ANATA
Dreams Of Death And Dismay
(Season Of Mist)
47:04min

ANATA are a band that hail from Sweden, wait damnit before you leave, they DO NOT play melodic Swedish Death. There, you're still here? Good. ANATA play some really fuckin sick and twisted Death Metal in a very technical vein. Yes they are melodic but its a technical melodic not like ARCH ENEMY melody, more like DEATH. 10 tracks of sheer Euro-thrash and good ol' fashioned American Death Metal. Too me it sounds like Corpsegrinder era CANNIBAL CORPSE, older MORBID ANGEL mixed in with AT THE GATES / old IN FLAMES. The vocalist sounds like Corpsegrinder I would say. ANATA use some very odd techniques and very fast picking mixed with triggered drums. I mean really if you are a fan of technical Death Metal there is no reason you shold not have this disc. Production sounds like it is very professional and crisp, bass heavy, and drum heavy, with a wall of loud guitars. This is a definite one people!! Available here.

Dimitri Ganatsios

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ANATA
The Conductor's Departure
(Earache Records)
53:40min

Since the day I discovered this Swedish band, with their second album "Dreams Of Death And Dismay", I never stopped being amazed by how they managed to create incredibly technical and at the same time original music without falling into the typical standards of Death Metal. The previous album marked a change in their style, going further into technique and dizzy riffs at a breackneck speed, leaving behind a bit their MORBID ANGEL influences from the early beginnings and reminding more on bands like GORGUTS, CRYPTOPSY or even more modern stuff like THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. Anyway, they still did it with a lot of originality and freshness, and, with this new album, I can only say the same again, ANATA is a band that should have gained more recognition, and I hope this will change; I already heard that they where the big surprise at the Maryland Deathfest this year, which was not a surprise for me. Going to what we were meant to speak about, "The Conductor's Departure" shows a little progression from it's predecessor, the production is quite similar and they didn't change their style as much as between the two precedent albums, but they've progressed a bit more into progressive stuff (what a funny sentence), without meaning they are more technical, but more experimental and with a bit less of aggression in some parts. With that I don't want to make you the impression that this album lacks of brutality, as you can find a lot of it here, but what makes ANATA special is the way they combinate all the elements into a unique form: you have blasting and fast parts, groovy and extremely catchy riffs (like in 'The Great Juggler'), a lot of melodies (which by the way are one of the things that make them so special and different from other bands in the genre, as only PSYCROPTIC use them so much I think), grunting vocals, an excellent and clever drummer and songs where you can find new details every time you listen to them. Perhaps the only thing that didn't manage to convince me are some especially progressive and instrumental parts that can be a bit boring comparing them the rest of the album, but these are very few and don't make this piece of Metal less interesting at all. Go for it if you're searching for something fresh and a bit different of the usual Death Metal of these days. www.earache.com. The album is on sale here.

Jeroni Sancho

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ANATHEMA
Resonance
(Peaceville Records)
50:22min

More than ten years have already passed since ANATHEMA have entered the scene with their classic "They Die" 7" and "Crestfallen" EP. A lot of changes have happened on the way and nowaydays there's absolutely no elements left of the doomy type of Death Metal they were playing in the beginning. ANATHEMA anno 2001 is musically a lot closer to PINK FLOYD and therefore for most of you reading this probably not of interest anymore. "Resonance" is an all the way through mellow album, a compilation that features all the band's acoustic, orchestral and non-distorted emotional pieces. That means you get ordinary versions from their releases "Serenades", "Crestfallen", "Silent Enigma", "Eternity", "Pentecost III" and "Alternative 4", as well as two PINK FLOYD - and a BAD RELIGION cover (that originally appeared on the Peaceville Covers Compilation X), the two Japanese "Eternity" bonus tracks and a previously unreleased live version of 'Angelica' (which was recorded live in Budapest, 1997). The promotional video for 'Hope' and a moody coverart complete the picture. Just in case you need to know… It is on sale here. 

Frank Stöver

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ANATOMIA
Dissected Humanity
(Necroharmonic Productions)
45:25min

What we have here is a great slab of Doom / Death Metal. ANATOMIA comes from Japan and consists mostly of ex-members of TRANSGRESSOR. It is slow, it is crawling, going deep into the filth and matter. Influences are obvious upon the first hearing: AUTOPSY, CIANIDE, DISEMBOWELMENT. But influences come here only as inspiration since ANATOMIA have their own way on imposing decadent aesthetics on their listeners. Music is mostly down / mid tempo with occasional blastbeats. Vocals are among the deepest I have ever heard, but surprisingly you can understand alot of the words. If you like the style that old masters AUTOPSY created there is really a lot to like here – it is disgusting, merging on the putrid gore but deeply immersed in rotting beauty. This is a special album, from a special band not following trends, dedicated to suffocate their listeners in a foul black hole sound of death. What is this black pearl shining deep beyond the layers of funeral smell in the feasting pits? Put it in your CD player and die a sweet death. I like it! For the taste of sickness click www.myspace.com/anatomia. For your collection click www.necroharmonic.com.

Branko Matijaševic

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ANATOMIA / GRUDGE / COFFINS
DDDH - Doomed To Death, Damned In Hell
(Grindmind Records)
60:15min 

Three Japanese bulldozers crawling over the face of humanity. This would be a one line review of this 3-way split album by ANATOMIA / GRUDGE / COFFINS. But, of course, for some of us these few words are not enough, so I will try my best to explain my experience of this beast. The album clocks a few seconds over an hour, and believe me, this hour was one of the heaviest in my life. Opression starts from the very beginning and never stops. That, subjective experience of this one hour, is one of neverending doom. And death. And pain. And heavy goodness. ANATOMIA start with their slow-to-mid tempo Doom / Death and keep this mournful horror for over 20 minutes. With a style perfected in the AUTOPSY / WINTER school of Metal we are thrown down into the cold, dying world. The vocal style is deep, but clear grunts devoid of empathy. Downtuning everything to the extreme, they produce an earcandy for fans of heaviness. Next come GRUDGE with their equally oppresive work. This time we are placed in some asphalt / industrial wasteland. Skies are yellow / grey, a slow grinding machine is here to stay. Vocals are a bit strange, giving the impression of death moans trying to come out to light from a nightmarish sleep. Not usual, that is for sure, but very effective. The music is heavier than heavy Grindcore, slowed down by pain. After this assault we are introduced to COFFINS, already a well known band, with a few of their album reviews already posted here by my fellow reviewers. Continuing their music style based on the genre made known by aforementioned influences, they put in some CIANIDE / DIVINE EVE coloured dark poetry and finish this album with a character. What can I say? This one is a must have for all fans of leaden Doom / Death that is flowering in Japan, but is almost extinct in other parts of the world. It is also a good introduction to the bands, since every output here is of a high quality and when listened together deepens the understanding of this particular style of music. For more info click here: www.myspace.com/grindmindrecords 

Branko Matijaševic

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ANCIENTBLOOD
The Profane Hymns Of The Sovereign Darkness (MCD)
(Black Hate Productions)
17:05min

This four song opus of darkness is actually the re-release of one of the demos of this Brazilian band on MCD. They play a mid-tempo form of raw, yet somehow melodic Black Metal, with really pissed off vocals. Comparing this to DARKTHRONE is probably a good reference. Although this was recorded for a demo, the sound is more than competent, just for my taste the guitar sound could be louder. It might be me, but I can also detect some MOTÖRHEAD influences here and there, and now to think about it the vocals are in the early BURZUM vein, although a bit more tolerable. There are only four songs here, with the last one 'Profane Devotion' being the best one, which shows more of a Thrash Metal approach, although maintaining the Norwegian Black Metal influences all the way. If you are a fan of the mentioned bands, you will surely enjoy this one, as - although quite unoriginal, it is enjoyable. Supposedly a full-length is expected soon and if they came to a natural progression (let’s say minimal and just a better production) it will be interesting. Oh, and the band name is not to be separated as ANCIENT BLOOD, it s ANCIENTBLOOD, yep, all together. www.blackhate.de

Julian Nuñez

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ANCIENT EXISTENCE
Hate Is The Law
(Twilight Vertrieb)
37:23min

