Helloween - Better Than Raw
As good as this is, it’s just not up to the near-perfection of their last studio album, The Time of the Oath. Although there are certainly a few flawless tracks, such as “Falling Higher.” And for once, the US version of an album has an exclusive track! Now Japan knows how the rest of the world feels about that idea. Anyway, fans of true Power Metal (of which there are more and more every day, it seems) who somehow don’t already own this, shouldn’t hesitate, as it is pretty awesome (although I could have done without the track “Hey Lord!”). It’s just that you might want to get all of their other albums (with the exception of Chameleon and Pink Bubbles Go Ape) first, if you don’t already have them.
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Hateplow - Everybody Dies
An intense blast of musical hatred awaits the listener of this. Phil of Malevolent Creation (who apparently has a nearly-unending supply of kick-ass riffs) fame heads up what is more or less a tribute to the drumming skills of the late Crazy Larry Hawke. Rest in peace, bro.
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The Haunted - The Haunted
Rising from the ashes of At the Gates, The Haunted deliver a supposed crossover of Hardcore and Death Metal. For former members of At the Gates, and for “Crossover,” I much prefer the massive Crust power of Skit System. This isn’t bad, but it in no way lives up to all the hype.
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Haemorrhage / Ingrowing - split
I say if something is pressed on “blood splatter vinyl,” as this 7-inch is, then you pretty much have to like it. But that’s just me. Anyway, my friends at Shindy didn’t stop with the cool vinyl, they went right ahead and printed up some very disgusting (at least on the Haemorrhage side) full color sleeves, too. Okay, so the packaging is excellent, but what of the music, right? Well, you get three from extreme Gore masters Haemorrhage, including one exclusive track. And Ingrowing also deliver a deadly trio from their brutal Cyberspace album. The only thing holding this back from perfection is the lack of new stuff on here. Personally, I’d pay the money for this just to get the one new Haemorrhage track, and of course to see the ass kicking splatter disk.
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Haemorrhage - Anatomical Inferno
This is exactly what you would expect from these masters of Grindgore: Fast, brutal, and sick. Their trademark memorable riffs and multiple vocal styles are supported by a truly impressive production, making this a real masterpiece. Now if only the promo copy had come with a lyric sheet…
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Gorguts - Obscura
Okay, this is heavy, and these guys are technical masters. But they put their considerable skill to use mostly in showing off, and generally keep things way too complicated to be memorable at all. And then there are the weird parts. I guess they listened to Pan-Thy-Monium once and thought they’d give it a shot, without first understanding that songs should be memorable, not impossible. I’m sure this will be given a lot of credit for being “experimental,” but I think it’s more like a bunch of divergent ideas thrown together with the idea of sounding “clever,” and that won’t work on me.
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Gorgoroth - Destroyer, or About How to Philosophize with the Hammer
If I had to describe this LP in one word, it would be “noisy.” The guitars are super dirty, and there is quite a bit of feedback sometimes, and the whole recording sounds sort of loose. But that’s the weird part; it’s also very clear. Dirty, yes, but you can hear everything okay… It’s a unique production, that is just as interesting as the fast Black Metal it supports. And, to their credit, Gorgoroth play with tremendous energy and intensity, and they are smart enough to know the importance of solid riffs, and memorable songs.
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Glory - Wintergreen
God damn it, I wish that Black Mark had sent me Necrophobic to review! Ahh, such is life that I am stuck with this cut-rate New Wave Power Metal instead. If I hear one more band that sounds like motherfucking Styx with a kickass drummer, I’m going to shatter the CD into 666 pieces and jam them into my ears until I stab my brain to death. Fuck it, I’m going to try it now! Ejecting the CD… Breaking it… Jamming shards into left ear… Didn’t work! Glory is too pussified to even get past my mighty earwax.
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Kataklysm - Victims of This Fallen World
I remember Kataklysm being better than this. Admittedly it’s been a while since I last spun one of their previous CDs, but this seems a little more “Hardcore” than I was ready for. It’s not bad, though. But sometimes when they’re blazing away, drums pumping out a ferocious blast, the riff gets too simple and repetitious, and ends up being boring. And sometimes the vocals venture dangerously close to “tough-guy” territory. But for all the parts I don’t like, there are more that I do. I suppose they were just trying out some new ideas, but you have to know when to not fix what’s not broken.
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