LOST SOUL
Übermensch (Death Of God)
(Osmose Productions)
36:38min

I praised this phenomenal band yesterday, and I can’t help to  do just that now. "Scream Of The Mourning Star", their precedent album, was already a fantastic slab of fresh sounding devilish Death Metal, but I was afraid LOST SOUL might have disbanded, since I heard no news from their camp for two years. Fortunately, here they are again, stronger than ever with this gem. Twelve tracks of uncompromising  and relentless Death Metal that blows everything away! Honestly, I see LOST SOUL as a major contender for the crown of King of Death, so much this album shows intensity and musical mastery. All the tracks (discarding four short instrumentals and the song ‘Soul Hunger’) are played at frantic speed, but the remarkable  production  by Arek Malczewski especially underlines a surprising presence of melody for a so brutal release. Just listen to the mid part of ‘To The New Light!’ , you will hear a superbly executed guitar solo accompanied by crystalline keyboards and then you will grasp the essence of what “Übermensch” really is: brutality with a touch of finesse. Indeed, the use of keyboards add a lot to LOST SOUL music, they are more present now than before (when samples were rather employed), but never to the detriment of the overall raging fury LOST SOUL display so perfectly. Some parts of this release may evoke Black Metal atmospheres (some guitar harmonies even conjures the ghost of the mighty DISSECTION), let’s say LOST SOUL walk backwards the way another fantastic band like VESANIA (by the way, read Frank’s review about them, then buy their debut!!) march on, in the sense the former taint their Death Metal with a Black Metal touch, while the latter do quite the reverse. I wonder what could stop LOST SOUL's crusade for total annihilation in the future, because they deserve nothing else than praises and pledges of allegiance. Poland is known for its vast reservoir of talented bands, but frankly LOST SOUL blow out the vast majority of their country mates (yes, even VADER) with this perfect new album,  without speaking of their rivals elsewhere in the world who can seriously fear them! This review is already much too long I am afraid, because what can you say about perfection? Essential.

Edouard Vergriete

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LOST SOUL
Chaostream
(Wicked World / Earache)
46:02min

There's something about the Polish way of Death Metal that makes me smile. It's always brutal, the sound of almost every album is strong, the musicianship seems just fine and these bands seem to be very confident. Hate, Vader, Behemoth (the best), Decapitated and now Lost Soul. To listen to albums from these bands is every time a journey through a technical landscape that surely makes us impressed. That I personally don't get an orgasm from every release is more a matter of taste than not being impressed by the performances. "Chaostream" is definitely a Polish Death Metal album and contains all the necessary ingredients. There are brutal songs, fast songs, heavy songs, and they're all wrapped into a fine production that makes the music come forth. There's really nothing that feels out of place on the productional side of this release. So, what's buggering me? I think it's the BEHEMOTH - syndrome. No matter how high quality of these bands is, they will always be compared to the finest from BEHEMOTH (and VADER to a certain extent). And a track like 'Angel's Cry' is brutal, but doesn't reach the league of in example "Demigod" or other fast tracks from the same titled album. 'Christian Meat' is a heavy track that goes on in the same direction for mere five minutes, but never feels boring, and it's with such a track LOST SOUL has the strength. They are even more brutal when they slow down for a few minutes. Such a fine Death Metal track makes the rest of the bunch a bit sloppier, despite being faster in general. Overall, "Chaostream" is too fast for its own good, and when the album clocks in at 46:02 minutes I can't help that the feeling of being a bit bored occurs in the end. So, that their technical ability contains a high level, as we're used to from Polish Death Metal, doesn't impress me enough anymore. I need a certain dose of originality and difference to become a fan.

Roy Kristensen

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LOWBROW
Victims At Play 
(Hammerheart / Crook'd Records)
58:21min

