English Dogs - All the World’s a Rage

Posted on Saturday, February 05, 2011

If it means anything to you, someone named Gizz, from Prodigy, sings and plays guitar for these guys. I always tried pretty hard to not listen to Prodigy, but I think that they were pretty dissimilar to this Metal/Punk hybrid. It’s honestly not bad at all - very energetic and sort of begs to be sung along with.

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End Zone - First Bequest

Posted on Saturday, February 05, 2011

It’s not often that I hear a flute in any kind of Metal composition, but somehow End Zone makes it work. The band’s unique combination of Thrash and Doom, with some Death elements, makes for a very interesting and memorable album. Sometimes I’m reminded of bands like Death, others it’s more like Candlemass, and occasionally I detect a hint of Voivod. This is a very well thought-out and precisely executed album, that also happens to be very powerful emotionally.

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Ember - Within the Realm of the Snowqueen

Posted on Sunday, January 23, 2011

Pretty entertaining Black Metal in the Immortal style. The good production is certainly a plus, but some of the riffs are not up to snuff. Once again, a word to all bands: Put your address on the demo or the J-card, or I might lose it, like I did with this band. Moving twice in a month can do that sort of thing to a person.

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The Elysian Fields - Adelain

Posted on Sunday, January 23, 2011

The occasional combination of Doomy guitars and blast drum beats is a bit unsettling at first, but I like it. The drums are sometimes so fast that if you told me that Jim (who is credited on drums, but as an “additional musician”) is really a machine, I’d be ready to believe it. If my band (Adversary) ever gets a human drummer, I want Jim! Anyway, to sum it up, what we have here is another great Greek Black Metal band.

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The Elysian Fields - Promo Tape ‘95

Posted on Sunday, January 23, 2011

Since they are from Greece, I was ready for this demo to be really good, but I wasn’t ready for this masterpiece. The have that “Greek” keyboard sound, like Varathron, Rotting Christ, et al, but their style is more aggressive. Perhaps built on Death Metal, rather than old Thrash. They take this to the realm of the Black abyss, and the listener goes along freely and of his own will. An amazing demo, which should get them signed in about ten seconds.

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Elbereth - ...and Other Reasons

Posted on Wednesday, December 15, 2010

I didn’t much like the intro. The (cleanly sung) female vocals add a unique edge to this Doom band’s sound. Sometimes it’s very impressive, but certainly not always. They try very hard to make the “romantic” and “gothic” aspects show through, usually at the expense of such forgotten things as “heavy,” “interesting,” or “memorable.”

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Earthcorpse - Born Bleeding

Posted on Monday, December 13, 2010

Heavy and melodic Death/Doom. Impressively played and with excellent production. This could crush your mind, but something seems to be holding it back. Perhaps it’s the repetition.

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Dying Fetus - Infatuation With Malevolence

Posted on Saturday, December 11, 2010

It’s been a while since I’ve heard Death grunts, as opposed to the more common growling style. It’s pretty cool. I have missed this. I’m gonna have to go listen to Pathologist and the first two Carcass albums now. Oh yeah, I forgot what I was doing for a second. Dying Fetus are clearly talented, and write some heavy stuff. Usually my next line would be, “Too bad I can’t remember any of it after it’s done playing,” but not this time. There is a secret to being memorable and this heavy. These guys and about 10 other bands know it. This is even more impressive when you realize that (unless I’m wrong) this CD is really 2 demos repressed on disc. I can hardly wait to hear more from this amazing band!

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Dusk (Wisconsin - USA) - Majestic Thou in Ruin

Posted on Friday, December 10, 2010

Dark and oppressive Doom, with some occasionally very majestic passages. The slower Dusk play, the heavier and better they are. Fortunately, most of this disc is mind-crushingly lethargic.

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