It's time for the world to hear how the reformed HIRAX sounds now... and my feelings are once again quite mixed and I can't say I'm convinced at all. This three song affair opens with 'See Blood Red', incontestably the worst song ever done by that cult band as it sounds very modern with angry screaming all the way, totally annoying. Then comes 'Slit Your Wrist', which is slightly better than the previous track but still far from great as it's hard to accept Katon's voice change for an angrier one, the riffing, while being very basic, is okay. The best comes with 'El Diablo Negro', a typical HIRAX song in the vein of the "Blasted.." material I would say, where Katon uses his old voice, great stuff! The recording was done with a session guitar player, Greg Eickmier so I don't know if Scott Owen had any hand on the songwriting but I sincerely wish that when he'll definitively be back in HIRAX, along by Jim Durkin as second guitarist, the band will write stuff in the real HIRAX vein and will not use any modern overtones like it's the case with most of the material on that new effort! Anyway if you’re a HIRAX collector like myself, I still urge you to order that picture single as the artwork is excellent. Get in touch with Katon via e-mail: blkdevil@gte.net. The guy is still as dedicated and insane as before! Look out for the forthcoming release on CD of the “Blasted In Bangkok” demo and a PHANTASM album! You can order this 7" by contacting: www.BlackDevilRecords.com or HIRAX, P.O. Box 1474, Cypress, CA 90630, USA. T-shirts are also available!

Laurent Ramadier

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HIRAX
The New Age Of Terror
(Mausoleum Records)
37:20min

HIRAX are a phenomenon: they belong to the first wave of the US Thrash Metal movement and influenced many succeeding bands, but unlike SLAYER, EXODUS, MEGADETH or METALLICA they were never blessed by financial success. Maybe the extreme underground attitude, especially personified by their mastermind and vocalist Katon W. De Pena, and their connection to the US Hardcore / Punk scene hindered them from being approved by a mainstream audience. On one hand, it's a real pity that their enthusiam never really paid, but on the other hand, they are one of the few bands from that time that stayed true to themselves and their fans and split up before selling out. Even with their reunion in 2000 they didn't scratch their own legend like many of the big names in the business did before. After 12 years of non-existence, HIRAX were back to thrash and with “The New Age Of Terror“ they prove again that they don't belong to the waste bin of discarded Thrash Metal heroes. On 11 tracks (including 2 instrumentals) they deliver pure Thrash Metal in the HIRAX vein, driving and raging, without the slightest modern influence. Katon's vocals are unique and charismatic as ever and account for a lot of the song's charisma. If you know and love HIRAX from older times, you can buy this album without hesitation and if don't know them up to now, this is your chance to fill a gap in your Metal history knowledge and to get to know a living Thrash Metal legend. Support them on their way towards sanctification! Website: www.blackdevilrecords.com

Christoph Göbel

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HIRAX
Assassins Of War (MCD)
(Black Devil Records)
21:24min

It has been twenty years since I had an encounter with HIRAX. I was in high school and I was expelled from a class with another guy. I don’t clearly remember why, probably I was speaking loud or whatever. The other guy was the one with long hair, black t-shirt and a SLAYER pendant, who seemed to be in his world and didn’t care for the others, except the other "outfit" and also Metal fan that was always with him. We all have become great friends ever since, and he was the reason I am into extreme Metal. One of the first tapes I got lend by him was from this band HIRAX. Obviously, the first thing that strikes you is the vocals. I always thought that the guy sounded weird. As soon as I got hold of the tape, I saw the band picture and I knew the difference. Fast forward twenty years, and HIRAX still goes on. The charismatic vocalist KatonW. De Pena has become HIRAX, no doubt about that. Besides having two albums out, he returned after a really long stand by with "The New Age Of Terror" and since then, he went through a lot of line-up changes. I was lucky enough to catch HIRAX live and speak with Katon himself, and he is a hell of a guy, truly what I would call a personality in the extreme Metal world, and also a living legend. The man is 43 years old. And time has only made things better. On this 5 song EP the HIRAX sound is still the same as on "The New Age Of Terror" and that is a mean, tough Thrash Metal with a slight Hardcore influence (well, I'm not quite sure if I would call the massive SLAYER overtones "Hardcore", Julian... to me the 'South Of Heaven' opening in 'Summon The Death Dealers' is more than obvious, don't you think – Frank). And I mean slight, as I would say that their early releases were more Hardcore, with some very short songs. Since the last release, they have developed to have loner songs, and Katon shows his impressive vocal style, while being melodic, he is also very aggressive, and it fits the music in a great way. A brilliant production, with heavy, really skull crushing guitars come of this great disc. Everything here screams of what real Thrash Metal is all about. In fact, some riffs remind me to more brutal bands. As always, this comes with a very oldschool cover art, and intelligent yet rebellious lyrics. I suppose this recording was mainly done to show the potential of the new line-up and also serves as a teaser to what will be the next full length. Although the earlier material has been re-released, I suggest you to go for "The New Age Of Terror" and grab this one too. And if you ever had the chance, go see Katon live. The next album, will surely be a monsterpiece. www.hirax.org, www.blackdevilrecords.com

Julian Nuñez

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HOD
You Cry And Piss Yourself (Promo)
(self-financed)
16:59min

"HOD does not stand for anything, it is the anglicized version on the god HODR, the blind god of darkness and winter"... that's what HOD guitarist Carl "Lord Necron" Snyder told me, when I asked him about the meaning of the band's name. I personally had expected it to be some sort of abbreviation and in that respect already came up with rather stupid ideas like "Hall Of Death", "Hate Or Die" or something like that... Well, luckily I was wrong. This unholy five-piece, that has been around since January 2007 now, comprises of two rather wellknown names in the Black / Death Metal underground. Carl himself should of course be known because of his involvement in THORNSPAWN (a band that he left in order to concentrate full time on HOD), while Bjorn Haga – the band's other guitarplayer – used to be part of the godly NECROVORE! HOD's line-up gets completed by drummer Dennis Sanders (who previously played in EXCULCERATE), bassplayer Derick Rivers (who used to be a member of the infamous GG ALLIN touring band) and vocalist Beer Reebs, who was the frontman for PILLCRUSHER and RANCID VAT. The 3 songs on this promo offer a hellish mixture of raw, blackened Thrash with some elements of classic Speed Metal (the latter perfectly reflected in the song 'Demoralizer'), while the vocals are in an extremely convincing, Nocturno Culto type grim style. In direct comparision to Carl's previous band THORNSPAWN, HOD is a little bit more controlled and not as furious, but nevertheless very deadly in their overall musical approach. More variation / diversity is the major keyword here. Because of the overall high quality of this promo (let alone the reputation of the members involved), I bet we will get to hear a full length by Texas' newest unholy horde pretty quickly! More info and sound samples at: www.myspace.com/hodtheband

Frank Stöver

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HOD
Serpent
(Ibex Moon Records)
36:47min

Texans HOD exemplify an ancient trait in that windswept, desolate region for dark, malicious, blasting Death Metal crafted for those with an appreciation of what makes that style so awesome. Venomous, tight, powerful, these are appropriate adjectives to describe this relatively new assemblage of long-embattled Metal warriors who claim ties to such notable acts as Thornspawn and (gasp!) Necrovore. Coming after one demo, "Serpent" represents HOD’s full-length debut, and it is a solid dose of the good stuff: gravelly vocals invoking evil intentions and occult esoterica; a composed drummer effectively employing the best in brutal Death Metal rudiments; classic ‘80s reverb- and delay-saturated guitar solos erupting only to be grabbed from their soaring ecstasy by filthy demon claws and summarily drowned in a whirling chaos of further blasting. Songs lengths hover around the five minute mark, indicating the songwriters allowed themselves plenty of time to indulge in wrapping and suffocating the listener in a spider’s web of complexity. Some real ass kicking develops during the Black Metal sections, which are treated as all-out thrashes and not as distance-inducing atmospheres - a big plus, there. The production is very clear, every individual performance is discernible, and the drums sound quite bright, yet overall the production lacks warmth and I hear some distinct digital flaws at times that should be noted on a purely technical level. As someone who spends time working with digital recording, I’ve heard the same audio defects on snare and toms before. What probably happened was the levels were too high at recording or maybe the processor was overloaded. Proscriptor from Absu mastered this record at his studio so I would assume he entered his best effort at sprucing-up the recording studio’s mistakes. Again, these critiques are only technicalities that do not ultimately deter from the mighty HOD realizing their absolutely sinister material. For all further information visit www.myspace.com/hodtheband and www.ibexmoonrecords.com

Leonard Likas

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HOLLENTHON
Tyrants And Wraiths
(Napalm Records)
20:27min

