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KILLER
Broken Silence
(Mausoleum Records)
71:02min
Thirteen years after the original release of KILLER's latest album "Fatal
Attraction", one of Belgium's premier Metal acts finally returns to the
scene with a brandnew release. Well, actually it's just vocalist / guitarist
Paul "Shorty" Van Camp with a completely renewed backing band, but
that doesn't necessarily mean that the new material ain't recognizable as KILLER
any longer (even his VAN CAMP solo album still pretty much sounded like KILLER).
Shorty's vocals are simply too unique and his way of writing songs still too
typical. So, the main difference between "Broken Silence" and all the
older KILLER releases is mainly the addition of keyboard player Dave Powell, a
fact which may sound weird in the first place, in particular to all those of you
who still remember the band's full force ahead, raw Metal style from the past,
which very often got compared to MOTÖRHEAD back then (especially for what they
had delivered on their alltime classic "Shock Waves"). After
personally being pretty much confused at first, I surprisingly got used to this
new element rather quick. The fact that the keyboards weren't used to polish up
the sound was probably the main reason why I started to like it after a few
listens already. I mean, KILLER's style has by no means become more symphonic,
poppy or progressive because of that. It's more in the vein of bands like DIO or
early PRETTY MAIDS and how they used it in their early days - raw, crushing
Metal with some little extra melodies courtesy of the keyboard. And don't tell
me that tracks like 'Broken Silence' or 'Crash And Burn' (just to name two out
of the twelve) are lacking the old energy now... So, if you already liked
KILLER's previous four albums (which all got re-issued recently through
Mausoleum as well; see re-releases section) and if you are open minded enough
for some refreshments in that wellknown sound, make sure to check this comeback
release out. "Broken Silence" has definitely got some very cool songs
on offer! www.4-killer.com
Frank Stöver
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KILLER
Immortal
(Mausoleum Records)
62:52min
"Broken Silence", KILLER's comeback album from 2003, caused quite a
lot of controvery among Metalfans in general and die hard worshippers of the
band in particular... The reason was the unexpected use of keyboards, which
dominated their classic Metal sound a bit too much on that album. Even though I
personally got used to it rather quickly (which isn't really a big deal if
you're a wimp like me, haha), the material by no means reached the class of
their older releases (which mainly impressed because of their raw,
uncompromising MOTÖRHEAD - type charme). But instead of continuing on in that
direction, KILLER surprisingly took all the criticism to heart and made sure to
return back to basics, with a stronger, new album entitled "Immortal"!
Due to the fact that original bassplayer and second vocalist Spooky is no part
of this whole reunion thing, the Lemmy - style vocals are of cause still missing,
but as Shorty used to sing on all their classic releases as well already,
there's no real problem here. In general "Immortal" turns out to be an
album full of well written and performed traditional Metal, with no modern
overtones at all, which is absolutely great in my book! There's plenty of
double-bass drumming to be heard on the entire record, which means that KILLER
are obviously more and more returning to their angrier side, which fits them a
lot better anyway. At least all those of you who are already over 30 years of
age will easily recognize a lot of references to classic Metal acts... The title
track for instance is musically (not vocally!) heavily influenced by good ol'
PRIEST (a few others as well), 'Easy Rider' is based on a cool SAMMY HAGAR –
type riff ('There's Only One Way To Rock' to be more precise here), 'The Mirror'
delivers rather classical inspired, "guitar-hero" like guitarwork, 'Highland
Glory' has a rather Irish feel to it and the album's closer 'Ad Tempus Vitae' is
an impressive instrumental! The best thing is yet to come though: keyboards are
only used very rarely and in the background nowadays! And the material pretty
much benefits from that as opposed to get dominated by them. Not all of the
songs knew to convince me completely (which is pretty natural these days,
especially considering the disc's rather long playing time), but the more I
listened to this 12 tracker the more the record grew on me. Only the rather
sterile and too synthetic sounding (yet very professionally done) production
doesn't really compliment the band's oldschool vibes too well in my opinion. But
technology marches on and bands obviously like it that way, otherwise it
wouldn't have become such a common sound these days. So, to sum it up: KILLER
learned from their mistakes and have definitely chosen the right path again!
More info: www.4-killer.com
Frank Stöver
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KILLING MACHINE
Metalmorphosis
(Mausoleum Records)
42:05min
What a nice suprise
this one turned out to be... KILLING MACHINE is the brainchild of Peter
Scheithauer, who's musical past already includes various different kinds of
bands and styles. From the Melodic Rock act STREAM, to BELLADONNA,
PUSHED (the band of part time SLAYER drummer John Dette) and the SLAYER /
PANTERA - esque TEMPLE OF BRUTALITY. Enter: Dave Ellefson. The former MEGADETH
bassplayer had already teamed up with Scheithauer in TEMPLE OF BRUTALITY, so it
probably was kinda easy to get him on board for this band as well. As you may
remember, some years ago Dave had produced a record by HELSTAR (not really
something he should be proud of though), so connections to HELSTAR's frontman
James Rivera obviously still were there... and as he was convinced enough by
Scheithauer's demos, he agreed to join in. The line-up is completed nowadays by
Juan Garcia on guitars (AGENT STEEL, EVILDEAD) and Jimmy DeGrasso on drums
(Y&T, but also another Ellefson connection from his MEGADETH days). In 2000
KILLING MACHINE had already put out a self-titled debut album (via Candlelight
Records), but with a slightly different line-up though. Never heard that, so I
can't really comment on possible improvements... Fact is that "Metalmorphosis"
has become a very honest sounding, traditional Metal album, with musical
references to JUDAS PRIEST (the album's opener 'Killing Machine' for example is
total 'Painkiller' worship including a Halford – like pronounciation in the
word "brrrrrrrrreaking"!), classic ACCEPT (for the riffing /
structuring of some of the songs) and HELSTAR (of course...) due to James'
charismatic vocal delivery! Unlike many other new Metal acts these days KILLING
MACHINE never sound cheesy or too melodic, but always straight forward and very
crushing. So far I liked every record with Rivera's voice on it and "Metalmorphosis"
is no exception here. I just wished this guy would finally find a steady musical
home somewhere again instead of singing on records by tons of different bands
that choose to hire his services. Websites of interest: www.killingmachine.tv,
www.mausoleum-records.com
Frank Stöver
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KILLING
SPREE
Choose And Decide
(Morbid Records)
42:17min
KILLING SPREE arose from the ashes of German ENSLAVED. They play kinda brutal
(?) Death Metal with keyboards. My first association was SIX FEET UNDER meets
DIMMU BORGIR. Ohh, I can almost see you run amok, harrharr! Well, maybe it’s
not that bad. CANNIBAL CORPSE meets CRADLE OF FILTH? Anyway. Actually, their
first song is pretty cool because of a seventies-keyboard-solo. After that one:
no more surprises. Instead, the keyboarder very soon runs out of good ideas,
just like the rest of the band. You want seventies? Better check out AYREON.
