When a band is named after possibly the coolest Suffocation song ever written, you tend to have high hopes. For the most part, Indonesia’s Funeral Inception meet the lofty expectations with a non-stop assault of lightning fast, super-technical Death/Grind battery. The drummer is fucking amazing! He finds prodigious ways to cultivate the blast beat a la Pete Sandoval from his Terrorizer days. The vocalist also gives a noteworthy performance. His bestial esophagus wrench echoes the work of Joe Ptacek during Broken Hope’s Metal Blade career. All these attributes mentioned are undeniable, but this could still be better. If these guys would just attempt a breakdown once in a while, my heart would probably stop. Just the slightest touch of groove, added to the dizzying guttural whirlwind these maniacs normally create, would astound the listener to heights of euphoria. As is, they run on sheer brutality alone, which may be enough for you.

I don’t even begin to know where to start with this one. Moribund will certainly take some shit about releasing an album that starts with a song called “I’m a Goddamn Rapist.” The cover of the classic “Just Let Me Rot” sounds extremely natural, since Fornicator is stylistically somewhat similar to early Pungent Stench, although the production here is absolutely beyond belief (somehow both raw and polished at the same time!). But they didn’t recreate my favorite part of the song - the pitch-shifted vocals getting lower and lower during the repetition of the title. They make up for that little flaw with their great version of GG Allin’s “Anti-Social Masturbator,” though. These guys are some sick fucks - maybe the sickest - and so rightfully this is one diseased CD, too.

England’s Forefather has evolved quite a bit since their debut album, Deep Into Time. They started as a raw, treble overloaded clone of what Satyricon was doing back in the early ‘90s with a strong Anglo-Saxon leaning in their lyrics. Now, they most resemble what Falkenbach would be if they ditched the grim vocals entirely and went for a clean “Viking” style instead. The music doesn’t much resemble any of the Celtic or Folk Metal bands very much this time around, and though I think the usage of such sounds on an album like this would have helped it in terms of overall presentation, it doesn’t hurt that they’re leaving it out. Face it, there is nothing like incorporating your own country’s native music when getting nationalistic. Even without it, Forefather packs a lot of atmosphere in their music. This album is full of catchy hooks and memorable moments that get you banging your head and since all of the vocals are understandable, you can sing along with the enclosed lyrics. I’ve been a fan of this band from the beginning and they continue to impress me. What surprises me about them is the fact that so few people actually know their music.

I probably should have had Mr. Painkiller review this, because his appreciation of new-wave Power Metal is much great than mine. But even so, this is isn’t bad. Thankfully the singer is a little gruffer, and the music slightly heavier (usually more along the lines of Testament than of Hammerfall, but sometimes slipping into Scorpions range), than usual, which are very welcomed changes from the norm. But the lyrical repetition, especially in the title track, is irritating.

This duo hails from Eastern Europe (Hungary, I believe) and their style of Black Metal falls somewhere between the realms of the Mystic Cradle of Dimmu Borgir and that of Evol with a little of the “upbeat” melodic structuring of bands like Hammerfall or Elvenking. For the most part, their Atmospheric Black/Dark Metal assault works fairly well, blending the darker Classically oriented material with the solid foundation based on the Mystic Cradle of Dimmu Borgir sound. Musically, this is very keyboard-heavy to say the least. In a way, I’m actually surprised to hear guitars on this album as they are so far in the background that you can barely hear them most of the time. Another thing to note is that the drumming on this CD is very mechanical sounding. I don’t know why so many bands feel that playing the drums very fast is needful for them to be Metal. Bands in the more “epic” sub-genre of Black Metal need to realize that fast drumming actually ruins a lot of the atmosphere you generate. Also, there is an element of Classical and Darkwave that sometimes helps and sometimes hinders the proceedings. Personally, I believe that Black Metal should never sound like it was the soundtrack for an animated Halloween special. The song “She Darx the Sun” in particular sounds like it was lifted from part of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Another song that falls victim to this kind of “cartoon-like” sound is “Schattenreiter,” which sounds like a bad Disco remix of one of Dimmu Borgir’s songs. When Finnugor sticks with the solid Classically based sound, things click and the songs are good. When they try to draw in the funny stuff, their songs lose their cohesion and a lot of their appeal. Guys, try to be less “artsy” next time and concentrate on creating strong, dark atmospheres and leave the stupid shit in the studio.

Featuring tracks from the band’s split 10-inch record (with Cold Electric Fire), Concrete World album, and Ain’t a Fucking Demo tape, this is more a compilation than an album, but who cares what you want to call it, because by any name is is one fucking awesome CD. At times this is the most melodic Crust/Hardcore I think I’ve ever heard, but that’s perfectly balanced out with not only the expected speed and raw aggression, but also some slower, heavier, early-Black-Sabbath-style Sludge/Doom. It’s just beyond belief sometimes! Everyone in the band is credited with “voice,” so I’m not sure who is screaming what, but these guys sound like they are of a single, all-powerful, voicebox, delivering the tortured rasp of someone fighting for his life. I’d mention some of the cooler lyrics, but I don’t have the space (or inclination) to retype the entire booklet here. I’ve got a huge stack of CDs here to review, but it still took all my willpower to crowbar this one out of the player after about six spins, and it’s going back in the first chance I get.

Before Christ no one cared, evil was in everyone’s hearts. Sins were committed every day of your life, there was no wrong from right. Then he came to change it all, he really thought he could do some good. The son of God sent to the Earth, but the Romans showed him what he was worth. Before Christ, I ruled the land. After death, I will rule once again. At the last supper he was betrayed by a friend he thought he had made. Maybe he didn’t know it all like he claimed he did. Hanging on the cross with a crown of thorns, the Romans just laughed, “Who is this son of God?” He died like everyone else. He didn’t change a thing because evil rules once again.

Let me explain briefly how the Christian Metalcore bands operate. They steal (I distinctly remember the 10 Commandments prohibiting this behavior) all the best ideas from the secular bands that are doing well at the time. Yet somehow, this plagiarism is given validity by their oh-so unique beliefs and moral values. Now of course I’m being an asshole, so I should point out there are always exceptions (Hopesfall, 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Zao, etc.), and in Evergreen’s defense the lyrics are not afflicted by self-righteous propaganda outright, but perhaps I sense them subliminally? When it comes down to it, I can’t honestly say (see, atheists have values) that this is a bad album, but I’d be lying (godammit, another sin) if I didn’t acknowledge that much of what I hear has been heavily borrowed.

Of all the Goth Metal outfits I’ve heard with exclusively nice-sounding female vocals, this is probably one of the better in recent memory. The woman certainly has a pretty voice, but the two songs here tend to drag on and are a bit lacking dynamically (at least they were kept short). Nothing outstandingly triumphant here, but I’d rather hear this girl on the radio than the invalid Christ-fucking hick from Creed.