I guess when it comes to the Danish scene my prejudices weren't completely justified, as no less than two bands from up there really impressed me a lot lately! And it's pure coincidence that both are even labelmates... One was the almighty INIQUITY and the other is THORIUM, also a brutal Death Metal quintet that consists of members from WITHERED SURFACE and TAETRE (two bands that I honestly never really cared for...). I just hope that the guys will concentrate exclusively on THORIUM in the future (right now it's still considered a project kinda thing), cause the ten songs on the album "Ocean Of Blasphemy" really kick fuckin' ass! What you get is straight forward US-style Death Metal, very brutal and incredibly well executed by a bunch of skilled musicians. It's weird to find out that the fat production was achieved in Norway's Grieghallen Studio, as that location mostly got famous for the typical Norwegian Black Metal stuff in the past. Well, THORIUM is also a pretty blasphemous and extremely tight unit, but I bet they will appeal a lot more to most of you reading this, than the grim stuff by IMMORTAL, EMPEROR and the likes. This is pure Death Metal the way it was meant to be played: raw, intense and always right into your face! A welldone cover of the old DEICIDE classic "Lunatic Of God's Creation" closes this very promising debut and (in case you're interested) the sleeve features another nice piece of art by Mr. Joe Petagno. Extremely promising!

Frank Stöver

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THORIUM
Unleashing The Demons
(Die Hard Music)
36:23min

I expected something interesting here as those Danish guys have stated clearly that old Death Metal was much more interesting than the actual stuff - something I can only agree with considering how pathetic / weak and one dimensional sounding 99,9% of the '90s and 2000 acts are compared to the originals such as MORBID ANGEL, TERRORIZER, INCUBUS (Von Scarborough outfit), POSSESSED, NECROVORE, DECAPITATION, XECUTIONER, MANTAS... A good song to me has to be a song with hooks (vocalswise and musicwise) and has to capture the listener vibes, plain and simple. Anyway THORIUM despite their good intentions has not understood it unlike let's say the mighty DEW-SCENTED, but somehow they still manage to come up with a few enjoyable riffs (but ruined by the "vocals" on the other hand) like in 'Nocturnal Prophet Of Destruction', 'Mark Of Wrath' (undoubtely the best tune here) and 'Altars Of Blood' but it's not enough to make of this a great Death Metal release. Those guys like all the others need to find two things: a songwriter who has understood everything from the old days and a real singer who has a distinct voice and who's not just another growler. Oh yeah, even the cover of the classic CANCER tune 'Cancer Fuckin' Cancer' (taken from the only enjoyable CANCER release) is a pale shadow of the original. Death Metal yes - but it could have been a Disco or a nu Metal album and that would have made no difference to me unfortunately.

Laurent Ramadier

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THORIUM
Feral Creation
(Mighty Music)
37:59min

This is probably THORIUM’s make-it-or-break-it album? Everything looks here as it is done in the best possible way: the sound is fuckin’ killer (recorded in famous Berno Studios and mixed by Jacob Hansen) and no one less than Dan Seagrave took care of the cover. It’s great to see Seagrave covers now more regular again. He’s still THE Death Metal drawer, if you ask me, though I have to admit that I don’t like his current style comparing to his way of drawing in the early nineties. The older paintings with all its grimaces were simply more suitable for a Death Metal record. Never mind, probably I’m alone here with this opinion, and without doubts the quality of the painting here is just awesome and fits very good to this album. This is THORIUM’s third CD release and I’m afraid to say that this is the first time I get to hear THORIUM at all, therefore I can’t compare this recording to their first 2 recordings but what I can say is that “Feral Creation” is a fuckin’ catchy recording. The sound kicks fuckin’ ass and the 10 songs including the intro ‘Int(r)o The Abyss’ simply roll over you. To call THORIUM’s style of Metal “oldschool Death Metal” as it is written on the infosheet from the label is in my ears completely wrong, though. This third output is more or less a groovemonster par excellence with a rather modern approach. Probably the band will kill me for this, but that’s something a person like me has to deal with, haha. Anyhow, this album is a perfect recording for persons who are looking for a Death Metal record with a fuckin’ great sound, well played and with catchy songs. The only thing I miss here is an outstanding track! To finish this review I have to say that THORIUM is a band which might be a killer live band, the music they play sounds perfectly suitable for that! Check it out! www.mightymusic.dk

Thomas Ehrmann

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THORNAFIRE
Mortus Tenebrae Surrectus (MCD)
(Skull Crusher Records)
32:39min

If you're following the features on the VOICES website quite regularely, you should already be aware of the name of this band as they were more or less the reason why we managed to publish a DOMINUS XUL interview after all. The connection between both bands is pretty simple: two ex-DOMINUS XUL members (Andrés Gonzáles - drums and Alejandro Lizana - guitars) played with THORNAFIRE after the release of this MCD. According to his interview answers Alejandro had never been a fulltime member though (don't know if this also goes for Andrés) and already went on to do his own projects. But THORNAFIRE's founder / guitarist Victor Mac-Namara still keeps the flame burning and (in lack of a more fresh product) still continues to promote the band's one and only MCD from 2001 "Mortus Tenebrae Surrectus". This MCD features five own compositions (as well as an intro and outro) and a cover of the ATOMIC AGGRESSOR tune 'The Hallucination'. Musically these guys differ quite drastically from the brutal sound that their country mates DOMINUS XUL and MELEKTAUS are standing for. Even though THORNAFIRE are definitely also rooted in the Death Metal underground, their overall style is a lot thrashier and musically therefore a bit more melodic. But it's pretty obvious that Victor and the guys are skilled musicians with a clear vision of what THORNAFIRE is supposed to sound like! This is a really cool, very well produced release for fans of raw old school Death / Thrash, totally different (speak: more honest) from all those (mostly extremely) superfluous retro bands that popped up almost everywhere within the last couple of years. The nicely packed release is still available for $5.500 (Chile) / $10 (world). Label contact: Skull Crusher Records, Juan Durán 31, Villa San Francisco, El Monte, Santiago, Chile, email: skullcrusher@tutopia.com, Band contact: THORNAFIRE, c/o Victor Mac-Namera, Toltén 1428, Villa el Arenal, Pudahuel, Santiago, Chile, email: mcnamarath@hotmail.com

Frank Stöver

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THORNAFIRE
Exacerbated Gnostic Manifestation
(Ibex Moon Records)
46:26min

I tell you it never ceases to amaze me the brutality of the South American scene and its bands. The current flood of these acts, "the menstrual flow of a thousand whores", as REPULSION would put it, have me chugging for breath again within the tide! One such clot in that foul bloody mess who keep me from breathing correctly hail from Santiago, Chile and go by the moniker of THORNAFIRE. I have no idea what THORNAFIRE means. Their logo looks something akin to NECROPHOBIC and the cover art to this album seems like some random artist's take on what Seagrave might have wished to illustrate against the backdrop of the Vatican. That being said what is known of THORNAFIRE is that their disc features an album's worth, a hefty total of ten original tracks, solid in sound, professional in production and that is as clear and distinct as it is absolute in its punishment! The music here is polished, heavy, technical, brutal Death Metal. THORNAFIRE could easily be regarded as the Chilean answer to KRISIUN or ANGELCORPSE. However, before that can be officially stated and the Crown of Thorns of this title be placed atop their skulls, I need an answer to something.'Cuz unless I have gone severely deaf whilst listening to this CD. Where are the Leads??? There are no leads on this album! How can this be?? No lead guitar work?! Tsk..tsk..tsk... The CD also carries with it a bonus, an accompanying mini video, studio shot for the album's closing track 'Deflagracion'. Contact: THORNAFIRE, General Bulnes 153, Santiago Central, Santiago Chile or www.thornafire.cl or www.ibexmoonrecords.com

Wes Rhodes

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THORNAFIRE
Vorex Desconstruccion
(Ibex Moon Records)
34:30min

Sung in Spanish, the new THORNAFIRE record will make sense only to Spanish speakers. But, since fluency with another language has never been a requirement for Metal, listeners who don't understand Spanish won't be left out. The new record is abrupt and straightforward, almost like mechanized chaos; elegance to technical wizardy, all in the blink of an eye. It makes for a very interesting experience. One might find oneself drawing connections to EMPEROR and modern tech-deat, but truthfully, THORNAFIRE, to put them into context, are more closely related to KRISIUN-although that could be the Spanish talking. In any case, this is worth your time if you're of the taste. www.myspace.com/thornafire, www.ibexmoonrecords.com

Nat Shapiro

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THORNESBREED
Preaching The Sin
(Demo)
19:42min

It seems that THORNESBREED really must've changed for the better with this new release... I gotta admit that I personally didn't hear them before, but I do remember that good ol' Hacker of UNHOLY TERROR magazine still mentioned the occasional use of keyboards on their 1999 debut demo "Suppression Of Desire". On "Preaching The Sin" they completely got rid off of that and the result sounds very promising! What they put down on tape here are four songs (+ intro) of incredibly brutal and devastating Death Metal, that reminds me a bit on a cool mixture of very early AMORPHIS ("Disment Of Soul" / "Privilege Of Evil" - mainly for the guttural deep vocals) and vintage CARCASS (for the furious insanity). So, no wimp shit here! The overall sound is extremely cool (Soundforge Studio, Berlin produced by Kai Mertens of HARMONY DIES) and you easily notice that these guys are already playing together since 1997 as their technical abilities come across very matured sounding. In a way the band's info really sums it up perfectly: "…the result is a lot faster, more technical and more dark than "Suppression Of Desire"…". So, everyone into the most brutal form of Death Metal shouldn't hesitate to ask for prices at the following address: André Leischner, Weißenbrunn 8i, 08432 Steinpleis, Germany, e-mail: andre@thornesbreed.de, website: http://www.thornesbreed.de

Frank Stöver

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THORNESBREED
The Splendour Of The Repellent
(Animate Records)
33:32min

This album’s great, fellas! I didn’t know this act before – although these guys are Germany-based. THORNESBREED commence this effort with a very simple and spherical song which is called 'Unchaining Hatred'. I think they just use one riff in it, developing it during a prolonged phase so that it becomes really creepy and mean. Every now and then there are plain soloing passages in this killer song, adding new dimensions to it. Generally speaking, one can state that THORNESBREED sound very old-school in a refreshing manner. At times, they sound very intricate and complex, reminding me a bit of great acts such as NILE, VILE and the likes. This impression set in when they increase their speed and compositional complexity. But then there are these awesome mid-paced parts, with evil melodies and powerful staccato pickings. Well – and this of course, reminds me of brilliant old-school veterans like MORBID ANGEL, INCANTATION, SADISTIC INTENT and so on and so forth. So basically a good combination that is presented here. I appreciate such music ‘cause it comes along with a genuine and professional production, good song writing and a dark atmosphere that can be deemed as hypnotic if you know what I mean. Definitely one of acts in Germany one should pay heed to... good one! Contact: www.animate-records.com, animate-records@web.de

F. Cthulhu E.

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THORNGOTH 
Rauhnacht
(Folter Records)
46:14min 

THORNGOTH is another German representative of the traditional type 'S' nordic Black Metal. The letter 'S' stands for Sweden and maybe also (as a small tribute) on behalf of famous cult acts like SETHERIAL, SORHIN etc. Their second album "Rauhnacht" is for sure not suitable for the next sunday tea party with your girlfriend's parents because the massive sound wall is like an avalanche which is forcing everything out of his way. But after the first three songs - which are as typical as possible for this music (aggressive vocals, massive guitars) - you can see that the Bavarian band isn't blindly following these traditional ways but tries to vary the style within the strict 'rules'. THORNGOTH has released their debut "Thelema Of Destruction" two years ago via Northern Silence and they are another band (next to the Norwegian band ELITE) which found a new and maybe better home in Folter Records. Their second release "Rauhnacht" needs some patience before you are in the position to identify further structures and melodies behind the black sound wall but songs like 'Der Wanderer' are really worth to be explored. But only some songs are really impressing, the majority of the 8 songs are more or less standard Black Metal without any remarkable moment. But THORNGOTH is not a band without any potential and we will see what the future will bring - but this release is for sure not a key to higher grounds. www.folter666.de, www.thorngoth.de

Matthias Auch

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THORNIUM
Mushroom Clouds And Dusk
(Soulseller Records)
38:53min

In times before the light (and this time I’m referring to the worldwide internet revolution) the THORNIUM debut - “Dominions Of The Eclipse”, released in 1994/1995 via Necromantic Gallery Production, was one of the real rare / limited / bad distributed jewels of the second wave of Norwegian Black Metal and it took me nearly 2 years to get my grabby fingers on this CD. But it was worth every effort because the album was offering the perfect balance of keyboard supported Black Metal with an unchanged dark and misanthropic heart. So talking on a very personally basis I was looking forward for any kind of new release from this Norwegian band for years, even if the last 15 years have passed without nearly any sign of life. But these years have changed the THORNIUM style drastically. In 2009 the band sounds like a 99,9 % SATYRICON twin, with strong bounds to their 1999 manifest “Rebel Extravaganza”. So don’t expect any warm sound structures – coldness is ruling “Mushroom Clouds And Dusk” and the aggression level is very high. The songs are coming along with maybe not innovative but still good keys with a sound which is supporting the overall atmosphere of the release. But it’s very difficult to judge this album on a neutral level without ending up in the copykill section. THORNIUM have brought their music to another level – think that a further mid-tempo Black Metal album with keys would die by the sword without hesitation because there are just too many bands on this planet which are playing the same kind of music – and their second release is without a doubt a highlight of this year. But the fact that the band in 2009 has more in common with one of the scene “leaders” instead of searching for their own way cannot be ignored completely. www.thornium.com, www.soulsellerrecords.com

Matthias Auch

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THORNS
Thorns
(Moonfog Productions)
48:05min

Even though THORNS mainman Snorre W. Ruch probably won't label his band with the term "Black Metal" (anymore?!), his long awaited and way overdue first full length is still more evil and true to the bone than the majority of bands that are polluting this genre nowadays with their nice keyboard sounds and mainstream productions (not to mention all their stupid pseudo erotic coverarts). Well, ok - the THORNS cover ain't necessarily what I would consider moody or fitting either (especially the logo sucks big time), but musically this is by far the most convincing release in quite some time! The overall sound is typical Norwegian (with the usual guitar tuning and Black Metal-ish production), but reminds me a lot more on times before this music turned into a fashionable and easy accessible sub genre of Pop music. Björn Dencker (a.k.a. Aldrahn) of DÖDHEIMSGARD (or DHG as they prefer to call themselves now) and SATYRICON's Satyr Wongraven both contribute their excellent and very grim vocals (Satyr also co-produced the album with Snorre), while MAYHEM's Hellhammer plays all the live drums. The result is a (Black Metal) release that could easily bring this music a big step forward without denying its original roots. The eight songs live off a cold and eerie overall atmosphere, which (very convincingly) got combined with a few industrial elements and some ordinary oldschool Black Metal stuff. Snorre's typical and extremely unique riffing is still very much present on the whole album, while his songwriting partly obviously has become a lot more aggressive than back in his demo days. In its entirety it's actually a very diverse mixture we get here, cause while the intense riffing in the middle section of 'World Playground Deceit' still reminds me a bit on the riffing in the title track of SLAYER's 'Reign In Blood' album, the first part of 'Underneath The Universe' is so mellow and atmospheric (yet very oppressive), that it would easily fit on a dark soundtrack album. And then you'll also get the doomy and mechanical 'Shifting Channels' with its eerie traditional Black Metal feel to it. So, yes – there's definitely a lot to discover on here and every (open minded) worshipper of the Norwegian Black Metal underground will surely get a kick out of this! Impressive!!

Frank Stöver

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THORNSPAWN
Wrath Of War
(Osmose Productions)
35:17min

I have a soft spot for non - Scandinavian Black Metal bands because they often bring a healthier approach to the genre. One can only admit that the infamous Norsecore bands are currently killing the scene with their artificial modern sound and silly experimentations. Fortunately enough, some other bands exist that maintain the black flame burning dark. THORNSPAWN is one of those bands, and I am glad to say that “Wrath Of War” is a hell of an album! THORNSPAWN deliver a belligerent form of malignant  Black Metal, very similar in a sense to what BESTIAL WARLUST made us accustomed of. I am sure these American maniacs (from Texas) are classic Heavy Metal fans, and it shows especially in the guitar department, as you don’t get the usual monotonous rhythm repeated again and again neither horrid dissonant solos. In fact, these musicians made efforts to come up with a sophisticated (and not technical) music, with rhythm changes and a concern for originality, but within the frame of a well-known recipe of power. I can even risk here a comparison with ANGEL CORPSE as THORNSPAWN explore the same territory through the Black Metal angle. While listening to “Wrath Of War” I found out some similarities with brutal Black Metal bands like IN BATTLE (remember this SETHERIAL side-project?) and ANTAEUS, or with a Death / Black outfit like ABHORER. From time to time, THORNSPAWN lack some cohesiveness but that only reinforce the feeling to listen to old school extreme Metal. The drumming style of Blackthorn may sound awkward at times, but it doesn’t weaken the impact of each of the compositions, far from that, and note that Blackthorn also handles the vocals, in a very Pete Helmkamp’s way. The band conclude the album with an experimental piece (‘Aftermath Of War’) and I can’t help but to think about a CELTIC FROST delirium! Add to all this a superb cover art by Kris Verwimp (one of his best really, and I think a vinyl version should be appropriate to fully appreciate it!), and I suppose I made myself perfectly clear about the greatness of “Wrath Of War”. So don’t waste your time reading my silly prose, buy this fucker and… LET’S START A WAR!

