Legions Of Astaroth / Hellgoat Split
The Moon Bleeds Red Upon the Earth / Moonlight Ritual
I saw Legions of Astaroth with Ceremonial Castings, Crimson Moon, Tenebrous, and Demoncy. They were, in my opinion, the second best act. Ceremonial Castings was my favorite because I knew them, but I had never even heard Legions of Astaroth before. They blew me away. Their stage presence is amazing and the singer has a very evil look to him. Twitching and having his eyes rolled up in his head, he puts on a very creepy image. I purchased this split album, along with a shirt. I like the songs on this CD, but the production is terrible. It’s definitely black metal, but its hard to understand what is going on. The guitars are tuned nicely, but they get buried in the mix when everything else comes in. The vocals are quiet, yet amazing. The drums aren’t very complicated, but they are good. They also get buried. Their live performance was 100 times better than the album, but it still gets an 80 from me. Legions of Astaroth’s songs are better recorded and mixed than the Hellgoat songs. With that, I recommend getting this CD before it sells out, since it is only limited to 1000 copies.
Asunder
Works Will Come Undone
This was one of the first Asunder albums I had heard. I was impressed with it, because for some reason, I had the idea that doom metal wasn't all that special, but now I realize that I was greatly mistaken. Asunder, to me, is one of the leading doom bands. With this release, they have pushed themselves even further. Pumping out 70 minuet CDs isn't an easy thing to do, especially if there is only two songs on it.
"A Famine" - I really enjoy this song. It has elements of clean guitars, but also has the power of distortion and guttural vocals. Starting off the CD with this track was a good idea since "Rite of Finality" isn't a power piece at the beginning. The guitar work on this song is excellent. There are no mistakes and everything is so tight. It would be difficult to be so tight in a doom band that has hour long songs. Memorizing one or two Asunder songs is like memorizing another band's entire album, plus some more. The drums are always simple, but are played very well, there are no accidental temo changes, which is hard to do at such a slow speed. The vocals make for a nice harmony with the cello at the beginning, but also carry out the song all the way through. The clean vocals are in tune, and the growls are deep and professionally done.
"Rite of Finality" - This song isn't as good as "A Famine", but it still is classic Asunder and finishes the CD ok, but they could have written another song instead of having the thirty minutes of ambient stuff, or they could have just had the CD be only 50 minutes long. It seems like they got tired or writing, and just said, "Hey, let's put 30 minutes of nothing after this song to extend the CD length." The guitar intro to this song is enchanting. It isn't any crazy hard/fast acoustic thing, it is just a tasteful riff, that also has emotion. Asunder comes across as evil, but still melodic. This song is a perfect example of that. Just like "A Famine", all the instruments and vocals are precise and very well played.
I give this album a 85 because they really could have taken out the ambient stuff, and "Rite of Finality" just didn't do it for me like "A Famine" did. This is a great album, and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't heard doom metal, or is already a big fan. Asunder is a must for any metal-head.
Guttural Secrete
Reek Of Pubescent Despoilment
Guttural Secrete is probably the craziest band I've ever heard. Anyone who likes insane music with impossible guitar riffs, technical fast drumming, and low, non vocal effect vocals, Guttural Secrete is for them. Under the CD in the case for this album, it clearly states that no vocal effects were used. That is shocking because the vocals on ths album are extremely low, guttural, and non-human like. The vocals are the second best thing on this album.
The guitars are just as insane. There are many different riffs in each song making it harder to play, and remember. These musicians are obviously talented. The riffs aren't simple either. They are very complicated. The bass mostly follows the guitars. I highlt admire these musicians.
The drums are the best thing about this band. They are so fast. The double bass is perfect, as well as the blast beats. Each song
probably has twenty different drum beats, breaks not included. Their drummer is featured on Sickdrummer.com I can see why.
This album gets a 98 from me because it's just really good. The band isn't too well known, but for their following, it is high for a band's first full length. Their is a clean song on the album that brought the score down. It's kind of repetative. The rest of the album is a classic in the insane metal catagory.
Dark Funeral
De Profundis Clamavi Ad Te Domine
First off, I think that Dark Funeral is a highly appreciated black metal band, but some people don’t like them. I personally thing that they are great. They are kind of over the top, but it suits their style. Their recordings are great, and even the production of this live album is amazing. On the other albums, such as Diabolis Interium, Caligula’s vocals are perfect sounding, but on this Live CD, they are kind of terrible. He sounds like he has been singing for 5 weeks straight every night for a two hour long set. Its okay when he’s singing, but when he announces the songs, it sounds like he is sick.
The guitars are powerful and are obviously coming through on the recording very well. I didn’t hear any mistakes while listening to this album, so you can definitely tell that they practice a lot. The guitar parts aren’t “hard” but still to remember every song and every part, it takes talent. They blend together so well, and the differing licks fit together to create the “Dark Funeral” sound.
The bass pretty much follows the guitars, so what I said for the guitars also goes for the bass.
The drums are the most amazing piece to this album. Matt is an incredible drummer, and he knows when it’s too much. He doesn’t only have blast beats. He changes it up and uses extremely fast double bass, slow double bass, and simple beats to create the tempo for the songs. He has the talent, and the “know how.” He is a very talented drummer. The drums production on this album is okay, but I think that they could have been louder. They are buried by the guitars.
