Does he say “Fuck the Christ”? Now that’s how to start an album! The rest of this is intense Death Metal. Powerful production and everything else, really.

The only fault with these songs is that there are only two of them. Insanity’s brand of Thrashy Death Metal is pretty memorable, and the sound is thick, and bass heavy. Hopefully they will release some more material soon.

Parts of this, like the first song, “Down Upon You,” are the heaviest Doom I’ve heard in a long time that has clean vocals. Then there are some songs that are not in any way heavy; more straight Hard Rock, perhaps not unlike early Deep Purple. In the Electric Mist is a really varied release, that obviously has its influences in very early Metal, but the band brings their own identity to the style. I can’t say that I like every song on here, but most of them are amazing, and the few remaining are all at least acceptable.

The very heavy Doom riffs will grind your bones to dust, and the smooth vocals will bring you back from beyond. They experiment with their sound, but generally avoid adding any Groove, as some bands have. Unfortunately, what takes its place, instead of more crushing riffs, are Rock songs. It’s a really odd mixture of styles that I just don’t understand. Parts of this are great, but just not all of it, and the bad parts can be really disappointing.

Nearly 45 minutes of very simple, poorly produced Black Metal. It sounds as if the vocals were added as an afterthought, since they rarely have anything to do with the music. I’ve heard a lot of hype about this band, but this just puts me to sleep. The very best it gets is okay. I think this is a one man band, so I’ll be a little lenient on the rating. Maybe I’m missing some aspect that makes it great, but probably not.

Now we get to the sickest motherfuckers (literally!) around. Infernal Torment are (at the time of this CD’s release) arguably the heaviest Death Metal band on Earth, and it’s between them and Pathologist for the most utterly brutal Death vomit vocals I’ve ever heard, although IT do vary the vox, and are sometimes they are “only” as brutal as those on Cannibal Corpse’s Tomb of the Mutilated. If you want ultra-intense Death Metal with the sickest lyrics you’ll ever read (probably sicker than you think!), then look no further. I must add two more comments: I don’t know how they do it, and maybe it’s because I listened to their flawless Instincts demo about two million times before I got this CD, but this stuff is really catchy! And, according to the liner notes, the guitar lead in the track “No Longer a Virgin” was “recorded while watching a nun being penetrated with an 18-inch cock.” Knowing these guys, they might just mean they personally witnessed it! If you ask me, that’s cool.

I was warned that the production was a little weird, but really other than a lack of bass, and a thin guitar sound it’s fine. It’s very clear, but I won’t lie and say that the thinness of the guitar sound doesn’t hurt them, because it does. A better recording would have been a plus. But let’s discuss the music, shall we? It’s very intense Death Metal, or as the band likes to say, “it’s fuckin’ slammy, and full of pit riffs!” And this description is pretty accurate. I’ve seen these guys live twice, and when they play, all I can think of is dropping everything and diving into a big swarming mass of freaks. The only drawback is that to the owners of this band’s two other CDs (both on Wild Rags), this album presents only four new songs (of 10), albeit with far superior sound, and of course their “new” singer, Frank, utterly destroys their previous vocalists. I predict that their next album will be one for the vaults of eternity.

The “kiss of shame” cover alone would be worth the cost of this disc. I’d kill to get a poster of it! Anyway, that is far from the best reason to pick this up. In Memorian have come up with what may be the best combination of Black and Death Metal I’ve ever heard. I’d put these guys up against anyone you care to name. The use of keyboards and acoustic guitars is perfectly balanced with the relentlessly murderous onslaught of guitar and drums. Every song is instantly extremely memorable, but upon repeated listens a great depth is revealed. Wilson’s vocals are perhaps the best aspect of this recording: he has the most powerful and diverse Death growl I’ve heard since Sick Nick Hernandez and Dysphoria parted ways. Insantification is in every way a classic. I am honored to bestow upon it my highest rating.

Well, it’s clear that everything that was heavy about Gwar is now in X-Cops. The lyrics are sometimes amusing, and almost always entertaining, but most of the really sick lines, like, “I fucked her ass with a frozen piece of shit,” are long gone. Gwar - heaviness - sickness = not much.