Edouard Vergriete

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THORNSPAWN
Sanctified By Satan's Blood
(Agonia Records)
33:18min

This veterans of the US Black / Death Metal scene return with probably their rawest record to date. With a very raw sounding production (man those guitars sound like recorded directly to the board) which make everything to be a lot in the high treble side, they attack mercifully with 8 new songs and an outro. More than once they fall in the very chaotic Black Metal style, you know the one that made BLASPHEMY and SARCOFAGO well known. But then again they also sound a bit like ANGELCORPSE, which means they do have come control into that maelstrom of impure music. While I am a fan of all things in a speedy mood, I just feel these guys sometimes sound too damn similar from song to song, and they give little variation on the drums and vocals, well, actually both played by the same guy. Yes, these demons manage to capture the sound of old times in a way, and yes it is highly Satanic and blasphemy is all over, and it does possess (your soul) with some blood chilling songs like 'Coven Of The Malicious Fire' (one of the few where they do use a variety of tempos), but there is something missing. Or perhaps, there is something abundant here. Yes, they need to use a bit more variation on the drumming and give more power to those damn guitars, or to the whole recording. I don’t know, some bands are a bit reluctant to sound better in the studio, thinking that will take away their underground essence, but the few ones who dare, open up the gates of hell in a greater form, without losing their dark way. As it is, this is a good record, just above the half hour mark which makes it just the right amount of time for this kind of music. I suppose this is one of those few records that on vinyl, and due to the more bass sound of that format, will be better to get hold of. www.thornspawn.com

Julian Nuñez

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THORON
Return To Dust
(No Colours Records)
38:51min

Pretty interesting new stuff here. The first song on this CD reminds me a lot on faster THE DUSKFALL tunes. Quite straight Swedish sounding Death Metal in the Göteborg-style including fast-forward drumming combined with great riffs and a brutal voice. Besides that there are some fantastic melodic riffs included, too. A very good beginning and the first three songs are all in this vein. Very good, fresh sounding and fuckin’ great. I’m pretty surprised. This is the first official release from this Swedish horde called THORON. It includes 3 songs recorded in May 2006 (the above mentioned great songs) and 6 songs from their “Return To Dust” demo from 2005. So what about these 6 songs? They are not worse than the newer songs, probably a little bit more Black Metal-like, but that’s nothing negative here. Only the singer doesn’t sound as convincing as on the 3 new songs. Still I have to admit that I’m pretty surprised and kinda blown away from this new band. Really recommendable! So check them out if you can! Have a look at www.no-colours-records.de

Thomas Ehrmann

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THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE
Those Who Bring The Torture
(No Colours Records)
37:00min

Members of RIBSPREADER, KNIFE IN CHRIST and TAEDEAT decided to form a new band, and shortly, after just one week of writing and recording, THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE are releasing their self-titled debut album. Midpaced Death Metal with many Grindcore influences may describe the style in a few words. Honestly I am little bit undecided about this album, the classical on the one hand, but on the on the other hand situation. Let's start with my reservation concerning "Those Who Bring The Torture". Does the Metal community really need another album like this one? Tunes that have been around like the early days of Death Metal and Grindcore, so I guess most, nearly all, who are reading this review have been on duty for quite a long time and therefore listened to suchlike album a great many times. Surely, I can understand the ambition and pleasure of musicians to play the music they like without being concerned about anything. But do we, the audience, necessarily need to listen to such music? In my eyes - no. So, let us now take a look to the "but on the other hand " aspect. Well, I have been drinking coffee for a long time and it still tastes very well - the same goes for music like Death Metal and Grindcore. I just can not stop listening to those styles and even if a band is walking the so often roamed paths it is still enjoyable for me. The production is good and the musicians abilities are alright, so every time I listen to "Those Who Bring The Torture" it is quite enjoying for me. Summary: neutral or clinically seen a mediocre Death / Grind album, more or less just a rip-off of other, more well known acts like EXHUMED. Seen with the eyes of fan of the extreme music genre a good debut album, still better like most other Metal bands nowadays. Everyone is invited to make up his / her own opinion by visiting www.myspace.com/twbtt

Mirco Szymyslik

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THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE
Tank Gasmask Ammo
(Pulverised Records)
39:28min

This second album by well experienced musicians from the Swedish Metal scene offers oldschool Death Metal with a few Grind, Thrash and Crust influences here and there. What I especially like about this album, is that THOSE WHO BRING TORTURE don’t try to be the hardest or the fastest, but opt for memorable riffs, harmonious and atmospheric guitar leads and diversified song structures. Despite many fast parts, every song contains a healthy portion of crushing groove and rudimentary, raw melody, rather than uncontrolled orgies of speed and swaggering technical abilities. Furthermore, all of this lovely Swedish rawness is put into shape by a strong production which brings forth a massive wall of sound. So without further hesitation, these 13 tracks are recommended to every fan of oldschool Swedish Death Metal. www.myspace.com/twbtt, www.pulverised.net

Christoph Göbel

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THRASH CLASH VOL.1
TAKING OVER vs PHANTOM WITCH
(Stormspell Records)
33:39min

"Thrash Clash" is a rather fresh CD series from Stormspell Records, dedicated to new promising Thrash bands. The good thing about it is, that (so far) all of the bands have delivered their Thrash Metal in the classic oldschool style, which makes it even more enjoyable to me. The first edition features TAKING OVER and PHANTOM WITCH, two bands from the US. TAKING OVER is a young three-piece from San Bernardino, CA that was founded in 2007 and already went through a bunch of line-up changes. The first songs they recorded as a band ('Sign Of Attack' and 'Prison Cell') are also the ones to kick off this disc. When I first read their name I immediately thought of an OVERKILL influenced act (for obvious reasons), but that was totally wrong... This is way more simple, straight ahead and raw, almost Death/Thrash like, with vocals that often even recall VENOM's good ol' Cronos in his heydays. All of their songs on offer on this disc (5 in total) sound really fresh, do convince through solid musicianship and a clever, right into your face type songwriting. I'm really looking forward to hear some more material by this really promising act! Band number two on this CD is called PHANTOM WITCH and hails from Indianapolis, IN. They got together in late 2006 and seem to worship early SLAYER a lot! Remember INSANE from Italy? They used to put out a very cool album entitled "Wait And Pray" a couple of years ago… Well, this stuff here is along the same lines, with the main difference that PHANTOM WITCH have adopted riffing, leads and songstructures from "Show No Mercy" exclusively, while the vocals add their own unique note to it (no, the singer does not sound like Araya, but a bit cleaner). Unoriginal as fuck, yet totally entertaining for fans of very early SLAYER. The CD comes with a 12-pages booklet that includes band info and lyrics, as well as great artwork by Dimitar Nikolov and it is strictly limited to 1000, hand-numbered copies, so you better hurry up! All further info you may find at the following websites: www.myspace.com/takingoverfucks, www.myspace.com/phantomwitch, www.stormspell.com

Frank Stöver

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THRASH CLASH VOL.2
DIAMOND PLATE vs OPPRESSION
(Stormspell Records)
50:59min

Chicago's youngsters DIAMOND PLATE (they are just 15,3 years old in average!!) got together in March of 2004 and started to play their first shows in the summer of 2005. Just like most of the younger bands they also went through a couple of line-up changes until they recorded their first EP "Mountains Of Madness" which got released in January 2008. Musically DIAMOND PLATE could be best compared to those 80s Thrash acts that were rather close to the Hardcore scene from back then. The music is always very intense Thrash, while the vocals have got this little Hardcore touch to 'em and in that respect the band is probably closer to an act like EVIL DEAD than FORBIDDEN for example. OPPRESSION, the other band on this disc, hail from Falkenberg, Sweden. They were formed in 2002 and are the first European act to appear on the "Thrash Clash" series. The band has since then released 4 demos, been part of two split tapes and numerous compilations… Their style has evolved from a rather Hardcore / Death Metal type sound to pure oldschool Thrash in 2006, which is more than fine with me. Their first three songs on this CD have been taken from 2006's "State Of War" release, while the following tracks (4-6) are from their "T.P.R.S." and "Left To Perish" releases (from 2005 and 2004 respectively). Judging the band by these contributions alone I'd say they made a cool progression as Nicklas Andreasson (the vocalist on the older material) sounded quite annoying to me, while Olof Wikstrand's vocals are totally convincing and more in the vein of an aggressive Schmier with some great high pitched screams in the good old 80s style. Musically OPPRESSION deliver very Bay Area influenced type of material, with a dominant bass guitar and quite melodic leads. Unfortunately the band has already split-up again after a tour they did in Belgium and the UK in 2007, which is too bad, really. Just like "Thrash Clash" Vol.1 also this second edition is strictly limited to 1000, hand-numbered copies and comes with a 12-pages booklet, that features band info and lyrics, as well as another very cool artwork by Dimitar Nikolov. For more info check out these websites: www.myspace.com/diamondplate1, www.myspace.com/oppressionswe, www.stormspell.com

Frank Stöver

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THRONDT
Throndt
(Ash Nazg)
36:02min

After a split release with IDHAFELS, Germany's THRONDT come up with their selftitled debut full-length album. All in all we get a solid Black Metal - like album, but also THRONDT face the problem that its music sounds too average, too common, just like so many underground Black Metal bands these days. They all sound so harmless without any remarkable facets. There is good musicianship, there are solid sometimes even nice musical ideas, there is an o.k. soundproduction, but where is the extremity? I can not get rid of the impression that this album (and THRONDT should not be THE negative example here, because this goes for so many Black Metal bands) is so badly meant to be Black Metal, that it turned out being anything else but not Black Metal, because the spirit got lost somewhere... sad but true... throndt@gmx.de

Andi Bauer

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THRONEAEON
With Sardonic Wrath (MCD)
(The Plague / Hammerheart Records)
16:18min

Even though the nucleus of this Swedish bunch is already around since 1991, it still took THRONEAEON further four years of member and name changes to finally enter the Death Metal underground more seriously. This deadly and very self confident four piece used to put out demos in 1995 ("Demo'95") and 1997 ("Carnage") and even turned down an offer to participate in a split CD with another Swedish band (some of the tracks that originally were supposed to appear on that split CD ended up being released on the "Carnage" demo). In 1998 they recorded the material for "With Sardonic Wrath", which originally came out on the Danish Helgrind Productions label. Due to the fact that THRONEAEON have been signed by Hammerheart Records subdivision The Plague in the meantime, this mini CD just got re-issued, probably in order to promote the upcoming first full length a bit better. Musically THRONEAEON will easily appeal to everyone into powerfully produced, raw and brutal Death Metal in the good ol' DEICIDE style, with the main difference being that the Swedes still sound more aggressive and hungry than Glen Benton and his fellows. So, all in all this is a really promising start already, which should easily establish the guys in the underground and makes me pretty curious regarding the things that are about to follow in May 2001.

Frank Stöver

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THRONEAEON
Neither Of God
(Hammerheart Rec.)
41:50min

Here's finally the scheduled debut album of Sweden's answer to DEICIDE called THRONEAEON. Okay, I have to admit that it wouldn't be fair to baptize THRONEAEON as a simple DEICIDE clone, because main man Tony Freed and his nasty customers have musically improved compared to the MCD "With Sardonic Wrath" and their demo tapes, especially when it comes to the variety of the songs. Nevertheless I don't think that "Neither Of God" is a quantum leap in songwriting. Still you get ultra brutal Death Metal with a massive Florida touch, and – believe it or not – here and there are also some hidden melodies (just listen to 'Seven In Heaven Seven On Earth'), which makes "Neither Of God" more interesting. But all in all there are definitely no major changes compared to THRONEAEON's old material, therefore I can recommend this album without any doubts. Also the skull fucking production in Studio Underground (e.g. CARNAL FORGE, NECRODEATH, OCTOBER TIDE) makes this album essential for every deadbanger! Last but not least the exceptional booklet design is worth your attention.

Schenk
 
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THRONEAEON
Godhate
(Forensick Music)
34:56min

Even though this is supposed to be the last THRONEAEON release, fans of the Swedish bunch shouldn’t be too much disappointed as the band only decided to change their monicker into the slightly easier to remember / easier to pronounce GODHATE. But I seriously doubt that this business move will affect their musical style in any way in the near future... Just like their previous two outputs (the "With Sardonic Wrath“ MCD and "Neither Of Gods“ full length) also "Godhate“ (the album) offers us a really fresh sounding collection of brutal, yet very powerful and clearly produced, US style Death Metal. Their main inspiration probably will always be Glen Benton’s ungodly horde, but as opposed to DEICIDE, THRONEAEON by no means sound uninspired or burned out in any way (yet?) and instead know to convince me with a good number of really exciting compositions. While listening to the nine tracks on this album it becomes pretty obvious that the guys are on the right way to a style on their own after all. Ok, the DEICIDE overtones are still there (nothing wrong with that), but they more and more are adding a personal note to their songs, which is great. 'Blackwinged', one of the tracks towards the end of the record for example even has a classic SLAYER reference in it. So, everyone into brutal Death Metal should definitely check this nicely packaged new offering out in order to experience the band’s big improvement! It’s kinda weird though that in four of the songs the drum tracks have been recorded by DARK FUNERAL / DEFLESHED skinsman Matte Modin, considering that the band was formed by drummer Roger Sundquist... For all further info check out www.godhate.com or www.forensickmusic.com

Frank Stöver

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THRONEUM / THE LIGHT OF THE DARK
Brotherhood In Darkness Split MC
(Devil Worship Productions)

Well I’ll try to keep it short on this one, because this tape is so boring and mediocre that it should appeal only to total THRONEUM lunatics. I don’t think that THE LIGHT OF THE DARK have that many fans. THRONEUM are a Polish underground Death Metal band, that performs middleclass oldschool Death Metal, they are around since 1996 and released their full-length debut in 2002. Their songs rush through my ears and do not affect me in any way, they are ok, but unfortunately nothing more. THE LIGHT OF THE DARKNESS are even worse, hectic and chaotic Black / Death from Mexico that simply sucks with its incomprehensible song structures. Layout and sound quality are really good, so that this split MC might appeal at least to total THRONEUM maniacs or collectors. Some songs like ‘Hail Old Spirits’, ‘Mutiny Of Death’ or ‘Light And Cause’ even appeared on previous THRONEUM offerings which worsens my already negative impression of this release – it’s absolutely superfluous!!! If you would like to get more information about “Brotherhood In Darkness” or THRONEUM’s other releases despite this bad review, check out http://www.geocities.com/throneum/, an excellent website with MP3 files, biography, discography and shit like that - “worth a surf”.

Stefan Franke

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THRONEUM
Old Death’s Lair
(Weird Truth Productions)
38:55min

The combination of  a Polish band and a Japanese label is certainly an uneasy one, as I doubt this album is available on many distribution lists. A shame really, as “Old Death’s Lair” deserves a large exposure, mainly due to its freshness and total originality. The THRONEUM’s music could disconcert at first, but believe me this CD is worth to be listened to again and again! THRONEUM is a three piece from Poland dedicated to a raw form of Death Metal with a sort of old school vibe in it (hence the album title I guess). The work vocally wise is phenomenal, vocalist Marek delivers his lyrics in an hallucinate manner, a kind  of Paul Speckmann on acid. Of course, the voice is deepened by a vintage reverb effect, like in the “Mental Funeral” album by AUTOPSY. And now that I think of it, THRONEUM can certainly claim AUTOPSY as a major influence, because of the sick atmosphere they are capable to build in their tracks. The drum rhythms stay unpredictable, lot of weird changes are on offer here, so THRONEUM spare us the scourge of monotony, thanx a lot to them! The production is powerful while cavernous (if you now what I mean) reinforcing the feeling that “Old Death’s Lair” could have been recorded in 1989. But the primitive (yet, I repeat, absolutely excellent) sound quality is coupled with a lot of technical elements, don’t expect the same linearity as in “Scream Bloody Gore” or “From Beyond”. And here lies the main THRONEUM interest: keeping the ancient spirit alive while proposing never heard before arrangements and weird song structures. What pleases me also is the strong DEATH STRIKE flavour of some of the tracks (like ‘Black Thrash Till Death’ for instance, got the message?) In a time of utter mediocrity erected as quality, THRONEUM bring the shining proof that all is not lost and that some artists still exist to unleash interesting music. So, save your money, don’t support bands everybody worship without knowing why, and make the effort to look after this little gem.  Try these contacts to get more info: http://www.weirdtruth.jp, http://www.geocities.com/throneum. And anyway, buy this!