That’s less Death Metal, of course, but they write truly good songs. The main
problem I have with KILLING SPREE is that (maybe except for ‘Dawn’, the 3rd
song) they don’t write (good) hymns or something truly memorable. I mean: what
the hell do you use the keyboards for if it’s not for something completely
drug-crazy or violently “mainstream” sounding? For that the keyboards are
too much in the background. Still, they’re omnipresent so for those who hate
that particular instrument, KILLING SPREE is definitely the wrong band. From
song No. 5 on (or – if you will - from song No. 2 on) the record truly sounds
cheap to my ears. Not so much the keyboard sounds but the song writing. At least
KILLING SPREE have drive. Pretty groovy. Not really like SIX
FEET UNDER,
though. There might be a chance for them to make it big in the Death / Gothic
scene with lots of support and constant touring but it’s definitely not my
taste and it sucks my energy. www.killing-spree-cb.de
Ramon Claassen
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KILLJOY
Enemigo
(Shark Records)
49:07min
The guitarist of this Polish band presents himself under the alias “Metal”, and that is exactly what you can find on this output. Just Metal, in its purest form. No specific genre here, although influences from ’80s Thrash / Speed Metal (METALLICA) and the NWOBHM (IRON MAIDEN) can be spotted. The vocalist is doing a great job, sometimes he sounds like a more versatile version of James Hetfield and
most songs benefit from his expressive voice. But this may not lead to the conclusion the music itself is weak, which it is not. But, like in many other traditional Metal outfits, the part of the singer / shouter is very important. Just remember JUDAS PRIEST without Rob Halford or IRON MAIDEN exclusive of Bruce Dickinson. Personally I like “Enemigo” because of its freshness, for me it seems the musicians are just playing the stuff they like without thinking about any stupid restrictions concerning a specific genre. For me a clear advantage of this release, but due to the massive amount of releases nowadays and the trend to pigeonhole all and everything, I fear this first full-length by KILLJOY will vanish into thin air. Because it is not explicit Thrash nor explicit traditional Heavy Metal. But hopefully there are some listeners out there who are willing to gave KILLJOY a chance, it is definitely good quality Metal.
www.killjoy.metal.pl.
It is on sale here .
Mirco Szymyslik
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KILLUS
God Bless Us
(Twilight-Vertrieb)
39:22min
I’m not sure if this review will appeal to the fans which might be interested
in this type of music, as we are talking about Industrial Metal here and
that’s not the common style that Voices is taking care of, is it? KILLUS'
style of music is pretty much influenced by bands like WHITE ZOMBIE / ROB
ZOMBIE, MINISTRY and MARYLIN MANSON and that’s what you get here. The sound on
this release is just fantastic which is in my eyes very important for this type
of music. The layout of the CD is also very good so the only thing left to tell
is how the quality of the songs is: the guys from KILLUS know what they are
doing and it sounds as they have already quite a lot experience in playing music
which means that the whole result sounds very professional. There are pretty
good songs on this CD unfortunately there is no “hit” included which I think
is quite essential for this type of music, though 'Dead Revolution' comes pretty
close to that. OK, lets make it like this: KILLUS still have to progress alot to
compete with the above mentioned big brothers but for all fans of these bands I
can recommend to risk an ear on this CD. Check out www.killusrevolt.com
or www.myspace.com/killusgroup
as well as the homepage of their label www.twilight-vertrieb.de.
The CD is on sale at
this location.
Thomas Ehrmann
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KIMAERA
Ebony Veiled
(Stygian Crypt Productions)
51:38min
KIMAERA from Lebanon are one of the bands which deserve a kind of exotic bonus
mainly due to their mother country. Metal bands from the Middle East are
normally incorporating some kind of local influences into their music and bands
like NIGHTFALL, ORPHANED LAND or SEPTIC FLESH could be named without a doubt as
cult acts for their local and the international Metal scene. This is normally
the case but for KIMAERA all these rules are not really applicable! They are
much more influenced by the Gothic / Doom Metal veterans of the early 90s than
by their cultural background and the British scene must be named as their main
musical source (ANATHEMA, PARADISE LOST). But it’s a pity that KIMAERA are
following these veterans so much in detail that the songs had become so
predictable. I was really trying to find the special moment during the 52
minutes playing time and two / three songs are offering some nice parts to the
listener but in total “Ebony Veiled” is nothing more than a vague copy. www.kimaera.info;
www.stygiancrypt.com
Matthias
Auch
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KING DIAMOND
Abigail II: The Revenge
(Metal Blade Records)
53:04min
"KING
DIAMOND
play very complicated, but at times quite melodical Heavy
Metal.
Their vocalist has very wide vocal range and the guitarists
know to handle their instruments pretty well. Quite good album. By or die.
Support the major
underground".
Nice review, isn't it? But even any nonsense of such kind hasn't been written here
in VFTD about the
new KING
DIAMOND
album up to this day, though some 2-3 months have
sinked into oblivion since our much-esteemed
editor-in-chief first tried to find among his contributors anyone interested in
reviewing it. My first reaction to this was like: "Don't you, dear
colleagues, find it at least a bit roughly towards Mr. KD to ignore his efforts
after all he's done for Metal?". This injustice should have been
eliminated as soon as possible, so when I finally layed my hands on the album in
question I was ready
as Hell for Revenge. But a couple of
first attempts
have
cooled my temper a bit, having made
me think that my colleagues,
on the contrary, were making KD a
favour NOT reviewing this album. Moreover,
I didn't even understand
what made me to give
the disk some more spins. Was
it just my blind admiration for the art of the maestro? Or maybe some youthful
naivety and undying hope to hear from him anything of "Don't Break The Oath"
or "Abigail" caliber once again some lucky day? I guess all that plus
the firm belief that like any other KD album, "The Revenge" must have
had something special, something to
attract your attention and make you come back to it again and again even if at
the first listen it didn't impress you too much. Or even at all. And
yes, my stubbornness was rewarded! "The Revenge" is growing on you,
slowly but unavoidably. Growing like a shadow in the evening, like a shadow of
the mansion of Count de La Fey. Indeed, it's a kind of album one starts to enjoy
as soon as he / she manages to set one's mind free from the pernicious habit of
comparing. "Don't Break The Oath" is considered by many the very best
thing King has ever been involved in, well, but isn't it a bit stupid to await
from every new of his efforts to be Part II of that album and is it correct to
compare them all to "… The Oath" again and again? If one of your
children is in any way closer to your heart than the rest, is it reason enough
to neglect or even hate the others? And, finally, take a look inside yourself
– are you the same as you were when "Don't Break The Oath" was laid
onto your turntable for the first time? Are you still able to perceive the music
the same way you used to many years ago? That's it. So leave all your complaints
behind and enjoy the continuation of the “Abigail” story – maestro has
done his best to entertain you, so do not disappoint him. The idea of bringing
Abigail back from the dead must have been pretty exciting, though a bit
venturesome. Ruining anything great is easy, creating it is so much harder. The
parallels with the original "Abigail" are quite evident one time, or
barely perceptible the other, but I believe there's nothing good in trying to
dissect the album and explore it in pieces. It's one hell of a conceptual album
and should be judged that way, as a whole. Still the most dramatic difference
between the original “Abigail” and her junior sister is that while the
former album was one big masterpiece in every single detail, the solid
foundation made of one unbroken piece, the latter is rather the collection of
some nice pieces generously alternated by more ordinary (though still quite
listenable) ones. But even if this music doesn't live up to high standards of
"Abigail", its cover artwork most definitely does! Such nice pictures
make you long for the great times of LP sleeves covering your walls once again.
You'd laugh, I know, but I dare say that our favorite multivocalist did manage
to find even more shades to his already incredibly wide vocal range.
Unbelievable, but it seems like here we're presented to something new in his
vocals, not heard before. I know that it's simply beyond the human capabilities,
but excuse me, are we talking about the human beings here or about King Diamond?
Ah, you've got the point, fine…"That's the end of another lullaby.
Time has come for me to say: Goodnight".
