long time, and as such are a fairly tight unit, but they will need to pay more attention to detail when constructing their songs in the future, methinks. I suppose the way I can summarize their sound is to slap the term "alt-core" out there, and it's really not bad stuff at all. The CD will include two additional tracks and is available for a measly $4 from Tyler Cassley at the address below. Contact: Tomorrow, 7319 Silver Mead Rd NW, Calgary, AB T3B-3VI, Canada Unevil Hopes - _Pretranscendental_ (5-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (**---) Having just reviewed the band's split demo with Bealiah [CoC #49], I kind of knew what to expect with this keyboard-oriented, atmospheric act. I must admit this work is a bit better, maybe a bit more focused than the last record or an older review I did [_As the Light Crushed the Darkness_ demo in CoC #46], but it still sounds like something Burzum would be working on. The music is simple, but effective at times, managing to stay true to the pattern of ideas it sets out to bring forth with the music. While I now have a few demos of this band lying around, I can say that even all of the work combined doesn't really make a solid work to play on your stereo. The ideas are there, I just think the Unevil Hopes needs to shape the emotions a bit tighter and aim for something really lasting. Lacklustre work like this goes unnoticed most of the time, so I think the band is lucky we here at CoC at least give it a chance. Contact: Unevil Hopes, 28/4 Marata, St. Petersburg 19140, Russia mailto:unevil@eudoramail.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ____ __ __ /\ _`\ /\ \ /\ \__ __ \ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___ \ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\ \ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/ \ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/ ____ __ /\ _`\ /\ \__ \ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____ \ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\ \ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\ \ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/ \/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/ B E L A T E D T A L E S O F T H E U N E X P E C T E D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC haunts Morbid Angel, Enslaved, The Crown, Dying Fetus, Behemoth and Hypnos in l'Olympic, Nantes (France), December 19th, 2000 by: David Rocher To awaken the familiar ghost named "poor organisation" that usually lurks around underground metal gigs, well, this day is going to be remembered as a pretty classy appearance of this not-very-unearthly phenomenon. With the concert room doors initially meant to open at 5:30pm, many extreme metal addicts from lands afar (including yours truly) had made sure to turn up at 4:30, so as not to miss any bands... which basically then left us a full two-and-a-half hours to relish to the taste of cheap watered-down beer at an adjacent bar, as the Olympic's doors in fact only opened at 7:15pm. The best was yet to come: about one minute after the doors opened, Hypnos arrived on stage, and obviously faced a virtually empty room, as the one thousand plus attending metalheads gradually started flooding the concert hall. This of course just goes to say that I barely managed to catch the last ten minutes of Hypnos' set -- but don't go thinking I've lost any sleep about it. All Hypnos succeeded in doing, in the space of three songs flat, was proving they were distinctly nothing to write home about -- another decent but dully-glowing death/thrash buoy bobbing around an already hopelessly saturated sea. The closing track to their set, however, "In Blood We Trust", was a cut above in terms of quality and "kickassness", featuring cool leads, catchy rhythms and shedding a good deal of intensity onto the growing audience. But the concert was running late already, so Hypnos were mercilessly shunted off the scene as the roadies, with the concert's massive belatedness in mind, frantically started preparing Behemoth's equipment. Five minutes later indeed, the Polish quartet invaded the stage, and kicked in fast, hard, and with murderous precision into the glorious _Satanica_ opener, "Decade of Oepion", before moving on into an array of material from their new meisterwerk _Thelema.6_. I had placed great expectations in Behemoth this evening, and the band flawlessly lived up to these, as they covered material from almost the whole of their career, looming as far back as _Grom_ and _Sventevith: Storming Near the Baltic_. The show they delivered, led by the energetic and charismatic vocalist Nergal, was metal 'til the very end, and entertaining to the extreme; the audience responded accordingly, chanting the band's name and roaring with satisfaction after each track -- hmm, maybe Morbid Angel (as I will broach further down) should consider taking lessons with these guys! As Behemoth left the stage after an elating half-hour performance, roadies once again suddenly arose from the shadows and got down to frantic work to prepare Dying Fetus' arrival. As I am definitely no aficionado of this band, I can hardly comment on the quality of the live renditions they delivered; I can, however, certify that Dying Fetus were massively heavy, totally extreme and as wildly entertaining as they could get, even though I had trouble telling one song from another after a while -- I did recognise two tracks from their catchy effort _Killing on Adrenaline_, and that's about all I could really make out. Sound and playing were both cool, and the best point was you could tell that, similarly to Behemoth, Dying Fetus were really having fun up there, as the crowd writhed, swirled and sweated to the grinding blasts of their music. Dying Fetus then left the stage to make space for The Crown, and this is where I started getting -really- twitchy. I have been following The Crown since the time of their 1993 demo _Forever Heaven Gone_, and will unabashedly declare that they were -the- only other band -- Behemoth being the first of these -- that I was really waiting for that night. Admittedly, I was more than just slightly eager to see Morbid Angel live, but to some extent, I somehow knew that if the Americans would certainly provide professional-level entertainment -- which they didn't, actually --, the Swedes would be out for blood -- which they