_________ .__ .__ .__ \_ ___ \| |_________ ____ ____ |__| ____ | | ____ ______ / \ \/| | \_ __ \/ _ \ / \| |/ ___\| | _/ __ \ / ___/ \ \___| Y \ | \( <_> ) | \ \ \___| |_\ ___/ \___ \ \______ /___| /__| \____/|___| /__|\___ >____/\___ >____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ _____ _________ .__ _____/ ____\ \_ ___ \| |__ _____ ____ ______ / _ \ __\ / \ \/| | \\__ \ / _ \/ ___/ ( <_> ) | \ \___| Y \/ __ \( <_> )___ \ \____/|__| \______ /___| (____ /\____/____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, July 3, 2002, Issue #58 http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti Coordinator: Adrian Bromley Copy Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo Assistant Copy Editor / 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 Contributor: Quentin Kalis Contributor: Vincent Eldefors Neophyte: Kirsty Buchanan 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 #58 Contents, 7/3/02 -------------------------- * Loud Letters * Deadly Dialogues -- My Dying Bride: Thus Spake the Wretched -- Cannibal Corpse: Obsessed With Their Music -- Pro-Pain: The Shocking Shreds of Dignity -- Ephel Duath: The Path of Self-Rephormulation -- Kalmah: They're Back -- Tapping the Vein: A Real High -- Kaamos: Blinding Intensity * Album Asylum -- Abigail - _Welcome All Hell Fuckers_ -- Abominator - _Subversives for Lucifer_ -- Aeternus - _Ascension of Terror_ -- Aliengates - _Dark Days Quantum_ -- Axamenta - _Codex Barathri_ -- Belinus - _Battlechants_ -- Belphegor - _Necrodaemon Terrorsathan_ -- Berserk - _From the Celtiberian Woods_ -- Beseech - _Souls Highway_ -- Beto Vazquez Infinity - _Beto Vazquez Infinity_ -- Bewitched - _Rise of the Antichrist_ -- Black Mass - _To Fly With Demons_ -- Blood Duster - _Cunt_ -- Bludgeon - _Crucify the Priest_ -- Blut Aus Nord - _The Mystical Beast of Rebellion_ -- Boiler - _Cow Tipping in C Sharp_ -- Branded Skin - _Branded Skin_ -- Cain - _Antichrist Declaration_ -- Cannibal Corpse - _Gore Obsessed_ -- Catamenia - _Eskhata_ -- Construcdead - _Repent_ -- Corpus Mortale - _Succumb to the Superior_ -- Dagorlad - _The End of the Dark Ages_ -- Decapitated - _Nihility_ -- December Wolves - _Blasterpiece Theatre_ -- Dimension - _Universal_ -- Dimension Zero - _Silent Night Fever_ -- Disbelief - _Shine_ -- Enid - _Seelenspiegel_ -- Gomorrah - _Night of the Blackened Pentagram_ -- Gortician - _Metal Up Your Cunt: Live in Gorechrist's Living Room_ -- Houwitser - _Rage Inside the Womb_ -- Hypokras - _Dead & Hungry_ -- Immortal - _Sons of Northern Darkness_ -- Impedigon - _As Desires Fade..._ -- In Peccatum - _Antilia_ -- King Diamond - _Abigail pt II: The Revenge_ -- King's Evil - _Deletion of Humanoise_ -- Lock-Up - _Hate Breeds Suffering_ -- Loits - _Ei Kahetse Midagi_ -- Mactatus - _Suicide_ -- Manowar - _Warriors of the World_ -- Megiddo / Rampage - _Apocalyptic Raids: A Tribute to Hellhammer_ -- Mirror of Deception - _Mirrorsoil_ -- My Dying Bride - _For Darkest Eyes_ DVD - Anathema - _A Vision of a Dying Embrace_ DVD -- My Dying Bride - _The Voice of the Wretched_ -- Mystic Forest - _Welcome Back in the Forest_ -- Necrosphere - _Revived_ -- Nehemah - _Light of a Dead Star_ -- Nocte Obducta - _Galgendammerung, Von Nebel, Blut und Totgeburten_ -- Obtest - _Auka Seniems Dievams_ -- On Thorns I Lay - _Angel Dust_ -- Ordeal - _Ma|an_ - Sola Translatio - _Ad Infinitum_ - Svartsinn - _Devouring Consciousness_ -- Pain Control - _Subvert_ -- Poema Arcanus - _Iconoclast_ -- Rain - _Starlight Extinction_ -- Rain Fell Within - _Refuge_ -- Rebellion - _Shakespeare's Macbeth: A Tragedy in Steel_ -- Regorge - _Kingdoms of Derision_ -- Reverend Kriss Hades - _The Wind of Orion_ -- Runemagick - _Requiem of the Apocalypse_ -- Satariel - _Phobos and Deimos_ -- Sathya - _Sathya_ -- Sentenced - _The Cold White Light_ -- Serpent's Kiss - _Distant Shores_ -- Soilwork - _Natural Born Chaos_ -- Solekahn - _Suffering Winds_ -- Song of Melkor et al - _New World Blasphemy_ -- The Atomic Bitchwax - _Spit Blood_ -- The Crown - _Crowned in Terror_ -- The Ribeye Brothers - _If I Had a Horse..._ -- Theory in Practice - _Colonizing the Sun_ -- Third Voice - _Moments Like These_ -- Thirteen - _Magnifico Nova_ -- This Midnight Stream - _Cinematic_ -- Unpure - _Trinity in Black_ -- Void of Silence - _Criteria ov 666_ -- Vomitory - _Blood Rapture_ -- Zimmershole - _Legion of Flames_ * New Noise -- Atropos - _Creature Chthonienne_ -- Conquest of Steel - _Priests of Metal_ -- Demonification - _A Thousand Sadness '00_ - Demonification - _For The People '01_ -- Holochaust - _Holochaust_ -- Lost - _Lost_ -- Lost Soul's Cry - _Age of Forthcoming Chaos_ -- Maple Cross - _Promo 1/02_ -- Secret South - _Pieces of Faith_ -- Slavia - _Gloria in Excelcis Sathan_ -- The Prophecy - _To End All Hope_ -- Urshurark - _Architecture of Perfect Damnation_ * Chaotic Concerts -- Catharsis in Doom: My Dying Bride in Portugal -- The Night After the Night Before: Immortal & Hypocrisy in Portugal -- Northern Darkness Descends: Immortal and Hypocrisy in England -- Good, Evil Weekend: The Inferno Festival, Norway * What We Have Cranked * Details =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 From: Sabremor Subject: talking about ideologies is a necessity Hi Well, it probably is good for the extreme music scene to talk about ideas and beliefs, cause if we don't do it, the press and right extremists or other opportunists will do it for us. So here's my point of view. I get quite pissed off when i hear anybody talk about what a "real" metal fan should think or about any pseudo-ideology as a part of this music genre. Metal means a lot of things to everybody, but it is definately not an ideology. Maybe some artists are musically inspired by their ideas; so if burzum's thoughts are what inspire burzum's music, well fine, it contributes to the whole scene, just like max cavalera's cultural background made him write his masterpieces (fuck soulfly :). And if anybody tells me he's his own god, or that he prays to a roll of toiletpaper, congratulations, good for them. As long as they're participating in the music scene, i will respect them for their work and leave them to their beliefs. But it's just sad to hear people who have little enough personnality to start reading an album cover as if it were the fucking bible. I hate being told about the Truth by an brainwashed evangelist just as i hate being told about Metal ideology by a narrow-minded metalhead. Whoever thinks a music genre can be an ideology should reconsider his love for the music. If you're a satanist, who cares, if your a satanist AND make music, you become interesting. Same if you're a christian. Which doesn't mean we have to agree on our beliefs. Maybe some people think you need to have some kind of beliefs in order to create violent music. First of all, there isn't enough theory to create an ideology, and then try to imagine excluding anybody who isn't considered a true satanist, well there wouldn't be much left for CoC to review... I'm not saying metal is about tolerance, but it isn't about satanism nor paganism nor witchery nor viking blood either. Sorry if my english is bad, it's not my mother tongue. Thanks to CoC for your huge work. Dave Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 From: RayRuenes@aol.com Subject: Prozak's Distorted Metal History and Vision Greetings! It's rather pitiful when people with an ideological axe to grind seek to instill it into, or see it reflected in, every hobby or endeavor, no matter how unrelated to their politics they might be, that they undertake, to the absolute exclusion of any concepts that might disturb their uniform reverie. Prozak admits that conflict is necessary for any ideology's health, but then goes on to call for the rejection of any ideology that conflicts with his own in the realm of metal, which itself is derived in large part and over several decades from Gospel music. Watch any documentary on the history of rock and roll and you should find ample acknowledgement of Gospel music's role in its creation. Is Prozak thus calling for his ideology to become reduced to "tired homilies repeated by the embittered" by eliminating conflict? Musicians are free to bring their own causes and beliefs to the table and articulate them through their musical talent if they so wish, despite Prozak's insistent but unjustifiable objections, and will continue to do so unless people of Prozak's rather totalitarian disposition wing their way into positions of authority within the music industry from which they can censor any disagreeable voices. People, I ask that you apply the same level of critical thinking to Prozak's manifestos as he would expect you to use when confronted with anything he dislikes, including Christian expressions of metal and its various offshoots. Learn to identify unsubstantiated allegations, such as the supposed lack of a soul or future that he attaches to "parts of the genre" which he despises. He's just stating his opinion masked as an axiom. Don't accept on blind faith his dichotomy between Christianity and intellectualism, nor his other canards about Christians being "degenerates." Get acquainted with elementary reasoning; don't fall for ipse dixit, argumentum ad captandum, argumentum ad hominem, false alternative, apriorisms, and any other of the host of logical fallacies upon which Prozak relies as a poor substitute for rationalism, despite his attempts to redefine the word so that it permits his contrary mental maneuvers. What's this, fans should stop trying to "accept ideologies like christianity, humanism and heavy metal in black/death metal"? Am I wrong in interpreting that to mean that heavy metal's an ideology, and no trace of heavy metal should be present in black and death metal? Sigh. Metal's not some plot of land for an ideologue to plant a stake in and then shoot all trespassers. Metal is a trespass. It offends, it crosses over, and it encroaches (audibly). The fact that the Christian manifestation of metal triggers such a desperate knee-jerk reaction on the part of some self-styled metal "purists" (and who gave them such authority, anyway?) is evidence enough that Christian metal is certainly carrying on the metal tradition; their uproar will not herald its death knell, rest assured. Ramon Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 From: Conformity@aol.com Subject: Response to Prozak's Distorted Metal Yadda yadda long winded whatever. Spinoza Ray Prozak states in COC#57 "i think drew johnston (conformity@aol.com) exemplifies this phenomenon best. while he's spitting with venom against nazis, for example, he is "tolerant" of religions and parts of the genre which have no soul or future. by behaving in this manner, he is crushing attempts for this genre to determine what it does believe, and thus to cease tolerating the rest. metal is an ideological genre, but that doesn't mean we forget the music." Apparently I'm being attacked in some manner or another by this Prozac character. Luckily, I'm foolish enough to engage in any argument that may float within a five mile radius. So tell me, do you actually read the words I write, or do they just pass your eyes, allowing a convenient space for you to watch yourself talk....? You are the Al Gore of the entire metal scene. Stop talking. You are obviously high, having a good time watching the magic symbols appear on the screen. I don't know why you're bringing me into this, but I suppose if I "best exemplify that phenomenon", then it's completely warranted. Who the fuck is Drew Johnston anyway? Maybe that's some false name I gave you. I'm not sure. Drew is my first name, however, Johnston... well, that's another. From what I gather, and please feel free to correct me, is that you're angry about the fact that I pay no attention to the lyrics of a song or the "spiritual ideology" behind it. I don't care about which faction of nazism tolerates homosexuality. I am a fan-boy because I care about the music and only the music? Hmm. That's an interesting idea you've posed. Quite frankly, I can't understand it. I don't care what the genre believes. Are you fucking stoned? Does that make sense to you? I don't care if you take the lyrics to the Backstreet Boys and make it into a black metal song. IF IT SOUNDS GOOD, I WILL LISTEN TO IT. Why does music have to have some fucking lame social or political point to it? At this point, I will resort to childish name-calling. As I said before, Spinoza, you are a frilly-shirt wearing fag. You're a nazi, you can't get my name right, you're pretentious about being a fucking dickhead, and you feel that the purpose of music is solely for spreading propaganda. You really think you're going to get your music to move onward into it's own RESPECTABLE artistic category by intolerance towards the ideas of others? Hmm. Maybe. Will anyone else be able to appreciate it? Not unless they're the typical pale, 140 pound, fucking computer dorks that spend most of their time updating the latest church burnings and klan rallies. So remember, if you don't have anything politically minded or ethnocentric to endorse with your music, you're just a fanboy. Drew =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ \ | | | | _ \ _` | _` | | | | | | __/ ( | ( | | | | ____/ \___|\__,_|\__,_|_|\__, | ____/ __ \ _) | | | | _` | | _ \ _` | | | _ \ __| | | | ( | | ( | ( | | | __/\__ \ ____/ _|\__,_|_|\___/ \__, |\__,_|\___|____/ |___/ T H U S S P A K E T H E W R E T C H E D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC talks to Andrew Craighan of My Dying Bride by: Pedro Azevedo The attentive CoC reader may notice that My Dying Bride were last interviewed in this publication not long ago -- CoC #56, as a matter of fact, shortly after their latest studio album _The Dreadful Hours_ [CoC #55] came out. Why, then, would we interview them again so soon? Well, if you look at our Album Asylum and Chaotic Concerts sections in this issue, you will find reviews of a live album, a DVD re-release of a live video tape, and a gig. Yes, My Dying Bride have been rather active lately, and very remarkably so: their latest opus _The Dreadful Hours_ was my favourite album of 2001, and also came second in the overall CoC writers' top 20 [CoC #57], just behind Opeth. At 8:30pm sharp, my phone rings and I ask My Dying Bride guitarist Andrew Craighan how he feels about this result. He thanks me for my personal choice, and acknowledges that "Opeth are a very good band, so that's not a bad place to be." But has every review of _The Dreadful Hours_ been positive, or is the band still being accused of choosing the easy path of going back to their musical roots? "The reviews have all been very, very good, full stop. We were accused of choosing the easy option on _The Light at the End of the World_ [CoC #44], which is something I never agreed with. Some people just didn't know what to say -- most journalists who are actually into the band never mentioned this, they just saw _TLatEotW_ as a great return to form, MDB doing what MDB do best. Those who were not into the band saw it as a step sideways, or a step back; I never saw it like that at all. When Calvin [Robertshaw, guitarist] left [after _34.788%_ [CoC #35]], we had to decide whether to continue with MDB as MDB or put My Dying Bride in the grave and start something new, because half the band was gone [including drummer Rick Myah and keyboard/violin player Martin Powell -- Pedro]. We just decided we can do this, this is what we do and who we are; we did what we felt in our hearts: cold, miserable, stupidly long songs that only MDB can get away with. Our fans liked it, felt it was what they wanted to hear from MDB. The experimental crowd didn't like it, didn't think it was experimental enough for them, but I don't care -- we don't have to be too outlandish anymore. With Hamish [Glencross, guitarist] we now have a more stable line-up, a solid outfit who understand what our brand of blackness and doom is all about. And _The Dreadful Hours_ is what you get from that. We don't want to do the jump up and down metal that is popular these days." It's been a long career -- going on twelve years now -- and the band must wonder whether they will be able to top such a solid album next time. What does Andy think about that? "That's a scary question. I thought _The Light at the End of the World_ was a brilliant album, but _The Dreadful Hours_ is even better -- I just thought, how the fuck did we do that?! In between the gigs we're already putting down ideas for when we start to record, and it's a nerve-racking time -- thinking whether the next album is going to be better than _The Dreadful Hours_. It's a testing time. We don't know what we are going to sound like. I just hope we can at least equal _The Dreadful Hours_, or make something even better. We have some ideas to make it even more miserable in certain places which should sound good on CD." My Dying Bride have recently been doing a bit of touring, and they traveled down to Portugal and the excellent Hard Club [see review in this issue]. It was the gig of my life, and apparently it was rather good for the band as well. I mention the excellent setting provided by the Hard Club, and Andy immediately agrees. "It's such an idyllic place. It's a strange place for gigs, such a beautiful setting, whereas gigs normally take place in industrialized parts of cities. Myself and Adrian especially enjoy drinking Port wine back home, so drinking it in Porto was like going to Mecca! We did the whole tourist thing, the gig itself was almost secondary! But that club is fantastic, it's one of the best I've ever been to, it just looks great sat there by the river [Douro]. It was a really special gig for us, too. The band played particularly well; the night before [in Lisbon] was OK, but in Porto it was as close as it can get to the band being in top form." "The gigs have been going very well. We played in Dublin and Greece recently. We thought the Portuguese crowd was very active and noisy, but there must be something wrong with the Greeks! We had never been there before, so they were absolutely ballistic. We actually got our first ever fan mail letter from Greece, but it took us twelve years to go there -- it was really special. We had a few problems in the first Greek gig but managed to overcome them, and on the second we were on fire. Dublin was OK, but it wasn't the best of gigs; still, we hadn't been to Ireland for eight years, and we played for a full crowd. We've been selling out gigs all the time, which is a massive achievement for MDB." Although I elaborate on this in my gig review later in this issue, I cannot avoid mentioning how much the band seems to grow when playing live, Aaron's vocals especially noteworthy in the live setting. "It's a bit strange, I have to admit. On record we're quite controlled -- not too loud, not too distorted, but it's still got the power. Live we like to do the full heavy metal thing and have everything louder than everything else, and everything becomes more exaggerated. The band is playing better live than ever, and Aaron is in top form -- if I had been in the crowd, I would have been impressed with Aaron as well. There is a very special chemistry in the band now, and the crowd reacts very well -- they can't seem to get their eyes off us, they stare at us and we stare back... and we like it! " Reviewed below is _The Voice of the Wretched_, their brand new live album. One thing that quickly became evident to me as I first glanced at the track listing was the fact that it contained three songs from my favourite MDB album, 1993's _Turn Loose the Swans_. "It's just coincidence", answers Andy after pondering for a moment; "I've never noticed that. We have got quite a career now, twelve years coming up, and when we play live there's always someone who shouts for an obscure song that we never play live. We would like to, but we can't play everything for everybody. But on the Peacefest gigs [where _The Voice of the Wretched_ was recorded -- Pedro], _The Dreadful Hours_ wasn't yet fully ready to be played live -- we only played "A Cruel Taste of Winter", which was later changed for the CD. So we intended to bring stuff from the EPs -- we actually rehearsed "The Thrash of Naked Limbs", but in the end decided against it for some more _Turn Loose the Swans_. It just happened, we wanted to play some older stuff for our older fans, and everyone says _Turn Loose the Swans_ is their favourite record, so... but we didn't plan it, it just is." Having re-recorded "The Return of the Beautiful" (from 1992's _As the Flower Withers_) for _The Dreadful Hours_, and now having included the first song they ever wrote, "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium", in their live set, how does Andrew feel going back to such old songs? "I don't think we've changed that much in style and mentality", he replies. "If you look at the style and composition, those are all very solid songs. When we play "Symphonaire" live, it fits perfectly into the set, the slow beginning that grows into total carnage -- which is rather difficult for us to play now, actually, since Shawn [Steels, drummer] blasts through it at a million miles an hour. A lot of people who go to our gigs may have never heard that song. Some of the people won't know the full history of My Dying Bride, and it is a good opportunity to say that this is what we sounded like ten years ago. It's good to really blast them out. As for "Return to the Beautiful", the idea had been bubbling and simmering away since 1997, since the tour with Dio in America, which lasted for six weeks. It was a friend of ours from a band called Novembers Doom", he starts. I wonder whether his name is Paul Kuhr, the band's vocalist, and Andy tells me I've guessed correctly. He continues: "Paul said we had to re-record it, that it was such an amazing song, and suddenly everyone was saying that -- we were thinking whether he had some sort of conspiracy going! Anyway, it eventually happened; we nearly put it on _The Light at the End of the World_, but the CD was already full, and then when we wrote _The Dreadful Hours_ we managed to squeeze it in. We also made the ending a bit more brutal. It was such a joy; I actually played both guitars, I was so proud of it. I still prefer the first version, to be honest, but it felt very good, and I'm glad it's there." _The Voice of the Wretched_ covers every era of My Dying Bride, and I ask Andrew an unfair question: which of those eras was his favourite? "The most enjoyable and care-free time would have to be around _Turn Loose the Swans_, going into and through _The Angel and the Dark River_. That's when we did the most touring and we had the most exposure. The records were very well received and it was a very nice time for us. It's been brilliant all the time, except when it started to become very difficult before _34.788%_ -- a product of a band under extreme pressure from its record label, but I still stand by that record, which was done under not so nice circumstances." Did they consider the possibility of moving to a different label at the time after having been on Peaceville for so long? "We know Hammy and his wife Lisa [Peaceville label owners -- Pedro] very well now, but even before we signed to them -- and we were very excited to sign -- Aaron already knew them reasonably well. We also understand that they had a business to run. They may like the music, but it's a business. We trust them to a certain degree, and they're very local to us, too, which is good. We didn't want to sign with a label from London -- which, given the connections at the time, would have been Music for Nations, and I can tell you any band who's with them is in for fucking trouble. I would be reluctant to leave Peaceville even now; you can't get this trust anywhere else, and it makes life easier. Being in a band is hard work sometimes, and you need someone to rely on, and we feel we can rely on Peaceville." The events Andrew refers to happened during the time when Peaceville was temporarily a sub-label of Music for Nations. "When that contract with Music for Nations finished we were very glad. The whole problem was coming from Music for Nations; Hammy didn't have full control over Peaceville anymore, and it freaked him out. The [Music for Nations] people in London weren't into the music, and it was difficult for them to grasp a band like MDB -- they got twelve minute songs and asked "where's our commercial hit?" -- MDB doesn't do that, fuck that." Which reminds me of how Anathema, currently on Music for Nations, have made their way into MTV with a video clip off their bland _A Fine Day to Exit_ [CoC #55]. "I can't comment", says Andrew. "I haven't heard anything of theirs for a long time -- the last thing was their demo _An Iliad of Woes_, actually, which I liked. Since they became signed to the same label we were on, and their style was similar to ours, I just didn't want to be influenced. So I've simply lost touch with what they're doing, although I know they're not doing metal anymore. I only heard one song off the new record, and it reminded me of Radiohead -- but I like Radiohead. I know it's difficult to be in a band and on Music for Nations, so I know the trouble they're having; but MDB is my main concern." The brand new live CD is not coming out alone: the _For Darkest Eyes_ video is being re-released in DVD format [also reviewed in this issue] with a couple of extra features. "It could have been better", admits Andrew. "The main problem is that there is not enough new stuff on it. It's not really Peaceville's or MDB's fault, it's just a bizarre twist of fate -- after _34.788%_ the band dipped into the shadows and didn't do much, no videos or recording of gigs. Now, having released _The Dreadful Hours_, which along with _The Light at the End of the World_ has put MDB back on the British doom map -- I don't think anyone else is doing this kind of thing in Northern Europe --, Hammy and Lisa are really ecstatic with MDB's success, and it's to their credit as well. So we've got a new format, DVD, what can we do? Since there was such a dip in the band's activity, there's nothing new to put in it, so it's just a format change. I was talking to Hammy about a video for _The Dreadful Hours_ and he was very enthusiastic. I can imagine we may do an MTV-style video for the next album." One of the extras on the DVD is their Dynamo '95 performance, originally released in a double-disc edition of _The Angel and the Dark River_. "We enjoyed it a lot, but it was our first gig after six months, so we were rusty. Rehearsing in a rehearsal room is one thing, but in front of 3500 people or more, suddenly you're not sure how to play the songs in a -live- environment. That's the importance of playing warm-up shows. We learned valuable lessons that night, but it wasn't the ideal place for that! We didn't do any warm-up shows before Portugal, actually, but we're a bit more long in the tooth now." Compared to the Krakow gig featured on _For Darkest Eyes_, Martin Powell's violin is no longer a part of their music; yet during the Porto gig, I never had a chance to even think about that. "We've been fortunate in that respect", he says, "only a few people ever complain about that. Those who are more open-minded about MDB would love to see him back, but overall they think it's not the loss they expected it to be. When we toured for _The Light at the End of the World_ we wanted to test the water, and we were surprised with ourselves and the crowd response. We usually mingle with the crowd after the gigs, which is a very eye-opening experience, and people weren't mentioning it much at all -- "It is a shame, but you're good enough without it", and that was a great relief. You can replace guitar players -- no offence to Calvin, you could replace me too --, but violin players who are into doom metal aren't easy to find. We actually rehearsed for a month with a violin player, a young girl from Halifax, and she could play very well, but once you put the band around her she was completely lost, and it just wasn't happening. I actually met Martin a couple of times since then, in a pub near where we live in Bradford called Rio's -- we usually go there -- and I talked to him about the good times and it was nice. Maybe he was a bit drunk, or just giddy from seeing old friends again, but he said he'd like to play live with us again -- but he's away with Cradle of Filth at the moment. We didn't fall out in an ugly way at all, we're still very much friends, so..." And how does the future of My Dying Bride look like to Andrew? Is the passion still intact? "I have to admit at the moment I have more energy for My Dying Bride than I have had in a long time, but after _The Light at the End of the World_ I wondered if we were doing the right thing. I have a great fiance, who's a great fan of MDB; I'm often a miserable twat, but then she reminds me how special MDB is. I'm feeling very positive -- even though we sing about death and doom, I'm very happy at the moment. " =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= O B S E S S E D W I T H T H E I R M U S I C ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse by: Adrian Bromley So, George, how does it feel being in Cannibal Corpse after all of these years? "I think it has been a lot of fun being a part of this band. It was great coming into this band and being a part of it and just connecting with the music, the band and the fans", begins George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher about his years of singing for the veteran death metal act, since taking over the position from original singer Chris Barnes on 1996's _Vile_. "It has been an experience, to say the least, and _Gore Obsessed_ [reviewed in this issue] continues on with my love of being in this band." "Recording albums with these guys [the band is rounded out by guitarists Jack Owen and Pat O'Brien, drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz and bassist Alex Webster -- Adrian] is a lot of fun. It doesn't really feel like work, more like just having fun and making metal music. It takes a while to get things rolling, but once we get in the groove, watch out. It is insane." Yeah, the vocals on _Gore Obsessed_ are some of the most violently charged ones I have heard come out of your mouth. How do you prepare for something like that? "I don't really know. I don't really do anything other than just get all excited to go in there and scream my lines. We'll run through the songs once or twice to get the voice going, and then once I am satisfied