Objective: Okay, the facts. Ancient Existence hail from Hannover, Germany and this is their third album. They were founded in 2000 and recorded their first album “Ancient Existence” in 2002 after winning a band contest. Their second album “Night Eternal” was recorded in 2003. Which brings us to the present and their third album “Hate Is The Law”. They play midpaced Death Metal with deep croaking vocals (kind of reminded me of the vocalist from Demilich or Disgorge (Mex) except you can make out the words… sounded pretty unique to me although there's probably someone else out there who sounds similar who I’m not familiar with). This album has a very clear, almost clinical production where every instrument is equally represented (even the bass!). I am hesitant to classify this further than Death Metal as there is a lot of variety amongst the songs. Nothing even approaching tech Death and if I remember correctly there is only one small passage of one song that contains a slow blastbeat. Subjective: Well…upon first listen I wasn’t overly impressed. The album chugs along at a medium pace without anything flashy and I wasn’t especially fond of the vocalist. I have found from experience though that you shouldn’t judge an album after just one listen so I knew I had to give it at least one more shot. I cracked open a cold one and put it on the stereo (as opposed to my Zen Vision w/AKGs) and let her rip. Well I definitely enjoyed the album more the second time around. As I said before I was hesitant to classify these guys beyond Death Metal (who fucking cares about all these stupid little genres anyway, it all gets too confusing) because every song had its own distinct personality. To me this is the strongest point of the album. It actually has some real variety. It’s not like when you pop in Marduk or Deeds of Flesh or countless others. There’s nothing wrong with the aforementioned bands (Deeds is one of my personal favorites) but you don’t pop in one of their CDs if you want to hear variety. One song has a neat little break down while another starts off standing firmly in Death Metal territory but then switches over to a crawling blastbeat with some tremolo picking that reminded me of Enslaved of all things while another song had oldschool Cannibal Corpse written all over it. Another thing that stood out to me was the groove. This is definitely some head noddin’ (as opposed to all out fuckin helicopter spins) music. Everyone can obviously play their instruments, but there is no gratuitous wankery to be found. Like I said above the production is very clear and you can hear everything, which is good, but sometimes I actually thought this CD would have benefited from a rawer production. Some of these songs just really would have come together with a nice dirty sound. Of course that’s just my opinion. I like that oldschool production, it has more personality. The only thing that I still wasn’t sure about after subsequent listens were the vocals. They were by no means bad… just not my thing. All in all I would say that this is a very solid album. This is still a relatively new band and if they can build around their strong songwriting and maybe dirty up the production (I know it sounds stupid to say this) I think these guys have the potential to release a monster in the future. When the album becomes available you can get it here: www.twilight-distribution.com and for more info go here: www.ancientexistence.de

Michael D Kersten

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ANCIENT GODS / INFINITUM OBSCURE
Cosmic Evil / Ipsus Universum (Split CD)
(Utterly Somber Creations)
42:04min

Well, it took me some considerable time to write this review, because of their individual sound I had problems describing those two great Mexican bands presented here, but now I’ll try my best since this release really deserves your attention! The uniting force in the music of both bands is obviously THE CHASM, of which elements surface e.g. in the vocal style and riffing of ANCIENT GODS, the lyrics and atmosphere of INFINITUM OBSCURE and so on and so forth. Apart from that both bands do something entirely different and unique with the THE CHASM base: ANCIENT GODS have more drive and speed than their main inspiration and do not step on the “path of Doom” as THE CHASM often do. ANCIENT GODS four songs are very powerful produced, kick ass and evoke a morbid oldschool feeling that should consume every serious Death Metal head at instant. INFINITUM OBSCURE continue this tradition but have a stronger emphasis on the individual aspect of their music, because especially the production and the storming yet melodic aggression of the riffs remind me a lot of DISSECTION’s second album. Since the Mexican warriors of death do not forget about dark Death Metal parts and quite unique sounding vokills at least I would not say that they have a certain “Swedish tendency”. To sum it up, both bands on this split do an absolutely excellent job, have a great sound, the wicked and sinister feeling Death Metal needs and definitely deserve your support. Surf to the following dimension for additional knowledge on these two cults: www.unholypact.com

Stefan Franke

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ANCIENT RITES
Dim Carcosa
(Hammerheart Records)
46:31min

ANCIENT RITES is somehow Belgium's only band I guess (next to AGATHOCLES maybe) who have a worldwide reputation and are part of the Metal scene for already a long time. Over the last 10 years, they progressed from a pure Black Metal act to a Metal band with more and more melodic and bombastic influences. As everybody knows, they started to experiment with keyboards carefully on "Fatherland" with a good result. This must have made them self-confident as on their new album, these orchestral and bombastic touches became bigger and bigger. Already in the opener 'Exile (Litanies De Satan)' you can easily hear, that the many concerts they played made them much tighter, but also that ANCIENT RITES still kept their own touches and influences. "Dim Carcosa" is actually not that 'difficult' to get into, but you will have to listen to it a few times before you will really appreciate it. There is always very much going on and many details to discover, like for example in 'Exile (Litanies De Satan)' or ‘Northsea’. My overall impression of the album is that most of the songs have become faster and that the orchestral and keyboard-parts have become much bigger, but got integrated in the music and the songs really well. Another positive mark is that the band still has a very own sound. I mean, I can't come up with any band that sounds like them. Highlights are to my humble opinion 'And The Horns (Called For War)' (you're really in the middle of a battle-field there) and 'Götterdämmerung' (a great track to bang your head to, this one will do excellent, played live!), but actually all the songs are on a high level. "Dim Carcosa" got recorded and produced in the Spacelab studio in Germany under supervision of the same team who were responsible for "Fatherland", the production is much better this time though. You can hear this especially when you hear the drums which sound much more 'real' and not that cold and clinical as on "Fatherland". Also the lyrical concept is once again quite intriguing and deals with many historical topics, the beloved subject of vocalist / bass-player Gunther. 'Dim Carcosa' is a very good follow-up to the highly acclaimed "Fatherland" album and will hopefully take the band to a higher level, they really deserve it after all the hard work! You can order it here.

Steven Willems

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ANCIENT RITES
And The Hordes Stood As One - Live
(Hammerheart Records)
78:10min

Apart from their very early material I was never quite a big fan of Belgium's ANCIENT RITES and therefore didn't really follow their career over the last couple of years anymore. Of course I noticed that they constantly continued to release records, but wasn't too eager to check them out, to be perfectly honest here. On the other hand it seems that there's a bunch of kids around with an even more extreme attitude, cause the track 'Total Misanthropia' gets introduced by mainman Gunther Theys with the words: "Many people hate us... we don't care!!" Well, I gotta admit that I personally at least have a lot of respect for what they achieved over the years and for being around so long by now. And this live record furthermore certainly is a very good proof of their obvious live qualities - ANCIENT RITES have matured into a very unique act, that has excellent musicians in their ranks (just listen to the incredible guitar work!). Musically they don't really fit into any category anymore (which they actually never really did, not even in their 'Black Metal' days) - they just deliver great music with an overall middle age feel to it. Of course it's still Metal, but very unique and not comparable to anything else I've heard lately. The location for the recordings of this impressively packaged first official live album couldn't have been choosen any better, cause the crowd at the Biebob club in Vosselaar, Belgium totally worships ANCIENT RITES and creates an exciting atmosphere throughout the entire 16 songs set. Maybe the fact that I personally never saw them live had something to do with my lack of enthusiasm concerning their material. On record it often bored me, but these live versions partly even managed to send shivers down my spine! Really impressive! Can't tell you whether or not all their classics are included in the setlist, but judging it just by the crowd response I suppose most of them must be. So, of course any ANCIENT RITES supporter will certainly buy this right away, but I suggest the rest of you to give this disc a listen as well. In my case it helped changing my view on the band around... Good one!  
 
Frank Stöver

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...AND OCEANS 
A.M.G.O.D.
(Century Media)
48:31min

Hailing from Finland these futuristic Black Metallers play a style of it like none other. Comparisons can be made to DIMMU BORGIR and COVENANT of Norway (now known as KOVENANT). The comparisions stop there, futuristic keyboards refresh the listener, Martex pounds his drums as he blast beats and double blasts his way through this album. Vocalist Kilstar takes us through an intense journey of time and space. The guitars have typical Black Metal riffs but also some very inventive riffs, and throw in some modern Thrash. Minus some points for the 9th track as it's a complete dance track. A very fine Studio Abyss B production makes things exciteable. Be sure to look out for this band they are gonna be the next big thing. You can order it here.

