Macho-core! I must admit after looking at the band’s photos, I’m a little scared for my life to insult them, but fuck it, it has to be done. This shit sucks ass! They’re Christians, they’re wiggers, they’re super tough, and they want to beat your ass for no reason. I just don’t get it. The music is lifeless and dull; all attitude, no heart. Rap-based stomping rhythms for the school bully. I’ll pass.

Funeral Rites, hailing from Japan, play symphonic, melodic Black Metal. The vocal and drumming styles remind me of Darkthrone, while the overall strong structures are more akin to early Dimmu Borgir. The combination of these two styles makes for an incredibly diverse album that never gets boring. The songs vary in speed from mid-paced to fast, and no two tracks ever suffer from that dreaded feeling of “sameness.” Necroeater offers enough variety that any fan of Black Metal should find something to enjoy on this release. The album has a sound that is sinister and eerie, giving it a dark, brooding atmosphere. One problem I see with this release, however, is a lack of continuity. It seems to jump around a little too much. Track 4, “Disenchantment,” is a beautiful classically-inspired synth-piece, but it sounds completely out of place with the rest of the songs. Perhaps if it were placed at the end of the release, it would make more sense. And, I swear, there is a riff in track 7, “13th Disciple,” that sounds like it was lifted from the song “Epic” by Faith No More. Very odd indeed! Funeral Rites is the first Black Metal band from Japan that I have ever listened to and, overall, I enjoyed Necroeater because it avoids sounding “typical.” An interesting release that is definitely worth a listen.

Yeah, I’m a Death Metal freak at my innermost core, but I’ve always enjoyed throwing a little Pop-Punk into the mix to break things up. Good music is good music, right? Well, good music Frigate ain’t. Not by a long shot. Disgustingly upbeat and happy, Frigate at their very best sound like a watered-down, candy-coated version of that ’80s group that sang “That’s What I Like About You.” There are male and female vocalists, both of which are sterile, irritatingly cheerful, and downright intolerable. This is total fucking cheese. Avoid this musical and lyrical lack of ingenuity at all costs.

Considering this is a collection of demo tracks (repressed for your enjoyment…), this CD actually sounds pretty good. In fact, I’m inclined to say that it sounds even better than their first album, Deep Into Time. The sound is noticeably rougher, but at the same time, there seems to be less of an Emperor/Satyricon (old, of course) influence and more of a Folk Metal edge. There are two non-demo tracks on this CD, and when you consider how good they are, I’m surprised that they didn’t make it onto any of Forefather’s albums. The orchestral version of “Ancient Voice” - which appeared in more Metalized form on Deep Into Time - is particularly interesting because it sounds a Hell of a lot better than the original. I don’t have any of Forefather’s demos, but I think most (if not all) of the demo material made it onto their debut album. Regardless, I think these demo versions are worth listening to and fans of the band will definitely want to pick this up.

This is album number two for England’s favorite heathen sons, Forefather, and though they were borderline Emperor/Satyricon on their debut disc, this one pushes them totally in the league of the Folk/Viking Metal king, Falkenbach. There were some Folk melodies and ideas on their debut, but The Fighting Man pushes that even further. The songs all have more individual identity, the guitars are thicker and the whole product is 100% better. For me, the standout track had to be the closer, “When Our England Died,” because it actually evokes an emotion from me which very, very few bands are able to do. Maybe it’s the strange attachment I have for medieval Europe (England and Scotland in particular - that’s where most of my ancestors are from), but it did the job, whatever it was. Some might find Forefather’s lyrics to be a bit on the hokey side but I’ll take them over “kill your momma for Satan” style teenager-trying-to-be-evil lyrics, macho-boy testosterone fueled homosexuality and “we got our lyrics by rewriting Carcass songs” bullshit. In fact, I like this album so much that if Falkenbach can’t top it with their next album, Forefather might just dethrone them as king of the Folk Metal sub-genre.

This band hails from the USA, but you’d hardly guess it. They sound quite European. And in the Black Metal genre, I guess that can be considered a compliment. Fog could very easily fit in with most of the Norse Black Metal bands when it comes to sound, and with their talent level, they could also fit in with the top bands over there. As it stands, they’re one of America’s top bands when it comes to sick-ass Black Fucking Metal. If any band comes to mind while listening to this, I have to say that it’s Marduk. The tempo and sound are very similar to Heaven Shall Burn…, but with some variations in the style (use of keyboards on one track, acoustic guitar and clean vocals on another). The production is also quite impressive with the guitars being razor sharp and the bass being audible for the most part. My guess is that this band is quite a spectacle live because this stuff sounds like it would cause some major mayhem in the pit at your local Metal club.