with that we'll start recording the song, sometimes one line at a time or a chorus here and there. We break it down into sections. There is no real secret to how I sound so intense, really. I just go in there and try to sound as brutal as possible. I just love listening back to my music and saying to myself, "Man, that is sick!" I just go for it, really, and feed off the brutal vibe of the band." Are there certain songs going into the recording that you tried to be more brutal with? Fisher answers: "Yeah, I mean when I have a whole batch of songs to work with in the studio, there are certain songs that stand out because of a groove or just have cool riffs. My favourite song on this album would have to be "Grotesque". I think that song has some of the best vocal work I have done with Cannibal Corpse. I like a lot of the songs that we do; especially the songs that have a real "catchy" feel to them. And some people, when they hear the word "catchy" they think sell-out, but what I mean is songs with some cool vocal grooves and heavy riffs that pique one's interest. Songs with a brutal groove." The success of Cannibal Corpse is quite impressive, especially seeing that they have been around now for more than a decade, playing brutal music and writing about headless corpses, blood and horrific forms of violence. The band has continued to flourish as the years go on, as well as continue to write solid material like the stuff found on _Gore Obsessed_. What does "Corpsegrinder" credit the band's longevity to? "I think the band's popularity is still pretty strong and I think fans wanted the band to continue when its singers changed, and have been interested with everything we have done since. I mean, it could have all ended with _Vile_, but fans were pleased with what I and the band brought to that album. The fans are the main reason we are still around. They buy our records and come see us play. Cannibal Corpse tours a lot as well, so we always see fans coming out to our shows. I also think we put out records on a consistent basis, like one every year and a half or two years. Then we tour for a year and then go back into record." "We are not one of these bands that tours around on buses and goes around from show to show", he notes. "We don't sit on the bus all day. We like to, when we can, get off the bus and just hang out with our fans and talk to them. I think fans realize how happy we are that they support us and that we are all just fans of what we do. Having fans is a big deal for us as a band, because it means we are doing the right thing." "I just get so much out of doing this", exclaims the singer. "The music, the fans and being able to go on tour with so many great bands. I get to see Dark Funeral, Incantation and Pissing Razors for like 36 shows. That fucking rules! We do a lot of festivals with great bands and it is just great to tour with all of these bands we like. It is great to just hang out and just be metal. It feels a lot like when I was younger and going to the shows and just hanging out and waiting for the bands to play, but in our case, we are one of the bands getting set to perform. The downside is that when I see these bands play I can't really go crazy, because I need to play a show, but one time I'd love to be able to get drunk and rowdy and just watch them play and not worry about going on next. But I can't, I need to save my energy for the show." One can't interview Cannibal Corpse and not ask how things have been with the die-hard fans over the years, especially those that are still angry over the loss of Chris Barnes (who now fronts Six Feet Under). Are there still some angry Cannibal Corpse fans out there? "There are some people who are still really bitter out there over what happened with Chris leaving the band and me joining", he explains. "My point is this. If you really, truly believe we are not a brutal band, and I go on message boards and read what people say about us all the time, then I don't think people are really listening to what we are doing. Cannibal Corpse, while maybe a bit different and matured over the last few years, is still playing fucking death metal. I think a lot of this backlash, especially early on when I joined, was because of this split with Chris. Chris was not the whole band. I just want people to give it a listen and I know there are a lot of people who have given the band a chance with me in the band and really liked it and continue to support us. I just want people to give it a spin and not just shit on it because of the past changes to the band." He finishes by adding, "Bottom line is this: I believed in myself as a singer and the band believed in me and look where we are now. A few albums later and we are still cranking out brutal death metal. So much for the people who thought it wouldn't work out." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E S H O C K I N G S H R E D S O F D I G N I T Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC interviews Tom Klimchuck of Pro-Pain by: Adrian Bromley They're back, and better than ever. Not only has New York's Pro-Pain got my full attention in 2002, they got my undying respect as a band that has evolved over the years but still kept the solid, aggressive edge intact -- and that can't be more obvious than with one listen of the band's heavyset groove agenda called _Shreds of Dignity_. Having been a fan of the band for years now, I was a little disappointed with the past two records (1999's _Act of God_ and 2000's _Round 6_), as they didn't kick my ass like the new one has. So what brought about this more aggressive approach? What set things off this time around? Guitarist Tom Klimchuck lets Chronicles of Chaos in on the making of _Shreds of Dignity_. "I think we approached this record a bit different this time around and didn't want to limit ourselves with our writing process this time around. I think sometimes in the past when we came up with numbers with a lot of groove and heaviness we would try to balance out the rest of the record with some mid-paced numbers. That wasn't the case with the new album. We just wrote what came to mind and let the record write itself." Seeing that I, the critic, found this record to be steps above the past few releases in the intensity realm, what was Klimchuck's reaction to it when he first played it back? "Once we are done with a record, I usually put it away for a couple of weeks and try to forget about it and put it out of my mind", he explains. "We spend so much time in the studio working on songs for hours and you get so far into them that it takes a lot to actually sit back and listen to what you have done from an outsider's perspective. After a couple of weeks of cleansing the pallet and listening to other forms of music to take my mind off what we have done I'll go back to the new material and give it a spin. This time around, I had this real strange feeling. This time it really took on a different feeling than I had expected, it was a lot heavier and more aggressive and it really suited the time. It shocked me." Shocked, eh? "Yeah, it did hit me in a very unexpected way, but that was cool. I think this is a really unique Pro-Pain record and it is quite difficult to make consistent records as you go along. Each time you write you need to compare with old songs you have written and try not to be redundant or repeat yourself. After listening to this record, it would be kind of hard to lump this in with what we have done and try to find a spot for it. It is a good feeling to know we have done this, as well it is a good motivation for me knowing that I still have some good music left in me." Like all of their hard work in the past, Klimchuck says that the band -- rounded out by singer/bassist Gary Meskil, guitarist Eric Klinger and drummer Eric Matthews -- have never really made any attempt to fit into a certain genre or trend with their music, rather just focus on making music for themselves, as well as for the fans of Pro-Pain. "When we set out to make this record, we knew what was big out there and what was making money for bands (i.e. nu-metal) and we didn't want any of that hip-hop grooves or heavy crunchy guitars in what we were doing, so we made sure we differentiated our sound and made it more straight-up hardcore or thrash metal, just to make a point that we weren't going to ride whatever "wave" is out there and that we plan to do our own thing. And I think Pro-Pain fans are pleased about that, knowing that our music is not geared to what is hot out there right now." And with the album cover colours and image -- a camouflage motif -- it seems to fitting as it goes along well with Pro-Pain being in the music business trenches trying to fight a war of sorts to get noticed and be successful. Am I right or what? "Yes, you are", laughs the guitar player. "Being in this music business is like fighting a war. When it came time to think of the artwork for the album, and the music was already recorded and we knew it was heavier than what we had done in the past, we decided to go along with this camouflage idea. Our music has always sort of had this militant theme to it and it seemed appropriate to bring that theme back into the artwork for the band. It suits the music too, as the music is a little heavier and rawer than the past few records. As well, the battle still rages on for us." Looking back at what Pro-Pain has done, what has Klimchuck gotten out of being in the band? "Making music with this band has been very important for us", he accounts. "We are pleased when magic happens between the music and lyrics of the band and the songs just explode with intensity and creativity. I like to have really heavy music with some really cool, intellectual lyrics behind what is being sung -- if not, the music does nothing for me. Pro-Pain always had made sure that the end result is something that we can be proud of and say: this is Pro-Pain. This is our music." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E P A T H O F S E L F - R E P H O R M U L A T I O N ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC talks to Davide of Ephel Duath by: Adrian Bromley Even in the face of something as severe as losing a key entity within the band, Ephel Duath member Davide (guitar/synth) is very optimistic of the future of his band and about how he will get past this temporary dilemma. "This is just something I have to face and deal with my own way", says Davide in a thick Italian accent. "Giuliano (vocals, guitars, bass, synth and programming) recently left the band because of personal reasons and that makes me the single composer now in the band. It'll be a challenge for me for sure." With their album _Rephormula_ just released via Earache imprint label Elitist Records, you'd think that this would be a terrible way for this eccentric avantgarde Italian black metal band to get things going for a new label. "That's right, his leaving couldn't have come at a worse time. It has been a terrible time indeed, but right now I am currently working with a bunch of musicians who are helping me keep this band alive and creating music", says Davide with assurance. "Giuliano was the band's main composer, so his loss is felt strongly now, but I have had to put things together and try to make things happen and not let this incident ruin the band. Right now ideas are forming and things are going very fast for Ephel Duath in regards to new compositions. I have lots of ideas ready and I trust they will make the future worth it." The music of the band is rich of ideas and arrangements, influenced heavily by older era Emperor, but still flowing with a real dark, gothic vibe and luscious avantgarde song structures. It must have taken a long time to get all of these songs assembled? "You'd think by listening to this record that that was the case, but in reality a lot of the ideas that Ephel Duath does when composing songs are very spontaneous. I know the arrangements are pretty intricate and full of some technical ideas, but we really do not plan out much. It just flows from within us. We love to have spontaneity with what we do, a lot of it comes from the initial guitar lines that act as a skeleton for the song at hand. Then we add drum machine parts and onto the keyboards and finally the vocals. We try to keep our ideas very open to every style of influence and bring that somehow into what we do." He adds, "For example, now with some of the new stuff we are working on, '70s prog music is finding a way into what we do. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this, won't it?" And what about the influence of black metal giants Emperor, a band whose sound is no doubt part of the make of Ephel Duath? "Oh yes", the frontman agrees. "Without a doubt. Emperor was a huge influence in the early stages of this band and what we had accomplished musically. If you listen to our demo _Opera_ (which is included on the release of Rephormula) you can really hear the Emperor style of vocals and complex guitar parts. Nowadays, while we still look to Emperor for inspiration and influence, I find that we are now highly impressed by the works of Opeth, Katatonia, Ulver and Solefald. As well as what I mentioned above, '70s prog rock (King Crimson, Pink Floyd) and jazz are influencing what we are creating too." With all of these ideas running rampant and multiple influences tickling the sense of creativity, what instigates the need to write material for Davide? What gets the ball rolling? "I don't know, really", he laughs. "It just happens sometimes. I just start writing. I'll just be there with a guitar and things will start coming to me -- I am so excited when things start to take shape and I can put musical ideas together. There is nothing like that. And now that I am the only composer left to generate ideas, it is actually more exciting for me knowing that I'll be able to create numerous new songs and arrangements for Ephel Duath." Talking to Davide, you really get to feel and hear the passion in his voice when he talks about the music of Ephel Duath. This isn't just some metalhead rocker out to right a killer riff and play it loud and get wasted. This is about making something vivid and passionate with his musical talent. To bring life to an idea and have it make an impact on the listener. Davide is a dedicated musician who believes in his strengths and talents as a musician. "Music is very important to me, and without it, I would be a very different person", Davide states. "This is the only way I can explore and explain my inner emotions to people. I put a lot of hard work into what I do, and I find sometimes when I write lyrics or music for the band, I really dig deep into my soul and pull out certain ideas and thoughts that I can't even seem to comprehend. The best thing about making music is that I get to express what I want. I get to control how much I want to give out to the music fans and how it will be assembled. I also love the idea that strangers get to experience my own thoughts and compositions." Davide ends off by saying, "I see my music as a deep experience, a sort of cleansing of my inner soul. It is hard to explain, but I think I did my best to let you know just how important this is to me. It truly means the world to me to create music, and I hope people walk away from my band feeling that as well." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E Y ' R E B A C K ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC interviews Antti Kokko of Kalmah by: Adrian Bromley Finnish act Kalmah's debut disc _Swamplord_ was an eloquent album, doused with a flare of creativity and folk elements, yet offering up a sinister melodic death metal vibe. The band's new album, _They Will Return_, is much more expansive and dynamic than the debut, changes no doubt brought about by internal conflicts and the musical growth by these Finnish lads. "There were a lot of problems that we were facing going into the recording of the new album. There were some problems in the band and we needed to get things straightened away and quick", reveals guitarist Antti Kokko to Chronicles of Chaos. "My brother [guitarist/vocalist Pekka Kokko] said that we needed to make changes within the band if we wanted good results with the new album. Our drummer had left and the bass player quit and we had very little time to get someone new into the band and get them prepared for studio work. The new musicians play a bit differently from the past members, but it all worked out in the end for us and we consider ourselves lucky." About the new record and the sound of the band -- which is rounded out by drummer Janne Kusmin, keyboardist Pasi Hiltula and bassist Timo Lehtinen -- Kokko says, "Keyboards have a different role on this album, they are acting a lot more as support for some of the melodies going on now. It was weird, because when we were having all of these band problems, I was worried how the album would turn out, but I think with all of these problems it turned into something good and we have new members who are bringing new ideas and talents into the band. The new blood has made this very exciting." He continues, "We tried a lot of new things with this record. New vocal styles and a couple of other tricks in the studio, but at the same time we didn't want to change the music of Kalmah too much. I mean, we do this pretty well and we didn't want to change too much." Does Kokko hear a difference between _Swamplord_ and _They Will Return_? "Yeah", he says. "I think there is a much more powerful sound within the production on the new album. The drums are have this intense sound. Our new drummer really knows how to move his bass pedals fast and furious. The first album was good, but you can hear how much better we sound with _They Will Return_." "When I listen back to the new album, I can't believe how good this album turned out", says Kokko. "I think of all the hassles and changes that occurred I am amazed that the record came out great. We worked hard to make this come out good. Nothing was going right, but we pulled through somehow. It was a relief to finish this album and I am very satisfied, as are the rest of the band members, with _They Will Return_." Seeing how Kalmah managed to change their sound and style a bit with the new offering (some were brought on unwillingly), does Kokko think most bands should evolve with each record or does he think it is OK for bands to stay the same with each release? "I think it depends on the band, really. I think if you find your own style, then why change it?", he points out. "But to keep it interesting you need to do something new with each album. I am not saying a metal band has to go from metal band to gothic band with an album, but slowly bring in some of those gothic elements into the metal band and incorporate the ideas and see how they work. Take your time with the music, don't rush it. That is how good bands get ruined, they change too fast." Like Metallica? "Yeah, that is a good example. Like I said, bands who change too much risk losing fans. Some change because of money, you know..." Not Kalmah? "Oh no", he responds defiantly. "We are in this for the love of music for sure. We put a lot of hard work into Kalmah and I think it shows. We just want to be satisfied with our music and get it out to those fans who want to buy. We aren't asking for much, really." "When I started playing music at the age of eleven, I always wanted to do this. To be in a band and record albums and tour. I always wanted to do that and now it has come true and I couldn't be happier with the way things have turned out", he says gleefully. "I'm just excited that Kalmah has fans too. I always wanted fans to enjoy what I do musically. It makes it all worthwhile." When Kalmah surfaced with _Swamplord_ a while back, the press and music fans alike were all over what Kalmah was doing. It was fresh, exciting and offered up something intriguing to the metal music scene. How did the band react to being in the spotlight? "That is a tough question", he comments with a chuckle. "When we found out the first album was going to be released in North America, we couldn't believe it [the band is signed to Spikefarm, licensed through Century Media -- Adrian]. It was a huge dream to get an album released over there and it was happening. The feedback for _Swamplord_ was great and we didn't know whether to believe it or not. It felt great." And was there pressure for the sophomore release? "None at all. I think we know exactly who we are as a band and what we play and we just went in to record the album that we felt needed to be done." Kokko ends off, "We have fans out there, around the world, who love what we do and we knew the album would turn out great and it did. If fans of the band don't like the new album, then that is OK too. I'm just glad we got to make a sophomore record." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A R E A L H I G H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Heather Thompson of Tapping the Vein by: Adrian Bromley The feeling of success for many artists comes to them in many levels. Some want to sell millions of records, tour all over the world and have their faces splattered over hundreds of magazine covers -- while others just want to be able to create music and have good enough distribution to get their music out to the fans. Tapping the Vein singer Heather Thompson just wants to be heard. Plain and simple. "I love what I do and I just want people, no matter how many out there, to just listen to what we create with this band and enjoy it as much as we do." The band's debut for Nuclear Blast, titled _The Damage_, follows two successful indie releases: _Undone_ (a six-song EP) and _Butterfly_ (a five-song EP). With a lot of hard work under their belts already, Thompson admits that the band was ready for bigger and better things by jumping to Nuclear Blast. "This needed to happen", she admits. "We [the band is rounded out by drummer/sampler/programmer Eric Fisher, guitarist Mark Burkett and bassist Joe Rolland -- Adrian] were ready for this and coming to Nuclear Blast. We released several EPs that we sold at our shows and through our website and we just wanted to get to the next level. We tried to get on several other labels in the US but they didn't really get it. A lot of the label executives were telling us that they weren't sure on signing something that wouldn't sell. Nuclear Blast eventually came around and was interested and we felt that we needed to do this and take advantage of a label that was willing to sign us and work with us." And the approach to the debut offering for Nuclear Blast when compared to the EPs? "We actually didn't really do anything different to what we had done with the previous albums. It was pretty much the same thing, even the same producer as the second EP. The difference was the way the record was assembled. The album was assembled over a year's time because of conflicting work schedules and playing shows and just trying to find time to make all of this work. It was just one problem after another and we had to work around it." "If anything, we just tried to get the music out as fast as we could so that we could get the record out and to our fans who have been with us for a long time. Being on NBA is also allowing us to tour and get out to these new cities we have never played before and to meet our fans -- and gain new ones, hopefully." While Thompson is proud of being on a big label with massive distribution worldwide, she is well aware of how the music industry works and is still very cautious. "We looked at making the record like this. This may be the only chance that we be able to put out a record, so we made sure that we had solid songs and some of the popular songs from our previous EPs." Was it hard to add new material to work alongside the four songs ("Butterfly", "Beautiful", "Everything" and "Broken") chosen from the EPs that were already popular amongst their roster of material? "We really didn't have a problem assembling songs to go along with the older material", she says. "I'd say pretty much throughout our career, the band has had the same kind of sound coating the material, kind of like a electronic feel to things and that carries on into the new album. Plus with the same vocal styles throughout, it has kept things consistent, really. I think the older songs are a bit more metal and goth-ish, but there is a definite consistency, and when we play them side by side they match well." "I actually am not a fan of the whole recording process", sighs the singer about studio work. "I mean, I just can't stand being in the studio and hearing my voice played back all the time. It is cool if it works out, but if there are many takes, it gets to me. I prefer to do the whole performance thing. I get a lot out of just standing on stage and barring these emotional feelings and thoughts, basically just being completely exposed to the people in attendance. And at the end of the song, when there is that total and complete appreciation for that song, there is no price tag that you can put on that unconditional acceptance." She continues, "Just get me on stage and let me go. I think that is where the magic comes from the band and it just leaves me on such an emotional high. I think people who have come to our shows will agree that we do deliver an emotional high live. It really is a rush." In closing, I ask why music fans should care about the band and go pick up the new record. What does Tapping the Vein offer to music fans? "Someone asked me that recently, saying, "Why should I buy _The Damage_?" I didn't really know what to say. I tried to describe the music and it just ended up sounding really ridiculous with the way it was being described to them. All I can really say is that the people who write to us and tell us how they feel about the band and how they are so excited about the band and the lyrics really makes me feel good", she states. "It makes me feel good that they are getting something out of this and exploring our emotions with us." She ends, "We have always offered up a return policy with the thousands and thousands of EPs that we have sold, telling fans that we will buy them back with cash if they are not happy with what they get, and not one has ever been returned. So I take that as a good sign and I hope those who pick up the CD will find comfort in what we do and not want to return it. I'm confident they won't." So am I. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B L I N D I N G I N T E N S I T Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC talks to Konstantin of Kaamos by: Adrian Bromley I know, I know, "kaamos" sounds like a fucked up word. I even laughed about the band name with guitarist Konstantin during his interview with Chronicles of Chaos. Seriously, I was like, "Um, tell me about this bizarre band name." He just chuckled and said, "Well, let me explain it..." and laughed some more. Hell, I even have a hard time pronouncing it sometimes. But regardless of my slip ups with the band name and people asking me to repeat myself when I mention the band (for those who care, "kaamos" is a Finnish word that means "period of darkness", a time in Finland when the sun won't rise at all), there is no doubt that Kaamos' self-titled offering on Candlelight Records is hands down one of the best brutal death metal releases in 2002. I can't stop cranking the album and talking about how cool this band is. "Thanks a lot for being totally into the album", beams the guitarist as we start our chat. "It feels good knowing that we did a good record that people can get all excited about. I'm really excited about this album as well, and I don't think we could have done a better debut album for Candlelight. I think the reason why this album turned out so good is because we have worked hard over the years and a lot of the material is from when we first started the band (1998 in Stockholm, Sweden). I think this album has a good mix of old and new songs that really work off well with each other." And how did the deal with Candlelight Records come about? Were they the first label to approach the quartet? "Actually, no", the guitarist states. "There were about five to seven other labels, both underground and major labels, that had approached us about a record deal, but we turned them down. In the end, signing with Candlelight seemed like the right place to sign to for our debut. They really believed in us." Seeing that the band (Kaamos is rounded out by bassist/vocalist Karl, drummer Chris Piss and guitarist Niklas) hail from Sweden, a country that many metalheads call the "metal Mecca", how had that music scene affected the band growing up as metal fans and what music ideas they brought into the band? Says Konstantin, "When I was growing up here, I was into all the music, but I never really wanted to be in a band. I really had no interest." How did you join a band then? Did someone say, "Hey we need a guitar player!"? "No, not really... well, sort of", he clarifies. "We had this gang of friends who used to hang out a lot and they wanted to form a band and needed a guitarist, so I gave it a shot. The ideas behind that original band have nothing to do with what Kaamos is now, but it did awaken my interest in being in a band and making music. I think that lit my creative spark." "Ever since Kaamos became Kaamos, I think the evolution of the band has been very minimal. I think we have worked hard to keep our sound brutal and pretty much along the same lines as it was when we started", he says. "We formed out of being tired of all the melodic metal crap coming from the music scene here in Stockholm. All the bands were playing the same type of music over and over again and it was getting boring. We wanted to re-establish the old spirit (in death metal). It might sound presumptuous, but..." Hey, good for you guys wanting to change things up a bit and not go with the flow. That is very cool. "I think if you listen to our music, you can hear a bit of Morbid Angel influence, more of the older era of the band. I think you can also hear the vibe that was part of all those Satanic bands early on (e.g. Deicide), the common element that all those bands were working with in our music. In order for us to play this style of music, we really couldn't go out and make our music very extreme, we had to go back to the basics and just turn out really evil and dark music." I'm not a big Morbid Angel fan at all -- and forget Deicide, I hate them -- but I dig what Kaamos is doing for sure. "Wow... really? We all love those bands. Just the sheer brutality and intensity of what they did back then and now is killer." Konstantin hit it right on the head: intensity. That is one of the key reasons why I think Kaamos' debut disc is really grabbing me by the throat this year. It is so fucking intense. The band has basically gone back and brought what seems to be missing in today's metal scene, but at the same time adding their own character to the music. "When I play back this record, I hear a lot of fire in our music. There is a lot of spirit in what we do. We are not trying to suppress the spirit in order to create something. We'd rather see the instruments act as tools to create states that can manifest the spirits. Sounds weird, huh?" Yeah. "We sound like a hippie band, don't we?", he laughs. And laughing I respond, "You sure do, Mr. Woody Guthrie." Does Konstantin feel that this album will make an impact on the metal music scene? How does he want the album to be received by metal fans worldwide? "We just want to see some success, but not really in album sales or whatever else; more in the success of making music", Konstantin answers. "We don't do this for anybody else but us. We don't really care how it is received. If people like it, I am happy, but if people hate it, oh well. I think most bands pretty much feel the same way as we do." He ends, "I don't know why people think most musicians want to sell millions of records and be rich. I mean, we all do, I suppose, but I think musicians get more out of a good album and good material. I know I do." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____ .__ ___. / _ \ | |\_ |__ __ __ _____ / /_\ \| | | __ \| | \/ \ / | \ |_| \_\ \ | / 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! Abigail - _Welcome All Hell Fuckers_ (Drakkar Productions, 2001) by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10) Abigail were in that category of being one of those bands that I had heard of but had never paid much attention to and had never really regarded it worthwhile to make any sort of attempt to track down any of their releases. After hearing _WAHF_ I realised that I had been badly mistaken in any assumptions I had regarding this Japanese trio. If any of their previous releases can match the quality attained by this MCD -- and the two live tracks included suggest that they have -- then I have been a fool in not affording them any attention beforehand. With four originals and two live songs, _WAHF_ is a standard "gap-filler" CD, something to keep the fans satisfied whilst they work on their next full-length. The live tracks -- recorded in Tokyo in 1999 -- are predictably, not to mention obviously, rawer than the studio tracks. The guitars are a bit low in the mix and are slightly overwhelmed by the vocals and drums. While the live tracks aren't as good or entertaining as the original tracks, they are nevertheless sufficiently good to be entertaining and well worth a listen, though it would have been preferable to have been treated to an additional two originals. All the songs are immersed with some of the catchiest riffs possible. Every single track is uniquely and easily identifiable as an Abigail song, combining thrash elements with a strong modern sensibility, so that _WAHF_ never feels at all dated. Abigail are truly one of the most underrated and original bands. Abominator - _Subversives for Lucifer_ (Osmose, September 2001) by: Quentin Kalis (5.5 out 10) _Subversives for Lucifer_ contains music that is a hybrid of black and death metal: music which is of neither of these genres but lies somewhere on a continuum between the two not-so-disparate genres. The guitars are too low to be considered black metal and too trebly to be considered death metal. Similarly, the vocals too do not sit comfortably in either of these two genres. While they may have not created a devastatingly original sound, they have succeeded in creating a sound that is immediately identifiable as "the Abominator sound". But this in itself is insufficient to rescue this album from the realms of banality and mediocrity. Furthermore, it in no way guarantees that the songs presented on _SfL_ are any good -- or even listenable. The songs have no individual personality and are largely interchangeable with each other. If one were to listen to any one song on this release in isolation from the rest of the album, then it wouldn't be so bad. It won't make any top 10 lists, but neither will it make any "worst of" lists. Nevertheless, listening to the entire album from beginning to end is sufficient to test the patience of even the most ardent metal fan. Then the tendency for everything to sound alike will come to the fore. More than simply playing as fast and as aggressively as possible is needed to create a halfway decent metal song. Basically, once you have heard one Abominator song then you have heard them all. This is a pity, as Abominator are competent musicians -- just bad songwriters. [Paul Schwarz: "Reminiscent in sound of that much-missed late-nineties death machine Angelcorpse (RIP), Abominator's all-blasting, all-growling assault is nudged by its PR and its similarities to the likes of Conqueror into the "war metal" genre as it exists in their native Australia. Unfortunately, Abominator don't have the talents of an Angelcorpse, or even a Krisiun, to forge killer songs from their simplistic riffs and lengthy blast sections, but for a three-piece they pack an impressive, well-measured punch and don't induce insomnia the way many "blast metal" bands do."] Aeternus - _Ascension of Terror_ (Hammerheart, November 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) 1997 and 1998 saw the unleashing of Aeternus' first two full-length creations: _Beyond the Wandering Moon_ and _...And So the Night Became_. Their dense, warlike death metal -- morose, doomy and very dark -- set them apart as both a rather unique band and one whose music would not be easily enjoyed by the average listener. It took a special frame of mind to fully absorb the atmospheric qualities of their lengthy compositions, but the music could also be quite rewarding in the end. Anno 1999, Aeternus changed their sound and direction noticeably with _Shadows of Old_ -- a potent, dynamic slab of raging death metal that still retained traces of their music's old warlike atmosphere. The songs were shorter, more dynamic, faster in pace, and the sound was considerably less dense and morose than before. _Shadows of Old_ triumphed through the sheer strength and atmosphere of tracks such as "Dark Rage", its sullen melodies interspersed with outbursts of speed, raging riffs and powerful vocals. _Ascension of Terror_, the matter at hand, is the follow-up to that impressive disc, and its opening track "Possessed by the Serpent's Vengeance" strongly indicates that Aeternus have not lost any of their qualities. Alas, it turns out to be one of the mere two tracks where those qualities seem to remain intact, the other being "Denial of Salvation". This isn't to say that the rest of the album lacks pace or strength -- tracks such as "The Lair of Anubis" leave no doubt about that -- but it does tend to lack some of the old atmosphere, rushing into things and opting for easier, chunkier riffs more often than before. Indeed, one can say that Aeternus' Americanization in style continues; and as a result, the album's title track is ironically the weakest and most simplistic on the disc. Nevertheless, in spite of some weaker moments, _Ascension of Terror_ is still a powerful, bloodthirsty beast that also contains some of Aeternus' best efforts so far. It's just a shame it isn't more consistent overall, as its best tracks alone would easily be worth a more remarkable rating. [Paul Schwarz: "Essentially picking up where 1999's _Shadows of Old_ [CoC #45] left off, _AoT_ marks no substantial change in style or delivery over its predecessor -- but this is no bad thing! _AoT_ is a damn enjoyable, brutal metal record. It is true that it only differs from its predecessor in being yet-more-bludgeoningly death metal -- the presence of -those- dodgy string bends being the one downside to this turn of events --, but yet _Aot_ delivers an absolutely punishing sonic punch to the face as recompense for its lack of forward motion."] Aliengates - _Dark Days Quantum_ (, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) A 21 minute self-released EP that arrives from Switzerland, _Dark Days Quantum_ is a serious, well presented showcase of the band's skills. It contains a brief atmospheric intro plus five tracks of a thrashy type of death metal with a bit of a nod towards Sweden, and Gothenburg in particular. Despite being rather unsuitable for headphones due to problems with the sound balance, the production -- always an iffy issue with independent releases -- does not let Aliengates down on loudspeakers. The band is quite competent instrumentally and able to write good enough songs to allow the EP to flow nicely, which is an achievement in itself for a young band. Nevertheless, Aliengates will need to increase the overall intensity of their music a notch next time around to create more of an impact; they do have good foundations to build upon, though, and time will likely be kind to this young band. Contact: http://www.aliengates.com Axamenta - _Codex Barathri_ (The LSP Company, March 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (6.5 out of 10) Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Bal-Sagoth -- any or all of these names will probably cross your mind as you listen to _Codex Barathri_. On one hand, Axamenta add little of their own to this concoction of tried-and-tested styles; but on the other hand, they're certainly not bad at what they do, unoriginal as it may be. The band is technically competent, the songwriting is reasonably good and the production quite decent; yet this disc is still unlikely to spend much time in my CD player in the future, as it has little to offer that cannot be found elsewhere. The band is quite good at this, but not so good as to blow the competition away at their own game. To use an oft-repeated verdict, this album should be worthwhile for fans of the genre and uninteresting for everyone else. I would certainly like to see Axamenta applying their skills to a sound they can really call their own next time, as they do seem to have enough potential to succeed. Contact: http://www.lsp-company.com Belinus - _Battlechants_ (, 2002) by: Adrian Bromley (8.5 out of 10) Offering up an interesting array of ideas for metal music is Ireland's Belinus, a wonderfully orchestrated musical experience that successfully combines Celtic musical stylings with black metal aggression. The band calls their music "Celtic war metal", and they aren't far from the truth, as the bombastic sway of the guitar riffs is spurned forward by the harsh vocal cries and tightened up by a truly hypnotic rhythm section. Intensity never sounded so in control, plus the atmosphere of the album (thanks to an adequate production) is impressive as well. While shades of Absu and older era Cradle of Filth are apparent in their music, Belinus play strong and steadfast on numbers like "StormGod" and "Cursus" within this 28-minute EP "find themselves" musically. A band definitely worth looking our for as this EP crushes. Contact: http://belinus.cbj.net Belphegor - _Necrodaemon Terrorsathan_ (Last Episode, 2001) by: Matthias Noll (8.5 out of 10) From Austria comes one of the finest blackened death metal records I've so far had the pleasure to grace my CD player with. Unlike bands such as Zyklon or Emperor on _IX Equilibrium_, this doesn't fall into the trap of being expertly executed but lifeless and ultimately sterile. _Necrodaemon Terrorsathan_ is a beast of a record that oozes conviction, unbridled aggression and power. Stylistically the above mentioned bands cannot serve as a point of reference, because Belphegor sound rather like a slightly black-metallic, rabidly blasting and furious early Deicide, and nowhere like the Norwegian high-tech metal of today. Another plus is the excellent, natural sounding production, done by the band themselves and one B. Milunovic, which expertly balances old-school rawness with just the right amount of clarity. Quite refreshingly, _Necrodaemon Terrosathan_ is not plagued by the staleness of the mass processing taking place in certain more famous studios. Belphegor successfully manage the tightrope walk between being blasting and technical in places, while maintaining and unleashing the raw power which is at the core of death metal. A highly recommended release and a band which is able to give most US death metal bands a lesson in violence. Buy _Necrodaemon Terrorsathan_ instead of Deicide's _In Torment, In Hell_ [CoC #57] and Satan will love you! Berserk - _From the Celtiberian Woods_ by: David Rocher (2 out of 10) (Oaken Shield / Adipocere, Nov. 2001) Amidst the massively depleted ranks of defenders standing faithful to the "true black metal" genre, I have been graced to discover a number of worthy heirs of past masters such as Satyricon, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Emperor or such purveyors of misanthropic Scandinavian bleakness -- Sweden's Craft or France's Nehemah are references that instantly spring to the mind, owing to the ruthless accuracy with which they recapture and distil the cold, rabid feelings of anguish and hatred that pervade the classics in the black metal file. As opposed to this, Berserk are quite the example of a botched attempt at keeping the proverbial black flame alight; featuring more gross and cheesy stabs at Satyricon's _Dark Medieval Times_ per second than I would ever have dared to imagine, _From the Celtiberian Woods_ is a collection of second-rate symphonic black metal anthems, with insufficient musicianship and lame production to boot. The guitar riffs in here are as blatantly unoriginal as they are barely decent at the best of times, Berserk's keyboard player delivers little more than one-fingered synthetic "atmospheres", and the lyrics are but a risible inventory of worn-out sylvan topics, e.g. "The moon is dark, and the forest our hut where the elements and darkness join up" -- quite terrifying and mystical beyond belief, I suppose. In a rotten nutshell, I'm sorry to say that the tone-deaf requiem titled _From the Celtiberian Woods_ is about as convincing as the band's idea of inserting a road map of Spain featuring a comprehensive list of Celtiberian tribes on the back plate of this CD. Beseech - _Souls Highway_ (Napalm Records, 2002) by: Vincent Eldefors (8 out of 10) When you put Sweden and metal together you usually think of old classic death metal like Unleashed, Grave and Entombed, more melodic bands like At the Gates, In Flames and others, and of course darker ones like Marduk and Dark Funeral. The Swedish metal scene of today is luckily a lot broader, something which may not be seen so kindly by everyone. No matter what, there are plenty of Swedish bands who have a lot to offer but still haven't been given the attention they deserve. One of those is gothic metal band Beseech, who have already released three demos and two full-length albums. Even though I try to follow the Swedish scene as much as possible, I must admit that I haven't had a chance to listen to any of their previous releases. Nevertheless, I am very confident that this is their best material so far, and they have also signed a new deal with my favorite metal label, Napalm Records. The line-up has changed slightly since the last album, with the addition of a new male vocalist, Erik Molarin, who has a very deep, passionate voice which is very suitable for this type of emotional metal that Beseech indulge in. It also works very well in contrast with the female voice courtesy of Lotta Hoglin. The music is atmospheric and melancholic but still powerful, and I am glad to say that it is never boring. There aren't many metal bands who use both clean male and female vocals and manage to keep their music interesting. Beseech is definitely one of the most promising bands within their genre at the moment, and if you found the last couple of releases from Tiamat and Moonspell as boring as I did, then this is an album worthy of your attention. Also be sure to get hold of the bonus track, which is a wonderful cover version of the ABBA classic "Gimme Gimme Gimme". Contact: http://www.beseech.net Beto Vazquez Infinity - _Beto Vazquez Infinity_ by: David Rocher (2 out of 10) (Drakkar / XIII Bis, February 2002) Be warned: this recording is no less than the finest possible avatar of a corporate musical pull-in. I haven't a clue as to whom Beto Vazquez may be, or whence he so suddenly arose from, but it seems that the mainstream musical heavens quite miraculously opened up to grace his very own project "Infinity" with some of the most famed musicians and singers available in the genre: Tarja Turunen of Nightwish, Candice Night of Blackmore's Night, Jorg Michaels of Stratovarius, Fabio Leone of Rhapsody... and others yet. It's nothing personal, but set aside the enrapturing vocal performances of Tarja Turunen or Sabine Edelsbacher (lead vocalist in Edenbridge), you're left with a very soothing, tragically boring, mid- to slow-paced fifty-minute concept album similar to massively watered-down Nightwish (not, of course, that Nightwish are outrageously muscular), parsimoniously interspersed with the odd Celtic-sounding flute or tin whistle doodle for good measure; cute, very relaxing -- you can't after all expect new age music atmospherics meshed with AOR-style aggressiveness to be massively invigorating -- and, first and foremost, sedative beyond belief. Yawn. Bewitched - _Rise of the Antichrist_ (Osmose Productions, 2001) by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10) Unlike most other bands which deliver Satanic-themed missives, Bewitched make strong use of retro-sounding thrash rhythms (in conjunction with similarly dated solo structures). This, in addition to their over-the-top blasphemous lyrics, makes for a surprisingly interesting -- not to mention entertaining -- listen. So why does such a backward-looking album work in the 21st century? There are a good number of reasons. Firstly, the solos are not extraneous bits of musical showmanship that do not add anything whatsoever to the song itself. Solos which really do engage the listener and work with the song are infrequent, and Bewitched deserve recognition for this element of their music. Secondly, the solos tend to work with the song rather than against it, as so many solos are wont to do. Thirdly, they do write some damn good songs -- the likes of "Under Satan's Spell" and "The Ripper's Return" are intense, powerful songs. But despite Bewitched's strong and unmistakable use of thrash elements, it somehow seems wrong and inaccurate to describe this as a thrash release -- rather, it is a thrash-inspired release. Whilst I haven't had the pleasure of hearing any of Bewitched's previous albums, Bewitched don't give the impression of being innovators, and I have no reason to believe that there are any significant changes on _RotA_. Their blatant over-the-top Satan worship does get somewhat trying after a few songs, but as a whole this is an engaging, undemanding album, which is likely to spend a not insignificant period of time on any metalhead's CD player. [Paul Schwarz: "It took some resolve -- not to mention mantra like repetition of the creed, "You won't know if you'll like it 'til you listen to it" -- for me to get through the thirty-odd minutes of _Rise of the Antichrist_. Bewitched have never impressed me; only over their atrocious live album, _Hell Comes to Essen_ [CoC #37], would I choose to listen to _RotA_."] Black Mass - _To Fly With Demons_ (Grindnoiz Records, 2001) by: Quentin Kalis (6 out of 10) I'm not sure whether Black Mass wish to be regarded as a black or death metal band. The music contained on the album sounds like mid-paced, brutal death metal; on the other hand, the accompanying band photo shows the trio adorned in corpse paint, wearing inverted crosses, black clothes and spiked armbands -- the usual black metal trappings and attire. Similarly, song titles such as "Invocatium Satanas" and "To Fly With Demons" suggest a preoccupation with the same lyrical and ideological topics as their grim-faced Norwegian peers. So I guess that although musically this is, without a doubt, death metal, it is black metal in attitude. As a black metal album, the growls and mid-paced tempo of the songs provide an interesting break and a much-needed respite from the relentless speed and banshee screams that characterise much of black metal. As a death metal album, it sounds awfully generic, with nothing to distinguish _TFWD_ from the hundreds of similar sounding death metal albums from the early '90s. Nevertheless, there are a couple of decent songs -- especially "Altar of Ill Repute" and "Continual Darkness". Unfortunately, the inclusion of two above average songs coupled with the novelty of black metal masquerading as death metal is insufficient to rescue this release from the domain of the mediocre. Admittedly for those who listen exclusively to black metal this might sound fresh, but those with a broader musical appetite will recognise it for unremarkable album it really is. [Alvin Wee: "Old-timers of the scene remember this cult combo from their countless number of demos, and comparisons will no doubt be made with Nunslaughter both music- and status-wise. Hints of classic Morbid Angel and Incantation invariably pop up amidst the guttural chaos, but I expected a little more considering the cult status this combo has gained. Ordinary blackened death that troops like Avenger and Arghoslent do way better."] Contact: Black Mass, c/o G&N Entertainment, 544 Logan Street, Frederick, MD 21701, USA Blood Duster - _Cunt_ (Relapse Records, 2001) by: Quentin Kalis (5 out of 10) Whilst Blood Duster are essentially a grindcore band, this description is largely inaccurate due to the groove underlying all the songs. A better description would perhaps be "stoner death" -- if possible, imagine Kyuss playing death metal, and that will provide a good idea as to what this album sounds like. Highly irritating are the sexually orientated samples that act as intros for many of the songs. Inclusion of these samples may be shocking to, say, Catholics, but Blood Duster's target audience are unlikely to find the samples shocking or cutting edge; merely tired. They are not shocking nor disgusting; rather they suggest that a couple of sexually frustrated, hormone- laden fifteen year olds had a hand in the construction of this album. Meanwhile, song titles such as "Atracksuitisnotappropraitemetalaparel" and "Speven" suggest that AC rather then Carcass served as an influence for Blood Duster. Songs such as the aforementioned are initially amusing, but the novelty quickly wears off and one is left with what is at best a rather mediocre album. This would be a good album to put on to have a good laugh with a couple of metalhead friends, but beyond a few cursory listens this is unlikely to get played after the first week or so. [Paul Schwarz: "Bass-ridden, crusty, punchy grunt-grind, unsoiled by skilled hands or forward-thinking brains. Short, simple and lacking even a grasp for real emotion, _Cunt_ left me entirely cold. If there's a point to basic-form grind/death with no outstanding qualities, could someone explain it to me, please?"] Bludgeon - _Crucify the Priest_ by: David Rocher (6 out of 10) (Magic Circle/Metal Blade, March 2002) Chicago's thrashers Bludgeon have been granted the remarkable honour of releasing their debut album on Joey DeMaio's own label, Magic Circle Music -- promising auspices to their career indeed. With this said, however, despite the fact that _Crucify the Priest_ is an enjoyable recording, Bludgeon have yet quite a way to fare before becoming anything comparable to the Manowars of thrash metal -- although an amusingly healthy "we are heroic thrash metal warriors" stance already pervades this first recording. Technically speaking, Bludgeon have more than their fair share of abilities, and _Crucify the Priest_ teems with awe-inspiring rhythmic power, frantic drumming antics and powerful, catchy low-case riffing; only the vocals stand out as a notably lacklustre performance, owing to rhythm axeman and vocalist Mark Duca's choppy, uneventful and unemotional elocution. However, with these qualities spoken about it, _Crucify the Priest_ sadly fails to hit home; as undefinable and irritatingly ethereal as it may sound, there is something that Bludgeon lack -- they run for the raucous power of death metal, yet fail to fully recapture the lethal intensity inherent to that style; they strive to display the mean bite of cult Bay Area thrash outfits of yore, but fail to produce the razor-sharp aggressiveness and rabid meanness thrash is all about; and finally, industrious and dedicated as they may be, Chicago's four-piece simply seem miss the brilliance that tells a decent recording apart from a great release. This is however only their first release, so hopefully, their second recording may release the savagery that feels so withheld on _Crucify the Priest_, and thus turn out to be the blasting chunk of hate I would have liked to discover in the guise of this first attempt. Blut Aus Nord - _The Mystical Beast of Rebellion_ by: David Rocher (4 out of 10) (Oaken Shield / Adipocere, Nov. 2001) It has now been nearly a decade since the mysterious and prolific character Vindsval (Blut Aus Nord, Children of Maani, The Eye) began lurking in the French extreme metal underground scene with his haunting works. Set aside Children of Maani, which disclosed his interest for oriental-sounding tonalities, both his other projects, The Eye and Blut Aus Nord, have always been a scarcely concealed tribute to Grishnack's songwriting and the "truest" slants of the black metal genre's ideals. After a lengthy pause, Vindsval is now back with a third Blut Aus Nord album which, to gather it in a nutshell, should satisfy his existing fans, yet will also predictably fail to earn him any new ones. The chilling, spectral tonalities of Blut Aus Nord's previous releases, _Ultima Thule_ and _Memoria Vetusta I_, still pervade this act of self-acclaimed "Undaground Musical Terrorism", with what feels like more emphasis on the characteristic icy feel, less bombastic keyboard effects and more streamlined, stripped-down song structures -- bleakness indeed. Alas, despite the chilling atmosphere that this third release irradiates, the traditional linearity inherent to Vindsval's works soon becomes as wearing as the constant 4/4 drum machine battering this album never seems to part ways with; hence, although some tracks stand out as fine examples indeed of haunting black metal anthems (as the track "Chapter 4: The Fall"), most of the material on this album soon fades into a blurred shroud of uneventful musical nothingness. Vindsval's devoted following and raw black metal aficionados thriving on repetition-induced atmosphere can safely turn to this release, but metalheads who enjoy any form of dynamics in their albums would be well advised not to heed any particular attention to this release. Boiler - _Cow Tipping in C Sharp_ (, 2002) by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10) Ithaca, New York's trio Boiler are good at what they do, I'll admit that, but the music they play is a tad annoying. I've never had problems with bands who play "groove metal" (think Prong with shades of Pro-Pain and Machine Head), but it's just that the music of this trio sounds a tad forced, especially the vocals. The band's _Cow Tipping in C Sharp_ is a rollercoaster ride of aggression and grooves, but rarely did this listener feel compelled to mosh or be moved by the groove; rather I was cringing at the next round of aggressive grooves ready to be played. I've seen some good press about this band and I can understand what people like about them -- they are tight and have a groove -- but I can't get into them. I think there comes a time in any reviewer's life where they just feel very numb about a band and nothing the band does will intrigue them. I think I have reached that point with Boiler, though I must admit I like the track "The Beautiful Terrible". Contact: http://www.boilerny.com Branded Skin - _Branded Skin_ (, 2002) by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) German band Branded Skin certainly deserve to be commended for not sitting around on their asses waiting for some or other record deal to maybe materialise sometime in the unforeseeable future and for taking the initiative to record and release their debut album by themselves. _Branded Skin_ consists of eight tracks of mid-paced death metal. At just over 22 minutes, they have adopted an old-school punk approach to songwriting, with the average song length being just under three minutes. (It should be mentioned that despite being marketed as full-length, it is priced as though it were an MCD.) Similarly, like many bands of punk's second wave, they too eschew leads in favour of down-tuned riffing. But this is where any similarities to the punk of yesteryear end. While their use of the guttural vocals and measured bass-heavy guitar on this album is to be expected, and the album itself doesn't really offer anything that could be considered original, it is nevertheless better than many similar titles on the market and it does make for an enjoyable, unpretentious listen. A promising debut. Contact: http://www.brandedskin.de Cain - _Antichrist Declaration_ (, 2002) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) Quite an adventurous and loud burst of energy found within solo artist Cain's three-song offering _Antichrist Declaration_. Declaring his work as "industrial black art", Cain ravages the listener with intense, cold industrial rhythms meshed together with some brutally frightening black metal angst. The result is a hyper kinetic groove full of banshee-like wails and clanking metal aggression. While short in its attack, the music of Cain makes up with the creative flow of the material, especially on the title track. Nothing much more to say except that this is an interesting release that'll find its audience through continuous experimentation. Cannibal Corpse - _Gore Obsessed_ (Metal Blade, 2002) by: Matthias Noll (6.5 out of 10) Did you ever try to wrestle with a living eel? You'll most likely find out that the slimy creature manages to escape your grasp with ease. I get a