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ULCERATE
Of Fracture And Failure
(Neurotic Records)
45:15min
ULCERATE are one of the recent new signings to the mighty Neurotic Records out of the Netherlands. They are a relatively new band from New Zealand with this being their second release other than a couple of demos. Neurotic Records, to me, is one of those labels that has done no wrong and I always really look forward to new releases from them. With that being said I am sad to say that for the first time I was disappointed. Now don’t get me wrong, this band is obviously very talented… it’s just that the vocals really completely ruin it for me. ULCERATE play that ultra-tech form of
Metal that has become so popular recently (not to everyone) and in my humble opinion can hold their own with the majority of the bands out their today playing this style of
Metal but they have more of a screaming “Hardcore” type of vocal delivery that I personally just can’t get around. It reminds me of EMETH’s most recent album where they chose to change the vocals to screaming and it really just ruined a great album for me. But personal views aside, as I said before these guys can play. I especially enjoyed the cymbal work of the drummer who really gave a top notch performance.
They also changed the tempo frequently which is a rarity with this stuff. If you are into technical music and you don’t mind the screaming vox then you should check these guys out. If you are into
oldschool Metal then stay far away as you will probably find this unbearable. www.neurotic-records.com
Michael Kersten
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ULFHETHNAR
Essence Of Superiority
(Dark Hidden Productions)
28:52min
ULFHETHNAR are neither hailing from Scandinavia nor are they a kind of Viking Metal band. Of course the band's name is taken from the
Norse history as Ulfhethnar were viking warriors who dressed up in wolves coats and only lived for their thirst of blood.
And this outfit thirsts for your blood! The band itself hails from the austral lands of
Argentina and this unholy duo plays extremely raw, ultra fast and grim Black Metal. The eight tracks of this debut
album carry the true essence of darkness and evil. The riffs are cold and freezing. The drum work is merciless and fast forward and
above all thrones a devastating voice. This infernal piece has something mesmerizing like DARKTHRONE's "Transylvanian Hunger"
or ULVER's "Madrigal Of the Night". The production of the hellish tunes is very raw and perfectly fits to ULFHETHNAR's style. A
cleaner sound would not please the tracks so well. These warriors deliver a nice underground gem for hellbangers into barbaric sounds.
This one is for sure nothing for the mainstream (and is also not intented to be for it). This one is for the true elite of the dark cult.
Get in touch with the band at ulfhethnar88@hotmail.com
or www.geocities.com/darkhidden_prod
Michael Oelschlegel
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ULVHEDIN
Pagan Manifest
(Einheit Produktionen)
42:09min
Four years are gone since the release of ULVHEDIN’s debut, the first release
of the German Pagan label Einheit Produktionen and still after such a long time
it’s more than worth mentioning here. The current Metal community seems
possessed by every kind of Pagan culture and by calling your tour
‘Heidenfest’ you will reach for sure more people than ever before even if
the same bands are joining this event. So in 2008 the understanding of an album
called “Pagan Manifest” is completely different than only four years ago.
With this release ULVHEDIN from Norway are joining their homeland family of
traditional Viking Metal bands which formed this genre over a decade ago, but
for a band heading from Haugesund (hometown of ENSLAVED and EINHERJER) it’s
not really a surprising step. What makes this release such an interesting one
is the combination of older and more modern Viking elements. Just imagine a
band combining the dark moments of "Frost" and "Eld" plus some recent avantgarde
elements (mainly the vocals) and the atmosphere of old EINHERJER and TYHRFING
releases. But ULVHEDIN are furthermore adding enough own ideas to fuse
everything into 42 minutes worth to be called a manifest. Only points of
criticisms are the lyrics which are sometimes not completely convincing but who
needs a perfect debut - so I’m really looking forward for another Norwegian
manifest. http://home.chello.no/~ulvhedin/,
www.einheit-produktionen.de
Matthias Auch
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UMBRTKA
Nad Propasti Dne
(self financed)
72:13min
This Czech project band was formed in 2000 by
members of the Black Metal act STINY PLAMENU and the doomsters QUERCUS and did
only recordings available on the net so far. They label their style as “Gray
Metal” as, according to the info, this “highly original Metal project”
claims to be influenced by the likes of SATYRICON, THE KOVENANT and KING
CRIMSON. Unfortunately this high aiming four piece fails to deliver something
impressive and mind-grasping even though the musical abilities are there. Some
parts remind me of classic Czech Black Metal but in its entirety the material
sounds a bit undecided – there are too many incongrueties and elements which
hinder the flow. Hmm, some melody lines remind me of older PARADISE LOST, third
or fourth album… and now an accoustic guitar with a strange delay effect sets
in… do I hear samples? There surely is potential to be found but it sometimes
wanders off into nothingness. Lyrics are sung in Czech, by the way. So, if you
refer to yourself as an open minded person and have a soft spot for
experimentation and Czech vocals check their homepage which is now available in
English also: http://www.umbrtka.com.
The photogallery displaying the industrial surroundings of their hometown Plzen
(Pilsen) is worth a click, I have to add. In case someone out there would like
to give these guys a proper release contact them at: umbrtka@umbrtka.com.
Ulrich Kreienbrink
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UNANIMATED
In The Light Of Darkness (The Covenant Of Death)
(Regain Records)
45:49min
Based on old Christian mythology 13 is a cursed number – mainly due to the
fact that their savior summoned only 12 apostle to the last supper (and
that’s why the following number is connected to his unholy opponent) – and
exactly 13 years after the split one of the most influential melodic Death
Metal bands is returning from the grave – UNANIMATED. This band should not be
introduced to any real Metal fan and their only 2 releases (“The Forest Of
The Dreaming Dead" (1993) / “Ancient God Of Evil” (1995) – 2008
re-released by Regain Records) are more than just underground diamonds – they
are real essentials. But after listening to their new album the last week it
seems that not more than one year has passed since the release of “Ancient
God…“. The new line-up with established musicians from bands like
DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED and CELESTIAL PAIN choose the right way by honoring the
band's undeniable legacy. They followed exactly their old patterns and not a
slightly wave of innovation will be found on “In The Light Of Darkness”. So
the MAYHEM / DISSECTION sindrome hasn’t found a new victim and it's pure joy
to listen to true oldschool Swedish Death Metal. UNANIMATED have recorded an
album which is typical as fuck – the atmospheric guitars are ruling here and
the convincing sound (far away from the high-tech attacks of these days!!) is a
further key to the success. The album starts with a short intro and after the
first seconds of ‘Retribution In Blood' you feel the Swedish north wind on
your face and you will understand that Swedish Death Metal will never die as
long as there are bands like UNANIMATED. 13 cursed years have passed – years
which completely changed the “face“ of the terminus Swedish Death Metal –
but “In The Light Of Darkness” is a monument to all true followers of this
style. www.regainrecords.com,
www.myspace.com/unanimated08
Matthias Auch
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UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN
KULTEN
Wake Up In The Night Of Walpurgis
(Proselytism Records)
27:52min
I heard a lot about this Chilenian outfit but the strange thing was that I
hardly could find anything about them on the internet. They have no homepage,
not even a myspace-account so everything what I heard were rumours or news
entries in fanzines and internet forums. Yeah folks, that’s how it was in the
heydays of the Death Metal underground, haha! Through Ricardo from Crypts Of
Eternity magazine I got their email address and all of a sudden I had contact
to Joseph Curwen. Few weeks later I got this release “Wake Up In The Night Of
Walpurgis” from 2005 (as well as their newest recording “People Of The
Monolith” from 2008 – see separate review) and now I count myself to the
few but heavy fans of UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN KULTEN. The band itself is highly
influenced by the writings of H. P. Lovecraft which you can easily see in the
name and in songtitles as ‘Nyarlathotep’ or ‘Azathoth Have Mercy!’ and
musically present us some weird bastard of brutal technical Death Metal
probably the closest comparable to such names as SADISTIC INTENT, IMMOLATION or
INCANTATION. Well I have to admit, those are the easiest references when
talking about brutal American sounding Death Metal, but I really think this is
a short introduction into the musical work of the band and helpful to get an
impression what you are dealing with. It’s 8 songs plus intro of
well-produced Death Metal with a natural sound and above all awesome songs
which are at the end presented in a cool layout – somekind of 7” EP size
digipack gatefold sleeve whatever cover. Now it’s your turn to check out this
amazing band which is deeply involved in the (Chilenian) Death Metal
underground and even refuses to create a homepage or to have a myspace account.
Luckily they are reachable through the following email addresses: joseph_curwen@hotmail.com
or butcherofchrist_@hotmail.com,
haha. The CD sells for $10 plus postage.
Thomas
Ehrmann
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UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN
KULTEN
People Of The Monolith
(Proselytism Records)
27:12min
This
is the 4th chapter and current release from UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN KULTEN which I
got from the band. Don’t exactly know why “Wake Up In The Night Of
Walpurgis” was chapter III and “People Of The Monolith” is chapter IV as
I read that they had 3 demos / releases before this which would mean that this
new release should be chapter V. Perhaps an interview can answer that problem,
haha! The name UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN KULTEN, by the way, is taken from the fictious
book with the same title. It is supposed to be published 1839 in Düsseldorf,
Germany written by Friedrich von Junzt. When having a search for information
about this book I have serious doubts that this release ever existed as the
name “Unaussprechlichen Kulten” is in the German language but grammatically
not correct and I think no native speaker would use a grammatically wrong name
for his book. Never mind, fictious or fact, I’m no expert here and the reason
why the band took this name as their moniker might occur as they are huge fans
of H. P. Lovecraft and this author always gets mentioned when talking about
this book. An interesting topic, definitely, perhaps I need to look deeper into
this subject and not only reading a few books from Lovecraft. Hm… Highly
influenced by Lovecraft might also mean highly influenced by MORBID ANGEL, but
I’m not really sure here. As I wrote in the review for “Wake Up In The
Night Of Walpurgis” that UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN KULTEN are the closest comparable
with names as SADISTIC INTENT, IMMOLATION or INCANTATION I still can say that
this is also the case for this newest chapter though the tunes get a little bit
more weird, sometimes disharmonic here and there and at those parts MORBID
ANGEL come to my mind. Anyhow, it's brutal Death Metal performed by musicians
who know how to handle their instruments. The sound itself is cool as it is not
such an overproduced recording which you hear so often these days. Again we
have such a great looking and great layouted (or call it strange?) 7” EP size
digipack gatefold sleeve cover which I haven’t seen before those 2 releases.