The bio reads like a spy novel. Unfortunately, it proves to be far more interesting than the music. Fleurety suffers from a severe case of schizophrenia. Department of Apocalyptic Affairs throws together elements of Progressive Rock, Jazz, Techno, and Industrial for a completely incoherent mix. The band is a “supergroup” of sorts that features members of Mayhem, Arcturus, Aura Noir, Ulver, and Dodheimsgard. I would have thought that a collaboration by this group of musicians would have produced some awe-inspiring Black Metal. Reading through the bio, it seems that these guys are actually mocking the very scene they are a part of. This is their way of giving the middle-finger to Black Metal purists. The only reason I even listened to the entire album is because of its bizarre nature. If you think that the latest efforts by Mayhem, DHG (formerly Dodheimsgard), and Ulver are “ground-breaking,” you may enjoy this. If you appreciate bands like Immortal, Darkthrone, or Emperor, you should avoid this like the plague!

For regular readers, it should come as no surprise that this is insanely brutal Death/Grind. What else would you expect from United Guttural records main man, Rich Lipscomb, and his band of sickos? It might, however, be of interest to you to find out that their bassist, Jimmy, also plays guitar for Doom-masters Avernus, since Fleshgrind’s blazing intensity is about as un-Doomy as possible. This combination of speed and pure sickness is tempered with the necessary writing ability to create somewhat memorable songs, which is hard enough anyway, but when you take the brutality factor into account, it’s almost amazing. The Seeds… is an ass-kicking experience, and nearly flawless, but to completely appreciate this band’s true power, you must see them live.

It’s good to hear the return of Fleshcrawl. Somehow I missed out on their last album, Bloodred Massacre. I’ll have to track it down. This new LP is a real monster, but in a more Thrashy way than the current Grind tendencies of a lot of modern Death bands. That’s fine with me, of course, and certainly helps to give them a distinct sound. One that also kicks your ass sideways, I might add. And they even do an Exciter cover.

Hold on, this must be a different Bill Steer - let me check the bio… Fuck! Okay, this is totally insane. I’d maybe expect that freed from the Doom influence of Lee Dorrian, Cathedral’s bassist Leo Smee might very well be involved with a retro ’60s/’70s Rock band like this. But Bill Steer? This is about as far away from Carcass and Napalm Death as you could get. The playing is solid and so on, and I guess they do a good job with what they’re doing, but I honestly wouldn’t really know and don’t care anyway. If I had any interest in this kind of stuff, I’d go listen to the originators, whoever they might be.

Spanning this Punk Rock band’s career from 1980 - ‘85, and consisting of rare stuff (7-inch tracks, demos, etc…), this is really a disc for fans only. Maybe this isn’t F.P.’s best work, but it seems kind of uninspired and really just not too good. And, umm… they do an extremely lame Rap in one song about 3/4 of the way through the CD. Maybe more - I couldn’t continue.

Black Metal that is alternately fast, or slow and sort of melancholy. The raw, thin production does little to help things, but this does contain some brief flashes of greatness, nonetheless. Generally those are found during the slower, more melodic parts. As a bonus, all the tracks from the band’s last demo (Dark Ocean Calm) are also included.

Looks like I’m the designated Eyehategod reviewer for this issue. Fine by me. I never get tired of saying good things about the Sludgegods. This picks up right where Dopesick left off. Slow, noisy, bloodshot-eyed stoner Sludge with filthy grooves, Sabbath-like hooks, and good ol’ cathartic droning. All this colonized under a grey area of dyslexic depressed/pissed off crass. Mental problems, intoxication, and a strong sense of rhythm make for a delightfully deranged combo. Get high then get this. Best Eyehategod song ever: “Blood Money.”

Y’know, it’s a good thing that life sucks. Because if it didn’t, bands like Eyehategod wouldn’t exist. This was intended to be a collective send-off to the band everyone thought was broken up for good. Luckily they have gotten back together. A lot of people talk shit about Eyehategod and I just can’t explain why. What’s really funny is when someone claims to like Grief, yet says Eyehategod “sucks.” It is the same vein of misery that this band’s crawling brand Sludgecore is created. And both bands can also turn Sabbath-like groove into a numbing tool of discordance. If you’ve never heard this band before, this may be the ideal introductory phase. I’m partial to Dopesick and Take As Needed for Pain, and most of these tracks are from, or around the time of, those recordings. These are all studio out-takes and tracks taken from 7-inches, so for the most part, this is nothing a big Eyehategod fan doesn’t already have. I know I’m not one to pay $16 for different versions of songs I already have, but there are some tracks here from a split 7-inch with 13 that I’d never heard. “Serving Time in the Middle of Nowhere” is one of them and it’s traditional Eyehategod: Catchy, dirty, and screamed in anguish. Perhaps the least essential piece of this band’s works, but it’s good shit nonetheless. If you don’t like these guys, life must be an endless good time for you.