I still remember the great era of the Austrian extreme Metal scene; the time when Napalm Records was completely bound to the different shades of ‘extreme’ Metal with a strong focus on bands from their neighbourhood. But these times are unfortunately long gone – a fact which is applicable for the Austrian scene and Napalm Records - and only a handful of bands are still active. HOLLENTHON  are one of the few survivors and the band is combining the different shades of the old Austrian scene – on one hand the bombast tendencies which (still) can be found in bands like SUMMONING or PAZUZU on the other hand the pure Metal roots of bands like PUNGENT STENCH. The presented four songs on this single are without a doubt the best HOLLENTHON material so far, mainly due to the fact that the band is in the position to perfectly combine their two sides. On their former releases the gap between the Metal parts and the classic / bombast / movie soundtrack fragments had been far more drastic but this time there are fully integrated into the compositions. Especially the final track ‘Of Hollow Men' with a very interesting keyboard line shows the potential of this band and the additional two live videos (which shows a tough band and a bored audience) makes “Tyrants And Wraiths” a more than attractive package. www.hollenthon.com, www.napalmrecords.com

Matthias Auch

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HÖLLENTOR
Blessed Are The Strong, Cursed Are The Weak
(Twilight Vertrieb)
38:27min

You are bored of Black Metal bands leaving the left hand path? Someone asks you about GORGOROTH and you say you like only their first two, three releases? And if you want to listen to DARKTHRONE you always pick "Transylvanian Hunger" and "Under A Funeral Moon" from your CD / LP - rack? Well, then you should definitely check out HÖLLENTOR! On their debut they present a really raw and primitive Black Metal in the vein of the above mentioned. The album is splitted-up in two parts (back in the vinyl days I would have said side a / side b). First part was recorded in 2005, whereas the second part is the "Christripping" - demo back from 2001, with a different vocalist. Honestly I must admit that the procedure to put an old demo on the debut is not something that I like, especially regarding the total playing-time, so in fact there are just four "new" songs on this album. But this demo is just so pure Black Metal, they did right to re-release it. The sound on "Blessed Are The Strong..." is quite brutal, but in my eyes it underlines the musical approach to perform this archaic kind of Black Metal. And HÖLLENTOR achieve their aim not only by playing fast, also some great mid-tempo and slow songs are performed on this output, as a result there is some kind of diversity. Finally the band emphasizes on hate-filled lyrics, therefore everything on this album is nothing than just pure, raw, brutal and satanic Black Metal. www.hoellentor.de.am. You can order a copy here.

Mirco Szymyslik

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HOLOCAUST
Hellfire Holocaust (MCD)
(Sound Riot)
20:53min

Honestly spoken I never heard about Swedish Death Metalcoholics HOLOCAUST, but their debut shortplayer "Hellfire Holocaust" is a real surprise, because these Swedes come up with an almost perfect combination of melodic Death made in Sverige and the brutal American style. Musically there's absolutely nothing wrong with HOLOCAUST, but judging the pretty monotonous vocals there's still room for improvement! Anyway, a promising newcomer you should give a listen.

Schenk

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HOLY MOSES
Master Of Disaster (MCD)
(Century Media Records)
17:33min

I haven’t really followed HOLY MOSES’ career after their one and only and kinda overproduced major full length “The New Machine Of Liechtenstein” back in the 80’s, which I wasn’t too impressed by. With this new MCD they have returned to a more crushing and devastating Thrash sound of “Finished With The Dogs”, with influences ranging from VOIVOD (circa “Killing Technology” period) to SLAYER, combined with the typical 80’s backing shouts. All five songs are extremely aggressive and probably the most intense the band has ever come up with, complimented by a solid production and tight musicianship. Unfortunately Sabina’s vocal delivery is mainly in a high-pitched and almost hysterical screaming vein nowadays, which I don’t enjoy too much. So, the best tune for me therefore is the closing ‘Down On Your Knees’ which she performs in her usual raw and brutal way. All in all quite enjoyable, but in times with many female fronted extreme outfits, certainly not as spectacular as back in their heydays. But I bet my ass that the drawn character on the cover is supposed to be Sabina herself...

Frank Stöver

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HOLY MOSES
Disorder Of The Order
(Century Media)
40:49min

Sabina's world! Party time! Excellent! HOLY MOSES' first full length album after the reunion turned out to be enjoyable indeed. Of course it's Thrash the MOSES style: not too brilliant but extremely catchy with those unique vocals. Not too many of their old fans should be disappointed, except for the guys who keep on glorifying the past no matter what. For the younger ones among you who just start to discover Thrash Metal: HOLY MOSES is definitely worth checking out (after getting the new KREATOR, DEW-SCENTED, DESTRUCTION and SODOM). Some cool melodies on this album (title track) as well as a song I don't understand: there is a track called 'Verfolgungswahn' that just sounds stupid in my ears, especially the chorus. Don't know if I'd buy the CD but I'm glad I have it. In case you have the chance: check them out at their release party at the Headbanger's Open Air near Hamburg on the 21st & 22nd of June 2002. Good fun for sure. www.holymoses.de

Ramon Claassen

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HOLY MOSES
Agony Of Death
(Wacken Records / SPV)
69:31min

What do bands like SODOM, KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and HOLY MOSES have in common? Well, all 4 of them are great German Thrash Metal bands from the good ol' 80s. And what don't they (have in common)? I guess HOLY MOSES is the only one that manages to remain interesting to me after all these years. Strange enough, HOLY MOSES remains a rather underestimated band even in times like these where most serious listeners have lost their faith in the "Un-Holy Trinity" of German Thrash Metal. With this whole "Thrash Metal Revival" and with tons of younger bands (some of them done for pure fun only – yikes!) around it was about time that an old Thrash Bastard (to quote Metalion) band like HOLY MOSES would teach some lessons to all those youngsters in how cool Thrash Metal should be performed. "Agony Of Death" sounds primitive, yet modern, traditional yet rejuvenating, all at the same time. It's apparent that HOLY MOSES are a band with a huge live experience and their brand new material sounds more than fitting for kick-ass live performances. I guess the overall vibe I got is that this is a rather catchy album that would be totally enjoyable when performed on stage. Sharp guitars, crushing rhythm section and a solid as hell production (a bit more clear / huge for my liking, but still killer!) all of which compose "Agony Of Death", a damn good successor of the band's previous full-length album, "Strength Power Will Passion". Every song is introduced by a rather cool, sci-fi intro which adds to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere (and perhaps theme / concept?) of the album. I think there will be a couple of different versions of the album one of which won't contain those lengthy intros. I guess HOLY MOSES want to keep everyone satisfied and get away from stupid questions like "Why did you use such lengthy intros" etc that everyone likes to ask but no one really cares about. To sum it up, nothing new here, nothing outrageous, nothing that will change the world of Thrash Metal forever, still a damn good album performed with skills and undeniable class by one of the most original representatives of the oldschool scene. Along with the latest TESTAMENT album, "Agony Of Death" is the best album of the year by a 80s Thrash Metal band. www.holymoses.de

Manolis A.

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HOMICIDAL
Dependent On Beauty (CD-R)
(self financed)
19:35min

"Dependent On Beauty" is the debut demo by HOMICIDAL. This infernal duo hails from Algeria and delivers us here a lethal dose of brutal Death Metal. The six tracks on this disc remind me a little bit on the Death Metal scene in the early 90s and it's quite obvious that the US underground (early 90s as well as the new brutal scene) had a big influence on the songwriting of this commando from Algiers. The pace of the stuff is mostly fast like we used to know it from bands in that genre. So you can find fast blasts, heavy mid tempo sections and even some small grooves. The riffs are simple but effective... sometimes with a slight thrashy touch... cool! It's clear that the focus of the band is on delivering heavy, brutal stuff here without drifting into a too technical, sophisticating direction. The vocals performance of Skinned Alive is in the brutal way. A kind of deep, utterly evil grunts - stertorous straight from the abyss.... maybe a bit monotonous at times but ok. The band is using a drum computer due to the fact that it is hard to find a suitable and accomplished drummer in Algeria for that kind of brutal shit (which all of you could immagine for sure). Skinned Alive who was responsible for the drum machine did a satisfying job and adjusted the machine well... so it works even a human drummer would be better. The production and general sound quality is surprisingly good, the instruments and stuff can be heard quite well and doesn't need to hide from any other underground releases. All in all its a cool release which should appeal all to Metalheads who are into brutal Death Metal stuff deeply rooted in the underground. I hope to hear from this band more in the future. Support the real underground. Contact: www.homicidalband.tk

Michael Oelschlegel

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HOMO IRATUS
Human Consumes Human
(Arctic Music Group)
40:19min

Even though I have no real evidence for it, I suppose that the four lads of HOMO IRATUS are hailing from sunny Greece. The names of the bandmembers (Kostas, Argyris…) and the fact that they already supported many international acts in Greece (NAPALM DEATH, MALEVOLENT CREATION, IMPALED NAZARENE, CHILDREN OF BODOM etc.) simply lead me to this conclusion. But what the fuck, musically the band should easily satisfy the needs of everyone around the globe into grinding and groovy madness. HOMO IRATUS got together back in July 1998 and at the time were heavily influenced by old CARCASS / NAPALM DEATH. Those influences still shine through, but nowadays HOMO IRATUS seem to concentrate on extremely groovy, yet very intense sounding midtempo parts a lot more. Due to all this their material partly reminds me on what some of the Danish bands often tend to come up with (i.e. ILLDISPOSED, KONKHRA etc.). The overall sound is extremely low tuned and brutal, the production is perfect for this kind of music and the vocals get performed in a nice gutteral way. Unfortunately they often tend to use effects in that department, which I don't like too much as they sound way more convincing when they use their natural brutality. Furthermore you'll partly get some incorporated, unusual percussion effects, spoken parts etc., but all that surprisingly fits into the overall quite apocalyptic scenario pretty good. So, all in all a fine release for all the sickos among you.

