Daemonarch - Hermeticum
This is a side project of Moonspell that, according to the little sticker on the front, explores their darker side. In other words, it’s Moonspell’s Wolfheart album mixed with more than a little Bathory. As a matter of fact, they even cover a Bathory song. This is Black Metal in the traditional sense as it is Metal music with Satanic lyrics. Face it, with songs like “Hymn to Lucifer,” “Lex Talionis,” “Incubus” and “The Seventh Deamonarch,” you don’t really have to guess where they’re coming from. This is kind of primitive, older sounding in more than one way, but with some modernisms included. The problem I had with it was that it sounds contrived. They seek to regress from their Gothic tendencies and go back toward their demo days. If you want to hear the genuine article, their demo or 7-inch should have been repressed instead. On the whole, this isn’t a bad album but as I mentioned, it sounds a tad fake, if you ask me.
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Cybele - Brightly Blackhearted
This is not in any way what I was expecting from a Head Not Found band. Cybele plays what I think they would describe as Goth Rock. I’d describe it as “puke.” There are keyboards and (none too impressive) female vocals most of the time, and occasionally a simple distorted guitar riff. Actually, this sounds like some kinda shit that I’d hear on the radio or on MTV. One more for the “backyard Tron” pile.
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Cyanosis - Bludgeoned
Brutal American Death Metal. Nothing more and nothing less, but it’s certainly well recorded and very professional looking and sounding.
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Cryptopsy - Whisper Supremacy
Grind-fest. If I hadn’t seen these guys live, I’d wonder if they could actually pull off this speed and intensity for more than a couple songs in a row. But they do it. The only problem is that no matter how ultra-intense the band is, after the disc is over, all I can remember is the tempo. It’s awesome while it lasts, though.
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Cryptic Carnage - Rozelowe
Atmospheric and sort of Doomy Black Death.
[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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Cryogenic - Celephais
This band hails from Germany, one of the largest markets in the world for Metal, but their sound comes more from the Norse hordes than from the ancient Teutonic Godz. If you could compare this band to any other, it would have to be Emperor or Dimmu Borgir, though this is because their keyboard takes center stage. The other instruments are there, just not as prominent. The guitars are kind of thin and the drums are a bit on the loud side compared to the guitars but this is only a minor problem. The music is very atmospheric but problems erupt when they pick up speed. When Cryogenic is in the slow to medium pace (sort of in the Blood Ritual-era Samael or older Rotting Christ range), things rule. This shit sounds great at those speeds. When they pick it up to a Dark Funeral / Setherial pace (which they do occasionally), things get generic and this brings everything down. Cryogenic is a band to watch, definitely. If they can work out some of their weaker points (such as the speed thing), the next album will be a masterpiece.
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Las Cruces - Ringmaster
After their mega-heavy debut, S.O.L., Las Cruces have returned to deliver even more crushing power. Comparisons to Black Sabbath seem too obvious to mention, but if these guys can keep writing riffs like these, and albums like this one, who cares if their sound is derivative?
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The Crown - Hell Is Here
The album cover for this disc would have given my mother a heart attack back in 1985. It’s a big devil hand-sign superimposed on a pentacle engulfed in flames. Not that it’s that scary or original nowadays, nor is their “bullet belts ‘n’ leather” image. But apparently these guys sure love Satan, as their lyric sheet reads like outtakes from Possessed’s Seven Churches album, also circa 1985. The music itself is intense Death/Thrash played skillfully. The hands-down highlight of this opus being “1999 - Revolution 666,” featuring a chorus so corny I almost peed myself: “Welcome to Planet Satan! / Drop the big one baby! / Hell is here! / DESTROY! DESTROY! DESTROY!”
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Crematorium - A World Where Only Nightmares Prevail · Dismal
This is just fucking horrible. I was really hoping that opening moments of the first track were a joke and that the actual music and real vocals would start up any second, replacing this trendy groove-“Metal” anti-heavy celebration of queerness. That they end this abomination with their lame version of Metallica’s “Whiplash” is strange only because I’m surprised that these lads have ever heard that song. Although judging from their cover, maybe they haven’t.
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