were, totally! And indeed, The Crown were undoubtedly, that night, the band which wreaked the most havoc among the audience, and fittingly got the very best imaginable response from the crowd. Beginning their set with the killer opener "Deathrace King", the rabid quintet covered material from all of their albums, including their debut _The Burning_ ("Of Good and Evil") and its sequel _Eternal Death_ (the devastating opener "Angels Die" and "Beautiful Evil Soul"). The coolest, most elating feature with this band is just how totally fucking -metal- they are -- in fact, the whole band look like a quintet of Swedish sales reps in '80s thrash paraphernalia... but gone -completely- brutal; and as to the actual quality of their music and performance -- oh, man! Vocalist Johan Lindstrand's voice was absolutely -incredible-, literally oozing with utter aggression, and skinsman supreme Janne Sarenpaa put on an incredible show, providing some of the most precise, intense and thunderous drumming I've heard in a -long- time. The string section's work was also flawless, and the whole 45 minutes of the show just seemed to blow by like a totally savage maelstrom of metal! The Crown made a totally amazing appearance that night and, beyond all doubt to me, were the true headliners -- hell yeah! As The Crown left the stage, seeming quite satisfied with the incredible chaos they'd strewn among the audience, the frantic roadies once again got down to settling a new world record in lightspeed drumkit installations, and pretty much succeeded, since Enslaved took to the stage within a mere ten minutes. And a mere ten minutes is also what it took Enslaved to put me off, as their show just didn't work on me. I had just been keeled over by a searing, hammering blast session, and the Norwegians' renditions of their latest material just couldn't claim to match. I've mildly lost track of Enslaved since they moved into their "new" style with _Blodhemn_, and their show just failed to whet my appetite. It's all about chemistry, really, I thought to myself, and therefore decided to go downstairs to the bar to give my eardrums a rest, and the dubious chemically invaded local ale another try. About three quarters of an hour later, the bar suddenly got crowded, clearly revealing that Enslaved were done, and that headliners Morbid Angel were soon to appear on stage and kick everyone's asses blue and black. At least that's what I supposed, having overheard the rather dramatic statement that Morbid Angel live were as good as... Slayer. Ah, over-emphatic fan talk -- there's nothing like it. Anyway, the lights dimmed, the quartet took to the stage as "Kawazu", the intro to _Gateways to Annihilation_, played, announcing a live rendition of the awesome opener "The Summoning". Morbid Angel played this very faithfully to the album, were technically stunning and murderously precise, but already something was wrong -- why the hell was Pete Sandoval playing in the dark, while Trey Azagthoth was already bathing in an aura of golden lighting effects? Wordlessly, the band then moved on to play "To the Victor, the Spoils" and some other track off their rather unconvincing sixth chapter _Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_, both of which received a slightly less heated welcome than the previous track had, before bassist and grunter Steve Tucker announced the glorious "Day of Suffering", which worked like a massive intravenous surge of napalm laced with adrenaline on the whole of the audience -- proof, in my humble opinion (and if proof was ever needed), that Morbid Angel's post-David Vincent new material just can't claim to unleash the same compelling, apocalyptic darkness as Morbid Angel's pre-_Domination_ tracks. Unrelenting, the band then offered perfectly-timed renditions of "Thy Kingdom Come", "Rapture", "Pain Divine", "Lord of All Fevers and Plague" and more material off their various releases; Pete Sandoval's drumming was awesome, Erik Rutan and Steve Tucker's playing was in perfect timing, but the most eye-catching phenomenon on stage was undoubtedly Trey Azagthoth. All throughout the set, his guitar work was absolutely enrapturing, and all his stance and attitude irradiated a genuinely mesmerising bizarreness which, combined with his incredible dexterity, made for a series of rather tantalising guitar demonstrations. However, with this very idealistic description penned, and as I readily have mumbled about before, all these individual qualities just couldn't save Morbid Angel's show from the general impression of dull boredom that gradually settled in with the whole audience; the Americans' live performance just didn't seem to -work- on more than five percent of their own fans, and this date in fact soon turned out to be a rather blunt, unexciting and motionless moment -- especially when compared to the massive, murderous adrenaline surges Behemoth and The Crown had provided that evening! Bored and blase, I actually left the room before the end of Morbid's rather unconvinced encore, during which they stabbed at "Chapel of Ghouls", "Maze of Torment" and some excerpt from _Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_. All in all, Morbid Angel's show was a definite disappointment to me, but also provided some further incontestable evidence that the band has lost a lot more, in the worryingly obfuscous person of David Vincent, than a technically competent and genuinely motivated bassist and vocalist -- with this unholy departure, Morbid Angel have simply been deprived of that essential component in their music that was dark, choking and unearthly. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= C A N A D I A N C A R N A G E ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cryptopsy, Solus, Rotting and Horde of Worms play The Kathedral in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 10th 2000 by: Adam Wasylyk A fine assemblage of all-Canadian bands with an unexpectedly huge turnout made this show one of the best in Toronto this year. Indie Canadian talent and the internationally recognized brutality of Quebec's Cryptopsy made this show one to remember; it wasn't as much a great show but more a statement proving the strength of our local scene. There's no doubt that the show being held on a Friday night had something to do with the large crowd on hand, but the sole reason they were here was obvious. Opening the show was Toronto's Horde of Worms, one of Canada's brightest talents in the death/black genre. With both metal music and smoke machine turned on full blast, the Horde turned out a great set; playing material from their self-titled release from a couple of years ago, tracks from their last CD _Dreams and Dying Eyes_ and a couple of new ones from their upcoming release. With drum machine in tow, they are one of the few bands who can successfully utilize one and not come off sounding weak or just plain ridiculous. The crowd rightfully showed their appreciation for their heavy, energetic set. Markham's Rotting delivered a mighty set of brutal death metal, proving they should be counted among the best in this most underground and lethal sub-genre of metal. Pouring out blast beat after blast beat with crushing riffs cushioned in between, songs like "Fisted Sisters", "Homosexual Grave Robber" and "Stomped to Death" delighted many on hand, causing the rare mosh pit for a local band (Torontonians don't seem to mosh to local bands, for some reason). Showcasing material off their upcoming _The Original Christcrusher_ album (on United Guttural), there's no wonder to how this band have made a name for themselves, and will inevitably continue to do so. Toronto's Solus sport a metal sound I'm not too fond of, and on this night they failed to get a rise out of me. Solus' sound has always been open to interpretation; they are a band whose sound is hard to nail down or pigeonhole, which in turn may be their biggest problem. Black or death metal fans may find the music of Solus to be weak, while traditional heavy metal fans would find it too aggressive, so what's left is a small cross section of metal fans who could find them palatable or challenging. During one song of their set I thought I heard some black metal-like riffing, so naturally my ears perked up, but their ability to hold my attention wasn't to last. Disappointingly timid. Cryptopsy always know how to put on a show. Mike DiSalvo paces the stage like a caged tiger, delivering his vocals in his usual pissed-off manner. Flo Mounier without fail, show after show, proves he's one of the best death metal drummers of all time. The riffs that come forth from newcomer of Alex Auburn and longtime axeslinger Jon Levasseur are always a treat to hear, not to mention the great bass touches from Eric Langlois. Each member of the band has a distinctive role in delivering the sheer brutality of this music to their fans and, in my experience, they've never disappointed. Playing tracks like "Defenestration", "Phobophile", "White Worms" and some devastating material off their new album _And Then You'll Beg_ prove why they're considered Canada's best band. And who am I to argue with the metal majority? To put it simply: I concur. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SATANIC SWEDES AND CHUGGING CANADIANS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dark Funeral, Blood of Christ and Endless play The Kathedral in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 13th 2000 by: Adam Wasylyk With my ears still ringing from the Cryptopsy show the previous Friday, it was time yet again to make the long trek out to T.O. for the sake of metal. Having seen three shows in the past couple of weeks (all with good attendance), each of them testify to the strength the Toronto metal scene has garnered over the past couple of years. Monday is a tough night for a show, but the black metal diehards along with the simply curious were on hand to lend their support. Let the metal begin! This time around, a different set of Canadian bands opened up the night's festivities. Up first were Endless, who were, or played, a set that seemed endless. The "chugga chugga" guitar sound is -so- played, Entombed and/or Dismember should be receiving royalty payments from these guys. And it didn't help that the drummer kept the same beat in nearly every song, rarely getting to a mid-paced speed and instead miring their music in monotonous beats. If these simply injected some speed into their music there would be potential, but it's just too slow and weak. It's almost criminal that Endless are signed to Pavement while the infinitely better Blood of Christ are presently an independent band. Blending the best elements of death and black metal with occasional acoustic passages makes this band a true original. Elements of bands like Morbid Angel and Enslaved can be heard in some of the riffs, while the vocals are nicely diversified, touching on growls, shrieks and clean spoken passages. Playing an equally powerful set as they did opening for Macabre [see last issue], it's always a treat to see these guys play. Anyone looking to discover some great underground talent, check out their web site at: http://members.nbci.com/bloodofchrst/ I'll be the first to admit I've never been a big fan of Dark Funeral. I've always found that their brutal black metal approach pales in comparison to other Swedish acts like Marduk, Setherial or In Battle, but I was surprisingly impressed by the high quality of material played, with great sound to boot. Songs like "Shadows of Transylvania", "The Secrets of the Black Arts", "Bloodfrozen" and "Vobiscum Satanas" were performed with dark efficiency that only our lord Satan can inspire. The drumming was among the best and fastest I've ever heard from a live band; they totally crushed! The only negative point from their set would have to be the corpse paint job on guitarist Lord Ahriman. You might as well put one of those big red fuzzy balls on the end of his nose and call him a clown, and leave it at that. I've always had a fear of clowns -- I think it stems from childhood viewings of Poltergeist, and I'm sure that serial killer John Wayne Gacy had something to do with that too. Point being, there are both evil clowns and goofy looking ones. Lord Ahriman definitely finds himself in the latter. 'Nuff said. Lessons learned: 1) In the future I will try to arrive at shows late when Endless are on the bill. 2) If I ever need corpse paint lessons, steer clear of Lord Ahriman for tips. 3) Scandinavian black metal must not be missed in a town near you. You've been warned. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@ @@@@@@ @@! @@! @@! @@! @@@ @@! @@! @@! @@! @@@ !@ !@@ @!! !!@ @!@ @!@!!@! !!@ @!! @!!!:! @!@!!@! !