Frank Stöver

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HOMO IRATUS
Knowledge... Their Enemy (MCD)
(Arctic Music Group)
11:49min

Well, Phil Fasciana (MALEVOLENT CREATION) seems to have not enough work with his band, because he is the A&R and vice-president of Arctic Music as well and has signed the Greek Death Core act HOMO IRATUS. Now their first release for Arctic (the second, Stefan - see above - Frank), the MCD “Knowledge...Their Enemy” is out and the four songs plus two video clips give a good impression of the musical spectrum and socio-critical message HOMO IRATUS represent. ‘Protection Through Surveillance’ and the cover of SEPULTURA’s ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ are executed in some kind of brutal Death / Grind / Groovecore style and their own song has a modern, groovy feeling with a driving, “in your face” punch and tempo. The cover song is more heavy than the original, but despite that I can’t help about still hating this fucking song, please cover one off “Beneath The Remains” or “Arise” the next time!!! The two other songs and the videos have been taken from HOMO IRATUS’ debut CD “Human Consumes Human” and are quite brutal Death / Grind, which unfortunately is not very interesting or innovative, only ‘Project New World’ is a cool powerful song, but there are hundreds of bands around that play this kind of stuff much better and especially the vocal performance is relatively weak in my eyes. The video of ‘Project New World’ is done very professional and entertains perfectly!!! One gets a good impression of what HOMO IRATUS ‘Live’ means: Hardcore style jumping, a bit sicko atmosphere like SLIPKNOT (a guy with a gas-mask playing percussion or hacking wood(?) or a wooden cross on stage, very funny!!!) and brutal Death / Grind with groovy elements. The second clip is quite awful and I will only waste writing space, if I tell you anything more about it. To sum it up, I personally don’t like this band and this MCD as well, HOMO IRATUS seem to waver between Death / Grind and Groove Core, but can not decide for either one of those directions. The sicko-image is totally stupid and has been well-served by all those Nu Metal acts like SLIPKNOT, COAL CHAMBER, whatever. Maybe people who like this kind of “socio-sicko” image and have a fable for groovy Death / Grind should give HOMO IRATUS a chance, I choose to dump it and suggest that Phil Fasciana tries to sign more bands like the great Black Metal guys from KULT OF AZAZEL, which are on Arctic as well. Website: www.homoiratus.com, Email: homo_iratus@hotmail.com

Stefan Franke

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HOODED MENACE
The Eyeless Horde (Demo 2007)
(self financed)
12:40min

Hey man, that’s awesome! HOODED MENACE’s first recording, a demotape called “The Eyeless Horde” offers a mix between Death and Doom Metal which I haven’t heard for a long time. It reminds me a lot of my old favourites of CATHEDRAL (“Forest Of Equilibrium”-era! I can’t tell how much I enjoyed the song ‘Ebony Tears’!!!), some hints of AUTOPSY and a lot of WINTER is ready to hand, I even thought I heard influences from THERGOTHON while listening to “The Eyeless Horde”. Well, each comparison in this review shouldn’t mean that HOODED MENACE aren’t original, the comparisons are here for you to get the point what this outfit stands for: it’s Doom / Death Metal the way it was played in the early nineties, far away from commercial purposes and hitpotential. That’s what PARADISE LOST discovered later, haha. No seriously, this demo brings back great memories and convinces with 2 great tracks slow as hell, heavy as fuck and gloomy and dark as these Doom / Death Metal bands used to be! HOODED MENACE already signed a deal with Razorback Records and are currently preparing the songs for their debutalbum “Fulfill The Curse” due to be out sometime in 2008. The 2 songs are available for a free listen at www.myspace.com/hoodedmenace. Give it a try and support this band, whose musicstyle is far too unpopular these days, but too good to ignore! For those who needs even more oldschool flair: their guitarplayer / singer Lasse aka Leper Messiah is also on of the founding members and again playing in resurrected Finnish cult Death Metallers PHLEGETHON! That brings back great memories, too!

Thomas Ehrmann

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HOODED MENACE
Fulfill The Curse
(Razorback Records)
52:35min

Italian Horror has supplied Metal with easily as much inspiration as H.P. Lovecraft. For Finland's HOODED MENACE, the "Tombs of the Blind Dead" saga provided all the thematic groundwork they needed to craft their unholy Doom masterpiece, "Fulfill The Curse" released just this year on Razorback Records, the same label that released the debut ACID WITCH album. If HOODED MENACE strike you as borrowing heavily from earlier Finnish Doom acts like PHLEGETHON and THERGOTHON, your ears are well schooled indeed, for Leper Messiah, the guitarist and vocalist, was in PHLEGETHON. Its only natural that some of that carried over. Adding to the grim mystique of the record are the audio clips of the zombie Templars moaning in the darkness. At times, melodies more suited to an early KATATONIA record bring the album dangerously close to losing its grotesque atmosphere, but the heavy grit of the guitars, and the vocals of course, help keep everything in check. Above all, this album is fun, and a Hell of a lot of it, too. www.myspace.com/hoodedmenace, www.razorbackrecords.com

Nat Shapiro

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HORNA
Ääniä Yössä
(Debemur Morti Productions)
43:39min

It took me two weeks to write this review. Not because HORNA's music is too complicated or avantgarde to understand – no, exactly the opposite! This is traditional norwegian Black Metal played the old way – old DARKTHRONE, old EMPEROR, old SATYRICON, dark and cold. Nothing more, nothing less. So what am I going to tell you? If you read SARGEIST – "The Heinous Path" in the review section you can easily adapt it to HORNA and wouldn't be far from their sound. One thing is different: there are four songs on this record, not six. Three are a good mixture of the elder nothern Black Metal style, music- and soundwise. The singer wants to be the most extreme – as usual. Track four is a ten minute monotonous bastard with the one (!) typical up-tempo uff-ta Black Metal beat (yeah, the one where you can only hear the hi-hat and imagine bass- and snaredrum) and three or four simple (yet atmospheric) riffs – I am not sure. The cover totally fits the whole record: it gives you the impression that you have seen it before but don't remember were. For fans only and definitely not bad, if you not already have one or two of this kind of records in your collection. "Ääniä Yössä" will be released as a normal and a A5 CD. More information under www.legion-horna.com, www.debemur-morti.com

Tim Klöcker

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HORNED ALMIGHTY
Black Metal Jesus
(Infernus Rex)
33:19min

Uncompromising, raw and straight Black Metal this Danish trio offers and fans of DARKTHRONE, CARPATHIAN FOREST or IMPALED NAZARENE should like it instantly. Fast, morbid, sometimes almost rocking primitive Black Metal songs sublimated with hateful, possessed screams and song titles that let a good dose of humour shine through (e.g. 'Satanic Fatherland', 'Desecrate The World' or 'Black Metal Jesus'). Of course this is not a joke band, but a direct and enthusiastic attack at everything holy and pure and thus really good! The level of innovation equals zero, but quality and variability of the song writing as well as the excellent raw production should satisfy anyone devoted to oldschool Black Metal in the early to mid 90s vein. Hellish piece of Metal for all foes of modernization, bombast and pointless blast orgies! Visit www.infernusrex.com for MP3s, ordering info and http://hornedalmighty.cjb.net for more info on the band.

