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TAAKE
Helnorsk Svartmetall
(Perverted Taste Records)
45:19min
Norway
already gave birth to a whole lot of first class Black Metal acts
throughout the years and as childish as it may sound – to me they
still rule over every other country in terms of delivering the right
grim and cold atmosphere! Apart from all the bigger names (which
mostly lost this particular feeling on their way to mainstream
acceptance), there's still serveral ("cult") band's around
that gained themselves a die hard following, due to their
uncompromising and honest attitude. Bergen's TAAKE certainly is one
of them! These guys originally started out as THULE, but after two
demos they changed their name into TAAKE and released two excellent
albums on Italy's Avantgarde Records ever since. This nicely packed
digipack release here is not a new full length, but a compilation of
all their pre-album recordings - 10 tracks in total... So, what you
get is both THULE demos from 1993 ("Der Vinterstormene –
Raste") and 1994 respectively ("Omfavnet Av Svarte Vinger"),
TAAKE's rehearsal debut demo from 1995 ("Manndaudsvinter")
and their 3 track 7" EP "Koldbrann I Jesu Marg",
which originally got released on Høst's own small label Mosegrodd
Productions in 1996 and lead to their deal with Avantgarde Music. Of
course the sound quality is pretty raw (you gotta remember that this
material was not meant to be released in this format when it
originally was recorded), but as so often with Black Metal acts,
this doesn't really matter too much... it actually increases the
sinister atmosphere even more! So, all in all this is a very cool
historical document for all those of you who still worship their
daily dose of Black Metal as basic and raw as possible! All further
info you may get from www.pervertedtaste.de
or http://taake.cjb.net
Frank Stöver
BACK
TAAKE
…Doedskvad
(Karisma Records)
50:41min
This album has touched me so deeply that I considered not to review
it in the first place, because I knew at once that I was doomed to
fail miserably trying to transcribe its beauty into words. Those who
know TAAKE already will surely understand, and for them I can simply
say that even if TAAKE have set the bar very high with their first
two records (“Nattestrid…” and “…Bjoergvin…” they have
crushed their own limitations (“limitation” in the TAAKE case
already means “great inspiration” for lesser bands) in a way I
didn’t expect it was possible. Vocalist / guitarist and above all
song crafter extraordinaire Hoest is of course responsible for that.
His talent for producing heart moving yet energetic Black Metal is
without equivalent in the whole scene. The music on
“…Doedskvad” reaches summits of complexity without losing its
easy flowing character, each note or chord is here for a reason,
hence the rich texture of
the album. As usual sung in Norwegian (to be more precise in
the dialect in use in the Bergen’s area), “…Doedskvad” could
be seen as a succession of highly melancholic and mysterious
sounding hymns (seven, as it is the custom with TAAKE), powerful yet
delicate to the point I was on the verge to burst into tears, a
feeling I didn’t experienced since the first time I listened to
FATES WARNING “Awaken The Guardian” a long time ago. I realize I
become a little too subjective here, too bad but I can’t help. And
I don’t want to give the wrong impression: “…Doedskvad” is
first and foremost a pure Black Metal album devoid of any
experimentations (no keyboards, no samples, no industrial sound, no
feminine voice, only guitars / bass / drums and a harsh voice), but
at the same time showing the striking bewitching sense of melody
which made the “Gothenburg sound” so appealing in the mid-90s.
Bold parallels could be drawn between this album and SATYRICON
“Nemesis Divina” but with the nuance that the former blows the
latter to pieces dare I say.
Performed by a core of four musicians with Hoest at command,
“…Doedskvad” welcomes also a bunch of guests, among them
Nattefrost and Nordavind to cite only the most known. And as usual
for TAAKE, the album was recorded in the legendary Pytten’s
Grieghallen studio, with the man himself turning the knobs. If you
are out to be swept away by a dark wave of pure emotion and beauty,
you know what you have to do. To me, this is simply the best Black
Metal album EVER recorded. www.karismarecords.no,
http://taake.cjb.net.
Edouard Vergriete
BACK
TAAKE
Taake
(Dark Essence Records)
46:03min
With "Hordalands Doedskvad", TAAKE ended their musical trilogy, beginning with
"Nattestid", continuing with "Bjorgevin", and finally, concluding with
"Doedskvad". Now, the world may have the beginnings of another trilogy on its hands with the self titled album, inevitably called
"Taake", released just last October. As always, Hoest begins with a melodic, wolfish rasp that introduces the guitars,
bass and drums. While not as fast as its predecessor "Doedskvad", the new album is every bit as majestic. There is a more obvious infusion of Norwegian folk, and far more slow passages wherein the band has appeared to prioritize cold, damp atmospheres over sheer speed. Perhaps they have always done this, but it is exceedingly observable here. TAAKE are unusually unique for a
Black Metal band, with very little to compare them to aside from their equally unique countrymen WINDIR. They are a band that influences, not the other way around.
www.myspace.com/taakeofficial
Nat Shapiro
BACK
Taetre
Divine Misanthropic Madness
(Mighty Music)
34:39min
Mmmh, that's absolutely not my style. I really like old school Death
Metal with a harsh sound but I think this album is just nothing but
a nice try to sound like old heroes. Maybe I am wrong and the band
really wants to express something outstanding but I just can not get
into it. Sorry guys! The album was produced by Andy La Rocque (Mercyful
Fate) by
the way.
Phil Jonas
BACK
TANK
Still At War
(Spiritual Beast Records)
69:57min
I've been waiting for
this record to get released for more than four years by now. Back then the
legendary NWOBHM act TANK returned to the scene, toured Germany and even
recorded a brandnew demo. That tape only featured two songs (the ok sounding 'In
The Last Hours Before Dawn' and the raging 'And Then We Heard The Thunder') and
originally was supposed to get them a new record deal. But it seems that labels
these days are even more into signing faceless bullshit which fits into the mass
appeal madness than investing a little bit of money on a unique sounding steady
band from the glorious days of Heavy Metal. So, except for announcements that
TANK would be releasing a new album entitled "Still At War"
unfortunately nothing really came out of that for quite a while. Instead two
great live albums were issued in 1998 and 2001 respectively ("The Return Of
The Filth Hounds", which also featured the aforementioned demo tunes and
"War Of Attrition - Live '81"), and I already figured that "Still
At War" would never become reality. But luckily I was wrong and the wait is
finally over! The new Japanese label Spiritual Beast Records (as well as Zoom
Club Records in Europe) released TANK's sixth official studio album, a fact that
all the loyal filth hounds around the world will certainly appreciate immensely!
And it was definitely worth the wait! Killer tracks such as 'Light The Fire
(Watch 'Em Burn)', 'Still At War', 'Conspiracy Of Hate', 'And Then We Heard The
Thunder' or 'Return Of The Filth Hounds' could also have been leftovers from
their glorious days and by no means come up with any annoying, crappy modern
elements (ZZ TOP fans will notice a little inside joke at the end of 'The Fear
Inside' though). Lyrically you'll get a bunch of
very serious, critical pieces, such as 'The Blood's Still On Their Hands' (about
Hitler's extermination of the Jews), 'When The
Hunter Becomes The Hunted' (Vietnam) or 'Still At War' (which deals with the
fact that the world is still at war), but on the other hand there's also the
usual "band on the road" type stuff ('Return Of The Filth Hounds').
So, even though Algy and the gang probably won't ever manage to recapture the
old raw intensity that made their debut "Filth Hounds Of Hades" so
popular (especially among fans of MOTÖRHEAD, KILLER [B] and the likes),
"Still At War" still became another very typical and highly enjoyable
TANK album. And as not even the change in the band's line-up did hurt them in
any way (drummer Steve Hopgood got replaced by Bruce Bisland, who's previously
been with WEAPON, STATETROOPER, PRAYING MANTIS, ANDY SCOTT'S SWEET), I advice
every die hard TANK fan (and real worshippers of Metal alike!) to pick this up
right away. This Japanese edition even comes up with two additional tracks:
'C-Ing Dubb-All' and 'Still At War (Single Mix)'... But hey, now it's really
time to re-issue TANK's self-titled 1987 album on CD as well, don't you think?
Label contact: www.spiritual-beast.com,
mail@spiritual-beast.com
Frank Stöver
BACK
TARANIS
Flandriae
(Iron Pegasus Records)
43:59min
Black'n'Roll is a vague concept, as is Death'n'Roll. To some, it suggests regular Heavy Metal with harsh vocals, or Black Metal with clear vocals. The reality of it is, a fusion of the two, and this is what TARANIS does. Vocally, the band is derivative of IMMORTAL, however, musically, there's a fairly wide variety of influences, ranging from MOTÖRHEAD to BLITZKRIEG to TAAKE. Some tracks are clearly composed in the NWOBHM vein, whilst others assume the epic guise of PRIMORDIAL, TAAKE (as mentioned above), and a host of other Pagan Metal bands. Eclectic indeed. There are even back up vocals, something that is far from common in Black Metal. This is the second album by TARANIS, a direct successor to the debut in 2007. Moving at a steady, blasphemous pace, TARANIS are worthy heirs, or perhaps, progenitors, of a not so old style.
www.myspace.com/taranisvl,
www.iron-pegasus.com
Nat Shapiro
BACK
TEARABYTE
Gloom Factory
(Screaming Ferret Wreckords)
72:34min
Contemporary Thrash Metal from the US offer TEARABYTE on their third
album "Gloom Factory". Detuned guitars, aggressive clean
Thrash vocals, mostly midpaced song material with a few faster
outbreaks and massive riffs dominate this CD, which should appeal to
fans of later SACRED REICH, SKINLAB, TESTAMENT. A merging of modern
grooves with the rough drive and vocal style the Bay Area Thrashers
made popular back in the good ol' thrashing 80s characterizes this
CD best and though not outstanding it undoubtedly has its moments.
The whole thing is nicely produced, does not sound as sterile as
most newer releases and though I'd prefer more speedy tracks like 'Romper
Stomper' or 'Empowered Hate' TEARABYTE are quite cool and especially
the vocalist's "drunk Chuck Billy meets Zetro Souza"-like
yelling has something pretty unique. Visit www.tearabyte.com
and give this band a serious chance! And by the way, the CD's length
comes due to a vast amount of bonus material like some Christmas
songs, a Country song and a Live show... so no shitty hidden track
there.
Stefan Franke
BACK
TEARS OF DECAY
Redemption (MCD)
(self financed)
21:05min
Ostfriesland strikes again! It's unbelievable how many extreme Metal acts popped
up in this countryside area in the northern part of Germany over the past couple
of years: VOMITING CORPSES, ANASARCA, CRUST, FEARER, BK49, ACT OF FATE, SATAN'S
BLOOD... And now the highly promising TEARS OF DECAY have to be added to this
list as well. Even though the five song mini CD "Redemption" is
still the band's debut release it already knows to impress and will certainly
leave quite a few mouths wide open. TEARS OF DECAY play a really intense form of
brutal grinding Death Metal with obvious influences from the American scene.
Just like ANASARCA these guys never sound German at all (which is meant as a
compliment of course!) and impress with amazing technical abilities already!
