_______ __ __ __ ___ | _ | |--.----.-----.-----|__.----| .-----.-----. .-----.' _| |. 1___| | _| _ | | | __| | -__|__ --| | _ | _| |. |___|__|__|__| |_____|__|__|__|____|__|_____|_____| |_____|__| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' _______ __ | _ | |--.---.-.-----.-----. |. 1___| | _ | _ |__ --| |. |___|__|__|___._|_____|_____| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, January 4, 2004, Issue #69 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 #69 Contents, 1/4/2004 ---------------------------- * Chats -- Mastodon: An Out of Body Experience -- Alchemist: Continuous Evolution -- Mnemic: Into the Great Wide Open * Albums -- Anata - _Under a Stone With No Inscription_ -- Armagedda - _Only True Believers_ -- Belphegor - _Lucifer Incestus_ -- Diamanda Galas - _La Serpenta Canta_ -- Dimension Zero - _This Is Hell_ -- Dwelling - _Humana_ -- Emancer - _The Human eXperiment_ -- Feral Horde - _Progressive Downfall_ -- Fortid - _Voluspa Part I / Thor's Anger_ -- Graveland - _Blood of Heroes_ -- Imperial Empire - _The Second Coming_ -- Impiety - _Kaos Kommand 696_ -- Intorment Black - _The Fallen Shroud_ -- Kalmah - _Swampsong_ -- Meatjack - _Days of Fire_ -- Nargaroth - _Geliebte des Regens_ -- Nordisches Blut - _Our Banners Will Rise_ -- Pest - _Desecration_ -- Swallow the Sun - _The Morning Never Came_ -- Widow - _Midnight Strikes_ -- Wigrid - _Hoffnungstod_ * Demos -- Artificium Sanguis - _Ye Olde Demo Taype_ -- Failure of Usual Reasoning - _Failure of Usual Reasoning_ -- HFM - _A Virtual Theory_ -- Lupara - _Advance Rough-Mix Demo_ -- Vornoff - _Forledt_ * Gigs -- And Out Came the Goths: Paradise Lost and Deathstars -- Redemption at the Palace: The London Xmas Fest =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _,_ _, ___ _, / ` |_| /_\ | (_ \ , | | | | | , ) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A N O U T O F B O D Y E X P E R I E N C E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Brann Dailor of Mastodon by: Jackie Smit I'm standing in a queue outside the Camden Underworld, basking in the anticipation of seeing a band in the flesh who has recently blown me away in every conceivable sense of the word with their phenomenal _Remission_ debut. Now, there's one thing that you should know about London (if you haven't been here before that is): people don't speak to each other. Unless someone knows you or is begging you for money, verbal exchanges are anathema, especially mid-queue at a metal show. But on this particular rainy evening, the unthinkable takes place. A stranger taps me on the shoulder: "Have you seen these guys play?", he asks. I am stunned. Quickly shaking off the disbelief, I reveal to my fellow punter that this will be my first encounter with the New York quartet. He takes this as his cue and waxes lyrical on the band's greatness for several minutes. In hindsight, it should not have surprised me. When you're an extreme band of note and even the preppy, corporate salad tossers of MTV are calling your band the future of metal, something is most definitely up. And believe me: Mastodon transcend the hype. They are not The Darkness. They are not Linkin Park. They are not a passing phase. Their music flows from their instruments like a tidal wave -- stripped free of any bullshit; honest, fresh, emotive and aggressive. But I digress, because I recently had Brann Dailor on the phone and he had a lot to say about the band, their upcoming record, and, in his own words, the "out of body experience" that is their music. Read on. CoC: Okay, firstly Brann: what's happening in the Mastodon camp? Brann Dailor: We're working on the new album right now, and we'll be going out on tour from January the 20th to February the 15th. Then we're heading to Seattle to record the new record with Matt Bayles, and we'll be in the studio for about a month. CoC: You used Matt for _Remission_ as well. What made you decide to bring him aboard again? BD: I feel comfortable working with him and I feel that we've established a relationship with him. I also feel that if we go with him and go to a place that's comfortable for him, leaving our daily lives behind and just concentrating 100% on the record -- not having jobs and other conflicting interests -- then we can come up with a product that's even better than _Remission_. We know him and we know what direction to go in. We can say: "The last one sounded awesome, but here's a couple of things we want to change." It's much better than starting with someone new, I think. CoC: Let's discuss the new album for a moment. What direction has the band taken with the new material? BD: I think the biggest difference is that the progressive stuff is much crazier this time round. I also think that in spots, certain songs are heavier. And when I say that, you know, there's two kinds of heavy: the blatant Slayer-esque heavy (which is great and there's definitely some of that on the record), and the mind- melting Neurosis and Melvins-style heavy that we also are akin to, and it's also there. Maybe a bit more deep-rooted and cerebral. I'm really happy and I'm really starting to know the new material much better. You usually have a song in your head and it usually takes us a good three weeks to a month to get the song to the point where we're really happy and really positive about where it's at. CoC: Do you constantly change the songs as you go along, or do you take it to a point and consider it to be complete? BD: I guess it depends on many things. I think that you really get to work on a song when you're on tour, where you get to play it over and over and try new things with it every night. And I think that it's going to be a really cool experiment with the album this time round, because with _Remission_ we didn't really tour any of the songs before we started recording. I mean, we played them, but we didn't actually do a full tour before we started recording. I spoke to Scott Kelly and he told me that's how Neurosis did their _Through Silver in Blood_ record -- they toured for like a month, month and a half on the material and then went and recorded it. That's what we're going to be doing with this album, and I think that a month and a half of constantly playing those songs every night and then going to record is going to sound awesome. CoC: So would you say that the Neurosis album was the main reason you decided to do it this way? BD: No, but it did put the final nail in the coffin about that idea. I mean, they told us about it, we thought that it was a great idea, and then Clutch happened to offer us a spot on their tour -- and it's just perfect timing, because we'll be able to rehearse the songs every single night for that month. And then, up from the East Coast to Seattle, we'll be having our own headlining tour where we'll play the whole album from start to finish, maybe add a couple of old songs, and just hit the studio directly afterward. CoC: Considering how sonically dense Mastodon's music is, have you ever considered incorporating synths into your stuff the way that Neurosis or Strapping Young Lad have? BD: We have considered it, but I think that it will take the right person. I mean, we've been in this band for four years, which isn't that long, but we've been through a lot as a band and it'll be difficult to accept a new person into our 'club'. I really think that it would have to be an old friend, simply because we're such good friends -- or it would have to be a truly kindred spirit type relationship. We'd automatically have to have that click that the four of us had when we first met. We were into the same stuff, the same ideas, and we were just ready to go. And we played basements and played for sandwiches and played to the doorguy who walks away -- we had all the disappointing moments that a band is supposed to have. We went through that together and it would be hard to let someone into the band who didn't have to experience that. I mean, it's similar to Metallica when Jason Newsted joined the band -- we're certainly not near to where Metallica was at that point, but when they had to accept Jason into the band they held a lot of animosity toward him, simply because he hadn't been there for all the shit that they had to go through in the beginning. CoC: So, speaking of Metallica -- I'm sure that you know the quote on MTV.com where Mastodon was referred to as the second coming of Rush and Metallica, and this is the tip of the iceberg as far as hype surrounding your band is concerned. How does that impact on your and the band's collective psyche? BD: Well, I think that when you see stuff like that, it just makes you go "wow". It's pretty tremendous, but I'm scared shitless. You know what you can do and I've been doing this for my whole life, but when something is hyped up like this, I'm the first person to say: "Oh well, bla, bla, bla." I guess it's like The Darkness for instance -- everywhere you go you're hearing stuff about them and you almost don't want to like them because you're hearing about them all the time. I don't want to be one of those bands. CoC: To be fair, you're in a slightly different league to The Darkness. I mean, let's be honest -- The Darkness are the musical equivalent of used toilet-paper. BD: Yeah, that's true. But anyway, getting back to the question -- it makes me nervous, but it also makes the band work harder to create something solid. And it forces us not to use _Remission_ as a benchmark; to just forget that we wrote an album in the first place, and just work on something new and play our music and make sure that we're happy. Apart from that, there's nothing we can do and I can't control what people are going to like or what people are going to write. CoC: So, what does the song writing