Edouard Vergriete

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THRONEUM
Decade Of Necrostuprumical Madness
(Deathgasm Records)
31:41min

I wanted to check out Polish THRONEUM for quite some time but somehow I never did… now this collection of old and partly rare recordings is the opportunity. This band is sworn to dark and thrashing maniacal Death / Black Metal exclusively, firmy rooted in the underground of the 80s / 90s. ASPHYX, TERRORIZER, POSSESSED, BLASPHEMY and the likes are among those who THRONEUM pay homage to in both sound and attitude – THRONEUM do not merely copy their influences, though. Some other acts the band honoured by playing cover versions are SARCOFAGO, ANTHRAX, TANKARD, INCANTATION, AUTOPSY and NECROVORE. I really like the raw vocal delivery and the overall evilness the band radiates with uncompromising ferocity but somehow the little spark that would set me aflame for THRONEUM and burn me to ashes is missing. The fact that the sound quality slightly varies as “Decade…” is a collection of various releases is certainly not the reason. Despite the obvious qualities of the band there are some parts and riffs which are a bit of a filler to me. Seems I have to check out THRONEUM's more recent releases, after all the material here is partly quite old. For those who are into THRONEUM but missed out their earlier releases this is mandatory I guess, those into filthy and raw Metal of Death should risk an ear. Three sound samples are available here: www.geocities.com/throneum

Ulrich Kreienbrink

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THRONEUM / REVELATION OF DOOM
Total Regression (Split CD)
(Pagan Records)
37:04min

What is the reason for bands to play a cover-version? Maybe they want to pay tribute to their sources of inspiration, maybe they cover the songs they personally like, maybe songs that they are used to play on gigs or in the rehearsal-room. Or maybe a song challenges them, which is pretty far away from their own style. So far traceable and I guess no one is irritated by a cover-version at the end of a full-length. One cover version, but on “Total Regression” are seven cover-versions and just two new songs by each band. The bands that got covered are DESTRUCTION, IMPALED NAZARENE, UNLEASHED, MORGOTH, HELLHAMMER, TERRORIZER, SODOM, PANDEMONIUM and BLASPHEMY. Since I like almost all of those bands and the cover-versions are well done it is quite enjoyable for me to listen to this output, but I would never pay any money on such a release. Even not if this is sold for the price of a mini-album. Instead of releasing such an album it would have been better releasing a 7” vinyl single with the two own tracks of each band or adding some old demos or live stuff instead of the cover-versions. The two songs by THRONEUM can be described as Black Metal influenced Death Metal or vice versa, whereas REVELATION OF DOOM definitely head for oldschool Black Metal. Both bands are able to leave an impressive mark, really good material. Exactly the right appetizer to get hungry for more stuff. So again each one has decide on his / her own whether or not to spend money on an album like this. www.geocities.com/throneum, http://revelationofdoom.co.nr

Mirco Szymyslik

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THRONEUM
The Unholy Ones (MCD)
(Deathgasm Records)
17:30min

Throneum is as far as I know quite big in Poland and this band has already released numerous of split releases since they changed their name from Throne (the band’s original name) to Throneum back in early 2000. Talking about Poland , don’t expect anything in the vein of their other country mates since Throneum are totally different from what you ever heard from there. This is something that 80s and early 90s Metal fans are looking for. Throneum composed an angry, evil and - I’m sorry to say that it’s also “ugly” sound! On the other side, the band’s logo and the cover itself are also ugly enough and it’s easy for us to say that this band isn’t doing any song that your ugly girlfriend would like to listen to! This 8 track EP really sounds like as if it’s been recorded in the 80s with a sound that is raw, and the rawness is really a must for this kind of music. The band mixes dark and dirty sounding Death Metal and the sound of Thrash Metal of the 80s with the depth atmosphere of Black Metal; everything very oldschool! Fans of Possessed, Blasphemy, Pestilence or Celtic Frost shouldn't miss out on this CD!! It’s really an EP recorded by an oldschool band for oldschool fans! www.deathgasm.com

Amin

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THRONEUM
Deathmass Of The Gravedancer
(Displeased Records)
32:20min

Although this is this the first time I encounter with polish THRONEUM I presume that the style they play hasn't changed over the last 11 years of their existence. They sound is as raw as old INCANTATION and NECROVORE, are as blasphemic as BLASPHEMY and SARCOFAGO and play riffs Death Metal spawned in the late 80s / early 90s. This is pure oldschool Black-Death-and Thrash with the fitting raw atmosphere and the right nihilistic attitude. And if it needs a Chris Moyhen cover (e.g. BEHERIT, BLASPHEMY) to proof that you take you sound serioulsy THRONEUM made that right. There is really not much to say anymore for it is clear: if you are into the afore mentioned bands, add a l little ASPHYX, TERRORIZER und BESTIAL WARLUST you will definetly enjoy this record. For me something is missing that makes this band outstanding but I like the all-over feeling that sticks to this longplayer. Better ugly than polished, better evil than happy, Death before Disco. www.geocities.com/throneum, www.displeasedrecords.com

Tim Klöcker

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THRONEUM
Deathcult Conspiracy
(Pagan Records)
30:14min

THRONEUM is one of those bands who are releasing so many recordings that it is very difficult to keep track and for me “Deathcult Conspiracy” is even the first release from them. Their newest output is their 5th full-length recording (next to many many split recordings) and a quite professional still carrying the typical underground mood in their music and sound. Comparison to bands as NECROVORE, NIHILIST, ASPHYX, ORDER FROM CHAOS, BESTIAL WARLUST and others where done by their label on the infosheet of this recording and tell much but not really something concrete. THRONEUM play ugly Metal in the grey area between Death and Black Metal. This is music each regular Heavy Metal fan who uses to listen to common releases will hate. Fashion-Death-Metal-kids will hate it, too, as it is a release without any nice harmonies and melodies and therefore meant to be listened by the dedicated underground crowd. Something the band can most likely live very well with.  “Deathcult Conspiracy” is a quality release with a certain new-DARKTHRONE-atmosphere and if that makes them commercial, ok! Serious, a release like this is not recommended to everyone and I would like you to have a listen to some of their songs on their myspace page www.myspace.com/throneum before ordering it blindly. I’m sure that for those to which their songs appeal to will like the whole recording a lot as it is a pretty good one. Others might not and that’s fine, too. Available at www.pagan-records.com.

Thomas Ehrmann

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THRUDVANGAR
Zwischen Asgard und Midgard
(Einheit Produktionen)
46:20min

I think in one way or another you can find rough influence from scene veterans MENHIR and RIGER in nearly every German Pagan Metal band. This not automatically means that own ideas are not existing it's just a further prove for the difficulties of turning back time and invent the wheel once more. THRUDVANGAR are one of these bands where you don’t have to search really in detail to find these parallels. The 6 band members are part of the scene long enough, “Zwischen Asgard und Midgard” is their third release, so that they know where their heart is pounding and the album is offering 8 songs of traditional Pagan Metal. The first 2 songs are nothing special but the third song ‘Heimwärts’ is getting more melodic and the band is also adding a great refrain which will become a real highlight during their live shows for sure. The next song ‘Runenstein’ is due to the spoken vocals a song which is easily imaginable on the next MENHIR release. But THRUDVANGAR can’t convince for 100 % with their third release because not all songs are on the same quality level. The share is more or less 50/50 with a big bonus for the great and detailed artwork but I fear that 4 great songs are not enough, especially when you think about the current boom in this scene. www.thrudvangar.com, www.einheit-produktionen.de

Matthias Auch

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THUNDERBOLT
Apocalyptic Doom
(Agonia Records)
54:44min

Professionally executed '90s era inspired Black Metal, the second album by this Polish band released on Agonia Records. Sporting a very prominent, clear, yet solid production that to me seems to be absolutely wasted on this commonplace outing. Play-by-the-numbers songwriting definitely is the cancer within that is killing THUNDERBOLT. Speed for the sake of speed-laden tracks, coupled with majestic riffs when crucial. Then at other intervals the raw evil standards the more traditional among the hordes need, to the overly anticipated Thrash-like breakdowns and like minded lead guitar work. Nothing here presented is anything that we all haven't heard before many, many times over and at the end of the album's play I am left with the same empty feeling as when track 1 was over. The problem with THUNDERBOLT is that they do nothing in the way of being memorable. THUNDERBOLT play it safe and to play it safe in Black Metal equals getting lost amongst the hundreds of other bands all across the earth who play in the same manner. THUNDERBOLT = forgettable Black Metal (well, as so often, luckily tastes are different - and even though THUNDERBOLT definitely won't reinvent the genre, I personally really enjoyed "Apocalyptic Doom" nevertheless, for it is very well executed, raw and stripped to the bone traditional Black Metal without any unnecessary additional gimmicks - Frank). www.agoniarecords.com

Wes Rhodes

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THUNDRA
Worshipped By Chaos
(Black Lotus Records)
57:57min

Featuring two former members of EINHERJER and ENSLAVED, Norwegian THUNDRA have grown a six-piece since their conception in 1998. After releasing their debut full-length “Blood Of Your Soul” in 2000, THUNDRA, at least according to the bio, turned towards a more aggressive and complex sound with 2005 recorded “Worshipped By Chaos”. The newest effort sees THUNDRA combine melodic, Black Metal with epic and atmospheric elements due to the use of synthesizers, acoustic guitars, and lots of diversity due to the technically skilled guitar work and clear, growled and screamed vocals. “Worshipped By Chaos” should appeal to fans of BORKNAGAR, VINTERSORG, OLD MAN’S CHILD and ARCTURUS though this album does not meet the weirdness-level of the latter. If you are into dark symphonies with strong Black Metal overtones and a nice melodic approach, THUNDRA might be a good choice for you! The album has a powerful production, some interesting musical ideas and a huge spectrum of different vocal styles plus a dense atmosphere. Not really something I would put into my personal collection yet I have to admit that THUNDRA do their epic, melodic Black Metal thing damn good. www.thundra.tk; www.black-lotus-recs.com

Stefan Franke

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THY DISEASE
Anshur Za
(Mystic Production)
45:36min

Futurist Metal, Cyper Death Metal, Electro Metal, Modern Metal? Well, a mix of FEAR FACTORY and almost new SAMAEL on a technical very high level is what THY DISEASE stands for. Technical, which means modern in the electronically way, and highly professional is their newest output “Anshur Za”, their fifth full-length recording and first one for the Polish label Mystic Production – the label who just made the European release of ARMAGEDON’s killer “Death Than Nothing” possible. The bonus tracks are two coverversions of DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Sinner In Me’ and MADONNA’s ‘Frozen’ and to keep it short: both versions were not necessary, although they are played well, still the regular 10 songs on “Anshur Za” can convince far more than those 2 covertunes. This Polish band is professional in every manner and songs as the outstanding ‘Freedom For Anshur-Za’ or ‘Nightmare Scenario’  show the great potential of this band. Well, “Anshur Za” is already their fifth full-length CD, as already mentioned above, and the first opportunity for me to listen to them. According to their band name I expected some kind of brutal Death Metal, looking at the band picture on the back of the promo CD I thought of another Polish BEHEMOTH sound-alike. Obviously I was wrong on both impressions I got. The ordinary Voices From The Darkside reader might not be that much into this modern and electronic type of Metal, nevertheless this is presented with highest possibilities and professional from the beginning to its end and therefore recommended to each fan of names as FEAR FACTORY, KOVENANT or SAMAEL at “Passage” or later. I might miss some bands here as comparison, though I guess you got the point, haha. Another proof for the more and more outstanding musical development of the Polish Metal scene. Available here.

Thomas Ehrmann

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THY FINAL PAIN
…Of Life And Death
(STF-Records)
46:23min

Just one year after their debut album “Epitaph” the German THY FINAL PAIN are here again with a new output called “…Of Life And Death”. This band features the two former DEBAUCHERY members Simon Dorn (guitars) and bass player Marc Jüttner. THY FINAL PAIN are definitely an interesting band for those who are into DEBAUCHERY’s brand of Death Metal, well, at least when they still played ordinary Death Metal. This new outfit is a must have for everyone searching for midtempo Death Metal, riff-orientated where the biggest importance is the groove. And groovy Death Metal is what you get, known from such bands as SIX FEET UNDER or OBITUARY (their slower songs). I dare to say that THY FINAL PAIN are not innovative nor original, but play solid quality Death Metal and have with “…Of Life And Death” an album released which should help them to spread their name around. Even if the 11 songs (with a playing time of around 46 minutes) are all in all good they lack a little bit the morbid atmosphere a Death Metal band should have, but this might me just my humble impression. “…Of Life And Death” is nevertheless a band to watch out for and I’m sure we will hear a lot about them in the future and perhaps see them playing somewhere in our area (if you are living in Germany) as they seem to be a quite active live band already. Available through www.stf-records.de or www.thy-final-pain.com

Thomas Ehrmann

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THY INFERNAL
Warlords Of Hell
(Napalm Records)
50:27min

What an inferno! THY INFERNAL hail with totally blasphemous Black Metal from start to finish. These guys from the USA perfectly know how to perform a real devastating whirlwind of crushing tunes. Pure Armageddon! After their MCD "Satan's Wrath" this is their first real longplayer (and by the way the strongest album released by Napalm Records in their younger history). The common Metal press as e.g. the German Rock Hard will compare THY INFERNAL with their Swedish colleagues DARK FUNERAL, SETHERIAL and MARDUK as they are somewhere within the same style of Black Metal. But as both MARDUK and DARK FUNERAL are regarded as somewhat of unimpeachable heroes in todays scene a very important detail in difference will most likely be neglected by the media (in order not to utter the slightiest criticism about the hero): besides the uncompromising aggression THY INFERNAL sound way more fresh, honest, playful, entertaining and most of all less modern and mainstream. What catches the ear right during the first listen is the fact that every (!!!) song has got quite its very own face and character although they are of course altogehter within a range of the same style. This is in my opinion the main difference to the ones mentioned above as the songs of these Swedish fellows sound too safe, predictable and wellknown. In contrast to them THY INFERNAL still have the right feeling for good, eventful and varied songwriting. Each tune contains a heavy doze of recallable melodies mixed with sheer brutality and the right haunting atmosphere and soul. Moreover you find some slight influences of other styles in (Black) Metal melted skillfully into their sound. Take for example the third song 'Wolfstorm' that opens with a tune the Norwegian IMMORTAL could not have done better during their "Pure Holocaust" period - a powerful crusher. Or 'Immortal Satanic Spirit', where a really beautiful melody is interweaved in sheer aggression that you first cannot imagine both being combined. Next song 'Night Of The Full Moon' is a powerful mid tempo crusher also enriched with nice melody lines. Ever song is bristling with guitar solos and aggressive vocals (that remind me on the ones of Australian BESTIAL WARLUST on their debut album here and there). The sound production is absolutly fitting, it leaves room enough for the details in songwriting without being too polished or clean. Concerning the lyrical concept THY INFERNAL follow the usual clishés, Satan here and there and everywhere... A cover artwork of Joe Petagno is not that original either. Apart from that done with class!!!

Thomas Georg
 
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THY ONLY FORGOTTEN
Mythos Daemonium
(Lux Inframundis)
38:49min

OK, first things first for those uninitiated with this band. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Daniel Corchado (THE CHASM), he also contributed some synths to this record. Main composer Roberto Valle also has strong connections with THE CHASM and played in the cult Mexican Death Metal horde CENOTAPH. And the drummer Antonio Leon also beats the skins in THE CHASM. Now onto the actual record... It consists of 6 lengthy compositions which could be described as raw sounding, richly layered symphonies of dark atmospheric Metal with strong influences from Heavy and Death Metal. Tempos are usually kept at mid-pace, but there's just enough variation to keep you hooked throughout the whole record. It sounds very dynamic and well-prepared, you can feel and hear the hard work that went into creation and production of "Mythos Daemonium". This is NOT a cut-and-paste, dime-a-dozen, run-of-the-mill crap filling today's overcrowded scene. Closest comparisons besides strong THE CHASM connection, would be DISSECTION with some majestic BATHORY moments, but THY ONLY FORGOTTEN has a very strong identity of their own, so don't rely on my name dropping too much, hehe. I have to mention 'Of Eternal Tolls', the fastest and most varied track, bearing the oldschool Death Metal torch forward. Very fast start, assaulting breakdown into an evil-sounding midpart which then keeps unfolding and draging you into the deepest pits of Hell. Another favourite is the closing 'Dark Angel Of The Four Winds' - an almost 9 minutes crushingly chilling opus of highest calibre Heavy Metal... of Death! In fact every track has something interesting to offer and I could go on describing them here, but I'd rather say that if you like your Metal heavy and dark, with punishing drum cannonades, occasional chant, majestic riffs and demonic vocals drenched in reverb and delay, coming as yet another instrument rather than being put into central focus, then be sure to get this limited EP as soon as possible (out December 2009). because devilish gems like this don't come out too often. Highly recommended! Contacts: www.enterthedeathcult.com, www.luxinframundis.com

Mindaugas "Plix" Lapinskas

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THY RITES
Thy Infernal Coronation
(AreaDeath Productions)
38:30min

There's nothing like a demonic opera to introduce an equally demonic Metal album. THY RITES is a Brazilian band; writing Brazilian Metal the way MX, SARCOFAGO, SEPULTURA and DORSAL ATLANTICA once did. The SARCOFAGO influence is the most distinguished in the drumming pattern, a steady blast beat of the old Cogumelo mold. THY RITES very little in speed; either playing at a mid-paced style, or at a breakneck fury. Instead of the mindless savagery of bands like BLACK WITCHERY, or indeed even early SARCOFAGO, THY RITES are remarkably mature for a band so young. Their songs, though fast, and clearly intended for a Black Metal crowd, are full of variance and melody; melody without wimpiness. Very few bands, in my judgement, are truly able to showcase their taste for melody whilst preserving the heaviness of their music. THY RITES do just that, and it is a beautiful sight to behold. Be on the lookout. www.myspace.com/thyrites666, http://adp.areadeath.net/en

Nat Shapiro

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THYRFING
Vansinnesvisor
(Hammerheart Records)
42:58min

Very Metal indeed! Viking masters THYRFING are back with their fourth official full length (not counting the "Hednaland" release) and it's intense! Very heavy, fast, groovy, melodic, depressive: brilliant! This album doesn't seem to get boring even after weeks. The band has definitely found its very own style so many fans admire. Beautiful melody lines that sneak into your mind without getting on your nerves - that's the way I like Metal! Beauty and power! Personally, I'm deeply impressed by the keyboards: there are no cheap sound effects hundreds of bands ruin their sound with, no, Sir! Instead, Peter Löf manages to integrate his work in the songs thoughtfully: you wouldn't like to have it in a different way. "Vansinnesvisor" takes you on a journey that doesn't end - thanks to the repeat button. If I were you I'd check out these guys immediately. http://www.thyrfing.com/

Ramon Claassen

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THYRUZ
Northern Blasphemy
(Twilight Vertrieb)
52:09min

To be honest, after checking the album cover art and the band pics, I was almost 100% sure my ears should suffer the attempts from a new Dimmu Borgir clone from Norway, but after the first riffs of the opening track 'Gautatyrs Vrede' my face showed a twisted expression. The reason is very simple, this album kicks ass!!!! Direct, intense and cold freezing Black Metal which reminds of classic opuses like “Pure Holocaust” (Immortal), “Transilvanian Hunger” (Darkthrone – but not the sound) and some touches of current classics like “Casus Luciferi” (Watain) and “Dodens Evangelium” (Ondskapt). The structures are merely based on the classic true Norwegian Black Metal sound as done by bands like Taake, Tsjuder and Urgehal nowadays, (un)blessed with a very good production, maybe it sounds like an exaggeration, but these guys have delivered an awesome and impressive debut album, because nowadays not much bands do it that way. Obviously there are a couple of details to be fixed, like to take the influences away and start to create an own sound. It’s really difficult to continue because these guys have done a great job so it only remains to recommend this record. www.twilight-vertrieb.de, www.thyruz.com

Rodrigo Jimenez

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TIDFALL
Nucleus
(Nuclear Blast)
44:58min

On their third album, TIDFALL from Norway give their interpretation of modern, futuristic Black Metal. DIMMU BORGIR seem to be an obvious influence on their work but TIDFALL avoid just to imitate. The variety of guitar work and well structured songs are appealing but what really gives me a headache about this album is the exaggerated use of keyboards. The synthesizer gimmicks on this album on one hand support the cold, futuristic atmosphere, on the other hand they sound like a techno soundtrack. So if you are into modern Black Metal and / or not afraid of keyboards you should definitely check out this release, but if you like it the oldschool way do not waste time and money on this one. Band website: www.tidfall.net, label website: www.nuclearblast.de.