similar feeling from Cannibal Corpse's newest output, _Gore Obsessed_. Even after listening to this CD approximately fifteen times, I still seem to be unable to remember anything but the somewhat catchy track "Pit of Zombies" and the Metallica cover "No Remorse" -- the latter unfortunately only for the fact that it's a Metallica cover. While others might have similar feelings about all CC output since _The Bleeding_, I was rather impressed with _Bloodthirst_ [CoC #44] and also enjoyed _Live Cannibalism_ [CoC #52], and might therefore be more disappointed than the ones who have written off Cannibal Corpse years ago. I'm not saying that _Gore Obsessed_ is a bad album -- it's full of 100% typical Cannibal Corpse material, but it fails to leave almost any impression at all due to a lack of more than a few outstanding moments. Production-wise, Jim Kernon's work is leagues above every album they did at Morrissound but is still comes second to the brilliantly heavy job done by Colin Richardson on _Bloodthirst_. For fans of Corpsegrinder-era Cannibal Corpse, _Gore Obsessed_ is definitely a must, but in the death metal world of 2002 I do not see why anyone else would feel the need to buy this record. [David Rocher: "Awe-inspiring new sound -- courtesy of the genial soundsmith Neil Kernon --, yet bluntly, same gut-gargling stuff; Cannibal Corpse are by now about as predictable a phenomenon in their ultra-brutal pus-sodden microcosm as Iron Maiden are emblematic to the whimsical universe of tight-fitting spandex paraphernalia. With this said, _Gore Obsessed_ remains a thoroughly enjoyable chuck of growling, blasting and surgically mean musical manslaughter assaults, an adrenaline-laced discharge of bellowing, seething death metal hate, with outstanding technicality to boot. Dispensable beyond all doubt, yet strangely compelling and unquestionably vehement; as you will have grasped by now, _Gore Obsessed_ is Cannibal Corpse displaying great proficiency at being their own bad, rotting selves -- all the way down to the risible uncensored cover art."] Catamenia - _Eskhata_ (Massacre Records, 2002) by: Vincent Eldefors (7 out of 10) If I were to say that I am a black metal purist, I would definitely be lying; but I am a very open-minded metal fan and enjoy everything from progressive and power metal to black metal and grindcore. Therefore, I will attempt to review this fourth full-length album from the Finnish band Catamenia. Unlike their neighbouring countries Norway and Sweden, Finland hasn't really had a tradition of producing famous black metal bands, but for the last five or ten years the Finnish metal scene has been the arena of some explosive development. Bands like Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Sentenced, Amorphis, Nightwish, Children of Bodom and others have had great success all over the world. Most of these are hardly black metal bands, but Catamenia are for sure. Catamenia have been brave enough not to use the Spinefarm trademark -- a massive use of keyboards -- even though Kalmah drummer Janne Kusmin actually handles the sticks on this release. This is due to the fact that the band have lost their former drummer Mika Luttinen (Impaled Nazarene), while their female keyboard player Heidi Riihinen has also decided to leave her dark brothers. Catamenia's brand of black metal is majestic and melodic, sometimes almost a little pompous. I am one of those who often criticize bands saying that speed is not everything, but in this case I would like to do the opposite. There are plenty of slow atmospheric passages on this album, but they are unfortunately rather boring. The faster tracks, on the other hand, are very well performed. Catamenia may not be the most original band on the planet, but they are still high quality performers of the black arts. Top picks: "Storm", Rain of Blood" and "Landscape". Contact: http://www.catamenia.net Construcdead - _Repent_ (Cold Records, 2002) by: Vincent Eldefors (7.5 out of 10) Most fans of extreme metal know bands like Darkane, Soilwork, The Forsaken, The Defaced, The Haunted and others who have been popping out of the Swedish scene for the past five or so years, mixing the speed of thrash metal with the technicality and brutality of death metal. These bands are often recognizable by strong growled vocals that sound clean in a very weird way and musicianship of a very high level. One of the newest bands to be added to this list is Construcdead, who hail from the Swedish capital, Stockholm. These guys are not new to the metal scene, though, and here we can find Erik Thyselius from Terror 2000 -- a band that also features Darkane's Klas Ideberg. If I were to say that Construcdead is a groundbreaking band I would not be telling you the truth, but if you like some of the bands I mentioned in the beginning of this review, then you will certainly want to check out this release as well. The album is being released on a newly formed independent Swedish label called Cold Records, but the production is of a very high quality and this album could easily have been released by a label like Nuclear Blast or Massacre Records. The Swedish metal scene is growing day by day, and this is certainly not the last we will see or hear from Construcdead. It is not a coincidence that Soilwork chose to take them along on their Japanese tour. Just listen to the track "I've Come to Rule" and you will understand why this band will be part of the Swedish elite for a long time to come. Except for the foolish name, this is a great band. Contact: http://www.construcdead.com Corpus Mortale - _Succumb to the Superior_ (, June 2000) by: David Rocher (7.5 out of 10) Hailing from the same Danish town as extreme metal purveyors Mighty Music, the death metallers Corpus Mortale have been roaming the underground since the spring of 1993, their self-released _Succumb to the Superior_ being the sequel to their 1996 MCD _Integration_. Lurking somewhere between the blasting technical standards of American death metal and the heavier, more raucous tones of Scandinavian metal, _SttS_ features four tracks of powerful, catchy and competently interpreted death metal -- though be warned that nothing particularly unconventional appears in sight on this release; nowt in fact but streamlined efficiency and raging power galore, graced with a clear, crisp production. Probably more than a mere coincidence, Corpus Mortale's material does bear hues of Iniquity's catchy release _The Hidden Lore_, in the guise of the twisted riffing, powerful blasts and unrelenting intensity (hardly a surprise, since Corpus Mortale in fact features ex-Iniquity axeman Brian Eriksen on guitar and vocal duties); from grinding assaults to displays of utterly crushing heaviness, Corpus Mortale prove to be well and truly at ease with every vicious musical streak the death metal genre. If the cantankerous reviewer in me ultimately were to begrudge Corpus Mortale for anything, I would say that their material still requires to develop further power and personality for them to stand out amidst the hopelessly overcrowded death metal scene. _Succumb to the Superior_ nonetheless remains an undisputably commendable effort, available for a measly 5 USD (plus 2 USD for P&P) at the address below -- a worthy opportunity to do something for the real death metal underground out there. Contact: Corpus Mortale, c/o Nicholas Mascholn, Vesterbrogade 29F 3 tv., 1620 Kobenhavn V, Denmark mailto:corpus@worldonline.dk Dagorlad - _The End of the Dark Ages_ (The LSP Company, March 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) _The End of the Dark Ages_ is labelled in the promo sheet as "epic fantasy black metal", which together with the album title made me hope for Summoning and fear I might end up getting Bal-Sagoth instead. In the end I got neither, as Dagorlad manage to elude excessive proximity to any given band's sound. They do combine some influences from acts such as the ones mentioned above (more Summoning than Bal-Sagoth, fortunately), as well as medieval and horror-film touches, and a sound which, to a certain degree, reminds me of Oxiplegatz's cosmic oddity _Sidereal Journey_ (how's that for an obscure reference?). This last observation can be partially explained by the artificial drumming common to both records, but also extends to other occasional similarities. Ultimately, Dagorlad have created a very decent, reasonably varied and not excessively conventional album, and show sufficient talent to create some atmosphere and keep the listener interested most of the time -- although there are some exceptions to that rule, as things sometimes do get a bit repetitive. Nothing groundbreaking here, but still a disc with enough quality and individuality to deserve a chance. Contact: http://www.lsp-company.com Decapitated - _Nihility_ (Earache, February 2002) by: Paul Schwarz (7.5 out of 10) Toppling bands from the pedestals you feel they have been wrongly placed on by others, is often a satisfying thing to do. In cases where these "others" are a mainstream magazine who seem to elect, rather than carefully -select-, a band from the underground to be their new 'hot tip' every now and again, there's even a feeling of 'setting the record straight'. But you have to abstract yourself; you can't blame a band for the over-hype that others give them; venting personal frustrations or pursuing personal vendettas at the expense of actually trying to engage with and critically appraise the music which is, at its heart, the subject of their review, is the most shameful of traps for a journalist, a -critic-, to fall into -- though it is also one of the most common. In Decapitated's case more than most, it would also be a shameful injustice, for this is a band who -do not- get above themselves, despite the fact that they are openly offered the chance to. Decapitated are a humble bunch -- that's why, at first, it feels mean and unnecessary to topple them from their current press perch, in the UK at least, as the new future, the new rebirth, of death metal. But then, honesty -is- the best policy, and death metal -- at its true core, that core that has lived on, handed down through a fluctuating handful of bands over the years -- is all about honesty. So I'll be honest. Decapitated's second album is good -- it's -way- above average -- but it just isn't by any means -great-. It's not technical ability that is lacking; Decapitated, though young, are among the most technically proficient musicians to ever play death metal. What is really lacking though, is songwriting ability and -edge-. The riffs on _Nihility_ certainly can be tricky -- often helping unbalance already-mutated percussion-work, and not rarely spiraling into unexpectedly complex and intricate shapes -- but they're just not all that excellent: they just don't quite hit the spot. All the instrumental work is technically impeccable, often impressive and occasionally attention-grabbing, but the result is not truly -addictive-. Decapitated just don't fuse into a single, inexorable entity like a brutal, aggressive death metal like themselves should. The musical elements present are crudely brought together, and there is a serious overall feeling of separation -- not aided (though also not originated in) a powerful-but-dry production. At present, only -one- individual element is in need of serious improvement: Sauron's vocals. They may be brutal -- and impressive, if not harmonised -- but they are almost completely without character -- and character is something Decapitated definitely need more of in their music. The snapshot this album offers may be disappointing for those who hoped that Decapitated would leap and bound out of the starting gate and flatten the death metal scene in one fail swoop -- but this isn't to suggest that many outside that same scene's uppers echelons today can make albums as good as _Nihility_. That alone is a mighty accolade for a -young- band comprised by a -young- group of musicians to earn. Decapitated have plenty of time to grow -- they're not gonna be 'past it' for a long time yet -- but I think concentrating on writing cohesive, encapsulating death metal songs, while worrying less about utilising technical ability, would do them the world of good -- and make them into so much more than, as yet, they are. December Wolves - _Blasterpiece Theatre_ (Wicked World, May 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10) Having been one of the half dozen people who seemed to notice and enjoy the band's previous record _Completely Dehumanized_ -- a harsh, gritty blast of urban black metal --, and after a four year long period of silence from the band, I was quite interested in hearing what they were up to these days with _Blasterpiece Theatre_. Alas, it seems that too much time has elapsed between albums, as December Wolves sound like a band who's grown tired of their own sound and felt the need to twist and distort it almost beyond recognition. Knowing _Completely Dehumanized_ and now listening to _Blasterpiece Theatre_, it sounds to me as if I missed an album in between these two -- only there wasn't one. The December Wolves of _Blasterpiece Theatre_ are a far more technological, deranged, psychotic beast than the cold and misanthropic band one could hear on _Completely Dehumanized_. _Blasterpiece Theatre_ overflows with samples, sound effects, artificially distorted vocals and instruments, and the entire concoction is only reminiscent of the previous album in some respects. The subtle melodic leanings buried amidst the harshness of _Completely Dehumanized_ is one of the most significant victims of the band's new sound. The music on _Blastperiece Theatre_ does indeed have a lot more to do with what might be brought to one's mind by the album title rather than the band's name. The samples thrown in between the tracks generally succeed in setting a suitable atmosphere for the music, but those that consistently mingle with the guitars are hardly ever anything but annoying. This is especially true when one considers the noisy, abrasive production -- one that is not quite as misanthropic as Ulver's on their _Nattens Madrigal_ [CoC #21], but then _Blasterpiece Theatre_ fails to benefit from it in terms of atmosphere the way _Nattens Madrigal_ does. What December Wolves have tried to do most of the time is unfortunately so hyperbolic and chaotic that the better passages are diluted in the fury of sounds and constant changes that whirlwind their way through the entire album. This is an eminently headache-inducing record that contains plenty of interesting ideas and could have been a lot more enjoyable if the band had managed to articulate them better. Dimension - _Universal_ (, 2002) by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10) I found it kind of cool to receive a progressive metal release from Mexico, as we at Chronicles of Chaos usually receive mostly death metal and black metal bands from that part of the world. No doubt highly influenced and inspired by solid progressive metal acts like Dream Theater and Fates Warning, this Mexican quintet play their hearts out on this album, but at times it sounds like they are trying too hard. Some of the problems I found myself a little irritated with on the album included the vocals and their delivery. They sound a tad forced to go along with the rapid, quick-change flow of the music. Also, the keyboards sound too loud in the mix. While there isn't a lot of it here, when the keyboards do come into the picture, they take center stage, when they should be part of the musical collage. Dimension is a band that plays their music superbly (check out majestic nine-minute opener "Strategy", "Vanity Calls" and "Universal Mind"), but need a little bit more tweaking before they can be put on the same pedestal with the bands they obviously admire. Contact: http://www.dimensionshome.com Dimension Zero - _Silent Night Fever_ (Regain Records, February 2002) by: David Rocher (10 out of 10) It has taken this glorious blasting bunch over four years since the inception of the four-track MCD, _Penetrations From the Lost World_, to release their first full-length, cryptically titled _Silent Night Fever_ -- and trust me, o rabid followers of the Swedish death metal genre, it has been a worthwhile wait indeed. This all-star thrashing Swedish act -- fronted by ex- and current In Flames axemen Glenn Ljungstrom and Jesper Stromblad, a line-up rounded off by Marduk's former screamer Jocke Gothberg and Diabolique's skinsman Hans Nilsson -- have spawned an album which shall not only stand out as one of the finer efforts released this year, but is also doomed to become a monolithic milestone in the Gothenburg death metal landscapes. There is, so to say, nothing even slightly new on _Silent Night Fever_; but simply, from the searing first bars of the eponymous opener to the brooding finale "Slow Silence", Dimension Zero display a sense of powerful melody and cohesiveness in the musical field which ninety percent of the bands in the "Gothenthrash" genre can only hope to attain in their wildest dreams. Graced with genuine thrashing aggressiveness and unbelievable melodic potency to boot, _Silent Night Fever_ is an unrelenting nine-track sonic assault which never loses its focus on sheer grinding brutality (courtesy of Dimension Zero's foaming-at-the-mouth drummer Hans Nilsson, who mistreated skins for the brutal deathsters Liers in Wait in his early years), yet wisely releases its crushing pressure every now and then, such as the beautiful acoustic segue on "Not Even Dead" testifies to. The frantic level of musical intensity pervading this testimonial gem never recedes, except to announce another forthcoming metal onslaught of a track; hence, just as the comparatively slower "Not Even Dead" closes off, the incredible searing number "They Are Waiting to Take Us" kicks in hard, precisely, and mercilessly. There is honestly nothing that I can hope to criticise on this album, no matter how hard I attempt to point out its flaws; even though the reworked version of Dimension Zero's 1997 vintage track "Through the Virgin Sky", having traded some lethal velocity (and alas, Fredrik Johanson's wicked lead) in for some chunky heaviness, does require a little time to get used to, it soon also shines with virtues and wonders of its own. _Silent Night Fever_ is one of those comparatively rarer albums which will leave both addicts of the Swedish melodic genre enthralled and gasping for air, but will also certainly appeal to followers of more brutal, direct and angered death metal -- a flawless release, which boldly lives up to the high expectations _Penetrations From the Lost World_ failed not to induce. Disbelief - _Shine_ (Massacre, 2002) by: Matthias Noll (7 out of 10) After reading a report about the work on _Shine_ which left me under the impression that the band was rushed into the studio to have the album ready before the 2002 No Mercy festivals, my alarm bells started ringing. I was not really surprised to find _Shine_ inferior to its brilliant predecessor _Worst Enemy_ [CoC #54]. It's pointless to speculate whether the results would have been better had the band had more time to prepare and record their new tracks. The fact is that both the song material and the production are far less crushing and intense than _Worst Enemy_. Besides the overall less dynamic nature of the songs, this may partially be the fault of a lacklustre drum performance on most tracks. Drummer Kai would be well advised to seek some inspiration on Katatonia's _Last Fair Deal Gone Down_ [CoC #52] for drumming to mid-tempo material in an interesting fashion. Stylistically the band has remained easily recognizable and unique with their Voivod meets Neurosis meets Bolt Thrower approach. It's just the engine, i.e. the Bolt Thrower part of this mixture, which seems to be a bit powerless this time around. Instead of the crushing heaviness which dominated large parts of _Worst Enemy_, _Shine_ sees the inclusion of some lacklustre clean vocal passages and a few tracks which, as far as the instruments are concerned, sound like present day Katatonia. Overall, this record still is far from being a happy affair and even if the approach is slower and less brutal, _Shine_ oozes brooding despair. Singer Jagger deserves a special mention again for his insane vocals, which sound like the death metal equivalent of Count Grishnack's tortured screaming on _Hvis Lysett Tar Oss_. It's a shame that despite all the originality and talent available this is clearly inferior to _Worst Enemy_ and therefore only worth 7 out of 10 for me. Enid - _Seelenspiegel_ (Code666, February 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (6.5 out of 10) One cannot deny the obvious technical merits Enid possess; yet at times _Seelenspiegel_ still manages to be one of the most cringe-inducing records I have heard in quite a while. Enid boasts liberally about the quality of the drumming both in the promo sheet and the nicely presented digipak itself; and indeed the drumming is quite noteworthy throughout. The band mixes plenty of medieval touches with its power metal and some blackened vox. The raspy vocals are mediocre but tolerable; the cringing is caused essentially by the happier-sounding passages and the clean vocals: not that the vocals are -bad- or technically poor -- quite the contrary -- but they certainly take a -lot- of getting used to. Fair enough, they enhance Enid's uniqueness, but such vocals are difficult to enjoy without having a very particular taste for the style. Having said that, if a more medieval style of vocals with what seems to be a touch of classical training sounds good to you, and if you crave for good medieval / fantasy power metal, then _Seelenspiegel_ comes recommended, as Enid are competent songwriters and a technically proficient band. But if any of this sounds even vaguely foreign to your taste, however, then heed my warning: Enid are good, but they definitely will not be to everyone's liking and are very likely to cause an unusually wide spectrum of reactions depending on the listener's taste. Contact: http://www.code666.net Gomorrah - _Night of the Blackened Pentagram_ by: Quentin Kalis (5 out of 10) (Unsung Heroes, November 2001) Gomorrah perform mid-paced black metal, though it must be said that they perform black metal slower then any other black metal band that would be described as mid-paced. So the music contained within is something a bit different. But what gives this album an edge of originality is also its downfall. Gomorrah perform four songs in some 37 minutes -- sufficient to put many doom bands to shame! But Gomorrah simply don't possess or don't exhibit the technical skill to justify their long songs. Neither do they display a sense of the epic, nor do the songs contain sufficient variety to make their overlong songs sound interesting. They could easily cut down the length by more than half without losing any integral parts of the songs. If they did that, this release would probably be more entertaining and would have achieved a higher rating. Unedited as it is, I cannot give this anything more than a 4. The droning guitar doesn't exactly aid enjoyment of this album and actually brings on boredom sooner. Although this has been released as a proper album, it is still essentially a demo (complete with tape clicks between songs), and potential buyers should bear this in mind. Even if it were to be reviewed as a demo, the rating is unlikely to be higher than 2 out of 5. Contact: UHR, Mark Vignati, 260 Overlook Dr, Covington, GA 30016, USA mailto:uhr@mindspring.com Gortician - _Metal Up Your Cunt: Live in Gorechrist's Living Room_ by: Quentin Kalis (4 out of 10) (Unsung Heroes Records, June 2001) The title is perfectly accurate: this was recorded in someone's living room. As implied by the title, the production isn't all that great, but the level of production isn't a major concern. The album consists of some originals, a couple of covers of metal classics (Slayer, Black Sabbath, Venom) and several medleys. As can be expected, the songs are loosely played. But this is nothing more than a minor irritation -- my major gripe is the unnecessary interruptions such as a ringing telephone, the band talking to each other for excessive periods of time, and general messing about. This is little more than a band rehearsal -- why was it judged necessary to release it? Some of the songs might be worthwhile on a proper studio album, but not as they appear here. Medleys work bets in a live situation before an audience, and not anywhere else. Considering the above, it is hard to see this release as anything more than a bad rehearsal put to CD. I have no doubt that the band are enjoying themselves and the entire album is imbued with a sense of impetuousness (such as the cover of "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath" morphing into "Children of the Grave") and whilst such an attitude can be infectious, this alone is insufficient to produce a good album. Strictly for die-hard fans. Contact: UHR, Mark Vignati, 260 Overlook Dr, Covington, GA 30016, USA mailto:uhr@mindspring.com Houwitser - _Rage Inside the Womb_ (Osmose Productions, 2002) by: Quentin Kalis (5 out of 10) Houwitser contain no less than one ex and two current members of Sinister. Considering that 60% of its members have played in Sinister at one time or another, it comes as no surprise to hear that Houwitser perform aggressive death metal with an old school touch. What may come as more of a surprise is that despite Houwitser's pedigree this is easily one of the more boring death metal releases that I have had to endure recently. The musicianship is more than adequate, the music sufficiently violent, no major problems with production -- but the songwriting is sadly lacking and Houwitser are simply unable to produce the goods. It takes more then sheer brutality and heaviness to ensure a decent song; all the songs are similar and hard to distinguish from each other. They may worry about comparisons with Sinister, but escaping Sinister's shadow is not Houwitser's biggest problem -- what should concern them is their absolute lack of individual identity, which makes it virtually impossible to distinguish Houwitser from the multitude of bands peddling second-rate death metal. Simply beginning each song with some gruesome sounding sample is insufficient for this task. I cannot, in all honesty, give this album anything more than 5 out of 10 -- an average mark for an average album. Hypokras - _Dead & Hungry_ (Warpath Records, 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) Packed in less than half an hour of music, this Hypokras release is quite a rush of hyperblast death metal. Hypokras win their battle thanks to their very dynamic and powerful rhythmic backbone -- percussive guitar riffs and talented drummer included. This combination is then joined by a vocalist who manages to sound powerful while avoiding excessive monotony in his delivery -- Lord Worm he certainly is not, but his vocals are slightly more varied than average for a death metal vocalist. Aided by the strong production, the music is relentlessly aggressive and enjoyable throughout in a very "metal" kind of way, akin perhaps to The Crown, though not quite as brilliant and certainly different style-wise. The band is technically proficient, although the music itself is not technically-minded, and do not limit themselves too much to one particular kind of delivery. Don't get me wrong, this -is- mostly hyperblast death metal, but slower passages and varied types of blasting are employed to keep the music interesting. Whilst it is unlikely that you will find anything on _Dead & Hungry_ that will actually surprise you, I find it more than likely that any death metal fan will thoroughly enjoy this action-packed album from these French aggressors. Contact: http://www.warpathrecords.com Immortal - _Sons of Northern Darkness_ by: Paul Schwarz (10 out of 10) (Nuclear Blast, February 2002) The number of times I've spun _SoND_ since receiving it three months ago must quickly be approaching a hundred: that should give you some idea (if the points rating above hadn't already) of just how thoroughly excellent Immortal's seventh full-length album is. _SoND_ is a grower; it will provoke a whole range of feelings in listeners new or old before either fully appreciates what a titanic prospect Immortal have become -- but if you peel off the frozen layers of their snow-covered sound, you'll find that inside Immortal's collective chest, a heart of steel proudly beats away. Combining an incredible talent for effectively harnessing dynamics with a superb grasp of how to utilise melody subtly but to great effect, Immortal deliver blow after deadly blow of bludgeoningly brilliant music with the kind of maximal combination of precision and passion that is rarely seen -- and, when encountered, rightly savoured. Immortal have become the embodiment of the fury and the fire of black metal channeled through a songwriting approach which harks back to more than the rough and ready beginnings of the style's core influences -- bands like Bathory and Celtic Frost, who always wrote -songs- in some sense, but whose more unusual divergences black metal has not always caught on to. This is not to suggest that Immortal have become or are becoming avant-garde, for they are certainly not. Someone, probably Abbath -- he is deemed primary songwriter now -- has evidently absorbed a fair amount of mid-'70s prog over the years -- the top-class instrumental beginning of "Antarctica" (where crucial sections are underlined by rich acoustic guitar and keyboard harmonies) is even reminiscent of the "Overture" section of Rush's mammoth "2112". But even here, Immortal haven't gone the whole hog. They're not screwing seriously with timings or even experimenting rampantly. If _SoND_ reveals anything definitive about Immortal, it's that at the heart of their winter is a lump of -solid-, -heavy-, -metal- -- and one so cold that anything touching it will have to struggle to tear itself away. Most of Immortal's development of their signature sound -- for in my opinion, Immortal -are- individuated enough to be said to have "their own sound" -- has been inspired from within metal itself. Inspiration has been taken from a broader base than the one which originally inspired Norwegian black metal. Of course, Immortal aren't the first band -- from the genre or the country -- to have successfully broadened their horizons, but for my money they have become the first black metal band to