This album gets an 87% from me because the drums sound is lacking in volume, and the vocals are a bit too terrible for me. With all that said, Dark Funeral is great.
Dying Fetus
Killing On Adrenaline
I believe that Dying Fetus is one of the greatest death metal bands that there is. They have elements of more than just chug, chug, chug, death! They incorporate slow and fast parts, with difficult solos, drum parts, and deep, guttural vocals. I saw them once, and they put on an amazing show. They opened up for Cannibal Corpse and Necrophagist. Every band at that show was awesome, but I think they were one of the best. Kill Your Mother / Rape Your Dog is a classic track. Even though it is short, it is still very well put together, and well played.
The guitars on this CD are perfectly in tune, and no mistakes are made on the recordings. The riffs are difficult and the solos are intense and charging. Their songs are composed of many different parts/riffs. Just remembering them takes skill, let alone, singing while playing them.
The drums are pounding. They are a relentless source of energy for the songs. The piccolo snare cuts through the mix and gives you that real "Dying Fetus" sound. Every drum is recognizable, and the bass drum is clear and powerful. The drums are played very well, and with enough diversity and skill to keep your attention throughout the album.
Dying Fetus' vocals are always guttural. They keep it interesting by adding high pitched vocals by themselves, and over the top of the lows. The lyrics aren't what I had expected when I first read them, but then I realized that they just sing about whatever they want, and they can do that and not lose any fans, because they are an amazing band.
I give this album a 100 because it is simply astonishing. Everything sounds great and the songs obviously weren't just thrown together for the release. Dying Fetus is a great band for anyone who likes heavy, deep, and cool.
Morgirion
Morgirion EP
Morgirion is a band that I recently discovered through a forum. I downloaded their free demo, and I actually like it. It has good production and usually when you find unsigned band's free demos on the internet, they are terrible. Morgirion took the time and put in the effort to make a really good sounding demo. It starts out with a suiting intro, that leads right into a powerful first song. Their mix of death and black metal makes for a good diversity in musical and vocal styles. The mix both geners very well to create a demo of 4 songs with an intro. My favorite song of the release is the last song; "Wraith of the Insolent." It starts out powerful, and pounds through, staying fast and brutal. The vocals on this song are done very well, and the changes from high to deep are in just the right places.
I would recommend this album to any death or black metal fan, and because it's free, I don't see why anyone would pass it up. It is a great demo with lots of power and diversity, that should satisfy any metal head's need for a good new band. I give this release a 90 because it's very vell put together, but with only four songs, I think they could have done one or two more.
Cannibal Corpse
The Wretched Spawn
Cannibal Corpse is my favorite band, so doing a review for one of their CDs is a pleasure. Everything from the artwork of this album, to the bass lines is perfect. The drums on the wretched spawn are pretty much the same as their previous release. There is nothing new there. They are still good, but Paul tries to hit every high hat beat, even when he can't, it doesn’t mess him up, but you can hear it in the background.
The guitars are insane. The riffs are so complicated. Frantic Disembowelment is most likely the craziest song I’ve even heard. On the DVD, Pat's hand is moving so fast up and down the fret board, it is a blur. When the power chords come in, it just gets even crazier. Both him and Jack are very good guitarists.
The bass can't be grouped with the guitars on this album, because it is much different. A lot of bands just have the bass follow the guitar, but not Cannibal Corpse. Of course there are some times when it is following, but most of the time, he is just doing his own crazy thing. When he writes his songs, it is hard for Pat and Jack to learn it, switching to guitar from bass, but it all works out in the end. The lyrics that come from Alex are the best that come from Cannibal. Most of the songs he writes are the hits.
Corpse Grinder is a very good vocalist, but live, he tries to make them deeper and it isn’t as good as the album. He is "Singing his balls off," but live, he should stay the same. I have always wondered why he doesn’t write any of the lyrics. I don't know why, but he does sing them pretty damn good.
Cannibal Corpse is a legendary band and will always be. This album is my favorite of theirs. I like every song on it. They are all classics to me. This album gets a 100 from me, for obvious reasons.
Desolation
Addicted To The Chair
I have seen Desolation a few times, and every time, they seem to get better. This CD does not reflect their current sound at all. The vocals on this release are not as guttural and they are more high pitched. On Crucifucked, they are deep and powerful. The guitars on this album don't seem to be very rehersed. The solos aren't great and the bass is very loud. The drums on this CD are okay, but there is a lot of weird parts, where it sounds like the drums should be doing somthing else. As a whole, this album is good, but it dosen't sound like "Real" Desolation. It has good production, but the vocals are very distracting. The last song, "Silent Suffering," has deep vocals, and they sound more like new Desolation. I also think that "Silent Suffering" is the best song on the album. "Addicted To The Chair," and "Murder One" are good tracks as well. I give this album a 75 because the vocals are very distracting, but the music is still good. If anyone wants to hear Desolation, listen to Crucifucked.
