You’d never in a billion years guess it by looking at the artwork or song titles, but this is (for the most part) pretty heavy Sludge. Sort of like Grief, but I think that Cavity arrived at this point having traveled a different path. There are some parts when the speed is kicked up to “pretty fast” but the layers of feedback are just as crushing. More than worth a listen.

First of all, I’m not completely certain if this is considered by the band and/or label to be an EP, but it’s only got 6 tracks and is about 27 minutes long, so that says EP to me. Anyway, I remember their nearly flawless last album, Cheaters and the Cheated, as being a little heavier than this, and a little less strictly Punk sounding. Still, Birth… is very catchy and the production is nothing short of amazing. I must admit to liking their more aggressive sound better, but one is hard pressed to find much to complain about here.

At just over an hour, this is one of the longest releases on Victory. I would have much rather heard longer albums from most of the other Victory bands, but CIH aren’t too bad. They sound like a slightly Hardcore version of Flotsam and Jetsam, right down to the vox.

Unfortunately this Thrash masterpiece is only available in Japan. Roadrunner USA wake the fuck up! I have loved all of Casbah’s demos, but this finally sees them with a production that perfectly combines their crushing heaviness, “thickness” and clarity. In other words, a production worthy of their excellence. This is ultra-memorable intense Thrash at it’s most neck-breaking. Casbah are true masters of their instruments, but never resort to showing off, preferring instead to write massive riffs and great songs. Taka’s vocals are just as thick as the music, maybe due to his accent, and also raw, but in a controlled way. He is instantly recognizable, which is itself sort of amazing. I’ve listened to this over and over, maybe 20 times (and knew the songs before then) trying to find a flaw - any flaw. There are none. To my Japanese brothers must now go the highest of all possible honors.

Casbah just keeps getting better and better. The production is thick & heavy, the riffs memorable, the vocals low & raspy. ‘Nuff said? Not yet. This band’s Thrash is in a class by itself, and just when you think you understand, they’ll do something unexpected, but always cool. Their greatest strength, though, is their ability to write such extremely catchy songs. Seriously, each of these 8 tracks worms its way into your brain and just stays there. I really don’t understand why these guys aren’t signed.

[I didn’t realize it at the time, but this release seems to be an unmastered version of the band’s Bold Statement album with the tracks in a different order. -Editor]

The one thing that I don’t like about this otherwise deadly video is that it’s not one live show, but rather songs from different shows - all live though. Well, except for the video for “Devoured by Vermin,” that ends this sickness-fest. It’s cool to hear and see live versions of some of my favorite Cannibal songs, such as “Pulverized,” “A Skull Full of Maggots,” “Stripped, Raped and Strangled,” and their “big hit,” “Hammer Smashed Face.” Too bad the pornographic video for that song wasn’t included…

Very impressive, alternatively Doomy & upbeat Death Metal. This is apparently a concept album, which I guess is kinda cool. And one of the guys has a Motorhead shirt on for his band photo. That’s all I need to know.

Considering that Varg is still in prison, it comes as no surprise to me that this album is all synths - no guitars, no drums, and no vocals. What is surprising is that there is also a near total lack of “evilness” in this music. It’s certainly not happy, but it’s not exactly dark, either. This would make a good soundtrack for something, but I’m not sure what. In Norse legends, Balder’s death (which is apparently what the music is “about”) signaled the beginning of Ragnarok, so perhaps this album is sort of a calm before the storm of diabolical extremity that will come next. I doubt it, tough. Anyway, if you take this disc alone, and don’t compare it to the other Burzum releases, it’s very enjoyable, but if you’re expecting Black Metal, you’ll be disappointed.

This is the best Broken Hope so far. They have smartly remembered the need for riffs, and there are some honestly monstrous ones one this disc. The sound is second to none: very clear, but with utterly no loss of brutality or intensity. At a time when some bands are getting more mainstream with every release, it’s nice to see that a band can grow and improve at writing and playing, as well as have continually better production without turning into pussies. The two instrumentals show a more experimental (almost Industrial) side of the band. Also, this album seems to have abandoned a bit more of the goofiness that has so long plagued Broken Hope.

