The Electric Hellfire Club - Empathy for the Devil
This is a 2 CD collection of cover tunes and other Halloween strangeness from this rather eclectic band of Satanists. I’m not really a big fan of this band but anybody that sticks a Jack-O-Lantern and a Baphomet pentagram on the cover of their album is cool by me. This is more Techno/Industrial than anything else, with a heavy leaning towards Techno. There are some Industrial parts but this is mostly beat-driven and doesn’t sound a bit out of place when being played at the Gothic version of a disco (where I bought this). I was at the Shrine of Lilith waiting for Galaxxy Chamber (one of my favorite Gothic/Ritual bands) to come on, so don’t think I frequent these places. Believe me, I was the only one in the entire place wearing an Exodus t-shirt. The covers they chose are rather odd, though all of them are Satanic to some degree. They even do a cover of Motley Crue’s “Shout at the Devil,” and “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC . The Electric Hellfire Club only put one original song on this release, but I found that it was much more interesting than their selection of covers. The only cover track that I really enjoyed was the “Halloween Medley.” That particular song takes up the entire second CD and has parts of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” “Black No. 1” and the theme music from the movie Halloween. The other tracks were okay, but I really preferred the original song and the “Medley” track the most. I doubt any new fans will be converted by listening to Empathy for the Devil but those of you out there who like The EHC will want to search this one out.
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Electric Frankenstein - How to Make a Monster
Energetic, memorable Punk Rock, with the emphasis on Rock. Plus we’re treated to some really cool Coop art, pics of the beautiful Julie Strain made up as “The Bride of Frankenstein,” and some multimedia stuff, too.
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Edguy - Theater of Salvation
Total waste-of-a-good-drummer Ass Metal. Sounds like Dio or Blind Guardian or some other equally lame shit. All this State Fair Metal sounds alike to me. I don’t know what else to say other than this vocalist is a flamejob. Grow a mullet, roll your Marlboro Reds up in your short sleeve tee, and don’t forget your hairdresser’s appointment later on. Time to get your perm rejuvenated.
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Ebony Tears - A Handful of Nothing
This is a bit Thrashier then their debut, the more Death Rock influenced Tortura Insominae. Perhaps some of that has to do with the more raw production this time, which I like, but mostly they seem to have just cranked up the intensity.
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Earthcorpse - The Taste of Sin
Quite a few different styles are employed here, from a somewhat watered-down version of the Death Doom of early My Dying Bride, to the “Doom Rock” sounds of Cemetary, to even some more “modern” sounding riffs… There are a handful of flawless moments on this album. Maybe enough for a perfect EP. The rest varies from “good” to either too wimpy or, in a few places, too “new.” Additionally, the vocals occasionally hold them back. In almost all cases they should probably be either more emotional or more intense, and not try to stay in the middle. And then they end things out with a weird remix of one of the tracks, “Winter.”
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Earth to Andy - Chronicle Kings
I suppose this Alternative Rock could have been worse. I really expected it to be. At least they don’t sound like Kid Rock. Still, this is nothing I’d spend a cent on, but maybe I could tolerate it under the right circumstances. Like if there were a bunch of hot sluts involved, for example.
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Dream Child - Reaching the Golden Gates
Where the fuck are all these Progressive/Power Metal bands coming from? This band’s skill is obvious, but they could really crank up the intensity a bit here and there. If you haven’t already had your fill of high-pitched squeaky-clean vocals, and overly technical music, then this might be worth a listen. But be warned that I like this style, and the shrieks of this singer got on even my nerves after only a couple songs.
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Drawn and Quartered - To Kill Is Human
I’ve always had a lot of respect for bands that continued to play brutal Death Metal during the Black Metal tidal wave. Drawn and Quartered is one such band, and though this is only their first album, these guys have been at it for a while now. This is Death Metal in the older style, reminiscent of early Morbid Angel, Possessed and Scream Bloody Gore-era Death but with a slightly over-polished production. The music is tight, but the clean sound sort of detracts from the intensity. The bass is clearly audible (which is cool), but I thought that the guitar needed to be turned up (maybe with a little more distortion on top of it too). Either that or turn the drums down some. The guitar was almost completely buried beneath the snare for the better part of this album, and when it wasn’t, it wasn’t very loud. I think what Drawn and Quartered misses the most, however, is a rawer sound. This could have been a great album, as I really believe that the songs here have that potential, but this just lacks in the brutality and heaviness departments. Without the brutality and heaviness, this album sounds castrated. Next time, go for the fucking throat! Turn up the guitar and do what the side part of the CD tray says: DEPOPULATE!!!
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Draconis - The Highest of All Dark Powers
This is actually very decent Black/Death Metal. The rhythm and melody aren’t buried under the speed, and the vocals are solid, ranging from mostly raspy to occasionally deep. The riffs are sometimes great, but the band’s major flaw is keeping things interesting. Not enough changes or breakdowns, bear in mind I said “not enough” as opposed to a total lack of. Draconis have made a very listenable record that is as extreme as it is expertly played. If I sound middle-of-the-road here it is merely due to overexposure to this kind of style. However, the dark melodies of “Embodiment by Candlelight” remind me that Metal is the way and the life, and that there is no better way to Hell than by it.
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