Today's letter is still somehow 'A.' This was my poorly-paying day job while I was otherwise unemployed and chasing ghosties at night, and I was committed for the long haul.
Written for dooyoo.co.uk from 2004–2008. Includes a literally old school review towards the end.
Codex Necro
****
Written on 16.01.08
Birmingham black metal duo Anaal Nathrakh have their passionate admirers and detractors, and both groups are wrong. This inhumanly fast and aggressive music isn't the future of black metal, particularly as there are earlier, more devastating releases out there, but at the same time it isn't just two blokes going mindlessly crazy over a relentless drum machine. Alright, it is mainly that, but Irrumator's guitars and V.I.T.R.I.O.L's vocals can both boast of incredible force and intensity paralleled by few in the extreme metal world. Brummies have always had a natural talent for this metal stuff.
So extreme is this music, that it often requires metal fans to concoct meaningless terms to describe it, particularly the frequent accolade that it's "total f**king necro" (a term derived from the band's demo of the same name). However ridiculous it may seem to describe harsh industrial percussion, roaring guitars and a range of screeched and roared vocals as "necro," Anaal Nathrakh succeeds in conveying a sense of a really, really screwed up nightmare future, one in which all hope has been lost and the only survivors will be fragile old people forced to endure this noise perpetually. Blessed with great production values, this is a far cry from traditional black metal that aims to evoke an evil and depraved atmosphere, and it doesn't have the riffs of death metal either. The inescapable mechanistic sound of the drums isn't exactly to my tastes, but fortunately the band avoids the electronic black metal stuff for the most part - there are distorted samples at inconvenient intervals, but the blasting drum machine never deteriorates into a thumping techno beat or any other such rubbish.
Although it's detached, a little repetitive and lacking in ideas, this is still first-rate example of metal that's extreme for the sake of it, but still pulls it off with admirable determination. Not something to inflict on your friends, young children or expectant mothers unless you fancy a laugh, and not something I could listen to all day unless I was reviewing the discography or something stupid like that (what the hell was I thinking?), but it's surprisingly good considering I stopped enjoying bands like Behemoth when they evolved from traditional black metal into similarly death-inspired directions.
When I was fifteen, the early albums of Fear Factory and grindcore bands used to give me a headache, but I persevered with them anyway. I'd suggest similar initiation in the dark shades of metal before attempting to tackle this beast, paying particular attention to the sub-genres with the stupidest names.
1. The Supreme Necrotic Audnance
2. When Humanity is Cancer
3. Submission is For the Weak
4. Pandemonic Hyperblast
5. Paradigm Shift - Annihilation
6. The Technogoat
7. Incipid Flock
8. Human, All Too F***ing Human
9. The Codex Necro
Anaal Nathrakh
Total Fucking Necro
****
Written on 16.01.08
Maybe it's something to do with collecting or a pointlessly completist attitude, but I always enjoy compilations like this that collect otherwise rare material in one neat, easily available package. It's a little odd and perhaps even disappointing that Anaal Nathrak's second album should be a demo compilation, but for offering a slightly different take on the band than their debut album, and most of all for containing mostly original material, it's every bit as good as 'The Codex Necro.'
The major difference in style comes in the production values which, as expected, are inferior for demo recordings. Fortunately this is black metal we're dealing with, and intentional or not (my money's on "not"), this allows for a different perspective free from the often overwhelming ferocity of the studio album. Irrumator's melodic guitar touches and solos are more easily discerned within this less oppressive wall of sound, and although the programmed drums sound even more obviously fake than they did on 'Codex,' the atmosphere is less electric. In a good way.
'Necrogeddon' is the only new song, though still not recorded principally for this, but rather the unreleased 2001 demo entitled 'We Will F**king Kill You,' and the rest of the tracks present the two demos 'Anaal Nathrakh' (tracks one to four) and 'Total F**king Necro' (five to nine) in their complete forms. While the second demo is the more impressive and aggressive, containing the early classic 'Satanarchist' as well as two songs that would find their way onto the first album in the form of 'The Supreme Necrotic Audnance' and 'The Technogoat,' both demos present an excellent view of a band starting out, with the clear intention to be the future of British black metal and to repair some of the damage done by Cradle of Filth. As any serious black metal fan will know, 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' is a cover of that definitive second wave track from Mayhem, as is 'Carnage,' and both are tackled well, and respectfully cite Anaal Nathrakh's influence.
While this isn't quite up to the standards of a regular studio release, thanks to volume problems and an overall lacking production sound, it's these very factors that may make it even more appealing to traditional black metal fans who normally find Anaal Nathrakh far too mechanised and volume-obsessed. It's a nice respite from that, and a great companion to 'The Codex Necro' with only minimal overlap. Of course, almost everyone else in the world should avoid it like the plague.
1. Anaal Nathrakh
2. Necrodeath
3. Ice Blasting Storm Winds
4. Carnage
5. The Supreme Necrotic Audnance
6. Satanarchist
7. L.E.T.H.A.L.: Diabolic
8. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
9. The Technogoat
10. Necrogeddon
Anaal Nathrakh
****
Written on 16.01.08
Following the success of their debut album, Anaal Nathrakh spent the next couple of years throwing out new material in the form of demo compilations and this impressive E.P., perhaps trying to avoid committing to a difficult second album. There need have been no worries at this stage for the Birmingham black metal duo, as the elaborately titled 'When Fire Rains Down From the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as it Has Sown' is an impressive continuation and development of their sound, and a pleasing step beyond 'The Codex Necro.'
With six entirely original songs, this is just as worthy and essential as any full-length release, and lasts for a reasonably impressive twenty-five minutes. While the predominant sound is once again a ferocious blasting, roaring and screeching assault performed at illegal volume, there's a stronger sense of melody and musicianship this time around beyond the desire to shock and devastate, though even these touches of Irrumator's guitar solos and pleasant leads are inevitably buried amidst the din.
The chaos is a little more controlled this time round also, with slower passages frequently interrupting the black metal assaults, but at the same time the band isn't about to wimp out on its fans: the surprising presence of clean singing on the title track is a great touch, performed in the atmospheric Viking metal style rather than whining metalcore, but it's still balanced out by an increased ferocity in V.I.T.R.I.O.L's screams in other tracks. This more extreme edge unfortunately dominates the proceedings in 'Never F**king Again,' which as can be deduced from the title is pretty much all about aggression, and is my least favourite as a result.
As an E.P., this has some excuse to be deviant and exercises this right by drafting in a couple of guest performers. Sethlans Teitan of Aborym (another great black metal band in a similar style, but with more distracting techno elements) contributes some great guitar work that makes Irrumator's riffs sound even more repetitive than they already are, but the greatest presence is that of Attila Csihar who growls his way through 'Atavism' in the same demonic rasp that made Mayhem's early work so defining, and was evidently one of the major inspirations on Anaal Nathrakh considering they covered Mayhem songs on their demos. All of these diverse elements make for a more interesting mini-album than 'The Codex Necro' and point at great things to come, though the band still suffers when brutality is indulged for brutality's sake.
1. Cataclysmic Nihilism
2. How the Angels Fly In (We Can Never Be Forgiven)
3. Never F**king Again
4. Genesis of the Antichrist
5. Atavism
6. When Fire Rains Down From the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as it Has Sown
Anaal Nathrakh
Eschaton
****
Written on 16.01.08
After the slight disappointment of their 2004 album, Anaal Nathrakh return better than ever with 'Eschaton,' again dealing with annihilation and destruction (this time in the form of the 2012 Mayan prophecy) and possessing the brutal sound to back it up for the first time since the debut release. This is a perfect example of a band learning from its successes and failures, and the resulting album is more or less a synthesis of the mindlessly violent first album with some of the more epic tendencies of the second, finally creating the sound the band has been striving for all along.
While the performances from Irrumator and V.I.T.R.I.O.L are as good as ever, the production abandons the disappointing polish of 'Domine Non Es Dignus' in favour of the rawer sound of 'The Codex Necro,' and likewise supplements that first album's ferocity with the more mature musicianship of subsequent offerings. This returns the sound to extreme black metal once again, though still possessing a significant death metal influence, yet the clean vocal touches and grind guitar sections still remain to avoid the band fading into the rest of the scene.
Further demonstrating how the sound here harks back to the early years (which weren't really all that long ago, this is only the third album after all), 'The Necrogeddon' is a re-make of a 2001 song that doesn't sound at all out of place, while songs such as 'Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes,' 'The Destroying Angel' and 'The Yellow King' are just as fierce as anything from the first album, but more refined. Similarly, 'Between Shit and Piss We Are Born,' 'Timewave Zero' and 'When the Lion Devours Both Dragon and Child' all follow the Borknagar-style epic path of the last release, only more satisfyingly brutal. The only real disappointment comes in the presence of guest vocalists including Attila from Mayhem, who doesn't impress as much as he did on the 2003 E.P. and is instead offered a fairly weak industrial-style song that doesn't suit his demonic voice.
1. Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes
2. Between Shit and Piss We Are Born
3. Timewave Zero
4. The Destroying Angel
5. Waiting for the Barbarians
6. The Yellow King
7. When the Lion Devours Both Dragon and Child
8. The Necrogeddon
9. Regression to the Mean
Anaal Nathrakh
*****
Written on 15.01.08
The latest album from Birmingham's Anaal Nathrakh sees them pretty much abandon the slight industrial experiments that had started to creep into 'Eschaton,' and it's a damn fine return to basics. Blessed with crystal clear production enunciating every bastard sound, this is an album that should in all fairness be scrutinised by health & safety before being allowed to played through anyone's headphones and bore right their skulls. It's fantastic music, to boot.
Unleashed over a relentless thirty-five minutes, this is death-influenced black metal in the violent style of Behemoth, with keyboards used to subtly enhance the atmosphere rather than go off on one into four-minute soliloquies. The instruments, all handled by Mick "Irrumator" Kenney, are most often called to merge into a thunderous wall of sound, but that doesn't free them of their responsibilities to let rip with some killer riffs, his guitars slay in this manner with all the brutal efficiency of a serial killer at his/her peak, with countless great riffs and just the right amount (by which I mean a huge amount) of reckless solos. The drums are of less interest, their duty primarily being to keep a steady power supply flowing to the amplifiers with kinetic energy from bass pedals, but without the drums this wouldn't be anywhere near as devastating, and the violence is a large part of its success. This is a far cry from the amateur channelling of youth angst in mindlessly cacophonous bands like Slipknot, and the band's sincerity is compelling.
By far the most distinctive and impressive instrument on display across all of these songs is V.I.T.R.I.O.L's voice (real name the slightly less impressive Dave Hunt, whose parents didn't even have the good humour to call him Mike), possessing the most varied range I've ever heard on a black metal album. Most songs see him double-tracked in tandem with himself performing in a contrasting register, and this moves from a pained black metal scream supported by clean, Viking metal style singing in the early songs through to more extreme squawks, deep guttural rumbles and aggressive yells later on. This huge degree of variation helps each song to stand distinct from the rest, something they otherwise would have lacked due to the repetitive wall of sound, and even the lesser-used clean singing style doesn't distract from or contradict the atmosphere, like the irritating, piercing whines of melodic death and metalcore bands that try out a similar contrast.
Anaal Nathrakh has always been about experimentation and perfection, often to a clinical extent, and even when confining itself to the core principles of black metal, it is able to offer one of its most technically perfect recordings. The only thing it lacks is some of the creativity and compassion that comes through in other black metal bands' more memorably evocative works, but as you will no doubt experience with some of Hollywood's horror films, the killer-with-a-heart can become tiresome after a while, leaving you with a more basic desire for cold, methodical carnage. I think I'm trying to suggest that this is something like that.
1. Solifugae (Intro)
2. Der hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
3. Screaming of the Unborn
4. Virus Bomb
5. The Final Absolution
6. Shatter the Empyrean
7. Lama Sabachthani
8. Until the World Stops Turning
9. Genetic Noose
10. Sanction Extremis (Kill Them All)
11. Castigation and Betrayal
Anachronia
The Endless Agony
*****
Written on 15.01.08
The world may not be in need of another progressive metal band with a virtuoso guitarist and a female singer, but the good thing about groups like Anachronia is their compelling drive to stand out and create original albums, rather than simply copy what Dream Theater are doing and assume that will be prog enough.
'The Endless Agony' is a really great album, clearly dominated by Thomas and Nathanaël's guitars and Fay's excellent vocals but backed up by Djp's creative use of the drum kit, the prominent bass (especially in the lengthy and frequent instrumental passages) and a keyboard that doubles up as traditional piano when required. Without the need for pointless interludes or sampling gimmicks, each of these songs is distinctive enough to really stand out from its neighbours, and interestingly the band gets the slightly more extravagant and complex business out of the way first, before moving on to material that would easily appeal to the metal mainstream, assuming it can stomach indulgent guitar wailing and female singers. I have a feeling it can.
As could maybe be anticipated, the vocal performance takes its cues from gothic metal by juxtaposing Fay's dominant presence with support from some of the blokes, who vary between standard singing and an understated death metal growl in the "Beauty and the Beast" style of Theatre of Tragedy. Fay's singing really is a highlight of the album, which isn't often the case in female-fronted metal bands, and helps to enhance the lightly melancholic feel of the album without getting quite as far as despair. The vocal melody takes on an Eastern tinge in the opener 'Lunacy,' later expanded on by an Arabian-themed instrumental section that shows off the band's full potential for the first time, and as the songs become generally more straightforward later on, she has no trouble adapting as the lead player, particularly in the softer 'Angels Cry' and 'Time So Long,' where you may very well develop an abrupt desire to marry her on the spot to have her as your caged singing bird for alway.
My personal highlight of the album is probably the grand title track, which skilfully combines death metal elements with an epic narrative and a seriously crazy instrumental section that even quotes the theme from Lloyd-Webber's 'Phantom of the Opera' musical, itself plagiarised from a much better song by Pink Floyd, all done to surprisingly brilliant effect. Even after these two longest songs are over, there's plenty to satisfy even the more prog-minded listeners, with some great acoustic guitar solos in 'Angels Cry' and the slightly folk-based 'Sailormen' that includes diverse instruments such as flutes, while the galloping and highly energetic rhythm of 'Around My World' makes it a sure-fire hit with heavy metal fans, the second part of the song essentially being an extended, melodic coda. Thomas and Nathanaël may not be the most original axemen around, their flair mainly being in manic and fantastically long guitar solos (appropriately at their most dominating in 'Time So Long'), but the John Petrucci style grinding riffs avoid being distractingly heavy for the music, before unleashing a significantly darker edge in the finale.
'The Endless Agony' is a great album for fans of interesting metal that avoids some of the usual pitfalls associated with the term "progressive." The female vocals vocals fit the tone better than could be achieved by any man, and fans of masturbatory guitar solos are guaranteed an hour's thorough going over.
1. Lunacy
2. Endless Agony
3. Angels Cry
4. Time So Long
5. Around My World Part I
6. Around My World Part II
7. Lost Time
8. Sailormen
9. Eternity
Anamnesia
Of Hopes and Ashes
**
Written on 15.01.08
This low-budget debut album from French rock band Anamnesia is pretty disappointing, based entirely in the so-called "nu-metal" sound that had fickle rock kids all excited for a few years in the late nineties to early zero-zeros. It brings nothing new to the already overpopulated and dire genre, and seems to take its cues from all of those bands like Korn, Disturbed, Drowning Pool and whatever else was around the time of rap-metal, though fortunately it doesn't descend quite as far as that.
The oddest thing about this album is just how poorly recorded it sounds, which perhaps explains why it's available for free from websites. Bebeche's guitar has a nice crunch to it and produces some quite good groove riffs, but Alex's drums are far too quiet and Damien's vocals, by contrast, far too loud in the mix. His singing style is rooted in American hard rock but freely moves between clean singing and slight growling in the style of Korn rather than death metal, but any time he gets enthusiastic, it causes significant feedback in the microphone. The whole thing is like listening to a badly recorded live gig, only without the energy.
This is a shame as some of the songs are reasonable enough in a trashy nu-metal kind of way, despite sounding exactly the same as many that have come before. Band member Fred indulges in prominent keyboards in many songs that add an unexpected pleasant atmosphere, and the music never feels overly aggressive or dumb like Slipknot and similar bands, though the band does seem to be attempting some form of image with their dapper clothing and top hats. As a free download rather than a genuine album offered for sale (I'm assuming), this is inoffensive enough, but would need a much higher quality re-recording before it could be considered much more than a demo. It also loses points for abbreviating "are" and "you" to letters, which is never on.
1. Intro
2. Go
3. Time is Your Enemy
4. Shining
5. One
6. Where R U God
7. Downfall
8. Snow
9. My Rage
10. Redemption
11. Slaughter House
12. Of Hopes and Ashes
Anata
****
Written on 16.01.08
Anata's debut album in 1998 was a fresh of breath air in the increasingly stagnant sub-genre of technical death metal, an offshoot of the fast, heavy and angry musical style that innovative bands of the early to mid-nineties experimented with to wildly different results. While Demilich's take on death metal was even more hellish and stomach-turning than the most depraved grindcore bands, others such as Atheist introduced concepts of freestyle jazz into their time signatures and structures to create something that none but the most pretentious John Zorn fan could truly appreciate. Unfortunately this flair for originality became lost somewhere along the way, perhaps in response to the melodic death metal of the Gothenburg movement that stubborn traditionalist death metal snobs felt the need to counteract, causing endless Suffocation clones to release album after album of restless fast and furious guitar riffs that came to dominate the 'technical death' moniker without truly deserving it.
Anata's first album wipes the slate clean, rooting itself in a traditional death metal sound and allowing itself to absorb the very best aspects of the contemporary Swedish scenes, leading to an album that could arguably and confusingly be branded as progressive melodic technical death metal, if I was in the practice of categorising bands. Which I quite clearly am. Progressive for its experimentation with structure and time changes, melodic due to the prominence of dual lead guitars in all the songs, and technical for the musicians' exhausting tendency to throw out dozens of excellent and original riffs and rhythms in every song, without sounding too obtuse. Indeed, this is an album that could be enjoyed by death metal fans of any specialised preference, provided they were accustomed to death metal's traditionally powerful and aggressive style as opposed to the watered down offerings of the lesser bands of the Finnish scene. This is intriguing, gripping and catchy stuff.
1. Released When You are Dead
2. Let the Heavens Hate
3. Under Azure Skies
4. Vast Lands / Infernal Gates
5. Slain upon His Altar
6. Those Who Lick the Wounds of Christ
7. Dethrone the Hypocrites
8. Aim Not at the Kingdom High
As with many death metal bands (but by no means the majority), Anata's lyrics and song titles quite clearly take an anti-Christian stance that's more likely for show than any serious Satanist commitment; of course, being death metal, the lyrics are completely indecipherable in any case. There's very little that appears designed to 'sound' satanic in the way more ideological bands strive for, with only a couple of squealing guitar leads harking back to Slayer's domination of the eighties, which were equally aimed purely at shock value. For the most part, almost its entirety, this album is driven by fast and ruthless guitar riffs from Andreas Allenmark and vocalist Fredrik Schälin over a pounding bashing of the drum kit by Robert Petersson, and thanks to the modern-sounding production, even Henrik Drake's impressive bass guitar work can be clearly heard beneath or between the rhythms. It would be pointless to analyse each distinct change or movement of this album as there are far too many to keep track of in each song, but most thankfully remain grounded in repeating riffs and rhythms to prevent the album from veering off completely into avant-garde showmanship. Anyone listening to this as their first slab of technical death probably wouldn't think twice, except that maybe some of the lead guitars are a little hard to follow.
Generally speaking, the album becomes slightly more complex and intricate towards the end, something that's reflected in the increase of song lengths to around six minutes at this stage, though the excellent third song 'Under Azure Skies' stands out as a comparable epic amidst the relative simplicity (I said relative) of the earlier songs. This song in particular stands out as my favourite, perhaps for its inclusion near the beginning when the album still sounds fresh, but also for demonstrating the full capabilities of each band member. Slightly slower on the whole than some of the other tracks, particularly the first which blares from the speakers at flat-out pace right from the onset, 'Under Azure Skies' seems to be influenced primarily by the late Chuck Schuldiner of unsurprisingly-named death metal pioneers Death, one of the all-time great and most interesting bands in the genre, with thoughtfully executed heavy guitars, constantly rolling drums, plenty of tremolo-picking speedier sections and even a section of bass solo. Reminiscent of Cliff Burton's spotlight in Metallica's instrumental 'Orion,' the bass section acts as a vacuum of tranquillity that is inevitably interrupted all too soon, but permitted to continue behind the excellent lead guitars that are modestly contented to remain in the background. Subtle and uncredited use of keyboards in this song alone adds to the atmosphere, and I became quite sad as the song threatened to end, despite having entertained me for an impressive five and a half minutes.
While this is the pick of the album for me, other songs come close, although the final two songs have a tendency to drag on rather than leave me begging for more; fortunately this album has a sensible length of forty-two minutes that avoids the technical death trap of being too short, but also means that listeners could be a little restless by the end of it all. 'Slain Upon His Altar' is a great medium-length track that seems to draw influence from the more proficient melodic death bands of the time, sounding similar to In Flames' 'The Jester Race' and being most based on lead guitar rhythms. The mellow intro is another nice touch, even if tradition dictates that it will inevitably give way to a cacophony of death metal after about twenty seconds to keep listeners from getting too complacent. Its predecessor 'Vast Lands/Infernal Gates' isn't as complex as its divided title would suggest, but rather continues the melodic death style introduced in the short 'Let the Heavens Hate,' which itself is perhaps the most approachable song on here. By contrast, 'Vast Lands...' takes a leap into the darker and more violent recesses, primarily a drum song that is affected with a noticeable clicking sound that some may pin down to slightly weak production, but that I have always enjoyed, reminding me of the drums on Cradle of Filth's 'Cruelty and the Beast.'
Other songs tend to take things a little too far in the several directions this album pursues, but are by no means weak offerings. The lengthy and provocatively titled 'Those Who Lick the Wounds of Christ' features the most deliberately obtuse lead guitars of the whole album, teasing listeners by refusing to settle on a recognisable pattern and playing out of time with the backing rhythms, which themselves become a little too violent and oppressive by the end. Certainly a song for the more dedicated tech fans, but it leaves me with something of a headache. 'Aim Not at the Kingdom High' suffers slightly for coming at the end of the album without really offering anything new, while conversely the opener 'Released When You are Dead' attempts to both draw in fans of brutal music and deter those who can't quite stomach it, focusing more on aggression and animalistic grunts than the progressive leanings found elsewhere. There's not a bad song on here, and although the untrained/uncontaminated ear may consider it a load of repetitive noise, those more experienced/corrupted will recognise it as a truly creative and intelligently-produced piece of anger and professional instrumentation. I haven't checked out Anata's later releases, but I've read that they lack a certain emotional resonance that this album has in spades; it's perhaps for the best that the lyrics are indecipherable, but boy do those warthog grunts sound compelling.
Advantages: Original and creative technical death metal that avoids all the modern clichés.
Disadvantages: Antagonistic lyrics and aggressive delivery will deter the faint of heart.
Anathema
Alternative 4
****
Written on 17.01.07
While 'Eternity' left behind most of the metal elements from Anathema's early years, 'Alternative 4' is their final album that could be reasonably labelled as doom metal for evoking the same melancholy atmosphere, albeit in a mostly lighter fashion with the heavy guitars all but replaced by acoustic and the death growl vocals now firmly a thing of the past. Not yet going the full way to prog rock throwback, this is still authentic old-school Anathema with a less aggressive approach, with a greater focus on atmosphere but one that doesn't come at a cost to the music itself.
Vincent Cavanagh's soft vocals still have a nice amateur edge, particularly on the rare occasions that his Liverpudlian lilt shines through, and while his singing and guitars are fairly uniform throughout the album, some being entirely acoustic and some featuring louder, slow rock riffs, the rest of the band is still integral to the sound and keeps it from being a tedious and repetitive solo effort. While the bass and drums stand out throughout, particularly when carrying the song alone as is the case in the opening to the excellent 'Lost Control,' most impressive of all is newcomer Martin Powell, fresh out of Yorkshire's My Dying Bride and a year or so before he joined London's Cradle of Filth in his grand metal tour of the regions.
Adding some very nice violin touches to 'Fragile Dreams' and 'Lost Control,' the instrument isn't over-used in the way it tended to be in My Dying Bride (though his prominence was always my favourite thing about that band, and they were never as good after he left), Powell also takes over the keyboard duties and enhances each song with a polished atmosphere, particularly spacey and ethereal in the later 'Alternative 4' and 'Regret' before shifting to a more prominent organ in 'Feel,' helping that more upbeat penultimate offering to better stand out.
While my fondness for Anathema albums roughly decreases proportionally along the timeline from the crushing, emotionally exhausting doom metal of their earliest demos to the atmospheric yet dull Radiohead rock of their more recent releases, 'Alternative 4' is the perfect half-way meeting point along with its predecessor 'Eternity,' though it does disappoint in the centre where the songs start to blur together and sound largely indistinguishable. 'Empty' and 'Re-connect' are shorter, slightly faster and potentially more accessible songs, the first having a particularly compelling chorus, while the suicidal end of the spectrum is skilfully held up by 'Lost Control' and the more sinister title track.
1. Shroud of False
2. Fragile Dreams
3. Empty
4. Lost Control
5. Re-connect
6. Inner Silence
7. Alternative 4
8. Regret
9. Feel
10. Destiny
Anathema
Pressure
**
Written on 18.01.07
Here's another oddity in the Anathema discography, a single compiled and pressed by Music For Nations that ended up being canned due to lack of promotion, though even weirder it somehow ended up in the dooyoo database around that time (maybe that's where the promoters went wrong...)
This single was supposed to collect the radio edit of 'Pressure' with the full album version that's just over a minute longer. The edit was accompanied by a cheap music video of singer Vincent Cavanagh driving along and singing at night, which websites claim was only ever aired once on VH1 but which I know for a fact was doing the rounds on the rock music channels for at least a couple of weeks, and it actually ends up being better for the editing. A fairly standard modern Anathema song led by slow piano with guitars and drums in the background, it's suitably depressing and has a memorable chorus, and would certainly have been at least a partial success if the band hadn't been messed around like this.
Of course, Anathema's creativity thrives on depression and disappointment, so this could optimistically be seen as adding fuel to the fire - indeed, perhaps the whole thing was staged by the crafty Music For Nations folk just to make sure the Cavanagh brothers remembered how cruel the world is and didn't start writing about money and bitches and things, and become rubbish overnight. Even if it had been released, this single wouldn't have been very interesting for those who waited for the album, as the only B-side it includes is the full version of the song which would turn out to be more common than the main edit. Anathema always had the potential to be as popular as Radiohead and all those other depressing bands, but it just didn't end up happening.
1. Pressure (Edit)
2. Pressure
Advantages: A strong and accessible gloomy rock song.
Disadvantages: It doesn't exist.
Anathema
A Fine Day to Exit
Staring Out Upon the Sea
***
Written on 18.01.07
'A Fine Day to Exit' was Anathema's first all-out atmospheric rock album, and is unwavering in its devotion to the new sound. These piano-led songs are long, lethargic and spaced-out, and while old-time fans of Anathema as a metal band may feel alienated, it's a great place for fans of depressive rock to take the plunge, even if it ends up dragging you in completely. The main problem with this album is a lack of energy, but listening to it in the required mood, it could be just about the best thing going. Apart from the band's earlier, better stuff, obviously.
I was disappointed when first hearing/seeing 'Pressure' on music channels upon its release, as it seemed to consciously follow the style of Radiohead's dirgier moments, presumably in a desire to emulate their success (something that unfortunately failed to pan out for these hard-working Scousers, as even the 'Pressure' single itself was dropped prior to release). With its pop chorus and mellow, American style vocals hiding all trace of Vincent Cavanagh's Merseyside origins, it seemed too detached from the experimental, moody band I'd heard so much about, but fortunately and perhaps predictably, the rest of the album explores this territory to a greater extent than its crowd-seeking opener.
Starting from 'Release,' the band's rock base finds more time to express itself, culminating in the sudden shift half-way through 'Looking Outside Inside' where Cavanagh seems to emulate Robert Smith, and the drums are finally permitted freedom outside of keeping up the album's predominantly slow pace. 'Leave No Trace' and 'Barriers' are more like ballads, relatively speaking, and certainly not in a distracting way as was occasionally present on the album's predecessor 'Judgement,' and the latter song could easily send susceptible and less engaged listeners to sleep with its lullaby-like chorus. 'Underworld' is dynamic but still too slow to be really exciting, something that's remedied by 'Panic' which is no death metal, but is at least more upbeat and up-tempo and plays out to a shorter time span as a result; presumably, if the rest of the album was played at this speed, it would all be over in about fifteen minutes.
The finale is deceptively the longest of all, really being a mere six minutes of slow acoustic guitars and wave sound effects relevant to the picturesque lyrics before fading into over ten minutes of white noise and brief acoustic ditties. It's one of the most successful songs of the album, but I imagine it would be a right bugger to put on your iPod. 'A Natural Disaster' is the slightly better successor to this album.
1. Pressure
2. Release
3. Looking Outside Inside
4. Leave No Trace
5. Underworld
6. (Breaking Over the) Barriers
7. Panic
8. A Fine Day to Exit
9. Temporary Peace
Anathema
A Natural Disaster
****
Written on 18.01.07
Anathema's seventh album continues in more or less the same atmospheric rock style they've been practicing since 'Alternative 4,' but is the first release since then to match up in terms of heaviness and melancholia. Anathema haven't been a metal band for a very long time, and indeed nothing on here really harks back to their early days, but the resurgence of some powerful, doomy post-rock in the style of Mogwai as songs build to a crescendo helps to make this a grander, more emotive and more interesting effort than predecessor 'A Fine Day to Exit.'
As usual, the songs are driven along by slow drums, acoustic guitars with occasional harder electric riffs, and soft vocals from brothers Vincent and Daniel Cavanagh that in places remind of Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree respectively. This is a brilliantly atmospheric album to the extent that it will deter those looking for something more in the prog rock vein of 'Judgement,' but for those into Anathema's sound it's a fine return to form, albeit not all the way back. The first two songs set up a tranquil atmosphere that's then toned up a notch in 'Closer' and proceeds all the way to despair in 'Are You There?', an excellent song that brings some much-needed commercial appeal to the album and is handled well by Daniel in one of his two vocal performances, the other being the similar 'Electricity.' The album tends to vary between gloom and harmony, frequently combined, with the only major exception being the surprisingly heavy centrepiece 'Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a Second.'
Vincent spits out his lyrics in anger here before erupting into a yell for the song title, and heavy guitars kick in for the first time in some years. It's an enjoyable song, and one of the best on the album, but I can't help feeling it was written expressly for the band's rock audience, perhaps even with the intention of a single (and we know how those turn out). The main problem with this song is that it loses a lot of steam once the initial excitement is over, and for trying so hard to be different it ends up being the only song that noticeably drags on; most of the others are similarly overlong, but are ambient enough that it's easy not to notice. Other interesting touches on this release include prominent female singing in the title track, which has really been an ingredient of Anathema since right back at the first 'Crestfallen' E.P., and some rare but effective lead guitar performances from Vincent and Daniel in songs like 'Flying.'
While this doesn't break any new ground as far as Anathema is concerned, it's a fortunate resurgence in their melancholic style not really heard since the fourth album. Most of the songs tend to blur together into a general texture of wistful harmony, but this band is one of the better examples of this style around.
1. Harmonium
2. Balance
3. Closer
4. Are You There?
5. Childhood Dream
6. Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a Second
7. A Natural Disaster
8. Flying
9. Electricity
10. Violence
Ancara
Beyond the Dark
Drawn Unto the Rock
**
Written on 18.01.07
There's nothing wrong with a bit of decent throwback heavy metal, but Ancara's tendencies towards the more bland and commercial side of eighties "hair" rock make this latest album less welcome than something possessing a harder edge. Things start off well enough with chugging opener 'Circles,' but the sound soon descends into mostly slow melodic metal "with feeling," the feeling unfortunately being expressed in tender love songs like 'Snowflower' rather than the full throttle Judas Priest style.
Blessed with modern production values that would have made those eighties glamsters' hair stand on end, were it not already blow-dried like that, this is only really metal for people who aren't too keen on metal, based on simple, occasionally enjoyable guitars and light American rock vocals with plenty of unison choruses, the one in 'Cranium Tension' being particularly cringeworthy. There are a few interesting deviations with darker, bass-led sections and even something of a half-decent power metal song in 'Scarred' that's undoubtedly the energetic highlight of this disappointingly short album, while the last track succeeds in using background orchestration to match the wistful mood of the pretty album cover.
Although a lighthouse album cover is usually enough for me to develop a passing interest in an album, I'd rate this effort higher if it lasted longer than thirty-three minutes, which would have even been something of an insult back in the vinyl days of 1985 that this album mostly caters for. It's pleasant, melodic and inoffensive for the most part, but those who like their classic metal to have a bit of an edge should steer clear of this more "sensitive" band. They even mix upper and lower case letters together in their band font, which is just poncy.
1. Circles
2. Deny
3. Snowflower
4. Scarred
5. Just for Me
6. Cranium Tension
7. When Everyone Else is Gone
8. In Silence
Advantages: Nice atmosphere and high production values.
Disadvantages: Far too short, lacking in intensity and overly ballad-based.
Ancient Rites
The Diabolic Serenades
****
Written on 18.01.07
If you tried to give someone a reasonable idea of what black metal sounded like, Ancient Rites' early offerings are probably the closest to what they imagined, and they're all the better for it (rather than some of the frankly weird prominent trends in the genre). This is needlessly provocative, evil-worshipping, dark music rooted in the eighties sound of bands like Venom, which leads to a stronger prominence for the guitars and bass and sees songs driven by catchy, distinctive riffs and lead melodies rather than the more typical black metal white noise.
This is remarkably strong for a first album, likely due to the years of tours and shorter releases that preceded it, but its consistency is also a slight failing as many songs end up sounding similar. This isn't helped by the use of triggered drums that may allow for a faster rhythm in most songs, but also rob the recording of much of its atmosphere by sounding so overly mechanical in the repetitive blast beats. Günther Theys possesses one of the finest voices in black metal, possessed being the appropriate term, as he vomits pure terror and wickedness into every syllable without it ever seeming forced or overly dramatic in the way most black metal bands tend to be. He is clearly spawned of Belial's seed, and thank God/Satan these twisted musical genres came along so he could finally express himself.
Bart Vandereycken's guitars are the other definite highlight, unleashing some excellent riffs in several songs, particularly those that had already wormed their way into the preceding 'Evil Prevails' E.P. which are among the best here, and although the core sound is much the same throughout the album there are a few interesting deviations into slower, grander, Black Sabbath-style doom starting in 'Land of Frost and Despair,' a darker bass-led approach in 'Death Messiah' and even some short and to-the-point old-style metal from the likes of 'Obscurity Reigns.' This is dingy, early black metal of the highest order, and even has some (unintentional) kitsch value in its keyboard parts that attempt to be scary in a rather daft, cheap horror film sort of way, as seen in the lullaby-like intro. This perhaps isn't a metal classic, and should technically be banned if we want the world to be a happier place, but it's incredibly enjoyable and interesting for standing apart in that fateful year when black metal was in its despicable, infamous prime.
1. (Intro) Infant Sacrifices to Baalberith
2. Crucifixion Justified (Roman Supremacy)
3. Satanic Rejoice
4. Obscurity Reigns (Fields of Flanders)
5. Death Messiah
6. Land of Frost and Despair
7. Assyrian Empire
8. Longing for the Ancient Kingdom
9. Morbid Glory (Gilles de Rais 1404-1440)
10. Ritual Slayings (Goat Worship Pure)
11. Evil Prevails
12. Last Rites / Echoes of Melancholy (Outro)
Ancient Rites
Fatherland
*****
Written on 19.01.08
'Fatherland' is an incredible release from Ancient Rites that leaves their retro black metal days far behind and instead leaps headlong into a perfect synthesis of modern black metal and folk-influenced Viking metal in the style of Bathory. Also gone is the generic blasphemy and Satanism that characterised their previous albums, replaced with a similar sense of national pride to most other folk metal bands, but one in which "nation" stretches to encompass the whole of Europe thanks to a revitalised band line-up hailing from Belgium, Germany, Holland and Finland.
The move away from pure aggression towards epic themes that began in the confused 'Blasfemia Eternal' is drawn to a conclusion here, and the resulting music takes the best elements from Viking and black metal styles without the respective tedium and repetition that generally come with each field. Most songs are still full of hard, roaring guitar riffs from newcomer Jan Yrlund, but frequent elements of folk that extend to full sections and occasionally entire songs make this a more varied and enjoyable release for fans of this sort of melodic black metal, but one that still packs a real punch. There's a nice mix of long and short songs to suit the individual listener's preference, and even a couple like the re-make of ancient demo material 'The Seducer' that will cater for fans of the earlier material, but for the most part the change is drastic and wholly for the best. By retaining all of the power and ferocity of the earlier releases, this would also act as the perfect point of crossover for black metal fans who may be intrigued by the Viking style, but who have previously been put off by the overly lethargic likes of Moonsorrow.
Most of the songs here are instant Viking classics, not as slow or atmospheric as the work pioneered by Bathory in the early nineties and returned to some years later, but still including the same nice touches such as samples of a bustling market and nature, and some brilliant folk-inspired guitar leads to supplement the more authentic folk-inspired folk instruments, which set things off to a great start in the epic opening track. Günther's vocals are back to his old, snarled style with perhaps a little influence from Mayhem's Attila this time round, and as expected from a Viking album there are numerous clean sung sections that sound fantastic, regardless of whether he can actually sing or not - after all, Quorthon never could. 'Mother Europe,' 'Fatherland,' 'Season's Change' and '13th of October 1307' are all excellent fusions of black and Viking metal, and the only reason I don't highlight the second half of the album is because it falls into pretty much the same style and is less instantly mesmerising as a result, not to mention that the earlier songs use up all of Jan's finest guitar ideas. This was a surprising and drastic change of direction for Ancient Rites, but is their first masterpiece and the start of a great career now they've finally found their niche.
1. Avondland
2. Mother Europe
3. Aris
4. Fatherland
5. Season's Change (Solstice)
6. 13th of October 1307
7. Dying in a Moment of Splendour
8. Rise and Fall (Anno Satana)
9. The Seducer
10. Cain
Ancient Rites
Dim Carcosa
****
Written on 19.01.08
The successor to 'Fatherland' sees Ancient Rites pretty much abandon their origins altogether, in favour of fully embracing a folk metal style with elements of melodic death metal and even more light-hearted power metal. I had quite a shock when I remembered at a late point in this album that this was the band that recorded 'The Diabolic Serenades,' and although the arguments in favour of either of those two, vastly different releases would realistically favour this one, it's still a shame that the band has deviated so far and couldn't maintain the perfect harmony of 'Fatherland.'
The real stars of 'Dim Carcosa' are guitar duo Erik Sprooten and Jan Yrlund, who twin leads and satisfying, chugging riffs are clearly defined by the high production values, even if they make the whole thing sound even less black metal than it was managing already, only retaining a semblance of doubt through Walter Van Cortenberg's fast drums that more often than not sound out of place and end up being one of the album's primary failings for their incompatibility to most songs. Although the general style is still as epic as 'Fatherland,' rife with sweeping orchestration and keyboards, the songs tend to be a lot shorter and more to-the-point which is also a little disappointing in light of the previous album's extended masterpieces, but it's understandable when listening to the drawn-out 'North Sea,' the only song of substantial length here at six minutes, which relies far too much on repetition - even if it's the repetition of excellent guitars.
Günther Theys growls a lot less here too, spending most of his time in clearly legible yelling and singing styles that remind of Viking metal and thrash (occasionally he even sounds like Megadeth's Dave Mustaine), and as with the last album there are some spoken word passages as well as a very nice, soft duet with a female singer in opener 'The Return.' The lyrical themes are once again predominantly those of national, cultural and historical pride typical of the genre that the band now falls squarely into, and the song 'Gotterdammerung' offers a far more considered and meaningful attack on Christianity than the band's earlier, laughably blasphemous works, instead targeting its historical atrocities of eradicating cultural belief systems and vying for total domination, practices that the band suggests have continued to this day (surely not!) This album will be a slight disappointment for black metal fans in the wake of 'Fatherland,' but it's still a great folk metal album tilted towards the extreme side, and has the potential to appeal to many new fans who would be scared away by Ancient Rites' earlier stuff, or simply consider it too corny. Fair enough.
1. The Return
2. Exile (Les litanies de Satan)
3. Victory or Valhalla (Last Man Standing)
4. ...and the Horns Called for War
5. North Sea
6. Gotterdammerung (Twilight of the Gods)
7. (Ode to Ancient) Europa
8. Remembrance
9. Lindisfarne (Anno 793)
10. On Golden Fields (De Leeuwen Dansen)
11. Dim Carcosa
Ancient Rites
And the Hordes Stood As One
****
Written on 19.01.08
This is a high quality live album from Ancient Rites, its only real failing being that it drastically favours their most recent material from 'Dim Carcosa' at the expense of the band's previous three studio albums. 'Dim Carcosa' was a strong album that showcased a newer Ancient Rites, but not one that integrated too well with their earlier, harsher sound; thus, we have eight of that album's eleven songs performed here - excellent, sweeping, majestic Viking metal with power metal overtones with clean vocals and high guitars - occasionally interrupted by the jarring contrast of an old-school black metal song.
Once the listener gets past this obstacle, if indeed it is an obstacle rather than a bonus, this is a very enjoyable live performance from a tight band with great material, and it's always impressive when a band feels confident enough in its most recent studio material to play almost the entire album on tour rather than a few select morsels. It's a shame that more material from their excellent 'Fatherland' album couldn't be included in the set, particularly as this was recorded for both a CD and DVD release and really should have had that little extra effort put in to please fans both old and new, but we get three of the best from that album in the form of tracks five, fourteen and sixteen. The less impressive but still nicely heavy 'Blasfemia Eternal' is represented by tracks four, eight and twelve, while fans of the enjoyable old-school black metal of 'The Diabolic Serenades' are offered the skimpier selection of tracks nine and fifteen. The rest is all from 'Dim Carcosa,' and stands out quite obviously as a result.
The sound quality is excellent here, though in the same style as 'Dim Carcosa' which means less raw and powerful guitars and a strong focus on melody and the keyboards, and the band's performance is impressive and flawless. The decision to record a show in their country of origin Belgium is a nice touch, and audience interaction and banter from frontman Günther Theys are what would be expected from an official live release, which means not much at all. Probably my favourite thing about this album is the addictive, hard rocking chorus of 'Aris' in which Günther, thanks to his accent, sounds like he's shouting "Arse, arse shone! My arse, my arse rose!" The rest of the lyrics make for a nice concoction of pleasant and emotive cultural remembrance and shock value blasphemy.
1. The Return
2. Exile (Les Litanies de Satan)
3. Victory or Valhalla (Last Man Standing)
4. Total Misanthropia
5. Aris
6. ...and the Horns Called for War
7. North Sea
8. Blood of Christ (Mohammed Wept)
9. Longing for the Ancient Kingdom
10. Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)
11. (Ode to Ancient) Europa
12. (Het Verdronken Land van) Saeftinge
13. On Golden Fields (De Leeuwen Dansen)
14. Mother Europe
15. Evil Prevails
16. Fatherland
Ancient Rites
Rubicon
***
Written on 19.01.08
After a gap of five years and an odd line-up change that saw old guitarists Bart Vandereycken and Raf Jansen rejoin Ancient Rites after the departure of Jan Yrlund, 'Rvbicon' was eagerly anticipated by the band's growing fan base, and it appears to have been warmly received. Admittedly it was less of a wait for me, as I'd only heard the previous 'Dim Carcosa' about an hour earlier, but this most recent release still managed to be something of a disappointment.
Anyone who held out hope of a return to form for this band, especially with the presence of musicians from the early black metal days, will be sorely disappointed, as this delves even further into a power metal sound than the previous album. Davy Wouters' keyboards provide the pleasant backing atmosphere for what are primarily a series of fairly slow and dull songs in contrast to the upbeat excitement of 'Dim Carcosa,' and there's an even greater presence of lead guitars and atmospheric sections leading to Ancient Rites' most melodic album yet. Not that there's any inherent problem in a change of direction such as this, but it feels more like a deterioration into slower, repetitive and less memorable metal than some of their earlier classics. Günther's entirely sung vocals are still enjoyable, and tend to remain in a lower pitch than his slightly squeaky performance on the previous album, but the verses and choruses aren't as compelling or catchy as they once were, and the addition of a female singer on tracks four and nine don't help in elevating those particularly dull songs to the epic level of the classic 'Fatherland,' however hard they try.
There is one significant improvement this time round, in the form of the drums - previous albums didn't lack good drummers as much as they lacked a good production sound for the instrument, and here the distracting clicks that spoiled the otherwise flawless 'Fatherland' have been entirely exorcised. As can probably be deduced by the similar song titles (well, similar in as much as they all contain but one word), there's some minimal attempt at an overarching lyrical concept here, but in truth no more so than on the previous two albums; most songs continue to celebrate the glory of European ancestry, while 'Ypres' is obviously a remembrance of the soldiers who died in the First World War, though it ends up being one of the most tedious offerings here. The notion of a concept seems to have gone to the band's heads a little at a cost to some originality, as the very same Eastern-sounding guitar melody inspired by the orchestral introduction finds its way into the next few songs for no real reason.
Overall, this ended up being the least entertaining time I've spent in the company of Ancient Rites, probably about equal with their second album 'Blasfemia Eternal' though I was less jaded back then. Thinking optimistically, that mediocre second offering was followed up by the finest album the band have yet released, so I'll allow myself to look forward to another Earth-shattering release from Belgian's finest metal band at some point in the near future.
1. Crusade
2. Templar
3. Mithras
4. Thermopylae
5. Rubicon
6. Invictus
7. Ypres
8. Galilean
9. Cheruscan
10. Brabantia
Ancient Wisdom
****
Written on 19.01.08
Vargher's third album as Ancient Wisdom offers revelatory insights into the oldest of all tales, chronicling the expulsion of Lucifer from heaven and his subsequent dastardly scheme to impose a similar fate unto his Creator's vain new race of man (the scamp!) It's an adaptation of the story as embellished from the Bible and other sources by Milton in 'Paradise Lost,' a favourite text for metal bands second only to the Cthulhu mythos.
The music lives up to the epic nature of its subject matter, albeit in a different way than is customary for bands attempting to tackle the classics, which all too easily spirals into over-indulgent overtures (such as Symphony X's inflated take on 'The Odyssey'). With his brand of dingy and simplistically beautiful doom metal, Vargher has created a highly distinctive album that can be enjoyed with or without the support of its lofty concept, and bears some similarities in its sinister keyboard passages and interludes to the more eloquent moments of Cradle of Filth's discography under Lecter, around their Countess Bathory-obsessed era. The sound varies from a sparse, echoing vacuum easily incorporated into the darker moments of the subject matter and a full, loud, sweeping symphony of synthesised strings, melancholic lead guitars and piano. Extensive use is made of natural piano in lending a classical and occasionally religious tone to these songs, which all stand strong independent from each other, always a good thing with a concept album. The only real problem is that outside of slightly rearranged guitars, they all sound pretty similar.
As Ancient Wisdom, Vargher plays doom metal in the modern style of My Dying Bride, Draconian and others, taking on board some influences from depressive black metal in the harrowing and ponderous delivery of the vocals, all of which are easily legible beneath his snarl. His guitars are reminiscent of My Dying Bride at times, coming to a head in track five where the lead riff sounds more or less lifted from 'Like Gods of the Sun,' and opt for the slow and steady approach of chugging riffs and a constant lead tone with the odd rare solo, rather than anything too outlandish or distracting. Similarly, his drums are less powerful than might be expected but varying nicely between thunderous rhythm maintenance in the verses to a more energetic use of double bass pedals once the songs are in full swing. This is a contrastingly sombre, simplistic, grand and menacing album, and one of the more interesting examples of the Milton metal sub-genre that I just made up.
1. Preludium - Lucifer Aieth Gadol Leolam
2. And the Physical Shape of Light Bled
3. With His Triumph Came Fire
4. Interludium - The Fall of Man
5. As the Morningstar Shineth
6. The Serpent's Blessing
7. Postludium - His Creation Reversed
8. The Spell
And Also the Trees
The Klaxon
****
Written on 19.01.08
'The Klaxon' stands out in the discography of And Also the Trees for trading in their earlier slightly romantic and idyllic countryside-inspired post-punk for a depiction of urban life that's bleak even for them. A key player in establishing the gothic rock genre in the early eighties, listening to this album can be something of a downbeat chore if you're not in the right mood, but is perfect for rainy days looking out over the urban nightmare and the sleazy businessmen using newspapers for umbrellas, cars making haste through puddles and splashing old men, grumpy young women shouting unreasonable criticisms at their sodden, crying children, and wishing they would all just get lost somewhere and die.
And Also the Trees formed in 1979, and there's a distinct blending of the sixties, seventies and eighties in their music, which seems to take an enormous influence from Ennio Morricone's western scores - especially in Justin Jones' guitar tone and the occasional horns, psychedelic bands like the Doors in particular, and of course the gothic rock movement, Simon Jones' dreary croon sounding like a chronically depressed Jim Morrison from the West Country. If you can't conceive of such a thing, you really should check out one of this band's albums.
'The Klaxon' is forty minutes of predominantly downbeat music, with occasional glimmers of hope and none of the pure dirginess of some goth bands, especially when the twangy Morricone guitars are in full force. Simon Jones' singing style is never melodramatic or ridiculously deep like Andrew Eldritch of the Sisters of Mercy, but occasionally seems a little laughable for sounding out of place in the atmospheric, film-like music, which may be one reason that I tend to prefer the instrumentals 'Jonny Lexington' and 'Bullet Head.' Jones is at his bleakest in 'Sunrise' with brilliant results, making a truly sombre song that beats any of that detached, electronic gothic stuff, and is aided by sparse acoustic strumming, some subtle lead guitar playing a mournful melody in the background, and a cool spoken word section reminiscent of The Fall, if they were more depressive. In complete contrast to this, the other major highlight is the follow-up 'Dialogue' which brightens things up with a lovely, catchy guitar riff and the mood of a chilled siesta, again requiring a stretch of the imagination on your part. I am demanding, aren't I.
The rest of the album is just as solid, but less essential for sounding much the same: songs tend to open with Steven Burrows' bass guitar or a softly rising keyboard strain, and proceed in similar directions once they get going. 'Sickness Divine' is a great opening featuring more orchestration than any other as a nice initiation and transition from the previous album, and there's a particularly loud and positive ending as a rarity when a second guitar joins in above the other, but after this the tone slips into a bleaker mode. 'The Soul Driver' oozes urban depression from its very title (and reminds me of the appropriately titled 'Soul Recruitment' job agency I have to pass on my way into town), and features a stronger presence of horns and other noir elements, and the great 'The Dutchman' harks back to the romantic style a little with a prominent piano. The only song that really failed to make an impression was 'Wooden Leg' simply for lasting too long without any interesting ideas that hadn't been done better elsewhere in the album.
'The Klaxon' is a fantastic offering that should appeal to fans of eighties gothic rock as much as those of nineties acoustic minimalism and seventies psychedelia, and of course anyone who fancies hearing some Morricone-inspired indie rock. It's all rather bleak, but in a thoughtful manner and with a generalised view to avoid being too personal and truly upsetting. If you're looking for something to cry along with, you'll just have to keep looking I'm afraid. I hope that hasn't added to your sorrow, I know you're a little fragile at the moment.
1. Sickness Divine
2. The Soul Driver
3. Jonny Lexington
4. Sunrise
5. Dialogue
6. Wooden Leg
7. The Dutchman
8. Bullet Head
9. The Flatlands
...And Oceans
****
Written on 19.01.08
Now calling themselves Havoc Unit to honour the band's evolution into a techno sound, though perhaps primarily to stop annoying fans of their earlier releases by incrementally eliminating all traces of metal, the first album of Finland's '...And Oceans' is their only predominantly black metal release, before the experimentation of the excellent follow-up paved the way for the band's decline (from a metal point of view, of course). While it's reasonable to note this as a less novel or fascinating album than 'The Symmetry of I - The Circle of O,' 'The Dynamic Gallery of Thoughts' is still an excellent album of melodic black metal based around grand, sweeping keyboards and the generation and perpetuation of a specific mood, in places falling into the mountain/triumph metal style of Windir and Summoning (I might as well invent categories, everyone else seems to do it around these guys), but practically managing to re-invent its sound with every track.
Each song is repetitive within itself, typical of many black metal bands even when they aren't striving for the hypnotic trances of Burzum, and it's easy to get swept pleasantly into the soundscape, assuming you're cosily familiar around clinically relentless blast beats and rasping black metal vocals. Personally, I find them as soothing as a mother's lullaby, but that's enough about my dubious psychology, it's Anzhaar's majestic keyboards that are really the dominant force in this album. They generally fall into the sweeping Windir/Summoning style in pleasant and successful contrast to the gritty foundations of the roaring guitar, bass and drums, but as the album continues, the keys become enjoyably prone to excess: the epic 'Je Te Connais Beau Masque' begins with world music ambience in the style of Vangelis and end as a dominant grand piano, with a bit of regal organ in the middle. The less impressive follow-up that oddly happens to be the exact same length, but uses it to less effect, features a lead keyboard section that harks back to Jean-Michel Jarre and all that seventies new age crap, but that's fine because I do love that crap sometimes, especially when incorporated so well into black metal.
The rest of the band might not have the same presence or effectiveness, but the album is still full of great riffs from guitarists Neptune and de Monde if you listen out for them, again most effectively in the fourth song. The screaming Finn calling himself K-2T4-S (not pretentious at all, then) succeeds in moving between accents in the differing languages of the lyrics, which is an odd and interesting feature to observe in a black metal scream, and the third song unleashes some Burzum-style pained shrieks in case the more mechanical aspects of the rhythm section were leaving some listeners feeling a little cold and detached. Bear in mind though, this is a guy who calls himself K-2T4-S and thinks he's some kind of cyborg from the future. There's even a slight hint of a female opera singer near the start of track six just to keep things interesting, though the shifting speeds and various interludes were already doing a damn fine job of keeping everyone on their toes.
Even with the hints of restlessness and experimentation that would result in radically different discography hereafter, this is still an entirely black metal album, though not in the purest root form of the genre, and maybe not one to please those with a taste for harder, brain-crunching stuff like Behemoth. Fans of black metal's lighter, epicer and more expressive side should find a lot to enjoy, and should be enough to incite an interest in where their sound went from there. Be wary.
1. Trollfan
2. The Room of Thousand Arts
3. Som Öppna Böcker
4. Je Te Connais Beau Masque
5. Mikrobotik Fields / Ur Lldrig Saga Och Slng
6. Samtal Med Tankar - Halo of Words
7. September (När Hjärtat Blöder)
8. Kärsimyksien Vaaleat Kädet
Advantages: Experimental black metal that isn't pompous.
Disadvantages: Less ambitious than their later releases (I've completely contradicted myself here, I know).
...And Oceans
A.M.G.O.D.
**
Written on 20.01.08
Wow, what the hell happened here? '...And Oceans' are certainly one of the more dynamic and fascinating bands in black metal, never seeming content to replicate the same style for more than one studio album and always insistent on moving forward. Unfortunately, the brand new direction taken on 'A.M.G.O.D,' while not necessarily a mis-step and certainly paving the way for their future, is a disappointment after the supremely high quality of the first two albums. Sort of like 'Return of the Jedi.'
This is the point where the keyboard prominence of ...And Oceans turns into fully-fledged techno, but this side of the band only ends up clashing with their earlier atmospheric style, and eventually leads to a more industrial metal style being attempted in songs like 'Tears Have No Name,' which I find incredibly irritating but is sadly the only time this new sound really works. There are quite a few bands out there combining techno elements with black metal, and most of them have to concede that it's an incompatible mix to some extent, explaining the wide gulf between metal songs and techno trax in the albums of Aborym. ...And Oceans used to follow a pleasant atmospheric sound that oddly sat completely comfortably alongside the traditional black metal elements, but here the sound is forced into a harsher and louder direction that also deludes itself into thinking that repetitive industrial chords make it heavier.
The dichotomy is best expressed in the difference between the mostly pure metal songs like 'White Synthetic Noise' and 'Espirit de Corps' and the songs that attempt a greater techno sound, culminating in the inevitable all-out electronic thumping of 'New Model World.' Other songs that start out as decent enough black metal, albeit not in the band's earlier style, soon descend to the dark side in a grating and slightly amateurish way, either through incessantly booping synthesiser melodies in 'Intelligence is Sexy' and 'Odious & Devious' that sound like Jean-Michel Jarre off-cuts, or through tedious Rammstein instrumentation over a boring techno beat in songs like 'Tears Have No Name.'
The band is still skilled, and there are enough interesting deviations in the form of guitar riff changes, piano melodies and a better vocal performance from Kenny (now calling himself Killstar) than in the previous album where he tended to get on my nerves, but overall this sounds distinctly unpolished and essentially like a completely different band to the one I'd grown to love. Now to see if they improved with their final release...
1. Intelligence is Sexy
2. White Synthetic Noise
3. Tears Have No Name
4. Espirit de Corps
5. Odious & Devious
6. Of Devilish Tongues
7. Postfuturistika
8. TBA in a Silver Box
9. New Model World
Ian Anderson
***
Written on 20.01.08
Fans of Jethro Tull's stripped-down folk works such as 'Songs from the Wood' should enjoy the similar style of this third solo release from the one-legged tramp, who in reality has two legs and a nice country mansion in Wiltshire. Perhaps originally starting the whole solo career thing as an outlet to let off folk steam during his primary band's questionable electronic era, this is unapologetic folk rock without the rock that could easily be a throwback to the early sixties if not for Anderson's customarily satirical lyrics.
Without prominent electric guitars, this is mostly a back-to-basics album aided by a few touches from keyboards and background orchestration that adds pleasant gravitas to 'The Little Flower Girl' and 'Sanctuary,' making those two of the more complete and distinctive offerings from this wide selection. The songs are primarily carried through Anderson's distinct Scottish monotone and flute melodies, which will likely already have made Jethro Tull a hit or significant miss with anyone contemplating buying this album, and Anderson is backed up by light percussion, softly jangling acoustic guitar and accordion amongst other unplugged instruments. Aside from some brief tweeting to help set the tone at the onset, this is contemporary folk in its most basic, unembellished form, but avoids being escapist through its social conscience.
As a solo album, this doesn't strive for the same artistic heights as Anderson's earlier, ambitious works in Jethro Tull, but he still has a fair grasp of how to make it structurally interesting and diverse, serving up some Arabian-tinged delicacies in 'The Water Carrier' and 'A Better Moon,' a self-explanatory nautical flavour in 'Panama Freighter' and a dash of French cuisine with 'The Habanero Reel,' though this is most likely my TV-inspired preconceptions of an accordion melody like that signifying a French street with a bloke cycling to buy a baguette, in 1940. This is music that should be enjoyed in a relaxed state, far from the manic, wide-eyed excess of Jethro Tull's more rocking works, and the CD version commonly closes with a few purely instrumental pieces as an even more contemplative bonus ('Boris Dancing,' 'The Stormont Shuffle' and 'In the Grip of Stronger Stuff' after a pointless five-second introduction informing the listener of what they already know they are listening to), as well as Anderson's re-recording of part of Jethro Tull's 1972 classic 'Thick as a Brick,' in an edited form lasting one-twentieth the length of the epic original.
As far as solo projects from prog singers go, 'The Secret Language of Birds' is easily one of the more laid-back and simplistic, not seeking to prove anything unrealistic like how Anderson was always restricted from making the music he wanted to by the corporate manacles that clearly didn't exist. In fact, this sounds exactly the same as Jethro Tull's lighter moments, but expanded into a full-length recording, and as such it's on the good side of mediocre; still not as enjoyable as 'Songs from the Wood' but better than the crap electronic stuff they did in the eighties.
1. The Secret Language of Birds
2. The Little Flower Girl
3. Montserrat
4. Postcard Day
5. The Water Carrier
6. Set-aside
7. A Better Moon
8. Sanctuary
9. The Jasmine Corridor
10. The Habanero Reel
11. Panama Freighter
12. The Secret Language of Birds, Part II
13. Boris Dancing
14. Circular Breathing
15. The Stormont Shuffle
16. Narrative
17. In the Grip of Stronger Stuff
18. Thick as a Brick
Jon Anderson
Olias of Sunhillow
Return to Fairyland
***
Written on 20.01.08
Despite its predictable and perhaps off-putting trippy new age tendencies, coming as it does from the psychedelic mind of Jon Anderson, aka the Yes man, 'Olias of Sunhillow' is an enjoyable solo debut that leaves the excessive prog pomposity of Yes far behind, and trades in Rick Wakeman's self-aggrandising church organ for space-age keyboards stolen directly from Vangelis that really do the trick. Anderson would collaborate with Vangelis on a series of bland synth-pop albums over the next decade, and this album is interesting in hinting at what might have been, had the two artists strove for something of a more epic nature; interestingly, Anderson handles all instruments himself.
'Olias' is a narrative concept album in Anderson's customarily nonsensical style, but the tale is never permitted to take over the music ala 'The Wall.' These eight songs are predominantly grand, sweeping, space-age pieces led by Anderson's Vangelis-style keyboard and high singing (his voice is the definition of androgynous), without the additional virtuoso musicians demanding their individual songwriting credits and twenty minute solo spots as proved so detrimental to Yes' anus-voyaging embarrassment 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' a couple of years earlier, though this does have the added side effect of meaning there are no real distinctive rock melodies or riffs that would have been welcome.
Anderson forsakes his rock background by focusing more on the new age side of things, which I take to mean absorbing basic influences from various cultures such as the recurring tribal percussion that first rears its head on 'Quoquaq en transic,' and more prominently the Oriental tone of the keyboards throughout, which would be perfected on Vangelis' self-explanatory 'China' a couple of years later. It's a little daft and gimmicky, but I do love seventies synthesisers, mainly because it's highly entertaining to hear these classically-trained composers experimenting and having a ball with the revolutionary instrument. It's often the case that the resulting noise is a simplistic mess, especially compared to today's standards, but like the early computer effects of 'Tron,' I find the whole thing to be wonderfully dated and nostalgic for an era I oddly wasn't even alive in.
The keyboards here are epic and atmospheric without being indulgent, paving the way in the intro song before Anderson takes over in 'Meeting' with his mix of scatting, high-pitched nonsense and more pleasant and easily remembered vocal melodies once he begins the story of how Olias challenged the universe. 'Solid Space' and 'To the Runner' also fit into this lighthearted style most similar to Yes and end up being the most successful offerings of the album, the more understated 'Dance of Raynart' and 'Flight of the Moorglade' being heavier on the storytelling backed by simpler piano. It's the longer songs 'Quoquaq en transic' and 'Moon Ra' that are the most disappointing comparatively, for failing to achieve the epic level hinted at by their extended playing times; the former does eventually build to a pleasantly overwhelming soundscape of all the instruments and vocals in harmony, but the journey there is fairly dull, and the latter is more of an extended relaxation piece that may be lacking in excitement, but is still less bad than Yes.
Without Steve Howe's guitars to enhance the idyllic, pastoral sound through great, anachronistic harmonies of the sort that made a classic with 'Close to the Edge,' this album falls a little flat by being overly atmospheric, though there's no reason it should be compared to brutally to the output of Anderson's primary band. I haven't heard his later solo albums so I can't say whether he moved away from the new age sound or embraced it more fully, but the Jon & Vangelis works don't fill me with confidence. This is a pleasant album that perfectly encapsulates one strand of seventies rock, and although Anderson's vocals will likely take some getting used to, you could easily end up adoring the hippie eunuch.
1. Ocean Song
2. Meeting (Garden of Geda)
3. Dance of Raynart
4. Quoquaq en transic
5. Flight of the Moorglade
6. Solid Space
7. Moon Ra
8. To the Runner
Advantages: Great new age keyboards and pleasant vocals.
Disadvantages: Quite dull on the longer offerings.
Android Lust
***
Written on 20.01.08
Bangladeshi electronic composer Shikhee has made some interesting and evocative albums under the Android Lust moniker, but despite being praised by various regions of underground electronic and goth cultures, the level of musicianship itself is fairly mediocre, replicating the style that everyone and his brother can cobble together on a laptop. Fortunately, not all are blessed with such vocal talent.
Shikhee's vocals are what carries this odd and often discordant music through, primarily based in a natural singing voice that gets particular chance to shine in the softer, sparser offerings 'Sense of it All,' 'Unrecognize' and uncharacteristic acoustic-led bonus track, but adapts equally well to the more dynamic and expressive pieces. The opening song seems determined to demonstrate her underground credentials through an overload of crunching, distorted sounds that inspires her singing to move from a subtle whisper to a rasping style that vanishes for the majority of the album, once it becomes content to be a little more accessible from here on. The vocal highlight comes with the dark and honest 'The Body,' which works so well primarily because it steals the best elements of Nine Inch Nails' definitive industrial staple 'The Downward Spiral'; contrasting soft sections with raw acoustic guitar balanced out by louder, more energetic passages and Shikhee's subtle snarl, which will only resurface in 'Fell the Empty Mask,' effectively a call-back to the first song.
There are very few elements of industrial rock outside of the grinding guitar and catchy, clinical drums of these select songs, and the general style is a melancholy take on the electronic underground. The paired 'Thomael' and 'Lingue' represent the peak of the album's eccentric underground oddness, the only songs where vocals are absent, but these more extreme and experimental tendencies are similarly uncharacteristic of the fairly accessible core of the album, which reaches its disappointingly bland peak in the basic dance piece 'Memory Game.' Shikhee has an excellent voice and is perfectly suited to this album's dark tone, but overall there's too great a contrast between the few consciously "alternative" offerings aimed solely at inclusion in the next Hollywood cyberpunk blockbuster, and pleasant but mediocre offerings to bulk it out. The best elements could have made for a fairly strong E.P. release, but the full-length album is pretty stale.
1. Lover Thine
2. Hole Solution
3. Dragonfly
4. Wicked Days
5. The Body
6. Leah
7. Sense of It All
8. Fell the Empty Mask
9. Memory Game
10. Thomael
11. Linguae
12. Unrecognize
13. Bonus Track
Ange
Tome VI
***
Written on 20.01.08
Widely hailed as France's finest and most important progressive band, Ange released this live album at the peak of their popularity, ambition and talent, providing a fitting epilogue to the most consistently impressive period in their extensive history. At least, that's what I've read; Ange isn't a band I was previously familiar with, perhaps due to their use of native language and folk influence that unreasonably deters the rock mainstream from publicising their achievements in the English-speaking world. Considering this is prog rock, which was as much about expanding horizons of acceptability as it was about indulgent organ solos, this is particularly disappointing, but I was glad to finally have the opportunity to hear the band in this compact "greatest hits" style collection.
The band plays a distinctive style of symphonic prog very similar to early Genesis under Peter Gabriel, with a looming mellotron presence that reminds of King Crimson's classic debut (a little French for you, there). It's a little difficult to approach for newcomers, and will take a second listen before specific songs are able to define themselves, but it's still a nicely varied album of the lighter, more romantic and theatrical side of classic prog, particularly suited to Genesis fans. Christian Decamps is obviously a charismatic and engaging frontman, amusing the crowd with his lengthy introductions and interjections that although unintelligible to me, still put across the right message.
The songs are mostly taken from the previous few albums, with one notable exception in the form of the thirteen-minute 'Le chien, le poubelle et la rose,' unique to this recording and demonstrating the band at its romantic best. The only other song of unnatural length is 'Dignité,' extended from its original version to a sixteen-minute jam of sorts, and possibly the finest song here, though significantly overlong in the true prog spirit. The other ambitious highlight is the penultimate 'Hymne à la vie' trilogy which is classic symphonic rock, if a tad grandiose, while the rest of the album flits between this typical style and a darker tone more in line with King Crimson, particularly the excellent central 'Sur la trace des fées' from the Jacotey album, also represented by the equally good radically different 'Ode à Emilie' which is lighter with some cracking guitars.
It's always interesting when approaching and enjoying a collection of this sort to investigate the original studio albums and decide which ones you'd probably enjoy the most, and for me it's the Jacote album I'd be most interested in pursuing, though the two very different samples here don't really give me much clue what to expect. The opening songs from Au Delà du Délire are also fine, but as stated earlier, it's hard to really appreciate the nuances of these songs without being overly familiar with their place in the band's evolution, and their participation in the original studio releases.
Fortunately, the sound quality is excellent, a little surprisingly so for a live album released in the late seventies, and none of intricacies are lost, though from the photos included I assume there was a significant visual aspect in the form of melodramatic stage theatrics and Genesis-style costume changes that added another layer of intrigue. I'm sure this is a near-essential album for Ange fans as an excellent live record, but isn't the most suited to newcomers, however prog-hardened they may be.
1. Fils de lumière
2. Les longues nuits d'Isaac
3. Ballade pour une orgie
4. Ode à Emilie
5. Dignité
6. Le chien, le poubelle et la rose
7. Sur la trace des fées
8. Hymne à la vie - cantique
9. Hymne à la vie - procession
10. Hymne à la vie - hymne
11. Ces gens-là
Angel Dust
Bleed
***
Written on 20.01.08
Angel Dust's fourth album is a well-produced slab of accessible heavy metal that sounds the way most people would assume metal sounded, if their experience was limited to film soundtracks of the eighties and early nineties. Dirk Thurisch puts in his best Dio impression for the slower offerings of this mostly mid-tempo album, crossing over to a more energetic and raspier style for the few faster sections that sound more like ex-Judas Priest/ex-Iced Earth Ripper Owens, and although he's highly derivative, the vocals end up being this album's strongest component.
While this brand of sing-along, anthemic metal won't be to the taste of more technically-minded metal fans, it's a very competent effort, drenched in keyboards that add a great atmosphere without any of the cheesiness that would have seeped in if this album had been made in 1985, rather than merely sounding like it was. There are a few traces of modern power metal in the second half of the album, particularly the fast 'Addicted to Serenity,' as well as a full-on keyboard solo in 'Black Rain,' but the sound is otherwise grounded in the plodding, compassionate rock style that would make women cry if the lyrics were a bit more meaningful. Bernd Aufermann's guitars aren't without their highlights, dominating the louder songs such as 'Never,' but this is the sort of album that places a general maintenance of mood over on memorable riffs, and does it very well. It's just a shame that the two approaches couldn't be combined.
The keyboards add a lofty symphonic flair to most of the tracks, coming to a head in the second part of the largely unconnected 'Follow Me' suite, before taking on a more amateur electronic flair in the last two songs that doesn't work quite as well. The bass and drums similarly fail to impress but can at least be distinctly heard through the polished production, but at the end of the day this is an album of slow, passionate choruses that are mostly pretty good, even if the album's nadir of speed and energy at the end is blessed with unimaginative "break these chains" lyrics. There aren't many songs that particularly stand out, apart from 'Addicted to Serenity' for being faster and the first part of 'Follow Me' for being the necessary acoustic ballad, fortunately very much in the style of Queensryche's 'Silent Lucidity' rather than something by Poison, Warrant or those other tossers that spoiled metal in the eighties.
The band's creative peak comes in the call-back to the acoustic song in the second part of 'Follow Me,' which works very well and almost convinces the listener that they really are two halves of the same epic rather than two different songs with the same name, but mostly this is lowest common denominator metal for radio-rock fans that works equally well as a guilty pleasure for more serious metalheads, perhaps when they're relaxing in the bath or something. The songs are generally a little drawn-out, especially towards the end with overlong tracks like 'Surrender!' not throwing out enough nifty ideas to justify their lifespan, but this album is a fair imitation of Dio-style metal twenty years down the line. You should know what to expect from the band name really, though the album art is a bit misleadingly cool.
1. Bleed
2. Black Rain
3. Never
4. Follow Me (Part 1)
5. Follow Me (Part 2)
6. Addicted to Serenity
7. Surrender!
8. Sanity
9. Liquid Angel
Angel Witch
Angel Witch
****
Written on 20.01.08
Angel Witch's self-titled debut was the only notable album the unstable cockney outfit would ever produce, but has the distinction of being one of the definitive albums of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that enjoyed brief popularity in the early eighties, deemed to be led by bands as diverse as Judas Priest, Motörhead, Iron Maiden and Saxon. Angel Witch are a less significant but still important offering to that devilish dish, and I much prefer this heavy album of dark themes to the bike and 'Sixth Form Girls' themes that made Saxon that much more popular.
These ten songs have been supplemented on more recent re-releases by additional material from E.P.s and live radio sessions, but it's the core forty minutes of the original LP by which the album should be judged, and it fares incredibly well. Sadly created with less money and technology for the heavy rhythm guitars to be as powerful as they would like to be, lacking the intensity of a live performance, this is still highly enjoyable classic metal with dark fantasy themes conveyed through Kevin Heybourne's dramatic and often high-pitched vocals, similar to a low-rent Rob Halford. There are only a few things that hold it back from being an undisputed classic, which I put down to the occasional unison chorus of high shouting, for being uncomfortably reminiscent of later L.A. hair metal bands, and the few songs that fail to make much of an impression.
The majority of these songs are raw and fairly primitive heavy metal at its finest, from the energetic title track that introduces the band's Maidenesque time signature changes and ends in an entertaining but ridiculous crowd chant from about four people with distinctive cockney accents, to the later tracks that become increasingly sinister as the album moves on. Sure enough, 'White Witch' sets the style that will be more or less repeated in 'Sorceress' and 'Angel of Death,' of a distorted guitar riff played at a steadier pace with frequent atmospheric breaks and triumphant returns with screaming dual guitar solos. 'Sorceress' in particular is where the Black Sabbath influence starts to creep in, with the slow and thunderous riff being reminiscent of that band's earliest albums and forming a rare instance of doom NWOBHM. The mood is funereal and wicked, and although it's completely spoiled by the loud guitar solos at the end, I certainly wouldn't go without them.
Interestingly, the next track 'Gorgon' sounds more like Sabbath around their bouncier, commercial period, the guitars recalling specific moments in 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' and pushing forward the punk elements that defined other NWOBHM bands (early Iron Maiden in particular), which figure even more prominently in 'Sweet Danger,' a slightly pop-rock-oriented track I could take or leave from the otherwise impressive album, spoiling things with a dull seventies chorus. The aforementioned 'Angel of Death' would be unremarkable if not for the extra finale provided by the instrumental 'Devil's Tower' that segues from it seamlessly, in which all the instruments put in their full efforts to create a great apocalyptic sound to lead the album out. This isn't all gloom and damnation however, and like most rock bands, Angel Witch serve up the compulsory down-to-earth ballad with 'Free Man'... until a loud guitar shatters the fragile mood after only a minute or so, and the rest of the song plays out like a slow Judas Priest epic, though predictably falling short of the classic 'Beyond the Realms of Death.'
Angel Witch was never an overly distinctive band, but was noticeable and committed enough in an oversaturated fad of a genre that their memorable contribution to the legendary 'Metal for Muthas' compilation LP landed this successful album deal. Creative and personal differences among who knows what other reasons would see the band struggle through the rest of the decade and release far less successful sequels before finally calling it a day, but their legacy lives on in magic- and fantasy-themed heavy metal everywhere, 'Gorgon' being something of a precursor to Symphony X's 'The Eyes of Medusa' and 'White Witch' being very similar to a later song by Savatage of the same name. Thanks to re-releases, this album is still widely available from retailers, and the resurgence in the popularity of NWOBHM after the successful comebacks of Maiden and Priest a few of years ago, the more recent and slightly stranger comeback of Saxon, and the undying persistence of bands like Motörhead that will continue to release pretty much the same album every few years, means that this album could easily be as popular again as it was in 1980. The band still exists out there in some bastardised form, but don't go to the trouble of attending a nostalgia gig; it would be incredibly disappointing.
1. Angel Witch
2. Atlantis
3. White Witch
4. Confused
5. Sorceress
6. Gorgon
7. Sweet Danger
8. Free Man
9. Angel of Death
10. Devil's Tower
Angelcorpse
Of Lucifer and Lightning
***
Written on 21.01.08
This most recent offering from Angelcorpse is a flawless execution of traditional death metal with an epic slant, but is a bit lacking in diversity or any really interesting ideas. The most prominent aspect is Pete Helmkamp's vocals, which are always completely legible through his fierce growl and tell delightful tales of hell, slaughter and stuff in a manner that really comes through in the music, unlike a lot of death metal which you have to form a general impression of through the depraved, blasphemous antics of the album cover. And you can't get a much finer death metal album cover than the devil popping up in heaven and chomping penitent angels like they were chocolate Easter rabbits.
The music holds no surprises for death metal fans, mostly being in a fast register but slowing a little for passages in the more conceptual 'Extermination Sworn' and 'Saints of Blasphemy' where the narrative is given pride of place. The production is rich and mean, meaning the demonic riffs are powerful and audible against the hammering drums and squealing, typically mindless solos, and at only thirty-two minutes in length this isn't too demanding a listen. Really, it's a little unreasonably short, and could have had another two similar-sounding songs squeezed in without affecting the quality.
Lyrically and thematically, 'Of Lucifer and Lightning' is highly competent grandiose death metal, perhaps even a little on the up-its-own-sphincter side of things, but the instrumentation is disappointingly run-of-the-mill. While this fortunately saves the world from enduring yet another technical/brutal death metal band with restless structures purely for the sake of it, there isn't much here that's going to inspire death metal fans apart from maybe the cover. The good news is, those Latin titles don't signify a Rhapsody-style choir intros that perhaps would have been present if Helmkamp had his way.
1. Credo Decimatus
2. Antichrist Vanguard
3. Machinery of the Cleansing
4. Hexensabbat
5. Extermination Sworn
6. Saints of Blasphemy
7. Thrall
8. Shining One (Rex Luciferi)
Angelic Upstarts
Teenage Warning
***
Written on 21.01.08
Yet another punk band of the late seventies, Angelic Upstarts were pretty much the same as all the other local angry bands, but this debut album demonstrates an impressive knack for punk rock, from the mindless angry tirades against the police and other forces of corruption, to more pleasant melodic stuff too. If they'd hired the recording studio a few years earlier before the punk outlet, their music could have gone in all sorts of directions.
With twelve mostly fast, guitar-based songs over half an hour, there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about this album, but there's also impressive energy and guitar talent on display to immediately place it above the majority of bands in the genre, which was still enjoying a boom of popularity at the time. The opening title track is easily the best offering of the album, perhaps unfortunately serving to raising the bar and make the rest of the album look a little disappointing by comparison, and deserves to be on all the finest seventies punk compilations. Mensi's voice is enjoyably gritty but powerful, proudly displaying his North-Eastern accent, and Mond's guitars have clearly been thought out with some pleasant lead melodies and changing riffs as the song moves through several different movements, rather than the two minutes of brainless power chords and shouting that square granddads and such would criticise the genre for (quite rightly, in many cases).
The rest of the album doesn't really measure up, reaching its lowest point in the middle section, 'We Are the People' and 'Murder of Little Towers' both seeming overlong and lacking in interesting ideas. Fortunately, the pace soon picks up afterwards and the remainder is at least fast, energetic and full of swear words, if nothing else ('"Yoof" Leader' is certainly nothing else). And that's all that matters really. Most entertaining and intriguing of all is their cover of Cliff Richard's 'The Young Ones' several years before Ade Edmondson's memorable, over-the-top punk exploded onto TV screens strapped to a wrecking ball. This band would be a lot more famous if they'd opted to use this version for the opening titles.
1. Teenage Warning
2. Student Power
3. The Young Ones
4. Never Again
5. We Are the People
6. Murder of Little Towers
7. I'm an Upstart
8. Small Town Small Mind
9. Youth Leader
10. Do Anything
11. Let's Speed
12. Leave Me Alone
Angelzoom
Fairyland
**
Written on 21.01.08
The amusingly named Angelzoom (a passing Hell's Angel, or something more enlightened?) is a vehicle for talented German singer Claudia Uhle to sing softly and sweetly over accessible orchestral music with slight techno touches composed by the real man behind the project, songwriter-producer Bernd Wendlandt. I'm always suspicious of "solo" projects such as these, mainly because I think it's unreasonable to ignore the musicians and place all the emphasis on a singer who hasn't even written the damn thing, but Angelzoom seems like a pleasant enough project. Uhle is a great singer, mainly occupying the high range but able to shift between a compelling mainstream style to a floating, ethereal mode reminiscent of Enya.
Uhle used to sing for the pop group X-Perience, but Angelzoom sits comfortably in the realm of the undefined "alternative," leading to a strong following even in rock circles, perhaps in part due to the relative boom in the popularity of female singers with her operatic register in 2004 (Nightwish, Evanescence, Lacuna Coil), and the band's covers of notable rock songs that are often really badly conceived (who could possibly think it was a good idea to cover Linkin Park?) The union is further cemented by frequent collaborations with guest musicians such as Apocalyptica, the Finnish cello quartet similarly embraced by metal fans for their lousy Metallica covers. 'Fairyland' was the first single from the self-titled Angelzoom album in 2004, followed a year later by 'Back in the Moment,' and is a very unusual and disappointing release indeed. Starting off very well with the title song and two brand new Angelzoom songs not featured on the album, the second half is taken up by really, really bad remixes of the 'Fairlyand' original, perhaps as a sort of ironic criticism of that Linkin Park thing, though most likely not.
'Fairlyand' itself is a decent enough song, and its memorable, light-hearted, sing-along chorus, repeated numerous times despite the relatively short playing time, makes it the perfect choice for a radio-friendly single. Uhle's voice is at its finest here, with nice melodies written by her producer, and the song builds from a simple piano introduction to include a soft techno rhythm, leading into a louder and more prominent chorus section with dominant cellos and backing orchestration. There's not an awful lot of depth outside of the production values however, and nothing really happens in the void between choruses, which is skilfully edited to the minimum time possible. Seriously, this mainstream, profit-oriented music thing really is quite alien to me. It's the second and third songs that present the greatest opportunity for Angelzoom fans here, and both are pleasant (if a little bland) atmospheric pieces, 'Sapphire Sky' only being a little more dynamic but both featuring a more thoughtful, floating vocal performance over an ambient orchestral soundscape. It's nice, and the songs are both short enough not to deter the most casual of listeners.
The 'Fairlyand' remixes are both incredibly bad, and only serve to urinate all over the quite-good original. The Blutengel club mix is the usual tedious dance rubbish, adapting the chorus reasonably well into its bastardised style but otherwise merely filling up the long minutes with an uninspired thumping rhythm and piercing electronic beeps. I may be a little biased, as this is just about my least preferred variety of music imaginable, but I get the feeling it would be looked down upon by more experienced dance enthusiasts, and only really enjoyed by rock fans who feel they've got into something "alternative." Again, that word is crying out for inverted commas. The Sacrifight Army remix is perhaps even worse, or at least more pointless, taking more liberties in splitting up the vocal melodies and adding some dull guitar and drums in a half-hearted and unsuccessful attempt to make a "rock mix." Again, this really isn't going to appeal to serious fans, and both songs are ludicrously overlong at double the length of the original. I'm not a fan of remixes at the best of times, but these are terrible, needless, grating and incredibly boring, spoiling what would otherwise be a fairly decent release.
1. Fairyland (radio edit)
2. The World Between
3. Sapphire Sky
4. Fairyland (Blutengel club mix)
5. Fairyland (Sacrifight Army remix)
Angra
Angels Cry
****
Written on 21.01.08
'Angels Cry' is a very strong debut from Angra, and immediately established them as one of the major forces in international power metal. While their semi-trademark native Brazilian influence wouldn't really come into play until their definitive sophomore offering 'Holy Land,' this album is just as progressive and brilliantly indulgent as fans of more recent Angra releases will have come to expect. While the influence of early power metal from the likes of Helloween is clear, it's even more obvious just how many bands have based their sound on this style, particularly German Tobias Sammett who seems to have lifted many of these ideas for his Edguy and Avantasia projects. But as ever with this multi-faceted band, power metal fans may be deterred by the bombastic orchestration in some songs, extended instrumental sections in pretty much all songs, and the prominence of ballads - even going as far as a Kate Bush cover!
The sound is very early nineties, so much so that it's practically eighties, and this dates it in a really pleasing way, while permitting some excellent cheesy guitar solos like that in 'Time' that would otherwise be deemed offensive. 'Time' and the other proggy ballads end up sounding similar to Queensrÿche's definitive 'Operation: Mindcrime,' as pretty much all prog metal of the early nineties tended to (and much still does), but no song is really free of signs of progression; even the seemingly straightforward heavy metal of 'Streets of Tomorrow' ends in a classically-inspired guitar solo section. All of the performers are incredibly talented, from André Matos' impossible soprano wails to Luis Mariutti's prominent bass, and 'Never Understand' features a string of pompous guitar solos from the likes of Helloween's Kai Hansen and producer Sasha Paeth. Matos' keyboard provides the great atmosphere, often cheesy and mostly unnecessarily bombast but very distinctively Angra even at this early stage.
While this material isn't as strong as their subsequent classic 'Holy Land' or their most recent albums, it easily rivals the stuff in-between and is a great first release. The prog elements aren't overdone, and although the extended instrumental breaks and ballads won't be to everyone's tastes, the overall effect easily rivals anything from Helloween's classic period, and is certainly better than the recycled material of most power metal bands around the time, with the exception of Blind Guardian.
1. Unfinished Allegro
2. Carry On
3. Time
4. Angels Cry
5. Stand Away
6. Never Understand
7. Wuthering Heights (Kate Bush cover)
8. Streets of Tomorrow
9. Evil Warning
10. Lasting Child
... i) The Parting Words
... ii) Renaissance
Angra
Evil Warning
**
Written on 21.01.08
This is an entirely pointless release for all but the most avid Angra collector who just has to have everything, regardless of futility. These four songs are all essentially the same as can be found on the earlier album 'Angels Cry,' albeit ever so slightly different: the first three are basic re-recordings from a year later, and the final, terrible Kate Bush cover is clipped by over a minute, which is at least a little merciful.
These songs are all highlights of the album they hail from, and showcase the more interesting and progressive side of the Brazilian band that would be expanded on in 'Holy Land,' while still retaining enough commercial appeal to be marketed in this more direct fashion. There's enough variety between the ballad-like 'Angels Cry' and 'Wuthering Heights' to the more complex 'Evil Warning' and 'Carry On,' but anyone who already owns the album - and anyone seriously considering buying this should really own the album - will likely be disappointed by the lack of anything truly special or unique. Even some offerings from the 'Reaching Horizons' demo would have been preferable, despite again mostly finding their way onto the first full-length.
Either Angra or their management were disappointingly content to rest on their laurels and bank of ten songs for the several years before the second album finally came together, and this first E.P. really shouldn't be on anyone's collector's list, despite containing some pretty damn good power metal songs.
1. Evil Warning
2. Angels Cry
3. Carry On
4. Wuthering Heights (Edit)
Angra
Lisbon
***
Written on 21.01.08
As ever, the frequency of more commercially viable ballads in Angra's works makes songs like this the obvious choice for a single, but because the band's softer side has been so well developed there's never a sense that these are sell-out power ballads of the sort that dominated rock in the eighties.
'Lisbon' is a pleasant song that makes full use of the live orchestra drafted in for the 'Fireworks' album, but like the rest of the album it is a little lacking in the originality and excitement of earlier (and later) works. There's very effective use of harpsichord and violin behind André Matos' usual falsetto singing, and only a brief keyboard solo in the middle disrupts what is otherwise a very strong atmosphere perfectly suited to the lyrics, but ultimately it does remind me an awful lot of exactly the same type of ballads that other power metal bands were releasing in the late nineties, particularly Stratovarius. Despite clearly being the superior variety, I'm not as fond of this overall.
The second track was Angra's previous single from 'Holy Land,' here performed in a new acoustic version with the Fireworks orchestra that's quite nice to have alongside the original. At first I thought the band would replace the lead piano melody entirely with acoustic guitar, but after the initial strumming was over and done with it's much the same as the album version, only with a sparser sound that sounds a little out of place as Matos reaches for the high notes in the chorus. It's still a good Angra song though, and along with 'Angels Cry' is their most distinctive material here, though the slightly inferior demo quality makes this final track a little questionable, especially as there are so many versions around (including acoustic variants).
Still, two acoustic songs in a row would have been overkill, especially with the haunting memory of the freeform performance that ended the 'Freedom Call' E.P., and it's nice to tread gradually back in time with a song from each album with the original line-up before the drastic change of 'Rebirth.'
1. Lisbon
2. Make Believe (acoustic)
3. Angels Cry (demo)
Angra
Rainy Nights
***
Written on 21.01.08
You have to really like 'Rainy Nights' to go anywhere near this single. Enough to listen to it three times in a row, first in a slightly snipped radio edit that's all but indistinguishable from the real thing, and the third and final time as an instrumental lap of honour that actually works better than I imagined. Unfortunately, while it's a good enough song, I'm not as fond of the material from the 'Fireworks' era this hails from, though it's interesting to see what is essentially a B-side that didn't make it onto the final album (apart from a bonus track in some versions) being so lavishly treated here.
For being an original, non-album song, this is automatically more valuable than the singles that merely re-use material available elsewhere, but also unlike other singles it's a little too self-consciously "singley," by which I mean it sounds like it was composed with the intention of selling to a mainstream audience. This isn't necessarily a bad thing of course, and many of Angra's softer songs lend themselves to a mainstream audience (with a bit of editing here and there), but the poppy chorus and steady drum beat keeps this rooted in a style that Angra doesn't usually go in for, despite the continuing presence of the band's usual trademarks such as the overblown orchestra and the rock instruments.
Overall, this is a bit of a throwback to the sound of the first album 'Angels Cry' which was rooted in an eighties metal mentality, but was also a lot more progressive. The first two tracks here are more or less exactly the same, with only the editing out of repeated bars, and the instrumental version doesn't really work in the way that no instrumental can really work when you're already familiar with the original song; you're just waiting for the vocals to kick in, and the whole thing seems lacking for being based around a typical verse-chorus structure. It's still quite atmospheric though, and the sweeping violins are pretty, it's just odd how overboard the band have gone on milking this piece of original music as much as they can!
1. Rainy Nights (radio edit)
2. Rainy Nights (full version)
3. Rainy Nights (instrumental version)
Angra
Temple of Shadows
*****
Written on 22.01.08
Another concept album in the style of 'Holy Land,' this time based around the earthly and supernatural exploits of an eleventh-century crusader seeking to topple the Catholic church, 'Temple of Shadows' is arguably Angra's finest album but still suffers a little from over-ambition. Where 'Holy Land' contrasted Native Brazilian tribal instruments with the symphonies of their European conquerors, this 2004 album evolves from straightforward fast, heavy and loud power metal to increasingly epic and orchestral heights in the second half. Rather then being part of the overall concept, it seems that this was done more to ease newcomers into the band's progressive tendencies gradually, and it works very well. This is among my favourite power metal albums.
Eduardo Falaschi's wails are strongly reminiscent of Edguy's Tobias Sammet, and are really at their best in the faster songs such as the more fundamental power metal of tracks two, three and six than in the album's softer moments of 'Waiting and Silence,' among others. As an ambitious album open to new ideas, there are also some enjoyable guest appearances from the band's contemporaries in the metal world, most notably Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) performing a fantastic duet in 'Winds of Destination,' one of the best songs here. With the introduction of Spanish-tinged instruments in the acoustic 'Wishing Well,' the album expands its horizons, not always to great result (this song in particular is fairly bad), but always interesting. 'The Shadow Hunter' maintains these Latin elements as the album seeks to define itself as progressive power metal through use of some contrived but successful time signature changes in the rhythm, and the orchestra really comes into its own starting from 'No Pain for the Dead,' remaining for the rest of the songs and reaching its zenith in the final 'Gate XIII.'
As powerful and exciting as the earlier 'Spread Your Fire,' 'Angels and Demons' and 'The Temple of Hate,' the aforementioned 'Winds of Destination' is really the only song in the album's latter half that will necessarily appeal to power metal fans who aren't quite into the more progressive stuff, but 'Late Redemption' has some great guitar solos from Kiko Loureiro as well as an interesting mix of English vocals and what I presume is Spanish. Fans of Falaschi's voice will enjoy the oddly named 'Sprouts of Time,' which is certainly his finest performance but does sound far too much like an extract from a Broadway musical for my tastes, while prog metal old-timers may be pleased at the distinctly eighties keyboards of 'No Pain for the Dead,' sounding like early Dream Theater with Kevin Moore. While some of the songs are inevitably too long, others are just perfect, and while it's inherent in a progressive album like this that it won't all appeal to everyone, every performance is excellent and the concept well executed, topping even their past successes and remaining Angra's peak for now.
1. Deus Le Volt!
2. Spread Your Fire
3. Angels and Demons
4. Waiting and Silence
5. Wishing Well
6. The Temple of Hate
7. The Shadow Hunter
8. No Pain for the Dead
9. Winds of Destination
10. Sprouts of Time
11. Morning Star
12. Late Redemption
13. Gate XIII
Angra
Aurora Consurgens
****
Written on 22.01.08
'Aurora Consurgens' continues directly where its illustrious predecessor 'Temple of Shadows' left off, mixing native Brazilian instruments and grand orchestration with melodic power metal in an unashamedly grandiose style. Just as Temple moved on from speedy, energetic power metal to this slower, epic style, Aurora forges its own path throughout the album, and one that's likely to divide listeners depending on their personal tastes. The trend here is more towards slow and moody power ballads in the style of eighties metal, fortunately kept under control by the omnipresence of the heavy rock instruments and sweeping orchestra behind, but even this can't save it from a slightly cheesy overall sound and some really quite embarrassing lyrics.
The faster and louder metal elements are still here for long-time fans, right from the rousing opening number 'The Course of Nature' to the penultimate 'Scream Your Heart Out,' but less opportunity is provided for straightforward power metal in the European style as was the case with the last album. These are quite chorus-centric songs, as many of Angra's tend to be, and after the album is over, it's the grooving chorus of 'Salvation Suicide,' the overly optimistic 'So Near So Far' and the croon of the low-key acoustic finale 'Abandoned Fate' that will stay with the listener, for better or worse, over the extended instrumental passages that make most songs far longer than they reasonably should be.
This is still a commendably progressive album, the orchestration and tribal elements coming into play in most songs and some of the instrumental sections being nicely unhinged, but the whole thing does tend too much towards the mellow side of prog metal bands like Shadow Gallery for my liking, seemingly following the course plotted out by Queensryche's softer moments in the late eighties to the extent that Eduardo Falaschi sounds a lot like Geoff Tate on the softer tracks. With lyrics like "fly in a neverending story," "life is so boring" and "ohh, take a chance" this is far from the grander heights of progressive metal, not that Angra has ever expressed any desire to being classed among the likes of Dream Theater and Symphony X, but fans who were blown away by their exciting power metal of the previous album and not so sure what to make of its later, softer moments won't find an awful lot to appeal here, and I admit I was disappointed after getting my hopes up prior to the album's release.
'Aurora Consurgens' is still a highly competent album with distinctive songs, but most tracks lose momentum for being on the long side, and the whole thing teeters dangerously on the edge an eighties power ballad throwback direction that may see Angra turn into a mere Shadow Gallery or Savatage sound-alike with added tribal drums, sweeping strings and maracas. It wouldn't be terrible, but it's not exactly a step in the right direction.
1. The Course of Nature
2. The Voice Commanding You
3. Ego Painted Grey
4. Breakin' Ties
5. Salvation Suicide
6. Window to Nowhere
7. So Near So Far
8. Passing By
9. Scream Your Heart Out
10. Abandoned Fate
Animetal
Animetal Marathon III
**
Written on 22.01.08
I must be one of the few non-anime fans to have heard this novelty Japanese cover band, which specialises in adapting the theme songs of popular Japanese animated series into a basic heavy metal form, forsaking studio trickery and synthesisers and focusing on a "live" performance with the core rock instruments.
Anime themes tend to be on the melodic rocking side in the first place (at least, as far as I've observed from my brother's viewing habits over the Christmas period), but these covers are more specifically tailored to a speed metal style in the tradition defined by Judas Priest's 1982 classic 'Screaming for Vengeance' and continued by numerous European and Japanese bands, many of which never achieved recognition outside of their home countries. This means heavy guitars in the classic metal style, a fast pace set by the drums and vocals that range from a powerful yell to a soprano wail. Needless to say, it's one of my favourite musical styles, but I have a fairly enormous suspicion that these so-called "Animetal Marathons" would be enjoyed about a thousand times more by anyone familiar with the originals.
