This sounds a lot like Burzum. In fact, I’m tempted to say that this has so much of a Burzum influence that Varg should be getting a royalty check in the mail. Musically, vocally and stylistically, this has “I listen to old Burzum all day long, every day of the fucking year” written all over it. I’m pretty sure that everybody’s favorite Norwegian prison resident is probably pretty flattered by the fact that someone would go out of their way to ape his music. Personally, if I wanted to listen to Burzum, I have all of Varg’s albums and it’s not like they’re out of print. In a nutshell, Shadow, the sole member of Dusk, has managed to create an album’s worth of music that blatantly sounds like the first album and Aske EP that Burzum released a decade ago. It has a slightly different production, but you can tell exactly where this album is coming from right away. Well played or not, this is nothing new or different.

Album number two for Washington’s Drawn and Quartered has been a long time coming. Their debut, To Kill Is Human, was arguably one of the better Death Fucking Metal albums out there at the time, but Extermination Revelry is clearly a step up. One of the things that I thought To Kill Is Human lacked was intensity. The crystal clear production made every instrument audible, yet at the same time, it took a lot of the feeling out of their sound. Extermination Revelry is still well produced (I’ve yet to see an album released under the Moribund name that has shit sound), but it is much heavier and more intense. The guitar is also more up front, making the riffs clearer. The music is also a bit more on the Thrash side, adding some more memorability to the songs and the guitar solos are also something to note. This band has clearly aged well, producing an album that not only tops their last, but really stands out amidst the sea of generic-as-all-fucking-Hell Death Metal out there.

Formerly known as Drastic, this Gothic… I guess Black Metal, band is occasionally not bad. That is, when they’re not trying to be weird, “original,” or whatever. I don’t know how many different people are singing on this disc, but there are probably 10 or 12 different kinds of vocals used, including both male and female, usually all in the same song. There are good moments, but they quickly end thanks to the constant stylistic mutations.

Just like a delicious pasta sauce ruined with too much onion and garlic, a voluptuous hot dog demolished by relish, or a smooth caramel sundae devastated by coconut and almonds, Draconian’s brand of My Dying Bride worship is killed by the most typical cliche trappings of the genre. Listen, you don’t need female vocals and choirs to make Doom work! Why can’t anybody see that? Growing up in America, I hear choirs and I think of Christmas, churches, and junior high. A choir does not conjure the hopelessness of our existence musically for me. It sounds more awkward than despondent, like a loud fart during a moment of silence. Female vocals are okay in moderation, as a pleasant novelty, if the woman has a really good voice. However, I feel it’s a woman’s job to cause the pain, not to sing about it. With just the bare essentials (haunting melodies, somber dirges, Doomy heaviness, and the harsh vocals) Draconian would have been close to perfection. I could’ve even looked past the dorky vampyric spoken parts. As is, this is a work of tragedy for all the wrong reasons.

Savagely brutal Grind accompanied by ultra-heavy Death Metal moments that bring to mind Gateways to Annihilation-era Morbid Angel. With all the varied changes and tempos, rabid vocals, and the brutality always turned on full blast (okay, there is an acoustic outro), Demonicon resemble a poor man’s Skinless, which I mean as a compliment. Granted, this could be way more memorable, and while the production is damn fine for a what I believe is a self-financed full length release, this certainly ain’t no From Sacrifice to Survival. Nonetheless, these guys have a ton of talent to say the least, and it isn’t their fault that such a multitude of quality brutal music has been made available prior to their arrival.
[Note: This band was formerly known as Dominion. -Editor]

After all these years, Dissection has finally released a live album. Though it was all recorded at the same show, the songs fade in and out like one of those “greatest hits recorded live” albums. You know which albums I’m talking about… The ones that are recorded in several different venues and compiled on one CD, then released as a “live” album. For me, a live album should be like the classic live releases, Live After Death, Unleashed in the East, Maiden Japan… You get the picture. The album would be a chronicle of one whole show - tune-ups, fuck-ups and between song crowd interaction. Live Legacy sort of fits in both categories. It has the consistency of the classic live album style with the lack of filler stuff (like tune-ups and between song banter) that is associated with the “greatest hits live” style. As for Dissection’s ability as a live band, these guys really have to be seen to be believed. I had the privilege of seeing them live when they played their one and only tour in the US (with Morbid Angel and At the Gates) and I have to admit that saying that they fucking shred is probably an understatement. If it wasn’t for the crowd noise and the song introductions, this could easily pass for a studio album because both the sound and the playing are perfect. Does anybody know when Jon Nodtveidt is getting out of prison? I want a new studio album!!!

It must really be an honor for these Norwegian lads to be on Satyr’s record label, because their only goal in life is to sound 100% identical to Rebel Extravaganza/Volcano-era Satyricon. I mean we are talking note for fucking note here, man. The scary thing is it’s kind of cool. Seriously, it’s not bad at all. If originality is how you get your kicks, avoid this like projectile foreign semen, but I must admit that second rate Satyricon is a breath of fresh air compared to tenth rate Darkthrone, or worse yet that avant-garde cyber-Black Metal clamor. Some of the riffs almost have a Punk feel, and the band is at their best when things are slow and brooding, but the band wears its main influence on their sleeves unashamedly, and homage is paid around almost every corner. So, if you just can’t get enough of that new Satyricon sound, here’s some more of it. (Note: features guest lyrics by Faust and guest spoken word appearance by Samoth.)

I’m not entirely sure how to describe this band, although I guess that maybe something like early Soundgarden might come to mind, with maybe something like the Supersuckers mixed in a little. The press release mentions Motorhead, but I have no idea where anyone would get that comparison. If all the songs here, uhh, rocked as hard, I guess I’ll say, as the disc-opener, “LSD” (which in this case stands for “Lost Souls Day”), this would be a real ass-kicker. Still, it’s not bad.

Every riff on this album sounds like a slightly deconstructed and rearranged Slayer rip-off. I love Slayer as much as the next guy, but there’s a fine line between admiration and plagiarism. A strong, brutal voice could have saved this, but the singer’s weak, thin, gruff snarl only adds to the monotony. While the playing and production are solid, there’s just nothing interesting going on here.