As much as I love brutal Gore bands like Disgorge, Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition, Inhume, and Incestuous, now we have to deal with tenth rate copycats like this godawful piece of shit band. It’s as if finding some really gory cover art and some samples that every band in the universe has already used twice is half the battle! Antropofagus’ brutality is mere noise. The songs go by like a blur, crafted without a trace of delicacy or rhythm. But the cover’s totally gory, dude!!

This starts out with a pretty ridiculous “Art Rock” male/female vocal duet. Of course, I was expecting that to be an intro to the real music, but much to my horror, this piano-dominated female sung bullshit is the “real music.” How the fuck did these pretentious pieces of shit convince Napalm to sign them? Even the worst subhuman Pantera-wannabe poseurs still use guitars. Avoid this at all costs, unless you need a laugh and can easily steal a copy.

What can be done to eliminate this continued pussification of the Metal genre through sissified Glam Fag “Metal”? Usually when I say that something sounds like Winger, I am making an exaggeration to exclaim my disgust, but this band really does sound like Winger!! If this is “Traditional Metal,” then so is Whitesnake.

God damn, now this is more fuckin’ like it! Everything about this Black Metal assault impresses me. From the heavy, thick production, to the Thrash and Death influences in the music, to the flawless execution, there’s hardly a second that’s less than awesome. Andras are expert players, and occasionally let you know it, but they use their skill to craft memorable songs, and never sacrifice intensity in favor of technicality. Man, I can even hear the basslines, and they’re good! Find this one at all costs.

This is Ancient’s fourth full-length album (they also have a 7-inch EP and a MCD to their credit as well) and this one sees the band returning to an almost entirely Norse line-up. The previous line-up had several American members but because of difficulties in having band members in two different countries, Aphaziel decided to recruit new members from his local scene. I don’t have Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends, so I can’t really comment on their progression but I can say that the songs are solid and are diverse enough to keep my attention. The riffs have more catchiness than previous efforts and the songs are much more memorable as a result. In terms of actual sound, this treads the line between the more Gothic style of Cradle of Filth and the more symphonic style of Emperor. Ancient has hints of both bands but really never sounds overly much like either. I’ve always considered this band one of the second tier of Black Metal bands and though they haven’t really moved up, they still retain their position while older, more established bands have fallen downwards in the rankings.

A Black Metal album with an Ambient intro! I’ve never heard of such a thing! You know, if you’re going to do something, at least do it right. Put some fuckin’ wind on there, make it sound evil! This intro sounds like the kind of “evil” to be found in a Disney movie. However, immediately following the inane intro, we have some standard, but not bad, mostly fast, new wave Black Metal, with a kind of Death Metal heavy production. It’s not exactly awe inspiring, but it does have its moments. It also has moments of sheer stupidity, such as most of the song “I, Madman.” And as usual, there’s a new female singer this time: Deadly Kristin. Whether or not she can sing is beside the point. What we all really want to know is how much does she charge for a blow job?

Censoring a lyric sheet is gay. Furthermore, Anal Cunt is the musical equivalent of some asshole with 17 pounds of piercings in his face, and a tattoo of Jesus blowing a Nazi sheep on his forehead, running up to someone at a party and screaming “Look how offensive I am!” It’s really just a pathetic, desperate cry for any kind of attention, and worthy only of our pity. And, unfortunately for AC, this time it’s not even humorous.

Taking elements of Thrash, Black and Death Metal, and fusing them into their own identity, with obvious technical skill, Amsvartner have created a memorable album of Extreme Metal.

The press release calls them “melodic brutal Death.” I didn’t know how you could be both melodic and brutal at once, but now I do. The clear production helps their cause, but this has got to be heard to be believed.

Musically, this is intelligent (but not too technical), emotionally powerful, and moving. Mid paced Death with some illicitly speedy Doom feeling parts. Always heavy though. Plenty of vox variants, some good, others not so, but always engaging. The main vocal style isn’t my fave and gets a bit tired. But good nonetheless.

This is an excellent combination of mostly Black and Death Metal, with more than a little Doomy atmosphere mixed in. Even the faster parts are oppressive and sorrowful. The songwriting, the playing, the screaming, even the production: it’s all virtually flawless, and an awesome example of how to properly take different styles and sounds, and make them into your own. Not only has Amen Corner done exactly that, but they have also crafted songs that are all unique and very memorable, while not losing any intensity. There is damn little holding this back from perfection, and I may well look back and wish I’d given this amazing EP a ten.