Stefan Franke

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HORNED ALMIGHTY
The Devil’s Music - Songs Of Death And Damnation
(Infernus Rex)
37:48min

Another case of a band progressing by light years between their first and second album. Even if I find HORNED ALMIGHTY previous effort very enjoyable (yes I know, I always use the same type of intro these days), I prefer the more accomplished “The Devil’s Music”. Maybe the more consistent line-up (the band is now a five piece) made a lot in this refining process. Anyway the result sounds convincing a great deal and offers a solid dose of demented Black / Thrash able to satisfy even the wildest of the Metalheads. HORNED ALMIGHTY remind me SUICIDAL WINDS a lot on this, let’s say the two bands have more or less the same approach when it comes to inflict aural pain (and joy) to their rabid listeners (and I include myself here!) Of course, the band didn’t invent anything; but the ten tracks on offer here provide enough bleeding riffs for comfort. Like I said, the music is mostly based on Thrash inspiration, even if HORNED ALMIGHTY don’t disdain the Black Metal vibes (like in ‘Glorious Horror’ or ‘Cursed With Insight’). The vocals of the mysteriously named S are in the same line than those of IMPALED NAZARENE's Mikka, and now that I think of it, “The Devil’s Music” is not that far from “Pro Patria Finlandia”, the latest offering of the well known Finns, in terms of inspiration and sound. Add to this a very original cover art (done in the way of a XVIIth century woodcut, and depicting the Devil armed with a Flying V) and a crystal clear production doing justice to the natural sound of the instruments, and you get a damn fine release waiting to be invited on your record deck for numerous headbanging sessions. I am very glad to own this piece of plastic, and I just hope it will be the same with you. Support real Metal! www.hornedalmighty.com. On sale here.

Edouard Vergriete

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HORNED ALMIGHTY
Contaminating The Divine
(Obscure Abhorrence Productions)
36:20min

Judging from the opening track, 'Vile Works Of Witchcraft', you would conclude that HORNED ALMIGHTY spent the last few years absorbing every fiber and nuance of CELTIC FROST, early DESTRUCTION, and other important figures of Black Metal. And one would be correct in that assumption, for HORNED ALMIGHTY only pause long enough to make the rest of their songs seem all the faster and more intense. The songs carry on in their firm, DARKTHRONE manner, and the vocalist does nothing short of puking his guts out all over the record.This band has always been a shade more willing to let their non Black Metal influences, such as Punk, shine through. Since much of Metal is indebted to Punkrock for its very existence, it would make sense for them to allow their music to reflect that. But, with a great deal of the Black Metal scene firmly convinced that its still 1994, offering a band like G.B.H. as an influence is not only anathema, its punishable by being labeled as a poser. HORNED ALMIGHTY don't seem to care, as evidenced by their album here, a worthy successor to the 2006 album "The Devil's Music". www.hornedalmighty.com, www.myspace.com/hornedalmighty

Nat Shapiro

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HORNED GOD
Chaos, Bringer Of All Revelations
(Listenable Records)
34:37min

Well, nothing new from Brazil... HORNED GOD create brutal, mostly fast Death Metal that sounds like a mixture of KRISIUN and REBAELLIUN (ex-member Fabiano Penna actually is in HORNED GOD) and although there are some interesting moments and convincing songs on “Chaos...”, it does not save the Brazilian four-piece from being unoriginal and sadly... boring! After REBALLIUN’s “Annihilation”, ABHORRENCE’ “Evoking The Abomination” and the second KRISIUN enough was said on new Brazilian Death Metal and as long as the differences between all those bands stay as marginal as they seem to be at the moment, I can not find a reason why one should need more of the same, blasting, screechy lead infested stuff. KRISIUN did their best to experiment with their last two CD’s and failed, HORNED GOD did not dare enough – one slow song and loads of squeaky technical solos is not very innovative – to have a chance in direct competition with the bands I mentioned above. Don’t get me wrong, “Chaos, Bringer...” is not a bad album and HORNED GOD, who released an EP and another album named “Absit” before, might satisfy all die-hard Brazilian Death Metal fans, but they will not surprise anyone at all! The band should have tried to keep the song writing as concise as in tracks 5 and 7, but they keep on soloing and soloing, blast like beasts and simply lose track towards the end. Give them a chance, if you still need stuff like that, I don’t. For additional info visit: www.listenable.net.

Stefan Franke

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HORRENDOUS
Sweet Blasphemies (Demo)
(Dark Descent / Skeleton Plague Records)
18:40min

“Sweet Blasphemies” is the first output from this US of A based oldschool Death Metal outfit and HORRENDOUS can already convince with this first release. To tell the truth, and you won’t expect something else: HORRENDOUS are plain unoriginal and offering nothing new. It’s Death Metal, played the oldschool way with huge influences from the Scandinavian (make that: Swedish) Death Metal scene. Reading their myspace page I can read influences as Nihilist, Entombed, Dismember, Gorement, Internal Decay, Sarcasm, Eternal Darkness, Edge of Sanity and Carnage, though if I’m searching for a band sounding closest to HORRENDOUS (or vice versa, haha) I would mention the great Swedish band PUTERAEON and as they are obviously huge GRAVE worshippers I need to add this band, too. Already at my first listen I had PUTERAEON in mind and I think this comparison isn’t the worst one, as they are a great outfit and a band to watch out for. Currently I have slight problems with all those oldschool Death Metal bands, the originality lacks since the beginning of this new trend and every band tries to sound as oldschool as possible, ripping off tracks from REPUGNANT and others. HORRENDOUS are in a way not different, though I see huge potential in their tunes and this 5-song demotape convinces both in sound and songs – in fact that sound on this tape is fuckin’ killer. Next to that they are able to play good guitarsolos and above all the musicianship seems to be quite good, at least everything sounds fresh and organized. Awesome! As I got the songs from the band only as mp3-files I can’t tell anything about the layout. Well, even if the layout would be tremendous I wouldn’t give them my 10 of 10 points for this release simply as I have high hopes that “Sweet Blasphemies” is just a good start and the best is yet to come. HORRENDOUS are a cool band and “Sweet Blasphemies” is a cool demotape, nothing more, nothing less. I’m sure we are going to have a lot of fun with this band and their upcoming releases in the near future. Check out www.myspace.com/horrendousdeathmetal and ask for this demotape. This is a band you haven’t read about for the last time here at Voices From The Darkside!!!

Thomas Ehrmann

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HORRID
Blasphemic Creatures (MCD) 
(Behind The Mask Records) 
19:01min 

Italy's HORRID have been around for quite some time already (since 1989 to be exact) and released three demos and a 7" ever since. But as I didn't know the band before, I neither managed nor cared to hear any of those mentioned items. I guess you should know that I even had some (unjustified...) prejudices when I received this little advance cassette. The fact that Italy hadn't produced too many  brutal bands of good quality in the past and HORRID's kinda stupid looking bandlogo were already two aspects for me not to expect too much from this 4 song offering. But you know what?! I WAS TOTALLY FUCKIN' WRONG!!! HORRID come up with some really brutal, straight ahead sounding Death Metal in  the vein of the old Swedish masters ENTOMBED, CARNAGE, GRAVE, DISMEMBER and the likes.  They even went to Sweden to record this MCD at Sunlight Studio with Tomas Skogsberg producing  and the result is a total killer!! You won't find any trendy influences in their songwriting at all – just pure fuckin' Death Metal the way we love it and the way it was originally played! Can't praise this enough, but instead of wasting too much of your time, you better order yourself a copy straight away. It sells for  $15 (ppd.) from the following address. Oh, and before I forget – drummer Matt also plays in another really cool band called NECROFLESH. They have a new 3 song promo available that's highly  recommendable as well and that everyone should ask for who loves brutal US style Death Metal.  Contact: Rendina Matteo, Via Dei Tigli 16, 20020 Busto Garolfo (MI) Italy, e-mail: simrend@libero.it,  website: http://members.xoom.it/horrid  

Frank Stöver

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HORRID
Reborn In Sin
(Deadsun Records)
46:45min

In case you miss the peculiar sound that bands like ENTOMBED and DISMEMBER were famous for more than ten years ago, you should go for this album without delay as it is a sort of journey through the past. HORRID chose to go for the Sunlight Studio to record their first offering (following their “Blasphemic Creatures” MCD from 1998 – Frank), and they made a good choice doing it I must add. You can’t say that Tomas Skogsberg is the hot Death Metal producer of the moment, but he certainly did a good job producing “Reborn In Sin” and the result sounds fresh in 2002, especially if you consider of the too predictable sounding albums that plague the records bins worldwide. If you have read the interview already done by Frank, you know that HORRID are fans of the old Stockholm school of Death Metal, but far from being mere copyists, the Italians adapt this style to their own musical vision. It is true that “Reborn In Sin” reminds me of “Like An Ever Flowing Stream” more than once, but HORRID combine low-tuned Death Metal with lots of melodies and a sort of progressive edge. Each of the songs are complex, with numerous rhythm changes, the band give enough room to melody and a melancholic touch is often added to the anger of the whole. My only minor criticism comes from the fact the band sometimes lose their focus, trying to incorporate too many ideas into one song, but anyway the result sounds sufficiently interesting to come over that. To sum it up, a very convincing first full length, very promising. Like I said before, a must for all DISMEMBER fans, but keep in mind that HORRID pay tribute to their influences without simply reproducing a worn-out formula. Strongly recommended. Visit HORRID at http://members.xoom.it/horrid and Deadsun Records at http://deasun.multimania.com.