@@!! !: !!: !! !!: :!! !!: !!: !!: !!: :!! !:! ::.: ::: : : : : : : :: ::: : : : ::.: : @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@! @@! @@! @@! @@@ @@! @@@ @@! @@! @@@ @!! !!@ @!@ @!@!!@! @!@!@!@! @!! @!@!@!@! !: !!: !! !!: :!! !!: !!! !!: !!: !!! ::.: ::: : : : : : : : : : : Here is where things get ugly. Writer's Wrath gives our writers a chance to voice their own opinions about certain hot topics in the scene today. Check out this column for the most obscene and controversial ramblings this side of the National Enquirer. T H E F O U R M U S C o C T E E R S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Paul Schwarz Last year, at the dawn of Summer, the European CoC contingent decided to co-ordinate a meet. David Rocher's abode in Brittany was chosen, not only because it was so hospitably offered, but also because it was the most central of our homes. Pedro was in England at this time and Matthias in his native Germany. However, though I usually reside in England and could have taken a train directly to the meeting point in Rennes (the large city close to David's home in Breteil), mine ultimately proved to be the most complex journey. I was to visit my relatives in Bielefeld, Germany in the selfsame Easter break, and so I decided to take the train from Bielefeld to Frankfurt, meet Matthias and then make the roadtrip to Rennes with him. Here's the first part of my story of the European CoC contingent's first meet. The idea of this piece is not only to convey the narrative of what occurred -- some of which is amusing and interesting in itself --, but to relate what made us laugh, think and argue over the few excellent days we had together. It was a very full few days: full of great music, food, jokes, discussions and arguments, and even some "sightseeing". We enjoyed it a lot and thought some of you would find it interesting and/or amusing as well. A lot happened, and I hope I can convey as much of it and as much of the -feeling- as is possible through this article. I'd like to hear any feedback you have, not only for my interest but also to know whether it would be worth doing more of these kinds of things for CoC. The next two (or possibly three) instalments should follow in the next two or three issues of CoC if all goes to plan. For now, enjoy this first chronicle of last year's few days of congregated European chaos. Episode 1: THE BESTIAL DEVASTATION OF FRANKFURT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words From One Who Knows So Much About Nothing At All *(1) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three changes of train, some interesting countryside, and a complaint from a moustachioed (but not thrash-tashed...) German about the volume of the Russians playing Swedish death metal into my ears later, and my trip from Bielefeld to Frankfurt is finally complete. Once down the platform, I expect to meet our own shaven headed metal monk Matthias Noll and afterwards speedily head off to the (relatively) wild, (relatively) untamed Breton countryside to rendezvous with fellow EuroCoCers David Rocher and Pedro Azevedo at the former's abode. However, Matthias was nowhere to be found -- though his choice of haircut, it soon becomes evident, is irritatingly popular in Deutschland, a fact which led to many a false alarm. Changing into the o-so-late-'80s Sepultura shirt that Matthias kindly gave me when he visited Britain, I managed to create some minor mass hypnosis via the awful artwork, but nothing that got me any closer to finding the garment's original owner. After pottering about and waiting at the station's meeting point for a while, I realized that something had obviously gone wrong: someone had fucked up; I hoped it wasn't me. My next problem I had only myself to blame for: I'd forgotten Matthias' contact details! I trawled through the Frankfurt phone directories to no avail. I called my parents in Bielefeld to see if they and my relatives could help. They couldn't, and my frustration, which I took out on the phone box, drew the unwanted attention of two of the security police -- extremely intense looking, moustachioed and beret-clad fellows looking for all the world like a bizarre amalgam of Peter Sellers' Inspecteur Clouseau and Saddam Hussein -- whom I had to placate before continuing my search. I went to the Internet cafe, connected to the CoC website, and e-mailed Matthias from there, not expecting this last-resort to work. Being at work, Matthias answered almost instantaneously, and was soon on his way to the train station. So who fucked up? Me: I arrived a day early! Thus, after playing apology tennis for a while -- an uneasy game which Matthias thankfully halted with the sensible statement: "We both know the other's sorry, shall we just both stop saying it?" -- Matthias was back finishing his day at work and I was sitting comfortably in the Metal Meat Market of Matthias' spacious living room with pizza, coke and some mid-'80s metal mags, in addition to a very substantial music collection. *(1) Well, according to Chuck Schuldiner ("The Philosopher", _Individual Thought Patterns_), at least. Are You Not Entertained? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am sure I could have spent a few days, maybe weeks, discovering the treasures hidden in the proverbial trove Matthias had left me in. I started by checking out Saxon's _Wheels of Fire_ -- I'd never heard the band before. After perusing the CDs on offer, I moved onto looking through the vinyl. Original vinyl collections are great: they have a two-pronged attraction. On the one hand there are the classic albums and stunning gatefold editions to marvel at. On this score, I cursed Matthias' name as I leafed with the greatest care through his gatefold Possessed _Beyond the Gates_, and quite literally dropped my pen as I unearthed Slayer's _Haunting the Chapel_ EP. The other attraction is the awful bands, band names and album covers that never made it out of the vinyl era, which includes some comedy classics of forgotten albums and before-they-were-famous relics by known artists. Thus did I see Rob Flynn sporting a Voivod t-shirt and showing me his pants through trousers more holes than denim on the reverse of one of those early Vio-Lence albums, and Marty Friedman posing in poodle-permed anti-glory with Jason Becker on the cover of their _Speed Metal Symphony_ record under the name Cacophony (labelled a "guitar