Their deep guttural vocals, lots of blast beats and brutal riffing, all in all
performed on a high songwriting level should make them known in the underground
pretty easily and prove that this type of music is not an American domain
exclusively. Ok, the production ain't perfect yet (which shouldn't surprise you
at all if you remember that this release had to be paid completely out of their
own pockets and was their first studio experience ever!) and I'm furthermore not
that much impressed by the cover design, as I associate those type of pictures
more with Punk and Hardcore acts. But musically this is extremely enjoyable if
you're into the most extreme form of brutal Death Metal. You can order a copy of
this CD-R (which comes with a pro-printed CD inlay card and cover) for 15,-DM at
the following address: Michael Eden, Fokko-Ukena-Str. 14, 26721 Emden, e-mail: MEden@gmx.de
Frank Stöver
BACK
TEARS OF DECAY
Saprophyt
(Cudgel Agency)
33:30min
East
Frisian extreme grinders TEARS OF DECAY are back. I received a rough
mix, so probably I shouldn't comment on the sound too much. No big
surprises, TEARS... stay as brutal as can be and both their singer
as well as especially their drummer deliver first class sickness.
This drummer is even outstanding among the masses of great East
Frisian masters of blasters! Some cool bass slappings add to this
release as well. The guitar department seems to have improved, too.
About this I'm not 100% sure, though, because the axes should have
been much louder. Rough mix, remember? Still, the riffs could have
been a little more exciting (track 6 is very cool, though). The
bottom line is: for underground brutality junkies, the new TEARS...
is more than just a considerable option. And try to check them out
live as well, they're really impressive! www.tears-of-decay.de
Ramon Claassen
BACK
JENNIE
TEBLER
Silverwing (CD Single)
(Black
Mark)
7:52min
It
has now been more than a year since Quorthon passed away and left
a gaping hole in the extreme Metal scene that for many of us is
far larger than any other. For some the grief and sense of loss
has not lessened even a year later. We will never know the full
extent of the loss we have suffered. The week before Q passed away
he had outlined for me what to expect from the next BATHORY album.
The success of the “Nordland” saga and all the positive
feedback it brought had shown him another avenue down which he
could confidently take BATHORY that I believe would have produced
several more classic albums. Now, Jennie Tebler’s bittersweet CD
single drives home the point even further. One completely new song
is all we have here, but what a statement it is. 'Silverwing'
is a perfect combination of the sublime and epic Wagnerian Metal
of BATHORY’s crowning achievement “Twilight Of The Gods”,
with the focused and confident bombast of “Nordland’s”
heaviest moments. Tebler’s angelic voice is buoyant with emotion
and creates a remarkable contrast to the music we might otherwise
only hear in KATE BUSH or TOYAH WILCOX – two artists Q admired.
And like BUSH and WILCOX, Tebler’s voice sometimes quivers with
a haunting emotional quality that is, oddly enough, serenely
confident. Lyrically 'Silverwing' is one of Q’s finest
pieces. Like his songwriting, his lyrics were evolving in
directions new and fantastic while still building up that classic
Q atmosphere many of us looked to him for. The other track is
Tebler singing 'Song To Hall Up High', complete with the
original “Hammerheart” instrumentation. It must have been
agonizing to record in January 2005 - just seven months after
Q’s death. Tebler’s heart wrenching liner notes in the Nordic
themed Q-designed packaging attempt to put on a brave face amid
her grief, but it is clear she knows as well as the rest of us,
the loyal Hordes, that this single is one of Metal’s most tragic
AND triumphant releases of all time.
Charles Keller
BACK
TEITANBLOOD / NECROS CHRISTOS
Split 7"
(Sepulchral Voice Records)
approx. 12min
Vinyl
collectors beware! This 7" was already pretty much sold out at
the label directly before it even got released, so obviously there
must be something special about it. And it is! After the rather cool
CHARON 7", Sepulchral Voice Records returns with an even
stronger follow-up now: a split EP of the two very promising
underground acts TEITANBLOOD and NECROS CHRISTOS. While Germany's
NECROS CHRISTOS (featured with the track 'Baptized By The Black
Urine Of The Deceased') already managed to build up a die hard
following with their previous releases (and therefore should be
known by many of you reading this), there's not really much info on
the net when it comes to TEITANBLOOD... All I found out is that
they're hailing from Madrid / Spain, that they put out a demo in
2004 ("Genocide Chants To Apolokian Dawn") and another
split EP with PROCLAMATION last year prior to this split 7" EP.
Haven't heard any of those (yet), but if they were of a similar
quality as their contribution to this release here ('Infernal
Abomination Of Death') you gotta remember their name from now on!
Musically both bands fit together extremely well, because they seem
to share a similar vision when it comes to blackened, blasphemous
oldschool Metal of Death. This is pure underground stuff, completely
unimpressed by anything that's been happening in the "scene"
lately. TEITANBLOOD
as well as NECROS CHRISTOS come up with a raw, very intense
and overall very sinister atmosphere and never sound retro or
anything. What blows out of the speakers here just feels very
natural. The songs easily could've been written and recorded in the
late 80s / early 90s and both perfectly fit in between classic demo
stuff from Scandinavia, the US or Brazil. The EP comes in a
black'n'red sleeve with a totally fitting morbid artwort. So, all I
can say is: order a copy somewhere before you regret it in the years
to come! www.sepulchralvoice.de
Frank Stöver
BACK
TEITANBLOOD
Black Putrescence Of Evil
(Nuclear Winter Records)
27:33min
The subgenre frequently referred to as bestial Black Death Metal although once among the most elite and undefiled areas of
Metal, has been degenerating rapidly in recent years. Overrun by an endless parade of cartoonish bands releasing albums featuring derivative and uninspired songwriting and album covers depicting machine-gun wielding goatmen,
bestial Black Death has become as watered down as the raw Black Metal scene. This may be attributable to the fact that both subgenres appear to the novice to require little in the way of actual talent and skill. In much the same way that countless bands believe that corpsepaint is the only pre-requisite to playing
raw Black Metal, so many other bands believe that gasmasks, bullet belts, and goats are sufficient to master the art of
bestial Black Death. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. Spain’s TEITANBLOOD are poised to reclaim this sound as a serious and meritorious one. Rather than cater to the childishness typically associated with this style, TEITANBLOOD imbue their music with a seriousness that this strain of metal has long been lacking. There is simply no flaw or weakness in the recordings on “Black Putrescence
Of Evil.” Every song is merciless and cold and elevates the listener to a level of extremity seldom captured. This CD, released by one of the finest currently active labels, Nuclear Winter Records, compiles the band’s demo alongside the three tracks from their split EPs (with PROCLAMATION and NECROS CHRISTOS). The first six tracks comprise the “Genocide Chants
In Apolokian Dawn” demo released in 2004 and are easily the strongest tracks on the CD. The remaining tracks taken from the split EPs have a more palatable production value, but lack (only slightly) the dark intensity of the demo. Based on repetitious, evil chord progressions and drum fills in the style of VON, but produced and played with the ferocity and intuitive character of BLASPHEMY, this demo represents a new plateau for this style of
Metal. Though some may complain of the production that it lacks sophistication or the guitars are frequently inaudible (save for the shrill, attacking leads that cut across the songs
à la SLAYER and BLASPHEMY), the recording seems to be entirely crafted with intentionality and purpose. Ritualistic, sincere, and pure, TEITANBLOOD’s music is derived from primordial instinct rather than analysis and imitation. Their purpose, it seems, is not posturing or gaining status in the underground, but rather to unlock the gates to a more elemental and obscure state of consciousness through sound. This is not music to which one is meant to drink and socialize. This is deeply introverted music designed to expose one to regions of the mind associated with ancient and sinister forces, and it should be consumed in such a way as to facilitate this unveiling. This CD provides a glimpse into the realm of a band that is surely going to be touted as one of the most advanced in extreme
Metal once their debut album is finally released and is essential for anyone who delves even casually into this style of metal. This CD can be ordered directly from
Nuclear Winter
Records.
Jason Campbell
BACK
TEITANBLOOD
Seven
Chalices
(Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
58:55min
The
threshold an individual crosses when subjected to a rite of
initiation is one that can never be reconstructed. The initiate is
forever transformed at that point and the universe will never
again reflect the same hues that it once did prior to that pivotal
moment. During the rite, time becomes re-oriented and restored to
a primordial moment resembling the most primal state of existence.
The constitution of the individual is obliterated so that he may
be reconstructed once again in his newly evolved form. Endowed
with new wisdom, the self of the initiate is redefined and honor
bestowed upon him. The illumination of initiation rites permeates
TEITANBLOOD’s “Seven Chalices”. The band itself appears to
have undergone a form of initiation itself in having lived up to
and exceeded the exalted standards they placed upon themselves
with their prior releases. More importantly, however, and more
illustrative of the concept of initiation is the effect of this
album on the listener. Extreme Metal often has characteristics
that allow it to operate on a multitude of levels within the
listener. The visceral nature of Metal’s sonic character charges
the primitive and bestial urges within. Yet this music can also be
utilized as a platform by which the musician can inculcate the
listener with conceptual perspectives. The former represents the
aggressive nature of the beast while the latter invokes the
light-bearing nature of Lucifer. Merged in accordance with one
another, the duality of these forces becomes infinitely more
powerful than either force presented alone. We now find ourselves
in a new era, located amid omnipresent chaos and alienation due to
increased detachedness from the self and the persistent onslaught
of information. From our vantage point, we exist in solitude and
the entire universe seems beyond our control. In order to
contradict this sense of powerlessness, the individual must
cultivate the self and harness the energy of this maelstrom of
sickness, or else suffocate beneath its oppressive weight. The
music of TEITANBLOOD presents an accurate depiction of this
reality. As their vehicle for this endeavor, TEITANBLOOD utilizes
the raw and frenetic intensity of the bestial Black / Death sound.
Enriching their music with a heightened sense of consciousness,
the band has managed to capture one of the most eloquent
reflections of the mess of modern existence. The bestial Black /
Death sound has become the domain of some of the most vapid
and unsophisticated members of the Metal community. This trend has
only grown worse as the popularity of this sub-genre has swelled
in past years - so much so that many of the originators of the
style are now half-heartedly returning to the scene to cash in on
their legacies. TEITANBLOOD are reclaiming this sound and
elevating it to a new level. In a very real sense, this is a
ritual of initiation. By dissecting and then rebuilding this
music, TEITANBLOOD have ushered in a new dawn within extreme Metal. In much the same way that bands like WATAIN and FUNERAL
MIST have done in Black Metal and DEAD CONGREGATION and DROWNED
have done in Death Metal, now TEITANBLOOD are illuminating the
esoteric nature of bestial Black / Death. A conceptual richness
defines the work of all of these bands and serves to draw them
together even if each approaches the music from a different angle.
What makes this such a profound achievement is the mere fact that
the sound of this style of Metal so vividly captures the essence
of our dark age when carried out by competent and intellectual
musicians such as TEITANBLOOD. There is nothing shockingly new
about the music presented here on this album. The riffs are often
archetypal and refer back to the foundations of Death and Black
Metal - bands such as BLASPHEMY, AUTOPSY, HELLHAMMER, VON, etc are
clearly referenced in the songwriting on “Seven Chalices”.
The pieces, however, are stitched together so effectively
that the listener frequently feels that he is discovering an
altogether new sound. The songs themselves never fall into
unwanted stasis, but instead evolve and decay, dynamically
crossing between relentlessly violent speed, dark and somber doom,
and everything in between. Vocal incantations howl above the
tracks invoking occult imagery from an array of diverse sources.