Christoph Göbel

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TIMOR
Aeons Of Despite
(Quam Libet Records)
43:28min

Fans of ORIGIN, SUFFOCATION, "Obscura" - era GORGUTS, later CANNIBAL CORPSE, HATE ETERNAL and VEHEMENCE, brace yourselves. TIMOR are all of these, but with a slightly unfortunate amount of AT THE GATES. In fact, the AT THE GATES influence, at times, seems to completely overtake the others; the elements that do far more to recommend the album than the melody. When TIMOR aren't busy imiting Tomas Lindberg, they almost sound like EUCHARIST did on "A Velvet Creation"; delicate and intricate needlework of melody. For the most part, TIMOR vary their songs between the brutal and melodic, making for a well performed, if unwisely eclectic record. Only fans with truly variant Heavy Metal tastes will appreciate this in its entirety, from start to finish. The rest of us will have to alternate between cringing and grinning; for truly these are the sons of patchwork songwriting. Its rather surprisng that this band should have attracted any label attention at all what with there being so many bands like them already, and the fact that the style they play is on the wane. www.myspace.com/timormetal, www.timor.ch

Nat Shapiro

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TME
Worlds Collide
(Aphotic Records)
34:24min

Modern Thrash / Death Metal in the wake of fellow countrymen DEFLESHED, DENATA or Japan's KING'S EVIL. "Worlds Collide" is comprised of ten expertly written and executed songs professionally recorded at both Deadsound Studios and the notorious Black Lodge Studio. Those that know of the final products from these places, know that it can only mean one thing. A very promising result is thus offered here! This is true for the most part with "Worlds Collide" yet funny enough; my only real complaint about this album however, lies with the recording of the lead vocals and lead guitars. Both were not handled well behind the board and of these two points, the lead vocals are the worst. Almost completely buried in the final mix! Nils Johansson and TME did the mixing and mastering of this album at the Ballerina Audio. So I hope the band will take more care and notice of these particular flaws and get them corrected for their sophomore release. However that being said, have no allusions this is indeed a strong first album attempt! Worth every cent of your hard earned cash and honestly with the right production next time, the right promotion and tour positioning. TME could easily garner a substantial following almost over night. Featuring members of FISSION, VINTERSOG and SEASONS OF STORMS. Contact: T-M-E@hotmail.com or the band's soon to be website www.generation666.com or the label at www.aphoticrecords.net

Wes Rhodes

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TODESBLEI
Splittergranatendauerbombardement
(self financed)
50:09min

These guys from Switzerland surely have got the right name for their band. Translated into English it means "death lead", or "death metal" if you like. And that's what they play: brutal Death Metal. The band was originally initiated in 2000 by the guitar player as a solo project but developed into a complete band. Of the 14 tracks of this pleasingly long album, every single one holds up a high standard, there is absolutely no filling material on this release. Varying from raging blastbeats to crushing mid-tempo parts they managed to write interesting, memorable songs. For a self financed album the production is extremely heavy, they surely can enter into competition with some of the established Death Metal bands around. So thumbs up for this very good start, these guys definitely have potential. For more information go to www.todesblei.ch.

Christoph Göbel

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TODTGELICHTER
Was Bleibt...
(Folter Records)
53:21min

"Was Bleibt..." is the second release of Germany's TODTGELICHTER. We get offered harsh and raw Black Metal. The mainly fast songs are again and again splitted by calmer parts with undistorted guitars. Needless to say that we have shitloads of Black Metal doing the same style, but here I have to point out that TODTGELICHTER do really a better job than most of the others. The guitar-lines and riffings manage to create a desolate and melancholic atmosphere, the vocals are shrieky but not overdone and the production fits the whole album. Good to see a band that rises above the swamp of uncreativeness. Have a listen... www.todtgelichter.de, mails@todtgelichter.de

Andi Bauer

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TOMBS
Winter Hours
(Relapse Records)
38:09min

Other publications such as Decibel have a way of both infuriating sane readers and casting albums like this into perspective. Decibel is vexing because it promotes idol worship, not real criticism. However, it also sobers the way we can look at this debut album by TOMBS. By now, people who read Decibel likely as not eschew fanzines and websites such as VOICES for a quick fix in the glossy pages on their magazine stand - sad, but it should remind us that a band's target audience is as much a part of their album as anything else. Unfortunately, bands do indeed care about who listens to their music and to that end, they'll write cheesy, melodious songs in mimicry of UNANIMATED or AT THE GATES. They will also, provided they're writing in 2009, claim the "oldschool" label and borrow riffs and sounds from whomever predates them. This is a recipe for disaster if you aim to please people in the underground, but if a band's goal is for notoriety in Decibel, then this album is nothing if not a masterpiece. Though the music is ordinary, it wouldn't be popular if thousands of fans didn't enjoy it. If you happen to be one of those people, then buy this record straightaway. www.myspace.com/tombsbklyn, www.relapse.com

Nat Shapiro

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TOMBTHROAT
Bloodred History
(Twilight-Vertrieb)
39:11min

It’s Death Metal-time again. TOMBTHROAT already exist for 10 years and I’m afraid to say that this is my first time to hear a release from them. Checking their discography I see that they released one demo in 1999 as well as 5 albums including this new one “Bloodred History”. TOMBTHROAT don’t invent a new brand of Death Metal, but it’s great fun listening to the brutal songs they present here. They call it brutal Death Metal and that’s exactly what you get here. 11 songs sometimes fast, sometimes midpaced but always groovy as hell. As I said, it's great fun listening to this CD and I’m really looking forward to see them live somewhere as I can imagine that they kick ass!! One great bonus: the last song 'Bloodstained' starts very much in the vein of old Swedish bands like UNANIMATED or AT THE GATES and first up I thought it’s a coversong which is wrong. After one minute TOMBTHROAT go back to their usual style of Death Metal. I like these kind of ideas... For all fans of brutal Death Metal which don’t care for originality and want to get it traditional this is a release worth to buy. Check out www.twilight-vertrieb.de or www.tombthroat.de. You may order a copy here.

Thomas Ehrmann

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!TOOH!
Order And Punishment
(Earache)
36:45min

Well, this album by the Czech outfit !TOOH! is very difficult to describe. The genre may be marked as progressive Grindcore, obviously influenced by the masters of this genre, namely CRYPTOPSY, in particular the huge amount of breaks and rhythm changes. But one would underestimate the wide range these freaks from Czech offer on their third full-length release. The song-structure sometimes is so weird, that it can hardly be illustrated. Blasting avantgarde Jazz Grind like THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN can be used as a reference to portray this inferno. But !TOOH! (the name stands for The Obliteration Of Humanity) are not just blasting their way through, some songs are merely mid-tempo based and then you can hear what makes them unique. The riffs are really melodic, for e.g. the second song features a folk-inspired melody, underlined by background chantings. May sound strange - even to me, while writing these lines - but it definitely sounds pretty nice! Other riffs are more Thrash Metal influenced, but at every time quite melodic. No surprise that the vocals are performed the same odd way. More screaming than growling, the well known high-pitched MACABRE - like ear-piercing, but sometimes just a kind of fast spoken parts. All lyrics are in the Czech language, making this album even more mysterious to the listener. This album is no easy-listening at all, but if you prefer the above mentioned CRYPTOPSY and if you are willing to make a new, yet bizarre and exotic experience, you should definitely take a listen.

Mirco Szymyslik

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TORCH
Dark Sinner
(Mausoleum Records)
51:24min

I was totally excited when I got the news not too long ago that Sweden's TORCH (one of my alltime favorite early 80s Metal bands) is active again after approximately 25 years of silence... From the original line-up unfortunately only singer Dan Dark is still around these days, but after having listened to this brand new album, I can assure you that he still delivers his charismatic vocals (which have always been a major trademark of TORCH) with the same class, so don't worry too much. I was honestly a bit skeptical whether or not he would still be able to impress me after so many years, especially after I read in a big German Metal magazine that he's supposed to sound a lot more like Udo Dirkschneider these days... Well, I have no idea where those strange comparisons were coming from... fact is that he still sounds very close to what he originally sounded like in the 80s and that's just great! 13 out of the featured 15 songs on "Dark Sinner" should be known to every TORCH fan already as they are re-recorded versions from the old days. In particular you're getting 'Thunderstruck', 'Electrikiss', 'Hot On Your Heels' from 1984's "Electrikiss" album, the track 'Fire Raiser' from 1982's EP (that later got re-issued / re-named as "Fire Raiser"), plus 9 out of 10 songs from the self-titled debut full length (later also to be re-issued / re-named as "Warlock"). I could easily have lived without the newly added, yet pretty cheesy sounding "wo-ho-ho" backing vocals towards the end of 'Gladiator' as well as the partly distorted parts in 'Hatched Man'... and I'm not too impressed by the backing vocals in 'Electrikiss' and 'Hot On Your Heels' either (well, somehow they already sucked back in the 80s, didn't they?). But apart from that the overall attitude / musical direction luckily hasn't changed too much. It's still traditional Metal to the bone, without any annoying modern overtones and the featured two brandnew tracks 'The Dark Sinner' and 'We Will Fight' perfectly fit in with the rest of the material, so an album full of all new material would definitely be nice (not to mention the long overdue CD re-issue of the "Electrikiss" album!). For more information go to www.myspace.com/torchmetal, www.mausoleum-records.com

Frank Stöver

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TORMENT
Forgive The Ignorant
(Diabolical Constellation)
47:15min

The choice of their moniker wasn't necessarily TORMENT's most clever decision as we already have the unstoppable TORMENT from Germany for ages now... And as far as I can recall there was (is?) also at least one TORMENT overseas. Oh well, time will tell whether this is gonna cause some problems and / or confusion or not. Fact is, that the band we're dealing with here, is a five piece from Oostrozebeke (near Kortrijk) in Belgium, that got together in 1999 and released two demos ever since ("Sickening Obsessions" and "Hate Fulfilled" in 2000 and 2002 respectively). In 2003 they ended up being the winners of a band contest which gained them the support slot for DESTRUCTION and ALTAR and in 2004 they got the opportunity to play at the London Deathfest alongside VADER, CANCER, CADUCITY und CADAVEROUS CONDITION. All those experiences are pretty much evident on TORMENT's debut full length "Forgive The Ignorant", which is a very impressive musical statement to kick things off with on a more professional level after all! The nine featured, brandnew tracks on offer have a very strong MORBID ANGEL overtone in the writing, which obviously means that we're dealing with rather brutal, US styled Death Metal on a high technical level here. The similarities to Trey Azagthoth's unholy horde are clearly shining through in the vocal department (frontman Ullie Vandendriessche delivers a very David Vincent influenced, yet convincing way of singing) and the songstructuring offers slow to midpaced riffing combined with several blasting parts and sick soloing. The main difference to the Florida bunch can be found in a couple of quite moody / atmospheric parts, that were basically used in order to end songs with and that surprisingly fit into the overall very brutal offering incredibly well. The precise playing of drummer Nicolas Hernandez is rather scary though as it often comes incredibly close to a drum machine (especially his fast double bass parts sound quite unnatural to me) while the album's last song (a very Spanish sounding instrumental guitar piece entitled 'Ritmo Del Gringo'), is another impressive proof for the incredible musicial skills of the band. An excellent, crystal clear, yet totally crushing production and a simple, but totally fitting sleeve design complete the overall very positive impression. So, next to their fellow-countrymen SUHRIM, EMETH, HEADMEAT and ORB OF TORTURE, TORMENT is without a doubt another great young band from Belgium to keep an eye on in the future! More info: www.torment.be, label contact: www.diabolical-constellation.com

Frank Stöver

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TORMENTED
Rotten Death
(Iron Fist Productions)
33:01min

This review will be biased since my love for Swedish Death Metal knows no boundaries. TORMENTED is another example of archetypal quality brought to light by unknown northern cellar-dwellers way back in the nineties. This pumping anthemic energy, which flows through the best Swedish albums, is presented here for the new generations. Band members are mostly oldschool veterans coming from the bands such as EDGE OF SANITY, DARKIFIED, PAN.THY.MONIUM and some others. My first impression upon seeing this was creeeping doubt that is always present when I see older guys doing Death Metal. But scepticism was flushed away when I put my earphones on. This is what BLOODBATH could have been if they were any good - Death Metal well produced to gather a new fans to the genre, and at the same time something older fans could rejoice in. It would be almost superflous to explain what this album sounds like and I will just throw some names for you to get the picture - NIHILIST, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, etc. (well, how about the additional rawness of recent DEATH BREATH stuff? - Frank). If you have, by any chance, heard about this bands pick this record with assurace. Wild, fast, punkish and huge, with lyrics rotten and competely true to the basics - corpses crawling through the ancient tombs, decaying life hungry to spread the disease. Did I say the sound is huge? Yes, cavernous (I am speaking of caverns cyclops could dwell in) to the bone, echoing with the passionate screams and grunts. The song structure is straightforward - basic, with simple choruses that do not fool around and complicate things. Death itself is simple so art representing it should also be, and here that is accoplished with mastery. Of course, the logo of the band is great - ENTOMBED-styled mighty crumbling font dear to all oldschoolers. That syle always tickles my heart, and I think I am not the only one. No mistakes made here. Listen for yourself: www.myspace.com/fuckingtormented

Branko Matijaševic

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TORTURE
Storm Alert
(Escapi Music)
65:28min

Following an EP named “Terror Kingdom“ in 1987, this album by the Texas Thrash Metal outfit TORTURE has originally been released outside the USA in 1989. For some strange reasons it has never been available in the USA officially before. But now that the band has reunited after over 15 years, “Storm Alert“ is officially released everywhere, remixed and remastered by Neil Kernon and Alan Douches. The original eight songs have been upgraded with a new intro and two additional tracks, which have been recorded with Bill Metoyer for a demo before the split. “Storm Alert“ delivers fast and versatile Thrash Metal, packed in songs with running times somewhere between five and eight minutes. Although the majority of songs is quite long, the band manages to keep them interesting and exciting, mixing lots of excellent Thrash riffs and catchy choruses with a few acoustic guitar parts here and there. Especially tracks like 'Terror Kingdom' and 'Enter The Chamber' are memorable Thrash Metal hymns. I don't know how this album sounded before the remixing and remastering, but you can still tell from the first second on that this one is from the 80s, and I think that's positive. Maybe the overall sound cannot compete with current productions and is a bit dirty, but that's how good old Thrash has got to sound, if you ask me. I think that fans of classic US Thrash Metal will surely enjoy this album, and if your heart still beats passionately for this subgenre of Metal, I do strongly recommend it. Check www.tortureband.com for sound clips. Label: www.escapimusic.com

Christoph Göbel

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TORTURE DIVISION
Evighetens Dårar II (Demo 2010)
(self-financed)
9:28min

Finally it is about time for someone of the Voices personnel to write something about TORTURE DIVISION. I decided that it’s me who will have the pleasure, haha. TORTURE DIVISION already offered 4 high quality demos for free and “Evighetens Dårar II” is the 5th one and 2nd one in the “Evighetens Dårar” - trilogoy. In times when most bands and especially labels complain about decreasing sales a band like TORTURE DIVISION shows them their middle finger and offers their music as a free download. And these demos are prove enough that something for free doesn't mean that the quality isn't good enough to get a deal or are for payment. These guys offer qualitative Death Metal in its highest form, technically speaking and concerning the sound- and recording-quality. If you read the names that belong to this all-star Death Metal group you don't wonder and if you then recognize that Dan Swanö shows responsible for the mastering of the demo tapes you easily understand the reason for the great and powerful sound. What can you expect from a band featuring Jörgen Sandström (GRAVE, ENTOMBED, THE PROJECT HATE…), Lord K Philipson (DARK FUNERAL, THE PROJECT HATE, HOUSE OF USHER…) and Tobias Gustafsson (VOMITORY, THE PROJECT HATE…)? Correct, among the best Death Metal you can find these days. As I already wrote, this here is of highest quality, both in music and sound and the brand of Death Metal offered is totally up-to-date. It sounds like Death Metal from Sweden, or better: TORTURE DIVISION’s Death Metal sounds as it only can sound from a band from Sweden. It’s fast, sometimes blasting Death Metal with furious and sharp guitar riffs and vocals you can only adore. And, I know you get bored finally, in an amazing sound-quality. As résumé I can say that this is a recommended release for all Death Metal maniacs out there. Check it out FOR FREE at www.torturedivision.net – great homepage by the way – and think about the following sentence from the band: “Use the fucken paypal button and help supporting our cause! What you donate goes into our mixes and merch, as always.” I can only say: support them. Let’s finish this review with another cool and true sentence from them: “We know you will even love the damn thing considering the fact it reeks of brutality, groove and utter professionalism most bands can only dream of.”  Correct!!! OK, one last quote: “Fuck that, we don’t need magazines or record labels – we manage all fine as we are.” – so whenever you download any of their demos, if you contact the band or donate them money do not dare to say Voices From The Darkside awoke your interest in TORTURE DIVISION as they fuckin’ don’t need that help! You penis :-)

Thomas Ehrmann

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TORTURE KILLER
For Maggots To Devour
(Karmageddon Media)
34:29min

Although one can accuse the Finnish Death Metal heads TORTURE KILLER of being one of the most unoriginal bands in the world one has to admit they do a pretty good job! Groovy Death Metal in the vein of the first SIX FEET UNDER album or late OBITUARY mixed with the heaviness of BOLT THROWER has been certainly overdone, but in contrast to the mass of lame copies TORTURE KILLER ressurect the drive and morbidity the first SIX FEET UNDER certainly had very well. Since they do not forget about implementing a couple of speedy parts TORTURE KILLER evade the biggest problems of grooving Death Metal, which is that most of these bands make you nod your head, but not bang it. The production is alright, not too clean and with a nice bass, the vocals are low and deep growls that could have been a bit more intense and lack of an own identity but are still ok. Some riffs even sound stolen, like e.g. in the opener or the album's hit 'Fuck Them When They Bleed', but I think that was done with intent, because TORTURE KILLER do not try to establish themselves by bragging about being the "new, big, innovative thing", but honestly admit being total worshippers of the aforementioned bands - to be quite frank, something I can not understand, but people are different and so are tastes. So if you like grooving, powerful Death Metal and were disappointed by all that was released lately in this genre (I don't have to get detailed on how shitty the newer SIX FEET UNDER CD's are), give TORTURE KILLER a chance! Websites of interest in this case: www.karmageddonmedia.com, www.torturekiller.cjb.net.

