Here we have a good example of a band reaching a little too deep for a theme. Hoping to become the Macabre of the librarian circuit, Seattle’s Bloodhag have devoted 100% of their subject matter to their favorite authors. So much so that they actually name their songs after the literary figures, with the lyrical content for the tracks being information about that particular writer and/or critique of their works. A bit puzzled? Yes, I think you’re supposed to be. Look, I love a good book as much as anyone, and it’s good to know that Metalheads can still read, but it just comes off as odd, and honestly, flat-out lame. Maybe if they’d put more into making the music innovative and unique I could get into it more, but this is pretty middle-of-the-road Death/Grind with a touch of Thrash, and it doesn’t quite get the blood flowing. I appreciate and sympathize with an extreme band trying to say something other than the same old same-old, but that understanding doesn’t make this any less annoying. I wish Bloodhag all the best of luck in their quest to globalize Dewey Decimal Core, but I think I’ll make the bold move and avoid the bandwagon.

This latest release by Bloodstorm is quite chaotic and quite polished at the same time. The riffs are jarring and the vocals have nothing to do with the flow of the music. The production, on the other hand, is great. You can hear every note clearly and the whole thing is thick and powerful. In a way, this band reminds me of older bands such as Profanatica/Havohej or Beherit but in the quasi-out of control way much like the USBM band Krieg. The music is fast and brutal and so in your face that it takes a couple listens to figure out just what they’re doing. The thing that annoyed me most about this album was the vocals being out of sync with the music. It sounds like Mezzadurus is singing along to a different song half the time because his delivery doesn’t flow with the riffs. This is why bands like Profanatica and Beherit come to mind. I get the feeling that the lyrics were written independently of the music and they just decided to throw them over whichever song they happened to be doing at the time. And the lyrics… I want what these guys are smoking, because this shit is just too fucking far out. I read an interview with Mezzadurus where he tried to explain them, and all this did was confuse me more. It’s like he was trying to explain quantum physics to a bunch of kindergarten kids. It’s definitely esoteric. I’ll commend them for trying to inject some new ideas into the rather stale Black Metal universe, because it is definitely needed - but trying to understand this makes my head hurt.

Former Emperor bassist Tchort must be a happy guy these days. Not only has he been on three albums this last year, he’s been on three albums by three radically different bands. Carpathian Forest is pure Black Metal, Green Carnation is more Atmospheric Doom and this album is pure Death Fucking Metal. Blood Red Throne sounds a lot like the Florida style mixed with some of the Thrashier elements of seminal Death Metal bands like Autopsy, Death and Death/Thrash bands like Slayer and Exodus. The thing that makes this band stand out is the fact that they have very developed songs. They might stay within the confines of Death Metal but you can tell them apart and they each have some little hook or break that gets your head banging uncontrollably. From what I’ve read of the band, their aim is to craft songs that they, themselves, like to listen to. Well, I have to say that they have good taste because this is some amazing shit. This album doesn’t dwell on little issues like “brutality” or speed. Monument of Death is just that. This is what Death Metal should be. There is song diversity, solid playing, good production and most important of all, kick-ass music.

“…this next song goes out to the fantasy people out there, it goes out to all the wiggers, all the white people that wear FUBU gear, all the fuckin’ MTV faggots who can’t stand on their own two fuckin’ feet and be fuckin’ themselves…” Thus starts the last song (a live version of “Paper Gangster”) on this 73+ minute look at the career of Blood for Blood. In fact, the last 11 songs were all recorded live at a show from January, 2001. The sound on the live tracks is excellent, and it’s great to finally hear this Hardcore behemoth live, even if they do come off a little more like Gang Green than Carnivore, at least in the between-song rants. But, although the live show would be plenty of reason to own this CD, it’s hardly the only one or even the most compelling. What I found to be the most indispensable part of this release is the first half, which is comprised of tracks from 7-inches, demos, compilations, and one less-than-awesome previously unreleased track (for which the band apologizes in the liner notes: “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I hear that thing”). These songs include several covers (Wretched Ones’ great sing-along “Goin’ Down the Bar,” Slapshot, and Deadboys), as well as the cuts from the Hurt You demo, the absolutely incredible “Soulless,” and more. If you ask me, this is about as essential as things get - a must buy situation, if you will.

Returning with their first recording since Nightfall in Middle-Earth, a 2-song EP to hold fans over until the imminent release of A Night at the Opera, Blind Guardian are back to remind everyone why they are the true masters of their craft. The 14-minute title track is an epic piece of symphonic Power Metal vast in scope and grand in scheme. The musicianship displayed on this song is absolutely staggering. Huge, sweeping guitar-melodies shower the landscape painted by this tale and are the perfect accompaniment to the godly, unequaled voice of Hansi Kursch. A host of guest-musicians creates an operatic ethereal atmosphere that only adds to this song’s magnificence. A subdued melodic, acoustic-based piece entitled “Harvest of Sorrow” follows and further proves the unfaltering capabilities of this band. To top it all off, they were kind enough to include the CD-ROM video of “Born in a Mourning Hall.” Hell yes, this EP is worth every penny!

Bethlehem is yet another band that has embraced the electronic age. This album is overflowing with samples, bleeps, blips and every other annoying mechanized sound they could produce. Other than a few tracks that have similarities to material by Katatonia, nothing manages to generate any interest for me. Lyrics sung completely in German don’t help matters either. This album comes with a second disc which contains various instrumental works composed by different members of the band. This disc is even more electronically-enhanced than the first! I hope this will be the last time I ever have to listen to such music, but Ray seems to enjoy torturing me. [You and everyone else! -Editor]

This band hails from Spain but sounds very much in line with the Norse style of keyboard-laden Black Metal. In a way, this album reflects what Emperor and Dimmu Borgir where doing almost 10 years ago. There are a few extras thrown in on top of all that but ultimately, this sounds very old hat. The inclusion of more Folk oriented stuff later on seemed kind of strange, but at the same time, that stuff worked better for them in terms of defining their sound than the obvious Emperor / Dimmu Borgir worship that comprised the bulk of this album. The songs themselves were okay for the most part with only the last couple standing out at all (mostly from the Folk parts). I think that this band is still trying to define their sound and this makes …from the Celtiberian Woods much more of a mixed bag than it should have been. The production on this album was not the greatest either. Someone should kick the studio engineer’s ass for fucking up the drum tones. The snare sounded like a metal garbage can lid and the bass drums sounded like someone was flicking a light switch on and off. Not only that but the guitars were buried and the bass was barely there too. Give these guys a decent studio budget and a couple years to develop their style. They still have a ways to go.

For the uninformed, Benediction has lost longtime frontman Dave Ingram to Bolt Thrower. This new singer is okay, he sounds like a cheap imitation of Ingram. Songs like “Suicide Rebellion” and “Suffering Feeds Me” are filled with classic Benediction hooks, while other tracks like “Diary of a Killer” and “Easy Way to Die” fail due to cheesy groove and the vocalist’s butchery. Overall, I’ve got mixed feelings here. Without a doubt the last Benediction album I’m reaching for when I get the urge.

Fast symphonic Black Metal that really suffers due to the strange mix. The drums are super loud, which isn’t surprising, but the guitars are totally buried behind them and the keyboards and vocals. It makes this sound as if there almost aren’t any guitars at all sometimes. Honestly, I kind of like it anyway, but a different mix, with monster guitars killing everyone in earshot would have turned this from good to great.