Mediocre, melodic Thrash with hints of Swedish Black Metal. Well-played but minus a shred of memorability. I am told this band actually signed their record contract in their own blood. At least they’ll be remembered for something.

Musically the band churns out a relentlessly mediocre stream of boring Thrash, recycled Metalcore, and tired Machine Head idolatry. Vocally the band sounds confused. Imagine Fred Durst trapped in Mike Patton’s body intermittent with a standard scream. The disc is not crippled by a lack of talent or solid execution, but rather an underlying sense of desperation that lends itself to dullness.

It is rare that the Life Sentence label lets me down. Considered a seal of quality in underground Hardcore circles, especially the Straight Edge scene, the label has become a launching pad for many aspiring careers in the Metalcore genre. As of late they seem to have become a training camp for the Trustkill Records roster. Eighteen Visions and It Dies Today both got their cherries popped on Life Sentence. All that said, Above This Fire don’t really light my flame. They play Old School Hardcore with irritating, higher-pitched, talk-shouted vocals. Musically this is decent, I suppose. Fast, simple and catchy with a good deal of melody, but nothing that’s going to make the heart stop, and the vocals quite frankly are too big an obstacle to hurdle. This sounds like the crap that Victory was signing in the early ’90s. Still, I can count the number of times Life Sentence has disappointed me on one hand (keep your ears peeled for With Dead Hands Rising, Wings of Scarlet, Nientara, and Tears from the Sky).

Just under a decade into their career, and Belgian Gore gods Aborted have unleashed what is sure to be their breakthrough opus. I haven’t seen a piece of press on this release yet that did not make reference to Carcass’ Heartwork album (it’s funny, I distinctly remember being the only one on the planet who had anything nice to say about that record when it came out, with everyone screaming sell out, and the band even being barraged with beer bottles and booed off stage in Chicago for not playing anything from their first two albums, but now it’s cool), and I can’t really disagree. Huge steps have been taken towards melody, feel, and groove, and they’ve apparently fallen in love with the breakdown, but the band still manage to retain nearly all of their relentless Gore-soaked brutality. Vocally, Sven De Caluwe has incorporated a crispy, more understandable, Jeff Walkeresque snarl to compliment his guttural growls, and I think that’s where a lot of these Heartwork comparisons are coming from. The production is fucking immaculate! In fact, listening to this disc, I’m tempted to say this is the best overall production an Extreme Metal album has ever featured. I understand your skepticism, but I’d sure like to hear your arguments. In short, believe all the hype. While I’m still partial to the classic Engineering the Dead album, time will most likely reveal The Archaic Abattoir to be Aborted’s finest moment.

Musically, A Farewell Fire remind of three different styles: Metalcore, Radio Rock, and Nu-Metal. I know that sounds scary, and it is, but in all honesty, my beef with this self-financed disc is not the music at all. It’s these fucking American Idol vocals that ruin it for me. It’s not like Billy Moros can’t sing either, he has a better voice than the fags from Nickelback, Staind, Hinder, or whatever band braindead pieces of shit listen to this month, but it just doesn’t fit right or sound good at all. What sucks is when the Hardcore backing vocals kick in (“Design”), you get a glimpse of how good this would be with a more abrasive style. The lyrics aren’t too bad, either. If they could just stop trying to be an even more pussified version of Disturbed for ten minutes and embrace their aggression, they’d be kickin’ your dick in. With this strained Pop crooning, they’re just sucking it.

You know, buying an Unleashed album is kind of like buying an AC/DC album. You know what you’re going to get as soon as you see it. Unleashed is Unleashed. Nothing more, nothing less. You’re going to get Thrashy Swedish Death Metal with riffs that make you bang your head. You’re going to get lyrics that you can sing along to when the chorus part hits. It’s going to be heavy, the songs are going to be under four minutes long (except for one, but you’re not going to notice nine seconds) and you’re going to fucking like it. It doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to figure out what Johnny Hedlund and the gang are up to. Sworn Allegiance kicks ass in all the right places and has done a great job of keeping me entertained. If you’re looking for progression, technical excellence or groundbreaking originality, go buy the new Uli Roth album instead - it has all that and more. If you’re looking for an album that will have your head banging from the first song to the last, Sworn Allegiance does that in spades.

After a couple of, umm, let’s say, less than perfect albums, Unleashed has truly returned to form this time. I was happy enough with the opening song, “Winterland,” and ready to embrace this as the great album I wanted it to be, but then The Lord of the Rings-inspired “Destruction (of the Race of Men)” started up and when the chorus hit with its blast beat, I just shit my pants, jumped up, started banging my head and slamming myself bodily into the walls. I’d mention some of the other songs, like “Insane for Blood” or “To Miklagard,” as really standing out, but then I’d really have to just list them all. After listening to the new albums from Unleashed, Grave, and Dismember, I think that a new golden age of Swedish Death Metal is upon us!