hand job LP" by Dave Reynolds of Metal Forces) -- and if it's possible to cram more trills into an album, I'd like to see how. Saxon finished, and Voivod's abrasive _War and Pain_ debut went on -- then God intervened. The church bells from across the street began to chime and chime and chime, making it utterly impossible to listen to anything but their prominent knell. As I waited, I began really cracking into the metal mags. Metal Forces #26 was first on my list, for the simple reason that one of its contributors, Mike Exley, works in a second hand CD store near my house and, until recently, was publishing his own 'zine, Firefight. I was interested to read Mike's opinions circa 1987. Metal Forces #26 provides much to laugh at, and I don't just mean the kitsch pictures of bands like Infernal Majesty, Tyrant (I don't think I've seen more than four -women- who've managed to use that much make-up and hairspray!), Rated X, Tough or Rebel -- I'll try and get some scans linked to the CoC website ASAP. No, the -reviews section- was almost equally comedic. And amusingly enough for me some of the most humour-inducing opinions were Mike's. Venom's _Calm Before the Storm_ (receiving a score of 95 out of 100) -- which no-one to my knowledge now regards as a Venom classic, and many fans, our own Matthias Noll for example, thought was a bit rubbish -- Mike claimed was "the definitive Venom release". He felt that "the band are so energetic this time I'd go so far as to say that all their old fans will come running back as soon as they hear this...". They didn't, they waited until ten years later and 1997's _Cast in Stone_ to the best of my knowledge. However, Mike's crowning glory in comedy value comes in his review of Infernal Majesty's _None Shall Defy_ (80/100), where he makes the highly critical comment: "I could only find two tracks which really sent me storming for the old guitar without strings in the corner of my room...". OK, hands up anyone who has a guitar without strings purposefully placed in the corner of their room for shameless air guitar antics? Personally, I'm fine with just my hands... The church bells had long finished, Voivod had been replaced by Entombed's _Uprising_, and yet Metal Forces was still proving interesting and amusing in good measure. Names like Mark Palmer (now head of Roadrunner UK) and Borigov Krigin (well-known for his patronage of Sepultura) turned up to my exclamation. In a review of Celtic Frost live in London, Mike Exeley mentioned two new post-_Into the Pandemonium_ songs, "Jehad" and "Barrel of Fear", which were aired -- I wondered what had happened to these songs since and why there was no mention of them on Celtic Frost's exhaustive back catalogue re-issue of last year. Returning to the reviews section, Carl Williams provided me with a few more opinions of the time worth reflecting on as I slapped Exciter's _Violence and Force_ onto the stereo. Try and guess what release Carl's reviewing. "This is a band to challenge early Sodom and Antichrist for the world's trashiest thrashers." OK, that's not an easy one to narrow down; what if I said: "The vocals are awful and the drumming is totally unintelligible". OK, fair enough, could be a lot of releases. How about this one: "For the most part this is utter crap, but there is the occasional rather good musical thing going on underneath the mayhem." Yeah, OK, some people would say that about a lot of metal releases, though I hasten to add that there -is- a cryptic reference in that quote... Let's get more specific: "There is a cover of Venom's "Witching Hour" included and I didn't recognise it until the solo". Anyone got it yet? Well, if you haven't got it by now, you should all get it after this next one -- or you need to seriously improve your knowledge of -black metal- trivia: "There are only 1,000 copies available...", I think you know... "so if you really want to be revolted by the likes of "Necrolust" and "Pure Fucking Armageddon" then you'll have to move fast." Yeah, it's Mayhem's first vomit of vinyl, _Deathcrush_. The questions I had to ask were: would Euronymous actually have been happy with that review? Was being slagged off by the likes of Metal Forces exactly what he would have wanted? Also, if Carl Williams continued in metal journalism into the '90s, did he do an about turn when _De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas_ became the thing to be listening to from the mysterious black metal underground? Finally, see if this surprises you. What is "An LP chock full of precise technical metal"? Necrophagia's _Season of the Dead_ (88/100), apparently -- I would not describe Necrophagia as fitting that description at any point in their career. Readying a Roady for a Roadtrip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I suppose you're wondering what (former) roady I might be referring to: Matthias Noll. Yes, Matthias was a roady for a while for Germany's Exhumer, and if you've got a copy of their _Possessed by Fire_ debut you can find a picture of him when he still had metal hair, as opposed to just a metal heart -- though you'll probably need a vinyl copy to make him out in the album's (obligatory) thrash picture collage. Matthias' past is also the reason why he has a big Suicidal Tendencies poster from the _Join the Army_ tour in his living room, signed by all of the band: Suicidal were playing with Exhumer. I was jealous. Matthias and I spent the evening laughing, talking and blowing our ears out to some kick ass, some hilarious, and some rare musical treats. Here are a couple of snapshots you might enjoy. Minidisced from tape, Matthias has what is probably the first -ever- Destruction live performance, which took place in Frankfurt in 1984, and which I have tagged _Bestial Invasion of Frankfurt_. The "gig" was an impromptu affair which took place at a Tankard/Sodom signing session / gig affair. A few of Destruction's friends urged them onto stage and they jammed out a handful of tracks, basically. As I heard, and Matthias admitted, Destruction played awfully and didn't have the greatest sound, but as you can kind of hear, and Matthias insists, they had an energy which hooked the crowd. In fact, it seems that Destruction were so "good" that a certain frontman of a certain other German thrash act -- Obsessed by Cruelty at the time, it seems -- who had already played and got a