Edouard Vergriete

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HORRID
Evils Birth 1989 - 2002
(More Hate Productions)
66:06min

It shouldn't be a secret anymore that I totally worship these Italian Death Metal maniacs and it's really a pity that they still have to struggle so much to gain bigger recognition. I mean, a musically quite similar (project) band like Sweden's BLOODBATH gets praised by almost every magazine / fanzine there is, mainly due to the fact that their line-up consists of rather wellknown names out of the Swedish underground... And the massive promo power and good distribution network of Century Media furthermore makes sure that everybody's aware of that. I'm certainly not here to slag the musical qualities of BLOODBATH (they are actually a really cool act to me!) nor Century Media, but as so often it's simply not fair that a band which has been around a lot longer and constantly delivers killer material is yet pretty much unknown to most of all those people who buy the Century Media stuff. So, in case you still haven't checked HORRID out yet, I obviously will have to repeat myself once again: HORRID is first class, pure fuckin' oldschool Swe-Death Metal in the vein of the early 90's with big similarities to old DISMEMBER or ENTOMBED! Even if you already own their great Deadsun Records debut "Reborn In Sin" (in that case: all hail to thee!) this album here's a good opportunity to dive a bit deeper into the band's past activities. As the title already reveals, it covers material from the early days of the band, namely their excellent 1998 MCD "Blasphemic Creatures" (for a detailed review on that just scroll up a little), the entire "You Are Mine" demotape from 1994, three previously unreleased live recordings from 1996 and the original version of 'Winds Of Procreation', which previously appeared on their "Awaiting For The Truth" 7" EP. I'm not exactly sure what lead to the album's title, as neither 1989 nor 2002 material is featured, but what the heck... the packaging is great, the booklet comes with tons of pictures and the music's killer anyway (even though you can easily recognize a steady development from their old stuff to the current recordings)! For all further band info you can either check out the HORRID interview on our website or go to: http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/horrid. Ordering info for this release you will most certainly get here: www.morehate.newmail.ru

Frank Stöver

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HORRID
Rising From The Hidden Spheres
(Church Of Agony Productions)
42:58min

Though one can argue if HORRID are a mere copy of traditional Swedish Death Metal or a band that simply honours what the individual band members like best, their second full-length after "Reborn In Sin" in 2002 (which was even recorded in Sunlight Studio) "Rising From The Hidden Spheres" is undoubtedly another obvious tribute to Scandinavian oldschool Death. Unfortunately, in comparison to bands such as PAGANIZER, VERMINOUS, NECROVATION, KARNARIUM, AVULSION, which also quote the Swedish traditions of GROTESQUE, GRAVE and NIHILIST, the Italian HORRID simply do not have the intensity, aggression and capturing songs those bands definitely have to offer. It is quite sad to see, that a band active for over a decade, which also does everything right regarding the production (though it's KONKHRA's Anders Lundemark's studio it still sounds like Sunlight only a bit heavier) fails in terms of songwriting. 'Feeling Hate' e.g. starts out pretty good, nicely fast and driving, but looses grip after 2 minutes, other songs disappoint me by their dominance of mid tempo and hints at faster parts, that simply do not come ('From Here To Eternity'). It simply cannot be denied that a) there are many newer bands imitating old Swedish Dödsmetall better than HORRID do, and b) that there are way too many old bands from the North that surpass HORRID with ease. The Italian horde is not bad, not at all, but to compete with such an overwhelming number of stylistically comparable acts you have to convince not attempt to nowadays. But as a little tip: try to find a copy of the "Blasphemic Creature" MCD (1999) or the "Evil's Birth" compilation (2002), where the MCD can be found on as well, that is really good stuff!!! (of course I once again couldn't prevent myself from adding a little remark to this ;-) I personally worship the new HORRID material in the same way as all their previous releases! And I think that not many bands manage to capture the old ENTOMBED / NIHILIST, CARNAGE etc. vibes as good as these guys do! – Frank) Soundfiles and further infos can be found at www.horrid.it

Stefan Franke

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HORRORSCOPE
Pictures Of Pain
(Empire Records)
46:04min

This Polish band is described by their label as the Thrash Metal one, with some possible TESTAMENT and ANNIHILATOR overtones. Well, something is going wrong here, because after a listen, it is obvious that HORRORSCOPE are very remotely connected to the Thrash genre. It is true that crunching guitars rhythms are prominent throughout the album, but that only can't account for the Thrash tag. Let's rather say that HORRORSCOPE are more a Power Metal outfit, with some traditional arrangements (hear how the main riff of 'Inferno' is close to a JUDAS PRIEST one for instance) than anything else. Some of our readers (especially the German ones) might remember of the band TAI-PAN that recorded an underrated album back in 1995 ("Slow Death" on Shark Records), so to them I can say that HORRORSCOPE follow the same path, but minus the songwriting abilities of the long forgotten Germans. In fact, here lies the main problem for HORRORSCOPE: they try hard (and maybe too hard, because you feel the labor and pain that led to the completion of each of the songs) to come up with fresh ideas with the unfortunate result "Pictures Of Pain" sounding artificial and anemic. The excellent production is wasted here to only highlight the flaws of the album, to begin with the almost extinct voice of Adam Brylka who seems bored to death by the lyrics he delivers, and the 'experimental' drum playing of the 'mysterious' Leo and line-up credited Arek Kus who both try sometimes pathetic tricks to raise our interest. Add to this a systematic recourse to the mid-tempo pacing, a very difficult rhythm to use when it comes to pen memorable songs, and you obtain an ode to boredom. I was able to found three standout tracks though, namely 'Inferno' (with a cool TROUBLE like mid-section), 'Deal With The Devil' and 'The Aztec Sun'. But three tracks out of nine (after discounting three intros) cannot make for an essential purchase. And when you consider the huge amounts of records flooding the market these days, you have to be picky before buying something, I can tell you! So better stay away from this, or at least hear it before you actually consider getting it! Enough said…

Edouard Vergriete

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HORRORSCOPE
Evoking Demons
(Shark Records)
43:59min

It's surprising to see that good old Thrash Metal is still alive. Poland's HORRORSCOPE (cool name, by the way) totally fit in this genre and they offer the great spirit of bands like FORBIDDEN, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, HEATHEN or other bands from the Bay Area, but also influences from modern Thrash Metal bands like THE HAUNTED are offered here, which suits them just perfect. Well, I think I have to mention OVERKILL here, too, probably as connection to their cool "Horrorscope" CD which might have helped them to find a name for their band! This is nothing new but in these days it sounds very fresh and honestly spoken this is a release worth to buy for the fans of the above mentioned bands and this style. The whole outfit is professional in all concerns, the sound is powerful, the songs are varied and tight played and the layout of the CD is cool. For me it's quite obvious to see that this is no new band anymore, in fact "Evoking Demons" is their 3rd CD (I hope I’m right here…), though the first I know. Currently Thrash Metal is two-dimensional for me, you have it either oldschool or modern, HORRORSCOPE belong somewhere inbetween and this makes them something good and special. At the end of this review I need to say that it's great to see that Poland has far more to offer than cool Death Metal bands (e. g. VADER, BEHEMOTH…). This gets me to the result that Thrash Metal fans should check out this release and support a fantastic and upcoming band. www.horrorscope.net

Thomas Ehrmann

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HOUR OF PENANCE
Disturbance
(Xtreem Music)
39:06min

This four-piece comes from Italy and plays - drum roll, please – epic symphonic blablabla like their fellow countrymen Rhap..., no, bullshit, they really are from Italy, but they play US-styled, technical, brutal Death Metal in the vein of MORBID ANGEL, IMMOLATION and the likes. After a demo MCD in 2000 they now have released their debut album which offers nine songs full of raging blasts, doublebass attacks, furious breaks and technical riffs. Their varied songwiting covers the whole range of speed, from mid- to up-tempo to fast to very fast etc., everything you can ask for from a good Death Metal band. To put it plain and simple, if you like pure, high-quality Death Metal, without any kind of disturbing influences, you should give these guys a chance and check their website www.hourofpenance.com where you can find some mp3 files from their two CD releases plus an excerpt from their forthcoming split 7" EP with CADAVERIC CREMATORIUM which will feature a cover of DEICIDE‘s 'Lunatic Of God‘s Creation‘. Label website: www.xtreemmusic.com.