Umm, my review copy of this CD came without even a track listing, so this is sort of tough going, but musically, these guys are nuts. Very heavy, and I think if could make out the lyrics, they would be pretty sick. The vocals certainly are - they mostly sound like the last gurgles of a dying man, with a spike driven through his head. To me, that’s cool. I only wish I had the lyrics and a list of the songs. I assume that the “real” version comes with at least the song titles.

For those of you completely out of touch, this is Dave Lombardo’s new band. Is Dave still the supreme drum guy? Oh yeah! Is his new band as intense as Slayer? Mostly. Somehow Dave managed to really pull this off. Grip Inc. is sort of a Thrash unit, and kick it out like really no other Thrash band does now. Every now and then, a little hint of Industrial pokes it’s head through the din. The intensity is turned all the way up, and they just go for the kill from the first song onward. I had to dock them a little for the unpardonable sin of rhyming “fire” with “desire.” But, other than that, this is pretty good.

I admit that I was a little worried that this band would be able to keep the intensity up to this level for an entire LP, but they do it. Well, mostly. Okay, it’s maybe slightly less insane than their The Mystical Gate… EP, but still, the vocals are totally Godzilla-like, and the music, when it momentarily calms down from “Hyper-Blast” mode, is thick and very heavy.

Jungle Rot is everything a Death Metal band should be. Their songs are rabid, the guitar sound is a chainsaw on steel, and I can even sometimes hear the fucking bass. David’s vocals remind me of a young Johnny Hedlund (Unleashed), although perhaps a little more raw. And for all that brutality, their songs are actually very catchy. I simply can’t say enough good things about these sick freaks.

You don’t see very many 13 song demos. These guys are sort of no frills, but they sure as shit get the job done. Certainly not the most brutal, nor the fastest, nor the most anything, but there’s something about them I like.

Ghostorm have worked very, very hard on making this debut as unbelievable as it is. They of course write emotional, heavy, and memorable songs, which are also pretty technical. And they play them flawlessly. Their singer is raw enough to be brutal, but he can still be understood, which is a difficult balance to achieve, and he injects more emotion into his growls than nearly anyone. They traveled from their native Lithuania to Sweden to record at the legendary Unisound, and that was the extra effort which really put them over the top. The production is maybe the best I’ve ever heard from Unisound. Although quite a bit of excellent Metal has come out recently, Frozen in Fire is without a doubt a contender for the best album of the year. If their next one is somehow better than this, I guess I’ll have to change to an 11 point scale. Essential.

This band’s odd combination of Death, Thrash, and “Classic” Metal is even more refined on this demo. And for the most part, more memorable, too - not to mention heavier. In addition to such new masterpieces as “With this Ring,” and the title track, the listener is treated to a pair of cuts from their last demo, including my favorite GS song, “We Are Those Men.” This is a distinct improvement, and I already liked them.

A clue for all bands: If you don’t put your address (your physical address, not just email) anywhere on the cassette or J-card, you’re beat-offs who don’t deserve a record deal. What if some label heard your demo and wanted to sign you, only to discover that there’s no god damn address anywhere? They’d thrown the whole thing in the trash and sign Inverted Bitch Fister instead. I only have this band’s address because I saved the envelope in which the tape arrived, and normally that would be the first thing to go. I’ll get on with the review now: The music is Industrial tinged Thrash, which isn’t half bad. It’s the vox and lyrics I don’t like. There’s a mild distortion on the vox and stupid phrasing of the inanely rhymed lyrics. Maybe they knew what they were doing when they left off their address.

The new, female, vocalist adds a unique dimension to the Gothic Doom stylings of this very talented band. No growly Death vocals to be found, but plenty of meaty riffs, and so on. Nicely done, and a worthy addition to the collection of any fan of Doomy, heavy, and melodic stuff.

This band’s high energy Deathy Thrash is fine, but sometimes the singer sounds a little strained. Not that it’s bad, but this just didn’t do much for me either way.

The amazing production is perhaps the least of this demo’s attributes. The songwriting is superb, the playing flawless, and the vocals are a raspy yell, perhaps not unlike that of At the Gates. I will say that a little polishing of the lyrics could be done, but not much.