Gorgoroth - Incipit Satan
This is kind of boring, but at least it’s a huge improvement over the swirling wall of incoherent anti-riff noise that was their last album. Still, it’s not much to get excited about. I think all the common Black Metal tactics have been exhausted past their full potential. This has some cool riffs, but for the most part it really drags on. Heard better, heard worse.
(0) Comment(s)
Gorgoroth - Incipit Satan
The suicide of former drummer Grim seems to have affected this band quite a bit. This is not the Gorgoroth that I remember. If one word can describe the new sound, it is “heavy.” On most, if not all, of their previous releases, Gorgoroth had the rather thin, traditionally noisy guitar sound that exemplified the post-Darkthrone era of raw, underproduced Black Fucking Metal. Incipit Satan sees the guitars getting thicker and deeper, adding that infamous “Sunlight” sound to the mix as well. If “heavy” describes the sound, then “dark” describes the music. Things have slowed down, gotten heavy, Industrial/Dark Ambient elements have started creeping in, and the songs are much, much more mature than ever before. This album has more experimentation on it than all of the previous Gorgoroth albums combined. Shit, there is even the equivalent of a Goth Rock song on here! Granted, there are still faster segments on this CD, but nowhere near what albums such as Antichrist or Destroyer… were.
(0) Comment(s)
Kataklysm - The Prophecy (Stigmata of the Immaculate)
Damn, these guys have really come back down to Earth. These are actual songs, with actual vocal patterns! Still it leaves a bit to be desired as far as sticking with you goes. I may be on crack, but this sort of reminds me of mid-career Napalm Death, but hardly as unforgettable. I can handle about 10 minutes before the brutality becomes a narcolepsy-inducing drone. Everything this album has to offer is achieved in the first song. It’s basically just the same shit every track. This band should just throw in the towel, or maybe come back with something different.
(0) Comment(s)
Gehenna - Murder
Hell! This sounds a whole lot like old Dismember! This is definitely not the Gehenna that I remember from about 5 years ago! Back then, they still had Sarcana on keyboards and the band played Emperor-ish atmospheric Black Metal. After Malice (Our Third Spell), Sarcana left the band and things have gotten uglier and uglier since then - and I don’t mean because they lost a certified babe. After she left, their music became more brutal, more violent and just downright more fucking evil. Their previous album, Admirion Black, showed the band heading more in the Death Metal direction, taking influence from old Slayer and Exodus (Bonded by Blood-era) and that album was about as majestic and beautiful as a mugging. If Admirion Black was a mugging, then Murder is aptly named. This album is a continuation of that evolution. Murder is almost pure Death Fucking Metal like the Swedes played it back in the early ’90s. The guitars are down-tuned, distorted like fuck and the whole album is about as pretty as getting your skull smashed in with a sledgehammer while being ass-raped by a chainsaw. I wonder, if they keep going like they have been, will the next album be classified as a dismemberment?
(0) Comment(s)
The Gathering - If_Then_Else
With each album, The Gathering’s sound is more and more mainstreamed. That doesn’t have to be bad, but by this point in the game I don’t think they could get much mellower.
(0) Comment(s)
The Gathering - Superheat
What can really be said about live albums? Are you a fan of the band already? If so, then you’ll want to (and already have) check out this live disc. I’m sure it won’t make any converts to the band’s somewhat dark, very mellow sound. That said, the sound quality and production, which are always a major concern for live recordings, are absolutely stunning here. Apparently the “real” version of this CD will contain a CD-ROM video track that the promo copies do not have. That’s a real shame, since I’d think watching this band live would be a lot better than just hearing them.
(0) Comment(s)
Gardens of Gehenna - Dead Body Music
Dead Body Music is the second album by Gardens of Gehenna and their debut for Last Episode. Gardens of Gehenna plays brutal Doom/Death Metal with a minimalistic use of keyboards and occasional violin. Their first album reminded me more of My Dying Bride (back when they were a Death Metal band), but this one seems less Gothic and more Death Metal. In a way, it reminds me more of Thergothon than MDB now that they’ve taken the Gothic sound pretty much out of their music. The removal of that particular aspect of their sound has definitely added more brutality to their songs. One thing that remains, however, is that dark atmosphere that makes Doom/Death Metal more interesting. Yes, the gloominess is gone but the darkness is deeper and more malevolent.
(0) Comment(s)
Gardenian - Sindustries
More new-wave Swedish Metal. The press release wants me to say that this album has elevated Gardenian into the “realms of the death metal-elite,” but that’s hardly true for a number of reasons. While this is Metal of some form, I’d be hard pressed to call it “Death Metal.” Check out Entombed’s Left Hand Path, Grave’s Into the Grave, Unleashed’s Where No Life Dwells, or Dismsmber’s Like an Ever Flowing Stream for only a few examples of Swedish Death Metal. Also check them out for flawless examples of what should be meant by the word “elite.” This album isn’t bad, and certainly I like it more than Jack did their last one (1999’s Soulburner), but the infusion of Rock elements like wimpy vocals and some song structures and elements, only serve to dilute the rest.
(0) Comment(s)
Garden of Shadows - Oracle Moon
Attention-grabbing atmospheric Death Metal swathed in mystery. The music blends brutality with melody giving the songs added depth and complexity. Layered keyboards and swelling guitar rhythms create dark atmospheres that envelop the listener within their intricacies. A very involved effort, indeed not an album fully appreciated with a casual ear. Repeated spins expose deeper nuances in the music. Original, interesting, challenging, and memorable from beginning to end. Well done!
(0) Comment(s)
Page 186 of 388 pages « First < 184 185 186 187 188 > Last »