The coverdrawing is great, too, and was painted by the rising artist Self
Desecrator which you see more often on Death and Black Metal releases these
days. All I can say is that this is a band to support and to check out if you
are a fan of the mentioned bands. It’s high quality Death Metal with a huge
underground feeling. I’m not sure if I like this new release more than the
one before, but what I’m sure about is that each reader of Voices From The
Darkside won’t do a mistake by ordering chapter III and IV all together. From
my point of view the music of UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN KULTEN would work even better
on vinyl!! Joseph, what do you think about that? Get in touch with joseph_curwen@hotmail.com
or butcherofchrist_@hotmail.com
to ask for ordering details.
Thomas
Ehrmann
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UNCONSECRATED
Unconsecrated Cemetery / Dark Awakening
(Dan's Crypt Records)
59:05min
If you pine for the heyday of the Swedish Sunlight Studios sound such as early Entombed, Dismember and
Grave, then these slick demos (released as one disc) will have you wetting your pants in delight. These Spaniards will rock your socks off with charming ditties like
'Morbid Dawn Of The Deceased' and 'Tombs Of Fallen Angels' and even an Unleashed cover for good
measure ('Dead Forever'). The band does manage to slow things down for variety a few times and manages to do it without being boring. If
Bloodbath ever do a proper tour, make
Unconsecrated the opening band and get these guys on the road!
For more info and sound samples check out www.myspace.com/unconsecrated,
www.danscrypt.com
Jesse Light
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UNDEAD CREEP
Demo 2009
(self-financed)
14:39min
Since EUCHARIST's demo 1992 a band should know that you can't go wrong starting
a demo with an acoustic intro. UNDEAD CREEP thought the same and succeeds with
their intro and completely wins with the first song on this demo, 'Final Demise',
which kills in the typical Swedish tradition of bands such as ENTOMBED,
DISMEMBER or EVOCATION. It’s Swedish Death Metal with hints of Crustcore as
you might expect. The musical direction is probably the only negative aspect
you can complain about UNDEAD CREEP, being utterly unoriginal. If you ignore
that and just listen to the music you will get a demo with 4 great songs (not
to forget the intro, haha) of oldschool Death Metal the Swedish way. This
Italian newcomer was founded in summer 2009 and being faster as the Italian
soccer team they totally convinced me with this demo. They already signed a
contract for their first full-length recording to the collaboration of the
labels Dark Descent Records and Dark Blasphemies Records. This demo being
recorded in their rehearsal room in December 2009 offers a fantastic sound with
above all shredding and brutal guitars you wanna here on this type of Metal.
Now you have 2 options: wait until the band releases their first full-length or
take the opportunity to get a demo which would have been an all-time-classic if
recorded around 1990. Don’t hesitate and get in touch with the band through
their myspace page www.myspace.com/undeadcreep666.
The gates are open for you to see the horror of the undead creep. Here we go...
Thomas Ehrmann
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UNDER EDEN
The Savage Circle
(Black Lotos Records)
50:28min
UNDER EDEN bring “together
elements of American Thrash and Scandinavian blackened Death… Thrash-oriented
guitars combined with furious Death Metal drumming and Metalcore attitude”
– end of quote from the info sheet. Frankly said, this is one of the most
useless promos I have received in a long time: half-assed generic melodic
Scandinavian Gothenburg boredom (yes, here at VOICES we are sick of this crap),
ok-ish Thrash parts and superfluous mallcore crap (take note: only sing with a
clear voice in case you are ABLE to do it, argh!) with a muffled and dry
production. Taken for themselves the parts are subpar, in total the outcome is
just shit. Damn, these out-of-tune sung vocals in 'Behind Blind Eyes' are
hilarious. I already wasted enough lines on this… avoid.
Ulrich Kreienbrink
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UNDERGANG
Indhentet Af Døden (Promo Demo 2009)
(self-financed)
32:00min
Even
though Denmark had given birth to quite a lot of very cool bands in Metal
history already (MERCYFUL FATE, SAMHAIN, ARTILLERY, EVIL, INVOCATOR, DENIAL OF
GOD), I wouldn't necessarily associate the country with extremely dark and
brutal oldschool Death Metal, so UNDERGANG's debut promo demo "Indhentet
Af Døden" (which translated means "caught by death") turned out
to be a very big (positive) surprise to me. Just imagine bands like Swedish
CREMATORY, Finland's ABHORRENCE or early stuff by New Jersey's INCANTATION with
some extremely heavy sounding guitar riffs, totally guttural vocals and an
overall very apocalyptic, doomy overtone to it and you get an idea of what this
Danish three-piece is all about. Even the bass is very audible in the mix,
which increases their heaviness even more... Totally great stuff!!! Among
others they name bands like AUTOPSY, WINTER, MASTER, KAAMOS, DEATH, CREMATORY,
PUNGENT STENCH as their musical influences, which sums it up pretty good as
well, I suppose. From what I understood the tape is already completely sold out
by now (no surprise considering that it was released in a limited edition of
100 numbered cassette tapes only)... But don't worry, if you should've missed
out on it (even if it's got an extremely cool looking b/w artwork and logo
design): it's gonna be re-released on vinyl through Me Saco Un Ojo Records in
the not too distant future! Until then you can listen to 4 of the 7 featured
songs (plus intro and a short acoustic interlude) on their official myspace
site: www.myspace.com/undergang666.
I
still wonder about their band name though... if it was meant to be the German
word UNTERGANG (which means "downfall", "decline" and which
would really fit their music) they defintely made a spelling error... but maybe
it's just a cool wordplay in their case ;-)
Frank
Stöver
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UNDERGANG
…And You Will Live In Terror (7" EP)
(High-Roller-Records)
11:38min
I’m confused. I heard about the Swedish UNDERGANG and got their “Indhentet
Af Døden” demo. The oldschool Death Metal UNDERGANG. When I got this 7” EP
I wondered about the different logo, the colourful (and everything else than
oldschool Death Metal) comic cover with (among others) a guy painted on it
wearing a SUICIDAL TENDENCIES patch. A great cover to be honest. And last but
not least 10 songs in a playing time of 11:38 minutes. No, this is no Death
Metal, this is not the same band. Nevertheless this is another Swedish
UNDERGANG, the Hardcore band. To review a Hardcore release is no easy task for
me, that’s for sure, but what you hear on this plastic is fuckin’
wellproduced music, played tight and well. Perhaps not the right clientele for
the Voices readers but funny to listen to anyway. I enjoyed these 11 minutes a
lot and as I’m no expert in this type of music and therefore can’t tell you
which bands they are comparable to I would rather like you to check out their
myspace-page www.myspace.com/undergang
and have a listen to their cool outputs. Besides this release they have a
shitload of merchandise articles available. The seven inch is either available
from www.hho-records.de
or underganghc@hotmail.com.
Limited to 500 copies (150 pcs in orange vinyl and 350 pcs in black vinyl).
Thomas
Ehrmann
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UNDERLORD
Rise Of The Ancient Kings
(Rage Of Achilles Records)
36:23min
If you ever thought that there somehow was a release missing in the musical
evolution from HELLHAMMER's "Apocalyptic Raids" to CELTIC
FROST's "Morbid Tales", this might be the record you were
looking for. With "Rise
Of The Ancient Kings" Canada's UNDERLORD have delivered ten very cool
compositions in the raw and simple sounding tradition of old HELLHAMMER (especially
when it comes to the drums and the overall sound), combined with the typical
riffing that made early CELTIC FROST sound so unique and heavy. Despite those
wellknown elements UNDERLORD are far away from being another (tribute) band in
the WARHAMMER vein. Their impressive vocal delivery comes across a lot more
black sounding, luckily not of the usual shrieky type, but always rather
oldschool and grim sounding. It happens pretty rarely these days that you're
about to find a vocalist of this dark emotional quality as most bands
unfortunately seem to be more concerned in copying a style that has already
been overused way too often. "UNDERLORD would especially like to thank
VENOM, HELLHAMMER and WARFARE for lighting the path of darkness..." is
written in the booklet - "Speed Metal" on the front. Quotes
that sum it up very well. So, if you tend to miss the glorious times of old
Black / Thrash Metal every once in a while, you should make sure to give this
hellish three piece (courtesy of Hellfiend, Azag-Thoth and Lupus Void) your
fullest attention. www.rageofachilles.com
Frank Stöver
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UNDER THAT SPELL
Apotheosis
(War Anthem Records)
45:47min
Let’s start this review with a small riddle! Please find the connection
within the following band constellation – VINTERLAND, MÖRK GRYNING and
VARGAVINTER – the only possible answer is Swedish Black Metal from Germany.
But far more people will connect UNDER THAT SPELL with guitar player Dionysos
former band HELRUNAR even if my small riddle hits the bull eye if it comes to
the musical direction of "Apotheosis". The German band has recorded
an album which is building a bridge between the old days of our beloved cult
but without ignoring some minor 'modern' influences. A lot of record labels are
very often using big names to sell their new releases but “Apotheosis”
deserves to be connected to the first league of Black Metal bands. The album is
breathing the true old spirit especially when the band is connecting their
crystal clear Black Metal with some acoustic guitars the first SATYRICON
release is like a vague shadow on the wall. But on the other hand you can find
songs like ‘Black’ on this release with a more or less extreme modern touch
– with a short and memorizable chorus that it could also be found on the
latest SATYRICON releases (yes the commercial ones!).What makes
“Apotheosis” so outstanding – hopefully nobody kills me for these words
– is the fantastic guitar work on this release. If all German Black Metal
bands could operate on such a high level my live would be so much easier. A
killer release which deserves to be called the first highlight of evil 2010!
For further info and tour dates check out: www.underthatspell.com,
www.myspace.com/underthatspellblackmetal,
www.war-anthem.de
Matthias Auch
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UNDERTOW
Don't Pray To The Ashes
(Prevision Music / Soulfood)
51:17min
Records that hit the ground running like this one are always fun. Sounding a
bit like EXODUS on "Force Of Habit", and any one of a number of
NWOBHM comeback albums, UNDERTOW is energetic, but their music is too late in
coming; the Nu-Metal age is over and done with (thankfully). That is not to
imply that UNDERTOW is a true Nu-Metal band, but they come close. One can
hardly be blamed for making the association when the band in question makes
liberal use of the base strings and breakdowns so characteristic of the once
popular genre. No, the fact is that UNDERTOW are above that, but only just so.
