Believer - Sanity Obscure
Christian Death Metal. Sort of a contradiction in terms, if you think about it. Well good people, Believer is such a band and a damn good one at that. A lot of people might be skeptic, so first let’s tackle the music. Heavy as Hell (or in this case, Heaven). I like the vox a lot. They remind me of old Cryptic Slaughter (sort of). Now to the lyrics. Believer aren’t pushing their beliefs down your throat (like Stryper). Personally, I think the lyrics are positive, opposed to other Death bands. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Believer also performs the first Death Metal opera (no way! [way!]). I like every tune on this disc, including the opera, “Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)” and I think this is one of the best Death Metal records of our time. Just don’t expect them to tour with Morbid Angel any time soon.
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Baphomet - Baphomet
Baphomet consists of Rick Breier, Gary Schipani, Tom Frost, Steve Rzepka and David Craiglow. I don’t knew who does what, but they do it pretty well. This is good Deathrash. The vocals on “Torn Soul” are sort of difficult to understand and the vocals on “Spectral Maniac” are understandable, though still raw. The music is not super technical, but I never thought it had to be to be good. I hope to hear more from this band.
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Backseat Driver - Blackout
I read the lyrics first and I thought that this band was going to be an extra-pussy, Glam/Sleeze waste, because the lyrics are simple, repetitive, and extremely sexist- to the point of being funny. Actually, Backseat Driver surprised me. They sound more like a Punk band than, say, Poison. Now, I’m not going to go so far as to say that I like this band, but there is something about them that transcends the stupid lyrics and simple music. I don’t know what it is and it’s not enough to save this band, but it exists. It’s sort of like Gwar, except BSD don’t have the same presence, skill, or heaviness, and are nowhere near as over the top as Gwar. If BSD were supposed to be a joke, then I think they might merit a higher score. This is way too funny to be taken seriously at all. And yet, they are serious. Oh well.
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B and R - Keep the Faith
Production-wise this tape is really good. Everything is recorded great. The mix is another story. The drums are too loud. The guitar sound is kinda heavy, though, so that could make up for the drums. Also this is a professional looking package: color cover, lyrics, photo, all the good shit. The only real draw back is the vocals of Dan Bries, who also plays guitar. His vocals remind me of James Hetfield (Metallica) with only one ball. His style is just not aggressive enough for this kind of music.
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Axemaster - Sampler
[This Sampler seems to be the 1989’s Death Before Dishonor (possibly a rough or unfinished mix?) with some additional tracks. -Editor]
First of all the production is bad. There is way too much tape hiss. That is just about the only drawback this tape has. Terry Wilson’s vocals might be somewhat too polished for Death fans, but I think that’s how Axemaster wanted it. They are a Thrash band, not Death Metal. I liked all the songs (all 12 of them). The music is powerful and shows talent. I think that Axemaster have a lot going for them, now all they need is a larger budget.
{Guitarist Joe Sims led this band through unknown line-up changes, and at least one name change, to The Awakening. As far as I know, he is now assembling a new band.}
[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]
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Atrocity - Hallucinations
Roadrunner Records licensed this LP from Nuclear Blast Records. I, for one, hope they continue to do such things. This is a really engrossing album that deserves to be made available to the American audience. Anyway, Hallucinations is a concept album about a girl’s tortured life. Recorded and mixed at the legendary Morrisound Studios, this LP sounds great, but that is to be expected. Musically Atrocity is fast Death Metal. Alex Krull has a really powerful voice that matches the brutality of the music. In fact, the only problem I can find with this LP is how Alex delivers some of the lyrics, they seem to be unattached from the music in certain places. This is, however, a relatively minor problem and does not detract from this album in any huge way.
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G.L.S. - Blood Will Flow
Catchy, but very stock, Thrash. A little originality, in both music and lyrics, would go a long way. Also, the vox would probably disappoint some, as they’re a mid-to-high-pitched wail.
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Biohazard - Biohazard
This is an above average LP. Biohazard has lots of potential and puts a lot of themselves into their music. Unfortunately, sometimes the results are less than memorable. The Biohazard sound is similar to Sick of It All or U.S.A. for M.O.D. era M.O.D.. It’s the New York Crossover sound, basically. Although I’m also reminded of an older, meatier version of MX-Machine in some places too. There are a few real gems on this LP: “Survival of the Fittest,” “Scarred for Life,” and “Justified Violence” really stand out. The rest are not quite as memorable, although none of the songs are actually bad. On the cassette inlay card the order of the songs on side two is wrong: “Panic Attack” comes before “Pain.” The order on the actual cassette is correct. Anyway, this album shows a lot of promise and I’m looking forward to hearing more from this band.
{Now I know what a lot of you think about the Biohazard of today, but this, their very first album, was all Hardcore, and no Rap, and so probably their all time best.}
[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]
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Arcane - Destination Unknown
Arcane is a guitar oriented Thrash band. This guitar base rests firmly on the capable shoulders of Byron Hawk and Doug Judah. They work well together and compliment the other instruments. The vocals are strikingly similar to those of Damien Thorne, though without the annoying high notes Damien Thorne is known for. To get an overall sense of Arcane, couple the Damien Thorne vocalist with the musical power of Megadeth’s Peace Sells… LP. The lyrics however, are drastically different than either of the aforementioned bands. Arcane’s lyrics basically deal with the human situation. Overall, it’s a pretty decent work.
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