process work like in Mastodon? BD: It happens in the rehearsal room, and I think when we got off the road the last time we were a bit nervous, because it felt like we only had a couple of months to knock something out. But when we got together, things just started happening and everything just came together and we ended up having a lot more ideas than I thought. CoC: Most of the Mastodon crew are involved or were involved in side-projects at one point. Care to discuss some of them? BD: Well, Brian is currently doing something called West End Motel, which is an acoustic thing with his friend Tom that sings, and I guess it's sort of bluesy sort of stuff. Delroy doesn't have anything and Troy has a band called Social Infestation, which is a grindcore band. I sometimes do an Elvis Costello cover band. But I don't really have time for anything else and nobody has any time for anything but Mastodon. We're just trying to put together an album that's hopefully going to change our lives. CoC: Considering the thematic material that you deal with in your lyrics, have you considered a concept album as a future project? BD: Absolutely. I mean, once we have more time to write and we can get up to a level where we can tour more comfortably and write more comfortably, that's something that we'll definitely strive for. Hopefully we'll be able to put out some crazy double album, and have a movie to go along with it -- I'd love to do something like that! CoC: So if you could score any movie of your choice, what movie would it be? BD: "The Elephant Man". CoC: When can we expect the new album to hit? BD: Summer. CoC: Title? BD: _Leviathan_. CoC: Thanks for your time, Brann. Anything else to add? BD: Well, we'll hopefully be doing some stuff for the album in Europe and the UK shortly. We want to try and have a pre-release party for the record there as well, because everyone there has been very nice us. And basically just thanks to all the Chronicles of Chaos readers for their support, and we'll see you out on the road soon. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= C O N T I N U O U S E V O L U T I O N ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Adam Agius from Alchemist by: Jackie Smit In 1987 an Australian high school student by the name of Adam Agius decided to emulate his heroes in Slayer, Metallica and Voivod and form his own project. Dubbed Alchemist, the young band very quickly grew weary of their thrash trappings and began to search for a greater sense of individuality and experimentation. Sixteen years and six albums later, the Antipodean outfit has traveled a long and difficult evolutionary path to ultimately bring us one of the surprise masterworks of 2003 in the shape of their Relapse Records debut, _Austral Alien_ -- a unique musical odyssey of multiple psychedelic, futuristic and brutal textures. Rather than sit on their laurels and bask in the praises that the international press are currently lavishing over them, however, Alchemist continue to look to the future -- one which would hopefully involve a world tour very shortly. I recently had the pleasure of conducting a brief e-mail interview with Adam. Here's what transpired: CoC: Why have we not seen Alchemist touring abroad any time recently? Are there any plans to do so in the near future? Adam Agius: Yes, we are very frustrated with not being able to go overseas, and right now both Alchemist and Relapse Records are working on a solution. Unfortunately, the act is that we have no agent and we don't know of anyone that will book shows for us. We are definitely looking for someone to get us on tours and book shows, but so far we've had no luck despite the excellent press we have received for _Austral Alien_ abroad. There is also the question of money, as it is very expensive, but obviously we can make it happen if the opportunity arrives, and we are hoping it will soon. CoC: Alchemist initially started out as a thrash band and then went through various changes until you got to the point you are now. What influenced the change and the sound of present-day Alchemist? Do you see the change continuing, or do you feel that _Austral Alien_ is the definitive Alchemist record? AA: We have heaps of influences, but what I really think shapes our sound is purely our desire to sound like Alchemist. I think that _Austral Alien_ is certainly the start of a new evolution for Alchemist, and I think you will always be able to tell that you are listening to us, because the basic vibe of the band will always be there. But at the same time, we will continue to make each record special and not a rehash of the last. CoC: What themes do you deal with on _Austral Alien_? What's your favourite song on the record and why? AA: We deal with a lot of things in _Austral Alien_, like our country's political situation, the suicide of loved ones. There's songs that deal with the grim picture that seems to be painted for future generations, alien abduction. We also talk about our frustration with being stuck down under and away from the rest of the music scene, and some environmental issues as well. Everything is all tied to a loose theme of life in Alchemist and in Australia. As for favourite song on the record, that would have to be "Alpha Cappella Nova Vega". I think it's got great spacey guitars and a sweet vocal melody, and everything in the song just builds very smoothly to a heavy ending. I love it because it has a lot of Alchemist's signature guitar parts, like slide solos and awesome clean sounds, and I think that it captures the atmosphere of the record perfectly. CoC: In recollect, would you do anything different if you could re- record _Austral Alien_? AA: No, a record is exactly what it says: it's a record of people in various places and at various times. As long as the production is good it's all cool. If I absolutely had to change anything it would be to have some of the electronics louder. CoC: What would you regard as the primary challenges faced by a metal band in Australia as far as getting international recognition? AA: The simple reason is that we are so far away. There are lots of great bands in Australia, but we are so far away only a select few break the overseas market. There's also the fact that many Aussie bands try to compete in an overseas market by copying overseas styles, and with Alchemist that's not going to work. We always just strived to be ourselves and be an original band. CoC: So, what's the current scene like in Australia? Any bands to recommend? AA: The scene here is like any other country. We have some good bands and we have some crap ones. I would recommend Blood Duster, Pod People, Log, Deströyer 666, and Cog. CoC: How has the domestic support been for the band, as far as radio play or playing the "First Contact" video is concerned? AA: Airplay on TV for both our "First Contact" and "Solarburn" clips was great. They were aired regularly for about twelve weeks. We're currently working on a new one for "Alpha Cappella Nova Vega", and we also just finished one for "Speed of Life", so that will hopefully bring us to the attention of some more people. A national radio station called JJJ gave Alchemist high rotation for eight weeks with "Solarburn" and "Alpha...", so everything has gone great as far as that is concerned. CoC: Have you begun work on a new album yet? What can we expect Alchemist future material to sound like? When can we expect new Alchemist output to materialize? AA: No, we have only just started talking about what we will do. We are still hoping to tour overseas in the next six months, so we've decided to extend our Aussie touring by a few months into 2004 just to keep the live feel fresh. When we approach an album we usually don't play many gigs, but just concentrate purely on writing music. I would say 2005 for the next Alchemist album, but who knows? CoC: Is Alchemist something you see as possibly turning into a career What are your plans for the band? AA: Oh, for sure. We also run Australia's biggest metal festival, which is called Metal for the Brain, and that keeps us very busy. People can go to www.metalforthebrain.com and have a look, and you can also visit our official website at www.alchemist.com.au. CoC: Any last words? AA: Thanks for the interview, and if anyone out there can please ask any promoters you know in the UK area (or anywhere else for that matter) to book Alchemist, so we can play overseas... PLEASE! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= I N T O T H E G R E A T W I D E O P E N ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Michael and Mircea of Mnemic by: Jackie Smit It's a shade after 19:00 in London's World's End Pub. As per usual, the establishment is virtually packed to the rafters with white-collar trendites indulging in their ritualistic sundowners, joined this evening by a select group of music fans who have chosen to sit down and enjoy a pint while they wait for Death Angel to take to the stage in a next door club. Amidst this hustle and bustle, strut the members of one of tonight's much talked-about support acts: the Danish techno- thrash collective known as Mnemic. One listen to their recent _Mechanical Spin Phenomena_ record should already have made it clear enough, but for those yet to hear them, here's a personal prediction: these guys are going to be BIG. They exude the same sense of impending acclaim that Pantera did after _Cowboys From Hell_ or Fear Factory upon the release of _Soul of a New Machine_. Not that they'd believe you for a moment if you told them, mind you. In fact, while most band members (or indeed average members of the human race) would greet a music journo with a hearty "fuck off" if said scribe were to interrupt their dinner, Michael and Mircea, vocalist and guitarist with Mnemic respectively, appear to have no qualms in answering my questions as they tuck into a well-earned meal. CoC: Your website doesn't provide much by way of tell us how Mnemic got started -- care to shed a little light on the subject? Mircea: The band basically started out with Brylle [drummer] and Rune [guitarist] just jamming on a lot of stuff, and then myself, the bassist [Obeast] and our first singer came in during 2000 with the idea to just do something completely different and completely original. We wanted to combine genres like jazz and techno, while still keeping the metal element strong. Then we decided to get rid of our first singer and I got in touch with Michael, and we did a demo at Antfarm Studios, which got us signed to Nuclear Blast. CoC: So, you sent your demo to Nuclear Blast? Mircea: No, actually there's a guy in LA who works for Nuclear Blast and about a week after we had done the demo, we posted some MP3s on our website and he got in touch with us and said that he wanted to offer us a deal. In the meantime we had received several other offers, but theirs was the best, so we went for it. CoC: You are a fairly unique band on the Nuclear Blast roster -- do you think that they're the best label to represent your kind of music? Michael: It's hard to say, because we don't have much to compare it with, but at the same time they've done a fucking excellent job. They're a European label, but even though we sound a bit American, they have done a great job with the promotion for _Mechanical Spin Phenomena_. Mircea: Sounding American was never something we set out to be though, but our market is more centred in the US. CoC: And have you managed to tour there yet? Michael: Unfortunately not, but hopefully we'll be doing something there in the spring. CoC: On the subject of promotion, Nuclear Blast is giving Mnemic a very big push -- you've done two music videos for "Liquid" and "Ghost" already. Which of the two clips is your favourite? Michael: Well, that's really hard to say, because we haven't seen the final cut for "Liquid" yet. It's done, but we haven't had the chance to see the finished product yet, and most of it was done on a blue- screen anyway. CoC: So, what's going to be the concept behind "Liquid"? Mircea: We can't say yet. Michael: It'll have a really nice car in it though. Mircea: Yeah, there's a really great car chase sequence. CoC: What about adding some ladies? Michael: Well, I begged the band to add some ladies, some lightning and maybe some more nice cars, but the other guys wouldn't go for it, unfortunately. CoC: So, what's the feedback been like for the "Ghost" video so far? Mircea: We get a lot of e-mails from the US, because "Ghost" is played on Headbangers Ball, and unfortunately at the moment that's only showing in the States. But a lot of people like it and we've been getting a very good response for the video so far. I don't know if it has had any effect on our sales figures, but people are definitely into it. CoC: And are sales figures something that concern you at all? Mircea: No, but it is exciting to see how your album is doing. Michael: To us, it's like if you sell well, then you can have a clear conscience toward the label and toward yourself. I mean, if you're selling a hundred copies of your CD, then you should be wondering whether you even deserve to be in this position. So yeah, it's not our main concern, but it is something that we do take interest in. Mircea: All bands want to sell well, because I mean, we want to make a living out of this. But at the same time, we want to do well, but doing what we're doing right now. We're not going to change. CoC: Now, getting back to your experiences making videos -- have you enjoyed making them? Michael: Well, for "Ghost", we did all the takes in this really hot room... CoC: How many takes did you do? Mircea: A million! Michael: I'm not sure, but it lasted about eighteen hours straight. Mircea: Imagine headbanging for eighteen hours... Michael: Yeah, it's like playing a fucking concert for eighteen hours, and that was really shit. With "Liquid" it was a bit different -- we just did a lot of single shots and basically sat around watching DVDs and playing video games in between takes. CoC: You worked with Patric Ulleaus for both videos, right? Michael: Yeah, and he's fucking brilliant! I mean, he really knows his craft; he knows what he's doing. He is into metal, but he realizes that metal's not where the money is, which is why he has made videos for people like Ace of Base. But he's doing a lot more metal at the moment -- he did Within Temptation and the new Dimmu Borgir clip. He is definitely a cool guy and we love working with him. CoC: And as far as the creative control on the videos were concerned, did you leave that over to him, or did you outline the concepts yourselves? Mircea: Well, we actually had to leave it to him because we were on such a tight schedule at the time. But it's very hard to say whether we'd like to be more involved in that side of the band in the future. We'd like to be part of every creative aspect of the band, but we were happy leaving the concepts for "Ghost" and "Liquid" up to him. He is a very creative person, and he did a fantastic job. Michael: We did give him a couple of ideas, and he used some of them, so it's not like we were out of the loop completely. CoC: Would either of you consider directing a Mnemic video yourself in the future? Mircea: I don't think we have the expertise to do that, to be honest. Michael: You need a lot of money to do that though, because obviously if you're going to do something like that then you're going ito want t to look good. Mircea: That's a typical problem in this band -- we have so many ideas, but we don't have the budget to do it. I mean, before we had a record deal, we were considering doing a concept album, but as we were working on it, it ended up being cheesy because we didn't have the budget for it. CoC: So, as your profile increases and your budget does likewise, where would you 'invest' in the band? Michael: I think that firstly we'll get all our gear up to scratch, because being in a band has turned out to be an expensive hobby. I mean, gear breaks down and it costs a fucking lot to replace. After that, I don't really know. CoC: After that, it's cars and women. Michael: Yeah, after that it's booze, strip clubs and big cars! CoC: Now, as far as your live shows are concerned, do you see yourself moving into a more production-based show the way bands like Rammstein do, or are you pretty much a meat-and-potatoes band? Michael: Definitely. Mircea: We had those ideas before, but again -- no budget. But when we have the money, we will definitely be doing that. Michael: We actually have a list of what we want to do, so hopefully one day... CoC: Being a relatively young band, these are very exciting times for you, I'm sure. Do you feel that the big push you have received from Nuclear Blast has put more pressure on you to perform? Michael: Well, more than anything we're our own biggest critics, I think. We get really fucked off and really moody when we've played a bad show. I mean, we really want to get better and better, and right now we feel that we're in a very developmental time and we need to be pushing the envelope all the time. CoC: You mentioned on the website that you've been working on some new material. Care to give us any indication on what direction you're taking? Mircea: It's much more dynamic... Michael: Slightly faster. Mircea: Yeah, I can't really say much about it at the moment, because it's always changing. We're always working on it and when we iget nto the studio, we'll probably change it again. CoC: So, how does the songwriting process work in Mnemic? Mircea: It all happens in the rehearsal room. Michael: We're very old school like that. Mircea: The drummer takes over and then I take over -- sometimes we end up jamming on the same riff for like four hours, until we look at each other and say: "Yeah, this is working." Michael: And then I go: "Please fucking stop playing." Mircea: We're always working on a really tight schedule and for instance when we finish this tour, we have to go and write a lot more and start preparing for the next album. CoC: Can we expect to see it on the shelves by next year? Mircea: Definitely. Probably after summer sometime. CoC: So, finally -- a lot of reviewers and a lot of your detractors label you as nu metal, when obviously if one gives _Mechanical Spin Phenomena_ a proper listen, that's not the case. What's your reaction to this? Mircea: Well, it sucks, because basically we see ourselves as a thrash band that just enjoys incorporating influences from many other genres of music. We're fans of bands like Frontline Assembly as well as stuff like Suffocation, and when we make music we use a lot of this, but we also want to go out on our own. I guess it's hard for people who always want to label things to accept that. CoC: Thank you very much, gentlemen. Any last words for Chronicles of Chaos? Michael: Not much, man -- we're just thankful to all the people who have bought the album so far. We're looking forward to playing a lot more and to hopefully introduce a lot more people to our music. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _, __, _,_ _, _ _, / \ | |_) | | |\/| (_ |~| | , |_) | | | | , ) ~ ~ ~~~ ~ `~' ~ ~ ~ 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! Anata - _Under a Stone With No Inscription_ by: Jackie Smit (8 out of 10) (Earache / Wicked World, 2003) For a genre accused of stagnation at the frequency that death metal is, it's almost amusing to see these belligerent epithets fall flat in the face of recent innovative efforts by the likes of luminary acts such as Zyklon and Akercocke. Anata, the latest signings to Earache's ever-expanding Wicked World imprint, are an equally adventurous lot, owing as much to jazz fusion and noisecore dissonance as they to the detuned barbarism of Decapitated and Suffocation. Consequently _Under a Stone With No Inscription_ turns out to be an invigorating, exciting listen -- technically masterful and as brutal as a pitbull on acid. "Entropy Within" introduces the listener to some of the most effective and dizzying fretwork witnessed for some time, while "Leaving the Spirit Behind" puts guitar wizardry to one side and goes about the business of melting eardrums in a style not unlike recent Krisiun output. The downside is that the production, while crystal clear, does not always pack the punch that it should. There are also times when Anata seem to be overreaching in their quest for fresh ideas. For the most part however, _Under a Stone With No Inscription_ is a daring and engaging release by a band who we'll no doubt be hearing a plenty of in the future. Armagedda - _Only True Believers_ (Agonia Records, 2003) by: Matthias Noll (8 out of 10) Armagedda's debut _The Final War Approaching_ made a minor splash in the black metal scene, but I never really got what was so special about them. In my opinion the record was enjoyable but generally bland and uninspired, and Armagedda seemed to be just another Darkthrone inspired Johnny-come-lately with no identity or qualities to lift them above the mass of similar bands. Things have changed massively with _Only True Believers_, however. All of a sudden the band has found their own distinguishable style, combining massive doses of old-school with a sometimes driving and grooving approach not too far away from what Carpathian Forest did on _Black Shining Leather_ while staying perfectly clear of any black 'n' roll tags. _OTB_ features hateful, powerful vocals, dynamic drumming, a very strong but raw production, and cool riffs -- a couple of which are somewhat unusual in the true black metal context, downtuned and almost early '90s death metal style. Without ever coming across like a clone, this mixture sounds like the material Darkthrone should have written instead of _Ravishing Grimness_ and subsequent albums. Finnish bands like Clandestine Blaze or Warloghe succeed in their unholy crusade to refine and focus the ideals behind masterpieces like _Transylvanian Hunger_. They develop black metal in a retrograde direction by carving out the essence of this style as sharp and clear as possible. Swedish bands like Craft and Armagedda seem to be among the very few bands that can pull off a forward looking yet conservative, slightly modernized version of black metal without throwing the ideals and grimness overboard. A direction acts like the misguided Satyricon or burnt-out Darkthrone should have taken but either don't want to or can't. Belphegor - _Lucifer Incestus_ (Napalm Records, 2003) by: Matthias Noll (8 out of 10) _Lucifer Incestus_ finds Austria's Belphegor moving into much more Swedish sounding territory than ever before. This album is a blast- fest almost all the way through, with a multitude of guitar layers, way more textures than ever before, occasional keyboards accentuating some of the very few slower sections, and vocals which alternate between death metal bellowing and a black metallish rasp. While Belphegor are certainly among the few bands that can pull this hybrid style off with outstanding skill, breathtaking speed and the brutality level permanently at 11, I miss some of the raw old-school death metal vibe of _Necrodaemon Terrorsathan_. I also bemoan that the Austrians, who were always beyond fast in the first place, have sacrificed a part of their identity to the gods of hyperblast to be able to accelerate even further. The problem with this breakneck speed approach is that the faster you go the more difficult it gets to write really memorable riffs instead of just successions of semi-melodic bursts. At this extremity level it seems unavoidable that _Lucifer Incestus_ will be one of those albums that lose some of their momentum after the first three tracks and start to appear a bit samey during the second half. As always you find me complaining way too much however, and I have to avoid a tendency to make this review sound as if _Lucifer Incestus_ is a bad album. Quite the contrary: this material blows away the last two Marduk albums and the laughable posers from Dark Funeral with ease, crushes newer bands like The Legion without effort and sounds much better and heavier to my ears than what I've heard from almost every other blasting blackdeath outfit this year. In addition to this, the production is outstanding and once again doesn't sound clinical or compressed, and "Diaboli Virtus in Lubar Est" is the best song Belphegor have written so far. So, despite my complaints, which are probably the result of unrealistic expectations, there are plenty of reasons why _Lucifer Incestus_ should have a slot very close to the top of the list of records you must purchase in 2003. Diamanda Galas - _La Serpenta Canta_ (Mute, 2003) by: Xander Hoose (10 out of 10) Those of you who know Diamanda Galas will probably know that she is one of the most extreme musicians of our timeaaron. If you think Deicide, Broken Hope and Burzum are evil and extreme, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of Galas' _Litanies of Satan_. She has been adorned by artists ranging from Marilyn Manson to Nick Cave and continues to influence many songwriters. Her voice is unique; alternating dark low growls with ear-piercing shrieks, yet with such splendor and expertise, her voice is her main instrument with the piano only providing the background to her twisted and insane tales. _La Serpenta Canta_, Diamanda Galas' thirteenth album, is a live recording of one of her finest tours. On this double album, you'll find renditions of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", Hank Williams "I'm So Lonely I Could Cry", Screaming Jay Hawkins's "I Put a Spell on You", John Lee Hooker's "Burning Hell" and many, many more. Never have such famous songs sounded so barren, so desolate, so emotion-laden; _La Serpenta Canta_ is highly addictive. Once you've been mesmerized by Diamanda's vocals, it's impossible to let go and step out. If you're a fan of Diamanda Galas, there's no question you should be buying _La Serpenta Canta_ rightaway. For those of you who are still unaware of what good music is really about, give this album a try. You might find yourself just as hooked as I am. Contact: http://www.diamandagalas.com Dimension Zero - _This Is Hell_ (Regain Records, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) With Dimension Zero's first full-length scorcher _Silent Night Fever_ still ringing in my ears from the countless times I've spun it, the prospect of a new album that might retain the sheer metallic energy, driving riffs and pummeling rhythms of its predecessor was simply mouth-watering. And this is it: _This Is Hell_. Unfortunately however, while _Silent Night Fever_ got about as close to Swedish melodic death metal perfection as anyone has come since At the Gates' _Slaughter of the Soul_, this new effort is a bit lacking in the inspiration department. This is essentially more of the same (which in this case is not a bad thing), with perhaps a little more mid-era In Flames thrown in here and there. The energy hasn't gone stale in the least, and you can still find some great cuts, but alas the incredible memorability and repeatability of _Silent Night Fever_ has not been matched this time. On its own, _This Is Hell_ would probably have earned an even higher rating, but compared to its predecessor it has to be called a bit of a disappointment. _Silent Night Fever_ is a fundamental album, while _This Is Hell_ is just part two: it provides lots of fun, abundant energy, good riffs and cool melodies, but it will stay in the shadow of its predecessor. Contact: http://www.dimensionzero.org Dwelling - _Humana_ (Equilibrium Music, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10) Lush acoustic strings and a silky, full-bodied female voice: this is the starting point for a voyage into neoclassical music courtesy of Portugal's Dwelling. The ensemble is influenced by Portuguese Fado, something that remains in the background but still lends the music a more unique character. Those of you already familiar with vastly successful Portuguese exports Madredeus may find some similarities, though Dwelling tend to have more melancholy in their music, less folk influences and more of a neoclassical feeling. The engaging but often melancholic melodies, carried through by the crystalline vocals and the highly accomplished acoustic violin, guitar and bass arrangements, are a true pleasure to listen to; furthermore, the pleasantly sombre shade that surrounds most of the music adds yet another layer of interest. No effort seems to be made to sound dark or depressive, which the music really isn't; but there remains a sense of tranquil elegance and subdued melancholy throughout. While the album's main strengths lie in the pleasantness of the overall sound and some brilliant violin passages, its main weakness stems from a certain lack of variation. Apart from the last track (which features a rather out of place upbeat section but also one of the best violin lines in the entire album), each song follows the other very pleasantly, but with little novelty. The listener is kept interested by each successive melody and arrangement, but may eventually wish to hear more elements in the music rather than variations on the same theme. Having said this, _Humana_ is simultaneously