Allen West has turned into some very busy guy ever since his OBITUARY days... After he's been constantly writing and playing with SIX FEET UNDER for a while, he immediately formed another project called LOWBROW, together with former NASTY SAVAGE members Curt Beeson (drums) and Ben Meyer (lead guitar). The line-up was completed by Scott Carino on bass (who toured with DEATH a few years ago) and ex-OBITUARY roadie Rich Hornberger on vocals. Their debut album "Victims At Play" features 11 really cool oldschool Death Metal tracks that are musically very close to SIX FEET UNDER / OBITUARY. So, if you consider yourself a die hard fan of Allen's playing style, you shouldn't hesitate for a second to get yourself a copy of this as well. Cause despite the factor of unoriginality, it's a quite solid record, reasonably well produced by ex-OBITUARY bandmate Donald Tardy in the famous Morrisound studios. I just hope that Ben Meyer's input in the songwriting will increase a bit more in the future, cause the result could sound a lot more interesting and unique. Too bad that the cover / packaging is rather poor and the playing time, that your CD player is gonna present you, a fake. From the 58:21 minutes you'll have to take away approx. 15 minutes of silence between track #11 and the following 1:05min long silly secret bonus track. Verrrry funny... Latest news: Scott Carino is no longer a member of LOWBROW. He was replaced after the recordings of the CD by ex - NASTY SAVAGE / AGENT STEEL / GARDY-LOO fourstringer Richard Bateman!

THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE
Burn! (Demo)
(self-financed)
22:10min

I met singer Erik (formerly of PRE MORTEM) at the Wacken Open Air 2004 and this time he gave me this first demo of his new Death Metal band THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE. The second one is already scheduled for the end of 2005. What we get on “Burn!” is pretty far from PRE MORTEM: a lot more straight and back to the roots. The opening track ‘The Stench Of Your Bloodline’ is the fastest one: particularly European and very oldschool with a catchy and powerful chorus. ‘I Am The Law’ is slower: a mid tempo crusher for drinking beer, banging that head of yours and screaming along the vocals. Nice melodic lead guitar that doesn’t get too sweet. ‘Dei Gratia’ has quite a Swedish touch I think. Reminds me a little of early HYPOCRISY hymns with a short calm passage in the centre. The beginning of ‘In A Bloodstained Paradise’ reminds me a little of BOLT THROWER but I can’t recall a single BOLT THROWER song being as slow as this one and, of course, not that groovy. Maybe it’s the sinister approach to melody. The chorus is pretty orgasmic. Nice thrashy part, by the way. The final blast ‘I Am The Iconoclast’ already starts out with an orgasm before it first turns into a headbanger, then a neckbreaker before the easily memorable chorus comes and a beautiful solo lets the tears running. I think Erik mentioned they use a contrabass. Actually, the last few notes on “Burn” belong to that instrument alone. Concerning Death Metal, people who are (or at least feel) at least as old as me and who like their stuff slow are probably gonna like THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE quite a bit. They’re one of the first bands confirmed for Fuck The Commerce 2006, by the way. www.tlp-pla.net

THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE
Flamethrower (Demo)
(self-financed)
25:29min

Here comes my second apology for today going out to Dutch Death Metal bastards THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE. Aeons ago I received their second demo and now - finally - I fulfill my long due duty. Just like its predecessor, "Flamethrower" shows that groovy Death Metal doesn't have to get boring as there are still enough possibilities for varying one's songs. 'The Violence' offers the perfect groove while 'Down' comes up with an excellent solo (don't you agree Metal needs good solos?). 'Breaking The Spell' is a pretty catchy straight forward headbanger whereas 'Adrenalin' is probably gonna make me 'dance' - right, Earik? Cool changes of the groove, by the way. And solos! Definitely a great live song. Up to 'Possessed By Christ' I'd never noticed THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE use a real contrabass. Very dominant on here. Catchy 'chorus'. Finally, 'Burn!' will make it hard for cool people not to jump like a Humppa Metal fan. But there's always the option of banging your head or raising your fist instead. Loads of energy and a bassy middle part. Burn! Burn! Burn! Speed freaks keep away, though. Catch THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE live at the Fuck The Commerce Festival 2006 in Germany! www.theluciferprinciple.nl

Ramon Claassen

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LUCTUS
Jaučiant Pabaigą Arti
(Ledo Takas Records)
44:00min