And as with their previous releases, TEITANBLOOD’s punctuated
use of shrill, attacking guitar leads contributes enormously to
the overall perversity of the songs. In the midst of the massacre,
TEITANBLOOD intersperse extended and ritualistic interludes that
accentuate the mysterious nature of the recording. In these ways,
“Seven Chalices” maintains a harmonious, yet precarious
balance of opposing forces - ceremony and chaos... structure and
entropy... grandeur and filth. There is no way of concluding a
review of this album, however, without lauding the exquisite
artistic contributions of the artist, TK, whose exceptional art
intensifies the effect of this release. In fact, his art is the
one aspect of the release that seems to have received virtually
unanimous praise. Included with the LP (and presumably the CD,
albeit in smaller form) is a pro-printed, zine-style booklet
designed to provide to the listener an esoteric guide through the
album. Under the specific artistic direction of the band, the
artist employs a variety of known and unknown symbols, languages,
and images, all gathered and displayed to accentuate the effect of
the music. Meticulous attention to detail and selfless devotion to
the music characterize the artist’s effort here. The book could
easily have existed as a separate entity altogether, but
evaluating it as an accompaniment to the LP, it is clear that it
is even more powerful in conjunction with the music. While the
artwork does not fully divulge any answers to the mysteries hidden
within “Seven Chalices”, it offers symbolic reference points
that direct the consciousness of the listener to specific
intellectual and spiritual planes. In doing so, it provides
essential insight into the mechanisms at work deep within
TEITANBLOOD’s bold creation. “Seven Chalices” is nothing
short of Death Metal alchemy…a precise mixture of sound, image,
and idea in such a way that transcends any one of those elements
alone resulting in a creation pure and invaluable. www.teitanblood.com,
www.noevdia.com
Jason Campbell
BACK
TEMPLE
BELOW
Temple (Demo 2008)
(Turanian Honour Prod.)
29:40min
What a fantastic tape! TEMPLE BELOW have, in contrast to their name,
reached far higher than the average band, resulting in what is sure
to become a cult classic in years to come. Incorporating tiny intros
that are as well done as any 1980s predecessor, and writing songs
that push and swirl in a hot cauldron of sin, TEMPLE BELOW have
produced a demo that ranks as among the best in recent memory. Of
course, TEMPLE BELOW are not without their identifiable influences;
influences such as the immortal BLASPHEMY, HELLHAMMER, and anything
80s, and anything cult. True to the old ways in every respect, the
"Temple" demo is available on tape, and only tape. A CD
version may come to pass in the future, but for now, the only thing
we have is a cassette. For true believers only! www.myspace.com/templebelow,
www.myspace.com/turanian_honour_prods
Nat Shapiro
BACK
TEMPLE
OF BAAL
Traitors To Mankind
(Oaken Shield / Adipocere)
36:38min
During the last years, I barely took notice of the TEMPLE OF BAAL
developments, until I got this record. “Traitors To Mankind” is
the band's second full length, and the promo sheet accompanying the
disc reports about a considerable evolution in their musical style,
I take that for granted then. This record is a rather pleasant
surprise, because on this TEMPLE
OF BAAL
choose a welcome oldschool approach to their Black / Thrash mix, and
they do this with intelligence and style. TEMPLE
OF BAAL
have achieved the perfect balance between hateful classic Black
Metal (‘Graveyard Of Disgust’, ‘Visions Of Carnage’), dark
Thrash reminiscing of the 80s (‘Bleeding Thoughts’) and even
primitive Death Metal. Echoes of CELTIC FROST could be heard here
and there (especially in vocal lines), adding more interest to TEMPLE
OF BAAL's music. But I don’t want to give you the impression TEMPLE
OF BAAL
are mere copyists, because all the influence that can be traced here
can’t erase the band's own style and originality, let’s say TEMPLE
OF BAAL
uses musical citations as homage. Musicwise, the band sounds really
tight, with a special mention to the great drumwork of Antares who
plays his instrument with creativity and feeling (a not so frequent
occurrence these days). Adipocere’s home producer Ludovic Tournier
offers the band a clear and powerful sound, a real delight to hear!
Add to all this a simple and elegant artwork courtesy of ANTAEUS
very own
MkM (who wrote the lyrics of one track) and you get a very
good disc, not groundbreaking mind you, but surely worth a listen.
File this with SUICIDAL WINDS and BESTIAL MOCKERY who perform
similar art. Recommended. http://temple.of.baal.free.fr
for the usual info.
Edouard Vergriete
BACK
TEMPLE OF BAAL
Lightslaying
Rituals
(Agonia Records)
40:18min
The design of the new TEMPLE OF BAAL release is in some way like a
remake of the POTENTIAM debut cover - so not really great or
innovative art – but our French friends musically are following a
completely different path than the keyboard orientated band from
Iceland. If somebody forces me to describe their music with only a
handful of words the logical choice would be – Death / Black
Metal, Sweden and DARK FUNERAL. But the Black Metal cult act could
be easily replaced by another extreme Metal act from Sweden (MARDUK,
NECROPHOBIC) especially due to the fact that during the playing time
of 40 minutes the minor Death Metal influences are becoming more
obvious. But at the end this can’t cover the fact that we are
talking about a more or less nice but nevertheless harmless release.
The sound on “Lightslaying Rituals” – the third full album
after 2 split releases with their French companions ANCESTRAL FOG
and AOSOTH - is extreme clear and powerful and give the guitar leads
the necessary room but the impression remains that speed is far more
important than structure. This is for sure not an album which is
lacking of aggression and musical dedication but the similarity of
the songs is finally the most important point of criticism. TEMPLE
OF BAAL deserves their national status but the current scene in
France has definitely better bands to offer. www.agoniarecords.com,
www.myspace.com/templeofbaal
Matthias Auch
BACK
TEMPLE OF BRUTALITY
Lethal Agenda
(Demolition Records)
33:49min
This new band consists of well known musicians, namely Dave Ellefson (MEGADETH), Stet Howland (W.A.S.P) and the incorporator, guitarist Pete Scheithauer (BELLADONNA and KILLING MACHINE), just the vocalist Todd Barnes is unknown to me. But to make it short, gathering good musicians in a new band not necessarily effects a good album. The music can be described as some kind of modern Thrash Metal or
Metalcore, but it is just boring, lame and uninspiring. There are at least two or three good songs on that album, but as a newcomer you should present more than this. The production is mediocre, I personally do not care about that fact, but according to guitarist P. Scheithauer they wanted “[…] to create a new sound” and they clearly failed on that effort. The vocalist is not able to place his own trademark on the songs, the song writing is just Thrash Metal riffs based on rhythms that are well known from hardcore bands, nothing new, performed by bands like PANTERA or CALIBAN before. Once again the guitarist: “Our vision is simple. Be brutal, no compromise,
Metal all the way.” Well, brutality means more than just stringing unexciting riffs in an uninspiring way together. And sometimes it is better to compromise in effort to create exquisite
Metal. www.templeofbrutality.com
Mirco Szymyslik
BACK
TENEBRAE
IN PERPETUUM
Onori Funebri Rituali
(BlackSeed Productions)
41:07min
To be frank with you, I awaited absolutely nothing from this
release, I thought it was another middle-of-the-road Black Metal
record and that’s all. So the bigger the surprise was the first
time I listened to “Onori Funebri Rituali”, so much the album
has revealed itself extremely good. Needless to say TENEBRAE IN
PERPETUUM is a totally unknown band / project, from Italy this time.
By the way all the lyrics are in Italian, but fear not, the shrieks
on this are so high pitched and hateful that the language barrier is
an irrelevant matter to discuss. In case you miss sick records in
the vein of “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” don’t look any further
because “Onori Funebri Rituali” is for you. Yes it is that good,
I am not joking here. All the tracks are equally excellent, and the
two musicians forming TENEBRAE IN PERPETUUM prove they have a great
sense of composing fascinating real songs, full of mystery and gloom
while staying firmly in the furious mode. In fact, the band attains
unreal speed on some occasions, drummer Vidharr reminding me the
mighty (young) Hellhammer when it comes to hit the drum kit hard.
The album cause is well served by a great production which is not
too refined mind you but clear enough to fully appreciate the
grandeur of the music. I can’t single out any particular tracks,
so much the quality of the whole is consistent. I regard “Onori
Funebri Rituali” as an absolute essential piece of plastic to buy,
to me one of the biggest surprises in 2004. For (scarce) info, visit
www.blackseedprod.com.
Edouard Vergriete
BACK
TENEBRAE
IN PERPETUUM
Antico Misticismo
(Debemur Morti Productions)
39:54min
Since I was extremely impressed by the first full length of this
Italian outfit, it is without thinking too much that I bought this
new record. On “Antico Misticismo”, TENEBRAE IN PERPETUUM
confirm the great deal of talent they have. Like before the band
offer a cold, bleak and furious Black Metal assault in the tradition
of old. One cannot find even the tiniest element of experimentation
here; what TENEBRAE IN PERPETUUM lack in originality they replace
with a top notch sense of high class song writing. What I appreciate
the most on this album is the drowned-in-reverb hateful vocals of
Atratus (who handles also the guitar and bass duties), giving the
impression of infernal diatribes vomited out of the Abyss,
absolutely frightening. The band knows how to use contrasts, like in
the track ‘Sub Zero’ where a majestic and nightmarish intro
gives way to a furiously paced rhythm, while the track ‘Terrore
Spitituale’ is based on one repetitive riff supporting Atratus
sort of foul incantation. The drumming of Vidharr is once again
faultless, and the drums sound very natural and organically tied
with the other instruments, the whole being mixed very well (with a
clearly audible bass, another good point), no search for the most
rotten nor on reverse for the most polished sound here. TENEBRAE IN
PERPETUUM privileges elegance and sobriety over useless
complications. Even the artwork reinforce this idea; the digipack is
reduced to the simplest, no band pictures, no lyrics printed. From
what I understand of the Italian song titles, TENEBRAE IN PERPETUUM
are about the occult of course, but without relying too much on the
satanic imagery everybody knows by heart. In that regard, a title
like ‘Un Sogno Oscuro’ (‘An Obscure Dream’) sums up the
overall feeling this record communicates, the impression to live a
dark but very seducing dream, full of mysteries and attractive
dangers. I know everybody today is bombarded with tons and tons of
info about tons and tons of bands, but I suggest you give this a try
without delay, because TENEBRAE IN PERPETUUM belongs to the handful
of bands that deserve your attention. Classic stuff in my book. www.debemur-morti.com.