Timothy Dovgy
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KINGDOM
Unholy Graveyard
(Time Before Time Records)
38:37min
“Unholy Graveyard”, the debut album by Poland’s KINGDOM, is a jewel in the
flooded release-mania these days. I think I speak in the name of the whole
Voices From The Darkside family that there are far too many releases out there
today and the problem is that most of these releases are simply mediocre (at
least I totally agree here - Frank). Does it make sense to write a review about
those releases? No! The band, if honest to them, recognizes alone that their
output isn’t good enough. Well, that’s not the case for “Unholy
Graveyard”. It took me a while to get the foot in the door of this release and
after a few runs I can say that the ultra brutal blasting yet oldschool-esque
produced massacre kicks ass! The included ‘Into The Storm Of Steel’ from
ANGEL CORPSE might give you a small impression what this band is all about,
though KINGDOM are more than a band who likes some kind of name-dropping because
of a coversong. To me this coversong wouldn’t have been necessary at all as
there are many songs on this recording which shows a good dose of Death Metal
the way we like it. A recommendable release for Death Metal fans who like it
brutal in the vein of ANGEL CORPSE and IMMOLATION. Available at www.time-before-time.com.
Thomas
Ehrmann
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KIYAMAT
Prepare For War (Demo CD)
(self-financed)
20:19min
"Prepare For War" is the first demo by this evil horde hailing from the unholy pits of Singaporean Hell. Ian Kiyamat is now the only
remaining dark soul and if I am right he recorded all the stuff by himself. To capture the true essence of darkness the material was
recorded on a 8 track machine. So a raw and evil sound is guaranteed. After an unholy intro KIYAMAT starts off with 'Restless' which is a
midpaced blackened hymn. Some wolves howls can also be heard at the beginning and the end of the track. It has some spirit of old GRAVELAND
stuff. 'Kingdom Crusuade' is a midtempo banger with some faster sections as well. A nice blackish hymn is also
'Infernal Flames Of Hell'. A little unusual because of the raw contents of this
demo is the fourth track 'Mystic Dreams'. The song features synth parts which are omnipresent
the whole track and it's quite melodic as well. The final and title track 'Prepare For
War' is a raw and fast anthem again. All in all a nice piece of black art which should appeal to black hearts out there
who are into exotic bands as well. Give them a try. www.kiyamat.tk.
Michael Oelschlegel
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KLABAUTAMANN
Our Journey Through The Woods
(self-financed)
51:34min
After two demos KLABAUTAMANN from Bonn, Germany release their debut album
entitled “Our Journey Through The Woods“. The music of this duo can roughly
be classified as melodic and moderate Black Metal with German and English lyrics
but they manage to add a special element by the use of sophisticated acoustic
guitar arrangements. In addition to the already excellent and complex guitar
work, the songs are riddled with atmospheric and very melodic acoustic guitars,
even in doublebass and blast-beat parts. This “trademark“ gives a lot of
depth to the songs and the huge amount of details might guarantee a long-lasting
listening pleasure for people who like to explore the finesse of a profound
album. The production succeeds in highlighting the different guitar aspects but
as a small flaw the drum sound could be louder and more powerful, which
otherwise would have added a bit more bite to the songs. On the webpage www.klabautamann.de
you can find further information as well as lyrics and mp3 excerpts.
Christoph Göbel
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KOLDBORN
First Enslavement
(DieHard Music)
38:20min
I've
never really been a big fan of the Danish Death Metal scene (even though there
might be a handful exceptions, like INIQUITY, THORIUM etc.) and KOLDBORN
certainly won't manage to change that either. The main problem that I have with
almost all of them is the fact that they very often incorporate modern groove
Metal or Hardcore elements into the traditional brutal Death Metal sound - and I
can't stand that at all! On the other hand - when it comes to the musicianship
and / or production of the Danish bands, there's rarely something to complain
about. It almost seems that all the musicians over there pick up an instrument
right after they have learned to say 'mummy'... KOLDBORN is still a kinda new
band to the scene that names DIVINE EMPIRE and ENTOMBED as influences and they
label their own style as "Groove'n'Grind". Luckily they aren't as
annoying as their aforementioned countrymates due to the fact that the Death
Metal they perform (with the usual top notch quality) not constantly gets
poisoned by those outside influences. But that doesn't mean that are really a
band I would like to listen to more often. Everything just sounds to predictable
and wellknown and is totally lacking the real brutality and dark blasphemous
atmosphere that makes "true" (yeah, I hate to use that word as well,
but...) Death Metal acts so fascinating. Plus - the use of additional female
vocals (in two of songs) completely sucks! So, all in all this is an ok type
offering (especially if you get a free copy of it, like me), but definitely not
something I would consider investing my money in.
Frank Stöver
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KOLDBORN
The Uncanny Valley
(Listenable Records)
36:44min
I got this album from our head editor Frank "where are the fucking reviews???" Stöver and actually haven't heard anything of these guys before but it seems that they have been pounding the scene for quite a while now. Basically what KOLDBORN offers is heavily downtuned catchy-like Death Metal that strongly suggests a Scandinavian breath in which the mid-tempo reigns supreme with ocassional bursts of extremity. As a reference I could mention CARNAL FORGE, HATESPHERE, PANZERCHRIST for instance and maybe not that thrashy-sounding like some of them. Although I consider this band fairly average I must admit they possess a certain vibe which is really enchanting and allow an enjoyable listening experience. Luckly enough they don't sound like pathetic IN FLAMES. An interesting selling point is that they have members from renowed bands like HATESPHERE and DENIAL OF GOD. So, if it gets your way you definitely have a good reason to check it out. Get this album at:
www.myspace.com/listenable.
Also on sale
here.
Mario Cubero
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KONKHRA
Reality Check
(Code666)
44:37min
Denmark‘s Deathrashers KONKHRA are back with their fifth studio album "Reality
Check", which was produced by Anders Lundemark (voc. / git.) at his
Starstruck studio in Copenhagen. The powerful production pushes the energy of
the altogether 12 tracks. The ten songs (plus instrumental and outro) are a
balanced mixture of modern Thrash and Death Metal with grooving midtempo parts
and fast, propulsive assaults. The slower, groovier songs are okay but KONKHRA
definitely have their best moments when they hit the accelerator and push
forward like a rabid boar, because that‘s when the songs have drive! The icing
on the cake is the sophisticated lead guitar, which contributes some very
skillful solos. Especially people who like CARNAL FORGE, THE HAUNTED or the
latest TESTAMENT stuff should risk an ear on this album. On their excellently
designed website www.konkhra.com
you can find loads of information about the band, listen to some songs from
"Reality Check" and watch a couple of their videos. Their label‘s
website is www.code666.net.