Formed in 2001, this one man band form Lithuania presents here their debut album, recorded with the help of session musicians, thus avoiding horrible programmed drums, which seems to be a part of their early discography. There is always something “exotic” with bands from this part of Europe singing, growling or screaming in their native tongue. The title of this album translated will be “feeling the end close”. According to their myspace bio, the band lyrics are about war, patriotism, nowadays decadence and the dying paganism. So far the sole band leader has moved and relocated to Italy. Now, let’s go to the music. The main core of the band is based on the kind of Swedish Black Metal performed by early MARDUK and early DARK FUNERAL, which might also serve as a primordial reference. There is also a very strong Deathrash influence roaming along, in the vein of SADUS, KREATOR and similar bands. That unholy mixture will be a certain primitive way of describing the sound of the band. To start with, the recording has an excellent balance, sounding quite organic and yet polished, but not as synthetic as to loosing that warmth that pro-tools takes away most of the time. The execution is also very good, and while the band keeps its direct most of the time, there are many killer riffs, rhythm changes and overall a omnipotent presence of power in all the songs. At times, this does reminded me to Czech heroes MASTERS HAMMER, quite probably due to the vocal delivery (in a quite similar way to that of Franta Storm), but also I sense a similar way of arranging, with a certain orchestral touch to it. The band plays usually in the fast region, and they do it with great mastery, without repeating themselves that much, and adding the right tempo changes when needed. What makes LUCTUS to rise above similar bands (STINY PLAMENU comes to mind as in that same style) is that the music has wisdom on merging the right amounts of intensity and melody with a wicked dark aura evolving the performance. This one is also an album that grows every time you listen to it, and is a definite riff festival in devotion to the darkside. I recall the essence that LUCTUS created to the one a band like AVENGER (from the Czech Republic) caused on me: this is a killer release, with great songs, fantastic riffs, and while not original in any sense, it feels like a new breath of demonic air. If you like Black / Death / Thrash Metal played with passion, intensity and that evil touch, look no further. A very strong debut album. www.myspace.com/luctus, www.ledotakas.net

Julián Núñez

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LUCTUS / ARGHARUS
Sonitus Caeli Ardentis (Split CD)
(Ledo Takas Records)
46:32min

Again, this excellent Lithuanian label gives us some stuff of its own country, although this time it's a split CD by two young bands. The first one formed in 2001 (LUCTUS) by only one member, which lives in Rome but hasn't forgotten its country, and has in its live line-up members of bands like FUCK OFF AND DIE!, OSSASTORIUM, GODZERO, NAHASH, GHOULS, THRONE OF DECADENCE or ARS ONIRICA, with two albums and some demos before this. And the second one was formed in 2004 and starts with this CD. Both bands have slight touches that remind the East European Black Metal scene, and some Death Metal riffs too, but I will describe them now. Starting with LUCTUS, since the first moment there are some points that mark the listening. One is how melodic they sound, although dark, a bit like EMPEROR and DISSECTION, but faster and straighter; on the other side, there's the drum sound, a bit "industrial". Altogether, if you can imagine it, we can say it reminds a bit of the first album of UK's ANAAL NATHRAKH and a bit of French AD HOMINEM, because of how mad they sound, especially in fast parts, comparing them to both cases, and for some martial parts which remind of the French, although dissonant midpaced melodies are there too. The production is quite good too, a bit high perhaps, but it doesn't lack in power, and the songs sound quite aggressive, with hatred vocals that give a lot of strength to the lyrics, which, as usual with bands of that country (or the ones I know), are about patriotism and war. Going to the second part of the split, Argharus are not so far from the sound of the first ones, but have some noticeable differences. First, the use a real drumkit, and that gives a different sound to the music, pero they still keep the speed. Their Black Metal is really melodic too, and uses dissonants riffs, but they play a bit more with heavy midpaced parts, and some depressive ones, and generally remind a bit less of the North European scene, they are not typical at all in fact. On their side, they speak about misanthropy and nihilism, and the vocals are not as high. And, as it's starting to be usual with Ledo Takas, the CD, limited to 1313 copies, has a great artwork, with a twelve pages booklet full of drawings and the lyrics of the songs. So, this isn't one of those shitty CDs you can find so easily. So, for the ones liking East European Black Metal, with Northern roots, this is a good fourty-six minutes CD. www.ledotakas.net

Jeroni Sancho

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LUNA AD NOCTUM
Dimness Profound
(Golden Lake)
37:39min

