_______ __ __ __ ___ | _ | |--.----.-----.-----|__.----| .-----.-----. .-----.' _| |. 1___| | _| _ | | | __| | -__|__ --| | _ | _| |. |___|__|__|__| |_____|__|__|__|____|__|_____|_____| |_____|__| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' _______ __ | _ | |--.---.-.-----.-----. |. 1___| | _ | _ |__ --| |. |___|__|__|___._|_____|_____| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, Wednesday, October 1, 2003, Issue #66 http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com Co-Editor / Founder: Gino Filicetti Co-Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo Contributor: Adrian Bromley Contributor: Brian Meloon Contributor: Paul Schwarz Contributor: Aaron McKay Contributor: David Rocher Contributor: Matthias Noll Contributor: Alvin Wee Contributor: Chris Flaaten Contributor: Quentin Kalis Contributor: Xander Hoose Contributor: Adam Lineker Contributor: Adrian Magers Contributor: James Montague Contributor: Jackie Smit Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault The individual writers can be reached by e-mail at firstname.lastname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com. (e.g. Gino.Filicetti@ChroniclesOfChaos.com). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Issue #66 Contents, 10/1/2003 ----------------------------- * Chats -- Cryptopsy: Breaking the Barriers of Supremacy -- Tidfall: Juicy Black Metal, Anyone? -- Anthrax: We Refuse to Be Denied -- Golden Dawn: Beyond the Masquerade * Albums -- Ancient Rites - _And the Hordes Stood As One_ -- Bathory - _Nordland II_ -- Black Label Society - _Boozed, Broozed & Broken Boned_ -- Cream Abdul Babar / Teen Cthulu - _Cream Abdul Babar Vs. Teen Cthulu_ -- Dimmu Borgir - _Death Cult Armageddon_ -- Edge of Sanity - _Crimson II_ -- Ellipsis - _Comastory_ -- Fleshgrind - _Murder Without End_ -- Krisiun - _Works of Carnage_ -- Lacrimosa - _Echoes_ -- Latrodectus - _Altered Flesh_ -- Le'rue Delashay - _Law of 8ve_ -- Mnemic - _Mechanical Spin Phenomena_ -- Moonspell - _The Antidote_ -- Murderous Vision / Kuru - _Blood Brain Barrier_ -- Omnium Gatherum - _Spirits and August Light_ -- Re:Aktor - _Zero Order_ -- Scrog - _Discography_ -- The Black Dahlia Murder - _Unhallowed_ -- The Spawn of Satan / Bloodsick - _Split CD_ -- Tiamat - _Prey_ -- Tidfall - _Nucleus _ -- Ulver - _Lyckantropen Themes_ -- Zyklon - _Aeon_ * Demos -- Antipathy - _Removal of the Mind_ -- Benighted - _Helfarjor_ -- Cerebrus / Seethe - _Split EP_ -- Corpsepyre - _The Living We Mourn_ -- Descent Into Madness - _In the Darkest Hours_ -- Exhuman - _Partition of Disorder_ -- Forsaken - _Iconoclast_ -- NDCIT - _Preparing for the Quiet Wars_ -- Shattered Remains - _Black Lotus_ -- Sifr - _Blessings of Madness_ -- Souls Entwined - _Untitled Demo_ -- Under Eden - _Songs From the Savage Circle_ * Gigs -- Vader Slays as Slayer Fades =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _,_ _, ___ _, / ` |_| /_\ | (_ \ , | | | | | , ) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ BREAKING THE BARRIERS OF SUPREMACY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Alex Auburn of Cryptopsy by: Jackie Smit For the relatively short time that I have been a music scribe, I have had the privilege of meeting a great many musicians; and while the majority have thus far been friendly, accommodating and generally just cool, there have been the odd exceptions where one's perception of an individual whose personality has more or less been created by the media that introduced you to the artist in the first place, is dashed by ill-advised egoism or arrogant nonchalance. Cryptopsy's Alex Auburn, on the other hand, confounds one's expectations in a decidedly more positive way. While no member of Canada's premier death metal band has ever come across as haughty or gruff in the slightest, Auburn's genuine friendliness and humility is almost unsettling, considering the musical pedestal upon which so many have placed his band. With new vocalist Martin LaCroix joining the Canadians after the their spectacular _And Then You'll Beg_ and the subsequent departure of Mike DiSalvo, Cryptopsy certainly have a lot to prove; and as they gear up to put the finishing touches to their forthcoming opus (due for release in early 2004), I felt that it was high time that the band's founder and primary songwriter shed some light on recent goings-on in Camp Cryptopsy. CoC: First of all, Alex -- how did Martin LaCroix's joining the band come about? Alex Auburn: Well, it all happened really quickly in that I was actually in California when I found out that Mike had left, and about three weeks after that we started to contact some people and started the process of holding auditions. We got the guys to do three different songs off three different albums -- and that's basically what we expected of everyone. Martin didn't actually come in to audition for us specifically. He tried out for another band and wasn't what they were looking for and they then told us that we should give him a try, as they thought that he had more of a Cryptopsy-type of voice. He was also a big fan of the band before that, which was really one of the most important things to us -- and basically a week and a half after that, we tried him out, it felt really good and he got the spot. CoC: How many auditions did you guys do? AA: Well, we probably did about twelve actual auditions, but we had applications from all over -- we even had a guy from Lebanon! But just so many e-mails, and tapes -- and in the end it turned out for the best because Martin comes from the same city [Montreal] as we do and just suits the band really well. CoC: It's very rare that a band would introduce a new vocalist through a live album -- were you guys a bit hesitant to do this at all, or was it a conscious decision? AA: At first we didn't think about it too much, because when we reflected on it initially the album was done because it's been ten years since we started Cryptopsy and we basically wanted to capture that era on a live record. It was only when we thought about it later on that we realized how unusual it was -- in fact, I don't think that anyone has actually done that before. But as far as _None So Live_ is concerned, it's a greatest hits in a way, and it's material that we feel will please the fans until the next album comes out, and that's the aspect from which we approached doing the album. Also, we actually based the entire record on one show in Montreal, which meant that we couldn't make any mistakes and that we needed to be super-tight all the way through. CoC: A lot of people were very skeptical about Cryptopsy's future after Mike left, and now with Martin in the band, a lot of people have compared him to Lord Worm. Your opinion? AA: Yeah, it has happened, and the reaction for Martin has been very good. In fact, when we did our first tour with him in Europe, the reaction was probably more positive for Martin than it was for Mike the first time round, so I don't know -- I like Mike's voice and I think he's fucking fantastic, but some people seemed to have a problem with him. I mean, maybe his vocal patterns on _And Then You'll Beg_ are less aggressive than on _Whisper Supremacy_, but other than that the guy was faultless. We certainly thought that people would love Mike, but in the end the opinions were really split, whereas the reaction to Martin has been much better so far. CoC: Do you think that Martin was nervous at all about suddenly fronting a band of Cryptopsy's stature? AA: He didn't show it! The thing was that we already had a lot of tours and festivals booked when Mike left, and we couldn't postpone anything and tell people that we would practice for two weeks and then do the shows or whatever. So we had a really short rehearsal time before we went on the road, but Martin got his shit together and stayed calm and it came out good. CoC: So what will Martin's contribution be to the new record? AA: He will do all the lyrics, but as far as musically -- we basically take care of that. After everything's been written, we will sit down and mix ideas and change and adjust a song as we go along. It's pretty open, but he will be mostly involved in just doing the lyrics. CoC: And when can we expect the next record? AA: If everything goes well, we will enter the studio in October. We want to be in the studio in October and November, and be done in those two months, so that we can avoid the hardest snow when it hits in Canada, and the album will hopefully be released by February or March in 2004. CoC: So what can we expect from the record on a musical level? AA: It'll definitely sound closer to _And Then You'll Beg_, as opposed to _None So Vile_ or _Blasphemy Made Flesh_. But at the same time, we've added some awesome grooves, and we're taking longer with them this time round, so that the listener can get into them before we change to the next part. The album is also going to be a lot more extreme -- lots more technicality; we've got a lot of new patterns and riffs and basically just a whole fucked-up lot of ideas. The songs sound very different from each other and we're even planning on using samples on a couple of tracks. There will definitely be a lot of color, that's for sure. CoC: Does Lord Worm still have anything to do with the band? AA: He helps polish some of the English that gets written in the band, and he still contributes to the band in that way. I mean, we're definitely still good friends with him and we invite him to parties and to shows -- he's just a crazy fool and he's really fun to be around. Actually, I don't know if a lot of people know this, but he's an English teacher over here. He still has long hair though. CoC: Do his students know that he used to front a death metal band? AA: Yeah, a couple of them probably do. CoC: So, do you guys still see Mike at all? AA: No, we don't, unfortunately. I mean, I don't think he was ever angry with us at all, but he needed a really big break. I know he was affected by a lot by people on our website's guestbook writing negative things about him, and also he has a family who are very much a priority for him. Also, he wanted to work on a lot of other things outside of the family that affected the schedule, and we can not bend for one guy. We have to continue and if one person can not make it, then that is definitely not our problem. CoC: The so-called "math-core" genre has started to gain tremendous popularity, and considering that Cryptopsy are in many ways the unsung pioneers in that style, where do you see the band fitting into the mix in the future? AA: Opening new barriers. Climbing different musical mountains, but with a Cryptopsy touch. We're open to a lot of stuff -- not everything -- we're trying out a lot of new ideas and Flo [Mounier, drummer] is still working on a lot of new drum patterns. With the new record we are definitely incorporating a lot of mathematics in the way that we sequence a lot of the tempos and beats, and as far as the new album again -- it's a lot different to what we have done in the past, but I think that people are really going to like it. CoC: So, do you see this album possibly appealing to people that wouldn't have been attracted to Cryptopsy, or indeed, any death metal act previously? AA: It's difficult for me to say, because I'm in the band, but looking at things from the outside -- like I said, we've worked really hard on this record, and we've revised our ideas and thrown away a lot of what we felt was not absolutely perfect. So, all I can say really is that it's sounding pretty cool so far. CoC: Getting back to Flo -- he was recently asked to take part in a performance art piece at the Guggenheim museum in New York. How did that come about? AA: I think that the producer knows the band and he had an idea to basically create this 'fountain' of sound, using different drummers, singers, and so on. What they basically want to do is to place tourists in the middle of a room and what they'll hear is every musician playing at the same time from different positions -- sort of like a human octagon -- and I think that the purpose is to determine how much the average brain will be able to take in out of its surroundings and how many sounds, so to speak, it will accept. And basically, Flo was one of the two guys that was chosen to play drums, which is really amazing since this artist is very well known from what I've heard. He went down there for a week and got an awesome response, and really, all these experiences outside of playing in a metal band are great, you know. I mean, if we were asked to write a song for a movie, we would love it. CoC: Right now I take it that you all still need day jobs to make ends meet? What do you get up to when you're not on the road? AA: I build stages for big shows and bands. CoC: Do you see Cryptopsy as something that you'd ever be able to or want to make a living from? AA: That would be really difficult, because basically the bigger the band, the bigger the spending, and you would need to make a lot of money before you could sit on your ass and say "I'm set now". I mean, the country we live in is really affordable in as far as things like rent or whatever is concerned, but to make money as a musician is really hard. Like I said, the bigger you get, the more you need to spend -- studios, the website. I mean, I'd love for it to happen to Cryptopsy, but I'm not counting on it happening anytime soon. CoC: Thanks for your time, Alex -- any last words? AA: We'd really like to get over to Europe soon, and we're really looking forward to seeing England and Ireland again after the new album is out. Other than that... ummm... drink beer! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= J U I C Y B L A C K M E T A L , A N Y O N E ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Drako Arcane of Tidfall by: Jackie Smit Originally brought into existence more than a decade ago, the road to recognition for Norway's Tidfall has been steep and, more often than not, winding. After departing from the Nocturnal Arts roster in 2001, the band could very well have ended up in black metal obscurity, but for the watchful eyes of Nuclear Blast, who saw potential and snapped up the band, ultimately giving us the end product that is their latest record, _Nucleus_. A swirling, futuristic maelstrom of an album, _Nucleus_ is as intense and invigorating as it is bleak and aggressive. But, as it turns out, for all their dabbling in the dark side, Tidfall are also refreshingly self-deprecating, as I discovered when I hooked up with guitarist Drako Arcane recently for an e-mail interview. CoC: If I were forced to describe your current sound, I'd say that it covers the middle ground between Dimmu Borgir and earlier Kovenant material -- would you agree? Drako Arcane: No, that would sound like KovenBorgir? Or KovenBurger... juicy metal. Yeah, that's us! Juicy metal with spicy lyrics. Voila! A culinary evening with Tidfall. CoC: You started in 1992, but it took until 2000 for you to start getting recognised and signed to a record label. What would you say, if anything, was holding you back or were specific obstacles in your path? DA: There wasn't anything really holding us back, so to speak. We just recorded some demos and had fun playing some local gigs. We were pure underground in the beginning, and we liked it that way. After we recorded the demo _Black Psychotic Darkness_, we decided to seriously try to get ourselves a deal, and here we are today. CoC: What was the reason behind ending your relationship with Samoth and Nocturnal Arts and moving to Nuclear Blast? Was the split amicable? DA: The relationship ended because at the time that we were recording the _Instinct Gate_ album, Samoth was working really hard with Zyklon and their first release [_World Ov Worms_]. Things started to take more time than we could afford, and at the same time we had some communication with Nuclear Blast and they showed some interest in our music. So we spoke to Samoth and agreed that an album like _Instinct Gate_ had the potential to reach out to a very wide audience, and in order to do so, it needed to be backed by a very strong distribution network. And that was the end of that story. CoC: The new record seems to be very conceptualised and obviously very futuristic -- how would you describe your vision of the future, and do you feel that _Nucleus_ does it justice? DA: There are a million black metal bands out there, and almost all of them play the same type of "evil" black metal. It really bores me. I can't remember when I last found a black metal album that really gave something. Wait -- Emperor did! Getting back to Tidfall -- we will never stagnate when it comes to style and music. We don't like to be stigmatised. We just play the kind of music that works for ourselves. The future brings only more destruction and death, and we are the soundtrack to it. So to us -- yes, _Nucleus_ justifies the future, and there is more where that came from! CoC: In what ways do you think our current global state of affairs is sending us toward your envisioned future, and do you think that there's any way for us to change that? DA: There is a lot of shit happening around the world today, and we try our best to reflect on things around us in the lyrics and music. As I see it, religion will be the fall of man. Almost everything bad that happens concerns some kind of stupid religion. People's minds will in the end lose track of time and place, and I don't think it can be changed. The fanatics will always be there, with their terror. CoC: With your use of electronics and the increasing number of black metal bands utilising electro and/or industrial influences, do you see this as an evolutionary step in black metal's sound as a whole? DA: No, it's too early for that. Some elements within black metal have obviously changed, but hopefully the brutality will be there along with the use of new elements in the music. CoC: What motivated or influenced Tidfall to implement these elements in their music? DA: It came to us naturally, and after we had made some line-up changes it was easier to try out newer things on the rehearsals. We tried out some elements on the _Instinct Gate_ album, which we felt worked perfectly, so basically, here we are now. CoC: Why do you think that these musical styles blend so well with black metal? DA: I don't think it blends well if you don't use it right, you need to have the right sound at the studio to really make it good. You can give the riffs more feeling with the electronica, which we think is important. CoC: What were your musical influences when you started Tidfall and what are you currently listening to at the moment? DA: The influences must have been from the really early days when I discovered Slayer, Death and so on. And then the Swedish death metal band Morbid with Death on vocals, and then Mayhem, Burzum. At the moment I am listening to Turbonegro's _Scandinavian Leather_. Wow, they are genuine! CoC: What are your plans for the future of Tidfall? DA: Now the plans are to play live, go touring. And of course drinking Ringnes [Norwegian beer] and making some more futuristic music. CoC: Any last words? DA: Check out our latest website -- www.tidfall.net -- and join us there on a digital metalparty! