Fearbringer - Le Notti del Peccato
Extremely well done Black Metal in the ancient vein. Misanthropy and melancholy are conveyed to perfection amidst an ominous feel of evil and contempt for the clergy. The sad melodies atop the blasting on “The Mad Nun” fill my head with visions of impending winterkill in a torrential blizzard. The occasional Maniac-style clean singing took a short time to get used to, but there isn’t a whole lot that could ruin the feeling of old that Fearbringer so convincingly evoke. If you consider yourself a hardcore fan of Darkthrone, Burzum, Abigor, Graveland, or Ulver (before they started playing Easy Listening), you will welcome the chore of seeking out this obscure release. Plus, I’m pretty sure this band is from Italy. Go wops! We’ve got four good bands now!
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Fallen Empire - Skepticism
Yet another in an endless sea of Gothenberg clones. As is usually the case, decent songs, good melodies, and sharp vocals, but it has been done and done and done over and over and over again to a painful fucking death! Since the glory days of At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, and In Flames, 10-15 bands pop up a year that sound very much or identical to what Fallen Empire is doing on this EP. Sorry, guys. You’ve got the talent, you’re just a decade-plus late.
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Fall of the Leafe - Volvere
It’s been quite a few years since I’ve heard this band. In fact, the last I remember hearing of them was way back on their Evanescent, Everfading album, which was before they went all “Art Rock.” The press release says something about how much you’ll like this is you like current stuff from Paradise Lost or Sentenced, and all I can think of is how sad it is if that’s true and those once-great bands really are this lame now, all this time after I’ve given up on them. I mean, this sounds like it could be on the radio. Just imagine what the radio stations are like here in tiny little Elkhart, Indiana! This might get better after the second track, but it was too headache-inducing for me to proceed any further.
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Fall of the Bastards - Dusk of an Ancient Age
Black Metal with a Thrashlike rhythmic diversity, that is to say, they mix speeds well. The vocals, riffs, and production are all fine, but for whatever reason, this bores me to absolute fucking tears. Good musicians, but it’s so run-of-the-mill it hurts. Try harder.
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Fall of Serenity - Royal Killing
You know, with the media surge involving Metalcore, you very rarely hear a thing about the German scene. Sure, Heaven Shall Burn and Caliban get their props, and rightfully so, but have you ever heard Soulgate’s Dawn, Mourning Ends, Ba’al, Fall of a Season, Destiny, or Maroon? I’m sure some of you have, but a lot are missing out on some quality music. Quality music like Fall of Serenity. Now, unlike most the bands listed in my tirade, these guys are not Metalcore. They are a melodic Death Metal band with a healthy obsession with the Old School Swedish sound. A genetic splicing of the Gothenberg and Sunlight sounds, if you will. On their exceptional debut, Grey Man’s Requiem, they nailed a cover of Dismember’s “Casket Garden,” and while Royal Killing unveils a completely refined sound, the vibes are still thankfully evident. The album has a strong Edge of Sanity vibe, with the brutal vocals occasionally reminiscent of classic Unleashed. (Also reminiscent of this zine’s editor, by the way.) There is also the welcome addition of clean vocals, and speaking of Edge of Sanity, Patrick Engel, who produced the album and lends backing vocals, is quickly becoming Germany’s answer to Dan Swano. I simply can’t recommend this enough. Fall of Serenity have outdone their debut and continue to showcase their country’s hidden treasures. I mean, come on, one of the guys is wearing a Katatonia shirt. That alone is worth at least a 9.
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Facebreaker - Bloodred Hell
For those of you unaware, as I was, of this band’s existence, this is the new project from Roberth Karlsson who you may recall was the vocalist for Edge of Sanity on the Cryptic LP. Filling in for Dan Swano is definitely not an enviable task, but Karlsson held his ground pretty well back then. However, his vocals have never sounded as brutal as they do on Bloodred Hell. Musically this is in the same ballpark as Edge of Sanity’s heavier moments, never straying far from the patented “brutality comes through simplicity” motto held sacred by Sweden’s Death Metal elite. Now, make no mistake, Facebreaker are not quite in said company yet. This album can and does tend to drag in parts, but a fresh face is always welcome to the fray. Even if it is an old friend. Favorites: “Human Spoil,” “Command of the Dark,” “Hater,” and “Crushed.”
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Exciter - New Testament
For reasons that remain the band’s own, Exciter has re-recorded 15 songs ranging from the ancient “Heavy Metal Maniac” (1983), to the comparatively recent “Brutal Warning” (from 2000’s Blood of Tyrants). I can understand why a band might want to re-record some old songs. On some occasions this has produced impressive results, and in some ways does here. But as with every time this has been done, I think that only people who really like the band will be interested in hearing this, and that’s exactly the same group of people who will for the most part prefer the original recordings simply because they are the original recordings. Perhaps a more effective way to “update” old songs would have been to release a live album. However, it’s impossible to deny how much these tracks Thrash your brains out, despite the fact that even re-recorded a couple of them seem rather archaic.
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Eternal Flight - Positive Rage
Somebody screwed up. They forgot to add the “H.I.V.” to the album’s title. This is embarrassingly awful Power Glam/Ass Metal from the fag that brought you Dream Child. Unless you draw some sick pleasure from grown men living in an adolescent, homo-erotic fantasy world, avoid this like Mexican water.
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Estuary - To Exist and Endure
When I pick on the Metal ladies, I don’t mean cool ones like Zdenka Prado. Fans of Garden of Shadows’ Oracle Moon may remember her guest appearance on that album. She’s got to be right up there with Rachel from Sinister / Infinited Hate and Runhild from Thorr’s Hammer when it comes to brutal female Death Metal vocals. She’s damn close, anyway. Unfortunately the music here isn’t quite on the same level as she is. It’s heavy, melodic Death/Thrash which, at its best, ironically reminds me of Demonic Christ (speaking of cool Metal chicks). It’s well-played, but just sort of drags on. However, with a good vocalist and definite potential there is always hope.
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