This CD was released in the first place on Pagan Records from Poland but has now been re-issued by British Golden Lake. I doubt that this was necessary. LUNA AD NOCTUM are another band performing what I’d like to call Neo Black Metal, but what probably other would call Symphonic Black Metal. From the intro on I feel reminded of TARTAROS and LIMBONIC ART, some reminiscences are also clearly from EMPEROR or DIMMU BORGIR during their "Enthrone Darkness…" - times. While the ingredients therefore at least in three out of four cases seem to be promising, the result is bringing someone down to earth again rapidly. Everything has been heard before, performed far better – this is completely faceless music. And when the label then has the courage to bring up comparisons to the probably best symphonic Black Metal-album ever released, namely "Anthems To The Welkin'…", this expedition of LUNA AD NOCTUM can only fail. If this is as breathtaking as that album, then the latest BATHORY-outputs are probably milestones of innovation. A new pair of ears for the label-runners, a monthly injected dose of identity for the band and a new triggersound for the studio, please… And, before I forget, unlike the case my CD-player shows me only eight (instead of nine songs) and a decent videoclip of "The Last Coldest Sunset" is on the CD as well…http://www.goldenlakeprods.co.uk

Nhashi

LUNAR AURORA
Elixir Of Sorrow
(The Oath)
54:08min

Due to labelproblems, it took about three years from finishing the recordings to the actual release of LUNAR AURORA’s fifth full-length-album “Elixir Of Sorrow”. Reduced to a three-piece, after their session-drummer had left, they probably did work smoother than ever. The album includes ten songs, of which two mark the pillar of this album with their lengths of more than 11 minutes each, three shorter songs and five instrumental pieces serving as links and / or intros and outros to the other songs. The main thing is that despite this description LUNAR AUORA are from the beginning able to build up tension and keep this up until the very last second. And as the title already suggests it, it is a tension of sorrow. There’s simply nothing positive in this recording. Additionally the songs are really catchy, it is even justified of talking about a certain hit-potential, certainly not in the way you would use this term in pop-music but listen to (the in my opinion absolute highlight of this album) ‘Hier Und Jetzt’, first the guitar-line will catch you up immediately and afterwards the keyboard-line that sets in a bit later will hook you to the place where you are. No escape. And this is already the next aspect that makes this Bavarian horde so unique: beside the general flair for basic but deadly riffs, the use of the keyboards puts them miles ahead of nowadays Black Metal-scene. Discreetly used, they are always able to add a certain haunting and bizarre feeling giving most songs rather a cosmic than an earthly appearance. Additionally I’d also like to praise that the booklet is very stylish again: everything kept in fluorescent green / black, especially the first and last page of the booklet capture the essence of the album, the stripping down to the inner-self. And while I still could praise this album for a long time, I have to add that I still prefer the “Ars Moriendi” - album to his one for two reasons: the first one is the production which I thought was nearly perfect on that album being rougher and even more bizarre and secondly because that album even built up more tension throughout the album than “Elixir…” Since the current is nevertheless blowing to pieces at least 90% of nowadays releases no questions remain. 2004 proves that the triumvirate of the German Black Metal-scene (SECRETS OF THE MOON, KATHARSIS, and, of course, LUNAR AURORA) is getting stronger than ever. And LUNAR AURORA still have a full-length and split-album coming later this year. Already this one is a must-have. www.lunaraurora.de www.theoath.it

Nhashi

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LUNAR AURORA
Zyklus
(Cold Dimensions)
46:38min

If you're checking out our news section on a regular base you will already be aware of the fact that Germany's Black Metal horde LUNAR AURORA decided to start up a label on their own after having experienced many label changes the hard way in the past already (almost each of their previous releases was put out by a different "company")... "Zyklus", the band's sixth full length (recorded already way back in 2002), is their first on their newly founded Cold Dimensions label and from the business side of things really a very difficult task to start with. Due to the fact that there's only four tracks on it, many mailorders / distributors will probably consider it as a mini CD, which it certainly is NOT! In typical LUNAR AURORA fashion, all of the featured tracks are very long in their individual playing time which demands some in-depth listening until you totally get into them. Furthermore there's a rather sophisticated looking packaging (very Black Metal untypical, even without a bandlogo on the front) and almost poetic sounding song titles ('Der Morgen', 'Der Tag', 'Der Abend'  and 'Die Nacht')... All of this certainly won't really help making this an easy marketable product. But does that mean that "Zyklus" is a bad release then? Not at all! It's actually another really strong one! To me LUNAR AURORA have always been very special (otherwise we obviously wouldn't have released their first two albums on Voices Productions back then) as they simply don't give a shit about any trends or rules of the underground. They just follow their own paths and focus on what they always did best, which is writing songs with a very deep emotional impact. When it comes to this certain sinister atmosphere in Black Metal, most people tend to think that all you need is an upfront keyboard, which delivers some bombastic soundscapes and then everything else is not really of importance any longer. WRONG! There's hardly any bands left that are capable of creating a grim and very demonic atmosphere, but LUNAR AURORA is definitely one of them! In this respect "Zyklus" is Black Metal in perfection, despite all the unusual lyrical / visual ingredients. Even though the band occasionally uses keyboards, you hardly notice them as they mainly go for the very harsh, fast and raw style. And that's what they are best at! The sound, the exceptional vocals, the atmosphere – everything's just perfect here. So, if you lost your interest in this genre when bands started to copy DIMMU BORGIR and CRADLE OF FILTH while others decided to turn towards a more Rock'n'Roll - ish direction, this is without a doubt an item to regain your enthusiasm! Excellent! www.lunaraurora.de, www.cold-dimensions.de