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= W E R E F U S E T O B E D E N I E D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with John Bush of Anthrax by: Jackie Smit It's approximately four hours until the doors to the London Astoria open to welcome punters in for the evening's festivities, and already the queue of Anthrax fans, eagerly anticipating their heroes' third appearance of the year in the capital, is stretching well into the adjacent main road -- much to the amusement of the slightly befuddled passers-by. Later this evening, the 3000-strong will lay waste to the famous venue's dank interior with the type of ferocity you'd expect from naught but the most rabid fan. Rewind two years and matters were distinctly different however. Dropped from Elektra Records due to poor sales, insulted in the press by previous band members and considered past their sell-by-date by all but a less-than-vocal minority, Anthrax were a prime example of a once-great band being chewed up and spit out by a ruthless all-consuming corporate music culture. Indeed, suggesting that Anthrax were on the verge of calling it quits would likely not have been contested, particularly after the veritable media witch-hunt that erupted after the band were labelled insensitive antagonists in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center. Standing at the crossroads of their two decade plus career, the Anthrax collective could very well have decided that enough was enough; but lest we forget, we're not dealing with your average two-bit metal band here. In a display of almost warrior-like indomitability, John Bush, Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Frank Bello and Rob Caggiano regrouped and unleashed _We Have Come For You All_ -- arguably their most vibrant, aggressive and confident album since 1994's _Sound of White Noise_ opus. Now, signed to Nuclear Blast and seemingly hungrier than ever, the 'Thrax look set to ascend to the top of the mountain once more. When I am introduced to John Bush backstage at the Astoria, he is in good spirits, albeit still a tad hung over from a night-best-forgotten in Manchester two days earlier. The newly-shorn frontman is an invigorating person to talk to: ultra-confident, very friendly and surprisingly inquisitive. We spend the first quarter of an hour shooting the breeze on topics ranging from South Africa's metal scene to Relapse Record's superstars-in-making Mastodon before finally getting down to the business at hand. CoC: _We've Come For You All_ has generally been hailed as a comeback record for Anthrax. Considering that this implies that Anthrax were regarded as being 'on the way down', how do you respond to that point of view? John Bush: Well, in all honesty we were on our way down. I don't know about musically -- I mean, I'm the last guy who wants to say that, because I joined three records ago. I do believe that we made some really good records in the last couple of years, but there were a lot of factors outside of the band's control that lowered the awareness of those albums, and because of that there was a decline, which caused us to not be in the public eye as much as we used to be and probably should have been. In terms of this album maybe having much more of an 'awareness', I think that's a perfectly valid point, and I certainly don't think that the last two records weren't any good; I just think that the new album is a very ferocious sounding record and it does sound like it's grabbing people by the neck and making a statement. CoC: Well, one of the big factors in bringing Anthrax back into the public eye, albeit in a negative way, was the furore surrounding your name around the time of 9/11. Did this influence your approach to the new album in any way? JB: No, at the most it probably influenced one song, "Refuse to Be Denied"; but other than that we were actually in the middle of writing already when the whole September 11 thing happened. We were actually about to start a tour with Judas Priest when it happened; we were in Nebraska and we were supposed to play, and then we woke up to that and the tour was cancelled. So, about a month after that, we got together and decided to get back to writing. The comment I've always made is that we're not going to write the soundtrack to 9/11 -- that will never be the basis for an Anthrax record. Sure, it affected us personally; we're a New York-based band, but again, we're not going to have ten songs about 9/11, because I have other things I want to talk about. And I know that Scott and the other guys feel the same way. CoC: You had to have been surprised to see your band being dragged into the media frenzy though. JB: Oh yeah -- things happened so quickly, from the first person who died to when all of a sudden the media decided that they weren't going to concentrate on it anymore and started going after every scapegoat they could think of. Then of course, here's this band called Anthrax and we started getting calls from Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine -- we were happy to talk to anybody associated with music, but we caught on pretty early that they weren't about to say anything nice about us, so we created a press release [the infamous "Basketful of Puppies" name-change saga] as a joke. And then CNN took the whole thing out of proportion and ran it as a serious story, which made us go: "Whoa, this is your fucking journalism?" The whole thing was meant as a joke -- we wrote on the website that it was a joke! It made me have a lot less respect for CNN, that's for sure. But eventually it went away. There were people that told us that it was a sensitive issue, but we basically said "Look, assholes -- we've been around for twenty years!" And at the end of everything, I think it probably made us feel quite a bit more resilient. CoC: So, when you left Elektra, did you feel that you were caught at a crossroads, so to speak? JB: Absolutely. I mean, there were times when we were all wondering whether it was over. I certainly never doubted the ability for the guys to get together and make good music, but there was so much legal business with the record company that it ended up being like five albatrosses around our neck. And there would be times where we would play together and come up with something great, only to get a phone call from some lawyer or someone from the label. But we hung in there, which I think is a testament to our endurance, and we're here now because it's our choice. CoC: Now that you're signed to Nuclear Blast, do you feel that the whole business process has been simplified? JB: Well, here in Europe they have done an amazing job exposing us to potential as well as old Anthrax fans -- telling them that the record is out. I mean we sold about 500 000 copies of _Sound of White Noise_ and at the end of the day about 150 000 of _Stomp 442_ and _Volume 8_, purely because Elektra never even did much to let the existing fans know that there was a new Anthrax album out. I've always said that I'd rather someone come up to me and say that my record sucks than tell me that they didn't know we had a new record out. That just means that the record company aren't doing their job, because there's only so much that we can do ourselves. But like I said, so far Nuclear Blast have done a hell of a job. Now we have to concentrate on Sanctuary in America -- they haven't really been as active as we would have hoped. CoC: So how did the Nuclear Blast deal come about? JB: Well, it had a lot to do with Charlie and Scott having a good thing going on with them with SOD, plus they wanted Anthrax, and I mean they're actually so big now that they're like a major label anyway. Also they know what they're selling, they love metal and they've really done an excellent job. CoC: There were rumours that you guys were going to do a "reunion" tour with you and Joey [Belladona, ex-Anthrax vocalist] sharing the mic duties. Has there been any talk of this taking place recently? JB: No, I haven't thought about it. We were going to do it in conjunction with our greatest hits compilation [_Return of the Killer A's_] and I thought that it was a cool idea. But he had a lot of demands -- primarily financial -- where he wanted certain amounts of money and wanted to play at certain size venues and we were like "Dude, let's do some math here -- this is what you want and this is what we're getting". But he wouldn't budge, so we called the promoters and they said that we needn't worry -- that basically we'd draw people because we're Anthrax -- so we just did a tour anyway. And it was a blown opportunity for him. CoC: It's been a big year for metal thus far with a lot of veteran acts like Sepultura and Metallica releasing new albums. What do you think of all the older bands making a return to the fold? JB: Well, it challenges newer groups to come up with something better, which is really good for the scene. And it's great to see that guys like Slayer and Sepultura are still doing it and are still doing it well. I mean, a lot of bands bring out one amazing album and the rest is shit. As far as Metallica -- I've only heard the new album from top to bottom once and I do believe that the production of the record hinders my enjoyment of the record. I suppose that they were going for that kind of sound, but for me as a consumer, I don't like it because I don't think that it embellishes the songs or does the songs justice in any way. I saw them live recently in Germany though and they were amazing, so... CoC: Anthrax have been around more than two decades now -- do you see yourself still doing this maybe ten or fifteen years from now? JB: No, I don't think I will. I can only speak on behalf of myself, but quite honestly I am not even really thinking past tonight. I might wake up tomorrow morning and feel completely different, and that's the way I live my life. I'm generally pretty scared of the future. But I don't know -- I think that it really comes down to whether we can collectively still like each other in twenty years from now, and still make quality music and still feel like we're doing something great. That's definitely the most important thing. There's bands that have been around a long time that I wish would just quit -- it's like they've picked a name and they're milking it for all it's worth and taking all the integrity out of it. Especially bands that are fucking loaded. On the other hand, if they really love doing it and that's the driving force, then that's cool. If it's money and the quality of what they're putting out is crap, then fuck them. Or if it's not quality and they're just trying to make a living, then that's okay. CoC: So when Anthrax decides to call it quits one day, who would you say will pick up the torch out of the current crop of bands? JB: Well, it's difficult to say, especially because it's so different in Europe to America, where everyone is just so trendy. In Europe and Britain they seem to be much more accepting and embracing of older bands, whereas in America if you've been out for three years, you're old, and I think that attitude stinks. We're lucky that way in Europe, because here they still embrace bands like Anthrax, where in the States it's a lot harder for us. I mean, there they're calling bands like Korn old now -- fuck, that makes me prehistoric! But metal will always be changing -- nowadays everyone says that nu metal is dead, but four years ago, every magazine were up those band's asses. As far as new bands that are really good -- I really love Queens of the Stone Age, I think that The Datsuns are really great. And System of a Down are a fucking amazing band, who will be around for a long time, I think. CoC: When Anthrax was on Elektra, was there ever any pressure put on the band to change your image and your make your music more "trendy"? JB: No one ever really specifically came to us and said anything, because we're fully aware of what's going on around us. We're not living in some time chamber and thinking it's 1985. So, no one suggested doing anything differently. And for us the most important will always be to make records that sound like Anthrax, but that still progresses and sounds fresh. We don't want to make another _Among the Living_, but at the same time _We Have Come For You All_ sounds to me like _Among the Living_ if it were to have come out in 2003. CoC: Well, thanks for your time, John! JB: Thank you and thanks to all the fans -- we hope we'll see you on the road. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E Y O N D T H E M A S Q U E R A D E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Stefan Traunmuller of Golden Dawn by: Quentin Kalis If there was justice in the world, Golden Dawn would have achieved the same level of fame and notoriety within the underground as countrymates Abigor and Summoning. Some of the blame must be laid on the Metallica-esque gap between their two full-lengths -- their debut album _The Art of Dreaming_ came out in 1996, but their sophomore effort _Masquerade_ was released only in early 2003. Musically speaking, the gap between the two albums is astounding. _TAoD_ was a black metal CD, yet went beyond the limiting confines of the genre both musically and lyrically, without losing the essence of what constitutes black metal. The follow-up _Masquerade_ was a completely different and more complex affair that combined the best elements of prog, black, gothic and heavy metal. I was sufficiently impressed with both albums that I just had to know more about the band responsible. The result is the introductory interview, conducted via e-mail with Stefan Traunmuller; hopefully more metalheads will become aware of this enigmatic band. CoC: For those who are unfamiliar with Golden Dawn, could you explain, briefly, in your own words, the formation of Golden Dawn? Stefan Traunmuller: I began to make music in 1992 and started Golden Dawn as a one-man project. The first demos suffered from the bad sound and a lack of technical abilities but already showed some experimental keyboards and progressive edges. The first serious publishing was the third demo _Way of the Sorcerer_ and the two tracks on the compilation _A.B.M.S. - Norici Obscura Pars_. The collaboration with Dark Matter Records continued with the first album _The Art of Dreaming_ and ended during the production of the second album _Sublimity_ when they went bankrupt. Then in 2001 I started to work together with Karim and Sebastian on the new album _Masquerade_ for Ars Metalli. But they ripped me off again and therefore I am very glad to be with Napalm Records now. CoC: The Golden Dawn website lists only two albums for Golden Dawn, released some years apart. What happened? ST: As stated before, the second album should have been a record called _Sublimity_. It was recorded between 1997 and 1999, but Dark Matter Records had less and less time and more and more financial problems. We worked very hard on this album and just before the final mastering could have been done, the label stopped its existence. I was very disappointed and did not want to record and release everything all over again; therefore I spent some years at home composing and recording just for myself. CoC: Was any material released during this period? ST: Yes, there are the two albums _Sublimity_ and _A Solemn Day_, but they were just demo recordings for myself. CoC: Were you -- or any other current members -- involved in any side projects? ST: Yes, Karim, Moritz and me play in Sternenstaub as well. Sternenstaub is symphonic black metal, more straightforward than Golden Dawn. We have already recorded our debut album and are looking for a label at the moment. CoC: _Masquerade_ is vastly different in style to _The Art of Dreaming_. What prompted such a drastic change in style? ST: Time, experience and personal development. If you knew the in-between albums and songs, you would not find the change so drastic. But _Masquerade_ also reflects the influence of two other musicians for the first time, another thing that changed the direction a bit. But I think that there is some kind of characteristic style in my music; on the first album it was presented in a very intuitive way and now in a more sophisticated way. CoC: I can hear a wide range of influences in _Masquerade_. Which bands have influenced Golden Dawn? ST: In the early nineties I listened to many of the well-known black metal bands, but I also admired classical and electronic music. With the passing of time I turned away from black metal and nowadays I listen to a lot of prog rock. Of course I am influenced by all the music I hear, as well as by all things I experience in my life; I think that this is natural. But I will never try to copy anything or focus on a certain style. CoC: I must say that I like the design of the Golden Dawn website! It seems to tie in with the _Masquerade_ cover; is there any meaning to it or does it simply suit the music and atmosphere? ST: The latter... I had an idea of a very complex cover with philosophical background, but nobody was able to make this real; therefore, we decided to take a kind of gothic styled cover. There are also some modern elements in it, just like in the music of the album. CoC: What are the future plans for Golden Dawn? ST: To compose the next album, which should become a concept album with strong classical and progressive influences. CoC: We've come to the end. The floor is yours! Is there anything you would like to say to our readers? ST: Thanks for all your support, keep up your individualism and be at one with yourselves. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _, __, _,_ _, _ _, / \ | |_) | | |\/| (_ |~| | , |_) | | | | , ) ~ ~ ~~~ ~ `~' ~ ~ ~ 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! Ancient Rites - _And the Hordes Stood As One_ by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10) (Hammerheart Records, 2003) Presumably this live album is intended as filler between studio albums; while premature, it is not an unwelcome addition to their discography, given the calibre of their back-catalogue. Despite the fact that there are sixteen tracks lasting over 78 minutes, there will be the inevitable complaints that a particular favourite isn't included -- I personally would have loved a live version of "Rise and Fall (Anno Satana)". Still, there could have been less of a bias towards their last studio effort, _Dim Carcosa_ (which is represented by no less than eight tracks) with the remainder more or less evenly split between the preceding three albums. Even _Fatherland_, widely and justifiably regarded as their finest moment, is represented by a mere three songs. I certainly don't expect every single album in a band's catalogue to be represented on a live album in equal portions, and a bias towards the latest is to be expected, but nor do I expect such an overwhelming bias towards a single album -- I want to hear a live Ancient Rites album, not a live version of _Dim Carcosa_. Set list aside, this is an impressive live album, and while it is impossible to accurately recreate the mood and atmosphere of a live gig, this is as close as it can possibly get. As expected, the sound is rawer and more organic than on the studio albums and the earlier material has an enhanced melodic edge. Calls of "Me-tawl!" and the like do not seem at all cheesy, but are apt and enhance rather than detract from the atmosphere. There is a clear sense that the band are enjoying themselves, enhancing the quality. For those who absolutely loved _DC_, add an extra point to the rating above. Bathory - _Nordland II_ (Black Mark Records, 2003) by: Quentin Kalis (5 out of 10) _Nordland II_ is the follow-up to _Nordland I_ and forms the second part of a staggered double CD release. An ambitious project, which can only be pulled off by those with the requisite skill and sufficient vision. Sadly, neither quality is exhibited. Bathory was once a pioneer of extreme metal; albums such as _The Return..._ and _Hammerheart_ are massively influential classics. But now, after some two decades in the business, the extremity and innovative spirit that was the driving force behind the aforementioned classics has deserted Quorthon. Although _Nordland II_ is hardly the worst Viking metal album ever released, it must surely rank as one of the most soulless; Bathory is seemingly now content to simply go through the motions in creating music. The songs feature many of the trademarks and features of this subgenre -- indeed many were pioneered by Quorthon -- yet on _Nordland II_ they sound tired and cliché-ridden. This is not such an average that it inspires the desire to hear it again nor is it so bad that the listener is driven to switch the CD player; the average listener will lose interest and it will simply fade into the background. A further indicator of how the mighty have fallen is provided by the intro, "Fanfare", which paradoxically sounds like a rip-off of a Graveland intro -- even though Bathory could probably sue Graveland for practically plagiarising _Hammerheart_ on their later albums! This album cannot be awarded more then a five -- a mediocre rating for a truly mediocre album. Bathory is fast becoming another Black Sabbath: after releasing a slew of seminal, original releases which are destined to remain classics, both descended into repetitious mediocrity and self-parody, marching on long after when they should have given up. Black Label Society - _Boozed, Broozed & Broken Boned_ by: Jackie Smit (9 out of 10) (Eagle Vision Entertainment, 2003) It seems as though just about every band and their brother is trying to cash in on the latest corporate trend of music DVDs these days -- slapping a shoddily recorded concert onto a disc and touting it as the next step in the evolution of musical home entertainment seems to be one of the easiest ways in the world to make a quick buck. Truth be told, I was almost expecting the same out of the new Black Label Society DVD, particularly given the recent penchant for higher profile bands to put together half-hearted attempts at home video; but for once it seems that someone has actually paid attention to the cries of the consumer and released a package that does its heritage proud. Aside from the main event, so to speak, on this DVD, the list of bonus features reads like a Black Label Society fan's veritable wet dream. For your hard-earned dosh, you get extensive interview footage, home video footage from Zakk Wylde's private collection that includes a hilarious clip of himself and his two year-old daughter Rae Rae performing a duet of sorts. Then there's additional life footage captured in 2003 in Tokyo, Zakk playing the American National Anthem at an LA Kings hockey game, as well as music videos and a guitar lesson. The gig recorded at Harpo's in Detroit forms the meat of this release though, and what I found instantly appealing is the more live feel of the recording style, eschewing the annoying trend of slick production and film-school editing that in my opinion ruins both the atmosphere and purpose of such a DVD as this. And boy, can Zakk & Co put on a show -- "Bleed for Me", "Graveyard Disciples" and "Genocide Junkies" are blistering, proving that the live environment is perhaps the best way to savour the heartfelt delights that Wylde has to offer. With a rallying cry of "Limp Bizkit sucks cock", the aptly titled "Superterrorizer" is perhaps the highlight on an outstanding offering, and truly, even if your interest in the man isn't uber-fanatical, _Boozed, Broozed & Broken Boned_ is well worth a look. Contact: http://www.blacklabelsociety.net Cream Abdul Babar / Teen Cthulu - _Cream Abdul Babar Vs. Teen Cthulu_ by: Adrian Magers (7 out of 10) (Hyper Realist, 2003) Cream Abdul Babar put to use a somewhat strange style of music (as one would guess by the name). Imagine Dog Fashion Disco minus some of the Patton influences with a more metalcore base, a more serious attitude and an occasional slight industrial tinge, and you're only starting to pinpoint what it is exactly that this band does. The music is fairly entertaining, but occasionally the vocal parts sound somewhat monotone (partly due to use of distortion on a somewhat hardcore style voice). The second track is an interesting change of pace, but the synth loop that repeats the entire song becomes boring long before the end of the track. Since the band only have one full-blown song on their half of the album, it's hard to get a good impression of the all the nuances of their sound, but I found them to be a good band, though nothing overtly impressive. Teen Cthulu was quite a different band, playing a raw yet catchy form of black metal that looks both to modern symphonic forms of the sub-genre as well as the ice-cold bombasts of the Norwegian legends of the first wave. The production is fuzzy, but it somewhat lends itself to the music, as is often the case with this form of music, creating an interesting atmosphere. Some of the vocals completely clash with the music, but it doesn't detract from the well-used keyboards and excellent songwriting craftmanship. My sole complaint is that the songs are too short and seem to cut off before reaching the epic height that most good black metal does. Overall though, Teen Cthulu's involvement with this split has definitely piqued my interest in the band. Contact: http://www.hyperrealist.com Dimmu Borgir - _Death Cult Armageddon_ (Nuclear Blast, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (8.5 out of 10) Whether your opinion of Norway's premier second generation black metal band is that of unbridled adoration or you happen to be one of those individuals who have posted snide remarks about them being a black metal boy band on various message boards across the Internet, one should at the very least give them credit for gaining success on their own terms. While some saw 1997's breakthrough effort _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ as an attempt to copy Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir were the first of the two to begin experimenting with a full-blown orchestra -- used to great effect on 2001's stunning _Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia_ -- and where the aforementioned Brits' music has been progressively watered down to the point where Marilyn Manson arguably sounds more menacing, Dimmu Borgir have steadily been polishing their songwriting skills and technical proficiency to the point where one would not have expected any less than what they have offered us with their latest effort. Disappointingly _Death Cult Armageddon_ does not offer the same progression and depth as its predecessor, rather a slicker and more tightly assembled version thereof. Sure, the orchestral element has been taken to a new level, but the daring and challenging approach that made even their detractors sit up and take notice is relatively absent. Which is not to say that _Death Cult Armageddon_ is not a satisfying album in its own right. Opening track "Allegiance" is absolutely stunning, with more than a slight nod to rawer early-nineties black metal acts, which no doubt rank high on the Borgir list of influences. The full majestic impact of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is prevalent in all its epic glory on "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse", while the record's dark, apocalyptic atmosphere is vividly brought to life by the intelligent use of samples and enhanced by the mechanistic, uber-tight drumming of Nick Barker, most clearly defined by the album's ultimate highlight, "Unorthodox Manifesto". The record even sees the band returning to their native language on "Vredesbyrd" and the breathtaking "Allehelgens Dod I Helveds Rike". Yet, for all their songwriting finesse and ample technical skill, _Death Cult Armageddon_ does not have the same immediate impact as _Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia_, nor does it have the same chilling atmosphere as _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_. And ultimately one can not help but draw the conclusion that more will be expected from the Norwegians next time round. Contact: http://www.dimmu-borgir.com Edge of Sanity - _Crimson II_ (Black Mark, 2003) by: Chris Flaaten (9 out of 10) The Evil Queen is back from her Crimson Sleep. This of course means that the Swedish King has finally risen from his slumber. Reviving the defunct Edge of Sanity single-handedly, Dan Swanö makes a triumphant return to the world of extreme metal... by making a follow-up to one of my all time favorites, no less. As rumours about this album have run rampant, I'll lay the most important one to rest before we go on. Swanö has not forgotten how to growl! He is still by far the best death metal vocalist on the planet -- and his clean vocals are better than ever. There are also some guest vocalists though, who -- just like on _Crimson_ -- handle the more high-pitched brutal vocals. Because Swanö is working almost solo on this release, it has a more epic and less brutal edge than its predecessor. This is, according to the man himself, closer to how he originally wanted the first _Crimson_, before caving in to his bandmates' requests. With less generic death metal and more melodic solos, guitar harmonies and synth, _Crimson II_ thus lands somewhere between the original _Crimson_ and Swanö's solo album, _Moontower_. The production is as grandiose as the music, but perhaps a bit too heavy on the echo/reverb fuzziness. Lyrically, I am a bit disappointed though. The story takes place an unknown number of years after _Crimson_ "ended", but the scope is much more narrow this time. While you could envision the struggle of an entire world on the first album, this time the story revolves around only a handful of characters. Still, there are multiples of mothers, queens and children in this story, so you have to pay close attention to sort out what's really going on -- and to whom things are happening. But I am willing to forgive this, as Dan's vocal execution can fill even the most lifeless of stories with an abundance of vitality. Musically, this is a joyride all the forty-three minutes from beginning to the end. Only a few times can you hear musical nods to the original; just enough to establish a link, but well beneath the threshold of repetition. Brimming with fantastic transitions and epic passages, some comparisons can actually be drawn to Diabolical Masquerade's _Death's Design_ as well as, of course, the original _Crimson_ -- in terms of quality, the follow-up races head to head with both. Contact: http://w1.191.telia.com/~u19115213/ds/news.htm Ellipsis - _Comastory_ (Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (4 out of 10) I had to stifle many a yawn during Ellipsis' seemingly never ending sixty five minute album before I could review it -- not because I needed caffeine, but simply because _Comastory_ is so damn dull. Ellipsis aren't actually bad as a band; there's some nifty musical touches, and they clearly have plenty of ideas. The clean singing that is utilized throughout (except for the very sporadic grunts) sometimes borders on cringeworthy, but generally remains acceptable; it is in the songwriting and guitar riff department that Ellipsis are found wanting. The hollow, uneventful sound is not helped by the relatively lacklustre drumming either. The material on _Comastory_ comes across as so bland that it lulls the listener into some unintended form of (ahem) coma where you are neither repelled nor attracted by the music. Having recently heard a much more accomplished album in this kind of somewhat progressive, melodic metal in the form of Ethereal's _Dreams of Yearning_, I can only recommend that Ellipsis focus on upping the intensity level considerably before they come back with a new offering; they have some qualities, but right now they are being wasted for the most part. Contact: http://www.adipocere.fr Fleshgrind - _Murder Without End_ (Olympic / Century Media, 