_______ __ __ __ ___ | _ | |--.----.-----.-----|__.----| .-----.-----. .-----.' _| |. 1___| | _| _ | | | __| | -__|__ --| | _ | _| |. |___|__|__|__| |_____|__|__|__|____|__|_____|_____| |_____|__| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' _______ __ | _ | |--.---.-.-----.-----. |. 1___| | _ | _ |__ --| |. |___|__|__|___._|_____|_____| |: 1 | |::.. . | `-------' CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, April 8, 2004, Issue #72 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 #72 Contents, 4/8/2004 ---------------------------- * Editorial * Chats -- In Flames: A Soundtrack to Comeuppance -- Rotting Christ: Still Rotting in the Free World -- Exodus: Dancing With the Damned * Albums -- Berserk - _Rites of Supremacy_ -- Blodsrit - _Oscularis Infernum_ -- Cannibal Corpse - _The Wretched Spawn_ -- Dismember - _Where Ironcrosses Grow_ -- Ektomorf - _Destroy_ -- Eros Necropsique - _Crises de Lucidité_ -- Farmer Boys - _The Other Side_ -- Fear Factory - _Archetype_ -- Finnugor - _Death Before Dawn_ -- Furia - _Un Lac de Larmes et de Sang_ -- Genital Grinder - _Genital Grinder_ -- Heaven Shall Burn - _Antigone_ -- Himinbjorg - _Golden Age_ -- Loudblast - _Planet Pandemonium_ -- Mar de Grises - _The Tatterdemalion Express_ -- Mayhem - _Chimera_ -- Morbid Angel - _Heretic_ -- My Dying Bride - _Songs of Darkness, Words of Light_ -- Power of Omens - _Rooms of Anguish_ -- Satanic Warmaster - _...Of the Night_ -- Satanic Warmaster / Clandestine Blaze - _Split_ -- Sceptic - _Unbeliever's Script_ -- Temple of Baal - _Servants of the Beast_ -- Thorn.Eleven - _A Different View_ -- Trauma - _Imperfect Like a God_ -- Under Threat - _Behind Mankind's Disguise_ -- VAST - _Nude_ -- Weakling - _Dead as Dreams_ * Demos -- Delian League - _Day of Question_ * Gigs -- Death Comes Ripping =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, _ ___ _, __, _ _, _, |_ | \ | | / \ |_) | /_\ | | |_/ | | \ / | \ | | | | , ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ Y E A R O N E , P A R T T W O ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reflections on CoC's Second "Year One" by: Pedro Azevedo "EDITOR, n. A person who combines the judicial functions of Minos, Rhadamanthus and Aeacus, but is placable with an obolus; a severely virtuous censor, but so charitable withal that he tolerates the virtues of others and the vices of himself; who flings about him the splintering lightning and sturdy thunders of admonition till he resembles a bunch of firecrackers petulantly uttering his mind at the tail of a dog; then straightway murmurs a mild, melodious lay, soft as the cooing of a donkey intoning its prayer to the evening star. Master of mysteries and lord of law, high-pinnacled upon the throne of thought, his face suffused with the dim splendors of the Transfiguration, his legs intertwisted and his tongue a-cheek, the editor spills his will along the paper and cuts it off in lengths to suit. And at intervals from behind the veil of the temple is heard the voice of the foreman demanding three inches of wit and six lines of religious meditation, or bidding him turn off the wisdom and whack up some pathos." "REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it, Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it) At work upon a book, and so read out of it The qualities that you have first read into it." (in "The Devil's Dictionary", by Ambrose Bierce) To open one of my rare editorials by quoting a profoundly sarcastic book written from 1881 onwards and published in 1911 may seem an odd choice, justifiable only by the accurate portrayal contained therein of CoC's editors, reviewers, or both. Such assumption would be far from the truth, however: I use Bierce's words in an attempt to illustrate naught more than the pitfalls and difficulties one faces in carrying out such tasks -- especially when you have been doing so for several years whilst juggling personal and professional life as well. This ambiguously half-ironic wee rambling of mine therefore stems both from the toils of editing and writing articles alike when you must often trudge along beneath the weight of other matters and duties. Of this the reader need not be aware; but the temptation to repeatedly expose these circumstances of life under a different light every few years is considerably difficult for editors to resist. One sets upon himself the task of doing his part to keep a publication alive, and after a period of about twelve months succumbs to this temptation. Such is life. The purpose of all this? Not much, really; perhaps only to serve as a relatively dense and arguably pointless introduction to the fact that it has now been one year since Chronicles of Chaos reopened under its new guise, with an equally renewed engine and the promise of a brighter future for every excellent being who spends some time with us, either reading or writing. This point in time seems to present a fine opportunity, if ever there is one, to mull over another twelve months of our lives that we shall never get back, and reflect upon success, failure, and everything in between. Given the direction (or lack thereof) this editorial has decided to possess, I shall only state that from my perspective CoC is today a much healthier beast than it was one or two years ago -- something that requires the collective effort of a publication's staff. This is not your usual "we are still committed to doing this" speech: this means CoC spent a few months down for the count between 2002 and 2003, dragged itself back up, and has now been standing strong again for one year -- and what's more, it's back to the regularity of old. To those who have invested more hours working in this than they would probably care to count even if they could, all of this is meaningful. Furthermore, it is my belief that these last twelve months were among the most important in CoC's nearly nine year history. May it continue for many more. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _,_ _, ___ _, / ` |_| /_\ | (_ \ , | | | | | , ) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A S O U N D T R A C K T O C O M E U P P A N C E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Anders Fridén and Peter Ivers of In Flames by: Jackie Smit In Flames are about to take over the world. You don't believe me? Well, for starters the first single off their upcoming _Soundtrack to Your Escape_ effort debuted at number two on the Swedish charts, and with high-profile tours with the likes of Slayer and Hatebreed under their belts in the States, matters across the pond look equally optimistic. Considering how many of today's metal acts continue to pilfer the In Flames back catalogue with gay abandon, one could easily argue that the band are finally getting what they deserve; but the fact of the matter is that if they were going to get their due for any single album, _Soundtrack to Your Escape_ is the choice that would please both old and new fans. Certainly the most creative offering to carry their logo since 1996's _Whoracle_, the record is at once heavy, catchy and impossible to resist. I recently met up with vocalist Anders Fridén and bassist Peter Iwers to discuss the new album, touring, movie soundtracks and a whole lot in between. CoC: Since In Flames released _Reroute to Remain_ in 2001, your profile has increased exponentially, and you've toured with a lot of very popular bands (Slayer, Slipknot, etc). How did this affect the band's approach to the music industry and the recording of _Soundtrack to Your Escape_? Peter Iwers: It didn't affect the writing of the music in any way, but it did help us to see things from a 'bigger' point of view. Seeing all these bands play was incredible. But again, it didn't affect how we write music, because we always write music for ourselves. Anders Fridén: I think that they affected us in a live environment. They go on stage and they just don't give a crap, you know, they roll over you like a tank. And that's what we like to do ourselves: just go out there and do the best possible show. We don't want to be like other European bands that make excuses -- "Sorry we're playing", or "If it's too loud, please stop us" -- we're just there to roll over people, do the best possible show that we can. But as Peter said, it doesn't affect us in a musical way. Obviously touring with a band like Slayer -- if someone had told me ten years ago that I would be touring with those guys, I would just have said "Yeah, right." CoC: So out of all the bands you guys toured with, who would you regard as your favourite touring buddies? AF / PI: Slayer! AF: It was just an amazing thing to tour with a band like them. They've influenced us and they have influenced metal as a whole for years and years. PI: And they still manage to be just really down to earth guys. It's really nice to see that. AF: We knew our place on the tour, but their crew was really helpful and really supportive. It's one of the best tours we've ever done. CoC: Any crazy tour stories to tell? AF: We have tons, but they're X-rated. CoC: Moving on to the new album -- the new record instantly gives off a far more sombre vibe than anything you've done before. What was your approach to writing and recording _Soundtrack to Your Escape_, considering the obvious pressure you must have been under? AF: I've heard that said before, actually -- people think that we are under pressure, but we don't have any pressure. I mean, if we start thinking about it then yeah, but it's only from ourselves. We try and push ourselves to do our performances at 110%, so the only place where we feel pressured is within the band, because we are trying to be better all the time. As far as the fans and the record company things -- we feel that if we stay true to the music that we feel is right for In Flames, then the people will follow. PI: We just tried to make a better record than we had done before, and not repeat ourselves. CoC: You've built most of the songs on this new album around some very strong choruses that follow an almost traditional '80s structure. Thinking back to when you did the Depeche Mode cover on _Whoracle_, would you say that you're showing your roots once again? AF: Not directly, but of course we've been listening to those bands for years and years -- since we were young -- so they affect us and influence us more than the latest music. That's something that's been with us for years and years. We are an extreme band, but we do have that influence. Those bands all wrote some great pop songs. We're all suckers for melodies, and for example Depeche Mode are one of the greatest bands for melodies, and if we can use that influence in our music without sounding like them, then that's great. CoC: So, taking into account how different _Soundtrack to Your Escape_ is from something like _Reroute to Remain_, which track off the new album do you feel defines In Flames in 2004? PI: "The Quiet Place". We chose that as the single and we feel that's what sums up what the album sounds like. AF: I agree, but we are definitely not a one song band, we're an album band. You've got to listen to the whole record to see where we are. We've never been about hit singles. We don't write fifty songs and then choose the best fifteen. We write whatever's necessary for making the album. We try to top ourselves every time we write a new song and all of a sudden we have an album. CoC: As far as choosing Daniel Bergstrand to produce the new record -- why use him again this time round? PI: We were very comfortable with working with him the last time. He was very dedicated to what we were doing