Finally, the highly anticipated new album from the cream of the Razorback crop, the infamous Lord Gore. Gore-drenched, ultra-guttural Death Metal with some of the sickest Death growls known to man. Lord Gore’s finest attribute is that they can absolutely crush at any speed. Mostly attacking at a headbanging-friendly mid-pace, but fully capable of going all-out dirge, or at full blast, as this is probably among the fastest material they’ve ever recorded. In all honesty, this isn’t quite as memorable or as rhythmically dynamic as their breakthrough masterpiece, 2002’s The Autophagous Orgy, but it is Lord Gore and I’ll sure as hell take it. Highly recommended for Gore enthusiasts or just plain old Death Metal purists.

Those familiar with the extreme Black/Death Metal of Hate will be very happy to know about this DVD, which features a live show (shot in 2004) of about 75 minutes, in widescreen and 5.1 Dolby Surround sound, as one would expect from Metal Mind. Plus all the usual bonus features, such as a band biography, photo gallery, interview, and so on. It’s very impressive all around. So much so, in fact, that it might well convert some new fans to the Hate cause, which is difficult for a live recording to do.

Chimera is an album that really shows the weaknesses of a one-guitar band. The sound on this album is good, yet the guitar seems to be a little weak. It just doesn’t have a full enough sound to get out of the shadow of the percussion section. The riffs are audible for the most part, but this album really suffers when the speed is high, which is a lot of the time. When Mayhem slows things down, they are generally at their best. The riffs are more memorable, have a bit of an atmosphere and don’t sound like a wall of white-noise buried somewhere between the snare and the bass drums. When the speed kicks up, the riffs lose their clarity and it gets a bit tough to hear just what Blasphemer is playing, particularly when Hellhammer decides to ride the snare and blast away. I was a bit leery about getting this album as I really didn’t like the way Mayhem had decided to progress with Grand Declaration of War, but Chimera is much more akin to Wolfs Lair Abyss in terms of sound. Personally, while I thought that Chimera was an okay album, I really, really prefer De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas to anything the newer version of Mayhem has released since.

Extremely guttural US Death/Grind! The playing is tighter than a kike’s ass, the production is solid, and the vocalist is fucking amazing. I am totally reminded of the band Devourment, and that’s a good thing.

Krisiun just keep getting better. By continuing to experiment with the groove and dynamics introduced on 2003’s Works of Carnage, they have completely revitalized their sound and given their inhumanly fast, insanely technical Death Metal assault vibrant new life. Slowing things down a bit and adding breakdowns with diabolically wicked start-stop riff action makes their demonically potent attack that much more energetic. If you liked Works of Carnage, you will worship at the altar of Bloodshed, as it is more of the same evil goodness. All that keeps this “EP” from perfection is the addition of four tracks from their long out-of-print debut, Unmerciful Order, which even the band themselves would probably admit is not their finest hour, and an excessive amount of slightly uninteresting instrumentals. Perhaps they were forced to beef up the length to fulfill contractual obligations? The inclusion of the older material does serve as a great measuring tool to show just how far this band has come.

Much like the recent reformation of fellow NY Death Metal legends, Pyrexia, this incarnation of Internal Bleeding is hardly authentic. Drummer, Bill Tolley, is the sole original member. Nevertheless, all worries and doubts were immediately cast aside upon first listen of this monstrously aggressive slab of USDA-approved prime cut Death Metal. Massive waves of crushing groove envelop the listener while brutal riff after brutal riff detonate in a campaign of shock and awe. Internal Bleeding’s riffs have never been more pit, nor have their beats ever been so trippy. All joking aside, this is a flawless album. The guitars, drums, bass, vocals, and lyrics are the embodiment of the word “heavy.” This is a masterpiece of negative energy that hits like the curb on an open jaw. And by the way, while a lot of the kids today may believe mixing the brutality of Death Metal with the intensity of Hardcore is a novel idea, these guys (regardless of lineup status) have been at it for 14 years. Show some respect and add an impeccable album to your collection in the process. Best of the best: “Bleed by Example,” “Siege in the Clouds,” “Far Above You,” and “Hatefuel.”

Up until 2002’s Blasphemy LP, the highlight of Incantation’s career, to me, was a Death cover. I just never really got into them back in the day. They have always been one of the most brutal Death Metal bands around, there’s no question about that, but for me, it has to be memorable, too. As I said, I thought with Blasphemy they had finally turned the corner and discovered the formula for both attributes, but sadly with Decimate Christendom, they have reverted back to old habits. Again they have crafted an extremely brutal album, but aside from the standout cut, “Dying Divinity,” nothing here sticks. Not even the slower stuff is catchy this time. This album goes by like a heavy blur, sterile and forgettable. Maybe they can bounce back and make another solid album, maybe I’m just nuts in the first place. Either way, this is a disappointment for me.