2003) by: Aaron McKay (10 out of 10) I haven't been this excited about a CD since the epic 1999 immortal classic by Viking Crown, _Unorthodox Steps of Ritual_ (or the follow-up, _Innocence From Hell_, for that matter). Chicagolands's Fleshgrind has obviously found their proper stride with this, their newest effort, _Murder Without End_. Everything clicks on this ten track "wildman" like a precision-tuned Swiss watch. _MWE_ is -certainly- a violent standout in its own right, but as the metal scene exists today, this release is like throwing bleach into a septic tank; these are the albums we music critics salivate and drool at the mere thought of having a crack at reviewing. Fleshgrind is no amateur to the metal scene; 2003 marking their ten year anniversary, Fleshgrind has blazoned a path few dare to (or can) follow. Thick-ass chops and powerful guitar enriched riffs litter this album front-to-back like all the cigarette butts on any given New York freeway. Songs like "Enslaved to My Wrath", "In Sickness Intertwined" and, of course, "Holy Pedophile" renew and refresh one's faith in the perpetuation of metal. You've heard Immolation's _Close to a World Below_ and Forest of Impaled's _Demonvoid_ -- now hear the world's best combination of both with an unmistakable and undeniable Fleshgrind appeal. Be sure of this point beyond anything else, kiddies -- brutality runs unchecked here, so you've been warned. Contact: http://www.fleshgrind.com Krisiun - _Works of Carnage_ (Century Media, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (9 out of 10) Dammit, just when it seemed as though the Great Death Metal Blitz of 2003 could seemingly grow no more intense, the Brazilian answer to sonic Armageddon return with their fifth and undoubtedly finest offering. Of course, Krisiun, perhaps moreso than most, needed to deliver the goods this time round. After the excellent _Black Force Domain_ and _Apocalyptic Revelation_ records, their Century Media debut _Conquerors of Armageddon_ already started sporting cracks in their critically acclaimed veneer. By the time they released the soulless, Eric Rutan-produced dirge that was _Ageless Venomous_, it appeared that the brothers Kolesne had lost their touch. Thankfully however, it seems that such was never the case. To call _Works of Carnage_ a raging beast of an album would belittle its impact. Produced by Pierre Remillard (Cryptopsy, Gorguts, Anvil, etc.), the record instantly sounds simultaneously brutal and fresh. Like a wounded mythological behemoth determined to protect its turf, opening tracks "Thorns of Heaven" and "Murderer" seethe with an intensity that few manage to surpass, and introduce melodic textures and a level of rhythmic dynamics that one would never have expected to hear on a Krisiun record. Which is not to say that the band have departed from their trademark hyperspeed assault, however -- there are indeed precious few moments of comparative sloth to be found on the album. This time round though, Max Kolesne has diversified and expanded his drumming approach, which immeasurably improves upon the traditional Krisiun blueprint. By the same token, Alex Camargo's voice is superbly blistering as he rages through highlights like "Sentinel of the Fallen Earth" and "Ethereal World". While the album's closing cover of Venom's "In League With Satan" is perhaps somewhat ill-advised in that it sounds rather like a parody that unwittingly derides the album's claustrophobic ferocity to a certain extent, _Works of Carnage_ is undoubtedly a worthy contender in a year that has already witnessed some outstanding releases, as well as a fantastic return to form for the Brazilian kings of death metal. Long may they reign. Lacrimosa - _Echoes_ (Nuclear Blast, 2003) by: Quentin Kalis (8.5 out of 10) For those who may be tempted to dismiss Lacrimosa as a "mere goth band" and therefore of no interest, pause and consider why a "mere goth band" has attracted the attention of a traditionally metal label. Numerous reasons can be given, but one simple listen will be enough to dismiss practically all conceivable reasons as inconsequential: Lacrimosa is a damn good band. Period. Goth is not an entirely accurate description, especially given the traditional stereotype of woe-is-me odes delivered in an Eldritch-esque baritone, to the accompaniment of cheesy synths and an overly repetitive drum machine. While Lacrimosa does contain typically gothic male vocals, there is a certain indescribable quality to his voice elevating it above and beyond the goth generic. _Echoes_ bravely (if not stupidly!) opens with a thirteen minute classically inspired number that has a darkly ethereal beauty all of its own. This is not the simplistic keyboard tinkling of early Mortiis -- like ambience, but a genuine attempt at recreating classical music. A similar track acts as the album's closer. Book ended in-between are six more traditionally minded songs, yet still maintaining the same darkly beautiful atmosphere. In the hands of a lesser band this could degenerate into something simplistic and cheesy (see Inkubus Sukkubus), but the Lacrimosa duo clearly possess the requisite skill to pull it off -- clearly Therion and Dimmu Borgir are not the only bands deserving of a backing symphony orchestra! Latrodectus - _Altered Flesh_ (Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (4 out of 10) _Altered Flesh_ is proof (if ever proof was needed) that a strong, well-suited production job does not a good album make. Latrodectus got Anorexia Nervosa's keyboard player to recreate some of the sound their countrymates had for their bombastic _New Obscurantis Order_, but apart from the decent sound _Altered Flesh_ lacks most of everything else. The vocals in particular are an atrocious variation on Immortal's Abbath; the guitars play generic blackened metal riffs, while the keyboards add the obligatory pinch of pseudo-goth. Much like their labelmates Destinity, Latrodectus go through every motion of mediocre, cliché imagery and deeply unoriginal musical style; they are not entirely bad though, and you never know whether they might come back with something more interesting next time. Contact: http://www.adipocere.fr Le'rue Delashay - _Law of 8ve_ (Root of All Evil, 2003) by: Adrian Magers (8 out of 10) Personally, I find dark ambient music to be quite enjoyable if done right. Oftentimes it can drone on and become boring, self-indulgent and pretentious. Le'rue Delashay, a one-man project on its third release, avoids this pitfall by keeping the tone to that of an intense psychological thriller, and the movement of each piece not unlike that of classical music. The instrumentation is aggressive, and abundant changes and adjustments are made to the texture of the music so as to keep even someone used to the continuous onslaught of heavy metal interested. The songs are generally kept somewhat short and to the point, not wasting time to create a dark, disturbing atmosphere -- although for a metalhead this is generally what I would consider 'mood music': something you would only listen to at dusk or beyond, feeling somewhat melancholy. I strongly recommend this to fans of 'gothic' music in the truest sense. In other words, Le'rue Delashay doesn't use dance beats or droning synth loops, rather he uses harsh piano tones, abrasive string sounds and other effects to create something that is somehow beautiful and crazed at the same time. Contact: http://www.theatrikil.com Mnemic - _Mechanical Spin Phenomena_ (Nuclear Blast, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (7 out of 10) The surprise split of electro-metal pioneers Fear Factory was greeted with shock and a fair amount of dismay by many a metalhead, and while they have subsequently reformed (sans Dino Cazares), it will still be quite some time before we're likely to see a new Fear Factory record hit the shelves. In the meantime, Denmark's Mnemic may well hold over any fan desperate to satiate their craving for some heavily industrial-tinged metal, but while the Fear Factory comparisons are more than justified, Mnemic also recall strains of Meshuggah on "Tattoos" and the relentless hammering of Strapping Young Lad on "The Naked & the Dead". Critically they also inject their music with enough character to ensure its ascent above a mere Xerox of their influences, and with the aid of a fantastic sound courtesy of Antfarm Studios and producer Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Konkhra), _Mechanical Spin Phenomena_ turns out to be surprisingly good. All is not perfect however, and Mnemic's nu metal inclinations sour proceedings dramatically on tracks like "Closed Eyes" and "Ghost". So while they fail to, as they so boldly state in their bio, "kick every fuckin' ass around", Mnemic have at least delivered a debut that is worth checking out if the any of the previously mentioned bands hold any interest for you at all. Moonspell - _The Antidote_ (Century Media, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (9 out of 10) It's hard to believe that seven albums into their illustrious career, there are still those that bemoan the Portuguese's departure from the gothic black metal of _Under the Moonspell_ and _Wolfheart_ and subsequent ascent into the more accessible sounds showcased on 1998's _Sin/Pecado_ and 2001's _Darkness & Hope_. The fact that in retrospect said departure was already ushered in on the unanimously acclaimed _Irreligious_ effort -- their second full-length -- is perhaps proof enough that much of the criticism Moonspell have had to endure borders on the ignorant. Certainly from a personal standpoint, I have found the progression on every successive release to be quite refreshing and with the exception of the dogged experimentation of 1999's _The Butterfly Effect_ I have yet to hear a Moonspell record that did not appeal to me on some level. Those expecting a return to the old with Moonspell's latest effort might as well therefore skip to the next review, because there clearly is no chance of this happening anytime soon. What is irrefutable though is that once again, Fernando Ribeiro and Co have succeeded in creating an exciting and perhaps their most challenging record to date. Starting off with the surprisingly heavy "In and Above Men", Moonspell are in top form from the start, and the welcome return of Waldemar Sorytcha to the producer's chair clearly pays immediate dividends, as a lone Mediterranean-like drum pattern leads into a the superb "From Lowering Skies". Musically, while still deeply rooted in dark, gothic aesthetics, the first half of _The Antidote_ is perhaps the most brutal work to be found on any Moonspell record, and indeed for the first three songs Ribeiro all but completely forsakes his baritone croon in favour of his trademark guttural roar. The title track ushers in the second, and clearly more subdued half of the record with a simple acoustic sequence that, again, is unlike anything Moonspell have offered before, while the subtlety of "Lunar Still" showcases the band at arguably their most haunting and effective. And where the first single of the record, "Everything Invaded", may be somewhat unconvincing, _The Antidote_ chooses to save best for last with the up-tempo swirl of "Crystal Gazing" and the moody "As We Eternally Sleep on It". While I can unfortunately not comment on the input of renowned author José Luis Peixoto into the grand concept that supposedly threads through the record due to the lack of a lyric sheet accompanying my promo, from a musical standpoint _The Antidote_ is superb -- and though it is certain to draw its own share of detractors, it stamps down with some authority that Moonspell are well ahead of anyone in their genre. Contact: http://www.moonspell.com Murderous Vision / Kuru - _Blood Brain Barrier_ by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10) (Somnambulant Corpse, 2003) The innocuous exterior of this classy, DVD-sized package belies the restrained fury lurking within this split release. Murderous Vision rumbles in with snippets of distorted dialogue and vague metallic scrapings in the background, gradually layering on an unnerving, tribal-mechanical beating as portentous waves move in and out of consciousness. Things heat up with the second track breaking into a vicious vocal attack and modulated feedback, accompanied by a subtle, yet threatening backdrop of hard-edged analogue drones and a pulsating rumble. It's clear within the first few tracks how adept MV is at creating an atmosphere of unease and tension, with even the highly descriptive track titles (e.g. "Stumble Upon the Scene", "Crushed, Then Removed") fitting the disturbing music uncannily. Excellent stuff, with apparent references to both the atmospheric German scene as well as brilliant moments of American-style aggression, that takes a while to fully work its eldritch magic on the listener. Kuru (brainchild of the Somnambulant Corpse label-boss) blazes in with a barrage of high-end squiggles and wails (not quite as deafening as Sutcliffe Jugend), a nice follow-up to MV's brutal closing piece. Ferocious, yet surprisingly atmospheric, as a near-overwhelming rumble is broken up by short blasts of delicious feedback. More restrained and ambient than MV, Kuru's material prefers to sneak in under the skin with varied passages of bristling, low-end guitar-distortion and eerie drones, occasionally breaking into more intense bursts of noise. Lovers of the traditional German style should find no problems with this second half, which plays excellent counterpoint to the harsher opening minutes of the disc. Highly recommended (despite the intentionally abrupt ending) to even the most jaded p.e. freaks; and with the effort this label puts into selecting and packaging their releases, I'm hoping to hear more from them in future. Contact: http://www.somnambulantcorpse.com Omnium Gatherum - _Spirits and August Light_ (Rage of Achilles, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) When you have released a damn good debut EP and are about to record your first full-length, what should you do? Concentrate on writing enough new material for the album, or write just over half an hour of new music and re-record a couple of nifty tracks from the EP? I find it penalizing for both the fans who had purchased the original EP and the sales of said debut disc (which might have otherwise been boosted by people enjoying the full-length and going back to buy the EP as well). Either way, Omnium Gatherum (or their label) have decided to capitalize on a couple of very good tracks from the highly commendable _Steal the Light_ EP -- though I wonder why they left out "Candles for Giordano Bruno" while they were at it. The new Omnium Gatherum material is somewhat punchier, though it remains firmly rooted in melodic death metal. The Finns employ some relatively subtle synth higlights and remain catchy as ever, though not by using repetitive clean vocal choruses a la Soilwork. The fact that the new material all but ends after track six (which is followed by the two re-recordings and one last track that seems to have been mixed at a slightly lower volume) subtracts from the album's value for the money if you already have the EP. However, it remains very difficult to deny the appeal of OG's highly energetic, memorable and invigorating metal. A proper full-length where they can consistently reproduce the best of the form they've shown so far should be awaited with bated breath. Contact: http://omniumgatherum.cjb.net Re:Aktor - _Zero Order_ (Nuclear Blast, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (5 out of 10) A curious move on the part of Nuclear Blast this is, signing an increasing amount of "futuristic" metal bands. First there was Raunchy, followed by fellow Danish electronic terrorists Mnemic, and now from Portugal, there's Re:Aktor. More curious even is the amount of label backing that has been afforded this band, with a high profile producer (New York based George Marino, best known for his work on Nickelback and Metallica records) being roped in to oversee the final mixing for what essentially is not much more than just another nu metal band. That's right folks -- where Mnemic could still reasonably be described as futuristic, Re:Aktor dabble in all things nu, right down to the Dez Faferra-style vocals employed on such tracks as "My Own Fear" and "Damage Zone". To be fair, it's not all bad and particularly towards the end of the record, Re:Aktor seem to hook up their influences to more interesting, not to mention heavier effect -- particularly on "Impact" or "Datascape Assembler". Even so, these songs fail to offer us anything that Fear Factory didn't do with greater skill on _Demanufacture_ almost a decade ago. The most commendable aspect of this album is its production: crystal clear and razor-sharp, it nearly manages to save the album from generic obscurity. Nearly. Scrog - _Discography_ (New Granada, 2003) by: Adrian Magers (6 out of 10) When a band's bio claims that their music is "one part brutal punch to the face, two parts Joy Division, and