This is the band’s 1987 Split Image LP (obviously), plus quite a few extra demo tracks. Similarities to early Suicidal Tendencies abound, but that’s hardly a surprise considering that Excel is/was from the same area. But, far from being any kind of rip off, Excel incorporates some more aggressive, Metal-style drumming, ala post-Crossover DRI, as well as a more powerful, early Thrash influenced production. I don’t know if anyone other than me would like this these days, but this is one CD I’ll be playing frequently!

At long last, the debut full-length album from Evil Incarnate! (Their first CD, Blood of the Saints, being a re-release of their Evil Incarnate and Christ Destroyed demos.) As I knew it would be, this evil Death Metal is better than ever. The sick bastards in Evil I have always known how to write heavy, memorable songs, and this album is a real showcase for their diabolical talents.

With an album title longer than some of my reviews, Ereshkigal starts things out slowly with the apparently mandatory Black Metal intro before proceeding into their mid-paced riff attack. I think that it’s great to hear Black Metal of other tempos than “light speed,” so this often more melancholy take on things is good news in my opinion. This is my first time hearing this band, but hopefully not the last.

I am a huge fan of this band’s first two albums, Left Hand Path and Clandestine, but I’d felt that they started to go downhill afterward, with Wolverine Blues and much more so with the White Zombie-ish To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth. So disappointed was I, that I didn’t even pick up their next album, Same Difference. I’d pretty much given up on them. And then at this last Milwaukee Metalfest (2000), I found myself staying at the same hotel as Entombed. I’ve interviewed the band in the past, but the lineup is almost entirely different now, so I hadn’t spoken to any of them before, and when we (I was with the bad motherfucker, Jack Botos) saw them in the lobby, I was a little apprehensive about running up to say hi. I really shouldn’t have been, since they came right over and started passing introductions around. Turns out that Entombed (and their road crew) are probably the coolest guys on the planet. The next day at the ‘fest, they even dedicated a song (“Evilyn”) to us. At that time, this new album, Uprising, had not yet been released in the USA, but I’d heard that it was a sort of return to form. I didn’t exactly get that impression from the new songs live, but I also couldn’t be sure exactly which ones were from this album, and what might have been from the (still) unheard Same Difference. But they did play a couple I’d never heard before that I liked, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found this in my PO box these months later. While in no way a return to the Death Metal perfection of their first two albums, Uprising is pretty cool in it’s own way. And the US version has three bonus tracks, available nowhere else. Take that Europe and Japan! Now you know what it’s like. Anyway, there are some nods to the past here, such as what was the final track (before the bonus cuts were added), “In the Flesh,” which is almost like “Left Hand Path” part 2. But mostly, this seems to be based more around a Crust model, than a Metal one, which is cool, and brings back a lot more intensity than I remember Entombed having in the last several years. It also allows L.G. to scream in a different, non-Death Metal way that really suits his voice much better currently. Okay, this isn’t exactly flawless, and the bonus tracks sound kind of thrown-together, but there are moments of greatness here, and like I said, these guys are the coolest, so I’d have to recommend that old fans who may have given up on Entombed check this out. And I’m going to track down a copy of Same Difference just to hear what I’ve missed.

Tennessee-based Enter Self play groove-oriented Death Metal. Not much blasting here as the songs hover in the mid-pace range. Some of the time-changes are a little weird, and this sometimes makes it difficult to follow the songs. The vocals are the typical Death Metal growl which honestly makes them boring at times. Some impressive and technical guitar-work pops up in a few places. I’ve given this several spins, and nothing really reaches out and grabs me. Awaken in Agony isn’t bad, it’s just kind of average.

It’s been a long time since I heard this band’s debut, Nacthgedanken, but I remember really hating it. It seems to me as if it were all Folk and no Metal, but this new album certainly has no lack of Black Metal fury. Nor any lack of keyboards, which is okay. But sometimes things still get a little too goofy and “happy” for me. Still, this is, I’d say, a vast improvement over the debut. Enid does still have some work to do, however.