lukewarm response, was tactically tipping over guitar cables seemingly in an effort to sabotage Destruction's set... allegedly. It was an enthralling and hilarious experience to hear _Bestial Invasion of Frankfurt_; Matthias certainly got a reaction from me. I got much less of a reaction from playing Matthias Apollyon Sun's _Sub_; I was hoping for shock, horror or at least mild confusion at the direction Thomas Gabriel Fisher had taken since his 'Frost days from someone who has the Metal Massacre comp which first featured Hellhammer -- well, you win some, you lose some. Testament's _The Legacy_ demo went on so that I could hear Steve Souza's vocals, then Matthias, in a flash of inspiration, decided to expose me to Rose Tatoo. I'd never realised before that "Nice Boys" from Guns 'n' Roses' _Live Like a Suicide_ was not in fact their song: more the fool me. I was impressed with Rose Tatoo, though I was more impressed, and amused, with a little story Matthias told me about him and his old-time metal buddies which ended up with them all standing outside a cabin in the snow rocking out and playing air guitar to Rose Tatoo. At a relatively early hour, we retired to our beds. We had a long day of driving ahead of us and would have to be up early the next day. I went to sleep with the thought that judging by how interesting and fun it was hangin' out with just Matthias, all four of the EuroCoCers hangin' out together should be absolutely excellent. That's all for now. Next month I'll continue my telling of the meeting of our European CoC contingent. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SPEAK ENGLISH OR DIE BECAUSE EVEN SATAN WEARS LEATHER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (A Look at German Metal Lyrics From the '80s) by: Matthias Noll This is being published in our Writer's Wrath column, which is probably misleading because this is about love and not wrath... but here we go. The curse of the compact disc is that I hardly ever touch my vinyl these days. Well, once in a while I dig out my old record player and give the ancient ones a spin or two. While recently going through my collection of German thrash metal, the brilliance of the lyrics left me breathless and I hope you'll understand once you read further. Unfortunately, most bands didn't even bother with a lyric sheet (I would have loved to see those of Deathrow and Iron Angel) and therefore this is far from complete. My admiration belongs to those who dared to print what they were singing about. Love, Sex and... Violence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Even Germans do have feelings. And perhaps even more astounding: German bangers do actually not only like metal but sex too. If you look at their promotion photos, it might have been easier to sing about the latter than getting a chance to really do it. Sex Maniac and wannabe guitar hero Axel Rudi Pell (definitely a specialist in female psychology) penned the following lyrics for his band Steeler (who weren't thrash but nevertheless had some mighty funny moments): "It's eight o clock and time to rock The woman's alone, no man she's got She stroke him down cause he was dead No more love and sex she said" (Steeler, "Love for Sale") Obviously driven insane by unfulfilled sexual desire, Pell let the story continue with this example of Teutonic love poetry (note: lila is the German word for purple: "Every night the time is right, to touch her cunt of fire Straps in black, lips in lila, knows my cool desire" (Steeler, "Call Her Princess") Even more romantic is what can be found in the insane depths of Living Death's _Vengeance of Hell_ album: "She was only fifteen, when I killed her screen But it wasn't bad, because she drove me mad Since these days, we go the way Whole life long we'll love us so strong" (Living Death, "Riding a Virgin") And, in an emotional moment, Kreator decided to sing about flowers. "On a field littered with corpses Stands a lonely flower It reminds the world how it was But we kicked it away with power" (Kreator, "Riot of Violence") If there is romance, then treachery is just around the corner, and even the love machines from Living Death know about that (I don't know what they mean with "planed", that's how it is on the lyric sheet). "When you're skulling, you planed a bad thing And in your eyes, I see the lies" (Living Death, "You and Me") Coming from the barbarian wastelands of southern Germany, the aptly named Destruction, probably considering these fantasies too wimpy, show appreciation for a mixture of sex and violence and shatter all illusions about ever finding the love of your life with their shocking bedroom tales. "You lie on your bed, your view real seems great But instead of his prick He's drawing his blade" (Destruction, "Mad Butcher") Even Living Death finally got the message. Let the killing begin! "When they lie I must try that they all have to die than I come on my flame and they were never seen again" (Living Death, "My Victim") ...And the Bottle Is Your Only Friend ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There seems to have been a strong preoccupation with booze in the German scene. While their American and English counterparts seemed to focus either on violence (Exodus), Satan and his evil deeds (Venom, Slayer) or a mixture of each and everything (the others), the Germans definitely love their beer. Maybe this happened as a result of their failed attempts to impress the other gender and circumstances best described by Frankfurt's thrashers Tankard. "There are thugs and murders here They want kill and raping you Houses are not very good Only badly ruins" (Tankard, "Rundown Quarter") Reality looks indeed rather grim and is aptly described by people with promising pseudonyms like Angelripper, Grave Violator, etc.: "With swords and axes The fight hard In a massacre they feel the hot smart" (Sodom, "Outbreak of Evil") "Time has come, the peace can't stand Masters of switch now rule the land Push their switch and send the death Politician war-pigs got only shit in their heads" (Kreator, "Total Death") "He bursts their heads till they die You feel so mad you're feeling so high He arrives he's sent from hell Running wild by the sound of the bell" (Kreator, "Bonebreaker") "We live our life in grieved desire Our hopeless is getting higher You cry for freedom, but nobody hear you The end of the world is