Dimitri Ganatsios

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…AND OCEANS
Cypher
(Century Media)
47:07min

The Finish chameleon …AND OCEANS returns. Having started more or less as a Black Metal-band, already the second regular album showed their interest in the field of electronic music as it included a complete Industrial bonus-CD. Their third CD “Am God” then offered a raw but more or less uncommon mixture of both styles. This time the step seems to be not that large and the music has become more ordinary. On “Cypher (Insect Angels & Devil Worms)” they offer a rather melodic Electro Metal-release that leaves, except for a few hints, their Black Metal-past completely behind. The keyboard is the melody-leading instrument, while the guitars are responsible for the rhythm. I personally think that this time they might be interesting for people who consider the last PROJECT PITCHFORK (especially the 8^th song) not Metal enough, the new PAIN as too polished and THE KOVENANT as too gay. Got the picture? If this is still something that our readers are interested in, I am not too judge. I personally can enjoy this – and surprisingly the album does not become boring as I had expected it because some songs are simply too catchy. But this however did not occur! If you want to check out some songs, I recommend: ‘Angelina: Chtonian Earth: Her Face Forms Worms’ (song #3) and ‘Catharsis: End Of Organisms: Absolute Purifications Of Sins’ (song #9). http://on.to/andOceans. On sale here.

Nhashi

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ANDRALLS
Force Against Mind
(Mausoleum Records)
45:09min

This surely is a heart-warming, old-schoolish and non-compromising Thrash attack leaving no prisoners behind. ANDRALLS apparently dedicate all their energies to the heritage of acts such as KREATOR, JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, SLAYER. These maniacs revel in the good old 80’s and digest this influence and passion in their music. The result are homages to this spirit – speedy drumming, swift guitar-riffs, crazy soloing. Well – sometimes I think this kind of music is a bit too nostalgic and attached to what lies behind and therefore a bit repetitive concerning ideas and so… but hey… ANDRALLS really enlighten winter’s dark hours with some cool Thrash Metal music breathing in the good old, solid Metal values. So that is all right then. The production of this output is great – very powerful, very clear... so this enhances the quality of this record as well. These guys are cool… but in terms of innovation within the realm of brutal Thrash Metal I’d definitely rather go for wonderful acts like BK 49. Anyway… check this out! www.mausoleum-records.com, music.avenue@planetinternet.be. Available here.

F. Cthulhu E.

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ANDRALLS
Inner Trauma
(Marquee Records)
46:10min

Since their fantastic debut album "Massacre, Corruption, Destruction" in 2000 these four maniacs has kept the banner of violent Thrash Metal high. Founded 1998 in Sao Paulo ANDRALLS releases with "Inner Trauma" on Marquee Records already their third studio album (there's also a live album entitled "Fastrash Live 2003") and they can be considered as one of the inheritors of the Brazilian Thrash tradtition. On this new output you will get 14 furious, fast and technical brillant tunes (the Brazilian edition I got here features an exclusive bonus track 'Terror Ferus' which will be on this one only) played with total passion and they take no prisoners. That's how Thrash Metal must sound today! Razorsharp riffs, violent speed, crushing mid tempo parts and totally insane solos and leads. This is pure oldschool, pure adrenaline which breathes nothing else than pure Metal. You really can feel the old spirit with every single note and it's only a pleasure to listen to this infernal storm. The production of the album is flawless. Total powerfull and like the famous slap into your face. I don't want to pick out a single track here as the whole album offers no weak points. The packaging is again excellent and everyone who is serious into oldschool or high quality Thrash Metal should immediately get a copy of this intense assault at www.marquee.com.br. For further information about the band just have a look at www.andralls.com.br. To finish with the band's slogan: "Stay Fastrash!!" You can order it here.

Michael Oelschlegel

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ANGEL CORPSE
Iron, Blood & Blasphemy
(Osmose Productions)
65:10min

Usually I find compilations pretty useless and boring as they mostly feature wellknown material of a certain band, enriched with a couple of rare / unreleased tunes so that the label can still cash in on all the die hard fans anyway. But in this case it's fortunately quite different. "Iron, Blood & Blasphemy" combines all ANGEL CORPSE recordings that have been made prior or additionally to their three killer full length albums, which means you get both their 7" EP's, all of their cover songs, their classic demo and some additional live songs. But let's go a little bit more in detail here. The album kicks off with the two bonus tracks from the re-release of their farewell album "The Inexorable", namely 'When Abyss Winds Return' and the SARCOFAGO cover 'Desecration Of Virgin'. Next up are the three very well executed cover songs 'Demon Seed' (originally to be found on the MORBID ANGEL tribute album "Scream Forth Blasphemy"), 'Kill Again' (from the SLAYER tribute "Gateway To Hell Vol.2") and 'Eat Me Alive' (from the JUDAS PRIEST tribute "Hell Bent For Metal"). The "Wolflust" 7" with its titletrack and the POSSESSED cover 'Burning In Hell' is next, followed by ripping versions of 'Pleasure To Kill' (from the KREATOR tribute) and 'Genghis Khan' (from the IRON MAIDEN tribute "A Call To Irons Vol.1"). An unreleased live track from their European tour in 1998 ('Reap The Whirlwind'), the "Nuclear Hell" EP (which features live versions of 'Envenomed' and 'Sodomy Curse') and the four songs off their "Goats To Azazael" demo complete the picture. I'm not sure if there's gonna be an additional, limited edition version of this album (with one extra song) or if the label info that 18 tracks will be featured simply was a mistake. Fact is, that the promo that I got only has the above mentioned 17 tracks. But that's already value for money to me! ANGEL CORPSE fans and everyone else into rawest, highly aggressive Death Metal definitely have to pick this up immediately!!! On sale here.

Frank Stöver

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ANGEL CORPSE
Of Lucifer And Lightning
(Osmose Productions)
36:31min

ANGEL CORPSE have returned with a killer comeback album! "Of Lucifer And Lightning" is a strong piece of raw Death Metal in the typical ANGEL CORPSE vein. Hopefully ANGEL CORPSE keep on delivering crushing Death Metal and haven't lost a bit from their aggression. "Of Lucifer And Lightning" is an unstoppable whirlwind that crushes the listener with its killer riffing, the devastating drumming and Helmkamp's morbid vocals. This time they sound even more technically improved and all their compositions are more solid.  The only "negative" comment is that the cover artwork is for me at least inferior comparing to their past releases. Plus I would prefer that they would use a production closer to the one of "The Inexorable". Still, if you ignore my two objections, I consider "Of Lucifer And Lightning" as one more great album from mighty ANGEL CORPSE. For more info check out: www.osmoseproductions.com, www.myspace.com/angelcorpse666

Manolis A.

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ANGEL HAMMER
Tricks (=Tricks)
(Hit Your Head Music)
12:39min

Well guys, don’t expect a positive review here, because a band that forces me to look up every shitty symbol of their EP’s title (have a look up!) in the Microsoft Word Symbol collection has a fucking tough act to follow! ANGEL HAMMER emerge from New Zealand and they play a mixture of Hardcore, Groove and Thrash Metal. The vocals are quite aggressive and vicious, the riffs are groovy, driving and tight and the production is alright as well, but ANGEL HAMMER are definitely not my cup of tea. They have a very individual sound and you should check them out, if you have a fable for the real obscure. Write an email to hityourheadmusic@clear.net.nz to learn more about an underground band from New Zealand. For free MP3s and other info visit: www.angelhammer.tk

Stefan Franke

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ANGER AS ART
Callous And Furor
(Old School Metal Records)
50:08min

ANGER AS ART seems to be the rather new venture of several old dogs of the underground Thrash scene of the US that graced us during the gold era of Metal (80s of course) with several outstanding gems of the genre. The band is fronted by none other than Steve Gaines of Pagan War Machine, ex-Dreams of Damnation, Abattoir (US) and Bloodlust (US) fame which is certainly a good reason to check it out. Basically, what this band will offer is a very aggressive brand of Thrash Metal bordering the outskirts of Death Metal in some tiny passages. Extremely well produced and executed but lacking that raging fire that fueled this type of outfits back in the heyday of Thrash. The album definitely has its powerful moments but also bore you to death on certain songs that sound rushed or even out of place. One prime example of this are the songs 'Bane Of My Existence' (I'm wondering if this is the same vocalist as on the rest of the album! It sucks really bad!) and 'Callous And Furor'; the reason is that they both display the weakest link on this band: vocals. It is not that they are extremely bad but to me they sound like a second rate Joe Comeau (ex-ANNIHILATOR, currently in TAD MOROSE) screaming their guts out and going nowhere. When the guy tries to "experiment" is when things turn into something really awful. If they work harder on the vocal department there is no doubt they will be up for something really good in the future, contact them at: www.angerasart.com. Label website: www.osmrecords.net. You also may order a copy here.