Edouard Vergriete
BACK
TENEBRAE
IN PERPETUUM
L’Eterno Maligno Silenzio
(Debemur
Morti Productions)
38:31min
Only a few bands within 2009 have used the element of surprise for
their advantage but this Italian act has definitely hit the bull’s
eye. The band was completely unknown to me and the world wide web
can only assist to a certain degree but the presented nearly 40
minutes of
pure Black Metal are definitely essential. I’m very often
complaining about the lack of new impulses within our scene and
“L’Eterno Maligno Silenzio” is deeply influenced by the Black
Metal of the early 90s and so right from the start not a release
with any intention to offer something new. TENEBRAE IN PERPETUUM was
founded in 2001 and their third release is a extreme dark trip to
the roots of this style and without exaggeration is the terminus “the
Italian MAYHEM” in some way fully applicable. Especially the
guitars – just listen to the fourth track with one of the best
guitar parts I’ve listened to for years – give this release the
dark ‘face’ and the band is emphasising this haunted atmosphere
with some rare clean vocals which are furthermore supported by the
Italian lyrics. This release is nearly from every perspective like a
normal piece of black coal – the cover artwork is far away from
being unique or innovative – but everybody should keep in mind
that a raw diamond is on the basis level nothing more than black
coal. A great release and another prove for the growing scene in
Italy. www.debemur-morti.com
Matthias Auch
BACK
TENEBRAE
IN PERPETUUM / KROHM
Split
(Debemur Morti Productions)
42:45min
I was really looking forward to this release especially if it comes
to the first participator TENEBRAE IN PERPETUUM and their
“mayhemic” Black Metal interpretation. Their latest release was
an impressive piece of Black Metal even if I have to admit that my
opinion has not been widely shared. The final project of this
Italian act is the split LP with their American Brothers KROHM –
it’s their final release due to the fact that based on unconfirmed
rumors the band has been split up after the recording session for
this album. The main ideas behind this release are the Italian roots
/ ancestors of both bands. So what can we expect from two times 3
songs and consequently a playing time of around 20 minutes for each
combo? The album starts with my personal favorite TENEBRAE IN
PERPETUUM and the presented three tracks are quite different to
their last full length. The mayhemic touch is gone and the band is
offering a more atmospheric Black Metal - again with a strong
Norwegian touch - but this time the early releases of bands like
MORGUL seem to be a greater source of inspiration. But the material
– except the final track 'III' – is far away from being
essential and this impression can’t be changed by the presented
KROHM part even if Italian lyrics by an American band are more than
special. In total a disappointing release full of sweet and innocent
material and therefore a more than untypical Debemur Morti
Production release. www.debemur-morti.com,
www.krohmcrypt.com
Matthias Auch
BACK
TENEBRARUM
Voices / European Edition
(Mondongo Canibale Records)
45:01min
From Medellin, Colombia the home of the infamous drug cartel of
Pablo Escobar, appears from out of the shadows of that city the Doom
Metallers TENEBRARUM. Their CD, "Voices", unbelievably the
seventh album in this band's history, and a band regarded as
"probably the most well known Gothic / Doom Metal act from
Colombia" by their own label. It is incredible to me that until
this very moment, I have never even heard of this band?! And to
that, these ears easily could of withstood not ever hearing this
album if my life passed before me either in a flash or in a harsh
painful method; like being thrown out of a helicopter, arms bound
behind my back, only to die from hanging by a rope until my neck had
snapped! Brutal as these words may be, it is in no comparison to the
minor pit of cruelty that I have been subjected to for the past 45
minutes. Obnoxiously slow riffs, granted it is Goth / Doom. However
add to this unoriginality in the arrangements, a stunning lack of
direction and / or passion within the actual songs, annoying and
overly used violin accompaniments, random backing female caterwauls,
and a lead vocalist who sounds like Sully Ema of GODSMACK. It really
is enough to take a sane person over the edge. From the band's own
website, seems TENEBRARUM were voted the "best Colombian Metal
band" by Shock magazine, the alleged "most important
Rock publication in Colombia"... Are you serious?! Have you
never heard of MASACRE? Now that is the best Colombian Metal band
there is! Contact:
tenebrarumx@yahoo.com
or
www.tenebrarumband.com or
www.mondongocanibale.com
or Mondongo Canibale Records, P.O. Box 27106, 28080 Madrid, Spain.
Wes Rhodes
BACK
TENEBROSUS
The Fall Of Worthless Morals
(Metal Mind Records)
36:29min
Hrrmphhh... a first glance at the booklet seems to say everything as
TENEBROSUS’ corpsepaint naughtily lacks any creativity... or have
IMMORTAL, MAYHEM and TAAKE moved to Poland and started a new
project? Not very likely... What we get on “The Fall...” is grim
Black Metal, raw and without any keyboards or chubby opera divas.
Not original at all but enjoyable indeed. These guys play their
music with passion and hatred. Nothing more, nothing less. The
production is a little too good. Sorry? Well, those “shitty”
typical raw Black Metal productions usually support that ice cold
feeling we cherish so much in case the band is any good. On the
other hand, this production isn’t good enough, either as it
doesn’t really blow you away like a DIMMU production, for example.
But there is a third point to consider: maybe the new old formula of
how to produce a “true” Black Metal album has become almost
trendy again and therefore I believe that the sound on “The
Fall...” does have a certain right of existence. So the only point
of negative criticism is the playing time. And it’s not even 36:29
minutes of pure Black Metal: it’s less than 30 minutes as there
are some strange creepy noise intros, interludes and outro that
support the record and everything but in the end “The Fall...”
is a pretty short album, Good but short. I might have bought this if
I was into Black Metal exclusively. www.tenebrosus.prv.pl
Ramon
Claassen
BACK
TENEBRUM INFECTUS
Tenebrum Infectus
(Adipocere Records)
31:07min
The overall layout of this album could lead you to believe that
TENEBRUM INFECTUS (a French quartet) is a Grind band stricto
sensu.
The reality is a little more complex than that. In fact, the band
rather plays brutal Death Metal the American way, with only the song
format (very short, you got 16 tracks – 4 of them recorded live --
for a rather limited playing time) reminding the Grind influences.
The shared vocals between porcine growls and duck-like shrieks are
another element tying TENEBRUM INFECTUS with the Grind scene. I
guess that at the beginning, the band was a pure Death Metal outfit,
only to evolve towards Grindcore like in an afterthought. The
TENEBRUM INFECTUS dudes have adopted the lyrical universe typical of
the Grind bands (centred on the infamous trilogy sex-piss-shit) but
music wise they are not afraid to explore the slow motion riffing on
numerous occasions (‘My Eternal Last Anguish’ being almost a
Doom track in that regard). The extremely and dynamic production
does justice to the power levelled by the playing itself, expect a
brutal slab of Death Metal à la CANNIBAL CORPSE, nothing more,
nothing less. I am afraid our non-French speaking readers will miss
some “subtleties” of the cover art (conceived by ex-NO RETURN
vocalist Steeve Petit) but I believe the pictures say it all. Also,
among the sick amusements provided by this album, you will find two
video clips, one being “censored” (if I said it involves two
women and a pig, you will easily understand why!). But it would be
inappropriate to be distracted by the visual aspects of this album,
because musically speaking TENEBRUM INFECTUS have a lot to offer.
Not essential, but promising.
Edouard Vergriete
BACK
TENET
Sovereign
(Century Media Records)
34:28min
Super groups such as the CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and the TARDY BROTHERS are so poorly conceived, they seem less super groups
- where the best musicians gather together to craft great music - and more like black holes where creativity is swallowed whole. But, for the super groups who don't stick their surnames in their band's name, less harsh judgment is reserved; for these bands are bands, and not old farts trying to cash in on past glories. TENET, like VOODOOCULT before them, is one of those bands. The band consists of Gene Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, DEATH), Steve Souza (EXODUS), Glen Alvelais (FORBIDDEN), Byron Stroud (FEAR
FACTORY) and Jed Simmons (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD). Unlike the Cavaleras and Tardys, Gene Hoglan and company have managed to keep themselves in fighting shape. Instrumentally, this album has the makings of a decent Thrash album. The riffs are good enough that one can ignore the thin drums and Souza's sometimes horribly off singing (fortunately he smoothes out more often than not). Not surprisingly, given the resumes of more than half the band, TENET is an amalgamation of DARK ANGEL riffs, FORBIDDEN
rhythms, and old EXODUS vocals. This is, without question, of the better super group albums in a long while.
www.tenetforce.com,
www.myspace.com/tenetforce,
www.centurymedia.com.
Also on sale here .
Nat Shapiro
BACK
TEPHERET
Sulphur Storm
(Demo Tape)
Usually PROFANATICA, BLASPHEMY, BEHERIT-inspired stuff instantly
makes me hot but in the case of Germany's TEPHERET there are way too
many things that annoy me and keep me from recommending this demo to
worshippers of blasphemous noise from hell. First of all the drum PC
is utter crap, the only way to get this shitty "instrument"
out of the Metal genre is to be intolerant when it is used, then
there are the vocals which are way to silent and absolutely
unrecognizable. Positive things are the ripping, violent guitar
sound, the other musical elements on "Sulphur Storms"
should either be removed, replaced or improved, because despite this
rather disappointing first release I would not totally give up on ex-MORRIGAN's
Baldur new band. Maybe a human drummer, a better balanced sound, a
little more time and effort on song writing would help TEPHERET.
What I consider most important is that the vocals become audible,
because what would those legendary inspirators TEPHERET name in the
info sheet be without their extraordinary cult-vocals? Quite badly
performed primitive Metal with an utter extreme noise level, that's
what TEPHERET are right now, hopefully they do their best to become
more than that. Sounds and infos can be found at www.tepheret.de.vu,
the tape is available for 3 Euro / $, but to get the postal address
you should send an email to tepheret@gmx.de.
Stefan Franke
BACK
TERATO
The Morbid Wraiths (7" EP)
(Worship Him Records)
11:31min
TERATO falls in the "don't know who they are but hell they are promising" category for what I just heard.
This is their debut release under the darkened wings of Worship Him Records and I must
admit that they are a band to keep a close eye in the near future. I know this is just a
7" EP but I feel like transported to a time when you were able to discover worthy bands putting $6 in an
envelope, hide them carefully, register the damn thing and wait anxiously for the goods to arrive a while later. This band is not
revolutionary or whatsoever but they are performing their Black Metal with a diminished
Death Metal touch in pretty decent manner. They have the cold, eerie and profound
despair of some other classic outfits like FUNERAL MIST, SORHIN, old SETHERIAL or similar stuff. The variety contained in the eleven plus
minutes of their performance should be enough to quench the avid Black
Metal fan looking for new darkened horizons. www.myspace.com/ruinousterato. Get it here:
www.myspace.com/worshiphimrecs.
Mario Cubero
BACK
TERRORAMA
Misanthropic Genius
(Demo)
Thrash ‘til fuckin’ Death!!! If you like it the primitive
oldschool Black / Thrash way then you should check out Sweden’s
TERRORAMA first demo tape. The three songs featured on
“Misanthropic Genius” have a fantastic, powerful sound (created
by ex-MARDUK member “Devo” Andersson), that provides enough raw
feeling inevitable for this type of music. TERRORAMA remind me of
old MERCILESS, SARCOFAGO or old BATHORY, “straight into your
face” Black / Thrash, that is a great contrast to all those modern
and technical acts out there and a big “Fuck Off” to all trends
and innovations! The inlay and the tape itself have a professional
black & white layout and even the lyrics are included. What I
personally love about this tape is that both sides of the tape
contain music, so that you do not have to push fast forward, very
nice! If you are in need of some real oldschool stuff, that pisses
on Death / Grind and shits on symphonic Black Metal, get this
tape!!! Just send 40SKR (Sweden, incl. P&P), 5$ / Euro (rest of
the world, incl. P&P) to the following address: Terrorama c/o
Lidén, Blockstensg. 26, 603 86 Norrköping, Sweden. Email contact: terrorama@hotmail.com
Stefan Franke
BACK
TERRORAMA
Horrid Efface LP
(Nuclear War Now!)
approx.
