____ _ _ ____ ____ _ _ _ ____ _ ____ ____ ____ ____ | |__| |__/ | | |\ | | | | |___ [__ | | |___ |___ | | | \ |__| | \| | |___ |___ |___ ___] |__| | ____ _ _ ____ ____ ____ | |__| |__| | | [__ |___ | | | | |__| ___] CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, October 19, 2001, Issue #55 http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti Coordinator: Adrian Bromley Copy Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo Contributor: Brian Meloon Contributor: Adam Wasylyk Contributor: Paul Schwarz Contributor: Aaron McKay Contributor: David Rocher Contributor: Matthias Noll Contributor: Alvin Wee Contributor: Gabriel Sanchez Contributor: Chris Flaaten Neophyte: Kirsty Buchanan Neophyte: Quentin Kalis Neophyte: Vincent Eldefors 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 #55 Contents, 10/19/01 ---------------------------- * Editorial * Loud Letters * Deadly Dialogues -- Emperor: Prometheus Unbound -- Crematory: The End Complete -- Rebaelliun: Annihilating the Competition? -- Godgory: Creation Through Evolution -- Jag Panzer: Unstoppable Progressive Metal Machine -- Astroqueen: Killer Band Puts Us "Into Submission" -- Shocore: Crossing Boundaries and Having Fun * Album Asylum -- Anathema - _A Fine Day to Exit_ -- Arch Enemy - _Wages of Sin_ -- Averse Sefira - _Battle's Clarion_ -- Awakening - _An Eves Nightmare_ -- Bastard Noise - _Analysis of Self Destruction_ -- Various - _Beauty in Darkness 5_ -- Benediction - _Organized Chaos_ -- Bernd Steidl - _Paganiniana_ -- Brick Bath - _I Won't Live the Lie_ -- Celestia / Goatfire - _Darkness Enfold the Sky / Black Slaughterization_ split 7" -- Death - _Live in LA - Death and Raw_ -- Delirium Endeavor - _Flight of the Imagination_ -- Depraved - _Decadence & Lust_ -- Devin Townsend - _Terria_ -- Divina Enema - _At the Conclave_ -- Dornenreich - _Her Von Welken Nachten_ -- Ebony Tears - _Evil as Hell_ -- Emperor - _Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise_ -- Entombed - _Morning Star_ -- Eternal Majesty / Temple of Baal - _Unholy Chants of Darkness / Faces of the Void_ split LP -- Evergrey - _In Search of Truth_ -- Fireball Ministry - _FMEP_ -- Fleshitized - _Here Among Thorns_ -- Ginger Leigh - _From Artesia With Love_ -- Godgory - _Way Beyond_ -- Imagika - _And So It Burns_ -- In Aeternum - _Past and Present Sins_ -- In Flames - _The Tokyo Showdown_ -- Levl - _Controlled by Time_ -- Mannhai - _The Sons Of..._ -- Mastodon - _Lifesblood_ -- Merzbow - _Collapse Twelve Floors_ -- Meshuggah - _Raretrax_ -- Morbid - _Deathexecution_ picture 7" -- Morgue Supplier - _Not Dead Enough_ -- Mortiis - _The Smell of Rain_ -- My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_ -- Mystifier - _The Fourth Evil Calling From the Abyss_ -- Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_ -- Porn (The Men Of) - _Experiments in Feedback_ -- Profanum - _Musaeum Esotericum_ -- Prophet - _Broken Promise_ -- Sadistic Intent - _Resurrection of the Ancient Black Earth_ -- Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_ -- Soilent Green - _A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down_ -- Solefald - _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_ -- Sonata Arctica - _Silence_ -- Splattered Cadaver - _Merciless Butchery_ -- Suppression w/ Crank Sturgeon / Misopsychia - _Split_ -- System of a Down - _Toxicity_ -- Tristania - _World of Glass_ -- Ulver - _Silence Teaches You How To Sing_ -- Unexpect - _Utopia_ -- VLE - _Book of Illusions: Chapter 1_ -- Zero Hour - _The Towers of Avarice_ * New Noise -- Bisclaveret - _Aegri Somnias_ -- Deathguy - _The Secondary Quest_ -- Effluvium - _Genesis of Our Conquest_ -- Exhibition - _Mind Explosion_ -- Holochaust - _Valley of Misery_ -- Human Abstrakt - _Human Abstrakt_ -- Phantasmagory - _Odd Sounds_ -- Renazcore - _Veritas Vincit_ -- Serpent Eclipse - _Thy Bleeding Heavens_ -- Spiritus Mortis - _Demo 2000_ -- Summer Dying - _Summer Dying_ -- Triton - _Darkroot_ * Chaotic Concerts -- I Love the Smell of Napalm in the Evening: Wacken Open Air -- No Rest for the Weary: Milwaukee MetalFest XV * What We Have Cranked * Details =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____) / /) , , /) )__ _(/ _/_ _____ _ // / (_(__(_(__(_)/ (__(_(_(_(/_ (_____) by: Gino Filicetti Welcome back everyone. It's been a little more than two months since our last issue of CoC, and to say that a lot has happened since then would be an extreme understatement. I'm not going to dwell on the issues plaguing our world today, or try to make some sense of them in the context of our magazine, for that would merely serve to trivialize the gravity of these events. I'm certain every last one of you has felt the effects of this tragedy in one way or another in your lives, but it's time to move on with our lives and more importantly to never forget what took place that day. After taking a well deserved break following our sixth anniversary issue in August, I thought we would have to make due with an extra "skinny" issue this time around. However, our fine writing staff -- who never cease to amaze me -- were able to pull together a mountain of material in the very last days prior to our deadline. In this issue, you'll notice we've got two "swansong" interviews, if you will. Both Emperor and Crematory have called it quits and are parting ways. In the case of Emperor, you've got a band that survived ten tumultuous years that saw two members jailed for murder and arson, not to mention countless other surprises, to emerge as one of the greatest and most revered black metal bands that Scandinavia has ever produced. Crematory, another ten year veteran, managed to produce eight albums during their tenure as one of the most respected purveyors of gothic death metal Germany has ever known. Both bands will be dearly missed but, more importantly, fondly remembered as true giants. Finally, don't forget to check out our Chaotic Concerts section this issue for coverage from two gigantic metal fests on either side of the pond. From Milwaukee, Aaron McKay reports on the immortal Milwaukee MetalFest. And from Germany, Matthias Noll delivers the goods on the twelfth Wacken Open Air Festival. I want you all to thoroughly enjoy this issue and to ready yourselves for our next issue: CoC #56, The New Year's Evil Edition. I assure you, Chronicles of Chaos will close out 2001 with a bang! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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: Sat, 4 Aug 2001 From: "Rigsby" Subject: Burning Embers Geezers, Although others moan at you for this and that, I feel that without some optimism in this world, nothing would happen. On that tract, I feel I must say how good I feel your Zine is and that it takes some dedication to keep something together with the intensity that you guys do for the time you have. Okay, we might not agree on every item, but we are all individuals and that's what we all represent at the end of the day! It's just opinions, support and promotion of a style of music we all enjoy... We have a modest effort of our own that is occasionally helped by people we know, but essentially ours is one made of people holding down full-time jobs and then going downtuned in their own time, so I can more than sympathise. I think, what I am trying to say is something I read in another Zine recently, and that is 'support the supporters', because if you don't then what chance has the whole thing of surviving, let alone progressing!? Peace, Rigsby. (Downtuned Sounds) Transcripts From The Downtuned Subtitled: Rigsby's Music Zone (http://www.rigsbyszone.co.uk) Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2001 From: "Steven" Subject: Fw: Chronicles of Chaos #54 (6/10) Hi! Steven here from Vibrations of Doom Magazine. Got a letter for ya you seriously need to print in the next issue... Great issue! Glad to see C.O.C. still kicking around! Hope to see you guys put out issues as long as I have, me realizing that my own rag is nearing the 11 year mark. Have to make a MAJOR gripe here. In the interview with Virgin Steel, Mr. Defeis writes that he wrote "all of the material for Act I and II at the same time..." That's complete bullshit! Has anyone ever heard of a band called EXORCIST? Yeah, the same band that released "Nightmare Theater" on Cobra Records back in 1986. Okay, now then listen to the song 'The Fire Of Ecstacy' from "Act II." NOW. On my site there is completely digitized the Exorcist album "Nightmare Theater." Go listen to the song 'The Exorcist' and TRY and tell me it's not the same song! Guitar parts, lyrics and all (of course, some of the lyrics are different, but I swear to god you can follow the song The Exorcist using some of the lyrics from 'Fire Of Ecstacy.') are damn near the same! This wouldn't be such a bad thing, except NOWHERE in the liner notes does he mention that this is a reworking of a song from ANOTHER BAND! Interviews nowhere does he mention Exorcist, which if you listen to you will realize was one obscure, but very innovative forerunner to the black metal scene which breathed life in the very early 90's. Back in 86 black metal had it's roots. In Exorcist. And for Defei to deny this is simply a crime. This is something I plan to confront him with if he even has the balls to face me in an interview. Okay, I'll come off the soapbox now. Go listen to Exorcist and many classic 80's metal albums, many STILL out of print, at: http://members.spree.com/vibrations Fly the flag of metal high... ALWAYS!! Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2001 From: "Markus" Subject: RE: question Hails, Not much to say, just: Extreme music for extreme poeple. Satanic, hate, brutal, anti-christian, against-the-system and even right-winged lyrics belong to death/black metal. With these things this extreme music became big and after these rules a lot of fans of this genre live. So i think there are only two solutions: 1. Don't take the lyrics too serious and enjoy the music or 2. Pic another music style. Maybe you can enjoy pop or rap music more. ..Markus Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 From: Nokreth@gmx.net Subject: Dominus Sathanas Hail, cool mag and all.. This mail is aimed at Jim Tasikas and people of his opinion in response to his mail posted in youre anniversary issue... Jim Tasikas, you write that metal should evolve in a more musical derection and immediatly obandon its ideological views... But this is not possible, i say. the 2 are interlinked. Remove one and the other crumbles. It crumbles either in the putrid hands of commerce or suffocates. You mentioned sepultura as one of you recognised bands. But what drove Max Cavalera to write such brutal music? I say it was his fascistic love for his ancestry, his hate towards christian aliens and government induced poverty. We all saw what happened to Sepultura when they started focusing on their music. Let us compare BURZUM with DARK TRANQUITY. Both bands play "blackmetal" i can hear the muical complexity and emphasis on the technical aspect of blackmetal in DARK TRANQUILTY. But they dont even CuM FUCKING CLOSE to the madness, derpression and anger compiled in songs such as "Stemmen Fra Taarnet" ot the sadness of "Der tod Wuotans" (by BURZUM). What makes Blackmetal bands, such as Burzum supernatural is not only the music, but also what it means. I say people need to have another look at what Blackmetal really is. It is slowly evolving into something pathetic. A new generation of alternative children are trying to take the genre and and strip it of all that cannot be soled. If, Jim Tasikas, you want to take metal and with it create a new form of jazz, or whatever, then fucking a! do it today. 'cause after all music is something to cherish. But touch NOT not BLACKMETAL !!!!! There are people like Varg that burn fucking Churches out of love for blackmetal and all it incoorperates. Anyone reading this mail should ask themselves whether they really belong here, or are they just trying 2 piss off their parents. Blackmetal is only for the aryan children of Wotan and that is the truth. "The fucking Priests must Hang" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ \ | | | | _ \ _` | _` | | | | | | __/ ( | ( | | | | ____/ \___|\__,_|\__,_|_|\__, | ____/ __ \ _) | | | | _` | | _ \ _` | | | _ \ __| | | | ( | | ( | ( | | | __/\__ \ ____/ _|\__,_|_|\___/ \__, |\__,_|\___|____/ |___/ P R O M E T H E U S U N B O U N D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC interviews Ihsahn of Emperor by: Adrian Bromley, Chris Flaaten and Pedro Azevedo Prologue: THE DEMISE OF LEGENDS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Pedro Azevedo One of the greatest bands in the history of extreme metal is laying their more than decade-long career to rest. Some may argue whether Emperor really are -- sorry, -were-; I must get used to speaking of Emperor like a deceased entity. Anyway, I was saying that perhaps not everyone will agree with my opening sentence regarding Emperor's excellence. However, I doubt anyone with a broad view of the extreme metal realm will deny this band's massive importance within it. This prologue is not meant to serve as a band biography; I shall not go into much detail about each of their releases or historical issues, but rather try to provide an overview of what I feel made this band so remarkable throughout most of its existence. Even if you disregard their demos, Emperor's full-length debut _In the Nightside Eclipse_ made it clear that they were not a band in need of a crutch. The press publicity surrounding Norway's early black metal scene was certainly not the deciding factor in their success. Sure, they were part of that publicity to some extent, and there may certainly be a criminal record or two in the band (most notably, but not exclusively, former drummer Bard Faust). However, with _In the Nightside Eclipse_ it became clear that the influence of all that sideshow was insignificant compared to the musical prowess the band was developing. _In the Nightside Eclipse_ (1994) is, to this date, arguably one of the most intensely atmospheric black metal albums ever made: the keyboard symphonies mixed with the harsh guitars and piercing screams to create a chilling wall of sound. With this album Emperor made a strong statement that they would clear a path of their own, adding a thick layer of keyboards to the icy guitar foundations and experimenting with classical influences to develop their own style of black metal. Although the influence of _In the Nightside Eclipse_ in today's densely populated symphonic black metal scene appears undeniable, Emperor's classically influenced avant garde approach to the black metal foundations was not to reach its peak until the band's next album, _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ (1997). Complex, multi-layered, venomous and grandiose, _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ is still today a record of highly unusual magnitude and, much like its predecessor, a genre milestone. Propelled by Trym's highly talented drum barrage, Ihsahn's classically influenced orchestrations and Samoth's more death metal influenced guitar approach combined to once again prove that contrast is not necessarily an obstacle to consistent results. A few passages in that album remain some of my absolute favourites in extreme metal. Great records usually cause great expectations to be built up, and potentially great disappointments to follow. For many that was the case when Emperor released _IX Equilibrium_ (1999), which repeated the _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ formula with a greater emphasis on death metal and even heavy metal to some extent. The result, despite its technical merits, was certainly not to everyone's liking; I personally found only a couple of tracks to be truly worthy of the band's legacy. Nevertheless, others believed the album reaffirmed Emperor's excellence and progression within the extreme metal realm, spanning other genres besides black metal, and possibly again leading the way for others to follow in their wake. Followers of the "true" black metal scene who held the band's pre-_In the Nightside Eclipse_ releases as their favourites felt mostly alienated by now, but the band continued to achieve widespread notoriety in the metal scene. Anno 2001, the Emperor lays down to die after one final battle. _Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise_ is the band's swansong album; you can find a review in this issue, and also greater insight into the album and the reasons behind the band's demise in the article that follows. Two CoCers were scheduled to interview Ihsahn -- Emperor's vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. To avoid redundancy, each of the interviewers planned his part of the questionnaire from a different angle: Adrian would cover their career and Ihsahn's thoughts on it, while Chris would delve into their new album and its creation. Ihsahn speaks; the fire still burns inside him. Part 1: THE FIRE STILL BURNS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Adrian Bromley Emperor's singer/guitarist/founder Ihsahn says he feels "liberated" now that his band of the last twelve years has finally come to an end. Strong words from a musician who has helped shape the black metal sound throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium. He also says he is pleased with the success the band has seen over the past ten years and the four full-length albums they have released, including the forthcoming album titled _Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise_ on Candlelight [reviewed in this issue]. But it is time to move on, he suggests. Time to explore music and be creative all over again under a new vision of ideas. The fire still burns within Ihsahn. "This is very liberating, being finished with Emperor. I guess now I have this kind of childish excitement knowing that I will be involved with Peccatum [with his wife Ihriel -- Adrian] and my own solo stuff in the future", starts the talkative Norwegian. "It feels good to bring one chapter of my life to a close and be able to go onto another one." While many fans are unsure why a band like Emperor would fold after four full-length albums -- _In the Nightside Eclipse_ [1994, CoC #1], _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ [1997, CoC #22], _IX Equilibrium_ [1999, CoC #39] and the latest one --, Ihsahn points out that if there was any time to end the band, then this was the perfect time. "I think this album is a good way to end it all. I feel that on a more personal level with one another in the band [guitarist Samoth and drummer Trym], it was the right time to bring it to a close and in a good way. We have always had our differences musically over the years and the way we worked, but I think we have all drifted in many different directions and it was the right decision to end it while we can still work in a constructive manner, rather than fighting to put out releases." "We just wanted to keep Emperor the way it should be and keep our friendship with one another", he reveals. "It is very healthy for us to bring this to a close and try new things. We are better off from it for sure." Knowing that this was going to be the last Emperor album, did Ihsahn have any set goals with the new album _Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire and Demise_? "I think we always had that goal to take our music a step further with each record", he states. "We have always had the same foundation, but we always made an effort to do something different with each disc. We wanted to add new dimensions and to better ourselves. I think the biggest step we ever took as a band was with _IX Equilibrium_, especially when you look at it from a production point of view." He continues: "With this album, I think we have pretty much kept the same philosophy when it came to creating music and made an effort to take it a step forward. But we also made an effort to bring in various other ideas, like the epic sounds, atmospheric ideas and a bunch of other ideas that have been part of older Emperor works. We wanted this record to be well-rounded." Seeing that Ihsahn had written and assembled the whole album on his own (while Samoth and Trym were busy with Zyklon), was it a really draining experience for the front man? "This was a very challenging record for me", he says, pointing out that he had done a lot of the record in his own studio. "It wasn't intentional that I wrote all the material, it just turned out that way. Samoth and Trym were busy with Zyklon and I was just so concentrated on getting an album underway." You know, a lot of people out there will probably assume that this was all your doing and that this is Ihsahn's final record, when it really is a final Emperor record. Am I right? "For sure. If this had been my solo record it would sound a lot more different than what you have here with _Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire and Demise_. This is an Emperor album. You can just hear the way we all work together to comprise this sound. Plus, there is so much power and expression with Trym's drum work on this record. How could anyone assume it was anything but an Emperor record? It was a very interesting work experience to assemble this record, with Samoth and Trym getting CDs of the material and working on their parts and me assembling them later on and mixing the album at Akkerhaugen Studios. It was chaos, but it worked out fine in the end. It was great to be doing a lot of the work at my own studio, because I had my own pace to work on the record and move arrangements around and try new things. There was no pressure to get in and out." Is Ihsahn happy with the new album? "Yes I am, but there are always things that you wish you could have done but had to compromise because of studio time or whatever else is the case. In comparison to the other albums that we have done, where we were rehearsing the music and doing preparations before the studio, this record just came together much differently, as I had pointed out, and it was an experience. There are some things I would change if I could, but not as many changes as I would have liked to do with previous Emperor albums. I am happy with this record. I am happy with the way it finished off the career of this band, as it doesn't leave me wanting to work on any more material to finish the legacy of Emperor. This is the final album and I can live with the final results." And the past albums of the band? How does he feel about the career of the band musically? "I think all of our records are great representations of different eras of the band", Ihsahn points out. "I was sixteen when we started the band. Each period was different for us when we went into a record. It all changed as the years went on with me growing up, our musical styles changing and just the way we thought things should be. I'm not embarrassed about anything we have ever done. I have always said that each album that we ever did was the best that we could do at that point in our career. I am very proud of what we did with the band. I think there are a lot of people who are proud." Seeing all of the problems that Emperor faced early on and throughout their career, how does Ihsahn feel about all that has transpired? "I think what people need to understand about all of the events that happened during the early '90s was stuff that happened outside of the music. The music genre got a lot of attention from what was going on. When you play this kind of extreme music you don't sell half a million records because of a certain event. People are no doubt inspired and into the music and they buy the records. Those events happened, but I think the reason black metal has been so popular, and why we have continued to be a part of it all, is because we are good musicians and create great music for people to enjoy." Do you try to just forget what happened? "On the band level, we had to deal with some problems with our line-up, but we always tried to look past all of that and work hard on our next recordings. For us personally, as we were a part of all of this as teenagers, it did have an impact on us, but on the other hand as a band, it never really affected us musically." Can Ihsahn believe what he has been a part of with Emperor? "In a way, but for us it is on a very different level", he responds. "We never really toured much and a lot of our work was put towards making albums. We are very privileged that we have been able to do this, not only as an extreme metal band, but also as a Norwegian artist. We have been lucky. We are humble to the fact that we have been able to make records and a living from doing this for ten years." Now that Emperor is over, what work lies ahead of Ihsahn? "The first priority for me right now is the new Peccatum album. I am very excited about it all. It is great that Ihriel is so involved with the music and ideas within Peccatum and that I can add my own ideas, as well as follow her direction on how things should go. I just love working together with her. It is a very mutual and creative environment. It is great to work on guitar parts with her and decide how they should be and breaking things down. That is something completely new to me, because Emperor worked on ideas much differently. With Peccatum we don't really know where we are going musically or lyrically, but that is what I enjoy about it. I know Ihriel has some ideas of where she wants to go, but I have a feeling that it may go even further musically. It is all very exciting." What about solo work? When can we expect that? "Oh, I don't even know what is going on with that", he replies with a chuckle. "I am very pleased to not have any idea about that right now. That is very exciting for me too, just not knowing where it will go for me. With the end of Emperor making me feel so liberated, things are starting to feel all new to me again and I enjoy that feeling. I am having these urges to try and just build stuff. I don't know when this will happen, seeing that I am working on Peccatum, but it will happen some time. I just don't want to jump into the solo thing too quickly. I want to take the time to form ideas and get things going." As the interview closes down, I ask Ihsahn what has been the highlight of his ten year career with Emperor. "It is really hard to say. Putting out each album was a big deal for me, especially this final one. I see the ten years of Emperor as a whole, even though it has been in fragments with a lot of things happening in between. To me there has been a lot of progression with this band, but also a lot of disappointment. When Emperor started to grow commercially as a band there were a lot of things that we had to deal with, on a much grander scale, and that was always something we weren't happy with. It has been great to know we have been able to make a living from this. I am grateful that we have been able to be so creative and so inspired by what Emperor is all about." Final question: in ten years from now, will there be an Emperor reunion tour or album? "No. This is definitely it for us", he blurts out. "Emperor has come to a close. It is time for all of us in the band to search out new ideas and grow as musicians. I'm looking forward to the music I will be creating in the years to come, and I think Samoth and Trym feel the same way about what they plan to do musically." Part 2: THE MUSICAL DISCIPLINE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Chris Flaaten I am called the exact minute I am supposed to be, and we get right to the point. I ask Ihsahn if he has an adequate opening statement regarding the new record. "Well, production-wise we did things very differently this time around, since this was from the start a studio-only album. Musically, I felt that was a big advantage -- doing the entire pre-production and most of the actual production in my own studio. This time the songs were not created during rehearsals; the entire songwriting process was done in my studio, which also was new for Emperor." On this album, Ihsahn flirts more with some classical passages, almost baroque-sounding at times. Is this something he has read/worked alot on? "I did some on the Thou Shalt Suffer album, but I feel that classical elements in some form always have been a part of Emperor. At the same time, inspiration from classical music has grown stronger and stronger and it is very cool to work on with sequencers. It comes naturally, sort of. In the beginning, I planned to have more electronic elements on the album, but it really didn't blend that nicely with the rest of the music from an arrangements point of view. The classical elements, however, fit very well with the pompous feel of the genre." I point out that classical music would also be written in the same way Ihsahn did for this album -- you do not jam in the studio and come up with a full symphony. Had Ihsahn perhaps studied any theory regarding this method of composing? "Well, some, but not a lot, really. However, I have always been very interested in arranging music. From this perspective, it was very relieving to write the music in the studio and not writing band music, drums and guitar and then adding synths, vocals etc. later as filling. I could record a riff when I came up with it, or I could write a riff to accompany a new synth passage, or vice versa. The arrangements became more complete because of this; I had much more freedom. I could delve into various elements for a mid-section of a song, and then not have to worry about the beginning or ending of the songs until later on. I think this way of working is much more interesting and rewarding. It gives me greater control over the various musical aspects." _Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise_ is a very complex album, and somewhat fragmented in its expression. Ihsahn explains that the writing process shares these traits... "The writing process is also very fragmented; I always work that way. Sometimes it is just a full chaos. This is why it feels so comfortable to have a studio at home. I can document my ideas as I get them, record riffs immediately after they are developed. Later on, I can pick out elements and work more on them or change them afterwards." Is this true for all of the songs on the new album, or are there exceptions? Like my favorite