Ephel Duath - Rephormula
Although decidedly Black Metal, this band occasionally tries to slow things down and get kind of… Well, I would say “Doomy” but these happy keyboards they use just don’t evoke an evil or eerie feeling in me at all. And that’s really the only problem here. I like atmospheric stuff, and I like keyboard usage when it’s done well. But the synth here is just not right. It’s very bright and nice sounding, and not gloomy or scary at all. This very technically sound “Progressive” Black Metal sound as if it were made by the guys in Dream Theater or something. I won’t even mention the goofy Techno parts or remixes, because I’d really like to forget all about them.
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Entombed - Morning Star
I’ll be the first to admit that I had given up on Entombed after Wolverine Blues came out, but with last year’s Uprising and now this LP, my interest is completely resurrected. Sure, they are no longer a pure Death Metal band, but the added Rock ‘n’ Roll / Punk vibe has increased the filth and intensity levels to a point that exceeds tolerable and goes straight to guilty pleasure. They unfortunately are still capable of occasional mindloss (“Bringer of Light,” various vocal experimentation), and this isn’t quite as good as the aforementioned Uprising, but it has some classic Entombed elements combined with an almost Motorhead-like Rock integrity. It’s almost like a completely different band, but a damn fine one.
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Enthroned (Belgium) - Carnage in Worlds Beyond
In truth, nothing Enthroned have done since the Regie Sathanas EP has really blown me away, and after repeated spins of this effort, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe these guys have fallen into the same routine that has befallen the mighty Cannibal Corpse and more recently Nile. I’m talking about putting the same mega-fast album out over and over every couple of years. Perhaps the band is burnt out or in a creative rut. Whatever the case, I sincerely hope Enthroned can find the fire again, because it’s just plain sad when you can’t tell the originators from the copycats.
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Entety - Cadaveric Necrogrind
According to the band’s bio, this release contains music recorded during the Necrogrind sessions as well as the never released Into the Desolate. Although these guys have been around since 1990, this is the first I’ve heard of them. This LA-based band plays some of the most brutal Death Metal I have ever heard! The vocals are ultra-gutteral and, since I don’t have a lyric-sheet, I can’t follow along. Based on the song-titles though, it’s safe to say the lyrics are of the same nature as those of the mighty Carcass. Entety’s sound is dirty, raw, and thick, giving it an almost suffocating effect. The grinding heaviness and chaotic speed of the music is impressive, to say the least! If you want mega-brutal Death Metal, you need look no further than Cadaveric Necrogrind.
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End - End
End is obviously influenced heavily by the old Norse Black Metal sound. Drawing heavily from bands like Darkthrone and Carpathian Forest (newer stuff), this Greek band drags us face first through some ugly, raw Black Fucking Metal that really offers little in the “new or different” category. The music on this album is fairly generic and after having listened to Metal for over 15 fucking years, I’ve heard this all before a million times or more. The band executes their songs competently and I’m sure that they’re good at playing their instruments, but in terms of showing me something that defines their sound, they have a lot of work to do. If you love that “more of the same” kind of thing in your Black Metal, you’re not going to be disappointed by what you hear on this CD. I also guarantee that you’re not going to drop everything and stand there in total awe at what they’re doing. For die-hard collectors of all things Black Metal only.
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Electric Wizard - Let Us Prey
I’ve said it before, and because the universe sucks ass I’ll have to say it again I’m sure, but if you want the gayest, most unreadable graphic design in all of existence, get Stevie O’Malley to do it for you, as Electric Wizard has done here. Musically this is okay Stoner Doom/Rock, but it is in no way even close to their masterpiece Come My Fanatics…, but measures up pretty well against their more recent Dopethrone. If you can get past the epilepsy-inducing packaging, this band is still good at what they do, but I can see that they’ll never again reach the… ahem… highs of …Fanatics.
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Dim Mak - Intercepting Fist
This has been out for a while and so much has already been said about it, so I’ll just cut right to the chase. Ripping Corpse was second rate Death Metal in the early ’90s, and in the year 2002, Dim Mak is second rate Death Metal / incoherent anti-melody noise mesh. And by the way, saying that this boisterous racket will appeal to Hardcore fans is like saying the following of Skrewdriver will really dig the new Will Smith. Put that in your press kit and smoke it.
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Devlin - Grand Death Opening
Well, now they’ve thought of everything. Take some rehashed Winger and Motley Crue riffs, throw in some alternative lifestyle synth-Pop arrangements, and then top it off with a vocal tandem of Lita Ford and Death snarls intact with faggy Industrial/Goth taint. Did someone at Napalm lose a fucking bet?
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Destroyer 666 - Cold Steel… for an Iron Age
Now relocated to Europe, these former Aussie blasphemers have also changed their sound slightly as well. This album, their second for Season of Mist, and fourth overall, is faster in general and less diverse than their previous work. Unchain the Wolves (their second album) was probably the most diverse disc in their catalog, but this one is no less potent. If you enjoy bands like Razor, Destruction, Kreator, old Exodus, Slaughter or any of the faster brutal Thrash bands from the ‘80s, you will surely enjoy Cold Steel… for an Iron Age. I kind of miss the more atmospheric stuff from their previous albums, songs in the vein of “Lone Wolf Winter” or “Unchain the Wolves” where there were keyboards, clean vocals and some slower guitar work. Not only did those songs break up the speed-fest, but they also stood out as being different, yet still just as fucking sick as the rest of the tracks. I still think this album kicks ass, though Unchain the Wolves and Phoenix Rising are more interesting in my opinion.
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