Stefan Franke

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TORTURE KILLER
Sewers
(Dynamic Arts Records)
29:14min

The Swarm is gone, Chris Barnes is gone, Metal Blade is gone but one thing remains – the Finnish Death Metal institution TORTURE KILLER are still haunted by the ghost of the former leading act SIX FEET UNDER. There will be for sure not a single review of “Sewers” which can avoid mentioning their American idols. But TORTURE KILLER are more than just a vague copy – their third release is breathing the old spirit of the first SIX FEET UNDER masterpieces (oh, they recorded "masterpieces"? Never noticed that - Frank) and “Sewers” is a strong Death Metal release with a massive dose of groove. The album is offering 8 (short) songs and even if some are more than just inspired by their big brother- just listen to 'Coffins' which sounds like a mixture of ‘Human Target’ vs. ‘War Is Coming’ –TORTURE KILLER are also introducing some more Swedish Death Metal elements (nice atmospheric guitar part) to avoid the American overkill. Everybody who prefers Death Metal with a “Love at first sight“ effect and / or the SIX FEET UNDER back catalogue can buy this album blindly and furthermore test the live compatibility on the coming European tour with FACEBREAKER and DEMONICAL. www.torturekiller.com, www.myspace.com/torturekiller, www.dynamicartsrecords.com

Matthias Auch

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TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION
Compact Disc Version 1.0
(Bones Brigade)
63:12min

Yes, we know there is life after BRUTAL TRUTH. Danny Lilker went down the slimy abyss of pure underground with bands like THE RAVENOUS and HEMLOCK, ex-singer Kevin Sharp tries to destroy the world with new formed VENOMOUS CONCEPT and drummer Rich Hoak reappeared with his wrecking crew TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION. I have to admit that I have heard the name of the band earlier but never followed their releases. Unfortunately I have no infosheet and the band's website is one big “fuck off” when it comes to information concerning… well, basically everything, that I decided to take over that mentality and just concentrate on this release… The CD with the strange name and the cool cover-artwork (looks like some faked 60s CIA paintings on terrorism) is a compilation of three TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION demos and some live recordings with alltogether 40 (!) songs. First there is their first demo from 2000 with nine pretty crazy straight forward destructive Grindcore songs with a good production and NO drum triggers (ahh, good). All songs are mainly fast, no big groove parts here. What I personally enjoy very much are the weird twin vocals, crazy-screaming-hyperventilating-grunt-fuck-destroy-slobbering-vomitting out all hate-articulations. The second demo also from 2000 has some Black Metal influences (MARDUK) but still keeps the allover Grindcore feeling present - some songs even sound a bit like BRUTAL TRUTH. The third (unofficial) demo from 2001 is my favorite, because it is the most crazy one with a really dirty and charming underground sound and includes my favorite tracks 'Madeleine Allbright Is Sexy', '6,5 Billion Pieces Of Shit' and 'Fear Of A Black Metal Planet'. My other favorite track is 'Goatloard 2001' – a total ugly Free Jazz erruption that reminds me of godlike NAKED CITY. The eight live-songs have a shitty sound, but I don't like live-recordings that much anyway. I chose to ingore them. But if you like total-dirty-underground-shit-give-the-finger-to-everyone-ass-kicking Grindcore with minor Black Metal influences and some AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED- and PIG DESTROYER-crazyness, just do what it says on the tray: obey and consume! http://welcome.to/totalfuckingdestruction, www.bonesbrigaderecords.com

Tim Klöcker

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TOTAL HATE
Depopulating Planet Earth
(Agonia Records)
45:33min

I often find myself trying to describe the cover of some Black Metal album to a friend and finding I lack the ability to distinguish it: "You know, the one with the black and white cover" or "that one with the guy in the forest wearing corpsepaint" or "the one with the nature scene on the front…you know, mountains and wolves." How can one possibly distinguish between such impossibly generic visual themes? Then I realized that describing the music on these albums was as difficult or worse. "Uh, you know, it sounds like DARKTHRONE." Yes, every time I am confronted with this dilemma I find myself hoping that the well of raw Darkclone Black Metal will soon run dry and we can finally move on with our lives. Sadly, there seems to be no end in sight. That being said, TOTAL HATE's first full length album, "Depopulating Planet Earth" released by Agonia, like much of the raw Black Metal released these days, is not necessarily bad, just generic. It's hard to discern a tangible quality about this album that would make it distinguishable from the countless recordings like this that are churned out every month. The production on this album is somewhat peculiar, though. The drums are mixed loudly and sometimes threaten to overshadow the guitar. This is true of the playing as well. The guitarist seems, at times, to be struggling to keep up with the drummer. Nonetheless, TOTAL HATE attempt on this album to capture the true, hateful essence of Black Metal. After a few listens, however, I can't really confirm or deny the band's misanthropic tendencies, and with the genre becoming so ubiquitous recently (having shown up in TV commercials, video games, etc.), it's just difficult to take this seriously. I understand that there are those for whom this subgenre of Metal is of paramount importance, and perhaps those individuals will find more merit in this recording than me. For the rest of us who simply don't have time to work our way through the avalanche of raw Black Metal releases, I think this album can safely be avoided. For more info check out: www.myspace.com/totalhate666

Jason Campbell

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TOTAL NEGATION
A Life Lead By Sorrow And Not By Myself
(self-financed)
21:54min

This new band from Germany is presenting their scene debut with this EP, and even if it's only a limited amount of 3 songs the impression is quite positive. TOTAL NEGATION in person of Wiedergaenger is playing Suicide Black Metal / Funeral Doom and talking about a self produced demo with the normal sound problems and a basic inlay the music is in the position to catch the listener if this is your cup of beer. TOTAL NEGATION won't reinvent the wheel with this music because the tools (dark guitars, ghostly vocals) are really limited but for fans of SILENCER, SHINING etc. all songs are offering this pure darkness. Hopefully life seems not too hopeless for Wiedergaenger since the release of this EP in February (I hope he's still alive to read these lines!) but this is one of the better underground releases these days, so don’t hesitate to contact the band like in the good old times to get your copy of this album (especially since the price is really Metal Heart friendly!). Carpe Noctem! www.totalnegation.tk, www.myspace.com/totalnegation

Matthias Auch

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TOTALSELFHATRED
Totalselfhatred
(Ordo Decimus Peccatum)
45:30min

I should clarify before beginning this review that I spend relatively little time wallowing in that most emo of all Metal sub-genres, Suicidal Black Metal. Once in a while, however, I do find myself in the mood for it, and when it is performed effectively, it can produce profound results. Initially, I expected to be completely put-off by TOTALSELFHATRED's self-titled debut full length, but I was surprised that I found little that was completely distasteful about this album. They clearly went to great lengths to craft dense, textured and melodious songs that evoke an air of loneliness and solitude. This, I assume, is generally the point of Suicidal Black Metal. The tracks on this album are elaborately layered with multiple guitars and tastefully placed keyboard tracks that establish the atmospheric effect that TOTALSELFHATRED are clearly attempting to attain. Heavy usage of reverb and delay and the juxtaposition of clean guitars and against a backdrop of distorted ones adds to the washed out sound that pervades this recording. Unexpectedly, TOTALSELFHATRED often deviate into more aggressive passages that serve to break up the potential monotony of the album. I am not sure, however, that these passages are actually effective for this purpose as they sometimes distract from rather than enhance the effect of the songs such as on 'Spirituelles Equilibrium'. Still, the tendency toward incorporating more extreme elements is interesting. As with so much Suicidal Black Metal, however, the vocals delve far too frequently into the realm of the melodramatic. Although trying to intone the darkest and most desperate of feelings, the result is sometimes laughable. TOTALSELFHATRED do little to avoid this pitfall. The vocals do nothing to enhance the effect of the album and sometimes get in the way of the more interesting instrumental portions. Also, in addition to the anguished and self-loathing screams delivered on this album, TOTALSELFHATRED also intersperse a great deal of cleanly sung vocals which detract even more from the value of the recording. Ultimately, this album, while it has its share of compelling moments, seems to lack much that distinguishes it from a number of other unoffensive, but inevitably mediocre albums and those elements that initially seem novel are generally uninteresting and also unwelcome. www.totalselfhatred.net

Jason Campbell

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TOTAL TERROR
Total Terror 
(Vic Records)
33:41min

Its a remarkable feat for any old band to sound even the slightest bit as spirited as their young counterparts. In TOTAL TERROR's case, time has been kind. Originally formed in 1993 as a side project of Dan Swano's, TOTAL TERROR folded after one demo, probably because Swano was busy with EDGE OF SANITY at the time. In any case, time has brought him full circle to the DISCHARGE-influenced fury of TOTAL TERROR. Very much like the Norwegians in SKITSYSTEM, the Swedes in TOTAL TERROR play what Nicke Andersson would term "real" Death Metal. It borders on D-beat Punk, which, as you all should know, is where Swedish Death Metal borrows a lot of its drum patterns. Of course there is a litlte more at work here than simply D-beats. There's the occaisional MOTÖRHEAD riff, and the incredible speed of MASTER. My only gripe is the piss poor cover artwork. It just doesn't do the band justice. www.myspace.com/totalterrorsweden

Nat Shapiro

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TOTALT JÄVLA MÖRKER
Totalt Jävla Mörker
(Regain Records)
30:53min

Short and sweet: TOTALT JÄVLA MÖRKER means something like ’Total Fucking Darkness’. Sounds pretty Black Metal? Absolutely wrong, no Metal here at all. Instead we get a mixture of all things, Grind, Crust, Core, whatever, right there in your stupid and ugly face. Raw, dirty, ferocious and completely uninteresting for the reader of this page. This has an energy and aggression to it that is painfully missed in most modern Metal productions, so if you’re tired of the same old stuff and think you could like a bastard of NASUM, REFUSED and SKIT SYSTEM, go ahead and grab this! 
www.totaltjavlamorker.com. On sale here.

Torsten Gründig

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TOTTEN KORPS
Tharnheim: Athi-Land-Nhi, Ciclopean Crypts Of Citadels
(Repulse Records)
39:51min

I read about this four piece from Chile quite a few times already, always wondered about their strange sounding name, but never got to hear their previously released stuff. In detail that is two demos (“The King Of Hell Reclaims His Throne” from 1990 and “Our Almighty Lords” from 1993), of which the latter one even got re-released on mini CD via Brazil’s Hellion Records in 1994. Unfortunately after that they seemed to run into various problems, from line-up changes up to an album recording, which suffered from such a poor sound / production that it remained unreleased. But Spain’s Repulse Records obviously really believed in the band so that TOTTEN KORPS got the opportunity to record another album in early 2000, which finally got released now. Musically “Tharnheim: Athi-Land-Nhi, Ciclopean Crypts Of Citadels” consists of Death Metal the brutal way, with shredding guitars, devastating rhythms and an incredibly deep growling vocalist. But this guy, Christian Ortiz, is actually the main reason why I’m not too fond about the album. Not only does his voice lack in real brutality (it’s just this typical guttural dog barking type vocals), he also pretty heavily suffers from lack of variety in his “singing”. The vocals tend to sound too monotonous pretty quick, and that doesn’t really do justice to the overall pretty good material. So, if the band should ever manage to improve in that direction, TOTTEN KORPS could certainly be a band to watch out for as there’s enough potential available already to satisfy the needs of the Death Metal loving hordes around the globe. 

Frank Stöver
 
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TOXIC BONKERS
Blindness
(NNNW)
38:52min

TOXIC BONKERS from Poland play a straightforward, brute blend of oldschool Death Metal and raw Crust- / Grindcore. “Blindness“ is their second album, which was originally released in 1998. None of the 17 irate songs will ever win a prize for inventiveness but it is for sure that the lively kick-ass approach stimulates the wish to mosh and thrash through your neighbourhood. Blastbeats are rather scarce in numbers but effective, TOXIC BONKERS prefer pushing uptempo with shredding guitars. It is noteworthy that they use English as well as Polish lyrics. In addition, there are two new songs from the upcoming album “Seeds Of Cruelty“ on the promo, which show that TOXIC BONKERS are developing into a more technical direction without losing sight of their roots. On their website http://www.toxic-bonkers.prv.pl/ you can check out complete mp3 from “Blindness“ and the two songs from the upcoming album. MOSH!!!

Christoph Göbel

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TOXIC HATE
Demo 2010
(self-financed)
9:24min

DENIAL’s leadguitarist Urique Quinones a.k.a. Hatemaster presents us with TOXIC HATE his sideproject, musically not that far away from his main band. The first output is a two track demo CD including an intro with a playing time of little more than 9 minutes. What’s Hatemaster offering us with this new band? It’s Death Metal in an American way, not as brutal and devastating as his main band DENIAL, still completely worth to check out. As I said, American based Death Metal, which means that we have brutal, groove and rhythm based songs here from blasting tunes (‘Toxic Hate’) and more midtempo (‘Bastard’) and an overall great impression. This is a sideproject of a leadguitarist, therefore you can expect that the riffs and solos are in the main focus here. Especially the atmospheric solo in the song ‘Bastard’ is simply awesome. Hatemaster is the boss here and taking care of everything else except for the vocals. Erradikator is the name responsible for the singalongs and is doing a great job here, too, don’t wonder as he’s a member of CENOTAPH; FOETICIDE and DENIAL, so can’t figure out if we are talking about him being a past or present member of those bands. The little disappointing detail on this recording is the drumcomputer. The programming of it is very good, nevertheless a little annoying and it’s too obvious that a drumcomputer is used here. I do hope TOXIC HATE can manage to get a full line-up together soon, with a real drummer as this first output is another proof of the high potential the Mexican Death Metal scene has nowadays. Full support here!!! Check out www.myspace.com/toxichateband or get in touch with Hatemaster directly at toxic_hate@hotmail.com.

Thomas Ehrmann

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TOXIC HOLOCAUST
Evil Never Dies
(Nuclear War Now!)
32:41min

Beginning with an intro mixing Bathory’s 'Revelation Of Doom' and Venom’s 'Witching Hour', Toxic Holocaust deliver a half hour’s dose of Witchburner-ish neo-classic Thrash Metal in the vein of Kreator and Exumer – but with throaty Norsk style Black Metal vocals. Nothing groundbreaking or original here, but quite respectable when you consider Toxic Holocaust is a one-man-band from Delaware. A good, solid album to put on during your next Jaegermeister induced haze... and just before you pass out in the front yard and your neighbors call the Police. It could happen. Out on Nuclear War Now! in September / October 2003. Contact Nuclearwarnow_prod@yahoo.com.

