Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger springs to mind as I listen to this, but it’s a little more varied than I remember that album (it’s been a while since I’ve spun that one), maybe with a touch of Danzig (the first LPs), and perhaps King’s X. For what they’re trying to do, this is probably great, and they are talented musicians, but this is honestly not a style that much appeals to me. But maybe if there had been more than four songs to convince me.

Although The Black play pretty standard new-wave Black Metal, they wisely keep the songs short - less than 3 minutes - so that they are always at maximum intensity. And it is easier to remember shorter songs. Their use of keyboards is very effective, especially in the excellent “The Goat of Mendes,” and this also helps them create a unique identity. These things, combined with the superbly tortured vocals of Rietas, raise this band above the competition, and give them a fairly individual sound.

Seventy-six minutes of melancholy Gothic Ambient so depressing that you’d probably kill yourself if you listened to it all at once. This makes My Dying Bride sound like the Beach Boys, in terms of how gloomy it is. The mixing of male and female vocals reminds me somewhat of Dead Can Dance, but since I (unfortunately) have a rather small frame of reference for this type of music, that’s only to be expected. I recommend that all devotees of dismal and joyless music give Black Tape for a Blue Girl a listen.

This album takes a couple listens to really understand. These guys take a lot of aggression, some heavily distorted guitars, and add all kinds of electronics to get their interesting crossover sound. Imagine KMFDM on steroids trying their level best to emulate Slayer, while expanding their traditional Industrial style. It’s normally an intense listen (much more so than their debut, Suckpump), but sometimes drags a bit. The final track is perhaps more experimental than the rest, going from Ambient to Noise - I’m tempted to say, by way of Death. Fans of hard Industrial, or those looking for something new, but still fairly brutal, would be well advised to check this out.

Very cool Pagan Black/Death Metal, with older Thrash bits.

[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.]

It’s difficult to describe the unholy darkness of this Electronic two-man band. It’s the feeling of Black Metal, but there are no guitars, only keyboards, drum machines and so on. It is eerie, but not in the expected “movie soundtrack” kind of way. A very unique and interesting release.

These guys like to change their sound with every release. This time they’ve gone back to a human drummer and a more Thrashy style, although the repetitive riffs still remind me of the Industrial feel of their last demo. I’ve got to respect these gentlemen for following their hearts and not any trends, but despite the excellent playing on this, I just didn’t find the songs to be very memorable or intriguing.

This is not a new album, but rather their first LP, from 1994, licensed from Adipocere, and like the original version, this also contains both tracks from their Thy Pale Dominion 7-inch. And at nearly 70 minutes long, this is quite a value. The album’s title says it all, really. The tracks here are generally heavier and less traditionally Black Metal sounding (especially with respect to the vocals) than on their follow-up, Dictius Te Necare. If you don’t already own this, you probably should.

The demise of their original singer has done nothing to calm this band down. If anything, they are actually more intense than on their debut, Dark Metal. The music ranges from a vicious Thrash onslaught (think along the lines of early Destruction), to moody, nearly Ambient passages, and the vocals keep up, transforming from the most tortured of shrieks, to subdued whispers. The CD is dedicated to all suicide victims, and after about 20 listens, I think I know why. Where’s my knife?

This ancient recording finally sees the light of day, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The past few Bathory CDs haven’t exactly been inspirational, and Quorthon’s solo album was truly pathetic, so I was more than a little worried that the venerable inspiration to a whole legion of current Black Metal outfits might fuck this up, too. However, my concerns were unfounded. This look into the past (recorded in ‘88 and ‘89, but not completed & mixed until 1996) brings back some memories of what this band once was, and hopefully it has brought something back to Quorthon, too. The music, for the most part, has a Thrashy, yet Doomy (in some places even majestic) feel, but there is much experimentation here. I’m happy to finally be able to once again recommend a Bathory album.

Noise is right. This sounds like a horrific nightmare of crushed hopes and dreams. And then there’s the other side. The one with lyrics. It’s nearly as intensely sick musically, and the vox are just screamed over top of it. Normally that might not be cool, but thanks to the lyrics and overwhelming soul-crushing nature of the “music,” this is nothing short of amazing. Plus it’s on translucent piss-green wax.

The whiny vocals sort of remind me of Nine Inch Nails, while the music is kind of a tenth-rate Soundgarden rip-off, but a bit noisier. Easily forgettable.

I guess the guys at Victory didn’t like the idea of being a Hardcore only label, since Baby Gopal are about as soft as humanly possible. These chicks are completely sugar-coated Alterna-Pop, with maybe 1% Punk influence. I wonder who their singer had to fuck to get them signed?

Very heavy Death that is kept simple, and often played slowly. Not unlike the first Asphyx album, except that Avulsion have a more “underground” kind of production, that sort of adds to their rawness. Personally, I like this style of straightforward brutality that doesn’t rely only on speed to deliver it’s deadly message, but although I like Dimensions…, I think these guys need a little more time to perfect things.

The most interesting thing about this band’s Deathrash is that there are so many other influences to it, including, but certainly not limited to, what might be considered Alternative Rock guitar strumming. Weird, but cool. And usually still pretty intense.

The cool stuff about this full-length disc: The lyrics, band member in a Motorhead shirt, the production, and they have a song called “Cunt.” The bad stuff: The extremely terrible wannabe Hardcore tough guy vocals, and some Rap influences. Avalanche have potential and talent, but they would be well advised to obliterate the trendy shit.

Fairly basic fast-paced Black Metal, with keyboards. Occasionally the vox are delivered in a combination speaking/clean singing style, but that’s about it as far as innovation is concerned. Not that it’s really needed for this record to be okay, but if Auzhia wants to stand out of the Satanic crowd, it’d be a good idea. Not bad, but certainly not great.

I’m sure that they really want to be Dead Can Dance, but what we have here is way too minimalistic to hold my interest. It’s not so easy to create “dark, majestic funeral music,” and make it sound cool.

After the first, acoustic, track, I was really not at all ready for the speedy Death Metal start of track 2, “So Blind.” After nearly a minute, the track sort of shifts gears, and loses me with some inferior riffs. The remaining tracks are all flawed, as are the vocals (usually), but the playing is impressive. I think they may just need a little more time to perfect the riffs, and I’d stick to only the heaviest of the displayed vocals styles.

Five intricate Death Metal cuts, with a little Thrash & Black Metal feel thrown in once in a while. Memorable (if somewhat predictable) songs & great production, thanks to Morrisound, but it doesn’t sound exactly like everything else recorded there.