and he did a very good job. Why change a good recipe? AF: He was very eager to do it this time round. We got to know each other on the first round and felt how we would react in certain situations, and now we felt like this is the time to prove ourselves and really give things an honest chance and show what we could do together. He knows what we are about and he has done great things for us; pushing us to our limits and capturing great moments. CoC: As you grew more popular after _The Jester Race_, In Flames obviously drew a lot of criticism with people saying that you were repeating yourselves and that you had grown boring. Was the departure of _Soundtrack to Your Escape_ a reaction to that? PI: Not at all. Our music is never a reaction to what anyone thinks. We just want to make things really interesting for ourselves. We want to make the best music that we can make at the time and we want to make something different from what we have made before. Evolution comes naturally to us. We never give any thought to what anyone says when it comes to songwriting. AF: We've been around for a long time and we've learned a lot from our experiences. From the first album we have been growing as a band. In the beginning we didn't really know how to play live, we weren't such good songwriters, but we pushed everything we had into In Flames. We don't regret anything, but I think that it's important to move forward and it's important not to repeat yourselves. PI: With us, people know that they can expect the In Flames sound, but they never quite know exactly what to expect. And regardless of whether you like it or not, you will never know what you are going to get, because we don't do anything according to any trends. CoC: A lot of the so-called new breed of thrash (Killswitch Engage, God Forbid, etc.) use a lot of the ideas that In Flames pioneered many years ago. How do you feel about the push that bands like this are getting and about the fact their record companies promote them as having a 'fresh' sound? AF: We get what we deserve, I think. If success is something that is meant to be, then we will get it eventually. We have a lot of fans that come to our shows and we've had a lot of support for many years now, so I also think that people know who did this kind of music first. As far as our influence, I think that is often coincidence, and all the bands you mentioned, I think are brilliant. I mean, we take influences ourselves; we are influenced by other bands. CoC: In Flames appeared on a couple of movie soundtracks last year -- "Freddy Vs. Jason" probably being the most prolific. What would be your ideal movie to score as a band? PI: "Star Wars". AF: "Rambo 4". PI: Any Jean Claude Van Damme movie. PI: It's a great honour to be part of a soundtrack, and when someone offers us the opportunity we would always accept. AF: I think that we definitely gained a few people's interest off "Freddy Vs. Jason". CoC: So what are the plans for In Flames for the immediate future? PI: Touring for the rest of the year -- probably until the end of the year. We'll be going through Europe, the UK, through to Australia, the States, and then possibly back for another tour of Europe. CoC: Any last words, guys? PI: Thank you. AF: Buy _Soundtrack to Your Escape_. You will not be disappointed. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= S T I L L R O T T I N G I N T H E F R E E W O R L D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Sakis of Rotting Christ by: Jackie Smit There's always been something special about Rotting Christ -- an enigmatic and mysterious quality that has and continues to instill their many admirers with a fanatical ardor that very few other acts of their ilk can boast. Of course, central to their appeal has been the music. Starting with the primitive black metal of _Passage to Arcturo_ and _Thy Mighty Contract_ in the early '90s, the band continued to grow and explore further recesses of dark music, culminating in the mainstream teasing _Sleep of the Angels_. Now, with their latest opus, _Genesis_, the band have come full circle, combining their penchant for the atmospheric with the misanthropic fire of their early black metal sound. But it's not about to end there, as frontman and chief songwriter Sakis revealed to me during the band's last visit to London -- the black cult is stronger than ever, and 2004 could very well be the year that sees the Greek quartet release their definitive work. CoC: I've been listening through your back-catalogue recently, and on your past two efforts there has been a definite return to the old, traditional black metal of the first Rotting Christ albums. What was the reason behind your decision to move down this particular creative path? Sakis: First of all, it's the fact that we are tired of this metal attitude that reminds me of a lot of mainstream music. You know, everyone wants to be famous, everyone wants to play to a thousand people, everyone wants to be a rock star or something, and we are fed up with that stuff. Of course, we started back in 1989 when the music and the scene and the style were more romantic -- everyone was trading demos. We didn't have the idea to be rock stars or anything like that, and now we feel like being teenagers again and returning to our roots. But even though we have returned to our roots, our musical style is still adapted in order to sound contemporary; there are a lot of samples and a lot of atmospheric parts on the last two albums and there will also be more on the next one. CoC: Well, there's certainly a strong sense of _Thy Mighty Contract_ on your last album [_Genesis_], but at the same time you have given it a modern feel. S: Exactly. CoC: So when you listen to Rotting Christ's biggest stylistic departures -- _A Dead Poem_ and _Sleep of the Angels_ -- do you carry any regrets about how those albums ended up sounding? S: No, not at all. In a career that is more than a decade long, personally I think it wouldn't feel right to play exactly the same thing all the time. It's not fair to the fans, and it's not fair to yourself to just keep playing music to satisfy a small group of people. I just want to express myself in any way I want, and at that point in time, I was really into heavy metal music, so I preferred to play that kind of stuff. Now I feel like a teenager again, and I'm into a lot of black metal stuff, so I like to make this sort of music. What we are doing right now is not commercial. We'd like to bring back the feeling of the underground, where like I said to you before, things were really romantic. We're basically just not satisfied with how the scene is going now. CoC: You guys are also busy doing a new album that's going to be out in September. Care to let me in on a few secrets? S: I've been working on the new stuff for seven months... CoC: Seven months?! S: Yes, because I write all the music and I write all the lyrics by myself, and I want it to be something special. I don't know whether it will be, but I want to be able to express myself 100%. So I write songs, and change them after a few weeks -- repair things, so to speak. Now we are going to go into the recording studio as soon as we are finished with this tour; we will be there for a month and then the finished product will be out in September. We will record half the album in Greece and the other half in Sweden, and it will be mastered in Fredman Studios. CoC: Does that mean that Fredrik Nordstrom will be producing as well? S: No, I am going to do it myself, but Fredrik will be mixing it and mastering it. I did it before on _Khronos_ actually, but I didn't do it so good. Now I am working as a producer in Greece, so I have learned a lot of new things. As I said before, I prefer to work by myself -- I don't want many people to be involved in what I'm doing, because I am the only person who knows what I want. CoC: Where are the band headed toward lyrically with this new record? S: Well, you're the first person that I am speaking to about this, actually. There will be some anti-religious lyrics -- nothing like 'fuck God' and all that stuff, just expressing in a poetic way the misery of people and bringing the theme of religion into that. CoC: One thing I have always respected a lot about Rotting Christ is that you approach any subject you write about from a more intellectual point of view than many other bands. How do you feel about bands like Deicide that ply their trade upon very base- level ideas, with songs like for example "Fuck Your God" or "Mad at God" off their new album? S: No, I don't like that. Rotting Christ never do things like that. We like to be more intellectual and we like people to be able to take a trip with us, make up their own minds and have their own ideas. We would never say 'fuck God', because who is God really? We are more agnostic -- we are still trying to find meanings and we are still searching for answers. CoC: So you'd say that it's a misconception for people to regard Rotting Christ as a Satanic band then? S: It's not a Satanic band, because Satanism is a religion and we are against any religion. Also, Satanism is involved in certain parts of the world with fascism and we are not fascist at all. We come from Greece, which is against fascism. I find some Satanic philosophies very interesting, but I am not a Satanist. I am an agnostic. CoC: It's an interesting point you make there, because I have always felt that a lot of bands who use Satanism as a means to rebel against religion end up doing exactly what they claim to despise: they're preaching. S: Yes, definitely. CoC: I remember reading an interview with you a few years ago and you were discussing the name Rotting Christ and how you never expected to receive the sort of negative feedback that you did. Is this still a point of contention for the band? S: We tried to change the name for about four or five years, because we felt like it was too offensive toward many people, and it was reducing our sales because people were saying that because of our name they didn't want to buy our albums or let us play. In the end, we decided to keep it because metal is supposed to be revolutionary -- otherwise there wouldn't be a point to it. We don't want people listening to us that care about things like the band's name; we want people to make up their own minds with us and to come up with their own ideas, not like a band that sings songs like "Fuck Your God". That doesn't make a person think at all. CoC: What would you like people to think about when they're listening to Rotting Christ? S: First of all... I wouldn't want people to think about anything specifically. I'm not into forcing someone to follow my ideas. I want to give alternatives to people about some of the things that are flouted by conservative society. At the end of the day it's just ideas, and if you want to get it, you will; otherwise, so be it. Some people are very offended by what I speak about sometimes, but these are just small groups. We don't like how people live nowadays and we try to express that in our music and to give solutions. CoC: Looking back over your career, what would you regard as the definitive Rotting Christ song? S: Best song? That is very hard to say. It depends on your mood. If you are in the mood for something that is very dark and very black metal, then you can choose "Sign of Evil Existence", or if you want something atmospheric then you can choose "After Dark I Feel". It depends on what you feel. CoC: There's no song that you feel slightly 'embarrassed' by? S: Actually I suppose everyone has something like that, but I don't think that