Frank Stöver

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LUNAR AURORA
Mond
(Cold Dimensions)
46:45min

Unlike with most of their previous works, LUNAR AURORA's seventh full length "Mond" was recorded by a full (four member) line-up this time, while almost all of the band's last releases exclusively had to be completed by the nucleus of the band, consisting of Whyhrd, Aran and Sindar. But that doesn't mean that the Bavarian horde has finally solved this problem now, cause in the meantime also drummer Profanatitas (who had already recorded the split 12" with PAYSAGE D'HIVER with them) unfortunately left LUNAR AURORA in order to be able to focus more on his own project MORTUARY TEMPLE. So, the search for a replacement continues and listening to the quality of the new material this could be an even bigger problem now! "Mond" not only comes up with the best, most professional production LUNAR AURORA ever had (courtesy of Helion Studios in Munich, Germany), it also mirrors a band that has impressively grown as musicians and songwriters over the years! It seems that Profanatitas' very talented drumming skills have once more pushed the band to the next level in terms of tightness, which resulted in an uncompromising outburst of raw energy! In the tradition of the band's typical writing style also "Mond" features six rather lengthy compositions (as well as a short intro) of which the album's closer 'Grimm' not only is the longest (approx. ten minutes), but also the most impressive track on offer this time! A very intense, mostly incredibly fast and overall totally crushing Black Metal hymn, backed up with majestic keyboards (only to highlight certain moods of the song more effectively!) and a simple, yet very effective "chorus" that you won't get rid off once you've heard it! Feelingwise this song actually reminds me a lot on the material that LUNAR AURORA delivered on their classic "Weltengänger" debut, just more matured sounding! The entire new album is pretty much straight forward, raw as hell, but always on a very professional level and due to its clever incorporated (and never overused) keyboards often also very dramatic sounding! So, at this point of time "Mond" is the ultimate statement of a grown-up band that luckily never gave a shit about mainstream-, viking-, gothic- or folk-influences and still didn't end up in musical stagnation nor did they repeat themselves! Release date: September 18, 2005. For more info check out www.lunaraurora.de, while ordering details can be found at www.cold-dimensions.de

Frank Stöver

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LUNAR AURORA
Andacht
(Cold Dimensions)
54:03min

At the end of 2006 we got some amazing Black Metal released. It began with Secrets Of The Moon back in September, and continued with their countrymen Lunar Aurora, though the day of release was 8th of January. I got it in early December, so to me it’s still a 2006-album. And in 2007 there are Watain, Mayhem and Dimmu Borgir (I’ve heard all these at the writing moment and can secure you that these three albums will stand the test of time) releasing masterpieces. But in this case it’s Lunar Aurora’s “Andacht”. Their former album “Mond” was a letdown to me, since the one before that “Zyklus” was a masterwork. And now, “Andacht” is, perhaps, Lunar Aurora’s magnum opus. These German men have added some sounds to their already excellent Black Metal, and these sounds are just what they needed to make the album stand out. The basis is pretty simple with the traditional rather thin Black Metal sound that doesn’t allow you to doubt what category we’re speaking about, and when the main vocal is pretty much the same grim shrieky one that defines most Black Metal releases it just adds to the curse. But, Lunar Aurora have included some monkish vocals that really makes a difference. Towards the end of the fifth track 'Der Pakt', the same riffs are played for minutes but due to the two different vocal styles the atmospheres become alien to each other, as well as avoiding me to even get closed to boredom. I’ve listened to plenty of Black Metal the last 20 years, so it takes something extra besides the regular basis in the music. And Lunar Aurora’s “Andacht” definitely has something extra. I’ve mentioned the vocals. But throughout the whole album there are sounds, be it haunting keyboards or different types of effects / sounds. And these elements do make a lot of difference. You should listen to this on your stereo a few times before you allow yourself to digest the music in headphones. This way you’ll adjust to the music before you assimilate it… www.cold-dimensions.de