30min
After releasing an already excellent demo entitled “Misanthropic
Genius” in 2002 (review to be found somewhere on this pages)
Swedish TERRORAMA could gain a deal with NWN and now offer their
first full-length containing seven new tracks (including a HOLY
TERROR cover) of aggressive, diversified Black / Thrash sounding
like a mixture of early MERCILESS, BATHORY with some Brazilian
elements (I mean SARCOFAGO, SEXTRASH here, not KRISIUN!).
Especially the guitar sound is quite comparable to such cult hordes
of the mid-late 80’s. By keeping their songs varied, implementing
surprising breaks, almost catchy riffs and a nicely raw yet powerful
sound TERRORAMA do not go for an utter retro-worshipping-thing, but
come across quite individual and fresh sounding without losing their
oldschool attitude. Though TERRORAMA won’t be something for
Prog-fans their ingeniously simple riffing and furious drive is
pretty addictive and the band wrote songs that simply stick to your
ear like a fly to a pile of shit. By putting “Horrid Efface” in
a luxurious gatefold packaging with a great layout, it isn’t only
something tasty for your ears but also for your eyes. Iron Fist
productions released it also as a tape, lacking the bonus song to be
found on the LP version, which was recorded later than the other
songs and hopefully is a sign for TERRORAMA’s future releases,
it’s damn good! If you are into black, thrashing Metal that has
its own identity with respecting the genre’s forefathers, get this
album! Infos regarding LP: http://nwnprod.fateback.com
or www.ebullition.com/Xnuclear.html.
For tape version send an email to: ironfistrec@hotmail.com
Stefan
Franke
BACK
TERRORAMA
The Cleansing
(Demo)
approx. 20min
This is the first musical sign of life from Sweden's TERRORAMA after
their debut full length "Horrid Efface" on Nuclear War Now
Productions. A classic demo tape, with a xeroxed black & white
cover (very oldschool indeed) that offers four brand new songs
('Perversion Extol', 'Inseminated With Scorn', 'The Self-Exorcism'
and an instrumental version of 'Archaic Visions') as well as a cool
covertune of Germany's "Dead City" Thrashers VIOLENT FORCE
('M.A.O.T.'). The tape is limited to 125 copies only and basically
meant for promotional aspects only in order to let interested people
know what the band is about to sound like on their upcoming second
album (supposed to be recorded a little later this year and again to
be unleashed via Nuclear War Now Productions). I must say that this
material here impressed me a hell lot more than the entire "Horrid
Efface" album (which already wasn't a bad release either)
because they sound so incredibly honest, raw and back to the roots
of the extreme underground days that it's a real pleasure to listen
to them! Even though TERRORAMA musically focus on the very early
oldschool blackened deathrashin' insanity they never sound fake or
retro in any way. You could easily sell this as an obscure
underground release from a far healthier period of time in Metal
history! Ripping and raw, crushing and intense and black from the
heart should sum this up pretty easily! TREBLINKA, old SARCOFAGO,
old MERCILESS, NECROVORE, old BATHORY, INSANITY and the likes are
bands that delivered their stuff with a quite similar attitude and
musical approach... So, if you still prefer the pre-commercialized
period in underground Black / Death / Thrash Metal you should make
sure to keep the name TERRORAMA in mind. Like I said, unfortunately
the demo is not officially available, but you may try to convince
the band for a sales version anyway: TERRORAMA, c/o Peter Lidén,
Vendesg. 5A, S- 29153 Kristianstad, Sweden, terrorama@hotmail.com
Frank Stöver
BACK
TERRORAMA
Omnipotence
(Nuclear War Now! Productions)
29:25min
Anyone else out there disappointed with the last Nifelheim
CD? I was. Seems their Iron Maiden influences got the best of 'em and the melodies came out too nice and jolly and
pretty... that is NOT the case with fucking Terrorama! We start off with a good intro (though I am definitely not a fan of intros) and boom, the band starts the song with a fake ending reminiscent of
'Hit The Lights' or 'Afterworld Obliteration' and then the album starts with a
bang (that's right a boom and a bang!). Just relentless violent Death
/ Thrash Metal with melodies yes, but wicked! I like those old boys in
Nifelheim used to do back in the old
days, remember? They alternate well with the speeds mostly keeping it fast 'n loose throwing in wicked licks from hell here and there.
Man, this is just quality through and through. The recording is clean and
classy, the instruments are crystal clear, kudos on the production,
you can tell these evil guys are good musicians but still, there is a rawness
undeniable. And abruptly, violently, it ends. This is truly an album for any fan of real Thrash
Metal! The really violent deathly kind. Not that happy go lucky, party, yay! we-are-doing everything-that-killed
Thrash Metal.This is ferocious and intense, sometimes reminding me of
Sadus' classic
"Illusions / Chemical Exposure" in its relentlesness. Buy it or get it now!!
www.nwnprod.com
Luis M.L. Sallard
BACK
TERRORIZER
Darker Days Ahead
(Century Media)
39:25min
When it comes to the extreme Metal scene I don't think there's many
other albums that have marked people's minds more than TERRORIZER's
debut, "World Downfall". So, naturally TERRORIZER's second
effort has been awaited for a long long while now and finally here
it is. Unfortunately the fear of being hugely disappointed by it
started to rise once guitarist Jesse Pintado (ex-NAPALM DEATH) gave
me a copy of their comeback demo early 2005, a three track affair
which featured two old tunes (reworked from their demo days) and a
newer one. The whole thing sounded like a huge letdown for a
TERRORIZER recording with Jesse having opted for a crappy super
downtuned guitar sound and new singer Anthony Rezhawk (ex -
RESISTANT MILITIA, RESISTANT CULTURE) sounding just like another
Death Metal singer without having that totally ripping / distinctive
tone that original singer / guitarist Oscar Garcia had. The newer
tune, 'Doomed Forever' just simply didn't have the trademarks that
made all the early TERRORIZER material so killer / ripping /
mindblowing (I'm talking of 1987 / 1988 here). So, my expectations
towards this second full length were considerably reduced to say the
least and when I heard the promo copy last week, my few remaining
illusions were all gone! This new 12 track album is just an
extension of what had been started with the 2005 demo and nothing
else. Now I have to clarify something. It's said in the bio
accompanying this disc that they've recorded 11 new pieces... Well,
that's totally false because six tracks are reworked versions of
songs dating from their demo days, add to this one intro (largely
dispensable) and an awful outro ('Ghost Train', a mix of piano with
fast drumming and industrial sounds) and you get four new tunes
written specifically for this record ('Darker Days Ahead', 'Doomed
Forever', 'Legacy Of Brutality' and 'Victim Of Greed'). All having a
common point: those tunes all sound largely much more like NAUSEA
inspired numbers (incidentally Oscar Garcia's current band) than
TERRORIZER songs (which means that the Hardcore edge is obvious).
The riffing being very particularly uninspired with on top of this
some very typical growling, heard and heard already thousand of
times. As far as I'm concerned it's clear that mainman Jesse Pintado
has lost most of his initial inspiration (as it has been already
proven on the last batch of NAPALM DEATH records he appeared on). A
sad fact, but a real established one. Out of the four tunes 'Legacy…'
would certainly be the one (during the chorus at least) which sounds
the closest to old TERRORIZER, very minor. One would say that the
intro and outro don't really count, and there's still six old pieces
to be found on here, so it can largely save the album from being a
letdown. Well, in theory it could be the case, but unfortunately
those reworked versions are for the most part a disaster. It starts
with 'Crematorium', most of the original structure has been changed
for something particularly boring but the worst comes with that new
infamous chorus... This one being based now on an ultra fast beat
and Anthony's delivery being atrocious. Then comes 'Fallout', a song
which used to be one of my all time TERRORIZER faves, so naturally
once I knew that it would appear on this record, I went nuts. But
the result is just a disaster! You simply almost can't recognize the
original song… It's that bad! Between the totally unnecessary
growls, that downtuned guitar sound which takes away half of the
original power and the non-adequate drumming (I rarely criticize
Pete's work but this time I have to do it partially), a disaster as
it simply doesn't recapture the original vibe of that once majestic
number. 'Mayhem' has never been a particularly ripping tune and here
it comes as being rather good and definitely a bit heavier than the
original version. 'Blind Army' is next and while I thought at first
(judging by the title) that it was a new tune, it's in fact a
reworked version of the totally annihilating 'Nuclear Dismemberment'.
Those being familiar with the demo days will instantly recognize
that totally devastating tune. Unfortunately much to my despise,
that reworked version doesn't carry half of the power the original
tune had with Jesse and Oscar on guitars! Proof that we're in 2006
and the sound techniques have considerably evolved, but sometimes
you simply can't achieve to be as good (and better) that you
originally were! It's a shame because that tune originally carried
an awesome amount of power with that semi slow paced opening theme,
but this said, the result here is still very enjoyable. Then comes
what is probably the best track of the album (not necessarily
musicwise but because for a change a reworked version finally works!),
the mighty 'Nightmares', which used to be the title of their first
demo / rehearsal back in January 1987. While the original was just
good at best back then, this new version (with an unmistakable
MASTER feel stamped all over it) simply shreds! There's still that
majestic hook inside it pushed even further, that trademark that
made TERRORIZER so insane back in the day. 'Dead Shall Rise V.06' is
a slightly reworked version of the classic tune that had already
appeared on the debut album, it works once again no doubt, the thing
being even faster than before. This said, comparing to 99% of the
records in the Death / Black / Grind Metal field nowadays, this one
simply is on the top of the mountain there's no doubt about it. For
those not familiar with the demos and the original songs, you won't
probably understand my criticism here because the album definitely
shreds. But if you're an oldschool TERRORIZER devotee, just like I
am, then there's chances that you'll be disappointed and you won't
see the point in having released a record as disappointing as this
one when they had all the cards to come up with another winner!!!
Last but not least, while Tony Norman's work doesn't need to be
talked about (Jesse having probably done all the rhythm work and the
bass work being secondary in such case), there's a real need to say
that Mr. Sandoval has accomplished once again a totally amazing work
here that simply can't be topped as usual - no matter how hard the
Flo Mourniers of this world will try. Sandoval IS GOD, plain and
simple.