Subtitled 'Tsubaraya Productions Collection,' this third album apparently focuses directly on the works of Eiji Tsuburaya, which makes for nice consistency at least. Ultraman especially, and spin-offs thereof, are provided the greatest coverage, as well as several other series whose protagonists' Anglicised names end in "-man." The sound is very similar throughout with very little in the way of change, and is presented as a single, forty-two minute recording, "marathon" being indeed just about the most appropriate term, where each short song (usually lasting just over a minute) flows into the next without a gap, only signalled by a change in rhythm or melody.
It's irrelevant whether the band recorded it in a single take or several takes, or handled each track individually before blending them afterwards, but the decision to focus on a specific series of productions, where the original music was presumably composed by the same individual or team in the first place, adds a greater sense of continuity than would otherwise be found on a collection of random anime favourites, which I'm guessing is the structure of their live albums and shows.
Essentially, this brand of fun nostalgia/homage music isn't really suited to an album recording, especially given the slightly dubious nature of selling it for commercial gain off the backs of the original artists, and is the sort of thing ideally suited to a live performance for like-minded punters/geeks. The live feel is successfully captured, and the production quality is excellent in defining each instrument, but unless you're really familiar with the original songs and are really enjoying the heavy metal take, it's inevitable that you're going to drift out and stop paying attention before very long.
In places it's a little too obvious that the guitar is playing a tune originally designed for a keyboard, and this really isn't along the same lines as typical Japanese metal, owing far more to the American market even with the slightly roaring vocals that forsake the usual castrated vocal style of bands like X-Japan. This is targeted far more at fans of the specific anime series than heavy metal in general, and as such was lost on me.
Animosity
Animal
***
Written on 22.01.08
'Animal' is the most recent release from Animosity, a twenty-eight-minute odyssey of gritty guitar riffs, burped vocals and drum rolls that sounds more or less identical to all the other bands categorised as "technical" death metal. It's talented stuff, but without a firm direction in mind this is all a little too similar and lacking in character for my taste, though it's commendable that the band doesn't spend a lot of time showing off its virtuoso skills once the verses begin and the primary focus becomes carrying off a good tune.
These San Franciscans are as angry as other death metal groups, but channel the aggression into something inherently more interesting than hardcore-influenced metalcore, though there's something to be said for that more straightforward means of expressing these emotions. 'Animal' is subsequently a harsh-sounding album enhanced by the use of severely deep death growls and contrasting screeching back metal vocals, coming to a head in the dynamic duologue 'You Can't Win,' and with only a few moments of respite as some songs take time out at the finale, this is presented as a continuous stream of consciousness that all links together to keep up the momentum, another area in which it succeeds.
Overall though, this band fails to convince or entertain me as much as other modern tech-death practitioners, show-offs or no, and artificially extended with short interludes - the most offensive 'Evangelicult' being a mere four seconds - this album is over before anything really interesting has happened, sticking rigidly to the core sound from which it never manages to escape.
1. Terrorstorm
2. Tooth Grinder
3. Bombs Over Rome
4. Evangelicult
5. Animal
6. Plunder Incorporated
7. Operating from the Ditch
8. You Can't Win
9. Progression in Defeat
10. Elucidation
11. A Passionate Journey
Ankh
Ziemia I Slonce
***
Written on 22.01.08
Ankh has been one of the more prominent Polish progressive rock groups of recent times, and crafted a memorable niche for itself largely for being known as the hard rock band that incorporates a violin into all of their songs, regardless of mood or relevance, to see what happens. The result is interesting and distinctive, if a little jarring at times as would be expected, and 'Ziemia i Slonce' (I have to use English letters in place of correct Polish symbols, as dooyoo doesn't like those very much) ends up being a fairly average album, but one worth modern prog fans checking out.
The harder rock edge of this album is more in line with the efforts of Porcupine Tree around the same time, rather than the darker and heavier works of Tool or any of the prog metal acts, but it's the guitars specifically that take on a heavier tone on occasion, more in line with thrash. This is still a rock album foremost, relying on catchy, energetic rhythms and familiar structures rather than anything aspiring to "prog," and the lack of the familiar symphonic prog instruments and the crystal clear modern production free this album from the burden of tradition. Piotr Krzeminski's vocals are about as standard and general as possible for as rock band, in contrast to his heavier guitars, and much the same can be said for Krzysztof Szmidt's bass and Jacek Gabryszek's drums, though the latter experiment with the same sort of tribal stuff that all prog drummers feel compelled to.
It's only the addition of Micha Jelonek that makes this band truly deserving the label progressive, playing a folk violin in the traditional Polish style over the faster and slower guitars to varying degrees of success, though sadly lacking in the emotive resonance of similar techniques being used by My Dying Bride around the same time. Jelonek introduces a classical element that makes these songs seem a little grander than they really are, particularly in the instrumental tracks, and depending on your view of progressive music this will either benefit or hinder the songs. Some such as opener 'Erotyk' are accessible enough for an ever-so-slightly broad-minded mainstream, but the album does lose a significant portion of its intrigue as the tracks drag on towards an overdue finale. Unfortunately Ankh would only go downhill from here, leaving the future of Polish prog in the hands of others...
1. Poczatek
2. Erotyk
3. Ziemia
4. Dudziarz
5. Piesn o wedrowce
6. Milosc utracona
7. Vivace
8. Kiedy nadejdzie czas
9. Poranek
10. Dobry ptak
11. Modlitwa
12. Slonce
13. Koniec
The Answer
Rise
***
Written on 22.01.08
I don't understand the hype and popularity surrounding this debut release from Northern Ireland blues-rock throwbacks the Answer, acclaimed by Classic Rock as the best new band of 2005 and praised by the old-skool bands they were sent to tour with. It's a decent enough album of hard rock with a significant blues influence, in some songs more than others, but really offers nothing that can't be found from a brief overview of seventies rock. Paul Mahon's laid-back blues riffs and solos are there, vocalist Cormac Neeson is powerful and capable of a fair wail but doesn't have any distinctive character of his own, and the only real sign that this was made after 1978 is the crystal clear production and mixing job, which really captures the full range of the studio performance.
This is hard rock in a distinctly American tradition, specifically the Southern United States, and bears no traces of the band's native Ireland, which I personally find a little disappointing, but is at least an ironic parallel to all the people living in America who still claim to be Irish. The pointlessly abbreviated song titles and lyrics all reference typical aspects of Southern livin', from sleazy Memphis to no-good preacher men, and it's easy to see why Def Leppard and others would enjoy these newcomers as a loyally nostalgic reference to the past. I'm just left a little confused how it could be one of the most acclaimed albums of that year.
The songs are all fairly typical, as you'd find on pretty much any blues-tinged rock album of the seventies. Most are medium speed affairs with cool, repetitive riffs and an energetic vocal performance, others are slower and softer, and others ever so slightly longer and more complex. Some such as 'Come Follow Me,' 'Into the Gutter' and 'Sometimes Your Love' are almost insultingly archaic for being so stuck in the past without the modern chorus and vocal styles found in the other songs, while the aforementioned homages 'Memphis Quarter' and 'Preachin'' are both tediously overlong, their lethargic blues riffs becoming tiresome before the six minutes are up. The latter is at least slightly experimental for including additional musical sources, but the mistake it makes is in utilising a group of gospel singers, hand clapping and a Hammond organ rather than instruments that don't sound terrible and daft, which would have worked slightly better.
The cheeky Hammond works its way into other points of the album, notably the otherwise impressive 'Be What You Want' that includes perhaps the best guitars of the album and manages to carry off a slower and more thoughtful pace with dignity this time, as do 'Never Too Late' and the final, entirely soft offering. I enjoy this album as a simple blues rock offering in the same vein as the superior Clutch and other modern blues rock bands, but I really didn't know what to expect when I first approached it. After reading the hype I was inevitably disappointed to find a series of adequate but uninspired songs that no one seems to notice are merely harking back to the seventies, even the people who were around in the seventies and playing music like this. But then, you know what they say about people who remember the seventies... or is that the sixties? I forget.
1. Under the Sky
2. Never Too Late
3. Come Follow Me
4. Be What You Want
5. Memphis Quarter
6. No Questions Asked
7. Into the Gutter
8. Sometimes Your Love
9. Leavin' Today
10. Preachin'
11. Always On My Mind
Antestor
Martyrium
****
Written on 22.01.08
Here's an interesting band. If your mother bursts into your loud and dingy cellar and demands you turn that Satan-worshipping black metal noise down this instant because the vicar will be visiting shortly, you'll be able to point out that Antestor is in fact a Christian black metal band, and you were merely ensuring that the vicar would feel comfortable visiting this humble abode and having his horizons expanded, when he came down here and violated you (some satire for you there).
The idea of an explicitly Christian spin-off from a fundamentally anti-Christian genre is an entertaining contradiction-in-terms, and as such it's a little hard to take Antestor seriously when replicating the harsh vocals and guitar style of bands like Mayhem, who were more comfortable burning local churches than attending mass there. Perhaps aware that the hard and fast approach wouldn't be conveying exactly the right message, much of this album consists of slower, more thoughtful doom metal reminiscent of Black Sabbath, and the heavier, faster sections are more in line with death metal.
The vocals are predominantly roared in a death metal growl, modulated to a whispered style for the softer movements, but there are some clean vocal sections and a final instance of female singing where the Christian messages can finally be articulated and understood in full. Whether there's a more subliminal Christian agenda struggling to come through in the music I couldn't say, but just as I don't feel any more like killing a gay man after listening to Emperor, I don't feel like going up to them and informing them that their religion is sick and unnatural, and that a place awaits them in hell next to the disabled, babies that died before Christening, women who were wicked enough to allow themselves to be raped by men before they could be married, and men whose genitals had been crushed or amputated (more Bible satire).
This is a mainly pleasant album - pleasant if you're used to black metal, at least - with most songs beginning with quiet bass, guitar or piano sections and maintaining a slow to medium tempo even when the other instruments come in, but some such as 'Materialistic Lie,' 'Searching' and the instrumental title track take on a more impassioned and aggressive role in preaching God's words, the riffs in the second song weirdly sounding just as evil as anything Burzum came up with, and the gurgled vocals not exactly convincing of divine origin. 'Spiritual Disease' and 'Inmost Fear' follow the slow, Sabbathesque style mentioned earlier, and the slightly longer and more complex 'Depressed,' 'Thoughts' and 'Mercy Lord' feature the band at their best, the drums being particularly creative when not merely following the double bass pedals style, though the over-reliance on organ melodies and thunder effects in the finale are overdoing it a little. Of these, 'Thoughts' is probably the best, not allowing the religious message to interfere with the music but likewise sounding comparatively accessible with its catchy drum rhythm, and not as alienating to non-black-metal-literate Christians as you might have thought.
1. Spiritual Disease
2. Materialistic Lie
3. Depressed
4. Searching
5. Inmost Fear
6. Under the Sun
7. Thoughts
8. Martyrium
9. Mercy Lord
Advantages: Bold, and a nice incorporation of doom and death styles into traditional black metal.
Disadvantages: Some songs are a little dull, and the last one a little preachy with its organs and thunderclaps.
Anthemon
Dystopia
****
Written on 23.01.08
Anthemon's second album is a curious serving of grand symphonic doom with an incredible atmosphere and powerful singing, but all the same it's an album I repeatedly mistake for being a tad more epic and harrowing than it really is. The first couple of songs blew me away when I first heard them, until the style continued more or less exactly the same through the rest of the album and even started to bore me a little by the end, but still whenever I think of the album or glimpse its apocalyptic, Beksinski-style cover art, it's guaranteed to fill me with an excitement that's all too soon abated when I remember the bland truth. It isn't a bad album by any means, and even possessing this degree of individuality within the frequently boring and derivative realm of doom metal is a fine achievement, but perhaps now I've got it down in writing I'll remember next time to only play a select few songs rather than committing myself. I'll clearly just forget again though, I am an idiot.
Anthemon's style is consciously grandiose, and Sebastien Latour makes no apologies for dominating the recording with his majestic, symphonic keyboards, which frequently upstage and eliminate even the rhythm guitars. It's often convincing enough to believe there's a real orchestra on the recording, but some of the later songs particularly are content to revel in electronic ambience, while traditionally booping keyboard solos are common, introduced in the second track. The guitars themselves are fairly run-of-the-mill doom, never too heavy or dominant but occasionally producing a slow, elegiac lead in the tradition of pretty much every modern doom band veering on the death metal side of things, though for me it's only ever been the guitars from 'Foretell Omega' that remain memorable after the album has finished. The death-doom influence is far less prominent here than in something like Tears for Mankind, probably the nearest equivalent I've heard but still some distance away, but Marc Canlers occasionally supplements his clean singing with a modest death growl for accentuation, most prominently in track six for no apparent special reason.
It's Canlers' vocals that provide one of the band's greatest curiosities, as he spends the majority of the album sounding like a dead ringer for Iced Earth's Matt Barlow. The similarity is uncanny, making it highly unlikely that Canlers wasn't so impressed listening to albums like 'Burnt Offerings' in the mid-nineties that he trained himself to be a remarkable forgery, though there's always the theory of spontaneous generation. There really are only a few sections outside of the generic death growls that it's possible to tell this is a different singer to the Georgetown P.D.'s finest, but needless to say it makes for an excellent (if not entirely original) performance, and is effective in further distancing this album from the operatic heights of Candlemass and their many imitators.
As is typical of doom, these songs are all a little on the slow side, though remain dynamic and catchy enough through the largely unimaginative drums, and tend to fall between four and seven minutes in length. The longer songs offer enough pleasant diversions to remain interesting throughout, though as mentioned earlier it's the repetitive nature of the album itself that provides the only real problem in making it to the end. With the prominence of the orchestral elements this album ends up losing some of the character and effectiveness of a more simplistic, stripped-down doom release, and along with it most of the emotional resonance, meaning that this isn't the sort of doom you could contentedly spend an evening crying along to in despair. It's very polished and a little obtuse, but each individual song has its merits outside of the collection, particularly as the early songs, the fair instrumental 'Tuned to a Dead Channel' and the sixth track are all comparatively upbeat for doom.
The slower, more typically bleak songs (though only by a little) can be deduced from tell-tale titles such as 'Recall the Absence' and 'Serene Eyes' in which the Canlers/Barlow comparison reaches its peak, and do succeed further in establishing the emotional connection otherwise lacking. The lyrics themselves have never stood out despite Canlers' clarity (I suppose I was concentrating too hard on the Barlow thing), and I'm always a little surprised and disappointed when reading the tracklist that these varied and interesting themes weren't more legibly expressed in the music, which in my mind (untrustworthy, remember) tends to just sort of hover around various ashen wastelands of the crust of the Earth we succeeded in annihilating. The final track in particular conjures an image of impending doom with none of the despair or anger that other bands might strive for, and instead leaves me with a sort of disinterested wistfulness in the inevitable apocalypse of mankind, idly wondering what it would feel like to be engulfed by a nuclear wind and only mildly regretting that I'll never be able to hold my own skull.
1. Above Us
2. Foretell Omega
3. Chatter of the Tube
4. Recall the Absence
5. Tuned to a Dead Channel
6. La chute de l'architecture
7. Manifold of...
8. Serene Eyes
Anthrax
Fistful of Metal
****
Written on 23.01.08
Forget the daft title and rubbish cover, Anthrax's debut album is one of the classics of American thrash metal and one of the best albums this band would ever release, certainly far superior to the blander and more commercial approach taken with 'Spreading the Disease.' Neil Turbin puts in a fantastically energetic and screeching vocal performance is a little reminiscent of the prepubescent James Hetfield of early Metallica releases, but is able reach the high notes with the skill of the best heavy metal singers. Dan Spitz and Scott Ian define themselves as the strongest feature of the band, rotating between maintenance of basic riffs and maniacal, wildly tangential solos, with a couple of excellent dual harmonies in 'Panic' and 'Howling Furies.'
A glance at the tracklist won't do much to persuade those who were put off by the moronic simplicity of the album cover, but what Anthrax lacks in good taste and lyrical flair, they more than make up for in sheer metal intensity. Only a few of these songs fail to measure up to the high standard set by the others, opener 'Deathrider' and 'Death from Above' both being inherently good thrash offerings but seeming more pedestrian and less distinctive, while 'I'm Eighteen' is the only song that seems oriented towards radio play with its tamed, melodic guitars, bland subject matter and annoyingly poppy chorus reminiscent of hair metal, but it's only one small glitch in an otherwise excellent album, and still enjoyable in its own way. 'Soldiers of Metal' is the shortest of the regular songs (excluding the brief instrumental 'Across the River' that doesn't get up to much, but at least isn't used as a forum for showing off) and accomplishes less as a result, but is still a lot of fun with its Manowar-style metal praising, catchy riff and Eric Adams style scream. I wonder how familiar these bands were with each other's work; this would surely be Manowar's favourite Anthrax album.
Now that the less excellent material is out of the way, it only remains to talk about the really great stuff. 'Metal Thrashing Mad' paves the way for the frantic 'Panic,' the crushing 'Subjugator' and the wild 'Anthrax' with its powerful wails, furious guitar riffs and solos and pounding drums, especially prominent in the more substantial 'Subjugator,' while the album ends on an interestingly sinister and steady note with the dark metal anthem 'Howling Furies,' taking its cue from Judas Priest and anticipating Slayer to forge a metal narrative to rival either band. This debut isn't without its flaws and dashes of amateurishness, but these only add to its appeal and energy, and are far more impressive than the more technically refined and clipped offerings from their later discography, not to mention those god-awful rap collaborations.
1. Deathrider
2. Metal Thrashing Mad
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Panic
5. Subjugator
6. Soldiers of Metal
7. Death from Above
8. Anthrax
9. Across the River
10. Howling Furies
Anthrax
Spreading the Disease
***
Written on 23.01.08
Anthrax's second album is a lot more polished than the first and as such lacks any of its energy or excitement, and is evidence enough why this member of the thrash metal Big Five always ranked at the bottom, receiving a cardboard "I tried hard" smiley-face medallion that they didn't strictly deserve . While there's nothing intrinsically wrong with these ten songs, they do all follow more or less exactly the same structure that becomes tiresome fairly soon, and almost all of them lack the intensity, speed and aggression of a genuine thrash performance, with too great a focus on crafting melodic, sing-able choruses. This would be more forgivable if the breakneck 'Gung Ho' didn't explode out of speakers right at the end, inviting jaw-dropping disbelief from the listener who wonders why the hell the rest of the album couldn't be more like that.
The odd melodic song wouldn't go amiss, and there are some great examples on this album, but there ends up being far too many for comfort. Anthrax's greatest assets at this point were new singer Joey Belladonna, whose powerful high scream makes even the lesser songs enjoyable, and the virtuoso/show-off talent of axeman Dan Spitz, who sadly wastes most of his talent with a couple of brief, show-off solos at the start and end of each song, with only a single repeated riff to carry the bulk of it through. These riffs are mostly memorable and catchy, but are repeated ad nauseam in songs such as 'AIR,' which starts out sounding like the coolest metal song in a long time, but by the end has sapped out my will to keep listening. I persevere though; there's a review to write!
Stand-out songs amidst the general average sameness are the slightly daft 'Madhouse,' primarily for its memorable and ever so simple chorus performed in the usual grating unison shout that affects much otherwise promising eighties metal, 'Medusa' which has another great chorus and makes use of Charlie Benante's otherwise overlooked drum abilities, and the finest melodic heavy metal song in the form of 'SSC - Stand or Fall,' which is accessible and energetic enough for everyone to enjoy. The definite highlights of the album however are the aforementioned 'Gung Ho,' which finally unleashes the repressed thrash and delivers a true Fistful of Metal as well as a stupid but great high guitar jig at the end, and the seventh track 'Armed and Dangerous' which was justly released as an E.P. and is divided into equal acoustic and heavy halves, without being anything really rubbish like a ballad, something the album gains more metal points for avoiding (though Belladonna does sing "woah-oah" softly in the introduction, which isn't on).
It's a shame the album wasn't permitted to end on 'Gung Ho' as the Sex Pistols cover is really half-hearted and irrelevant to the point of inciting racial hatred from British listeners (what the hell Queen are they talking about? Are they slagging off our Majesty? It was cool when the Pistols did it, they're honest Englishmen, but not some damn yanks). It leads in quite nicely from the previous song, but takes a disappointingly melodic and polished approach that lacks the raw energy and grime of the original, without a trace of nastiness in the vocals. As with other Anthrax albums, this promises more with the album cover than it ultimately delivers, and is one of the least riveting thrash albums I've heard, far more suited to fans of melodic, radio-friendly heavy metal, which it scores more highly as.
1. AIR
2. Lone Justice
3. Madhouse
4. SSC - Stand or Fall
5. The Enemy
6. Aftershock
7. Armed and Dangerous
8. Medusa
9. Gung Ho
10. God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols cover)
Anthrax
I'm the Man
*
Written on 23.01.08
Oh lordy, 'I'm the Man.' Anthrax's slightly less successful answer to Aerosmith/Run DMC's 'Walk This Way' that was fortunately treated largely as a joke, but all the same doesn't make for a riveting listen - especially when presented no less than three times on one short E.P.
Despite being the first rap metal song (oh fantastic, I just love that particular god-awful sub-genre. Thanx, Anthrax), there really is no trace of metal here. It's essentially a stupid Beastie Boys rip-off full of "hilarious" lyrics performed by bassist Frank Bello, drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian, while regular singer Joey Belladonna politely declines in favour of hiding on the drum kit at the back, and lead guitarist Dave Spitz is similarly unenthusiastic to get involved. It really is a dumb song, possessing nothing beyond novelty value and not even doing that particularly well - the jokes essentially revolve around the presence of naughty words, leading to the existence of the 'radio edit' here that's identical apart from turntable scratching over the offending obscenities, and more specifically their substitution for something more "hilariously" modest. As an example, at one point one of the MCs declares "They say rap and metal can never mix, well all of them can suck--" before his sentence is concluded by another suggesting "a sexual organ located in the lower abdominal area." And then the first responds, "no, it's dick." They say rap and metal can never mix? Get outta town. Far, far away.
I'm not a fan of novelty songs at the best of times, especially hip hop, and combining them with an otherwise talented metal band I quite like doesn't make for the most enjoyable E.P. I've ever heard, especially as I have to listen to the offending song three consecutive times. The only good news is that it was strictly confined to this separate release, and not permitted to intrude on the otherwise enjoyable albums the band were putting out during this period. Also on the positive side, the second half of the E.P. attempts to make up for it by serving up some real metal, but to be honest I was still a little too disturbed and nauseated to properly appreciate it. Their cover of Black Sabbath's 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' is distinctly average, the guitars lacking any sense of the original and only Belladonna impressing with his Ozzy-like delivery of the verses, and the two live Anthrax songs are merely "quite good." I would only inflict this on an enemy as a cruel joke, particularly if I thought they had a similar taste to me when it comes to "hilarious" novelty rap rock songs performed thrice in a row, but otherwise it's an easily overlooked but sadly unforgettable offering from Anthrax's classic period.
The really sad thing is, a few years later they did it all again.
1. I'm the Man (censored radio version)
2. I'm the Man
3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Black Sabbath cover)
4. I'm the Man (live)
5. Caught in a Mosh (live)
6. I Am the Law (live)
Anthrax
Among the Living
****
Written on 23.01.08
Many fans cite 'Among the Living' as Anthrax's finest almost-hour, and it's indisputably their thrashiest and most energetic offering. Moving on from the enjoyable but fairly dull heavy metal of 'Spreading the Disease,' Joey Belladonna's high wails are retained while guitarists Dan Spitz and Scott Ian begin the Anthrax trademark of simple, heavy and incessantly catchy riffs repeated ad nauseam throughout every song. The repetition of this album is one of the reasons I don't rate it quite as highly as their later 'Persistence of Time,' but for providing a mix of great simple thrash anthems, some harder offerings for the live crowd and some more interesting endeavours later on, this is rightfully recognised as one of the eighties thrash classics, and is probably Anthrax's second best overall.
The songs do tend to fall into the categories of fast aggression ('Efilnikufesin,' 'Imitation of Life' and especially the tell-tale 'Caught in a Mosh'), and slightly more laid-back repetition of the more easily digested 'Among the Living' and 'A Skeleton in the Closet,' both of which are more my kind of thing. The most interesting section of the album seems to have been deliberately reserved for its concluding half, unless it's my imagination and there is no real difference, with the finest song 'Indians' containing all the best of what's come before along with a great epic metal atmosphere, and successor 'One World' attempts to hammer home the same issues of respect and pacifism albeit in a modern (eighties) political context. The longest song 'A.D.I. / Horror of It All' follows and is perhaps overlong thanks to the lack of real advancement once the song gets into its stride, but it's one of the more satisfying offerings and makes a very nice transition from atmospheric, acoustic opening to metal frenzy later on.
With its hardcore punk overtones and energy, immortal guitar riffs and great drumming from Charlie Benante, this is as close as Anthrax came to perfecting the thrash genre that would admittedly be handled with a little more style and sophistication by others. Many of these songs remain Anthrax classics, but the style they moved towards after this release, while something of a departure, allowed for more creative and entertaining material in the early nineties.
1. Among the Living
2. Caught in a Mosh
3. I Am the Law
4. Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)
5. A Skeleton in the Closet
6. Indians
7. One World
8. A.D.I. / Horror of It All
9. Imitation of Life
Anthrax
Penikufesin
***
Written on 23.01.08
'Penikufesin' is unique among Anthrax EPs not only for its odd name, but also for actually being any good. Consisting of outtakes from the 'State of Euphoria' sessions, mostly in the form of covers, this is a fun little collector's items for fans that was only ever released in Japan and Europe, and while completely non-essential it's a much more satisfying way to enjoy the band letting their hair down (further) and enjoying themselves in the studio without resorting to horrible rap metal experiments like 'I'm the Man.'
The first song is the only one lifted from the then-recent album with no change, and while 'Now It's Dark' wasn't one of the stand-out tracks for me, it works as a nice opening here and follows a punk style of thrash that's perfectly suited to the rest of this material. The cover of Trust's 'Antisocial' also appeared on the album, but is here presented in an entertaining French language version, leading to a bizarre hybrid of New York French that I don't think I've heard before. Needless to say, this is a bit distracting and Joey Belladonna and Scott Ian don't even bother to keep it up for the chorus where they lapse into the regular English, American, whatever, but it's a fun song that's nicely complimented by the second cover of the same band with 'Sects,' more or less exactly the same and as such the most forgettable song on here.
Less forgettable, unless you own the Sex Pistols version that is, is Anthrax's cover of the Sex Pistols' cover of the drinking song 'Friggin' in the Riggin'', which is as good an excuse for some fun as any, and manages to pull off foul language in a way that 'I'm the Man' could never achieve. The unison chorus is highly enjoyable, and the finale launches into a steadily accelerating thrash session that reaches a greater point of intensity than I would have given the band credit for. The KISS cover is about as boring as any KISS cover, and finally, 'Pipeline' is a fairly short instrumental in the sixties surf rock style and a cover of the Chantays, and allows for some pleasant lead guitars and drums that have otherwise been overlooked in this E.P. that places fundamental fun over technicality, and is all the better for it. 'Penikufesin' is as catchy as anything Anthrax would release, and although easily overlooked it's a nise flippin E.P.
1. Now It's Dark
2. Antisocial (French version) (Trust cover)
3. Friggin' In The Riggin'
4. Parasite (KISS cover)
5. Sects (Trust cover)
6. Pipeline (The Chantays cover)
Anthrax
Persistence of Time
*****
Written on 23.01.08
Opinion seems divided between 'Among the Living' and 'Persistence of Time' as Anthrax's finest effort, but for me this latter release triumphs by a long way. Following the slight disappointment of 'State of Euphoria,' everything here is taken to an extreme - songs are even longer, but remain interesting throughout, Joey Belladonna's vocals are the best he would ever record and act as a fitting swansong, and the production brings out a previously unheard heaviness that adds a distinctly dark and sombre tone to these typically angry anthems.
The heavy approach may deter those more fond of the classic eighties sound, especially as Charlie Benante's excellent drums do admittedly sound like dustbins at times, but the overall sound helps to distinguish this album firmly from its predecessors and inaugurate a new Anthrax for the 1990s, one that would unfortunately never be anywhere near as good again. There's already a slight groove metal element to the guitars that would take over completely in later albums, but all of the classic Anthrax elements are still there, sitting comfortably alongside the new style - as ever, great importance is placed on catchiness, and Belladonna's vocal melodies are more compelling than ever, while the whole album finds a perfect balance between aggression, melody and despair, helped a great deal by lyrics that surprisingly aren't bad considering this is the band that penned 'I'm the Man.'
The major difference here in composition terms, outside of the production values, is the greater emphasis on technicality, though not to a distracting extent. Songs like 'Time' follow slightly unusual time signatures, while other songs move freely from slower opening sections to more standard Anthrax fare, such as 'Keep It In the Family' that starts out sounding much like Metallica's lethargic 'The Thing That Should Not Be' before improving considerably in the second half. 'Gridlock' is perhaps Belladonna's most upbeat vocal performance and segues perfectly into the pleasant instrumental 'Into to Reality' that's far more substantial than its modest name implies, and the next two songs follow more of a melodic punk approach - particularly 'Got the Time' which is another of Anthrax's unapologetic punk covers and integrates surprising well, even affording Frank Bello a rare bass solo. And just in case old-school fans were feeling disappointed by these changes, the last couple of tracks easily slip right back into the classic Anthrax sound of 'Among the Living,' but can't help seeming a little simplistic by comparison.
This is Anthrax's most consistent, imaginative and enjoyable recording, and will hopefully be found alongside Megadeth's 'Rust in Peace,' Slayer's 'Reign in Blood,' Testament's 'The Legacy' and Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' when the radioactive mutant survivors of post-apocalyptic twenty-second century Earth uncover an ancient hall devoted to the Legends of Thrash. As long as the song they recorded with Public Enemy hasn't survived along with it, there may be hope for the future after all.
1. Time
2. Blood
3. Keep It in the Family
4. In My World
5. Gridlock
6. Intro to Reality
7. Belly of the Beast
8. Got the Time (Joe Jackson cover)
9. H8 Red
10. One Man Stands
11. Discharge
Anthrax
Attack of the Killer B's
***
Written on 23.01.08
'Attack of the Killer B's' is the final Anthrax album with Joey Belladonna, but as a collection of B-sides and equally random newly recorded material, it shouldn't really be considered a part of the direct lineage between the excellent 'Persistence of Time' and the really quite bad 'Sound of White Noise,' particularly as if I was Belladonna, I'd rather people didn't remember me for what is essentially a collection of pranks and covers. Unusually for a compilation like this, the album ended up selling respectably due to the Public Enemy collaboration 'Bring the Noise,' a less offensive rap-metal amalgamation than the earlier 'I'm the Man' that reappears here in an almost unrecognisable but possibly worse remixed form, and as far as granting an overall impression of the Anthrax sound goes, newcomers would likely be very confused.
Fortunately, taken as a non-serious album the inconsistency isn't a problem and actually helps in enjoying some of the less musically accomplished offerings, though the Anthrax sense of humour doesn't agree with mine a lot of the time. The major exception to this comes in the final song, a ballad cryptically entitled 'Dallabnikufesin' that should make a little more sense when read alongside its accompanying initials 'N.F.B.', which is a clear parody of the power ballad singles released by L.A. hair metal bands throughout the eighties and is commendably played completely straight, until the final lyric at least when Belladonna reveals "she got hit by a truck" and starts to weep. The lyrics are the worst kind of juvenile romantic tragedy narrative and are completely believable when placed into the canon of bands like Poison, Warrant and Nitro, but the funniest thing about this song is that, had it been released as a serious single, it probably would have done quite well.
Aside from the live versions of 'Persistence of Time' songs 'Keep It in the Family' and 'Belly of the Beast,' the sound here tends more towards the hardcore crossover thrash of Scott Ian and Charlie Benante's side project S.O.D. (Stormtroopers of Death), itself represented by the breakfast epic 'Milk' and the fast and furious 'Chromatic Death,' the two heaviest and most intense songs here. 'Startin' Up a Posse' is the main deviation, an overdone comedy song that varies between slow, country verses and a thrash chorus but is more about swearing for comic effect as a confused ironic statement with some sex noise thrown in, while the rest of the album is made up of mostly punk covers, three of which appeared on the rare 'Penikufuesin' E.P. and are nice to own here in this more commercially available form, but are still only covers (and the Sex Pistols track is nowhere in sight). As far as B-side collections go, this one is interesting for including so much new material, but is still feels like an unnecessarily extended E.P. that's scraping the barrel by relying on so many covers.
1. Milk (Ode to Billy) (S.O.D. cover)
2. Bring the Noise (with Public Enemy)
3. Keep It in the Family (live)
4. Startin' Up a Posse
5. Protest and Survive (Discharge cover)
6. Chromatic Death (S.O.D. cover)
7. I'm the Man '91
8. Parasite (KISS cover)
9. Pipeline (Ventures cover)
10. Sects (Trust cover)
11. Belly of the Beast (live)
12. N.F.B. (Dallabnikufesin)
Anthrax
Bring the Noise
***
Written on 23.01.08
Anthrax's cover of Public Enemy's 'Bring the Noise' is widely celebrated as the first true rap-metal hybrid, and however dubious and responsible for later atrocities it may be, it's a competent enough effort that even deceives the listener into thinking that this sort of thing makes sense. Featuring Public Enemy's Chuck D rapping along with the Anthrax guys, the song was apparently planned as a light-hearted affair that ended up becoming a little more serious, which can only be a good thing considering how terrible their earlier rap abomination 'I'm the Man' turned out. This is a hell of a lot better.
The most impressive thing about this song is how it manages to retain the metal elements through Scott Ian and Dan Spitz's guitars riffs, though they are considerably muted compared to the Anthrax norm. Charlie Benante's drums are also more in line with the hip hop standard, but keep the live presence that makes this more energetic as a result, and the incorporation of turntables as an instrument was less offensive to my ears than I'd imagined. I was pretty impressed, and even though it's not enough to set me on a course to liking hip hop, I've never a heard another rap metal song that I thought was as valid or entertaining, nor one that I could listen to without my stomach turning to be honest.
The second track is also taken from the 'Attack of the Killer B's' compilation, and bears a freaky, presumably unintentional connection to its predecessor in the lyric "public enemies." It's a bit of an odd choice for a live representation of the band as it's really far too stretched out at over seven minutes, though it avoids being too aggressive to alienate any hip hop fans approaching the band for the first time here. More impressive is the reworking of their tribute to 2000 AD's Judge Dredd, 'I Am the Law,' which is a little clearer than the original and lacks none of its energy. It starts off a little dull and repetitive in the style of 'Keep It in the Family' but later erupts into a full force thrash extravaganza that was a long time coming, with a brilliantly fun guitar solo. It's commendable that a wider range of the band's styles was explored on this single, rather than simply bulking it out with an 'I'm the Man' remix that would instantly detract a couple of stars from my rating.
1. Bring the Noise
2. Keep It in the Family (live)
3. I Am the Law '91
Anthrax
Sound of White Noise
**
Written on 23.01.08
It was a disappointing inevitability that Anthrax would follow the trend of their thrash contemporaries in the early-to-mid nineties and drastically alter their sound to something less intense, more hard rock influenced and ultimately more in line with the popular grunge movement, but unlike other sell-out releases that still managed to be surprisingly good ('Metallica,' 'Countdown to Extinction,' 'The Ritual'), there really is nothing to praise about this album. 'Sound of White Noise' is competent nineties hard rock that never escapes sounding distinctly like a sub-par Alice in Chains or Stone Temple Pilots, and is the clear point of slump in the Anthrax discography that would never recover.
It seems that in attempting to match the heavy sound of the previous 'Persistence of Time,' all melodic elements derived from classic heavy metal that formed such an essential and distinctive part of the Anthrax sound have been completely excised, which robs the band of its identity and leaves no clue that this is the same band, something exacerbated by the firing of talented but allegedly unreliable singer Joey Belladonna and his replacement with John Bush. Bush's arrival didn't necessarily have to be like this, a low grunge croak in the style of Kurt Cobain, as he had already displayed considerable talent with a wide range in the early Armored Saint albums, but of course that would be incompatible with the band's new, bland-nineties sound.
I don't have anything against Alice in Chains and those bands who enjoyed such a boom of popularity in the early nineties (indeed, they did a great service in finally putting an end to hideous glam metal acts), but this same popularity expanded to engulf these artists who were continuing to perfect their metal sound just as metal became distinctly unpopular, and that's a real shame. The problem with this album in particular is that it's completely boring and is nothing more than a shameful attempt to fit in with the new scene, something that must have disappointed many long-time fans who were accustomed to the band's formerly independent, "we're Anthrax and we take no sh*t" attitude. Dan Spitz and Scott Ian churn out unmemorable, tediously rhythmic riffs that have none of the usual Anthrax excitement, and the only real member to continue pulling his weight is drummer Charlie Benante, though his more energetic drums often sound at odds with the rest of the music.
As expected for such a commercially-oriented album, it's the tracks released as singles that end up being the most memorable, though no better than the rest of the album: 'Only' for being the peak of Alice in Chains similarity, 'Room for One More' for sounding like a direct continuation of Bush's previous band Armored Saint where they left off with the similarly mediocre 'Symbol of Salvation' album, and the dull ballad 'Black Lodge' that doesn't even offer a cheap thrill to Twin Peaks fans by referencing the series explicitly in its lyrics, if it's even about it at all (considering the band's customarily limited pop-culture horizons, it seems likely for the early nineties). If this was any other band it would probably be worth three stars, but it's a horribly rapid deterioration for Anthrax that doesn't stand up to the test of time.
1. Potters Field
2. Only
3. Room For One More
4. Packaged Rebellion
5. Hy Pro Glo
6. Invisible
7. 1000 Points of Hate
8. Black Lodge
9. C11 H17 N2 O2 S Na
10. Burst
11. This Is Not an Exit
Anthrax
Stomp 442
**
Written on 23.01.08
Just when I thought Anthrax couldn't stoop any lower, they release this horrendous follow-up to the already fairly disastrous 'Sound of White Noise,' only this time instead of ripping off Alice in Chains, they're attempting to combine the irritating, macho groove metal of Pantera with the radio-friendly rock of the Foo Fighters, which is obviously a much better idea.
Once again, the sound is completely alien from classic Anthrax, and this is only made worse by the departure of another member in the form of guitarist Dan Spitz. John Bush manages to exceed all expectations of his ability to sell out and conform by adopting a Phil Anselmo faux-rap style for many of the verses balanced out by reasonable singing in the choruses that still isn't a decent enough excuse, and the whole album is a painful attempt to produce something commercially viable with irrelevant heaviness laid over the top, seemingly in an attempt to prove that they're still the same old uncompromising Anthrax to the small minority of fans who might actually believe them. This is the same uncompromising Anthrax who proudly claimed they would never record a ballad, before following ten tediously repetitive grove metal lite anthems here with an equally bland acoustic song at the finale.
Megadeth and Metallica might have softened up and become a lot less interesting in the nineties, but Anthrax's downfall is surely the most insulting. While Testament sought out an even more aggressive sound through a controversial death metal direction and Slayer stuck to their guns, Anthrax (under the direction of drummer Charlie Benante, but he can't take all the blame) instead allowed themselves to be absorbed into the delusion that down-tuning guitars and eradicating solos led to a heavier sound. This is the worst Anthrax album.
1. Random Acts of Senseless Violence
2. Fueled
3. King Size
4. Riding Shotgun
5. Perpetual Motion
6. In a Zone
7. Nothing
8. American Pompeii
9. Drop the Ball
10. Tester
11. Bare
Anthrax
***
Written on 23.01.08
'Volume 8' is probably the most unusual Anthrax album ever released (outside of 'Attack of the Killer B's' of course), and while certainly not up to the standard of their classic period of the eighties, it's an interesting and entertaining enough oddity to allow the former thrashers to reclaim some of the dignity they lost with their rubbish albums of the mid-nineties. That's not to say that Anthrax have come back to metal with this release, in fact it's probably the furthest they ever went into alternative hard rock, but at least this time around they aren't obviously trying to rip off whichever loud bands happen to be trendy at the time.
The experimental edge is immediately apparent in some of the odd song titles and the presence of interludes, though these disappointingly turn out to be nothing more than brief "comedy" inserts. The real interest lies in the range of styles employed, from the general sound in energetic hard rock that finally abandons the pretensions to metal found on 'Sound of White Noise' and 'Stomp 442' to drastic deviations into The Doors-style psychedelia in 'Inside Out' and even country in 'Toast to the Extras.' Of course, being post-1990 Anthrax there are several major problems that keep this from being a classic release: the overall style tends toward bland repetition, the guitars are completely boring and uninspired, and John Bush makes the whole thing sound more like groove metal than I'd like, but for its greater capacity for invention and the obvious level of enjoyment occurring through the recording, this is a much more enjoyable listen than either of the previous albums - as long as you can stand a noticeably less angry Anthrax that even borders on happy.
Traditional Anthrax fans will likely hate this album, with its occasional ballads, cow bell and lack of anything even remotely resembling thrash, but as I was never a huge fan in the first place I'm able to accept it as quite a nice album amidst a sea of mediocrity. 'Inside Out' was the obvious choice for a single due to its Deftones-like nu metal moments, but for mixing elements of Eastern acoustic style reminiscent of The Doors' 'The End' and going out with a heavy conclusion it's one of the better tracks here, while others succeed merely for being enjoyable stoner rock in the style of Clutch. While it would take another five years for Anthrax to hit the metal mainstream again, though clearly never in the same way they once managed, 'Volume 8' has the distinction of being the oddball in the collection, and I'm always oddly fond of oddballs even when they're not very good.
1. Crush
2. Catharsis
3. Inside Out
4. Piss 'n' Vinegar
5. 604
6.Toast to the Extras
7. Born Again Idiot
8. Killing Box
9. Harms Way
10. Hog Tied
11. Big Fat
12. Cupajoe
13. Alpha Male
14. Stealing From a Thief
15. Pieces
Anthrax
****
Written on 23.01.08
Anthrax's final album with vocalist John Bush (ex-Armored Saint) prior to the reunion of the original line-up continues in more or less the same groove metal style of most contemporary thrash bands since Pantera, but avoids being overly hostile in the same way. With a firm hard rock base, this collection of fourteen relatively varied songs won't necessarily appeal to fans of the band's earlier albums with Joey Belladonna, but don't have the same disappointing, alienating, sell-out sense of later releases by Metallica and Megadeth. With no aspirations to being traditional thrash, and no desire to participate fully in the groove devolution either, Anthrax's sound continues to remain distinctive even when it's barely recognisable as the band as it started out.
The focus here is, as expected, less on creating fast, memorable guitar riffs and more on setting up a heavy groove for Bush to yell melodically over, but starting with 'Safe Home,' Rob Caggiano throws out some old-fashioned solos in most songs for good measure. This longer fifth track was the single from the album, perhaps inevitably, and although its slightly jarring leap from heavy, plodding verses to emotive, melodic chorus is a bit far-fetched, and its main riff's undeniable similarity to that bloody 2 Unlimited 'No Limit' song is rather weird, it opens the album up to greater musical possibilities that it follows through on to some extent, furthering the use of acoustic guitar in the equally varied 'Anyplace But Here' and experimenting with a bluesy approach to the throwback 'Cadillac Rock Box,' while penultimate 'Think About an End' is a surprisingly effective synthesis of Korn riffs with a Pearl Jam chorus and Iron Maiden guitar section.
These songs aside, the album does mostly cater for the late nineties groove metal market, with opener 'What Doesn't Die' setting the trend for hammering, repetitive chords, verses like a slow version of Testament and additional, slightly different choruses added later in the song that can all come together in varying degrees of success for the finale. It's not bad, and 'Superhero' and 'Black Dahlia' at least have good riffs to back them up, but the rest fall into a fairly standard pattern where it's only the chorus that really stands out. 'Refuse to Be Denied' has a hip hop slant to its vocal rhythm, 'Strap It On' is irritatingly repetitive, and only the faster effort of 'Nobody Knows Anything' really harks back to the "golden time" promised by the aforementioned nostalgia anthem.
'We've Come For You All' is an easily avoided but fairly interesting effort from Anthrax that's far from their best work, as is the case for anything released since the early nineties, but could have been a lot worse if John Bush had gone in a more Phil Anselmo direction, though it's still a little sad that he ditched his previous high vocal style from Armored Saint that would have worked out pretty cool. The band is seen inside the album booklet wearing T-shirts that proudly claim, "we're not changing our name!" in response to a stupid plea by the government that they do so in the face of yet another anthrax threat early in the decade.
1. Intro
2. What Doesn't Die
3. Superhero
4. Refuse to Be Denied
5. Safe Home
6. Anyplace But Here
7. Nobody Knows Anything
8. Strap It On
9. Black Dahlia
10. Cadillac Rock Box
11. Taking the Music Back
12. Crash
13. Think About an End
14. We've Come For You All
Advantages: Lively songs with a great vocal performance and some degree of variation.
Disadvantages: Suffers from the same groove metal disease as much modern thrash.
Antimatter
Leaving Eden
***
Written on 24.01.08
Antimatter is partly an Anathema side project, occasionally featuring Danny Cavanagh and Duncan Patterson themselves, but on 'Leaving Eden' it's more along the lines of a solo project for Mick Moss. Moss provides all the vocals, electric piano and the rhythm electric and acoustic guitars in most songs, supplemented by Cavanagh's slowly screeching David Gilmour-style solos towards the end. The overall direction is minimalist progressive atmospheric rock similar to Anathema, but occasionally taken even further. At the same time, Moss' bluesy singing keeps the whole thing accessible enough even to a mainstream audience, provided they have a significant attention span, and it seems to be this commercial consciousness that prevents the album from really succeeding in all but a few songs.
This is only an album you could listen to as mood music or something to relax to, particularly as songs tend to start sounding the same after the first couple of tracks. Opener 'Redemption' sets up the style perfectly, led by Moss' dominant crooning and slowly and softly plucking acoustic before Cavanagh turns it into a generic eighties Pink Floyd song with his blaring solo, and the second song takes a slightly different approach by substituting the acoustic guitar for - wait for it - a piano. Although it's a bit of a contrived change it works perfectly and makes for another of the album's best songs, helped along by Rachel Brewster's violin that doesn't go overboard on the drama before inevitably turning into Pink Floyd again at the finale. The main disappointment I have with the album is that almost all of the songs that come after follow one of these two styles, mostly resulting in a less impressive variant of 'Redemption' that isn't even particularly varied.
The despair factor is competent here, but like Anathema it frequently falters and becomes something blander and more generic, though more easily digested songs like 'Ghosts' are still strong in their own right. The title song is commendably one of the few occasions that the sound branches out to strive for different emotions, and the heavy electric guitars make it stand out amidst the pleasant, atmospheric but ultimately forgettable instrumentals in the album's second half, the only one of which I really enjoyed was the slightly odd 'Landlocked' mainly for being slightly odd, beginning with a xylophone and synthesiser section before morphing into another imitation of track one. 'Leaving Eden' is a talented release that doesn't try anything too fancy, but all the same never escapes sounding like an Anathema clone, leaving me with the distinct impression that the earlier albums written by actual Anathema members would somehow be more satisfying.
1. Redemption
2. Another Face in a Window
3. Ghosts
4. The Freak Show
5. Landlocked
6. Conspire
7. Leaving Eden
8. The Immaculate Misconception
9. Fighting for a Lost Cause
Anubis Gate
Andromeda Unchained
Outcast From the Stars
****
Written on 24.01.08
'Andromeda Unchained' is Anubis Gate's third album, and should appeal to anyone who enjoys the more progressive side of heavy metal, or even more specifically the science fiction concept albums of Ayreon and Rush. More openly progressive than the Danish band's previous albums, the songs are nevertheless still kept memorable and engaging enough to appeal to a wider audience, aided by new vocalist Jacob Hansen whose high falsetto, while a little whiney for my taste, fits comfortably into the style of bands like Fates Warning and Dream Theater that are the obvious musical inspirations here.
This isn't progressive music that's aiming to break down the boundaries of metal, but is rather more comfortable inhabiting a niche that was burrowed as far back as the eighties with albums like Queensr˙che's 'Operation: Mindcrime' and Fates Warning's 'Awaken the Guardian.' The musicians are all talented but don't go to great lengths to show off, excepting the customary guitar solos and theatrics of the longer songs, and the only truly unusual sounds on the recording come in the form of some tribal and Eastern influence in the early sections, followed by seventies spacey keyboards once the locale becomes extraterrestrial. It's nothing that hasn't been heard before many times, but this is still a strong and entertaining album nicely divided into multiple songs of easily digested length (with two permissable exceptions), rather than something blindly composed to alienate casual listeners.
As the album follows a linear narrative, the music moves through several identifiable phases which makes for a more consistent and satisfying experience overall, while always retaining the commercial heavy metal root. 'Snowbound' and 'Waking Hour' gradually introduce the metal elements from a fairly pop-rock beginning to some fast power metal, culminating in the heaviest section of the album from the title track through to 'Beyond Redemption,' all of which should satisfy metal fans as long as they weren't expecting anything too extreme. The pace slows slightly as more synthesised elements are incorporated into 'Resurrection Time,' and from this point the album becomes a little bit grander and starts to take its time, though never leading to tedium. Both 'This White Storm Through My Mind' and 'The Final Overture' are full of great guitar work in the riffs, dual lead melodies and solos and make for my favourite part of the recording, even approaching the sound of modern Dream Theater on occasion, before the final section of the album slows down significantly and provides a nice ending, but noticeably lacks the energy of the previous songs, particularly in the near-ballad 'Take Me Home' sung by bassist Henrik Fayre.
While this isn't a novel or groundbreaking album as progressive albums are perhaps expected to be (the clue's in the name really), it's still another high quality, rip-snorting, sci-fi heavy metal extravaganza of the kind I unashamedly like so much, and there's a nice commercial side to it that prevents things from getting too heavy or imposing. Ayreon is still better though.
1. Freak Storm at Post Zeta...One Child Missing...
2. Snowbound
3. Waking Hour
4. Andromeda Unchained
5. Banished from Sector Q
6. Beyond Redemption
7. Resurrection Time
8. Escape Pod
9. This White Storm Through My Mind
10. The Final Overture
11. Take Me Home
12. Point of No Concern
13. The End of Millennium Road
14. The Stars of Canis Minor
15. Untitled
Advantages: High quality and still accessible outer-space prog metal.
Disadvantages: Some songs are too similar, and it lacks originality.
Anvil
Speed of Sound
***
Written on 24.01.08
This 1999 release from classic heavy metal old-timers Anvil doesn't exactly catch them at their creative peak, but all the same it's an enjoyable forty minutes of energetic metal mixed with a significant stoner edge. Guitarists Lips and Ivan Hurd take their cues from Black Sabbath, or rather the horde of bands that have been influenced by Sabbath in the first place and have gone on to establish several genres of increasingly meaningless terminology (stoner, sludge, swamp, you know), and while these Sabbathesque riffs become very samey and repetitive as early as track four, the band still possesses the determination and energy to save us with a stonking heavy metal performance just when things start to get boring.
Anvil has evidently made its career through accessible metal anthems with easy choruses, and even in the comparative obscurity of the late nineties it's the choruses that still attempt to hog the limelight, which is a shame as they're mostly pretty rubbish even when enjoyable in a punk/NWOBHM/early thrash way. Lips' lyrics attempt to tackle some serious social issues including school shootings and custody battles, but his narratives end up sounding uninspired at best, and a tad embarrassing at worst, though obviously this will only add to the experience for those seeking some classic "cheesy" heavy metal; thankfully, the strong musicianship means you'll mostly be disappointed. There's an irritating degree of repetition in the riffs and choruses of most songs with only the usual celebratory guitar solos offering some respite, but thankfully as the album reaches its half-way point it impressed me enough not to write it off yet.
'No Evil' isn't a classic song, but it's an enjoyable and skilled longer song approaching six minutes that impressively moves from distinctly Sabbath-style slow doom, complete with bell tolls and backing tenors, to unprecedented heavy riffs and speedy solos later on, while retaining the sing-song lyric style for the casual listeners. This is the best song here by a long way, though the final song achieves comparable diversity while others such as 'Life to Lead' and the opening song display commendable energy. Lips certainly isn't past it yet, though he still has a stupid name, and along with Robb Reiner's drums, he makes this an appropriately heavy modern metal record without veering into the groove metal territory that suckers in so many promising bands, only getting as far as a shared interest in down-tuned riffs. The lyrics can be quite hideously bad on occasion, and even seem to quote the X-Files in 'Secret Agent' with its belief that "the truth is out there" and plea to "trust no one," but the music is simple, fun and energetic in a way that only a classic eighties band can manage when persevering into further decades of obscurity. Those zany Canadians.
1. Speed of Sound
2. Blood in the Playground
3. Deadbeat Dad
4. Man Over Board
5. No Evil
6. Bullshit
7. Mattress Mambo
8. Secret Agent
9. Life to Lead
10. Park That Truck
Aphex Twin
Windowlicker
**
Written on 24.01.08
At the height of Richard D. James' unexpected popularity, the Cornish electronic artist did what many similarly reputable artists had done before and since: he sold out. But while the song 'Windowlicker' was undoubtedly his most commercially viable composition yet, its bland style, hidden messages and more obvious satire of its famous, controversial music video make it clear that Aphex Twin's intention is to infiltrate and expose the mainstream music industry for what it is, to destroy the system from the inside. He does a reasonably good job by appending some truly alienating works to this extended single.
'Windowlicker' itself is a fairly ambient and mellow piece of electronic music, in direct contrast to Aphex Twin's customarily disturbing and discordant underground works. It's easy to follow, with only a few distracting electronic sounds in the form of terminal beeps and non-descript shuffling, but even these are repeated in the same order with relative frequency to the point that they too become mass produced, pre-packaged samples that make the casual listener feel an exaggerated sense of alternative taste for listening to. This smooth song is led by a simple, poppy bass rhythm and a main melody partially consisting of pleasant, wordless male and female singing voices, making the whole thing only ever so slightly eerie. In spite of its six minute running length and comparative dissimilarity from the usual mainstays of the Top 40, this really is very pop, and for Aphex Twin is a loud scream that something is awry. Only the very end deteriorates into white noise, not being able to keep up the pretence for the duration, and listeners on both sides of the alternative divide are left to work out the song's purpose for themselves.
Sadly, there really isn't anything else of value on this short release. The second track, designated by a long formula that dooyoo predictably doesn't like but that handily goes by the simpler pseudonym "Formula," is an absolute load of rubbish that will only be enjoyed by the most ludicrously loyal alternative electronic fan. There are enough repeated rhythms and sounds for it to reasonably count as music as opposed to just noise (though I doubt your Nan would agree, unless she's a raver), and the purpose behind at least part of this song has since been revealed as a mere digitisation of an image of James' face with customary Cheshire Cat grin. You're listening to a picture translated into sound, a technique that has a long history in film (1931's 'Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde' for example), but that doesn't exactly make for a riveting bonus track. I should add that cats don't seem to appreciate this song very much when they're trying to get to sleep.
The third song is the lighter and slightly less pointless 'Nannou,' a tender composition that would be even more accessible than the title track, if not for the eccentric touches such as the intermittent winding of the suggested music box and the contradictory restless bass line scratching away underneath. It's reasonably pleasant, and not too long, but again isn't anything to really capture the imagination. My version features two additional tracks not found on the standard single, in the form of rather worthlessly short and worthlessly identical demo versions of the first two songs. The early version of 'Windowlicker' sounds more or less exactly the same from this two-minute sample, only in slightly inferior sound quality, and nobody needed to hear the tedious quacking of 'Formula' a second time, even if it does make a pretty picture of a duck or something. Yes I want to try it now, but that still doesn't mean these were worthwhile additions to bulk out a fairly mediocre single.
1. Windowlicker
2. Formula
3. Nannou
4. Windowlicker (original demo)
5.Formula (early version, edit)
Apocalyptica
Cult
****
Written on 24.01.08
Apocalyptica is a cello quarter from Finland that rose to prominence above their equally skilled competitors by releasing an album of Metallica covers that rocked the rock world and opened its eyes to new possibilities, even though that sort of thing had been going on for years. In spite of my spite, Apocalyptica is a talented group whose thrash metal influence is evident in the fast and furious performances on some of their songs, though they are equally able and prepared to tackle a slower and more contemplative mood more akin to their neoclassical base.
'Cult' is their second album of original works, and explores the full breadth of their fairly limited musical scope. Adding percussion to the core team for extra emphasis in some songs, this is limited to use of a bass drum or gong for dramatic peaks and cymbals to bulk out some of the verses. There really are no electric guitars, though the cellists do a great imitation in the harsher sections. The finest songs are ones like 'In Memoriam' that explore both ends of the spectrum, from sweeping strings to thrash riffs, and my personal least favourites are those like the opening song and 'Hyperventilation' that force prominent melodic cellos in a manner that sounds all too much like they're covering thrash again, and encourages the listener to check the tracklist to confirm that these are original pieces.
Although it's difficult and even a little pointless to pick out specific favourites from the overall epic and calm but sometimes shaky experience, there is something of a build-up here that culminates in the ferocious thrash finale to 'Kaamos' that abruptly cuts off and is followed by six minutes of calm after the storm in the somewhat appropriately titled 'Coma.' If there really is a conceptual story going on, I must have missed it, but songs like 'Romance' and 'Struggle' are similarly appropriate to their titles in their contrasting moods.
As usual for Apocalyptica, they throw in a few cover songs to add value to the album and successfully avoid offending those who are only interested in their own material (like me) by shoving them at the end here in the form of what are essentially bonus tracks. The world didn't need another take on Grieg's classic 'Hall of the Mountain King' from the end of Peer Gynt 1, but as with many other bands, these Finns enjoy providing their ability to keep up with the ridiculously accelerating tempo. Their version is one I don't particularly enjoy, opening nicely enough with some mad cello squealing that we haven't heard previously on the album but then moving on to showcase each individual cellist in turn while the other mess around doing higher melodies, before all finally come together as it leads to the finale.
The two Metallica covers are songs that the casual listener may not be quite as familiar with, the more famous stuff all being tackled in 'Plays Metallica by Four Cellos,' but both are particularly well chosen: 'Until it Sleeps' has a dark baroque feel to it in the first place, and could easily pass for a cello original, while 'Fight Fire With Fire' from Metallica's more aggressive, early days returns to the madly thrashing style of the earlier songs, making a great job of the dual guitar solo and using the bass drum nicely in the heavier sections. I'm not too fond of these type of covers, firstly because they seem a little too much like novelty, and secondly because they absolutely always make me wish I was listening to the original, as I hear a cello take on my favourite guitar solo or a great chorus melody and think "I wish that was a real guitar playing that, rather than a cello." You don't see teenagers gazing in awe at a string quartet performance on TV and rushing out to buy a cello, do you?
1. Path
2. Struggle
3. Romance
4. Pray!
5. In Memoriam
6. Hyperventilation
7. Beyond Time
8. Hope
9. Kaamos
10. Coma
11. Hall of the Mountain King (Grieg)
12. Until It Sleeps (Metallica)
13. Fight Fire With Fire (Metallica)
Apocalyptica
Worlds Collide
**
Written on 24.01.08
Apocalyptica's most recent album is quite a sad, but successful attempt to enter the rock mainstream with their self-styled brand of cello metal. Beginning their career by covering the works of Metallica and other bands and often being branded as novelty, I was pleased when these experimental Finns evolved to write more and more of their own material, but since the departure of Max Lilja and the addition of a permanent drummer to their sound, the band has veered increasingly from its original style to this nadir.
The main problem with 'Worlds Collide,' when you get past the sickening sell-out aspect, is the inconsistency and the band's clear lack of confidence in their unique sound, as the numerous guest performers more or less dictate the style that each song will centre around, from thrash and gothic metal to irritating "nu" metal. Worse still is the calibre of performer relied on here, mostly plucked from the metal mainstream more for their recognition as opposed to any real talent (particularly evident in the presence of Slipknot's "singer" Corey Taylor in track three), with only regular contributor Dave Lombardo retaining any of the band's previous credibility. The cello-based sound is only really prominent on a handful of tracks, the rest seeing the regular musicians drowned out by guitars, overbearing and quite horrible drums, and worst of all the singing that sort of ruins the whole point of the endeavour. If the modern Apocalyptica were to cover Metallica now, what would be the difference?
The only tracks worth listening to for anyone older than about fifteen, or whatever age the misplaced angst of Slipknot and those sort of bands is aimed towards, are the mostly-cello instrumentals 'Ion,' 'Last Hope' and 'Peace,' each taking a slightly different approach; the first combines the irritating nu metal drumming with a standard Apocalyptica fare, and the second replaces these with Lombardo's skills that result in the album's best song by far, the only one to possess real energy and a cello thrash style reminiscent of their earlier works, while Lombardo refrains from dominating the sound in the way the lesser drummers don't manage. 'Peace' is a little dull by comparison, but at least makes for a pleasant finale and provides some respite from the contrived singles and ballads towards the end of the album, particularly offensive in 'I Don't Care.'
The most disappointing songs here are those that forsake any semblance of an Apocalyptica sound and prefer to absorb the styles of the guest contributors to the point that they sound like the other band's B-sides. 'I'm Not Jesus' is a detestable Slipknot sound-alike, 'S.O.S.' fares better but still essentially sounds exactly like Lacuna Coil due to the singing of Cristina Scabbia, and the German cover of David Bowie's 'Heroes' with Rammstein's Till Lindermann unfortunately seems to be going more for the novelty value that Rammstein's fan base is partly based around, though I'm prepared to grudgingly accept that some actually enjoy the music. The style here starts out completely wrong and contradictory, with Lindermann sounding the same as ever above a minimalist cello backdrop that only really matches what he's singing when the cellos are drowned out by rock instruments. With the release of 'Cult' it seemed that Apocalyptica were finally moving away from covers towards a perfection of their own unique sound, but with songs like this their devolution is complete.
1. Worlds Collide
2. Grace
3. I'm Not Jesus
4. Ion
5. Helden ( David Bowie cover)
6. Stroke
7. Last Hope
8. I Don't Care
9. Burn
10. S.O.S.(Anything But Love)
11. Peace
Apostle of Hustle
Folkloric Feel
****
Written on 25.01.08
'Folkloric Feel' is the first album from Canada's Apostle of Hustle, under the direction of Andrew Whiteman with Julian Brown and Daniel Stone. Not too easy to pigeonhole into one genre, it's generally atmospheric and melancholic acoustic indie rock with a distinct Latin vibe, occasionally veering into more straightforward indie rock styles but mostly content to explore a dreamy soundscape with minimal vocals and soft percussion.
The lullaby-type songs 'Sleepwalking Ballad' and 'Animal Fat' are complimented excellently by the use of backing, angelic female vocals to supplement Whiteman's main performance, and they're atmospheric and moving in the style of the Cure around 'Disintegration,' but a little dull all the same. The most successful songs are the more raw and loosely structured acoustic jams of sorts, best represented in the opening title song which uses every minute of its extended playing time to experiment with new directions and introduce the other instruments and classical elements gradually over its course, only morphing into a more typical indie song right at the very end. 'Kings & Queens' is another highlight in a similar style only a little more refined, while the final couple of tracks rely more on ambience and mood than anything particularly engaging in its own right; perhaps Whiteman composed this as night time music, with the intention that these songs can send the listener into a comfortable sleep. It's a nice thought, but slightly spoiled by the seventies rock of 'Dark is What I Want' that's louder and more electric than anything else on the album and stands out significantly as a result, but at least affords time for a nice jangly guitar solo.
Although it's distinctly arty, it's also clear that this album was consciously targeted at a wider audience within the alternative scene by the presence of songs that smell a lot like potential singles, for being shorter and simpler, and focusing on more down-to-earth matters. 'Baby, You're in Luck' is my least favourite song here for its rather dull relationship angst, but 'Energy of Death' is effective in lightening the mood with its upbeat jangle. There's an odd mix here of controlled cinematic minimalism and unapologetic straightforward indie rock, but it's all handled very well and remains surprisingly consistent despite a couple of missteps.
1. Folkloric Feel
2. Sleepwalking Ballad
3. Baby, You're in Luck
4. Energy of Death
5. Kings & Queens
6. Song for Lorca
7. Animal Fat
8. Dark is What I Want / Strutters Ball
9. Gleaning
10. They Shoot Horses, Don't They
Apteka
Apteka
***
Written on 25.01.08
Last year's self-titled release from Apteka (which also contained a self-titled song, just for the hell of it) was the Polish band's comeback after more than a decade away, and if anything it represents an even more unbalanced and narcotic-fuelled version of the band that finally lives up to its name (Polish for pharmacy, or drug store). A few songs are fairly loud and domineering in a hard rock fashion, while other tend more towards psychedelic ramblings from Jedrzej Kodymowski against his equally distracted guitar melodies and Jacek Zoladek's driving bass.
While I kept getting the nagging feeling that the listener really does have to be in some kind of purple haze to really enjoy what's going on, this is quite a decent album of modern psychedelic rock even if it's a little scrambled and very uneven. The louder songs 'Wiochaowska,' 'Terrorysci gora,' 'Przemowienie wodza' and the fast and punky 'Apteka' are distinctly different from the rest of the album that follows a slower and overall less musical approach, but that's not to say that they're necessarily all the more interesting for their repetitive electric riffs and staccato vocal bursts, as the style only really comes together as late as the ninth track.
The primary direction of the album (that these songs interrupt with calculated regularity) really begins in the second track, where Kodymowski shifts to a softer, almost spoken word vocal style of rhyme, before the loose style is taken to its natural conclusion in the following song where the two Poles merely talk and laugh over dull backing music for several minutes. 'Mieszadlo chaosu' is mostly the same, led predominantly by the bass with some reasonable bluesy guitar soloing once Kodymowski has finished talking about whatever it is he's talking about (I can't speak Polski, sadly), and the tone increases to desperation in track six before mellowing to an almost beach vibe in track eight.
None of these songs really stand out, though I was most impressed by the short and energetic title song and the intelligent incorporation of heavy riffs into the centre of 'What Is' proving that this isn't all raving (you know, in the bad way - though I don't think there's really a good way), but the overall experience is enjoyable and nicely unhinged. If you want to experience what it's like to be Polish and off your head, this may be a place to start.
1. Wiochaowska
2. Wszystko w porzadku
3. O rycerzu
4. Terrorysci gora
5. Mieszadlo chaosu
6. Tranfescyta i inne cioty
7. Apteka
8. Kamil Cyprian Norwid
9. Przemowienie wodza
10. Kazda minuta
11. What Is
12. Bo Snu Nova
Arachnotaur
***
Written on 25.01.08
This debut album from the UK's Arachnotaur is a disturbingly heavy monstrosity of drone doom metal spread across four deathly slow, static-laden songs chronicling miserable destruction. Based roughly in the sludgy style of Eyehategod, this is music to fry the brain and cause mental imbalance, but it's as good a way as any to spend forty minutes immersed in apocalypse.
It's clear even from the album's title, which includes the deliberately nonsensical equals sign in 'Slo=w Pertinacious Threnody on the Abnegation of Succour,' that Arachnotaur is a band dedicated to extremes, something that extends to the oddball names they've opted to christen themselves. The depths of heaviness on this album don't measure up to the pummelling force of black metal, but are rather more considered and concentrated into staggered bursts from the slow instrumentation against a constant background crunch of feedback. The world would be a far worse place if this sort of music became widespread and spread its plague of misery and irritability, but fortunately with a self-funded independent release and dedicated minority fan base who can handle it (there haven't been any connected atrocities thus far), this is an album that knows its audience and refuses to cater for the wider market. This is also why it doesn't measure up as much as other drone bands that at least have something more enjoyable going for them outside of the discordance.
While it may not be clear exactly what this album's concept is intended to evoke, from the odd continuing title and minimal lyrics, there is a sense of progression from each song to the next that singles them out as specific movements, at least for listeners paying attention past the generic, hypnotic background sounds. The first, fifteen-minute song indulges in an extremely drawn-out overture of sorts that eventually forms its way into Black Sabbath-style doom riffs and ends in a bass-led section from Captain Dog over which Air Attack speaks an incantation. After this, the next two songs are shorter and more concise, and become ever so slightly faster, in a manner only really detectable with measuring equipment, Rav Bone's screeched vocals and scratching guitar riffs accordingly increasing in intensity as track two leaps over into track three, while Duxty Dekazvez puts in accompanying guttural vocals and an enjoyable drum performance heavy on the cymbals - well, he has to find something to do between the tediously drawn-out drum hits. The final song returns to the elongated style of the first with even more discordant static and other such unpleasantness towards the end, and while it isn't going to win over any new fans it at least feels like a satisfying finale, even if it's the dullest track even speaking comparatively.
British doom often proves to be the most satisfying and innovative (the main exception being Sweden's Candlemass), and even as American bands work slowly and tediously to take it to new extremes, it only takes a quartet of English guys with a depressed attitude and ridiculous names to bring out a definitive drone release such as this. It's not the most pleasant listening experience, in fact the pain and tedium is a large part of its charm, but it's a little disappointing for lacking any real stand-out moments or defining riffs amidst the general thrum of unpleasantness.
1. The Bleak Volcano
2. Speweth Forth Magmatic Annihilation
3. And Thus Cometh the Slow Destrucctaur
4. Bring Forth the Blackened Twilight
Arcadia
So Red the Rose
***
Written on 25.01.08
'So Red the Rose' was the sole, and rather successful release of Duran Duran side-project Arcadia, seemingly intended to explore a more artistic and atmospheric direction free from the pressures and expectations of the group's primary career. As I don't really have the slightest clue about Duran Duran (and enjoy not knowing), I didn't have any expectations of what this should or shouldn't sound like, aside from a general impression that it was a little bit experimental which it turns out isn't completely true. While this isn't exactly in line with the early eighties pop that I'm guessing was Duran Duran's style (I dunno), it's still accessible enough for a mainstream crowd in a home listening environment as opposed to a disco or wherever it was that people went in 1985 (I was only two months old when this was released, give me a break) and mixes mainstream ballads with ever-so-slight eccentricity that I enjoy.
Simon Le Bon is most entertaining in his more energetic vocal performances in 'Election Day' and 'The Flame,' sounding similar to in-character David Bowie, but the rest of the time settles for a softer singing tone more in line with the predominantly slow and atmospheric mood of the other songs, reaching a head in the pleasant duet in 'The Promise' which is probably the best song here, and nicely supplemented by guest guitars from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. There's a clear division between the two halves of the album that would have been even more obvious in the days of double-side vinyl, as the first favours shorter songs while the second goes for the slightly more epic length of seven minute averages for the final three after the brief interlude 'Rose Arcana.' Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your view), this doesn't lead to inconsistency and both sides end up sounding more or less the same as the final two songs merely sound like over-stretched versions of the softer songs from side one, with only a couple of nice touches towards the beginning acting as the sole excuse for their somewhat unreasonably extended length.
Anyone concerned that this album would follow the course of Bowie's 'Low' album will be happy to discover that Nick Rhodes' keyboard theatrics are kept to a minimum and are really no more elaborate on 'Lady Ice' than they were in the otherwise more mainstream 'Keep Me in the Dark,' and commendably the band puts out one of their more unusual songs first, in the form of the sax-heavy 'Election Day' followed later by the even more experimental 'The Promise' opening the second half. There's a slight Oriental theme flowing through some of the keyboards and guitar lines at intermittent points throughout the album that may be mere coincidence, and nice touches like a flatulent bass in 'The Promise' and a folk introduction with violin and flute in 'El Diablo' that then proceeds to adopt a more Latin flavour, but the whole thing is kept firmly in the eighties thanks to the persistent, cold, gothic drums of Roger Taylor, and it's all the better for it. This doesn't border on progressive rock, but for a Duran Duran release it's a commendable artistic statement and one I prefer much more than their customary style. I expect.
1. Election Day
2. Keep Me in the Dark
3. Goodbye is Forever
4. The Flame
5. Missing
6. Rose Arcana
7. The Promise
8. El Diablo
9. Lady Ice
Arcana Obscura
Lies
***
Written on 25.01.08
Arcana Obscura's 2006 album is much more concerned with mixing atmosphere and accessible dance songs than the new age experiments of their earlier career in the nineties, and although it's not the most riveting seventy minutes to sit through, this is a highly consistent album - which is essentially part of its problem. The general sound is a successful one: electro programming, keyboard melodies and rhythms from Thomas Gäbhard, over which he and the female singers create generally sad songs. It's incredibly atmospheric, and the group is wise enough to start varying the sound before it becomes too repetitive, obviously deemed as track five.
From this point onwards the album starts to follow more of a club sensibility, though never in an overly distracting way that would detract from the ambience. 'Law & Order' is more standard dance fare with Thomas' whispered vocals and keyboards that go a little overboard on the spaceiness, and later on the second half of the album is dominated by this same type of electro dance following disappointingly obvious rhythms and melodies, specifically in tracks twelve to sixteen.
A few nods still remain to the group's experimental past in the "suite" of sorts that sees 'Evidence' bookended by a pair of ambient instrumentals that are quite soothing but don't particularly accentuate the central song, which is already the highlight of the album and features the finest vocal work, but later non-club tracks tend to sound too similar to the opening songs, only less interesting. 'Traces' and 'Monument' seem to be striving for a darker, horror film sound that ends up sounding clichéd, while 'Things' sits uncomfortably between the random assortment of sound samples suggested by its non-descript title and just another stab at the pop thing.
'Lies' may be an interesting album for die-hard fans of atmospheric electro, but apart from a few stand-out pieces in the form of 'Evidence,' the pleasant finale 'Vapour' and a couple of the early songs before I became jaded, I couldn't help wishing that Thomas Gäbhard was still trying to sound like Tangerine Dream.
1. Prologue
2. Insincere
3. Broken Mirror
4. Contaminate
5. Law & Order (Lies Mix)
6. Glasshouse (AO Version)
7. Evidence (Prelude)
8. Evidence
9. Blue Sun
10. Line
11. Traces
12. Absurd Innocence
13. Ageless
14. Train
15. Lies
16. Stella Splendess (Club Mix)
17. Monument
18. Things
19. Vapour
Arcane
Ashes
***
Written on 26.01.08
The first release from Australian prog metal band Arcane was originally going to be an extended E.P. consisting entirely of their twenty-four minute epic 'Ashes,' until the order came to bulk it out to a longer release. Does that necessarily mean that the other four songs on here are of a lower standard and tantamount to filler? It's difficult to tell, as the style is fairly blandly consistent throughout; for a progressive band, there isn't an awful lot of experimentation here.
Progressive metal is quite a broad-reaching term that encompasses bands as diverse as Shadow Gallery and Atheist, but the style here flows more along the lines of the pleasant, heavily piano-oriented minimalism of some of Green Carnation's recordings, and as such is a lot less instantly gratifying and creative than their Aussie contemporaries Alchemist. Matthew Martah's keyboards and organ are given the same prominence as Michael Gagen's guitars, not an awful lot in either case, and Jim Grey carries the majority of the album through with his enjoyable but imitable singing. 'Ashes' itself is essentially an extended narrative with vocal theatrics reminiscent of seventies prog acts such as Van der Graaf Generator among others, and won't satisfy those looking for a prog metal extravaganza in the style of the similarly lengthy 'The Odyssey' by Symphony X, 'A Change of Seasons' by Dream Theater, or those album-length songs from Green Carnation and Edge of Sanity; with significant and disappointing pauses between sections, there's no real sense of a musical journey here, the only real deviation being a minor and very short solo section before the verses resume.
Whether intentionally or just due to a fault of production, the guitars and other instruments are very quiet behind the vocals and lack any real force, but this doesn't present that much of a problem considering how laid back most of this music is, without ever trying to be atmospheric. While the other tracks are indeed less memorable than 'Ashes' which at least had its vocal hooks, 'Desolace' almost approaches the guitar-driven sound of Riverside at points and has a few heavy sections to break it up, 'Dawn' tries to be A Perfect Circle but lasts for too long, and 'Fulcrum' is a slightly better version of track one with some actual memorable guitar and bass. The final song 'Memory Awaits' is a piano ballad, slightly different but arguably unnecessary considering that the rest of the album followed a similarly dreamy approach, and although it's the least lively and engaging song it at least avoids being cheesy in the way the word "ballad" could often imply.
'Ashes' is a consistent album, but consistency comes at a cost to any truly engaging or original moments. An 'Ashes' E.P. would have been more interesting, at least to see how that song would stand in its own right without being bulked out in this way, but the band's obvious dedication to furthering this Green Carnation sound should produce superior albums in the near future.
1. Desolace
2. Dawn
3. Fulcrum
4. Ashes
... i) Twilight
... ii) Midnight
... iii) First Light
5. Memory Awaits
The Arcane Order
The Machinery of Oblivion
****
Written on 26.01.08
The Arcane Order is a death metal band from Denmark whose style, while not exactly original, is at least an interesting and talented mix of some of the best and heaviest elements from the melodic death metal scene, without any of the metalcore tarnishing that's seen it stagnate in recent years. Their thrashing approach is most reminiscent of At the Gates, or more specifically the later off-shoots The Haunted and The Crown, while skilfully incorporating the futuristic and melodic elements that worked so well for Soilwork before they became weak.
As essentially a heavier and faster Soilwork album this works a treat, though the similarity of the songs does make it hard to pick out specific favourites. There's a general increase in aggression towards the end which is nice to hear, reaching its peak in the spiteful 'Flames of Liberation' before mellowing out (comparatively speaking, of course) for the very Soilwork-sounding finale 'The Sanity Insane.' While all band members are competent at their jobs, if a little generic, the real highlight is Morten Løwe Sørensen, whose incredibly fast and loud drumming dominates the recording and makes it more convincingly heavy and engaging than the standard death metal fare.
Kasper Thomsen's vocals are more or less in the hostile style of Tomas Lindberg, though he does sing in sections of the final song, and the polished production job provides a suitably mechanical and clinical atmosphere to this sci-fi based band, something that's only spoiled slightly by the incessant and often inappropriate use of keyboards against the machine gun riffs. This is definitely an album for metalcore fans to check out to discover why their favourite genre is doing everything so very wrong.
1. Prologue: the Machinery of Oblivion
2. Infinite Ghost Anathema
3. The Superior Collision
4. In A Hail of Deadly Bullets
5. Servants of a Darker World
6. Bloodlust
7. A Sevenfold Condemnation
8. Breathe the Poison
9. Flames of Liberation
10. The Sanity Insane
Arch Enemy
Burning Bridges
Crying at the Fountain of Youth
****
Written on 20.07.06
Alongside In Flames’ Whoracle and Slaughter of the Soul by At the Gates, ‘Burning Bridges’ by Sweden’s Arch Enemy is one of the quintessential albums of the then-burgeoning melodic death metal genre. Melodic death consciously combines the brutality of traditional death metal with a more melodic edge, mainly achieved through the use of harmonious dual guitars inspired by heavy metal of the 1980s and with less focus on intensive percussion.
Michael Amott formed Arch Enemy after the demise of English death metal pioneers Carcass in 1996, and each album furthered the direction he’d been pushing since 1990. Appearing on Burning Bridges are vocalist Johan Liiva, who would be replaced by a female singer after proving disappointing on tour, Sharlee D’Angelo on bass and Daniel Erlandsson, brother of Cradle of Filth’s drummer Adrian, on drums. To complete this weird travesty of the nuclear family, Michael’s dual guitar accomplice is his brother Christopher.
Burning Bridges stands high above the increasing number of melodic death bands spawning in its wake, and still sounds distinctive despite the hordes of imitators. For a start, Liiva’s vocals don’t follow the basic, inaudible death metal growls of his contemporaries, but are more akin to guttural yells, if you can imagine such a thing. He cites the late Chuck Schuldiner from Florida’s legendary Death as a key influence. The aggression is more pronounced, and you can hear all the words he’s… um, ‘singing.’
The drums are surprisingly powerful for melodic death, resisting the dilution that’s often caused by mixing in classic heavy metal elements. Combined with the vocals, these preserve the album’s brutal edge. The Amott brothers’ guitars act as a sort of Jekyll to this Hyde, delicate and slow. The only slight downside is that many of the solos and melodies end up sounding very much like the type of non-distinct ‘generic high-pitched rock guitar’ of TV shows, adverts and films. I don’t know whether this is due to the album’s production or not, and it certainly doesn’t detract from the effect the band are going for, but it does amuse me a great deal. These TV guitars are most prominent in tracks 4 to 6, with a bit of a taster in the extended solo of track 1.
Just as death metal vocals shouldn’t deter prog rock fans from enjoying Opeth and the puppets shouldn’t put off sci-fi fans from watching Farscape, fans of heavy metal with an emphasis on melody may be pleasantly surprised by bands like Arch Enemy, even accounting for previous bad experiences with death metal. The vocals and drums are still there a little, keeping the faith, but the whole thing is greater than its parts, and the album’s pace never particularly fast, almost grinding to a halt in the final track.
1. The Immortal
2. Dead Inside
3. Pilgrim
4. Silverwing
5. Demonic Science
6. Seed of Hate
7. Angelclaw
8. Burning Bridges
With the exception of the title track, the songs on Burning Bridges all follow a similar style: medium speed melodic death metal led by guitars which then solo a bit. There’s enough variation to keep things interesting for the most part, with ‘Dead Inside’ owing to In Flames’ early days, ‘Silverwing’ bordering on 80s hair metal, ‘Seed of Hate’ focusing on the otherwise neglected bass, and the power duo of ‘Demonic Science’ and ‘Angelclaw’ veering more towards thrash-style aggression with raspy vocals. Opener ‘The Immortal’ really sets the general tone of the album very well, getting straight into a powerful riff between the guitars and drums and featuring an extended and nicely evolved solo to lighten things up. There’s even something like an orchestra barely audible towards the end, possibly synthesised, foreshadowing the violins of the final track.
For some reason, the even numbered songs on this album happen to be my particular favourites. This is probably due to their focus on harmony over brutality, ‘melodic’ over ‘death,’ Iron Maiden influence over Slayer. In fact, ‘Dead Inside’ features a pleasant high guitar section that briefly sounds suspiciously like Maiden’s early classic ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ though its primary riffs belong firmly in the genre that produced In Flames’ Subterranean E.P. ‘Seed of Hate’ sounds a lot like Iced Earth, seemingly taking hints from the Dark Saga and Something Wicked This Way Comes albums, but I can forgive it for its focus on bass lines. ‘Silverwing’ is the afore-mentioned ‘hair metal’ track, and is really where the TV guitars are at their full force, in the five or six distinct, impressive and immensely air-guitarable riffs and solos throughout the song. I dare you to resist! The drums are nice and upbeat for a change, making this song pleasantly fast but not daunting, and although death metal purists would potentially dislike this song for its obvious inspiration in 80s heavy metal, this only improves things for me. I really am a lost cause.
‘Pilgrim’ has one of those riffs you’re sure you’ve heard before, and is again generic metal fare, but was probably unavoidable. As is typical with metal, the lyrics attack the church and some of its members, but never really say anything negative about religion itself. This track is overshadowed by ‘Demonic Science’ which, although annoyingly repetitive and about twice as long as it should be, does the aggression thing pretty well. The Slayer influence is obvious, especially in the guitars squealing off at random tangents and the palm-muted riffs, but this makes the whole thing suitably hellish and fun. But still not too fast. The end of the song once again veers into prime time TV solo territory. ‘Angelclaw’ begins deceptively jolly and light before revealing that it’s actually an inferior copy of ‘Demonic Science,’ although it’s saved from pointlessness by some creative and subdued use of dual guitars.
The album closes with the soothing ‘Burning Bridges,’ the band’s experiment with doom metal, the likes of which Amott would have been familiar with when he lived in England. The snail’s pace, violin accompaniment and slow, echoing drums make this sound like a My Dying Bride wannabe, but it’s still a pleasant song to unwind to. My only problem with this song lies in the vocals, which still go for the same grave-spitting ferocity as elsewhere in the album but sound a bit weak at such a slowed pace. Once they’re out of the way, the song simply plays out for a while until they can’t be bothered any more and the ‘record’ skids to a halt, using that very old sound effect cliché.
Burning Bridges is a very cool album, Arch Enemy’s best, but there are bands out there playing similar music of a much higher quality. Amott’s work in Carcass elevated that band above the grinding riffs and sick lyrics of its early years to one of Britain’s most notable metal bands, but his ‘side project’ of sorts with Arch Enemy ceases to be creative at pretty much this point. For an album that strives to combine existing sounds and morph them into something entirely new and credible, the influence of specific bands (conscious or accidental) is a little too obvious in places, and they don’t all sit well together. The TV solos I’m so fond of may infuriate the purists, but I’m a sucker for nice guitars. The pace of this album may also not be quite up to the speed some people expect for death metal, but it all works perfectly. Another band that’s very big in Japan.
This album repeats what At the Gates did with ‘Slaughter of the Soul,’ and neither band holds up to the work of In Flames during that period. Nevertheless, the vocals are good, the drums equally so, and the bass even gets a look in at track six. As for the guitars, I think I’ve already dealt with those in far greater detail than is strictly necessary. It’s something of a sad irony that Liiva’s bitter lyrics in the final song, in which he accuses someone of betrayal and back-stabbing, likely mirrored his thoughts when he was later kicked out of the band in 2001.
Advantages: Some pleasing and different death metal, great guitars
Disadvantages: Occasionally rips off its influences
Arch Enemy
Burning Japan Live
****
Written on 26.01.08
There was no real need for an Arch Enemy live album this early in the band's career, but due to either a contractual obligation or the departure of vocalist Johan Liiva, this 1999 live performance from Tokyo was cobbled together with hasty cover art (the same as the previous studio album 'Burning Bridges,' but tinted red and with a live photo clumsily overlaid) and would ultimately represent the end of the Liiva era and the band's relative obscurity.
The sound quality here is excellent, but there's really very little to discern these songs from the three studio albums they hail from, apart from rather pointless crowd interaction between that merely introduces the next one by title, and Sharlee D'angelo's similarly dull bass intro to 'Tears of the Dead.' The only real advantage is that by mixing some choice pickings from the ever-so-slightly different albums, the end result is a little more diverse and less repetitive than the original albums themselves, particularly the previous 'Burning Bridges' and its incessant TV game show guitar solos that are only represented on four tracks here.
'Burning Bridges' was one of my first death metal albums, so it's nice to finally hear those songs in a different environment -even if there's only a very minimal change. The choice of song is fairly obvious and intelligent, more so than for the two earlier albums which could have been scoured for better material in some instances, and their ultimate mixture of compelling aggression and eighties cheese in 'Silverwing' sounds just as good here, with a couple of nice and very minor slip-ups confirming the authenticity of the live recording. The heavy breakdown section that comes out of nowhere in the middle of 'Pilgrim' probably went down a treat at the gig, though there's no real evidence of that here, while there are still some remnants of the old Carcass sound in 'Dark Insanity' for old-school death metal fans to mourn over.
I'd only recommend this to someone who didn't already own the three previous albums and was looking for a sampler - considering these are pretty much identical to the original versions, this might as well be a Liiva years best-of that makes a couple of notable mistakes (where are 'Bury Me An Angel' and 'Sinister Mephisto' for instance?) Liiva is as average as ever on this recording and would never really be missed, but the Amott brothers and particularly drummer Daniel Erlandsson are all at their best.
1. The Immortal
2. Dark Insanity
3. Dead Inside
4. Diva Satanica
5. Pilgrim
6. Silverwing
7. Beast of Man
8. Tears of the Dead
9. Bridge of Destiny
10. Transmigration Macabre
11. Angelclaw
Arch Enemy
Burning Angel
**
Written on 26.01.08
'Burning Angel' wasn't the most obvious choice for a single from 'Wages of Sin,' even if this was only ever released in Japan, but it's certainly a fairer representation of the band as a whole than the more popular and exciting 'Ravenous.' With its steady pace and intelligent mixture of heavy and melodic elements, it's more or less Arch Enemy at their best despite not being one of their more memorable songs, and the Amott brothers' guitars segue perfectly between deep death metal riffs and light, classic metal solos and leads, even if the main riff is stolen from Megadeth.
Interestingly, the other two tracks added to bulk this out are both representative of different sides of the band, which is always a nice touch. 'Lament of a Mortal Soul' is one of the heavier offerings from the primary album, featuring great drumming from Daniel Erlandsson, a more contemplative structure and even a pleasant piano outro, and ends up being the best song on here. Less successful is the cover of Judas Priest's seventies classic 'Starbreaker,' which seems added for novelty value rather than as a genuine homage due to previous vocalist Johan Liiva doing such a bad job growling mindlessly over the Amott brothers' poorly reproduced Tipton and Downing riffs. They were clearly going for the same effect as their earlier Iron Maiden covers that similarly didn't work, but at least didn't end up as distressing and poorly thought-out as this.
The bonus track is the only real reason for fans to track down this single, and isn't a good enough reason as it's available on the double-disc edition of 'Wages of Sin' in the first place, and secondly, more importantly, because it's just very bad. The two album tracks here are a great representation of 'Wages of Sin' without deceptively offering up on of the album's unnaturally high quality tracks, and the cover art is merely a variation on the major album's leading themes of crows and eyes and stuff. For completists only.
1. Burning Angel
2. Lament of a Mortal Soul
3. Starbreaker (Judas Priest cover)
Arch Enemy
Anthems of Rebellion
***
Written on 26.01.08
With their fifth album, Sweden's Arch Enemy seem to finally take heed of their criticisms and follow a less contradictory formula for melodic death metal, abandoning most of the frivolous eighties game show style guitar solos and returning to a more aggressive and heavy sound not really heard since Michael Amott's days in Carcass. With this change come some unfortunate consequences, the main one being that Arch Enemy have now lost much of the distinctive sound that made them popular to a select group and won me over in the first place with the irresistibly cheesy lead guitars of 'Ravenous' and 'Silverwing,' two of the best air guitar anthems in the world ever, and have more or less joined the melodic death metal bandwagon of hammering double bass drumming, breakdowns and guitars mostly relegated to keeping a rhythm. Is this what I really wanted, by criticising the amateur style of previous albums? I'm not so sure now, but despite sounding less distinctive, it makes for a stronger and more coherent album on the whole.
The style shift really has reclaimed all the intensity and anger that was absent from the overly melodic 'Wages of Sin,' with Angela Gossow's death metal roar now modulated to a fiercer black metal scream and Daniel Erlandsson really stealing the limelight with his excellent drumming. The Amott brothers' guitars are still great, and when those inevitable lead guitars creep through, they now play along in a more amicable tandem with the rhythm guitars rather than blaring piercingly out of the speakers, and there's still plenty of soloing to go round. Arch Enemy's commercial side is most present in the slowed, slightly pop choruses which are pleasing on the ears and most successful in 'Instinct,' as well as some of the songs towards the end of the album ('End of the Line' and 'Dehumanization') where a bloke joins in with some clean singing. On the other hand, fans of more extreme metal will be pleased by the more explicitly death metal direction taken on 'Silent Wars,' 'Leader of the Rats' and the speedy, traditional death of 'Despicable Heroes.'
An overarching theme of war seems to dominate the proceedings, whether by intention or as a mere coincidental result of the angrier style, but this effect is diminished slightly by the new-found focus on rather distracting, organ-style keyboards reminiscent of Cradle of Filth, especially when coupled with Gossow's black metal rasp. While this only affects certain songs, it becomes especially distracting and chaotic in the final 'Saints and Sinners,' and not in a good way, but at least provides an interesting section to the great 'Dead Eyes See No Future,' where a softly marching drum and flute-sounding synthesiser seem to hark back to the American revolutionary war in the same way as Iced Earth's 'Gettysburg' trilogy. Arch Enemy have become a fairly standard melodic death band here, but have been injected with new aggression and ferocity that was a long time coming, and thankfully spared us all from another melodeath-turned-metalcore abomination. I expected this to be pretty bad, having put off listening to it for a couple of years, so I was glad to be proved wrong.
1. Tear Down the Walls
2. Silent Wars
3. We Will Rise
4. Dead Eyes See No Future
5. Instinct
6. Leader of the Rats
7. Exist to Exit
8. Marching on a Dead End Road
9. Despicable Heroes
10. End of the Line
11. Dehumanization
12. Anthem
13. Saints and Sinners
Arch Enemy
Doomsday Machine
***
Written on 26.01.08
'Doomsday Machine' continues Arch Enemy's inevitable move towards a mainstream metal style that really began with Angela Gossow's introduction to the band, but commendably stick to their guns as far as heaviness is concerned. While the sound here is certainly more in line with metalcore than the band's death metal origins, there's none of that genre's irritating vocal whining or pointless antagonism, and while the performers here are all still highly competent (even if Gossow does disappointingly rely on digitised enhancement for her growl), the main problem seems to be the Amott brothers' unreliable and inconsistent new approach towards mixing melody with heaviness.
Most of these songs are fairly straightforward, unremarkable death metal with a significant metalcore slant, which suddenly become mellow and atmospheric in the second half for no logical reason. While this is technically no more arbitrary than the TV show guitar melodies that littered earlier works such as 'Burning Bridges,' it results in a less confident and professional album from a band that really should have risen to the top of their game by now, rather than slipping from their original peak at "quite good" melodic death metal. This is an improvement from 'Anthems of Rebellion' in terms of a more memorable guitar performance, but once again this is limited to a few choice songs amidst a sea of mediocrity, namely openers 'Taking Back My Soul' and 'Nemesis' for actually getting the formula right, and 'I Am Legend/Out for Blood' for making the time for some very nice guitar solos in its second half.
Despite the protests of their detractors, Arch Enemy have never explicitly "sold out," and this album merely represents another attempt at fitting into the heavier side of the metal mainstream. The sound is still domineering and aggressive without pandering to outside tastes, and I don't think the core band members really have it in them to sell their rock 'n' roll souls, even if they have to admit that they aren't as good as they used to be.
1. Enter the Machine
2. Taking Back My Soul
3. Nemesis
4. My Apocalypse
5. Carry the Cross
6. I Am Legend / Out for Blood
7. Skeleton Dance
8. Hybrids of Steel
9. Mechanic God Creation
10. Machtkampf
11. Slaves of Yesterday
Archeon
End of the Weakness
***
Written on 27.01.08
In their highly creative fusion of classic heavy metal riffs, folk elements, a strong keyboard presence and the fury of melodic death metal, Poland's Archeon haven't so much stumbled across a new and ingenious formula as much as essentially copied Children of Bodom, at just around the time that more famous band moved away from this style towards plains less satisfying. It's a highly enjoyable genre for fans of both the lighter and heavier sides of metal such as myself, and although Finland's Kalmah have already perfected it beyond anything Bodom managed (oh come on, I couldn't just like the obvious one could I?), Archeon put in a great effort with this album, sadly about ten years too late for anyone to take any notice.
The first track 'Arising' sets up everything that can be expected from the rest of the album, with its heavily atmospheric keys, relentless double bass drumming, fast and highly melodic lead guitars branching out into occasional folk jigs, and blackened roars energetically working their way through the typical metal lyrics. This style is both grand and simplistic at the same time and fails whenever anything too extreme is attempted, but the whole album is filled with fantastic lead guitars from Michal Kostrzynski and excellent keyboards from Janek Lesniak, switching between a black metal style and a power metal harpsichord in the blink of an eye and somehow making it all integrate perfectly.
The main problem here is how similar the songs end up sounding, despite their attempts to differentiate themselves, with only 'Queen of the Night' standing out for its slower pace and lighter tone and the finale 'Hungarian Dance #5' for being a short and highly enjoyable take on some folk with the heavy metal instruments. The rest of the album is just as good, but never escapes sounding all too obviously like a Children of Bodom clone, particularly evident in songs like 'Lost Fool,' and ultimately the listener would be much better off looking to the Finnish bands like Bodom, Norther and especially Kalmah for more creative and diverse offerings of the same sort of thing. Sorry Poland, you just weren't quite Finnish enough.
1. Arising
2. Day of the Doom
3. Dead World
4. Queen of the Night
5. Struggle With Death
6. Lost Fool
7. Ruins of Life
8. Prayer
9. Hungarian Dance #5
Arckanum
Boka Vm Kaos
**
Written on 27.01.08
Arckanum is the black metal one-man project of Sweden's Shamaatae, and this E.P. follows a comparatively melodic black metal approach, with frequent lead guitar riffs and even a black metal rarity in the form of a catchy, yell-along, titular chorus in the first song. That said, this is no more accessible to mainstream listeners than other black metal, particularly as the 7" E.P. was limited to five-hundred hand-numbered copies.