Roy Kristensen

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LUNARSPHERE
Barriers Of Infinity (Demo CD)
(self financed)
43:51min

Lunarsphere is a really new band, founded in 2004, presenting their full length debut demo CD now. It includes (after a totally unnecessary intro) 9 tracks of melodic Death Metal. And I have to be honest, I have some problems with the record. The first what I recognized is the production. It lacks in power. The whole record sounds dumb and not well balanced and clear. But to the music. The songs are not bad. You get nice speed parts interrupted by melodic parts, some technical breaks and mostly nice guitar solos. The track 'Inside A Spider’s Web' shows this combination best on the record and it is the best song by far. The other material varies between shallow and not bad. Sometimes the solos are little bit too much jingling. But the biggest problem (and I’m sorry) are the vocals. They are too one-dimensional and sometimes not more than a cawing. So for a debut CD the material is ok and if the band writes more songs like 'Inside A Spider’s Web' with a better production, they can make their way. Contact: www.lunarsphere.com

Stefan Hagmayer

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LUNGORTHIN
Prophecy Of Eternal Winter
(Folter Records)
39:02min

In times like these when every band with (bad) shrieky vocals is sold as Black Metal, but actually just play some weak kindergarden keyboard kitsch, it is far more than a pleasure to discover a band like LUNGORTHIN. LUNGORTHIN hail from Hamburg / Germany and this is already their second album. They definitely know how to compose great uncommercial Black Metal tunes in the old'n'original Norwegian vein. If at all I would place their compositions around the first and the third album of SATYRICON. The songs come across very powerful, harsh and mostly fast. Nevertheless LUNGORTHIN vary the tempo quite often and slow down to create more atmosphere, which is overall dark and moody. The atmosphere is supported by memorable and epic guitars melodies and some accoustic parts. Although keyboards are used here and there, they are left in the background and do not water everything else down. The vocal performance is of that kind that is required for a real Black Metal release, cold and grim. The sound quality of this album is absolutely fitting, that means it is brutal and rough, but clear enough to present every instrumental facet of the music. LUNGORTHIN are in my modest opinion one of the best German bands around and the quality of their songs is miles ahead of most of nowadays crap or even the old Norwegian heroes (like e.g. DIMMU BORGIR or IMMORTAL). So if you adore quality albums like the ones of TAAKE or MANES check this one out, you will be pleased!

Thomas Georg

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LUST / ANAEL
Split CD
(Iron Tyrant Records)
43:01min

Germany's excellent SAMAEL worshippers ANAEL (watch out for their album on Barbarian Wrath Records) have teamed up with the noisy, often disharmonic Canadian Black Metallers LUST and released a split CD consisting of four ANAEL and six LUST tracks. The latter are definitely not my cup of tea but whoever likes emotional, desperate Black Metal with the aforementioned noise elements and tantalising weird riffs should get along pretty fine with LUST – really extreme music. ANAEL are really great, I also know their “Infernal Devotion” EP which was released last year on Sombre and their new songs are fantastic sinister and haunting Black Metal like old SAMAEL whose first two offerings deserve to be worshipped with that intensity. Productionwise ANAEL perfectly recapture the “Worship Him” sound as well and should appeal to every oldschool Black Metal maniac. Because the Canadians’ style differs that significantly from ANAEL I found the mixture presented on this split CD slightly improper, but you should find out for yourself! The price is 13 Euro (Europe) or 15 US$ (world). And in a few months it will be out on limited vinyl as well. For more information surf to the label’s web site www.irontyrant.cjb.net.