soothing and musically interesting despite its relative sameness, and should provide some excellent late night music. Contact: http://www.equilibriummusic.com Emancer - _The Human eXperiment_ (Black Owl Records, 2002) by: Aaron McKay (7.5 out of 10) The date on this release is a bit out of sync with my objective to keep ahead of the material that flows in monthly, but this one was different. In all fairness, I haven't had this effort from Black Owl, a newer metal label out of Edison, New Jersey, for long. This debut was offered for public consumption a year ago this month (December). Upon listening to the material found within _The Human eXperiment_, I uncovered a pure orgy of Norwegian brutality. Not altogether without an experimental edge, Mithrin and Gorbag, collectively known as Emancer, evolve a wicked style of brash death, intense black metal and a sculptured understanding of mood. Riffs are not uncommon on this debut. "Prison Tellus", "The Greatest of Pains" and "Dead End" supply a flurry of catchy guitar chops that amazingly enhance the power of Emancer's sound. These guys could bolster their footing as they forge ahead by developing their musical strategy to encourage more of an expansion into the rifer atmosphere they touch upon in this introductory effort. Absent of blame on any front, it took me a year to explore Emancer's genuinely driven style; don't let that be the case with you. Contact: http://www.emanceronline.com Feral Horde - _Progressive Downfall_ (Independent, 2003) by: Alvin Wee (6.5 out of 10) This Toronto-based horde has apparently been getting some attention locally, and for good reason too. _Progressive Downfall_ is a step up from the patchiness of their previous demo, with an infectious blackened spirit permeating all nine of the black metal blizzards on disc. The first song impresses right away with the dark brilliance of its melody and unrelenting pace recalling the early Swedish scene, or perhaps some of the newer underground European acts. The band flaunt their prowess with a full black metal instrumental track -- not one of those insipid acoustic interludes -- but not too far along, tell-tale signs of weak arrangement and a general lack of tightness begin to creep into the recording. I'd put it down to a simple lack of recording budget and time, but the recurrence of awkward transitions in later tracks like "Vagabond" and "Tool of Damnation" hint at the band's inexperience in song-writing and studio work. Nevertheless, the sheer passion and energy of the music shine through clearly throughout the album, and the chainsaw riffing assumes a certain authority when coupled with the vocalist's manic howling. Most of the tunes are downright hummable, and this ease of melody throughout the forty-plus minutes of music make this one helluva ride for any maniac missing the early days of Thy Primordial and the like. With that said, there's still plenty of room for improvement, and a good portion of the material on each track would end up on the cutting-room floor of a more experienced band. Nevertheless it's a worthwhile listen; such budding talent is hard to ignore. Contact: http://www.geocities.com/feralhorde/ Fortid - _Voluspa Part I / Thor's Anger_ (No Colours Records, 2003) by: Aaron McKay (3 out of 10) This is a solo effort by Eldur from Potentiam fame. Structured to be the first in a three-part chronicle, _Voluspa Part I / Thor's Anger_ is bent on developing a soundtrack to the very essence of stripped- down Viking conquests. Fervently underground, Eldur uses Fortid as a vehicle to rub whatever shine might glissen off the face of black metal today. What is unfortunate is other than track five, "Birth of Men", most of the nearly forty-five minutes on this offering fail to garner any of the wild imagery of self-indulgent cruelty so wickedly sought after on this effort. "Birth of Men" develops a kind of Summoning feel which explains my gravitation to that cut from _Voluspa..._. Vocals, especially on "Thor's Anger", represent a strong connection to Grimm on Ancient's _Trolltaar_ disc and, ultimately, takes my number two choice on the "best of" from _Voluspa..._. No Colours has some intrepid bands on its roster. If you're unfamiliar with No Colours, start with some of their other acts before confronting this effort by Fortid. It is the definition of "acquired taste". Contact: http://www.no-colours-records.de Graveland - _Blood of Heroes_ (Vinland Winds, 2002) by: James Montague (7 out of 10) "Free Hendrik Möbus! He served his sentence for murder, but now his right to free speech makes him an international criminal." Ah, good old retarded Nazi logic. It just melts my heart to see my old buddy Darken signing up with the most superior people of Vinland Winds, who released the _Blood of Heroes_ 7" EP in 1488 copies as a sign of reverence to He Who Shall Not Be Named, then insulted the memory of the mustachioed tyrant by exalting man's right to... free speech? As long as you don't mind buying from idiot labels, and as long as you already have all the Graveland full-lengths, then there is something to be gained from this pair of new songs, released hot on the heels of 2002's _Memory and Destiny_. Side A features "I Am What They Fear", which combines the moody melodicism of the full-length album with the persistent hi-hat rhythms of _Creed of Iron_. The title track on side B is a little bit rawer but still quite nostalgic, feeling like a throwaway from the _Memory and Destiny_ sessions. Essentially, this 7" EP does little more than provide an overview of Graveland circa 1999-2002, but without ever quite reaching the heights of the LPs released during the period. For fans only. Contact: http://www.vinlandwinds.com/graveland/ Imperial Empire - _The Second Coming_ (Independent, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) Death metal stalwarts like Napalm Death and Morbid Angel have influenced countless bands out there, but every once in a while you find a band that can wear those influences all over again and still come out with something interesting in the end. Imperial Empire are one such case, and _The Second Coming_ is a veritable feast of cool hooks and wicked riffs, dynamic mid-paced crunching goodness and outbursts of hyperblast. This is made all the more remarkable by the fact that the band consists of only one person: Lee Wollenschlaeger, who lives in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Not having been able to find suitable members for the band yet, he's done great work on his own with just the help of a rather unobtrusive drum machine. While not exactly a very original album, the death metal competence shown on _The Second Coming_ is of such calibre that surely Imperial Empire will be on a label sometime soon -- especially if Wollenschlaeger can enlist some worthy band members. Well produced and impeccably delivered, _The Second Coming_ is an unpretentiously enjoyable death metal disc that should not fail to please any death metal addicts out there. Contact: leewollenschlaeger@yahoo.com Impiety - _Kaos Kommand 696_ (Osmose, 2002) by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10) Despite being together for a decade, Impiety have not lost their affection for their idiosyncratic, and to be honest puerile, song titles. (Though they do seem to be slightly less OTT than before.) But musically, they have come a long way. All traces of their early, straightforward black metal approach have been erased; the thrash frills of previous CD (the awesome _Skullfucking Armageddon_) have been retained, and a strong death metal influence has been added to the mix. The production is vastly superior to that on any previous album, and this has resulted in a noticeably more focused and intense release, showcasing an unexpected complexity. In short, Impiety has grown up. But once the initial surprise has worn off, this album is fairly disappointing. _KK696_ is not nearly as catchy nor as engrossing as _SA_. Even after repeated listens, _KK696_ simply fails to make an impression. This album could almost be seen as a practice run or as a stepping stone, as it showcases a dramatic growth yet fails to impress. If Impiety follows on what they have started with this album, the next may very well be their masterpiece; for now I'll stick with _SA_. Intorment Black - _The Fallen Shroud_ (Independent, 2003) by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10) This black metal five piece from Down Under specialise in performing black metal, albeit not of the primitive kind but rather of the slightly more accessible kind that emerged in the wake of Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. Considering this is an independent release, the production is damn good -- and sounds all the better in a world of Ildjarns and Darkthrones! As with the less necro bands, the production has been cleaned up and they utilise a similar sound, but unlike the others keyboards are scarce and merely one of several techniques (which include arpeggiated sections and utilisation of typically doom metal riffs) to create a largely melancholic atmosphere -- Intorment Black are obviously not interested in being confined to the limiting borders of the genre! There are several dips --particularly the (rare) use of clean vocals which sound as if the vocalist is imitating Mikael Akerfeldt's vox. However, it remains a worthy addition to the black metal world and a strong show of force by an as yet unsigned band. Contact: http://www.intormentblack.cjb.net Kalmah - _Swampsong_ (Century Media, 2003) by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10) Kalmah, along with Children of Bodom, are the Finnish cousins of the melodic death bands that originated in neighbouring Sweden, but