track, "In the Worldless Chamber", perhaps? "Yes, that song is different. In my opinion, that is the least ambitious song on the album, it is more back to basics. The fun thing about that song is the contrast between the music and the lyrics. The music is very grand and bombastic with warhorns and whatnot, while the lyrics are very claustrophobic. I have actually received a lot of positive feedback on that song. People seem to pick it out as one of the better ones on the album. Sure, it is a decent song, but in my mind the least special one. People say the album is hard to get into, but I have difficulty relating to that. A matter of taste, I guess." I explain that I feel technical metal and jazz are usually easier to get into than _Prometheus_. Ihsahn is quite puzzled by this, it seems... Ihsahn mentioned pompousness earlier, but this album has less of these elements than earlier albums. There are no massive synths leading the show here. Like _IX Equillibrium_, it is more guitar-oriented. "Yes, this again is a result of the writing process. Being able to distribute tracks from the start, rather than writing the basic song first at a rehearsal and then just adding/filling synths, etc. This time I was able to write everything from the beginning at the same time. Letting the guitar lead, the melodies came naturally. Also, this is the first time we worked with seven-string guitars. With the massive platform they provide, there was no need to add that much synth tracks. The guitars filled a larger portion of the spectrum now." A paradox, at least to the interviewer, is that sound-wise there are fewer tracks on this album than on earlier ones. On _Prometheus_ there are usually two guitars, bass, drums, vocals and the occasional synth, while on _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ there could be layer upon layer of synth. Was it not tempting to go all out with the synths, now that they knew they were never going to play the material live? "That is mostly due to experience, I think. As I learned and grew as a musician and songwriter, I got a less-is-more attitude. On _Anthems..._ we had the basic songs first, then I sequenced all the synths at home before playing them live in the studio afterwards. When doing this, however, you don't get the true feeling of the music that actually is there. It drowns in all the fillings. It is no problem filling out with synths and arranging and arranging forever, until you have a complete wall of sound, but how relevant is it to do this? With such a massive fundament as we already have, and the tempo and everything, we have focused more and more on staying true to the essence of the music. Instead of adding layers, we tried to vary the different themes when they reappeared and so on." The album is very fast at times, and the guitars have a deeper sound than before, probably due to the seventh string. As with _IX Equilibrium_, there are many death metal elements on the album. Samoth was said to be the mind behind those elements on _IX Equilibirum_, but this time Ihsahn wrote everything himself and they're still there. Was this done on purpose? Ihsahn explains: "If I had done a solo album, things would of course have been radically different. This album was written from the fundament of what is the Emperor sound and this was something I always had in mind while composing it. Writing riffs as I have done here actually comes naturally for me. I also have to mention that the death metal elements on _IX_ were not solely Samoth's work. Since we knew this was going to be the last Emperor album, we drew inspiration from what we have done on past records. On each album we have tried to evolve and incorporate new elements, and I feel we have done this again on _Prometheus_. I also enjoyed bringing back some of the atmosphere and moods of earlier records on some of the new songs, achieving a mixture of past and present. So bringing back some of the groovy, death metal feel from _IX_ was really quite natural, instead of just doing very fast and smooth-going music. I don't feel _Prometheus_ is as death metal oriented as _IX_, it's more a common denominator of our musical past, and at the same time it has new elements." When having to stay true, so to speak, to the Emperor sound, did Ihsahn feel confined at all? Was it hard writing the "correct" music and not drifting off into other non-Emperor areas? "No, not at all! Of course, one has boundaries to work within, but Emperor has always been a compromise between the members' various musical standpoints. Nothing was new there. Our musical standpoints have drifted farther and farther away over the years, but I still found it interesting to build upon our musical past and add new elements. I really feel there are -many- new things on this album. These are things we have never touched before, but they are presented in a way so that it still feels very Emperor. I tried to do as much as possible within the boundaries present, and perhaps also push these slightly. I didn't feel them confining or restraining. Also, being simultaneously songwriter, producer and technician was a great learning experience." Well then, was he happy with how the production turned out? "I am very happy with it, but of course that is also thanks to Torbjorn at Akkerhaugen Studios. I liked the way we did the pre-production in my studio, then recorded the drums at Akkerhaugen, then added guitars and more at my place again and then finally returned to Akkerhaugen for mixing. Torbjorn is a technician with great experience and we have known him for a long time. Still, he hadn't heard the album, so he had a completely fresh view of things when we did the mixing. This way, he could stay very objective and it was great to get his input at the end of the recording process." Ihsahn is then asked to introduce each song with a few words. "Lyric-wise, things are quite different on this album, as the lyrics are more chronological. On the first three tracks, there's almost a complete storyline and the music follows this in a way. Things then take a turn and break from the chronological concept and finally get back on track on the last couple of songs. The third person narrative is also used much more often on this album than on any previous ones. "The Eruption" has, appropriately enough, an opening track feel with a classical intro that hints about the various elements to come later in the song. There are wide contrasts between the soft parts with clean vocals and the very raw black metal, and I really wanted to present the contrasts to come throughout the album clearly in the very first track. "Depraved" is different, with its almost dissonant opening, and it brings everything down. "Empty" is more basic in its expression, with no clean vocals and a very hard feel from start to finish. "The Prophet" is almost like a ballad, except for the fast, intense mid-section. "The Tongue of Fire" is one of my favorites, with a nice flow in spite of many sharp contrasts. This is a goal for me, writing sharp contrasts without having the transitions being too sudden. In "In the Worldless Chamber" the contrasts are, as we already have discussed, between the lyrics and the music. "Grey" and "He Who Sought the Fire" are more of an average musically, and then you get a brutal and epic conclusion with "Thorns on My Grave". I feel there's a clearer red line musically on this album than on _IX_." My last question about the album concerns the riffing, since it stands out from older Emperor albums. They're more metal now, more groovy and distinct rather than fast, monotonous black metal riffs... "I think the riffs are a result of me focusing much more on smaller details and nuances. Over the years I have tried to become more experimental with my guitar playing, since very direct, forward playing gets so boring after a while. I made an effort to think new and to be more bombastic or... violent in my expression. I am not a very technical guitarist who plays superfast solos, so I opted for the closer and more elaborate approach. I also thought it was cool to play some more groovy and playful stuff which appeals to more... nails and headbanging and those sorts of things." Ihsahn laughs. "You know, lipstick and stuff..." Finally, I ask about Ihsahn's inspiration for the album. "As far as inspiration goes, I listen to everything -but- metal almost." Like what? "It could be anything from old classical music to electronica and even pop. Even if I don't like the music per se, there can always be musical elements within it that are of interest from my point of view. Also production-wise there are things to learn from these genres. I also pay attention to technical issues, instrumentation and syncopes, etc. Finding new ways to use these elements, or new contexts for them, is very interesting. A genre is really more defined by the instrumentation and arranging rather than the actual music. I actually think some elements on _Prometheus_ could have been good pop choruses with different instrumentation. I hope to work more with these contexts and ways of arranging music in the time ahead. Without a ten-year musical fundament upon which to build, I stand free to write whatever I feel like. The new Peccatum album is the first item on the agenda, but after that there are no plans. Maybe I'll play together with musicians with an entirely different background, more solo work perhaps... only time will tell. I feel I have regained the childish curiosity about music." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E E N D C O M P L E T E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC talks to Harald of Crematory by: Adrian Bromley Crematory bassist Harald is well aware that the end has finally come for his German gothic metal band. The band recorded, toured and partied for the last ten years and he is glad that the band is finishing things up on a high note, their double-disc _Remind_ (on Nuclear Blast). So, how does it feel to know that the band is over? "I don't know. It feels very strange, but in a good way", starts Harald. "When we started this band off, we never imagined that we would even get this far. When we recorded out first album [1992's _Transmigration_ on Massacre Records -- Adrian] nobody really believed in what we were doing. But we had seen some success, some fans really liked what we were doing, so we kept going and recorded another album. We [the band is rounded out by vocalist Felix, guitarist Matthias Hechler, keyboardist Katrin and drummer Markus Jullich -- Adrian] took this band further than any of us imagined we would have." As mentioned above, the final installment of Crematory and their career comes to us as a deluxe double-disc set. _Remind_ is a live seventeen-song set from the band that sounds really good. No doubt the band wanted to go out with a bang, opposed to a half-assed live record like the new one from In Flames, _The Tokyo Showdown_ [reviewed in this issue]. Also included are alternate versions of songs and some old demos, as well as a 60-page colour booklet (written entirely in German, so I didn't understand one word) with tons of pictures and words from the band. So why does Harald think many music fans grasped onto what Crematory was doing musically? Starts Harald, "I think people, our fans, just really liked what we were doing. We always did what we wanted to do musically and there was never any real pressure from our label to make our music become a certain way. Our hearts always guided what we did musically. When we got such amazing feedback from fans, it really helped us become more excited about what we were doing." "We are very proud of what we have done with the band. I think one of our biggest accomplishments was our last studio album _Believe_ [2000]", says the bass player. "For me personally, I think we had the best songs we had ever written on that album, as well as the best production we ever had with any Crematory disc. It was just a great record for us, with sales and chart entry. It was great to release that record and see how people reacted to it." Are there any regrets or mistakes he would like to correct in his career? He responds: "We made a lot of mistakes over the years. But we always continued on. You will always look back at what you did and say you could have done things differently, but you also learn from those mistakes. We knew what we had done wrong at certain points in our career and we moved on. We just used that experience we got from our mistakes and used it to help take this band further." The topic turns to the idea of assembling _Remind_. How did this double-disc set idea come about? Says Harald: "We could have finished things off with _Believe_, but we wanted to give the fans of Crematory a present. We also wanted to give ourselves a present as well, to celebrate what we had done as a band over the past ten years. We thought it would be great to sum up the last ten years in one album, to record a live show and assemble a double-disc set with a good lengthy booklet. It took almost a year to do all of this, to pick out photos, write the history and put it all together. It took a long time for us to make sure this was the perfect gift for our fans. We wanted it to be a perfect summary of our band from day one up to now." "I am happy with everything about _Remind_. We did all of this ourselves. Our keyboard player Katrin did it all, really. She just collected all of these pictures and items from the last few years. It looks really good." So now that it is all officially over for the band, what is next up for bandmembers of Crematory? Day jobs? Relaxing time? New bands? Harald comments, "I think we all just really want to have a normal job right now. We also have to take care of our private lives, too. For the last ten years it has all been about Crematory and rock 'n' roll. We are all in our thirties and it just seems like it is time to get things in order. Also, none of us have ever taken any real vacations, because the band has been so demanding. This band needed 100% from all of us all the time, so vacations never really happened." "Over the years, making records for us has been a chore", he continues. "Early on we spent a while trying to find our sound and style. We eventually did, but as the years went on, it became a little easier to add onto what we had accomplished the record before that." "It just seems like this is the right time to go out for us", Harald states about their decision to end it all. "We have done so much as a band and with our music. We made some great records and toured a lot. It has been a great experience. We just think this is the right time to go out. We wanted to go out when things are going good for the band and have been able to play for so many years. Crematory, in a way, is a cult band. We want to remain that way for our fans forever. We want to go out on a high note where people remember us being great, rather than fading out like a lot of veteran bands do and no one takes notice of them any more. Those bands just disappear. We wanted to quit on a high note and just say "goodbye"." He ends, "This seemed like the right thing to do. I don't think Crematory fans are upset; I think they are proud of us and excited about what we left them with _Remind_. Who knows? Maybe in two, three or five years we might create some songs together and return with Crematory. Right now that doesn't seem like it will happen, but I promise you, if we do come back it will be with a big bang. Until then, goodbye to all of our fans." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A N N I H I L A T I N G T H E C O M P E T I T I O N ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Fabiano Pena of Rebaelliun by: Paul Schwarz The ripples Krisiun made when Europe and North America were exposed to them around five years ago have recently brought a veritable tsunami of Brazillian extreme metal crashing down on the extreme metal scene. Many bands who before would have been lucky if their -demos- were heard in the northern hemisphere, have now gained label deals and recently released albums. Two or three years ago, Krisiun were pretty much the only Nineties-originated extreme Brazillian death metal band with a name in Europe. I say "pretty much" because Rebaeilliun are one of the few other bands with a similar -- though admittedly lesser -- status at that time. Emerging as a band in 1998 -- though its respective members had all been playing death metal since around 1991 -- Rebaelliun quickly gained a reasonable following after selling virtually everything they owned to come to Europe and play nineteen surprisingly successful live shows in three countries. Recognised as a quality death metal band via their _Promo-Tape '98_ [re-released by the band's label, Hammerheart, in the form of the _At War_ EP] and 1999 debut _Burn the Promised Land_ [CoC #45], Rebaelliun certainly wore the influence of Krisiun on their sleeves, but yet individuated themselves via a more directly Slayer and Morbid Angel influenced musical approach. This year's avalanche of Brazillian extreme metal has revealed the majority of Rebaelliun's counterparts to be as concerned with individuation as they are. Much of what has been released recently is characterised almost solely by the "Nineties Brazillian sound" -- which you could just as easily call the "Krisiun sound" -- and the impression so far of Brazil's metal scene is not that of a vibrant and varied musical landscape, but rather a planned housing development, with only the odd architectural variation. Nonetheless, it is early days for the bands who have just hit the scene, and it would be unfair to write any of them off individually -- or write off the scene itself as a whole -- on the basis of what little has happened so far. However, two Brazilian extreme metal albums that should be closely scrutinised and considered in terms of what they suggest for the future of the scene (and, of course, the bands who made them) are Krisiun's _Ageless Venemous_ and Rebaelliun's _Annihilation_ [CoC #54]. Neither of these albums -- both released this last summer -- are mere continuations of what has gone before them; neither Krisiun nor Rebaelliun have merely made an album that you can spin, enjoy, and put down again without pause for thought. _Ageless Venomous_ is at the least a record any Krisiun fan is likely to find odd: its production sharply separates its instruments, destroying the cohesive, whirlwind-of-fury feel that characterised 2000's _Conquerors of Armageddon_ [CoC #47]. Musically, I find it not only by-the-numbers Krisiun, but also extremely boring Krisiun; _AV_ displays Moyses Kolesne's technical ability for speedy fret-scaling yet completely disregards the need to construct interesting progressions. _AV_ is Krisiun's equivalent to Suffocation's _Breeding the Spawn_ or Malevolent Creation's _Stillborn_. _Annihilation_ is different. Sonically, it is, unsurprisingly, reminiscent of _Conquerors of Armageddon_ -- _Annihilation_ was recorded and produced with Andy Classen at Stage One studios -- and is utterly flattening in its brutal impact. In terms of overall musical merit, _Annihilation_ is a very in-between album. Its riffs, solos, drum-blasts and vocal evacuations are not badly executed, but its structure severely lets it down. I don't find it the kind of album that has you coming back for more time and time again. Yet at present it still seems to leave Rebaelliun ahead of much of their competition -- and most significantly, ahead of Krisiun's most recent work. Where Brazil's extreme metal scene is headed is very difficult to tell, but with their following in Europe, Rebaelliun seem sure to be an important part of it for a while to come. I questioned Rebaelliun guitarist and founder Fabiano Pena about _Annihilation_, Rebaelliun's career, and the Brazillian scene in general. I hope you enjoy the results. CoC: Rebaelliun have been an internationally known part of the Brazilian scene since near the time of their inception. It has now been nearly two years since you first toured Europe. Your first album was deservedly well received. What did that rapid rise to acknowledgement contribute to _Annihilation_? Do you think the warm reception you received gave you more confidence? Fabiano Pena: Although Rebaelliun is one of the youngest bands in the Brazilian scene, we all have been playing death metal since 1991/1992, so we believe that the response we have got with Rebaelliun is also a response for almost ten years playing death metal. I doubt a band could get such a quick response in the worldwide metal scene without any background. I mean, if we had started playing death metal in 1998, when we formed Rebaelliun, we would not be here for sure. _Burn the Promised Land_ is a good death metal album with a strong feeling, and it fortunately got a huge response within the extreme metal community -- especially in Europe -- although we all in Rebaelliun knew right after recording _Burn..._ that we were able to do much better than this album. Anyway, the response for _Burn..._ was great, we toured Europe twice to promote this album, and this response gave us more strength when writing the new album. So I consider _Annihilation_ a mix of two feelings: a strong will to go further than _Burn the Promised Land_ and a motivation born from the response of that album. CoC: When we last talked [CoC #48], you said that one of the differences between Rebaelliun and others in the Brazilian scene was that you were treading more in the early the steps of Morbid Angel and Slayer, and that you would be taking those influences further. Is that what happened with _Annihilation_? Would you say _Annihilation_ is primarily influenced by the style of early Morbid Angel and Slayer? FP: I wouldn't say that _Annihilation_ sounds like early Morbid Angel or Slayer, 'cause it doesn't and that was not our intention at all. The main thing about the music in _Annihilation_ is that we tried to reach our own sound with this album. As I said before, we have been playing death metal since 1991/1992 and this is surely the main goal for any band which wants to have a serious career: to find their own sound. I think most of the Brazilian bands sound too modern, some of them have speed as the only element in their music, and bands such as Morbid Angel and Slayer -- the first extreme bands in history -- showed that there are a lot of different elements that can be incorporated into the music to make it even more extreme and intense, without sounding boring. If you have a strong melody or write good lyrics, that will differentiate you from the other bands in the end, not the speed itself. I would say we drew a bit the feeling and the way to structure the songs from these bands, not the music itself. CoC: Who do you think are the most promising band in the Brazilian extreme metal scene at present and why? (Yes, you are permitted to say "Rebaelliun", but I'd like you to justify whatever choice you make.) FP: I think that Krisiun and Rebaelliun are the biggest extreme metal bands in South America and both bands are in the right way. Krisiun is already established in the scene, they have toured a lot all over the world and have huge support, and Rebaelliun is growing quite quickly as well, we have the feeling that if we keep working like this things will happen for us sooner or later. There are several other good bands in Brazil, some of these bands already got record deals with foreign labels and released good albums, but it's maybe still too early to say that these bands will get really bigger, 'cause it's a long and hard way to get tours and true support from the fans. CoC: Personally, I am worried that the Brazillian extreme metal scene is declining. My worry is based mostly on my opinion of the latest Krisiun album (which I think is creatively extremely boring and a massive disappointment after _CoA_) and Abhorrence's debut album (which I think lacks defining qualities). _Annihilation_ I am more positive about. Firstly because sonically speaking _Annihilation_ is absolutely crushing, but also because structurally it is more interesting than the aforementioned two records, and differs considerably from your first album. Firstly, what do you think of what I have said above? Secondly, do you think the Brazilian extreme metal scene is in danger of declining (or at least becoming boring) if it doesn't seek to progress in some significant way? FP: In my opinion the main problem about the Brazilian extreme metal scene nowadays is that most of the bands are trying to sound just like Krisiun. This is not good for the bands, for Krisiun, for the fans and for the scene itself. I mean, this is really bad in every sense. However, this situation will not last too long; most of the bands will realise in a couple of years that labels and fans are not interested in copies: they want something original. We know how hard is to create something original when playing death metal, but as I already said before: in _Annihilation_ we reached this "old" goal. The album sounds very original and this will make Rebaelliun more known in the worldwide scene, 'cause we are not just a copy of any other band, we have personality in the band. About the latest Krisiun, I think it's not their best album, but I personally like it, maybe 'cause I'm a fan of Krisiun since 1991... Abhorrence is a good band, but they have to develop their own style to go further, although the musicians are very good. CoC: Why did you choose to record _Annihilation_ at Andy Classen's Stage One studio? Did hearing Krisiun's _Conquerors..._ album influence your decision at all? FP: Recording with Andy at Stage One was an idea from Hammerheart; after recording the _Bringer of War_ MCD in Brazil we decided with the label to produce the next album in Europe or the US; we knew that _Annihilation_ would be an important step in our career and we should get a good sound with this album. Hammerheart had already sent some other artists to record over there and they were probably satisfied with the results, and so offered us this studio to produce _Annihilation_. The only album we knew that had been recorded with Andy was _Conquerors..._ and we all think it sounds very good, so we accepted and went to record there. Fortunately, we got a good sound as well and it was nice to work with Andy: we learnt a lot during the recording. The sound of _Annihilation_ is also very different than most of the recordings we have heard on the last years; the album sounds powerful, heavy and clear, exactly what we wanted for this stuff. CoC: When you first went to Europe -- selling everything you had to get there -- were you positive about the outcome? Did you ever think Rebaelliun would be as popular/known as the band is now? Do you expect Rebaelliun's popularity and notoriety to grow? Does popularity really matter to you, or are you more concerned about people being seriously into the band, and you being able to make music and present it to people? FP: After the first time in Europe we were really positive about the way things turned out for us; before going to Belgium, Rebaelliun was not known even in Brazil, and after those three months over there we had played nineteen concerts in three countries and we had got signed to Hammerheart. So we came back to Brazil really happy about the results from that trip. We knew that that had been the first step in the whole way, and that from that moment on we had to work much more to achieve new results. We had several plans in mind right after that trip, and fortunately most of them have become reality on these last years. About popularity, I think that it's important in every sense for a band. We are aware about the music we play and we don't expect to get a lot of money or be really famous in the music business -- like Aerosmith, for example -- but we know that it's possible to build a good structure playing death metal and live from the music. We play death metal and we love music, so it's pretty natural that we wanna live from the music, and this will depend on the popularity Rebaelliun will achieve in the metal scene. We think our music can reach other fans beside the extreme metal fans; we are not making noise, we play music and we wanna be recognized for that. CoC: When Marcello Marzari left Rebaelliun [in late 2000 -- Paul] did you seriously contemplate just giving up? FP: Not at all, we knew that that was a hard moment for Rebaelliun and we had to be really patient in finding the right replacement for him. I and Sandro [Moreira, Rebaelliun drummer] rehearsed without the others for a couple of weeks and in the end it was very important for us to see that we were two guys and we were able to play the same music in the rehearsals. I mean, everyone can be replaced in a band; Marcello was important one day for us but we knew that Rebaelliun would survive without him -- and _Annihilation_ is the proof that we were right... CoC: How do you feel about the strength of Rebaelliun as a band within itself and a musical force in the extreme metal scene now, with Lohy Fabiano in the band? FP: I feel that people are taking Rebaelliun more seriously now; we are not a "promising band" anymore. Rebaelliun has done a lot since the beginning and _Annihilation_ is in my opinion a great death metal album, which differs a lot from most of the nowadays death metal bands. Of course we are still developing our own style; this is just our second album, and though we have already reached a good level we know that we still have a long way and we will be able to record better albums in a near future. We are getting more and more involved with the music we play and Lohy is getting as involved as the rest of Rebaelliun -- I'm sure he's the right frontman for the band and I just hope things keep like this in coming years. CoC: What lyrical themes are followed in the songs on _Annihilation_? Is there a common thread running between all of them? Are the kinds of topics radically different from those covered on _Burn..._? How much difference has it made that Lohy Fabiano has taken over as singer/bassist? FP: The lyrical conception of _Annihilation_ is very clear: the extermination of the human race over this planet. All the lyrics are linked in this album, they can have a different approach, but they talk about the same theme. The lyrics are not different from the lyrics on _Burn..._; I could say that the way to write them was developed since then and this makes the lyrics on _Annihilation_ maybe a bit different from the ones on _Burn..._, but it's for the development of the structure at all. This time we tried to use more "strong words" in the lyrics, then we worked with different sounds of Lohy's voice -- high screams mixed with low screams for example -- to give to these words the right meaning in the lyrics and in the music itself. This is hard to explain, but if you read the lyrics while listenning to _Annihilation_, you will realize that they fit very well with the music and the way Lohy sang the lyrics in each song really means what we wanted to say with the texts. CoC: This is your chance to add anything you may want to, especially any crucial fact or factor I missed out. The floor is yours... FP: I would like to say that we are going to Europe in April for a big tour. It's not 100% fixed yet, but this tour to promote _Annihilation_ will happen sooner or later, and we just hope to meet all our friends once again. Be sure that you will see a strong show in every sense. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= C R E A T I O N T H R O U G H E V O L U T I O N ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC interviews Matte Andersson of Godgory by: Adrian Bromley Godgory vocalist Matte Andersson likes to see change with each Godgory album. So far his vision has managed to work successfully for the last three albums, as well as for their latest offering, _Way Beyond_ [for a different opinion, see review in this issue]. "We are just one of those bands [the duo is rounded out by drummer/keyboardist Erik Andersson -- Adrian] that likes to change things up each album. To take our music to the next level. We just want to improve things as we go along and I think we have done a good job with these last four albums", he says down the line from his home in Sweden. "But now knowing what we have done with our music over these four albums, for our fifth album we will look back and try to take our music to another area, to be influenced by other ideas. We already have some new material written, so the wheels are in motion." What kind of ideas is he planning to bring to the music of Godgory? "We just want to develop our sound. The gothic / death metal feel of our music is great, but there is a lot more we can do. I know there is." The latest album by Godgory (recorded at Studio Fredman with Fredrik Nordstrom) is a solid album that is very atmospheric and dark. Gothic overtones clash vividly with the death metal, and some of the keyboard work is stunning. While at first the album may be hard to take in (such was the case with yours truly), a few spins of _Way Beyond_ will have you enthralled with the music this duo creates. "I love everything about this record, especially the atmosphere. It is great", says Andersson of the music found on _Way Beyond_. "There are a lot of good ideas on this disc and a lot of them work well with each other." "This is the first time we have ever done pre-production for one of our albums", the singer reveals. "We have a home studio and that allowed us to really concentrate on getting the songs right before we went into the studio to do the final recording. We were prepared and knew exactly how things had to be assembled and played. We will definitely do pre-production again next time around." And seeing that this is the band's fourth album, has songwriting become any easier over the years, or is it still a challenge? "It still takes time to write material, but not as long as one would expect. Erik writes a lot of the lyrics, so he has a good idea of what we should do and knows what we have done in the past -- so when it comes time to record, our ideas come together pretty quickly." One listen of _Way Beyond_ and metal fans will notice that the longest song, "Final Journey" (8:34), opens the album. What was the decision behind that? "We were so pleased with that song, and it came out great. It really offers a great atmosphere and brings the listener into the song", he says. "I like the fact that if some kid who doesn't know Godgory goes in the record store and listens to our album, when he hears the first track he will hear quality and a song that truly represents what Godgory is all about." "A lot of our fans tell us that they like us because we just do things differently. Our sound is unique and we just approach songwriting a lot differently from most acts", he states. "I know they appreciate that we have cool atmosphere, slow parts mixed with brutal parts and some great guitar work. A lot of our fans have stuck with us since the early days and I totally understand why they still follow us." "There are a lot of great songs on this album", the singer notes. "I like "Final Journey" and "Caressed by Flames". I already said why I like "Final Journey", but "Caressed by Flames" is also a very cool song. There are some great melodies that really make it an enjoyable listen." He adds, "I think our band's music really takes a lot of getting used to. I can see how some music fans that hear our album might not like it the first or second listen. But if they take the time to play the record and give it a chance, the music will stay in their head and they will become closer to the music." What about the meaning of the album title _Way Beyond_? "It actually comes from the Nicholas Cage movie "8mm"", Andersson explains. "There is a scene in the movie [which deals with snuff films -- Adrian] where Nicholas Cage is walking through a basement looking at several categories of movies being sold; one of the sections is titled "Way Beyond". We thought it was a great title for the new Godgory album. There really is no real meaning for the album title other than we liked the sound of it. If there is a meaning to it, it is up to the listener to decide for themselves." The topic shifts to the music business and how many young bands want to make it beg come the first album. Godgory has been around since 1992, but didn't put out their debut disc _Sea of Dreams_ (on Invasion Records) till 1996. The band's growth and success has been in stages. How does Andersson feel about all of these young bands wanting to break out big early on? He responds, "It would have been great if we had seen success with our first record, but it just didn't end up that way. If we had toured for that album things would have been better for us, possibly, and we might have more recognition." So you don't tour at all? "No we don't. We will try to tour for this album, but with two people in the band, it would be kind of hard to pull it off. We will try to get on the road this year. We want to recruit our session guitar player [Mikael Dahlqvist] to go, but he is busy with other bands. We'd like to see this happen. It is time to tour with Godgory. This record deserves a tour because it is a great album and people should hear the music in a live environment. I love playing this music 'cause of the way it makes me feel. I want people to experience that as well." He ends, "I know if we toured, we'd have more fans, but at this point in time people who like us continue to buy our discs. Who knows? This tour may or may not happen. If that is the case, we will go back to the same way things have been for the band: we write records, record them and put them out. Then we start all over again and we are okay with that. Making music is the most important thing for Godgory and I think it shows." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= UNSTOPPABLE PROGRESSIVE METAL MACHINE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Mark Briody of Jag Panzer by: Adrian Bromley A few years back, Colorado progressive metal act Jag Panzer were but a distant memory in the metal lore books with their classic album _Ample Destruction_ (1984) serving as a collector's item for metal fans. Then in 1997, things changed. The band re-grouped, signed to Century Media Records, released the well-received _The Fourth Judgement_, and they haven't looked back since, releasing _The Age of Mastery_ in 1998, _Thane to the Throne_ in 2000 and now their latest effort in 2001, titled _Mechanized Warfare_. Does it ever stop? What is the secret to this resurgence in making music for the band? It is Jag Panzer guitarist Mark Briody down the line from his home in Colorado who will answer CoC's questions. He begins: "We always figure that the best time to put out a record -- when you know it is time to do so -- is when all the songs are written and in place. We don't get any pressure from the record label and we try not to put any on ourselves as well", he says. "Making records has become a lot easier for us because there are less and less obstacles with every release. Nowadays we know the label is going to be behind it, and we know what kind of budget we'll be getting. We also are really comfortable with our producer, as well as we have had the same line-up [completed by bassist John Tetley, singer Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin, drummer Rikard Stjernquist and guitarist Chris Broderick -- Adrian] for the last little while. It is getting easier to write songs in this environment and I think that shows up in the material we are currently doing." What was the recording experience like for the band this time around? "It was really exciting. It is getting to the point that everything I hear in my head we can get down on CD. It is getting to the point that if I want a giant choir to sound a certain way, we can make it happen", says Briody with excitement in his voice. "Even with the electric or acoustic guitar, I know I can try certain sounds and ideas and be able to capture that idea on record. It used to be a real strain in the past to not be able to get certain things down because of lack of experience or what have you. Now it is all working out great." "Making a record is a fun thing for us, but it is a lot of hard work", says Briody about the creativity that went into the new disc. "The songs on this record are here because of a process of elimination. I usually throw out about 90% of the material I am working on. I just toss it all out. I bring the ideas to Harry [singer] and we discuss, and sometimes he throws it out if he thinks it doesn't work. Once both of us have settled on a sound or idea that will work for us, we introduce it to the rest of the band. Rarely, but occasionally, they'll toss out ideas. By the time we get to the ten or eleven songs that will appear on the new record, it has been through the hands of five people who looked it over and made comments and felt that it was worthy of being on the new disc." He continues, "After all of that, we usually bring the ideas to Jim Morris [producer] and he offers up some suggestions of what we can do with the music. His expertise really helps make our music look better than it already is." About the new recording, Briody comments, "I think as a whole this is by far our best record. I think there is so much variety on this record. A lot of people have pointed out to me that there is so much more variety on this record than past Jag Panzer albums. Both Harry and I have discussed all of these new harmonies and melodies for this record and how we wanted to let new ideas in. I think the whole variety, within the solid framework of a heavy metal album, makes this a great disc and really shows our progression as a band." The topic shifts to the album title, _Mechanized Warfare_ -- an unusual title seeing that Jag Panzer seems to have always dabbled into a fantasy title or theme. Is the band becoming more modern? He responds, "There really is no reason at all. We wanted to do something completely different from _Thane to the Throne_, which was so conceptual-filled, that we decided that this would be the anti-concept. So we purposely decided to come up with a title that had nothing to do with the songs and nothing to do with the album cover. We just assembled two different phrases that some people had used to describe out live show. One person said that our music sounds so tight that it sounds mechanized, while someone else said "you kicked my ass live, it was audio warfare". So that was the basis behind the title, really. It was something far different from what was inside." And Travis Smith (Nevermore, Opeth) did the cover artwork. It looks cool and creepy. "Yeah, he did a great job. I really like the cover a lot. I never want to be one of those bands where you can predict what the next album will sound like or what the next album cover will look like. There are a lot of heavy metal bands out there that I like that I look at their album cover and I know what the album will be like. I don't want that with Jag Panzer." Briody and his band mates know that they are very lucky to be in this situation: a record deal and a growing fan base. What does he credit the band's success to, especially over the last five years? "It is very exciting to know that our fan base is growing and to see all of these young kids so into our band. I know a lot of people may not know our music, but they know the name. Every album we are getting more fans, both young and old, coming to our shows and supporting what we do. It feels great to see all of this happening before our eyes." "I think we have just been very fortunate as a band. We got a second chance and we went for it", adds the guitar player. "We are also very lucky that there is no fighting amongst band members. We have made an effort to avoid in-house fighting and make sure the music is the main focus with what Jag Panzer does." "I feel very lucky to be in this situation, being able to make music and tour and what have you. This is a great thing to be a part of. I think for me personally, the ability for me to be able to throw ideas has allowed me to stay in this business for so long. I know, when I am making music, if it sounds too close to what I have done already I throw it away. I write all the time. I also enjoy recording a lot and enjoy working with new technology. That keeps me interested too. I like being able to try new ideas and see what we can do as a band." "The way you record music now is very different from how I did when I was a teenager", explains Briody. "It is still really exciting for me to work with a digital recorder. I am like a kid in the candy store with all of the new technology being brought into the studio for us to work with." He ends, "Every record is so fun because we have so much at our disposal. There is so much we can do to help make Jag Panzer a better sounding band. Right now I don't think I could be any more excited." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= H O T B A N D P U T S U S " I N T O S U B M I S S I O N " ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC interviews Daniel Anghede of Astroqueen by: Adrian Bromley There are very few bands out there nowadays like Sweden's Astroqueen. Y'know? Bands that can rock out, hit a groove and sail into the wee hours of the morning on a constant buzz of energy and tight musicianship. Not since the early days of Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu and Kyuss has stoner / hard rock sounded this good. Being mentioned in the same sentence as those three bands is indeed a high honor, but when you rock as hard as these Swedes do, you deserve all the praise you get -- and then some. "This record is made up of some old material from an EP that we put out just for our friends a year ago and some new material", starts singer/guitarist Daniel Anghede. "We really didn't have a theme for this record. It was just us choosing the songs that we thought best suited what we wanted to do with this debut record [_Into Submission_] for Pavement." And hooking up with guitar player and producer Andy La Rocque? How did that come about? "A lot of it had to do with the fact that his studio [Los Angered Studios] is about half hour away from us. The label also suggested that he might be the right person to work with", he says. "We were interested in working with him because he has never really worked with any stoner rock before; more progressive metal and hard rock bands. He has this really clear heavy metal sound and we wanted that to be a part of what we were doing. We are huge fans of heavy metal. Heavy metal is a huge influence for us all, bands like Cannibal Corpse, Slayer and Black Sabbath. Almost everything heavy we like." "Working with Andy was great. We got a great sound with him", continues the singer. "He really was a great thing for us. I think we really dared to explore our heavy metal side and not just have this whole retro sound. I think this record sounds very current and modern, but still with a '70s-style music sound." I hear a lot of Kyuss in what Astroqueen plays. Does Anghede? "Yeah, oh yeah. I can hear that in what we do. I think you can also hear Cathedral, Spirit Caravan and Electric Wizard. We really like Electric Wizard, though they are doom, but still heavy." In today's music scene there are a lot of bands that fall into stagnant waters. Bands that once roared with originality have now succumbed to mediocre album offerings and less creative passages. How has Anghede and the band (rounded out by bassist Mattias Wester, guitarist Daniel Tolergard and drummer Johan Backman) kept their sound and direction from becoming stagnant? "The main thing that we try to focus on, so that we don't fall into the trap of sounding like all of the other bands playing this style of music, is to focus on sounding more metal than everyone else. I think a lot of bands are afraid to explore. Bands that play stoner rock are always trying to be like Kyuss and play it safe. We don't. We don't care if it is a stoner riff or a heavy metal riff. If it works for us and we like it, we add it to our music and go with it. A lot of bands out there need to understand that you have got to explore and try new things. We have no rules to follow. We do what we want to do." So has the sound changed much since their inception? "I don't think it has changed much. We are still the same guys jamming since we started this band in 1995. In 1998 we really made an effort of this band and called ourselves Astroqueen and started to push this band. We are still pursuing the same ideas with this band. Nothing much has changed. We all know each other so well that making music is not a job at all. It doesn't even seem like work. It is just a group of friends writing riffs and having a good time." "I love everything about this band and the way it has taken shape. Not many bands that have been playing for so long can say that they still are excited about what they do. Each day is something new for us." Seeing that the album just came out this summer, how will 2001 be a successful year for the band, in Anghede's mind? "We just want to go out on the road and tour. We want to tour with a big band and just follow them around all over the place and play as many cities as we can. We hope that Pavement has the money to bring us over to North America to play our music." I think Astroqueen would do very well playing in North America. "I do too. We have been getting a lot of mail from fans asking us "when are you coming over to play?", so we have to come over and play now." Where in the U.S. would Anghede like to play a show and/or visit? "There are a few places I want to go. California, Texas..." What about Disneyland? Everyone who comes to the U.S. wants to go to Disneyland? "No, not really", states the singer. "I just want to get in a van and tour all over North America for several months." Aside from a day job working at a cookie factory (an easy access to cookies when you got the "munchies", I'd assume), Anghede says the band makes an effort to practice three times a week to keep their chops up. Summer has slowed things down a bit, but the band still makes an effort to keep things focused. Says the singer, "Our rehearsal room is in my parent's garage, so it is very easy for us to get together and jam." That sounds pretty fucking convenient for the band... He ends, "Oh, it is. It makes it all the easier to roll out of bed and just jam when I want to. I love it." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= C R O S S I N G B O U N D A R I E S A N D H A V I N G F U N ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Cory White of Shocore by: Adrian Bromley I am not going to lie to all of you metalheads and say Vancouver's Shocore is a metal band. They aren't. More of a crossover-type band that blends hard rocking riffs, hardcore aggression and punk rock DIY mentality. Having been a big fan of singer Cory White's previous band (which he was booted from) called DDT, and the fact that they are a Canadian band, gave me more of an initiative to track down the goateed singer to chat about their new album titled _Devil Rock Disco_ (on Linus Entertainment). "I am excited about what I am doing right now with Shocore", starts White down the line from Vancouver. "I thought that DDT got a little too poppy for me and that wasn't really my taste. I loved the first DDT record, but when it came time to work on the second record I really wasn't involved too much with the writing and I didn't like the direction it was going. This Shocore record has a lot more balls. It is definitely a lot heavier." "Things keep changing as the years go on for me", he says. "I don't really have a grand master plan of what is going to go on. After I got kicked out of DDT, Terry "Sho" Murray called me up and asked me if I wanted to come down to the studio and work on stuff. We had worked before in the past on some stuff and it was lots of fun to just be in the studio doing this stuff. When we were in the studio, every week we'd have a keg of beer and our friends would come by and play stuff. There really seemed like there was no pressure working on this disc. When I had recorded with DDT, there was this whole crazy pressure with people coming into the studio and it just added a ton of pressure onto you. This was very low-key, as if you were just hanging with some of your friends and writing/recording music. We [the band is rounded out by Chon Chikara, Andy Simpson, Paul Floyd and Stevie Ericson -- Adrian] just made a record that we wanted to make." White has seen a lot of ups and downs in his career so far. His ex-band DDT had seen success in the early to mid-'90s with their EP _Living Off the Generosity of Other People_ and eventually signed to Metallica's Lars Ulrich's imprint label TMC (which worked in conjunction with Elektra Records) to release _Urban Observer_. And then came the departure from DDT, with White cast out to the musical world, and soon after that, DDT broke up. What inspires him to keep creating music? Is it the only thing he is good at? "This is definitely one of the only things I can really do", he laughs. "Being in a band and creating music is just a great outlet for me. I love to travel and I like to create and perform and entertain. I am not a rocket scientist. I don't plan on changing the world. I am not political. I just like to have a good time. I know if I go to see a band play for $10, I want to be entertained. That is what I put into all of this with Shocore. I am not a rocket scientist at all, I just like to rock!" Talking about the new disc, he says, "I like all of the songs. My favourite songs on the record change from day to day, really. I have been living with the record for a year now. There are a lot of songs I like to perform live, songs like "High School Punk" or "Legendary Camaro"." "I have been through so much so far in this music business, and seen a lot of stuff happen, and I am just glad and excited about what we did with this record. We made something that we really love and it just came out of us. It wasn't forced. We weren't trying to be a certain sound. It just happened. And it just keeps going with us. We are already working on the second record for Shocore." Shocore are not afraid to try a lot of new ideas and bring them into the fold, though a lot of other bands sometimes bring too much variety and ideas to their music, causing some to lose interest. "When I first listened to this record, I kind of felt there was a real '70s rock feel to it", he reveals. "I grew up listening to records like that with my parents. Not to say we sound like that, but there was that rock feeling inside. When we worked on the disc and were looking for samples and sounds to fit what we were doing, I noticed that we made sure we took in ideas that would enhance our music and sound cool and draw the listener in." "The music scene in Canada has always been tough for young bands to get noticed", answers White when asked about the Canadian music scene. "You have to be pretty straight head rock to make it here. And all the power to bands like that playing in Canada, but to me that is just music that is playing it safe. Not that we are jumping through circles of fire, but I think that we are playing our music the way we want to and not worried about playing it too safe." He laughs. "Making music has always been fun for me. That is why I enjoy doing this. This isn't easy at all -- vans breaking down, living homeless, which I have done -- but it is a lot of fun as well, fun that most people never get to experience. This is real riot and you amass such a vast amount of experience from being in a band." The final question goes out to Shocore's frontman: how does he feel about working within the music industry? "I like the corporate engine working for you, but I don't like it taking over what you are doing", he states. "I have been in that situation before [with DDT] and I don't want to have that again." He finishes off, "I like what Linus is doing for us and I think they really believe in what we are doing. They are good people. We both want this band to be a success." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____ .