true" (Sodom, "Burst Command Til War!") So, what else have you got in an environment like that? "Alcoholic forces power Will take us higher" (Violent Force, "Dead City") And despite serious advise from professionals... "The doc told me I wouldn't get old My liver's broken down But I only had a smile for what he told Hey doc I'll get around" (Violent Force, "Destructed Life") "Liver is broken down so bloody hard I keep on drinking until I drop Bang your head against the fuckin' wall Show the damned wimps who we are" (Tankard, "Empty Tankard") Heavy Metal Hurricane ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Booze and women are secondary, though. The main thing that keeps a thrasher going is metal. Avoiding the cheesiness of metal warriors like Manowar -- and long before modern day mullet bangers like, for example, Sacred Steel expressed their love for broadswords, iron and steel --, the German scene found unparalleled ways to praise the power of metal. "The moon stood high it was no lie When I told it so shy I was warning you [...] It was a battle like heavy metal All the freaks banged their heads Heavy metal hurricane in the hell and back again Heavy metal hurricane Bloody action see again" (Living Death, "Heavy Metal Hurricane") "There's nothing else in all the world That will bring it down We will play our wildest step to all around We need it as a liquid in our veins instead of blood Power, burnin', brains out United metallians -- ready to strike" (Helloween, "Heavy Metal Is the Law") "Long haired crowd is going their own way they are invincible if together they stand" (Destruction, "Eternal Ban") Even more astounding: years before metal became trendy and associated with abysmal rap, funk whatever crossover, Tankard and Violent Force unleashed the following prophecies -- a warning, it now seems, of unspeakable things to come: "Every day and all night long The fucking Breakdancer wanna be strong We can't hear their fucking sound We want Metal -- play it loud!" (Tankard, "Death by Whips") "You'll kill flower power That is our desire" (Violent Force, "Dead City") Did Angelripper, like Tankard and Violent Force, also foresee, or even -- probably by accident -- influence bands like Soulfly, Limp Bizkit and Korn? I heard that Max Cavalera claims to have been the one to fuse death metal and rap, but looking at these rhymes, history probably needs to get rewritten. One thing is clear: MC Angelripper has got flow and style. "War, Law, Slave of Sodom Lust, Gods, Unholy Times Night, Light, this fight is might" (Sodom, "Witching Metal") Bang Your Head for Satan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Drunk beyond comprehension, horny as hell and with a Heavy Metal Hurricane approaching (bloody action see again), the time was definitely right for the powers of evil to take over. Living Death managed to give a vivid description of the arrival of the evil forces. "He comes up Out of hell All men who saw it Hold it for spell" (Living Death, "Vengeance of Hell") Running Wild, however, seemed to be much better informed about the origin of terror: "He grew in a womb of a hellpossessed whore Born to be a king to give the badness war" (Running Wild, "Adrian") There seemed to be no stopping as the Satanic forces took control. Read these shocking accounts of unspeakable terror. "Hell troops conquer, burning the church Raising hellfire, satanic rules to urge Reaper takes, commander's black The living deads at his back" (Running Wild, "Black Demon") "Nemesis hordes of hades are blasting over the earth Saveness disappearing frightning of the human Execution has begun, the goddess decided to kill Massacre creates a new world, blood has to be spoiled" (Assassin, "Nemesis") The battlecry "violence for the virgin" is still relevant after all these years: "Masquarade as he rides through the night Blitzkrieg torture blade shining bright In his eyes dreams of pain As he kills the lovely shame Messengers from fiery will Speaking out what no one will Violence for the virgin Death falls from his bloody skin" (Kreator, "Son of Evil") Even the forces of nature were possessed by Satan. "Witches decided to take vengeance Satan sent a legion of poisoned rats The warriors of death and most evil inhuman" (Destruction, "Satan's Vengeance") Only metallers seemed to find a way out of this hell. A cunning plan was quickly developed: sympathize with the evil forces, become servants of Hell and unite with Satan's army. "The voice of Hell, sound is so nice The final death is the price You can't wait much longer to give 'em what they need You'll burst down their heads and spread Hellish heat Feel the Endless Pain locked in metal chain" (Kreator, "Endless Pain") "I can never trust the virgin preacher I can never believe in Jesus Christ It's all right 'coz Satan is my teacher People hidden them when we arised" (Destruction, "Total Desaster") There was hardly any open resistance, but not everybody seemed to be 100% into the alliance with Satan. The maniacs from Kreator, perhaps still impressed by the beauty of a flower, seemed to shy away from going totally berserk: "Brutality and mighty wars warriors start to fight With bombs and guns the troops have come to extinguish the light I'd rather not go wild tonight but I must save myself" (Kreator, "Riot of Violence") Others, like Angelripper, condemned to play the black metal game, blamed society: "Black metal is the game I play 'cause no one show me the right way I am a bloody Antichrist, only believe in bad Spit at the church, Evil I get" (Sodom, "Blasphemer") Fortunately, at least for true Norwegian black metal, Sodom did not falter but pleaded for "impalement for destroy" and fulfilled their promise of "evil I get". "Obsessed by Cruelty Impalement for destroy Obsessed by Cruelty Deadly, cold and grey" (Sodom, "Obsessed by Cruelty") Now that the vaults are unlocked... Who in our readership has been informed about the leading role Running Wild had in the rise and fall of true black metal? Forget Darkthrone, burning churches, etc.; here's the truth how to really shock the authorities: "Black metal grifittis are thrown against the wall Crucifixes are inversed Pictures are signed by the triple six Black metal art is shocking Law 'n' order man" (Running Wild, "Prisoners of Our Time") And once again, Running Wild, who, at the forefront of the Satanic allegiance, seem to have