Christoph Göbel
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KORIHOR
Bastardo
(Hippieshredder Productions)
36:00min
The most wellknown Black Metal horde hailing from the islands of the Philippines presents us
its new output. The quartet which saw its dark light of day in 1998 in Davao City takes again no
prisoners and rages merciless through the eight tracks of the album which is entitled "Bastardo". Total blasphemy
reigns supreme again and everybody who know them from one of their previous works
will have an idea what to expect from this release. KORIHOR thrashes their bestial Black Metal in the typical South East
Asian vein which will let your ears bleed. Of course this output will just appeal to a
true and proud fanbase as the stuff is (luckily) too extreme and bestial for the mainstream. As for me I am concerned I
enjoy their material and all of their previous assaults as well. The CD includes
four new songs and four live tracks which were recorded at the Blazing Annihilation gig in February this year. The new songs are
played without any compromises and remind me sometimes a little bit on old ABHORER stuff. These
Filipinos try to vary their stuff within their stylistic frame and basis and they are able to
incorporate some cool Thrash parts and elements into their sound. Tracks like the excellent opener 'Satanik Hellbangers' or
'Uproar Of The Bastardos' can convince me and I can claim that the new compositions are their best
songs so far (in matters of songwriting and also production wise). The tracks have a good structure,
tempo changes and cool breaks. Of course the songs sound all a little bit similar to each other but this can not be avoided when you play this
kind of bestial stuff and many other bands have this problem as well. The sound quality of the
live recordings is of course a little bit weaker and is nothing for HIFI fetishists, but who gives a fuck? A
cool album for all Hellbangers out there who are into bestial and exotic Metal. Kumusta Obispo? Nagaling ang trabaho mo! Mabuhay sa
Pinoy Black Metal! Get in touch with the band at
www.korihor666.cjb.net
or the label
www.hippieshredder.com
Michael Oelschlegel
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THE KOVENANT
In Times Before The Light
(Hammerheart Records)
57:01min
When
this album originally came out on Mordgrimm Records back in 1995 it still
featured the band's old name / logo COVENANT and a completely different
packaging. Mainman Nagash was quickly recruited by DIMMU BORGIR shortly after
but at the time this was basically just one of his countless side-projects
anyway (among CARPE TENEBRUM, TROLL etc.). But in the years to come COVENANT
suprisingly matured more and more into a 'real' band and even released their
next album on Nuclear Blast Records ("Nexus Polaris"). Shortly after
though, they had to change their name into THE KOVENANT and went on to explore
slightly different musical boundaries. That evolution also kind of reflects in
this "re-issue" which basically hasn't much to do anymore with the
original version. Ok, you'll notice the completely different visual side of the
record straight away and there's also talk of a remix... But unlike with many
other releases that are said to be remixed (and you usually don't hear shit)
this is indeed quite a drastic difference. The "remix" almost turned
this into a completely new record! The modern overtones that became quite a big
trademark for THE KOVENANT (and were still missing in their style back in the
early days) have also found their way into the material here now as well. Which
means that traditional Black Metal fans most certainly won't get a kick out of
this any longer and probably should continue their search for the original (COVENANT)
version. All those of you who are open minded enough though and tend to like
most of the experimental happenings within the current extreme underground,
should give this a (second?!) try because the result is far more promising than
I expected it to be. While the original record was basically just a second rate
DIMMU BORGIR, this became quite an exciting, refreshed offering that could
easily compete with a bunch of the current releases on the market. Very
cool.
Frank Stöver
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KRATEIN
Trauma
(Folter Records)
35:21min
German based Folter Records are still a real dedicated underground label –
despite the omnipresent decay within the whole scene – and luckily they are
also still hungry enough to support new bands – this time the German newcomer
KRATEIN. The band / project consists of members of several underground bands
including the northern TODTGELICHTER. KRATEIN are in every sense of the world an
unbelievable young band – only founded in 2009 – but musically they are
fully capable of transferring their ideas to the audience. The cover shows a
naked woman with the tattooed word ‘Trauma’ on her back and the band is
lyrically touching topics like mental decay etc. These ideas are for sure not
really new and these days a beloved alternative to the Satanic universe – for
cross-reference check bands like LIFELOVER, SHINING – so lets concentrate on
the music. The basis of the presented 5 songs – the introduction is nice but
nevertheless totally unessential – is traditional Black Metal supported by
several avantgarde elements and these unfamiliar parts within the songs give
“Trauma” the necessary diversity. I’m for sure not the only one which will
connect KRATEIN with the early releases of acts like NAGELFAR and DORNENREICH
but this is definitely only a proof for the given potential. Let’s see what
the future will bring, “Trauma” is for sure a more than solid start! www.folter666.de,
www.myspace.com/kratein
Matthias Auch
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KREATOR
Violent Revolution
(Steamhammer / SPV)
56:37min
The
music biz is unpredictable, so you better expect the unexpected every now and
then. Especially when it comes to KREATOR… I honestly didn't really give a
shit about them anymore after they released their "Coma Of Souls"
album way way back in 1990. And I neither considered "Renewal"
nor "Cause For Conflict" or "Outcast" as
classic KREATOR releases as they were either to experimental or simply too
modern sounding. And I suppose after the Gothic inspired "Endorama"
even the last one of you reading this finally turned his (or her) back on the
Thrash legend, didn't you?! So, you probably won't believe me, but with "Violent
Revolution" KREATOR finally have come up with a worthy follow-up to the
aforementioned "Coma Of Souls" album. And I definitely don't
write this because of the coverart, which heavily reminds on "Coma…"
Musically KREATOR quite impressively managed to return to their straight ahead
and hard hitting oldschool Thrash Metal days and prove that they are still able
to kick some major ass! Of course this ain't a "Pleasure To Kill"
part 2, but it's still a very cool record. Great riffing, high quality -
sometimes pretty melodic leads and a solid production courtesy of Andy Sneap in
combination with Mille's charismatic hateful vocalstyle makes this a worthy
purchase which (at least to me) is a lot more convincing than what DESTRUCTION
have come up with lately. Welcome back guys!!
Frank
Stöver
BACK
KREON
Impact Winter
(Obscure Domain Productions)
41:58min
It is impressive how many bands want to be underground by doing almost no
promotion whatsoever outside of their country. I have found Germany to be one of
those places with a lot of Heavy Metal bands of all styles that are just a big
mystery outside their homeland. KREON is one of them. Formed in 2003, the name
KREON refers to Sophokles Antigone. King Kreon was a man of might who was
personally screwed up by his own system of ruling. This German quintet has done
a good album of brutal, yet somehow technical Death Metal. With a very heavy
production, and very competent performance which is also measuring the brutality
with some melody and some very wicked and twisted riffs. The main core of the
band will be brutal Death Metal, in the CANNIBAL CORPSE, IMMOLATION style. Yet,
by the form they compose, I would say that IMMOLATION is one of their biggest
influences, although it might also be a coincidence. Some of the songs and riffs
like in the song 'Reinvent The Wheel' sound to me like an unholy mixture of
later DEICIDE and later DEATH. What becomes clear after a few turns is the fact
that we are in front of an American influenced European Death Metal band. Just
think of SINISTER to give you a hint. Usually brutal Death Metal goes along
frognoise-like vocals. Well, here they were clever enough not to use them. Yes,
they are still guttural low-growling vocals, but J. Morti, the vocalist, tries
hard to pronounce every word and once in a while changes some tones to a higher
mode. Every once in a while I can also sense some Swedish Death Metal sounds.
And in the song 'Rage Boundary' I can even smell the rotten stench of AUTOPSY.
What at first listen was like “another brutal technical Deathcore algebraic
band” turned out to be a sure surprise. I suppose their lyrics are more
dealing with more real topics than fictional carnages. For a debut album, they
were clever enough to blend many sounds and come out with an enjoyable album.