three parts Melvins", one's interest is genuinely piqued. Thus is the recipe of Scrog, a disbanded Floridian act that predated emocore's eventual trendiness and has now been subject to a compiling of all their material onto one CD, courtesy of Granada Records. Since many of the tracks were only originally released on 7", this should come as a nice 78 minute surprise to fans, and a much easier to collect version of the band's entire catalogue. As stated before, this is somewhat akin to emocore, but still maintains a rough edge to it (unlike most of the sub-genre's current bands) that lives up to both the metal and hardcore influences they've drawn into their formula. Occasionally some of the vocals can become whiny, but for the most part this act displays more guts than any emo, screamo, whatever act that's around these days. Contact: http://www.newgranada.com The Black Dahlia Murder - _Unhallowed_ (Metal Blade, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) If you have already read my latest Omnium Gatherum review, then you can pretty much apply the first few sentences to The Black Dahlia Murder: they too have decided to capitalize on their debut EP by re-recording a couple of tracks for their first full-length. Furthermore, these tracks shine through as some of the best material on the full-length, which doesn't bode particularly well for _Unhallowed_. _A Cold-Blooded Epitaph_ was a brief outburst of Swedish metal (made in the US), and as an EP it worked well; _Unhallowed_, however, seems somewhat repetitive and the material often borders on generic. The music is kept on a high intensity level throughout, but when you go for a style that's been perfected years ago (more specifically in At the Gates' _Slaughter of the Soul_), then you better excel at it or have something new to add. The Black Dahlia Murder are very proficient, though not excellent, and add only a few personal touches to the style. Ultimately, _Unhallowed_ is an enjoyable album, but it pales in comparison to contemporaries such as Corporation 187's excellent _Perfection in Pain_. Still a young band, The Black Dahlia Murder show plenty of potential and will no doubt come back with a renewed attack before too long. The Spawn of Satan / Bloodsick - _Split CD_ by: Adrian Magers (8 out of 10) (Hell's Headbangers, 2002) Here we have ten tracks of unbridled blasphemy, divided in half between the two bands featured. The first portion is performed by Spawn of Satan, a veteran band that employs a style somewhere between late thrash and early death with an emphasis on very groove-based, oddly catchy slabs of guitar. With guttural barks performed by one Jim Satanic (guitarist of Nunslaughter, where he's known as Jim Sadist) and lyrics on all manner of death, evil, Satan and other fun topics, the general experience is a headbang-inducing plummet into the depths of Hades, with abundant tempo changes and brain-melting soloing for all. Track six marks Bloodshot's section of the CD, where they churn out riffs a bit heavier, with a more modern emphasis featuring some blastbeats and less mid-tempo thrash breakdowns. Although both bands have their own characteristics, it'd be hard to imagine a metal fan who liked one and not the other. Overall I was fairly impressed with both bands, and they complemented each other well on this CD. Both acts dig into the past for a familiar style that they assign their own respective individual characteristics to, and both are in some way related to Cleveland's up and coming death gods Soulless. So if you're into the northern Ohio death metal scene, or if you just like something that's heavy, evil and great to headbang to with total recklass abandon, lend a listen to Spawn of Satan and Bloodsick. Contact: http://www.hellsheadbangers.com Tiamat - _Prey_ (Century Media, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (8 out of 10) It's been a long and often winding road for Johan Edlund since Tiamat released _Sumerian Cry_ and _The Astral Sleep_ over a decade ago. Celebrated and renowned for his eagerness to experiment -- and ability to pull it off virtually every time -- Edlund created what was arguably his coup de grace with 1994's _Wildhoney_, and while 1997's _A Deeper Kind of Slumber_ came close to realising its ancestor's potential, neither the following _Skeleton Skeletron_ nor _Judas Christ_ efforts were even close to making good on the promise of earlier material. _Prey_ is an immediately different proposition however: more melancholic and pensive than _Judas Christ_, it opens up superbly with "Cain" and "Wings of Heaven" -- two songs which bear a passing resemblance to recent Green Carnation or even Type O Negative numbers. Unfortunately it is soon after this that things go slightly pear-shaped, as "Love in Chains" and "Divided" are almost uncharacteristically unambitious and predictable. The hypnotic strains of "Light in Extension" very quickly put things back on track again however, and from there on out, Edlund peels out what could only be described as some of his most awe-inspiring work to date, culminating in the swirling jazz-groove of "The Pentagram". Perhaps more so than ever, _Prey_ is a many layered affair, and one that increasingly rewards the listener with each repeated airing. It's most definitely not of the same calibre as the flawless elegance of _Wildhoney_, but it nonetheless remains a mesmerising album that will most certainly draw one to it again and again. Contact: http://www.churchoftiamat.com Tidfall - _Nucleus _ (Nuclear Blast, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (8 out of 10) Black metal circa 2003 is a many splintered and far removed genre from the headline-grabbing assault on mainstream society it so proudly was a decade ago. Many of the scene's defining acts have progressed and evolved to the point where they could hardly be called black metal anymore, while several newcomers have begun exploring with greater vigour the intricacies of electronics and the frostbitten bleakness of industrial as a means of bolstering the raw impact of their music. It is in the perennial middle ground between these two polarised approaches that you'll find Tidfall -- a band who combine industrial/electro influences, not out of place on an Aborym record, with the sleek production and intricate songwriting of acts like Dimmu Borgir and Satyricon. Despite getting off to a fairly uninspired start with "Future Doom" and "Nucleus", their first record for the Nuclear Blast label soon peels out the good stuff thick and fast -- running through a veritable gamut of their strengths from razor-sharp guitar work to tight, almost machine-like drumming and vocals that easily stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Shagrath and Satyr Wongraven. While this is less likely to appeal to those who prefer their black metal of a more necro persuasion, _Nucleus_ is still a very enjoyable piece of work. The highlights are many: the catchy mid-section hook of "Neo-Torment", the trance-like psychosis of "Mercury Mesh" and the killer lead-riff in "Zounds"; it's almost over too soon, particularly considering the poor quality of its opening songs. Ultimately though, Tidfall have assembled a satisfying and very entertaining (if not wholly perfect) record that most certainly bodes well for their future. Ulver - _Lyckantropen Themes_ (Jester Records, 2002) by: Alvin Wee (9 out of 10) While Ulver have shown hints of their latest direction on their recent EPs, _Lyckantropen Themes_ showcases the project's fullblown cinematic sound. Relying less on individually structured tracks and experimental sonic exploration, this actual soundtrack capitalizes on the movie's dynamic to create a flowing thirty minute tapestry of subdued melodic ambience. Making use of distinct, repeated motifs and more traditional sounding -- though still electronic -- instrumentation like piano and strings, Ulver come across as unquestionably more conventional than on their previous work, while retaining an edgy keenness that keeps them from being compared with commercial counterparts like Vangelis or Tangerine Dream. Ardent fans may notice the project's penchant for keeping a distinctly analog warmth and fuzziness about their recent material, a characteristic that's retained throughout this disc, and which lends the soundtrack an air of nostalgia and thoughtfulness that brings to mind old, familiar vinyl records and treasured relationships past. Which, judging from the artwork alone, seems to reflect the mood of the film itself, although an actual copy of the latter seems rather elusive at this point. A triumph for Garm and Co. no doubt, and certainly up there with Lustmord's remarkable "Zoetrope" soundtrack this year. [Quentin Kalis: "Ulver take yet another left turn on _Lyckantropen Themes_, this time exploring ambient soundscapes to a far greater extent than on their _Perdition City_ sessions. Despite protestations to the contrary, Ulver's conversion to electronica did not result in them losing the darkness of their earlier albums; it is still present, albeit in a far more subtle manner than on albums such as _Nattens Madrigal_. The songs segue seamlessly into one another, providing a sense of continuity and should ideally be listened to from beginning to end without interruption. Amazing, enchanting stuff."] Contact: http://www.jester-records.com Zyklon - _Aeon_ (Candlelight Records, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (9 out of 10) Whether or not you thought that Zyklon's debut effort _World Ov Worms_ was overrated becomes a fairly moot point in light of how much impact this relatively young band has had on the extreme music scene thus far. While thanks should go in no small part to certain founding members' Emperial roots, it's hard to think of another band on only their second full length who, specifically in this genre, has received quite so much attention from both mainstream and underground media sources alike. Thankfully though, Zamoth, Trym, Destructhor and the newly recruited Secthdamon seem to comprehend clearly enough that hype will only get you so far, and as such have come up with a wholly satisfying, if not surprisingly straightforward death metal album. The first noticeable change on _Aeon_ with regards to its predecessor is the extent to which the band have shed much of their black metal-type melodies and electronics, in favour of a more technical, organic and ultimately brutal approach. New vocalist Secthdamon immediately makes his presence felt, and while some may prefer the more unique style of previous growler Daemon, the man some might know as the drummer for Myrkskog does a fantastic job. With a far greater range in his arsenal than his predecessor, it is particularly on slower numbers like "Core Solution" and "Two Thousand Years" that his voice is at its most venomously effective. Likewise, the instrumental aspect of this record is sheer class, and while Zamoth may not be in the league of Trey Azagthoth when it comes to soul-shredding solos, his dense, blistering riffage on songs like "Subtle Manipulation" and "Specimen Eruption" is a thing of pure, chaotic beauty. Although occasionally lacking depth, overall _Aeon_ is undoubtedly a great record and one of the few death metal albums released in recent times to sound immediately recognisable and distinct. While the almost trendy buzz surrounding this band may turn off the more sceptical, I can only urge you to brush aside any preconceptions you may hold for this band, who have created yet another death metal highlight of 2003. Contact: http://www.zyklontribe.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, _, _ _, _, | \ |_ |\/| / \ (_ |_/ | | | \ / , ) ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Scoring: 5 out of 5 -- A flawless demo 4 out of 5 -- Great piece of work 3 out of 5 -- Good effort 2 out of 5 -- A major overhaul is in order 1 out of 5 -- A career change is advisable Antipathy - _Removal of the Mind_ by: Adrian Magers (4 out of 5) The first thing I noticed about this CD was the cover artwork. Generally bands at a demo stage either don't include artwork, or utilize an illustration that may or may not do justice to the music contained within. Although good CD artwork isn't a necessity, it's nice to see that the band went out of their way to make this four-song trip through raging catharsis a well-rounded product. Regarding the music, the guitars, bass and drums culminate into something that sounds like a chunk of Napalm Death laced with small amounts of Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Pantera and first-album Killswitch Engage. All this is topped by mostly mid-ranged grunts and guttural screams. Overall their approach to groove-based death metal is a very professional one, and is likely to impress fans of Internal Bleeding and Scar Culture. At the moment Antipathy is on the verge to becoming a signed national band, something which they undoubtedly deserve for the effort and emotion poured into this four-song EP. Contact: http://www.antipathyny.com Benighted - _Helfarjor_ by: Jackie Smit (5 out of 5) Many fans and veteran acts alike have recently been lamenting the fact that the art of early nineties Scandinavian black metal appears to have been lost forever. While I would tend to agree with that statement, Sweden's Benighted are clearly intent on breathing new life into its flagging corpse -- and judging by their efforts here are more than capable of tackling their chosen task with hefty aplomb. _Heljarfor_ is the duo of vocalist / guitarist / bassist Aho and drummer Salle's first recorded effort, and is instantly impressive on the opening title track. With a lead-riff very similar to vintage Enslaved and more recent efforts by the likes of Hate Forest, this is as bleak, cold and merciless as any fan would wish their black metal to sound. The raw but clear production suits tracks like "Dying Age" perfectly, while Benighted's focus on all four the tracks they offer us never once even slightly hints at faltering. Performed at mostly breakneck speeds, the closing acoustic instrumental "The Tide", replete with the sound of waves crashing in the background, is a beautiful and chilling close to a perfect collection of misanthropic hymns. Clearly true black metal may potentially have their new champions in the form of this highly talented collective. Contact: http://www.nervgas.com/benighted/ Cerebrus / Seethe - _Split EP_ by: Jackie Smit (Cerebrus: 4 out of 5 / Seethe: 2.5 out of 5) While it has always been a very popular modus operandi for young bands on a tight budget eager to get themselves heard outside the rehearsal room, split EPs carry with them the distinct problem that either act is in danger of outshining the other. Although Seethe are not the world's worst band, when compared to fellow Milton Keynes-based quartet Cerberus, they are deftly blown out of the water. Playing a fairly tepid brand of melodic death metal, Seethe occasional manage to ascend past the mediocre, particularly on "Darkness Falls"; but while it is most certainly noteworthy that such a youthful band (all members are aged 16-18) could put together something as technically proficient as this to begin with, Seethe lack the personality and character to be anything other than a run-of-the-mill metal band. Cerberus, on the other hand, share Seethe's teenage exuberance, but play like a band twice their age. An unhinged, angry affair, the three songs which they contribute can best be compared to acts like Crowbar, Eyehategod and Mastodon. Chris Milliken's voice spits pure venom and the duelling guitars of Simon Lubbock and Adam Hefferon outshines a fair amount of what passes for signed artists these days. With the right producer and right level of backing, these youngsters could very easily become a pretty hefty force to be reckoned with, and I shall certainly be looking forward to whatever they have to offer next. Contact: Cerebrus: http://www.cerebus.2ya.com Seethe: http://www.seethe.tk Corpsepyre - _The Living We Mourn_ by: Adrian Magers (1.5 out of 5) It's nearly impossible for me to criticize or praise Corpsepyre. The music is recorded in such a sloppy, under-produced manner that transitions and tempo changes are totally lost. The vocals seem to be constantly peaking, and end up sounding like a malfunctioning fan pointed too close at the microphone. Obviously, it's unfair to discredit a band based solely on their production (or lack thereof), but when the music crashes through with no regard for its listener, it's hard to scrape out any semblance of the songwriting and technical talent I'm sure is there. One possible reason is the lack of resources in the band's native Pakistan. Putting this into consideration one can somewhat overlook the shrill, gutless guitar and notice a handful of really cool riffs. With human drums providing a more fluid structure, and a recording quality that does not leave the listener in pain, Corpsepyre could really stand out. But on _The Living We Mourn_, it's hard to tell. Contact: http://www.corpsepyre.cjb.net Descent Into Madness - _In the Darkest Hours_ by: Adrian Magers (4 out of 5) Descent Into Madness bear a deceiving moniker. While someone might expect a form of violent, hateful metal from such an act, the truth is that DIM are a very melodic act -- but they still manage to hold on to an aggressive sound, combining elements of Sentenced, Tristania, and Maiden's more progressive efforts. The songs are catchy and chorus-based, but avoid falling into boring patterns or strum-fests devoid of any real riffs. There's a definite bite to the songs, which courses through the duration of the demo. The vocals are predominantly clean, with occasional female backup chiming in. Guitars are well played and offer a good variety, and also provide top-notch interplay with the vocal lines. The rhythm section performs in a very basic fashion, but none of this negatively affects the music. A crisper, cleaner production would be beneficial to the band, but what they've accomplished here does the music justice. A few faults exist though, mainly being in that band seem to have trouble ending a song as easily as it starts. Most of the tracks seem to sag a little bit towards their respective conclusions. Other than a few minor improvements, this band is well on its way to possibly becoming a power player in their field. Contact: http://www.descentintomadness.com Exhuman - _Partition of Disorder_ by: Jackie Smit (3.5 out of 5) Considering that these Italians recorded this six-song demo in their rehearsal room, the eventual product is quite impressive. While far from perfect, its sound is of a markedly higher quality than a great many of the studio-spawned demos that pass through my mailbox every month. That Exhuman are clearly very gifted musicians makes their dedication and effort within their clearly limited framework all the more commendable. Of particular note on this demo are the dynamic, progressive death metal strains of "Chaos Fragments" and the curiously named "Tasted by Welfare", with its distinctly Morbid Angel-esque opening riff. Although there is still quite a lot of work for these guys to do -- The Holy's vocals are particularly uninspiring for the greater part of this demo -- one would expect some modicum of success to befall Exhuman sooner rather than later. Contact: http://www.exhuman.net Forsaken - _Iconoclast_ by: Jackie Smit (4.5 out of 5) That a record label has thus far failed to scoop these guys up, is testament not only to the commendable willingness of more obscure companies to take a chance on acts from such far-flung regions as Malta, but also to the ignorance that often pervades the metal genre when it comes to signing new acts. Certainly Forsaken are one of the most promising new bands to tease my ears since Polish black metallers Strommoussheld. Unique in every sense of the word, the quality of their take on doom metal far exceeds the efforts of the legions of My Dying Bride clones currently in existence. Consisting of four songs which all eclipse the seven minute mark, _Iconoclast_ is at once progressive and dynamic, combining effortless tempo changes and riff sequences with the excellent vocals of Leo Stivala and the sparse keyboards of Mario Ellul into a brand of doom that, while often rather fast, is by no means ever less emotional than anything their peers and influences have ever offered. It would be almost unfair to point out a particular highlight on this offering, but the haunting synth hook of "Wither the Hour" just about clinches it as the perfect closing moment to a very impressive effort. While there are times when Forsaken do reveal the flaws of a band still in development, these instances are few and far between. Ultimately, while _Iconoclast_ does only consist of a mere four songs, they effortlessly provide ample evidence to make a great many sit up and pay attention. Contact: http://www.forsaken_malta.tripod.com NDCIT - _Preparing for the Quiet Wars_ by: Adrian Magers (2.5 out of 5) NDCIT (None Dare Call It Treason) are teeming with potential, but I have a lot of minor qualms with this demo. First off, the production detracts some of the fury that was probably intended to be communicated through the music. However, being a demo, awful tone and badly recorded drumming can be forgiven. The element that suffers most is that of lead vocals: the shout/yell being pushed from Adel Souto's throat doesn't mesh well with the rest of the band's sound. The lower vocals seem to fit more, but once again, the production values of the higher-end voice may have been the cause to an overall bad sound. There are many pluses to this mini-CD, though: the more groove-based riffs are generally very well-executed, and personally I'd like to see the band do something more akin to downthesun, for instance (sans the electronics and with a more traditional hardcore base), but in their own style. More of an emphasis on the moshy riffs could lead to an improvement in the overall flow of the songs. Some of the thrash-tempoed bits come off as jarring and sloppy -- once again, production may be to blame. Aside from a poor impression of the vocals and a few iffy spots in song structure, NDCIT has a lot to offer and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this band hopefully come into its own more in the near future. Contact: http://www.feastofhateandfear.com/NDCIT.html Shattered Remains - _Black Lotus_ by: Adrian Magers (3 out of 5) A solo project from a Cleveland, Ohio axegrinder by the name of Gary Scott, Shattered Remains is a somewhat of an unpolished gem. There's a good deal of great work on this four song demo (which is comprised of material written over a decade ago). Setting aside production issues, one is treated to lethal dose of mid-tempo thrash fury. The vocals are seething and fit the music, but could definitely be improved. Guitar tone is another large complaint, but the riffs themselves shine through just the same. Although this isn't anything groundbreaking, and one could protest that there's a certain lack of any sense of pioneering on their part, considering the time period and other factors this is quite an admirable piece of work. There are plenty of surprises and shifts in the songs that keep the listener entertained throughout the disc's short duration. With a slightly crisper production and work on general areas of the band, the music featured could definitely be something that most metal labels would give a considerate listen to. Because this demo is quite dated, I'm definitely interested in hearing what Shattered Remains mainman Gary Scott has come up with since. Contact: visiongtr@cox.net Sifr - _Blessings of Madness_ by: Adrian Magers (1.5 out of 5) Sifr is Saquib Malik's baby; a spitting, screaming, head-spinning one. A possible beacon of light in a nearly non-existent scene (that of the country of Pakistan), Sifr could possibly be leaders of a Middle Eastern metal movement and show the world that music's most aggressive form has found its way into the hearts and minds of people where most of us would least expect. There are some piercing guitar riffs to be heard, but many of the other elements of the band are muddled sounding. There's a total lack of bass, vocals that sound like different degrees of tape hiss, and what sounds like a badly recorded drum machine. Looking past crippling production issues, there's definitely technical skill and songwriting prowess. If the band were to refine their sound, add a fuller tone and do their own music justice, they could definitely be a force to contend with. Contact: http://www.sifr.cjb.net Souls Entwined - _Untitled Demo_ by: Jackie Smit (1.5 out of 5) Described as emotional metal by main man and sole member Roy Jacob, it turns out that Souls Entwined offer nary an emotion other than the urge to snap the CD in two. With a production that is sub-par even by demo standards, the most instantly annoying thing about this record are Jacob's vocals, which at best can be described as an ill-advised amalgamation of sighing and groaning, and even when a song like "Demon Within" looks set to become comparatively interesting, Jacob's laborious moans soon crush any potential it may have held. Performed at a speed that would make even vintage My Dying Bride sound like speed metal, the most (and indeed, only) commendable aspect of this effort is that Jacob recorded it by himself. Other than that, there's very little about Souls Entwined that warrants any form of praise. Contact: souls_win@yahoo.com Under Eden - _Songs From the Savage Circle_ by: Adrian Magers (4.5 out of 5) _Songs From the Savage Circle_ is one of the best demos I've heard in a while. It's definitely something I'll be listening to long after this review is published and read by the Chronicles of Chaos readers. The music shifts from majestic leads and soaring transitions to downtrodden crunch and ultra-thick jagged grooves. The vocals generally keep with these transitions (though the band have since chosen a full-time vocalist to reinterpret lead guitarist Ryan McAtee's voice on this CD), led by impressive six-string work, and complemented by the cascading drums that hold each song together. The overall tone makes one think of Darkest Hour slammed into classic In Flames, and this formula roughly describes what Under Eden is up to on this album. With such diversity and masterful songwriting, it's a surprise that these are the band's first four songs. If this is only the beginning, then those who keep up with this band are most likely going to be in for some very pleasant surprises. Contact: http://www.under-eden.net =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _ _, _, / _ | / _ (_ \ / | \ / , ) ~ ~ ~ ~ V A D E R S L A Y S A S S L A Y E R F A D E S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wacken Open Air 2003 by: Paul Schwarz / Matthias Noll The Spirit of Wacken I can think of no other event better suited to describe the incredibly positive and unique atmosphere at the Wacken Open Air than what we saw when we finally reached the little village of the same name in northern Germany: as always the local inhabitants had set up chairs in their little gardens facing the streets to watch the incoming metalheads. Standing in the car queue which had built up at the camping ground entrance, we watched a strange pair chatting: an old lady in front of her house was having a visibly friendly conversation with a guy who was only wearing shorts; a bullet belt held not only his trousers in place, but also a real axe; and on his bare back a giant inverted cross was painted in a blood-red colour. Before my first Wacken experience in 2001 I would have never imagined that such a massive event could possibly take place without the slightest amount of trouble or negativity. [MN] The Festival As in previous years, the "gigs" took place on four stages. Two big ones side by side, where the main bands were playing alternately on the Black and True Metal stage, always with just a fifteen minute break in-between. In addition there was also a smaller stage, approximately 200 meters away, called the Party stage, and a fourth stage in a tent close to the entrance. The tent stayed open all night; it was the place for the metal disco as well as the (as far as I've been told, totally hilarious) Metal Karaoke. The overall setup of the festival area was slightly different this year because most of the booths selling food and drink had been relocated to the borders of the festival area. In the vicinity of the entrance but outside the festival area, a beer garden from a German brewery had been set up. Several additional booths selling food, CDs, merchandise and other metal-related stuff were located outside as well. The metal market resided in another giant tent, for which an additional entrance fee was charged. The metal market featured strip-tease shows this year, and most of the times I was in the vicinity I saw a long queue of people waiting to get in. Due to the incredibly hot weather I couldn't be bothered to check out what was going on inside. The shower facilities were more numerous than on previous occasions, and as far as I can judge there were also more portable toilets available. Most of the shortcomings that had been massively criticised after last year's edition were improved this year. Another new feature was a huge video screen set between the two main stages, which displayed live footage from the bands playing at the time as well as up-to-date information about changes concerning the running order. Here are some prices as an example: grilled sausages, ?3; 0.4l beer ?3 and non-alcoholic drinks ?2.50 each, plus ?1 deposit for the cup; a piece of pizza, ?3; french fries, ?2.50; etc. [MN] Thursday Circle II Circle This year we had started early enough to arrive at the parking area at approximately six in the afternoon. After setting up the tents, taking a ten minute walk to the festival area and exchanging our tickets for wristbands, we immediately entered and wandered around to check out the area. No one could be bothered to see Circle II Circle, featuring ex-Savatage singer Zakk Stevens. From afar they didn't sound too different from recent Savatage material; they also played "The Edge of Thorns" and, surprisingly, a cover of Metallica's "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". [MN] Annihilator The second band of the festival was Annihilator. Once again Jeff Waters has brought in a new singer, who turned out to be a young fellow that wouldn't have looked out of place in an outfit like Linkin' Park. He had a decent voice and was able to deliver a convincing performance on tracks spanning the whole Annihilator career. However, as with most Annihilator singers so far, I felt his voice lacked identity. Annihilator have a very dedicated following in Europe and went down very well, playing songs like "Phantasmagoria", "WTYD", "Set the World on Fire", "King of the Kill" and so on. [MN] Victory Victory were next and delivered a set that should have pleased most connoisseurs of German melodic metal; but there was hardly any crowd reaction to be seen. For me their performance was quite tolerable, thanks to the absence of power metal stereotypes and their focus on playing their music instead of playing games with the crowd or engaging in boring stage banter. [MN] Saxon Now it was time for a surprise, because out of nowhere Saxon appeared on stage. The band only played three songs, but this year I found them to be incredibly enjoyable, while their headlining gig two years ago had sent me running for cover. The band played "Motorcycle Man", "Princess of the Night" and "Denim and Leather". Surprisingly, Biff's voice sounded as good as it did back in the '80s, and overall the brevity of the gig and the focus on real classics made it a really worthwhile event which found me and my friends singing "Denim and Leather, keeps us all together" as if time had stood still in 1981. [MN] Running Wild Thursday's headliners Running Wild had attracted a very special breed of fans: numerous individuals and whole groups of people had dressed up as pirates. Most noteworthy of all was a guy with a paper parrot on his shoulder, while one of his mates was appropriately wearing water wings. Running Wild opened with "Genghis Khan", and although I own their first two records, this and fourth track "Riding the Storm" were enough to drive me away. My friends Daniel and the aptly named Hell-Hans, as well as CoC metal brother Paul Schwarz (whom we had met in the meantime) felt the same way, and therefore we spent the rest of the Running Wild gig in the beer garden until they ended their set with the hilarious "Chains and Leather (and Rivets)". By all rights, Running Wild's ilk of power metal should've died many years ago, but I assume the fact that they sound so terribly German to my ears is precisely the key to their appeal. [MN] The real disappointment for me regarding Running Wild's performance was that they regretted to dress up as pirates, as per their _...Jolly Roger_ album. Casually sporting unbuttoned Napoleonic military garb, Running Wild were not helped by the predictable weakness of their o-so-German power metal fare; but to be honest, if they'd been dressed up as pirates -- with perhaps some rigging and a walkable plank as scenery -- I probably would have enjoyed it regardless... at least for a while. [PS] Friday Dew-Scented We got up early to see Dew-Scented, who were the first band to play and briefly soundchecked with a cover of Slayer's "War Ensemble". Having added a second guitarist to the line-up, the band was tight and performed professionally on the big stage. Most of the songs were taken from their excellent _Inwards_, but they also played two promising new tracks, which seemed to be a bit more varied than their previous material. Unfortunately the guitar sound was not sharp or loud enough for their riff-driven style, and so the dynamics of excellent material like "Bitter Conflict" and "Unconditional" were sadly amiss -- one could have the impression that they played the same song over and over again. Although I'm totally sure that this