At times they bare their fangs and exhibit a Death Metal influence - but these
occasional bright spots are tarnished with self-pitying choruses and rythyms
that bring the Nu-Metal association back full circle. Perhaps a popular rock
station in the Mid-West would be more this band's speed. www.undertow.de,
www.myspace.com/undertowofficial
Nat Shapiro
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UNDIVINE
Into Dust
(Northern Silence Productions)
45:26min
I’m not completely sure when I’ve listened to an album the last time which
has such strong bonds to the great era of Gothenburg Death Metal. In some way
it’s really refreshing to listen to an album where the guitars are really
dominating the scenery. UNDIVINE was founded in 2005 in Gävle / Sweden and
“Into Dust“ is their first release for the German underground label
Northern Silence. After the extreme hype end of the last decade with a handful
of bands becoming mega seller plus the release of nearly every shit on two legs
the young band is doing a fine job. Naturally you should not expect a miracle
of innovation – the style is just too worn out – but songs like ‘I Dream
Death’ or the title track with a “slight” HYPOCRISY touch are giving
“Into Dust” the necessary fresh approach. But UNDIVINE still follows the
traditional ways without incorporating any new influences which seems to be so
popular these days (others, including the Voices crew, would call these new
influences pure contamination). In total a solid release for all fans of the
good old times of melodic Swedish Death Metal. More info at: www.northern-silence.de,
www.myspace.com/undivineswe,
www.undivine.se
Matthias Auch
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UNGOD
Promo 2009 (MCD)
(self-financed)
20:01min
Eleven years after their last release (the by now legendary split 7"EP
with California's Death Metal masters SADISTIC INTENT) Germany's UNGOD have
finally returned to the scene with some brandnew music. Unlike many other
reunions these guys luckily managed to stay completely true to their roots and
as a result still deliver their grim Metal in the rawest and ugliest form you
can imagine. This ain't your typical hightech digital recording with a massive
wall of sound, but always pretty simple structured and straight ahead
performed, crushing blackened Thrash Metal. Oldschool as fuck and with an
almost analog sounding, perfectly fitting production... So, every CRADLE OF
DIMMU FUNERAL worshipper should still avoid the band at all costs. This promo
MCD was released in a strictly limited number of 50 hand-numbered copies and
features 4 songs as well as an intro and outro. Two of the songs ('(Dark Tomb)
Of Ungod' and 'Dawn Of The Black Apocalypse') will end up as bonus tracks on
the digipack CD re-release of UNGOD's debut full length album "Circle Of
The Seven Infernal Pacts", while the complete promo material is supposed
to see the light of day as a vinyl only 12" EP (both to be released via
Kneel Before The Master's Throne soon). Even though it may sound pretty
exciting to many of you that the track 'Dawn Of The Black Apocalypse' features
guest vocals by Martin Missy (PROTECTOR), Hurricane (ZARATHUSTRA) and Patrick
"Traumatic" Kremer (ex-WITCHBURNER), to me this song as a whole
turned out to be the weakest out of the four on offer here. All the different
vocal styles are simply too much and in all honesty don't really work too well
together. It's luckily getting a lot better towards the end of the song when
the core of the band is back on track again. So, all in all this is definitely
a very promising comeback, especially because of the fact that the band didn't
give a fuck about any modern trends and still managed to keep their
uncompromising attitude alive after all those years! www.myspace.com/ungodstomb,
www.mastersthrone.de
Frank Stöver
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UNGOD
/ MORT
Split EP
(None Shall Defy Records)
12:31min
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest Black Metal fan in the
world (personally I’m more of a Death Metaler), so I found it hard going to
get round to reviewing this UNGOD / MORT split (as Frank will tell you! ;-)).
However, I was hoping that by reviewing this split release, my attitude to
Black Metal would change somewhat. After listening to UNGOD’s contribution to
the split, the newly recorded track ‘Gazing Through The Mask Of Perdition’,
the complete opposite happened... I hated what I heard! The production sounded
atrocious, especially the snare drum which sounded like a tin foil sheet being
smacked against a wall; the riffs were almost pathetically lacklustre and
completely unoriginal and the drumming as basic as it could get... I couldn’t
wait for the 6 minute track to end! However, on second listen the track sounded
much better... perhaps my ears were biased due to my unfavourable attitude to
Black Metal. Whatever it was I found the track worked quite well, especially
where it starts to pick up steam at the two minute mark. However at 6:01 the
track becomes repetitive (there’s only 3 or 4 riffs in the entire song, none
of which are worthy of repetition and the drum beats aren’t exactly
groundbreaking either). This track would have been much better if at least 2
minutes were cut off. Not exactly a release that would entice me to check
out UNGOD’s previous material I must admit. MORT’s offering, ‘Ascent Of
Chaos’, on the other hand, blew me away! Straight after the slow,
foreboding intro, the track immediately kicks the listener in the teeth
and the assault continues almost completely uninterrupted throughout its 6:30
minutes. The song is excellently structured, taking the reader on a violent
ride almost from start to finish. Its pacing is excellent and the riffs flow
perfectly into one another; the riffs just before the minute mark and at 1:35
being an excellent example of this. The riffs throughout are the highlight of
the track for me, sounding like a mix of EMPEROR and MORBID ANGEL at their
best. The vocals also deserve a special mention as they sound as ferocious as a
ravenous Rottweiler while still remaining clear enough for the listener to hear
what blasphemy is being spewed from Kvaltar’s mouth. The drumming is also
excellent throughout, with each beat complementing the riffs perfectly. The
production is also a step above that of the UNGOD song. ‘Ascent of Chaos’
is definitely a track that would make me want to keep an eye on the Franconian
Black Metalers MORT. The 7” vinyl split EP is limited to 500 handnumbered
copies on heavy vinyl. The artwork is done by black-death-sign and a 4 page
inlay and a poster that contains ‘additional visual blasphemy’ is included
with the release. For more on UNGOD check out www.myspace.com/ungodstomb
and for more on MORT check out www.myspace.com/truemort.
Also check out more about None Shall Defy Records at www.myspace.com/noneshalldefyrecords
Norman McCann
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UNHOLY
GHOST
Promo 2003
(self financed)
10:35min
After
massive line-up changes and other struggles among the members of Florida’s
oldschool Death / Blackers DIABOLIC, 3 (!!!) original members of the band were
forced to leave and founded UNHOLY GHOST. In shortest time Aantar Coates /
drums, Jerry Mortellaro / guitars, Paul Oulette / vocals & bass and
PESSIMIST guitarist Kelly McLauchlin composed new material and put out three
excellent new songs on this promo CD. To be honest I can’t make out obvious
musical or production-wise differences between UNHOLY GHOST’s first musical
appearance and the last DIABOLIC CD “Vengeance Ascending”. Aggressive
blasts, vocals that vary between dark growls and hateful screams, MORBID
ANGEL-like heaviness mixed with melodic leads and memorable song structures
make UNHOLY GHOST as entertaining and fascinating as DIABOLIC in their best
days. ‘Soul Disment’ is a fast, blasting Black / Death song, ‘Under
Existence’ a catchy and heavy mid-tempo tune and ‘Denounciation’ mixes
violent speed and crushing double bass and turns out to be my personal
highlight on UNHOLY GHOST’s promo. As Aantar told me in the interview UNHOLY
GHOST have already completed almost enough material for a full-length CD and
the songs on this promo are exclusive material, that will not be released again
on the album. I can only recommend this great CD to all fans of DIABOLIC or
anyone who digs blackened Death Metal performed with talent, skill and rousing
aggression!!! For more information and prices, I think it’s 5$, surf to www.unholyghost.com
You can send the money to the following address: Unholy Ghost, 11401 North Town
Court, 11 B, Tampa, Florida 33613, USA
Stefan Franke
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UNHOLY GHOST
Torrential Reign
(Century Media / Olympic Records)
39:12min
At last a true masterpiece for a change… When I heard the band's first and
only demo, issued last year (2003), I knew at once that something special was
happening in Floridas swamps. So I longed for this album anxiously, and I am
not disappointed by the result! Mark my words: UNHOLY GHOST is the best classic
devilish Death Metal act in activity today in the whole world. You think I am
exaggerating? Well, let’s open the treasure chest “Torrential Reign”
truly is and examine what we get here. First and foremost the music is
brilliant, brutal yet very delicate. Producer Juan Gonzalez did the job of his
life, giving UNHOLY GHOST an almost aerial sound that underlines the fantastic
musical abilities of this four piece. Thanks to that, it becomes obvious that
Aantar “Blastmaster” Coates is really a gifted drummer (I have never
doubted of that personally), at ease not only when it comes to blast, but also
on the more “relaxed” moment. Indeed UNHOLY GHOST don’t inflict us an all
and out high speed festival, but they know also how to calm down the pace for
the sake of the song variety. In that regard ‘Cross Contamination’ and
‘Denunciation’ offer good examples of superiorly composed songs,
alternating groovy riffs with all of a sudden outburst of pure violence and
hatred, while the – to me - absolute best track of this miraculous release
(‘Entrenched Warfare’) features a mid-paced killer and unforgettable main
riff. Considering the fact that three quarters of the band come from DIABOLIC (with
the addition of ex - PESSIMIST guitarist Kelly McLauchlin), it is stunning to
hear how much they have progressed in a little span of time, to the point I
have my doubts regarding the actual freedom these musicians really
had in their former band. “Torrential Reign” features the three
tracks of the band’s demo in an of course more polished guise, even if I
think that ‘Under Existence’ lost a little of its efficiency here (the main
riff being a little bit simplified). All the ten songs on offer here (discounting
the outro) show outstanding guitar and vocal technique, with a real sense for
creating haunting and disturbing atmospheres (quite logical from a GHOST!!!).
The shadows of POSSESSED and MORBID ANGEL fly all over this disc as UNHOLY
GHOST reconnect us with the exciting Death Metal scene of old, when leather,
spikes and blasphemy ruled supreme. Here lies the main talent of this band, and
this is the most important to me: these four musicians are Metal fans to the
core and it shows. You can’t fake this enthusiasm and this rage to share
something special with your audience, your community. UNHOLY GHOST offer us the
best album they were capable to conceive musically, lyrically and visually.
This is the best Death Metal your money can get, and yet you will feel you have
received a gift. I am not afraid to call this album a milestone in Metal music,
regardless of the genre.