Purist of brutal Death might find this a bit technical, mathcore maniacs might
find this a bit light, but there are enough killer riffs to enjoy it. Another
band that in my mighty eye of foretelling future, must be to be taken in count. www.kreon-reich.de,
www.obscuredomain.com
Julián Núñez
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KRIEG
Destruction Ritual
(Red Stream Records)
43:56min
”Anti-social Black Metal without the need of gimmicks or nude sluts on the
album covers. Fuck off to today’s so called Black Metal and its trends! KRIEG
supports the war against you!” Need I say more? This quote from the band’s
info sheet should already give you an idea of what to expect when it comes to
this one man project from the US. KRIEG is basically the brainchild of a guy
named Imperial, who’s responsible for guitars and vocals on this album. The
drums got played by a session member (Duane Timlin) while a bass wasn’t even
used, probably in order to get an even more Black Metal-ish sounding result. The
overall material is not necessarily bad as it definitely delivers the right
feeling, it’s just that (apart from a really cool sounding, hateful voice)
“Destruction Ritual” suffers quite a bit from the almost non existing
playing / writing abilities. I mean, all power to bands that still stick to the
old school Black Metal direction, but even acts like DARKTHRONE, TAAKE,
CARPATHIAN FOREST, ISVIND etc. already delivered better quality products, with a
more matured songwriting and never ever sounded trendy, fake or whatever. So,
instead of flooding the market with more CD’s of this minimum of quality, I
would appreciate a decision to go for rehearsal - or demo tapes first. That
would be a lot more honest, and also cheaper for the real underground maniacs. www.redstream.org
Frank Stöver
BACK
KRIEG
Blue Miasma
(No Colours Records)
61:06min
KRIEG’s final album is a hard one to review. On one hand this is probably
KRIEG’s most “musical” effort, and I must honestly say that this is
certainly the album that I had the least problems with to give it full spins, on
the other hand I am not sure whether the fact that it is KRIEG’s most
“musical” and less harsh and noisy release is reason enough to give it
praise. Unfortunately the album is very long or, too long in my opinion and does
not sound very congruent. Although I have no information about the line-up, when
it was recorded etc. I am pretty sure that it had not been recorded in one
session. The sound as well as the songs vary too much. And while it never looks
as if there was not just one band performing, the influences that range from
Death and Thrash Metal to – of course – Black Metal, partly even within a
song, and make it hard to listen to. Adding to this, some songs simply are only
mediocre. In fact, if KRIEG had concentrated more on the slower and more
depressive songs like ‘Under An Uncaring Moon’ or ‘Every Wound Burned’,
and had kept it overall more compact like e.g. just 40 minutes, concentrating on
the latter half of “Blue Miasma”, I would not refuse a second to give this
album praise. This way I am left with mixed feelings, this album has some
standout songs, and I appreciate it that it in fact has actual songs, but then
there are songs where I cannot even remember what I listened to for the last
couple of minutes, featureless and boring. In any case, no album one should buy
blindly, as it is even a bit different to previous KRIEG outputs. A two-sided
edge indeed.
Nhashi
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KRISIUN
Ageless Venomous
(Century Media)
42:56min
The blastmaster gods from Brazil are back! Personally I consider KRISIUN
definitely as the most skilled and outstanding musicians in the entire Death Metal
scene next to MORBID ANGEL and "Ageless Venomous" is again a proof for
this thesis. But without beating the bush I can announce that KRISIUN's fourth
album can't compete with the predecessor "Conquerors Of Armageddon"
when it comes to intensity, speed and brutality. Well, honestly spoken it's
almost an impossible venture to top this masterpiece and I guess KRISIUN simply
tried to avoid to come up with "Conquerors…" part 2! "Ageless
Venomous" is a bit more focussed on the musical abilities of KRISIUN, so
here you get also two additional instrumentals. Of course also this album comes
up with a couple of brilliant ultra speed kill tracks featuring the fastest
drumming on earth by inhuman Max Kolesne. Just take a listen into the war
machines "Eyes Of Eternal Scourge", "Ravenous Horde", "Sepulchral
Oath" or the cool title track and learn the meaning of Death Metal
supremacy. Personally I think the main reason why "Ageless Venomous"
lacks in brutality compared to "Conquerors Of Armageddon" is
definitely the rough production. This time the album was recorded at Creative
Sound Studios in Sao Paulo, Brazil with the help of Tchelo Martins (e.g.
ABHORRENCE). The production is of course still okay, but it can't compete with
the powerful sound of Eric Rutan and Andy Classen (Stage One Studios). Last but
not least "Ageless Venomous" comes up again with a cool artwork by Joe
Petagno, but again I prefer his work for "Conquerors Of Armageddon".
To sum it up, although my moaning sounds pretty negative, KRISIUN managed again
to come up with one of the greatest Death Metal masterpiece of all time!
Schenk
BACK
KRISIUN
Assassination
(Century Media)
46:29min Mathematically
correct Death Metal! Now, is that something we desire? After
Rebaelliun’s
“Annihilation”,
Behemoth’s “Demigod” and
Hate’s “Anaclasis – A
Haunting Gospel Of Malice & Hatred” it’s not that I desperately need
another perfectly played Death Metal extremity.
By all means,
Krisun’s “Assassination” is not only sheer brutality or
drumming at light’s speed, but I don’t think the lacking aspect is in the
music itself. The riffs are mostly great, and looking at them in a clinical
way I even say they are melodic and entertaining. The drummer does a job any
long distance runner would approve with a respectful nod. No, the music has
the necessary ingredients to consider this Brazilian trio’s album a fine Death
Metal creation. I’m not even sure they cheat in the studio, because
when they played live in Oslo half a year ago, I was deeply impressed by their
skills. The main problem of “Assassination” is that it feels too perfect. The
feeling that they know how to handle their instruments more than they know how
to make it sound deadly, runs through my veins every second of this album. To
put it this way, “Assassination” doesn’t reek of putrefaction the same
way classics like “Blessed Are The Sick”, “Leprosy” or
“Clandestine” did and still do. There’s no feeling of death! It’s just
sheer brutality, as well as technicality (this is unfortunately the case
with the majority of modern Death Metal albums! - Frank). So, certainly I am impressed but
that’s not enough when I’m going think about which album I’ll play next.
And, since I didn’t know Motörhead’s original version of
'Sweet Revenge',
I mistook it for Krisun’s best track on the album. The midpaced song feels
better compared to the rapidness of most of “Assassination”’s blastbeats.
I think I play
SEance’s “Fornever Laid To Rest” once again, just to get
that good ol’ Death Metal feeling. “Assassination” is, despite its
obvious qualities, too modern, too clinical and it lacks the necessary it! www.krisiun.com.br,
www.centurymedia.com.
The CD is available here.
Roy Kristensen
BACK
KRISIUN
Southern Storm
(Century Media Records)
50:24min
Never change a winning team!!! In the case of KRISIUN producer Andy Classen (Stage
One Studios) is probably the best combination and “Southern Storm” bascially does the same hellraising Death
march like the brilliant forerunner “Assassination”. Qualitywise the material is pretty much equal and in terms of variation KRISIUN have grown so much in terms of elements in songwriting compared to their beginnings. To me KRISIUN are totally gods in terms of tightness and power and there’s even more again a great SLAYER like feeling in this creation. It’s a
pity that KRISIUN are still treated as a sort of overtoured and uncrowned killing
machine nowadays, cause in terms of quality this band basically deserves the same success as KATAKLYSM, DYING FETUS and all those third Death Metal generation bands that are doing good nowadays. To come to the point “Southern Storm” is a good continuation of the
“Assassination” style but not an increasing progression, but what the hell could do such a band better without betraying their musical roots!?! Good work, although I see no need for KRISIUN covering SEPULTURA’s
'Refuse / Resist', cause both are the most outstanding and accepted Metal exporters from Brazil, so there’s no shadow for KRISIUN left to stand in!!!