Charles Keller

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TOXIC HOLOCAUST
An Overdose Of Death...
(Relapse Records)
36:31min

TOXIC HOLOCAUST have not been to my taste since I first heard their first full length "Evil Never Dies". I thought they were not fast enough as the Thrash I like, and seemed like a bandwagon jumping band and... but wait, I am man enough to eat my words as they are a very competent and good Thrash band, a little too punky and stuck in 1985 sometimes for my desires, but good nonetheless! This new album released on Relapse Records and produced by Jack Endino, is just main evil mastermind Joel Grind with drummer Donny Paychecka and I am glad because even though Mr. Grind's drumming is quite adequate on his previous releases the addition of a real drummer if you will is a real assett to this album in particular. It's 1985 all over again! Wait, I think I already said that. Now as for the songs we have openers 'Wild Dogs' and 'Nuke The Cross' ragers for sure although the former's initial riff is a tad too punky for me, it works! Ah and then we have 'Endless Armageddon' that promises to be one of those slow "Thrash" songs that well basically killed Thrash. But I am wrong again as it develops into a serious Thrasher reminiscent of early BATHORY! And although there are some slow jams that seem like those 6 minute songs bands like KREATOR and the likes started to put into their albums to fill them out, and in the case of TOXIC HOLOCAUST are only 2-3 minute songs (definitely not good when your song is short but seems long and dragging). This is an overall good album for old farts such as myself and maybe some new kids who are tired of evile bands singing about teenage mutant ninja turtles and pizza! Like I said a good solid effort from TOXIC HOLOCAUST. Straight out of 1985 but with a good heavy, crisp nowadays production. Now is it too much to ask that they graduate to 1986 the era of "Darkness Descends" and "Reign In Blood"? www.myspace.com/toxicholocaust, www.relapse.com

Luis M.L. Sallard

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TOXOCARA
The Great Rebellious
(Twilight Vertrieb)
36:96min

Absolute brutal early-mid ‘90s era Death Metal mixed with the same period tempered Grindcore, from Groningen, Holland appears this crushing new band to the international scene TOXOCARA. Formed on the cusp of ’03-’04 and out of the ashes of several promising Dutch acts as PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, SEIZURE, SANGUINARY, THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT and EREBUS, it is no wonder at all where the bulk of this act’s aggressive professionalism in song writing, vocals, recorded sound and delivery of material occur from. No shortage of talent here! Of these eight tracks on “The Great Rebellious”, the band’s sophomore CD via Twilight Vertrieb, follow up to 2005’s “Imminent Repulsion (Suffice to Prevent)“ put out through New York’s Sevared Records, I am more than pleased to hear that the once favored tide of brutal, technical Death Metal seems not to have died out, as I was under the impression, upon the shores of the Netherlands. But more so in fact like a vicious undertow still lurks beneath those dark waters. Expertise in TOXOCARA’s playing and precision of skill are what this 5 piece are all about. Together with a solid recorded sound and punishing / grinding tempo throughout, it’s not hard at all to fall into their semi-hypnotic rhythms. For fans of such bands as early GORGUTS, GOREFEST, SUFFOCATION, IMMOLATION, BOLT THROWER, CARCASS or NAPALM DEATH. If you like any of these old gods your money is going to be more than well spent upon TOXOCARA. As this CD was a digital one sent over for a review, I have no idea what the lyrics are like or the overall packaging of this album. However from what I could understand from the vocalist and certainly with song titles as 'Godking', 'Wake Of Controversy', 'U48', 'Among Amon' and 'Maenadic Mausoleum' it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that this band leaves no subject untouched and assuredly will span the literal world for topic matter. As for the cover art, CD booklet and tray card, all I can say is that if any amount of the professionalism that is on display here in terms of TOXOCARA's music, songwriting and vocals spills over into the rest of this discs forums. No question you will not be disappointed in any area of this CD. Great band! Hope to hear more from them soon! Contact: www.toxocara.com or www.myspace.com/toxocara or www.twilight-vertrieb.com

Wes Rhodes

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TRANCELIKE VOID
Destroying Something Beautiful
(De Tenebrarum Principio)
41:23min

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, a well known formula delivering the final blow to all human beings (as long as there are Christians!) and TRANCELIKE VOID are presenting with "Destroying Something Beautiful" the perfect soundtrack to our final destination. The band is calling their style Depressive Black Metal and making music in line with bands like SHINING currently seems a highly requested style. But in difference to bands like the just mentioned SHINING which are trying to give the human feelings like sorrow & suicide a musical impression TRANCELIKE VOID seems to be interesting in silence & solitude. This, coming back to their music, makes their 3 songs plus 4 musical interludes a matter of concentrating listening and especially the 4 musical counterparts are also offering pathways to the newer generation of ULVERest art. Think that due to the nature of this harsh, complex music the identification of musical basic parts are often very difficult (see reviews of a wild bunch of STRIBORG re-releases) but this album is giving (more) easily access to the dark world behind the mirror of the bands suicidal souls. If your musical collection is lacking of a proper Dark Metal (definition Anno 1995) or Suicide Black Metal (definition Anno 2000) release, think that TRANCELIKE VOID could be a perfect starting point to Hades shores. www.detenebrarumprincipio.eu

Matthias Auch

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TRANSCENDING BIZARRE
The Four Scissors
(Sleaszy Rider)
37:26min

Strange, weird, bizarre... that may be the right words to describe this album. If you do not call yourself an open-minded person you better stop reading, because "Four Scissors" really demands flexibility within your mind. The music features all kinds of different genres… from Gothic Metal to Power Metal, Industrial Noise to Dark Wave. And the most weird: all this put together in each song! You can not believe? Well, I could not believe it until I heard it for myself. You definitely have to listen to this album several times to notice all the different influences. Nearly all songs are with additional female vocals and especially when the band plays Power Metal it reminds of older NIGHTWISH stuff, other parts are obviously influenced by CRADLE OF FILTH, to give you just a few hints how TRANSCENDING BIZARRE sound like. Like I wrote above, if you are open-minded you should really pay attention to this release. It is really interesting to listen to, because the way they change from one style to another is incredibly amazing. There are no hard-hitting interruptions, more or less a never ending stream of inspiration. According to the band the title "The Four Scissor" is a kind of tribute to "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi. So you can see what background this band has. Everyone who is interested in bands which leave the well known paths of extreme music behind should take a listen to "The Four Scissors". Band contact: transbizarre@hotmail.com, label website: www.sleaszyrider.com

Mirco Szymyslik

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TRANSGRESSION
RedruM (Promo 2001)
(self-financed)
15:10min

They got drive!!! TRANSGRESSION from Germany offer energetic rather old school Death Metal that makes you wanna move! The four songs are probably not ground-breaking but they grip you and just won't let go! A great soundtrack for your next quick bloodbath (or rather: shower) and a special tip for every gore party! More! http://www.transgression-metal.de

Ramon Claassen

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TRANSGRESSION
Guilty Rotten Flesh
(self-financed)
20:59min

On their new MCD TRANSGRESSION once again show their qualities. That is: brutal old school Death / Grind with a strong scent of CANNIBAL CORPSE as a major influence. No big surprises on here as long as you don’t consider being truly good a big surprise for a German Death Metal band. No “kindergarten-riffs” on here, thank god. Instead, "Guilty Rotten Flesh" is pretty straight forward, usually quite fast with cool groovy parts every now and then and some sick solos. The title track is probably my favorite with its impressive force. No real fillers on here anyway. Definitely a more than solid recording worth being checked out and maybe a record company finally wakes up. I wouldn’t be surprised! www.transgression.de

Ramon Claassen

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TRANSIENCY
Manqualm
(Gentle Exhuming Records)
21:04min

Beginning an album with a piece of piano music is by no means unheard of in Metal, but it certainly is uncommon. AMORPHIS had a beautiful introductory song on "Tales From The Thousand Lakes", along with many others. Transiency begin this, their first album, with a hypnotic and intriguing piano composition, followed by a standardly melodic guitar riff and from there, a pleasantly surprising FATES WARNING / IRON MAIDEN like gallop into epic territory. Pleasing though that is, it would be silly to award Transiency points for originality for that. They aren't the first band to employ gallops and they certainly won't be the last. Still, any album will be at least somewhat entertaining with them. This is pretty much how the album plays itself out, and to continue an earlier comparison, "Manqualm" is an awful lot like "Tales From The Thousand Lakes", except not nearly as good. All the melodies are there, all the slow, doom laden parts are there, and its great. But think, where have you heard this before? www.myspace.com/gentleexhumingrecords

Nat Shapiro

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TRAUMA
Suffocated In Slumber
(Pagan Records)
41:22min

Nope, this ain't a new album of the legendary band that released the "Scratch And Scream" full length and that METALLICA's Cliff Burton (R.I.P.) used to be part of in the early eighties. This is a Polish fourpiece that has been around for an almost equally long time. They originally started out as THANATOS (for obvious reasons not a clever name choice either), put out two demos under that name and in 1992 finally changed their name into TRAUMA. "Suffocated In Slumber" is already their third album (following the cassette only debut "Comedy Is Over" and their Pagan Records debut "Daimonion"), but probably the first that gets promoted more properly overhere as well. TRAUMA play highly impressive brutal Death Metal, with totally devastating guitar riffs, a lot of clever, yet flowing arrangements and a beautiful deep grunting voice. Except for the short (yet annoying) additionally incorporated clean vocal parts in 'A Deep Scar' and 'Tools Of Mutual Harm' the record is great all the way through. Everything seems to be constantly on a very high musical level and all of the nine tracks are even blessed with a crushing production. While listening to the album I often feel reminded on the newer Death Metal acts from Denmark, so in case you like your daily dose of brutal music performed professionally instead of worshipping a bunch of noise, make sure to give "Suffocated In Slumber" a try.

Frank Stöver

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TRAUMA
Imperfect Like A God
(Adipocere Records)
37:49min

Of the Polish technical Death Metal band TRAUMA I knew only their “Daimonion” album (1998) until I received this one. I listened to their sophomore full length, “Suffocated In Slumber” (2001), but I didn’t buy it because I found it inferior to their first (which featured also some very interesting demo material). And I have the same problem with “Imperfect Like A God”. In theory, this one is a perfect record, but only in theory. The production is phenomenal, the musicianship stellar, and the layout attractive. But I wonder: where is the excitement? Nowhere, I am afraid. TRAUMA didn’t realize that looking for musical complexity for the sake of it could easily lead to a dead end and couldn’t make it for real and memorable songs. TRAUMA play modern Death Metal, and that is the sore point here. Add staccato riffs to samples and jazzy touches (especially in the drumming parts, which are awesome) and you can figure out what this record is about. The result comes out pretty annoying, I have the feeling I listened to this 1000 times already. The synthetic Death Metal of today (and the same goes for the “new” techno-Black Metal) will certainly not pass the test of time; I am sure, it will grow old and dated very fast. Gone are the days when almost everything from Poland (TRAUMA included) was interesting and rejuvenating. When I compare this album to the Polish classics of the mid 90s, I can’t help but to feel sad. The reality is that extreme Metal is heavily professionalized in Poland, because it is very popular over there; the musicians consider their art too much like a job you have to do perfectly. But I am afraid they follow the wrong way doing so. “Imperfect Like A God” doesn’t deserve its title because it is actually too perfect, too clinical, almost sterile. This album is a product more than a slab of enjoyable music. While VADER have kept more or less the same formula since their debut, TRAUMA (who could claim the same longevity, because they formed at the end of the 80s) do the reverse, their need to “progress” supplanted the actual fun in playing music, at least this is the feeling coming out of this disc. I prefer old sounding stuff, but it is of course a totally subjective point of view (like in all reviews). To sum it up: excellent technique for a boring result. My advice: listen to this before actually buying it.

Edouard Vergriete

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TRAUMA
Determination
(Unique Leader)
40:00min

Bottom line… Poland is a Death Metal machine. This country churns out quality Death Metal bands like no other country on the planet. You can make arguments for Brazil, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany and the US but to me no other country takes their craft as seriously as Poland does. The thing is most people aren’t even aware of the vast majority of the bands that are coming from there. Of course most people are going to know about Vader, Behemoth, Decapitated, and to a slightly lesser extent Sceptic, Lost Soul, Dies Irae etc… but there are a ton of bands there that go by mostly unnoticed to Metalheads. Now it’s not totally our fault, some of the best shit from  Poland is extremely hard to come across outside of Poland itself (it took me over a year to find Pyorrhoeas CDs and as far as I know you still can’t get the new Sceptic outside Poland). Out of all these killer bands there is one that stands out above the rest. That band is Trauma. These guys have been around just about as long as Vader has and they are no less talented. It is a mystery to me why they haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve. Well hopefully that will change because Unique Leader decided to distribute their newest album "Determination". These guys are the complete package. Every member of the band holds his weight. The vocals go low and high, the guitars are solid whether it be the leads or the riffs, the bass is…. well I’m sure the bass is good although this CD suffers from same fate that 99% (except PAVOR!!) of all extreme metal CDs suffer… but what I hear I like. The drummer is fucken incredible. I guess the best way I could put it is that in a field crowded with talent, this guy manages to distinguish himself. The production is unbelievable (just a little more bass guitar please). This is one of the reasons why Poland dominates Death Metal. The production is always perfect. Since were on the subject of production I should bring up what would be considered the only fault in this CD. And that is the production. Now why would I say that after I just got done saying it’s perfect? Well the thing is Trauma has been around a long time. When they first began they were more in the Morbid Angel camp of Death Metal and had a dirtier production with more of an “oldschool” atmosphere. On the album before this one ("Imperfect Like A God"… also fucking excellent) they really changed their style to more of a modern sound with massive professional sounding production and a heavier emphesis on musicianship than on atmosphere. Some fans resented this and miss the old style. As far as I’m concerned I like all their albums and I can appreciate both styles. If you got into Metal in the last few years and like the current wave of bands who try to impress with their musicianship then check this out. You will not be disappointed. To all the oldschoolers, sorry, but they are continuing on the path they began on "Imperfect Like a God"… but hey, when they do it so well you got to give them some respect. You can get info about the band and buy the CD here: www.uniqueleader.com. It is also available here.

Michael Kersten

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TRAUMATIC VOYAGE
Khiaoscuro
(Merciless Records)
76:30min

I think I have heard this band before…with 6 albums in their history, this one man band (with the help of some session musicians) releases their latest opus. The general ideology of this German unit is “Death to the human race” so in a way, it can also be labeled into a suicidal form of expression. Now to the music, this is a blend of depressive Doom Metal, and some Death and Black Metal touches. They use a quite good variety of vocals, even some females ones, but they do it in a smart way that they do not sound forced. The main vocals are more into the Black Metal region, with some very desperate vocalizations used in a couple of places to a good effect, like in the closing 'Gratwanderung'. Although most is played at mid-tempo, there are a couple of fast parts. The overall sound, is reminiscent of many of the so-called suicidal Black Metal bands. There are a couple of interesting riffs here and there, some examples can be found in songs like 'New Rage (...Of Old Hate)'. Most of the songs are quite long, around the 6 min. mark, and things are worked out to use quite a good variation in them without sounding the same, something that makes this sound a bit different than most suicidal Metal bands which uses more hypnotic repetitive riffs. My main criticism would be the production, which sounds more apt for a demo than an album, and that takes away some heaviness from the final product. A couple of well used samples and keyboards are used to spice the music into the whole atmosphere the band tries to create. According to their website, their previous albums will be soon re-released, so if you find this release interesting, it will be a good idea to keep an eye on those. The overall concept accomplishes the task of creating a mood, it sounds like a hating declaration to the human race. Although in my eyes there are bands doing similar things a bit better (MAKE A CHANGE…KILL YOURSELF for example) if you like this style of depressive Metal music, give it a chance. Just don’t use sharp objects while listening… I have warned you… www.merciless-records.de, www.traumatic-voyage.de

Julian Nuñez

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TRENCH HELL
Southern Cross Ripper
(Hells Headbangers)
22:04min

What a filthy treat, a true surprise. The sad fact of the matter is, ever since the retro craze began, hardly any band has reproduced the 80s vibe convincingly, not even bands who paved the groundwork for that special sound. TRENCH HELL is different. Haling from Australia, home of SADISTIK EXEKUTION, THE WIZAR'D, MORTAL SIN, and so many others, they've done their country men proud. "Southern Cross Ripper" is an EP showcasing 80s Metal worship at its finest. Elements of the finest bands that magical decade produced are observable such as HELLHAMMER, VENOM, DESTRUCTION and BULLDOZER. Clocking out at twenty two minutes, this EP is a short one, as EPs should be. Rest assured, this band gets it. They understand. www.myspace.com/trenchhell

Nat Shapiro

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TRENDKILLER
Interesting View Of Strange Things
(Edgerunner Music)
46:08min

During the search for the band's website I first found the page of a German band with the same name. But these Trendkillers are a band from Norway. So be careful. There are a lot of Norwegian bands with equal names to German bands out there these days. Also the band seems to be a big fan of Nuclear Blast Records because the cover is very similar to their well known logo. Unfortunately I have no tracklist, but to the music. Trendkiller play harder Hardrock with sometimes a little cup of Doom. That’s why a name like Black Sabbath comes to my mind (maybe also because of the cover version of 'Children Of The Grave'). Good songs, well played. A record for the highway. Well done boys! For MP3s and a video check www.trendkillerweb.com.