Laurent Ramadier
BACK
TERROR OF THE TREES
Devil Worship
(self financed)
17:42min
I have
no idea whether this one man project is supposed to be taken serious
or not, but honestly spoken – I don’t really care as long as I can
enjoy the music delivered... and I certainly do, in this case! TERROR
OF THE TREES, the brainchild of SUN DESCENDS producer “His Eminence
The Wicked”, has musically very little in common with Mem von Stein’s
new outfit. The featured five songs (plus intro) are a lot more
primitive sounding and therefore pretty often remind me on an early
BATHORY influenced incarnation of HELLHAMMER with old Kerry King
type leads. Totally old school, but very effective and probably
not suitable for the new generation of fans that prefer the fat
production / nice’n’safe type of releases. In all of the songs you
can almost feel the old magic, that new bands unfortunately tend
to lack in most of the time and that only those are able to deliver
the right way, who experienced the extreme Metal scene’s evolution
right from the start. Don’t know if this CD-R is meant for sale,
but somehow I hope it is as the material is definitely a lot more
convincing than most of the crap that zillions of faceless youngsters
are coming up with these days. I don’t have a direct contact for
you, but you should manage to get in touch with this project through
the SUN DESCENDS website www.sundescends.com
Frank Stöver
BACK
TERROR SQUAD
The Wild Stream Of Eternal Sin
(World Chaos Production)
28:57min
Yeah, this is
the way I like my brutal thrash and death!!! Terror Squad is a really
cool Japanese outfit devoted to the merciless, nicely old-school
side of aggressive very-metal and some of you might actually remember
these sickos from their pretty impressive rendition of the track
"Discö Bloody Discö" on the cult 'Headbangers Against
Disco' 7" EP series some while ago? Well, this very classic
song is luckily also featured on their album debut "The Wild
Stream Of Eternal Sin" and marks one of the highlights of the
short-playing record together with the opening song "Straight
To Hell", "Chain Of The Damned" as well as "Blood
Fire Metal". You actually need to hear to believe how untamed
these thrash-maniacs perform here and in case you should be into
the glorious episode of bands like early Kreator, Dark Angel and
the likes, you'll definitely get reward for your time! The production
might be a bit dirty, but then again, aren't we talking about "retro"
material? So, the overall musicianship is great, the super cool
lead guitarwork is everpresent throughout theses 7 songs and also
the speed never actually lets you down. You can bet these guys are
serious and therefore make sure not to miss this masterpiece of
underdog wild thrash METAL violence! Furthermore, Terror Squad will
be touring in Germany around October together with Blackend, Scornage
and Bonehouse, so get a life and support these guys! A wonderful
album... Label contact: World Chaos Production, #406 new light bld.
2-25-6 hongo, bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan E-Mail: worldkdm@syd.odn.ne.jp
Leif Jensen
BACK
TERROR THRONE
Death Is The Cleanser
(Sempiternal Productions)
32:07min
Blistering blackened Death Metal similar to NEPENTHE from Kansas
City, Missouri and crossbred with Michigan's devil dogs MASOCHIST.
Lyrical content is heavy, personalized, doom laden, and written
with ink made from the blood of several lost souls. Six songs of
torment. Six songs of dark desire. Six songs of cold blasphemy!
All yours for $12.00 U.S. plus postage. How this ever escaped the
clutches of Keith Dempe and wasn't released on Eternal Darkness
Creations I will never know?! Contact: P.O. BOX 101, Summit,
Illinois 60501 USA,
www.terrorthrone.com
or Sempiternal Productions P.O. Box 08423, Chicago, Il 60608 USA
Wes Rhodes
BACK
TERROR 2000
Faster Disaster
(Scarlet Records)
38:55min
What
will be the next thing after the Thrash revival? Who knows? Right
now, TERROR 2000 add some fresh air to the recent Thrash wave. The
first track ’Back With Attack' reminds me quite a bit of good
old KREATOR. Speed is the first commandment for TERROR 2000 and
their roots are far away from modern Thrash bands like MACHINE HEAD
or MESHUGGAH. Singer / bass player "Speed" (SOILWORK)
delivers fantastic vocals. Consequently, the band's second full
length leaves me searching for points of negative criticism in
vain.
A highly enjoyable piece of speed, aggression, precision, melodic
leads, groove and simply METAL! This is gonna make you move! www.terror2k.cjb.net
Ramon Claassen
BACK
TERROR 2000
Slaughter In Japan
(Scarlet Records)
41:01min
Thrashers
TERROR 2000 from Sweden feature SOILWORK's vocalist and a guitar
player from DARKANE. They have recorded two studio albums so far and
during their Japan tour with DESTRUCTION they have taken the chance
to record this live album in Tokyo in May 2003. TERROR 2000
performed eight own songs and a very trashy cover version of ELVIS
PRESLEY's '(You're The) Devil In Disguise'. The songwriting quality
is flawless but unfortunately the sound of these live recordings is
definitely not on their side. Their fast Thrash Metal assaults are
limited by a powerless sound which takes away far too much energy
from the band's aggressive performance. Guitars, drums and vocals
sound unpleasingly dull. This fact makes this album at the utmost
appealing for fans who already know the songs. To avoid any
misconceptions about TERROR 2000, people who dig fast Thrash Metal
should better check out the two studio albums first. Label website: www.scarletrecords.it,
band website: www.terror2k.cjb.net.
Christoph
Göbel
BACK
TESTAMENT
First Strike Still Deadly
(Spitfire / Eagle Records)
48:49min
The original
intention behind this record was to remix the best stuff off the
first two TESTAMENT albums "The Legacy" and "The
New Order"… Well, luckily this kinda superfluous idea didn't
turn into reality (due to legal problems with their old label, I
suppose), that's why TESTAMENT quickly changed their minds and came
up with a way more interesting solution. Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson,
John Tempesta and Steve DiGiorgio convinced former guitarist Alex
Skolnick and original singer Steve 'Zetro' Souza to join them in
the studio for re-recordings of the whole material. The not necessarily
essential, yet very convincing, "First Strike Still Deadly"
entitled result features eleven TESTAMENT classics with a far better,
heavier production, performed by a bunch of incredibly matured and
tight sounding musicians. Musically the guys quite obviously didn't
try to change too much about the songs, as everything more or less
still sounds quite similar to the original versions (even Chuck
Billy's vocals - so, no death grunting here!). The only real surprise
about this release is the two final cuts on the disc, namely 'Alone
In The Dark' and 'Reign Of Terror', that date back to old LEGACY
/ pre-TESTAMENT days and even feature original frontman Zetro on
vocals. Everything else is pretty much wellknown, but still very
refreshing sounding and perfectly executed Bay Area Thrash that
brings back a lot of cool memories on times when this movement was
still very hungry.
Frank Stöver
BACK
TESTAMENT
Seen Between The Lines (DVD)
(Escapi Music)
approx. 90min
At
the time when "Seen Between The Lines" originally got
released on VHS (back in 1991), I temporarely had already lost my
interest in TESTAMENT and therefore didn't feel the need to check it
out anymore... But over the years TESTAMENT's songwriting luckily
had changed for the better again, so this time the re-release on DVD
definitely caught my interest. If you should own the original though
you already know most parts of it, as it doesn't differ too much
from the VHS version (except for the bonus section). The basic stuff
on "Seen Between The Lines" covers raw live footage of
TESTAMENT's early line-up period (Skolnick, Clemente, Billy,
Petersen and Christian), presented in an almost bootleg type
quality, so the fact that it got "remastered" is
definitely not worth a mention here. The sound quality was (and
still is) just average anyway! On the other hand these recordings do
reflect TESTAMENT's live energy way better than any professional,
polished release could do. When it comes to the bonus stuff, there's
some additional, private film footage from the band's trip to Japan,
but as the guys have nothing really to say (apart from silly
comments and a rather childish overall behaviour) this will most
certainly only appeal to the real die hard TESTAMENT worshippers.
Same goes for the picture gallery and biography (never understood
who's interested to check out stuff like this on a DVD release). So,
the only interesting part (in comparison to the VHS version) are the
four additional promo videos for 'Practice What You Preach', 'Souls
Of Black', 'The Legacy' and TESTAMENT's excellent AEROSMITH cover
'Nobody's Fault'... all probably wellknown from MTV already, but
still cool to have them available at home now ;-) I wouldn't
necessarily say that "Seen Between The Lines" really
covers TESTAMENT in their heydays, but it's still a cool historical
document of a (still) very hardworking Thrash act. www.testamentlegions.com,
www.escapimusic.com
Frank Stöver
BACK
TESTAMENT
Live In London
(Spitfire Records)
66:13min
This is a great one! Not only that TESTAMENT played several shows in
their original line-up lately (and didn't even screw it up like many other
bands do these days), they furthermore came up with a setlist, that
could easily be considered as an oldschool fan's wet dream: 'The
Preacher', 'The New Order', 'The Haunting', 'Into The Pit', 'Trial
By Fire', 'Over The Wall', 'Disciples Of The Watch', 'Raging Waters'
etc. etc. – need I say more? Only classic stuff that originally
appeared on the albums "The Legacy" (1987) up till "The
Ritual" (1992). Needless to say that the energy that was set
free on this live recording easily matches the old days and
perfectly showcases that TESTAMENT can still pull it off very easily.
Apart from their rather commercial period, these guys never ever
delivered material that was disappointing to me – I like their
classic Bay Area Thrash in the same way as the more recent, partly
rather Death Metal influenced, heavier approach. All in all
they still remained pure METAL throughout the years and that really
deserves a lot of respect! "Live In London" captures the
band in perfect shape and furthermore convinces with a crushing and
very powerful sound (also available on DVD). Go for it
here.
All further info
you may find at www.eagle-rock.com.
Frank Stöver
BACK
THALARION
Tunes Of Despondency
(Mighty Music)
42:05min
Dark Metal
veterans THALARION are back with quite a strong album called
“Tunes Of Despondency”. The record starts off with quite an
unusual, happy SweDeath riff, keyboards ‘n’ stuff, y’know. But
quickly gets much darker, sometimes reminding me a little of old
AMORPHIS. The second song, 'My Bitter Overstrain' features an
acoustic intro and keeps getting darker, heavier and faster. The
fast parts aren’t too impressive, though. On the other hand
they’re acceptable as a means of contrast. After approx. 3 minutes
of that song Nela Horvathova, the new female singer, starts
contributing to the album.Unfortunately she leaves a rather
unpleasant first impression, sounding a bit like cheap gothic. Later
on her parts are getting much better and at 'A Tatrastream Romance'
she even reminds me quite a bit of THE GATHERING’s Anneke – not
for the last time. If she continues working on her vocals we might
expect great moments. Talking about 'Tatrastream…' that’s one of
my favorites on here. It’s full of emotions, moving quiet moments
and when Juraj adds those sick suffering vocals one might lose his
mind as well. “Tunes…” lives from mood changes and takes you
on a journey through the soul. For those who can live with the
somewhat gothic touch (early THEATRE OF TRAGEDY) or the saxophone on
'My Weakness' and 'Confined' (I usually hate saxophones but somehow
it fits on here) you’ll discover an album (and a band) that’s
far too good to be ignored! http://thalarion.cjb.net/
Ramon Claassen
BACK
THANATOS
Angelic
Encounters
(Hammerheart Records)
43:10min
THANATOS is probably the oldest Death Metal band from
Holland. In the early nineties, they released two good Death Metal albums,
"Emerging From The Netherworlds" and "Realms Of Ecstasy"
until the many problems with their record-company at that time and two cancelled
European tours, as well as internal problems made the band collapse. Apparently
mastermind Stephan Gebedi didn’t want THANATOS to end this way: he got ahold
of some new members, Theo van Eekelen and Aad Kloosterward (SINISTER, HOUWITSER,
JUDGEMENT DAY) as well as CREMATION-guitarist Paul Baayens. In this line-up,
they recorded their comeback-album "Angelic Encounters" which turned
to be a great Death Metal album! Most of the songs are rather fast played with
the typical deep growls of Stephan, although they are also not afraid to slow
their speed down to crushing doomparts which even kill more! The production is
really good and makes the album not sound too modern which should be seen as a
compliment. THANATOS also re-recorded two old demo-tracks on this album which
never appeared on any of their albums before, namely 'Speed Kills' and 'The
Howling'. When listening to these two songs and comparing them to the new
compositions on the album, one has to admit that their style hasn’t changed a
bit. The digi-pack version has a very cool cover-version of MASSACRE’s 'Corpsegrinder'
as a bonus (well, I hate to correct you, but it was originally an old DEATH
tune, Steven... – Ed.). Also the really nice artwork (which reminds me a lot
on the first IMMOLATION albums though) gives the album just this little extra
which makes "Angelic Encounters" a more than well-done comeback-album.