www.myspace.com/krisiun666
Hauber
BACK
KROHM
Crown Of The Ancients (MCD)
(Selbstmord Services)
21:22min
KROHM
Crown Of The Ancients (MCD)
(Selbstmord Services)
21:22min
I've never heard about this band before and I should admit it has been a great
surprise and revelation from the US scene as I find no particular groundbreaking
Black Metal act has been unleashed throughout this country. The one man band has
been founded in 1995 and aims to capture the most depressive and darkest aspect
of the genre. Since the first tunes it can be clearly heard that Numinas avoids
the Black Metal's ultra blast beats cliché to fall down an unfathomable
depth... deadly arpeggios or intense tunes are granting this demo a very special
tense moment, the guitars being supported by slow-mid purified rhythms. Two
bands came to my mind when I listened KROHM's "Crown Of The Ancient":
the three first MANES' demos and
Forgotten
woods, especially for
the vocals but don't get it wrong... here is the purest Black Metal feeling
there, an entire and sincere devotion to fall down, not only an imagery, and a
music that resembles more or less to Black Metal for a better packaging /
selling... it can be clearly felt that this 3-track demo has been made with
honesty and resentment so that the music sounds really personal without being
totally original. This is how the true flame can be feed to my point... Slow as
a corpse decomposition the three titles bring you back to the primitive essence
of Black Metal, hatred, misanthropy, darkness and a funeral march to the purest
blasphemy. Some keyboards can be found in the background sometimes and are
revealing another dimension in KROHM's music; a special highlight that reminds
me a lot of old MANES stuff has to be heard on the 3rd track for the intensive
guitar riffing contrasts with the slow rhythm and delivers a higher point of
darkness that should definitely make you check this out! Await the first album
"A World Through Dead Eyes" for it should be a really worth checking
piece to be released.
Sonderkrig
BACK
KROHM
The Haunting Presence
(Debemur Morti Productions)
56:29min
With the recent signing by the French label Debemur Morti, this project of Mr.Numinas, ex-keyboardist
of
Evoken
and
Abazagorath, as well as drummer for
Drawn And Quartered and ex-drummer of
Funebrarum,
presents their second full-length after two succesfull works, their mini CD "Crown Of The Ancients" and
their first album, "A World Through Dead Eyes", which had a quite good response (in my case, I take the
first one, which is really ghostly). There is no doubt that this guy is an excellent songwriter, and when
it comes to slow, ethereal and totally desperated Black Metal, perfect for a foggy and rainny day, he
knows what he is doing. In the seven tracks included on "The Haunting Presence", all with a length
superior to seven minutes, we can find really high-pitched guitars forming shades of simple and
enveloping melodies (together with the bass), keyboards that increase the depth of the before mentioned
and drums which are the most extreme part of the album, not for being especially technical, but they
avoid the slowness and give a bit more of groove to the rest (although I still have the doubt
that they are drum computers for the precission of the double bass on the fast parts); finally, a shrieking and
raw voice, really ghostly too. On their previous works where we could see clear influences from
Burzum,
the very first
Katatonia or
Forgotten Tomb and even
Xasthur on their less minimalistic moments
('Lifeless Serenade' is a good example), but I think that, still maintaining them, especially the
Burzum ones (and
remembering "Filosofem", although on a less raw and more melodic, even more theatrical and
creepy way), with those melodies of dissonant notes, Numinas has found how to evolve within the genre and finds a bit
more his path, without forgetting that the songs are better worked out than on their previous ones, as well
as the ones of the mentioned influences. I don't forget the fact that two tracks are sung in
Italian, and I think it would be a good point to think about in the future, as they sound especially good, a bit
rawer than in English, especially 'I Respiri Delle Ombre', which is my favourite track of the album, with
those misanthropic and desperate lyrics you can understand perfeclty (in the case you speak
Spanish as me). I will only add that on the production side he achieved a raw and minimalistic sound without appealing
to low-fi and low means, which in the end make the music less understandable. www.debemur-morti.com
Jeroni Sancho
BACK
KRONOS
Titan's Awakening
(Warpath Records)
38:58min
Unfortunately
I'm completely lacking in info when it comes to these French Deathgrinders, so I
can't tell you much about the band's activities prior to the release of this
12-track full length. But anyway, "Titan's Awakening" was sent
to us together with "Decadence & Lust" by KRONOS'
countrymen DEPRAVED, for the simple reason that both share the same label. Other
than that, both bands are playing a very Grind influenced brutal form of Metal
and DEPRAVED's frontman Kristof also contributes guest growls to the track 'Demence
Of The Gnomish Warriors' on this album, so I suppose there must be a quite
friendly relationship going on between all of them. But unlike DEPRAVED, which I
didn't like at all, KRONOS not only come up with a better looking cover art,
musically they luckily deliver a way more convincing album as well. Their Death
Metal influence is a lot stronger and therefore you're getting a more varied and
technically way better executed form of sheer brutality. The vocals are guttural
as fuck, partly interrupted by high screams and the band found a good way to
combine complex songstructures with intensity, without ever sounding too
technical. This is basically straight into your face and heavy as fuck grinding
Death Metal - nothing more, nothing less! With "Titan's Awakening"
KRONOS managed to proof that there's still bands from France these days that are
worth checking out. Contact and ordering info: warpath@wanadoo.fr
Frank
Stöver
BACK
KRONOS
Colossal Titan Strife
(Xtreem Music)
42:42min
I can keep this one short: excellent brutal Death Metal from France. Exquisite
songwriting wrapped up in a powerful production. Strongly influenced by US Death
Metal, KRONOS rage through their second album without any weaknesses.
They definitely are a talented band and I hope they have the endurance to
persevere among the legions of good Death Metal bands to prove their abilities
before a larger audience. If you're into brutal Death Metal you will surely
enjoy this one. Check out the mp3 of the titletrack on http://kronosbrutaldeath.free.fr.
Christoph Göbel
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KRONOS
The Hellenic Terror
(Xtreem Music)
41:19min
KRONOS! I thought it was a Black Metal band, but hell - this is very far away from my expectation! The only reason
why they chose KRONOS as the band’s name is their lyrics which are dealing
with Greek mythology since the first album. As it was stated by the label, KRONOS is super-amazing and
they are the mega-brutal French masters of Death Metal!! Yes, I really do agree with that! KRONOS is really fucking brutal!! “The Hellenic Terror”
is high class, brutal Death Metal with technical guitars, crushing bass and
blasbeat drumming. But note that the double-bass drumming isn’t just useless blasting as it also sounds oldschool. The
vocals are a mix of Kataklysm
and Suffocation, and there’s also some
Black Metal shrieking. The music got a lot of inspiration from Suffocation,
Decapitated, old Cryptopsy
and Vader, so “The Hellenic Terror” is highly recommended for
Death Metal fans. You’ll miss one of the best Death Metal albums of 2007 if you
ignore this one! www.xtreemmusic.com
Amin
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KRUSCHKE
Schattenreich
(self- financed)
23:09min
Here we have a new and promising act emerging from Meckenheim near Bonn /
Germany called KRUSCHKE. They are around since spring 1998 and the first result
of their efforts is this self-financed six song MCD Schattenreich. The music
itself is basically powerful and groovy Death Metal gingered up with some other
ingredients such as pieces from Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Grindcore and some
keyboard sounds (mostly clad in the garment of a beautiful piano). The opening
title starts with the piano, offerning a fine melody to your ear that is
underlined with a sphery sound. Then suddenly a unexpected and intelligent
rhythm joins the party before the guitars follow. In the next moment everything
is speeded up alot, the piano melody still present. In the further run some more
tempo changes take place and keep the music altering and interesting. It sounds
really great and entertaining. The second song has alot of groove with some
faster parts. But unfortunately there is a short theme I personally do not like
that much: the stop - and - go - guitars with the following reverb, it sounds
much to mordern and too PANTERA alike for my ears. Lucky me that it is a short
part and only apearing once. Listening to the third song I feel somehow reminded
on the first album of DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER. Eventful songwriting with a
lot of tempochanges, some calmer (piano) parts, more violent erruptions and fat
groovy rhythms. The same goes for the next three songs. I do not want to express
that KRUSCHKE sound similar to DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER nor that they are
copycats, but from my point of view their style of music will surely appeal to
everyone into DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER. Simple as that. Besides, the vocals
are aggressive, not too deep and as varied as the music itself. The sound is
strong and powerful, revealing every note to its listener. A big praise goes out
for the whole layout of the cover and inlay (black and white) as it is way more
professional than the ones some of the established labels dare to "decorate"
their products with. Clean, well structured and not overcharged with effects.