Christoph Göbel

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HOUR OF PENANCE
Pageantry For Martyrs
(Xtreem Music)
43:45min

I am quite sure most of the Voices reader already know the great debut “Disturbance” of HOUR OF PENANCE released in 2003. If not… you should make up your mind as a self respecting Death Metal lunatic as those Italians returned with an even stronger follow–up entitled “Pageantry For Martyrs”! Despite the fact that some members changed since the recording of “Disturbance” there are no changes in the overall direction of HOUR OF PENANCE. The foundation of their sound still is a highly brutal and well crafted fusion of modern brutal North American Death Metal akin to NILE and HATE ETERNAL and an European approach to songwriting… perhaps it could also be described as a rather oldschool “feeling for songs” in the sense that brutality and technicality are important ingredients but not all that constututes HOUR OF PENANCE compositions. Apart from the high speed blasting present on “Pageantry For Martyrs” there are plenty of well thought breaks and alternating tempi incorporated resulting in very organic and driving flux of the music. Don't get me wrong here – the general speed is fast in here and the band didn't slow down a single bit compared to their debut but the breakdowns and midtempo past are absolutely crushing and dismal, often carried by a carpet of massive double bass drumming or a sub bass note exploding out of the speakers. Also in terms of production HOUR OF PENANCE don't have to hide themselves in comparison to the big names in Death Metal. The guitar sound is heavy and thick yet not muffled or taking away details of the riffing. I guess parts of the drums were triggered in the recording process (as it is common nowadays) but luckily the impression is not sterile in any way – rather the opposite. Alex, the new vocalist (originally from NECROTORTURE) delivers his vocals in a dark, low and classic way, backed up by drummer Mauro (who did the job on the debut). I am not sure about the lyrical content but titles like 'Celebrating Collective' or the title track may hint at actual world political issues or their “phenomenons”. This time there are no Klaus Kinski samples on the record but perhaps the final track 'Egomanisch' is dedicated to him? In all honesty: I fail to find any weak point on this release and have to conclude that “Pageantry For Martyrs” is definitely one of THE highlights in 2005 and an absolutely necessary purchase by all means!! www.hourofpenance.net

Ulrich Kreienbrink

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HOUR OF 13
The Ritualist
(Northern Silence Productions / Eyes like Snow)
48:41min

Close your eyes, take a deep breath and expect a long jump back in time to the obscure roots of occult Heavy Metal. I’m referring to the bands which can be found on nearly every old and rotten Metal jacket, the ones with dirt stains all around them due to countless festival seasons and thousand of heavy drinking Metal parties. If now bands like MERCYFUL FATE and KING DIAMOND are coming into your mind you are with me and far more important you are ready for this jewel of traditional Heavy / Doom Metal. The second release of HOUR OF 13 – founded in 2006 in lovely North Carolina / United States – is like a relict of the old record collection of my dear father! Sound- and musicwise “The Ritualist” is like a 50 minutes trip to the times when nearly nobody imagined such ‘horrible’ music like Black and Death Metal. I’m really impressed because the album is offering such a convincing atmosphere – in modern terms people would talk about the oldschool factor - starting with cover artwork, songtitles and most important the dark sound of the presented tracks that the theory of a time hole seems not so absurd anymore. This album is really a jewel for all Metalheads which has grown up in these innocent days – when our dear lord Satan was more an interesting than a serious topic – and who don’t need any 80s re-release because they already own the originals. Due to this fact this album isn’t automatically uninteresting for all younger fans but the mixture of Heavy and Doom Metal on this record is really a special dish, so let’s close the review for this unique release with the magic words - “Come, come to the Sabbath, down by the ruined bridge… www.northern-silence.de, www.myspace.com/hourof13doom

Matthias Auch

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HOUWITSER
Rage Inside The Womb
(Osmose Prod.)
31:31min

Still no compromises! HOUWITSER from Holland once again are punching pure brutality into your face. Simple, straight forward f*#%§n' Death Metal with deeep vocals for sick people like you and me. Actually, I prefer it a bit more weird and original - NILE and the likes are more what I fancy - but of course that's a matter of taste. The main point of criticism is the length or rather the shortness of this album. On the other hand, it's not very likely you get any fillers and there are none indeed. HOUWITSER probably will never win prices for originality, but that's not their aim anyway. Consequently, "Rage Inside The Womb" is more or less just a really good way for your daily fix of Death Metal and who am I to criticise?

Ramon Claassen

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HOUWITSER
Damage Assessment
(Osmose Productions)
31:32min

HOUWITSER belong to the bunch of bands who play competent music but without even the tiniest spark of originality (SIX FEET UNDER or LOWBROW being another cases in point). I have always seen HOUWITSER as a mix between SINISTER (for the music) and BOLT THROWER (for the militaristic image). The SINISTER connection seems quite logical considering the fact that almost the entire HOUWITSER line-up comes from this band, and the music on offer on “Damage Assessment” reminds the best moment one can find on “Cross The Styx”, it could have been worse. Musically wise, the HOUWITSER warriors are without a doubt extremely talented and deliver the goods with pleasurable sheer enthusiasm. Consequently “Damage Assessment” comes out as a very enjoyable album even if the Death Metal played here could have been in a little more daring and challenging. Indeed HOUWITSER exploits always the same recipe (hacked rhythms with lot of breaks, very similar to what SINISTER – again! --are known for). The overall sound of this album is very polished, the production adds a lot to the deadly effect of the whole. The sad thing is that after listening to a couple of songs, a sense of tiredness emerges, because of the one-dimensional musical approach, to the point the eight tracks on offer here end to be very long despite the shortness of the whole album. In fact, you have to wait for the very last track (‘Hunger For The Feast’) to finally find exciting music, I hope HOUWITSER will develop this kind of songwriting in the future. To sum it up, a good album, but a little too generic to attract immediate attention, especially in a market saturated by very bad but also by groundbreaking bands hungry to crush the boundaries of basic Metal. Authentic and honest stuff, but banal in the end. Contact: http://www.houwitser.com.

Edouard Vergriete

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THE HOWLING VOID
Shadows Over The Cosmos
(Solitude Production)
57:24min

In 2010 it has become even more obvious that the illness of the extreme Metal underground - easily summarized as musical recycling - is spreading further. So maybe the perfect time for the next generation of Doom bands like the American outfit THE HOWLING VOID. The band from Texas is offering an extreme majestic and vital version of today’s Doom Metal with strong parallels to the glorious times of bands like MINDROT or other country mates. The one man project was founded by R. anno 2007 and his second creation “Shadows Over The Cosmos” is like a walk through the ruins of an old city with occasionally flickers of fading light. The five tracks are for sure not the abyssal vision of a haunted soul waiting for death, but a musical transformation of melancholy and despair. The album is cornered by two extreme good tracks - 'The Primordial Gloom' and 'Lord Of The Black Gulf' - which are opening and closing this great album. I can listen to this release several times without losing touch with “Shadows Over The Cosmos” so please be invited to the howling void. For more info check out www.solitude-prod.com, www.myspace.com/thehowlingvoid

Matthias Auch

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HUMAN BLOODFEAST
She Cums Gutted
(Twilight Vertrieb)
30:44min

When I first saw the cover I was afraid of the worst and I didn’t expect too much besides another Cannibal Corpse Goregrind clone. The cover and also the band name of this German quintet drips of cliché. The record starts with a short intro sequence from the great movie “Der Totmacher” with Götz George. I’m not sure that Götz knows he is opener of a Death Metal record. And when the first riff comes to my ear I was surprised. Yes, Cannibal Corpse is the godfather of these guys and besides the fact that they play a little more midtempo there's not too much difference. You get half an hour of US influenced Gore Death Metal with blastbeat parts, nice midtempo mashers and vocals that reminds of Mr. Corpsegrinder. The songs are well arranged with all elements that good Death Metal songs need and the lyrics contain the awaited gore elements. Not spectacular but technically great performed and well produced. So for all fans of Cannibal Corpse, this is a great alternative from Regensburg / Schwandorf to bridge the time to the next record from the US boys. www.humanbloodfeast.com. On sale here.