Very good stuff!
Steven Willems
BACK
THANATOS
Beyond
Terror (MCD)
(self financed)
18:08min
I think it's a pity
that the co-operation between Hammerheart Records and one of Hollands
oldest Death / Thrash acts THANATOS is over again already. I mean, the
label did such a good job on the re-issues of the first two THANATOS
records as well as on the re-union album "Angelic Encounters"
that I had big hopes in the future of the band after all. But time marches
on, the contract is finished by now and unfortunately both parties agreed
to go seperate ways again, which means that the neverending struggle
for THANATOS continues... This new MCD is the first sign of life ever
since the band's comeback album and was completely financed by the members
themselves. Luckily neither that nor the line-up change in the rhythm
section had any negative influence on the material, which is still really
cool. THANATOS 2002 have actually combined all their strongest elements
of the past and created a very intense, aggressive old school Death
/ Thrash mixture out of that. If you listen carefully you will easily
recognize some heavy influence of vintage SLAYER in the riffing, while
the overall musical approach is very much in the brutal Death Metal
vein. The vocals are not of the low dogbarking kind, but more in the
raw, hateful Martin van Drunen (and the likes) vein, which is great
as you rarely get to hear something like this these days. The MCD features
3 brandnew tracks as well as a welldone re-recording of the title track
of "Angelic Encounters", which easily proves that Yuri Rinkel
is a far better drummer than
Aad Kloosterwaard was. As a kind of bonus you'll also get a promo video
for 'In Utter Darkness' which makes this little item a worthy purchase.
The CD-R comes with a professional looking colored cover and sells for
10€ / 10$ (ppd.). Write to: THANATOS,
Van Langendonckstr. 28, 3076 SL Rotterdam, Holland, sgebedi@hotmail.com,
www.thanatos.info,
http://run.to/thanatos.
Frank Stöver
BACK
THANATOS
Beyond Terror (MCD)
(Baphomet Records)
26:37min
This
mini-CD was already released as a self-financed CD a couple of months
ago and now apparently also official. Nothing has changed that much
musically when you compare this one to the previous album “Angelic Encounters”
as THANATOS still comes up with high-quality Death Metal. Although the
band even sounds a little more brutal here if you ask me (the very raw
production of this disc could have also something to do with that)!
The three new songs (excluding the re-recording of the titletrack of
“Angelic Encounters”) are all extremely fast, very aggressive and good
old school Death. The only difference between the self-financed version
and this one is that, where you had the videoclip of 'In Utter
Darkness' as a bonus on the self-financed version, there are two covers
on this ‘official’ edition as a bonus instead. And even an excellent
choice, namely CELTIC FROST’s 'Into The Crypts Of Rays' and POSSESSED’s
'Satan’s Curse'. Good one!
Steven Willems
BACK
THANATOS
Undead.Unholy.Divine
(Black Lotus Records)
38:49min
Geeeeee - I really am honoured indeed to review this Dutch outfit. Just
think about it, guys - these sickos have been around for twenty years
now. They performed with the likes of
KREATOR, NAPALM DEATH, MESSIAH, BOLT THROWER, SEPULTURA, DEATH
and so on. That is quite an achievement I would say. The band has gone
through times of changes and disappointments - that is why THANATOS
ceased to create music in 1992. At the end of 1999 the re-united with
a completely new line-up and headed towards new shores musically, always
remembering their origins. It can be stated that they really have released
some killer outputs like "Emerging From The Netherworlds",
"Angelic Encounters" and "Realm Of Ecstasy". Now
after all these heroic deeds in the past it is time again for THANATOS
to unleash utter oldschool mania upon us shivering lot. "Undead.Unholy.Divine"
sounds awesome. Great raw production, oldschool riffing reminding me
(which is definitely intended by the guys) of the good old times of
acts like SEPULTURA, old MORBID ANGEL, old IMMOLATION, definitely old
DEATH, ASPHYX etc. Thus a combination of Thrash and Death elements.
My favourites are 'Eraser' (killer Heavy Metal screams integrated -
hilarious!!!) and 'Servants Of Hatred'. But still - Stephan and Co.
weave in some mordern elements as well such as blast-beats, fast double
bass attacks and so on. The vocals really constitute their own identity
and are highly reckognizable... like, oh well, in the good old times,
harharhar. Definitely a cool record oldschool maniacs should call their
own - but newbis shouldn't hesitate either purchasing the jewel because
this sort of proves old qualities. Tata...
Label contact: www.black-lotus-recs.com
F. Cthulhu E.
BACK
THANATOS
Justified Genocide
(Deity Down Records)
47:17min
Along with classic acts like PESTILENCE, ASPHYX, SINISTER, SEMPITERNAL
DEATHREIGN and tons more one should not forget THANATOS, the ancient force
from the Netherlands, a band that managed to release two classic -by now-
albums “Emerging From The Netherworlds” and “Realm Of Ecstasy” via
Shark Records. In my humble opinion both records are excellent examples of how
different THANATOS has been during an era where most Swedish Death Metal acts
-for instance- sounded very much alike. The band reformed with a new line-up
around 2000-2001 and released the great comeback album “Angelic
Encounters” via the –now defunct- Hammerheart Records. I admit that
“Angelic Encounters” managed to instantly grasp my attention back then and
I admired the fact that THANATOS remained faithful to their classic Death /
Thrash roots (one has also to remember that in 2000 - 2001 very few serious
Death Metal bands have been around – Black Metal was still the “hot
trend”). I am glad that back in the day I managed to interview the band for
the –also defunct- Greek magazine Metal Invader. In all honesty I still
don’t remember why I never managed to check out the band’s following album
“Undead. Unholy. Divine”, even though the label that released it (Black
Lotus Records) was a Greek one and I knew the people behind the label
personally. Anyways, here we are with the brand new THANATOS album called
“Justified Genocide” which will be released on the 6th of April via the
new label (from Netherlands) Deity Down Records. My first listening experience
of “Justified Genocide” took place before the recent HAIL OF BULLETS gig
in Athens (with attendance of only 50 people!). For me this was a very special
gig not only because HAIL OF BULLETS literally crushed and burned but also
because I had the honor to personally meet Paul and Stephan who both proved to
be incredibly cool (high guys!) Anyways, Paul was really kind to let me listen
to a couple of songs from the new THANATOS album before the HAIL OF BULLETS
gig started. I admit that I was instantly hooked by the new material of
THANATOS! Ultra solid sound, sharp guitars spitting out loads of Thrash /
Death riffs, a devastating production…these have been my first impressions.
Sadly the listening experience had to be interrupted rather abruptly since the
support band had to soundcheck. So I had to wait a couple of weeks before
being able to check the album in its full glory. After I listened to the album
on my own, my initial impression instantly changed: at fist I thought that the
album was good, but I was wrong, the album is just great! Without exaggeration
the THANATOS guys managed to come up with a fucking solid Death / Thrash Metal
album that totally justifies their reputation and cult status. Even though you
will hardly find anything “new” or “unique” in their sound, THANATOS
delivers a lethal dose of hostile, full-speed Death / Thrash full of great
sharp riffs, possessed vocals and unstoppable drumming. I have been especially
surprised by the fact that the guitars didn’t sound at all like ASPHYX or
HAIL OF BULLETS… Paul and Stephan managed to maintain a different style for
THANATOS preserving of course their classic influences and obvious obsession
with Thrash Metal. The production sounds huge but is not over-produced or
polished, to the contrary, it manages to reveal the power and effectiveness of
the songs in their full glory! I think the new material will sound killer
live, but I am afraid that I will hardly have the chance to witness that first
hand (perhaps I should visit them in Holland, hmm…). In total, we have here
9 new songs and 2 bonus tracks from their 2006 7’’ that included a
re-recording of “…And Jesus Wept” (originally on “Realm Of Ecstasy”)
plus 'The Burning Of Sodom' cover of – you know whom. To sum it up, THANATOS
remains – without doubt - a solid force that manages to create some crushing
Death / Thrash of great quality and deserve every possible support! www.thanatos.info,
www.deitydownrecords.com
Manolis A.
BACK
THANATOSCHIZO
Insomnious Nightlift
(Rage Of Achilles)
66:52min
This is exactly
the type of bands that I can't stand at all! Pseudo pathetic Dark-Gothic-Doom-Progressive-whatever
Metal (?) with a silly misleading bandname / logo and a wannabe intellectual
attitude. Musically rather predictable with the usual dark growled (as
well as "heroic" type) male vocals and (of course) an additional
supposed-to-be-nice sounding female counterpart. Even though I gotta
admit that the songwriting / musicianship of this Portuguese six-piece
sounds quite experienced and matured ("Insomnious Nightlift"
is already their second full length, following 2001's debut "Schizo
Level"), they simply bore me to death! This is definitely not Metal
at all and usually shouldn't even get a mention here. But nice as we
are, we considered it would be better to warn all those of you who probably
expect something far more brutal because of the combination of the words
THANATOS and SCHIZO in their moniker... The label info recommends this
to fans of SOLEFALD, THE GATHERING, ARCTURUS and ANATHEMA and announces
the re-release of "Schizo Level" in mid 2003 as well. But
you know what? I don't care, cause if I really want to listen to experimental
music, I most certainly won't search around for it within the Metal
genre. There's far more exciting stuff to be discovered and this here
is definitely not my cup of tea at all! Label contact: www.rageofachilles.com
Frank Stöver
BACK
THEE
MALDOROR KOLLECTIVE
New Era Viral Order
(Code666)
48:57min
This was one of those releases
that I wasn't too eager to listen to when I got it. The rather weird band name
and the kinda strange looking coverart seemed to be enough reasons for me
already to avoid this. And the fact that THEE MALDOROR KOLLECTIVE are from Italy
(a land which not necessarily gave birth to many exciting brutal bands yet)
didn't really help my enthusiasm either. But after I had "survived"
the record for the first time, it already left me kinda speechless. Even though
the musical elements that these guys are incorporating into their sound are
normally not what I consider enjoyable in extreme Metal, THEE MALDOROR
KOLLECTIVE managed to mix hypotizing EBM / industrial kinda elements with harsh
Black Metal in such an impressive manner that the album quickly took over
my consciousness. The results kinda sounds like late SAMAEL meets RAMMSTEIN at a
DARKTHRONE rehearsal, but a lot more extreme and aggressive composed, with many
unique ideas. Unlike many Black Metal acts who usually get inspired by medieval
elements, the overall sound of these guys comes across very futuristic, but
always in a heavy and very intense way. Unfortunately the record looses breath a
bit towards the end and partly even sounds very annoying due to the overused,
distorted industrial parts, but all in all this is still far better than what
the so called innovators from Norway have produced lately. For all further info
check out the following websites:
www.code666.net
or www.maldororkollective.net
Frank Stöver
BACK
THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN
Primula Pestis
(I Hate Records)
43:53min
A capturing and interesting piece of harsh and surprisingly varied
extreme Doom Metal THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN from Belgium offer on
their debut album "Primula Pestis". The band refers
musically to such classic acts like WINTER, DREAM DEATH, early
CATHEDRAL or SAINT VITUS as well by incorporating some noisier
elements to GODFLESH or THE MELVINS. If you do not love all of these
pretty different bands, this might be a rather shocking mixture, but
if you give this act a serious chance you will be rewarded with an
extreme, atmospheric, crushingly heavy and at times unusually
aggressive piece of Doom. Also interrupting the slow sections with
up-tempo outbreaks or some gloomy melodies proves to be very
effective and lets "Primula Pestis" avoid the danger of
appearing lethargic or boring. Another factor increasing's diversity
is vocalist Steve Mac's incredibly variable performance that exposes
hatred and rage as well as suffering and melancholic moods and is
the icing on the cake of this great release. Even a little Doom-hit
can be found on "Primula Pestis", namely track 3 'The
Ocean Has No Sides' that floats on a nice melancholic groove until
it culminates in a grand riff in the end. Impressive debut!