have comprehensively transformed the essence of the '90s, Norwegian-born sound into a truly, -traditionally- classic form: _SoND_ is a true classic of a metal album. With aggression spawned in the '80s and amped by the '90s, Immortal have made one of -those- records: an album so metal and so good, that considerations of context, progression, originality and style fade away, and only pure, exultant enjoyment is left. [Alvin Wee: "If _AtHoW_ showcased Immortal's sweeping new sound, _Sons of Northern Darkness_ is the near-perfect culmination of the band's grandiose vision. Mighty and monumental in scope, the atmosphere and power on this album is unparalleled in recent times. Certainly a major contender for album of the year."] [Pedro Azevedo: "_Sons of Northern Darkness_ could well be the album that marks Immortal's coming of age. Not that I regard their past efforts as puerile, but on _SoND_ the band is able to show all the confidence required to pace themselves instead of rushing into things, therefore delivering their music with a remarkable mix of might and maturity. Their particular style of epic black metal comes across as both refined and frostily evocative on _SoND_, moreso than ever before. This turns this album into the culmination of Immortal's career so far and one that everyone who enjoys extreme metal should at least give a chance. Now I can almost forgive them for their silly band photos..."] Impedigon - _As Desires Fade..._ (The LSP Company, March 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (6.5 out of 10) So, "Kreators of melodic aggression", eh? A bit cheeky, are we? Well, as far as I can hear, these Belgians actually harvest most of their influences from the Swedish melodic death metal scene, more specifically the Gothenburg style. That's a style I'm undeniably fond of, and Impedigon are clearly competent at what they do. (And they got Dark Tranquillity's Niklas Sundin to create their cover art: nice touch.) However, the one thing that hampers the album besides its obvious lack of originality is the mediocre production. And have I already mentioned the lack of originality? Impedigon aren't any better or worse than a number of Swedish bands, and with so little help from the production department it won't be easy to convince listeners of their worth. Nonetheless, they are indeed a competent bunch at playing melodic death the Swedish way: nice leads and riffs, the expectable vocals, and some easily enjoyable music as a result. The album tends to get a bit better towards the end, but much like their compatriots and labelmates Axamenta [reviewed above], what Impedigon have created is a decent release that will appeal only to dedicated fans of the genre. Nevertheless, better production and more individuality could well mean a rather interesting record from Impedigon next time around. Contact: http://www.lsp-company.com In Peccatum - _Antilia_ (, 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10) An 18 minute EP of laid-back, melodic doom metal with a hint of mid-era Paradise Lost and classical touches, _Antilia_ is a remarkably polished independent release. The carefully placed classical passages, the well thought-out guitar parts and competent production all prove that a lot of work has gone into the making of this disc, in which the band manages to capture some rather good emotional passages. There is some variety in the mostly mid-paced music, with clean spoken vocals mixing with harsher as well as some feminine ones, and some atmospheric and/or classical interludes that include anything from piano to string instruments. The music certainly isn't overly extreme, but much like Thragedium [CoC #57] it may well come as a very pleasant surprise for those of you who enjoy melodic, emotional doom metal. Definitely a promising Portuguese band coming from the Azores archipelago. They appear to have had support from their regional government for the making of this EP, so here's hoping that their geographical situation won't prevent them from fulfilling their potential -- which judging by _Antilia_ seems rather interesting. Contact: http://www.inpeccatum.8m.com King Diamond - _Abigail pt II: The Revenge_ (Metal Blade, 2002) by: Alvin Wee (9 out of 10) Reviews of the past few King Diamond albums have been boringly predictable, and the same will no doubt go for this latest horror chapter: the new material just doesn't stand up to _Abigail_-era stuff, but can still blow half the current metal scene away. I'd go further for this sequel and say that it's easily the best KD album since _The Eye_. Past the captivating cover artwork lies the continuation to the most favored metal concept-story ever, with King's song-writing skills going at full tilt to produce some of his most memorable material in recent years. No lack of the typically twisted, spine-tingling passages here, choruses are delightfully melodic, and King's throat appears to be in fine form after all these years, effortlessly churning out his inimitable brand of grotesquerie. Don't look for any memorable, sing-along classics like "Abigail" or "Arrival": the sequel's far more theatrical style hardly lends itself to the relative straightforwardness of the earlier works, and relies on the potent atmosphere to carry the impressive work forward. Veteran axeman Mike Wead makes no bones about showing his considerable expertise and experience off, duelling remarkably with KD mainstay Andy LaRocque in a combination that's terrifyingly driven and blindingly beautiful by turns. All in all, an essential album for the genre this year if there ever was one, and truly old-school fans who pick up the amazingly beautiful vinyl edition (a nice change from the deplorable picture discs) can snigger at the lowly CD version. King's Evil - _Deletion of Humanoise_ (World Chaos Prod., 2002) by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10) Being the Japanese half of criminally underrated Jap-American kings Ritual Carnage, it comes as no surprise that the Yamada brothers churn out equally solid old-school riffage on their Asian debut. It's difficult not to resort to the boring comparisons with Sodom, Destruction and Kreator, but such material leaves reviewers little choice. The band makes no pretensions to originality even in their bio, and it's only the conviction with which this quartet deliver the neck-breaking goods that sets them apart from the hordes of retro-wannabes. Musicianship is stellar, with the Yamadas' twin-guitar assault spewing out bullet-riffs and insane solos with apparent ease, showing the band's capability of crafting headbang-inducing slower passages, only to explode in a deliciously brutal fury when called for. Like labelmates Terror Squad, King's Evil are highly worthy of notice, but are in danger of slipping into obscurity without proper overseas promotion. Overall a very pleasant find in my mailbox, and I'm eagerly looking forward to these boys' next slab of thrashin' mayhem. Contact: mailto:worldkdm@syd.odn.ne.jp Lock-Up - _Hate Breeds Suffering_ (Nuclear Blast, January 2002) by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10) _Pleasures Pave Sewers_ [CoC #46] was no bad grindcore record, but it was -not- the continuation of Terrorizer some made it out to be -- and from a line-up featuring Nick Barker (drums; Dimmu Borgir, ex-Cradle of Filth), Peter Tagtgren (vocals; Hypocrisy, Pain, Abyss), Shane Embury (bass; Napalm Death), and of course Jesse Pintado (guitar; Napalm Death, ex-Terrorizer), one would have, or -should- have, expected something a little better. _PPS_ mired itself too often in uninspiring repetition. It quickly stopped receiving spins from me, and I consigned Lock-Up to the same obscure corner of my mind as Napalm Death, at that point, resided in. Nine months later, _Enemy of the Music Business_ stomped my doubts about the later into the dust -- naturally casting Lock-Up in a somewhat more favourable light. Then I heard that Tomas Lindberg (he who spat out _Slaughter of the Soul_) had replaced Tagtgren as Lock-Up vocalist -- suddenly, I was really excited about the prospect of a second Lock-Up album. That _Hate Breeds Suffering_ has turned out to be one of the best grind records in years is not surprising; but once again, despite the quality on offer, it's Lock-Up's short-comings which are most conspicuous. Certainly, the four-piece have succeeded in nailing sixteen songs of rarely relenting musical violence into an under-thirty-minute coffin -- in fact, they've even brought the reality of Lock-Up considerably closer to its Terrorizing [sic] origins -- but Barker, Embury, Lindberg and Pintado still have essential maintenance work to perform before they'll make a true classic together. _Hate Breeds Suffering_ is a damn cool blast of grindcore, but it's oh-so-close to being a classic grindcore -album-. Still, perhaps we don't -need- Lock-Up to go that extra mile -- if, indeed, they are even capable of doing so. For now, I think, enjoying _HBS_ without thoughts of the "wider picture" will be your best option. [Pedro Azevedo: "Tomas Lindberg replaces Peter Tagtgren on vocals, and there they go again for another half-hour of hyperblasting grind driven by drummer Nick Barker. The previous album, _Pleasures Pave Sewers_, started really well but tended to lose my interest rapidly after a few tracks. _Hate Breeds Suffering_ shares with its predecessor a format of short tracks and similar style throughout, but overall does come across as a more convincing effort than _PPS_, partly thanks to Lindberg's vocals. I'm still waiting for Lock-Up to create a record that's consistently as good as the best tracks on these two albums, but until then _HBS_ will do nicely."] Loits - _Ei Kahetse Midagi_ (, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) In this digital age, demo tapes are becoming increasingly rare and demo CDs the norm. _Ei Kahetse Midagi_ ("No Regrets"), however, is an actual album that was sent to me in its tape version, which for the time being is the only one available -- Loits hope to have it released on CD in the future. Loits are from Estonia, but judging by their music you would have thought they were Norwegian: old Satyricon, Ulver and Darkthrone, among other Norwegian classics, play an influential role in their music. In two instances at least, this influence manifests itself a bit too obviously, as there is a couple of riffs strongly reminiscent of Satyricon's _Nemesis Divina_ and an atmospheric interlude that could very well have been on Ulver's _Bergtatt_. Nonetheless, Loits' guitar-driven black metal generally does not come across as a blatant copy of anything in particular, despite the fact that its origins are quite obvious. Contrary to what might be expected from such an underground release, the playing is quite tight and the production rather good, in spite of the analog media. _Ei Kahetse Midagi_ does have good atmospheric qualities and plenty of interesting musical passages, in addition to the competent production and playing, but it also tends to come across as somewhat simplistic during its mid-paced sections. It is still an underground release that black metal purists would be well advised to seek. Contact: Lembetu, Sepa 11, 45201 Kadrina, Laane-Virumaa, Estonia mailto:lembetu@hot.ee Mactatus - _Suicide_ (Napalm Records, May 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) Did we really need another _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_? A few years ago, this record would have been a lot more noteworthy and would have deserved a higher rating, but now it's too close to Dimmu Borgir's five year old record for comfort. It's not that _Suicide_ is a direct collage of riffs from _EDT_, but a very significant part of the style and sound of Mactatus' guitar-heavy yet keyboard-driven black metal clearly does harken back to that album. _Suicide_ is actually a very well constructed, executed and produced album, and the band does achieve some rather good passages and overall consistency. It's just a shame that the band did not strive for individuality at all with this release, instead appearing content to sound like some other band's twin. Not "some other" band, actually, but rather a band who happens to be doing very well indeed in terms of commercial success these days. This all probably sounds rather harsh, but nevertheless, considering this is such a competent and undeniably enjoyable record, I will still strongly recommend it to anyone who is into _EDT_ era Dimmu Borgir and doesn't give a toss about originality. Manowar - _Warriors of the World_ (Nuclear Blast, 2002) by: Matthias Noll (3 out of 10) Mullet-metal for people who confuse Pavarotti and friends with classical music, kitsch of the highest degree with epic songwriting and deepest emotions. Old glass-eye and his male pleasure slaves needed six years to pen two acceptable tunes -- congratulations! One of those, "Call to Arms", rips off "Blood of my Enemies", but can be considered good because of an ultimately catchy chorus. The same thing -- a brilliant, catchy chorus -- applies to the second noteworthy track, the anthemic "Warriors of the World United". The rest is either up-tempo material, once again ripping off their previous work, or shitloads of more-cheese-than-ever ballad/march/opera-for-mainstream-radio crap. Strangely enough, this record seems to be receiving praise almost everywhere. "Warrior metal" and "epic" is what I read -- holy shit! Listen to this alongside "Gates of Valhalla", "Strength of Steel", "Guyana", "Cult of the Damned" or "Bridge of Death" and have a laugh at the weakness and sweetness of these Kings of Metal. "Battle Hymn", one of the best metal tracks ever written, was metal meets Ennio Morricone; this is Julio Iglesias meets Spinal Tap. Megiddo / Rampage - _Apocalyptic Raids: A Tribute to Hellhammer_ by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) (Unsung Heroes Records, July 2001) Whilst I'm not the world's biggest admirer of tribute albums, Megiddo and Rampages' "split tribute" to Hellhammer made me sit up and take notice. This tribute features the above-mentioned bands covering Hellhammer's classic _Apocalyptic Raids_ album in its entirety, with Megiddo handling the odd-numbered songs and Rampage performing the even-numbered ones. Generally speaking, the covers are pretty straightforward with few surprises. Rampage sounds like, well, Rampage, who injects his covers with a raw, slightly retro sound, whilst Megiddo is a straightforward, "true" black metal band. The production on Megiddo's songs is inferior in comparison to Rampage's covers, but then again, since Megiddo is a black metal act, the inferior production does suit the genre, so there's no doubt that there will be those that appreciate Megiddo's primitive rawness. However, Rampage's previous flirtations with doom metal suggest that he could have done a better job with the painfully slow "Triumph of Death" than Megiddo. For some inexplicable reason, the beginning of Rampage's version of "Horus / Aggressor" is Mayhem's "Silvester Anfang". I'm a bit confused as to why a Mayhem cover would be on a Hellhammer tribute (the only connection I can think is that both Mayhem and Hellhammer are classic and influential bands), but it nevertheless serves as an interesting -- if somewhat unexpected -- intro. An interesting experiment that demands greater attention than the average tribute album. Contact: UHR, Mark Vignati, 260 Overlook Dr, Covington, GA 30016, USA mailto:uhr@mindspring.com Mirror of Deception - _Mirrorsoil_ (The Miskatonic Foundation, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (6.5 out of 10) Some serious doom metal faithful to the old ways is what these Germans have to offer. I am not much of a fan of that genre, but as I heard the first riff and sorrowful lead of opener "Asylum", I was immediately interested. The clean vocal style was predictable, and with time it does sound appropriate for the music. The production, however, is a strange affair. It is strong and heavy, but not very clear and really fails when it comes to the drum's treble sound. Still, it doesn't entirely ruin the album, as Mirror of Deception prove to be very adept at this Candlemass-derived style. Then again, the band was apparently formed more than ten years ago, even though they have only an EP and a full-length album to their name besides this new full-length. Personally, I would have expected something more remarkable from such an experienced band, but this is nonetheless a very competent and honest-sounding disc that will please the old-style doom metal aficionados even if the production could have been a lot better. Contact: http://www.mirrorofdeception.com My Dying Bride - _For Darkest Eyes_ DVD (9.5 out of 10) Anathema - _A Vision of a Dying Embrace_ DVD (9 out of 10) by: Pedro Azevedo (Peaceville, May 2002) These are re-releases of the original VHS tapes that originally came out in 1997. The My Dying Bride DVD features a few extra features, whilst the Anathema contains nothing new. As a result of this and the fact that the original MDB video already contained more material than the Anathema, the MDB DVD has more than twice the total length of the Anathema. Anathema's _A Vision of a Dying Embrace_ features four promotional videos ("Sweet Tears", "Mine Is Yours to Drown In", "The Silent Enigma" and "Hope"), whilst My Dying Bride's _For Darkest Eyes_ contains six of them ("Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium", "The Thrash of Naked Limbs", "The Songless Bird", "I Am the Bloody Earth", "The Cry of Mankind" and "For You"). It goes without saying that the older videos are rather more amateurish than the more recent ones, but their presence is nonetheless well justified. The main section of both DVDs is comprised of each band's respective live performance in Krakow, in March 1996, a show that was professionally recorded in terms of video and audio. The camera work is very good, and on DVD you get a great audio experience as well. (For some reason, however, the MDB DVD comes with Dolby Surround 5.1, whilst the Anathema is just Dolby Stereo 2.0.) My Dying Bride were headliners on that gig, hence you get to hear more of them than Anathema. The Anathema track listing included a selection of tracks from their classic _The Silent Enigma_, plus a couple from the _Pentecost III_ EP and a re-working of "Sleepless" from their equally classic debut _Serenades_. My Dying Bride's set was based on _The Angel and the Dark River_ and _Turn Loose the Swans_, an era which many believe to have been their finest. This means you get to see Martin Powell on violin and keyboard playing live with MDB, as well as original drummer Rick Myah and guitarist Calvin Robertshaw. Both of their live performances are excellent, although one does need to keep in mind that both bands were a lot younger back then. Having seen them live since, I can appreciate that but it doesn't hamper my enjoyment of these DVDs. This is also partly because both bands were captured at a very good stage in their careers, although one might argue that Anathema were still going through a transition with Darren White leaving the band. In fact, had this been a longer gig following _Eternity_ -- featuring the songs off _The Silent Enigma_ that we can find here plus a good selection from _Eternity_ -- it would have been the equal of My Dying Bride's set. The My Dying Bride DVD also include a relatively lo-fi 1993 gig in Holland and a 1992 performance of "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium", as well as the band's 1995 Dynamo appearance and a photo gallery. Overall, these are two superb DVDs for the music they contain, although flawed in the sense that the Anathema is rather brief and both could have had more enticing extras. As a result, it may be a rather frustrating purchase for those who paid for the VHS editions a few years ago. But the quality and commodity of DVD is far superior to that of VHS, and the contents are well worth it. My Dying Bride - _The Voice of the Wretched_ (Peaceville, May 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (10 out of 10) Nearly 75 minutes of live My Dying Bride, recorded between _The Light at the End of the World_ [CoC #44] and _The Dreadful Hours_ [CoC #55], is what _The Voice of the Wretched_ has to offer. No fluff, no silly dialogues with the crowd, no filler material: just pure My Dying Bride. Powerful live sound, an excellent choice of songs that embrace the entire spectrum of My Dying Bride's lengthy existence, and a practically flawless performance by the band complete this black bouquet of wretchedness. Classic studio tracks seem to expand in weight and majesty live, as the band perfects every riff and break and Aaron's vocals grow exponentially in terms of demonic, guttural power whilst becoming more confident than ever in terms of melodic, heartbroken melody. The track listing: "She Is the Dark" (_The Light at the End of the World_), the title track from _Turn Loose the Swans_, "The Cry of Mankind" (_The Angel and the Dark River_), "The Snow in my Hand" (_TLtS_), "A Cruel Taste of Winter" (first live performance of the track from _The Dreadful Hours_), "Under Your Wings and Into Your Arms" (_34.788%... Complete_), "A Kiss to Remember" (_Like Gods of the Sun_), "Your River" (_TLtS_), "The Fever Sea" (_TLatEotW_) and the first track MDB ever wrote, "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium", which represents both the EP of the same title and its continuation, _As the Flower Withers_. For those who know and appreciate the quality of MDB's music, this is an essential purchase. Those yet unfamiliar with the band, consider this: what you will find here ranges from brutal outbursts of death metal to sorrowful and melodic passages, and I am yet to find a band capable of reaching the level of doom metal excellence My Dying Bride consistently showcase in their music. 10 out of 10, obviously. [David Rocher: "Beholding My Dying Bride live, as I did in 1995, is an experience indeed -- Aaron's incredible vocals and charismatic presence mesh flawlessly with the touchingly forlorn melodies and the majestic, powerful rhythmic assaults which My Dying Bride have, in time, learned to play so impeccably. The most striking point about My Dying Bride's first live recording, well over a decade into their career, is the beautiful finesse with which it recaptures the textures, emotions and subdued intensity of their unique songwriting -- from the distorted death metal influences apparent at the time of the band's inception ("Your River", "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium"), to the more resolutely avant-garde tones of _Turn Loose the Swans_ (the inevitable "Turn Loose the Swans", "The Snow in My Hand"), right over to the sheer beauty of their mid-nineties meisterwerks (the magnificent "The Cry of Mankind" and "A Kiss to Remember") and their harsher latest works ("She Is the Dark", "The Fever Sea", "A Cruel Taste of Winter"). Although former violinist Martin's presence is direly missed, Yasmin's ivory-tickling skills grace this fantastic recording with the beautiful, typical atmospheres these wretched Britons have always been renowned for; in fact, in my humble opinion, this impeccable live capture of the Bride's enchantment only falls short of perfection owing to two anthems whose presence is cruelly missed -- the monumental "A Sea to Suffer In" and the classic "The Forever People". Not only does _The Voice of the Wretched_ easily fill the previously vacant space left by a live recording to be in My Dying Bride's discography, it also reveals itself to be a totally indispensable item in any melancholic, atmospheric doom/death lovers CD collection."] Mystic Forest - _Welcome Back in the Forest_ by: David Rocher (3 out of 10) (Oaken Shield / Adipocere, Nov. 2001) Mystic Forest's second release is the archetype of a "progressive" black metal release that, despite being touched by the grace of a very technical and swift (and alas rather uninspired) guitarist, has over and above anything else been paid a grim visit by a very angered and pissed off fuck-up fairy. _Welcome Back in the Forest_ indeed features quite impressive guitar leads and more-intricate-than-average drum machine programming, but also some of the most direly unoriginal song structures and excruciatingly boring riffs I've ever heard -- and, first and foremost, a dramatically dissonant, saturated and, put quite bluntly, downright gruesome sound. I've heard countless black metal releases with a rather disputable production (and that's euphemistic indeed), but Mystic Forest have blended something into their mix that makes this release sound as though your CD player has suddenly set itself to "stun" and is currently busy settling a heated argument with your amplifier. Indeed, whilst on the slower, more gothic influenced segues, the cymbals just sound like an irritating, over-saturated cacophony that more or less ruins the music, the blasting onslaughts are nothing but rampaging binary mauling sessions featuring an overwhelmingly loud percussive mess, thus leaving nothing but the occasional squeaky guitar note to graze the surface of your tympanum. The other bleak note to this sad tale is that despite their undisputable technical proficiency, Mystic Forest's guitarist and keyboard player obviously don't have much to say when it comes to writing an ear-catching song; this alone would have made _Welcome Back in the Forest_ dull and ultimately rather uninspiring, but when added to the horrible production on this release, this failure to recapture the genial inspiration of their classical masters (Chopin and Beethoven being very modestly quoted as sources of inspiration) shall merely inspire even the most enduring of black metal fans to reach for comparatively some sweet-sounding Darkthrone. Necrosphere - _Revived_ (Diehard Music, February 2002) by: David Rocher (6 out of 10) Formerly known under the monicker Cenotaph, these four Italian deathsters have now been roaming the underground extreme scene for a full decade, alas earning themselves no more than lukewarm recognition -- and it is unlikely that the grinding slab of raging death metal titled _Revived_ will do anything to alter this status quo. Indeed, despite being a sincere and reasonably enjoyable self-claimed "old school death metal" release, _Revived_ simply fails to display any real inspirational genius; much as Necrosphere are truly impressive musicians (in particular, the drumming antics with which _Revived_ oozes fall nothing short of heroic), their songwriting skills are merely decent, and, applied to this Italian four-piece, the denomination "old school" soon turns out to be little more than an embarrassed-sounding synonym for "very unoriginal" and "somewhat deja-vu". Akin to their blasting rendition of Slayer's classic "Necrophiliac", Necrosphere are pleasant, technical and actually quite ear-catching, but nothing more than that -- and, in a hopelessly saturated scene such as today's extreme metal universum, this failure to display any form of genuine brilliance can only turn out to be Necrosphere's worst enemy -- despite this band's totally metal sincerity --, not to mention their one-way pass to a prolonged stay in shadowed anonymity. Nehemah - _Light of a Dead Star_ by: David Rocher (8 out of 10) (Oaken Shield / Adipocere, Jan. 2002) It has now been nearly a decade since the black metal project Nehemah, fronted by mastermind and bassist/vocalist Corven, appeared amidst the evil shadows of the French black metal scene. Fusing in soul and mind with the essence of underground musical extremism, Nehemah recorded only one very limited demo, back in 1996, prior to the release of this first full-length on the French label Oaken Shield in 2001. Norwegian black metal is undoubtedly Nehemah's greatest influence, as _Light of a Dead Star_ revels in saturated, unhallowed musical realms bearing the stigma of holy Darkthrone's meisterwerks _Under a Funeral Moon_ (for the haunting, eerily melodic tones it displays) and _A Blaze in the Northern Sky_ (for the driving mid-tempo power and blasting segues _LoaDS_ frequently erupts into); slants of Mayhem's _De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas_ are also to be heard, in particular as regards the pleasantly technical drumming and chilling guitar lines, quite reminiscent of the late Euronymous' works. Nehemah's strongest point nonetheless undisputedly remains the competence and ease they display when meshing their musical proficiency with the traditionally coarse grain of underground black metal; although it is a proven fact that technical competence is clearly not an key element to a good black metal album, musical mastery such as that displayed by Nehemah's line-up definitely adds a whole new touch to this collection of bewitching anthems: spine-tingling ambience fuses with crushing power and amazing dynamics as slow, chilling parts laced with synthetic-laden atmospheres brutally erupt into blasting onslaughts or monolithic mid-tempo drives. In addition to this, _LoaDS_ is graced with a truly excellent production -- murky, saturated and raucous, yet very ample, and offering each musician's performance suitable exposure, providing this slab of unhallowed blackness with what I consider as the most fitting kind of production for an underground black metal recording. From the chilling beauty of the eight-minute anthem "Nehemah in Vulva Infernum" (which contains more than a slight hint at Marduk's hymnic "Dracul Va Domni...") to the almost death metal intensity of the riffing on "Misty Swamps", _LoaDS_ is definitely one of the finer samples of what raw, yet elaborate black metal has to offer these days. Devoted souls growing tired of black metal superproductions such as Dark Funeral's (nonetheless superb) latest opus can wisely turn to Nehemah's first full-length for a dose of blackened harshness and grandeur. Nocte Obducta - _Galgendammerung, Von Nebel, Blut und Totgeburten_ by: Matthias Noll (7.5 out of 10) (Grind Syndicate Media, 2002) Nocte Obducta is a German black metal band featuring two Agathodaimon members. Although _Galgendammerung_ (the full title translates to "Dawn of the Gallows. of Fog, Blood and Stillborn Children") is Nocte Obducta's fourth album, it is also my first encounter with the band. Their previous album _Schwarz Metall_ (literally "Black Metal") is said to be in the primitive and raw, early Darkthrone direction, but on _Galgendammerung_ Nocte Obducta's main strength lies in their ability to incorporate excellent melancholic melodies