Stefan Hagmayer

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HUMAN END
Break The Chains
(self-financed)
57:00min

Professed as "HUMANE END" by the band mates / creators of their bio... I don't believe the definition of "HUMANE END" or HUMAN END means exactly what any of these students from Schmalkalden / Thüringen think it does. Disregarding the supposed correlation to the Doom's Day scenario "end of humanity" or to the rambling psychologies of Menschheit. The meaning of the word "outsider", in specific or general context, within the German language simply is a "foreigner" known as an "Ausländer". Am I wrong? How then does this equate to the band name of HUMAN END? I don't get it. Anywayz - confusing as the band's moniker meaning may be to the readers of this review. So too is the general writing and music direction of this act, who call what they play here on this album as "Independent Core". "Independent Core" if you will, is not an earthquake beneath your feet nor a revolution in sound that this title may in fact infer / allude too. No, "Independent Core" is more like second (bordering on third) rate melodic Death Metal. Does anyone remember the melodious Death Metal that was coming from Lithuania and Latvia in the mid 90s? CONSCIOUS ROT, REGREDIOR, DIES IRAE, RUINATION or SANCTIMONY? If you do than you might recall that these bands most times were a bit over hyped and / or outshined by their own instruments! The exact same can be said here for HUMAN END. Thirteen songs appear on this debut CD. Written and sung in English yet each one is a tedious affair of wasted time. If any constructive criticism could be given to this band, I would say to keep practicing, and really concentrate on what you're writing instead of just releasing a flood of songs upon an overly saturated market. That being said. At press time, HUMAN END also have additional 4 songs written and recorded to be released in the Winter of this year as an EP entitled "Non-Conformity". Contact: human-end@web.de or denis-krahn@web.de or visit their site www.human-end.de and of course www.myspace.com/humanend

Wes Rhodes

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HUMAN MINCER
Embryonized
(Xtreem Music)
30:13min

What cheek! This is really annoying! Xtreem Music arose from the ashes of Repulse Records and obviously Dave Rotten is afraid of bootleggers. Could the same thing happen to Xtreem Music he experienced with Repulse? Consequently, they sent out promos with only 3 songs in full length. The remaining 6 songs are just edit versions. Long ones, but still… On one hand Dave demands in depth reviews and on the other hand we get something like this. Everybody afraid of mp3 bootlegging should send promos to me, I’m just too stupid and lazy for mp3. Shall I talk about HUMAN MINCER a little as well? Well, allright, then. Each and every band seems to be jumping on today’s band waggon. There are so many CDs and demos around sounding like DISGORGE, DEEDS OF FLESH or SUFFOCATION presently that it really gets boring. Something Dave himself criticized not too long ago when we had that controversy about AVULSED. I’m puzzled. HUMAN MINCER belong to the frog noise department. Doesn’t scare me anymore. Instead, there is some kind of monotony coming up although the band quite successfully tries to vary their style. 'Cerebral Torture' starts quite fast, then comes up with an even faster blast passage (in German I’d call it a rabbit fuck) which turns into some rolling double bass groove. On 'Death By Infestation'  the groovy part is much heavier. Cool bass part, by the way, and the blast riff is making me dizzy. Similar recipe for 'Repugnant Desire'. At this point my attention usually is fading until the next one, namely the title track starts hammering me into the seat. Here DISGORGE (US) are clearly shining through. Doomy and sinister atmosphere. Then the edit version is over leaving me standing with dropped pants. I was just getting into it! And of course from then on this happens all the time! 'Son Of Decay' directly reminds me of 'She Lay Gutted' itself, you know, where the screams are coming through. To sum it up: just when I was about to rediscover my faible for frog noise, the label’s policy prevented me from that. Still I would say that HUMAN MINCER delivered some good stuff in case you can’t wait for new DISGORGE, MALIGNANCY, DISAVOWED, BEHEADED, DESPONDENCY… material. These Spanyards produce good stuff for addicts. www.humanmincer.com

Ramon Claassen

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HUMAN MINCER
Devoured Flesh
(Xtreem Music)
27:03min

Considering all the time it took me to finally start writing this review, it seems as if I’m getting more and more tired of “brutal Death Metal”. The reason why I finally got my arse over to the computer is this very record: HUMAN MINCER abandoned their froggy vocals almost completely and although there are still better Death Metal vocalists than Carlos around, he does quite a good job despite a certain monotony that still can be found in his department. On the other hand, he did quite some impressive work on 'Eternal Ways Of Devil', for example. One more word about the technical abilities of the rest of the band? World class – and the drumming simply can’t be from this world. Most importantly, all those strange chords and millions of breaks mysteriously do not take away the energy and brutality of this CD. So what’s left to talk about is the songwriting, right? In my opinion there aren’t many bands in the genre that come up with “hits” (and that’s what a gay pop fan like me is exclusively looking for). SUFFOCATION, CRYPTOPSY and maybe DEEDS OF FLESH do. DISGORGE and DISAVOWED both wrote one (‘She Lay Gutted’, resp. ‘Rhizome’) but that’s pretty much what I can think of at the moment. Did I finally manage to make a few enemies? Good. Surprisingly, HUMAN MINCER seem to approach that level as their songwriting almost successfully avoids the trap of brutal Death monotony and still kicks some serious butt. I can imagine I’ll find something really outstanding on their next record but at least for my taste there is something on every song that doesn’t fully convince me – like the slightly annoying opening riff on ‘Ghost Of The Past’ or the lack of intensity in the vocals’ department after the impressive opening growler on ‘Nest Of Hate’. On the other hand, there are quite a few good reasons why HUMAN MINCER simply rocks: the break after approx. 2 minutes on 'Light Of Evil' for example takes some tension first before you’re smashed again. So the bottom line is: if the band keeps this level and adds the little something, they’re gonna be great. Right now I dare say brutal Death fanatics and Death Metal musicians will dig this one. I bet they’re impressive on stage, by the way. www.humanmincer.com

Ramon Claassen

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HUMILIATION
Face The Disaster (MCD)
(Nebula Production)
14:21min

The world is getting smaller day by day but bands like HUMILIATION from the Far East are still special in some way. The young band from Malaysia was founded in 2009 and it’s more than just a coincidence that the band photo shows four fellows wearing BOLT THROWER and BENEDICTION shirts. The band offers European style Death Metal with a good sound – recorded in Malaysia, mastered in the US – right between the above mentioned bands plus from the vocal side of life some old SINISTER influences. Small point of criticism are the missing high speed parts – seems that HUMILIATION want to bring their music on this level but when my head is starting to move they just slow down. The final track 'Battlefield' is furthermore more or less a cover song - because the song is ‘decorated’ with so many BOLT THROWER fragments that more than a knowing smile comes over my face (nevertheless a convincing track). This MCD is in total a solid start and worth the dedicated underground support. For more info please contact the band through: humiliation@gmail.com

Matthias Auch

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HUNGRY JOHNNY
Depraved At Birth (Demo)
(self-financed)
20:50min

The first band that came to mind was OVERKILL. It’s another oldschool Thrash band which isn’t necessarily a good thing. How many of these bands do we need anymore when we’ve still got many of the original kreators (lol) still performing? I’m afraid Hungry Johnny (what’s with the lame name?) just don’t offer anything unique or intriguing here. On the positive side, the bass playing is quite good and even audible! If Johnny makes a full length, I do hope they can mature a bit by adding some of their own ideas instead of wearing their (respectable) influences so strongly on their sleeve. Je suis desole (hmm... I really wonder what kind of release you actually had been listening to, Jesse?! This is 100% NUCLEAR ASSAULT worship - especially in the vocal department - and they do it with a lot of class! Oh well, I agree on the stupid name though... - Frank). www.myspace.com/hungryjohnny  

Jesse Light

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HUNTERS MOON
The Serpents Lust (EP)
(Hell's Headbangers Records)
21:01min

Another admirable release from Hell's Headbangers. Indeed not for the faint of heart. HUNTERS MOON take Black Metal to a place I haven't seen in years. It's a place BATHORY used to visit quite often. Describing this particular part of Black Metal is hard to do, but suffice it to say, feelings of the epic are evoked by relatively simple songwriting. The result is a soundscape that sounds distant, but broad in scope. This EP received an unfavorable review, but surely whoever wrote such disparaging words had little to no idea what HUNTER'S MOON is about. I see little reason to say anything further about this marvelous band. Like their EP, this review is short, but communicates (hopefully) much. www.myspace.com/thehuntersmoon, www.hellsheadbangers.com

Nat Shapiro

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HUTT
Sessao Descarego (Tape)
(Nihilistic Holocaust)
40:47min

What can you expect when a band delivers 39 tracks in a little bit more than 40 minutes? Yes, nothing else than relentless Grindcore. These Brazilian sickos grind your skull to dust. The CD-R (which is actually released on tape) features 29 tracks of the "Sessao Descarego" album (2004) plus the "Miseravel" demo from 2003 (10 tracks). This band is not better and also not worse than every other band in this genre. It's not a new sensation (which is also very difficult as Grindcore is very limited in its music) but these guys shred their stuff with passion and dedication. And they can offer a powerful production which is necessary when you play this kind of music. For sure worth being checked out by Grind maniacs and people who like a lethal dose of that style here and then. By the way all lyrics are in Portuguese. Contact the label at www.nihilistic.ca.tc or the band under www.2plus2equal5.com.