Stefan Franke

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LUX DIVINA
New Days For The Ancient Wisdom
(Bloody Productions)
73:58min

This release comprises of two MCD's and the demotape recorded by this Spanish horde during the last years. "Atmospheric Black Metal" is what they're aiming for and to put the record straight, they are not really getting there. Beginning with their "Pagannature" - demo from 1998: I don't think that the world would be any poorer if that had just been left to obscurity. Poor playing abilities, ridiculous fem-vox, boring, repetitive standard riffing and a pathetic singer make for an extremely unpleasant listening. The following "Occasus Caeremonia" - MCD (2000) is the one-eyed among the blind here: slow and heavy keyboard-ladden Black Metal, sometimes reminiscent of early IN THE WOODS without ever reaching their brilliance, though. A bit lengthy but clearly a progression towards the demo, maybe due to the fact that the amount of  clear vocals has been reduced drastically. Nothing to write home about but not too bad either. Unfortunately, the aptly titled "Our Lost Harmony" - MCD (2003) sees all of that going down the drain. Obviously they became a bit over-ambitious and headed for a more complex sound, but their writing and playing abilities simply don't live up to their own expectations. The result is a very dissonant sound, nothing really works out here and the single parts just don't seem to fit together. Oh, and the clean vocals are back with a vengeance, not to the benefit of it all. It would be stupid to claim that the Iberian winter maybe can't provide these guys with the right inspiration since we witnessed some quite impressive Black Metal acts like SIRIUS or APOTHEOSIS hailing from the southern edges of Europe but LUX DIVINA definitely still have a long way to go. By the way: according to the liner-notes, they dedicate the works gathered on this record to themselves "for all the incredible moments of majesty felt together". At least they had some fun... www.bloodyprod.cjb.net

Torsten Gründig

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LUX FERRE
Antichristian War Propaganda
(Ketzer Records)
40:44min

"Antichristian War Propaganda" reveals what the title already promises. Lyrically you get the typical "war, satan, death" phrases and musically it is in the typical fast raw Black Metal vein with some thrashy influences. Really nothing more to say about this album. Too typical to leave some remembrance, too uncreative to cause emotions. www.ketzer-records.de, www.luxferre.kom.pt

Andi Bauer

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LVCIFYRE
Dying Light Ov God (7” EP)
(Blood Harvest Records)
11:03min

Here we got another band directly starting their career with a 7” EP. Blood Harvest Records is usually a proof for good releases and that’s the case here, too. What you can expect is chaotic Death Metal with a sound quality above the average and the musical skill of the band is really on top. Many breaks, slow parts, break, blastbeat, break, groove part, break. Actually this seven inch is pretty good and I have a good feeling for their upcoming outputs. Right now, the only thing to complain is that I miss the songs a little bit. Guess you know what I mean? Because of all the breaks and changes the song itself isn’t that clear to figure out. Anyhow, I don’t know the origin of the band but read they played in the band ADORIOR before. As I don’t know this band I can’t compare them with them. What LVCIFYRE offers on the 2 tracks of this 7” EP is evil sounding chaotic Death Metal, a good start for these newcomers and another prove for the good nose of the outstanding label Blood Harvest Records. One thing: is it possible that the stickers on the 7” EP are swapped? Side A has the sticker of side B and vice versa? Available from www.bloodharvest.se.

Thomas Ehrmann

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LYFTHRASYR
The Recent Foresight
(Twilight-Vertrieb)
40:44min

Never heard of this band before. They come from Germany and this is actually their second album. The first band that comes to my mind when listening to this is BELPHEGOR. The style is quite similar, a fast and heavy mixture of Death and Black Metal, with a very polished production… yes, quite too much of a polished production. Oh, and some slight industrial or electronic touches to it. It is weird as some riffs and parts almost sound like you can dance to them, while some others sound way too much industrial, yet being brutal all the way. Then they also add a lot of interludes to their music (like piano) which makes it all interesting. But then, I just felt something was missing. The drums sound way too synthetic and perfect, and I hate that. It takes away the human factor which makes music more enjoyable. Do not ask me why, but sometimes when a recording is more direct, and not that Pro-Tools, it sounds better. Production aside, I also feel they abuse a bit of the fast bass drumming in parts. That makes you go like “Haven’t I heard that part a few songs ago?”. While nowadays with all those computers doing wonders, it is hard to tell if they are good musicians, I suppose they are, but then again it sounds way too much “processed”. Sounds like space age brutal Metal or something.  Some parts with more normal use of keyboards sounded to me like CRADLE OF FILTH, although less symphonic. There you go. It is not a bad album, but for my tastes it is way too modern sounding, has too many keyboards and it all sounds very much alike. Their previous album is actually very similar, although has a dirtier production and might be more enjoyable for that. www.lyfthrasyr.com, www.twilight-vertrieb.de

Julian Nuñez

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LYRINX
Nihilistic Purity (LP Version) 
(Insidious Poisoning Records)
36:30min