into a somewhat old-school style. Melody is indeed used brilliantly on this record, and we're not talking about the "hey, I have this four note kindergarten melody, let's play it on 500 bpm and we'll have a cool black metal tune" approach which sadly applies to 80% of the current black metal output. In addition, a good dose of blasting, constant shrill and frostbitten shrieking and the absence of any gothic elements and clean male or female vocals ensures that this release might be able to please the grim black metal crowd as well. Although the line-up includes a keyboard player, Nocte Obducta does not fall into the overcrowded category of "symphonic" black metal. The keys are carefully integrated into the overall sound and add additional melodic textures here and there without ever becoming cheesy or dominant. In all nine songs, which range from 3:40 to a length of over 10 minutes, _Nocte Obducta_ use the full range of possible tempi and moods -- from slow atmospheric sections, to mid-tempo, and on to frequent blasting. Breaks are generally well incorporated, different sections seamlessly blending into each other, and even the longest tracks remain focussed and interesting at the same time. Technically this band is quite OK, but certainly leagues away from the Emperors of this world. A positive effect of this is the absence of any technical gimmickry which might detract from the quality of the tunes. The production on _Galgendammerung_ is a bit weak and trebly without sounding truly necro or grim. Fortunately, the overall quality does not really suffer from this; I can strongly recommend _Galgendammerung_, and not only to black metal purists. Obtest - _Auka Seniems Dievams_ (Ledo Takas Records, 2001) by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10) I do receive plenty of underground releases in my mailbox every month, yet only a few of those qualify as real oddities. Obtest -- from Lithuania, of all places -- are one such oddity; not because their music is amazingly inventive and avantgarde, but because they are one of those bands that come from an unusual country and -sound- like it. What Obtest play is a form of blackened warlike metal, which they imbue with a strong folk feel -- in the same sense as a Scandinavian band, like Enslaved, might sound Viking. This is what makes Obtest sound different from the norm, as they sing in their native language and the war chants come across as rather distinctive. The band does have a penchant for some very memorable songwriting, which they display best on the album's opening couple of tracks ("Is Sirdies" and "Anapus Nemuno", if you want to know) and on "Priesa Parklupdyk". A few of the other tracks suffer from not being so memorable and simultaneously not too different from the rest of the album, but quality nonetheless remains reasonably consistent. The band are quite adept at their craft, and the production -- although somewhat odd -- works sufficiently well. _Auka Seniems Dievams_ is a disc that entirely deserves to be sought by those with a craving for a touch of the unusual in their music, especially if Viking-influenced Scandinavian bands are your thing. Contact: mailto:ledo@banga.lt On Thorns I Lay - _Angel Dust_ (Black Lotus, December 2001) by: David Rocher (5.5 out of 10) After four releases on the French label Holy Records, On Thorns I Lay have apparently felt the urge to review and streamline their musical course; thus, gone are the label and the "atmospheric gothic metal" tones of yore, as On Thorns I Lay have now signed to Black Lotus, and released a far less ornate, much simpler fifth landmark in their career. Much as their former works were reminiscent of _Aegis_-day Theatre of Tragedy laced with _Alternative 4_-era Anathema, _Angel Dust_ thrives on post-_Discouraged Ones_ Katatonia and more recent Theatre of Tragedy -- finely etched, cleverly laid-out and competently played gothic metal. However, much as this may sound enticing, there is one major flaw on On Thorns I Lay's latest release: it's quite simply frightfully boring. With the exception of one or two tracks (in particular, the beautifully moody title track), _Angel Dust_ sounds like a "Listener's Digest" of all that has occurred in the vast gothic metal scene over these past few years -- it's not that _Angel Dust_ is bad, far from it, but it's just not good enough to appear as anything but a fleck on the works of the bands that have obviously moved and influenced On Thorns I Lay to create an album such as _Angel Dust_. Ordeal - _Ma|an_ (2002) Sola Translatio - _Ad Infinitum_ (2002) Svartsinn - _Devouring Consciousness_ (2001) by: Quentin Kalis (8, 8 and 8.5 out of 10) (Eibon Records) The above three artists are acts signed to Italian label Eibon Records, all exploring similarly minimalist, dark ambient soundscapes. Whilst all bands make strong use of minimalist instrumentation, Svartsinn's use of the concept makes the other two CDs sound terribly cluttered. Their bleak, uncompromising sound is only occasionally interrupted by a brief emergence of neo-classical strings or a piano tinkling mournfully in the background. The very emptiness of their music creates a bleak, extremely desolate atmosphere. This album may very well be the aural equivalent of a desert -- a seemingly empty, uninviting place, yet closer inspection reveals a whole new world denied to the casual observer or listener. Continuing my comparison with nature, at times throbbing sound emerges, like the heartbeat of some great beast, providing a slightly more organic feel to an otherwise extremely cold and impersonal album. Sola Translatio make use of percussion and samples of organic sounds to provide a more human feel to what would otherwise be an extremely cold and impersonal album. They apparently do not believe in brevity in song writing, as evidenced by the fact that each of their songs averages over twelve minutes. Sola Translatio creates the distinct impression that they would have been perfectly happy to release _Ad Infinitum_ as an album with a single song and that releasing _AI_ as an album with five tracks is merely lip service to conformity and a concession to the listener. Sola Translatio's songs are largely amorphous, directionless meanderings, but to see this as a negative aspect would be to misunderstand the point of the album. Ordeal's release encompasses the most variety, with each song immediately distinguishable from the others, yet at the same time (paradoxically) monotonous. Ordeal succeed in generating a deceptive sense of great simplicity and seeming effortlessness. _Ma|an_, like the other two, is best listened to at night in a darkened room, with a perhaps a candle or two burning. Or you could have it playing as background music, as something to listen to whilst engaged in some other activity. You might not even be aware that it's playing, as this is the kind of music that you might not even notice playing. But what would be the point? It's not easy to recommend one album over the other, as they are all of a similarly high standard, and whilst they do sound similar, each contains elements not found on the other two and the importance of these elements depends on what you sound you wish to hear. However, yours truly has, by an exceedingly slim margin, picked Svartsinn as the best of the lot. This is a choice based on the extreme emptiness and sadness of _Devouring Consciousness_. But basically, if you like one album then you'll like them all. These albums won't be to everyone's taste, but for those who are open-minded enough to appreciate it, they are well recommended. Contact: http://www.eibonrecords.com Pain Control - _Subvert_ (Demolition Records, 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10) An old-style thrash metal band at heart in terms of guitar work and vocals, Pain Control sound like they are trying really hard to modernize that sound and come across as really varied and innovative. In fact, at times they sound like they are trying -too- hard to achieve that. Still, Pain Control certainly manage to put together some good thrashing moments, mostly reminding me of a more aggressive but less talented (especially in terms of songwriting) version of Nevermore -- which, given Nevermore's impressive quality, does not necessarily doom Pain Control, who are quite capable of creating some entertaining music within their specific genre. Midway through the album and again near the end, however, the band goes into piano and clean male and female vocals mode. It's not that I cannot appreciate these elements when used in the right context, but in this case the whole thing seems rather odd, and then the mediocre couple of tracks that close the album pull my rating down somewhat. Adequate production and technical qualities complete the picture; overall, _Subvert_ clearly cannot compete against the likes of Nevermore, but its more aggressive edge may be a good reason for you to look into this competent album. Poema Arcanus - _Iconoclast_ (Aftermath Music, 2002) by: Alvin Wee (9 out of 10) While tags like "progressive dark arcane metal" usually refers to a band's distinct lack of character and definition, this underrated Chilean bunch certainly live up to promises, delivering a whopping dark metal surprise from a genre that's been milked to death by naive goth-metal upstarts. With their brand of dark/doom/goth metal reminiscent of the now-defunct Finns Absent Silence, Poema Arcanus weave an entrancing web of progressive arrangements and soaring melody, beautifully dark and captivating while retaining the heavy edge that so many of the newer "dark metal" bands lack. Claudio Carrasco's bewitchingly masculine croon adds the crucial edge to the already stellar musicianship, and carries the entire album marvelously well without the addition of the typical female yodeling. Alternating dense passages with sparse acoustic segments creates an enveloping chiaroscuro that's almost palpable; the band's skillful interplay of light and dark stands out as perhaps the album's defining characteristic, and sets it apart from the countless other single-faceting albums on the shelf. With the right promotion, the band's ear for melody and talent for arrangement should set them on the same level as kings like Katatonia and _Wolfheart_-era Moonspell. This is a release that no fan of dark and atmospheric music should miss, and is certainly Aftermath's best release to date. Rain - _Starlight Extinction_ (Adipocere Records, November 2001) by: David Rocher (6.5 out of 10) Face it: it's hard to avoid hasty comparisons when approaching a Helvetic quartet playing electronic, atmospheric, mid-paced techno-enhanced metal -- and indeed, this comparison with atmospheric experimental masters Samael turns out to be Rain's addictive sting and curse also. Their sting, because these Swisses are proficient enough in their ways to skillfully impose their personal brand of electronic experimentation fused with low-cased metallic power; their curse, because whichever way you turn when listening to _Starlight Extinction_, the ineffable shadow of post-_Passage_ era Samael looms ever nearer -- somehow, I have a hard time deciding whether I should congratulate Rain for daring to tread in the experimental musical tracks of their masters, or whether I should sneer at them exactly for that same reason. In fact, the sheer deserving professionalism with which Rain go about their music -- whether on CD or live, as I have had the pleasure to behold -- pulls it off with little difficulty, leaving one to enjoy the intriguing power encased within this third release of theirs. After several careful and rather less biased further listens, the main weakness in Rain's songwriting in fact reveals itself to be the lack of dynamics their music suffers from; many a track gradually builds up a powerful aftermath, a raging crescendo towards a musical storm... but the much-awaited maelstrom in fact scarcely ever seems to come. This is probably imputable to the more ethereal, distinctive techno slant Rain grace their material with, an orientation which is rather stronger in these ways than Samael's. Altogether, however, even though _Starlight Extinction_ doesn't score a direct hit on me, its carefully calculated musical approach, generally interesting songwriting, huge sound, ample and spaced-out tones make it a truly commendable listen for the more open-minded fringe of metalheads out there. Rain Fell Within - _Refuge_ (Dark Symphonies, February 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10) No time is wasted as _Refuge_ begins with the full instrumental and vocal setup readily in action, and after one minute the first catchy melodies are already entering your ears -- and a nice operatic melodic metal opening it is. Talented vocals and keyboards lead the guitar work and the (also rather good) drumming along, which wasn't necessarily the case on their debut _Believe_ -- overall, _Refuge_ tends to sound somewhat softer than its predecessor. These differences do not make the music itself any worse -- it certainly sounds more polished than before --, but they do drag Rain Fell Within a bit closer to the hordes of bands inhabiting this female-led gothic metal genre. Rain Fell Within are indeed very good at what they do, but after hearing their debut I expected them to offer something a bit more unique this time, which is the one aspect where they failed. _Refuge_ is a good disc, musically more involved than its predecessor, and it will please fans of the genre, but it does lack novelty and stand-out qualities in a very crowded genre. Nevertheless, if what you happen to be looking for is just what I described above, then Rain Fell Within are a very safe bet indeed, as all the band members are clearly talented and _Refuge_ is a solid, pleasant album throughout. Contact: http://www.darksymphonies.com Rebellion - _Shakespeare's Macbeth: A Tragedy in Steel_ by: David Rocher (1 out of 10) (Drakkar / XIII Bis, April 2002) Concept albums such as these can be a worthy way of paying humble tribute to the genius of a literary or philosophical milestone crafted in times past; however, the cheesy power metal dirge in which ex-Grave Digger axemen Uwe Luwis and Toni Gottlich have indulged with the assistance of Annihilator's Randy Black does little more than defile the memory of Shakespeare's ineffable tragedy. Loaded to the brim with bad power metal riffage, omnipresent double bass drumming and a tediously screeching vocalist "hail, hail, hail"-ing away at anything that moves or breathes, this musical rendition of the much-revered Scottish play is but a chunk of splendorous metallic cheesiness -- with a killer production, however, and a ludicrously comic booklet filled with heroic representations of gloriously top-heavy naiads and outrageously muscular warriors with flowing hair. Damned be I for first crying "Hold, enough!", but this outrageous release falls way beyond the limits of musical tolerance, and the only point it scores is for the pleasant way it has humoured me by giving me something to tear to pieces in a review. Regorge - _Kingdoms of Derision_ (Dead Again Records, 2002) by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10) _KoD_ is the debut from the Scottish brutal death metal band Regorge. For a debut, it's not bad; the production is more than acceptable, the music sufficiently technical, and each track is immediately identifiable as a Regorge track. Unusually for an album of this genre, the songs are rather long: some nine songs are performed in about 55 minutes. The length does not suit the style and the songs would in all likelihood be more brutal and have a greeter effect on the listener if they were compacted into four or less minutes of all-out aggression. However, the major flaw in this release is that, while I understand it is meant to be brutal -- and it most certainly is --, at times the vocals are simply too incoherent. While this is to be expected, there are too many passages in the album where it sounds as the vocals consist merely of one continuous growl, with no variation in pace or tone to even suggest that individual words of any kind are being enunciated. This might appeal to the die-hard fan, but for others it merely imbues the album with an unnecessary sense of monotony. This is a pity, as their music is intense, well-played and well worth a listen. Good songwriting clearly has not been sacrificed on the altar of brutality for this release. However, none of the aforementioned flaws are insurmountable problems, and _KoD_ is clearly the debut of a promising band that has yet to reach their peak. Contact: http://www.deadagain.fsnet.co.uk Reverend Kriss Hades - _The Wind of Orion_ by: Quentin Kalis (6 out of 10) (Decius Productions, January 2002) The honourable Reverend from Down Under (wonder if he really is a reverend -- in LaVey's Church of Satan perhaps?) has previously been involved with the likes of Nazxul and Sadistik Exekution. The first -- and best -- song is a simplistic yet highly effective black metal track with unusual vocals, which almost sounds as if the vocalist is choking. The subtle synths which overlay the guitar succeed in creating a menacing atmosphere, but I'm not quite sure what to make of the rest of the album. The next two songs are reworkings of Sadistik Exekution songs off the _FUKK_ album: "Black Mass Murder" (Satanic version), which retains its origins as a death metal song, while "Final Execution" (Ouija version) is a far more drastic reworking, drawn out into an overlong ten minute industrial. The final three tracks are taken from the Reverend's obscure 1990 recording, _Meditation of the Midnight Candle Practice_. These three tracks largely consist of the Reverend playing his guitar over some industrial electronic effects. While I commend him for his originality, originality in itself is not always sufficient to ensure an enjoyable album, and it's a sad testament to this release that the least adventurous song is also by far the best. The industrial effects soon become monotonous, while the Reverend's self-indulgent guitar playing gets somewhat tiring after an incredibly short period of time. Considering that the Reverend is a talented guitarist, he has substantial experience performing in other bands and is not averse to experimentation, suggests that his next solo release will find him settling on a style and producing a definitive album. Contact: mailto:iconoclast101@optushome.com.au Contact: http://www.deciusproductions.com Runemagick - _Requiem of the Apocalypse_ (Aftermath Music, 2002) by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10) Pretty much standard death metal fare, though quality is pretty much assured coming from Nicklas "Terror" Rudolfsson of Swordmaster fame. Typically dark and technical, with the requisite tinge of old-school Scandinavian genius (read: old Tiamat, Unleashed), Runemagick's fourth studio outing promises a solid and stylistically rich sojourn into the familiar realms of death and madness. The relatively measured pace allows more atmosphere and melody to seep through the mix compared to the uncontrolled havoc of Krisiun and the like, which makes for more engaging listening than the heap of faster-than-thou releases piling up these days. Suitably crunchy riffing accentuate the dark ambience on this disc with a hue of restrained aggression, while the twisted leads (like on "Funeral Caravan") occasionally blaze with a passion that's seldom encountered anywhere other than from the most accomplished "Gothenburg" bands. The enhanced CD offers up a handful of equally entertaining MP3s as a document of the band's miscellaneous antics, as well as pictures, screensavers and other computer paraphernalia, adding some magic to an already satisfying package. Ask for the limited digibook edition. Contact: mailto:ruholm@online.no Satariel - _Phobos and Deimos_ (Hammerheart, January 2002) by: David Rocher (7.5 out of 10) After the 1998 release of Satariel's debut effort, _Lady Lust Lilith_, on Singapore-based label Pulverized Records, a prolonged silence from the band let it look as though this Swedish quintet would merely be yet another of these countless one-off more or less "interesting" acts which have washed over the Scandinavian scene in the past few years. However, this shall not be -- 2002 witnesses Satariel's comeback, a very convincing musical evolution cryptically titled _Phobos and Deimos_; whereas _Lady Lust Lilith_ was a decent, rather unsurprising death metal recording showcasing a more extensive use of clean male vocals than your average chunk of metallic rage, _Phobos and Deimos_ is packed to the brim with mutating, intricate, extreme metal anthems which the musical physicist named Devin Townsend himself might look at with certain interest. Indeed, what these Strapping Young Swedes have crafted here reaches far beyond any boundaries set within the metal scene, effortlessly evolving from conventional modern Swedish death metal segues to doom-laden heaviness, right from Townsend-tinged distorted madness to classic heavy metal tones -- courtesy of very remarkable vocal guest appearances by Candlemass' own Messiah Marcolin. A striking feature about _Phobos and Deimos_ is the ease with which it maintains congruence throughout the unexpected, powerful and technical fifty-one minutes of seething metal it delivers; despite their countless influences and stylistic headstarts, Satariel never lose their lead, and the material on _Phobos and Deimos_ constantly remains on a very high level. The downright impressive musical mastery on Satariel's sophomore release being enhanced as it is by sound genius Daniel Bergstrand's crisp, powerful production, death-metallers craving for a touch of novelty in their extreme metal can safely be advised to check this surprising, powerful and very compelling release out, as can all who are allured by the power, precision and originality displayed by Strapping Young Lads. A recommended listen indeed. Sathya - _Sathya_ (, 2002) by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10) I like the spirit of this band. Regardless of their obvious worship of the melodic death metal a la Gothenburg, Sweden (In Flames sounds, fast-paced guitar riffs, menacing yet melodic vocals), the band still kicks things into gears, adjusting their melodic metal drive just a bit to add their own character to the flow of the music. Tight and truly effective metal offerings like "Top Gun", the dynamic rush of "Cauldron of Sin" and "Dethroned" shine here on this ten-song offering. And I must admit, while the production at times falters (it just sounds a little muddy), this band could not have asked for a better production to help enhance their vicious, as well as slowed down, metal attacks. With the right word of mouth and some high-profile shows under their belt, Sathya could soon be in the spotlight of label interest. Good luck, my metal brothers. Contact: http://www.sathyametal.com Sentenced - _The Cold White Light_ (Century Media, May 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10) Sentenced are quite a unique band for me, their rocking riffs an unlikely success given my musical taste. It is the band's attitude, as shown by their trademark suicidal lyrics (often somewhat pedestrian in their expression, yet somehow very appropriate to the music), that has always helped that success, not to mention the fact that they're damn good at what they do: creating unpretentiously enjoyable music. Each of the last three Sentenced albums had two or three stand-out tracks for me, the rest enjoyable enough except for the odd track or two in each disc. _Down_ had its "Noose", _Frozen_ its "Dead Leaves" and "The Rain Comes Falling Down", and _Crimson_ its "Bleed in My Arms" and "Broken". Similarly, _The Cold White Light_ has "Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" and the simple but infectious "Excuse Me While I Kill Myself", plus a collection of very competent tracks and the lame pseudo-romantic "You Are the One". For those past three albums, Sentenced had been steadily growing into the Finnish Bolt Thrower, such was their reliability in keeping whoever liked the first disc happy with the other two -- unless the person in question wanted significant changes in the band's sound. _The Cold White Light_ sees Sentenced essentially continuing on the same path they've taken since singer Ville Laihala joined the band for _Down_; some of it is arguably more accessible than usual for the band, but they've always had a tendency for that once in a while. _The Cold White Light_ is overall somewhat softer and not as thoroughly rocking as, say, _Frozen_, but it still clearly remains Sentenced. It is a very enjoyable disc with plenty of attitude, much like its predecessors -- although on the other hand it also suffers from its severe lack of progression, which is reflected in my rating above. Anyone seeking innovation and change should look elsewhere, but those who just need more of the same old Sentenced are unlikely to be disappointed by _The Cold White Light_ -- it isn't the best Sentenced disc so far, but it is still quite satisfactory. And if you can, try to grab the nice digibook version available, as the photographic artwork is worth it. Serpent's Kiss - _Distant Shores_ (, 2002) by: Adrian Bromley (6.5 out of 10) Even though the mark doesn't really say it, I actually found the music of Serpent's Kiss quite enjoyable. Serpent's Kiss plays a real cool old-school heavy metal attack a la Iron Maiden / Jag Panzer that is full of metallic passion, from the soaring guitar riffs to the magical / fantasy lyrical content. Where the album falters is in the vocal delivery: the vocals sound a bit strained at times, thus bringing the heavy metal attack down a few notches. I don't think singer Rod has a bad voice per se, I just think some more studio work could be beneficial to him, as the harmonies around him obviously work -- now only if the vocals could be stronger... This album really moves along with a solid stride and I especially like songs such as "Strider", "Face the Slayer" and "Victory". Lots of passion here, but the band needs just a bit more power and they'll be slaying us all. Contact: mailto:william.philpot@ntlworld.com Soilwork - _Natural Born Chaos_ (Nuclear Blast, March 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (5 out of 10) Such a talented lot, Soilwork, and just look what they are turning themselves into. They used to play Swedish death metal with a bit of a technical twist, plus some particular choruses that were becoming a trademark for the band. Their last disc, _A Predator's Portrait_, saw the band focusing more on those choruses, while the overall result was rather close to some of In Flames' latest effort _Clayman_. On _A Predator's Portrait_ and its predecessor _The Chainheart Machine_, Soilwork had departed from the more straightforward Swedish death origins of their debut _Steelbath Suicide_ without compromising the balance of aggression and catchiness. On _Natural Born Chaos_, however, they have broken that balance. The choruses sound poppy and more accessible than before, often catchy in a similarly irritating way to a commercial jingle; and what used to be the more aggressive and dynamic parts are now watered down, slower, less dynamic and more "rocking". The lyrics are mostly uninspired, which becomes very noticeable during the choruses, depriving the album of any emotional qualities. The result is an album that unfortunately comes across as bland and uninteresting in the light of what the band has done before. Here's hoping they'll do better next time around, because they -can-. Solekahn - _Suffering Winds_ (Imperial Maze, January 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10) Get past the somewhat uninviting production, and you may well find a rather interesting disc in this obscure release. This is an eight-song EP, with a playing time of under 20 minutes -- including atmospheric intro, interlude and outro (all brief). The songs themselves (as you may have already guessed) are quite short, occasionally even below the two minute mark. Solekahn play mostly fast-paced and dynamic death metal with hints of black and thrash, often carrying a subdued melody that may not be initially apparent behind the intense drum barrage reminiscent of Vader. There is a dark atmosphere surrounding their mysterious-sounding music, and the succinctness of the songs and the EP itself works well for the band, again much like what happens with Vader -- I found myself spinning this disc a lot more often than I expected. Furthermore, the dynamics are good, there is a fair degree of variety in the music (especially on the noteworthy "In Dementia"), and the material is consistently enjoyable throughout. Considering this is the French trio's debut release, I will be looking forward to an eventual full-length album. Contact: http://www.solekahn.maxximum.org Song of Melkor et al - _New World Blasphemy_ by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) (Unsung Heroes Records, 2001) _New World Blasphemy_ is a split release between three American black metal bands, namely Song of Melkor, Rampage and Cross Sodomy. Interestingly, they are all one-man bands. (I blame it on Burzum.) Rampage is reviewed elsewhere in this issue, but the other two are largely unknown to me. Song of Melkor (not another band named after some Tolkien gibberish!) open the album with "Prophecy of Abyss" with a slowish song featuring a strange-sounding, almost discordant guitar. The next four tracks venture into more conventional black metal territory. Rampage has eschewed his previous musical flirtations in favour of a harsher, black metal-like sound. The first of two songs, "Black Flames Light my Path to Damnation" is in the style of his cover of Mayhem's "Funeral Fog" off the _Monolith to an Abandoned Past_ album, [CoC #57], while "Ritual Curse" is a slower, more sedate song, more like his previous work. Cross Sodomy's contribution is their demo. (Rampage and Song of Melkor's contributions were recorded for _NWB_.) Their music is largely unremarkable, with the notable exception of the vocals. Unlike most black metal vocals, the words are clearly enunciated and verges on being spoken word, at times bordering perilously close to rap. (Never thought I would ever get the opportunity to use the terms "black metal" and "rap" in the same sentence!) While neither of these bands are likely to blow anyone with any displays of technical skill, their extremely raw and simplistic nature ensures that the unholy trio remain true