differing in that they utilise a more mainstream and melodic approach with a stronger focus on the heavy metal component of the mix. Although not the most original of bands (they are frequently and justifiably compared with Children of Bodom), this is overshadowed by the exemplary execution and sheer catchiness of the music. Those who have heard Kalmah's two previous offerings will not be disappointed by _Swampsong_, as it retains the features that made previous albums so memorable: duelling guitars overlaid upbeat keyboards overlaid by the accompaniment of snarling, black metal-esque vocals. (The converse is also true -- if you hated Kalmah's previous albums, then you will hate this as well.) The guitars occasionally erupt into their trademark ultra fast bursts of melodious speed, less frequently than in the past but no less intense. The riffs are again extremely catchy and guaranteed to rebound inside your head for days. An enjoyable album, though their style risks becoming stale should it carry on without significant alterations. Meatjack - _Days of Fire_ (At a Loss, 2003) by: Xander Hoose (9 out of 10) Halfway through the album, I suddenly realized I had seen Meatjack play twice. It's a long while back (2000) when they were touring with Damad, but they left quite an impact on me back then. Not having heard a single thing from them ever since I didn't give them much thought, but with _Days of Fire_ on the shelves I can't resist writing a few words. Meatjack play a style of music that can best be described with the term "vile Neurosis". On _Days of Fire_, you'll find the same densely layered sounds that Neurosis and their offspring (Today Is the Day and Unsane) have adopted quite a while back. However, density does not mean that the instruments blend into another. On the contrary, the well-adjusted mix clearly brings out the best of the individual artists. The haunting vocals especially are of a high level, outraking Steve Austin on his latest Today Is the Day album. Excellent rhythms ("Face Down") only add to the sludgy flow of the album, making _Days of Fire_ feel a hell of a lot longer than the 41 minutes it really is. Contact: http://www.atalossrecordings.com Nargaroth - _Geliebte des Regens_ (No Colours, 2003) by: Matthias Noll (7 out of 10) My initial reaction to this record was to immediately visit eGay to determine if I could sell it for the amount of money I spent on it. The music on _Geliebte des Regens_ seemed to fulfill all promises made by some of the worst cover artwork I've seen in recent years. Dig the lightning flashes! Who came up with this idea, Beavis, Butthead or the skinny idiot from HammerFall? The musical content of _GdR_ is easy to desribe. Compared to previous Nargaroth material this sounds like an even slower _Raluska Part II_, with the same excellent and suffocating sound but fewer riffs and songs that that have thrice the length but hardly any dynamics. The questions every potential buyer of this record should be able to answer with a straightforward "Yes" are: Are you absolutely sure you're going to dig three plodding and very similar tracks each between eleven and seventeen minutes with at maximum three or four fast strummed riffs? Are you positive you can even enjoy one of the main songs played once again in a supposedly different version (no, I haven't yet discovered what the differences are)? Can you deal with a Nargaroth record which has almost nothing in common with _Herbstleyd_ or _Black Metal ist Krieg_? Even then _GdR_ remains a difficult affair. I do believe it's possible to force yourself to like it but not without some effort. Listen to it on a miserable, rainy day, three or four times in a row (the equivalent of four to five hours) and you might get to a point where it starts to make sense, sink in deeper than before and stay there. Nevertheless I bet there are only a few people out there who will wholeheartedly call this an excellent album. Kanwulf himself has supposedly been so moved by his material that he cried while playing. Although I've come to enjoy _GdR_ a lot more since I got it, I still can't help wondering if he was in tears because he was strumming for fifteen minutes already and forgot how to stop. Of course repetition and monotony are core ingredients of black metal to put listeners into a hypnotic trance but seventeen minutes with hardly anything going on can be close to eternity. As strong, sincere and deeply melancholic the emotions that led to _Geliebte des Regens_ might have been, the attempt to adequately express them through music has not been 100% successful. Nordisches Blut - _Our Banners Will Rise_ (Undercover Records, 2003) by: Matthias Noll (7 out of 10) Nordisches Blut is Vargsang (Vargsang / ex-Graven) doing a heavily Graveland or Viking-era Bathory inspired record. Of course this means mostly slow to mid-tempo songs with very raw guitars, anthemic yet minimalist keyboards, booming war-drums and raspy vocals all the way through. As with his main band, Vargsang (who goes by the name of Von List here) still is no innovator, but offers a mixture that borrows elements here and there, enriches them with his own ideas and combines them in a way that achieves surprisingly convincing results. The sound is fairly necro and totally unpolished, and could be considered a somewhat rawer version of earlier Graveland days, circa _Thousand Swords_. Fortunately the major part of the album avoids folkish themes, which greatly helps to stylistically separate this German project from the Poles to a certain extent. Those familiar with either Graven or Vargsang will also be able to easily recognize the vocals, as well as some of the guitar work. For an album in this specific genre it's quite refreshing that all the songs remain at a length which is still easy to digest and does not drag on forevermore to appear more epic. Together with the fairly diverse and memorable song material, _Our Banners Will Rise_ is a truly enjoyable album, which, no matter how much Nordisches Blut owe to the sound pioneered by Darken and Capricornus, makes this album far more enjoyable for me than the viscous _The Fire of Awakening_. Contact: http://www.undercover-records.de Pest - _Desecration_ (No Colours Records, 2003) by: Aaron McKay (2 out of 10) Maybe it is because the name is spread so thin, as the moniker Pest seems to be so readily prevalent in the genre (by my count there are - three-: one from Germany, one from Sweden and one from Finland), this Swedish pair have little left to work with which hasn't yet been covered in the realm of back metal. Beginning with a demo in 1998, Pest (currently comprised of Necro and Equimanthorn) is on their sixth offering; sort of like one track from _Desecration_ representing every effort from Pest's collection without covering their previously incorporated works. The harsh and raw approach carries an outfit only so far, then one looks discerningly for "just a little more". What separates this Pest from the others (or any other stripped-down black metal group for that matter)? Simply and purely aggressive, Pest takes an obviously less polished -- dare I say unclean -- approach to the six tracks comprising _Desecration_. Evidently aiming for a sort of "Burzum meets Darkthrone" objective, Pest falls short of their intended mark on this undertaking. This effort's production wants for a primordial feel in the same way Metallica currently longs for an inspiration infusion. _Desecration_ seems to purposefully fly in the face of simplicity and hinges on the precipice of near total outrageousness. Pure black metal -- sure, but unfortunately the darkness Pest created with _Desecration_ evidently prevented them from seeing when to -stop-! Contact: http://www.no-colours-records.de Swallow the Sun - _The Morning Never Came_ (Firebox, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10) Finland's Firebox Records continue to release consistently good albums at a surprising rate for such a young label, and this latest one, Swallow the Sun's debut _The Morning Never Came_, is possibly the best so far. Swallow the Sun can be summed up thus: Finnish melodic doom/death with vast growls and occasional clean vocals, well placed keyboard enhancements, and enough variety and dynamics to ward off any form of boredom. Their melodies can just as easily evoke My Dying Bride or Amorphis circa _Tales From the Thousand Lakes_ as they can bring Rapture to mind, which helps ensure that the music flows nicely throughout. _The Morning Never Came_ is an uncomplicated album -- not in the sense that it is simplistic or dull, but rather because it remains unpretentious and accomplished throughout. The songwriting is good; the riffs range from doomy to energetic with apparent ease; the melodies mostly vary between good and excellent; the playing is tight and the production top notch. _The Morning Never Came_ does owe some ideas to the aforementioned bands, but even in terms of originality, the end result is acceptable. Not every single passage in the album is remarkable, and some bits could have been trimmed, but Swallow the Sun manage to remain sufficiently consistent throughout the record to come out with a very impressive debut. Rarely is a doom-tinged album as downright enjoyable as _The Morning Never Came_ whilst keeping so much of its atmospheric quality, and the fact that this is only Swallow the Sun's first effort makes the future seem even brighter for them. Contact: http://www.firebox.fi Widow - _Midnight Strikes_ (Tribunal Records, 2003) by: Adrian Magers (7 out of 10) Widow are definitely a band that lets its influences show. Inspired by the greats, including but not limited to Maiden, Priest, and King Diamond. Unfortunately this makes Widow sound pretty much like a retro band. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it somewhat puts a ceiling over the band. Due to a lack of originality Widow probably won't become legends of their genre. Other than a few modern touches here and there, Widow sound more or less like a generic tribute band to '80s metal. However, the playing is excellent and passion is definitely there, making the four-piece a good band to listen to in small spurts. The songs are very well-constructed, sound quality is impeccable and the fact that a lot of effort and labor went into this project is evident. Aside from a dated sound, my sole complaint are weak lead vocals. In my opinion it would behoove Widow to either focus more on the backing aggressive voice, and/or add more power to strengthen the more melodic vocals. Bottom line, if you're looking for some very well-done, hook-filled '80s Euro-metal; Widow is your band. Contact: http://www.burning-village.com Wigrid - _Hoffnungstod_ (No Colours, 2002) by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10) On the one hand, I can accept that many bands, especially those in the process of discovering their true sound, may sound a bit too much like their influences. But Wigrid take this concept to the extreme in their extensive emulation of Burzum. Their simplistic motifs, droning riffs and minimalist drumming style is clearly adopted from Burzum's first four releases -- even the intro, "Leere", sounds suspiciously reminiscent of the intro to _Det Som Engang Var_. But most annoying of all are the vocals. Next to Garm's (of Ulver fame) clean vox, Varg Vikernes has possibly the most distinct vocals in all of black metal. Yet this does not stop Wigrid's vocalist from doing his best to sound like Vikernes. But, on the other hand and despite all of the above, this is actually a fairly enjoyable album, and as great as the temptation is, it is hard to simply dismiss _Hoffnungstod_ as mere slavish hero worship. Burzum-esque riffs are hardly Malmsteen inspired bursts of technical supremacy and are fairly easy to perform. However, some skill and talent is still needed to create songs that generate the same sense of imminent menace as Burzum's. It is strongly recommended that this album is listened to before purchase. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, _, _ _, _, | \ |_ |\/| / \ (_ |_/ | | | \ / , ) ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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 Artificium Sanguis - _Ye Olde Demo Taype_ by: Adrian Magers (4 out of 5) Just looking at the cover piece, the song titles and the logo itself one assumes this to be modern, raw, "true" old school-styled black metal. While Artificium Sanguis do build from a base of the first wave of the Norwegian sound, their best moments are when they're allowing the venomous edge of black metal they employ to mingle with parts which share a great deal in common with early American death and late thrash. The three songs featured on _Ye Olde Demo Taype_ are all well done, but in my opinion, I think the band should go more out on a limb; according to their website, the members of Artificium Sanguis listen to a lot more than just black metal, and I think that by incorporating even more elements from around the musical realm into their sound they could put out a very solid full-length release when the time comes. However, this is not to take away from the talent that is already evident, just a suggestion from myself. Those strict on sound quality would do well to avoid this recording, as it's intentionally been given a very rough production job (in the liner notes, it specifically states "not produced"), but those into grim BM exhibiting open minds may find a few things they like about Artificium Sanguis. I know I did. Contact: http://www.artificiumsanguis.com Failure of Usual Reasoning - _Failure of Usual Reasoning_ by: Jackie Smit (3 out of 5) Hailing from the bowels of London, Failure of Usual Reasoning is a band with much to applaud and unfortunately a fair bit working against them. Whilst the tinny production and cringingly poor drum sound could be to blame for the effort's lack of gumption, the over-use of Maiden- esque melodies on tracks like "Beer Angel" and "Buried" detracts heavily from the impact of Wes Haulip's uber-brutal vocals -- a deep- throated roar that could easily go toe to toe with Frank Mullen or John Gallagher. Where FoUR come into their own is when they dabble in the type of twisted stop-go polyrhythms that would elicit a sadistic grin from any Dillinger Escape Plan worshipper. By increasing their focus on these aforementioned strong points, and upping the overall heaviness of their music just a tad, FoUR could well be a name worth remembering. HFM - _A Virtual Theory_ by: Jackie Smit (5 out of 5) Sweet fuck -- I am shocked! Not only am I in awe of how good this demo is, but also at how HFM have somehow managed to slip by me unnoticed. True they have only been in existence since March 2001, but with songs as jaw-droppingly brilliant as "Unsubliminal", "Spineless" and "Mine", these guys should conceivably be plastered on the covers of every heavy music magazine in existence. Ultra-technical, crushingly heavy, and at times almost barbarically unhinged, HFM's closest musical contemporaries could be regarded as Converge, Beecher and Dillinger Escape Plan. But the fact is that with a live show to match, this Bournemouth-based band could easily run circles around the aforementioned acts. Yes, they are that good. This is a message to any record label exec with even the slightest shred of common sense: sign this band now! Contact: http://hfmhfm.com Lupara - _Advance Rough-Mix Demo_ by: Jackie Smit (4 out of 5) The Broken Hope back catalogue occupies a place of honour in the hearts of many extreme music fans, myself included. From the merciless onslaught of _Bowels of Repugnance_ to the dizzying groove-oriented dynamics of _Loathing_ and _Grotesque Blessings_, for the duration of their career, Broken Hope always seemed to revel in confounding their detractors by continually producing unique music, whilst staying firmly rooted within the confines of their chosen genre. Now, with former members Shaun Glass and Brian Griffin whittling away in Soil, those who were contemplating the whereabouts of Jeremy Wagner (the other half of Broken Hope's guitar salvo) finally have an answer in the form of Lupara. Christened after a sawed-off Sicilian shotgun said to be used by mafia soldiers in the golden era of the gangster, Lupara have more in common sonically with bands like Lamb of God and Chimaira than with Cannibal Corpse and Deicide, but interestingly still maintain Wagner's trademark riffing style. Three songs are offered on this advance demo, and of these, opener "Light Up the Pigs" stands out as the highlight. A catchy, adrenalized introduction to the band, it has everything a good metal song should have: a lead riff that could effortlessly slice off a dozen heads, uber-angry vocals (supplied by a very able Craig Gross) and a driving drum groove that repeatedly pummels the listener into submission. This initial outburst of fury is counterbalanced by the atmospheric, Twin Peaks-esque clean guitar of "The Rage", while "Rejection" is slightly weaker, in particular its opening thirty seconds, sounding far too convoluted and unpolished to compare to the preceding numbers. Ultimately though, despite only three songs being offered, Lupara provide ample evidence to suggest that they are an act with a tremendous amount of potential, and judging by what they've done here, I'd highly recommend keeping an eye out for their name in the future. Contact: http://www.lupara1.com Vornoff - _Forledt_ by: Quentin Kalis (4 out of 5) Vornoff is another worthy entrant into the world of dark ambient. Their specialty is in creating minimalist soundscapes accompanied by some piano tinklings, producing an atmosphere that is paradoxically soothing and at the same time sends chills up your spine. Comparisons can be made with Vinterriket (with whom Vornoff has released a split EP) insofar as they both evoke similar emotions, but Vornoff's sparse instrumentation is a far cry from the comparatively busy Vinterriket ambient works. The music is predictably simplistic, but this is essential to the creation of such a forlorn atmosphere. For an ambient release the songs are surprisingly short, potentially hampering the build up of atmosphere; but if listened to in its totality in one sitting this shouldn't be a problem, as the tracks do build upon and complement each other quite effectively. Definitely one of the better demos I've heard for a while. Contact: soulwail@yahoo.