it's so good to regret anything you did in the past. We entered into some really bad contracts, because we were not experienced in such things -- in fact, no one in Greece was experienced in such matters. CoC: Speaking of Greece -- what's the state of the Greek underground scene at the moment? S: Well, unfortunately Septic Flesh, who was one of the scene's leaders, has broken up now, but I think that there are many good bands still left apart from us. Because we are from the south east part of Europe, it is very hard for one band to go to other parts of the world, but there are very good bands in Greece and there are many bands that play there. The thing that is very different though is the attitude, because if you have not been in the rest of Europe or in America, you do not know how things are done. There are many bands that think that they are rock stars, but we do not concern ourselves with them. CoC: You mentioned Septic Flesh -- I believe that you are close friends with several of their members? S: I have a side-project with guys from Necromantia and Septic Flesh called Thou Art Lord. They are good friends of ours. CoC: You have no idea as to why they broke up? S: It's a personal problem with them -- they have proper everyday jobs, and if you want to play in a band you have to be on the. road You have to sacrifice many things . CoC: Have you ever found yourself in a similar position? S: I used to work in a record store and I used to have a studio in the past, but now I quit so that I can concentrate on Rotting Christ 100%. I don't make a lot of money, but enough to pay the bills. Life in Greece is not as expensive as it is in the rest of the world. But it has taken a long time for us to make money from this band -- we played for five years without making any money. CoC: What are the plans for Rotting Christ when the new album comes out? S: Being on the road. We will go on a world tour as soon as the new album comes out -- South America, Colombia, Brazil, Europe; all over the world. CoC: Any last words, Sakis? S: Keep the dark cult alive and stay true. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= D A N C I N G W I T H T H E D A M N E D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC chats with Gary Holt and Tom Holting of Exodus by: Jackie Smit Exodus is back, and at this point, introductions are not necessary. Yet, as easy as it is to recall their place among the elite few that formed an integral part of the fertile breeding ground that was Bay Area thrash, many won't realise upon spinning their latest effort that _Tempo of the Damned_ nearly didn't happen. Indeed, as the nineties grew older and death metal had all but overshadowed the once-dubbed "heaviest music on earth", the talent that brought the metal genre classics such as _Bonded by Blood_ and _Fabulous Disaster_ was about to be swallowed up by a myriad of personal problems that included the death of a close friend and copious amounts of illegal chemicals. But in a true triumph of the human spirit that would not look out of place on an afternoon talk show, guitarist Gary Holt and his partners in crime managed to pull Exodus' barely-breathing carcass back from the brink of obscurity. Fast-forward to our present point in time and I'm sharing a couch with Gary and drummer extraordinaire Tom Holting, in a plush hotel in central London. Throughout the conversation, Gary and Tom will both make reference to the fact that for them, Exodus has been reborn -- and in case you're sceptical, a quick spin of their latest platter should be all that's required to set you straight. CoC: Exodus has gone through quite a lot of problems in the past few years: the drugs, Paul Barloff's passing and so forth. Out of these experiences, which would you say played the biggest role in how _Tempo of the Damned_ eventually turned out? Gary Holt: Personally, I'd have to say getting off the dope. That took the haze away and cleared that fucking grey cloud that was covering up any creative spark I had. Once that was gone, the ideas were just flying out. The energy came back, the desire to focus came back and that brought the fucking aggression and the fucking electricity back to us, which made the album into what it is. Also, Paul's death -- when I got cleaned up and I could think clearly, the reality of the situation... that was a huge inspiration to make the album as good as it is. Tom Hunting: I feel the same way. We didn't have any focus and there was no work being done until we got ourselves together. GH: We worked more on getting more fucking speed than we did writing anything. CoC: The album was released on the 2nd of February, which is the anniversary of Paul's death. Was this the intention from yourselves or from the label, or is it just a coincidence? GH: Intentional from myself. Unfortunately it's only being released in the States on March 9. But basically the label told me that they're shooting for a February release and I told them that if that's the case, then why not February 2nd, and they said that wouldn't be a problem. CoC: So, do you regard this album as your own personal tribute to Paul? GH: Absolutely. CoC: What do you think his opinion of the record would be if he were around to hear it? GH: He'd love it. TH: I think he -does- feel wherever he is -- he definitely approves of this. GH: His spirit is still with us. I mean, you listen to some of Zetro's vocals on the new songs and you hear Paul kinda channelling in his ass on a lot of it. TH: And Paul was a huge influence on Zetro -- I mean, he started the whole thing. Zet would be the first one to admit that. GH: They both have different styles and it was totally unintentional, but you listen to the new stuff and there's definitely some of Paul coming out there. CoC: Let's talk about the deal with Nuclear Blast. How did that come about? GH: This album would never have been done -- apart from our own problems -- if it hadn't been for the generosity and commitment of a lot of people. TH: We had to reach out to a lot of people. GH: Yeah, because we recorded it ourselves. I mean, Andy Sneap covered all of his own expenses because he believed in this project. A friend of ours put up his credit card and paid for the studio where we recorded the drum tracks. The studio where we recorded everything else -- the guy put up with us for no money upfront and actually took an active part in feeding us a lot of the time. Those guys all made this album happen. Then we had a finished album and we were in the exact position that we wanted to be in. We had a killer album done, and you're always going to get a better deal if you can provide the label with a fantastic product. We had a shortlist of people we wanted to shop it to and Nuclear Blast were at the top of the list -- they were the label I felt should be our home. TH: They're doing the right thing with it. GH: They're metal fans to begin with. They know how to market this music, they have a proven track record and they've given us nothing but respect. CoC: What about the decision to work with Andy Sneap -- how did his name come up? TH: Well, he was the only one we wanted to work with. GH: We worked together the first time on the live album (_Another Lesson in Violence_) and we have a similar musical history. We even played the Dynamo festival with Sabbat in 1987. Andy came out of nowhere to do the live album and I have honestly never worked with someone as well as I do with him. It's at the point now where he is the sixth member of this band. TH: He came out of nowhere when we did the live album and he said: "I was born to mix this record." GH: He's our producer and he's like a brother to us. I'll never do an Exodus record without him. He believed so strongly in this record that he covered every cost himself. CoC: It must be an amazing feeling to know that there are people that believe in Exodus to such a great extent. GH: Absolutely. The sound that he brought to this record is just killer. CoC: It's been eight years since you brought out your last studio album. How does your approach differ from the early days? GH: Well, it's a completely different mindset. We have this renewed energy, which I think is similar to how we felt when we were writing _Bonded by Blood_, which is why I think people are comparing the record to that. We've got a drive to just grind. I liked _Force of Habit_, but when we were making it we were fighting all the time, we were in the middle of what turned out to be a ruinous deal with Capitol Records, and when you're caught up in all the big business bullshit and you're getting no support, that's when it all just falls apart. And now we don't have that pressure. I mean, the album is a success just because we made it -- whether it sells ten copies or fucking ten million. We're a fucking behind the music special waiting to happen. We've got drug addictions, we've got death, we've got bad deals. Hopefully if this album does well, it'll be like a "triumphant comeback". Unfortunately with music, to really be remembered you've got to die real early -- you have to go t hrough the highest highs and the lowest lows and then die the moment you get back on top. Like Stevie Ray Vaughn: he gets clean off the fucking coke and the booze and then he fucking dies in a helicopter crash. It's like a soap opera. CoC: What would you have done if you were never part of this soap opera, though? TH: I'd be a shepherd. GH: A male exotic dancer... male prostitute... TH: ...cesspool sucker... GH: ...proctologist... That's a hard one to say. I mean, growing up as a kid, I always wanted to be a palaeontologist, so maybe I'd be digging up dinosaur bones or something. CoC: So for the record -- are Exodus back for good? GH: Yeah, definitely. Unless some other crushing blow happens, but I don't see that. TH: As long as we can do this, we will. GH: I always said that I would do this as long as I was having fun and we broke up in 1992, because I wasn't having fun. Now, I'm enjoying myself as much as I ever have. I already have ideas for the next album! CoC: And with all the things that you went through together as a band and have now survived -- do you think that it makes you stronger as a unit and brings you closer together? GH: Absolutely. TH: We were sucking on stage, until we took the drugs out of the picture. GH: We were getting by just winging it. I mean, we had all these hardcore fans who were there, but they weren't even really listening sometimes. And anybody newer would just have seen that we were sloppy. CoC: On _Tempo of the Damned_ you've once again delved into a lot of political subject matter. That said, I recently read a quote from you [Gary] that said you hated all politicians. Considering the material you write about, would you say that you're making observations or proposing solutions? GH: I'm making observations. I mean, there are solutions that will never take place. If you take all the big money out of the picture, then maybe politicians wouldn't be the criminals that they are. But now it takes you x-amount of millions of dollars to get elected to public office and all that money has to come from somewhere. And I mean, I wouldn't give you fucking five bucks unless I wanted ten back, or a favour. It's these favours that are fucking things up. On "Scar Sprangled Banner" on the new album, I actually tried to answer the question as to whether I'm a liberal. No, I'm as fucking conservative as you can be. I just don't hang around with these militia fuckers and I don't run around with machine guns. But I mean, I'm no fool -- I know I'm being lied to. What else are we in Iraq for but oil? We had the second biggest genocide in Rwanda and we send what?, a fucking tiny "peace- keeping" force?! Fucking hundreds and thousands of people were being massacred with machet es, but we didn't care because they have dirt, and we don't want dirt. And on "Scar Sprangled Banner" I talk about "America, the violent and indifferent"; I'm talking about myself, not just all Americans. I'm not anti-American. I watched the bombs drop and I didn't think: "Wow, that's fucking wrong". I was watching the firepower, not the liberation of a nation. TH: These are our opinions though. I mean, a lot of politicians base their entire campaigns on their opinions. GH: People are taking "Scar Sprangled Banner" out of proportion and saying that I'm fucking anti-American. I'm not anti-American and "Scar Sprangled Banner" is no less anti-government than fucking "Fabulous Disaster" or any of the other anti-government songs that we've written. CoC: What would you want people to get out of Exodus' music when the new album comes out? GH: A black eye. No, I want them to feel the fucking electricity, I want people to be able to feel something. I want to turn the people into fucking battlebots. TH: Yeah, killing each other to get to the merchandise stand to buy a T-shirt. GH: Although, every death is one less shirt sold. CoC: Any last words from you guys? GH: We're back. We're not going away that easily this time, so prepare yourself for some musical brass knuckles. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _, __, _,_ _, _ _, / \ | |_) | | |\/| (_ |~| | , |_) | | | | , ) ~ ~ ~~~ ~ `~' ~ ~ ~ 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! Berserk - _Rites of Supremacy_ (Oaken Shield / Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (5 out of 10) What we have here is Iberian black metal -- could this be the beginning of some stiff competition for the Viking subgenre? Unlikely, at least in this stage of Berserk's career. Berserk are from Spain and have already thrust upon the black masses an album titled _...From the Celtiberian Woods_ a while ago, but _Rites of Supremacy_ is the first I've actually heard from them. Their music is mostly mid-paced, semi- melodic black metal, with occasional keyboards and clean chants employed in the usual ways. In fact, as far as Iberian black metal goes, Berserk's music is not particularly distinctive, hence wasting a good opportunity. Production, songwriting and musicianship are all average, although the repetitive drumming adds to a certain lack of real dynamics in the music. This is partially compensated by the reasonable sense of atmosphere that Berserk achieve on _Rites of Supremacy_, but with its relatively lengthy song structures the album still isn't a very exciting affair. Berserk may still be on their way to something interesting, but they will definitely need to improve in certain areas if they are ever to get there. Contact: http://www.berserkhorde.com Blodsrit - _Oscularis Infernum_ (Oaken Shield / Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) So, a new album by Sweden's Blodsrit -- or is it Dissection's long lost demo? Either way, there is no denying how enjoyable _Oscularis Infernum_ is: for all its lack of originality, this is still an album you can safely throw into your CD player for a pleasant 40 minutes of melodic black metal. The album sorely lacks the shiny professional quality of Naglfar's superior _Sheol_, but not so much as to become a problem. The production is competent (except for the slightly annoying drum sound) and the playing is quite adequate (bar the somewhat repetitive drumming made worse by the drum sound), which in addition to all the good hooks and melodies ensures a very acceptable release in spite of its originality issues. Unsurprisingly, you get most of the usual shticks (such as corpsepaint, a band member named Nazgul or a Nietzche quotation in the booklet) but this is still unpretentiously enjoyable -- a rather good bet if that's all you're looking for and bands like Dissection and Naglfar happen to be your kind of thing. Contact: http://www.blodsrit.com Cannibal Corpse - _The Wretched Spawn_ (Metal Blade, 2004) by: Jackie Smit (9.5 out of 10) Virtually since their inception, Cannibal Corpse have, almost as a rule, seemed destined to be reviewers' favourite whipping boys. Quite as to the reasons why remains uncertain; perhaps it is their stubborn unwillingness to compromise their now fairly tired lyrical fodder, or to depart even slightly from their ultra-technical style of death metal that has since spawned a voluminous legion of imitators. Whatever the case may be, the fact that they can boast the distinction of being the first extreme band to achieve platinum selling status would suggest that they're at least doing something right, and one could further argue that they have scaled this considerable height as a direct result of their doing the very things that the metal media flays them for with their every release. Predictably once again _The Wretched Spawn_ has drawn its fair share of criticism, with one point in particular standing out in my mind this time round as a pure admission of ignorance: that Cannibal Corpse have simply repeated themselves. It is certainly true that _The Wretched Spawn_ is a Cannibal Corpse album in every sense of the word, and so from the off you will know what to expect -- George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher's blisteringly intense vocals, Alex Webster's inhumanly skilful bass- wizardry, the seething combination of Jack Owen and Pat O'Brien's guitars -- all dancing to the tune of Paul Mazurkiewicz's trademark battery. What makes Cannibal Corpse worth listening to, nine albums into their career, is that they continue to evolve their sound within the admittedly conservative framework which they have imposed on themselves -- the results of which have proven to be quite excellent. Small touches indicate how they have grown as songwriters over the course of a career that spans more than fifteen years: the doomy intro to "Festering in the Crypt", the dark melodic break halfway through "Frantic Disembowelment". In the meantime, they continue to excel as one of the most technical bands in death metal. Say what you will about their ability to come up with fresh ideas, but there are precious few guitarists that will outdo the quite frankly sick staccato riffage of "Psychotic Precision". Of course, it may just be that what Cannibal Corpse brings to the table just isn't enough for some, a view that boils down to a simple matter of opinion. But as Alex Webster states on the record's accompanying DVD documentary, the band's primary objective has always been to "deliver the death metal"; and in the case of _The Wretched Spawn_, the group definitely deserve infinite kudos for a job exceptionally done. Contact: http://www.cannibalcorpse.net Dismember - _Where Ironcrosses Grow_ (Karmageddon Media, 2004) by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10) It has been five years since a Dismember album last saw the light of day, but after a triumphant Wacken performance reawakened the world to their hacking, slashing, chainsaw-powered death metal might, anticipation has been running high. _Where Ironcrosses Grow_ has taken its time coming out, having been recorded a year ago, but for fans of the band and others hungry for some old-school, Autopsy- and Iron Maiden-infused Swedish death metal, it will be well worth the wait. Though not quite the mixture of all the best bits of Dismember Matti Karki will tell you it is, _WIG_ isn't actually far off the mark. As any of you who've heard the title track -- downloadable from Karmageddon Media -- will attest, Dismember's sixth full-length boasts a much better attuned sound than _Hate Campaign_ did: the dirty crunch of _Like an Everflowing Stream_ is present here in spirit if not quite in actuality, with the slightly-too-clean, almost sequenced feel which the Swedes' last two albums dragged like a ball-and-chain, effectively amputated. Dismember have recaptured the momentum and fist-to-the-face impact which those last two albums lacked. Instead of delivering a slightly confused selection of songs -- some great, some not so great -- Dismember have delivered a cohesive album which flows from track to track; the opening title track slams to a close, and after the well- placed click-clack of a handgun slide preparing a new magazine, "Fuelled by Hate" kicks in backed with a big BANG; penultimate track "Children of the Cross" winds down and fades out with a doom-infused riff backed by chaotic, improvised drum-breaks, seeming to signal the albums close, but then fades back in for half-a-minute to allow "As I Pull the Trigger" to swat it aside, bolt you upright, and ultimately pave the way for a highly satisfying finish. Put simply, _WIG_ combines all the elements that Dismember fans have come to know and love the band for; it's not experimental, but it -is- reinvigorated. It may not be the perfect Dismember album, but it's their most consistent since at least _Massive Killing Capacity_, my current third favourite after _Indecent and Obscene_ and _LaEFS_ (yes, in that order), and certainly an album no fan of the band should be advised to go without. I'd give it a higher mark, but then I'd be making the same mistake I did when I reviewed _Death Metal_ in these pages all of seven years ago: giving an album a high mark because -I- enjoy it so much, rather than objectively giving it the mark it deserves. Contact: http://www.dismember.se Ektomorf - _Destroy_ (Nuclear Blast, 2004) by: Jackie Smit (4 out of 10) On the surface, Ektomorf's fifth effort appears to possess every quality that could conceivably make up a good metal record: tight performances, thick solid production. Yet as the album progresses, it soon becomes painfully clear that the Hungarians' Meshuggah-meets- Soulfly cocktail offers precious little in the way of substance. Songs meander on without build-up, climax or any sort of dynamics, and by the time the seventh track has aired, monotony has all but killed any sort of enjoyment one could conceivably have extracted from the record. That even the most seasoned metalhead could be forgiven for mistaking vocalist Zoltan for one Max Cavalera doesn't do much for their cause either. Ultimately, _Destroy_ does little more other than proving that no matter how much money or marketing muscle is behind a band, no amount of industry veneer can compensate for lack of talent. Contact: http://www.ektomorf.net Eros Necropsique - _Crises de Lucidité_ (Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (4 out of 10) When you choose to call your project Eros Necropsique and release an album presented in A5 digibook format, with a black and white photo of a naked girl lying on the floor embracing a skull as the front cover, you risk coming across as pretentious -- and either your music and lyrical concept are going to be good enough to justify that approach to the way you present your work, or you're pretty much doomed. However presented, _Crises de Lucidité_ is a 55 minute album comprised of work spanning from 1995 to 1998. The music is a stripped down affair built from vocals, keyboard, bass and artificial percussion, and it is mostly the creation of one Olivier. In each successive song, French poems are recited in a half-spoken, half-sung manner through generally well performed vocals. Although brimming with confidence, they are confined to a relatively safe style. These are occasionally complemented by a smooth but samey soprano voice. Sometimes the music veers towards more medieval