__ ___. / _ \ | |\_ |__ __ __ _____ / /_\ \| | | __ \| | \/ \ / | \ |_| \_\ \ | / 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! Anathema - _A Fine Day to Exit_ (Music for Nations, October 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10) _Judgement_ [CoC #41] was a superb album, another excellent release by this unique and immensely gifted band -- but still I felt their best was yet to come. Ever since Anathema had found their new path with _Eternity_, they had been gradually becoming more consistent, and always able to distill their emotion into the music they created. Gone were the days of _Serenades_ and _The Silent Enigma_, but this band was becoming something else, leaving in its wake a collection of remarkable albums. I therefore had a feeling _Judgement_'s successor would be their greatest achievement ever, perhaps even the culmination of all their potential; but sadly, I was wrong. This is again the product of a more mature band than before, something that has been apparent with each successive album they've made. But in spite of that, this time they have produced a comparatively bland effort, lacking the necessary intensity to accentuate the emotion and passion in Anathema's music. It isn't just a matter of sounding too soft, which it does; the distorted guitar sections also fail to stir much inside of me. Compared to the heartbreaking guitar work the Cavanaghs used to come up with, this is almost unbelievable. This time we either get mostly unremarkable acoustic guitars, or guitar work that tends to sound like the vaguely sloppy product of a simple rock band, failing to add anything truly significant to the vocal efforts. Vincent's vocals are again in great form -- had it been someone else singing and the album would have surely received a much lower rating from me --, but why all the excessively mellow, repetitive sing-along sections and all the annoying layering of backing vocals? Not to mention the lengthy, odd ending Anathema decided to slap on the album. Furthermore, knowing it had been Travis Smith to create that poor commercial excuse for an album cover was all the more distressing. Unfortunately, most of what lies inside is also a strangely watered-down version of what Anathema used to be -- not just in terms of "heaviness" and absence of "metal", but also because it lacks the intensity and depth that made the emotion in their music truly stand out in previous records. Make no mistake, however: there are still a handful of superb emotional moments in the album. Still, most of the time the tracks just flow by nicely, unremarkably and strangely unaffectingly for Anathema songs, due to the changes in the guitar work and, to a lesser extent, songwriting. Overall, they have done so much better in the past that I cannot seem to enjoy this album, because of all that I find missing from it. I wish they would have taken three or four tracks from _AFDtE_, made an EP with them, forgotten about the rest, and then written the real follow-up to _Judgement_. Vincent's vocals alone keep this album afloat, but in the end, _A Fine Day to Exit_ leaves me mostly indifferent compared to its predecessors -- just wondering whether Anathema will ever get back on track and fulfill their huge potential. Arch Enemy - _Wages of Sin_ (Dream On, August 2001) by: Chris Flaaten (8.5 out of 10) Arch Enemy have been on a steady course for three albums in a row, defining their musical style and -- at least in my opinion -- improving with each step they take. Since the release of the eminent _Burning Bridges_ [CoC #41], however, things have not been going very smoothly for the band. They have changed vocalist and their latest album still has no release date in Europe or the US -- _Wages of Sin_ is only available in Southeast Asia at the moment. Hopefully this will change soon, because this is a great album! With previous Arch Enemy albums, the only thing I wished for was more intense vocals. Liiva's shouting style of vocals never sat well with me, even though he improved a lot for _Burning Bridges_. Apparently, the band felt the same way as I did and found what they needed in Angela Gossow from Germany. Yes, that is a feminine name. Yes, she is a female. Yes, I was as curious as you are now when I played the disc for the first time. The album opens with forty seconds of quiet piano and then glides over in hammering riffs and drums; then a short fury of poweresque guitar harmonies before Angela unleashes vocals of extreme intensity! The music is unmistakably Arch Enemy, with the weaving of power metal and melodic death metal elements they are well known for. Yet again they have achieved a wonderful balance between melody and brutality, but they sound slightly darker and angrier on _Wages of Sin_ than on their previous albums -- especially the song "Savage Messiah", which features a dark, slow and melody-stripped heaviness unprecedented for Arch Enemy. The album has their best production to date and variety is abundant. My only remaining problem regarding Arch Enemy is that I can't seem to keep my interest up through all of the eleven songs. Listening to either half gives me the same impression of quality, though, so this is due to my taste regarding the genre and not the music itself. Arch Enemy shouldn't disappoint anyone with this album. Averse Sefira - _Battle's Clarion_ (Lost Disciple, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) Fast and hateful, Averse Sefira thrust their warlike black metal at the listener with considerable potency. Do not expect nice keyboard embellishments here. Instead, it is the addition of some good atmospheric effects, akin to some of Enslaved's recent work, that allows the band to give their intense attack some breathing space. This serves a dual purpose: to enhance the atmosphere that surrounds the music itself, and to help them avoid creating a continuous sequence of similar-sounding tracks. These Americans do come up with several enjoyable mid- to fast-paced riffs, and are able to imbue their music with a good deal of venom as well -- and all this is then enhanced by their smart manipulation of the aforementioned sound effects. Sometimes bringing to mind Sweden's excellent In Battle [CoC #23, #33], _Battle's Clarion_ turned out to be a very pleasant and enjoyable surprise for me. Averse Sefira seem to have what it takes to avoid disappearing amidst the mass of black metal bands populating the metal market these days, at least judging by _Battle's Clarion_. Awakening - _An Eves Nightmare_ (, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10) From Australia comes the bizarre metal outfit calling itself Awakening. Not really a full-blown metal act, Awakening find themselves hovering between a creepy, atmospheric metal act and melodic metal, paying lots of attention to haunting segues and unique musical passages. With a really dream-like sequence of ideas, _An Eves Nightmare_ is very effective as it draws the listener in with some impressive ambient features, not to mention dark vocal ideas and hypnotic guitar work. The keyboard work by singer/guitarist James Steed, for example on the track "Introduction to Obscurity," is also worthy of note. No doubt the twelve songs on _An Eves Nightmare_ are meant to be taken in all at the same time and would surely lose the appeal should they be heard out of sequence. A gothic stench of moodiness descends upon the music of Awakening as it trudges along, deeper into a nightmare of ghastly sounds and creepy emotions. Not as good as it could have been, but effective nonetheless. Contact: mailto:awakening28@hotmail.com http://www.angelfire.com/realm/awakening/ Bastard Noise - _Analysis of Self Destruction_ by: Gabriel Sanchez (9 out of 10) (Alien8 Recordings, 2000) This has been sitting in my "to review" pile for ages now. After giving it a virgin run on my CD player upon initial receipt, I backed off making a detailed assessment out the realization that given my overall views of noise at the time, my commentary would be overly biased and perhaps largely uninteresting. To clear the air on another issue, let it be said Bastard Noise will never take the gold, silver, or bronze in the "harshness" or "dynamics" competitions. It would be foolish for a listener to expect such triumphs from an act which deliberately fails to compete in those areas. Bastard Noise is all about meshing a darkness in tone with minimalism of sound. Sometimes they drift in, other times they float about. They order their sounds to achieve their ends of conceptualizing the bleakness of existence through an artistic medium seldom few ever attach a shred of meaning to. There is a cold emptiness in the works of Bastard Noise that may be longing in there (somewhere) for a ray of hope... of warmth. The group seems decidedly set on offering none, however. Nihilistic, the world drifts through time without meaning; more pain in a day than pleasure in a lifetime. Bastard Noise knows this. It may never escape their minds that humanity is capable of such good and beauty, their eyes and ears are ever transfixed on the rot we so gleefully bathe in. For a noise group... any group to offer such bleakness in their sounds alone does not happen often. Few have the courage to peel back the layers, abstract their socially constructed ordered thinking patterns, and come to grips with sound what life around them really is. Bastard Noise has done that before, and for the sake of a humanity that could care even less about their message than they do the implications of it, they do it yet again. Contact: http://www.alien8recordings.com Various - _Beauty in Darkness 5_ (Nuclear Blast, July 2001) by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10) The latest instalment in Nuclear Blast's vaguely monikered "Dark Music" series can be better described as a gothic music sampler -- though even this description is inadequate, as a number of featured bands (such as Dimmu Borgir and Nevermore) do not sit comfortably within this category. Highlights include Theatre of Tragedy's contribution, the exquisite "Image" -- which Liv Kristine sings in French, her ethereal vocals adding an extra dimension of sensuality to the song, something which was missing from the English version. Mandragora Scream are a new gothic band from Italy and they offer "Cryin' Clouds" off their debut album. It sounds as if a woman is singing, but apparently it is a man providing the vocals. Irrespective of whether it's a man or woman singing, the androgynous vocals are a refreshing change from the plethora of female vocals and Eldritch-esque vocals that plague goth-inspired acts. Of course there are also bad tracks, most notably Dimmu Borgir's "Puritania" -- a noisy meandering piece of neo-industrial garbage. Not to mention Crematory's feeble gothic metal contribution. But the album's major flaw is a lack of metal in comparison to earlier _BiD_ releases. Many established bands which have contributed to previous _BiD_ releases have mellowed considerably -- such as Therion and Theatre of Tragedy --, creating a softer overall feel to the album. Another four tracks are by bands who are not and never have been metal. One of these tracks does not even so much as feature a guitar. Despite a few bad selections, this is a pretty good album. But even after repeated listenings one cannot help but think that this is a compilation of goth songs with metal elements rather then a compilation of metal songs with goth elements. Benediction - _Organized Chaos_ (Nuclear Blast, October 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) I have always had this love-hate relationship with Benediction. I like their earlier stuff (_Subconscious Terror_ and _The Grand Leveller_), tolerate some of their mid-era albums (_Transcend the Rubicon_) and was really unimpressed with the last few discs (_The Dreams You Dread_ and _Grind Bastard_). But with the band's new album, _Controlled Chaos_, I once again plan to show support for Benediction. While far from being mind-blowing, the new album finds Benediction back in familiar territory, playing some strong old school death metal with lots of conviction. Singer Dave Hunt (who replaced longtime singer Dave Ingram, now in Bolt Thrower) sounds in control here, as the chaotic frenzy begins with "Suicide Rebellion" onto "The Temple of Set" and "Easy Way to Die". Tight, fast, grinding death metal that shows no mercy as it unfolds into metal madness. Good to see these grind bastards back in good form. Let the chaos begin! Bernd Steidl - _Paganiniana_ (Shrapnel, 2001) by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10) This is the American release of Steidl's long-awaited follow-up to his 1991 debut, _Psycho Acoustic Overture_. This album is similar in style, but at the same time, shows many differences. His core sound is a metal shred guitar style played on acoustic guitar, accompanied by gothic- and classically-inspired keyboards. It's a very original and unique sound, and Steidl definitely has the chops to make it interesting. His technique and style hasn't changed much in the last ten years, but what has changed is the nature of the accompaniment. The keyboards on this album are generally less gothic, and there are long sections which sound like a movie soundtrack. In fact, there are many sections where Steidl's guitar takes the back seat and the keyboards (which Steidl also plays) dominate the music. Classical themes are very prevalent on the album. In fact, a full one-third of the tracks are classically themed, including two based upon Paganini violin caprices, one based upon Albinoni's famous "Adagio", and one based upon Scriabin's "Piano Etude #8 Op. 12". A rather unfortunate addition to Steidl's style comes in the way of dance beats in a couple of the songs, which are eerily reminiscent of the classical-set-to-dance-music albums of the mid-to-late 80's. But for the most part, this is an enjoyable release. While it isn't the groundbreaking release that _Psycho Acoustic Overture_ was, fans of that album should enjoy this one as well. Note that the European release -- _Burnt Steel_ (on KDC Records) -- features three extra tracks: "Cobra" (a remake of "Cobra Negra" from his debut), "The Bunker" and "Odyssey". Luckily, their omission on this release isn't much of a loss, as while they're good songs, they aren't better than the ones that are here. Brick Bath - _I Won't Live the Lie_ (, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10) In their bio, California metal quartet Brick Bath likens their sound to a "combination of Pantera and Testament on steroids". As far as accurate descriptions go, Brick Bath pretty much hits the nail on the head. Fans of Pantera and the aggressive hard rock movement will no doubt be pumping their fists as _I Won't Live the Lie_ rages on. While there are a good variety of heavy and ambitious songs on this record, most notably "Sick of You", the powerful "So Wrong" or "Erased", I couldn't help but feel a little upset about just how much they sound like Pantera. From the vicious bass lines and drumming styles to the screeching guitar riffs and heavy-set vocals, Brick Bath could pass as a Pantera cover band. I kid you not. In all, this is good, heavy music to play loud, but if you metalheads are looking for something original sounding, Brick Bath can only offer up second rate Pantera to digest. If you're craving anything more than that, then you need to look elsewhere. Contact: J.W.M. Productions, 610 Country Club Lane, Suite 90, Escondido, CA 92026, USA mailto:joelspy@aol.com Celestia / Goatfire - _Darkness Enfold the Sky / Black Slaughterization_ split 7" by: Alvin Wee (7 out of 10) (End All Life, 2001) Elusive French outfit Celestia seem to have taken on a darker, more infernal shade since we last heard from them on the long-deleted _Cave Full of Bats_ EP. Core member Noctu spits forth his vitriolic war-words with far more low-end venom than ever before, and fans familiar with the clean, high-pitched Swedish sound that characterized their Drakkar days might do a double-take at their newfound rawness on this record. Melody is downplayed in favor of hellish atmospheres; listening to the twisted blackness on this track almost brings the stench of burning sulphur to one's nostrils. Nothing particularly earthshaking, but certainly a nice slab of pure evil far less derivative than their MCD material, and that, despite its primitiveness, remains impressively memorable in true Celestia style. Goatfire struggle somewhat to keep up with Celestia's diabolical sorcery, coming across a tad messy and rehearsal-like in their black metal meanderings. However, to dismiss these Italians this early would be a grave mistake; "Black Slaughterization" has an inexplicable, barbarous charm to it transcending the band's apparent lack of cohesion in the studio. Evocative of the old Swedish underground in the demo days, Goatfire manage to recreate the unschooled fire of cult acts like Sorhin in the early nineties. All in all a nice collaboration that's pleasantly satisfying, if nothing essential. Limited to 300 copies as usual. Contact: mailto:EAL@wanadoo.fr Death - _Live in LA - Death and Raw_ (Nuclear Blast, October 2001) by: Chris Flaaten (10 out of 10) I am not very keen on live albums. They are usually just a "best of", routine-like and overproduced. Rarely do they capture the actual feel of the concert. I can think of a few exceptions, however, and this record is the best of them all! The title is highly appropriate: this is Death at their rawest, and the live feeling is maintained to the fullest. Unpolished and almost flawlessly executed, their performance is truly awesome. Drummer Richard Christy deserves extra credit -- filling the shoes of both Gene Hoglan and Sean Reinert as well as he does here is quite the feat. The live album contains thirteen songs, taken from every Death album except _Spiritual Healing_. The emphasis is on the last two albums, with a combined total of seven songs. Of course there are other songs I wish were on it, but it is hard fitting seven albums worth of solid material in a live album. Buy this album ASAP and help out Chuck at the same time -- that's a win-win situation if I ever saw one. Delirium Endeavor - _Flight of the Imagination_ by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10) (, 1998) I realize this is a bit older than the albums we usually review for CoC, but the guys sent it to me, so I'm going to review it, dammit! Delirium Endeavor hail from Rochester, NY, and are an all-instrumental trio. This is their first full-length offering, after an earlier demo which was released under the name Manic [CoC #22]. They describe their music as "a series of 'busy' instrumentals created for indulgent musicians and music listeners who love detail". That sums up this recording pretty well, though the word "busy" might be misconstrued by some. This is not overly technical music. Rather, I'd use the word "complex", to signify that the music isn't particularly difficult to play, but it is organized in a way that requires several listens to fully comprehend. The songs meander through several different styles and tempos, generally without telegraphing their next steps. In addition to non-conventional song structures, they offer some interesting and unique textures. The band I'm most reminded of while listening to their music is Sieges Even. In fact, the style of this album is roughly halfway between _Life Cycle_ and _Steps_ (thankfully without the distinctive vocals of Franz Herde). The heavy parts have the manic thrash sound of _Life Cycle_, but aren't as chaotic, and the clean guitar parts (especially with the chorus effect) sound much like those on _Steps_, but not quite as smooth. In addition, the musicianship isn't quite up to the standards set by Sieges Even. In particular, the guitar work is slightly sloppy throughout. It's not overly annoying, but the album doesn't have the tight feel to it that bands like Zero Hour [also reviewed this issue] do. Overall, this is an interesting offering, and the band's target audience (which probably includes Sieges Even fans) should enjoy it. Depraved - _Decadence & Lust_ (Warpath Records, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (5 out of 10) Twelve tracks of brutal death metal packed into less than half an hour is what Depraved present us with here. Death grunts are complemented by grindcore screams, which are typically used whenever the music speeds up, making it all annoyingly predictable after a short while. Depraved remind me of a kind of fast, punkish, grindcore-influenced death metal not far from what pioneers like Brutal Truth and Napalm Death once created. Production is adequate, but doesn't save this French band from coming across as a very derivative member of a much-explored genre. These guys probably have lots of fun playing this material live, but there's a limit to how much you can repeat the simplistic chopping riff with growls, followed by the blastbeat that starts with the grindcore scream -- especially if all your riffs and vocals are basically going to sound the same throughout the record. Depraved are reasonably adept at what they do given one specific track, but then they make the same thing last for the entire half-hour without even trying to develop it any further. Within the realm of death metal, what Depraved are doing is hardly relevant or refreshing at all, given everything that has been done before in the genre. I would therefore recommend this record exclusively to die-hard fans of the genre who just cannot get enough of the same thing. And by the way, regarding the album's imagery: personally, I couldn't care less about the band members' sexual traumas, and Depraved are really pushing the subject like there's nothing else in their world. Devin Townsend - _Terria_ (InsideOut, October 2001) by: Chris Flaaten (8 out of 10) HevyDevy is back and his presence on this album is almost overwhelming. A bold conclusion would be that he has managed to put his soul and mind on tape. I am assuming a lot here, as I do not know his soul, nor his mind, but it just seems like the obvious observation to make when listening to the music. It is quite apparent that he has written the music he burns for, not following directions from any labels or trends. From that point of view, one could compare this album to _Infinity_ [CoC #36]. Still, the music on _Terria_ is calmer, smoother and more melodic. The same could perhaps be said about the composer himself? The album starts with an appropriately weird instrumental and then leads into the thundering, doom-like opening of "Mountain". Enter Townsend's vocals and you have the combination of heaviness and beauty that he is so renowned for. The songs glides smoothly through soft, hard and even punkish elements (leftover inspiration from the time with The Wildhearts?), yet they maintain their identity as songs. Townsend is playful and experimental, but never loses grasp of the melody. Musically, this is indeed closer to his Ocean Machine project. He even keeps the nature focus intact with songs like "Olives", the aforementioned "Mountain" and "Earthday". Expect to spend a few listens before the music really makes sense. Fans of either _Infinity_ or Ocean Machine should have a field day on this. Those who do not know those projects but think 72 minutes of melody and different metal could be interesting should also check this out. Divina Enema - _At the Conclave_ (Eldritch Music, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (5 out of 10) The wintry front cover chosen by this band from Belarus for their album sparked considerable interest in me -- the desolate yet majestic ruins amidst the dark, frozen landscape. As it turns out, the band uses violin, cello and piano to augment their progressive, theatrical, symphonic metal sound quite well, and the whole thing might have worked... had it not been for most of the vocals. I simply cannot hear past the incredibly annoying, jarring, high-pitched male singing that accompanies the very decent Garm-influenced vocals. Even if I could, the extremely poor death grunts and blackened vocals are lurking right behind the next corner to render the whole thing unenjoyable. I simply cannot recall having heard worse death vocals than these, or more intolerable clean singing than these eunuch-like theatrical vocals. Fortunately, there is enough vocal variety to avoid having these particular vocals on all the time -- but they still show up far too frequently, all courtesy of the same person. For six lengthy tracks, Divina Enema show lots of ambition and several good ideas, even if they often bring to mind Devil Doll and Angizia, for instance. Several acoustic string passages and piano sections prove the potential this band does have, only to be ruined by the aforementioned insufferable vocals (e.g., the opening of the second track). The quality of the musical arrangements tends to vary somewhat, but the band is instrumentally competent and full of drive to build intricate musical and lyrical structures. They really should have done a lot better when choosing the appropriate people for some of the types of vocals they use; this way the music keeps changing abruptly from interesting to infuriating -- hence my rating. Hopefully Divina Enema will significantly improve their vocal section for their next release. As it is, however, this metallic "Bohemian Rhapsody" of sorts doesn't even get off the ground, despite all the potential it did have. Contact: mailto:dzianis@eldritch-music.com (Europe) mailto:tsimafei@eldritch-music.com (USA) http://www.eldritch-music.com Dornenreich - _Her Von Welken Nachten_ (Prophecy Productions, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10) Your average band Dornenreich most certainly are not. These Austrians manage to build an obscure atmosphere around their music, one of genius combined with a good pinch of insanity, that keeps the listener wondering what will come next. Not only can their riffing go from blackened to something with a gothic flavour, they often add violin, and occasionally piano and cello, into the mix. In addition to this, their vocalist sings and screams, whispers and whimpers along in an unpredictable manner (all in German, by the way). The songs vary from subdued pieces based on various acoustic strings and tortured, mostly whispered vocals, to songs full of catchy riffs, choruses and melodies, and to passages that borrow from the blacker or doomier side of the spectrum. The tortuous, dark, yet silky acoustic pieces aren't any less important than the harsher sections, as evidenced about midway through the record. Instrumental prowess, compositional madness and brilliance, and often unexpected yet interesting vocals combine with the strong sound (courtesy of Markus Stock, of Empyrium fame) and the lush, sad violin and cello passages to create a very unique record. Some of the German sung goth-like vocals get on my nerves, however, and on a couple of occasions the band also uses them in rather repetitive choruses to tiresome effect. A few of the riffs are somewhat upbeat and seem inconsistent with the dark atmosphere that pervades most of the record -- which is the downside of the album's otherwise enjoyable variety --, but they do not occur too frequently. Still, I would have gotten rid of a couple of passages in this hour-long album -- i.e., most of the third and seventh tracks. Nevertheless, _Her Von Welken Nachten_ reeks of individuality and talent, and is at the very least worthy of a good number of listens before passing judgement. Personally, I find most of the record quite brilliant -- in a slightly insane sort of way. Ebony Tears - _Evil as Hell_ (Black Sun, July 2001) by: David Rocher (7 out of 10) Ebony Tears' evolution is an intriguing one indeed. After their 1997 debut effort _Tortura Insomniae_ [CoC #30] saw them sharing the grounds with the ever-increasing plethora of prolific Gothenburg-tinged death metal acts such as In Flames, their second release, the cryptically-titled _A Handful of Nothing_ [CoC #42], saw Ebony Tears, by then reduced to vocalist Johnny Wranning and axeman Conny Johnson plus two session musicians, veer west towards the Bay Area's thrashing tones. The nice, melodic violin, which was pretty much a golden facade tentatively embellishing some rather tame riffing on _Tortura Insomniae_, was now only to be heard on the weird, squeaky track "Erised". And now, behold! Two years after _A Handful of Nothing_, Ebony Tears are back again, meaner than ever, and _Evil as Hell_ itself! The Swedes have obviously beaten their former violin player up with his instrument, thus getting rid of both these whimsical elements, leaving them free to concentrate on all-out, totally cathartic thrashing songwriting. While the now four distinctly tearless ebony thrashers don't actually display the same groundbreaking songwriting genius as Meshuggah on _Destroy, Erase, Improve_ or Fear Factory on _Demanufacture_, they prove to be remarkably effective when it boils down to dishing out a raucous mixture of thick, chunky rhythms and distinctly-not-nice, tortuous and aggressive material, which is somewhat reminiscent to me of a band such as Wicked World signees Corporation 187, or Wranning and Johnsson's former thrashcore project Dog Faced Gods. Although _Evil as Hell_ does suffer from a form of sameness syndrome in the long run (which, incidentally, can also be said about _Corporation 187's debut _Subliminal Fear_), the individual tracks are catchy as hell, and stand out enough to be both entertaining (the opener "Deviation" is guaranteed to get the virtuoso air-guitar meister in you riffing away) and memorable. All in all, despite some flaws in the "variety" department, this raging forty-minute chunk of meanness is well worth a listen, but fans of Gothenburg trademark melodies and aesthetic, violin-driven death metal should definitely proceed with caution! [Brian Meloon: "Ebony Tears have joined the ranks of the bands who had a great debut album and then went downhill into banal mediocrity. Imagine Darkane minus their melodic and interesting sections, and you have this album. Sure, this is a good album technically: it's got good playing, good production, blah blah blah, but underneath, it's a bunch of boring, uninspired crap."] Emperor - _Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise_ by: Chris Flaaten (7 out of 10) (Candlelight, October 2001) This is it, the last Emperor album ever. _IX Equillibrium_ disappointed both critics and some fans, so there was quite some pressure on them for making this an excellent album. Ihsahn composed everything this time. So what is the result? The album is very guitar-oriented, even more so than _IX Equillibrium_. There is great variation in tempo, vocals, riffing and arrangements. It all sounds good, doesn't it? Still, I can't seem to love it. In fact, I get in a bad mood every time I listen to the album. It is really hard to explain why, though. I have listened to it in its entirety dozens of times now and there is no explanation in sight. The problem lies in the essence of the term "musical taste". On paper, so to speak, this album -should- appeal to me; but it really doesn't. Why not? It's the reviewer's nightmare -- it's very hard for me to objectively point out the reason why this album just isn't that good. I have to try, though, so I'll go through a few issues. The first track, "The Eruption", starts with a classical, Bach-influenced intro, and then bursts into heavy riffs and blast beats. The drums sound awful, as I think they always do when recorded in Akkerhaugen studios. In fact, Akkerhaugen delivers an utterly mood-deprived production and strips away any magic that lies in the compositions themselves. Another fact that is quite apparent is that Ihsahn uses overtone and other high-pitched effects in his guitar work much too often. The structure of most of the songs also seems -too- complex. I am not normally intimidated by complexity -- Spastic Ink and Spiral Architect's latest albums are two of my favorites --, but here everything is just too fragmented, causing the songs to lack identity. Luckily, there are three exceptions: "Empty", the third track, which starts very aggressively, then moves into some classical passages where violin (synth) glides into lead guitar harmonies and then turns back into a brutal drive; "In the Worldless Chamber", the sixth and by far the strongest track, with hypnotizing synth/riff arrangements, crushing groove and a truly majestic feel; and finally "Thorns on my Grave", the final and fastest track on the album, which features a slight _In the Nightside Eclipse_ feel. These three songs save this album a great deal, but one still gets the impression that the composer wasn't truly inspired and motivated when writing this album. Writing out of duty and not out of passion has its consequences, even with the talent of a professional of Ihsahn's caliber. Entombed - _Morning Star_ (Music for Nations, 2001) by: Matthias Noll (8 out of 10) "Why wait for another mediocre Slayer record?" -- this must have been Entombed's motto while writing some of the songs for _Morning Star_. Overall, this record if far less noisy, Motorhead etc. influenced death rock than anything Entombed have released since _Wolverine Blues_. Listening to some of the obvious Slayer worship that happens during songs like "About to Die", this is probably more metal in a traditional sense than anything Entombed have ever done. Sound-wise, the laws of heavy metal are strictly followed as well, and _Morning Star_ features the most professional production of any Entombed album so far. Entombed's latest sounds absolutely killer: broad, loud and crisp, metallic and with increased clarity and depth in comparison to _Uprising_ and _To Ride..._ -- and fortunately the overall heaviness is not compromised. The record starts brilliantly with the pumping, anthemic "Chief Rebel Angel", with a dramatic background choir section underneath the chorus, and continues with the crushing "I For an Eye", where the second, faster half showcases the first bit of Slayer-style riffing on the album. "Bringer of Light" is slightly less powerful and followed by the almost thrashy "Ensemble of the Restless", which may well be the fastest track Entombed have ever recorded. From there on, unfortunately, it's a rollercoaster ride between good, heavily Slayer influenced tracks, and a couple of far less impressive, almost boring numbers -- like the abysmal "Out of Heaven", which must be the lamest Entombed track ever recorded. While Entombed have reached a late metallic peak, the quality of the songwriting is inconsistent on this record. If everything on _Morning Star_ was on the same level as the killer songs, it would be a 9 out of 10 or even better. The