Stefan Hagmayer

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TRIBES OF CAIN
Retaliation
(Fast Beast Entertainment)
59:53min

Within the last years the scene in Switzerland has become famous for its fanatic Death / Grind fever and a lot of die hard lunatics raising chaos on several festivals. If you belong to those TRIBES OF CAIN won't be exactly what you expect, cause this quintet sounds more unique and not struggeling under the whip of Grindcore. To bring the conclusion first "Retaliation" doesn't come up with new aspects, but it's a 60 minutes long and in-depth sound journey with spirit and an obvious fascination for the coldness of the late 90s Scandinavian Death / Black Metal scene. Clashing cold melodies paying tributes to old heroes like OPHTALAMIA, DISSECTION, VINTERLAND or SACRAMENTUM. Partwise you can also find reminders to newer WATAIN, but all in all our Swiss musicians aren't focused on a total dead end speed run. Strength within the compositions could easily be found in the atmospheric walls which now and then got some blast erruptions as well. There are some nice reminders to newer ENSLAVED or the old classical ULVER recordings here too, but this album needs time to be discovered clearly - take the time!!! Actually this is also one of my main critics to TRIBES OF CAIN, cause they have tons of good moments, but they should shot the bullet more clear and deadly. Well, it's their third CD attempt and all in all it's an album with a real soul and I appreciate that the band comes up with a positive non cliché layout / coverartwork issue, so no 08/15 standard to be found here. It's a nice digipack for the collector hearts and the mastering of the album was done by Peter in de Betou (OPETH, AMON AMARTH and many more), while the production still have its human aspects, that fit well. I'm pretty sure that TRIBES OF CAIN could mature in the right direction when they get a bit more of an own sound character, so open your ears and eyes!!! www.tribesofcain.ch

Ralf Hauber

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TRIBULATION
The Ascending Dead (Demo)
(Zombie Ritual Tapes)
14:18min

Don’t judge a book by its cover - generally I agree with this motto, but after taking a short look on the cover of this four-track demo-tape and realizing the origin of TRIBULATION, there was no misunderstanding possible. Swedish oldschool Death Metal. The only point to prove was the quality. And what should I write? Words like excellent, superb, brilliant may give you a hint about the topic “quality”. In fact, this here is one of the best demo-tapes I have been listening to the last year. It is all there what makes Swedish oldschool Death Metal so enjoyable for me. Fast played, the typical brutal, yet catchy guitar riffs, songwriting that is exactly in the middle between plain and complex, deep grunting and aggressive vocals, a raw sound, lyrics dealing with zombies, cannibals and other deathlike topics, the great black / white cover drawing. If anyone is in need of some bands that play similar stuff, names like REPUGNANT, NIHILIST and MERCILESS (to name just three) can be given as influence. Sadly the demo is currently sold out and I do not know if there will be any new copies, but TRIBULATION are planning to release a new 7” single, so try to get this one before it is sold out as well! Band contact: TRIBULATION c/o Adam Zaars, Spinnarevägen 7, 67141 Arvika, Sweden or tribulationmail@hotmail.com, www.soultribulation.tk, www.myspace.com/soultribulation. Label contact: Zombie Ritual Tapes, P.O. Box 7092, 20042 Malmö, Sweden or bloodharvest@comhem.se or www.bloodharvest.se

Mirco Szymyslik

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TRIBULATION
Putrid Rebirth (7” EP)
(Blood Harvest Records)

After their amazing demo this is (as far as I know) the 2nd output from Swedisch Deathers TRIBULATION. I'm not sure if they are aware of the fact, that there already existed another band called TRIBULATION in the early 90s which was located in Sweden, too. From the musical side both bands don't have to do so much with each other, but fact is that I couldn't get warm with the old TRIBULATION which is not the case here, as these guys know how to kick ass. This outfit perfectly fits under the banner oldschool Death Metal the way it was meant to be. Listening to this seven inch makes me feel like listening to old MORBID ANGEL especially when talking about the created atmosphere. And not only MORBID ANGEL, also bands like NIHILIST or MERCILESS come to my mind, though they are pretty outstanding and I don't want to compare them to one of these bands at all, as they play the music I'm craving for - fucking oldschool Death Metal. But oldschool is not only the music, oldschool is also the release itself, which is a 7"EP through Blood Harvest Records from Sweden. This label is doing a fantastic job so far (check out the great NECROVATION 7”EP as long as it is available) and this vinyl is in the perfect tradition of the seven inches back in the good old Death Metal times. I mean even the layout looks like those of the early 90s seven inches. This is totally authentic and simply fantastic. Really, one of the best underground releases of the last time. This is a band which makes me feel good about the future of the Death Metal underground and now I'm looking forward to getting the remaining EPs from Blood Harvest Records as I'm sure they aren't bad either. Waste no time and buy this release immediately as (according to their homepage) all releases on this label are strictly limited to 500 copies. Check out www.bloodharvest.se or www.myspace.com/bloodharvestrecords

Thomas Ehrmann

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TRIBULATION 
The Horror
(Pulverised Records)
32:47min 

Sweden, a beautiful country somewhere in the north, was 15 years ago the birthplace of so many great Death/Black Metal bands. They often consisted of the same band members and released their masterpieces mainly via two record companies - No Fashion and Black Mark. No Fashion disappeared completely at the beginning of the new century and Black Mark is more or less - forgetting the BATHORY back-catalogue - an inoperative record label. Not too many cult acts survived the stormy last decade (MARDUK, DARK FUNERAL, DARK TRANQUILLITY) and so it's time for the next generation of Swedish bands to add some fuel into the decreasing fire. The debut of TRIBULATION is more than mere fuel its purest kerosene. Several years ago their debut "The Horror" would be the perfect Black Mark release because one of the best Swedish Metal bands is shining through every second of their album - NECROPHOBIC. Not sure if TRIBULATION would be happy with the description Satanic Death Metal but they are also combining sheer force and aggression with evil atmosphere and so it's completely clear why the parallels to their Swedish brothers are so obvious. What makes this debut so impressing is the uncountable amount of riffs, ideas and overwhelming power - you can find more ideas in one single song than other bands are offering in whole releases. This should not sound arrogant but if the term "Voices From The Darkside compatibility" would really exist - this album would deserve the label. Just listen to 'Curse Of Resurrection' and you will understand that "The Horror" is nothing less than first killer release of 2009! www.pulverised.net

Matthias Auch

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TRIMEGISTO
Subterranean Streams
(Obscure Domain Productions)
39:23min

Call me childish or prejudiced, but as soon as I found out that the line-up of Chile's TRIMEGISTO features former DOMINUS XUL guitarist Claudio Salinas (who also takes care of the vocals nowadays), I already knew that I was going to like the nine tracks on "Subterranean Streams"… To understand this, I probably gotta tell you that "The Primigeni Xul (I Condemned My Enemies)", DOMINUS XUL's one and only full length from 2000, is still among my alltime favorite Death Metal releases ever! In the info sheet that I received along with this promo CD, there's also talk about ex-members of MELEKTAUS (another Chile fave of mine!) and SHEOLGEENNA, which increased my expectations even more! Well, ok - I gotta confess that I'm not familiar with SHEOLGEENNA (apart from my knowledge about their split-up), and didn't manage to locate any MELEKTAUS member in the TRIMEGISTO line-up either (at least none that played on the MELEKTAUS album or promo)… But as long as the result turns out so convincing already, I couldn't really care less! Just like DOMINUS XUL and MELEKTAUS also TRIMEGISTO have chosen the path of dark, unholy Death Metal with pretty obvious influences from INCANTATION, IMMOLATION, old MORBID ANGEL and the likes. Claudio's brutal voice is of the deepest kind, yet very charismatic and in that respect already very close to Ross Dolan and Craig Pillard in their early days. Very impressive indeed, especially if you consider that he was "just" a guitar player in the past. While MELEKTAUS and DOMINUS XUL first and foremost do / did their kind of INCANTATION worshipping, TRIMEGISTO take these influences to the next level and incorporate a lot of unique own elements to the overall morbid brutality. Diversity is the keyword here! Their songwriting offers a lot of interesting little bits and pieces that constantly keep the listener's attention, instead of just going for the typical "full force ahead", "take no prisoners" mentality that most other brutal Death Metal acts focus on these days. It simply doesn't get boring. In fact, the first time I listened to it, I was still a bit insecure whether or not I was really going to enjoy it as much as I thought I would... but the more you listen to it, the deeper you are loosing yourself in their sick musical creations! To me this is without a doubt a highly impressive debut of a very promising band! For all further info check out www.myspace.com/trimegisto, www.obscuredomain.com

Frank Stöver

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TRIMONIUM
Son Of A Blizzard
(Einheit Produktionen)
44:33min

With the release of two highly acclaimed albums since 1998 TRIMONIUM has became a well established  part of the German Black Metal underground. The band played several tours and international festivals over the years and I remember their good performance at the Open Hell Festival (Czech Republic) in 2003. But since then the musical focus of the band had changed and they shifted to a more epic Black / Pagan Metal direction (also with some minor Heavy Metal influences) - normally a musical style mainly occupied by Norwegian bands. So the title of their latest release "Son Of A Blizzard" is more than well chosen because there are musical parallels especially with the last three IMMORTAL releases. The main reason for these similarities is the TRIMONIUM singer Teutonnic which could easily record the new IMMORTAL album without the risk that somebody would realise a big difference. “Son Of A Blizzard” is offering 7 traditional Metal songs without harps, nor keys or any other instruments which is nowadays connected to the term Pagan Metal. Nevertheless is TRIMONIUM able to create a great atmosphere just by using the standard Metal instruments. Would like to advise something about the lyrical background of the release but unfortunately was a blue booklet with grey coloured lyrics a really bad decision but the cover artwork is truly outstanding. Think if you still need more arguments to buy this album listen to ‘My Blood For Yours’ and you will be convinced that the German underground is still full of potential bands and that TRIMONIUM is one of them. www.trimonium.net, www.einheit-produktionen.de

Matthias Auch

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TRIPTYKON
Eparistera Daimones
(Century Media Records)
72:45min

TRIPYTKON is the next logical step in the musical evolution of Thomas Gabriel Fischer, better known as Tom G. Warrior, who unfortunately had to quit CELTIC FROST again due to personal differences after their 2006 reunion album "Monotheist". Next to Tom, the TRIPTYKON line-up consists of drummer Norman Lonhard (from now defunct Century Media labelmates FEAR MY THOUGHTS), guitarist V. Santura (DARK FORTRESS, NONEUCLID) and Vanja Slajh on bass. Even though it may be a new monicker and different musicians here, it's pretty obvious that TRIPYTKON still stays 100% true to Tom's already pretty long and diverse musical journey. Visually perfectly reflected in another amazing H.R. Giger painting, the first one that the wellknown Swiss artist gave his permission to since CELTIC FROST's 1985's "To Mega Therion" album. In fact, the whole packaging of the CD almost looks like a hardcover book edition (in CD size though), with a 28-pages booklet that features all lyrics and liner notes to each song, written by Tom, as well as additional pieces of artwork. As soon as I had inserted the CD into my player I already knew that it wouldn't become an easy listening session in the much hated "Cold Lake" direction as the total playing time of the album is a little bit over 70 minutes (and we're just speaking of 9 songs here)... So, if I had to compare "Eparistera Daimones" to any other album that Tom was involved in so far (HELLHAMMER / CELTIC FROST / APOLLYON SUN) I would say its probably closest to CELTIC FROST's "Monotheist" due to its overall very dark and melancholic, yet extremely heavy overall approach and musical diversity - just better! From the opening riff of the 11 minutes long first track 'Goetia' (that recalls HELLHAMMER's 'Triumph Of Death' main riff a bit) to the almost 20 minutes long album closer 'The Prolonging' you'll be taken on a rollercoaster ride of death, doom and depression... No matter if you prefer it extremely heavy or if you get a kick out of Tom's quite melancholic sounding "Into The Pandemonium" - vocal style (that he uses in track number 3, 'In Shrouds Decayed', for the very first time again), this album should have something on offer for every fan of his past works. 'Abyss Within My Soul' for example kicks off with a very classic CELTIC FROST riff, just played a lot heavier, while the speedy opening of 'A Thousand Lies' even made me think of SEPULTURA's "Chaos A.D". And all those of you who still can't get enough of Tom's typical 'Uh's!' will be pleased to hear that one also found its way onto this album, at exactly 2:40 minutes in 'Descendent'... The very heavy, yet quite monotonous 'Myopic Empire' gets interrupted at 3:10 minutes for about a minute by a beautiful piano interlude, accompanied by some female whispering, before it returns to the usual heaviness and 'My Pain' is another very emotional, moody tune that almost exclusively consists of piano, sweet female vocals and a spoken male part. But most of the time "Eparistera Daimones" is an extremely heavy, crushing, very powerful produced record that I personally enjoy a lot more than "Monotheist" (which I still can't really get into up to this day). So, if you can live with the fact that you will never hear another "Apocalyptic Raids", "Morbid Tales", "Emperor's Return" or "To Mega Therion" from Mr.Fischer again, you should give this a try! It's definitely one of his strongest, most ambitious and personal albums since the glorious early days of CELTIC FROST! www.triptykon.net, www.myspace.com/triptykonofficial, www.centurymedia.com

Frank Stöver

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TRIST
Hin-Fort (DoCD)
(Cold Dimensions)
120:00min

TRIST is a solo project of LUNAR AURORA's Aran (who calls himself Tristan here) and as far as I know, this is his first (official) musical sign of life. "Hin-Fort" turns out to be a very demanding and extremely self confident release, not only because of its lengthy playing time, but also due to the fact that on disc one, there's only one single track ('Hin') with a playing time of 60 minutes (!!), while disc two at least comprises of seven songs (with a similar total playing time). It might be some sort of concept album, but I'm not sure about that. The music has got a very hypnotic and monotonous approach to it and is a lot closer to a movie score than what LUNAR AURORA had come up with in their career. If it wouldn't be so extremely long, it could also easily fit as an intro to a Black Metal album. There's a lot of sound-elements to discover, spoken passages, but no real vocals and the majority of the album is very repetitive. What really fascinated me about the whole record nevertheless is the fact that even though the fast parts on disc one are almost compareable to industrial sounds at a factory, Aran still managed to keep my attention until the very last note of silence. It's almost like you fall in trance while listening to it and your subconsciousness embraces all the little melodies in the background that won't let you go until it's over again. Very tough to listen to as you really need silence and enough time for it (the atmosphere of the music only works if you listen to it in a row, without any interruptions), but nevertheless pretty exciting as a whole and if you're open minded enough for something different worth being checked out. www.cold-dimensions.de

Frank Stöver

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TRIST
Willenskraft
(Cold Dimensions)
59:58min

The darkness of this record is so all encompassing, I don't know where to start. So let me start with the facts. TRIST is a solo project of one called (guess what) Trist. As a member of LUNAR AURORA (great German Black Metal band now on hold) he surely knows his craft. "Willenskraft" (Willpower), his third full-length, is a record about will, but not the will of some action obesssed man. This will is conceptual, standing at the centre of the universe, contemplative, uncompromising and neverending. It is expressed here with a massive metaphoric quality - the elements used to make a point are dark ambience of some underground sea, wailing voices of unmaterialized souls, marching rhythm with almost industrial feel. Brutal minimalism is the formula and it is done very effectively. The ambience of some tracks is awashed with the waves of heavy waters somewhat best expressed in literature by Edgar Allan Poe. Waters that engulf life and condense it in some form of dark alchemical matter with viscosity more dense than any liquid. This is interspersed with the deep sounding Black Metal guitars and MINISTRY-like mechanical drumming in a neverending pulse of a cosmic will. Vocals are burried somewhere in the middle of the sound so the listener gets a feeling of three dimensionality. You can almost peel this record and by removing layer upon layer you will find something unformed and menacing. It is real and charged with the meaning. Meaning that every listener should decode for himself. I glimpsed my meaning when I saw myself in the mirror after an hour of "Willenskraft" - eyes pitch black onyx stones full of symbolism that spoke of a world where the sun never really existed. The dark dreams of TRIST could be heard here: www.myspace.com/tristambient

Branko Matijaševic

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TRISTMOON
As I Come To You (CD-R Single)
(self financed)
4:35min

It really doesn't happen that often that you get hold of a metallic release from the land of Lebanon. Most of the stuff I heard of this country from the Near East was either a kind of raw and violent Black Metal or dedicated, traditional Heavy Metal worship. TRISTMOON's musical approach is far beyond the afore mentioned styles. This squad plays a kind of atmospheric Dark / Black Metal with a Gothic flair. This self financed EP just includes one single track and it is of an epic character. It starts with a piano interlude and turns into a midpaced, symphonic hymn accompanied by blackened, screamy vocals. The sound of the track is ok for a demo (if you consider the recording circumstances of this song) but the guitars almost can't be heard and lack aggression and power which is the result of the not so perfect production. So there is some space for improvement here. It's very hard to judge a band just by one song only. So I will keep an eye on this band till their full length album is released (which should be in a short period of time). Anyway all people into exotic and obscure stuff can already get in touch with the band at vartabed@gmail.com.

