Agathocles - Thanks for Your Hostility
Slightly less continually intense than I was expecting, but perhaps more memorable (“Distraction” really stands out). They seem to have taken a cue from Macabre in this respect, but Agathocles are still very much their own band.
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Adramelech - Psychostasia
I have been anxiously awaiting this release since I heard their 3” CD, The Fall, quite some time ago. Let me assure you that it was worth the wait. Almost anyone can write brutal songs; the real trick is making that brutality memorable, and Adramelechmakes it look like simplicity itself. Of course, the unbelievably powerful production helps, but it’s mostly the masterful way they craft these songs. Every new Death Metal band should be required to listen to this album to see how it’s done.
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Acrimony / Iron Rainbow - Mother Slug / The Castle
The Acrimony side is completely stoned out Groovy Doom, played in a style not dissimilar to the less interesting moments of the last few Cathedral releases. Well, at least I like the real Doom parts, but the rest just puts me to sleep in a hurry. Iron Rainbow provide one of their best songs, in their traditional Metal style, but the bad attempt at singing really brings it down for me.
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Acid Death - Promo Tape ‘96
The band’s fast Thrashy Death is occasionally so complex that it’s difficult to follow. A.D. really love to experiment with different musical & vocal styles. Within these 3 songs the music swings from fast Death to Progressive (like Fates Warning), and the vocals from harsh yells to whispers. A lesser band couldn’t possibly pull of such a stunt, but other than a few rough edges, Acid Death manage to make it look simple.
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Acid Bath - Pagan Terrorism Tactics
This is a vast improvement over their debut, When the Kite String Pops, but it’s still unimpressive. I think they decided to “go Alternative” with this release, but at least the annoying distorted vocals are (mostly) gone, and the riffs are a little better. You would really think that an album with song titles like “New Corpse” and “Dead Girl” would be better than this.
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Acheron - Anti-god, Anti-christ
As much as I enjoyed this band’s earlier material, I must admit that it was somewhat lacking in terms of production. That has been completely remedied with this stellar release. Clocking in at about a half hour (longer than any Deicide full-length, full-price album), not only is the production amazing, but the playing is stunning, and of course the songs are as memorable as ever. Only the spiritless Boyd Rice cover, “Total War,” keeps this from perfection.
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The Abyss - Summon the Beast
Why do so many Black Metal LPs hover around 30 minutes? This one is just under a half hour, but I have the feeling that they still charge full price for it. Enough of my complaints. For those familiar with the band’s first album, The Other Side, this is faster, and more intense. In fact, Summon the Beast is so unlike Hypocrisy that I can hardly believe that The Abyss is made up of that band’s members. Well, the stellar Abyss Studios production is a clue, but a lot of (smart) bands record there. You couldn’t hope for a more fast and furious style of Black Metal, but you might hope for more of this album. As good as The Abyss is, I am having difficulty in recommending that anyone spend their hard-earned cash on such a short release. But as far as the music alone is concerned, this is hard to beat.
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Abstain - Superiority Complex
Hardcore with the brutality and vocals of the most intense Death Metal, plus unholy speed. Napalm Death (and others) used to call this Grindcore. You just don’t hear too many Grind bands these days, much less great ones like Abstain. I doubt you’ll ever hear anything much more ferocious than these 9 songs, which are crammed into 15 minutes, and considering the price, there is no reason for anyone to pass this up.
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Abscess - Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men
These guys are really more of a gross-out Crust band than anything else, but I’ve heard them described as everything from Death Metal to Punk. It’s disgusting; if you have a weak stomach, the lyrics would make you puke. Also, generally things are pretty heavy, and there is a weird sense of humor and fun amid all the hate and shit. This reminds me of the old days of Nuclear Winter (although Abscess are certainly closer to Death Metal than we ever were), so I can only recommend it.
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