fields, some others into more tragic settings, and yet others towards somewhat Elend-like symphonic soundscapes. However, Eros Necropsique fall well short of Elend's grandeur; their medieval material comes across as uninteresting, and the more tragic moments entirely depend on how well you can take this sort of gothic theatrics. Ultimately, _Crises de Lucidité_ is let down by its lack of direction and unconvincing instrumental side. This is not a terrible effort and it does have a few redeeming qualities, but unless you tend to like their chosen subject matter quite a lot, you are unlikely to find much that will interest you here. Contact: http://erosnecropsique.cjb.net Farmer Boys - _The Other Side_ (Nuclear Blast, 2004) by: Jackie Smit (3 out of 10) With a name as overwhelmingly asinine as Farmer Boys, one could be forgiven for having preconceptions as to the quality of the band's musical output. If anything is to be learned from the wonderful and often weird world of metal however, it's that it's better to not judge a book by its cover. Unfortunately though, even the most open-minded pundit is likely to have his or her patience tested, as the twelve tracks collected on the German five-piece's fourth album reek of the same year-old stilton that wafts over their moniker. Billed as a blend of Depeche Mode and Faith No More, Farmer Boys have little in common with either, and come across instead as the quintessential caricature of Euro pop rock with slightly louder guitars. True, the slick, contemporary production job of Siggi Bemm (The Kovenant, Guano Apes) make this record mildly more palatable than _The World Is Ours_ or _Until the Cows Come Home_, but as anyone unlucky enough to have suffered through those albums will attest, that doesn't count for much. Contact: http://www.farmerboys.de Fear Factory - _Archetype_ (Liquid 8, 2004) by: Xander Hoose (8.5 out of 10) If I had to make a list of bands that have taken a hard fall in their career, Fear Factory would be ranking somewhere at the top. With their immensely successful and genre-breaking album _Demanufacture_ and the critical acclaim for their groundbreaking _Remanufacture_ remix album, Fear Factory's seemed to have carved a bright future for themselves. But _Obsolete_ disappointed and didn't do quite as well as expected, while follow-up _Digimortal_ was pretty much ignored by the masses. And so Fear Factory called it a day, releasing the horrible _Hatefiles_ compilation to get rid of their contract. 2004 shows the return of revitalized Fear Factory. Dino Cazares has left the band. Long-time member Christian Olde-Wolbers is on guitars. Strapping Young Lad Byron Stroud is on bass. Many changes that will leave the audience wondering how pathetic this renewed attempt will be; one only needs to think of Sepultura and Metallica to have at least some scepticism about such insurrections. Thankfully, Fear Factory is for once not trying to 'create something new' or 'reinvent music'. Instead, they just do what they do best: making fast, aggressive tunes with a techno-approach. While this might sound a somewhat vague description, imagine a cross between _Demanufacture_ and _Obsolete_ if you will. The whole album flows by (sorry: pounds by) naturally. It is evident that Fear Factory is pissed, but for the first time in a long period their venting sounds natural instead of forced. The thing I like least about _Archetype_ is that most of the songs follow the same structure, building up and breaking down in exactly the same fashion. It tends to blend songs together, give them less individual power. Perhaps this is the real area where Fear Factory should progress in: adding diversity to their well-proved concept. Nonetheless, with ballads like "Bite the Hand That Feeds", powerhouses like "Bonescraper" and a Nirvana cover, I can't be too harsh. _Archetype_ is an unexpected yet very convincing return for Fear Factory. Good to have you back. Contact: http://www.fearfactory.com Finnugor - _Death Before Dawn_ (Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (2 out of 10) Looking at _Death Before Dawn_'s ridiculously garish cover art, I could not repress a dominant feeling of apprehension. Looking into the promotional information provided, I discover that the project's Hungarian mastermind Gabriel Wolf added the guest talent of his countrymate Atilla Csihar (Aborym, Tormentor, ex-Mayhem) to Finn Nikolai Stalhammar this time around. None of this seemed to matter much as cheesy keyboards were accompanied by the trite reciting of some text by a female friend of the band calling herself Domina Mystica -- a combination that did not bode well for _Death Before Dawn_, much as I hoped that the album itself would be very different from its intro. To my dismay, it wasn't: ludicrous percussion and guitar are often accompanied by an overwhelming (and at the same time so very underwhelming) keyboard, while Csihar shrieks away lyrics to songs with titles such as "Astral Fornication" (which, incidentally, is printed together with foxy Ms. Mystica's picture). To put it bluntly, Finnugor's symphonic black metal is rubbish; it is so deeply sub-standard that I can only wonder how Adipocere could fail to notice the album's astonishing mediocrity. Contact: http://finnugor.cjb.net Furia - _Un Lac de Larmes et de Sang_ (Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10) On _Un Lac de Larmes et de Sang_ ("A Lake of Tears and Blood") Furia have created a concept album, each song a chapter of a story told in French. Their musical approach gathers some aggression, technical skill and melody, ending up with an interesting and well produced mix -- there is plenty of Swedish sharpness, dynamics and technicality a la Dark Tranquillity to be found. Furia are quite clearly a dedicated band, and there should be little doubt _Un Lac de Larmes et de Sang_ required a very significant amount of work; furthermore, Furia are able to turn all of that into something that is also interesting for the listener -- which isn't always the case, regardless of the level of dedication or the amount of work the band puts into the album. Despite some similarities to Dark Tranquillity marring any aspirations to remarkable originality, _Un Lac de Larmes et de Sang_ is still sufficiently original to stand on its own most of the time. The overall quality of both musicianship and production, coupled with adept songwriting and several particularly enjoyable passages, ensure this is an album that should please a large number of listeners. Contact: http://furia.metal.free.fr Genital Grinder - _Genital Grinder_ (Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (4 out of 10) Lavish soundscapes of romantic, classically influenced metal, featuring clean male and female vocals as well as grand piano, violin, cello and a myriad other instruments to complement the soothing guitar tone -- a description that has absolutely nothing in common with Genital Grinder's self-titled debut, as you could probably guess from the less-than-subtle band name. Grindcore it is, and if you thought everything had already been invented in the death/grind genre before Genital Grinder came along... well, you may be right. Either way, these Parisiens certainly won't prove you wrong given the recycled nature of this self-titled debut album of theirs: this is good ol' fashioned grind, deeply rooted in the gore tradition. The more humorous and cartoonish kind of gore, mind you; in fact, all of the album's subject matter hangs between obviously humourous and somewhat childish -- not to mention downright silly like most of the choruses, interludes and the French sing-along in the final track. Genital Grinder can grind reasonably well though, and the album is not entirely a snooze-fest if you're in the mood for this kind of metal -- just don't expect a bulldozer like their far superior labelmates Morgue, because Genital Grinder are just a bit of harmless fun. Contact: http://www.genitalgrinder.fr.st Heaven Shall Burn - _Antigone_ (Century Media, 2004) by: Xander Hoose (8 out of 10) With black metal having peaked its popularity, most major record labels are looking for their next big cash cow. Hardcore/noisecore seems to be the next thing and the signing of Heaven Shall Burn to the Century Media line-up only seems to ascertain that. Thankfully, Heaven Shall Burn deserves what's coming to them; for a relatively small band, they have an excellent sound, groove and production. Even though one of the most noticeable elements of Heaven Shall Burn's music are the razor-sharp vocals, the thing that surprised me most were the guitars that at times sounded like those in the good old death metal days. Think At the Gates and Bolt Thrower, then recycle their music into a Converge / Shai Hulud mold and you'd be close. Small point of concern: the clear production gives _Antigone_ a sharp aggressive edge, but it does tend to suppress the impact of the double bass. While Heaven Shall Burn is not as Slayer-oriented as labelmates Dew- Scented, fans of this band should give _Antigone_ a fair chance. The European pressing will include two bonus cover songs: "Dislocation" by Disembodied and "Not My God" by Hate Squad. Contact: http://www.heavenshallburn.com Himinbjorg - _Golden Age_ (Adipocere, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10) With a new guitarist and a new drummer, Himinbjorg have replaced half the band after _Haunted Shores_; whether that is one of the main reasons for the renewed venom found in _Golden Age_ I cannot tell. The fact remains that this new album sees a strong Himinbjorg return to the fray with an album that can conjure up a whirlwind during its faster sections just as easily as it can slow down into a rather more majestic pace. With the changes in pace and occasional clean singing, Himinbjorg follow the footsteps of early Borknagar -- there is a feeling of something nordic to the music of these Frenchmen, and _Golden Age_ shows character as well as vigour and skill. Dynamic and engaging, this new Himinbjorg effort should prove well worth your time. Contact: http://www.adipocere.fr Loudblast - _Planet Pandemonium_ (Boycott Records, 2004) by: Xander Hoose (7.5 out of 10) All ye ancient death metallers, be warned! Loudblast has returned! It has been more than six years since these Frenchies have unleashed carnage upon the world and apparently it was time for them to retreat from retirement, pick up their instruments, and shred once more. Loudblast has always been quite underrated, even though their Morbid Angel-meets-Gorefest approach had a high appeal to the death metal masses. _Planet Pandemonium_ won't disappoint or surprise any of the old fans. Except for the up-to-date production, there have been no drastic stylistic changes; which, in a way, is probably for the best: most of the bands in this genre have died out long ago (remember Gorefest, remember Morgoth, remember Pestilence?). On the other hand, certain songs on _Planet Pandemonium_ do sound a tad bit outdated. If you're the kind of guy who starts most of his sentences with "back in the day, everything used to be better", _Planet Pandemonium_ will be an obligatory purchase. For those feeding off mechanized double-bass assaults, you'd be better off skipping this one. Mar de Grises - _The Tatterdemalion Express_ (Firebox, 2003) by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10) Chilean doom metal is hardly a well-known scene in the metal world; but if more bands like Mar de Grises were to pop out of there, then that would surely change. Finnish Firebox Records yet again treat us to some quality doom metal, and