Michael Oelschlegel

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TROLLECH vs. HEIDEN
Split CD
(Naga Productions)
37:05min

Truthfully the only aspect of this split CD release that I found of any interest was the booklet layout. Not the graphics per se but the esthetic style of it all. Sort of digi-pack but not really, kind of difficult to explain but I like it and it cleverly takes care of all that one needs when doing a concept like a split recording without having the extra costs of manufacturing and duplicating an item of hassle like an insert. You can effectively have all that information right here in this format, for each band, and with song titles, lyrics, contact information, band photos, artwork if need be and be none the worse for ware or stressing that you have to sacrifice anything for either of the acts featured. All is taken care of in this format, no cutting corners, and still when all is said and done you are left with plenty of room to advertise your other stars on your roster. Very nice. Very professional. As for the bands on this particular disc, neither of them is of my taste or liking. TROLLECH is described as “Great forest Black Metal with catching melodies, poetic lyrics with a natural concept”. Those of you that read my words within these pages know of my disdain for this type of audio fodder. Even if played with any amount of conviction or recorded by those knowledgeable within the field. My instinct just screams…“ Why bother?!” Next up is HEIDEN dubbed as “Excellent, powerful blackened Metal with interesting modality, great melodies and emotive lyrics“. Imagine a bizarre hybrid of DISSECTION meets DISTURBED meets GOD FORBID. Contact: Michal Padour, Velkopavlovicka 14, 628 00 Brno, Czech Republic or nagaproductions@yahoo.com or www.naga-productions.com

Wes Rhodes

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TROUBLE
Live In Stockholm DVD
(Escapi Music)
approx. 113min

Here are Chicago's finest Doom Metal dealers TROUBLE with their first official DVD, which was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden on November 29, 2003 at a show with CANDLEMASS and FORCE OF EVIL. Eyes and ears are pleased with a crystal-clear picture, a flashing light show, an excellently heavy sound (especially the guitars roar like thunder!) and agile performance on stage in front of an enthusiastic Swedish audience. Playing 14 songs in around 76 minutes, all periods of TROUBLE's musical career are covered, of course including classics like 'Psalm 9', 'The Skull' and the almighty 'The Tempter', among others. Besides the supremely entertaining live show the rest of the DVD is filled a very interesting interview (around 36 minutes). The interview (mixed with a few short scenes from a sight-seeing tour through Stockholm) is dealing with all the important points throughout the history of the band, some personal information about the bandmembers and future releases, i.e. the new studio album “Simple Mind Condition” and an unplugged record. The interview is actually done by Leif Edling from CANDLEMASS, and delivers a good overview of TROUBLE's achievements. Optionally, this interview should come with English and German subtitles, but they didn't work on my DVD-player. I think the majority of people won't need subtitles, anyway. The DVD is finished with a quite unspectacular picture gallery, which shows a couple of shots from the show, I would prefer the moving pictures every time. To sum it up, this DVD is an audio-visual delicacy for all TROUBLE fans, which proves that we can still count on the musical qualities of TROUBLE and that we can look forward to the upcoming material. www.newtrouble.com, www.escapimusic.com,

Christoph Göbel

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TRUPPENSTURM
Truppensturm (7" EP)
(Ván)
15:48min

Some may know that these Metalheads released 2 demo tapes under the monicker STURMTRUPPEN. After a change of the old bandname into TRUPPENSTURM, they come up with this selftitled 7" EP. 5 songs of "directly into the face" War Metal. Most primitive riffing, high speed but also rhythmic drumming and high pitched screams filled up with different samples show you what war really could be (musically). The drum-rhythms and the extremely simple riffing somehow reminds a bit of old Norwegian maniacs MYSTICUM, which I mean in a positive way. The sound of this EP is kept really raw and undergroundish, but it fits the whole release. In every case this one is worth a listen, cool... www.van-gbr.de

Andi Bauer

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TRUPPENSTURM
Fields Of Desolation
(Ván)
23:42min

"TRUPPENSTURM, STRUPPENTURM – livin’ on the road…" And goddamn do these speakers explode when Panzer Division Suppenhuhn rocks the floor. Seriously, I’ve always had a soft spot for all this ‘War Metal' stuff and this is definitely up there with the likes of REVENGE, VON and what-have-you. It simply doesn’t get any rawer or more primitive. They are basically hammering their way through piles of worthless human flesh in true stoicist fashion. The same riff, the same beat all the way through, fuck dynamics, fuck intensity, just keep grinding through the carnage ‘til the cows come home. I actually found this to be pretty dull at first, but now I simply love it for its refreshing monotony and strict defiance of even the slightest sign of compromise or ‘entertainment’. All you need is this turned up to twenty, one - better two - bottles of the cheapest liquor available and a wall to rhythmically smash your head against. Cleansing! www.van-gbr.de

Torsten Gründig

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TUDOR
Ultra Black Metal
(NWN!)
approx. 60min

Well, the title is a little misleading. This doesn't sound 'Black Metal' the way many, including myself, might think of it. This is primitive Death Metal with horrible production, sounding a bit like VARATHRON's "Procreation Of Unaltered Evil" to my ears; and that's its charm. The double LP includes the band's "Zombie" demo from 1990, and the "Skeletor" demo (yes, I said "Skeletor," He-Man), from 1991. Titles and lyrics are in Czech. Comparisons have been made of TUDOR to MASTER'S HAMMER, but I don't really hear it. The layout is impressive, though more could have been done by the band to make use of the space. The bio taking up one half the inside gatefold was a bit much, but the photo collage record sleeves are hella cool... but what's with the drummer's Tim Grabber stripey trousers? Crikey. For those (like me) who love early SAMAEL and VARATHRON.

Charles Keller

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TURISAS
Battle Metal
(Century Media)
57:21min

An observation... Viking / Folk / Heathen / Pagan / Battle / Sword / "whatever-you-wanna-call it!" Metal has undoubtedly become a big fashion thing at least in a vast area of the European Metal scene nowadays; especially many youngsters from such countries as Norway, Sweden and Finland, have been keen on mixing together Metal with many folkish elements and even most often results have been very successful and convincing. Finland's TURISAS, is yet another bunch of both Folk and Metal loving long-haired crusaders who haven't been afraid of challenging themselves to take huge swords in their hands and slicing the soil of both Metal- and folkish sounds for suitable enough pieces for their own brand of "Pagan Battle Metal" as they wanna call their musical ambitions and works by such a name. “Battle Metal”, the band's debut full-length recording for German Century Media Records, contains 12 songs that clock in at nearly one hour mark, so if you wanna take this journey with them, I think it should be long enough rewarding to satisfy your weekly dose as far as this whole particular genre with its sub-titles is concerned. But anyway, let's just have a short view more closely into the content of “Battle Metal” instead of concentrating on pondering “what's this Folk / Heathen / etc. Metal all about actually...?”. It can already be said that TURISAS have succeeded in creating an effortlessly yet somewhat moving package of an interesting mish-mash of different Folk-influenced Metal songs for “Battle Metal”. The whole band has cleverly and skillfully used and combined together many choir parts, a wide range of both acoustic- and percussion parts, pipes, violins, accordion, Hammond organ sounds, etc., so having said that, a tradition for a highly innovative Pagan Battle Metal (their term to describe the style of TURISAS – not mine...) still continues and is surely about to make some new followers even without predicting it for a public eye. In many ways, TURISAS have this tiny tendency to remind me of bands like Moonsorrow, Ensiferum, Finntroll and even Skyclad and Norwegian Folk-influenced avant-garde Metallers Ram-zet a bit as well due to some surprisingly well-arranged violin sections in some of their tunes (f.ex. check out a song called 'The Land Of Hope And Glory'; some similarities are there, no doubts!). TURISAS also have many epic sounding elements in their rich sound that hardly is any surprise for a band coming from a wooden box of this particular genre in question. A song called 'Rex Regi Rebellis' speaks for great values of TURISAS' powerful tendencies to reach some brilliantly composed epic yet pleasantly atmospheric bits of echoes from a blood-red horizon into their Battle Metal sagas that most probably will make them as one of the most noteworthy and potentially successful newcomers of this genre type in question. I believe they'll be loved by many – and in the very same breath I also gotta assume they'll be ignored by many because they are not the first band doing this stuff out there. As I already said in the very beginning of this review, this type of "Metal-meets-Folk" - thing is already in a great fashion amongst the kids, at least here in Europe, so the question is do we still need another band of this style? Well, you be the judge… “Battle Metal” doesn't fully "rock" to my world of Metal to its foundations, but it surely does its job as a decent and kinda entertaining slab of release after all though.

Luxi Lahtinen

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The third full-length of the Norwegian veterans TWIN OBSCENITY sees the return of female vocalist Tonje and the addition of vocalist Dolgar. What you get is rather simple, slow (very) old school Black Metal, yet highly original that's gonna grab you and won't let you escape. Some references to BATHORY - yes, they're probably their closest musical relatives, still, TWIN OBSCENITY are different. If you're disappointed by the last VENOM album and can't wait for the next millennium (I don't think Quorthon will release anything sooner than that): I can see you raising your fist to this slow, fast, epic, evil, yet melodic piece of grandness! TWIN OBSCENITY are both the past and the future! I guess you see I kinda like this stuff... Discover the beauty of evil! Metal up your butt... !

Ramon Claassen

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TWISTED AUTUMN DARKNESS
Destroy The Bastard And Trinity
(Def2Music Records)
42:27min

Hmmm, this one is not to be categorized the easy way. According to the info sheet this English four piece combines “elements of Black, Death, Thrash and Gothic”. The ingredients are undeniably the aforementioned ones but what sounds cheesy and pretentious actually works surprisingly well. This record has quite a bit of old Thrash Metal spirit blended together with blasting Black Metal passages and some dark Death Metal elements that stem rather from the beginning of the ninties than from the past five years. I don't find too many Gothic influences on “Destroy The Bastard And Trinity” apart from some accoustic guitars and some clean vocals from singer Namaste (doesn't that mean “Good Day” in Hindi?)… instead some moods typical of British Doom Metal bands can be found. What I like is that the band doesn't rely on a specific generic songwriting formula. AlI in all TWISTED AUTUMN DARKNESS have released a varied album drawing from several metallic influences while maintaining a Black Metal edge. I cannnot think of another band that sounds comparable to tell you the truth but some parts are vaguely reminiscent of CELTIC FROST and old MORBID ANGEL in terms of mood, not necessarily riffing… don't get confused by this lousy attempt to give you an impression: check them out as this band surely has potential! This may not be my favourite record but it is obvious that TWISTED AUTUMN DARKNESS have put a lot of effort into their creations. For more information conact Danny: planet_rainuk@hotmail.com. Postal address: 34 Wharfedale, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR 33 8TA England. Label website: www.def2music.co.uk

Ulrich Kreienbrink

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2 TON PREDATOR
Demon Dealer
(Die Hard Music)
40:19min

Well...to you all you Groove-hungry Metal bastards who can’t get enough of modern extreme Metal à la SOILWORK, AS I LAY DYING, SHADOWS FALL or even late PANTERA I guess here’s another excellent CD for you! 2 TON PREDATOR’s third full-length release is a monstrous grooving yet aggressive CD that blends the drive and “catchiness” of Rock, the primal rage of Hardcore and the rumbling heaviness of Scandinavian dirty Death Metal à la late ENTOMBED. To be honest I’m not very fond of this type of music, but 2 TON PREDATOR definitely don’t do a bad job, they have good songs, a really powerful production and an intense shouting vocalist who reminds me a bit of the singing meat ball of CROWBAR. What all those modern Death bands lack off in my opinion is speed, because groove bores extremely after a while (at least me), but fuck it, “Demon Dealer” is a well-crafted contemporary Metal CD that’s definitely excellent for Metal discos and car driving... For additional information click on www.diehardmusic.com.

Stefan Franke

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TYMAH
Loquitur Cum Algo Sathanas
(No Colours Records)
46:38min

First off: everyone who still thinks it’s funny to use terms as kult and true in order to show that they’ve outgrown Black Metal, please die. But before you do so, attach those stupid words to the last record of Hungary’s very own TYMAH, it definitely deserves it. They label themselves “True Carpathian Black Metal”, sport hand-drawn pictures accompanying the songs (each and every one of course symbolizing a gate to hell) and salute Dead and his evil black art in the booklet. Now don’t think I want to ridicule this three-piece, this has a purity and dedication to it that’s absolutely charming and the quality of their music is far above the standard nowadays. Especially if you take into consideration that this is a No Colours-Release after all. And the witch in charge of the vocals has some truly demonical throat second to none (well, except for DARKENED NOCTURN SLAUGHTERCULT maybe). After a trailblazing and furious opener the record unfortunately tends to get a little monotonous in the long run since all seven tracks are equally paced and structured. But there’s definitely a whole lot of talent shining through and the production keeps the balance between rawness and power perfectly. Promising! www.no-colours-records.de

Torsten Gründig 

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TYR
By The Light Of The Northern Star
(Napalm Records)
43:30min

Voices From The Darkside is for sure not an infotainment site but if I need to advise three things which can be easily connected with the terminus Viking Metal I would reply as follows: Frost, Fire and Wotan (yes - the glorious ENSLAVED times). The Icelandic warriors TYR will never be connected with these three things even if their record label is trying to sell their fourth album with the label Viking Metal but they still deserve to be reviewed here due to the fact that they are writing really good songs. Napalm Records re-released the TYR debut “Eric The Red” in 2006 and since then the band fills the gap between Pagan Metal on one shore and the pathos filled Heavy Metal universe on the other one in someway. The album starts with the great opener 'Hold The Heathen Hammer High' and with more Death / Black Metal vocals this song could be connected with historical bands like MITHOTYN. And these parallels are further emphasized by traditional - means folklore based – songs like 'Trondur I Gotu'. During the last years TYR fought hundreds of live battles and you can fell that the band focused on the live capability of their songs – so don’t expect any headache producing complex breaks or guitar parts. The album immediately finds his way into your ear and at the right moment this is exactly the music I need – far away from the 12 minutes puzzle songs with 18.000 breaks per minute – but only time can tell if this album is in the position to put a hex on his listener for more than 2 months. www.napalmrecords.com, www.tyr.net

Matthias Auch

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TYRANN
Shadows Of Leng
(Dark Essence/Karisma Records)
45:39min

An ultimate punishment is near, are you ready for it? From Oslo, Norway, comes this furious Black / Thrash act called TYRANN that seems to be on steroids, and full of blind rage and pure hate. TYRANN consists of 3 experienced fellows that all have lots of experience from some other grim and black forces of the Norwegian Metal scene (TSJUDER, 1349, PANTHEON and so on) – and it shows on this side project of theirs that was resurrected in this unholy year 2006 again (06.06.06, an international SLAYER day, remember?). The basis of TYRANN's blindly raging metallic invasion has been built on a fertile ground of Thrash Metal, but that ground has also got a few strong handfuls of blackened seeds from these guys, and the result sounds pretty damn good and overall enjoyable. "Shadows Of Leng", which is the first fruit that this threesome has created together, is not only about a merciless beating and sort of speed-for-speed's sake type of attack, but also about some well built-up melodic parts and strong atmospheres that they have been capable of creating around their songs successfully. I really like the album's closer tune, 'Grave Dreamer', which lasts over 11-minutes – and should even make the guys of IMMORTAL envy them, at least a little bit. Talk about some really grim and eerie atmospheres in this particular song in question – it sounds truly impressive, I can tell! For speed freaks and lovers of more storming waters musically, there's many directions to look at on the album, as the outcome of the songs on "Shadows Of Leng" is based on all those ingredients that can be used as descriptive adjectives when someone has reached a state of becoming mentally deranged and being completely outside a stable mindset - raging like a mad bull at a prehistoric museum and simply grinding everything to a fine dust on its way. This is all good stuff for the fans of aggressive and atmospheric blackened Thrash. Especially recommended for the extreme Metal community that also want to hear some strongly made atmospheres in their daily doses of metal. "Shadows Of Leng" offers plenty of all these tidbits. For more info check out: www.tyrannlegion.com, www.myspace.com/tyrannlegion, www.karismarecords.no

Luxi Lahtinen

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TYRANT
Legend
(Displeased Records)
51:58min

One can’t say that this band could easily win a contest for the most original moniker but fortunately for them, this Japanese five piece has other singularities on offer to stand out. First, the line-up is interesting, with two girls and three guys forming the band, an unusual combination in the Metal world especially if you consider that, for once, the girls don’t sing to rather play key-instruments. Second, even if they present themselves as a Black Metal band, TYRANT don’t play the game with the regular cards. In fact, as soon as the first track came out from the speakers, I thought at once TYRANT was rather influenced by happy melodic Speed Metal bands (like those in favor these days in Italy) than by the classic Black Metal ones from the North. And oddly enough, some of the songs remind me a lot of the Will Tsamis project LORDIAN GUARD (especially the track ‘Wargod’), thanks to a ever present concern for serene melody and the over prominent keyboards parts on which all the songs are based. Only the vocals link TYRANT to Black Metal, even if they sound more like croaks than demented screams, a factor to better up in the future I think. The production is a little thin, especially in the drums department, and the guitar is used here only as a rhythmic instrument, all the melody coming from the keyboards as I said above. The overall result is not bad, but hearing this album at least three times left me somewhat uncertain about the TYRANT future, as they could encounter difficulties to find their audience, being too melodic for the extreme Metal fans and too blackened for the regular Heavy Metal ones. Well, I recommend this one for the Metal generalists, open-minded enough to appreciate this cool album. One last point: I am getting tired of Petagno’s cover art flooding the market these days, to me it is not a selling point, sorry, but rather the proof of a lack of imagination!

Edouard Vergriete

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TYRANT
Reclaim The Flame
(Listenable Records)
28:36min

Ultra lo-fi Swedish Black / Punk / Thrash Metal. Formed by members of THE BLACK and VINTERLAND, they choose this very original name to storm damnation upon all our pitiful souls. If there was ever a doubt that Black Metal and Punk were coming from the same root, TYRANT will clear all those doubts. Imagine the sound of  VENOM, DISCHARGE and BATHORY colliding side by side. With the DISCHARGE influence being probably the main one. Although it sounds a lot like HELLHAMMER, specially in the more mid-tempo songs, actually this is the result of the heavy Punk influence. Yes, very simple riffs, and execution, but this is more the kind of band I would prefer to listen to than a crappy technical Death Metal band or grim Norsecore. Mostly there’s mid-tempo songs and some fast Thrashers like 'Hell Has Broken Loose' although a couple of faster songs would have made this more enjoyable. Also very Punk is the attitude of leaving the recording with a dirty, yet very powerful sound, and not editing things like noises at the beginning / end of the songs. I would like to think they recorded this thing almost live in the studio, to give it a more direct sound. Yes, nothing original, way too many clichés, but then again I do not care, as the music is very honest. Love it or hate it, I will just headbang to it and do a devil horn sign to this evil Rock and Roll. www.listenable.net

Julian Nuñez

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TYRANTS BLOOD
Prophecy (MCD)
(Invictus Productions)
20:07min

Nero, Ivan the Terrible, Vlad Tepes; all of their reigns are forcibly compressed into this wondrous EP by TYRANTS BLOOD, a young band with very little left to prove if this EP reaches enough ears. There are some noodley SUFFOCATION-esque loops that bespeak a modern-day Death Metal influence, but rather than drag the songs down, these technical parts are a moving component, not a stand-alone block of useless stuff the guitarist uses to show off with. This band is an equal opportunity punisher, utilizing various commonplace, but nonetheless effective methods of attack. Among their arsenal is: the aforementioned technical approach, the blast-beat, the rapidly ascendant, then crashing riff, and, of course, perfect death-rattle vocals. Yes indeed, TYRANTS BLOOD is a force to be reckoned with. www.myspace.com/tyrantsblood, www.invictusproductions.net

Nat Shapiro

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