These two songs evidently form part of an incomplete suite, but are different enough to warrant inclusion opposite each other in this fashion. 'Bafomet' is a fun rip-snorter of a black metal anthem, complete with a death metal style chorus and a duologue between desperate spoken word pleas answered by black metal growls, while 'Vm Kaos, Gatvm Ok Kosmos' is somewhat darker and moodier with slower riffs from the onset, though equally as energetic as its predecessor. There's a greater emphasis on lead guitar here in typical speedily-plucked black metal style that avoids being distracting by resting comfortably atop the similar existing riffs, and of the two this is the slightly more complex, in comparison to Bafomet's relative radio-friendless (that would nevertheless never happen).
1. Capitvlvm IV: Bafomet
2. Capitvlvm I: Vm Kaos, Gatvm Ok Kosmos
Arcturus
Aspera Hiems Symfonia
****
Written on 27.01.08
Norwegian progressive metal band Arcturus started out as a melodic black metal band of the early nineties "second wave," similar to Ancient in their emphasis on atmospheric texture and mood rather than merely blasting the listener's brains out. 'Aspera Hiems Symfonia' remains their only full-length release in this style before their progressive tendencies came to the fore and they left the extreme elements behind, but even this partial classic is once removed from the more authentic style of their earlier EPs. The 2001 re-master of this album polished up its production sound and tagged on 'Constellation' and 'My Angel,' the latter of which can also be found on the excellent 'True Kings of Norway' compilation of rare early releases from second wave black metal bands, back when they were still good (Emperor, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Ancient and Arcturus), while 'Constellation' is the basis for this album's sound, containing earlier versions of three songs for a direct comparison that works in favour of either release, depending on the listener's taste.
I was slightly disappointed to finally hear this full-length, as its departure from the dingy, moody sound of the EPs to a more eloquent performance burdened by over-use of backing orchestration makes it less effective as a result, despite the presence of legendary black metal alumni in the form of vocalist Garm and drummer Hellhammer. I've been a big fan of Garm's distinctive "monk" vocals since hearing Ulver's 'Bergtatt,' one of my all-time favourite black metal releases, and was later delighted to discover that he was the early vocalist for my other favourite Borknagar, so I had my hopes raised quite high for Arcturus. Garm is as good as ever, using his clean singing less often than his effective and determined growl in order to keep things from becoming too dull, but the rest of the band sadly fails in the same regard.
Hellhammer (one of the Mayhem survivors and always the most level-headed of that bunch) is mostly confined to a slow and steady pace, especially in the later songs as he's relegated further to a marching drum, while Carl August Tidermann's guitars stop sounding as impressive or even as discernible after their enjoyable squealing performance in track five, losing the battle for prominence with Steinar Sverd Johnsen's keyboards that really take over the proceedings and create a fantastic regal air at the cost of memorable or inventive melodies.
The older style present on 'Constellation' in particular is much more in line with the ethos of black metal in its more melodic forms, relying on organ-sounding keyboards for a more chilling and less domineering background atmosphere and allowing the guitars and drums to play a more substantial role, even when the songs are more or less exactly the same on both releases, 'Raudt Og Svart,' 'Naar Kulda Tar' and 'Du Nordavind' all sounding more effective in their original versions. This is all primarily down to a matter of taste, but for an album that places so much emphasis on atmosphere, it slips into ambience far too often in places that the original songs evidently didn't intend to. The progressive rock influence is perhaps part of the reason, as some songs take on a more carnivalesque style than anything seriously gloomy, and much of the album is lacking any trace of metal whatsoever, black or any other shade. 'Aspera Hiems Symfonia' is of minor importance in the continuing evolution of black metal, but its preceding EPs demand greater attention for their innovative style that was all too soon taken from this world.
1. To Thou Who Dwellest in the Night
2. Wintry Grey
3. Whence and Whither Goest the Wind
4. Raudt Og Svart
5. The Bodkin and the Quietus
6. Du Nordavind
7. Fall of Man
8. Naar Kulda Tar
Argentum
Ad Interitum Funebrarum
*****
Written on 07.02.08
Argentum is a Mexican band combining atmospheric black metal with elements of drone doom, and the result is pretty amazing. It's creepy, slow, melodic and compelling just how I like my black metal, and the band incorporates Latin elements quite well after the rather too self-conscious and unbelievably stereotypical sitar touches of track one.
Even without the local touches this would be a fine example of melodic black metal, without the polished production or symphonic theatrics that spoil many bands' otherwise moody albums, and credit largely goes to guitarist Chebb Maelstrom and keyboard player Philix Pherboreon. Both know how to use solos and lead melodies sparingly and to excellent effect, while the more standard guitar riffs that pave the way in most songs have a satisfyingly sludgy crunch. Darkkous Baron Samedi's drums are slow and a little dull, but become surprisingly fast when least expected in 'Mortuus Infradaemoni,' and Khabee's vocals are perfectly fitting in their subtle, burping nastiness, supplemented by spoken words sections and female vocals from Lulis to great effect in select songs.
In striking a balance between depressive doom and atmospheric black metal, this album falls a little short of both extremes and may be slightly disappointing to fans of more epic bands like Summoning or Windir, but the Latin touches (however much they can seem contrived) distinguish Argentum and at least provide a reason for newcomers to check them out. This is a great album, if a little lacking in energy as was inevitable considering the style, and although some of the songs are severely overlong ('Horta Funebra' in particular), the atmosphere is consistently dark and intriguing, and the metal gloomy and hard without being overly aggressive.
1. Enter An Encysted Hibernation
2. Asstrum Argentum
3. La Sorella Di Satana
4. The Serpent´s Lament
5. Horta Funebra
6. Mortuus Infradaemoni
7. Spheram De Tenebras
8. Ad Posthumum
9. Pax Moriendi
10. Umbradiabolous
Argentum
Stigma Mortuorum
There Is No More Life
***
Written on 27.01.08
What happened to my favourite Mexican atmospheric-drone-doom-black metal band? Argentum's debut release back in 1996 was a cracker of an album, gloomy and sinister but melodic and uplifting at the same time, but the long-awaited 2001 follow-up seems to have abandoned all trace of what made their previous sound so compelling. Most probably the fault of line-up changes that saw guitarist Chebb Maelstrom leave among others, Argentum's second - and to date, final - album is merely another light melodic black metal album with annoying delusions of orchestral grandeur similar to Dimmu Borgir thanks to new keyboard player Henry Graves.
This isn't bad metal, and I'd rather listen to it than anything contemporary by Dimmu Borgir, but it lacks the inspired and slightly cheesy Latin individuality of 'Ad Inferitum Funebrarum,' replacing it with even cheesier, domineering symphonic keyboards and uninspired melodic death metal riffs. Khabee's vocals are even burpier and a little dafter sounding than on the debut where they integrated perfectly, and the cleaner production sound robs the lead guitars of the eeriness and emotion they once had, now sounding like any other band that mixes melodic lead melodies with chugging rhythms. All the songs sound the same, with the obvious exception of Graves' piano instrumental 'Bassium Mortis' (as if he wasn't already taking over all the other songs), and any attempts to diversify fall completely flat, such as Senoath's boring, clumsy and out-of-tune bass solo in the middle of 'Mors Imperium Aetheriam.'
The most positive thing I can say about this new direction is that Argentum doesn't try to be aggressive, as seems to be the norm for melodic extreme bands, but in abandoning the depressive and atmospheric direction of their previous work they have severely lost their way, explaining their apparent and unfortunate deterioration some time hereafter. I would have been slightly more impressed if I hadn't heard this after its excellent predecessor, but only slightly.
1. Descensus Nigrum Part I
2. The Gardens of the Unsane Renovation
3. Mors Imperium Aetheriam
4. Nocternarum
5. Interdeterioration
6. Bassium Mortis
7. Acrimonia-Mater Dolorosa
Advantages: Standard melodic black metal.
Disadvantages: Disappointingly generic, with overdone keyboards.
Ark
Ark
***
Written on 27.01.08
Ark played a very different style of progressive metal to the norm, especially surprising considering the extreme tendencies of Norwegian metal bands, as this long-awaited self-titled debut fuses talented musicianship with an undeniably commercial agenda. Most of the virtuoso musicians involved seem to have played as part of Yngwie Malmsteen's band at some point, and the Ark project adopts the same slightly contradictory and ultimately bland mix of pop rock choruses and instrumental masturbation. The result won't necessarily appeal to fans of more experimental prog metal bands, but those who enjoy the light side of hard rock and the occasional non sequitur jazz piano interlude or extended neoclassical guitar solo should feel right at home.
The hard rock singing is carried off well by Masterplan's Jørn Lande, who also seems to appear in everything I write about, and his gruff-but-high approach is perfectly suited to what are predominantly slow near-ballads, never crossing over into genuine heavy metal. Tore Østby's guitars are similarly controlled, mostly following simple riffs to suck the listeners in before he plays around with solos, and even Randy Coven's bass gets plenty of chances to shine rather than being relied on as a mere rhythm instrument. Mats Olausson's keyboards are one of the driving forces here, mostly maintaining a pleasant atmosphere but at other times showing off with a mixed degree of effectiveness, most tedious in the organ of 'Singers at the World's Dawn,' and on the whole these songs are a bit of a contradiction: too soft and bland for the serious prog fan, and too long-winded and changeable for the casual listener.
Although a long-performing outfit, Ark disbanded after releasing only two albums, and this is the slightly less impressive of the two. There are some interesting decisions made, such as the overall French sound of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' before the song drags on severely, while others such as 'Mother Love' have too much going on to be really enjoyable as a consistent piece of music. By contrast there are those 'Where the Winds Blow' that are only memorable for the titular chorus. This is inherently contradictory and strange, but not in the way I enjoy.
1. Burning Down
2. Where the Winds Blow
3. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
4. Singers at the World's Dawn
5. Mother Love
6. Center Avenue
7. Can't Let Go
Armagedda
Strength Through Torture
***
Written on 27.01.08
This limited edition E.P. was only produced as three hundred hand-numbered copies by the hilariously named Painiac Records, and makes for a surprisingly comprehensive overview of now-disbanded Armagedda's black metal despite only boasting two tracks. Both follow a traditional black metal style without any real embellishment: the guitars are fuzzy and raw, production quality is tilted in favour of treble, and vocalist Graav rasps like a Swede possessed, with a little more dark enthusiasm than many other bands.
The first song is a slow beast, with comparatively melodic guitars following the typical black metal riff style, though at a naturally slower pace, and Phycon's drums keeping up the slow tempo. This greater emphasis on mood really brings out the tortured side of Graav's vocals which will make for quite a difficult and horrific listen for those uninitiated in the darker shades of metal, but to my ears it sounds quite pleasant. It's the subsequent 'Dödens Vins' where the E.P. really kicks into gear and the emphasis shifts to the aggression and violence of its title, the drums being particularly strong and the guitars enjoyable in the later riffs but not so distinctive or impressive earlier on where they're more or less a fuzz. This is a fun black metal rarity for collectors to own, but one that's not really worth the required effort and, while offering a contrived balanced view of Armagedda's style, it's severely lacking on content at only two songs of less than five minutes each.
1. A World Full of Lies
2. Dödens Vins
Armored Saint
Delirious Nomad
**
Written on 27.01.08
Although common enough in the commercial music industry of one-hit wonders to warrant creation of the term "difficult second album," this blight rarely affects the more dedicated and divinely inspired acts of the rock world. But it does sometimes affect those who were essentially just Judas Priest copy-cats in the first place and had used up their few original ideas on 'March of the Saint.' I suppose I am being a bit specific.
'Delirious Nomad' is a weak follow-up to that enjoyable debut, not only lacking its sparse moments of original thought (there are none here), but disappointing further through a weaker production job and less passionate performance all-round. There are only a couple of songs where I felt the quality matched up to their better work, the speed finally picking up in 'Conqueror' which has some impressive guitar and bass work as well as the best vocal performance from John Bush (who is otherwise a little disappointing in his preference for a gruffer tone on this album), and the slower and slightly more epic 'Aftermath' that serves up a nice, extended overture before getting down to the real business of clean electric guitar and softer, more distant vocals in the album's necessary not-quite-ballad, though one that's still more or less the same as the superior 'Take a Turn' from the previous album. The final song 'Released' is also an entertaining metal performance, with the always preferable mad solos for guitar and even Joey Vera's bass which is pretty unusual and an interesting way to close the album.
Sadly, the songs in-between (so that's the bulk of the album, then) are a lot less impressive, and fall into the category of generic heavy metal varying only slightly between a medium and slow tempo, but failing to carry either off with any particular grace. Their harshly clipped, radio-friendly lengths make each song seem disappointingly short, ending without having accomplished anything, and the best that can be said is that some of the vocal melodies on the stupidly titled 'For the Sake of Heaviness' and 'You're Never Alone' are catchy and memorable. At least that's what I jotted down last night, I haven't got a clue how any of them went today. 'Over the Edge' offends me the most simply for attempting to tackle a gritty, urban style and only seeming silly in comparison (they should stick to songs about holy wars and stuff), though the quasi-title-song 'Nervous Man' that references the album title in its chorus attempts an Arabian/desert twang that works about as well as any other metal band's Egyptian song, and is thankfully less forced and clichéd. 'Delirious Nomad' is a disappointing follow-up, but there were better things to come.
1. Long Before I Die
2. Nervous Man
3. Over the Edge
4. The Laugh
5. Conqueror
6. For the Sake of Heaviness
7. Aftermath
8. In the Hole
9. You're Never Alone
10. Released
Armored Saint
Raising Fear
****
Written on 28.01.08
L.A.'s Armored Saint recorded a heavy metal classic with their third album 'Raising Fear,' and it's sadly the only section of their discography to stand up over time, with allowances made for the earlier debut. This time Pritchard and Sandoval's guitars are heavier, mightier and tighter than ever before, and John Bush's wails are back to full force after slipping in the second album. While most of the songs still follow the pathfinder of Judas Priest's work several years earlier, there's now a distinct Armored Saint touch that makes most of these songs excellent, and the rest only less excellent by comparison.
This isn't the most original heavy metal album around, the songs tend to get repetitive and the extended length of fifty-two minutes compared to the usual forty can affect the listener's attention span by the time the final songs come around, but with solemn epics 'Isolation' and 'Legacy' balanced out by the pounding 'Raising Fear' and the bluesy, melodic 'Crisis of Life' and 'Terror,' there's something here for fans of all strands of classic metal, even if the album came along a little too late (if it had been any earlier, there wouldn't have been a template to copy).
'Isolation' and 'Frozen Will (Legacy)' are certainly the stand-out tracks here, and share commonalities in their slower pace, clean guitars and powerful, booming choruses, all instruments audibly carrying the instrumental sections along between the epic narrative verses spanning the entirety of history. These songs are just the right length, not suffering from the same tedium as some of the other songs after the four minute mark but eager to throw out new ideas, while the inevitable final reprise of the chorus is always eagerly awaited.
The rest of the album follows a fairly similar pattern of heavy guitars, compelling choruses and plenty of guitar solos, and although it becomes a little samey after a while and the later songs suffer as a result, this doesn't affect the quality of the tracks on an individual basis. The vocals are always excellent, apart from a brief flirtation with a weird, screechier style thankfully confined to 'Human Vulture' (perhaps Bush was imitating such a creature?), and the guitar solos never seem out of place or just for show.
1. Raising Fear
2. Saturday Night Special
3. Out on a Limb
4. Isolation
5. Chemical Euphoria
6. Crisis of Life
7. Frozen Will (Legacy)
8. Human Vulture
9. Book of Blood
10. Terror
11. Underdogs
Armored Saint
Symbol of Salvation
***
Written on 28.01.08
Although they were never a particularly prominent band (with good reason), 'Symbol of Salvation' is Armored Saint's answer to Metallica's black album, Megadeth's 'Countdown to Extinction,' Testament's 'The Ritual,' Anthrax's 'Sound of White Noise' and all the other releases of the early nineties that saw established heavy metal bands jumping ship to follow a blander and more commercially viable hard rock direction due to the declining popularity of metal. Like those aforementioned albums, it has its bright moments, but is fundamentally a trite blasphemy from heavy metal's self-appointed armed defenders.
These thirteen songs are all as repetitive and samey as those on previous Armored Saint albums, but the difference here is that the powerful guitars and fast drums have been traded in for a thinner, more radio-friendly sound confined to an irritating medium-speed plod. John Bush's vocals are about the only thing left from the band of old, and even the album's best moments, such as the more intricate and moody 'Tainted Past' and the guitar-dominated 'Reign of Fire' pale in comparison to offerings from its predecessor 'Raising Fear.' This is essentially a hard rock album that takes very few risks, where some stereotypical tribal percussion at the beginning of 'Tribal Dance' is about the most eccentric thing you're going to find.
Once disappointed metal fans are able to get past this initial disappointment, further compounded by the oddly tame and passion-free 'Warzone,' there are a few enjoyable mellow rock songs in the form of 'The Truth Always Hurts' and 'Hanging Judge,' the latter of which features some good incorporation of guitar leads into the vocal lines and would be a really good song if it was a lot heavier. 'Reign of Fire' and 'Spineless' bookend the album with hard and comparatively energetic offerings that are still lacking in speed and any true aggression that would have worked a treat (repeating "you spineless son of a bitch" isn't enough to convince me), and the majority of the album consists of watered down versions of this same style.
The three that stand out, and not necessarily for good reason, are 'Last Train Home,' 'Another Day' and the aforementioned 'Tainted Past,' for being the necessary slower offerings - here increased to three compared to one on each of the previous albums - all of which are tediously overlong, but at least chronicle a sort of internal evolution from the slow rock of the first to the soft singing of the second and the full-on acoustic of the latter, which eventually gives way in the face of electric riffs. You evidently can't repress heavy metal forever, but you can impose a temporary abstinence from its practitioners by waving money in their fickle faces and telling them that it won't be for long; soon it will be the twenty-first century and daft metal will be popular again, and they'll be able to shift some more repetitive heavy metal garbage in the name of being old-school. It's just a shame they caved in to trends back when they were at the top of their game.
1. Reign of Fire
2. Dropping Like Flies
3. Last Train Home
4. Tribal Dance
5. The Truth Always Hurts
6. Half Drawn Bridge
7. Another Day
8. Symbol of Salvation
9. Hanging Judge
10. Warzone
11. Burning Question
12. Tainted Past
13. Spineless
The Armoury Show
Waiting for the Floods
***
Written on 28.01.08
The Armoury Show was a short-lived side project of The Skids members Richard Jobson and Russell Webb, releasing this sole effort of post-punk mixed with gothic rock in a manner I can't help but feel a little ashamed at enjoying so much. Jobson sings in a pleasant enough style similar to many melodic rock singers, reminiscent of Jim Morrison at times and almost venturing into the bassy, gothic depths of Andrew Eldritch at others, while Webb's bass and John McGeoch's guitar are both nice and melodic rather than raw and aggressive, making for songs that often sound similar to the more upbeat, arguably bastardised post-punk of bands like the Boomtown Rats. The whole thing is kept distinctly in the centre of the eighties thanks to John Doyle's steady, methodical, catchy, boring drum beats.
The most interesting and creative songs here are those that take a little extra time (five minutes as opposed to four) setting up the atmosphere and delivering a moodier performance once the song gets underway, most prevalent in 'Higher Than the World' and the title song but unfortunately taken to a slightly tedious extreme in the finale 'Avalanche.' These songs allow McGeoch to display his guitar talents to the full with enjoyable solos, and Jobson is equally convincing in these more downbeat performances as he is in the comparatively ecstatic 'We Can Be Brave Again' and 'Kyrie,' where the Boomtown Rats comparison is most obvious. The rest of the album lies somewhere in the middle, occasionally coming out as very pop-like gothic rock in 'The Glory of Love' which fans of that genre may enjoy, but going a little too far with the soft blandness factor in 'A Feeling.'
While it's compulsory for all serious punk fans to despise these commercial directions taken by bands in the eighties, this is an enjoyable album for some light relief, even if the songs start to sound the same within their limited horizons.
1. Castles in Spain
2. Kyrie
3. A Feeling
4. We Can Be Brave Again
5. Higher Than the World
6. The Glory of Love
7. Waiting for the Floods
8. A Sense of Freedom
9. Sleep City Sleep
10. Avalanche
Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone
**
Written on 28.01.08
Army of Anyone is a collaboration between former Stone Temple Pilots guitarist and bassist Robert and Dean DeLeo, with Filter's singer Richard Patrick and drummer Ray Luzier. Expectations were naturally high of this supergroup collaboration which unfortunately fell completely flat once the album proved to be astonishingly mediocre, considering the apparent time that went into its making. While I haven't heard Filter, it's easy to make the comparison here to a worse Stone Temple Pilots, and the tracklist's all-too-obvious composition of louder rock anthems and acoustic ballads bears no distinguishing marks whatsoever. Every one of these songs is disappointingly generic and could have been recorded by anyone, casting a revealing light on this band's name.
The DeLeo brothers are both the clear stars here, the bass and guitar being afforded equal prominence in the production, but the songs are still lacking in decent, memorable riffs and even choruses from Patrick. 'Goodbye' was the first single, but doesn't stand out in any way, bookended by very similar-sounding tracks, and it's only the second single 'Father Figure' (which inevitably fared less well in the charts) that managed to attract my attention with its heavier sound and greater energy, despite still maintaining the same speed as the majority of the album and becoming equally repetitive quite quickly. 'Ain't Enough' seems to take things in a new and interesting direction with its country melodies at the start before turning into the same old thing once again, and the three slower, acoustic songs 'A Better Place,' 'Stop Look and Listen' and 'This Wasn't Supposed to Happen' all sound particularly bland when compared to similar songs from the Stone Temple Pilots that really blow these weak efforts away.
This isn't an inherently bad album, but it's about as generic and uninspired as a modern rock album can get, which is even more disappointing considering the calibre of the performers. The group seems to have disbanded to concentrate on separate projects, leaving this as their sole contribution, a soon-to-be-forgotten legacy.
1. It Doesn't Seem to Matter
2. Goodbye
3. Generation
4. A Better Place
5. Non Stop
6. Disappear
7. Stop Look and Listen
8. Ain't Enough
9. Father Figure
10. Leave It
11. This Wasn't Supposed to Happen
Ars Amandi
En Tierra Firme
**
Written on 28.01.08
'En Tierra Firme' is Ars Amandi's second album, and only really enjoyable if you're a heavy metal fan with a real love of folk. This Spanish band is far from unique in mixing classic folk instruments with electric guitars and the other heavy metal staples, but they have to be admired for their persistence in treating both genres with equal respect, even if the end result is mostly unsatisfying.
Folk metal itself is a misleading genre, often used to encompass anything from the thunderous, lengthy dirges of Viking metal bands to happy polka music with an electric twist, and Ars Amandi lean significantly towards the lighter end of the scale. The singing is high and the choruses jolly, and either due to production issues or creative intent, the guitars are severely overpowered by the lead flutes. This isn't a major disadvantage as the rock instruments aren't all that interesting, and this is clearly a band based more around the simplistic fun of a jig than aiming to impress with anything heavy or technical.
The main disappointment here is how similar the songs all sound, following a very similar course and only becoming more energetic in 'El Cazador' and the interesting, heavily folk-laden title song. The guitar solos feel like they're here out of necessity more than anything, and although the flutes dominate, their whistling tunes sound like pretty standard fare. This heavy/power metal variant of folk makes a lot more logical sense than the blackened versions in similar acts like Adorned Brood, but somehow they're more satisfying. It also would have been nice to detect some local Spanish influence beyond the generic folk sound, but it's sadly lacking.
1. Intro
2. Escuchando Al Corazon
3. No Queda Sino Balirnos
4. El Cazador
5. Abula
6. Mirada Perdida
7. Imaginate
8. Dejame
9. Tierra Firme
10. Imperio Traidor
11. El Allar
12. Malos Recuerdos
Ars Nova
Android Domena
***
Written on 28.01.08
Ars Nova is a female Japanese trio playing keyboard-driven progressive rock, and just in case that doesn't make them stand out enough, their fifth album 'Android Domina' presents a deliberately provocative sexual front in its sexy album art and orgasm opening before fizzling out to return to their customary and distinctly un-sexy Emerson, Lake and Palmer inspired instrumental prog. The compositions here are as varied as can be under the limitations imposed by the trio, which ends up meaning not too varied at all, but more experienced prog connoisseurs will detect a noticeable shift from ELP tribute to Rick Wakeman inspired grandeur in songs like 'Horla Rising.'
These songs are very changeable and display the talents of Keiko Kumagai and Mika Nakajima's various synthesisers and organs, not so much Akiko Takahashi's drums it has to be said, but the constant and often illogical motion of the songs keeps them from being truly enjoyable to anyone outside of prog. This isn't necessarily a problem, as I'm assuming the band knows it's playing to a select audience by now, but the slight changes seemingly engineered to attract a larger crowd - the aforementioned album art and the presence of vocals in a couple of songs - contradict the band's agenda here, which seems to be to show off and improvise in whichever way they desire. That said, there's enough diversity to be able to recall certain songs, but more for the specific movements contained therein that could easily be cut and pasted into any other, demonstrated by the sudden shift into a Medieval style harpsichord ballad with singing in the middle of the first track, then a jump to a church organ.
There are no singles or easy ways in here, and anyone who isn't instantly grabbed could indeed end up appreciating the album, though anyone sickened by this type of thing (ELP in particular) isn't going to have their horizons expanded here, especially in the final song. 'All Hallow's Eve' is quite enjoyable in its cheesiness later on, but overall this is a slightly contradictory and almost impenetrable album that didn't impress me as much as some of their earlier material might.
1. Android Domina
2. All Hallow's Eve
3. Horla Rising
4. Mother
5. Succubus
6. Bizarro Ballo in Maschera
Arsis
A Celebration of Guilt
*****
Written on 28.01.08
'A Celebration of Guilt' has to be one of the strongest death metal debuts of all time, and most shocking of all is its origin in Virginia. The United States may have invented death metal back in the eighties, but since then it's the innovative Scandinavian bands that have dominated the scene and defined the archetypes copied by their legions of imitators. Perhaps because of their distance from the increasingly stale Gothenburg scene, Arsis produced an incredibly powerful and consistent album of melodic death metal performed in the authentic way with a considerable degree of virtuosity and creativity on the part of James Malone, the guitarist/vocalist/bassist opposite the similarly talented Michael Van Dyne, which avoids the pitfalls that come from listening to too much In Flames and Dark Tranquillity and aspiring to be exactly like them.
There's a distinct, home-soil thrash influence here, the likes of which hasn't really been seen in melodic death since Dismember despite attempts by At the Gates spin-offs like The Haunted, and a creative flair that I wouldn't go so far as to describe as progressive, but that will certainly make this of greater interest to guitar fans. This is melodic death metal as it ought to sound, without jarring acoustic or atmospheric breaks, or lead guitar melodies stolen from Iron Maiden; across forty-five minutes, this is relentlessly heavy and energetic without sounding repetitive or running out of steam. It's what every death metal band should aspire to, but some fall short of due to lack of ideas or ability.
Every song here is an instant classic, and the publicity this release duly received will hopefully continue to inspire melodic death metal bands, rather than merely lead to a new batch of imitators. The only real problem with this album is that it would have been really great if it had been released about five years earlier, but never mind.
1. The Face of My Innocence
2. Maddening Disdain
3. Seven Whispers Fell Silent
4. Return
5. Worship Depraved
6. Carnal Ways to Recreate the Heart
7. Dust and Guilt
8. Elegant and Perverse
9. The Sadistic Motives Behind Bereavement Letters
10. Looking to Nothing
11. Wholly Night
Arsis
A Diamond for Disease
****
Written on 28.01.08
Arsis is one of the more inventive and interesting American death metal bands of recent years, combining their local sound with a prominent influence from early Swedish melodic death metal, back when that meant violent songs with harmonic elements rather than the hardcore-offshoot rubbish influencing much of the metal scene today. At the Gates is a clear inspiration along with the relentless, thrashing force of Dismember, while the band's progressive and technical abilities are aptly demonstrated in the title piece of this E.P., the twelve-minute-long 'A Diamond for Disease.'
Twelve minutes is a good length for a long song, more impressive and grandiose than a mere eight-minuter and less prone to waffle and padding than the twenty-minute adventures embarked on by many bands in similar situations. As a single, uninterrupted flow of music, it's fairly hard to classify: it doesn't deviate in any major way from its core, but it certainly doesn't sound the same all the way through, and it remains consistently enthralling throughout. With its strong repeated motif in the form of James Malone's distinctive guitar riff, showcased most towards the beginning and end of the journey, it holds together perfectly without any of the stop-start interruptions of something like Opeth's five-songs-masquerading-as-a-single-song 'Black Rose Immortal,' and with the expected but minimal shift to a slower tempo at one point for a great doom metal section backed by subtle acoustic guitar, it can boast some variety outside of excellent guitar riffs and solos, which it has in abundance for technical death metal fans, while also being kept nicely in check to avoid the kind of showing off associated with that genre. Malone roars aggressively like Tomas Lindberg over the blasting drum beats, and the energy is consistent throughout without seeming like a chore, something that Edge of Sanity's inspiring album-length song 'Crimson' was unfortunately unable to do in the same way, though not for want of trying or lack of talent; death metal songs just weren't meant to last for forty minutes apiece.
With that in mind, the other songs - the "B-sides" if you'd like to imagine this was released twenty years earlier - are both comparatively short and simple, and both a lot of fun. 'Roses on White Lace' is apparently an Alice Cooper cover but you wouldn't guess that from listening to the harsh death metal, only really letting slip its secret in the classic metal solos. Concluding is the even shorter 'The Promise of Never,' which doesn't seem too clipped at under three minutes despite being less than a quarter of the length of the opening song. In truth, these latter two songs are obviously only there to bulk this release out and make it more appealing, its entire existence seemingly owing to James Malone having come up with a cracking death metal opus too late for inclusion on 'A Celebration of Guilt' but one he didn't want to leave lying around until he could cobble together another album around it. It's still certainly worth hunting down by enthusiastic death metal fans, and if like me you've endeavoured over the years to seek out all of the really good and really bad epic-length songs in heavy metal, you owe it to yourself to hear one of the corkers.
1. A Diamond for Disease
2. Roses on White Lace
3. The Promise of Never
Arsis
United in Regret
****
Written on 28.01.08
Expectations were high for Arsis' second full-length release, and although 'United in Regret' isn't quite the masterpiece 'A Celebration of Guilt' was, it still serves as an excellent example to modern-day bands of how to produce high quality melodic death metal. The main difference between the two albums is that a more consciously progressive edge is trying to work its way into James Malone's compositions here, and the fast and furious technical riffs are frequently replaced with shifts into a slower pace, with a greater focus on melodic lead guitars. While this still makes for an excellent album, it assimilates a little more into the standard canon of melodic death and loses some of the individual flair that Arsis demonstrated so brilliantly on the previous releases.
Drummer Michael Van Dyne is perhaps even better here than on the debut, perfecting his fast and varied performance to demonstrate why he's one of the finest in the business, and although Malone is lacking some of the divine inspiration he once had, many songs still throw out a timeless guitar riff. There are still no stinkers here, but the most telling sign of an overall slight drop in quality comes when the listener notices a few specific songs standing out for being particularly good - 'A Celebration of Guilt' had similarly memorable songs full of excellent riffs, but was so consistent that these became the norm; here they are the exception.
The title track itself is an incredible display of guitar talent, moving from the album's most memorable riffs to a nice solo section and some slow riffs. It's the type of song that wouldn't have found its way onto the last album, so the new direction does have its advantages - besides, who would want them to release the same album twice? Well, they are death metal fans I guess...
1. Oh, the Humanity
2. ...and the Blind One Came
3. United in Regret
4. I Speak Through Shadows
5. Lust Before the Maggots Conquest
6. The Marriage Bed
7. The Cold Resistance
8. The Things You Said
9. Hopeless Truth
Arson Anthem
Arson Anthem
***
Written on 07.02.08
The forthcoming debut E.P. from Arson Anthem is an extreme assault of hardcore punk from some of the most respected noisemakers in the Southern United States; Mike Williams of sludge pioneers Eyehategod, Phil Anselmo of Pantera and various other metal projects, and the versatile Hank Williams III. In these eight songs, recorded in early 2006 but only now receiving an official release, Anselmo delivers raw and repetitive guitar riffs spurred on by Hank III's relentless drums and Mike's angry hardcore yells, while relative unknown Collin Yeo stands around and pretends anyone can actually hear his bass above the din. The songs are short, sharp and drastically to-the-point, lasting between thirty-five seconds and the mammoth duration of almost two entire minutes.
I'm not the biggest hardcore fan, but I appreciate bands that take it to the extreme, and this is one of the most convincing performances I've heard outside of John Zorn and Yamataka Eye's darker projects. The listener is immediately belted around the head by the all-out screaming, roaring assault of 'Year of the Fork' which later slows down a little, and most songs perform similar limited theatrics throughout their short lifespan. 'Bunker Life' has a dominant lead guitar and 'Wreaked Like Clockwork' opens with a squealed solo, and both are slightly less violent (only comparatively) to allow for their successors to seem even heavier and angrier by comparison. 'Hammer Them Out' and 'The Avoider' are the best tracks here, if you haven't already been frightened away that is, the latter even falling back on distinctly Black Sabbathesque riffs before erupting into a sweary finale.
This is clearly an essential and divinely inspired purchase for the serious hardcore fan, though they clearly need their brain's taste-buds adjusted to some extent if they're going to come down to Earth with the rest of us (oh yeah, like I can talk), but all the same this is a strong collaboration that achieves everything it set out to do and couldn't possibly disappoint. I just prefer my painful listening experiences to have a touch more class and less mindless aggro.
1. Year of the Fork
2. Doomed Morale
3. Bunker Life
4. Hammer Them Out
5. Wreaked Like Clockwork
6. Cops Shoot Coke
7. The Avoider
8. Sri Lankan Medication
Art Zoyd
Marathonnerre I
***
Written on 28.01.08
French avant-garde performers Art Zoyd first came to my attention many years ago through their distinctly odd film score to the Eureka DVD release of F. W. Murnau's vampire classic 'Nosferatu,' and although its dark and blaring electronic themes didn't provide the most suitable score (I later updated to a far superior imported version, because I'm just that much of a connoisseur), it made enough of an impact to stay in my memory.
It turns out that Art Zoyd have been composing music for quite some considerable time, and have experienced numerous line-up changes that have seen Gérard Hourbette and Thierry Zaboitzeff remaining as the only core members. 'Marathonnerre I' was released in 1993 during an uncharacteristically stable era for the group rounded off by Patricia Dallio, and this stability and newfound confidence unfortunately seems to work to the music's disadvantage; although much of the trademark Art Zoyd sound is still here, the whole thing seems much more tame and bland, and a lot of it is frankly boring.
Originally composed for some form of performance piece - ballet, art or something else, I forget - it's to be expected that this won't be riveting, edge-of-the-seat music drawing too much attention to itself, but allegedly edited down from twelve hours of material I expected something a little more interesting than the majority of what makes its way onto the disc. There are only a few songs that satisfied my craving for bizarreness, the opener 'Complainte,' 'Alleluja' and 'Firebirds' all utilising Zaboitzeff's voice as an amusing instrument that nevertheless never seems forced, and also relying more on catchy, even commercial bass lines and jarring keyboards from the trio.
Apart from these gems, the music is mostly ambient and keyboard-led, which tends to become boring fairly soon, especially in the longer songs like the two parts of 'Szene' (tracks two and nine), which begin entertainingly enough but very soon descend into tedious repetition and nothingness. The penultimate 'Fair Fair' finally offers something different through its use of clanging percussion, prominent bass and synthesised fanfares, but it comes too late to save the album from being essentially forgettable background music. I'll have to check out some more Art Zoyd, preferably from a time of turbulent line-up change when the group was forced to think on its feet. This CD is now available in a logical double pack with 'Marathonnerre II,' which I haven't heard.
1. Complainte
2. 2. Szene
3. Barbares
4. Alleluja
5. Tocsin
6. Firebirds
7. 1. Zwischenspiel
8. Konzo Bele
9. 1. Szene
10. Danse de Mort
11. Ritournelle
12. Fair Fair
13. Prophase
Arthemis
The Damned Ship
***
Written on 28.01.08
Verona's Arthemis are not a particularly distinctive or notable presence in power metal, but their second album 'The Damned Ship' is still damned fun, especially once the listener gets past the initial disappointment that it sounds exactly like classic Helloween and opts to embrace the similarity as a superior modern equivalent, at least until Helloween start to make great albums again. Not that Europe is short of Helloween imitators mind you, but this band at least follows through with the energy and intensity of a credible sound-alike performance, with the required lack of self-consciousness that would hinder some of the squeaker vocals and frivolous lead guitars from being quite so fun.
It's nice to hear a modern power metal band unconcerned with achieving a contrived epic sound as many try and fail, and this fast, melodic metal is all about the live performance, with only minimal passages relying prominently on the keyboard, exempting the short classical piano interlude 'The Wait' that's quite pretty. The sound is one that's been heard countless times before: relentless double bass pedal hammering that nevertheless avoids the heaviness of the exact same thing being played by death metal drummers, high falsetto vocals and fast guitar riffs and solos that often carry a classical style, most prominently in the instrumental 'Earthquake' (a nod to Van Halen's 'Eruption?') in which Andrea Martognelli effectively mimics Timo Tolkii of Stratovarius, another band whose influence can be seen across this recording. Fortunately avoiding the off-putting severity of a true virtuoso like Yngwie J. Malmsteen, something I assume is more due to ability than modesty, this is a nice little piece that stands out on the album and helps to establish the guitarists' credentials, even if drummer Paolo Perazzani is adversely proved to be unimaginative and tedious for maintaining the same sound throughout as the rest of the album. He really should pop his head up every once in a while and check what's going on around him, but at least his feet are getting a good workout.
As a generic power/speed metal album, the lyrical themes follow the usual arbitrary mix of historical and fantasy themes, beginning on an uninspiring note with some stereotypical stuff about knights that resurges later on, and in the sixth track offering up one of the least convincing or compelling vampire songs I've ever heard, despite the nice melodic lead guitar work (that was part of the problem). The title song at the finale is still entertaining though, and worth the wait from the teasing album cover, while the music itself has a nice folk side to it in this track that even makes the terrible a capella introduction bearable. Arthemis have released a few more albums since that I hope have started to take on a more individual flair, but as a shameless Helloween tribute album of new material, not as good as classic Helloween but better than that rubbish Pink Bubbles/Chameleon stuff that came out of nowhere in the early nineties, it's an enjoyable listen.
1. Quest for Immortality
2. Voice of the God
3. Suntemple
4. Starchild
5. The Wait
6. The Night of the Vampire
7. Earthquake
8. Noble Sword
9. The Damned Ship
Artillery
Terror Squad
****
Written on 28.01.08
As Denmark's finest tech-thrash band (well, I'm only guessing, but it seems likely), Artillery's style was a little more technically proficient than many of their contemporaries, though not the extent of showing off virtuosity just for the sake of it. In fact, there's very little on 'Terror Squad' to elevate it above the level of a basic American thrash band of high quality, speed and most importantly melody, a quantity that the band flouts with pride. Flemming Rönsdorf's vocals frequently reach for the screech, while Michael Stützer's lead guitar melodies and solos are all aimed at creating a harmonic and pleasant layer above the raw thrashing riffs that pummel relentlessly throughout these songs.
While few of these songs stand out in a significant way above the general level of skill, it's the frequent mood and speed shifts, along with the chaotic structure that allows for a surprise guitar solo or even more surprising bass solo every once in a while, that really makes this album so interesting, while the thrash metal itself is satisfyingly powerful and heavy in the late eighties tradition. Comparisons with darker thrash bands such as Testament and Exodus are inevitable, and the band isn't really breaking new ground despite their proficiency, but 'Terror Squad' is a classic album of the eighties Danish metal scene that spawned such notable bands as Mercyful Fate and King Diamond.
1. The Challenge
2. In the Trash
3. Terror Squad
4. Let There Be Sin
5. Hunger and Greed
6. Therapy
7. At War With Science
8. Decapitation of Deviants
As I Lay Dying
A Long March
**
Written on 29.01.08
This was quite a painful album to listen to, partly due to the lower quality production on the earlier recordings but mainly because I can't stand metalcore and hardcore bands. But they have fans out there, and As I Lay Dying have generously cashed in on - wait, I mean re-released their rare early material in a more convenient form for the album charts.
Despite my slight bitterness, I actually always think it's a good idea to keep older material commercially available, and this album collects the band's 2001 debut 'Beneath the Encasing of Ashes' together with their songs from the split E.P. with American Tragedy, which are inexplicably re-recorded in a more polished and higher budget version to open the album, presumably because the young fans would be scared away if confronted with something inferior to chart sound quality. I hate those people.
None of this material is particularly great, but the original album is good if you're into that sort of thing, and takes a satisfyingly more methodical and experimental approach compared to the unanimously harsh re-recordings at the start, where Tim Lambesis performs everything in a distorted hardcore scream no matter what the context. There are some melodic guitar moments that don't feel forced but the riffs are mainly fairly basic and routine, and each song is afforded a convenient breakdown within its short playing time, some coming in at less than two minutes but not really making a lasting impression. With the machine gun drums and distorted outbursts, this is annoyingly reminiscent of Slipknot and other yoof angst bands, and although it's nice for the fans to finally possess these albums at a reasonable cost, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone else.
1. Illusions (re-recorded)
2. The Beginning (re-recorded)
3. Reinvention (re-recorded)
4. The Pain of Separation (re-recorded)
5. Forever (re-recorded)
6. Beneath the Encasing of Ashes
7. Torn Within
8. Forced to Die
9. A Breath in the Eyes of Eternity
10. Blood Turned to Tears
11. The Voices That Betray Me
12. When This World Fades
13. A Long March
14. Surrounded
15. Refined by Your Embrace
16. The Innocence Spilled
17. Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier
18. Illusions
19. The Beginning
20. Reinvention
21. The Pain of Separation
22. Forever
Ascension Theory
Regeneration
***
Written on 29.01.08
'Regeneration' is a strong debut from American prog metal band Ascension Theory, and anyone approaching the band for the first time should have some idea what to expect thanks to the sci-fi album art reminiscent of Oratory. Led by Tim Becker's keyboards and Leon Ozug's guitar and vocals, I was surprised to learn afterwards that this two-man operation relied on programmed bass and drums, neither of which are audible enough to draw attention to their synthetic nature but which make the whole thing a little lifeless as a result.
Becker's keyboards go overboard on the space effects at the onset, which sets the album up to be a bombastic space opera in the style of Ayreon before things calm down significantly and we're instead left with a pleasant, if unremarkable collection of soft prog metal songs. The band's lighter side comes to the fore in the second half, with songs like 'Lovers' and 'Pieces' essentially being piano ballads, the former featuring a guest female singer, but it's all handled tastefully rather than cheesily, and ends up sounding like a less inspired Threshold. Ozug's singing lacks any distinctive character but is still impressive in the genre, reaching for high squeaks and sounding like Dream Theater's James LaBrie in the more upbeat moments, and his guitars are satisfyingly heavy when required in an attempt to maintain the cosmic balance of heaviness and melody, one that teeters towards the latter as the album moves on.
Without a strong hook or gimmick, this is an album that's hard to spot in the often elaborate "space metal" sub-genre, but its relative blandness could also make it more attractive to those who were deterred by the overly bombast stylings of metal composers like Arjen Anthony Lucassen. None of the songs really stand out, and it isn't even particularly atmospheric, but it's pleasant enough listening when you feel like something in-between.
1. Warriors
2. Sleeper (One Flies Away)
3. Eridani
4. Speaker
5. Lovers (I'll Wait For You)
6. Pieces
7. Enemies
8. Reflections
9. Regeneration
Asphyx
The Rack
****
Written on 29.01.08
To name 'The Rack' among the death metal classics would be a bit of a stretch (b'dum-tish!), but it's still widely praised by many as a seminal release. Unlike most death metal bands of the time, tending towards higher production values and a greater emphasis on speed, technicality and brutality, Asphyx remained dedicated to pursuing a dark and vile sound, which leads to much of this album taking a surprisingly slow and doomy approach bookended by violent sections of thrash. In the spirit of all truly evil music, the sound quality is also shockingly poor, which works to its advantage even if the intricacies of the guitar riffs become lost in a general fuzz.
The low production values may present an obstacle to those more accustomed to the polished death metal of the nineties, but it only really presents a problem in the faster songs such as 'Vermin,' the slower ones really benefitting from the added dingy atmosphere without losing any of the clarity of the slower guitars. This doom element first rears its ugly, putrefying head in the crushing riffs of 'Diabolical Existence,' the first point at which the album really starts to impress, and from here it's an uphill journey all the way. 'Evocation,' 'Ode to a Nameless Grave' and 'Pages in Blood' all feature excellent melancholy guitar solos from Eric Daniels, played at a severely slow speed alien to modern death metal, and Martin Van Drunen's raspy growl (formerly of the band Pestilence) works much better in these slower songs where his satisfyingly vile lyrics can be clearly understood, even if the change in direction from the band's early years and demo releases under the late Theo Loomans is a slight disappointment.
This album is let down slightly by the thrash sections that sound stilted and weak in the gritty production, but it's more than compensated by the excellent slower passages that work just as effectively as anything in the doom genre. Asphyx may have been fighting a losing battle in the face of death metal that was forever moving further from its origins, but this is a great release from its heyday when bands were branching out and exploring new, completely contradictory ideas. Asphyx weren't one of the best, but these Dutchmen are equally notable.
1. The Quest for Absurdity
2. Vermin
3. Diabolical Existence
4. Evocation
5. Wasteland of Terror
6. The Sickening Dwell
7. Ode to a Nameless Grave
8. Pages in Blood
9. The Rack
Astral Doors
Of the Son and the Father
***
Written on 29.01.08
Most bands earn their living by imitating their heroes, but all the same, I was so dumbfounded when seeing Astral Doors support Blind Guardian in 2006 that I longed for a large, A2 sized photocopy of Black Sabbath's 'Headless Cross' album cover to hold aloft next to a query asking, "that's just this album, isn't it? But with rubbish Hammond organs?"
Now I've heard the discography I'm in a better position to judge these Swedes, and there are some enjoyable, sometimes epic heavy metal songs to be found on this debut and its successors, but it really can't escape sound distinctly like Black Sabbath in the Martin era, with a liberal sprinkling of Dio. More casual metal fans may find it a little daft to imitate the sound of one of its legendary progenitors at a comparatively mediocre and pointlessly late stage of their career like this, but of course - tribute, influence and homage aside - not as many people are going to notice if they copy 'Headless Cross' as if they imitated the doom metal sound of 'Paranoid' and 'Master of Reality.' A simple glance at the tracklist and some of the lyrics does at least quell any doubts that this band were merely hoping to get away with this forgery, as no one who was trying to avoid accusations of Dio plagiarism would sing about rainbows and dragons, for god's sake.
The main feature of this sound-alike is singer Nils Patrik Johansson, also of the more accomplished and creative Wuthering Heights, whose vocal style may have started out attempting to reach the heights of Ronnie James Dio, but ended up squarely in the Tony Martin camp, Dio's eventual successor in Sabbath for some fairly decent albums in the late eighties and early nineties, most significantly 'Headless Cross' and 'Tyr.' Johansson gets the suspense over with right at the start and lets rip with his best Martin impression in the first bars, only offering relief in the form of more traditional singing for brief sections in the title track and 'Ocean of Sand,' allowing listeners to ease their sympathetic jaw-ache, and although it can be a little hard to take him seriously after a while as he perseveres with the wounded animal vocals, it gives the band a nice, distinctive sound. Even if it's the sound of a twenty-years-out-of-date Black Sabbath.
The rest of the band is up to scratch as a power metal outfit, but the music is predominantly heavy metal/hard rock in the classic style, with heavy guitar riffs and a consistent backing by the drums and bass, themselves only getting rare opportunities for creativity. The guitars are impressively powerful throughout the album, from the rip-roaring anthems 'Cloudbreaker' and 'Man on the Rock' to the slower and more epic 'The Trojan Horse' and 'Night of the Witch,' but often their thunder is stolen by the bloody irritating Hammond organs. I don't know why the band insist on featuring them so prominently - it certainly wasn't a feature of Sabbath or Dio - and while it's easy to accept them in the background of most songs, or even for more annoying intros, it's horrible when they ruin what would otherwise be a crushingly heavy riff in 'Night of the Witch' and others. Each song is made ever so slightly different, from the sing-along choruses of 'Slay the Dragon' ("kill the beast ... join the feast!") to the grander heights of others, but all are united by general sub-par Dio/Martin worship and Hammond organs, the vilest sound to grace a recording outside of cheery cockney choir boys.
1. Cloudbreaker
2. Of the Son and the Father
3. Hungry People
4. Slay the Dragon
5. Ocean of Sand
6. In Prison for Life
7. The Trojan Horse
8. Burn Down the Wheel
9. Night of the Witch
10. Rainbow in Your Mind
11. Man on the Rock
Astral Doors
Evil Is Forever
***
Written on 29.01.08
Astral Doors' second album is an improvement over the first, incorporating more modern, power metal influences into its seventies throwback sound, but sadly retaining the despicable Hammond organ.
The production values are better, and the guitars are subsequently louder and more powerful, which is good news on this album where the songs tend to favour a more energetic performance than the first, which was based more around epics. Such songs still remain on this release in the form of the plodding title track, 'Fear in Their Eyes' and 'Path to Delirium,' all of which represent a vast improvement and feature a nice balance between vocal and guitar prominence, though still unable to shake off the damned organ: a pleasant guitar solo section in 'Fear' would have to be followed by an organ, and the historical war epic 'Stalingrad' is completely spoiled in the centre by that outmoded instrument playing a really clashing ditty over the top!
Still on the slower side, the band resorts to genuine acoustic guitar in a fairly bold move that ends up working well in 'Lionheart' and 'Stalingrad,' though the first does have something of the hair metal power ballad about it, but the rest of the album is a lot more upbeat, and avoids the dreary atmosphere of its predecessor. Each chorus is memorable right from 'Bride of Christ,' and even the songs that put me off a little through daft names reminiscent of Twisted Sister and the lesser moments of Saxon (I'm talking specifically 'Time to Rock' here) end up surprising me by not being completely terrible, keeping me entertained with new riffs in the classic style.
The best news for metal fans whose interest in the band may have come from Johansson's involvement with Wuthering Heights is that a few of the songs head in a distinctly power direction, with 'Bride of Christ,' 'Pull the Break' and 'The Flame' all placing a fast tempo and energetic choruses above the lazy hard rock that sometimes creeps in elsewhere, though Wuthering Heights' insane tempo and brilliant atmosphere are sadly lacking.
1. Bride of Christ
2. Time to Rock
3. Evil is Forever
4. Lionheart
5. Praise the Bone
6. Pull the Break
7. Fear in Their Eyes
8. Stalingrad
9. From the Cradle to the Grave
10. The Flame
11. Path to Delirium
Astral Doors
Astralism
****
Written on 29.01.08
'Astralism' finally sees a (slight) turnaround in Sweden's Astral Doors from throwback Dio worshippers to a serious competitor in modern power metal, even if the band's writing process and lyrical influences seem a little laughable. While heavy metal isn't exactly renowned for its lyrical prowess, and literary influence is often limited to the horror best-sellers list or the most recent Hollywood novel adaptation, this release sees Astral Doors tackle subjects as diverse as the Ark of the Covenant, Oliver Twist and EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon, otherwise known as static and wind passed off as ghost communication), all condensed into three and a half minute treatments that are sure to insult as much as please the fans.
Musically, the album is faster and more energetic than its predecessors, though this does noticeably fade after the half-way point when the old, hard rock style returns along with the previously subtle Hammond organs in a lead-up to the inevitable dumb rock celebration 'In Rock We Trust,' which joins 'Time to Rock' from the previous album in my list of despised Astral Doors material. The resurgence of their Dio style isn't necessarily a problem as the band are certainly adept at mimicking the sound of 1980s Black Sabbath, but this album is superior for balancing it out with some genuine and enjoyable power metal earlier on.
Like the first album, this is mainly composed of short and simple heavy metal tracks with only a couple really standing out as anything more substantial, namely 'Israel' and the finale 'Apocalypse Revealed' which are as epic as anything the band had previously achieved, though the emphasis is still more on repetition and the pure enjoyment of a live performance than anything more technical or showy through studio trickery. Astral Doors are keeping it real, and finally wising up to the fact that it isn't 1982 any more; now all they have to do is lose the bloody organ and I'd become a real fan.
1. EVP
2. Black Rain
3. London Caves
4. From Satan with Love
5. Fire in Our House
6. Israel
7. Raiders of the Ark
8. Tears from a Titan
9. Oliver Twist
10. Vendetta
11. The Green Mile
12. In Rock We Trust
13. Apocalypse Revealed
Astrofaes
****
Written on 29.01.08
A somewhat obscure entry into the black metal canon from Ukraine, Astrofaes embody all the best aspects of raw black metal without being overly committed to aggression, Satanism or any of the other contrivances designed to make a band "extreme." Their black metal is atmospheric, fast, melodic and a little bit folky in the Bathory sense, and takes its cues from all over; the shoddy, fuzzy production job is either a similar tribute to classic black metal, or a deliberate aesthetic decision designed to appeal to those who only enjoy music if you have to strain to make it out. Unlikely as it seems, this is the band's fifth album and was released as recently as 2005, so I wouldn't rule it out.
Only the seventh track avoids the lengthy curse of its predecessors, but every one of these songs makes full use of its lifespan, evolving or simply repeating with skill but never becoming tedious or overly hypnotic. While it's quietly roaring riffs and almost inaudible (but excellent) drums that dominate the style, these two instruments suffer the most from a production job that even favours the usually forgotten bass, which stands proud and clear at the front of the mix alongside the vocals and unplugged instruments such as piano and acoustic guitar, used to great effect in tracks three to five respectively (maybe the guitarist drew the shortest straw when it came to picking studio amplifiers). The folk/Viking influence isn't as prominent as it would at first appear, but inspires some pleasant lead guitar in 'The Principle of Existence' and some tell-tale neighing in the acoustic introduction to 'The Depths of the Past,' but even when absent the guitars frequently take on a more melodic approach that serves to diversify the album and accentuate its heavier offerings like centrepiece 'Blackest Mountain Chain of Cursed Time,' a song that really makes me yearn for a louder drum sound.
There's nothing to fault this album outside of the admittedly large issue of its sound quality, which does enhance the atmosphere to some extent, but isn't worth the price paid. Of course, if price was the real, unavoidable reason for it, it's merely bad luck rather than a bad artistic decision. The instruments are all perfectly competent without showing off, the riffs often being incredibly fast but nevertheless relying primarily on the usual black metal chord progressions, and the greatest credit that can be paid to the band is how skilfully they evoke atmosphere without contrivance (though there are wind sounds effects and the like on rare occasions). This should be enjoyed by those like me, who like black metal best when it isn't just concerned with heaviness, but you may be put off by the volume adjustment needed to render the guitars and drums audible and the acoustic passages bearable.
1. The Principle of Existence
2. Hate Fang
3. The Depths of the Past
4. Blackest Mountain Chain of Cursed Time
5. The Abyss (The Edge of Eternity)
6. Soul of the Black Forest
7. Glacial Darkness
Asunder
A Clarion Call
*****
Written on 29.01.08
I don't give five stars easily, but Asunder's debut is by far the most definitive doom metal release of its type that I've ever heard. Consisting of three long, funereally slow and varied songs clocking in between twelve and fifteen minutes in length, this isn't an album for casual listeners, but it goes the extra distance to really satisfy patient fans who embark on the journey. I had preconceptions that this would be yet another sequence of monotonous dirges in the funeral doom style of bands like Thergothon and Esotetic, but was fortunately much mistaken; this is just as varied in mood and style as any other metal album, and in this instance, long doesn't automatically mean tedious, repetitive and suicidal.
Asunder seems to take its influence from the greatest doom successes of the previous decade, most evident in the contrast between the more harmonious and melancholic My Dying Bride inspired passages most present in 'Twilight Amaranthine' and the heavier, groove-laden riffs of the other two songs, and the sound is satisfyingly heavy and melodic in equal measure. The cello work of Alex Bale-Glickman adds to the band's distinctive sound, even if this distinctiveness does cross over into My Dying Bride territory at times, and although there are a few inevitable moments in-between major movements where nothing much is happening except for sustained guitar fuzz and slow drumming, each song evolves in a fluid and logical way towards its conclusion - the only instance where this isn't the case comes several minutes into the title track, where the style shifts considerably. This is the most diverse song of the lot, but for all its technical prowess it loses some of the conflicting emotions and beauty of its predecessors.
The tone here is dark, but not sinister, and the vocals are both growled and sung like a chant, the lyrics being a nice mix of traditional doom metal poetry and non sequitur statements designed to sound nice through the slow delivery. The three songs are surprisingly distinctive even after a single listen, and perhaps the album's greatest triumph is that it keeps the listener's attention throughout, a rare feat in a genre usually aimed more towards meditative despair that reasonably expects the listener to have taken their own life before the tedium would present a problem.
1. Twilight Amaranthine
2. Crown of Eyes
3. A Clarion Call
Asura
Lost Eden
***
Written on 29.01.08
I don't give five stars easily, but Asunder's debut is by far the most definitive doom metal release of its type that I've ever heard. Consisting of three long, funereally slow and varied songs clocking in between twelve and fifteen minutes in length, this isn't an album for casual listeners, but it goes the extra distance to really satisfy patient fans who embark on the journey. I had preconceptions that this would be yet another sequence of monotonous dirges in the funeral doom style of bands like Thergothon and Esotetic, but was fortunately much mistaken; this is just as varied in mood and style as any other metal album, and in this instance, long doesn't automatically mean tedious, repetitive and suicidal.
Asunder seems to take its influence from the greatest doom successes of the previous decade, most evident in the contrast between the more harmonious and melancholic My Dying Bride inspired passages most present in 'Twilight Amaranthine' and the heavier, groove-laden riffs of the other two songs, and the sound is satisfyingly heavy and melodic in equal measure. The cello work of Alex Bale-Glickman adds to the band's distinctive sound, even if this distinctiveness does cross over into My Dying Bride territory at times, and although there are a few inevitable moments in-between major movements where nothing much is happening except for sustained guitar fuzz and slow drumming, each song evolves in a fluid and logical way towards its conclusion - the only instance where this isn't the case comes several minutes into the title track, where the style shifts considerably. This is the most diverse song of the lot, but for all its technical prowess it loses some of the conflicting emotions and beauty of its predecessors.
The tone here is dark, but not sinister, and the vocals are both growled and sung like a chant, the lyrics being a nice mix of traditional doom metal poetry and non sequitur statements designed to sound nice through the slow delivery. The three songs are surprisingly distinctive even after a single listen, and perhaps the album's greatest triumph is that it keeps the listener's attention throughout, a rare feat in a genre usually aimed more towards meditative despair that reasonably expects the listener to have taken their own life before the tedium would present a problem.
1. Twilight Amaranthine
2. Crown of Eyes
3. A Clarion Call
At the Gates
The Red in the Sky is Ours
*****
Written on 30.01.08
One of the most celebrated forefathers of melodic death metal, At the Gates were the more aggressive of the Gothenburg group comprising their contemporaries Ceremonial Oath, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, holding more firmly to their hostile death metal base and electing not to indulge melody and folk influence to the extent of those other bands. Whether this makes them the most authentic or simply the least inventive of the melodic death pioneers is down to each listener to decide, and while I don't enjoy their relentlessly harsh magnum opus 'Slaughter of the Soul' as much as I do the more balanced and compelling classics of the other bands in the field, this 1992 album introduces At the Gates as a more experimental band taking its influence from all branches of death metal without being confined to as-yet-uncreated genres.
'The Red in the Sky is Ours' has the fresh, bold and often amateurish sound of a band that doesn't yet know what it wants to be when it grows up, and the progressive structures, radical time shifts and frequent jazzy refrains from the bass and drums align this with technical death metal from the likes of Atheist and Cynic, without going all the way and denying listeners the pleasure of the more straightforward death metal that comprises the majority.
The typical At the Gates aggression is still present here, but in a less intrusive style more along the likes of fellow Swedes Dismember, complete with occasional flourishes of lead guitar and solos definitive of the Gothenburg sound. Anders Björler's lead guitar is excellent throughout, from the standard death metal riffing that drives most songs along to the appearance of the more sombre melodies in 'Through the Gardens of Grief,' culminating in the doom-like melancholy of 'Within,' likely the finest song here as well as the most complex, and atmospheric tremolo-picking solos that give a weird watery effect to 'Windows.' There's also a long-awaited, all-out, squealing death metal solo in 'Claws of Laughter Dead.'
The despair factor isn't as prominent here as in more dedicated doom metal bands, mostly relying on hostility, but 'Within,' 'Neverwhere' and the soft interlude 'The Scar' all succeed in creating a bleak and depressive atmosphere through the guitars, Tomas Lindberg's vocals and Gesper Jarold's violin. Jarold is the key player here in marking this album out as distinctive, making his presence felt right from the first song which effectively ends after three minutes and gives its final minutes over to a folky violin solo that bears no relation to the previous material at all. 'Within' really brings the emotional potential of the instrument out, making its final minute one of the most incredible in all of melodic death metal, while 'Neverwhere' sees Lindberg's pained roar reaching its desperate peak.
Lindberg's popularity is well deserved, and even though I've never been fond of his rasping, monotonous shout on later albums, here he's almost unrecognisable, still yelling with intensity but also with added pain evident in the style of depressive black metal, making for a more involving and less alienating experience than 'Slaughter of the Soul,' and just one of the ingredients that makes this a much better album.
The album's progressive/technical/jazz tendencies are perhaps the main obstacle to this receiving wider acceptance, and while they don't deliberately alienate all but the most prog-minded of listeners in the way masturbatory tech-death bands easily do, the sudden lunging into bass and drum frivolity does occasionally seem... well, frivolous. All the same, it's great to hear the bass as a prominent instrument, and although fast, dynamic drums are a vital element of death metal, the legendary Adrian Erlandsson puts in an incredible performance throughout.
If you only buy one album of pre-melodic-melodeath this lifetime, well, you're probably best off with Dismembered's 'Massive Killing Capacity.' But after that, you should get this.
1. The Red in the Sky is Ours / The Season to Come
2. Kingdom Gone
3. Through the Gardens of Grief
4. Within
5. Windows
6. Claws of Laughter Dead
7. Neverwhere
8. The Scar
9. Night Comes, Blood Black
10. City of Screaming Statues
At the Gates
****
Written on 30.01.08
This is truly a difficult second album, in that it's almost frustratingly hard to penetrate. Taking a faster and more technical direction than on their excellent debut, At the Gates have produced an album full of inventive and excellent guitar riffs from Anders Björler and Alf Svensson and the finest performance Adrian Erlandsson has ever recorded, but the end result is a slightly uncomfortable listening experience for all but the most seasoned technical death metal fan.
While this lacks the emotional resonance of 'The Red in the Sky is Ours,' the band hasn't yet veered onto the path that would bring them their greatest success, acclaim and disdain, and this is still melodic death metal in its earliest and most pure form, albeit with a significantly distracting tendency for endlessly changing riffs getting in the way. Fans of 'Slaughter of the Soul' would be best avoiding this altogether, and the only elements that smack of stereotypical melodic death are the soft acoustic intro to the otherwise aggressive 'Raped by the Light of Christ' and slower sections in 'Primal Breath' and 'The Burning Darkness,' which are also blessed with some excellent tremolo-picking lead guitar brilliance.
If this album were more structurally refined it would surely be considered a classic along with the debut, but with its emphasis on style over substance and the unsatisfying abrupt endings of many tracks at seemingly arbitrary points, it feels like a misstep... but still a damn heavy and energetic one that should be in any serious death metal fan's collection.
1. Beyond Good and Evil
2. Raped by the Light of Christ
3. Break of Autumn
4. Non-Divine
5. Primal Breath
6. The Architects
7. Stardrowned
8. Blood of the Sunsets
9. The Burning Darkness
10. Ever-Opening Flower
11. Through the Red
At the Gates
Terminal Spirit Disease
***
Written on 30.01.08
More of an E.P. than an album, clocking in at thirty-five minutes even when bulked out by three live songs at the end, this can't help but be seen as a warm-up to 'Slaughter of the Soul' when viewed in a historical context, due to the latter album's mistaken acclaim. The change in style from the previous album is striking, as this is far more simplified and cleanly produced to the extent that it mostly sounds like an entirely different death metal band, apart from the slower 'The Fevered Circle' that harks back to the melancholic style of the debut, and of course the live songs from earlier in the band's career that prove how much better or worse they used to sound, depending on your own, entirely valid point of view (though you're clearly wrong if you think this is an improvement).
After a pleasant intro that sees a violin morph into the first song's leading guitar harmony, this becomes very standard melodic death metal material, without the personal touches that made the band's earlier releases stand out. The sound is still heavy, but the atmosphere has been eradicated by polished production that brings out Adrian Erlandsson's drums now that he's no longer playing anything worth paying attention to. The improved grasp of structure after the messy second album is certainly a bonus, with 'Terminal Spirit Disease' and 'Forever Blind' both sounding tight if a little watered down by comparison, and although the acoustic song 'And the World Returned' is nothing special, it's nice to look back on these experiments when they were reasonably novel and to contrast them (Dark Tranquillity did something similar on their 1995 album).
The live versions are satisfyingly raw but aren't particularly special if you already own the original albums, unless you desire to hear Tomas Lindberg swearing for kicks in-between, and overall this is the weakest and least essential entry into the disappointingly slim At the Gates discography that would be concluded with their subsequent effort.
1. The Swarm
2. Terminal Spirit Disease
3. And the World Returned
4. Forever Blind
5. The Fevered Circle
6. The Beautiful Wound
7. All Life Ends (Live)
8. The Burning Darkness (Live)
9. Kingdom Gone (Live)
At the Gates
Slaughter of the Soul
****
Written on 30.01.08
Here we have one of the popularly cited classics of melodic death metal, the evident inspiration for the legions of overly aggressive, obtrusive, paradoxical metalcore bands dominating the metal mainstream these days. For that reason alone it perhaps deserves to be hammered to bits (violence begets violence), but that would be like travelling back to the genesis of the Daleks and pushing the conveniently marked self-destruct button to stop the universe's greatest threat from ever coming into existence. Besides, taken on its own merits as At the Gates' amicable swan song before the band members' dissolution to other parts of the Swedish metal scene, 'Slaughter of the Soul' is a solid album and a reasonable triumph for metal, and certainly better than Davros or Hitler.
The sound here is an almost relentless angry yell aimed at nothing in particular, with only a few lapses into something more accessible to the everyday listener. Tomas Lindberg's vocals have become distinctively Tomas Lindberg-style by this point, perhaps predictably but the change from the first album is striking, meaning that the orations are delivered in a harsh and unprecedentedly hostile take on the death metal growl, something that actually starts to bore me in the latter part of the album. For fans of angry music you couldn't do much better than this, and as it's a melodic death album, Anders Björler supplies a fairly melodic lead guitar in most songs in an attempt to balance things out, though not to the extent of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity or most of the other bands of the Gothenburg scene. Essentially, opener 'Blinded by Fear' is the only real sign of effort in fitting to the imagined archetype of the melodic death sound, as later albums rely on outside sources and more drastic deviations for their melody, most notably a nice guitar solo from King Diamond's Andy LaRocque in 'Cold,' the entirely acoustic interlude 'Into the Dead Sky' and the atmospheric outro 'The Flames of the End.'
This is a consistent death metal album that irons out anything extraneous and ends up with a relatively short (but long enough) thirty-four minute playing time, most songs coming in at under four minutes and the final few all being under three minutes. The problem with these short lengths is that few of the songs have much chance to really establish themselves outside of the main riffs and verses, 'Unto Others' trying to do something different with short acoustic flourishes and a steadier introductory section but still ending up much the same as the rest. This is no problem if this is the sort of music you're really into, and any metalcore fans who haven't heard this oft-hailed progenitor of the style should see it as a compulsory listen, one that will hopefully introduce them to other, better death metal bands, but for those like me who obviously prefer the more melodic and innovative touches of At the Gates' contemporaries, it gets a bit tedious and even seems a little lacking in ferocity when compared to more extreme death- and black metal acts. At least this is more accessible.
1. Blinded by Fear
2. Slaughter of the Soul
3. Cold
4. Under a Serpent Sun
5. Into the Dead Sky
6. Suicide Nation
7. World of Lies
8. Unto Others
9. Nausea
10. Need
11. The Flames of the End
The Arcanum Order
***
Written on 30.01.08
'The Arcanum Order' is a consistent debut from American band At the Throne of Judgement, by which I mean that all of the songs sound pretty much exactly the same (and the band name and album title seem to be the wrong way round, don't you think?) On the positive side, this is decent enough Soilwork-style melodic death metal that isn't really death metal, but is a bit too good and not overtly hostile enough to be considered metalcore, which will still be hard enough for those who don't mind a bit of crossover. Personally, this kind of consistent hammering aggression isn't my cup of tea, and I probably wouldn't use phrases like "cup of tea" if it were.
Matt Smith's vocals (great metal name there, as fear-inducing as Matthew Barlowe) vary between a death grunt and rasp without going in for any of that piercing metalcore singing stuff, and he's perfectly suited to the hard guitar riffs and pummelling drums, which are actually impressive when not just relying on a machine gun imitation for heaviness. The guitar riffs are loose and seemingly improvised to some extent, progressing up and down according to the guitarist's whims, and of course there are blaring solos towards the end of each song, fairly good but nothing spectacular and mainly there out of habit. As there's very little variation between the songs and the whole thing started to bore me fairly soon there aren't any particularly stand-out tracks, though 'Ruin of Gaia' seemed to be slightly faster which I took as a good sign.
While the band doesn't have the same preoccupation with flaunting poorly contrived melodic elements to prove their feminine side to groupies (the metalcore equivalent of a hard bloke wearing pink), there are a few rare moments of pleasant harmony that offer a very welcome respite from all the heaviness and are pulled off nicely, most obviously the gloomy clean guitar interlude 'Four Winds' at the album's centre and anonymous piano outro at the end. At the Throne of Judgement isn't the sort of band I'd listen to by choice, being too distracting for background music and not angry enough for bad moods, but this is a strong, if disappointingly samey debut.
1. Cacophonous
2. Sentinel
3. Mariner's Cutlass
4. Horus Rises
5. Discarnate by Design
6. Four Winds
7. Celestial Scourge
8. Ruin of Gaia
9. Tomb of the Thracians
10. Delphic Star
11. The Captive
12. Untitled
At Vance
VII
**
Written on 30.01.08
With their latest release, Germany's At Vance finally took a slight change of direction from their formerly samey discography, but sadly it was a step in the wrong direction. The change can partly be blamed on band turmoil, as guitarist/keyboard player Olaf Lenk now plays all of the instruments in the studio and singer Mats Leven has been replaced with the less distinctive Rick Altzi, but even with this greater degree of creative control it seems that Lenk has decided to oversimplify an already fairly basic sound, now more rooted in the eighties than ever. Lenk's classically influenced guitar solos are almost nowhere in sight, hidden on most tracks and only coming to the fore in pieces like 'Victory,' and the customary Vivaldi cover is conspicuous in its absence. This is a real shame, as without the pompous guitar performance this is just another power metal band producing a few good, generic songs amidst an album of slow throwback ballads, and it doesn't bode well for At Vance's future.
There really are too many slow songs here, at least in comparison to the band's earlier albums, and although none of them quite go overboard into cheese as they've tended to in the past, it really does become increasingly dull and painful to sit through these slowies with every other song, from the hair metal of 'Shiver' to the less irritating but still tedious 80s Black Sabbath/Dio tributes 'Friendly Fire' and 'Answer Me' and finally the really lousy ballad 'Lost In Your Love' that ends the album on a particularly sour note. Only a few songs here are even worth mentioning but still merely sound the same as the bands that influenced them, from the fast power metal of 'Golden Leaves' that provides a source of respite that should have occurred in greater frequency to the unexpected heaviness of 'Truth,' more in line with Gamma Ray and Primal Fear.
1. Breaking the Night
2. Shiver
3. Cold As Ice
4. Victory
5. Friendly Fire
6. Golden Leaves
7. Answer Me
8. Shine
9. Truth
10. Lost In Your Love
Ataraxia
Kremasta Nera
****
Written on 30.01.08
Ataraxia is an inspiring Italian neoclassical group that has been in existence for around twenty years and released a vast array of albums, yet remains hopelessly obscure due to its limited target audience. I wouldn't have it any other way.
The band's music mixes classical symphonic and operatic styles with natural folk and tribal elements, making for an interesting and highly skilled mixture that seemingly aims to unite the world's diverse cultures and mythology, an endeavour enhanced by the mythological lyrical themes, sung by Francesca Nicoli in a variety of languages. Ataraxia's music is incredibly spiritual in intent, even to the extent that their live performances occur in areas deemed to hold spiritual significance, but it can be enjoyed by anyone interested in neoclassical or neofolk, without unnecessary and inaccurate terms such as "dark ambient" being banded about. This isn't ambient music, but a collection of quite different songs striking a balance between folk and classical styles in a minimalist atmosphere.
'The Song of Axieros' sets things up nicely while also serving to ward away any casual listeners who are worried that this really isn't their thing. Nicoli's vocals are almost whispered against a sparse backdrop of soft tribal sounds, and the unison chanting later on is almost scary, but thankfully things pick up in the second song and the music can really begin. 'The Nine Rituals' is the closest thing this album provides to a commercial single, not that something so ludicrous could ever happen, as even in spite the more accessible acoustic guitar, drumming and English vocals, the song still drifts into chant and folk stylings later on, reminding me of a more intense version of the Cure's 'The Hanging Garden.'
The rest of the album flits between Eastern-sounding melodies and vocal performances in the 'Ochram' and 'Therma' section, to more symphonic heights in the orchestral 'Ebur' and the angelic, operatic singing of the excellent title song, 'Efestia' and 'Migratio Animae.' Despite the increased prominence of vocal elements, orchestration or folk instruments in corresponding songs, the atmosphere is maintained throughout and the sound never feels overbearing or contradictory, the perfect fusion of elements finally seeming to come together in songs such as 'Gria Vathra.' This isn't the easiest album to approach, but it's one that rewards the patient listener.
1. The Song of Axieros
2. The Nine Rituals
3. Kremasta Nera
4. Ochram
5. Therma
6. Efestia
7. Ebur
8. Kaviria
9. Fengari
10. Klethra
11. Gria Vathra
12. Migratio Animae
13. Wings (I Had Once)
14. La Fame E La Danza
Atargatis
Wasteland
***
Written on 30.01.08
The term "gothic" is one of the less helpful in defining a band's sound, banded around to the same extent as "epic" and "extreme," usually by idiots like me. Generally speaking, bands labelled as gothic metal tend to share characteristics of a lighter sound, still led by rock instruments but in a less prominent, background manner and usually accompanied or even overpowered by keyboards and sweeping orchestration, while vocals range from operatic wails to death metal growls. Germany's Atargatis are fairly typical then, in that singer Stephanie Luzie performs most songs in a high singing voice with occasional bouts of regular singing and is accompanied briefly by male vocals in three songs, though without the contrived "beauty and the beast" system of male grunts versus female singing used by bands such as Theatre of Tragedy.
All of the instrumentation in this album is aimed at providing a suitable soundscape for Luzie's voice, meaning that while the synthesised orchestra, regular rock instruments and additional touches like violin in 'Through the Mists if Oblivion' are all flawlessly performed, they rarely stand out apart from a few generous guitar solos in songs like 'Selina.' Each track is around five minutes in length apart from the intro, outro and interlude '4giving,' and most use the slightly extended length to their advantage in arriving at a different sound by the end than the one they began with, displayed in the title song which marks a major shift from light operatic metal to a more typical singing performance in its second half. There are a few nicely odd touches to distinguish certain songs - Luzie chanting repeatedly over a church organ at the start of 'Circle of Life' being one, continued later in the song where her German accent interferes slightly with her ability to pronounce the title in the repeating chorus (bless) - and even the more standard fare is generally divided up so that slower songs are placed next to more energetic pieces.
This is a slickly produced album that brings out all the presence and subtlety of the backing orchestration as required by each song, and allows the rock instruments to remain audible even when essentially buried or momentarily unnecessary. The guitar has a certain crunch to it that's appealing, but metal fans shouldn't come here expecting an energised or upbeat performance in the style of Nightwish, while those expecting something more ethereal and ambient may be similarly disappointed. Atargatis is primarily another gothic metal band doing alright in a genre that isn't exactly over-saturated, but requires quite a bit from its performers that this album delivers thanks to Stephanie Luzie, but unfortunately fails elsewhere. Stick with Theatre of Tragedy for something more ambitious and moody.
1. Desert (Intro)
2. Wasteland
3. Selina (Widow of the Moon)
4. Thy Crystallic Ascension
5. Cradle of Fern
6. Through the Mists if Oblivion
7. 4giving
8. My Solace
9. Circle of Life
10. Angels Crying
11. Eden (Outro)
Atheist
Piece of Time
Stop All the Clocks
****
Written on 30.01.08
Florida is the Mecca of eighties death metal, spawning its notable progenitors as well as some of its first ingenious innovators. Atheist are the most celebrated and pioneering of the technical death metal bands, a term usually applied these days to any monstrously heavy album that throws in some random guitar solos and messes around with the rhythm to make everything that little bit less appealing, and while it's their second album 'Unquestionable Presence' that proved the most inspiring, 'Piece of Time' is a debut headed in the right direction, and one that may even prove more palatable for traditional metal fans.
Atheist is all about the performance, but not to the extent of virtuoso showing-off. No band member or instrument is secondary to the rest, and all put incredible effort and thought into making a classic album. Of course, saying that, Rand Burkey does let out a guitar solo roughly every ten seconds, and the rhythm section of Steve Flynn's drums and Roger Patterson's bass compete for the listener's attention at the cost of significantly disrupting the flow of things, but once you settle into it, this all becomes fairly standard; thus, the band needs to continue pushing the boundaries throughout. The jazz fusion influence makes this particularly unique among metal at the time, and most that has come since has been largely imitation, but it has all the intensity and aggression of its contemporary death metal and severe thrash bands like Slayer, with even more speed.
Most of these songs are similar in their creativity: the first half features verses yelled by Kelly Schaefer in a proto death growl with traces of a standard thrash yell, before he shuts up to concentrate on rhythm guitar opposite Burkey for the instrumental and even more unhinged second half. With the exception of the truly epic finale that clocks in at an unprecedented four and a half minutes (honestly), these tracks are all short, fast and to the point, whatever the point may be, averaging around three minutes. This leaves the album noticeably short at only half an hour in length, but keeps the content of a consistently high quality by eliminating sub-par filler. It's the musical equivalent of living fast and dying young.
With songs veering all over the place it's difficult and pointless to give individual exposition, but a few stand out rather nicely for succeeding in something different. 'Unholy War' is the shortest and increases the bar of speed significantly, so it's a good job 'Beyond' comes along to incite Schaefer into the same over-zealous performance as his bandmates, yelling his verses at astonishing speed without even slurring. This is also one of my favourite songs for its reliance on a heavy metal gallop in the early sections, and some really pleasant guitar harmonies before they become competitive and turn-taking again. The middle of 'I Deny' is the first time the album slows down considerably, though it's hardly a breather; that will only come right at the end with the atmospheric synthesiser introduction to 'No Truth,' though this eventually makes way for some more beastly tech-death for its final minutes. 'Piece of Time' is a great album for progressive- or death metal fans, and is actually a lot more accessible than you might expect, especially considering some of its later excesses. 'Unquestionable Presence' remains their magnum opus, but this is an excellent, if brief second-best.
1. Piece of Time
2. Unholy War
3. Room With a View
4. On They Slay
5. Beyond
6. I Deny
7. Why Bother?
8. Life
9. No Truth
Advantages: Innovative, jazzy 80s death metal.
Disadvantages: Rather short.
Atheist
Unquestionable Presence
*****
Written on 30.01.08
Receiving wider recognition today than it ever did on its release, Atheist's second album is the definitive work of technical metal and one of the greatest death metal albums of all time. A large step up from its predecessor, the jazz fusion influence is now perfectly incorporated into one of the tightest metal performances ever recorded, as every band member displays their virtuosity and independence without ever clashing with the unison sound. The most important thing to appreciate about this release is that despite its technical prowess, this is no Yngwie Malmsteen masturbation fest: all of these songs are packed with incredible riffs, melodies and rhythms superior to most death metal bands, and although the constant movement can be disorienting on the first listen, there's such a strong emphasis on developing steady grooves and catchy rhythms elsewhere that metal fans everywhere won't be able to resist. It really is that good.
Atheist are clearly far from being a typical death metal band, especially for the early nineties, and this is far removed from the genre's usual emphasis on speed, aggression and volume, replacing it with a focus on tight performances with a strong rhythmic focus. Nothing here feels out of place, from the brief guitar, bass and drum solos to the major style shifts of songs like 'An Incarnation's Dream' that moves from an acoustic opening to a heavy, groove-laden section later on and ends up somewhere different altogether, and the songs are all edited to perfection at an average of four minutes each, with no frivolous, overlong "epics" to run out of steam and spoil things.
The clean production enunciates every instrument perfectly, another improvement from the previous album, and the only real drawback here (that doesn't actually affect this album one bit) was the tragic death of Roger Patterson in a bus accident prior to its recording. Fortunately, he had already composed the excellent bass work that contributes as much to the overall sound as the guitars and is vital for the funky, jazz atmosphere, and Tony Choy plays them fittingly. Kelly Schaefer's vocals are the most typically death metal element here, though even these tend to shift from his standard Chuck Schuldiner style growl to a yell more in line with Pantera's Phil Anselmo in songs like 'Mother Man' and 'The Formative Years,' and without being too aggressive or domineering they shouldn't provide more of a barrier to entry for the casual listener than the rather substantial obstacles that already exist. You don't have to be a death metal fan to like this, but it helps.
1. Mother Man
2. Unquestionable Presence
3. Your Life's Retribution
4. Enthralled in Essence
5. An Incarnation's Dream
6. The Formative Years
7. Brains
8. And the Psychic Saw
Athena
A New Religion?
***
Written on 30.01.08
Athena is a surprisingly high-profile ska punk band from Istanbul, and their self-titled sixth album from 2005 reflects their newfound commercial success in its more accessible sound, though fortunately the punk base remains for the old-school fans. This is a melodic and very pop-oriented album of light ska songs, some of them ('Yasak Bahçe' in particular) hardly resembling the genre at all, but the emphasis on catchy vocal melodies and a chilled reggae atmosphere is mostly successful - it's just a shame the album's so inconsistent.
'Hatasiz Kul Olmaz' and 'Birak Gitsin' keep up the rock end of the scale, with some decent guitar riffs amidst the repetition of the verses, while 'Caydiran' and 'Roket Adam' take a more satisfyingly energetic punk direction and are probably the most entertaining songs here as a result. Traditional ska fans are catered for by 'Kime Ne' and 'Çöküslerdeyim,' but this still isn't going to be something to appeal to die-hard fans of the genre due to its overly commercial approach. Still, there's enough honest material here to resist any claims of the band "selling out," especially considering the ridiculous, off-putting waste of time that comes in the final song, which sees a slow ska song and a speedy mess-around bisected by over thirty minutes of silence in-between.
If every band in Turkey was playing this sort of music, no one would notice Athena. Luckily for them, they stand out for miles.
1. Çatal Yürek
2. Hatasiz Kul Olmaz
3. Kime Ne
4. Yasak Bahçe
5. Çöküslerdeyim
6. Caydiran
7. Birak Gitsin
8. Bulut
9. Roket Adam
10. Uyaninca
Atma
Beyond Good and Evil
***
Written on 30.01.08
Romanian electronic musician Andre Oliver Brasovean allegedly spent three years composing this trance odyssey, which is staggering considering how little there is to it. Drenched in the same levels of techno rhythms, sequencer loops and arbitrary film samples from the likes of 'Dark City,' 'In the Mouth of Madness' and whatever else happened to be in his DVD collection, this is a psychedelic journey that starts out full of promise and excitement and gradually becomes more tedious and repetitive as the tracks plod on.
My main disappointment is that I was lied to by whichever desperate internet advertisement proclaimed this to be an innovative mix of trance and exotic world music, as there are really no natural instruments in sight, and the dance elements significantly dominate from 'Deviant Behaviour' onwards. Before this it's mostly enjoyable and fairly relaxing and thoughtful, if you're into that sort of thing, but still nothing particularly special. This isn't mere mindless ambience by any means, and each track features enough internal progression to remain interesting while never straying too far from its core sound, but the end result is rather unsatisfying.
The best elements merely remind of seventies Jean-Michel Jarre mixed with a pulsing techno beat, and although this is a highly consistent album, that only adds to its tedium. This will likely be of interest to die-hard fans of psychedelic trance in all its forms, but it won't put Romania on the map in the way that only Bram Stoker seems to have achieved.
1. We Will Rise Again
2. Beyond Good and Evil
3. The Other Side
4. Deviant Behaviour
5. The Ganzfeld Experiment
6. The Doors of Perception
7. Psychedelic Visionars
8. Eternal Cycles
9. There Is Still Hope
Atrium Carceri
Ptahil
**
Written on 31.01.08
Simon Heath's dark ambient projects under the pseudonym Atrium Carceri boast unparalleled atmosphere and eeriness, but can't really be classed as music, and should on no account be approached as such. This is more like the soundtrack to an intense, psychological horror film, one that like-minded listeners can absorb themselves in for just under an hour and hopefully come out of the other end with minimal lasting effects, but personally I would have preferred to see the non-existent film.
Terms such as dark ambient and industrial can be thrown around to little purpose here, as this is essentially a collection of quiet, almost silent tracks filled with non-descript sound effects and on incredibly rare occasions, a piano (V), sampled voice effect (III) or something resembling a drum beat (X). The only section of the album to feature these musical elements with any inconsistency is the very end, the final three tracks acting almost as a guideline as to what the rest could have sounded like, had it been something other than a collection of ten-minute nothings.
I didn't dislike this experience, and I'm always eager to check out any bands or musical vanity projects that are trying something new, but this pretty much defines a selective-audience release. It's called industrial, but there's hardly any actual music, and it looks like it has some sort of plot, the narrative and content of which is completely absent from the listening experience itself. But it is genuinely creepy and disconcerting without trying too hard like many black metal projects, and surely has its purpose for those interested in the spiritual side of music. Me, I like a good guitar solo.
I. Quarantine
II. Entrance
III. A Place to Call Home
IV. Observatory
V. Memory Leak
VI. Reincarnation Chamber
VII. A Path Through Remembrance
VIII. Static of the Kapnobatai
IX. Reborn
X. The Council of Seven
XI. Meltdown
XII. Inside the Womb
XIII. End Titles
Atrocity
Werk 80
**
Written on 31.01.08
Atrocity's seventh album is a bit of a cop-out and a bit worthless generally, consisting entirely of the German industrial band's own takes on pop hits of the 1980s. While this will undoubtedly make it their most popular album to the general public, I always look down on such things as rather feeble attempts to sell music based on novelty value alone rather than anything truly creative, and although Atrocity obviously go some way towards making the songs their own, the listener really is left with very little clue as to the band's customary sound.
The most positive thing that can be said about this release is that the style is fairly similar and consistent throughout, despite the occasionally different styles of artists being covered (which isn't all that much variation in essence). The music isn't particularly heavy as Atrocity has ceased to be a death metal band by this point, meaning that the whole thing is carried off in an industrial style quite fitting to the electronic pop stylings of the originals, the drums in particular largely remaining unchanged between the decades. The only clues that this is a rock band are the scratching guitar riffs present in most songs, becoming more pronounced and genuinely dominant for the only time in 'Send Me an Angel' and 'Don't Go,' and the vocal style that alternates between male and female singing and is frequently performed in a slightly gruff rock style most prominent in 'Rage Hard,' before largely reverting to a more spoken style revealing of the German accent.
None of these covers are truly inspired or creative, the very few songs that I was previously familiar with being given a fairly basic industrial rock treatment that perhaps doesn't go far enough, so there really is very little point to this release unless you happen to be a massive fan of both genres and are interested in the combined effect. Most songs are mellow, something aided by the authentic but slightly reduced keyboards and the presence of cello, and in fact the only times the band seems to genuinely be having fun with the recording are in the greater rock performance of 'Tainted Love' and 'Don't Go,' the rest being disappointingly loyal imitations of the original (especially the David Bowie song). I'm not a fan of covers at the best of times, and this doesn't represent the best of times.
1. Shout (Tears for Fears)
2. Rage Hard (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
3. Wild Boys (Duran Duran)
4. The Great Commandment (Camouflage)
5. Send Me an Angel (Real Life)
6. Tainted Love (Gloria Jones)
7. Der Mussolini (D.A.F.)
8. Being Boiled (Human League)
9. Don't Go (Yazoo)
10. Let's Dance (David Bowie)
11. Maid of Orleans (O.M.D.)
Atrocity
Contaminated
**
Written on 31.01.08
'Contaminated' is the first release from Connecticut death/grind band Atrocity for fifteen years, following a recent reform of the original line-up, but rather than newly recorded material it's disappointingly only a collection of songs from the early albums, recorded in these slightly different forms back in the early nineties. Once you get past this disillusion, and the fact that it would make more sense to track down the original full-lengths 'Infected' and 'The Art of Death' (conveniently repackaged together in 2001), it's easy to appreciate these songs for what they are - and even better, it's released on Open Grave Records, which is the best name for a record label I've ever come across.
As old-style grindcore that was so prevalent in the early nineties, the sound here is fairly simplistic and riff-oriented, with Rich Flint's growls fitting perfectly into the overall dingy and gritty sound rather than yelling above it like more traditional death metal. The emphasis here isn't on technical skill, but the riffs are mostly memorable and inventive, and especially considering it's a grindcore album, the whole thing has a surprising grasp of structure. Songs occasionally slow right down in a satisfying way, especially the longer, three-minute tracks near the beginning, while the shorter, punkier second half of the E.P. is mainly concerned with frenzied outbursts lasting less than a minute. Both styles work well, and even though I'm not the biggest grind fan, there's enough of an early death metal sound here to keep these enjoyable outside of the trend.
The only real issue I have with this release is that it feels so redundant, and a little dishonest as a representation of the reformed band, which really could have come up with some new material for this fairly short release. Perhaps they're doing so right now; only time will tell if the energy is still there.
1. Enslaved in Turmoil
2. Nuclear Manslaughter
3. Unseen Death
4. Contamination
5. Slave to Conformity
6. Awaiting Demise
7. Infected
8. Cycle of Despair
9. Redeemed by Confession
10. Personal Decimation
Atrophia Red Sun
Painfull Love
***
Written on 31.01.08
Later d/evolving into a harsh, industrial death metal outfit, Poland's Atrophia Red Sun released this surprisingly pleasant demo in 1995 that offers a substantial glimpse into the lighter road they might have travelled down, had things turned out differently. Bearing a distinct gothic sound influenced by the eighties, this is melodic doom metal that retains the death growls and occasional heavy riffs of metal, but is more accessible in the style of Katatonia. Or of the hordes of imitation bands that sprung up after the release of 'Brave Murder Day'; fortunately, Atrophia Red Sun has a distinct character of its own, even at this early stage.
These six songs are quite poetic and extremely melodic, led by soft electric guitars and catchy, gothic style drums for the most part before branching out into heavier climes on songs such as 'Poem,' but it's predominantly rooted in the romantic style of bands like Novembre, even if the emotion is a little less clear. 'Everything in One' attempts experimentation to mixed success, partly due to the limitations of the production quality on this low budget release, but it features some excellent guitar work with an acoustic section towards the end that resurfaces in several other songs, and a great melodic guitar solo that's one of the highlights of this album, even though it's pretty much ripped directly out of a Metallica song (I can't remember which).
'Love Is...' introduces female singing for a nice contrast before the style returns to the standard, and the rest of the demo plays out in much the same way. As a first recording this is a great showcase of this band's talent for melodic doom metal, so it's a real shame that they decided to turn their backs on it so soon and head for pastures far uglier.
1. Blazing Whispers
2. Everything in One
3. Love Is...
4. Old Fable
5. Poem
6. Painfull Love for Both of Us
Atsphear
Ascent Descent E.P.
Watch Me Vigilant
**
Written on 31.01.08
This three-track E.P. was released by Madrid-based melodic death metal band Atsphear to introduce new vocalist Juan Dominguez to fans before the release of anything more substantial, but other than this small point of interest there isn't anything here to really satisfy veterans of the genre. Dominguez combines death metal growls with melodic singing much the same as all other melodic death bands, though fortunately his singing voice has a much less whiney quality to many of his contemporaries, while the instruments backing him up are generic to the point of real tedium.
This wouldn't be a bad album to listen to if you were a newcomer to melodic death metal, or were perhaps seeing the band live on a pleasant Spanish evening, but I've long since become bored to tears by the machine gun barrage of down-tuned guitars and clinical, lifeless drums. There isn't any real degree of variety between these three songs, but as it's only a twelve minute release and is downloadable from the band's website, rather than something fans are expected to track down, there's no reason to see this as a fault; surely any material is generous material. Dominguez is clearly the band's strongest link and he carries the three songs off well, despite a rather pointless reliance on dominant singing in track two, but guitarists Sergio Lara and Manuel Probanza unleash some quite cool solos in the first song, and experiment with odd distortion in the third that held my interest for a brief time.
However average this release may be, it's tilted further down the scale thanks to the presence of embarrassingly juvenile lyrics in 'Oblivion' as Dominguez yells "I hate myself! I hate myself!" at various points and succeeded in turning me over to his point of view (it also reminded me of a song someone proudly played to me a few years ago that they'd recorded themselves, and was quite an embarrassment to listen to). This is free, but it's a bit of a waste of time.
1. Ascent / Descent
2. Oblivion
3. The Chase
Advantages: Juan Dominguez is a strong vocalist for this type of music.
Disadvantages: Not particularly strong or inventive material.
Attacker
Battle at Helm's Deep
****
Written on 01.02.08
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this album: an early example of American power metal that certainly isn't without its faults, but showcases pretty much everything that's so ridiculously entertaining about 1980s metal. The band hails from New Jersey, and this was their first full-length release, reasonably highly publicised by the record label thanks to Attacker's inclusion on some notable compilations of the time, but one that soon faded into comparative obscurity and decline. It's a shame, because 'Battle at Helm's Deep' is every bit as talented and enjoyable as much of the speed metal that was sweeping across Europe at the time from the likes of Helloween and Accept, and a step beyond standard American metal in its increased tempo and no-holds-barred melodic performance.
Bob Mitchell's high, screeching singing style will likely provide the largest barrier here, and will take some getting used to by those unaccustomed to the excesses of power metal singers, but fortunately I felt right at home. He only really becomes irritating when singing the sillier vocal melodies of songs such as 'Downfall,' but as a sort of apology, that song then erupts into a roaring instrumental second half that rivals anything similar that would later be attempted by the similarly-annoying-vocalled Megadeth. The guitar performance form Pat Marinelli and Jim Mooney is up to the standard of all other bands of the time, and although many of the lead melodies sound a little laughably cheesy nowadays (particularly the opening to 'The Wrath of Nevermore'), it only adds to the enjoyment for me, and with plenty of acoustic touches and structural changes it's clear that this band is dedicated to its sound.
Of course, it wouldn't truly be power metal without an over-the-top lyrical focus on battles and fantasy, and it's a real shame that the CD re-release updated the original album art, which was one of the most shamelessly cheesy, Dungeons and Dragons style album covers I've ever seen, outside of Manowar of course. The title track itself is a reference to J. R. R. Tolkien as you were probably already aware (even I knew that, and I don't even like 'Lord of the Rings'), but you can rest assured that the content is so minimal, superficial and perhaps even factually inaccurate that you don't have to be a fan to appreciate the great heavy metal song. In fact, it would probably only make it more annoying.
'Kick Your Face' is the compulsory anthem in celebration of heavy metal, a little simpler and less intense than the others, and on a final positive note there are no terrible, contrived power ballads of the type that plagued much American metal of the time. This is almost a classic album, but is a little too silly and obscure to be appreciated on the same level as the other eighties bands whose legacy has been proven over time. Nevertheless, it's the most enjoyable listening experience I've had for a while.