once more keep their releases subtly varied: like most other bands on the label, Mar de Grises also have their own distinguishing attributes to set them apart from others in the same genre. _The Tatterdemalion Express_ takes you on a trip to a different world, standing apart from other doom metal albums in a number of ways; it has a sound very much its own, employing a multitude of techniques to achieve its goals, and remaining curiously varied whilst surprisingly consistent throughout. Mar de Grises are one of those rare outfits that manage to avoid sounding like an ordinary band recording an album in some studio; it's as if the album's musical elements were put together by some abstract entity, taking shape from chaos and resulting in _The Tatterdemalion Express_. There is also an important sense of good taste throughout, of not overdoing things or falling into clichés, that greatly contributes to the overall result. The album hovers between interestingly atmospheric and either funereal or moderately progressive melodic doom most of the time, and includes plenty of remarkable passages in the process (especially the outstanding second half of "Storm"). _The Tatterdemalion Express_ is a highly recommended album, possibly the best so far from the excellent Firebox Records; not to be missed by anyone into doom metal, or indeed extreme metal in general. Contact: http://www.mardegrises.cjb.net Mayhem - _Chimera_ (Season of Mist, 2004) by: Chris Flaaten (9 out of 10) Mayhem. This band is almost legendary, despite their limited discography and its varying quality. The "grand return" with their previous album failed to impress me, although there were a couple of interesting tracks. I remember thinking that if they had just kept the intensity of the first few tracks throughout the album, and had better vocals, that it would actually have been quite good. _Chimera_ is the answer to this withered hope. Mayhem has somehow crafted an album that exceeds even the wildest of expectations. This is not the gem that fans of _De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas_ have been longing for, though. _Chimera_ is an inferno of detailed, riff-based extreme metal, executed with an almost arrogant machine-like precision. The musical mayhem is fittingly presented in a crystal clear production that really accentuates the technical and cold aspects of the music. The word "Chimera" is from Greek Mythology, where it represents a fire- breathing monster made up of disparate parts (usually lion, goat and serpent). Similarly, Mayhem's album is also a fearsome, multi-headed monster oozing hate and ferociousness. Imagine a mix of the furious "A Time to Die" from _Grand Declaration of War_ and the chilling moods and timing off Thorns' self-titled album and you're pretty close. Chimera attacks you viciously from the first track, "Whore". No compromises and no mercy, a feeling that really sinks in as Maniac screams the chorus; "She fucking hates you all!". His vocals are ugly as ever, but thankfully less annoying and with a lower pitch. The next couple of tracks present more variation, but the changes of pace only serve to highlight the intensity that runs consistently throughout the album. Some of the slower passages pack quite a punch themselves too, like the magnificent ending of "My Death", with its haunting riffs and chanting (!). Another peak is the absolutely mindblowing "Slaughter of Dreams", where the riffs have such fantastic details and interesting time signatures that Cynic and Spiral Architect could pick up a thing or two. _Chimera_ is the manifestation of hateful arrogance; an incredibly solid album from a band that finally lives up to its name. Contact: http://www.thetruemayhem.com Morbid Angel - _Heretic_ (Earache Records, 2003) by: Jackie Smit (9 out of 10) Like many of their kindred acts, opinion on Morbid Angel's continued relevance at the present point in time remains divided. There are some that feel that Trey Azagthoth should have called it a day after David Vincent's departure in 1995 [He did, if only for a year or so, in 1996 --Paul]. Others offer an even more obstinate argument, claiming that the band have yet to release anything that justifies their existence post 1991's _Blessed Are the Sick_. Then on the other side of the fence, sit the Morbid Angel faithful -- fans who have embraced the band's hunger to experiment and evolve, to avoid the stagnation that now plagues several of the acts that birthed alongside them at the turn of the 1990s. Enter _Heretic_ -- a record that could well come as a surprise sucker-punch for many adherents of the two former persuasions, brimming with the sort of fire that could ever only come from a band who knows that their reputation as genre leaders hangs in the balance. In the last two years alone, death metal's new breed have made their presence felt to the point where one could even argue that _Heretic_ may well have been the band's swansong had it not lived up to expectations. The last efforts of Nile, Zyklon and even Morbid Angel alumnus, Eric Rutan's Hate Eternal, are prime examples of those upstarts who have come dangerously close to unseating the Tampa collective from their throne. Thus _Heretic_, almost as a matter of necessity, kicks into high gear immediately -- "Cleansed in Pestilence" presents a glorious cluster-bomb of blasts and polyrhythms, acting as a the veritable pulse beneath the thick wall of discordant guitar noise that has become Trey Azagthoth's signature over the course of the past two decades. "Enshrined by Grace" and "Beneath the Hollow" slow proceedings down for a few brief moments, only to have "Curse the Flesh" spew out the most venomous collection of riffs that the band have come up with for aeons, crushing any notion that Morbid Angel are retreading the slower, sometimes bland grooves of _Gateways to Annihilation_. But _Heretic_'s defining moments aren't found in the record's predominant brutality, however; rather by two instrumentals aired at the album's mid-time mark. "Place of Many Deaths" and "Abyssous" are urgent, atmospheric pieces -- affirming beyond a doubt the personal and introspective nature of the disc. Curiously, the ambience is broken by two technically brilliant, but undeniably out-of-place solos that conclude the album -- one an almost comedic drum check and the other a highly superfluous piece of guitar shredding. Then there's also the matter of the production techniques utilized on Steve Tucker's vocals: an ill-conceived combination of flange and chorus effects that only just falls short of undermining the usually stunning impact of one of the best death metal vocalists working in extreme music today. Whatever the weight of these criticisms though, _Heretic_ is a superb, confident testimony to the enduring legacy of Morbid Angel, even if it's not entirely flawless. Contact: http://www.morbidangel.com My Dying Bride - _Songs of Darkness, Words of Light_ by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10) (Peaceville, 2004) The question "what do you give a man who has everything?" is surely more commonplace, but these days My Dying Bride must be asking themselves: what do you play when you have achieved everything? Fair enough, they can only be said to have achieved everything within their musical niche, rather than via MTV or what have you, but that niche is precisely what really matters to us here -- worldwide record sales be buggered. These living legends of doom metal have created at least three masterpieces in my books, each with a character all their own in spite of their similarities (_Turn Loose the Swans_, _The Angel and the Dark River_ and _The Dreadful Hours_, not to mention their amazing live album and a host of other fine efforts), and after all these years seem healthier than ever. Their detractors might say they have gone back to their old style, found an easy way out of an inspirational rut; but to me, such a statement overlooks far too much of what is actually going on in their music and only focuses on a few formal aspects -- such as the return of death growls or the absence of poppy electronica and other similarly fashionable elements. _Songs of Darkness, Words of Light_ provides further proof that My Dying Bride have not stagnated; it shows a band keen to experiment with new approaches within their style, and, more importantly, succeeding in doing so while keeping the album interesting and enjoyable for the listener. The album is at times very much My Dying Bride, yet at others quite unlike what you would expect of them -- but it still makes sense in the end. The Yorkshiremen deliver a variety of approaches throughout the album, ranging from subdued and darkly romantic to sinister and all the way to downright vicious, but manage to keep it impressively memorable for a doom album. There is much to explore in _SoD,WoL_, and the elements used therein are expertly employed in order to produced a finely balanced result. Not every doom cliché is avoided, but the flowing of guitar melodies, riffs and effects into each other, aided by the much improved use of keyboards constantly fading into and out of the music, as well as Aaron's shapeshifting vocals, provide more than enough reasons to forgive such minor defects. Hopefully whatever source My Dying Bride have been harvesting their inspiration and ideas from will not run dry anytime soon. Contact: http://www.mydyingbride.org Power of Omens - _Rooms of Anguish_ (MetalAges, 2003) by: Brian Meloon (5 out of 10) This is the second full-length album from Texas' Power of Omens, the followup to 1998's _Eyes of the Oracle_ [CoC #37]. Although on the surface, the pompous progmetal on this disc is similar to the style they were playing five years ago, there have been some changes. First and foremost are the vocals. As on their debut album, the vocalist sounds a lot like Geoff Tate, but this time, he's decided that he needs to hit high notes, hit them often, and hit them loud. This was not a good decision. When he keeps his voice in the lower registers, he's actually quite good, but his higher parts are simply awful. For one thing, he seems to have very little range when he sings higher, so it seems like he's always hitting the same notes. Even worse, the vocals at times seem to be out of sync with the music, almost as if they wrote and recorded the music first, then wrote the lyrics and recorded them several months later. Finally, since the vocals are so high in the mix, they tend to drown out the other instruments and steal your attention away from the otherwise-good music. However, that's not to imply that the music is perfect, as it has some significant problems of its own. The major problem is that their drummer doesn't seem to want to settle down and provide a backbone for the music; he'd rather go off and do his own thing, leaving the rest of the band to fend for itself. I suppose this is intended to make the music more interesting -- and normally, I'd agree -- but it leads to the music as a whole having an ungrounded feeling. Moreover, some of the sections sound sloppy to me, because the drums are rolling or playing with an odd rhythm that I wasn't expecting. But the band certainly has talent, as the Moroccan-influenced instrumental "The Calm Before the Storm" can attest to. It starts with Spanish- influenced acoustic guitar, a light keyboard melody and some subtle but busy drumming. The music keeps this flavor throughout, even as it brings in the metal guitars, builds to a climax, and exits with a soft outro. It features both impressive chops and good compositional skills. Unfortunately, not