These guys just have not been able to recapture the raw energy they unleashed with their classic debut, Youth Against Christ. 1998’s Provoke was a step in the right direction, but almost restrained by its super-polished production, and of course, the occasional Nu-Metal crossover riff. In the Name… is a step backwards into more drudgery. Much heavier and more brutal than its predecessor, but nowhere near memorable. Better luck next time.

Alghazanth is a Finnish horde that plays atmospheric Black Metal and really reminds me of no one particular band. They are clearly influenced by Emperor, Cradle of Filth and some of the more melodic Black Metal bands but no one of them comes out as a clear, dominating influence. The music is engaging and contains enough melody to make listening easier. The pervading feeling on this album is one of melancholy or sadness. Even when the band goes balls to the wall and starts blasting, this never really gets aggressive or brutal. They have the same feeling no matter if they play slow or fast. Maybe it’s because the keyboards are so dominant. The guitars aren’t buried but they are clearly taking a backseat to the keys. The only other gripe I had was the band’s horrible English but since they come from a non-English speaking country, I can’t fault them for that. My Finnish is a hell of a lot worse than their English. Had they come from the USA, that would have cost them badly. This is a band to look out for and I expect good things from Alghazanth in the future.

This particular combination of Thrash and Death elements at times seems like (oddly enough) the more aggressive elements of Death mixed with the mellowest moments of Testament. That’s a crazy way to put things together, but if nothing else it’s given Al Sirat an individual sound to go with their generally memorable, energetic songs. As an added bonus, the last track on here is a pretty standard CD-ROM video.

“Dark Metal, Dark Metal! Lay down y…” Wait a minute, this really isn’t all that “Metal.” Okay, no problem: “Dark Rock, Dark Ro…” Hmm, I guess it’s not really all that “Dark,” either. Uhh, “Semi-Hard Twilight Rock”? Okay, the live tracks (all nine of ‘em) are heavier and darker than the new studio stuff, but not radically. This isn’t bad at all for what it is, but I’m just really not too interested.

Even though I don’t like the whiny vocals, this Retro-Thrash is energetic enough to almost make me forget them. Almost.

German Black Metal. Imagine destroying all Black Metal stereotypes and cliches then building from the ground up anew, with artistic vision, a Black style so fresh and unique that it approaches fantastic greatness with the first track! But unfortunately this sways to periods of mediocrity and weakness. With Lyrics in old Romanian and English it makes an interesting listen.

Wind. Oh man, they’re starting out this album with the sound of wind, and some simple guitar repetition. Eventually, that ends, and the real music starts, which is a fuck of a lot better. Sort of Thrashy, but with acoustic guitars, and almost Progressive at times, with whispered vocals. It’s mostly pretty mellow, but not bad at all, and can be quite saddening at times.

Hailing from Norway, Aeternus has risen above the masses to create music which transcends the norm. They play a style of music which is very difficult to classify. Their Black Metal roots are evident, but this band really goes beyond the trappings of traditional Black Metal. One of the differences is the vocal delivery of singer Ares, which is a solid Death Metal roar. Another difference of note is the way the atmosphere is created. Where many Black Metal bands would use keyboards to create atmosphere, Aeternus opts for acoustic guitar rhythms instead. Also, the drumming is not buried in the production. It is absolutely solid and mixed perfectly.
Shadows of Old, the fourth release by Aeternus, is nothing short of brilliant. Blending atmosphere with brutality, Aeternus paints a landscape of blood-freezing horror. Speeding drums and raging guitars suddenly give way to beautifully crafted acoustic passages. Yet the music has such a natural flow it becomes enthralling.
Their three previous releases: Dark Sorcery, Beyond the Wandering Moon, and …and So the Night Became, are all testimony to the seemingly endless talent which lies within Aeternus. Shadows of Old has all of the amazing elements of its predecessors, but this release has a stronger dose of Death Metal aggression. This may be a result of Aeternus having toured with Deicide and Cannibal Corpse prior to the recording of Shadows of Old. This release has firmly established Aeternus among the elite. Their sound is truly original. Of course, if you ask me, Aeternus have been in a class by themselves since the beginning! “Drink the blood, devour the heart / The glory of death shall flow through your veins / With strength were you born / With strength shall you rise.” Sounds good to me!

Man, nothing like a long album title, huh? Female vocals and ultra-lightweight drum-machine-powered Metal bits surrounded by synths and “atmosphere” might be interesting to some, but I don’t really get it. This is very light and happy sounding and feeling, and I can’t deal with that. If I’m going to listen to something this wimpy, it had better be dark and depressing, at least.