to the original spirit of black metal and the underground. Contact: UHR, Mark Vignati, 260 Overlook Dr, Covington, GA 30016, USA mailto:uhr@mindspring.com The Atomic Bitchwax - _Spit Blood_ (Meteor City, 2002) by: Quentin Kalis (8.5 out of 10) In short, The Atomic Bitchwax's _Spit Blood_ simply has to be the most mind-blowingly brilliant release so far this year from the genre of stoner / desert / space / whatever-you-want-to-call-it rock. TAB are a band of contradictions, as while they are influenced by and play in a style of music that is long gone, they are totally innovative. The album begins with a cover of the AC/DC classic "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", which is also the most simplistic song on the album, standing out a mile from any of their original material and making one realise the complexity and layers of their music. Nevertheless it's a credible cover and places the emphasis squarely on the fun, rocking aspect of their music. I can foresee one complaint bound to be brought up more than a few times: that there are simply too many instrumentals. With three instrumentals, this is half of the original songs. They are not fillers at all, they are fully-fledged songs, as deserving of notice as the songs with vocals. In fact, they are often considerably better than the songs with vocals. As on their previous releases, which suffered from no shortage of instrumentals, TAB demonstrate that they have sufficient talent and skill to be able to pull it off. Ever since the demise of Kyuss, the throne of stoner rock has been somewhat in dispute. With the release of _Spit Blood_, their third album, TAB are well on their way to claiming that title. And for those that possess a PC, there is an extensive behind-the-scenes documentary. Contact: http://www.meteorcity.com The Crown - _Crowned in Terror_ (Metal Blade, March 2002) by: David Rocher (9 out of 10) Throatmangler supreme Johan Lindstrand's departure from The Crown anno 2001 was tragic news indeed -- no less tragic in fact to me as the announcement of At The Gates' demise consecutive to the release of their milestone _Slaughter of the Soul_ --, but the revelation that followed stating that ex-At The Gates vocalist Tomas Lindberg would be stepping in to endorse vocal duties for Sweden's ultimate death 'n' roll act was somewhat more reassuring. _Crowned in Terror_ was hence etched to be a milestone in The Crown's career; not only was it their first release ever without Lindstrand (strikingly, the only minor line-up change The Crown had ever undergone occurred consecutively to the release of their 1993 demo, _Forever Heaven Gone_), it was also assigned the uncomfortable task of providing a worthy heir to its insane predecessor, _Deathrace King_ [CoC #49]. And unsurprisingly enough, these claims are now greeted with total success -- The Crown have retaliated against all worries and doubts concerning their future with an incredible, seething and steroid-boosted death 'n' roll recording, a savage brute thriving on roaring metallic onslaughts, blasting rhythmic poundings and mind-boggling technicality and velocity. A little more intricate and less "all-out metal carnage" in style than the very raw and adrenaline-oozing _Deathrace King_, _Crowned in Terror_ delivers the goods beyond all expectations, in pure The Crown tradition; from the always inspired melodies and catchy rock 'n' roll hymns crafted by Magnus Osfelt and Marko Tervonen to the inconceivable drumming antics provided by drumgod Janne Saarenpaa, the ten tracks (plus introduction) featured on _Crowned in Terror_ only release their crushing grasp on your throat when their composers deem it worthy, as on the super-heavy mid-tempo anthem "World Below". In fact, much as I predicted and feared, the only shadow on this recording are Tompa Lindberg's vocals -- much as his work on At the Gates' releases was beyond words and any form criticism, his screamed and rabid intonations fail to wholly mesh in with the grim and thrilling musical canvas painted by his fellow band members; and this oh-so-disappointing sentiment is only reinforced by Johan Lindstrand's glorious performance on the closing number "Death Metal Holocaust". Metal Blade having however recently disclosed the news that Tomas Lindberg and The Crown have parted ways due to the timeless "personal differences", I can only conclude the review of this flawed, but nonetheless absolutely brilliant by a heartfelt plea: Johan, come back -- Death Metal can't do without you! [Pedro Azevedo: "Had this entire disc been as good as the first couple of tracks following its mediocre intro -- "Crowned in Terror" and "Under the Whip", and The Crown's first output with legendary screamer Tomas Lindberg would truly have been a death metal classic. This is not to say the rest of the album is weak; but only on a couple other tracks does it ever get close to its initial quality again. As usual, I tend to enjoy Marko Tervonen's songs more than Magnus Osfelt's, even though the mixing of guitarist Tervonen's and bassist Osfelt's slightly contrasting songwriting styles continues to work well for the band. Still, although in their last couple of albums Osfelt had also been doing very well indeed, this time it's his part of the album that tended to let me down slightly. Nevertheless, this is yet another potent release from a superb band whose debut and last three discs are all ranked high among my death metal favourites."] The Ribeye Brothers - _If I Had a Horse..._ (Meteor City, 2002) by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10) This must surely rank as one of the few CDs, if not the not the only CD reviewed within these virtual pages to feature the use of a banjo! The Ribeye Brothers are a duo consisting of Monster Magnet drummer Jon Kleiman and Monster Magnet alumnus Tim Cronin. Contrary to expectation, this is not some sort of stoned, psychedelic space rock, but rather an exploration of musical horizons which wouldn't have been possible under the aegis of Monster Magnet. Said musical horizons are a Cramps-sounding thugabilly style. Of course no Monster Magnet side-project would be complete without a strong dosage of some retro element; this element is provided here in the form of the early synth sounds of a moog, evoking the likes of '70s icons The Doors. Lyrically, a large number of songs concern drinking, while others seemingly deal with the results of overindulgence. Unlike the other Monster Magnet side project, The Atomic Bitchwax [see review above], it seems improbable that this collaboration is intended as a long-term project and the world is unlikely to see any more of The Ribeye Brothers. Whilst recent Monster Magnet output lacks the quality of their earlier releases and I would not be particularly upset by their eventual demise, this album in conjunction with anything by The Atomic Bitchwax adds force to the claim that it would be a sad day should the various members of Monster Magnet (and alumni) decide to withdraw from the music industry altogether. Contact: http://www.meteorcity.com Theory in Practice - _Colonizing the Sun_ by: David Rocher (9 out of 10) (Listenable Records, March 2002) As the biography states, "Theory in Practice has to be heard to be believed" -- a statement which falls nothing short of the truth, for this Swedish quartet are, and without exaggeration, as unique as they are awe-inspiring. With only three full-length releases on their slates, Theory in Practice have crafted their own unique and bewildering style of extreme metal, a hybrid thriving on compelling melody, seemingly limitless inspiration and unbridled technicality. Much more intricate and less blatantly Atheist-influenced than their Pulverized debut _Third Eye Function_, _Colonizing the Sun_ is a colossal entity of awe-inspiring progressive, heavy, technical death metal, featuring more hooks, time changes, mystifying leads and unbelievable arrangements than most bands will ever succeed in churning out in the space of a decade. In fact, putting the essence of _Colonizing the Sun_ in words is as close to impossible as the title itself; cleverly eluding any possible musical classification, yet directed and congruent enough to be ear-catching at a first listen, Theory in Practice's third release is an epic, puzzling, intricate yet furiously musical experience that will leave any self-respecting metalhead with a taste for the unusual speechless and bewitched; in the guise of this inconceivable meisterwerk of melodic death metal may in fact lurk a future referential milestone; an expanded, evolved and grandiose _Unquestionable Presence_ for the new millennium -- and if you have trouble believing it, then taste it to be subdued. Third Voice - _Moments Like These_ (, 2002) by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10) Talk about a dynamic duo, and I ain't referring to Batman and Robin, folks! The duo of Jeff Kearney (vocals) and Jason Pirone (every other instrument) who make up Third Voice are quite the combination: soaring, heartfelt vocals matched with tight musicianship. The progressive rock ways of the band are done with such conviction and intensity, though leaving room for the music to expand and radiate an emotional aura at times. Some of the arrangements found on _Moments Like These_ are truly mesmerizing. I can't imagine the hard work that must have gone into this release, as it isn't often that you find a duo taking on so much work to assemble an album (Pirone also produced the album -- what doesn't he do?). The album rarely falters, and tracks like the title track, "Simple Man" and "Take Me Back" are superbly executed. Third Voice are one of the few progressive independent acts out there that are doing their own thing when everyone else is ripping off Dream Theater or Fates Warning. Contact: http://www.thirdvoicemusic.com Thirteen - _Magnifico Nova_ (XIII Bis, May 2002) by: David Rocher (7 out of 10) The brainchild of one lonesome Icelandic rocker, Hallur Ingolfsson, Thirteen is a strange project, as intriguing as it is difficult to fathom. Recorded at Rocklab studios and throughout "various junkyards, construction sites & metalworks in Reykjavik", the cryptic _Magnifico Nova_ actually only teeters on the brink of the metal world, sounding like an industrial-tinged, strangely deluded, cold Soundgarden or Pearl Jam-influenced collection of rock tracks. Although providing an accurate description and suitable references to _Magnifico Nova_ does seemingly fall beyond my reach, the brooding, surprisingly heavy and alluringly eccentric rock cleverly crafted by Ingolfsson provides a musical journey which is as soothing and accessible as it is intricate and captivating, given the right time and attention. Fundamentalists addicted to all-out musical brutality will find nothing here to whet their appetite, and can safely forego this release; however, the more tolerant of you who wish devote a bruised and bleeding ear to less aggressive, soothing tones resounding on the borderline of the metal confines should consider listening to this unexpected, strangely non-mainstream experience. This Midnight Stream - _Cinematic_ (Sound Vortex, 2002) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) The Midnight Sun's _Cinematic_ album is one of the strangest CDs I have come in contact with in the last little at Chronicles of Chaos, kind of like a mix between The Gathering, Enya and Tom Waits or Lou Reed. I kid you not. The album, which as you'd probably already figured out by now incorporates a lot of female vocals and keyboard/electronic work, thrusts upon us a dazzling atmospheric vibe as it carries on. Fans of newer-era The Gathering, underrated act The Dreamside and others of the ilk might be into checking this band out, as the echoing swirls of electronic bliss are tantalizing. Nice to see an album like this reviewed in CoC, as it is far from blazing death metal, but interesting enough for us metalheads to take a chance on it and explore what else out there is extreme and possibly groundbreaking. Check out the spiritual flow of "The Way Inside", the bizarre opener "Fallen Angel" and the beautiful "Esther". Lots to choose from here, so take a chance... Contact: http://www.soundvortexrecording.com Unpure - _Trinity in Black_ (Drakkar Productions, August 2001) by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10) Unpure are a Swedish trio who are obviously huge Celtic Frost fans, as the Swiss masters' influence permeates every aspect of this album, with some riffs sounding as if they were lifted straight from the _To Mega Therion_ recording sessions. That said, Unpure are by no means a glorified second rate Celtic Frost tribute band. Far from it. The Celtic Frost influences are contained well within the perimeters of their own sound, manifesting mainly in the rhythmic riffing that acts as the bedrock for each song. Thrash elements are also present, but it must be said that this is not the retro thrash currently peddled by the likes of Bewitched. The thrash influences, combined with the Celtic Frost influences, suggest a band that is firmly rooted in the past, but _Trinity in Black_ is a surprisingly modern-sounding record. Their mixture of the old and the new suggests a band in tune with its influences and roots yet not afraid to advance the music that they have come to love. One day they may very well join the exalted ranks of fellow Swedes At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity as purveyors of quality music. They're pretty close. Void of Silence - _Criteria ov 666_ (Code666, February 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10) Variety is usually seen as a good thing in most genres; but in doom metal, I would much rather have consistency than a wide spectrum of feelings in the music. Void of Silence fortunately belong to the more consistent side of doom metal, and _Criteria ov 666_ profits immensely from that. This isn't to say that the music itself is monotonous and repetitive: there is certainly enough variety in the musical approach to communicating their feelings to keep the listener interested, but it is -what- they try to express that remains very much a constant throughout (with one possible exception towards the end). As indicated by the mood-setting artwork, the music of VoS is very much in the Evoken and Unholy league of bleakness and miserability. There is, however, considerable difference in their musical approach: instead of doom/death, they mix a backdrop of apocalyptic atmospheric elements with a varying combination of doom metal with blackened shrieks (courtesy of Aborym's Malfeitor Fabban), sombre chants and various other samples and elements. Amidst all the bleakness, VoS occasionally throw in some nicely crafted and appropriate melodies or frail vocals, masking things in a sound that doesn't come across as obvious and simplistic. Musically quite interesting, yet consistently negative and apocalyptic, with _Criteria ov 666_ Void of Silence have created one of the stand-out doom metal albums of recent years. Contact: http://www.code666.net Vomitory - _Blood Rapture_ (Metal Blade, February 2002) by: David Rocher (9 out of 10) The great kingdom of Sweden, internationally renowned for Scandinavian trademark death metal, Saab Viggen fighters, Volvo automobiles and, very soon, Vomitory musical steamhammers -- for there is no better way to describe the blasting, monolithic slab of grinding oblivion which comes in the guise of Vomitory's fourth release. More cohesive and directed than ever they were before, Vomitory have tapped upon a miraculous metallic vein of crushing heaviness, merciless brutality and grinding speed. Short and sharp, _Blood Rapture_ is an avatar indeed of the true unearthly power death metal is renowned for -- devastating, adrenaline-laced heaviness, a massive, brutally raucous sound (arguably the most crushing vibes ever to emanate from the famed Berno studios), song structures that pulverise anything in their path and unearthly vocals fuse to create a hybrid lurking amidst the shadows cast by vintage Bolt Thrower, Carcass and Napalm Death -- hungry yet? I am humbly grateful to Vomitory for setting the clocks back the sincere, unpretentious yet devastating way _Blood Rapture_ sees them peruse; revel in the bestial frenzy that emanates from their fourth release, and acknowledge the fact that Vomitory leave most tentatively "heavy", supposedly "aggressive" and allegedly "fucked up" bands (not that I'm hinting at any of Ross Robinson's offspring, of course) looking just as potent and menacing as an aerophagic platypus. [Pedro Azevedo: "From some bands you just know what to expect, and from Vomitory it is Bolt Thrower meets old Swedish death metal. _Blood Rapture_ is no exception to that rule, and it is another thoroughly competent effort from the band. However, they do not seem to have made any progress in terms of creating the ultimate old-school death metal album with _Blood Rapture_ -- for some reason, I actually enjoyed their previous disc _Revelation Nausea_ marginally better. The vocals are still rather monotonous, but apart from that Vomitory have achieved an undeniably strong formula and seem likely to stick with it for a long time to come."] Zimmershole - _Legion of Flames_ (Virusworx, 2002) by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10) A side project with a strong Strapping Young Lad presence (both the guitarist and the bass player are from SYL), Zimmershole is essentially a group of musicians intent on having fun with their music rather than focusing on anything else. They clearly state that you may hear riffs that will sound familiar, as some of the record seems to be a hybrid of originals and covers -- you'll hear a bit of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" midway through a song, for instance. Zimmershole make it clear that _Legion of Flames_ is about paying tribute to their old metal heroes, and in the process creating an unpretentious album that others with similar taste might enjoy. There's quite a bit of a SYL influence in the rather potent sound, but the style itself changes from track to track, depending on which band Zimmershole are harvesting influence from. This results in some good, rocking tracks and some exceedingly annoying ones ("Anaconda", for instance). Despite being a "fun" band, the production and quality of playing is very professional. Basically, the bigger a fan you are of old heavy metal and hard rock -- Judas Priest, Metallica, etc., etc. --, the more likely you will be to headbang along with Zimmershole. Those who do not have much interest in those eras of heavy metal or may not be into the self-indulgent party atmosphere that pervades the disc need not bother with this one. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ __ _ /\ \ \_____ __ /\ \ \___ (_)___ ___ / \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \ / /\ / __/\ 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 Atropos - _Creature Chthonienne_ (5-track demo) by: David Rocher (****-) Atropos' second release, consecutive to their intriguing demo tape _La Fileuse de Mort_, is an intricate "progressive extreme heavy metal" deity, in which the black metal influences the French quintet displayed on their first production now only shine through in the guise of Gerald's seething blackened vocals and the occasional blasting segues interspersed throughout Atropos' eight-minute plus compositions. To clarify the obfuscous "progressive extreme heavy metal" denomination, is should suffice for me to mention that two essential references boldly spring to mind when listening to _Creature Chthonienne_: Iron Maiden's _Seventh Son of a Seventh Son_ -- for its intricate, melodic technicality and highly imaginative drum work -- and Edge of Sanity's _Crimson_, for its intense rhythmic structures and aggressive vocals. Featuring three lengthy epic, progressive and extreme metal soundscapes, a pleasant yet somewhat dispensable "classic" (i.e. keyboard only) track plus a live rendition of the first track on this MCD, _Creature Chthonienne_ literally teems with excellent ideas and flowing creativity, offering countless heavy riffs and melodic rhythmic lines, all backed up by a powerful, sharp and well-balanced production; the only mildly disturbing point is in fact Gerald's black metal vocals, which take a while to get used to, owing to the contrast they provide with Atropos' music. Although these turn out to be quite enjoyable once you get used to them, I believe that Atropos could successfully introduce a little more variety (a la Opeth or Edge of Sanity, precisely) in the vocal area, and thus add captivating new dimensions and atmospheres to their future material. These are promising auspices indeed. Contact: Atropos c/o Geral Milani, 34 La Roque Courbiere, 13680 Lançon, France mailto:atropos13@caramail.com Conquest of Steel - _Priests of Metal_ (4-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (*----) If you look at the title of this demo, you will probably retrieve most of the information you require about the style Conquest of Steel play: old style heavy metal a la Manowar. Take away all strength from the guitar and drum department, and add an average vocalist who lacks charisma and any ability to write lyrics, and you'll have a reasonable idea of what this demo is like. The guitarists give it a fair shot at trying to come up with some good lines as the band tries to conjure up some memorable choruses, but overall the results are desperately weak. Then we also have the expectable trite lyrics (gems such as "I was born to rock / You were born to too / We were born to rock / We'll rock with you") to complete the picture. Individually, the band members have some good qualities, but as a band Conquest of Steel have a very long way to go before they can become anything like an alternative to their idols, let alone have an identity of their own. Contact: http://www.conquestofsteel.co.uk Demonification - _A Thousand Sadness '00_ (3-track demo) Demonification - _For The People '01_ (2-track demo) by: Alvin Wee (***--) There's been a distinct lack of quality in the old-school thrash scene here in Singapore, with even old-timers like Abattory failing to deliver the goods. It's nice to see bands other than Impiety bringing a touch of classic thrash to their brand of extreme metal, and convincingly at that. Relative neophytes Demonification exceed expectations, spewing forth three tracks of pretty solid -- if somewhat unpolished -- death/thrash. The mostly mid-paced guitar-work is convincing enough, and, while never quite attaining the neck-breaking levels of Swordmaster or Ritual Carnage, manages to wring a few headbanging moments out of this jaded reviewer. Strangely enough, the latter material fails to impress as much as the first tape; much of the disappointment might lie with the disastrous vocals which -almost- manage to wreck the entire proceedings. Annoying yowls aside, the band pull off an even thrashier and more energetic piece of work than on the first demo, showing their potential for producing some pretty killer stuff in the future. It's important the band doesn't lose direction while searching for an original sound, and things don't look too bad at this stage given that the infamous Drakkar label will be releasing their upcoming cassette-EP. All these boys need is a smidgen of maturity and a touch more thought put into their songwriting process and they could be on to greater things. Contact: Blk 115, Potong Pasir Ave. 1, #02-894, S(350115), Singapore mailto:infernalpsychofaisall@hotmail.com Holochaust - _Holochaust_ (4-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (***--) Listening to the first couple of tracks after the intro, I have to wonder: are Holochaust trying to become a Metallica cover band of sorts? Since their _Valley of Misery_ demo [CoC #55], they only seem to have become closer to Metallica and some of the covers the Americans themselves play (or used to), judging by these two tracks. The demo then ends with a doomy ballad. Holochaust again prove to be a technically skilled band, capable of delivering a solid demo with a couple of rocking tracks and a well executed ballad, but they have simply failed to gain any more individuality that can set them apart from the rest. Hopefully that will change in the future, because Holochaust do have some potential. Contact: http://www.go.to/holochaust/ Lost - _Lost_ (11-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (*----) Talk about a band that is, well, lost. The music of this trio from St. Louis, Missouri is about six years too late -- really. Sounding like an older-era version of Korn, this trio does nothing new or exciting with their aggressive music except rip off Korn. Can't this band at least keep up with the musical trends of today? Where are the Slipknot or In Flames influences? Geesh... Sure Lost offers up a bit more intense vocals at times (but for the most part the softly sung vocals suck ass) and the mood of the album shifts from song to song, but does that make it any better given the fact that they are a clone type band? Nope. I think it would have been a lot easier to just write "Korn ripoff" at the beginning of this review, but sometimes I like to punish myself. Contact: Matt Westermayer, 917 Wilmington Ave., St. Louis, MO 63111, USA Lost Soul's Cry - _Age of Forthcoming Chaos_ (5-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (****-) First and foremost, this one-man project from Holland is in dire need of finding some decent artwork for future releases. Anyway, the music is fast, keyboard-led blackened metal with synthetic drums, interspersed with slower, doomier sections. Frank Klein Douwel manages to single-handedly create some varied and competently performed music on this demo, and he certainly deserves credit for that. The music is not mindblowingly great, but it is quite good for a demo and shows a lot of work. Due to the use of a drum machine, the sound is sometimes a bit contrived rhythmically, and with time Douwel should improve his artificial drumming to get around that. A rather good, dynamic and varied demo; it is flawed in places, but as a demo it is still a fine one-man effort that shows some good potential. Contact: Postelstraat 5A, 5211 DW's-Hertogenbosch, Holland mailto:lostsoulscry@dolfijn.nl Maple Cross - _Promo 1/02_ (3-track promo) by: Pedro Azevedo (***--) Originally formed in 1985(!) and with seven(!!) demos and a full-length CD in their bag, Maple Cross eventually split up in 1995, after having played more than 200 live shows, according to the band. Having now reformed, Maple Cross are back with eight new tracks, three of which made their way onto this demo CD. I have no idea what Maple Cross used to sound like, but that's probably not much of an issue anyway: this reformation features only the original vocalist, or should I say, screamer and part-time singer. Somewhere between hard rock and heavy metal, Maple Cross alternate between chunky riffs and melodic choruses in an unfailingly predictable way throughout the opening track, then go into a faster and less memorable style for the last couple of songs. They are quite adept at both styles, but don't seem to come up with anything especially remarkable in the long run. The shrill vocals certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea, but instrumentally the band fares quite well. A decent effort overall, but nothing special. Contact: mailto:maplecross@surfeu.fi Secret South - _Pieces of Faith_ (4-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (**---) From Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) comes this demo CD, and you will occasionally find traces of ethnic influences in a couple of places during _Pieces of Faith_. The music of Secret South is somewhere between metal and hardcore, though the occasional chants and other ethnic touches give it some more individuality. Technically things are on the average side for a demo, and the same goes for the production. The vocals, however, could have been better: although they aren't terrible, they lack some more expression and power. The songs themselves are neither bad nor very engaging. Secret South manage some competent chunky riffs, but nothing remarkable or very original. An average demo from a band that still needs to continue looking for an identity more their own while they hone their songwriting skills. Contact: Gordan Stojic, Petra Kresimira IV. br. 3, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina mailto:gojstoj@cob.net.ba Slavia - _Gloria in Excelcis Sathan_ (5-track demo) by: Quentin Kalis (****-) Originally recorded in 2000 -- and presumably initially released later in 2000 as well -- Drakkar Productions have now made Slavia's demo available in a limited number of 666 hand-numbered copies since last September. Slavia are a Norwegian band performing harsh sounding black metal with a few scattered atmospheric touches. For some reason unknown to me, what is apparently, to the best of my knowledge, the Russian national anthem is tacked on to the end of one of the songs. Also somewhat inexplicable is the band name, which is unusual considering the near fascistic hyper nationalism that infuses much of black metal. For a demo, this is relatively well produced, though the guitars do sound a bit thin. But what should have been a flaw is transformed into an asset, as the very hollowness of the sound adds a slight melancholic edge to the music, which might very well have been lost had the demo been subject to better production. The lack of information regarding Slavia is somewhat irritating -- I have no idea as to whether they are even still around! But if they are still active, then Drakkar Productions can do far worse then to have Slavia on their roster. Contact: http://www.multimania.com/drakkar666 The Prophecy - _To End All Hope_ (4-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (****-) In a nutshell, The Prophecy aim to create doom metal which can be slow and mournful but also suddenly burst into raging speed or anything in between. They describe their sound as "characteristically English" and based upon "the early nineties doom/death wave", which is reasonably accurate but only becomes apparent with the second track. During this demo CD, the band finds time to include an atmospheric piano passage, acoustic guitar flourishes and some nice violin work, but the variety of their doom metal lies in the various types of riffs, vocals and pace they utilise. This can easily lead to a doom metal record full of annoying upbeat