1. The Hermit
2. The Wrath of Nevermore
3. Disciple
4. Downfall
5. Slayer's Blade
6. Battle at Helm's Deep
7. Kick Your Face
8. Dance of the Crazies
9. (Call On) the Attacker
Attic
Remember Tomorrow
*
Written on 01.02.08
Just in case you planned on Forgetting Tomorrow, Swedish pop house music artists Eric Amarillo and Michael Feiner ensure that it's sufficiently drilled in with the over-repetitive chorus of this single's title track, before proceeding to serve up four additional remixes of the same song. As if this wasn't bad enough, they aren't even particularly notable remixes, primarily because the artists chosen to offer their outside perspective on the song are in fact the two members of the Attic themselves, playing around with their own song and never managing to stretch its very limited potential into anything truly satisfying.
Taken on its own merits, 'Remember Tomorrow' is an inoffensive and incredibly bland light dance track, one that I wouldn't even consider to be genuinely "house," but what do I know. The chorus is the driving force, against a background of light synthesised melodies and a soft rhythm, all of which increases in energy towards the end. It's by no means a great song, or even a good song strictly speaking, but the main problem here comes in the worthless remixes. Michael Feiner's version is presented twice, first in a more concise radio edit and secondly in a longer, six-minute performance that only adds to the tedium. Feiner's approach is to limit the chorus significantly, which is the one decision I agree with wholeheartedly as it isn't something the listener needs to sit through ad nauseam yet again, but the only alteration he makes to the background is to replace it with a similarly slow but slightly more prominent rhythm and electronic whines, the longer version beginning with some really quite bad and distinctly eighties dance melodies before the regular tune returns.
Eric Amarillo's version is once again more or less the same, considering he too was half responsible for the original, and it ends up sounding like a slightly more ambient, extended version, with the vocals reduced to more of a whisper to avoid them becoming too grating. The final song is a mixed blessing, mainly awful but only retaining some credibility by being so bad that it at least manages to single itself out, and it's yet another remix by Feiner. This time, he goes overboard on the synthesisers, sticks in a retro bassline that wouldn't be out of place in early eighties Michael Jackson, and it all soon descends into a mix between basic house and irritating computer game music. It's undeservedly the longest song here, but really there's no reason whatsoever to play past the first, if you can even be bothered to get that far. There are far too many ways that this single could have been improved.
1. Remember Tomorrow (Album version)
2. Remember Tomorrow (Michael Feiner remix - radio edit)
3. Remember Tomorrow (Michael Feiner remix)
4. Remember Tomorrow (Eric Amarillo remix)
5. Remember Tomorrow (Michael Feiner bonus remix)
Aura Noir
Dreams Like Deserts
***
Written on 01.02.08
This five-track E.P. was the first official release from Aura Noir, yet another Norwegian black metal band, but one that interestingly seemed intent on "keeping it real" (to use the black metal terminology, of course) by retaining the thrash metal influence that had begun with the likes of Bathory, before the bands started to follow a different path in the early nineties. As a fairly low budget release on Hot Records (some more authentic black metal lingo there), the E.P. has the fuzzy and exceptionally raw quality that's required when creating music of this nature, and although the drums can hardly be heard and the guitars are stuck permanently at the warbling, treble end of the scale, the scene couldn't be better set for these anthems of blasphemy, general unpleasantness and philosophical musings.
This isn't a classic release by any means, coming far too late to be considered in the same light as the albums that clearly inspired it, but the blending of thrash and black metal - here tilted more towards the latter - makes for a more palatable listening experience than something like Mayhem, as the songs can be easily discerned and don't all flow into one big, disgusting, beautiful noise. 'The Rape,' easily the most controversial piece with its closing line "so hereby I rape thee," starts off nice and slow before launching into a Bathory style with very dirty guitars and easily discerned growls, but the E.P. dips a little in the middle with the fairly bland and dull title track that doesn't really justify its extended length of five minutes.
Fortunately, the action picks up in the second half (to use irrelevant sporting terminology) with the excellent 'Snake,' easily the heaviest and most powerful piece here with some great riffs and screaming solos reminiscent of the best of thrash, while finale 'Mirage' all hinges around a repeating riff that has the advantage of being excellent. This was a strong first release from a band that was never going to make any waves, but at least provides something for old-school black metal fans who find their needs increasingly hard to satiate.
1. The Rape
2. Forlorn Blessings to the Dreamking
3. Dreams, Like Deserts
4. Angel Ripper
5. Snake
6. Mirage
Aura Noir
Deep Dreams of Hell
***
Written on 01.02.08
'Deep Dreams of Hell' is a compilation of Aura Noir's second album 'Deep Tracts of Hell' with their first E.P. 'Dreams Like Deserts,' which oddly misses out their first and most popular full-length in-between, presumably as that was selling well enough to be commercially available without the need for such a re-issue. These two releases are both fine examples of thrashed-up black metal, or blackened thrash if you prefer (though the first term is more appropriate considering the greater black metal foundation), and true to form it's all quite poorly produced, vicious and genuinely evil, as well as being damn catchy at the same time.
I'm actually not so fond of the direction taken on 'Deep Tracts of Hell,' which seems to adopt a more clinical and mechanical sound despite the raw fury of the instruments, as the vocals have somehow or other been processed to sound slightly robotic. Most of the songs are fairly standard and the whole thing lacks any true inspiration, but there are still some great riffs to be found in the likes of 'Released Damnation' and 'The Beautiful, Darkest Path,' some of the other songs merely failing to stand out for being too similar, but not quite as good. The thrashier side of things is ironically maintained by some of the slower sections in 'Swarm of Vultures' and 'Broth of Oblivion' that provide a nice respite and keep the whole thing from sounding too similar, but of the Aura Noir releases I've heard, this thirty-seven minute album (here providing half of the material) is the weakest.
'Dreams Like Deserts' is better, despite being shorter and even more raw, with some classic black-thrash / thrash-black in 'The Rape,' 'Snake' and 'Mirage' and some lesser songs that fortunately sound a little different, rather than merely mediocre as was the case earlier in this compilation. Rounding off the release are four rare songs, three being mere alternate versions of material we've already heard that sound exactly the same apart from the Fenriz vocals version of 'Mirage' that puts a nice, gurgly spin on an already fine song, and the only "new" song 'Tower of Limbs and Fevers' (a B-side from the second album, previously released on a 2001 compilation) isn't really worth mentioning. If it was, presumably it would have made its way onto 'Deep Tracts of Hell' in the first place. Essentially, this is only a necessary purchase for those who can't find the album or E.P. in their original forms, but overall it's still a lesser work from a band that didn't have an awful lot going for it in the first place.
1. Deep Tracts of Hell
2. Released Damnation
3. Swarm of Vultures
4. Blood Unity
5. Slasher
6. Purification of Hell
7. The Spiral Sear
8. The Beautiful, Darkest Path
9. Broth of Oblivion
10. To Wear the Mark
11. The Rape
12. Forlorn Blessings to the Dreamking
13. Dreams Like Deserts
14. Angel Ripper
15. Snake
16. Mirage
17. Released Damnation (Early version)
18. Broth of Oblivion (Early version)
19. Tower of Limbs and Fevers
20. Mirage (Fenriz vocals version)
Aurora
Aurora
***
Written on 01.02.08
Every once in a while I like to test myself with a musical genre I know absolutely nothing about, and usually hate, but the 2001 debut from Aurora was surprisingly inoffensive to my ears, even if I have trouble admitting it. Essentially an English attempt to replicate the sound of American female artists that seemed to be incredibly popular in the late nineties (this isn't my field, alright? My facts will be vague and clearly mostly wrong assumptions based on what I can remember being on TV in 1998, but I'm trying my best), these songs are incredibly generic and lack any kind of surprise whatsoever, but succeed in providing some worthy, home-grown competition.
The most successful tracks, in my opinion, are the more relaxed pieces that allow the singing of Lizzy Pattinson and guests to drift into the synthesised string orchestration of the background, and the subtle piano or acoustic guitar melodies being played underneath. 'Dreaming' starts things off nicely in this regard, and it only improves through the more prominently acoustic 'Ordinary World' and tranquil 'Hushabye,' both featuring Naimee Coleman but commendably also focusing more fairly on the instruments for a change as well as the voice. It's Marcella Detroit's chance to shine in the soft acoustics of 'If You Could Read My Mind' and the longest song on the album 'To Die For' that remains entertaining throughout, though obviously doesn't change a great deal, and the finale 'Hear You Calling' is a predictable acoustic ballad that could be seen coming a mile away, but is still quite pleasant.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album opts for a different approach, and it's here that it really fails. While some of the aforementioned tracks had featured soft dance elements, here they are more prominent, comparatively speaking, and songs like 'Day it Rained Forever,' 'In My Skin' and 'This Can't Be Love' sound excruciatingly like Cher B-sides, still featuring some of the pleasant elements like the synth strings, but now more concerned with a bouncy beat that just irritates me. Ironically, 'Your Mistake' is the biggest mistake of all, beginning as a promising piano ballad but moving on to incorporate the most generic electronic beat imaginable, something that completely spoils what would otherwise have been a genuinely sad and slow offering, but one I can't take seriously in this diluted form.
Aurora was never going to achieve the success of Shania Twain and all those other late nineties female singers who are imitated here, and whose names I would clearly get wrong even if I tried, but it isn't a wholly bad album. And that's coming from me.
1. Dreaming
2. Day it Rained Forever
3. Ordinary World
4. Your Mistake
5. Hushabye
6. In My Skin
7. This Can't Be Love
8. If You Could Read My Mind
9. To Die For
10. Hear You Calling
Auschwitz 46
Battered Drain
Cod, Lettuce, Anniversary
**
Written on 02.02.08
Named in memory of the Auschwitz concentration camp, with more than a little commentary on the similar atrocities still occurring today, Auschwitz 46 are an industrial band with a harder rocking edge, taking cues from the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Rob Zombie. These six tracks provide nothing new to an already over-saturated scene, but the heavier guitar presence should at least appeal to Rob Zombie fans desiring more of the same, with a slightly darker lyrical and musical focus.
Corey Wilson's vocals are where the Rob Zombie comparison really comes in, as his distorted voice sounds like a slightly failed imitation, while almost approaching the level of a death metal band in the angrier sections. The guitar riffs are necessarily simplistic and fairly catchy, though none of the songs really stand out afterwards, and there's at least some degree of variation from one to the next. The even-numbered tracks tend to favour a greater electronic presence in the style of Nine Inch Nails, with synthesiser melodies over the slowly grinding guitars, while the other three songs attempt something different. Opener 'Infovein' sets the scene well and is one of the more interesting simply for coming first, and for not overdoing anything, while 'Progress or Decay' moves from a painfully slow opening to a steady rhythm that's similarly satisfying, and 'Delusion' takes a more gothic approach with its minimal, cold drumming.
For essentially repeating a sound that was new, interesting and popular in the mid-nineties, Auschwitz 46 aren't a notable band by any means, but once they get round to mastering and characterising their own take on the industrial rock genre, their material will surely be worth checking out.
1. Infovein
2. Terminal '93
3. Progress or Decay
4. Neuroagony
5. Delusion
6. A.T.A.P.
Advantages: Decent imitation of nineties industrial rock.
Disadvantages: No defining characteristics.
Autograph
Sign In Please
*
Written on 02.02.08
Autograph is the textbook example of my musical worst enemy: L.A. hair metal. More specifically, a talentless rock band that jumped on the bandwagon of groups like Van Halen, with their diluted and unbearably cheesy distortion of classic British heavy metal into a form more suited to the disco-loving American public. A band that was catapulted to success instantly merely for sounding exactly the same as these ludicrous rock blasphemers, and saw its popularity slowly decline throughout the rest of the decade before calling it quits and leaving the music behind once it was no longer a profitable venture, a couple of years before Nirvana and other grunge bands made nineties Americans ashamed of their past and the records were all but wiped from existence. There are a shocking number of bands that followed this precise template, but Autograph is one of the very worst.
'Sign In Please' was the band's debut and biggest seller, popular merely for coming along at the right time and helped enormously by their supporting performances to Van Halen in the same year. The style is very similar, though Steve Lynch's lead guitar has none of the ability of Eddie Van Halen, and if anything the glitzy keyboards of Steven Isham are even less inspired and quite mind-numbingly cheesy. Seriously, those people who listened to all of these keyboards in various genres through the eighties, did they actually think they sounded cool and enhancing to the music? If so, why did everyone go acoustic in 1991? It's completely awful, the keys coming to a head in the opening of 'Friday' just once you thought you'd heard the worst, and none of the other band members manage to impress either. Steve Plunkett's singing is bland and entirely devoid of character, only becoming tolerable in the more traditional hard rock of songs like 'Night Teen & Non-Stop' and 'Deep End' before even these are spoiled by cringe-inducing light singing in the chorus.
The only song to contain anything approaching a decent guitar riff is 'My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Isn't Me,' which as you can probably guess from the title is otherwise as bad as the rest of the material on here, but the album really reaches its low point in the tremendously appalling hair metal anthem 'Turn Up the Radio,' which somehow managed to be a smash hit, and of course the obligatory power ballads 'Cloud 10' and 'In the Night.' The most positive thing I can say about this album is that it doesn't attempt an acoustic-song-with-feeling that would really have been pushing it, but perhaps it had already been decided that the quality was sufficiently awful to merit release. If a band released this today, it would rightfully be seen as a complete joke. So why was it acceptable in 1984? What the hell was wrong with those people?
1. Send Her to Me
2. Turn Up the Radio
3. Night Teen & Non-Stop
4. Cloud 10
5. Deep End
6. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Isn't Me
7. Thrill of Love
8. Friday
9. In the Night
10. All I'm Gonna Take
Autumn
***
Written on 02.02.08
This first offering from Russian doom metal band Autumn was self-financed and self-produced, something evident even in the admittedly rubbish cover art and disappointingly present in the music itself, which suffers from volume problems and an overall fuzzy, echoed sound. Sometimes this can be a distinct bonus for slow and dirgey doom - take Anathema's early releases for instance - but it isn't so suited to the lighter and more melodic touch that characterises this album at its best. While this is still effective doom in the Anathema/My Dying Bride tradition, at this stage in their career the now-defunct band lacked a distinct sound, and while this at least makes for some interesting variety between the hard and crunchy despair of 'The Dance in Blood' and the more Katatonia-like melodic course of 'The Sons of Ocean,' the best song here, it harms most of the other songs that try to incorporate several styles into their overlong duration and end up sounding basic, messy and forgettable as a result.
Svetlana Polezhaevais the most talented band member here, providing the keyboards and violin that tinkle and sweep gracefully over the finer tracks and interludes, and her ethereal singing adds excellently to the atmosphere. The rest of the band is competent, but nothing particularly special, the lead guitars sounding nice enough in their repetition of pleasant, My Dying Bride off-cuts but failing to stand out against the rest of the doom metal horde, and the rhythm section is hardly noticeable even when the production allows for it. Most of the songs are severely overlong which isn't too much of a problem with this sort of atmospheric doom metal, but the extended length of those such as 'The Druid Autumn' in particular spurs the band on to fill up the time with numerous movements in varying degrees of heaviness, separated by unsatisfying silence.
Although their Anathema-style heaviness isn't bad, it's a shame the band relies on it so heavily in this album, as the lighter passages are always far more rewarding, but then there's always the danger of becoming another Katatonia clone. 'The Sons of Ocean' and 'Shine on Me' make better use of their time than most songs here, though the shorter offerings 'The End of Last Summer' and 'Whispering Your Name...' are both pretty in an insubstantial way, while attempts to characterise some songs with extracurricular touches - such as the unconvincing sex noises of 'The Dance in Blood' - are similarly ineffective. While this is a nice enough doom album to play in the background, as long as you don't mind being distracted by the volume problems of the fifth song in particular, it's generally a mediocre offering from the otherwise excellent nineties Russian doom metal scene that produced such great bands as Tears of Mankind, and it's more likely to leave you feeling sort of bored than depressed.
1. The End of Last Summer (Intro)
2. The Druid Autumn
3. Whispering Your Name...
4. Fallman
5. Gods
6. The Sons of Ocean
7. The Dance in Blood
8. Bottomless
9. Shine On Me
Ava Inferi
The Silhouette
***
Written on 02.02.08
The second release from Ava Inferi sees Rune Eriksen's guitars take a significant back seat and offer the limelight to the excellent gothic singing talent of Carmen Susana Simões. Still possessing a few of the black metal touches from Eriken's time in Mayhem (primarily in the scratching riffs of 'The Abandoned' and 'The Dual Keys'), this is almost exclusively gothic doom that strikes a perfect balance between melody and a heavier, darker side. As expected from this sort of album, the regular rock instruments are supplemented with lighter elements in the form of occasional piano and an acoustic guitar in the final song, but traditional doom fans will still find a lot to enjoy through Eriksen's mean and torturously slow riffs, even if they do tend towards repetition and tedium in the longer songs, which ends up being most of them.
There isn't a great deal of variation between these songs, but as a doom album aimed at maintaining a consistent atmosphere this doesn't present too much of a problem, and indeed the atmosphere is skifully achieved, though newcomers to doom may find it difficult to reconcile Simões' light singing style with the lovely glacial cacophony occurring around her. Songs such as the opener 'Dança das Ondas' and the final three songs of the album all offer a slightly less challenging entry point, but for the most part this is uncompromising music that knows its target audience, and it's actually a step down from the greater black metal influence of the previous album. My main disappointment came in the lack of anything really interesting being vomited from Eriksen's guitar considering his success in Mayhem, but perhaps it wouldn't have been that suitable if implemented. Anyone with an interest in gothic metal from the likes of Theatre of Tragedy would probably enjoy this, but anyone who proclaims bands like HIM to be the pioneers of the genre shouldn't be allowed to defile it with their presence.
1. Dança das Ondas
2. Viola
3. The Abandoned
4. Oathbound
5. The Dual Keys
6. Wonders of Dusk
7. La Stanza Nera
8. Grin of Winter
9. Pulse of the Earth
Avalanch
Llanto De Un Heroe
***
Written on 02.02.08
Avalanch's mix of melodic power metal with slight progressive touches can't help but be reminiscent of the more famous bands practicing the same style, chiefly Symphony X and Adagio. This band's Spanish background doesn't imprint itself on the music in any significant way, which is a bit of a shame, but it at least means that fans of this brand of slightly pompous but ultimately highly entertaining power metal will still enjoy what Avalanch has to offer.
There's a folk element underpinning this album, one that only really comes to the fore in the two brief interludes of tracks one and five, but that also plays a part in determining some of Alberto Rionda and Roberto Garcia's lead guitar melodies, and this singles this band out from more straightforward power acts. Victor Garcia's vocals don't hold any surprises, squeaking Spanishly and never losing falsetto, but the guitars have a satisfyingly heavier tone than many power and speed metal acts, and this helps the band to maintain a level of authenticity (while also furthering the Symphony X comparison).
With a few slower and more consciously epic offerings in the form of 'Por mi libertad,' the title track and the even grander 'Cid' that pulls out all the customary conceits such as choral vocals in its later stages, this is clearly attempting to reach grander heights but ultimately doesn't succeed quite as well as more experienced bands. The compulsory ballad 'Pelayo' is rather boring also and overlong at seven minutes, only really developing any life later, and editing seems to be a problem that affects this album consistently, especially as every track seems to take an awfully long time to fade in from silence, very rarely grabbing the listener's attention from the onset.
On the rare occasions that this is achieved, with the heavy, inventive and incredibly enjoyable guitar riffs of songs like 'Torquemada' and 'Polvo, sudor y sangre,' the album is at its very best.
1. Intro
2. Torquemada
3. Por mi libertad
4. Pelayo
5. Vientos del sur
6. Polvo, sudor y sangre
7. Cid
8. ¿Dias de gloria...?
9. No pidas que crea en ti
10. Cambaral
11. Aquí estaré
12. Llanto de un héroe
Avalanch
Dias De Gloria
***
Written on 02.02.08
With only two studio albums behind them - three if you count the annoyingly obligatory 'The Eternal Flame' that was merely an English language version of the debut for the international market that apparently doesn't like foreigners very much - there was no real need for an Avalanch live album, but judging by the reaction of the crowd in 'Dias de gloria,' the band had already developed a strong and loyal fan base by this early stage in their career.
Of course, the main problem with only having two albums of material to fall back on is that this will essentially represent the best of those two releases, and offer nothing new to those who already own them or would like to at some point in the future. This lack of a substantial back catalogue even leads to the presence of two cover songs disguised as added value, but really covering up for a lack of extra songs: Helloween's early speed metal offering 'I Want Out' is covered in a fairly uninteresting way that doesn't seem to please the crowd as much as the band's own material, though Victor Garcia is just as capable of reaching those old high notes, while the bonus studio cover of Queen had already been released as a single in its own right earlier that year, and is uninspired at best (though there are worse things I could say about it).
As expected from a live performance in support of a new studio release, most of the material here comes from the most recent 'Llanto de un héroe,' with the first three songs being reproduced in order to an enthusiastic response, and representing the best material here. 'Vientos del sur' and 'Pelayo' are also taken from that album, interestingly avoiding coverage of its weaker second half, almost as if the band was aware of its declining quality. 'El despertar,' 'Vicio letal' and 'Excalibur' are all decent offerings from 'La llama eterna,' though the former is merely a one-minute introduction that highlights another problem of this release in terms of its song lengths, most of which are overlong and balanced out with unsatisfying interludes, and the end result of a fifty minute running length merely feels mediocre for a live album; there's certainly no sense of having experienced a great show. These problems could have been avoided if this had been released a few years down the line.
1. Intro
2. Torquemada
3. Por mi libertad
4. El despertar
5. Vicio letal
6. Vientos del sur
7. Excalibur
8. Pelayo
9. I Want Out (Helloween cover)
10. Epílogo
11. Save Me (Queen cover)
Avalanch
En Angel Caido
The Fallen Angel
****
Written on 02.02.08
While Avalanch's past efforts gave off the feeling of a band that wanted to make it big in the prog-power metal circles and was putting in a decent effort, 'El angel caido' is the first and last album that feels like it could just about crawl into the lower rungs of the elite, and it's Avalanch's best. Still predominantly led by guitarist Alberto Rionda, who perhaps isn't one of the finest in the business but still has the necessary neoclassical shredding skills required for the task, this is a strong collection of songs bulked out a little deceptively by frequent, insubstantial interludes, climaxing in the band's finest performance with the 'Las ruinas del eden' suite.
While the interludes may be a little irritating for some, they do help to add a sense of consistency and flow to the album that may also be reflected in an overarching plot - I don't know, I don't speak Spanish, it's all just nice noises to me. The prog-power style continues in a similar vein to the previous album, opener 'Tierra de nadie' boasting a memorable and powerful lead guitar melody that immediately smacks of 'Torquemada,' but fortunately the rest of the material is equally consistent for a change. The band's heavier side is improved here, with thrash riffs dominating songs such as 'Xana' and 'Levantate y anda' and even sounding reminiscent of early Iced Earth on occasion, but the band's style is entirely its own and the core sound never drifts too far.
The aforementioned 'Eden' suite is the band's finest contribution to progressive power metal, and although divided in three it could just as easily work as an extended song of just over ten minutes in length. The first part is the slowest and most emotive, setting things up while also being excellent in its own right, while the band is really permitted go all out in the central section with some great lead guitars, some interesting tribal drums and a more melodic, piano-tinged finale, with the album's finest vocal performance. The shortest third part is more or less a reprise, but a satisfying one, and the final, self-indulgent, neoclassical guitar track thing is entirely permissible and even necessary for appreciative listeners to sit through as a thank you for the music.
1. Hacia la luz
2. Tierra de nadie
3. El angel caido
4. Xana
5. La buena nueva
6. Levantate y anda
7. Alma en pena
8. Corazon negro
9. Delirios de grandeza
10. Antojo de un dios
11. El septimo dia
12. Las ruinas del eden: acto 1
13. Las ruinas del eden: acto 2
14. Las ruinas del eden: acto 3
15. Santa bárbara
Advantages: The peak of Avalanch's melodic/prog/power style, with interesting experiments.
Disadvantages: Some songs still seem like filler, especially by comparison to the strong closing material.
Avalanch
Los Poetas Han Muerto
****
Written on 03.02.08
Avalanch's fourth album sees an almost complete reinvention of the band's sound, with new vocalist Ramón Lage fronting a now more expressly commercially-oriented version of what was previously a fairly obscure Spanish progressive power metal band. The progressive elements still remain in the form of lengthy keyboard sections and structural changes, but this is less challenging and less exciting music on the whole, having abandoned most of its power metal roots, only surfacing in the occasional fast, brief guitar section.
Alberto Rionda's guitars are still easily the highlight of the band, and while he mostly confines himself to limited slow riff duty here, the riffs still manage to be creative, and he still afford himself lengthy solo sections to prove his talents. Some songs such as 'El Viejo Torreón' are just as energetic and enjoyable as earlier Avalanch material, but this change of direction is ultimately a disappointment for power metal fans, especially as Avalanch's key problem of overlong songs has only become worse with the change - the only songs to come in at a reasonable length are the less impressive ballads such as 'Jamás,' but the title track itself is also quite enjoyable.
'Los Poetas Han Muerto' would be a distinctly mediocre album if not for some guitar relief from Rionda, but even in spite of his talents and former songwriting ability, it can't help but disappoint in the same way that most metal bands tend to when they strive for something more accessible.
1. Lucero
2. Cien Veces
3. Niño
4. Jamás
5. Alborada
6. El Viejo Torreón
7. Del Cielo a la Tierra
8. Los Poetas Han Muerto
9. Madre Tierra
10. Ecos de Vida
Avantasia
The Metal Opera Pt. II
*****
Written on 03.10.06
As Edguy’s music veered increasingly towards the bombast, singer/songwriter Tobias Sammet created a one-time side project to let out all that epic steam. Edguy’s music became a lot more enjoyable for the metal masses, while ‘The Metal Opera’ marked a turning point in symphonic power metal, a sub-genre that would soon feature heavy exposure through bands like Nightwish.
The success of the first Avantasia album meant that Sammet could complete the second instalment two years later. Bringing together a variety of musicians from prominent heavy metal bands and a total of eleven singers voicing distinct characters (including Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray and Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation) there are many similarities to Arjen Lucassen’s highly successful and long-running Ayreon project. The songs move beyond the mere concept album, striving for Wagner but only ever really sounding like Helloween. But that’s okay, as Helloween are clearly better anyway.
Avantasia is the fantasy tale of a seventeenth-century monk Gabriel (voiced by Sammet), whose search for the mythical land Avantasia leads to him embarking upon several noble quests for holy chalices, missing persons and so on. As the protagonist, Sammet handles the majority of vocal duties, but most songs focus on one or more supporting characters. The opening song of this second album, the incredible and truly epic ‘The Seven Angels,’ features seven voices, two great guitar solos and a whole load of style shifts. The music of the second album sounds a little more refined than the first, perhaps as the story has become more episodic and less pressing, allowing Sammet to focus more attention on crafting excellent power metal songs and less excellent ballads.
1. The Seven Angels
2. No Return
3. The Looking Glass
4. In Quest For
5. The Final Sacrifice
6. Neverland
7. Anywhere
8. Chalice of Agony
9. Memory
10. Into the Unknown
‘The Seven Angels’ opens the second part of The Metal Opera in style, and really isn’t lacking in anything. From choral sections to overblown choruses and powerful guitar riffs, this song acts as a microcosm of the entire album, even featuring a piano break and classical interlude. My criticism would be that like so many long songs (this one comes in at over fourteen minutes), the ending really bears little relation to the first few minutes and might as well be a different track, and this isn’t helped by the rather rushed ending. This song features the best of all the rip-roaring ensemble choruses of the album, which is really saying something.
Things take a turn for the simplistic with ‘No Return,’ which amounts to nothing more than a cool power metal anthem, led by a chugging guitar riff and roaring vocals. This style returns later in the album, but always with more of an individual or even progressive flair, marking this song out as something of a deliberate easy listener. ‘The Looking Glass’ is purely vocal-driven, the guitars mainly giving the great chorus a starting kick. Perhaps a bit mellow or sing-along for some metal fans, but it’s always been one of my favourites on the disc. Disappointingly, ‘In Quest For’ takes the vocal thing too far, Sammet accompanied only by a fairly uninteresting piano that he plays himself. This song is repeated almost verbatim as the equally unappealing ‘Anywhere.’
The album explodes back into life with the energetic ‘The Final Sacrifice.’ Timo Tolkii’s (Stratovarius) seriously speedy guitar riffs remind of Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer, while the choruses are a little more subdued and less effeminate this time. Metallica fans will probably like this one, even if they’re too scared to confront something like the opening song. ‘Neverland’ returns to the general sound of Avantasia: fast guitars, high vocals and a sing-along chorus, and this lack of originality counts against it at this late juncture. ‘Chalice of Agony’ manages to recapture something of track five’s spirit, becoming the most popular song on the album and one of the finest overall.
As expected, the album ends on a pompous note. I wouldn’t have it any other way. ‘Memory’ is another great metal anthem with yet another great chorus, but things mellow out for the ominous ‘Into the Unknown.’ Sharon den Adel’s vocals are utilised more than ever as the only female vocalist, while Sammet and friends attempt to compete in this faux-operatic number. Any Edguy fans who were pleasantly surprised by the speedy metal songs that form the bulk of this side-project will have to confront their fears as Sammet fashions an operatic finale. This ending won’t stay in the listener’s mind, as they’ll be far too busy reliving ‘Chalice of Agony’ in their mind’s ear for days to come.
As indulgent side-projects go, Avantasia is pleasantly rewarding to the casual listener, as opposed to the obsessive Tobias Sammet fan alone. The music is predominantly standard power metal fare, and the occasional symphonic slips are really no more extreme than what can be found on any Stratovarius or Edguy album. I’m a big fan of concept albums, especially as something to listen to at bedtime when I really can’t be bothered with a book but want to be sung a nice story all the same by hairy Germans, and Avantasia fulfils this strange need despite being a bit more fantastical than I’d usually go for.
Both albums are widely available from the internet and specialist shops, but it’s not the kind of thing you’ll hear on the top forty. Edguy’s music has veered in a very worrying Bon Jovi direction recently, so I can only hope for further experimental side offerings from their silly singer in the future.
Advantages: Doesn't let the pomp overtake the music
Disadvantages: Unnecessary and quite boring piano ballads
Avantasia
Lost in Space Part 1
**
Written on 03.02.08
Tobias Sammet was one of the most exciting names in power metal a few years ago, leading Edguy to increasingly ambitious heights before dumping all of his excess flamboyant tendencies into the metal opera side project Avantasia, allowing Edguy to return to a simpler style of heavy metal that sadly descended into mediocre, throwback hard rock with their 2006 album. The two Avantasia albums ('The Metal Opera' parts one and two, released close together) were an incredible achievement, rivalling Arjen Lucassen's long-running Ayreon project with its host of skilled musicians and singers from across the metal world, without ever ending up disappointingly up its own rear like Sascha Paeth's lousy copy-cat 'Aina.' Sammet's opera was as grand and majestic as it was simplistic and fun, and I'd long held hope for a further release to re-establish his talents in the wake of Edguy's recent disappointment.
I was pretty gutted when these two EPs finally came out at the end of last year, precursors to a 2008 album 'The Scarecrow' that I'll be sure not to get too excited about for fear of disappointment. Then again, it'll probably still be pretty cool - no, there I go again. If these EPs are anything to go by (and that's the point, right?), Sammet's illustrious side project has attempted to stay predominantly metal, but he's more or less forgotten how to do that, taking far more enjoyment from the generic rock stylings and sexual innuendo lyrics of his main band to give two hoot(er)s about this one.
Both EPs are led by the title song 'Lost in Space,' a slow rock ballad of sorts with a distinctly pop chorus that's to be expected considering it's on sale in this shorter and more commercially viable form. Although I technically dislike it for this very reason, it's not a bad song, and what it lacks in musical ability - the only notable instances being a spacey keyboard solo taken from the seventies, and the influx of orchestration over the final chorus reprise that only serves to confuse things - it makes up for in vocal talent. Sammet has a great voice when he isn't messing around singing about aeroplane toilet sex, and he uses his high and mid-range vocals to their full extent here. Other songs continue the Avantasia trend of recruiting guest singers to compliment his omnipresence, 'Another Angel Down' starring Masterplan's Jørn Lande in an energetic performance that even features a very brief duet in the unison shouting of the chorus, and although this song ends up being repetitive, un-ambitious and a little overlong, it's still the only song on here that even comes close to power metal.
Bob Catley and Amanda Somerville feature in 'The Story Ain't Over' before Sammet elbows them out of the way half-way through once again, but this one's more of a general rousing power ballad of the sort we really didn't need after the first song, but it does at least showcase some of the nice orchestration with the violins of the introduction. The symphony gets a whole song to itself in the excitingly titled 'Return to Avantasia,' but this disappoints when revealing itself as a brief interlude less than a minute long, quoting a memorable theme from the Metal Opera albums that's nostalgic but also irritating due to the lack of anything of comparable quality here. Don't get angry, just wait for 'The Scarecrow' and everything will - dammit, I'm not supposed to be doing that.
Rather then reproducing half of the upcoming album and spoiling things too much, a couple of fun but ultimately worthless cover songs are thrown in to bulk this out, allow it to be called an E.P., and add a pound or two to its sale price. 'Lay All Your Love on Me' was originally an ABBA song, I'm sure you knew that already but I didn't, though more or less as soon as it starts, it's obvious even to a sheltered curmudgeon like me. Sammet's good again, and though it isn't a metal cover, again being a more mainstream, light form of rock, it's interesting to hear Sammet sing how every man he sees is a potential threat, lyrics I presume were originally written for female singers that take on a possible alternative tone here. Concluding with the running theme of disappointment intact, 'Ride the Sky' is not a cover of the classic Helloween speed metal anthem as I originally hoped, but an old-style rock song from Lucifer's Friend complete with a Hammond organ of all things. He doesn't give me roaring power metal, but he finds time to nip to the studio's warehouse and dig out a Hammond organ. This 'Scarecrow' album had better be bloody spectacular.
1. Lost in Space
2. Lay All Your Love on Me (ABBA cover)
3. Another Angel Down
4. The Story Ain't Over
5. Return to Avantasia
6. Ride the Sky (Lucifer's Friend cover)
Avantasia
The Scarecrow
***
Written on 03.02.08
The new Avantasia album has finally arrived, and as expected (especially in light of the promotional EPs) it's a complete disappointment. Tobias Sammet's tenure as a metal god has long since faded, and even a redundant cameo from Alice Cooper can't keep 'The Scarecrow' from seeming less like a continuation of the grandiose style of 'The Metal Opera' and more like the same commercially-oriented, watered-down power metal he's been creating since Edguy released 'Rocket Ride' and became lousy overnight. In fact, Alice Cooper only makes the commercial agenda worse.
Unlike 'The Metal Opera,' which was far from the work of progressive genius some hail it as, but was at least a damn fine power metal extravaganza, 'The Scarecrow' is more like a dull and repetitive melodic rock album, attempting to hide behind the fact with a few guest musicians and singers, though naturally Sammet takes the lead vocal duties pretty much all the time, and ensures that he snags all the best choruses. His cohort on lead guitar is famed power metal producer Sascha Paeth, who shamelessly released his own "metal opera" Aina a few years after Avantasia and here once again proves that his musical ability is nothing more than mediocre.
Even the most ambitious song, the eleven-minute title track that fans have eagerly been waiting for, turns out to be not so much ambitious as simply long-winded, possessing the same catchy chorus style as the rest of the songs but not really adding anything to elevate it to a grander scale, something that's even more disheartening when considering how uninhibited and bombastic the earlier Avantasia song 'The Seven Angels' managed to be. On reaching the end of the album, no one would be more surprised than me that 'Lost in Space,' the near-ballad, part-acoustic, overly commercial song earlier released as a single, would end up being the best thing here. After the decline of Edguy, I held out hope that Avantasia would continue to provide an outlet for Sammet's metal edge, but I should never have let my expectations get so high.
Throwing in a couple of obligatory ballads with terrible lyrics ('Cry Just a Little'), shameless female-fronted pop songs ('What Kind of Love')and even a few songs that very nearly approach the enjoyment of the previous album, but don't ('Shelter from the Rain,' 'Another Angel Down,' 'Devil in the Belfry' and 'I Don't Believe in Your Love'), this is only going to be a disappointment for fans, but casual rock fans may find it an exciting gateway to more ambitious climes.
1. Twisted Mind
2. The Scarecrow
3. Shelter from the Rain
4. Carry Me Over
5. What Kind of Love
6. Another Angel Down
7. The Toy Master
8. Devil in the Belfry
9. Cry Just a Little
10. I Don't Believe in Your Love
11. Lost in Space
Advantages: A few reasonable, if unenlightening songs.
Disadvantages: Bland, repetitive, generic and a great disappointment after the earlier albums.
Avec Tristesse
Ravishing Beauty
**
Written on 03.02.08
Brazil's Avec Tristesse are one of those bands that defy a genre ever so slightly and cause another essentially meaningless one to sprout up in their favour. This band likes to be described as "dark metal," a term I've seen applied to the radically different Iced Earth in years past, but to be sensible for a moment and try to reign it in under equally daft-sounding but at least consistent terminology, this is more like gothic metal susceptible to bouts of symphonic black metal. I can't make a direct comparison, but imagine a bad Theatre of Tragedy mixed with an even less effective Dimmu Borgir, throw in some worthless atmospheric interludes and water sound effects, and you'd come up with something not dissimilar to this debut.
This album is oddly short at just over half an hour, to the extent that the insubstantial instrumentals of less than two minutes apiece that make up three of the seven tracks are mainly there to prevent the album from being an even more embarrassing twenty-five minutes in length. The four prominent songs (tracks two, four, six and seven) are all slightly on the long side at over five minutes, and opt to use every available second to the full by varying the musical style restlessly within the same song. Rather than sound impressive and experimental, this only serves to make the whole thing sound less coherent and satisfying, and despite some minor differences between the songs - a female singer accompanying vocalist Pedro Salles in 'The Crown of Uncreation' and 'Paean,' or a long acoustic guitar section with illogical drumming in the former song - they all sound more or less the same.
The dominant sound is keyboard-swept melancholia with the occasional nice lead guitar melody, interrupted by a leap into blast-beat-heavy black metal with harsh, snarled vocals with varying duration. The band doesn't work together all that well, and although the combination of male and female vocals is done well, Salles hogs a very unbalanced majority. This album was followed up by the longer and hopefully more worthwhile 'How Innocence Dies,' but I can't recommend this debut release for its contrastingly chaotic and repetitive sound, uninspired performances and insubstantial length of only four songs and a few instrumentals that achieve absolutely nothing. I thought this was kind of interesting when I first heard it a couple of years ago, but now it just bores me.
1. Ravishing Beauty (Part 1)
2. She, the Lust
3. Ravishing Beauty (Part 2)
4. The Crown of Uncreation
5. De Sombre Amour et Suffrances
6. In Vain I Cry
7. Paean
Axamenta
Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture
*****
Written on 03.02.08
'Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture' may deter some metal fans with its bizarre and ambitious prog concept, unintelligible title and tracklist divided into chapters, but even if you couldn't care less about the lyrical side of things this is an incredibly entertaining and skilfully executed extreme metal album. Based loosely in symphonic black metal similar to modern Dimmu Borgir, though a hell of a lot better and less cacophonous, there's no reason this shouldn't be enjoyed by fans from all walks of metal, as long as they're comfortable with the occasional bursts of fast and heavy, industrial-tinged riffs and drums, and the harshly growled vocals that are nevertheless increasing in acceptability all the time.
This is the Belgian band's third album, and will certainly be their peak, as there's no reasonable way this style could be improved upon without a radical change of direction. Despite the sci-fi narrative, this isn't predominantly a progressive metal album, though its more elaborate moments are all pulled off satisfyingly. In a way, it reminds me of a black metal version of Pain of Salvation, whose own Daniel Gildenlow sings the pleasant 'Threnody for an Endling,' the closest thing to a ballad here, a wise decision considering Peter Meynckens' talent lies in screaming his throat to oblivion and he's less impressive in his occasional excursions into clean singing from 'Ashes to Flesh' and roleplaying the central character in minimal doses before the spoken word finale 'The Omniscient.' This latter song aside, certainly among the more interesting for prog or Pain of Salvation fans but the most alienating to casual listeners, the album skilfully camouflages itself as a great black metal record about the usual themes, the only real audible signs of the change between chapters being a momentary return to a faster and heavier style and incorporation of the chapter title into the lyrics, something for the fans to look out for that will nevertheless pass by everyone else and allow them to enjoy it on an equally entertaining, superficial level.
Ian van Gemeren's guitar is the highlight here, particularly in the steadier songs when it's free to experiment with great lead sections and classic metal solos, but the whole band works tightly as a unit across the frequent speed changes and dynamic structures. The most impressive thing about this album is the balance struck between the heavy and melodic elements, considerably favouring the former but incorporating excellent symphonic backing into all songs and serving up some great piano and acoustic passages in the interludes and elsewhere. It never feels like the heaviness is for show, or a masculine attempt to prove how extreme the band can be (something that turns me off from a lot of extreme black metal), and there's no reason this couldn't be enjoyed equally by fans of all metal sub-genres. Best of all, it's something cool to come out of Belgium apart from chocolate.
Chapter 1: The Chainreaction is Initiated
1. Incognation
2. Demons Shelter Within
3. Ashes to Flesh
4. A Nation in Atrophy
5. The Midnight Grotesque
Chapter 2: The Chainreaction is Terminated
6. Prophet Set to Witness
7. Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture
8. Threnody for an Endling
Chapter 3: The Chainreaction is Saturated
9. Ravager 1.6.6.3
10. Of Genesis and Apocalypse
11. Foreboding
12. Shackles Cross
13. The Omniscient
Advantages: Excellent symphonic black metal with non-distracting progressive touches.
Disadvantages: Some may find the contrast too harsh, or the plot too zany.
Axxis
Doom of Destiny
The Fire Still Burns
****
Written on 03.02.08
No one plays power metal quite like its German forefathers, and Axxis are another long-running band still pleasing their fan base with a continuation of the original eighties sound, while incorporating distinct contemporary traits. While they're never going to be one of the more creative or well-known names on the scene, the band is still capable of releasing consistent and highly entertaining albums that attempt minor progressive touches but are still rooted in the simple, pure speed metal sound of Accept and Helloween.
'Doom of Destiny' is Axxis' most recent album and the only one I've heard, and it's a great album of melodic power metal that goes a little too far on occasion, and not far enough on others, but at least provides welcome relief for old-school fans in the face of many modern metal trends. The most striking aspect of this album is the presence of operatic female vocals in many songs as a supplement to Bernhard Weiss' standard singing, something more likely inspired by the relatively recent popularity of bands such as Nightwish rather than any desire to be truly innovative, and although the contrast feels slightly amateurish in comparison to more talented opera-metal projects such as Therion and Mylidian, the music avoids ever becoming too full of itself in the same way. And it goes without saying that it's a hell of a lot better than Nightwish.
This is very accessible power metal, not seeking to scare anyone away or cause fits of laughter with extreme speed or self-indulgent high fantasy concepts (well, not much anyway), and once the listener gets past the slightly overbearing choir intro they're in for an album of heavy, catchy and very fun metal with a good grasp of structure that keeps each song entertaining throughout. There are a few notable deviations from the standard sound, as tracks five and six both tend towards a ballad style with pretty bad lyrics and acoustic guitars that feel present more out of obligation, but the saxophone solo in the latter song is particularly interesting considering how far that instrument is usually kept from the metal world, which I've always thought was a shame.
Many songs begin with a redundant piano intro that's soon replaced with a more standard riff, and a couple of songs attempt a distinctly poppier approach with the choruses, most notably 'She Got Nine Lives' with its slightly embarrassing refrain "nah-nah-nah-nah-nine lives." This album doesn't go far enough to be considered prog metal, and it's perhaps a little too light even for the speed metal fans, but Axxis still display commendable integrity and most of all a great sense of fun even this far down the line.
1. Voices of Destiny
2. Doom of Destiny
3. Better Fate
4. Blood Angel
5. I Hear You Cry
6. The Fire Still Burns
7. Father, Father
8. Revolutions
9. She Got Nine Lives
10. Devilish Belle
11. Astoria
Advantages: Accessible power metal with some interesting operatic touches.
Disadvantages: Perhaps not experimental enough.
Kevin Ayers
Shooting at the Moon
***
Written on 03.02.08
'Shooting at the Moon' was Kevin Ayers' second "solo" album, and the most coherent in terms of utilising an actual band (if not coherent in any other terms whatsoever). Ayers' improvised-sounding singing makes the softer songs reminiscent of early psychedelia from the likes of Arthur Brown, particularly his screaming performance in 'Lunatics Lament' which was by far my most enjoyed song here, while his guitar and bass are very nicely supplemented by the talents of David Bedford's keyboards, Lol Coxhill's sax and Mike Oldfield on lead guitar, being granted a very cool solo in the same song that lasts for longer than you would imagine. Try to imagine how long. No, it is slightly longer than that. Yes, that's about right, long isn't it?
Sounding deceptively mainstream at first, this all too soon descends into fairly impenetrable prog in the jazzy, jamming style of King Crimson, though the instrumentals in question - 'Pisser Dans un Violon' and 'Underwater' - are duller, longer and even less interesting than that other band at its most pretentious, the soundscape mainly being one of squeaky nothingness. The shorter songs are much easier to swallow, particularly the mellow opening track and the folky duet 'The Oyster and the Flying Fish' with a female singer, but most of the other songs tend to feature contrived elements of strangeness that mostly work really well, whether it's a sax solo atop acoustic guitar in 'Clarence in Wonderland' and 'Red Green and You Blue,' or the psychedelia of tracks two and three. Although it's far from being a prog classic, there's enough here to satisfy old-school fans, and it stands as Ayers' most satisfyingly strange accomplishment.
1. May I?
2. Rheinhardt & Geraldine / Colores Para Delores
3. Lunatics Lament
4. Pisser Dans un Violon
5. The Oyster and the Flying Fish
6. Underwater
7. Clarence in Wonderland
8. Red Green and You Blue
9. Shooting at the Moon
Ayreon
Actual Fantasy
****
Written on 04.02.08
Arjen Lucassen's second Ayreon album stands apart from the other releases by eschewing the usual overarching science fiction concept and rock opera format, instead offering a collection of self-contained, similar-sounding songs that follow a more accessible style of progressive metal. The sound is fairly homogenous across the album, which works to its disadvantage in failing to make many stand out, but will be a relief to those who are put off by the varied styles and mixed genres of Lucassen's more ambitious releases; all of these songs plod along at a steady pace, led by a fusion of heavy metal and electronic backing, Lucassen hiring back male vocalists such as Edward Reekers from the previous album to sing soft narratives rather than acting out a role alongside numerous male and female voices, and Lucassen's acoustic and electric guitars receiving the same attention as his spacey, prog rock synthesisers.
The result is a distinctly progressive-sounding and atmospheric album, but one kept at least partly accessible to the mainstream through its catchy choruses and the lack of any extreme elements found elsewhere in the Ayreon discography. Of course, this has the accompanying disadvantage of making it less fascinating or compelling for those who were attracted to Ayreon in the first place for its experimental tendencies and trippy plotlines. Along with 'The Dream Sequencer,' this offers a more subdued perspective on Ayreon for the casual listener, but will still be of the most interest to prog fans.
The brief opening song is a minimalist invitation for the listener to open their mind to new ideas, to crawl into the maze within their minds and other such nonsense, which should all be taken as typical Lucassen humour, typical in the sense that I'm never sure whether he really means it or not, but prefer to take the less embarrassing option. After this, all of the songs sound more or less the same, even once the listener develops a degree of familiarity with the album, but a few of the overly long pieces manage to stand out above the rest. 'Computer Eyes' is particularly mellow even compared to its predecessors, and has some nice solos for the guitar and keyboards (always given an equal spotlight), 'Back on Planet Earth' increases the electronic side of things and ends up sounding something like a heavy metal, vocal version of Jean-Michel Jarre, and 'Beyond the Last Horizon' surprises everyone by launching from its fairly dull bass rhythms and echoed vocals into a really optimistic and addictive chorus that's firmly rooted in pop. It's a very interesting song, and one that would later be revised to even more commercial potential in the 'Ayreonauts Only' compilation.
The rest of the songs aren't below average, but their similarity to each other keeps them distinctly in the average zone, and all are affected by the problem of extreme length that further prevents them attaining the mainstream appeal this album is chasing. The only song to come in at radio-friendly length is the bonus "single version" of 'The Stranger from Within' that cuts to the chase and highlights the chorus and solo sections of the song, but loses out on the atmosphere, build-up and fall-out offered in the full, eight-minute version.
Alright, I admit that I'm contradicting myself completely, and the slow, atmospheric style of these songs is suited to an extended playing length with a degree of repetition, it's just slightly disappointing to hear something so subdued after the bombastic rock opera 'The Final Experiment,' though this is far more consistent and stronger as a result. I give up, it's just not possible to get my head around Ayreon, one of the reasons Lucassen's pet project has been a firm favourite of mine for many years.
1. Actual Fantasy
2. Abbey of Synn
3. The Stranger from Within
4. Computer Eyes
5. Beyond the Last Horizon
6. Farside of the World
7. Back on Planet Earth
8. Forevermore
9. The Dawn of Man
10. The Stranger from Within (single version)
Ayreon
Into the Electric Castle
I Must Be Dead, or Stoned Out of My Head
*****
Written on 07.06.07
The double disc ‘Into the Electric Castle: A Space Opera’ is the third release from multi-talented Dutch prog enthusiast Arjen Anthony Lucassen, but essentially the second (after 1995’s ‘The Final Experiment’) to be of any note. Like its predecessor, ‘Into the Electric Castle’ is difficult to pin down to a specific style, but is mostly a blend of progressive rock, progressive metal and psychedelic rock in the form of a rock opera (though Lucassen opts for the somewhat meaningless term ‘Space Opera’). The diverse cast of characters are all performed by famous rock vocalists from across Europe, although Fish from Marillion is the only truly well-known one here outside of metal circles. Later Ayreon releases upped the ante somewhat to draft in the vocalists from Dream Theater, Opeth and Iron Maiden.
This multi-vocal effect is great, and also rather cheesy. In fact, even the briefest analysis of the album’s storyline makes it clear that this isn’t a work in the same serious psychological vein as the later album ‘The Human Equation,’ featuring a range of extraordinarily stereotyped characters from ‘throughout history’ that owe far more to Hollywood than any attempts at authenticity. Peter Daltrey provides the cold, mechanical, Hal-like narration that segues between the majority of songs, and wrote all the lyrics himself (which become increasingly convoluted, especially at the end). This disembodied voice has gathered myriad humans in a place of ‘no time, no space’ for a harrowing psychedelic trip through a fantastical landscape, the final goal being the Electric Castle itself that forms the basis of the second disc, a place embedded with emotions where the surviving characters must confront their own past misdeeds, and finally make a life-or-death decision. It’s mostly easy to follow, especially with the narration, but ultimately it doesn’t matter if the listener drifts off and forgets to pay attention in a specific section, they will still get the same out of it.
The cast are mostly distinctive, though some characters tend to be more prominent than others. Jay van Feggelen puts in an astoundingly melodramatic performance as ‘the proud Barbarian,’ roaring and mincing his lines, and even making the fittingly pompous decision to sing at his own pace, outside the melody. His confrontations with the other ‘men of swords,’ as the narrator calls them, are entertaining for all the operatic shouting they entail, although the Highlander (Fish from Marillion) is more restrained in his thick Scottish accent, and Ayreon staple Damian Wilson (ex-Rick Wakeman and Threshold) is calm and noble as the Knight with a Grail complex. The Gathering’s Anneke van Giersbergen fills the female spot that would go to Lana Lane on all future releases, often providing a soft chorus but mostly seeming too entrenched within her own thoughts to really interact with anyone else; aside from her solo spot in ‘Valley of the Queens,’ it seems she is essentially used to provide a female voice to the songs. Last but certainly not least is the most entertaining character of all, the Hippie performed by Lucassen himself whose pacifistic face-off with the Barbarian in track three provides only the first in a long line of great lines that either confirm the albums tongue-in-cheek nature (this is my opinion), or simply reflect incredibly poor writing (a possibility I don’t wish to entertain).
‘Hey dude, you’re so uncool, but hey – that’s alright,
but there’s no need to get uptight.’
It’s something of an acquired taste, but ‘Into the Electric Castle,’ along with a couple of Lucassen’s later releases, are truly accomplished works of modern progressive rock and progressive metal, rivalling even the big American names like Symphony X and Dream Theater. Unlike the latter, Ayreon’s concept albums rely on a song-based approach that makes each track stand strong and independent even when removed from the overall structure, avoiding the self-conscious repetition of a ‘main theme’ that characterises many concept albums of bands who feel it necessary to keep reminding the listener that the song they are listening to is related to an earlier song that sounded almost exactly the same, but in a slightly different key. Ayreon’s ‘The Final Experiment’ was guilty of this, overusing a faux-Medieval melody that was never that good to begin with, and only became more irritating the more diverse instruments it was piped through over the course of fifteen tracks. The musical style on ‘Into the Electric Castle’ is characteristic enough that no song sounds out of place, even the deliberate attempts to diversify, and the characters seem more than content to play through the different melodies and rhythms. This music is progressive in the sense that it seeks to expand beyond the boundaries of a typical rock album, and in its blending of disparate styles, rather than being a forum for Lucassen to show off his guitar and synth noodling abilities ad nauseam. Well, it is partly for that.
Disc 1
1. Welcome to the New Dimension
2. Isis and Osiris
...a) Let the Journey Begin
...b) The Hall of Isis and Osiris
...c) Strange Constellations
...d) Reprise
3. Amazing Flight
...a) Amazing Flight in Space
...b) Stardance
...c) Flying Colours
4. Time Beyond Time
5. The Decision Tree (We’re Alive)
6. Tunnel of Light
7. Across the Rainbow Bridge
Ayreon is a largely synthesiser based musical project, they keyboards and occasional Hammond organs (gak) taking their cues from 70s bands such as Pink Floyd (particularly ‘Wish You Were Here’) and, in the instance of this opening track in particular, Jeff Wayne’s ‘War of the Worlds,’ which itself seems to have been a large inspiration on Lucassen’s approach. The narration dominates this opening track, and whatever the keyboards are attempting to convey in terms of ‘no time, no space’ is lost on me. Track two is where the album really gets going, and is a real tour-de-force featuring almost all of the characters as they struggle to come to terms with their predicament. The folk elements are introduced, largely in the form of brief lapses into woodwind and mandolin passages that crop up in many songs, and this is the first song to really fuse the prog rock and heavy metal elements, setting the mid-tempo rhythm that will continue through the entire album. Prog band Camel seems to be an influence on the synth here, something that will become even more evident in later songs, and although this song goes through a lot of movements in its 11:11 running time, the only section that truly drags is an extended synthesiser section in the more atmospheric section (c).
‘Amazing Flight’ is one of the most memorable songs and the best of the multi-part ‘epics,’ not only for the embarrassing Hippie dialogue quoted earlier. It starts off sounding like a 60s rock song, with the same guitar sound and those dreaded Hammonds creeping in for the first time, creating a comparatively sparse atmosphere after the volume of the previous song that moves it more towards the psychedelic end of the spectrum. The Pink Floyd influence is more obvious here than anywhere else, as a sub-David Gilmour guitar solo whines melodically before revealing a quiet choir of male and female voices that almost sounds lifted from Pink Floyd’s ‘Atom Heart Mother,’ and a wailing woman in a passage evoking ‘The Great Gig in the Sky.’ The Hippie’s name-dropping of Pink Floyd and The Who lyrics in a later song implies that these links are more commemorative and nostalgic than theft, though I certainly hope for Lucassen’s sake that Roger Waters doesn’t listen to Space Opera. A later flute section first evokes Jethro Tull, and then seems to be lifted straight from Camels’ ‘The Snow Goose’ album. Overall, this is a great song despite all the debts it would seem to owe, but in the context of the album is perhaps a little excessive in its ten minute duration after the previous long song. Thankfully, the ones that come after are all shorter.
‘Time Beyond Time’ is another song that moves from a quiet, reflective opening led by acoustic guitar to loud, electric, heavy metal middle, and is nicely simplistic after the aural overload of the album so far. The Knight is granted a nice Medieval sounding guitar solo, the likes of which dominated the earlier album ‘The Final Experiment’ but which works much better alone, and Wilson’s soft singing is pleasant. The end sounds a little too similar to that of the previous song, to the extent that I always expect the flutes to come in, but this is mostly a relaxed start to the more ‘easy listening’ part of the album. ‘The Decision Tree (We’re Alive)’ is where the events and obstacles of the plot start to take precedence, beginning with the thrum of synthesisers that musicians as far back as Vangelis decided was the most accurate sound to represent the vacuum of space. The keyboard melody that follows sounds a little too much like a Sega MegaDrive game for me to take it seriously (I’m specifically thinking of ‘Ristar,’ for anyone interested in such things), and the happiness remains in the song even after it becomes faster and the guitars dominate, despite the seemingly contradictory ;every man for himself’ attitude of the vocals. A jam section comes in towards the end before a final reprise of the verse and chorus: this will become the template for most songs to follow.
The shortest song on this disc, ‘Tunnel of Light’ is also the most accessible, based on a repeating acoustic guitar that never collapses into a jam or solo. The narrator sounds oddly jolly as it begins, congratulating the survivors for passing the tree (Fish was forced to stay behind), and the vocals here are interchanged between the conflicting voices of the Egyptian and the Barbarian. ‘An incandescent span of tears’ in the narration of the next track indicates, along with the murky sound of dripping water, that things are about to take a turn for the worse, as the group cross the rainbow bridge. The music moves from a gloomy down-tuned acoustic effect, similar to the Bruce Dickinson band, to a louder metal style that comes and goes with intensity. Not a lot is resolved in this closing song, and in a commendably modest move, the song simply fades out at the end without another unnecessary note from the narrator. At just over six minutes, this is a reasonable length and one of the album’s most authentically ‘prog metal’ songs, despite the psychedelic lapse towards the end.
Disc 2
1. The Garden of Emotions
...a) In the Garden of Emotions
...b) Voices in the Sky
...c) The Aggression Factor
2. Valley of the Queens
3. The Castle Hall
4. Tower of Hope
5. Cosmic Fusion
...a) I Soar on the Breeze
...b) Death’s Grunt
...c) The Passing of an Eagle
6. The Mirror Maze
...a) Inside the Mirror Maze
...b) Through the Mirror
7. Evil Devolution
8. The Two Gates
9. “Forever” of the Stars
10. Another Time,. Another Space
The second disc harks back to the epic opening of the first disc, as the narrator essentially tells the gang ‘we’re here,’ and the weird fantasy continues. A bombastic keyboard melody that could almost be the album’s ‘main theme,’ if it were falling back on such a bad idea, provides an effective structure for the beginning and end of this diverse song, which mostly belongs to the Hippie and the Egyptian. Lucassen delivers the verses through a distorted water sound effect, proclaiming, ‘it’s kinda groovy in this world of fantasy / where no one else can go,’ before van Giersbergen emerges crystal clear for the chorus. The second movement takes on a male aggression stance, highlighted by the heavier (i.e. manlier) guitars and bellows of the Barbarian, while the third is more restrained and progressive to suit the ‘stand together as a team’ mentality of the intellectual Futureman of the bunch. If you happen to be of the opinion that overblown synthesisers can be a little annoying in large quantities, this probably isn’t the song for you. Fortunately, I think it can be a really good thing, when done well, and the final repetition of the opening chords makes it all worthwhile. Not as effective a monster track as the first two on the previous side, but the first section is very notable.
Anneke van Giersbergen is finally granted a solo spot to show off her talents in ‘Valley of the Queens,’ and Lucassen is content to provide a melodic background of keyboards and effective violins, commendably resisting synthesising an Egyptian-style theme or anything like that. It’s pleasant and quite short, and acts as the most radio-friendly song on the second disc, much like ‘Tunnel of Light’ earlier. With the Egyptian woman singing about her inevitable death, and mourning the apparent non-existence of her gods, it’s actually quite sad, and this comes through in the music; this isn’t all a camp parody.
Synthesised monster sound effects open the next phase of the album, as the Electric Castle begins to be explored in earnest, and the narrator gleefully draws attention to one of the album’s repeated morals, targeted towards the fighting men. ‘I pity the men of swords,’ laughs the narrator, ‘for here, blood runs cold,’ and they must confront their pasts. This at least allows for some slight characterisation of the Barbarian beyond his testosterone-fuelled arguments with Hippies and Highlanders, as he dwells on ‘the men I’ve killed, the women I’ve raped.’ Then again, he doesn’t sound too broken up about it, making his later fate all the more deserving. The main guitar riff is quite heavy and slow, a nice combination, but this is primarily a vocal-led song from the two surviving male warriors, backed by some Super Mario Bros.-esque dank and drippy sound effects. A short melodic break interrupts three-quarters of the way into the song, including some long-overdue flutes, before the verse and chorus repeat once again. It’s a good song, if unremarkable, and begins what can be seen as a heavier section of the album, fitting to the predicament.
‘Tower of Hope’ is perhaps my favourite song on the album, and is dominated by a simplistic staccato riff that turns on and off like a switch. It seems that all characters get a say in this one, their voices overlapping and pre-empting each other and driving the whole thing along, before a crazy, jazzy jam section takes over towards the end. A soloing guitar and noodling keyboard alternate in a game of one-upmanship for about one minute, demonstrating a level of self-restraint not seen in the previous songs that makes a great difference, and again, the verse and chorus repeat. The next couple of songs follow a more epic, progressive vein than these shorter segments, ‘Cosmic Fusion’ beginning with more Richard Wright style synth such as that which opened the album, before van Giersbergen’s singing is overtaken by the voice of Death, predictably handled in a guttural roar fashion typical of death metal, though a little more restrained and audible here. Fittingly, and by this point very predictably, the guitar becomes louder in this second section, while the third section is yet another guitar solo section, better than some of the others but quite out of place and distracting by this late juncture.
Finally with ‘The Mirror Maze’ comes that rock opera staple: a piano! Lucassen’s Hippie confronts his childhood and domineering parents, followed by memories of feeling alienated from adult society (‘so he grows his hair’). The song begins dream-like and acoustic, eventually becoming a cacophony as the other characters relate their own experiences inside the Mirror Maze. ‘Evil Devolution’ is another of the album’s highlights, introducing elements of electronica in presenting the world of the future, and beginning the final phase of the album’s storyline concerning evolution beyond emotional awareness. The Futureman (Edward Reekers) puts in a great performance in this slow, downbeat song, both singing melodically in the chorus and more dramatically in the verses. The bass is also present here, in one of the few instances throughout the album. The main riff itself undergoes a process of evolution (or devolution) as it translates to further electronic instruments, most prevalently the guitar. Ending abruptly, the surviving characters face their final challenge with ‘The Two Gates,’ one of which leads back to their lives, and the other of which leads to a void of oblivion. One is gold and sparkling, the other is decayed and humble. You know, a bit like the grails in that Indiana Jones film, and loads of other stuff. The keyboards are reminiscent of Camel again, and the staccato rhythm similar to ‘Tower of Hope’ earlier, but this is the first song to feature a truly heavy metal chorus in terms of delivery, a really nice touch. With the marching rhythm, this could almost be a power metal song if the overpowering keyboards were removed and the tempo sped up a little. The Barbarian’s arrogant death, which you can work out for yourself, has been a long time coming, but it’s still a little sad to hear his echoing bellows from a vacuum of nothingness.
The final two songs flow together, to the extent that they could really be considered the same song, especially as so many other songs incorporate disparate movements. ‘“Forever” of the Stars,’ written by the narrator Peter Daltrey, attempts to put the album’s rather silly plot into some kind of grander context, explaining how his species populated the Earth with humans to analyse their emotions, or something along those lines. The final song resists sounding too victorious, despite some optimistic soloing, as the survivors awaken back in their own realms, uncertain what to make of the experience that they partially retain in their memories: some, such as the Knight, finally feel a sense of satisfaction, but the Hippie wonders whether it’s all been one big, groovy trip. We’ll never really know, but this is a pretty nice song, and maybe that’s the point.
‘Into the Electric Castle’ certainly isn’t an album for everybody, requiring a certain degree of open-mindedness to appreciate, and either a sense of irony or failing that, an appreciation for cheesy fantastical storylines to really get into. Regardless of the lyrics, the music is an accomplished and effective blend of genres in a way that’s never really been attempted before within progressive metal, adopting a 1970s attitude with the benefit of modern technology and musical styles. Arguably Ayreon’s finest album, this is less strictly ‘metal’ than ‘The Final Experiment,’ ‘Flight of the Migrator’ and ‘The Human Equation,’ but more hard-edged than the largely ambient ‘The Dream Sequencer’ and the disappointing ‘Actual Fantasy.’ Of these, ‘The Human Equation’ most closely follows the style established here, with more effective overall results and some better singers, as the main problem with ‘Into the Electric Castle’ is the repetition of structure and musical ‘quirks’ that cease to be such when repeated over and over again.
That said, this album could easily have fallen into a great many traps of the rock opera and concept album formats that would have affected the end result significantly, yet Lucassen’s focus on creating a series of strong songs, effective when taken inside or outside of this crazy context, makes it an essential purchase for prog metal enthusiasts. An earlier version of ‘Amazing Flight’ can be heard on the later compilation ‘Ayreonauts Only,’ which heavily implies that the Original Hippie’s dialogue did, indeed, form the basis for this psychedelic trip through non-time and non-space. It only remains to wonder how closely Lucassen associates himself with the character.
Advantages: Inventive and intriguing mix of styles, and great use of multiple vocalists.
Disadvantages: Extended instrumental passages tend be too long, and borderline masturbatory.
Ayreon
Do The Time Warp
*****
Written on 01.07.04
'Ayreon' is one of the long-running musical projects of multi-talented Dutch musician Arjen Lucassen, and the two albums entitled 'The Universal Migrator' were released individually in 2000. While Universal Migrator part 1: The Dream Sequencer was an unusual keyboard-driven offering from Lucassen, utilising the haunting vocals of Lana Lane over what he describes as "a song-oriented melodic and atmospheric journey," the second album follows a much different style.
Arjen dubs Universal Migrator part 2: Flight of the Migrator "a heavy progressive adventure through time and space": personally, I consider it a highly experimental metal-oriented heavy and atmospheric journey through time, space and the occasional dodgy voice.
THE FLIGHT: Preincarnation
On Mars, the last human being alive has immersed himself in the energy tanks of a mysterious machine called the Dream Sequencer, and he has selected a program called 'The Universal Migrator.' Using a form of hypnosis, this allows his mind to return to the beginning of time and witness the creation of the first soul: the Migrator itself, which divided itself and spread life across the universe. The colonist guides himself to a time before the Big Bang, "where matter, energy and time itself all intermingle in the chaotic unformed vacuum of proton space."
It's obvious that Arjen has a more than passing interest and knowledge of space and its science, and although the suspension of disbelief and focus on a quite abstract storyline may put off casual listeners, it's very easy to become drawn into the tale, which is actually quite straightforward. After witnessing the birth of the universe and the Migrator, the protagonist travels forwards through time in his quest to enter the solar system while it is still inhabited and begin a new life, utilising the awesome power of the black hole in the Virgo cluster of galaxies to enter a wormhole, but although everything goes according to plan, the Migrator informs its traveller as he enters the solar system that his physical body has died inside the machine. His new calling is found, and he is content to continue exploring the universe as the New Migrator.
I've always been a big fan of space, if that makes sense, but even I find some of the descriptions and lyrics a little silly. "The gravity's high, a black sun in the sky" seems a little bit like it's rhyming for the sake of it, as does this verse from track seven:
"We're passing Sirrah in Alpha Pegasi
Into the atmosphere of Planet Y
What will we find? Chances almost none
Will there be life in M31?"
I don't have a problem with these over-descriptive statements however as the lyrics actually manage to stay relatively brief and to the point, when they could easily have diverted into a dull and overlong narrative, and Arjen supplies brief introductory passages in prose to each song. But of course, no one buys an album based purely on its concept and quality of its lyrics, not even me.
MUSICIANS AND VOICES
I haven't heard Mr. Lucassen sing, but if this album is any indication, he doesn't hold his own vocal talents in any kind of esteem. Every track features a different guest vocalist from prominent bands in the metal genre, from relatively obscure European power metal vocalists to frontmen of more prominent heavy metal bands, all of them working to bring his nice little space metal project that much closer to perfection.
Track 1: [Instrumental, voice by Lana Lane]
Track 2: Russel Allen (Symphony X)
Track 3: Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear)
Track 4: Andi Deris (Helloween)
Track 5: Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
Track 6: Fabio Lione (Rhapsody)
Track 7: Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius)
Track 8: Robert Soeterboek (Wicked Sensation)
Track 9: Ian Parry (Elegy)
Instrumentalists:
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, analogue synthesisers, Mellotron, Hammond and additional keyboards
Ed Warby - drums
Erik Norlander - analogue synthesisers, vocoder voice, Taurus pedal, Hammond and additional keyboards
Guitar solos by Arjen Lucassen, Michael Romeo, Oscar Holleman and Gary Wehrkamp.
Synth solos by Erik Norlander, Rene Merkelbach, Clive Nolan, Gary Wehrkamp and Keiko Kumagai.
Backing vocals by Damian Wilson and Lana Lane.
Strings by Peter Siedlach.
THE HEAVY PROGRESSIVE ADVENTURE
1. CHAOS
The album begins with assorted bubbling and beeping sounds before an electronic voice and that of Lana Lane introduce the listener to the concept of the album. After asking "are you sure you want to continue?" comes a short build-up to a speedy and very upbeat instrumental that shows Lucassen's guitar skills at their very best for the next four minutes, as well as providing an introduction to the distorted keyboards that play such a large part in every track. Although the keyboard effects provide a degree of depth and do create a 'spacey' atmosphere to some extent, it's clear that this album is going for the power and energy of traditional rock instruments primarily. An excellent introductory track that doubtless pleased those fans of progressive metal who hadn't quite appreciated the style of the previous CD.
2. DAWN OF A MILLION SOULS
This track begins with a very grand keyboard tune that wouldn't be out of place in the background of a dance song or better yet, a seventies space show. Once the guitars, drums and bass roar into existence however, this track really takes shape and is all the better for the presence of Symphony X's Russell Allen on vocals and Michael Romeo handling some of the guitars. Allen's American singing voice is very powerful and does provide a welcome change from the mostly European accents of this disc that do get on my nerves a little bit when listening to progressive and power metal. This is one of my very favourite tracks on the album and is one of the most effective at communicating the "we are travelling through space" idea without going overboard - a great and epic metal track with a lot of changes.
3. JOURNEY ON THE WAVES ON TIME
A slightly short offering this time round, but it still lasts over five minutes. The previous track blends in with some melodic orchestration before another very prominent keyboard tune takes centre stage and the other instruments follow again. This is my least favourite track on here for a couple of reasons: firstly, I find the vocals from Ralf Scheepers very grating throughout, especially when he becomes high pitched, and also because I am not a big fan of Hammond organs. The second half of this track features a very bad Hammond solo that seems to last for a very long time. It's still quite good, however the things I like about it (ominous backing vocals and great driving guitars) can be found in some of the other, better offerings. I also find the main keyboard tune a little too dominating at times.
4. TO THE QUASAR
a) The Taurus Pulsar
b) Quasar 3C273
It wouldn't be a proper concept album without dividing the tracks into 'parts' would it? This is a slower song that sounds very different from the rest and stands out because of this, but in a very positive way. The acoustic guitars clicking their way throughout the first part are complimented by some great vocals that have a muted effect, only becoming really clear in the excellent chorus, although the second half of the song is so different that it might as well be a different track. Chugging guitars become increasingly heavier before a great riff is decided upon, spoiled only very slightly by silly zapping effects, and the vocals in this second part are even better. Nice and high, just how I like it - the guitar solo at the end is great too.
5. INTO THE BLACK HOLE
a) The Eye of the Universe
b) Halo of Darkness
c) The Final Door
It may seem like a mistake to place two of the longest songs right next to each other, but this progressive metal classic could never disappoint. The inimitable vocals of Bruce Dickinson sound very mysterious and powerful at the same time as he sings the listener on a ten minute journey through the black hole, but credit must also be given to the very dark sounding guitars played by Lucassen. As well as being the most impressive song on the album musically, the fantastic use of both subliminal and very distinct keyboards also makes it the most atmospheric and epic, while the plodding main riffs are also very heavy. A very different sound to Iron Maiden and even Bruce's own solo work, but he nevertheless excels here. Even the overlong synth solo towards the end doesn't annoy me here, as this is progressive heavy metal at its very, very best and truly lives up to Arjen's summary of the album.
6. THROUGH THE WORMHOLE
A nice fast-paced track to follow the longer outings, this takes a while to really get going but still sounds impressive in its not-got-going-ness and although the upbeat chorus is very fun and well sung by Rhapsody's Fabio, it does include a brief unwelcome return of that most dreaded of instruments, the Hammond organ. The drums sound very intriguing throughout this track with a strange clicking sound that isn't found elsewhere, and this also features one of the best solos on the album. It's a return to form after the epics and isn't quite up to the same standard, but it's still highly enjoyable and I know that Fabio has a lot of fans in Europe.
7. OUT OF THE WHITE HOLE
a) M31
b) Planet Y
c) The Search Continues
Despite the division of this track, it's not much longer than the last outing at seven minutes, and the three parts don't sound as distinct as in the other divided tracks. I've never liked Stratovarius enough to seriously check them out, but Kotipelto's vocals are excellent here in both high and , sounding similar to Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate. If you know what I'm talking about. A very good track, but there's not much that hasn't been heard before – a great choice of vocalist however.
8. TO THE SOLAR SYSTEM
a) Planet of Blue
b) System Alert
This is another attempt at a different-sounding track that works very well again, but did take me a bit of time to get used to. A nice electronic beat guides the track along for the first minute with some very deep, booming vocals before the harmonious and light bridge and chorus sections begin, sounding out of place but not really suffering for it. This is a very pleasant and melodic track, and ends with some quiet beeps and a "system alert" message from the Dream Sequencer machine. The final notes fade into the last track...
9. THE NEW MIGRATOR
a) Metamorphosis
b) Sleeper Awake
The only track not written by Lucassen, this is the perfect closure to a large-scale storyline, and the orchestration at the beginning celebrates this grand scale before the guitars and keyboards break into one of the most memorable and catchy riffs of the album. There's a return of the excellent backing vocals that sound almost operatic, but in many ways this is a more straightforward power metal track than the rest, with a repeated chorus that is very infectious and catchy being paired with a keyboard melody that has clear folk influences. The instrumental sections halfway through sound a lot like Symphony X, which makes me wonder whether Michael Romeo decided to jam on this track too, and it all builds up to an overpowering climax that is almost orgasmic (if you are a bit strange) and fades immediately into a low rumbling with several well-timed drum rolls.
VERDICT
How much does the phrase "not to everyone's taste" sum this album up? Progressive rock bands have received a lot of criticism for their elaborate and intricate songs extracting the raw power out of rock anthems, and this no-holds-barred exploration of both the universe and the sample numbers on Lucassen's Yamaha keyboard makes it about as radio-unfriendly as it gets. But it's a very good album, especially when I feel like some grand scale metal, and for the most part Arjen has succeeded in recruiting excellent vocalists and musicians: it was naturally Bruce Dickinson's presence that attracted me to this band when I heard the incredible 'Into the Black Hole' being played, but Russel Allen and several singers towards the end are also the high points.
I can imagine Arjen Lucassen's Dutch face beaming as his latest project all fell together, and his sincere thanks in the lyric booklet to everyone concerned show his gratitude - it's just a shame that, aside from in some areas of Europe, the whole progressive space epic power metal genre isn't that much of a big seller. It's almost like Arjen has planned out and written an incredible Dooyoo review on why quasars are brilliant, only to receive about six reads, most of which are probably just attention-seeking anyway. The poor guy, no big fan of Monty Python deserves this harsh treatment.
Another problem with this album's limited recognition is its limited availability. I buy all of my CDs off the internet, but I found this incredibly hard to track down earlier this year. No price cuts there. This does give me the advantage of waving my space metal in other metal fans' faces and saying "look what I've got; something you haven't even heard of, see how this artificially makes me more interesting than you?" Despite its flaws and the fact that I don't always feel like listening to something this extravagant, I am very glad that I bought this album and listen to it regularly.
Ayreon
Day Eleven: Love
****
Written on 04.02.08
As far as singles go, this precursor to 'The Human Equation' really makes the grade in offering a fair representation of that album as well as providing some frivolous B-sides for fans. Ayreon singles in the past have always focused more on the lighter side of things, which could provide an unbalanced overview in the case of the heavier albums and this one is the heaviest yet - fortunately, Arjen Lucassen doesn't disappoint and focuses on two songs that explore everything that would prove to work so well in his upcoming, full-length magnum opus.
Taken from the finale of the album's first disc, 'Day Eleven: Love' is a climactic song featuring seven of the album's singers (it all takes place in the head of a comatose man played by Dream Theater's James LaBrie, and the other singers all represent facets of his personality and memories - I'll explain later), and it's a first for an Ayreon single for actually featuring heavy metal guitars! Nevertheless, it's still one of Lucassen's more folky, happy songs, blessed with really embarrassing lyrics as he recalls his first date, and the song's overall warts-and-all honesty will easily allow listeners to decide whether they would enjoy purchasing the full-length album, or take out a restraining order to ensure it never comes within audible distance. It's a fun song.
After this comes the delightful 'Day Two: Isolation' from earlier in the album, which is one of its most structurally varied songs and thus one of my favourites. It's slower, darker and heavier than the previous not-ballad, and after a rip-roaring journey introducing LaBrie, Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt and many of the other singers for the first time, it mellows out into a softer movement for a few minutes before plummeting headfirst into Lucassen's most shameless synthesiser extravaganza. This is the perfect meeting between prog rock of the classic and modern ages, and bears undeniable similarity to Richard Wright's 'On the Run' from Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' - only with a bit more gusto. This is a brilliant song, but it would be so easy to hate it.
The second half of the single, which is more like a generous E.P. considering the quantity and length, consists of covers of famous songs performed in a distinctly Ayreon style, complete with vocalists from the Human Equation sessions. I wasn't previously familiar with Led Zeppelin's 'No Quarter,' but it's a pleasant enough acoustic song and sounds like something that could easily fit onto an Ayreon album in this form, but David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' is a different story. Clearly one of the early, defining space operas that served to inspire Lucassen in the first place, this song is treated with the utmost respect and adapted into several highly contradictory sections that ultimately sound a little daft together and completely over-the-top in the customary Ayreon fashion, but it still makes for an enjoyable listen, and Eric Clayton's bassy singing suits the dark ambience of the keyboards perfectly. This single fulfils its function perfectly, in serving to get geeks like me extremely excited about the inevitable full-length album.
1. Day Eleven: Love (Radio edit)
2. Day Two: Isolation
3. No Quarter (Led Zeppelin cover)
4. Space Oddity (David Bowie cover)
Ayreon
Loser
***
Written on 04.02.08
Curiously released in a different form, 'Loser' is technically the second single from 'The Human Equation' despite this version being different, and indeed even labelled as Star One, the other musical endeavour Arjen Lucassen was keen on promoting at the time. With its Eastern flute and guitar melodies, entertaining lyrics and compelling performance from guest vocalist Devin Townsend, this was one of the stand-out songs from the album and easily one of the most memorable even if you didn't particularly like it, and as a comparatively aggressive song it works well against the other tracks released as singles. The only differences to come in this 'Star One Version' seem to be re-recorded guitar, drum and keyboard tracks, but the vocal performance is thankfully left untouched.
The rest of the single is made up of previously unheard B-side material, but doesn't impress quite as much as some older material. The cover of Alice Cooper's 'How You Gonna See Me Now' is fairly bland and uninspired, lacking the usual character that Ayreon brings to covers and featuring the average vocal talents of Mike Baker, but there's at least an amusing moment where spacey synthesiser intrudes upon the acoustic guitar and really fails to integrate in any meaningful way. The same goes for the live version of the Ayreon classic 'Into the Black Hole,' which is interestingly changed enormously but unfortunately not for the better. The acoustic/synthesiser combo sounds even more ridiculous in full force like this, and although Irene Jansen's vocals are good (even if they don't match up to Bruce Dickinson's originals), this highly edited and slimmed version feels disappointingly tame compared to the expansive original.
Fortunately, a similar take on the even older Ayreon song 'Castle Hall' works much better, and is a rare case of the acoustic version perhaps being better than the original, which didn't require the heavy guitar riffs in the same way 'Into the Black Hole' does. Jansen fills in nicely for the two guys who sang the original, and the acoustic guitar is paired up with a flute, making for a more sensible combination at last. While this B-side material isn't up to the standard of the previous single, it's still nice to see this release bulked out with something original rather than more album tracks, but it's still pretty weird that the title song was tampered with at all.
1. Loser (Star One Version)
2. How You Gonna See Me Now (Alice Cooper cover)
3. Into the Black Hole
4. Castle Hall (Acoustic Version)
Ayreon
01011001
Extremophilia
***
Written on 05.02.08
It's been four years since his masterwork 'The Human Equation,' and Arjen Lucassen has put together another Ayreon album that's all but destined to pale in comparison. After that album's conscious departure from the typical Ayreon fare, at least thematically, '01011001' (not to be confused with the Star Trek episode '11001001' which is completely different in all but stupid title) is the inevitable return to Ayreon's comfort zone of the sci-fi rock opera. It's also the long-awaited final revelation concerning just what happened to humanity in that fatal year 2085, first referenced way back in the first Ayreon album, and just what it is that connects aquatic aliens and Electric Castles to Universal Migrators and their Dream Sequencers.
For trying so hard to 'Connect the Dots,' as Lucassen wryly puts it in the self-referential song, his latest project appears to be something of a burden, and even for all of his incredible imaginings the end result is a little disappointing. It's all logical and makes more sense of the connections between previous albums than I would have thought possible, but for taking such a serious sci-fi tone complete with a resurgence of the social critique from 'The Final Experiment,' this misses out almost entirely on the unadulterated, zany fun of something like 'Into the Electric Castle.' The only time it comes close is in the opening song of disc two, as the aliens fly on a comet towards their new, prehistoric home and debate the consequences of their arrival to its reptilian population ("They may all die, don't you think we should check it out?") Unfortunately, most of the album lacks this playful, B-movie sense of adventure, and although it's all well written and quite clever, it's really only the major deviations into more domestic, Earth-bound matters that strike a chord, and end up being by far the best songs here.
As with its concept, Ayreon's music is breaking no new ground on this static release, and indulges in a similar connective pattern throughout the previous discography, resulting in a dominant mix of the multi-character rock opera 'Into the Electric Castle' and the heavily synthesised sound of the 'Universal Migrator' albums, with occasional songs landing more exclusively in the folky, acoustic rock of 'The Human Equation' or the atmospheric prog of 'The Dream Sequencer,' though never exceeding them. This was a disappointment to me after the exciting new ideas of the radically progressive and very heavy metal of 'The Human Equation,' but in the long run is forgivable and even appropriate as what looks determined to be the final chapter in this incredibly loosely-connected Ayreon saga, and can only spur Lucassen on to try more extreme and inventive directions in the future. Of course, in the shorter term it leaves the most recent Ayreon album sounding mostly overlong, derivative and frequently quite boring.
Just like 'Into the Electric Castle' and 'The Human Equation' the story is split across two CDs, but this is the only instance of this seeming like a disc too many. The ten-minute songs are often far too repetitive and similar to each other, despite boasting impressive vocal work as the lyrics are ploughed through by various big names in the metal world, and neither the prog nor the metal fans of Ayreon are going to be particularly satisfied with the predominantly electronic sound that rarely throws out an original riff or melody, at least until the second disc. Even the singers themselves aren't as interesting or diverse as the cast of 'The Human Equation,' and the emphasis on gruff ballad tones from Jørn Lande and Daniel Gildenlow alongside opera vocals and the return of the Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen makes for a very samey sound throughout, which even the legendary Hansi Kursch is unable to save us from thanks to his perseverance with the same Russell Mael impersonation that's spoiled the last two Blind Guardian albums.
Even the most basic instruments are quite shockingly overlooked in the face of all the slow-moving synth, with Ayreon veteran Ed Warby's drums only really coming into play as late as track seven, and the first genuinely heavy guitar riff in 'Unnatural Selection' caused me to swear emphatically. The usual touches of slightly outlandish instruments are still present in the violins and flutes of the second disc, but to a lesser extent than in the previous album (and there isn't a didgeridoo in sight), and the general tedium of the admittedly more tedious first disc even gave me some small hope that Lucassen was doing a 'Universal Migrator,' and was going to surprise us all with a powerful and thrilling second half. He doesn't, but disc two is better on the whole.
The slow-moving, operatic bombast of the Forever people is fortunately broken up by a few shorter and more overtly pop-rock songs that help the album regain some balance. Seemingly set in the present-day (deduced through some internet name-dropping and helpful sound effects of revving cars and beeping modems), these songs make for intriguing deviations and feature some of the album's finest and strangest lyrics and themes, further proving the message of 'The Human Equation' that the human adventure is the most compelling. 'Connect the Dots' is quite a sweet, domestic tale with interesting forebodings of disaster, and 'Web of Lies' examines the pitfalls of internet dating and makes for a very memorable ending to disc one, aided by the performance from Epica's Simone Simons. Perhaps the album's finest moment comes in the form of 'The Truth is in Here,' which once again sees Arjen bag the most interesting character for himself and write one of his finest and most compelling narratives, one that doesn't even descend into the hilarity of the tripping hippie or the blind minstrel who wishes he could be like every other man. Then again, his character's "cryptic" designation "Mister L" is quite enjoyably poor.
This is only a poor album when judging by Ayreon's own standards which seemed to be generally on the rise, but would still make for an interesting (if arduous) introduction for fans of lighter metal styles who were maybe considering whether to go all prog, though they'd still be better off with 'The Human Equation' or even 'Into the Electric Castle' if they felt particularly open-minded. Even if it's destined to be the most inherently forgettable and least essential of all of his albums (apart from 'Actual Fantasy' perhaps), this at least seals the airlocks on the complex Ayreon narrative that was at best intriguingly strange, and at worst needlessly elaborate, and allows the talented prog/metal composer to look towards new horizons without being hassled by endless, repetitive e-mails asking what this rubbish is all about. It might not have been the Ayreon album I was hoping for, but it's about as good as can be expected considering its obligations to tying up loose ends of over a decade, and it's obvious that there won't be a more entertaining rock opera released any time before Lucassen's next move. I just know I'm going to listen to the whole discography in order one of these days and imagine that somehow makes it more meaningful.
Disc 1
1. Age of Shadows
2. Comatose
3. Liquid Eternity
4. Connect the Dots
5. Beneath the Waves
... i) Beneath the Waves
... ii) Face the Facts
... iii) But a Memory...
... iv) World Without Walls
... v) Reality Bleeds
6. Newborn Race
... i) The Incentive
... ii) The Vision
... iii) The Procedure
... iv) Another Life
... v) Newborn Race
... vi) The Conclusion
7. Ride the Comet
8. Web of Lies
Disc 2
1. The Fifth Extinction
... i) Glimmer of Hope
... ii) World of Tomorrow Dreams
... iii) Collision Course
... iv) From the Ashes
... v) Glimmer of Hope (Reprise)
2. Waking Dreams
3. The Truth is in Here
4. Unnatural Selection
5. River of Time
6. E=MC2
7. The Sixth Extinction
... i) Echoes on the Wind
... ii) Radioactive Grave
... iii) 2085
... iv) To the Planet of Red
... iv) Spirit on the Wind
... v) Complete the Circle
Azaghal
Codex Antitheus
****
Written on 04.02.08
Doubtless, quite a few black metal fans will have been severely annoyed by this 2005 release from Azaghal, as the Finnish band incorporate elements of classic metal into their traditional black metal style to mixed results. Fortunately, my position on the fence leans significantly towards the eighties style that Azaghal incorporates to such entertaining effect here, and I'm able to consider the experimental merging of 'Kumarra Petoa' to be a work of flawed genius and one of the most entertaining songs I've heard recently, while others would condemn it as a blasphemy (and not the type of blasphemy they're usually so fond of).
Even in the more traditional black metal songs, Narqath's guitars and vocals have a distinctly fun quality to them, even when he restricts himself to growls rather than the clean singing that's arguably a weak point of songs like the otherwise excellent title track and the dull finale 'Sieluton,' and the presence of choruses in 'Agios O Baphomet' and elsewhere also makes this strikingly different from standard black metal. The drums are thankfully no longer programmed, and are perfect at maintaining the energy throughout, and special credit has to be paid to Narqath's great guitar solos, occasionally inspired and at other times basic but enjoyable, that permeate most of the songs, and reach their peak at the conclusion of 'Raatosielu' when a melodic lead guitar section appears out of nowhere and plays out over some pleasant acoustic backing as the closed-minded Mayhem fans tear off their ears.
The best songs here are clearly down to a matter of personal taste, but all parties would probably concede that 'Codex Antitheus' itself is a great black metal offering, satisfyingly heavy and slightly experimental without going overboard like the other songs. My personal favourite has to be the aforementioned blackened heavy metal of 'Kumarra Petoa,' which shows signs of something being awry as early as its opening riff before Narqath lets rip with a high wail that later evolves into a screeching performance reminiscent of King Diamond. It's fantastically enjoyable for fans of classic metal, the guitars and some of the vocals being reminiscent of a darker Megadeth, and its divisive potential makes me like it even more. If I was a hardcore black-metalhead I'd clearly despise this, but with my ever-so-slightly more accepting world view, I consider it a nice treat.
1. Agios O Baphomet
2. Nekromanteia
3. Codex Antitheus
4. Kumarra Petoa
5. 30 Hopearahaa
6. Viha
7. Raatosielu
8. Kuningas Saatana
9. Sieluton
Azaghal
Luciferin Valo
***
Written on 04.02.08
Azaghal's most recent album is a significant step above its predecessors both in terms of sound quality and a more mature attitude to songwriting, though this comes with the disadvantage of robbing the Finnish black metal band of some of the eccentricity that I enjoyed so much on the previous release. The style here continues to incorporate the traditional black metal sound with eighties influence, but here it's a more refined and acceptable Bathory influence rather than anything out of left-field, and ends up sounding like a poor man's Burzum without the heart or bloodied hands.
The album severely disappoints right from the onset, with the promisingly titled 'Black Terror Metal' revealing itself to be a slow and repetitive piece, the chorus of which lacks any of the fun found on the previous album. Things pick up after this point, with songs such as 'Ilmestyskirjan Ratsastajat' and 'Azaghal Terror Cult' demonstrating the Burzum similarity with some solid, steady riffs, while others like 'Kuin Lampaat Teuraalle' and the latter few songs manage to attain a heavy, loud and powerful black metal performance that makes the most of the increased production values.
Narqath may not be as bold in his experiments here, but there's still a slight degree of experimentation with the gurgled vocal style of 'Verta Ja Tuhkaa' and what turns out to be a fairly disappointing bit of trickery towards the start of 'Teen Paholaisen Tyoetae,' but essentially this is a back-to-basics album that doesn't quite cut it, and isn't going to inspire any black metal fans, even if they see the lack of classic metal features as a step in the right direction.
1. Black Terror Metal
2. Ilmestyskirjan Ratsastajat
3. Tuhoaja
4. Kuin Lampaat Teuraalle
5. Verta Ja Tuhkaa
6. Teen Paholaisen Tyoetae
7. Azaghal Terror Cult
8. Hyvaestit Maailmalle
9. Olematon
10. Luciferin Valo
Azure Ray
November
**
Written on 04.02.08
The 'November' E.P. was one of the final releases from Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink as Azure Ray before they moved on to solo careers, and it's six tracks of dreamy, soft music that mainly falters through being so quiet and subtle that it's easy to forget you're listening to anything at all. Based only on soft singing, occasional strumming acoustic guitar and soft, synthesised backdrop, this is highly atmospheric music but not particularly interesting to listen to all at once, being far more suited to select pickings; fortunately, at six songs it doesn't quite go into overkill.
The sound is relatively samey throughout, which is a bit of a disappointment, with only minor differences such as a stronger or weaker sense of the acoustic guitar being enough to distinguish most songs. The only ones that deviate from the standard mould are the more ethereal 'For the Sake of the Song,' which succeeds more than the others at evoking an atmosphere but still fails for being a tad too long, and the significantly slower, piano-led 'I Will Do These Things,' which unfortunately end up fairly non-ish. The opening and closing songs have a little more life than those in the centre, with a more upbeat vocal performance and deeper background sound, but they also end up being my least preferred due to the poppier style, over-reliance on repeating choruses and some quite poor lyrics of the sort that aren't found elsewhere here, the first even resorting to a final verse of "doo-doo-doo."
This is a pleasant enough E.P., but a bit lacking in any substantial content, and it occupies an uncomfortable middle ground between female singer-songwriter pop music and ambience, without really satisfying either market.
1. November
2. For the Sake of the Song
3. No Signs of Pain
4. Just a Faint Line
5. I Will Do These Things
6. Other Than This World
Azuth
Old Times
**
Written on 04.02.08
This is the first, privately funded release from Ukrainian black metal musician Saurus, who follows in the footsteps of many successful one-man-bands in the field that run the risk of ending up as a completely impenetrable, self-indulgent disaster due to the lack of exterior input, or a work of inspired genius that would only have been lessened by involving other players, most notably Burzum, Windir and the later works of Bathory. But of course, there are some like this that are merely pretty good, but have such an incredible atmosphere that I hold them in a similar regard, the type of atmosphere that can only be achieved through a severely low budget.
Azuth is classed as ambient black metal, which is sort of true but also a lazy way of attempting to categorise what would be more accurately (and less understandably) described as a mixture of mountain/victory black metal and philosophical black metal, two terms I find it helpful to apply to Windir and Burzum respectively, but that are, if anything, even dumber than the more official stance. Starting off rather ambient and minimal and featuring a nicely shoddy sample of a battle complete with bugle, galloping horses, the clash of steel against steel and bad acting, the first real "music" begins half-way through the title track as a chiming bell, distorted vocals, tribal drums and roaring guitar fuzz attempt to lead us nostalgically through past worlds, and even though it doesn't really work it's a very pretty song, if you're as strange as me.
'Hidden' is where the black metal performance really begins, after what some may consider (rightfully) far too much introductory material, and the steady drums and satisfying crunch of the guitar riffs sets the tone for the rest of the album, which is never particularly fast or oppressive in the style of typical black metal. 'Ancient Forest' adds to this atmosphere excellently with some great lead guitar work that's obviously amateurish but still sounds great here, especially with the distinctive tone granted by the low production values, and the folk elements and scary organ intro again remind of a poor man's Windir and Burzum. 'Under the Moon' sees Saurus' vocals take on a distinctive rasp for the first time, modulated to a whisper in what I presume is his native tongue in the more melodic and tranquil '...to Nonexistence,' and the shifting style continues for each subsequent song: 'Black Spring Waters' bears similarities to industrial metal in the style of Nine Inch Nails, 'Last Hero' returns to black metal and goes even further by attempting to invent a new, unique style of growl that sounds both horrifying and silly at the same time (it's probably pretty successful then), and the finale is predictably slow and pleasant by comparison.
While the demo-like quality could put some listeners off, especially flaws such as the abrupt silences at the end of tracks and movements, it only adds to the novelty for me, and although this isn't fit to join the ranks of the late, great or otherwise incarcerated black metal one-man-projects. Each song is overlong by about a minute, and although there's great variety, none of it's truly spectacular, enjoyable as I found the experience.
Best of all, it's free and legal to download from http://azuth.jino-net.ru/Discography.htm so there's an opportunity for you to enter my realm, and it provides proof that I'm not just making these obscure bands up.