Mario Cubero

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ANIMA DAMNATA
Agonizing Journey Through The Burning Universe And Transcendental Ritual Of Transfiguration
(Pagan Records)
36:39min

The info sheet that came along with ANIMA DAMNATA's second full-length after a demo in 2001 and the re-release of their debut "Suicidal Allegiance Upon The Sacrificial Altar..." as a split album with THRONEUM told me something about Death / Black, but this is a little misleading because most people associate bands like IN AETERNUM or DISSECTION with this genre. Polish ANIMA DAMNATA sound completely different!!! Ever thought of a mixture of SEVERE TORTURE, IMMOLATION and ANGEL CORPSE? No? Nor did I, but this quartet from hell succeeded in skilfully combining elements of all these bands and uniting them in one violent well performed and well produced brutal Death attack, that should leave no Death Metal freak dissatisfied. With their mocking, antireligious, slighty perverted concept ANIMA DAMNATA might even attract people into BEHERIT, BLASPHEMY and stuff like that, since they also have been born with gasmaks, ridiculous "necro sodomizer of the perversor who hammered together the desecrating cross of jesus christ, blashphemy hell" - like pseudonyms and "poser-factor 10" as well (visit www.animadamnata.com for proofs). Musically those crazy guys appear damn tight, experienced and manage to blend chaotic "melodies" one might compare with the aforementioned IMMOLATION, straight and aggressive blasting and deep vocals in the SEVERE TORTURE - vein with some screamed interruptions Pete Helmkamp could not have done better. Sometimes the songwriting could have been a little more compact and a couple of memorable hooks would have done the whole thing some good, but despite that this is a damn good album everyone into extreme and sick sounds should check out! The label can be found here: www.paganrecords.com.pl. You may order a copy here.

Stefan Franke

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ANIMUS HERILIS
Recipere Ferum
(Oaken Shield / Adipocere)
44:50min

So tired am I by the current Black Metal carnival that I delayed this review beyond reason, expecting once again a goofy record to talk about. Well, my apologies to the band, since “Recipere Ferum” has proved itself an excellent album. ANIMUS HERILIS claim their foundation as soon as in 1993 (I am a little sceptical about this, lot of musicians willing to be tied with the Black Metal “classic era” doing just so, and why this huge gap until the release of their first full length?) and hail from France. “Recipere Ferum” offers 8 tracks of raw-to-the-bone Black Metal played on furious mode exclusively. No filler here, all the titles are equally good and the ANIMUS HERILIS psychos know how to each time inject the extra special twist that transforms a banal song into a superior crafted one. The overall impression made me thinks of a bad sounding SETHERIAL, the intensity is the same, a really good point. I suppose the crude sound is here for an “authenticity” reason, too bad because the album could have beneficiated a great deal of a more glossy production (in a DARK FUNERAL way). The lyrics are in French, but like it is often the case, one can’t distinguish the shrieked words among the deluge of noise levelled by the band. But for the French speaking readers, let’s say that they are above average, escaping the ridicule of an ill-digested basic Satanism. The inclusion of a Baudelaire’s poem (“Les Litanies De Satan”) gives an indication of the intellectual ambition of these dudes, and their own lyrics don’t pale too much next to the words of the genial French poet. “Recipere Ferum” is more about a Promethean / Luciferian revolt against all God things related than about running naked through a snowy forest with a plastic axe in hand, that’s coming as a relief if you ask me. These musicians have built up a solid Black Metal record, full of dark anger and aggressive desperation which could adorn every serious collection without any problem. A must have if you ask me. www.animus-herilis.fr.st. Available here.

Edouard Vergriete

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ANNIHILATE
Forgotten Rites (Demo 2009)
(Putrescense Records)
33:30min

“Forgotten Rites” is the third release from this Peruvian horde called ANNIHILATE and is more or less the tapeversion of their 2nd demo, a demo CD called “Beginning Rites” which was released in June 2009. Death Metal from Peru is still kinda unusual and new to me and with the exception of HADEZ and mighty MORTEM this band might be the 3rd Peruvian Metal band at all I know so far. First up I have to say that I’m not that impressed with either the layout of this recording, though professionally printed, and with the sound on this tape. Well, step by step here. The democover is printed but does not really tell much about this release. Just the songtitles and the names of the bandmembers. Next to it is the cover and a skewed bandpicture where you hardly figure out anything. Well, it’s Putrescense Records first release, therefore let’s give them room for improvement here. Talking about the sound, I had the hopes that the sound is clearer and kinda better produced. For sure we are talking about an underground release but a little more would have been good. Good simply because the music sounds very very promising. The brutal rhythms let me figure out a good potential of a cool oldschool sounding Death Metal band with influences in the mid-eighties Thrash Metal scene and early nineties Death Metal and especially from bands as POSSESSED, MORBID ANGEL and other weirdos from this era. For the moment I have to say that this tape is a little bit too less considering the simple fact that there are thousands of releases out there which make the choice what to buy already hard for all of us. By now this release is not essential and therefore I have to end this review with saying that I hear a huge potential in this band and with the next release I hope they manage to focus on a better production as musically speaking the songs itself deserves that. Nevertheless check out www.myspace.com/annihilateband to have a listen to some songs from ANNIHILATE to make your own picture. Keep an eye on Putrescense Records, too, as this is a new label which is about to focus mostly on 7” EPs of South American bands from the past. Their first vinyl release will be the 7” EP “Fall Of The Structure” from CONTUMACY – the recording already was released as a regular demotape by the band in 1990. This 7” EP should be released around end of December 2009. Check out the label at www.myspace.com/putrescenserecords for further information and ordering details for “Forgotten Rites”.

Thomas Ehrmann

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ANNIHILATE
My Soul Demands Annihilation (Demo 2006)
(Carnicero Mutilaciones Prod.)
11:50min

I already wrote a review about ANNIHILATE’s latest release “Forgotten Rites” from 2009 and they asked me to review their first demo “My Soul Demands Annihilation” from 2006, too. For sure I will write that review though talking about a recording which is already 4 years old isn’t that objective anymore. Nevertheless as the guys from ANNIHILATE told me that they are currently rehearsing their new songs for an upcoming demo / CD I think this review won’t be the last one about a recording from this Peruvian hopefuls. To start with, “My Soul Demands Annihilation” is a good demo with a few flaws. The sound itself could be a lot better and the demo itself sounds more like a rehearsal demo. That’s basically the major problem as the music behind sounds good, well played and with a lot of good ideas. Unfortunately the sound destroys many of the good moments. I really would prefer to listen to the songs in a proper sound quality as ‘Moans’ and especially ‘Poseso Y Maldito’ truly have great moments. ANNIHILATE’s style reminds me a lot on older gods as POSSESSED and a little on MORBID ANGEL not to forget old SEPULTURA here and there. From my point of view ANNIHILATE is a band worth to watch out for and I’m sure their next release, if produced well, will show us the real quality behind this band. Check out www.myspace.com/annihilateband and contact them if you are interested.

Thomas Ehrmann

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ANNIHILATOR
Waking The Fury
(Steamhammer / SPV)
49:13min

The first thing that struck me about this new ANNIHILATOR record is the high level of aggression. "Waking The Fury" is probably the heaviest album in their career ever. Being the little wimp that I am I first didn't like this development at all and started to search for non-ANNIHILATOR elements to find out why I had problems with this one. Some elements of Nu Thrash appeared to penetrate my ears as many songs are less melodic than one would expect from the band. Furthermore, Joe Comeau seems to have found an identity of his own, namely aggression (except for some moments when he sounds a bit like Halford). But the more I listened to "Waking...", the more I located typical ANNIHILATOR trademarks and therefore came accustomed to the new material little by little. Jeff's solos are still 100% Waters although I think he listened a lot to SLAYER recently. Like on "Carnival Diablos", there is one hard rockin' track on here, though, but this time it doesn't sound that much like AC/DC. By now I'm quite sure that most of their fans will like this CD as well, even though it doesn't quite reach their classics. One thing is for sure: I'm definitely looking forward to hear the new stuff live! Speed and aggression, a deadly obsession... Go here to order a copy.

