Heavy, but underproduced Death. A better production would help a lot, but I’m sure this was the best that could be done. The songs are somewhat experimental, mixing faster parts with Doomy bits. And the vocals are raw, but understandable, and not too deep - in fact sometimes the vocals are kinda screeched for a line or word.

Musically this is great sounding and pretty Thrashy. Vocally and in the lyrics is where it grabs me - in a bad way. The lyrics show no originality whatsoever. A new approach to these ancient lyrical topics would have helped. About the vocals: Brant sounds sorta like The Great Kat, but almost worse. And this is really too bad, because musically this is cool.

Ah yes, another tale of war and destruction from Bolt Thrower. It seems to me that Bolt Thrower is like good wine, it gets better with time. Their latest release, War Master, is by far their best to date. With the classic sounds of Bolt Thrower’s guitars tuned as low as possible, the constant, pounding double bass, and the horrendously deep vocals, they are one of the best Grindcore bands around. Outstanding songs include “Destructive Infinity” (a bonus CD track), “War Master” and “Rebirth of Humanity.” Along with the deadly songs, you get to stare at one of the best album covers ever done. So go out and give these guys (and a girl) a try, you just might become the next war master.

This 26 song Noise demo surprised me by having some actual riffs! Not exclusively Noise/Grind, this sometimes is just fucking weird, but mostly noisy as shit. One of the better Noise demos I’ve received from my pal Steinbock, mostly due to the fast Grind (machine) drums and the introduction of the ultra-heavy guitar. It’s still funny, though. On some songs the vox are sorta ultra distorted, but melodic, if that makes any sense. Much better than I expected. Possibly the Noise demo to own.

Bloody Mary is a Thrash band with an attitude and a groove. This four song demo is completely and totally flawless, despite its few flaws. What’s that supposed to mean? Just that Randy’s vocals are one with the music, which flows so freely as to lock the listener into its embrace- Syrn-like (minus the rocks!). This is not extremely heavy (although it is heavy), nor is it exceptionally fast (although it’s not without speed). What it is, is extremely memorable Thrash, played and recorded to a high standard. Awesome.

A warning to all lyricists: do NOT rhyme “fire” with “desire” unless you want me to make fun of you! Other than ignoring this warning in the very first line of the very first song on this demo (which is called “Burning Desire” -give me a fucking break, guys!), Blackness don’t do a lot else which is noteworthy. Musically kinda speedy Thrash, and vocally a semi-screechy yell. Not really bad, but they bring nothing new to this at all. It just doesn’t do much for me.

Fuck this album kicks ass. This is one of the best releases of the year. When I first heard this, I couldn’t believe they found a better vocalist then Barney (now in Napalm Death). The production is unbelievable. Karl from Bolt Thrower provides backing vocals on “Jumping at Shadows.” Two songs even have some lyrics taken from letters written by serial killers. For a band who’s first album was average, to come out with this piece of sheer brutal godslaying Death Metal is a 100% turn for the better.

Belt is not Death Metal. In fact, it isn’t Metal of any kind. I’d say it is mood music. But it is definitely the mood I like to be in. It’s eerie. It makes me think of an evil presence in an unfamiliar location. On many of the tracks the beat is irregular, like the final heartbeats of a captive, and the lyrics are only slightly more than subliminal. If you want to hear evil in a new form, check out Belt.

Really great sounding Thrash. Speedy for the most part, this has a tremendous feel to it. Even the slow bits have a lot of energy. It has to do with the drums, I’m sure. Hey, their cover of “Back in the USSR” is pretty cool, too.

Clear production, memorable songs, (badly) yelled vocals. Lyrics are sometimes stupid, and occasionally the repetition really gets to me, as in the first track, “March Into Hell.” A new, less annoying, singer and with him some new lyrics would save this band, since the music is great.

The sound is brutal, yet you can hear everything. They get a big, heavy sound for a 3-piece. Anyway, this Death Metal band has only one drawback: Paul’s vocals simply aren’t heavy enough to fit the music. He has this highish, raspy scream, and the music is just a lot more brutal. Especially the drums (which kick fuckin’ ass). With a little fine tuning, Bathym will be a real power.

This is a stunning example of how great Thrash can be. Completely relentless and ruthless music and powerful vocals. Heavy, yet clear, production. In a word: great. Bands like Axemaster can save Thrash. Buy this tape. ‘Nuff said.

Super heavy Death. The vox are as raw as possible, I can barely understand them, even with the lyric sheet. The production could have been better, but I’m glad it doesn’t sound like a Morrisound clone-thing. So I’ll stand behind the production too. Even the packaging is cool. The CD is in a digipak, not in a regular jewel case. It’s interesting, if nothing else. The songs are very heavy and usually slow. Brutally grinding. If you want the extreme in slow Death, this is it.

Martin Van Drunen (ex-Pestilence) has taken over on vox and bass, and Asphyx has never sounded better. This album is extremely brutal and well produced. And, notice: it’s not a Morrisound production. Harrow Productions in Holland, actually. Century Media has emerged as one of the best independent record labels in this country and more LPs like The Rack will propel them to the top. This is one album that all Death Metal fans should own. However, there is a strange absence of double bass action…

Interesting. These songs are pretty memorable. Their style is fairly unique, and occasionally sorta Doomy, but with many different styles used in each song. There is really a lot going on here, as they cover most of the Death zone. Actually it may be too much, as it is sometimes a little hard to follow. Weird and experimental, but very cool.

These guys are sick, and to prove how sick they get G.G. Allin (pre-death) to speak, over the phone, on one track, “Interior Depths.” The rest of the songs are Crusty, Punky fuckin’ shit. “Buttlickin’ Trendy,” is especially great in light of the recent popularity of Danzig. Stunning, amazing, and on pink vinyl, with white sperm splatters. Buy this or die.

Cool things about this demo: It claims to have been recorded in Hell, the songs are all fairly memorable, they have a kinda unique sound, and their lyrics are pretty cool. Bad points about this demo: The vocals are good and raw, but too loud - they overpower the music; a thicker production would make the music, which is sorta Thrashy, seem heavier and more in sinc with the raw vocals. Now, both of my criticisms would easily be taken care of by a better studio - Hell is pretty low-tech. Check this out.

Three songs from Apocalypse and two from Mindrot. Apocalypse play a yelled-vocal heavy Thrash, but with the twist of a female singer. It’s interesting. Mindrot’s songs are not on either their EP or LP for Relapse, so that’s a nice plus. This may not be “the split to end all splits,” as it claims, but it is really impressive.

Here is a very good five piece Doom band from Liverpool. The vocalist, Darren White, sounds a lot like Nick Holmes from Paradise Lost, and for the most part, the bands does too. This four song demo has well written lyrics which deal with everything from religion to death. The only fault of this band is their lack of originality, but that’s OK, they are still awesome.

I think a few words on the production are in order: It is very clear and distinct. And that is something of a problem here, the instruments are too distinct. They sound too separate. Fortunately, this is not always the case, but when it is, it’s very annoying. Other than that, I found the lyrics to occasionally be too repetitive, as in the song “Paint a Picture.” If I never hear the phrase “I’ll paint a picture” again it will be too soon. But again, the lyrics are not always so grating and are actually pretty good where they don’t repeat so often. Vocally, Kenn is good; he usually sings in melodic way, but when the time is right he shrieks, not unlike the original vocalist from Death Angel. Musically, Anacrusis range from a lighter Thrash, to double bass driven, fast, heavy Thrash. A few problems hold this band back, but still, this is a solid effort.