1. Spirit of the Dead
2. Old Times
3. Hidden
4. Ancient Forest
5. Under the Moon
6. ...to Nonexistence
7. Black Spring Waters
8. Last Hero
9. Her Light Steps
So extreme is this music, that it often requires metal fans to concoct meaningless terms to describe it, particularly the frequent accolade that it's "total f**king necro" (a term derived from the band's demo of the same name). However ridiculous it may seem to describe harsh industrial percussion, roaring guitars and a range of screeched and roared vocals as "necro," Anaal Nathrakh succeeds in conveying a sense of a really, really screwed up nightmare future, one in which all hope has been lost and the only survivors will be fragile old people forced to endure this noise perpetually. Blessed with great production values, this is a far cry from traditional black metal that aims to evoke an evil and depraved atmosphere, and it doesn't have the riffs of death metal either. The inescapable mechanistic sound of the drums isn't exactly to my tastes, but fortunately the band avoids the electronic black metal stuff for the most part - there are distorted samples at inconvenient intervals, but the blasting drum machine never deteriorates into a thumping techno beat or any other such rubbish.
Although it's detached, a little repetitive and lacking in ideas, this is still first-rate example of metal that's extreme for the sake of it, but still pulls it off with admirable determination. Not something to inflict on your friends, young children or expectant mothers unless you fancy a laugh, and not something I could listen to all day unless I was reviewing the discography or something stupid like that (what the hell was I thinking?), but it's surprisingly good considering I stopped enjoying bands like Behemoth when they evolved from traditional black metal into similarly death-inspired directions.
When I was fifteen, the early albums of Fear Factory and grindcore bands used to give me a headache, but I persevered with them anyway. I'd suggest similar initiation in the dark shades of metal before attempting to tackle this beast, paying particular attention to the sub-genres with the stupidest names.
1. The Supreme Necrotic Audnance
2. When Humanity is Cancer
3. Submission is For the Weak
4. Pandemonic Hyperblast
5. Paradigm Shift - Annihilation
6. The Technogoat
7. Incipid Flock
8. Human, All Too F***ing Human
9. The Codex Necro
Total Fucking Necro
****
Written on 16.01.08
Maybe it's something to do with collecting or a pointlessly completist attitude, but I always enjoy compilations like this that collect otherwise rare material in one neat, easily available package. It's a little odd and perhaps even disappointing that Anaal Nathrak's second album should be a demo compilation, but for offering a slightly different take on the band than their debut album, and most of all for containing mostly original material, it's every bit as good as 'The Codex Necro.'
The major difference in style comes in the production values which, as expected, are inferior for demo recordings. Fortunately this is black metal we're dealing with, and intentional or not (my money's on "not"), this allows for a different perspective free from the often overwhelming ferocity of the studio album. Irrumator's melodic guitar touches and solos are more easily discerned within this less oppressive wall of sound, and although the programmed drums sound even more obviously fake than they did on 'Codex,' the atmosphere is less electric. In a good way.
'Necrogeddon' is the only new song, though still not recorded principally for this, but rather the unreleased 2001 demo entitled 'We Will F**king Kill You,' and the rest of the tracks present the two demos 'Anaal Nathrakh' (tracks one to four) and 'Total F**king Necro' (five to nine) in their complete forms. While the second demo is the more impressive and aggressive, containing the early classic 'Satanarchist' as well as two songs that would find their way onto the first album in the form of 'The Supreme Necrotic Audnance' and 'The Technogoat,' both demos present an excellent view of a band starting out, with the clear intention to be the future of British black metal and to repair some of the damage done by Cradle of Filth. As any serious black metal fan will know, 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' is a cover of that definitive second wave track from Mayhem, as is 'Carnage,' and both are tackled well, and respectfully cite Anaal Nathrakh's influence.
While this isn't quite up to the standards of a regular studio release, thanks to volume problems and an overall lacking production sound, it's these very factors that may make it even more appealing to traditional black metal fans who normally find Anaal Nathrakh far too mechanised and volume-obsessed. It's a nice respite from that, and a great companion to 'The Codex Necro' with only minimal overlap. Of course, almost everyone else in the world should avoid it like the plague.
1. Anaal Nathrakh
2. Necrodeath
3. Ice Blasting Storm Winds
4. Carnage
5. The Supreme Necrotic Audnance
6. Satanarchist
7. L.E.T.H.A.L.: Diabolic
8. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
9. The Technogoat
10. Necrogeddon
When Fire Rains Down From the Sky, Mankind Will Reap As It Has Sown
****
Written on 16.01.08
Following the success of their debut album, Anaal Nathrakh spent the next couple of years throwing out new material in the form of demo compilations and this impressive E.P., perhaps trying to avoid committing to a difficult second album. There need have been no worries at this stage for the Birmingham black metal duo, as the elaborately titled 'When Fire Rains Down From the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as it Has Sown' is an impressive continuation and development of their sound, and a pleasing step beyond 'The Codex Necro.'
With six entirely original songs, this is just as worthy and essential as any full-length release, and lasts for a reasonably impressive twenty-five minutes. While the predominant sound is once again a ferocious blasting, roaring and screeching assault performed at illegal volume, there's a stronger sense of melody and musicianship this time around beyond the desire to shock and devastate, though even these touches of Irrumator's guitar solos and pleasant leads are inevitably buried amidst the din.
The chaos is a little more controlled this time round also, with slower passages frequently interrupting the black metal assaults, but at the same time the band isn't about to wimp out on its fans: the surprising presence of clean singing on the title track is a great touch, performed in the atmospheric Viking metal style rather than whining metalcore, but it's still balanced out by an increased ferocity in V.I.T.R.I.O.L's screams in other tracks. This more extreme edge unfortunately dominates the proceedings in 'Never F**king Again,' which as can be deduced from the title is pretty much all about aggression, and is my least favourite as a result.
As an E.P., this has some excuse to be deviant and exercises this right by drafting in a couple of guest performers. Sethlans Teitan of Aborym (another great black metal band in a similar style, but with more distracting techno elements) contributes some great guitar work that makes Irrumator's riffs sound even more repetitive than they already are, but the greatest presence is that of Attila Csihar who growls his way through 'Atavism' in the same demonic rasp that made Mayhem's early work so defining, and was evidently one of the major inspirations on Anaal Nathrakh considering they covered Mayhem songs on their demos. All of these diverse elements make for a more interesting mini-album than 'The Codex Necro' and point at great things to come, though the band still suffers when brutality is indulged for brutality's sake.
1. Cataclysmic Nihilism
2. How the Angels Fly In (We Can Never Be Forgiven)
3. Never F**king Again
4. Genesis of the Antichrist
5. Atavism
6. When Fire Rains Down From the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as it Has Sown
Eschaton
****
Written on 16.01.08
After the slight disappointment of their 2004 album, Anaal Nathrakh return better than ever with 'Eschaton,' again dealing with annihilation and destruction (this time in the form of the 2012 Mayan prophecy) and possessing the brutal sound to back it up for the first time since the debut release. This is a perfect example of a band learning from its successes and failures, and the resulting album is more or less a synthesis of the mindlessly violent first album with some of the more epic tendencies of the second, finally creating the sound the band has been striving for all along.
While the performances from Irrumator and V.I.T.R.I.O.L are as good as ever, the production abandons the disappointing polish of 'Domine Non Es Dignus' in favour of the rawer sound of 'The Codex Necro,' and likewise supplements that first album's ferocity with the more mature musicianship of subsequent offerings. This returns the sound to extreme black metal once again, though still possessing a significant death metal influence, yet the clean vocal touches and grind guitar sections still remain to avoid the band fading into the rest of the scene.
Further demonstrating how the sound here harks back to the early years (which weren't really all that long ago, this is only the third album after all), 'The Necrogeddon' is a re-make of a 2001 song that doesn't sound at all out of place, while songs such as 'Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes,' 'The Destroying Angel' and 'The Yellow King' are just as fierce as anything from the first album, but more refined. Similarly, 'Between Shit and Piss We Are Born,' 'Timewave Zero' and 'When the Lion Devours Both Dragon and Child' all follow the Borknagar-style epic path of the last release, only more satisfyingly brutal. The only real disappointment comes in the presence of guest vocalists including Attila from Mayhem, who doesn't impress as much as he did on the 2003 E.P. and is instead offered a fairly weak industrial-style song that doesn't suit his demonic voice.
1. Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes
2. Between Shit and Piss We Are Born
3. Timewave Zero
4. The Destroying Angel
5. Waiting for the Barbarians
6. The Yellow King
7. When the Lion Devours Both Dragon and Child
8. The Necrogeddon
9. Regression to the Mean
Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here
*****
Written on 15.01.08
The latest album from Birmingham's Anaal Nathrakh sees them pretty much abandon the slight industrial experiments that had started to creep into 'Eschaton,' and it's a damn fine return to basics. Blessed with crystal clear production enunciating every bastard sound, this is an album that should in all fairness be scrutinised by health & safety before being allowed to played through anyone's headphones and bore right their skulls. It's fantastic music, to boot.
Unleashed over a relentless thirty-five minutes, this is death-influenced black metal in the violent style of Behemoth, with keyboards used to subtly enhance the atmosphere rather than go off on one into four-minute soliloquies. The instruments, all handled by Mick "Irrumator" Kenney, are most often called to merge into a thunderous wall of sound, but that doesn't free them of their responsibilities to let rip with some killer riffs, his guitars slay in this manner with all the brutal efficiency of a serial killer at his/her peak, with countless great riffs and just the right amount (by which I mean a huge amount) of reckless solos. The drums are of less interest, their duty primarily being to keep a steady power supply flowing to the amplifiers with kinetic energy from bass pedals, but without the drums this wouldn't be anywhere near as devastating, and the violence is a large part of its success. This is a far cry from the amateur channelling of youth angst in mindlessly cacophonous bands like Slipknot, and the band's sincerity is compelling.
By far the most distinctive and impressive instrument on display across all of these songs is V.I.T.R.I.O.L's voice (real name the slightly less impressive Dave Hunt, whose parents didn't even have the good humour to call him Mike), possessing the most varied range I've ever heard on a black metal album. Most songs see him double-tracked in tandem with himself performing in a contrasting register, and this moves from a pained black metal scream supported by clean, Viking metal style singing in the early songs through to more extreme squawks, deep guttural rumbles and aggressive yells later on. This huge degree of variation helps each song to stand distinct from the rest, something they otherwise would have lacked due to the repetitive wall of sound, and even the lesser-used clean singing style doesn't distract from or contradict the atmosphere, like the irritating, piercing whines of melodic death and metalcore bands that try out a similar contrast.
Anaal Nathrakh has always been about experimentation and perfection, often to a clinical extent, and even when confining itself to the core principles of black metal, it is able to offer one of its most technically perfect recordings. The only thing it lacks is some of the creativity and compassion that comes through in other black metal bands' more memorably evocative works, but as you will no doubt experience with some of Hollywood's horror films, the killer-with-a-heart can become tiresome after a while, leaving you with a more basic desire for cold, methodical carnage. I think I'm trying to suggest that this is something like that.
1. Solifugae (Intro)
2. Der hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
3. Screaming of the Unborn
4. Virus Bomb
5. The Final Absolution
6. Shatter the Empyrean
7. Lama Sabachthani
8. Until the World Stops Turning
9. Genetic Noose
10. Sanction Extremis (Kill Them All)
11. Castigation and Betrayal
The Endless Agony
*****
Written on 15.01.08
The world may not be in need of another progressive metal band with a virtuoso guitarist and a female singer, but the good thing about groups like Anachronia is their compelling drive to stand out and create original albums, rather than simply copy what Dream Theater are doing and assume that will be prog enough.
'The Endless Agony' is a really great album, clearly dominated by Thomas and Nathanaël's guitars and Fay's excellent vocals but backed up by Djp's creative use of the drum kit, the prominent bass (especially in the lengthy and frequent instrumental passages) and a keyboard that doubles up as traditional piano when required. Without the need for pointless interludes or sampling gimmicks, each of these songs is distinctive enough to really stand out from its neighbours, and interestingly the band gets the slightly more extravagant and complex business out of the way first, before moving on to material that would easily appeal to the metal mainstream, assuming it can stomach indulgent guitar wailing and female singers. I have a feeling it can.
As could maybe be anticipated, the vocal performance takes its cues from gothic metal by juxtaposing Fay's dominant presence with support from some of the blokes, who vary between standard singing and an understated death metal growl in the "Beauty and the Beast" style of Theatre of Tragedy. Fay's singing really is a highlight of the album, which isn't often the case in female-fronted metal bands, and helps to enhance the lightly melancholic feel of the album without getting quite as far as despair. The vocal melody takes on an Eastern tinge in the opener 'Lunacy,' later expanded on by an Arabian-themed instrumental section that shows off the band's full potential for the first time, and as the songs become generally more straightforward later on, she has no trouble adapting as the lead player, particularly in the softer 'Angels Cry' and 'Time So Long,' where you may very well develop an abrupt desire to marry her on the spot to have her as your caged singing bird for alway.
My personal highlight of the album is probably the grand title track, which skilfully combines death metal elements with an epic narrative and a seriously crazy instrumental section that even quotes the theme from Lloyd-Webber's 'Phantom of the Opera' musical, itself plagiarised from a much better song by Pink Floyd, all done to surprisingly brilliant effect. Even after these two longest songs are over, there's plenty to satisfy even the more prog-minded listeners, with some great acoustic guitar solos in 'Angels Cry' and the slightly folk-based 'Sailormen' that includes diverse instruments such as flutes, while the galloping and highly energetic rhythm of 'Around My World' makes it a sure-fire hit with heavy metal fans, the second part of the song essentially being an extended, melodic coda. Thomas and Nathanaël may not be the most original axemen around, their flair mainly being in manic and fantastically long guitar solos (appropriately at their most dominating in 'Time So Long'), but the John Petrucci style grinding riffs avoid being distractingly heavy for the music, before unleashing a significantly darker edge in the finale.
'The Endless Agony' is a great album for fans of interesting metal that avoids some of the usual pitfalls associated with the term "progressive." The female vocals vocals fit the tone better than could be achieved by any man, and fans of masturbatory guitar solos are guaranteed an hour's thorough going over.
1. Lunacy
2. Endless Agony
3. Angels Cry
4. Time So Long
5. Around My World Part I
6. Around My World Part II
7. Lost Time
8. Sailormen
9. Eternity
Of Hopes and Ashes
**
Written on 15.01.08
This low-budget debut album from French rock band Anamnesia is pretty disappointing, based entirely in the so-called "nu-metal" sound that had fickle rock kids all excited for a few years in the late nineties to early zero-zeros. It brings nothing new to the already overpopulated and dire genre, and seems to take its cues from all of those bands like Korn, Disturbed, Drowning Pool and whatever else was around the time of rap-metal, though fortunately it doesn't descend quite as far as that.
The oddest thing about this album is just how poorly recorded it sounds, which perhaps explains why it's available for free from websites. Bebeche's guitar has a nice crunch to it and produces some quite good groove riffs, but Alex's drums are far too quiet and Damien's vocals, by contrast, far too loud in the mix. His singing style is rooted in American hard rock but freely moves between clean singing and slight growling in the style of Korn rather than death metal, but any time he gets enthusiastic, it causes significant feedback in the microphone. The whole thing is like listening to a badly recorded live gig, only without the energy.
This is a shame as some of the songs are reasonable enough in a trashy nu-metal kind of way, despite sounding exactly the same as many that have come before. Band member Fred indulges in prominent keyboards in many songs that add an unexpected pleasant atmosphere, and the music never feels overly aggressive or dumb like Slipknot and similar bands, though the band does seem to be attempting some form of image with their dapper clothing and top hats. As a free download rather than a genuine album offered for sale (I'm assuming), this is inoffensive enough, but would need a much higher quality re-recording before it could be considered much more than a demo. It also loses points for abbreviating "are" and "you" to letters, which is never on.
1. Intro
2. Go
3. Time is Your Enemy
4. Shining
5. One
6. Where R U God
7. Downfall
8. Snow
9. My Rage
10. Redemption
11. Slaughter House
12. Of Hopes and Ashes
The Infernal Depths of Hatred
****
Written on 16.01.08
Anata's debut album in 1998 was a fresh of breath air in the increasingly stagnant sub-genre of technical death metal, an offshoot of the fast, heavy and angry musical style that innovative bands of the early to mid-nineties experimented with to wildly different results. While Demilich's take on death metal was even more hellish and stomach-turning than the most depraved grindcore bands, others such as Atheist introduced concepts of freestyle jazz into their time signatures and structures to create something that none but the most pretentious John Zorn fan could truly appreciate. Unfortunately this flair for originality became lost somewhere along the way, perhaps in response to the melodic death metal of the Gothenburg movement that stubborn traditionalist death metal snobs felt the need to counteract, causing endless Suffocation clones to release album after album of restless fast and furious guitar riffs that came to dominate the 'technical death' moniker without truly deserving it.
Anata's first album wipes the slate clean, rooting itself in a traditional death metal sound and allowing itself to absorb the very best aspects of the contemporary Swedish scenes, leading to an album that could arguably and confusingly be branded as progressive melodic technical death metal, if I was in the practice of categorising bands. Which I quite clearly am. Progressive for its experimentation with structure and time changes, melodic due to the prominence of dual lead guitars in all the songs, and technical for the musicians' exhausting tendency to throw out dozens of excellent and original riffs and rhythms in every song, without sounding too obtuse. Indeed, this is an album that could be enjoyed by death metal fans of any specialised preference, provided they were accustomed to death metal's traditionally powerful and aggressive style as opposed to the watered down offerings of the lesser bands of the Finnish scene. This is intriguing, gripping and catchy stuff.
1. Released When You are Dead
2. Let the Heavens Hate
3. Under Azure Skies
4. Vast Lands / Infernal Gates
5. Slain upon His Altar
6. Those Who Lick the Wounds of Christ
7. Dethrone the Hypocrites
8. Aim Not at the Kingdom High
As with many death metal bands (but by no means the majority), Anata's lyrics and song titles quite clearly take an anti-Christian stance that's more likely for show than any serious Satanist commitment; of course, being death metal, the lyrics are completely indecipherable in any case. There's very little that appears designed to 'sound' satanic in the way more ideological bands strive for, with only a couple of squealing guitar leads harking back to Slayer's domination of the eighties, which were equally aimed purely at shock value. For the most part, almost its entirety, this album is driven by fast and ruthless guitar riffs from Andreas Allenmark and vocalist Fredrik Schälin over a pounding bashing of the drum kit by Robert Petersson, and thanks to the modern-sounding production, even Henrik Drake's impressive bass guitar work can be clearly heard beneath or between the rhythms. It would be pointless to analyse each distinct change or movement of this album as there are far too many to keep track of in each song, but most thankfully remain grounded in repeating riffs and rhythms to prevent the album from veering off completely into avant-garde showmanship. Anyone listening to this as their first slab of technical death probably wouldn't think twice, except that maybe some of the lead guitars are a little hard to follow.
Generally speaking, the album becomes slightly more complex and intricate towards the end, something that's reflected in the increase of song lengths to around six minutes at this stage, though the excellent third song 'Under Azure Skies' stands out as a comparable epic amidst the relative simplicity (I said relative) of the earlier songs. This song in particular stands out as my favourite, perhaps for its inclusion near the beginning when the album still sounds fresh, but also for demonstrating the full capabilities of each band member. Slightly slower on the whole than some of the other tracks, particularly the first which blares from the speakers at flat-out pace right from the onset, 'Under Azure Skies' seems to be influenced primarily by the late Chuck Schuldiner of unsurprisingly-named death metal pioneers Death, one of the all-time great and most interesting bands in the genre, with thoughtfully executed heavy guitars, constantly rolling drums, plenty of tremolo-picking speedier sections and even a section of bass solo. Reminiscent of Cliff Burton's spotlight in Metallica's instrumental 'Orion,' the bass section acts as a vacuum of tranquillity that is inevitably interrupted all too soon, but permitted to continue behind the excellent lead guitars that are modestly contented to remain in the background. Subtle and uncredited use of keyboards in this song alone adds to the atmosphere, and I became quite sad as the song threatened to end, despite having entertained me for an impressive five and a half minutes.
While this is the pick of the album for me, other songs come close, although the final two songs have a tendency to drag on rather than leave me begging for more; fortunately this album has a sensible length of forty-two minutes that avoids the technical death trap of being too short, but also means that listeners could be a little restless by the end of it all. 'Slain Upon His Altar' is a great medium-length track that seems to draw influence from the more proficient melodic death bands of the time, sounding similar to In Flames' 'The Jester Race' and being most based on lead guitar rhythms. The mellow intro is another nice touch, even if tradition dictates that it will inevitably give way to a cacophony of death metal after about twenty seconds to keep listeners from getting too complacent. Its predecessor 'Vast Lands/Infernal Gates' isn't as complex as its divided title would suggest, but rather continues the melodic death style introduced in the short 'Let the Heavens Hate,' which itself is perhaps the most approachable song on here. By contrast, 'Vast Lands...' takes a leap into the darker and more violent recesses, primarily a drum song that is affected with a noticeable clicking sound that some may pin down to slightly weak production, but that I have always enjoyed, reminding me of the drums on Cradle of Filth's 'Cruelty and the Beast.'
Other songs tend to take things a little too far in the several directions this album pursues, but are by no means weak offerings. The lengthy and provocatively titled 'Those Who Lick the Wounds of Christ' features the most deliberately obtuse lead guitars of the whole album, teasing listeners by refusing to settle on a recognisable pattern and playing out of time with the backing rhythms, which themselves become a little too violent and oppressive by the end. Certainly a song for the more dedicated tech fans, but it leaves me with something of a headache. 'Aim Not at the Kingdom High' suffers slightly for coming at the end of the album without really offering anything new, while conversely the opener 'Released When You are Dead' attempts to both draw in fans of brutal music and deter those who can't quite stomach it, focusing more on aggression and animalistic grunts than the progressive leanings found elsewhere. There's not a bad song on here, and although the untrained/uncontaminated ear may consider it a load of repetitive noise, those more experienced/corrupted will recognise it as a truly creative and intelligently-produced piece of anger and professional instrumentation. I haven't checked out Anata's later releases, but I've read that they lack a certain emotional resonance that this album has in spades; it's perhaps for the best that the lyrics are indecipherable, but boy do those warthog grunts sound compelling.
Advantages: Original and creative technical death metal that avoids all the modern clichés.
Disadvantages: Antagonistic lyrics and aggressive delivery will deter the faint of heart.
Alternative 4
Life Has Betrayed Me Once Again
****
Written on 17.01.07
While 'Eternity' left behind most of the metal elements from Anathema's early years, 'Alternative 4' is their final album that could be reasonably labelled as doom metal for evoking the same melancholy atmosphere, albeit in a mostly lighter fashion with the heavy guitars all but replaced by acoustic and the death growl vocals now firmly a thing of the past. Not yet going the full way to prog rock throwback, this is still authentic old-school Anathema with a less aggressive approach, with a greater focus on atmosphere but one that doesn't come at a cost to the music itself.
Vincent Cavanagh's soft vocals still have a nice amateur edge, particularly on the rare occasions that his Liverpudlian lilt shines through, and while his singing and guitars are fairly uniform throughout the album, some being entirely acoustic and some featuring louder, slow rock riffs, the rest of the band is still integral to the sound and keeps it from being a tedious and repetitive solo effort. While the bass and drums stand out throughout, particularly when carrying the song alone as is the case in the opening to the excellent 'Lost Control,' most impressive of all is newcomer Martin Powell, fresh out of Yorkshire's My Dying Bride and a year or so before he joined London's Cradle of Filth in his grand metal tour of the regions.
Adding some very nice violin touches to 'Fragile Dreams' and 'Lost Control,' the instrument isn't over-used in the way it tended to be in My Dying Bride (though his prominence was always my favourite thing about that band, and they were never as good after he left), Powell also takes over the keyboard duties and enhances each song with a polished atmosphere, particularly spacey and ethereal in the later 'Alternative 4' and 'Regret' before shifting to a more prominent organ in 'Feel,' helping that more upbeat penultimate offering to better stand out.
While my fondness for Anathema albums roughly decreases proportionally along the timeline from the crushing, emotionally exhausting doom metal of their earliest demos to the atmospheric yet dull Radiohead rock of their more recent releases, 'Alternative 4' is the perfect half-way meeting point along with its predecessor 'Eternity,' though it does disappoint in the centre where the songs start to blur together and sound largely indistinguishable. 'Empty' and 'Re-connect' are shorter, slightly faster and potentially more accessible songs, the first having a particularly compelling chorus, while the suicidal end of the spectrum is skilfully held up by 'Lost Control' and the more sinister title track.
1. Shroud of False
2. Fragile Dreams
3. Empty
4. Lost Control
5. Re-connect
6. Inner Silence
7. Alternative 4
8. Regret
9. Feel
10. Destiny
Pressure
The One That Got Away (From Me)
**
Written on 18.01.07
Here's another oddity in the Anathema discography, a single compiled and pressed by Music For Nations that ended up being canned due to lack of promotion, though even weirder it somehow ended up in the dooyoo database around that time (maybe that's where the promoters went wrong...)
This single was supposed to collect the radio edit of 'Pressure' with the full album version that's just over a minute longer. The edit was accompanied by a cheap music video of singer Vincent Cavanagh driving along and singing at night, which websites claim was only ever aired once on VH1 but which I know for a fact was doing the rounds on the rock music channels for at least a couple of weeks, and it actually ends up being better for the editing. A fairly standard modern Anathema song led by slow piano with guitars and drums in the background, it's suitably depressing and has a memorable chorus, and would certainly have been at least a partial success if the band hadn't been messed around like this.
Of course, Anathema's creativity thrives on depression and disappointment, so this could optimistically be seen as adding fuel to the fire - indeed, perhaps the whole thing was staged by the crafty Music For Nations folk just to make sure the Cavanagh brothers remembered how cruel the world is and didn't start writing about money and bitches and things, and become rubbish overnight. Even if it had been released, this single wouldn't have been very interesting for those who waited for the album, as the only B-side it includes is the full version of the song which would turn out to be more common than the main edit. Anathema always had the potential to be as popular as Radiohead and all those other depressing bands, but it just didn't end up happening.
1. Pressure (Edit)
2. Pressure
Advantages: A strong and accessible gloomy rock song.
Disadvantages: It doesn't exist.
A Fine Day to Exit
Staring Out Upon the Sea
***
Written on 18.01.07
'A Fine Day to Exit' was Anathema's first all-out atmospheric rock album, and is unwavering in its devotion to the new sound. These piano-led songs are long, lethargic and spaced-out, and while old-time fans of Anathema as a metal band may feel alienated, it's a great place for fans of depressive rock to take the plunge, even if it ends up dragging you in completely. The main problem with this album is a lack of energy, but listening to it in the required mood, it could be just about the best thing going. Apart from the band's earlier, better stuff, obviously.
I was disappointed when first hearing/seeing 'Pressure' on music channels upon its release, as it seemed to consciously follow the style of Radiohead's dirgier moments, presumably in a desire to emulate their success (something that unfortunately failed to pan out for these hard-working Scousers, as even the 'Pressure' single itself was dropped prior to release). With its pop chorus and mellow, American style vocals hiding all trace of Vincent Cavanagh's Merseyside origins, it seemed too detached from the experimental, moody band I'd heard so much about, but fortunately and perhaps predictably, the rest of the album explores this territory to a greater extent than its crowd-seeking opener.
Starting from 'Release,' the band's rock base finds more time to express itself, culminating in the sudden shift half-way through 'Looking Outside Inside' where Cavanagh seems to emulate Robert Smith, and the drums are finally permitted freedom outside of keeping up the album's predominantly slow pace. 'Leave No Trace' and 'Barriers' are more like ballads, relatively speaking, and certainly not in a distracting way as was occasionally present on the album's predecessor 'Judgement,' and the latter song could easily send susceptible and less engaged listeners to sleep with its lullaby-like chorus. 'Underworld' is dynamic but still too slow to be really exciting, something that's remedied by 'Panic' which is no death metal, but is at least more upbeat and up-tempo and plays out to a shorter time span as a result; presumably, if the rest of the album was played at this speed, it would all be over in about fifteen minutes.
The finale is deceptively the longest of all, really being a mere six minutes of slow acoustic guitars and wave sound effects relevant to the picturesque lyrics before fading into over ten minutes of white noise and brief acoustic ditties. It's one of the most successful songs of the album, but I imagine it would be a right bugger to put on your iPod. 'A Natural Disaster' is the slightly better successor to this album.
1. Pressure
2. Release
3. Looking Outside Inside
4. Leave No Trace
5. Underworld
6. (Breaking Over the) Barriers
7. Panic
8. A Fine Day to Exit
9. Temporary Peace
A Natural Disaster
The Ghosts Freak My Selfish Out
****
Written on 18.01.07
Anathema's seventh album continues in more or less the same atmospheric rock style they've been practicing since 'Alternative 4,' but is the first release since then to match up in terms of heaviness and melancholia. Anathema haven't been a metal band for a very long time, and indeed nothing on here really harks back to their early days, but the resurgence of some powerful, doomy post-rock in the style of Mogwai as songs build to a crescendo helps to make this a grander, more emotive and more interesting effort than predecessor 'A Fine Day to Exit.'
As usual, the songs are driven along by slow drums, acoustic guitars with occasional harder electric riffs, and soft vocals from brothers Vincent and Daniel Cavanagh that in places remind of Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree respectively. This is a brilliantly atmospheric album to the extent that it will deter those looking for something more in the prog rock vein of 'Judgement,' but for those into Anathema's sound it's a fine return to form, albeit not all the way back. The first two songs set up a tranquil atmosphere that's then toned up a notch in 'Closer' and proceeds all the way to despair in 'Are You There?', an excellent song that brings some much-needed commercial appeal to the album and is handled well by Daniel in one of his two vocal performances, the other being the similar 'Electricity.' The album tends to vary between gloom and harmony, frequently combined, with the only major exception being the surprisingly heavy centrepiece 'Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a Second.'
Vincent spits out his lyrics in anger here before erupting into a yell for the song title, and heavy guitars kick in for the first time in some years. It's an enjoyable song, and one of the best on the album, but I can't help feeling it was written expressly for the band's rock audience, perhaps even with the intention of a single (and we know how those turn out). The main problem with this song is that it loses a lot of steam once the initial excitement is over, and for trying so hard to be different it ends up being the only song that noticeably drags on; most of the others are similarly overlong, but are ambient enough that it's easy not to notice. Other interesting touches on this release include prominent female singing in the title track, which has really been an ingredient of Anathema since right back at the first 'Crestfallen' E.P., and some rare but effective lead guitar performances from Vincent and Daniel in songs like 'Flying.'
While this doesn't break any new ground as far as Anathema is concerned, it's a fortunate resurgence in their melancholic style not really heard since the fourth album. Most of the songs tend to blur together into a general texture of wistful harmony, but this band is one of the better examples of this style around.
1. Harmonium
2. Balance
3. Closer
4. Are You There?
5. Childhood Dream
6. Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a Second
7. A Natural Disaster
8. Flying
9. Electricity
10. Violence
Beyond the Dark
Drawn Unto the Rock
**
Written on 18.01.07
There's nothing wrong with a bit of decent throwback heavy metal, but Ancara's tendencies towards the more bland and commercial side of eighties "hair" rock make this latest album less welcome than something possessing a harder edge. Things start off well enough with chugging opener 'Circles,' but the sound soon descends into mostly slow melodic metal "with feeling," the feeling unfortunately being expressed in tender love songs like 'Snowflower' rather than the full throttle Judas Priest style.
Blessed with modern production values that would have made those eighties glamsters' hair stand on end, were it not already blow-dried like that, this is only really metal for people who aren't too keen on metal, based on simple, occasionally enjoyable guitars and light American rock vocals with plenty of unison choruses, the one in 'Cranium Tension' being particularly cringeworthy. There are a few interesting deviations with darker, bass-led sections and even something of a half-decent power metal song in 'Scarred' that's undoubtedly the energetic highlight of this disappointingly short album, while the last track succeeds in using background orchestration to match the wistful mood of the pretty album cover.
Although a lighthouse album cover is usually enough for me to develop a passing interest in an album, I'd rate this effort higher if it lasted longer than thirty-three minutes, which would have even been something of an insult back in the vinyl days of 1985 that this album mostly caters for. It's pleasant, melodic and inoffensive for the most part, but those who like their classic metal to have a bit of an edge should steer clear of this more "sensitive" band. They even mix upper and lower case letters together in their band font, which is just poncy.
1. Circles
2. Deny
3. Snowflower
4. Scarred
5. Just for Me
6. Cranium Tension
7. When Everyone Else is Gone
8. In Silence
Advantages: Nice atmosphere and high production values.
Disadvantages: Far too short, lacking in intensity and overly ballad-based.
The Diabolic Serenades
Belgium's Finest Blasphemers
Written on 18.01.07
If you tried to give someone a reasonable idea of what black metal sounded like, Ancient Rites' early offerings are probably the closest to what they imagined, and they're all the better for it (rather than some of the frankly weird prominent trends in the genre). This is needlessly provocative, evil-worshipping, dark music rooted in the eighties sound of bands like Venom, which leads to a stronger prominence for the guitars and bass and sees songs driven by catchy, distinctive riffs and lead melodies rather than the more typical black metal white noise.
This is remarkably strong for a first album, likely due to the years of tours and shorter releases that preceded it, but its consistency is also a slight failing as many songs end up sounding similar. This isn't helped by the use of triggered drums that may allow for a faster rhythm in most songs, but also rob the recording of much of its atmosphere by sounding so overly mechanical in the repetitive blast beats. Günther Theys possesses one of the finest voices in black metal, possessed being the appropriate term, as he vomits pure terror and wickedness into every syllable without it ever seeming forced or overly dramatic in the way most black metal bands tend to be. He is clearly spawned of Belial's seed, and thank God/Satan these twisted musical genres came along so he could finally express himself.
Bart Vandereycken's guitars are the other definite highlight, unleashing some excellent riffs in several songs, particularly those that had already wormed their way into the preceding 'Evil Prevails' E.P. which are among the best here, and although the core sound is much the same throughout the album there are a few interesting deviations into slower, grander, Black Sabbath-style doom starting in 'Land of Frost and Despair,' a darker bass-led approach in 'Death Messiah' and even some short and to-the-point old-style metal from the likes of 'Obscurity Reigns.' This is dingy, early black metal of the highest order, and even has some (unintentional) kitsch value in its keyboard parts that attempt to be scary in a rather daft, cheap horror film sort of way, as seen in the lullaby-like intro. This perhaps isn't a metal classic, and should technically be banned if we want the world to be a happier place, but it's incredibly enjoyable and interesting for standing apart in that fateful year when black metal was in its despicable, infamous prime.
1. (Intro) Infant Sacrifices to Baalberith
2. Crucifixion Justified (Roman Supremacy)
3. Satanic Rejoice
4. Obscurity Reigns (Fields of Flanders)
5. Death Messiah
6. Land of Frost and Despair
7. Assyrian Empire
8. Longing for the Ancient Kingdom
9. Morbid Glory (Gilles de Rais 1404-1440)
10. Ritual Slayings (Goat Worship Pure)
11. Evil Prevails
12. Last Rites / Echoes of Melancholy (Outro)
Fatherland
*****
Written on 19.01.08
'Fatherland' is an incredible release from Ancient Rites that leaves their retro black metal days far behind and instead leaps headlong into a perfect synthesis of modern black metal and folk-influenced Viking metal in the style of Bathory. Also gone is the generic blasphemy and Satanism that characterised their previous albums, replaced with a similar sense of national pride to most other folk metal bands, but one in which "nation" stretches to encompass the whole of Europe thanks to a revitalised band line-up hailing from Belgium, Germany, Holland and Finland.
The move away from pure aggression towards epic themes that began in the confused 'Blasfemia Eternal' is drawn to a conclusion here, and the resulting music takes the best elements from Viking and black metal styles without the respective tedium and repetition that generally come with each field. Most songs are still full of hard, roaring guitar riffs from newcomer Jan Yrlund, but frequent elements of folk that extend to full sections and occasionally entire songs make this a more varied and enjoyable release for fans of this sort of melodic black metal, but one that still packs a real punch. There's a nice mix of long and short songs to suit the individual listener's preference, and even a couple like the re-make of ancient demo material 'The Seducer' that will cater for fans of the earlier material, but for the most part the change is drastic and wholly for the best. By retaining all of the power and ferocity of the earlier releases, this would also act as the perfect point of crossover for black metal fans who may be intrigued by the Viking style, but who have previously been put off by the overly lethargic likes of Moonsorrow.
Most of the songs here are instant Viking classics, not as slow or atmospheric as the work pioneered by Bathory in the early nineties and returned to some years later, but still including the same nice touches such as samples of a bustling market and nature, and some brilliant folk-inspired guitar leads to supplement the more authentic folk-inspired folk instruments, which set things off to a great start in the epic opening track. Günther's vocals are back to his old, snarled style with perhaps a little influence from Mayhem's Attila this time round, and as expected from a Viking album there are numerous clean sung sections that sound fantastic, regardless of whether he can actually sing or not - after all, Quorthon never could. 'Mother Europe,' 'Fatherland,' 'Season's Change' and '13th of October 1307' are all excellent fusions of black and Viking metal, and the only reason I don't highlight the second half of the album is because it falls into pretty much the same style and is less instantly mesmerising as a result, not to mention that the earlier songs use up all of Jan's finest guitar ideas. This was a surprising and drastic change of direction for Ancient Rites, but is their first masterpiece and the start of a great career now they've finally found their niche.
1. Avondland
2. Mother Europe
3. Aris
4. Fatherland
5. Season's Change (Solstice)
6. 13th of October 1307
7. Dying in a Moment of Splendour
8. Rise and Fall (Anno Satana)
9. The Seducer
10. Cain
Dim Carcosa
****
Written on 19.01.08
The successor to 'Fatherland' sees Ancient Rites pretty much abandon their origins altogether, in favour of fully embracing a folk metal style with elements of melodic death metal and even more light-hearted power metal. I had quite a shock when I remembered at a late point in this album that this was the band that recorded 'The Diabolic Serenades,' and although the arguments in favour of either of those two, vastly different releases would realistically favour this one, it's still a shame that the band has deviated so far and couldn't maintain the perfect harmony of 'Fatherland.'
The real stars of 'Dim Carcosa' are guitar duo Erik Sprooten and Jan Yrlund, who twin leads and satisfying, chugging riffs are clearly defined by the high production values, even if they make the whole thing sound even less black metal than it was managing already, only retaining a semblance of doubt through Walter Van Cortenberg's fast drums that more often than not sound out of place and end up being one of the album's primary failings for their incompatibility to most songs. Although the general style is still as epic as 'Fatherland,' rife with sweeping orchestration and keyboards, the songs tend to be a lot shorter and more to-the-point which is also a little disappointing in light of the previous album's extended masterpieces, but it's understandable when listening to the drawn-out 'North Sea,' the only song of substantial length here at six minutes, which relies far too much on repetition - even if it's the repetition of excellent guitars.
Günther Theys growls a lot less here too, spending most of his time in clearly legible yelling and singing styles that remind of Viking metal and thrash (occasionally he even sounds like Megadeth's Dave Mustaine), and as with the last album there are some spoken word passages as well as a very nice, soft duet with a female singer in opener 'The Return.' The lyrical themes are once again predominantly those of national, cultural and historical pride typical of the genre that the band now falls squarely into, and the song 'Gotterdammerung' offers a far more considered and meaningful attack on Christianity than the band's earlier, laughably blasphemous works, instead targeting its historical atrocities of eradicating cultural belief systems and vying for total domination, practices that the band suggests have continued to this day (surely not!) This album will be a slight disappointment for black metal fans in the wake of 'Fatherland,' but it's still a great folk metal album tilted towards the extreme side, and has the potential to appeal to many new fans who would be scared away by Ancient Rites' earlier stuff, or simply consider it too corny. Fair enough.
1. The Return
2. Exile (Les litanies de Satan)
3. Victory or Valhalla (Last Man Standing)
4. ...and the Horns Called for War
5. North Sea
6. Gotterdammerung (Twilight of the Gods)
7. (Ode to Ancient) Europa
8. Remembrance
9. Lindisfarne (Anno 793)
10. On Golden Fields (De Leeuwen Dansen)
11. Dim Carcosa
And the Hordes Stood As One
****
Written on 19.01.08
This is a high quality live album from Ancient Rites, its only real failing being that it drastically favours their most recent material from 'Dim Carcosa' at the expense of the band's previous three studio albums. 'Dim Carcosa' was a strong album that showcased a newer Ancient Rites, but not one that integrated too well with their earlier, harsher sound; thus, we have eight of that album's eleven songs performed here - excellent, sweeping, majestic Viking metal with power metal overtones with clean vocals and high guitars - occasionally interrupted by the jarring contrast of an old-school black metal song.
Once the listener gets past this obstacle, if indeed it is an obstacle rather than a bonus, this is a very enjoyable live performance from a tight band with great material, and it's always impressive when a band feels confident enough in its most recent studio material to play almost the entire album on tour rather than a few select morsels. It's a shame that more material from their excellent 'Fatherland' album couldn't be included in the set, particularly as this was recorded for both a CD and DVD release and really should have had that little extra effort put in to please fans both old and new, but we get three of the best from that album in the form of tracks five, fourteen and sixteen. The less impressive but still nicely heavy 'Blasfemia Eternal' is represented by tracks four, eight and twelve, while fans of the enjoyable old-school black metal of 'The Diabolic Serenades' are offered the skimpier selection of tracks nine and fifteen. The rest is all from 'Dim Carcosa,' and stands out quite obviously as a result.
The sound quality is excellent here, though in the same style as 'Dim Carcosa' which means less raw and powerful guitars and a strong focus on melody and the keyboards, and the band's performance is impressive and flawless. The decision to record a show in their country of origin Belgium is a nice touch, and audience interaction and banter from frontman Günther Theys are what would be expected from an official live release, which means not much at all. Probably my favourite thing about this album is the addictive, hard rocking chorus of 'Aris' in which Günther, thanks to his accent, sounds like he's shouting "Arse, arse shone! My arse, my arse rose!" The rest of the lyrics make for a nice concoction of pleasant and emotive cultural remembrance and shock value blasphemy.
1. The Return
2. Exile (Les Litanies de Satan)
3. Victory or Valhalla (Last Man Standing)
4. Total Misanthropia
5. Aris
6. ...and the Horns Called for War
7. North Sea
8. Blood of Christ (Mohammed Wept)
9. Longing for the Ancient Kingdom
10. Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)
11. (Ode to Ancient) Europa
12. (Het Verdronken Land van) Saeftinge
13. On Golden Fields (De Leeuwen Dansen)
14. Mother Europe
15. Evil Prevails
16. Fatherland
Rubicon
***
Written on 19.01.08
After a gap of five years and an odd line-up change that saw old guitarists Bart Vandereycken and Raf Jansen rejoin Ancient Rites after the departure of Jan Yrlund, 'Rvbicon' was eagerly anticipated by the band's growing fan base, and it appears to have been warmly received. Admittedly it was less of a wait for me, as I'd only heard the previous 'Dim Carcosa' about an hour earlier, but this most recent release still managed to be something of a disappointment.
Anyone who held out hope of a return to form for this band, especially with the presence of musicians from the early black metal days, will be sorely disappointed, as this delves even further into a power metal sound than the previous album. Davy Wouters' keyboards provide the pleasant backing atmosphere for what are primarily a series of fairly slow and dull songs in contrast to the upbeat excitement of 'Dim Carcosa,' and there's an even greater presence of lead guitars and atmospheric sections leading to Ancient Rites' most melodic album yet. Not that there's any inherent problem in a change of direction such as this, but it feels more like a deterioration into slower, repetitive and less memorable metal than some of their earlier classics. Günther's entirely sung vocals are still enjoyable, and tend to remain in a lower pitch than his slightly squeaky performance on the previous album, but the verses and choruses aren't as compelling or catchy as they once were, and the addition of a female singer on tracks four and nine don't help in elevating those particularly dull songs to the epic level of the classic 'Fatherland,' however hard they try.
There is one significant improvement this time round, in the form of the drums - previous albums didn't lack good drummers as much as they lacked a good production sound for the instrument, and here the distracting clicks that spoiled the otherwise flawless 'Fatherland' have been entirely exorcised. As can probably be deduced by the similar song titles (well, similar in as much as they all contain but one word), there's some minimal attempt at an overarching lyrical concept here, but in truth no more so than on the previous two albums; most songs continue to celebrate the glory of European ancestry, while 'Ypres' is obviously a remembrance of the soldiers who died in the First World War, though it ends up being one of the most tedious offerings here. The notion of a concept seems to have gone to the band's heads a little at a cost to some originality, as the very same Eastern-sounding guitar melody inspired by the orchestral introduction finds its way into the next few songs for no real reason.
Overall, this ended up being the least entertaining time I've spent in the company of Ancient Rites, probably about equal with their second album 'Blasfemia Eternal' though I was less jaded back then. Thinking optimistically, that mediocre second offering was followed up by the finest album the band have yet released, so I'll allow myself to look forward to another Earth-shattering release from Belgian's finest metal band at some point in the near future.
1. Crusade
2. Templar
3. Mithras
4. Thermopylae
5. Rubicon
6. Invictus
7. Ypres
8. Galilean
9. Cheruscan
10. Brabantia
And the Physical Shape of Light Bled
****
Written on 19.01.08
Vargher's third album as Ancient Wisdom offers revelatory insights into the oldest of all tales, chronicling the expulsion of Lucifer from heaven and his subsequent dastardly scheme to impose a similar fate unto his Creator's vain new race of man (the scamp!) It's an adaptation of the story as embellished from the Bible and other sources by Milton in 'Paradise Lost,' a favourite text for metal bands second only to the Cthulhu mythos.
The music lives up to the epic nature of its subject matter, albeit in a different way than is customary for bands attempting to tackle the classics, which all too easily spirals into over-indulgent overtures (such as Symphony X's inflated take on 'The Odyssey'). With his brand of dingy and simplistically beautiful doom metal, Vargher has created a highly distinctive album that can be enjoyed with or without the support of its lofty concept, and bears some similarities in its sinister keyboard passages and interludes to the more eloquent moments of Cradle of Filth's discography under Lecter, around their Countess Bathory-obsessed era. The sound varies from a sparse, echoing vacuum easily incorporated into the darker moments of the subject matter and a full, loud, sweeping symphony of synthesised strings, melancholic lead guitars and piano. Extensive use is made of natural piano in lending a classical and occasionally religious tone to these songs, which all stand strong independent from each other, always a good thing with a concept album. The only real problem is that outside of slightly rearranged guitars, they all sound pretty similar.
As Ancient Wisdom, Vargher plays doom metal in the modern style of My Dying Bride, Draconian and others, taking on board some influences from depressive black metal in the harrowing and ponderous delivery of the vocals, all of which are easily legible beneath his snarl. His guitars are reminiscent of My Dying Bride at times, coming to a head in track five where the lead riff sounds more or less lifted from 'Like Gods of the Sun,' and opt for the slow and steady approach of chugging riffs and a constant lead tone with the odd rare solo, rather than anything too outlandish or distracting. Similarly, his drums are less powerful than might be expected but varying nicely between thunderous rhythm maintenance in the verses to a more energetic use of double bass pedals once the songs are in full swing. This is a contrastingly sombre, simplistic, grand and menacing album, and one of the more interesting examples of the Milton metal sub-genre that I just made up.
1. Preludium - Lucifer Aieth Gadol Leolam
2. And the Physical Shape of Light Bled
3. With His Triumph Came Fire
4. Interludium - The Fall of Man
5. As the Morningstar Shineth
6. The Serpent's Blessing
7. Postludium - His Creation Reversed
8. The Spell
The Klaxon
****
Written on 19.01.08
'The Klaxon' stands out in the discography of And Also the Trees for trading in their earlier slightly romantic and idyllic countryside-inspired post-punk for a depiction of urban life that's bleak even for them. A key player in establishing the gothic rock genre in the early eighties, listening to this album can be something of a downbeat chore if you're not in the right mood, but is perfect for rainy days looking out over the urban nightmare and the sleazy businessmen using newspapers for umbrellas, cars making haste through puddles and splashing old men, grumpy young women shouting unreasonable criticisms at their sodden, crying children, and wishing they would all just get lost somewhere and die.
And Also the Trees formed in 1979, and there's a distinct blending of the sixties, seventies and eighties in their music, which seems to take an enormous influence from Ennio Morricone's western scores - especially in Justin Jones' guitar tone and the occasional horns, psychedelic bands like the Doors in particular, and of course the gothic rock movement, Simon Jones' dreary croon sounding like a chronically depressed Jim Morrison from the West Country. If you can't conceive of such a thing, you really should check out one of this band's albums.
'The Klaxon' is forty minutes of predominantly downbeat music, with occasional glimmers of hope and none of the pure dirginess of some goth bands, especially when the twangy Morricone guitars are in full force. Simon Jones' singing style is never melodramatic or ridiculously deep like Andrew Eldritch of the Sisters of Mercy, but occasionally seems a little laughable for sounding out of place in the atmospheric, film-like music, which may be one reason that I tend to prefer the instrumentals 'Jonny Lexington' and 'Bullet Head.' Jones is at his bleakest in 'Sunrise' with brilliant results, making a truly sombre song that beats any of that detached, electronic gothic stuff, and is aided by sparse acoustic strumming, some subtle lead guitar playing a mournful melody in the background, and a cool spoken word section reminiscent of The Fall, if they were more depressive. In complete contrast to this, the other major highlight is the follow-up 'Dialogue' which brightens things up with a lovely, catchy guitar riff and the mood of a chilled siesta, again requiring a stretch of the imagination on your part. I am demanding, aren't I.
The rest of the album is just as solid, but less essential for sounding much the same: songs tend to open with Steven Burrows' bass guitar or a softly rising keyboard strain, and proceed in similar directions once they get going. 'Sickness Divine' is a great opening featuring more orchestration than any other as a nice initiation and transition from the previous album, and there's a particularly loud and positive ending as a rarity when a second guitar joins in above the other, but after this the tone slips into a bleaker mode. 'The Soul Driver' oozes urban depression from its very title (and reminds me of the appropriately titled 'Soul Recruitment' job agency I have to pass on my way into town), and features a stronger presence of horns and other noir elements, and the great 'The Dutchman' harks back to the romantic style a little with a prominent piano. The only song that really failed to make an impression was 'Wooden Leg' simply for lasting too long without any interesting ideas that hadn't been done better elsewhere in the album.
'The Klaxon' is a fantastic offering that should appeal to fans of eighties gothic rock as much as those of nineties acoustic minimalism and seventies psychedelia, and of course anyone who fancies hearing some Morricone-inspired indie rock. It's all rather bleak, but in a thoughtful manner and with a generalised view to avoid being too personal and truly upsetting. If you're looking for something to cry along with, you'll just have to keep looking I'm afraid. I hope that hasn't added to your sorrow, I know you're a little fragile at the moment.
1. Sickness Divine
2. The Soul Driver
3. Jonny Lexington
4. Sunrise
5. Dialogue
6. Wooden Leg
7. The Dutchman
8. Bullet Head
9. The Flatlands
The Dynamic Gallery of Thoughts
Epiphanies at an Exhibition
****
Written on 19.01.08
Now calling themselves Havoc Unit to honour the band's evolution into a techno sound, though perhaps primarily to stop annoying fans of their earlier releases by incrementally eliminating all traces of metal, the first album of Finland's '...And Oceans' is their only predominantly black metal release, before the experimentation of the excellent follow-up paved the way for the band's decline (from a metal point of view, of course). While it's reasonable to note this as a less novel or fascinating album than 'The Symmetry of I - The Circle of O,' 'The Dynamic Gallery of Thoughts' is still an excellent album of melodic black metal based around grand, sweeping keyboards and the generation and perpetuation of a specific mood, in places falling into the mountain/triumph metal style of Windir and Summoning (I might as well invent categories, everyone else seems to do it around these guys), but practically managing to re-invent its sound with every track.
Each song is repetitive within itself, typical of many black metal bands even when they aren't striving for the hypnotic trances of Burzum, and it's easy to get swept pleasantly into the soundscape, assuming you're cosily familiar around clinically relentless blast beats and rasping black metal vocals. Personally, I find them as soothing as a mother's lullaby, but that's enough about my dubious psychology, it's Anzhaar's majestic keyboards that are really the dominant force in this album. They generally fall into the sweeping Windir/Summoning style in pleasant and successful contrast to the gritty foundations of the roaring guitar, bass and drums, but as the album continues, the keys become enjoyably prone to excess: the epic 'Je Te Connais Beau Masque' begins with world music ambience in the style of Vangelis and end as a dominant grand piano, with a bit of regal organ in the middle. The less impressive follow-up that oddly happens to be the exact same length, but uses it to less effect, features a lead keyboard section that harks back to Jean-Michel Jarre and all that seventies new age crap, but that's fine because I do love that crap sometimes, especially when incorporated so well into black metal.
The rest of the band might not have the same presence or effectiveness, but the album is still full of great riffs from guitarists Neptune and de Monde if you listen out for them, again most effectively in the fourth song. The screaming Finn calling himself K-2T4-S (not pretentious at all, then) succeeds in moving between accents in the differing languages of the lyrics, which is an odd and interesting feature to observe in a black metal scream, and the third song unleashes some Burzum-style pained shrieks in case the more mechanical aspects of the rhythm section were leaving some listeners feeling a little cold and detached. Bear in mind though, this is a guy who calls himself K-2T4-S and thinks he's some kind of cyborg from the future. There's even a slight hint of a female opera singer near the start of track six just to keep things interesting, though the shifting speeds and various interludes were already doing a damn fine job of keeping everyone on their toes.
Even with the hints of restlessness and experimentation that would result in radically different discography hereafter, this is still an entirely black metal album, though not in the purest root form of the genre, and maybe not one to please those with a taste for harder, brain-crunching stuff like Behemoth. Fans of black metal's lighter, epicer and more expressive side should find a lot to enjoy, and should be enough to incite an interest in where their sound went from there. Be wary.
1. Trollfan
2. The Room of Thousand Arts
3. Som Öppna Böcker
4. Je Te Connais Beau Masque
5. Mikrobotik Fields / Ur Lldrig Saga Och Slng
6. Samtal Med Tankar - Halo of Words
7. September (När Hjärtat Blöder)
8. Kärsimyksien Vaaleat Kädet
Advantages: Experimental black metal that isn't pompous.
Disadvantages: Less ambitious than their later releases (I've completely contradicted myself here, I know).
A.M.G.O.D.
**
Written on 20.01.08
Wow, what the hell happened here? '...And Oceans' are certainly one of the more dynamic and fascinating bands in black metal, never seeming content to replicate the same style for more than one studio album and always insistent on moving forward. Unfortunately, the brand new direction taken on 'A.M.G.O.D,' while not necessarily a mis-step and certainly paving the way for their future, is a disappointment after the supremely high quality of the first two albums. Sort of like 'Return of the Jedi.'
This is the point where the keyboard prominence of ...And Oceans turns into fully-fledged techno, but this side of the band only ends up clashing with their earlier atmospheric style, and eventually leads to a more industrial metal style being attempted in songs like 'Tears Have No Name,' which I find incredibly irritating but is sadly the only time this new sound really works. There are quite a few bands out there combining techno elements with black metal, and most of them have to concede that it's an incompatible mix to some extent, explaining the wide gulf between metal songs and techno trax in the albums of Aborym. ...And Oceans used to follow a pleasant atmospheric sound that oddly sat completely comfortably alongside the traditional black metal elements, but here the sound is forced into a harsher and louder direction that also deludes itself into thinking that repetitive industrial chords make it heavier.
The dichotomy is best expressed in the difference between the mostly pure metal songs like 'White Synthetic Noise' and 'Espirit de Corps' and the songs that attempt a greater techno sound, culminating in the inevitable all-out electronic thumping of 'New Model World.' Other songs that start out as decent enough black metal, albeit not in the band's earlier style, soon descend to the dark side in a grating and slightly amateurish way, either through incessantly booping synthesiser melodies in 'Intelligence is Sexy' and 'Odious & Devious' that sound like Jean-Michel Jarre off-cuts, or through tedious Rammstein instrumentation over a boring techno beat in songs like 'Tears Have No Name.'
The band is still skilled, and there are enough interesting deviations in the form of guitar riff changes, piano melodies and a better vocal performance from Kenny (now calling himself Killstar) than in the previous album where he tended to get on my nerves, but overall this sounds distinctly unpolished and essentially like a completely different band to the one I'd grown to love. Now to see if they improved with their final release...
1. Intelligence is Sexy
2. White Synthetic Noise
3. Tears Have No Name
4. Espirit de Corps
5. Odious & Devious
6. Of Devilish Tongues
7. Postfuturistika
8. TBA in a Silver Box
9. New Model World
The Secret Language of Birds
***
Written on 20.01.08
Fans of Jethro Tull's stripped-down folk works such as 'Songs from the Wood' should enjoy the similar style of this third solo release from the one-legged tramp, who in reality has two legs and a nice country mansion in Wiltshire. Perhaps originally starting the whole solo career thing as an outlet to let off folk steam during his primary band's questionable electronic era, this is unapologetic folk rock without the rock that could easily be a throwback to the early sixties if not for Anderson's customarily satirical lyrics.
Without prominent electric guitars, this is mostly a back-to-basics album aided by a few touches from keyboards and background orchestration that adds pleasant gravitas to 'The Little Flower Girl' and 'Sanctuary,' making those two of the more complete and distinctive offerings from this wide selection. The songs are primarily carried through Anderson's distinct Scottish monotone and flute melodies, which will likely already have made Jethro Tull a hit or significant miss with anyone contemplating buying this album, and Anderson is backed up by light percussion, softly jangling acoustic guitar and accordion amongst other unplugged instruments. Aside from some brief tweeting to help set the tone at the onset, this is contemporary folk in its most basic, unembellished form, but avoids being escapist through its social conscience.
As a solo album, this doesn't strive for the same artistic heights as Anderson's earlier, ambitious works in Jethro Tull, but he still has a fair grasp of how to make it structurally interesting and diverse, serving up some Arabian-tinged delicacies in 'The Water Carrier' and 'A Better Moon,' a self-explanatory nautical flavour in 'Panama Freighter' and a dash of French cuisine with 'The Habanero Reel,' though this is most likely my TV-inspired preconceptions of an accordion melody like that signifying a French street with a bloke cycling to buy a baguette, in 1940. This is music that should be enjoyed in a relaxed state, far from the manic, wide-eyed excess of Jethro Tull's more rocking works, and the CD version commonly closes with a few purely instrumental pieces as an even more contemplative bonus ('Boris Dancing,' 'The Stormont Shuffle' and 'In the Grip of Stronger Stuff' after a pointless five-second introduction informing the listener of what they already know they are listening to), as well as Anderson's re-recording of part of Jethro Tull's 1972 classic 'Thick as a Brick,' in an edited form lasting one-twentieth the length of the epic original.
As far as solo projects from prog singers go, 'The Secret Language of Birds' is easily one of the more laid-back and simplistic, not seeking to prove anything unrealistic like how Anderson was always restricted from making the music he wanted to by the corporate manacles that clearly didn't exist. In fact, this sounds exactly the same as Jethro Tull's lighter moments, but expanded into a full-length recording, and as such it's on the good side of mediocre; still not as enjoyable as 'Songs from the Wood' but better than the crap electronic stuff they did in the eighties.
1. The Secret Language of Birds
2. The Little Flower Girl
3. Montserrat
4. Postcard Day
5. The Water Carrier
6. Set-aside
7. A Better Moon
8. Sanctuary
9. The Jasmine Corridor
10. The Habanero Reel
11. Panama Freighter
12. The Secret Language of Birds, Part II
13. Boris Dancing
14. Circular Breathing
15. The Stormont Shuffle
16. Narrative
17. In the Grip of Stronger Stuff
18. Thick as a Brick
Olias of Sunhillow
Return to Fairyland
***
Written on 20.01.08
Despite its predictable and perhaps off-putting trippy new age tendencies, coming as it does from the psychedelic mind of Jon Anderson, aka the Yes man, 'Olias of Sunhillow' is an enjoyable solo debut that leaves the excessive prog pomposity of Yes far behind, and trades in Rick Wakeman's self-aggrandising church organ for space-age keyboards stolen directly from Vangelis that really do the trick. Anderson would collaborate with Vangelis on a series of bland synth-pop albums over the next decade, and this album is interesting in hinting at what might have been, had the two artists strove for something of a more epic nature; interestingly, Anderson handles all instruments himself.
'Olias' is a narrative concept album in Anderson's customarily nonsensical style, but the tale is never permitted to take over the music ala 'The Wall.' These eight songs are predominantly grand, sweeping, space-age pieces led by Anderson's Vangelis-style keyboard and high singing (his voice is the definition of androgynous), without the additional virtuoso musicians demanding their individual songwriting credits and twenty minute solo spots as proved so detrimental to Yes' anus-voyaging embarrassment 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' a couple of years earlier, though this does have the added side effect of meaning there are no real distinctive rock melodies or riffs that would have been welcome.
Anderson forsakes his rock background by focusing more on the new age side of things, which I take to mean absorbing basic influences from various cultures such as the recurring tribal percussion that first rears its head on 'Quoquaq en transic,' and more prominently the Oriental tone of the keyboards throughout, which would be perfected on Vangelis' self-explanatory 'China' a couple of years later. It's a little daft and gimmicky, but I do love seventies synthesisers, mainly because it's highly entertaining to hear these classically-trained composers experimenting and having a ball with the revolutionary instrument. It's often the case that the resulting noise is a simplistic mess, especially compared to today's standards, but like the early computer effects of 'Tron,' I find the whole thing to be wonderfully dated and nostalgic for an era I oddly wasn't even alive in.
The keyboards here are epic and atmospheric without being indulgent, paving the way in the intro song before Anderson takes over in 'Meeting' with his mix of scatting, high-pitched nonsense and more pleasant and easily remembered vocal melodies once he begins the story of how Olias challenged the universe. 'Solid Space' and 'To the Runner' also fit into this lighthearted style most similar to Yes and end up being the most successful offerings of the album, the more understated 'Dance of Raynart' and 'Flight of the Moorglade' being heavier on the storytelling backed by simpler piano. It's the longer songs 'Quoquaq en transic' and 'Moon Ra' that are the most disappointing comparatively, for failing to achieve the epic level hinted at by their extended playing times; the former does eventually build to a pleasantly overwhelming soundscape of all the instruments and vocals in harmony, but the journey there is fairly dull, and the latter is more of an extended relaxation piece that may be lacking in excitement, but is still less bad than Yes.
Without Steve Howe's guitars to enhance the idyllic, pastoral sound through great, anachronistic harmonies of the sort that made a classic with 'Close to the Edge,' this album falls a little flat by being overly atmospheric, though there's no reason it should be compared to brutally to the output of Anderson's primary band. I haven't heard his later solo albums so I can't say whether he moved away from the new age sound or embraced it more fully, but the Jon & Vangelis works don't fill me with confidence. This is a pleasant album that perfectly encapsulates one strand of seventies rock, and although Anderson's vocals will likely take some getting used to, you could easily end up adoring the hippie eunuch.
1. Ocean Song
2. Meeting (Garden of Geda)
3. Dance of Raynart
4. Quoquaq en transic
5. Flight of the Moorglade
6. Solid Space
7. Moon Ra
8. To the Runner
Advantages: Great new age keyboards and pleasant vocals.
Disadvantages: Quite dull on the longer offerings.
Devour, Rise and Take Flight
***
Written on 20.01.08
Bangladeshi electronic composer Shikhee has made some interesting and evocative albums under the Android Lust moniker, but despite being praised by various regions of underground electronic and goth cultures, the level of musicianship itself is fairly mediocre, replicating the style that everyone and his brother can cobble together on a laptop. Fortunately, not all are blessed with such vocal talent.
Shikhee's vocals are what carries this odd and often discordant music through, primarily based in a natural singing voice that gets particular chance to shine in the softer, sparser offerings 'Sense of it All,' 'Unrecognize' and uncharacteristic acoustic-led bonus track, but adapts equally well to the more dynamic and expressive pieces. The opening song seems determined to demonstrate her underground credentials through an overload of crunching, distorted sounds that inspires her singing to move from a subtle whisper to a rasping style that vanishes for the majority of the album, once it becomes content to be a little more accessible from here on. The vocal highlight comes with the dark and honest 'The Body,' which works so well primarily because it steals the best elements of Nine Inch Nails' definitive industrial staple 'The Downward Spiral'; contrasting soft sections with raw acoustic guitar balanced out by louder, more energetic passages and Shikhee's subtle snarl, which will only resurface in 'Fell the Empty Mask,' effectively a call-back to the first song.
There are very few elements of industrial rock outside of the grinding guitar and catchy, clinical drums of these select songs, and the general style is a melancholy take on the electronic underground. The paired 'Thomael' and 'Lingue' represent the peak of the album's eccentric underground oddness, the only songs where vocals are absent, but these more extreme and experimental tendencies are similarly uncharacteristic of the fairly accessible core of the album, which reaches its disappointingly bland peak in the basic dance piece 'Memory Game.' Shikhee has an excellent voice and is perfectly suited to this album's dark tone, but overall there's too great a contrast between the few consciously "alternative" offerings aimed solely at inclusion in the next Hollywood cyberpunk blockbuster, and pleasant but mediocre offerings to bulk it out. The best elements could have made for a fairly strong E.P. release, but the full-length album is pretty stale.
1. Lover Thine
2. Hole Solution
3. Dragonfly
4. Wicked Days
5. The Body
6. Leah
7. Sense of It All
8. Fell the Empty Mask
9. Memory Game
10. Thomael
11. Linguae
12. Unrecognize
13. Bonus Track
Tome VI
***
Written on 20.01.08
Widely hailed as France's finest and most important progressive band, Ange released this live album at the peak of their popularity, ambition and talent, providing a fitting epilogue to the most consistently impressive period in their extensive history. At least, that's what I've read; Ange isn't a band I was previously familiar with, perhaps due to their use of native language and folk influence that unreasonably deters the rock mainstream from publicising their achievements in the English-speaking world. Considering this is prog rock, which was as much about expanding horizons of acceptability as it was about indulgent organ solos, this is particularly disappointing, but I was glad to finally have the opportunity to hear the band in this compact "greatest hits" style collection.
The band plays a distinctive style of symphonic prog very similar to early Genesis under Peter Gabriel, with a looming mellotron presence that reminds of King Crimson's classic debut (a little French for you, there). It's a little difficult to approach for newcomers, and will take a second listen before specific songs are able to define themselves, but it's still a nicely varied album of the lighter, more romantic and theatrical side of classic prog, particularly suited to Genesis fans. Christian Decamps is obviously a charismatic and engaging frontman, amusing the crowd with his lengthy introductions and interjections that although unintelligible to me, still put across the right message.
The songs are mostly taken from the previous few albums, with one notable exception in the form of the thirteen-minute 'Le chien, le poubelle et la rose,' unique to this recording and demonstrating the band at its romantic best. The only other song of unnatural length is 'Dignité,' extended from its original version to a sixteen-minute jam of sorts, and possibly the finest song here, though significantly overlong in the true prog spirit. The other ambitious highlight is the penultimate 'Hymne à la vie' trilogy which is classic symphonic rock, if a tad grandiose, while the rest of the album flits between this typical style and a darker tone more in line with King Crimson, particularly the excellent central 'Sur la trace des fées' from the Jacotey album, also represented by the equally good radically different 'Ode à Emilie' which is lighter with some cracking guitars.
It's always interesting when approaching and enjoying a collection of this sort to investigate the original studio albums and decide which ones you'd probably enjoy the most, and for me it's the Jacote album I'd be most interested in pursuing, though the two very different samples here don't really give me much clue what to expect. The opening songs from Au Delà du Délire are also fine, but as stated earlier, it's hard to really appreciate the nuances of these songs without being overly familiar with their place in the band's evolution, and their participation in the original studio releases.
Fortunately, the sound quality is excellent, a little surprisingly so for a live album released in the late seventies, and none of intricacies are lost, though from the photos included I assume there was a significant visual aspect in the form of melodramatic stage theatrics and Genesis-style costume changes that added another layer of intrigue. I'm sure this is a near-essential album for Ange fans as an excellent live record, but isn't the most suited to newcomers, however prog-hardened they may be.
1. Fils de lumière
2. Les longues nuits d'Isaac
3. Ballade pour une orgie
4. Ode à Emilie
5. Dignité
6. Le chien, le poubelle et la rose
7. Sur la trace des fées
8. Hymne à la vie - cantique
9. Hymne à la vie - procession
10. Hymne à la vie - hymne
11. Ces gens-là
Bleed
***
Written on 20.01.08
Angel Dust's fourth album is a well-produced slab of accessible heavy metal that sounds the way most people would assume metal sounded, if their experience was limited to film soundtracks of the eighties and early nineties. Dirk Thurisch puts in his best Dio impression for the slower offerings of this mostly mid-tempo album, crossing over to a more energetic and raspier style for the few faster sections that sound more like ex-Judas Priest/ex-Iced Earth Ripper Owens, and although he's highly derivative, the vocals end up being this album's strongest component.
While this brand of sing-along, anthemic metal won't be to the taste of more technically-minded metal fans, it's a very competent effort, drenched in keyboards that add a great atmosphere without any of the cheesiness that would have seeped in if this album had been made in 1985, rather than merely sounding like it was. There are a few traces of modern power metal in the second half of the album, particularly the fast 'Addicted to Serenity,' as well as a full-on keyboard solo in 'Black Rain,' but the sound is otherwise grounded in the plodding, compassionate rock style that would make women cry if the lyrics were a bit more meaningful. Bernd Aufermann's guitars aren't without their highlights, dominating the louder songs such as 'Never,' but this is the sort of album that places a general maintenance of mood over on memorable riffs, and does it very well. It's just a shame that the two approaches couldn't be combined.
The keyboards add a lofty symphonic flair to most of the tracks, coming to a head in the second part of the largely unconnected 'Follow Me' suite, before taking on a more amateur electronic flair in the last two songs that doesn't work quite as well. The bass and drums similarly fail to impress but can at least be distinctly heard through the polished production, but at the end of the day this is an album of slow, passionate choruses that are mostly pretty good, even if the album's nadir of speed and energy at the end is blessed with unimaginative "break these chains" lyrics. There aren't many songs that particularly stand out, apart from 'Addicted to Serenity' for being faster and the first part of 'Follow Me' for being the necessary acoustic ballad, fortunately very much in the style of Queensryche's 'Silent Lucidity' rather than something by Poison, Warrant or those other tossers that spoiled metal in the eighties.
The band's creative peak comes in the call-back to the acoustic song in the second part of 'Follow Me,' which works very well and almost convinces the listener that they really are two halves of the same epic rather than two different songs with the same name, but mostly this is lowest common denominator metal for radio-rock fans that works equally well as a guilty pleasure for more serious metalheads, perhaps when they're relaxing in the bath or something. The songs are generally a little drawn-out, especially towards the end with overlong tracks like 'Surrender!' not throwing out enough nifty ideas to justify their lifespan, but this album is a fair imitation of Dio-style metal twenty years down the line. You should know what to expect from the band name really, though the album art is a bit misleadingly cool.
1. Bleed
2. Black Rain
3. Never
4. Follow Me (Part 1)
5. Follow Me (Part 2)
6. Addicted to Serenity
7. Surrender!
8. Sanity
9. Liquid Angel
Angel Witch
****
Written on 20.01.08
Angel Witch's self-titled debut was the only notable album the unstable cockney outfit would ever produce, but has the distinction of being one of the definitive albums of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that enjoyed brief popularity in the early eighties, deemed to be led by bands as diverse as Judas Priest, Motörhead, Iron Maiden and Saxon. Angel Witch are a less significant but still important offering to that devilish dish, and I much prefer this heavy album of dark themes to the bike and 'Sixth Form Girls' themes that made Saxon that much more popular.
These ten songs have been supplemented on more recent re-releases by additional material from E.P.s and live radio sessions, but it's the core forty minutes of the original LP by which the album should be judged, and it fares incredibly well. Sadly created with less money and technology for the heavy rhythm guitars to be as powerful as they would like to be, lacking the intensity of a live performance, this is still highly enjoyable classic metal with dark fantasy themes conveyed through Kevin Heybourne's dramatic and often high-pitched vocals, similar to a low-rent Rob Halford. There are only a few things that hold it back from being an undisputed classic, which I put down to the occasional unison chorus of high shouting, for being uncomfortably reminiscent of later L.A. hair metal bands, and the few songs that fail to make much of an impression.
The majority of these songs are raw and fairly primitive heavy metal at its finest, from the energetic title track that introduces the band's Maidenesque time signature changes and ends in an entertaining but ridiculous crowd chant from about four people with distinctive cockney accents, to the later tracks that become increasingly sinister as the album moves on. Sure enough, 'White Witch' sets the style that will be more or less repeated in 'Sorceress' and 'Angel of Death,' of a distorted guitar riff played at a steadier pace with frequent atmospheric breaks and triumphant returns with screaming dual guitar solos. 'Sorceress' in particular is where the Black Sabbath influence starts to creep in, with the slow and thunderous riff being reminiscent of that band's earliest albums and forming a rare instance of doom NWOBHM. The mood is funereal and wicked, and although it's completely spoiled by the loud guitar solos at the end, I certainly wouldn't go without them.
Interestingly, the next track 'Gorgon' sounds more like Sabbath around their bouncier, commercial period, the guitars recalling specific moments in 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' and pushing forward the punk elements that defined other NWOBHM bands (early Iron Maiden in particular), which figure even more prominently in 'Sweet Danger,' a slightly pop-rock-oriented track I could take or leave from the otherwise impressive album, spoiling things with a dull seventies chorus. The aforementioned 'Angel of Death' would be unremarkable if not for the extra finale provided by the instrumental 'Devil's Tower' that segues from it seamlessly, in which all the instruments put in their full efforts to create a great apocalyptic sound to lead the album out. This isn't all gloom and damnation however, and like most rock bands, Angel Witch serve up the compulsory down-to-earth ballad with 'Free Man'... until a loud guitar shatters the fragile mood after only a minute or so, and the rest of the song plays out like a slow Judas Priest epic, though predictably falling short of the classic 'Beyond the Realms of Death.'
Angel Witch was never an overly distinctive band, but was noticeable and committed enough in an oversaturated fad of a genre that their memorable contribution to the legendary 'Metal for Muthas' compilation LP landed this successful album deal. Creative and personal differences among who knows what other reasons would see the band struggle through the rest of the decade and release far less successful sequels before finally calling it a day, but their legacy lives on in magic- and fantasy-themed heavy metal everywhere, 'Gorgon' being something of a precursor to Symphony X's 'The Eyes of Medusa' and 'White Witch' being very similar to a later song by Savatage of the same name. Thanks to re-releases, this album is still widely available from retailers, and the resurgence in the popularity of NWOBHM after the successful comebacks of Maiden and Priest a few of years ago, the more recent and slightly stranger comeback of Saxon, and the undying persistence of bands like Motörhead that will continue to release pretty much the same album every few years, means that this album could easily be as popular again as it was in 1980. The band still exists out there in some bastardised form, but don't go to the trouble of attending a nostalgia gig; it would be incredibly disappointing.
1. Angel Witch
2. Atlantis
3. White Witch
4. Confused
5. Sorceress
6. Gorgon
7. Sweet Danger
8. Free Man
9. Angel of Death
10. Devil's Tower
Of Lucifer and Lightning
***
Written on 21.01.08
This most recent offering from Angelcorpse is a flawless execution of traditional death metal with an epic slant, but is a bit lacking in diversity or any really interesting ideas. The most prominent aspect is Pete Helmkamp's vocals, which are always completely legible through his fierce growl and tell delightful tales of hell, slaughter and stuff in a manner that really comes through in the music, unlike a lot of death metal which you have to form a general impression of through the depraved, blasphemous antics of the album cover. And you can't get a much finer death metal album cover than the devil popping up in heaven and chomping penitent angels like they were chocolate Easter rabbits.
The music holds no surprises for death metal fans, mostly being in a fast register but slowing a little for passages in the more conceptual 'Extermination Sworn' and 'Saints of Blasphemy' where the narrative is given pride of place. The production is rich and mean, meaning the demonic riffs are powerful and audible against the hammering drums and squealing, typically mindless solos, and at only thirty-two minutes in length this isn't too demanding a listen. Really, it's a little unreasonably short, and could have had another two similar-sounding songs squeezed in without affecting the quality.
Lyrically and thematically, 'Of Lucifer and Lightning' is highly competent grandiose death metal, perhaps even a little on the up-its-own-sphincter side of things, but the instrumentation is disappointingly run-of-the-mill. While this fortunately saves the world from enduring yet another technical/brutal death metal band with restless structures purely for the sake of it, there isn't much here that's going to inspire death metal fans apart from maybe the cover. The good news is, those Latin titles don't signify a Rhapsody-style choir intros that perhaps would have been present if Helmkamp had his way.
1. Credo Decimatus
2. Antichrist Vanguard
3. Machinery of the Cleansing
4. Hexensabbat
5. Extermination Sworn
6. Saints of Blasphemy
7. Thrall
8. Shining One (Rex Luciferi)
Teenage Warning
***
Written on 21.01.08
Yet another punk band of the late seventies, Angelic Upstarts were pretty much the same as all the other local angry bands, but this debut album demonstrates an impressive knack for punk rock, from the mindless angry tirades against the police and other forces of corruption, to more pleasant melodic stuff too. If they'd hired the recording studio a few years earlier before the punk outlet, their music could have gone in all sorts of directions.
With twelve mostly fast, guitar-based songs over half an hour, there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about this album, but there's also impressive energy and guitar talent on display to immediately place it above the majority of bands in the genre, which was still enjoying a boom of popularity at the time. The opening title track is easily the best offering of the album, perhaps unfortunately serving to raising the bar and make the rest of the album look a little disappointing by comparison, and deserves to be on all the finest seventies punk compilations. Mensi's voice is enjoyably gritty but powerful, proudly displaying his North-Eastern accent, and Mond's guitars have clearly been thought out with some pleasant lead melodies and changing riffs as the song moves through several different movements, rather than the two minutes of brainless power chords and shouting that square granddads and such would criticise the genre for (quite rightly, in many cases).
The rest of the album doesn't really measure up, reaching its lowest point in the middle section, 'We Are the People' and 'Murder of Little Towers' both seeming overlong and lacking in interesting ideas. Fortunately, the pace soon picks up afterwards and the remainder is at least fast, energetic and full of swear words, if nothing else ('"Yoof" Leader' is certainly nothing else). And that's all that matters really. Most entertaining and intriguing of all is their cover of Cliff Richard's 'The Young Ones' several years before Ade Edmondson's memorable, over-the-top punk exploded onto TV screens strapped to a wrecking ball. This band would be a lot more famous if they'd opted to use this version for the opening titles.
1. Teenage Warning
2. Student Power
3. The Young Ones
4. Never Again
5. We Are the People
6. Murder of Little Towers
7. I'm an Upstart
8. Small Town Small Mind
9. Youth Leader
10. Do Anything
11. Let's Speed
12. Leave Me Alone
Fairyland
**
Written on 21.01.08
The amusingly named Angelzoom (a passing Hell's Angel, or something more enlightened?) is a vehicle for talented German singer Claudia Uhle to sing softly and sweetly over accessible orchestral music with slight techno touches composed by the real man behind the project, songwriter-producer Bernd Wendlandt. I'm always suspicious of "solo" projects such as these, mainly because I think it's unreasonable to ignore the musicians and place all the emphasis on a singer who hasn't even written the damn thing, but Angelzoom seems like a pleasant enough project. Uhle is a great singer, mainly occupying the high range but able to shift between a compelling mainstream style to a floating, ethereal mode reminiscent of Enya.
Uhle used to sing for the pop group X-Perience, but Angelzoom sits comfortably in the realm of the undefined "alternative," leading to a strong following even in rock circles, perhaps in part due to the relative boom in the popularity of female singers with her operatic register in 2004 (Nightwish, Evanescence, Lacuna Coil), and the band's covers of notable rock songs that are often really badly conceived (who could possibly think it was a good idea to cover Linkin Park?) The union is further cemented by frequent collaborations with guest musicians such as Apocalyptica, the Finnish cello quartet similarly embraced by metal fans for their lousy Metallica covers. 'Fairyland' was the first single from the self-titled Angelzoom album in 2004, followed a year later by 'Back in the Moment,' and is a very unusual and disappointing release indeed. Starting off very well with the title song and two brand new Angelzoom songs not featured on the album, the second half is taken up by really, really bad remixes of the 'Fairlyand' original, perhaps as a sort of ironic criticism of that Linkin Park thing, though most likely not.
'Fairlyand' itself is a decent enough song, and its memorable, light-hearted, sing-along chorus, repeated numerous times despite the relatively short playing time, makes it the perfect choice for a radio-friendly single. Uhle's voice is at its finest here, with nice melodies written by her producer, and the song builds from a simple piano introduction to include a soft techno rhythm, leading into a louder and more prominent chorus section with dominant cellos and backing orchestration. There's not an awful lot of depth outside of the production values however, and nothing really happens in the void between choruses, which is skilfully edited to the minimum time possible. Seriously, this mainstream, profit-oriented music thing really is quite alien to me. It's the second and third songs that present the greatest opportunity for Angelzoom fans here, and both are pleasant (if a little bland) atmospheric pieces, 'Sapphire Sky' only being a little more dynamic but both featuring a more thoughtful, floating vocal performance over an ambient orchestral soundscape. It's nice, and the songs are both short enough not to deter the most casual of listeners.
The 'Fairlyand' remixes are both incredibly bad, and only serve to urinate all over the quite-good original. The Blutengel club mix is the usual tedious dance rubbish, adapting the chorus reasonably well into its bastardised style but otherwise merely filling up the long minutes with an uninspired thumping rhythm and piercing electronic beeps. I may be a little biased, as this is just about my least preferred variety of music imaginable, but I get the feeling it would be looked down upon by more experienced dance enthusiasts, and only really enjoyed by rock fans who feel they've got into something "alternative." Again, that word is crying out for inverted commas. The Sacrifight Army remix is perhaps even worse, or at least more pointless, taking more liberties in splitting up the vocal melodies and adding some dull guitar and drums in a half-hearted and unsuccessful attempt to make a "rock mix." Again, this really isn't going to appeal to serious fans, and both songs are ludicrously overlong at double the length of the original. I'm not a fan of remixes at the best of times, but these are terrible, needless, grating and incredibly boring, spoiling what would otherwise be a fairly decent release.
1. Fairyland (radio edit)
2. The World Between
3. Sapphire Sky
4. Fairyland (Blutengel club mix)
5. Fairyland (Sacrifight Army remix)
Angels Cry
****
Written on 21.01.08
'Angels Cry' is a very strong debut from Angra, and immediately established them as one of the major forces in international power metal. While their semi-trademark native Brazilian influence wouldn't really come into play until their definitive sophomore offering 'Holy Land,' this album is just as progressive and brilliantly indulgent as fans of more recent Angra releases will have come to expect. While the influence of early power metal from the likes of Helloween is clear, it's even more obvious just how many bands have based their sound on this style, particularly German Tobias Sammett who seems to have lifted many of these ideas for his Edguy and Avantasia projects. But as ever with this multi-faceted band, power metal fans may be deterred by the bombastic orchestration in some songs, extended instrumental sections in pretty much all songs, and the prominence of ballads - even going as far as a Kate Bush cover!
The sound is very early nineties, so much so that it's practically eighties, and this dates it in a really pleasing way, while permitting some excellent cheesy guitar solos like that in 'Time' that would otherwise be deemed offensive. 'Time' and the other proggy ballads end up sounding similar to Queensrÿche's definitive 'Operation: Mindcrime,' as pretty much all prog metal of the early nineties tended to (and much still does), but no song is really free of signs of progression; even the seemingly straightforward heavy metal of 'Streets of Tomorrow' ends in a classically-inspired guitar solo section. All of the performers are incredibly talented, from André Matos' impossible soprano wails to Luis Mariutti's prominent bass, and 'Never Understand' features a string of pompous guitar solos from the likes of Helloween's Kai Hansen and producer Sasha Paeth. Matos' keyboard provides the great atmosphere, often cheesy and mostly unnecessarily bombast but very distinctively Angra even at this early stage.
While this material isn't as strong as their subsequent classic 'Holy Land' or their most recent albums, it easily rivals the stuff in-between and is a great first release. The prog elements aren't overdone, and although the extended instrumental breaks and ballads won't be to everyone's tastes, the overall effect easily rivals anything from Helloween's classic period, and is certainly better than the recycled material of most power metal bands around the time, with the exception of Blind Guardian.
1. Unfinished Allegro
2. Carry On
3. Time
4. Angels Cry
5. Stand Away
6. Never Understand
7. Wuthering Heights (Kate Bush cover)
8. Streets of Tomorrow
9. Evil Warning
10. Lasting Child
... i) The Parting Words
... ii) Renaissance
Evil Warning
**
Written on 21.01.08
This is an entirely pointless release for all but the most avid Angra collector who just has to have everything, regardless of futility. These four songs are all essentially the same as can be found on the earlier album 'Angels Cry,' albeit ever so slightly different: the first three are basic re-recordings from a year later, and the final, terrible Kate Bush cover is clipped by over a minute, which is at least a little merciful.
These songs are all highlights of the album they hail from, and showcase the more interesting and progressive side of the Brazilian band that would be expanded on in 'Holy Land,' while still retaining enough commercial appeal to be marketed in this more direct fashion. There's enough variety between the ballad-like 'Angels Cry' and 'Wuthering Heights' to the more complex 'Evil Warning' and 'Carry On,' but anyone who already owns the album - and anyone seriously considering buying this should really own the album - will likely be disappointed by the lack of anything truly special or unique. Even some offerings from the 'Reaching Horizons' demo would have been preferable, despite again mostly finding their way onto the first full-length.
Either Angra or their management were disappointingly content to rest on their laurels and bank of ten songs for the several years before the second album finally came together, and this first E.P. really shouldn't be on anyone's collector's list, despite containing some pretty damn good power metal songs.
1. Evil Warning
2. Angels Cry
3. Carry On
4. Wuthering Heights (Edit)
Lisbon
***
Written on 21.01.08
As ever, the frequency of more commercially viable ballads in Angra's works makes songs like this the obvious choice for a single, but because the band's softer side has been so well developed there's never a sense that these are sell-out power ballads of the sort that dominated rock in the eighties.
'Lisbon' is a pleasant song that makes full use of the live orchestra drafted in for the 'Fireworks' album, but like the rest of the album it is a little lacking in the originality and excitement of earlier (and later) works. There's very effective use of harpsichord and violin behind André Matos' usual falsetto singing, and only a brief keyboard solo in the middle disrupts what is otherwise a very strong atmosphere perfectly suited to the lyrics, but ultimately it does remind me an awful lot of exactly the same type of ballads that other power metal bands were releasing in the late nineties, particularly Stratovarius. Despite clearly being the superior variety, I'm not as fond of this overall.
The second track was Angra's previous single from 'Holy Land,' here performed in a new acoustic version with the Fireworks orchestra that's quite nice to have alongside the original. At first I thought the band would replace the lead piano melody entirely with acoustic guitar, but after the initial strumming was over and done with it's much the same as the album version, only with a sparser sound that sounds a little out of place as Matos reaches for the high notes in the chorus. It's still a good Angra song though, and along with 'Angels Cry' is their most distinctive material here, though the slightly inferior demo quality makes this final track a little questionable, especially as there are so many versions around (including acoustic variants).
Still, two acoustic songs in a row would have been overkill, especially with the haunting memory of the freeform performance that ended the 'Freedom Call' E.P., and it's nice to tread gradually back in time with a song from each album with the original line-up before the drastic change of 'Rebirth.'
1. Lisbon
2. Make Believe (acoustic)
3. Angels Cry (demo)
Rainy Nights
***
Written on 21.01.08
You have to really like 'Rainy Nights' to go anywhere near this single. Enough to listen to it three times in a row, first in a slightly snipped radio edit that's all but indistinguishable from the real thing, and the third and final time as an instrumental lap of honour that actually works better than I imagined. Unfortunately, while it's a good enough song, I'm not as fond of the material from the 'Fireworks' era this hails from, though it's interesting to see what is essentially a B-side that didn't make it onto the final album (apart from a bonus track in some versions) being so lavishly treated here.
For being an original, non-album song, this is automatically more valuable than the singles that merely re-use material available elsewhere, but also unlike other singles it's a little too self-consciously "singley," by which I mean it sounds like it was composed with the intention of selling to a mainstream audience. This isn't necessarily a bad thing of course, and many of Angra's softer songs lend themselves to a mainstream audience (with a bit of editing here and there), but the poppy chorus and steady drum beat keeps this rooted in a style that Angra doesn't usually go in for, despite the continuing presence of the band's usual trademarks such as the overblown orchestra and the rock instruments.
Overall, this is a bit of a throwback to the sound of the first album 'Angels Cry' which was rooted in an eighties metal mentality, but was also a lot more progressive. The first two tracks here are more or less exactly the same, with only the editing out of repeated bars, and the instrumental version doesn't really work in the way that no instrumental can really work when you're already familiar with the original song; you're just waiting for the vocals to kick in, and the whole thing seems lacking for being based around a typical verse-chorus structure. It's still quite atmospheric though, and the sweeping violins are pretty, it's just odd how overboard the band have gone on milking this piece of original music as much as they can!
1. Rainy Nights (radio edit)
2. Rainy Nights (full version)
3. Rainy Nights (instrumental version)
Temple of Shadows
*****
Written on 22.01.08
Another concept album in the style of 'Holy Land,' this time based around the earthly and supernatural exploits of an eleventh-century crusader seeking to topple the Catholic church, 'Temple of Shadows' is arguably Angra's finest album but still suffers a little from over-ambition. Where 'Holy Land' contrasted Native Brazilian tribal instruments with the symphonies of their European conquerors, this 2004 album evolves from straightforward fast, heavy and loud power metal to increasingly epic and orchestral heights in the second half. Rather then being part of the overall concept, it seems that this was done more to ease newcomers into the band's progressive tendencies gradually, and it works very well. This is among my favourite power metal albums.
Eduardo Falaschi's wails are strongly reminiscent of Edguy's Tobias Sammet, and are really at their best in the faster songs such as the more fundamental power metal of tracks two, three and six than in the album's softer moments of 'Waiting and Silence,' among others. As an ambitious album open to new ideas, there are also some enjoyable guest appearances from the band's contemporaries in the metal world, most notably Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) performing a fantastic duet in 'Winds of Destination,' one of the best songs here. With the introduction of Spanish-tinged instruments in the acoustic 'Wishing Well,' the album expands its horizons, not always to great result (this song in particular is fairly bad), but always interesting. 'The Shadow Hunter' maintains these Latin elements as the album seeks to define itself as progressive power metal through use of some contrived but successful time signature changes in the rhythm, and the orchestra really comes into its own starting from 'No Pain for the Dead,' remaining for the rest of the songs and reaching its zenith in the final 'Gate XIII.'
As powerful and exciting as the earlier 'Spread Your Fire,' 'Angels and Demons' and 'The Temple of Hate,' the aforementioned 'Winds of Destination' is really the only song in the album's latter half that will necessarily appeal to power metal fans who aren't quite into the more progressive stuff, but 'Late Redemption' has some great guitar solos from Kiko Loureiro as well as an interesting mix of English vocals and what I presume is Spanish. Fans of Falaschi's voice will enjoy the oddly named 'Sprouts of Time,' which is certainly his finest performance but does sound far too much like an extract from a Broadway musical for my tastes, while prog metal old-timers may be pleased at the distinctly eighties keyboards of 'No Pain for the Dead,' sounding like early Dream Theater with Kevin Moore. While some of the songs are inevitably too long, others are just perfect, and while it's inherent in a progressive album like this that it won't all appeal to everyone, every performance is excellent and the concept well executed, topping even their past successes and remaining Angra's peak for now.
1. Deus Le Volt!
2. Spread Your Fire
3. Angels and Demons
4. Waiting and Silence
5. Wishing Well
6. The Temple of Hate
7. The Shadow Hunter
8. No Pain for the Dead
9. Winds of Destination
10. Sprouts of Time
11. Morning Star
12. Late Redemption
13. Gate XIII
Aurora Consurgens
****
Written on 22.01.08
'Aurora Consurgens' continues directly where its illustrious predecessor 'Temple of Shadows' left off, mixing native Brazilian instruments and grand orchestration with melodic power metal in an unashamedly grandiose style. Just as Temple moved on from speedy, energetic power metal to this slower, epic style, Aurora forges its own path throughout the album, and one that's likely to divide listeners depending on their personal tastes. The trend here is more towards slow and moody power ballads in the style of eighties metal, fortunately kept under control by the omnipresence of the heavy rock instruments and sweeping orchestra behind, but even this can't save it from a slightly cheesy overall sound and some really quite embarrassing lyrics.
The faster and louder metal elements are still here for long-time fans, right from the rousing opening number 'The Course of Nature' to the penultimate 'Scream Your Heart Out,' but less opportunity is provided for straightforward power metal in the European style as was the case with the last album. These are quite chorus-centric songs, as many of Angra's tend to be, and after the album is over, it's the grooving chorus of 'Salvation Suicide,' the overly optimistic 'So Near So Far' and the croon of the low-key acoustic finale 'Abandoned Fate' that will stay with the listener, for better or worse, over the extended instrumental passages that make most songs far longer than they reasonably should be.
This is still a commendably progressive album, the orchestration and tribal elements coming into play in most songs and some of the instrumental sections being nicely unhinged, but the whole thing does tend too much towards the mellow side of prog metal bands like Shadow Gallery for my liking, seemingly following the course plotted out by Queensryche's softer moments in the late eighties to the extent that Eduardo Falaschi sounds a lot like Geoff Tate on the softer tracks. With lyrics like "fly in a neverending story," "life is so boring" and "ohh, take a chance" this is far from the grander heights of progressive metal, not that Angra has ever expressed any desire to being classed among the likes of Dream Theater and Symphony X, but fans who were blown away by their exciting power metal of the previous album and not so sure what to make of its later, softer moments won't find an awful lot to appeal here, and I admit I was disappointed after getting my hopes up prior to the album's release.
'Aurora Consurgens' is still a highly competent album with distinctive songs, but most tracks lose momentum for being on the long side, and the whole thing teeters dangerously on the edge an eighties power ballad throwback direction that may see Angra turn into a mere Shadow Gallery or Savatage sound-alike with added tribal drums, sweeping strings and maracas. It wouldn't be terrible, but it's not exactly a step in the right direction.
1. The Course of Nature
2. The Voice Commanding You
3. Ego Painted Grey
4. Breakin' Ties
5. Salvation Suicide
6. Window to Nowhere
7. So Near So Far
8. Passing By
9. Scream Your Heart Out
10. Abandoned Fate
Animetal Marathon III
**
Written on 22.01.08
I must be one of the few non-anime fans to have heard this novelty Japanese cover band, which specialises in adapting the theme songs of popular Japanese animated series into a basic heavy metal form, forsaking studio trickery and synthesisers and focusing on a "live" performance with the core rock instruments.
Anime themes tend to be on the melodic rocking side in the first place (at least, as far as I've observed from my brother's viewing habits over the Christmas period), but these covers are more specifically tailored to a speed metal style in the tradition defined by Judas Priest's 1982 classic 'Screaming for Vengeance' and continued by numerous European and Japanese bands, many of which never achieved recognition outside of their home countries. This means heavy guitars in the classic metal style, a fast pace set by the drums and vocals that range from a powerful yell to a soprano wail. Needless to say, it's one of my favourite musical styles, but I have a fairly enormous suspicion that these so-called "Animetal Marathons" would be enjoyed about a thousand times more by anyone familiar with the originals.
Subtitled 'Tsubaraya Productions Collection,' this third album apparently focuses directly on the works of Eiji Tsuburaya, which makes for nice consistency at least. Ultraman especially, and spin-offs thereof, are provided the greatest coverage, as well as several other series whose protagonists' Anglicised names end in "-man." The sound is very similar throughout with very little in the way of change, and is presented as a single, forty-two minute recording, "marathon" being indeed just about the most appropriate term, where each short song (usually lasting just over a minute) flows into the next without a gap, only signalled by a change in rhythm or melody.
It's irrelevant whether the band recorded it in a single take or several takes, or handled each track individually before blending them afterwards, but the decision to focus on a specific series of productions, where the original music was presumably composed by the same individual or team in the first place, adds a greater sense of continuity than would otherwise be found on a collection of random anime favourites, which I'm guessing is the structure of their live albums and shows.