band crushes with a better sound and in a smaller environment, it was just an okay performance by the German thrashers. [MN] Dew-Scented certainly do crush with a better sound and in a smaller environment: in Glasgow with Vader last year they slayed, despite trying circumstances. [PS] Extreme Noise Terror Extreme Noise Terror were up next and I really hadn't expected much from them, which is always the perfect condition for a pleasant surprise. Although the band seemed burdened by a night of heavy drinking or the abuse of certain substances, their mad twin-vocal assault in combination with some simple but devastating crust/grind and a good deal of chunky mid-tempo riffs proved to be the right medicine to get the adrenaline flowing. While initially only a rather meagre audience -- a lot smaller than Dew-Scented's -- had gathered in front of the stage, whoever was in the line-up for this gig did manage to attract quite some people by the end of their 45 minutes. Not really an essential set, but ENT were powerful enough to give everybody in attendance the impression that things were finally starting to get serious. [MN] The Crown When it comes to vocalists re-joining their original bands, it wasn't Halford and Priest getting back together that made my day in the last year or so: it was Johan Lindstrand being back in The Crown. There may be death metal vocalists who can sound deeper, but in my opinion there's no one out there who can match the incredibly dirty yet inhumanly powerful roar Lindstrand is capable of without using any artificial help. With their Wolverine look-alike frontman, there was no way to stop the Swedes from dealing out the first serious blow of the festival. Starting with _Crowned in Terror _'s vicious title track, it was immediately clear that the band was there to deliver a totally shredding performance. I had the impression that there was some less-than-perfectly-timed drumming early on in the set by the otherwise totally amazing Janne Saarenpää, and Lindstrand had occasional problems remembering lyrics from _CiT_ songs; but apart from these minor gripes, The Crown ruled. The highlights of the gig were the monstrous "Total Satan", "Blitzkrieg Witchcraft" and "Under the Whip", while the slower "World Below" seemed to drag on a bit too long while remaining somewhat unspectacular. The huge and extremely active audience loved every minute of it. The Swedes also took the chance to perform a new scorcher called "Face of Destruction / Deep Hit of Death" from their upcoming album, and the band still came back to play "Executioner - Slayer of the Light" as an encore. The Crown's set was certainly one of the highlights of the festival. [MN] I haven't much to add, except to endorse Matthias' sentiments almost unanimously, and simply say that The Crown have -- primarily by virtue of my witnessing this one performance -- become one of the most favoured and most treasured Swedish death metal bands in my music collection. I think many of us at CoC are awaiting the return of Lindstrand on record ('probably in October,' we were told at Wacken) with bated breath. [PS] Diamond Head I avoided Diamond Head, who were not the real thing but a combination of Tygers of Pan Tang and Diamond Head, and only heard bits of the unavoidable "Am I Evil" from afar. [MN] Dismember Did we mention how hot it was at Wacken? I know it's not necessarily strictly relevant to our general review of the music, but in the case of Dismember's performance it was a striking factor. The heat was incredible; it was just around midday when the Swedish five-piece took up residence on the Black Stage. As Matti Karki remarked in conversation afterwards, it was a very good thing that the sun was behind the band. But that put it shining slap-bang into -our- eyes -- which made it all the more pleasing to see the size of crowd Dismember had attracted. Clearly the lengthy wait for _Where the Iron Crosses Grow_ has not put off their sizeable hardcore following, of which myself and Matthias were certainly a part. Though opening with "Of Fire", Dismember focused squarely on their early years, digging up almost all their 'cult classics': "Override the Overture", "Dismembered", "In Death's Sleep", "Skin Her Alive" ("...for the ladies"); they were all there. All in all, Dismember delivered a punishing set. It was a good mixture; somewhat surprisingly neglecting _Hate Campaign_, but playing nicely to a festival crowd. However the sound was what really mattered: in the live environment, as on record, 'the sound' can make or break an old style Swedish death metal prospect like Dismember... with devastating ease. That Skogsbergs-associated, Repulsion-spawned guitar sound -- bassy, overdriven, but with an edge like a chainsaw going at full whack -- is hard to recreate effectively in the live environment without drowning the discernibility of the resulting mix. Thankfully, Dismember have one particularly talented individual -- who was also working with a few other bands at this year's Wacken, including Thyrfing -- doing their sound. Getting as near perfect a sonic balance as you could ever wish for -- at any Dismember show, let alone an open-air one -- he supplies Dismember with all the 'ammunition' they need to truly devastate. Whether it be the rumbling, hammer-blow crush of "Casket Garden", the high-velocity death-maul of "Soon to Be Dead" or the punishing "Misanthropic", Dismember hit you square in the gut, creating a warm, energising feeling which provokes handbanging, roars of approval and overall satisfaction. But unfortunately, it's not the perfect performance; while the band as a whole -- including a newly recruited rhythm guitarist whose name escapes me and session bassist Johan Bergebäck (borrowed from Necrophobic, for whom he plays rhythm guitar) -- perform very well, David Blomqvist let the side down, just a little. At the time I was torn over whether a lack of practice or the effect of the midday heat on his guitar strings was to blame; but what was undeniable was that the trademark melodies (worked into riffs and distinctive in his leads), which are his most major contribution to Dismember's music, were not well represented. The melody line of "Of Fire" sounded flat; the intro section of "Dismembered" retained little of its recorded charm; and in the opening section of "Override the Overture", Blomqvist wasn't even keeping up! When I put it to Matti later that perhaps David needed a little more practice, he said, noncommittally, "Well, you know: some days he gets it, some days he doesn't." If there was a specific reason, then, it's not clear what it was. No matter: Dismember still slayed. A new track from the upcoming _Where the Iron Crosses Grow_ (out in December if everything goes right, or February if everything goes wrong, according to Matti) sounded pretty cool: though clearly not representative of a revolution to come, it suggested that Dismember's sixth album should be a more-than-worthy follow-up to _Hate Campaign_. When it came time for classic set closer "Dreaming in Red" (the only track from _Indecent and Obscene_ aired) Dismember succeeded in delivering the goods; Blomqvist may have sold the leaderwork a little short -- the dark, hallowed feel of the recorded version was not perfectly reproduced -- but that didn't stop "Dreaming in Red" coming across as a classic: a death metal anthem. Dismember proved that the old school can still kick ass, live -and- in the open air. Right on. [PS] Primal Fear There isn't much I can say about Primal Fear, even though I watched most of their set. Like almost every other falsetto vocalist I had to endure during the two days, Ralf Scheepers either wasn't wearing tight enough underwear or requires studio technology when it comes to hitting certain notes. His Halford-style posing looked embarrassing as always, and I don't remember much about their music other than the so-so Judas Priest cover "Metal Gods". [MN] Though I (thankfully) didn't actually witness Primal Fear's set, I was told about one thing they did that was uncharacteristic for German bands (especially of the power metal persuasion) at this year's Wacken: they persisted, throughout their set, in speaking to the crowd in English. This is no crime, of course -- but when you're a German band who sell most of their albums in Germany; and you're at a German festival where well over fifty percent of the metalheads are German; and many of them (I would judge from extrapolations based on my own experiences) are not great speakers of English; why, in that situation, would you choose to talk to the crowd in -English-? Perhaps it was because old Ralph knew no one was really listening to what he said in-between songs. More likely, it was intended to give the band more "international credibility". However you slice it, it demonstrated poor communication skills. [PS] Testament While the audience was totally into Testament and it was certainly good to see the giant Chuck Billy back on stage, the Testament set did nothing for me. Starting with a seemingly endless series of mid-tempo tracks from which the worst were from their 'let's sound like Metallica and get rich' period, I started to wonder why Testament were ever labeled thrash metal. Steve Di Giorgio's stage moves had a certain Janick Gers quality and were totally terrible to look at, and Chuck Billy's vocals only sounded powerful to my ears when he did one of his lower roars. Fortunately the band did play some thrash metal later on; "The Haunting", "Alone in the Dark", etc. sounded cool, but -- maybe due to the fact that The Crown as well as Dismember had been able to prescribe a much heavier dose of metal earlier on -- the gig left me unimpressed until the end. [MN] Though I can very much understand Matthias' experience of Testament's set, I was, curiously enough, among those members of the audience who were totally into Testament's set -- well, not all of it, but more than I would have expected. When I saw Testament in London back in April, the ilk of "True Believer" provided dreary listening. But -- though I'd still prefer Testament to play -more- from _The Legacy_ and _The New Order_ than hear the tracks in question -- at Wacken I enjoyed them, albeit a fraction as much as I enjoyed "The Haunting", "Burnt Offerings" or the band's magic "Disciples of the Watch" closer. Some of the later Testament material plays well to a festival -- as I discovered, it's infectiously sing-a-longable. What really made Testament's set such a joy for me was the fervour of the fans: they sang an astounding proportion of the lyrics, in astounding numbers. The "magic moment" came at the end of "Alone in the Dark", when the crowd carried on sounding the main melody line like a football chant. Testament were "forced" to go straight into the next song: the crowd (myself included) had no intention of stopping. It's certainly fair to say that Testament could have been better, but that's not to say they weren't a fist pumping, head-banging joy to behold. As long as they keep pumping out a fair whack of _The Legacy_ and _The New Order_ at each gig, I can't see my overall reactions turning negative. [PS] Gamma Ray Out of curiosity and masochism I went for another dose of German power metal. Watching Gamma Ray from afar, I was shocked by the absolutely terrible vocal performance from Kai Hansen. The guy could hardly hit a note properly, and seems to have lost his higher range completely. His out-of-tune squeaking on the encore (the Helloween track "Victims of Fate") could have soured milk. Technically speaking, Gamma Ray were really good; but I'm totally at a loss as to why Hansen thinks he is capable of handling the vocal duties on his own. [MN] Assassin Germany's Assassin got this year's traditional thrash metal reunion slot. The German five-piece recorded two albums during the '80s -- 1987's _The Upcoming Terror_ and 1988's _Interstellar Experience_ --, both of which pretty much failed to make a considerable splash in the scene back then. In 2003, nostalgia and permanent name-dropping from message board nerds trying to outdo each other when it comes to praising only the most obscure outfits seems to have given the band a status it never had during its rather short-lived career. However, Assassin, strengthened by the addition of ex-Violent Force / Living Death / Sodom drummer Atomic Steif, did at least partially manage to send most of those who decided they'd rather see a third-tier band from fifteen years ago than "N'Flaimz" through the time tunnel. Starting with "Abstract War" and timing problems that would've put even Capricornus and Witchhunter to shame, the band at least had a decent sound -- which was dominated by chainsaw-like guitars, ripping and tearing along in the old-fashioned German speed metal way. During later tracks like "Baka", "Junk Food", "Assassin" or the closing "Bullets", they managed to tighten their act -- and despite some verbal diarrhoea and awkward stage acting by vocalist Robert Gonella, Assassin managed to do justice to the recorded versions of their material. The gig would have been an okay, and at least a fairly satisfying, one-time trip down memory lane if it hadn't been for the two horrible new songs aired, which were atrocious enough to make me fear a new Assassin album more than the black plague. [MN] In Flames >From my perspective, seeing In Flames live these days is always a hollow experience, when all is said and done: it is -always- disappointing because -- just like Entombed in the late '90s -- In Flames have basically opted to confine their second release to the history books. _Subterranean_ tempered the unbridled eclecticism of _Lunar Strain_ into some of the most majestic pieces of Swedish melodic death metal created in the '90s. I mean, just -imagine- if In Flames opened up with "Stand Ablaze". Now imagine if Henke (vocalist on _Subterranean_) was guesting on vocals... Now try to understand why I find Anders Friden and crew 'coming out to party' disappointing -- even though, as an experience in 'extreme stadium metal', In Flames hit the nail just about square on the head. That's right: they are great -- in their own way. The crowd is a huge seething mass. The setlist a popular-favourite-after-popular-favourite run-down. "Pinball Map", "Only for the Weak", "Episode 666", even "Moonshield" are received like classics of the metal canon. It's a nice thing to be part of; but "Jotun" never comes out to play, and the closest thing we get to hearing something from _Subterranean_ is when the obligatory "old song" -- "Behind Space" from 1994's _Lunar Strain_, re-recorded on 1999's _Colony_ -- is dusted off, as-per-formulaic usual. It's frustrating rather than pleasing to hear "Behind Space" done as a straight, brutalising death metal song -- a novelty, essentially -- stripped of its acoustic outro though more recent In Flames albums supply material for the same set which is as mellow and more so. The mercy is that exceptionally little from _Reroute to Remain_ was played. The pleasure was being part of something so thoroughly huge, powerful, and yet -extreme-. In Flames may neglect their finest work, but they at least open many people up to discovering it, and the great music which surrounds it in ever-increasing circles of obscurity. [PS] Twisted Sister These days Twisted Sister could be considered as much of an oddity as Assassin, but at least they can look back at an original concept and a tremendously successful career -- with an arsenal of songs that no-one who is into any kind of rock is unfamiliar with. The band went on stage to the sound of the traditional intro tape "It's a Long Way to the Top If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll" by AC/DC -- which already made people in the back sing and dance along. With the exception of bass player Mark "The Animal" Mendoza, who had gained quite some weight and probably didn't fit into his costume anymore, the band looked exactly like they did in the '80s, including make-up and sunglasses. Equally unsurprising was their opening track, the always excellent "What You Don't Know", which sounded much heavier than I remembered Twisted Sister to be. That's what happens if totally dumb material like "I Wanna Rock" or "We're Not Gonna Take It" starts to overshadow the -metal- Twisted Sister most definitely played on their debut. Other tracks such as "Like a Knife in the Back", "The Kids Are Back", "Live to Ride", "Under the Blade", "Shoot 'Em Down" and especially the punishing "Destroyer" easily managed to come across as surprisingly up-to-date and totally entertaining. Dee Snider hasn't lost any of his capabilities to be an outstanding rock frontman who is able to deliver the most ridiculous stage banter and ass-kissing in a fashion that's entertaining and not embarrassing at all. After the obligatory drum solo, the band went on to play the hits of their later career, including the aforementioned "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It"; and even if these anthems of stupidity give me a sick feeling in the region of my stomach, it was most