You just don’t hear this kind of Thrashy Metal much anymore in these days of extremity, so I’m kind of glad to know that someone is still at it. The style played by Enforsaken is anything but modern (which is good as far as I’m concerned), with roots in both European and to a lesser degree US West Coast Thrash, with great, raspy vocals. I like it, and the band is certainly very talented, but considering that this isn’t exactly a “popular” style currently, I hope these guys can get by on just my respect.

Just the band’s name should tell you that this is a Traditional Metal band. You can just see these guys in the front row at the Hammerfall concert, banging their heads like there was no tomorrow as you hold this CD in your hands. Musically, this has a few more twists and turns in it than the average “We Worship Hammerfall” band. It sounds more like the bastard offspring of Hammerfall (and by default, Gamma Ray and Iron Maiden) and Lord Weird Slough Feg. There are a lot of Celtic melodies and Medieval European Folk influences in Elvenking’s riffs. One problem I noticed that Elvenking has is their transitions. They like to be big and anthemic most of the time - which makes their music more memorable - but my guess is their guitar wankery is just dying to come out. They get into these big wanker moments where they’re noodling away and then when the time comes to going back to regular riffing, they don’t know how to get themselves out of their guitar wankery. This leads to some awkward moments where the song breaks down and scrambles to get back together. It doesn’t happen a lot, just enough to call attention to itself. There is some serious potential here for the band to develop into something unique, but somehow I just know they’re probably not going to go that way. There’s just too much of a guitar wanker undercurrent in Heathenreel that suggests that the “guitar hero album” is in the works.

I somehow managed to completely miss this band’s last album, Annie’s Grave, but this new disc is somewhat more in the Sleaze Rock tradition of bands like Nashville Pussy (although in my opinion, a lot better) than the Punkish Rock and Roll of How to Build a Monster. But, now that I think of it, I guess I haven’t listened to that since reviewing it, back in 1864, and I’ve just chugged an entire bottle of NyQuil, so maybe I’m remembering it all wrong. Anyway, the press release (the lying friend of all reviewers) wants me to mention that EF are similar enough to AC/DC that if you like them (the Aussies), then you’d damn well better buy this album right away. But I really don’t hear it. This is too polished and something I can’t quite put my finger on, really, to be AC/DC . Except maybe for the album’s best song, “Dead by Dawn,” which is unfortunately not a Deicide cover, however, it’s still very good. But anyway, Electric F shouldn’t worry about being like AC/DC when they get along just fine as is.

Eisheilig play dark, Gothic music that exudes a creepy, suffocating atmosphere. The lyrics are sung entirely in German, so I have absolutely no idea what the songs are about. From the ominous, brooding vocals to the thick, profound nature of the guitars, these guys have been heavily influenced by Type O Negative. I have heard only a few songs by The Cure (fortunately), but I can hear some of that band’s influence as well. For Goth music, there are some heavier than usual guitar-riffs present especially in track 4: “Vater Unser.” Track 8, “Das Tier,” has an almost Fear Factory feel with its crunchy guitars and Industrial, fast drum-sound. These elements give Eisheilig an edge on other bands of this genre. A cover of “Love Street” by The Doors closes the album. Goth has never been my bag, but those of you who appreciate this genre will surely enjoy this release.

It’s amazing just how superficial I catch myself being sometimes. Take for instance my first encounter with Ebony Tears. About ten seconds into the first track I am already passing this off as uninteresting Nu-Thrash in the dreaded Haunted/Dorkane vein. And perhaps I could be partially correct in the strictest exterior sense, but all of a sudden I’m stricken by the downtrodden melody of the opener’s chorus. As the gritty Petrovesque vocalist proclaims, “…when you reach the lowest point you see the world through different eyes,” somehow I become hooked and stay hooked all the way to the monstrously heavy breakneck pit riffs of “Demon Ride,” intact with it’s own catchy melodic chorus. Sure, maybe unwavering snare punishment is the band’s favorite tactic, and perhaps the production is a little too slick for it’s own good, but I’ll be damned if there isn’t a Death/Thrash masterpiece subtly interwoven throughout. I wonder what else I’m missing out on.

Hailing from Germany and playing a more Death Metal influenced Black Metal style this time around, Dunkelgrafen has returned with yet another Satanic assault on the ears. I get the distinct feeling that these guys have been listening to a lot of Dissection, At the Gates or some of the early In Flames or Eucharist stuff. This has a lot of more melodic guitar work though with enough brutality to make it kick ass. A lot of bands in this more melodic genre tend to emphasize the melody over the brutality but like Dissection, In Aeturnam and a few others, Dunkelgrafen remembers that Black/Death Metal is supposed to be brutal first. The riffs are memorable, flow well together and when they hit an acoustic part or an atmospheric part, it really sounds like it belongs. The use of two vocalists also makes this pretty interesting as you get the mix of lower ended Death growls and higher end screams played off against each other. This is a solid album in every way. Fans of kick-ass Black/Death Metal will not be disappointed.

Yet more majestic, symphonic, epic, whatever-ic Black Metal. Except… it’s sort of Death Metal?!? I don’t know about this, and I really don’t understand the homoerotic album cover. Maybe I’ve been reviewing too many Napalm releases, but instead of having some shirtless dork on the cover, why not have the naked chick (from the booklet’s back cover and various other places) right out front where people can see her? To get back to the actual review: Musically it’s not bad, and sometimes kinda gloomy, eerie, and so on, and the vocals are almost always great, but then why not just slow things down and go for the Doom? That would work very well for Dorn, I think, as the slowest parts of this album are the best, and the speedier bits seem out of place with all the keyboards and “atmosphere.”

Formerly known as Dominion, this fast Death Metal band is intense and technical - perhaps too much so to be really very memorable.

Uhh, great album title, guys. Just to make fun of these idiots a little more, there are several pictures of a reptile throughout the packaging - it’s not a python, though, or even any kind of snake. Maybe the people in this band don’t know what a python is any more than they know what musical style will win them the most fans this week. They seem to be trying everything in hopes that someone will like some of it. It comes off as very false and forced, and annoying. I can’t give this any more space, as I need it for stuff that’s not total bullshit.