Essentially, this brand of fun nostalgia/homage music isn't really suited to an album recording, especially given the slightly dubious nature of selling it for commercial gain off the backs of the original artists, and is the sort of thing ideally suited to a live performance for like-minded punters/geeks. The live feel is successfully captured, and the production quality is excellent in defining each instrument, but unless you're really familiar with the original songs and are really enjoying the heavy metal take, it's inevitable that you're going to drift out and stop paying attention before very long.
In places it's a little too obvious that the guitar is playing a tune originally designed for a keyboard, and this really isn't along the same lines as typical Japanese metal, owing far more to the American market even with the slightly roaring vocals that forsake the usual castrated vocal style of bands like X-Japan. This is targeted far more at fans of the specific anime series than heavy metal in general, and as such was lost on me.
Animal
***
Written on 22.01.08
'Animal' is the most recent release from Animosity, a twenty-eight-minute odyssey of gritty guitar riffs, burped vocals and drum rolls that sounds more or less identical to all the other bands categorised as "technical" death metal. It's talented stuff, but without a firm direction in mind this is all a little too similar and lacking in character for my taste, though it's commendable that the band doesn't spend a lot of time showing off its virtuoso skills once the verses begin and the primary focus becomes carrying off a good tune.
These San Franciscans are as angry as other death metal groups, but channel the aggression into something inherently more interesting than hardcore-influenced metalcore, though there's something to be said for that more straightforward means of expressing these emotions. 'Animal' is subsequently a harsh-sounding album enhanced by the use of severely deep death growls and contrasting screeching back metal vocals, coming to a head in the dynamic duologue 'You Can't Win,' and with only a few moments of respite as some songs take time out at the finale, this is presented as a continuous stream of consciousness that all links together to keep up the momentum, another area in which it succeeds.
Overall though, this band fails to convince or entertain me as much as other modern tech-death practitioners, show-offs or no, and artificially extended with short interludes - the most offensive 'Evangelicult' being a mere four seconds - this album is over before anything really interesting has happened, sticking rigidly to the core sound from which it never manages to escape.
1. Terrorstorm
2. Tooth Grinder
3. Bombs Over Rome
4. Evangelicult
5. Animal
6. Plunder Incorporated
7. Operating from the Ditch
8. You Can't Win
9. Progression in Defeat
10. Elucidation
11. A Passionate Journey
Ziemia I Slonce
***
Written on 22.01.08
Ankh has been one of the more prominent Polish progressive rock groups of recent times, and crafted a memorable niche for itself largely for being known as the hard rock band that incorporates a violin into all of their songs, regardless of mood or relevance, to see what happens. The result is interesting and distinctive, if a little jarring at times as would be expected, and 'Ziemia i Slonce' (I have to use English letters in place of correct Polish symbols, as dooyoo doesn't like those very much) ends up being a fairly average album, but one worth modern prog fans checking out.
The harder rock edge of this album is more in line with the efforts of Porcupine Tree around the same time, rather than the darker and heavier works of Tool or any of the prog metal acts, but it's the guitars specifically that take on a heavier tone on occasion, more in line with thrash. This is still a rock album foremost, relying on catchy, energetic rhythms and familiar structures rather than anything aspiring to "prog," and the lack of the familiar symphonic prog instruments and the crystal clear modern production free this album from the burden of tradition. Piotr Krzeminski's vocals are about as standard and general as possible for as rock band, in contrast to his heavier guitars, and much the same can be said for Krzysztof Szmidt's bass and Jacek Gabryszek's drums, though the latter experiment with the same sort of tribal stuff that all prog drummers feel compelled to.
It's only the addition of Micha Jelonek that makes this band truly deserving the label progressive, playing a folk violin in the traditional Polish style over the faster and slower guitars to varying degrees of success, though sadly lacking in the emotive resonance of similar techniques being used by My Dying Bride around the same time. Jelonek introduces a classical element that makes these songs seem a little grander than they really are, particularly in the instrumental tracks, and depending on your view of progressive music this will either benefit or hinder the songs. Some such as opener 'Erotyk' are accessible enough for an ever-so-slightly broad-minded mainstream, but the album does lose a significant portion of its intrigue as the tracks drag on towards an overdue finale. Unfortunately Ankh would only go downhill from here, leaving the future of Polish prog in the hands of others...
1. Poczatek
2. Erotyk
3. Ziemia
4. Dudziarz
5. Piesn o wedrowce
6. Milosc utracona
7. Vivace
8. Kiedy nadejdzie czas
9. Poranek
10. Dobry ptak
11. Modlitwa
12. Slonce
13. Koniec
Rise
***
Written on 22.01.08
I don't understand the hype and popularity surrounding this debut release from Northern Ireland blues-rock throwbacks the Answer, acclaimed by Classic Rock as the best new band of 2005 and praised by the old-skool bands they were sent to tour with. It's a decent enough album of hard rock with a significant blues influence, in some songs more than others, but really offers nothing that can't be found from a brief overview of seventies rock. Paul Mahon's laid-back blues riffs and solos are there, vocalist Cormac Neeson is powerful and capable of a fair wail but doesn't have any distinctive character of his own, and the only real sign that this was made after 1978 is the crystal clear production and mixing job, which really captures the full range of the studio performance.
This is hard rock in a distinctly American tradition, specifically the Southern United States, and bears no traces of the band's native Ireland, which I personally find a little disappointing, but is at least an ironic parallel to all the people living in America who still claim to be Irish. The pointlessly abbreviated song titles and lyrics all reference typical aspects of Southern livin', from sleazy Memphis to no-good preacher men, and it's easy to see why Def Leppard and others would enjoy these newcomers as a loyally nostalgic reference to the past. I'm just left a little confused how it could be one of the most acclaimed albums of that year.
The songs are all fairly typical, as you'd find on pretty much any blues-tinged rock album of the seventies. Most are medium speed affairs with cool, repetitive riffs and an energetic vocal performance, others are slower and softer, and others ever so slightly longer and more complex. Some such as 'Come Follow Me,' 'Into the Gutter' and 'Sometimes Your Love' are almost insultingly archaic for being so stuck in the past without the modern chorus and vocal styles found in the other songs, while the aforementioned homages 'Memphis Quarter' and 'Preachin'' are both tediously overlong, their lethargic blues riffs becoming tiresome before the six minutes are up. The latter is at least slightly experimental for including additional musical sources, but the mistake it makes is in utilising a group of gospel singers, hand clapping and a Hammond organ rather than instruments that don't sound terrible and daft, which would have worked slightly better.
The cheeky Hammond works its way into other points of the album, notably the otherwise impressive 'Be What You Want' that includes perhaps the best guitars of the album and manages to carry off a slower and more thoughtful pace with dignity this time, as do 'Never Too Late' and the final, entirely soft offering. I enjoy this album as a simple blues rock offering in the same vein as the superior Clutch and other modern blues rock bands, but I really didn't know what to expect when I first approached it. After reading the hype I was inevitably disappointed to find a series of adequate but uninspired songs that no one seems to notice are merely harking back to the seventies, even the people who were around in the seventies and playing music like this. But then, you know what they say about people who remember the seventies... or is that the sixties? I forget.
1. Under the Sky
2. Never Too Late
3. Come Follow Me
4. Be What You Want
5. Memphis Quarter
6. No Questions Asked
7. Into the Gutter
8. Sometimes Your Love
9. Leavin' Today
10. Preachin'
11. Always On My Mind
Martyrium
Jesus' Favourite Black Metal Band
****
Written on 22.01.08
Here's an interesting band. If your mother bursts into your loud and dingy cellar and demands you turn that Satan-worshipping black metal noise down this instant because the vicar will be visiting shortly, you'll be able to point out that Antestor is in fact a Christian black metal band, and you were merely ensuring that the vicar would feel comfortable visiting this humble abode and having his horizons expanded, when he came down here and violated you (some satire for you there).
The idea of an explicitly Christian spin-off from a fundamentally anti-Christian genre is an entertaining contradiction-in-terms, and as such it's a little hard to take Antestor seriously when replicating the harsh vocals and guitar style of bands like Mayhem, who were more comfortable burning local churches than attending mass there. Perhaps aware that the hard and fast approach wouldn't be conveying exactly the right message, much of this album consists of slower, more thoughtful doom metal reminiscent of Black Sabbath, and the heavier, faster sections are more in line with death metal.
The vocals are predominantly roared in a death metal growl, modulated to a whispered style for the softer movements, but there are some clean vocal sections and a final instance of female singing where the Christian messages can finally be articulated and understood in full. Whether there's a more subliminal Christian agenda struggling to come through in the music I couldn't say, but just as I don't feel any more like killing a gay man after listening to Emperor, I don't feel like going up to them and informing them that their religion is sick and unnatural, and that a place awaits them in hell next to the disabled, babies that died before Christening, women who were wicked enough to allow themselves to be raped by men before they could be married, and men whose genitals had been crushed or amputated (more Bible satire).
This is a mainly pleasant album - pleasant if you're used to black metal, at least - with most songs beginning with quiet bass, guitar or piano sections and maintaining a slow to medium tempo even when the other instruments come in, but some such as 'Materialistic Lie,' 'Searching' and the instrumental title track take on a more impassioned and aggressive role in preaching God's words, the riffs in the second song weirdly sounding just as evil as anything Burzum came up with, and the gurgled vocals not exactly convincing of divine origin. 'Spiritual Disease' and 'Inmost Fear' follow the slow, Sabbathesque style mentioned earlier, and the slightly longer and more complex 'Depressed,' 'Thoughts' and 'Mercy Lord' feature the band at their best, the drums being particularly creative when not merely following the double bass pedals style, though the over-reliance on organ melodies and thunder effects in the finale are overdoing it a little. Of these, 'Thoughts' is probably the best, not allowing the religious message to interfere with the music but likewise sounding comparatively accessible with its catchy drum rhythm, and not as alienating to non-black-metal-literate Christians as you might have thought.
1. Spiritual Disease
2. Materialistic Lie
3. Depressed
4. Searching
5. Inmost Fear
6. Under the Sun
7. Thoughts
8. Martyrium
9. Mercy Lord
Advantages: Bold, and a nice incorporation of doom and death styles into traditional black metal.
Disadvantages: Some songs are a little dull, and the last one a little preachy with its organs and thunderclaps.
Dystopia
****
Written on 23.01.08
Anthemon's second album is a curious serving of grand symphonic doom with an incredible atmosphere and powerful singing, but all the same it's an album I repeatedly mistake for being a tad more epic and harrowing than it really is. The first couple of songs blew me away when I first heard them, until the style continued more or less exactly the same through the rest of the album and even started to bore me a little by the end, but still whenever I think of the album or glimpse its apocalyptic, Beksinski-style cover art, it's guaranteed to fill me with an excitement that's all too soon abated when I remember the bland truth. It isn't a bad album by any means, and even possessing this degree of individuality within the frequently boring and derivative realm of doom metal is a fine achievement, but perhaps now I've got it down in writing I'll remember next time to only play a select few songs rather than committing myself. I'll clearly just forget again though, I am an idiot.
Anthemon's style is consciously grandiose, and Sebastien Latour makes no apologies for dominating the recording with his majestic, symphonic keyboards, which frequently upstage and eliminate even the rhythm guitars. It's often convincing enough to believe there's a real orchestra on the recording, but some of the later songs particularly are content to revel in electronic ambience, while traditionally booping keyboard solos are common, introduced in the second track. The guitars themselves are fairly run-of-the-mill doom, never too heavy or dominant but occasionally producing a slow, elegiac lead in the tradition of pretty much every modern doom band veering on the death metal side of things, though for me it's only ever been the guitars from 'Foretell Omega' that remain memorable after the album has finished. The death-doom influence is far less prominent here than in something like Tears for Mankind, probably the nearest equivalent I've heard but still some distance away, but Marc Canlers occasionally supplements his clean singing with a modest death growl for accentuation, most prominently in track six for no apparent special reason.
It's Canlers' vocals that provide one of the band's greatest curiosities, as he spends the majority of the album sounding like a dead ringer for Iced Earth's Matt Barlow. The similarity is uncanny, making it highly unlikely that Canlers wasn't so impressed listening to albums like 'Burnt Offerings' in the mid-nineties that he trained himself to be a remarkable forgery, though there's always the theory of spontaneous generation. There really are only a few sections outside of the generic death growls that it's possible to tell this is a different singer to the Georgetown P.D.'s finest, but needless to say it makes for an excellent (if not entirely original) performance, and is effective in further distancing this album from the operatic heights of Candlemass and their many imitators.
As is typical of doom, these songs are all a little on the slow side, though remain dynamic and catchy enough through the largely unimaginative drums, and tend to fall between four and seven minutes in length. The longer songs offer enough pleasant diversions to remain interesting throughout, though as mentioned earlier it's the repetitive nature of the album itself that provides the only real problem in making it to the end. With the prominence of the orchestral elements this album ends up losing some of the character and effectiveness of a more simplistic, stripped-down doom release, and along with it most of the emotional resonance, meaning that this isn't the sort of doom you could contentedly spend an evening crying along to in despair. It's very polished and a little obtuse, but each individual song has its merits outside of the collection, particularly as the early songs, the fair instrumental 'Tuned to a Dead Channel' and the sixth track are all comparatively upbeat for doom.
The slower, more typically bleak songs (though only by a little) can be deduced from tell-tale titles such as 'Recall the Absence' and 'Serene Eyes' in which the Canlers/Barlow comparison reaches its peak, and do succeed further in establishing the emotional connection otherwise lacking. The lyrics themselves have never stood out despite Canlers' clarity (I suppose I was concentrating too hard on the Barlow thing), and I'm always a little surprised and disappointed when reading the tracklist that these varied and interesting themes weren't more legibly expressed in the music, which in my mind (untrustworthy, remember) tends to just sort of hover around various ashen wastelands of the crust of the Earth we succeeded in annihilating. The final track in particular conjures an image of impending doom with none of the despair or anger that other bands might strive for, and instead leaves me with a sort of disinterested wistfulness in the inevitable apocalypse of mankind, idly wondering what it would feel like to be engulfed by a nuclear wind and only mildly regretting that I'll never be able to hold my own skull.
1. Above Us
2. Foretell Omega
3. Chatter of the Tube
4. Recall the Absence
5. Tuned to a Dead Channel
6. La chute de l'architecture
7. Manifold of...
8. Serene Eyes
Fistful of Metal
****
Written on 23.01.08
Forget the daft title and rubbish cover, Anthrax's debut album is one of the classics of American thrash metal and one of the best albums this band would ever release, certainly far superior to the blander and more commercial approach taken with 'Spreading the Disease.' Neil Turbin puts in a fantastically energetic and screeching vocal performance is a little reminiscent of the prepubescent James Hetfield of early Metallica releases, but is able reach the high notes with the skill of the best heavy metal singers. Dan Spitz and Scott Ian define themselves as the strongest feature of the band, rotating between maintenance of basic riffs and maniacal, wildly tangential solos, with a couple of excellent dual harmonies in 'Panic' and 'Howling Furies.'
A glance at the tracklist won't do much to persuade those who were put off by the moronic simplicity of the album cover, but what Anthrax lacks in good taste and lyrical flair, they more than make up for in sheer metal intensity. Only a few of these songs fail to measure up to the high standard set by the others, opener 'Deathrider' and 'Death from Above' both being inherently good thrash offerings but seeming more pedestrian and less distinctive, while 'I'm Eighteen' is the only song that seems oriented towards radio play with its tamed, melodic guitars, bland subject matter and annoyingly poppy chorus reminiscent of hair metal, but it's only one small glitch in an otherwise excellent album, and still enjoyable in its own way. 'Soldiers of Metal' is the shortest of the regular songs (excluding the brief instrumental 'Across the River' that doesn't get up to much, but at least isn't used as a forum for showing off) and accomplishes less as a result, but is still a lot of fun with its Manowar-style metal praising, catchy riff and Eric Adams style scream. I wonder how familiar these bands were with each other's work; this would surely be Manowar's favourite Anthrax album.
Now that the less excellent material is out of the way, it only remains to talk about the really great stuff. 'Metal Thrashing Mad' paves the way for the frantic 'Panic,' the crushing 'Subjugator' and the wild 'Anthrax' with its powerful wails, furious guitar riffs and solos and pounding drums, especially prominent in the more substantial 'Subjugator,' while the album ends on an interestingly sinister and steady note with the dark metal anthem 'Howling Furies,' taking its cue from Judas Priest and anticipating Slayer to forge a metal narrative to rival either band. This debut isn't without its flaws and dashes of amateurishness, but these only add to its appeal and energy, and are far more impressive than the more technically refined and clipped offerings from their later discography, not to mention those god-awful rap collaborations.
1. Deathrider
2. Metal Thrashing Mad
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Panic
5. Subjugator
6. Soldiers of Metal
7. Death from Above
8. Anthrax
9. Across the River
10. Howling Furies
Spreading the Disease
***
Written on 23.01.08
Anthrax's second album is a lot more polished than the first and as such lacks any of its energy or excitement, and is evidence enough why this member of the thrash metal Big Five always ranked at the bottom, receiving a cardboard "I tried hard" smiley-face medallion that they didn't strictly deserve . While there's nothing intrinsically wrong with these ten songs, they do all follow more or less exactly the same structure that becomes tiresome fairly soon, and almost all of them lack the intensity, speed and aggression of a genuine thrash performance, with too great a focus on crafting melodic, sing-able choruses. This would be more forgivable if the breakneck 'Gung Ho' didn't explode out of speakers right at the end, inviting jaw-dropping disbelief from the listener who wonders why the hell the rest of the album couldn't be more like that.
The odd melodic song wouldn't go amiss, and there are some great examples on this album, but there ends up being far too many for comfort. Anthrax's greatest assets at this point were new singer Joey Belladonna, whose powerful high scream makes even the lesser songs enjoyable, and the virtuoso/show-off talent of axeman Dan Spitz, who sadly wastes most of his talent with a couple of brief, show-off solos at the start and end of each song, with only a single repeated riff to carry the bulk of it through. These riffs are mostly memorable and catchy, but are repeated ad nauseam in songs such as 'AIR,' which starts out sounding like the coolest metal song in a long time, but by the end has sapped out my will to keep listening. I persevere though; there's a review to write!
Stand-out songs amidst the general average sameness are the slightly daft 'Madhouse,' primarily for its memorable and ever so simple chorus performed in the usual grating unison shout that affects much otherwise promising eighties metal, 'Medusa' which has another great chorus and makes use of Charlie Benante's otherwise overlooked drum abilities, and the finest melodic heavy metal song in the form of 'SSC - Stand or Fall,' which is accessible and energetic enough for everyone to enjoy. The definite highlights of the album however are the aforementioned 'Gung Ho,' which finally unleashes the repressed thrash and delivers a true Fistful of Metal as well as a stupid but great high guitar jig at the end, and the seventh track 'Armed and Dangerous' which was justly released as an E.P. and is divided into equal acoustic and heavy halves, without being anything really rubbish like a ballad, something the album gains more metal points for avoiding (though Belladonna does sing "woah-oah" softly in the introduction, which isn't on).
It's a shame the album wasn't permitted to end on 'Gung Ho' as the Sex Pistols cover is really half-hearted and irrelevant to the point of inciting racial hatred from British listeners (what the hell Queen are they talking about? Are they slagging off our Majesty? It was cool when the Pistols did it, they're honest Englishmen, but not some damn yanks). It leads in quite nicely from the previous song, but takes a disappointingly melodic and polished approach that lacks the raw energy and grime of the original, without a trace of nastiness in the vocals. As with other Anthrax albums, this promises more with the album cover than it ultimately delivers, and is one of the least riveting thrash albums I've heard, far more suited to fans of melodic, radio-friendly heavy metal, which it scores more highly as.
1. AIR
2. Lone Justice
3. Madhouse
4. SSC - Stand or Fall
5. The Enemy
6. Aftershock
7. Armed and Dangerous
8. Medusa
9. Gung Ho
10. God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols cover)
I'm the Man
*
Written on 23.01.08
Oh lordy, 'I'm the Man.' Anthrax's slightly less successful answer to Aerosmith/Run DMC's 'Walk This Way' that was fortunately treated largely as a joke, but all the same doesn't make for a riveting listen - especially when presented no less than three times on one short E.P.
Despite being the first rap metal song (oh fantastic, I just love that particular god-awful sub-genre. Thanx, Anthrax), there really is no trace of metal here. It's essentially a stupid Beastie Boys rip-off full of "hilarious" lyrics performed by bassist Frank Bello, drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian, while regular singer Joey Belladonna politely declines in favour of hiding on the drum kit at the back, and lead guitarist Dave Spitz is similarly unenthusiastic to get involved. It really is a dumb song, possessing nothing beyond novelty value and not even doing that particularly well - the jokes essentially revolve around the presence of naughty words, leading to the existence of the 'radio edit' here that's identical apart from turntable scratching over the offending obscenities, and more specifically their substitution for something more "hilariously" modest. As an example, at one point one of the MCs declares "They say rap and metal can never mix, well all of them can suck--" before his sentence is concluded by another suggesting "a sexual organ located in the lower abdominal area." And then the first responds, "no, it's dick." They say rap and metal can never mix? Get outta town. Far, far away.
I'm not a fan of novelty songs at the best of times, especially hip hop, and combining them with an otherwise talented metal band I quite like doesn't make for the most enjoyable E.P. I've ever heard, especially as I have to listen to the offending song three consecutive times. The only good news is that it was strictly confined to this separate release, and not permitted to intrude on the otherwise enjoyable albums the band were putting out during this period. Also on the positive side, the second half of the E.P. attempts to make up for it by serving up some real metal, but to be honest I was still a little too disturbed and nauseated to properly appreciate it. Their cover of Black Sabbath's 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' is distinctly average, the guitars lacking any sense of the original and only Belladonna impressing with his Ozzy-like delivery of the verses, and the two live Anthrax songs are merely "quite good." I would only inflict this on an enemy as a cruel joke, particularly if I thought they had a similar taste to me when it comes to "hilarious" novelty rap rock songs performed thrice in a row, but otherwise it's an easily overlooked but sadly unforgettable offering from Anthrax's classic period.
The really sad thing is, a few years later they did it all again.
1. I'm the Man (censored radio version)
2. I'm the Man
3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Black Sabbath cover)
4. I'm the Man (live)
5. Caught in a Mosh (live)
6. I Am the Law (live)
Among the Living
****
Written on 23.01.08
Many fans cite 'Among the Living' as Anthrax's finest almost-hour, and it's indisputably their thrashiest and most energetic offering. Moving on from the enjoyable but fairly dull heavy metal of 'Spreading the Disease,' Joey Belladonna's high wails are retained while guitarists Dan Spitz and Scott Ian begin the Anthrax trademark of simple, heavy and incessantly catchy riffs repeated ad nauseam throughout every song. The repetition of this album is one of the reasons I don't rate it quite as highly as their later 'Persistence of Time,' but for providing a mix of great simple thrash anthems, some harder offerings for the live crowd and some more interesting endeavours later on, this is rightfully recognised as one of the eighties thrash classics, and is probably Anthrax's second best overall.
The songs do tend to fall into the categories of fast aggression ('Efilnikufesin,' 'Imitation of Life' and especially the tell-tale 'Caught in a Mosh'), and slightly more laid-back repetition of the more easily digested 'Among the Living' and 'A Skeleton in the Closet,' both of which are more my kind of thing. The most interesting section of the album seems to have been deliberately reserved for its concluding half, unless it's my imagination and there is no real difference, with the finest song 'Indians' containing all the best of what's come before along with a great epic metal atmosphere, and successor 'One World' attempts to hammer home the same issues of respect and pacifism albeit in a modern (eighties) political context. The longest song 'A.D.I. / Horror of It All' follows and is perhaps overlong thanks to the lack of real advancement once the song gets into its stride, but it's one of the more satisfying offerings and makes a very nice transition from atmospheric, acoustic opening to metal frenzy later on.
With its hardcore punk overtones and energy, immortal guitar riffs and great drumming from Charlie Benante, this is as close as Anthrax came to perfecting the thrash genre that would admittedly be handled with a little more style and sophistication by others. Many of these songs remain Anthrax classics, but the style they moved towards after this release, while something of a departure, allowed for more creative and entertaining material in the early nineties.
1. Among the Living
2. Caught in a Mosh
3. I Am the Law
4. Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)
5. A Skeleton in the Closet
6. Indians
7. One World
8. A.D.I. / Horror of It All
9. Imitation of Life
Penikufesin
***
Written on 23.01.08
'Penikufesin' is unique among Anthrax EPs not only for its odd name, but also for actually being any good. Consisting of outtakes from the 'State of Euphoria' sessions, mostly in the form of covers, this is a fun little collector's items for fans that was only ever released in Japan and Europe, and while completely non-essential it's a much more satisfying way to enjoy the band letting their hair down (further) and enjoying themselves in the studio without resorting to horrible rap metal experiments like 'I'm the Man.'
The first song is the only one lifted from the then-recent album with no change, and while 'Now It's Dark' wasn't one of the stand-out tracks for me, it works as a nice opening here and follows a punk style of thrash that's perfectly suited to the rest of this material. The cover of Trust's 'Antisocial' also appeared on the album, but is here presented in an entertaining French language version, leading to a bizarre hybrid of New York French that I don't think I've heard before. Needless to say, this is a bit distracting and Joey Belladonna and Scott Ian don't even bother to keep it up for the chorus where they lapse into the regular English, American, whatever, but it's a fun song that's nicely complimented by the second cover of the same band with 'Sects,' more or less exactly the same and as such the most forgettable song on here.
Less forgettable, unless you own the Sex Pistols version that is, is Anthrax's cover of the Sex Pistols' cover of the drinking song 'Friggin' in the Riggin'', which is as good an excuse for some fun as any, and manages to pull off foul language in a way that 'I'm the Man' could never achieve. The unison chorus is highly enjoyable, and the finale launches into a steadily accelerating thrash session that reaches a greater point of intensity than I would have given the band credit for. The KISS cover is about as boring as any KISS cover, and finally, 'Pipeline' is a fairly short instrumental in the sixties surf rock style and a cover of the Chantays, and allows for some pleasant lead guitars and drums that have otherwise been overlooked in this E.P. that places fundamental fun over technicality, and is all the better for it. 'Penikufesin' is as catchy as anything Anthrax would release, and although easily overlooked it's a nise flippin E.P.
1. Now It's Dark
2. Antisocial (French version) (Trust cover)
3. Friggin' In The Riggin'
4. Parasite (KISS cover)
5. Sects (Trust cover)
6. Pipeline (The Chantays cover)
Persistence of Time
*****
Written on 23.01.08
Opinion seems divided between 'Among the Living' and 'Persistence of Time' as Anthrax's finest effort, but for me this latter release triumphs by a long way. Following the slight disappointment of 'State of Euphoria,' everything here is taken to an extreme - songs are even longer, but remain interesting throughout, Joey Belladonna's vocals are the best he would ever record and act as a fitting swansong, and the production brings out a previously unheard heaviness that adds a distinctly dark and sombre tone to these typically angry anthems.
The heavy approach may deter those more fond of the classic eighties sound, especially as Charlie Benante's excellent drums do admittedly sound like dustbins at times, but the overall sound helps to distinguish this album firmly from its predecessors and inaugurate a new Anthrax for the 1990s, one that would unfortunately never be anywhere near as good again. There's already a slight groove metal element to the guitars that would take over completely in later albums, but all of the classic Anthrax elements are still there, sitting comfortably alongside the new style - as ever, great importance is placed on catchiness, and Belladonna's vocal melodies are more compelling than ever, while the whole album finds a perfect balance between aggression, melody and despair, helped a great deal by lyrics that surprisingly aren't bad considering this is the band that penned 'I'm the Man.'
The major difference here in composition terms, outside of the production values, is the greater emphasis on technicality, though not to a distracting extent. Songs like 'Time' follow slightly unusual time signatures, while other songs move freely from slower opening sections to more standard Anthrax fare, such as 'Keep It In the Family' that starts out sounding much like Metallica's lethargic 'The Thing That Should Not Be' before improving considerably in the second half. 'Gridlock' is perhaps Belladonna's most upbeat vocal performance and segues perfectly into the pleasant instrumental 'Into to Reality' that's far more substantial than its modest name implies, and the next two songs follow more of a melodic punk approach - particularly 'Got the Time' which is another of Anthrax's unapologetic punk covers and integrates surprising well, even affording Frank Bello a rare bass solo. And just in case old-school fans were feeling disappointed by these changes, the last couple of tracks easily slip right back into the classic Anthrax sound of 'Among the Living,' but can't help seeming a little simplistic by comparison.
This is Anthrax's most consistent, imaginative and enjoyable recording, and will hopefully be found alongside Megadeth's 'Rust in Peace,' Slayer's 'Reign in Blood,' Testament's 'The Legacy' and Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' when the radioactive mutant survivors of post-apocalyptic twenty-second century Earth uncover an ancient hall devoted to the Legends of Thrash. As long as the song they recorded with Public Enemy hasn't survived along with it, there may be hope for the future after all.
1. Time
2. Blood
3. Keep It in the Family
4. In My World
5. Gridlock
6. Intro to Reality
7. Belly of the Beast
8. Got the Time (Joe Jackson cover)
9. H8 Red
10. One Man Stands
11. Discharge
Attack of the Killer B's
***
Written on 23.01.08
'Attack of the Killer B's' is the final Anthrax album with Joey Belladonna, but as a collection of B-sides and equally random newly recorded material, it shouldn't really be considered a part of the direct lineage between the excellent 'Persistence of Time' and the really quite bad 'Sound of White Noise,' particularly as if I was Belladonna, I'd rather people didn't remember me for what is essentially a collection of pranks and covers. Unusually for a compilation like this, the album ended up selling respectably due to the Public Enemy collaboration 'Bring the Noise,' a less offensive rap-metal amalgamation than the earlier 'I'm the Man' that reappears here in an almost unrecognisable but possibly worse remixed form, and as far as granting an overall impression of the Anthrax sound goes, newcomers would likely be very confused.
Fortunately, taken as a non-serious album the inconsistency isn't a problem and actually helps in enjoying some of the less musically accomplished offerings, though the Anthrax sense of humour doesn't agree with mine a lot of the time. The major exception to this comes in the final song, a ballad cryptically entitled 'Dallabnikufesin' that should make a little more sense when read alongside its accompanying initials 'N.F.B.', which is a clear parody of the power ballad singles released by L.A. hair metal bands throughout the eighties and is commendably played completely straight, until the final lyric at least when Belladonna reveals "she got hit by a truck" and starts to weep. The lyrics are the worst kind of juvenile romantic tragedy narrative and are completely believable when placed into the canon of bands like Poison, Warrant and Nitro, but the funniest thing about this song is that, had it been released as a serious single, it probably would have done quite well.
Aside from the live versions of 'Persistence of Time' songs 'Keep It in the Family' and 'Belly of the Beast,' the sound here tends more towards the hardcore crossover thrash of Scott Ian and Charlie Benante's side project S.O.D. (Stormtroopers of Death), itself represented by the breakfast epic 'Milk' and the fast and furious 'Chromatic Death,' the two heaviest and most intense songs here. 'Startin' Up a Posse' is the main deviation, an overdone comedy song that varies between slow, country verses and a thrash chorus but is more about swearing for comic effect as a confused ironic statement with some sex noise thrown in, while the rest of the album is made up of mostly punk covers, three of which appeared on the rare 'Penikufuesin' E.P. and are nice to own here in this more commercially available form, but are still only covers (and the Sex Pistols track is nowhere in sight). As far as B-side collections go, this one is interesting for including so much new material, but is still feels like an unnecessarily extended E.P. that's scraping the barrel by relying on so many covers.
1. Milk (Ode to Billy) (S.O.D. cover)
2. Bring the Noise (with Public Enemy)
3. Keep It in the Family (live)
4. Startin' Up a Posse
5. Protest and Survive (Discharge cover)
6. Chromatic Death (S.O.D. cover)
7. I'm the Man '91
8. Parasite (KISS cover)
9. Pipeline (Ventures cover)
10. Sects (Trust cover)
11. Belly of the Beast (live)
12. N.F.B. (Dallabnikufesin)
Bring the Noise
***
Written on 23.01.08
Anthrax's cover of Public Enemy's 'Bring the Noise' is widely celebrated as the first true rap-metal hybrid, and however dubious and responsible for later atrocities it may be, it's a competent enough effort that even deceives the listener into thinking that this sort of thing makes sense. Featuring Public Enemy's Chuck D rapping along with the Anthrax guys, the song was apparently planned as a light-hearted affair that ended up becoming a little more serious, which can only be a good thing considering how terrible their earlier rap abomination 'I'm the Man' turned out. This is a hell of a lot better.
The most impressive thing about this song is how it manages to retain the metal elements through Scott Ian and Dan Spitz's guitars riffs, though they are considerably muted compared to the Anthrax norm. Charlie Benante's drums are also more in line with the hip hop standard, but keep the live presence that makes this more energetic as a result, and the incorporation of turntables as an instrument was less offensive to my ears than I'd imagined. I was pretty impressed, and even though it's not enough to set me on a course to liking hip hop, I've never a heard another rap metal song that I thought was as valid or entertaining, nor one that I could listen to without my stomach turning to be honest.
The second track is also taken from the 'Attack of the Killer B's' compilation, and bears a freaky, presumably unintentional connection to its predecessor in the lyric "public enemies." It's a bit of an odd choice for a live representation of the band as it's really far too stretched out at over seven minutes, though it avoids being too aggressive to alienate any hip hop fans approaching the band for the first time here. More impressive is the reworking of their tribute to 2000 AD's Judge Dredd, 'I Am the Law,' which is a little clearer than the original and lacks none of its energy. It starts off a little dull and repetitive in the style of 'Keep It in the Family' but later erupts into a full force thrash extravaganza that was a long time coming, with a brilliantly fun guitar solo. It's commendable that a wider range of the band's styles was explored on this single, rather than simply bulking it out with an 'I'm the Man' remix that would instantly detract a couple of stars from my rating.
1. Bring the Noise
2. Keep It in the Family (live)
3. I Am the Law '91
Sound of White Noise
**
Written on 23.01.08
It was a disappointing inevitability that Anthrax would follow the trend of their thrash contemporaries in the early-to-mid nineties and drastically alter their sound to something less intense, more hard rock influenced and ultimately more in line with the popular grunge movement, but unlike other sell-out releases that still managed to be surprisingly good ('Metallica,' 'Countdown to Extinction,' 'The Ritual'), there really is nothing to praise about this album. 'Sound of White Noise' is competent nineties hard rock that never escapes sounding distinctly like a sub-par Alice in Chains or Stone Temple Pilots, and is the clear point of slump in the Anthrax discography that would never recover.
It seems that in attempting to match the heavy sound of the previous 'Persistence of Time,' all melodic elements derived from classic heavy metal that formed such an essential and distinctive part of the Anthrax sound have been completely excised, which robs the band of its identity and leaves no clue that this is the same band, something exacerbated by the firing of talented but allegedly unreliable singer Joey Belladonna and his replacement with John Bush. Bush's arrival didn't necessarily have to be like this, a low grunge croak in the style of Kurt Cobain, as he had already displayed considerable talent with a wide range in the early Armored Saint albums, but of course that would be incompatible with the band's new, bland-nineties sound.
I don't have anything against Alice in Chains and those bands who enjoyed such a boom of popularity in the early nineties (indeed, they did a great service in finally putting an end to hideous glam metal acts), but this same popularity expanded to engulf these artists who were continuing to perfect their metal sound just as metal became distinctly unpopular, and that's a real shame. The problem with this album in particular is that it's completely boring and is nothing more than a shameful attempt to fit in with the new scene, something that must have disappointed many long-time fans who were accustomed to the band's formerly independent, "we're Anthrax and we take no sh*t" attitude. Dan Spitz and Scott Ian churn out unmemorable, tediously rhythmic riffs that have none of the usual Anthrax excitement, and the only real member to continue pulling his weight is drummer Charlie Benante, though his more energetic drums often sound at odds with the rest of the music.
As expected for such a commercially-oriented album, it's the tracks released as singles that end up being the most memorable, though no better than the rest of the album: 'Only' for being the peak of Alice in Chains similarity, 'Room for One More' for sounding like a direct continuation of Bush's previous band Armored Saint where they left off with the similarly mediocre 'Symbol of Salvation' album, and the dull ballad 'Black Lodge' that doesn't even offer a cheap thrill to Twin Peaks fans by referencing the series explicitly in its lyrics, if it's even about it at all (considering the band's customarily limited pop-culture horizons, it seems likely for the early nineties). If this was any other band it would probably be worth three stars, but it's a horribly rapid deterioration for Anthrax that doesn't stand up to the test of time.
1. Potters Field
2. Only
3. Room For One More
4. Packaged Rebellion
5. Hy Pro Glo
6. Invisible
7. 1000 Points of Hate
8. Black Lodge
9. C11 H17 N2 O2 S Na
10. Burst
11. This Is Not an Exit
Stomp 442
**
Written on 23.01.08
Just when I thought Anthrax couldn't stoop any lower, they release this horrendous follow-up to the already fairly disastrous 'Sound of White Noise,' only this time instead of ripping off Alice in Chains, they're attempting to combine the irritating, macho groove metal of Pantera with the radio-friendly rock of the Foo Fighters, which is obviously a much better idea.
Once again, the sound is completely alien from classic Anthrax, and this is only made worse by the departure of another member in the form of guitarist Dan Spitz. John Bush manages to exceed all expectations of his ability to sell out and conform by adopting a Phil Anselmo faux-rap style for many of the verses balanced out by reasonable singing in the choruses that still isn't a decent enough excuse, and the whole album is a painful attempt to produce something commercially viable with irrelevant heaviness laid over the top, seemingly in an attempt to prove that they're still the same old uncompromising Anthrax to the small minority of fans who might actually believe them. This is the same uncompromising Anthrax who proudly claimed they would never record a ballad, before following ten tediously repetitive grove metal lite anthems here with an equally bland acoustic song at the finale.
Megadeth and Metallica might have softened up and become a lot less interesting in the nineties, but Anthrax's downfall is surely the most insulting. While Testament sought out an even more aggressive sound through a controversial death metal direction and Slayer stuck to their guns, Anthrax (under the direction of drummer Charlie Benante, but he can't take all the blame) instead allowed themselves to be absorbed into the delusion that down-tuning guitars and eradicating solos led to a heavier sound. This is the worst Anthrax album.
1. Random Acts of Senseless Violence
2. Fueled
3. King Size
4. Riding Shotgun
5. Perpetual Motion
6. In a Zone
7. Nothing
8. American Pompeii
9. Drop the Ball
10. Tester
11. Bare
Volume 8: The Threat Is Real
***
Written on 23.01.08
'Volume 8' is probably the most unusual Anthrax album ever released (outside of 'Attack of the Killer B's' of course), and while certainly not up to the standard of their classic period of the eighties, it's an interesting and entertaining enough oddity to allow the former thrashers to reclaim some of the dignity they lost with their rubbish albums of the mid-nineties. That's not to say that Anthrax have come back to metal with this release, in fact it's probably the furthest they ever went into alternative hard rock, but at least this time around they aren't obviously trying to rip off whichever loud bands happen to be trendy at the time.
The experimental edge is immediately apparent in some of the odd song titles and the presence of interludes, though these disappointingly turn out to be nothing more than brief "comedy" inserts. The real interest lies in the range of styles employed, from the general sound in energetic hard rock that finally abandons the pretensions to metal found on 'Sound of White Noise' and 'Stomp 442' to drastic deviations into The Doors-style psychedelia in 'Inside Out' and even country in 'Toast to the Extras.' Of course, being post-1990 Anthrax there are several major problems that keep this from being a classic release: the overall style tends toward bland repetition, the guitars are completely boring and uninspired, and John Bush makes the whole thing sound more like groove metal than I'd like, but for its greater capacity for invention and the obvious level of enjoyment occurring through the recording, this is a much more enjoyable listen than either of the previous albums - as long as you can stand a noticeably less angry Anthrax that even borders on happy.
Traditional Anthrax fans will likely hate this album, with its occasional ballads, cow bell and lack of anything even remotely resembling thrash, but as I was never a huge fan in the first place I'm able to accept it as quite a nice album amidst a sea of mediocrity. 'Inside Out' was the obvious choice for a single due to its Deftones-like nu metal moments, but for mixing elements of Eastern acoustic style reminiscent of The Doors' 'The End' and going out with a heavy conclusion it's one of the better tracks here, while others succeed merely for being enjoyable stoner rock in the style of Clutch. While it would take another five years for Anthrax to hit the metal mainstream again, though clearly never in the same way they once managed, 'Volume 8' has the distinction of being the oddball in the collection, and I'm always oddly fond of oddballs even when they're not very good.
1. Crush
2. Catharsis
3. Inside Out
4. Piss 'n' Vinegar
5. 604
6.Toast to the Extras
7. Born Again Idiot
8. Killing Box
9. Harms Way
10. Hog Tied
11. Big Fat
12. Cupajoe
13. Alpha Male
14. Stealing From a Thief
15. Pieces
We've Come For You All
Stream of Consciousness Flows into a River of Blood
****
Written on 23.01.08
Anthrax's final album with vocalist John Bush (ex-Armored Saint) prior to the reunion of the original line-up continues in more or less the same groove metal style of most contemporary thrash bands since Pantera, but avoids being overly hostile in the same way. With a firm hard rock base, this collection of fourteen relatively varied songs won't necessarily appeal to fans of the band's earlier albums with Joey Belladonna, but don't have the same disappointing, alienating, sell-out sense of later releases by Metallica and Megadeth. With no aspirations to being traditional thrash, and no desire to participate fully in the groove devolution either, Anthrax's sound continues to remain distinctive even when it's barely recognisable as the band as it started out.
The focus here is, as expected, less on creating fast, memorable guitar riffs and more on setting up a heavy groove for Bush to yell melodically over, but starting with 'Safe Home,' Rob Caggiano throws out some old-fashioned solos in most songs for good measure. This longer fifth track was the single from the album, perhaps inevitably, and although its slightly jarring leap from heavy, plodding verses to emotive, melodic chorus is a bit far-fetched, and its main riff's undeniable similarity to that bloody 2 Unlimited 'No Limit' song is rather weird, it opens the album up to greater musical possibilities that it follows through on to some extent, furthering the use of acoustic guitar in the equally varied 'Anyplace But Here' and experimenting with a bluesy approach to the throwback 'Cadillac Rock Box,' while penultimate 'Think About an End' is a surprisingly effective synthesis of Korn riffs with a Pearl Jam chorus and Iron Maiden guitar section.
These songs aside, the album does mostly cater for the late nineties groove metal market, with opener 'What Doesn't Die' setting the trend for hammering, repetitive chords, verses like a slow version of Testament and additional, slightly different choruses added later in the song that can all come together in varying degrees of success for the finale. It's not bad, and 'Superhero' and 'Black Dahlia' at least have good riffs to back them up, but the rest fall into a fairly standard pattern where it's only the chorus that really stands out. 'Refuse to Be Denied' has a hip hop slant to its vocal rhythm, 'Strap It On' is irritatingly repetitive, and only the faster effort of 'Nobody Knows Anything' really harks back to the "golden time" promised by the aforementioned nostalgia anthem.
'We've Come For You All' is an easily avoided but fairly interesting effort from Anthrax that's far from their best work, as is the case for anything released since the early nineties, but could have been a lot worse if John Bush had gone in a more Phil Anselmo direction, though it's still a little sad that he ditched his previous high vocal style from Armored Saint that would have worked out pretty cool. The band is seen inside the album booklet wearing T-shirts that proudly claim, "we're not changing our name!" in response to a stupid plea by the government that they do so in the face of yet another anthrax threat early in the decade.
1. Intro
2. What Doesn't Die
3. Superhero
4. Refuse to Be Denied
5. Safe Home
6. Anyplace But Here
7. Nobody Knows Anything
8. Strap It On
9. Black Dahlia
10. Cadillac Rock Box
11. Taking the Music Back
12. Crash
13. Think About an End
14. We've Come For You All
Advantages: Lively songs with a great vocal performance and some degree of variation.
Disadvantages: Suffers from the same groove metal disease as much modern thrash.
Leaving Eden
***
Written on 24.01.08
Antimatter is partly an Anathema side project, occasionally featuring Danny Cavanagh and Duncan Patterson themselves, but on 'Leaving Eden' it's more along the lines of a solo project for Mick Moss. Moss provides all the vocals, electric piano and the rhythm electric and acoustic guitars in most songs, supplemented by Cavanagh's slowly screeching David Gilmour-style solos towards the end. The overall direction is minimalist progressive atmospheric rock similar to Anathema, but occasionally taken even further. At the same time, Moss' bluesy singing keeps the whole thing accessible enough even to a mainstream audience, provided they have a significant attention span, and it seems to be this commercial consciousness that prevents the album from really succeeding in all but a few songs.
This is only an album you could listen to as mood music or something to relax to, particularly as songs tend to start sounding the same after the first couple of tracks. Opener 'Redemption' sets up the style perfectly, led by Moss' dominant crooning and slowly and softly plucking acoustic before Cavanagh turns it into a generic eighties Pink Floyd song with his blaring solo, and the second song takes a slightly different approach by substituting the acoustic guitar for - wait for it - a piano. Although it's a bit of a contrived change it works perfectly and makes for another of the album's best songs, helped along by Rachel Brewster's violin that doesn't go overboard on the drama before inevitably turning into Pink Floyd again at the finale. The main disappointment I have with the album is that almost all of the songs that come after follow one of these two styles, mostly resulting in a less impressive variant of 'Redemption' that isn't even particularly varied.
The despair factor is competent here, but like Anathema it frequently falters and becomes something blander and more generic, though more easily digested songs like 'Ghosts' are still strong in their own right. The title song is commendably one of the few occasions that the sound branches out to strive for different emotions, and the heavy electric guitars make it stand out amidst the pleasant, atmospheric but ultimately forgettable instrumentals in the album's second half, the only one of which I really enjoyed was the slightly odd 'Landlocked' mainly for being slightly odd, beginning with a xylophone and synthesiser section before morphing into another imitation of track one. 'Leaving Eden' is a talented release that doesn't try anything too fancy, but all the same never escapes sounding like an Anathema clone, leaving me with the distinct impression that the earlier albums written by actual Anathema members would somehow be more satisfying.
1. Redemption
2. Another Face in a Window
3. Ghosts
4. The Freak Show
5. Landlocked
6. Conspire
7. Leaving Eden
8. The Immaculate Misconception
9. Fighting for a Lost Cause
Andromeda Unchained
Outcast From the Stars
****
Written on 24.01.08
'Andromeda Unchained' is Anubis Gate's third album, and should appeal to anyone who enjoys the more progressive side of heavy metal, or even more specifically the science fiction concept albums of Ayreon and Rush. More openly progressive than the Danish band's previous albums, the songs are nevertheless still kept memorable and engaging enough to appeal to a wider audience, aided by new vocalist Jacob Hansen whose high falsetto, while a little whiney for my taste, fits comfortably into the style of bands like Fates Warning and Dream Theater that are the obvious musical inspirations here.
This isn't progressive music that's aiming to break down the boundaries of metal, but is rather more comfortable inhabiting a niche that was burrowed as far back as the eighties with albums like Queensr˙che's 'Operation: Mindcrime' and Fates Warning's 'Awaken the Guardian.' The musicians are all talented but don't go to great lengths to show off, excepting the customary guitar solos and theatrics of the longer songs, and the only truly unusual sounds on the recording come in the form of some tribal and Eastern influence in the early sections, followed by seventies spacey keyboards once the locale becomes extraterrestrial. It's nothing that hasn't been heard before many times, but this is still a strong and entertaining album nicely divided into multiple songs of easily digested length (with two permissable exceptions), rather than something blindly composed to alienate casual listeners.
As the album follows a linear narrative, the music moves through several identifiable phases which makes for a more consistent and satisfying experience overall, while always retaining the commercial heavy metal root. 'Snowbound' and 'Waking Hour' gradually introduce the metal elements from a fairly pop-rock beginning to some fast power metal, culminating in the heaviest section of the album from the title track through to 'Beyond Redemption,' all of which should satisfy metal fans as long as they weren't expecting anything too extreme. The pace slows slightly as more synthesised elements are incorporated into 'Resurrection Time,' and from this point the album becomes a little bit grander and starts to take its time, though never leading to tedium. Both 'This White Storm Through My Mind' and 'The Final Overture' are full of great guitar work in the riffs, dual lead melodies and solos and make for my favourite part of the recording, even approaching the sound of modern Dream Theater on occasion, before the final section of the album slows down significantly and provides a nice ending, but noticeably lacks the energy of the previous songs, particularly in the near-ballad 'Take Me Home' sung by bassist Henrik Fayre.
While this isn't a novel or groundbreaking album as progressive albums are perhaps expected to be (the clue's in the name really), it's still another high quality, rip-snorting, sci-fi heavy metal extravaganza of the kind I unashamedly like so much, and there's a nice commercial side to it that prevents things from getting too heavy or imposing. Ayreon is still better though.
1. Freak Storm at Post Zeta...One Child Missing...
2. Snowbound
3. Waking Hour
4. Andromeda Unchained
5. Banished from Sector Q
6. Beyond Redemption
7. Resurrection Time
8. Escape Pod
9. This White Storm Through My Mind
10. The Final Overture
11. Take Me Home
12. Point of No Concern
13. The End of Millennium Road
14. The Stars of Canis Minor
15. Untitled
Advantages: High quality and still accessible outer-space prog metal.
Disadvantages: Some songs are too similar, and it lacks originality.
Speed of Sound
***
Written on 24.01.08
This 1999 release from classic heavy metal old-timers Anvil doesn't exactly catch them at their creative peak, but all the same it's an enjoyable forty minutes of energetic metal mixed with a significant stoner edge. Guitarists Lips and Ivan Hurd take their cues from Black Sabbath, or rather the horde of bands that have been influenced by Sabbath in the first place and have gone on to establish several genres of increasingly meaningless terminology (stoner, sludge, swamp, you know), and while these Sabbathesque riffs become very samey and repetitive as early as track four, the band still possesses the determination and energy to save us with a stonking heavy metal performance just when things start to get boring.
Anvil has evidently made its career through accessible metal anthems with easy choruses, and even in the comparative obscurity of the late nineties it's the choruses that still attempt to hog the limelight, which is a shame as they're mostly pretty rubbish even when enjoyable in a punk/NWOBHM/early thrash way. Lips' lyrics attempt to tackle some serious social issues including school shootings and custody battles, but his narratives end up sounding uninspired at best, and a tad embarrassing at worst, though obviously this will only add to the experience for those seeking some classic "cheesy" heavy metal; thankfully, the strong musicianship means you'll mostly be disappointed. There's an irritating degree of repetition in the riffs and choruses of most songs with only the usual celebratory guitar solos offering some respite, but thankfully as the album reaches its half-way point it impressed me enough not to write it off yet.
'No Evil' isn't a classic song, but it's an enjoyable and skilled longer song approaching six minutes that impressively moves from distinctly Sabbath-style slow doom, complete with bell tolls and backing tenors, to unprecedented heavy riffs and speedy solos later on, while retaining the sing-song lyric style for the casual listeners. This is the best song here by a long way, though the final song achieves comparable diversity while others such as 'Life to Lead' and the opening song display commendable energy. Lips certainly isn't past it yet, though he still has a stupid name, and along with Robb Reiner's drums, he makes this an appropriately heavy modern metal record without veering into the groove metal territory that suckers in so many promising bands, only getting as far as a shared interest in down-tuned riffs. The lyrics can be quite hideously bad on occasion, and even seem to quote the X-Files in 'Secret Agent' with its belief that "the truth is out there" and plea to "trust no one," but the music is simple, fun and energetic in a way that only a classic eighties band can manage when persevering into further decades of obscurity. Those zany Canadians.
1. Speed of Sound
2. Blood in the Playground
3. Deadbeat Dad
4. Man Over Board
5. No Evil
6. Bullshit
7. Mattress Mambo
8. Secret Agent
9. Life to Lead
10. Park That Truck
Windowlicker
**
Written on 24.01.08
At the height of Richard D. James' unexpected popularity, the Cornish electronic artist did what many similarly reputable artists had done before and since: he sold out. But while the song 'Windowlicker' was undoubtedly his most commercially viable composition yet, its bland style, hidden messages and more obvious satire of its famous, controversial music video make it clear that Aphex Twin's intention is to infiltrate and expose the mainstream music industry for what it is, to destroy the system from the inside. He does a reasonably good job by appending some truly alienating works to this extended single.
'Windowlicker' itself is a fairly ambient and mellow piece of electronic music, in direct contrast to Aphex Twin's customarily disturbing and discordant underground works. It's easy to follow, with only a few distracting electronic sounds in the form of terminal beeps and non-descript shuffling, but even these are repeated in the same order with relative frequency to the point that they too become mass produced, pre-packaged samples that make the casual listener feel an exaggerated sense of alternative taste for listening to. This smooth song is led by a simple, poppy bass rhythm and a main melody partially consisting of pleasant, wordless male and female singing voices, making the whole thing only ever so slightly eerie. In spite of its six minute running length and comparative dissimilarity from the usual mainstays of the Top 40, this really is very pop, and for Aphex Twin is a loud scream that something is awry. Only the very end deteriorates into white noise, not being able to keep up the pretence for the duration, and listeners on both sides of the alternative divide are left to work out the song's purpose for themselves.
Sadly, there really isn't anything else of value on this short release. The second track, designated by a long formula that dooyoo predictably doesn't like but that handily goes by the simpler pseudonym "Formula," is an absolute load of rubbish that will only be enjoyed by the most ludicrously loyal alternative electronic fan. There are enough repeated rhythms and sounds for it to reasonably count as music as opposed to just noise (though I doubt your Nan would agree, unless she's a raver), and the purpose behind at least part of this song has since been revealed as a mere digitisation of an image of James' face with customary Cheshire Cat grin. You're listening to a picture translated into sound, a technique that has a long history in film (1931's 'Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde' for example), but that doesn't exactly make for a riveting bonus track. I should add that cats don't seem to appreciate this song very much when they're trying to get to sleep.
The third song is the lighter and slightly less pointless 'Nannou,' a tender composition that would be even more accessible than the title track, if not for the eccentric touches such as the intermittent winding of the suggested music box and the contradictory restless bass line scratching away underneath. It's reasonably pleasant, and not too long, but again isn't anything to really capture the imagination. My version features two additional tracks not found on the standard single, in the form of rather worthlessly short and worthlessly identical demo versions of the first two songs. The early version of 'Windowlicker' sounds more or less exactly the same from this two-minute sample, only in slightly inferior sound quality, and nobody needed to hear the tedious quacking of 'Formula' a second time, even if it does make a pretty picture of a duck or something. Yes I want to try it now, but that still doesn't mean these were worthwhile additions to bulk out a fairly mediocre single.
1. Windowlicker
2. Formula
3. Nannou
4. Windowlicker (original demo)
5.Formula (early version, edit)
Cult
****
Written on 24.01.08
Apocalyptica is a cello quarter from Finland that rose to prominence above their equally skilled competitors by releasing an album of Metallica covers that rocked the rock world and opened its eyes to new possibilities, even though that sort of thing had been going on for years. In spite of my spite, Apocalyptica is a talented group whose thrash metal influence is evident in the fast and furious performances on some of their songs, though they are equally able and prepared to tackle a slower and more contemplative mood more akin to their neoclassical base.
'Cult' is their second album of original works, and explores the full breadth of their fairly limited musical scope. Adding percussion to the core team for extra emphasis in some songs, this is limited to use of a bass drum or gong for dramatic peaks and cymbals to bulk out some of the verses. There really are no electric guitars, though the cellists do a great imitation in the harsher sections. The finest songs are ones like 'In Memoriam' that explore both ends of the spectrum, from sweeping strings to thrash riffs, and my personal least favourites are those like the opening song and 'Hyperventilation' that force prominent melodic cellos in a manner that sounds all too much like they're covering thrash again, and encourages the listener to check the tracklist to confirm that these are original pieces.
Although it's difficult and even a little pointless to pick out specific favourites from the overall epic and calm but sometimes shaky experience, there is something of a build-up here that culminates in the ferocious thrash finale to 'Kaamos' that abruptly cuts off and is followed by six minutes of calm after the storm in the somewhat appropriately titled 'Coma.' If there really is a conceptual story going on, I must have missed it, but songs like 'Romance' and 'Struggle' are similarly appropriate to their titles in their contrasting moods.
As usual for Apocalyptica, they throw in a few cover songs to add value to the album and successfully avoid offending those who are only interested in their own material (like me) by shoving them at the end here in the form of what are essentially bonus tracks. The world didn't need another take on Grieg's classic 'Hall of the Mountain King' from the end of Peer Gynt 1, but as with many other bands, these Finns enjoy providing their ability to keep up with the ridiculously accelerating tempo. Their version is one I don't particularly enjoy, opening nicely enough with some mad cello squealing that we haven't heard previously on the album but then moving on to showcase each individual cellist in turn while the other mess around doing higher melodies, before all finally come together as it leads to the finale.
The two Metallica covers are songs that the casual listener may not be quite as familiar with, the more famous stuff all being tackled in 'Plays Metallica by Four Cellos,' but both are particularly well chosen: 'Until it Sleeps' has a dark baroque feel to it in the first place, and could easily pass for a cello original, while 'Fight Fire With Fire' from Metallica's more aggressive, early days returns to the madly thrashing style of the earlier songs, making a great job of the dual guitar solo and using the bass drum nicely in the heavier sections. I'm not too fond of these type of covers, firstly because they seem a little too much like novelty, and secondly because they absolutely always make me wish I was listening to the original, as I hear a cello take on my favourite guitar solo or a great chorus melody and think "I wish that was a real guitar playing that, rather than a cello." You don't see teenagers gazing in awe at a string quartet performance on TV and rushing out to buy a cello, do you?
1. Path
2. Struggle
3. Romance
4. Pray!
5. In Memoriam
6. Hyperventilation
7. Beyond Time
8. Hope
9. Kaamos
10. Coma
11. Hall of the Mountain King (Grieg)
12. Until It Sleeps (Metallica)
13. Fight Fire With Fire (Metallica)
Worlds Collide
**
Written on 24.01.08
Apocalyptica's most recent album is quite a sad, but successful attempt to enter the rock mainstream with their self-styled brand of cello metal. Beginning their career by covering the works of Metallica and other bands and often being branded as novelty, I was pleased when these experimental Finns evolved to write more and more of their own material, but since the departure of Max Lilja and the addition of a permanent drummer to their sound, the band has veered increasingly from its original style to this nadir.
The main problem with 'Worlds Collide,' when you get past the sickening sell-out aspect, is the inconsistency and the band's clear lack of confidence in their unique sound, as the numerous guest performers more or less dictate the style that each song will centre around, from thrash and gothic metal to irritating "nu" metal. Worse still is the calibre of performer relied on here, mostly plucked from the metal mainstream more for their recognition as opposed to any real talent (particularly evident in the presence of Slipknot's "singer" Corey Taylor in track three), with only regular contributor Dave Lombardo retaining any of the band's previous credibility. The cello-based sound is only really prominent on a handful of tracks, the rest seeing the regular musicians drowned out by guitars, overbearing and quite horrible drums, and worst of all the singing that sort of ruins the whole point of the endeavour. If the modern Apocalyptica were to cover Metallica now, what would be the difference?
The only tracks worth listening to for anyone older than about fifteen, or whatever age the misplaced angst of Slipknot and those sort of bands is aimed towards, are the mostly-cello instrumentals 'Ion,' 'Last Hope' and 'Peace,' each taking a slightly different approach; the first combines the irritating nu metal drumming with a standard Apocalyptica fare, and the second replaces these with Lombardo's skills that result in the album's best song by far, the only one to possess real energy and a cello thrash style reminiscent of their earlier works, while Lombardo refrains from dominating the sound in the way the lesser drummers don't manage. 'Peace' is a little dull by comparison, but at least makes for a pleasant finale and provides some respite from the contrived singles and ballads towards the end of the album, particularly offensive in 'I Don't Care.'
The most disappointing songs here are those that forsake any semblance of an Apocalyptica sound and prefer to absorb the styles of the guest contributors to the point that they sound like the other band's B-sides. 'I'm Not Jesus' is a detestable Slipknot sound-alike, 'S.O.S.' fares better but still essentially sounds exactly like Lacuna Coil due to the singing of Cristina Scabbia, and the German cover of David Bowie's 'Heroes' with Rammstein's Till Lindermann unfortunately seems to be going more for the novelty value that Rammstein's fan base is partly based around, though I'm prepared to grudgingly accept that some actually enjoy the music. The style here starts out completely wrong and contradictory, with Lindermann sounding the same as ever above a minimalist cello backdrop that only really matches what he's singing when the cellos are drowned out by rock instruments. With the release of 'Cult' it seemed that Apocalyptica were finally moving away from covers towards a perfection of their own unique sound, but with songs like this their devolution is complete.
1. Worlds Collide
2. Grace
3. I'm Not Jesus
4. Ion
5. Helden ( David Bowie cover)
6. Stroke
7. Last Hope
8. I Don't Care
9. Burn
10. S.O.S.(Anything But Love)
11. Peace
Folkloric Feel
****
Written on 25.01.08
'Folkloric Feel' is the first album from Canada's Apostle of Hustle, under the direction of Andrew Whiteman with Julian Brown and Daniel Stone. Not too easy to pigeonhole into one genre, it's generally atmospheric and melancholic acoustic indie rock with a distinct Latin vibe, occasionally veering into more straightforward indie rock styles but mostly content to explore a dreamy soundscape with minimal vocals and soft percussion.
The lullaby-type songs 'Sleepwalking Ballad' and 'Animal Fat' are complimented excellently by the use of backing, angelic female vocals to supplement Whiteman's main performance, and they're atmospheric and moving in the style of the Cure around 'Disintegration,' but a little dull all the same. The most successful songs are the more raw and loosely structured acoustic jams of sorts, best represented in the opening title song which uses every minute of its extended playing time to experiment with new directions and introduce the other instruments and classical elements gradually over its course, only morphing into a more typical indie song right at the very end. 'Kings & Queens' is another highlight in a similar style only a little more refined, while the final couple of tracks rely more on ambience and mood than anything particularly engaging in its own right; perhaps Whiteman composed this as night time music, with the intention that these songs can send the listener into a comfortable sleep. It's a nice thought, but slightly spoiled by the seventies rock of 'Dark is What I Want' that's louder and more electric than anything else on the album and stands out significantly as a result, but at least affords time for a nice jangly guitar solo.
Although it's distinctly arty, it's also clear that this album was consciously targeted at a wider audience within the alternative scene by the presence of songs that smell a lot like potential singles, for being shorter and simpler, and focusing on more down-to-earth matters. 'Baby, You're in Luck' is my least favourite song here for its rather dull relationship angst, but 'Energy of Death' is effective in lightening the mood with its upbeat jangle. There's an odd mix here of controlled cinematic minimalism and unapologetic straightforward indie rock, but it's all handled very well and remains surprisingly consistent despite a couple of missteps.
1. Folkloric Feel
2. Sleepwalking Ballad
3. Baby, You're in Luck
4. Energy of Death
5. Kings & Queens
6. Song for Lorca
7. Animal Fat
8. Dark is What I Want / Strutters Ball
9. Gleaning
10. They Shoot Horses, Don't They
Apteka
***
Written on 25.01.08
Last year's self-titled release from Apteka (which also contained a self-titled song, just for the hell of it) was the Polish band's comeback after more than a decade away, and if anything it represents an even more unbalanced and narcotic-fuelled version of the band that finally lives up to its name (Polish for pharmacy, or drug store). A few songs are fairly loud and domineering in a hard rock fashion, while other tend more towards psychedelic ramblings from Jedrzej Kodymowski against his equally distracted guitar melodies and Jacek Zoladek's driving bass.
While I kept getting the nagging feeling that the listener really does have to be in some kind of purple haze to really enjoy what's going on, this is quite a decent album of modern psychedelic rock even if it's a little scrambled and very uneven. The louder songs 'Wiochaowska,' 'Terrorysci gora,' 'Przemowienie wodza' and the fast and punky 'Apteka' are distinctly different from the rest of the album that follows a slower and overall less musical approach, but that's not to say that they're necessarily all the more interesting for their repetitive electric riffs and staccato vocal bursts, as the style only really comes together as late as the ninth track.
The primary direction of the album (that these songs interrupt with calculated regularity) really begins in the second track, where Kodymowski shifts to a softer, almost spoken word vocal style of rhyme, before the loose style is taken to its natural conclusion in the following song where the two Poles merely talk and laugh over dull backing music for several minutes. 'Mieszadlo chaosu' is mostly the same, led predominantly by the bass with some reasonable bluesy guitar soloing once Kodymowski has finished talking about whatever it is he's talking about (I can't speak Polski, sadly), and the tone increases to desperation in track six before mellowing to an almost beach vibe in track eight.
None of these songs really stand out, though I was most impressed by the short and energetic title song and the intelligent incorporation of heavy riffs into the centre of 'What Is' proving that this isn't all raving (you know, in the bad way - though I don't think there's really a good way), but the overall experience is enjoyable and nicely unhinged. If you want to experience what it's like to be Polish and off your head, this may be a place to start.
1. Wiochaowska
2. Wszystko w porzadku
3. O rycerzu
4. Terrorysci gora
5. Mieszadlo chaosu
6. Tranfescyta i inne cioty
7. Apteka
8. Kamil Cyprian Norwid
9. Przemowienie wodza
10. Kazda minuta
11. What Is
12. Bo Snu Nova
Slo=w Pertinaceous Threnody on the Abnegation of Succour
***
Written on 25.01.08
This debut album from the UK's Arachnotaur is a disturbingly heavy monstrosity of drone doom metal spread across four deathly slow, static-laden songs chronicling miserable destruction. Based roughly in the sludgy style of Eyehategod, this is music to fry the brain and cause mental imbalance, but it's as good a way as any to spend forty minutes immersed in apocalypse.
It's clear even from the album's title, which includes the deliberately nonsensical equals sign in 'Slo=w Pertinacious Threnody on the Abnegation of Succour,' that Arachnotaur is a band dedicated to extremes, something that extends to the oddball names they've opted to christen themselves. The depths of heaviness on this album don't measure up to the pummelling force of black metal, but are rather more considered and concentrated into staggered bursts from the slow instrumentation against a constant background crunch of feedback. The world would be a far worse place if this sort of music became widespread and spread its plague of misery and irritability, but fortunately with a self-funded independent release and dedicated minority fan base who can handle it (there haven't been any connected atrocities thus far), this is an album that knows its audience and refuses to cater for the wider market. This is also why it doesn't measure up as much as other drone bands that at least have something more enjoyable going for them outside of the discordance.
While it may not be clear exactly what this album's concept is intended to evoke, from the odd continuing title and minimal lyrics, there is a sense of progression from each song to the next that singles them out as specific movements, at least for listeners paying attention past the generic, hypnotic background sounds. The first, fifteen-minute song indulges in an extremely drawn-out overture of sorts that eventually forms its way into Black Sabbath-style doom riffs and ends in a bass-led section from Captain Dog over which Air Attack speaks an incantation. After this, the next two songs are shorter and more concise, and become ever so slightly faster, in a manner only really detectable with measuring equipment, Rav Bone's screeched vocals and scratching guitar riffs accordingly increasing in intensity as track two leaps over into track three, while Duxty Dekazvez puts in accompanying guttural vocals and an enjoyable drum performance heavy on the cymbals - well, he has to find something to do between the tediously drawn-out drum hits. The final song returns to the elongated style of the first with even more discordant static and other such unpleasantness towards the end, and while it isn't going to win over any new fans it at least feels like a satisfying finale, even if it's the dullest track even speaking comparatively.
British doom often proves to be the most satisfying and innovative (the main exception being Sweden's Candlemass), and even as American bands work slowly and tediously to take it to new extremes, it only takes a quartet of English guys with a depressed attitude and ridiculous names to bring out a definitive drone release such as this. It's not the most pleasant listening experience, in fact the pain and tedium is a large part of its charm, but it's a little disappointing for lacking any real stand-out moments or defining riffs amidst the general thrum of unpleasantness.
1. The Bleak Volcano
2. Speweth Forth Magmatic Annihilation
3. And Thus Cometh the Slow Destrucctaur
4. Bring Forth the Blackened Twilight
So Red the Rose
***
Written on 25.01.08
'So Red the Rose' was the sole, and rather successful release of Duran Duran side-project Arcadia, seemingly intended to explore a more artistic and atmospheric direction free from the pressures and expectations of the group's primary career. As I don't really have the slightest clue about Duran Duran (and enjoy not knowing), I didn't have any expectations of what this should or shouldn't sound like, aside from a general impression that it was a little bit experimental which it turns out isn't completely true. While this isn't exactly in line with the early eighties pop that I'm guessing was Duran Duran's style (I dunno), it's still accessible enough for a mainstream crowd in a home listening environment as opposed to a disco or wherever it was that people went in 1985 (I was only two months old when this was released, give me a break) and mixes mainstream ballads with ever-so-slight eccentricity that I enjoy.
Simon Le Bon is most entertaining in his more energetic vocal performances in 'Election Day' and 'The Flame,' sounding similar to in-character David Bowie, but the rest of the time settles for a softer singing tone more in line with the predominantly slow and atmospheric mood of the other songs, reaching a head in the pleasant duet in 'The Promise' which is probably the best song here, and nicely supplemented by guest guitars from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. There's a clear division between the two halves of the album that would have been even more obvious in the days of double-side vinyl, as the first favours shorter songs while the second goes for the slightly more epic length of seven minute averages for the final three after the brief interlude 'Rose Arcana.' Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your view), this doesn't lead to inconsistency and both sides end up sounding more or less the same as the final two songs merely sound like over-stretched versions of the softer songs from side one, with only a couple of nice touches towards the beginning acting as the sole excuse for their somewhat unreasonably extended length.
Anyone concerned that this album would follow the course of Bowie's 'Low' album will be happy to discover that Nick Rhodes' keyboard theatrics are kept to a minimum and are really no more elaborate on 'Lady Ice' than they were in the otherwise more mainstream 'Keep Me in the Dark,' and commendably the band puts out one of their more unusual songs first, in the form of the sax-heavy 'Election Day' followed later by the even more experimental 'The Promise' opening the second half. There's a slight Oriental theme flowing through some of the keyboards and guitar lines at intermittent points throughout the album that may be mere coincidence, and nice touches like a flatulent bass in 'The Promise' and a folk introduction with violin and flute in 'El Diablo' that then proceeds to adopt a more Latin flavour, but the whole thing is kept firmly in the eighties thanks to the persistent, cold, gothic drums of Roger Taylor, and it's all the better for it. This doesn't border on progressive rock, but for a Duran Duran release it's a commendable artistic statement and one I prefer much more than their customary style. I expect.
1. Election Day
2. Keep Me in the Dark
3. Goodbye is Forever
4. The Flame
5. Missing
6. Rose Arcana
7. The Promise
8. El Diablo
9. Lady Ice
Lies
***
Written on 25.01.08
Arcana Obscura's 2006 album is much more concerned with mixing atmosphere and accessible dance songs than the new age experiments of their earlier career in the nineties, and although it's not the most riveting seventy minutes to sit through, this is a highly consistent album - which is essentially part of its problem. The general sound is a successful one: electro programming, keyboard melodies and rhythms from Thomas Gäbhard, over which he and the female singers create generally sad songs. It's incredibly atmospheric, and the group is wise enough to start varying the sound before it becomes too repetitive, obviously deemed as track five.
From this point onwards the album starts to follow more of a club sensibility, though never in an overly distracting way that would detract from the ambience. 'Law & Order' is more standard dance fare with Thomas' whispered vocals and keyboards that go a little overboard on the spaceiness, and later on the second half of the album is dominated by this same type of electro dance following disappointingly obvious rhythms and melodies, specifically in tracks twelve to sixteen.
A few nods still remain to the group's experimental past in the "suite" of sorts that sees 'Evidence' bookended by a pair of ambient instrumentals that are quite soothing but don't particularly accentuate the central song, which is already the highlight of the album and features the finest vocal work, but later non-club tracks tend to sound too similar to the opening songs, only less interesting. 'Traces' and 'Monument' seem to be striving for a darker, horror film sound that ends up sounding clichéd, while 'Things' sits uncomfortably between the random assortment of sound samples suggested by its non-descript title and just another stab at the pop thing.
'Lies' may be an interesting album for die-hard fans of atmospheric electro, but apart from a few stand-out pieces in the form of 'Evidence,' the pleasant finale 'Vapour' and a couple of the early songs before I became jaded, I couldn't help wishing that Thomas Gäbhard was still trying to sound like Tangerine Dream.
1. Prologue
2. Insincere
3. Broken Mirror
4. Contaminate
5. Law & Order (Lies Mix)
6. Glasshouse (AO Version)
7. Evidence (Prelude)
8. Evidence
9. Blue Sun
10. Line
11. Traces
12. Absurd Innocence
13. Ageless
14. Train
15. Lies
16. Stella Splendess (Club Mix)
17. Monument
18. Things
19. Vapour
Ashes
***
Written on 26.01.08
The first release from Australian prog metal band Arcane was originally going to be an extended E.P. consisting entirely of their twenty-four minute epic 'Ashes,' until the order came to bulk it out to a longer release. Does that necessarily mean that the other four songs on here are of a lower standard and tantamount to filler? It's difficult to tell, as the style is fairly blandly consistent throughout; for a progressive band, there isn't an awful lot of experimentation here.
Progressive metal is quite a broad-reaching term that encompasses bands as diverse as Shadow Gallery and Atheist, but the style here flows more along the lines of the pleasant, heavily piano-oriented minimalism of some of Green Carnation's recordings, and as such is a lot less instantly gratifying and creative than their Aussie contemporaries Alchemist. Matthew Martah's keyboards and organ are given the same prominence as Michael Gagen's guitars, not an awful lot in either case, and Jim Grey carries the majority of the album through with his enjoyable but imitable singing. 'Ashes' itself is essentially an extended narrative with vocal theatrics reminiscent of seventies prog acts such as Van der Graaf Generator among others, and won't satisfy those looking for a prog metal extravaganza in the style of the similarly lengthy 'The Odyssey' by Symphony X, 'A Change of Seasons' by Dream Theater, or those album-length songs from Green Carnation and Edge of Sanity; with significant and disappointing pauses between sections, there's no real sense of a musical journey here, the only real deviation being a minor and very short solo section before the verses resume.
Whether intentionally or just due to a fault of production, the guitars and other instruments are very quiet behind the vocals and lack any real force, but this doesn't present that much of a problem considering how laid back most of this music is, without ever trying to be atmospheric. While the other tracks are indeed less memorable than 'Ashes' which at least had its vocal hooks, 'Desolace' almost approaches the guitar-driven sound of Riverside at points and has a few heavy sections to break it up, 'Dawn' tries to be A Perfect Circle but lasts for too long, and 'Fulcrum' is a slightly better version of track one with some actual memorable guitar and bass. The final song 'Memory Awaits' is a piano ballad, slightly different but arguably unnecessary considering that the rest of the album followed a similarly dreamy approach, and although it's the least lively and engaging song it at least avoids being cheesy in the way the word "ballad" could often imply.
'Ashes' is a consistent album, but consistency comes at a cost to any truly engaging or original moments. An 'Ashes' E.P. would have been more interesting, at least to see how that song would stand in its own right without being bulked out in this way, but the band's obvious dedication to furthering this Green Carnation sound should produce superior albums in the near future.
1. Desolace
2. Dawn
3. Fulcrum
4. Ashes
... i) Twilight
... ii) Midnight
... iii) First Light
5. Memory Awaits
The Machinery of Oblivion
****
Written on 26.01.08
The Arcane Order is a death metal band from Denmark whose style, while not exactly original, is at least an interesting and talented mix of some of the best and heaviest elements from the melodic death metal scene, without any of the metalcore tarnishing that's seen it stagnate in recent years. Their thrashing approach is most reminiscent of At the Gates, or more specifically the later off-shoots The Haunted and The Crown, while skilfully incorporating the futuristic and melodic elements that worked so well for Soilwork before they became weak.
As essentially a heavier and faster Soilwork album this works a treat, though the similarity of the songs does make it hard to pick out specific favourites. There's a general increase in aggression towards the end which is nice to hear, reaching its peak in the spiteful 'Flames of Liberation' before mellowing out (comparatively speaking, of course) for the very Soilwork-sounding finale 'The Sanity Insane.' While all band members are competent at their jobs, if a little generic, the real highlight is Morten Løwe Sørensen, whose incredibly fast and loud drumming dominates the recording and makes it more convincingly heavy and engaging than the standard death metal fare.
Kasper Thomsen's vocals are more or less in the hostile style of Tomas Lindberg, though he does sing in sections of the final song, and the polished production job provides a suitably mechanical and clinical atmosphere to this sci-fi based band, something that's only spoiled slightly by the incessant and often inappropriate use of keyboards against the machine gun riffs. This is definitely an album for metalcore fans to check out to discover why their favourite genre is doing everything so very wrong.
1. Prologue: the Machinery of Oblivion
2. Infinite Ghost Anathema
3. The Superior Collision
4. In A Hail of Deadly Bullets
5. Servants of a Darker World
6. Bloodlust
7. A Sevenfold Condemnation
8. Breathe the Poison
9. Flames of Liberation
10. The Sanity Insane
Burning Bridges
Crying at the Fountain of Youth
****
Written on 20.07.06
Alongside In Flames’ Whoracle and Slaughter of the Soul by At the Gates, ‘Burning Bridges’ by Sweden’s Arch Enemy is one of the quintessential albums of the then-burgeoning melodic death metal genre. Melodic death consciously combines the brutality of traditional death metal with a more melodic edge, mainly achieved through the use of harmonious dual guitars inspired by heavy metal of the 1980s and with less focus on intensive percussion.
Michael Amott formed Arch Enemy after the demise of English death metal pioneers Carcass in 1996, and each album furthered the direction he’d been pushing since 1990. Appearing on Burning Bridges are vocalist Johan Liiva, who would be replaced by a female singer after proving disappointing on tour, Sharlee D’Angelo on bass and Daniel Erlandsson, brother of Cradle of Filth’s drummer Adrian, on drums. To complete this weird travesty of the nuclear family, Michael’s dual guitar accomplice is his brother Christopher.
Burning Bridges stands high above the increasing number of melodic death bands spawning in its wake, and still sounds distinctive despite the hordes of imitators. For a start, Liiva’s vocals don’t follow the basic, inaudible death metal growls of his contemporaries, but are more akin to guttural yells, if you can imagine such a thing. He cites the late Chuck Schuldiner from Florida’s legendary Death as a key influence. The aggression is more pronounced, and you can hear all the words he’s… um, ‘singing.’
The drums are surprisingly powerful for melodic death, resisting the dilution that’s often caused by mixing in classic heavy metal elements. Combined with the vocals, these preserve the album’s brutal edge. The Amott brothers’ guitars act as a sort of Jekyll to this Hyde, delicate and slow. The only slight downside is that many of the solos and melodies end up sounding very much like the type of non-distinct ‘generic high-pitched rock guitar’ of TV shows, adverts and films. I don’t know whether this is due to the album’s production or not, and it certainly doesn’t detract from the effect the band are going for, but it does amuse me a great deal. These TV guitars are most prominent in tracks 4 to 6, with a bit of a taster in the extended solo of track 1.
Just as death metal vocals shouldn’t deter prog rock fans from enjoying Opeth and the puppets shouldn’t put off sci-fi fans from watching Farscape, fans of heavy metal with an emphasis on melody may be pleasantly surprised by bands like Arch Enemy, even accounting for previous bad experiences with death metal. The vocals and drums are still there a little, keeping the faith, but the whole thing is greater than its parts, and the album’s pace never particularly fast, almost grinding to a halt in the final track.
1. The Immortal
2. Dead Inside
3. Pilgrim
4. Silverwing
5. Demonic Science
6. Seed of Hate
7. Angelclaw
8. Burning Bridges
With the exception of the title track, the songs on Burning Bridges all follow a similar style: medium speed melodic death metal led by guitars which then solo a bit. There’s enough variation to keep things interesting for the most part, with ‘Dead Inside’ owing to In Flames’ early days, ‘Silverwing’ bordering on 80s hair metal, ‘Seed of Hate’ focusing on the otherwise neglected bass, and the power duo of ‘Demonic Science’ and ‘Angelclaw’ veering more towards thrash-style aggression with raspy vocals. Opener ‘The Immortal’ really sets the general tone of the album very well, getting straight into a powerful riff between the guitars and drums and featuring an extended and nicely evolved solo to lighten things up. There’s even something like an orchestra barely audible towards the end, possibly synthesised, foreshadowing the violins of the final track.
For some reason, the even numbered songs on this album happen to be my particular favourites. This is probably due to their focus on harmony over brutality, ‘melodic’ over ‘death,’ Iron Maiden influence over Slayer. In fact, ‘Dead Inside’ features a pleasant high guitar section that briefly sounds suspiciously like Maiden’s early classic ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ though its primary riffs belong firmly in the genre that produced In Flames’ Subterranean E.P. ‘Seed of Hate’ sounds a lot like Iced Earth, seemingly taking hints from the Dark Saga and Something Wicked This Way Comes albums, but I can forgive it for its focus on bass lines. ‘Silverwing’ is the afore-mentioned ‘hair metal’ track, and is really where the TV guitars are at their full force, in the five or six distinct, impressive and immensely air-guitarable riffs and solos throughout the song. I dare you to resist! The drums are nice and upbeat for a change, making this song pleasantly fast but not daunting, and although death metal purists would potentially dislike this song for its obvious inspiration in 80s heavy metal, this only improves things for me. I really am a lost cause.
‘Pilgrim’ has one of those riffs you’re sure you’ve heard before, and is again generic metal fare, but was probably unavoidable. As is typical with metal, the lyrics attack the church and some of its members, but never really say anything negative about religion itself. This track is overshadowed by ‘Demonic Science’ which, although annoyingly repetitive and about twice as long as it should be, does the aggression thing pretty well. The Slayer influence is obvious, especially in the guitars squealing off at random tangents and the palm-muted riffs, but this makes the whole thing suitably hellish and fun. But still not too fast. The end of the song once again veers into prime time TV solo territory. ‘Angelclaw’ begins deceptively jolly and light before revealing that it’s actually an inferior copy of ‘Demonic Science,’ although it’s saved from pointlessness by some creative and subdued use of dual guitars.
The album closes with the soothing ‘Burning Bridges,’ the band’s experiment with doom metal, the likes of which Amott would have been familiar with when he lived in England. The snail’s pace, violin accompaniment and slow, echoing drums make this sound like a My Dying Bride wannabe, but it’s still a pleasant song to unwind to. My only problem with this song lies in the vocals, which still go for the same grave-spitting ferocity as elsewhere in the album but sound a bit weak at such a slowed pace. Once they’re out of the way, the song simply plays out for a while until they can’t be bothered any more and the ‘record’ skids to a halt, using that very old sound effect cliché.
Burning Bridges is a very cool album, Arch Enemy’s best, but there are bands out there playing similar music of a much higher quality. Amott’s work in Carcass elevated that band above the grinding riffs and sick lyrics of its early years to one of Britain’s most notable metal bands, but his ‘side project’ of sorts with Arch Enemy ceases to be creative at pretty much this point. For an album that strives to combine existing sounds and morph them into something entirely new and credible, the influence of specific bands (conscious or accidental) is a little too obvious in places, and they don’t all sit well together. The TV solos I’m so fond of may infuriate the purists, but I’m a sucker for nice guitars. The pace of this album may also not be quite up to the speed some people expect for death metal, but it all works perfectly. Another band that’s very big in Japan.
This album repeats what At the Gates did with ‘Slaughter of the Soul,’ and neither band holds up to the work of In Flames during that period. Nevertheless, the vocals are good, the drums equally so, and the bass even gets a look in at track six. As for the guitars, I think I’ve already dealt with those in far greater detail than is strictly necessary. It’s something of a sad irony that Liiva’s bitter lyrics in the final song, in which he accuses someone of betrayal and back-stabbing, likely mirrored his thoughts when he was later kicked out of the band in 2001.
Advantages: Some pleasing and different death metal, great guitars
Disadvantages: Occasionally rips off its influences
Burning Japan Live
****
Written on 26.01.08
There was no real need for an Arch Enemy live album this early in the band's career, but due to either a contractual obligation or the departure of vocalist Johan Liiva, this 1999 live performance from Tokyo was cobbled together with hasty cover art (the same as the previous studio album 'Burning Bridges,' but tinted red and with a live photo clumsily overlaid) and would ultimately represent the end of the Liiva era and the band's relative obscurity.
The sound quality here is excellent, but there's really very little to discern these songs from the three studio albums they hail from, apart from rather pointless crowd interaction between that merely introduces the next one by title, and Sharlee D'angelo's similarly dull bass intro to 'Tears of the Dead.' The only real advantage is that by mixing some choice pickings from the ever-so-slightly different albums, the end result is a little more diverse and less repetitive than the original albums themselves, particularly the previous 'Burning Bridges' and its incessant TV game show guitar solos that are only represented on four tracks here.
'Burning Bridges' was one of my first death metal albums, so it's nice to finally hear those songs in a different environment -even if there's only a very minimal change. The choice of song is fairly obvious and intelligent, more so than for the two earlier albums which could have been scoured for better material in some instances, and their ultimate mixture of compelling aggression and eighties cheese in 'Silverwing' sounds just as good here, with a couple of nice and very minor slip-ups confirming the authenticity of the live recording. The heavy breakdown section that comes out of nowhere in the middle of 'Pilgrim' probably went down a treat at the gig, though there's no real evidence of that here, while there are still some remnants of the old Carcass sound in 'Dark Insanity' for old-school death metal fans to mourn over.
I'd only recommend this to someone who didn't already own the three previous albums and was looking for a sampler - considering these are pretty much identical to the original versions, this might as well be a Liiva years best-of that makes a couple of notable mistakes (where are 'Bury Me An Angel' and 'Sinister Mephisto' for instance?) Liiva is as average as ever on this recording and would never really be missed, but the Amott brothers and particularly drummer Daniel Erlandsson are all at their best.
1. The Immortal
2. Dark Insanity
3. Dead Inside
4. Diva Satanica
5. Pilgrim
6. Silverwing
7. Beast of Man
8. Tears of the Dead
9. Bridge of Destiny
10. Transmigration Macabre
11. Angelclaw
Burning Angel
**
Written on 26.01.08
'Burning Angel' wasn't the most obvious choice for a single from 'Wages of Sin,' even if this was only ever released in Japan, but it's certainly a fairer representation of the band as a whole than the more popular and exciting 'Ravenous.' With its steady pace and intelligent mixture of heavy and melodic elements, it's more or less Arch Enemy at their best despite not being one of their more memorable songs, and the Amott brothers' guitars segue perfectly between deep death metal riffs and light, classic metal solos and leads, even if the main riff is stolen from Megadeth.
Interestingly, the other two tracks added to bulk this out are both representative of different sides of the band, which is always a nice touch. 'Lament of a Mortal Soul' is one of the heavier offerings from the primary album, featuring great drumming from Daniel Erlandsson, a more contemplative structure and even a pleasant piano outro, and ends up being the best song on here. Less successful is the cover of Judas Priest's seventies classic 'Starbreaker,' which seems added for novelty value rather than as a genuine homage due to previous vocalist Johan Liiva doing such a bad job growling mindlessly over the Amott brothers' poorly reproduced Tipton and Downing riffs. They were clearly going for the same effect as their earlier Iron Maiden covers that similarly didn't work, but at least didn't end up as distressing and poorly thought-out as this.
The bonus track is the only real reason for fans to track down this single, and isn't a good enough reason as it's available on the double-disc edition of 'Wages of Sin' in the first place, and secondly, more importantly, because it's just very bad. The two album tracks here are a great representation of 'Wages of Sin' without deceptively offering up on of the album's unnaturally high quality tracks, and the cover art is merely a variation on the major album's leading themes of crows and eyes and stuff. For completists only.
1. Burning Angel
2. Lament of a Mortal Soul
3. Starbreaker (Judas Priest cover)
Anthems of Rebellion
***
Written on 26.01.08
With their fifth album, Sweden's Arch Enemy seem to finally take heed of their criticisms and follow a less contradictory formula for melodic death metal, abandoning most of the frivolous eighties game show style guitar solos and returning to a more aggressive and heavy sound not really heard since Michael Amott's days in Carcass. With this change come some unfortunate consequences, the main one being that Arch Enemy have now lost much of the distinctive sound that made them popular to a select group and won me over in the first place with the irresistibly cheesy lead guitars of 'Ravenous' and 'Silverwing,' two of the best air guitar anthems in the world ever, and have more or less joined the melodic death metal bandwagon of hammering double bass drumming, breakdowns and guitars mostly relegated to keeping a rhythm. Is this what I really wanted, by criticising the amateur style of previous albums? I'm not so sure now, but despite sounding less distinctive, it makes for a stronger and more coherent album on the whole.
The style shift really has reclaimed all the intensity and anger that was absent from the overly melodic 'Wages of Sin,' with Angela Gossow's death metal roar now modulated to a fiercer black metal scream and Daniel Erlandsson really stealing the limelight with his excellent drumming. The Amott brothers' guitars are still great, and when those inevitable lead guitars creep through, they now play along in a more amicable tandem with the rhythm guitars rather than blaring piercingly out of the speakers, and there's still plenty of soloing to go round. Arch Enemy's commercial side is most present in the slowed, slightly pop choruses which are pleasing on the ears and most successful in 'Instinct,' as well as some of the songs towards the end of the album ('End of the Line' and 'Dehumanization') where a bloke joins in with some clean singing. On the other hand, fans of more extreme metal will be pleased by the more explicitly death metal direction taken on 'Silent Wars,' 'Leader of the Rats' and the speedy, traditional death of 'Despicable Heroes.'
An overarching theme of war seems to dominate the proceedings, whether by intention or as a mere coincidental result of the angrier style, but this effect is diminished slightly by the new-found focus on rather distracting, organ-style keyboards reminiscent of Cradle of Filth, especially when coupled with Gossow's black metal rasp. While this only affects certain songs, it becomes especially distracting and chaotic in the final 'Saints and Sinners,' and not in a good way, but at least provides an interesting section to the great 'Dead Eyes See No Future,' where a softly marching drum and flute-sounding synthesiser seem to hark back to the American revolutionary war in the same way as Iced Earth's 'Gettysburg' trilogy. Arch Enemy have become a fairly standard melodic death band here, but have been injected with new aggression and ferocity that was a long time coming, and thankfully spared us all from another melodeath-turned-metalcore abomination. I expected this to be pretty bad, having put off listening to it for a couple of years, so I was glad to be proved wrong.
1. Tear Down the Walls
2. Silent Wars
3. We Will Rise
4. Dead Eyes See No Future
5. Instinct
6. Leader of the Rats
7. Exist to Exit
8. Marching on a Dead End Road
9. Despicable Heroes
10. End of the Line
11. Dehumanization
12. Anthem
13. Saints and Sinners
Doomsday Machine
***
Written on 26.01.08
'Doomsday Machine' continues Arch Enemy's inevitable move towards a mainstream metal style that really began with Angela Gossow's introduction to the band, but commendably stick to their guns as far as heaviness is concerned. While the sound here is certainly more in line with metalcore than the band's death metal origins, there's none of that genre's irritating vocal whining or pointless antagonism, and while the performers here are all still highly competent (even if Gossow does disappointingly rely on digitised enhancement for her growl), the main problem seems to be the Amott brothers' unreliable and inconsistent new approach towards mixing melody with heaviness.
Most of these songs are fairly straightforward, unremarkable death metal with a significant metalcore slant, which suddenly become mellow and atmospheric in the second half for no logical reason. While this is technically no more arbitrary than the TV show guitar melodies that littered earlier works such as 'Burning Bridges,' it results in a less confident and professional album from a band that really should have risen to the top of their game by now, rather than slipping from their original peak at "quite good" melodic death metal. This is an improvement from 'Anthems of Rebellion' in terms of a more memorable guitar performance, but once again this is limited to a few choice songs amidst a sea of mediocrity, namely openers 'Taking Back My Soul' and 'Nemesis' for actually getting the formula right, and 'I Am Legend/Out for Blood' for making the time for some very nice guitar solos in its second half.
Despite the protests of their detractors, Arch Enemy have never explicitly "sold out," and this album merely represents another attempt at fitting into the heavier side of the metal mainstream. The sound is still domineering and aggressive without pandering to outside tastes, and I don't think the core band members really have it in them to sell their rock 'n' roll souls, even if they have to admit that they aren't as good as they used to be.
1. Enter the Machine
2. Taking Back My Soul
3. Nemesis
4. My Apocalypse
5. Carry the Cross
6. I Am Legend / Out for Blood
7. Skeleton Dance
8. Hybrids of Steel
9. Mechanic God Creation
10. Machtkampf
11. Slaves of Yesterday
End of the Weakness
***
Written on 27.01.08
In their highly creative fusion of classic heavy metal riffs, folk elements, a strong keyboard presence and the fury of melodic death metal, Poland's Archeon haven't so much stumbled across a new and ingenious formula as much as essentially copied Children of Bodom, at just around the time that more famous band moved away from this style towards plains less satisfying. It's a highly enjoyable genre for fans of both the lighter and heavier sides of metal such as myself, and although Finland's Kalmah have already perfected it beyond anything Bodom managed (oh come on, I couldn't just like the obvious one could I?), Archeon put in a great effort with this album, sadly about ten years too late for anyone to take any notice.
The first track 'Arising' sets up everything that can be expected from the rest of the album, with its heavily atmospheric keys, relentless double bass drumming, fast and highly melodic lead guitars branching out into occasional folk jigs, and blackened roars energetically working their way through the typical metal lyrics. This style is both grand and simplistic at the same time and fails whenever anything too extreme is attempted, but the whole album is filled with fantastic lead guitars from Michal Kostrzynski and excellent keyboards from Janek Lesniak, switching between a black metal style and a power metal harpsichord in the blink of an eye and somehow making it all integrate perfectly.
The main problem here is how similar the songs end up sounding, despite their attempts to differentiate themselves, with only 'Queen of the Night' standing out for its slower pace and lighter tone and the finale 'Hungarian Dance #5' for being a short and highly enjoyable take on some folk with the heavy metal instruments. The rest of the album is just as good, but never escapes sounding all too obviously like a Children of Bodom clone, particularly evident in songs like 'Lost Fool,' and ultimately the listener would be much better off looking to the Finnish bands like Bodom, Norther and especially Kalmah for more creative and diverse offerings of the same sort of thing. Sorry Poland, you just weren't quite Finnish enough.
1. Arising
2. Day of the Doom
3. Dead World
4. Queen of the Night
5. Struggle With Death
6. Lost Fool
7. Ruins of Life
8. Prayer
9. Hungarian Dance #5
Boka Vm Kaos
**
Written on 27.01.08
Arckanum is the black metal one-man project of Sweden's Shamaatae, and this E.P. follows a comparatively melodic black metal approach, with frequent lead guitar riffs and even a black metal rarity in the form of a catchy, yell-along, titular chorus in the first song. That said, this is no more accessible to mainstream listeners than other black metal, particularly as the 7" E.P. was limited to five-hundred hand-numbered copies.
These two songs evidently form part of an incomplete suite, but are different enough to warrant inclusion opposite each other in this fashion. 'Bafomet' is a fun rip-snorter of a black metal anthem, complete with a death metal style chorus and a duologue between desperate spoken word pleas answered by black metal growls, while 'Vm Kaos, Gatvm Ok Kosmos' is somewhat darker and moodier with slower riffs from the onset, though equally as energetic as its predecessor. There's a greater emphasis on lead guitar here in typical speedily-plucked black metal style that avoids being distracting by resting comfortably atop the similar existing riffs, and of the two this is the slightly more complex, in comparison to Bafomet's relative radio-friendless (that would nevertheless never happen).
1. Capitvlvm IV: Bafomet
2. Capitvlvm I: Vm Kaos, Gatvm Ok Kosmos
Aspera Hiems Symfonia
****
Written on 27.01.08
Norwegian progressive metal band Arcturus started out as a melodic black metal band of the early nineties "second wave," similar to Ancient in their emphasis on atmospheric texture and mood rather than merely blasting the listener's brains out. 'Aspera Hiems Symfonia' remains their only full-length release in this style before their progressive tendencies came to the fore and they left the extreme elements behind, but even this partial classic is once removed from the more authentic style of their earlier EPs. The 2001 re-master of this album polished up its production sound and tagged on 'Constellation' and 'My Angel,' the latter of which can also be found on the excellent 'True Kings of Norway' compilation of rare early releases from second wave black metal bands, back when they were still good (Emperor, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Ancient and Arcturus), while 'Constellation' is the basis for this album's sound, containing earlier versions of three songs for a direct comparison that works in favour of either release, depending on the listener's taste.