passages, but when done right it can also be extremely good -- an outburst of speed or an especially crushing mid-paced riff could very well reach its maximum effect when following a dirgeful sequence. The Prophecy seem to be on the right path to achieving this, although for the time being not everything they do fits perfectly with the rest. Still, for the most part they are getting it right already, and as soon as they develop their ideas into something more consistently remarkable, they will be on their way to creating a very interesting disc indeed. I shall be looking forward to hearing from these English doomsters again. Contact: http://www.local-family-butcherers.co.uk Urshurark - _Architecture of Perfect Damnation_ (8-track demo) by: David Rocher (****-) Urshurark's first full-length demo CD is an ambitious piece of work (seven tracks plus an intro), that clocks in at no less than a proud 52 minutes. Delving into influences ranging from straightforward aggressive thrash or melodic death metal riffs to symphonic black metal atmospheres in the vein of present-day Dimmu Borgir, this young Italian quartet possess quite a distinctive touch; their lengthy, structurally elaborate tracks, wisely shifting from blasting displays of breakneck speed to quieter, more subdued atmospheric movements hit home with surprising accuracy, considering the length and superior intricacy they display. Although this recording is afflicted by a number of flaws -- an unbalanced production featuring peculiar drums and excessively loud keyboards being the most prominent of these --, for a first self-produced release, _Architecture of Perfect Damnation_ turns out to be an unexpectedly efficient symbiosis of aggression, ambience, melody and technicality. Agreed, some tracks indeed do lose a share of their efficiency and power to their excessive length and a number of less-inspired segues, and the weird over-triggered production does waste a lot of the potential power this release could have held; on the other hand though, imagining the excellent first two tracks, "Hallucinated Messiah" and "Excellent Art of Cruelty", with a production only half as stellar as that of _Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia_ is an agreeable thought indeed. Given the appropriate financial means and support from a label, Urshurark could in time become a blackened metal force to be reckoned with; concentrating on recording a smaller number of structurally streamlined songs for a second self-produced release might just be the spark that will set this very promising Italian act on the same trails followed by leading extreme metal acts in the scene today -- in the meantime though, I can only pray that the Metal underground will give Urshurark a truly well-deserved chance. Contact: http://www.urshurark.too.it =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ____ __ __ /\ _`\ /\ \ /\ \__ __ \ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___ \ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\ \ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/ \ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/ ____ __ /\ _`\ /\ \__ \ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____ \ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\ \ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\ \ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/ \/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= C A T H A R S I S I N D O O M ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Dying Bride and Mysterium at the Hard Club, Gaia, Portugal, on April 20th 2002 by: Pedro Azevedo Having received My Dying Bride's brand new live disc _The Voice of the Wretched_ the previous day [see review in this issue], I simply couldn't wait to witness my favourite band live for the first time. Said live album was already superb on its own, but MDB's latest opus _The Dreadful Hours_ [CoC #55] (best album of 2001 in my books) was yet to be added to its setlist. My Dying Bride would not disappoint tonight. Quite simply, they delivered the best gig of my life -- past, present and most likely future, I dare say. Within a packed Hard Club, I believe many of those in attendance found catharsis in doom tonight. First, however, the local band routine had to be fulfilled. Mysterium were the chosen ones, and they performed a decent yet hardly groundbreaking kind of melodic death metal. Their single guitar compositions were enhanced by keyboards and female vocals, and after a less than promising start they could have ended on a high with the song they dedicated to My Dying Bride; instead they played one more song, completing a passable performance. After a funereal church organ intro, My Dying Bride appeared on stage. New guitarist Hamish Glencross immediately stood out, with his massive frame and what can only be described as a Grim Reaper outfit. The new (temporary?) female keyboardist who was replacing Yasmin Ahmid probably caught plenty of eyes as well, but not many ears during the show: her performance was sparse and mostly subdued, except for a couple of songs. Still, center stage and spotlight were all on the band's charismatic singer: Aaron Stainthorpe, misery personified on stage. But whilst he looked more wretched than The Crow clawing out of his grave, his performance was nothing short of amazing in its dynamics. The way his attitude and musical persona changed with his voice from mournful to darkly romantic and into demonic wrath was simply amazing throughout the show. As soon as the intro stopped, the band opened with "My Hope, the Destroyer" off their new album. Aaron's clean vocals proved to be in top form, but it was midway through the track that his -huge- growls filled the room for the first time, leaving the audience in awe. The excellent "The Raven and the Rose" followed, again from their new album _The Dreadful Hours_. The powerful opening riff and the mid-section crescendo and blastbeat more than confirmed that My Dying Bride were determined to force all those who accused them of cowardly going back to their musical roots to swallow their words with each pounding of the drums, strumming of the chords and outpouring of superb vocals. "Under Your Wings and Into Your Arms" from _34.788%_ followed, a faster track that suffered somewhat from a less than perfect drum sound, which fortunately did not affect any other songs. This track served as just a brief respite before what was to come next, as the intensity then soared. The mighty "Turn Loose the Swans" ensued, and what a rendition it was. Aaron seemed to literally grow on stage during the harsher sections, somehow producing those massive growls from within the same frame that moments later would reduce itself to a wretch and utter sombre laments, as the song's crushing first section gave way to the heartbreaking finale. "A Cruel Taste of Winter" off the new album came next, with its superb mid-section where Aaron again excelled. The sublime "The Snow in my Hand" took us back to _Turn Loose the Swans_ again, followed by the magical "The Cry of Mankind" (_The Angel and the Dark River_) and "A Kiss to Remember" (_Like Gods of the Sun_). These were the only two tracks where the keyboards were really felt, but I have to say the thought of a violin hardly ever crossed my mind during the show, such was the level of the guitar playing. The audience had been absolutely enraptured for a long time now, and the instrumental mid-section of "The Cry of Mankind" was spontaneously sung along by the crowd. The band's interaction with the crowd was minimal: just the announcement of song titles. Aaron's dramatic performance seemed all turned into himself, for his own sake and from his own feelings, rather than performed as a show for the audience. The searing, demonic snarls on "She Is the Dark" again peaked the intensity, as each and every song seemed to grow and develop into something mightier and deeper than its respective recorded version. Even though the band recently re-recorded "The Return of the Beautiful" from their debut _As the Flower Withers_ for _The Dreadful Hours_, that was not the track they chose to play next. Instead, they went for something even older -- the first song they ever wrote, as a matter of fact: "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium". If you heard the re-recording of "The Return of the Beautiful", you can probably imagine what MDB have done to "Symphonaire Infernus": augment and expand its sound, increase its contrasts and high points. A truly devastating rendition of this lengthy doom metal classic. After a brief pause, the band returned with the sound of rainfall and beautiful soft guitar: the intro to the title track of _The Dreadful Hours_. One of MDB's most poignant songs, its harsher sections were at their blackest and the mournful ending at its most heartbreaking, Aaron's mournful vocals again the highlight. Nonetheless, my frequent mentioning of MDB's vocalist should not be mistaken for an indication that the rest of the band was any less brilliant: with the exception of the unremarkable keyboardist, all four other band members' performances were superb. My Dying Bride finished their set with the successor to "The Forever People", "The Fever Sea": a fast-paced, driving conclusion to a truly exhilarating performance. And then, after My Dying Bride's departure, someone played Katatonia's _Dance of December Souls_ -- an album with huge personal meaning for me -- from beginning to end on the Hard Club's sound system. The catharsis was complete. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E N I G H T A F T E R T H E N I G H T B E F O R E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Immortal, Hypocrisy and Holocausto Canibal at the Hard Club, Gaia, Portugal, on April 21st 2002 by: Pedro Azevedo On the aftermath of the previous night's awe-inspiring My Dying Bride gig [see above], I dragged my knackered self back to the Hard Club for a promising double-headliner featuring Immortal and Hypocrisy. The news that support band Warhammer had cancelled did not distress me in the least: I had never heard of them before, and in fact I'd rather skip the support bands altogether and move on to Hypocrisy immediately. Tough luck, though: local death/grind outfit Holocausto Canibal not only did play, they played for over half an hour and started two hours late. A massive crowd gathered and waited outside, watched the tour bus arrive and was finally allowed inside the venue, which looked very close to capacity. With the release of their second full-length imminent, Holocausto Canibal blasted through their set with considerable aggression but also a great lack of variation, originality and interesting songwriting. They did prove to have matured considerably since I first saw them a few years ago -- which was the least one could expect, considering the mediocrity of that early performance --, but they don't seem to be going anywhere particularly interesting with their rather generic gore-obsessed death metal. Perhaps the new record will be more revealing of the qualities they may have. The 45 minute break that ensued was a pain to endure, to say the least, but seeing Hypocrisy live for the first time should more than make up for the effort. It -should- have, but alas it did not. It annoys me to the point of feeling like thrusting my copy of _Hypocrisy Destroys Wacken_ into orbit (or at least giving it a good try), but Tagtgren and his men (including what I assume to be a touring second guitarist) failed to live up to the expectations said live disc had created in me. This is not the band's fault for the most part, however, but rather the sound engineer's. Hypocrisy's sound never seemed right, mainly because the bass guitar was so loud in the mix that it hampered both guitars with its distortion and it all came out too strident and blurred. Hypocrisy without a significant part of the guitar detail only works for the older, simpler songs. At this stage I hadn't yet heard a single track off their new _Catch 22_ album; the new tracks they played seemed very rhythm-based, chunky riffs replacing their more involved guitar work. Having said that, Hypocrisy still have a highly impressive repertoire and Tagtgren was an energetic frontman throughout, so in spite of the sound difficulties and a rather debatable setlist, they still managed to produce an entertaining set -- just not as memorable as I expected. Hypocrisy opened with "Fractured Millennium" off their eponymous album, which suffered considerably from the poor sound quality, followed by new tracks "Don't Judge Me" and "A Public Puppet". Crowd favourite "Apocalypse" (the opening track from _The Fourth Dimension_) was next, followed by "Fire in the Sky" from _Into the Abyss_. The band then tore into "Penetralia", "Until the End" (from _Hypocrisy_), "Pleasure of Molestation", "Osculum Obscenum" and "Destroyed". They wrapped up their set with the classic "Roswell 47" (from _Abducted_) and the emotional title track from _The Final Chapter_, both of which again could have been far more memorable under different sound circumstances. I expected a lengthy old intro before Immortal stared playing, but they certainly surprised me there: out of the dark and silent stage suddenly came the sound of powerful drums, followed by thundering guitar and bass as the lights came on and Immortal walked onto the stage, tearing into "Triumph" (_Damned in Black_). The sound worked much better for Immortal than for Hypocrisy: powerful yet clear enough. The trio's stage presence is rather befuddling at first, as one realizes these strange creatures actually live and move around like regular people. Immortal's make-up and poses on paper have never failed to amuse me, yet live they carry an entirely different aura. Furthermore, their music speaks for itself. As they moved onto _Damned in Black_'s title track and the powerful _Sons of Northern Darkness_ opener "One by One", it became clear that the live Immortal are a force to be reckoned with. Abbath's snarls were somewhat repetitive, as usual, but his guitar playing was impressive -- especially considering he was the only guitar player on stage and had to handle the vocals as well. Potent bass guitar complemented a sound driven forth by Horgh's intense percussion. "Solarfall" off _At the Heart of Winter_ was next, followed by a _Sons of Northern Darkness_ double: the title track and "Tyrants". Very impressive. Back to _At the Heart of Winter_ then with its fine opener "Withstand the Fall of Time", and then _Sons of Northern Darkness_ again with its closing track "Beyond the North Waves", a somewhat slower but equally intense number. Amidst some decent but not particularly amazing fire-breathing courtesy of Abbath, Immortal finished their set with two crowd favourites from _Battles in the North_: its blazing title track and the epic closer "Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)". A thoroughly satisfying performance that managed to make up for Hypocrisy's sadly sound-hampered display. All in all, the gig proved to be a worthy conclusion to the weekend, although one that made me arrive home at 4am on a Sunday -- and yes, I did have to somehow trudge along to work that morning... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= N O R T H E R N D A R K N E S S D E S C E N D S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Immortal & Hypocrisy Mean Fiddler (formerly London Astoria 2), London, 10th of April, 2002 by: Paul Schwarz It seems that many punters arrived early to catch openers Warhammer -- Germany's dim reflection of, rather than answer -to-, Hellhammer -- because when Hypocrisy initiate their set with head-down, melodic-chorused thrasher "Don't Judge Me" -- the opening cut on their recently released eighth album, the musical embodiment of Peter Tagtgren's cathartic backlash against the forces that sought to make him, his -name-, a commodity, _Catch 22_ -- a well-stocked mosh-pit is there to welcome them. Hypocrisy are on fine form. Though obviously enjoying their first visit to UK shores, the Swedes aren't slacking off. They give it all they've got -- and though occasionally they come across a little workmanlike, Hypocrisy acquit themselves amply, proving that their semi-charmed status in Europe hasn't made them soft. The somewhat indulgent Hypocrisy who frustrated me at 1999's March Metal Metldown [CoC #40] are nowhere to be found; though, naturally, the likes of "Penetralia" and "Pleasure of Molestation" invigorate me more than "Apocalypse" or anything off 1999's dry, almost ironic, _Hypocrisy_ [CoC #41] ever could, Hypocrisy don't let their guard down. They give it to us straight -- and with mosh-friendly stormers like "Destroyed" in their live sets, Hypocrisy may well win a few new friends. But the old-guard need not worry: the delivery of devil-worship-driven old favourites like "Impotent God" was every bit as devastating as that of _Abducted_ well-known "Roswell 47", if not more so. Even with an eight-album back-catalogue to account for, and a mere forty minutes to perform, Hypocrisy manage to play a well-balanced yet cleanly-focussed show. That alone is impressive. Here's hoping they're back for a more extensive (tonight's package has but one more date, the tour's -second-, in the UK) headlining tour before the year is out. It is pleasing to see that, even after ten years, Immortal haven't stopped appearing live, and on album covers, in corpsepaint. Not because "black metallers should wear corpsepaint"; because -Immortal- should. It suits them; they suit it. Especially now. _At the Heart of Winter_ [CoC #39] partially reinvented Immortal. There was a feeling of "rock"; before _AtHoW_, Immortal had felt wholeheartedly, unflinchingly black metal -- well, death metal on _Blizzard Beasts_ [CoC #19], but that's an Immortal album best forgotten. Immortal still weren't flinching from black metal -- -those- photos, those ridiculous, marvellous photos of Abbath and Horgh which accompanied _AtHoW_ more than confirmed any suspicions to the contrary -- but unintentionally -- though not shamefully, in my view -- the Norwegians had become a visual parody of themselves which displaced their ties to the over-serious, "true" black metal crowd and simultaneously reaffirmed why corpsepaint works "seriously" for Immortal. I don't really understand it myself, but it's a fact as far as I'm concerned. In the end it's neither here nor there, really: Immortal's music has always remained steadfastly serious. Unfortunately, 2000's _Damned in Black_ [CoC #47] was seriously lacking; thankfully, _Sons of Northern Darkness_ has just made up for it -- no, scratch that, _SoND_ has just -eradicated- it, erasing Immortal from my bad books in the process. A pity, then, that Immortal choose to open with two _DiB_ numbers -- though it does mean that the worst part of tonight's performance is over and done with early. "One by One" leads the real charge into tonight's battle (from the north), Immortal affirming in deed what they claim in word: to be the "Sons of Northern Darkness". Immortal today are a punishingly powerful three-piece who've mixed a black metal mainline -- their central musical blood-vein -- with more established rock songwriting styles. The corpsepaint is part of Immortal the way the make-up was part of KISS or the biking leathers were part of 'Priest: a defining part of them. It's not as confrontational in its campness; that wouldn't swing with Immortal's audience any more than it would swing with Immortal. If there's camp here, it's under the surface -- not forthrightly a part of the band who take to the Mean Fiddler stage, and set it aflame. Heavy metal is most definitely Immortal's way. Drummer Horgh pounds his kit precisely, decorating brutal compositions with stunning breaks and, on stage, adds just the dash of showmanship needed to spice things up without letting ego get in the way of performance. It's as Abbath wrings the last signs of distorted life from his guitar to usher in "Blashyrk (Mighty Ravendark)"'s final sections (that acoustic-infused calm before the storm of the song's full-fury finish) that the pure, -possessed- emotion of Immortal's performance finally hits home. Sure, they finished a few songs with rock 'n' roll-style endings and Abbath paused on many occasions to exploit the crowd's ecstatic appreciation; but it was all in the name of making a great -performance-, into a great -gig-. Immortal didn't pose -- they didn't walk onstage with the ridiculous weapons they brandish on the cover of _SoND_, for example -- but they did accept and exploit, in the -right- way, their position of power. Even though they chose to include not a single song from _Pure Holocaust_, I wasn't disappointed by Immortal's performance -- which got the Mean Fiddler rocking like I've rarely seen it, even without the aid of recently-departed bassist Iscariah. Coming from someone who ranks _Pure Holocaust_ among their favourite black metal records, that really is saying a lot. Don't ignore Immortal for the wrong reasons: they are one of the few truly great contemporary metal bands on their way -up-, and with a US tour with Manowar currently scheduled for later this year, who knows what height they might reach? I'll be watching -- not to mention -listening- -- with interest. That much is for sure. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= G O O D , E V I L W E E K E N D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Inferno Festival at Rockefeller and John Dee, Oslo, Norway March 29th and 30th 2002 by: Chris Flaaten The Inferno Festival is growing into a tradition now at its second year -- and the third is already being planned as I write. Its mission is to be a showcase for Norwegian metal bands as well as finally bringing a festival to Norway. It has certainly succeeded in both ways. It has experienced some turbulence, though. Last year they had announced most of Norway's bigger metal acts, but later had to admit that they had only asked those bands to perform -- nothing had been confirmed. This year Aura Noir cancelled as a protest against what they -- and many with them -- felt was an unreasonable split of the money. Dimmu Borgir apparently got paid dozens times more than the other bands... I won't say much on this matter, but it seems apparent that lesser known bands have much more to gain career-wise by playing on a festival like this than Dimmu Borgir. Money is not all that matters. Twenty one "underpaid" bands still showed up to play, and they all seemed to enjoy it. Day 1 ~~~~~ On March 29th, good Friday, it kicked off. I missed openers Nocturnal Breed and arrived during Scariot's set. Scariot, an unsigned band from southern Norway, can be described as a very aggressive Nevermore. This is mainly due to the vocalist, who sings quite similarly to Mr Dane. The band delivered a solid performance and I'm looking forward to checking out their debut when they get signed and release it. Next up on the main stage was Carpathian Forest. I noticed they had better sound than the last time I saw them [CoC #43], but since I don't like the band all that much, I decided to find a good spot in front of the John Dee stage instead. Minas Tirith was next! The last time I saw Minas Tirith was actually on the same gig as when I last saw Carpathian Forest. They were both openers for Mayhem when they last visited home. Minas Tirith were in great form and had a crystal clear sound, only lacking a little more punch in the guitars to be perfect. They played a varied setlist, including a new song and some old favorites and obscurities. Great performance. Next up on the main stage was Aeternus, and I was met with a thick wall of distorted guitars when I made my way upstairs again. Their sound absolutely smashed! Amidst the set, the vocalist announced: "There is a serious lack of air up here, but we'll continue at full speed!" And so they did, focusing on their latest album _Ascension of Terror_. Aeternus proved beyond any doubt that death metal is alive and well in Norway. After Aeternus, I decided to skip John Dee for the rest of the night, as it was massively overcrowded. This gave me time and opportunity to find a decent place to watch Behemoth. Nergal and company played through a great setlist, technically superb and at furious speed, but the sound ruined their show. You could recognize the songs fairly easily, but they were stripped of any punch. All treble and no bass makes Behemoth sound dull. Too bad, as they were one of the bands I really looked forward to seeing. They were among the few foreign bands that attended, and it's a shame that they were denied proper sound. As it would turn out, the other foreign "big name", Lock-Up, suffered the same fate. Around 1am, roughly on schedule, it was time for the main attraction: Dimmu Borgir. Dimmu had made a stop fairly recently at the same venue as part of their last tour, so they had announced they would play some older material at Inferno. Many grew skeptical during the first forty-five minutes, as all their songs were relatively new, but after a strategic break Dimmu returned with old favorites like "Nar Alt Lys Har Svunnet Hen" and "Raabjorn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde". Both sound and execution were mediocre, though, so in many people's opinion they failed to live up to their reputation (and paycheck). Norway's biggest channel, NRK, videotaped all the bands who performed on the main stage on Friday. You can download those videos at: http://www.nrk.no/kanal/nrk_petre/ambolt/1738274.html (use ASFRecorder to download). Day 2 ~~~~~ We arrived early at Rockefeller and found ourselves a great place to stand... so great that we never left it, thusly I blatantly ignored the bands at John Dee this day. I later found out that some of the crowd was denied entrance there because it was completely full, so I have no regrets. Source of Tide was first out on the main stage. Led by Lord PZ, a man who's a little too fond of attention, this band actually surprised me in a positive way. Their massive and gloomy guitar sound and harmonies reminded me of older Anathema -- energetic melodies with a distinct sound. The only setback is their vocalist, who not only diverts attention from the good music to himself, but is not a very -good- vocalist either. He works better here than in Peccatum, but in my opinion... that's not saying much. After Source of Tide, Blood Red Throne was up. The stage sound was missing during the first song, but apart from their expressions and dialogue with the roadies, I couldn't tell anything was wrong. The problem was apparently fixed, because they seemed more relaxed for the remainder of the set, which included two or three new songs along with tracks from their recent album _Monument of Death_ [CoC #57]. They actually played their first song again later on due to the initial sound problems, but I didn't hear that much of a difference. Their performance was intense, fast and very professional, and BRT are hopefully, along with Aeternus, the beginning of a real Norwegian death metal scene. Next up, Vintersorg, who closed last year's Inferno Festival, but back then as Borknagar's vocalist. This year, his own band made their debut on Norwegian soil. They started out with newer material, but poured out some old favorites soon enough -- much to the crowd's approval. The Norwegian audience obviously favors older Vintersorg with Swedish lyrics. The band had decent sound and played tightly enough. Nothing spectacular, but above average. Lock-Up had dreadful sound and I can only describe what I heard as painful noise. Since I had no interest in the remaining bands, Aggressor and Witchery, I called it a night and left with a slight headache and ears ringing -- the way it should be after a metal festival. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gino's Top 5 1. Judas Priest - _Sad Wings of Destiny_ 2. Judas Priest - _Sin After Sin_ 3. Katharsis - Demos 4. Rev. Kriss Hades - _The Wind of Orion_ 5. Aphotic - _Under Veil of Dark_ Adrian's Top 5 1. Dio - _Killing the Dragon_ 2. Belinus - _Battlechants_ 3. Dream Evil - _Dragonslayer_ 4. Earthride - _Taming the Demons_ 5. Between the Buried and Me - _Between the Buried and Me_ Alain's Top 5 1. Mastodon - _Remission_ 2. Theory in Practice - _Colonizing the Sun_ 3. Seth - _Divine X_ 4. Origami Galaktika - _Stjernevandring / Eesti Libbed Silmad Suda_ 5. Atrox - _Terrestrials_ Pedro's Top 5 1. My Dying Bride - _The Voice of the Wretched_ 2. The Great Deceiver - _A Venom Well Designed_ 3. Amorphis - _The Karelian Isthmus_ 4. The Crown - _Crowned in Terror_ 5. Immortal - _Sons of Northern Darkness_ Paul's Top 5 1. Arch Enemy - _Wages of Sin_ 2. Green Carnation - _Light of Day, Day of Darkness_ 3. Atheist - _Unquestionable Presence_ 4. Nasum - _Human 2.0_ 5. Summoning - _Dol Guldur_ Aaron's Top 5 1. Mastodon - _Lifesblood_ 2. KMFDM - _Attak_ 3. Overkill - _Wrecking Everything - Live_ 4. Hidden - _Spectral Magnitude_ 5. Engorged (advanced promo) David's Top 5 1. Moonsorrow - _Voimasta Ja Kunmiasta_ 2. Skyclad - _The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth_ 3. Ensiferum - _Ensiferum_ 4. Wolverine - _The Window Purpose_ 5. The Crown - _Crowned in Terror_ Matthias' Top 5 1. The Crown - _Crowned in Terror_ 2. Vader - _Revelations_ 3. A Canorous Quintet - _The Only Pure Hate_ 4. Asphyx - _Last One on Earth_ 5. The Forsaken - _Arts of Desolation_ Alvin's Top 5 1. Immortal - _Sons of Northern Darkness_ 2. Poema Arcanus - _Iconoclast_ 3. Shinjuku Thief - _The Witch Haven_ 4. Destroyer 666 - _Cold Steel for an Iron Age_ 5. King Diamond - _Abigail II_ Chris' Top 5 1. Arcturus - _The Sham Mirrors_ 2. Dark Tranquillity - _Damage Done_ 3. The Crown - _Crowned in Terror_ 4. Sirenia - _At Sixes and Sevens_ 5. Theory in Practice - _Colonizing the Sun_ Quentin's Top 5 1. Arcturus - _The Sham Mirrors_ 2. The Atomic Bitchwax - _Spit Blood_ 3. Vinterriket -_Herbstnebel_ 4. Unpure - _Trinity in Black_ 5. Svartsinn - _Devouring Consciousness_ Vincent's Top 5 1. Sirenia - _At Sixes and Sevens_ 2. My Dying Bride - _The Voice of the Wretched_ 3. Dream Evil - _DragonSlayer_ 4. Battlelore - _...Where the Shadows Lie_ 5. Star One - _Space Metal_ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _____ __ __ __ | \.-----.| |_.---.-.|__| |.-----. | -- | -__|| _| _ || | ||__ --| |_____/|_____||____|___._||__|__||_____| 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. 203 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 #58 All contents copyright 2002 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.