Cranium - Speed Metal Slaughter
Any band with a song called “Sluts of Satan” has got to be cool, I guess, but this “Psycho-Satanic Speed Metal” team only just qualifies. Really, it’s the screechy vocals that hold this down for the most part, but I must admit that the lyrics are hard to beat. All this retro stuff is sort of strange to me, since I was there the first time, but Cranium seem to have a handle on the classic German sound, and mix it with early Bay Area stuff (a lot of Exodus and a touch of Slayer). If only the vox were a bit less testicularly challenged, this would be great fun. I also suggest leaving the drum solos to Gene Hoglan or Mikkey Dee.
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Crackdown - Rise Up
A true no-frills Hardcore act from Italy of all places, though I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at that. These guys play with a lot of energy and aggression, both qualities you need for successful Hardcore. A good earbleeding time will be had by anyone who picks this up.
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Crack Up - Heads Will Roll
I have read that the style played by this band is called “Death Rock.” According to their press release, Crack Up supposedly combines elements of newer Entombed, the goofiest bits of Pungent Stench, and “the tripped out euphoria of Monster Magnet.” Well, I only like early Entombed, and Pungent Stench lost me with all the “comedy” of their later material. And Monster Magnet… What the fuck? I don’t understand why anyone would want to combine the very worst elements of two (at one time) good bands, with whatever “tripped out euphoria” is supposed to be. I’ve heard worse to be sure, but this is all around a bad idea.
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Covenant - Nexus Polaris
This Symphonic Black Metal “supergroup” is hard to beat.
[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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Core - Through Chaos and Disharmony
This band apparently does a lot of their country’s primary export, Brazilian crack cocaine. Sounding like it was recorded with one mike in a big, big warehouse, all you get is droning, mid-range guitar sound, murky Max Calavera vocals, and flurious drum riffs. Bass? Who needs it!? Nine songs worth of Brazilian Death Sludge. All things considered, I’ll take the coke, not the band.
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Converge - When Forever Comes Crashing
Well I suppose this is an improvement over their Petitioning the Empty Sky album, with the thicker guitar sound and occasionally less stupid riffs (although there are still plenty of horrible ones) it is slightly easier to listen to, but this Hardcore / “Metal” / Fear Factory-wannabe clusterfuck with weakly screeched/distorted vocals is little more than a waste of plastic.
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Converge - Petitioning the Empty Sky
This can be really grating and difficult to listen to. However, there are moments that aren’t completely worthless. Not many, though.
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Consolation - Stahlplaat
Apparently this is a concept album, but without a lyric sheet, I can’t comment much further on that point. Musically, this is a certainly intense combination of Death and Grind, and contains just enough other stuff to make it pretty memorable, too. I don’t like a few moments here and there (like the Alternative Rock beginning of “Camel Song,” for example), but mostly this is great. Now if I only had the lyrics so I could follow the story…
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Cold - Cold
Slightly “hard” “Alternative” run through a distortion unit.
[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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