Edouard Vergriete
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UNHOLY LUST
Taste The Sin Through The Fire
(Blood Harvest Records)
40:33min
Courtesy of the fine Blood Harvest Records, UNHOLY LUST releases their first LP, after 2 independent live albums (?). Anyway, the first thing that came to my mind when listening to "Taste The Sin Through The Fire" was early SODOM. Yep, these Californians have crafted a relentless Blackened Thrash attack reminiscent of the good old days. Throughout the album, the songs don't vary too much, but most of them have memorable parts that just stick to your head like vermin. There is no melody or harmony here, but a bunch of tremolo-driven riffs, sometimes too simplistic but really effective.
'Infernal Blasphemy' is a really good example of this, mixing really good riffs with a great heavy as hell bridge suitable for extreme headbanging! The production is good, with an old South American flavor that adds a lot to the obscure feeling, although the sound is a bit muffled. The mix could be better since the guitars are a little too loud for my taste. Guitarist Alvaro Sance's vocals are raspy and raw. Drummer Humberto Medina thrashes on a great performance backed up by Franco Gonzales on guitar and Kelsey Wilson pounding the bass. So there you go, a really good album in the vein of old SODOM and KREATOR with plenty of speed and aggression. You can't ask for more. Recommended!
www.myspace.com/unholylust,
www.bloodharvest.se
Alfonso Perez
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UNHUMAN DISEASE
Into Satan's Kingdom
(Black Hate Productions)
45:23min
Fourth full length album, from this one man project from the USA, which
includes in his story of bands being a member of THORNSPAWN. Yes, fourth, and I
even think they released two albums the last year…being this one of those.
The music of UNHUMAN DISEASE ravages within the realms of fierce Black Metal,
which owes their sound to the more primitive and raw exponents of the genre. I
would say that Norwegian Black Metal and Swedish Black Metal are a big part in
their sound, as once in a while riffs can sound to DARKTHRONE or early DARK
FUNERAL alike. The production is also quite raw, almost demo level quality, yet
it can be sorted out what the guitars are doing, although a bit more of power
in that area would have helped a lot. The grim, rehearsal like sound of the
drums also adds a very special touch to the sound. The tempo the band uses
ranges from mid-speed to very fast burst of attack…whereas they rather do it
a lot better in the lower speed formats, as it does sound more atmospheric and
grim, rather than the fast parts that due to the nature of the recording at
times sounds like a blur of noise, chaos and destruction. Lyric wise this is
pure Black Metal as song titles like 'Demonic Unholy Night' or 'Guided By
Satan' can give you a reference. At times, just at certain times, I can hear a
small spell of suicidal Black Metal touches. Formed in 2001, it is obvious that
they have one way or another reached a competent level in musicianship, and
this can be a quite enjoyable experience for those looking for quality in
minimalistic Black Metal approaches. If the band used a stronger guitar sound,
yet retaining the grim and funereal aura contained, this would even be more
interesting, and of course, heavier album.
There is a plenty use of subtle morbid melodies contained, and of course
the use of diabolic themes makes a return to form for what real Black Metal is.
Give it a listen if you are following the cryptic, desolate realms of raw Black
Metal with quality. www.myspace.com/unhumandisease,
www.blackhate.de
Julián Núñez
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UNLEASHED
Hell’s Unleashed
(Century Media Records)
46:17min
After the rather disappointing last album “Warrior” I didn’t care
too much about UNLEASHED anymore… And it seems that many of you saw things in
a similar way as the success of this Swedish bunch was more and more fading
away and as a result the members decided to put the band on hold for a while. A
clever decision, cause Death Metal is back on track in 2002, so after five
years of silence they finally returned to the scene with an album that easily
lives up to the better standards of their own musical past. “Hell’s
Unleashed” combines all the typical trademarks of their earlier releases:
Johnny’s charismatic raw vocal delivery, the straight ahead and simple
drumming and typical riffing. The musical variety should also easily satisfy
every old UNLEASHED maniac, as they once again have come up with slow, midtempo
and fast material in the usual balanced way. The production is good and the
cover simple, yet very effective (their band logo is still one of the strongest,
even today…). So, if you not necessarily connect UNLEASHED with their
undergroundish, pre - “Where No Life Dwells” material exclusively
you can easily pick this up again and worship their comeback. UNLEASHED never
had the intention to be the fastest, most brutal or evil band around and their
overall attitude and musical direction reminds me more and more on what VENOM
represented in the 80’s. It’s more than obvious that UNLEASHED is a lot
closer to early Thrash than Death Metal and the lyrics to ‘Joy In The
Sun’ also seem to have a similar humoristic approach as what Cronos
partly used to come up with. But while VENOM was always on the chaotic edge to
Punk, UNLEASHED have found their place amidst traditional Heavy Metal, Thrash
and Death Metal. And that’s more than fine with me.
Frank Stöver
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UNLEASHED
Sworn Allegiance
(Century Media)
44:43min
Johnny Hedlund and his other loyal furry and tattooed warriors in the UNLEASHED
– camp, have rested enough on their laurels (well, to be more precise, a
couple of years since then band's previous album “Hell Unleashed” was,
(eh!) "unleashed" in 2002) and have come back again with a new album
titled “Sworn Allegiance” which is a 14-song offering from this Swedish
"Viking Death Metal" band ("Viking Death Metal"?
I kinda like the term myself. Yep...). A funny thing about UNLEASHED in
my opinion is that the band has hardly changed their "deathmetallical"
direction over the years and at least in that sense we should respect them for
staying loyal and dedicated to their own very distinctive oldschool Death Metal
sound. “Sworn Allegiance” makes no exception either to this rule. All
familiar UNLEASHED – elements are relatively easily to be spotted out from
this recording as well. Quite simplistic, sometimes even a tad monotone, but
nevertheless damn catchy and nicely pummeling riffs and rhythms, enough
variation between faster - and some lower paced songs, some kick-ass melody
lines that pretty easily stuck in your mind indelibly, Johnny's typical vocal
grunts, etc. – they all make “Sworn Allegiance” a decent listening
pleasure for a Death Metal sucker. While you listen to the songs off “Sword
Allegiance”, you can hardly say UNLEASHED has been open for new musical
challenges or discoveries as far as their brand of Death Metal comes in
question. I assume that they even have had no intention to surprise a devoted
UNLEASHED – fan by something which wouldn't belong to their sound in the
first place at all (like a tampon into your own nose, y'know what I'm saying
here?). On the contrary, to me it sounds like they have – more or less, sworn
in the name of an ancient Viking recipe of the UNLEASHED chord book, taken all
advantage of it and stuck with it as much and shamelessly as possible. And in
UNLEASHED's case, it's not a question about any sort of regression though, just
believe me! I would be lying if I said sticking with all that that feels right
and justified according to the songs on “Sworn Allegiance”, wouldn't have
paid off for them. Namely the more you listen to the album, the better and
easily you are able to pick up your own favorite songs out of “Sworn
Allegiance”. I for one can always bleed my ears off for such songs like 'Winterland'
(holy damn... this song fuckin' rocks!!), 'Destruction (Of The Race Of Men)', 'Only
The Dead', 'The Longships Are Coming' (in which Johnny's rather hilarious
T.Warrior-like “Uuugh...” – imitation deserves a separate mention, heh!),
'Helljoy' (now this truly rips like a Viking sword monk's skull in Lindisfarne
in the year of 793), 'Praised Be the Lord', 'Metalheads' (with its occasional
MOTÖRHEAD – vibes here and there…), a heavy yet even kinda epic-like 'To
Miklagård' and 'Long Live The Beast' which, in fact, brings UNLEASHED back to
those essentially vital things where they are damn fuckin' good at: to come up
with relatively simple, but definitely catchy, sharp and addictive song
structures that eventually make UNLEASHED to sound how the way they do. To sum
all this up, the sons of Thor have indeed succeeded in creating quite a hellish
atmosphere on “Sworn Allegiance” and your task is just to unleash it...
Luxi Lahtinen
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UNLEASHED
Midvinterblot
(SPV)
43:41min
Sweden's favourite
Viking sons return with their 8th (yes, 8th!) studio album and what a fine
offering it is. "Midvinterblot" is an extremely solid affair
featuring 15 well-crafted, acutely structured, perfectly executed Death Metal
'anthems' rounded off by an exceptionally slick and crystal-clear production
courtesy of guitarist, Fredrik Folkare. A good song is a good song regardless
of genre and a simple, well-written song is harder to write than most people
give credit and it is here that Unleashed
are at their greatest and also deadliest. Unleashed,
and particularly here on "Midvinterblot", are one of few Death Metal
bands who demonstrate 'pop sensibilities' and by that I mean crafting catchy,
well-written, well-structured 3-4 minute chorus-dominated songs; a formula
usually more commonly found in Rock / Pop than Death Metal. Their brand of
Death Metal has always emphasized "song" over technicality or
complexity and nowhere is this more apparent than on "Midvinterblot".
This album boasts what Unleashed
do best: simple, heavy, dark, melodic and catchy Death Metal. A key Unleashed
trademark featured is Johnny Hedlund's aggressive and coarse yet clearly
audible vocals, which allows listeners to quickly become familiar with the
lyrics (once again, brilliantly focused on the Vikings and their epic bloody
battles) and melodies. With the opening track 'Blood Of Lies' hammering down
hard with a furious blast-beat chorus, "Midvinterblot" finds Unleashed
in terrifyingly mighty form! True to style, it's fast and aggressive but backed
amply with groove, melody and structure - all within just 2:39. 'Age Of The
Warrior' is another solid, mid-paced offering with an emphasis on groove and a
riff reminiscent of Slayer's
'Postmortem'. The title track, 'Midvinterblot', is definitely one of the
album's highlights and also clocks in at just-under three minutes! It's
supremely solid and guaranteed to nest in your brain after just one listen with
an anthem-like chorus and chunky riff driven groove. Other highlights are
'Triumph Or Genocide' and 'Salvation For Mankind', which are both as crushing
as hammer to skull. It's fair to say that "Midvinterblot" is similar
to 2004's "Sworn Allegiance" album but only here the band are more
refined and sharper. Just listen to the guitar melodies, vocal patterns (and
their deliverance) and the guitar soloing (particularly in 'Age Of The
Warrior') and you'll see that Unleashed
are currently at the top of their game. Comments like "I like your old
stuff better than your new stuff" don't apply to Unleashed and in fact they only seem to be getting better with
age, perfecting their already successful formula. In this regard, Unleashed
remind me of Bolt Thrower in
several ways: both bands are battle-hardy, both have stuck to their guns and
both continue to play their distinctive brands of Death Metal, which has
remained unchanged in over 15 years, and finally both are releasing arguably
the best records of their careers. If you own any of the previous albums by
Unleashed, you may know what to expect and therefore may think you will not
find anything new here – however what you will find though is Death Metal of
the highest calibre. Hail Thor and hail Unleashed!
www.unleashed.se. The album is on sale
at
this location.