Desolation
Crucifucked
Desolation is a very talented band. I have seen them a couple of times, and both times, they were very impressing. They play brutal death metal. Even their stage presence is brutal, with chains hanging from Damien’s Bass strap.
The drums on this release aren’t played perfectly, but they still keep the songs together, even when they have weird breaks, that sound like they shouldn’t be there, but they put them in anyway. The double bass is near perfect, and the blast beats are pretty good also. Mostly, the drums are good, just not perfect.
The guitars on this album are heavy and brutal. The riffs can sometimes be repetitive, but they are still catchy and well played. They aren’t too complicated or technical, but they have some parts, where it sounds really crazy, because the bass is following the guitars when they do riffs up high on the fret board. It sounds really cool. The solos are interesting, but nothing insane.
The vocals are a million times better than the vocals on “Addicted to the Chair.” They changed their style from the kind of thrashy sounding vocals, to the guttural death metal style. With two different vocalists, you can get a good diversity with vocal sounds, and Desolation proves that.
The lyrics are the most striking thing. I don’t like the lyrics much because it’s mostly about raping girls, beating them, or being a pedophile. This doesn’t appeal to me very much. I guess they are brutal, but they could have gone with lyrics that didn’t degrade women.
This album is receiving an 80 from me because while the music is great, fast, and brutal, the lyrics drag the score down. You don’t have to degrade women to make a good album, even if you don’t believe in it.
Job For A Cowboy
Genesis
Job For A Cowboy is one of my favorite bands. I have seen them a couple of times, and they are always awesome. This is the follow up to their Doom E.P. which is also amazing, but this album is much more technical and death metal. The Doom E.P. was more deathcore, still good, but this sounds more death metal influenced.
The drums on this album are great. There arent any mistakes or mess ups. They are perfect. The variety and complexity form together to create an amazing album. The drums on Genesis are much better than on the Doom E.P. The doulbe bass is five times faster, and the blast beats are more precise.
The guitars are great also, but the solos are lacking compared to the Doom E.P. The riffs have become more complicated, but the solos are just not as good. They are also only like 10 seconds long. The bass still has the slide up and down thing, which is cool.
With a change of vocalist, it is always hard to bring in a new style and still sound some what the same, but JFAC did it well. There are no pig vocals on this album, and there are only a few times when the high voice is going by itself, but the vocals are still amazing. He sounds like he was born to do this. Job For A Cowboy is a great band. This gets a 95 from me. It would have gotten 100, but they could have done without the two ambient tracks, and the solos could have been better and longer.
Metallica
...And Justice For All
This album is my favorite of Metallica's massive collection. It was the first album with Jason Newstead, who isn't very good, but the rest of the band went into the control room and had the sound man turn him all the way down. Bass is very important, but Metallica must have felt different about that.
First off, I will start with the guitars. Each riff on this album is a classic, metal, need to know. I enjoy listening to every song, all the way through. The solos are full of energy and they are played very well. James keeps the rhythm nicely with his precise chops. Nothing more needs to be said about the bass, except the bootleg version of this album titled, "...And Justice For Jason," if a million times better. He isn't just following the guitars, he is actually doing different things. I downloaded it from the pirate bay. It's much better with the bass; It's complete.
The vocals are sung with power and energy. They fit well with the style of music. James definitely sounds older on this album. His voice is more mature, but he lost the thrash sound.
The drums are great. Lars seems like an ass in person, but as a drummer, he is very good. He knows when to keep it simple, but then on songs like Dyer's Eve, his true talent shows through. There are many different parts in these long songs, but he knows what to do.
Metallica has always been one of my favorite bands. This album has been my favorite of theirs for a long time. I don't expect that to change any time soon. This album gets 100 from me.
Behemoth
Demigod
Behemoth has changed their sound quite a bit from the beginning, but I think they have greatly progressed. Songs such as “Lam”, “No Sympathy for Fools”, or “Transylvanian Forest” are way better than any song on this album, but I still like most of the work they did on Conquer All. Many people don’t like new behemoth, or this album, but I think they took their music to a new level. They lost some fans when they switched from black metal to the more death metal style they now have.
The guitars on this album are great! The different riffs they play fit together very well. They seem to have taken on a “Nile”ish sound with the Egyptian stuff, but not so much. They aren’t brutal death metal, more of a death / black metal style. Each song is diverse, and grabs your attention through out the entire CD. The solos are technical, but not just a jumble of random notes like Brain Drill. You can tell that they put a lot of time and effort into creating the music for this release.
Inferno is an amazing drummer. All of his work is incredible, and with this album, he took his skills to a higher level. Each blast beat is precise and perfectly on time, along with the double bass and any other beats he uses. The drums are the driving force that pushes this album to the top all the way through.
The vocals are always interesting with Behemoth. They seem to have a kind of airy sound to them. It may just be the overdubbing of vocals tracks, but whatever it is, it sounds good and adds an ancient sound to the music. The vocals are also excellent. They pull the music together to have a deep meaning with each song. The lyrics are intelligent, and thoughtful.
This album is receiving a 90 from me. It’s a great album, but I have just heard the songs so many times, it’s not brand new to me. Listen to this album if you are looking for an excellent production of some great metal.