I was slightly disappointed to finally hear this full-length, as its departure from the dingy, moody sound of the EPs to a more eloquent performance burdened by over-use of backing orchestration makes it less effective as a result, despite the presence of legendary black metal alumni in the form of vocalist Garm and drummer Hellhammer. I've been a big fan of Garm's distinctive "monk" vocals since hearing Ulver's 'Bergtatt,' one of my all-time favourite black metal releases, and was later delighted to discover that he was the early vocalist for my other favourite Borknagar, so I had my hopes raised quite high for Arcturus. Garm is as good as ever, using his clean singing less often than his effective and determined growl in order to keep things from becoming too dull, but the rest of the band sadly fails in the same regard.
Hellhammer (one of the Mayhem survivors and always the most level-headed of that bunch) is mostly confined to a slow and steady pace, especially in the later songs as he's relegated further to a marching drum, while Carl August Tidermann's guitars stop sounding as impressive or even as discernible after their enjoyable squealing performance in track five, losing the battle for prominence with Steinar Sverd Johnsen's keyboards that really take over the proceedings and create a fantastic regal air at the cost of memorable or inventive melodies.
The older style present on 'Constellation' in particular is much more in line with the ethos of black metal in its more melodic forms, relying on organ-sounding keyboards for a more chilling and less domineering background atmosphere and allowing the guitars and drums to play a more substantial role, even when the songs are more or less exactly the same on both releases, 'Raudt Og Svart,' 'Naar Kulda Tar' and 'Du Nordavind' all sounding more effective in their original versions. This is all primarily down to a matter of taste, but for an album that places so much emphasis on atmosphere, it slips into ambience far too often in places that the original songs evidently didn't intend to. The progressive rock influence is perhaps part of the reason, as some songs take on a more carnivalesque style than anything seriously gloomy, and much of the album is lacking any trace of metal whatsoever, black or any other shade. 'Aspera Hiems Symfonia' is of minor importance in the continuing evolution of black metal, but its preceding EPs demand greater attention for their innovative style that was all too soon taken from this world.
1. To Thou Who Dwellest in the Night
2. Wintry Grey
3. Whence and Whither Goest the Wind
4. Raudt Og Svart
5. The Bodkin and the Quietus
6. Du Nordavind
7. Fall of Man
8. Naar Kulda Tar
Ad Interitum Funebrarum
*****
Written on 07.02.08
Argentum is a Mexican band combining atmospheric black metal with elements of drone doom, and the result is pretty amazing. It's creepy, slow, melodic and compelling just how I like my black metal, and the band incorporates Latin elements quite well after the rather too self-conscious and unbelievably stereotypical sitar touches of track one.
Even without the local touches this would be a fine example of melodic black metal, without the polished production or symphonic theatrics that spoil many bands' otherwise moody albums, and credit largely goes to guitarist Chebb Maelstrom and keyboard player Philix Pherboreon. Both know how to use solos and lead melodies sparingly and to excellent effect, while the more standard guitar riffs that pave the way in most songs have a satisfyingly sludgy crunch. Darkkous Baron Samedi's drums are slow and a little dull, but become surprisingly fast when least expected in 'Mortuus Infradaemoni,' and Khabee's vocals are perfectly fitting in their subtle, burping nastiness, supplemented by spoken words sections and female vocals from Lulis to great effect in select songs.
In striking a balance between depressive doom and atmospheric black metal, this album falls a little short of both extremes and may be slightly disappointing to fans of more epic bands like Summoning or Windir, but the Latin touches (however much they can seem contrived) distinguish Argentum and at least provide a reason for newcomers to check them out. This is a great album, if a little lacking in energy as was inevitable considering the style, and although some of the songs are severely overlong ('Horta Funebra' in particular), the atmosphere is consistently dark and intriguing, and the metal gloomy and hard without being overly aggressive.
1. Enter An Encysted Hibernation
2. Asstrum Argentum
3. La Sorella Di Satana
4. The Serpent´s Lament
5. Horta Funebra
6. Mortuus Infradaemoni
7. Spheram De Tenebras
8. Ad Posthumum
9. Pax Moriendi
10. Umbradiabolous
Stigma Mortuorum
There Is No More Life
***
Written on 27.01.08
What happened to my favourite Mexican atmospheric-drone-doom-black metal band? Argentum's debut release back in 1996 was a cracker of an album, gloomy and sinister but melodic and uplifting at the same time, but the long-awaited 2001 follow-up seems to have abandoned all trace of what made their previous sound so compelling. Most probably the fault of line-up changes that saw guitarist Chebb Maelstrom leave among others, Argentum's second - and to date, final - album is merely another light melodic black metal album with annoying delusions of orchestral grandeur similar to Dimmu Borgir thanks to new keyboard player Henry Graves.
This isn't bad metal, and I'd rather listen to it than anything contemporary by Dimmu Borgir, but it lacks the inspired and slightly cheesy Latin individuality of 'Ad Inferitum Funebrarum,' replacing it with even cheesier, domineering symphonic keyboards and uninspired melodic death metal riffs. Khabee's vocals are even burpier and a little dafter sounding than on the debut where they integrated perfectly, and the cleaner production sound robs the lead guitars of the eeriness and emotion they once had, now sounding like any other band that mixes melodic lead melodies with chugging rhythms. All the songs sound the same, with the obvious exception of Graves' piano instrumental 'Bassium Mortis' (as if he wasn't already taking over all the other songs), and any attempts to diversify fall completely flat, such as Senoath's boring, clumsy and out-of-tune bass solo in the middle of 'Mors Imperium Aetheriam.'
The most positive thing I can say about this new direction is that Argentum doesn't try to be aggressive, as seems to be the norm for melodic extreme bands, but in abandoning the depressive and atmospheric direction of their previous work they have severely lost their way, explaining their apparent and unfortunate deterioration some time hereafter. I would have been slightly more impressed if I hadn't heard this after its excellent predecessor, but only slightly.
1. Descensus Nigrum Part I
2. The Gardens of the Unsane Renovation
3. Mors Imperium Aetheriam
4. Nocternarum
5. Interdeterioration
6. Bassium Mortis
7. Acrimonia-Mater Dolorosa
Advantages: Standard melodic black metal.
Disadvantages: Disappointingly generic, with overdone keyboards.
Ark
***
Written on 27.01.08
Ark played a very different style of progressive metal to the norm, especially surprising considering the extreme tendencies of Norwegian metal bands, as this long-awaited self-titled debut fuses talented musicianship with an undeniably commercial agenda. Most of the virtuoso musicians involved seem to have played as part of Yngwie Malmsteen's band at some point, and the Ark project adopts the same slightly contradictory and ultimately bland mix of pop rock choruses and instrumental masturbation. The result won't necessarily appeal to fans of more experimental prog metal bands, but those who enjoy the light side of hard rock and the occasional non sequitur jazz piano interlude or extended neoclassical guitar solo should feel right at home.
The hard rock singing is carried off well by Masterplan's Jørn Lande, who also seems to appear in everything I write about, and his gruff-but-high approach is perfectly suited to what are predominantly slow near-ballads, never crossing over into genuine heavy metal. Tore Østby's guitars are similarly controlled, mostly following simple riffs to suck the listeners in before he plays around with solos, and even Randy Coven's bass gets plenty of chances to shine rather than being relied on as a mere rhythm instrument. Mats Olausson's keyboards are one of the driving forces here, mostly maintaining a pleasant atmosphere but at other times showing off with a mixed degree of effectiveness, most tedious in the organ of 'Singers at the World's Dawn,' and on the whole these songs are a bit of a contradiction: too soft and bland for the serious prog fan, and too long-winded and changeable for the casual listener.
Although a long-performing outfit, Ark disbanded after releasing only two albums, and this is the slightly less impressive of the two. There are some interesting decisions made, such as the overall French sound of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' before the song drags on severely, while others such as 'Mother Love' have too much going on to be really enjoyable as a consistent piece of music. By contrast there are those 'Where the Winds Blow' that are only memorable for the titular chorus. This is inherently contradictory and strange, but not in the way I enjoy.
1. Burning Down
2. Where the Winds Blow
3. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
4. Singers at the World's Dawn
5. Mother Love
6. Center Avenue
7. Can't Let Go
Strength Through Torture
***
Written on 27.01.08
This limited edition E.P. was only produced as three hundred hand-numbered copies by the hilariously named Painiac Records, and makes for a surprisingly comprehensive overview of now-disbanded Armagedda's black metal despite only boasting two tracks. Both follow a traditional black metal style without any real embellishment: the guitars are fuzzy and raw, production quality is tilted in favour of treble, and vocalist Graav rasps like a Swede possessed, with a little more dark enthusiasm than many other bands.
The first song is a slow beast, with comparatively melodic guitars following the typical black metal riff style, though at a naturally slower pace, and Phycon's drums keeping up the slow tempo. This greater emphasis on mood really brings out the tortured side of Graav's vocals which will make for quite a difficult and horrific listen for those uninitiated in the darker shades of metal, but to my ears it sounds quite pleasant. It's the subsequent 'Dödens Vins' where the E.P. really kicks into gear and the emphasis shifts to the aggression and violence of its title, the drums being particularly strong and the guitars enjoyable in the later riffs but not so distinctive or impressive earlier on where they're more or less a fuzz. This is a fun black metal rarity for collectors to own, but one that's not really worth the required effort and, while offering a contrived balanced view of Armagedda's style, it's severely lacking on content at only two songs of less than five minutes each.
1. A World Full of Lies
2. Dödens Vins
Delirious Nomad
**
Written on 27.01.08
Although common enough in the commercial music industry of one-hit wonders to warrant creation of the term "difficult second album," this blight rarely affects the more dedicated and divinely inspired acts of the rock world. But it does sometimes affect those who were essentially just Judas Priest copy-cats in the first place and had used up their few original ideas on 'March of the Saint.' I suppose I am being a bit specific.
'Delirious Nomad' is a weak follow-up to that enjoyable debut, not only lacking its sparse moments of original thought (there are none here), but disappointing further through a weaker production job and less passionate performance all-round. There are only a couple of songs where I felt the quality matched up to their better work, the speed finally picking up in 'Conqueror' which has some impressive guitar and bass work as well as the best vocal performance from John Bush (who is otherwise a little disappointing in his preference for a gruffer tone on this album), and the slower and slightly more epic 'Aftermath' that serves up a nice, extended overture before getting down to the real business of clean electric guitar and softer, more distant vocals in the album's necessary not-quite-ballad, though one that's still more or less the same as the superior 'Take a Turn' from the previous album. The final song 'Released' is also an entertaining metal performance, with the always preferable mad solos for guitar and even Joey Vera's bass which is pretty unusual and an interesting way to close the album.
Sadly, the songs in-between (so that's the bulk of the album, then) are a lot less impressive, and fall into the category of generic heavy metal varying only slightly between a medium and slow tempo, but failing to carry either off with any particular grace. Their harshly clipped, radio-friendly lengths make each song seem disappointingly short, ending without having accomplished anything, and the best that can be said is that some of the vocal melodies on the stupidly titled 'For the Sake of Heaviness' and 'You're Never Alone' are catchy and memorable. At least that's what I jotted down last night, I haven't got a clue how any of them went today. 'Over the Edge' offends me the most simply for attempting to tackle a gritty, urban style and only seeming silly in comparison (they should stick to songs about holy wars and stuff), though the quasi-title-song 'Nervous Man' that references the album title in its chorus attempts an Arabian/desert twang that works about as well as any other metal band's Egyptian song, and is thankfully less forced and clichéd. 'Delirious Nomad' is a disappointing follow-up, but there were better things to come.
1. Long Before I Die
2. Nervous Man
3. Over the Edge
4. The Laugh
5. Conqueror
6. For the Sake of Heaviness
7. Aftermath
8. In the Hole
9. You're Never Alone
10. Released
Raising Fear
****
Written on 28.01.08
L.A.'s Armored Saint recorded a heavy metal classic with their third album 'Raising Fear,' and it's sadly the only section of their discography to stand up over time, with allowances made for the earlier debut. This time Pritchard and Sandoval's guitars are heavier, mightier and tighter than ever before, and John Bush's wails are back to full force after slipping in the second album. While most of the songs still follow the pathfinder of Judas Priest's work several years earlier, there's now a distinct Armored Saint touch that makes most of these songs excellent, and the rest only less excellent by comparison.
This isn't the most original heavy metal album around, the songs tend to get repetitive and the extended length of fifty-two minutes compared to the usual forty can affect the listener's attention span by the time the final songs come around, but with solemn epics 'Isolation' and 'Legacy' balanced out by the pounding 'Raising Fear' and the bluesy, melodic 'Crisis of Life' and 'Terror,' there's something here for fans of all strands of classic metal, even if the album came along a little too late (if it had been any earlier, there wouldn't have been a template to copy).
'Isolation' and 'Frozen Will (Legacy)' are certainly the stand-out tracks here, and share commonalities in their slower pace, clean guitars and powerful, booming choruses, all instruments audibly carrying the instrumental sections along between the epic narrative verses spanning the entirety of history. These songs are just the right length, not suffering from the same tedium as some of the other songs after the four minute mark but eager to throw out new ideas, while the inevitable final reprise of the chorus is always eagerly awaited.
The rest of the album follows a fairly similar pattern of heavy guitars, compelling choruses and plenty of guitar solos, and although it becomes a little samey after a while and the later songs suffer as a result, this doesn't affect the quality of the tracks on an individual basis. The vocals are always excellent, apart from a brief flirtation with a weird, screechier style thankfully confined to 'Human Vulture' (perhaps Bush was imitating such a creature?), and the guitar solos never seem out of place or just for show.
1. Raising Fear
2. Saturday Night Special
3. Out on a Limb
4. Isolation
5. Chemical Euphoria
6. Crisis of Life
7. Frozen Will (Legacy)
8. Human Vulture
9. Book of Blood
10. Terror
11. Underdogs
Symbol of Salvation
***
Written on 28.01.08
Although they were never a particularly prominent band (with good reason), 'Symbol of Salvation' is Armored Saint's answer to Metallica's black album, Megadeth's 'Countdown to Extinction,' Testament's 'The Ritual,' Anthrax's 'Sound of White Noise' and all the other releases of the early nineties that saw established heavy metal bands jumping ship to follow a blander and more commercially viable hard rock direction due to the declining popularity of metal. Like those aforementioned albums, it has its bright moments, but is fundamentally a trite blasphemy from heavy metal's self-appointed armed defenders.
These thirteen songs are all as repetitive and samey as those on previous Armored Saint albums, but the difference here is that the powerful guitars and fast drums have been traded in for a thinner, more radio-friendly sound confined to an irritating medium-speed plod. John Bush's vocals are about the only thing left from the band of old, and even the album's best moments, such as the more intricate and moody 'Tainted Past' and the guitar-dominated 'Reign of Fire' pale in comparison to offerings from its predecessor 'Raising Fear.' This is essentially a hard rock album that takes very few risks, where some stereotypical tribal percussion at the beginning of 'Tribal Dance' is about the most eccentric thing you're going to find.
Once disappointed metal fans are able to get past this initial disappointment, further compounded by the oddly tame and passion-free 'Warzone,' there are a few enjoyable mellow rock songs in the form of 'The Truth Always Hurts' and 'Hanging Judge,' the latter of which features some good incorporation of guitar leads into the vocal lines and would be a really good song if it was a lot heavier. 'Reign of Fire' and 'Spineless' bookend the album with hard and comparatively energetic offerings that are still lacking in speed and any true aggression that would have worked a treat (repeating "you spineless son of a bitch" isn't enough to convince me), and the majority of the album consists of watered down versions of this same style.
The three that stand out, and not necessarily for good reason, are 'Last Train Home,' 'Another Day' and the aforementioned 'Tainted Past,' for being the necessary slower offerings - here increased to three compared to one on each of the previous albums - all of which are tediously overlong, but at least chronicle a sort of internal evolution from the slow rock of the first to the soft singing of the second and the full-on acoustic of the latter, which eventually gives way in the face of electric riffs. You evidently can't repress heavy metal forever, but you can impose a temporary abstinence from its practitioners by waving money in their fickle faces and telling them that it won't be for long; soon it will be the twenty-first century and daft metal will be popular again, and they'll be able to shift some more repetitive heavy metal garbage in the name of being old-school. It's just a shame they caved in to trends back when they were at the top of their game.
1. Reign of Fire
2. Dropping Like Flies
3. Last Train Home
4. Tribal Dance
5. The Truth Always Hurts
6. Half Drawn Bridge
7. Another Day
8. Symbol of Salvation
9. Hanging Judge
10. Warzone
11. Burning Question
12. Tainted Past
13. Spineless
Waiting for the Floods
***
Written on 28.01.08
The Armoury Show was a short-lived side project of The Skids members Richard Jobson and Russell Webb, releasing this sole effort of post-punk mixed with gothic rock in a manner I can't help but feel a little ashamed at enjoying so much. Jobson sings in a pleasant enough style similar to many melodic rock singers, reminiscent of Jim Morrison at times and almost venturing into the bassy, gothic depths of Andrew Eldritch at others, while Webb's bass and John McGeoch's guitar are both nice and melodic rather than raw and aggressive, making for songs that often sound similar to the more upbeat, arguably bastardised post-punk of bands like the Boomtown Rats. The whole thing is kept distinctly in the centre of the eighties thanks to John Doyle's steady, methodical, catchy, boring drum beats.
The most interesting and creative songs here are those that take a little extra time (five minutes as opposed to four) setting up the atmosphere and delivering a moodier performance once the song gets underway, most prevalent in 'Higher Than the World' and the title song but unfortunately taken to a slightly tedious extreme in the finale 'Avalanche.' These songs allow McGeoch to display his guitar talents to the full with enjoyable solos, and Jobson is equally convincing in these more downbeat performances as he is in the comparatively ecstatic 'We Can Be Brave Again' and 'Kyrie,' where the Boomtown Rats comparison is most obvious. The rest of the album lies somewhere in the middle, occasionally coming out as very pop-like gothic rock in 'The Glory of Love' which fans of that genre may enjoy, but going a little too far with the soft blandness factor in 'A Feeling.'
While it's compulsory for all serious punk fans to despise these commercial directions taken by bands in the eighties, this is an enjoyable album for some light relief, even if the songs start to sound the same within their limited horizons.
1. Castles in Spain
2. Kyrie
3. A Feeling
4. We Can Be Brave Again
5. Higher Than the World
6. The Glory of Love
7. Waiting for the Floods
8. A Sense of Freedom
9. Sleep City Sleep
10. Avalanche
Army of Anyone
**
Written on 28.01.08
Army of Anyone is a collaboration between former Stone Temple Pilots guitarist and bassist Robert and Dean DeLeo, with Filter's singer Richard Patrick and drummer Ray Luzier. Expectations were naturally high of this supergroup collaboration which unfortunately fell completely flat once the album proved to be astonishingly mediocre, considering the apparent time that went into its making. While I haven't heard Filter, it's easy to make the comparison here to a worse Stone Temple Pilots, and the tracklist's all-too-obvious composition of louder rock anthems and acoustic ballads bears no distinguishing marks whatsoever. Every one of these songs is disappointingly generic and could have been recorded by anyone, casting a revealing light on this band's name.
The DeLeo brothers are both the clear stars here, the bass and guitar being afforded equal prominence in the production, but the songs are still lacking in decent, memorable riffs and even choruses from Patrick. 'Goodbye' was the first single, but doesn't stand out in any way, bookended by very similar-sounding tracks, and it's only the second single 'Father Figure' (which inevitably fared less well in the charts) that managed to attract my attention with its heavier sound and greater energy, despite still maintaining the same speed as the majority of the album and becoming equally repetitive quite quickly. 'Ain't Enough' seems to take things in a new and interesting direction with its country melodies at the start before turning into the same old thing once again, and the three slower, acoustic songs 'A Better Place,' 'Stop Look and Listen' and 'This Wasn't Supposed to Happen' all sound particularly bland when compared to similar songs from the Stone Temple Pilots that really blow these weak efforts away.
This isn't an inherently bad album, but it's about as generic and uninspired as a modern rock album can get, which is even more disappointing considering the calibre of the performers. The group seems to have disbanded to concentrate on separate projects, leaving this as their sole contribution, a soon-to-be-forgotten legacy.
1. It Doesn't Seem to Matter
2. Goodbye
3. Generation
4. A Better Place
5. Non Stop
6. Disappear
7. Stop Look and Listen
8. Ain't Enough
9. Father Figure
10. Leave It
11. This Wasn't Supposed to Happen
En Tierra Firme
**
Written on 28.01.08
'En Tierra Firme' is Ars Amandi's second album, and only really enjoyable if you're a heavy metal fan with a real love of folk. This Spanish band is far from unique in mixing classic folk instruments with electric guitars and the other heavy metal staples, but they have to be admired for their persistence in treating both genres with equal respect, even if the end result is mostly unsatisfying.
Folk metal itself is a misleading genre, often used to encompass anything from the thunderous, lengthy dirges of Viking metal bands to happy polka music with an electric twist, and Ars Amandi lean significantly towards the lighter end of the scale. The singing is high and the choruses jolly, and either due to production issues or creative intent, the guitars are severely overpowered by the lead flutes. This isn't a major disadvantage as the rock instruments aren't all that interesting, and this is clearly a band based more around the simplistic fun of a jig than aiming to impress with anything heavy or technical.
The main disappointment here is how similar the songs all sound, following a very similar course and only becoming more energetic in 'El Cazador' and the interesting, heavily folk-laden title song. The guitar solos feel like they're here out of necessity more than anything, and although the flutes dominate, their whistling tunes sound like pretty standard fare. This heavy/power metal variant of folk makes a lot more logical sense than the blackened versions in similar acts like Adorned Brood, but somehow they're more satisfying. It also would have been nice to detect some local Spanish influence beyond the generic folk sound, but it's sadly lacking.
1. Intro
2. Escuchando Al Corazon
3. No Queda Sino Balirnos
4. El Cazador
5. Abula
6. Mirada Perdida
7. Imaginate
8. Dejame
9. Tierra Firme
10. Imperio Traidor
11. El Allar
12. Malos Recuerdos
Android Domena
***
Written on 28.01.08
Ars Nova is a female Japanese trio playing keyboard-driven progressive rock, and just in case that doesn't make them stand out enough, their fifth album 'Android Domina' presents a deliberately provocative sexual front in its sexy album art and orgasm opening before fizzling out to return to their customary and distinctly un-sexy Emerson, Lake and Palmer inspired instrumental prog. The compositions here are as varied as can be under the limitations imposed by the trio, which ends up meaning not too varied at all, but more experienced prog connoisseurs will detect a noticeable shift from ELP tribute to Rick Wakeman inspired grandeur in songs like 'Horla Rising.'
These songs are very changeable and display the talents of Keiko Kumagai and Mika Nakajima's various synthesisers and organs, not so much Akiko Takahashi's drums it has to be said, but the constant and often illogical motion of the songs keeps them from being truly enjoyable to anyone outside of prog. This isn't necessarily a problem, as I'm assuming the band knows it's playing to a select audience by now, but the slight changes seemingly engineered to attract a larger crowd - the aforementioned album art and the presence of vocals in a couple of songs - contradict the band's agenda here, which seems to be to show off and improvise in whichever way they desire. That said, there's enough diversity to be able to recall certain songs, but more for the specific movements contained therein that could easily be cut and pasted into any other, demonstrated by the sudden shift into a Medieval style harpsichord ballad with singing in the middle of the first track, then a jump to a church organ.
There are no singles or easy ways in here, and anyone who isn't instantly grabbed could indeed end up appreciating the album, though anyone sickened by this type of thing (ELP in particular) isn't going to have their horizons expanded here, especially in the final song. 'All Hallow's Eve' is quite enjoyable in its cheesiness later on, but overall this is a slightly contradictory and almost impenetrable album that didn't impress me as much as some of their earlier material might.
1. Android Domina
2. All Hallow's Eve
3. Horla Rising
4. Mother
5. Succubus
6. Bizarro Ballo in Maschera
A Celebration of Guilt
*****
Written on 28.01.08
'A Celebration of Guilt' has to be one of the strongest death metal debuts of all time, and most shocking of all is its origin in Virginia. The United States may have invented death metal back in the eighties, but since then it's the innovative Scandinavian bands that have dominated the scene and defined the archetypes copied by their legions of imitators. Perhaps because of their distance from the increasingly stale Gothenburg scene, Arsis produced an incredibly powerful and consistent album of melodic death metal performed in the authentic way with a considerable degree of virtuosity and creativity on the part of James Malone, the guitarist/vocalist/bassist opposite the similarly talented Michael Van Dyne, which avoids the pitfalls that come from listening to too much In Flames and Dark Tranquillity and aspiring to be exactly like them.
There's a distinct, home-soil thrash influence here, the likes of which hasn't really been seen in melodic death since Dismember despite attempts by At the Gates spin-offs like The Haunted, and a creative flair that I wouldn't go so far as to describe as progressive, but that will certainly make this of greater interest to guitar fans. This is melodic death metal as it ought to sound, without jarring acoustic or atmospheric breaks, or lead guitar melodies stolen from Iron Maiden; across forty-five minutes, this is relentlessly heavy and energetic without sounding repetitive or running out of steam. It's what every death metal band should aspire to, but some fall short of due to lack of ideas or ability.
Every song here is an instant classic, and the publicity this release duly received will hopefully continue to inspire melodic death metal bands, rather than merely lead to a new batch of imitators. The only real problem with this album is that it would have been really great if it had been released about five years earlier, but never mind.
1. The Face of My Innocence
2. Maddening Disdain
3. Seven Whispers Fell Silent
4. Return
5. Worship Depraved
6. Carnal Ways to Recreate the Heart
7. Dust and Guilt
8. Elegant and Perverse
9. The Sadistic Motives Behind Bereavement Letters
10. Looking to Nothing
11. Wholly Night
A Diamond for Disease
****
Written on 28.01.08
Arsis is one of the more inventive and interesting American death metal bands of recent years, combining their local sound with a prominent influence from early Swedish melodic death metal, back when that meant violent songs with harmonic elements rather than the hardcore-offshoot rubbish influencing much of the metal scene today. At the Gates is a clear inspiration along with the relentless, thrashing force of Dismember, while the band's progressive and technical abilities are aptly demonstrated in the title piece of this E.P., the twelve-minute-long 'A Diamond for Disease.'
Twelve minutes is a good length for a long song, more impressive and grandiose than a mere eight-minuter and less prone to waffle and padding than the twenty-minute adventures embarked on by many bands in similar situations. As a single, uninterrupted flow of music, it's fairly hard to classify: it doesn't deviate in any major way from its core, but it certainly doesn't sound the same all the way through, and it remains consistently enthralling throughout. With its strong repeated motif in the form of James Malone's distinctive guitar riff, showcased most towards the beginning and end of the journey, it holds together perfectly without any of the stop-start interruptions of something like Opeth's five-songs-masquerading-as-a-single-song 'Black Rose Immortal,' and with the expected but minimal shift to a slower tempo at one point for a great doom metal section backed by subtle acoustic guitar, it can boast some variety outside of excellent guitar riffs and solos, which it has in abundance for technical death metal fans, while also being kept nicely in check to avoid the kind of showing off associated with that genre. Malone roars aggressively like Tomas Lindberg over the blasting drum beats, and the energy is consistent throughout without seeming like a chore, something that Edge of Sanity's inspiring album-length song 'Crimson' was unfortunately unable to do in the same way, though not for want of trying or lack of talent; death metal songs just weren't meant to last for forty minutes apiece.
With that in mind, the other songs - the "B-sides" if you'd like to imagine this was released twenty years earlier - are both comparatively short and simple, and both a lot of fun. 'Roses on White Lace' is apparently an Alice Cooper cover but you wouldn't guess that from listening to the harsh death metal, only really letting slip its secret in the classic metal solos. Concluding is the even shorter 'The Promise of Never,' which doesn't seem too clipped at under three minutes despite being less than a quarter of the length of the opening song. In truth, these latter two songs are obviously only there to bulk this release out and make it more appealing, its entire existence seemingly owing to James Malone having come up with a cracking death metal opus too late for inclusion on 'A Celebration of Guilt' but one he didn't want to leave lying around until he could cobble together another album around it. It's still certainly worth hunting down by enthusiastic death metal fans, and if like me you've endeavoured over the years to seek out all of the really good and really bad epic-length songs in heavy metal, you owe it to yourself to hear one of the corkers.
1. A Diamond for Disease
2. Roses on White Lace
3. The Promise of Never
United in Regret
****
Written on 28.01.08
Expectations were high for Arsis' second full-length release, and although 'United in Regret' isn't quite the masterpiece 'A Celebration of Guilt' was, it still serves as an excellent example to modern-day bands of how to produce high quality melodic death metal. The main difference between the two albums is that a more consciously progressive edge is trying to work its way into James Malone's compositions here, and the fast and furious technical riffs are frequently replaced with shifts into a slower pace, with a greater focus on melodic lead guitars. While this still makes for an excellent album, it assimilates a little more into the standard canon of melodic death and loses some of the individual flair that Arsis demonstrated so brilliantly on the previous releases.
Drummer Michael Van Dyne is perhaps even better here than on the debut, perfecting his fast and varied performance to demonstrate why he's one of the finest in the business, and although Malone is lacking some of the divine inspiration he once had, many songs still throw out a timeless guitar riff. There are still no stinkers here, but the most telling sign of an overall slight drop in quality comes when the listener notices a few specific songs standing out for being particularly good - 'A Celebration of Guilt' had similarly memorable songs full of excellent riffs, but was so consistent that these became the norm; here they are the exception.
The title track itself is an incredible display of guitar talent, moving from the album's most memorable riffs to a nice solo section and some slow riffs. It's the type of song that wouldn't have found its way onto the last album, so the new direction does have its advantages - besides, who would want them to release the same album twice? Well, they are death metal fans I guess...
1. Oh, the Humanity
2. ...and the Blind One Came
3. United in Regret
4. I Speak Through Shadows
5. Lust Before the Maggots Conquest
6. The Marriage Bed
7. The Cold Resistance
8. The Things You Said
9. Hopeless Truth
Arson Anthem
***
Written on 07.02.08
The forthcoming debut E.P. from Arson Anthem is an extreme assault of hardcore punk from some of the most respected noisemakers in the Southern United States; Mike Williams of sludge pioneers Eyehategod, Phil Anselmo of Pantera and various other metal projects, and the versatile Hank Williams III. In these eight songs, recorded in early 2006 but only now receiving an official release, Anselmo delivers raw and repetitive guitar riffs spurred on by Hank III's relentless drums and Mike's angry hardcore yells, while relative unknown Collin Yeo stands around and pretends anyone can actually hear his bass above the din. The songs are short, sharp and drastically to-the-point, lasting between thirty-five seconds and the mammoth duration of almost two entire minutes.
I'm not the biggest hardcore fan, but I appreciate bands that take it to the extreme, and this is one of the most convincing performances I've heard outside of John Zorn and Yamataka Eye's darker projects. The listener is immediately belted around the head by the all-out screaming, roaring assault of 'Year of the Fork' which later slows down a little, and most songs perform similar limited theatrics throughout their short lifespan. 'Bunker Life' has a dominant lead guitar and 'Wreaked Like Clockwork' opens with a squealed solo, and both are slightly less violent (only comparatively) to allow for their successors to seem even heavier and angrier by comparison. 'Hammer Them Out' and 'The Avoider' are the best tracks here, if you haven't already been frightened away that is, the latter even falling back on distinctly Black Sabbathesque riffs before erupting into a sweary finale.
This is clearly an essential and divinely inspired purchase for the serious hardcore fan, though they clearly need their brain's taste-buds adjusted to some extent if they're going to come down to Earth with the rest of us (oh yeah, like I can talk), but all the same this is a strong collaboration that achieves everything it set out to do and couldn't possibly disappoint. I just prefer my painful listening experiences to have a touch more class and less mindless aggro.
1. Year of the Fork
2. Doomed Morale
3. Bunker Life
4. Hammer Them Out
5. Wreaked Like Clockwork
6. Cops Shoot Coke
7. The Avoider
8. Sri Lankan Medication
Marathonnerre I
***
Written on 28.01.08
French avant-garde performers Art Zoyd first came to my attention many years ago through their distinctly odd film score to the Eureka DVD release of F. W. Murnau's vampire classic 'Nosferatu,' and although its dark and blaring electronic themes didn't provide the most suitable score (I later updated to a far superior imported version, because I'm just that much of a connoisseur), it made enough of an impact to stay in my memory.
It turns out that Art Zoyd have been composing music for quite some considerable time, and have experienced numerous line-up changes that have seen Gérard Hourbette and Thierry Zaboitzeff remaining as the only core members. 'Marathonnerre I' was released in 1993 during an uncharacteristically stable era for the group rounded off by Patricia Dallio, and this stability and newfound confidence unfortunately seems to work to the music's disadvantage; although much of the trademark Art Zoyd sound is still here, the whole thing seems much more tame and bland, and a lot of it is frankly boring.
Originally composed for some form of performance piece - ballet, art or something else, I forget - it's to be expected that this won't be riveting, edge-of-the-seat music drawing too much attention to itself, but allegedly edited down from twelve hours of material I expected something a little more interesting than the majority of what makes its way onto the disc. There are only a few songs that satisfied my craving for bizarreness, the opener 'Complainte,' 'Alleluja' and 'Firebirds' all utilising Zaboitzeff's voice as an amusing instrument that nevertheless never seems forced, and also relying more on catchy, even commercial bass lines and jarring keyboards from the trio.
Apart from these gems, the music is mostly ambient and keyboard-led, which tends to become boring fairly soon, especially in the longer songs like the two parts of 'Szene' (tracks two and nine), which begin entertainingly enough but very soon descend into tedious repetition and nothingness. The penultimate 'Fair Fair' finally offers something different through its use of clanging percussion, prominent bass and synthesised fanfares, but it comes too late to save the album from being essentially forgettable background music. I'll have to check out some more Art Zoyd, preferably from a time of turbulent line-up change when the group was forced to think on its feet. This CD is now available in a logical double pack with 'Marathonnerre II,' which I haven't heard.
1. Complainte
2. 2. Szene
3. Barbares
4. Alleluja
5. Tocsin
6. Firebirds
7. 1. Zwischenspiel
8. Konzo Bele
9. 1. Szene
10. Danse de Mort
11. Ritournelle
12. Fair Fair
13. Prophase
The Damned Ship
***
Written on 28.01.08
Verona's Arthemis are not a particularly distinctive or notable presence in power metal, but their second album 'The Damned Ship' is still damned fun, especially once the listener gets past the initial disappointment that it sounds exactly like classic Helloween and opts to embrace the similarity as a superior modern equivalent, at least until Helloween start to make great albums again. Not that Europe is short of Helloween imitators mind you, but this band at least follows through with the energy and intensity of a credible sound-alike performance, with the required lack of self-consciousness that would hinder some of the squeaker vocals and frivolous lead guitars from being quite so fun.
It's nice to hear a modern power metal band unconcerned with achieving a contrived epic sound as many try and fail, and this fast, melodic metal is all about the live performance, with only minimal passages relying prominently on the keyboard, exempting the short classical piano interlude 'The Wait' that's quite pretty. The sound is one that's been heard countless times before: relentless double bass pedal hammering that nevertheless avoids the heaviness of the exact same thing being played by death metal drummers, high falsetto vocals and fast guitar riffs and solos that often carry a classical style, most prominently in the instrumental 'Earthquake' (a nod to Van Halen's 'Eruption?') in which Andrea Martognelli effectively mimics Timo Tolkii of Stratovarius, another band whose influence can be seen across this recording. Fortunately avoiding the off-putting severity of a true virtuoso like Yngwie J. Malmsteen, something I assume is more due to ability than modesty, this is a nice little piece that stands out on the album and helps to establish the guitarists' credentials, even if drummer Paolo Perazzani is adversely proved to be unimaginative and tedious for maintaining the same sound throughout as the rest of the album. He really should pop his head up every once in a while and check what's going on around him, but at least his feet are getting a good workout.
As a generic power/speed metal album, the lyrical themes follow the usual arbitrary mix of historical and fantasy themes, beginning on an uninspiring note with some stereotypical stuff about knights that resurges later on, and in the sixth track offering up one of the least convincing or compelling vampire songs I've ever heard, despite the nice melodic lead guitar work (that was part of the problem). The title song at the finale is still entertaining though, and worth the wait from the teasing album cover, while the music itself has a nice folk side to it in this track that even makes the terrible a capella introduction bearable. Arthemis have released a few more albums since that I hope have started to take on a more individual flair, but as a shameless Helloween tribute album of new material, not as good as classic Helloween but better than that rubbish Pink Bubbles/Chameleon stuff that came out of nowhere in the early nineties, it's an enjoyable listen.
1. Quest for Immortality
2. Voice of the God
3. Suntemple
4. Starchild
5. The Wait
6. The Night of the Vampire
7. Earthquake
8. Noble Sword
9. The Damned Ship
Terror Squad
****
Written on 28.01.08
As Denmark's finest tech-thrash band (well, I'm only guessing, but it seems likely), Artillery's style was a little more technically proficient than many of their contemporaries, though not the extent of showing off virtuosity just for the sake of it. In fact, there's very little on 'Terror Squad' to elevate it above the level of a basic American thrash band of high quality, speed and most importantly melody, a quantity that the band flouts with pride. Flemming Rönsdorf's vocals frequently reach for the screech, while Michael Stützer's lead guitar melodies and solos are all aimed at creating a harmonic and pleasant layer above the raw thrashing riffs that pummel relentlessly throughout these songs.
While few of these songs stand out in a significant way above the general level of skill, it's the frequent mood and speed shifts, along with the chaotic structure that allows for a surprise guitar solo or even more surprising bass solo every once in a while, that really makes this album so interesting, while the thrash metal itself is satisfyingly powerful and heavy in the late eighties tradition. Comparisons with darker thrash bands such as Testament and Exodus are inevitable, and the band isn't really breaking new ground despite their proficiency, but 'Terror Squad' is a classic album of the eighties Danish metal scene that spawned such notable bands as Mercyful Fate and King Diamond.
1. The Challenge
2. In the Trash
3. Terror Squad
4. Let There Be Sin
5. Hunger and Greed
6. Therapy
7. At War With Science
8. Decapitation of Deviants
A Long March
**
Written on 29.01.08
This was quite a painful album to listen to, partly due to the lower quality production on the earlier recordings but mainly because I can't stand metalcore and hardcore bands. But they have fans out there, and As I Lay Dying have generously cashed in on - wait, I mean re-released their rare early material in a more convenient form for the album charts.
Despite my slight bitterness, I actually always think it's a good idea to keep older material commercially available, and this album collects the band's 2001 debut 'Beneath the Encasing of Ashes' together with their songs from the split E.P. with American Tragedy, which are inexplicably re-recorded in a more polished and higher budget version to open the album, presumably because the young fans would be scared away if confronted with something inferior to chart sound quality. I hate those people.
None of this material is particularly great, but the original album is good if you're into that sort of thing, and takes a satisfyingly more methodical and experimental approach compared to the unanimously harsh re-recordings at the start, where Tim Lambesis performs everything in a distorted hardcore scream no matter what the context. There are some melodic guitar moments that don't feel forced but the riffs are mainly fairly basic and routine, and each song is afforded a convenient breakdown within its short playing time, some coming in at less than two minutes but not really making a lasting impression. With the machine gun drums and distorted outbursts, this is annoyingly reminiscent of Slipknot and other yoof angst bands, and although it's nice for the fans to finally possess these albums at a reasonable cost, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone else.
1. Illusions (re-recorded)
2. The Beginning (re-recorded)
3. Reinvention (re-recorded)
4. The Pain of Separation (re-recorded)
5. Forever (re-recorded)
6. Beneath the Encasing of Ashes
7. Torn Within
8. Forced to Die
9. A Breath in the Eyes of Eternity
10. Blood Turned to Tears
11. The Voices That Betray Me
12. When This World Fades
13. A Long March
14. Surrounded
15. Refined by Your Embrace
16. The Innocence Spilled
17. Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier
18. Illusions
19. The Beginning
20. Reinvention
21. The Pain of Separation
22. Forever
Regeneration
***
Written on 29.01.08
'Regeneration' is a strong debut from American prog metal band Ascension Theory, and anyone approaching the band for the first time should have some idea what to expect thanks to the sci-fi album art reminiscent of Oratory. Led by Tim Becker's keyboards and Leon Ozug's guitar and vocals, I was surprised to learn afterwards that this two-man operation relied on programmed bass and drums, neither of which are audible enough to draw attention to their synthetic nature but which make the whole thing a little lifeless as a result.
Becker's keyboards go overboard on the space effects at the onset, which sets the album up to be a bombastic space opera in the style of Ayreon before things calm down significantly and we're instead left with a pleasant, if unremarkable collection of soft prog metal songs. The band's lighter side comes to the fore in the second half, with songs like 'Lovers' and 'Pieces' essentially being piano ballads, the former featuring a guest female singer, but it's all handled tastefully rather than cheesily, and ends up sounding like a less inspired Threshold. Ozug's singing lacks any distinctive character but is still impressive in the genre, reaching for high squeaks and sounding like Dream Theater's James LaBrie in the more upbeat moments, and his guitars are satisfyingly heavy when required in an attempt to maintain the cosmic balance of heaviness and melody, one that teeters towards the latter as the album moves on.
Without a strong hook or gimmick, this is an album that's hard to spot in the often elaborate "space metal" sub-genre, but its relative blandness could also make it more attractive to those who were deterred by the overly bombast stylings of metal composers like Arjen Anthony Lucassen. None of the songs really stand out, and it isn't even particularly atmospheric, but it's pleasant enough listening when you feel like something in-between.
1. Warriors
2. Sleeper (One Flies Away)
3. Eridani
4. Speaker
5. Lovers (I'll Wait For You)
6. Pieces
7. Enemies
8. Reflections
9. Regeneration
The Rack
****
Written on 29.01.08
To name 'The Rack' among the death metal classics would be a bit of a stretch (b'dum-tish!), but it's still widely praised by many as a seminal release. Unlike most death metal bands of the time, tending towards higher production values and a greater emphasis on speed, technicality and brutality, Asphyx remained dedicated to pursuing a dark and vile sound, which leads to much of this album taking a surprisingly slow and doomy approach bookended by violent sections of thrash. In the spirit of all truly evil music, the sound quality is also shockingly poor, which works to its advantage even if the intricacies of the guitar riffs become lost in a general fuzz.
The low production values may present an obstacle to those more accustomed to the polished death metal of the nineties, but it only really presents a problem in the faster songs such as 'Vermin,' the slower ones really benefitting from the added dingy atmosphere without losing any of the clarity of the slower guitars. This doom element first rears its ugly, putrefying head in the crushing riffs of 'Diabolical Existence,' the first point at which the album really starts to impress, and from here it's an uphill journey all the way. 'Evocation,' 'Ode to a Nameless Grave' and 'Pages in Blood' all feature excellent melancholy guitar solos from Eric Daniels, played at a severely slow speed alien to modern death metal, and Martin Van Drunen's raspy growl (formerly of the band Pestilence) works much better in these slower songs where his satisfyingly vile lyrics can be clearly understood, even if the change in direction from the band's early years and demo releases under the late Theo Loomans is a slight disappointment.
This album is let down slightly by the thrash sections that sound stilted and weak in the gritty production, but it's more than compensated by the excellent slower passages that work just as effectively as anything in the doom genre. Asphyx may have been fighting a losing battle in the face of death metal that was forever moving further from its origins, but this is a great release from its heyday when bands were branching out and exploring new, completely contradictory ideas. Asphyx weren't one of the best, but these Dutchmen are equally notable.
1. The Quest for Absurdity
2. Vermin
3. Diabolical Existence
4. Evocation
5. Wasteland of Terror
6. The Sickening Dwell
7. Ode to a Nameless Grave
8. Pages in Blood
9. The Rack
Of the Son and the Father
***
Written on 29.01.08
Most bands earn their living by imitating their heroes, but all the same, I was so dumbfounded when seeing Astral Doors support Blind Guardian in 2006 that I longed for a large, A2 sized photocopy of Black Sabbath's 'Headless Cross' album cover to hold aloft next to a query asking, "that's just this album, isn't it? But with rubbish Hammond organs?"
Now I've heard the discography I'm in a better position to judge these Swedes, and there are some enjoyable, sometimes epic heavy metal songs to be found on this debut and its successors, but it really can't escape sound distinctly like Black Sabbath in the Martin era, with a liberal sprinkling of Dio. More casual metal fans may find it a little daft to imitate the sound of one of its legendary progenitors at a comparatively mediocre and pointlessly late stage of their career like this, but of course - tribute, influence and homage aside - not as many people are going to notice if they copy 'Headless Cross' as if they imitated the doom metal sound of 'Paranoid' and 'Master of Reality.' A simple glance at the tracklist and some of the lyrics does at least quell any doubts that this band were merely hoping to get away with this forgery, as no one who was trying to avoid accusations of Dio plagiarism would sing about rainbows and dragons, for god's sake.
The main feature of this sound-alike is singer Nils Patrik Johansson, also of the more accomplished and creative Wuthering Heights, whose vocal style may have started out attempting to reach the heights of Ronnie James Dio, but ended up squarely in the Tony Martin camp, Dio's eventual successor in Sabbath for some fairly decent albums in the late eighties and early nineties, most significantly 'Headless Cross' and 'Tyr.' Johansson gets the suspense over with right at the start and lets rip with his best Martin impression in the first bars, only offering relief in the form of more traditional singing for brief sections in the title track and 'Ocean of Sand,' allowing listeners to ease their sympathetic jaw-ache, and although it can be a little hard to take him seriously after a while as he perseveres with the wounded animal vocals, it gives the band a nice, distinctive sound. Even if it's the sound of a twenty-years-out-of-date Black Sabbath.
The rest of the band is up to scratch as a power metal outfit, but the music is predominantly heavy metal/hard rock in the classic style, with heavy guitar riffs and a consistent backing by the drums and bass, themselves only getting rare opportunities for creativity. The guitars are impressively powerful throughout the album, from the rip-roaring anthems 'Cloudbreaker' and 'Man on the Rock' to the slower and more epic 'The Trojan Horse' and 'Night of the Witch,' but often their thunder is stolen by the bloody irritating Hammond organs. I don't know why the band insist on featuring them so prominently - it certainly wasn't a feature of Sabbath or Dio - and while it's easy to accept them in the background of most songs, or even for more annoying intros, it's horrible when they ruin what would otherwise be a crushingly heavy riff in 'Night of the Witch' and others. Each song is made ever so slightly different, from the sing-along choruses of 'Slay the Dragon' ("kill the beast ... join the feast!") to the grander heights of others, but all are united by general sub-par Dio/Martin worship and Hammond organs, the vilest sound to grace a recording outside of cheery cockney choir boys.
1. Cloudbreaker
2. Of the Son and the Father
3. Hungry People
4. Slay the Dragon
5. Ocean of Sand
6. In Prison for Life
7. The Trojan Horse
8. Burn Down the Wheel
9. Night of the Witch
10. Rainbow in Your Mind
11. Man on the Rock
Evil Is Forever
***
Written on 29.01.08
Astral Doors' second album is an improvement over the first, incorporating more modern, power metal influences into its seventies throwback sound, but sadly retaining the despicable Hammond organ.
The production values are better, and the guitars are subsequently louder and more powerful, which is good news on this album where the songs tend to favour a more energetic performance than the first, which was based more around epics. Such songs still remain on this release in the form of the plodding title track, 'Fear in Their Eyes' and 'Path to Delirium,' all of which represent a vast improvement and feature a nice balance between vocal and guitar prominence, though still unable to shake off the damned organ: a pleasant guitar solo section in 'Fear' would have to be followed by an organ, and the historical war epic 'Stalingrad' is completely spoiled in the centre by that outmoded instrument playing a really clashing ditty over the top!
Still on the slower side, the band resorts to genuine acoustic guitar in a fairly bold move that ends up working well in 'Lionheart' and 'Stalingrad,' though the first does have something of the hair metal power ballad about it, but the rest of the album is a lot more upbeat, and avoids the dreary atmosphere of its predecessor. Each chorus is memorable right from 'Bride of Christ,' and even the songs that put me off a little through daft names reminiscent of Twisted Sister and the lesser moments of Saxon (I'm talking specifically 'Time to Rock' here) end up surprising me by not being completely terrible, keeping me entertained with new riffs in the classic style.
The best news for metal fans whose interest in the band may have come from Johansson's involvement with Wuthering Heights is that a few of the songs head in a distinctly power direction, with 'Bride of Christ,' 'Pull the Break' and 'The Flame' all placing a fast tempo and energetic choruses above the lazy hard rock that sometimes creeps in elsewhere, though Wuthering Heights' insane tempo and brilliant atmosphere are sadly lacking.
1. Bride of Christ
2. Time to Rock
3. Evil is Forever
4. Lionheart
5. Praise the Bone
6. Pull the Break
7. Fear in Their Eyes
8. Stalingrad
9. From the Cradle to the Grave
10. The Flame
11. Path to Delirium
Astralism
****
Written on 29.01.08
'Astralism' finally sees a (slight) turnaround in Sweden's Astral Doors from throwback Dio worshippers to a serious competitor in modern power metal, even if the band's writing process and lyrical influences seem a little laughable. While heavy metal isn't exactly renowned for its lyrical prowess, and literary influence is often limited to the horror best-sellers list or the most recent Hollywood novel adaptation, this release sees Astral Doors tackle subjects as diverse as the Ark of the Covenant, Oliver Twist and EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon, otherwise known as static and wind passed off as ghost communication), all condensed into three and a half minute treatments that are sure to insult as much as please the fans.
Musically, the album is faster and more energetic than its predecessors, though this does noticeably fade after the half-way point when the old, hard rock style returns along with the previously subtle Hammond organs in a lead-up to the inevitable dumb rock celebration 'In Rock We Trust,' which joins 'Time to Rock' from the previous album in my list of despised Astral Doors material. The resurgence of their Dio style isn't necessarily a problem as the band are certainly adept at mimicking the sound of 1980s Black Sabbath, but this album is superior for balancing it out with some genuine and enjoyable power metal earlier on.
Like the first album, this is mainly composed of short and simple heavy metal tracks with only a couple really standing out as anything more substantial, namely 'Israel' and the finale 'Apocalypse Revealed' which are as epic as anything the band had previously achieved, though the emphasis is still more on repetition and the pure enjoyment of a live performance than anything more technical or showy through studio trickery. Astral Doors are keeping it real, and finally wising up to the fact that it isn't 1982 any more; now all they have to do is lose the bloody organ and I'd become a real fan.
1. EVP
2. Black Rain
3. London Caves
4. From Satan with Love
5. Fire in Our House
6. Israel
7. Raiders of the Ark
8. Tears from a Titan
9. Oliver Twist
10. Vendetta
11. The Green Mile
12. In Rock We Trust
13. Apocalypse Revealed
Those Whose Past is Immortal
****
Written on 29.01.08
A somewhat obscure entry into the black metal canon from Ukraine, Astrofaes embody all the best aspects of raw black metal without being overly committed to aggression, Satanism or any of the other contrivances designed to make a band "extreme." Their black metal is atmospheric, fast, melodic and a little bit folky in the Bathory sense, and takes its cues from all over; the shoddy, fuzzy production job is either a similar tribute to classic black metal, or a deliberate aesthetic decision designed to appeal to those who only enjoy music if you have to strain to make it out. Unlikely as it seems, this is the band's fifth album and was released as recently as 2005, so I wouldn't rule it out.
Only the seventh track avoids the lengthy curse of its predecessors, but every one of these songs makes full use of its lifespan, evolving or simply repeating with skill but never becoming tedious or overly hypnotic. While it's quietly roaring riffs and almost inaudible (but excellent) drums that dominate the style, these two instruments suffer the most from a production job that even favours the usually forgotten bass, which stands proud and clear at the front of the mix alongside the vocals and unplugged instruments such as piano and acoustic guitar, used to great effect in tracks three to five respectively (maybe the guitarist drew the shortest straw when it came to picking studio amplifiers). The folk/Viking influence isn't as prominent as it would at first appear, but inspires some pleasant lead guitar in 'The Principle of Existence' and some tell-tale neighing in the acoustic introduction to 'The Depths of the Past,' but even when absent the guitars frequently take on a more melodic approach that serves to diversify the album and accentuate its heavier offerings like centrepiece 'Blackest Mountain Chain of Cursed Time,' a song that really makes me yearn for a louder drum sound.
There's nothing to fault this album outside of the admittedly large issue of its sound quality, which does enhance the atmosphere to some extent, but isn't worth the price paid. Of course, if price was the real, unavoidable reason for it, it's merely bad luck rather than a bad artistic decision. The instruments are all perfectly competent without showing off, the riffs often being incredibly fast but nevertheless relying primarily on the usual black metal chord progressions, and the greatest credit that can be paid to the band is how skilfully they evoke atmosphere without contrivance (though there are wind sounds effects and the like on rare occasions). This should be enjoyed by those like me, who like black metal best when it isn't just concerned with heaviness, but you may be put off by the volume adjustment needed to render the guitars and drums audible and the acoustic passages bearable.
1. The Principle of Existence
2. Hate Fang
3. The Depths of the Past
4. Blackest Mountain Chain of Cursed Time
5. The Abyss (The Edge of Eternity)
6. Soul of the Black Forest
7. Glacial Darkness
A Clarion Call
*****
Written on 29.01.08
I don't give five stars easily, but Asunder's debut is by far the most definitive doom metal release of its type that I've ever heard. Consisting of three long, funereally slow and varied songs clocking in between twelve and fifteen minutes in length, this isn't an album for casual listeners, but it goes the extra distance to really satisfy patient fans who embark on the journey. I had preconceptions that this would be yet another sequence of monotonous dirges in the funeral doom style of bands like Thergothon and Esotetic, but was fortunately much mistaken; this is just as varied in mood and style as any other metal album, and in this instance, long doesn't automatically mean tedious, repetitive and suicidal.
Asunder seems to take its influence from the greatest doom successes of the previous decade, most evident in the contrast between the more harmonious and melancholic My Dying Bride inspired passages most present in 'Twilight Amaranthine' and the heavier, groove-laden riffs of the other two songs, and the sound is satisfyingly heavy and melodic in equal measure. The cello work of Alex Bale-Glickman adds to the band's distinctive sound, even if this distinctiveness does cross over into My Dying Bride territory at times, and although there are a few inevitable moments in-between major movements where nothing much is happening except for sustained guitar fuzz and slow drumming, each song evolves in a fluid and logical way towards its conclusion - the only instance where this isn't the case comes several minutes into the title track, where the style shifts considerably. This is the most diverse song of the lot, but for all its technical prowess it loses some of the conflicting emotions and beauty of its predecessors.
The tone here is dark, but not sinister, and the vocals are both growled and sung like a chant, the lyrics being a nice mix of traditional doom metal poetry and non sequitur statements designed to sound nice through the slow delivery. The three songs are surprisingly distinctive even after a single listen, and perhaps the album's greatest triumph is that it keeps the listener's attention throughout, a rare feat in a genre usually aimed more towards meditative despair that reasonably expects the listener to have taken their own life before the tedium would present a problem.
1. Twilight Amaranthine
2. Crown of Eyes
3. A Clarion Call
Lost Eden
***
Written on 29.01.08
I don't give five stars easily, but Asunder's debut is by far the most definitive doom metal release of its type that I've ever heard. Consisting of three long, funereally slow and varied songs clocking in between twelve and fifteen minutes in length, this isn't an album for casual listeners, but it goes the extra distance to really satisfy patient fans who embark on the journey. I had preconceptions that this would be yet another sequence of monotonous dirges in the funeral doom style of bands like Thergothon and Esotetic, but was fortunately much mistaken; this is just as varied in mood and style as any other metal album, and in this instance, long doesn't automatically mean tedious, repetitive and suicidal.
Asunder seems to take its influence from the greatest doom successes of the previous decade, most evident in the contrast between the more harmonious and melancholic My Dying Bride inspired passages most present in 'Twilight Amaranthine' and the heavier, groove-laden riffs of the other two songs, and the sound is satisfyingly heavy and melodic in equal measure. The cello work of Alex Bale-Glickman adds to the band's distinctive sound, even if this distinctiveness does cross over into My Dying Bride territory at times, and although there are a few inevitable moments in-between major movements where nothing much is happening except for sustained guitar fuzz and slow drumming, each song evolves in a fluid and logical way towards its conclusion - the only instance where this isn't the case comes several minutes into the title track, where the style shifts considerably. This is the most diverse song of the lot, but for all its technical prowess it loses some of the conflicting emotions and beauty of its predecessors.
The tone here is dark, but not sinister, and the vocals are both growled and sung like a chant, the lyrics being a nice mix of traditional doom metal poetry and non sequitur statements designed to sound nice through the slow delivery. The three songs are surprisingly distinctive even after a single listen, and perhaps the album's greatest triumph is that it keeps the listener's attention throughout, a rare feat in a genre usually aimed more towards meditative despair that reasonably expects the listener to have taken their own life before the tedium would present a problem.
1. Twilight Amaranthine
2. Crown of Eyes
3. A Clarion Call
The Red in the Sky is Ours
*****
Written on 30.01.08
One of the most celebrated forefathers of melodic death metal, At the Gates were the more aggressive of the Gothenburg group comprising their contemporaries Ceremonial Oath, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, holding more firmly to their hostile death metal base and electing not to indulge melody and folk influence to the extent of those other bands. Whether this makes them the most authentic or simply the least inventive of the melodic death pioneers is down to each listener to decide, and while I don't enjoy their relentlessly harsh magnum opus 'Slaughter of the Soul' as much as I do the more balanced and compelling classics of the other bands in the field, this 1992 album introduces At the Gates as a more experimental band taking its influence from all branches of death metal without being confined to as-yet-uncreated genres.
'The Red in the Sky is Ours' has the fresh, bold and often amateurish sound of a band that doesn't yet know what it wants to be when it grows up, and the progressive structures, radical time shifts and frequent jazzy refrains from the bass and drums align this with technical death metal from the likes of Atheist and Cynic, without going all the way and denying listeners the pleasure of the more straightforward death metal that comprises the majority.
The typical At the Gates aggression is still present here, but in a less intrusive style more along the likes of fellow Swedes Dismember, complete with occasional flourishes of lead guitar and solos definitive of the Gothenburg sound. Anders Björler's lead guitar is excellent throughout, from the standard death metal riffing that drives most songs along to the appearance of the more sombre melodies in 'Through the Gardens of Grief,' culminating in the doom-like melancholy of 'Within,' likely the finest song here as well as the most complex, and atmospheric tremolo-picking solos that give a weird watery effect to 'Windows.' There's also a long-awaited, all-out, squealing death metal solo in 'Claws of Laughter Dead.'
The despair factor isn't as prominent here as in more dedicated doom metal bands, mostly relying on hostility, but 'Within,' 'Neverwhere' and the soft interlude 'The Scar' all succeed in creating a bleak and depressive atmosphere through the guitars, Tomas Lindberg's vocals and Gesper Jarold's violin. Jarold is the key player here in marking this album out as distinctive, making his presence felt right from the first song which effectively ends after three minutes and gives its final minutes over to a folky violin solo that bears no relation to the previous material at all. 'Within' really brings the emotional potential of the instrument out, making its final minute one of the most incredible in all of melodic death metal, while 'Neverwhere' sees Lindberg's pained roar reaching its desperate peak.
Lindberg's popularity is well deserved, and even though I've never been fond of his rasping, monotonous shout on later albums, here he's almost unrecognisable, still yelling with intensity but also with added pain evident in the style of depressive black metal, making for a more involving and less alienating experience than 'Slaughter of the Soul,' and just one of the ingredients that makes this a much better album.
The album's progressive/technical/jazz tendencies are perhaps the main obstacle to this receiving wider acceptance, and while they don't deliberately alienate all but the most prog-minded of listeners in the way masturbatory tech-death bands easily do, the sudden lunging into bass and drum frivolity does occasionally seem... well, frivolous. All the same, it's great to hear the bass as a prominent instrument, and although fast, dynamic drums are a vital element of death metal, the legendary Adrian Erlandsson puts in an incredible performance throughout.
If you only buy one album of pre-melodic-melodeath this lifetime, well, you're probably best off with Dismembered's 'Massive Killing Capacity.' But after that, you should get this.
1. The Red in the Sky is Ours / The Season to Come
2. Kingdom Gone
3. Through the Gardens of Grief
4. Within
5. Windows
6. Claws of Laughter Dead
7. Neverwhere
8. The Scar
9. Night Comes, Blood Black
10. City of Screaming Statues
With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness
****
Written on 30.01.08
This is truly a difficult second album, in that it's almost frustratingly hard to penetrate. Taking a faster and more technical direction than on their excellent debut, At the Gates have produced an album full of inventive and excellent guitar riffs from Anders Björler and Alf Svensson and the finest performance Adrian Erlandsson has ever recorded, but the end result is a slightly uncomfortable listening experience for all but the most seasoned technical death metal fan.
While this lacks the emotional resonance of 'The Red in the Sky is Ours,' the band hasn't yet veered onto the path that would bring them their greatest success, acclaim and disdain, and this is still melodic death metal in its earliest and most pure form, albeit with a significantly distracting tendency for endlessly changing riffs getting in the way. Fans of 'Slaughter of the Soul' would be best avoiding this altogether, and the only elements that smack of stereotypical melodic death are the soft acoustic intro to the otherwise aggressive 'Raped by the Light of Christ' and slower sections in 'Primal Breath' and 'The Burning Darkness,' which are also blessed with some excellent tremolo-picking lead guitar brilliance.
If this album were more structurally refined it would surely be considered a classic along with the debut, but with its emphasis on style over substance and the unsatisfying abrupt endings of many tracks at seemingly arbitrary points, it feels like a misstep... but still a damn heavy and energetic one that should be in any serious death metal fan's collection.
1. Beyond Good and Evil
2. Raped by the Light of Christ
3. Break of Autumn
4. Non-Divine
5. Primal Breath
6. The Architects
7. Stardrowned
8. Blood of the Sunsets
9. The Burning Darkness
10. Ever-Opening Flower
11. Through the Red
Terminal Spirit Disease
***
Written on 30.01.08
More of an E.P. than an album, clocking in at thirty-five minutes even when bulked out by three live songs at the end, this can't help but be seen as a warm-up to 'Slaughter of the Soul' when viewed in a historical context, due to the latter album's mistaken acclaim. The change in style from the previous album is striking, as this is far more simplified and cleanly produced to the extent that it mostly sounds like an entirely different death metal band, apart from the slower 'The Fevered Circle' that harks back to the melancholic style of the debut, and of course the live songs from earlier in the band's career that prove how much better or worse they used to sound, depending on your own, entirely valid point of view (though you're clearly wrong if you think this is an improvement).
After a pleasant intro that sees a violin morph into the first song's leading guitar harmony, this becomes very standard melodic death metal material, without the personal touches that made the band's earlier releases stand out. The sound is still heavy, but the atmosphere has been eradicated by polished production that brings out Adrian Erlandsson's drums now that he's no longer playing anything worth paying attention to. The improved grasp of structure after the messy second album is certainly a bonus, with 'Terminal Spirit Disease' and 'Forever Blind' both sounding tight if a little watered down by comparison, and although the acoustic song 'And the World Returned' is nothing special, it's nice to look back on these experiments when they were reasonably novel and to contrast them (Dark Tranquillity did something similar on their 1995 album).
The live versions are satisfyingly raw but aren't particularly special if you already own the original albums, unless you desire to hear Tomas Lindberg swearing for kicks in-between, and overall this is the weakest and least essential entry into the disappointingly slim At the Gates discography that would be concluded with their subsequent effort.
1. The Swarm
2. Terminal Spirit Disease
3. And the World Returned
4. Forever Blind
5. The Fevered Circle
6. The Beautiful Wound
7. All Life Ends (Live)
8. The Burning Darkness (Live)
9. Kingdom Gone (Live)
Slaughter of the Soul
****
Written on 30.01.08
Here we have one of the popularly cited classics of melodic death metal, the evident inspiration for the legions of overly aggressive, obtrusive, paradoxical metalcore bands dominating the metal mainstream these days. For that reason alone it perhaps deserves to be hammered to bits (violence begets violence), but that would be like travelling back to the genesis of the Daleks and pushing the conveniently marked self-destruct button to stop the universe's greatest threat from ever coming into existence. Besides, taken on its own merits as At the Gates' amicable swan song before the band members' dissolution to other parts of the Swedish metal scene, 'Slaughter of the Soul' is a solid album and a reasonable triumph for metal, and certainly better than Davros or Hitler.
The sound here is an almost relentless angry yell aimed at nothing in particular, with only a few lapses into something more accessible to the everyday listener. Tomas Lindberg's vocals have become distinctively Tomas Lindberg-style by this point, perhaps predictably but the change from the first album is striking, meaning that the orations are delivered in a harsh and unprecedentedly hostile take on the death metal growl, something that actually starts to bore me in the latter part of the album. For fans of angry music you couldn't do much better than this, and as it's a melodic death album, Anders Björler supplies a fairly melodic lead guitar in most songs in an attempt to balance things out, though not to the extent of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity or most of the other bands of the Gothenburg scene. Essentially, opener 'Blinded by Fear' is the only real sign of effort in fitting to the imagined archetype of the melodic death sound, as later albums rely on outside sources and more drastic deviations for their melody, most notably a nice guitar solo from King Diamond's Andy LaRocque in 'Cold,' the entirely acoustic interlude 'Into the Dead Sky' and the atmospheric outro 'The Flames of the End.'
This is a consistent death metal album that irons out anything extraneous and ends up with a relatively short (but long enough) thirty-four minute playing time, most songs coming in at under four minutes and the final few all being under three minutes. The problem with these short lengths is that few of the songs have much chance to really establish themselves outside of the main riffs and verses, 'Unto Others' trying to do something different with short acoustic flourishes and a steadier introductory section but still ending up much the same as the rest. This is no problem if this is the sort of music you're really into, and any metalcore fans who haven't heard this oft-hailed progenitor of the style should see it as a compulsory listen, one that will hopefully introduce them to other, better death metal bands, but for those like me who obviously prefer the more melodic and innovative touches of At the Gates' contemporaries, it gets a bit tedious and even seems a little lacking in ferocity when compared to more extreme death- and black metal acts. At least this is more accessible.
1. Blinded by Fear
2. Slaughter of the Soul
3. Cold
4. Under a Serpent Sun
5. Into the Dead Sky
6. Suicide Nation
7. World of Lies
8. Unto Others
9. Nausea
10. Need
11. The Flames of the End
At the Throne of Judgement
The Arcanum Order
***
Written on 30.01.08
'The Arcanum Order' is a consistent debut from American band At the Throne of Judgement, by which I mean that all of the songs sound pretty much exactly the same (and the band name and album title seem to be the wrong way round, don't you think?) On the positive side, this is decent enough Soilwork-style melodic death metal that isn't really death metal, but is a bit too good and not overtly hostile enough to be considered metalcore, which will still be hard enough for those who don't mind a bit of crossover. Personally, this kind of consistent hammering aggression isn't my cup of tea, and I probably wouldn't use phrases like "cup of tea" if it were.
Matt Smith's vocals (great metal name there, as fear-inducing as Matthew Barlowe) vary between a death grunt and rasp without going in for any of that piercing metalcore singing stuff, and he's perfectly suited to the hard guitar riffs and pummelling drums, which are actually impressive when not just relying on a machine gun imitation for heaviness. The guitar riffs are loose and seemingly improvised to some extent, progressing up and down according to the guitarist's whims, and of course there are blaring solos towards the end of each song, fairly good but nothing spectacular and mainly there out of habit. As there's very little variation between the songs and the whole thing started to bore me fairly soon there aren't any particularly stand-out tracks, though 'Ruin of Gaia' seemed to be slightly faster which I took as a good sign.
While the band doesn't have the same preoccupation with flaunting poorly contrived melodic elements to prove their feminine side to groupies (the metalcore equivalent of a hard bloke wearing pink), there are a few rare moments of pleasant harmony that offer a very welcome respite from all the heaviness and are pulled off nicely, most obviously the gloomy clean guitar interlude 'Four Winds' at the album's centre and anonymous piano outro at the end. At the Throne of Judgement isn't the sort of band I'd listen to by choice, being too distracting for background music and not angry enough for bad moods, but this is a strong, if disappointingly samey debut.
1. Cacophonous
2. Sentinel
3. Mariner's Cutlass
4. Horus Rises
5. Discarnate by Design
6. Four Winds
7. Celestial Scourge
8. Ruin of Gaia
9. Tomb of the Thracians
10. Delphic Star
11. The Captive
12. Untitled
VII
**
Written on 30.01.08
With their latest release, Germany's At Vance finally took a slight change of direction from their formerly samey discography, but sadly it was a step in the wrong direction. The change can partly be blamed on band turmoil, as guitarist/keyboard player Olaf Lenk now plays all of the instruments in the studio and singer Mats Leven has been replaced with the less distinctive Rick Altzi, but even with this greater degree of creative control it seems that Lenk has decided to oversimplify an already fairly basic sound, now more rooted in the eighties than ever. Lenk's classically influenced guitar solos are almost nowhere in sight, hidden on most tracks and only coming to the fore in pieces like 'Victory,' and the customary Vivaldi cover is conspicuous in its absence. This is a real shame, as without the pompous guitar performance this is just another power metal band producing a few good, generic songs amidst an album of slow throwback ballads, and it doesn't bode well for At Vance's future.
There really are too many slow songs here, at least in comparison to the band's earlier albums, and although none of them quite go overboard into cheese as they've tended to in the past, it really does become increasingly dull and painful to sit through these slowies with every other song, from the hair metal of 'Shiver' to the less irritating but still tedious 80s Black Sabbath/Dio tributes 'Friendly Fire' and 'Answer Me' and finally the really lousy ballad 'Lost In Your Love' that ends the album on a particularly sour note. Only a few songs here are even worth mentioning but still merely sound the same as the bands that influenced them, from the fast power metal of 'Golden Leaves' that provides a source of respite that should have occurred in greater frequency to the unexpected heaviness of 'Truth,' more in line with Gamma Ray and Primal Fear.
1. Breaking the Night
2. Shiver
3. Cold As Ice
4. Victory
5. Friendly Fire
6. Golden Leaves
7. Answer Me
8. Shine
9. Truth
10. Lost In Your Love
Kremasta Nera
****
Written on 30.01.08
Ataraxia is an inspiring Italian neoclassical group that has been in existence for around twenty years and released a vast array of albums, yet remains hopelessly obscure due to its limited target audience. I wouldn't have it any other way.
The band's music mixes classical symphonic and operatic styles with natural folk and tribal elements, making for an interesting and highly skilled mixture that seemingly aims to unite the world's diverse cultures and mythology, an endeavour enhanced by the mythological lyrical themes, sung by Francesca Nicoli in a variety of languages. Ataraxia's music is incredibly spiritual in intent, even to the extent that their live performances occur in areas deemed to hold spiritual significance, but it can be enjoyed by anyone interested in neoclassical or neofolk, without unnecessary and inaccurate terms such as "dark ambient" being banded about. This isn't ambient music, but a collection of quite different songs striking a balance between folk and classical styles in a minimalist atmosphere.
'The Song of Axieros' sets things up nicely while also serving to ward away any casual listeners who are worried that this really isn't their thing. Nicoli's vocals are almost whispered against a sparse backdrop of soft tribal sounds, and the unison chanting later on is almost scary, but thankfully things pick up in the second song and the music can really begin. 'The Nine Rituals' is the closest thing this album provides to a commercial single, not that something so ludicrous could ever happen, as even in spite the more accessible acoustic guitar, drumming and English vocals, the song still drifts into chant and folk stylings later on, reminding me of a more intense version of the Cure's 'The Hanging Garden.'
The rest of the album flits between Eastern-sounding melodies and vocal performances in the 'Ochram' and 'Therma' section, to more symphonic heights in the orchestral 'Ebur' and the angelic, operatic singing of the excellent title song, 'Efestia' and 'Migratio Animae.' Despite the increased prominence of vocal elements, orchestration or folk instruments in corresponding songs, the atmosphere is maintained throughout and the sound never feels overbearing or contradictory, the perfect fusion of elements finally seeming to come together in songs such as 'Gria Vathra.' This isn't the easiest album to approach, but it's one that rewards the patient listener.
1. The Song of Axieros
2. The Nine Rituals
3. Kremasta Nera
4. Ochram
5. Therma
6. Efestia
7. Ebur
8. Kaviria
9. Fengari
10. Klethra
11. Gria Vathra
12. Migratio Animae
13. Wings (I Had Once)
14. La Fame E La Danza
Wasteland
***
Written on 30.01.08
The term "gothic" is one of the less helpful in defining a band's sound, banded around to the same extent as "epic" and "extreme," usually by idiots like me. Generally speaking, bands labelled as gothic metal tend to share characteristics of a lighter sound, still led by rock instruments but in a less prominent, background manner and usually accompanied or even overpowered by keyboards and sweeping orchestration, while vocals range from operatic wails to death metal growls. Germany's Atargatis are fairly typical then, in that singer Stephanie Luzie performs most songs in a high singing voice with occasional bouts of regular singing and is accompanied briefly by male vocals in three songs, though without the contrived "beauty and the beast" system of male grunts versus female singing used by bands such as Theatre of Tragedy.
All of the instrumentation in this album is aimed at providing a suitable soundscape for Luzie's voice, meaning that while the synthesised orchestra, regular rock instruments and additional touches like violin in 'Through the Mists if Oblivion' are all flawlessly performed, they rarely stand out apart from a few generous guitar solos in songs like 'Selina.' Each track is around five minutes in length apart from the intro, outro and interlude '4giving,' and most use the slightly extended length to their advantage in arriving at a different sound by the end than the one they began with, displayed in the title song which marks a major shift from light operatic metal to a more typical singing performance in its second half. There are a few nicely odd touches to distinguish certain songs - Luzie chanting repeatedly over a church organ at the start of 'Circle of Life' being one, continued later in the song where her German accent interferes slightly with her ability to pronounce the title in the repeating chorus (bless) - and even the more standard fare is generally divided up so that slower songs are placed next to more energetic pieces.
This is a slickly produced album that brings out all the presence and subtlety of the backing orchestration as required by each song, and allows the rock instruments to remain audible even when essentially buried or momentarily unnecessary. The guitar has a certain crunch to it that's appealing, but metal fans shouldn't come here expecting an energised or upbeat performance in the style of Nightwish, while those expecting something more ethereal and ambient may be similarly disappointed. Atargatis is primarily another gothic metal band doing alright in a genre that isn't exactly over-saturated, but requires quite a bit from its performers that this album delivers thanks to Stephanie Luzie, but unfortunately fails elsewhere. Stick with Theatre of Tragedy for something more ambitious and moody.
1. Desert (Intro)
2. Wasteland
3. Selina (Widow of the Moon)
4. Thy Crystallic Ascension
5. Cradle of Fern
6. Through the Mists if Oblivion
7. 4giving
8. My Solace
9. Circle of Life
10. Angels Crying
11. Eden (Outro)
Piece of Time
Stop All the Clocks
****
Written on 30.01.08
Florida is the Mecca of eighties death metal, spawning its notable progenitors as well as some of its first ingenious innovators. Atheist are the most celebrated and pioneering of the technical death metal bands, a term usually applied these days to any monstrously heavy album that throws in some random guitar solos and messes around with the rhythm to make everything that little bit less appealing, and while it's their second album 'Unquestionable Presence' that proved the most inspiring, 'Piece of Time' is a debut headed in the right direction, and one that may even prove more palatable for traditional metal fans.
Atheist is all about the performance, but not to the extent of virtuoso showing-off. No band member or instrument is secondary to the rest, and all put incredible effort and thought into making a classic album. Of course, saying that, Rand Burkey does let out a guitar solo roughly every ten seconds, and the rhythm section of Steve Flynn's drums and Roger Patterson's bass compete for the listener's attention at the cost of significantly disrupting the flow of things, but once you settle into it, this all becomes fairly standard; thus, the band needs to continue pushing the boundaries throughout. The jazz fusion influence makes this particularly unique among metal at the time, and most that has come since has been largely imitation, but it has all the intensity and aggression of its contemporary death metal and severe thrash bands like Slayer, with even more speed.
Most of these songs are similar in their creativity: the first half features verses yelled by Kelly Schaefer in a proto death growl with traces of a standard thrash yell, before he shuts up to concentrate on rhythm guitar opposite Burkey for the instrumental and even more unhinged second half. With the exception of the truly epic finale that clocks in at an unprecedented four and a half minutes (honestly), these tracks are all short, fast and to the point, whatever the point may be, averaging around three minutes. This leaves the album noticeably short at only half an hour in length, but keeps the content of a consistently high quality by eliminating sub-par filler. It's the musical equivalent of living fast and dying young.
With songs veering all over the place it's difficult and pointless to give individual exposition, but a few stand out rather nicely for succeeding in something different. 'Unholy War' is the shortest and increases the bar of speed significantly, so it's a good job 'Beyond' comes along to incite Schaefer into the same over-zealous performance as his bandmates, yelling his verses at astonishing speed without even slurring. This is also one of my favourite songs for its reliance on a heavy metal gallop in the early sections, and some really pleasant guitar harmonies before they become competitive and turn-taking again. The middle of 'I Deny' is the first time the album slows down considerably, though it's hardly a breather; that will only come right at the end with the atmospheric synthesiser introduction to 'No Truth,' though this eventually makes way for some more beastly tech-death for its final minutes. 'Piece of Time' is a great album for progressive- or death metal fans, and is actually a lot more accessible than you might expect, especially considering some of its later excesses. 'Unquestionable Presence' remains their magnum opus, but this is an excellent, if brief second-best.
1. Piece of Time
2. Unholy War
3. Room With a View
4. On They Slay
5. Beyond
6. I Deny
7. Why Bother?
8. Life
9. No Truth
Advantages: Innovative, jazzy 80s death metal.
Disadvantages: Rather short.
Unquestionable Presence
*****
Written on 30.01.08
Receiving wider recognition today than it ever did on its release, Atheist's second album is the definitive work of technical metal and one of the greatest death metal albums of all time. A large step up from its predecessor, the jazz fusion influence is now perfectly incorporated into one of the tightest metal performances ever recorded, as every band member displays their virtuosity and independence without ever clashing with the unison sound. The most important thing to appreciate about this release is that despite its technical prowess, this is no Yngwie Malmsteen masturbation fest: all of these songs are packed with incredible riffs, melodies and rhythms superior to most death metal bands, and although the constant movement can be disorienting on the first listen, there's such a strong emphasis on developing steady grooves and catchy rhythms elsewhere that metal fans everywhere won't be able to resist. It really is that good.
Atheist are clearly far from being a typical death metal band, especially for the early nineties, and this is far removed from the genre's usual emphasis on speed, aggression and volume, replacing it with a focus on tight performances with a strong rhythmic focus. Nothing here feels out of place, from the brief guitar, bass and drum solos to the major style shifts of songs like 'An Incarnation's Dream' that moves from an acoustic opening to a heavy, groove-laden section later on and ends up somewhere different altogether, and the songs are all edited to perfection at an average of four minutes each, with no frivolous, overlong "epics" to run out of steam and spoil things.
The clean production enunciates every instrument perfectly, another improvement from the previous album, and the only real drawback here (that doesn't actually affect this album one bit) was the tragic death of Roger Patterson in a bus accident prior to its recording. Fortunately, he had already composed the excellent bass work that contributes as much to the overall sound as the guitars and is vital for the funky, jazz atmosphere, and Tony Choy plays them fittingly. Kelly Schaefer's vocals are the most typically death metal element here, though even these tend to shift from his standard Chuck Schuldiner style growl to a yell more in line with Pantera's Phil Anselmo in songs like 'Mother Man' and 'The Formative Years,' and without being too aggressive or domineering they shouldn't provide more of a barrier to entry for the casual listener than the rather substantial obstacles that already exist. You don't have to be a death metal fan to like this, but it helps.
1. Mother Man
2. Unquestionable Presence
3. Your Life's Retribution
4. Enthralled in Essence
5. An Incarnation's Dream
6. The Formative Years
7. Brains
8. And the Psychic Saw
A New Religion?
***
Written on 30.01.08
Athena is a surprisingly high-profile ska punk band from Istanbul, and their self-titled sixth album from 2005 reflects their newfound commercial success in its more accessible sound, though fortunately the punk base remains for the old-school fans. This is a melodic and very pop-oriented album of light ska songs, some of them ('Yasak Bahçe' in particular) hardly resembling the genre at all, but the emphasis on catchy vocal melodies and a chilled reggae atmosphere is mostly successful - it's just a shame the album's so inconsistent.
'Hatasiz Kul Olmaz' and 'Birak Gitsin' keep up the rock end of the scale, with some decent guitar riffs amidst the repetition of the verses, while 'Caydiran' and 'Roket Adam' take a more satisfyingly energetic punk direction and are probably the most entertaining songs here as a result. Traditional ska fans are catered for by 'Kime Ne' and 'Çöküslerdeyim,' but this still isn't going to be something to appeal to die-hard fans of the genre due to its overly commercial approach. Still, there's enough honest material here to resist any claims of the band "selling out," especially considering the ridiculous, off-putting waste of time that comes in the final song, which sees a slow ska song and a speedy mess-around bisected by over thirty minutes of silence in-between.
If every band in Turkey was playing this sort of music, no one would notice Athena. Luckily for them, they stand out for miles.
1. Çatal Yürek
2. Hatasiz Kul Olmaz
3. Kime Ne
4. Yasak Bahçe
5. Çöküslerdeyim
6. Caydiran
7. Birak Gitsin
8. Bulut
9. Roket Adam
10. Uyaninca
Beyond Good and Evil
***
Written on 30.01.08
Romanian electronic musician Andre Oliver Brasovean allegedly spent three years composing this trance odyssey, which is staggering considering how little there is to it. Drenched in the same levels of techno rhythms, sequencer loops and arbitrary film samples from the likes of 'Dark City,' 'In the Mouth of Madness' and whatever else happened to be in his DVD collection, this is a psychedelic journey that starts out full of promise and excitement and gradually becomes more tedious and repetitive as the tracks plod on.
My main disappointment is that I was lied to by whichever desperate internet advertisement proclaimed this to be an innovative mix of trance and exotic world music, as there are really no natural instruments in sight, and the dance elements significantly dominate from 'Deviant Behaviour' onwards. Before this it's mostly enjoyable and fairly relaxing and thoughtful, if you're into that sort of thing, but still nothing particularly special. This isn't mere mindless ambience by any means, and each track features enough internal progression to remain interesting while never straying too far from its core sound, but the end result is rather unsatisfying.
The best elements merely remind of seventies Jean-Michel Jarre mixed with a pulsing techno beat, and although this is a highly consistent album, that only adds to its tedium. This will likely be of interest to die-hard fans of psychedelic trance in all its forms, but it won't put Romania on the map in the way that only Bram Stoker seems to have achieved.
1. We Will Rise Again
2. Beyond Good and Evil
3. The Other Side
4. Deviant Behaviour
5. The Ganzfeld Experiment
6. The Doors of Perception
7. Psychedelic Visionars
8. Eternal Cycles
9. There Is Still Hope
Ptahil
**
Written on 31.01.08
Simon Heath's dark ambient projects under the pseudonym Atrium Carceri boast unparalleled atmosphere and eeriness, but can't really be classed as music, and should on no account be approached as such. This is more like the soundtrack to an intense, psychological horror film, one that like-minded listeners can absorb themselves in for just under an hour and hopefully come out of the other end with minimal lasting effects, but personally I would have preferred to see the non-existent film.
Terms such as dark ambient and industrial can be thrown around to little purpose here, as this is essentially a collection of quiet, almost silent tracks filled with non-descript sound effects and on incredibly rare occasions, a piano (V), sampled voice effect (III) or something resembling a drum beat (X). The only section of the album to feature these musical elements with any inconsistency is the very end, the final three tracks acting almost as a guideline as to what the rest could have sounded like, had it been something other than a collection of ten-minute nothings.
I didn't dislike this experience, and I'm always eager to check out any bands or musical vanity projects that are trying something new, but this pretty much defines a selective-audience release. It's called industrial, but there's hardly any actual music, and it looks like it has some sort of plot, the narrative and content of which is completely absent from the listening experience itself. But it is genuinely creepy and disconcerting without trying too hard like many black metal projects, and surely has its purpose for those interested in the spiritual side of music. Me, I like a good guitar solo.
I. Quarantine
II. Entrance
III. A Place to Call Home
IV. Observatory
V. Memory Leak
VI. Reincarnation Chamber
VII. A Path Through Remembrance
VIII. Static of the Kapnobatai
IX. Reborn
X. The Council of Seven
XI. Meltdown
XII. Inside the Womb
XIII. End Titles
Werk 80
**
Written on 31.01.08
Atrocity's seventh album is a bit of a cop-out and a bit worthless generally, consisting entirely of the German industrial band's own takes on pop hits of the 1980s. While this will undoubtedly make it their most popular album to the general public, I always look down on such things as rather feeble attempts to sell music based on novelty value alone rather than anything truly creative, and although Atrocity obviously go some way towards making the songs their own, the listener really is left with very little clue as to the band's customary sound.
The most positive thing that can be said about this release is that the style is fairly similar and consistent throughout, despite the occasionally different styles of artists being covered (which isn't all that much variation in essence). The music isn't particularly heavy as Atrocity has ceased to be a death metal band by this point, meaning that the whole thing is carried off in an industrial style quite fitting to the electronic pop stylings of the originals, the drums in particular largely remaining unchanged between the decades. The only clues that this is a rock band are the scratching guitar riffs present in most songs, becoming more pronounced and genuinely dominant for the only time in 'Send Me an Angel' and 'Don't Go,' and the vocal style that alternates between male and female singing and is frequently performed in a slightly gruff rock style most prominent in 'Rage Hard,' before largely reverting to a more spoken style revealing of the German accent.
None of these covers are truly inspired or creative, the very few songs that I was previously familiar with being given a fairly basic industrial rock treatment that perhaps doesn't go far enough, so there really is very little point to this release unless you happen to be a massive fan of both genres and are interested in the combined effect. Most songs are mellow, something aided by the authentic but slightly reduced keyboards and the presence of cello, and in fact the only times the band seems to genuinely be having fun with the recording are in the greater rock performance of 'Tainted Love' and 'Don't Go,' the rest being disappointingly loyal imitations of the original (especially the David Bowie song). I'm not a fan of covers at the best of times, and this doesn't represent the best of times.
1. Shout (Tears for Fears)
2. Rage Hard (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
3. Wild Boys (Duran Duran)
4. The Great Commandment (Camouflage)
5. Send Me an Angel (Real Life)
6. Tainted Love (Gloria Jones)
7. Der Mussolini (D.A.F.)
8. Being Boiled (Human League)
9. Don't Go (Yazoo)
10. Let's Dance (David Bowie)
11. Maid of Orleans (O.M.D.)
Contaminated
**
Written on 31.01.08
'Contaminated' is the first release from Connecticut death/grind band Atrocity for fifteen years, following a recent reform of the original line-up, but rather than newly recorded material it's disappointingly only a collection of songs from the early albums, recorded in these slightly different forms back in the early nineties. Once you get past this disillusion, and the fact that it would make more sense to track down the original full-lengths 'Infected' and 'The Art of Death' (conveniently repackaged together in 2001), it's easy to appreciate these songs for what they are - and even better, it's released on Open Grave Records, which is the best name for a record label I've ever come across.
As old-style grindcore that was so prevalent in the early nineties, the sound here is fairly simplistic and riff-oriented, with Rich Flint's growls fitting perfectly into the overall dingy and gritty sound rather than yelling above it like more traditional death metal. The emphasis here isn't on technical skill, but the riffs are mostly memorable and inventive, and especially considering it's a grindcore album, the whole thing has a surprising grasp of structure. Songs occasionally slow right down in a satisfying way, especially the longer, three-minute tracks near the beginning, while the shorter, punkier second half of the E.P. is mainly concerned with frenzied outbursts lasting less than a minute. Both styles work well, and even though I'm not the biggest grind fan, there's enough of an early death metal sound here to keep these enjoyable outside of the trend.
The only real issue I have with this release is that it feels so redundant, and a little dishonest as a representation of the reformed band, which really could have come up with some new material for this fairly short release. Perhaps they're doing so right now; only time will tell if the energy is still there.
1. Enslaved in Turmoil
2. Nuclear Manslaughter
3. Unseen Death
4. Contamination
5. Slave to Conformity
6. Awaiting Demise
7. Infected
8. Cycle of Despair
9. Redeemed by Confession
10. Personal Decimation
Painfull Love
***
Written on 31.01.08
Later d/evolving into a harsh, industrial death metal outfit, Poland's Atrophia Red Sun released this surprisingly pleasant demo in 1995 that offers a substantial glimpse into the lighter road they might have travelled down, had things turned out differently. Bearing a distinct gothic sound influenced by the eighties, this is melodic doom metal that retains the death growls and occasional heavy riffs of metal, but is more accessible in the style of Katatonia. Or of the hordes of imitation bands that sprung up after the release of 'Brave Murder Day'; fortunately, Atrophia Red Sun has a distinct character of its own, even at this early stage.
These six songs are quite poetic and extremely melodic, led by soft electric guitars and catchy, gothic style drums for the most part before branching out into heavier climes on songs such as 'Poem,' but it's predominantly rooted in the romantic style of bands like Novembre, even if the emotion is a little less clear. 'Everything in One' attempts experimentation to mixed success, partly due to the limitations of the production quality on this low budget release, but it features some excellent guitar work with an acoustic section towards the end that resurfaces in several other songs, and a great melodic guitar solo that's one of the highlights of this album, even though it's pretty much ripped directly out of a Metallica song (I can't remember which).
'Love Is...' introduces female singing for a nice contrast before the style returns to the standard, and the rest of the demo plays out in much the same way. As a first recording this is a great showcase of this band's talent for melodic doom metal, so it's a real shame that they decided to turn their backs on it so soon and head for pastures far uglier.
1. Blazing Whispers
2. Everything in One
3. Love Is...
4. Old Fable
5. Poem
6. Painfull Love for Both of Us
Ascent Descent E.P.
Watch Me Vigilant
**
Written on 31.01.08
This three-track E.P. was released by Madrid-based melodic death metal band Atsphear to introduce new vocalist Juan Dominguez to fans before the release of anything more substantial, but other than this small point of interest there isn't anything here to really satisfy veterans of the genre. Dominguez combines death metal growls with melodic singing much the same as all other melodic death bands, though fortunately his singing voice has a much less whiney quality to many of his contemporaries, while the instruments backing him up are generic to the point of real tedium.
This wouldn't be a bad album to listen to if you were a newcomer to melodic death metal, or were perhaps seeing the band live on a pleasant Spanish evening, but I've long since become bored to tears by the machine gun barrage of down-tuned guitars and clinical, lifeless drums. There isn't any real degree of variety between these three songs, but as it's only a twelve minute release and is downloadable from the band's website, rather than something fans are expected to track down, there's no reason to see this as a fault; surely any material is generous material. Dominguez is clearly the band's strongest link and he carries the three songs off well, despite a rather pointless reliance on dominant singing in track two, but guitarists Sergio Lara and Manuel Probanza unleash some quite cool solos in the first song, and experiment with odd distortion in the third that held my interest for a brief time.
However average this release may be, it's tilted further down the scale thanks to the presence of embarrassingly juvenile lyrics in 'Oblivion' as Dominguez yells "I hate myself! I hate myself!" at various points and succeeded in turning me over to his point of view (it also reminded me of a song someone proudly played to me a few years ago that they'd recorded themselves, and was quite an embarrassment to listen to). This is free, but it's a bit of a waste of time.
1. Ascent / Descent
2. Oblivion
3. The Chase
Advantages: Juan Dominguez is a strong vocalist for this type of music.
Disadvantages: Not particularly strong or inventive material.
Battle at Helm's Deep
****
Written on 01.02.08
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this album: an early example of American power metal that certainly isn't without its faults, but showcases pretty much everything that's so ridiculously entertaining about 1980s metal. The band hails from New Jersey, and this was their first full-length release, reasonably highly publicised by the record label thanks to Attacker's inclusion on some notable compilations of the time, but one that soon faded into comparative obscurity and decline. It's a shame, because 'Battle at Helm's Deep' is every bit as talented and enjoyable as much of the speed metal that was sweeping across Europe at the time from the likes of Helloween and Accept, and a step beyond standard American metal in its increased tempo and no-holds-barred melodic performance.
Bob Mitchell's high, screeching singing style will likely provide the largest barrier here, and will take some getting used to by those unaccustomed to the excesses of power metal singers, but fortunately I felt right at home. He only really becomes irritating when singing the sillier vocal melodies of songs such as 'Downfall,' but as a sort of apology, that song then erupts into a roaring instrumental second half that rivals anything similar that would later be attempted by the similarly-annoying-vocalled Megadeth. The guitar performance form Pat Marinelli and Jim Mooney is up to the standard of all other bands of the time, and although many of the lead melodies sound a little laughably cheesy nowadays (particularly the opening to 'The Wrath of Nevermore'), it only adds to the enjoyment for me, and with plenty of acoustic touches and structural changes it's clear that this band is dedicated to its sound.
Of course, it wouldn't truly be power metal without an over-the-top lyrical focus on battles and fantasy, and it's a real shame that the CD re-release updated the original album art, which was one of the most shamelessly cheesy, Dungeons and Dragons style album covers I've ever seen, outside of Manowar of course. The title track itself is a reference to J. R. R. Tolkien as you were probably already aware (even I knew that, and I don't even like 'Lord of the Rings'), but you can rest assured that the content is so minimal, superficial and perhaps even factually inaccurate that you don't have to be a fan to appreciate the great heavy metal song. In fact, it would probably only make it more annoying.
'Kick Your Face' is the compulsory anthem in celebration of heavy metal, a little simpler and less intense than the others, and on a final positive note there are no terrible, contrived power ballads of the type that plagued much American metal of the time. This is almost a classic album, but is a little too silly and obscure to be appreciated on the same level as the other eighties bands whose legacy has been proven over time. Nevertheless, it's the most enjoyable listening experience I've had for a while.
1. The Hermit
2. The Wrath of Nevermore
3. Disciple
4. Downfall
5. Slayer's Blade
6. Battle at Helm's Deep
7. Kick Your Face
8. Dance of the Crazies
9. (Call On) the Attacker
Remember Tomorrow
*
Written on 01.02.08
Just in case you planned on Forgetting Tomorrow, Swedish pop house music artists Eric Amarillo and Michael Feiner ensure that it's sufficiently drilled in with the over-repetitive chorus of this single's title track, before proceeding to serve up four additional remixes of the same song. As if this wasn't bad enough, they aren't even particularly notable remixes, primarily because the artists chosen to offer their outside perspective on the song are in fact the two members of the Attic themselves, playing around with their own song and never managing to stretch its very limited potential into anything truly satisfying.
Taken on its own merits, 'Remember Tomorrow' is an inoffensive and incredibly bland light dance track, one that I wouldn't even consider to be genuinely "house," but what do I know. The chorus is the driving force, against a background of light synthesised melodies and a soft rhythm, all of which increases in energy towards the end. It's by no means a great song, or even a good song strictly speaking, but the main problem here comes in the worthless remixes. Michael Feiner's version is presented twice, first in a more concise radio edit and secondly in a longer, six-minute performance that only adds to the tedium. Feiner's approach is to limit the chorus significantly, which is the one decision I agree with wholeheartedly as it isn't something the listener needs to sit through ad nauseam yet again, but the only alteration he makes to the background is to replace it with a similarly slow but slightly more prominent rhythm and electronic whines, the longer version beginning with some really quite bad and distinctly eighties dance melodies before the regular tune returns.