This is a good example that sometimes lesser is far more. All in all an
appetizer for more, labels should keep an eye on... Go for it for 15,- DM at
Andreas Kruschke, Goehtestr. 2, 53340 Meckenheim and visit their hompage at
www.daskruschke.de
or write them to
kruschke@surt.de
Thomas Georg
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KRYZALID
Second Life
(Thundering Records)
59:16min
Is "Demo of the Month" in french Rock Hard Magazine a criterion for
Voices readers? Well, listening to KRYZALID's debut CD "Second Life" I
would easily answer no! This record just has two big weaknesses that will hinder
me from listening to this record again in the future. If you play melodic Thrash
Metal in the vein of old ANNIHILATOR and MEGADETH your music should either
capture the listener with you remarkable playing-technique, with gripping song
structures or with sheer power. Second: the singer should lay his (or her)
charismatic voice crownlike over your majestic song castles. Unfortunately
KRYZALID did not know that! The musicians are quite skilled and technical, yes,
but they simply lack of talent to write parts or even songs that make you
scream, cry, bang or jump out of the window. This just does not kick anything!
And what makes it worse is that you hear they all know how to play their
instruments. In fact they are even quite good – what a waste of talent! In
German there are words like "dudeln" or "plätschern" which
I cannot translate but hope that you get the meaning. It just flows by... Was it
just for the music I would have given this four-piece another chance. But there
still is the vocalist-question to answer and this aspects vehemently refuses to
give me another try! The vocals just suck! It is not only the French accent (it
gave MASSACRA back then a unique touch, hehe) but the all-over lack of talent.
"Damn, the songs are finished but we don't have a singer! You do it, you
have the longest hair of us!" There might have been other reasons for
choosing this singer (greatest collection of tennis socks, owner of 27 He-Man
figures – who knows) but ist was definitely not talent!! Bad, pseudo-melodic,
ultra-low aggressive with a pronounciation that pulls your shoes out. Even the
last track – a (musically good) coverversion of ANNIHILATOR's classic 'Alison
Hell' – is barked into irrelevance. KRYZALID danced on a small edge, tumbled
and fell. But if they get rid of that singer and focus more on gripping
songwriting their next release could be a real killer. Could! www.kryzalid.org,
www.thundering-records.com
Tim Klöcker
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KULT
Winds Of War
(Debemur Morti Productions)
37:46min
When
you come across a band called KULT, with
a debut album entitled “Winds Of War” calling their music “harsh” Black
Metal then you expect nothing less than a BLASPHEMY / BESTIAL WARLUST / DEMONCY
wannabe, right? Well, that’s not the case with Italian Black Metallers KULT.
Contrary to my initial expectation, these guys deliver a decent piece of
northern Black Metal era 1995. I suppose that this is even more apparent due to
Aphazel’s (of the ANCIENT fame) involvement in the band (he recorded the
guitars of the album according to the band). You won’t find any keyboards or
female vocals here since KULT follow a more “traditional” approach to their
music. On some songs you will recognize an epic, northern feel on guitars and
atmosphere that reminded me on the good, old Black Metal sound of ’95 but
there are also parts that failed to gain my attention. Hopefully they have a
good production and that is a good choice since I am fed up with all those bands
trying to reinvent Fenriz’s Necrohell 4-track. I have listened to the album a
couple of times and I admit that overall this is not a bad album, still it does
not have something that would distinguish it from the tons of
similar Black Metal albums out there. I suppose that this is the case
with most stuff out there nowadays, right? www.kult-band.com,
www.debemur-morti.com
Manolis
A.
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KULT OFENZIVY
Radikální Ateismus - Tvůrcům Nadčlověka
(Deathgasm Records)
29:00min
Just take a look at the name. Then try to decipher the title. Yes, it is all
done in old Czech language. Enter KULT OFENZIVY a mysterious band from the Czech
Republic, with their second album. Information on the band is rather occult, as
the band member does not want to be known. The music is pretty much Norwegian
influenced Black Metal, sung in that guttural language that gives it that
strange edge and a more malevolent sound to it. They do remind me a bit to STINY
PLAMENU, but whereas the aforementioned add more Heavy Metal and old Thrash
Metal into their music, this band keeps it quite simple and sometimes repeats
the riffs so much they are like trance inducing. Maybe I would dare to say that
VON comes to mind for the drum structure that is very similar from song to song.
In fact the whole album sounds quite similar. And that might be the first thing
that comes to mind, it all sounds too damn similar, from song to song, and the
way the riffs are created and executed does tends to sound like “I have hard
that riff before… here on another song or with some other band… the same
riff… I can swear that.” And although this gets a nice guitar sound, the
drum sound in particular, and the snare drum specially does at times have an
irritating acoustic that tends to become tiresome, add to that a very simplistic
drum pattern from song to song and it can give headache. DARKTHRONE and BURZUM
might also appear as some influence, although the vocals are more cavernous in
the case of this Czech Occult band, and actually I quite enjoy them. After a
couple more spins some of the riffs and ideas can be appreciated a bit better,
but the fact is that even if this is a short album it becomes tiring and a bit
boring. I am sure that fans of more simple and trance inducing Black Metal will
find this band good, but on the other hand, others will think it is way too
simple and not exciting. As what they deal with the lyrics remains a mystery
unless you speak their native language. But it seems that they will please those
looking for darkness and occult philosophies. They do have a potential I can
sense, but ye, they have to develop it. It is just that damn drum sounds that is
getting on my nerves. And I sense that probably, that was the idea. Now you have
been warned. Offensive it is. www.myspace.com/kultofenzivyblackmetal,
www.deathgasm.com
Julián Núñez
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KULT
OV AZAZEL
Triumph Of Fire
(Arctic Music Group)
39:21min
Be warned, KULT OV AZAZEL are neither Norwegian nor Swedish. Yes, they are Black
Metal, no they are not European. This band hails from the grim coldness of
Florida?? Yes Florida, home to such acts as MALEVOLENT CREATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE,
DEICIDE, etc.. But do not be fooled this is not old school Death Metal,
this is raw and brutal BLACK Metal!! Yes, there was a time when I was even as
hardcore to say I would not listen to any Black Metal from overseas. Times
change. On this 11 track disc you get MARDUK style vocals mixed with IMPALED
NAZARENE / DARK FUNERAL type music, they do not rip them off, there is
originality on here. Where it suffers is the production, if you own the latest
albums by MALEVOLENT CREATION and HATEPLOW then expect the same production sound, it isn't that bad but could be
better. Notable tracks: 'La Messe Noir',
'Triumph Of Fire', 'To The Cold Beyond'. But with the recent release of THORNS I
just don't listen to this as much, decent still.