Ramon Claassen

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ANNUNAKI
Throne Of The Annunaki
(Militia Records)
50:54min

If you're having trouble pronouncing the name of this band, just replace it with "E.T." instead! As the moniker is taken from the ancient Sumerian / later Babylonian mythos about the ANNUNAKI: the royal inbred children of brother and sister Sky gods Anu and Ki, whose offspring the ANNUNAKI later in their adulthood attain the status of the High Council of the Gods. Later these myths were discounted by several scholars who surmised that the ANNUNAKI were merely "Extra Terrestrials ", from what the scholars could interpret from the many glyphs left throughout the region, that often depicted the ANNUNAKI as being man-like creatures with wings, and of whom had "descended to earth in antiquity" and who may have tampered with the genetic makeup of early mankind. Hence the cover art of this CD. It wasn't until 1976 when obscure researcher / journalist / later author Zecharia Sitchin, promoter of the Ancient Astronaut Theory; the possible theory to the "real" origins of humans here on earth. That Sitchin claimed to translate Sumerian cuniform texts and  published the first of his books entitled Twelfth Planet, where he asserts that the ANNUNAKI were indeed extra terrestrials who worked and interacted along side the Sumerians, and who were the alleged to be the ones responsible for the introduction of advanced technology from the heavens to those of Sumeria. Intriguing I guess. Somewhat hokey and unless the lyrics (that weren't provided) prove me wrong, these concepts are the equivalent of taking what VADER or better said what NILE does theme-wise with their band, a step further into the unknown. "Throne Of The Annunaki " marks the first official debut album from ANNUNAKI's drummer Kevin Kuzma on his record company Militia Records. Thirteen songs of moderately interesting American Death Metal that reminds me more of what HATE ETERNAL / MORBID ANGEL have going on in their camps yet fused with a bit more blackened references for the kids. Recorded at Trax East, the production is remarkably clean yet with just enough power to grab your attention. At this time I would like to give a major thumbs up for the rhythm guitar sound on here, it's really great! Next time though I hope that you get closer in regards to what you had here for the levels of the rhythm sound, with the levels of the Leads, as they are hopelessly buried and what talent I could hear shouldn't be cancelled out in the final mix. Featuring the skin-work of ex-BLOODFEAST drummer Kevin Kuzma. Tight and professional as always, it's good to see a veteran as Kuzma is to the U.S. Metal scene still bashing it out with his trademark precision and killing capacity. Great job! Contact: P.O. BoxX 1016, Bayonne, NJ 07002 USA or info@annunaki.us or www.annunaki.us or www.militiarecords.com

Wes Rhodes

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ANOREXIA NERVOSA
New Obscurantis Order
(Osmose Productions)
49:00min  

For one reason or another I didn't care to follow the career of the French five piece ANOREXIA NERVOSA, so I can't really comment on their previous releases here. But their newest offering, "New Obscurantis Order" at least managed to catch my attention now. Well, quite frankly speaking, I didn't really expect anything, but got a furious symphonic Black Metal outburst in return, which is indeed far more than I was hoping for. The band quite obviously feels very comfortable among the likes of vintage EMPEROR (not reaching their brilliance of course) and knows how to compose effective intensity with an overall classy inspired dark symphonic approach. Not necessarily original anymore nowadays, but at least very well executed. And they also did a very good job on their CANDLEMASS cover 'Solitude'. The limited digipack and vinyl version of the album is supposed to have two additional cover tunes by JUDAS PRIEST and DEATH, which I unfortunately can't comment on here as they weren't included on the promo copy. But the album is strong enough on its own already, so don't make a similar mistake as I did - check them out and make up your own mind. You might be surprised! On sale here.

Frank Stöver

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ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Redemption Process
(Listenable Records)
45:34min

The show must go on. And dare you not change anything, since the former show was a success. But in this case I would suggest Anorexia Nervosa added something to their show. I’ll explain why this should be more pompous, which is a strange thing because normally I’d like the Metal bands (except for Rhapsody) to be less pompous. Cradle Of Filth is less symphonic on their new album, so normally I’d like Anorexia to be less as well. But, there’s something that bothers me with their “Redemption Process”. If we leave the orchestral elements aside, we’re left with more or less fast and mid-paced Black Metal that we’ve heard numerous times before in several other bands. The production is clear, by all means, and the vocals are Black Metal all the way (though, there are somewhat four ‘normal’ lines as well). Juding by my competence I can’t hear one single wrong hit by the drummer. And all this together makes “Redemption Process” clinical and without any feeling. So, adding some orchestration to the music lifts the songs. In 'Codex-Veritas' Anorexia Nervosa has made their best track ever. Why couldn’t you do every song like this? It’s probably one of their fastest tracks ever, but the orchestration lifts this song high above. Herein lays the problem as well. When the seven-track album ends I’m left with only one track. The others, which have their moments here and there, are nothing but fillers to me. Sad actually. Another aspect the band has to consider on their next album is the variation. I know it’s important to set the mood, but it wouldn’t hurt to change the mood in between, like doing something that surprises the listener totally and awaken him / her. If you look closer at 'Sister September', I think they repeat the chorus about 10 times too many. So, add much more orchestration and you can write one fast song lasting for 40 minutes if you will, because you’re definitely best when you lift the songs. www.mother-anorexia.com. You can order it here.

Roy Kristensen

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ANOTHER PERFECT DAY
The Gothenburg Post Scriptum
(Supreme Chaos Records)
49:35min

Melodic Death Metal from Sweden…those words are more than enough to make me run away as fast as the devil, while grabbing any other CD with more testosterone. The name is silly and the album title is well, like a description on its own. Formed by Kohle in 1993, and having released a few things, the band was on a hiatus until 2005 and it is now that the first album is released. Helped by session musicians, this project was given life. So, how it turned? Well, yes, it is a melodic Death Metal band, from Sweden (ehh, no - this is actually a German band - Frank)…a description that fits music that nowadays I try to avoid at all cost. The production is heavy, with up-front guitars and the main vocals are ok, not exactly generic, but not exactly incendiary. The main tempo is mid-paced, with some burst of speed here and there. Actually after a few listening my fear of being another Garbagenburg melodic band was a bit turning away…it has many elements of Heavy Metal, but that more of a progressive approach, thus making it sound entertaining. The band I was more reminded here was the mighty EDGE OF SANITY, with a let’s say similar way of composing. I found out later that Dan Swanö collaborated here with a few clean vocal parts, but even before I knew this, I was also making the same comparison. But whereas EDGE OF SANITY was balancing the melodic part with pure aggression, ANOTHER PERFECT DAY keeps it safe. So far the first part of the album is good quality melodic Death Metal forged in Sweden (Germany… - Frank) that still has that dreadful shadow of melodic Death Metal attached (or Metalcore as it seems now it is known). But something weird seems to happen for the second part of the album. A song like 'The Great Nothing' is actually a…gulp…ballad…a Heavy Metal ballad…which even as it is, sounds logical to the overall sound the band is slowly turning as the songs goes by. I started noticing some more “Metalcore” parts here and there and the vocals also sound a bit different, with more clean passages…also there are more acoustic interludes, and the overall level of aggression drops down considerably. So, in the end we are left with an album that seems to be done in two parts, one more traditional, the other more” experimental” or “progressive”. As an overall product is not that consistent to really say it is a good album, and while there are some great songs (especially those sounding like EDGE OF SANITY) it still seems that the band is not sure about its identity. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up sounding like a progressive Heavy Metal band, vocals includes in following efforts. If this was an EP with the good (Death Metal) songs, I would recommend it to fans of the oldschool of Svensk Dods Metal. But as it is, I am afraid Metalcore fans will also dig it. www.myspace.com/apdmetal, www.s-c-r.de

Julián Núñez

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ANTACID / HATRED
Metal Chaos Around The World (Split CD) 
(Area Death Productions)
70:31min