Sometimes it's only one song which makes the difference. Think this old rule is more than applicable to this release from the British band LYRINX. The band is playing raw misanthropic Black Metal and this album had been released by Insidious Poisoning in early 2008. The playing time is less than 30 minutes because we are only talking about a handful of songs in total plus one bonus track for the vinyl release (a rawer rehearsal version of one of the EP tracks). But keeping GORGOROTH's twenty-five minutes manifest "Antichrist" in mind, 'Nihilistic Purity" is nevertheless a great EP. LYRINX are following the traditional nordic Black Metal way (no keys, no female vocals) but supported by a good sound they can offer with 'Deconstruction Of The Will To Live' a song which is channeling all their power, hate and emotions. I can't listen to the release without pressing the repeat button; believe me this song with its dark atmosphere and the increasing pressure at the end of the 11 minutes is maybe not the only reason but the best reason to support the band from the British empire. Really looking forward to the planed split releases with bands like ELYSIAN BLAZE which will show further musical sides of the LYRINX universe and what we can expect from this band in the near future. www.insidious-poisoning.com

Matthias Auch

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LYRINX / ELYSIAN BLAZE / D.O.R
Universal Absence
(Insidious Poisoning Records)
77:03min

If a concept album is based on the universal negativity you can expect a musical tribute to nothing less than total darkness. So after listening to this intensive release by these three bands you are really looking forward to the next sunrise. Due to the playing time of nearly 80 minutes you should listen to the three sections of the release separately otherwise the “darkness” might overrun the listener. “Universal Absence” is the second split CD of the Nihilist concept series, a project which had been launched by the British band LYRINX. They are also inaugurating the record with their three songs which are quality wise exactly what I expected after their great mini-LP “Nihilistic Purity”. Traditional Black Metal with a deep BURZUM feeling and even if they are playing by the rules their creations are still offering these special moments. The three songs have a playing time of over 30 minutes and especially the last track ‘Universal Negativity' with over 12 minutes is a passionate hymn to the given concept. So I’m really looking forward to a complete release by LYRINX. ELYSIAN BLAZE from Australia are no longer connected to their keyboard roots (“Beneath Silent Faces”) and left these shores to get completely swallowed by the Funeral Doom tendencies in their music. The presented song 'Black Hole Euphoria' reminds me of SAMAEL’s 'Into The Pentagram' (original version) just a little bit slower and the song can put a hex on you by repeating the same sections / parts over and over again. In the booklet the only member Mutatiis advised that the songs had been created under ‘extreme bouts of paranoia’ and even if I normally wouldn’t care about such statements – just listen to the song and judge by yourselves. D.O.R from Portugal had been completely unknown to me but their four songs of very Nordic Black Metal are an essential part of the release. The songs need some time to fully catch the ear of the listener and the last song ‘Dreamwalk’ is more an outro than a full song but within their playing time of half an hour the band can show that Black Metal has also conquered South Europe. Again a very good release by Insidious Poisoning who are doing a great job to keep the real underground alive. www.insidious-poisoning.com

Matthias Auch

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LYZANXIA
Unsu
(Listenable Records)
58:00min

Two years after their “Mindcrimes” album was released, French Thrashers LYZANXIA (founded in 1996 out of the residues of an act called OVERLOAD) come up with their next effort “Unsu”. Generally speaking one can say that LYZANXIA combine quite melodious Death Metal riffs suggesting old IN FLAMES and SOILWORK influences with aspects from the realm of Thrash Metal. The drummer performs relatively complex patterns, which is cool because this adds an extra twist to the more or less straight guitar work. Talking about which… the guitarists really present a decent job: the solos are subtle and energetic, the Thrash riffs feel fresh and ambitious. The vocalist sort of varies his voice constantly. That is to say, he changes from screaming vocals to growls to melodious tunes. All this principally reminds of acts such as FEAR FACTORY or SOILWORK and adds to the assumption that this band develops further what has come to be known as Metalcore. The slightly MESHUGGAH-like voice (when the Thrash-bits are emphasised), the drums as well as the low guitars may confirm this speculative approach to LYZANXIA’s sound. All in all a very solid release Listenable come up with here… I reckon every fan of melodic, Swedish-sounding, modern and varying Metal sound will love this one. Contact: www.lyzanxia.com. On sale here.

F. Cthulhu E.

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