Absu - In the Eyes of Ioldanach
Somehow these four tracks didn’t do much for me. Absu’s combination of their earlier Black Metal onslaught with the Celtic Frost and Kreator influences just doesn’t seem to produce very memorable results. Plenty intense, though, I suppose. All things considered, this isn’t bad at all, but I’ve heard a lot better and a lot more convincing stuff.
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Abhorrent - Live in Rage
An unimpressive attempt at Death Metal.
[Metal Curse #11 had an additional loose page (“Last Second Additions”) inserted into the centerfold of the zine, featuring a bunch of even-shorter-than-usual “bonus” reviews of stuff that arrived after the deadline for that issue. This is one of those “Last Second Additions” reviews.]
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7th Child - Butchery of the Innocent
I don’t know how much £4 is in US$, but it’s probably worth it for these four tracks of very professional sounding, more or less, American-style Death Metal.
[It’s almost certainly too late to find a copy of this gem now, but if you would have had £4 way back in 1998 or so when I wrote this hyperactively short review, you’d have been all fucking set! -Editor]
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7000 Dying Rats - Fanning the Flames of Fire
This is a review of the LP version of this. The CD version (on Invisible Records) is pretty different, with some alternate (and more) songs in a completely different order. Fortunately both versions contain the cut “Anal Cunt Is Gay,” which should win an award for funniest song title ever. And they also do an insane Vegas Lounge Act / John Zorn version of Venom’s “Sacrifice” that’s only on the LP, thus making it a must have. This description of their Venom cover is pretty accurate for the majority of the LP. It’s a crazy juxtaposition of styles and sounds that parodies and roasts everything you can imagine, all filtered through an “evil” context. And the accompanying “press release” about this album is a photocopy of an old Manowar news letter, with “Manowar” whited out and “7000” handwritten in its place. A sense of humor is sort of a rare find these days, so I’ll give ‘em credit there, and conceptually I love this band, but like the aforementioned John Zorn, this can be something of a challenge to listen to, so I’m not sure how often I’ll spin it, which makes assigning a rating pretty fuckin’ tough, but what the shit.
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5 B Hated - Somewhere in Nowhere
I guess I don’t understand the band name, but when this much ass gets kicked, who cares? 5 B Hated play a very energetic kind of deadly Thrash, that can often be majestic as well. After a single listen, these songs stay with you, but hold up under scrutiny. Plus they have a song about Thor. I’d say these guys are about ready to get signed.
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...And Oceans - The Dynamic Gallery of Thoughts
We have a winner for stupidest band name of all time. This has photos of water and ocean maps on it - very nautical. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had forgotten how evil the sea is. Had I recalled that, I would have known that they’re Black Metal. Perhaps worshipers of Poseidon, rather than Hades. Actually, the music & vox are not bad at all. Fast Black Metal with keyboards isn’t exactly a new idea, but they do it well enough - sometimes extremely well. I can’t believe that all the cool band names are already taken and that “…And Oceans” was the best thing they could think of. Changing the band’s name so that it at least fits with the music a little would probably be a good idea.
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December Wolves - Promo ‘97
All I can say about the vocalist is that the only word I can understand is “fuck” throughout this 2-song promo. The actual music is really basic and monotonous. They find a good guitar riff or tone and don’t elaborate or go anywhere with it. If these two songs were among another eight songs as a full length release, and the other eight songs showed different extremes or levels to the music, it wouldn’t be so bad. But, if you’re going to send out a 2-song promo CD, I would think it would have a bit more diversity between the two songs.
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Unleashed - Warrior
With every album Unleashed have become less Death and more Metal. They continue that with this release. In fact there is a little Punk influence here and there (like in the song “Mediawhore” for example). More complex (or less straightforward) drumming and a more demonic guitar sound would probably be good ideas. Don’t get me wrong, this is great stuff, but when an album has a song called “Death Metal Victory” I expect it to be a Death Metal album, and this just isn’t brutal enough to qualify. Unleashed have perfected writing ultra-memorable songs, and every one on here will stick in your mind, forcing you to listen again and again. I don’t mind that they are not as extreme as they once were, as long as they continue to produce excellent albums like this one. But let’s not get much less heavy than this, okay, Johnny?
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In-Quest - Extrusion: Battlehymns
Long have I been a fan of In-Quest, and long have I awaited their debut CD release. I knew to expect Death Metal of the highest caliber, but I wasn’t ready for this total perfection. The band likes to use the phrase “Insane Intense Power” in reference to themselves, and while that’s certainly accurate, this is more than an exercise in brutality. The cool part is that in addition to being ultra-heavy, these freaks are also supreme masters of their instruments, but they don’t feel the need to show off, and just use their knowledge to write memorable songs. Plus this has an amazing production, allowing you to distinctly hear everything that is going on (the kick-ass basslines, for example). And then there are the excellent vocals of Mr. Noise Grinder. He covers the spectrum from his usual deep growls to perhaps more Black Metal inspired yells, and he’s inspirational in all modes of operation. This is one of the best Death Metal (or any other) debut albums of all time.
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