fact that three out the of twelve songs are average at best in comparison to the rest is a shame. Nevertheless, this is a record with a good number of severely crushing highlights, and for those who started to dislike Entombed after _Wolverine Blues_, this might come as a nice surprise and a highly recommended purchase. Others, like me, who enjoyed everything they did except _Same Difference_, will get and love it anyhow. Eternal Majesty / Temple of Baal - _Unholy Chants of Darkness / Faces of the Void_ split LP by: Alvin Wee (9 out of 10) (End All Life, 2001) Yet another thorn in the side of commercial black metal courtesy of the burgeoning French scene, coming in the guise of a split LP on the ever trustworthy End All Life label. After an obligatory intro, Eternal Majesty storm in mightily with "Le Christ Roi", sounding uncannily like _Opus Nocturne_-era Marduk, instantly proving themselves the copycat rivals -- if not the equals -- of their Swedish counterparts. Dead-set on working their neo-Swedish similarities to the hilt, the Parisian quartet continue pretty much in a _Panzer Division Marduk_ vein, pulling off icy blizzards to rival even Marduk's finest. While the band's play-as-fast-as-you-can sentiment might wear short on a longer album, the three tracks here blaze with an intensity and conviction to set even the most frigid misanthrope's blood seething. More than can be said for Dark Funeral or latter-day Setherial, both of which suffer from the sterility of over-production that a label like EAL shuns. Temple of Baal stand themselves in no worse stead, wasting no time in blasting forth with the vitriolic "Satanic Dominators", boasting a highly compressed guitar sound reminiscent of Swordmaster's early days. Which, coupled with the band's raw and passionate delivery, makes for extremely compelling listening. Keeping up the levels set by their A-side compatriots is no easy task, but ToB manage to slow things down (minimally) to a more sinister level, throwing off the previous intensity for a twisted blackness with so much flair and conviction it's almost scary to watch. Three long songs that leave one drained yet begging for more, and I've no doubt that this is one of the underground's more important releases this year. Limited to 300 on vinyl, and you can still ask around mailorders if EAL themselves run out of copies. Contact: mailto:EAL@wanadoo.fr Evergrey - _In Search of Truth_ (InsideOut, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (9.5 out of 10) I cannot begin to tell all you CoC readers how much I -LOVE- this new album by Evergrey. I have not stopped playing this album since I got it. Honestly. Sure I'll throw on other CDs to review them or just to break away from _In Search of Truth_ for a while, but after a few hours or at the latest by the end of the day when I am finishing up my nightly e-mails, I have the album cranked again. Playing what could only be described as "impressive progressive metal" music, Sweden's Evergrey just dazzle us with their musicianship here (as they have done with past works like _The Dark Discovery_ and _Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy_). The talent, the production (by Andy LaRocque) and the song structures just blow me away with each listen. Singer/guitarist Tom S. Englund sounds in fine form here, delivering vocal lines with passion and intensity as this concept-based album unfolds. And the piano/keyboard work found here? To die for. From eloquent to haunting, the keyboard definitely adds another level to the material, as do the occasional female vocals. Nicely blended and not overdone. Fans of Nevermore and older era Queensryche will no doubt want to pick this baby up, as it delivers the perfect sound and style that should be associated with good progressive metal -- not wanker guitar work that seems to be flooding the genre of late. Die-hard fans of the band probably already have this disc and are in the same exact frenzy I am. Am I right, people? _In Search of Truth_ is hard, heavy and truly one of 2001's most memorable discs. Everyone should own this. Fireball Ministry - _FMEP_ (, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) Stoner rock squadron Fireball Ministry have got a lot of charisma. The dynamic trio also have a lot of rock power. They're on a roll right off the bat, aren't they? Just listen to their five-song _FMEP_ release and you'll be rocking out in no time to songs like opener "King" and "Choker". Sounding like a cross between Fu Manchu (a somewhat more sedated version) and Corrosion of Conformity, Reverend James A. Rota II leads his disciples through five impressive numbers, slowly dishing out distorted guitars, echoing vocal passages and a hypnotic rhythm section. While not as rocking as Sweden act Astroqueen's debut disc _Into Submission_, Fireball Ministry's latest is an interesting ride to take. Not too intense, not too cliche-sounding. A good core sound also helps bring the talent of the band to the surface for us all to enjoy each time out. Contact: Fireball Ministry, P.O. Box 375, 2110 Artesia Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278-3069, USA mailto:thereverend@fireballministry.com http://www.fireballministry.com Fleshitized - _Here Among Thorns_ (Mighty Music, September 2001) by: David Rocher (6 out of 10) This American brutal death metal three-piece is a band whose case seems to be rather recurrent in today's metal scene. Fleshitized studied hard at Ye Olde College of Death Metal, fared decently in Morbid Angel, proved to be above well above-average in Cannibal Corpse, graduated with honours in Malevolent Creation and Suffocation, but fell short of success on their "Compelling Songwriting and Catchy Riffage" test. Don't get me wrong: Fleshitized aren't bad; they're unpretentious, technically proficient and extremely efficient, but even after many a listen, the material on _Here Among Thorns_ just fails to bury enough rusty hooks in my flesh for me to want to spin it over and over again. The closing track, a decent cover of Morbid Angel's "Rapture", is very revealing as to what is wrong -- or maybe simply perfectible -- about Fleshitized on _Here Among Thorns_; the track is played flawlessly, and even the insane intricacies of Azagthoth's trademark leads are decently rendered. However, Fleshitized have missed out on one important point: there's a lot more to Morbid Angel's death metal than just all-out aggression -- namely that sombre, mean, dissonant twist, which is precisely what I believe Fleshitized actually fail to display on this second album. Graced with a nice, powerful sound courtesy of Danish fame Jacob Hansen, _Here Among Thorns_ will be a definite turn-on for intense death metal fans who are sooner seduced by a maelstrom of blasting aggressiveness than by the actual atmosphere of their music. Ginger Leigh - _From Artesia With Love_ (, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) I reviewed Ginger Leigh's _Broken by the World_ back in CoC #51, an interesting disc that offered the listener a unique blend of industrial beats and bizarre ideas rolled into one. While not really metal for the most part, Ginger Leigh offered the metal masses a solid realm of heaviness that consisted of electronic snippets and distortion. While less electronic based that the past work, Ginger Leigh's new disc scopes out a very atmospheric soundscape, led by a lot of percussion work and a sitar. Interesting enough, these ideas only take up a portion of the record, with a good enough portion focusing on the industrial drive (Godflesh, Nine Inch Nails) that encompassed the first outing. While different from the last record, it is quite evident that Ginger Leigh likes to explore new ideas and keep the door wide open, never really pigeon-holing the sound and direction. The work of Ginger Leigh is far from done. There will be more. Contact: Ginger Leigh, P.O. Box 863 Artesia, CA 90702-0683, USA http://www.gingerleigh.com Godgory - _Way Beyond_ (Nuclear Blast, September 2001) by: Chris Flaaten (6 out of 10) The bass drum following deep, pounding guitars... The opening riff leaves no doubt about who we are dealing with. Godgory mixes death metal sounding guitars with both gothic and almost industrial atmospheres, leaving them a true metal bastard. _Way Beyond_ continues much in the same vein as _Resurrection_ [CoC #42]. Apart from the Swano / Moontower synths on the second track, which is by far the strongest one, this is just repeating a formula that already had its flaws. Sure, it is a nice listen at times, but it doesn't -do- anything. Looking at pretty horsies can be time well spent, but it's not an experience until you ride them. Imagika - _And So It Burns_ (WWIII, July 2001) by: Aaron McKay (2 out of 10) This band has a song called "Fade Away", ironically one of their best on this effort. Put in a different context, I wish Imagika -would- fade away, but then again you have to actually -be- something to begin to recede. Blah, blah, blah and on the ten original tracks go. Where can one hang their indigent interest amidst this dismal vestibule of horror Imagika calls music? I understand that this outfit has enjoyed some overseas success. All I can say to that is maybe they should enjoy foreign accomplishments -exclusively- instead of subjecting us to this substandard retro "Bay Area thrash scene" drivel; this coming from a principal fan of the S.F. scene, too. Imagika's two points come almost exclusively from track twelve, "When". That cut is certainly well put together, minus the Brian Vollmer of Helix covering Morgana Lefay vocals that seem to pervade even the bonus tracks supplied at the conclusion of _And So It Burns_. Also, the third unreleased song, "Unheard", has its moments with specific melody and desirable, interwoven patterns of developed drumming and dove-tailed guitar/bass work, but again those vocals are regrettable and nearly painful -- like a fruit bat in heat. Unless you have a flaming desire to undo the natural course of events and purchase _And So It Burns_ as to not let it go up in smoke, I'd redirect my magnifying glass elsewhere. In Aeternum - _Past and Present Sins_ (Necropolis Records, 2001) by: Aaron McKay (9 out of 10) Going back away, I remember reviewing In Aeternum's _The Pestilent Plague_ [CoC #49] and giving it a score of 6. Obviously a lot of time went into that review, and in reading over it again for some background to work up a piece for _Past and Present Sins_, I don't think I would change so much as a word. Now, however, I am presented a brilliant and inspired melange of In Aeternum's material going back to 1995, culminating with live cuts from the Plague Across Europe Tour 2001. Beginning with the newest offering on this CD, In Aeternum cracks things wide open with "Cursed Legions" driving proficiently and with celebrated guest vocals by Schmier of Destruction. A cut is taken from the _Demon Possession_ 7", "Witches Spell" and my favorite, "The Arrival of the Horde", fall into place exceptionally well with super-heated aggression tempered with limitless head-thrashing grooves. Powerful. "The Pale Black Death", "Black Moon Attraction", "Defeat Life" and "The Storm of Triumph" furnish a skilled, but harsh subjugation of current In Aeternum offerings. These songs enforce a wicked standard early on in an aura of coarse, earthy vocal and guitar tones. Very convincing. There are two extremely well done remakes on _PaPS_: Venom's "Countess Bathory" and King Diamond's "Abigail". Losing little to nothing in a live setting, IA bust off four callous and raspy tracks, "Wolves Blood", "Revelation of Hell", "Ultimate Warfare" (all from _The Pestilent Plague_) and a severely great performance of "When the Vultures Left". From the elaborate and complex cover artwork to the range of material In Aeternum packs onto _Past and Present Sins_, I can see no other option; buy this! In Flames - _The Tokyo Showdown_ (Nuclear Blast, 2001) by: Matthias Noll (3 out of 10) Oh my god, this is such a lame album, it almost hurts. Especially when I think about _Clayman_ [CoC #48], one of my top albums for 2000, and the fact that I kept listening to and enjoying this record constantly since the Four MusCoCteers met in Rennes over a year ago. Things become even more painful when I remember two of the three In Flames shows from the _Clayman_ tour that I had the pleasure to witness. These gigs belonged to the "exceptional" category, the 11 out of 10 points kind of shows that do not happen frequently. Besides the incredible positive vibe brought across by the Swedes, their energetic performances also satisfied my appetite for upfront, crunching guitar riffing, a good frontman, tasteful guitar solos, and, in general, a very tight performance with a superb and heavy sound and a good selection of songs that made whole venues go berserk from the front to the very back. Yes, the very, very back where people usually sip their beer and try to look as cool as possible. _The Tokyo Showdown_ features the same band I saw live and a similar setlist with a slightly different running order, but simply none of the atmosphere and energy I experienced when I was in the audience. Where live albums like Judas Priest's _Unleashed in the East_, although allegedly recorded live in the studio, almost burst out of their CD cases because of their mesmerizing, energetic content, _TTS_ is suited to put even melodic metal fans to sleep -- so sterile and lifeless is the recording, featuring tight but clean and harmless sounding reproductions of a greatest hits selection. Where the hell did, for example, the incredible dynamics of the opening track "Bullet Ride" get lost? While I remember Anders Friden as a witty and entertaining frontman, on _TTS_ we get song announcements like "this is a song that I wrote when I had a difficult time in my life". This is so pathetic that I'm laughing every time I hear it. At least his vocals sound better than I expected. When listening to this record I'm plagued by images of a band sitting in comfortable armchairs while playing, shedding not a single drop of sweat. They're watched by an audience which is slightly more lively than a soulless corpse, and in between the two parties there is a barrier which separates them some ten miles (about the same distance one got blown away by the Possessed demo in '85). For those who have been waiting for an In Flames greatest hits collection, there is one available now. Just don't think that this is even remotely close to seeing one of their shows. What a disappointment! Levl - _Controlled by Time_ (Punctured Records, October 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10) For a record that was produced by a talented musician (guitarist Jeff Waters of Annihilator fame), the debut disc of Levl sounds a little weak. It is quite obvious that Levl is a band full of heavy metal / thrash power and might, but with the way things have ended up via the production, the momentum of the band seems a little restrained. I could easily see songs like "Don't Leave Me", "Chronic Pain" and "Mesmerized" ripping my face off with the solid groove and face-peeling guitar solos, but it doesn't. Instead I am left with a disc that downplays the intense vibe, keeping it controlled and below par when it should be raging like a bull. Levl are good, but I think their disc needs some re-working. I like to see bands emerging from Canada (they hail from Victoria, B.C.), but if they want to make a mark they need to have stronger produced material to back it up. Contact: Punctured Records, 110-174 Wilson Street, Victoria, B.C. V9A 7N7, Canada http://www.puncturedrecords.com Mannhai - _The Sons Of..._ (Spinefarm, October 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) After Finland's Xysma disappeared from the face of the planet, something in my metal heart was gone. I missed their weird-ass rock style and cool vibe. I never thought I'd hear anything else by them again. When I found out that ex-Xysma singer Joanitor was singing on the debut disc by hard rock / stoner rock / groove rock act Mannhai, I ran into the streets screaming in excitement. Okay, I made that last part up, but oh was I excited to hear Joanitor's raspy growl lead the hard rock flow of Mannhai. Songs like "No Need to Follow", "Gazers of the Red-Hot Stones" and "Lowbrow" just reek of coolness. There are also some cool sedated numbers that just shout "Chill out! Stay for a while." At times I can hear a bit of Kyuss in Mannhai -- and that is always a good thing. In closing, all I have to say is this: if there are some Xysma fans out there you should look into Mannhai's music. They just might get your foot tapping and fists pumping like Xysma did. If I can't have Xysma, at least Mannhai is there to keep me company. Mastodon - _Lifesblood_ (Relapse, 2001) by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10) Mastodon is a relatively new band from Atlanta, GA, featuring drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher formerly of Lethargy [CoC #4, #14, #51] and Today Is the Day. They're joined by Social Infestation bassist Troy Sanders and guitarist Brent Hines. As you'd expect from such a group of experienced musicians on a label like Relapse, this is a high-quality release, with good production and solid playing. Unfortunately, the music isn't anything particularly special. It's straightforward industrial- and death metal-tinged thrash, not overly technical, brutal or original. In other words, it fits perfectly into Relapse's roster. This is another technically good release, but ultimately, it is rather average material. Merzbow - _Collapse Twelve Floors_ (OHM, 2001) by: Gabriel Sanchez (7 out of 10) What good would be returning sporadically to do noise reviews if I didn't have some more Merzbow to offer? Keeping in line with his newfound desire to keep trying something new (or fairly new), Akita-san makes use of nothing other than an Apple computer for an effort that, while lacking in the intensity department, still manages to come together as an overall enjoyable listen. Much of the noise is kept under control through what is likely careful computer editing. Adding it the addition of theremin and his usual bag of electronic tricks, the sounds themselves resemble those largely boasted on his other works in recent years. The computer does manage to serve as more than an elaborate editing mechanism, as clearly the influence of reworked sound bites and mixed over layers of noise make their presence known throughout the recording. While I am the last person to slight any noise artist for trying to venture off into new territory, it seems that more and more Merzbow is fighting to "stay alive" in a sea of new talent by forcing itself to do something it hasn't done before. What is lacking is a distinct formula for excellence which Akita appeared to have captured on many of his releases between 1994 and 1996. Those days of harsh walls of sound mixed in with Akita's own fine-tuned ear for subtle dynamics seem to be over. The new days are far more directionless, and hence do not work towards establishing a body of work that any one listener may be able to point to as "satisfying". Certainly none of this will prevent me from tracking down any Merzbow albums that catch my fancy; it may just yet diminish the legacy of one of the true legends of the avant garde. Meshuggah - _Raretrax_ (Nuclear Blast, September 2001) by: Chris Flaaten (5 out of 10) "This album contains old recordings, demos, MPEG videoclips and the first mini-LP _Psykisk testbild_ from '89". I am not a fan of this kind of release. Unused (read "unworthy of studio album") material sold at full price... can't they release something good instead? Anyway, there are actually a couple of interesting songs in this album. The opener, "War", is their heaviest song yet. Firmly placed in the realms of death metal, it shows a side of the band that I hope they will explore further. The next three tracks are from their first mini-LP. For hardcore fans, I am sure this is nice to have, but both the music and production are way below par. Tracks five and six are previously unreleased material; nothing exciting and nothing they haven't done several times already. Following them are two demo versions of songs off _Contradictions Collapse_. The ninth track is a remix of _Chaosphere_'s opening track. The tempo is much slower than the original, giving it a nice, heavy feel. Along with "War", these songs are the only reason to buy this album, in my opinion. The disc finishes with a crazy, noisy and totally unnecessary track. Included are also three MPEG videoclips. The video of "New Millenium Suicide Christ" is basically the band without instruments in a tour bus mimicking the song. Humorous. The live recording of "Elastic" is decent, but the quality is below average and the cameraman should have been closer to the stage. The final videoclip consists of random craziness shot on tour and in the studio. "Completely irrelevant material", it says on the album. I agree... all too much. Morbid - _Deathexecution_ picture 7" (Reaper, 2001) by: Alvin Wee (6 out of 10) Yet another piece of black metal history from the Belgian label hell-bent on deifying the memory of Dead's legendary death metal troop. Given that all the handful of songs the band ever wrote has already been bootlegged to death in various formats, this (admittedly) beautiful picture 7" rendition of Morbid's live performance in 1988 comes as nothing refreshing. Three tracks we've all heard before: "Disgusting Semla", "Deathexecution" and "From the Dark", in a surprisingly sharp live recording that puts the numerous Mayhem bootlegs to shame. If you haven't already heard Morbid's old-school death metal grindings, then you probably don't need to either; on the other hand, I face the wrath of many a "true" black metaller for dismissing this overrated act's music as such. Scandinavian death metal has been better served by acts such as Cadaver and Hetsheads, so to me, Morbid's material (like Darkthrone's equally overrated demos) can only be labelled as being of historical interest, nothing more. Still, it's an impressive package with full-color artwork and remarkable production values, and the hefty price this already-scarce piece of vinyl (333 copies) is already fetching on the market makes it of interest to collectors and fanatics alike. Morgue Supplier - _Not Dead Enough_ (, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) Ah, nothing like sick and demented death metal to really get me going on a Sunday night (when I am writing this review). In just over twelve minutes, Chicago's Morgue Supplier manages to cram as much brutally, horrific sounding death metal growls, razor sharp guitar riffs and drum bashings into this four-song EP. The violent "Convulsive Reoccurrence" starts things off nastily, as the band just explodes into a maniacal frenzy with "Jugular Appetizer" and "Morgue Supplier". And just when you think you have been bashed over the head numerous times, they bring out the big guns: the title track. Sounding as if there was a fucking wild boar loose in the studio as they recorded the song, Morgue Supplier perform the final death blow on us with this devastating offering. If you want something that'll scare the bejezus out of you parents and have you wetting your pants in excitement over its sheer brutality, then Morgue Supplier is here to supply your sick fantasies. Contact: Morgue Supplier, P.O. Box 577767 Chicago, IL 60657, USA mailto:msupplier@aol.com http://www.morguesupplier.com Mortiis - _The Smell of Rain_ (Earache, October 2001) by: Aaron McKay (6.5 out of 10) No matter how prepared I thought I was for the release of this album, I could not have been more astonished if Mortiis would have shaved his head and announced he was filling in on bass for the now absent Jason Newsted in Metallica. I will tell you this, I respect any artist so confident that they can explore a change so utterly complete as _The Smell of Rain_ without fear or trepidation. Forget Emperor. Forget Vond and Fata Morgana. All have gone the way of the dodo bird. Emerging from the primordial ooze is a darkened electronic techo fledgling; Mortiis's newest undertaking. As I discovered for myself in CoC #44 during my interview with the Norwegian troll, Mortiis defies classification and challenges all preconceived notions. He does this all with a profound visual aspect to this musical universe; his appearance proves that and his book, "Secrets of My Kingdom", further strengthens the point. Think of a less complicated KMFDM / This Mortal Coil / Laibach assortment funneled through a persona like that of Mortiis. All vocals completely done by the troll himself with only some sparse backing support in that area. A less that Circean ballad called "Everyone Leaves in the End" bitterly torments this effort without remorse. I found much of the lyrics on _The Smell of Rain_ to be infantile and rather embarrassing. The forth track, titled "Monolith", snared my interest. I later discovered why: its lyrics were written pre-_The Stargate_. "Monolith" possesses molded subterranean beat that, I think, would have been better suited to release on Mortiis's last effort. It now serves as one of the brighter lights on _TSoR_ and adding to the album's score consequently. Time will tell if this newest effort by Mortiis pulls more into favor with me or pivots away with more conviction. As of this moment, I think I will spin _Fodt Til A Herske_ for the helluva it. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_ (Peaceville, October 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10) It certainly is a great feeling when one of your favourite bands has returned from the mire in fine form. In this case, My Dying Bride, who were reborn with the fine _The Light at the End of the World_ [CoC #44] and now improve upon it with a darker, deeper album that showcases much of the band's history while adding renewed freshness and intensity to their craft. _The Dreadful Hours_ shows clear traces of all its predecessors since day one, while showcasing the band's finely honed skills in a renewed sound, and at times also a subtly different approach. Aaron Stainthorpe's clean vocals were already quite unique, but when added to his thunderous death vocals and his newfound penchant for harsh blackened roars, the result is successively broken-hearted, cavernous and demonic -- outstanding. Few vocalists can excel in any one of these categories; Aaron currently excels in all three of them. My promo copy doesn't have a lyrics sheet, but Aaron's lyrics seem to range from potentially interesting to rather pedestrian this time. Aided by the skilled and very appropriate drum work, the guitarists prove themselves equally adept at slow mournful melodies and crushing doom/death riffs: Andrew Craighan's talent has been known for many years with MDB, whilst Hamish Glencross seems a very successful replacement for Calvin Robertshaw, and bassist Adrian Jackson is as usual a brooding background presence. The keyboard work belies the fact that Yasmin Ahmid is just a session keyboardist; dark and haunting, mostly subdued, but very effective. The venom in My Dying Bride's music has been much increased recently, and the doom kept intact -- a contrast that works wonders. The opening title track exemplifies the way My Dying Bride are growing within the sound that is their own: opening with a smart combination of a slow acoustic guitar and a second mournful guitar upon a soundscape of rainfall, the song then develops into a guitar and violin-like synth dirge with Aaron's sorrowful vocals. Chillingly atmospheric and emotional, the song temporarily goes back to the opening combination only to make way for a strong riff and Aaron's combination of deep and screamed growls; majestic keyboards briefly augment this in the background... Suddenly, five minutes are gone in what seemed like an instant, before the song moves onto another, equally engaging section, and culminates with the sound of thunder before it dies away like it started. This is _The Dreadful Hours_ at its best: flowing gracefully from one excellent passage into another, drenched with atmosphere, masterfully transmitting sorrow and wrath. The second track, "The Raven and the Rose", continues the album in equally remarkable fashion, mixing slow doom, an excellent blastbeat passage and a mournful piano sequence towards the end, all accompanied by a varied and superb vocal performance. It is then followed by "Le Figlie Della Tempesta", a more tranquil song that brings to mind the hypnotic structure of "The Cry of Mankind". Fourth track "Black Heart Romance" has a melancholic beginning with alternating whispered and clean deep vocals, and after a short but effective atmospheric passage mutates into a harsher mid-paced piece, before briefly returning to the opening sequence again. "A Cruel Taste of Winter" again begins in a melancholic, romantic way, and so it stays until its superbly baleful mid-section; most of this song tends to drag somewhat, though, and it practically repeats itself after that mid-section. Sixth track "My Hope, the Destroyer" has a strong _Like Gods of the Sun_ feel, until it yet again evolves into a harsher beast altogether midway through; instead of simply repeating itself, however, it then goes into some nice guitar melodies accompanied by the rather pedestrian lyrics I mentioned before. For a change, "The Deepest of All Hearts" has a harsh beginning and then moves along carried by an impressive sequence of doomy guitar leads and sombre vocals. This eight track, 70 minute album ends with a 14 minute reworking of "Return of the Beautiful" from MDB's debut full-length -- and a very worthwhile effort it is, adding much to this fine doom/death epic. Clearly, not all of the album is quite as outstanding as the opening couple of tracks (which would have been worth a 10 out of 10 on their own), but the variety is considerable and the next moment of inspiration is never too far away. I was delighted with the direction the band took with _The Light at the End of the World_; but _The Dreadful Hours_ is a stronger, more impressive effort that builds on its predecessor's qualities to become a superb slab of darkly romantic doom/death and one of the very best doom metal albums in several years. Mystifier - _The Fourth Evil Calling From the Abyss_ by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10) (Eldritch Music, 2001) This disc actually arrived in the same package as Divina Enema [reviewed above], and what a peculiar companion it is for that Belarussian theatrical metal album -- even though they are also on Eldritch Music from Belarus (and having previously been on Osmose), Mystifier are actually a Brazilian band playing thrashy death metal. One of the first things you are likely to notice is the prominent and involved bass work. Varied arrangements, plenty of guitar soloing and occasional keyboard touches are also to be found, with cavernous grunts and blackened rasps completing the picture. Mystifier's mid-paced music is reasonably technical and decently produced -- that is until midway through the record, where it goes into demo-tape-thrown-onto-CD mode. The material on this second half is apparently from a 1989 demo tape. The sound quality becomes very low (tape hiss included), and the music sounds muffled and frankly uninteresting after the more recent recordings that fill the first half of the disc. The first half contains a 1999 MCD, two cover songs (Sarcofago and Poison) and two new tracks. Totaling one hour of material, the album may be a reasonable purchase if you are particularly keen on the genre, even if you aren't interested in the demo material that makes up its second half. There are some good passages during the rather competent first half, but I feel both the percentage and total amount of interesting material here is likely to prove a bit low overall for the average listener. Contact: mailto:dzianis@eldritch-music.com (Europe) mailto:tsimafei@eldritch-music.com (USA) http://www.eldritch-music.com Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_ (Relapse, 2001) by: Aaron McKay (9.5 out of 10) Seeing these fuckers at the Milwaukee MetalFest this past August more-or-less saved the weekend from being a complete musical fiasco. I haven't bought a concert shirt for years, but I tell you sure as I am typing these words -- I BOUGHT A PIG DESTROYER "T". The black shirt with white lettering spelling out the name of the band was painfully simple, but truly effective -- like the band itself. My first listen to _38 Counts of Battery_ [CoC #52] told me this East coast three-piece (no bassist) was something to be taken very seriously, kinda like Dying Fetus. Unlike DF, however, Pig Destroyer forcibly works the listener over with songs varying in length from thirty-five seconds to as much as seven minutes and fifty-seven seconds with mostly Soilent Green / Burnt by the Sun / Discordance Axis-like vocal work by the gifted J.R. Hayes. Truth be told, "Mapplethorpe Grey" (about the one minute and twenty-one second) and "Naked Trees" have every necessary ingredient to be my favorite on _PitY_. The astounding riff (thank you, Scott Hull!) on "Trojan Whore", about the forty-three second mark, however, is far too hard to ignore as is wildly alluring guitar work on "Sheet Metal Girls". The drums on track nineteen, "Hyperviolet", compliments of Brian Harvey, solidified _Prowler in the Yard_ as one of my top picks for 2001, people. This effort was engrossing to me from the word GO! If you don't grab yourself a copy of _PitY_, I sincerely PITY you. Contact: http://www.loudnet.com/pigdestroyer/ Porn (The Men Of) - _Experiments in Feedback_ by: Adrian Bromley (8.5 out of 10) (Small Stone, October 2001) Who'd have thought there would be a band as fucked up (or nearly as fucked up) as Old Man Gloom, but here they are: Porn (The Men Of). For their debut offering on Small Stone (they used to be on now defunct label Man's Ruin), the band goes all out trying new sounds, vocal styles, guitar riffs and, of course, feedback. From three different versions of Motorhead's "I'll Be Your Sister" to a bizarre cover of Pink Floyd's "One of These Days" (parts assembled from four different versions) onto various tracks of pure feedback, singer/guitarist Tim Moss leads his band of sonic enthusiasts through some of the most creative spasms of feedback and chaos that has surfaced this year. Sure _Experiments in Feedback_ is out there in the most intense wild way -- as is OMG's stunning double offerings of _Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism Regression_ and _Seminar III: Zozobra_ -- but for those of us out there who dig bands like OMG, Keelhaul, Neurosis, and even Clutch, this is some good shit. Not everyone will be into what Porn (The Men Of) do musically, and I think that suits the band just fine. They obviously enjoy what they do and could care less about anyone who dislikes their expeditions into feedback. One of the most bizarre one-hour musical experiences you'll sit through in 2001. Contact: Small Stone Records, P.O. Box 02007 Detroit, MI 48202, USA mailto:sstone@smallstone.com http://www.smallstone.com Profanum - _Musaeum Esotericum_ (Koch, 2001) by: Brian Meloon (9 out of 10) Poland's Profanum return from the dead with their third release, following on the heels of their black metal debut _Flowers of Our Black Misanthropy_ and their brilliant black-metal-without-guitars follow-up _Profanum Aeternum: Eminence of Satanic Imperial Art_. This release has much the same style as their second album, but shows them developing and expanding their ideas and incorporating some industrial elements. It features two epic-length tracks, which total 38 minutes. The songs generally consist of layered keyboards and/or drums, and feature a wide variety of tempos and styles. The vocals are generally either distorted or spoken (in Latin?). The music runs the gamut from soothing to bombastic and everywhere in between, flowing smoothly throughout the album. The heaviest sections feature pounding drums and distorted, screamed vocals, with aggressive keyboard parts that would sound right at home in a black metal song. While this isn't a metal album, it certainly is intended for a metal audience. The only band I've heard doing a similar style is Elend, but Profanum's music is much less gothic, and generally more aggressive and involved. This is highly recommended for fans of the avant-garde black metal. Prophet - _Broken Promise_ (, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10) If there was one band in this issue of Chronicles of Chaos that really threw a curve ball at me when it came to tackling reviews, it would most definitely be Finland's very own Prophet. I was unsure what to expect with the band, though I was impressed right away with the elaborate digipak format of _Broken Promise_. Would they be a death metal band? How about a really gothic black metal band like Cradle of Filth? I eventually got to the disc in my review pile and threw it on. To my amazement, it sounded nothing like I had expected. That was indeed a good feeling. The trio, a hybrid mixture of gothic, doom and hard rock, have assembled a vibrant four-song offering titled _Broken Promise_ that flies through a varied assortment of sounds and ideas. It is quite obvious to hear on _Broken Promise_ how the band pays homage to their influences (Black Sabbath, Anathema, My Dying Bride and Type O Negative), as well as showcasing their delicate touches to metal music, especially on "Are We Through?" and the title track closer. The passionate vocals of singer/bassist Aleksi Ahokas are just the perfect touch to the melodic texture of the dark music they play. Had his vocals been heavier (i.e. death growls), it would have ruined the flow of things, though H. Villberg (of Diablerie) adds effective growls on "I Kiss and Let You Die". Fans of newer incarnations of Katatonia and Anathema will definitely want to track this band down, as they offer a similar emotionally soul-draining musical experience that could easily match some of the works of those bands. This is well thought out music that is intense on a whole number of levels. These guys have worked hard over the years to craft their music and it shows, so hopefully this time someone will sign them. [Pedro Azevedo: "Prophet are one of those unsigned bands who are clearly well beyond the need to release more demos. Their music will require a couple of adjustments before their commercial debut, but these should come naturally with experience. There is still a certain naivety about some aspects of Prophet's music, but the much stronger second half of this EP proves that they are a very promising young band with a potentially bright future ahead of them."] Contact: Prophet, c/o Viljatie 7 C 56, 00700 Helsinki, Finland mailto:prophets@iobox.com http://www.brokenpromise.cjb.net Sadistic Intent - _Resurrection of the Ancient Black Earth_ by: Alvin Wee (9 out of 10) (Iron Pegasus, 2000) By no means a new release, this superb re-edition of Sadistic Intent's two MCDs on vinyl by German guarantee-of-quality label Iron Pegasus still deserves a few kind words considering its relative obscurity up till now. Like their Polish cousins Vader, pretty much every drop of old-school death these boys spill turns to gold in the hands of their cult followers. 1994's _Resurrection_ fills side A with a monumentally heavy, bone-chilling darkness, easily putting the entire death metal boom of 1992/3 to shame. Jump forward to 1997, and strangely enough, _Ancient Black Earth_'s looser, more primitive assault chucks the band firmly back to the eighties, and in true Ulver style throws anyone expecting any progression since '94 quite decisively off their feet. Still immensely enjoyable in the face of increasing commercialism in the death metal arena back then, _ABE_ brims with a raw, primal evil that remains terrifyingly convincing despite the looseness of playing and understated production values. Two live tracks wrap up the ceremonies, unremarkable in terms of sound but nevertheless showcasing the band's formidable live presence well on "Ancient Black Earth". Superb layout by Iron Pegasus makes this an essential in any self-respecting death metal freak's collection. Picture vinyl may be sold out, but limited copies of two different vinyl colors still available from the label. Contact: Iron Pegasus, P.O. Box 1462, 56804 Cochem / Mosel, Germany Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_ (Spikefarm, September 2001) by: Chris Flaaten (8 out of 10) Slooooooow. Dooooooom. That sums it up right there, but due to my strong sense of duty, I will elaborate. Shape of Despair's debut album _Shades Of..._ was not that great -- apart from the monumental "Down Into the Stream", it lacked consistent quality. This has improved greatly on _Angels of Distress_. Amorphis vocalist P.K. (Pasi Koskinen) and siren songstress N.S. deliver great performances on top of Shape of Despair's melancholic and beautiful music. This is music for those who find My Dying Bride a tad cheerful, those who like soothing melodies played at 0.03 mph, and those who want sheer depression shot right into their system. I am one of those. Featuring five songs (averaging eleven minutes each), Shape of Despair use violins, synths and the aforementioned siren song to create an enchanting mix of melody and variation. This album is the melancholic highlight of the year for me thus far, but I haven't heard the new My Dying Bride album yet. Soilent Green - _A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down_ by: Aaron McKay (7.5 out of 10) (Relapse, September 2001) This is a key release to one of the more important bands on the scene today. While the phrase "there is something for everyone" has the reputation for being abused in press circles, in the case of _A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down_ -- it is the gospel truth, I believe. This New Orleans five piece, muscling around since the very late 1980s/early 1990s, is unquestionably undaunted in their quest to consume everything in their path musically and expel it back in a fashion all their own. Starting off perfectly with one of the finer contributions to the disc, "Hand Me Downs", Soilent Green instantly instills a fine sense of vigilante correctness in a topsy-turvy world. This band has a sound that they've pioneered, where their intricate manner is nearly preoccupied with drawing the listener into a web of molten beats, hoarse vocals and harsh reality -- for example, "Last One in the Noose". "Afterthought of a Genius", a.k.a. track four, is surreal and dynamic in stark contrast to "Swallowhole". With an absence of the sludge aspect, "AoaG" works ya over with a power not unlike of Cathedral's _Ethereal Mirror_, specifically "Midnight Mountain", set to a Dillinger Escape Plan apocalyptic pace. Always flaunting a dichotomous flavor to their style, Soilent Green struts among the proudest peacocks in the bunch, with good reason. Fast, heavy, and groove-laden, _A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down_ has a little something for everyone, if "everyone" refers to characters in an early Quentin Tarantino film. Solefald - _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_ (Century Media, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) Regardless of whether you ever happened upon either of Solefald's previous outputs, I advise you to have a look at www.solefald.org before proceeding, in order to gain some insight into their madness. Well, yes, madness; sorry boys, but I do think there has to be some sort of insanity ravaging your poor minds. The strange thing is, much like I mentioned in my Dornenreich review above, this insanity is able to somehow produce some musical and conceptual brilliance. At least it did on Solefald's debut _The Linear Scaffold_ [CoC #29]; I was -much- less impressed by their irritating follow-up _Neonism_ [CoC #43]. _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_ is fortunately a fine return to form for Solefald -- say, I wonder how hard the duo would laugh if they read that sentence. (If you don't know what I mean, then surely you haven't yet followed my advice and visited their website. You horrible person, you.) Lyrically, _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_ is a philosophically deranged concept centered around two miserable brothers: Pornographer Cain and Philosopher Fuck (which enables them to have such cute song titles as "Fuck Talks"). Musically, Solefald no longer go into classically influenced piano sections or flamenco passages like they did on _The Linear Scaffold_, nor do they go into the all-out weirdness of _Neonism_ (no more silly beats or those insufferable, admittedly rap-like vocals). Comparatively, _PAtAI_ is more straightforward and uniform -- technical blackened metal fused with plenty other guitar influences and keyboard effects ranging from violins to organs and various electronics. The strong, guitar-driven sound is complemented not only by the keyboards, but also the voices of Cain and Fuck themselves (i.e. simultaneously Cornelius and Lazare, the duo behind Solefald), which include thick black snarls, superb anguished screaming, and various types of well-performed clean singing and spoken vocals. The excellent opener "Hyperhuman" begins to show Solefald's dynamic and talented combination of the aforementioned elements, giving me the pleasant feeling that the excellent _The Linear Scaffold_-era Solefald might very well be back. Overall, while not quite as impressively affecting and full of flowing flair as _TLS_, _PAtAI_ stands as a great improvement upon its predecessor _Neonism_ in terms of sheer listenability and enjoyability. It's still adventurous, darkly humorous and insane enough to be a Solefald record, but this time they've used more of their very considerable talent to make it enjoyable for the listener -- much like _The Linear Scaffold_ was. Welcome back, Solefald. Contact: http://www.solefald.org Sonata Arctica - _Silence_ (Century Media, October 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) There are a lot of bands out there in the metal world that claim they know how to play melodic metal. Y'know the type of band, right? The type of band that wails away on the guitar, have vocals that sound like their singer's pants are too tight, while acting all pompous and full of themselves as the music cruises along. Yeah, I hate those bands too. Hmm... Children of Bodom, anyone? Finland's Sonata Arctica are a great example of a melodic metal band that plays their music with enough conviction and passion that you get swept up in it all. Some might classify them as one of those bands I described, but look deeper into the work of Sonata Arctica, and pretty soon you'll change your mind about them. _Silence_ is a great record. The vocals are incredible, the music masterful and the production is top notch. The band couldn't have asked for a better follow-up to 1999's stellar _Ecliptica_. Melodic metal it may be, but Sonata Arctica gather up a lot of steam on this record, showcasing that not only can they write good songs but they can speed it up too. Interesting tracks include "False News Travels Fast", "Land of the Free" and "Black Sheep". Ten times better than Children of Bodom and easily surpassing the last two discs from HammerFall (who?), Sonata Arctica are the real deal for fans who want good, wholesome melodic metal done right. Stunning. Splattered Cadaver - _Merciless Butchery_ by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) (United Guttural, October 2001) For anyone out there in the know, you can pretty much guess what you are going to get with a new release from United Guttural Records: sick, brutal death metal. Joining the ranks of Rotting, Lividity and Malignancy, Splattered Cadaver cram 34+ minutes of violently charged death metal into _Merciless Butchery_, stocked to the hilt with sharp death metal riffs and intense vocals. While far from original, Splattered Cadaver play their music with intensity and might, turning what could have been generic song structures into mammoth doses of death metal destruction. Favourite tracks: "Complete Carnage", the title track and the smashing "Embalmed Alive". Like it sick and brutal? Spend your money on Splattered Cadaver. Contact: 1111 S. 117th St, Milwaukee, WI 53214, USA http://www.splatteredcadaver.com Suppression w/ Crank Sturgeon / Misopsychia - _Split_ by: Gabriel Sanchez (6.5 out of 10) (Nat Records, 2001) This is the second Suppression EP I've uncovered that features a hookup with a more readily "known" noise artist. While I've never been a particularly big fan of Crank Sturgeon outside of his live performance, his obnoxious noise styling compliments Suppression's inane minimalist outbursts well. Much in the same vein as older Man Is the Bastard noise recordings, Suppression overlay their noise with howling vocals that express the group's typically raucous anti-Americana message. With harsh criticisms of a media-fed American culture on "Amerikkkan T.V. Dinner" to ridiculous one liners like "If god could have an erection...", there's something here for the whole family to enjoy. Unfortunately, Misopsychia's side to this 7" really hauls in the suck. With a style largely reminiscent of throw-away screamin' and growlin' doom-wannabe crust, I find it difficult to take their work seriously. They do manage to join in with the social criticisms however, taking some more poignant shots at American life and the general uselessness of the current macrostructure as it relates to human happiness. Truly this is a timely listen in a culture pumped up to the max on jingoistic fervor. In short: buy it for the noise, stay for the anti-flag waving. System of a Down - _Toxicity_ (Def American, 2001) by: Matthias Noll (9.5 out of 10) I despise nu-metal. I couldn't care less if any of those so-called singers had parents who didn't want to buy him a second TV set at the age of seven and therefore traumatized him for life. I'm sick and tired of hearing them trying to exorcise their made-up demons during a rapped verse and a catchy chorus that always seems to happen over the same three chord riff that makes all those baggy-trousered middle-class kids "fuck da shit up" or "jump da fuck around". I think it was Scott Ian who called all these Linkin Parks, Papa Roaches, etc. out there "Backstreet Boys with guitars", and I couldn't agree more. Calling them metal is blasphemy, a disgrace! However, hidden in this stinking brown mass, there is a diamond called System of a Down. On _Toxicity_, their second album, they unleash a unique mixture of vicious, hectic metal riffing (metal, not nu-metal), sometimes almost thrashy in style, insane rhythmic shifts between quiet and raging parts, and throw in a dose of oriental scales and melody lines. Intensity-wise, this record is not a letdown even if I listen to it in between grindcore and necro black metal. Almost miraculously, the band manages to blend all their ingredients into songs that actually work. In addition to great musicianship and songwriting skill, System of a Down's main strength lies in their singer. He shifts between dozens of always appropriate styles, occasional death grunts, proclamations, almost slapstick-like parts and great, clean singing, while his voice always maintains a hypnotic quality that equals Jello Biafra. Actually, I find quite some similarities between early Dead Kennedys and System of a Down when it comes to the unconventional nature of their material, although SoaD are far heavier, more metallic and, in general, more insane. Amongst all the madness, chaos and heaviness, this album features some of the most heartbreaking melodies I've heard in quite a long time, brought across with a dedication which, strangely enough, reminds me of Manowar's Eric Adams in tunes like "Bridge of Death" or Messiah Marcolin on _Nightfall_. Forget your prejudices; don't give a fuck if jerks like Pantera or Fear Factory like this band or if they look nu-metal. SoaD have set the benchmark for innovative, heavy, breathtakingly great music in the year 2001. And no, they don't rap, neither Fred Durst nor Corey from Slipknot make guest appearances, and they didn't even invite Max Cavalera to contribute any of his moronic lyrics. Tristania - _World of Glass_ (Napalm, October 2001) by: Chris Flaaten (8 out of 10) I thoroughly enjoyed Tristania's debut [CoC #30], but I wasn't as impressed by their follow-up, _Beyond the Veil_ [CoC #45]. Therefore, my expectations for their new album were not very high. I am glad to say Tristania exceeded them. While still sounding like Tristania, they managed to rewrite their musical formula again, thus avoiding repeating themselves. Of course, when you pack such a vast number of components as this band does, you have a lot of options to choose from: clean and harsh male vocals, female soprano, both male and female choirs, violin and synth on top of the usual metal ensemble. They have also successfully implemented a few electronic effects, like the synthetic beat behind the choirs halfway through "Lost". The album has another unusual feature: the second half is clearly stronger than the first one. After four songs, the vision of a 6-ish rating was spinning in my head, but the album made me maintain and actually increase my interest as it progressed. The melodies just made more sense and were much more enchanting on the slightly softer second half. This album lacks the melancholy of their debut, but apart from that, old fans should not be disappointed. Ulver - _Silence Teaches You How To Sing_ (Jester, 2001) by: Alvin Wee (8.5 out of 10) Musical shapeshifters Ulver finally manage a not-too-shocking release this time round with (relatively) minimal departure from 2000's _Perdition City_. Trickster G and Co. seem to have found their footing since moving over to their personal label Jester Records, and the spate of high quality releases since _William Blake..._ attests quite conclusively to that fact. Despite talk of this MCD having been recorded during the _Perdition City_ sessions, the material here is decidedly less song-oriented dancefloor than the album, turning in a more ethereal-ambient direction instead. Minimalist and sparsely beautiful, the single twenty-minute track gradually sweeps forward with near-inaudible drones and subtle statics, occasionally throwing glowing sparks of light into the sombreness with higher-end metallic resonances. All of which leads to a surprising outpouring by the fifth minute, warming things up with rich, dulcet piano passages. What's unsettling is the music's ability to retain its icy core while pouring forth warmer organic tones: the aura of desolation and despair becomes apparent not long into the disc, and never releases its chilly grip on the soul for a moment. Garm's surreal, twisted vocals and soft, insect-like scrapes and screeches never cease to remind one of the potential depravity lurking behind the chimerical beauty of this music. Limited to 2000 copies and already fetching healthy prices on auctions, it's one that open-minded listeners won't want to miss. This is sugar-coated depression at its best. Unexpect - _Utopia_ (, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) To sound somewhat corny, I didn't know what to expect from Unexpect. Hailing from Quebec, Canada, this talented seven-piece band play some truly jaw-dropping symphonic/epic metal music, coated with sharp, demonic vocal cries and harsh guitar riffs, but at the same time offering up enchanting vocals (provided quite nicely by singer Elda) and some really memorable melodies. This is an epic album that doesn't come off too grandiose or pompous, but still strong enough to push us back a bit as the epic songs unfold into beautifully mastered numbers. From start to finish _Utopia_ has you hooked, reminiscent somewhat of the effect that Therion's _Theli_ drew in listeners, but not as tight or dazzling as Christofer Johnsson's Therion. In time this band will find the right tools to bring their music to the next level. All we can do now is enjoy what they offer us at this point in time. Contact: http://www.unexpect.org VLE - _Book of Illusions: Chapter 1_ (, 2001) by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10) VLE has got to be one of the most dazzling, brave and impressive independent offerings I have received in sometime. Adventurous and downright creative, the eclectic, dark and imaginative VLE tosses out its musical ideas into many different directions on _Book of Illusions: Chapter 1_, not really focusing on certain sounds, but rather on the final results. Inspired by "ocean sunsets, darkness and silence", this one man project hovers in a world of beautiful compositions (i.e. _3 in 5_, _Kano_ and _Stark_), each one bringing its own texture and substance to this seven-song release. And while the music of VLE could be easily classified as experimental and atmospheric, there is a definite progressive rock feel to the music as well. I'm picking up the same kind of vibes I did with Dan Swano's third Nightingale release, _I_. Vocals play a very small but effective role on this VLE release, used more as an instrument ("Timeless") rather than a main ingredient of song passages. In the end, VLE makes the listener really pay attention to the sounds and ideas going on, because if you don't pay attention you'll no doubt be lost until the next song starts up. In a world all its own, VLE are onto something good. Can't wait to hear Chapter II. Contact: VLE, 455 West 34th Street Apt.14C, New York, NY 10001, USA mailto:vle25@hotmail.com http://www.mp3.com/vle/ Zero Hour - _The Towers of Avarice_ (Sensory, 2001) by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10) This is the second album from Texans Zero Hour, and it is very similar to the Dream Theater-inspired progmetal of their eponymous 1997 debut. Their sound is very tight and metallic, much like Dream Theater's heaviest moments on _Images and Words_, such as "Pull Me Under" and "Under a Glass Moon". The production is excellent, with a crystal clear sound. The playing is rock solid, and even technical and flashy at times. Their riffs -- while not particularly great -- are at least original; unlike most Dream Theater-inspired bands, I don't get the feeling that I've heard them all before. Unfortunately, Zero Hour seem to be afflicted with "perpetual RSN (Real Soon Now) syndrome", as in "real soon now, the song will really take off" or "real soon now, something interesting will happen", but it never does. The songs don't build to a climax, they just seem to perpetually tread water until they just end. Perhaps their "no beginning, no end" songwriting style has some deep connection with their lyrics, but I'm guessing not. These guys have a great and very professional sound, but they need some serious help on their songwriting to make their songs interesting and memorable. While this is a good album technically, it's not something that I'll listen to very much. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ __ _ /\ \ \_____ __ /\ \ \___ (_)___ ___ / \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \ / /\ / __/\ 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 Bisclaveret - _Aegri Somnias_ (3-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (***--) Lasting what seemed like a lifetime, the ambient passages of Polish duo Bisclaveret drew me into a world full of creepy sound effects, spoken segues and distorted sonic explosions. For me personally, I find the music to be a wonderful assortment of ideas, especially interesting for those out there that have grown fond of works by creative bands like Ordo Equilibrio, Puissance and others of that ilk. Fans of extreme music that have little care for acts of that genre will find the music of Bisclaveret disjointed and perhaps boring. But for those of you out there taking time to listen to the material provided here, especially the lengthy title track (9+ minutes), Bisclaveret show more than just a band create atmospheric music. There is a lot of strong components that enrich the music on _Aegri Somnias_. The mystique that wraps around the vocals really enhances the music of this band, strengthened by some really dark keyboard work. In time and with some real studio support, Bisclaveret could really make a name for themselves if they stay focused. Interesting work here that'll no doubt get richer and more experimental as the years go on. I'll be watching. Contact: $3 U.S. to: Maciej Mehring, Ul. Rejtana 3/7, 84-200 Wejherow, Poland mailto:ldthorn@wp.pl Deathguy - _The Secondary Quest_ (8-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (**---) I'll give Deathguy credit -- they have a really tight sound. Too bad the music isn't all that original or inspiring. Sounding at times like a rehashed version of almost any aggressive black metal band that has come out in recent years, Deathguy seems to just go through the motions of making their music sound like everyone else. Isn't it every band's plan to try to sound different? Guess not. But as much as I make negative statements about this Thailand act, there are a few bright spots on this demo. One worthy of mentioning is that the band does manage to successfully add a jazzed-up progressive metal sound into the fold, enhanced by keyboards and some nice guitar work. But that is only short-lived, really, breaking back into the uninspired, unoriginal sounds they manage to coat their music with for most of this eight-track demo. Bands like Deathguy sit and play in garages or small clubs for years trying to make a name for themselves and they wonder why no one is giving them a break. Maybe this review will help them decide to create something more original sounding. As far as I see it, there still is some hope for Deathguy. It is up to them on how they want to approach the situation. Contact: Thanit Thepsitrakorn, 21/2 Soi Suanoi, 1 Samsen Road Dusit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand mailto:thepsitrakorn@hotmail.com Effluvium - _Genesis of Our Conquest_ (3-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (**---) Once you get past the absolutely atrocious sound quality of this three-song demo, the music of Effluvium isn't all that bad. The band, a mixture of black metal masters Emperor, vintage Black Sabbath and the heavy metal charge of Iron Maiden, manage to find some stride with their sound -- but with almost no real production finesse to aid the material here, the music goes nowhere. While there are several long guitar solos peppered throughout that add some likeable characteristics to their bland dark metal approach, Effluvium lack substance to keep us interested. I hear some potential, but when the music is weighted down by production like this, it is hard to imagine doing anything else other than turning it off. Contact: Willie Desamero, #3M Fule Sahagun St., San Pablo City, Laguna 4000, Philippines Exhibition - _Mind Explosion_ (5-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (***--) "Odd name for a band" was pretty much the first thought going through my mind when I saw this demo CD. The second concerned the fact that they used the same distinctive font throughout the package as Dark Tranquillity did on _The Mind's I_ (notice the similar titles as well). When I analysed the music on this Greek band's half-hour demo, what I found was mid-paced, thrash-influenced metal. Even though the vocals seem too upfront, overall the production is decent and does not significantly hamper the band's musical showcase on this lengthy demo. The band seems ambitious and reasonably skilled, even though not always very tight. Their song material still lacks some consistency and strength to take it further and make more of an impression, though. This causes my withholding of an eventual fourth mark in my rating; for now, Exhibition still need some time before it is advisable for them to think of a commercial release. However, I see no reason why they shouldn't eventually get there if they keep improving. Contact: mailto:devastator_gr@yahoo.com Holochaust - _Valley of Misery_ (3-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (****-) The computer-generated woman wearing a skimpy bikini on this disc's front cover is hardly Lara Croft's better-looking sister... and Holochaust are hardly Sentenced's more talented countrymates. This doesn't mean that _Valley of Misery_ is a mediocre demo, however, nor that Holochaust are complete copycats, despite the occasional similarities. The gruff sung vocals and rocking metal attitude successively bring to my mind Metallica and especially Sentenced throughout the demo, which features a mellow ballady track and two more dynamic ones. Although Holochaust are obviously no match for the talent and personality of the highly effective Sentenced, they have nonetheless managed to create a nicely flowing, rocking demo CD. The band is technically proficient and tight, and the demo is surprisingly well produced -- well above average for a demo band on both counts. Style-wise, this mostly upbeat kind of rock/metal is not quite my cup of tea; I definitely prefer Sentenced's darker "suicide rock" approach, and at times Holochaust sound like they could use some more originality (the end of the title track chorus is just like Sentenced's "With Bitterness and Joy"). Nevertheless, this a good effort, well above average for a demo, and the band deserves credit for it. Contact: mailto:holochaust@sinisetsie.net http://go.to/holochaust/ Human Abstrakt - _Human Abstrakt_ (2-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (**---) Technical blackened heavy metal? Blackened technical power metal? Technical death metal with blackened qualities? I am just as confused as I was taking my Managing Money final exam in 11th grade when it comes to describing the music of this four-piece from Atlanta, Georgia. Whatever you want to call this act, you cannot ignore the technical style and sound the band showcases on this two-song demo. The band does their best to offer up interesting technical numbers -- enough to keep us interested, but not enough to really show us what they are all about. The music here is good (I liked the opener "Vice"), but for all I know the rest of their set list when they play live could be weak as shit. I don't know what else they have to offer. Another problem I have with this band is the name: Human Abstrakt. It just doesn't seem to fit the music they play. It sounds too "death metal"-like. In the end, these two songs are interesting, but not enough to keep me coming back for more. Onto the next demo... Contact: mailto:humanabstrakt@lycos.com http://human-abstrakt.8m.net Phantasmagory - _Odd Sounds_ (7-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (****-) With much, much better sound quality than the two previous demos I had to sit through this issue (Deathguy and Effluvium), Ukraine's Phantasmagory are an impressive progressive death metal band. Tight, well-structured songs make up this seven-song release, a definite ear-pleaser to fans of technical death metal in the vein of Pestilence and Cynic. There are a lot of bands out there who make an effort to really shine and showcase their talent and Phantasmagory are one of those bands. Production here, especially for a demo, is top notch and the band really captured their best work. One thing that really impressed me about this demo from Phantasmagory is the variety that the seven-song demo offers: everything from technical death metal to thrash metal heaviness, heavy metal guitar solos and black metal-inspired screams. This demo is all over the place, but not in a bad way. Like the album title suggests, "odd sounds" indeed. I have heard a lot about this band over the years, having read numerous articles about them, and it's nice to finally put music to what I know about them. Easily the gem of my New Noise pile this issue. Contact: Edward Miroshnichenko, P.O. Box 7488, 83062 Donetsk-62, Ukraine Renazcore - _Veritas Vincit_ (8-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (***--) There are a lot of bands out there in the world that claim to be real fans of metal music. Fans of metal that would never really compromise their sound and style, rather willing to bleed for their music before they change sounds and ideas to fit any corporate mold. Which brings me to Virginia act Renazcore. If I had to use a word to describe the music of Renazcore, I would most definitely use the word "metal". This is a band that definitely loves what they do musically, whether it be the Nevermore-like stomp of one song or the blistering death metal attack of another, or even a slow musical passage to change things up. These are all metal ideas working off one another, the most effective ones being "The Yearning", "Augmented Travels" and "Wicked Winds of Fate". While not the best metal act out there, Renazcore show true honor with what they provide with us musically and that means more to me than slick production or metal superstars in a band. These values should make something out of Renazcore some day. Only time will tell. Contact: 15042, Unit D, Warwick Blvd, Newport News, VA 23608, USA mailto:renazcore420@home.com Serpent Eclipse - _Thy Bleeding Heavens_ (6-track demo) by: Alvin Wee (****-) American black metal has taken a turn for the better since bands like Judas Iscariot and Krieg have made their presence felt, and Serpent Eclipse certainly bear the much-maligned American torch capably enough. Evoking fond memories of early Norse black metal, _Thy Bleeding Heavens_ rips forth with mind-numbing conviction, twisted riffs and sweeping keys conjuring up mountains of madness and oceans of insanity. Fundamentally old-school, yet unashamedly technological, SE dredge up a Mysticum-like coldness sadly missing from much of the neo-black metal scene today. Comparisons might even be made to _Declarations..._-era Mayhem, with disharmonic riffs and chilling, robotic percussion, but I prefer to draw on the similarities between the twistedness of early Emperor's oft-overlooked background riffing and SE's equally atmospheric guitarwork. And despite the band's lack of a human drummer, the drum-machine actually adds to the recording's already-inhuman coldness. This is material worthy of an official release, so keep your eyes peeled for the band's upcoming MCD. Or simply order this killer promo for $5. Contact: Void Sector Recordings, P.O. Box 1384, Salem, NH 03079, USA Spiritus Mortis - _Demo 2000_ (3-track demo) by: Chris Flaaten (***--) Last issue I reviewed Spiritus Mortis' most recent demo. Apparently, they have now got a record deal, but this deal came from an old demo -- the one in question here. In this demo, Spiritus Mortis are clearly darker in their expression, playing old school doom in the vein of Black Sabbath. Although everything is well played and decently produced, I can't seem to like these ten minutes worth as much as their newer material. It lacks the flair and the subtle humouristic approach that made the _Forward to the Battle_ demo stand out. Still, this music should be easier to market and they're still more metal than 90% of everything else out there. Contact: mailto:vesa.lampi@pp.inet.fi http://www.metalprovider.com/spiritusmortis/ Summer Dying - _Summer Dying_ (3-track demo) by: Aaron McKay (****-) It has been a really bad week and I am in a shit mood right now, but these motherfuckers still impress me. I say "still" because I caught their performance originally at the Milwaukee MetalFest this last August. Much like now, I spent most of the two days far less than enthused, but Summer Dying was a bright spot at an otherwise dismal two-day affair. This five piece from Lansing, Michigan (also home to one of my preferred black metal outfits, Summon) has a great concept of music for the masses -- that being KEEP THINGS INTRIGUING! Summer Dying moves this demo along with conviction and poisonous veracity. Six minutes and seven seconds is the shortest of the cuts on this self-titled offering -- changing vocal style and tempo like I change air in my lungs. Moving from the heavily chaotic rhythms to peaceful passages worthy of Anathema spontaneity, nothing here is typical. The intensity of the bass separation in "Forever Lost" make that track my favorite on the demo... well, that and the guitar solo about the four and a half minute mark; in a weaker moment, I might think a younger, hungrier Kirk Hammett was persuaded to lay down that solo. A significant offering. Keep up the good work. Contact: Goddess Death Promotions, Jamie Cripe, P.O. Box 27263, Lansing, MI 48909, USA mailto:jamsie@excite.com http://summerdying.tripod.com Triton - _Darkroot_ (2-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (**---) Was there not enough money to assemble a three-song or four-song demo? I'm just asking, as I can't believe a band submitted a two-song demo to review. Anyway, Massachusetts melodic death metal act Triton sound pretty tight and effective on this demo, but is it really enough to pass judgement on the band? I don't think so. With just over eight minutes of material and two very similar sounding songs, Triton does not sound original or creative enough to have my head spinning and my fists pumping in the air. Pretty generic, if you ask me. Hmm, which of the two songs do I like better? Tough call. I'd have to say the song "Burden", with its cool acoustic guitar breakdown following an intense first two minutes. I'm not ragging on Triton for putting together a two-song demo, I'm just saying that if you want to really make a good first impression, wait until you have a good substantial amount of songs to record with and then submit more material to show off the band's talent. It's guaranteed to get a better response than they did here with a two-song release. Contact: Triton, 91 Hillside St. #3, Roxbury, MA 02120, USA http://www.tritonmetal.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ____ __ __ /\ _`\ /\ \ /\ \__ __ \ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___ \ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\ \ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/ \ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/ ____ __ /\ _`\ /\ \__ \ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____ \ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\ \ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\ \ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/ \/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/ I LOVE THE SMELL OF NAPALM IN THE EVENING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wacken Open Air Wacken, Germany, 3-4 August 2001 by: Matthias Noll Tips ~~~~ Let me start with some hopefully useful information. - Try to arrive on the day before the festival starts. - Exchange your ticket for a wristband as early as possible to avoid queues. - It will be better for you if you only feel the need to take a dump at night. - Money: there were no cash machines on the festival area; don't forget there's the Metal Market and many merchandise and CD booths -- you might need more than you think. - Bring an electric torch. - Better have solid shoes. - Bring a printout of the running order available on the Wacken website with you. - Don't forget toilet paper and enough water to brush your teeth and wash your hands. The latter applies only if you're a wimp like me. - Ear plugs: two days of constant metal barrage might be too much for such delicate organs. Don't forget you've only got two of them. - A cape in case it rains, and sunblock in case it doesn't. - Find a good meeting point early on. - Be at the stages in time -- no bands will be late. - Wacken is approximately one hour north of Hamburg. 90% of that distance is on a highway. - Once you park your car, find some landmarks to help you find your way back in the dark. - Once in the parking area, you won't get out until countless others leave. This means you won't get out in the evening to stay in a hotel. (The backstage area might be a slightly different story.) The further away you are from the entrance, the earlier you will be able to leave on Sunday. - Aspirin and alcohol, or vice versa. - Downtown Wacken is approximately twenty minutes away from the entrance by foot. The few shops that exist have extended opening hours during the festival (until 8pm as far as I can remember). - Careful with drugs -- the police blocked the whole highway, directed everybody through a resting area and searched many cars when we left. The previous years they searched people on their way to the festival. - Avoid bringing a rucksack to the festival area or it'll be searched every time you go in. - Entrance controls are strict. Not even water in plastic bottles will get in. Prices in 2001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - Ticket: 99,- DM - Camping area: 30,- DM per car - Fries with ketchup or mayonnaise: 4,- DM - Grilled sausage and bread: 4,- / 5,- DM - Beer: 4,- DM plus 2,- for the cup (which you'll get back when you return it) - Noodles: 5,- DM - CDs: 25,- DM or cheaper Thursday ~~~~~~~~ Since Paul and I were seeing most of the bands together, there's really not that much to add to his report [CoC #54]. I will try to focus a bit more on the event itself and comment wherever I think I have something to say that may add some detail or a different opinion. If you feel you already got a sufficient amount of Wacken info from the last issue, then don't bother with this article. Being at the meeting point at Frankfurt airport on the same day as Paul came as a surprise, as well as a relief [see CoC #51]. We went straight to my place, readied our belongings for the trip, got my friend and neighbour Daniel into the car and left on schedule. Fortunately, we didn't forget to buy twelve bottles of mineral water for various wimpy purposes: washing, brushing teeth, drinking, etc. The six hour trip went quite well and at approximately 9pm we arrived at Wacken. Wacken is a small town of approximately 2000 souls, many of which gathered in the street or in their gardens at this late hour and, sitting on comfortable chairs, watched the long queue straight from the entrance into Wacken all the way to the festival area on the other side of the town. I'm still surprised at the relaxed and friendly way these people reacted to the constant flow of dangerous-looking metal maniacs invading their home town. We even exchanged a couple of jokes with the people watching us and returned the waving of children as we slowly made our way to the festival grounds. It took us another hour until we finally parked the car in the parking area most remote from the actual entrance. Immediately our vehicle was surrounded by other cars and tents, and only by some device straight out of James Bond's arsenal would it have been possible to move the car from where it was parked. After we all helped setting up Daniel's tent in the dark -- which would have been almost impossible without the miner's light Paul had fortunately brought with him -- we headed towards the entrance, where we were supposed to meet Dave Rocher. The path turned out to be a bit rough, because the different camping grounds we had to cross were separated by trenches filled with either water, barbed wire, or both. We safely made our way to the entrance, and baptized the last part of the path "Road of Piss" on the very first night, because of the horrible stench emanating from countless metallers' urine in that area. As we arrived at the entrance, we heard W.A.S.P. playing "Fuck Like a Beast" from afar and had a first look at the options for buying food and drink. There were many booths and also the "Metal Market" -- a huge tent with merchants selling used and new CDs -- in front of which people started to queue up as early as 9am (the tent itself would only open at 10am, with an entrance fee of 4,- DM). To the right of the entrance there was the "Wet stage", a tent outside the "real" festival area in which bands also played on both days. In order to enter the festival area, we had to exchange our tickets for wristbands. Close to the entrance, we finally met Dave. As no one was interested in seeing W.A.S.P., we then went to the backstage entrance (approximately a twenty minute walk), where I picked up my wristband. Everything went well, we walked back, had a few beers, chatted and temporarily parted ways with Dave -- we were supposed to meet him again the following day. We made our way back to the car through the vast camping grounds, seeing some quite interesting tent constructions on the way (like for example a parachute, and even an old-fashioned fire brigade car used for transportation by some metalheads). With a good dose of luck we found our car again. I slept surprisingly well and the metallic neighbourhood remained relatively calm; the same also applies to the two nights that followed. Friday ~~~~~~ Deceased were on at 10am. Paul had set his alarm clock, but due to the sunshine the temperatures inside the car climbed into the 30s and we woke up at 8:30. After some very basic hygiene-improving activities like brushing teeth and washing face and hands, we headed towards the festival area, which we then saw during daylight for the first time. Once through the entrance, where Paul had to leave the mineral water plastic bottle, we decided to take a brief look and then head towards the stage. Directly to the left of the entrance were many huts and booths selling clothes, leather, spikes, CDs old and new, food, etc. Straight ahead, a five minute walk away, the two big stages were located side by side. On the left hand side -- maybe another five minutes away from the main stages -- was the Party stage, which would feature most of the bands we wanted to see. As we would later find out, unfortunately the Party stage was so close to the main stages that, unless you got really close to the PA, you had to endure some of the sound from the main stages, augmented by almost constant wind from that direction. Every band at Wacken played a minimum of 45 minutes; semi-headliners like In Flames or Helloween for 60 to 75; and Saxon and Motorhead for 90 minutes. For Deceased we went very close to the main stage, because there were only about 300 to 400 people awake that early who were interested in seeing the band -- meanwhile, many others walked around on the festival area to shop or just get accustomed with the area and its attractions. Personally, I wasn't overly impressed with Deceased. Their Kreator cover "Tormentor" triggered raised fists and devil horns everywhere, but besides that, Deceased didn't really convince me. I haven't gotten their point yet, and the experience felt like watching a second rate outfit which would better remain either in their garage or in very, very small clubs. Carnal Forge were proof that competent thrash metal requires as much control and precision as it does aggression and speed. Their blasting style is just too over-the-top to really work, and what should have had approximately the same impact as a medium-sized atom bomb became just a harmless fizzle. Soilwork were next on the Party stage. I expected the Swedes to be very static on stage, but they came across quite well, despite some rockstar posing and cliche announcements in between songs. The recent touring seems to have secured them a surprisingly large fanbase, and the band went down impressively well, playing 45 minutes of material from the last two records. What turned out to be really annoying, especially during Opeth's gig on the following day, was the sound from the main stage -- which was far too close to the Party stage. The only place where one was able to hear only one band at a time was in front of the PA on the left hand side of the Party stage, which was farthest away from the main stage. Then I watched the reformed Holy Moses, playing on one of the main stages. The band did well and received an enthusiastic welcome from a considerable crowd. I especially enjoyed "Current of Death" and "Finished With the Dogs" from the band's second album. Sabina Classen was in top form and her voice sounded more inhuman than ever. Seriously: forget Karyn Crisis when it comes to the most un-female vocals in metal. Things got a bit cheesy when Holy Moses were joined by Germany's Metal Barbie Doll, Doro Pesch, for a mediocre cover version of the Dead Kennedys' "Too drunk to Fuck". I'm not too sure whether the new album is really going to be worthwhile, but the good news is that _Finished With the Dogs_, a minor German thrash metal classic, is going to get re-released. Napalm Death were next, and their sound was gone with the hefty wind in front of the right main stage. Energetic action on stage didn't help me recognize more than one or two songs, and the band's performance was rendered powerless by the forces of nature. We then decided to take a walk around the festival area, buy CDs and have a look at the selection of food available. When I returned to the main stage, Exciter were already 1/3 into their set. A couple of old classics like "Pounding Metal", "Violence and Force", "Rising of the Dead", etc. almost managed to summon the spirit of the early '80s. Although their new singer's voice has strong similarities with a young Rob Halford, his extremely predictable usage of normal and high pitch turned out to be quite annoying after a couple of tracks. Exciter received decent crowd reaction, and as with their latest record _Blood of Tyrants_ [CoC #48], they were a lot more convincing than 90% of the horrible true/power metal crap which we were forced to endure from a distance later on. Speaking of (German) power metal, we had our first exposure to this style when Primal Fear entered the main stage on the right hand side and Ralf Scheepers got a chance to do his "Judas Priest didn't want me and now I'm going to record Painkiller II without them" thing. After listening to a couple of versions of the fast double bass track with melodic chorus followed by slight variations of the stomping bang-your-head-and-shake-your-fist song, we headed to the Party stage to see Nasum. They turned out to be the first real surprise at Wacken due to their epileptic stage acting and great songs. The band seemed to be surprised that so many people had come to see them in spite of the power metal barrage, which was audible at the Party stage. Remaining in a really good mood due to the unexpectedly good crowd response, they unleashed one of the best performances of the whole two days. Nasum were then followed by Exhumed, whom I checked out for wenty tminutes. Exhumed were surprisingly good initially, but started o get tboring after the first ten minutes (which included my favourite rack t"Necromaniac" from _Gore Metal_). I had a good laugh when the wo tguitarists and the bass player lifted their guitars to show that hey thad used some duct tape to write "Gore", "Fucking" and "Metal" on he tbacks of the three instruments. Thinking something along the lines of "always leave when things are at their best", I left to see Nevermore, who were far better than with Dimmu Borgir in Stuttgart [CoC #53]. Warrel Dane's vocals were in top form, the songs sounded fresher and more energetic, and the huge, cheering and singing audience loved every minute of it. My only gripe was that although they did play a Sanctuary track, it was the cover version "White Rabbit" from the debut _Refuge Denied_. This, in my opinion, is the weakest track on this classic album. Even though I was not very interested in seeing Overkill for approximately the tenth time in my life, we nevertheless stayed at the main stage, and surprisingly Overkill put on one hell of a show. Starting with one of my all-time favourites, "Deny the Cross" from _Taking Over_, everybody around us, including the incredibly fat Tankard singer Gerre (who was standing right behind us), was freaking out and heads were banging everywhere. Blitz is still a thrash metal frontman in a league of his own, with his agile movements and well sought-out conversations with the crowd. Overkill even played "Hammerhead" from _Feel the Fire_ (which I hadn't heard them play live since 1987) plus "Hello From the Gutter", "Evil Never Dies", "Elimination", "In Battle" and a couple of less impressive newer tracks. After everybody in the audience had the chance to sing "In Union" and "Fuck You", Overkill came back for an encore and played "Bastard Nation", which again had everybody singing along the chorus. An exciting show from these veterans, whose appeal seemed to have gone a bit stale after more than a decade with at least yearly tours in Europe. After Overkill we decided to watch Mortician, who were slightly less brutal than a Stan and Ollie movie, but equally funny. Too tired to walk away again, we also stayed for Desaster -- who weren't lame at all in their corpsepaint, leather and spikes outfit, but musically sounded like another one of those bands who come across as a slightly black metallish second rate copy of second tier bands from the '80s. After seeing The Haunted supporting Nile in Vienna early this year, my expectations were almost impossible to meet. Guess what happened: The Haunted were even better this time. Getting a comment such as "This is like Exodus" from my friend, metal dinosaur Daniel (which happened during the second song, "Bury Your Dead"), is the metal equivalent of being given saintly status by the Vatican. If there's one new band who plays thrash metal on the same intensity level as Exodus, Forbidden, Legacy, Testament, Vio-lence, etc. did in the '80s, then it is The Haunted. From opening track "Dark Intentions" to the last one, "Hate Song", their gig was perfect. In retrospect, to me Wacken was The Haunted's festival and from now on riffmaster Jensen is considered god. Exumer, in my opinion, had one of the most unfortunate time slots of the whole festival. They had to play at 1am, after The Haunted and at the same time as Saxon. Having practiced for three months but played only one gig in Frankfurt before Wacken, it seemed likely that the show would not be very good. Fortunately, that was not the case. Exumer had a good to very good sound, and a decent amount of thrash metal zombies -- clad in jeans covered with patches -- had gathered to see the reunion gig. I should have known that the band was not completely forgotten despite disbanding thirteen years ago, because the last offer from a fan for my tour shirt from '87 had been "I'll cover it with money bills" in the early morning. I refused. The band started with "Fallen Saint" and played all tracks from _Possessed by Fire_ with the exception of "Reign of Sadness" and "Silent Death", one crap so-called "new" song and a superfluous Black Sabbath cover. Their own material sounded great and surprisingly tight after all these years -- especially "Winds of Death" (the only track from _Rising From the Sea_), with its crushing slower sections, was killer, just like three days earlier in Frankfurt. Except for original front man Mem, who moved around more than three