The coolest thing about this band is that Foamy the Squirrel once mentioned it in a rant/ad for some Metalfest. I’ve heard EoF described many different ways, and there are a lot of influences (Metal, Emo, Goth, to name a few) here… But it’s all so watered down, uninspired and bland that it’s like looking at a collage of a dozen pictures that have been Photoshopped until everything is just gray, and all I can think about while listening to this is how badly I want to eject the disc.

Brutal Swedish Grindcore in the vein of Nasum, Rotten Sound, and Gadget. I believe a “‘nuff said” is in order.

Industrial/Ambient Black Metal. Militant, throbbing foundations similar to Death in June or Current 93 with spacious layers of ominous, evil atmosphere. It works, as far as the duo successfully accomplishing what they set out to achieve, but the end result is an album that forces the mind to wander. A polite way of saying that it’s boring, if you will. In the end it’s just 37 minutes of plodding background music. Hard to hate, but even harder to pay attention to.

Without a doubt, easily, far and away some of the best Power Metal I’ve ever heard.

What can be left to say about a band such as the infamous Dissection? Main-man Jon Nodtveidt killed himself, so the “rebirth” was sadly fleeting. But this video is a fitting tribute to him and his band. It is supremely well-shot with the concert itself being widescreen (although inexplicably non-anamorphic!), and options for both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 surround sound. I don’t think that these guys ever wrote a song that was less than awesome, so as impressive as this live set is, the only way I could have been 100% satisfied is had they played literally everything. But, that’s not to say that the set-list is short. The concert is about 90 minutes, and the Stockholm crowd is absolutely rabid the entire time. From beginning to end it’s a flawless, intense performance. The bonus features include a lengthy, in-depth interview with Jon (“…it became clear to me that I never want to be a part of society.”), photo gallery and the video for “Starless Aeon.” There is no way to recommend this enough.

Rumor has it that mainman Jon Nodtveidt has recently killed himself, allegedly while partaking in some Satanic ritual. If true, it sucks that we’ve lost another gifted Metal mind, but if you’re going to commit suicide, a Satanic ritual is probably the way to go. That would also mean that Reinkaos, the first new material from these legendary Swedes in over a decade, will be the last thing Dissection ever puts out after all. Well, if you’re expecting The Somberlain 2 you’ll probably be disappointed, but you shouldn’t be. When your main creative force is behind bars for seven years, your sound is bound to change somewhat, but this album is extremely focused and refreshing. The songwriting is sharp, everything sounds heavier, and the technical proficiency has a startling resemblance to latter-era Death. The lyrics are pure Satanic blasphemy, and Nodtveidt’s voice is venomously raspy and completely intelligible. There are actually pit-designed riffs on this record, something I never thought I’d hear on a Dissection album, but was pleased to find. I’m not saying it beats the old stuff, but it’s just as cool in a different way. Plus it’s the last we’ll hear from Dissection, making it as mandatory as can be. Farewell, Jonny! Artistic even in death. Maybe I’ll find the strength someday.

Finally this 2004 under-the-radar gem is back in circulation. For those unfamiliar with this band’s brief stint on Metal Blade Records, this is actually a Vader side project, and they essentially sound like Vader with a different vocalist. No complaints here. If you like Vader but don’t like this, I have to question your very existence. Hardest hitters: “Unrevealed by Words” and “The Plague.”

Not one original member of this once heavy-hitting Metalcore act remains, and boy is it more evident than ever before. A band that could once give Throwdown a run for their money in the mosh department sounds more like a beefed up Sevendust in 2006. Newer vocalist Paul Stoddard did prove his worth on the very enjoyable Tearing Down Your Blue Skies, but this record sees his leanings toward Radio Rock vocals significantly weaken almost half the album. Much like Killswitch Engage, who also overdo the Living Colour vocals lately, this doesn’t stack up against past efforts. The only salvageable cuts: “Never Forget” and “S.O.S.”

I don’t like this re-release fad sweeping the Metal community. It’s bullshit. If you like a band, you want to buy their album when it first comes out. Am I supposed to wait two years after the release date so I can have the mediocre Slayer cover and newly enhanced barcode? I realize the labels want to keep something fresh by their bands on the shelf, but I don’t have wheelbarrows of extra cash to piss away every time a band re-records an intro. This album is only two years old. Isn’t the idea of a re-release best suited for long-out-of-print things? What am I supposed to do with the old one? Wipe my ass with it, throw it away, sell it for a dollar? It’s asinine to own two copies of the same record, so give me the goods the first time around or go fuck yourselves. Keep your eyes peeled for the 2007 re-re-release of Tearing Down Your Blue Skies which will feature a new band photo, newly enhanced copyright date and complimentary Band-Aid for your bleeding asshole.

