You know that new singer for Sepultura [Derrick Green -Editor.]? This was the band he used to be in. Imagine Kings-X, with a touch more Hardcore influence.

Pretty straightforward fast Black Metal, with some Death and Thrash influences. They have the speed down, and also have a couple sorta memorable passages, but they still have some work to do. Probably a good band to see live, though.

This has a clear Slayer influence from the Reign in Blood and South of Heaven era! Great riffs and aggressive drumming keep things from becoming repetitious, which is something that I thought would be a problem with bands of this style. I don’t particularly care for the Hardcore vocal style shouted by Mike Score, but that’s neither here nor there. Seek out this CD and add some spice to your musical palate!

For the first few minutes of the initial track, I was really wondering why the band call their mournful dirge style “Black Metal” at all, since, other than the vox, it’s pretty far away from the blazing demonic speed of most of their evil peers. But they do have an element of speed and raw aggression, and wisely choose to use it only when necessary, relying on varying their style all over the place. This results in a pretty diverse sound, and a great CD.

This is my third time reviewing this album, remastered, and re-released yet again, this time by Black Lotus. It really doesn’t sound any different from the Thermometer or Zoid versions. Aftermath have been favorites of mine for over a decade, and were the second band ever interviewed in Metal Curse. Their Thrash style has remained intact through numerous trends, and this album is a classic. But since its release, Aftermath have apparently formed a new band with the intention of “exploring more experimental musical paths.” I’ll miss Aftermath. And I wish that I had half their luck with convincing other labels to license my releases.

Their first domestic [Unites States - Editor] release, but hardly their debut, this is a near perfect fusion of the atmosphere and majesty of the best Black Metal, with the heaviness, power and feeling of true Death Metal, and some old time Traditional Metal riffs filtered through all the evilness. Can’t beat that.

Fast, yet melodic, Black Metal.

[Metal Curse #11 had an additional loose page (“Last Second Additions”) inserted into the centerfold of the zine, featuring a bunch of even-shorter-than-usual “bonus” reviews of stuff that arrived after the deadline for that issue. This is one of those “Last Second Additions” reviews.]

[Originally self-released in 1997, then reissued in 1998 on Last Episode. -Editor]

Three new cuts of their patented intense Death Metal, and as if you needed any more reason, there are also two live songs. According to the press release, this is a “taster of their forthcoming 2nd full-length album.” Well, this has done its job and made me plenty hungry for the next album, so bring it on!

If I didn’t know from reading the bio that this was “true fucking Metal,” I might think that it was a pretentious attempt at weirdness and “extremity” masquerading as Black Metal. It’s fast, it’s got shrieky vocals, and supposedly experimental stuff (female vocals, nutty riffs…) thrown in ad hoc, just to show how “original” they are. Songs, and any other art forms, should create a reaction in the viewer, reader, or listener. Adorior only create the desire to start listening to something else.

Amazing Satanic Death Metal. Their best release so far.

[Metal Curse #11 had an additional loose page (“Last Second Additions”) inserted into the centerfold of the zine, featuring a bunch of even-shorter-than-usual “bonus” reviews of stuff that arrived after the deadline for that issue. This is one of those “Last Second Additions” reviews.]

What can I say about the plight of Mumia? He’s on Death Row for supposedly killing a cop. Well, first, all the evidence seems to suggest that he didn’t do it, and second, I say the only good cop is a dead cop anyway, so what’s the big deal? So, why does The Man want Mumia dead? I guess everyone’s scared because he has a mind of his own and isn’t afraid to speak it and talk about some pretty serious issues. This CD consists, in part, of a series of essays Mumia wrote for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” program, but thanks to governmental pressure, he was fired and they never aired. Too bad N.P.R. didn’t have the balls to stand up for Mumia and freedom of speech in general. All the proceeds from this CD go toward Mumia’s legal defense so if it were fucking blank you should buy it anyway, but it’s not. This is about 73 minutes of chilling reality, recorded right from the heart of corruption in Death Row, where murder is legal, along with commentary from some of Abu-Jamal’s supporters. Educate yourself. Now how the fuck do I assign a numerical rating to something like this?

Somehow these four tracks didn’t do much for me. Absu’s combination of their earlier Black Metal onslaught with the Celtic Frost and Kreator influences just doesn’t seem to produce very memorable results. Plenty intense, though, I suppose. All things considered, this isn’t bad at all, but I’ve heard a lot better and a lot more convincing stuff.

