Hecate Enthroned - Kings of Chaos
Some lineup changes have altered the approach of this long-running English Black Metal band. You can throw those old Cradle of Filth comparisons out the window, try Massacre! Well, I exaggerate, but honestly, from the first riff onward a huge Death Metal influence is apparent. The guitars are chunkier, heavier, and this new vocalist can go both deep and screechy convincingly. This adds a lot to their sound, of course, the symphonic Black Metal this band is known for is still there. Perhaps they decided upon the genre’s rapid stagnation and ever-nearing burial that some dynamic flavor was necessary. Favorite track: “Blessing in Disguise.”
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Hate Eternal - Conquering the Throne
Speed for the sake of speed, but with added brutality. Erik Rutan (Morbid Angel) seems to be inspired here by Krisiun, as the playing is stunning and almost inhuman, especially the drumming. Impressive enough for speed, intensity and precision alone.
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Monstrosity - In Dark Purity
Well, they have finally done it. After two albums of near-flawless Death Metal, Monstrosity have achieved perfection. In Dark Purity is technical and yet intense - brutal and yet memorable. Apparently losing their old singer, George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, to Cannibal Corpse was a blessing in disguise - for both bands, really. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this is the best technical Death Metal I’ve ever heard, but it’s a contender, to be sure. And I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anyone pull off a Slayer cover (“Angel of Death”) so well. Every now and then I say that all new bands should be forced to listen to a particular album to hear how things should be done. This is one such album.
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Macabre - Unibomber
It’s been forever since Macabre has released any new stuff, so I think that you should drop everything and immediately go get this disc. It has three newly-recorded tracks: Two from the upcoming Dahmer album, and one, this EP’s title track, from the also upcoming Murder Metal album. Apparently the band has two complete LPs worth of material ready to go, but this is all they have recorded so far. Hopefully the new albums will be coming extremely soon. This EP also has two tracks each from the Gloom and Grim Reality releases, as if you needed more incentive to plunk down the $6 on it.
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Mayhem - Mediolanum Capta Est
This was recorded live in Italy, in November 1998, so other than the intro, it’s before their conversion to Techno-gayness. I’d like to point out that Hellhammer’s drumming is just as ultra-fast and exact live as it was on Wolf’s Lair Abyss, which is reason enough for anyone to check this out if you ask me. God damn he’s fast! As for the rest of the album, the sound is not bad, but certainly not great, with the instruments oddly separated. But they do play most of what any old fan would want to hear, such as “Deathcrush,” “Necrolust,” “Chainsaw Gutsfuck,” and of course “Pure Fucking Armageddon.” It’s tough for me to not think about Grand Declaration… and just dismiss this live album, too. But that would be a mistake. Plus it’s pretty entertaining to hear Maniac talk in-between songs, and Attila even contributes guest screams on “From the Dark Past.” Too bad they didn’t stop with this release.
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Marduk - Panzer Division Marduk
I think this is the fastest, most furious thing Marduk have ever released. And that’s really saying something. The amazing Abyss production really allows their blazing Black Metal to reach its full destructive potential. Favorite song title: “Fistfucking God’s Planet.”
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Manowar - Hell on Stage Live
I guess that no one is satisfied with a single disc live album anymore. Anyway the Kings of Metal are back with, strangely enough, another live album, their second in a row. Well, actually, this may be more of a “part 2” to the Hell on Wheels Live 2-CD set which preceded it, since it has none of the same songs. Honestly, I much prefer the song selection on Hell on Wheels Live, although Hell on Stage Live does easily have the superior cover art, so really only the most rabid fans and collectors will want both albums, and they of course already have them.
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Judas Iscariot - Heaven in Flames
This album was recorded back in ‘98, but has just recently seen the light of day. If you like Andy Harris’s previous work with Judas, then you will like this one too. Heaven in Flames sees more keyboard work slowly creeping into the steady assault of Von / early Burzum influenced Evil Black Fucking Metal. Note that Evil Black Fucking Metal does not equal “under-produced” so-called “Grim” Black Metal. Judas Iscariot is Evil Black Fucking Metal because no matter what kind of production Mr. Harris gets with this band, it still sounds fucking evil. Yes, Heaven in Flames doesn’t have the clean sound that Distant in Solitary Night had, but the feeling of pure hatred and darkness remains undiluted. Seriously, if we get enough of those 16-year-old Dimmu Borgir / Cradle of Filth kids to listen to this shit, then the church burnings of the early ’90s will start anew.
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Jack Frost - Glow Dying Sun
Now this is gloomy. The droning, sorrowful, deeply sung, clean vocals will just drain the life out of you through the ears. And the riffs are very much like razors slowly slicing fragile flesh. The press release suggests that this is “Dark Metal.” I’d put the emphasis on “Dark,” although it is certainly Metal, sometimes bringing Candlemass to mind, but it also incorporates considerable non-Metal influences, to create a dismal soundscape of inescapable suicidal dirges. After many, many spins I have yet to find a single second of anything less than perfection in this festival of sorrow, and thus give Jack Frost the just reward of their supreme efforts.
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