When they’re not trying so hard to be original, this is okay. But the clean vocals are not well done, and the overdriven (distorted) growls are far worse. The music is passable Death/Thrash (although there are some pretty weak moments), but the occasionally goofy vox mess things up. And what the fuck is the deal with charging $24 for a CD? That’s a completely outrageous price, and is reflected in the rating. This might be worth a listen, but there’s no way in Hell it’s worth 24 bucks.

I wonder if the lead vocalist and lyricist are big Warrior Soul fans? This “Punk-Metal” style is very similar to WS This guy even sounds like a slightly more pissed off Kory Clark. I’m impressed. The music is pretty basic, although a former Heathen guitarist plays on here, but the vocals make this disc. And the lyrics.

Progressive, Goth, Metal, & Black Metal all mixed into one. When this is in a more intense mode (including the vox), it’s great, but sometimes it’s too complicated for its own good. I’m impressed by the ability displayed here, but I’ll likely not remember much of it in an hour.

Bloodthorn integrate their Black Metal with keyboards and female vocals so seamlessly that it seems as if it could be no other way. They also wisely keep the tempo under control, which adds a strong Doom element to their impressive sound. That and the long duration of the songs helps to add to the “epic” feel of this disc. Hopefully we’ll be hearing more from Bloodthorn soon.

This blasting Black Metal is almost all drums and vox. I mean the guitars and bass are there (at least I think there’s a bass) but the drums usually totally overpower everything except the heavily effected vocals. Cut the delay, or double tracking, or whatever it is, just cut it! Or at the very fucking least don’t use it every time there are lyrics! The vox would be good if not for this stupid idea. And the all-wind, all-vocal-effects outtro to the first track: it’s not eerie and it does not sound in any way “evil.” “Goofy” is what I thought upon hearing it. When the drums are more simple, that is to say not some kind of blast beat, the guitars have more room in the mix and the music sounds a whole lot better. Too bad that doesn’t happen more often. And too bad about the vocals.

Cool fucking CD. Sacred geometry gets me hard. These guys support the Church of Satan and the New Satanic Millennium. But unlike many other bands that sing of Satan, these guys are S.E.R.I.O.U.S! (Super Evil Ritualistic Idolaters of Universal Satanism). The sound of this album is a bit under-polished, but totally diseased in the good way. From start to finish, this is well composed and intense. The varying vocals keep it interesting and serve the dynamics well. My only problem is a printing error in the insert that keeps me from accessing all the lyrics.

I got a really advanced copy of this. It’s not even the final mix. But, I can already tell that this is a big improvement over their last demo [Cruciform Antithesis -Editor]. The intensity has been turned way up, and Tim’s vocals are considerably more interesting. Very brutal, but also more memorable than before. They are developing a more unique sound, which is a really good idea.

Which do I like more, the extreme Crust/Grind intensity of Blood, or the deranged sickness of Psycho’s Grind? I can’t pick, since they both kick more ass than you’ve ever seen. Leave it to Ax/ction to be cool enough to put two such extreme heavyweights on one marbled grey 7-inch. Not for the weak of heart.

I didn’t really like the final Carcass album all that much, and this sounds even more like Megadeth.

I certainly wasn’t expecting Deep Purple guitarist Richie Blackmore to deliver an English Folk album, but here it is. I’m glad to report that he has left the vocal duties to the talented Candice Night. I can’t imagine a voice more suited to these songs. But as emotional as the compositions are, I’d have to really be in the right mood to listen to this. I’m certainly no expert on this style, but no one can argue with the talent of Blackmore or the beautiful voice of Night, and I do know what I like.

This is a band that is clearly influenced by Black Ritual/Industrialists Abruptum. Much in the style of Abruptum, this is fairly chaotic musically and this chaotic music is accompanied by the sounds of the people in the band being tortured. Really tortured. No fake screams, no horror movie samples, no bullshit. Just 54 minutes of pure darkness and pain. Unlike Abruptum, Black Pentecost has more musical structure, but the overall effect is the same. This shit isn’t easy to listen to, no matter how you look at it. The sound is demo quality (though good demo quality) and from what I’ve heard about this recording, it actually was a demo. Gothic thought it sounded good enough to slap onto CD and I have to agree. Black Pentecost captures that feeling of darkness that most Black Metal bands of this day and age seem to forget. The only thing I had against this CD was the fact that, like Abruptum, it was just too long. This is tough enough to listen to as it is, but when you stretch the whole thing out over an hour, it gets to be too much.