all parts of the album feature such good composition, as the band often falls into the trap of having lots of musical passages woven together without much apparent thought to song flow. The production is pretty good, but could be stronger. The instruments are all clean, and the guitars have a nice sharp tone, but at times they are straining to be heard above the drums and vocals. This album was a big disappointment to me, since I know that the band is capable of so much more. Without their vocalist hitting those high notes, I'd probably give them a 7 or 8 out of 10. If they'd also get a drummer in there who understands that it's possible to overplay without leaving the music sounding ungrounded (such as Damion Ramirez, who played on Prototype's _Seed_ demo), it could get a 9 out of 10. But as it is, it's pretty much unlistenable to me. Contact: http://www.powerofomens.com Satanic Warmaster - _...Of the Night_ (No Colours, 2004) by: Matthias Noll (8 out of 10) I wasn't quite sure what to expect from _...Of the Night_. Satanic Warmaster's last album _Opferblut_ didn't impress me much when I bought and reviewed it and hasn't improved with time. Furthermore, the split with Clandestine Blaze seemed to indicate that the Finns might be another band caught in a downward spiral after an awesome debut record. Surprisingly, this new EP brings back some of the ferocity of _Strength and Honour_ combined with some excellent mid-tempo material, and among the trademark Satanic Warmaster riffs a surprisingly obvious Burzum influence here and there. Announced by their label as being "depressive and long", I thought this might be _Black Katharsis_ part two; but the two tracks, each in the ten minute range, are more diverse, less melancholic than the _BK_ material, and even occasionally fast and aggressive in a fashion that is less melodic and more primitive and ripping than _Opferblut_. With a playing time of approximately 20 minutes and two excellent tracks, this is one of the early highlights of 2004 for me when it comes to raw and unpolished black metal. Satanic Warmaster / Clandestine Blaze - _Split_ by: Matthias Noll (2 out of 10) (Northern Heritage, 2004) The news of a Satanic Warmaster / Clandestine Blaze split almost had me drooling as if it was still 1985 and Slayer and Exodus were supposed to team up for a joint effort. Unfortunately, the final result is totally unspectacular and even terrible in places, and all the more disappointing considering the awesome work both bands have delivered in the past. The first two out of the four tracks the bands recorded together have a slightly more old school (read pre-second wave) feel to them than what you'd usually expect; the other two sound as if typical but mediocre Clandestine Blaze riffs just got strung together with equally typical but also equally mediocre Satanic Warmaster riffs (or vice versa). The Clandestine Blaze solo track is forgettable, and is further ruined by a sound that completely buries the guitar underneath the drumming and less than great vocals. As if this wasn't enough already, disaster strikes thrice on this record as Satanic Warmaster turn out to be unable to save the day. Their track "To the Legions" mainly consists of a riff that sounds like something an incomplete rock band might be jamming to get their sound and tuning right until the missing members have turned up in the practice room. This material should have never seen the light of day. It is embarrassing for both bands as well as the highly respectable Northern Heritage label. Sceptic - _Unbeliever's Script_ (Empire Records, 2003) by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10) This is the third full-length offering from Poland's Sceptic, and follows much in the vein of their previous releases: a blend of death metal and thrash with melodic and technical touches. The riffs are a mix of styles, from fast tremolo-picked sections to individual-note lines to dissonant chords, and a few others. This variety allows most of the songs to have their own feel, yet there are enough similarities between the songs to hold the album together. There are some very cool riffs here, but they're few and far between. Most of the riffs are average to above-average, but the band changes them pretty frequently, so even the average riffs don't get boring. And although "intricate" isn't exactly a word I'd use to describe most of their music, they do throw in a nice subtle or progressive touch every once in a while, just to keep things interesting. The playing is very tight but is missing some of the technicality of their previous releases. It's generally less hectic and some of the tracks (in particular "Controlled by Mind" and "Waves of Destruction") seem unnecessarily slow. Vocals are a mid-register growl; they fit the music, but aren't really exceptional in any respect. The guitars are very well done, even the guitar solos, which are tasteful and appropriate. The bass is quite good, and plays a prominent part in the music, which is nice to hear for a change. The drumming is excellent: technical and busy without being distracting. Ultimately, this is a quite good release, even if there are a few songs which drag. The band has recently inked a three album deal with Candlelight, who plan on releasing this album more broadly. This is good news for fans of technical death metal, as this has been a hard disc to get ahold of. Contact: http://www.sceptic.metal.pl Temple of Baal - _Servants of the Beast_ by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10) (Oaken Shield / Adipocere, 2003) In all their lo-fi Dark Funeral glory, Temple of Baal are one of those bands that can come up with half an hour of entertaining metal whilst completely failing to imbue their music with any originality. As far as relatively underproduced black metal goes, this French band has gone for an excessively bassy approach that still retains a certain atmosphere -- which is not an uncommon occurrence in this genre. Having said all this, the music does show plenty of intent: there's a decent amount of good riffs and leads to be found, but then again there is little or no novelty in them. The drumming struggles to keep up with the faster sections, though not so noticeably that it should ruin the album for most listeners, and overall the band shows adequate musicianship and songwriting throughout the album. _Servants of the Beast_ is an enjoyable album, but not of a calibre sufficiently high to overcome much of its lack of originality. Contact: http://www.templeofbaal.com Thorn.Eleven - _A Different View_ (Steamhammer, 2004) by: Xander Hoose (6.5 out of 10) When I first listened to Thorn.Eleven's self-titled debut album, I would have never expected it to rank so high in my 2001 albums list. The whiney vocals, the Tool / Soundgarden sound; I thought Thorn.Eleven were just another band and that their album was just another album. However, the more I listened to it, the more I started to realize that the songs were near-perfect, sticking with you long after listening them. I can still recall most of the songs even though I haven't listened to the album in over a year. (And the vocals don't sound so whiney anymore, it just takes some getting used to.) Even though _A Different View_ continues along this path, most of the songs lack that x-factor that made the previous album great. Occasionally, I get the impression of listening to a collection of songs that didn't make it onto the debut album. Perhaps it has something to do with the fuzzy, average production. Perhaps it has something to do with the increased complexity of some of the songs. I could be wrong: _A Different View_ could, after a while, turn out to be a great album -- but something in me seriously doubts that. Contact: http://www.thorn-eleven.com Trauma - _Imperfect Like a God_ (Empire Records, 2003) by: Xander Hoose (8.5 out of 10) Not ever having heard of Trauma, I was quite surprised when giving _Imperfect Like a God_ a first spin. With the tight hyper-blasted drumming, the dense growling vocals and the slick production I was immediately reminded of Vader and Behemoth, and sure enough, Trauma also originate from Poland. Seems like they have a patent on good death metal over there! _Imperfect Like a God_ most reminds me of a more straightforward variant of Behemoth's _Thelema.6_ album: the songwriting is less fractured and songs do not contain as many layers, but with exactly that aggression and usage of instruments it creates a similar atmosphere. The major, yet only, drawback I have discovered on _Imperfect Like a God_ is tightly connected with the lack of layering; even though all the songs are individually killer, you're bound to lose attention around two-thirds into the album. Nonetheless, this Behemoth-lite is a definite recommendation to anyone finding themselves bashing heads on modern technical death. Under Threat - _Behind Mankind's Disguise_ (Conquest, 2003) by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10) Under Threat hail from Bogota, Columbia, and this is their second release. Their music is heavy, mid-to-fast-tempo thrash with a good dose of melody. Most of the riffs are semi-melodic, staccato individual-note lines which are usually played in sync with the snare drum and are sometimes harmonized. It reminds me quite a bit of an updated version of Despair's _Beyond All Reason_ (from 1991), especially in the structure of the riffs and the way the guitars work with the drums. Also like Despair, they include a nice instrumental and some acoustic/clean guitar parts, mostly as intros. The main musical differences are the updated production -- which is much more powerful -- and the main vocals, which are a standard shouted/rasped style. Some of the background vocals are sung in a clean (but not really melodic) fashion, but the harsh vocals are very dominant. The music is heavily guitar-based, but there are a few parts where the bass and drums get to show off. Overall, the band doesn't seem to be very concerned about being flashy -- you won't find any five-minute guitar solos here. In fact, the guitar solos weren't very memorable at all to me, as the guitarists seem to favor short solos or harmonized guitar leads over long, elaborate solos. Their main focus seems to be on keeping the songs jam-packed with creative and moderately technical riffs. The playing is a little sloppy at times, but overall the band does a good job of staying together, which isn't a trivial task given the complexity of the music. The production is bit of a weakness, as it is inconsistent. At times, the drums are overpowering, and at others it's the vocals and/or guitar which are dominating. In addition, I would've preferred a tighter feel for the production, including a sharper guitar tone and a cleaner drum sound. Ultimately, this is quite a good release and I hope to hear more from these guys in the future. It should appeal to melodic thrash fans; it's not doing anything novel, but it does what it does pretty well. VAST - _Nude_ (456 Entertainment, 2004) by: Xander Hoose (9 out of 10) Boy wonder Jon Crosby isn't giving up. Being dropped from the Elektra label because of the 'dissatisfying' sales for his late-2000 _Music for People_ album, he has found a home on 456 Entertainment for his follow-up, _Nude_. Those familiar with VAST already know that Crosby is responsible for all the instruments and the compositions; even with such a huge task, _Nude_, like its predecessors, has turned out to be a small gem. Much of the familiar trademark elements, like the classical orchestration and industrial elements, have