An unimpressive attempt at Death Metal.

[Metal Curse #11 had an additional loose page (“Last Second Additions”) inserted into the centerfold of the zine, featuring a bunch of even-shorter-than-usual “bonus” reviews of stuff that arrived after the deadline for that issue. This is one of those “Last Second Additions” reviews.]

I don’t know how much £4 is in US$, but it’s probably worth it for these four tracks of very professional sounding, more or less, American-style Death Metal.
[It’s almost certainly too late to find a copy of this gem now, but if you would have had £4 way back in 1998 or so when I wrote this hyperactively short review, you’d have been all fucking set! -Editor]

This is a review of the LP version of this. The CD version (on Invisible Records) is pretty different, with some alternate (and more) songs in a completely different order. Fortunately both versions contain the cut “Anal Cunt Is Gay,” which should win an award for funniest song title ever. And they also do an insane Vegas Lounge Act / John Zorn version of Venom’s “Sacrifice” that’s only on the LP, thus making it a must have. This description of their Venom cover is pretty accurate for the majority of the LP. It’s a crazy juxtaposition of styles and sounds that parodies and roasts everything you can imagine, all filtered through an “evil” context. And the accompanying “press release” about this album is a photocopy of an old Manowar news letter, with “Manowar” whited out and “7000” handwritten in its place. A sense of humor is sort of a rare find these days, so I’ll give ‘em credit there, and conceptually I love this band, but like the aforementioned John Zorn, this can be something of a challenge to listen to, so I’m not sure how often I’ll spin it, which makes assigning a rating pretty fuckin’ tough, but what the shit.

I guess I don’t understand the band name, but when this much ass gets kicked, who cares? 5 B Hated play a very energetic kind of deadly Thrash, that can often be majestic as well. After a single listen, these songs stay with you, but hold up under scrutiny. Plus they have a song about Thor. I’d say these guys are about ready to get signed.

We have a winner for stupidest band name of all time. This has photos of water and ocean maps on it - very nautical. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had forgotten how evil the sea is. Had I recalled that, I would have known that they’re Black Metal. Perhaps worshipers of Poseidon, rather than Hades. Actually, the music & vox are not bad at all. Fast Black Metal with keyboards isn’t exactly a new idea, but they do it well enough - sometimes extremely well. I can’t believe that all the cool band names are already taken and that “…And Oceans” was the best thing they could think of. Changing the band’s name so that it at least fits with the music a little would probably be a good idea.

All I can say about the vocalist is that the only word I can understand is “fuck” throughout this 2-song promo. The actual music is really basic and monotonous. They find a good guitar riff or tone and don’t elaborate or go anywhere with it. If these two songs were among another eight songs as a full length release, and the other eight songs showed different extremes or levels to the music, it wouldn’t be so bad. But, if you’re going to send out a 2-song promo CD, I would think it would have a bit more diversity between the two songs.

With every album Unleashed have become less Death and more Metal. They continue that with this release. In fact there is a little Punk influence here and there (like in the song “Mediawhore” for example). More complex (or less straightforward) drumming and a more demonic guitar sound would probably be good ideas. Don’t get me wrong, this is great stuff, but when an album has a song called “Death Metal Victory” I expect it to be a Death Metal album, and this just isn’t brutal enough to qualify. Unleashed have perfected writing ultra-memorable songs, and every one on here will stick in your mind, forcing you to listen again and again. I don’t mind that they are not as extreme as they once were, as long as they continue to produce excellent albums like this one. But let’s not get much less heavy than this, okay, Johnny?

Long have I been a fan of In-Quest, and long have I awaited their debut CD release. I knew to expect Death Metal of the highest caliber, but I wasn’t ready for this total perfection. The band likes to use the phrase “Insane Intense Power” in reference to themselves, and while that’s certainly accurate, this is more than an exercise in brutality. The cool part is that in addition to being ultra-heavy, these freaks are also supreme masters of their instruments, but they don’t feel the need to show off, and just use their knowledge to write memorable songs. Plus this has an amazing production, allowing you to distinctly hear everything that is going on (the kick-ass basslines, for example). And then there are the excellent vocals of Mr. Noise Grinder. He covers the spectrum from his usual deep growls to perhaps more Black Metal inspired yells, and he’s inspirational in all modes of operation. This is one of the best Death Metal (or any other) debut albums of all time.