Michael Oelschlegel

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HYADES 
The Roots Of Trash
(Mausoleum Records)
32:01min

You might first glance this album, and think it reads, "The Roots Of Thrash". You might then think, "Gee, that's way too ambitious for such a young looking band. Who do they think they are?" You would be partially correct to ask these questions. The title is "The Roots Of Trash", and the band was formed in 1996, meaning they are neither young, nor as pretentious as they may seem. Yet, you may still ask why the hell they're playing directly into the styrofoam packaged Thrash revival. Looking ever so much like an EVILDEAD clone, HYADES try to focus on hard-hitting melody like the way METALLICA or FORBIDDEN would have done some twenty-plus years ago. The truth is, no modern band has pulled it off yet because they all produce their albums digitally. It all sounds like a packet of dry-as-the-desert saltine crackers. There's something so lapdog-like about stuff like this. It's one thing to love and respect your forebears. It's quite another to worship them to the point of cheap imitation-something a little brother does, and it's not cute, its annoying. www.myspace.com/hyadesband, www.mausoleum-records.com

Nat Shapiro

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HYPERBOREAN DESIRE
..v kruhu Veskerenstva...
(Naga Productions)
46:27min 

I am not even going to attempt to pronounce this album’s title. What I will say is that it is the 2006 debut album from the Czechoslovakians of HYPERBOREAN DESIRE. Progressive, Black, Death Metal very much akin to the bands Wrong Again Records used to promote in the mid to late 90s bands like IN FLAMES, NAGLFAR, MISCREANT and EXCRETION. If any of you reading this are into that sound by all means get in contact with these Czechs. Promoted as “…original musically-idealistic entity. It's basic throught which is connected to all tracks of this band is finding Hyperborea as a unreachable voluntaristic ideal, mythic land, where rules eternal spring. Hyperborean Desire is a voice of desire to return of Tradition, searching of old values, overrun of sensual apprehension and materialism of modern age. Through music we glorify timeless values for which in ancient times lived individuals and nations.” If that makes any sense to you… Then get your copy today! Pro recorded, produced and manufactured. Remember… Even if you disagree with their bands, fucking Naga Productions does not release cheaply made products! Contact: info@hyperborean-desire.com or www.hyperborean-desire.com or www.myspace.com/hyperboreandesire or www.naga-productions.com

Wes Rhodes

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HYPNOS
The Revenge Ride 
(Morbid Records) 
35:25min 

Why should Bruno and Pegas (ex-KRABATHOR) forget how to blast? The second HYPNOS full-length impressively shows their qualities: plenty of rage and sickness as well as some groove and a slight hint of melody are put together by the czech cooks for a delicious bloody meal. "The Revenge Ride" doesn't offer innovation but brutality and it's good this way! This album could have been longer (short album - short review!) - still, it's worth the while checking out HYPNOS.

Ramon Claassen

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HYPNOSIA 
Extreme Hatred 
(Hammerheart Records) 
52:18min  

For all those who love to bang their heads without mercy and still worship albums like MERCILESS' "The Awakening", SADUS' "Illusions" or KREATOR’s "Pleasure To Kill", there finally is a band again which will take you back to those wonderful days! Really, it’s been a very long time since I have heard  such an intense thrashing album! From the beginning till the end, HYPNOSIA thrashes through this  album in such a high speed, you have to hear it to believe it! The vocals (damn close to the vocals of  SADUS), the artwork (a reaper), the production, even the song-titles, everything on this album is pure Thrash-nostalgia which takes you back to the mid-eighties! Despite the fact that the songs are damn  fast, everything is very tight played. As a special bonus, the digi-pack version also features the "Violent Intensity" mini-album and a very well executed version of POSSESSED’s 'My Belief'. If you call yourself a Thrash Metal fan, this one is simply a MUST!!!! One of my fave releases within the last months! 

Steven Willems  

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HYPOCRISY
10 Years Of Chaos And Confusion (Ltd. 2 CD Boxset)
(Nuclear Blast Records)
68:36min - Disc 1
35:01min - Disc 2

It's really weird - when I published an HYPOCRISY interview in our little debut issue, back in 1992, most of the people were throwing shit at me for that. In their opinion the band was nothing but another rather superfluous and much hyped band on the Nuclear Blast rooster. Now, almost ten years later, HYPOCRISY is one of the best selling bands in the Death Metal genre, so I really wonder who bought all the HYPOCRISY albums and supported the band in such a massive way then?! Anyway, fact is that this 10 year anniversary release is a fuckin' masterpiece by all means! Not only that the regular album features a killer and perfectly balanced mixture of HYPOCRISY's best tracks (six of them in re-recorded, way more convincing versions!), this boxset also includes a bonus disc with their 1991 and '92 demos, 6 promotional videos and a brandnew (not so convincing) track by the name of 'Turn The Page'. The booklet comes up with tons of pictures from various periods in the band's career and the design of the boxset itself is nothing but impressive. So, even if you never cared for HYPOCRISY before, you should take some time to listen to this. It might not only change your opinion, but maybe even turn you into another HYPOCRISY addicted! Excellent!

Frank Stöver  

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HYPOCRISY
Virus
(Nuclear Blast)
44:31min

2005 brings us two surprising evolutions from the HYPOCRISY camp: first of all it seems that since the success of PAIN Mr. Workholic Tägtgren seems to get rid off his commercial and experimental craziness with that outfit. To the point, don’t expect a pathetic modern thrilled album like “Catch 22” in 2005, but I guess even a good selling act like HYPOCRISY doesn’t take risks in days when CDs are lying like rocks in the stores. So, it’s natural that the bigger bands deliver what their fans expect them to be. Second good thing is the involvement of ex – IMMORTAL / GRIMFIST drummer Horgh, cause it would have be a shame if Peter wouldn’t speed up the material with having such a blastmachine in the band. Shortly said: 4 out of the 11 tracks are definitely fast fuckers, especially 'Bloodrenched' is a real fist in the face which I haven’t heard from them for a long time. As I already said HYPOCRISY plays the poker game on “Virus” for sure, with all elements that made the band so big within the last years and in terms of the songwriting they definitely know how to hide small and fine detailed arrangements in each song. On one hand you could say that HYPOCRISY is starting to repeat, but feelingwise I think that this album has much more of the spirit of the great “Abducted” days than several other releases which they delivered within the last 7 years. And that is for me definitely a satisfying and positive result, especially because of the fact that I didn’t expect anything that good from HYPOCRISY again. You can order the CD here.

Ralf Hauber

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HYPOKRAS
Dead & Hungry
(Warpath Records)
28:01min

Ok, I gotta admit that I didn't know shit about these guys. If they already were known in the underground before the release of this album, I didn't notice them... Oh well, it's obviously getting more and more difficult to follow the scene these days. Luckily their label included an info sheet, so I can share a couple of facts with you here. HYPOKRAS is a French based act that mainly consists of two members: Deinos -  who's not only writing all the music and lyrics, he's also performing all instruments except for keyboards and drums (for this debut album they recruited "Sir Genocide" for that) and another guy named Rhikou on vocals. Previously to this full length they did two demos - "Terror 1" in 1998 and a 7 song promotape in February 2001. Lyrically HYPOKRAS is said to be influenced by "gore movies and uncanny writings..." Which finally leads us to the musical aspect, after all. HYPOKRAS play a thrashin' form of brutal Death Metal, all in all very well produced and musically extremely solid and matured sounding, but with no real identity on its own. Everything sounds pretty good and I hardly find any negative aspects about the album, apart from the fact that there's already hundreds, if not thousands of bands coming up with something similar. And because of that the album started to bore me rather quickly. Everything just sounded too familiar too me and was heavily lacking in real excitement to keep me interested long enough. If you don't mind that, give it a listen - it's certainly not a bad release and you probably may enjoy it more than I did. 

Frank Stöver

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HYPONIC
The Noise Of Time
(AreaDeath Productions)
36:10min

The first time I bumped into HYPONIC from Hongkong was when reviewing AreaDeath’s tribute to Chuck Schuldiner called “Unforgotten Past”. For my taste, HYPONIC’s version of 'The Philosopher' was pretty much the sole truly memorable contribution on that one. Their new CD contains 4 extra long, extra slow pieces of Dooooom Death comparable with ESOTERIC and the likes. HYPONIC don’t quite reach those masters’ level of misanthropy and despair but I’m not quite sure whether that’s their goal anyway. These Chinese rather seem to focus on bombastic, threatening emotions supported by loads of cymbals and gongs. Makes it a bit unusual and therefore exotic to my ears. Just because HYPONIC isn’t the most doomy band I ever listened to doesn’t mean you’re safe with ‘em, though. If I were you, I’d lock my windows in order not to be able to hop out of the 7^th floor or so. Since that’s what you might be about to do when listening to the cataclysmic showdown of ‘The Dead, The Stranger’ for example. All those rather unusual harmonies (?) plus the inevitability of slow force are simply miles away from happiness and bubblegum. Surprisingly, somehow the leads on the last song ‘Hymn To The Dark’ slightly remind me of PINK FLOYD (yeah, I know I’m crazy). Just a lot slower and more bizarre. I absolutely dig that song. By the way, it seems as if at least some mail orders sell this one for the price of an EP. This plus a professional sound quality should satisfy all you doom dancers. Go an’ get it! http://www.angelfire.com/band2/hyponic/, http://areadeath.net/

Ramon Claassen

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