I’m unaware if there are actually any of these left. This 7-inch EP is limited to 525 copies, so anyone interested might want to hurry. Devilry play a virile yet underproduced brand of extremity bordering between bestial Death Metal and militant Thrash. An uptempo assault for sure, but somehow never quite manages to achieve Grind status amidst its scratchy/gurgling vocal tradeoffs. While the four songs show a fine practice of riffcraft, the end result just isn’t memorable enough for sincere recommendation.

Amazing! Absolutely fucking amazing! I’m not one of these Tech Metal geeks that get an erection for fast, bizarre fretboard molestation and quirky sounds, but Poland’s Deivos bring the motherfucking Tech and sacrifice no brutality in the process. The bass playing on this album makes Brain Drill sound like Nirvana, and the drums have that blasting charisma that made the first Cryptopsy album so special. Add to that a guttural brutality that matches… well… any of the bands on Unmatched Brutality. There is even rapid fire cowbell! What more do you need?

Two tracks of uninspired, poorly produced Death Metal with guttural vocals. Extremely forgettable. And why not just think of a different band name? Is the “BR” really going to set you that far apart from the thirty other bands named Deformity?

I’d be tempted to call this band a Cannibal Corpse clone, except they’re not that good. Vocalist, Josh Ross, does have a very Corpsegrinder-like delivery, that much is undeniable. It’s just that Decomposed’s Death Metal isn’t technical enough to be modern, at the same time not primal enough to be Old School. A poor recording doesn’t help matters either. With an actual budget and a tad more focus, these guys could be deadly.

A reissue of the 2001 LP on Warhammer from a widely considered cult band from the US. I want to like this, sheerly for their wholehearted attempt to capture the ancient essence of Dead-era Mayhem, but I just can’t force myself to. You can call this “primitive,” “cult,” or “true” all you want, it’s just plain slop with a piss poor recording.

As is usually the case with Power Metal, the music here is fine. Production from Dan Swano never hurts either. I find the Black Metal vibes of this project, the brainchild of Vintersorg and Borknagar’s main men, much more enjoyable, but the Butt Rock vocals simply have to go. They destroy all chances of a solid listen.

I think we’ve reached Fag Factor Five, Captain. Apparently the band named themselves after their favorite beverage. I dig the artwork, and the lyrics might be okay, but this ultra-slick faggy Goth Metal does nothing for me. It sounds forced and painfully unpainful. Try ripping off Katatonia. I like it when bands do that.

For every five hundred bands I hear do the Gothenberg thing, and I’m not even counting the Metalcore bands, every once in a great while I come across a clone band so brilliant that I forget that its been done to death. The Cold Existence embody the spirit, passion, and tension of Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, Eucharist, and At the Gates all in their respective primes. A revisitation to the good old days played to perfection.

As much of a fan as I am of their classic Germ of Error album, this one just flat out doesn’t have it. Sounding less like the Grindcore elite we know they can be, and more like a confused Crust band in their infancy stages, Crash Test does not pass. Hopefully just a hiccup in an otherwise solid career, not the final death belch.

Oddly, I don’t think that I’ve ever heard this Finnish band before, despite it being around for over a decade. Usually that’s a bad sign, but not completely this time. Stylistically this is melodic “Black” Metal, with some occasional Flokish influences, plus a dash of Gothic Metal, I guess, here and there and a strong Euro Power Metal undertone, or something equally wimpy. That said, it’s usually not a bad combination, with rare moments of greatness. For reasons unknown to me, the band has more than one lead singer, which is never a good idea, and especially sucks ass here, with one of the guys turning in an absolutely embarrassing performance. The video (16x9 anamorphic) is good, although notably less stunning than on most of the other Metal Mind DVDs, and audio (DD 5.1, of course) quality is excellent. But this wasn’t filmed in front of the usual (for Metal Mind videos) huge festival crowd (in fact, the crowd is small, doesn’t seem all that into the band, and decreases over the course of the show) and that’s a real distraction. It’s also slightly weird to hear Catamenia cover Satyricon, even if it is “Fuel for Hatred.” The guys also do a W.A.S.P. cover (“I Wanna Be Somebody”), which is just kinda wrong in execution. And that’s not a bad description of the band in general. They have the chops, but after watching this DVD I realize why I’d never heard of them before. Naturally there are the standard bonus features, including some video clips, an interview, photos, and so on, plus the band’s 1995 and 1996 demos, audio-only, of course, which I liked a lot more than than the live show…

Decent Old School Death Metal in the same vein as Autopsy, Morgue, and Cianide. Notice I said “vein,” not “league.” Morgue Mutilations does deliver a few moments of catchy brutality, but it’s nothing that will maim you into an unrecognizable paste. Maybe just an itchy rash and colitis.