Scott van Dort
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UNLEASHED
Hammer Battalion
(SPV)
44:35min
Evaluating recent releases by classic bands is always somewhat difficult. All too often, people like to show Christian forgiveness to their favorite bands even when their music falls short. There is no obligation to approve of a band's recent output based on the classic status of their earlier work. However, if a band has already created something widely perceived as a classic, their new work at least deserves a thorough listen before judging it too severely. Certainly, UNLEASHED has attained this classic status, and, thus, I have been listening to their new album, "Hammer Battalion", repeatedly over the past few days. To be honest, I am not extremely familiar with any of UNLEASHED's albums past "Across
The Open Sea." Though what I have heard has always sounded respectable albeit somewhat uninspired at times. Through the years, UNLEASHED have sought to maintain many of the same elements within their music that established them as legends of the Swedish Death Metal scene. Their thematic emphasis on Viking and anti-Christian imagery and exceptional versatility in combining their uniquely evocative melodic passages with the more crushing and driving riffs so characteristic of the well-known Swedish Death Metal sound are established hallmarks of any UNLEASHED album. Indeed, these structures are omnipresent on this album. And over the course of some 18 years and nine albums, UNLEASHED have maintained a relatively consistent catalog of releases. Therefore, if one is looking to hear a solid work of Swedish Death Metal, there is no shame in giving this album a few listens. Unfortunately, however, I simply cannot comprehend why, after the initial novelty of this new album wears off, I would reach for "Hammer Battalion" rather than "Where No Life Dwells." Listening to early UNLEASHED alongside "Hammer Battalion" also makes one truly lament the advent of crisp and highly processed modern production. Much of the brutal intensity and aggression characteristic of the best Death Metal recordings is lost by utilizing the clarity of modern production and recording techniques. Also, the vocals and lyrics on "Hammer Battalion" leave much to be desired. Lyrically, UNLEASHED cover much of the same territory as on previous releases, but sometimes lack the nuances and subtleties that produce exceptional lyrical content. Rather than the darker, more impressionistic lyrical style utilized in the earlier years, the lyrics on "Hammer Battalion" are far more simplistic and uncreative, and frequently relying on cliché phrases and one-liners ('Long Before Winter's Call' might contain the most egregious lyrical offenses on the album). This wouldn't bother me so much except that the vocals are such that the lyrics are completely audible. The vocals themselves lack aggression and are all too often written to the rhythm of the guitar riffs oftentimes weakening the overall effect. This album is not devoid of epic passages, however. At its peaks, "Hammer Battalion" finds UNLEASHED achieving complex and poignant melodies that are as successful as anything they have done in their career. Unfortunately, although nearly every song contains some exceptional moments (see 'Black Horizon" and 'Hammer Battalion'), this is rarely sustained for the duration of an entire song before they begin playing the less unique parts that are scattered abundantly throughout the album. Ultimately, with the recent surge of so many new bands worshipping the earliest tradition of Swedish Death Metal, UNLEASHED's more modern and less underground perspective on this sound, while far superior to the vast majority of bands out there, nonetheless seems to be lacking some of the elements necessary to create an exceptional Death Metal album.
www.unleashed.se
Jason Campbell
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UNLIGHT
Eldest Born Of Hell
(Heavy Horses Records)
43:14min
It really does pain me having to sit through an entire album from a band as Germany’s UNLIGHT, that remarkably could be so
cool (take for instance the album’s closer; SODOM’s ‘Wachturm’)... UNLIGHT could be so much more than they actually are. And ultimately and surely UNLIGHT ought to be, a real breath of cold Northern frost to this overly saturated market. Yet as is the case with most newer bands in the scene, reality sets in and disappointed follows after these acts like a dribbling, drooling, lazy eyed mongoloid younger sibling hurrying after its favorite smokin’ hot older sister and playmate! Like so many others before them, and so many more to follow, UNLIGHT miss the mark altogether when speaking of knowing when to just let the Black Metal go. Instead letting each promising riff after fervorishly played riff go by without a cause for concern, begging the question to be asked of its authors -
do you seriously even care about what you write? A better question would be…
Do you even know how close you are to writing truly sick, memorable songs? However then just as quickly as you are onto something potentially wicked, you switch gears in the midst of it, and go back to retard-land and chuck what potential you had for a moment to the wind and thus kill the entire track outright (and rest of the album in my opinion…) with what I call the ABC’s of Black Metal.
A = amateurish semi-melodious pieces, B = blitzkrieg strumming, C = counterfeit blastbeats and unintelligible screaming vokills.
Freiburg / Baden-Württemberg’s UNLIGHT, who when they aren’t placating to those kids and elders alike who seem to be still mesmerized by all that is allegedly evil about Black Metal, can absolutely dig up some of the more
metalized fucking riffs that these ears have not heard since the days when fellow countrymen DESASTER were new to the scene! And not too unlike Koblenz’s DESASTER, prior to DESASTER’s acceptance of real Metal, of reaching a conscious level of understanding about what it means to make your own mark upon the scene. And not fall victim to the trends beset by others. Only then did the band truly move on ahead, blazing a trail into those twisted, icy and darkened realms known as the path less-traveled. In return for this acceptance, DESASTER have climbed from the gutter to stand tall on the streets that bore them. Knowing all too well what got them there, and what got them their highly valued prize of a recording contract with Metal Blade Records, the majesty in that accomplishment, so-to-speak, was just as simple as flicking a light switch. DESASTER did not rely on the sub standard inadequacies of what other “primates” have created note-for-note. Nor did they rely solely on those who they would call brother!, that perpetuate this vile redundancy known as Black Metal. Those who have practiced long and hard to keep its plague of clamoring mediocrity ever rampant, and ever pestilent. Loitering
blackened death, whispered in the shadows of city and township slums the world over, blaring falsified popularity over hot winds of carrion, to gain not only more fans, yet be sure to be witnessed by the legions of faithful already converted and who take these ABC’s as a real accomplishment when they are nothing more than pure chicanery!
Contact:
Unlight@unlight.org,
www.myspace.com/unlightblackmetal,
www.heavyhorsesrecords.de
Wes Rhodes
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UNLORD
Lord Of Beneath
(Displeased Records)
32:15min
Third
and final offering from these “mysterious” Northern warriors (well, I guess
they are Dutchmen anyway), “Lord Of Beneath” turns out to be a very
enjoyable album. And it is simple to explain why: UNLORD play a rather raw form
of Black Metal, with some late 80’s vibes (quite logical if you keep in mind
that the band was formed in 1989) and without the prettiness and the inane
“musical experiments” plaguing the vast majority of the present days
releases. And even if you can hear some keyboards here and there, the core of
the music is nothing less than a barbaric and impious assault against the ears.
The production on this album enhances the impact of the music, the drums
especially sound fat and powerful (a rather scarce occurrence on a Black Metal
release nowadays) and the guitar parts shred like chainsaws. Each of the 13
tracks on offer here (actual songs with lyrics and some instrumentals) shows
its own identity and flavor, with the result
that “Lord Of Beneath” appears as a very diverse and interesting
album, even fresh I dare say. The running time accounts for the shortness of
the songs, don’t expect lengthy (and boring) “hymns” , but rather sudden
outbursts of unholy dark rage. I can’t say that UNLORD will let an
unforgettable mark in the Metal history, but at least they come up with a very
tasty musical approach, dusting off some elements of the past to give them a
new shine. If you are looking for authentic Black Metal done with sincerity, I
think “Lord Of Beneath” is for you. The
lame cover artwork painted by Petagno (give the man a little rest!) is
the only let down I could mention.
Edouard Vergriete
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UNMERCIFUL
Unmercifully Beaten
(Unique Leader)
37:10min
OK this one is a fucken no brainer. Do you like your
Death Metal insanely fast, heavy and brutal? Then check this badboy out. Do you like raw production with oldschool personality? Then move on… this
one's not for you. Unmerciful is one of the latest signings to the already stacked Unique Leader
rooster. This band consists of former members of the band Origin and also a former live
guitarist (Jeremy Turner) of Cannibal
Corpse (who was also in Origin). With this pedigree you know that the shit is going to be brutal, fast and above all, well played. The similarities to
Origin are there although this is more accessible. I
am not saying that this is by any means less brutal, it’s just that this one is actually catchy without sacrificing brutality where as
Origin completely throws any semblance of catchiness out the window in favor of the “how the fuck are these guys playing this shit” approach. There is definitely technicality on display here but these guys seemed to put songwriting ahead of musicianship in terms of importance. And in my humble opinion they have a better album because of it. The vocals (which are shared by different members of the band) are actually somewhat intelligible which also adds to the accessibility I was talking about. One of the things that stands out on this album are the drums. This shouldn’t be surprising as they were done by none other than James King who also played the skins on
Origin’s "Echos Of
Decimation". This guy can play (he better fucking be able to… he replaced John
fucking Longstreth… the only guy who would be harder to follow was probably Roddy when he left
Hate Eternal) the drums are tight and very, very fast with some nice variation within the songs. Which brings us to the production. Unique Leader must have some strict standards when it comes to the production on their albums because they are always of high quality… this one is no exception. If you got a good set of speakers or some nice cans then turn this one up. The bass is pretty low in the mix but this is par for the course (unfortunately) in extreme
Metal. Basically if brutal Death Metal is you thing then this album should not disappoint. Well done. By the way, this
CD also contains some live songs and it is interesting to hear how well these guys pull this shit off live. Very impressive stuff. You can find information about this band and buy their CD here:
www.uniqueleader.com.
It is also available
here .
Michael Kersten
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UNMOORED
Indefinite Soul-Extension
(Code666)
46:00min
What
Unmoored have in common with Dimmu
Borgir is way beyond my
imagination. Then I agree with the Edge
Of Sanity
touch and dare say this is the album Edge
Of Sanity
should have released after “Unorthodox”. Yes, “Indefinite Soul-Extension”
feels old of age, but as those of you who drink wine knows, old doesn’t mean
bad. Unmoored have their moments
of Death Metal and with a careful use of keyboard here and there, these 40 (+6)
minutes are off before you know it, which can be both positive and negative.