Eric Amarillo's version is once again more or less the same, considering he too was half responsible for the original, and it ends up sounding like a slightly more ambient, extended version, with the vocals reduced to more of a whisper to avoid them becoming too grating. The final song is a mixed blessing, mainly awful but only retaining some credibility by being so bad that it at least manages to single itself out, and it's yet another remix by Feiner. This time, he goes overboard on the synthesisers, sticks in a retro bassline that wouldn't be out of place in early eighties Michael Jackson, and it all soon descends into a mix between basic house and irritating computer game music. It's undeservedly the longest song here, but really there's no reason whatsoever to play past the first, if you can even be bothered to get that far. There are far too many ways that this single could have been improved.
1. Remember Tomorrow (Album version)
2. Remember Tomorrow (Michael Feiner remix - radio edit)
3. Remember Tomorrow (Michael Feiner remix)
4. Remember Tomorrow (Eric Amarillo remix)
5. Remember Tomorrow (Michael Feiner bonus remix)
Dreams Like Deserts
***
Written on 01.02.08
This five-track E.P. was the first official release from Aura Noir, yet another Norwegian black metal band, but one that interestingly seemed intent on "keeping it real" (to use the black metal terminology, of course) by retaining the thrash metal influence that had begun with the likes of Bathory, before the bands started to follow a different path in the early nineties. As a fairly low budget release on Hot Records (some more authentic black metal lingo there), the E.P. has the fuzzy and exceptionally raw quality that's required when creating music of this nature, and although the drums can hardly be heard and the guitars are stuck permanently at the warbling, treble end of the scale, the scene couldn't be better set for these anthems of blasphemy, general unpleasantness and philosophical musings.
This isn't a classic release by any means, coming far too late to be considered in the same light as the albums that clearly inspired it, but the blending of thrash and black metal - here tilted more towards the latter - makes for a more palatable listening experience than something like Mayhem, as the songs can be easily discerned and don't all flow into one big, disgusting, beautiful noise. 'The Rape,' easily the most controversial piece with its closing line "so hereby I rape thee," starts off nice and slow before launching into a Bathory style with very dirty guitars and easily discerned growls, but the E.P. dips a little in the middle with the fairly bland and dull title track that doesn't really justify its extended length of five minutes.
Fortunately, the action picks up in the second half (to use irrelevant sporting terminology) with the excellent 'Snake,' easily the heaviest and most powerful piece here with some great riffs and screaming solos reminiscent of the best of thrash, while finale 'Mirage' all hinges around a repeating riff that has the advantage of being excellent. This was a strong first release from a band that was never going to make any waves, but at least provides something for old-school black metal fans who find their needs increasingly hard to satiate.
1. The Rape
2. Forlorn Blessings to the Dreamking
3. Dreams, Like Deserts
4. Angel Ripper
5. Snake
6. Mirage
Deep Dreams of Hell
***
Written on 01.02.08
'Deep Dreams of Hell' is a compilation of Aura Noir's second album 'Deep Tracts of Hell' with their first E.P. 'Dreams Like Deserts,' which oddly misses out their first and most popular full-length in-between, presumably as that was selling well enough to be commercially available without the need for such a re-issue. These two releases are both fine examples of thrashed-up black metal, or blackened thrash if you prefer (though the first term is more appropriate considering the greater black metal foundation), and true to form it's all quite poorly produced, vicious and genuinely evil, as well as being damn catchy at the same time.
I'm actually not so fond of the direction taken on 'Deep Tracts of Hell,' which seems to adopt a more clinical and mechanical sound despite the raw fury of the instruments, as the vocals have somehow or other been processed to sound slightly robotic. Most of the songs are fairly standard and the whole thing lacks any true inspiration, but there are still some great riffs to be found in the likes of 'Released Damnation' and 'The Beautiful, Darkest Path,' some of the other songs merely failing to stand out for being too similar, but not quite as good. The thrashier side of things is ironically maintained by some of the slower sections in 'Swarm of Vultures' and 'Broth of Oblivion' that provide a nice respite and keep the whole thing from sounding too similar, but of the Aura Noir releases I've heard, this thirty-seven minute album (here providing half of the material) is the weakest.
'Dreams Like Deserts' is better, despite being shorter and even more raw, with some classic black-thrash / thrash-black in 'The Rape,' 'Snake' and 'Mirage' and some lesser songs that fortunately sound a little different, rather than merely mediocre as was the case earlier in this compilation. Rounding off the release are four rare songs, three being mere alternate versions of material we've already heard that sound exactly the same apart from the Fenriz vocals version of 'Mirage' that puts a nice, gurgly spin on an already fine song, and the only "new" song 'Tower of Limbs and Fevers' (a B-side from the second album, previously released on a 2001 compilation) isn't really worth mentioning. If it was, presumably it would have made its way onto 'Deep Tracts of Hell' in the first place. Essentially, this is only a necessary purchase for those who can't find the album or E.P. in their original forms, but overall it's still a lesser work from a band that didn't have an awful lot going for it in the first place.
1. Deep Tracts of Hell
2. Released Damnation
3. Swarm of Vultures
4. Blood Unity
5. Slasher
6. Purification of Hell
7. The Spiral Sear
8. The Beautiful, Darkest Path
9. Broth of Oblivion
10. To Wear the Mark
11. The Rape
12. Forlorn Blessings to the Dreamking
13. Dreams Like Deserts
14. Angel Ripper
15. Snake
16. Mirage
17. Released Damnation (Early version)
18. Broth of Oblivion (Early version)
19. Tower of Limbs and Fevers
20. Mirage (Fenriz vocals version)
Aurora
***
Written on 01.02.08
Every once in a while I like to test myself with a musical genre I know absolutely nothing about, and usually hate, but the 2001 debut from Aurora was surprisingly inoffensive to my ears, even if I have trouble admitting it. Essentially an English attempt to replicate the sound of American female artists that seemed to be incredibly popular in the late nineties (this isn't my field, alright? My facts will be vague and clearly mostly wrong assumptions based on what I can remember being on TV in 1998, but I'm trying my best), these songs are incredibly generic and lack any kind of surprise whatsoever, but succeed in providing some worthy, home-grown competition.
The most successful tracks, in my opinion, are the more relaxed pieces that allow the singing of Lizzy Pattinson and guests to drift into the synthesised string orchestration of the background, and the subtle piano or acoustic guitar melodies being played underneath. 'Dreaming' starts things off nicely in this regard, and it only improves through the more prominently acoustic 'Ordinary World' and tranquil 'Hushabye,' both featuring Naimee Coleman but commendably also focusing more fairly on the instruments for a change as well as the voice. It's Marcella Detroit's chance to shine in the soft acoustics of 'If You Could Read My Mind' and the longest song on the album 'To Die For' that remains entertaining throughout, though obviously doesn't change a great deal, and the finale 'Hear You Calling' is a predictable acoustic ballad that could be seen coming a mile away, but is still quite pleasant.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album opts for a different approach, and it's here that it really fails. While some of the aforementioned tracks had featured soft dance elements, here they are more prominent, comparatively speaking, and songs like 'Day it Rained Forever,' 'In My Skin' and 'This Can't Be Love' sound excruciatingly like Cher B-sides, still featuring some of the pleasant elements like the synth strings, but now more concerned with a bouncy beat that just irritates me. Ironically, 'Your Mistake' is the biggest mistake of all, beginning as a promising piano ballad but moving on to incorporate the most generic electronic beat imaginable, something that completely spoils what would otherwise have been a genuinely sad and slow offering, but one I can't take seriously in this diluted form.
Aurora was never going to achieve the success of Shania Twain and all those other late nineties female singers who are imitated here, and whose names I would clearly get wrong even if I tried, but it isn't a wholly bad album. And that's coming from me.
1. Dreaming
2. Day it Rained Forever
3. Ordinary World
4. Your Mistake
5. Hushabye
6. In My Skin
7. This Can't Be Love
8. If You Could Read My Mind
9. To Die For
10. Hear You Calling
Battered Drain
Cod, Lettuce, Anniversary
**
Written on 02.02.08
Named in memory of the Auschwitz concentration camp, with more than a little commentary on the similar atrocities still occurring today, Auschwitz 46 are an industrial band with a harder rocking edge, taking cues from the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Rob Zombie. These six tracks provide nothing new to an already over-saturated scene, but the heavier guitar presence should at least appeal to Rob Zombie fans desiring more of the same, with a slightly darker lyrical and musical focus.
Corey Wilson's vocals are where the Rob Zombie comparison really comes in, as his distorted voice sounds like a slightly failed imitation, while almost approaching the level of a death metal band in the angrier sections. The guitar riffs are necessarily simplistic and fairly catchy, though none of the songs really stand out afterwards, and there's at least some degree of variation from one to the next. The even-numbered tracks tend to favour a greater electronic presence in the style of Nine Inch Nails, with synthesiser melodies over the slowly grinding guitars, while the other three songs attempt something different. Opener 'Infovein' sets the scene well and is one of the more interesting simply for coming first, and for not overdoing anything, while 'Progress or Decay' moves from a painfully slow opening to a steady rhythm that's similarly satisfying, and 'Delusion' takes a more gothic approach with its minimal, cold drumming.
For essentially repeating a sound that was new, interesting and popular in the mid-nineties, Auschwitz 46 aren't a notable band by any means, but once they get round to mastering and characterising their own take on the industrial rock genre, their material will surely be worth checking out.
1. Infovein
2. Terminal '93
3. Progress or Decay
4. Neuroagony
5. Delusion
6. A.T.A.P.
Advantages: Decent imitation of nineties industrial rock.
Disadvantages: No defining characteristics.
Sign In Please
*
Written on 02.02.08
Autograph is the textbook example of my musical worst enemy: L.A. hair metal. More specifically, a talentless rock band that jumped on the bandwagon of groups like Van Halen, with their diluted and unbearably cheesy distortion of classic British heavy metal into a form more suited to the disco-loving American public. A band that was catapulted to success instantly merely for sounding exactly the same as these ludicrous rock blasphemers, and saw its popularity slowly decline throughout the rest of the decade before calling it quits and leaving the music behind once it was no longer a profitable venture, a couple of years before Nirvana and other grunge bands made nineties Americans ashamed of their past and the records were all but wiped from existence. There are a shocking number of bands that followed this precise template, but Autograph is one of the very worst.
'Sign In Please' was the band's debut and biggest seller, popular merely for coming along at the right time and helped enormously by their supporting performances to Van Halen in the same year. The style is very similar, though Steve Lynch's lead guitar has none of the ability of Eddie Van Halen, and if anything the glitzy keyboards of Steven Isham are even less inspired and quite mind-numbingly cheesy. Seriously, those people who listened to all of these keyboards in various genres through the eighties, did they actually think they sounded cool and enhancing to the music? If so, why did everyone go acoustic in 1991? It's completely awful, the keys coming to a head in the opening of 'Friday' just once you thought you'd heard the worst, and none of the other band members manage to impress either. Steve Plunkett's singing is bland and entirely devoid of character, only becoming tolerable in the more traditional hard rock of songs like 'Night Teen & Non-Stop' and 'Deep End' before even these are spoiled by cringe-inducing light singing in the chorus.
The only song to contain anything approaching a decent guitar riff is 'My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Isn't Me,' which as you can probably guess from the title is otherwise as bad as the rest of the material on here, but the album really reaches its low point in the tremendously appalling hair metal anthem 'Turn Up the Radio,' which somehow managed to be a smash hit, and of course the obligatory power ballads 'Cloud 10' and 'In the Night.' The most positive thing I can say about this album is that it doesn't attempt an acoustic-song-with-feeling that would really have been pushing it, but perhaps it had already been decided that the quality was sufficiently awful to merit release. If a band released this today, it would rightfully be seen as a complete joke. So why was it acceptable in 1984? What the hell was wrong with those people?
1. Send Her to Me
2. Turn Up the Radio
3. Night Teen & Non-Stop
4. Cloud 10
5. Deep End
6. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Isn't Me
7. Thrill of Love
8. Friday
9. In the Night
10. All I'm Gonna Take
...And We Are Falling Leaves
***
Written on 02.02.08
This first offering from Russian doom metal band Autumn was self-financed and self-produced, something evident even in the admittedly rubbish cover art and disappointingly present in the music itself, which suffers from volume problems and an overall fuzzy, echoed sound. Sometimes this can be a distinct bonus for slow and dirgey doom - take Anathema's early releases for instance - but it isn't so suited to the lighter and more melodic touch that characterises this album at its best. While this is still effective doom in the Anathema/My Dying Bride tradition, at this stage in their career the now-defunct band lacked a distinct sound, and while this at least makes for some interesting variety between the hard and crunchy despair of 'The Dance in Blood' and the more Katatonia-like melodic course of 'The Sons of Ocean,' the best song here, it harms most of the other songs that try to incorporate several styles into their overlong duration and end up sounding basic, messy and forgettable as a result.
Svetlana Polezhaevais the most talented band member here, providing the keyboards and violin that tinkle and sweep gracefully over the finer tracks and interludes, and her ethereal singing adds excellently to the atmosphere. The rest of the band is competent, but nothing particularly special, the lead guitars sounding nice enough in their repetition of pleasant, My Dying Bride off-cuts but failing to stand out against the rest of the doom metal horde, and the rhythm section is hardly noticeable even when the production allows for it. Most of the songs are severely overlong which isn't too much of a problem with this sort of atmospheric doom metal, but the extended length of those such as 'The Druid Autumn' in particular spurs the band on to fill up the time with numerous movements in varying degrees of heaviness, separated by unsatisfying silence.
Although their Anathema-style heaviness isn't bad, it's a shame the band relies on it so heavily in this album, as the lighter passages are always far more rewarding, but then there's always the danger of becoming another Katatonia clone. 'The Sons of Ocean' and 'Shine on Me' make better use of their time than most songs here, though the shorter offerings 'The End of Last Summer' and 'Whispering Your Name...' are both pretty in an insubstantial way, while attempts to characterise some songs with extracurricular touches - such as the unconvincing sex noises of 'The Dance in Blood' - are similarly ineffective. While this is a nice enough doom album to play in the background, as long as you don't mind being distracted by the volume problems of the fifth song in particular, it's generally a mediocre offering from the otherwise excellent nineties Russian doom metal scene that produced such great bands as Tears of Mankind, and it's more likely to leave you feeling sort of bored than depressed.
1. The End of Last Summer (Intro)
2. The Druid Autumn
3. Whispering Your Name...
4. Fallman
5. Gods
6. The Sons of Ocean
7. The Dance in Blood
8. Bottomless
9. Shine On Me
The Silhouette
***
Written on 02.02.08
The second release from Ava Inferi sees Rune Eriksen's guitars take a significant back seat and offer the limelight to the excellent gothic singing talent of Carmen Susana Simões. Still possessing a few of the black metal touches from Eriken's time in Mayhem (primarily in the scratching riffs of 'The Abandoned' and 'The Dual Keys'), this is almost exclusively gothic doom that strikes a perfect balance between melody and a heavier, darker side. As expected from this sort of album, the regular rock instruments are supplemented with lighter elements in the form of occasional piano and an acoustic guitar in the final song, but traditional doom fans will still find a lot to enjoy through Eriksen's mean and torturously slow riffs, even if they do tend towards repetition and tedium in the longer songs, which ends up being most of them.
There isn't a great deal of variation between these songs, but as a doom album aimed at maintaining a consistent atmosphere this doesn't present too much of a problem, and indeed the atmosphere is skifully achieved, though newcomers to doom may find it difficult to reconcile Simões' light singing style with the lovely glacial cacophony occurring around her. Songs such as the opener 'Dança das Ondas' and the final three songs of the album all offer a slightly less challenging entry point, but for the most part this is uncompromising music that knows its target audience, and it's actually a step down from the greater black metal influence of the previous album. My main disappointment came in the lack of anything really interesting being vomited from Eriksen's guitar considering his success in Mayhem, but perhaps it wouldn't have been that suitable if implemented. Anyone with an interest in gothic metal from the likes of Theatre of Tragedy would probably enjoy this, but anyone who proclaims bands like HIM to be the pioneers of the genre shouldn't be allowed to defile it with their presence.
1. Dança das Ondas
2. Viola
3. The Abandoned
4. Oathbound
5. The Dual Keys
6. Wonders of Dusk
7. La Stanza Nera
8. Grin of Winter
9. Pulse of the Earth
Llanto De Un Heroe
***
Written on 02.02.08
Avalanch's mix of melodic power metal with slight progressive touches can't help but be reminiscent of the more famous bands practicing the same style, chiefly Symphony X and Adagio. This band's Spanish background doesn't imprint itself on the music in any significant way, which is a bit of a shame, but it at least means that fans of this brand of slightly pompous but ultimately highly entertaining power metal will still enjoy what Avalanch has to offer.
There's a folk element underpinning this album, one that only really comes to the fore in the two brief interludes of tracks one and five, but that also plays a part in determining some of Alberto Rionda and Roberto Garcia's lead guitar melodies, and this singles this band out from more straightforward power acts. Victor Garcia's vocals don't hold any surprises, squeaking Spanishly and never losing falsetto, but the guitars have a satisfyingly heavier tone than many power and speed metal acts, and this helps the band to maintain a level of authenticity (while also furthering the Symphony X comparison).
With a few slower and more consciously epic offerings in the form of 'Por mi libertad,' the title track and the even grander 'Cid' that pulls out all the customary conceits such as choral vocals in its later stages, this is clearly attempting to reach grander heights but ultimately doesn't succeed quite as well as more experienced bands. The compulsory ballad 'Pelayo' is rather boring also and overlong at seven minutes, only really developing any life later, and editing seems to be a problem that affects this album consistently, especially as every track seems to take an awfully long time to fade in from silence, very rarely grabbing the listener's attention from the onset.
On the rare occasions that this is achieved, with the heavy, inventive and incredibly enjoyable guitar riffs of songs like 'Torquemada' and 'Polvo, sudor y sangre,' the album is at its very best.
1. Intro
2. Torquemada
3. Por mi libertad
4. Pelayo
5. Vientos del sur
6. Polvo, sudor y sangre
7. Cid
8. ¿Dias de gloria...?
9. No pidas que crea en ti
10. Cambaral
11. Aquí estaré
12. Llanto de un héroe
Dias De Gloria
***
Written on 02.02.08
With only two studio albums behind them - three if you count the annoyingly obligatory 'The Eternal Flame' that was merely an English language version of the debut for the international market that apparently doesn't like foreigners very much - there was no real need for an Avalanch live album, but judging by the reaction of the crowd in 'Dias de gloria,' the band had already developed a strong and loyal fan base by this early stage in their career.
Of course, the main problem with only having two albums of material to fall back on is that this will essentially represent the best of those two releases, and offer nothing new to those who already own them or would like to at some point in the future. This lack of a substantial back catalogue even leads to the presence of two cover songs disguised as added value, but really covering up for a lack of extra songs: Helloween's early speed metal offering 'I Want Out' is covered in a fairly uninteresting way that doesn't seem to please the crowd as much as the band's own material, though Victor Garcia is just as capable of reaching those old high notes, while the bonus studio cover of Queen had already been released as a single in its own right earlier that year, and is uninspired at best (though there are worse things I could say about it).
As expected from a live performance in support of a new studio release, most of the material here comes from the most recent 'Llanto de un héroe,' with the first three songs being reproduced in order to an enthusiastic response, and representing the best material here. 'Vientos del sur' and 'Pelayo' are also taken from that album, interestingly avoiding coverage of its weaker second half, almost as if the band was aware of its declining quality. 'El despertar,' 'Vicio letal' and 'Excalibur' are all decent offerings from 'La llama eterna,' though the former is merely a one-minute introduction that highlights another problem of this release in terms of its song lengths, most of which are overlong and balanced out with unsatisfying interludes, and the end result of a fifty minute running length merely feels mediocre for a live album; there's certainly no sense of having experienced a great show. These problems could have been avoided if this had been released a few years down the line.
1. Intro
2. Torquemada
3. Por mi libertad
4. El despertar
5. Vicio letal
6. Vientos del sur
7. Excalibur
8. Pelayo
9. I Want Out (Helloween cover)
10. Epílogo
11. Save Me (Queen cover)
En Angel Caido
The Fallen Angel
****
Written on 02.02.08
While Avalanch's past efforts gave off the feeling of a band that wanted to make it big in the prog-power metal circles and was putting in a decent effort, 'El angel caido' is the first and last album that feels like it could just about crawl into the lower rungs of the elite, and it's Avalanch's best. Still predominantly led by guitarist Alberto Rionda, who perhaps isn't one of the finest in the business but still has the necessary neoclassical shredding skills required for the task, this is a strong collection of songs bulked out a little deceptively by frequent, insubstantial interludes, climaxing in the band's finest performance with the 'Las ruinas del eden' suite.
While the interludes may be a little irritating for some, they do help to add a sense of consistency and flow to the album that may also be reflected in an overarching plot - I don't know, I don't speak Spanish, it's all just nice noises to me. The prog-power style continues in a similar vein to the previous album, opener 'Tierra de nadie' boasting a memorable and powerful lead guitar melody that immediately smacks of 'Torquemada,' but fortunately the rest of the material is equally consistent for a change. The band's heavier side is improved here, with thrash riffs dominating songs such as 'Xana' and 'Levantate y anda' and even sounding reminiscent of early Iced Earth on occasion, but the band's style is entirely its own and the core sound never drifts too far.
The aforementioned 'Eden' suite is the band's finest contribution to progressive power metal, and although divided in three it could just as easily work as an extended song of just over ten minutes in length. The first part is the slowest and most emotive, setting things up while also being excellent in its own right, while the band is really permitted go all out in the central section with some great lead guitars, some interesting tribal drums and a more melodic, piano-tinged finale, with the album's finest vocal performance. The shortest third part is more or less a reprise, but a satisfying one, and the final, self-indulgent, neoclassical guitar track thing is entirely permissible and even necessary for appreciative listeners to sit through as a thank you for the music.
1. Hacia la luz
2. Tierra de nadie
3. El angel caido
4. Xana
5. La buena nueva
6. Levantate y anda
7. Alma en pena
8. Corazon negro
9. Delirios de grandeza
10. Antojo de un dios
11. El septimo dia
12. Las ruinas del eden: acto 1
13. Las ruinas del eden: acto 2
14. Las ruinas del eden: acto 3
15. Santa bárbara
Advantages: The peak of Avalanch's melodic/prog/power style, with interesting experiments.
Disadvantages: Some songs still seem like filler, especially by comparison to the strong closing material.
Los Poetas Han Muerto
****
Written on 03.02.08
Avalanch's fourth album sees an almost complete reinvention of the band's sound, with new vocalist Ramón Lage fronting a now more expressly commercially-oriented version of what was previously a fairly obscure Spanish progressive power metal band. The progressive elements still remain in the form of lengthy keyboard sections and structural changes, but this is less challenging and less exciting music on the whole, having abandoned most of its power metal roots, only surfacing in the occasional fast, brief guitar section.
Alberto Rionda's guitars are still easily the highlight of the band, and while he mostly confines himself to limited slow riff duty here, the riffs still manage to be creative, and he still afford himself lengthy solo sections to prove his talents. Some songs such as 'El Viejo Torreón' are just as energetic and enjoyable as earlier Avalanch material, but this change of direction is ultimately a disappointment for power metal fans, especially as Avalanch's key problem of overlong songs has only become worse with the change - the only songs to come in at a reasonable length are the less impressive ballads such as 'Jamás,' but the title track itself is also quite enjoyable.
'Los Poetas Han Muerto' would be a distinctly mediocre album if not for some guitar relief from Rionda, but even in spite of his talents and former songwriting ability, it can't help but disappoint in the same way that most metal bands tend to when they strive for something more accessible.
1. Lucero
2. Cien Veces
3. Niño
4. Jamás
5. Alborada
6. El Viejo Torreón
7. Del Cielo a la Tierra
8. Los Poetas Han Muerto
9. Madre Tierra
10. Ecos de Vida
The Metal Opera Pt. II
Holy Lord it's Over, Oh God!
*****
Written on 03.10.06
As Edguy’s music veered increasingly towards the bombast, singer/songwriter Tobias Sammet created a one-time side project to let out all that epic steam. Edguy’s music became a lot more enjoyable for the metal masses, while ‘The Metal Opera’ marked a turning point in symphonic power metal, a sub-genre that would soon feature heavy exposure through bands like Nightwish.
The success of the first Avantasia album meant that Sammet could complete the second instalment two years later. Bringing together a variety of musicians from prominent heavy metal bands and a total of eleven singers voicing distinct characters (including Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray and Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation) there are many similarities to Arjen Lucassen’s highly successful and long-running Ayreon project. The songs move beyond the mere concept album, striving for Wagner but only ever really sounding like Helloween. But that’s okay, as Helloween are clearly better anyway.
Avantasia is the fantasy tale of a seventeenth-century monk Gabriel (voiced by Sammet), whose search for the mythical land Avantasia leads to him embarking upon several noble quests for holy chalices, missing persons and so on. As the protagonist, Sammet handles the majority of vocal duties, but most songs focus on one or more supporting characters. The opening song of this second album, the incredible and truly epic ‘The Seven Angels,’ features seven voices, two great guitar solos and a whole load of style shifts. The music of the second album sounds a little more refined than the first, perhaps as the story has become more episodic and less pressing, allowing Sammet to focus more attention on crafting excellent power metal songs and less excellent ballads.
1. The Seven Angels
2. No Return
3. The Looking Glass
4. In Quest For
5. The Final Sacrifice
6. Neverland
7. Anywhere
8. Chalice of Agony
9. Memory
10. Into the Unknown
‘The Seven Angels’ opens the second part of The Metal Opera in style, and really isn’t lacking in anything. From choral sections to overblown choruses and powerful guitar riffs, this song acts as a microcosm of the entire album, even featuring a piano break and classical interlude. My criticism would be that like so many long songs (this one comes in at over fourteen minutes), the ending really bears little relation to the first few minutes and might as well be a different track, and this isn’t helped by the rather rushed ending. This song features the best of all the rip-roaring ensemble choruses of the album, which is really saying something.
Things take a turn for the simplistic with ‘No Return,’ which amounts to nothing more than a cool power metal anthem, led by a chugging guitar riff and roaring vocals. This style returns later in the album, but always with more of an individual or even progressive flair, marking this song out as something of a deliberate easy listener. ‘The Looking Glass’ is purely vocal-driven, the guitars mainly giving the great chorus a starting kick. Perhaps a bit mellow or sing-along for some metal fans, but it’s always been one of my favourites on the disc. Disappointingly, ‘In Quest For’ takes the vocal thing too far, Sammet accompanied only by a fairly uninteresting piano that he plays himself. This song is repeated almost verbatim as the equally unappealing ‘Anywhere.’
The album explodes back into life with the energetic ‘The Final Sacrifice.’ Timo Tolkii’s (Stratovarius) seriously speedy guitar riffs remind of Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer, while the choruses are a little more subdued and less effeminate this time. Metallica fans will probably like this one, even if they’re too scared to confront something like the opening song. ‘Neverland’ returns to the general sound of Avantasia: fast guitars, high vocals and a sing-along chorus, and this lack of originality counts against it at this late juncture. ‘Chalice of Agony’ manages to recapture something of track five’s spirit, becoming the most popular song on the album and one of the finest overall.
As expected, the album ends on a pompous note. I wouldn’t have it any other way. ‘Memory’ is another great metal anthem with yet another great chorus, but things mellow out for the ominous ‘Into the Unknown.’ Sharon den Adel’s vocals are utilised more than ever as the only female vocalist, while Sammet and friends attempt to compete in this faux-operatic number. Any Edguy fans who were pleasantly surprised by the speedy metal songs that form the bulk of this side-project will have to confront their fears as Sammet fashions an operatic finale. This ending won’t stay in the listener’s mind, as they’ll be far too busy reliving ‘Chalice of Agony’ in their mind’s ear for days to come.
As indulgent side-projects go, Avantasia is pleasantly rewarding to the casual listener, as opposed to the obsessive Tobias Sammet fan alone. The music is predominantly standard power metal fare, and the occasional symphonic slips are really no more extreme than what can be found on any Stratovarius or Edguy album. I’m a big fan of concept albums, especially as something to listen to at bedtime when I really can’t be bothered with a book but want to be sung a nice story all the same by hairy Germans, and Avantasia fulfils this strange need despite being a bit more fantastical than I’d usually go for.
Both albums are widely available from the internet and specialist shops, but it’s not the kind of thing you’ll hear on the top forty. Edguy’s music has veered in a very worrying Bon Jovi direction recently, so I can only hope for further experimental side offerings from their silly singer in the future.
Advantages: Doesn't let the pomp overtake the music
Disadvantages: Unnecessary and quite boring piano ballads
Lost in Space Part 1
**
Written on 03.02.08
Tobias Sammet was one of the most exciting names in power metal a few years ago, leading Edguy to increasingly ambitious heights before dumping all of his excess flamboyant tendencies into the metal opera side project Avantasia, allowing Edguy to return to a simpler style of heavy metal that sadly descended into mediocre, throwback hard rock with their 2006 album. The two Avantasia albums ('The Metal Opera' parts one and two, released close together) were an incredible achievement, rivalling Arjen Lucassen's long-running Ayreon project with its host of skilled musicians and singers from across the metal world, without ever ending up disappointingly up its own rear like Sascha Paeth's lousy copy-cat 'Aina.' Sammet's opera was as grand and majestic as it was simplistic and fun, and I'd long held hope for a further release to re-establish his talents in the wake of Edguy's recent disappointment.
I was pretty gutted when these two EPs finally came out at the end of last year, precursors to a 2008 album 'The Scarecrow' that I'll be sure not to get too excited about for fear of disappointment. Then again, it'll probably still be pretty cool - no, there I go again. If these EPs are anything to go by (and that's the point, right?), Sammet's illustrious side project has attempted to stay predominantly metal, but he's more or less forgotten how to do that, taking far more enjoyment from the generic rock stylings and sexual innuendo lyrics of his main band to give two hoot(er)s about this one.
Both EPs are led by the title song 'Lost in Space,' a slow rock ballad of sorts with a distinctly pop chorus that's to be expected considering it's on sale in this shorter and more commercially viable form. Although I technically dislike it for this very reason, it's not a bad song, and what it lacks in musical ability - the only notable instances being a spacey keyboard solo taken from the seventies, and the influx of orchestration over the final chorus reprise that only serves to confuse things - it makes up for in vocal talent. Sammet has a great voice when he isn't messing around singing about aeroplane toilet sex, and he uses his high and mid-range vocals to their full extent here. Other songs continue the Avantasia trend of recruiting guest singers to compliment his omnipresence, 'Another Angel Down' starring Masterplan's Jørn Lande in an energetic performance that even features a very brief duet in the unison shouting of the chorus, and although this song ends up being repetitive, un-ambitious and a little overlong, it's still the only song on here that even comes close to power metal.
Bob Catley and Amanda Somerville feature in 'The Story Ain't Over' before Sammet elbows them out of the way half-way through once again, but this one's more of a general rousing power ballad of the sort we really didn't need after the first song, but it does at least showcase some of the nice orchestration with the violins of the introduction. The symphony gets a whole song to itself in the excitingly titled 'Return to Avantasia,' but this disappoints when revealing itself as a brief interlude less than a minute long, quoting a memorable theme from the Metal Opera albums that's nostalgic but also irritating due to the lack of anything of comparable quality here. Don't get angry, just wait for 'The Scarecrow' and everything will - dammit, I'm not supposed to be doing that.
Rather then reproducing half of the upcoming album and spoiling things too much, a couple of fun but ultimately worthless cover songs are thrown in to bulk this out, allow it to be called an E.P., and add a pound or two to its sale price. 'Lay All Your Love on Me' was originally an ABBA song, I'm sure you knew that already but I didn't, though more or less as soon as it starts, it's obvious even to a sheltered curmudgeon like me. Sammet's good again, and though it isn't a metal cover, again being a more mainstream, light form of rock, it's interesting to hear Sammet sing how every man he sees is a potential threat, lyrics I presume were originally written for female singers that take on a possible alternative tone here. Concluding with the running theme of disappointment intact, 'Ride the Sky' is not a cover of the classic Helloween speed metal anthem as I originally hoped, but an old-style rock song from Lucifer's Friend complete with a Hammond organ of all things. He doesn't give me roaring power metal, but he finds time to nip to the studio's warehouse and dig out a Hammond organ. This 'Scarecrow' album had better be bloody spectacular.
1. Lost in Space
2. Lay All Your Love on Me (ABBA cover)
3. Another Angel Down
4. The Story Ain't Over
5. Return to Avantasia
6. Ride the Sky (Lucifer's Friend cover)
The Scarecrow
Welcome To My Wonderland
***
Written on 03.02.08
The new Avantasia album has finally arrived, and as expected (especially in light of the promotional EPs) it's a complete disappointment. Tobias Sammet's tenure as a metal god has long since faded, and even a redundant cameo from Alice Cooper can't keep 'The Scarecrow' from seeming less like a continuation of the grandiose style of 'The Metal Opera' and more like the same commercially-oriented, watered-down power metal he's been creating since Edguy released 'Rocket Ride' and became lousy overnight. In fact, Alice Cooper only makes the commercial agenda worse.
Unlike 'The Metal Opera,' which was far from the work of progressive genius some hail it as, but was at least a damn fine power metal extravaganza, 'The Scarecrow' is more like a dull and repetitive melodic rock album, attempting to hide behind the fact with a few guest musicians and singers, though naturally Sammet takes the lead vocal duties pretty much all the time, and ensures that he snags all the best choruses. His cohort on lead guitar is famed power metal producer Sascha Paeth, who shamelessly released his own "metal opera" Aina a few years after Avantasia and here once again proves that his musical ability is nothing more than mediocre.
Even the most ambitious song, the eleven-minute title track that fans have eagerly been waiting for, turns out to be not so much ambitious as simply long-winded, possessing the same catchy chorus style as the rest of the songs but not really adding anything to elevate it to a grander scale, something that's even more disheartening when considering how uninhibited and bombastic the earlier Avantasia song 'The Seven Angels' managed to be. On reaching the end of the album, no one would be more surprised than me that 'Lost in Space,' the near-ballad, part-acoustic, overly commercial song earlier released as a single, would end up being the best thing here. After the decline of Edguy, I held out hope that Avantasia would continue to provide an outlet for Sammet's metal edge, but I should never have let my expectations get so high.
Throwing in a couple of obligatory ballads with terrible lyrics ('Cry Just a Little'), shameless female-fronted pop songs ('What Kind of Love')and even a few songs that very nearly approach the enjoyment of the previous album, but don't ('Shelter from the Rain,' 'Another Angel Down,' 'Devil in the Belfry' and 'I Don't Believe in Your Love'), this is only going to be a disappointment for fans, but casual rock fans may find it an exciting gateway to more ambitious climes.
1. Twisted Mind
2. The Scarecrow
3. Shelter from the Rain
4. Carry Me Over
5. What Kind of Love
6. Another Angel Down
7. The Toy Master
8. Devil in the Belfry
9. Cry Just a Little
10. I Don't Believe in Your Love
11. Lost in Space
Advantages: A few reasonable, if unenlightening songs.
Disadvantages: Bland, repetitive, generic and a great disappointment after the earlier albums.
Ravishing Beauty
**
Written on 03.02.08
Brazil's Avec Tristesse are one of those bands that defy a genre ever so slightly and cause another essentially meaningless one to sprout up in their favour. This band likes to be described as "dark metal," a term I've seen applied to the radically different Iced Earth in years past, but to be sensible for a moment and try to reign it in under equally daft-sounding but at least consistent terminology, this is more like gothic metal susceptible to bouts of symphonic black metal. I can't make a direct comparison, but imagine a bad Theatre of Tragedy mixed with an even less effective Dimmu Borgir, throw in some worthless atmospheric interludes and water sound effects, and you'd come up with something not dissimilar to this debut.
This album is oddly short at just over half an hour, to the extent that the insubstantial instrumentals of less than two minutes apiece that make up three of the seven tracks are mainly there to prevent the album from being an even more embarrassing twenty-five minutes in length. The four prominent songs (tracks two, four, six and seven) are all slightly on the long side at over five minutes, and opt to use every available second to the full by varying the musical style restlessly within the same song. Rather than sound impressive and experimental, this only serves to make the whole thing sound less coherent and satisfying, and despite some minor differences between the songs - a female singer accompanying vocalist Pedro Salles in 'The Crown of Uncreation' and 'Paean,' or a long acoustic guitar section with illogical drumming in the former song - they all sound more or less the same.
The dominant sound is keyboard-swept melancholia with the occasional nice lead guitar melody, interrupted by a leap into blast-beat-heavy black metal with harsh, snarled vocals with varying duration. The band doesn't work together all that well, and although the combination of male and female vocals is done well, Salles hogs a very unbalanced majority. This album was followed up by the longer and hopefully more worthwhile 'How Innocence Dies,' but I can't recommend this debut release for its contrastingly chaotic and repetitive sound, uninspired performances and insubstantial length of only four songs and a few instrumentals that achieve absolutely nothing. I thought this was kind of interesting when I first heard it a couple of years ago, but now it just bores me.
1. Ravishing Beauty (Part 1)
2. She, the Lust
3. Ravishing Beauty (Part 2)
4. The Crown of Uncreation
5. De Sombre Amour et Suffrances
6. In Vain I Cry
7. Paean
Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture
Into a Complete Omniscience
*****
Written on 03.02.08
'Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture' may deter some metal fans with its bizarre and ambitious prog concept, unintelligible title and tracklist divided into chapters, but even if you couldn't care less about the lyrical side of things this is an incredibly entertaining and skilfully executed extreme metal album. Based loosely in symphonic black metal similar to modern Dimmu Borgir, though a hell of a lot better and less cacophonous, there's no reason this shouldn't be enjoyed by fans from all walks of metal, as long as they're comfortable with the occasional bursts of fast and heavy, industrial-tinged riffs and drums, and the harshly growled vocals that are nevertheless increasing in acceptability all the time.
This is the Belgian band's third album, and will certainly be their peak, as there's no reasonable way this style could be improved upon without a radical change of direction. Despite the sci-fi narrative, this isn't predominantly a progressive metal album, though its more elaborate moments are all pulled off satisfyingly. In a way, it reminds me of a black metal version of Pain of Salvation, whose own Daniel Gildenlow sings the pleasant 'Threnody for an Endling,' the closest thing to a ballad here, a wise decision considering Peter Meynckens' talent lies in screaming his throat to oblivion and he's less impressive in his occasional excursions into clean singing from 'Ashes to Flesh' and roleplaying the central character in minimal doses before the spoken word finale 'The Omniscient.' This latter song aside, certainly among the more interesting for prog or Pain of Salvation fans but the most alienating to casual listeners, the album skilfully camouflages itself as a great black metal record about the usual themes, the only real audible signs of the change between chapters being a momentary return to a faster and heavier style and incorporation of the chapter title into the lyrics, something for the fans to look out for that will nevertheless pass by everyone else and allow them to enjoy it on an equally entertaining, superficial level.
Ian van Gemeren's guitar is the highlight here, particularly in the steadier songs when it's free to experiment with great lead sections and classic metal solos, but the whole band works tightly as a unit across the frequent speed changes and dynamic structures. The most impressive thing about this album is the balance struck between the heavy and melodic elements, considerably favouring the former but incorporating excellent symphonic backing into all songs and serving up some great piano and acoustic passages in the interludes and elsewhere. It never feels like the heaviness is for show, or a masculine attempt to prove how extreme the band can be (something that turns me off from a lot of extreme black metal), and there's no reason this couldn't be enjoyed equally by fans of all metal sub-genres. Best of all, it's something cool to come out of Belgium apart from chocolate.
Chapter 1: The Chainreaction is Initiated
1. Incognation
2. Demons Shelter Within
3. Ashes to Flesh
4. A Nation in Atrophy
5. The Midnight Grotesque
Chapter 2: The Chainreaction is Terminated
6. Prophet Set to Witness
7. Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture
8. Threnody for an Endling
Chapter 3: The Chainreaction is Saturated
9. Ravager 1.6.6.3
10. Of Genesis and Apocalypse
11. Foreboding
12. Shackles Cross
13. The Omniscient
Advantages: Excellent symphonic black metal with non-distracting progressive touches.
Disadvantages: Some may find the contrast too harsh, or the plot too zany.
Doom of Destiny
The Fire Still Burns
****
Written on 03.02.08
No one plays power metal quite like its German forefathers, and Axxis are another long-running band still pleasing their fan base with a continuation of the original eighties sound, while incorporating distinct contemporary traits. While they're never going to be one of the more creative or well-known names on the scene, the band is still capable of releasing consistent and highly entertaining albums that attempt minor progressive touches but are still rooted in the simple, pure speed metal sound of Accept and Helloween.
'Doom of Destiny' is Axxis' most recent album and the only one I've heard, and it's a great album of melodic power metal that goes a little too far on occasion, and not far enough on others, but at least provides welcome relief for old-school fans in the face of many modern metal trends. The most striking aspect of this album is the presence of operatic female vocals in many songs as a supplement to Bernhard Weiss' standard singing, something more likely inspired by the relatively recent popularity of bands such as Nightwish rather than any desire to be truly innovative, and although the contrast feels slightly amateurish in comparison to more talented opera-metal projects such as Therion and Mylidian, the music avoids ever becoming too full of itself in the same way. And it goes without saying that it's a hell of a lot better than Nightwish.
This is very accessible power metal, not seeking to scare anyone away or cause fits of laughter with extreme speed or self-indulgent high fantasy concepts (well, not much anyway), and once the listener gets past the slightly overbearing choir intro they're in for an album of heavy, catchy and very fun metal with a good grasp of structure that keeps each song entertaining throughout. There are a few notable deviations from the standard sound, as tracks five and six both tend towards a ballad style with pretty bad lyrics and acoustic guitars that feel present more out of obligation, but the saxophone solo in the latter song is particularly interesting considering how far that instrument is usually kept from the metal world, which I've always thought was a shame.
Many songs begin with a redundant piano intro that's soon replaced with a more standard riff, and a couple of songs attempt a distinctly poppier approach with the choruses, most notably 'She Got Nine Lives' with its slightly embarrassing refrain "nah-nah-nah-nah-nine lives." This album doesn't go far enough to be considered prog metal, and it's perhaps a little too light even for the speed metal fans, but Axxis still display commendable integrity and most of all a great sense of fun even this far down the line.
1. Voices of Destiny
2. Doom of Destiny
3. Better Fate
4. Blood Angel
5. I Hear You Cry
6. The Fire Still Burns
7. Father, Father
8. Revolutions
9. She Got Nine Lives
10. Devilish Belle
11. Astoria
Advantages: Accessible power metal with some interesting operatic touches.
Disadvantages: Perhaps not experimental enough.
Shooting at the Moon
***
Written on 03.02.08
'Shooting at the Moon' was Kevin Ayers' second "solo" album, and the most coherent in terms of utilising an actual band (if not coherent in any other terms whatsoever). Ayers' improvised-sounding singing makes the softer songs reminiscent of early psychedelia from the likes of Arthur Brown, particularly his screaming performance in 'Lunatics Lament' which was by far my most enjoyed song here, while his guitar and bass are very nicely supplemented by the talents of David Bedford's keyboards, Lol Coxhill's sax and Mike Oldfield on lead guitar, being granted a very cool solo in the same song that lasts for longer than you would imagine. Try to imagine how long. No, it is slightly longer than that. Yes, that's about right, long isn't it?
Sounding deceptively mainstream at first, this all too soon descends into fairly impenetrable prog in the jazzy, jamming style of King Crimson, though the instrumentals in question - 'Pisser Dans un Violon' and 'Underwater' - are duller, longer and even less interesting than that other band at its most pretentious, the soundscape mainly being one of squeaky nothingness. The shorter songs are much easier to swallow, particularly the mellow opening track and the folky duet 'The Oyster and the Flying Fish' with a female singer, but most of the other songs tend to feature contrived elements of strangeness that mostly work really well, whether it's a sax solo atop acoustic guitar in 'Clarence in Wonderland' and 'Red Green and You Blue,' or the psychedelia of tracks two and three. Although it's far from being a prog classic, there's enough here to satisfy old-school fans, and it stands as Ayers' most satisfyingly strange accomplishment.
1. May I?
2. Rheinhardt & Geraldine / Colores Para Delores
3. Lunatics Lament
4. Pisser Dans un Violon
5. The Oyster and the Flying Fish
6. Underwater
7. Clarence in Wonderland
8. Red Green and You Blue
9. Shooting at the Moon
Actual Fantasy
****
Written on 04.02.08
Arjen Lucassen's second Ayreon album stands apart from the other releases by eschewing the usual overarching science fiction concept and rock opera format, instead offering a collection of self-contained, similar-sounding songs that follow a more accessible style of progressive metal. The sound is fairly homogenous across the album, which works to its disadvantage in failing to make many stand out, but will be a relief to those who are put off by the varied styles and mixed genres of Lucassen's more ambitious releases; all of these songs plod along at a steady pace, led by a fusion of heavy metal and electronic backing, Lucassen hiring back male vocalists such as Edward Reekers from the previous album to sing soft narratives rather than acting out a role alongside numerous male and female voices, and Lucassen's acoustic and electric guitars receiving the same attention as his spacey, prog rock synthesisers.
The result is a distinctly progressive-sounding and atmospheric album, but one kept at least partly accessible to the mainstream through its catchy choruses and the lack of any extreme elements found elsewhere in the Ayreon discography. Of course, this has the accompanying disadvantage of making it less fascinating or compelling for those who were attracted to Ayreon in the first place for its experimental tendencies and trippy plotlines. Along with 'The Dream Sequencer,' this offers a more subdued perspective on Ayreon for the casual listener, but will still be of the most interest to prog fans.
The brief opening song is a minimalist invitation for the listener to open their mind to new ideas, to crawl into the maze within their minds and other such nonsense, which should all be taken as typical Lucassen humour, typical in the sense that I'm never sure whether he really means it or not, but prefer to take the less embarrassing option. After this, all of the songs sound more or less the same, even once the listener develops a degree of familiarity with the album, but a few of the overly long pieces manage to stand out above the rest. 'Computer Eyes' is particularly mellow even compared to its predecessors, and has some nice solos for the guitar and keyboards (always given an equal spotlight), 'Back on Planet Earth' increases the electronic side of things and ends up sounding something like a heavy metal, vocal version of Jean-Michel Jarre, and 'Beyond the Last Horizon' surprises everyone by launching from its fairly dull bass rhythms and echoed vocals into a really optimistic and addictive chorus that's firmly rooted in pop. It's a very interesting song, and one that would later be revised to even more commercial potential in the 'Ayreonauts Only' compilation.
The rest of the songs aren't below average, but their similarity to each other keeps them distinctly in the average zone, and all are affected by the problem of extreme length that further prevents them attaining the mainstream appeal this album is chasing. The only song to come in at radio-friendly length is the bonus "single version" of 'The Stranger from Within' that cuts to the chase and highlights the chorus and solo sections of the song, but loses out on the atmosphere, build-up and fall-out offered in the full, eight-minute version.
Alright, I admit that I'm contradicting myself completely, and the slow, atmospheric style of these songs is suited to an extended playing length with a degree of repetition, it's just slightly disappointing to hear something so subdued after the bombastic rock opera 'The Final Experiment,' though this is far more consistent and stronger as a result. I give up, it's just not possible to get my head around Ayreon, one of the reasons Lucassen's pet project has been a firm favourite of mine for many years.
1. Actual Fantasy
2. Abbey of Synn
3. The Stranger from Within
4. Computer Eyes
5. Beyond the Last Horizon
6. Farside of the World
7. Back on Planet Earth
8. Forevermore
9. The Dawn of Man
10. The Stranger from Within (single version)
Into the Electric Castle
I Must Be Dead, or Stoned Out of My Head
*****
Written on 07.06.07
The double disc ‘Into the Electric Castle: A Space Opera’ is the third release from multi-talented Dutch prog enthusiast Arjen Anthony Lucassen, but essentially the second (after 1995’s ‘The Final Experiment’) to be of any note. Like its predecessor, ‘Into the Electric Castle’ is difficult to pin down to a specific style, but is mostly a blend of progressive rock, progressive metal and psychedelic rock in the form of a rock opera (though Lucassen opts for the somewhat meaningless term ‘Space Opera’). The diverse cast of characters are all performed by famous rock vocalists from across Europe, although Fish from Marillion is the only truly well-known one here outside of metal circles. Later Ayreon releases upped the ante somewhat to draft in the vocalists from Dream Theater, Opeth and Iron Maiden.
This multi-vocal effect is great, and also rather cheesy. In fact, even the briefest analysis of the album’s storyline makes it clear that this isn’t a work in the same serious psychological vein as the later album ‘The Human Equation,’ featuring a range of extraordinarily stereotyped characters from ‘throughout history’ that owe far more to Hollywood than any attempts at authenticity. Peter Daltrey provides the cold, mechanical, Hal-like narration that segues between the majority of songs, and wrote all the lyrics himself (which become increasingly convoluted, especially at the end). This disembodied voice has gathered myriad humans in a place of ‘no time, no space’ for a harrowing psychedelic trip through a fantastical landscape, the final goal being the Electric Castle itself that forms the basis of the second disc, a place embedded with emotions where the surviving characters must confront their own past misdeeds, and finally make a life-or-death decision. It’s mostly easy to follow, especially with the narration, but ultimately it doesn’t matter if the listener drifts off and forgets to pay attention in a specific section, they will still get the same out of it.
The cast are mostly distinctive, though some characters tend to be more prominent than others. Jay van Feggelen puts in an astoundingly melodramatic performance as ‘the proud Barbarian,’ roaring and mincing his lines, and even making the fittingly pompous decision to sing at his own pace, outside the melody. His confrontations with the other ‘men of swords,’ as the narrator calls them, are entertaining for all the operatic shouting they entail, although the Highlander (Fish from Marillion) is more restrained in his thick Scottish accent, and Ayreon staple Damian Wilson (ex-Rick Wakeman and Threshold) is calm and noble as the Knight with a Grail complex. The Gathering’s Anneke van Giersbergen fills the female spot that would go to Lana Lane on all future releases, often providing a soft chorus but mostly seeming too entrenched within her own thoughts to really interact with anyone else; aside from her solo spot in ‘Valley of the Queens,’ it seems she is essentially used to provide a female voice to the songs. Last but certainly not least is the most entertaining character of all, the Hippie performed by Lucassen himself whose pacifistic face-off with the Barbarian in track three provides only the first in a long line of great lines that either confirm the albums tongue-in-cheek nature (this is my opinion), or simply reflect incredibly poor writing (a possibility I don’t wish to entertain).
‘Hey dude, you’re so uncool, but hey – that’s alright,
but there’s no need to get uptight.’
It’s something of an acquired taste, but ‘Into the Electric Castle,’ along with a couple of Lucassen’s later releases, are truly accomplished works of modern progressive rock and progressive metal, rivalling even the big American names like Symphony X and Dream Theater. Unlike the latter, Ayreon’s concept albums rely on a song-based approach that makes each track stand strong and independent even when removed from the overall structure, avoiding the self-conscious repetition of a ‘main theme’ that characterises many concept albums of bands who feel it necessary to keep reminding the listener that the song they are listening to is related to an earlier song that sounded almost exactly the same, but in a slightly different key. Ayreon’s ‘The Final Experiment’ was guilty of this, overusing a faux-Medieval melody that was never that good to begin with, and only became more irritating the more diverse instruments it was piped through over the course of fifteen tracks. The musical style on ‘Into the Electric Castle’ is characteristic enough that no song sounds out of place, even the deliberate attempts to diversify, and the characters seem more than content to play through the different melodies and rhythms. This music is progressive in the sense that it seeks to expand beyond the boundaries of a typical rock album, and in its blending of disparate styles, rather than being a forum for Lucassen to show off his guitar and synth noodling abilities ad nauseam. Well, it is partly for that.
Disc 1
1. Welcome to the New Dimension
2. Isis and Osiris
...a) Let the Journey Begin
...b) The Hall of Isis and Osiris
...c) Strange Constellations
...d) Reprise
3. Amazing Flight
...a) Amazing Flight in Space
...b) Stardance
...c) Flying Colours
4. Time Beyond Time
5. The Decision Tree (We’re Alive)
6. Tunnel of Light
7. Across the Rainbow Bridge
Ayreon is a largely synthesiser based musical project, they keyboards and occasional Hammond organs (gak) taking their cues from 70s bands such as Pink Floyd (particularly ‘Wish You Were Here’) and, in the instance of this opening track in particular, Jeff Wayne’s ‘War of the Worlds,’ which itself seems to have been a large inspiration on Lucassen’s approach. The narration dominates this opening track, and whatever the keyboards are attempting to convey in terms of ‘no time, no space’ is lost on me. Track two is where the album really gets going, and is a real tour-de-force featuring almost all of the characters as they struggle to come to terms with their predicament. The folk elements are introduced, largely in the form of brief lapses into woodwind and mandolin passages that crop up in many songs, and this is the first song to really fuse the prog rock and heavy metal elements, setting the mid-tempo rhythm that will continue through the entire album. Prog band Camel seems to be an influence on the synth here, something that will become even more evident in later songs, and although this song goes through a lot of movements in its 11:11 running time, the only section that truly drags is an extended synthesiser section in the more atmospheric section (c).
‘Amazing Flight’ is one of the most memorable songs and the best of the multi-part ‘epics,’ not only for the embarrassing Hippie dialogue quoted earlier. It starts off sounding like a 60s rock song, with the same guitar sound and those dreaded Hammonds creeping in for the first time, creating a comparatively sparse atmosphere after the volume of the previous song that moves it more towards the psychedelic end of the spectrum. The Pink Floyd influence is more obvious here than anywhere else, as a sub-David Gilmour guitar solo whines melodically before revealing a quiet choir of male and female voices that almost sounds lifted from Pink Floyd’s ‘Atom Heart Mother,’ and a wailing woman in a passage evoking ‘The Great Gig in the Sky.’ The Hippie’s name-dropping of Pink Floyd and The Who lyrics in a later song implies that these links are more commemorative and nostalgic than theft, though I certainly hope for Lucassen’s sake that Roger Waters doesn’t listen to Space Opera. A later flute section first evokes Jethro Tull, and then seems to be lifted straight from Camels’ ‘The Snow Goose’ album. Overall, this is a great song despite all the debts it would seem to owe, but in the context of the album is perhaps a little excessive in its ten minute duration after the previous long song. Thankfully, the ones that come after are all shorter.
‘Time Beyond Time’ is another song that moves from a quiet, reflective opening led by acoustic guitar to loud, electric, heavy metal middle, and is nicely simplistic after the aural overload of the album so far. The Knight is granted a nice Medieval sounding guitar solo, the likes of which dominated the earlier album ‘The Final Experiment’ but which works much better alone, and Wilson’s soft singing is pleasant. The end sounds a little too similar to that of the previous song, to the extent that I always expect the flutes to come in, but this is mostly a relaxed start to the more ‘easy listening’ part of the album. ‘The Decision Tree (We’re Alive)’ is where the events and obstacles of the plot start to take precedence, beginning with the thrum of synthesisers that musicians as far back as Vangelis decided was the most accurate sound to represent the vacuum of space. The keyboard melody that follows sounds a little too much like a Sega MegaDrive game for me to take it seriously (I’m specifically thinking of ‘Ristar,’ for anyone interested in such things), and the happiness remains in the song even after it becomes faster and the guitars dominate, despite the seemingly contradictory ;every man for himself’ attitude of the vocals. A jam section comes in towards the end before a final reprise of the verse and chorus: this will become the template for most songs to follow.
The shortest song on this disc, ‘Tunnel of Light’ is also the most accessible, based on a repeating acoustic guitar that never collapses into a jam or solo. The narrator sounds oddly jolly as it begins, congratulating the survivors for passing the tree (Fish was forced to stay behind), and the vocals here are interchanged between the conflicting voices of the Egyptian and the Barbarian. ‘An incandescent span of tears’ in the narration of the next track indicates, along with the murky sound of dripping water, that things are about to take a turn for the worse, as the group cross the rainbow bridge. The music moves from a gloomy down-tuned acoustic effect, similar to the Bruce Dickinson band, to a louder metal style that comes and goes with intensity. Not a lot is resolved in this closing song, and in a commendably modest move, the song simply fades out at the end without another unnecessary note from the narrator. At just over six minutes, this is a reasonable length and one of the album’s most authentically ‘prog metal’ songs, despite the psychedelic lapse towards the end.
Disc 2
1. The Garden of Emotions
...a) In the Garden of Emotions
...b) Voices in the Sky
...c) The Aggression Factor
2. Valley of the Queens
3. The Castle Hall
4. Tower of Hope
5. Cosmic Fusion
...a) I Soar on the Breeze
...b) Death’s Grunt
...c) The Passing of an Eagle
6. The Mirror Maze
...a) Inside the Mirror Maze
...b) Through the Mirror
7. Evil Devolution
8. The Two Gates
9. “Forever” of the Stars
10. Another Time,. Another Space
The second disc harks back to the epic opening of the first disc, as the narrator essentially tells the gang ‘we’re here,’ and the weird fantasy continues. A bombastic keyboard melody that could almost be the album’s ‘main theme,’ if it were falling back on such a bad idea, provides an effective structure for the beginning and end of this diverse song, which mostly belongs to the Hippie and the Egyptian. Lucassen delivers the verses through a distorted water sound effect, proclaiming, ‘it’s kinda groovy in this world of fantasy / where no one else can go,’ before van Giersbergen emerges crystal clear for the chorus. The second movement takes on a male aggression stance, highlighted by the heavier (i.e. manlier) guitars and bellows of the Barbarian, while the third is more restrained and progressive to suit the ‘stand together as a team’ mentality of the intellectual Futureman of the bunch. If you happen to be of the opinion that overblown synthesisers can be a little annoying in large quantities, this probably isn’t the song for you. Fortunately, I think it can be a really good thing, when done well, and the final repetition of the opening chords makes it all worthwhile. Not as effective a monster track as the first two on the previous side, but the first section is very notable.
Anneke van Giersbergen is finally granted a solo spot to show off her talents in ‘Valley of the Queens,’ and Lucassen is content to provide a melodic background of keyboards and effective violins, commendably resisting synthesising an Egyptian-style theme or anything like that. It’s pleasant and quite short, and acts as the most radio-friendly song on the second disc, much like ‘Tunnel of Light’ earlier. With the Egyptian woman singing about her inevitable death, and mourning the apparent non-existence of her gods, it’s actually quite sad, and this comes through in the music; this isn’t all a camp parody.
Synthesised monster sound effects open the next phase of the album, as the Electric Castle begins to be explored in earnest, and the narrator gleefully draws attention to one of the album’s repeated morals, targeted towards the fighting men. ‘I pity the men of swords,’ laughs the narrator, ‘for here, blood runs cold,’ and they must confront their pasts. This at least allows for some slight characterisation of the Barbarian beyond his testosterone-fuelled arguments with Hippies and Highlanders, as he dwells on ‘the men I’ve killed, the women I’ve raped.’ Then again, he doesn’t sound too broken up about it, making his later fate all the more deserving. The main guitar riff is quite heavy and slow, a nice combination, but this is primarily a vocal-led song from the two surviving male warriors, backed by some Super Mario Bros.-esque dank and drippy sound effects. A short melodic break interrupts three-quarters of the way into the song, including some long-overdue flutes, before the verse and chorus repeat once again. It’s a good song, if unremarkable, and begins what can be seen as a heavier section of the album, fitting to the predicament.
‘Tower of Hope’ is perhaps my favourite song on the album, and is dominated by a simplistic staccato riff that turns on and off like a switch. It seems that all characters get a say in this one, their voices overlapping and pre-empting each other and driving the whole thing along, before a crazy, jazzy jam section takes over towards the end. A soloing guitar and noodling keyboard alternate in a game of one-upmanship for about one minute, demonstrating a level of self-restraint not seen in the previous songs that makes a great difference, and again, the verse and chorus repeat. The next couple of songs follow a more epic, progressive vein than these shorter segments, ‘Cosmic Fusion’ beginning with more Richard Wright style synth such as that which opened the album, before van Giersbergen’s singing is overtaken by the voice of Death, predictably handled in a guttural roar fashion typical of death metal, though a little more restrained and audible here. Fittingly, and by this point very predictably, the guitar becomes louder in this second section, while the third section is yet another guitar solo section, better than some of the others but quite out of place and distracting by this late juncture.
Finally with ‘The Mirror Maze’ comes that rock opera staple: a piano! Lucassen’s Hippie confronts his childhood and domineering parents, followed by memories of feeling alienated from adult society (‘so he grows his hair’). The song begins dream-like and acoustic, eventually becoming a cacophony as the other characters relate their own experiences inside the Mirror Maze. ‘Evil Devolution’ is another of the album’s highlights, introducing elements of electronica in presenting the world of the future, and beginning the final phase of the album’s storyline concerning evolution beyond emotional awareness. The Futureman (Edward Reekers) puts in a great performance in this slow, downbeat song, both singing melodically in the chorus and more dramatically in the verses. The bass is also present here, in one of the few instances throughout the album. The main riff itself undergoes a process of evolution (or devolution) as it translates to further electronic instruments, most prevalently the guitar. Ending abruptly, the surviving characters face their final challenge with ‘The Two Gates,’ one of which leads back to their lives, and the other of which leads to a void of oblivion. One is gold and sparkling, the other is decayed and humble. You know, a bit like the grails in that Indiana Jones film, and loads of other stuff. The keyboards are reminiscent of Camel again, and the staccato rhythm similar to ‘Tower of Hope’ earlier, but this is the first song to feature a truly heavy metal chorus in terms of delivery, a really nice touch. With the marching rhythm, this could almost be a power metal song if the overpowering keyboards were removed and the tempo sped up a little. The Barbarian’s arrogant death, which you can work out for yourself, has been a long time coming, but it’s still a little sad to hear his echoing bellows from a vacuum of nothingness.
The final two songs flow together, to the extent that they could really be considered the same song, especially as so many other songs incorporate disparate movements. ‘“Forever” of the Stars,’ written by the narrator Peter Daltrey, attempts to put the album’s rather silly plot into some kind of grander context, explaining how his species populated the Earth with humans to analyse their emotions, or something along those lines. The final song resists sounding too victorious, despite some optimistic soloing, as the survivors awaken back in their own realms, uncertain what to make of the experience that they partially retain in their memories: some, such as the Knight, finally feel a sense of satisfaction, but the Hippie wonders whether it’s all been one big, groovy trip. We’ll never really know, but this is a pretty nice song, and maybe that’s the point.
‘Into the Electric Castle’ certainly isn’t an album for everybody, requiring a certain degree of open-mindedness to appreciate, and either a sense of irony or failing that, an appreciation for cheesy fantastical storylines to really get into. Regardless of the lyrics, the music is an accomplished and effective blend of genres in a way that’s never really been attempted before within progressive metal, adopting a 1970s attitude with the benefit of modern technology and musical styles. Arguably Ayreon’s finest album, this is less strictly ‘metal’ than ‘The Final Experiment,’ ‘Flight of the Migrator’ and ‘The Human Equation,’ but more hard-edged than the largely ambient ‘The Dream Sequencer’ and the disappointing ‘Actual Fantasy.’ Of these, ‘The Human Equation’ most closely follows the style established here, with more effective overall results and some better singers, as the main problem with ‘Into the Electric Castle’ is the repetition of structure and musical ‘quirks’ that cease to be such when repeated over and over again.
That said, this album could easily have fallen into a great many traps of the rock opera and concept album formats that would have affected the end result significantly, yet Lucassen’s focus on creating a series of strong songs, effective when taken inside or outside of this crazy context, makes it an essential purchase for prog metal enthusiasts. An earlier version of ‘Amazing Flight’ can be heard on the later compilation ‘Ayreonauts Only,’ which heavily implies that the Original Hippie’s dialogue did, indeed, form the basis for this psychedelic trip through non-time and non-space. It only remains to wonder how closely Lucassen associates himself with the character.
Advantages: Inventive and intriguing mix of styles, and great use of multiple vocalists.
Disadvantages: Extended instrumental passages tend be too long, and borderline masturbatory.
Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator
Do The Time Warp
*****
Written on 01.07.04
'Ayreon' is one of the long-running musical projects of multi-talented Dutch musician Arjen Lucassen, and the two albums entitled 'The Universal Migrator' were released individually in 2000. While Universal Migrator part 1: The Dream Sequencer was an unusual keyboard-driven offering from Lucassen, utilising the haunting vocals of Lana Lane over what he describes as "a song-oriented melodic and atmospheric journey," the second album follows a much different style.
Arjen dubs Universal Migrator part 2: Flight of the Migrator "a heavy progressive adventure through time and space": personally, I consider it a highly experimental metal-oriented heavy and atmospheric journey through time, space and the occasional dodgy voice.
THE FLIGHT: Preincarnation
On Mars, the last human being alive has immersed himself in the energy tanks of a mysterious machine called the Dream Sequencer, and he has selected a program called 'The Universal Migrator.' Using a form of hypnosis, this allows his mind to return to the beginning of time and witness the creation of the first soul: the Migrator itself, which divided itself and spread life across the universe. The colonist guides himself to a time before the Big Bang, "where matter, energy and time itself all intermingle in the chaotic unformed vacuum of proton space."
It's obvious that Arjen has a more than passing interest and knowledge of space and its science, and although the suspension of disbelief and focus on a quite abstract storyline may put off casual listeners, it's very easy to become drawn into the tale, which is actually quite straightforward. After witnessing the birth of the universe and the Migrator, the protagonist travels forwards through time in his quest to enter the solar system while it is still inhabited and begin a new life, utilising the awesome power of the black hole in the Virgo cluster of galaxies to enter a wormhole, but although everything goes according to plan, the Migrator informs its traveller as he enters the solar system that his physical body has died inside the machine. His new calling is found, and he is content to continue exploring the universe as the New Migrator.
I've always been a big fan of space, if that makes sense, but even I find some of the descriptions and lyrics a little silly. "The gravity's high, a black sun in the sky" seems a little bit like it's rhyming for the sake of it, as does this verse from track seven:
"We're passing Sirrah in Alpha Pegasi
Into the atmosphere of Planet Y
What will we find? Chances almost none
Will there be life in M31?"
I don't have a problem with these over-descriptive statements however as the lyrics actually manage to stay relatively brief and to the point, when they could easily have diverted into a dull and overlong narrative, and Arjen supplies brief introductory passages in prose to each song. But of course, no one buys an album based purely on its concept and quality of its lyrics, not even me.
MUSICIANS AND VOICES
I haven't heard Mr. Lucassen sing, but if this album is any indication, he doesn't hold his own vocal talents in any kind of esteem. Every track features a different guest vocalist from prominent bands in the metal genre, from relatively obscure European power metal vocalists to frontmen of more prominent heavy metal bands, all of them working to bring his nice little space metal project that much closer to perfection.
Track 1: [Instrumental, voice by Lana Lane]
Track 2: Russel Allen (Symphony X)
Track 3: Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear)
Track 4: Andi Deris (Helloween)
Track 5: Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
Track 6: Fabio Lione (Rhapsody)
Track 7: Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius)
Track 8: Robert Soeterboek (Wicked Sensation)
Track 9: Ian Parry (Elegy)
Instrumentalists:
Arjen Anthony Lucassen - electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, analogue synthesisers, Mellotron, Hammond and additional keyboards
Ed Warby - drums
Erik Norlander - analogue synthesisers, vocoder voice, Taurus pedal, Hammond and additional keyboards
Guitar solos by Arjen Lucassen, Michael Romeo, Oscar Holleman and Gary Wehrkamp.
Synth solos by Erik Norlander, Rene Merkelbach, Clive Nolan, Gary Wehrkamp and Keiko Kumagai.
Backing vocals by Damian Wilson and Lana Lane.
Strings by Peter Siedlach.
THE HEAVY PROGRESSIVE ADVENTURE
1. CHAOS
The album begins with assorted bubbling and beeping sounds before an electronic voice and that of Lana Lane introduce the listener to the concept of the album. After asking "are you sure you want to continue?" comes a short build-up to a speedy and very upbeat instrumental that shows Lucassen's guitar skills at their very best for the next four minutes, as well as providing an introduction to the distorted keyboards that play such a large part in every track. Although the keyboard effects provide a degree of depth and do create a 'spacey' atmosphere to some extent, it's clear that this album is going for the power and energy of traditional rock instruments primarily. An excellent introductory track that doubtless pleased those fans of progressive metal who hadn't quite appreciated the style of the previous CD.
2. DAWN OF A MILLION SOULS
This track begins with a very grand keyboard tune that wouldn't be out of place in the background of a dance song or better yet, a seventies space show. Once the guitars, drums and bass roar into existence however, this track really takes shape and is all the better for the presence of Symphony X's Russell Allen on vocals and Michael Romeo handling some of the guitars. Allen's American singing voice is very powerful and does provide a welcome change from the mostly European accents of this disc that do get on my nerves a little bit when listening to progressive and power metal. This is one of my very favourite tracks on the album and is one of the most effective at communicating the "we are travelling through space" idea without going overboard - a great and epic metal track with a lot of changes.
3. JOURNEY ON THE WAVES ON TIME
A slightly short offering this time round, but it still lasts over five minutes. The previous track blends in with some melodic orchestration before another very prominent keyboard tune takes centre stage and the other instruments follow again. This is my least favourite track on here for a couple of reasons: firstly, I find the vocals from Ralf Scheepers very grating throughout, especially when he becomes high pitched, and also because I am not a big fan of Hammond organs. The second half of this track features a very bad Hammond solo that seems to last for a very long time. It's still quite good, however the things I like about it (ominous backing vocals and great driving guitars) can be found in some of the other, better offerings. I also find the main keyboard tune a little too dominating at times.
4. TO THE QUASAR
a) The Taurus Pulsar
b) Quasar 3C273
It wouldn't be a proper concept album without dividing the tracks into 'parts' would it? This is a slower song that sounds very different from the rest and stands out because of this, but in a very positive way. The acoustic guitars clicking their way throughout the first part are complimented by some great vocals that have a muted effect, only becoming really clear in the excellent chorus, although the second half of the song is so different that it might as well be a different track. Chugging guitars become increasingly heavier before a great riff is decided upon, spoiled only very slightly by silly zapping effects, and the vocals in this second part are even better. Nice and high, just how I like it - the guitar solo at the end is great too.
5. INTO THE BLACK HOLE
a) The Eye of the Universe
b) Halo of Darkness
c) The Final Door
It may seem like a mistake to place two of the longest songs right next to each other, but this progressive metal classic could never disappoint. The inimitable vocals of Bruce Dickinson sound very mysterious and powerful at the same time as he sings the listener on a ten minute journey through the black hole, but credit must also be given to the very dark sounding guitars played by Lucassen. As well as being the most impressive song on the album musically, the fantastic use of both subliminal and very distinct keyboards also makes it the most atmospheric and epic, while the plodding main riffs are also very heavy. A very different sound to Iron Maiden and even Bruce's own solo work, but he nevertheless excels here. Even the overlong synth solo towards the end doesn't annoy me here, as this is progressive heavy metal at its very, very best and truly lives up to Arjen's summary of the album.
6. THROUGH THE WORMHOLE
A nice fast-paced track to follow the longer outings, this takes a while to really get going but still sounds impressive in its not-got-going-ness and although the upbeat chorus is very fun and well sung by Rhapsody's Fabio, it does include a brief unwelcome return of that most dreaded of instruments, the Hammond organ. The drums sound very intriguing throughout this track with a strange clicking sound that isn't found elsewhere, and this also features one of the best solos on the album. It's a return to form after the epics and isn't quite up to the same standard, but it's still highly enjoyable and I know that Fabio has a lot of fans in Europe.
7. OUT OF THE WHITE HOLE
a) M31
b) Planet Y
c) The Search Continues
Despite the division of this track, it's not much longer than the last outing at seven minutes, and the three parts don't sound as distinct as in the other divided tracks. I've never liked Stratovarius enough to seriously check them out, but Kotipelto's vocals are excellent here in both high and , sounding similar to Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate. If you know what I'm talking about. A very good track, but there's not much that hasn't been heard before – a great choice of vocalist however.
8. TO THE SOLAR SYSTEM
a) Planet of Blue
b) System Alert
This is another attempt at a different-sounding track that works very well again, but did take me a bit of time to get used to. A nice electronic beat guides the track along for the first minute with some very deep, booming vocals before the harmonious and light bridge and chorus sections begin, sounding out of place but not really suffering for it. This is a very pleasant and melodic track, and ends with some quiet beeps and a "system alert" message from the Dream Sequencer machine. The final notes fade into the last track...
9. THE NEW MIGRATOR
a) Metamorphosis
b) Sleeper Awake
The only track not written by Lucassen, this is the perfect closure to a large-scale storyline, and the orchestration at the beginning celebrates this grand scale before the guitars and keyboards break into one of the most memorable and catchy riffs of the album. There's a return of the excellent backing vocals that sound almost operatic, but in many ways this is a more straightforward power metal track than the rest, with a repeated chorus that is very infectious and catchy being paired with a keyboard melody that has clear folk influences. The instrumental sections halfway through sound a lot like Symphony X, which makes me wonder whether Michael Romeo decided to jam on this track too, and it all builds up to an overpowering climax that is almost orgasmic (if you are a bit strange) and fades immediately into a low rumbling with several well-timed drum rolls.
VERDICT
How much does the phrase "not to everyone's taste" sum this album up? Progressive rock bands have received a lot of criticism for their elaborate and intricate songs extracting the raw power out of rock anthems, and this no-holds-barred exploration of both the universe and the sample numbers on Lucassen's Yamaha keyboard makes it about as radio-unfriendly as it gets. But it's a very good album, especially when I feel like some grand scale metal, and for the most part Arjen has succeeded in recruiting excellent vocalists and musicians: it was naturally Bruce Dickinson's presence that attracted me to this band when I heard the incredible 'Into the Black Hole' being played, but Russel Allen and several singers towards the end are also the high points.
I can imagine Arjen Lucassen's Dutch face beaming as his latest project all fell together, and his sincere thanks in the lyric booklet to everyone concerned show his gratitude - it's just a shame that, aside from in some areas of Europe, the whole progressive space epic power metal genre isn't that much of a big seller. It's almost like Arjen has planned out and written an incredible Dooyoo review on why quasars are brilliant, only to receive about six reads, most of which are probably just attention-seeking anyway. The poor guy, no big fan of Monty Python deserves this harsh treatment.
Another problem with this album's limited recognition is its limited availability. I buy all of my CDs off the internet, but I found this incredibly hard to track down earlier this year. No price cuts there. This does give me the advantage of waving my space metal in other metal fans' faces and saying "look what I've got; something you haven't even heard of, see how this artificially makes me more interesting than you?" Despite its flaws and the fact that I don't always feel like listening to something this extravagant, I am very glad that I bought this album and listen to it regularly.
Day Eleven: Love
****
Written on 04.02.08
As far as singles go, this precursor to 'The Human Equation' really makes the grade in offering a fair representation of that album as well as providing some frivolous B-sides for fans. Ayreon singles in the past have always focused more on the lighter side of things, which could provide an unbalanced overview in the case of the heavier albums and this one is the heaviest yet - fortunately, Arjen Lucassen doesn't disappoint and focuses on two songs that explore everything that would prove to work so well in his upcoming, full-length magnum opus.
Taken from the finale of the album's first disc, 'Day Eleven: Love' is a climactic song featuring seven of the album's singers (it all takes place in the head of a comatose man played by Dream Theater's James LaBrie, and the other singers all represent facets of his personality and memories - I'll explain later), and it's a first for an Ayreon single for actually featuring heavy metal guitars! Nevertheless, it's still one of Lucassen's more folky, happy songs, blessed with really embarrassing lyrics as he recalls his first date, and the song's overall warts-and-all honesty will easily allow listeners to decide whether they would enjoy purchasing the full-length album, or take out a restraining order to ensure it never comes within audible distance. It's a fun song.
After this comes the delightful 'Day Two: Isolation' from earlier in the album, which is one of its most structurally varied songs and thus one of my favourites. It's slower, darker and heavier than the previous not-ballad, and after a rip-roaring journey introducing LaBrie, Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt and many of the other singers for the first time, it mellows out into a softer movement for a few minutes before plummeting headfirst into Lucassen's most shameless synthesiser extravaganza. This is the perfect meeting between prog rock of the classic and modern ages, and bears undeniable similarity to Richard Wright's 'On the Run' from Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' - only with a bit more gusto. This is a brilliant song, but it would be so easy to hate it.
The second half of the single, which is more like a generous E.P. considering the quantity and length, consists of covers of famous songs performed in a distinctly Ayreon style, complete with vocalists from the Human Equation sessions. I wasn't previously familiar with Led Zeppelin's 'No Quarter,' but it's a pleasant enough acoustic song and sounds like something that could easily fit onto an Ayreon album in this form, but David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' is a different story. Clearly one of the early, defining space operas that served to inspire Lucassen in the first place, this song is treated with the utmost respect and adapted into several highly contradictory sections that ultimately sound a little daft together and completely over-the-top in the customary Ayreon fashion, but it still makes for an enjoyable listen, and Eric Clayton's bassy singing suits the dark ambience of the keyboards perfectly. This single fulfils its function perfectly, in serving to get geeks like me extremely excited about the inevitable full-length album.
1. Day Eleven: Love (Radio edit)
2. Day Two: Isolation
3. No Quarter (Led Zeppelin cover)
4. Space Oddity (David Bowie cover)
Loser
***
Written on 04.02.08
Curiously released in a different form, 'Loser' is technically the second single from 'The Human Equation' despite this version being different, and indeed even labelled as Star One, the other musical endeavour Arjen Lucassen was keen on promoting at the time. With its Eastern flute and guitar melodies, entertaining lyrics and compelling performance from guest vocalist Devin Townsend, this was one of the stand-out songs from the album and easily one of the most memorable even if you didn't particularly like it, and as a comparatively aggressive song it works well against the other tracks released as singles. The only differences to come in this 'Star One Version' seem to be re-recorded guitar, drum and keyboard tracks, but the vocal performance is thankfully left untouched.
The rest of the single is made up of previously unheard B-side material, but doesn't impress quite as much as some older material. The cover of Alice Cooper's 'How You Gonna See Me Now' is fairly bland and uninspired, lacking the usual character that Ayreon brings to covers and featuring the average vocal talents of Mike Baker, but there's at least an amusing moment where spacey synthesiser intrudes upon the acoustic guitar and really fails to integrate in any meaningful way. The same goes for the live version of the Ayreon classic 'Into the Black Hole,' which is interestingly changed enormously but unfortunately not for the better. The acoustic/synthesiser combo sounds even more ridiculous in full force like this, and although Irene Jansen's vocals are good (even if they don't match up to Bruce Dickinson's originals), this highly edited and slimmed version feels disappointingly tame compared to the expansive original.
Fortunately, a similar take on the even older Ayreon song 'Castle Hall' works much better, and is a rare case of the acoustic version perhaps being better than the original, which didn't require the heavy guitar riffs in the same way 'Into the Black Hole' does. Jansen fills in nicely for the two guys who sang the original, and the acoustic guitar is paired up with a flute, making for a more sensible combination at last. While this B-side material isn't up to the standard of the previous single, it's still nice to see this release bulked out with something original rather than more album tracks, but it's still pretty weird that the title song was tampered with at all.
1. Loser (Star One Version)
2. How You Gonna See Me Now (Alice Cooper cover)
3. Into the Black Hole
4. Castle Hall (Acoustic Version)
01011001
Extremophilia
***
Written on 05.02.08
It's been four years since his masterwork 'The Human Equation,' and Arjen Lucassen has put together another Ayreon album that's all but destined to pale in comparison. After that album's conscious departure from the typical Ayreon fare, at least thematically, '01011001' (not to be confused with the Star Trek episode '11001001' which is completely different in all but stupid title) is the inevitable return to Ayreon's comfort zone of the sci-fi rock opera. It's also the long-awaited final revelation concerning just what happened to humanity in that fatal year 2085, first referenced way back in the first Ayreon album, and just what it is that connects aquatic aliens and Electric Castles to Universal Migrators and their Dream Sequencers.
For trying so hard to 'Connect the Dots,' as Lucassen wryly puts it in the self-referential song, his latest project appears to be something of a burden, and even for all of his incredible imaginings the end result is a little disappointing. It's all logical and makes more sense of the connections between previous albums than I would have thought possible, but for taking such a serious sci-fi tone complete with a resurgence of the social critique from 'The Final Experiment,' this misses out almost entirely on the unadulterated, zany fun of something like 'Into the Electric Castle.' The only time it comes close is in the opening song of disc two, as the aliens fly on a comet towards their new, prehistoric home and debate the consequences of their arrival to its reptilian population ("They may all die, don't you think we should check it out?") Unfortunately, most of the album lacks this playful, B-movie sense of adventure, and although it's all well written and quite clever, it's really only the major deviations into more domestic, Earth-bound matters that strike a chord, and end up being by far the best songs here.
As with its concept, Ayreon's music is breaking no new ground on this static release, and indulges in a similar connective pattern throughout the previous discography, resulting in a dominant mix of the multi-character rock opera 'Into the Electric Castle' and the heavily synthesised sound of the 'Universal Migrator' albums, with occasional songs landing more exclusively in the folky, acoustic rock of 'The Human Equation' or the atmospheric prog of 'The Dream Sequencer,' though never exceeding them. This was a disappointment to me after the exciting new ideas of the radically progressive and very heavy metal of 'The Human Equation,' but in the long run is forgivable and even appropriate as what looks determined to be the final chapter in this incredibly loosely-connected Ayreon saga, and can only spur Lucassen on to try more extreme and inventive directions in the future. Of course, in the shorter term it leaves the most recent Ayreon album sounding mostly overlong, derivative and frequently quite boring.
Just like 'Into the Electric Castle' and 'The Human Equation' the story is split across two CDs, but this is the only instance of this seeming like a disc too many. The ten-minute songs are often far too repetitive and similar to each other, despite boasting impressive vocal work as the lyrics are ploughed through by various big names in the metal world, and neither the prog nor the metal fans of Ayreon are going to be particularly satisfied with the predominantly electronic sound that rarely throws out an original riff or melody, at least until the second disc. Even the singers themselves aren't as interesting or diverse as the cast of 'The Human Equation,' and the emphasis on gruff ballad tones from Jørn Lande and Daniel Gildenlow alongside opera vocals and the return of the Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen makes for a very samey sound throughout, which even the legendary Hansi Kursch is unable to save us from thanks to his perseverance with the same Russell Mael impersonation that's spoiled the last two Blind Guardian albums.
Even the most basic instruments are quite shockingly overlooked in the face of all the slow-moving synth, with Ayreon veteran Ed Warby's drums only really coming into play as late as track seven, and the first genuinely heavy guitar riff in 'Unnatural Selection' caused me to swear emphatically. The usual touches of slightly outlandish instruments are still present in the violins and flutes of the second disc, but to a lesser extent than in the previous album (and there isn't a didgeridoo in sight), and the general tedium of the admittedly more tedious first disc even gave me some small hope that Lucassen was doing a 'Universal Migrator,' and was going to surprise us all with a powerful and thrilling second half. He doesn't, but disc two is better on the whole.
The slow-moving, operatic bombast of the Forever people is fortunately broken up by a few shorter and more overtly pop-rock songs that help the album regain some balance. Seemingly set in the present-day (deduced through some internet name-dropping and helpful sound effects of revving cars and beeping modems), these songs make for intriguing deviations and feature some of the album's finest and strangest lyrics and themes, further proving the message of 'The Human Equation' that the human adventure is the most compelling. 'Connect the Dots' is quite a sweet, domestic tale with interesting forebodings of disaster, and 'Web of Lies' examines the pitfalls of internet dating and makes for a very memorable ending to disc one, aided by the performance from Epica's Simone Simons. Perhaps the album's finest moment comes in the form of 'The Truth is in Here,' which once again sees Arjen bag the most interesting character for himself and write one of his finest and most compelling narratives, one that doesn't even descend into the hilarity of the tripping hippie or the blind minstrel who wishes he could be like every other man. Then again, his character's "cryptic" designation "Mister L" is quite enjoyably poor.
This is only a poor album when judging by Ayreon's own standards which seemed to be generally on the rise, but would still make for an interesting (if arduous) introduction for fans of lighter metal styles who were maybe considering whether to go all prog, though they'd still be better off with 'The Human Equation' or even 'Into the Electric Castle' if they felt particularly open-minded. Even if it's destined to be the most inherently forgettable and least essential of all of his albums (apart from 'Actual Fantasy' perhaps), this at least seals the airlocks on the complex Ayreon narrative that was at best intriguingly strange, and at worst needlessly elaborate, and allows the talented prog/metal composer to look towards new horizons without being hassled by endless, repetitive e-mails asking what this rubbish is all about. It might not have been the Ayreon album I was hoping for, but it's about as good as can be expected considering its obligations to tying up loose ends of over a decade, and it's obvious that there won't be a more entertaining rock opera released any time before Lucassen's next move. I just know I'm going to listen to the whole discography in order one of these days and imagine that somehow makes it more meaningful.
Disc 1
1. Age of Shadows
2. Comatose
3. Liquid Eternity
4. Connect the Dots
5. Beneath the Waves
... i) Beneath the Waves
... ii) Face the Facts
... iii) But a Memory...
... iv) World Without Walls
... v) Reality Bleeds
6. Newborn Race
... i) The Incentive
... ii) The Vision
... iii) The Procedure
... iv) Another Life
... v) Newborn Race
... vi) The Conclusion
7. Ride the Comet
8. Web of Lies
Disc 2
1. The Fifth Extinction
... i) Glimmer of Hope
... ii) World of Tomorrow Dreams
... iii) Collision Course
... iv) From the Ashes
... v) Glimmer of Hope (Reprise)
2. Waking Dreams
3. The Truth is in Here
4. Unnatural Selection
5. River of Time
6. E=MC2
7. The Sixth Extinction
... i) Echoes on the Wind
... ii) Radioactive Grave
... iii) 2085
... iv) To the Planet of Red
... iv) Spirit on the Wind
... v) Complete the Circle
Codex Antitheus
****
Written on 04.02.08
Doubtless, quite a few black metal fans will have been severely annoyed by this 2005 release from Azaghal, as the Finnish band incorporate elements of classic metal into their traditional black metal style to mixed results. Fortunately, my position on the fence leans significantly towards the eighties style that Azaghal incorporates to such entertaining effect here, and I'm able to consider the experimental merging of 'Kumarra Petoa' to be a work of flawed genius and one of the most entertaining songs I've heard recently, while others would condemn it as a blasphemy (and not the type of blasphemy they're usually so fond of).
Even in the more traditional black metal songs, Narqath's guitars and vocals have a distinctly fun quality to them, even when he restricts himself to growls rather than the clean singing that's arguably a weak point of songs like the otherwise excellent title track and the dull finale 'Sieluton,' and the presence of choruses in 'Agios O Baphomet' and elsewhere also makes this strikingly different from standard black metal. The drums are thankfully no longer programmed, and are perfect at maintaining the energy throughout, and special credit has to be paid to Narqath's great guitar solos, occasionally inspired and at other times basic but enjoyable, that permeate most of the songs, and reach their peak at the conclusion of 'Raatosielu' when a melodic lead guitar section appears out of nowhere and plays out over some pleasant acoustic backing as the closed-minded Mayhem fans tear off their ears.
The best songs here are clearly down to a matter of personal taste, but all parties would probably concede that 'Codex Antitheus' itself is a great black metal offering, satisfyingly heavy and slightly experimental without going overboard like the other songs. My personal favourite has to be the aforementioned blackened heavy metal of 'Kumarra Petoa,' which shows signs of something being awry as early as its opening riff before Narqath lets rip with a high wail that later evolves into a screeching performance reminiscent of King Diamond. It's fantastically enjoyable for fans of classic metal, the guitars and some of the vocals being reminiscent of a darker Megadeth, and its divisive potential makes me like it even more. If I was a hardcore black-metalhead I'd clearly despise this, but with my ever-so-slightly more accepting world view, I consider it a nice treat.
1. Agios O Baphomet
2. Nekromanteia
3. Codex Antitheus
4. Kumarra Petoa
5. 30 Hopearahaa
6. Viha
7. Raatosielu
8. Kuningas Saatana
9. Sieluton
Luciferin Valo
***
Written on 04.02.08
Azaghal's most recent album is a significant step above its predecessors both in terms of sound quality and a more mature attitude to songwriting, though this comes with the disadvantage of robbing the Finnish black metal band of some of the eccentricity that I enjoyed so much on the previous release. The style here continues to incorporate the traditional black metal sound with eighties influence, but here it's a more refined and acceptable Bathory influence rather than anything out of left-field, and ends up sounding like a poor man's Burzum without the heart or bloodied hands.
The album severely disappoints right from the onset, with the promisingly titled 'Black Terror Metal' revealing itself to be a slow and repetitive piece, the chorus of which lacks any of the fun found on the previous album. Things pick up after this point, with songs such as 'Ilmestyskirjan Ratsastajat' and 'Azaghal Terror Cult' demonstrating the Burzum similarity with some solid, steady riffs, while others like 'Kuin Lampaat Teuraalle' and the latter few songs manage to attain a heavy, loud and powerful black metal performance that makes the most of the increased production values.
Narqath may not be as bold in his experiments here, but there's still a slight degree of experimentation with the gurgled vocal style of 'Verta Ja Tuhkaa' and what turns out to be a fairly disappointing bit of trickery towards the start of 'Teen Paholaisen Tyoetae,' but essentially this is a back-to-basics album that doesn't quite cut it, and isn't going to inspire any black metal fans, even if they see the lack of classic metal features as a step in the right direction.
1. Black Terror Metal
2. Ilmestyskirjan Ratsastajat
3. Tuhoaja
4. Kuin Lampaat Teuraalle
5. Verta Ja Tuhkaa
6. Teen Paholaisen Tyoetae
7. Azaghal Terror Cult
8. Hyvaestit Maailmalle
9. Olematon
10. Luciferin Valo
November
**
Written on 04.02.08
The 'November' E.P. was one of the final releases from Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink as Azure Ray before they moved on to solo careers, and it's six tracks of dreamy, soft music that mainly falters through being so quiet and subtle that it's easy to forget you're listening to anything at all. Based only on soft singing, occasional strumming acoustic guitar and soft, synthesised backdrop, this is highly atmospheric music but not particularly interesting to listen to all at once, being far more suited to select pickings; fortunately, at six songs it doesn't quite go into overkill.
The sound is relatively samey throughout, which is a bit of a disappointment, with only minor differences such as a stronger or weaker sense of the acoustic guitar being enough to distinguish most songs. The only ones that deviate from the standard mould are the more ethereal 'For the Sake of the Song,' which succeeds more than the others at evoking an atmosphere but still fails for being a tad too long, and the significantly slower, piano-led 'I Will Do These Things,' which unfortunately end up fairly non-ish. The opening and closing songs have a little more life than those in the centre, with a more upbeat vocal performance and deeper background sound, but they also end up being my least preferred due to the poppier style, over-reliance on repeating choruses and some quite poor lyrics of the sort that aren't found elsewhere here, the first even resorting to a final verse of "doo-doo-doo."
This is a pleasant enough E.P., but a bit lacking in any substantial content, and it occupies an uncomfortable middle ground between female singer-songwriter pop music and ambience, without really satisfying either market.
1. November
2. For the Sake of the Song
3. No Signs of Pain
4. Just a Faint Line
5. I Will Do These Things
6. Other Than This World
Old Times
**
Written on 04.02.08
This is the first, privately funded release from Ukrainian black metal musician Saurus, who follows in the footsteps of many successful one-man-bands in the field that run the risk of ending up as a completely impenetrable, self-indulgent disaster due to the lack of exterior input, or a work of inspired genius that would only have been lessened by involving other players, most notably Burzum, Windir and the later works of Bathory. But of course, there are some like this that are merely pretty good, but have such an incredible atmosphere that I hold them in a similar regard, the type of atmosphere that can only be achieved through a severely low budget.
Azuth is classed as ambient black metal, which is sort of true but also a lazy way of attempting to categorise what would be more accurately (and less understandably) described as a mixture of mountain/victory black metal and philosophical black metal, two terms I find it helpful to apply to Windir and Burzum respectively, but that are, if anything, even dumber than the more official stance. Starting off rather ambient and minimal and featuring a nicely shoddy sample of a battle complete with bugle, galloping horses, the clash of steel against steel and bad acting, the first real "music" begins half-way through the title track as a chiming bell, distorted vocals, tribal drums and roaring guitar fuzz attempt to lead us nostalgically through past worlds, and even though it doesn't really work it's a very pretty song, if you're as strange as me.
'Hidden' is where the black metal performance really begins, after what some may consider (rightfully) far too much introductory material, and the steady drums and satisfying crunch of the guitar riffs sets the tone for the rest of the album, which is never particularly fast or oppressive in the style of typical black metal. 'Ancient Forest' adds to this atmosphere excellently with some great lead guitar work that's obviously amateurish but still sounds great here, especially with the distinctive tone granted by the low production values, and the folk elements and scary organ intro again remind of a poor man's Windir and Burzum. 'Under the Moon' sees Saurus' vocals take on a distinctive rasp for the first time, modulated to a whisper in what I presume is his native tongue in the more melodic and tranquil '...to Nonexistence,' and the shifting style continues for each subsequent song: 'Black Spring Waters' bears similarities to industrial metal in the style of Nine Inch Nails, 'Last Hero' returns to black metal and goes even further by attempting to invent a new, unique style of growl that sounds both horrifying and silly at the same time (it's probably pretty successful then), and the finale is predictably slow and pleasant by comparison.
While the demo-like quality could put some listeners off, especially flaws such as the abrupt silences at the end of tracks and movements, it only adds to the novelty for me, and although this isn't fit to join the ranks of the late, great or otherwise incarcerated black metal one-man-projects. Each song is overlong by about a minute, and although there's great variety, none of it's truly spectacular, enjoyable as I found the experience.
Best of all, it's free and legal to download from http://azuth.jino-net.ru/Discography.htm so there's an opportunity for you to enter my realm, and it provides proof that I'm not just making these obscure bands up.
1. Spirit of the Dead
2. Old Times
3. Hidden
4. Ancient Forest
5. Under the Moon
6. ...to Nonexistence
7. Black Spring Waters
8. Last Hero
9. Her Light Steps
Anaal Nathrakh - Domine Non Es Dignus ***
Anathema - Pentecost III / Crestfallen *****
Anathema - They Die ***
Anathema - Judgement ***
Ancient - Det Glemte Riket ****
Ancient Rites - Evil Prevails ****
Ancient Rites - Blasfemia Eternal ***
...And Oceans - The Symmetry of I - The Circle of O ****
...And Oceans - Morphogenesis ***
...And Oceans - Cypher **
And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead ****
Angels of Venice - Angels of Venice ***
The Angels - Night Attack ****
Angra - Make Believe **
Angra - Holy Land *****
Angra - Freedom Call **
Angra - Fireworks **
Angra - Rebirth ****
Annihilator - Alice in Hell ****
Anorexia Nervosa - Redemption Process ***
Anthrax - Armed and Dangerous **
Anthrax - State of Euphoria ***
Anti-Flag - Underground Network ****
Antimatter - Leaving Eden ***
Antix - Wanderers **
Aphrodite's Child - 666 *****
Apocrypha - Area 54 ****
Arai - Sociedad Enferma **
Arakain - Labyrint ***
Arch Enemy - Black Earth ***
Arch Enemy - Stigmata ***
Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin ****
Arch Enemy - Dead Eyes See No Future ***
Argent - All Together Now **
Alex Argento - Ego ****
Armed - Demo 06.06.06 **
Armored Saint - March of the Saint ***
Armored Saint - Revelation ***
Artimus Pyledriver - Artimus Pyledriver ***
Ashra - New Age of Earth **
Astarte - Demonized ****
Astral Doors - Raiders of the Ark **
At Vance - Chained ****
At War With Self - Acts of God ***
Atlantis - Atlantis **
The Atomic Bitchwax - Spit Blood ****
Atrophy - Violent By Nature ***
Audiovision - The Calling **
Brian Auger - Second Wind **
Augury - Concealed *****
Aura Noir - The Merciless ***
Authority Zero - Andiamo *****
Autopsia - Secret Christmas History **
Avantasia - The Metal Opera ****
Avantasia - Lost in Space Part 2 **
The Axis of Perdition - Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital ***
Ayreon - The Final Experiment ***
Ayreon - Temple of the Cat **
Ayreon - Universal Migrator Pt. 1: The Dream Sequencer ****
Ayreon - Ayreonauts Only ***
Ayreon - The Human Equation *****
Ayreon - Come Back to Me **