amusing to see people wearing Gorgoroth and other grim black metal shirts sing along to them. Overall Twisted Sister turned out to be a worthy headliner, which despite their faded metal credibility managed to unite fans of the most different of styles. There's no way Cradle of Filth -- who had decided to play Ozzfest instead -- would have been able to be as entertaining and worthwhile as Friday's headliner. [MN] Saturday Graveworm Rumour was spreading that Sinister had split up during the drive to Wacken and Holy Moses had replaced them on very short notice. The extremely inhuman but totally ludicrous roar that Sabrina Claassen delivered during the sound check immediately convinced me to go see Graveworm instead. The band attracted quite a following in front of the Party stage, but their music is a completely unimaginative assembly of Dimmu Borgir's most keyboard-laden moments and a brand of death metal that never gets as ferocious and heavy as real death metal should sound. The professional delivery did not really help to overcome the serious issues I have with Graveworm's music, and I didn't get much more excitement than I would have if we had decided to rest on the camping ground for another hour. [MN] Thyrfing Swedish Viking metallers Thyrfing certainly had a good sound: same sound guy as Dismember, Matti Karki tells me. So what was there to enjoy -was- Thyrfing, untarnished by any sound problems -- even wind. But when it came down to it: for me, that just wasn't enough. Festival-friendly much of Thyrfing's broadly 'epic'-style material certainly is, but engrossing it ain't -- at least to my ears. Good but not great, and very dependent on taste: I certainly felt out-voted by the audience, who formed what was, for the early afternoon, a sizeable crowd around the True Metal stage, and clearly enjoyed themselves -- some even sported plastic Viking helmets. [PS] Twisted Tower Dire Though it was disappointing that when Twisted Tower Dire emerged onto the Party Stage, the American five-piece ('Priest / 'Maiden set-up) wore none of the spikes and other 'metal gear' that characterises their promotion, it would be more sensible to blame airport carriage restrictions than the band themselves; and in any case, it's the -music- that matters: TTD are all about -that-. Showing up just about every other 'power metal' band in attendance -- particularly Primal Fear, Metallium and Running Wild -- TTD let loose with such style that -not- head- and fist-banging would have taken a physical effort. Their singer was ecstatic. "I'm so glad to see all of you here", he beams. "'Cause it was either here or Disneyland." He explains. "I asked my kids, 'Do you wanna go to Disneyland or do you wanna go to Wacken with your daddy?' And they said, 'We wanna go to Wacken with you, daddy!' And I'm so glad all of you are here, 'cause if there'd been, like, twenty people, Mickey Mouse would be looking pretty good right now!" A cover of "The Trooper" closed things off in fittingly anthemic style. The crowd (very much including myself) sing and shout along not only to probably half the lyrics, but also about an equal share of the classic melody lines the song contains. There was no "true metal" band worth comparing with TTD at Wacken this year: they slaughtered their genre-specific competition. [PS] Malevolent Creation Not really getting Twisted Tower Dire's point during the first five minutes of their set, I went over to the Black Stage to check out Malevolent Creation instead. Although I was in the mood for some death metal, their performance left me more or less unimpressed. The band lacked the charisma and vibe of an outfit that enters the stage to viciously lash out and lay everything to ruin in the manner that songs like "Kill Zone" suggest. New frontman Kyle Symons tried hard to balance the extremely static stage-acting from the other band members, but despite his efforts what was going on up there wasn't all that exciting. "The Slaughter of Innocence" and the closing "The Will to Kill" were my personal highlights of the set. Malevolent Creation were not bad, but their performance made it extremely obvious for me why they have never achieved and never will obtain the status and on-stage qualities of bands like Cannibal Corpse, who have been in the business for a comparable period of time. [And are also from Buffalo! -- PS] [MN] Carpathian Forest I had serious doubts over whether Carpathian Forest would even work at Wacken. With the genre somewhat stereotyped as tight-lipped and overserious, how would a 'real' BM band -- i.e. sans synths, traditionally metal or distinctly proggy melody patterns -and- clean vocal sections (male -or- female) -- be able to successfully win over a festival crowd; and in the midday sun, no less? Well, the first thing to do in a situation like this is to break the ice -- and just after CF take the stage (in fact, -immediately- after Matthias and I have sniggered quietly about their bassist's girth) the band's singer does just that... perfectly: "Hello Wacken! We are fat fuckers from Norway!" Combined with the band's almost defiantly bold corpsepaint and hell-bent-for-leather sound and delivery, it made CF a viable festival act. Of course the increasingly Motorhead-and-Venom inspired, black 'n' rolling steps the band have made in recent years gave them a setlist that would work; but the full 'spiked penguin' presentation and punchingly primitive sonic treatment has a habit of dying on its arse when it leaves the cozy confines of a club -- if not a recording studio: I would never have expected it to work on one of the -big- stages at Wacken. CF got things grooving, got us laughing, and did Norway proud as the country's only(!) representatives at this year's Wacken. Satan rules supreme, as the legendary Geordies once said! [PS] Kataklysm Despite clearly playing their guts out -- and making a crowded mosh/bang "pit", extending impressively far out from the Party Stage, rather happy -- Kataklysm didn't really seem to have an edge, at least as far as I could discern. Definitely not bad, but a little underwhelming. [PS] Stratovarius While trying to pay as little attention as possible to Stratovarius -- they were far from the worst power metal act of the festival (that dubious honour I bestow upon Metallium) but that still didn't make them a -positive- addition to the line-up -- by standing near the Party stage after Kataklysm, I was given some unlooked-for aid. As the Finnish six-piece were waiting for their T2-theme intro to complete its cycle, a metalhead revealed that he had a light, inflatable football... by kicking it high into the air. As it came down, bounced, and then flew off again as another foot connected with it, a kick-about was initiated. As more and more metalheads with no discernible personal relationship to each other joined in, one decided it would be fun to grasp the ball in his hands, and run. If you've ever seen video footage of the annual "Running of the Bulls" in Santa Fe -- and you can image similarly adrenalised men and women, adorned in various "metal" garbs, darting between clusters of people in their efforts to catch a single individual -- then you can picture what ensued: thirty-odd minutes of free-form rugby. It was like, in this small patch of Schlewsig Holstein, we had traveled back in time a few hundred years. Any notion of rules went out the window. It was great. And yet, in the spirit of all things Wacken, things don't go bad. They certainly get violent: every time a "player" is downed a scrimmage ensues, as almost every pursuer leaps on the ball-carrier, or scrambles to the ground to try to pull the ball from their firmly locked arms. After the entertainment is over, one unharried participant stands nearby with an open tear on the bridge of his nose. I missed what he said, as he was speaking in German; but by the look on his face alone you could tell that he hadn't regretted his decision to join in the fun. Unfortunately, after all that excitement, Stratovarius' overwrought melodicism was even less appealing. We waited it out begrudgingly, lining up a good position from which to see Nile on the Black stage. [PS] Nile It had been hours since anything seriously killer had transpired; Kataklysm were adequate and Carpathian Forest were good, but only Twisted Tower Dire had really got me rockin'. Now, the first bona fide highlight of the day had arrived: they bettered all who had gone before. A near-crystal clear, loud and crunchy sound brought out the fluid, note- and beat-perfect playing beautifully. The set... well, it slaughtered, quite frankly. A perfect mix of speed-drenched death metal dervishes ("Chapter for Transforming Into a Snake" as an opener; both Toller-Wade typhoons from _In Their Darkened Shrines_, "Execration Text" and "Wind of Horus", aired; "Khefti Asar Butchiu" -and- "The Blessed Dead") and pyramid-weight stompers like "Sarcophagus", "The Black Flame" and "Stones of Sorrow", Nile's set was satisfying for a fanatic while being appropriately weighted for a festival appearance. Rarely is a band so enthralling, and I've never seen Nile be better in four years of having seen them perform. The material is partly responsible: _...Shrines_ is Nile's most accomplished -album- thus far by a clear margin, and features many of their best songs. But it's the group involved -- their abilities, their charisma, their -presence- -- which makes seeing Nile today such a -total- pleasure. Mid-way through their set, Karl Sanders takes the opportunity to make an announcement, in a short break between songs. "I've got something to say", he begins, preparing the floor. "Ich bin ein Wackener!" If Nile hadn't already achieved iconic status back when Chief Spires was still around, there is no doubt that they have now. The "new" line-up -- already into its third year as Sanders / Toller-Wade / Laureano / Vesano -- not only slays, but already reads like a "classic" roll call; the way, say, Azagthoth / Sandoval / Vincent / Rutan did. It's very simple, people: Nile are the new Morbid Angel. They are reaping the harvest of the black seeds they sowed in the late '90s. The kings are dead: long live the pharaohs. [PS] Slayer Well, it had to happen one day. Having undisputedly built up the reputation of being the best live band in metal for almost two decades and still not suffered any backlash (at least not when it comes to the turn-out at their shows) -- and that despite a whole sequence of superfluous records -- Slayer needed only 70 minutes to efficiently [or effectively, I wonder... -- PS] ruin their god-like status. Coming after approximately 55 bands who had all managed to keep the tight schedule, Araya and company entered the stage almost twenty minutes late, didn't care to say a word to the audience (who after more than two full days at the festival had already become upset) and started with a disappointing volley of four new tracks. As someone who is not familiar with _God Hates Us All_ I have to say I expected nothing, but I was nevertheless surprised by the weakness and tedious grooves of the material from this record. Even worse, just 100 meters from the stage, the sound -- which I had expected to totally crush -- stayed at a volume level which allowed conversations about the disappointing nature of what was going on to continue without even needing to raise one's voice. Countless people started to yell "louder, louder" in between songs; not in the humorous way which has become a fashion at Motorhead shows, but in all seriousness. After four or five tracks the sound got slightly louder and "Antichrist" appeased some in the audience, but still everybody was hoping that at some point during the gig things would reach a level worthy of a Slayer show. Not even the following "Mandatory Suicide" had much of an impact. Things were seriously worsened by a band performance which gave the impression of three people who have absolutely no interest left in what they are doing, other than to fulfill contractual obligations. Tom Araya especially came across like someone who was either completely stoned or close to falling asleep. Dave Lombardo, on the other hand, seemed to be highly motivated and his performance was flawless, even introducing a couple of new twists and turns to the classics being played. "Hell Awaits" was aired and sounded decent -- but still not loud enough -- before the band played the first half of the immortal _Reign in Blood_ -with no breaks-. The overall mood of the audience was lightening up a bit and many were visibly impressed by the fact that Slayer were doing stuff like "Necrophobic" and "Piece by Piece" -- which they hardly, if ever, have played. The complete _Reign in Blood_ treatment was divided by "Dead Skin Mask" before Slayer continued to present the -whole- of the second side of the album, and thus finished their set with one of metal's finest moments, "Raining Blood". During the whole gig the band never managed to unleash more than an absolute minimum of energy; the volume remained at 5 out of 11; Hannemann's guitar tone was weird and powerless; and the audience ran more and more out of steam despite a setlist which by the strength of the songs alone should have stunned and annihilated everybody in attendance. Straight after "Raining Blood" the band flipped a couple of plectrums and drumsticks into the crowd, left the stage... and the gig was over. No encore, nothing. It only strengthened a large part of the audience's impression of having seen a show by some arrogant has-been band who couldn't care less about its performance and its audience. A disaster of unthinkable proportions for a band like Slayer in front of what must have been a crowd as dedicated to them and metal as one can only imagine. [MN] Vader There's hardly any time of the year when Vader seem to not be touring. They have to be one of the hardest working bands in the whole metal genre; but from my point of view this has turned into a disadvantage. There seems to be hardly anyone, at least in Europe, who hasn't seen Vader two or three times already. When I did my initial planning of whom to see in Wacken, I wasn't really sure that I'd be interested in checking out the Poles at 1am -- after Slayer and more then two full days of exposure to metal. At one point during the second day I finally made up my mind and decided that Vader would surely have a hard time attracting a good and big enough audience during their most unfortunate slot, and that I owed such a dedicated band to be at their gig come hell or high water. Although I did make statements like "If Vader and Slayer played the same evening I'd go and see Vader" in previous CoC contributions, I knew that Slayer would play all of _Reign in Blood_ -- and frankly I didn't believe that Vader would be able to leave much of an impression afterwards. Peter seemed to share my view when he approached the crowd with the words "Well, it's always hard to play after a band like Slayer, but we'll try." Of course they tried, but I don't think anyone would have expected that Vader would totally and completely annihilate Slayer that night. Blessed with an ultra-loud, crisp, crunchy -- in short THE perfect sound, Vader delivered a set which may well have been the best of their career. Starting with the ultimately powerful "Epitaph" and the shredding "Cold Demons", Vader struck with such unearthly power and metallic beauty that all I could do in between some frantic headbanging was to groan and scream in pleasure while covering my eyes with both hands and shaking my head in disbelief. People who had obviously started to walk away after or during the Slayer disaster came back to the stage, some of them running, and soon a considerable crowd had gathered. A certain MonTankA describes the situation appropriately in the guestbook of Vader's official site: '"Okay, everybody else is saying this... I just went away from the Slayer show to go and kill myself after their performance when I heard something blow me away!! Well that was Vader Fuckin' Vader!"' The god-like "Xeper" and the Stalin organ type barrage of "Carnal" followed with unbelievable power and precision. Drummer Doc left the impression that he could wipe the floor with Lombardo -- be it speed, fills or breaks. The band delivered their usual aggressive stage acting and new bass player Novy (ex-Behemoth) seemed to be more than well integrated and headbanged like a maniac. The show continued with songs like the fantastic "Silent Empire", "Black to the Blind", "The Nomad", "Wings" and a handful of others, until the band left the stage for a few seconds before returning once more to ultimately finish the audience with "Sothis". These days Vader are everything Slayer once were! I can't say anything more positive about a band. [MN] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, ___ _, _ _, _, | \ |_ | /_\ | | (_ |_/ | | | | | | , , ) ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ Web Site: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos --> Interested in being reviewed? 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