The positive aspect of Unmoored
is that they vary their music quite a lot within each song. Basically the
growling rule, but in between they use normal vocals as well. Heh, a friend of
mine wondered if Dan Swanö did the normal vocals. However,
the negative aspect is that as a whole the album consists of various versions
of the same track, with one exception. Why did you put the slow track at the
end of the album? I mean, you couldn’t have realized the effect such a thing
would give to the album as a whole. After 40 minutes of Death Metal I don’t
want to leave the album behind with a feeling of…, well, melancholy or
something. I mean, this is Death Metal and you don’t end a Death Metal album
with some sort of ballad. So, when the album is finsihed I don’t understand
shit? What do they want to tell us? Unmoored
equal Death Metal? Nah, don’t think so. Which doesn’t mean they shouldn’t
include 'Final State Part III (Posthumous Writings)', but I think they could
safely place this as track four of five. Then
again, don’t let my close-minded thoughts affect you in any sense. After all,
if you’re smart you just use the memory-button, and arrange the album the way
you’d like it to be and you’ll get a fine Death Metal album.
Roy Kristensen
BACK
UNREAL OVERFLOWS
Point Of A New Departure (MCD)
(self-financed)
18:42min
On this demo CD UNREAL OVERFLOWS from Spain perform four songs of rather
progressive and atmospheric Death Metal, with very technical and melodic
guitars. The compositions are well balanced
between pushing and relaxed parts, a good deal of aggressiveness and
melody. All in all UNREAL OVERFLOWS leave a good impression by their mature
composing skills, surely they have musical potential and try to develop their
own distinctive style. The sound is a bit powerless but ok for a demo. That
should be changed on the debut album which is going to be released on Xtreem
Music in 2005 according to the correspondence.
If the musical ability is presented with a powerful production I think
this band will deliver an excellent debut. Band contact: unrealoverflows@yahoo.es,
label contact: http://www.xtreemmusic.com/.
Christoph Göbel
BACK
UNREAL OVERFLOWS
Architecture Of Incomprehension
(Xtreem Music)
46:09min
Finally, after a lot of work preparing and recording their first full length album, these four guys from
Pontevedra (Galicia,
Spain), including an ex-member of ABSORBED (cult old Spanish technical Death Metal band
that released a demo on Drowned
Productions and a split together with UNNATURAL and DISMAL), unleash the perfect continuation to their previous 2003
demo here, which surprised quite some people. And this one won't disappoint again
either I think, as they have released eleven tracks of highly technical Death Metal with a lot of melody. I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say this is one of the best
tech' Death records that have been released for quite some time, together with the last NEGLECTED
FIELDS CD! For sure it's easy to find some resemblances with the fathers of the style, ATHEIST and CYNIC
(not so much with DEATH), but they don't stop at that point (as a lot of bands) and know how to mix it with a lot of other influences, especially
Swedish melodic Death Metal, as melody has a big place here too. Perhaps this is one of the points I don't like
so much on this recording, but it only happens in some parts who are really melodic, as the majority of the riffs on this
album were done by the hands of a genious. Listen to the beginning of 'Unexpected
Dimensions', an instrumental track that perfectly resumes how greatly inspired musicians these guys
are. On the vocal side the influence is quite clear, nobody else
than Jeff Walker, from the godly CARCASS; when you hear the singer, Zoilo, you could believe you are listening to the gods
from Liverpool. The album was recorded at the Spacelab Studios in Germany, where
bands like ANCIENT RITES, DANSE MACABRE,
WOLVERINE, AVULSED, LIAR OF GOLGOTHA or MISTWEAVER recorded some albums, and I can only say it sounds great, perhaps a bit
too digital for my taste (just like the majority of recordings do that were
done there, that I've listened to), but clear, powerful
and cutting like a razor. This is not for the ones searching an oldschool sound and simple riffs, this is high-tech Death
Metal, but it is worth a listen (or even two).
www.xtreemmusic.com
Jeroni Sancho
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UNSPOKEN
Primal Revelation (Demo CD)
(self-financed)
31:29min
What could be the reason to write a review about a 3 year old recording? There
are 2 reasons: first up it’s a damned good CD and 2nd reason is that I heard
their new song ‘Cold, Bleak And Dead’ to be featured on the “Resurrected
In Festering Slime” compilation. This song forced my interest a lot to hear
also older stuff from this band. Even if this new song is superior to their old
stuff (which makes me wanna hear more new songs) “Primal Revelation” is a
very good demo CD. These 5 guys from Norway are really out for professionalism.
Their logo is drawn from famous Christophe Szpajdel, the cover comes out of the
hands of Kristian Wahlin and the overall layout looks better than on many
professional label releases. The sound is just perfect for a demo recording
(though the sound of this new track is even mightier than on this release). The
9 songs on this CD offer Death Metal in a way not comparable at all to the
neither Scandinavian nor American Death Metal movement. It’s rhythm based
Death Metal, mostly midtempo speed with a awesome voice which can only come
from a Scandinavian vocalist. That’s a fact. Even if we are talking about a
brutal and very deep voice the words are clear and understandable. By the way,
the vocalist Kent Are Sommerseth sings also for the Spanish oldschool Death
Metalists UNCONSECRATED. UNSPOKEN offers a lot with this release and even more
is up to come I’m sure. Guess a new recording is already in the pipe so check
out this CD and keep your eyes open for a new release. Take a look at www.myspace.com/unspokennorway
Thomas Ehrmann
BACK
UNSPOKEN / VOMITOUS
Cataclysm Architects
(Musikk Og Mystikk Records)
19:38min
Two quite unknown bands in the scene, though no virgins when talking about
releases, are presenting us a cool split CD with approx. 20 minutes and 3 songs
each of mighty Death Metal music. What else are you expecting? UNSPOKEN, which
were already featured in Voices From The Darkside with a review of their demo
CD “Primal Revelation”, make the beginning of this CD with their ‘Dogs Of
War’ tune. Great rhythm, groovy Death Metal with a fantastic yet clear and
natural sound mostly in midtempo is what the guys offer. Or how they call it:
“The repulsive, doomish baby of a Swedish Death Metal mom and a US Death
Metal dad, with a possible Black Metal syndrom!” Thanks guys, this saves me
from searching a lame description for your sound. Well, a mix of Swedish and
American Death Metal might be indeed the most suitable comparison. Still I’m
not quite sure who’s mom and who’s dad, haha. Great songs anyway. The song
‘Cold, Bleak And Dead’ is featured on the “Resurrection In Festering
Slime” compilation for the case that you are interested. ‘Extraction From
Reality’, the start of VOMITOUS’ part on this CD offers technical American
influenced Death Metal with hints of MONSTROSITY, a huge dose DEICIDE and the
likes living in the Florida area, if you ask me. Technically offering high
quality Death Metal with a mighty sound, again not overproduced with a good
natural feeling. Did I say that the guys come from the UK? If I had to guess I
would have failed, haha. Both bands convince here and offer quality Death
Metal, though far from being original, nevertheless thousand times worthier to
support and to spend your money on than on those so called professional
releases from the bigger labels. This is quality stuff. Buy! Check out the
band’s myspacepages www.myspace.com/unspokennorway
and www.myspace.com/vomitousuk.
The split CD sells for 12 € + shipping from any of those 2 addresses.
Thomas Ehrmann
BACK
UPHILL
BATTLE
Blurred 1999-2004
(Relapse Records)
49:09min
Though I’ve written countless reviews for Voices meanwhile and know a million
of different styles and sub-genres UPHILL BATTLE give me a hard time trying to
put them in the right category. The US-based quartet musically draws influence
from various genres: Grind, Thrash, Death Metal, Sludge and Hardcore / Screamo.
Vocal-wise hectic, slightly hysterical screaming is utilized mostly
unfortunately resulting in a good dose of monotony in the vocal department
whereas the music stuns with its high level of diversity, its dynamic feel and
broad stylistic range. “Blurred 1999-2004” is a sort of rarities,
unreleased material collection containing three tracks recorded in 2003 which
appeared on the Japanese version of UPHILL
BATTLE’s
“Wreck Of Nerves” album, the previously unreleased song ‘Threshold’,
three songs taken from the split CD with ANUBIS RISING, the song ‘Faded
Red’ off the “Trash Comp” sampler, the song off the 2000 released split
7” with QUEST FOR QUINTANA ROO and last but not least the band’s 1999
released first demo. The sound quality of all these releases is excellent, raw
at times but still it fits the mood of the band, its unbridled energy and high
amount of aggressiveness. As you might have realised already, UPHILL BATTLE is
definitely not my cup of tea but even I could like a song like ‘Means To An
End’ and with better vocals I might have even loved the entire record, but
this endless screaming sucks. However, if you call yourself a UPHILL BATTLE fan,
this is a worthy, visually tastefully designed and informative collection! www.relapse.com. The CD is on sale here.
Stefan
Franke
BACK
UPPERCUT
Shroud Shifter
(G.U.C.)
27:58min
Putting out a release nowadays from a completely unknown band with a crappy
packaging like this is either a rather stupid or a financial suicide decisicon
(in this case probably both). No bandlogo, just ordinary computer fonts, very
poor layout and a b/w drawing that other bands wouldn't even dare to put on the
sleeve of their demo cassette simply doesn't do justice to the musical qualities
delivered by this German four piece from the Wolfsburg / Braunschweig area. Too
bad, really. UPPERCUT is a very energetic Thrash act with lots of Death Metal
influences and a female vocalist, who comes across almost as brutal sounding as
Rachel (SINISTER), Melanie (MEGACE) or Sabina (HOLY MOSES). In fact, I really
like this eight track effort as the band not only sounds very fresh, they also
managed to come up with a songwriting formular, that should easily make people
move and headbang during their live shows because of the intensity and diversity
of their straight to the point outbursts. Somehow it reminds me a bit on the
stuff that COMECON came up with on their debut, with a couple of SLAYER elements
incorporated and the raw and brutal vocals on top of it all. Very entertaining
disc (not only for the cool Tom Hanks / "Money Pit" outro…), that
definitely deserves to be checked out. I just hope the band will get the chance
to re-issue this with a more appropriate visual side in the near future,
otherwise the record might get lost very easily. You can order a copy of the
disc for $10 (ppd.) from the label directly: G.U.C.,
P.O. Box 28 01 45, 01141 Dresden, Germany, E-Mail: G.U.C.@gmx.de,
website: www.guc-area.de
Frank
Stöver
BACK
URGEHAL
Through Thick Fog Till Death
(Agonia Records)
56:50min
It seems that I made a big mistake in
ignoring these guys for so long... You know, for some reason I always figured
that Norway’s URGEHAL was just another superfluous faceless Black Metal act,
that in the first place was trying to gain attention through their outraging
image rather than their music. But as soon as I got to hear their fourth album
"Through The Fog Till Death“ I immediately knew that I did them wrong!
