Slightly less continually intense than I was expecting, but perhaps more memorable (“Distraction” really stands out). They seem to have taken a cue from Macabre in this respect, but Agathocles are still very much their own band.

I have been anxiously awaiting this release since I heard their 3” CD, The Fall, quite some time ago. Let me assure you that it was worth the wait. Almost anyone can write brutal songs; the real trick is making that brutality memorable, and Adramelechmakes it look like simplicity itself. Of course, the unbelievably powerful production helps, but it’s mostly the masterful way they craft these songs. Every new Death Metal band should be required to listen to this album to see how it’s done.

The Acrimony side is completely stoned out Groovy Doom, played in a style not dissimilar to the less interesting moments of the last few Cathedral releases. Well, at least I like the real Doom parts, but the rest just puts me to sleep in a hurry. Iron Rainbow provide one of their best songs, in their traditional Metal style, but the bad attempt at singing really brings it down for me.

The band’s fast Thrashy Death is occasionally so complex that it’s difficult to follow. A.D. really love to experiment with different musical & vocal styles. Within these 3 songs the music swings from fast Death to Progressive (like Fates Warning), and the vocals from harsh yells to whispers. A lesser band couldn’t possibly pull of such a stunt, but other than a few rough edges, Acid Death manage to make it look simple.

This is a vast improvement over their debut, When the Kite String Pops, but it’s still unimpressive. I think they decided to “go Alternative” with this release, but at least the annoying distorted vocals are (mostly) gone, and the riffs are a little better. You would really think that an album with song titles like “New Corpse” and “Dead Girl” would be better than this.

As much as I enjoyed this band’s earlier material, I must admit that it was somewhat lacking in terms of production. That has been completely remedied with this stellar release. Clocking in at about a half hour (longer than any Deicide full-length, full-price album), not only is the production amazing, but the playing is stunning, and of course the songs are as memorable as ever. Only the spiritless Boyd Rice cover, “Total War,” keeps this from perfection.

Why do so many Black Metal LPs hover around 30 minutes? This one is just under a half hour, but I have the feeling that they still charge full price for it. Enough of my complaints. For those familiar with the band’s first album, The Other Side, this is faster, and more intense. In fact, Summon the Beast is so unlike Hypocrisy that I can hardly believe that The Abyss is made up of that band’s members. Well, the stellar Abyss Studios production is a clue, but a lot of (smart) bands record there. You couldn’t hope for a more fast and furious style of Black Metal, but you might hope for more of this album. As good as The Abyss is, I am having difficulty in recommending that anyone spend their hard-earned cash on such a short release. But as far as the music alone is concerned, this is hard to beat.

Hardcore with the brutality and vocals of the most intense Death Metal, plus unholy speed. Napalm Death (and others) used to call this Grindcore. You just don’t hear too many Grind bands these days, much less great ones like Abstain. I doubt you’ll ever hear anything much more ferocious than these 9 songs, which are crammed into 15 minutes, and considering the price, there is no reason for anyone to pass this up.

These guys are really more of a gross-out Crust band than anything else, but I’ve heard them described as everything from Death Metal to Punk. It’s disgusting; if you have a weak stomach, the lyrics would make you puke. Also, generally things are pretty heavy, and there is a weird sense of humor and fun amid all the hate and shit. This reminds me of the old days of Nuclear Winter (although Abscess are certainly closer to Death Metal than we ever were), so I can only recommend it.

The band’s crunchy Death Metal is an awesome combination of speed and heaviness. This is also a shining example of what really good Death vocals should sound like. But the most interesting thing about this album is their cover of the Dead Can Dance song, “Cantara,” which starts as a slow, fairly mellow piece, with clean vocals, and builds to a fair amount of heaviness. Weird, but cool.

Intense, but basic 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.]

This is lifeless & boring. It’s very mainstream wannabe “Metal,” like those fudgepackers, Pantera. And the subject matter that they choose to stick with throughout this joke is god. Next!

Here we have two complex, well-played Black / Death tracks, in a somewhat similar style to that of the mighty Dissection - technical, but powerful and memorable. The production is very clear and of course that can only add to the emotion of the music. I think it’s time for A Mind Confused to release a full length album.

This is fairly heavy Hardcore, which brings to mind a slightly more Metalized Agnostic Front, right down to their singer, who sounds every bit as strained as Roger [Miret, from A.F.] ever did. 25 Ta Life maintains an incredible amount of intensity through all 6 songs, but never at the cost of memorable riffs. If you’re looking for real Hardcore, your search is over.

The ten songs here (all crammed into about 34 minutes) are memorable Death Metal. Johnny and company really have that down. Unfortunately, it seems that these guys have subscribed to the thought that every album should be less heavy than the one before it. It’s not that this isn’t heavy, but just not as heavy - neither the vocals nor the music. I can’t say anything bad about this band, and the album is very good, but if I listen to this, and then listen to Where No Life Dwells, or Shadows in the Deep, this album gets crushed.

Except for some lead guitar work, everything on this CD (or tape) was written and recorded by mastermind Bob Cardente. Generally speaking, one man bands tend to suffer as it’s pretty hard for one guy to be good enough at every instrument necessary to really pull it off. Bob doesn’t have that problem. He does use a drum machine, but he is so good at programming it, that, except for maybe three or four parts on the whole disc, you’d never notice it’s a machine, although you might wonder when Pete Sandoval had time to fill in on the drums for this. As for the music, Bob has assembled some very potent speedy Deathrash material. His vocals are honestly unique: He sort of screeches, in a way not completely unlike Chuck from Death, but he tends to sing pretty fast. I even like the lyrics.

Much like their previous album, Fascination of Indifference, this is intense Death Metal, with just a touch of Thrash influence. Perhaps this material is a bit more technical, but it’s also more memorable.

These guys have never been afraid to take chances, and this is perhaps their most diverse release to date. Of course there are (as always) no rhythm guitars, but there are occasional guitar solos, and some acoustic work mixed in with the dual bass assault. I rarely hear any type of horn used in an interesting (or at least not irritating) way in Metal, but the very infrequent sax somehow works for them. Necromantia was one of the first of the “new wave” of Black Metal bands, and Scarlet Evil… proves that they are still very much on the cutting edge, but have sacrificed none of their trademark sound to stay there.

On the back of the j-card it says, “raw insane intense power.” You’d have to read the lyric booklet to understand the “insane” part, but that pretty much sums it up. In-Quest plays fast, brutal Death Metal. The weird part is that it’s actually very memorable. And that’s somewhat due to the ultra clear production, but mostly to the exacting skill of the band. The playing on these songs is utterly flawless, and at speeds like this, that’s extra difficult. But do Noise Grinder’s vocals keep up? Indeed. His style is actually like that of Glen Benton, but about twice as fierce.

Brutal and somewhat memorable Death Metal. Very bass-heavy and thick, with no shortness of speed when necessary. But don’t think that Lividity rely on speed to make their point, they can be as slow and heavy when they feel like it. A punishing delivery of some fresh meat.