Generally speaking, splits don't often achieve the kind of appreciation demos or albums enjoy regularly. Naturally there are exceptions, and its perfectly sound to hope that this particular one remains in circulation. ANTACID hail from Malyasia, HATRED from South America, and both are healthy participants in the globaly revitalized Thrash scene. Normally it's best to approach new Thrash with caution, as it's typically banal and corny, but, as stated above, there are exceptions. This may not be the best recording to shoot out of the notoriously brutal South America, but it's damn good enough. Sure, it's no SARCOFAGO, but how often can one expect to hear another band of that caliber? No, this is fine Thrash. Surprisingly fine considering the crap coming out these days. The songs are strong and imperative; the vibe a drunken, mad haze of red. Not bad. Not bad at all. www.areadeath.net

Nat Shapiro

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ANTAEUS
Cut Your Flesh And Worship Satan
(Baphomet Records / Necropolis)
34:03min

When you know a little about ANTAEUS, it is no wonder to see them signed on the label run by the legendary Killjoy.  This French band hail from Paris and has gained a strong following during the years, due to their dedication and tenacity. I saw the guys on stage twice, and I can assure you that an ANTAEUS performance is the nearest you can get to total chaos. Vocalist and leader MkM has never recovered himself from seeing the mighty BLASPHEMY live, and it shows. This first real effort by ANTAEUS (discounting some split 7”es and compilation tracks), is faithful to the spirit of  the primitive Death / Black Metal unleashed by the aforementioned Canadian psychos, even if the music sounds slightly different. ANTAEUS could be seen like the perfect hybrid of  “Battle In The North”-era IMMORTAL, “De Mysteriis Dom Satanas”-era MAYHEM and anything by SADISTIK EXEKUTION;  said this way, you can easily understand what ANTAEUS is all about. Don’t look for melodies, grandiose keyboards arrangements and aesthetic research, but expect instead a blast of pure energetic hate, complimented by a powerful production. OK, all the tracks on this album sound more or less the same, but the ferocity displayed here is worth that. You  even get a live track, 'Daemon', which could give you an idea of the kind of mayhem delivered by ANTAEUS. Be aware that MkM applied to himself in the past what the album title suggests, as he severely slashed his arms the way Trey Azagtoth did a few years ago. Note also that the drummer Storm is no other than Hellblaster in ARKHON INFAUSTUS.  To be short: ANTAEUS are not pretty and trendy, but ugly and total cult!

Edouard Vergriete

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ANTAEUS
De Principii Evangelikum
(Osmose Productions)
27:55min

The  tyrants of the French scene are back with a vengeance! I was a little afraid that their previous album (“Cut Your Flesh And Worship Satan”) could be a one shot affair, knowing how difficult it is for such an uncompromising band to survive these days, but my fears were misplaced fortunately. Gone are the days when ANTAEUS were signed on the infamous Killjoy’s label Baphomet Records, this time they are back with a brand new contract, obviously renewed ambitions and (I hope) a far more better exposure.  Even if ANTEUS have  basically kept the same style of extremely raw Black / Death Metal to this day, I am happy to say that they have progressed a great deal since their first. The tracks are far less monotonous than on the “Cut Your Flesh…” offering, but don’t expect technical niceties instead, because this album is nothing less than a furious aural assault shaped to destroy. What has always pleased me with ANTAEUS is their passion and dedication to the extreme Metal scene while ignoring the trends and the flavors of the day, being the cultured Metal scholars they are in fact. The production of this album is rather good (and I am not talking here of a lame sounding effort for the sake of being “true” or whatever), it suits the music the proper way. Singer MkM has dropped the frantic screams of the past in favor of a more modulate way of vocal delivery (he reminds me of Satyr on more than one occasion). The drums sound very original here, with bizarre beats and rolls, call it semi-blast pacing if you want. Add to this extremely raw guitar playing (without any solo) and you obtain a damn good extreme record on which I have even detected this time strong ANGELCORPSE influences, especially in the guitar sound and the song structures departments (for instance, some parts of the ‘Illegal Angelz’ track are very similar to the semi-classic ‘Reap The Whirlwind’). This sophomore release shows a lot of freshness all credit given to the obvious rage to conquer the five ANTAEUS warriors are possessed by, even if the music could not be called original in any way. Don’t miss them as they will tour Europe in  fall 2002 with DEICIDE and CENTINEX and guess what, I am pretty sure on who will steal the show then! Meanwhile, go to your favorite Metal monger and ask for “De Principii Evangelikum”, because the titans rise again! Thumbs up! On sale here.

Edouard Vergriete

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ANTAGONIST
New Zombie Dead
(self-financed)
19:46min

Bremen's ANTAGONIST have been around for 10 years already, but this is the first CD I finally get to hear. They're playing quite some unique Thrash Metal that reminds me a little of KREATOR because just like Mille and Co., ANTAGONIST are very aware of dynamics: it's not only full speed ahead all the time, variety plays an important role here. One has to get accustomed to Michael Simon's vocals, though, as well as to the underground production. It's not bad at all, just different from what one usually gets and this even turns out to be quite refreshing. What really gives me some trouble are the vocals: the more I listen to "New Zombie Dead", the more Michael gets on my nerves: he should really work on it to make it appear less monotonous: his unique voice sounds okay to me but he'd really have work out the vocal lines and make them a little more variable. Apart from that: cool CD! www.antagonist.info

Ramon Claassen

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ANTARES PREDATOR
Twilight Of The Apocalypse
(Battlegod Productions)
45:40min

If a band chooses a futuristic name like ANTARES PREDATOR and the cover artwork of their debut decorates a winged cyborg the conclusion to the presented music is not that difficult. The band consists of ex-members of such respected bands as BELPHEGOR and KEEP OF KALESSIN and they have found the perfect moment for the releases of their debut “Twilight Of The Apocalypse”. Their two main sources of inspiration had finally surrendered – EMPEROR and ZYKLON - and they had the big opportunity to easily fill up this void. The presented 10 songs are typical clinical Death Metal with some minor Black Metal influences (mainly the supporting bombast) and ANTARES PREDATOR definitely expecting the comparison with Samoth's premium band. Would like to advise further breathtaking facts but the album is strictly following the standard rules and the listener is getting what he expects – without any exception. In 2010 this is for sure not enough to turn pure steel into gold and even in a calm month like February this album is nothing more than a further average release which will fading into dust in due time. www.myspace.com/antarespredator, www.myspace.com/battlegodproductions

Matthias Auch

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ANTEDILUVIAN
Under Wing Of Asael (Demo)
(Serpents Head Records)
27:23min

One of the most powerful and convincing demos in recent years has been released by Canadian duo ANTEDILUVIAN. “Under Wing Of Asael”, their fourth release following two demo tapes and a split with NUCLEARHAMMER and LIGHT AM I offers four very impressive compositions of filthy and cryptic blackened Death Metal with a bizarre and psychedelic (for a lack of a better word) twist to it. Once the first riff of 'Solarburst' kicks in you are in for a ride of darkest Death Metal, somewhat comparable to early INCANTATION (debut album and EPs), PROFANATICA and early DEMONCY as ANTEDILUVIAN play similarly atonal riffs which have a hypnotic quality to them, while using different song structures than the aforementioned bands. Additionally, the band incorporates slow, doomy and slightly trippy parts which take the speed out of the compositions all of a sudden (as in 'Indomitable Time-Eater' for example). There is always some slight variation going on in the riffs and the percussion, resulting in a very organic and at times odd flow of the songs, so you definitely have more than a band “just” following the tried and tested formulas of dark Death Metal! The vocals are absolutely brilliant, very deep, almost guttural commands which descend into even lower registers here and there which made me think of throat singing, especially in the slow section of 'Solarburst'. Mirroring the depth of the music is the enigmatic artwork which, while avoiding all classic elements of metal imagery, looks very dark and cryptic. The cover shows some object or collage semingly consisting of bones and other material (VERY roughly comparable to the collage artwork on the MY DYING BRIDE debut or DISINCARNATE), the pictures of the band members, hidden in shadows give away nothing of their appearance as they are wielding bones and animal skulls. The whole package – music, artwork, lyrics – exudes an inhuman, cosmic atmosphere so the statement printed in the booklet: “ANTEDILUVIAN IS TIME DESTROYING DEATH” comes across as an apt description an not just an outrageous claim. It is great to see that there are bands which are rooted in a certain underground traditions yet still strive to come up with their own vision! This demo can be obtained at the band's address: serpents_head@msn.com. The triple split mentioned here is also a worthy purchase, even though the two two ANTEDILUVIAN tracks on it aren't as suffocating and intense as “Under Wing…”. Scheduled next is a release on Bird Of Ill Omen Records so keep your dead eyes open.