For obvious reasons I can’t tell you whether or not their previously released
material already knew to convince with a similar quality, but at least "Through
The Fog Till Death“ is a superb example of how great Black Metal can still
sound after so many years of zillions of stupid releases. This is harsh, grim,
icecold and very barbaric sounding traditional Black Metal, yet produced very
well (without sounding polished) and with strong influences from old SATYRICON
and DARKTHRONE (mainly). Of course this ain’t original at all, as there’s
already a lot of similar sounding acts around, but URGEHAL deliver the goods
with so much hate and class, that I immensly enjoyed this album from start to
finish, turning me into a new addicted who will certainly check out their back
catalogue as well! So, in case you’re sick and tired of what most label’s
are still trying to sell as 'Black Metal’ these days, avoid all the bullshit
and give "Through The Fog Till Death“ a chance instead! Label contact: www.agoniarecords.dm.net.pl
Frank Stöver
BACK
URGEHAL
Goatcraft Torment
(Agonia Records)
51:04min
I always thought that URGEHAL was the case of a band that enjoys recognition
mostly due to the fact that they come from Hønefoss
(Norway), formed in 1992 and know how to play traditional Black Metal the
Norwegian way. I haven’t given them any chance in the past so when Frank
asked who would be interested in reviewing their last album I thought that
this would be a good chance to actually listen to something from this band and
form a proper opinion. After first listening to URGEHAL’s latest endeavor I
couldn’t stop thinking for a single moment that these guys do whatever
possible to gain today what they couldn’t gain, say 10 years ago, that is a
position among Norway’s top Black Metal bands. Don’t take me wrong, URGEHAL
deliver a decent piece of mid-tempo Darkthrone
/ Carpathian Forest-like Black Metal with loads of blasting bursts that
won’t disappoint fans of the aforementioned bands. “Goat Craft Torment”
sounds so damn traditional, from production to the sound of guitars and from
lyrics to the entire band image. I guess they could avoid some naïve lyrics
here and there but they might even want them to sound naïve, so why bother? I
guess no more words need to be added on “Goat Craft Torment”. If you need
one more traditional, Norwegian Black Metal album in your collection you know
where you should invest your money on. I suppose you already own stuff like
old Isvind,
Throne of Ahaz (who
in fact were from Sweden - Frank),
Kvist etc, right? Further info: www.agoniarecords.com
Manolis A.
BACK
URGEHAL
The Eternal Eclipse – 15 Years Of Satanic Black Metal
(Agonia Records)
36:45min
Some of you Black Metal lunatics probably still have URGEHAL's most current
full length "Goatcraft Torment" on their shopping lists, as it was
released only a couple of months ago... But due to the fact that the band
celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, Agonia Records have put out this
compilation of rare and partly unreleased material. The overall quality of the
songs is surprisingly good (which is not really a common thing with releases
like this) and apart from a rather superfluous 1995 rehearsal recording of the
"Arma Christi" track 'Bloodhunt' the rest of the record offers a lot
of goodies. Starting off with three unreleased tracks from the "Goatcraft
Torment" session ('Guds Fortapelse – Apenbaring Av Dommedag', 'The
Moors Of Death' and 'We Are Unholy' – why they didn't make it on the regular
album is a mystery to me and needs to be cleared in the upcoming interview),
followed by the two songs of the "Demon Rape" 7" EP ('Demon
Rape' and 'Serpent Messiah'), then URGEHAL's contribution to the split EP with
BEASTCRAFT ('Nekromisantrop'), a VON cover ('Veadtuck', from the "A
Norwegian Hail To VON" double split 7" with NORWEGIAN EVIL, AMOK and
TAAKE) and last but not least a newly recorded version of the "Arma
Christi" classic 'The Eternal Eclipse'. The booklet features a lot of old
pictures as well as the lyrics, while the black & white frontcover comes
in true DARKTHRONE fashion and fits perfectly to this grim collection. So,
there's no doubt about it that URGEHAL fans need this one as well! www.agoniarecords.com
Frank Stöver
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URNA
Iter Ad Lucem
(ATMF)
44:51min
Again ATMF, again a Latin title – but this time a completely different
story. On their latest album “Iter Ad Lucem” URNA
are starting a voyage to the bottom of the human soul. The band is part of the
Italian underground since 2004 and even if the band had been unknown to me so
far their third release is a very interesting trip to the abyss. The terminus
Esoteric Funeral Doom seems to some degree exaggerated but URNA are offering
more than the standard two riff 45 minutes Doom album. “Iter Ad Lucem” is
like an old painting – with a lot of colors but the main color remains
black. What a lot of the Funeral Doom releases are missing – can be found
here – some further influences from abroad and URNA sometimes offering vague
parallels to cult acts like BETHLEHEM (their “Thy Pale Dominion “EP /
“Dark Metal” debut). This Italian two man band has recorded a very good
release which should be interesting for the pure Funeral Doom but also for the
normal Black Metal fans - so invite Death and let the warm blood slip through
your fingers! www.atmf.net,
www.myspace.com/urnaproject
Matthias Auch
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URSCHREI
Heidenzorn
(Asatru Klangwerke)
33:09min
The reviews for the very good and / or the really bad releases are in some way
the easiest ones. The German newcomer URSCHREI are releasing their debut EP
via Asatru Klangwerke and even if I know that we are talking about a young
band is “Heidenzorn” the worst release I’ve had the pleasure to review
during my time in the Voices team. The band is trying to play a kind of rough
Pagan Metal but if it comes to the essentials like playing a clean guitar solo
or adding some atmosphere to their songs the band is completely failing in the
attempt. I would really like to advise some positive points to avoid this
slaughter but the heathen vocals are more spoken passages than professional
singing and I will not loose some words about the title track and the
sing-along choir. Wotan will agree to the fact that not everybody is born for
battle and URSCHREI can’t expect any mercy from my side – this release is
not worth to be released on a wider scale (but please don’t ask me which
scale would be suitable!) and in former times the record labels realized this
fact before they invested their money. www.asatru-klangwerke.com,
www.myspace.com/urschreidieband
Matthias Auch
BACK
URSKUMUG
Am Nodr
(Ledo Takas Records)
41:40min
URSKUMUG are hailing from Letvia, released a CD-R called "Pareja" and some
song-features on compilations prior to this album. "Am Nodr" offers basic, at times technical,
Black / Death Metal music with tribal rhythms and percussion woven into the soundscape. This is also
where the lyrical concept of URSKUMUG is heading to: baltic, pagan /
"pre"-pagan themes and myths. The whole album is done with fine and skilled musicianship and is produced clearly and "fat". A good but not really ground-breaking output. To be really outstanding it features too much standard
Black / Death Metal instead of the tribal influenced stuff which really sounded interesting. Nevertheless we could hear even more of URSKUMUG in the future.
www.ledotakas.net,
www.urskumug.lv
Andi Bauer
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URTO
Numbers
(self-financed)
34:42min
URTO are the first band from Sicily I'm stumbling across and I'm pretty pleased
with their debut. They play good old Power / Thrash Metal, strongly influenced
by Bay Area heroes like FORBIDDEN, TESTAMENT, VIO-LENCE and later EXODUS, while
the vocals remind me of Switzerland's POLTERGEIST. Ranging from six to ten
minutes, all of the five featured songs are quite long, but due to the pushing
and diversified songwriting they don't get boring at all. The clear, powerful
vocals sometimes lose a bit of their energy when the pitch gets to high, but
this slight flaw is compensated by backing vocals from the rest of the band. In
addition to their mature musical performance, URTO have made quite an effort of
writing und using intelligent, politically conscious lyrics, like the second
track entitled 'Hitlerosevic' or the fourth track 'The Second Coming', whose
lyrics are a poem by William Butler Yeats. Only the opener 'Bugger Off' can't
keep up the high lyrical level, but is dedicated to Lars Ulrich, so the meaning
is in the title, haha! Altogether I can recommend URTO to all fans of US Power
/ Thrash Metal, so get in contact either via mail: Mimmo Saladino, Via Del
Popolo 52, 91028 Partanna (TP), Italy or via email: urtozone@yahoo.it.
Homepage: www.urto.tk
Christoph Göbel
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USIPIAN
Clouded Restrainment 7“ EP
(Metal Fortress)
This young band from Denmark creates powerful, driving Death Metal
remembering me of Swedish SOULREAPER since influences from “Covenant” phase
MORBID ANGEL get mixed with the straightness and melodic feel of Scandinavian
Death Metal acts. Whereas USIPIAN’s previous release, the MCD “Human Spirit
Massacre”, was a lot more technical than “Clouded Restrainment”, the
quintet focuses now on a concise songwriting, memorable structures, fewer
progressive passages and the result sounds much heavier than before! It is a
damn pity that this is only a two song EP, because I definitely feel the need
for more of USIPIAN’s individual and fresh Death Metal sounds. They are not
trying to be the fastest and most brutal band around, but deliver two
well-written songs with a dark and heavy feeling, some nice melodic leads,
sinister growls and aggressive screams – to sum it up: great Death Metal with
a lot of variation and a perfect, not too polished production. So check out the
samples on USIPIAN’s website, buy this well done EP and support this talented
act! www.usipian.dk
The label can be found here www.metalfortress.com
Stefan Franke
BACK
USIPIAN
Dead Corner Of The Eye
(Metal Fortress Entertainment)
48:39min
When it comes to Danish Death Metal mostly three names appear: INIQUITY, EXMORTEM and
ILLDISPOSED. But our neighbour country has much more to offer than the aforementioned killer outfits. One of
these hordes are USIPIAN which have been active in the underground already since 1995. This squadron released some quite impressive stuff
in the past ("The Human Spirit Massacre" demo CD in 2001 and the "Clouded Restrainment" 7"EP, just to name the two most important
ones). "Dead Corner Of The Eye" is the title of their debut album and delivers us quite strong Death Metal. Their steel is forged by oldschool elements and a slight modern Death Metal approach. Their overall sound
is a little bit in the vein of bands like MORBID ANGEL, IMMOLATION or SUFFOCATION but these Danish Hellbangers have their independent
style and identity. The tunes are played on a high technical level and are executed very precisely by exquisite musicians. Yeah, they
are damned tight these guys! The quintet doesn't pretent to be the most brutal band in the world and so the material on the album is very rich
in details and has enough variation. You will get here fast blasts, crushing midpaced sections, cool breaks and slowdowns as well as
some thrashy guitar riffs. Despite the heavy and brutal stuff all is refined with some excellent dark melodies. Just listen to
'Dead Reckoning', 'World Without Skin' or 'Clouded Restrainment' and you will get an idea of the excellent songwriting abilities of this
outfit. The production of the album is very heavy and crispy and it compliments the eleven compositions very well. The packaging
also leaves nothing to be desired. Suitable artwork and an extra thick booklet will please all maniacs out there. All in all a very
solid and convincing longplayer which should appeal to all high quality Death Metal heads out there. This one is again Danish
dynamite! www.usipian.dk or
www.metalfortress.com
Michael Oelschlegel
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USTHEN
To Usthenjokull
(self-financed)
25:08min
French solo artist Meltear strikes into your heart with his vision of catastrophic Black Metal and gives us five songs of war, vice and the betrayal of the human race via a made-up written character wandering through time and space and other mystical dimensions. Sound intriguing? I really have no idea if this is true or not, these are merely the words I have picked up from his bio-sheet and what with the Golem-esque vocals of Meltear going on and on within these tunes he could be screaming his love for all things made from either fish or cheese. It honestly wouldn't make a difference. I mean, do any of you in this style even care what is actually being spit into the mic? Black Metal these days is worse than
Grindcore in this offense. So yeah okay I know for fact how hard it is for a person to find a band he or she can believe in, let alone one close to their mailing address. I get that. I also get how many of you are just insanely sick about Black Metal that you would do anything in the world to play it and be recognized as a player of said genre. I get too how tough it is to not only learn your favorite instrument but all the instruments (albeit if the drums are digital) that you must have in order for a band or a solo artist be capable to record your work, and I applaud that aspect and the diligence and the hard work it takes to do this and also to learn proper recording techniques for your material to cut-the-mustard so to speak. Yet why is it that you must pick a style that I loathe so much? And why would you or anyone for that matter spend so much time, effort, energy and money on a style that anyone, if they wanted too, in the first year of learning an instrument I might add, could / can play and play effectively enough to get a deal through Candlelight? This I don't get.