Dimitri Ganatsios
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KULT OV AZAZEL
Oculus Infernum
(Arctic Music Group)
44:33min
After
the astounding full-length debut “Triumph Of Fire” in 2001 Florida’s
brutal Black Metal maniacs KULT OV AZAZEL deliver their second infernal strike
and it is definitely no disappointment! In contrast to its predecessor “Oculus
Infernum” offers more varied tempo and vocals, more grim and darker riffs and
atmosphere and an absolutely fantastic booklet layout. Of course there are still
blasting parts and Death Metal-influenced sections, but they were a bit reduced
to avoid being monotonous, which was one of “Triumph’s” major points of
criticism. Some might say that KULT OV AZAZEL sound slightly more Scandinavian
now, but I do not have a problem with this. “Oculus Infernum” is as honest,
possessed and hateful as the debut CD, but emphasises sinister feeling instead
of brutality. You have to find out for yourself if you like it that way or not,
I certainly love it!!! The album fascinates me a lot longer than
“Triumph...” because it is a bit more diversified and more than just a
second “Triumph Of Fire”. In terms of production expect nothing but the
best, because once again Jeremy Staska (worked with DIVINE EMPIRE, MALEVOLENT
CREATION) is responsible for forging the perfect sound. Support this talented
act, buy their CD!!! Also look out for the vinyl reissues of the first MCD
“Order Of The Fly”, the debut CD and the live album “Assaulting The
Masses”, which were just recently released by Autopsy Stench Records. There is
also a 7” Split EP with SATANS BLOOD coming soon, so if you are really
interested in KULT OV AZAZEL this might be useful information. Check out www.kultovazazel.com
and listen to a MP3 of ‘Perpetual Demise Of The Bastard Son’! Ok, enough
advertising...
Stefan Franke
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KULT OV AZAZEL
The World The Flesh & The Devil
(Arctic Music Group)
36:00min
One of the best known Black Metal commandos from the United States are
Florida-based KULT OV AZAZEL who released an acclaimed debut MCD in 1999 with
“Order Of The Fly”, their indeed triumphant “Triumph In Fire” album in
2001 and the slightly weaker “Oculus Infernum” album in 2003. Now the third
official full-length strike of high-speed Black Metal fury is about to crush
religious fools worldwide and bring hellish delight to the auditory canals of
all supporters of vicious, aggressive sounds in honour of the dark one! Where
“Oculus Infernum” turned out to lack the brutal drive of the debut and Death
Metal-inspired blasted passages, the new album offers an excellent balance of
these two extremes. Dark, hymn-like slower sections unite with raging violence
and hatefulness and with Xaphan’s vocals sounding more variable than ever
“The World The Flesh & The Devil” is an entertaining and diversified
slab of infuriated Black Metal that should appeal especially to fans of MARDUK,
DARK FUNERAL. Production-wise KULT OV AZAZEL have defined their own sound
already on the debut, they do not replicate the Swedish nor the Norwegian style,
but have their own traditionally heavy and powerful typical way of sounding.
Overall a really good album, which has only one weaker track with ‘The
Glorification Of Evil’ and an unfortunately horrible artwork, but apart from
that offers enthralling Black Metal with some outstanding tracks like
‘Compelled To Die’, the slower ‘Trampling The Cross’ or the closing
‘The Bloodstained Path To Victory’. Please visit www.kultovazazel.com
and check out this band! You can order it
here.
Stefan Franke
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KUTABARE
Finger Food Fetish For The Morbidly Abnormal
(Razorback Records)
30:06min
Sick, downtuned and damn heavy oldschool Gore / Death / Grind from “Down Under”
offer KUTABARE whose most infamous member is probably Damon Bloodstorm whom one
might know from his work with the mighty ABOMINATOR. He is responsible for the
disgusting toilet-gurgle vocals - you know... stick your head into the toilet
bowl and start to growl – which grow extraordinarily monotonous after a while,
but people who like that vocal-style might have no problem with that. I have and
it ruins the otherwise pretty good impression the album left behind. Musically
KUTABARE’s sound is dominated by very heavy guitar sounds, relatively simple
riffs which sometimes made me think of MORTICIAN and tempo-wise you’ll get a
good balance between speedy parts and midtempo “nod your head”-stuff. Mark
McCormack, who also produced the latest ABOMINATOR and GOSPEL OF THE HOPRNS
albums, mixed “Finger Food...” and did a pretty good job in making the band
sound like a more varied version of MORTICIAN just with toilet-growls instead of
extra-deep-growls and of course KUTABARE do not use a drum PC but a person made
of human flesh. KUTABARE are just a solid gory Death / Grind band with the
typical intros, the typical musical elements, the typical funny songtitles and
might be cool for total die-hard-fans of this genre, maybe the vocals pissed me
off a little too much, but this band is not really as great as I had hoped.
Visit the Razorback Records website www.razorbackrecords.com
and check out the MP3-file posted there, maybe you’ll enjoy it, because
KUTABARE are definitely sick, but you have to decide if that is enough...
Stefan Franke
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KUTURLAT
Necroritual
(Mondongo Canibale Records)
37:51min
While not the most original Black / Death band in the world, KUTURLAT, from
Madrid, Spain could easily alter this perception if they dropped the unnecessary
Black Metal references behind and leaned more in the old Death Metal direction
that is so prevalent and simultaneously given here as a background to this
album. In other words, you don't have to play shitty Black Metal to be evil!
That said, what is presented overall on "Necroritual" is I feel what
could and should be used and interpreted as a template of what they ought to
work from for the future. To use this album as a reference to realize what works
for their "sound", what doesn't, and what pitfalls to stay clear of.
Not to mention either what exactly they are trying to convey to the listener as
opposed to the barrage of riffs and song ideas that are offered on
"Necroritual" and instead leave the listener feeling devoid of what it
is exactly that they are supposed to be appreciating. On that note, this album
was professionally recorded at VRS Studios (HAEMORRHAGE, AVULSED, WORMED), with
yet another a superior layout accompanying this disc from Mondongo Canibale, not
only both in tray card and CD booklet, but as well as on the actual CD. Contact:
Mondongo Canibale Records, P.O. Box 27106, 28080 Madrid, Spain, www.mondongocanibale.com
Wes Rhodes
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KYPCK
Cherno
(Century Media)
54:24min
The Doom community had been a very deserted place over the last couple of years.
The revival started with bands like AHAB one or two years ago and the record
companies are again quite interested to release this kind of music. KYPCK, the
Russian word for KURSK is a more than suitable name for a band which is trying
to give grief and other relevant feelings musically a dark face. The band has
one ex - SENTENCED band member in their line-up, but this is no guarantee for a
quality release (also not a place in the Finnish top ten). But if you get used
to the pure Russian lyrics the 54 minutes will for sure become a dark trip to
the oceans of this planet where you can’t find a single drop of daylight.
Every song is offering another shade of black and grey and songs like ‘The
Black Hole’ with a dark acoustic part of nearly 4 minutes let you feel your
walls coming down. Especially when the band is working with thin air, means
creating the essential dark atmosphere through bass and guitar without any vocal
support you can see the great potential of this band. I think “Cherno”
deserves the term Doom Metal for 100 %, so book your trip to your private abyss
and join KYPCK on their voyage to the bottom of the sea. www.centurymedia.com,
www.kypck-doom.com
Matthias Auch
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