Ulrich Kreienbrink

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ANTICHRIST
Crushing Metal Tape (Demo 2009)
(Home Taping Cruelties)
14:46min
Put To Death (Demo 2010)
(Home Taping Cruelties)
14:37min

ANTICHRIST might not be a very original bandname and that’s the case for the music, too. It’s nothing new what those 5 Thrashers in ANTICHRIST offer, plain and ordinary Speed / Thrash Metal with huge influences from the German bands in these genres in the late eighties. What might sound rather negative here is blessing and curse as there are many bands around offering good Metal music in this genre, too. On the other side you know what you get and if you are a fan of this genre you won’t do anything wrong in supporting those crazy Swedes here. Their first demo “Crushing Metal Tape” features 3 songs + intro and their 2nd demo “Put To Death” just three songs, each with an average playing time of 15 minutes. On “Chrushing Metal Tape” I especially want to pick out the amazing ‘Torment In Hell’ with its cool and catchy riff. Though the real massacre starts when listening to the opener of their 2nd demo “Put To Death” called ‘Sign Of The Beast’. What stands out is the better sound here, more powerful, better produced and straight to the bone. The right music for fans of oldschool Thrash Metal and a helluva great demotape, if you ask me. If my information is correct the band is currently preparing for their first full-length to be released on the mighty vinyl-label High-Roller-Records and, to be honest, it suits ANTICHRIST well to put out a vinyl-only-album – oldfashioned as fuck. As the band is really oldschool they have no homepage, no email address even no myspace-page, but nevertheless for those interested in these 2 tapes should write the oldschool way to the following address asking if the tapes are still available: Gabriel Forslund, Notövägen 10, 352 44 Vaxjö, Sweden. A mailorder which offers those 2 tapes in its selection is www.karge-welten.de – as long as their homepage is up to date. Check it out, but be warned, their “Put To Death” demo comes covered in rotten goatblood. I got the demos as mp3-files from Melle at Home Taping Cruelties, so don’t ask me what stench this might be...

Thomas Ehrmann

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ANTITHESIS
Dying For Life
(Massacre Records)
61:57min

This Ohio based five piece escape easy categorization as they play a rather complex form of Power / Thrash with a progressive edge. To give you an approximate idea, imagine an early era FORBIDDEN going progressive Metal, and I suppose you could make up what ANTITHESIS is all about. In fact, some Death , Heavy and even Doom Metal overtones could be heard throughout the album, so you understand that it is rather difficult to precisely define the music of ANTITHESIS (as it is also the case for a band like NEVERMORE). The production (handled by guitarist Sean Perry) is excellent and reminds me of the best moments of the late 80's, especially because the crunchy sound you could find here and there. Vocalist Ty Cook delivers his lyrics with emotion, with an obvious concern for the meaning of the texts, these being of the introspective kind like what the late Chuck Schuldiner was used to write. All the musicians are top notch and show stellar abilities in the mastering of their instruments. The shortest song is a little less than five minutes long, so expect multi -layered tracks the way progressive bands conceive them. But don’t get fooled by the progressive tag though, because ANTITHESIS is not only about delicacy but also sheer power and heaviness. Just listen to tracks like 'Mad Poet' or 'Politicide' and you will know what heaviness means, I can tell you. To sum it up, an not-to-be missed album by a class band. Experience it by yourselves, and you will not be disappointed, that is for sure. Highly recommended! Available here.

Edouard Vergriete

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ANTON
Todos Moriran Hoy
(self-financed)
46:17min

I am sure not many of our readers are familiar with this blasphemous horde which has been already active since 1994. Hailing from Mexico,"Todos Moriran Hoy" is already the third effort by ANTON. The two previous releases were thrown on the market in 1996 "Creador Del Dolor" and in 1998 "En El Umbral Del Chaos". Inspired by lyrical topics about Death etc. these four warriors from the land of the ancient Mayas deliver us a nice blend of a raw slap of traditional Heavy Metal, Thrash spiced with some slight Death Metal influences (mostly due to the deep, deathly vocal performance). This combination totally works and the eleven songs of this album can for sure convince underground Metalheads in every aspect. The vocal department sounds rougher, much more aggressive because of the Spanish language in which all tracks are sung. The trademarks of the mostly mid tempo tunes are the heavy, shredding riffs and pounding drums. The songs have enough variation and the band incorporates good breaks, tempo changes and guitar harmonies to keep the entire thing interesting. ANTON here and then remind me a little bit on their legendary country mates of TRANSMETAL (which were a bit more brutal in their musical direction). The sound of the album is very good and powerful but it doesn't sound overproduced. It has a raw, unpolished edge. To sum it up here: headbangers who are into pure fucking underground Metal as well as people who like to discover great bands far beyond any trends and commercial aspects should give ANTON a try and check this cool album out. Please get in touch with the band at www.antonmetal.com, email: contacto@antonmetal.com. European Metalheads can also get in touch with Ketzer Records as they are helping the band to distrubute the CD in Europe (www.ketzer-records.de).

Michael Oelschlegel

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ANTON
Todos Moriran Hoy
(Ketzer Records)
46:17min

This Mexican Death Black Metal band offers a quite twisted album with ''Todos Moriran Hoy''. Whereas some tracks sound pretty oldschool like, others are sounding too modern and even hardcore - influenced. The opener is nothing but a MACHINE HEAD - like song trimmed to Death Metal. Such elements mixed together with their Death Metal influences are sounding disgusting in my opinion. Highlights on this album are for sure 'Monologo En El Paredon', 'Mundus En Colision' and 'Iblis'. Those songs feature really dark moments and great riffs. More important is the mood, which is created by the evil vocals of Singer Leon mainly. His voice is varied as hell, you will get everything you want, be it growls, screams, whispers or almost King Diamond / Schmier / Mille - like higher screams. I am very impressed by his style of vocals. The sound is well-done, brutal, but maybe a bit sterile. The layout is well-done with its 16-pages booklet and has a very well layout and glossy paper. Maybe the pictures look too modern, but that's just my opinion. To tell you the truth: "Todos Moriran Hoy" is only an average release. The too modern sounding elements reign in hell and this is, at least for an old school fanatic like me, a pain in the arse. Nevertheless, they have created three superior songs which I will listen to in future. Maybe they will convince me with their further release(s). Okay, I can't prevent to tell you something about their name, which is probably the most homosexual one you can give to a Metal band. The name is taken from Anton Lavey, the founder of the Church of Satan (1930 - 1997). A song-title is called 'Anton Lavey' and a picture is to be seen inside the booklet. All lyrics are printed, but they are just meaningless to me as I can't speak / read their native language. This album of ANTON should be checked out by people who can imagine a bastard of MORTEM / MACHINE HEAD / SLAYER!! SIKK! www.antonmetal.com

Hurricane

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ANVIL
Still Going Strong
(Massacre Records)
42:29min

All those of you who are going to complain about an ANVIL review in VOICES now can fuck off! These Canadian masters of intense Metal certainly deserve a lot more recognition than the majority of wannabee-brutal copycats that we have to deal with day by day. I actually get constantly pissed whenever there's a new killer album out by Lips & the gang, and except for a small and dedicated fanbase (all hail to thee!), nobody really seems to care about the brilliance of these guys. I just don't get it, because ever since 1982's alltime classic "Metal On Metal" (we better leave out the still kinda weak debut "Hard'n'Heavy" here) ANVIL have already produced tons of great Metal tunes and never really wimped out or changed their style in order to reach a bigger audience. ANVIL have always just been ANVIL and they already played Speed Metal when the guys from METALLICA were still worshipping their NWOBHM records and the term 'Speed Metal' didn't even exist yet! "Still Going Strong", their eleventh regular studio album (not counting the "Backwaxed" compilation and "Past And Present" live album), is probably their strongest effort for quite some time! Not only in years, but ever since 1983's legendary "Forged In Fire"! It's actually even quite close to that monster of an album in many aspects. While some of the last ANVIL records were slightly heavier and almost Thrash influenced, the whole songwriting on this new release is pretty much back to basics again. The crunchy guitar sound is completely over the top and Lips' unique vocal performance as well as his incredible leads exactly continue on where he left off with the last note of 'Winged Assassins' back in those glorious days. Drummer Robb Reiner, who has been an alltime favorite of mine for many many years, not only proves his unbelievable talent once again, he's without a doubt another big trademark of the unmistakable ANVIL sound and definitely a completely underrated fellow (just check out 'White Rhino' for that)! From uptempo material to rather slow tunes ANVIL once again cover the whole spectrum, within the boundaries of their own beautiful little Metal world. I could easily go on praising "Still Going Strong" forever now, but it probably won't change anything at all (as usual). So, I will simply address this review to all those of you who are still clever enough to seperate good Metal from crappy noise. Essential! Available here.