These Danish Death-Thrashers remind me a ton of old Arch Enemy. Even more so than Johan Liiva’s new band, Hearse. They take a less melodic approach to the Gothenberg style, emphasizing more on speed and crunch. Defleshed might be a fair comparison, or perhaps a highly improved Haunted. My only problem with this, other than the really stupid album title, is the vocalist. His scream is just so basic and plain. What’s worse, he has a terrific Death growl that he sadly will only use sparingly for backing purposes. More Death growls, a touch more melody, and just a dab of originality here and there will ensure the next Hatesphere album stakes claim to the throne. Let’s just hope they don’t name it Macarena of the Malevolent.

Let me begin by saying that The Arrival is still nowhere near as good as Penetralia or Abducted. That being said, The Arrival is still 10,000% better than Catch 22. The songs on this album sort of sound like a mixture of the material on Abducted and the less Slipknot inspired stuff from Catch 22, with more of an emphasis on the Abducted sound. That in itself puts this light years over Catch 22, which was almost painful to listen to at times. There are still times where Catch 22 rears its ugly head and infects some of the riffs on The Arrival, but thankfully this is not that much of an issue here. I’m glad that Hypocrisy listened to the fans and started going back to what made them a great band. Though The Arrival is not the world’s most godly album, I’ve had my faith in the band restored and I’m looking forward to hearing their next album.

Reviewing CDs may not be the toughest gig out there, but try doing a band like this justice. How do I even begin to tell you how fucking awesome this is? How do you try to sum up in words the brilliance this German Metalcore outfit possess musically and lyrically? You can’t use comparisons, because these guys don’t sound like anybody. On the contrary, other bands try to sound like them! It all starts with an almost scientific mastery of rhythm. If they gave out an award for Best Palm-Muting, Heaven Shall Burn might win it hands down (no pun intended). Then you have the grinding, the melodies, and the breakdowns that just don’t sound like anyone else’s. They achieve, seemingly with ease, Death Metal brutality delivered with a Thrash-like precision, yet can musically embody a sense of misery and struggle with a sincerity most Emocore bands can only dream of. Lyrically, broken hearts and self-interest take a backseat to the world’s pain and suffering, not to mention its eminent demise. Vocally, Marcus is just a pure screamer. Someone who is just born with it. I don’t think in eight years the man has used a single vocal effect, and oh yeah, when he wants to he can even sing a little bit, too. I’ll just put it this way, this is Heaven Shall Burn’s fourth full length album, and they’ve yet to write bad song one. I pity the poor bastard who misses out on this.

I have no idea what anyone sees in this band. They are a sterilized Slayer rip-off with one fast beat. Maybe if I were 4 years old, and the only music I’d ever heard was Amy Grant and Michael Jackson, this would seem like the most extreme band on the planet. This album, their debut for Century Media, sees the return of original vocalist, Peter Dolving. Like I give a shit. I will say that this is easily their most diverse album to date. That is to say, there’s actually a couple different drumbeats, and a small handful of riffs that don’t completely sound like rearranged and modernized copies of the riffs on South of Heaven. It seems like in certain parts they go for a dirty Rock ‘n’ Roll vibe, but I could just be hallucinating from boredom. It’s not like these guys are the worst band in the world, just outrageously overrated.

According to the propaganda that accompanied this CD, the retail version will have two bonus tracks not on our lowly review copy. That sucks for me, because I love Grave and need to hear as much as possible. The usual Metal Curse policy is that we don’t review anything that has less than 100% of the audio -really how could that even be possible?! Consider for a moment what it would be like to have a copy of Entombed’s Left Hand Path that did not contain the title track and “Drowned.” Or Dismember’s Like an Ever Flowing Stream without “Soon to Be Dead” and “Dismembered.” Or whatever your favorite CD is without two of its best tracks. Since this is Grave, and I saw them on their very first US tour, and Into the Grave is one of the greatest albums ever recorded, I’ll give this a few more words. If you liked the band’s last album, Back from the Grave, you’ll like this, too.
To all record labels worldwide: stop the practice sending out incomplete review copies!
The rating has been lowered to reflect the missing songs, and if they’re as good as the other tracks, this would be close to perfection.

Brutality comes through simplicity. No one understands that more than Wisconsin’s Jungle Rot. These 10-year scene veterans have come through with another solid moshworthy album that the mainstream Metal media, convinced that if they can’t understand a band’s music that it must be genius, will assuredly ignore. Okay, so maybe this isn’t quite as adrenalizing as 2001’s Dead and Buried, but it’s still a high quality combination of catchiness and brutality, taking a page out of Obituary’s Death Metal manual as usual. The Rot ought to be given an award for sticking to their guns and refusing to change the style they obviously love playing, while raising a middle finger to the pretentious, bandwagon-jumping press in the process. However, it is more likely that they’ll receive little if any attention for this fine effort and promptly be dropped from their label thereafter. They were born alive, isn’t that punishment enough?