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _ _, _, / _ | / _ (_ \ / | \ / , ) ~ ~ ~ ~ A N D O U T C A M E T H E G O T H S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Paradise Lost and Deathstars at the London Astoria, 18 November 2003 by: Jackie Smit The three-quarter capacity crowd lining the floor of the London Astoria this evening makes it almost too easy to forget about the zenith from which Paradise Lost have fallen. Touted by many as a band to potentially ascend to a Metallica-like stratosphere of commercial acceptance, the album intended to propel them to these lofty heights, _One Second_, proved to be their undoing. Not accessible enough for the mainstream, and a frustration for hardened fans, it ultimately relegated them to the second tier of heavy music, where they have languished ever since, despite their gradual return to form on recent releases. Regardless of your opinion on the UK's erstwhile premier misery mongers, however, it has to be said that when pooled together, their back catalogue does make for a potentially entertaining evening. First to strut the stage this evening, however, are Deathstars -- the sole opening act, after the departure of Finnish folk-metallers Amorphis from the tour. Playing a selection of numbers culled from their _Synthetic Generation_ debut, their delivery is tight and for the most part quite entertaining. Unfortunately their efforts are lost on a sizeable part of the audience, as yelps of "Fuck off, you Swedish cunts" echo through the building when vocalist Whiplash announces the last song. A real shame too, since the Rammstein meets Sisters of Mercy hybrid of "Semi-Automatic" and "Little Angel" turn out to be rather enjoyable. Paradise Lost, by the looks of things, can seemingly do no wrong though. While the ovation greeting their arrival on stage is not quite the decibel-shattering response I was expecting, they are instantly mesmerizing, kicking off proceedings with the dual salvo of "Primal" and the crowd-pleaser "Widow". The union of Nick Holmes' tormented croon and Greg Mackintosh's wispy guitaring floods every crevice of the venue, sounding particularly colossal and impressive on moments like "So Much Is Lost", "Mercy" and the evening's highlight, "Prey Nightfall". Unsurprisingly, the band opt to focus their performance primarily on their latest _Symbol of Life_ opus, but thankfully still manage to churn out a few old favourites, including their now anthemic "As I Die". For the duration of the evening, crowd interaction is kept to a minimum, while on-stage activity is unlikely to put the likes of Hatebreed to shame anytime soon. It matters little, however, in the face of the tremendous on-stage charisma which the band bring to the plate, and the inherent showmanship in their performance indicates that they may still have the ability to reach great heights in the future. Whichever way you care to look at it, Paradise Lost prove tonight that at the very least they are a live act well worth catching when next they roll into your town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= R E D E M P T I O N A T T H E P A L A C E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deicide, Destruction, Nile, Akercocke, Dew-Scented, Graveworm and Misery Index The London Xmas Fest, 7 December 2003 @ The Camden Palace, London by: Jackie Smit One can only marvel at the incompetence behind the organization of this year's Xmas Fest. For starters, the lengthy queue outside the Camden Palace only started shuffling into the venue a full forty minutes over the advertised opening time. This, combined with the security guards being somewhat overzealous in fulfilling their given task of ensuring our "safety", resulted in there being a decidedly sparse audience (some thirty odd revellers) clustering at the foot of the stage for Misery Index's opening set. This is just as well, since it appears that the Baltimore death metal outfit are not afforded the luxury of a proper soundcheck, causing their outstanding brand of extremity to dissipate into a reverberating, muddied mess. Half the set, consisting primarily out of cuts from their excellent _Retaliate_ opus, sees Jason Netherton's vocals buried entirely beneath the wall of guitar noise, and it is only when they air "Demand the Impossible" that good things look set to start happening. The collective look of frustration and malice on their faces say it all when they exit the stage though, and the greatest irony of it all is that their merchandise is entirely sold out an hour afterwards -- which, in my mind, constitutes a fair number of disappointed fans. The audience may have expanded almost exponentially by the time Italian Cradle of Filth clones Graveworm take to the stage, but the sound problems remain. With their synths barely audible, songs like "Legions Unleashed" sound even weaker than their album counterparts, and ultimately Graveworm's stint does not amount to much more than a second consecutive reason why the individual(s) responsible for today's audio production should shortly be claiming unemployment. By comparison, Dew-Scented's half hour bathing in the stage lights is wholly more enjoyable. Possibly because on the surface their music is less complex than their two forerunners, the likes of "Inwards", "Bitter Conflict", "Acts of Rage" and "Flesh Reborn" hit hard and satisfyingly heavy. While the entire band are clearly highly skilled musicians, it is the consummate showmanship of vocalist Leif Jensen that clearly drives this band's performance, and his exuberance for the material makes one want to enjoy them even more. I unfortunately miss Amon Amarth's 17:15 slot, but return to the floor just in time to see five tall, lanky gentlemen dressed to the hilt in some very debonair-looking suits pick up their instruments and prepare to unleash Hades. This, of course, could only mean the arrival of Akercocke, a band I greet with mixed feelings. True, their latest _Choronzon_ effort was a highly enjoyable slice of brutality, but I also recall seeing them perform in support of Cradle of Filth earlier this year and delivering a decidedly drab and fallacious spectacle. Still, I'm more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and as it turns out, they are a markedly improved live act. While the sound gremlins remain a constant, even the most hellacious audio problems cannot hide the sinister genius of songs like "Becoming the Adversary", "A Skin for Dancing In" and "Enraptured by Evil". The true highlight of Akercocke's set, however, is drummer David Gray, whose almost insanely technical style is as bewildering as it is jaw- dropping. Things are set to get even more lively, as Nile hit the stage with their now-familiar Egyptian intro music providing the backdrop to vocalist/bassist Jon Vesano's welcoming war-cry. Like a general leading his troops into battle, he demands response and receives it en masse, clearly establishing who the crowd favourites are. Kicking off the ritual with "Chapter for Transforming Into a Snake" and "Barra Edinazu", Nile are almost scarily intense and conjure up an atmosphere of such primitive brutality that the Camden Palace feels shaken to its foundations. As usual, the band do not skip a beat as they blast through "The Blessed Dead", "Sarcophagus", "Churning the Maelstrom" and "Masturbating the War God", before finally concluding with "The Black Seeds of Vengeance" -- definitely the hands-down winner of loudest audience response of the evening. It's been said many time before, but it begs repetition: Nile are, as tonight proves, one of the most exciting, vibrant and challenging death metal outfits of our present point in time, and without a shadow of a doubt, one of extreme music's most important assets. With the anticipation of tonight's headliners almost reaching fever pitch, a number of punters get a tad overzealous and begin the Deicide-chant early; not the most welcoming of scenario for Germany's Destruction. While some of the audience are seemingly exhilarated by the band's forty five minute sojourn, I find them monotonous to the extreme. Where fellow thrashers Death Angel blew my head off and left my jaw stuck to the floor when they played London a few months ago, my experience of Destruction is very similar to having molten lava poured down my boxer shorts. They play old songs ("Incriminated", "Bestial Invasion"), they play new songs ("Metal Discharge", "The Butcher Strikes Back") -- it all sucks. When Destruction head for the exit after what feels like an eternity, the time finally arrives for Deicide. A lot can be said for the remarkably poor quality of the Floridian outfit's recent releases; much in the same way as one can yawn at the tedium of Glen Benton's anti-Christian, anti-Roadrunner, anti-music press rants. Yet, for all the clichés and all the wallowing in mediocrity, one undeniable fact remains, and that is that Deicide's first three efforts were phenomenally powerful and still to this day can hold up to anything released since. As was the case with Deicide's trip to the Mean Fiddler in October last year, Glen is in good spirits as he makes his way to the stage, and declares his undying love for the UK. For the next hour, the band proceed to batter our senses with "Children of the Underworld", "Bastards of Christ", "Bible Basher", "Lunatic of God's Creation", "Sacrificial Suicide", "Serpents of the Light", "Once Upon a Cross", "Mephistopheles", "Dead but Dreaming", "Deicide", "When Satan Rules This World", and "Dead by Dawn". Unfortunately we get nothing off the band's forthcoming _Scars of the Crucifix_ supposed return-to-form, save for Glen's claim that it sounds like _Legion_, but it doesn't matter. Tonight's show is fantastic. The crowd lap it up. The Deicide boys genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves on stage. And ultimately, if _Scars of the Crucifix_ can harness even half the passion and enthusiasm displayed here tonight, it may well live up to the substantial hype that's currently trumpeting its arrival. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, ___ _, _ _, _, | \ |_ | /_\ | | (_ |_/ | | | | | | , , ) ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ Web Site: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos --> Interested in being reviewed? 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HOW TO SUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending an e-mail to with your full name in the subject line of the message. You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a blank e-mail to . =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #69 All contents copyright (c) 1995-2003 by individual creators of included work. All rights reserved. All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.