Frank Stöver

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ANVIL
This Is Thirteen
(Anvil Enterprises Inc.)
51:05min

Already the fact that ANVIL re-united with producer legend Chris Tsangarides again (almost 25 years after the band had been using his services on two of their most successful albums "Metal On Metal" and "Forged In Fire") should be reason enough to give this new record a listen. Don't get me wrong: by this I'm not trying to say that Canada's most steady Metal act has released weak material ever since (not at all, in fact I totally worship all of their albums in one way or another!), but somehow there's a certain magic in the air, that's surrounding those two records, that I can't really explain... Ok, the songs were definitely killer, but hey - ANVIL wrote a lot more classics in the years to follow as well, so it must have had something to do with Chris' input as well. And "This Is Thirteen" (the band's 13th studio album) seems to prove this thesis. The album impressively kicks off with its titletrack in a very heavy, almost doomy 'Forged In Fire' kinda way and already leaves me breathless! What a monster of a song! Next up is 'Bombs Away', a typical uptempo ANVIL crusher with all the band's wellknown trademarks: Lips' unique vocal delivery, his unmistakable guitarwork and the awesome drumming of Robb Reiner (this guy is simply amazing!!). You're about to experience this again and again throughout the entire record in the best possible ANVIL tradition! For some strange reason song number three, 'Burning Bridges', reminds me of 'Pounding Metal' by fellow Canadian Metalheads EXCITER... must be the structuring of the song and chorus part, even though this is of course still 100% ANVIL here! I could go on praising each and every new song now, but as that would take me too long, let me just tell you that the band has compiled a solid mixture of material (thirteen tracks in total), that could easily have been released in-between "Metal On Metal" and "Forged In Fire"! A feast for all oldschool Metalheads in general, ANVIL diehards in particular and to me personally definitely the best ANVIL record in years! Too bad that it's only available in a limited edition of 1.000 copies at the moment (you can only order it from the band directly), but I still hope that this situation is about to change in the not too distant future. http://my.tbaytel.net/tgallo/anvil/

Frank Stöver

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ANVIL CHORUS
The Killing Sun 
(Rockadrome Records)
56:58min 

What a treat this release is! After almost three decades of these songs being only archived in demo form, ANVIL CHORUS went in and properly re-recorded a bunch of their classic tracks with modern day studio equipment while managing to preserve and maintain their unique style, sound and identity, keeping close to the original, while giving it the feel of something brand new. I won't spend time here divulging much into the history and background of ANVIL CHORUS and the musicians involved as that would be a chronicle on its own (if you want to learn more than you would ever want to know about these guys, seek out issue # 14 of Snakepit magazine). I can't help to refrain from saying though that while listening to this it threw me back to one of the funniest most impressible times for me in my obsession with Metal music. Hearing this CD I quickly think back to the days of tape trading (yes, before the time of internet downloading), when I'd get home from school and there would be a package in the mail full of cassette tapes usually containing demos and live tapes of bands that I've only read about in various magazines from around the world. One of the bands that I usually would seek out tapes of was ANVIL CHORUS. When first reading about them in Ron Quintana's legendary fanzine Metal Mania, I could sense that there was something special about this band. While surely not one of the fastest and heaviest bands out of the Bay Area scene, which really wasn't their forte, they are one of top quality. It was the melodic, somewhat progressive edge they had that made somewhat different than most of their thrashier comrades that were patrolling the Bay Area at that time. Most connoisseurs may be familiar with their "Blondes In Black / Once Again" 7” single, released back in 1982, but to me it was their demo tapes which truly demonstrated what they were all about. Enough reminiscing, let's get to the CD that we've been waiting for. Starting off with one of their more aggressive compositions, 'Deadly Weapons', we begin our journey on our way through 12 tracks of pure bliss. You can go right down the line, song after song, 'Red Skies', 'Phase To Phase', 'Man Made Machines', etc. each composition is a work of brilliance of its own. A great combination of progressive melody intertwined with heaviness composed with excellent musicianship and songwriting (sort of like the formula DAMN THE MACHINE would unveil in the early 90s) makes “The Killing Sun” a very diverse and ever flowing CD. The keyboard work also fits in very well, while being prominent, it is never dominant. Of course it is always a pleasure to hear the tasteful guitar playing of Thaen Rasmussen, a true standout amongst the harvest of guitar virtuoso's from the San Francisco area. I must also mention the excellent range and vocal ability of Aaron Zimpel (who also handles the bass duties). In finishing up with the previously mentioned 'Once Again', it leaves one with the satisfaction that finally these songs have been recorded and properly released, however it keeps us also greedy, wanting them to go back in a record some more of those other gems that are lying dormant. Definitely a band that was way ahead of their time, these guys were and are something special. I'm still scratching my head as to why these guys never got signed back in the day, I guess most likely because they were not doing what everyone else was doing at that time, however it is because that they weren't doing the same thing that made them stand out from all of the others. Such is life... www.myspace.com/anvilchorussf, www.rockadrome.com

Jim Powell

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ANVIL OF DOOM
Died Before Dawn (Demo 2003)
(self financed)
22:42min

IN FLAMES, CHILDREN OF BODOM maniacs listen up! Although you should not ask me about my subjective opinion on this type of music I guess that aggressive melodic Death fans might love this demo from Spain. The four songs I am listening to right now were recorded towards the end of 2002 and offer well-crafted melodic Death with traditional Metal elements and some keyboard parts – a mix I can not stand for a minute – but that is usually a good sign for fans of this genre. I really experienced that a couple of times and so you can still consider this "review" as a serious tip, ok? For additional information check out www.anvilofdoom.com or write an email to hugoaod@hotmail.com. Also be aware of ANVIL OF DOOM’s debut CD coming on Xtreem Music (www.xtreemmusic.com) in early 2004.

Stefan Franke

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ANWYL
Postmortem Apocalypse
(Drakkar Productions)
37:24min

That the US underground Black and Death Metal scene is raging at the moment has been proved by the latest releases by BLACK WITCHERY, GRAND BELIAL’s KEY, THORNSPAWN or  WIND OF THE BLACK MOUNTAINS, just to name a few. Now ANWYL - a malicious Black / Death / Thrash three-piece heading from Hutchinson, Kansas – add their debut CD / LP “Postmortem Apocalypse” to those other great offerings. A killer production, lots of brutal and driving Thrash & Death Metal riffs, relentless blasting drums (good job, Mikai!) and a vocalist screaming in totally hateful aggression make ANWYL’s first release a remarkable sonic onslaught!!! My personal faves are ‘Ordeal By Corpse’, ‘Of Faust And Fury’, which arouses parallels to cult Deathers ANGEL CORPSE, although ANWYL are a bit more Thrash influenced, and the unusual but awesome ENTOMBED Cover ‘Supposed To Rot’, which might be interpreted as a statement for the uniting of underground Black and Death Metal in one powerful force. So if you like a well-produced, highly aggressive, misanthropic Black / Death / Thrash mixture be sure to check out this strong and talented new band – the name is ANWYL, the album is called “Postmortem Apocalypse” and it is fucking intense!!! Try to get the LP version, because it contains a cool cover of SODOM’s ‘Persecution Mania’ as bonus. Contact: ANWYL, Box 192, Hutchinson, Kansas 67504, USA Website: http://go.to/Anwyl Email: Anwyl666@hotmail.com

Stefan Franke

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APOCALYPTIC RAIDS
Demo / Reh. March '99
Demo Outtakes
Adv. of CD'2000
(Compilation CD-R)
69:05min