prevailed and make up the lion's share of _Nude_'s texture. Crosby's vocals have improved even further, but most striking is the maturity of some of the songs -- not just lyrically. "Don't Take Your Love Away" is one of the most breakable songs of the album, closely reminding of some of Trent Reznor's _Fragile_ songs. VAST definitely doesn't compete in the same league, but will have appeal to the same kind of listener. Closing the gap between Stabbing Westward, U2 and The Cure, VAST still has a bright future ahead, even without the big Elektra promotional machine. Weakling - _Dead as Dreams_ (Tumult, 2000) by: Alvin Wee (10 out of 10) How a genre-defining opus as mighty as this has managed to slip beneath my radar for so long shall forever remain a mystery (as well as cause for endless shame). From somewhat dubious roots (members from The Fucking Champs, Ludicra and other San Francisco obscurities) springs black metal genius of the highest order, delivering one single crushing blow -- Weakling has since disbanded -- to the posturing scene of today. Making comparisons between the atmosphere of _Kronet Til Konge_-era Dødheimsgard and that of the opening track is tempting, for such combination of precise old-school black-thrashing fury with grand hypnotism has been mastered by precious few (very early Swordmaster, for instance). Yet Weakling add to that equation a natural complexity not often found in black metal, their timely tempo shifts and chord progressions hinting at a compositional maturity exceeding the vast majority of the self-important underground. Alternating between firing blazing black/thrash riff-bullets and rolling out crushing doom-lines, the band dangles the listener in the gap between triumphant melody and disharmonic chaos, ever so often breaking into avant-garde interludes or extended passages of distorted drone without ever losing momentum. Weakling reprises all the developments of black metal in the past two decades (replete with a singer scaling Bethlehem-like heights of anguish), and yet, like Emperor with _Prometheus_, has mastered the method sufficiently to stand above all blame whilst fucking around with the conventions of the genre. Contrary to what the label (and some other reviews) claims, Weakling is by no means extraordinarily experimental or genre- transcending, but rather genre-defining. The shocking depth of emotion, sheer musical ability and keenness of ear for all things destructive displayed on this masterpiece should be the goal for all black metal bands wishing to transcend mediocrity. Contact: http://www.tumult.net =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, _, _ _, _, | \ |_ |\/| / \ (_ |_/ | | | \ / , ) ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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 Delian League - _Day of Question_ by: Brian Meloon (3.5 out of 5) Delian League are from New Jersey, and play a hybrid style of metal with musical influences from the '80s and '90s and a vocalist who sounds like he could be from a late '80s metal band. The three songs here are similar in style, but all have unique identities. "The Questioning" opens the demo off with a few pretty generic '80s metal riffs, and retains this base throughout the song. There is a short section that's a little more progressive, and the solo is neoteric, but overall this song is pretty run-of-the-mill. "Final Day" is an improvement, starting off with a short generic riff, and then moving into more intricate and progressive riffs as the song progresses. A few of the sections are reminiscent of Red Tide's _Expressions_ demo [CoC #3], and the song also features a more memorable chorus. The closer "Days of Regret" is the best of the bunch, adding keyboards, and featuring a catchy -- but not overly sweet -- chorus. There's a good mix of heaviness with melody here, including a section with keyboards atop tremolo-picked guitar lines that wouldn't sound out of place in a lighter version of Dimmu Borgir. The songs generally flow pretty well, and they're structured in a way that makes them comfortable, but not predictable. There are a few rough transitions though, mostly when they move into a faster gear. The playing is good to very good on all counts, with the vocals being particularly strong. I'm generally not a fan of clean vocals, since many vocalists are either too wimpy or too whiny or too screechy or just plain annoying. But this guy is quite good, and is able to keep a good balance of aggression and melody in his voice. The guitars are pretty well done, and most of the solos fit the music quite well, with the notable exception of the last half of the last solo in "Final Day", which has a very amateur feel to it. The bass and drums don't really stand out to me, but seem to do a competent job. There are a few places where the band aren't as tight as they could be, and they'll have to work on this in the future, but this is a relatively minor quibble. _Day of Question_ is a promising demo, and should be enjoyed by those looking for something fresh and a little progressive, but not too extreme or experimental. Contact: http://www.delianleague.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _, _ _, _, / _ | / _ (_ \ / | \ / , ) ~ ~ ~ ~ D E A T H C O M E S R I P P I N G ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Decapitated, Rotting Christ, Thus Defiled, Anata @ The Camden Underworld, London by: Jackie Smit It's telling to note that a light snowfall greeted many patrons of the Underworld earlier this afternoon, while inside the confines of the venue the majority of tonight's attendees find themselves drenched in sweat. This is due in no part to any sort of heating system being in place, but rather the fact that tonight's performance has been oversold by a good fifty to one hundred people, which -- in case you hadn't noticed yet -- provides additional evidence to support the theory that the great death metal resurrection is in well and truly in process. Amidst the murmurs of some that the assembled crowd outnumbers even the turnout when Sepultura performed three special "intimate" gigs in the capital last year, I am forced to wait in line for the cloakroom through most of Anata's set. What I do manage to catch however is great, as the Swedes thrash, shred and roar their way through material culled mostly from their superb _Under a Stone With No Inscription_ effort. Unfortunately the same high praise can't be leveled at Thus Defiled -- a longtime staple of the local scene, whose appeal continues to elude me. They are generic, uninspiring and... well... a bit rubbish. Thankfully the memory of their tedious death/black metal is soon erased when Greek demi-gods Rotting Christ make a long-awaited return to the London stage. Performing as a quartet since the reportedly amicable departure of keyboardist George, they launch into an immensely satisfying collection of classic and recent favourites. "Sign of Evil Existence", "Non Serviam", "Thou Art Blind" and "Lex Talionis" are all given superbly atmospheric airings, and while material from _A Dead Poem_ and _Sleep of the Angels_ remains sadly ignored, the band do make up for it by performing a stirring rendition of "King of a Stellar War". Even with the bar raised to a daunting height, Poland's favourite sons Decapitated make quick work of showing one and all who the evening truly belongs to. Diminutive vocalist Sauron prowls the stage like a tethered rottweiler, spewing forth acidic vocal lines that are almost intimidatingly aggressive. In the meantime, his bandmates busy themselves constructing a dense, crushing wall of noise that tonight ranks among some of the heaviest and most downright barbaric you're likely to hear in your life. Fourty-five minutes is all the time we get to spend with them before they bow out for the evening -- a sojourn that's almost too brief to fully appreciate their simplistic, straightforward genius. The intensity that emanates from the audience could very easily power large cities, but almost curiously it doesn't result in a frenzied outbreak of flailing limbs -- it transcends into a state of near mass-hypnosis, as each and every soul in the building remains transfixed on the spectacle being played out on the stage in front of them. "Three Dimensional Defect", "The Fury", "Mother War", "Sensual Sickness", "Eternity Too Short" and "Symmetry of Zero" (among others) are all played -- each number as precisely performed as they are perfectly crafted. And, as the final guitar squeal fades out and the sound of cheering and applause becomes louder than the echo of Vitek's snare drum, there is little to argue against the fact that the Camden Underworld has tonight witnessed the stuff of legend. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pedro's Top 5 1. My Dying Bride - _Songs of Darkness, Words of Light_ 2. Mar de Grises - _The Tatterdemalion Express_ 3. Tenhi - _Kauan_ 4. Himinbjorg - _Golden Age_ 5. Furia - _Un Lac de Larmes et de Sang_ Brian's Top 5 1. Psycroptic - _The Scepter of the Ancients_ 2. Dark Lunacy - _Forget-Me-Not_ 3. Extol - _Synergy_ 4. Monstrosity - _Rise to Power_ 5. Horrified - _Deus Diabolus Inversus_ Paul's Top 5 1. Creedence Clearwater Revival - _Cosmo's Factory_ 2. The Who - _Tommy_ 3. The Chasm - _Deathcult for Eternity: The Triumph_ 4. Dismember - _Like an Everflowing Stream_ 5. The Who - _Live at Leeds_ Aaron's Top 5 1. Kataklysm - _Serenity in Fire_ 2. Death - _The Sound of Perseverance_ 3. Overkill - _Wrecking Everything: Live_ 4. Enforsaken - _The Forever Endeavor_ 5. In Flames - _Soundtrack to Your Escape_ Matthias' Top 5 1. Tankard - _Beast of Bourbon_ 2. Satanic Warmaster - _Of the Night_ 3. Vader - _Litany_ 4. Drudkh - _Autumn Aurora_ 5. Dawn of Azazel - _The Law of the Strong_ Alvin's Top 5 1. Weakling - _Dead as Dreams_ 2. Khanate - _Things Viral_ 3. Kataklysm - _Serenity in Fire_ 4. Diamanda Galas - _Defixiones, Will & Testament_ 5. Mayhem - _Chimera_ Chris' Top 5 1. Mayhem - _Chimera_ 2. Ayreon - _The Human Equation_ 3. My Dying Bride - _Songs of Darkness, Words of Light_ 4. Slumber - _Fallout_ (pre-mastered) 5. Dark Age - _Dark Age_ Jackie's Top 5 1. Insomnium - _The Day It All Came Down_ 2. Monster Magnet - _Monolithic Baby!_ 3. Faith No More - _Angel Dust_ 4. Cannibal Corpse - _The Wretched Spawn_ 5. Death Angel - _The Art of Dying_ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __, __, ___ _, _ _, _, | \ |_ | /_\ | | (_ |_/ | | | | | | , , ) ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ Web Site: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos --> Interested in being reviewed? Please ask for a local mailing address by e-mailing us at: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Europe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com NorthAmerica@ChroniclesOfChaos.com RestOfTheWorld@ChroniclesOfChaos.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~ Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically distributed worldwide via the Internet. Seemingly endless interviews, album reviews and concert reviews encompass the pages of Chronicles of Chaos. Chronicles of Chaos stringently emphasizes all varieties of chaotic music ranging from black and death metal to electronic/noise to dark, doom and ambient forms. Chronicles of Chaos is dedicated to the underground and as such we feature demo reviews from all indie bands who send us material, as well as interviews with a select number of independent acts. 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 #72 All contents copyright (c) 1995-2004 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.