Contact: Florian "Meltear" Decroix www.usthen.com
or meltear@usthen.com
Wes Rhodes
BACK
USTHEN
Skaftafell: The Conjunction Of The Elements
(self-financed)
30:14min
The second album in less than a year's time from this French Black Metal one-man-army and "Skaftafell" or Act II begins where "To Usthenjokull" ended. This time our protagonist is still traveling through time and space dimensions on a flying Drakkar. Arriving in a lonely valley where Ouros the Master of Time calls the 4 Elements to destroy and start a new world.
Sounds kind of comic book doesn't it? The Fantastic Four or something. Anyhow I digress…The Drakkar or ship our hero rides, passes through this cataclysm and finally arrives in a doomed place where the human civilization, who are damned to live eternally, have settled and now call home. This CD tells about the eternal and extreme cycle of nature and the pathetic side of human beings. Seven songs of this pure madness are here for the undiscerning Black Metal patriot and for those that are willing, Meltear, the force that is behind USTHEN, is looking across the globe for an international promotional and / or label deal for these two albums. If you can assist than get in contact. USTHEN is strictly for fans of newer DARKTHRONE, GRAVELAND, ENSLAVED, UNHOLY, EDGE OF SANITY, DEATH, BATHORY and of course ARCTURUS.
Contact: Florian "Meltear" Decroix www.usthen.com
or meltear@usthen.com
Wes Rhodes
BACK
USURPER
Necronemesis
(Necropolis Records)
72:06min
I liked their debut "Diabolosis" and "Skeleton Season"
and I don't have any problems with "Necronemesis" either. USURPER
stick to their guns and still deliver mostly mid-tempo oldschool Death with
lots of 'uh's' (greetings to CELTIC FROST) and that's good. Nothing really to
mock about here, maybe just the fact that they had better shortened the playing
time of 70 minutes down to 35 – 40 minutes, as the album really lasts too long
now. They had better kept the best moments and threw away the rest of their
riffs / ideas / songs or kept them for future releases. P.S.: The CD says 72:06min
as playing time but I just noticed that there's a kind of bonus track after
30 minutes of silence, so I guess the real playing time must be around 40 minutes.
Steven Willems
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USURPER
Twilight Dominion
(Earache Records)
58:46min
It didn't really take Chicago's death squad USURPER very long to get their name
out in the underground after the release of their classic "Visions From The
Gods" demo back in 1994. In those days they happened to be lucky enough
getting picked up by Metalion's small, yet very fine cult label Head Not Found,
released their debut album "Diabolosis" with them and then the whole
situation already kind of snowballed. Necropolis Records took over and besides
playing several important live shows, the band put out another four releases (a
mini CD, one compilation and two regular full lengths). All of them not only
gained them a lot of positive feedback from magazines and fanzines alike, but
also many die hard fans worldwide. Last year the guys finally ended up signing a
new deal with Earache Records who first of all re-issued the "Visions From
The Gods" compilation and "Necronemesis" album in order to give
those records a bigger exposure, especially overhere in Europe, where they were
pretty difficult to find, originally. So, "Twilight Dominion" is the
band's first real album for Earache and in my opinion definitely their best to
date! The old USURPER trademarks are still very much present (especially when it
comes to the charismatic vocals), but due to a way better production (courtesy
of top producer Neil Kernon, who already had worked with Judas Priest,
Queensryche or Cannibal Corpse in the past) the band sounds a lot heavier and
more crushing than ever before! "Twilight Dominion" basically lives of
its killer riffing, which dominates the entire record and unlike in the past,
not only focuses on a CELTIC FROST way of writing. Everything has become way
more intense now and varies between slow, ultra heavy and devastating faster
stuff, somewhere in SLAYER / BOLT THROWER dimensions, without betraying their
own musical roots too much. To me this record is the living proof that USURPER
have not only matured quite a lot as songwriters, they furthermore created
another Metal anthem ('Metal Lust') and finally found a producer who was able to
get their vision out in the best possible way. Brilliant!
Frank
Stöver
BACK
USURPER
Cryptobeast
(Earache Records)
38:21min
It seems like one of these tracks has turned into one of these slogans that
somebody just can't interpret, but simply has to live for word by word. I doubt that it is USURPER's meaning behind the track, but some were recently
killed, and maybe they were killed for Metal, for all that I know. It doesn't
help much when 'Kill For Metal' doesn't have anything else than a refrain, it's
not going to be an ultimate Metal anthem in my book. I would rather go for the
following track 'Conquest Of The Grotesque', which has more than a refrain to
offer, being a rather varied and diverse track. In a way it seems like USURPER
didn't know what to do the first three tracks. They just continued from their
former album(s), and played it safe. By all means, if you're a fan, you're of
course going to like just that. I prefer a tad variation and more than an
anthem or two. So, the mentioned 'Conquest...' and especially 'Return Of The
Werewolf' has some great hooks. The break in the latter is amazing. However,
when all is said and done "Cryptobeast" is nothing but yet another
USURPER album, and I doubt they will get any new fans, nor will they loose
their recent fans. A change in the vocals doesn't do much difference, at least
not to me. So, have a great time and listen to oldschool Death Metal without
much of a difference. Just decent craftsmanship, nothing more, nothing less. That
unfortunately doesn't have anything to offer me personally.
Roy Kristensen
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UTLAGR
1066 - Blood And Iron In Hastings
(Sepulchral Productions)
49:19min
Another band with a strange name which makes some people (including me) think they are getting too old (and too cold?) for
Metal. Referring to the band the name is of Scandinavian origin and could be translated with the term "outlaw", accordingly it is a honour to the founder(?) of Normandy, namely Rolfr Utlagr. The album title should ring a bell to everyone interested in history (I am not referring to the famous chess-tournament which takes place in Hastings every year), the
battle of Hastings and William the conquerer served as inspiration for quite a few bands. So, chliché-breathing band-name and album-title, but luckily the second release by UTLAGR is quite refreshing. The lyrics and the
band's self-image may point into the Pagan direction, but musically Death Metal is served. Typical
Scandinavian Death Metal, fast played with those epic melodies, bands like DISSECTION or NAGLFAR may give you a hint about the sound of UTLAGR. At its best moments this output reminds me of the brilliant UNANIMATED. Due to the
Pagan image I fear the band is getting not the attention they may deserve - if Sepuchral Productions would not have sent me the promo I
probably never listened to "1066 - Blood And Iron In Hastings". The first album, already re-released, is unkown to me, so I do not know if they changed their style and the
Pagan-fans are disappointed and honestly, I do not care. All Metalheads interested in fresh, melodic Death Metal, all those who still adore old IN FLAMES / DARK
TRANQUILLITY or the above mentioned bands should take a closer look respectively listen to what the band is offering on their homepage.
www.utlagr.net.
Label contact: www.sepulchralproductions.com
Mirco Szymyslik
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The Goat Of The Black Possession
(From Beyond Productions)
44:23min
Recorded in
2003 the debut full-length by Colombian Black Metal act UTUK XUL was originally
published in 2004 by a small label called Hell Attacks Productions but Dutch
From Beyond chose to unleash it again with an improved layout to satisfy
worldwide interest in UTUK XUL (if there's any?!?). The simple but quite
effective formula of this album is highspeed, blasting Black Metal with occult,
satanic lyrics and a production that makes you wonder if it was really recorded
in 2003, the sound is so old-fashioned it could have been recorded back in
93/94. If you should take this as a compliment or not is certainly a matter of
taste, I like it actually, though musically the sheer violence of the Colombian
quartet gets somewhat monotonous especially in track two and three which are
longer than 10 minutes and pure speed!!! In addition to that the vocals do not
stray a bit from their hysterical screaming (comparable to the vox of Finnish
BEHEXEN) making "The Goat Of The Black Possession" a little hard to
stand if you dare listening to it from start to finish... This album offers no
surprises to anyone into underground Black Metal yet the uncompromising
attitude of UTUK XUL and the early-to-mid 90s production is quite appealing. If
you dig Black Metal in the vein of the early days that spits on any innovation,
but offers traditional hateful art with not a single mid-paced moment (except
in the instrumental 'Allax Xul') you will not be disappointed by this, a bit
more variation would have been great, but maybe on UTUK XUL's next attack...
For a debut album "The Goat Of The Black Possession" is ok, but I
have heard better and less monotonous ones. The From Beyond Productions
subsection can be found on www.displeasedrecords.com
Stefan Franke
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