normal singers at the same time and came across very energetic and convincing, everybody on stage was very static and non-metal looking. The music was good enough to compensate for a certain lack of stage presence, though, and if these guys just did not feel like sucking up to their fans by wearing wigs, spikes and metal shirts, then so be it. The time tunnel has spewed out Destruction already. Overall, it was a very worthy reunion gig from these German veterans. And, for a change, this is not a permanent reunion and we're not running the risk of having to endure disappointing new records. On an Exumer related topic: anyone with an interest in thrash metal should check out singer Mem's new band at www.sundescends.com. Paul and I left after the gig and Daniel went to check out Dimmu Borgir. After the boring performance on their last tour, I just didn't have enough energy left to endure another hour on the festival area. The fact that during our fifteen minute walk to the car all we heard was keyboards (leaving me with the impression that Jean Michel Jarre was filling in for Dimmu Borgir) seemed to indicate that leaving was a clever decision. Before we went to sleep, I was in for the only bad experience I had during the four days. It consisted of the sight that unfolded when I opened the door to the next toilet. Shit was piling up on top of what normally would be the seat. I took my toilet paper, jumped over trenches and barbed wire in true World War I assault style, and disappeared into the foggy, fortunately dark night. To all you potential Wacken tourists: never assume there will be a usable toilet when you need one. Saturday ~~~~~~~~ Saturday began with sunshine and Warhammer. Warhammer are German Hellhammer worshippers, and their sound and songs are of a kind which could easily have been on Hellhammer's _Apocalyptic Raids_ EP. It's 100% well done Hellhammer worship and absolutely nothing else. Cryptopsy went on stage at 11am, and I've got little to add to Paul's Wacken report [CoC #54]. From my perspective, they were a bit less impressive than during my last encounter with them in 1999, and I felt that the new tracks didn't work as well live as older material up to _Whisper Supremacy_. As expected, the band's technicality (especially the drumming) was breathtaking and Mike DiSalvo put on an impressive last performance with the band. Dark Tranquillity were the next interesting band to play. However, I'm getting the impression that either I've seen them on a bad day twice or they are rather mediocre musicians. Once again, everything they played from up to _The Mind's I_ sounded extremely sloppy, and Mikael Stanne's vocals were simply horrible. On record the guy has a really cool, distinguishable voice, but on stage he sounded like some below average growler filling in for the real singer. With the old material not sounding overly good, there were only _Projector_ and _Haven_ songs left to save the day. Although I really like those two albums, Dark Tranquillity came across as a rather boring act. After a long break, during which we had to endure power metal wailing from various stages, we checked out Krisiun. Having achieved an average status through permanent touring and three good records, the Brazilians turned out to be as exciting as Dark Tranquillity. More than ever before, I had the impression that Krisiun only have one track: it's the hyperspeed one, where the cascading riff is repeated over and over again in different scales, and about 2/3 into the song the guitarist does as many trills as possible in the shortest period of time. I definitely prefer listening to _Black Force Domain_ on my home stereo, rather than the unimpressive live versions of their material that Krisiun offered today. It's about time the Brazilians get a second idea of what to do with their outstanding technical skills. Tankard's singer Gerre constantly flaunted Europe's fattest beer gut shortly after Paul had left, and his performance was the only good thing about Tankard's gig. I'd been wondering why later Tankard material sounded so lame, and I thought that Harris Johns was to blame for that. The fact is that the band itself has got a shit sound that is not at all comparable to their heyday in the mid-'80s anymore. Their new material came across as sub-par funpunk bullshit, and even old classics like "Maniac Forces", "Chemical Invasion" or "Empty Tankard" sounded like second rate cover versions of the originals. Hadn't it been for Gerre -- who is still one of the funniest and craziest frontmen in German metal --, this would have been 100% utter crap. From my point of view, Tankard have become a parody of themselves. The fact that they can still attract and entertain quite a lot of people only shows how good they once were and how good a frontman Gerre is. In Flames were entertaining, but never reached the intensity of their recent club gigs, and so we had to wait until Opeth appeared on stage before we were blown away again. Despite miserable conditions caused by HammerFall's main stage sound mixing with Opeth's acoustic sections, this was an awesome show. Band and audience seemed to connect immediately, and even if Mikael Akerfeldt stayed calm and quiet in between songs, he seemed to be deeply moved by the enthusiastic cheering and clapping from the crowd. "Demon of the Fall" was absolutely breathtaking with its heavy beginning, and all my doubts that a band that relies as much on atmosphere as Opeth does could be convincing live had disappeared. The musicians were in top form, the vocals never faltered (be it in normal or growling voice) and the gig, despite the fact that Opeth only played four songs, was stunning. After Opeth had finished their set, we walked towards the main stage. From a distance I saw the skinny HammerFall guitarist running around on the stage. He wore a batman cape that almost touched the stage and also an armor that reflected the light from the lighting rig. They performed the Accept metal ballet and the Manowar clash of guitars held with outstretched arms; they ran around with torches; and they also did some black metal style fire breathing. Next time they'll probably have Dio's plastic dragon on stage. Disgust is probably a word which isn't strong enough to describe my feelings about HammerFall. I don't fully understand why the band makes me react in such an overblown negative way, and maybe I should just chill out and see them as a joke -- but I really can't. During this almost physically painful experience, Daniel and I were imagining Motorhead coming on stage and kicking all the poser asses up there, taking over the instruments and playing "Ace of Spades". As our frustration was growing, we envisioned the Motorhead bomber stage set taking off and dropping napalm on HammerFall and their fans, so bad was the experience. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but this gig strengthened my opinion that HammerFall and their music represent almost everything that's crap in metal. Buy _Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I_, _Battle Hymns_ and _Restless and Wild_. Buy two, three or four copies of each if you must, but why anything by HammerFall? I'd rather step barefoot into dog shit than see something like this again. Paul had hoped that Motorhead would say something about HammerFall, but Lemmy seemed to have spared himself the sight and sound of them. Had he witnessed their circus, I'm sure he wouldn't have kept quiet. Motorhead's set began in very energetic fashion, with a very good, full sound and amazing drumming, and stayed exciting until after the sixth song, "Shoot You in the Back", from the immortal _Ace of Spades_. The Sex Pistols cover that followed was the lamest thing I've ever heard done to a Pistols song, and somehow Motorhead never recovered from that low point. The audience was there in masses but completely lifeless, which made for a very strange atmosphere, and Lemmy's jokes about the lack of response also failed to break the ice. I left with Daniel, hearing "Killed by Death" on my way to the car, while Paul stayed to see the bomber. Sunday ~~~~~~ At 8am the first few people started to move. Now the fact that we were parked so far away from the entrance would pay off. Miraculously, everyone who was blocking our path left, and we were out of the festival area within a couple of minutes. As far as I heard, Dave and his friends were trapped inside for another couple of hours. We made our way to the highway, only to get directed to a parking area by the police after ten clicks. They looked at every car and the people inside and searched some of them. Only a short distance from this first bottleneck, a car was lying on its roof in the middle of the dual carriageway. Fortunately, this had happened only seconds before we arrived, and we managed to avoid the traffic jam which was definitely about to develop immediately after. We had another very positive encounter with a middle-aged German in Itzehoe, where we asked for directions from the gas station to the highway. Despite the fact that it was a bunch of dirty, smelly metallers talking to him, our newfound friend led the way in his own car. Overall, Wacken was a very well organized, outstanding event. I recommend the festival to everyone, no matter where he/she might come from. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= N O R E S T F O R T H E W E A R Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC at the 15th annual Milwaukee MetalFest by: Aaron McKay I was going to call this review A Caravel in Chaos or something to that effect, but even chaos by definition is, if nothing else, interesting -- this year's MMF was not. If I had an arsenal full of weapons of mass boredom, the largest would be the Milwaukee MetalFest XV. Okay, I am somewhat responsible for a spiritless review of this year's event. Putting off writing it for far too long wasn't the brightest notion I have ever had, but as I told my editor, I had major difficulty finding the inspiration to pound out the letters for this piece. Why? A lack of any real headlining band was most of it, I think. Some disappointments in the band schedule was another chunk, as was a stark absence of enthusiasm by the attendees, which made the whole two day affair musically as boring as Destruction's last release. I'll get to all that in due time... I should have known that things were off to a bad start from the very first day. Kathy, my fiancee, and I were due to leave on a Wednesday afternoon to have as many full days in Milwaukee as possible. As it happens, the evening before I withdrew some money for the trip and forgot to retrieve my ATM card from the blasted machine. It, of course, was irretrievable the next day when I discovered it was missing at the gas station leaving my home town for the show. After taking care of the prerequisite bullshit caused my ignorance, we left the following morning and arrived for the last Miller brewery tour of the day. WHEW! Things were looking up. After dropping some hard earned money in the brewery's gift shop, we were off to the hotel. Getting all checked in and squared away, Kathy and I cleaned up and headed out to our favorite haunt, the Water Street Brewery in Delafield, WI. A good hot meal and some beer made things all that more enjoyable. Sleeping in anticipating a -very- long Friday of metal, we made our way to what they were calling the US Cellular arena this year, which, in all actuality, is the same place it was last year: the Milwaukee Auditorium. Friday ~~~~~~ Arriving about 2pm or so, Kathy and I said hello to one of the most kind and helpful people in the world: Debbie Sellnow of Mazur Public Relations. Heading into the show, one would find it nearly the same as any other year, but with noticeably less vendors. Even the labels were under-represented by a fair degree. Something was afoot. Making a few rounds to look over the lay of the land, I noted the main stage last year was called KNAC.COM and this year went by the Snakenet Radio stage. The two smaller, less open, but highly effective Nightfall and Digital Metal (formerly Necropolis) stages were (obviously) positioned as they were a year ago. Again, these last two halls were where most of the bands I saw preformed. Relapse, naturally, had the most comfortable spot: upstairs with carpet and padded chairs -- sponsorship has its rewards. About this time, my fiancee pointed out that we were without a schedule of bands. Good point there. After scouring the area, Relapse clued us in on the fact that they were being copied off as we spoke. Fair enough. We scurried off for Rise on the Digital Metal stage until they got printed. Rise sure is an impressive outfit of which I know very little. As best as I could tell, Rise's style was satisfactorily heavy, incorporating a nice keyboard effect and noteworthy vocals fostering a kinda goth-y feel. I made it a point to contact them via the Internet and came to learn that they were represented (at least in August) by Brutal Sound Productions & Management. To date, I haven't received anything further about Rise, but I sincerely hope to. They were an excellent band to begin the MetalFest with. If only things would have stayed that positive. Catching some of New Jersey's Chaos Theory on the Relapse stage, I came to the resolve that CT has only a minor stage presence consisting mostly of the lead vocalist acting as strange as possible, and not strange in a good way. Despite some solid riff, Chaos Theory is one of those groups that I could take 'em or leave 'em. In this case, I left 'em. We soon found ourselves back downstairs for Summon. Nothing truly notable about this black metal outfit from Michigan other than I enjoy their fast-paced tempo and thick rhythms. The vocals, at times, seemed screechy, but that could have been any number of things ranging from the room to the equipment. If the shrillness was intentional at the show, the recorded vocals didn't strike me as that piercingly prominent. Again wondering around the label vending area, I came upon one of the few, but very welcomed highlights of the event: Andreas Katsambas of The End Records. Andreas was there for only one day (Friday) before making his way to the benefit concert for the two Chucks (Billy and Schuldiner) in California. Andreas is an extremely intelligent colleague (see my interview with Mr. Katsambas in the last issue) and a fellow I am certainly honored to know. Kathy, Andreas and I had some beers and shot the shit all the while hearing Command Presence in the background on the Snakenet Radio stage. Summer Dying was next on the main stage and I was glad I was in the room when they started, because they were not on my list of bands I had marked to see. I am sure glad I caught their show, nevertheless, and snagged one of the demos they were passing out (see my review in this issue). -Now- we got cookin' with gas: Epoch of Unlight on the Nightfall stage was up next. Being on The End Records, I was sure to stand near Andreas for some of their set until he switched with Sergey to allow Sergey (also with The End) to bear witness to EoU's last few songs. With flawless precision, Epoch of Unlight seared through their set of mostly new material all the while breaking in a new guitarist to the band: Josh Braddock of Incineration The whole set was a fantastic experience and the new songs sounded impeccable. Only catching one of the songs from Blood Stained Dusk on the Relapse stage, it took no time at all to surmise they were sounding as black as ever; I wished I would have been able to see more. I decided then and there I needed food. Kathy and I scampered down to snack area, grabbed something to supplement our beef jerky contraband and headed for the main hall for Wykked Wytch -- what a mistake that was... If I would have had any concept of the sheer horror (not in a good way) that I was in for, I would not have brought food to eat. I nearly lost my appetite. I've come to understand WW hail from Florida (a state with which I am infinitely familiar, especially where metal is concerned), plus having been around for more than ten years, why was this the first I had heard of Wykked Wytch? What's more, why was Jason Blachowicz -ever- associated with this atrocity of a band? Believe me, I will do everything I can to never hear this outfit again, but I still had to keep my dinner down, so, needless to say, we left. About this point, things got off schedule a little bit and I was saddened by missing Fog, but I was otherwise occupied with Macabre in the Digital Metal room -- and boy, I was NOT ALONE. Well more than a quarter of the people attending Friday were in that space and Corporate Death, Dennis the Menace, and Nefarious put on one helluva great show. Covering some tracks like "Vampire of Dusseldorf" and "Dog Guts", the entire vicinity in font of the stage and the larger room in general was bouncing and thrashing in flawless time. A fantastic performance from one of the MMF's sanctioned and essential standbys. Kathy and I bounced around until Catastrophic hit the Nightfall stage. I was biding my time in anticipation of seeing Trevor Peres of Obituary and his new band. Being a fan of their release _The Cleansing_, I stood patiently waiting and found myself rewarded appropriately. They worked through a fantastic set and sounded only somewhat distant in the small room, but it was, nonetheless, good to see Trevor again in fine musical form. As an aside, Trevor showed up last year to the MMF after the Slayer concert earlier that night in Milwaukee; it was exactly the same room, only we were watching Dying Fetus tear it up and not Catastrophic. Strange how things happen... I wanted to catch Psypheria especially because of Lyle Livingston's participation in Dragonlord in the worst kinda way, but instead wound up cooling my heals with Killjoy from Necrophagia waiting for him to go on with the guys from Ravenous. It was an investment of time that I felt pretty good about, as I truly appreciate their _Assembled in Blasphemy_ material; seeing this band always puts me in better spirits despite the uninspired and drab happenings at the concert thus far. To finish off Friday, Kathy and I stayed put and awaited the arrival of Gorgoroth; a main reason for me going to this year's MMF. On the Snakenet Radio stage, Anathema was beginning, but we both saw them once previous here at the MetalFest. Truth be known, I was mostly tired, but also frustrated by a lackluster crowd all day long, but at this last performance, as well. However, Gorgoroth, a virtual black metal supergroup breeding-ground, did not disappoint any of us, I don't think. Covering substantive material and sounding brutally nefarious throughout, I was pleased, in my own mind, with a set done to near perfection. I would have liked to have seen them earlier in the evening with more material from _Destroyer_ and _Pentagram_, so that I might have soaked in their presence and finer work with less filtration through fatigued ears. Saturday ~~~~~~~~ Another day -- fresh hope. My optimism didn't last for long. Looking over the schedule for the day, Kathy and I didn't like it was necessary to get to the show much before 2pm. Missing the first batch of morning and early afternoon acts wasn't worth jeopardizing the longevity of our stamina for the evening bands. The one thing I failed to notice until too late was Avernus at 12:10 -- what a fucked up time slot they were given. Very shortly after arriving at Milwaukee Auditorium, we happened across a good friend: Steve Murray of Fleshgrind. Also playing with Avernus, he dropped the boom by confronting me with the harsh reality that they had already played (of course). SHIT! Oh, well -- what about Fleshgrind, then? Here is where things got royally screwed up. Steve told me something that he heard about the MMF "invoking the two year rule". Unfamiliar with this, I pressed him for some insight. Mr. Murray told me that it was his understanding that if you played consecutively two years previous, you were "asked" not to preform again. Is this what happened to Fleshgrind and Mortician, another notable MMF staples not playing this year? If that is the case, what about Macabre -- were they here back to back years? I'm not saying that this "two year rule" and being "asked" not to preform was actually what came to pass to ultimately botch up the host of killer bands that usually play the MMF, but if it -does- happen to be the case, I have never heard of something so shit-all stupid, blind, ignorant, and foolish in all my life! Noctuary played the Digital Metal stage to a warm and receptive crowd, but my interest really was in seeing Averse Sefira. Having done an e-mail interview with both Wrath and Sanguine, this Lost Disciple outfit was high on my agenda to see; they did not disappoint. After taking care of some trouble with the bass sound, Wrath spewed forth a host of the most blackened wickedness seen at the show. The room showed positive signs of familiarization with Averse Sefira's material and, consequently, enjoyed themselves as much as the band seemed to. In full corpse paint, AS no doubt drew more than a couple of fans into their fold that day. Time to bust ass upstairs to the Relapse stage for Pig Destroyer. The stage was running a bit late and we caught two songs by Phobia. I began looking almost frantically around the room for Carl Schultz from Relapse and noticed him walking in moments before PD went on. We had arranged earlier yesterday to watch the performance together and I think that I can safely say, Carl and I both were overwhelmed with the unbridled power Pig Destroyer displayed. Fans were yelling out names of songs and J.R., Brain (had some trouble with his right cymbal) and Scott even blessed us with a reworked version of "Birthday Suicide". Mastodon came up next in the comfortable Relapse stage area. Taking into consideration two of the members' roots in Today Is the Day, it is easily understood why both my fiancee and I appreciated their hard-hitting and certainly bass-heavy approach as much as we did. Einherjer's Viking metal set was something I needed to see. Their stage presence and smooth change-ups played the audience like one of their battle-scarred instruments. In a sea of mediocrity, I am happy I witnessed Einherjer's havoc play out upon the Digital Metal stage. Over to see what was going on with Soilwork. I can say this, they drew a big crowd for reasons unknown to me. That not withstanding, the main hall was nearly filled to capacity with people. That in mind, is it any wonder we moved back toward the Nightfall stage? There we set ourselves up for a massive disappointment. That being the fact that Acheron wasn't going to show. Fucking great! Next to Gorgoroth, Acheron was a major reason for me attending. Having seen Immolation at last year's MMF, and who was now playing instead of Acheron, Kathy and I both reached the mutual decision to relocate to the Snakenet Radio stage until it came time for Novembers Doom. We made our way through the vendors' area up to nearly the front of the stage. Great overall vocals, but to my surprise, the female contributions on songs they played on stage seemed to detract somewhat more in a live setting that I would have previously gathered from such a wonderfully ambient band. They ended with a great live interpretation of "Dawn Breaks", a personal favorite! The last band there I really cared to see again was Dying Fetus. They went on almost exactly on time at 11:25 on the Nightfall stage. Here is another band that confused me as to their presence at the show if the "two year rule" -was- in effect. I was glad to have -some- stability, no matter how slight or in what form, at the 'Fest. This was my first time seeing the reformed band without Jason Netherton on bass/vocals. John Gallagher was in fine musical form, but failed to connect with the crowd -- including me, and I treasure DF like gold bouillon from Fort Knox. Joined on stage by Robert Vigna of Immolation (guitar), Dying Fetus seemed disconnected from their audience with a lot less groove-oriented tunes on their set list to get the crowd whipped up into a frenzy. I guess every band has an off show now and again, plus they may have been going through a difficult period with new members and all. Only getting to see John and the boys generally once a year here at the MMF (for less than an hour, mind you), if absolutely necessary, I wish they could have had their "bad day" another time... Wanting to see Limbonic Art, but not feeling the need to experience any more surprises, disappointments, or blemishes during an already less than average MetalFest, Kathy and I exited the show. Yawn... zzzzzzzzzzz Oh! Sorry -- must have dozed off. Even remembering the MMF and regurgitating it back for your reading "enjoyment" must induce drowsiness, apparently. Before I stretch out for a nap, allow me to say this: God willing, I WILL ATTEND NEXT YEAR for the Milwaukee MetalFest XVI, on July 26 and 27; even the best of the best happen upon a slump every now and again. I've told myself that it can only get better. Rectifying some of the issues is probably an absolute imperative, like keeping the asshole "scabs" out of the venue (once again this year). Definition of "scabs": loser, unwashed teenie-boppers who derive pleasure from mooching beer and stinkin' up the joint by choice and generally dumb-shit assholes. Also, removing the "two year rule", if that does indeed turn out to be what was actually going on this year, plus securing a stronger, more inspiring line-up of headlining bands would all be huge pluses for the Milwaukee MetalFest in years to come. Something that I noticed this year, while I am in the hypercritical mood, is that some lesser known bands, by design or otherwise, enjoy some pretty choice times on the schedule, while other more well-known outfits have bizarre slots. For instance, Tarcid (just to name one -- no offense to the band intended) at 10:20pm on Saturday night and Avernus getting stuck with the 12:10 in the afternoon or earlier, if I remember hearing correctly from Steve Murray -- inexcusable. While I realize it must be a major headache to put all these bands on a program that flows, somehow it still seems ineffectual and certainly inappropriate. Good night, everyone. I know that most of you are asleep right now anyway if you are still reading this... If you made it through -- congratulations! For me, coming up with this review, painful for me to say as it is, was like shaving with a rusty straight-edge -- it gets the job done, but the tetanus shot is -far- less than amusing. Lastly, I want to say to the people I was able to hang out with again, the bands I wanted to catch live in concert, and the town of Milwaukee were points I choose to recall fondly; I AM GRATEFUL. Here is to the promise of a better MMF 2002! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gino's Top 5 1. Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_ 2. Carcass - _Symphonies of Sickness_ 3. Soilent Green - _A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down_ 4. Fu Manchu - _The Action Is Go_ 5. Absu - _Tara_ Adrian's Top 5 1. Evergrey - _In Search of Truth_ 2. Slayer - _God Hates Us All_ 3. Porn (The Men Of) - _Experiments in Feedback_ 4. Necrodeath - _Black as Pitch_ 5. Godflesh - _Hymns_ Brian's Top 5 1. Necrophagist - _Onset of Putrefaction_ 2. Profanum - _Musaeum Esotericum_ 3. Sceptic - _Pathetic Being_ 4. Ephel Duath - _Phormula_ 5. Diabolical Masquerade - _Death's Design_ Alain's Top 5 1. Akercocke - _Goat of Mendes_ 2. Darkest Hour - _The Mark of the Judas_ 3. Darkest Hour - _So Sedated, So Secure_ 4. Cadaver Inc. - _Discipline_ 5. Deeds of Flesh - _Mark of the Legion_ Adam's Top 5 1. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_ 2. Der Blutharsch - _When All Else Fails..._ 3. Nargaroth - _Black Metal ist Krieg_ 4. Neurosis - _A Sun That Never Sets_ 5. Unreal Tournament v4.36 Pedro's Top 5 1. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_ 2. Dornenreich - _Her Von Welken Nacthen_ 3. Absu - _Tara_ 4. Svartsyn - _His Majesty_ 5. Solefald - _Pills Against the Ageless Ills_ Paul's Top 5 1. The Chasm - _Reaching the Veil of Death_ 2. Pungent Stench - _Masters of Moral Servants of Sin_ 3. AC/DC - _Live at the BBC_ (bootleg) 4. Motorhead - _Overkill_ 5. Fantomas - _The Directors Cut_ Aaron's Top 5 1. Edguy - _Mandrake_ 2. Hypocrisy - _Ten Years of Chaos & Confusion_ 3. In Aeternum - _Past and Present Sins_ 4. Scholomance - _The Immortality Murder_ 5. Pro-Pain - _Round 6_ David's Top 5 1. Arch Enemy - _Wages of Sin_ 2. Sanctuary - _Refuge Denied_ 3. The Crown - _Deathrace King_ 4. Iced Earth - _Horror Show_ 5. Aborted - _Engineering the Dead_ Matthias' Top 5 1. System of a Down - _Toxicity_ 2. Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_ 3. Svartsyn - _His Majesty_ 4. Entombed - _Morning Star_ 5. Jello Biafra and DOA - _Last Screams of the Missing Neighbours_ Alvin's Top 5 1. Eternal Majesty / Temple of Baal - _Unholy Chants of Darkness / Faces of the Void_ 2. Serpent Eclipse - _Thy Bleeding Heavens_ demo 3. Biomechanical - _Distorted_ demo 4. Various - _Within This Infinite Ocean_ (Projekt sampler) 5. Death in June - _DISCriminate_ Gabriel's Top 5 1. New Order - _The John Peel Sessions_ 2. Weezer - _Pinkerton_ 3. Ben Folds - _Rockin' the Suburbs_ 4. U.S. Maple - _Long Hair in Three Stages_ 5. Tori Amos - _Strange Little Girls_ Chris' Top 5 1. Death - _Live in L.A. - Death and Raw_ 2. My Dying Bride - _The Dreadful Hours_ 3. Shape of Despair - _Angels of Distress_ 4. Devin Townsend - _Terria_ 5. Nevermore - _Dead Heart in a Dead World_ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____ __ __ __ | \.-----.| |_.---.-.|__| |.-----. | -- | -__|| _| _ || | ||__ --| |_____/|_____||____|___._||__|__||_____| 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 606 Avenue Road Apt. 201 Toronto, Ontario M4V-2K9, CANADA mailto:Adrian@ChroniclesOfChaos.com ---- Our European Office can be reached at: CHRONICLES OF CHAOS (Europe) Urb. Souto n.20 4500-117 Anta, PORTUGAL mailto: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 #55 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. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -- continued in the next message (coc055-2.txt) -- continued from previous message (coc055-1.txt) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=