the knowledge that even outfit-wise there are strong bonds... "We are right, praying metal tonight The message from hell and ist spell Even Satan wears leather, our souls to it forever Let us pray our rules tonight Chains and Leather and Rivets" (Running Wild, "Chains and Leather") Scarred for Life ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Such talent has forever left its mark on the development of metal lyrics. What would bands like The Crown or Raise Hell sing about hadn't the Germans shown them the way to metallic immortality? Would Norwegian black metal have been possible, Varg Vikernes spend his time in prison, Limp Bizkit rule the charts, the global warming happen without a significant increase of "Hellish Heat" and the leaks in the ozone layer be a problem today without "Impalement for Destroy"? Definitely not! So let's bow to the masters and chant together: "Heavy Metal Hurricane, Bloody Action see again"! Resources From Hell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All lyrics printed without permission. Most records bought from official record stores and paid with hard-earned cash. There might be typos in the original lyrics which distort their own meaning. Assassin - _The Upcoming Terror_ (Steamhammer, 1987) Destruction - _Sentence of Death_ (Steamhammer, 1984) Destruction - _Eternal Devastation_ (Steamhammer, 1986) Helloween - _Walls of Jericho_ (Noise, 1986) Kreator - _Endless Pain_ (Noise, 1985) Kreator - _Pleasure to Kill_ (Noise, 1986) Living Death - _Vengeance of Hell_ (Earthshaker, 1984) Running Wild - _Gates to Purgatory_ (Noise, 1984) Running Wild - _Branded and Exiled_ (Noise, 1985) Sodom - _In the Sign of Evil_ (Steamhammer, 1984) Sodom - _Obsessed by Cruelty_ (Steamhammer, 1986) Steeler - _Steeler_ (Earthshaker, 1984) Tankard - _Alcoholic Metal_ (demo tape, 1983) Tankard - _Zombie Attack_ (Noise, 1985) Violent Force - _Malevolent Assault of Tomorrow_ (Roadrunner, 1987) Thanks to Paul Schwarz, Pedro Azevedo and David Rocher for a fantastic time in France. It was then that the idea to write this article was born. Also thanks to Fozzy II for inspiration. I raise my bloodfilled chalice and salute you and all our readers -- "Total Satan"! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gino's Top 5 1. Immortal - _Damned in Black_ 2. Enslaved - _Blodhemn_ 3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - _Californication_ 4. Dying Fetus - _Destroy the Opposition_ 5. A Perfect Circle - _Mer de Noms_ Adrian's Top 5 1. WarHorse - _...As Heaven Turns to Ash_ 2. Various - _Campaign of Hate Vol. 1_ 3. Nevermore - _Dead Heart in a Dead World_ 4. At the Drive-In - _Relationship of Command_ 5. Meat Loaf - _Bat Out of Hell_ Brian's Top 5 1. Septic Flesh - _Mystic Places of Dawn_ 2. Mortiis - _Kaiser av en Dimensjon Ukjent_ 3. Nocturnus - _Ethereal Tomb_ 4. Tenebris - _O.F.D._ 5. Dammercide - _Link_ Alain's Top 5 1. Cryptopsy - _And Then You'll Beg_ 2. Summoning - _Dol Guldur_ 3. Nile - _Black Seeds of Vengeance_ 4. Dark Funeral - _Vobiscum Satanas_ 5. dead horse - _peaceful death and pretty flowers_ Adam's Top 5 1. Amorphis - _Elegy_ 2. Portishead - _Roseland NYC Live_ 3. My Dying Bride - _34.788%... Complete_ 4. Cryptopsy - _And Then You'll Beg_ 5. Malevolent Creation - _Envenomed_ Pedro's Top 5 1. Discordance Axis - _The Inalienable Dreamless_ 2. Behemoth - _Thelema.6_ 3. Vomitory - _Revelation Nausea_ 4. Novembers Doom - _The Knowing_ 5. The Haunted - _The Haunted Made Me Do It_ Paul's Top 5 1. Naked City - _Torture Garden_ 2. Vision of Disorder - _Imprint_ 3. Drowning Man - _Busy Signal at the Suicide Hotline_ 4. AC/DC - _Let There Be Rock_ 5. Dire Straits - _Alchemy_ Aaron's Top 5 1. Dark Angel - _Leave Scars_ 2. White Zombie - _Make Them Die Slowly_ 3. Napalm Death - _Harmony Corruption_ 4. Cradle of Filth - _Midian_ 5. Epoch of Unlight - (Thanks, Andreas!!!) David's Top 5 1. Nevermore - _Dead Heart in a Dead World_ 2. The Crown - _Deathrace King_ 3. Withering Surface - _Scarlet Silhouettes_ 4. Napalm Death - _Enemy of the Music Business_ 5. Necrophobic - _The 3rd Antichrist_ Alex's Top 5 1. Cryptopsy - _And Then You'll Beg_ 2. In Flames - _Clayman_ 3. Enslaved - _Mardraum - Beyond the Within_ 4. Underoath - _Cries of the Past_ 5. D.R.I. - _Thrash Zone_ Matthias' Top 5 1. Cradle of Filth - _Midian_ 2. Cryptopsy - _And Then You'll Beg_ 3. Napalm Death - _Enemy of the Music Business_ 4. Cannibal Corpse - _Live Cannibalism_ 5. Carnal Forge - _Firedemon_ Alvin's Top 5 1. Running Wild - _Victory_ 2. Abyssic Hate - _Suicidal Emotions_ 3. Vociferation Eternity - _Meadow's Yearn_ 4. Manilla Road - _Mystification_ 5. Cradle of Filth - _Midian_ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____ __ __ __ | \.-----.| |_.---.-.|__| |.-----. | -- | -__|| _| _ || | ||__ --| |_____/|_____||____|___._||__|__||_____| Homepage: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos --> 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: Gino@ChroniclesOfChaos.com ---- Our European Office can be reached at: CHRONICLES OF CHAOS (Europe) Urb. Souto n.20 4500-117 Anta, PORTUGAL e-mail: Pedro@ChroniclesOfChaos.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~ Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically distributed worldwide via the Internet. Seemingly endless interviews, album reviews and concert reviews encompass the pages of Chronicles of Chaos. Chronicles of Chaos stringently emphasizes all varieties of chaotic music ranging from black and death metal to electronic/noise to dark, doom and ambient forms. Chronicles of Chaos is dedicated to the underground and as such we feature demo reviews from all indie bands who send us material, as well as interviews with a select number of independent acts. Join our mailing list to receive a free copy of Chronicles of Chaos every month. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending an e-mail to with your full name in the subject line of the message. You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a blank e-mail to . 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 . The 'Subject:' field of your message should contain the issue number that you want (all other text is ignored). To get a copy of our back issue index, send a blank e-mail to . =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #51 All contents copyright 2001 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.