http://ihaterecords.cjb.net,
www.tpog.be
Stefan Franke
BACK
THEORY IN PRACTICE
Colonizing The Sun
(Listenable Records)
47:37min
Virtuosity is the key word to adequately describe what is going on throughout
this album, the third of these Swedish masters of techno Death / Thrash. But
saying that, I would give the wrong impression, because even if the TIP music is
for sure technical, it can’t be reduced to a sterile and boring demonstration
of great skills, far from that. Since “The Armageddon Theories”
the band (a four piece again) had considerably stripped down the
over-complexity factor in favor of a more to the point approach of structuring
their songs. Obviously, the playing abilities of this outfit is still stellar,
and numerous time signature changes can be heard on “Colonizing The Sun”,
but this is the melodic factor that is emphasized here. Allow me this rather
strange statement: if Yngwie Malmsteen should have laid down Death Metal tracks,
he would have certainly composed them the way TIP does. Yes, you can even found
traces of neo-classical soloing on “Colonizing The Sun”, and the result
sounds extremely original and fresh; some guitar / keyboards duels are very
reminiscent of those Malmsteen / Johansson are renowned for. But rest assured
“Colonizing The Sun” flow at frantic speed, I would call their music speed
Death Metal now. It seems Peter Lake and Henrik Ohlsson have kept in mind what
they did with their side-project MUTANT (scandalously overlooked, check this too,
on the same label) while arranging the songs for “Colonizing The Sun”.
Lyrically wise, the band deal with conspiracy theories, sci-fi and occult themes;
unfortunately I don’t have the lyrics, but I think that such titles as ‘The
Clockwork That Counts Aeons’, ‘Illuminati’ and ‘Conspiracy In Cloning’
are eloquent enough. If you miss (like me) the peculiar mood found on AT THE
GATES “With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness”, you certainly have a winner
here. I think I made very clear
this album is an essential item for your collection, and I can say right now it
is one of the five top albums of the year 2002, even if we are only in February.
THEORY IN PRACTICE are for real, so listen to them and let your mind being
colonized!
Edouard Vergriete
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THESYRE
Résistance
(Osmose Productions)
34:31min
VOIVOD's continued presence cannot be overstated, it would appear. THESYRE, a well known band from Quebec, Canada are an extremely eclectic band, playing no readily identifiable style save one derived from VOIVOD. More than VOIVOD is at work here, of course, such as the SODOM vocal patterns, and the vaguely folkish DARKTHRONE riffs and basslines. This is the synthesis of styles which THESYRE present, but the overall effect is diminished with a deliberately airy production. This is one of those instrumentally competent albums tragically unable to bring all of its weight down. Nevertheless, its a great effort on the part of THESYRE. Great Canadian
Metal. www.myspace.com/thesyre,
www.osmoseproductions.com
Nat Shapiro
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1349
1349 (MCD)
(Holycaust Records)
17:50min
Thanx
to Holycaust Records I finally got my hands on this obviously very hard to find
debut MCD by Norway's 1349. Unfortunately it is lacking in the frontcover /
booklet, so I can't really give you much inside information. But after having
listened to it a few times now, I can't really understand why drummer Frost is
so upset about the featured material. To me the band's three own tunes 'End Of
All', 'Antichrist Warzone' and 'Chaos Within' were definitely very promising
already - always raw as fuck, aggressive and blessed with a cold'n'dark Black
Metal atmosphere that only Norwegian bands of the early 90s generation were able
to create. Only the CELTIC FROST cover of 'The Usurper' didn't really manage to
impress me, to say the least. It is suffering from a worse sound (maybe it's
even just a rehearsal?!) and by no means lives up to the band's own material or
does the original version any justice. Nevertheless, the potential of these guys
got out in the underground very quickly and as a result 1349 got signed by
Candlelight Records in the meantime. Their debut album "Liberation"
(which - apart from a MAYHEM cover, features all new material!) should be
available in early 2003 (but you can already check out a review and interview on
our website!). For further info, contact: http://www.holycaust.com
Frank Stöver
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1349
Liberation
(Candlelight Records)
38:44min
It
is well established now that Norway redefined the concept of
Black Metal at the beginning of the 90’s, to the point this peculiar
music style will forever remain associated with that country. But with the years
passing by, we have witnessed more and more declination of the initial paradigm
written by such legendary bands as MAYHEM and DARKTHRONE. Scandinavian folk
music, ambient experimentations and even techno music tarnished the Metal
foundations initially built by the elders (who succumbed themselves sometimes to
this temptation). Black Metal has slowly become a vast carnival, the domain of
pitiful buffoons more interested by proclaiming their so-called evilness instead
of concentrating themselves on musical duties. The result was that Black Metal
had lost its credibility and the
scene slowly began to die. And the
paradox was that the dark flame was kept burning by non-Norwegian bands like
ENTHRONED, SETHERIAL and more recently TRIUMPHATOR, all of them maintaining the
traditional sound devoid of keyboards, nice feminine choirs or Gothic
influences. I am glad to announce you that the first 1349 full length marks no
less than the rebirth of the traditional Norwegian Black Metal. I am not afraid
to say publicly here that “Liberation” is right now a classic album, a
declaration of war against the falsities wrongly labeled
as Black Metal that we have to endure in the past.
In “Liberation” you will find all the elements contributing to
produce pure Black Metal: frantic and ferocious drumming (courtesy of the mighty
Frost, yes, the maniac from SATYRICON), aggressive and raw guitar playing put in
service of a cold as ice dementia underlined by possessed shrieks of anger and
hate. Even the cover version of the MAYHEM classic ‘Buried By Time And Dust’
sounds deadlier than the original, especially considering the pacing is
accelerated twice, that is beyond human abilities (so maybe Frost is a true
demon in human guise after all, or else he played a nasty studio trick on us!).
Don’t miss the chance to buy “Liberation” as soon it will be out, I can
guarantee you will not regret it! An awesome release which deserves 100 times
the hype surrounding it. This is a new hope for Black Metal and the kind of
music you love or hate with equal passion. Not for the weak, and an exhilarating
liberation of the mind indeed.
Edouard Vergriete
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13 WINTERS
Where The Soul Wanders
(Dark Valley Records)
14:82min
Without question this is the worst audio recording that I have ever had the misfortune of listening too and reviewing! The material garbled forth on this CD makes anything by HELLHAMMER, BEHERIT or BURZUM seem professionally made! It’s so bad that if you were to ask any of the floor monkeys at your local music store who worked in the audio department what they thought, $ 5.00 dollars says they’d agree that the hapless unfortunate who sat behind these knobs must of splurged his weekly paycheck on a Fostex 4 track and really had no fucking clue what he was doing let alone the sense enough to go back to said music store and ask someone who might! This is hideous. I have heard better cassette demos from depths of the South American jungles with more punch and definite audio cohesion than this promo.
For anyone of those of you still reading this review, and who are interested in what this band’s style is? I would hazard to reckon, 13 WINTERS is something along the lines of a fourth rate Gothic Doom / Death Metal band that absolutely eats shit. Imagine if you will, a tribute band to LACUNA COIL that’s playing your local county fair and that can’t back it up on stage, that is 13 WINTERS to the letter.
Contact:
www.13winters.com
or P.O. Box 384, Hollis Center, Maine 04042, U.S.A.
Wes Rhodes
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THIRTYONE
DIES
Filthy Taste
(self financed)
38:02min
We can't always blame the younger generation of extreme musicians for having
different influences than what old traditional 80s Metal infected farts like
myself used to grew up on... But then again, those kinda people not necessarily
should expect us to really like their stuff in the same way! To me Germany's
THIRTYONE DIES is a perfect example for this. This fourpiece from Stuttgart,
Germany originally started out as BULLS EYE (still with a slightly different
line-up though), released their first demo in early 2000 (as THIRTYONE DIES) and
nowadays could already be labeled a pretty tight and aggressive unit. When it
comes to the overall musicianship / production there's nothing to complain about
here, as the nine songs have been put down on tape in a surprisingly
professional, kick ass manner. But unfortunately these guys tend to mix pseudo
aggressive, lowtuned grooves with brutal Death grunts, a combination which I
personally can't stand at all. So, as you can probably imagine I had quite a
tough time listening to this release and which finds its negative climax in the
song 'Born Again' for me (no, it luckily ain't a Black Sabbath cover!). The
overall omnipresent, disgusting NU Metal influences just take over completely
here! Definitely not my cup of tea at all and their rather strange coverart
certainly won't help selling the disc either. If you freak out on NU Metal
releases in the same way as on pure fuckin' Death Metal though, you shouldn't
hesitate to contact the band at the following address for all further (ordering)
info: Markus Maurer, Schöttlestr. 37, 70597 Stuttgart, Germany,
31dies@gmx.de,
www.31dies.de
Frank Stöver
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THORAZINE
The Day The Ash Blackened Out The Sun
(Deathgasm Records)
34:47min
To be honest I’m a little disappointed by the Canadian technical Death / Grind
act’s third full-length since the weakness of its predecessor – the
production – still has not been overcome and the complex material of THORAZINE
can not fully develop the wicked and twisted force slumbering in most of the
songs and especially the guitars sound a bit too muddy. Apart from that the band
carries musical ideas en masse, varies between grinding chaos, jazz rhythms,
progressive acoustic guitar passages and elaborated late DEATH-like leads united
by a schizophrenic vocal performance ranging from high-pitched screams to brutal
growls. The result is a highly aggressive piece of music exceeding its
predecessors in freakiness and impact causing a slight decrease of structure.
Unfortunately shortly after the album was recorded singer Shane left the band to
pursue his career in making video games, but his sick and energetic performance
on “The Day The Ash…” is certainly a nice farewell-gift, but raises
questions how THORAZINE will develop in the future. This is certainly a
well-crafted album, skilfully played and of relentless brutality, but the muddy
sound and increased chaos of complexity makes it partially hard to grasp and
appears at times a little overdone. Still, fans of Canadian Death /
Grind-weirdos should give THORAZINE’s third attack a serious chance and songs
like ‘U.N. Holy War’, ‘Behind Cold Eyes’ or the fantastic, utterly
morbid ‘Sewn By Numbers’ should have been heard to be believed… Sounds at www.thorazine.blacksky.ca;
further infos on the album's availability at www.deathgasm.com
Stefan
Franke
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